(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
We see Morgan’s town in shambles; a burned out building, doors swinging in the wind, a playground merry-go-round turning. Teddy says Dakota saved Morgan’s life. She thought he was going to give her a fresh start in a place she felt safe, a place to call home, and a family. Did he? Dakota says, no, and we see Morgan walking through the desolation. She says he built a town, and filled it with people, but her sister… Her mom did the same thing, ten times over. She still never felt comfortable in her own skin in any of those places. Teddy says both of them wanted something from her she couldn’t give. They wanted her to be somebody she’s not. He heard her with Alicia. She wants what they all want; someone to love her the way she is. She asks if he thinks she’ll find that person in the new world, but he says she already has. She says, him? and he says, yes. She says he put Alicia in the bunker because he thought he saw something special in her. He says he did. He loves what Alicia will become. There’s something in Alicia that he and Dakota will never be. That’s nothing to feel sorry about. Dakota is so much like him. They’re two very logical conclusions in a world built on a foundation of violence, lies, and self-interest. That’s why they understand each other. He thinks she’ll agree. When he says they’re conclusions, he means they don’t belong in the world the way it is. Things are just about to get started. She asks, what will happen to them? and he says, they’re going to die with everyone else. He knows it’s a lot to take in. She needs to ask herself the question, when they figure it out, does she still want to be a part of it, or does she want to pretend to be someone else just to have the chance to keep on breathing? Does she want to stay as she is in the time they have left? She says she wants be who she is, and he says, good girl. She’s in the right place. The lights come on, and Riley says, it’s the emergency battery. They need diesel to be running before dark. She asks how Riley knows Teddy, and Riley says he was an officer on the boat. Teddy says Riley was a broken man when he found him. Riley found himself like Dakota; found himself without a family to call his own. Riley asks if Teddy has them, and Teddy shows him the keys around his neck. Dakota laughs, and Teddy asks, what’s funny? She says, Virginia had a thing about keys too. Virginia said they’d unlock the future, but she doesn’t think this is what Virginia had in mind. Riley leaves, and she asks, does he know? Does everyone know they’re going to die? Teddy says, everyone here is aware, and she asks how he got them to follow him, knowing they were going to die. He says, it’s easy to get people to follow you. Just offer them something they really want to believe in. It’s just that not a lot of people want to die. I suppose that would be a monkey wrench. We see Morgan put his hat on, and take out a gun. Teddy says, getting them to do that is something else. Morgan looks at his pokey weapon stuck in the ground. Teddy says, it’s something very few people have, and gives Dakota a gun. She asks what it takes, and he says, it’s not that complicated. You just have to be wiling die with them. Morgan looks at Dakota’s note saying he still has things to do. He rides up a hill where Victor and the others meet him. He asks if Victor is ready to do this, and Victor says he’s guessing that’s a rhetorical question. Morgan says, let’s go, and they ride toward the USS Pennsylvania.
Morgan cuts through the submarine hatch, sparks flying. He gets it open, and looks down the stairs. He throws a flare down, and says, it’s a lot further down than he thought. Grace holds a Geiger counter, and says, at 10,000 milligrams, they should start to worry. She should go down first. Morgan says he’s got this, and June says she’s got him covered. He starts to go down the stairs into the sub. Shari radios Luci, asking if they found the naval base. June is worried, but Dwight says, if they fire the missile, the sub is probably the safest place to be. The rest of them are sitting ducks. Morgan asks if they’re ready, and John tells them, fire at anything that moves, dead or alive. Morgan goes down further, and Grace asks what the reading is. He says, 10 milligrams, and goes to the next level. She asks what the reading is now, and he says, still holding at 10. She says, it hasn’t changed? and Morgan says, he thought she said 10… A zombie grabs him, knocking him down, and getting on top of him. He yells, shoot it! and John tells him to move its head. He does, and June gets it with one shot. Morgan says, thank you, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Morgan says, the crew must have all died, and Grace asks what the reading is now. He says, still holding at 10, and she says she’s going in. Cover her. Shari talks to Luci about the naval base.
Morgan hears Grace coming behind him, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she takes the Geiger counter from him. She says she wants to see if the device is still intact. It’s been reissued twice. He says he knows what she’s trying do, and she says, the same thing as him. He says she wants to make them pay, and she asks if there’s something wrong with that. He says, no, but they haven’t talked about… She says, now is not the time, and calls up to the others that it’s safe. Morgan says he hasn’t pushed it because he understands her pain, but if they don’t talk about it now, they might not get the chance. He has to do what needs to be done to stop this, and he might not make it. She says, we might not make it; she’s coming. He says she’s not coming. She’s got to stay. She’s alive, and got to be here for a reason. He thinks it might be so she can build the future Athena showed her. She says, what about him? He should build a future too, but he says, first, he has to make sure there’s a world left behind to rebuild. The others begin to join them, and June asks if they’re all right. Morgan says, yeah, and June asks him to let her take a look, but he says he’s fine. Grace wants to take more readings, and June tells Morgan to give Grace time. Victor says he’s not sure Teddy’s group are the a-holes they have to worry about right now, and Dwight says, there has to be a crew on that floor. John asks Shari if they know how many stand between them, and where they’re going. Shari radios Luci, asking if she has any idea how many crew members on the boat, but there’s too much interference and she can’t hear. She says, it’s getting worse as they go on, and Grace says she’ll get Lucy. Morgan says, let’s go, and they continue on without Grace, who moves closer to the steps, but still can’t hear Luci.
Grace goes up the ladder, while the others walk through. Grace asks if Luci can hear her, and says they need to know the count of the crew. Luci says, 150, and Grace asks if they heard it. Victor says he wishes they hadn’t. They also hear zombies beyond the next hatch. Morgan bangs on the hatch with his pokey weapon, and John asks if they have any idea what’s beyond the hatch. Victor asks if it’s the only way, and Luci hears, and says, it looks like it. John wonders if they have enough ammo, and Dwight suggests they hold their fire while they’re down there. Victor agrees, and says, Alicia might be in there. If not, they need to find out where she is. Morgan says he’s going in, and tells them to kill anything that slips by him. June says he’s not going in alone, and he says, no one needs to get hurt. She says, neither does he. Victor hands him the note from Dakota, saying he dropped it. Morgan says it wasn’t for Victor to read, but Victor says, just because Dakota saved Morgan’s life doesn’t mean he needs to give it up there. Morgan says, it’s not about that. He was halfway to being one of those things. He knows how to get past them. Victor says, they’ll be behind him. He knows they’ve had their differences, but Alicia called him to take care of Morgan, and that’s what he’s going to do. John says he’s coming too. He gave up his family to put this guy away. He’s not about to let Teddy succeed now. They all want to go, and Dwight says, no use arguing. Realizing he’s outnumbered, Morgan says, let’s open it up.
Morgan opens the hatch, and going through a narrow hallway, dispatches several zombies in different ways with his pokey weapon. He checks the reading, and says, it’s clear. The others follow, and John closes the hatch. Dwight asks if he’s locking them in, and John says he doesn’t want any surprises. June asks if there’s any way to dismantle the missile from there, and Victor says, it’s not a good idea since they don’t understand it. Dwight says, do they think some psycho that’s been behind bars for 40 years knows how work this sh*t? and John tells them, don’t underestimate Teddy; he’s a resourceful fella. The hear zombies beyond the next hatch, and Morgan sees an intercom. He picks up the mic, and says, Grace? Grace says she thinks that’s the emergency com. They need power. Morgan says, they have to turn the silo off, and asks, which way to the weapons room? Grace calls Luci, and hears Teddy saying, they got there fast. Morgan asks, who’s this? and Teddy says Morgan knows damn well who it is. He says, Teddy? And Teddy says, bingo. That you, Morgan? John takes the radio and asks if Teddy recognizes his voice. Teddy says, he’s afraid he doesn’t, and John says he’ll give him a hint. The last time Teddy heard it, he was in a courthouse listening to his testimony against him. Teddy looks worried, and breathes heavily. He says, Officer Dorie; is it really him? John says he’s sorry he never paid Teddy a visit, but he has no stomach for death row. Teddy says John couldn’t kill him then, and he won’t now. John begs to differ. He has a bullet to put in Teddy’s head before the day ends. Teddy says he sees the day ending differently. No hard feelings. If John hadn’t put him away, he wouldn’t be sitting where he is now. June tells John not to let Teddy get to him, and John asks, where’s the girl? Teddy asks him to be more specific, and John says, where’s Alicia? Teddy says Alicia is safer than all of them, and John asks what he means. Teddy says what he means is, she’s tucked away someplace they’ll never find her. Morgan says, tell him where she is, and Teddy says, they didn’t think she’d be safe by the boat, did they? Morgan says, Teddy is going to kill his own people? but Teddy says he’s giving them a second chance. Morgan tells Grace to get on the walkie, and tell Luci to get everyone as far away from the sub as possible. She copies, and Teddy says, he and Morgan are like two peas in a pod. He’s leading everyone to their end, and Morgan is doing the same thing. Except Teddy isn’t fooling himself about what he’s doing. Excuse him; he’s got to run. He’s about to turn the power on. June radios Grace and tells her to reach her people; tell them to get somewhere safe. Grace says Charlie told her there’s a naval base nearby, but she’s not sure it will be far enough. Victor says, then they won’t fail. They hear zombies knocking on the other side of the hatch, and Victor asks, where’s Morgan?
Victor moves forward, the others behind him. He whispers for Morgan. A zombie pops out, and he sticks a knife in its head. Shari and Dwight see bunks full of dead undead, and Dwight wonders what happened. They keep moving, and Morgan walks further ahead, alone. A zombie come out behind him, and he stabs it in the eye. He starts to open the next hatch, when another zombie comes out, and he cracks its head open with the ax part of his pokey weapon. He goes in, and starts to close the opening, but Victor stops him, saying, let go. Morgan sees zombies coming behind Victor, and tells him, get in. He closes and locks the hatch, and Morgan says he doesn’t need Victor to be there, but Victor says Morgan’s not supposed to be there by himself. Morgan says he doesn’t want anyone else to die, and Victor says, no one has to die, but Morgan says, they might. Victor asks if this is what Morgan thinks he has to do. Dakota said he had things left to do in her note, but that’s not what she meant. Morgan says he’s been leading them from one dead end to another. He promised them something different, something better. He wants to be sure this time. Victor says Dakota wanted him to kill her mother; that’s what she meant, not this Morgan says he has to make sure. Victor says, people follow him because they want to, not because he owes them something. Morgan says he doesn’t know why Victor is even still there, and Victor says, Alicia asked him a difficult question when they were at the lodge. She asked if he was doing this for them or himself. Morgan says, and? and Victor says he’s doing it for everyone. Morgan’s Geiger counter goes wild, and they hear a zombie. A zombie woman stumbles out, covered with boils, we assume from radioactivity. She keels over, and Morgan says, don’t touch it. The zombie gets up all weird, like Exorcist weird, and reaches out toward them, then collapses.
They use Geiger counter, finding heavy radiation coming from the zombie, and Morgan and Victor carefully go around it to the next hatch. The Geiger counter goes crazy, and Victor says he thinks he knows where the zombie came from. Morgan says, the readings are high, when they hear something. He says, they’re about to get power, and radios Grace. He says they’re at the next door, and it’s off the charts at 40,000. Grace says, the only way they’d get that kind of a reading is if they exposed radioactive material. They have to find another way. If Morgan goes in, it will kill him. He asks how long he’d have, and she says she doesn’t know. Days? She yells for him, and Morgan and Victor look up, seeing zombies toddling along the grating above. One drops down, and Morgan says he’s going inside. Victor sees another ladder, and suggests he go up and kill them, Morgan following. Morgan says Victor isn’t thinking it through, but Victor says he wants to do what’s best for everyone. Morgan asks what that is, and Victor says, to live. Another zombie drops down, and Morgan asks if it’s clear. Victor says, let’s go, and they climb up.
They see several zombies, but they’re behind a barrier, so not a threat. They see dead undead on the floor, and one leaning on the open hatch, all victims of radiation. Victor says he told Morgan there was another way. Lights begin to come on, and Morgan says, they must be getting closer to launch. Victor takes off the other way, and Morgan follows. Zombies come out of the hatch behind them, and they close the door. Morgan says, this is a dead end. It’s a bunkroom, and he sees pictures on the wall of Riley and his family. He tells Morgan, this sailor is one of Teddy’s people. He’s the one who attacked them when Grace was in labor. He says, there’s no way out, but Victor says they’ll find a way. Morgan says he had one. Whatever Victor had to prove, he proved it. Tons of zombies are suddenly coming their way, and Victor says, Alicia’s message was meant for Morgan, because he’ll do things Victor won’t. He struggles with Morgan over the pokey weapon, and Victor knocks Morgan down, ending up with only the pokey ax part. He says, Morgan didn’t want anyone to die. He’s going to get his wish. He kicks a zombie away, and jumps into the hatch.
Victor approaches another hatch, the pokey ax in his hand. Dakota appears behind him with a gun, and tells him to drop it, and slide it to her. He does, and he says, she’s with them. Of course. She says, they gave her something no one else could. He tells her not to make the same mistake with him that she did with John, but she says she doesn’t think she is. Don’t think he can change her mind, especially after what he did. He says he doesn’t understand, but she says he doesn’t need to, or his people. She gets on the radio, and says, whoever is out there needs to listen. They need to know why they’re not going to stop this. They saved her to give her a fresh start. June did the first part; the second part is something else. If she lived with them, she’d have to be a different person, and fall into their ways. It would never work Morgan’s way. She asks Victor if he really wants to be the person Morgan wants him to be? That’s why she killed Morgan. Listening on the radio, Grace gasps. Dakota says, Morgan’s way going forward is not how she wants to believe. Victor says, that’s not true, but Dakota says she wants to be the type of person she wants. That’s why killed John. Because of people like him, the world has to end. June told John that it wasn’t too late; the world still has meaning. She’s going to make it have meaning, just not the way he thought. Victor says, Teddy is going to kill everyone; Morgan isn’t. Dakota says, Alicia will still be there. She’s the beginning; they’re endings. When they start again, it won’t be with a-holes like him. She aims her gun at him, but seems uncertain. Victor closes his eyes, and she shoots, but she only gets him in the arm. Morgan comes out of nowhere, and slams her up against the wall, knocking her down with the stick part of the pokey weapon. She’s out, and he checks her pulse. He says Victor claimed it wasn’t on him, but he gave them the key. He did it to save Grace and the baby, and he can’t let it be for nothing. He radios Grace, saying he’s there and he’s all right. She says she’s there, and Morgan tells Victor, this ends now. Victor says, Morgan… but Morgan doesn’t want to hear it. He says they’ll deal with what Victor did later. He’s cost them enough time. Victor hands Morgan the stick part of the pokey weapon, which is now officially a pokey stick.
Teddy asks how it’s looking, and Riley says, two minutes. He stopped something like this once, but they don’t have what it takes. Teddy says he’s glad Riley did that. His family returned to the earth, and now he can too. He’d be lost without Riley. Teddy radios Sue/Dakota, but gets no response, and an alarm sounds. Teddy gets a WTF? look on his face, and tells Riley, hurry.
Morgan takes out a handful of key cards, and tries each one to get into the final hatch. Victor wonders where he got them, and Morgan says he took if off a dead soldier’s body after Victor left him. Victor tries to justify his actions, and Morgan tells him, stop.
Behind the hatch, Riley says, on three, and Teddy says he copies. Morgan keeps trying the cards, but none of them are opening the hatch. Teddy puts in the key, and Riley says, one… Morgan prays the next card works, since it’s the last one. Riley says, two… three. Teddy turns the key. Morgan inserts the card, and the hatch opens. Victor and Morgan tell Teddy, stop, but Teddy says, they can’t. Riley says he told them it was inevitable. By the stairs going outside, John tells everyone, hold on. June tells Grace, they have to go, and Grace yells for Morgan. Everything begins to shake, and all is silent for a moment. They watch as a rocket shoots up out of the sub. Watching from the hill, Sarah says, damn, and Daniel says, that’s a big stick. They watch as it continues to go up into the sky.
Morgan grabs Teddy by his jacket, and puts his pokey stick in Teddy’s face, while Victor trains a gun on Riley. Riley moves, and Victor says, don’t. Riley tells Teddy, they only got one off, but Teddy says, it’s enough to get them started. They’ve begun. Victor says, how much, and Riley says, not enough. Victor asks where the missile is going, and Teddy asks if Riley would like to tell them what targets he programmed. Riley says, there are ten warheads on the missile. They’ll see where they land. It will be hard to miss. Victor says, where? and Teddy says, anywhere; everywhere. Maybe toward the water; maybe toward the town Morgan built. He’s been where Morgan is. A long time ago, he thought he was going to change everything, but a prison sentence put an end to it. What he didn’t realize was, it didn’t really end anything. He knows it’s not what Morgan wanted, but don’t look at it as an ending. The world is going to be a better place soon. Morgan just won’t get see it himself. Morgan threatens Teddy with the stick, looks him over, and lets go of Teddy’s jacket. He says, get out of here. Go. He tells Victor to let Riley go. Riley and Teddy can’t believe it, but get out while the getting’s good. Victor tells Morgan, it could been worse. They could have fired more. Morgan says, it could have been none if he’d gotten there sooner, and Victor says he did what he did to save lives, but Morgan says Victor did it for himself. He wanted to tell Alicia what a big hero he was. Leave. Victor sets down the pokey ax, walks to the hatch, and goes through. Morgan looks at the key in the control panel, and looks around. The camera pans out, and we watch through the hatch as he gets smaller.
I don’t mean to be critical, but you’d think Morgan might start checking the controls to see if there’s an off button. On the other hand, Z Nation survived a nuclear bomb, so…
Next time season finale, Morgan and Grace reunite, some welding happens, Teddy says it’s almost time, Riley says, it’s just the beginning, and Victor screams.
👩🏽🏫 I was reading an article in Forbes, where reviewer Erik Kain not only said FWD’s scenario about a nuke being easily launched was unrealistic, but wondered how, after 40 years in the slammer, Teddy would know anything about how to launch it. First of all, I fail to see how a show about a zombie apocalypse should be expected to do anything realistically. And secondly, Dwight asked that question, and John answered it. Teddy is a resourceful guy. Kain also posed the question as to why Morgan would let Teddy and Riley go. I thought Morgan figured they were going to die in the radioactive fallout anyway, and it would be a more gruesome death than him killing them. Even with the pokey stick.
Time to call it a weekend. Or whatever you want to call the last two days. Until we meet for soap and Sailing, stay safe, stay unprejudiced, and stay resourceful, but not in the same way Teddy is.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
For the first time this week, Peter does not lie at the bottom the stairs, blood pooling around his head.
Maxie gets out of bed, and puts on a robe. She looks out her room window and sees Brook with Louise. Brook holds Louise up so Maxie can see her, and Maxie comes out of her room. Valentin comes along, and says, that’s… Brook says, their little girl. He says, my daughter, and she says, yeah. Maxie watches.
Britt comes down the stairs of the lighthouse in the dark, holding a bat or a paddle or something. The front door opens, but as she’s about to swing, she sees Obrecht. She says, mom, and Obrecht says, hello, liebchen.
Olivia finds Jax in the living room. He apologizes for the late visit, and says he was trying to get ahold of Michael. He heard shots had been fired at the docks, and hoped Michael wasn’t caught up in all that. She says, Michael is fine. Willow just called to check in. Their plan was to come in late, grab Wiley, and go to the gatehouse. Good thing that kid sleeps like a log. He says, good to hear, and asks how Wiley is. She says, that kid is great. She swears, he learns something new every day. Jax says, and Nina is missing all of it.
On the phone at the jail, Carly tells Michael that she’s with Jason. She’s trying to get Diane to work her magic, and get the DA’s office to formally drop the charges. Michael says, it should be pretty straightforward, now that Gladys has recanted her statement, and said it was Peter she saw, not Jason. She says she hopes so, and he says he’s just glad she’s okay, and Jason doesn’t have to run anymore. She says, her too, and he asks if there’s any word on Cyrus. She says, not yet, but it’s only a matter of time before Jordan finds him.
Jordan wants the SWAT team to go in, but Doc asks her to let him try calling once more. She asks if he thinks he can get through to Cyrus, and he says, it’s worth a shot. Laura hasn’t used the code word yet. She must still think she can make some headway. Jordan tells him, okay; one more try.
The phone rings, and Laura tells Cyrus, he’s the one who’s in control. He can decide to let everyone walk away from this completely unharmed, like he decided to let Portia and Trina go. He says, that damn ringing, and goes over to the phone. She says, just pick it up; tell them what he wants.
Curtis asks Trina where her mother is, and Trina says, she’s giving her statement to the police. He says, then he’s going to need Trina’s help.
Valentin asks if the baby is all right, and Brook says, she’s safe and sound. Maxie turns away, and Valentin asks, what happened? Brook says she was on her way to Bensonhurst when her water broke. He says, in the car? and she says, yes. Does she need to go into detail?
Finn sees Maxie, and she collapses in his arms.
Britt asks why Obrecht broke in, and Obrecht says she didn’t know if Britt was sleeping. She didn’t want to wake her. Britt says, giving her a heart attack is so much better, and Obrecht says her Britta is made of stronger stuff. Britt says she could have hurt Obrecht, and Obrecht says, she’s made of stronger stuff. Britt says, it’s good to see her, and Obrecht says, it’s good to see Britt too. She seems well for someone on the run. Britt says, they were so careful with covering their tracks; how did Obrecht find her? Obrecht says, Mr. Morgan called her.
Jason asks how Michael is, and Carly says, it’s been an eventful night. She wonders what’s taking the DA’s office so long, and he says, it’s not exactly regular business hours. She says she doesn’t care. He shouldn’t have been there to begin with; she wants him out. He says, okay, he’s going to get out, and she says, not soon enough. It’s been insane without him, and she’s so sorry she made him run. He says they’ve been over this, and she says, in her defense, he would have gotten away clean if he hadn’t gone back in to get Britt. He says he had to, and she says she knows. She finally gets what he means. When a plan’s in motion, it can twist in unexpected ways. She’s sorry she pushed him to escape. He says, it’s okay, and she promises never to put him in that position again. He gives her a look, and she says she’ll try not to put him in that position again. How’s that? He says he’ll take it.
Valentin says Brook gave birth in some hotel with a random doula? Why didn’t she call him? She says she did, but he says he means sooner, when she went into labor. She says she was a little busy, and he says she’s lucky. Things could have gone very poorly. She says, they didn’t, and he says, thank God. She asks if he wants to hold the baby, and he says, very much. He sits, and she puts the baby in his arms. She says, Bailey, it’s your daddy, and he says, Bailey? She says, Bailey Lois Quartermaine, and he says, hello, Bailey; nice to meet you. He tells Brook, she’s beautiful, and Brook says, she knows. He says, she’s tiny and she’s perfect.
With Maxie back in bed, Finn says she’s had blood loss from childbirth, and needs to replenish her fluids. Elizabeth says she knows how impossible it must feel, waiting for word on Louise. Willow appears, and says, waiting for word? What happened? Maxie says, her daughter is gone, and Elizabeth says, the nurse Peter hired kidnapped Maxie, induced labor, and ran off with her baby. Willow says she’s sure they’ll find her, and Elizabeth says, they have to. Maxie says she just wants the baby as far away from Peter as possible.
Jordan says, it’s not working, but Doc tells her, just wait. Cyrus finally answers, and Doc thanks him for picking up. He asks if Laura is all right, and Cyrus says, she’s fine, for now. If he wants her to stay that way, they’ll clear the road and get him that car. Doc says they can work on that, and Cyrus yells, stop stalling, and do it! Just remember, whatever happens to him, happens to Laura too. They go down together. I have to mention, Cyrus looks a lot more haggard today, even though it’s really only a few minutes later from yesterday.
Taggert asks what exactly is Curtis talking about, but Trina tells him, it’s okay. She wants to help if she can. Curtis says he needs to know the layout of the house. Are they any other ways to get in besides the front and back doors? A cellar door maybe? She says he can climb in through her bedroom window; it’s closed, but not locked. He says he needs to know exactly where that is.
A SWAT guy tells Jordan, it’s her call. What does she want them to do? She says, they’ll give Cyrus what he wants.
Carly asks if Jason has talked to Britt. He sits on his cot, and Carly says she’s sure Britt would like to know he’s okay. She’s never been a fan of Britt’s. Britt’s done a lot of horrible things to a lot of people, but people said the same thing about her. He says, Britt saved his life, and she says she knows. What she’s trying to tell him is, her opinion of Britt has definitely changed.
Britt says, Jason called Obrecht? Why? Obrecht says, he wasn’t exactly chatty. He just said she was safe, and gave her an address where she could find Britt. Britt smiles, and says, huh, and Obrecht says, now’s the time to share. Give her all the juicy details. They sit, and Britt says, all that matters is, Jason saved her life… and she saved his. Obrecht smiles, and Britt says, what? Obrecht says, nothing, but Britt says, don’t nothing her; say it. Obrecht says, after wasting her time with men like Nikolas and Patrick Drake, Britt finally met her match.
Olivia hands Jax a drink, and says, it occurred to her that with Sonny gone, and Jason busy with other things, Carly might have stepped into the family business. She wonders if she’d do that, but doesn’t know, since she’s never been in that position. He says he only cares about his daughter’s safety, so whatever Carly is doing, he hopes it’s over sooner rather than later.
Michael heads for Maxie’s room, and Willow tells Maxie that she’s safe there. Elizabeth says Maxie doesn’t have to worry about Peter, but Maxie says she doesn’t know that. Elizabeth says, the police are looking for him; he’s not going to come back here. Finn flashes back to arguing with Peter, and Peter throwing the antidote off the roof. Maxie wishes Peter had just disappeared… forever.
Brook tells the baby that she passed her check-up with flying colors; good work, baby girl. Valentin says she should be checked also, and she says she will, but not tonight. It’s late and she’s tired. He says, tomorrow, and she agrees. He says, how about they get their daughter home? As they walk, they come face-to-face with Austin.
Cyrus asks if Laura thinks he’s an idiot, but she says, no. He asks if she thinks he believes for one moment they’re going to give him what he wants. They’re just stringing him along until they can get a sniper to take him out. That’s not happening. She asks him to listen to her, for just a minute. He says it’s her fault really. All he wanted was to be her brother, and to bask in one ounce of the love she has for everyone else. She says, he wants her love, does he? He says, yes, and she says, then earn it, damn you. She would have helped him if he’d been just the tiniest bit sorry for what he did; if he was just the tiniest bit willing to let someone help him, but no. He wants to bond with her, while he charges the rest of the damn world. He says, so it’s all on him, and she says, it doesn’t have to be. Not yet. He still has time. He can still redeem himself. Turn himself in.
Curtis slips into Trina’s bedroom window, and checks his gun. Laura tells Cyrus, turn himself in. If he does that, she will stand beside him. He says, little sister, it’s far too late.
Valentin asks if Brook is all right, and she flashes back to seeing Austin unconscious in the woods. She says she just got a little startled. Sorry. Austin says, no worries. Congratulations. Brook says, what? and Austin says he can’t see his or her face, but he’s sure the baby is just beautiful. Valentin thanks him, and Austin says he’s looking for room 401; any ideas? Valentin points him in the right direction, and Austin sees a sign that says, Pediatrics: Michael Corinthos Center for Pediatric Head Injuries/Neonatal Intensive Care.
Michael tells Maxie that he’s sorry, and the Quartermaines will help in any way they can. She thanks him, and Willow says, they’ll leave so she can rest. In the hallway, Michael says, Maxie must be losing her mind, and Willow says she almost feels guilty going home to Wiley. He asks if she’s still taking Wiley to the gatehouse, and she says not if Michael thinks they’ll wake him. Michael says, Wiley slept through a fire alarm when Cook started a grease fire, and she says, good point. (Wiley isn’t my kid, is he? I slept through a hurricane.) He says, home? and she says, home. They get in the elevator.
Elizabeth tells Maxie that she needs to get some sleep. Maxie says, and let her guard down? What if Peter comes back? Elizabeth says she told Maxie, it’s not going to happen, and Maxie asks how she knows that. Finn says he does. Peter’s not going to bother her again. He can’t.
Britt says Obrecht is being ridiculous, and Obrecht says, is she? Britt says, Jason isn’t her match; they’re not anything. Obrecht says, just two people on the run together, and Britt says, exactly. Obrecht asks if she had sex with him, and Britt says, mom. Obrecht says, did she? Britt says of course (🍷) she didn’t, covering her smile, and Obrecht says she knew it. And? Britt says, and it was amazing. It doesn’t mean anything. She knows how these situations are; everything’s heightened, people are drawn to each other when they normally wouldn’t be. Obrecht says, right. Men like that are brute instruments. Good in the sack, as they say, but no one to plan a future with. Britt says, actually – Obrecht says, she’s wrong? – Jason did something for her that was, in a way, just as important as saving her life. He helped her face something that she’d been running from for years. Obrecht asks, what is that? and Britt says she lied.
Jason asks, what happened at the meeting with the Five Families microwaveable pasta meals? and she says she told him; they backed her. He says, that’s it? and she asks if he thinks she screwed up somehow. He says, no, she did great. She kept the family safe while he was gone. He would expect nothing less. She puts her hand over his and says, he’s always the one who believes in her, and he says, he always will.
Cyrus says Laura has no idea what she’s asking. She wants him to go back to prison with no Jordan to pressure, no blackmail to use – Curtis is now in the hallway, seeing if he can get a clear shot – just spend the rest of his days rotting in that hellhole. Ten years was an infinity. He can’t go back; he’s never going back. He paces, and groans, and says, what a life. Whether she admits it or not, they’re just wild creatures who can’t be contained. As Curtis sneaks around behind Cyrus, Laura asks what he means. What is he going to do? Laura sees Curtis and gasps, and Cyrus grabs her. He tells Curtis, drop the gun, or she dies. Curtis says, take it easy, Cyrus, and puts his gun on the floor. Cyrus shoots him, and Curtis drops. Cyrus walks over to him and says, that’s enough out of him. In the meantime, Jordan comes through the front door, and shoots Cyrus.
Willow pours some wine for Michael and herself, and he asks if she’s okay. With Maxie and all, it couldn’t have been easy for her. She says, her? Maxie is the one who lost her little girl. He says he didn’t know if it brought up any memories, and she says, seeing Maxie alone in that hospital bed, she remembers that feeling; the emptiness, the ache. First, when she gave her baby up, and later, learning that he had died. Michael takes her hand, and she says, sorry. He asks, why? and she says she doesn’t know. She hugs him, and says she’s just happy he’s there with her. He says, him too.
Britt says, when she told Obrecht that she’d been screened for Huntington’s, and that she didn’t have it, that was a lie. She didn’t do the test. She chickened out. Obrecht says, the truth is, it’s Britt’s decision whether she wants to know or not. She should never have pressured her. Britt says, for years now, it’s been in the back of her mind, wondering, did she have it or didn’t she have it? Then it moved to the front of her mind, and eventually, it began taking over her life. Every ache, every pain, wondering, is this it?Is this the beginning of the end? She wound up telling Jason that she might have it, and he was amazing. He didn’t try to tell her what to do, or jump in with advice on how she should run her life. Obrecht says, he listened, and Britt says, he even talked a little too. Obrecht laughs, and asks what he said. Britt says, if it suffocates you, instead of frees you, then you should find out, and she knew in that instant, she needed to know. Obrecht says, she got the test? and Britt says she did. She has the genetic marker for Huntington’s. Obrecht takes her hand.
A guard comes in and unlocks Jason’s cell. Carly says, the charges were dropped? and he says, Jason is free to go. Carly runs in the cell, and hugs Jason, saying, let’s get you out of here, and get you home. On their way out, Carly’s phone dings, and she says, oh my God. They have to go to the hospital. She’ll explain to him on the way. She jets, and Jason heaves such a huge sigh, I literally lol, and he follows her.
Finn tells Maxie, there’s something she needs to know, when Austin knocks on the door, and comes in. He says, sorry to interrupt, but he just wanted to check on the patient. Miss Maxie, how are you? Maxie says, fine, and tells him to come in. She tells Finn and Elizabeth, this is the man who delivered Louise. Can they believe she managed to find a doctor in the middle of the woods? Elizabeth says, only you, Maxie, and Finn says, it’s nice to meet you, Doctor…? and Austin says, he’s off-duty, so just Austin. Elizabeth asks if Finn has time for a consult, and they leave. Okay, I’ll just say it. I guess we’re just ignoring the fact that Austin looks exactly like Todd Franco. Maxie asks how Austin’s head is doing, and he says it’s still on his shoulders. She says, that’s a plus, and he agrees. He says he’s sorry he didn’t come to sooner. He might have been able to help her out with that nurse. If he’d done that, she’d have her baby in her arms right now.
Valentin opens the door for Brook to go into the mansion, and Olivia squeals, Brook had the baby? Nobody told her. Valentin says, things move quickly; it’s hard to keep up. Olivia runs over to Brook and the baby, and says, oh my goodness. Brook says, Bailey, meet your grandmother, Olivia, and Olivia says, she is a literal angel. Olivia asks, what happened? Is Brook okay? Brook asks if they can go in the living room; she needs to sit down. Olivia says, anything Brook needs, just say the word, and helps her to the living room. Jax tells Valentin, congratulations, and Valentin thanks him. Jax says Valentin has a daughter. He’s a lucky man. He holds out his hand, and they shake.
Laura tells Jordan, come in, and Jordan runs to Curtis, asking for something to stop the blood. Laura finds some gauze, and Jordan yells for someone to get Portia. Doc runs in, and hugs Laura, saying, thank God. She says she’s fine; help Curtis. Doc checks Curtis’s pulse, and says it’s thready. Laura tells Curtis, hang in there, and glares at Cyrus, who’s sitting up against a chair, and I’m wondering why someone hasn’t hauled him off yet.
Taggert goes over to Trina and Portia, who asks, what happened? He says, Cyrus is down, and Portia says, it’s over. She hugs Trina, and an officer comes out. He tells Portia that she’s needed inside, and she goes with him.
Jordan tells Curtis, stay with her, and Doc says, his pulse is weaker. Portia runs in, and Laura tells her that Curtis has been shot. While Portia tends to Curtis, Doc takes Laura over to the side, and asks if she’s all right. She says she’s fine, thanks to Curtis. Portia looks at Curtis’s wound, and asks Jordan to help her roll him over, so she can see if the bullet came out the other side. She takes a look, and they move him back the way he was, and Portia tells Jordan, keep pressure on the wound. Jordan says, save him, please, and tells Curtis to open his eyes. Don’t you dare give up on me.
Olivia asks if she can hold Bailey/Louise, and Brook gives her the baby. Olivia says she has to get it in now, because Ned isn’t going to want to let go of her. Brook says, actually, her dad doesn’t know she had the baby, and Olivia says, what?
Obrecht says, this is her fault. Her obsession with Cesar is what led to this. Britt says, no, but Obrecht says, she knows she wasn’t always the best mutter, far from it, especially when Britt was young. But the older Britt got, the prouder Obrecht was of her. So smart, so strong, so capable. Britt has become everything Obrecht asked of her. And the fact that she has this horrible disease, is because Obrecht chose that wretched man to be Britt’s father. Britt says, wow, and Obrecht says she bets Britt never thought of it that way. Britt admits she hadn’t, because it wasn’t Obrecht’s fault. The wow is because this is the first time she’s heard she’s everything Obrecht wanted in a daughter. Obrecht isn’t just saying that because Britt is sick? Obrecht tells Britt, she’s saying it because it’s the truth.
Finn and Elizabeth go to his office, and she says he was going to tell Maxie that Peter was dead, wasn’t he? He says, they can’t leave Maxie terrified that Peter is going to come back, when they both know he won’t. She says, and then what? He gets arrested, and Chase dies because he can’t work on a cure. He says he doesn’t think Maxie would go to the police, but she asks how he knows that. He guesses if Maxie was willing to keep their secret, it would make her an accomplice to murder. He hates seeing her scared and in pain, and Elizabeth agrees it’s awful, but the truth is, telling Maxie about Peter won’t bring back Maxie’s daughter.
Olivia is surprised Brook hasn’t told her father; he’s going to be over the moon. Brook says, it’s been a long day. She’s feeling a bit overwhelmed. Olivia says, that’s totally normal. She’s going to be feeling that way for the next couple of days, or weeks, or even months. When it happens, rely on her family. Brook promises she will, and Jax says he’s really leaving now. Olivia says she’ll walk him out, and starts to give the baby to Brook, but Valentin wants to hold her. Olivia hesitates, and he says, it’s okay. He’s held a baby before. Olivia gives him the baby, and goes with Jax. Valentin says, just wait until Bailey meets her sister. She’s going to fall in love with her like he did.
Michael tells Willow, most people would have closed down. After losing a child, they would have locked up their hearts so they couldn’t be hurt again. But she opened hers to Wiley because she has so much love to give, and he’s so grateful. She says Wiley is the best thing that ever happened to her. One of the best things. He asks if he’s on the list, and she says she’ll check. He is the list. They kiss, and quickly move to getting busy.
At the hospital, Jordan paces, while Taggert sits with Trina. Portia comes out, and says they’re prepping Curtis for surgery. It could be a lengthy procedure. Trina says, but he’s going to be okay, right? Portia says, they don’t know, but they’re doing everything they possibly can. Taggert says, and Cyrus? and Portia says, clean shot through the leg. He’s been admitted, but he’ll survive. Jordan says she has to go. She has to deal with the fallout of what happened. Keep her posted. Portia says, of course (🍷), and Jordan leaves. Portia hugs Trina, and Jason comes in with Carly. Taggert says, welcome home, and Jason asks, what happened with Cyrus? Taggert says, Jordan got him in the leg. Unfortunately, he’s going to survive. Trina says, Curtis might not, and Carly says, Curtis? Portia says, Curtis snuck in, trying to get Laura out before the SWAT team was necessary. Laura and Doc join them, and Laura says, Curtis saved her life.
Elizabeth tells Finn that they need to get to work on a cure, and he says he’s been working. Non-stop. He’s no closer to figuring this out, and they’re running out of time. She says, no, and he says, no, the clock’s not ticking? She says, of course (🍷) the clock’s ticking, but he’s got this. She has faith in him. She wouldn’t have come up with this crazy plan if she didn’t. He says he’s sorry he got her involved in this, but she says she’s not. Peter doesn’t get to take another life. You won’t let him.
Austin says he’ll let Maxie get some rest, and she thanks him for helping her. She’s never going to forget him. He says, that sounds like a goodbye. Is it a goodbye? She says she thought he’d be heading back to Pawtuck, and he says he will, but he wanted to be involved in the search party. He did help bring Louise into this world, and feels vaguely responsible, so he’ll be in touch. He knows those woods like the back of his hand. They’re going to find Louise. He leaves, and Maxie says, that’s what she’s afraid of.
Brook says, this is about as far away from plan as you can get, but of all the guys in the world to be this baby’s father, she’s really glad it’s him. He says, she is? and she says, yeah. The ELQ stock aside, she can tell Valentin really loves her. He says, who wouldn’t? and she says, he’s committed, and he’ll make sure nobody hurts her; that’s all that matters. He says Brook wouldn’t let anyone hurt the baby either. He knows that about her. She says, they’re in this together? and he says, all the way. They’re going to do right by their daughter. They’re going to make Bailey Lois everything, for always. She says, they’re going to give her a really great life, and he asks Bailey/Louise if she hears that. She stirs, and he says, that’s right. I’m talking to you. Aww!
Britt’s phone rings, and she says, Jason? He says, it’s him. She asks if everything is okay, and he says, the charges were dropped. Most importantly, the cops got Cyrus. (I feel the need to point out, ly words are adverbs, so importantly is a word that makes no sense, and it annoys me. It should just be most important. Grammar class over.) She says that’s great, and he is says, it is. Did her mom get there? She says her mom did, and thanks him for that. He says he didn’t want her to be alone, and she asks if there’s any word on Peter. Has he been arrested? He says, not yet, but Cyrus is neutralized, so it’s safe for her to come back home. She says she’ll see him soon, and tells Obrecht, that was Jason. Obrecht says, so she gathered, and Britt says, he’s been exonerated, and Cyrus is in police custody. Obrecht says, so Britt is free to go back to her life, and Britt says, whatever that looks like now. Obrecht says she’s so sorry, but Britt says, at least she knows what she’s dealing with. Obrecht says Britt also has her. She loves Britt so much. Britt says she loves Obrecht too, and they hug.
Carly goes to Cyrus’s guarded room, and looks at him through the window. He sees her, and she smiles. Jordan arrives with Taggert, and tells Carly, Cyrus is in police custody. He’s not going anywhere. Carly says, good, and leaves. Jordan looks through the room window, and Taggert says, she did good today. It took a lot longer than they thought, and cost more than they imagined, but she did good. They finally nailed the bastard.
Portia gives Trina some water, and Doc asks if Laura is sure she doesn’t want to get checked out. She says she’s sure. She’s fine, physically anyway. He says he could hear it in Cyrus’s voice. He knows what someone sounds like when they’re about to crack. She almost died tonight. By God, she is brave. She thanks him, and they exchange I love yous, touching foreheads. He says, do him a favor. Don’t ever do that again. She says she’ll try. She can’t promise though. They hug.
We see a trail of clothing leading to Willow and Michael getting super busy, since they have to make up for lost time. She literally jumps onto him while they’re standing, and in the most awkward move ever, he places her on the bed. Someone watches through the window. Ew.
On Monday, Carly asks why Jax is pushing the issue, Trina tells Curtis that he needs to live, Phyllis asks Nina what’s going on between her and Mike, and Brook wonders where Bailey is.
💍 That Was Fast…
The ink isn’t even dry on the divorce papers, but hey, YOLO.
I can’t say as I blame her. While I think Eboni might have been a tad sensitive, LuAnn is an a-hole if she thinks education is based on how many languages you know.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. – Albert Einstein
The mind is like a car battery; it recharges by running. – Bill Watterson
If you’re gonna be two-faced at least make one of them pretty. – Marilyn Monroe
The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on. – Julia Alvarez
One log won’t burn. – Dr. Phil
Animals are such agreeable friends; they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. – George Eliot
You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. – Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
You are never strong enough that you don’t need help. – Cesar Chavez
More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. – Charlie Chaplin
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. – Rick Warren
Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like ‘struggle.‘ – Fred Rogers
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. – Cicero
If you are going through hell, keep going. – Winston S. Churchill
Man may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it. – Candace Bushnell
🛣 Hitting the Road…
As we head into another weekend, hoping you’re closer to being able to call it a weekend. Unless you’ve made the decision not to label days anymore. Whatever works. The Dead are back on Sunday, but until then, stay safe, stay paying it forward, and stay knowing that when a plan’s in motion, it can twist in unexpected ways.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Peter lies at the bottom of the stairs, blood pooling around his head. A hospital employee runs down the stairs, and checks the pulse in his neck.
Two hours earlier. Maxie tells the baby, they did it. She’s so beautiful, even more than Maxie could have imagined. She’s sorry Louise’s entrance into the world was so bumpy. She checks Austin’s pulse, and says, come on. He has to be okay. Little Lu is okay because of him. She wishes she never had to let Louise go, but she has to do what she needs to do, to protect Louise. Her dad is not a good guy, and she can’t let him hurt Louise like he’s hurt so many others.
At the hospital, Finn tells Anna that Chase needs another dose of the antidote, and Anna moves quickly to the elevator. Michael and Willow have been watching, and Elizabeth comes out, saying she needs Finn. Finn starts to leave, and Willow says, stop. She’s been watching him and Anna exchange looks and coded phrases. Chase thinks Finn isn’t being honest about his condition. What is he keeping from Chase? Finn says he can’t get into it now, and she asks if it’s more serious than he’s been telling them.
Brando asks the doctor how his mom is, and she says, Gladys is out of surgery. She’s going to pull through. He asks how soon he can see her.
At The Savoy, Curtis flashes back to Portia kissing him, Laura walks in, and asks if it’s too late. He says, for her, never, and she says, flattery will get him everywhere, and everything. She shows him his liquor license in a frame, and says she thought it deserved a special delivery. He can officially open his doors now. He thanks her, but seems distant, and she says she was expecting more enthusiasm. He says, it’s a big deal, and she says, absolutely. Why isn’t he celebrating?
Portia gets home, and finds her door unlocked. She goes inside and looks around. She sees a trail of bloodspots on the floor, and turns around to see Cyrus, bloody and disheveled, with his ponytail undone. He says, welcome home, Dr. Robinson, and she tries to leave, but he blocks the door, showing her that he has a gun. She asks what he’s doing there, bleeding all over her home, and he says he wound up on the wrong end of a bullet. Naturally, he thought of the best doctor in his employ. I will say this again. If you ever come home to find your door unlocked, and you know you locked it, don’t go in.
Brook finds Maxie, and asks why Maxie didn’t tell her that she was giving birth in the woods. Good thing she wore flats. She sees Austin, and asks, who’s that? Maxie says his name is Austin, and he’s a doctor, and Brook asks why he’s out cold. Maxie tells her to brace herself. She has a lot to tell Brook.
In his office on the phone, Peter says he’s tired of getting voicemail. They’re supposed to be at the cabin. Call him back. Anna comes in, and he asks her if he can help with something. She asks if he’s going somewhere.
Elizabeth tells Finn that she needs his help with a notation in Chase’s chart, and Michael asks if Finn knows something he’s not telling them. Willow says, this has been going on for weeks. If he knows something, tell them, so they can be prepared. Finn says, he knows it’s difficult to hear, but Chase’s condition is more serious than he thought, and he’s no closer to finding a cure. Chase is getting worse.
The doctor tells Brando that his mother still has recovery to deal with, and he asks if he can see her now. The doctor advises against a lot of talking, but he can sit with her. Jordan walks away, and Brando thanks the doctor. Sasha tells Brando to go see his mom. She’ll be there.
Jordan calls the station, and says she has an update she wants them to pass along to Dante. Gladys is out of surgery, and it looks good… Jason Morgan is in custody? She’s still finishing up there. Any eyes on Cyrus?… Dammit! Keep looking for him.
Curtis tells Laura that she has no idea how many phone calls it took him to get the license. Timing seems to be a thing with him. She asks if something is going on. He can talk to her. He knows they’re friends, right? He says, they sure are. That’s what happens when you save each other’s lives more than once. He’s wondering where to put the license, and places it behind the bar on a shelf. She says, it’s visible, but not obvious, unlike his attempt to change the subject. He says she doesn’t want to hear the sordid details of his love life, but she says she absolutely does; come on. He says he was wondering, how soon after a marriage ends, is too soon to move on?
Portia says Cyrus doesn’t need the gun. She’s a doctor, and took a vow to heal people, no matter who those people are. She can stop the bleeding and get him stable until the ambulance comes. He tells her to put the phone on the table. It has to be handled there. She says he’s mistaken her home for an OR. He needs to go to the hospital. He says, context, doctor. He can’t go to a hospital. Can she imagine why that might be? She says, they’re finally on to him. He wants her to patch him up while he plans his escape from Port Charles? He says he’s relying on her expertise, and she says, really? He terrorized her family for years, he trafficked in drugs, and caused the deaths of countless people. Maybe the world would be better off without him. He says, what about her oath? and she says, keeping him from doing more harm might be keeping her oath. He tells her that she’s being foolish. Trina walks in, and he says, that changes the calculous now, doesn’t it?
Curtis tells Laura, all the drama he and Jordan went through to get together, and by the time they signed the papers, the marriage was already over. Laura says he went through the five stages of grief before there was a death, and he says he didn’t take the end of his marriage lightly. She says she supposes he didn’t, and he asks if she had the same feeling when she got together with Doc. She tells him, her divorce was long over with, but she was still gun shy. She and Doc were friends first. He says, it was the same for him and Portia, and she says, Portia is a lovely person. He says they knew each other back in the day, and reconnected about a year ago. The whole time he was going through problems with Jordan, she was there for him… as a friend. She gave him space when he needed it, and showed up when he didn’t want to sit alone. It meant a lot. She says, if he wants her advice, go slow and see where it goes. He says, excellent advice, except he thinks he killed it tonight.
Portia tells Trina, just stay calm, and Cyrus asks if she heard her mother. Stay calm, and everything will be okay, as long as they listen to reason. Portia says he came to her for help. Let Trina go, and she’ll help. He tells her, don’t be naïve. She’s going to treat him, and Trina will help. The alternative would be unfortunate. Portia tells Trina to get her bag, and Cyrus says, do that, and come right back. Trina says, but… and Portia says, just do it. Cyrus says, before Trina goes, put her phone down. She does, and he says, good girl. Now get her mother’s medical bag. Play it smart, and they’ll all walk away alive.
Sasha thanks Jordan for letting Brando see his mother first. She knows Jordan must want to question Gladys, and Jordan says she has no idea. She’s going to respect the doctor’s advice, but it’s a difficult balance, since time is usually of the essence.
Brando sits next to an unconscious Gladys, and says he didn’t want her caught up in this. He’s so sorry. They’ve been at odds for so long, it took something like this for him to see how unimportant it all is. What a waste of time. He loves her. She squeezes his hand, and opens her eyes.
Elizabeth tells Finn, sorry; it can’t wait. Finn tells Willow, sorry, and leaves with Elizabeth. Michael asks if Willow is okay, and she says, not at all, and hugs him.
Elizabeth says she hopes Finn isn’t mad at her for running interference. He says she did him a favor. He was seconds away from telling Willow and Michael everything. She says, it’s okay; he had a moment. He’s tired. He’s barely been sleeping and eating, and he’s scared about someone he loves. He says he can’t find a damn cure, but Elizabeth says, he’ll beat this. There’s no way they’re going to let Peter win. Not again.
Peter tells Anna that he’s cleaning out his safe because this is no longer his office. He sold the magazine to a private investor. The transaction happened quickly, but he turned a profit. She says, congratulations. It will be a loss to journalism. He says, how much of a loss? The only point of having it was to present himself as an upstanding member of society. She says he was given chances, but what did that do for him? She has to be accountable for her choices, and he should be accountable for his. He says she keeps telling him that. If she can prove he’s guilty, she can arrest him. Oh, wait. She has no evidence. Even if she had, there’s nothing she could do. She still needs something from him. Is he right? Isn’t that why she’s really there?
Maxie says, the ambulance is on its way, and Brook tells Austin, hang in there; help is on the way. Now let her get this straight. Maxie lured her psycho nurse into the woods where she fell into a mine shaft? It’s absolutely genius. She looks at Louise, and says, she’s so beautiful. She’s gorgeous, and a little trooper. And Maxie, what she’s been through. Maxie says she doesn’t know what came over her to give her the strength she needed. She tells Brook to take Louise, but Brook says the nurse can’t hurt her now. Maxie says, but Peter can. Now is the perfect time to go through with their plan. Brook says, wait, but Maxie says, it was Brook’s idea. Brook convinced Maxie that she could keep the baby safe from Peter. Was it a scam? Brook says, no, and Maxie says, Peter hired Chloe to drug her, kidnap her, and force labor. That’s not a rational person. He’s not going to change or stop. Brook told Maxie that she’d keep the baby safe from Peter with her and Valentin. Please, Brook has to take her.
Brook says, give her minute, and Austin stirs. Maxie says they don’t have a minute; the ambulance is almost there. Take her. Brook asks if Maxie doesn’t want to say goodbye, but Maxie says, if she does, she won’t want to let go. Brook says, if she doesn’t, she won’t forgive herself. Maxie tells Louise, it’s okay, Lu. Go with Auntie Brook Lynn now. She’ll take good care of you until I come back to you. She has a family that loves her very much, and is waiting for her to come home. Until then, Maxie will stay close by, watching over her, and making sure she’s okay. She’ll be thinking about Louise all the time. Just remember, I love you very much. She hands Brook the baby, and Brook says she’ll make sure Louise is loved. Brook starts to walk away, and turns back. She says, for what it’s worth (🍷), Maxie is the bravest person she knows. She leaves, and Maxie sinks to the ground, crying.
Anna tells Peter, Chase needs another dose, and he says, fine. It’s not a problem for him to hold up his end of the bargain, since she held up hers. She suggests they go grab it, and she’ll take him to the hospital, but he says, nice try. That’s not how it works. She can go back to the hospital alone, and he’ll meet her there with the vial. She says, fine, and he says he’ll be seeing her. She says she really did try to love him. She tried to believe there was good in him, but she doesn’t think he believes there’s good in himself. He was playing a part, and everyone saw it before she did. Eventually, she saw him too; the real him, not who she wanted to see. He asks if she’s done, and she says, actually, she’s not. He was given so many choices in his life. There were forks in the road where he could choose light or dark along the way, but he kept choosing the dark. Everyone is going to see who he is now. Everyone. She says, now she’s done, and leaves.
Finn tells Elizabeth that he has no way to isolate the toxin, but she says, as long as Chase is breathing, Finn has a chance to find a cure; find a solution. It’s what he does. He’s a gifted researcher, and has saved lives. He’s going to save Chase. He says she has a lot of faith, and she says, Peter took Finn’s relationship with Anna from him, and took her husband. He doesn’t get to take anything else.
Brando tells Gladys that she’s in the hospital; she’s safe. Cyrus can’t hurt her. She says she got shot in the warehouse. She thought she was going to die. He says she thought wrong, and she says he saved her, but he says, only after she put her neck on the line for him in the first place. She says she didn’t have much choice. Whatever happened between them, she going to do everything she can to do right by him, and the baby on the way. She smiles.
Jordan gives Sasha a can of ginger ale, and says she imagines it’s more challenging with Cyrus. Sasha says she knows he’s still out there. It should be a happy time, but Cyrus corrupted it, like everything he touches. She hates the way he leers at her. Brando says she pokes the bear too much, but she wants to let Cyrus know he’s not in control of her, and she’s not afraid of him, even if she is. Jordan says she has experience in how Cyrus treats women; his misogyny. He wants to conquer strong, powerful women, and bribes or flatters them. Sasha says she just wants to survive him, and hopes he leaves her alone now.
Curtis says he doesn’t want to hold Laura up with his personal problems, but she says, not at all. She likes that he trusts her enough to confide in her. He says maybe he shouldn’t be. For the record, nothing happened while he was married to Jordan. he wouldn’t let his mind go there. She says she believes him, but now that he’s single, his mind can go wherever it wants. He thinks his mind didn’t get the message. He knows his marriage is over, but it still felt like betrayal.
Cyrus asks what the situation is, and Portia says she has to remove the bullet. It’s a difficult procedure, and very delicate. If she makes the wrong move, she could paralyze his arm. He says then he’d better not flinch, and she better not make the wrong move. She says he’ll need a sedative to relax him, but he says he doesn’t think so.
Gladys says, after what Brando did, she knows he loves her, and knows he’d do anything to protect his kid. He’s going to make a great dad. He kisses her hand, and says she should rest. Jordan knocks at the door, and Gladys tells her, come in. Jordan walks in with Sasha, and says she was told Gladys was conscious and talking. Brando says his mother needs to rest. She’s not up to questions now. Gladys says she wants to talk; she has to. Jordan says she does have some questions for Gladys, and Gladys says she’ll answer all of them, but she needs to get something off her chest first. Something that will put a stop to all this.
Portia says Cyrus came into her home for her to treat his wound, so let her treat it. He says the second he’s out, she’ll call the police, but she says if she doesn’t administer a sedative, he’s likely to pass out from the pain. He says trust him; he’s no stranger to pain. She tells him have it his way, and asks Trina to grab a wooden spoon from the kitchen. He asks if someone is baking, and she says she’s been doing triage her whole life. If he knows pain, that’s fine with her, but he’ll need something to bite on.
Curtis tells Laura, talk about an awkward way to handle it. Portia couldn’t get out fast enough. He’s attracted to her, but when she kissed him, he froze. She took it as disinterest, and now she’s upset, and he’s conflicted and confused, and talking like a teenage boy instead of handling it like a grown-ass man. She says she’s sure if he talks to Portia, she’ll understand, but he says, first he has to explain how he’s feeling to himself. She says, it’s not uncommon. In her own case, she doesn’t know how objective she can be about measuring when is too soon to move on. She thinks your heart tells you. If this year taught them anything, it’s that their lives count. Time with their loved ones can be unbearably short. Why delay happiness, especially when it’s right in front of you?
Michael says Willow looks upset, and she says she shouldn’t have lashed out at Finn. He’s working as hard as he can. Michael says he wouldn’t call that lashing; he calls it being assertive. She says, who is she to demand answers from Finn? She feels that, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually, she’s not being honest. Michael says she’s just trying to help, but she says, is she helping?
Anna gets back to the hospital, and Finn asks if she found Peter. She says Peter told her that he was bringing the dose to the hospital, but he says she doesn’t sound confident.
On the phone, Peter says, voicemail again? He really wants to know where the hell Chloe and Maxie are.
Austin asks, what happened? and Maxie says he was attacked, but he’ll be okay. She used his phone to call for help. An ambulance will be there. He says, got it. Um… So, Miss Maxie, where is the baby?
Willow asks if Michael remembers when they were talking in the foyer. She looked up, and saw Chase there before he passed out. In that moment, she was stricken with wondering how much Chase heard. She felt so guilty and ashamed. Michael tells her not to feel ashamed to help Chase by giving him hope, and she asks if giving him hope is what she’s doing. Lying, sneaking around, hiding their love; it’s tarnished them. It’s eating her up inside. What should be joyful, now feels wrong. Michael says it doesn’t to him, and Willow says, it’s not wrong… but it’s not right.
Jordan says Robert and Diane finalized the immunity deal, and Gladys asks if Jordan has it on her. Jordan says, no, but it’s on her desk, ready to be signed. Gladys says she’s not up to going to Jordan’s office, so there’s no time like the present. Brando says Gladys should talk to her lawyer, and Sasha says, Gladys might want to make sure it’s the deal she wants. Jordan says she can call Diane if it will give Gladys more confidence, but anything she says that will lead to Cyrus’s arrest is greatly appreciated. Gladys says, the most important thing is setting things right. She’s ready now. Jordan starts to record, saying it’s Gladys’s statement from her hospital bed, and the witnesses are Brando and Sasha. She asks what Gladys wishes to say, and Gladys says her name is Gladys Corbin. The reason Cyrus grabbed and kidnapped her, and tied her up in a warehouse, was to prevent her from telling the police the truth. Jordan says, that truth is? and Gladys says, Jason Morgan is not who she saw dispose of the gun that shot Franco. She never saw Jason dump the gun. She only said it because Cyrus made her lie, and that’s the God’s honest truth.
Portia marvels that Cyrus still doesn’t need to bite the spoon, and Trina says he’s taking a chance. Her mother could cut an artery on purpose. She could kill him, and make it look like an accident. Cyrus says he knows Portia is a dedicated doctor. She took her sacred oath seriously. That’s why he trusts her, but he can’t trust Trina. That’s why he’s holding the gun.
Curtis tells Laura that he has a question. How would she feel if she kissed a man, and he backed away? She says she thinks she’d do what Portia did, and he says he can’t believe he messed things up. She says he just has to be honest with himself. Is he interested in perusing Portia more, or does he feel like he’s not ready? He says he thinks he’s ready, but he probably blew things. He has a history of pulling out of relationships with Portia. It’s complicated, and was a long time ago. He’s amazed they reconnected, but after today, he’ll be lucky if she puts him in the friendzone. She asks how long ago the kiss happened, and he asks if time is a factor when you crash and burn. She suggests he call Portia. She put herself on the line for him; he should do the same for her.
Cyrus says Trina is a lot like her father, and Portia tells him, stay still. He grits his teeth as she takes the bullet out. She asks Trina for more gauze. She has to clean the wound before she stitches him up. She asks him to wiggle his fingers, and he does. He says, the war between her family and his goes back a long time. There’s one silver lining; he’ll have the chance to kill Taggert again. He passes out, and Portia and Trina look each other.
Maxie is brought into the hospital in a wheelchair. Elizabeth asks, what happened? and the paramedics say, blah-blah-blah, a whole bunch of medical stuff. Maxie says she’s okay, and tells Elizabeth to help Austin; he saved her life. Elizabeth asks what’s going on with Austin, and a paramedic says, head trauma, possible concussion, and more medical stuff. Elizabeth asks if Austin can hear her. They’re going to take good care of him. She tells the paramedic to get him to radiology, and he’s wheeled out. A nurse tells Maxie that Dr. Navarro will be there soon; someone will take her to a cubicle. Peter comes in and sees Maxie. She glares at him.
Anna tells Finn about Peter cleaning out his safe, and selling The Invader. If anything happens to chase, there will be no corner in hell where he can hide.
Peter asks what Maxie is doing at the hospital. She’s supposed to be at the spa with Chloe. Is it the baby? Talk to him. What happened with the baby? Maxie says, she’s gone. The baby is gone.
Brook drives with Louise, and tells the baby, the first thing she needs to know is life is complicated. She’s sorry about Louise’s uncomfortable start, but thinks it will make her an amazing, think outside the box person. She promises to take good care of Louise, and keep her safe and happy, and make sure her psycho father gets nowhere near her. Don’t worry. Everything is under control. Louise cries, and Brook says she doesn’t believe herself either.
Jordan says, if Gladys didn’t see Jason dispose of the gun, how did she know where to tell the police to look? Gladys says, because she did see someone throw the gun down the garbage shoot; the real killer. Jordan asks if she recognized them, and Gladys says, yes. It was Peter August.
Laura says she’s got to get going, and Curtis thanks her for stopping by and bringing the certificate – and advice. She says, any time. Has he decided what to do about it? He doesn’t say anything, and she says she’ll leave him to it.
Portia motions for Trina to get her phone, and Trina says Portia has a call coming in. Portia says, Curtis? as Cyrus opens his eyes. Curtis says he apologizes for what happened, but Portia says, just listen to her… The call is cut off, and Curtis wonders what happened.
Tomorrow, Anna says if Peter vanishes, the antidote will go with him; Chase says he wants his badge; Curtis tells Laura that he thinks Portia is in trouble; and Cyrus tells Portia, it’s time to say farewell to Port Charles.
The Haves and The Have Nots
At the end of last season, Justin had shown up with a gun at the restaurant where Jeffrey and Madison were having dinner. He sat at the table, and asked if they smelled anything. Then suddenly burst into flames.
Everyone is screaming, and Madison pushes Jeffrey away. He yells for someone to put Justin out, and asks if Jeffrey is okay. He calls for an ambulance, telling them there’s someone who’s badly burned. Jeffrey moves toward Justin, but Madison says, don’t touch him. Jeffrey asks why the hell Justin would do that, and asks if Madison can help Justin. Madison turns Justin over, and Jeffrey asks if Justin is alive, but Madison doesn’t know. It’s too hot; he needs gloves. He asks if they have something in the kitchen, and one of the staff gives him rubber gloves. Seriously? They don’t have oven mitts? I don’t think rubber is a good choice to deal with something that’s been on fire. Just a thought. Madison checks for a pulse, and tells Jeffrey that he needs to get an ETA on the ambulance. Jeffrey asks if Justin is going to make it, and Madison says he doesn’t know. Jeffrey asks if Justin has a heartbeat, but Madison says he can’t get one. Jeffrey doesn’t understand why Justin would do that. Again, seriously? Isn’t he a psychologist? Madison tries to do chest compression, and says he needs Jeffrey to go, but Jeffrey says he’s staying there.
The EMTs arrive, and Madison continues to do compression, but a paramedic tells him to stop. Jeffrey asks if Justin is dead, and she says she’s sorry. Jeffrey says, dammit, and Madison says he’s sorry. Jeffrey says Madison tried. He can’t believe Justin did that, and Madison tells Jeffrey not to do this. Jeffrey says, what? and Madison says, Jeffrey is blaming himself. Jeffrey says Justin had so many issues. Maybe he could have… Madison says there was nothing Jeffrey could have done, and Jeffrey says he could have stayed away. Then his mother would have had no reason… Madison says Justin was already unstable. How would Jeffrey know his mother would do that? Jeffrey says, because she ruins everyone he gets involved with. Madison tells Jeffrey to look at him. There was nothing he could do, okay? Jeffrey says he knows, but he feels bad for Madison. Madison asks, why? and Jeffrey says he can’t see Madison anymore. His mother will destroy him. Madison says, stop this, and Jeffrey asks what choice he has. Madison says he can fight. He knows Jeffrey likes him. Jeffrey says he does, and she’ll come after him. Madison says he doesn’t care. Don’t worry. Jeffrey tells him, he says that now, but look at what she did to Justin. Madison says they need to find out what this is. Please don’t worry about him. Jeffrey says he needs to call Justin’s mother, and Madison says he can call from the house. The coroner hasn’t come, and there’s nothing they can do. They leave.
At Madison’s apartment, Jeffrey says Justin’s mother isn’t answering the phone. Madison asks if Jeffrey knows her, and Jeffrey says, no, but he has her number. He tries again, and says, damn. He should go home. Madison doesn’t think Jeffrey should be alone right now, but Jeffrey says his dad is there. He wonders why Justin’s mother isn’t answering, and Madison tells him, relax. He knows this is a lot. Jeffrey says Justin’s mother didn’t even visit when Justin was in the hospital. He wonders why people hate gay people so much; they’re just people. Madison says, the world is changing every day, but Jeffrey says, there are still too many hate crimes. He wants to go home, and Madison asks, why? Jeffrey says she’s going to come after Madison, and Madison says, stop it. Jeffrey says he needs to be alone, but Madison doesn’t like it. Colby walks in on the phone, saying, it will be so much fun. They know his rates. Text him the address, and he’ll be there. He sees Madison and Jeffrey, and wonders what he just walked in on. Madison says, nothing, and hugs Jeffrey, who cries silently. Colby asks, what is that smell? and Madison says, stop. Jeffrey walks into the other room, and Colby says, it smells like nasty barbecue. He wanted to tell Madison about his day. He was with a john who tried to stiff him, so he went all Marine on him. Madison says, he killed himself, and Colby asks, who? Madison says, Justin. He set himself on fire. Colby asks, what happened? and Madison says, they were at the table, and Justin came up with a gun, but not to shoot them. Then, he set himself on fire. He tried to grab Jeffrey, but Jeffrey is fine. Colby says, Justin done lost his mind, and asks if Madison is okay. He has a date, but he can cancel. Madison says he’s fine, and Colby says Jeffrey is lucky he has Madison. Madison says Jeffrey keeps pushing him away. Jeffrey is scared that his mother is going to come after him. Colby says, what for? and Madison says, for dating him. Colby says, oh. He does know the witch. Madison says, Jeffrey is so sweet, and Colby agrees. God bless his heart. Colby suggests Madison to try talking to Jeffrey, but Madison says Jeffrey won’t let him in. Colby says, that’s never stopped Madison before, and Madison tells him to go on his date. Colby says, too much? and Madison says Colby is always too much. Colby says, love you, bitch, and Madison says, love you too, bitch. Be careful. Colby says, when is he not? and Madison says, oh God, just go. On his way out the door, Colby says, bye, Jeffrey. Sorry the bitch burned herself… extra crispy. Madison says, Colby! and Colby jets.
Jeffrey is sitting on the couch, when Madison comes in with coffee and a takeout bag. He asks how Jeffrey slept, and Jeffrey asks if he needs to ask. Madison says, he gets it, and Jeffrey thanks him. Madison says, for…? and Jeffrey says, understanding. He needs to go home. Madison tells him to stop acting like he’s a burden. The more Jeffrey pushes him away… Jeffrey says he hears Madison, and Madison says, he’ll take Jeffrey home; no problem. Jeffrey says he needs to get to his dad, and Madison suggests he take the time to eat first.
David comes down the stairs, and Pearl and the guard stand in the foyer. Pearl says she’s meeting Jeffrey Harrington there. He called, and said he had something important to tell her that he couldn’t say on the phone. David asks who she is, and she says, Pearl Lewis, Justin’s mother. David says he sees. He’ll call and see where Jeffrey is. He calls Jeffrey, and tells him that Pearl is there. Where is he? Jeffrey says he’s a few minutes away, and David tells Pearl that Jeffrey is just around the corner. He asks if she’d like to sit, but she says she’d like to know what’s going on. Who is Jeffrey to him? David says Jeffrey is his son, and she asks if he knows what Jeffrey did to her son. He says he begs her pardon, and she says, he did something terrible. The only reason she’s there is to give him a piece of her mind. Jeffrey lured her son into unnatural ways. Her son was happily married to his wife when he met Jeffrey. Then Jeffrey did the devilish things they do to God fearing people. David says, so it’s this kind of conversation. Is she aware that her son was sexually harassing his son? When they met, Justin had arrested Jeffrey, and fondled him in the back of his police car. Pearl says, that’s not true, and he tells her, believe what she wants; it’s the truth. She says she won’t have her son spoken about like that, and he says she can leave. She says she will, and wonders, what kind of family is this? She’s going to leave before she’s involved in a drive-by. Jeffrey and Madison walk in, and Pearl tells Jeffrey, they’re both delusional. She can’t wait to talk to her son. Jeffrey thinks that because marriage between two men is legal, she’ll say yes when he asks for her son’s hand in marriage. Justin told her about how Jeffrey stalked him, and did what he did. Jeffrey says he was calling her… but she says she doesn’t want to hear it. Madison says, he’s dead, and Pearl asks what he’s talking about. Madison says he’s sorry. He’s dead. Pearl says, that’s not true, and calls Justin’s number. She gets voicemail, and says, call your mother. Madison says, they took him to the St. Claude morgue. She can find him there. She runs out, and Jeffrey tells David, it’s true. David asks, what happened? and Jeffrey says, Justin committed suicide. He came to the restaurant and set himself on fire. David says, he was crazy, and Jeffrey says, he was in pain; he was going through a struggle. And there was what mom did to him. David tells Jeffrey that he can’t say he feels sorry, and Jeffrey thanks Madison for letting him stay over. He’ll see Madison later. He goes upstairs, and David tells Madison to go up. Madison says he thinks Jeffrey wants time alone, but David says he knows his son. He needs to talk. Madison says, Jeffrey will just tell him to leave, but David says, he won’t, but don’t talk too much. Madison talks too much. Just listen. Madison says, okay, and David tells him, lock the door… just in case. Madison says, that won’t be happening, and David says, don’t let him hear anything if it does. I laugh, remembering when David walked in on them, and the look on his face.
Mitch pulls up to the Cryer’s house, when Hanna is coming out. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says he has business with Mr. Cryer. She says, about? and he says, it’s personal stuff. She says, about his family? but he says he doesn’t know what she means. If his family’s been there, he needs to know that. She says, what if something happens to her kids because he told them that his family would protect them, but they didn’t? He’d better not be there when she comes back. She doesn’t want to talk to him no more. She leaves, and he goes to the door, shaking his head and saying, son of a bitch. He knocks, and Jim comes out, his arm in a sling. Mitch asks how Jim is doing, and Jim says, not great today. And Mitch? Mitch says, he’s okay, and Jim says, good to hear. What does he want? Mitch says he wants to talk, and asks if they can go inside, but Jim says, no. Out there is fine. What’s on Mitch’s mind? Mitch asks if Jim talked to his family? Is Jim playing games with him? Jim says, no, and Mitch asks again if Jim’s been talking to his family. Jim asks if that’s a question or an accusation. Is Mitch telling or asking him something? He can’t tell. Mitch says, semantics, but Jim says, not really. There’s a difference, and he’d like to know which one it is. Mitch asks if Jim has been down to the bar, and did he talk to Vinnie? Jim says, maybe he has; maybe he hasn’t. Mitch says, it’s not a good idea. His family doesn’t like being questioned. Jim says, as far as he knows, they don’t like being lied to, and Mitch asks if this is how they’re going to do this; playing chicken with an 18 wheeler. Jim says, from where he’s standing, He’s not sure who’s who in this scenario. Mitch says Jim thinks this is a joke, but Jim says he’s not laughing. He’s serious. Eight million dollars serious. He doesn’t joke about eight million dollars. Mitch asks how Jim’s son is, and Jim says, alive. Mitch says, this time, and Jim asks if that was a threat. Mitch asks how Jim’s arm is, and tells him not to talk to his family again. Jim asks if that’s it. He thinks Mitch is sweating. Anything in his life making him nervous? Mitch says, not that he knows of. Jim? Jim says, not a damn thing, and Mitch repeats, don’t talk to his family again. Jim tells Mitch, he didn’t say he did or he didn’t. If he had, he has the feeling they would have told Mitch. They also don’t like people who steal money, especially family members. Mitch says Jim thinks he’s in the circle with that information. That’s cute. Jim asks if they’re done, and Mitch says, he’s got nothing else. He’d shake Jim’s hand, but it’s already broken. Jim says Mitch is funny. Take care, and say hi to his Uncle Vinnie. Mitch says, will do, and leaves. Jim says, pr*ck, and sits on the porch as Mitch drives away. He calls David.
David asks Jim, what’s going on? and Jim says, Mitch came to see him. David says, Malone? What did he want? Jim says he thinks Mitch is running scared. He thinks Mitch was bluffing him. David says, if Jim is telling him that Mitch lied, he might not want to press the issue. Jim says he knows that, and David says Jim knows how the Malones are about family. Jim asks how he finds out, and David says, give it time. Jim says he doesn’t have time. That bitch has his money, and the other bitch has control over the other money. He hates feeling helpless. David says, give it time; let it play out. Jim asks what David has in mind, and David says he’s a patient player. Jim says, he’s a player who needs results. He has to do something. David tells him, try and get some rest; he needs to heal. Jim says he can’t sleep there, and David says Jim can stay with him if he needs to. Jim says, thanks, but no, and David says, Jim’s house created bad memories. Hang in there. He’s confident things will end up in their favor. Jim says David is up to something, and David says, always.
Conley is waiting for Charles in the living room. Charles is surprised Conley is still there, and Conley says he hopes Charles doesn’t mind. He looks frazzled. Another top security briefing? Charles says, yeah, and Conley says, scary stuff, huh? but Charles says, it’s interesting. Conley says, that’s the most important answer to lead the American people. They need to talk. He noticed Charles met with the EPA director. Is Charles thinking of keeping him on? Charles says, no, and Conley says, good. Who is Charles thinking of replacing him with? Charles says he’s not sure, and Conley says, Devoir? Charles says, no, and Conley asks, why not? Charles says, it’s been a long day, and he didn’t expect to see Conley. Conley says he’s sorry. He’ll talk to Charles later. Get some rest. Conley leaves, and Landon comes in. He asks if Charles is okay, and Charles says he’s fine. Landon says Conley has been there a lot, and Charles says Conley knows him well. Landon asks if Charles knows Conley well, and Charles asks if Landon has something to say. Landon says, he’s just… and Charles tells him, say it. Landon says Conley has suggested a lot of cabinet members. He feels like Conley has an agenda. Charles says, Conley is a politician; remember that first. He thanks Landon for his concern, and Landon says Conley is always asking about Candace. Charles says, Conley wants what’s best for him, and Landon asks if Conley thinks she’s it. Charles says Conley knows how he feels. If Landon has something to say, just say it. Landon says he doesn’t trust Conley. He thinks Conley is trying to gain information to use as leverage. Charles says, based on what? and Landon says, his gut. Charles says, when his gut becomes intel, let him know. Landon says he’s going upstairs for another conference call. January will be there before they know it.
A nurse comes in to see Wyatt, and he tells her that she’s a beautiful woman. She asks what he wants, and he says, her. She says, what does he really want? and he says he needs to go to the bathroom. She says he has a bottle and bedpan, but he says, the bathroom is right there. She says, he is a prisoner, and he says he’ll let her watch. She says, sorry. She hates to miss that one. He says she can leave him cuffed, but she says she doesn’t trust him. He tells her, look at his face; she can trust him. She says, if he doesn’t need anything… She gives him his weewee jar, and he grabs her arm. He says he’s got to go to the bathroom, and she tells him, let go. He asks when was the last time a man touched her this way, and she asks when the last time someone punched him in the nuts. He lets go, and says, she likes it rough, but she says she likes it away from him. He says he needs pain pills; his wrists hurt. She says he’s fine. He barely cut himself. He says he wanted to die, and she says, he should have cut deeper. He says, one pill, but she says, it’s not going to happen. He says, get out, bitch, and she says that’s the exact behavior she was waiting for. She starts to go, and he says, come back. She says, bye, and leaves. He looks in the bottle, and yells, come empty this. Hey, bitch!
Hanna gets a collect call from Kathryn, and asks how she is. Kathryn says she’s okay; how’s Hanna? Hanna says, she’s well. She met with Kathryn’s people. Kathryn asks, what happened? and Hanna says, they had a lot of questions about stocks and selling options. Kathryn says, don’t worry. They’re supposed to be helping Hanna. Hanna says she’s been doing research, and trying to understand it, but Kathryn says, all she has to do is bring the information to her. Don’t try to figure it out; it can be complicated. Hanna says she still wants to keep trying, and Kathryn says, okay. Hanna asks if she needs anything, and Kathryn says, to get the hell out of here. Hanna says she can understand that, and Kathryn asks if Hanna can see how Wyatt is doing for her. Hanna says, sure, and Kathryn says she knows he’ll paint her as a snake. Hanna says, what else is new? and Kathryn says she needs another favor. Jim asked about a loft she has, but someone is staying there. She’d like Hanna to stop at the loft, let him know that she’s fine, and she’ll be out soon. If he needs anything, he should ask Hanna. Hanna asks who it is, and Kathryn says, someone special. Ask him to come and see her. She can’t get through to his cell from there. Hanna says she’ll do that, then come back and finish up. Kathryn asks if Hanna has talked to Marty, but Hanna says, not since their meeting. Kathryn says, tell him to get his ass down there, so she knows what’s going on with her bail. She appreciates Hanna so much, and Hanna says, as much as she appreciates Kathryn. She wants to go see Jim before she sees Kathryn’s mystery man. Kathryn laughs and thanks her, saying, the key to the loft is on her keyring. Hanna tells her to keep her head up.
Hanna starts to go to the kitchen, when Veronica walks in. She says, Hanna still works there? and Hanna asks what Veronica is doing there. Veronica says she wants to see Jim, but Hanna says, he’s not there. Veronica asks where he is, and Hanna shrugs, saying, Veronica will have to ask him. Veronica suggests Hanna drop the attitude, and Hanna says she will when Veronica is gone. Veronica says she’ll wait, but Hanna says, no she won’t. She’s leaving, and needs to lock up the house. Veronica says she’ll wait, and tells Hanna to go find something to do. She’s never liked this house. It used to be a plantation house. Hanna says Veronica needs to go, and Veronica says, the things they did to people of Hanna’s kind. Hanna says, Veronica is just as Black as she is, but Veronica says she’s smarter. Hanna tells her to get her ass out of there, and Veronica says Hanna just proved her point. Hanna says, again, she’s leaving, and Veronica needs to do the same. Veronica heads for the stairs.
Hanna asks where Veronica is going, and Veronica says what she has to do is important. All Hanna has to do is get cleaning products. She sees Hanna is wearing her hair natural; it fits with the plantation. She starts to go up the stairs, and tells Hanna to go do some maiding. Hanna says Veronica is not going up there, and Veronica says, watch me. Hanna says Veronica’s not going, but Veronica says, it looks like she is. Hanna asks if Veronica thinks she won’t drag her ass down, and Veronica wishes she would. Then she could sue Hanna. All she’d get would be a mop and a bucket though. Hanna says, apparently, Veronica already has a broom. Bring her ass down there. Veronica says, she hears Miss Hanna and she’s so skerd (like Madea would say it – ha-ha!). She asks if that isn’t how Hanna says it. Hanna follows Veronica upstairs, and Veronica heads for Kathryn’s bedroom. She starts to go through the dresser drawers, saying, tacky pink. Hanna asks what the hell Veronica thinks she’s doing, and Veronica says she’s looking for something. Hanna says, get her hands off that damn woman’s dresser, and Veronica says Hanna sure is protective. It ain’t her sh*t. Hanna says she’ll call the police, and Veronica tells her, go maid something. Hanna calls the police, saying, there’s a trespasser. Veronica says Hanna is so dramatic, and keeps looking through the drawers. She asks if Hanna just called the po-po on a Black woman. That’s just the way help should act. Hannah says she’ll drag Veronica’s ass out of there, and Veronica says she’d like to see that. Hanna calls again, and says, they have someone in the neighborhood? Great. She thanks them, and snatches some underwear out of Veronica’s hand. Veronica tells her to move, and Hanna says, move her. Veronica tries putting her hand into a drawer, and Hanna slams it shut on her. The hair/wig pulling starts.
I would swear I see goodbye in all their eyes, but I might just be projecting.
Next time, Veronica tells Jim that she’s always two steps ahead of him, Jim wonders what the hell is wrong with these women, David tells Jim that Veronica could get evidence that will bury them, and Candace says Charles isn’t going to control her.
The Real Housewives of New York City
When we left Leah was interrogating Heather about her podcast. In Ramona’s interview, she said, the best way to handle Leah is to change the subject. She’s the host, so she sets the tone. She and Leah then got lovey-dovey, and Eboni marveled at how the women can be going to the death, then five minutes later, kiss and make up. Ramona said talking about sex made her uncomfortable, and Leah said she was sex positive. LuAnn decided it was time for her to go to bed, and in her interview, told us that nothing good happens after a certain hour for her, especially with the drinking. Sometimes it was better to call it a night, and not hang around too long. Ramona said she was never taught to talk about sex, and listed all the subjects Leah liked to bring up. Leah said Ramona sounded pretty comfortable just then, and Ramona asked her to edit herself a little. In Leah’s interview, she said if Ramona was honest about being on the prowl all the time, they’d find out she was getting laid more than the rest of them combined. Eboni called Ramona out for saying she could take a big d*ck, but Ramona insisted she never said that, and left the room. Eboni followed her, and in Ramona’s interview, she said, now she was getting it from Eboni? She was dumbfounded. Ramona took a bottle of wine, and went upstairs, wondering, what happened to class and elegance?
In the morning, Ramona and Sonja dished about the night before. Ramona said she thought the party went well, and Sonja asked, what about the penises? Eboni and Leah walked around outside, and Leah said she wanted to respect Ramona’s comfort zone, but thought it was hypocritical. We saw photos of Ramona and Leah, scantily clad and posing in a sexual way. In Leah’s interview, she said she really wanted to tell Ramona that she was proud of her for taking a big d*ck. Leah told Eboni that Ramona said, just stop talking about sex, but twenty minutes in, Ramona was in a thong, and dancing around like a stripper. Ramona told Sonja that she couldn’t believe Leah started trouble with Heather about her podcast. She wonders if Heather will stop talking about them, but Sonja thinks Heather wants the scoop. In her interview, Leah said her mom told her that her grandmother was no longer communicating; she was slipping away. She was realizing in real time that she wasn’t getting another conversation with her grandmother.
Ramona asked Heather if she was having a nice time, and Heather said, it was really nice, aside from being attacked. She thought she’d proved her point; it’s just the way she looks at it. Ramona thought it would behoove Heather not to talk about them, but Heather said the way she talked about her experience was her business. Ramona said she didn’t want to be in the press, and didn’t want Heather talking about her, even if it was nice. In Heather’s interview, she said she thought that was more hot air and ridiculousness. She wanted to move on and have fun, which was what she was there for.
LuAnn went home to prepare for the women coming over to do nude sketching. Garth and LuAnn’s niece Nicole, who’d procured the model, were waiting for her; Garth busy slaving over a hot stove. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, lamb curry prepared by Garth, and a male nude model. What was better than food and nude? She thought it was going to be hysterical. At Ramona’s, Eboni and Leah were getting their hair and make-up done, and Ramona thought it was ridiculous that they couldn’t do it themselves. In Leah’s interview, she said she wanted to look cute, even if she wasn’t feeling cute. Ramona said their lateness was rude, and Eboni said, as a Black woman, she had a different hair situation than Ramona. Ramona suggested getting started earlier, and Eboni said they’d had technical issues. In Eboni’s interview, she said, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation. She’s free. Don’t tell her what to do with her time.
Nude model Kurt arrived, and LuAnn explained he was a friend of her niece’s, and a professional poser. In LuAnn’s interview, she said he had to be mentally prepared up here – as she pointed to her head – so they didn’t have to worry about what was going on down there. I couldn’t really imagine it as a sexy situation, but who knows? Different strokes and all that. LuAnn had the usual amazing spread of appetizers, and in her interview, she said that Sonja was jealous of the other people in her orbit, especially Garth. She hoped the curry would win Sonja over. LuAnn told Heather that Garth was a good soul. He didn’t play games, and she could count on him. In her interview, LuAnn said Garth was there when she needed him. He didn’t drink, and that was good for her to be around. Garth got out while the getting was good, and in Ramona’s interview, she said Eboni seemed to get her. She wondered why Leah couldn’t. LuAnn’s friend Alfredo also showed up with his guitar. Leah told Sonja that LuAnn had thought Sonja would like him, but Sonja said LuAnn didn’t know what she liked. She liked bankers. In her interview, LuAnn said that Sonja could flirt, and get off her ass about Garth. In Ramona’s interview, she said Sonja liked LuAnn’s type of guy.
Nicole said Kurt would be doing one-minute poses. Kurt came out with a fringed towel around his waist, and said he was very talented, but couldn’t take it off by himself. Sonja volunteered, and at the count of 3-2-1, she ran away with the towel. Kurt said she must have done that before. In Eboni’s interview, she said she could see why this was his job. There was a lot of giggling, and Leah said he had a nice in betweenie weenie. Ramona left to sit on the porch, saying, she could only paint so many penises. Leah said she was running out of steam, and joined her. LuAnn gave the last pose call, and in Sonja’s interview, she said the other girls were nailing it, but she was trying to keep her eye off the pickle. LuAnn introduced Alfredo, saying, he played guitar. Alfredo walked around while playing, and Ramona said his music was touching her. In her interview, Leah said she didn’t think he was Sonja’s type, but he had a d*ck, so maybe Ramona could help herself. In Sonja’s interview, she said she’d never been so hands off with a naked man in front of her. She just gripped the pencil tighter. Kurt looked at their work, and he seemed like a lovely person, as well as a good sport. Leah told Ramona that she was stressing, and in her interview, she said, physically, she felt terrible. The mind, body, and spirit were all connected, and she was having a hard time. She told Eboni that she couldn’t enjoy herself, and Ramona said Leah’s grandmother was the only one who loved her unconditionally. Her grandmother gets her more than her mom and Rob. Leah started crying, and Ramona said she was just trying to relate, and she was making it worse. In Eboni’s interview, she said she knew Ramona meant well, but stop it. In Leah’s interview, she said she thought silence was the best thing. Eboni told Leah not to feel she had to carry this sh*t. She needed to take care of herself. Leah said she was going to miss her grandmother so much, and Eboni said Leah was scared that when her grandmother was gone, there would be nobody to tell her that she’s good enough. Eboni hugged her, and Leah cried some more. Eboni said when Leah’s grandmother passed, she wouldn’t be losing her. Her grandmother would also be there for her.
Victoria takes pictures of Kurt for her classic realism class. Eboni told Leah that her friends would step in to tell her that she’s good enough. Everyone sat down to eat Garth’s lamb curry, and Sonja said she’d been giving Leah space. Leah said she appreciated it, and LuAnn thanked her daughter Victoria, who had shown up to help, and Garth for making the food. In Sonja’s interview, she said she didn’t know how long LuAnn and Garth’s relationship would last, but she could see what LuAnn was raving about. It’s the curry.
LuAnn said she’d seen Ramona run out last night, with Eboni chasing her, and Eboni said she was apologizing for using language Ramona doesn’t like. LuAnn said she was brought up conservatively, the same as Ramona, and in Leah’s interview, she said, Ramona and Christian values shouldn’t be used in the same sentence.Thou shalt not lie. LuAnn thought there had to be a cut-off point, or it got to be a bit much. Leah it was hard for her to know about the hypocrisy. Ramona was dancing around in a thong, and flashing her boobs. Make up her mind. We saw a clip of Ramona doing just that. Leah walked away from the table, and Sonja said Leah had just been crying; leave her alone. Ramona talked about Leah going to dinner with Ramona, her daughter, and her daughter’s friends, and they wondered, who speaks like that? We saw a clip of the dinner, and Leah talking about big d*cks and such. Eboni said that she wouldn’t use words Ramona didn’t like, but she shouldn’t subscribe to the fact that someone using those words wasn’t classy. Ramona claimed she’d never said that, and LuAnn said it had to do with education. Eboni said she was the most educated one in the group, and LuAnn asked if a degree made her educated. Leah came back, and told Ramona not to bring up her daughter again. In Sonja’s interview, she said, of course Leah was acting out to get a rise out of Ramona. Here came the high point where Leah pointed at each one, and said, you’re a ho, and you’re a ho. And I sang, everywhere a ho-ho. Leah ended with saying they were the biggest ho’s ever, and left. Like left in a car. Ramona said Leah was always defensive and aggressive, and Sonja said Leah should be herself. Ramona shouldn’t bring her around people she didn’t want her around. Heather said what should be a lesson in listening to each other wasn’t happening, and LuAnn mumbled about being an uneducated person. Eboni told her, no one said that LuAnn was uneducated. She said she was the most educated, which was a fact. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, to her, being educated was being well-traveled and speaking many languages. I think there might be more to it than that, but okay. She said Eboni was making them feel like idiots, and Eboni said LuAnn considered people who didn’t adhere to LuAnn’s social norms to be uneducated. LuAnn said she’d been originally talk about Catholicism, and Eboni jumped on her. Miss Educated was the smarted in the room. Eboni told her, no one said that, and in her interview, she said she’d been practicing law since she was 23. People could say a lot of sh*t about her, but she has an education. In Heather’s interview, she said this wasn’t about Leah; it was all about egos. LuAnn said Eboni wasn’t going to call her uneducated in her own house, and Eboni said she could leave LuAnn’s house. Ramona said Eboni was too loud, and Eboni said Ramona’s white fragility was killing her. Ramona said they’d been talking about words she didn’t like to hear, and LuAnn wondered why Eboni was so angry. Eboni said, so now she was an angry Black woman. She didn’t like LuAnn equating education to what people say. At this point, Ramona said she needed some tequila. LuAnn said Eboni was just an angry woman. In her interview, Eboni said, Leah stormed off, and they didn’t see her ass no more, but no one called her angry. She had a visceral response to something deeply personal and painful, and she was called angry. Don’t tell her it’s not about race. In Sonja’s interview, she said Eboni didn’t seem angry. She seemed to use her words.
Inside the house, Ramona asked if Victoria used words like that, and Victoria said she did not. Eboni said if LuAnn didn’t want her there, she would leave out of respect. The Countess said she thought Eboni should go. She should calm down and thinks about what she’d said. I can’t make the call as to it being a race issue, but I’d be pretty pissed at being talked to like I’m five. Eboni said LuAnn wasn’t policing her feelings. She shamed a woman for being sexually free, and her for using her education. Eboni walked out, and it said, to be continued…
Next time, Eboni tells Leah that she was called an angry Black woman; LuAnn apologizes, but wants one in return; a fishing trip; and Leah calls Heather a Karen. The moment we’ve been waiting for
👩🏾🏫 For Your Viewing Education…
I saw the first part of this tonight, and it was excellent.
It’s late/early, and I’m spent. Until we meet at the corner of Port Charles and Beverly Hills, stay safe, stay as well-adjusted as possible, and stay not policing other people’s feelings.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Peter lies unconscious on a stair landing, blood pooling around his head, and the fake passports for him and Maxie next to him. Someone in scrubs runs down the stairs. They check his neck for a pulse.
Three hours earlier. Brook looks at a list and says, Maxie’s list of must have items. Let’s see if she has them all. Diapers, check; extra bedsheets, yes; receiving blanket – she doesn’t even know what it is, but she has it – bag of ice, thermometer, rubbing alcohol, yes. Duct tape… Duct tape? Maxie’s really going to have to explain that one. She reads, once you’ve assembled your supplies, you have everything you need for a happy, healthy home birth. Everything except a mommy. Where are you, Maxie?
Austin tells Maxie, she’s here, and she’s beautiful. Maxie asks if he can hold the baby up so she can see her. He looks concerned, and reaches into his bag for a towel. Maxie says, Austin? What’s wrong? Why isn’t she crying? He rubs the wrapped bundle in his arms, and says, please. He said hi; can she say hi back? Louise starts to cry, and Maxie says, thank God. It’s the best sound she’s ever heard. I understood this because when my dog’s puppies were born, I freaked because she looked like she was tossing one around like a football, but my husband said she was just trying to get the baby started. And she did. Six of them. They’re 14 now.
Finn looks through his microscope, when Elizabeth comes in. She tells him that he needs to take a break. Go home and get some rest. He says he can’t stop until he finds an antidote for the toxin. If they were doing this properly, there would be dozens of people working around the clock. Instead, it’s just him. What if he’s not capable of solving this in time to save Chase? Elizabeth says she watched him cure Hayden when she was exposed to Blackwood’s. He managed to save her sister. He’ll do it again; she has faith in him. He appreciates the vote of confidence, but says, it’s going to take a lot more than faith. Anna comes to the door, and says she came straight from the airport. She hopes she’s not too late.
Willow brings Chase into the mansion, and tells him to sit down and rest. She thinks he’s pushing himself too hard too fast. He says, not at all. The fresh air did more for him than all the doctors and nurses at GH. She tells him not to let Finn hear him say that, and he says he knows Finn is working overtime to find out what’s wrong with him. He just wishes Finn would be honest with him about what he actually has, or how he got it. He sways a little, and Willow says she’s got him. Michael comes in, and asks if Chase is okay. Chase looks at Willow, and says, never better.
At the Savoy, Curtis is on the phone finding out the status of his liquor license. He asks if they can expedite it. Not just for his benefit, but for the benefit of his hard-working staff who would like to get to work… Good. He turns around to see Portia, and says he’s pushy and impatient, but she says, not at all. He’s the owner of what’s going to be the swankiest, sexiest hot-spot this town has ever seen. He says, okay. For that, can he offer the lady a drink? She says she could definitely use a drink. She just got a glimpse of the dangerous world he left behind.
Sasha comes out of the hospital elevator, accompanied by a bodyguard. Brando comes over to her, and asks what she’s doing there. He thought Carly had her in a safe place. She says, see this guy? Her very own personal bodyguard, courtesy of Carly. As soon as she heard about the shooting at the warehouse, she knew she had to come. Was he involved? He says he was, but he’s fine. His mother was shot, and is in surgery right now. She says, Gladys was shot? Why? Jordan has joined them, along with Dante, and she says, that’s a good question. She and Dante would also like to hear his answer. Dante says why doesn’t he just tell them were his boss Cyrus is?
Carly tells Cyrus, no! and Cyrus says, this was her big plan? To set up an ambush with this fool? She says she doesn’t know why Nikolas is there, but they had a deal. Cyrus says, she blew the deal. He and her friend are leaving, and she’ll be seeing Spinelli again in pieces. She says he’s not taking Spinelli anywhere, but Cyrus tells his guys to put Spinelli back in the truck. Jason magically appears, aiming his gun at Cyrus, and says, let Spinelli go, or he drops Cyrus.
On the phone, Brook tells Maxie, she’s at the house in Beecher’s Corners, but she hasn’t heard from Maxie since she left for the spa. Was she able to ditch her private nurse, and is Bobbie going to meet them? Call her on the burner.
Austin hands baby Louise to Maxie, who says, hi. She tells Louise that she looks perfect in every way. She has no idea how happy Maxie is to be holding her in her arms, and to count her ten little fingers, and ten little toes. She says she doesn’t even know how to thank Austin, and he says, she just did. She says, here she is, stumbling through the woods, and she runs into a doctor, looking like a half-naked mountain man. Austin laughs, and says he’s so glad she did. Now that he has a minute, he’s going to try and get some cell service. He wants to call an ambulance. She says Austin can’t do that. Peter might find them.
Elizabeth offers to leave, but Finn says she can stay. He tells Anna that Elizabeth knows everything. She knows that Peter was responsible for the toxin that was intended for him, but wound up in Chase. Elizabeth says, it all comes back to Peter, doesn’t it? If only people hadn’t covered for him. If only he hadn’t been coddled so much, Chase’s life wouldn’t be hanging by a thread, Jason wouldn’t be on the run, and Franco would still be alive. Anna says she’s not going to try to justify or explain any of her past actions. Quite frankly, it’s too late for that. What she does want to do is urge them to act fast. Valentin believes Peter is planning on leaving Port Charles. Finn says, and the drug that’s keeping Chase alive will be leaving with him. Anna reaches in her bag, and pulls out a folder. She says she’s hoping her trip to Ireland can help him in some way. She hands the folder to Finn, and says, consider this a gift from the late, great Sean Donely.
Willow says Chase needs to sit down and rest, and brings him into the living room. He sits, and she says she’s going to the kitchen to get him something to eat. Michael says she’s right; Chase needs to keep up his strength. Chase says he still can’t believe he lives in a mansion with actual staff, and Willow says, it can be intimidating; there are so many rooms. She was lost at first, but eventually found her way. She looks at Michael, who says he’ll help her find something to eat, and Chase says he could go for something simple, like pizza. It will make him feel normal again. Michael says Chase is in luck, because their kitchen has a pizza oven. He and Willow leave, and Michael closes the door behind them. In the foyer, Willow says, having Chase there is going to be harder than she thought, but until he’s out of the woods… Michael says they have to help and support Chase until he gets well. They head for the kitchen, and in the living room, Chase tries to get up, but falls back down on the couch. He says, just relax; you’re not dizzy.
Curtis says, while he pours this drink, Portia can tell him about her brush with violence, unless she’d rather not. She says she thinks talking about it might actually help him. He knows Brando, right? He says, Sonny’s cousin, Cyrus’s driver. She says she doesn’t think he’s going to be Cyrus’s driver anymore; not after tonight. He asks, what happened? and she says, Brando’s mother was shot in some sort of gangland battle. Brando couldn’t wait for the ambulance, so he carried her, bleeding, into General Hospital. Portia was the attending, and she rushed Gladys into a cubicle, and got her into the OR. One of their best surgeons was on duty, and she’s operating as they speak. He says, and she reported all this to the cops? She says, it’s the law. He’s not the only one who thought he moved on. When she divorced Taggert, she thought she was done with that world, but it doesn’t matter. It seems like no matter what she does, it follows her wherever she goes. He takes her hand, and says, it seems it does.
Brando says he doesn’t work for Cyrus anymore, and Jordan asks when he offered Cyrus his resignation. Sasha tells Brando, he doesn’t have to say anything without a lawyer present, and Jordan says, she’s right. They can go down to the station, and he can answer all of their questions there. Brando says he’s not going anywhere until his mother is out of surgery, and Jordan says she’s sorry his mother was injured, so please, try to help her understand. There was a shootout at a warehouse a few hours ago. Two known associates of the Renault organization were killed. Sasha says, none of that proves Brando was involved, but Brando tells her, it’s okay. She’s not involved in any part of this. She says, too late. That train has left the station. Jordan asks Brando how Gladys managed to get caught in the crossfire, and he says, Cyrus abducted her. He didn’t want her to recant her statement saying Jason ditched the gun that killed Franco. He asked Brando to pick up a package, and deliver it to the warehouse. His mother was already there. Cyrus was planning to kill them both. Jordan asks what Brando did to get Cyrus to turn on him, and Sasha says, that would be where she comes in.
Cyrus says he thinks he’ll keep Spinelli, as a guarantee he gets out of there alive. Two of Cyrus’s men draw their guns on Jason, but Jason shoots them both. In the confusion, Spinelli runs away from Cyrus, and over to the other side of the pier. Cyrus draws his gun, and there’s a bunch of shooting. Jason gets Cyrus in the shoulder, and Cyrus runs. Jason shoots one of Cyrus’s guys, tells Carly, stay down, and goes after Cyrus. A couple of Carly’s men follow him.
Jason comes back, and Nikolas says, Cyrus got away? Jason says, looks like it. Carly hugs Jason, and he tells her that when he said stay down, he meant until it was safe. She says it looks safe to her.
Jordan says Sasha is the reason Cyrus turned on Brando? Why? Sasha says, Cyrus once had a romantic interest in her, which she didn’t return. When he found out she got pregnant by his driver, let’s just say Cyrus’s fragile ego got bruised. Cyrus isn’t a good loser. Brando says, then Cyrus gave him a loyalty test; either kill his own mother, or Sasha would suffer. Sasha looks at him, and he says, that’s when all hell broke loose. Shots were fired, he tried to protect his mom, and in the craziness of it all, Cyrus got away. That’s when he realized his mom got hit, and he rushed her there. Sasha says, they can see how worried Brando is, right? Can this be enough for now? Dante says, for now, yeah. He does hope Brando’s mother makes a full recovery. Brando thanks them, and he and Sasha go to the waiting area and sit. Dante tells Jordan, if Gladys admits she lied about Jason, and that Cyrus paid her, they have her on perjury and obstruction… She says, the DA is way ahead of him. Robert and Diane are in the process of hammering out a deal for Gladys in exchange for her testimony. That’s when they got word about the shooting at the warehouse. He says, so Gladys is a target. As long as Cyrus is running around free, they have to protect her. She says she’ll make sure Gladys is guarded when she’s in recovery. In the meantime, based on Brando’s statement, she has more than enough to make an arrest. She’s putting out an APB on Cyrus.
Curtis says he got distracted from the drink he promised Portia, and she says she didn’t just stop by for some good conversation. She wanted to find out if she could book his club for a private party. He wonders if it’s a fundraiser, but she says, no; a graduation party for Trina and her friends. This year has been traumatic, so full of loss and grief, she wanted to do something special and positive for them. He says he likes the sound of that. If it works out, they can use it as a soft opening for The Savoy, before the official opening. He pours them both drinks, and says, it’s kind of fitting that she’s his first customer. Remember when he brought her there on her very first stakeout? She was all for him buying this place. She says, this place looks good on him. She could tell that very first night. He says he likes to think of himself as an optimist. He’s not going to remember last year as the year his life fell apart. Instead, he’ll think of it as the year his good friend stuck by him. It meant a lot to him. They clink glasses.
Willow tells Michael that she thinks Olivia is on to something. Making that pizza was fun, and in an actual pizza oven. She’s never done that before. He says he loved making it with her. Now he’s going to explain to Chase that he gets the rare privilege of eating it in the kitchen. Since his grandmother told the staff to do everything to help Chase, they’re going to take full advantage. She says she doesn’t think having Chase there is going to work, and he says, is she kidding him? They have Valentin there, Charlotte, Brook, the baby is going to be there soon… She says, that’s not what she’s talking about, and he knows it. He’s putting his life on hold. He says, so is she. She and Wiley are his life. If they have to wait until Chase is back on his feet, that’s worth any sacrifice. Chase comes out of the living room, and says he heard them talking just now.
Anna tells Finn, she studied the file all the way back from Ireland, and there are detailed notes in there; formulas. It might not be the exact toxin that poisoned Chase, but possibly they’re related in some way. Elizabeth says if Finn needs her, she’ll be down the hall. She leaves, and Anna says she understands if Finn didn’t want to say anything in front of Elizabeth, but he has to be honest with her. Does he think there’s anything in Sean’s file that could help Chase?
Austin asks Maxie, who is this guy Peter, who she’s so frightened of? Should he be calling the police, or an ambulance? She says, no. She just has to get to Beecher’s Corners. He asks, why Beecher’s Corners? and she says, because someone is waiting there for her, and it’s the only place she and her baby will be safe. He says, awesome. She just had a baby, in the forest, with zero medical supplies, and he thinks it’s important for her welfare to go to the hospital, and the baby’s as well. She says, there’s no time. Please, just take them to Beecher’s Corners. He says he’ll take her wherever she wants, after they swing by the hospital. So he’s going to call an ambulance. He drops to the ground, and Chloe stands behind him with the fireplace poker. She says, Maxie didn’t really think this was over, did she?
Brook takes the fake belly off, and says, when Maxie gets there, after all of her hard work, they’re going to party like it’s 2019, and she’s going to present Maxie’s little girl to Valentin. He’ll love her, and keep her safe, and make sure that lying worm Peter never gets his hands on her.
Maxie says, stay away from us, but Chloe says she doesn’t think Maxie is in any position to be giving orders. Maxie says, what if she killed Austin? and Chloe says, what if she did? He’s expendable. Maxie and her baby are coming back with her to the house. Maxie asks if Peter sent Chloe after them, but Chloe says, does Maxie think she’s going to tell Peter she got away? No way. Maxie says, so he doesn’t know she had the baby, and Chloe says, as soon as she can get cell service he will. Let’s go. Maxie says she just had a baby in the woods. She doesn’t know how Chloe can expect her to… Chloe says she just heard Maxie tell her friend that she had to get to Beecher’s Corners. If Maxie is strong enough for that, she’s strong enough to walk back to the cabin. She’s not asking Maxie again. Maxie says, he’s coming to, and Chloe turns around to look at Austin. Maxie kicks her in the back of the leg, and Chloe drops to the ground. Maxie struggles to her feet, holding her precious bundle, and moves as fast as she can. Chloe says Maxie will pay for that.
Finn tells Anna, maybe something in the file will lead him to creating an antidote, or maybe it will just be another dead end. But if Peter is really leaving town, he doesn’t have time to talk about it. She says she hopes it does some good, and starts to leave, but Finn calls to her. She turns, and he says, thank you. He knows it wasn’t easy to get; he appreciates it. She says it’s the least she can do.
Chase says, that part about getting back on his feet is worth any sacrifice? If he ever doubted Michael’s friendship, he feels foolish for doubting it. He was just so eager to get out of the hospital, it didn’t occur to him what it would cost Michael. The time, the trouble… Michael says, it’s no trouble at all. Chase’s pizza is ready for him to eat in the kitchen. Chase says, nice dodge, but he’s trying to thank Michael. He promises when he’s better, and gets back to his place, he and Willow will never impose on Michael again. Willow says, his pizza is waiting, and when he’s done, he needs to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Chase says he’s actually not that hungry now. He weaves a little, and Willow says they have to get him to his room. Chase says he’s fine, but starts to crumple, and Michael catches him before he hits the floor.
Brando tells Sasha that she doesn’t have to stay, but she says she wants to… unless he’d rather be alone. He says he’s glad she’s there.
Jordan says, it’s vital that they get Gladys’s statement on the record, and Dante says, she’s got to make it through surgery first. Jordan’s phone dings, and she tells Dante, there’s been gunfire on the waterfront. Pier 55. Looks like what happened at the warehouse was just the beginning.
Jason asks if Spinelli is okay, and Spinelli says he’s unharmed. Jason? Jason says he’s fine, and Spinelli says his deepest apologies for being taken hostage. He should have been more aware. Carly says she’s just glad he’s okay. Ava runs to Nikolas and hugs him, saying, she heard Cyrus’s men had him. He says, they did, but everything’s going to be okay now. One of Cyrus’s guys starts to come to, and notices his gun next to him. Carly asks what Nikolas was thinking. He ruined everything when he showed up; that was not part of the plan. Cyrus’s guy reaches for his gun. Apparently, Jason isn’t quite as good as he thinks, since even I know it’s a good idea to make sure they’re dead, or at least not leave a gun near them. Hasn’t he ever seen a thriller? Nikolas says he’s not going to apologize. He wasn’t going to stand by and let anything happen to Ava. Ava says he’s infuriating… her hero. She hugs him again, and Carly rolls her eyes. Cyrus’s guy grabs his gun, and Ava thanks Nikolas for wanting to protect her, but she could strangle him for putting himself in danger. He says, she was the one who volunteered to stand in for Gladys as a hostage. She says she was completely safe. She was in a bulletproof car… She thinks it was bulletproof. Carly says she appreciates Ava standing in as a decoy, but Nikolas almost got them killed, so could she get him out of there? Please. Cyrus’s guy lifts his gun to shoot, but gets shot himself. By Dante, who comes onto the scene and sees Jason.
Brando says, it’s good Carly got Sasha a bodyguard to shadow her, and Sasha says, you can never be too careful, right? Brando says, no. Cyrus has always been a dangerous man, and now that the cops have a reason to arrest him, he’ll be even more dangerous. She says she and Cyrus went out a couple of times (they think we have short term memory loss), then he gave her some of his latest product, which nearly killed her. It’s ridiculous how possessive Cyrus feels about her. Brando tells her, he wouldn’t say it was rational, but it’s a fact. He failed Cyrus’s loyalty test, and even worse, he, Cyrus’s lowly driver, got the woman Cyrus was interested in, pregnant. He’s just trying to keep her and their baby safe. She says she appreciates that, but she’s not going to be intimidated by Cyrus. He does not get to dictate how she lives her life, and the way she sees it – she takes his hands – they’re in this together.
Portia says she can’t wait for the club to open, and Curtis says he’s really excited about this newest chapter in his life. She says, when she left the hospital tonight, she was in a really dark place. All she could think about was how close she came to losing Trina, to the same senseless violence that gunned down Gladys. If not for Curtis that night, she honestly doesn’t know… He says he didn’t do anything superhuman or heroic. He just reacted in the moment. She says she doesn’t think he’s giving himself enough credit. Most people run away from danger; he runs toward it. He says, Cameron and Trina were caught in a situation they had no idea how to deal with. He had no choice; he had to protect them. But you know what’s even more exciting? Flash forward one year. He’s even more excited about running a venue where those teenagers can celebrate graduating from high school. She says, either way, it seems like he’s always there for Trina when she needs him. And if she’s being honest, she needs him too. She leans forward, and kisses him.
Michael and Willow bring Chase into the hospital. Finn sees them, and says, wheelchair please. Chase says he told them that they didn’t need to come there. Elizabeth brings the chair and says, they’re just being cautious. She wheels him away, and he says he’s fine. Finn hands Anna the file, and asks her to hold onto it for him. He’ll let her know when he needs it. Willow watches.
Maxie goes as fast as she can through the forest, with Chloe following, limping as fast as she can, and laughing because she’s batsh*t crazy. She says, Maxie will never get away from her. Maxie says she’s doing this for Louise. She comes across a wood pallet, covering a hole that’s quite a drop. Maxie moves some rocks to the edge of it. Chloe catches up, and says she knew Maxie couldn’t get away from her. It’s over. They’re going to do this Peter’s way. Stop making this so difficult, and come with her.
Dante motions the other cops to come forward, and tells Jason to hand over his weapon, nice and slow. He takes Jason’s gun with a handkerchief, and gives it to an officer. He tells the cop to run ballistics on it, and the casualties. See how many came from the gun. Carly says, it was self-defense, and Dante says, secure the area. Get a paramedic down here, and tape off the crime scene. He tells Carly, there have been two shootings tonight; first at the warehouse, and now at the docks. She says, Cyrus is behind them both, and Jason says, he’s already run off, coward that he is. Spinelli says, Cyrus was shot too, so his trail should be easy to follow. Dante says, Cyrus escaped? It looks like Jason might be losing his touch. Ava says, Cyrus threatened her daughter. She needs to go and be with her. Nikolas says, if Dante wants statements from him and his wife, contact their lawyer. Of course (🍷) they’ll give their full cooperation. They leave, and Spinelli says they’ll take their leave too, so Dante can get to his good work. Dante says, Spinelli and Carly can go, but not Jason.
Jordan says she wants to talk to Brando. More shots were fired at Pier 55. It appears that Cyrus has been wounded and is on the run. Sasha asks if this could be true. Is Cyrus finally finished? Brando says he wouldn’t count Cyrus out. Not until he’s six-feet under. He says Jordan still needs his mother to change her statement, right? and Jordan says she does. Unfortunately, if his mother dies, the rest of the case against Cyrus could fall apart.
Portia tells Curtis, she’s sorry. Did she misread things, or… Oh wow. She guesses she did misread things. She’s sorry. She hasn’t eaten, and she’s drinking, and her judgement is off. She’s sorry. He says, she had one cocktail, and didn’t misread anything. He gave her mixed messages. Maybe it’s because he signed the divorce papers. She says she’d better get going, but he says he doesn’t want to leave things like this. She says she’ll get back to him about Trina’s party, and can’t get out of there fast enough.
Finn and Elizabeth get Chase into a bed, and Chase says he’s just a little dizzy; it’s nothing. He wants to go home… wherever that is. Elizabeth says, his blood pressure’s dropping again, and Chase starts to nod out.
Willow asks Michael what he thinks is in the file Anna is reading. He says he doesn’t know, but she’s treating it like the Holy Grail. She says, that’s what Chase needs now – a miracle. Anna looks through the papers in the folder.
Chloe limps toward Maxie, using the poker as a cane, and says, face it. Maxie doesn’t have the strength to outrun her. If she truly cares about that baby, she’ll hand the baby over, go to the cabin, and wait for Peter to come. Maxie says, never. She guesses Chloe doesn’t have any children. Chloe says she doesn’t, not that it’s any business of Maxie’s. Maxie says, if Chloe had children, she’d know that a mother will do anything to protect her child. Chloe is going to have to pry this baby out of her cold, dead hand. Chloe laughs and says that’s fine with her, if Maxie wants to play it that way. Peter can always find another mommy. She might even volunteer for the job herself. Maxie asks if that’s why Chloe is doing this, and starts to back away. Chloe says, stop. She wants that baby. She moves forward, and falls through the wood into the hole.
Maxie peeks into the hole, then picks up Chloe’s phone. She wonders what Brook’s burner number is, and says she knows this. She dials.
Brook lies on the bed, napping, when her phone rings. She says, who’s this? and Maxie says, stop talking; it’s Maxie. Brook asks whose phone Maxie is calling from. Is she okay? Maxie says, no. Please listen to her; there’s no time to explain. She had the baby. The baby is healthy and okay, but she’s in the middle of nowhere. She’s going to send Brook a PIN. She needs Brook to come pick them up. Brook says, none of this is making any sense to her, but Maxie says, please, just come get them. Maxie hangs up, and peeks over the edge again.
Finn tells Anna that he needs her help. Chase needs another dose of the antidote. Go find Peter. She says she’s on it, and leaves. Elizabeth tells Finn that she needs him, and he goes toward Chase’s room, but Willow says, stop. She’s been watching him and Anna; all these looks and coded phrases. Chase believes Finn hasn’t been honest about his condition, so what is Finn keeping from him?
Brando tells Sasha, he’s spent so much time complaining about his mom. She’s too pushy, she’s too blunt, she’s never too shy about putting her two cents in about anything, even when it’s not warranted. He was always thinking negative thoughts about her, never asking himself how he’d feel if he lost her. The truth is, he’d be a little lost. She shaped his life, for better or worse. Sasha says, that’s really lovely. When she’s out of surgery and recovering, make sure he tells her that.
The doctor comes out, and Jordan says she needs to call someone back. Brando gets up, and asks, how’s his mom? The doctor looks serious.
Carly says Dante does realize, none of them would be alive if Jason hadn’t come back. Spinelli says, Cyrus took him hostage, and threatened to dismember him unless Carly met his demands. Dante says he can’t wait to read all about it in their statements. Carly says, instead of wasting time, he should be going after Cyrus; he’s the threat. Jason hasn’t even resisted. Dante says he has an APB out for Cyrus. They’re going to find him. Right now, they both know he has a job to do. Jason says, then do it. Carly starts to protest, but Jason stops her. She says she’ll call Diane. Dante tells Jason that he’s under arrest, and puts handcuffs on Jason, as he reads him his rights.
Outside of Portia’s house, she wonders what she was thinking. She puts the key in the lock, and realizes her door is unlocked. She slowly goes inside, and sees a trail of bloodspots on the floor. She bends down to examine them, and the door closes behind her. She turns to see Cyrus, gun in hand, bloody and disheveled, his ponytail undone. He says, welcome home, Dr. Robinson.
Next week (I think Tuesday), Maxie has a lot to tell Brook, Brando wonders when he can see Gladys, Cyrus says if Portia plays it smart they’ll all walk away alive, and Peter asks if that isn’t why Anna is really there.
👍🏽 Just a thought. Besides never going to crime scene number two, a good rule of thumb is, if you find your door is open, don’t go inside. Get someone, call a cop, call Jason Momoa, but don’t go inside.
🕺🏽 Austin Incarnation…
I thought it was weird that Maxie never mentioned it too.
I feel like I get the best of both worlds because I can dip my toe in the water, but I don’t really need to stay in the kitchen. Does the term mixed metaphor mean anything to her?
I caught Shahs of Sunset very late one night, and it was pretty much all about Mike exchanging sexts and sending d*ck pics. And nowhere the Shahs haven’t been before with him, as he tries to sabotage another relationship.
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. – Eleanor Roosevelt (Oooh, snap!)
I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. – Plato
The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. – Leo Tolstoy
Whatever it is you’re seeking won’t come in the form you’re expecting. – Haruki Murakami
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. – Terry Pratchett
Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted. – Sylvia Plath
Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness. – Steve Maraboli
I’m in no position to comment. I named my baby Ocean. – Lala Kent, when asked her opinion on Scheana Shay naming her baby Summer Moon Honey
I’ll join this conversation on the proviso that we stop bitching about people, talking about wigs, dresses, bust sizes, penises, drugs, night clubs, and bloody Abba! – Bernadette (Terrence Stamp), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
❣️ May God bless our troops, past, present & future ❣️
By hero, we tend to mean a heightened man who, more than other men, possesses qualities of courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, charisma, above all, selflessness. He is an example of right behavior; the sort of man who risks his life to protect his society’s values, sacrificing his personal needs for those of the community. – Paul Zweig
👓 Kicking Back…
Since there’s no Dead this weekend, and no new GH on Monday, see you on Deck. Enjoy your long weekend, if applicable, and if not, know that some things might be closed two days from now. Regardless of how you’re looking at May 31st, stay safe, stay behaving responsibly, and stay remembering those who have served our country.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
We hear the news on the television saying that patients no longer have their faculties, and the hospitals will no longer offer medical care, because the patients aren’t in their right minds. We see Teddy in a Department of Corrections uniform, writing notes. On the walls on his cell are news articles about him, and John Dorie Sr. arresting him, along with a picture of his mother. He hears someone yelling, no! and the guards drag a guy down the hall. Teddy tells him, don’t be afraid. Remember, the end is the beginning. He’s about begin a new life. A guard asks if Teddy actually believes all that bullsh*t he spews. Get it all out. He’ll walk this walk soon enough. Teddy sets aside his dinner tray, and goes back to his notes. Alarms sound, and all the doors open. Zombies come through the hall, and Teddy looks out, then goes back in his call. Chaos begins, and as they go by, an inmate attacks a guard, then a guard attacks an inmate. A zombie walks into Teddy’s cell, and backs him against the wall. Teddy holds the zombie back, and stabs it in the head with his pen. It drops to the floor and he looks at his mother’s picture, saying, he was right. He just needed to be patient. He tells his mother’s photo, it’s not bullsh*t. It’s revelation. He scoots past the mayhem, and out.
A loudspeaker says, you have been here before. You have lived this moment before. We don’t want to believe it. We don’t want to accept it. We are in a loop. Alicia lies on a mat on the floor, while the recording repeats. The world wears it’s ugliness on its sleeve. It has told us who it is… Riley comes in and asks if she’s ready to accept his word. She just looks at him, and he tosses her a can of soda. We hear, we must break it, or we are doomed to repeat it
Teddy comes in, and Alicia is sitting at a table. She said he stopped sending his errand buy, and he says it wasn’t his preferred method of abduction for her. She says, locking her up like a prisoner? and he says he was locked up once. He thought it was the end of the road, but it was the opposite. He’d hoped it would hold the same revelation as it did for him. She says, sorry to disappoint him, and he says he brought good news. They’ve found a new home. They’re packing up as they speak. The Holding served its purpose, but they needed something safer and sturdier, where they can truly begin again. Before they take those first steps together, he needs assurances that she’s dedicated and committed to what they’re doing. She says he’s not going to get them, and he asks what he is going to get. She says she doesn’t know. Probably something he doesn’t like. Riley says he’s wasting his time, and aims his gun at Alicia. Teddy says, Riley… and Riley says, leave her behind. Teddy grabs Riley’s balls from behind instead, and says, no. She’s coming with him. He tells Alicia, it’s surprising what pick up on death row.
Teddy puts gas in the truck, and Riley asks where he’s taking Alicia. Teddy says, it’s a personal matter, and he wants her to accompany him. Riley says, why her? and Teddy says he’d like to get to know Alicia better. He has the feeling she’s going to be critical for their new beginning. Don’t question him about her again. A school bus arrives, and Teddy applauds. Alicia asks, who are they? and he says, new recruits, picked up while they were scouting. He says, welcome, and tells them to come and see their new home. Alicia says, Dakota? and Teddy asks if Dakota is a friend of Alicia’s. Alicia says, that’s not the word she’d use. Dakota killed someone she knew. Teddy asks, why? and Dakota says, it was something that had to be done. Teddy asks if Dakota came alone, with no family, and Alicia says Dakota actually tried to kill her own mother. Teddy asks if she succeeded, and Dakota says, someone else did. He tells her, hop in; she’s coming. Alicia says she’s not going anywhere with Dakota, but Teddy says she’s not at liberty to make that call. Alicia says, if he was smart, he wouldn’t bring her, and Riley says he shouldn’t bring any of them. Teddy puts his keys around Riley’s neck, and says if they don’t show by tomorrow, he knows what to do.
Dakota tells Alicia, this isn’t what it looks like, and Alicia says, it wasn’t the last time either. Dakota says, this time it’s different. They went looking for Alicia, and she came there to help. Alicia says she doesn’t want or need Dakota’s help, and Dakota says Alicia left before she heard what happened. It was getting bad. Morgan tried to bring them together, but she thinks it’s worse. She wants to make up for what she did. She needs to, whether Alicia believes her or not. She’s heard what’s taking place. Teddy has a place stocked so they don’t have to step outside for years. They can kill him. He’s scary as hell, but he’s old. He’s stupid for not believing who we are. Alicia says, there is no we, and there never will be. Just stay out of her way. She wants to know what they’re up to and where they’re going. And why Teddy has those keys. Dakota asks what Alicia is going to do, when Teddy comes back, and they get in the truck.
As they’re driving, Alicia says, it’s not going to work, and Teddy says, what? She says, bringing her out there. It’s not going to break her. Cut the sh*t. She knows Riley heard their recordings, and told him about the stadium where she used to live. He says, the place where her mother grew crops? It’s no coincidence she’s there. The universe sends signs, and it’s up to them to interpret them. Dakota says, like what? and he says, it’s no accident they’re there; the timing and reason for their arrival. Things can reveal themselves.
They go to a cemetery where there are several crypts, and Teddy opens one. He asks for a hand. They applaud. Just kidding. Alicia helps him pull out a casket, and he opens it. He says, hello, mother, and pets the corpse’s head. Alicia asks how she died, and he says, she was taken way before her time, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be a part of the new beginnings. When they’re finished, all this will be gone. I assume by that answer he means he killed her.
They drive with the corpse in the truck bed, and Alicia asks if that’s why Teddy brought them, to dig up his mother’s corpse. He says all three of them lost their mothers, and he wanted them to help him accompany his to their new home. Dakota asks, why? and he says he’s wanted to do this for a long time. He told his mother he was going to do it, and he ended up in a prison cell, condemned to death. He thought he’d failed. Every night, he looked at this. He shows them his mother’s picture, and says he was disgusted with himself. He thought was wrong, and what he’d done was all for nothing. Then he realized he wasn’t wrong. He just needed to be patient. And then it happened. Alicia says, what? and he says, the world changed, and with it his freedom. He had a chance to reshape the world, and everything in it. He could preserve what he loved, and destroy what he didn’t. Alicia asks if he thinks he can do all that with a pair of keys, and he laughs. She asks what it unlocks, and he says, their future. Dakota says he’s sounding like her mom, when the front tire hits something, and they careen all over the road. The corpse falls out, and Teddy stops the truck, yelling, mother! He gets out, and opens the blanket covering the body. He kisses her cheek and says, it will be all right. He asks Alicia and Dakota to please help him get her back on the truck. Please. They lift her, and Dakota sees that a bunch of zombies are about to approach them. Teddy is about to shoot, but Alicia says the sound will just draw more. Even without the sound, more are coming. Dakota picks up a chunk of hard wood, and she and Alicia smack TF out of the zombies’ heads, as Teddy stabs them. Suddenly, the zombies who are still on their feet are shot. Alicia says, Cole? Cole says, Alicia? She says, is that you? and he says he was about to ask her the same question. She goes over to Cole, and Teddy asks, who the hell is that? Alicia says, an old friend, and Teddy asks, what kind? Cole says, Alicia’s mom is the only reason he’s not a skinbag, and Teddy says, how’s that for a sign?
Teddy picks up the walkie talkie, and radios Riley, saying they’re in need of roadside assistance. Does he copy? He gets no response, and says he’ll see if he can fare any better up the road. Dakota goes with him, and Alicia says she can’t believe it’s Cole. Has he been on the road all this time? He nods, and says, a long time. They spent weeks looking for her, and finally figured she’d died in the fire at the stadium. There are some others still around, thanks to what her mom did. He asks how her brother is, and Alicia doesn’t say anything. He says he’s sorry, and she shakes her head. She tells him, Luciana is still alive; Victor too. Cole asks where they are, and she says Luci is living in the same place she is, and Victor went his own way. Cole says, he always does, and he asks what they’re doing out that way. They’ve come far, and have a lot of gas. You don’t see much of that these days. Alicia says, Teddy has been stocking up for a while, and Cole asks who Teddy is. What’s his deal? She says she’s still figuring it out, when Teddy comes back and says he can’t get a signal. He doesn’t suppose Cole knows where they can get a new car. Cole says there’s an old auto parts shop nearby, but they shouldn’t go there on their own; it’s not safe. He’s seen them set zombies on people as they’re passing through. Dakota asks who they are, and he says, unsavory types. A lot of the dead they see, they killed them. Some of them look like Swiss cheese after they take what they want. He can get them where they need to go. He knows the roads they need to take. Alicia says he doesn’t have to, but Cole says he believes he does. Lead the way. Teddy says he’ll need Cole’s gun, and Cole says he’s not handing Teddy anything. Teddy says, fine; hand it to Alicia. He’s beginning to trust her, and wants to make sure she trusts him. Cole gives Alicia his gun, and tells her, it’s all right. Teddy stabs one last zombie in the head, and they walk off.
Dakota asks how long Teddy was locked up, and he says, almost 30 years. She asks what he did, and he says killed the people who got in his way; who didn’t see the world the way he did. His mom had him locked up. He did what he could to get away. She asks if he knew the people he killed, and he says, some of them. She asks if he feels bad, and he wonders if he detects some guilt. She says she only killed when she had to, and he asks if she knew them. She says, one more than the others. They were starting to become a family. He asks if she feels bad, but she says, no. She didn’t have much choice. People look at her like they’re scared of her, but it’s just the way things are. Teddy says, if they’re frightened by what she’s saying, it’s because it’s the truth. She’s right. That’s the way things are.
As they walk ahead, Cole says, Alicia has his gun. They could take Teddy out, but she says they can’t, He says, it doesn’t seem like much of a worry if he’s gone, and she says, he’s a guru. If he doesn’t do it, his people will. Cole asks if she has any idea what it is, and she says, no, but it’s something big. He has followers, and a bunker with enough food for years. Cole says Alicia could join them after she finds out what it is. They have it good. She says she can’t, and he says he’s been looking for a way to pay her mother back for the favor she did. Maybe this is it. Maybe he found it. They arrive at the auto parts place.
Teddy watches Alicia, and she asks if there’s a problem. He says she reminds him of her, and she says, who? He gets teary, and says, his mother. Has she decided yet if she’s going to join them underground? She says, no, because he’s wrong. Suddenly a bunch of people come in, wearing bandanas bandit style, and carrying guns. Cole cocks his gun, and says, those unsavory types he told them about, he’s one of them. They take their bandanas off, and Doug says, sorry, Alicia. Next to him, Viv takes off her bandana, and Alicia says, they’re kidding her. Cole says they’re not, and Teddy says, after her mother saved their lives? and Cole says, maybe she should have let them die.
Alicia asks, what happened? and Cole says they were looking for a place to hole up and regroup. They looked for her, Nick, Victor, and Luci. They went to a motel off 78, and people were waiting for them. Most of them were killed. Alicia asks, who’s left? and he says, she’s looking at them. She says, so they decided to do the same thing to whoever else they crossed paths with? Teddy says, that’s what he’s trying to get her to understand; the patterns of the universe. It’s the people like Cole in the world, who they need to destroy. Dakota says she’s not proud of what she did, but it was all she could do. Alicia says, they had another way, and Cole says, they know how that ended. They tried to find a way to do things that was more than looking out for themselves, but most of them are gone. So they found this way, and they’re still standing. Alicia says, they became the people they’d been fighting off, and Cole says, there are always bad people waiting to make things go south. For you, not them. Teddy says he knows how to fix that. Get rid of Cole. Cole says, that will be hard to do when Teddy is on that end of the shotgun. Teddy laughs, and Cole says, keep walking, gramps.
Doug fixes the tire on the truck, and Teddy approaches Alicia. He says he doesn’t want to rub salt in her wound, but he knows what she’s thinking. She says she highly doubts it, and he says, she’s thinking her mother died for something. She’d thought the people her mother saved went off to live meaningful lives, but most of them are dead. Those that aren’t, are living like bottom feeders. Alicia asks if this isn’t what he wants, and he says he doesn’t want to see her in pain. He wants her to understand they’re both after the same thing. She can fulfill her potential more than she knows. He’s confident that she’s the person he’s been looking for. She says he’s delusional, and he says she doesn’t know what he’s set out to do. She says she’s been trying to figure it out for weeks, but has no clue. Just tell her. Cole comes over to them, and asks, what about a gun pointed at them makes them think they should take a break? Alicia tells him, take the truck. Take what they want, and let them walk out. Cole says, and they’ll never bother them again? but Teddy says, he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep. Cole says he tried Alicia’s way, and nearly got killed. Teddy’s place sounds nice. Tell him where it is. There’s got to be a map in the truck. Teddy says they won’t find anything in there, and Cole aims his gun at Teddy, saying, he’ll be more than happy to open it. Alicia says, Cole… and Cole asks why she’s protecting this a-hole. Doug calls to Cole, and tells him, they’ve been way too long, and Viv says, forget it. They have the truck, gas, and food. It’s more than they had this morning. Cole says, Teddy has a place stocked with supplies. They have water and power. They’ll be safe there; they can live there. He asks where it is, and Teddy says, go ahead and kill him. He’ll return to the earth, and live on. Someone else will finish what he started. Cole says he knows how to get Teddy to talk. Move. He pushes Teddy along.
Cole pulls the corpse out of the truck bed, and on to the ground. He says he saw upset Teddy was when the body went flying out. He shoots it in the chest, and Dakota says, what the hell? Cole says he’ll blow her head off, and Teddy says, go on. Cole asks what kind of psycho Teddy is, and Teddy says, Cole is the one shooting a corpse. Dakota says she’s sorry, and Teddy says, don’t be; that’s not his mother. His mother is buried on the family farm. Alicia says he lied, but he says, no; he showed her the truth. She was right; he confesses. Her journey was not a coincidence. He was hoping to find proof that the people who her mother saved were dead, but he didn’t suspect to find a living one. It proves his point even more. Cole says they’ll take the truck and tells Alicia he’s sorry. He really is. He knows what her mother did for them, so he’s going to do something he normally wouldn’t. Come with them. Alicia says she can’t. She has to find out what they’re doing. He asks, why? and she says, people will die. He says, who? Victor? Why isn’t Victor out looking for her? They have a truck and gas. They can get the hell out, and drive smart, far away. Whatever they’re doing, Victor is doing the same thing. He’s got to warn her. If she doesn’t take him up on it, he’ll have no choice but to kill her too. Alicia nods, and says she guesses that makes her decision easier. Go to hell. He cocks his gun, and tells her to get on her knees. He’ll make it fast.
Dakota and Alicia kneel, while Teddy sits cross-legged in the road. Cole says, one more chance, old man. Where are you going? Teddy tells Alicia and Dakota, everything he’s planned will proceed without them. Alicia asks if Cole is really doing this, and Cole says he gave her an out. He’ll put her down, and bury her. She sarcastically says, thank you, and he says they can be a warning to others. They hear zombie noises, and Doug tells Cole to get it over with. They’re about to have visitors. Alicia says, it doesn’t have be like this, but Cole says he’s heard that too many times. Sorry. Teddy says, these people don’t know what they know. They’re killing people off, but don’t know the difference between a weak and good thing. They don’t know him. Cole aims his gun at Teddy, but Alicia jumps up, and pushes the barrel away. The zombies arrive, and chaos happens. They eat Doug and Viv, and I think, it couldn’t happen to nicer people. Teddy laughs, as he slices away, and Cole shoots some of them. Alicia comes toward Cole, using a zombie as a shield, and aiming a gun from under the zombie’s arm. Teddy says, shoot him; do it. Instead, she shoves the zombie on Cole, but he shoots it. He and Alicia stand face to face, aiming their guns at each other. Alicia says, her mother died so he’d have a chance, and Teddy says he knows she doesn’t want to get rid of her mother… She tells him, shut up. She’s not talking him. She tells Cole, he was supposed to make it mean something, and threw it all away. Cole says, maybe in time she’ll listen to her friend… Maybe in time she’ll let go… She shoots him in the head. She says Teddy knows he’s wrong. They don’t have to destroy everything to make it better. Just people like Cole. Teddy smiles.
Zombie Doug gets a knife in the head from Alicia; ditto with zombie Viv. Dakota says, it’s not as hard as Alicia thinks, and Alicia says, for Dakota. Dakota says, not just for her. It’s how the world is working. She tried to explain to John, so he’d see it the same way we do. Again, Alicia says, there is no we, and Dakota says she had to do it. Alicia says she believes in something better, and Dakota says, like Alicia’s mom did. She never had that. No one gave her anything to believe in. Alicia says, that’s not true. She tried, and Dakota threw it away, like Cole did. Teddy says he’s proud of Alicia; she let go of the past. He laughs, and says she isn’t afraid to change. Alicia says, that doesn’t mean she’s going to fall in line behind him, and he says she’s not afraid to question him. She reminds him of his mother. Alicia asks if his mother thought he was a nutjob too. He says when he was at mortician school, he was trying to figure out how he could change things. He read about it in journals, but they only saw part of it; why they need to end everything. His mother thought he was sick… no, disturbed was the word she used. She threated to call social services, and have him committed. She said she wanted to put an end to his sick thoughts about new beginnings. She never knew how right he was. Alicia says she takes it his mother didn’t listen, and he says he killed her. (Points for me.) He buried her body on the farm, and waited through fall and winter. He was worried someone would find the body, but when spring came, the strangest thing happened. The most beautiful morning glories bloomed over her body. He realized, it wasn’t enough to change things – that was the first part. They needed a new beginning where people like his mother could thrive, free of the patterns of a broken world. Alicia asks how he plans to destroy the world, and he says she earned the truth today. The key will launch a missile from a beached submarine ashore in Galveston. That should do job, doesn’t she think? Alicia says she thinks – she takes the walkie talkie out of his hand – that Cole is not the only person they need to get rid of to make the world better. She aims her gun at him, and behind her, Dakota aims hers at Alicia. She says, Alicia will have to get rid of her too.
Alicia asks, what happened to making things right, and Dakota wanting to make a fresh start? Teddy says they’re not going to stop what he’s doing. He wants Alicia alive. Alicia goes up the road with the walkie talkie, and Teddy says, it’s okay. Alicia radios Morgan, and asks if anyone is there. She sees Riley coming with the others, and backs away. She asks if anyone can hear her, and Victor asks if she’s okay. She asks if she can trust him, and he says, of course. What’s wrong? She says she knows what they’re going to do. There’s a beached submarine in Galveston. Dakota is part of it, and they need to get themselves far away. Riley draws his gun, and Teddy says Alicia is what he’s been hoping for. Alicia asks what he means, and he says she’s the right person for what’s to come. One of Teddy’s followers grabs her, and Teddy follows them to the car, along with Dakota.
They go to a hotel, and get out of the car, Alicia with her wrists bound. Teddy says, in the 1950s, Uncle Sam built a bunker beneath the resort for government officials to wait out the country’s inevitable destruction. It was long forgotten, but Riley found a mention in the newspaper. Uncle Sam was smart about what was coming, just not when. He asks Riley what it’s like, and Riley says, better than The Holding. Teddy says he supposes he should thank Alicia for burning down the other place. Alicia asks if his followers know, and he says, they know they’ll live in a well-stocked new home. He wants to show Alicia around himself. He tells the others to wait there. He’ll be all right. There’s nothing to worry about.
Teddy and Alicia go inside, and he says he wanted to get to know her, and he’s glad he did. She’s the one who can finish what he started. She says she’s not finishing anything, and he says, it’s nearly the end. He’s the ending, and can’t be the beginning, but she can. She asks, what makes him think that? and he says, she’ll do what needs to be done without losing sight of the one thing that will be in short supply when this is over. She says, what’s that? and he says, hope. He opens the door to the bunker, and Alicia says, she told them what he’s doing. They’re going to stop him. He locks her inside, and says, he knows it’s hard for her, but it’s what’s happening. They’re going to rebuild the world from there. He and Alicia are alike. He was ahead of his time, and while he was inside, the world changed to be perfectly suited for him. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. She shakes her head, and he tells her, good luck. Alicia yells that she will not make the world the way he wants it, but he says he knows. That’s what he’s counting on. She watches him leave.
Next time – two episodes left – Teddy says things are about to get started, Dakota asks if everyone knows they’re going to die, Morgan and Victor go to the beach in Galveston, and Morgan asks if Victor is ready to do this.
🕰 Jumping Time…
I don’t mind a time jump, as long as there aren’t several within an episode. That makes me dizzy.
Whether the Sunday scaries are back for you, you have nothing to be frightened of, or everything freaks you out, stay safe, stay environmentally conscious, and stay preserving what you love, but not by destroying anything.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
A zombie steps on a birds nest, then gets impaled on a spike because zombies aren’t too bright, and that’s what you get for stepping on a bird’s nest. Outside the gates of Morgan’s town, June walks up to Morgan. She asks, how’s she doing? and he says, she’s holed up. She won’t see anybody, him included. The baby might be alive if they hadn’t had to come to her. She says, it wouldn’t have made a difference, but he says, don’t say it. Grace has already gone there, saying the only reason the she’s alive is because the baby absorbed the bad sh*t in her body. June says she has to make sure Grace is okay, but he says there’s nothing she can say or do to make any of it okay. She tells him that she’s the closest thing they have to a doctor, and has to examine Grace, but he says he’s not letting her come in. June says, Grace needs see her, and he says, Grace does, or she does? She couldn’t do the one thing John wanted. She couldn’t stay, so why is she there when she’s not needed? Tell him again how she’s there for Grace and not herself. She turns around, and marches out.
A zombie crawls through a field, and June stabs it in the head. We see The End is The Beginning painted in huge letters on the road. June puts an X on a map, and puts it back in her pouch. She takes out John’s letter, and almost opens it, then puts it back. She checks gas cans in truck beds, but they’re empty. She hears something, and turns, drawing her gun, but it’s Dwight, who says, easy there. He tried to radio, but there was no answer. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says he could ask her the same question. He thought she had a hospital to build. She says, they can manage. She’s doing her part to figure out what they’re up against. He asks if it has something to do with what Morgan said to her, and she says, he heard it? but Dwight says, the man is hurting; he didn’t mean it. June says Dwight didn’t have to follow her to babysit her, and Dwight says, she’s the only reason he and Shari are still breathing. He couldn’t stand the idea of her out there all alone. She says, Morgan was right. She did the one thing John didn’t want her to. He didn’t want her to cut her hair, and she did. Dwight says, John was worried, and she says, John asked her to leave with him before they even got there. Dwight tells her not to do this to herself, but she says she should have just listened to John. He’d still be here. Instead he went with Ginny, and it didn’t make much difference in the end. He says, they’ve got company. She sees Shari, and says, you two…? but he shakes his head, and says she asked to come when she saw him leaving. June asks, why? and he says he’s not sure. Shari hasn’t said much. Shari says, don’t let her interrupt, and checks the gas cans in a truck bed. Dwight says, horses don’t take unleaded, and June says, there’s nothing there.They probably took the gas when they painted the messages. Dwight asks where June is going, and she says, Jimmy is on the run, and if anyone knows what they’re up against, it’s him. She asks if Dwight brought more company, and someone shoots at them. They duck down, seeing a man up on the hell. Shari says she’s going to take him out, but June says, they need him alive. He might have information. She kicks the mirror off the car she and Dwight are behind. She looks into it, and the guy shoots the mirror. Shari shoots back, and June repeats that they need him alive. Zombies are coming down the road, and June tells Dwight to cover her. He tells her, be careful, and shoots the zombies. June goes up the hill.
June sees a trailer, and slinks around it. She tries the door, but it’s locked. She covers her gun with a blanket, and smashes the window, pulling herself up and into the trailer. She pulls out a flashlight, and looks around. She sees a bulletin board with a map and Polaroids of places where The End Is The Beginning has been written. She hears a gun cock, and turns around, seeing Keith Carradine. He asks why she’s there. Is she one of them? She says, who? and he says, the folks painting the slogans. She says she might be on the same team as he is, and he says, if that’s true, her and her pals need to kick rocks. He knows what they’re capable of, and trust him, she wants no part of it. She asks what knows, and he says, the trail ran cold. If they think he’s going to catch them, and he’s getting too close, they’ll have to move up the plan. She asks, what plan? and he says he’s going to get to the bottom of it. She asks if they shouldn’t share information. She and her friends have been searching for days. He says he’s been searching a lot longer, and she says, let her help. He asks how she can help, and she says she didn’t realize the tags went that far south. He missed one; at the orchard. He says if she wants to help, and says they’re on the same side, prove it. Bring him to the orchard so he can see what he hasn’t. If she’s lying, and wasting his time, and it’s not them, he’ll put a bullet into her. She says she’s not leaving her friends, but he tells her, drive.
Keith Carradine keeps his gun on June, and she says, it’s not necessary. She wants them as bad as he does. He tells her, keep your eyes on the road, sweetheart, but she tells him not to call her that. He asks what he should call her, and she says, anything else. He says he didn’t ask her to gum up his investigation. She’s burning his time and resources. So with all due respect, sweetheart, shut up and drive. She jerks the RV all over, and he falls. She takes out her gun, and he sees the handle. He asks where she got the gun, and she asks why she should tell him. He says, because they belong to him. The JD on the handle, that’s him. He’s John Dorie. (But he is really Keith Carradine.)
Shari and Dwight ride, and Shari stops to pick up an empty gas container. She throws it into the woods, and Dwight says he wants to find June as bad as she does, but if they keep running the horses like this, she’s going to kill them. Even if the container was full, they’d only get six miles out of it. She says she just wants to find June, and be done with. She asks why he’s really there. Is he playing detective, or did Morgan tell him to keep an eye on June? He says, neither. When he was out looking for Shari, things got desperate. The trail got cold, and he was tired hungry and thinking about ending it. Not just the search; everything. The only reason he’s there is because John and June changed everything. She asks, how? and he says he doesn’t know. Seeing two people together, two people separated like them, made it seem possible. He thought maybe he and Shari could find each other again. Does she want to tell him why she’s there? She says, there’s no time, and gets back on her horse. She rides off, and he follows.
June looks at the gun, and says, the way John talked, the times he did, she thought he was dead. John Sr. says, as far as his son was concerned, he was. She asks when he last saw his son, and he says, he doesn’t know. He couldn’t been more than twelve. She says, he should know, John was good at sharpshooting, and he says, if his son was a good shot, it had nothing to do with him. She asks if he doesn’t have any questions, and he says, about what? She says, where his son is, or what he’s been up to for the past 40 years? He says he already knows the answer. Why else would she be there with that look on her face, and a gun on her hip? And she’s wearing two wedding rings. He was cop; he notices things. She says, so was his son, and John Sr. says, he became a cop? He thought his son would learn better from his old man. She says, oh no, and looks outside. She tells him that she lost her jacket, and needs to go back. He says she can have one of his, but she says she has to go back. He says he’s not wasting time on a jacket, but she says, it’s not the jacket. There’s a letter in the pocket. He asks what’s in it that’s so important? but she says, she doesn’t know; she hasn’t read it. He says, it must not be that important then. She’s welcome to go back, but the RV is only going in one direction; that’s forward. She gets in the driver’s seat, and starts it up, but it makes a weird sound. He says, kill it, and they listen. He says, sh*t; they have a stowaway. He looks underneath, and there’s a zombie stuck in the undercarriage. He crawls underneath and says, goddammit. She probably ran it over during her little maneuver. She asks if he has something to pull it out, and he says he does. He tells her to rev the engine a tiny bit; look for his signal. Nice and easy. She starts the van up, and he says, whoa! Cut the engine. The zombie is shredded, but still making zombie noises. She says, anything? and he says, that ain’t just blood, it’s transmission fluid. She probably nicked the line when she hit it. She asks if he can fix it, but he says, this thing is toast, thanks to her.
Dwight and Shari gallop along. Shari goes way ahead, but when Dwight catches up, he finds her on the ground, next to her horse, who’s also down. He says he told her to slow down. The horse’s heart is giving out. She shoots the horse, and says, let’s go. He asks, what’s going on? This isn’t about those cult a-holes. Why are they chasing gas cans? She says she’s going back home to Virginia. She needs to take out the person who’s really to blame for all of this. he says, Negan? and she says she’s going to find him, and put a bullet in his head. That’s why she asked him to come with her. She wanted to find the right way to say goodbye. He says he gets it. Lord knows, he’s done things he’s not proud of. He hopes they find June, and hopes they get out of there. She tells him that he said that before. Does he mean it this time? He says he does, but they’re going at his speed. He’s not running the horse into the ground. She says, all right, and they walk as he leads the horse.
Shari rides behind Dwight, and they see June’s jacket hanging from a tree branch. Dwight takes it off.
June looks at a newspaper article on the bulletin board about Teddy getting life in prison, and John says, he has them all up there a certain way; don’t go messing them up. Ha-ha! He sounds like me if someone touches something on my desk. She asks if this is him? and he says it’s when he arrested Teddy Mannix, the psycho killing preacher mortician, and put him away for life. He was supposed to be anyway. She asks what he means, and he says, The End Is The Beginning. He spouted the same thing back in the 70s. She says, Teddy is the person responsible for all this? and he says he should have killed Teddy when he had the chance. He guesses it’s not too late. She asks if John is sure it’s him, and he says, when he was foraging, he spotted The End Is The Beginning, and it was like a punch in the gut, seeing it after all this time. He went to the prison hoping to find a rotting corpse, but Teddy’s cell door was open and he was nowhere to be found. His life’s work wasn’t good enough for that SOB. When he put Teddy away, he wasn’t exactly clean. He did the wrong thing for the right reasons. She says, he framed Teddy? Did anyone find out? He says, people looked at him like he was a hero. He couldn’t sleep, and started drinking. His life was a lie. He was angry all the time. It was hard for John Jr. too. He thought the best thing was for him to get as far away from his family as possible. They thought he abandoned them, but they didn’t understand. She asks him to explain how, after 40 years, he checked on the man who ruined his life, but not his son? He says it was best thing did for John Jr., not showing up at the cabin. She says he may not have wanted to go before, but they can go now. It’s a lead to Teddy. He says he’s not going, and she says, it’s the best lead they’ve got. He says he has better leads; the orchard, Teddy’s childhood home. She says, Hill will be at the cabin, and he might have information. He has no time to take a short detour? He says, it’s where he left his boy 40 years ago. He won’t go back. She says she met and lost her husband at that cabin. The table has medical supplies on it, but she didn’t get the chance to save him. She’s finding Hill. What he knows will save a lot of lives, and he has something of hers. John asks, what’s that? and she says, John’s other pistol. He says, the guns. They do belong together.
John stabs a zombie in the head, and tells June, that’s Teddy’s doing. She asks how he knows, and he says, embalming fluid. Same as the first time, back when they dead stayed dead. They keep walking, and she asks what Teddy wants. John says, the same thing he’s always wanted; destruction. Teddy is spouting the same circle of life mumbo jumbo as he did before she was born. She asks, why embalming fluid? and he says, it’s how he keeps out the young horde. Preservation prevents folks from moving on to the next world. Teddy is crazy as a pet snake, but he could sell ice to Eskimos. His followers are armed and highly motivated. She says, they’re not the only ones, and he says, he doesn’t doubt it. June sees his hand is bandaged, and tells him that she’s nurse. She could take a look. He says, there’s a bait shop nearby, and she says, Bill’s. He says, she knows it. Were she and John married before or after? She says, after. John used a candy wrapper. He laughs, and she says, it was the best he could do at the time. He says he proposed to John’s mom the same way, but it was a Juicy Fruit wrapper. He was still at the Academy, and didn’t have a dime to his name.
Shari and Dwight look at John’s bulletin board, and tells Dwight, it looks like he’d been hunting for a lifetime before world fell apart. She can’t believe he’s John’s father. What are the odds? Dwight says, he never thought shooting at June and John would lead him to her, but here they are. She says, June left a note; Hill is at John’s cabin. He’s a Ranger, and she bets he has a truck. Dwight says, there’s a good chance there’s gas in it too, and she tells him to point her in the right direction.
John Sr. and June walk into a general store, and John says, the place has changed since he was last there. They used to eat ice cream on a bench outside. John Jr. has a sweet tooth… had. She looks on the shelves for supplies, and he sees the movie rental list. He says, John always loved movies. He warned his son that he’d wind up with square eyes. He watched Bullitt over and over. He puts the list back, and unwraps his hand. June sterilizes his wound, and asks him to tell her about the guns. She knows they were in his family for generations. He says, six. The first John Dorie brought them on the trail out west.The second JD shot Dead Eye Driscoll from Blackwater. Got his picture in the paper. His son was a good shot too? June says he taught her, and worked at Humbug’s Gulch on the weekends as a trick shooter. That’s where they were married; all their friends were there. He says, it sounds a nice affair, and tells her that his son wrote his initials on a wall in the back room. He wonders if they’re still there, and they walk to the back. June goes in first, and he closes the door, putting a bar across the handles. I had the feeling he was going to lock her in there. She asks what he’s doing, and he says, she and Junior shared a life. She’s not blood, but she’s the closest thing he’s got to family. She says, so he’s doing to her like he did to John? and he says, that’s not what this is. She says he think he’s protecting her, but he’s just punishing himself. He doesn’t think he deserves this. He says she’s the one carrying a letter she hasn’t opened. She can come at him all she wants. We all got ways of protecting ourselves. She says, she knows he thinks he’s doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, but they need to work together. He doesn’t hear her because he’s already gone.
At Bill’s, Shari checks out an old truck, and gets it started on a second try, but it dies. Dwight says, she got the engine to turn over, and she says, barely. She wonders if it’s the same truck her grandpa had, but Dwight says, her grandpa had a ’69; this is older. She asks if he remembers when they got the truck stuck in the mud on their way to the bonfire; and he says, they gave up, and drank beer in the car until they passed out. Is she sure this is what she wants to do? She does it, then what? . She comes back? Shari says, that’s the plan. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Is she really ready to say goodbye? She listens, and asks, what’s that?
John Sr. enters the cabin, and looks around, no doubt flooded with memories. He sits down, but hears something, and he cocks his gun. He goes out back, and hears a zombie. He puts the gun in his waistband, and stabs it in the head. A man comes up behind him with a gun and says, you picked the wrong cabin to rob, old timer. He gets distracted by another zombie, and John Sr. knocks him back against a tree, takes his gun, and shoots the zombie. He keeps the guy pinned against the tree, and says, this is his son’s cabin; that makes him a trespasser. The guy says he’s John’s old man, and that’s John’s gun, and John Sr. says, tell him all he knows about Theodore Maddox, or he’ll blow the guy’s head off. The guy asks who the hell Theodore is, and John Sr. says, he’s the one behind the spray paint. The guy asks what the hell it matters to John Sr., but John Sr. says that’s his business. The guy says, all he knows is, whatever they have planned, it’s big. John Sr. asks, how big? but the guy doesn’t know. He could never get anyone to talk. All he knows is, they want to kill everybody. John Sr. says, he’ll give the guy five minutes. Get his sh*t, and get the hell out of there. The guy says he lives there now. The previous occupant moved out permanently, in case you didn’t hear. He tries to get John Sr.’s gun, and they struggle. They both fall to the ground, and John Sr. knocks the guy out with a punch. He sees his son’s grave marker, a cross that says John Dorie, and gets distracted. The guy shoots him in the back, but then someone shoots the guy from behind. John touches the marker, and June runs to him, telling Dwight and Shari to help get him inside.
John opens his eyes, gets out of bed, and walks outside. He sees June with Shari and Dwight, and hears June thanking them for her jacket. John sits in the old truck, and June says he shouldn’t be out of bed. She just took a bullet out of him, and he lost a lot of blood. He says, they meant to fix the old girl up together. It was going to be his son’s first car. He didn’t run because he didn’t care. He did it because he does care. Just like he did with June at Bill’s. She says she knows, and he says, she was right. He was punishing himself, and also punishing his wife and boy. He did come back that summer. He went to Bill’s to fill up the tank, and saw John Jr. there. He looked so content eating his ice cream. He looked so happy. John had this light about him… Of course she knows. He was afraid he’d snuff it out, like the Teddy case did him. He decided to leave John Jr. there. His son would be better off without him. He went back, put the pistols on the porch, and never looked back. He never even said goodbye. June says, it’s not too late, and takes out the letter.
They stand at John’s grave, and June says, it was right there when she first met him. She was broken, and he sewed her back up with fishing line, butterscotch brittle, light, and love. She opens the letter. June. This is the hardest decision of my life and I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for making it. For leaving you behind to save an innocent person’s life. Knowing I may not see you again, I believe you’ll forgive me one day, the same way I forgave… my dad for leaving. It took me a few years to see it from his shoes, but I forgave him. He was a good man, and in his own way, he did what he did because he loved me. Like I’m doing what I’m doing because I love you. No matter what happens, sure as the sun sets, I’ll never stop trying to get back to you. Back to those early days in the cabin – she starts to cry – and the pretty lady who washed up on my shore, and my life was forever changed. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. You rekindled the light in me, and brought me back to people. In believing in goodness, and doing good for what’s worth fighting for, like I fought for you. If I die, I will die knowing life was worth living because of a nurse by the name of June. You’re the light guiding my way. I love you, Junebug. She cries, I cry, and everyone looks sad. John Sr. puts his hand on June’s shoulder.
Dwight tells Shari, whoever did the work on the truck, did a good job. She should make it as far as Louisiana. She looks at the article about Teddy, and he asks, what is it? She says she’s not ready for this to be goodbye, and he asks what she means. She says, the man John Sr. has been chasing, he’s been chasing for how many years? He’s missed out on his entire life. She can’t let that happen to them. She’s been using Negan as an excuse for why they can’t be together. Dwight was able to change, and get back to who he once was. She thinks that’s what she’s afraid of; she won’t be able to do that. He says, he’s changed, but he’s not the same person he used to be, and she doesn’t have to be that either. She says she won’t be that for a while, and he says she’s probably right. They were young… Why don’t they just start over? He’s willing to give it a shot if she is. She says, yeah, and they hug.
June and John Sr. load up the truck. June takes off the rings, and gives them to Dwight. She thanks him for letting her borrow them. He says she doesn’t have to, but she says she wants to, and John would too. She’s giving them back to their rightful owners. He takes them, and puts around his neck. June takes a last look at the cabin, and she and John Sr. get in the truck. Dwight and Shari get on Dwight’s horse, and ride off.
June brings John Sr. to Morgan, who apparently lives his life standing at the entrance of his town. She says, there’s someone she’d like him to meet. This is John Dorie, John’s father. Morgan shakes John Sr.’s hand, and says, pleased to meet him. Morgan asks June, how? and she says, long story. Morgan says John Sr.’s son saved his life in more ways than one, and John Sr. says, his wife just did the same for him. He thinks he’ll stay a while, and Morgan says he’ll be a welcome addition. June says, John Sr. is looking for the man who attacked Morgan and Grace. He knows everything about him. They can help each other. Morgan says, it looks like they already are. June takes Morgan aside, and says she knows she can’t change what she did… He says she doesn’t have to say it, but she says, it’s what John wanted. Now she has a chance to do the same there. Morgan says, he might have been wrong when he told her there was nothing she could do or say to make things better. June asks if she can please check on Grace, and John Sr. says they can put their heads together, and man up against Teddy. He knows Teddy, bow to stern. If he’s doing now what he wanted to do before, he’s not going to stop until they’re all dead. Morgan says, let’s get to work, and they go inside.
Next time, Alicia and Teddy go on a road trip, Teddy needs assurances before he takes the first steps, Alicia is surprised to see someone, and a zombie attacks Teddy.
🍳 Hunt For the Eggs…
On Talking Dead, Keith Carradine marveled at all the nerdy things hidden in tonight’s FTWD.
The Shahs of Sunset are back, but choices had to be made. I’ll have to catch up On Demand or on rerun. Until we meet On Deck tomorrow, stay safe, stay respecting others’ personal space, and stay not being so fast to judge a guy in an RV who’s shooting at you. It could be Keith Carradine.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
This was one of those weird episodes that’s even worse than time jumping. We were jumping from the real world to… something else. I hope it’s easier to follow than it was to transcribe. Although nothing was as bad as that episode of Z Nation where they were in the crates that kept moving around. And so…
Birds circle overhead. Grace lies on her back under trees in a forest that has pink foliage. She opens her eyes, and a zombie jumps on her, snapping at her face. A knife pokes through its eye from behind, and a young girl asks, what’s wrong, lady? Are you trying get yourself killed? Grace thanks her. The girl battles with several zombies, whacking and spearing. When she’s done, she holds out her hand, and helps Grace up. Grace asks where she learned to fight like that, and the girl says her dad taught her. He’s going to kill her; she’s not supposed to be outside the wall alone. They’ve got to move. There’s a clinic where she lives, and the doctor can check Grace out. Grace asks what her name is, and the girl says, Athena, like the Greek goddess. Her mom gave it to her because she thought it would make her strong. Athena asks Grace’s name, and Grace tells her. Athena starts to walk, and says they better get Grace to the clinic. Grace follows her.
The girl says, right there; that’s where she lives. It’s Morgan’s place, and Grace says, impossible. How long as she been there? Athena says, since she was born, and Grace asks how old she is. Athena says, sixteen; why? Grace sees Morgan’s pokey weapon, now rusted, where he left it outside, and the greenery is pink instead of green here too. She sees Athena talking with a grey-haired Morgan, and Grace says, Morgan? He asks if she remembers Morgan, and we hear zombies outside the wall. Morgan tells Athena to go inside, and he and Grace follow.
We see horses in a corral, and Morgan says he and Athena will talk later about how she’s going to muck out the stables for the next month. He asks Grace if she’s okay, and she says, it’s everything they wanted it to be. She asks if he doesn’t recognize her, and he says his memory isn’t what it used to be. Does he know her? She says, it’s her, Grace, and he says he doesn’t know what she’s trying to do, but… She says, it’s her. This place was different. If it’s not her, why does she know about riding the carousel with him? And how he and Duane used to race cars? It’s her. He says, Grace? And she cries, flashing back to the past. He says, this isn’t possible. She can’t be there. Grace asks, why?
We see Grace’s gravestone, and Grace asks if he’s sure it’s her. He says he buried her himself, and she asks how she died. He says, the labor took a lot out of her, and the radiation had made her sicker than they thought. He’s sorry. They tried to do everything they could. She says, and her baby? Did he make it? He says, she. Grace already met her. Grace says she should have known. Is she okay? She spent so much time reading about how babies can absorb radiation… He says, she’s fine; trust him. Before Grace passed, she said she had one wish; to see what her child would be like grown up. Maybe that’s why there. Sometimes things happen that we can’t explain. Grace says she’d love meet her, but if Athena asks about her, there’s only so much she knows, and only so much she can tell. She thinks she should hold off, at least until they know what’s going on. June comes by, and tells Morgan, she usually tries to keep them out of the grave; don’t scare her. He introduces June as Dr. Dorie. June says she was a nurse before, but Morgan insisted on the title change. Athena told her what happened. She looks Grace over, and says, no sign of concussion or brain injury. What’s the last thing she remembers? Grace says, she was traveling on a road with someone, but then it gets fuzzy. June tells her, stay, and get some rest; it will come back. She introduces Charlie as her apprentice, and Grace says, Charlie. Charlie says, her parents thought they were having a boy. Grace says, so did she.
Morgan tells Grace, a lot of things have changed. She sees Daniel cutting Victor’s hair, and he says she doesn’t happen to be a barber, does she? He’s getting too old for this. Victor says, they all are. Maybe the next one will give a decent haircut. Morgan asks Dwight how the harvest is going, and Dwight says, it should be ready next week. Dwight sees his little boy, and says that kid is more of a hellraiser than he was at his age. Shari comes by, carrying a baby, and says she’s not so sure. Morgan introduces Grace to Dwight and Shari, and Shari says, the baby is Keena and her boy is John. Grace says, it’s nice to see a happy family living there, and Dwight says, they got lucky. He and Shari leave, and Grace asks Morgan when they got back together. Morgan says, not long after Athena was born. She asks about Alicia and Al, and everyone. Morgan says, Alicia started a place of her own at the burned out stadium where she used to live, and Luci went with her. Al left a while ago. She said she was chasing a story, but he thinks she was chasing somebody. Grace says, she never told him before, but she didn’t think it would happen. The way they fell out with each other, and what they were facing; what brought them together? Morgan says they were struggling. They didn’t know who was painting the graffiti, or what to do about it. They couldn’t even agree on how to face it. Then she had Athena, and he lost her. Everybody forgot their differences, and rallied around the child; they still do. He’s sorry she didn’t live long enough to see happen, and she says, her too. He thinks there’s a way for her to get to know her daughter without having to explain. He calls to Athena, and asks if she wants to go on a run.
As they walk, Grace looks delighted. Athena tells Morgan that she knows what he’s doing. He thinks if he takes her on a run to the feed store every once in a while, she won’t sneak out. He asks if she thinks it will work, and she says, it might. Grace hears Athena singing In Dreams, and asks what she’s singing. Athena indicates the Walkman on her belt, and says she never goes anywhere without it. Grace asks if she can see it, but Athena says, no. Her mom wanted her to have it; it’s the only thing she has from her. Grace says, maybe not, and Morgan says, hold up. Eyes and ears. They see a car off the road, and Grace walks toward it. The End Is The Beginning is painted all around it, and Grace says, she remembers this. She’s seen it before. She tells Athena they were attacked before she born, and the people would leave messages like that. Athena says they have to warn everybody, and Grace tells Morgan, she’s seen this before, but he says, it was probably a long time ago. She says, no; she’s seen this before. She says, it’s just like the… and the car blows up.
Grace hears Morgan saying he needs her wake up, and she sees the car in flames. She screams Morgan’s name, and Athena says they’ve got to get out. Zombies are everywhere, and Grace asks where Athena’s dad is. They run, and Grace asks, how far? Athena says, a couple of miles, and Grace hears Morgan ask, where are you? His voice sounds very distant, and she says, right here. Athena stabs a zombie and tells Grace, come on. Morgan fades away, and Grace asks where he went. Please. She misses him. She hears him say, come back, and she says she’s right there. Athena says they have to keep moving, and Grace says she can hear him. A lone zombie toddles up, and Grace says, she remembers something. Athena asks if Grace can hear her, and stabs the zombie. Grace says she heard Morgan, and Athena says she’s going to get them both killed. Grace stabs another zombie, and Athena says, the wall is just ahead. They need to get back. Grace starts to walk in the opposite direction, saying, it’s this way. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Athena tells Grace, the wall is this way. The scene repeats itself, and repeats itself. Finally, Grace turns her back on the lone zombie.
Grace lies on ground in the pink forest. Morgan says he’s got an idea, and goes toward the graffitied car. It blows up, and Grace is back where she was. Athena says, come on; they’re almost to the wall. Grace says, the car exploded like it did before. She must be unconscious.
Grace lies on the floor in the stables, and Morgan says he’s right there. He tells her that he needs her to wake up, so they can think about the baby. He can’t do this without her. She’s with Athena again, and hears him. Zombies clamor at the stable door, and Morgan says she’s got to wake up.
She tells Athena that Morgan is trying to wake her up, and asks if he can hear her. Athena says they’ve got to get her to Dr. Dorie; they’ve got to warn everyone. Grace says, Athena’s not real, and Athena pokes Grace with her stick, asking, does that feel real? Grace says Athena is in her head, there are fragments she’s trying make sense of. She wanted it be real; she wanted Athena to be real. Athena says she’ll be wishing something else is real soon. The car explodes again, and Grace says she’s hearing Morgan. She snatches the Walkman from Athena, and Athena says, that belonged to her mom, and Grace says she knows. She brought it so she could listen to it while she was in labor. Athena says, she has a kid? and Grace says she doesn’t know. She puts on the headphones, and says, come on, Morgan.
In the stables with Grace, Morgan says, June, can you hear me? June asks where he is, and he says, there’s no easy way there. She won’t make it. They were attacked on the road. There was an explosion, and people came after them. June asks, who’s after him? but he says, Grace is unconscious. She needs to tell him what to do. June asks how Grace’s vitals are, and he says, she’s breathing, but her pulse is weak. With Athena, Grace listens, and says, what?No. Athena asks, what’s the matter? and Morgan says, she needs to wake up. She’s in labor. June says, tell her where they are, and Morgan says, they’re in the vet’s office; the junction at 77th and 28th. June isn’t sure if she has enough gas, and says she’ll come on foot. Don’t worry. On the road, Grace talks into the recorder, and says she’s right there. How does she get him to hear her? Morgan tells June, he has to go; they found us. Grace asks, who found them? and Riley fires shots through the door.
Grace wonders, what the hell is going on? Morgan says, guys are shooting; they’re in trouble. Athena says, of course Grace isn’t there; she’s here. Riley breaks into the stables, and says Morgan is a hard man to find. He knows they’re there somewhere, and they have something he wants. Grace takes the headphones off, and says, no, Morgan. Athena takes the Walkman, and says Grace broke it. It’s all she has left. Grace says, it’s not working because Morgan shut it off. They have to find something else to connect her to him. She asks Athena if they’re near 77th or 28th, and Athena says, it’s not much further, and Grace asks, where’s the vet’s office? Athena says she’s not doing it, and Grace says, take her there, or she’ll break the Walkman.
In the real world (such as it is), Morgan tells Grace, sorry. He’s going to have to move her. Grace tells Athena, keep moving. They have to get to the building. At the stables, Riley says, it will all be over, and Athena asks, who’s that? Grace says, Athena heard it too? and she says, why wouldn’t she? Who are they? Grace says, the people who blew up the car. Grace suddenly falls to the ground in pain, and so does Athena.
Morgan wheels Grace in a wheelbarrow, and tells her, it’s okay; it’s just contractions. On the road, Grace cries out. Riley comes over to her, and says she has something they want. He takes out a knife, and Grace holds his hand back. Athena tries to get up, but can’t. Grace turns Riley’s hand and he stabs himself in the throat with his own knife. She stumbles over to Athena, and tells her, it’s okay. She thinks they’re contractions. She wonders why Athena is feeling them too, and says, she was wrong. Athena is real. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. They’re connected. Athena doesn’t understand, and Grace says, I’m your mother and I need to wake up so you can be born.
Athena asks why Grace didn’t tell her sooner, but Grace says she didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t think Athena was real. Athena says she is real, and Grace says she’s sorry she took Athena’s tape recorder. Athena says she’s sorry she poked Grace with her stick, and Grace laughs. Athena asks, what happens when Grace wakes up? and Grace says she thinks all this goes away. Athena says, it’s not fair; she just found out about Grace. There’s so much she wants to know. She’ll have to ask her mother. Grace smiles, and says, right. She’ll just have to wait. it’s happening this way for a reason. She needs to wake up so Athena will be okay. Athena says, it will take hours on foot; it’s too far. A white horse gallops out of the woods. A very well trained and saddled horse. They get on, and Athena asks why her dad was singing that song, and Grace says, it was one of his favorites. She says she’s talking about Athena’s biological dad, and Athena asks what he was like. Grace says, his name was Matthew. He was kind, and handsome, and smart. And a big Roy Orbison fan. Athena asks, what happened to him? and Grace says they worked at a power plant together. They were exposed to radiation, he got very sick, and she lost him. She’ll always be grateful for what they had. Athena asks what they had, and Grace says, her.
They travel down the road, and Grace says, it’s working. They’re close. Morgan says Grace has got to wake up. There’s not much time. Riley tells his men, get in there. Morgan sets up a blockade, and tells Grace to wake up. Grace tells Athena, the stables. They’re here. She opens the door and walks in. They see a zombie busy looking at the ceiling and poking at something, paying no attention to them. Athena looks around, and asks Grace, what’s wrong? Grace says, this may be the only time she has with Athena before… She didn’t tell Athena everything. The reason why they’re here is that Grace’s subconscious created this place. Out there in the real world, she’s sick. She was exposed to radiation like Matthew. She survived long enough to grow Athena, but doesn’t think she has much longer. She doesn’t think she’ll have a chance to get to know Athena. Athena says Grace can get better, but Grace says, you don’t get better from the kind of stuff she was exposed to. She knows why they’re here. She was scared for Athena to be born into a world that didn’t deserve her, and wanted to protect her, but she knows Athena will be okay. She’s strong. Athena starts to cry, and Grace says Athena is going to bring everyone together. She’s going to be the hope they need. Grace takes her hand, and Athena says she knows the reason she was at the wall when she found Grace. She was worried about her dad – about Morgan. She thought if she went out looking for seeds, he wouldn’t have to. She didn’t want to grow up without him. Grace says she won’t have to. He’ll raise her. Everyone will raise her. In the stables, Riley says, they have nowhere to go. How about giving him what he came for?
Morgan tells Grace, wake up; they’re going to find us. Now zombified Riley and his group of zombies break in. Grace tells Athena to get behind her. They have to get through and inside. Athena says, this might be all the time she has with Grace. She’s going to fight for every second. Zombie Riley and his group come closer.
Morgan stands ready, and Riley and his men break in. Morgan tells Riley, turn around and leave now, but Riley says, hand over the key, and it all goes away. He’s been looking for the key for a while. He hired someone to find it, and they didn’t deliver. He sent two friends after the first guy, and they didn’t come back. He’s guessing Morgan had something to do with them not coming back. Morgan says he’s going to do to Riley what he did to them, and Riley says, the key will change everything; he’s not leaving without it. Morgan moves forward at the same time Grace and Athena do in Grace’s mind. Morgan fights Riley and his men, while Grace and Athena fight zombie Riley and his zombie men. In reality, now it’s just Morgan and Riley, and Morgan spears Riley in the shoulder. Riley says Morgan can’t stop them, but Morgan says he thinks he just did, and Riley runs out.
Grace sees the key around Athena’s neck, and asks where she got it. She says, her dad… Morgan. He gave it to her when she was little, to wear as a reminder. Grace says, a reminder of what? Athena says something about peace that I don’t quite grasp, and Grace asks what that means, then falls to the ground.
Morgan tells Grace, hang on. Athena asks, what’s wrong? and a zombie grabs her. Morgan says, she’s not breathing; he’s losing her. Zombie Riley tells Grace, she’s already dead; they both are. Morgan does chest compression, and says, come on, Grace. Grace sees Matthew, and then the carousel. Zombie Riley says he knows they thought it would end differently, and handles the key around Athena’s neck. Morgan continues to do chest compression, and zombie Riley says, that was just a dream. Morgan says, he’ll never give up, and zombie Riley is stabbed by old Morgan. Old Morgan holds out his hand to Grace, and says, they don’t have much time. She takes his hand.
Morgan is still doing chest compression, and old Morgan asks if Grace is ready. She says she doesn’t want to say goodbye, but she has to. Morgan says, stay with me, and Grace hugs old Morgan. She says, even if she’s not there, she knows he’s going to build everything they couldn’t. Morgan listens to Grace’s chest, and says, please come back to him. Grace hugs Athena, and tells her, remember this when you get older. Athena says she will, and hands Grace the recorder, saying, she can make sure. Record what she wants Athena to remember. Morgan says, listen to him; please come back. Grace says she loves Athena, and always will. She kisses Athena’s hand, and Athena says she doesn’t want to lose Grace. Grace says, she won’t; she never will. She doesn’t have to be afraid. Grace will always be with her. You can let go, my angel. Grace backs away.
The door opens to a bright light. Grace opens her eyes, and Morgan says she’s awake. He thought he lost her. She says she had to come back. It’s a girl. They’re going to have a girl. She tells him that doesn’t think she’s going to make it, but he says she doesn’t know that. She says she does; she saw it. He says, saw what? and she says, the future… our future. Everything is going to be okay. They have a daughter.
Grace says she recorded a playlist of songs when she left. She hopes when Athena listens to it, it makes her smile. it will make her feel like Grace is there with her because she will be. Morgan tells Grace, he got the water, and she thanks him. He says, that’s for… She says, Athena. Morgan tells her that she kept saying that name. What happened when she was out? What does she think the dream was? Grace says, she knows when someone is close to their last moments, like she was, sometimes they see things they can’t explain. Morgan says, the near-death thing, and she says, it felt real. She thinks it was Athena. That’s how she knows everything will be all right.
A truck barrels through the door of the stables, taking part of the wall with it. Riley gets out, holding a gun, and tells Morgan, drop the stick or he’ll shoot him. Morgan drops it, and Riley says he told Morgan that he’d get what he came for. Morgan says, something tells him that Riley is getting less, and Grace asks what they’re talking about. Riley says, the key. Morgan knows what to do. Riley aims the gun at Grace, and says, give him the key, and he’ll walk away. Morgan asks what it opens, and why Riley wants it, but Riley says, it doesn’t matter. It’s inevitable, no matter what Morgan does. Grace tells Morgan to give Riley what he wants. The key isn’t their future; the baby is. This baby is going create a future where people like Riley never win. That is inevitable. He already lost. He just doesn’t know it. Morgan hesitates, and she screams, do it! He takes the key off, and tosses it to Riley. Riley surprises us all, and instead of blowing them away, says, good luck, jumps back in the truck, and squeals away.
Morgan asks if Grace is okay, but she tells him that he doesn’t have to worry. The baby is going to bring everyone together. She’ll give everyone something to fight for. She knows it. Morgan says, okay. He believes she will.
Grace breathes between contractions, and Morgan bathes her face with water. Roy Orbison’s song In Dreams plays, and Grace listens. Grace pushes the baby out, and Morgan takes it. She takes the headphones off, and asks, what’s wrong? Why isn’t she crying? He says, come on, and I don’t mean to judge, but he isn’t being very aggressive here. He places the unmoving infant on Grace’s chest, and she cries. Morgan says he doesn’t understand, and she says, they weren’t her last moments; they were Athena’s. He nods, and she says she thought it was going to be different. It was just a dream. She cries.
Yeah, Grace, we all thought it was going to be different.
Next time, June’s journey; Morgan tells someone, there’s nothing they can say or do to make it okay; Dwight and Shari reunite; and someone asks June why she’s there.
I admired Tawny Kitaen for her bravery in coming out about the health hazards that breast implants cause women. May she dance on the clouds the way she danced on the hood of that car.
I have to finish some copywriting for the www.MupoEntertainment.com weekly interview show, Mupo and Friends, which can be found on YouTube. Glorious YouTube. Where would we be without it? Okay, maybe there are some hours we can’t take back looking at puppies, but it was worth it. The upcoming interview is with scream queen Brooke Lewis Bellas, and I think she’ll be a lot of fun. Check us out. I also write articles for the magazine at the website. Now that I’m done with plugging myself, until we sail away tomorrow, stay safe, stay well-informed, and stay in one world or another. It’s too confusing to commute.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Jordan tells Cameron, put the gun down. More cops run in behind her, and she tells them, stand down. She says she’s going to lower her gun, and her eyes never leave Cameron’s as she does. She says, now it’s his turn. Put the gun down.
Elizabeth leaves a message for Cameron, saying she needs to know where he is; it’s important. Finn says he’s sure Cameron is fine.
In an alleyway, the fake janitor backs up, and Cyrus comes toward him, saying, it was two trained men against one unarmed woman. How did she get away? Janitor that isn’t says, he told Cyrus. He and the other guy had Britt, dead to rights, in her office. All of a sudden, Jason shows up, gets the jump on them, and Jason and Britt take off. Other guy went after them. Cyrus says, and…? and pretend janitor says, Jason had a car and driver waiting. Other guy ran right into an ambush. Cyrus asks why Jason isn’t dead, but un-janitor says he doesn’t know. He’ll find out. Cyrus says, you know what’s unfortunate? He puts his hand on not a janitor’s shoulder and says, that they didn’t shoot him too. He takes out a switchblade, and phony janitor becomes dead phony janitor.
Brick and Britt help Jason to a bed in a safe house, and Jason says he’s good. Britt says, no, he’s not. She’s the doctor, he’s the patient; she gets to say when he’s good. Brick says, she told you, and Britt tells Brick that she needs medical supplies. He opens the door, nearly running into Carly on her way in. She says, thank God. She wasn’t sure if they got away or not. He says, it was close, and there’s a complication. He steps aside, and she goes over to Jason, who’s bleeding like a stuck pig.
Jordan tells Cameron to look at her. That’s right. It’s over now. Lower his arm, and let her take his gun. She knows he’s nervous, but she needs him to nod his head so she knows he heard what she just said. He nods, and she says, that’s great. He’s doing a great job. Now lower the gun. Cameron slowly lowers it as she walks toward him, and she quickly takes it, saying, all clear. The cops move in, and one puts handcuffs on Cameron. He asks, what’s going on? and she says he’s under arrest. He says he didn’t do anything, and she says he has the right to remain silent. He repeats, he didn’t do anything, and she says, listen to what she’s telling him; it’s for his own protection. He looks like he might cry, and says again that he didn’t do anything, and she says louder, listen. He says, okay, and calms down somewhat. She reads him his rights, but she sounds like she’s way in the background of his comprehension. She asks if he understands what she just told him, and he says, yes.
Carly says, there’s so much blood, but Jason says, it’s not that bad. Britt says, it’s very bad. She needs that bag. Brick leaves to get it, and Carly asks, what happened? Britt says, what does she think happened? Other guy pulled a gun, and shot Jason. Carly says, what went wrong? Brick was in the car waiting for him. He got there, but then went back in. Why? Britt says, he went back to save her.
At the MetroCourt bar, Mac tells Dante, the PCPD is really in need of manpower right now. Valerie is testifying in a case that just keeps dragging on (yeah, it’s called The Haves and The Have Nots), and she wants to transfer to forensics. Chase is dealing with this mystery illness, and is laid up at GH. They could use him under any circumstance, but right now, it’s crucial. Dante says he’s flattered Mac is pulling out all the stops for him, but he’s been gone a long time, and after what happened to him, he doesn’t think he can be the cop that Mac thinks he is. Mac says he understands what Dante has been through, but according to what he’s heard from Robert and Anna, his treatment was successful. He’s fit to return to duty. Dante says he’s glad they still believe in him, and Mac says, but Dante has his doubts. Dante says after the last couple of years, of course (🍷) he does. Mac says they all have doubts in their abilities at some point in life. They’re a half-step slower than when they were younger; that’s just life. Dante gets Mac’s point, but says his situation is a little more complicated than that. Mac says Dante has always had great instincts, and understands the job; and he’s always done it with integrity. He really needs Dante back on the force. They hear Obrecht toasting to savoring the pleasures of the unexpected. They look over to see her with Scotty, and Mac wonders if they’re dating.
Obrecht tells Scotty, it seems their presence is causing something of a commotion, and Scotty says, who cares about them? He’s free, and has nothing to hide. She flashes back to the first time they were together, and says, what a change. Neither does she.
On the phone in the kitchen, Brando says he’ll meet Cyrus downstairs. He gets in the elevator, and Sasha is there. He says it’s a nice surprise. Where’s she headed? She says she was just there for a doctor’s visit, and he asks if she’s okay. She says she is, but she doesn’t want to talk about it. He says, okay. He thought that after the other night… He’s sorry. He didn’t mean to pry.
Willow thanks someone, and hangs up the phone. She tells Chase that there’s no more active shooter. That was scary. You’re supposed to feel safe in a hospital, right? Apparently, she’s never checked into GH, whose safety rating is F minus-minus. Chase tries to get out of bed, and Willow asks where he thinks he’s going. He says, it’s an emergency. He’s a cop. He needs to get back to work. She says, he will – she pushes him back down on the bed – when he’s better. He says he’s feeling tons better. He hates this. When is he going to get his life back?
Jason asks if he made it in time for the meeting of the Five Families thin crust pizza, and Carly says, there’s a few hours before the meeting. How long does Britt need to patch him up? Britt says, he needs more than a patch, and Jason says they can do it tomorrow. She says, is he crazy? This is more than a temporary fix. If she doesn’t close his wound, he’s going to bleed to death.
Brick brings a medical bag, and she says, good. She thought she was going to have to rely on a first aid kit. He says, successful operations need to be prepared. Jason tells Brick that he’s okay, and Carly says, he’s not okay, but he’s going to be. Jason passes out, and Britt tells Carly that she needs to stay calm. She asks Brick to assist her, and tells Carly to keep pressure on Jason’s wound. If he regains consciousness, do not let him get up. Carly tells Jason, he’s better off. Britt is going to have to operate, and she doesn’t think there’s anything in the bag to kill the pain. Didn’t Brick just say they were prepared? Not so successful after all. Carly guesses she wants him to stay passed out. He needs to make it. She doesn’t think she can go on without him. Britt puts surgical gloves on, and Carly says this is on Britt. She has to save Jason.
Mac says, the way he sees it, he and Dante both benefit. Dante gets a job, and he gets a top-notch detective that he can trust. He understands having to walk away from police work. When he and Felicia bought The Floating Rib, he thought he was walking away from law enforcement. For guys like them, police work is in their blood; it’s who they are. Dante says Mac makes a compelling argument, but he just… Mac says he’s not asking Dante to make a decision right now. Just think about it. Dante agrees, and Mac’s phone rings.
Jordan tells Mac, she’s at GH in the parking garage; there’s been a shooting. He says, any fatalities? and she says, only one so far. He says he’s ten minutes out, and she says he needs to prepare himself; it’s a sensitive situation. He says, in what way? and she says, the shooter is Cameron Webber. He says, copy that. He’s on his way. He tells Dante, there’s been a shooting at GH, one fatality. He knows Dante hasn’t decided on rejoining the force, but it’s a delicate situation. He could use the back-up. Dante says, whatever he needs, and they leave.
Sasha asks how Brando has been, and he says, good. At least he thought he was. Is this about the other night? Is she having regrets? She says, not at all. It was… memorable. She’s just really distracted by her appointment. Can they talk another time? He says, sure, and the elevator stops. She gets out, and starts walking, but Cyrus says, Ms. Gilmore, lovely as always. She says, Mr. Renault. She’d say it was a pleasure to see him, but she’s had to give up lying as part of her recovery. Cyrus says that was a terrible moment when she hit rock bottom. He so admires her for climbing her way back. Don’t forget that he’s always there to offer a helping hand, or anything else she might need. She says, no thanks, and walks away. Cyrus tells Brando, call Brown, and tell him there’s a mess to clean up in the alley on four. Then get in touch with the warehouse, and make sure we’re on schedule for tonight. He has a tragedy to attend to. He and Brando leave, and Sasha doubles back, getting into the elevator.
Brick cuts Jason’s shirt, exposing the wound, and Britt prepares the wound for surgery.
Jordan tells Cameron that she’s sure his mother will be there soon. Elizabeth runs in with Finn, and sees dead other guy. She says, oh my God, what’s going on? And why is her son in handcuffs? Cameron swears it was a big mistake. He didn’t do it. Jason did.
Jordan tells Elizabeth that she’s advised Cameron of his Miranda rights. Anything he says can be used against him, so it’s better for him if she explains. Elizabeth asks what there is to explain, and Jordan says, Jason escaped tonight, and took Britt as a hostage. They think he was being pursued be this individual. She indicates other guy, and says, he was dressed as a hospital janitor. They’re pulling security footage and will piece together a timeline of events. What they do know is, shots were fired. Cameron flashes back to telling Jason that he wanted to see the man Jake believes in, but he can’t. All he sees is the person who killed Franco. Elizabeth asks what Jordan is doing with her son, and Jordan says when she arrived on the scene, Cameron had a gun, pointing straight at her. There was gunpowder in the air, and shots had been fired; one man is dead. She has to arrest Cameron. Cameron swears he didn’t do it. All he did was pick up the gun. Finn says, stop. Don’t say another word.
Britt asks for medical stuff, and does medical stuff to Jason. Brick assists, while Carly holds Jason’s head.
Chase says Willow has a pretty good bedside manner. He’s going to have to watch his back after she becomes a nurse. Her patients are going to fall in love with her like he did. She says his weakened state has made him sappy, and he says, chalk it up to one more unexplained symptom. He has no idea what’s making him sick. Why? Finn is supposed to be a research genius, and can’t figure it out. The only thing that makes sense is being with her. Loving her is the only thing he’s sure of.
Britt stitches up the wound. Carly frets. Brick takes notes (just kidding).
Finn tells Jordan that Cameron is traumatized by whatever happened, and asks if the handcuffs are necessary. She says she’s afraid so. Shots were fired, and Cameron was discovered holding the gun. Finn tells her, Cameron said didn’t fire it, and she says, the security footage will back him up. She understands he’s been placed in a chaotic situation, and might have acted without realizing it. She tells the officer to take Cameron to a quiet spot. Another cop calls to her to check out some blood on the garage floor, and Jordan says she needs a tech. She puts on gloves, and tells the tech to take a sample. See if it’s a match for Jason Morgan. Elizabeth makes a call.
Carly says Jason doesn’t look good, and he feels clammy. Britt asks if Jason’s hands are cold, and Brick says, very cold. Britt says Jason is going into hypovolemic shock, and they’re running out of time. She tells Brick to cut the thread, and digs through the medical bag. Carly asks what she’s looking for, and Britt says blah-blah-blah some piece of medical equipment. Jason needs a transfusion. They need to get as much O-negative blood in him as possible. Carly tells the guard to get some blood at the hospital, but Britt says, unless it’s next door, it’s not soon enough. They need it right now. Carly says, then use her. Give Jason her blood.
Elizabeth says she got ahold of Scotty, and he’s on his way. Cameron says he didn’t do anything; he didn’t even fire the gun. Why does he need a lawyer? Finn says, the security footage will prove that, but in the meantime he needs a layer to protect his rights. Elizabeth asks Cameron to explain what happened. Why is he there? He says he wanted Jason to admit he killed Franco. He wanted Jason to say the actual words, but Jason wasn’t in his room. The guard was on the floor, and he didn’t know if the guard was dead or what. Jason did it; he killed Franco. That’s why he ran. Elizabeth looks at Finn.
Cameron says, after Jason ran, he followed Jason to the stairwell. He came down to the garage; people were shooting, and Jason was dragging Britt to the car. When the gunman was shot, he dropped his gun, and Cameron picked it up. Finn says, stop. He knows Cameron wants to get it all out, but he can’t say anything. Elizabeth tells him to wait for Scotty.
Britt tells Carly to keep clenching her fist, so the blood will flow faster. She might get dizzy. Carly says, thank God she and Jason are compatible, and Britt says, and that she knew. How many times have she and Jason bled for each other? Carly flashes back to Sonny’s funeral, and Jason telling her, she’s dressed, standing, and she’s ready. She’s going to get through this because there’s no other option. Carly looks at Britt.
Scotty arrives with Obrecht, and tells Cameron, listen. Zip it, and let him do the talking. Obrecht goes over to Jordan, and says, excuse the interruption, but Scotty said Britt was involved. What does that mean? Jordan says, Cameron saw Jason dragging her to the car, and thinks she was kidnapped. Obrecht flashes back to asking Britt why she’s in danger, and Britt saying, all she knows is that she’s doing a favor for Jason. Obrecht tells Britt that she needs to get as far away from Jason as possible. Trouble and violence follow him like he’s a magnet. Britt says, Jason isn’t the problem. It’s the people who are after himwho are dangerous, but Obrecht says, he’s like an Olympic bobsled run; hazardous under any conditions. But Britt won’t get a medal for surviving Jason.
Carly tells Britt, she and Jason have been through a lot. Does she think this is going to work? Britt says his pulse is stronger, but she can’t give him a full transfusion. Carly’s guard still has to come through. She says, he will. Sonny’s men are extremely loyal to Jason, because he’d do the same for them. Right, Brick? Brick says, ten times over. We watch as the blood flows through the tube into Jason.
Sasha asks if Chase would like company, and he says, sure. She tells him that she was at the hospital, and thought she’d check up on him while she was there. How’s he feeling? He says, not bad for a guy who can’t hold a glass of water. Sasha asks what he means, and Willow says, Chase has neuropathy which makes it hard for him to hold things. Sasha says she’s sorry; she didn’t realize. What caused it? Chase says, he wishes he knew, and Willow says, Finn and the doctors are working hard, but so far there’s been no diagnosis. Chase says, Finn found a partial treatment, and he’s better… kind of. Sasha says he must be frustrated, and Willow says, he’s been strong. Sasha says that doesn’t surprise her, and Chase says he had help. There’s no way he could have done it without Willow. She’s been an absolute rock. Her being there made all the difference.
Mac comes into the garage, and says he canvassed the 10th floor and the stairwells, but there’s no evidence of additional gunfire. Any word on the victim? Jordan says, he was working at the hospital with false credentials. Dante joins them and says Britt’s office is trashed. If she was taken against her will, she put up a hell of a fight. Cyrus arrives, and asks what they’re doing to find his Chief of Staff. Jason has escaped, a member of the staff is dead, and Britt is gone; it’s terrible PR for the hospital. Jordan says, he’s not upset; she’s not surprised. He tells her, he didn’t say that, and she didn’t answer his question. Britt’s safety is of paramount importance to him.
Jordan assures Cyrus that she’ll focus on Britt, and asks about the janitor with the false ID. He says he’s sure HR could give her a better explanation than he can. He sees Obrecht, and says he promises he’ll use his full resources to find her daughter. If she speaks to Britt before he does, please ease his mind and let him know. Obrecht says, he’ll be her first call. He leaves with Brando, and Obrecht says, but if Britt has been harmed, I’ll cut your heart out, schwein.
Finn apologizes for interrupting, but says he needs to check Chase’s vitals. Chase asks if Sasha and Willow would mind stepping out. He needs to talk to his bro… Finn. Willow says, of course (🍷), and Sasha tells Chase, hang in there. Finn says Willow has been spending a lot of time with Chase, and Chase says, she has. He’d like to spend the rest of his life with her, anywhere other than the hospital. Be honest. What is Finn doing to get him out?
Willow asks what Sasha is doing at the hospital, and Sasha says she had a doctor’s appointment, and wanted to pop in on Chase. When she walked in, she could see that he and Willow are really back together. It gave her hope that things can really work out. Willow asks if Sasha is doing okay, and Sasha says she’s fine, maybe a little introspective. She and Michael are over, and it’s for the best, but in spite of that, Willow and Chase are chase making it work. Seeing the spark in his eyes when he’s so sick is an inspiration. Willow says she’s helping any way she can, but it’s hard watching Chase struggle. Sasha says, Chase has always been physically active. She knows how scared he must be. Knowing Willow and Chase ended up together, where they belong, is a reminder that good things happen. They deserve to happy.
Scotty tells the officer guarding Cameron that the Commissioner gave him time to talk to his client in private. The officer leaves, and Scotty says, first, Cameron admitted to picking up the gun. Never admit to anything without his lawyer present. Don’t even comment on the weather. And don’t bring up Jason. Cameron says he made mess, huh?
Obrecht tells Jordan that yesterday, Britt pulled her aside, and said she was getting pressure from Cyrus that made her a target. She advised Britt to stay away, and stay safe. Jordan asks if Britt told her what it was about, and Obrecht says, no, but Britt and Jason are missing, and Cyrus is offering up his lousy fake tears. Whatever happened, he’s behind it. For once, she’s on Jordan’s side. Bring that schwein to justice. Jordan sees Dante, and asks if he rejoined the force, but he says, no ma’am. Mac says he asked Dante to ride along; a test run if he comes back. Jordan hopes he decides to stay. Obrecht just told her that Britt said she was being pressured by Cyrus. She’s convinced Cyrus is behind what happened. Mac says, maybe Britt isn’t a hostage. They’ll find out from GH security. One of the cops hands Jordan an envelope, and she tells him that she needs the footage. She takes a paper out of the envelope, and Mac asks what it is. She says, the blood on the garage floor matches what they have on file for Jason. Scotty tells Cameron, take a deep breath. He’ll be fine. Mac tells Jordan, Cameron denies firing the gun, but she says, he knows how it goes. Cameron was panicked and disoriented. He may have pulled the trigger without realizing it.
Scotty tells Cameron that he wasn’t much of a father to his kids, but Franco fixed that. It’s not Cameron’s fault. He was shortchanged in the father department until Franco came along. Cameron says he doesn’t understand, and Scotty says, Franco was a stand-up guy who helped Cameron, and that’s what he’s going to do; stand up and help Cameron. Cameron thanks him, and Scotty says, next time Cameron has the impulse to do something stupid that will ruin his life, call him first, not later. Got it? Elizabeth says, he’s got it, right? Cameron says, he’ll call Scotty first.
Carly asks how Jason is, and Britt says she thinks it’s working; he’s warming back up. Carly says, thank God, and Britt says she’s welcome. Carly tells Brick that she has to go home and change for a meeting. He says if she needs back-up, he’s available, but she says Jordan saw him at the hospital. She knows he’s involved. He says, so what? He’s not scared of a bunch of jurors, but she says, it’s a meeting. Everyone will be on their best behavior. Brick needs to handle the thing they discussed earlier, and then get out of town. He asks if she’s sure she still wants him to do it, and she says, hell yeah. They’ve got it coming.
Sasha says when she and Chase decided to push Michael and Willow together so they could get custody of Wiley, they knew it would be painful. They thought they were prepared, but she’s never seen anyone more heartbroken than Chase when he lost Willow. He’s a good guy, and all he wants is the best for Willow. Willow says it’s what she wants for Chase too. Sasha says, it mostly worked out. Willow and Michael are Wiley’s parents, and Chase will get better. He and Willow can finally build a life together. Willow smiles.
Finn says he knows Chase is climbing the walls, and knows how frustrating it can be, but look on the bright side. Chase says, other than Willow, there is no bright side, but Finn says he found a treatment. Chase says he’s grateful for all he can get. He has less pain, but he’s not well. It’s a treatment, not a cure. Finn says, yet, and Chase asks what Finn means. Is he going to be living at GH indefinitely? Finn says he’s doing everything in his power to make Chase better, and won’t stop until he does.
Mac says, Jason was wounded, but they have no idea how badly he’s hurt. It’s not clear if Britt was a hostage or a wiling accomplice. He’s sure Cyrus and his men will be out there looking for Jason, trying to find him before they do. Dante says, if Cyrus finds Jason before they do, Cyrus will kill him, and Mac’s questions remain unanswered. No one knows more about Sonny’s organization, or where Jason may be hiding out, than Dante. Is he up for the job? Dante says he’s not willing to commit past this job, but yes, and Mac says, all he asks is that Dante bring Jason back alive.
Jordan says, they’ve confirmed the blood at the crime scene is Jason’s, and tells Elizabeth, Cameron was discovered with a gun in his hand. She has to take him in for processing. Elizabeth says, he never fired that gun, and Jordan says, they’ll see what the evidence shows, in the meantime, Elizabeth and Scotty can meet them at the station. Elizabeth tells Cameron, it will be okay, but he looks pretty scared.
Britt reaches for something, and her hand shakes. Jason stirs, and she says his name. She asks if he can hear her, and he removes the oxygen mask. He asks, where’s Carly?
At the meeting of the Five Families olive oil, one of the members says, time for the meeting to start, and Cyrus walks in. He says, here he is, on time, and assures them he always will be. He addresses Miss Wu, Mr. Novak, and Mr. Bashima. He appreciates them extending an invitation to his first meeting of the family heads. (Otherwise known as the Five Families ravioli with meat sauce.) He says, shall we begin? The door opens, and we see a pair of righteous high heels walk through. Carly says, not so fast, and removes her white coat, revealing a sophisticated white dress. She says, now we can begin.
Frankly, I always thought Carly would be better at running the organization. God knows, she’s more ruthless than Sonny.
Tomorrow, Britt asks if Jason thinks he said too much, Josslyn asks if there are any details, and Carly tells Cyrus she’s calling the shots now and he doesn’t want to make himself a target.
🗽 On the season premiere of The Real Housewives of New York City, we saw New York City as it was on March 1, 2020, compared to October 1. Protocols were in place by the time they’d started filming. Leah was in a new apartment. I thought of my first apartment, which was in Manhattan. It could probably fit in Leah’s kitchen. And don’t get me started on the smallest closet in the world, which was also triangular, or the antique refrigerator. Leah also got a new fur baby, and Chihuahua named Angel, who was extremely cute. Leah was in the process of converting to Judaism. During a video chat with her father, asking forgiveness as she went into the Jewish New Year. Her father asked if Angel wasn’t Mexican, and she said, yes, and he told her, then the dog is Catholic. I literally lol’d. Ramona and LuAnn were buddy-buddy, and bitched about Sonja being MIA. In Ramona’s interview, she said, when Sonja is feeling vulnerable, she hides, and claimed to know all about Sonja’s psychological makeup.
LuAnn also had a new apartment in the city, and acted all surprised that her view included Tom’s terrace. Leah summed it up best later on Watch What Happens Live, when she said, it’s your ex-husband you know where he lives. Leah met with new Wife Eboni for a walk in the park, and in Leah’s interview, she explained she met Eboni after she’d moved to her new neighborhood. She said Eboni was the epitome of Black Girl Magic; she’s a lawyer and a broadcaster, and has a podcast going on. Eboni asked if Leah had anything going on with her love life, and Leah said she and Pita Chip Guy didn’t work out, but they’d always be friends. In her interview, Leah said she’d sent a nakey photo to Pita Chip Guy, who in turn sent it to a friend, and (mistakenly, we assume) to her.
Sonja didn’t seem very vulnerable as she conferred with assistant #2003, and lounged around in a caftan from her clothing line, a prisoner of her townhouse until it got sold. She invited the girls over for lunch on her gorgeous patio, complete with a fountain and goldfish pond. In Sonja’s interview, she told us, Sonja is on Sonja time, and never ready for the guests, but everything else is always ready for the guests. She felt like she’d had the rug pulled out from under her, since she’d just gotten her big Century 21 deal just before covid hit. LuAnn asked Leah to be her wingman, since she didn’t want to drink, and Leah was in not-drinking mode. When everyone asked where Sonja had been for the last several months, she said she’d been in the desert, but it wasn’t clear if she meant the Sahara, the Mohave, or she was mispronouncing dessert and had been busy eating her feelings. LuAnn invited everyone to her house in the Hamptons, and we saw a flash forward. Looks like there will be a lot of arguing.
Unlike RHONJ and RHOBH, I still enjoy the RHONY. They have their share of brawls, but they seem more genuine, and don’t create drama for drama’s sake. I don’t even think LuAnn and Ramona play to the cameras. I think they’d be divas if the cameras were rolling or not.
This season, a beauty pageant, Leah gives a lap dance, ice skating, burlesque, and is that Tiffany Pollard? Heather Thomas, arguments, Garth, Sonja dressed like a pilgrim, a trip to Salem, and a séance. Leah calls Heather a Karen, sketching a nakey guy, Leah calls everyone a ho (which caused me to go, here a ho, there a ho, everywhere a ho, ho, in my head), and Ramona wonders what happened to class?
🐎 I did catch one cool thing on The Real Housewives of Dallas. They had a murder mystery party at Southfork Ranch. The rooms were designed after various characters from the original Dallas TV series, and the women were able to stay there. I love a themed hotel. To negate the fun, Kary and Brandi managed to get drunk and destroyed the plexiglass in front of a JR display. The owner was very cool about it though. Not so much D’Andra, who Kary decided to throw in the pool, destroying three grand of accessories.
You know it’s a rough week when it’s only Tuesday and you feel like you’ve put in a full one. Whether your week is going rough, smooth, or in-between, stay safe, stay unprejudiced, and stay not wrecking JR’s room when you’re drunk. He’s already had to deal with being shot.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
We see people working in an underground greenhouse, and a voiceover says, death, destruction, decay. What’s happening to the world isn’t new. The world has been breaking down since its inception until now. Everything is winding down, including us. Death is inevitable, but from death comes new life. The decaying body feeds the soil, which in turn feeds the plants, which feed us and the creatures who sustain us. That’s the way it’s always been, and the way it will always be. People see death everywhere, but if they looked hard enough, and with open eyes, they’d see life. It’s not their fault; they don’t know how. They’re seeing the way they always have. We know the truth and they don’t; we can see, they can’t. It’s incumbent upon them to help others to be unafraid of what’s to come. Do you know truth? Can you see? Can you help them be unafraid?
A woman stares at a part zombie, part tree. Riley tells her, hurry up. They have new arrivals coming. They’re going to be hungry. She says she was trying to see like Teddy, but it hasn’t happened yet. The zombie tree reaches out.
Riley asks where the new recruits are. Teddy says they’re in bad shape. The elevator doors open, and Alicia, Al, Wes, and Luci are there. Riley tells them, it’s okay. He knows they’ve been through a lot not. No one’s going to hurt them. Welcome to The Holding. He thinks they’ll like it here. They come out of elevator into what looks like a community room. Wes asks if Al is sure this is the place Virginia was talking about, and she says, yeah. Wes sees a tree painted on the wall, with the end is the beginning written above it.
A mic and recorder are set up. Alicia asks why Riley is recording, and he says, for Teddy. She asks who Teddy, and Riley says he’s the reason they’re all there. She asks if he’s there now, and Riley says, his presence is always with them. She says, he’s dead? but Riley says, no. He’s very much alive. When you cannot see, he guides you, and when you can’t walk, he’ll carry you. They’re lucky to have found them when they did. She says she’d like her weapon back, but he says, no outsiders are allowed to carry. He learned that lesson the hard way. He asks what they were doing on the road, and she says, scavenging.
He asks where they came from. Wes has replaced Alicia, and says, a place where they’re never going back. Riley asks, why? Teddy is interested in the path that led them there. Over the loudspeaker – which is always going – we hear, we found you, and helped you to see the truth. People look around up there, and see death everywhere. They gaze not on what’s really there. If they truly looked with open eyes, they would see life.
Wes asks, how many people live there? Al asks, are they allowed to leave? Luci says, she’s lived in a place like this before, but Riley says he doubts it. She asks how he can be sure, but he says, there is no place like this. There has never been a place like this.
Zombies are being ground up in a machine, and Al asks how long it takes to break them down. Riley says, a couple of months. They take the bones out for chicken meal. She asks if it’s safe, and he says, this is how all living creatures have decomposed from the beginning of time. Al says, food, water, power, impressive. It also feels like they’re preparing for something. He says they found the group at the right time. He thought he’d let Teddy tell them when he returned, and they can figure out if they want to stay. She says, there’s no reason they shouldn’t know now, and he says Teddy will be closing the doors soon for good. Alicia asks, why? and he says, so they never need to go topside again. That’s the old way. This is a new day. This is where life is beginning again. Ali asks how many people have been allowed to leave, and he says he’s more interested in what she has to say. One question in particular he likes to ask. She says, what is it? Can you see?
They stand in front of the zombie tree, and Riley says, it’s the simplest one there is. What does she see when she looks at it? She says, he’s see joking right? He says, no. Take a good look. Exactly what does she see? She says, a walker who should be in the ground, and he says, anything else?It’s okay. Nobody gets hung on their first try. He asks, what’s troubling her? Be honest; Teddy will know if she’s not. She asks, why would he have something to say about how she feels? and he says, Teddy can look in your eyes and see the truth in a way no one else can, not even her. Her answer will go a long way gaining Teddy’s favor.
Luci asks, what kind of trick is this? and Riley says he’s trying to gage how much she has left to learn. She says, it feels like a trick, and he says, she’s a skeptic. She keeps answering his questions with questions. He likes skeptics. When they’re won over, they’re true believers. As everyone there is.
Al asks what she’s looking for, and Riley says, there is no right or wrong answer.
Wes says he sees an eater, and Riley says, look closer. Wes asks, who painted the trees? and Riley wonders why he’s asking. Wes says he used to be a painter, and Riley asks what he painted. Wes says, all kinds of things. He started copying his brother. Riley says Wes has a brother? and Wes says, had. Alicia says, his name was Nick. Luci says, Pablo. Al says, her brother was her best friend. Wes says, he wanted be just like his brother. Why does Riley ask? Riley says, it’s about family. Teddy says, their survival is dependent on it. Each generation gives way to the next. Riley says, it looks like Alicia is being reminded of something, and she says, her mom grew crops in the place where they used to be. He asks, what happened to her? and Alicia says, she gave her life so they could live. Riley says, her end was your beginning.
The group reconvenes, and Al asks if they found out anything. Alicia says they have to gain The Holding’s trust, and Luci says, and Teddy’s. Has anyone seen him? None of them have, and Alicia says, in the meantime, they’ll find out what they can, why Virginia was scared sh*tless, and get the hell out. Luci says, it could be a long time before the people there get out. Riley joins them, and says, the others have returned. It’s time for them to meet Teddy. They wait by the elevator, and when it opens, Wes’s brother Derek comes out, and asks if they missed lunch. He’s starving. Riley asks where Teddy is, and Derek says, he’ll be back later. Wes walks forward, and says, Derek? Derek says, he’s alive? and hugs Wes. Wes says, Derek is alive, and Derek says, so is he, and they hug again. Alicia says, they found their way out.
Derek and Wes sit at a table, and Wes says, he doesn’t know how long it’s been since he was thinking Derek had been torn to pieces. Couldn’t he drink black coffee? Derek says, is Wes seriously mad because he went looking for creamer? Wes says he doesn’t know, and Derek says he’s sorry; he really is. He found some condensed milk, a whole crate of it, but when he went outside, he got cornered. He ran into a shed, and the eaters were clawing at it. He passed out, and thought that was it, but when he woke up, he was there. They saved him, just like they saved Wes. Wes asks if Derek thought to look for him, and Derek says he did, but Wes was gone… and so was his bike. Wes says he couldn’t stick around, and Derek asks, what happened? but Wes says Derek doesn’t want know. Derek says, it seems like Wes is running with good people. Wes says, things were a little bumpy at first, but they’re headed in the right direction. He says it looks like Derek is still painting, and Derek says he’s just trying to help people see what he does. Wes asks, what’s that? and Derek says, he saw people painting things on trees like, if you’re reading this, you’re still here. That wasn’t going to change anything. They meant well, but it didn’t mean anything. Teddy helped him see that, and now what he’s doing there means something. Wes asks, what exactly is Derek doing, but Derek says he’s not sure Wes is ready for that. Wes asks when he’ll be ready, and Derek says, when Wes sees like he does. He has to do a shift in the garden; he’ll catch Wes at dinner. Derek leaves, and Wes looks at the tree painting. Luci joins him, and says, be careful. Wes says no one is going to hurt him, and she says, what about Tanktown?What they did to everyone. He says, Derek doesn’t know about that, and Alicia says, did Wes ask him? Wes says, there’s no way Derek would do something like that, but Luci says, when people are desperate, they start believing things, and doing things they never thought they would. She did. He shakes his head, and says, Derek is different.
Gary walks to his shift, with the ever-present loudspeaker going. Al asks what Wes’s brother said, but Wes says, not much. He said he wouldn’t tell him anything until he can see, like Derek does. She says he’s probably waiting to see if they can be trusted, and Wes says, maybe they’re not the threat Virginia thought they were. Maybe it wasn’t about them. Maybe it’s about Virginia. Maybe they were trying to take her out, or maybe she was trying to make us paranoid. Al says, what happened at the tower; they set that up. Wes says, there’s only one way to find out. He’ll ask. Derek sits down, and asks how they’re settling in. It takes some getting used to, not knowing if it’s day or night, but the food makes up for it. He tells Alicia that Wes said she pulled him through a rough patch after he left, and she says Wes helped her out too. A guy comes by, and says something to Derek, and Wes asks, what is it? Derek says, nothing. He has to go topside for a bit. He suggests they try the rhubarb pie. He leaves, and Luci says, what the hell was that? Al asks if Wes knows where Derek’s bunk is, and he says he does. She says, let’s get to work then.
Al asks if Wes found anything, but he hasn’t. They continue to look through Derek’s stuff, and she asks if Wes hears that. We hear a rushing, gurgling sounds, but Wes encourages Al to keep going. Al says, there’s got to be something, and Wes picks up a can of condensed milk. The lid comes off, and he sees papers inside. He pulls out some things with the three circles on them, and calls Al over. Al asks how the hell Derek got this, and Wes asks, what are they? she says, stuff he shouldn’t have. She opens a floorplan, and says, this about more than Ginny. His brother and everyone there are trying to do as much damage as they can. He says she doesn’t know that, and she says, what about Tanktown? He says, that doesn’t mean anything, but she says, this does, showing him a log. Logs of when Virginia was sending people to Tanktown, and they were keeping track. Of other places too. She’s not saying Derek knew Wes was there, but he knew what they were doing. She’s sorry. He says Derek thinks these people helped him to see more clearly, but they’re not. Maybe it’s time for him to see things another way. Al asks how they’re going to do that, and Wes says, they’ll have to get Derek out of there.
Wes watches as Derek paints. Wes says, Derek did it. Those places he set up for attacks. Derek puts his brush down, and asks how Wes knows that. Wes says, the maps. Why did he do it? Derek says, Wes won’t understand; he’s not ready, and Wes says, why not? Derek says he told Wes; he can’t see. It’s okay; Derek couldn’t either. Not until he met Teddy. Wes says Teddy convinced Derek that killing is the right thing? and Derek says, they have to start over. They can’t until everyone and everything is gone up there. Wes asks if that includes him, and Derek asks what Wes is talking about. Wes says he was at the oil fields. He shows Derek his scars, and says he ate shrapnel. He never felt so much pain. He almost died, and lost friends, people he cared about. Derek says he didn’t know. He would have gotten Wes out. Wes says, but Derek would have killed the rest of them. Derek says, it’s what Teddy wants, but Wes says he doesn’t give a damn. People died. Wes killed people. What does he think about that? Good, innocent people; he killed them. Wes knows this ain’t him. Come with them. Derek says, those places up there are about how they used to live. This is how he wants to live now. Wes says where he lives isn’t about the past. It’s about how and where things are going to be. They won’t make Derek do anything he doesn’t want to, like this Teddy. Derek says Wes is thinking like Morgan, and asks, what about Virginia? Wes says, she’s dead. Morgan helped bring her down. Derek asks where Morgan is, and Wes says, come with them. Derek asks, where? and Wes asks, what does it matter? These people aren’t helping Derek see; they’re blinding him. He’s so lost, Wes knows Derek probably won’t come. To do what he did. The things… Wes is his brother; Derek just has to trust him. Derek looks around, and says, if they catch him trying leave, they’ll kill him. They’ll kill all of them. Wes says, then let’s not get caught.
Derek joins the group, and they go down in the elevator. Al says, when they get out, they’ll travel off the main roads. Alicia says, they’ll need weapons and food, and Al says, there was an emergency drop outside the city. Alicia asks what’s in Derek’s bag? and he says, maps, coordinates, places they were planning to hit next. She says, he’s bringing them? and he says, so nobody else gets hurt. She pops him in the nose, and grabs his gun, aiming it at him. She says, after what happened, they’re not taking any chances. Wes says he’s not leaving his brother. Just because Virginia screwed them over, doesn’t mean Derek will do the same thing. Alicia says, they can come back for him, but right now they have everything they need to take them down. They know the places that are going to be hit. Let’s go. Riley steps out with a bunch of his men, and says, they’re not going anywhere.
The group is pulled into a room with a lot of equipment, and Wes asks where his brother is. What are they doing to him? Alicia asks where the hell this is, and Al says, it’s embalming equipment. It’s a funeral home. Riley says, they won’t decay, and they can’t return to the earth, but it doesn’t have to be like this. Where’s Morgan Jones? Alicia asks how Riley knows Morgan, and he asks, where’s the place Morgan set up? He knows it’s not out of Virginia’s settlements. Who’s first? He nods at Wes, and a guy turns on a machine. Wes struggles with one of the men, and Riley says, his brother thought he’d be more cooperative. Derek comes in and says, answer him or he’ll kill you, and Wes says, Derek planned this. Derek says, only when Wes said they were with Morgan. They’ve been playing them. Wes says, they’re trying to help get Derek out, but Derek says he doesn’t want to leave. What he’s doing there means something. Wes says he’s trying to understand, and Derek says, this is where he needs to be. He saw the truth, and believes Wes can too. Let’s go find out. Wes leaves with Derek.
Back at the zombie tree, Derek asks Wes to tell him what he sees. Wes says he needs to ask one question first. They had people in the oil fields reporting back; it’s the only way they could have pulled it off. Did Derek know he was there? Derek says, people are people. Now tell him what he sees. Wes says he sees someone just like him. Someone walking, even though he’s dead inside. Derek says that’s exactly how he felt, but Wes says, he wasn’t talking about himself. Wes tries to grab Derek’s gun, and they struggle. Wes is almost shot, but gets the better of Derek, shoving him into the zombie tree, who (which?) bits him. I say, well, this isn’t good, and Wes says, I love you, man. He lowers Derek to the floor, cocks the gun, and says again that he loves Derek. We hear a shot.
Riley hears the shot, and says, what the hell? Do it. His men grab everyone, but Wes comes in behind Riley and grabs him, holding the gun against him. Wes says, let them go, and Alicia realizes Derek isn’t there. She tells Wes that she’s sorry, and he says, him too. He tells the men, back away, and keeps Riley in front of him as a shield. He says, he’s the one who thought people were capable of more than saving their own skin. They go through a door, Wes last, leaving Riley behind, and they shut the door behind them. Al says, they have a couple of minutes, tops. They shine flashlights around, and see they’re in a room of zombies hanging from the ceiling. Al says, they’re all involved… Their jaws are wired shut. Riley and his men bang on the door, and the group walks through the zombies. Riley says, break it down, and Luci calls to Al. Al tells her, go ahead. One of the zombies is wearing a uniform like Isabelle’s, and is wearing a headcover. Al pulls it off, but it’s not Isabelle. It breaks the wires in its jaw, and Al slices open its throat. Instead of blood, green embalming fluid pours out.
The door opens a crack, and Luci says, now. Alicia says they’ve got to take this place down, and Al says, embalming fluid is flammable. She starts to slice the zombies’ throats open, but Alicia says, go; she’s got this, She takes over, and Wes says, let him, but she says he has to get the maps to Morgan. He told her people can do more, and they can. He says, they can’t leave her, but she says, they can; she’ll be right behind him. He runs, and she stabs the rest of the zombies as she moves through them. The door is almost off, and she lights a match. As the door opens completely, she drops it. Nice.
Morgan says he thought Alicia would be fine. Al says, she might have, and Morgan asks about the rest of them. Al says, some got away. He asks, how many? but she says, all they could see was fire. Morgan says, they were planning something, and Luci says, something big. Big enough keep them there for a long time. Al says they knew who Morgan was, and were trying to find him. Morgan asks if they have any idea why, but Al says, no. A woman says, whatever they were doing, it’s not going to happen. They’ve got to stop them. Morgan says, they’ll do what they can for Alicia, and Dwight asks if there’s any gas left. The woman says, no, but the horses are fed and watered. Dakota says she wants to help, but Morgan says, no. She says she wouldn’t be there but for Alicia. She’s the reason they went there, and she wants to do it for Alicia, for all of them. Morgan says he appreciates what she’s done, but they’re not there yet. They’ll start with the parking garage, and track what they left, He and Luci leave, but Al stays behind.
Dwight says he appreciates what Al has done, and asks if she’s all right. She says, the places that they’re targeting, the maps have drop safes all over them. If they had a chopper, they could take out a lot of people. He says, and her lady? Al says she has to find her and warn her. She’d thought she lost her. Dwight says he gets it, but if Al doesn’t check in, in a couple of days he’s going to come looking for her.
Alicia looks through stuff in the embalming room, when Riley comes in with another guy. She asks, what the hell was this? Why is keeping her there? Riley says, bodies feed the soil; the soil in turn, feeds the plants. Death brings new life. For most, but not for her. They’re going preserve her as she is. She tells the guy, don’t come any closer, and Riley says, get her ready. He has the feeling Teddy will want to do this himself. He leaves, and the guy turns on the machine. He says, it will go faster if she cooperates, and gestures to the table. He comes toward her, and she stabs him in the eye with a knife. She tries to get out, but he grabs her, and they roll over the table. He grabs a knife, and tries to stab her, but misses, stabbing the ground. He pins her down, but she sticks her thumb in the eye she stabbed, and grabs the embalming fluid needle, and stabs him in the neck. I laaagh. She scoots away.
Someone walks in with Riley, but Alicia’s vision is blurry. We assume it’s Teddy. He stabs the newly dead guy in the head, and wipes the blade off on the guys shirt. Yep it’s John Glover Teddy. He tells Riley to give them a moment, and Riley leaves. Alicia says, so he’s the king of crazy, and he says, she’s Alicia. She asks how he knows her name, and he says he’s been listening to her voice. Riley made a recording of her when she first arrived. He moves closer, and she tells him, back off, but he says, if he meant her harm, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. She gave herself up so her friends could escape. They left her. She says she made them, and he says, they obliged. Some family. Family should be sacred. It is the beginning of every one of them. Did she sacrifice herself because she’s noble, or is she punishing herself, or following in her mother’s footsteps. Alicia shakes her head, and says she doesn’t care what he thinks or says. Whatever it is, get to it. He says, it’s okay; he’s a bit of mama’s boy himself. There’s a lot they can learn from each other. She says she’s not buying any of this sh*t he’s selling. What’s next? Does he want to kill her? That’s not going to happen. He says, she and the folks she came here with destroyed years of work, years of sacrifice, literally and figuratively. They destroyed it. Someone else in his position might find that unforgivable. He laughs, and says, if one lives by the sword… She knows how it goes. From every end springs a new beginning. She asks what he wants, and he says, to save her. Now it’s her turn to laugh, and she says she doesn’t need saving. He says he knows she doesn’t believe in this, or in them… yet, but she will. He’s been looking for someone like her for a long time. He holds out his hand and smiles.
Next time, Riley finds Morgan, Riley tells Morgan that he has something they want, lots of zombies, and a fire.
⚰️ When Soaps and Dead Collide…
He’s doubly lucky, having played Lucky on General Hospital, and now he’s lucky to be in the final season of TWD.
Moving on to another Monday. Whatever that means anymore. Hopefully, your vaccination is behind you, or will be soon. Either way, stay safe, stay moving forward, and stay not living by the sword. You know how it goes.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Fear the Walking Dead
Daniel says, beachball… elephant… grape. Should he go on? We see him sitting in a cell, and he says, they asked how he felt when the day began. He felt hopeful.
Daniel is playing a Traveling Wilburys record, and everyone is happy and building stuff. You know that won’t last long. Daniel serves soup, and Morgan says, nice lunch. Daniel asks if this is the way Morgan imagined it, and Morgan says, it’s getting there. He guesses he has Daniel to thank for it. Confined Daniel says, if he hadn’t kept everyone in the dark, he wouldn’t have been there. Now they’re all together. Grace walks up, and Daniel says his wife ate this soup all the time she was pregnant with Ofelia, but she says she doesn’t have much of an appetite today. Morgan asks if she’s all right, and she says she’ll be fine. They walk off together, and confined Daniel says he was glad to see everyone together. It felt as if everything he’d done was beginning to pay off.
Charlie says, they’re here, and Daniel says, go tell Morgan. She rides off, and Daniel looks through binoculars, seeing the tank coming. He goes out to meet them. Bald guy whose name I don’t know, and Shari get out of the tank, while Sarah rides up on a horse. Bald guy says, it’s been a while, and Sarah asks if there’s any chance of them sharing fuel. If they do, Wen can join her on the runs. Shari says, if they share with her, they’ll have to share with everybody, and they’re running on fumes as it is. Victor rides up, and says, greetings. Sarah asks how everyone has been, and Victor dumps out some empty spray cans. He says their foes from Tanktown persist. He thinks the meeting is long overdue. Morgan joins them, and Sarah says she’s looking forward to see what Morgan has done. Morgan says, it’s come a long way, and says it’s nice to see Victor. Victor says, it’s nice to see Morgan too. It’s good to know they can lend a hand in these troubled times. Morgan says, there’s a threat to their existence. Something Virginia didn’t think she could handle, and he thought they shouldn’t face down on their own. That’s why he called them. Can they work together and pool their resources, put their differences aside? Can they face the thing that threatens all of them? He only has one rule – the same one he made when they gathered there the last time. Anybody breaking it – anybody – will not be welcome here again. He tells them, come on in. We’ve got work to do. Confined Daniel says, they can see why he was hopeful. Then, everything changed.
Daniel feels Grace’s belly, and says, he is strong. Grace asks if he’s sure they’re not contractions, and confined Daniel says, the last time he felt something like that was when his wife was pregnant with Ofelia. That was the moment he decided they should move to L.A., and decided to change everything. He wanted to give his daughter the life he thought she deserved. He supposes he wanted this place to be the same, for Grace’s baby; for everyone. That’s why they didn’t take chances. Everyone checked their weapons at the door, for all of their safety. The weapons were logged and locked away. Only he and Morgan had the keys.
Victor puts his gun on the table, and Daniel says, and the knife? Victor laughs, and takes off his jacket, unbuckling the sheath, and putting it on the table. Daniel says, anything else? Victor puts a pet carrier on the table, and Daniel says, Skidmark! I laugh, and Daniel asks where Victor found him. Victor says Virginia had him at a station to hunt rats, but all he does is sit around licking his unmentionables. Daniel says the cat hasn’t changed a bit, and thanks Victor for the peace offering. He says, Victor understands why Daniel couldn’t let him in on it, and Victor says, they’ve both played games. The better man won. Kudos. It appears Daniel’s gambit paid off. Confined Daniel asks, why did hearing that mean so much to him? There’s a good reason, but they’re not there yet. They need to understand like he did.
Victor asks where Alicia is, and Morgan says, on a supply run. Victor asks if Alicia knew he was coming, but Charlie runs up, and says they need Morgan. It’s Grace. He leaves, and Daniel locks up the weapons.
Sarah is with Grace, and says, June will take a day to get there. It’s either Braxton Hicks or contractions. Grace asks how they know, and she says, they wait until the baby gets there. Morgan asks how they know the baby is okay, and Sarah tells him that they need a fetal monitor. He says he knows where he can find one. He had one in the place he had set up before this place. Daniel says he’ll get it, but Morgan says, it’s off the beaten path, and not easy to find. Morgan takes Grace’s hand, and says he’ll be there and back in a few hours.
Confined Daniel says, Morgan gave the keys to the rabbi just in case. He asked Daniel to keep the peace until he returned. Get the conversation started. Everyone sits at a big table, and Sarah asks what Dakota is doing there. Daniel says, they’re going to share information, and Morgan says, no one was closer to Virginia than Dakota. Victor says, they’ll have to take whatever she says with a gargantuan grain of salt, and Sarah says Victor was no better, lining them up to be shot. He says, if she recalls, he turned the guns the other way at the first opportune moment, but she says, only when he saw which way the wind was blowing. Daniel tells them, they’re not here to rehash the past; they’re here to protect the future together. Daniel asks Dakota if Virginia ever said anything about these people, and Dakota tells him, the last thing Virginia said about them was that they were laying low. The other stuff was just about the messages. Dwight says, the last time they listened to Dakota, someone ended up dead, but Luci says, one of those people could have become one of them, without them realizing. Charlie says, or one of them could have been turned into one of those people, and everyone starts talking at once, and arguing. Confined Daniel says, he didn’t want to believe one of them was a traitor, but he’d lied to everyone about losing his memory. They’d all lied at some point. Now when they needed each other most, they couldn’t trust each other. Something blows up outside, and everyone ducks. They go out to look.
One of the buildings in progress is gone, and Daniel explains they were using the dynamite to clear the field. A rock must have fallen, causing the explosion; it was an accident. Luci looks at Dakota, who asks why Luci is looking at her. She was sitting at the table with them. Shari says, they’re not the only ones there. She thinks the attack was from the inside, and Daniel suggests they take a break. Confined Daniel says, he wanted to believe it was an accident, but didn’t have time to make up his mind.
Zombies tumble down the hill and head toward the town. Dwight says, the explosion must have drawn them, and Shari says she wants her gun back. Daniel says, not unless it’s absolutely necessary, and Victor says he thinks this qualifies. Daniel says their weapons will only kill a fraction of the dead. Morgan is coming back with the truck and its guns. They’ll wait it out; the walls will hold. Confined Daniel says, he did think the walls would hold, but when it comes to the dead, they had to be prepared in case of a breach. He unlocks the gun shed, and Charlie asks what he’s doing. He says, what he has to do to be prepared, in case the gate doesn’t hold. They go inside, and confined Daniel says, when he saw the guns missing, he knew the explosion was no accident. Someone wanted to trap them inside, draw the dead, and leave them defenseless. The only question was, who?
Zombies keep coming, and Grace wonders what she does now. Daniel asks if she feels well enough to travel, and she laughs, and says, no, but he says she’s not safe there. He’s going to fix that, but until he does, she’s better off somewhere else. There’s a fishing shack nearby. He’s marked it on the map. He’s put the map in a bag, along with food, water, and a first aid kit. He wouldn’t ask her to go if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. She says, okay, and confined Daniel says, the reason Morgan found this place was for Grace’s child. Now it’s not safe for him. He needed to find those weapons. Charlie goes through backpacks in one of the tents, and bald guy looks in. He asks if there’s something he can help her with, and she says, no. Sorry, she… Daniel calls to her, and asks if she found the hammer he asked her to look for. She says, not yet, and tells bald guy that she didn’t realize it was his tent. She thought it was Mike’s. He tells her, anyone touches his sh*t again, they’re going to have a problem. Confined Daniel says, he lost Ofelia. He wasn’t going to lose Charlie too. He sent her away to meet Grace, where she’d be safe. So he could do what he needed to do to find out who stole the weapons.
Zombies clamor at the gate, and a few toddle into the town. Luci says they have a breach, and she and Sarah fight the zombie with metal buckets and chairs, whatever they can grab. One gets Dwight down, and he fends it off by putting a handsaw in its mouth, but another is getting close. We hear shots, and the zombies are dead. Daniel says, it was Victor, and Victor asks what Daniel means. Dwight wonders how the zombies got in, and Daniel says he let them in. Dwight asks, why? and Daniel says he needed to figure out who stole the weapons. Now he knows. He locks Victor in a cell, and asks where the weapons are, but Victor says he didn’t take them. Daniel says Victor is always lying. He doesn’t think Victor can tell the difference anymore. Victor says, this, coming from a man who hid what he’s been doing for months, but Daniel says he did it to free them from Virginia. Victor is doing it to tear them apart. What was Victor offered to betray them? Lawton? The opportunity to be a big shot? Victor says, he wasn’t offered anything. He’s there for the same reason Daniel is, but if he hadn’t kept his weapon, someone would be dead. Daniel says, Victor continues to give him every reason to hurt him.
Confined Daniel says, it’s not what he wanted. Morgan was right, if they do things in there the same way as they did them out there, nothing’s gonna change. Nothing will be different from before. Victor asks if Daniel is hearing him, and Daniel says, before more dead get inside, they need the weapons. He leaves, and Victor calls to him.
The zombies push down the door, which didn’t look all that sturdy to begin with.
The zombies get to the inside gate, and Daniel says, it’s not built to hold that much weight. Victor was with them during the explosion, so he couldn’t have done it on his own. Whichever one of them is working with him, he’s giving them a warning. A betrayal of those closest to them will come with a cost. It will come back to haunt them, and there will be consequences. Where are the weapons? He tells Dwight, they’ll search the tents, and Shari wonders where Grace and Charlie are. Daniel says, they’re not a part of this, but Sarah says Shari has a point; Charlie was on the other team. Luci says, that was a long time ago, and bald guy says he caught Charlie going through his sh*t earlier. Daniel repeats, Charlie is not part of this. They’ll have to take his word. Shari says, maybe the whole thing is a scam, and Morgan wants to keep them there. Dwight says she doesn’t believe that, but Shari says they don’t know, and need to look out for themselves. Sarah says, if they work together, they stand a chance of reinforcing the gate, but Dwight doesn’t think it will hold. Luci is right; they need the need weapons. They try to shore up the gate, and Daniel takes out the one gun he has. Sarah says, that won’t be enough, but Daniel says, yes it will.
Confined Daniel says, Morgan left his ax at the gate. Daniel thought he could be the man he once was outside too, but it wasn’t an option. He tells Victor, no more games. Where are the weapons? Victor doesn’t say anything, and Daniel says he doesn’t need to remind Victor that you can survive a shot to the face. What Victor doesn’t know is what it does to you later. He takes a plate out of his mouth, and shows Victor. He says he winces every time he takes a sip of water. You have to eat soup the rest of your life, and learn to hide the pain. You wheeze when you breathe at night, but most of all, you’ll never forget who did all of that. Where are the weapons? Victor says, forgive him. Daniel has to forgive him. Daniel points the gun at Victor, and asks again, where are the weapons? Victor says, please, he doesn’t know, and Daniel looks crazed. There’s machinegun fire outside, and Daniel goes out.
Zombies lie everywhere, and smoke obscures everything. Daniel sees someone, and says, Morgan? Morgan asks, what the hell happened?
Morgan asks if Daniel found the weapons, but Daniel says, not yet. Daniel asks if Morgan has heard from Grace; they should almost be there. He asks Morgan to let him know if he hears from her, and goes back in to see Victor. Victor says, it’s just a matter of time. He’ll wait for Daniel’s apology. He asks if Daniel meant it, and Daniel says, what? Victor says, what Daniel said about his jaw; the pain it caused him. Daniel laughs, and says, no. Victor asks what Daniel wants, and Daniel says to stop Victor, and whoever he’s working with. Victor asks why Daniel cares so much about this place working. When he found Daniel, he was happily living alone in a warehouse with a cat. He doesn’t know half of these people, and Victor is willing to bet Daniel can’t stand the other half, but he almost shot Victor in the face to protect them. Why? Daniel says, it was a fair question when Victor asked him the first time, and it still is. He couldn’t answer it then, but thinks he can now. He thinks he knows why it means so much. When he was cutting hair in Lawton, and pretending he didn’t remember anything, it’s not different from when he was in the barbershop, pretending the past didn’t exist. Ofelia never knew who her father was. Their relationship was based on a lie, a deception. Morgan’s idea made him believe he could help create the home he wanted for Ofelia. It could be a place where you didn’t have to pretend to be what you weren’t. He hoped by doing that, he could redeem himself from all the lies he told, for Ofelia’s death, but it doesn’t seem to work that way, does it? Morgan radios, saying, he’s at the shack, but Grace isn’t. Daniel says, she should be there, but Morgan says, she’s not. Where is she?
Morgan and Daniel are in the woods with some of the others, and Morgan radios Grace, but there’s no response. Sarah suggests fanning out, and Daniel asks if Morgan is sure Grace isn’t there. Morgan says, it didn’t look like anyone had been near the place in months. He tries the radio again, and Jacob says, they can’t be far. Maybe they had to leave. Maybe they heard the gunfire, and they’ll be back. Morgan tries again, but gets nothing. He says, you don’t think they suspected? but Daniel says he doesn’t know. Grace finally comes over the radio, and Morgan asks, where is she?
Grace and Charlie have joined the group; Grace sitting on a log. Morgan asks if she’s all right, and she says she thinks the contractions are getting closer. Daniel says, he told them, the shack. What happened? She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the shack in the woods; he marked it on the map he gave her. She says he told her to avoid the shack; it wasn’t safe. Daniel says, no; he told her to go there and wait for him. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Daniel says, Charlie says she was there. Charlie says he told her to go to the old caverns, and told Grace the same thing. Daniel asks why he’d send them there. They haven’t surveyed it yet. Grace says, he did, and she shows him the map. The caverns are clearly marked, and Grace suddenly cries out. Sarah says they have to get her back, and Morgan says they can figure this out later. Luci radios, and says, they’ve found the weapons. Morgan asks, where? and Luci says he’ll want to see for himself. He says they’re on the way.
Luci takes the cover off of a small wagon, and reveals the weapons, saying, they found this in Daniel’s shed. Morgan asks how they ended up in Daniel’s shed, but Daniel says he doesn’t know. He locked them up like he said. Morgan asks if this is everything, and Dwight says it matches everything in the log. Daniel says, someone moved them, and Luci says she had to break the lock to the shed where the weapons are kept. Daniel says, then it was Victor and the Rangers, or whoever is working with Victor. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Daniel says, someone is trying to make him look bad; make them go against each other. Morgan says, first sending Grace and Charlie to the shack, and now this? Is Daniel sure he didn’t make a mistake? Whatever is going on, he needs Daniel’s help to understand. Daniel says he knows what he did, and Morgan says he’s just asking; is Daniel sure? Look at him. Is he okay? Is he feeling all right? Daniel says he’s not sure. It’s confusing. Morgan puts his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, and says, it’s okay, but maybe Daniel should talk to somebody. Daniel tells him, okay.
Daniel says, now he’s talking to them. He moved the weapons, and didn’t remember. Then he sent Grace to a dangerous place. Why? June says, it’s okay. They’re going to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. She promises him that.
Daniel draws a clock, and the numbers are correct. June asks if he can tell her the words he remembers from the beginning of the session. He says, beachball… elephant… grape. He wonders what that has to do with anything, and she says, it’s a test. It’s not neurological. He asks what it is, and she says she thinks it’s psychological. He asks what that means, and she says, symptomatically, he’s experiencing memory loss and disassociated thinking, but there’s no underlying physical cause, which is good. He asks why this is happening now, and she says he’s finally slowed down, and has something to lose. Is he worried about something happening? He says, they all were, and she asks if that’s why he moved the weapons. Did he think they were a danger where they were? He says he’s spent his whole life giving people reason not to trust him, and now he can’t trust himself. He deserves this. She says, this kind of thing is far from her area of expertise. Let her educate herself, and she’ll come back. She leaves, and outside, Morgan says it’s good of her to be there for him. She says, she came as soon as she could. She’s going to check on Grace, and Morgan asks if there’s any chance Daniel is… She says, faking it? She doesn’t think so. They’d get people in the ER from time to time who were just as confused. It’s hard to fake. Morgan asks if Daniel needs anything, but Daniel doesn’t respond.
Victor says he hopes Morgan understands him taking his leave, and bald guy says, just because Daniel was wrong about this, doesn’t mean they don’t have to worry about who’s out there. Morgan says he saw graffiti on the water tower about ten miles south. If they’ve been there, they know about the town, especially after the explosion. Victor says, all the more reason to leave, and Morgan says, if they know about them, they know about Lawton. Victor laughs, and says, then he’d better get back. Shari says she’s making the same call, and Dwight tells her to be safe. She thanks him, and he gives her a lingering kiss on the cheek. Dakota says she thinks she can help. She’s been thinking about everything Virginia said about the people painting the messages. She heard Virginia telling Hill that they went underground. Dakota thought she meant they were laying low, but what if it was for real? Wes asks what she means. Like are they living in a basement, or storm tunnel? She says the last place Virginia scouted was two days south of Tanktown, and Dwight says, that’s Dallas. It’s where they found some graffiti. Morgan says, they can start there, and Luci thinks they should send out scouting parties. Morgan says, then they’ll come back together, and make a decision.
Daniel walks out with a horse, and Charlie asks if he’s leaving. He says he has to go; he can’t stay. It’s not safe for him to be there. He’s not worried so much about himself as about them. He let the dead in, and would have shot Victor if Morgan hadn’t returned. He put Grace and the baby in danger. He thinks for a while, and says, the last time things happened in his mind, he set a place on fire. He can’t risk that happening now. Charlie asks where he’s going to go, and Daniel says, the warehouse, if it’s still there. (BTW, he is taking Skidmark.) Charlie says, if not? and he says he’ll find a place. Victor tells him, come to Lawton, and Daniel asks, why go there? Victor says he’ll have a better chance at survival. He can keep Daniel safe, and everyone around him. He’s not doing this for Daniel. He’s doing it for Ofelia. Daniel can lead an honest life. So…? Shall we? Victor heads for his horse, and Morgan asks if Victor is really going to help Daniel. Victor wonders what Morgan thinks of him, and Morgan says Daniel just put a gun in Victor’s face; he has a right to ask. Victor says he thinks Daniel would be better off with him, than there with Morgan, or wherever else. Morgan says he’s going to hold Victor to this, but Victor says Morgan doesn’t have to hold him to anything. He said what he said. Victor gets on his horse, and Daniel tells Morgan, it’s for the best. Morgan shakes Daniel’s hand, and tells him to take care of himself. Daniel says he’s sorry, and Morgan says, it’s okay. Charlie hugs Daniel, and says, he’ll get better. He says, he promises, and tells her not to worry. He leaves with Victor, and we’re all sad.
Next time, the end is the beginning, Dakota wants to help, a zombie tree, and John Glover joins the cast. I’m psyched.
🎭 The Envelope Please…
The more important stuff, like the fashions, tomorrow, but for now, here’s the list of winners.
Hope you were able to change it up a little for the past two days, or what we once called the weekend. Are we back to that yet? Until the sails on tomorrow’s yacht unfurl, stay safe, stay uninhibited by convention, and stay leading an honest life.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 