Category Archives: real housewives

February 14, 2024 – Valentine’s Day In Port Charles, A Mother’s Day Brunch With Jewelry, Quick Thought, Valentine Pup (!) & Ashes

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase leads a blindfolded Brook outside in the dark. She says she doesn’t want to sound like Leo in the car, but are they there yet? He says, they will be soon. In his defense, he told the defendant to get some boots. She says, now she’s committed a crime? What did she do? He says, she’s been accused of looking too gorgeous tonight, and she says, guilty as charged. FYI, your honor, I’m wearing boots. He says, yes, designer and impractical ones, and she says, well, yeah. He helps her up a step and says, we’re here. She takes off the blindfold, and sees a table set up with a picnic basket and champagne outside the boathouse. She asks when he did all this, and he says, happy Valentine’s Day.

At The Savoy, Sasha and Maxie raise their glasses, and Maxie says, Lucy. Lucy says, what? Oh. Hi. Maxie says, they can’t cheer her up if she won’t have a good time, and Lucy asks how she can have a good time when it’s Valentine’s Day and Martin’s not returning any of her calls. Sasha says, focus on the positive – Maxie says, excellent ideaand hang out with the people who care about you. Maxie says, kicked off by a toast, and Lucy says, if they toast to love, the contents of this drink will end up in both their faces. Maxie says, that’s the spirit, and Sasha says, to friendship. Lucy and Maxie say, to friendship, and they clink glasses.

Spinelli comes into The Savoy with Cody, and Cody asks if he’s ready to have a good time. Spinelli says, of course (🍷). He’s a single man with no romantic attachments. Who knows? Tonight, he may find the woman of his dreams. Cody says, he could, and he just might. Spinelli looks over and sees Maxie, who waves to him.

Dante kisses Sam and says he got her something. She tells him, they said no gifts, and he says he knows, but he lied. She opens his gift and takes out a black leather jacket. He tells her that she said she wanted to get back into riding, so options are a good thing to have. She says she loves it and thanks him. She says, options are good when it comes to jackets, but when it comes to boyfriends – she puts the ribbon from the gift around his neck – she only has eyes for one. There’s a knock at the door, she kisses him, and he says he knew that was going to happen. She says, he knew what was going to happen, and he says he knew his cheesy lines were going to rub off on her. He opens the door and Officer Daniels is there. Dante asks, what’s up? and Daniels says he has a delivery. Danny steps into the doorway.

Willow asks Michael how the kids were tonight, and he says, great. Typical nighttime antics from Wiley, but he managed to settle down, and she says, speaking of, does he need her to… He says, no. He just checked on him. The lights were on, but he’s passed out next to his open book. She asks why kids are so cute when they’re sleeping, and he says, because they’re sleeping. She says, touché. Did he tell the kids that this wasn’t a one-time thing, that he’s home for good? He says he thought that was something they could do together, and she says, they’ll be so happy. He says he knows he is. Is she? She says, yes, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, his moving in was her idea, and he says he knows, but he doesn’t want there to be any more secrets between them or half-truths or feelings swept under the rug. He wants to put it all out there. She tells him, funny he should say that, because before they do this, there’s something she needs to get off her chest.

Curtis and Portia are about to go into the house, and Curtis says he apologizes for having PT on Valentine’s Day, but Portia says she’s just glad he could fit it in. He says, him too. Every time he goes, he gets stronger than he was the session before. She says, that’s her baby. Getting stronger and stronger every day. They go inside, and Curtis says he’s going to change real quick and then they can head out. She says, sounds like a plan, and sees a vase of red roses on the table. She says, Curtis, and he says, don’t look at him. He had nothing to do with that. She reads the note: Took Trina to the Nicholas Brothers retrospective at The Forum. Won’t be back until late. Dinner will be delivered at 8:15. Curtis says, happy anniversary to us.

In the Pine Barrens, Sonny holds a gun on Dex, who’s being held by two of his men. He tells Dex to make this easier on himself. Tell him the person Dex sold him out to. Dex says he’s not taking anyone else down with him, and Sonny cocks the gun and says, wrong answer.

Brook says, so this is what Chase was up to earlier, and he says he heard her and Leo talking about a comet passing over New York tonight. She says, Leo’s very excited. He thinks there’s some sort of Valentine’s Day magic. He says he’s with Leo. What could be more romantic than a little stargazing with champagne? Brook says, and heat lamps, and he says, just the two of them, cuddled up to see a once in a hundred-year event. She says, when he puts it that way… and he says he wanted to do something special for their first Valentine’s Day together. She says, as long as he keeps her warm, and he says, she has his word. She says she’d prefer a kiss, and he kisses her.

Sam asks Danny, what happened? and he says he’s fine, stumbling a little. She says, fine and drunk apparently, and Daniels says he caught a bunch of them with booze at the park. Sam says she thought he was in his room. He didn’t even ask if he could go out tonight. Danny asks if she would have said yes, and she says, no. He says, exactly, and Sam asks if Dante heard him leave. Dante says, no, and Danny says he snuck out on the fire escape. She asks if he’s insane. He could have gotten hurt, or worse. Daniels says, he recognized Danny from seeing them around town and decided, since it’s his first offense, he’d let Danny off with a warning. Dante and Sam thank him, and Daniels leaves. Danny says, thank God that’s over. He’s going to bed. Sam says, not until they talk about this.

Spinelli says, Cody orchestrated this meet cute, and Cody says he orchestrated nothing. He swears he had no idea Maxie and Sasha were going to be here. At their table, Maxie points out Cody and Spinelli to Sasha, and Lucy says she doesn’t begrudge couples celebrating Valentine’s Day. That’s great… Cody tells Spinelli, but since they are, it would be rude not to say hello. They go over to the table, and Cody says, good evening. Sasha says, so formal, and Maxie says hi to Spinelli. Spinelli says, gracious greetings to all, and to no one in particular. Maxie asks if the guys want to join them, but Lucy says, no. Absolutely not. This is a ladies’ night. No boys allowed. Spinelli says, understood. They’ll just head to… Cody says, the bar. They’re heading to the bar. So enjoy their night. Lucy tells him, it’s not a night. Like she said, it’s a ladies‘ night. Cody says, got that, and he and Spinelli go to the bar. Lucy says, Maxie is breaking the girls code, but Maxie says, it was just a suggestion. Geez. Lucy says, besides, she thought Maxie might need a break from Spinelli, now that they’ve moved in together. Maxie says, he hasn’t moved in, and Lucy says, are they or are they not living together in the same house? Maxie says, temporarily, while all the pipes in his apartment are getting fixed. He’s even paying rent. Sasha asks, how long before his apartment is livable again? and Maxie says she’s not sure, but whenever. Georgie loves having both of her parents under one roof. Sasha says, seems like Maxie doesn’t mind it much either.

Curtis pours the wine, and Portia says, this was so lovely of Marshall to do. He says, yes, it was. He hopes she’s not disappointed that they’re not going out. She says, is he kidding? A romantic dinner at home that she wasn’t required to cook? He says, look at her. She’s living the dream. She says she is. It’s really nice. He says he can only think of one thing nicer. Let’s celebrate our anniversary properly.

Sonny is ready to pull the trigger, when he hears something and tells Frank to check it out. Dex says he hopes Sonny makes it look like he took off. He’d rather Joss hate him. Sonny says, money is more important to Dex than Josslyn, but Dex says, that’s not true. Sonny says, stop lying, when Carly calls to Sonny. Frank and another guy bring her over, and Sonny asks what she’s doing here. She says, stopping him from killing an innocent man.

Willow says she overreacted about Michael keeping the Nina thing from her, but he says, she didn’t. She says, she did, which was hugely hypocritical given that she hid having cancer from him for months. He swallowed that betrayal and moved forward. She didn’t afford him the same grace and she’s been struggling to figure out why. He says, any luck? and she says, he’s her person. He’s the safe, stable place where she puts her trust. And with her history of being lied to and manipulated, if that trust gets broken, it cuts deep. She’s not trying to make excuses… He says he knows she’s not, and she says, but him not being honest shook the foundation for her. She knows he was doing it from a place of love and was trying to protect her, but she needs to know going forward, if something terrible happens, they’ll figure out what to do together. He says he’ll never go rogue again, and she say she’s serious. He says, so is he, and takes her hand. They’re a team. He’s so sorry that he made her feel like they weren’t.

Spinelli says he thinks the most prudent course of action is to exit, and, handing Spinelli his drink, Cody asks, why? Didn’t he say he was single and ready to mingle? Spinelli says he doesn’t remember saying it in such base terms, but that was the general idea, and Cody asks if he’s worried that Maxie is going to see him talking to other women. Spinelli asks how many times he must tell Cody; Maximista is a non-issue. Cody says, then he doesn’t see the problem.

Lucy says, okay, let’s take this opportunity to come up with some ideas for the new Face of Deception campaign, and Maxie asks if they’re at the office. She could have sworn they were at The Savoy to have some fun. Sasha says, no more work talk, but Lucy says, unfortunately, they can’t afford to take the night off. No ma’ams. Because Tracy is out to decimate them. Sasha says, Tracy wants Deception to succeed, and Lucy says, ah-ha! Then she has Sasha exactly where she wants her. Maxie says, so much for girls’ night.

On a chaise lounge under a blanket, Brook asks if Chase had any luck, but he says he’s sorry. What are the odds that both space heaters are on the fritz? She says, pretty good. Since they’re usually not used at the same time, the propane probably runs out at the same time too. He says he probably should have checked that, and she says, stop. They’ve got blankets and body heat. Come. Get under so he doesn’t freeze. He says, okay, but first, champagne. He hands her a glass and gets under the blanket with her. He says, to the most beautiful woman in the world, and she says, he’s the sweetest. He asks if this is better, and she says, much. He says he promises this will be a Valentine’s Day to remember, one they’ll tell their grandchildren about. They clink glasses, and she says, the night she got frostbite. He says, what was that? and she says, nothing. He puts his arm around her.

Sam asks if Danny knows how lucky he is that Dante’s on the force. If he’d been brought in for processing, he’d have a record right now, one that would follow him when he applied to colleges. Danny says, colleges? He’s 14. She says, exactly. Way too young to be drinking or sneaking out or lying to them in general. He could have been hurt. He says, but he wasn’t, and she says, that’s not the point. He’s too young to be drinking, period, let alone in the park. Danny says, lesson learned, okay? but she says she’ll be the judge of that. He’s grounded. Give her his phone. He says, mom, and she says, phone, now. He hands it over and asks, how long. She says she doesn’t know. Maybe until he learns enough responsibility to get it back. He says, it’s so unfair, and she says, oh well. He says, it’s so hypocritical, and she asks what that’s supposed to mean. He says, like she didn’t have a drink at his age.

Carly says, Dex is not the traitor in Sonny’s organization, and Dex says, it’s okay, but she says, it’s not okay. Sonny says he knows she wants to protect Dex for Josslyn’s sake, but he has proof. Dex admitted he’s working for somebody else, but refuses to tell him who it is. She says, listen to her. Brick believed her enough to tell her that he was here. He can’t do this. Sonny says, Dex is working for the bastard who wants to take him down. What does she want him to do? She says, he’s not, and Sonny tells his men to take her out of here now. She says, no, and shakes them off. Dex is not working for some other mob organization. He’s working for her.

Brook asks if there’s an ETA for this comet or what, and Chase says he’s sorry. They can go back into the house if she wants. He wanted to show her how special she is to him. He thinks it’s the best Valentine’s Day ever. She asks if she can be straight with him, and he says, she better. She says she doesn’t even care about Valentine’s Day. It’s just a commercial money grab to make single people feel like crap. He laughs and she asks why he’s laughing. He says, because he feels the same way, and she laughs.

Sam says, as a matter of fact, she wasn’t drinking when she was 14, and Danny says he doesn’t feel too good. Dante says, that’s understandable, and Danny says he’s going to the bathroom. Sam asks if he needs help, but he says he’s got it, and she says, he knows if he’s ever in trouble or needs a ride, he can just call her or Dante, no questions asked. Dante says, there will be questions eventually, but not off the top, and Sam says, they want to keep him safe, that’s all. Danny runs upstairs, and Sam flops on the sofa and tells Dante, have kids, they say. It will be wonderful and fulfilling, they say. He says, she wouldn’t trade it for anything, and kisses her. She says, no, she wouldn’t, but she wasn’t prepared for this. Danny’s going to be a handful. Dante says, maybe he learned from his mistake, but she says, this wasn’t just some mistake. Forget about him putting himself in physical danger. Her son lied to her. He says, more like a lie of omission though, and she asks who’s side he’s on. He says, hers. Always, just her. He kisses her hand, and she says her son lied to her, and her response was to lie right back.

In a corner of The Savoy on the phone, Lucy says, it’s her for the gazillionth time. Could he please just call her back? She really misses him. She sees a couple snuggling, throws up her hands, and heads back. Sasha says she’s glad things with Spinelli are working out, and Maxie says she wasn’t really worried about it. He’s her best friend. Sasha asks, what was it like before? and Maxie says, when they were together? It was great. It just didn’t work out. Sasha asks if she’s ever thought about trying again, and Maxie looks at Spinelli and says, once or twice.

Curtis waits in bed, the bedroom lit with candlelight, when Portia comes in. They get busy and there’s a song part.

Sonny tells his men to hold Dex, and Carly says she asked Dex to keep an eye on him. He asks why she’d do that, and she says, for him. For their children. He says he needs some privacy, and tells his men to check and see if she was followed. She says, he was getting in deep with Pikeman and didn’t have anyone to watch his back, but he says he doesn’t believe her. She says she wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. She wasn’t going to let Donna lose her father. He says, someone deposited a large amount of cash in Dex’s secret bank account this past year. It couldn’t have been her because she lost all her money when the merger fell through. She says she found a way, and he says, she’s going to do anything for her daughter’s boyfriend. She says, Dex has saved his life multiple times. Hell, he saved Ava. Why would he do that if he was working for someone else? He says, to be more convincing, and she says she knows when the deposits happened. After Dex was shot after protecting him at the warehouse and after the attack at the island. How would she know that if she wasn’t the one paying him? He says, she’s covering for someone, but she says, no, she’s not. He says, and the only people she’d be protecting are her family. It’s Michael, isn’t it?

Sasha says she had no idea Maxie was interested in Spinelli, but Maxie says she’s not. Then sometimes she is. It’s really confusing. Sasha says, it’s familiar, and Maxie says, Spinelli is a gem. His giant heart, his quirky sense of humor… Sasha says, she’d learn a new vocabulary word every day, and Maxie says, any woman would be lucky to be with Spinelli. Sasha says, why can’t that woman be her?

Sam says she was no angel when she was a kid, and Dante says, no way. Get out of town. She says she was drinking when she was 14. Worse. He says, what Danny’s doing is kind of what every teenager’s done and what parent hasn’t whitewashed their past? She says she just doesn’t like not being honest with him, and he says, but she is being honest with him. Virtually about everything, except for this one thing, so Danny doesn’t take it the wrong way and use it as permission to get drunk. She says, it’s not that she thinks he’s going to be an alcoholic or anything like that. It’s a little more than that. He’s Jason’s son, and he reminds her more and more of him every day. He says he can see that, and she says, then let’s be real. Jason was an adrenaline junkie. He took insane chances, and he was drawn to danger. And in the end, it killed him. He says, that’s not going to happen to Danny, and she says she’s no stranger to adrenaline chasing either. For different reasons than Jason, but she was wild. He takes her hands and says, the fact that she’s thinking about all this, the fact that it’s on her radar, means she’s one of the good parents. Danny’s going to be all right. Not because of what his parents did, but because of who they are. And he’s going to be right there to help her out when she needs it. Capiche? She says, capiche.

Willow says she was supposed to be apologizing to Michael, and he tells her that he heard everything she said and he’s grateful, but that doesn’t make it okay that he lied to her. He didn’t want her to be disappointed yet again, knowing how hard it was for her to try, yet again, to give Nina an opening, yet again. And to share her children with Nina… Willow says, yet again, and he says, there’s another layer to it. The relationship she has with Nina is the exact opposite of the relationship he has with his mom. His mom understands him and she’s by his side. When she’s mad, she’s still with him. It’s… She says, it’s unconditional, and he says, yeah. So him going to his dad first, that was about him. He knew it would hurt less to disappoint his father than it would to disappoint her. She says, so if she’s understanding this correctly, he hid something from her because he loves her so much, and she overreacted because she loves him so much. If the underlying factor here is love, what are they doing? He says he doesn’t know, and she says she knows their life won’t always be perfect and she knows it’s unrealistic to think they’ll never fight again – they will – but this marriage, this family, means everything to her. She wants them back to the way they were. She gets up and holds out her hand. She asks if he’s ready for bed. He takes her hand, and she leads him upstairs.

Brook says, Chase doesn’t care about Valentine’s Day? Then why did he go to all this trouble? He says he cares about her. He wanted to make tonight special because she’s such a romantic. She says, he thinks she’s romantic? and he says, of course (🍷). She wouldn’t be able to write the songs she writes without such a big heart. She says, he’s one to talk. Mr. Literal Knight in Shining Armor, ever since the moment she met him. He says, when she clocked him in the head with a beer bottle? and she says, he’s shown her how much he cares about her every day. She hopes she does the same. He says, and then some, and they kiss. She says, so they don’t need to make tonight more special like it’s a stupid date, and he says, great. Let’s go home. They get up, and he tells her, look. We see the comet streaking across the sky, and he says, maybe there’s such a thing as Valentine’s Day magic after all. She says, maybe there is.

Sonny asks if he’s right, and Carly says, Michael initially hired Dex. Sonny says, to take him down? and coming out of the woodwork, Dex says, that’s how it started, but things changed. Sonny says, what things changed? and Dex says, Michael couldn’t go through with it. He said it would cause too much pain, especially for Donna and Avery. Sonny says, but Dex stayed? and Carly says, because she asked him to. Sonny says, to spy on him? but she says, no. He has to remember how things were then. He chose Nina over his family and things were way off with Pikeman. She had to get Dex in there in case things went south. He says, she continued to let this happen because she thought he couldn’t run his own business? She thought he wasn’t strong enough to take care of himself?

Maxie tells Sasha that she doesn’t know. It’s hard to imagine loving anyone the way she loved Nathan. She’s sure Sasha feels the same way about Brando. Sasha says she did until she realized she won’t love someone the same way. It’ll be different. It has to be. That doesn’t mean it can’t be great. Maxie says she put Spinelli through the wringer more times than she can count. She can’t do that again. Sasha says, then don’t.

On the phone, Spinelli says, keep him apprised and he can come home, if need be, and Cody asks if everything is all right. Spinelli says, James isn’t sleeping. He keeps making excuses to get out of bed. Cody says, Spinelli wouldn’t know that if he hadn’t called, but now that he’s apprised, why doesn’t he maybe fill Maxie in? Spinelli says, you think? and Cody says, he is her son. Spinelli says, true, and Cody says, it’s only appropriate she’s in the loop, right? Spinelli says, that’s a valid point, and Cody says, now’s his chance, now that the girls only police has left the table. Spinelli heads for the table.

Danny comes downstairs, and Sam asks if he feels better. He says, the room stopped spinning, and she says, that’s progress. He asks if she’s still mad, and she says, no, but they’ll have a conversation about this in the morning and set some ground rules. He says, okay. Still no phone? She says, no phone, and Dante gives a glass of water to Danny. He says, have about 18 of those and he’ll feel better, and Danny thanks him. Danny says, goodnight, and starts to go upstairs. Sam says she loves him, and he says he loves her too.

Sasha goes over to Cody, and he says, all good? She says, Maxie’s explaining that James has a crush on the babysitter and that’s why he keeps getting up. Cody says he’s been there, and she says, haven’t we all? He asks, who was her first crush? and she says, Mr. Rider, her fourth-grade science teacher. He was completely oblivious. Cody says, was he though? and she says she hopes so. He says, at least teachers and babysitters are unattainable (tell that to the girl who married the band director at my high school). It’s different when your crush can actually like you back. She says, like Maxie and Spinelli, and he says, what? She says, what? and he says, it’s obvious Spinelli has feelings for Maxie, but the way she just said that… She tells him that she said nothing. She would never betray a friend’s confidence like that. He says, okey-dokey. The subject of Maxie is closed. His friend Spinelli, however, he knows Sasha would never stand by and let him put his heart on the line if he didn’t have a chance. She would discourage him, albeit subtly, from risking their friendship. Right? Sasha says, sounds like something she would do, and looks over at the table. Cody says, so, is there anything she feels the need to tell Mr. Spinelli? She says, nope. Not a thing.

Sonny says, Carly and Michael went behind his back because they thought he was weak? but she says, no. He knows better than anyone, you can’t survive in this business alone. He says he’s been surviving for 30 years. Besides, he had Brick. She says, he didn’t have Brick, and the only one around him was Nina, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to trust her. He says, so she was helping him by lying to him? and she says she was trying to protect him. He says, they haven’t seen eye to eye about Nina, and he accepted all that, but he never in his life thought she would betray him like this. She says she was trying to help him. She was not trying to betray him. And if he can’t see that, then he’s further gone than she thought. He says, don’t try to justify it because she can’t, and walks off. She yells his name, but he keeps going.

Spinelli tells Maxie that he’s going to beat a hasty retreat before Lucy accuses him of sabotaging girls’ night. Maxie says, truth? She’s having way more fun hanging out with him. He says, that makes two of them.

Sasha tells Cody, anyone who sees Maxie and Spinelli together can tell they’re a good match, but it’s hard when you’ve tried before and couldn’t make it work. He says, maybe it just wasn’t the right time. Maybe someone is missing out on something great… And by somebody, he means Maxie and Spinelli. She says, of course (🍷), and he says, obviously.

On the sofa in front of a fire, Dante says he kind of wishes he knew Sam as a kid, but she says, no, he doesn’t. He says, yeah, he does, and she says she told him she was wild. She could have eaten him for breakfast. He says, is that so? and she says, wild, but lucky for him, she’s reformed now. He says he doesn’t know how lucky that is. Reformed is good, but a little wildness is good too. She says, how wild? and he suggests they go upstairs, and she can show him. They kiss and run upstairs.

Carly asks if Dex is okay, and he says, is she? She says, yeah, and he says, Sonny would have killed him if she hadn’t shown up. He can’t believe she did.

In the car, Frank says, home or the office, boss? but Sonny says, just keep driving. He flashes back to Michael saying that he’ll always have a place in Wiley and Amelia’s life, and him saying he loves those kids. He hated being estranged for months. Michael says, it will never happen again, and he hopes Sonny chooses to be part of his life too.

Chase and Brook get busy, and Chase asks if she’s still cold. She says she’s starting to warm up, and they fall onto the bed. There’s a song part.

Willow and Michael get busy to the same song.

Portia and Curtis bask in the afterglow, and Portia says, happy anniversary, baby. He says, happy Valentine’s Day, and she says, happy everything. He kisses her and says he wanted to do that so much, and she says, her too. He says, was it worth the wait? and she nods. He says, when he thinks about everything they’ve had to overcome to get here. All the challenges and the heartbreaks. She says, they’re still stronger than ever, and he says, it tells him that they’re built to last and that together, they can get through anything. She says, anything, and they kiss.

Tomorrow, Kristina tells Blaze that Molly knows about them; Jordan says, there goes their only lead; Valentin returns; Nina asks Drew if he’s really that threatened by a little competition; and Sonny says, Michael lost it the day Michael hired Dex to destroy him.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Erika has a session with Dr. Jenn and says, everything she didn’t think was possible is happening. Jenn tells her, just yesterday she said her life was over, and we flash back to Erika saying, it’s hopeless. Erika says, it was for a while. Now she’s got the residency and it’s good pressure. She wants to surpass expectation, but she’s afraid. Jenn says, last time, she had a husband and unlimited funds and resources, and Erika says, good or bad, he encouraged her to be here. In Erika’s interview, she says, Tom was her safety net so she could walk on the highwire. We flash back to her thanking him, and she says, she no longer has a net, and it can get scary. Don’t look down. Keep going forward. She tells Jenn that her legal woes are almost wrapped up, and in her interview, she says she got a favorable ruling about the earrings, and everyone was quiet. Her feelings are hurt. She tells Jenn about the ceremony to release burdens in Spain and how she was angry, and Jenn says she thinks Erika has unresolved feelings. When she was hoping to get support, she got criticism. We flash back to that, but seriously, she could have handled it better. Erika says she wants to release to past, but thinks she’s never going to get what she’s looking for. Jenn says, closure has to come from her. Something sh*tty can happen to you and you recover.

Sutton goes to ride Santos for the first time, and Santos steals carrots from Ali’s basket, which is pretty cute. In Sutton’s interview, she says she always wanted a horse. She hasn’t had one since her summers in Texas with her grandparents. She feels like a kid again. She’s nervous, since it’s the first time, but she knows Santos now, so she can ride him. It’s like when she’s dating. She gets know someone first before she rides him. Her words, not mine. Kyle joins her, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, Sutton looks like when she was riding the mechanical bull in Vegas. We flash back to that. Sutton uses stairs to get on and off, and wow, is Santos tall. They sit down, and Sutton says she thought Spain was super fun. She was emotional though, and had a rough day when she released Merce’s ashes. It was really about letting go of her marriage. She talked to Christian afterward. In her interview, Sutton says, Christian got a big promotion, but he’ll be living out of the country and it’s a lifestyle change for her. He lives down street, and now if she falls, she’s falling by herself. Kyle asks if they’d tried couples therapy, but Sutton says, no, and Kyle tells her that she’s going therapy with Mauricio.

Kyle says, their work has been keeping them apart, and Sutton says, that’s what happened to her. Christian’s career rose and she stayed where she was. Kyle says, they started out with nothing. Mauricio had lost his job and she suggested getting real estate licenses. In Kyle’s interview, she says, she’s made sacrifices and compromises. She’s a good wife and great mom and she’s been supportive. She wants Mauricio to prioritize her like she did him. She tells Sutton that now she has the freedom to do for herself, and she doesn’t want to miss the opportunity. The kids will be gone, and she wants to have her life too. Sutton says she has to figure out the balance.

In her interview, Garcelle talks about cyberbullying and how Jax had gotten horrific messages. We flash back to the Reunion where it was discussed, and she says, Cybersmile asked if they wanted to partner. By doing that, Jax is helping himself and other kids. She and Jax do a PSA, and present their GoFundMe, while Jaid works the cue cards, although he has a hard time standing still and not making faces. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, when her kids aren’t being pains in the ass, she’s proud of them. They’re respectful, they have manners, they’re kind, and outspoken. She tells Jaid that he can get a job at SNL, and tells Jax that he’s taken the negative and made a positive out of it. She’s proud of him. She’s also glad that they discussed her needing to parent him and his brother differently. It was a big learning curve for her. Since Jaid has asked for more freedom, she agrees that he can take and Uber to meet his friends. In her interview, she says, they’re getting more independent, so she needs to put herself first. She tells Jax that she can trace the car, but she still wants him to text when he gets there.

In Sutton’s interview, she says, the heavens opened, and she has a second date with Steve. The first date is to see if they’re not fresh out of prison. After Spain, she feels like she put away a lot of baggage from her marriage and she’s ready to move on. She hopes to find love again, and thinks Spain did her good. She meets Steve at the Surly Goat and takes her Ocean Spray out of her bag. He says he likes her purse and notices it’s Celine. He wonders if Celine Dion makes purses, and Sutton plays with him for a minute, but eventually tells him it’s a designer and not the singer. In her interview, Sutton says, starting over in your 50s is super tough because… you’re 50. They play darts, and Steve decides to throw with his eyes closed, getting a near bullseye. In Sutton’s interview, she says, regardless of the outcome, it feels like a new chapter, and it feels good. Steve is also easy on the eyes. They’ll see where it goes. I agree that he’s very good looking.

In Kyle’s interview, she says, her sessions with Jamie are a source of comfort. She thought couples therapy was important because it’s been difficult to communicate. She tells Mauricio that she wants to be able to talk outside of therapy, and he says he thinks therapy is fun. She says she thinks what he’s going for is, it makes him feel good, and he says, they’re gone through a tough year. It helps him be more in tune with himself and he thinks it’s helping. He thinks they’re in a way better place. They’ve been married 27 years and they’ve never had so much going on. It’s become hard. He’s opening two offices a month, and tomorrow will be here fast. In her interview, Kyle says she’s frustrated because she doesn’t feel heard. She’s not staying in a situation she’s not happy in. She’s not accepting for herself what she wouldn’t accept for her daughters.

Annemarie is throwing a Mother’s Day Diamond & Champagne Brunch. She wants them to come together as moms and feel pampered. She also needs to talk to Crystal. She doesn’t don’t like the negative energy and needs to try and fix it once and for all. As she gets ready, Crystal tells her glam squad that she and Annemarie had conflicts, but when she went to the hospital, Annemarie was supportive and helpful. It gives her hope. Seriously though, how would it have looked if Annemarie hadn’t been supportive and helpful? Like maybe she was a monster? Dorit calls PK and tells him that Mother’s Day is coming up. She’s wondering when he’s coming back. He says, as soon as he can, but he has to be there for this deal. Besides, Mother’s Day isn’t a big deal in England. She says, it should be acknowledged, and he says – wait for it – she’s not his mother. She points out that she’s his children’s mother and would like him to make a concerted effort for them to be together for it from now on.

At Annemarie’s, there’s a magnificent spread of food porn, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, lots of food, beautiful people, and a jeweler. It’s so Beverly Hills. I assume the jeweler is there for them to buy stuff, but if I want to go to a Tupperware party, I’ll go to a Tupperware party, not a Mother’s Day party. In Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t drink champagne anymore, but she’s here for the diamonds. Erika puts a massive ring on Garcelle, who asks where she’d go with that. Erika says, everywhere, and Garcelle says, for that ring, you’d have to give a BJ every day. Erika says, gladly. Annemarie tells Erika that Crystal’s been on her mind. They haven’t come to a resolution. We flash back to that whole debacle.

Sutton struggles going up Annemarie’s many steps with no handrail, and says, what’s wrong with these people? I’m with you there, sister. She’s obviously indulged slightly before arrival, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, tipsy Sutton is here to liven up the party. Erika suggests they get her to buy them stuff, and says she loves diamonds, but she doesn’t want any more fights in court. Crystal asks how Erika is feeling, and Erika says, Crystal is the only person who said she was sorry and she’s grateful. She would like some other people to say it. Annemarie asks to talk to Crystal, and in her interview, Annemarie says she doesn’t want to harbor resentment toward her. She asks how Crystal is doing, and Crystal says, her doctor told her that she needs to work out more. She thanks Annemarie for her help, and Annemarie thanks her for coming. She says she doesn’t want Crystal to mistake her passion for anger, and Crystal says, they need to be able to agree to disagree. Her intention was and is to move on, but if Annemarie is feeling something different, she has to tell her. The others watch from a distance, and Erika says, we’re not nosy. Sutton tells them to mind their biscuits. Annemarie tells Crystal that she wants to have fun, and in Crystal’s interview, she says she thought Annemarie would move on when pigs flew. She looks around, wondering where the pigs are. In Annemarie’s interview, she says she’s over it. She has to be okay to agree to disagree. Kyle says she’ll pretend to get fruit, and saunters closer. Annemarie and Crystal hug it out, and Erika announces, they’re hugging. Kyle comes back and says, breaking news, but realizes she’s been scooped, and Erika says, they’re walking toward the cheese. Dorit asks Sutton about her date, and Sutton says, they played darts and she wore jeans. She looked cute, but she got a text from him this morning that said she looked beautiful and reminding her that they haven’t kissed yet. Erika says, he wants a BJ, and the jewelry guard tries to hide his smile. Sutton says, he wants a kiss, and in her interview, she says she likes to know someone first. And get a health certificate.  

Annemarie tells the group that she and Crystal have agreed to move forward, and Erika says she’d love it if they supported each other more. She went through something tough and she’s good now, but she’s disappointed in certain people and the group as a whole wasn’t there for her. Half of her wants an apology from certain people who didn’t believe in her, but the other half thinks, if they wanted to apologize, they would have. Dorit says she doesn’t think she wasn’t supportive, and Erika brings up a comment Dorit made at Kathy’s dinner about them all being dragged into it. We flash back to that, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, Erika did not make it easy. She had no empathy, she couldn’t talk about it, and every two seconds, an article was coming out. She and Kyle blindly supported her. Kyle says she took issue with how Erika was handling it, but never doubted she didn’t know anything. Garcelle says she didn’t want Erika to fall, but she had an opinion and she’s sticking by it. Sutton says she already apologized, but she thinks she caused a lot of hurt. The blame isn’t Erika’s. We flash back to Sutton’s questioning Erika’s knowledge of Tom pocketing settlement money, and Erika says she appreciates Sutton acknowledging that. Erika starts to cry and says, it didn’t have to be this way. In Sutton’s interview, she says, seeing Erika cry made her realize that maybe Erika needed an apology from her a long time ago. Maybe they’re leaning into a better relationship. Kyle says, if Erika feels she didn’t support her enough, she’s sorry. In Erika’s interview, she says she’ll never get the apologies she wants from everyone, but she’s received a lot of closure. It went better than she expected and it’s nice that Sutton acknowledged her behavior. She didn’t think that was coming. She appreciates the acknowledgement. That’s all she wanted. She thanks them for hearing her. She has let go and she’s moving forward. Now fight about somebody else.

Next time – finally, the finale – PK extends his trip; Erika performs at a stadium; all the women see something in People that shocks them; and Mauricio says he and Kyle didn’t tell their daughters because they’re trying to protect them.

💭 Thought: Yeah, it all looks good on paper right now, but I’m waiting for Erika and Annemarie’s other shoe to fall.

🪹 Lean Wednesday…

Circle back tomorrow for soap and things that must be true because they’re on the internet. Until then, stay safe, stay looking for a positive statement before addressing the negative, and stay not looking down, but keep looking forward when you no longer have a safety net.

February 9, 2024 – Sonny Welcomes Jagger Back, Golden Girl, His Two Cents, Miami Looks, Returning Wives, Super Info, Puppy (!) Bowlers, Nine Concise Quotes & Heart

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow straightens up the living room, when there’s a knock at the door. She opens the door to Michael and says, he didn’t have to knock. This is his home too.

At the Hatchet Range, Spinelli throws his hatchet, and it bounces off the target. He says he must have miscalculated his variables. Which one? Angle or centrifugal force… Maxie says they’re not here to reprogram a satellite or recode the internet, and he says, you can’t recode the internet. She says, to be honest, she didn’t know if recode was a real word. Look around. Does he see any children they’re related to? Does he hear any sounds of emotional children yelling? He shakes his head, and she asks if he sees a sign for Deception, or the sounds of highly emotional grown-ups healing? He says he does not, and she says, that means they’re not at home and she’s not at work. So let’s lighten up and not take this too seriously. He says he knows, but precision and accuracy are kind of a needed… She says, no. They’re here to have a good time and throw pieces of sharpened steel at a wall. He says, she’s right. So let the unwinding begin. She thanks him. Cody and Sasha join them, and Cody says, okey-dokey. This is fun, and he loves turning walls into kindling as much as the next guy, but what do they say to raising the stakes a little? Sasha asks what he has in mind.

Josslyn and Drew look at her phone, and he says he loves that one of Spencer. She says she couldn’t tell at the time, but looking at all of these, he was so cute. It’s no wonder everybody let him get away with all sorts of stuff. Drew suggests they take a break, but Josslyn says, it’s fine. She’s fine. He asks if she’s sure, because it’s not a race. They could come back to it after they get a snack or something. She says she doesn’t even know if she should be doing this, and Carly asks, why? Josslyn says, because her posting all of these photos of her and Spencer, it’s like she’s making it about herself. Her loss, her grief. He was her friend, and he was Laura’s family, and he was the love of Trina’s life.

At The Savoy, Dex sits at the bar, when Brick and Jordan come in. Brick says, one drink and then he’ll let her get on with her regularly scheduled life, and Jordan says, when he called in a favor from the mayor’s office, she didn’t expect it to begin and end with her and a drink. He asks, why is that? Did she see him as someone who needed zoning remediations? She says she imagines he could solve those all on his own, and he says he thinks she should consider the bigger picture. This drink is all part of the plan. She says she didn’t take him for someone who plays the long game, and while watching Dex, he says, people aren’t always what they seem.

Sonny says, Jagger Cates. It’s been a long time. John says, yet still not long enough. And it’s John now. Sonny asks if that’s on his identification, and John shows Sonny his ID. Sonny asks what he calls John, Agent Cates or my old pal, and John says, they were never pals, but maybe they can change that.

Cody says he was thinking they split into two teams. Whoever gets the most points, wins. Sasha asks what they win, and Maxie says, please not a gift certificate. She has enough junk on her fridge already. How about bragging rights until the people she brags to get bored with her bragging about her triumph? Cody says he was thinking that the losing team pays for the winning team to have a night out on the town, and Spinelli asks why everything has to boil down to a competition relying on brute strength. Cody says, ax throwing isn’t about strength. It’s about finesse and teamwork, togetherness. Sasha says, yeah, come on, Spinelli. It will be fun. Maxie asks how they separate into teams, and Cody says, obviously, the two Faces of Deception have to stick together. Sasha says, absolutely. The more they’re in sync, the better for Deception’s marketing. Maxie says, fine by her. She’s happy to do her victory dance in both their gorgeous faces. Spinelli says he sees her competitive streak hasn’t diminished, and she tells him that he wouldn’t say that if he knew how many games of Go Fish she’s purposely lost to their kid. What does he say?

Michael tells Willow that he debated with himself the whole way here. Should he knock or just let himself in? She says, that’s okay. She’s been picking up for the last half hour, then she loses track of what she’s doing, and she has to start over. He says, if she’s rethinking the invitation, that’s okay. He can just pick up the papers Drew left him and go. No harm, no foul. She says she’s not rethinking it. She’s happy he’s here. He says, so she still wants him to stay the night. She said the kids wanted him here in the morning, but is it just for tomorrow or is she asking him to come home for good?

Josslyn says she was doing the dishes and one minute, she’s totally fine and the next minute, she has tears streaming down her face. Carly says, there’s nothing wrong with that. She has to feel how she feels. Josslyn says she knows, and she knows she has her own loss to grieve, but she doesn’t know how to do that and be a support system for Trina. If she posts these photos, won’t that be shocking to Trina when she’s scrolling through social media, and bam, there’s Spencer? She doesn’t want to make things worse for her. Drew says he thinks it says a lot about her friendship with Trina that she’s being so considerate about this. When Oscar died, a lot of people reached out and told him how much they missed Oscar, and there were times when that was the only thing that got him through the day. Carly says, Trina knows that she suffered a loss too. Trina wouldn’t want her to hide it. Josslyn agrees, and Drew says, what she wrote about Spencer is straight from the heart and it’s so beautiful. It’s a message to be shared.

Brick asks Jordan to excuse him for a second. He’s going to the bar. She says, the server should be here any second, and he says, a woman such as herself should never be kept waiting. He’ll be right back. He walks up next to Dex and says, good to see him. Dex says, him too, and Brick asks if he can buy Dex a drink. Dex says, not tonight. He’s on call with Sonny, so he’s sticking to soda, but how about if he buys Brick one instead? Brick looks at the champagne behind the bar and says, what he’s planning on sipping tonight might be above Dex’s paygrade. Dex says, maybe, and puts a credit card on the bar. Let’s find out. We see it’s a platinum card.

Sonny tells Frank, this won’t take long, and Frank leaves. Sonny closes the door, and Sonny says, he and John had their problems back in the day. John says, if that’s what he wants to call them, and Sonny says, whatever you want to call it, that was a long time ago. Things change. John says, it may have been a long time ago for Sonny, but for him, it was yesterday. Sonny says he did some things back then that he regrets. Losing John’s brother… John says, after everything, Sonny can’t say his name, and Sonny says he named his son Stone as a middle name because he considered Stone family. John says, wow. Well, God help Sonny’s family. Sonny says, be careful, and John says he’s not here to talk about Stone or Karen or any part of their past. Sonny says, so what is he here to talk about? Is John here to tell him that the Feds are looking into his business, or is John coming after him? John says, nothing would make him happier than to see Sonny behind bars. They both know that’s where Sonny belongs, and they both know the reasons why. Past and present. (I wish they’d tell me. In all the years I’ve watched this show, Sonny hasn’t really done anything all that bad.) Sonny says, then stop talking about it and take his best shot. John says he’s not in Port Charles to take Sonny down. He’s here to save Sonny’s life.

Josslyn closes her tablet and says, okay then. It’s out there. Carly says, it’s a beautiful post. It really is. It captures who Spencer was and her relationship with him. Josslyn says she was really lucky to know him for so many years, although sometimes he annoyed her so much she didn’t even like him. Carly says, that means they were really friends. She really saw him; the good, bad, and everything in between. Josslyn says, yeah, but the good was really good. Carly’s phone dings and she says, oh no. Not you too. Drew asks if it’s another advertiser pulling out, and she says, Triton Luxury Hotel and Cruises. She’s not dealing with it. He says he’ll handle this one. He knows the CFO. Let him handle this. It’s going to be okay. She thanks him and he leaves. Josslyn says, Trina saw all her posts and she loved it, and Carly says, she told Josslyn. Josslyn says, now everyone is sharing their memories of Spencer and it’s great. Drew was right. Carly says, he frequently is, and it drives her crazy because sometimes she wants to be right, but since it’s Drew, it’s okay. Josslyn says, when she thinks of everything he’s done for their family and the fact he can even make Carly smile through times like this, it’s amazing. Carly says, he’s an impressive guy, and Josslyn says she’s very grateful he’s in their lives.

Maxie asks if this night out includes free babysitting, and Cody says, sure. She says, and what is she potentially paying for, an entire evening or just a dinner? Cody says he was thinking four hours, enough for dinner and a movie, and Maxie says, or one night at a spa, but Cody says, the event has to be something both parties will enjoy. Spinelli says he doesn’t enjoy greasy hands poking him in the name of healing, and Maxie says, then think of something else. What about tips and parking? Someone should be writing this down. Cody says he thought a bet would be fun, not involve lawyers, and Maxie says, fine. He’s on. Spinelli asks if he might have a word with Cody, and Cody says, sure. As they step away, Cody says, no lawyers.

In the hallway, Spinelli asks what Cody is doing, and Cody says he’s helping Spinelli get a date with Maxie. Spinelli says, stop helping, and Cody asks, why? The two of them have been talking back and forth between parent mode and roommate mode for way too long. Tonight, Maxie needs to see another side of him. His sexy side. Spinelli says, his sexy side has at best been described as subtle, and Cody says he bets Spinelli’s got some moves. He’s seen how Spinelli works a keyboard. Spinelli says he doesn’t know where Cody is going with this, but please stop immediately, and Cody says, he’s an information guy, right? Does he have some incredible playlists? He bets Spinelli’s got stuff no one’s ever heard of, right? Is he an aromatherapy wiz? He’s got to have something. Spinelli says, before Cody derails his train of thoughts by detailing his failed dating profile, he was trying to relate he’s not interested in Maximista. Cody says he doesn’t believe Spinelli, and Spinelli says, so that’s it then? He says it and it must be so? Cody says, he’s a good guy, he’s a good dad, he’s a genius with tech. He’s a total catch. Why doesn’t he just go for it? Spinelli says his relationship with Maxie is purely platonic. There was a time when they tried to make it more than that, and it became very clear that they’re better off as friends. So despite Cody’s cupid-ed-ness, it’s going to stay that way. Sasha tells Maxie, in the interest of full disclosure, this isn’t the first time she’s been to a hatchet range. Spinelli watches them.

Sonny says he’s not sure he’s hearing John right. John comes into his office tossing around things that happened more than thirty years ago. John says, they were more than accusations, and Sonny says he doesn’t remember them having angel wings back then. John says, Karen did, and Sonny says, yeah, Karen did. John married her, he cheated on her, and she divorced him. He guesses none of them did right by her. John says, Sonny did a hell of a lot worse than cheating, and Sonny says, there were things he did back then that he would have done differently, but here is when John’s going to shut his mouth, because he let John come in here, get in his face, and take a couple shots because he thought John was entitled to a couple shots. But he’s done. His freebies are used up. If this were thirty years ago – and John knows this – he wouldn’t have given John this latitude. John says, he’s mellowed with age? and Sonny says he’s gotten smarter, and he doesn’t have to prove it to John. John says, that much is true, and Sonny says, then what is John doing standing here, talking about saving his life? John says, trust him. It’s nothing he wants to be doing. He’d rather see Sonny rot. That’s what he deserves, but as an FBI agent, it’s his duty to notify Sonny that he’s in danger. Sonny says, you know what? He doesn’t care. He’s doing just fine. He doesn’t need any help from the Feds. John says he guesses he’s got it wrong then, and Sonny says, he’s got what wrong? John says, imagine his concern when he and his colleagues discovered he was the target of a very public attack in an action area filled with civilians. Sonny asks if he’s talking about… John says, the MetroCourt shooting. Trust him when he says they know more than Sonny thinks. They know Curtis Ashford was a bystander, collateral damage. They know Sonny or Anna Devane may have been the intended target, but their assessment is, that bullet was meant for Sonny.

Dex says he’s been saving for a rainy day, and Brick wonders how much rain they’re going to get. It looks like Dex is fixing to build an ark. Dex says, you never know, and Brick says, that’s true, you never know. He thanks Dex for the drinks, and Dex tells him to enjoy his evening. Brick goes back to the table and says, sorry to keep Jordan waiting. It won’t happen again. The server brings them glasses of champagne, and Jordan asks what they should toast to. His secret plan? He says, they can toast to whatever she’d like – they clink glasses – and he won’t be keeping any secrets from her. She says, so much for the secret part of the plan, and he says he knows she’s only here with him because she thought she owed him a favor, but she says, that’s not true… Not entirely true. He says, that’s okay. He doesn’t mind a bit. How many chances does a guy like him get to be seen with a woman like her? Beautiful, intelligent, accomplished. He considers himself quite a lucky man, but not that lucky. But it’s all part of the plan. He smiles.

Maxie asks Sasha to tell her everything before they get back. Did she and Cody finally admit they’re crazy about each other and should be dating? Sasha says, Maxie’s romance-colored glasses are distorting her vision, and Maxie asks if she’s sure. Maybe Sasha should get herself a pair. Sasha says she and Cody did actually talk about it and they both decided it’s better they stay friends. For the time being. Maxie says, congratulations. That sounds very adult and mature of them, but she doesn’t get it. If a great guy were into her, she’d be with him in a heartbeat.

Cody says, quick question. How good is Spinelli with a hatchet? Spinelli says, how good is anyone? and Cody says he just meant Spinelli wants to have fun and not stress out about it. Okay? Spinelli says he won’t because he won’t be participating in this charade, and Cody says, what he wants to do is have kind of a firm, but loose grip on the handle. Spinelli says, that’s contradictory, and Cody says, bring it up past his ear. He doesn’t want to tilt left or right. Aim with your elbow, lead with your chest. (I do this a few times, sans hatchet, to see what he means.) Spinelli makes a feeble attempt, and Cody says, maybe he’ll find his inner Viking once they get going. He’s going to be siting this one out. Spinelli asks what that means, and Cody says, nothing. He feels an off night coming. Spinelli says, Cody’s going to cheat. That’s dishonorable. Cody says, dude, do you want a date with Maxie or not? They go back into the main room, and Cody says, ladies, pick up your hatchets and may the best team win.

Carly says, Drew was so wonderful when Josslyn’s grandmother passed away. She’s sure she could have handled it all on her own, but she didn’t have to. He was with her every step of the way. One more reason to be grateful for him. Josslyn asks if she’s okay, when Drew comes back. He says, crisis averted, and Josslyn says she’s sorry, but she has to go. She’s meeting Dex at The Savoy. Carly says she’s surprised Josslyn is up for that, and Josslyn says, so was Dex, but one of his favorite bands is playing and honestly, just being with him and listening to music is exactly what she needs right now. Drew says he hears that, and Carly and Josslyn hug. Josslyn hugs Drew and thanks him. He says, of course (🍷), and she leaves. Carly says she wishes she could spare Josslyn this kind of grief, and he suggests they add it to the list of things they want to spare their kids from. She says, it’s a long list, and he says, it’s getting longer every day. She says she appreciates what he said to Josslyn earlier. Josslyn thinks the world of him. He says he thinks the world of her too. He hopes he can always live up to her expectations. She says, if he managed to talk Triton off the ledge, he can be her hero too. He says, about that, and she asks if they’re going to extend their contract. Tell her. He says, actually, that’s up to her.

Willow says she wishes she could tell Michael, but she doesn’t know yet, and he says, that’s okay. He’ll wait as long as it takes. When… if he moves back in again, he wants her to be fully confident in her decision. She says, part of her is worried that if they rush back in and pretend nothing happened, one day they’ll end up back here in the very same position, and he says he gets it. He has the exact same fear. He doesn’t like to think about it because he dreads the thought, especially now. She says, why now? and he says, because he’s trying to put the things he wrecked back together now and do it right. Before he came here, he went to see his dad and came clean about everything. She says, that must have been difficult, and he says he owed it to Sonny to be honest, even about how he blackmailed Nina. She says, that couldn’t have been easy for Sonny to hear or for him to say, and he says, it wasn’t. It’s going to take a while for him and his dad to get back to where they were again, but at least they’re being honest with each other. She says she’s glad to hear there’s hope. Hope is where it all starts. He says, there wouldn’t have been any without her. If she hadn’t encouraged him, he wouldn’t have talked to Sonny. He thought it was a lost cause. She says, maybe she doesn’t believe in lost causes, and he says, lucky him. She says, what he did was misguided, but she knows him and nothing is more important to him than protecting her and the kids. She knows his intentions were good. He says, it’s just his methods she has a problem with, and she says, at the end of the day, it’s not what you’ve done, it’s about what you’re doing to make things right.

Sonny says, John is telling him that he’s got this string of mob hits across the country, and he thinks they’re all connected. John says, they know they’re all connected, and Sonny asks why John is talking to him. He’s a coffee importer. (Ha-ha! But I’m starting to think so.) John says, he was the target of a shooting, and Sonny says, well, the coffee business has been pretty rough the last few years; the climate changed. (A bigger ha-ha!) John says, the FBI knows the pool shooting was connected to the others. The same M.O. from the shooter, the same type of firearm, the same target profile. Sonny says, sounds like they know everything. Why don’t they go catch the guy? John says, give him a break. He knows Sonny’s not sitting around doing nothing. He’s looking for the shooter too. But John has the resources to catch this guy. Sonny says, then do it, and John says, if Sonny cooperates and tells him what he knows, they can end this quick and neat. Sonny says, Jagger, you want my help? All you’ve got to do is ask.

Drew and Carly sit across from each other with the moss bowl🎍in between them in case a referee is needed. Drew says, whenever there’s a change at the top, advertisers get a little bit nervous. He was expecting some phone calls, but there haven’t been that many. He sang her praises to the guy at Triton and explained that the hit piece Gemma wrote for the Gazette was just that, a hit piece. Carly says she hates that he has to do this for her, and he says, what? Tell the truth? She’s the right person for the job. The fact that she got Salvadore back to Deception for the cover shoot proves just that. Even Triton knew who Salvadore was. Carly says she’s not surprised, and he says he may have been a little too convincing to be honest. Drew says, Triton is going to stay at Crimson only if she’s going to be Editor-in-Chief for the long haul. She says, that was not the plan, but he says, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good plan. They show a united front, show stability. They get a little bit of growth and they’re on their way. She says she doesn’t know, and he says, she’s the right person for the job. He knows it’s early days, but he can tell she likes the work. Admit it. She says, the more she settles into the role, the more she enjoys it, but Nina’s not going to make it easy. She’s got connections in the fashion industry. Nina’s already seizing every opportunity to sabotage her. (How are they blaming Nina for this when Drew just said advertisers get nervous about a big change?) Drew says, Nina sends him to prison and nearly gets him killed, and she’s still not satisfied. Carly says, that’s because she’s Nina. She’s petty and vindictive and she’s not going to stop. He says, until they stop her. He’s going to get Michael on the phone. He bets Michael reconsiders once he hears all this. She says, reconsiders what?

Willow tells Michael that she and Drew had a chance to talk when he brought the papers. If you spend five minutes with him, you can see the kind of pain he’s in, and that pain is changing him. Michael says, he just needs some time, but she says, it’s more than that. There’s this cruel streak that wasn’t there before. He wants Nina to suffer like he suffered. Michael says, can you blame him? and she says, no, of course (🍷) not, but she also knows that payback isn’t going to help Drew heal. He says, that’s for Drew to decide. All he knows is, he can’t have any part of it. She and the kids mean more to him than anyone, and she can decide what kind of relationship she wants with Nina. He’ll accept whatever she decides. Willow says she hates what Nina did. Petty, vindictive. His mother makes Nina feel insecure and she wanted Carly out of the way. She didn’t care how much damage she did. Because at the end of the day, Nina only cares about herself. But they can’t let Nina destroy their relationship the way she’s destroyed hers with Sonny. He says he has no idea what his dad is going to do. He doesn’t even know if his dad does. She says she doesn’t want that uncertainty for them, but trust is rebuilt slowly, and they have to respect each other enough to be honest. Michael says he agrees, and she says she promises to try if he will.

Brick says he believes in positive energy. Some might call it luck. It all starts with one drink with a beautiful, gorgeous woman, but who knows what happens next? She says she’s not sure she gets it. Is he planning on winning the lottery on his way home? He says, no. It’s the little things. You get home from a long, hard day at work, and the leftovers are still good, and your favorite movie is playing. She says, so a latte from her favorite coffee shop on the house because they mixed up the order or daffodils on her birthday, and he says, see? There you go. The unexpected pleasures, like being here with her tonight.

Josslyn hugs Dex and says she’s so happy to see him. He says he saw her post about Spencer. It had to be hard to write. Is she sure she’s up for this? She says she’s fine. Fine-ish. She just wants to be with him. He says, him too, but if she changes her mind, they can go whenever. She says, okay, and he says, cranberry soda? She says, yes, and he orders.

John says, if Sonny wants to play games, fine with him. He’ll tell his boss that Sonny turned down the ask, which is what he expected. Sonny says he’s sorry John wasted his time, and John says, when they take Sonny out – which they will – he’ll have a clear conscience. Sonny says he wishes he could help John, but he can’t because he doesn’t know anything. Even if he did, why would he tell somebody who’s hated him for two decades? John says, because he’s putting all that behind him (could have fooled me). Why can’t Sonny? Sonny says he appreciates it, but this is the end of their conversation. John says, if Sonny won’t save his own skin, what about the people around him, including his esteemed colleagues who are in the line of fire? Curtis Ashford can’t walk. How does Sonny think he’s going to react when he finds out Sonny won’t do everything he can to find out who shot him?

Carly tells Drew, Willow was blindsided when she found out Michael blackmailed Nina. He’s not staying at the gatehouse. Drew says he knows, and she says, then she’s surprised. Why would he ask Michael to go after Nina? He says, because Willow was upset because Michael went behind her back instead of telling her everything Nina had done. Willow isn’t in any hurry to defend Nina. Carly says she knows that. Willow loves Drew and she’s appalled by what Nina did. He says, so why not make Nina pay? and she says she doesn’t want to make Nina pay. Focusing on Nina only gives her more power than she deserves. She doesn’t want to that. The best revenge is to make Nina irrelevant, to move on with their lives. He says, and let her get away with everything she’s done? and she says she’s not letting Nina get away with anything. She just wants to focus on what’s right for the magazine and what’s right for them. Looking a bit like a madman, Drew says he’s not sure he agrees that’s what’s best, and Carly says, is he kidding? Nina is living proof that revenge can backfire. She got everything she said she wanted. She was engaged to Sonny and found out Willow was her daughter. She could have focused on that, but instead Nina came after her. And yes, Drew was damaged in the process, but Nina was damaged. She’s all but lost Sonny and Willow too. He says, she’s got more to lose, and believe him, she will, and Carly says she understands more than he knows how he feels about Nina, but if he wants her to stay on at Crimson, he’s going to have to leave Nina alone.

Michael says he’s in 100%, and Willow says, good. He says he knows moving back in doesn’t mean they still don’t have work to do, and he’ll do all of it. She asks if it has to be all work though, and he asks what she has in mind. She says she doesn’t know. Maybe they could talk, catch up, have a glass of wine. He says he would love all that, when Wiley comes stomping down the stairs, saying, daddy. Michael asks what he’s doing awake, and Wiley says he has to show Michale his new magic trick before he goes. It’s incredible. Willow says, guess what? Daddy’s staying tonight. Wiley says, in that case, his three new magic tricks, and Michael asks if they’re all incredible. Wiley nods, and Michael says, now? Wiley says, now, and Michael says, ask his mommy. Willow says, it’s more than okay, and Wiley says, it’s really four magic tricks. Michael says he had a feeling. Lead the way. They head upstairs, and Willow says she’ll wait up until after the show.

Cody tells Sasha that they have a lot riding on this bet. He can give her some pointers if she wants. She says, sure. What’s he got? He says, the thing people don’t know about hatchet throwing is, it’s all about mind/body connection, and it’s spiritual. She laughs.

Spinelli tells Maxie, in order to come through for her, he’ll do everything in his power, including – but not limited to – prayer and soul selling. She says she really doesn’t care if they lose. She’s just happy to get out of the house. He says he’s trying to stay out of her way at home, but he can do more if she tells him. He’s so beholden to her as a tenant. She says she was worried about how their living together would work, but it’s been kind of great, right? She’s almost hoping the pipes in his apartment never get fixed. That’s crazy, right? He says, no.

Sasha says Cody should build a hatchet range on that estate he wants to buy, and he says, at Serenity? Sure. If he’s ever in a position to buy that place, first thing to go in will be a hatchet range. She asks why he’s doubting it. She knows he can make it happen. He says he sure hopes so. These good looks aren’t going to last forever. She says, there’s a lot more to him than his good looks, and he says, like what? Maxie asks if they’re going to throw the hatchet or what, and Cody tells her to chill out and wait her turn. Sasha gets a bullseye, and Maxie says, what? They’ve been hustled.

Sonny tells John, what happened to Curtis is a tragedy and whoever did that is going to pay. But he’s been around long enough to know when a Fed is trying to provoke him. John says, then let him give Sonny a warning. Whoever this shooter is, he knows Sonny’s world. He knows how Sonny moves. If he’s come for Sonny, that only means one thing. It means he’s already in Sonny’s house. So watch your back.

Dex asks Josslyn to tell him the truth. Does she really want to be here?

Brick says, so, Jordan mentioned daffodils, and she says she did, didn’t she? He asks if it’s her favorite flower and she says, it’s definitely on the list. His phone dings, and he asks her to excuse him. He looks at the phone, then looks at Dex.

Josslyn says she wants to be with Dex, and he says, here, with all these people? She says, no, and he says, then let’s get out of here. They leave as Brick watches. He gets up and tells Jordan that he hates to do this more than she knows. He has to go. He can’t tell her what a wonderful evening it was. She says, maybe their paths will cross in the future, and he says, that’s the plan. He hands her a card and says he has her number. Now she has his private line. Maybe his luck will hold. He leaves.

Sonny says, this is the last time he and John are going to be alone together like this. If John wants to talk to him, he has to call Sonny’s lawyer Diane Miller. He’ll like her. John says, so that’s it? That’s the way it’s going to be? Sonny says, that’s the way it’s going to be, and John heads for the door. Sonny says, hey, Jagger, and John says, for the last time, it’s John. Sonny says, hey, John, welcome back, and Jagger John leaves.

Michael comes downstairs, apologizing that it took so long. He doesn’t think Wiley’s magic act is quite ready for Vegas yet. He sees Willow asleep on the couch and covers her with a blanket.

Cody says, Sasha did pretty good on that last one and she says, it must have been his tutelage. Also, she comes here a lot. He says, really? He wouldn’t have pegged her as a frequent thrower. She says, it’s been a tough couple of years. Some days she would come in here and she wouldn’t even care about throwing. She could have just chopped up the furniture or anything else she could get her hands on, but she’d settle for throwing the hatchet as far as she could. He says, she means at the target, and she says, does she? They laugh and she says, a few visits later, voila. He says, thankfully, one of them had a good night. He’s sorry. He feels like his game let them down. She says she noticed that his game was off. It was almost like he didn’t want them to win.

Maxie throws, and she and Spinelli get all excited. Maxie says she doesn’t want to brag. Who is she kidding? Of course (🍷) she wants to brag. She’s on fire tonight. She tells Spinelli that it’s his turn, and Spinelli gets a bullseye. Maxie squeals and they hug. Cody gives Spinelli a thumbs up.

Drew says, if it’s that important to the moss bowl🎍and Carly, he’ll put a pause on anything to do with Nina, but he doesn’t want Carly staying at Crimson if she’s unhappy there. She says she’s not unhappy. In fact, she’s warming up to the idea of staying on as Editor-in-Chief long term. She loves the people she gets to work with, and the fashion industry is thrilling. He says, she’s going to be blown away by the artists she gets to meet, and she says she can’t wait. She just wants to stay for the right reasons. Not to get back at Nina, but to build something great with him. He says he loves the sound of that, and they hug.

Dex and Josslyn spoon in bed, and she turns to him and says she’s sorry about him missing the show. He kisses her and says he’s right where he wants to be. She goes back to being the little spoon.

Brick walks into Sonny’s office and says he found something. Someone in his organization has an offshore bank account. He counted too many zeros. Three guesses as to who it belongs to. Sonny says he just needs one. Dex?

Smelled that one coming as soon as Michael paid Dex.

On Monday, Carly needs to talk to Diane and says, it’s an emergency; Trina tells Ava that she can’t live with this family; Michael tells Josslyn, someone Sonny trusts sold him out; and Drew tells Nina, keep playing with fire and see where it gets her.

🌹 She Could Be Handing Out Roses…

At best it was just hinted at by somebody who told somebody, but it’s a great idea. I never watch these shows as I always feel embarrassed for the contestants, but I’d watch it if she was on it.

🩺 She Botched It…

And he’s a real doctor.

🌴 What They’re Wearing…

Apparently, they’ve learned something since that top photo was taken. It looks like they’re going on a picnic in outer space.

💰 Longest Hiatus Ever…

Good to hear they’re getting a second chance, since they weren’t that awful… yet. Caroline Stanbury has always been one of my favorites.

🏈 Bowlin’ It…

First, the boring stuff.

https://people.com/how-to-watch-the-2024-super-bowl-8572420

Cliff Notes version of the boring stuff.

https://www.cbsnews.com/essentials/when-does-super-bowl-start-end-2024-timeline

The fun stuff.

https://ew.com/super-bowl-2024-performers-usher-halftime-reba-mcentire-national-anthem-8546391

🐕 A Bowl Full Of Cuteness…

Not so boring when it’s puppies.

https://people.com/how-to-watch-puppy-bowl-2024-where-to-stream-8559167

I just thought it was funny that this was in the Sporting News.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/puppy-bowl-2024-schedule-time-channel-stream/2d2d79415a95fc57f37625aa

The Bowl turns 20!

https://apnews.com/article/puppy-bowl-2024-20th-anniversary-fe5ab3507eb72f24e170d1cb23c28b52

You, too, can have your own Bowler.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/adopt

A spin-off success story.

https://people.com/puppy-bowl-referee-dan-scahaner-adopts-his-first-dog-8558579

🧧 Quotes of the Week

If I don’t go into that office every day, who am I? – Freddy Rumsen (Joel Murray), Mad Men

There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.Amanda Gorman

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Søren Kierkegaard

What’s the matter? You guys can’t do regular crack?Judge Mathis to guys doing combo drugs, Judge Mathis

Take the attitude of a student. Never be too big to ask questions. Never know too much to learn something new. – Augustine “Og” Mandino

We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing and inclusion. – Max de Pree

Life is about making an impact, not making an income. – Kevin Kruse

Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.Potter Stewart

When she says jump, you say, I wish I could. – Peggy Biggs (Rondi Reed), Mike & Molly

🐲 Dragon In the New Year…

Enjoy a Bowl this weekend even if it’s a cereal bowl, then join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not taking any game too seriously (unless you’re a professional player), and stay knowing the best revenge is to make someone irrelevant by moving on with your life.

February 8, 2024 – Commissioner Devane Is Reinstated, Jagger, Very Soon, 80s Fun, Her Message, Leaving Atlanta, Joining Us, Dragon New Year, Rescue Bowling & What

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Michael goes to Sonny’s office and asks if he can come in. Sonny says, sure. What’s he doing here? Michael says, they haven’t spoken since New Year’s. The longer they wait, the harder it will be to have this conversation.

Nina goes over some business with Trish at the MetroCourt, when Carly comes in. She tells Trish, dinner for two, and Trish says, her guest is waiting. She brings Carly to a table where a man introduces himself as Bryson Somebody-or-Other, and they shake hands. Obviously familiar with Bryson, Nina wonders what Carly is up to.

Drew comes to the gatehouse with paperwork for Michael, and Willow says, he’s not here, but she’ll let him know Drew dropped it off. He tells her to have a good evening, and starts to leave, but Willow says she’s glad he and Michael are on good footing again. He says, him too, and he hopes things are better between her and Michael. She says, they’re working through it, and he says, he was just trying to protect his family. Drew’s not condoning anything. He’s just saying he gets that. She says, so does she. Michael’s impulse is always to control a situation, but she would rather know the truth than be protected from it. She thinks Michael understands that now. He says he’s really glad Michael was able to put Nina behind him, and she says, from the sound of things, Drew hasn’t been able to put Nina behind him.

Gregory, Chase, and Finn sit at a table at Charlie’s discussing basketball, and Lois approaches. She says, who knew the Chase boys were such Knicks fans? She thinks they were heard all the way to the Garden. Chase says, actually, his dad was rooting for Boston, and Gregory tells him, keep it quiet. They’re in a home team bar. Lois says she doesn’t mean to interrupt their post-game wrap-up, but can she steal their dad for a minute? Chase wonders if it’s about the rehearsal dinner, but she says, that’s none of his beeswax, and they sit at another table. Chase asks why Finn is watching their dad so close, but Finn says he’s not. Chase says, Finn was sneaking looks at him the whole game. What’s going on? Finn says he thinks their dad might be worse off than he’s telling them.

At the station, Jordan says, it is with great pleasure she reinstates Anna Devane as Commissioner of the Port Charles Police Department. Welcome back, Commissioner Devane. She gives Anna her badge, and everyone applauds. Anna thanks Jordan and Dante asks if she has any words for the crew on her first official day back. She says she’s very grateful to the mayor’s department for entrusting her with this role, and she’d like to acknowledge the fact that the baton is being passed by two great Commissioners, Jordan Ashford and Mac Scorpio. It is a profound honor to guide and support the hard-working officers of the PCPD. They all share the same goal, which is to protect and serve the good citizens of Port Charles. John walks in, and Anna says, and anyone who’s not with them is against them.

Dante wonders if they can trust John, and Jordan says, Anna seems to. Let’s take our lead from her.

In the interrogation room, John says, nice office, and Anna says, hers is being decorated. He says, of course (🍷). She took the job on short notice. She says, let’s get to it, shall we? She wants him to know, the PCPD is officially running an investigation on the cache stolen from the WSB and their buyers. He says, there’s still an FBI investigation, and she says she’s aware, but the way she sees it, the crime was originally committed here in her jurisdiction, putting the community of Port Charles in harm’s way. And a possible conspirator was apprehended, here, again in her jurisdiction. So the FBI can accept a partnership with the PCPD, or respectfully get the hell out of her way.

Lois tells Gregory that the rehearsal dinner used to be referred to as the groom’s dinner, so she wants to make sure her future son-in-law is well taken care of. He says, it looks like she’s going all out. Be careful or she might upset a lifetime of him and Chase’s mother trying not to spoil him. Lois says, a little spoiling never hurt anyone. Besides, she wants to take advantage of this. It’s been a while since she’s lived so close to Brook. You never know how much time you get to spend together as a family. Gregory tells her, you can say that again.

Finn tells Chase, after Spencer’s funeral, Gregory had trouble breathing. That wasn’t the first time he had an incident. The first time was with Tracy, and it’s got him wondering, what happens when he’s alone, or what could happen. What if he falls down? What if he needs an ambulance? Chase says, all that is very concerning, but it hasn’t happened yet. They’ve been lucky. Finn says, so far. He was wondering if it’s not time for their dad to stop living on his own.

At the MetroCourt bar, Martin tells Nina that he hasn’t got long. He’s leaving town today. She says she needs his legal help, and he says, his ears must deceive him. He was unaware he’d won back her trust. She says, he hasn’t, but he owes her.

Carly says she’s glad Bryson could meet on such short notice, and he says he agreed to this dinner as a courtesy. His firm has been advertising in Crimson for years. She says, and she’d like to show her appreciation. She knows that Windsor and Golden and Crimson have both enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, and she sees no reason for that to end. He says, here’s a reason. Her relationship is garnering bad press.

Willow asks if it isn’t enough that Drew has taken Crimson away from Nina and given it to Carly to run. Nina lived for that magazine. He asks if she’s feeling sorry for Nina, because Nina doesn’t deserve that. She says she can’t help feeling partly responsible. She didn’t tell anyone about her diagnosis, and of course (🍷) the second Carly found out, she admitted Nina was her mother, but Nina blamed Carly for keeping the secret, which is what triggered Nina to do what she did. Willow set everything in motion, now everyone is suffering. Just as the family was finally coming together, they’ve completely fallen apart. He says he’s going to stop her right there because she doesn’t need to take responsibility for Nina. Nina brought this on herself. She deserves to pay the consequences. She says her concern isn’t for Nina. Her concern is for him. Carrying a grudge, meting out punishment? That’s not him. The Drew she knows is kind and forgiving. Is that man lost forever?

Michael says he started to call Sonny a dozen times, and Sonny asks, what stopped him? Michael says he wasn’t sure Sonny would answer, and Sonny says, so he thought he’d come here, where Sonny could throw him out? Michael says, it hasn’t happened yet, and Sonny tells him, that depends on what he has to say. Michael says he came to tell Sonny that he’s sorry and he hopes Sonny can forgive him.

Drew tells Willow, people change. Maybe the old Drew died in Pentenville. Willow says, Drew didn’t deserve what happened to him, and she hates that Nina’s vengeance put him in that position, especially after he saved her life. He says, all that matters is that she’s healthy and well, and he’d do anything for her in a heartbeat. She says, that sounds like the Drew she knows and loves. Please don’t let what happened to him in Pentenville change who he is. He says, maybe everything just caught up with him. Pentenville isn’t the only time he was put behind bars under terrible circumstances. The guy she knew with the rosy outlook took work to cultivate after everything Victor did to him for years, so that people wouldn’t be uncomfortable around him, so they wouldn’t worry about him. He just was so happy being back with his family and friends, he didn’t want to look back, but the joke was on him. He just went from one hellhole to another. And the thing about the attack, he didn’t see that coming. The threats were right in front of his face, and he missed them, and that’s not him either. How did he end up on the floor of a prison shower, bleeding out? Because he let his guard down. He literally turned his back, and she can trust him that it’s never going to happen again. She says, he’s been through a lot. She has too, not as extreme as him of course (🍷), but despite all that, she still believes in the power of forgiveness. And not just for the people who wronged us, but for ourselves. He says, good for her. He’s not there yet.

Nina says she’s considering starting her own magazine, and Martin says, no doubt, something to rival her old publication. She wants to go toe to toe with Crimson. What inspired this? She says, actually, Valentin suggested it. She’s warming to the idea, but only if she can use the best features of Crimson, those she developed when she was Editor-in-Chief. He asks how she proposes to do that, and she says, that’s where he comes in. She calls hello to Brook, who comes over. Brook says she’s going to do Olivia a favor by not telling Nina exactly what she thinks of her in the middle of the restaurant she co-owns. She walks away, and Martin asks, what just happened? Nina says, her attorney couldn’t keep his big mouth shut.

Bryson tells Carly that they’re aware of public sentiment. There was already concern when their highly regarded Editor-in-Chief Nina Reeves was replaced, suddenly and without cause. You add to that the controversial article about Carly and her publisher boyfriend, at this time, they’re not convinced their brands align with where this new Crimson is going. Carly says she appreciates straight talk, so she’s just going to respond in kind. Crimson magazine has just changed hands. Their editorial mission statement still remains the same, a celebration of style, art, and provocative journalism. And the publisher and owner of Aurora Media, Drew Cain, shares her mission to maintain the impeccable quality that their readers are familiar with. And she’s confident the public is going to understand this. She knows he said he wanted to suspend advertising with them, but she wants the opportunity to explain to him why she thinks he should reconsider. They want to take what’s working with Crimson and elevate the rest. He says, that’s all great, but how is she going to do that if her photographers and designers are booking other gigs rather than staying loyal to Crimson or to her?

John says, his superiors see the benefit of working with the PCPD, and Anna says, but he doesn’t. Well, it’s not his call, is it? He says, whether he agrees or not is irrelevant. Information will be provided – Jordan and Dante come in – on a need-to-know basis, and he’ll be the one to determine what qualifies. Anna says, Detective Falconari is one of her most senior officers and she trusts him implicitly. Deputy Mayor Ashford will be reporting to Mayor Collins about all of the federal operations here in Port Charles. John says, fine, but this circle of trust doesn’t get any wider. Any leaks could have deadly applications. Anna says she thinks they all understand that. Does he want to bring them up to speed? He says, her first. What information did she go to jail to hide from him?

Sonny says, Michael told him that he withheld the truth about Nina because he didn’t want to hurt him, but he doesn’t think that’s the only reason. Michael says, Sonny is the only reason he kept quiet. When he found out Nina was the SEC informant, it was after Sonny and Nina exchanged vows. How could he say anything in that moment? It would have affected everybody there. Not just Sonny and Willow and Nina, but Wiley, Kristina, Donna. And honestly, would Sonny have believed him, or given his history with Nina, would he have thought Michael was trying to sabotage her? Sonny says, they’ll never know because Michael didn’t say anything, and Michael says he needed to get evidence first. Sonny says, Michael could have pulled him aside and tried as hard as he could, but he didn’t want to do that. Why? Michael says, because once he decided to keep quiet about what Nina did, he needed to find another way to protect his family, and Sonny says, protect them how? Michael says he leveraged the truth against Nina to keep her away from them.

Anna tells John, O’Neal claims he sold multiple weapons from the stolen WSB shipment to a single buyer. One of the weapons was the rifle used to shoot Curtis Ashford. O’Neal also claims that this client is based here in Port Charles. John says, so this shooter could be right under their nose, and Dante says, this alleged client could have resold the weapons or maybe he’s part of a larger group. John says, at this point, they lack the evidence to rule out either scenario, and Jordan says, then start with what he knows. Anna says, his turn to share information with them, and John says, four individuals have been targeted for assassination since the unmarked weapons were stolen, and there’s a common denominator. Dante says, which is what? and John says, all four individuals were high-level organized crime figures.

Michael says he recorded Martin Grey admitting Nina ordered him to turn in Carly and Drew in to the SEC, and he intended on playing the recording for Sonny, but he pleaded for Nina instead. He gave her two options. Either she admitted what she did and face the consequences, or she let him decide when and how she got to see Willow and the kids. Sonny says, he blackmailed her? and Michael says, Nina had every chance to come clean about what she did, and she didn’t. That is on her. Then Ned remembered and started to push Nina, but Nina came to him to buy Ned off. That was his second mistake. He should have just called Ned’s bluff and let him expose her if that’s what he wanted. He struck a deal with Ned to keep the peace, but it didn’t matter because Lois found out anyway, and the whole thing blew up. Sonny asks why Nina didn’t come to him instead of living a lie, and Michael says, because bottom line is, she’s guilty. And she was desperate to keep the truth from Sonny and Willow because she thought neither one of them would forgive her. Sonny says, what about Michael? Where would Michael stand with him if he did?

Carly tells Bryson not to believe everything he hears. Crimson still boasts the most sought-after collaborators in the industry. He says, they enjoyed a long and profitable relationship with Nina Reeves, but Carly is untested. He’ll be frank, they have doubts. She says she can assure him this transition will be seamless. She’s already elevated her Senior Editor to Managing Editor. The Crimson he knows, and loves is only going to get better. His phone rings and he says he has to take this. He gets up and says, they can discuss terminating their current agreement when he gets back. He leaves, and Brook comes by. She says, Carly doesn’t seem to be enjoying her dinner companion, and Carly says, it’s really hard to enjoy dinner when it can cost her 2.1 million annual. Brook says, ouch.

Martin tells Nina, to be fair, long before she had him alert the SEC to Carly and Drew’s insider trading, she had a knack for alienating people. Bryson comes over, and Nina asks how he is. What’s going on? He says, it’s a complete waste of time. Crimson without her? Unthinkable. They give each other a Hollywood kiss as Carly watches. Carly says, well, that explains it.

Lois tells Gregory that she’s happy Brook found her independence, but to be honest, that’s not how she grew up. In their house, family was a generational thing. Brook grew up with her grandparents just like Lois did, with her aunt, her uncle, her two cousins living two doors down. It’s what they call the Bensonhurst Brigade. Gregory says he’s familiar with the term, and there’s a lot to be said for that. But he’s curious. When she was growing up, did she ever find that intrusive? Lois says, waiting for the bathroom was like waiting in line for the Cyclone in Coney Island. And there were eyes on you at all times. They were loving eyes, but they were there to keep you honest. But family is family, right? And looking back, she’s got to say she’s so glad she got to know her parents and her grandparents as well as she did. Violet must really appreciate him living so close by.

Chase asks if Finn is thinking about putting their dad in a long-term care facility, and Finn says, what is he talking about? No. Chase says, Finn doesn’t want their dad to live alone. He lives in a one-bedroom apartment with Brook, so he assumes Finn is talking about his place. Finn says, things will be tight with Violet there, but he thinks he can move his office to the small bedroom. Chase says he doesn’t think their dad would care about the amount of space. The main challenge would be their dad feeling like Finn is taking away his independence.

Chase says, their dad has his challenges; there’s no two ways about it. But he’s still able to navigate them. He sees what Finn is saying about all the things that can go wrong with him living alone, but for now, that hasn’t happened. They’ll get him a watch that will send an alert when he falls. Finn says, he wants to rely on a watch, but Chase says he wants to rely on their dad. He thinks there’s a way they can keep a close eye on him without being too intrusive. Then they can step in if they see a problem. But they should let him keep his independence for as long as possible and get him a watch.

Gregory asks Lois, how was it living with her grandparents? Does she think they felt infantilized by having their kids taking care of them? She says, is he kidding her? They loved it. It kept them young. He knows the saying, it takes a village? Well, that only works if you actually have a village. And as they got older, they knew somebody was always going to be there to help them out. They really loved that, especially when it came to the TV remote and the microwave. Anyway, she has to go, but she’ll keep him posted on everything about the rehearsal dinner as soon as the vendors confirm. He says, vendors? and holds out his hand. She says, stop it with that. They’re almost family. She kisses his cheek, wipes the lipstick off, and leaves.

Brook says, Carly just took over. She’ll make her mark and then everyone will forget all about Nina Reeves. Carly says, unfortunately, she’s not off to a great start. Advertisers and contributors are threatening to cut ties with the magazine, and if she loses Bryson’s account, it could really affect the bottom line. They see Bryson tell Nina goodbye, and Brook asks what she can do, but Carly says, nothing. She doesn’t need to worry about this; this is not her problem. Brook says, of course (🍷) it is. Nina is doing everything in her power to undermine Carly. (Apparently, it doesn’t take much, since she really hasn’t done anything.) This is the same woman who let everyone believe Brook’s father turned Carly over to the SEC when he had a head injury and couldn’t even defend himself. Is she over it? Not even a little bit. Let’s do this. They can get Windsor and Golden back. They just have to be a little creative.

Nina says, as Martin can see, she’s the one with the relationships, and he says, the gentleman certainly seemed to hold her in high esteem. Nina says, Bryson is an ad rep for Windsor and Golden. For years, they were Crimson’s top advertisers, but no more. Which positions them beautifully to be one of the first ad buys in her venture. What she needs now is her staff getting compete clauses waived. Can he get around that?

Michael says, if Sonny decides to forgive Nina or if he doesn’t, it’s not for him to judge, but Sonny says, that wasn’t an answer to his question. Michael says he thinks they’re all better off without Nina in their lives, but he won’t pursue any further action to drive her away. If Willow wants to let her back in, he’ll have to live with that. Sonny says, all right. What about him? Michael says, no matter who Sonny is with, he’ll always have a place in Wiley and Amelia’s lives, and Sonny says he loves those kids. He hated being estranged all those months. Michael says, it’ll never happen again, and he hopes Sonny will choose to be a part of his life too. He can’t promise to like or trust Nina, but he can’t allow Nina to cost him his wife or his father.

Anna says, it seems to her that whoever is ordering these hits is cutting a swathe across the country. Would this be mafia power grabs or what? John says, that’s what’s puzzling. No one is stepping forward to claim responsibility. There’s been no resulting turf wars. Anna says, that would suggest it’s not business, it’s personal, and Dante asks what they’re doing to protect those who’ve been targeted. John says, they’re not in the business of protecting criminals. If they’re going to nail this perp, they can’t tip them off that they know the pattern. Dante says, so what John’s telling them is, he just wants to get his guy and to hell with saving lives?

Finn says he understands Chase’s point, but he’s still uneasy about this. Gregory comes back and says, uneasy about what? Finn says, the Knicks chances of making it to the finals, and Gregory says, good luck with that. Chase asks if everything is okay with Lois, and Gregory says, yes. She was telling him about how she grew up in a multigenerational home and it got him to thinking. He’s had a couple of health scares recently. Nothing to be alarmed about, but enough to make him wonder if it’s wise to live alone. He doesn’t want to intrude on Finn, but it might make sense to be near a doctor (and Finn gets free babysitting!). Finn says he’s sure they can work something out. It would be nice to have Gregory in the apartment, someone to keep an eye on Violet in case he has an emergency at the hospital. But only if it’s something Gregory really wants. Gregory says, yes, he does. I wonder why they don’t they pool their money and get a big-ass house for everybody.

John says, sounds to him like Dante’s personal connection could be a problem, and Dante says, sounds to him like John’s personal animosity toward Sonny could be a problem. (Touché!) Anna says, everyone in this room has a personal connection to Sonny. Let’s just get that out of the way. But she thinks they also share a determination to bring whoever is behind these shootings to justice. That should be their one and only focus. Jordan says she agrees. Whoever is behind this is organized, calculated, and doesn’t care about collateral damage. Anna says, they need to be stopped before they hurt anyone else. She asks if she can have a word with John, and Jordan says she has some calls to make. She’ll be right outside if she’s needed. She leaves and Dante starts to follow, when John says, what Dante’s been told is classified. Dante leaves, and Anna asks if that was necessary. John asks if she doesn’t think he’s going to warn his old man, and she says, of course (🍷) he wants to, but he won’t. John should be the one to do that. John says, no. Tipping off Sonny Corinthos just gives him a pass for vigilante justice. Anna says, or it enables him to check in with his security and figure out how to protect himself. She understands there’s no love lost between him and Sonny, but he shouldn’t let that cloud his judgement. He asks, what’s that supposed to mean? and she says, despite his disapproval, Sonny means the world to a lot of people. Tell her. What would he think Stone would want him to do? That’s kind of what I was thinking. Why is John so pissed at Sonny when Sonny was so good to Stone?

Sonny tells Michael that sometimes he looks at Nina and still sees the woman he married. Then he thinks of Donna and how close she came to losing her mother to a prison sentence, and Drew getting close to being beaten to death in Pentenville. And Nina set all that in motion. Michael says he realizes it’s not his right to make decisions for the people he loves. So if Sonny wants to forgive Nina and let her back into his life again, it won’t affect their relationship. That is, if they still have a relationship.

Drew stares into the fire, and Willow comes downstairs. She says, sorry it took so long. Amelia is still adjusting to the sippy cup. He says he can’t believe she’s one now, and she says, her neither. She and Michael didn’t want to have a big birthday celebration, especially with everything going on. They kept it just them and the kids. Drew says he gets that. He missed out on so many birthdays with Scout. That’s time he’ll never get back. She says, but they have the rest of their lives now, and he says, her outlook is remarkable. She says she realizes some people might find her too forgiving, but she doesn’t view that as a weakness. Actually, it’s been the key to her survival. Forgiveness and gratitude have helped her over the worst things that have happened to her. She’s just so thankful to be alive and well, everything else takes a backseat to that. He says he thinks she’s one of the strongest people he knows, and she says, same. She’s standing here raising her children thanks to him. He says, she did all the work. She’s standing here because she’s a fighter. She says she didn’t fight alone. He flew across the globe and put his life on the line to bring her bone marrow donor home. Would he still do that today for her? Or would punishing Nina take precedence? He says he wouldn’t think twice. He would never turn his back on her. She says, even if she let him down, and he tells her, like he said, people change, but some things don’t. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the people that he loves, but Nina is not one of them.

Martin says, Nina doesn’t need a lawyer. She needs a magician. Aurora’s contracts are ironclad. He’d have to be Houdini to get anybody released from something like that. Then again, it is her money, and if she wants him to waste time and energy… She says, forgive her, but he’s going to do this pro bono because she did him a favor. He broke attorney/client privilege. She could have him disbarred. He asks exactly how she’s going to do that, prove that privilege was breached. Is she going to get Michael Corinthos to sign an affidavit? Once again, she’s doing this all wrong. She’s going about it the wrong way. If she starts the conversation like that, he’s not inclined to help her. He’ll peruse the contracts and look for a loophole, some way to get her staff released. But not because of her threat… Stop grinning at him. Not because she threatened him, but because he accepts responsibility for the part he played in what happened. She says she’s glad he recognizes that. She’s focused on two things. One, she wants her staff back. He says he’s got that part, and she says, and two, she wants Crimson to eat her dust.

Brook says she’s sure Salvadore will be thrilled to accept. The entire team at Deception is thrilled with how seamlessly Carly has taken control. Bryson approaches the table, and Carly thanks Brook so much. Brook asks if she’s in his seat, and he says, is she at Deception? Carly says, Brook is Deception. She and her grandmother Tracy are the majority shareholders. Brook says, and he is? and he says he’s Bryson Daugherty. They shake hands, and Carly says, he’s Crimson’s longstanding advertising rep with Windsor and Golden. Bryson asks if he just heard her mention Salvadore, the photographer. That guy’s a phenomenal talent. Brook says she thinks so too, and he says he heard Salvadore was boycotting Crimson. Carly says she told him not to believe everything he hears. Does Brook mind if she shares the good news about the Face of Deception? Brook says, by all means, and Carly says she offered Sasha Gilmore the cover to be designed by a top designer and to be shot by Salvadore. He says, that is exciting, both for her and Deception. He tried to make a marketing deal with Lucy Coe, but they just could never agree on terms. Brook says, just like Crimson, Deception is under new management, and Carly says, which means, new opportunities. Would he like to join them and throw around some ideas? Bryson says he’s all ears and sits with them.

Nina sees Bryson shaking hands with Carly and ducks around the corner. Bryson says he looks forward to working with Carly and goes to the elevator. Carly approaches Nina and says, she’s right. The magazine industry is tough. Good thing she’s tougher. She gets in the elevator with Bryson and Brook, tossing her head like a circus pony. Martin tells Nina that he has to get going. He’s got to catch a flight, but if she needs any more legal advice, rub the lamp and he’ll be in touch. She says, wait. She just realized what she wants him to do.

Gregory says, it will be nice moving in with Finn and Violet. It will give them more time together as a family. Chase says he’s not going to lie. He’s feeling a little FOMO right now. Gregory laughs and asks if Chase is impressed that he knows what that means. Violet hipped him to it. Chase says he was impressed until Gregory said hipped, and Gregory tells Finn, if he moves in, Violet is going to start asking questions. They’re going to have to tell her about his disease. Finn says he knows. Maybe they can tell her together. Gregory says, together sounds good.

Willow walks Drew to the door and says, Michael seems more at peace now that he’s dropped his vendetta against Nina. She just wants the same thing for him. Drew says, maybe Michael’s a better man than him right now, and she says, still, she won’t stop wishing. He says, she probably won’t, tells her to take care, and leaves. Willow calls Michael, who asks if everything is okay. She says, everything’s fine. Drew brought over some paperwork for him. He thanks her and says he’ll pick it up later when he comes by to tuck the kids in. She says, or he could just stay here at the gatehouse tonight. There’s plenty of room and the kids would like waking up to him in the morning. He asks if she’s sure, and she says she’d like it too. He says, okay. He’ll see her at home.

Dante tells Anna that he’s sorry if he was out of line. He doesn’t want to be taken off this investigation, but he also doesn’t want to undermine it at the same time. They’re talking about information that could be the difference between his father living or dying. Anna asks if there’s any way around this, and Jordan says, not unless she wants to start her tenure as Commissioner under fire, but Dante says he’s not asking her to compromise herself. He’ll deal with it. Anna says, don’t. He’s worried about his father. She is too. That’s why she just pressured John to do the right thing. He says he’s not going to hold his breath. The thing is, he had information to offer up before Agent Cates took off. Jordan asks, what’s going on? and Dante says, Sonny thinks the shooter could be known to him. Jordan says, part of his organization, and Dante says, possibly. The shooter’s getting information from inside his organization. He doesn’t want Sonny left in the dark. He doesn’t want Sonny overlooking the real threat while he’s off chasing shadows.

There’s a knock at Sonny’s office door and Frank comes in. He says, there’s a federal agent here to see Sonny, and Sonny asks if he has a warrant. Frank says, no. He said he just wants a word. Sonny throws up his hands, and Frank lets John in. John says, long time, no see, Sonny, and Sonny says, Jagger Cates, and smiles. John asks if he has a minute.

Tomorrow, Brick says, Jordan needs to consider the much bigger picture; Drew says, it’s up to Carly; Willow tells Michael that maybe she doesn’t believe in lost causes; and Sonny tells John to take his best shot.

🚓 Returning From the Night Shift…

Funny. He doesn’t look like Antonio Sabato, Jr.

🚴‍♂️ He’s This-Close…

Monday, March 4th. Be there or miss Jason’s entrance.

👖 A Flock Of Gearys…

Good times in the 80s.

Check Out a Vintage Commercial Starring Multiple Anthony Gearys!

❤️‍🩹 Sharing Her Heart…

Wise words from a beautiful soul.

Kristina Wagner Shares a Beautiful Message About Grief

🍑 Atlanta’s Loss…

I can’t say I blame her. She’s too talented for this.

https://people.com/kandi-burruss-departs-real-housewives-of-atlanta-ahead-season-16-8558560

Those with the feels.

📋 Casting a Character…

No doubt she’ll be interesting.

https://people.com/the-last-of-us-catherine-ohara-joins-season-2-8558192

🐉 Year Of the Dragon…

Read all about it.

https://chinesenewyear.net

The condensed version.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/lunar-new-year-2024-illustrated-guide-intl-hnk/index.html

🐾 Tail Wagging Bowls…

Another Bowl worth watching. I got one of my cats from North Shore Animal League. I went in for a kitten, and came out with the biggest one there. He grabbed my coat and cried as I was walking by. How could I leave him? He was a great cat too. RIP Kipling.

https://ew.com/great-american-rescue-bowl-meet-precious-puppies-and-kittens-8549899

https://ew.com/watch-adorable-kittens-displaced-hawaii-fires-8558122

🏒 A Hockey Game Broke Out At This Fight…

U-turn it back tomorrow for soap and pre-Bowl shenanigans. Until then, stay safe, stay being fully present in your interactions, and stay considering belief in the power of forgiveness. Not just for the people who wronged you, but for yourself.

February 7, 2024 – A Funeral Is Held For Spencer, Thoughts, Letting It Go In Sitges & Stand

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

As Doc and Laura put a white rose on Spencer’s grave, and in a voiceover, Alexis asks how they’re expected to say goodbye to Spencer. He was so young. He was so vibrant and good (the latter being a matter of opinion). He had his whole life ahead of him, and she can’t fathom it really. And yet here they are now, all of them, having to pick up and go on without him. She doesn’t want to, and she knows none of them do either. Cyrus places a white rose on the grave, and Alexis says, so she’s been trying to figure out a way to sum up Spencer, aptly describe who he was – Sonny puts a rose with the others – as it turns out, that’s a very difficult task, because Spencer was so many things; he was complex. Ava puts a rose down, and Alexis says, as a young boy, Spencer was bewildering, precocious, precious, and fun. Trina walks to the grave with Portia, and Alexis says, he was mature beyond his years. Spencer had a knack of entertaining and aggravating them all at the same time. Before their eyes, he grew up into this confident, curious young man, magnetic really. Larger than life – Josslyn adds her rose – and he was able to captivate you with his soulfulness and his depth. At the same time, he could make you laugh so hard, you cried. Kristina arrives at the cemetery, and Alexis says, but he grew up to be strong and grounded – Josslyn hugs Trina – and he took responsibility for his choices. She was so intensely proud of him. Cameron places a rose with the others, and Alexis says she knows she’s not alone in saying she’ll miss him every day, but if they can’t hold on to Spencer in the flesh – Cameron hugs Trina – at least they can hold him in their hearts, fiercely, tightly. Alexis puts her rose down, and we hear her say, and maybe in his honor, get up to a little bit of mischief, because she knows that’s what he would have wanted for all of them. We see everyone gathered at the cemetery.

Michael wipes his shirt with a towel and picks up Wiley’s workbook, wondering how Willow makes this look so easy. Willow comes in and asks if he’s having trouble. He says he got Wiley off to school, but he forgot his workbook. He gave Amelia breakfast, and she got it all over his shirt and her hair and her face. She says, his face, and wipes it. He asks what her secret is, and she says, the secret is, there is no secret. Just be here. Have someone capable on call when you can’t be. She’s lucky that way. In a lot of ways actually. Sometimes it feels too easy to forget. He says, on days like today, it’s important to remember.

Trina says she can’t believe this is happening, and Cameron says he’s so sorry. She says she’s sorry for him too, both him and Josslyn. She doesn’t know if she said that. She loved Spencer more than anything, but the three of them had been friends since they were kids. Josslyn says hi to Cameron and asks if she can get one of those. He hugs her, and she says she’s so happy he came. He asks if she thinks he wouldn’t and she says, no. She knows he would. He says he’ll see them at Windymere, and Josslyn says she’ll be there, but Trina says she’s not sure. She doesn’t think she can handle all that. Cameron tells her to take care of herself, and she says she’ll try. He says, if she needs absolutely anything… She says she knows.

Sonny hugs Alexis and says, she was great. She says she feels like it was all a blur, but he says, she was still great. Laura joins them and says, that was a beautiful eulogy. She thanks Alexis, and Alexis says, it was an honor. Laura says, transportation to the launch is ready if they care to go, and she thanks Ava for opening up the house. Ava says, of course (🍷). She’s happy to do it. Laura says she knows a lot of people think Windymere is just a pile of rocks, but to Spencer, it was very special. It was his home for a very long time. Ava says she’ll see them there and goes over to Trina, hugging her. She asks how Trina is doing and Trina says she’s pretty numb right now, but in five minutes she’ll probably be a puddle on the floor. Ava says, that’s grief. She guesses it’s like a roller coaster. There’s so much she wants to say to Trina, but Trina says, Ava doesn’t have to say anything. Ava’s always been there for her, supported her, even when Ava had her doubts about Spencer. Ava says, he certainly proved her wrong. She’s so sorry he’s gone, but she’s here for Trina, and she’ll always be here for Trina. Portia joins them, and Ava asks if they’re coming to Windymere. Portia thanks her for the offer, but she thinks she’s taking Trina home. Ava says she understands and hugs Trina again, saying, remember, she’s just a phone call away. Ava leaves, and Portia says, unless Trina wants to go. She’ll leave that up to her. Trina says she’s tired and suggests they go home.

Elizabeth tells Cameron that it must be surreal, losing his oldest friend, and he says, oldest friend and oldest adversary. Finn says, do tell, and Elizabeth says, the competition between Spencer and Cameron is legendary, all the way back to the two of them fighting over Emma Drake. Cameron says he’s going to miss giving Spencer a hard time, and Elizabeth says she knows. Gregory says, they’re very sorry for his loss, and Finn says, whatever he needs. Cameron thanks them and tells Elizabeth that he’ll see her at home after the reception. She says, Aiden’s been baking all morning, so get ready, and Cameron leaves. Finn asks if they should head out, but Elizabeth says she just has that one thing first. He says, the offer of back-up still stands, and she says, thank you, but she’ll be fine.

Sonny asks if Dante and Sam are going to Windymere, and Dante says they are. Is Sonny? Sonny says, it’s the least he can do for his nephew, and Dante says, see him there.

Laura says she can’t tell Cameron what it does for her soul to see him here. She’s missed him. He says, it’s good to see her too, and she asks if he’s all right. He says he will be eventually, and she says she knows the feeling. The car is ready if Doc is. Doc says he’ll catch up. He needs to take care of something. Laura and Cameron leave.

Finn says, dad? and Gregory says, sorry. He was just thinking. Finn says, he doesn’t have to apologize for that, and Gregory says he wanted to be cremated, but now he doesn’t know. He thinks maybe he wants a spot of his own. The right plot, the right marker, the right words. He wants that for all of them, a place that they can gather and share memories; tell him about all the good times they’re having. Finn says, he doesn’t have to think about that right now, but Gregory says, that’s all he can think about. I think I won’t care what happens after I’m gone, since I won’t be here.

Elizabeth kneels by a grave that has no headstone, just a marker that says, Esme Prince. (Is Doc cheap?) She puts down a white rose and adjusts the sign. Doc joins her and adds another rose.

Finn says he hopes that doesn’t mean Gregory can’t talk about his ALS or what the future will look like. He can. He wants Gregory to… He just meant the burial stuff. They’re not there yet. Gregory says he knows what Finn meant. He’s getting a little cold. He thinks he’ll wait… He gasps for breath, and Finn asks, what’s wrong?

At home, Portia gives Trina a letter from the Sorbonne, and Trina opens it. She says, they’re saying they’ll save a spot for her next semester. Curtis says, that’s decent of them, and Trina says, it is, but there’s no way she’s going back to Paris. Ever. Portia says, she doesn’t have to, and Curtis says, it holds painful memories for her. They get it. Portia says she’s sure PCU can find Trina a different… but Trina says she doesn’t think they understand. Curtis asks her to help them understand, and she says she’s not going to PCU or anywhere else. School is meaningless now. Everything is. (Oh please. Not Trina being like that. I can’t.)

Laura looks through a photo album and says, such wonderful pictures. It’s really thoughtful of Ava. Ava says she can’t take too much credit. She found a cabinet full when she moved out, and Laura says, Nikolas. For all his flaws, he really loved his son. Dante joins them with Sam, and says he feels like it has to be said. He knows Laura called him, but he found no joy in arresting Nikolas. Laura says she knows that, and Sam says, at least they know Ace is being well cared for. Ava says, a silver lining, shall they call it? and Laura says she could really use one of those right now. The doorbell rings, and Ava leaves to answer it. Sam says she still can’t believe it. Spencer. Laura says, it’s like a nightmare she can’t wake up from. Sonny says, that’s why they call it the circle of life, and Alexis says, one life ends, and another begins.

Ava opens the door, and Cyrus is standing there.

Doc says he didn’t think anyone else would here. He didn’t expect to see Elizabeth here. Elizabeth says, it’s difficult, given all the pain she inflicted on Cameron, but she sent that pain right back to Esme, didn’t she? Helping Nikolas hold Esme captive… Did he arrange for the marker? He says, yes. He doesn’t think he’s ever known anyone quite as alone as Esme. When she woke at GH with no memory, no past, she was so frightened. She had no idea how she got there, who she was, and a newborn baby. He felt for her. Elizabeth says, it showed, but he tells her that he’d say his efforts ran short. She says she disagrees. He did his best to make her feel like she had a family. He says, a family she should have run screaming from, but she says, not from him. He says, maybe, but his brother for a father? And don’t get him started on Heather. Speaking of… Heather says, where is she? Where’s her baby? An officer brings her into the cemetery in shackles, and she wails, no, no, no, dropping to her knees in front of the grave. She touches the marker, saying, Esme, and wails some more.

Heather says she tried to warn Esme. She told her to forget about Spencer, get on with her life, bide her time until Heather could help her hold her little boy again. She clutches the marker and says, why? Why Spencer? That guy was never worthy of her. None of those people were. Why couldn’t Esme have listened to her? Why did she go to France? They told her that Spencer threw himself into the river and took her with him. They can’t find her. They said she could have been washed out to sea. She sobs and says, how come? She must be so cold. Elizabeth says she’s so sorry for Heather’s loss. It probably doesn’t mean much coming from her. Heather says, coming from her? and Elizabeth says, Heather probably hates her for helping Nikolas keep Esme prisoner… Heather says, quite the opposite. Elizabeth stopped Nikolas from killing Esme after the baby was born. She came forward and she told the truth, knowing what price she’d have to pay for that. She admires Elizabeth and knows why her Franco loved Elizabeth so much. It’s because of what Elizabeth did that Esme stood a fighting chance in this world. She gets up, looks at Doc, and says, Esme’s dead because of him.

Michael asks if Amelia is good, and Willow says, happily playing with Melanie. Noticing he’s looking at Wiley’s workbook, she asks if he needs help with his homework, and he says he wouldn’t be able to answer half these questions when he was Wiley’s age. She says, there’s an explanation for that. Their son is a genius. He asks what that makes him, and she says, the father of a genius. He says, nice save, and she says, he’s in a rush to get to work. He says, she noticed, and she says, hard not to. Is he still having issues with Drew? He says, they actually managed to patch things up, for the most part, and she asks, what’s the lesser part? He says Drew asked him for help in getting back at Nina. He said no.

Finn helps Gregory sit down and asks if he’s all right. Does he want Finn to call an ambulance? Still trying to catch his breath, Gregory says, no. It’ll pass. Finn says, he doesn’t know that, but Gregory says he just needs a distraction. Talk to him. Finn says, about what? and Gregory says, anything, just to take his mind off of what’s happening. Finn says, what is happening? and gasping, Gregory says, trust him. Would he do that? Finn says he offered to bring the snacks for Violet’s winter party at the school, and with labored breathing, Gregory says, sounds fun. Finn says, for Violet. Not so much for him. His first two attempts at making brownies were a disaster. That oven timer is trickier than people tell you. Elizabeth suggested he have Aiden make the brownies, so now her whole class is clamoring for his famous brownies, but they’re not really his; they’re Aiden’s. He thinks the jig is up. Gregory says, if Aiden was smart, he’d start charging Finn for his time, and Finn says, don’t think he hasn’t mentioned it. Gregory starts to breathe easier, and Finn asks if this has happened before. Gregory nods, and Finn says he wishes Gregory would have told him. Gregory says, Finn had other stuff on his mind, like ensuring he kept his job, saving lives, and Finn says, the life he wants to save most right now is Gregory’s. Is it a loss of sensation, or is it the opposite? Does he feel pain? Gregory says, it’s more like a shortness of breath and a twinge in his chest. It happened the first time not long ago. He laughs and says, Tracy came up with the cure for it. She ticked him off, on purpose, so bad, he forgot all about it. Finn says, that’s pretty on point. He’s glad Tracy was there, but he’s here now, and like it or not, they’re going to the hospital. He gets up, but Gregory says, no. They’re staying right here.

Josslyn and Cameron look at each other. She turns away, but then turns back and puts her head on his shoulder.

Sam says, Dante’s not on duty. He can grieve just like everyone else. He says he’s sorry. It’s not that simple after the latest attempt on his father’s life. She asks if he thinks it was an inside job, and he says, Sonny sure is convinced, and he may be right, but what he doesn’t know is it’s all part of a bigger investigation, centering around a shipment of illegal missing weapons. She says, weapons as in used in other crimes? He doesn’t think Sonny was the only target? He says, it’s looking that way, and now the FBI is involved, the lead investigator being John Cates. She says, Cates? Does that have anything to do with Stone? He says, it’s Stone’s older brother, and guess what? He and Sonny of course (🍷) have a long-standing beef with each other. She says, and he still hasn’t told Sonny yet, has he? So Sonny doesn’t know. In perfect soap timing, Sonny says, Sonny doesn’t know what?

Ava says, Cyrus isn’t welcome here, and he says he came for his sister. Surely, she could understand that. Laura comes out, and Ava says, it’s her call, and tells Cyrus not to call her Shirley. Laura nods, and Ava gestures Cyrus in. He thanks her, but Ava says, don’t thank her and leaves, closing the living room door behind her. Cyrus says he must admit, he wasn’t expecting quite that level of hostility, and Laura asks, how can he expect anything else?

Portia says she knows Trina is hurting right now, but she’s always found serenity and purpose in the classroom. And when she discovered art history… Trina says she gets education is important to Portia, and Portia says, it’s important to Trina. Trina says, but how does that help Spencer? He died saving her life. Curtis says, now is not the time to make any life-altering decisions, and Portia says, Spencer would want her to live her life. Trina says, but what about his life? His future? His purpose? It’s all gone. Spencer is gone and there’s nothing she can do to bring him back. Portia hugs her.

Willow asks why Michael refused to go along with Drew’s plan, and Michael says, while Drew has every right to go after Nina, he has other priorities. Willow says, be honest. He must have been tempted. He says he was, but then he thought about her and the kids. This family’s more important to him than anything. He’s not going to risk that again. Willow thanks him, not only for saying that, but for backing it up with his actions. It means a lot. He says, there’s more, isn’t there? Whatever it is, just say it. She says, it’s not just the people under this roof that need healing. He and his father need it too.

Laura says, Cyrus has hurt a lot of people. He’s committed a lot of crimes. How does he not realize that when people see him, they still see… He says, a monster? And what about her? Is that how she sees him too?

Dante tells Sonny that, it’s not just the PCPD trying to figure out who’s targeting him. Jordan and Anna are also looking into it. Sonny asks if they’re making progress… What is Dante not telling him?

Heather says her daughter might still be alive if it wasn’t for Doc, but Elizabeth says, that’s not fair. Doc tried to help Esme, as her therapist, but more importantly as her uncle. Heather says, right. She forgot. The dutiful uncle. So loyal to his psycho brother, while she did everything in the world she possibly could to keep her baby from knowing him. Elizabeth says, she can’t blame Doc for Ryan’s crimes, but Doc says, it’s all right. Let her say her piece. Heather thanks him and says, he thought he could save Ryan, didn’t he. Ha-ha. What a God complex. So convinced he could cure what ailed Ryan, he did the exact opposite. He nursed Ryan back to full strength, then unleashed him on the world again. She did everything she could to shield her daughter from that maniac, then Doc went ahead and brought Ryan back out in the world. They call her a criminal. Ha! It’s good people like him who destroy lives.

Elizabeth says, that’s Heather’s grief talking. Doc is not responsible for what his brother did or for what happened to Esme or Spencer. Heather says, Elizabeth has such a good heart, like her sweet Franco did and Elizabeth’s boys do. She’s always determined to see the best in everyone, isn’t she? But Doc knows better, doesn’t he? Come on, admit it. Every single word she just said here just now is true. The guard says, visitation time’s up, but Heather says she just needs a few more minutes, one last thing that she has to say, because her daughter can’t.

Michael says he should probably get to the office, and Willow says, now he’s in a hurry to get to work. One mention of his father is all it takes, huh? He tells her that he doesn’t know what to say, and she says, he can’t avoid Sonny forever, and it’s not like this is the first conflict they’ve had. Michael says, that’s an understatement, and she says, they’ve patched things up before. They’ll do it again. He says, last time, it took over a year to reconcile, and she says, but when it finally happened, he and Sonny were getting along great. Michael even went to the island for his wedding. He says, they had a nice time, but that was before everything blew up. He hasn’t seen or talked to his father since his grandmother’s funeral. She says, there are hurdles to clear, and he says, big hurdles. She says, then clear them. He didn’t give up on them. Don’t give up on his father. He sighs and leaves for work.

Dante says, Sonny knows the drill. He can’t tell Sonny about an ongoing investigation, but when there’s something to tell Sonny, he’ll let him know. Sonny says he has some unfinished business back at the office anyway, so he’s going to take care of it. He’ll see Dante later. Dante tells him, be safe, and Sonny says he’s on it. Sonny thanks Ava for hosting. He knows her relationship with Spencer was complicated. She says her relationship with everybody is complicated, and he says he has security for her here, so when she’s ready to leave… She says, straight back to his place, and he says he’ll see her at home. He leaves, and Dante asks if Sam thinks he messed up. She says, no. She actually thinks it’s a good thing he didn’t tell his dad about the FBI investigation. Dante says he doesn’t know if Sonny will see it that way.

Cameron asks if Josslyn remembers what a pain in the ass Spencer was, and she asks if he means in general. He says he was thinking more about when Spencer was younger, and she says, insufferable. He says, the ego on that guy, and she says, eventually, it became tolerable, and then loveable. She thinks a lot of that had to do with Cameron. Spencer really looked up to him. Cameron says, get out of here. He had everything. She says, he didn’t have a stable home and he didn’t have a lot of friends. People were naturally drawn to Cameron. It wasn’t like that for Spencer; he had to work on that. But he had a really good example in Cameron.

Gregory tells Finn to wait for Elizabeth. He’s going to call a Ride Share and go home. Finn says he thought the goal was to stick around for a while, make Chase and Brook’s wedding, and Gregory says, Finn knows it is. Finn says, then why did Gregory hide symptoms from him? but Gregory says he didn’t. Finn says, Gregory didn’t tell him either. Maybe there’s something they can do, or maybe there’s some protocol, or physical therapy. Gregory says, there’s nothing. It’s just the way this disease goes. It eats away at you, little by little. Sometimes a lot by a lot. Finn says he thought Gregory wanted his help. What’s the point in having a medical license if he can’t do something to help his own father? Gregory says, Finn doesn’t want to help him, but Finn says, of course (🍷) he does. Gregory says, Finn wants to save him, and he loves Finn for it, but Finn can’t save him. No one can. Finn asks what he can do, and Gregory says, they can have an honest, loving relationship where they don’t walk on eggshells. Finn says, where they don’t hide things from one another, and Gregory says, where they just are, father and son. Can they stand here on this sacred ground and give that to each other? Finn says, yeah, they can, and they hug.

Heather wonders what’s going to happen to her grandson, now that her daughter’s not around to protect him, and Doc says, Ace will be well taken care of. She has his word. She says, yeah, right. Just like he took care of Esme? He says, Laura loves her grandson. She can trust that he’s in good hands. She tells Elizabeth, please. She’s depending on her. Keep an eye on them. She tells Doc, do better by her grandson than he did by her daughter, or there will be hell to pay. She says she’s ready… Hold on. She tosses a rose off the grave, kisses the marker, and leaves with the guard.

Willow sits in semi-darkness, looking at family photos on her tablet.

Cyrus asks if he can escort Laura home, and she says she has a driver, but thanks him. He says, in that case, he’ll say goodbye and hope this sad occasion can be a new beginning for them. He thinks Spencer would want it that way. She says, would he? and Cyrus says he’s not the enemy. He’s her brother who cares about her and wants to do right by her. He’s confident she’ll see that one day. He leaves.

On the phone, Sonny asks what Brick has for him… Uh-huh. Let him know, because he wants to know who the traitor is. So he can be dealt with permanently.

Finn asks how it went, and Elizabeth says, it was interesting. She’ll tell him about it on the way home. Did his dad leave? He says his dad’s waiting in the car, and she asks, what’s wrong? He says he knows what’s ahead of them with ALS, at least his head does, and she says, but his heart is having a hard time catching up. He says he sees his dad struggle and it’s getting worse, and she asks if something happened. Finn says, he’s okay. It’s just… She takes his hand and says she knows. She’s sorry. He says, his dad is a hardboiled guy. He values his independence so much, but he thinks they have to face the facts. His father won’t be able to look after himself much longer.

Josslyn thanks Ava so much, and Ava says, she’s welcome. Josslyn and Cameron leave, and outside, Josslyn says she wishes they could have seen each other under less horrible circumstances. He says, him too, but he’s glad they did. How are she and Dex? She says, they’re fine. He makes her happy. Cameron says, good. That’s all he wants for anyone anymore. For the people he loves to be happy. She says, it’s a real shame they didn’t get that with Spencer.

Trina puts on her coat, and Curtis asks where she’s going. She says she’s just going to take a walk by the lake, and Portia asks if she wants some company. Trina says she won’t be long, and goes outside. She takes the turtle dove out of her pocket and remembers Spencer giving it to her. She closes her hand over it.

Drew tells Willow that it’s never going to happen again; John wants to know what information Anna and Jordan went to jail to hide from him; Finn tells Chase that he thinks it’s time for their dad to stop living on his own; and Michael hopes Sonny can forgive him.

💭 Thoughts… I’m not loving this Spencer is dead storyline. Mainly because we all know he’s coming back. Perhaps GH should have kept that fact under their hat. It’s like the reverse of everyone pretending Bobbie was alive for the good part of a year when Jaqueline Zeman passed away. It just feels weird.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Still inflicting themselves on Barcelona, Sutton tells Kyle that she lost her dad’s ashes because she moved so many times. As much as I like Sutton, I can’t imagine losing something like that in a move. Sutton cries and says she feels like she’s scattering the ashes of her marriage too. Kyle says she gets that. It’s symbolic of a big part of Sutton’s life. Sutton says she’s been angry for so long, maybe what’s inside needs to come out, and they hug. Trevor arrives, and Sutton says, they’re on a strict timeline. She and Travor put Merce’s ashes in a box, spilling some on the table. In Sutton’s interview, she says she’s realizing it’s not just Merce, but two decades of her life that she needs to let go of. It’s time to release everything, stand on her own, and be alone. It’s completely scary, but she’s strong and can do it. Trevor tells the women that his friends were happy to meet them, and Garcelle says, even Erika? We flash back to Merce is in the purse, and Trevor says, especially Erika. They get in a fancy little bus and talk about gay sex terms.

Sitges, Spain. Sutton tells Trevor not to drop Merce. He’s not in a Ziploc anymore. She tells Garcelle and Kyle, no shopping, and in her interview, Sutton says she’s prepping mentally and emotionally for the ceremony. They go to a cliff on the beach, and Sutton thanks them for putting up with her. She’s been emotional about her dad, but it’s been 20 years, and she has to release that. We flash back to her telling Dorit that her father’s suicide was tough, and they never addressed it as a family. She says she’s releasing the pain from her marriage. We flash back to Garcelle saying, Sutton gave up her power, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, at the end of their marriage, Christian called her and said she needed to get an attorney because she’d be receiving papers. She didn’t understand and she was scared, lost in the middle of nowhere by herself. Sutton tells the women that they all have things they’re holding on to, and she wants them to do this for her, even though it’s hard. In Kyle’s interview, she says she thinks the pain of Sutton’s divorce was more than she imagined, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Sutton has always had anger about Christian and it’s good to see her let it go. She can relate. Sutton says she’s letting all three go, and in her interview, she says, it’s so silly that she gets sad about her divorce. Christian, her dad, and Merce were three very important men in her life, and she’s about to say goodbye to all three.

Sutton and Trevor toss the ashes, and they blow back, just like with Sonja’s dog on RHONY. The women dust themselves off, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, it’s blowing in her face, her hair, and her mouth. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s all over her black dress and hair, and in Erika’s interview, she says she doesn’t know this man and doesn’t want to taste this man. They say goodbye to Trevor and continue with the ritual. As each woman says what she wants to let go of, they toss their leis into the water. Garcelle says she’d like to let go of feeling alone. She has a lot of abandonment issues. She thinks not having her dad in her life contributes to how she leads her life. In her interview, Garcelle says, her dad left when she was 3, and didn’t come back in her life until she was 14. She was betrayed by the man of her dreams, and it led her to being protective of her heart. If she has to be alone, she can do that, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel lonely. Crystal says, her brother is leaving. He’s moving away, probably forever. We flash back to Jeffrey saying he’s going to relocate to Thailand, and in Crystal’s interview, she says she knows he has to get away from her and their mother for a while and start his own life. She knows that’s what he needs. Annemarie (ugh) says she has a very confident exterior, but needs to do a lot of work to feel that she’s in a peaceful place. She wants to be happy. Dorit says, this is no guarantee she’s leaving the PTSD she lives with behind, but she’s going to try. We flash back to PK being an a-hole, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, maybe if she lets go of some expectations with PK, she can find release and start to heal all areas of her life. Erika says, this represents all the hurt from the last 2½ years, some of which they contributed to. She’s turned a new page, and is releasing her hurt, anger, and her old life. In her interview, Garcelle says, if they caused Erika pain, it’s because they were showing her a mirror when they felt she wasn’t compassionate. We flash back to the victims/earrings stuff, and Garcelle says, it’s a little awkward. Kyle says she wants to let go of the guilt of thinking she could have done something different with and for Lorene, with her sisters, and the group. She’s letting go of any of the things she’s held onto that hurt her. In Kyle’s interview, she says, it feels strange not be sharing what’s really weighing on her. She doesn’t know if her marriage is going to survive. When she’s ready, she’ll share. She wants to let go of the uncertainty in not having the answers to what the future holds. There’s a group hug, and Kyle thinks seeing them vulnerable and sharing these moments shows they came a long way.

They walk around, and Crystal says she’s sorry she contributed to Erika’s pain. Erika says, it’s okay. Sh*t happens. That’s how you recover. In Erika’s interview, she says she loves someone taking a chance and saying they’re sorry they misjudged her. No one else has. At least Crystal has the balls. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Merce didn’t get on her, instead, he blew over her. He was known for his great leaps, so it was good. She tells the women that tour guide Manolo is walking them to their flamenco dinner where they’re going to perform their dance. In her interview, she says, it’s not ballet, but it’s good choreography. It’s sexy. They’re taking it slow because these ladies are not dancers, except for Erika. We see a clip of them at their lesson.

Everyone gets ready, and in Erika’s interview, she says, it bothers her that she didn’t get apologies. You go to therapy to acknowledge your feelings, but wanting someone else to acknowledge how you feel isn’t going to happen, so maybe she should stop looking for it.  Kyle calls home and talks to her daughters. In her interview, she says, she feels like they’re going through a hard time, and she’s sensitive to how everyone in her family is feeling. She worries and feels like everyone is more fragile. All the women are dressed in red, except for Kyle, who’s leaning toward orange, and Sutton says she’ll photoshop it. In Dorit’s interview, she says she knows Kyle didn’t get the memo on dressing in red, but considering her other choices, thank goodness she wore orange. Dorit navigates getting to the bus in her heels, and in her interview, she says she’s spent so much time in Europe, you’d think she’d know how to walk on cobblestone in heels. At least she’ll trip in style. On the bus, they talk about signing any document their husbands put in front of them without looking at it. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Marriage 101: don’t sign a document without reading it. She doesn’t care if you marry the Pope. Kyle says she signs stuff and hopes for the best, and in Erika’s interview, she says, that’s how she got in trouble. It’s okay to trust your husband until it’s not okay to trust your husband.

Manolo serenades the women as they go into the restaurant, and In Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to perform. She doesn’t know the dance and doesn’t drink anymore. We flash back to her doing the splits on several occasions. Manolo makes a toast in Spanish, and Annemarie asks about everyone’s favorite part of the trip. Crystal says, watching Storm’s father make paella, and Kyle says, today they had honest, real moment. It was an emotional, but good moment. Erika says, it’s been a long time since she felt relaxed and good on a trip. The trip to Aspen last year was horrible. We flash back to the women saying she should show compassion for the victims, and Erika saying she doesn’t give a f*** about anyone but herself. Erika says, they’re not going home Pollyanna, but for her it’s more positive than it’s been in a long time. Annemarie says she doesn’t know the histories in the group, so it seemed cryptic to her when Erika said she was letting some things go despite what anybody had to say. She felt many of them contributed to her pain. What did she mean?

Erika says she felt mischaracterized and misunderstood. The appeal was reversed, but those things will always hurt. Garcelle says, when they were at the retreat, Erika told them that she wasn’t sure if she trusted the group, but Erika says she feels more relaxed now. Trust is earned over time, and she’s taking it step by step. In her interview, Garcelle says she sees how deeply Erika was affected by them. Although they were just asking questions, and thought Erika understood they wanted to see her side, but also wanted her to show compassion and empathy. They could have just moved on. Sutton makes a toast to Erika, and says, even though some of them didn’t receive a door invitation to Erika’s show – we see a clip of Kyle getting an invite like she won Publisher’s Clearing House – she wants to congratulate Erika on her residency. She knows it’s a big deal. They’re proud of her and they’ll all be there. In her interview, Sutton says, in elementary school, her mother made her invite the entire class to her birthday party. Erika says she remembers their support when she was on Broadway, and Sutton chartered a plane. We flash back to that, and Sutton tells her that she’s just saying she could have gotten an invite. (After chartering the jet? Yes, she should have. Maybe Erika should think about acknowledging other people’s feelings instead of being so concerned about her own.) They watch some dancing, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she’s nervous and embarrassed. There are professional performers up there. Nobody wants to see them; they want to see the professionals. Dorit says she doesn’t know if she can do it in her dress and shoes, but Erika tells her, stomp that sh*t out. The MC announces that they have VIP guests, and the women get up on stage. In Sutton’s interview, she says, it’s been emotional, but at the end of the day, she loves them. She wants them to stay happy like this forever. They’re laughing and having fun and sharing things they’ve never shared before. Getting through problems individually and as a group is so good. Friends become family, and this is her family, and she loves it. They do a few hand moves, and stamp their feet, and there’s applause. It wasn’t really dancing, but okay.

The women are back in Beverly Hills and back to routine. Dorit pops by (her words) Kyle’s house and asks how she and Mauricio are doing. Kyle says, good. She was seeing a therapist, and now Mauricio joined in. Dorit asks how it’s going, but Kyle says she doesn’t know. In Dorit’s interview, she says, lately, one of her best friends is as disconnected as possible. She wants to be there for Kyle. She wants Kyle to know she supports her. Kyle says, she and Mauricio never fight, but on the bad side, they’re not communicating. They’d rather not deal. We flash back to the mom/tattoo sort of argument, and Kyle says she’s more the one who has a fiery side, and Mauricio wants to be stoned peaceful. Add in traveling and their work schedules… Dorit says, traveling took a toll on her and PK, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she thinks Mauricio believes if he gives her time, she’ll get over it, but they need help. She tells Dorit that the agency is expanding and it’s like his child. He takes his energy to fix the agency’s problems, so why can he give the energy he gives to the company to them? In her interview, she says she’s supported Mauricio through everything from day one, when he had nothing, When she said they were in trouble and she needed him to work through it with her, she needed to feel it was a priority. If Mauricio puts no effort into them, they’re not going to end up together. They’ll never survive this.  

Next time, Sutton goes on date number two with Steve; Dorit wants PK home for Mother’s Day, but PK tells her that she’s not his mother; and Erika dabs at her eyes and says, it never had to be this way.

📺 Tortured By Reality TV Society…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a more relaxed atmosphere. Until then, stay safe, stay not clicking your fingers for the waitstaff, and stay never signing a document without reading it, even if it’s given to you by the Pope.

February 2, 2024 – Two Surprise Returns, Agent Jagger, Goodbye Hello, Side Gigs, Her BFF, Closed Door, VanderScraps, Two For Ones, Grammy Stuff, Bowl Parties, Opossum Pirate, Pups In the Bowl, Two Fivers Of Quotes & Living

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Doc says he’s glad Laura is home, and she says she’s glad to be home. It took forever to get here. He asks what he can do. She says, hold her, and he does. He says he kept picturing her on that boat in the dark. He should have been there. She says, he was in the hospital, recovering. Thank God for that. And there was nothing he could do anyway. He says, there are few feelings in life like feeling helpless, and she says, when they got there, the search and rescue thing was well underway. Then at some point, Dante came over, and he said they couldn’t find them anywhere. All she could think was, it’s a mistake. It just can’t be. Not her Spencer. He says, she was in shock. She probably still is. She says she guesses. She and Trina stood on the deck of the boat for a very long time. She held onto hope so tightly, but then as the search went on, they could both feel it slipping away. He says, it’s good they were there for each other, and she says, everyone was really supportive. She starts to cry, and says, then Dante and Curtis took care of everything, every detail. She’s so grateful for that. She doesn’t know if she thanked them. He says he’s sure she did, but they’ll do it again. She says she feels like she blinked, and Nikolas was gone. Then Ace, and then Spencer. It’s like her whole family is just fading away before her eyes. He holds her as she cries.

Ava lets Nina in the penthouse, and Nina asks if she’s sure Sonny isn’t going to be home any time soon. Ava says, they got back from Puerto Rico, he got a phone call, and turned around and left. She hopes the call is about whatever’s going on in Paris. Nina says she heard about that. Ava must be worried sick about Trina. Ava says she’s beyond worried. It seems the universe decided one crisis at a time isn’t enough. She and Sonny are lucky to be alive. Nina asks, what the hell is going on? Who’s after Ava and Sonny?

Anna and Jordan hide their guns in a hotel room, and Anna sets up a camera. Jordan says, good coverage, and Anna says, all they can do is be prepared. Jordan says she hopes all of these precautions turn out to be unnecessary, and Anna says, for their target’s sake, so does she.

Carly tells the server at Bobbie’s that it looks like she has things covered, and she says, for the moment anyway. Carly says, if anything changes, don’t hesitate to call her, handing the server the keys. Until Carly hires a manager, she’s the cavalry. The server says, Carly’s got it, and Carly leaves, colliding into a good-looking guy in the doorway.

Trina is about to let herself into the dorm room when Josslyn comes out. She asks what Trina is doing here. Why isn’t she in Paris? Trina says she would have let herself in, but… She walks inside and Josslyn asks, what’s wrong? Trina says, Spencer’s dead.

Sonny knocks at Laura’s door and asks Doc if she’s back. Doc says, she is, and invites him in. Sonny asks Laura if it’s true, and she says, Spencer’s gone. They hug.

Jordan asks if Anna thinks they can count on Brennan’s information, and Anna says she thinks they can count on his opportunism. He doesn’t do anything that doesn’t work to his advantage. They’re in a position to help him, only the gun dealer is not. Jordan says, Brennan gave them the right referrals or O’Neal would have never agreed to meet them. Anna says, keep it short and sweet. If Jordan can get him talking about his clients who have bought guns from him, great. If not, they make a buy and spring their trap. Jordan says, the threat of federal charges should be enough to make him give up whoever bought the rifle used to shoot Curtis. Anna says she hopes so, and there’s a knock at the door.

Carly says she’s so sorry and asks if she spilled coffee on him, but the guy says, no. How about her? Is she okay? Carly says she’s fine. This isn’t how she wants to welcome people to her place. He says, she owns this place? and she says, yeah. He asks when she changed the name, and she says, recently. He says he used to work here when it was Kelly’s. He’s John. She says she’s embarrassed, and introduces herself. They shake hands, and she asks if it’s too late to welcome him back. He says, not at all. Thanks. It’s good to be back. She tells him to enjoy his meal, and he goes inside. Leo calls to Carly, and runs up to her, hugging her. He says he hasn’t seen her in forever, and she says, that means she gets an extra hug. Olivia suggests he go inside and look at his book. She’s going to talk to Carly about getting him some breakfast. Leo asks if they’re going to talk about extra powdered sugar on his waffles, and Olivia asks if he thinks this is her first time or what. He says, no, it isn’t, and goes inside. Carly asks, what’s up? and Olivia says, just so she knows, they’re not here just for the sugar rush. She wanted to check on Carly. Carly asks, why? and Olivia asks if she read the fashion article in the City Gazette, written by Gemma someone or other. Carly says, she came by the office and asked for a comment. Is the article out already? Olivia shows Carly her phone, and says, this morning. Carly reads, Drew Cain is leading with his heart, not with his head. This has Nina’s fingerprints written all over it. (Because no one else could possibly think that.) Olivia says, she quotes an anonymous source, and Carly says, they both know who that anonymous source is. Olivia says she wishes she could say she doesn’t agree with Carly. She was really hoping that Nina was going to try and make peace. That’s what’s best for everyone. Carly asks if that’s why Olivia kept Nina’s secret. Because it was best for everyone?

Ava says, if Dex hadn’t told her and Sonny to run for cover, she wouldn’t be sitting here telling Nina this story right now. Nina asks if Avery was with her, and Ava says, Avery was in her room. She didn’t know they were in any danger. She thought the gunfire was fireworks, thank God. Nina asks if she’s okay, and Ava says, yeah, just a couple of scratches. Nina looks at Ava’s hand and says, that’s more than a scratch. Is she in pain? Ava says, it’s fine. Like she told the doctor, it’s nothing a good, stiff drink can’t fix. Nina asks if Sonny has any idea who did this, but Ava says, nothing he’s talked about in any detail. She knows Sonny. He doesn’t really discuss his concerns. He just gets very, very, very quiet. Nina says, he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep, he just moves on with the next thing. She doesn’t know how he does it. Ava says she got the feeling he thinks it’s a second attempt by the people behind Curtis’s shooting, and Nina says, that means they’re not going to stop until they succeed. Ava tells her not to worry though. She knows Sonny works with only the very best and takes every precaution. Nina says she’s just got to remind herself that he wouldn’t be where he is if he took chances, and Ava says, and he wouldn’t have been there for so long, right? Relax. She’s not going to be a widow anytime soon. Nina says she doesn’t even know if she’s still a wife.

Trina tells Josslyn, before she could even move, Esme and Spencer were in the water. They had helicopters and divers, but nobody could find them. Josslyn asks if they’re still searching, but Trina says, they can’t be rescued. It’s been too long. It’s impossible. Josslyn says, but they can bring him home? and Trina says, no. The police don’t expect to find their bodies. They think Esme and Spencer were carried out to sea. Josslyn says she’s sorry and hugs Trina.

Laura says she’s sorry she told Sonny about Spencer on the phone. It’s a horrible way to find out. He says, any way would be horrible. It’s good to face the truth. Any update from the French police? She says, they searched for the mandatory 48 hours. After that point, Spencer and Esme were presumed dead. Their bodies were taken by the current out to the English Channel. They’re just gone. She starts to cry again, and Sonny says, she’s going to be fine. Is she doing all right? Laura says he has to remind herself to breathe, and he says, if there’s anything he can do, but she says, there isn’t. He says, if something comes up… She says, it’s not going to, and Doc says, it’s good of Sonny to come by. Laura says, this is very difficult for her, and Sonny says he gets it. She says, it’s not just about Spencer. This is also about her brother. The way Sonny laid hands on him was unconscionable. Sonny says he doesn’t think Laura knows who Cyrus is, but she says she does. She knows what he’s capable of. She thought she knew Sonny. She thought he was a different man. He says he is, and she says she’s sure Cyrus goaded him, and she hopes Sonny just lost control because he nearly killed Cyrus with his bare hands. Sonny says he made a mistake. Cyrus played him. He went after him. He shouldn’t have done that. Is Cyrus worth her trouble? She says she doesn’t know, but Sonny is. Their friendship is, or that’s what she thought. She thinks they owe each other the truth, so she’s going to give it to him now. She’s had a lot of violence and bloodshed in her life and she can’t take it anymore. She won’t take it anymore, friendship or no friendship. He says he gets that, and she says she hopes he does. They hear Cyrus in the hallway saying he has every right… Doc says, impeccable timing. That must be her brother. Dex says he can’t let Cyrus in, and Doc opens the door.

Cyrus tells Sonny to call of his dog. He’s here to see his family. Laura nods, and Doc invites Cyrus in. Laura says, it’s not a good time, and Cyrus says, that’s why he’s here, so he can help his sister walk through this. Doc says he can start by respecting his sister’s wishes, and Cyrus says he has nothing but respect for his sister and the profound loss she’s suffered. Sonny asks how he found out about Spencer, and Cyrus says he watched over Spencer while he was in Pentenville, and he continued to stay abreast of his family’s movements. Sonny says, whether they wanted him to or not? and Cyrus says he laments that he wasn’t able to protect Spencer in the end and he grieves with his dear sister and for her. Sonny says, nobody wants to hear that, and Cyrus says, blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Laura says, stop it. This is not comforting her. Just go. Cyrus says he just hopes she can find some comfort knowing that there is a coming glory… She yells, stop it!

Nina says, it’s good that Ava is staying here with Sonny, and Ava says she doesn’t know how good it is, but it’s safe. There are guards everywhere. Avery’s happy being with her father. Nina says, of course (🍷). Sonny is such a great dad. Ava says, he talks about his family all the time, that’s for sure, and Nina asks if he’s said anything else. Ava says, they don’t exactly sit down at the end of the day and chat about what happened at the office, and Nina asks if he ever talks about his marriage. Ava says, no, sorry. He wouldn’t talk to her about that, of all people. She noticed he’s still wearing his wedding ring though. Nina says, that’s something. It’s easy enough to take off, so if he’s still wearing it, there must be something inside of him that says he doesn’t want to give up on their marriage. Ava says she hopes so. She really hopes that things work out for Nina and Sonny. Nina says, but…? and Ava says she just thinks Nina ought to prepare herself for a life without him, but Nina says she can’t. She can’t lose Sonny. She can’t lose his family because they’re her family too. She can’t lose Willow, Wiley, and Amelia; they’re her world. Ava says she knows, and Nina says, Ava has that beautiful gallery. Ava has Avery. Nina doesn’t have Crimson anymore, and if she loses Sonny and her daughter and her grandchildren, she has nothing.

Leo looks at his book, then looks outside at Carly and Olivia. He takes out his fidget spinner as John watches him from another table.

Olivia says she wasn’t trying to protect Nina, and Carly says, then who was she trying to protect? Because Nina was the only one who benefitted from her silence.

John comes over to Leo’s table and asks if he likes animals. Leo says he’s not supposed to talk to strangers, and John says, that’s a good rule. He taught his son the same rule, but – he sits down – he also told him that it was okay to talk to law enforcement. He shows Leo his badge and says he’s Agent John. Leo asks if he’s really from the FBI, and John says, yes, sir. Leo says, then he’s Leo Falconari, and John says, it’s nice to meet him.

Jordan lets O’Neal in, and he puts his case on the bed. He starts to frisk her, and she asks if it’s necessary. He says, can’t be too careful, and she says she wants to make a buy, not commit a robbery. He says, it’s for someone’s capacity, not their intentions. He’s covering all his bases. She says, no kidding. Buy her dinner first? He says, no wire, no gun. Good start. So who referred her? She says, Maloy, but he already knows that, and he asks how she knows Maloy. She says, book club. Him?… Yeah. That’s what she thought. It’s probably neither of their business. He moves his case to the credenza and opens it. He says he’s got a <insert complicated gun description> gun with the longest fair fight sniper shot in history. (This sounds like an oxymoron, but I swear that’s what he said.) He hands it to her, and she looks it over. She says, let’s talk price, and he says, it’s not a negotiation. She says, since when? and he says, if she wants quality and confidentiality, this thing’s untraceable. She’ll never know where it came from, and he’ll never know how she chose to use it. So, is it an agreement or not?

Trina tells Josslyn that she heard the sirens from police boats and turned away from Spencer just for a second. He was saying something, then he gasped, and when she turned around, he had the strangest look on his face. He looked surprised and he had fear in his eyes. Then she saw Esme with the needle and then Esme tried to come for her. Somehow, Spencer found enough strength to grab her, and they both went in the water.

Jordan says, all right, let’s do this, and hands the gun back to O’Neal. She takes out her phone and asks, what’s the routing number for the wire transfer? He says, it has to be an encrypted transaction, and she says, fine. Give her whatever device he wants to use, and she’ll make the transfer. He says he prefers human touch, and she says she’s aware. He says, she can make the transfer directly to his accountant, and she says, how quaint. Is he outside? Is he on his way here? O’Neal says he’s afraid not. They’re going to him.

Leo says his mom is outside arguing with Aunt Carly, and John asks, what makes him think they’re arguing? Leo says, the way they’re standing and what they do with their arms, and John looks outside. He says, kind of like a threat display from an animal, and Leo says, humans are animals. John says, that is very true. What kind of animals are in Leo’s book? Leo says, all kinds, and John asks if there are bears in there. Leo asks if he likes bears, and John says he does. Bears are smart and they’re strong. He wouldn’t want to meet one in the wild, but he likes reading about them.

Olivia tells Carly that Drew had already gone to prison. Carly’s accounts had already been frozen. Nothing she knew could have changed any of that. All she could do was stop the damage Nina had already done from going even further. Carly says, and the fact Olivia and Ned were also victims of Nina’s lies didn’t matter, but Olivia says, of course (🍷) it mattered. Carly asks if Olivia’s forgotten how furious she was at her for accusing Ned, because she hasn’t. Olivia says she hasn’t forgotten. She thinks about it every day. Carly says, then why would she shield the woman who was actually responsible? Nina stood back and let Ned take the blame.

Ava says she never, not in a million years, would have predicted that Drew would remove Nina from Crimson and replace her with Carly. Nina says, he’s not the same person as he was before he went to prison. He’s harder. Ava says putting Carly in a position Nina has held successfully for years adds a lot of uncertainty and risk to Crimson for no good reason. Nina says, making her suffer is reason enough in Drew’s book, and Ava says, he’s making choices he’s going to regret, that’s for sure. Nina thanks her, and Ava says, she’s welcome. She’s just stating the obvious here. Nina says she appreciates that, but she’s thinking, Ava doesn’t always agree with her choices, but she understands Nina’s reasoning behind it and doesn’t make her suffer. Ava doesn’t punish her for them. Ava says, nobody in this room has a monopoly on bad choices, and Nina says she’s very grateful for Ava’s friendship and her loyalty. She loves Ava so much and thanks her. Ava says she loves Nina too, and she’s welcome. Nina says she shouldn’t be bothering Ava about this. She’s worried about Trina. Ava says she can listen to Nina and worry at the same time, and Nina says, and she’s still coming down from being shot at and attacked. Ava says, the first time somebody shoots at you, it does come as a bit of a surprise, but with time and experience, you kind of get used to people trying to kill you. Nina laughs and says she’s very impressed by Ava’s resilience, more than she’ll ever know, but she must have been afraid in Puerto Rico. Avery could have lost both of her parents. She can’t always look out for Sonny anymore, no matter how much she wants to. Ava has to promise her that she and Sonny will always look out for each other.

Trina tells Josslyn, when they were in Greenland, and Spencer went missing, everyone lost hope. Not her. She didn’t believe he was gone. Josslyn says, and now? and holding back tears, Trina says she wants to believe so badly, but something tells her that this time there won’t be a happy ending.

Doc holds open the door, and Cyrus says he meant no harm. He gives them his word. Sonny says, they all know what that means. Let him walk out with Cyrus. Sonny tells Laura that he’ll call her, and Cyrus says, Laura may not believe in his spiritual awakening, but he prays she believes this. He cared about Spencer as he cares about her. Sonny says, that’s nice. Let’s go. Sonny steers Cyrus out, and in the hallway, Cyrus shakes him off. He says he gave Sonny a pass on the assault charges, but just the one. He’s a believer, not a saint. Sonny says, that makes two of them.

Josslyn asks what Trina is going to do. Is she going to stay here? Is she going back to Paris? Maybe Josslyn could take some time off… Trina says she doesn’t think she could go back to Paris ever again, and Josslyn says she doesn’t want a new roommate. Trina should come live with her again. Trina says she appreciates it, but she’s going to live with her parents and she’s going to take a semester off. She can’t even think about school. All of this seems so trivial. Like, what’s even important anymore? Josslyn says she understands. It’s hard to act like there’s a tomorrow when you lose someone you love. Trina asks if that’s what it was like when Josslyn lost Oscar, and Josslyn says, kind of, but he was sick, so it was peaceful in the end. It’s different than what Trina just went through. But the way you feel like you can’t breathe and the way your heart actually hurts – she tears up – that’s the same. They both cry, and Trina says she feels like it took so long for her and Spencer to finally be together. Then they finally were, and they were in a happy place. Then, like in a heartbeat, all of that was over. She and Josslyn hug.

Olivia tells Carly that she and Ned looked at the situation and made a judgement call. Exposing Nina wasn’t going to help anybody fix anything. And a huge blow-up would have just made everything so much worse. Carly says, so that’s what she and Ned decided, and Olivia says, he took a little convincing, but… She looks inside, seeing Leo with John, and tells Carly, hold on a second. She goes inside, directly to Leo’s table, where he’s reading to John from his book. Olivia says, pretty friendly, huh? and Leo says, this is John. Olivia says hello to John and suggests Leo wash his hands before his waffle gets here. Leo leaves, and John stands up. He says, he’s a great kid, and Olivia says, yeah. He says, he’s on the spectrum? and she says, he has ASD, yeah. He says, so does his son. He’s sorry for approaching her boy, but he could tell Leo was getting agitated watching her and Carly. She says she should have realized he could see them out there and it would bother him, but John says, it’s fine. He thinks he distracted Leo. She says, looks like he did and thanks him. She asks, how old is his son? and he says, he’s grown now, and living independently. She says, so he’s doing well? and John says, he’s doing great. His phone rings, and he asks her to excuse him for a moment. She says, of course (🍷), and he steps away.

John asks, what’s the word?… Nobody moves until he gets there. He dashes out of the diner.

Jordan says, everyone and their cat knows you don’t go to a second location, and he says, suit yourself. He starts to pack up, and she says, there’s got to be a way they can make this happen, right here, right now. He says, it’s unusual for a customer to make this hard a sell. Why does this deal need to happen before he leaves this room? She says she thought she was paying for confidentiality, and he says, at the moment, he doesn’t know what she’s paying him for. She says, that’s too bad. Sorry they couldn’t get this done. She’s about to reach behind a chair pillow for a gun, but he grabs her and says, they’re not done until she tells him who she really is. Anna comes out of nowhere and says, remove your hand or I’ll remove it for you. O’Neal lets go of Jordan and puts his hands up.

As they approach the penthouse, Sonny asks Dex if he’s talked to Josslyn, but Dex says, not recently. Sonny says, Dex should go to her because she should hear about Spencer from him. Go ahead. He has a lot of protection. Dex leaves, and Sonny goes inside. Ava jumps up, and Sonny asks if she’s all right. She says, yeah. She just wasn’t expecting him back so soon. He asks if she has a problem with him being back, but she says, no. She’s just a little jumpy, for obvious reasons. When he left in such a hurry, was that about Trina and Spencer? He says, it turns out, Spencer’s dead, Ava says, oh no, and Nina walks out.

Nina says she’s so sorry, and Ava says, Trina. Sonny tells her, Trina’s safe, and Nina asks, what happened to Spencer? Sonny says, he went over the side of a boat in Paris, he and Esme, and Nina says she knows he loved his nephew. She can’t imagine what he’s going through right now. He says he can’t do this right now.

Doc gives Laura a mug of what I hope is whiskey, and says, this will help her keep up her strength. A little edge cutter was in order. She says she already regrets losing her cool with Cyrus, but the conversation with Sonny was long overdue. He tells her not to beat herself up over Cyrus. What happened was understandable, especially given the loss she’s feeling. She says, but she’s not the only one, is she? Esme was his niece. She knows he did everything he could for her. He says, they both did, and Laura says, the way she was with Ace, she’s never going to believe that was an act. He says, it wasn’t. Esme’s love for Ace was genuine and maybe the only pure emotion she felt in her life. When Nikolas took Ace away, she was isolated, afraid, angry, and she chose the worst possible course of action. Laura says she was the one who talked Esme into turning herself in for breaking into Windymere. If she hadn’t… He says, there is no way she could have predicted that would happen. She didn’t know that Esme had regained her memory, and there was no way to know Nikolas would come back and convince Spencer to let him run away with Ace. There was no way she could know that. He hopes she’s hearing him when he says that. She says, if she’s being honest, all she can hear is silence in a house that used to be filled with voices. He puts his arm around her and she puts her head on his shoulder.

Carly tells Olivia that Leo’s order is next up, and she did tell them extra powdered sugar. Olivia says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she’s going to crush at Crimson. She’s wicked smart, nobody can match her instincts, and she makes being a leader look easy. That’s why the employees at the MetroCourt are so loyal to her. And she’s going to make a whole new generation of customers fall in love with Bobbie’s. Carly thanks her for saying that, and Olivia says, it’s the truth. Which she’ll never hide from Carly in the future.

O’Neal says, his other clients don’t behave this way, and Anna says, they’re not his other clients. Sit. He sits on the edge of the bed and says, they’re not so different as they keep telling themselves. There must be something in the water here. Anna says she’s under no illusion as to who or what she is, and Jordan asks what he means, there must be something in the water here? He says he doesn’t mean anything, and she says, they’re not the only ones in Port Charles buying from him, are they? He says he can’t talk about his clients. It’ll end his business. Anna says, Einstein, your business is over. He’s been peddling guns stolen from the WSB. So he has a choice to make. He’s either going to tell them what they want to know, or he waits for the Bureau to get here and then they’ll pick him up. They’re not going to sweep this under the rug. He asks what they want to know, and Jordan says, they need to know the names of every person who purchased a weapon from that WSB shipment. The door busts in, and John comes in with some men, saying, freeze. Jordan says, guns down, and they all aim their guns at one another, except for O’Neal, still on the bed with his hands up. He says, don’t shoot, and John says, FBI. Drop your weapons now.

Nina says she didn’t want to make Sonny’s night worse by being here. That’s not what she wanted. She walks out of the apartment, and Ava says she’s sorry. She knows how he feels about Nina being here. He says, it doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters. She says, Spencer. She’s so sorry. That’s just terrible. Trina must be absolutely gutted. She’s going to call her. She puts her hand on Sonny’s shoulder, he thanks her, and she leaves.

Josslyn asks if Cam knows, and Trina says she doubts it. The word hasn’t gotten out yet. Josslyn says, they’ve got to tell him, and makes the call. She says she’s here with Trina and they have to tell him something. She starts to cry and says, they need him to hear it from them.

Olivia asks if Leo wants to say goodbye to his Aunt Carly. She’s got to get to work. He asks if they’re done arguing, and Carly says, sometimes friends disagree. Olivia says she and Carly haven’t been on the same wavelength for a while, but maybe pretty soon they can try to fix that. Carly says she thinks they’ve already started, and Leo says he can tell. Their body language is better. Carly says, you know what? He’s right. Olivia says, how’s this for body language? and hugs Leo. Carly pulls them in for a three-way hug.

Anna says she and her colleague are going to lower their weapons, and John says, do that, nice and slow. O’Neal gets up and says he’s just a bystander. Anna, Jordan, and John say, shut up, and O’Neal says, okay, sitting back down. Anna says she takes it John is the agent in charge, and he asks if she doesn’t recognize him. Anna says, wait… Jagger? and John smiles.

Laura looks at a photo of young Spencer on her phone, when there’s a knock at the door. Laura opens it, and Nikolas is standing there with Ace. He says, hello, mother, and Laura cries tears of joy.

On Monday, Laura asks if it’s occurred to Nikolas that he belongs in prison; Lucy asks Martin for another chance; Anna suggests they bring the case in together; and Dante asks Sonny if it was an inside job.

🪪 Something Old Is Something New…

So far, I’m thinking we should keep him.

🚑 Coming and Going…

The circle of soap life.

🤹‍♂️ No Idle Hands Here…

Teaching, directing, kicking ass as a spy. Is there nothing she can’t do?

Boogieing down for mental health.

🐶 Whiskey A Go-Go…

Including this because, dog.

🍑 They Hear Her Knocking…

IRL this makes sense, but in Bravoland, anything can happen.

🍸 Extra Rules…

Maybe she’s hoping for screen time since no one wants to film with him.

Totally understandable.

⚰️ Premiere Of Ones…

So be sure to watch the premiere before the premiere.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/amc-amc-presents-the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-premiere-event

🏆 One Grammy Coming Up…

If you just want the basics.

https://ew.com/2024-grammys-everything-we-know-8431969

Or the whole shebang.

https://live.grammy.com

🏈 Don’t Try This At Home…

 Super Bowl party fails.

Super Bowl party mistakes. These could go for any party.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/big-game/big-game-parties/game-day-party-mistakes

Real Bowl blunders.

🦡 He Was Hungry…

The opossum is always the last one they suspect.

https://people.com/opossum-caught-on-camera-stealing-birthday-cookie-delivery-8557650

🐕 Best Bowl Of All…

The Ravens and the pups.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/baltimore-ravens-hang-out-with-rescue-puppies-for-puppy-bowl-xx-

Up for adoption.

https://www.discovery.com/shows/puppy-bowl/see/adoptables

Guest appearances!

🐬 Quotes of the Week

Take your camera, and take your selfie stick, and take your dogs, and get the f*** out of here. – crazy Karen neighbor, Neighborhood Wars

You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training. – Tom Hopkins

At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable. – Christopher Reeve

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man (and woman) which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus. – Blaise Pascal

Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. – John Wooden

You’re no scientist. You’re just crazy. – Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), Gyeonsueong Creature

Judge a person by their questions rather than their answers. – Voltaire

Babies are supposed to cry and throw a fit. Not you. – Amanda Halterman, 1000-Lb. Sisters

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. – Lucille Ball

Geometry made me its bitch. – Vince (Louis Mustillo), Mike & Molly (I so relate.)

🎤 Accepting All the Grammys…

Go out and live real life, then join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and perhaps a little Deck talk. Until then, stay safe, stay away from doom scrolling, and stay never going to a second location. Everyone and their cat knows that.

January 31, 2024 – Esme Tells Spencer Her Evil Plan, Sutton’s Friend Brings The Erudites To Dinner & Wake Up

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly invites, Maxie, Sasha and Brook into her Crimson office, thanking them for seeing her on such short… well, no notice. She knows some of them are close with Nina, so she wanted to reach out first. She gets it. She knows everyone is a little blindsided by her presence here. She knows how they feel. If someone would have told her even 24 hours ago that she’d be in this position, she would have said they were crazy. But here she is, and here they all are, so why don’t they just focus on the business at hand? She wanted to do this in person. Leave the lawyers out of it, at least for now. Deception’s advertising contract with Crimson is up for renewal, and she’s eager to maintain this relationship, and hopefully see how it will evolve.

A woman walks into Nina’s MetroCourt office, and Nina asks how she can help her. The woman says she’s here to help Nina. She’s Gemma Somebody-Or-Other and she writes… Nina says, To the Nines column in the City Gazette. She shakes Gemma’s hand and Gemma says she’s flattered. Nina says she loves Gemma’s takes on fashion, and Gemma says, even when she disagrees with Nina? Nina says, especially when Gemma disagrees with her. How does Gemma want to help her? Gemma says she thought Nina might want to set the record straight. Why was the woman who saved Crimson from financial ruin just shown the door?

Lois approaches Olivia at the MetroCourt and asks if she’s got a few. Olivia says she’s actually kind of busy. It’ll have to wait. Lois says, can it? Because she gets the feeling if she leaves it up to Olivia, they may never speak again. Is that what she wants?

Paris On The Seine. On the French Haunted Star, Spencer comes out and sees a trail of the captain’s blood smeared across the deck, along with the fire extinguisher Esme used to knock him out. He follows the trail.

Trina asks what Esme is doing here, and Esme says, with Ace gone, she’s been all by herself. She missed Trina and Spencer so much, where else would she be? She walks toward Trina.

Dex yells for Sonny and Ava to get down, and they duck under a table. Shots are fired.

Nina says, it was her decision to leave Crimson, and Gemma says, is that right? Did she have any input on hiring her successor, Carly Spencer? Nina says she’s sorry to disappoint Gemma, but she promises, there is no story here. Gemma says, and if anyone would know, it’s Nina Reeves, the woman who revolutionized fashion guerrillaism, and Nina says, that’s very flattering, strategically so. Gemma says, it’s still true. Under Nina’s guiding hand, Crimson was a setter of trends. She also did in-depth exposés on botched plastic surgery and how fashion affects body image in both women and men. And now the magazine she brought back from bankruptcy has been given to her husband’s ex-wife. She’s sorry she’s barreling on, but this must be difficult. Nina says, Gemma isn’t telling her anything she doesn’t already know, and she’s still not throwing Carly under the bus. Gemma says, so there is a bus, and Nina says, Gemma wants a statement, she’ll give her a statement. She’s certain Carly Spencer will provide a fresh, new take on fashion and take the magazine in bold, new directions. There, that’s it. Gemma says, about a year ago, Nina – Crimson that is – celebrated how working women could be fashionable and stylish on any income on a busy schedule. And why every woman, every person, should do that for themselves. She adored that piece. Nina says she remembers that, and Gemma says she must confess she’s a little outraged about Nina’s departure, which is why she’s stumped. Even if it was Nina’s decision to leave, how could Drew Cain even consider letting her go? Nina says he’s very proud of her tenure at Crimson and will always remember it fondly. That’s all she has to say… on the record. Off the record, and in her own personal opinion, Drew Cain is no businessman. When it comes to running Aurora or Crimson, he’s listening more to his… heart than he is his head. (Agreed.)

Carly asks if anyone has any questions, and Maxie says, so many, she doesn’t even know where to start. Carly says she acknowledges Nina played a crucial part in forming the partnership between Deception and Crimson, one that’s been profitable for both parties. So if they think she’s going to come in here and change everything solely to do things differently than Nina, that’s not going to happen. In fact, the only changes she wants to make are the ones that maximize both of their successes. Sasha says she’s so sorry. She’s been trying to think of a way to ask this that doesn’t sound… Brook says, snarky? and Maxie asks who she thinks she’s in the room with. Carly says, Sasha can say anything to her, and Sasha says, it’s just that running the MetroCourt and the diner require a very different skillset than running a magazine. Brook says, they want to know how they can trust Carly in running this very new, untested version of Crimson, and Carly says, that’s fair. Maxie might know this, but she doubts Brook and Sasha do. Back in the 90s, she was part owner of the original Deception fragrance company. She has a history with Deception and an affection for it. That’s why she wants to do right by it and them. (Which is great, but doesn’t answer the question.) Maxie says, they’re listening, and Carly says, they’re in the process of closing out their April issue, and as they know, it’s one of the biggest issues of the year. Maxie says, second only to September, and Carly says, that’s right. How about if she increases Deception’s page count at a favorable rate? Maxie asks, how favorable are they talking? when Tracy comes in. She says, don’t sign anything. Oh wait. She’s the only one who can do that. Thank God. So what did she miss? Anything good? Like the part where Carly explains how a rank amateur can avoid running Crimson right into the ground?

Olivia says, it’s highly inappropriate, Lois coming in here like this, and Lois says, it’s a public place. Olivia says, it is a restaurant and it’s her place of business. It’s very important to her that she keep her personal life and professional life very separate. Lois says, what personal life is she talking about? Lately she’s been spending all her time in this place, which begs the question, is Olivia avoiding her? Olivia says she’s not avoiding Lois and she’ll prove it to her by talking to her – at home, but Lois says she doesn’t believe Olivia. Because on the off chance they even bump into each other at the Q’s, Olivia ducks out. Then when Lois chases after her, she disappears. Are there secret passages or something she’s not aware of? Olivia says, if Lois hasn’t noticed, she’s the working mother of a young child who happens to have special needs, and Lois says, Olivia is a wonderful mother to Leo, which doesn’t change the fact that Olivia is avoiding her. And this is the only place she’s able to get a face-to-face with Olivia, so here she is. Olivia says, fine, and stomps off, Lois following her. She sits in one of the private areas and says, make it quick. Sitting across from her, Lois says, make what quick? and Olivia says, her apology.

Spencer runs into the stateroom and yells for Trina. He says, the captain’s been attacked. Someone’s on board the vessel. He turns around, and Esme says, hello, Spence. He grabs her by the throat and slams her against the wall, saying, where is she?

Dex peeks in to where Sonny and Ava are, and says, the gunfire’s coming from the other side of the hotel. They think it’s a single shooter and they’re closing in on his location. Can Sonny and Ava make it inside? Sonny nods, and Dex covers them while they dash inside.

Esme tells Spencer to let go of her neck. That could be bad for his little girl. He says he radioed for help when he found the captain. They’ll be here any second. She says, they’re headed for the English Channel, and she’s already smashed the satellite tracking. They’ll be long gone before the police arrive. Spencer says he’s not going anywhere with her. He’ll kill her first. She says, go ahead. Then he’ll never find Trina in time, and he’ll have killed them both.

Esme asks Spencer how it feels not knowing where Trina is and not knowing if she’s safe. Every second of separation is agony, isn’t it? Well, his little pangs are nothing compared to the torture that Spencer and his father have put her through. He took away her child. Ace is a part of her and now he’s gone, so go ahead, squeeze the life out of her. Kill her and Trina both. Do it. He says he’s not going to kill her because he wants her to live a very long life, living with the pain she just described to him, because she’s never, ever going to see her son again. He lets go, and she says, she is Ace’s mother. Spencer pretended to love him, and he gave Ace away, and she’ll do anything to get her son back. He says, and he’ll do anything to stop her. She unzips her backpack, and says, oh really? So he’d let Trina die. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if he doesn’t do exactly as she says. Now give her his hands. She will kill Trina. He knows she will. Now turn around and give her his hands. He does asks she asks, and she binds his wrists together.

Bound and gagged in the wheelhouse, Trina struggles to get out. She scoots across the floor.

Tracy says, what she’s dying to know is how an innkeeper is qualified to run a fashion magazine, and how to explain fashion to Carly. Carly says she guesses she’ll look it up online. As she was explaining to Tracy’s partners – Tracy says, junior partners – she’s run several businesses, learning from the ground up. Nothing is going to change with Crimson except the name on the masthead. Tracy says, so they’re swapping out the current Mrs. Corinthos for the previous gun moll, which just doesn’t sound like progress to her. Brook says, come on. At least hear what she has to say. Maxie says, Carly is offering Deception substantial concessions, and Sasha says, exactly at a time they can use them. They’re pushing a new fragrance and they’re launching their men’s line with Cody as their spokesmodel. Tracy says, so all of them are perfectly content to risk Deception’s brand on a dilettante? and Carly says, Nina was a baby stealing lunatic when she took over the magazine, and it was only given to her so she could run it into the ground. Maxie says she really wants to object to that characterization, but that’s exactly what happened, and Carly says, and look at it now. Julian took a gamble on Nina, and it paid off. Not in the way he wanted it to. Drew is taking a much smaller gamble with her, and she’s just asking Tracy to do the same. A small gamble. She thinks it’s an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.

Lois says she was out of line throwing what happened between Sonny and Dante in Olivia’s face, and Olivia says, when Sonny shot Dante, he didn’t know they were father and son because she kept quiet about it? Lois says she’s sorry. It was a lousy thing to say. Her mouth ran away with her, and she wishes she could take that back, but she’s not going to apologize for telling Sonny that Ned wasn’t the one responsible for turning Carly and Drew in to SEC, because that was the right thing to do. Olivia says, according to her, Lois Cerullo, the world expert on who gets to know what, but Lois asks how she was supposed to look Sonny in the face and not tell him? Olivia says, because she begged Lois not to. Because when she told Lois, she told her in confidence and Lois broke that confidence in like, two seconds. A lifetime of trust she threw away. What Olivia wanted, what mattered to her, didn’t mean a damn thing. Lois just ran off and blabbed. Lois asks what she was supposed to do, and Olivia says, not that. And that’s exactly her point. Lois says, after everything they’ve been through in their lives, don’t they owe it to each other to work out their differences? and Olivia says, to be honest with her, she’s not sure they can at this point. This goes a lot deeper then just Lois betraying her trust. Lois says, that is a little extreme, and Olivia asks if this relationship means something to her. Lois says, of course (🍷). It means everything to her, and Olivia says she used to believe that. What are they supposed to mean to each other when Lois’s relationship with Sonny trumps theirs every single time?

In the living room, still ducking down, Sonny asks if Ava is okay, and she says, they need to check on Avery. He says, she’s with the bodyguard. She’s in her room safe. Ava insists she has to check on Avery, and Sonny takes out his phone. He says, this is a live feed, and shows her. He says, the bodyguard’s with her right there, but Ava says she needs to see it for herself. It gets quiet, and Sonny says, once they get the all-clear, she can go. Dex comes in and says, they’re all clear, and notices Ava’s hand is bleeding. Sonny asks if she was hit.

Tracy says she’s deeply disinclined to put Deception’s money on Carly until she has something to show for her tenure. They wait a few months… Maxie jumps up and says, a few months? Crimson is closing their April issue now. Sasha says, what if everything turns out just fine? They’ll have missed April ad space in Crimson. Brook says, and September is a long way away. By then, their competition will have overtaken them in ads and sales. Maxie says, they need this opportunity, and Carly says, and it’s not going to come around again. Tracy says, okay, and Brook asks, what exactly does she mean by okay? Tracy says she means okay. They’ll take Carly up on her offer. Carly says, she will not regret this decision, and Tracy says, but no contract. Brook says, and there she is, and Carly says, they’re not doing anything without a contract. Tracy says, no contract. Not until they see real data about her circulation numbers. She needs to know if Crimson under Carly works. What has she got planned for September? Carly says, today is the first day of this job for her. September is four issues away. Tracy says she doesn’t think that would bother the good people at Vogue, Elle… Brook asks if she’s trying to tank this, but Carly says, that’s okay. She knows that Tracy is the decision maker… currently. All right. She’ll give them April as discussed, and if in three months she hasn’t hit the agreed upon circulation numbers, they can walk. Maxie says, that seems totally fair, and Tracy says, three month out, 8% off ad rate.

While there’s so much wrong with this scenario, there’s not enough time to list it, wouldn’t a magazine like Crimson already have their advertisements locked down if the issue is ready to roll? And how could Carly offer them extra pages at this point? Just asking.

Dex bandages Ava’s hand, while on the phone, Sonny says, lock down the perimeter. Get men to the docks and the airstrip. No one leaves the island. Is he understood? He hangs up, and Ava asks if they have the all-clear or not. She really needs to see their daughter. Sonny tells a guard to take Ava and do not leave her side. He closes the door after them, and Dex says, the residence is secured. Sonny says, someone took a shot at him and his child, in his building. He wants Dex and Alario to find the shooter and bring the shooter to him.

Trina is still struggling, and Esme secures Spencer’s feet while he’s seated in a comfortable chair. She’s not totally heartless. She thanks him for his cooperation and says, here’s what’s going to happen. He asks if this is the part where the villain tells him her evil plan, and she asks how she’s the villain here. Her son was taken from her, literally by an evil billionaire and his lapdog son. She’s crossed an ocean in pursuit of justice. Nothing matters to her but Ace. And until she has Ace safe in her arms, she wants everyone who took him to suffer. Now sit tight while she gets their itinerary. He asks where she’s taking him, and she says, someplace where his grandmother won’t find them. He says, tell him where Trina is right now, and she says, Trina happens to be vital to her so-called evil plan. She left instructions for Trina to all Laura when she’s free and that’ll take a minute. By then, they’ll be long gone, and Trina will tell Laura to produce Ace at a time and place of her choosing. He says his grandmother does not know where Ace is, but Esme says, Laura is a resourceful woman. She’s sure Laura will get word to Nikolas somehow. Anyway, she’ll be plenty motivated, because the only way Spencer survives is if she gets Ace. He says his father isn’t going to give Ace up, and she says she’s sure his father would prefer two living sons, even if Spencer is the one he’s stuck with (ha-ha!). Spencer says she doesn’t get it. He made his father promise that he’s not going to put Ace in any danger, and he knows Spencer would sacrifice his own life to save his brother. She says, wow. He’s so noble. Quick question. Is he willing to sacrifice Trina? Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if he doesn’t do his part. He says, even if his father gives up Ace, which he won’t, but even if he does, how does she think this goes down. She goes riding off into the sunset with Ace? She lives happily ever after? After assault and kidnapping, her best bet is to give up now. She says she will not give up on her son, and he says, just know he’s going to fight her every step of the way. She says, that’ll be difficult in his condition. She has on her hands… let’s just call it some special medicine. Just the right amount will make him completely obedient. A little too much, and he’ll turn into a drooling imbecile. More than that, he’ll just stop breathing. He says, the more she talks, the more he thinks he was probably right to give Ace to his father, and she says she’s tired of listening to him. Why don’t they give that medicine a try? She digs in her backpack, when Trina storms in and says, stay away from him.

Esme says, Trina came to save her boyfriend? Think fast. She chucks the backpack at Trina and runs over to Spencer with the syringe. Since the backpack wasn’t much of a distraction, Esme and Trina struggle over the syringe, while Spencer struggles to free himself. The syringe falls to the floor, and Esme and Trina fall on the bed, continuing their fight. Esme gets Trina down.

Gemma thanks Nina for her time and for her insight on the upheaval at Crimson. Nina says, let her confirm. This is all background, correct? Gemma tells her, sources say, and Nina says she looks forward to reading Gemma’s column. Gemma says she looks forward to writing it, and leaves.

Carly says, 8%? Is that a joke? Tracy says she never jokes about money, and Brook says she can vouch for that. Tracy says, as the majority stakeholder in Deception, she thinks it’s time they cut ties with Crimson and align themselves with a much more reputable fashion magazine. Carly asks if Tracy thinks another magazine is going to make room in their April issue for Deception. Does she think they’re going to alienate Fusion or Enchantment by offering Deception as low of an ad rate as she’s offering? Maxie says, she hasn’t mentioned a rate yet, and Carly says, 3% off.

Lois follows Olivia into her office, asking, how can she say that? She’s been… Olivia asks what Nina is doing in her office, and Nina says, Olivia said she could use it since hers is being repainted. Olivia says, she’s redecorating again? and Nina says she’s sure she mentioned it, but Olivia says she’s sure she didn’t. And Lois, her true-blue friend. Why is it when she and Sonny don’t see eye to eye on something, Lois can’t wait to fall in line behind him, every single time? Lois says, not every time, but Olivia says, every single time. Name one time she didn’t… Exactly. She told Lois, all she wanted was to keep the peace. That it would spare so many people so much heartache, Sonny included, if Ned just took the fall, but no. What she wanted took a backseat to Lois scoring points with Sonny. Nina keeps glancing over as she works, and Lois says she does not need to score points with Sonny. Olivia asks, then why did she go to him, way beyond, and say, look at me, Sonny. No one’s got your back like I do, Sonny. And now because of her, the man’s life is a dumpster fire. Nina asks if they can just go back a little bit. Did something happen with Sonny? Lois tells her, stay out of this, but Nina says, that man is her husband and if they have information about him or her marriage, she wants to know about it. Lois says, what marriage? And where is her husband? Where is he? Nowhere near her, that’s for sure. Nina says, thanks to Lois. What right did Lois have to interfere in her life and her marriage? Lois says she doesn’t let people lie to her friends, especially upper east side princesses, and Nina says, that’s classy. She guesses she’s supposed to respond with a crack about Brooklyn. Any decent person would have come to her first. Lois asks, who is she to talk to anybody about decency? Nina says she was going to go to Sonny herself, and Lois says, of course (🍷) she was. That’s what liars say when they get caught. Nina says, she barged into a situation that had nothing to do with her. Lois blew up her life, she blew up Sonny’s life, and she blew up their marriage. Lois says, your life deserved to be blown up, you lying, dime dropping, family wrecking slob, and Olivia says, that’s enough. Nina thanks her, but Olivia says, if Nina is trying to blame Lois for the sorry state of her marriage, Nina is further gone than she thought.

Esme and Trina continue to struggle, and Trina gets the best of Esme, but Esme kicks her off the bed. Esme flies down after her, grabbing the syringe. As she tries to inject Trina, Trina reaches around on the floor and picks up a giant wrench, whacking Esme in the head with it. Esme is out, and Trina runs to Spencer. He says, his hero, and she takes a look at the ties on his ankles. She says she’ll be right back, and leaves.

Sonny tells Ava, the shooter’s gone. They’re going to find him. How’s Avery? Ava says, she’s fine. Avery asked what all the noise was, so Ava said it was fireworks. She’s happy. She’s watching Frozen again. He says, good. How’s Ava’s hand? She says she’ll survive, and he says, she always does. She says she doesn’t want to talk about scrapes and bruises. Who did this? He asks if she has anybody in mind, and she says, how about the same person who killed Austin? He says, it’s too soon to speculate, and she says, when would be a good time then? She just had bullets whizzing past her head, and their daughter was just out here showing them seashells. He says, nothing is going to happen to Avery. Nothing is going to happen to his family.

Trina comes back with a knife and frees Spencer. She says, they’ve got to get out of here, and he says, what about Esme? Trina says, let her wait, and they leave, Spencer closing the door behind them. Yeah, don’t make sure she can’t get out.

Olivia says, Nina went to the SEC because she wanted Carly to go to prison. She wanted Carly away from Willow and Wiley and Amelia. And oh yeah, Nina wanted her away from Sonny. She didn’t give a damn about Carly or her kids, even little Donna who she claims to love so much. Nina says, let her remind Olivia that insider trading is illegal. Carly was guilty. Olivia says, illegal. You want to know who else does illegal things? Let her see… Who could it be? Nina’s husband, which she knew when she married him. So please spare them all her newfound position as queen of law and order. Now she wants to blame Lois for squealing on her to Sonny, instead of blaming herself for lying to Sonny in the first place. Nina says she thought Olivia was one of the few people in this town who didn’t actually hate her, and Olivia says she doesn’t hate Nina. But she has to say, Nina makes it very difficult to like someone who goes around blaming everyone for her own mistakes. There’s a little something called humility. She might want to try it sometime. She walks out, and Lois follows, giving Nina the I’m-watching-you sign before she goes.

Tracy asks Carly, was that so difficult? Carly is talking her language. Carly says, then she accepts? and Tracy says, absolutely not. 3% is paltry. Seven. Carly says, four, and Tracy says, six. Carly says, five, but Crimson gets an exclusive for Deception’s launch of the new contour palette. Tracy wonders how she knew about that, and Carly says, final offer, and holds out a paper. Do they have a deal? Tracy asks if the terms of the offer they just discussed in this contract, and Carly says, down to the decimal. Tracy says, wow. Well played. Give her a pen. Carly hands her a pen and she signs, saying, they have a deal. For now. She walks out.

Going back to the bar, Lois asks how often Nina uses Olivia’s office, and Olivia says, Lois heard her; she’s redecorating. Which she seems to do a lot. Like she thinks a new coat of paint will give her a miraculous redo on her horrifying relationships. Lois thanks her for what she said, but Olivia says she was long overdue to tell Nina off. Lois says she’s been coming to Port Charles for a really long time and since she’s been back with Olivia and everyone, she got to see what she’s been missing. She got to see all the family stuff and all the memories they share. The Thanksgiving pizzas… Olivia says, the singing and eating, and Lois says, all that stuff. The relationship Olivia has with Sonny, it’s not just a connection. They’ve got Dante and they’ve got a history that goes way back. Everyone in Port Charles has been really welcoming to her, aside from Tracy. She’s the one who left a long time ago, and even though she was part of Olivia and Sonny’s lives back in the day, they’ve gone on without her. She guesses what she’s trying to say is, she sees Olivia’s point about her going overboard to get Sonny’s approval. She’s really sorry that she let that come between them. She’s really sorry that she betrayed Olivia’s confidence. She really wishes she could take that back. Okay, she’s going to let Olivia go back to work. She turns to go, but Olivia says, wait.

Dex tells Sonny that they found the shooter’s set-up, shell casings, camouflage… Sonny says, and the shooter? Dex says, gone. No trace, no trail, nothing. Sonny asks how they got past security, and Dex says, Alario is working on that now. Sonny says he wants to know what Dex thinks, and Dex says he found a guard unconscious by the gate. They usually work in pairs, right? Sonny says, always, and Dex says, his partner got called to a disturbance in the east wing. The shooter must have set it up. This guy planted himself in the exact place to get a clear shot at the terrace. He knew the right elevation of the rifle. He had the sun at his back and was positioned perfectly for a quick escape. They knew exactly what they were doing. Sonny says, they knew more than that.

Trina and Spencer run out on deck and wave their arms, trying to signal a nearby boat. Spencer suddenly slumps down, Esme behind him holding the syringe.

Olivia tells Lois that she couldn’t imagine how to tell Sonny. He was so happy. They were newlyweds, for God’s sake. All she ever wants is for the people she loves to be happy. Lois says, that’s all she wants too. And she never should have said anything about Dante to Olivia. Olivia says, no, she should not have, and Lois says, Olivia’s a wonderful mother. Olivia says, water under the Verrazano, and they hug. Lois says, now that all the cats are out of the bag, maybe everybody’s just going to be better off, but Olivia says she thinks the jury is going to be out on that for a while. A lot of hearts got broken here. Lois says, but Sonny’s going to put his back together. He always does. What matters most is her and Olivia. Because Olivia is one of her best friends in this entire world, and she always will be. They hug again.

Nina picks up an issue of Crimson, looks at her name on the masthead, and tosses it onto the desk.

Carly says she knows this change puts Sasha in the middle. Please let her know if there’s anything she can do to make it easier. Sasha says, as long as she and Nina don’t ask her to pick a side, but Carly says she’d never do that, no matter how much she wants to. She tells Maxie that she knows Nina is James’s aunt, and Maxie says, she is and she loves Nina, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay with what Nina did to Carly and Drew. Fortunately, in this office, it’s all business. Besides, she liked how Carly handled Tracy. Brook says she thinks even granny had to respect the way Carly played that negotiation. She didn’t like it, but she respected it. Maxie says, they look forward to further developing the partnership… once Tracy settles down. Carly says she’ll have the lawyer send over the contracts this afternoon, Maxie says, sounds good, and they leave. Carly sits at her desk like she’s had a full day, when Gemma knocks at the door. Carly says, yes? and Gemma introduces herself. Carly invites her in and asks what she can do for her. Gemma says she hopes Carly can provide a comment on the story she’s writing. Carly says, of course (🍷), but she thinks she has to clear everything through the Crimson communication team. Gemma says, of course (🍷), and they can direct her to the proper Aurora rep, right? She’d like to get a comment from Drew Cain as well. Carly asks what she’s reporting on, and Gemma says she’s looking at why Mr. Cain fired Nina Reeves and hired Carly, a woman with no publishing experience and his romantic partner, to replace her.

Sonny tells Dex that they’ll need a complete overhaul of security. Whoever did this, knows their system from the inside out, procedures, operations…

Trina asks what Esme did, and Esme tells her not to worry. She only gave him enough to keep him loopy. There’s enough left for her. She comes after Trina, and Trina says, get away from her. As they fight, Spencer drags himself up and pries Esme off of Trina. He and Esme stumbled backward and through the railing, going overboard. Trina screams for Spencer.

Tomorrow, Felicia tells Adam that it’s up to him; Brook says, they were counting on Tracy to say no; Laura asks Dante, where’s Spencer?

The Real Long Season Of Housewives of Beverly Hills

Crystal says she feels dizzy, and her hands are tingly. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal’s hands are swollen, and her veins are raised. What if something is truly wrong?🫣In Annemarie’s interview, she says, this isn’t a lay down, have a ginger ale, and walk it off situation. Given how Crystal was insulting and degrading her profession, the irony is shocking. Oh, like someone else couldn’t have deduced 9-1-1 needed to be called. I see she’s going to want a medal for something most average people could have done. The ambulancia comes, and the EMT says, Crystal’s blood pressure is high, and they need to take her to the hospital. The women send Gavin with her, whoever he is, then light candles in the chapel. In her interview, Erika reminds us that she had a chapel in her old house, and we flash back. The women pretend to pray and be concerned. In Sutton’s interview, she says, being closer to God means being closer to her father. She thinks he’s with God despite the Catholic beliefs she grew up with. In Erika’s interview, she says her intentions are to pick up, rebuild, move forward. She’s glad the earring judgement went in her favor, but she’s annoyed that no one bowed down to her about it. Sutton tells Kyle that a friend had a dream about her dad. He said, Sutton was right. He was tired. In her interview, Sutton says, rebuilding her and Kyle’s friendship means everything, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she was hurt by Sutton’s questions, but she’s happier with their friendship being in a good place. The women head to Barcelona.

Crystal calls and tells the group that they gave her anti-nausea medication. She’s getting a drip and waiting on a prescription. The women tour the old town. I love how other countries/cultures have kept so much old architecture. The US doesn’t value it as much, and it makes me feel sad every time they tear down something in NYC that’s been around for a million years. They check out something built for the 1929 World’s Fair and go down a street with lines of umbrella tops hanging over it (see below, since I stink at description). Kyle wants to know where Hermes is, and in her interview, she explains that it’s the center of town for her and what she uses to guide herself, her compass. They stop for lunch, and Annemarie says she knows they’re all thinking about Crystal. She toasts to health, and Kyle says, it’s an interesting after what happened yesterday. Annemarie says she takes her profession seriously; it’s part of her. The comments about fake doctor and not a doctor were true hurtful. Erika doesn’t think Crystal will say it again. A twist of fate. It’s how life works. What a Confucious she is. If that’s the case, she’d better duck and run, since she has a few twists coming. Garcelle says, she and Dorit had more than a hiccup in their relationship.

Garcelle tells the women that Dorit had triggered her on Taco Tuesday, and they had a discussion about it. Dorit says, Garcelle called her a Karen, and we flash back to Garcelle saying she thought Dorit was exhibiting unconscious Karen behavior. Garcelle says she doesn’t think anyone here is racist, but certain things make her feel a certain way. In her opinion, Dorit had led a sheltered life and doesn’t understand her walk. Dorit says she appreciates Garcelle saying that, but her bubble might be different than Garcelle assumes. Her father was Israeli, and when they moved, they’d been the only Jews in the neighborhood. She remembers people making anti-Semitic remarks. In Dorit’s interview, she says, one of her early childhood memories was being teased for being Jewish and being asked why she didn’t have horns. She tells Garcelle that she’s not comparing their issues, but she felt it wasn’t a fair characterization of her. If she triggers Garcelle, tell her, and she won’t do it again. Garcelle says she believes that. This is the stuff that really bonds them. You don’t know where someone has been. In her interview, Dorit says, this has allowed them to go deeper and have a better, stronger, deeper friendship. In Sutton’s interview, she says, tonight, her old friend Trevor will be joining them. They both started in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He’s bringing his architect friends, and she wants the ladies to know a different side of her. Dorit says, Sutton should be ashamed for not letting them shop, and in her interview, Sutton says she’s shopped with Kyle and Dorit before. We flash back to that, and Sutton says, if she doesn’t put a time limit on it, they’ll be here for week. In Dorit’s interview, she says, who doesn’t need a hand painted antique fan? She needs seven.

Crystal arrives back and they all climb in bed with her. This would be my recovery nightmare, but she seems to be taking it well. Crystal tells them that it was just high blood pressure, and in her interview, she says, there’s a history of high blood pressure in her family. It’s something she’s struggled with, but she didn’t know it could get to this point. She says she’s super lethargic, and Annemarie says, her body went through a lot, fishing for a worship moment from Crystal. Crystal thanks all of them for being supportive, and everybody pats her like she’s a Golden Retriever. She hugs Annemarie, and in Crystal’s interview, she says her dad told her the signs of a stroke. She was never faced with her own mortality. How could she leave her young family at 40? She appreciates Annemarie for being there and just wants to be okay for her family. She tells them that she’s not having alcohol and Kyle says, join the club. Seriously though, Annemarie doing what any halfway decent person would – which was to basically say that Crystal was in bad shape and needed more professional help than her – doesn’t discount her unacceptable behavior for several episodes. And she’s not a doctor, which many of them called her out on, on social media. I didn’t even see her taking Crystal’s pulse. I guess she could have turned her back or said Crystal would be okay, but then how would that look? Come on. It’s not all that special.

Tonight is paella night (I love paella!), and Sutton talks about Mercury being in retrograde to her glam squad. Crystal talks to Rob, and Kyle calls Mauricio, but the call goes in and out. Erika tells her squad that she’s drunk and now has to pretend to be a paella making master. Sutton described Trevor’s friends as erudite, so they are dubbed The Erudites in the descriptive text. In Suttons interview, she says she and Trevor got in trouble together. She learned words like fakakta from him and what teabagging meant. A producer asks what she thinks about teabagging, and she says she’s not opposed to it. That Sutton, always full of surprises. Erika and Trevor have a no, after you moment, where neither wants to go first.

In Dorit’s interview, she says, Erika is lathered. Chef Storm says, they’re ready, and the women go in the back, where Storm’s father is the chief paella chef. Crystal tells Garcelle that she’s going for the dad, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she can see herself moving to Spain, learning the language, and being stepmother to Storm. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Garcelle will probably win. Her bosoms are bigger. Crystal asks Garcelle about talking to Dorit, and Erika praises Annemarie for letting her professional side ride over her personal sh*t. Annemarie says, she would always do that. In Crystal’s interview, she says she’d like to move forward. She saw Annemarie’s kind, generous side, and it makes her want to start fresh. Storm’s dad does a paella demonstration, and everyone sits down to eat. Dorit wants Trevor to divulge every single dirty detail about Sutton, and Trevor says, she was mean to him. She liked to act like she was in charge even if when she wasn’t. He says, Sutton was in Brooklyn, and Erika says, what a dump. In her interview, Sutton says she was poor and bought five-dollar dresses, but she was truly independent, and she loved it. Trevor says, Sutton arranged parties for the studio, and Sutton says, she was dating Christian at the time. Erika says she knows they love Merce, but he was in a Ziploc bag. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Erika is very intoxicated. That’s not a good sign.

In Dorit’s interview, she says she has to agree that Merce should not be in a Ziploc bag. In Sutton’s interview, she says, that’s how people carry ashes, in a bag like a goldish. I was wondering, how else would you transport them? You couldn’t count on any kind of container not opening. When you receive pet ashes, they’re not in a Ziploc per se, but they’re in a bag inside the container. In Kyle’s interview, she says she guesses she’s seen too many movies where ashes are knocked over or vacuumed up, so her mother is in the guest bathroom. It’s a beautiful bathroom. The architect friends introduce themselves, and in Erika’s interview, she says, she’s used to dining and socializing with erudites due to Tom. Provided they’re not stuck up, erudites are cool. In Crystal’s interview, she says she doesn’t know what happens to Erika, but when she’s drunk, she suddenly becomes the world circle. Sutton picks up Merce, now in a svelte container, and Erika says, Merce is in her purse, causing everyone to barely contain their laughter. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she could watch this all night. Sutton suggests a toast, they say, viva España, and everyone toddles off. Kyle raids the chocolate stash, and Garcelle asks how Erika knows so much stuff. Erika says, when Tom had guests, she asked a lot of questions. Outside, Trevor tells Sutton that she was a goody two shoes. She wasn’t as comfortable in her own skin as she is now. She’s come into her own and she’s where she’s supposed to be. Sutton says, so is Merce.

In the morning, Erika says her head hurts, which is no surprise to anyone, and Kyle says, she was so funny. Crystal says she feels good, but low, and Garcelle says, it’s probably because of the medication. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Crystal just needs to calm down. Garcelle has high blood pressure in her family too. She tells Crystal that it’s still high, but it’s not going down overnight. Crystal asks about dinner, and Garcelle says, Erika was funny. Crystal says, and Sutton was not happy. Sutton gives everyone leis made out of carnations, the flower of Spain. She says, when they release them, they release what’s inside that they want to let go of and send it off. In Sutton’s interview, she says, when she releases the ashes, she wants them to think about something internalized that they need to release. They all have an opportunity to share something and bring them closer together. In Dorit’s interview, she says, PK is traveling, and her mom is with the kids. She doesn’t travel that much and wonders why PK couldn’t stay home.

Kyle finds Sutton crying, and Sutton says she’s losing it. She doesn’t want to open the ashes. Kyle hugs her, and Sutton says, a lot of her dad is wrapped up in this. When she lost her dad, they each got a Ziploc bag of his ashes, but she lost it since she’d moved so much. Kyle says, he’s watching over her and not thinking about that. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Merce’s ashes are symbolic of her father’s ashes. Merce was one of the first to call her when her dad died, with Trevor. She tells Kyle that she’s also scattering her marriage ashes. She was angry for so long. Divorce consumes you. In her interview, Sutton says she thought it would be a good idea to separate and go to couple’s therapy while they worked on their marriage. As soon as Christian moved out, he filed. The emoji of an exploding brain was her getting the call telling her to get an attorney.🤯Her marriage, her dad’s death, and Merce’s death; the three most important men in her life. She has to let them go. She’s 52, and needs to be that 24-year-old girl who moved to NYC again. Kyle says, being alone can be lonely, but it can be incredible too, and they hug.

Next time, the ashes are spread, and blow back; Kyle wants Mauricio to say yes to more things; and Kyle says, if Mauricio can’t make an effort, they might not end up together. I admit I didn’t totally pay attention here because I was wondering when the finale is of this season that’s gone on for at least a year now.

🩶 Heart Of Platinum…

Let’s reunite tomorrow for soap, a spot of tea, and points of entertainment interest. Until then, stay safe, stay taking a mint if someone offers you one, and stay not listening more to your… heart when running a business.

January 29, 2024 – Esme Fakes Out the PCPD, Talk to Nik, Returning Soon, A Loss, Chef Slam, She Sipped, VanderSoon, Live Reading, New Captain, Dolly’s Gala & Gloom

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are seated at a restaurant that looks suspiciously similar to the PC Grill. Trina says, Spencer said thank you, and the waitress said… something right away. He says, very good. She said she’ll be back right away. She says, this place is incredible. This is one of his favorite spots? He says, actually, he’s never been in this restaurant before. He wanted to go to a place that’s new to both of them to start their new beginning together. She says she loves that. She loves everything about Paris so far… except, tonight, considering he’s left her completely in the dark about what he has in store for them. So let’s hear it. He says, and spoil the surprise? No.

Portia and Laura go into Doc’s hospital room, and Laura says, he’s asleep again. She should have been here when he woke up. Portia asks, how are his vitals? and the nurse says, the same. He’s been in and out. Portia suggests Laura speak to him and let him know she’s here. Laura sits by the bed and says, it’s her. She’s here. She doesn’t know if he can hear her, but she really needs him to wake up. Can he do that? Can he open his eyes for her? He does, and she thanks him for coming back to her.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase approach an apartment where a Canadian officer stands guard. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Esme Prince’s description have exited. Dante says, so the apartment’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off and waiting for them. This could be trouble. Dante and Chase put their hands on their weapons, and the officer knocks at the door. He says, police. Open up.

PT therapist Ben asks if Curtis felt that as he squeezes Curtis’s leg. Curtis says he felt a pinch, and Ben says, so far, so good. The surgery confirmed Curtis’s body is capable of healing from his injury. To what extent, they’ll find out. Curtis says, yes, they will. He’s guessing physical therapy is going to change now that he has feeling in his legs. Ben says, yes, but keep in mind, they still have a long road ahead, and Curtis asks, how long exactly? Ben says, each patient is different, so it’s hard to say, and Curtis says, fair enough. Stella walks in behind Curtis, and Curtis suggests they see if he can stand, but buttinsky Stella says, oh no he won’t.

Tracy walks into the courtroom, and says she gathers court is in recess. Finn says, the prosecution just rested their case, and Tracy says, then he’s up next, but Finn says, Diane already called him as a witness. His time on the stand is done. Alexis comes in and says she’s sorry she’s late. How did it go? Tracy says, Finn just told them that he was called as a witness for the plaintiff, and Alexis says, and? Finn says, eh, and she says, that good. Elizabeth says, it was bumpy, but Sam may have saved the day, and Alexis says, Sam? Where is she? Martin says, chasing down more information, and Alexis says, pertaining to? Finn says, Muldoon saw an oncologist weeks before Muldoon came to see him, and Alexis asks how an oncologist could miss late-stage cancer. Gregory says, he didn’t.

Martin tells Alexis, the theory is, after losing his shirt in the market and cashing in a life insurance policy, Muldoon finds out he has late-stage cancer, not much time left. Rather than bankrupting his family with medical bills, he goes after Finn for malpractice. Tracy says, total con job, and Finn asks what Alexis thinks. She says, the reasoning is sound. What kind of circumstantial evidence did Sam uncover? Elizabeth says proof that Muldoon went to the medical pavilion where he saw an oncologist before he ever went to see Finn, but there are other medical offices in that building. Alexis says, so it’s far from conclusive. And even if Muldoon did set Finn up, they don’t know if the wife had knowledge of it. Elizabeth asks if it isn’t enough for the judge to throw out the case, and Tracy says, correct her if she’s wrong. If they don’t have hard evidence of Muldoon’s cancer diagnosis, they’ve got nothing. So put her back on the stand. Make her crack. Make the attempted fraud public record.

Stella says she’s sorry to interrupt like this, and Ben says, as she can see, they’re in the middle of a therapy session. Curtis asks what she’s doing here, and she says, just peeping in since she was here at the hospital. Is this his first session since the surgery? Curtis says, she knows good and well it is. She doesn’t have to check on him. He’s got this. She says, that’s what he’s been saying since he was a little boy, always getting ahead of himself, and Ben says he’s got to get some more towels, wisely making himself scarce. Curtis says, she doesn’t need to check on him and she doesn’t need to worry, but she says, it’s too late for that. She’s been doing that all his life. Does he remember when he insisted that he could play basketball with the neighborhood teenagers? He was eight years old. He says he knows Tommy made those kids let him play, and she asks, does he remember how many times he limped home with a skinned knee or a bloody nose when an elbow went awry? (Oh, like all kids?) He says, yeah, and she always patched him up and he lived through it. He didn’t give up then and he’s not going to give up now. He just wants to assess how the surgery went. She says, he needs to do that today? and he asks if that isn’t the point of physical therapy, to get him walking again. She says, and they call her stubborn. She calls to Ben, asking if he’s got enough towels yet, and he comes back. She says she can’t tell her nephew what to do, but please… Curtis says, that would be a first, and she says, hush. Please tell them, isn’t it dangerous for Curtis to try and push himself to stand too quickly?

Trina says, coq au vin is a classic. She thinks she’ll try that. What kind of vin does he think they should drink with it? Rouge or blanc?… Monsieur Cassadine? He says he’s sorry, and she asks, what’s on his mind? He says, they have black caviar here. When he was younger and a little bit more… She says, cute? and he tells her that he was going to say pretentious. He once went to a restaurant with his father, and they had black caviar and he asked if they could get it. His father said, no, so he asked if they could have it at home. He asked and asked and asked, and eventually his father gave in and had it served. And he loved it. Trina asks how old he was, and he says, young enough to be served black beans and believe it was caviar. (True story. For my sister’s 18th birthday, she was having a dinner party at home and had caviar. I was still in elementary school, but insisted on trying it and promptly spit it into the sink as she said, what are you doing? That’s stuff’s expensive! My tastes have, however, changed since then.) He says he hopes Ace grows up a bit more grounded than he did, and she says she’s sure his father has learned a lot since him. Maybe even from him. He says, they don’t have to talk about that. He doesn’t want to ruin their night. She says, he’s not ruining her night by telling her his feelings. She wants to hear his stories, share his troubles. That’s what couples do. He takes her hand and says he guesses he’s still getting used to being in a healthy relationship. She’ll have to be patient with him. She says, of course (🍷). She loves him. He kisses her hand and says he loves her too.

Portia asks if Doc can tell them where they are, and he says, General Hospital. He assumes on the 10th floor. She says, that’s correct. What about what year it is? He says, 1912? and Laura laughs. He says, 2023… No, 24. Sorry. He’s still getting used to saying it. Laura asks, who did this to him? and he says, it was Esme.

Maggie opens the door with the chain lock still on it, and the officer says, Miss Fitzgerald? She asks what he wants, and he says, these are American law enforcement officers. They have questions for her. She says she doesn’t have to answer them, but the officer says he’d cooperate if he was her. She’s an Irish Nationalist, not a Canadian citizen. American law enforcement is looking for her. She recognizes Dante, and he asks if they can come in and talk with her a minute. She lets them in and asks, how’s Dante’s lovely lady friend? Dante says, Sam is doing great. Thanks for asking. She says she’s doing great too. Shortly after they came to see her in Devon, she started a new position here with a family in Toronto. Things have been quiet for her. She’d like to keep them that way. He says, they’ll make this quick. They’re not looking to cause her any trouble. They’re just looking for Esme Prince.

Laura says, when they found Doc on the floor of Alexis’s office, they assumed it was Esme, and he asks if she’s in custody. She says, no. Esme is gone, but Dante and Chase got a lead that Esme traveled to Toronto. She has an old nanny there that she was going to see. They’re looking for her now. Does he have any idea why Esme attacked him? He says he found her in the office. They were talking. He thought he was getting through to her. They were seated, and she started pacing when she was talking about her hopes for Ace’s future. Then the world went black. Laura says, that’s probably enough for right now. He should probably get his rest. She looks to Portia for confirmation, and he says, actually, he’s kind of hungry. Portia says, that’s a good sign. She’ll let the nurse know. Laura’s right though; get some rest. He says, what else is he going to do in here? and Portia leaves. He tells Laura not to look so worried, but she says, it was so scary finding him on the floor like that, unconscious. And she couldn’t wake him. He says he didn’t survive Ryan all these years just to be done in by his daughter, but all that concern isn’t just for him, is it? She says she’s really upset about Esme. She believed in Esme. She really believed Esme’s love for her baby Ace was going to be the thing that gave her the strength to turn her life around. And it did. She was doing so well. She was a good mom, and then she got her memory back. She thinks Esme didn’t have a chance to reconcile her two identities before Nikolas came back and took her son. Ace is a grounding force for Esme, and she thinks Esme losing her son pushed her over the edge. He says, love is a powerful motivator… both for good and ill. (That Doc is a real philosopher.) She asks if he’s in pain, but he says, no, but he’s bothered by the assumption that Esme went to Toronto to see her nanny. He thinks she’d go after Nikolas. Laura says, her too, but she thinks Esme doesn’t have anything to go on. She has no resources and Toronto isn’t very far and wouldn’t put too much strain on Esme’s credit card to travel there. He says, Esme’s credit card? and she says she forgot to tell him. The PCPD found out Esme charged a bus ticket to Toronto. He says, something’s off. It’s like something happened in Alexis’s office that he can’t quite remember.

Maggie says, Dante is telling her that he doesn’t want to cause trouble, but there are three police officers from two countries in her apartment. Chase and the Canadian officer go into another room, and she asks what those two are doing. Dante says, like he told her; they’re not here for her. They’re looking for Esme. She says, they’re looking in the wrong place. She hears a noise and yells, don’t go throwing things about! Dante tells her, if she’s saying Esme isn’t here, then she’s got to come clean. She’s got to tell them where she is. She asks how she would know that, and he says, they have reason to believe Esme came her to see her. She says, that’s pure rubbish. She hasn’t seen Esme in years.

Trina says she thinks shell try every coq au vin to see which is the best one in Paris, and Spencer says, that’s a good idea. Considering the fact he doesn’t know how to cook, he thinks they’ll be doing a fair amount of dining out. But if she only has coq au vin, won’t she miss out on a lot of other fantastic French food? She says she thinks she’ll have plenty of opportunities to try other tasty dishes, and he says, there’ll be a lot more to this trip than just food. She says, like what? Studying? He says, very important, and she says, dancing? He says he’s sure they’ll wander into a club or two, and she says, starting tonight? Is he going to tell her what he has planned? He says, she’ll certainly be getting the VIP treatment, and she says, he’s enjoying this secrecy a little too much. he says, maybe… Okay, fine. He doesn’t want to drag it out if she really wants to know. She says, and ruin the surprise? How dare he? He says, she certainly keeps him on his toes.

Curtis tells Stella, it won’t be dangerous. Ben is right here. Ben says he supposes there’s no harm in trying. He’ll be with Curtis, and Curtis will have the parallel bars to stabilize him. Curtis says, let’s do it.

Curtis hoists himself out of the chair, grabbing onto the parallel bars. Ben tells him to align his hands above his hips and use his arms to push his way up. Three, two, one. Curtis stands for a moment, then falls back into the chair. Ben says, good work. Curtis wanted a gauge and now they know. Curtis wheels himself away from the bars, and Ben asks if he wants to get to work, but Curtis says, no. that’ll be it for today. Ben asks if he’s sure. There’s still twenty minutes to their session. Stella asks if they can have a moment, and Ben leaves. Curtis says, she was right. It was a mistake to try and stand so soon. She asks if he made a slam dunk on the first try. No. So why did he think this was going to work on the first try?

Martin says, Alexis is right. At this point, their first step should be to compel the oncologist to expose that Muldoon had a cancer diagnosis prior to his visit with Finn. That would establish intent for Muldoon, but to accuse his wife of complicity with circumstantial evidence, that’s risky. They have no way of proving she had prior knowledge of his condition. To point a finger at her and start ranting about fraud would be a complete Hail Mary on their part. Tracy asks if that’s not what lawyers are supposed to do, throw out alternative possibilities. At least if the accusation is out there, the GH lawyers can run with it, especially if she has anything to say about it. Elizabeth asks what Finn thinks, and Finn asks, what will happen to Mrs. Muldoon if they accuse her of fraud? Tracy says, who cares? and Gregory says he could use some water. He asks Tracy to come with him, and she says, if he insists. They leave, and Martin says, in answer to Finn’s question, she’d be charged with fraud. If those charges are proven, she’d be looking at jail time. Elizabeth says, if she knew her husband was lying. That’s the question, but how do they know if Mrs. Muldoon was in on the fraud or not? Martin looks over at Diane and says he’s got one idea.

Trina says, Tuesday will be non-stop, but she thinks she can meet Spencer for a quick dinner, and he says he’d love to spend every single day with her here if he could. But he understands that she’s here first and foremost for school. So if she needs to prioritize her classes, that’s okay. She doesn’t have to worry about him. He’ll keep himself busy. She asks, how? and he says he’s been giving it a lot of thought. She’s so passionate about art, the way she talks about it and lives her life for it. He’d like to figure out what that is for him, what his passion is. Maybe he’ll figure that out in Paris. She says, there’s always Le Cordon Bleu, but he says he doesn’t think even they could help him with his cooking skills. Maybe it’s a good option, but he thinks there are a lot of things here for him to explore. So they’ll have to see. He just hates that he wasted so much time when he was here… before. Being angry with his father and planning to get back at Ava… She says, he had help. Esme stoked his anger and did everything she could to manipulate him. He says, first Esme, then Uncle Victor, but he’s just very glad they can finally put that all behind them. He’s very sorry he dragged her into all that. She didn’t deserve it. She says, neither did he, and he asks how she does that. She’s so supportive and so sweet. And she’s so hot. She makes him want to be better. She says she thinks he’s pretty amazing (ugh), and he thanks her, but he thinks there’s still plenty of room for improvement. (Agreed.) She says, he’ll get there.

Dante says, Esme hasn’t reached out to Maggie? Called her, texted her, mailed her a letter? Maggie says she wrote Esme with her address here in Toronto, but that was months ago. Esme never wrote back. She hasn’t heard from her. He says, they’ve got a letter that Maggie wrote to Esme, inviting Esme here to see her, and she asks if he had the handwriting analyzed, because she never extended any such invitation. The family she works for now are very private, very security conscious. Esme’s a troubled girl with a criminal record. She feels terrible for Esme, but she doesn’t want to jeopardize her current employment. Writing letters is one thing. Seeing Esme face to face, she’d never do it. Chase and the officer come back out, and Chase says, there’s no sign of Esme, nothing to suggest she’s ever been here.

Stella says she knows Curtis is disappointed, but he’s got to be patient with himself. He says he’s been nothing but patient. He feels like he’s been beating back this feeling of powerlessness forever, doing everything he can to make things better. He was at that point of acceptance, but this procedure has renewed his hope. Now that it has, he wants to move forward. She says, but he is moving forward. Just slower than he’d like. He says, so slow, he’s standing still. Oh, his bad. He can’t even stand. She says, now he’s feeling sorry for himself, and that’s not like him. Listen to her. He’s going to keep at it and he’s going to get this one effort at a time. What’s the alternative? Giving up? He asks if she wasn’t the one saying pushing it was a bad idea, and she says she’s always offering her two cents where it’s not needed, but the last thing she wanted was to undermine his belief in himself. He says, that wasn’t her; his legs did. She says, he’s always exceeded people’s expectations. Wasn’t he the only freshman who made varsity basketball in high school? He says, the coach didn’t even want him to try out, and she says, but he proved the coach wrong, didn’t he? She guesses all those skinned knees playing street ball eventually paid off. He proved everybody wrong. He says, what if his streak is over? but she says, it’s not. He just needs to pace himself. He’ll get there. She believes that, and she believes in him. Portia comes in and says she’s glad Stella is here too. Doc is awake and he’s doing better. Stella says, praise be, and Curtis says, good news. Portia asks, where’s Ben? Is his physical therapy session over? Stella looks at Curtis and says, is it?

Back in the courtroom, Gregory sips some water and says he needed this. He thanks Tracy, and she says, anything for a friend. He asks if that’s what they are, and she says she only allows friends and family to manipulate her, so she guesses so. He says he really did need the water, but she has to admit, she wasn’t exactly helping. She says, yes, she was. This is no time for Finn to be noble or selfless. He’s losing patients because of this groundless lawsuit, and he’s such a good doctor. Gregory says, no argument here. He’s just glad Finn has her on his side.

Mrs. Muldoon tells Diane, her children not only lost a father, Dr. Finn has jeopardized their future. Without Dennis, how is she going to pay for their schools, their college? Diane says she’s doing everything she can to get a settlement that will meet the needs of her children, when Martin asks if he can have a word. Diane says, of course (🍷), and tells Mrs. Muldoon that she’s going to confer with Martin. She’ll be right back. Take this moment for herself. Do some deep breathing. It sounds trite, but it does help. And whatever she does, do not engage with the defendant.

Finn asks Alexis what she thinks. Should he let Martin accuse Mrs. Muldoon of fraud? Elizabeth says, heads up. She’s coming. Instead of listening to her high-priced lawyer, Mrs. Muldoon makes a beeline for Finn. She says, if he had any shred of decency, he would change his plea to guilty and end this right now. Alexis says, they shouldn’t be speaking, but Finn says, it’s okay. He wants to hear what she has to say. Go ahead. Let’s talk about decency.

Curtis says he’s just on a break and asks Stella to find Ben and tell him they still have work to do. Stella says she’d be happy to, and leaves. Portia asks what she missed, and Curtis says he messed around and pushed too hard, but nothing was hurt except his ego. He’s really glad Doc is okay. Has she heard anything about Esme? She says, nothing yet. She’s hoping Dante and Chase find her in Toronto, apprehend her, and put her in prison where she belongs. She’s absolutely done with Esme and never wants to worry about Esme Prince again.

Dante tells Chase that it looks like Esme played them. She gave them a false lead. Chase says, if Esme didn’t come looking for Maggie, where did she go? Dante tells Maggie that he’s not sure if she knows, but Esme’s regained her memory. She just assaulted a man and put him in the hospital, nearly killed him. So any insights into Esme would be greatly appreciated. Places she would go, people she’d want to see. Maggie says she doesn’t know. She did her best by Esme. She tried to steer her right, but nothing would sway her. She was dead set on reuniting with her family. Dante says, her family. Maybe that’s the key.

Detective Bennet asks, what happened when Doc arrived on the scene? and Doc says he came into Alexis Davis’s office, and Esme was already there. She was seated, she had her laptop open, and she startled when she realized he was there. It was like she thought he caught her doing something. He flashes back to that, and says, Laura told him that Esme used her credit card to purchase travel to Toronto. Her own credit card? Laura says, yeah, and he says, then what was she doing with The Invader’s corporate card? She had it in her hand. He saw it when he came into the room. Laura says, they’d better call Alexis, and takes out her phone.

Spencer says, they should get the check. He doesn’t want them to be late. Trina says, late for what? and he says, she’ll see.

Martin says he’d like to add someone to the witness list, and Diane says, it’s a little late in the game. He agrees, it is and apologizes for the short notice, but some new information has suddenly come to light. She asks, who’s the witness? and he says, Dr. Powell. Doesn’t ring a bell? She says, no. Should it? He says he guesses they’ll find out, and walks off.

Mrs. Muldoon whines to Finn that they’ll have to sell their home, when Alexis gets a text from Laura: Call me, 911. She tells Elizabeth, and Mrs. Muldoon says, their futures were all planned. Her husband went to Finn and now he’s dead. (Um… Apparently, they didn’t plan that well. Sounds like they played fast and loose with the kids’ college fund.) She asks if he was just another faceless patient to Finn, but Finn says, none of his patients are faceless, not ever. He’s very sorry for her loss, but he did tell her husband that he needed follow-up testing and he failed to do that. She says, that’s not Dennis. He’s wrong. Dennis would have taken proper steps if he’d understood something was seriously wrong. He never would have left her and the children. Even at the very end, all he could think about was the kids. That’s why he told her to sue, so he could make sure his family was taken care of. Finn says, so the malpractice suit was her husband’s idea, and she says, that’s how much he loved them. And when he was in terrible pain, he didn’t worry about himself; he was worried about his family. It’s not right a man that loving should die so young. Finn says, no, it isn’t.

Diane comes running in, saying, no, no, no, no, no. She thought she asked Mrs. Muldoon not to talk to Dr. Finn. What did Finn say? Finn says, not much. Her client, however, said plenty. Diane leads Mrs. Muldoon to the other side of the courtroom, and Gregory asks what she said to Finn. Martin says he’d like to hear the answer to that question himself, and Elizabeth says, she made a lot of accusations, but Finn says, it doesn’t matter. She’s in pain. How did it go with Diane? Martin says, Diane has the best poker face he’s ever seen, but he honestly thinks she doesn’t know why he’s calling a late witness. He mentioned the oncologist’s name and there was nothing. No indication of recognition whatsoever. Tracy asks if Martin mentioned he was an oncologist, and he asks if he looks like an idiot. She says, well… and Gregory clears his throat. Elizabeth says she doesn’t think Diane would be an accessory to fraud, and Finn says, probably Mrs. Muldoon isn’t either. He didn’t get the feeling she knew. Elizabeth says neither did she, and Tracy says, that is for her lawyer to prove. Finn says, if Mrs. Muldoon goes to prison, what will happen to her kids? and Tracy says she thinks the question he should be asking is, if he doesn’t win this case, what will happen to his kid?

Dante asks Maggie to excuse them for a minute, and steps into the hallway with Chase. He says, they have to explore the family aspect, and Chase asks, what family? Esme’s mother is in Pentenville, and since Esme attacked Doc, that rules out any support she’d get from him and Laura. Who else is left? Dante says, her son, and takes out his phone. He looks at Laura’s number.

Laura says, Alexis should be here any moment now, when her phone rings. She says, this is Dante, and tells Dante that she’s here with Doc and Detective Bennet and he’s on speaker. Dante asks how Doc is doing, and Doc says, his head hurts. Otherwise, he’s okay. Dante says, good to hear, and Laura asks if they’ve found anything in Toronto, but Dante says, it’s a dead end. He thinks Esme was just trying to buy some time. He was wondering if she heard from Nikolas. Laura says, the last person to speak to him was Spencer. Why? He says, they were thinking Esme might track down Nikolas to reclaim Ace before she goes into hiding, and Laura says she’s sure that’s what Esme would like to do, but she has no means of tracking down Nikolas. However, they might have a new lead on their end. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, actually, Alexis just walked in right now. She tells Alexis that she has Chase and Dante on speaker phone from Canada. Did she find anything? Alexis says she had her assistant email every charge on the corporate credit card in the last 72 hours, and Bennet asks if she was aware the credit card was stolen. She says, no, but Esme, as her assistant, had the authority to use the card and she continually used it. She looks at her phone and says, here’s the email right now… Whoa. What is this here?

Spencer says, shall we go? and he and Trina get up. She asks where they’re off to, and he says, the rest of their lives. He kisses her hand.

Elizabeth tells Finn, as much as she hates to say it, Tracy has a point. if he doesn’t push this fraud angle, he could lose this case and his position at GH. He says he could always go back to research, and she says, really? Here in Port Charles? Or would he and Violet have to move away from everyone who loves them? Is that really what he wants to do? He says, no, of course (🍷) not. But he doesn’t want to see Mrs. Muldoon go to prison for fraud. Those kids already lost their father. She’s all they have. Believe it or not, he can almost understand the desperation Dennis Muldoon was feeling. He was in an impossible situation and made the only choice he thought he could to take care of his family. She says she gets that he was in an impossible situation and just trying to take care of his family, but for Mr. Muldoon to use Finn as a scapegoat, someone who was only trying to help him, and make Finn pay for his misfortune? He asks if it’s any better to throw a grieving widow under the bus. It seems like no matter what, someone’s going to get hurt.

Ben tells Curtis, good work today, and Curtis thanks him for letting the session run over, especially since they ran him in and out of there for an hour. Ben says he’s glad they got it all in. See him next Thursday? Curtis says, you bet, they fist bump, and Ben leaves. Portia says, it looks like Curtis had a pretty good workout, and he says he sure did. Stella says, his first step to a first step, and Curtis says he sees what she did there. He will be walking when Trina comes home from Paris.

The bailiff says, court will reconvene in five minutes, and Mrs. Muldoon says she’s going to splash some water on her face. Diane asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know a Dr. Powell, but she says, no, and leaves.

Martin tells Finn that his assistant is drawing up a subpoena to have the oncologist testify. He got the motion to add a late witness. Finn says, already? and Martin says, if they’re going to do this, they’ve got to get the ball rolling. They’ve got less than five minutes here. How would Finn like him to proceed? Gregory says he’ll support whatever decision Finn makes, and Finn says he doesn’t want to risk Mrs. Muldoon going to prison. Martin says, he may have to, to clear his name.

In the hallway, Tracy tells Mrs. Muldoon that she needs a word, but Mrs. Muldoon says her attorney advised her not to speak to Dr. Finn or any of his supporters. (Like she listened before.) Tracy says, that’s okay. She’ll do all the talking.

The bailiff asks everyone to take their seats, and Gregory asks Elizabeth, where did Tracy go? Martin tells Finn, all right, doc. It’s go time. What are we doing?

Alexis says, there’s an airline charge on the corporate credit card, and Esme’s name is on the ticket. Dante says, ticket to where? and Doc says, Paris. She was booking a flight to Paris. (Okay, so Esme didn’t save Alexis money.) Alexis says, he’s right. Esme’s ticket was to Paris. Laura says, oh my God. She’s going after Spencer and Trina.

Spencer and Trina leave the French PC Grill restaurant, and Trina says, he’s too cute. He tells her that she’s beautiful. Take it all in. It’s all for them. She says she can’t believe this is all happening, and he says, she’s too cute. (All right already with cute.) Is she ready for her next surprise? She says she doesn’t need a surprise. She’s got him. That’s all she could ever need. He kisses her and they continue walking. Apparently, Trina needs some Spidey-sense too, since Esme steps out of the shadows and follows them.

Tomorrow, Martin tells Finn, they go with what they planned, or go with this new theory; Anna tells Jordan that someone is playing games, and she wants to find out why; and Sonny tells Ava, things have changed and so have the threats.

🍼 Ask Where Ace Is…

IMO, the best Nikolas of them all. Wednesday, January 31, 3 pm.

🚑 She’ll Be Back…

OG Josslyn is getting there.

🥀 Way Too Soon…

It doesn’t give details, but regardless, so sad.

🛸 Bring On the Space Cake….

I’m not saying anyone is wrong here. Maybe Denise is owning what’s hers; maybe she’s a big a-hole. It’s hard to tell judge everything that’s going on in two minutes of film out of an entire evening. But in regard to her saying she might have been slipped something, until this chef went apesh*t, I didn’t think for once she meant him. I thought she was inferring it might have been one of the other cast members. Which, considering past behavior, isn’t a stretch.

💎 She Knows Nothing…

I’ve been leaning this way too. Only because the whole thing looks so awkward. Mauricio is so high all the time, it doesn’t seem like he gives a flying what’s going on, and Kyle seems like a bad actress in a script she wrote herself.

🍸 Latest Rules…

But is it still the best time of our life?

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/something-about-her-in-vanderpump-rules-season-11-intro-details

🎬 Très Amusant…

Because sitting through the reality of it wasn’t enough.

https://ew.com/all-star-live-reading-of-vanderpump-rules-scandoval-8551139

New Boat Daddy…

Sorry, Captain Kerry, I will forever miss Stud of the Sea, Captain Lee. It’s nice to see Ben again though.

🐩 Furbaby Fête…

Spoiler: They’re all cute.

🍳 Putting All My Eggs In One Frying Pan…

IKR? Early today. Come back tomorrow for soap and VanderTalk. Until then, stay safe, stay not being that person in the express checkout lane, and stay always exceeding people’s expectations.

January 26, 2024 – Sprina’s First Day In Paris, Side Gig, He’s Serious, Random Wives, VanderComeback, Too Soon For Awful, Trailer For Ones, Puppy (!) Party, Practically 10 Quotes & Key

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are shown to their hotel room, and Trina says she didn’t think anything could be nicer than their hotel room in New York, but this… They’re literally on the Sienne. It’s incredible. (A slight exaggeration. They dressed up a decent room with champagne bucket and a bunch of peonies.) He says, she’s incredible. He thought they deserved the very best to welcome them to the next chapter of their lives. They kiss.

At the hospital, Chase tells Jordan that they pulled Esme’s credit card records. There was a bus ticket bought yesterday, destination Toronto. She says, any stops along the way? but he says, straight shot. If Esme’s hiding out at her former nanny’s, they have the address of where to find her.

Anna runs over to Laura and says she just heard about Kevin. How’s he doing? Laura says, he’s stable. He’s in and out of consciousness right now, but they’re doing more tests. Anna tells her to hang in there, and she says she is. Anna says, he’s so strong; he’ll pull through this. Laura thanks her, and Anna says she wishes she could do more than give her just words. Laura says she thinks Anna can. She can come back to the PCPD.

Nina sits at Charlie’s looking at The Invader headline: A CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT CRIMSON; NINA REEVES OUT, CARLY SPENCER IN. Ava calls, but she doesn’t answer.

Ava leaves a message asking Nina what she’s seeing in The Invader. Call her. She’s worried about her. Sonny asks who she’s talking to, and Ava says, Nina’s voicemail. Has he seen this? She shows him her tablet, and he says he hasn’t read the article, but he knows there’s a transition. She says, a transition. Otherwise known as an ousting. He asks if that surprises her after what Nina did to Carly and Drew. She says, even so, someone has to check up on her. She’s not picking up. Is that a problem for him? He says, Brick is on his way up here with an update, and she asks if he’s learned anything about the threats against her. He says, the sooner they can stop this, the sooner they can end this living arrangement they have.

At the courthouse, Martin apologizes for his late arrival. Miss McCall was keeping him apprised of her investigation. Finn asks how that’s going, and Elizabeth asks if she found anything that could help the case. Sam says, it’s going, and yes, she did.

Brick knocks on the penthouse door, and Sonny says, it’s good to see him. Brick says, it’s always good to be seen. He asks Ava, how’s everything? and she says, fine. She asks if he’d care for an espresso, but he says, no thank you, and Sonny asks him to have a seat. Brick says, unfortunately, he has to keep this brief. He has a meeting this afternoon. Sonny says, as long as he’s caught up, Brick can make it as brief as he wants. He looks at Ava, and Ava says, if he’s waiting for her to make herself scarce, that’s not going to happen. This concerns her. He says he knows that, but as soon as it becomes business, leave, and she says, okay. They sit, and Sonny says, fill him in. Brick says he couldn’t pull any prints off the photograph or notes sent to Ava, but he was able to trace the weapon. It was part of a set of unmarked weapons from the Bureau… Yeah, he knows. Ava asks, what’s the significance of the gun being stolen from the WSB? and Sonny says, it means it’s connected to the rifle that shot at him a year ago at the MetroCourt pool.

Sam says she was able to access Muldoon’s EZ-Pass records and cross-reference them with the security cameras from the gas station across the street from the oncologist’s office. Elizabth says, tell them there was something on that footage, and Sam says, a big something. Muldoon entering the medical pavilion long before his meeting with Finn. Gregory says, there they have it. Proof that he was being treated for cancer. Martin says, maybe, but unfortunately, it’s circumstantial, and Finn says, it’s a medical pavilion. There must be dozens of specialists working out of that building. Martin says, exactly. A dentist, and ENT and an allergist, just to name a few. Finn says, Muldoon could have been going to see any one of them, but Gregory says, he wasn’t. He was there to see the oncologist. Finn asks how they prove that, and Martin says, that’s the number one question. The second being, if he was being treated by that oncologist, why wouldn’t he tell Finn that? Elizabeth says, it doesn’t make any sense, and Sam says she has one more lead to follow up on. If she gets results, she’ll be in touch ASAP. Finn says he really appreciates it, and Sam tells him, good luck, and leaves. Martin says, shall we? and Finn says, no time like the present. Let’s do this.

Spencer asks the bellhop for a converter because his phone died, and the bellhop leaves. Trina says, that accent is to die for, and Spencer says, mine or his? She says, his. Spencer’s is decent though. Spencer says, moi? Blah-blah-blah Française? (I took two years of French and still know nothing but how Jean Paul and Pierre pack a suitcase and how to curse someone out.) She says, mais oui, and that’s about as much as she knows. Thank God for the translator app though. He says she doesn’t have to rely on a translator app. He’s happy to give her French lessons. She says, he’s going to teach her, huh? and he clicks on the remote, turning on some music. He says, to start, and speaks French like Gomez Addams as he kisses her neck. They work their way over to the bed and get busy.

Jordan asks if the Toronto authorities have been notified, and Chase says, they have, but there’s another way. Dante has met Esme’s former nanny. They can reach out to her. Keep things nice and clean. That is, if the department can spare them. She says, absolutely. She’ll make arrangements with their superior. She does know it’s his brother’s trial today, so if he wants her to send someone else with Dante… He says he’ll go, and she asks if he’s sure. He says, Finn understands that this is important. She says, okay. Good luck and keep her posted. He says, copy that, and leaves.

Laura says, Anna looks shocked, and Anna says, because she is. Laura says, the PCPD has been without an active Commissioner for months now. It’s been chaotic and confusing. It may even be part of the reason Esme was able to slip between the cracks. (Huh?) Anna says she thought Mac was doing an excellent job, and Laura says, he is, but not only has he made it very clear he’s not interested in the position full-time. He’s been out of the country for she doesn’t even know how long now. The department needs stability and Anna could provide that. Anna says, Laura… but Laura says, just hear her out. Next to Jordan, who’s made it very clear to her that she’s happy in her new role as the Deputy Mayor, Anna is the next, most qualified candidate. Anna says, and the most controversial. Forget about her public humiliation. What about what happened with Laura’s granddaughter? Laura says she doesn’t blame Anna for that, and Anna says she shot a child. Laura says, but she was being manipulated by her former director, Brennan. And on top of that, Valentin chose to keep her completely in the dark about what was going on with Charlotte. This was a horrible accident, but it’s one that doesn’t change the fact that she believes Port Charles would be safer under Anna’s leadership. Jordan comes over and says, and for what it’s worth (🍷), she agrees 1000%. Anna says, they have no idea what this means to her, but she’s sorry. She can’t. What happened with Charlotte makes her feel like she’s not ready. She doesn’t deserve the badge. Laura says she understands what Anna is going through, but she’s asking Anna to take some time to consider this offer. Laura sees Portia coming their way, and asks if she’s heard anything about Doc. Is he going to be okay?

The bailiff says, all rise. The honorable Judge Arnold presiding. The judge tells them, be seated, and Elizabeth mouths I love you to Finn, who winks at her.

Portia says she just spoke with Doc’s doctors and they’re still running some tests, but they’re cautiously optimistic that his prognosis will be good. She’ll know more when he wakes up. Laura says, thank God, and Portia says, if Laura hadn’t found him when she did, this could be an entirely different conversation. Laura says she doesn’t want to think about that, and thanks Portia for keeping her in the loop. Portia says, of course (🍷), and Anna says, that’s great news, hugging Laura. She’s sorry. She’s late for a phlebotomy treatment, so she has to go. She’ll catch up with Laura later. She says goodbye to them and leaves. Jordan says she has to go as well, but asks Laura to let her know if she needs anything. They hug and Jordan says she’s really glad Doc is going to be okay. She leaves, and Portia asks if Laura has heard from Spencer at all. Laura says she hasn’t. She’s a little surprised since she thinks she may have sounded a little frantic in her message, but maybe his plane hasn’t landed yet. Portia says she tracked the flight; it landed. Maybe she should call Trina again. Laura says, don’t bother. Esme is in Canada and Doc is out of the woods. Spencer will call her when he calls her. Let them have a good time. Portia says, they’re in Paris. How could they not be?

Basking in the afterglow, Trina kisses Spencer, and he says, champagne toast? He gets out of bed and takes out the bottle of champagne. He says, it’s a good year, and starts to unwrap the foil, when the bellhop walks in. They don’t knock in Paris?

Diane says, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the name Hamilton Finn – Dr. Hamilton Finn – may be all over the docket in this case, but make no mistake, the story belongs to Dennis Muldoon, deceased husband of the plaintiff. You’re going to hear how Dennis Muldoon sought the help of a trusted doctor in his time of need, and how that doctor, through sheer negligence, failed to order a test which could have caught the cancer in time. This story is by no means uncommon. Medical practitioners make mistakes all the time. Which is why it is of the upmost importance that we hold them accountable. Not just for the error itself, but for the birthdays, weddings, graduations, everything that Dennis Muldoon will now sadly, tragically have to miss. She indicates the grieving widow.

Martin says, I can, and will, prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dr. Hamilton Finn did encourage Dennis Muldoon to follow up with further testing, and that far from being in error with medical negligence, this was an error of personal responsibility… as tragic as that may be.

Ava asks if they’re saying the same person that killed Austin shot Curtis, and Brick says, in a botched attempt to assassinate Sonny. Sonny asks if Brick thinks this theory has anything to do with the anonymous bid on Windymere. Can Ava do him a favor? Can she give Brick all the information she has? She says, on the shell corporation. She doesn’t have much, but she’ll get what she has. She leaves, and Sonny says he wants Brick to coordinate with Dex as far as stepping up surveillance. Brick says, all the usual suspects? and Sonny says, Carly, the kids, Olivia, and now Ava because she’s in the middle of all this. Brick says he’s on it, but he doesn’t have a question. Does Nina get added to that list?

Sitting with Nina, Valentin asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s pretty sure she lost her husband and her daughter. And the final kicker is, Drew and Carly want to take everything else from her too. He says, otherwise okay? and she laughs. She says she brought it on herself, right? At least that’s what everyone tells her. He says, she may be down, but at least she’s not down for the count. So what’s the plan? She says, for what? and he says, for taking back what’s yours.

Averting his eyes, the bellhop tells Spencer that he’s very sorry. He knocked on the door and there was no answer. He assumed they’d stepped out. He holds out a bag, and Spencer takes it, thanking him. The bellhop says, his converter, and leaves. Trina says, if he’d shown up a few minutes earlier, he would have gotten quite the show. She asks for his phone to charge it, and tells him to open up the champagne. He asks if she heard the bellhop knock, and she says, in all fairness, they could have put up the Do Not Disturb sign. He says, that would have kind of killed the romantic flow, and she says, option A, take a two-second break from making out, or option B, getting caught by the bellhop in your underwear. He says, fine. Next time, they’ll put up the Do Not Disturb sign. She says, there’s going to be a next time? and he says, oh yeah. And a next time, and a next time, and a next time… He kisses her with each next time. He sees the turtle dove sticking out of her purse, and he says, she brought it with her? She says, there might be weekends where he’s going to be back home, and she’ll be here. It’ll be like they’re still together. That’s what this thing is for, isn’t it? He says, it sure is. That’s pretty cute. He takes the other turtle dove out of his bag, and she says, he has his with him. He says he takes it with him everywhere he goes. Once he gets his apartment here, it will have a permanent place on his bedside table. He kisses her and his phone dings. He looks at it and says, his grandmother left him a voicemail.

Brick says he doesn’t mean to bring up a tough subject, but he doesn’t know where Sonny and Nina stand right now. Sonny says, she’s his wife legally, so she’s going to be a potential target, and Brick says he’ll make sure to keep eyes on her. Ava comes back and says she made copies for Brick. This is it. She gives him a folder, and Brick says he’ll look into it. He tells Sonny to let him know if he needs anything, they shake hands, and Brick leaves. Ava asks how seriously she needs to take this. Stay vigilant or complete lockdown? He says, they’re not there yet, and she says, thank God. Because nothing good can come of them stuck in this penthouse. On that note, what does he say they get out of here?

Nina asks if Valentin thinks she has a leg to stand on, and he says he thinks she has two gorgeous legs to stand on. (BA-DUM-CHH!) She’s Nina Reeves for God’s sake. She built Crimson into the empire it is today. He can’t imagine her advertisers and top designers are thrilled with what Drew has decided. She says, it doesn’t matter, but he says, of course (🍷) it matters. She says she doesn’t have any recourse, and he says, how about if she gives him a number. How much would it cost to create a rival publication and poach every top staffer at Crimson that would give Drew and Carly a fighting chance at success?

Diane asks Mrs. Muldoon if she ever got a sense that there were any health concerns prior to this diagnosis, but Mrs. Muldoon says, no. They were shocked when they learned he had Stage IV cancer. He seemed totally fine. It’s like they blinked, and he was gone. Diane says, the doctors who took care of her husband in hospice, were they able to provide any insight? and she says, they told her any physician who would have run even the most basic tests would have seen the cancer. If only someone had. She looks at Finn and says, a few months would have made the difference. Her children would still have a father. Martin says, objection, your honor. That calls for speculation. Diane says, Mrs. Muldoon’s testimony will be corroborated by Dennis Muldoon’s oncologist, but Judge Arnold says, then they’ll hear it when he or she takes the stand. Sustained. Diane says, no further questions, and the judge says, Martin’s witness. Martin says he’d just like to start by saying how sorry they all are for her loss. She thanks him, and he says he’d just like to know one thing. Was she there when her husband met with Dr. Hamilton Finn, when he was told he needed to go for further testing? She says, no, she was not, and he says, so her opinion on Dr. Finn’s urgency, or lack thereof, is based solely on how her husband described it to her. She says, yes, but… and he says, thank you. That’s all. No further questions. The judge says, she may step down, and Mrs. Muldoon leaves the stand. Gregory whispers, that’s it? to Martin, and Martin says, no one ever won a civil trial by ripping the grieving widow to shreds on the witness stand. The jury is right there. She has her story, we have ours. Diane says she’d like to call Dr. Hamilton Finn to the stand.

Laura puts Spencer on speaker and thanks him for calling her back. He says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? She says she has good news on both fronts. First of all, Doc is going to be okay. He says, thank God, and she says, and they’ve tracked Esme to Canada. The authorities there have the address where she’s staying, and Chase and Dante are on their way there right now. He asks what she needs from him, but she says, nothing. Just stay right where he is. She’s sort of comforted by the knowledge that there’s an entire ocean between him and Esme at the moment. Portia says, Laura is right. They’re far safer there than they would be here in Port Charles. Just let the police handle Esme. Spencer promises to look after Portia’s daughter, and she says she’s going to hold him to that. She asks for Trina, and Trina says, hey. Portia says she wants Trina to be safe. She loves her. Trina says she loves Portia too, and she will. Laura says she’ll keep them posted if she hears anything, and Spencer says, sounds good.

Nina says she didn’t agree to have lunch with Valentin to take his money, but he says she wouldn’t be taking it. He’d be investing it – in her. With her prowess, and the help of her editors and advertisers, he thinks any new publication she launched would bury anything Drew and Carly could cook up at Crimson. They don’t know publishing and she does. Sometimes the best revenge is good business. She says, if she does this… He says, she’s considering it, and she says, maybe. If she does this, this war with Carly will only escalate until one of them surrenders. He lifts his glass and says, to it not being you. They clink glasses, when Sonny walks in with Ava.

Brick says, he’s got to admit, he didn’t think the hospital is where his meeting with Jordan would take place, and she says, if he gives her something she can use, maybe she’ll give him an upgrade. He says he can dream, and she asks if he traced the number that called her. He says he went through some backchannels, which he’s guessing is why she reached out to him in the first place. The call came from a burner phone, one of those prepaid deals you can get it at any gas station. She says, so it wasn’t registered, and he says, hold on. The phone pinged a cell tower a stone’s throw away from Pentenville the night the call came in. No residents or roads nearby. She says, Pentenville, and he says, they know better than anyone how to smuggle phones in. She thanks him, and he says, no sweat. He starts to leave, but comes back and says he hasn’t lost her number. He hopes she’s not going to lose his. She rolls her eyes as he leaves.

Diane asks how long Finn has been a department head at General Hospital, and he says, seven years and eleven months. She says, that’s a long time. And in that time, he found a cure for Blackwood’s disease, which was ravaging certain oceanic regions. Is she correct? Finn says, that is correct, and she says, that’s quite a feat, to use deductive reasoning and applied science to find a cure. Finn says, it’s part of the job, and she says, it is. So what went wrong on the day Dennis Muldoon came to visit him? Martin says, objection, and Diane says she’ll rephrase. How did Finn not catch the Stage IV cancer that other doctors insist would have been blatantly obvious at that time? Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist. Mr. Muldoon came to see him for treatment for a tapeworm, which he had. However, Finn knew something else was wrong, so he suggested Muldoon have some more tests run. Diane asks if there was any urgency to this suggestion, a bit of a warning that he might be dealing with something more serious, perhaps life threatening. Finn says he recommended Muldoon have further tests run. He doesn’t recall the level to which he stressed urgency. Diane says, so it’s his contention that another infectious disease specialist couldn’t have deduced that cancer was at play, but Finn says he can’t speculate on other doctors, and her statement does not equate to malpractice. Diane says, even if he wasn’t at the top of his game, shall they say? and he says he doesn’t know what that means. She asks if he was suspended from General Hospital six years ago, and Finn says he was. She says, care to tell the court why? and Martin says, objection. Medical privacy. Diane says, withdrawn. Would Finn agree that a doctor at the top of his game could have suspected cancer? Could have ordered the proper tests and could have conveyed to Mr. Muldoon the gravity of his situation? Finn tells her, like he said he can’t speculate… She says, yes or no will suffice, and he says, the expectation that a doctor in another field could immediately catch everything wrong with a patient is not only unreasonable, it’s completely absurd. He did what needed to be done on the day. (Apparently, Finn forgot the number one rule here.) Diane says, just what needed to be done, and Finn tells her, that’s not what he said. She says, no further questions. Martin asks if Finn ever told Dennis Muldoon that a tapeworm wasn’t the only cause of his symptoms, and Finn says, no. Martin says, and did he in fact advise Muldoon that further tests were necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis, and Finn says, yes. Martin asks if he took that advice, and Finn says, no, he did not. Martin says, so conveyed urgency aside, does he as a physician have the authority to compel a patient to undergo a test they do not wish to have done? and Finn says, no, he doesn’t. Martin says, no further questions, and Judge Arnold says, Finn can step down. Finn goes back to his seat, and Elizabeth says she thought Martin told them that Diane would talk about Finn’s past drug use, but Martin says, she didn’t have to. She did more damage by hanging it in the window. Finn says, and she knows it, and Martin says, up to this point, he’s kept his questioning brief because he honestly believes the facts are on Finn’s side in this case. But he has to be honest. That little tit for tat with Miss Miller just now? He doesn’t think Finn did himself any favors.

Diane thanks a doctor on the stand for his input and expertise, and says, the prosecution rests. The judge calls for a brief recess and says, court will resume at 1:45. The bailiff says, all rise, the judge leaves, and the bailiff says, the jury is excused. Sam comes in and asks how it’s going. Martin says, all is not lost, but he’s not going to lie. He could use some more help. Sam says she did some more digging and found out that several debt collectors have placed liens on the Muldoons. Finn takes an envelope from her and looks at the paperwork. He says, it looks like their house is about to be foreclosed on. Elizabeth says she thought they were wealthy, but Sam says, they’ve been cash poor for a while now. Gregory says he’s sure cancer can get expensive, and Sam says, this has actually been going on for a while. The Muldoons were heavily invested in Aurora. When the stocks went down, they pretty much lost everything. Finn says, that was eighteen months ago. Soap looks all around.

Jordan sees Anna and asks if her phlebotomy went okay, and Anna says, everything’s fine. What’s going on? Jordan says she traced the number for the source who called about the unmarked gun, and Anna asks if she has a lead on who shot Curtis. Jordan says, Sonny may have been the intended target, but she thinks Anna is still connected to this as well.

Nina tells Sonny that she heard about Ace. Is Spencer okay? He says, that’s none of her business (harsh!), and keeps walking. Ava says she got Nina’s voicemail. She’s so sorry to hear about Crimson. Call her when she gets a chance, and they’ll talk. Nina starts to respond, but Ava joins Sonny, and Nina goes back to her table. Valentin asks if she wants to go somewhere else, but she says, Phyllis told her that she’s always welcome here. She won’t be run off with her tail between her legs. He says his offer still stands. What does she say? She tells him that she says the two of them have a bad habit of bringing out the worst in each other.

Portia says she’s got some good news, and Laura says, that’s her favorite kind. Portia says, the doctors think that Doc should be waking up very soon. They’re going to be moving him to his room and Laura should be able to see him shortly after that. Laura cries and thanks her, and Portia says, Doc’s going to be okay. The kids are safe. They’re lucky, all things considered. Laura says she agrees, but if she could only stop blaming herself. Portia says, blaming herself for what? and Laura says, Esme. She knew what Esme was capable of, but Esme is her husband’s niece, she’s the mother of her grandchild. She thinks she just wanted so badly to see the good in Esme, she let it blind her to all the horrible things Esme has done that she never paid for. She did awful things to Portia’s daughter. Portia must be so angry with her.

Spencer tells Trina that he wishes he could say he was wrong, that Esme hadn’t gotten her memory back and that Ace could still be safe with her. But he guesses he did the right thing giving Ace to his father. If anyone has a knack for disappearing, it’s him. There’s no way Esme’s going to… Trina is preoccupied with her phone, and he asks what she’s doing. She says, there’s a flight back to New York in two hours. He can make it before midnight. He says, she’s telling him this because… and she says, Doc just got attacked and his brother is in danger. She appreciates him coming with her, but his family needs him now.

Sam says, looks like Muldoon has been trying to stop the bleeding for months. He even cashed out a life insurance policy to pay his bills. Martin says, before or after he saw an oncologist? and Sam says, before. Martin says, thanks to Sam, they now have one hell of a theory to present to the court, and Elizabeth says, Muldoon came to Finn on purpose. The whole malpractice suit… Finn says, it was part of his plan. Muldoon set him up.

I called it at the beginning. And I have receipts! Proof! Timelines! Screenshots! Not really. Just one message to a fellow GH watcher, but I called it pretty early on.

Spencer says, Trina heard his grandmother. Doc is on the mend, and Esme’s in Canada, and the police are on her trail. Trina says, and if any of that changes? and Spencer says, then he’ll get on a plane and go home, but she heard him promise her mother that he’d look after her, and they both know he’s on her hit list. So he thinks it’s best he keeps his word. She asks if he’s sure. Don’t stay for her. He says, of course (🍷) he’s going to stay for her. And for him, for them. Now is she ready for the best weekend of her life? She says, so ready, and he says, very good answer. He kisses her and pops the champagne cork. They kiss some more.

Portia asks why she would be angry with Laura, and Laura says, at the very least, Portia must think she’s naïve. Portia says she thinks Esme is that good of a liar, and Laura says, except Portia never believed it. Portia says she never truly bought into the idea that Esme had changed (more history revision!), but she thinks it’s a little different with her. Laura asks, why is that? and Portia says, because Esme hurt Trina in a very specific, targeted, vindictive way. It’s hard to see your child suffer like that. It leaves a mark. Laura says she’s so sorry, but Portia says, she doesn’t have to be. There’s nothing wrong with hoping someone can change, if and when they take accountability for their actions, but Esme never took accountability for anything. So right now, there’s only one path forward for her. Laura says, absolutely. Agreed. Esme must be found. Esme must be brought to trial for the things she’s done.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase arrive at an apartment, where a Canadian officer stands outside the door. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Prince’s description has exited. Dante says, it’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off while they waited for him and Chase. There’s going to be trouble. The officer knocks at the door, and Chase and Dante put their hands on their guns.

Nina says she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted by Valentin’s offer, and he says, but? She says, but she has to try and control these impulses she has if she’s going to have any hope of salvaging a relationship with Willow. He says, okay, but if she changes her mind… She says she knows where to find him, and he says, they have a long history of twisting themselves in knots, pretending they’re something they aren’t for other people. She doesn’t have to do that with him. He’s on her side, no matter what. She puts her hand on his and thanks him. Sonny watches.

Sonny tells Ava that he was thinking, and she says, uh-oh. He says, there’s still a threat out there against Ava. Esme’s on the run. Maybe she should spend some time on his island. She says, the gallery is being refreshed this week. She supposes there are worse places to stay vigilant. He says he and Dex will get her settled in and make sure she’s protected. She says, okay. Because going to Puerto Rico is all about her and her safety, right? He asks, what else would it be about? and she says, maybe getting as far away from Nina as possible.

Anna says, so the call that attempted to give Jordan information on the gun came from Pentenville? and Jordan says she’s been looking into this for months and gotten nowhere. Dead end after dead end. So what’s changed in the past few weeks? Who’s new to Pentenville and knew about a shipment of unmarked guns meant to be in the Bureau’s possession? She knew she recognized that voice from somewhere, but she couldn’t put her finger on it until she overheard Anna and Laura talking. Anna says, the person who called Jordan was John Brennan.

On Monday, Portia tells Curtis that she never wants to worry about Esme Prince again; Martin tells Diane that he’d like to add someone to the witness list; and Tracy comes to the courtroom, saying that they should make the fraud public record.

👬🏻 Whole Different Brother…

It’s great how the cast is given wiggle room to do other projects. A happy employee is more likely to stick around.

💻 Not Kidding…

It’s awful how scammers get away with this stuff, but it’s also shocking to see how many people fall for it. One rule of thumb is, if you’re a 2 and they’re a 10, and you don’t know each other personally IRL, it’s not happening.

💎 Diamonds In the Rough…

Hey, she did finally get that second date.

We’ve all been there. The one that just doesn’t go as planned.

This one’s diamond should be repossessed.

🍸 Back To the Rules…

Here’s a thought. If the rest of the cast doesn’t want to film with them, replace them. Or just work with two fewer cast members. People thought Charlie Sheen and Roseanne couldn’t be replaced either.

🏊‍♀️ Awful Summer People Return…

How is this back already? It might be worth watching for the big break-up though.

⚰️ Dead Coming Soon…

The final trailer for The Ones Who Live.

https://people.com/the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-trailer-rick-and-michonne-search-broken-world-8550132

🐕 Bowling At Home…

You, too, can be host of your own Puppy Bowl.

https://www.dogtv.com/blog/how-to-throw-a-puppy-bowl-party-dogtvs-guide-to-tail-gating

https://wearwagrepeat.com/puppy-bowl-party/

🎋 Quotes of the Week

I’m not Dr. Phil. – Judge Marilyn Milian, People’s Court

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Indian Proverb

What I’ve experienced is that I can’t know the future. I can’t know if anything that I do will change what happens tomorrow. I can’t know with certainty, but what I do know is if I do nothing, nothing will change. – James Orbinski (Now if I could just figure out what the something is…)

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Leo Buscaglia

The healthy being craves an occasional wildness, a jolt from normality, a sharpening of the edge of appetite, his own little festival of Saturnalia, a brief excursion from his way of life.Robert MacIver

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. – Mae West

Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. – Ronald Reagan

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. – Bruce Lee

The best way to learn how to enjoy life is from a dog. – Nils Sandmann

🪗 Making My Own Kind Of Music…

Come back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever the future holds. Until then, stay safe, stay parking between the lines, and stay remembering that sometimes the best revenge is good business.

January 25, 2024 – Jordan Requests Brick’s Help, Hand It Over, Early Star, Nina’s Message, Bad Choice Of Words, A Goodbye, Feline Travelers, Happy Birthday & Space

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At The Savoy, Robert puts a bouquet on one of the tables and asks N’neka what she thinks. She says, elegant, but not fussy, and he says, that’s exactly what he wanted. There’s already been one celebration here tonight. This’ll be just one more. About that other thing he wanted… She says, that’ll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes, and he says, perfect. He slips her some cash, and she says, wow. The woman of his dreams must be pretty special. He says, she is. Very special… indeed. Diane walks in followed by Sonny and Alexis.

On the phone, Finn tells Violet that he won’t be home to tuck her in tonight… Because he’s at work… Working… Okay, he’ll do his best. Be good for the babysitter… He loves her too. He loves her so much. Elizabeth asks if Violet is okay, and he says, she told him to save a lot of lives. Depending on how this trial goes, he may not be able to save lives anymore.

Jordan opens the door to Brick and thanks him for coming. He says he had to, to mark this unprecedented occasion.

Kristina tells Molly, counting 40 days from the day of conception, her niece – or nephew – is going to be a Libra, which means they’re going to be intelligent and curious, just like Molly and TJ. There’s a knock at the door, and Molly opens it to TJ. He says, she called at a good time. His last two patients rescheduled. What’s going on? Is Kristina okay? Molly says, Kristina’s pregnant, and he says, it worked? Molly says, it worked. They’re going to be parents. He hugs her.

Walking into the station, Chase asks if Dante is sure there are only 24 hours in the day, because he’s pretty sure that defense attorney had them on the stand longer than that. (I feel his pain. Not about being on the stand, but a day that must be more than 24 hours.) Dante says he’s never been cross-examined to that degree, and Chase says, it would have been faster if they’d reenacted the entire crime and investigation for the jury. (Ha-ha!) Dante says, but then the defense attorney couldn’t have asked him the same question like, 29 times. Chase says he’d almost rather Diane Miller cross-examine him… Dante gives him a look, and Chase tells him that he said, almost. Dante says he has to bring in Esme Prince and ask her for a statement, when Laura comes in and says, they’ll have to do more than that if they’re going to keep Port Charles safe.

Laura says, Heather Webber told her that she wants Esme to go to prison, and Dante says, wow. He never thought he’d agree with Heather Webber on anything. Laura says, she wants her daughter close to her so she can look after her, and Dante says, she’s not going to be looking after her if she’s in prison. The state will. Laura says, according to Heather, Esme came to visit her as soon as Ace was taken. Heather tried to convince her to run away before they could reinstate the charges against her, and Esme said, no. She said it was because of Ace, but Heather thinks it’s because she wants revenge. Chase says, it takes a psycho to know a psycho, and Dante says, so Spencer was right. Esme remembers everything. Laura says, Heather confirmed it, but Chase says, she’s not the most reliable though. Heather Webber has zero credibility. She has to be working an angle. Laura says, agreed. She’s not to be trusted, but she thinks, in Heather’s own crazy way, she seems to genuinely care about her daughter. She seems determined to save her. Chase says, great. Esme almost hurt a lot of people, and that was before she wanted payback. Laura says, now she’s desperate and she has nothing to lose. They’ve got to arrest her before she does something terrible. (Um… The mayor has no concept of the law?) Dante says, he’s sorry, but they can’t do that.

Brick says, the Deputy Mayor was the last person he expected to call asking him for information, but Jordan says she reached out as a private citizen. He says, a private citizen who used to be the Police Commissioner, and she says, let it go, for the purposes of this conversation at least. He says, okay. So why is he here? She says she’s been working on a project – off the books – and asks him to have a seat. She tells him that she was looking for someone with detective prowess who could also keep a secret. She thought he’d be the perfect man for the job. He says, perfect man… prowess… So much flattery packed into a couple of sentences. Not that he minds. She asks if they can talk about this, and he says, okay. He wonders why she thinks she can’t talk to the PCPD about this project, but she says she can’t involve the PCPD. It could put them in a bad spot. He says, but she doesn’t mind dragging him into this? and she says, he is the bad spot. He laughs and says he appreciates her directness, but maybe they should lean towards the flattery again. She says, he’s a known associate of Sonny Corinthos. She’s aware of his skillset and knows he can be discreet. He says, she seems to know a lot about him, and she says, they have a file. He says he appreciates her going through the trouble. What’s in the file? She says, that’s classified, and he says, the good stuff usually is. So what’s the mission, should he choose to accept it?

Robert says he sees Diane brought back-up, and she says, Sonny and Alexis? She ran into them outside. But considering how their last date went, back-up might have been a good idea. He says he’s hoping they can put all that behind them tonight, and she says she hopes so too. He says, she looks especially beautiful this evening, and she says, he’s off to a rousing start. She sees the flowers, along with a bottle of champagne and glasses, and says, this is lovely. He says he wanted to show her just how much she means to him, and she listens to the music for a moment. She says she loves this song. Was that his doing too? He says, it was. Would she care to dance? She says, no, and he says, no? He thought all women loved guys who danced. She says, that certainly depends on the woman. She does, but then again, she’s a fabulous dancer, despite her penchant for leading. (Same.) But she doesn’t want a dance partner tonight. He says, whatever she’s looking for, tell him and it’s hers, and she says, okay. An apology.

At the bar, Alexis tells Sonny that she was at a convention out of town. It started early and ran late. She got a Ride Share and he dropped her two blocks from here and she didn’t want to miss Spencer, so she ran all the way here, for nothing. What about him? He says he had some business to take care of. He missed the party, but he said his goodbyes outside. She thanks him for keeping her company. She really wasn’t looking forward to going home anyway. She goes home and thinks about all the things she has to do and then she worries about everything. She doesn’t think he was in much of a rush to get home either, was he? He says he’s going to go there after he leaves here. He saw Kristina. He takes it they haven’t spoken lately. She says she’s just respecting some boundaries, taking a step back. She thinks she overstepped. He says, her? Overstep? She says, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? and he says he thinks it’s good she’s taking a step back. She says, it’s not like she has a choice, and he says, whatever the reason, it’s a good thing. She says she hopes so, because it’s killing her.

TJ says he can’t stop smiling, and Molly says, her neither. He says, they’re going to have a baby. He thanks Kristina and hugs her. She says she’s honored to be a part of it, and he says, she’s so much more. She made the most wonderful thing happen for them and they’ll never be able to thank her enough. Kristina says, the look on their faces right now is all the thanks she needs. He says, she might feel differently during labor. How is she feeling? Don’t hesitate to tell her OB if she’s feeling… Kristina tells him that he doesn’t have to be a doctor right now. Just be a dad. It’s okay. TJ says he’s going to be a dad, and Molly says she can’t wait to hold the baby and smell that little baby smell. He says, and play airplane while they feed their baby mashed bananas and smile like idiots while they wipe the mashed bananas off their baby’s face… Molly says, and our hair… Kristina says, and the floor and the chair… TJ stops smiling, and Molly asks, what’s wrong? He says he can’t help but think they got excited like this before. They talked about this before and it didn’t work out.

Elizabeth says, Violet will love Finn no matter what job he has. She thinks he hung the moon, and she happens to think Violet is right. And she’s convinced he’s going to win this lawsuit. He says he’s grateful for her conviction. He wishes he shared it. Tomorrow the trial starts, and his future will be in the hands of twelve people in the jury box. Twelve people who never practiced medicine, who apparently only care if he’s nice or likeable. How does he defend himself without coming across as defensive? How does he share his medical expertise without being arrogant? She says, he’s passionate about his job. He cares deeply about his patients. That will come through, and in the end, those twelve people will wish he was their doctor. He asks how she can be so confident, and she says, because she’s inspired by him every day. He says, that might be the nicest thing she’s ever said to him, and hugs her. He can’t imagine going through this without her. Martin knocks at the door and says, apologies, including for the late arrival. He’s afraid it was unavoidable. Now why did Finn need to see him?

Molly tells TJ that they’re using a new surrogate now. What are the odds of that happening to them twice? He says he thinks it happens to anyone. The first trimester is so delicate. Kristina makes them sit and tells them that they’re not spiraling down this rabbit hole. They have to have a little faith and just take a breath. TJ says, she’s right, and Kristina says, none of them knows what the future holds, but if the worst-case scenario does happen, then they’re going to handle it, the three of them, together. And if and when they’re ready, they can try again. Most importantly, they’re a team now. TJ tells her, if he hasn’t said it before, she’s a rock star, and she says she knows. Her sister is just like her, but better.

Alexis tells Sonny, it’s not like she doesn’t talk to the girls at all. She just keeps the conversation light and superficial. She wants to be careful not to alienate them. He says she shouldn’t worry so much, and she says, why? Does he know something she doesn’t know? Has he spoken to Kristina? He says he’s not going to break any confidences here, but he believes she knows Alexis’s heart was in the right place. She says, good. She appreciates that, but she thinks they would prefer she keep her distance and she wants to respect that. He says, no matter how badly she wants to? and she says, Molly is going to be a mom and Kristina’s going to carry her baby. What could go wrong? So she’s just going to bring joy into their lives and enjoy their journey. He says, she has to keep following their lead. Look what happened to him. He lost his family because of the pain he caused them. She doesn’t want that in her life. She says she just wants to reiterate this one thing again. The laws regarding fertility and reproduction are like the wild west, specifically… He says, does she know how many times she’s said this to him already? and she says, he thinks she’s neurotic, doesn’t he, and he just wants her to shut up and be a grandma. He says, she’s already said her concerns about the girls. Just move on. She says she’s trying, when both of their phones ring. She says, Molly, and he says, Kristina.

Jordan says she knows she asked Brick here, but she has to go. He says, too bad. They were just getting to know each other’s files. She says, they’re not going to talk about her and she’s already familiar with his file. He asks if she ever wonders about stuff that’s not in the files, and she says she can live with the mystery. He says, really? He would have expected the opposite. She says she’s been defying expectations her whole life, and he says he’d like to hear more about that. She says she’s been in touch with a contact. They were supposed to provide her with some information and reach out with a location, but she hasn’t heard back. He says, and she’d like him to track her contact down, and she says, they may have broken off contact because of certain… complications. He says, what kind? and she says, the federal kind. He says, what exactly is the nature of this project? and she says she can’t tell him. He says he sees. Let him get this straight. She wants him to put his neck on the line, with certain agencies he might add, but she doesn’t want to tell him why. She says, it’s better for everyone if she doesn’t, and he says he recalls her using words like discreet and knows how to keep a secret just a minute ago. She says she did, and she meant it. He says, good, because he knows how to keep all secrets – past, present, and future. She says she doesn’t doubt that, but she needs to keep the circle of trust small. For now. If he does this for her, she’ll owe him a favor as Deputy Mayor, no questions asked. He says he does love being owed, but he wants inside that small circle soon. She says, one step at a time, and he says, okay. He’ll start by triangulating her contact’s whereabouts. She says she’s not giving him her phone, but he says he doesn’t need her phone, just her number. He hands her his phone and she puts the number in. She says, don’t abuse it, and he says he wouldn’t dream of it. He leaves, and in the hallway, he puts his phone in his pocket and says, yeah. Gotcha now. I guess there’s my answer about where Zeke is. He’s been replaced.

Dante says, if the DA can reinstate some or all of the charges, then they’ll get a warrant for Esme’s arrest, and Laura says she’s already talked to Robert about it. He’s got one of his ADAs make one up right now. He’s hoping to get a judge to sign off on it tonight. He says, that’s great. They wait for them, then make a move. She asks if there isn’t anything they could do in the meantime. Heather really made it seem like Esme was primed to do something drastic. He says he could bring her in on some false pretense and see if he can get her to spill about the stuff she did with Cameron and Joss and Trina. Maybe that would be long enough to hold her for 24 hours, or at least long enough for Robert to reestablish the charges again. Chase joins them and says, 24 hours is better than nothing, and Dante says, but the problem is, Esme hasn’t been charged with a crime. Visiting her mother’s not illegal. Nikolas on the other hand, is a fugitive. He held Esme prisoner for months and is facing charges of kidnapping and assault. He’s got Esme’s child. In the eyes of the law, Esme is going to be looked at as the victim here. Laura says, then they should tell her that. She doesn’t want Esme to be badgered or bullied in any way. She just wants her contained so she’s safe from herself and they can get all of this other stuff sorted out. Chase says he’ll go with Dante as back-up, and Laura says, her too. She really thinks she can talk Esme off the ledge. Dante says, let’s just hope she hasn’t already disappeared.

Martin says he knows Finn is nervous, but his trial starts tomorrow. His advice is that Finn do something he enjoys, as long as it has nothing to do with the lawsuit or medicine. Cook a good meal. Watch a game. Maybe parcheesi. Listen to music. The fact is, he’s as prepared as he’s ever going to be, and worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is counterproductive. Finn says, as much as he’d like to take Martin’s advice, they’ve found something that might help with his defense. Martin says, and he’s just hearing about it now? and Elizabeth says, they weren’t sure it would do any good. They’re still not. Martin suggests they let him be the judge, and Finn says, Dennis Muldoon saw another doctor in Beechers Corners months before Muldoon ever approached him.

Robert says he’s sorry if he’s upsetting Diane. Shall we dance? He holds out his hand, and she says, he’s sorry for what exactly? He says, for… upsetting you of course (🍷), and she says, yes, of course (🍷). Absolutely. Because? He says he has no idea what he did, and she says, not a clue? Not an inkling? He says he’s not a mind reader, and she says, this time we have the DNA evidence to connect Corinthos to a crime and finally put the bastard away. Your guy’s going down… love, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. He tells her that when she says it that way, it sounds aggressive, and she says she’s sorry. Was there a more lighthearted, festive version he wanted to relay? He says he’s confused. They enjoy sparring with one another. She says she loves sparring with him. That wasn’t sparring. That crossed a line. Forget crossed, it blew right past it. He says he’s still confused, and she says she’s confused as to why. He says, none of that was about her. He was talking about Sonny. He was talking about taking down a defendant in court. Frankly, he’s not sorry about any of that.

Kristina says, Alexis and Sonny have great timing, and Alexis says, they were together when she called. They ran into each other at The Savoy. Kristina says, they were hanging out at The Savoy? and Alexis says, they don’t typically hang out, but when she’s with Kristina’s dad, he is… Sonny says, amazing. They were saying goodbye to Spencer again. Kristina says, that’s right. He and Trina are off to Paris. There’s a knock at the door, and TJ says, that’s probably his mom. He lets Jordan in, and they hug. Molly says, it looks like the gang’s all here, and Kristina thanks Jordan for coming. She knows this was a spur of the moment thing, but they have some news they wanted to share, and they didn’t want to wait. The procedure worked, and she’s pregnant with Molly and TJ’s baby. Obviously, they’re going to confirm it with a blood test, but… Sonny says, congratulations to all of them, and TJ tells Jordan, congratulations mee-maw. (I say, Jordan is not a mee-maw.) Jordan says, don’t ruin this.

Finn says, the doctor could only speak in hypotheticals, but she said if she did see a patient similar to Muldoon, she would have referred him to an oncologist, but they don’t know if Muldoon ever followed up on that referral. Martin says, they waited until the eleventh hour to tell him because this Dr. Sawyer isn’t willing to go on the record? and Elizabeth says, she skirted the line, but she definitely said enough to confirm it. Finn says, they don’t even know the name of the oncologist Muldoon was supposed to see, and Elizabeth says, right now, it just seems like a dead end. Martin says, not necessarily. There is one avenue they can explore.

Diane says, so Robert didn’t actually mean his apology? and he says he’s sorry for being unnecessarily harsh, but it’s his job to put men like Sonny away. She says, not just men like Sonny – Sonny. It has become abundantly obvious that he has a personal, and she might add highly unprofessional, vendetta against her client. He says, does he enjoy watching a known racketeer hide behind family and friends, hell, even the mayor? No, he doesn’t. Unlike Sonny, he works within the law. He can’t prosecute unless he has evidence. This time he has evidence. She says, and he couldn’t wait to use it. Here’s the crux of her problem – he gloated. He says, tell him something. Is she offended by the fact he might win or that Sonny might lose?

Alexis says she’s so happy that this is finally happening for Molly, and Molly says, is she though? Tell her the truth. Is she actually happy this is happening?

At The Invader offices, Dante says, no sign of Esme. He checked the breakroom and the lunchroom. He’s running out of rooms. Laura says, maybe she’s gone for the day, and Chase says, maybe Alexis knows where she is. They walk into Alexis’s office and see Doc on the floor, unconscious. Laura runs to him, and Chase says he’s going to call dispatch. Dante says, he’s still breathing, and Laura says, he has a pulse. They’ve got to get him to the hospital. Can he hear her? Please wake up. She taps his face lightly and says, what happened? Tell her.

Martin says he knows several private investigators that can help them out, including Sam McCall. One way or another, he’s going to get somebody looking for this unspecified oncologist tonight. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, if there’s a chance Muldoon had an inkling he had cancer, it will blow Finn’s cased wide open. Finn says, even if they do find this oncologist, they don’t know if they can provide anything that will help the case, but Martin says, leave that to him. What about the things Finn can control? Namely his testimony. For God’s sake, remember, only answer the question asked. Martin doesn’t want him to elaborate or help out. No information is offered unless explicitly asked about. Got it? Finn says he’s got it. Martin and Alexis have been abundantly clear. Martin says, good, because Finn’s testimony is either going to save him or damn him.

Alexis says she’s always and forever on Kristina’s side and TJ’s side and Molly’s side. She’s thrilled for both of them. She hugs them, and Molly asks Jordan if she can believe this, and hugs her. Alexis tells TJ, congratulations. He has to know how happy she is that her daughter found the perfect partner. He says he got pretty lucky too, and she says, they’re going to be great parents. She hugs him, and Jordan says, yes, they are. TJ says he has to add that at this early stage of their pregnancy, they’re not telling anyone who’s not in this room that they’re pregnant. Alexis’s phone rings, and she steps away. TJ says, they’ll make a big announcement after the first trimester, and Sonny says, nobody is going to know anything until they say so. TJ thanks him, and Kristina says she bought a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne just for this occasion. Jordan says, that sounds good, but Alexis says she’ll have to take a raincheck. Sonny asks, what’s going on? and she says, just an incident at work. Molly asks if everything is okay, and Alexis says, everything will be fine. It’s a beautiful night. Don’t let this ruin it. She tells Molly and Kristina that she loves them, and dashes out.

Diane says, Robert has lost her. She doesn’t understand the distinction, because no attorney likes to lose. He says, there’s an impartial nature here between the attorney/client relationship, and she asks where he went to law school. That is absolutely not true. She’s extremely partisan. She’s her client’s advocate. He says, come on. She’s gotten the better of him in court more than once. She’s smart as a whip. Too smart to believe that someone like Sonny is innocent of all the charges he’s faced over the years. She says, it doesn’t matter what she believes or what she knows or what she understands. It is her duty, it is her obligation as a defense attorney to provide the best, the most vigorous defense possible. One that is rooted in logic and evidence, for her clients. Anything less, and she’s derelict of her duty. He says, this is a whole lot more than a client just getting a vigorous defense, and she asks why she feels like he wants her to say something. He says he just wants her honesty, and she says, okay. He says, is Sonny her client, or is that murdering bastard her friend? She says, Sonny Corinthos is one of her best friends. Now does that change the way he looks at her?

Chase asks Alexis if Esme Prince was in this morning, and she says she saw Esme when she came in. She seemed fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although she doesn’t think Esme would have clocked in until after she left. Chase asks if Esme has access to her office, and Alexis says, she does. So does the cleaning staff. Why is Esme his focus? An officer tells Chase that they found something, and hands him a paper inside an evidence bag.

Elizabeth says, your testimony could damn you? What happened to, Finn having a relaxing evening? Martin says, forgive him. He doesn’t mean to sound alarmist. As discussed, it’s almost certain Miss Miller is going to raise questions about Finn’s substance abuse. Elizabeth says, Finn’s been sober for years. His past addiction can’t be used against him now, can it? Martin says, if it is, he’ll object on the grounds of medical privacy, but there’s a chance he’ll be overruled, and the judge will allow Miss Miller to ask Finn questions about his drug use. Finn says, so not only does he have to defend himself as a doctor, he has to defend his sobriety as well, and Martin says, forewarned is forearmed. Those questions get asked, just answer truthfully and forcefully. The fact is, they only have his word that he was sober when he treated Muldoon. In the end, that’s all this trial is really about. Just make sure when he gets on that stand, the jury meets the man Martin knows him to be, and he’ll win.

Robert says he sees Diane as a sharp, passionate woman, and she says, they have that in common at least. He says he admires her desire to go that extra distance for her clients. That will never change. She says, but he doesn’t approve of her friendship with Sonny, and he says, she knows what Sonny’s done. He guesses he can’t understand how she looks past that. She says she would think it’s similar to how he can look past all the blood on Anna’s hands, and he says, that’s different. She asks, how is that different? and he says, she’s the mother of his child. Diane says, Sonny also has children, but she guesses that doesn’t give him a special dispensation as far as Robert is concerned. What about Holly? He says, what about her? and she says, as far as she knows, Holly didn’t bear any of his children, yet he can look past her alleged crimes? He says he can’t be responsible for everyone he went out with, and she says, no one’s asking him to. She’s also not judging him. Because she knows there’s more to both Anna and Holly than meets the eye. Just as there is more to Sonny. So can he accept she’s friends with Sonny without holding it against her? He asks if she can accept it’s his mission to put people like Sonny away, and she says, and if she can’t?

Sonny says he wants to make a toast. Having a child can be difficult at times, but it’s one of the most incredible experiences a person can have. He just wants to say he’s so happy they’re going to be able to share in the joy of watching their child grow up. Just like he did. Jordan says, to all of them and to her new grandchild, and they all clink glasses and say, cheers!

A doctor comes out of the room where Doc is, and Laura asks, how’s her husband? The doctor says, he’s stable. He’s sending Doc for tests now. She asks if she can see him first, and he says, just for a minute. On the verge of tears, she goes in and goes to Doc’s bedside. She smooths his hair and asks him to come back to her. Please. She takes his hand and says she needs him to tell her what she already knows in her bones, that it was Esme who did this. She promises she’ll bring Esme to justice. There are still so many things she and Doc want to do together, and she doesn’t want to do one more minute of this life without him.

In the hallway on the phone, Dante asks if Chase found anything, and Chase says, a letter to Esme from a woman named Maggie. Dante says, Maggie Fitzgerald? That was Esme’s old nanny. Chase tells him, she said she took a position with another family, and she wants Esme to come visit. (Wait. What? Wasn’t she involved with the whole Ryan thing? Why would she be inviting Esme over?) Dante asks, where? and Chase says, Toronto.

Martin says, if they’ll forgive him, he’s going to track down Sam, get her looking for that mystery oncologist. He points at Finn and says, deep breath. He leaves, and Finn says, deep breath. He takes one and says, so much for relaxing. Elizabeth says, it’s not over yet. There’s still time. He asks what she suggests, and she says her boys are having a sleepover, which means her house is empty. She can cook him dinner, they can listen to music… or he could listen to the game… He says, always music. Maybe some from that playlist she made when they were driving to Vermont. She says, after that, who knows? She puts her arms around him and asks if he’s good at parcheesi. He says he’s excellent at parcheesi… and a lot of things, and kisses her.

Robert says he guesses they’ve reached an impasse, and Diane says she would never ask him to apologize for who he is and what he does. He says, and he doesn’t want her to apologize for caring about Sonny. She says, what happens if they can never fully see eye to eye on this issue? and he asks, where does that leave them? He knows he’s not always good at expressing himself with these things, but he really does care about her. She says she feels the same way, and she’s not going to give up on what they’re building. He says, there’s really only one solution, and she says, let’s hear it. He says, they leave Sonny and the clients in the courtroom, and she says she totally accepts those terms. They sit back down, and Robert says, they can do this. She laughs and says, yes, they can.

Jordan hugs TJ and says, he knows she’s going to spoil this baby like crazy, right? and he says he won’t even try to stop her. Sonny says he’s very proud of Kristina. She gave TJ and Molly an incredible gift. She says, Molly is her sister and she’d do anything for her, and he says, any parent would pray to have that bond she and her sister have. He knows she’s happy right now, but just know the road is never going to be without challenges. Anything she needs – anything – she can always come to her dad. They hug.

Chase asks if Alexis recognizes this, showing her the sculpture Doc got whacked with, and she says she keeps it on her credenza. He asks if anything else looked disturbed to her, but she tells him, it’s hard to say if she can’t go through everything. Does he really think Esme attacked Doc? He says, she’s their primary suspect, and he has a bad feeling she’s not going to stop with Doc.

Still in the room with Doc, Laura calls Spencer and leaves a message. She says she knows he’s on his way to Paris, but she needs him to call her back as soon as he gets this. It’s about Esme. She leaves the room, and Dante asks if Doc is awake yet, but she says, not yet. She can’t help thinking about how long he might have been lying there. Dante says, he’s going to be fine. He has the best doctors here. They’re going to take care of him. She says she wants all that to be true, and he says, it is. She says, any word about Esme? and he says, they tracked the credit card she used to get a one-way bus ticket to Toronto. (Well, at least she’s being thrifty with Alexis’s money.) Laura says, any idea who she knows up there?

Tomorrow, Chase tells Jordan that they need the address for where to find Esme; Trina asks if Spencer is going to teach her; Laura says, Anna is the next, most qualified candidate; and Valentin asks Nina, what’s the plan for taking back what’s hers?

🏆 Worth Fighting For…

Oh for Pete’s sake, just give it to them already.

👶🏻 Career Baby…

She was already a vet by the time she got to GH.

Check Out Baby Cosette Abinante Starring With Zendaya!

👠 Haters Gonna Hate…

Nina just needs to make better choices. Maybe not the choices a middle school girl would make.

💎 She Did Not Say That…

Check and mate.

👽 Trekking On…

While I didn’t watch his Star Trek stint, I loved Alien Nation.

https://people.com/star-trek-enterprise-actor-gary-graham-dead-at-73-8548168

https://www.startrek.com/news/remembering-gary-graham

🐈 Adventuresome Kittehs…

Who doesn’t love a cat in a beret?

https://people.com/couple-trained-cats-to-travel-to-europe-exclusive-8546602

🦛 No Baby Anymore…

Hippos are the cutest things – those tiny ears!

https://people.com/fiona-the-hippo-turns-7-cincinnati-zoo-shares-birthday-tribute-8549355

🌏 No Man Is a Peninsula…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the Friday free-for-all. Until then, stay safe; stay not ghosting, but if you do, stay gone forever; and stay leaving the clients in the courtroom if you’re a defense attorney dating the DA.

January 24, 2024 – Laura Visits Heather In Pentenville, Barcelona Is Inflicted With Beverly Hills & Merengue

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Esme rifles through a drawer in Alexis’s desk and takes out a credit card. She gets on the laptop and starts to book a flight, when Doc walks in, startling her.

The Savoy is decorated for a major party, and Trina says she can’t believe Curtis arranged all this when he just got out of the hospital yesterday. I can’t believe he got out of the hospital already. He says he has a daughter that is smart enough to be accepted into the Sorbonne for a semester abroad in Paris. He’s going to make sure her sendoff is special, so they’re going to send her off in style. Trina says, her present is seeing that his procedure seemed to work, and there’s a possibility he’ll be walking by the time she gets home. She feels much better about leaving now. He says he and her mother will be expecting a lot of messages from her. Portia says, they want to hear about all of her experiences, when Spencer runs in. He asks Trina if he’s late to the party, and she says, not at all, but she thought he was coming with his grandmother and Doc. He says he’s sure they’ll be on their way.

Kristina lets Molly into her apartment and says, this is a rare sight. Molly asks what she means, and Kristina says, it’s not often she sees her sister out of the courthouse while the sun is still shining. Molly says, the afternoon hearing got pushed to tomorrow, and then her favorite organic food store just called to tell her about a new shipment of fruits and vegetables that just came in, so she went grocery shopping for Kristina. She knows how much Kristina would rather have a burger and fries from Charlie’s, but since she already had the implantation, she thought… She’s being pushy, isn’t she? Kristina says, Molly is a Davis, so she’d expect nothing less, and Molly says, if it’s too much, just tell her. She’ll back off. Kristina says she’s fine. She appreciates Molly asking. Molly says, one of the bags needs to be refrigerated, and Kristina says she’s pretty well stocked, so they might have some trouble fitting it in. Molly says, when she and TJ moved in together, there was never enough room for their stuff until she watched this amazing how to organize your fridge video. It changed everything. Come on. She’ll show Kristina. I want to see this too. What site is that on?

James says he can’t find his firetruck, and Maxie asks if he checked under his bed. He says he did and it’s not there, and Maxie says, check his toybox and his closet. He says, okay, and runs off. Maxie tells Felicia, he’s not going to find it, and follows. Spinelli comes out, and Felicia asks how it’s going living with Maxie. He says, it’s most agreeable. He’s loving all the family time after dinner. He’s reminded about how great a mom Maxie is. All that’s a bonus. Living with his daughter fulltime is tremendous. It was a very sound financial strategy, pretending he has nowhere to live. The rent he’s paying Maxie should be helping her make ends meet. Felicia says she has to agree. Maxie seems much less stressed. Maxie comes back and asks what they’re talking about. Felicia says, good coffee, and Spinelli says, very good. There’s a knock at the door, and Spinelli answers. It’s Cody, and Spinelli says, sorry. They don’t need any cookies. He tries to close the door, but Cody walks past him, saying, that’s good, because he’s not selling any. He says hello to Maxie and Felicia.

In the visiting room at Pentenville, Heather calls to Laura and waves her arm. Laura goes over, and Heather thanks her so much for coming. This is an honor. A visit from the mayor. It’s going to give her bragging rights around here. She also wants to offer her sincere condolences about Barbara Jean Spencer’s passing. She knows Laura and Bobbie had their share of disagreements, but she’s sure… Laura says, the only reason she’s here is because Heather claims to have information on her grandson Ace. Heather says, their grandson she means? Yeah, she does. She knows Nikolas took off with him. Laura asks, how on earth could she know that? and Heather says, Esme told her when she came to visit.

Maxie says she got Cody’s text earlier, but why is he stopping by? and he says, it’s just something that happened at James’s last riding lesson. She asks if something went wrong, but he says, no. That kid’s a natural. James runs in and asks what Cody is doing here, and Cody says he got James a present. James opens the box and says, cool. New boots. Cody says, the ones James has now are a little tight for him, and James says, they pinch his toes. Maxie says, when Aunt Nina gave him those boots for Christmas, he said they fit him, and he says, they did. Now they don’t. Cody says he guesses James’s feet grow fast, and Maxie says she knew the boots were a bit on the small side, but he was so excited about them. James says, these boots are awesome. Mom said he was going to have to wait until his birthday to get new ones. James walks off, and Maxie tells Cody, those boots are too expensive, but Cody says he’s making great money at Deception now. He’s got to spend it on something. It’s no big deal. He’s just happy to see James so enthusiastic about horses. He loves it when someone takes to riding so quickly. Felicia says, it’s a very thoughtful gesture, but Spinelli says, it’s something he should have asked Maxie about first. James says he wants to try them on.

Esme asks if Doc is spying on her, and he says he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to sneak up on her. She was just so focused on her work. She says she didn’t mean to snap at him. He startled her, and she’s been a little on edge since Nikolas stole her son. He says, actually, that’s why he’s here. He’s surprised she came into work at all. She says she can’t just sit home and worry about Ace. She has to find a way to move forward, no matter how impossible that might seem. What other choice does she have? He says, you tell me, and she says she’s been through this nightmare before, but when Victor Cassadine took Ace away from her, at least she knew Spencer was with him. Ace has no idea who Nikolas is, and he’s going to be very scared and he’s going to be very confused. Doc says, personally, he believes that Nikolas will take good care of Ace, but of course (🍷) she’s going to worry. She says she can’t do anything but worry. Did he come here just to check in on her? He asks why that’s so difficult to believe. He thought they all got along quite well when she was living with him and Laura. She says, sure, but that was because of Ace. He says, because of Ace, and her. She is his niece after all. She says she knows. It just feels strange. He says he understands. May he ask her a question? Why didn’t she tell anyone that Nikolas had taken Ace? Not even the police.

Molly says she’s surprised to see how well-stocked Kristina is. She’s normally more of a take-out gal. Kristina says, that was before she agreed to be Molly’s surrogate, and Molly says, she’s really taking this seriously, isn’t she? Kristina says, of course (🍷). She’s all in. She’s going to eat healthy until her niece – or nephew – arrives. Molly asks if that means she’s already pregnant.

Ava asks how Portia is holding up, and Portia says she’s putting on a brave face, so Trina doesn’t realize how nervous she actually is. Trina lives in the dorms, but she’s a local girl. She’s never been more than 50 miles outside of the city for more than two weeks. Now she’s going to Paris, halfway around the world, for four months. Ava says, look at it this way. It’s one hell of an excuse to plan a trip to Paris. Portia says, that’s a good idea, and Ava says she’s going to miss Trina a lot too. It’s going to be tough with her half a world away. Why don’t they lean on each other then? Portia says she thinks that’s a good idea.

Marshall says, Portia told him that Trina’s going to be living in a dorm. Where will Spencer be staying? Spencer says he actually found this really quaint pied-da-terre in the Latin Quarter near Trina’s dorm, and Stella asks how he plans on occupying his time while Trina’s in school. He says he’s actually been to Paris quite a few times. There’s always something to do. Trina joins them and says she thinks they’ve been interrogating Spencer long enough, but Marshall says, who’s interrogating? He’s just showing an interest in Spencer’s plan. Stella says, Spencer can take care of himself, can’t he? and Spencer says, yes, ma’am. Trina suggests they talk to Joss, and she and Spencer go to the bar.

Trina asks if Josslyn has seen Laura and Doc, but she says she hasn’t. Spencer says he’s sure it’s nothing to worry about. He thinks they’re just running late. At least that’s what Laura texted him. Josslyn asks if he thinks Laura actually lied to him, but he tells her that he’s not saying that. He’s just saying he doesn’t think it’s the worst thing that there’s going to be an ocean between the two of them. Trina says she knows Laura loves him, and Spencer agrees, but says he just doesn’t think she likes him all that much right now. Trina says she just thinks something important must have kept her away, but Spencer says he thinks he may have lost her support.

Laura asks when Esme visited Heather, and why? and Heather says, sometimes a girl just needs her mother. Speaking of which, how the hell is Leslie? Do they still talk or… Laura says, let’s stay focused on Esme, all right? Because last she heard, Esme was terrified of Heather after she saw Heather attack Dr. Gatlin-Holt at Windymere. Why would Esme visit her? Heather says, because she was distraught over Laura’s son kidnapping her child. Laura says she has talked to the police about that, and because her son is the child’s father, they don’t consider that kidnapping. Heather says, there you go. That’s exactly why Esme came to see her. Esme realized she’s the only person she can trust. Laura says she doesn’t believe Heather. Actually, she and Esme have become very close ever since she gave birth to Ace. Heather says, that was before she remembered all the horrible things Laura’s family did to her.

Kristina tells Molly that she meant she’s going to eat healthy for as long as it takes, not that she’s pregnant. It’s been less than a week since the implantation. (Ha-ha! Sounds like a field of crops.) Molly says, of course (🍷). She doesn’t know what she was thinking. Kristina says she didn’t want to get Molly’s hopes up, but Molly says, no. It’s silly of her to jump right to that. Kristina says, the plan is, she’s going to wait a couple of days and take a home pregnancy test. That way, they can avoid a false negative. Molly says, that’s a very logical thing to do, and Kristina wonders where her phone is. She’s been losing things like crazy lately. Speaking of which, the craziest thing happened at Charlie’s. This woman came in and she was furious. She was insisting she left her phone right here on the bar. She was waving her hands around and kept saying how it was such an expensive upgraded phone. Meanwhile, she had her phone right in her hand the entire time. Isn’t that crazy? Molly says, that’s crazy… or they could just take a test now. She pulls out a pregnancy test.

Cody puts the boots on James and says, whoops. He guesses he’s new to buying kids’ boots. James says he thinks they’re perfect, and stumbles around. Cody says he got them from a real saddlery, so he can just exchange them. Let him call the guy. He steps outside, and Spinelli follows. He says he knows what Cody is doing, but it’s not going to work. Cody says, okay. What is he doing again? Spinelli says, he’s taking advantage of Maxie’s generous nature, and Cody tells him, says the guy who’s living in Maxie’s house?

Josslyn says she wants updates and pictures of everything. All the beautiful places Trina and Spencer go to. Trina says she wishes Josslyn could just come with them, and Josslyn says she has her classes at PCU, but she was thinking she could come to Paris for spring break. Trina says she’d love that, and Spencer says he feels as her boyfriend, he should get a say in that, but Trina and Josslyn both say, no. Trina says, then it’s settled, and they laugh. Spencer says he has to check on something real quick, and takes out his phone. Trina asks if there’s any news about his dad. She still can’t believe his dad took Ace like that. Spencer says he let his father take Ace, and he even delayed telling Esme so he could give Nikolas a bigger head start. Josslyn asks why he would do that. She’s no friend of Esme’s, but to take her kid like that? That’s pretty harsh, especially when he does nothing but talk about what a lousy dad Nikolas was. Does he think Nikolas is going to be any better for Ace? Spencer says, the situation has changed, and Trina asks, how? He says he’s pretty sure Esme has her memories back.

Portia tells Stella, it’s really been an emotional past few days, right? There’s been some highs, like Curtis coming home and possibly being able to walk again. But then there’s the lows, like Trina leaving for four months and being halfway around the world. Stella asks, is Trina’s leaving troubling her or the fact that Spencer is going to be with her? and Portia says she thinks she’s learned to accept the fact that Trina needs to make her own decisions in her life. She’s a young lady and she’s decided that Spencer is part of that life. Okay, fine, but Portia can’t stop thinking about all the turmoil that follows Spencer wherever he goes. Wouldn’t it be better for her to go to Paris without him?

Laura says, Esme got her memories back? When did that happen? Heather says, the night of Christmas Eve. She went back to Windymere where Laura’s horrible, criminal son held her prisoner for months and months. She guesses it brought it back for her. Laura asks why Esme wouldn’t mention that to her, and Heather says, she didn’t want to go to prison. Duh. Come on. They both know the charges related to that stupid sex tape are still hanging over Esme’s head. Laura asks why Heather would put her own daughter at risk by revealing her secret. Heather knows she’s the mayor. She doesn’t think Laura is going to go straight to the PCPD? Heather says she knows Laura will. Then they’ll put Esme here in Pentenville where she belongs… with her mother.

Marshall asks how Curtis is doing, and Curtis says, glad to be out of the hospital. He knows everybody is just doing their job, but the constant check-ins and nurses and all the noise from the machines, it’s kind of hard to sleep in the hospital. Last night he got about seven hours. It felt pretty good. Marshall says he can imagine, but he knows Curtis. Something’s got him on edge. Curtis says he’s fine, but Marshall says, no, he’s covering, which is his right. But if there’s any way he can help, even just by listening, he wants to. Curtis says, the thing is, for the first time he has real hope that he might walk again. They both know hope is no guarantee, but in some ways, the uncertainty is harder than just accepting he’ll be in this wheelchair for the rest of his life. That’s not a fun reality. It’s a harsh fact that he can wrap his brain around though. Marshall says, as opposed to having a glimmer of hope that might never be realized, and Curtis says, exactly. If he tells himself that he can walk again and he never does, it will be like being paralyzed all over again. Marshall says he hears Curtis. Hope takes courage. Fortunately, Curtis is the most courageous man he’s ever known.

Maxie says, they can’t get these boots scuffed up or Cody won’t be able to exchange them for boots that actually fit James’s feet. James asks if the store is going to take them back, and Felicia says, he heard Cody. He said he’s going to take care of it. James says he can ride a horse in the too small boots, but Felicia says, he just told them that they pinch his toes. James says, or he could ride in snow boots or sneakers. They could get the money back for them instead. Then he’ll give it to Maxie to help pay the bills.

On the phone, Cody says, awesome. Thank you very much. Spinelli says he’s Georgie’s father and he’s paying Maxie rent. And the only reason he’s living here is because his apartment is flooded and completely uninhabitable, which is a completely different situation than Cody trying to suck up to James with expensive gifts. Cody says, lighten up. They’re just boots. Spinelli says, maybe to Cody they are, but James has had more than one father figure come in and out of his life. Unfortunately for James, his real father Nathan tragically died before he was born, and thank God for Grandpa Mac, but every time Maxie gets involved with someone, the kids can’t help but get attached. First it was the atrocious Peter August, then Austin, who wasn’t nearly as reprehensible as Peter, but still, they came into his life and out of his life, and that’s really, really hard for kids to understand. Cody says, slow down. He’s just giving James riding lessons. He’s not trying to romance Maxie. Spinelli says, oh please. He knows Cody. He’s all too aware that Cody is just a scheming blackmailer hiding behind the veneer of rugged cowboy charm. Cody says he had no idea. Spinelli thinks he’s charming.

Kristina says she just told Molly, it’s too soon to take a test, and Molly says she knows it makes sense to wait. But the waiting is literally driving her crazy. Kristina says she sees that and feels the same way, but it’s just too early. Molly says, actually, this particular test says it can detect HGT hormones five days earlier than any other test on the market. Kristina says, what if it’s negative? and Molly says, they already know they might get a false negative. Then they’ll take another test in a few days like Kristina said. If it’s positive, then the waiting’s over and they’ll know the IUI procedure worked and she’s pregnant.

Spencer tells Trina and Josslyn that Esme called him Spence, which she hasn’t called him since this past New Year’s when she washed up on the deck of the Haunted Star. And it’s just her attitude. She’s different. The things she’s saying are a lot sharper. Josslyn asks why he didn’t tell them sooner, and he says he’s telling them right now. Everything has happened very quickly. After Ava pressed charges against Esme for breaking and entering into Windymere he thought that was going to be the solution to their problems, that Esme would go to prison. But she got six months probation, which means Ace can still be living with her. There are a million reasons for him to hate his father, but he knows that Nikolas is going to do everything in his power to protect Ace. If Esme does have her memories back, there’s no telling how she’ll use his little brother as a pawn. They all know what the old Esme is capable of. Trina says she just wishes he’d said something the second he suspected it, and Josslyn asks what they’re supposed to do now. Do they talk to the DA and ask him to prosecute Esme on the original charges? Trina says, the reason he dropped the charges on drugging her and making that awful revenge porn of Josslyn and Cam was because Esme claimed not to remember, and it would be too difficult of a conviction. But if she has her memory back now… Spencer says, there’s no way for them to know for certain. And she’s not going to admit to it. They do need proof, because if this goes to trial and Esme is somehow able to convince a jury she’s innocent, then that’s it. They get one shot at this. Josslyn says she’s been waiting for the real Esme to show herself. She’ll get them proof. The two of them just need to focus on going to Paris. Do not let Esme take that away from them. Spencer says, but what if this goes to trial? and she says, then they both fly back. Trina thanks her, and Spencer says, please be careful. Because Esme’s not going to give up Ace lying down. She’s planning something. Josslyn says, like what? and he says he doesn’t know, but nothing good.

Esme tells Doc, going to the PCPD would be useless. Despite the fact Nikolas had never met Ace before he took him, it doesn’t matter. he’s still Ace’s father. Spencer has made that perfectly clear. She’s powerless. Doc says, she’s right. There may not be much the authorities can do, but that doesn’t mean she’s alone. He and Laura have done everything they can to support her. Why not come to them? She says, Nikolas is Laura’s son and Spencer is her grandson. Why would Laura side with her over them, and even if she did, would it really make a difference? Nikolas disappeared on her for months. She couldn’t track him down then, and she can’t track him down now. He says he wouldn’t underestimate what Laura is willing to do for her family.

Laura says, so Heather wants Esme to go to prison, and Heather says, it’s the only way she can look out for her little girl. She tried to get Esme to leave town, but she completely refused. She said it was about Ace, but she can tell Esme is hellbent on revenge. Laura says, revenge against who? and Heather says, take her pick. Any number of people who have wronged her, but if she was to speculate, she’s pretty certain Spencer and Trina are at the top of Esme’s hit list.

Kristina says, she’s usually the one with impulse control issues, and Molly says she knows. She’s being pushy and totally out of control. Kristina says, it’s okay. She knows where this comes from. Molly really wants to be a mom. Molly says, and see TJ be a dad. Has she thanked Kristina enough for doing this? Kristina says, she has. She’s beyond happy. Her phone dings, and Kristina says, there it is. One sec. This might be work. She sees a text from Blaze: Thinking of you. Hope you’re having a great day! Kristina texts back: It just got a lot better. Call u later? She sees Molly looking at her and says, what? Molly asks who the text is from.

Maxie says, that’s a very generous offer, but Cody gave James these boots as a gift. They’re his. James says he’s heard her talk about money. Sometimes she doesn’t think he’s listening, but he is. Maxie says, he shouldn’t be listening in on her conversations, and Felicia says, money is a grownup problem. He has better things to think about. He says, like horses? and Maxie says, yes, like horses, hugging him.

Spinelli says, Maxie is too trusting. She has this bad habit of always seeing the best in people, whether they merit it or not. Then she ends up getting hurt. She deserves better. Cody asks if he’s jealous. Is that what this is about? He likes Maxie, yes. The same way he likes Mac and Felicia. The same way he likes Georgie or James or little Bailey Lou. They’re almost like family to him, but he’s not Spinelli’s competition. If Spinelli wants to date Maxie, he’s not standing in Spinelli’s way.

Curtis says he’s got to brag just a little bit more. Trina getting into the Sorbonne is a huge accomplishment. Trina thanks him, and he says, she’s a remarkable young woman and she deserves to be celebrated. She hugs him.

Heather says she knows Esme better than anybody, but Laura says, Heather has known Esme less than a year, right? And during that time, Esme didn’t even remember who she was. Heather says, but she does now. It’s a miracle really. She’s seen the real Esme and Esme is just like her. But unfortunately, she’s just like her father too. Sometimes, she is too stubborn for her own good. Esme refused to take her advice about this. Since she’s locked up in here, she needs Laura. Please, for the sake of their shared grandson, will Laura help her?

Trina hugs Ava and thanks her so much for everything. The list of the small art galleries in Paris, she’s honestly going to try and see every single last one. She just hopes they’ll put up with her communication through the translator app. Ava says, a lot of people in Paris speak English. Don’t assume though. Try to say a few words in French and they’ll be much more receptive. Trina says she’ll remember that, and Ava says she just wants Trina to have the most fabulous time. Trina says she wouldn’t have gotten into the Sorbonne if it wasn’t for her internship at Ava’s gallery, but Ava says she thinks having The Chuck on Trina’s resumé made it more impressive. Trina says she’s not talking about prestige. She’s talking about the encouragement and support Ava gave her. Ava taught her to trust her instinct regarding art and to be more confident about speaking her mind. Ava says, Trina is giving her too much credit, and Trina says, then they can agree to disagree.

Spencer thanks Portia for including him in the party, but she says, the party was actually Curtis’s idea. He says he wants her to know how important Trina’s happiness is to him, and she says she doesn’t really doubt his feelings for Trina. It’s just that he’s no stranger to trouble and she doesn’t want trouble finding Trina, here or in Paris.

Esme tells Doc that coming to work wasn’t her best idea. She can’t really focus, and she doesn’t want to break down here, so… Doc says he doesn’t think Alexis would mind if they borrowed her office for a few minutes. Please sit down with him. Esme sits, and he asks what he has to do to convince her that there are people here who want to help her. She says she doesn’t think anyone wants to help Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber’s daughter, and that’s always who she’ll be. He says, yes, but she’s also Ace’s mother, and she says, what if she never sees her son again? He says he and Laura will do everything in their power to bring him back to her. She’s a good mother. She says, who’s done terrible things, or so she’s told, and he says, we can’t change our past, but we can try to do better going forward. She says, what if we don’t know how? and he says, we ask for help. She says she doesn’t think it’s that easy, and he says, granted, letting people in, showing who you really are, is never easy, but it can change your life. Would she like to change?

Spinelli says, his romantic feelings for Maxie ended years ago, and Cody says, really? Because the look on his face whenever she’s in the room says otherwise. Is he worried it’s been too long to get her back? If his romance game is a little off, Cody can give him some pointers. Spinelli says, never, and Cody says, if Spinelli changes his mind, let him know. Some people say he’s charming. James runs out and asks if Cody called the store. Cody says, sure did. It’s all taken care of. They’re going to swap out those boots for ones that fit. James asks if Cody can stay a while, and Cody says, sure. Why not? James says, come to his room and pick out a game they can play, grabbing Cody’s hand and dragging him inside.

Cody runs through the living room with James, and says, they’re going to get a game. Maxie tells Felicia that she’s upset that James knows she’s worried about money. What kind of parent is she that her kid thinks he has to take care of her? Felicia says she thinks James’s generosity is a beautiful thing. He gets it from his mom. Spinelli comes back in and asks if everything is okay. Maxie says she just needs a minute and leaves the room. Felicia asks if Spinelli is done giving Cody a hard time, and he says he thought she didn’t trust him either. She says she had her doubts, but she was wrong about Cody. He should give Cody a chance.

Kristina says, it was the weekend bartender at Charlie’s. Juggling schedules is one of her many jobs there. Molly says, the way she was smiling, she thought the text was from someone Kristina liked. She says she does like him, but not like that. He’s a great guy. He’s solid and kind and has a really great work ethic. He’s only working at Charlie’s part-time because he has another fulltime job. He’s in training; he’s a competitive athlete. She was smiling because he’s covering a shift for her this weekend. Molly says, she’s close with the staff at Charlie’s, isn’t she? and Kristina says she is. They all share in the same insanity there. Five of them went out last weekend and they had such a great time. Molly says, being pregnant is going to cause such a huge disruption to Kristina’s life. She knew that already and it’s hitting her all over again. Kristina says, hopefully not that huge. Not until the second trimester, right? The sooner they know, the sooner they can plan things and figure it out. Molly says, does that mean… and Kristina suggests they find out if she’s pregnant.

Portia says she’s busted, she knows, and wipes her eyes. Trina says, no tears. If Portia cries, she’s going to cry. Portia says she’s sorry. She really can’t help it. Her little girl is growing up. She’s headed to Paris. Trina says, it’s only going to be four months, and Portia says she knows and she’s going to be okay. She wants Trina to have so much fun and all the experiences she can possibly have. She’s in awe of Trina. She’s in awe of Trina’s strength, her beauty, her wisdom… She’s going to miss Trina. Trina says she loves Portia, and they hug. Portia says she loves Trina too.

James and Cody play Connect Four and Cody says, James is too good at this. He thinks he’s been hustled. James asks what that means, and Cody says, like when you ask someone to play a game when you already know you’re going to win. James says, but he hasn’t won yet, and Cody says, that’s a very good point. He still has a shot. Felicia tells James to show Cody how it’s done, and tells Spinelli that Cody is really good with James, doesn’t he think?

Molly and Kristina sit on the sofa, waiting, when a timer goes off. Kristina asks if Molly is ready, and Molly says, is she? Kristina says, as she’ll ever be. Should they… Molly says she can’t look. Can Kristina do it? Kristina picks up the test, and Molly says, Kristina was right. It’s too early. They’ll take another test next week. Kristina says, they don’t need to take another test, and Molly says, she means… Kristina says she’s pregnant, and they hug.

Laura asks what Heather wants her to do, and Heather says she’s really worried that Esme is going to get herself in much worse trouble if she goes after Spencer and Trina. She needs to save her daughter from herself. Please, find Esme. Find her daughter and stop her before she does something horrible.

Esme tells Doc that she does want to change. Will he help her? He says, all she had to do was ask, and she gets up. She paces as she talks and says, all she wants to do is be a good mother to Ace and raise him in peace, instead of having to constantly explain the past and apologize. She realizes people find her responsible for people getting hurt, but she has to focus on the future, on her son and getting him back and doing whatever it takes – she picks up a sculpture from the bookcase – to keep him with her. She whacks Doc over the head with the sculpture, and he falls out of the chair onto the floor. She says, oh, Uncle Kevin, I’m not falling for that. You can save your pity for Spencer and Trina.

Curtis says, before the meal is served, he’d like to propose a toast. To Trina and Spencer, much love and best wishes on your exciting new adventure. Everyone raises their glasses and toasts to Trina and Spencer. Spencer tells Trina that he’s very excited to put the past behind them. And he’s really, really looking forward to their future. He kisses her.

Tomorrow, Robert asks if Diane is offended that he might win; Brick asks, what’s the mission, should he choose to accept; Laura says, Dante and Chase have to arrest Esme before she does something terrible; and Alexis asks if Sonny knows something she doesn’t know.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

I literally force myself to put on Bravo. Another beautiful vacation wasted on (for the most part) women who don’t appreciate or deserve it.

Everyone packs for Barcelona. Sutton wonders if she should take a separate suitcase for shoes and handbags. She tells Avi that she’ll do her underpinnings and she’s done. I only include that because I’ve never heard anyone use the word underpinnings before. She tells Avi that she’s taking Merce with her. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Merce Cunningham Studio is the best in the dance world. She went there when she first came to NYC. She tells Avi that she has to pack Merce’s ashes, and Avi says, this is against his religion. In her interview, she says she’s had his ashes for 12 years. She wanted to release them in a significant way and make the trip meaningful. Avi tells her to make sure they don’t blow back in her face, and I’m reminded of Sonja Morgan’s dog on OG RHONY.

The women meet at the airport, and in Crystal’s interview, she says she thinks Spain is a good restart. There’s something about sangria. In Erika’s interview, she says, the trip is starting on a good note. No one is killing each other at LAX. So far, so good. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s never been Spain, but always wanted to go. She’s looking forward to the food, the culture, the men, and the life. On the plane, Dorit puts on Chanel PJs and Crystal says, they cost more than her wedding dress. The text says that Crystal’s PJs were $8.99. Good for her. The women bring a million pieces of luggage, but no judgement here. I’m the worst. I go away for a weekend, and it looks like I’m going for a month. But on this Kyle and I agree – you don’t know what you’re going to need until you get there. Suddenly, we’re in Barcelona and on a luxury bus. Sutton says, they’re going to draw for rooms. Good thing Ramona isn’t there. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Sitges (a town nearby) is where the Merce Cunningham Dance Company first performed in Europe. How amazing is that? She tells the group that they’re going to play a game and there’s a prize for the winner. The game is called All of a Sutton. Crystal says, we’ll play a game about me and call it me, and Sutton asks, what is the name of one of her cats? Erika says, Prints, which is correct. Sutton asks, what was her first job in NYC? and Kyle says, stripper, but Garcelle says, that’s Erika. Erika says, nothing has changed, and Sutton says she was a nanny. She asks what her father’s name is, and Crystal says, Mr. Sutton. Kyle says, John, and there are questions about her kids and her cars. Erika is the winner, and in her interview, Garcelle says she’s Sutton’s bestie, but she can’t know everything. In Erika’s interview, she says she knew every answer. Who’s Sutton’s best friend? Sutton presents Erika with a tiara from her store.

No big shock, the house is beyond amazing. They’re welcomed with Sangria and host Zoë tells them that the house was built in the 14th century by one of the most famous wine producing families in Spain. She warns them that it’s haunted, and Erika says she knew it. She felt it. In Erika’s interview, she says she has the ability to smell different spirits. Dorit goes, waaah! and in Annemarie’s interview, she says, they all know who goes first in the horror movies. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, since it’s between her and Annemarie, she hopes it’s Annemarie. Okay, that’s actually pretty funny. Zoë says, the ghosts are little people and super friendly. In Kyle’s interview, she wonders what Zoë is talking about. Aliens? Erika wonders if it’s garden gnomes, and tells the women, just embrace it. Zoë says, they’ll be serving cocktails and tapas, and Garcelle says she wants the least haunted room. Another no surprise, all of the rooms are gorgeous and they’re more like suites. In her interview, Erika says she doesn’t need ghosts or little people in her life. She’s on medication and trying hard to remain stable. Erika messes with the ceiling access to the attic, and in her interview, Kyle says, don’t open vents and don’t go to the attic or basement. Everyone knows that. A camera guy drops something and scares the hell out of Dorit. In her interview, Garcelle says she’s never traveled with glam before. She’s got to keep up with these bitches. The bar in Dorit’s closet falls, probably because it’s not used to 1000 pounds hanging from it, and in her interview, she says, Chanel does not belong on the floor. As Kyle unpacks, Dorit critiques her wardrobe, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she doesn’t know this Kyle. She gets that Kyle wants to show off her body, but what was she thinking when she was packing? Is she looking for her next husband in Spain?

There’s a self-serve bar outside, and live music. In Annemarie’s interview, she says, there are doors in the house that look like they shouldn’t be opened, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she doesn’t play with that sh*t. She’s Haitian, and where she’s from, there’s voodoo and witchcraft. She’s heard stories like a body turning into a goat at an open casket funeral and doesn’t want any part of it. We see that Erika’s new tiara says C’est moi on it, and she wears it to dinner. Chef Storm introduces himself, and in her interview, Garcelle says, Chef Storm can feel free to rain all over her. She tells Erika that they can tag team him, and Erika says she doesn’t even mind being second. In Erika’s interview, she says, things instantly got better in the place, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, he can cook, he has an accent, we’re in Spain. Olé.

They go inside to a table set with beautiful rustic décor, and Sutton says she brought a special guest. She wants to introduce Merce Cunningham, world renowned choreographer. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, he meant so much and he’s in a Ziploc bag. Put her in a Berkin, not a Ziploc. Sutton says, Twyla Tharp (one of my favorites) studied under him, and in Erika’s interview, she says, Merce Cunningham was a legend. She felt like a loser not knowing who he was. She got checked by Mikey asking what’s wrong with her. Sutton says, they had a special relationship, and in her interview, she says, they had a real bond. She worked for him as a studio manager, and he liked her as a dancer and he liked her work ethic. We see photos of Sutton as a dancer and it’s a surprise to me. She says, he was such a unique person, and didn’t mind her quirkiness. He was one of the most important men in her life. She tells the women, when her father died, he was the first one to call her. They got super close. The tapas begins, and they check to see if the chef is wearing a wedding ring. In Crystal’s interview, she says, all the women are like, pay attention to me! I like your food! There are foodgasms all around, but since we’re not allowed to have fun, Annemarie says, there’s an elephant in the room and she needs to get something off her chest. Last weekend a lot of things were said and she apologizes for her part. She talked to Sutton and hopes their in a better place. Sutton says she was fine with the esophagus stuff. (At this point, Sutton’s small esophagus is right up there with Munchausen, Pantygate, and Puppygate.) What she has a problem with is Annemarie saying she’s lonely and insecure. We flash back to Annemarie saying she’ll wake up to her amazing husband, amazing kids, and amazing life. Thank God she’s not lonely and insecure. Sutton says, there are three divorcees at the table, and she was lonelier during her marriage. Either he was traveling or asleep because he worked so much. Annemarie shouldn’t use the word lonely. Annemarie says, she owns that, which has become meaningless since circa LisaR. Several of them were angry, things were said, and she’s sorry for anybody else her words affected. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, so if you’re single, you’re lonely and insecure? She’s single too. Is Annemarie implying that you’re lonely and desperate if you don’t have a man? If Annemarie has an apology for her, don’t apologize.

Crystal asks if Annemarie is calling her insecure, and Annemarie says, they’re getting to her. She wants to talk about the Crystal situation and tells the women that she and Crystal met at a holiday party prior to her being on the show. The first thing Crystal said about the women is that they weren’t intelligent, nobody was educated, and they were shallow. Crystal says, that’s ridiculous, and Garcelle says, they’re all educated. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal is nowhere near as educated as they are. When she was a child bride, busy getting married at 12, they were busy graduating college, building businesses, and doing things to educate themselves. Crystal tells them that she wouldn’t say that stuff to someone she just met, and she doesn’t feel that way. We flash back to Crystal’s interview where she said, the women are savvy, but clearly not educated. She tells them that she didn’t say that, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Crystal has a history of thinking they’re less smart than she is. We flash back to a whole bunch of stupid stuff, including the violated debacle, and Garcelle says, she thinks Crystal believes that some of them are not as astute as she is. Astute. There’s a word for her. Annemarie says, Crystal told her that they were fake socialites, and she was the only true socialite in the group. In Erika’s interview, she wonders if this is a Northeast/Southeast thing and are they doing cotillion. In Dorit’s interview, she says she feels Crystal could have said that. It’s her excuse for not being interesting; because my intellect is too high. No, you’re boring. Crystal tells them that she never said she was a socialite. She did say she was very social. In Annemarie’s interview, she says, when she and Crystal first met, she thought Crystal was crazy telling her this information. Now that she’s getting to know Crystal better, she’d say it’s on brand.  She says, Crystal needs to think she’s better than the rest of them, and Crystal says, they’ve met six times. Give her an example of how she thinks she’s better. Annemarie says, right now because she’s not being honest. In Kyle’s interview, she says, obviously, something about Annemarie provokes Crystal. Crystal is usually reserved with her thoughts and feelings. She’s never seen Crystal respond like this, and thinks Annemarie and Crystal need to talk alone, so she doesn’t have to hear it. In Crystal’s interview, she says, Annemarie said she wants to bring lightness and fun, but she’s antagonistic, combative, and dismissive. Annemarie tells Crystal that she’s acting like a hormonal teenager. She wants to thank Crystal for giving Crystal something to talk about and making Crystal’s ass relevant. (That makes zero sense, but go on.) In Annemarie’s interview, she says she’s sorry she triggers Crystal, and that Crystal finds her life interesting. Crystal has nothing to talk about except her. Dorit suddenly becomes the voice of reason and says, they’ve been up a long time, and she thinks they should put a pin in it. Annemarie says, don’t take her kindness for weakness, and Crystal says, she’s not kind. Annemarie says she’s always kind, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, it was perfection. Now let’s ruin it by saying Crystal hates them because they’re stupid and vapid. That’s not how she thought this was going to work. They go to bed, and Garcelle asks, what the hell happened?

Just a couple of things. I think what Annemarie does is give them a grain of truth, but then she embellishes. IMO to the point where she goes from believable to not so believable. Like maybe Crystal did say that about them being uneducated, although I don’t think she was necessarily talking about book learning. She probably meant ignorant. But then Annemarie has to add that thing about being a socialite. Nope. Not buying that one. Crystal has never said she was a socialite, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of the others say they were either. No doubt Sutton was, but I don’t remember her even talking about it. And Crystal has nothing to talk about? She’s married to the Brave Little Toaster guy and her brother is a huge pop star in China. And that’s just two things. I think Annemarie is trying to make her own ass relevant. And kind? Far, far from it. She’s a bully who’s moved on from Sutton to Crystal. So far, Annemarie’s track record shows she’s the uneducated one who embellishes the truth. And don’t even get me started on what Dorit said in her interview about Crystal. It’s already all over the place online.  

In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s 1 am and she’s scared to go to Sutton’s room, but she’s going anyway. She knows there’s a room with a crib and she doesn’t want to see it. She doesn’t know who’s in the crib and she doesn’t want to. She tells Sutton that she doesn’t want to sleep with ashes staring her in the face, but she wants snacks. In her interview, Garcelle says, after Sutton talking all night in Vegas, here she is, sleeping with her again. In the morning, Sutton visits Crystal and asks how she’s feeling. Crystal says, Annemarie is a lot. She doesn’t think Annemarie listens. Sutton says, Annemarie called her a liar to the whole group, but Crystal says she doesn’t think anyone believes her. Erika asks if Dorit thinks Crystal called them shallow, and Dorit says she doesn’t think Annemarie is flat out making it up. In Erika’s interview, she says she thinks there’s a ring of truth. She doesn’t think Annemarie pulled it out of nowhere. She tells Dorit, if they’re so uneducated and shallow, why be here? Sutton asks why Crystal is letting Annemarie off the hook, but Crystal says Sutton needs someone to tell her that it wasn’t said to feel better. She doesn’t. In Sutton’s interview, she says, she and Crystal have had some challenging times, and we flash back to that. She thinks with some friendships, you have to take a deep dive to come up fresh. They’ve both come into a fresh air spot where they like each other’s company. She wants Annemarie and Crystal to nip this in the bud and build a better friendship. Sutton tells Crystal to stick up for herself, but Crystal says she’s treading lightly. Sutton says, Crystal needs to tell her.

Erika says she has happy news to share. Two decisions have been handed down by the district court of appeal regarding the earrings. The court wants the trustee to prove the earrings were paid for with client money. Remember when she said the story isn’t over? What she said was going to happen is happening. Don’t rush to judgment. They still have a fight, but a win is a win, and the court said, hold on. In Kyle’s interview, she says she thinks Erika feels vindicated. So many doubted her, and Erika told them, give her a minute. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she wishes Erika would let the earrings go and give back to the victims, even though she’s not guilty. You need good karma. Sutton suggests that maybe when Erika is so loud, they can’t hear, and in Erika’s interview, she says she can’t control people’s reactions, but she expected more. She doesn’t need to have them throw their arms around her, but she needs acknowledgment that what she said would happen is happening. They leave for a trek to an old church in Sitges, and Sutton says, it’s like herding cats here. In her interview, Erika says she’s disappointed at the lack of passion for her favorable ruling, when they were so passionate last year. Therapy, therapy, therapy. They take two cars on a long, scary, winding road, and suddenly Crystal says she needs to get out of the car. She’s going to be carsick. They stop and she gets out. Crystal shows them her hands; they’re swollen, and her veins are popping out. Garcelle runs over to Annemarie and asks what it means. Annemarie looks at Crystal’s hands and says, they are big. Holy crap. Is she sure she’s even a nurse? In Kyle’s interview, she says, the universe works in mysterious ways. Yesterday, Crystal and Annemarie were at each other’s throats. Now Crystal is at Annemarie’s mercy. Kyle tells them that she’s calling 9-1-1.

Next time, lots of shopping; Sutton apologizes to Kyle; Sutton says she’s sorry she wasn’t a better friend to Kyle; Garcelle tries to clear the air with Dorit; and Sutton breaks down about her dad.

☔️ Baby, the Rain Must Fall…

Make a return trip tomorrow for soap, tea, and tidbits, since Southern Charm is thankfully over. Until then, stay safe, stay using your inside voice on public transport, and stay trying to do better going forward since you can’t change the past.