Category Archives: real housewives

December 20, 2023 – Charlotte Admires Her First Battle Wound, Christina Is Back, Dorit Needs To Answer the Question & Gentlemen

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Felicia looks at a video of Georgie with a gingerbread house and suggests she and Maxie show off their engineering skills to Mac, but Georgie wants to change into something with less frosting on it first. Maxie asks her to check on Bailey, but don’t wake her up, and Georgie leaves. Felicia says, Maxie seems distracted. She’s missing out on Christmas Eve with her kids. Maxie says she’s trying to get in the spirit. This year, the holidays just remind her of how fast life changes. This time last year, Deception was such a success. She was riding high even though she’d just broken up with Austin. She still can’t believe he’s gone. (I can’t believe I forgot all about her and Austin.) She doesn’t have any lingering feelings or regrets for breaking up with him, she just feels awful about how he died. Felicia says, Maxie has a lot going on, but keep the faith. She has the feeling that by this time next year, things will be looking up for Maxie. Maxie says she hopes so, when the doorbell rings.

Josslyn asks if Dex is ready to spend his first Christmas with her family, and he says he needs her to guide him through. She says, first, she needs to guide herself. She really needs this break from classes and studying and… She sees Adam outside the door and asks what he’s still doing here.

Charlotte comes out of her room to see Doc and Laura and asks when they got here. Laura says, they haven’t been here long at all, and hugs her, saying, merry Christmas. Her dad needed to step out for a moment, and she was taking a nap, so he asked them to come over. Charlotte says, it’s Christmas Eve. What could he possibly be doing?

At the MetroCourt, Valentin knocks at Anna’s door and she opens it.

Elizabeth puts on an apron and wonders how they’re going to get all this done tonight, but Aiden says, don’t worry. He’s a professional. She says she’s not. Just keep doing what he’s doing – the doorbell rings – and she’ll get the door. She opens it to Finn and Violet, and says, merry Christmas Eve. He tells her, merry Christmas Eve (is that a thing?), and she says, come in. Finn asks if Violet isn’t going to wish Aunt Elizabeth a merry Christmas Eve, and less than enthusiastically, Violet says, merry Christmas.

Maxie opens the door and Spinelli is there, shivering and wet. He says he requires her urgent assistance.

Portia says, Curtis looks deep in thought, and he says, just admiring his blessings. Look at his beautiful family – we see Trina, Stella, and Marshall gathered around the table – happy and together. And since they are, everyone gather around. He has something to tell them all. Something life changing.

Valentin says he was surprised to get Anna’s phone call. Can they make this quick? He’s missing Christmas Eve with his daughter. She says, yes, of course (🍷). How’s Charlotte? Please tell her that Charlotte’s doing well. He says, she’s got a long road ahead of her, but she’s much better. He wishes he’d told Anna the truth from the start. She says, he owed her the truth, but she owes him the same.

Laura says, Charlotte’s dad was hoping to be back before she woke up, but she’s sure he’ll be here any minute now. Charlotte says she hopes so. Papa promised they’d spend Christmas together, since last year he was… away. Laura says she, for one, is very happy to be home for Christmas. She’s very grateful to get some time with her sweet, little granddaughter. (Charlotte is neither sweet nor little, but because it’s Laura, I’ll let it pass.) Charlotte says she’s very happy they’re here, both of them, and Doc says, thank you. Now does anyone know how to make a ribbon all squiggly? Charlotte says, it’s ridiculously easy, and he says, prove it, handing her the wrapped box.

Elizabeth tells Violet that Aiden is making cookies and they’re going to sing some Christmas carols. Finn asks if she thinks she wants to do some singing, and Violet says, maybe. Can she go color now? He tells her, sure, if that’s what she wants to do, and she goes to the coffee table. Elizabeth asks, what’s going on? but he says he doesn’t know. Leo Quartermaine told her Santa isn’t real, but he already handled it. He thought maybe she was just tired, but she’s been like this all day. Elizabeth says, that doesn’t sound like her. Did anything else happen? He says he asked her, but she won’t tell him. He doesn’t know what to do at this point. She says, just lay low and give her some time, and he says, maybe they’ll get a Christmas miracle.

Josslyn says she thought Adam had an early flight this morning, but he says, not exactly. She says, then what exactly? and he says he’s not going home. She says, since when? He didn’t mention this when they were studying last night. He says, technically, he didn’t decide until this morning, and she says, so he chose to stay in the dorms alone on Christmas? Dex says, some people enjoy the peace and quiet, and Adam says, see? Josslyn says, okay, but the dining halls are closed. What is he going to eat? He says he can call for delivery service, and there’s so much ramen in his room… She says, that’s pathetic. Come on. She and Dex can give him a ride back. He says he can’t go home.

Curtis says, let him start by saying he’s so grateful to share this holiday with them all. It’s been a challenging year, and he can truthfully say he wouldn’t have made it through without the love and support of each of them. Stella says, amen. They love him too. Now spit it out. He says, lovely Portia has been researching clinical trials for people with paralysis. She found experimental treatment that might restore his ability to walk. Stella says, that’s wonderful. He did apply for participation. He says he’s already under consideration, and Trina asks when he’ll start if they select him. He says, it could be as soon as January, and Portia says, that’s exactly right. The doorbell rings – since everyone got a doorbell for Christmas – and Portia answers. Spencer says, merry Christmas.

Anna says, so they now know for certain, James Forsythe was responsible for setting fire to her house, and Valentin thanks her for the confirmation. It was a relief to know Charlotte wasn’t responsible for the arson, but it’s good to know who was and why she was targeted. Brennan? The director? She’s lucky to be alive. She says, luck and an assist from Dante. He says he should have warned her the moment he knew Charlotte was targeting her. None of this would have happened. She says, Charlotte was collateral damage in a conspiracy targeted at her, and she apologizes for that, and he says, no, he apologizes. She says she just wanted him to hear it from her, now that this whole sordid business is over, and he asks if they’re sure about that.

Spinelli thanks Maxie for the shower and the spare clothes, and Felicia says, it’s a good thing she still had that box of Max’s spare clothes they were donating to the shelter. They’ve been in the car all week. Maxie says, they came in handy. So is he going to tell her what happened? Felicia says, do tell, and he says, a pipe burst in his apartment and the super was able to shut it off before it affected other units, but not before his was rendered uninhabitable. Maxie asks, what happened to his computers? and he says he was able to salvage most of it and put it in a storage unit. Some of it is still in his trunk. Felicia says, you poor thing, and he says, that’s why he showed up here looking like a drowned rat. He didn’t mean to impose. He just needed a place to dry off. Maxie says, he was coming here for dinner anyway. This was perfect. He says, while he’d love to dine with her, he supposes he should figure out his lodging. The MetroCourt is booked, and all of the other nice places, but he supposes he could venture further out to Sawyer or Greenfield. Maxie says, he’ll do no such thing, but he says, it’s only temporary until he finds another apartment. Maxie says, absolutely not. He’s living here.

As they make cookies, Aiden asks if Elizabeth is upset that Cam decided to go skiing with his new girlfriend this Christmas, and she says she’s not going to lie. She felt a little twinge about it, since obviously she misses him, but she’s not surprised. He seems to really like this girl. Is Aiden upset? He says, it would have been nice to see him, but he gets it. She asks if he feels a little left out now that his brothers have girlfriends, and he says, actually, there’s someone he likes too.

Jake asks if Violet wants to help him make paper snowflakes, and sits on the sofa, putting the supplies on the table. He shows her what to do and says, careful with the scissors. She says she knows how to use scissors, and he asks if she visited Santa. She nods, and he asks if she thinks she’ll get everything she wants this year. She shakes her head, and he puts his arm around her. He says, she doesn’t have to talk about it, but it might help if she does. She says, her daddy is going away.

Trina hugs Spencer and says, he made it. He sets some bags under the tree and says, wow. Trina says she’ll tell him stories about the ornaments. There might be a few she’s made. He says he’d like to see them, and Curtis says, welcome. Spencer thanks him, shaking his hand, and says, nice to see everyone. Miss Henry, Mr. Ashford. Marshall says, young Mr. Cassadine, and shakes his hand. Good to see him. Maybe he and Trina could put some Christmas tunes on. Spencer says, he almost forgot. One of the light strands out front went out. Curtis thanks him, and Portia asks if he knew Spencer was coming over. He says, maybe Trina just forgot to tell them, and she says, welcoming unexpected guests is all part of Christmas, right? He says, she’s entitled to how she feels. Is she sure she wants to start this next year at odds with the young man her daughter loves? She says, right, and puts on a smile.

Marshall goes out on the terrace, and Stella asks what he’s doing out in the cold. He says, she sounds like I… He’s fine. He just needed a moment, that’s all. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s beyond okay. Last year, he was surprised to be celebrating the holidays with his son and grandson, and this year, he gets to do it again with a brand-new granddaughter. It’s overwhelming. He never thought he deserved all this, the way he walked out on them. She says, let it go. It’s in the past. He can’t keep beating himself up over it. He says he knows. He had a conversation with Irene just the other night right here. They sit, and he says, Irene told him to count his blessings and get over himself. And he’s not hitting the sauce. She says she talks to her sister all the time. They say death doesn’t end a relationship. She feels Irene’s presence around her just as close as she did when she was helping Irene raise his boys. He says he’s beyond grateful that she took on his family the way she did, and she did a wonderful job. She says, it was her honor and her pleasure, and he says, she always had his back. She bridged the gap between him and Curtis when he came back. She kept his secret. She says, and he bridged the gap between her and Curtis when she didn’t tell him that Trina might be his daughter. She appreciated that. he says, looks like they’ve been there for each other, but she says, unlikely, but true. He says, she’s a special woman, and she says, and he’s a kind and loving man. She’s sorry for all he’s endured, including losing the two women he loved, Irene and Epiphany. He deserves all the happiness he can hold. He says he’s sorry she had to give up the gentleman she was going to marry to look after Irene and his boys, and she says, of course (🍷) she would do what she could for her sister and her nephews. She loved them. She and Irene were two peas in a pod. He says, yes, but she was always the feisty pea, and they laugh. A modern version of Deck the Halls plays, and Stella gets up. She says she loves this song, and Marshall joins her. He says, give him that hand, and they dance. He swings her into his arms, and they look at each other. Aww, I like it.

Marshall steps back and says he’s sorry. He got a little carried away. She says, let’s blame it on the music. You know what? I left the stove on. She runs inside.

Adam tells Josslyn that his parents will ask a million questions about his grades and what courses he’s taking next semester. They’d get in his head. So he told them that he had an internship over winter break. This way, he’ll have more time to get his head straight, and he’ll do better in class come January. Josslyn says, so he lied to them again. This is becoming a pattern with him. He says he panicked. He just didn’t want to disappoint them with his grades. She says, his grades are excellent, but he says, his parents won’t think so. Besides, the flights are way too expensive now. So there’s no way he can go home without telling them the truth and begging them for cash. Trust him. It’s better this way. He hopes they have a good Christmas. He leaves, and Dex says, what was that about? Josslyn says she should invite him over to her mom’s house for Christmas, right? Not to stay over of course (🍷). He can stay here, but just so he’s not alone the whole time. She’ll check with her mom. She takes out her phone.

Doc puts a box under the tree and says, and that is the last of them. Charlotte says she still has unwrapped gifts in her room (I feel that pain), and Doc says, of course (🍷) she does. Charlotte says, maybe after they’re done, they could watch Christina Comes Home for Christmas, and Laura says, there’s no avoiding that one, is there? (See below.) She used to watch that movie with Charlotte’s mom. Charlotte says, that’s why they should watch it together, and Laura says, it’s a movie date then, hugging her. Doc says he guesses it’s time for him to rustle up some movie snacks, and goes to the kitchen. Charlotte says she’ll go get the gifts, and leaves. Laura sits down and looks at photos on her phone. She says, sweet little Lu. You’re daughter’s growing up and she needs you. She’ll find a way to get Charlotte through this. She just wishes they were doing it together.

Charlotte pulls a shopping bag out from under the bed and touches her side. She goes over to the mirror and pulls up her shirt where the bullet wound looks miraculously healed. She says, her first battle wound. She goes to her jewelry box and takes out a locket with the Cassadine crest on it. She puts it on, and says, anything for family, looking at herself in the mirror. Doc walks in.

Anna tells Valentin, Jameson is dead; Brennan is in custody. She believes that she’s no longer in any danger. Besides, she feels as if she did the Bureau a service by rooting out a corrupt director. He says, if she’s hoping for a fruit basket, he wouldn’t hold his breath, and she laughs. She says she’d be happy if they reinstated her pension, interest accrued, and I’m thinking, she has more of a chance of getting the fruit basket. She tells Valentin that she would be remiss in saying there aren’t still enemies out there. He and his family would do well to keep their distance. He says, it’s never stopped him before. He has plenty of enemies. She’s always stood by him. She says, they were a great team.

Outside, Portia tells Curtis, Christmas lights go out, Spencer crashes our family Christmas… bad omen or… Spencer comes out and asks if they need help, but Portia says, they’re good. Spencer says, it is cold outside, and three sets of eyes… Curtis thanks him and says, they’d appreciate that. Spencer says he really hopes they get a chance to get to know each other a little bit better in the next year, and Portia says she’s happy to hear that. As long as he makes Trina happy, they’re happy. He says he definitely intends to make her happy. She loves them both so much, and he loves her. Portia asks what he really knows about love though.

Anna and Valentin almost kiss, but Anna backs away. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, he already knows, but he tells her that he wants to hear her say it. She says, being here with him is just so easy. Now that all the secrets are out and the dust is beginning to settle, she can feel them again. But she closes her eyes and she’s back in that doorway with the dark apartment and the gun goes off in her hand and Charlotte is crumpled on the floor. They can’t go forward, as much as she loves him, and she does love him. He says, and he loves her, but she says, his responsibility is to his daughter. She’s in so much pain. She has to process this whole trauma of the shooting. Charlotte needs him. Anna can no longer be part of his family.

Charlotte asks if Doc hasn’t heard of knocking, and he says, the door was open. She says, sorry. He just startled her. He apologizes and says he just came to find out if she’d like peppermint or regular hot chocolate. She says, peppermint would be lovely, thanks, and he asks if she wants him to carry that bag of presents for her, but she says she’s got it and thanks him. He says, that’s an interesting necklace, and she says, it’s a family heirloom. It was Helena Cassadine’s. Grandfather Victor left it to her in his will and she was thinking of wearing it, but she doesn’t think it’s giving a Christmas vibe. Doc says he’ll leave her to it, and she closes the door behind him. She leans against it and looks at the necklace. (Do you remember that at the reading of the will, because I don’t.)

Spinelli says he couldn’t impose, but Maxie says she got this house so her family could spread out. He’s family. He can take the guest room. He’ll have plenty of room for his computers. Felicia says, it sounds ideal, but Spinelli says he doesn’t know. Maxie says, it’s not forever, just until his apartment is ready, and Felicia says, he knows how everything closes down during the holidays. He says, okay, but only if he can pay Maxie rent, but Maxie says, no. He’s Georgie’s father. She can’t charge him rent. Besides, he’ll be like free, in-house childcare. He says, Georgie’s care is his blessing, not his burden. That goes for all the kids. Truly, he must insist. Her utilities are going to skyrocket. He uses a lot of electricity and water, and he requires top-speed internet. Maxie sees a shopping bag and says, look. The gifts didn’t get ruined in the flood. Felicia says, they must have been in the car already. It’s a good thing. He says, how fortuitous, taking the bag. Georgie runs in and hugs him. She says, he’s late for their Christmas Eve celebration. Are those for them? Wouldn’t it be great if he could spend the night? That way, they could open it tomorrow morning. Spinelli says he’s not sure about that, and Georgie asks Maxie to convince him.

Jake asks Violet to tell her dad what she just told him. She’s got this. She says she heard him and Uncle Chase last night. It sounded like Finn did something bad. He said Finn was going to court. That’s why people go to jail. Finn says he’s so sorry this has been bothering her all day. He’s not going to jail. She asks, then why has he been so sad? and he says, she’s too perceptive for his own good. He’s been a little sad lately because some people think he made a mistake at work and they’re doing an investigation, but he knows he didn’t do anything wrong, and they’re going to work it out. She asks why he’s going to court, and he says, just to make everything official. That’s the way hospitals do things. She says, so he’s not going away? and he says, not ever. She says, pinkie promise? holding out her finger, and he says, pinkie promise. Just her and him together forever. She tells him, that’s what Jake said, and hugs him. Finn says, Jake’s smart.

Elizabeth says, so Aiden was saying he liked someone? and Aiden says, yeah. She says she’d like to hear more if he wants to tell her, and he says, they’re in his science class. They’re really smart. They got to talking about how there’s a lot of science in baking and they asked him to do some demonstrations for the Science Club. She says, so that’s what he’s been doing after school. They sound really nice. Aiden says, his name is Tobias.

Elizabeth says, the science fair. Did he make the wind turbine? Aiden says, he’s really into the environment, and she says she remembers. She thought he should have won. Aiden says, him too, and hugs her.

Portia tells Spencer that she’s sorry. That completely came out wrong. He says, that’s a good question, and until he met Trina, he wouldn’t have known how to answer it. He realizes he’s made a lot of mistakes, and even though he and Trina are in a better place now, it’s not lost on him what he put her through, and he knows he still has a lot to prove to them. But he will. Because he loves Trina more than anyone else he’s ever loved in his entire life. She makes him want to be so much better, and that means earning their forgiveness. And he hopes eventually their respect and their trust. They don’t say anything, and he plugs in the lights, saying, let there be light. He goes inside and Curtis says, well, what about that? Didn’t what Spencer said move her at all?

Trina says he’s back and he survived, and he says, barely. Her mom is tough. Trina says, she’ll come around, but he says he’s not so sure. She says she loves him for trying, and kisses him.

Maxie tells Georgie that it’s her dad’s choice whether he stays or not, and Georgie says, come on. It’ll be fun. Spinelli says he might stay longer than one night. His apartment is waterlogged, and he has no idea how long it will take to repair it. She says, he’s moving in? and Maxie says, they’re discussing it. Georgie says, what’s to discuss? and Felicia says, her sentiments exactly. Spinelli says, they’re defining terms. To wit, whether or not he’ll be a guest or a tenant. Georgie says, all that matters is that he’ll be here. Please? She’ll be extra good and clean her room. She and James can even cook dinner… Maxie says, they can’t use the stove. Has she been using the stove? Georgie asks if it wouldn’t be nice to have dad here for a little while, and Felicia says, it would be a good deed for her daughter’s father. Maxie says, fine. She’ll agree to his ridiculous deal. Georgie says, yay! and Maxie says, you, little Miss Puppy Dog Eyes, can help me set up the guest room. They leave, and Spinelli says he thinks she bought it, doesn’t Felicia? Felicia says, yeah, and claps her hands together.

Laura asks Doc, what’s wrong? Did something happen with Charlotte? He says, no… When he was in her room, he heard her talking to herself. She’s very proud of her wound; her first battle wound, she called it. Laura says, wow. She’s not the expert here – he is – but could that be a way of her coping with her ordeal? Or maybe she feels victorious because she broke up her father and Anna? Either way, she doesn’t think they should underestimate the damage Victor has done to her. He says, that’s likely and he’ll keep examining this in their sessions. Laura says, she seemed so much like her normal self earlier, and he says, when she’s around Laura, she relaxes. She becomes more herself; she’s spontaneous. In her room just now, she was wearing a necklace that she said Victor left to her in his will. Laura says, that’s Helena’s.

Trina says, these earrings are so gorgeous, and thanks Spencer. He says, of course (🍷). So is she. He hopes she likes them. She says she loves them because they came from him, and they kiss. Portia comes in and asks, who’s ready for their tradition? and Stella asks, what tradition is this? Marshall says he’ll make some more cider, but Stella says, it’s already done. The pot’s warming now. He says, great minds, and Trina says, every year, they make an ornament for the tree. Spencer says he’ll get out of her hair and let her enjoy her family tradition, but Portia asks if he has somewhere more important to be, because he’s on glue gun duty. They gather around the table, and Trina says, merry Christmas Eve everybody. They reply, merry Christmas Eve, even though I don’t think it’s a thing.

Adam knocks at Josslyn’s door, and asks, what’s up? She says, he’s invited to her family’s house for Christmas Eve, the part of her family that’s going to be at her mom’s house. He asks if it’s cool with everybody, and she says, they’d love to have him. Right, Dex? Dex says, the more, the merrier, and Adam says he’ll grab his coat and meet them outside.

Felicia says, Maxie seemed to believe Spinelli. Showing up wet was a bold move. She thought they discussed mold, but he says he wanted to go with a strong visual. Great save with the bag of gifts, by the way. She says she can think on her feet, and he says, yes, she can. This was a really great scheme to help Maxie through her financial struggles. He thanks her for looping him in, and she says, Maxie is too stubborn and proud to accept money without feeling like it’s charity. This way, it’s a win-win. Maxie and Georgie come back, and Georgie says, his room is all ready. She’s really sorry his apartment is under water, but now that he’s staying with them, this is going to be the best Christmas ever. He hugs her and laughs.

Elizabeth says, batch number 3 and 4 in the works, and Aiden thanks her for helping him. She thanks him for trusting her enough to tell her about Tobias. She loves him. He says he loves her too.

Laura asks if Doc thinks Charlotte values the necklace because it was Helena’s, and he says, she seems to be proud of that fact. Laura says, so many people have told her so many things about Helena. Why would she ever want to emulate her? He says, off the top of his head, he would say she’s looking for role models. People she feels are powerful. Survivors. Unfortunately, Helena, Victor – in other words, the darker figures in the family – certainly qualify. She may be using them as a way to cope with her trauma. Laura says, sort of like an emotional crutch. She can’t believe it. All the years she spent worrying about Nikolas, trying to save him from the darkness he inherited from the Cassadines. She never dreamed Charlotte would have to battle the same demons. She can’t lose Charlotte too. She has to find a way to get through to Charlotte. In her bedroom, Charlotte puts on the necklace again and looks in the mirror.

Valentin asks how Anna expects him to let her go. If he’s looked forward to anything in this life, it’s because of her. He doesn’t know where he’d be today without her. She says, he accepted her, all of her. She never felt more seen than when she was with him. She’s very grateful for their time together. He says he’s loved her his whole life. He doesn’t know how he’s going to stop that. She says, then let’s not do that. Let’s just accept that. A part of her will always love him, and he says, a part of him will always love her. She says, if love were enough, they would probably be together, wouldn’t they? But… He says, it’s complicated, and she kisses his hand. She says, there. Let’s call it, okay? With as much respect and dignity as we can. He nods, and pulls her close, holding her as she cries. He says he always knew, if he could ever have her, he could never keep her. She pulls away, still holding his hands, and he says, goodbye, Anna. She says, goodbye, Valentin, and he walks out the door, glancing back one more time before he leaves. She smiles sadly at him, and when he’s gone, she sits down and sighs.

Tomorrow, Lois says she brought enough for everyone; Spinelli wants to know what someone is doing here; Sasha says, someone is completely out of line; and Sonny tells Dante, whoever is targeting him and Anna is still out there.

🎁 Coming Home Again…

You can find the whole movie on YouTube.

The Real Unpleasant Housewives of Beverly Hills

Sutton meets date Sal at a restaurant, and in her interview, she says, it’s the first date where Alessandra set her up. We flash back to their meeting with Dorit, and Sutton says, a first date is a butterfly moment. He could be the one. He’s tall, handsome, and a gentleman. Sal has promise. We find out Sal is from NYC, but loves L.A. He doesn’t miss the humidity and mosquitos in the east. He sweats a lot in the humidity. He’s lived in L.A. since 1990, but his mom still lives in the house he grew up in. He’s in office supplies, and his mom is 88, so he likes to spend as much time with her as he can. He went to Vegas with his mom, and she told the concierge that they needed something to do. They suggested a show of the old school variety, and it was topless. He’s probably the only person whose mother ever told them, what happens in Vegas… As Sal goes on and on about his mother, in Sutton’s interview, she says, this is a serious red flag. There are too many mother stories for her to handle. She’s still proud of herself for staying. Prior to this, she would have had to leave for an emergency or a hangnail. Even though Sal isn’t right, she’s making progress. Sal says he’s digging her shoes.

Kyle has charcuterie for days and has invited the women over. Arriving first, Annemarie tries to pet Pomeranian Romeo and tries to nip her. She says she’d thought they were having a moment, but Romeo was like, no, we’re not. Dorit comes in and remarks on the miles of charcuterie. Kyle says, it’s Shabbot, and she has so much food. The three of them discuss Sutton’s narrow esophagus, and Annemarie insists she didn’t say anything wrong. Dorit says she doesn’t understand, and lists the oddities she finds with Sutton and food. In Annemarie’s interview, she says she hasn’t known Sutton long, but the inconsistencies are telling, and Sutton gets mad when anyone exposes her. We flash back to Sutton sarcastically asking if they should all go to have her esophagus stretched. Kyle says she’s producing a one-hour drama, and Dorinda asks what else Kyle is doing that she doesn’t know about. Did she get more tattoos? Kyle says she got one more and has six now. Dorit asks if Mauricio has seen it, and Kyle says she showed him, and he was annoyed. We flash back to Mauricio chiding his lovebean, and Kyle tells them that Morgan let her tattoo a K on her. We flash back to that, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, her husband put her name on his arm. Kyle and Morgan must have a really close friendship. Dorit says, Morgan and Kyle have been friends for a year – Kyle says, two years – but Kyle has never put a D on her body.

Garcelle meets Erika at a super cool bar that’s incorporated feathers into its décor, and in Erika’s interview, she says she and Garcelle were friendly at first. then they got on the wrong track, mostly because of her. We flash back to Garcelle telling Erika to respect her kid and Erika apologizing, and Erika says, it will be nice to have drinks. Hopefully they can rekindle something. Erika tells Garcelle, be careful. What you wish for might show up. She’s got the residency in Vegas and now she’ll have to perform. In her interview, Erika says, she’s done nothing like this before. Everything is riding on her. She tells Garcelle, it’s amazing how your life can turn around when you stay in the fight. The best thing she’s done is walk forward, no matter how small the steps may be. In her interview, she says she knows it’s a step in the right direction. Garcelle says, a friend is joining them, and Erika asks if Denise is coming. She knows Denise is coming to Taco Tuesday. We see a clip of Garcelle telling Crystal to invite Denise, and Garcelle says, she’ll see. Sutton walks in, and Erika says she knew this was a set-up. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, she’s bringing Erika and Sutton together. They’re all single women, and when they let everything go, they have a good time. It’s a social experiment. Sutton says, Erika makes her laugh, and Erika says, Sutton makes her frustrated, but it’s okay. Erika says, she almost sent an article about gossip in the South to Sutton. They don’t gossip; they put you on their prayer list. She needs to put Denise on her prayer list. Denise needs to stop and give up her four-year beef. Garcelle says, Denise wasn’t clear on her issues. She saw Denise afterwards. We flash back to their lunch with Sutton, and Garcelle says she thinks Denise is holding on to something she wants to get out. Erika says, with what happened to her in the last few years, she took a beating with public scrutiny. At some point, she had to say she’d turned the page. She didn’t want to go there with Denise. Garcelle wonders what’s going to happen on Taco Tuesday, and Erika says, they’re going to have a nice time. She’ll be ready for what walks through the door. Sutton says she’s scared because Lent is over, and they drink a lot of vodka. Erika says, it’s $7 for a naked bundle of Denise on OnlyFans, and Sutton asks if Denise is really naked. Erika says, it started as porn, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, she can do better than that. How about $10?  

Kyle FaceTimes with Annemarie who’s in Hawaii. Kyle says she’s so jealous. She’s getting ready for Taco Tuesday. Denise and Erika will be there, and she doesn’t know what’s going to happen. While she gets ready, Sutton tells her glam team about Denise on OnlyFans, buys the bundle, and gives Denise a tip. She says she hopes she doesn’t find anything real bad… oh! She doesn’t want to know. Garcelle picks up Denise, whose in-laws are visiting for year and a half. Garcelle tells Denise that Erika will want to hear her laundry list of complaints, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s only right for her to tell Denise what Erika said. They need to put this thing to bed. Kyle and Dorit ride together, and Dorit asks why she didn’t know what Kyle’s been doing. She guesses she has to put Kyle’s initial on her body for her to care. In Dorit’s interview, she says she genuinely feels hurt that Kyle has distanced herself. They used to go away a few times year, but Kyle hasn’t invited her on any trips. In Kyle’s interview, she says she hasn’t been reaching out because she felt disappointed in Dorit. We flash back to the Reunion and Dorit telling Kathy that Kyle wants her to accept responsibility, and Kyle saying, this is something that should be discussed in private. Kyle says, when they’re alone, Dorit feels bad. She’s supportive and on Kyle’s side. But when they’re all together, it’s a different tune. That doesn’t feel like a friend. Kyle tells Dorit that people don’t understand her and Morgan’s friendship, and Dorit says, Kyle is morphing into Morgan. In her interview, Dorit says, much of who Kyle has become is who Morgan is. She doesn’t just feel excluded, she feels like she’s been replaced.

Crystal gets ready for Taco Tuesday, and in her interview, she says, there’s nothing she likes more than hosting a dinner. She always has too much left over. It’s a classic Asian culture thing. If your table is empty, that means the guests go home hungry. You’re a bad host if you don’t have an abundant table full of food and lots of to-go boxes. Friend Nia and Dorit arrive first, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she’s always surprised at how many friends Crystal has. She knows it’s that number minus 14, but still… They talk about Vegas, and Nia says, her husband, comedian Bill Burr, performs there. Dorit says, when they were at Magic Mike, one of the girls had a meltdown, and Nia wonders how that’s possible in the happiest place on earth.  

Denise arrives, with Erika coming not much later. In Erika’s interview, she says she’s cold and irritable, and who’s here but Denise, the last person she wants to see. Denise tell Dorit that when she got home from the weed dinner from hell, she had a fever of 103, and in Dorit’s interview, she tells us, if you say so. We flash back the upside-down jacket, and Dorit says, a fever – she mimics drinking – nothing else. She’s buying it. Kim comes in and it’s time to eat. Dorit tells Sutton that she didn’t try to poach Avi, and we flash back, seeing that she clearly did. Dorit says, stop accusing her of doing things she’s not doing, and Sutton says, stop accusing her of putting vodka in her coffee. She doesn’t drink coffee. Case closed. Dorit says, it wasn’t an accusation, and Erika says, they had a great night with Garcelle the other night. They laughed a lot. Dorit whines that she’s hearing about a fabulous night where she wasn’t invited, and Erika says, Garcelle told on Sutton about making out with her driver.

Crickets chirp, then Garcelle says, Oh my God, and Erika realizes how loud she said it. Sutton says, accidentally maybe she did, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, sometimes you find yourself with someone handsome and charming, who says sit in the front seat. Then you lean in at the same time and accidentally kiss. She tells them, it was a make out session like in Happy Days. Dorit says, she’s taking something sexy and making it as unsexy as she can possibly make it. Kyle finds a tissue in Kim’s scarf, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t know what Kim has stored in her scarf. Snacks? A phone charger? A small kitten? She doesn’t know what she’ll find. Dorit tells Garcelle that she’s annoyed about Crystal drumming up sh*t, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal doesn’t say much, but when she does, she’s either talking behind someone’s back or stirring the pot. We flash back to forever ago when Crystal claimed Sutton said something dark. Dorit says, at least if you stir the pot, balance it with something else. She tells Garcelle that she’s ripped about it. She’s finding a moment to discuss it with Crystal where it’s not out of left field. Sutton says, her horse is has moved in to his final apartment and tells them about Santos. She says she has a language with him, and Kim says she talks to animals too; she understands them. Nia asks, what happened in Vegas at Magic Mike? and Sutton says she didn’t like the legs spread with the man’s head in between. Denise asks, who was spreading their legs? and Sutton says, Erika and Crystal. She doesn’t know why she has to explain herself. Some people don’t like mustard, but you don’t ask them why 80 times. She wasn’t in a good headspace and ruined the whole night. Thanks for asking. She appreciates it. Garcelle asks how Nia knew about it, and we flash back to five seconds ago when Dorit told her. Nia tells Garcelle that she playfully said, how can you have a meltdown in the happiest place on earth? and Sutton says, it’s not Disneyland. In Sutton’s interview, she says, who is Nia and why is this story relevant to their Mexican fiesta? Dorit says, Sutton had dollar bills she was flashing around and laughing, and Sutton says, it was a joke. Everyone knows it’s the last thing that would really happen. Dorit says, Sutton made out with her driver, and everyone’s like, what? Garcelle says, hold on. That was between her, Erika, and Sutton. Dorit is saying it to embarrass Sutton and that’s not okay. Dorit says, they were laughing, and Sutton says, her driver has become a friend. Dorit says she’s not judging, and Sutton says, she was attracted, and they were having a conversation. They had a little make out session and it was sweet. She enjoyed it, but they haven’t made out since. Why is Dorit bringing it up? Dorit babbles, and Sutton says, answer the questions. She goes into name ‘em mode, and keeps saying, answer the question, which pisses Dorit off royally. A few of the women are in the kitchen listening, and Kyle says, it feels like déjà vu. Dorit says she’s trying to answer. She just found out five minutes ago. Why do they think she mentioned it? It was in jest; they were all laughing about it. Garcelle says, it felt like Dorit was saying it to embarrass Sutton, and Sutton says, she was. Dorit says, Sutton should give people the benefit of the doubt, and Garcelle asks who people are. Dorit says, her, in this instance, and in her interview, she wonders why it’s okay for Erika to scream it. It’s just another reason for Garcelle to take issue with her. If Garcelle doesn’t like her, stop pretending she does. Garcelle apologizes to Sutton and say she didn’t know Dorit would bring it up. Dorit says, Garcelle just attacked her, and Garcelle says she didn’t. Calm down. In Garcelle’s interview, she says. Dorit lives in a bubble, and it’s triggering. They live in a world that’s aware and woke, but Dorit isn’t in that world. Garcelle says, for the record, she didn’t attack Dorit. They were having a conversation. Dorit says, it felt like an attack. Garcelle was suggesting she was deliberately trying to hurt and embarrass Sutton. Garcelle says she wasn’t suggesting it; she said it. And it wasn’t an attack. She feels like for Dorit and her privilege, she can’t.

Dorit asks what she means, and Erika says, she means that for white people, the word has a different meaning. In Erika’s interview, she says, there’s a different meaning to the word attack when a white person says it to a Black person. She doesn’t think Dorit meant to hurt Garcelle, but she did. Dorit says she’s sorry she triggered a nerve and offended Garcelle. She’d love to have a conversation about it. Garcelle says, she’s good. She’s not here to educate Dorit. Dorit says she thinks Garcelle has, and Garcelle says, that’s on her. In her interview, Dorit says she has no idea where this is coming from. All Garcelle needs to say is, a word triggers her, and she’d immediately understand, apologize, and definitely not use the word again in the future. Crystal comes back in and wants a download. Sutton says, Dorit announced she made out with her driver, and asks where Kyle has been. Kyle says, conspiring in the kitchen, and Dorit says she’s glad Crystal joined the conversation. Sutton said Crystal told her that she accused Sutton of putting vodka in her coffee. We flash back to Dorit saying that, and Crystal says she’s happy to talk about it, and Dorit says she doesn’t want to get it wrong. Denise says, apparently, she did already, and Sutton says she knows her life, what she’s accomplished, and what she’s going to accomplish. And she knows what she can’t do to accomplish it. So continue to chatter. She’s moving forward at a rapid speed. In mean girl Kyle’s interview, she parodies Sutton, saying, if I have a drinking problem, I couldn’t say accomplish so many times. Denise says she thinks it came off as judgmental, and Dorit asks if Denise cleared up the thing with Erika. Denise says, which thing? and Dorit asks if they’ve had a chat. Erika says, they haven’t, and in Erika’s interview, she says, how dare Dorit give her that hot potato? She doesn’t want to fight with Denise, but okay. Dorit asks if Denise has anything to say, and Denise asks if Dorit has anything to say, but Dorit says she doesn’t have the issue. Denise suggests she bring it down a notch then, and Dorit says she’s going to see the husband she hasn’t seen in week, and runs away from the situation of her own making, saying, she’s so ready to go home. Denise asks if Erika wants to have a conversation, but Erika says she doesn’t. Denise had a chance at the dinner party. She came in with an agenda, called Erika a bitch, and Erika apologized sincerely. What was Denise upset about? Denise says, to insinuate her daughters at 14 had a threesome is beyond inappropriate. Erika says, children who have a phone have access to everything and they know what it is. Denise’s oldest daughter is on OnlyFans, and she doesn’t know? Denise says, that’s a low blow, and Erika says, Denise came in slurring and inarticulate, and wanted to call her a bitch, then pretend it didn’t happen. Does Denise think she won’t go as low as she can? Did she think Erika wouldn’t go to OnlyFans? Has Denise met her? Denise says, Erika is a mean woman, and Erika says, Denise asked for it. Denise says she didn’t, and Erika says, then don’t come to Kyle’s house acting like a bitch over something that happened 4 years ago that no one remembers. Denise says she thinks Erika is mean, and Erika says she thinks it’s great. But tell her, who’s more profitable, her or Sami?

To be continued…

🎄 Making Merry Christmas Eve Happen…

Take a break from the madness tomorrow for some soap and debatable Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping old traditions, but also starting new ones, and stay walking forward, no matter how small the steps may be.

December 19, 2023 – Brennan’s Secret Is Out, Erika’s Update, A Farewell, Getting Ready, All About Emmy, Don’t Sell, Rude, Menu Reveal, Thirsty Or Not, Married, Surviving, Santa Pets (!) & Farm

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Lucy meets Doc at the PC Grill. She says, no wine? and he says he thought he’d wait to order. Aren’t Laura and Martin joining them? She says she doesn’t think they’d mind them having a pre-dinner cocktail. She could use one. It’s been a rough day… week… month… year. He says, that’s a bad time. They see Scotty sitting at the bar, and Doc says, looks like Scotty’s had a rough day as well. Before she says, it, he knows the decent thing to do is to invite him over. She says, Good God, no.

Tracy holds a snow globe and says she misses Luke so much, when Lois walks in with Brook. Tracy puts the snow globe behind her back, and Lois says she spies Tracy looking at that, but don’t worry. They won’t tell anyone that they saw her showing some Christmas spirit. Tracy asks why Brook hasn’t responded to her texts, and Brook says she was Christmas shopping with Chase and Leo and Violet. Tracy says, of course (🍷). Her phone doesn’t work in the proximity of small children. Brook says, she stops looking at it when she’s celebrating the joy of the season, and Tracy says, they have a business meeting tomorrow morning to figure out how this arrangement with Deception works. Brook says, tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, and Tracy says she’s well-aware, but now that Brook is going to be her business protégé, she’s going to have to change her priorities. Ned comes in and says, what’s that? Brook says, it’s true. She’s going back to work at Deception. Tracy says, but this time, it’s going to be different. This time, she’s going to be the boss. He asks if Lois knew about this, and she says she did, and she thinks it’s great.

There’s a knock at Ava’s door, and she opens it to Nina. Ava says she thought they were meeting at Rice Plaza to watch Avery and Donna in the Living Nativity, and Nina says she knows, but she needed to see Ava in private, without Sonny and the girls. Ava asks, why? and Nina says she needs Ava’s help before her whole world comes crashing down.

Just when you think Donna can’t get any cuter, they put her in a lamb costume. She asks if she looks okay, and Sonny says, she looks amazing. Michael joins them, and Donna asks if he’s here to watch her and Avery. He says, of course (🍷) he is. She’s going to be an amazing lamb. Donna says, Avery’s a shepherd, and he says, she’s going to be amazing too. He asks if she’s excited about being in the Living Nativity, and she nods. Cyrus approaches and says he is too.

Carly pours coffee for Sam and sees the headline about Brennan being head of the WSB on Sam’s phone. She asks if that’s the guy Sam and Dante are investigating, and Sam says, yes. He’s the new head of the WSB. Carly says, really. Because he told her that he was a security consultant. Sam says, she knows him? and Carly says, John Brennan. He’s been here in the diner a few times. He was here a half hour ago. Sam asks if he said where he was going, but Carly says, no. He got a phone call, and he took off.

At the pier, Anna says her Interpol contact is going to be here in twenty minutes, and Dante asks if she’s sure she can trust this guy. She says, absolutely. She’s confident they’re on the up and up. He says, it wouldn’t be a stretch for the head of the WSB to request interagency cooperation and make them disappear, but she says, not this time. Brennan’s been trying to ruin her life for months, but that all changes tonight. He’s going down.

Lucy tells Doc, sorry. It’s just that Scotty’s been pushing her to travel with him to Florida at Christmas to see Serina and the manatees. He says, Christmas with her daughter. What’s wrong with that? She says, nothing. She’s very tempted, but Scotty didn’t bother telling Serina about his plans and she found out Serina has a brand-new boyfriend… first Christmas and all. Fortunately for her and Serina, Scotty saw reason, and decided not to make the trip. He says he’s sure it will be nice for her and Martin to spend the holidays together, and she says, yeah. Together.

Ava says, Ned is blackmailing Nina too? and Nina says, it’s like a line is forming. If she doesn’t tell Ned information on Aurora, he’s going to tell Sonny that she’s the one who reported Carly and Drew to the SEC for insider trading. Ava says she guesses Nina better find some information that Ned will find useful, but Nina says she doesn’t have access to the inner workings of Aurora. Let’s just say in a perfect world she magically comes up with something and she tells Ned, and Michael finds out. He’s going to retaliate and tell Sonny. This is an impossible situation. Ava says, it is and she feels for Nina, but she’s got problems of her own.

Cyrus tells Sonny that he’s going to be one of the Wise Men. Melchiore, he believes, but they won’t be wearing nametags. He’s just on his way to pick up his crown and robe. Michael says, Cyrus isn’t coming anywhere near his little sister, but Sonny says, that’s all right. He’s taking care of it. Michael says, Sonny knew about this? and Sonny says he’s watching Cyrus like a hawk. No robes or crowns for him today. Cyrus asks Sonny to be reasonable. It’s a Christmas pageant. Sonny asks Michael to take Donna to the Nativity, and they leave. Cyrus says he doesn’t understand. What is the harm in him participating in the celebration of the holy season? Sonny says, celebrate on his own. He’s already been replaced. (Aww.) Laura and Martin join them, Martin wearing a robe, and Cyrus says, et tu, brother? Martin says, the name’s Melchiore, and Laura tells Cyrus, please don’t make a scene. Cyrus says he’s just surprised. Martin’s been averse to Christmas pageants ever since second grade when he tripped on the robe and knocked over the manger. Laura laughs, and Martin says he’ll make sure to watch his step this time. Laura asks if Cyrus will do this for her. Not as the mayor, but as his sister. Cyrus says he wishes them all the joys of the holiday season, and he leaves. Martin says, that’s what he’d call a Christmas miracle, and Laura suggests they be grateful he decided to play nice for whatever reason. Sonny says, thank you, Lord, for making the Wise Man swap, and Martin puts on his crown. Laura says, it looks like the other kings are gathering over there. Perhaps Martin should join them. Martin asks them to say a prayer he doesn’t trip over something, and this is over before they know it. He tells Laura to remember Lucy and Doc are waiting dinner for them, and he leaves. Laura asks if Sonny thinks Cyrus knew Avery and Donna were in the Living Nativity or it was just a coincidence, and he says he’s not sure, but he’s not taking any chances. Like he said before, he doesn’t think Cyrus killed Austin, but he’s not going to trust Cyrus anywhere near anyone he cares about.

Ava brings out the locked box and puts in the combination. It opens, and Nina says, she bought another gun? Ava says she didn’t buy it. It just appeared. She found it in the drawer the day she moved in, along with an ominous note saying, you’ll never know when you’ll need it. Nina says, so someone’s stalking her, and Ava says, or trying to frame her. They’re getting bolder.

Ned asks what Brook is thinking, and Lois tells Tracy that she’s going to need Brook all day tomorrow for last minute Christmas details. Unless of course (🍷) Tracy would like to help. There are cookies to bake, presents to wrap, and then of course (🍷), she got everybody matching PJ sets. She hopes she got Tracy the right size… Tracy says she can move the business meeting to December 26th. The pajamas? That’s a hard pass. She leaves, and Brook says, matching PJs? Really? Lois says, it worked with Tracy, didn’t it? and Ned asks if Lois has lost her mind. How can she, of all people, be happy that their daughter is giving up music to be a corporate executive. Lois tells him to use the good sense God gave him. Obviously, there’s an angle. He says, what angle? and Lois says, Brook isn’t going back to work at Deception for herself. She’s going back to outsmart Tracy and make things right with her friends.

Sam asks if Brennan said why he’s in Port Charles, and Carly tells her, he just said he was a security consultant here on business. He never said he was head of the WSB, but why would he? Sam asks if he said how long he was planning on staying, and Carly tells her, he said he’d be here for a little while. He was a little flirtatious and he seemed harmless. Does Sam know different? (Seriously? Have all those years with Sonny taught Carly nothing?) Sam says she doesn’t have all the facts, but if Carly sees him again, keep her distance and call Dante. Sam jets.

Anna tells Dante, if Forsythe hadn’t come after that report, she doesn’t know if she’d have realized she still had it. It had been stuck in that trunk for decades. But Brennan sending Forsythe is kind of like he dug his own grave. Hume listens from the shadows.

Carly looks at the article again on her phone and sets it on the table. She starts to clean up when she hears the door open. She says, we’re closed, and sees it’s Brennan. He asks if she has time for one more.

Lucy says, Doc is too compassionate for his own good, and he always has been. He says, okay. He’ll bite. What does she mean by that? She says, he really doesn’t understand that they’re completely surrounded by cutthroats and thieves, and sometimes, just sometimes, you really need to look out for number one. He says, just an observation, but it seems like she’s talking about something specific. Care to share? She says, Quartermaines. They never change their spots. He probably knows Tracy stole the company from her, but now she’s given Brook a job at Lucy’s company. This is the very woman who stole all the proprietary information on Lucy’s Deceptor, so she could give it to her grandmother to allow Tracy to file this pernicious lawsuit against them. He asks if it’s possible she’s more hurt than she is angry, but she says she’s so angry… but he’s right. She’s also very, very hurt by the whole betrayal. She trusted Brook. She let Brook in on the team and she turns out to be worse than her grandmother. Even more than Lucy imagined. He says he’s glad she’s getting these feelings off her chest, rather than keeping them bottled up inside, and she asks how he does that. He’s always such a good listener. She thanks him for letting her vent, and he says, she’s welcome. It’s what he does. Just a thought, but isn’t it better that Brook is in the office every day rather than her having to deal with Tracy day in and day out? She says, good point. She guesses she could rise above it, sort of, maybe. Try to make the best out of a bad situation. Scotty comes over to the table and says he can’t believe his ears. Is Lucy going to roll over and let Tracy win?

Lois asks if Ned really thinks she’d be encouraging their daughter to work in an office instead of following her dreams if there wasn’t a hidden agenda. Brook says, mom’s been hounding her for weeks to give in to Tracy. Once Tracy hands over the company to her, then she can give it back to Maxie and make things right. He says, if she thinks her grandmother is going to make this easy, she’s in for a very rude awakening, but Brook says she knows exactly what she’s in for. She either has to convince granny that she’s totally on board, making her completely comfortable enough to give her controlling interest, or due to their close proximity, she’ll have to dig something up in order to blackmail her with. He says, spoken like a true Quartermaine, and Lois says, not that that’s always a good thing, but in this case, Brook would be blackmailing for a worthy cause. He says, as long as her grandmother doesn’t figure it out and turn the tables, and Lois asks if he’s doubting their daughter. He says, absolutely not.

Nina asks if Ava still thinks it’s Nikolas sending her these notes, and that, and Ava says, well, who else? She left him for dead. He’s not going to let that go. Nina asks why he’d send her a gun if his plan is to attack her, and Ava says, or to frame her. For all she knows, this is the gun that killed Austin. Nina says, Ava thinks he’d go that far. That he’d come all the way here just to kill Austin to frame her for murder? Ava says she doesn’t know what to think anymore. For months, she thought Nikolas was dead and she was the one that killed him, and she thought that she could trust Austin. Nina says, she needs to calm down a bit, but Ava says she doesn’t have anyone to talk to about this. Her head has been spinning since Austin died. Nina says she thinks Ava needs a distraction. Why don’t they go to Rice Plaza? Ava says she thinks that’s a good idea. She thinks seeing Avery in that Living Nativity will make her feel better.

Michael tells Donna that she’s all set, and she thanks him for fixing it. He says, of course (🍷), and she asks if they’re going to see Wiley and Amelia on Christmas. He says, yeah, and she wonders if they can hang their stockings together. He says, it’s a great idea, but he thinks she’s going to be at her mom’s on Christmas Eve, and she says, daddy says Michael’s going to be with him and Nina on Christmas Eve. Cyrus watches from the shadows, and Michael says, he, Willow, Wiley, and Amelia and daddy and Nina. Donna tells him, daddy said this is going to be the best Christmas ever now that Nina’s part of the family.

Sonny asks how Laura is holding up, and she says she’s still worried about Charlotte. Physically, she’s on the mend, but emotionally, she’s struggling. He says he thinks she’s old enough to benefit from therapy, and Laura says she agrees. What about Anna? Has he spoken to her? He says, she’s very hard to get in touch with. She blames herself for what happened to Charlotte. Laura says, it was a terrible accident, and he says, they know that, but Anna just blames herself.

Anna tells Dante, the irony is, Brennan covered his tracks so well, he didn’t even realize he was implicated in the report. He kind of just brought this on himself. Dante’s phone rings, and he says he should take this. Hume stands in the shadows, holding a gun, and Dante asks Sam, what’s going on? She tells him, Brennan is in town. Carly saw him in Kelly’s. He must have come into town to take care of Anna himself. He asks if she can call the PCPD and tell the desk sergeant what’s going on, and she says she will. She tells him to be careful, and he says, always. He tells Anna that they have to get someplace less exposed, and they start to walk, but Hume pops out and shoots at them. They duck behind some crates.

Carly says, look who’s back, and Brennan says, apologies. That call pulled him away before he could even put in an order. Now they’re closed and he’s missed his chance. She says, he can stay. The cook is gone for the night, but she can heat up some meatloaf. It won’t be fancy… He says, simple works for him. She’s very kind.

Lucy tells Scotty that she took the deal for Maxie and Sasha’s sake. And besides, 49% of a viable company is a heck of a lot better than 100% of nothing. He says, but she gave away her ELQ tie-breaking vote, and she says she did not. It was extorted out of her by Tracy. If she hadn’t given up her precious share of ELQ, Tracy would have blown the whole deal, and she, Maxie, and Sasha would have been completely bankrupt. He says, so she’s just going to let Tracy trample over the company she built, but she says, absolutely not. She has just begun to fight back. He says, it doesn’t seem like it, and Doc says, what it seems like is Scotty rubbing salt in the wound. Maybe it’s time to head home. Scotty says, all right. He’s not going to justify having to take flack for doing his job. Doc says he doesn’t even know what that means, and I’m glad he said that because I don’t either. Scotty says he’s not going to apologize for representing Doc’s wife’s criminal brother Cyrus or for representing Elizabeth. His Liesl just won’t give him a second chance. Tracy blows in and goes to the bar, where she puts down her bag. Scotty follows and Lucy gets up, but Doc says, Lucy… Stay. She sits back down, and she asks if he isn’t going after Scotty, but he says he doesn’t care about Scotty. He cares about her. Besides, he wants to watch this.

Tracy orders a dirty martini, top shelf vodka, no such thing as too dirty. Scotty sits down near her, and she says, go away. He says, as she can see, his coat was here – he indicates the coat on the back of his stool – so if he’s going to bother her, he suggests she vamoose. She says, nothing he does has any effect on her at all, and he says, fine. She says, fine.

Ava says she’s going to see Avery and will catch up with Nina later, and Nina joins Sonny and Laura. She says, nice to see them. Rice Plaza looks amazing. Laura thanks her, like she did it all herself, and says she’s very proud of their town. It’s really good to see Nina, but she has some things she needs to attend to. She leaves, and Sonny asks why Nina is so late. She says, she and Ava had some girl talk. Why? Did he miss her? He says, always, and kisses her.

Ava says she understands Martin has to learn his Wise Man duties on the job, and Martin says he was a last-minute substitution. Michael joins them, and Ava sees Cyrus going by. She asks, what is that monster doing here? She doesn’t want him anywhere near Avery. Michael says, don’t worry. His dad took care of it. She says, good. Because she doesn’t believe that man’s conversion for a second. Ava flashes back to Sonny telling her that Austin’s boss is Cyrus Renault, and she says she knows Cyrus is as dangerous as he always was.

Carly says she’s glad Brennan is okay with meatloaf. Although it’s going to take a while to heat up. He says he hopes he’s not putting her out. He can just come back another… She says, that’s okay. She wasn’t done closing down the kitchen yet, so she’ll be right back. It’ll just take a minute. She heads for the kitchen, but says, oh, her phone, and turns around. He says, is this it? and picks it up. He sees the article about himself and tells Carly that he sees she knows his secret.

Anna and Dante draw their guns, and Hume says, there’s no way out. Give him what he wants and nobody else gets hurt. She tells Dante, that’s not Brennan, and Hume says, is she willing to add Detective Falconari to her long list of collateral damage? She says she wants to talk to Brennan, and Hume says he’s here to help her before this all gets worse. He hears her latest shooting victim is out of the hospital. Charlotte Cassadine? A child? Really? I say, really? to Hume trying to psyche Anna out. He says, all because of something that happened in the 80s? Let’s end this now. Anna tells Dante, he’s right.

Brook tells Ned that she can’t let granny push her around. The only way to deal with Tracy is to face her head on. He says, sadly, it took him a few more years before he learned that particular lesson, and she says she knows working back at Deception will temporarily take her away from her music career, but she won’t let down her clients. She’ll work 24/7. She’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that granny is out of Maxie’s company. Lois says, Maxie’s company? What about Lucy? Brook says, Lucy has made it perfectly clear she won’t work with her, and Ned says, sounds like she’s facing an uphill battle. Brook says she’s not scared. Nothing is going to stop her from making this right.

Anna says, don’t shoot. She’s coming out. She stands up with her hands in the air and puts her gun down. She says she knows where the evidence is. It’s in a safety deposit box and she has the key right here. She points to her pocket, and he says, slowly. She takes a key out of her pocket, and he says, toss it to him. She says, he knows Brennan’s just tying everything off right now. Forsythe’s dead. Does Hume think he’s going to be next? He says he’s not worried. He earns his keep. She says she’s sure that’s what Forsythe thought too, but Brennan only keeps people who are useful around him. Everyone has a sell by date. Doesn’t he think his is up? In the meantime, Dante has run around behind Hume, and clocks him in the head. Hume goes down, and Sam comes out. Dante asks what she’s doing here, and she says, checking on him. Is he okay? He cuffs Hume, and Sam says, they don’t know who this is. Dante takes out Hume’s wallet and looks at his ID. He says, Roman Hume. It says he works for Pikeman. Hume comes to, and Dante hoists him up. Anna says, where’s Brennan? and Hume says, make him a deal. Dante says, not a chance, and Anna says, they have to find Brennan before he realizes they’ve got his lieutenant. Sam says she thinks she may know where he is.

Carly says, if Brennan had told her that he was the director of the WSB, she would have thought he was a liar, and crazy. He chuckles and says he’s curious as to how she figured it out. She says she looked it up on the internet. (How is he director of the WSB? Not exactly the brightest bulb in the box.) There’s many John Brennans, but only one director of the WSB. She clicked on the link and magic! his picture popped up. Anyway, she’s going to go heat up the meatloaf. He says, Hume told him that her former son-in-law was involved. Falconari, right? The connection’s in there somewhere. She asks how he knows Dante, and he says he’s director of the WSB. If there’s something he wants to know, he knows it. Just as he made it his business to know about Sonny Corinthos, his operation, the people he holds dear. There’s just one thing he doesn’t know. What is he going to do with her?

Nina sees Michael buying cookies and says, they need to talk. In private. They walk off together.

Laura tells Ava that Avery looks adorable, and Ava says, doesn’t she? She’s been talking about her costume for weeks. Laura says, she’s taking her role so seriously, and they laugh. Ava says she knows it’s a difficult topic for both of them, but does Laura have any more information about Nikolas’s whereabouts? Laura says she doesn’t unfortunately, and Ava asks if she thinks she’ll keep looking for him. Laura says she wanted to stay in Europe and keep looking, but she got that call from Valentin about Charlotte and knew she was needed at home. Also, Doc told her that Nikolas will come home when he’s ready to face the people he left behind.

In a more private area, Michael asks what Nina wants, and Nina says, Ned knows she’s the one who tipped off the SEC. He asks what that has  to do with him, and she says, he wants information on Aurora to use against Michael and Drew, and if she gives him that information, he’ll keep taking the blame. He says, she doesn’t know anything about Aurora. What was Ned thinking? She says, he’s thinking she’ll find a way. That’s why she’s talking to him. He needs to help her get Ned off her back. He asks why he’d do that, and she says, think about it. This is like Blackmail 101. If Ned tells Sonny, Michael will have nothing to hold over her head. If he wants her to continue keeping her distance from her daughter and grandchild, he’ll help her out. He says he only kept quiet to protect Willow. She’s going to be devastated when she finds out what Nina did, but maybe it’s best to get it all over with. Nina says, all right. She’ll play his game. If Ned tells Sonny the truth, then guess what? She’ll tell Carly the truth that he knew she was the real informant this whole time and he never said anything. (Wouldn’t a better idea be to tell Willow?)

People run past, startling Ava, and Sonny says, why so jumpy? She asks if he really needs her to answer that question. First of all, they still don’t know who killed Austin. Then there’s the fact that Nikolas is alive and out there somewhere. She can only assume he’s plotting his revenge against her. He asks what she’s not telling him. Did something else happen? Donna runs up and asks if Michael is back with the cookies, and Sonny says, not yet, but he’ll be here any minute. Ava asks if Donna is having fun with Avery. They’re not too cold, are they? Donna says, no. They’re having a great time. Only one thing could make this Christmas even better. Sonny asks, what’s that? and Donna says she wants to open presents with Avery on Christmas, but Avery has to be with her mom. Can Avery and Ava come over to join them? Sonny and Ava look at each other.

Scotty says, that’s a stiff one. How come Tracy is drinking alone? She asks why he cares when he’s clearly doing the same thing, and he says he just figured she’d be at the mansion with the servants and the family. Of course (🍷) they don’t like her any more than he does. She asks if he’s been overserved. Maybe he should go home before he embarrasses himself further. He says, all right. He’s going to raise the white flag right now. It wasn’t that long ago that he was her lawyer. They thought she’d killed that guy, but his assistant had done it. Then remember? They got hot and heavy. (I don’t remember. When was this???) She says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. That doesn’t sound like something she’d do. He says he can’t believe she’d forget the look on Lee and Gail’s face when they came in and caught them going at it on top of his desk. The look was priceless. She says, the only thing she remembers was them asking her why she was slumming with him, and he says, so she does remember. She says, correction. She’s trying not to remember. He says, why the high hat all of a sudden? She’s the one who was married to Luke, that no good, criminal jackass. She throws her drink in his face.

Carly says, Brennan has seriously miscalculated. If anything happens to her… He says he knows all about the mobster ex-husband, and she says she’s talking about the Navy SEAL boyfriend, but Sonny will kill him too. He says he was really starting to like her. Now that he’s seen how she parades under duress, he likes her even more. Sadly, they seem to be the victims of rotten luck. He takes out some brass knuckles, and she says, get away from her. She grabs something off the counter and whacks him with it. He stumbles back, as Anna and Dante come in, guns drawn. Anna says, hands where they can see them, and Brennan puts his hands up.

Ava says she knows Donna wants to be with her sister on Christmas, but her family is so big and family gatherings can be tricky. Sonny tells Donna, that’s a great idea, but why doesn’t she let the grown-ups talk? Go find Avery at the Nativity. Donna says, yay! and skips off. Ava says she knows the girls want to be together on Christmas morning, but she knows the situation is prickly. So please don’t do this for her. Sonny says he’s not doing it for her; he’s doing it for his daughters. She says, right. Of course (🍷). But they won’t stay long. She knows this is his first Christmas with Nina as husband and wife. She wouldn’t want to intrude on that. He says he doesn’t think Nina would mind at all. They’re going to have so many Christmases ahead of them.

Michael says he can explain to his mother what he did and why. Can Nina do the same thing with his father? Nina says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have said that. It doesn’t have to be this way. Willow doesn’t need to know. Can he just make up something about Aurora so she can pass it on to Ned? It helps both of them if Sonny never finds out. Cyrus listens from the shadows, which seems to be the trend in Port Charles, and Michael says, okay, fine. He’ll take care of Ned.

Ned pours some wine, and Lois says, their marriage might not have worked out, but they did raise one hell of a daughter. He clinks her glass and says, agreed. Brook comes in and asks, what’s going on? What did she miss? Ned says, she didn’t miss anything. He and her mom were just having a nice conversation. Brook says, nice conversations and Quartermaines do not go together, and Lois says, but she’s not a Quartermaine. They were just talking about how much they love her. Brook says, is that all? and Ned hugs her while Lois smooths her hair.

Detectives arrive and Brennan is cuffed. Carly asks how Dante knew to come here, and he says, Sam told him about the conversation they had about Brennan. Carly thanks Sam, and Sam says, of course (🍷). She’s just glad they got here in time. Anna hands a detective the folder, and says, this is the evidence Brennan was so desperate to get ahold of. He asks, what’s the significance of the wallet? and she says, if he pulls back the lining, he’ll see a sequence of numbers that lead to a Swiss bank account. She goes over to Brennan and says, long time, huh? She calls him ex-director Brennan and asks if he thinks they’ll invite Frisco back to clean up his mess. He says, at least she’s been exposed as a double agent. Now everyone knows who she is. She says, that’s right, but her past can’t come back to hurt her anymore. He says, she almost killed a child. What does she have left? She says she has herself, and he says, good luck then. She’ll need it. Brennan is led out, and as he goes past Carly, he says, rotten timing? Dante says, it looked like Anna was willing to risk her life for his back there, and Anna says, if it had come to that, she would have. Brennan is right about one thing. She won’t allow anyone else to get hurt because of her mistakes.

Doc tells Lucy, as if on cue. Scott Baldwin can get under someone’s skin unlike than anyone he’s ever known.

Tracy tells Scotty that she’d say she just wasted some premium vodka, but when a better use comes along, you go for it. She walks out, and he says he’ll send her the dry-cleaning bill.

Lucy watches Tracy leave, and Doc says, don’t. Whatever she’s thinking, whatever she’s scheming, he promises her it will not end well. She says, who, me? She doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He really does worry too much. Laura comes in, and asks, was that Tracy Quartermaine she just saw storming through the parking lot? Doc says, yes, and kisses her. Lucy says, so good to see her, but she thought Martin was coming with her. Laura says she’s so sorry, but Martin is still participating in the Living Nativity at Rice Plaza. Lucy says, that’s great. When Laura asked him, she encouraged him to do it. She just didn’t think it would go so late. Laura says, sorry about that. She’s afraid he’s not going to be able to join them for dinner.

Michael gives Donna the cookies and says, she did a great job being in the Living Nativity. She asks if she can share them, and Michael says she can. She goes over to Martin, who says, it’s so nice of her to offer, and takes one.

Nina runs up to Sonny, who says he was just about to look for her. She says she’s so sorry. There was a minor crisis at the MetroCourt, but she handled everything. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, everything she could possibly ever want is right here.

Martin says, serving as a Wise Man was more arduous than he thought. Donna did a stellar job as their lamb tonight. She was better behaved than the angel. He thinks the angel had a dented halo. Cyrus watches from a distance as Martin talks to Donna.

Tomorrow, Portia asks what Spencer really knows about love; Finn tells Elizabeth that he doesn’t know what to do at this point; Charlotte asks Laura, what could he possibly be doing on Christmas Eve; and Anna tells Valentin that she can’t be part of his family.

💝 Erika Thanks You…

I still miss One Life To Livesniff…

🥀 Best At Bad…

The soap world loses a great villain.

🎄 Christmas Prepping…

How the soap stars are doin’ it.

🏆 Best In Daytime…

Daytime Emmy winners.

What you didn’t see.

The fashion. Again, so much black. Thank you, Susan Lucci.

Here, I expected black.

Daytime Emmys 2023: The Guys

🏰 We’re Not Ready…

I see her point, but I’d hate to lose that house. Oh wait. I don’t really live there.

💎 In Agreement…

I’m sure Annemarie wants to be relevant, but she came across as a bully. It’s like when you have a disorder that’s not visible, and someone says, you don’t look sick.

🍔 Something About a Menu…

Now if they’d only actually open.

🫦 Giving You Lala…

While I begrudge Ariana nothing, Lala’s not wrong. I think what’s happened is, Ariana is being looked upon as an Everywoman. I also think it’s exaggerating to say her posts are thirsty. And if they are, then she’s always been thirsty.

👰🏻‍♀️ Wishing Them Happiness…

I wouldn’t have thought of pairing them up, but they’re two of my favorite celebrities. I’m a huge 2 Broke Girls fan and I’ve loved Andrew W.K. since Party Hard. I’ve often suggested he run for President. Mazel tov!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/larryfitzmaurice/kat-dennings-andrew-wk-married-wedding-details

🤪 All Those Shrinks Can’t Be Wrong…

Some practical tips to get you through the holidaze.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/life-without-anxiety/201212/10-tips-surviving-the-holidays

🎅🏽 If All Else Fails…

Dress your pet up like Santa or one of his elves or one of his reindeer. And if you don’t have a pet, get one.

https://people.com/celebrity/santa-pets-your-cats-and-dogs-in-holiday-style/

👖 Sisterhood Of the Homebody Pants…

Join me tomorrow for soap and whatever annoyances I can point out during RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay recognizing the beauty in imperfections, and stay watching your step if you’re a Wise Man in a Christmas pageant.

December 15, 2023 – Donna Wishes On a Star, PC Special, An Original, Nominee Fashion, Salty Talk, Boomerang In the House, And Stay Out, Theft Off Deck, Top 20, Holidays Are For Pets (!), Long Dozen Of Quotes & Wrapping

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis says she has Jordan on record and the article will come out later in the week. Jordan thanks her and says, before she goes, she wanted to talk to Alexis about something else. This time off the record.

There’s a knock at Kristina’s door and she opens it to Blaze. Blaze asks, what’s her big news? and Kristina says, huh? obviously just waking up.

Brook brings Maxie some caffeine to start her day, and Maxie thanks her, but says, Lucy is going to lose it if she finds Brook here. Why is she stopping by so early? Brook says she’s not just stopping by. She’s coming back to work at Deception.

 At the stables, Cody finds a wrapped gift with a card that says, Merry Christmas Cody. He says, Santa? Is this from you? It’s a little early for Christmas. Sasha hides around the corner.

At the café, Diane does paperwork as she and Robert have coffee. Robert says, that bad, huh? and Diane says, what are they talking about? He says, their first time together and here she is, barely taking a second breath, and with her face in her work already. It’s hardly what you’d call a ringing endorsement. She swipes her work to the floor and says, he was magnificent.

Martin says, he’ll keep this brief because he knows Laura is a very busy civil servant, but he’s wondering if there are any updates in the Austin Gatlin-Holt murder investigation. She says, if he’s asking if their brother is still a suspect, he is.

Sonny tells Donna, that’s a big list, and she says, they’ve got a big family. He says, they do, but you know what’s great? She’s so generous in wanting to buy everyone something. She asks what he wants for Christmas, and he says he’s got everything he wants. She says she’s getting him a special present anyway, and he suggests they focus on other people right now. They’ve got a lot of shopping to do. She asks if Grandpa Mike took him Christmas shopping when he was little, and Sonny says, he did, all the time. Donna asks if she can see his picture, and Sonny shows her a picture of Mike on his phone. She asks if he misses him, and he says, every day. Every single day.

Donna asks, what kind of hat is that? and Sonny says, it’s called a cap. She says, that’s not a baseball cap, and he says, it’s a different kind of cap. His dad loved that cap, and after her grandfather died, he kept it. She asks if she can see it, but he says, it got lost. He kept looking for it, and even asked Donna’s mom if it was in her house, but she said, it’s gone. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny says he bets that’s her brother. They go to the door, and Sonny opens it to Michael. Sonny thanks him for coming, and Michael says, of course (🍷). He heard they’re doing a little Christmas shopping. Sonny says, she’s got a big list of people she wants to buy presents for; he’ll text it to Michael. Donna asks if he won’t come with them, and Sonny says he wishes he could, but he’s got an important appointment. But go with Michael, and he’ll meet her there. Is that good? She nods and says, it’s a deal. They high-five, since apparently, Donna loves a good high-five. I have to say, she is one super cute kid.

Robert helps Diane pick up her paperwork, and says he really loves the grand gesture, but they’re not in school. He doesn’t need a pat on the head. He just needs to know that she enjoyed herself. She says, they’ve been around each other long enough now for him to know she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He says he figured that one, and she says, and she’s perfectly capable of asking for exactly what she wants. He says he learned that last night, and she says, yes, he did, and laughs. For the record, she only exaggerates in court. He says, well then, let the record show, counselor, we both enjoyed ourself. He takes her in his arms, and they kiss.

Martin says, Cyrus told him that Laura came to see him, and she says she did. It was a very unsettling meeting. His passion and commitment for his family… Well, to their family… He says, it makes you want to believe in him, and she asks if that happens to him. He says, more often than he cares to admit. Their brother’s a very complicated man. He’s ruthless and manipulative, but he is doggedly loyal. He always goes about it the wrong way, but he’ll never give up on family. Which is something Cyrus has in common with her. She says, it’s true. She doesn’t give up on family, but she doesn’t turn a blind eye either. If Cyrus killed Dr. Gatlin-Holt, he must be prosecuted. Martin says, indeed. Far be it from him to give old Cy the benefit of the doubt, but there’s nothing on this earth Cyrus values more than Laura’s opinion. He got himself released from prison and has a chance to prove himself to her. Why would he throw that away?

Jordan tells Alexis that TJ stopped by her office last night to tell her that he and Molly are trying for another baby; this time with Kristina as the surrogate. She assumes Alexis already knew. Alexis says, the girls told her about it yesterday, and Jordan says she’ll be honest. She doesn’t know how she feels about this. Obviously, she’s excited about the possibility of having a grandchild, and she imagines Alexis is as well. Alexis says, very much, and Jordan says, this all came just a little bit out of the blue for her. She talked to TJ about it, so she knows how he feels, and she’s sure Alexis knows how Molly feels, but she wants to know how Alexis feels about this.

Blaze says, Kristina sent her a cryptic text saying she had big news, then went completely silent. Kristina didn’t answer any of her texts or calls. Kristina says she’s sorry. She should have answered Blaze. Blaze says, it’s okay. She was just worried something happened to Kristina. Kristina says, the day just got away from her, and it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about in text, or even on the phone really. Blaze says she’s here now. It can be in person. What’s her big news? Kristina says she’s going to have a baby.

Cody says, last chance to identify yourself. Otherwise, he’s going to have to assume they’re a secret admirer – he wanders around as he talks, but Sasha stays a step ahead of him – who doesn’t want him to know who they are. He almost catches her, but she dashes out of sight. He says, or they’re one of his many enemies and this present is somehow boobytrapped, and he will be forced to destroy it. Sasha comes out laughing, and he says he knew that would get her. She says, he may have a secret admirer, but the gift is from her, and no, it’s not boobytrapped. He asks if he can open it now or does he have to wait until Christmas? She says, it’s up to him.

Maxie says, Brook is coming back to Deception? Why? Brook says she has her reasons, and Maxie says, please clue her in. The first time Brook came to work at Deception, it was so Maxie could be closer to Baby Lu… Thanks for that, by the way; she’s still super grateful. Brook says, she’s welcome, and Maxie says, the second time, was to spy for Tracy. Not really a high point in their friendship, but she’s moving past it. Brook is a music manager now and she loves that job. Why come back to Deception? Brook says, so she can gain control of the company and give it to Maxie.

Cody tears the paper off the gift, uncovering a book, and says, oh wow. Monument Valley. This is great. He sits down and opens it, and she says she’s glad he likes it. He says, look at that sunset. Can she believe colors like this actually exist in nature? She says, she thought the same thing. It’s funny. She sits next to him, and he says he’s wanted to go here ever since he saw it in one of those old Westerns. It’s pretty ironic that his first trip there will be a photoshoot. The last thing he ever thought he’d be is a model. She tells him not to sell himself short. He’s really getting the hang of it. He says, she’s the expert, but he thinks he and these rock formations will just be a backdrop for her beauty.

Laura thanks Sonny for coming to her office. She knows it was a very last-minute invitation. He says he knew when she asked to see him, it was important. He doesn’t know if it’s a very good idea to do it here. She says she’s been to his office. It only seems fair to welcome him to hers. He says, it’s the public perception of what she does, but she says, if she’s learned one thing since becoming mayor, it’s that people are going to talk about her, regardless. He says he gets it, but they both know he has a reputation in this town, and her inviting him to her office opens her up to allegations of corruption. She says, if somebody wants to investigate her for something, she doesn’t care. She has nothing to hide. He says he just doesn’t want anything to happen to her job. This city needs her. The last thing he wants is for her to be investigated or thrown out of her office, especially because of him. She says, please don’t worry about that. She has no intentions of losing her office, but speaking of investigations, that’s why she asked him here. She’d like to talk to him about the Austin Gatlin-Holt murder case.

Donna looks out the window, and Michael says, they’d better get going. If she wants to get all the presents on her list, they have to get started. Donna asks, if you wish on a star, does your wish come true? and he says, that’s what he’s heard. She says, but there are no stars to wish on, and he says, there’s always stars. You can see them better at night, when it’s dark outside, but there’s stars in the daytime too. She asks if you have to see a star to wish on it, and he says, no. The star knows you’ve made a wish whether you see it or not. She says she’s going to make a wish, and he says, go for it. She looks out again and says, star, it’s me, Donna Corinthos. I can’t see you, but my brother says you’ll know I made this wish. I wish on you that I could find Grandpa Mike’s cap for daddy. This kid is killing me with her cuteness.

Alexis says she’s very happy at the thought of Molly and TJ having a baby, and Jordan says, they’re in agreement on this. Alexis says, then she started to make a list of everything that could go wrong, and how this could potentially end in tragedy. Then she spoke with a friend of hers and he shifted her perspective into a more positive place, tried to calm her down, and boy, being a parent is challenging, isn’t it? Jordan says, it’s been the hardest and best thing she’s ever done, and Alexis says, same. She’s proud of her three girls. She loves being a parent and wants Molly and TJ to have that experience. And Kristina wants to give it to them. Jordan says she agrees. She thinks it’s an amazing gift Kristina is offering them, but does it have to happen right now?

Kristina tells Blaze that Molly and TJ decided to have a baby, and they were super excited about it, but Molly found out she can’t physically carry a child of her own. It was awful. It completely blindsided her. Blaze says, that’s terrible. Of course (🍷) it did. Kristina says, they started exploring their options and felt really good about surrogacy. They found this woman they both really liked and she got pregnant, but then she lost the baby. It was devastating. Blaze says she can only imagine. She’s so sorry. Kristina says she was walking through the park and saw her sister, her super controlled Type-A sister, just absolutely bawling in a public place, not caring who was there or who saw. It just broke her heart. She’s assuming Blaze might know where she’s going with this, and Blaze says she does. Kristina says, it just became really clear to her, she genuinely wants to do this. She wants to give Molly and TJ the thing they want more than anything in this whole world. She can’t really tell what Blaze is thinking right now. Is Blaze about to tell her that she’s crazy for doing this? Blaze says, crazy? No. She takes Kristina’s hand and says she’s thinking Kristina is wonderful and generous, and anyone would be lucky to have a sister like her, but she’s talked a lot about being able to give Molly what she wants. What about what Kristina wants?

Cody thanks Sasha for the perfect gift, and says he feels terrible that he doesn’t have something for her. She says, he already saved her life and her sanity. He’s given her the best gift she could have asked for. He tells her, stop. Don’t say that.

Brook says she knows everything that happened because of her grandmother put Maxie in a bad placed financially. Maxie says she can’t deny that, but Tracy forced Brook to do it, so it really wasn’t her fault. Brook says, Tracy told her the reason why she got control of Deception was to give it to her. At first, she rejected Tracy’s offer, but she just told Tracy that she changed her mind. So the plan is, she’ll start working here again and she’ll convince Tracy that she’s grateful for the opportunity. Then… Maxie says, what then? What is she plotting? Brook says, the next part of the plan is still a work in progress, but she’ll either convince Tracy into signing over control to her or she’ll blackmail her into doing it. Either way, she won’t stop until Deception belongs to Maxie. So what does she think? Lucy walks in and says, who let the spy back in?

Kristina thinks Blaze isn’t so sure she should do this, but Blaze tells her, that’s not what she’s saying. But there’s a big difference between wanting to help her sister and wanting to be pregnant for nine months and give birth to a child. One is seeing Molly hurting and generously wanting to help. The second is a huge commitment and life-changing event. Kristina says she knows no one is going to know for sure how their body will handle a pregnancy, but she’s in great health and the odds are never going to be higher for her than right now to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby successfully. She knows it sounds so weird to say this, but she knows in her gut that she’s supposed to do this. So Blaze is right that she’s doing this for Molly and for TJ, but she’s also doing this for herself.

Diane asks how they’re going to refer to each other moving forward, and he asks what she means. She says, when she gossips about last night with Alexis – and FYI, she’s gonna – he says, noted – how should she refer to him? Is he her boyfriend? He says, boyfriend, grey hair, long in the tooth, no. He doesn’t feel like he’s anyone’s boyfriend. She says, okay, lover, and he says, absolutely not. She laughs and says, okay, suitor. Main squeeze. How about this? Adult companion. He says, that seems to indicate that money may have changed hands somewhere along the line, and she chokes on her coffee, laughing. He asks if they can’t just say they’re involved, but she says she’d like it to be a little more definitive. How about, they’re just dating? That is, after all, what they’re doing. He says, dating’s good, and she says, good… Are they dating exclusively? He sits back in his chair. I’m laughing because it is a weird thing. Boyfriend sounds like you’re in high school, lover is corny and TMI. I like significant other, but it’s kind of long. So where do you go?

Laura says she knows Sonny is aware that Dante is assisting the Pautuck PD in its investigation of the murder, and he says he and Dante agreed a long time ago for the sake of their relationship, not to discuss Dante’s work. She says, or his, and he says, right. They try to avoid any conflict of interest. Laura says, except she does know he spoke to Dante at some point about Austin, and he asks, why is that? She says, because she asked Dante to give her an update about the murder investigation, and he told her, a reliable and confidential source had informed him that Austin and his cousin Mason were working for her brother Cyrus. He says, really, and she says, his son wouldn’t give up his source, but she knows it’s him.

Lucy says, Brook has some nerve stepping foot back in Deception. She should have Brook arrested for industrial espionage, or maybe intellectual property theft. Maxie says, it’s okay. Brook is here… Lucy says, because why? Does she want to sniff around some more to find out some proprietary information that she can steal from them? Brook says, it’s not stealing if you have a controlling interest in the company, which her grandmother does. Lucy says, Tracy doesn’t care about this company. Tracy doesn’t care about Deception, but she does, and Tracy needs to keep her filthy hands away from here, and Brook needs to stay away from here too. Brook says, it doesn’t matter what Lucy thinks. Tracy’s 51% says she has more of a right to be here than Lucy. Lucy moves toward Brook, but Maxie says, okay, putting her hand in between them.

Cody says, Sasha doesn’t need to thank him. He’s happy that for once he was able to get out of his own way and do the right thing. Trust him. That isn’t always the case. She says she doesn’t care what happened in his past. She’s just thankful for the man he is now, and she’s so grateful that he was able to come to her rescue. He says he doesn’t want her gratitude… What he means to say is, there’s a fine line between feeling grateful to someone, and feeling an obligation to someone. He doesn’t want her to owe him; he wants her to like him. She says, he already knows she does. He heard her say it to Maxie. He says he also heard her say she’s not ready to move on yet. She’s still grieving over the loss of her husband and child. The last thing that would be okay for him is for her to rush through that process because she’s trying to give him something she thinks he wants.

As they walk through Rice Plaza, Michael says, Donna got a lot of presents. Is she ready to take a break? She says, but they don’t have all the presents yet, and he says, they got a lot. Doesn’t she want to save something to buy with her dad? She says, what about daddy’s presents? What does she give him if her wish doesn’t come true? He says, sometimes wishes don’t come true exactly the way you expect, because wishes are magic, and magic is unpredictable. So how about if they buy a back-up gift just in case? She says, look! and runs over to a bench. She picks up a cap that looks just like Mike’s.

Laura says she didn’t ask Sonny here to put him on the spot. She asked him here because she trusts him. She needs to know. Did Cyrus kill Dr. Gatlin-Holt? He says he thinks that’s for the police to figure out, and she says, oh come on. He’s in a position to know things before other people do. She’s asking him, is her brother a murderer? He says, her brother Cyrus has murdered in the past, and he doesn’t for one second believe Cyrus’s religious reformation. But he doesn’t think Cyrus killed Austin Gatlin-Holt. She says, except Dante said Dr. Gatlin-Holt went to see him the night he was killed, and he was prepared to give up the name of his boss. Sonny asks if he gave up that name, but she says, no, he didn’t. He left to go gather proof. Sonny asks if she thinks Cyrus had Austin killed to shut him up, and she says, doesn’t he?

Robert tells Diane that he likes his women. He likes commitment. One woman at a time. She says she’s well-aware of that. She’s well-aware of his exceptional commitment to the women in his life. She’s witnessed it firsthand. Anytime Holly or Anna needed him, he was there. He says, they have a lot of history together. He can’t change that. They would do the same for him. She says she gets it. However, moving forward, if she’s to be exclusive with him, she needs to know that she’s his number one priority.

Sonny tells Laura that he doesn’t see how Cyrus would have known Austin was talking to Dante. Cyrus has no money. He has no manpower to keep Austin under surveillance. And he doesn’t think for a second Dante leaked out the information. Laura says, he wouldn’t do that, and Sonny says, if he doesn’t know, Cyrus has no motive to kill Austin. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite because Austin helped him get out of prison. So he sees Austin as an asset. She says, that makes sense, and he says, if Cyrus thought Austin was a problem, there are other ways to deal with him. Murder is too risky. With all due respect, he despises her brother, but he’s not stupid. He just got out of prison and he’s going to do everything he can not to go back. She thanks him, and says, it’s really been weighing on her, the kind of man her brother is. It’s a huge relief to know that Sonny doesn’t think he killed Dr. Gatlin-Holt.

Blaze says, listening to Kristina talk about her decision is really inspiring. She doesn’t know if she’s ever done anything this selfless. It’s profound. Kristina says, Blaze is making her sound like a saint. Billions of women have given birth successfully, and she’s sure it’s as big and scary as it seems, but she feels like she’s got this. Blaze says, she might not feel the same way when she’s in labor, and Kristina says she plans on being in excellent physical condition and plan for every scenario. And when she goes into labor… she plans to ask for all the drugs. Blaze laughs, and Kristina thanks her for being so supportive. She knows this isn’t traditional. Blaze tells Kristina that she meant what she said. She’s in awe of Kristina for wanting to do this. Kristina says she really appreciates Blaze being so understanding about this, because she’s really committed to this pregnancy and it’s a big change in her life. And for me and you… If there is me and you.

Alexis tells Jordan, in a perfect world, yes. It would be better for them to wait six months or a year or longer for Kristina to become a surrogate. Jordan says, so they’re on the same page then, and Alexis says, yes, but the timeline becomes problematic, because they’re assuming Kristina gets pregnant right away. And they both know it doesn’t always happen like that. Jordan says, true. None of this is a perfect science. Alexis says, Kristina’s very committed to doing this, but it’s not fair to ask her to put her life on hold for another year or longer waiting to get pregnant. Jordan says she can’t argue with that, and Alexis says, the bottom line is, she and Jordan don’t get a vote on this. All three of them are adults, Molly and TJ want this baby, and they want this baby as soon as possible. They don’t get to just tell them to wait.

Lucy says, Brook doesn’t know half of the horrible, horrible things Tracy has done. She’s blackmailed so many people, she could fill out an entire punch card. Brook says, like Lucy is so perfect. She’s been known to scam rich men out of their money, and also secretly plotted to help Valentin gain control of ELQ. And how many times has she cheated on the loves of her life, huh? Lucy says, lots. Enjoyed it all. She’s made mistakes. She never said she didn’t. The fact of the matter is, she created Deception, and her vision is what made Deception successful. Brook says, and she almost ran it into the ground, almost bankrupt it, and Maxie too… Lucy says, because of Brook, and Brook says, Maxie is nothing but loyal and hardworking. Lucy shouldn’t be mad at Tracy. She should be thanking Tracy for stepping in and saving her and Deception.

Cody tells Sasha to take as much time as she needs. She’s dealing with enough in her life without him putting any pressure on her. And hey, if they’re never anything more than just friends and co-models, that’s good with him too. She says, really? and he says he promises. She says, okay. As her friend, he’s obligated to listen to her. He says, oh, is he? and she says, absolutely. He needs to stop being so hard on himself. He’s not nearly as bad as he wants to believe. As a matter of fact, most of the time he’s pretty great.

Lucy says she doesn’t owe Brook’s grandmother Tracy for anything. Never thank you. Certainly not. Because guess what? What matters is Maxie. And she knows the big sacrifice Lucy made when she took Tracy’s deal to keep Deception solvent. Maxie says she does. And Lucy knows she appreciates that. She’s so grateful for her job. Brook says, since Tracy owns this company and her grandmother wants her here, she’s staying. Lucy says, yippee. Super swell. This is Maxie’s problem now, because she will never ever, ever deal with someone who flat-out lied to her face and spied on her. She walks out, and Brook says she wasn’t expecting it to go well, but she certainly wasn’t expecting that. Maxie says, that was a lot, but Brook says, it’s okay. She’s a big girl and can handle it. Let Lucy go take it up with Tracy. They both know her grandmother will flatten Lucy. Maxie says she doesn’t understand. Why would Brook want that? Before Lucy came in here, Brook was telling her about how she was going to get the company back for them. Brook says she’s getting the company back for Maxie. Only Maxie. Promise her, when she finally gets this done, Maxie will have sole control of the company. Brook wants Maxie to be able to run this company the way she wants. Away from all of Lucy’s crazy shenanigans. Maxie says she thinks they’re getting a little bit ahead of themselves. Why don’t they get control of the company, then they’ll figure out how to divide it up? Brook says, they’ll get control of this company. Maxie knows she’s right. Because when the two of them join forces, they are unstoppable.

Cody says he actually bought Sasha a gift a few weeks ago. The first time in his life he’s planned ahead, but when he saw it, he knew he had to get it for her. She says she’s intrigued, and he says, as she should be. They promised it would be here before Christmas. He’s waiting for them to come through. She asks if she ever told him that she’s very bad at waiting for something she’s excited about, and he says, she’ll just have to be patient. She says, that’s not her strong suit, and she struggles with her coat. Cody tries to help her, and they end up close, face to face. She says she should get going. She’ll see him later. He says, see ya, and she leaves. He sits down, picks up the book, and opens it. It says: To my friend Cody, Thanks for coming to my rescue. Sasha.

Kristina says she likes Blaze, and she doesn’t want this to end. She knows this is early, so if Blaze wants to bail out now before she gets the size of a house, feel free. Blaze says she thinks Kristina will look amazing when she’s pregnant, but she always thinks Kristina looks amazing. Including right now. She takes Kristina’s hand and says she likes Kristina. She likes what’s happening between them, and she doesn’t want to cut it short before it has a chance to become something. She still wants to see where this goes. Kristina says she likes Blaze too, and they kiss. She tells Blaze, and now she’s really actually glad Blaze woke her up early. Blaze says, it’s not early. Kristina does realize she’s a musician and even she’s been up for hours. Kristina says, just her luck. She finds herself a singer who’s an early riser. Blaze says, this singer is about to be late for a run-through with her choreographer, but let’s touch base. Maybe they’ll meet up later? They need to celebrate Kristina’s decision with some wine before she has to give up alcohol. Kristina says, nooo, and Blaze says, for nine months. Kristina says she’d love that. Sounds perfect. They kiss and Blaze leaves.

Alexis tells Jordan, the kids are going to be fantastic parents. They’ll love the hell out of that baby and that baby’s lucky to have them. Jordan says she knows, and she can’t wait to see them holding her first grandchild. So she’ll try to adjust her thinking and be on board like Alexis. If this is what they want – and they are adamant that it is – then she’ll do her best to support it.

Robert tells Diane, Holly came to town largely to save Ethan’s life. It would have been remiss of him not to step in and help her. Not to mention, honor Luke’s memory. She says she gets it. That was a special circumstance. She’ll never appreciate the way Holly went about it, but Holly was desperate, and she understands. What about Anna? He says he and Anna are connected through Robin and the grandkids. That’s never going to change; they’re family. That hasn’t stopped him from getting closer to Diane and enjoying every minute of it. She says she’s enjoyed every minute of it too. All that aside, she needs to know that the next time Holly drops into Port Charles because of an emergency or Anna calls when they’re together, things will be different. He says, understood. The next time one of his exes needs assistance, he’ll have to point out that she’s his priority. She says, then here’s to our well-negotiated, hard-earned agreement, Mr. Scorpio, and lifts her coffee cup. He says, you are worth it, and she says, that’s right. They clink coffee cups.

Martin knocks at Laura’s office door and says, it’s him again. She says, back so soon? Please tell her it’s with some sort of proof of their brother’s innocence. He asks if she wants to run that by him again, how she wants Cyrus to be exonerated, and she says she guesses she does. He asks, what happened? and she says, Sonny Corinthos was just here, at her invitation, and she asked him straight up if he thought Cyrus murdered Dr. Gatlin-Holt. He said he didn’t think so, and right at that moment, she could feel the knot in her chest sort of melt away. She guesses it’s surprising for her to realize how much she doesn’t want him to be guilty. She does want him to turn his life around. Does Martin think it’s possible? Martin says, a hell of a lot more possible now that he has Laura to look up to.

Sonny finds Donna and Michael in Rice Plaza and asks Donna how the shopping is going. She says she didn’t shop for his present; she wished for it. He says, really, and Michael tells her, show him. She brings out the cap and says, this is for him. Sonny takes it, looks it over, and says, this is Mike’s. Angels We Have Heard on High plays in the background, and Michael says, Donna found it. It was sitting over there like someone left it. Sonny says, really? and Michael says, yeah. Sonny says he can’t believe that, and Michael says, neither could he. They were going to ask around and see if anyone lost a hat, but he checked it and it’s actually Mike’s cap. Sonny says he wonders where it came from, and Donna says she told him. She wished for it. On a star. Her wish came true! It’s magic! Sonny says, let him tell her something about her granddad. He believed in magic and wishes. He’d be very proud of her. She says, merry Christmas, daddy, and hugs him. Sonny says, merry Christmas, sweetheart, and looks at Michael. He looks up and says, merry Christmas, dad.

On Monday, Brook says, there’s one thing she and Violet agree on; Kristina tells Dr. Navarro that she’d like to get started as soon as possible; Anna tells Dante, don’t say she didn’t warn him; and Brennan says he’d like to get to know Carly better.

🏥 Port Charles Memory Lane…

January 4th, 10 pm, EST on ABC.

🎼 Adam’s Song…

While he doesn’t have Sonny’s dimples, he’s got the smiley eyes. It’s great how they give actors an opportunity to shine using their non-soap talents.

👗 Fashionably Soap…

Wow. There’s way too much black. Spoiler: Dex looks the same.

🧂 Needs Salt…

I didn’t really understand the desire for a pirate themed party. Did they confuse themselves with Below Deck?

I guess all losers was out of the question.

Back In the House…

Schwartz is welcomed back. After a week away. Seriously, I can’t.

🗽 She Who Won’t Be Uninvited…

No surprise here. She loves showing up where she’s not wanted. No doubt Brandi will follow suit, because ditto.

🛥 Worst Guests Ever…

Where do they find these people?

https://ew.com/below-deck-guests-accused-stealing-cast-identities-opioid-scheme-8416388

🎄 Filming Christmas…

All good choices, but not one traditional A Christmas Carol  movie? Really?

https://ew.com/movies/20-top-christmas-movies-ever/

🐶 Pets + Holidays…

The practical.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/health/pets-holiday-danger-wellness/index.html

The famous.

https://finance.yahoo.com/photos/12-celebrity-pets-totally-bringing-191259687/-photo-191409825.html

The rest of us.

https://www.cbc.ca/kids/articles/a-gallery-of-cute-pets-dressed-up-for-the-holidays

The DIY. I want the hat with the elf ears.

🥠 Quotes of the Week

Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who deliver more than they promise, not the ones who promise more than they can deliver. – Mark A. Clement

The way to achieve your own success is to be willing to help somebody else get it first. – Iyanla Vanzant

Happiness is for dogs and Americans. – Dr. Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), General Hospital

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.Antoine de Saint-Exupery

That food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. – Ann Wigmore

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. – Mahatma Gandhi

A man is whatever room he’s in. – Japanese saying

No matter what this study suggests, the best time to exercise is the time you will actually do it. – Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.

Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else. – Nathaniel Branden

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. – Harry S Truman

Nothing frightens me more than a person unwilling to learn, even at their own expense. That is a darkness I will never understand. – G.H. (Mahershala Ali), Leave the World Behind

He looks like a giant red flag. – Shekinah Garner, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way

🪄 Tinseling Up…

Take a break on Monday really Tuesday for soap and Med absurdity. Until then, stay safe, stay focused on what you can control and let go of everything else, and stay remembering, sometimes wishes don’t come true exactly the way you expect.

December 13, 2023 – Ava Thinks She Knows Who’s Taunting Her, Annemarie Dispenses Unwanted Medical Advice At a Party & Home

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Alexis walks into her house and sees Kristina and Molly. She says, whoa, and tells them that she’ll have to call them back. She tells the girls that she loves having surprise visits from her daughters. Why don’t they tell her what’s going on? Or they could leave her in suspense. Actually, there is no second choice. What’s wrong? They laugh and Kristina says, she got there fast. Alexis says, they both have beautiful faces. And they should never play poker with them. Clearly, they have something to tell her, so let’s hear it. Molly says, she’s right; they have news. Alexis asks if it’s good or bad, and they tell her, it’s great.

The last of Ava’s stuff is moved into her new/old penthouse. She tips the mover, and when he leaves, she says, this is so much better than Windymere. Why did she ever give this place up? She takes an envelope out of her bag that says AVA and slides a picture of dead Austin out of it. She takes out a note that says: DON’T TELL ANYONE.

Josslyn and Trina come back to their dorm room to find Adam playing guitar and singing in the hallway.

Sonny approaches Stella and Felicia at the hospital, and Stella says, well, look who we have here, and Felicia says, hi. Sonny says, sorry to interrupt, but Stella says, his timing’s just fine. What brings him to the hospital? He says, her.

Dante comes in, and Sam says she knows he couldn’t say anything to her at Kelly’s, but they’re home now, so she’s hoping he can tell her. Did he find anything when he opened up the locker? Any indication of who was after Anna?

Carly follows Donna into the park, while Donna kicks along a soccer ball. Carly says, she looked so great on the field today, but Donna says, it’s a pitch, not a field. The coach says, if you lick a ball just right, it will go around the goalie. She’s been practicing. She can show Carly. Carly says, let’s see, and Donna kicks the ball. She says, it was supposed to curve, but Carly says, it’s okay. Like the coach says, she has to practice, right? Let’s get the ball. Brennan comes along, carrying the ball, looks at Donna and asks, by any chance, does it belong to her?

Felicia says, she’ll leave them to it, but Sonny says he doesn’t mean to exclude her. She’s a patient advocate also, right? Felicia says she’s still learning the ropes, and Stella tells her that she’s doing excellent work. Felicia thanks her and asks if Sonny needs a patient advocate. He says he does, but not to help him navigate health situations, and Stella says, that’s a relief. So what can they do for him? He says he wants to do something for the hospital, and she says, he already does a great deal for the hospital. He says, this is different. He wants to donate or underwrite, however she wants to call it, all the hospital holiday celebrations. The decorations, the pediatric party, any expense that has to do with the holiday, he wants to take care of it. Felicia says, he’s like their very own Santa Claus, and nearby, a little girl says, he’s not Santa Claus.

Dante tells Sam that he checked out the locker and came back when no one was watching. When he finally got into the locker, there was a package inside. It was wrapped up like it was going to be mailed, but it didn’t have an address label on it. Sam says, that’s because the late Mr. Forsythe wasn’t able to mail the package, and he says, right. He didn’t want to draw attention to anything, so he got the package out of there. She asks where he went, and he says, to the bank.

Carly introduces Donna and Mr. Brennan, saying, he got the ball out of the bushes for them. Donna thanks him, and he says she’s most welcome. He asks what position she plays, and she says, forward. He says, that’s a lot of running, and Carly says, that’s not a problem for Donna because she’s in constant motion. Speaking of running… He says his job can be a lot of high pressure at times, so he runs to decompress. Sometimes it even works. She asks if he’s been to the running trail on Harborview, but he says, not yet. She says, people swear by it, and he says, what about her? She says she’s not a runner. She likes Pilates, yoga, swimming… Although she hasn’t done that in a while. PCU has a great swim complex. It’s open to the public every morning. He says, maybe he’ll see her there sometime, and she says, he swims too? He says, when he can fit it in. Running requires a lot less forethought and prep time. Donna asks if they can go for a hot chocolate, and Brennan says, at the risk of intruding, perhaps he can accompany them. His treat. Carly says, that won’t be necessary, but he says, it will make up for him up and disappearing the other day. She says, why not? and the three of them leave together.

Adam notices the girls and says he’s sorry. He didn’t realize anyone was listening. Trina says, he’s in the hall, and Josslyn says, of the dorm. He says, normally no one’s here this time of day, and the acoustics are pretty good. Josslyn says, he knows this because he plays in here a lot? and he says, yeah. In the afternoons, he gives himself a break from everything. Trina says, don’t let them interrupt him. Come in. Play something else for them. He follows them into their room and tells Trina that she doesn’t have to say that, but she tells him that if he thinks she’s just saying that to be polite, think again. She’s majoring in art, so she’s never dishonest about an artist’s work. He says, what artist? and Josslyn says, she means him. He says he was just goofing around, but Trina says she’d love to hear what he sounds like when he’s serious. He says, they don’t really want to hear him play, but they both say, yeah, they do.

Alexis sits in between Molly and Kristina, and says she knows how they operate. The last time they sat her down like this, it was to talk her into getting a puppy. Molly says, they’re not trying to talk her into anything. She and Kristina have done a lot of thinking, and they’ve made a decision that will affect both of them. Kristina says, actually, it kind of effects the whole family, and Molly says, they just hope she can support them. Alexis says, oh boy. Okay. Molly says, Kristina is going to be the surrogate for her and TJ.

Ava hears someone coming in, and shoves the picture in the envelope, tossing it on the table. Nina asks how it’s going… What happened?

Sam says, Dante went to the bank? and he says he wanted to go somewhere private and secure where he wasn’t being watched or monitored. He also needed someplace he could leave the package that was secure where someone didn’t have access. So he got a safe deposit box. She says, that’s certainly more secure than leaving it in the train locker. What was in it that was worth killing for? Dante says, that WSB file, pages yellowed like it had been in that trunk for decades. She says, thank God the WSB didn’t have it. They would have destroyed it years ago. He says he saw Forsythe’s name right away. He was the field agent in that op that went bad. He wrote down some names that were mentioned too, including Anna’s.

Felicia says, Lindsay is one of her clients, and introduces the little girl to Sonny. He says, nice to meet her, shaking her hand, and she asks why Felicia said he was Santa Claus. Felicia says, what she meant was, Mr. Corinthos is like Santa Claus because they’re both generous and giving. But she got it wrong. Everyone knows there’s just one Santa Claus, and he’s going to bring her presents at Christmas. Stella says, Mr. Corinthos was offering the people at the hospital to have a happy Christmas, and Lindsay asks why he’s doing that. Sonny says he’s a big fan of Santa Claus and always follows his example.

Adam sings for Trina and Josslyn, and he’s pretty good. They applaud, and Trina says, he’s very good. He says, for a guy on a study break, but Josslyn says, no. She’s right. He has a real feel for the music. She had no idea he had such a great voice. He says, she really thinks so? and she tells Trina, back me up. Trina says, she’s right. It’s not really her kind of music, but even so, she can tell he has a real gift. He thanks her and says he really appreciates that. Anyway, he played longer than he meant to, so he’d better get back to studying. Trina says, he needs to eat, doesn’t he? and he says he’ll have some ramen or order something, but Trina suggests he eat with them instead.

Ava says, Nina knows what moving is like. It’s overwhelming, even in the best of circumstances, which these definitely are, but you do realize just how much stuff you have. And no matter how carefully you box it and tape everything up, what you really want, you’re worried you left behind. But in the end, here she is, back in this penthouse she loves so much, and that’s thanks to Nina. Nina says, Ava will be an ideal tenant. She can’t believe how lucky she is to be leasing it to her. Now what has gotten her so terrified? Ava hands her the envelope, and Nina says, no, not another one of these. Come on. She looks at it, and reads, don’t tell anyone. She asks if Ava got this at Windymere, but Ava says she found it in her handbag.

Alexis says she has no doubt TJ and Molly will be amazing parents, and Molly thanks her. Alexis says, and Kristina, what a generous gift to give to her sister and her brother-in-law. Kristina says, but she has reservations. She knows Alexis did when she first offered to be their surrogate, but it’s been months now, and things have changed. Alexis says, no question. It’s her job as a parent to try and look at every angle with all things everywhere, and she can’t help but see potential pitfalls. Molly says, they see them too. Does Alexis remember when they ran into each other at the Port Charles Grill after she met with the matching professional? Alexis says she remembers, and Molly says, Alexis gave her some really good advice that day. Alexis said, whatever she and TJ decided, they had to make that choice together. It made her realize, as bad as she wanted a child, she and TJ weren’t on the same page about another surrogate. That hit her really hard. She had a meltdown in the park, and Kristina saw her crying. Kristina says, it killed her to see Molly upset like that, and after they talked about it, she put a lot of thought into it, and she decided to offer again. Molly says, before Alexis says anything, she talked it over with TJ, at length and at great detail, and the three of them have made the decision to move forward together. She just hopes Alexis can be happy for them.

Nina asks if Ava thinks the killer was here in this penthouse, and Ava says she certainly thinks it’s possible. With all the movers, and her driver, and a messenger from the gallery, people were in and out of here all day. It would not have been difficult for someone to slip it into her bag at some point. Nina says, Ava can’t let this person terrorize her. She has to go to the police. Ava says, no, snatching the note back. Nina knows why she can’t do that. She had ample motive to kill Austin and has no alibi for when he died. They had a horrible fight that night. He knew that she was abducted. He knew his cousin Mason was following Cyrus Renault’s orders, and he didn’t go to the cops, and he didn’t go to Sonny. He did exactly what Cyrus wanted. He testified to get Cyrus out of prison. Nina says, which seems to indicate that Cyrus murdered Austin, so why doesn’t she tell the police that? Ava says, because these notes. Why would Cyrus waste his time in toying with her? She’s of no value to him. She’s just the opposite really. He knows if he pushes her too far, she’ll go to Sonny, which is trouble he does not need. So as awful as he is, she doesn’t believe Cyrus is responsible. Nina says, all right, then who is? and Ava says, someone with a talent for mind games. Someone with the money to play them. Someone who loves watching her squirm. Someone who hates her and wants revenge. Nikolas. Ha! I called it first weeks ago.

Sam says she’s curious. Why didn’t Dante take a picture of the report? He says he just got paranoid. He figured if it was on the phone, then it’s in the cloud. It could be hacked by the WSB and brought back down, using whatever technology the WSB has that they don’t even know about. He didn’t want to risk it getting out, so he went low tech. She says, he has a point there. That report escaped notice all these years because Anna kept a hard copy in a trunk. He says, and other documentations. It wasn’t just that report in that trunk. There were papers, records, other files. Sam says, seems like she was pretty thorough, and Dante says, or also extremely guilty. That’s a lot of insurance to keep. Insurance you’re not going to need unless you’re blackmailing someone in a pretty powerful position. Sam says she just doesn’t get it. Yes, Anna has a made a lot of mistakes. She has since redeemed herself. He says, that’s what she keeps saying. Maybe that’s what she’s trying to convince herself of, but can you really redeem yourself of all the things you’ve done wrong? Or does enough time pass that you don’t think about it anymore? Or maybe you rewrite it in your mind, or maybe you try to convince yourself it never happened altogether. She asks if he’s still talking about Anna, and he says he’s talking about everyone. How accurately can Sam recall something that happened ten, twenty years ago? A failure, a screw up, a lie she told. She laughs and says she doesn’t know. To be honest with him, she doesn’t want to know. He says he doesn’t think Anna does either. He thinks she’s rewritten the 80s to make it easier for her to redeem herself. But everything else, this report and everything that was in that trunk, that says otherwise. Sam asks him if he trusts Anna.

Donna, Carly, and Brennan walk back to Rice Park with their hot chocolates, and Carly tells Donna, be careful with that. Donna asks if she can go practice some more, and Carly says, just stay where she can see her. Donna says she will, and runs off. Carly says, like she told him, always in constant motion, always, and Brennan asks if soccer is a special passion, or is Donna like this about everything? Carly says, she’s like this about everything. She’s all-in, whether it be a flower girl in a wedding or baking cookies. Although Donna really does seem to like soccer. She’s fast and she’s competitive, so Carly thinks soccer’s a good outlet for her. Brennan says he thinks Donna bears a strong resemblance to her, and Carly says, really? Everyone says she looks exactly like her father.

Sonny asks Lindsay what she hopes to get for Christmas, and she says, a tracing pad. Sonny asks if she’s kidding. He has a daughter just about her age, and she wants the same thing. Lindsay’s mother comes over to them and asks if Felicia could help her with some forms. Felicia says, absolutely, and leaves with Lindsay and her mother. Stella says, Sonny’s always been generous with this hospital, but making this special gift for just holiday celebrations is above and beyond. What has fired him? He says, a friend of hers, and she says, not to brag, but she has quite a few friends. But still, she thinks she knows the one he means. His father.

Alexis says, of course (🍷) she’s happy for them. She wants them to have everything in this world that’s good for them. And she loves being a grandma. She doesn’t always like being called a grandma. A welcome addition to the family is a beautiful thing and the bond Kristina and Molly have built is a beautiful thing. It makes her tear up. That Kristina would offer Molly this gift and she’d accept it… but – Kristina says, here it comes – she’s worried this could be complicated. Pregnancy is complicated and there’s a risk, physically and emotionally, and there’s no guaranteed outcome. Molly says, if something goes wrong, she’ll be devastated, but she’s not going to deprive herself or TJ of what they want out of fear. They all know she likes to be cautious, but if you wait and wait for everything to be perfect, you might miss your chance altogether. Kristina tells Alexis that her OB said she’d be a great candidate. Molly and TJ really want this, and she wants this for them, but selfishly, for her too, to bring her little niece – Molly says, or nephew – or nephew into the world. Alexis says, they don’t need her blessing, but they have it. Molly’s phone rings, and she says, it’s the office. She answers and says, now?… Okay. Have the file waiting for her. She’s on her way. She says she’s so sorry, but Alexis says, if anyone understands, she does, and Molly hugs them goodbye. She leaves, and Kristina says, since she’s here, does Alexis want to finish organizing the upstairs closet. She can totally take the clothes Alexis doesn’t want to the shelter. Alexis says, the closet can wait. Has she really thought this through?

Nina says, according to Laura, Nikolas is in Europe, so why would he come back here to kill Austin? and Ava says, who knows why Nikolas does anything? Maybe Austin double-crossed him too; that seemed to be his pattern. Nina says, double-crossed him how? and Ava says she told Nina that she mistakenly thought she killed Nikolas. Not only did he survive, he made a miraculous recovery. She thinks he may have had some medical intervention. Nina says, from Austin, and Ava says, Austin lied about to her the whole time and helped Mason blackmail her. Maybe Austin made the mistake of trying to blackmail Nikolas as well. Or maybe Nikolas killed him just to torment her. Nina says, she doesn’t really believe that, but Ava says, Nikolas thinks she tried to kill him. Of course (🍷) he wants revenge. And what better way to get it than frame her for Austin’s murder?

At Kelly’s, Josslyn goes to put in the orders, and Trina asks where Adam learned to play guitar like that. He says he thinks he was four when he started to play piano, but he didn’t really have a feel for it. Then when he was about ten, his teacher introduced him to the guitar. That was it. She says, he just knew, and he says he guesses he did. But his parents said, if he wasn’t going to play piano, they weren’t going to pay for music lessons. She asks what they have against him playing guitar, and he says his dad says people who play guitar are low brow, but he really couldn’t let it go. Since then, he’s just been self-taught. She asks how his parents don’t realize he’s really gifted.

Stella tells Sonny that Mike might have started off as her client, but he became so much more. She’s had dear friends before, but none like him. And the way he faced his Alzheimer’s, she admired that. He was scared, but it was always his love that came through. Sonny says, and his encouragement, for all of them, and Stella says, as hard as it was for Sonny to watch what Mike was going through, Mike never saw anything but Sonny’s love. Sonny says he misses Mike every day, especially at this time of year. His last Christmas, he was in and out. Sometimes he would be his old self, sometimes he’d be a stranger, but he always loved Christmas. He loved the trees and the decorations; he was like a kid with the feeling of true joy for the season. Stella says she remembers that, and Sonny says, but it’s tough to get that true joy feeling in a hospital. That’s why he wants to help.

Brennan says he wasn’t talking about Donna’s appearance, but she and Carly share a certain lightness of spirit. Carly asks what he means, and he says, her daughter is open and friendly, not shy and withdrawn. She’s interested in things around her, and she’s certainly not bratty or demanding. She says, not Donna, but there’s plenty of people who would say she’s bratty and demanding. He says, we all have our moments, and asks if she’s unusually demanding. She says she doesn’t think so. She used to think everything had to be a battle. Then she learned how and when to compromise, and when to fight for something she believes in. And she’s not afraid to push if she thinks something’s important. He asks how she decides if something is important.

Kristina says, whatever she does, whatever she decides to do, Alexis is constantly assuming she’s being impulsive. Alexis says, that’s not what she meant, but Kristina says, it is, and it’s how Alexis makes her feel. Alexis can’t credit her with knowing herself or knowing her own brain. For looking at a situation, deciding the best course of action, executing it, and following through. It’s a tired narrative and she’s sick of it, because she’s done her due diligence, and she knows what she’s in for. Alexis says, no, she doesn’t. She can’t, because she’s never been pregnant. She’s never brought a child into the world. She doesn’t know what it’s like physically or emotionally, and no amount of research or due diligence is going to prepare her for that. In the best of circumstances, if nothing goes wrong, for nine months, she’s going to be carrying this life inside of her. Then she’s going to bring it into the world, and Alexis promises her, it will change her. She knows how much Kristina wants to give Molly and TJ what they want, but she’s asking Kristina if she’s truly considered what she wants.

Josslyn sits down, and Trina says, Adam was telling her that he used to take music classes, but then he started teaching himself guitar. Josslyn says, that’s incredible. He plays really well. He thanks her, and Trina says, maybe it’s an advantage being self-taught. You don’t get locked in. You get to explore and develop your own style. He says he doesn’t know about all that. It’s really just something that helps him decompress. Trina asks if he’s thought about playing professionally.

Ava tells Nina that their relationship was so sick and dysfunctional, and she was nearly as addicted to it as he was. As awful as it was, she thinks Nikolas did her a real favor by getting Esme pregnant. That’s when her perspective shifted, and she was able to see their relationship was just misery. She was able to see that if she didn’t get out, Nikolas would destroy her. Nina says she’s so sorry. She knew things were bad between them, but she didn’t know how bad they were. Ava says, neither did she until it was almost too late. She stopped playing games and started pulling back. Nikolas was just too invested. He would not let her go, and that’s why he came to Windymere that night, threatening to take Avery. And that’s why she hit him and that’s why this is happening now. Nina says, if it is Nikolas sending those notes… Ava says, the killer is going to great lengths to torment her, and the only person with the motive to do that is Nikolas. She intends to beat him at his own game.

Dante tells Sam that he does trust Anna, but none of them knows how they’re going to react when the past is dredged up, right? What is Anna going to do? Is she going to cover up what she did? Is she going to overcompensate out of guilt to make it easier for whoever this is to get her? He wants to talk to her, but doesn’t feel he has enough of a handle on the situation. Sam asks what he plans to do, and he says, go back to the bank. Read that report more thoroughly. He skimmed through it enough to know what the mission was. It was all about getting this Eastern Block general to defect and bring his top-secret files with him. In exchange, he was going to get ten million 1987 US dollars. Sam says, whoa. No wonder the WSB wanted him and his files; the man didn’t come cheap. Dante says, but the op went bad. The general was killed, his files went missing. She says, what about the ten million? and he says, that’s also missing. Forsythe was the field agent. The last thing he wants is for this report to see the light of day. She says, what about Anna? and he says, her role was to be the girlfriend of the general so they could cross the border together and it would look less conspicuous than a single guy crossing on his own. She says, what about the other things in the files. He said they didn’t make any sense? He says, there were these passport photos; they looked like they were from the 80s. One was Anna, one was Forsythe, and one was someone he doesn’t know, but there was this other thing… He goes to his duffel bag and takes out the wallet. He says, that, and tosses it on the table.

Alexis says, hormone shifts and swollen ankles, and Kristina may get morning sickness. Kristina says she might, and she doesn’t know how she’s going to handle that. She won’t know until it happens, but she has faith in herself that she knows what she’s doing. Yes, this feels big, and it feels a little scary, but it also feels right. She’s confident in her decision, and honestly, she wishes Alexis had a little faith in her. Alexis says she has faith in Kristina and her courage and her generous heart. She needs to remember that Kristina is a beautifully grown woman, and she’s perfectly capable of making her own decisions and deciding what she wants. And now it’s her job to just step back and support Kristina, and she will support her. She loves her. Kristina says she loves Alexis too, and they hug.

Nina asks if Ava’s sure she’s going to be okay. Ava can always stay with her. Ava says she’s fine. The more she thinks about it, the more convinced she is that Nikolas just had somebody put that envelope in her bag. He wouldn’t risk Laura or Spencer seeing him in Port Charles. She’s sure he’s back in Europe and harassing her from afar. Honestly, she’s fine. Don’t worry about her. Nina asks if she’s sure, and Ava says she is. Nina leaves, and Ava double locks the door. She goes over to her desk, where the middle drawer is a little bit open. She opens the drawer fully and sees a gun with a note. She takes out the note and reads: YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU’LL NEED IT.

Trina says she doesn’t mean to tell Adam his business, but her grandfather is a professional musician, and she knows how important music is to his soul. Adam says, that’s okay. She’s passionate about it; he gets it. Josslyn says, Trina’s grandfather plays the clarinet and he’s absolutely incredible. He actually performed at her parents’ wedding reception, and it was beautiful. Adam says, that’s really cool. Is he successful? Trina says she guesses that depends on how you define success. He doesn’t fill stadiums or concert halls, but he supports himself as an artist and puts is art out there for people to experience. Adam says he can’t imagine what his life would be like if he just spent it making music, and Trina says, he doesn’t have to imagine it; he can actually find out. Josslyn says, he could change his major to music, and Trina says, or join a band or have a solo career… He says, that can’t happen. He’s going to be a doctor. Trina says, that’s good too. Her mom’s a doctor. As long as he knows he doesn’t have to do that. It’s his life, and if music fills his soul, she says he should do it.

Lindsay’s mother says she can’t thank Felicia enough. Being here over Christmas is already tough enough, but now she doesn’t have to stress about the paperwork. Felicia says, no, she doesn’t, and Lindsay says, if she’s here for Christmas, how will Santa find her? Felicia says, that’s easy. General Hospital has been working with Santa Claus for a very long time. They make sure he can find everyone here, so she doesn’t have to worry.

Stella tells Sonny that Mike got her through some tough times. He’d make her laugh until she was crying. That man could flirt. Sonny says, she’s right there, as he recalls, and she says, he better believe it. She didn’t know what courage was until she met that man. He set a whole new standard. But the thing she remembers most is how he loved Sonny. Sonny thanks her for that, and Stella says, he would ask her to remember their friendship even when he couldn’t. Like it was something she could ever forget. He says he appreciates that she treated his dad as a person and not just a patient, and they hug.

Carly tells Brennan, if something touches her family, that’s important to her, and that includes her business because it affects her family. He says, and after that? but she says she doesn’t know. She’s not shy in speaking up if she sees an injustice. At the same time, she’s not here to manage people’s lives. What does he find important? Donna comes back to have her hot chocolate, but she says, it’s barely hot anymore. Carly says, because it’s freezing, and they need to go home. She thanks Brennan for the hot chocolate, and Donna says, thank you. He says, it was his pleasure. Keep practicing. She’s good and getting better. Carly tells Brennan goodnight, and they leave.

Sam looks through the wallet, and Dante says he was going to leave it in the safe deposit box, but then he thought he’d bring it home to get a closer look. She says, ooh. Look. There are numbers here. A lot of numbers actually. She uses a magnifying glass to look at the inside of the bill compartment. He asks, how many numbers? and she says, twenty-one. Maybe it’s an account number. He says, could be, and she says, or it could be a phone number and they’re just throwing it off, disguising it with all these numbers. He wonders how the numbers relate back to the WSB report and whoever is after Anna.

Tomorrow, Portia says, Monica wants to see Finn in her office; Gregory says, Alexis looks less than thrilled; Carly says, Ava doesn’t have to tell her, but she has to tell Sonny; and Tracy asks someone if they’re ready for this.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Mauricio asks how the weed party was, and Kyle says, ridiculous. She says, there are a lot of rumors on the internet, and tells him about her argument with Sutton. We flash back to the ring discussion, and Kyle says, everyone thinks something now. Mauricio suggests she tell them to f*** off. He thinks it’s mean, and it causes more problems, more rumors, more bullsh*t. In Kyle’s interview, she says she shouldn’t be surprised, but she is.

Sutton and Avi go to her store, and she says she’s partied out. Event planner Nicole walks Sutton through the event, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she’s dreamt of having a store for over ten years and got one four years ago. She loved the opening. We flash back to that, and Sutton tells Avi and Nicole that they’re still here. People didn’t believe in her, and she wants to celebrate that. In her interview, she says, it became a business, turned into a bigger business, and now she has a second business pairing on top of it. Everything is happening quick and getting bigger. She’s become a businesswoman. Avi asks about food, but she says, no food. Everyone is on Octavia… Olympic? Avi says, it’s Ozempic, and in her interview, Sutton says she loves that she’s doing it on her own and didn’t take anybody’s money. It feels really good. A producer asks if she used her spousal support, and she says, of course. Hey, she earned that. Crystal calls and asks how Sutton is feeling about tomorrow’s event. Is everyone still invited that was invited? Does she want Kyle there? Sutton says, not if they’re going to fight. To hear Kyle making accusations about her drinking is so ridiculous. Crystal says, Dorit also said something, and Sutton says, it pisses her off. It’s the most ludicrous and dangerous accusation and she’s stomping it out. In Sutton’s interview, she says, it could hurt her business or her custodial arrangement. Her ex could take her son to England.

Therapist Jamie goes to Kyle’s house, and she has to lock the door to the room they’re in because her Golden Retriever can open the door with her paws. I sigh because my Golden, named Einstein no less, would look at a Frisbee until it bounced off his head and was literally scared of his own shadow. Kyle says she’s nervous, and Jamie says, she’s wired to be obsessive and anxious. What was she dealing with that’s triggering her? Kyle starts crying, and says, the past year she’s dealt with family stuff with her sisters, and it affects her intensely. She had an issue with her oldest sister Kathy. We flash back to Kyle asking Kathy how she can say those things, and Kyle tells Jamie, the result is, they’re not speaking again. It’s been happening off and on for ten years, since they first fell out after Mauricio started the agency. We flash back to 2011, and Kyle says, Kathy should be proud, but it’s never that. When she wrote her book, Kathy thought it was something it wasn’t and was mad at her. Kathy had an issue with her opening her store, and when she produced American Woman, she got a letter. We flash back to Kathy saying, it puts their mom in a bad light, and in Kathy’s interview, she says she had her lawyer write a letter saying her family can’t be used. Jamie says, Kyle can let them know she loves them, but it can’t be on their terms where she’s in the doghouse all the time. What would it take for her to feel safe and be open? Kyle says, but people say, it’s blood, but he says, there are no obligatory relationships. Family or not, this isn’t healthy. Kyle says, her very best friend for her whole life took her life on May 1st .

In Kyle’s interview, she says, Lorene was her other half. They were separated at birth, even though Lorene was a 6-foot blonde. We flash back to Lorene joining Kyle for some event on the show, and Kyle says, they met in second grade when they were seven, and were best friends ever since. Lorene was the most important person to her outside of her family and knew everything about her. She told Lorene more than she told her husband. She tells Jamie that Lorene was so together and in charge of everything in Kyle’s life if something happened to her. She doesn’t have answers and it’s frustrating. In her interview, she says she lost someone who’s a constant in her life, who she’s never had a falling out with. Someone who’s been through everything with her, and who she talked about everything with. She talked to Lorene about her sisters and never imagined something like this could happen. Jamie says, it’s a huge loss, but Kyle has to know that what Lorene represented, she still needs. She needs a safe place. What does she need to feel safe? Kyle says she surrounds herself with people who want the best for her. She’s taking care of her body and working out. In her interview, Kyle says, first losing a friend, then what happened with her sister is another loss. Her marriage always made her feel safe and grounded, and not feeling that is a lot. Jamie says, it’s important that she stand firm about feeling good. Relationships where there’s drama and she’s feeling judged aren’t good; it doesn’t matter if they’re blood. Give herself some credit. She’s growing and shifting, and it will ruffle a few feathers. So be it.

Garcelle goes to dinner with Jaid and Ashlyn, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she wasn’t mentally prepared for Jaid growing up and having a girlfriend. Ashlyn is sweet, but it’s hard to see Jaid like someone other than her. Her two boys couldn’t be more different, but she worries less about Jax. He has a mature sense of self, but Jaid is in the head of a fifteen-year-old. Basketball, his friends, his girlfriend, and shoes are all he thinks about. That’s it. He’s who she worries about now. Ashlyn is sweet with good manners. She speaks her mind and is sassy to Jaid. He picked a good one, but she wants to make sure she’s not a grandmother any time soon – again.

Annemarie says her house is bananas. It’s crazy energy at all times with eight million things going on. We see her trying to get the kids to eat breakfast, and in Annemarie’s interview, she says, it’s a tough job, but she loves it. Her kids are her priority and come before work and her husband. She and Marcellus have been married nine years. There were a lot of women going after him, but from day one, he owned their relationships. When they first met, he said, she was going to be his wife and acted accordingly. She won. He’s told her the reason he fell in love with her is that she’s an 8 ½ at everything. She’s not a 10, but a solid 8 ½, and not a lot of people can say that. She did get a 9 ½ on her body though. We see the insanity of getting the kids ready for their day.

Erika calls mom Renee, and tells her that in the 5th grade, she did a book report on a city, and for some reason chose Las Vegas. She just signed a contract for her Vegas residency. We see a clip of Erika being presented with the offer and signing the contract. In Erika’s interview, she says, Erika Jayne is back and bigger than ever. She tells Renee that she’s doing twenty shows, and in her interview, she says, at this time of year last year, she never could have imagined this. We flash back to that not so pretty mess, and she says, it’s nice to share good news for once. She plans on having more good news. She invites Renee to opening night, and her mom says, they knew she had talent, but perseverance is another situation. Erika needed this and deserves it.

Sutton does a double check before the store party, and Avi stresses over her touching things. She tells him to stop bossing her. Everyone gets ready, and Kyle calls Morgan. She tells Morgan that her date is her sister Kim, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, her relationship with Morgan is different than with her other friends. Morgan is constantly teasing her, and she knows when they hang out, she’s going to be roasted. She tells Morgan that she had a huge fight with Sutton. She and Garcelle thought a ring they’d never seen before was a make-up gift from Mauricio for cheating. She wonders what rumor her necklace is going to start. Maybe Mauricio has a family in another country. Maybe she does. The women start arriving, and Erika asks how Annemarie is feeling after the weed dinner, and Annemarie says she thought it was a comedy. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Sutton gave her a heads up that there would be about 80 people. It’s allowed her to mentally prepare herself for the situation going into. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s proud of Sutton. Four years is a lot to keep thriving. When she and Sutton met, Sutton said she hadn’t worked in 17 years, and Garcelle thought they’d have nothing in common. Now she loves Sutton. In the limo, Kim tells Kyle that she gets a lot of energy walking into a room, and it can be overwhelming. In Kyle’s interview, she says, she’s happy Kim is going. It will show Sutton that she didn’t lose two sisters. We flash back to Sutton’s cutting remark, and Kyle says, she has one with her. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Kyle’s not stupid. (I beg to differ, but go on.) She brought Kim to prove she and her sisters are close. At least one of them. They all search for something to say, along with some artist that got dragged in, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, if crickets could start chirping, it would be in this moment with Kyle. That’s how awkward it is. In Kim’s interview, she says, she’s here. She showed up. It’s not comfortable. Sutton takes the mic and looking at her notes, she thanks everyone for coming. She says she loves having her girlfriends here with her. A lot of labels get thrown out there about women, and hopefully it’s not women throwing labels at women. But tonight, she loves labels. In Erika’s interview, she says she doesn’t think Sutton is giving the most eloquent speech, but you can’t check all the boxes. Sutton says she’s the worst speaker, but she’s proud of herself. She thanks everyone and tells them to go back to drinking. She tells Avi that she can have her cocktail now, and asks Kyle if it’s okay. It’s her first one of day. She tells Kim that she’s asking permission from mom.

Kim says, obviously, there’s something more, and Kyle says she knows Sutton is upset about what she said the other night. Sutton was acting off, and she said she didn’t know if Sutton had one or five. Sutton says, it’s okay that Kyle had too many at Garcelle’s party, and we flash back to Kyle acting like an idiot. Garcelle asks how Erika felt at dinner with Denise, and Erika says, it was weird. Garcelle says, Erika keeps blowing her mind with her lack of reaction, and Erika says she’s in a place where she’s moved on and choosing to stay present in the moment. She was so high, she slept 17 hours. Kyle tells Sutton that she was talking about a moment. What about the bomb Sutton dropped about her jewelry? Sutton tells Kyle that she never said it was a makeup gift. Garcelle was the one who asked the question. Kyle suggests Garcelle was repeating what Sutton said, and Sutton says, ask Garcelle. It was a symptom of what they were talking about. Kyle wonders who’s saying what about her marriage, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, they’re saying Mauricio cheated. Mauricio moved out, Kyle moved out, Kyle doesn’t love him anymore. She stays out people’s bedrooms… unless they’re single. They go over to Garcelle, and Kyle demands to know why Garcelle didn’t ask if it was an anniversary or birthday gift or something she bought herself, which she did. Why doesn’t she ask about anything else? In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s almost like Kyle wants her to ask. Garcelle says, if there was a story behind it, would Kyle own up to it? and Kyle says, yes. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Kyle has another new ring that symbolizes connection, strength, and love; rooted in partnership. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, is that about Mau? Sutton says she’s disappointed in Dorit gossiping about her. Saying she has a drinking problem is unfair. Dorit denies she said it, but Sutton says, Crystal told her. She said Dorit is running around telling everyone that Sutton has a drinking problem. Dorit says, the only conversation she had was with Crystal and Kyle at Kyle’s house, and we flash back to Dorit saying, Sutton probably has vodka in her coffee in the morning, which is a pretty awful thing to say. Sutton says, the accusation is dangerous, and Dorit says she’ll figure it out with Crystal. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal hardly ever speaks, and now she’s decided to be a carrier pigeon for Sutton. Dorit applauds, but I’m not sure if it’s for herself, Sutton, or the idea of a carrier pigeon. Kyle tells Sutton that she’d like to fix things. Sutton’s comment about denial hurt her. Sutton says she’s sorry. She’s a forgiving person, and as long as the other person is honest, she’ll always move on. Kyle apologizes to Sutton, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, they’ve apologized, but is she running through lavender fields? No. They have to lick their wounds and start anew. They both said terrible things that will take a while to get over. Dorit asks why Crystal is saying she’s going around telling people that Sutton has a drinking problem. Crystal reminds Dorit that she said it to her, and Dorit says, so did Kyle. Crystal says, then both of them did. In Crystals interview, she says, you hear it. You fear it. You wish it never happened. She’s on the other end of a jury interrogation. Dorit goes on and on and on about how Sutton is a drinker, and Crystal says she’s bored. Garcelle and I both laugh.  

Crystal says she wants to be clear, Dorit only told her and Kyle. Annemarie says she overheard Sutton saying she has neuropathy. She must be taking gabapentin, but she said she could have a drink with it. She can’t. Sutton says, her doctor said she could, but Annemarie insists she can’t. Sutton says, her doctor okayed it, and Annemarie says she can a do what she wants, but technically, the two shouldn’t be put together. Sutton says she takes it at night, and Erika says she does that anyway with a lot of things. Garcelle says, they lived it, and Kim says, what about the esophagus thing? Sutton says she’s not on medication for that, and in Annemarie’s interview, she says, what Sutton is telling them doesn’t make sense. Annemarie says, she only does anesthesia, but this sounds like a symptom of something, not a diagnosis. If Sutton has a stricture, she needs to chew her food more. She can get treatment for the problem. She uses it as a reason for not eating food. Sutton says she does eat food, and Annemarie tells Sutton that she didn’t say that. She’s saying, it doesn’t make sense. Sutton says, Annemarie’s not her doctor, but Annemarie insists it doesn’t make sense. Sutton tells Annemarie not to yell at her. Why is she at a doctor’s appointment now? Does she need her insurance card? Annemarie says, she can get treatment, and Sutton says, her brother gets his esophagus stretched out. She chooses not to. Shall they do it as a group? Erika suggests she give a BJ, and in Erika’s interview, she says she’s solved the mystery. Sutton has a small esophagus, so no date number two. It’s not the cat sweater or the kooky behavior. It’s the esophagus. Sutton says, are we done, doctor? and Annemarie says, that was condescending. Well, what’s condescending is Annemarie not correcting Sutton that she is not a doctor, never mind giving Sutton unwanted medical advice when she’s not licensed to; and doing this at Sutton’s party. Why, oh why, do they always bring up inappropriate things at gatherings? Annemarie says, it doesn’t medically make sense, and Sutton says, it works for her. In Sutton’s interview, she says, they just met. They’re basically strangers. She doesn’t know Annemarie’s last name. Buy her something at least. Sutton suggests they get more lighthearted. She’s trying to relax. This is a big deal for her. Kyle says, cheers, and in Erika’s interview, she says, Sutton is a business owner, ambitious, and doing her own thing when she doesn’t have to. She could lay around in a kaftan drinking martinis. In Dorit’s interview, she says she’s proud and excited for Sutton, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, she sold her store because the rents were so high. Sutton’s store is a good thing and still going strong. Sutton says, her ex is now moving to England, and she’s scared. Erika says, when you live your own life completely, you blossom. She’ll feel different, free in a different way. In Sutton’s interview, she says, after the divorce, she had to grow up, but she knew he was still there. It’s the end of a fairy tale. She’s seeing herself, not as a housewife, but this woman who’s succeeding in multiple ways. She should be and is proud of herself. They take photos.  

Later in the season, Garcelle tries to talk to her sons about sex; Erika’s Vegas residency; a trip to (I think) Spain; a haunted castle; Kyle is scared to let Kathy back in; Kyle doesn’t know if she and Mauricio are going to make it; Morgan gives a shout out to Kyle at her concert; and Crystal ends up in the emergency room.

🔎 Hunting For the Good Tape…

Join me tomorrow for soap and what passes as Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your normal routine as much as possible throughout the holidays, and stay not waiting for everything to be perfect to try for what you want, or you might miss your chance altogether.

December 12, 2023 – Ned Wants To Make a Deal With Nina, She Shines, Daytime Emmy Info, Speaking Out, Mishap, No Snow, Not So Pretty, VanderTrailer, Stay Healthy, Holiday Pets (!) & Feliz

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Tracy walks into the nook and sees Ned on his guitar. She says she knew it was too good to be true. Eddie Maine has clearly not left the building.

Brook is about to knock on Maxie’s office door, when she hears Maxie talking to Felicia on the phone. Maxie says, her mom and dad have already helped her so much. She can’t allow them to jeopardize their financial future to get her out of this mess.

There’s a knock at Nina’s office door, and she says, come in. Willow walks in and asks if it’s a bad time, but Nina says, never. She’s so happy to see Willow. Willow asks if she’s sure, because lately, it feels like she’s been pulling away.

Obrecht meets Scotty at Kelly’s, and he asks her to have a seat, but she says she’s not sitting. She’s not staying. State his business. He says, coffee. He thought they agreed if they ran into each other in public, they’d be civil. She says, they did, but this is not a chance encounter where they can nod their heads regretfully to each other in passing and continue on. He says, you call that civil? and she sits down. She says, he asked her here to what end? and he says he thinks their relationship ended too soon.

At the counter, Hume asks Brennan why he keeps coming back to Kelly’s, and Brennan says he likes the ambience. Hume says, he knows this place is owned by Corinthos’s ex-wife. What if someone recognizes them?

Sam meets Kristina at Kelly’s, and Kristina gives a crazy coffee order. Sam says, it sounds like someone needs a pick-me-up. Did she have a late night? Kristina says, no. Just indulging while she can. Sam asks what that’s supposed to mean.

Dante hangs around the lockers until he’s sure no one is around. He takes out the key.

As Brook listens, Maxie says she loves that her parents want to bail her out, but if they could just make the money back, they’d have it… Okay. Let her look at the numbers. Maybe they can come up with a compromise, like a partial loan or something, but she has to go… She loves Felicia too. Bye. Brook knocks at the door, and Maxie says, it’s open. Brook comes in, and Maxie says, this is a surprise. Brook asks if she’s in the middle of something, and Maxie says, always, but it’s good to see her. Brook asks if everything is okay, and Maxie says, fine, great actually. Deception is back and better than ever. Brook asks if she’s sure, and Maxie says, yeah. Why does she ask? Brook says, because she was just eavesdropping on her.

Ned continues to play, and Tracy says, the Bridge and Tunnel twins swore up and down he was in his right mind. She doesn’t know why she let them get her hopes up. Clearly those perpetual teenyboppers prefer having Eddie Maine around. He asks if she really thinks so, and she says she knows so. The Pink Ladies from Bensonhurst are probably tearing each other’s hair out, battling over who gets to wear his leather jacket. He says, are you quite finished, mother? and she says, it’s ridiculous to… Did he just call her mother? He says he’s sure that’s not the only thing he’s called her, and she says, Ned? He says, it’s me.

Nina says she hasn’t been distancing herself from Willow. Absolutely not. It’s just with the magazine and the MetroCourt and the holidays, she’s been jammed. Willow asks if she means that, and Nina says, of course (🍷) she does. Willow says, because if this relationship is going to work, they have to be honest with each other, and Nina says, absolutely. Willow wonders if she said or did something to upset Nina, but Nina says, it’s just she’s been swamped on all fronts. She knows people were concerned when she offered to sell her half of the MetroCourt back to Carly. They thought she was doing it to score points with her and Willow, but honestly, it’s really that having two full-time jobs has taken its toll. Willow says, of course (🍷). She gets it. Nina says she’s glad Willow is here because she wanted her input. She has some ideas, but wanted Willow’s opinion. What does Willow think she should get Wiley and Amelia for Christmas?

Obrecht says, the bond she and Scotty shared was broken, and he’s the one who broke it when he chose to help Elizabeth, even though Elizabeth’s lies contributed to her Britta’s death. He says, she was his client. Confidentiality. Obrecht, as a doctor, knows it would have been unethical for him to tell her. She says, legally and medically, they’re both such paragons of ethics. She’s truly sorry, but their problems are unsurmountable. He says, they also had a lot of fun even though they have these problems. The way he sees it, they march to a different drumbeat. That’s why he thinks they are a good match. She says, that’s why they were a good match, but now… He doesn’t want her back. He just wants someone to avoid being alone. She thinks people understand that. She’s been in relationships where she felt more alone than when she was encumbered. (Truth!) That’s how she knows it’s best not to settle. He says, settle. She hasn’t even been around. She’s been galivanting all over the country to all these medical conventions and everything else. Tell him. Is she not just a little bit lonely?

Sam tells Kristina that she heard about the miscarriage. Molly is devastated. Kristina says, it’s awful. She ran into Molly in Rice Park. She was bawling her eyes out, so Kristina took Molly back to her apartment. They talked about things, and they decided she’s going to be Molly’s surrogate.

Brennan tells Hume that the only one who would recognize him is Anna Devane, and it’s been over thirty years. He doubts she’d recognize him. Hume says, spies have very long memories; it’s part of the job. Brennan is living proof.

Dante opens the locker and takes out a box wrapped in brown paper. Another man comes in, and Dante puts his hand on his gun, but the man takes out his phone and keeps walking. Dante closes and locks the locker, and leaves with the package.

Nina says, wheels. Got it. How about Amelia? Willow says she understands Amelia is too young to understand what she’s playing with, but if Nina decides to get her a doll, she prefers it to be a doll with a career. (Do baby dolls have careers now?) Nina says, all right, so like a doctor, a lawyer doll? and Willow says, or even an editor/hotelier like her grandmother. Nina says, or a nurse like her mom, and Willow says, all good ideas. Nina says she just has to tell Willow… She thanks Willow for coming here. She really appreciates it. Willow says, right back at her, and Nina says, Willow will let her know if she overdoes it, right? Willow says, total honesty means total honesty. Since they’re discussing Christmas, Michael tells her that they’re going to be spending Christmas Eve with her and Sonny. Nina says, yeah. Is that okay? Willow says, it’s great. She was thinking the kids could open up their presents from her and Sonny while they’re there. That way, Nina can see their reaction.

Tracy says she missed Ned so much, and he says he faked that amnesia for months just to hear her say that. She asks if he wants another head injury, and he says, not that he doesn’t deserve one. He’s sorry for how he behaved toward her when he thought he was Eddie. She says, no apology necessary, and he says, really? She says, actually, it’s Eddie Maine who owes her an apology, but his non-existence in and of itself is a gift. She’s so grateful to have her son standing in front of her is enough. He says, she knows he loves her, right? and she says, of course (🍷). What’s not to love? He laughs, and she says she loves him too. She punches his arm, and he says, what? She says, he’s wasted so much time, and he says, saying they love each other? She says, he let her go on and on about him being Eddie Maine still, and he says, have you ever tried to stop you? She says she wants him to put this guitar in the attic. He needs to focus and stop Michael from taking ELQ. He says he thought she wanted nothing to do with ELQ, and she says she doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean she wants to see Alan’s surprise offspring and his grandson run away with it. Ned needs to get his head in the game.

Kristina tells Sam that she doesn’t have to say anything. She knows how Sam feels about it. Sam’s already told her that she doesn’t think it would be wise for her to be Molly and TJ’s surrogate. Sam tells her that she never said that. What she meant to say was, being pregnant and giving birth are bigger than Kristina could ever imagine. They have to be experienced to be understood. She just wanted Kristina to think about it carefully before she made a commitment. Kristina says, Sam was right, 100%. She wasn’t ready. And now she is, and so is Molly.

Brennan says he knows Hume has met Corinthos face to face. Is there anyone else in town who could recognize him? Hume says, a few of his guards and business associates. Other than that… Brennan says, maybe it’s time for Hume to head back to DC, and Hume says, whatever the circumstances require. Brennan says, but before he goes, find the report that Forsythe stole from Anna Devane.

Obrecht tells Scotty that she may be alone in her travels, but she’s never lonely. She’s interacting with her peers, talking about her expertise. And she’s learning so much; discoveries and developments in disease, discoveries in technology and treatments. She can’t begin to tell him how exciting it all is. He says, that’s it. He wants her to tell him this stuff. She says, Scotty. Stuff. He says he wants to tell her something, since they may never see each other again, and she says, an ominous prologue. He says he thinks she may be doing all this traveling to hide from her grief, and she says, Auf Wiedersehen. Have a good life. She gets up, and goes outside, but he follows her. He says, hang on a second. Talk to him. he understands the grief she’s going through. More than anybody. He buried three children. Their children were forces of nature, and he thinks if they talk about them, if they share their grief – he takes her hand – that will bring them closer together. She says, that is precisely why they’re not together. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Maxie tells Brook, what can she say? At least Brook is admitting upfront this time that she’s spying. Brook says she wasn’t spying… this time. Maxie’s door was a little bit open and she just happened to hear part of the conversation. Maxie says, fine. She guesses that’s the definition of eavesdropping. Since Brook isn’t here for corporate espionage, what is she here for? Brook says she wanted to share some news, brushing her hair back with her left hand so Maxie can see the ring. Maxie says, oh my God. Brook and Chase? Brook says, they’re engaged, and Maxie squeals, running over to Brook. She says, congratulations, hugging her, and Brook thanks her. Maxie says she has to look, and takes Brook’s hand, checking out the ring. Brook asks if it meets with her approval, and Maxie says, yes, it does. That is a good stone. Her feelings are a little hurt that Chase didn’t consult with her, but whoever he did go to steered him in the right direction. Brook says, he did his research and the was thorough. Chase is so sweet that way. Maxie asks if Brook and Detective Adorable have set a date yet, and Brook says, not yet, but they’re thinking early in the new year. Maxie says she sees, and looks at Brook’s stomach. She says, for real this time? and Brook says she’s not pregnant. Maxie says, why the shotgun? and Brook says, there is no shotgun or weapons of any kind. They just… Violet doesn’t believe in long engagements. Maxie says, all right then. If she needs a wedding planner… Brook says, like she would consider anybody else. And she’s sure Maxie has planned her entire wedding already. Maxie says she has a file… and a vision board. She has color samples, dress choices, dinner and dessert menus, a DJ playlist, venues… Brook says, she hasn’t picked the band yet? and Maxie says, Brook is the one who knows all the musicians. Maxie says she’s missed them, and Brook says, her too, taking Maxie’s hand. Since Maxie is going to make her the happiest woman on her wedding day, maybe there’s something she can do for Maxie in return. Maxie says, such as? and Brook says, spill it. Tell her what’s going on.

Nina says she and Sonny would love to watch Wiley and Amelia open up their gifts, and Willow claps her hands and says, yes. Nina says, as long as Michael’s okay with it, and Willow says, it’s Christmas. She can’t imagine why he wouldn’t be. Ned knocks on the door and says, this is convenient. He can kill two birds with one stone. Willow says, he has something to discuss with both her and Nina? and he says, as a matter of fact, he does. Drew. Willow says, what about Drew? and Ned says he just wanted to make sure they both knew; Drew will be spending Christmas in Australia with a business deal. Willow says she knew that. Nina? Nina says, that’s news to her. She’ll have to make sure Sonny knows that. She thanks Ned for coming by and telling them. That might change Carly’s holiday plans, which might change their plans. Ned says, the domino effect. One decision sets in motion a whole chain of events. Willow says she’s got to run. She’ll talk to Nina if she has any more gift ideas for the kids. Nina says she’ll do the same, and Willow leaves. Ned closes the door and says he can’t tell Nina how tempted he was to let Willow know he wasn’t the one who turned Drew and Carly in to the SEC. It was her. She says, so why didn’t he?

Maxie tells Brook, when Tracy’s lawsuit stalled Deceptor sales, the stocks plummeted, and she stopped drawing salary. Brook says, no, and Maxie says, she went from paying off her credit cards monthly to only making the minimum payments, but she still had bills, so she was still charging. She basically blew through her savings and dug herself into a major hole. Brook says, but Deception is recovering, right? And Maxie’s salary is going to kick in soon. Maxie says, if only, and Brook asks what she’s going to do. Maxie says, her mom and Mac want to liquidate part of their financial portfolio to help her out of this debt, but she doesn’t feel right about doing that. They’ve worked their entire lives to earn that money so their portfolio can grow. Brook says, okay, so how about if she loans Maxie the money? and Maxie says she appreciates the thought, but she can’t accept that. Brook says, why not? She’s a trust fund baby. She has tons of funds in an account that she didn’t earn. She would be putting it into good use. Maxie thanks her for the offer, but her parents are going to help her, and Brook asks if Maxie would even be in this position if it weren’t for Tracy’s lawsuit, or her spying. Maxie says, no, she wouldn’t, and Brook says, so let her fix this. She owes it to Maxie. Maxie says, this is not Brook’s problem to solve. It’s hers and she will. Now she really needs to get back to work. Brook says, why? It’s not like she’s getting paid. Maxie says she can’t wait to plan Brook’s wedding, even more than she already has, and they hug.

Scotty says he doesn’t understand why Obrecht won’t let him comfort her, help her here. Forget about a relationship. Why won’t she let him help her? She says she doesn’t want him to. She doesn’t want anyone to. When she lost Nathan, she didn’t think she could go on, but she did. In part, because she still had her Britta. Some people might find comfort that their child died heroically. She envies them. All she feels is grief. She doubts she’ll ever make sense of why she’s still alive and her children are gone. Perhaps it’s so she can redeem herself with her grandson James. He reminds her so much of her son Nathan. She starts to cry, and he says he understands the whole grandkid thing. Elizabeth’s kids aren’t his by blood, but he is their grandfather. He likes it that way. She says, it’s good they can still count the few remaining blessings they have, and he says he thinks they can have more blessings. She says, just when they were doing so well, and laughs. He says he wants love. He thinks she does too.

Kristina tells Sam that she knew how badly Molly wanted to be a mother of course (Auf Wiedersehen), but she never really grasped it until she saw Molly in the park that day. She wants to be Molly’s surrogate. She wants to give Molly and TJ what they want more than anything.

Hume says, they’ve been attempting to reconstruct Forsythe’s movements from the night he retrieved the report until his death. Brennan asks when they’ll have actual results, and Hume says he’s been assured, very soon. Brennan says, none of this would be necessary if someone hadn’t jumped the gun quite literally and got rid of Forsythe prematurely. He was much more valuable alive.

A bank officer brings Dante a safe deposit box, and thanks him for choosing their bank. He leaves, Dante opens the box, and takes the package out of his duffel bag. He puts on gloves, takes out a pocketknife, and slices open the paper.

Kristina tells Sam that she just knows Molly and TJ want this so badly. She wants to be a good sister. She wants to give this to them. Okay, hit her. Thoughts, concerns, questions, objections. God knows Sam’s got them. Sam says she does, and she can see Kristina has thought this through, and it’s coming from a place of love. And she supports Kristina all the way.

Dante takes a box out of the paper and opens it. He takes out some papers and looks at them. It looks like it’s probably the report in question because it talks about an operation and Forsythe’s name is all over. We see Anna’s name, and something about a whole lot of money that was never recovered. At the bottom, it says, WSB. After flipping through it, Dante sets the report aside, and shakes some photos out of a small envelope. He sees a headshot of a guy I assume is Forsythe, one of Anna, and when he looks at the last picture, Dante says, who are you? I’m thinking Brennan, younger and without facial hair.

Scotty says he knows he and Obrecht were crazy about each other a while back. He thinks they can be crazy about each other again. She says, is that so? and he says, yes, it is. He has another point. Time is ticking away and they’re not getting any younger. So he says they strike while the iron’s hot. She says, he believes they should embrace this opportunity because another, better one might not come along, and he says, yeah. If they can take this opportunity, why wait for another opportunity? She says, an admirable attempt. What Maxie would call, a nice save. If one of them is settling, then they both are, and she never settles. She kisses him on the cheek and says she hopes he knows, even though they won’t have their own happy ending, she hopes he finds one himself. She leaves.

On the phone, Maxie says, they can let Haven know they’ll consider booking another segment with Sasha and Cody, but Haven will have to agree, in advance, to limit her own camera time. Lucy comes to the door, but says, sorry. Maxie’s busy. She’ll come back. Maxie signals her not to go, and says, just give Haven the message and let them know what she decides. They’re not in a hurry. She asks Lucy, what’s up? and Lucy says, nothing really. No. Nothing… She thinks she made a mistake.

Brook asks if Tracy’s got a minute, and Tracy says, for her granddaughter, always. She shows Brook her tablet and says, look at these pictures. Isn’t Sasha radiant? Brook says, she always is, and Tracy says she doesn’t really get the point of Cody though. Brook says, everyone has a different demographic, right? and Tracy says she supposes so. Sasha has the department store and boutique crowd, and he maybe increases foot traffic… Can Brook imagine? Lucy Coe wanted to replace her with a random singer? Brook says, that random singer’s name is Blaze, and she happens to be wildly popular and extremely talented. Tracy says, good for her, and Brook says, Blaze is also her client. Tracy says, good for Brook. She’s definitely not the Face of Deception, nor will she ever be. Brook says, which coincidentally, she wanted to talk to Tracy about. Tracy says, the singer? but Brook says, no, Deception.

Ned says he doesn’t know. Why didn’t he expose Nina to Willow and blow up her newfound detente with her? Nina says, there’s one thing everyone seems to be conveniently forgetting. Regardless of who turned in Carly and Drew to the SEC, that doesn’t change the fact that they committed insider trading. He says, so Drew at least got what he deserved, including a beating… She says, Drew didn’t deserve to be attacked, but that had nothing to do with the insider trading, and he says, Drew wouldn’t have been in Pentenville in the first place if Nina hadn’t turned them in. She says, if Carly and Drew hadn’t committed a crime, and he says, if this had been about justice or doing the right thing, she wouldn’t have used Martin as her go-between. So now, she’s scrambling because she wants to keep all of this quiet, because she doesn’t want to lose Sonny or lose any chance of having a relationship with Willow, her sweet, beautiful daughter. So far, it’s worked. So far. She says, if he wanted to blow up her life, he wouldn’t be talking to her right now. He’d be out there talking to Sonny or Michael or Willow or whoever. But here he is talking to her. So tell her, what does he want? he says, what he wants is to make a deal with her.

Tracy says she thought Brook wanted nothing to do with Deception. That she wanted her sole focus to be music, and she couldn’t have Deception as back-up because it would prevent her from going all-in on her dream of being a so-called manager for so-called talent. Brook says, Tracy was listening, and Tracy says she heard every word. Brook says, how else could Tracy use it against her later? and Tracy asks if Brook just dropped by to remind her that she turned her nose up at that generous offer? Brook says, actually, she dropped by to tell Tracy that she reconsidered, and Tracy says, reconsidered what?

Maxie asks, what’s the mistake? and Lucy says she had drinks with Scotty. Maxie says, she’s done that billions of times. Not literally billions, but at least in the thousands. Lucy says she’s not making herself clear, is she? and Maxie says she can’t believe she’s asking this, but can Lucy elaborate? Lucy says, Scotty asked her to join him for drinks, and like Maxie said, a billion times, so she agreed, but it quickly became clear, Scotty’s really lonely. He seemed out of sorts. He had that break-up with Liesl… Maxie says she never thought he was good enough for her, and Lucy says, what? She always thought exactly the opposite. Scotty has faults, she agrees – many, many faults – but deep down underneath, he has a big heart of gold. And therein lies the problem. Maxie says, that she thinks Scotty has a big heart of gold, and Lucy says, yes. She can’t help herself; she sympathizes with him. And sympathy always leads her down this road that she’s traveled many, many, many times. And the last time she traveled that road, she lost her Doc for good, and she doesn’t want the same thing to happen with Marty. Maxie says, of course (🍷) not, and Lucy says, she and Maxie were thinking the same thing; she and Scotty are just friends, right? They’re best friends. They’re just friendly friend, friend friends, and could never be anything else but just friends. Because if they cross that line of romance, it leads ultimately to total disaster. She ends up heartsore, humiliated, and broke; sometimes all three happen at the same time. But at the same time, it’s not Scotty’s fault. He’s a unique, funny, wonderful man. He’s also absolutely the catalyst to some of the worst decisions she’s ever made in her entire life. There’s a knock on the door, and Scotty asks if he’s interrupting.

Nina says, in return for Ned keeping quiet about her turning Carly and Drew in to the SEC, he wants what? He says he’s willing to continue taking the blame for Drew going to prison, if she gets him some insider information. She says, he doesn’t lack for audacity, does he? and he says he sees the irony hasn’t escaped her. (Me neither.) She says, okay, so this isn’t a joke. He wants her to get him insider information on what? Crimson or the MetroCourt? He says, Drew and Michael have been double-teaming him again with ELQ and Aurora. What he wants – what he needs – is an advantage, specifically inside information on Crimson’s parent company Aurora.

Kristina says she’s got to run and asks Sam if everything is okay. Sam says, yeah. She was just hoping to hear from Dante. He’s working on a case and she wants to make sure everything is okay. Kristina says, Dante is a badass. She’s sure he’s fine. Sam says, when Kristina is right, she’s right, and Kristina asks her to say it again. She wants to make that her ringtone. Sam says, when she’s right, she’s right, and Kirstina says she loves Sam. She kisses Sam on the cheek, and leaves.

Hume says, continuing to search for the report could leave them exposed, but Brennan says, that is the risk. Hume asks if it’s worth taking, and Brennan says, if that report were to fall into the wrong hands, it would not only compromise the WSB, it would compromise Pikeman. Does Hume think it’s worth it?

Sam is about to send a text to Dante: Everything okay? but she puts her phone down. Willow runs over to her table, and Sam jumps. Willow says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to startle Sam.

Dante looks through a wallet, but it’s empty. He puts everything back in the box, closes it, folds the wrapping paper, and puts it on top of the box. He puts everything in the safe deposit box, but as he’s about to close it, he takes the wallet back out. He puts the wallet in his pocket, closes the box, and locks it. He picks up his duffel bag and leaves.

Brook says, since she got engaged, she’s realized Tracy is right, but Tracy says, she’ll have to narrow that down. Brook says, until she gets more clients and gets them more gigs and more contracts… Tracy says, and until she starts making money… Brook says, it’s going to be hard to live on Chase’s salary. So it seems like a good idea to find something more stable to supplement her income. So if Tracy’s offer is still on the table… Tracy says her offer is still on the table. She’d be delighted to have Brook join her at Deception. Brook thanks her, and Tracy says, and some day in the future, the company will be Brook’s. But until then, she has a lot to learn, and Tracy can’t wait to start teaching her.

Lucy says, she and Maxie were in the middle of a very important conference, and Maxie says, Scotty’s not here on Deception business, is he? He says, no, it’s personal, and Maxie says, she and Lucy were in the middle of something. Lucy says, they were, but tells Maxie, they’re fine. Maxie thanks her for the escape, and leaves. Lucy asks what exactly Scotty wants, and he says he’s flying down to Florida to see Serina for Christmas and say hello to the manatees. She says, that’s really nice, and asks him to give Serina her love, but he says, why doesn’t she tell Serina herself. Does she want to tag along?

Nina says, Ned thinks she can get insider information on Auroa, and he says, Crimson is one of Aurora’s biggest assets. That gives her access. She says, it doesn’t. Aurora is all Michael and Drew. Michael hates her guts, and she and Drew aren’t exactly best friends. Ned says, if she thinks he hates her now, just wait until he finds out she’s the reason he almost died in prison. She says, even if she sets up a meeting with Drew to talk about Crimson and Aurora, he’s not going to talk to her about anything except Crimson. He’s not going to give her any relevant details about Aurora or ELQ. Ned tells her to think back to those bygone days in Nixon Falls, when she kept Sonny’s identity hidden from him; when she kept Sonny’s very existence hidden from everyone here. She says, he’s bringing this up why? and he says, to remind her just how resourceful she can be, especially when her back is up against the wall, which it most certainly is right now. She says, Nixon Falls is a very small town. All she had to do was not say anything, and people still found out. He says, get him that intel. Otherwise, he’ll just make that short, three-minute walk from the mansion to the gatehouse and share some insider information of his own with Willow about just how low Nina can stoop.

Willow says, Christmas Eve, she and Michael are taking the kids to Sonny and Nina’s, and Sam says, she and Dante are taking the kids to the Quartermaines on Christmas… She suddenly gets up and runs to the door where Dante has just come in. She throws her arms around him, and Willow says, perfect.

Brennan tells Hume, worst case scenario, Forsythe passed the report on to someone else. Hume says, and if that is the case… Brennan says, whoever has it now will have to be dealt with.

Tomorrow, Nina asks what’s got Ava so terrified; Sam asks if Dante trusts Anna; Kristina says she knows what she’s in for, but Alexis says, no, she doesn’t; and Brennan says, perhaps Carly can accompany him.

🌞 She’s No Slouch…

At 9 years old, I was playing with Barbies.

🏆 Awarding Daytime…

This Friday, December 15th, 9 pm EST, on CBS and Paramount+.

I like how they chose the presenter for Susan Lucci’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

🚽 Ozempic Not OK…

Maybe it’s me, but I’m not into the side effects.

https://okmagazine.com/p/bravo-celebrities-who-have-spoken-ozempic/

🎤 Her Show Went On…

Seriously, does it really make any difference?

🐉 Jon Stalled…

Looks like a wall got put up on this one.

https://www.cbr.com/jon-snow-game-of-thrones-disappointing-update/

👠 And She Oughtta Know…

What she said was very accurate. I also highly recommend her new film Leave the World Behind on Netflix. It really keeps you guessing.

https://ew.com/julia-roberts-responds-pretty-woman-gift-real-housewives-beverly-hills-8413985

🍸 Prolonging the Pain…

Milking the VanderCashCow.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-season-11-extended-trailer-8414301

🍰 Staying the Course…

And remember, it’s not what you eat between Christmas and the New Year, but what you eat between the New Year and Christmas. Although admittedly, that eating business begins at Halloween.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/food-dining/2023/11/20/staying-healthy-holiday-tips/71570950007/

🦌 On Doberman and Dachshund…

Luckily, my newest dog doesn’t mind a hat.

🐀 Not a Creature Is Stirring…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the nonsense that is Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay hydrated even in the cooler months, and stay embracing opportunities, but not settling.

December 8, 2023 – The Not Perfect Tree Is Lit, Her Return, The M.E., Side Gig, Barrier Breaker, Sisters, Problem, Hamster Wheel, You’re Fired, LVP Report, Hannukah Pups, Quote Octet & Hollis

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth and Finn walk to his door, and he thanks her for doing this. She says she wouldn’t miss it, and from inside, Violet asks if it’s Finn. He says, it is, and she says, don’t come in until she tells him to. She says, he can come in now, and throws open the door. She says, look at her tree, and Gregory says, she picked it out herself. The tree isn’t quite Charlie Brown, but it’s pretty janky.

Molly is about to knock on Kristina’s door, when TJ asks if she really wants to do this. She asks if he’s having second thoughts, but he says, let’s call it an abundance of caution. Sometimes life doesn’t give you time to think things over. You make a snap decision and have to live with the consequences, but they have time to take a moment and review and reevaluate. She asks where he’s going with this, and he says, she’s the smart Davis daughter, Sam is the resourceful one, Kristina is the impetuous one. Are the 100% sure they want her to be their surrogate?

Anna goes to Valentin’s house and asks if Charlotte is here. He says, she’s with Laura. It helps her to spend some quality time with her grandmother. Anna says, that’s perfect really. Laura is a wonderful presence in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte’s lucky to have her. He says, she’s got a dad too, and asks what he can do for Anna. She says, nothing. She just came by to give him an update. He says, on? and she says, on the arsonist who set fire to her house. It wasn’t Charlotte.

Lois looks up the stairs and says, this is a disaster, and Olivia says she knows. Lois says, not one inch of this entire gigantic house has been decorated for Christmas.

On a plane, Tracy hears the stewardess say that they’re anticipating landing in an hour. She looks at her phone and sees her and Luke’s wedding picture. She starts to cry and puts on her sunglasses and a hat.

Lois tells Olivia that Lila would be so upset. She’d have Reginald… Olivia says, who? and Lois says, Reggie. He was the butler when she and Ned were married. She would have Reggie and the entire staff decorating this house by the first of the month. Everything would be out except for a few things that came out on Christmas Eve. She’s thinking of a specific train set that Alan was very fond of. It was a family heirloom given to him by his grandfather who was in railroads. Olivia says, like an engineer? but Lois says, no. Great-grandpa Quartermaine owned railroads going upstate into Canada, and this particular train set was an exact replica of one of his trains. Alan was so proud of it, but by then, it was an antique, so it only came out on Christmas Eve, but everything else was everywhere else. There were wreaths on the doors, there was a garland going all the way down the staircase, and everything by December 1st. She can’t believe Olivia wasn’t more on getting the decorations up. Her family’s house, her father’s garage was like a Christmas wonderland. Olivia’s own apartment… She could tell Olivia’s room on the street just by looking up. Olivia says she still enjoys Christmas decorating, but early on in her marriage to Ned, she and Monica sort of clashed over the Christmas décor. She wanted a fresh tree; Olivia put up something more… effusive. Monica made it very clear that this was her house, it was her choice, so Olivia just let it be. She let Monica take the lead with the Christmas decorating. Lois says she appreciates the sensitivity, but they can’t leave this house bare while they’re waiting for Monica to come back from her medical conference. Olivia says, okay, then let’s go for it, and Lois says, if her vote has any weight to it, she would appreciate a natural tree as well. Olivia says, she can do natural. Look at her fingernails. If they’re going to get a tree, they’d better get moving.

Violet says, it wasn’t as pretty as the others. If she hadn’t picked it, it might have not gotten picked at all. Finn says he thinks she chose the perfect tree, but Violet says, the whole point is that it’s not perfect. Finn says, but he thinks it’s perfect for them, and Elizabeth says she agrees. Violet is really getting into the spirit of Christmas. And she promises they are going to make this tree look spectacular. Gregory says, the first step is putting on the lights. Who’s going to do the honors? Violet says, daddy, and Finn says, how about a nice cup of hot cocoa first?

Molly says, from the moment she and TJ decided to have a baby, they faced nothing but setbacks. Sometimes she thinks the universe is trying to tell them something. Maybe they’re not meant to have children. He tells her, he never said that, and she says, so he does want to have a baby. He says, absolutely, and she says, so does she. Anytime she thinks about giving up and accepting they’re not going to have kids, she gets this pit in her stomach. That’s why she was crying in the park when Kristina found her. The thought of never having a family with TJ broke her. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, that’s when everything started to shift. Think about this. She’s never in the park in the middle of the afternoon. She’d be in her office or be in court. What are the odds she’d be there and so would Kristina? About a million to one. That’s got to be fate, right? Fate that her sister would find her. Fate that her sister would offer to carry their child again. And she has no interest in fighting fate. She can feel it in her heart that this is the right thing to do, and she’s 1000% sure about Kristina. He says, then so is he. Let’s do this. She knocks on the door, and Kristina invites them in. She asks what brings them over, and TJ says, this is more of a sister thing, so he’ll let Molly explain. Kristina says, spill it, sister, and Molly says she’s here to officially ask Kristina for a huge favor, one that will dominate her life for the next nine months… Kristina says, yes, she’ll be their surrogate, and Molly asks if she’s sure. Kristina says she’s never been so sure of anything in her life, and hugs Molly.

Valentin says, Charlotte has always denied burning down Anna’s house, but she lies about a lot of things. Anna says, she didn’t lie about this, and Valentin asks how she can be sure. She says, forensics collected some scraps of fabric in the bushes around her house and they all tested positive for the accelerant that started the fire. And they lifted some DNA which matched someone who isn’t his daughter. He says, thank God, and sits down. She sit’s next to him and says, it’s a relief. She didn’t want to think Charlotte had gone that far. He wonders why he didn’t believe her. Why didn’t he have faith in his own daughter? She said there’s a DNA match. Who’s the arsonist? She says she can’t tell him that.

Gregory says, the whole point is that it’s not perfect, and chuckles. He sits on the sofa, and Finn asks if he’s all right, but Gregory says he’s fine. He just sat down a little more quickly than he intended. He really wants this to be a good Christmas. Finn says, one to remember, when Elizabeth comes back with Violet and says, cocoa’s ready. They all take a cup, and Violet says, they should put up the lights. Finn says, since she did such a good job making the cocoa, it seems a shame to gulp it down, but Elizabeth says, don’t worry. She can make more. There’s a knock at the door and Finn answers it to Chase and Brook. Finn asks how Chase is with Christmas lights.

Anna gets up and says, she just wanted Valentin to know his daughter’s not responsible for the fire at her house, and he says, if there’s a DNA match, that means the arsonist is in a data base somewhere. So who is it? She says she can’t share that information with him, and he asks if it’s classified. She says she doesn’t know. She would imagine there’s someone somewhere who considers it classified. He says he’s not talking to them, he’s talking to her, so who burned her house? She says, he doesn’t need to know, and he says he doesn’t understand. She says, really? It astonishes her that he doesn’t understand, because she feels she made herself quite clear the last time they saw each other. She can’t tell him who burned her house down because she can’t trust him.

Kristina says, Molly was so emotional the last time she saw her, she wondered if, in thinking about it more, Molly might not want her to be her surrogate. Molly says, life’s been a roller coaster since she found out she can’t get pregnant, and when Andrea miscarried, she and TJ were devastated. TJ says he can quote her the odds on miscarriage, but none of that prepared him for when Andrea told him that she lost their baby or having to tell Molly. Molly says, when Andrea miscarried, she realized she needed to do some real soul searching. For the first time in her life, something she really wanted wasn’t going to come to her because she was smart and prepared and willing to work hard. She felt entitled to being a mom. Like whenever she and TJ were ready, whenever it fit into their schedules, she’d get pregnant, and they’d have a baby nine months later. But when that couldn’t happen because of her, because she’s basically infertile – she tears up – she jumped right into finding a solution, solving the problem. She could do that, so she picked Andrea to be their surrogate and she got pregnant. Everything was going according to plan… until it wasn’t. And it’s only now she realizes she has to do the thing that scares her the most. She has to accept that she’s not in control and ask for help.

Olivia and Lois come into the mansion, and Lois says, at least they made a start. Olivia says she’ll get the other garlands and wreaths from the florist, and Lois says she’s so glad they got the tree from PC Pioneers. It makes you feel so good knowing you gave back to the community, and those kids in their uniforms, so cute. Olivia says, it makes her think of little Dante when he was that age, and Lois asks if he was a Pioneer. Olivia says, no, he wasn’t, but it’s not for her lack of trying. She signed him up and took him to his first meeting. The kid jumped out the window and escaped before she even got her car out of the parking lot. Lois says, no, and Olivia says, hand to God. She got a call from the troop leader. He was apologetic, beside himself, and she told him, calm down. She went and checked the corner lot, and who is there playing baseball but little Dante Falconari. She wanted to grab that kid by the back of his hair and drag him home, but then she said, you know what? Who is she to dictate his dream? If her kid wants to play sandlot baseball and dream of a career in the major leagues instead of learning the fundamentals of camping, who is she to say? He’s her kid and she should support him, so that’s what she did. Lois says, that’s always been one of her favorite things about Olivia. She just takes people as they come and loves them for who they are. She doesn’t try to make them who she thinks they should be. Olivia says, it’s a fine line sometimes. With your kids, you’ve got to accept them, but you’ve also got to provide some guidance. Lois says, it’s like being a carpenter and a gardener, but Olivia says she doesn’t follow. Lois says, a carpenter builds a house based on his plans. The wood has no say. But a gardener is different because he raises what he has. He may tend the soil, fertilize it, pull the weeds, give it water, a little bit of love, but he doesn’t plant a pine tree expecting it to grow into an oak. He just raises the very best trees he can. Olivia says, Lois has definitely done that with Brook. She’s a spectacular young woman. Lois thanks her, and says, Olivia’s done a pretty good job with Dante and Leo as well. Olivia says, they’re both very good gardeners, and Lois says, that they are. Olivia says, Cody is going to be here with the tree any minute. They’ve got to get the Christmas ornaments. They both race up the stairs.

Molly says, people always tell her that she’s generous, and Kristina says, and humble. Molly says, what she never realized is that the person who is giving is in charge. They’re deciding when and how much, and hopefully, they’re doing good, but they’re in control. And they all know how much she loves to be in control. TJ says, she’s being way too hard on herself, and Molly says, asking for help means giving control to someone else. And that would be hard for her under any circumstances, but it’s excruciating when the person she’s asking for help is someone she’s treated unfairly. Kristina says, if Molly means her, she’s forgiven. Not that there’s anything to forgive. Molly says, what about the fact she was a total witch the first time Kristina offered to be their surrogate? but Kristina says she didn’t really think it through. She didn’t realize what was at stake. TJ says, he and Molly were pretty raw in those first weeks. Neither of them made an effort to see where she was coming from. Molly says, especially her. She realizes her reaction back then had less to do with Kristina and a lot more to do with her being messy and irrational, things she tries to avoid. It hurt that Kristina could carry a child and she can’t. It would be easy for Kristina, which doubled down on her pain, which makes no sense, she knows. Kristina says, please. She wrote the book on being messy and irrational, and if Molly had taken her up on her original offer, it would have been a huge mistake. They weren’t ready. As painful as it was going through this process, it made them ready. She is ready and she wants to do this. Molly thanks her and says she’s so lucky to have Kristina as her sister, and as her surrogate. Kristina says she’s the lucky one, and they hug.

Anna says she really does want to be clear on this. Valentin lied to her, and because he lied, she had no idea the intruder in her apartment was his daughter. He says, she’s right and he takes full responsibility, but she withheld information too. She’s far too good an agent to shoot at pointblank range without a confirmed target. She was gunning for someone that night, wasn’t she? Charlotte got in the way. She says she guesses they both have to live with that for the rest of their lives, right? She heads for the door, but he says, wait. He’s sorry. He wishes he’d told her. He didn’t tell her that Charlotte was stalking her because he was afraid. He was afraid if she knew, she’d leave him; she’d end their relationship. She asks why she would. She doesn’t know that she would have ended the relationship, but they’ll never know because he didn’t give her a choice. He didn’t tell her the truth, so she couldn’t make her own decisions. It’s too late for them, but it’s not too late for his daughter. He needs to focus on her and get her the help she needs.

About to plug in the lights, Chase says, everybody cross your fingers, but Brook says, wait. She brings Violet in front of the tree and tells her that if she makes a wish the moment before the Christmas lights come on for the first time, it’ll come true. Get her wish ready. Violet closes her eyes, and Brook says, okay. Chase plugs in the lights, and Violet looks at the tree. She says she knew it would be beautiful.

Olivia and Lois look through the Christmas ornaments, and Lois asks what this reminds Olivia of. She holds a silver ball by each ear, and Olivia says, how about St. Finbar’s their sophomore year? Sister Joanne Claire was so mad when she realized it was them sneaking into her office and moving around pictures of the saints. Lois says, they would swap Peter and Paul, and Olivia says, they got themselves detention and they had to decorate the auditorium for Christmas all by themselves. Lois says, they were there until 3 am, and Olivia says, 3:17, but who’s counting? Lois says, when they came out that morning and their parents were waiting for them, she doesn’t think she’s ever seen her mother so angry, but her father was disappointed. Somehow, that was so much worse. Olivia says she got a speech the whole way home. She can still hear it. Your cousin Connie would never do anything like this. Lois says, that’s because her cousin Connie never stepped a toe out of line. Although she’s got to say, she wishes she’d followed Olivia’s cousin Connie, because she was grounded with a 5 pm curfew until the following April. And by the way, Olivia was supposed to be grounded too. Olivia says she was, technically. Does Lois remember her bedroom window? It was a joke. Lois says, Olivia snuck out of that bedroom window so easily, she might as well have been on the ground floor. Oliva says, right out the window and into the nightclubs in the city all night long. Lois says, her poor parents, and Olivia says, honestly, she looks back and feels bad for all the worries she gave them, but at the time, she really enjoyed herself. Lois says, yeah, she did, when Cody comes in. He says he grabbed the tree and got some garland. Where do they want them? Lois says she’s so glad he asked.

The stewardess gives the spiel to prepare for landing, and Tracy buckles her seatbelt. She looks at her phone and says, damn you, Luke Spencer. I miss you.

Valentin says he doesn’t think Anna is in a position to tell him what Charlotte needs right now, and Anna says, she needs counseling. Charlotte was stalking her for months. That is not normal behavior. He says, she saw the letter from Victor. She knows Charlotte’s actions weren’t malicious. She says, maybe not, but they are unquestionably illegal, and he says, Charlotte thought she was protecting him. She thought Anna was a threat. Anna tells him that he’s not doing Charlotte any favors by making excuses for her. He’s enabling her. He says, she was manipulated by a master manipulator. Victor exploited her love for her father and need for a family. She thought Anna was dangerous. Then of course (🍷), when he released her file, and the world knew Anna had been acting as a double agent… She says, don’t throw that in her face, please, and he says he’s not, but she can’t refute it; it was true. Charlotte thought she was protecting him. Think about that. A teenage girl standing against a master spy. So they can say what they will about his daughter, but she’s not a coward. She did what she thought she had to do. Anna says, he’s proud of her? but he says he’s appalled at what she did, but he’s proud of her courage and determination. He’s sickened that Victor twisted her for his purposes. She says, he didn’t tell Charlotte to write the word murderer on her door or break into her hotel suite and trash her clothes and write a threatening message on her mirror. Charlotte came up with that all on her own.

Molly says she can’t believe this is actually going to happen, and TJ says, sometimes the universe finds a way. She says all she knows is, she’s grateful. This feels right. Kristina comes out with three filled champagne flutes, and says, it’s time the expectant parents celebrated up.

Cody, Olivia, and Lois all help with putting a fabulous garland on the staircase banister. Lois says she’s been meaning to ask Cody, why does he call Olivia Mama Q? He says, she’s Dante’s mother. What else would he call her? Olivia says, if Lois tells him zia, she’ll murder her where she’s standing. Cody asks, what’s a zia?

Violet says, they need tinsel and ornaments, and Chase says, before they get to the real decorating, he and Brook have an announcement to make. Violet asks if he can announce fast. They have to decorate. Elizabeth says, it might be important. Don’t rush them. Violet apologizes and tells them to take as much time as they need. Brook thanks her and says she thinks Chase should do the honors. Chase says, okay. Dad, Finn, Violet, Elizabeth, Brook has agreed to be his wife, and they’re getting married. Everybody is all, yay! and Brook and Chase kiss.

Kristina hands out the glasses and says, to the baby to come. No child will ever be more loved or more welcome. TJ says, hear, hear, and they clink glasses. Molly says, it’s ginger ale. Not that there would be anything wrong with drinking right now, and TJ asks if Kristina is jump starting a healthy new lifestyle or is this the only thing with bubbles she had in the fridge. Kristina says, both. She had a friend bring a really nice bottle of champagne over actually, but it didn’t last very long in this house. Maybe she should get an early start and indulge in all the caffeine and alcohol while she can. TJ says, they know she’s giving up a lot, but Kristina says, it’s well worth it. TJ says, to Molly, to Kristina, and to this… Kristina says, to this expanding family. They all say, cheers, and clink glasses.

Valentin says, it’s true. Victor never told Charlotte how to stalk Anna. He imagines she got that off the internet or some book. Anna says, he imagines? Did he question her about this? He says he hasn’t interrogated his teenage daughter, no. She’s been traumatized. She’s recovering from a gunshot wound. Anna says she’s aware, and he says, she needs time to heal. Anna says, she needs her father to stop making excuses for her. He’s not protecting her. He can’t keep blaming Victor for what happened. He says, Victor’s to blame, and she says, if Charlotte had been arrested for the crimes she committed, what was she going to plea? My dead grandpa made me do it? It doesn’t matter what Victor wrote to her. It doesn’t matter what lies he told her. Charlotte is responsible for her own actions, and he has to make her understand that. And he has to get her the help that she needs, before she does something irrevocable.

Everyone congratulates Chase and Brook, and Gregory says, Chase is a lucky man. Brook says she’s the lucky one, but Chase says, they both are. Gregory says he wishes them both a lifetime of love, and Violet asks if Chase gave Brook a ring. Chase says he did, and Brook says she kept it hidden as to not ruin the surprise. She takes it out of her pocket, and Chase asks if Violet wants to see him put it on her finger. Violet says, yes, please, and Chase takes the ring. Violet says, wait. He’s supposed to get down on one knee. Brook says, he did when he asked her to marry him, and Violet asks if he can’t get down on one knee again. She wants the complete picture. Finn says, him too, and Chase says, of course (🍷) he can. He does and puts the ring on Brook’s finger. They kiss and everyone applauds. Violet asks when Finn is going to give Aunt Elizabeth a ring, and Finn is like, uh… Elizabeth says, time to decorate the tree.

As they decorate the tree, Cody asks, what’s so bad about being called a zia? Olivia says, nothing… or everything, depending on your circumstances. He says he doesn’t get it, and Lois says, zia means auntie, which could refer to your mother or your father’s sister. Olivia says, or your sister-in-law, and Lois says, or it could be distant cousin or any female relation. But it could also be a term of affection. Olivia says, or someone, a woman, who you’re close with, but aren’t actually related to, and Lois says, but there is a generational aspect to it. It’s for somebody older. For example, you would never refer to her Brookie as zia. He says, but he could call her zia, and she says, no. Technically yes, but absolutely no, he cannot. She would prefer it if he’d continue to call her Lois. He says he totally understands, and Olivia says, this tree looks so beautiful. It’s so nice having Cody to help out. Cody says, it’s his pleasure, and Lois asks how he likes working for the Quartermaines. He says he really likes it. It’s the first place in a long time that feels like home.

Olivia thanks Cody and says, they couldn’t have done it without him. Lois says, he gets extra points for patience, and he says, it was a lot of fun. He learned a new word, although he’ll never call either of them zia. And it got him into the spirit of the season. He might grab a tree for the stables. He thanks them for a fun time, and leaves. Lois tells Olivia, you know what? She’s got to say, this looks a lot better than the auditorium at St. Finbar’s. They laugh and clink glasses.

Anna tells Valentin, Charlotte has to know what she did was wrong, and that she can’t solve her problems by breaking into people’s houses and writing threatening messages. He says he agrees. Charlotte needs limits, and she’ll get them. She needs counseling and she’ll get that too, but they have a big problem. Victor convinced Charlotte that Anna was dangerous, and Anna shot her. So in Charlotte’s mind, Victor was right. Anna chokes up and says she hopes he gets through to his daughter, and that he gets her to understand that Victor was never right about anything. She walks to the door, and he says, wait. She turns to him, and he says he’s sorry. She says, so is she, and leaves. When she gets outside, she cries.

Brook says, that is one gorgeous tree, and Chase says, it might be the best tree he’s ever seen. Elizabeth says, it certainly is lovely, and Violet says, Brook was right. When you make a wish on a Christmas tree, your wish comes true. Hers already did. Finn asks what she wished for, and she asks if it’s okay to tell. Brook says, absolutely, and Violet says, she wished for this to be the best Christmas ever and it is. Their tree is beautiful, Uncle Chase and Brook are getting married, and she has a present for all of them. Gregory asks, what kind of present? and she says, stay here. She’ll be right back. She winks at Chase and runs off. Gregory asks if Chase has any idea what this is, and Chase says, it could be beaded necklaces. Finn says, he’s kind of secretive. Is he sure he doesn’t have any idea what this present is? Chase says he can neither confirm nor deny, when Violet comes back with a guitar. She hands it to Chase and says she’s going to sing a song that she wrote herself, and Uncle Chase will accompany her. Chase plays, and Violet sings about, when there are no lights, I want to shine for you. She’s very good for one so young. They applaud and cheer.

Kristina asks, what happens next? and Molly says, they talk to their fertility specialist, let them know they have a surrogate and they’re ready to move forward. TJ says, once they have a more concrete timetable, they’ll get back to her about scheduling, but they’re hoping it will be soon. Kristina says, the sooner, the better. Now that they know what they’re doing, there’s no point in waiting around. TJ thanks her, and they hug. Molly says she’ll be grateful to Kristina forever, and they hug. Kristina says, it’s her great honor, and Molly and TJ leave. In the hallway, TJ says, this is really happening, and Molly says, they might just get their miracle after all. They hug, and inside, Kristina sends a text to Blaze: Want 2 talk I have big news.

Olivia says, they do good work, and Lois says, Sister Joanne Claire would be proud. Olivia says, they’ve got a lot of house to go, but these two rooms look beaut-tee-ful, and Lois says, they do. They hear the front door slam, and hear Tracy say, no. Olivia and Lois go to the foyer, where Tracy is walking through with her luggage carrier, saying, no, no, no, no. She tells them, this will not do. Not at all. Lois and Olivia look at each other.

On Monday, Curtis tells Marshall, if he gets his wish, he’s never going to ask for anything again; Josslyn tells Dex not to joke about this; Tracy says, she’s home in the nick of time; and Sonny says he’ll talk to Michael on Nina’s behalf, but she says, no.

💝 Revisiting Irene…

All about Marshall’s first love.

🔬 Livingston We Presume…

I thought I’d seen him around.

🚗 Drive She Said…

When she’s not singing, she’s driving a Honda.

🥀 Goodbye To a Game Changer…

Farewell to a soap legend.

💎 Shoots Own Foot…

If she knows it’s going to cause her angst, why does she keep talking?

🍊 Spilling On Shannon…

It wouldn’t surprise me.

💐 Exes With No Charm…

These people are too weird. Although I wish I’d been a fly on the wall at BravoCon.

🍹 Not So Hospitable…

I watched this. Coupled with her poking the bear on Southern Charm, I’m starting not to like Leva so much.

🍸 All About That Pump…

I can’t wait. Chateau shenanigans

She’s basically pleading the fifth.

Six degrees of LVP.

🐶 Festival Of Dogs…

Furbabies ready for the holiday.

You, too, can include your pup.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/celebrate-hanukkah-dog-220838396.html

🐧 Quotes of the Week

Get up. Bring your butter. – Heather Gay, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare. – Japanese Proverb

Healing comes from taking responsibility: to realize that it is you – and no one else – that creates your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. – Peter Shepherd

We can have peace if we let go of wanting to change the past and wanting to control the future. – Lester Levinson

The opportunity of a lifetime is to pick yourself. Quit waiting to get picked; quit waiting for someone to give you permission; quit waiting for someone to say you are officially qualified… and pick yourself. – Seth Godin (For those who were always picked last in gym class.)

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. – Anatole France

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice. – Saint Francis of Assisi

You know what a gift card says? You do it. – Carl MacMillan (Reno Wilson), Mike & Molly

🤹🏽‍♀️ Jingling Only Partway…

Make a return trip on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what little the Med has to offer. Until then, stay safe, stay extending acts of kindness to those with no family, and stay taking people as they come, loving them for who they are, and not trying to make them into who you think they should be.

December 6, 2023 – Alexis Puts Finn In the Hot Seat, What the Blip Denise, Salty Talk, Too Old For This Nonsense, Loving Paris & Drummer

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis, Marshall, and Trina go Christmas tree shopping, and Curtis says he’s been looking forward to this all week. Freshly cut pine trees are the best smell in the world. (He forgot about coffee, but I’ll let it pass.) Marshall tells Trina, Curtis always felt that way. Any time they got near one when he was young, Curtis would say it smelled like Christmas. Curtis says, it still feels that way. He tells Trina, take her pick, any one she wants, but she says, no way. This is a group effort. The three of them are picking a tree together.

Loading up a luggage carrier, Esme tells Ace that mommy is calling a Ride Share so someone can pick them up and take them to their new apartment. Spencer asks why she doesn’t just let him drive her.

Laura thanks Dante for stopping by her office, and says she’s asked Deputy Mayor Ashford to sit in. He asks what he can do for her, and she says, they’d like a full update on the Austin Gatlin-Holt murder case.

Leading Sasha and Cody into her office, Maxie says, that couldn’t have been a better public appearance. They were a hit. Everyone at Wyndham’s loved them. Cody says, it was all Sasha, but Sasha says, is he kidding? They couldn’t take their eyes off him. Maxie says, it’s the two of them together. That’s what people are responding to. They have this special chemistry that everybody can see. I’m glad Cody has his facial hair back. Shaved, he looks around 12.

There’s a knock at Josslyn’s dorm room door, and she opens it to Adam. She asks, what’s the emergency? and he says, the results are back for the Organic Chem make-up test. She asks how he did, but he says he doesn’t know. He’s too scared to look. She says, he studied really hard. She’s sure he’s fine. He says, what if he didn’t? If he got less than 85%, his life is over. Honestly, he might as well jump off a bridge. Josslyn tells him not to say things like that, and gets on her laptop. He says, sorry. He makes bad jokes when he’s nervous. She says, it’s one test, but he says, one super important test that will determine if he becomes a doctor. He’s way too stressed out. Can they please look together?

Elizabeth tells Jake, look at these beautiful trees. How can they pick just one? Jake says, one is all they can fit in the house, so… She says, he doesn’t have to be so literal. Whichever one they pick, Aiden is just going to have to be on board because it was his choice to stay home and bake. Jake says, Christmas and Valentine’s Day are his busiest time of the year. Lots of people want custom cookies. She says, this is true, but if he didn’t come pick out the tree, he can’t criticize their choice, right? Jake asks if something is wrong, and she says, no. Why? He says, it seems like she’s trying to hard to make it seem like she’s happy. Is something bothering her?

Martin and Finn show up at Alexis’s office, and she says, good. They’re right on time. She’s glad they’re here. She’s prepared and ready for them. Finn says, ready for what? He thought they were prepping his deposition. Martin says, that’s exactly what they’re going to be doing. Alexis has kindly volunteered to act as opposing counsel for the prep. Alexis says, just so Finn knows in advance, she won’t be playing nice.

Dante says, what they know so far is, the morning after Thanksgiving, a Pautuck resident noticed the door on an unoccupied residence was open. They walked in and found Austin’s body. Laura asks how he was killed, and Dante says, two shots to the chest, close range, sometime in the 48 hours leading up to Thanksgiving. Jordan asks if they know who owns the house where he was found and when it was last lived in, and he says, it was being used as a weekend short-term rental, but it hadn’t been occupied since late September. It was owned by the victim, Austin Gatlin-Holt.

Trina says, what about this one?… They don’t like it? Curtis says he knows he said she could choose any tree she wants, but is she sure she should make a decision so quickly? Why doesn’t she look around for something else? She says, why? This one’s nice and it smells amazing. What’s wrong with it? Marshall says, if her father won’t tell her about his problem with this, he will. It’s too small.

Elizabeth asks when Jake became so perceptive, and he says he’s not a little kid anymore. She says, no, he’s not. When she became a mom, she promised herself that she’d always be honest with her kids if she thought they could handle it. He’s definitely old enough and mature enough to talk about this. She’s worried about Finn. He asks, why? and she says, there’s a situation at the hospital where he’s being accused of doing something wrong. Jake says, does she mean like a malpractice suit? She looks surprised that he knows what this is, but isn’t he at least in high school?

Alexis says she might not have her legal license anymore, but she still has a lot of legal stuff right up here – she points to her head – and she’s going to use it to help Finn with his deposition. Finn says he’ll take all the help he can get, and she says, Diane is a formidable opponent. Martin says, indeed. They don’t call her Killer Miller for nothing. She’s going to try to trap Finn into making a statement about negligence, so no matter what happens, don’t let her provoke him. If Finn loses his temper, his need to defend himself may lead him to say things on the record that can’t be taken back. Such as statements that might give the impression that he’s too arrogant to admit he missed something, and now a man is dead as a result. Finn says, right, and the best way to prevent that from happening is to let Alexis beat up on him a little. Alexis says, it’s for his own good.

Esme says, they’ve been over all of this, but Spencer says, it seems crazy to him. She’s going to have to load all of Ace’s things into some stranger’s car, she’s going to have to set up his car seat, and pay someone she doesn’t know to drive her a short distance just so she can unload Ace and all of his things. His car is parked in the garage ready to go. He’s more than happy to take them and more than happy to help her carry everything she has to carry… She says, stop. She really doesn’t know how much clearer she can be. She can’t rely on him anymore.

Josslyn says she thinks she found the grades. Is Adam ready? He says, just tell him, and she says, he got a 97. Congratulations. He says, my God, and breathing heavily, makes a call. He says, hey, dad, guess what? He just got his Organic Chem make-up test back, and he got a 97%… Yeah, he did say make-up test… Why did he have to take it again? Um… No, it wasn’t anything he did wrong. Actually, it was someone else. His friend Josslyn had to go to the emergency room during the exam and they asked him to take her.

Maxie says she knows it’s been a long day, but just one more piece of Deception business, and then Cody and Sasha can go. Sasha says, don’t worry about them. She’s excited. They have a video conference call with Pavella; that’s huge. Maxie says she knows. It took her forever to convince them to take that meeting, but she has another piece of good news. Do they remember that desert photo shoot she was talking about a few months ago? Cody says, yeah, but it was a few weeks ago, and she says, well, it’s a go. They have to wait a few months because the photographer is completely booked, but they’re going on location in Monument Valley. Cody says, the Monument Valley, where all those Westerns were shot? and Maxie says, yes. She’s been told it’s even more spectacular in person. They’re going to shoot at the Pink Cliffs at sunset. Sasha says, that’s amazing. She’s seen it in movies, but never in person. Cody says, Deception is really going all out for this, huh? and Maxie says, of course (🍷) they are. The perfect photo location is so important to this campaign. Because Deception is not just selling makeup and beauty wands. We’re selling romance.

Alexis tells Finn to have a seat in the witness chair, and he sits down. She says she meant what she said; Diane Miller is one of the best. Finn says he’s aware of her reputation, and Martin says, being aware of it and experiencing it for yourself are two totally different things. Alexis says, she’ll turn his deposition into a minefield, and Finn says, it sounds like they’re going into battle. She says, they kind of are, and he says, then how do they ensure the truth comes out and they win this case? Martin says, preparation, that’s what’s key here. And they make absolutely certain that Finn abides by the Golden Rule. Finn says, which is? and Martin and Alexis both say, never volunteer anything.

Elizabeth says, it’s very humbling, trying to shield Jake from something he already knows about. Yes, Finn is being sued for malpractice. Jake asks, why? Did one of his patients die? She says, the man he was treating had cancer and he didn’t find out in time. Unfortunately, he passed away. Jake says, that must be so hard on Finn, and she says, it is. He’s really beating himself up over it. As much as they’d like to think of doctors as infallible, medicine is not a science, they’re not gods, and they can’t fix everybody all the time. He says he knows that, but if Finn is getting sued, did he do something wrong? and she says, absolutely not. Finn is an incredible doctor. He gave that man the best care possible, and what happened was not his fault. Jake says he’s glad she told him and that she realizes he can handle hearing things like this now. She says, he’s been so good with Aiden, picking up the slack since Cameron left. If she hasn’t told him enough, she’s so proud of him. He thanks her, and she says, now that he’s asked her a question, can she ask him one?

Trina says she guesses this tree doesn’t seem small to her because it’s the size she and mom always got. Small has a lot of advantages. They’re easy and cute and you don’t need a ladder to put up ornaments. Curtis says, it’s okay. They both know he won’t be climbing any ladders this year, but it doesn’t mean someone else can’t. They’ve been blessed with a beautiful big house with high ceilings. It would be a shame not to take advantage of that space by filling it with the biggest, best tree we can find.

Esme tells Spencer that after today, she and Ace are going to be on their own, and she has to get used to loading him and all of his stuff in and out of Ride Shares. He says, fine. Why can’t she just let him do this for her just one more time? She says, no. She’s sorry, but she has to get comfortable being on her own and relying on herself. The sooner she does that, the better it will be for Ace. She’s doing this for him. Can’t Spencer see that? He says he guesses he didn’t really think about it like that, and she says she knows this is hard on him. She’s sure he probably thinks she’s shutting him out and making things as difficult as possible, but he says he sees where he was wrong. And he is sorry. She says, apology accepted.

Adam tells his dad that he has to go. He has a lot of studying to do… He’ll see them at Christmas. He’ll talk to them later. Bye. Josslyn asks why he lied.

Laura tells Dante that she’s concerned they’re not further along in this investigation at this point. Austin Gatlin-Holt was a doctor at General Hospital. He was related to the Quartermaines. There are many people in this town who want to know who’s responsible for that man’s murder. Dante says he gets that, but they’re doing what they can. He wasn’t killed here. Jordan says, which means this case is officially being handled by the Pautuck PD, and Dante says, that’s right. And they’re in constant contact with them, as well as talking to Austin’s associates here in Port Charles. Laura asks if either department has come up with any suspects, and Dante says, no one officially yet, but there are a couple persons of interest. One of them is Laura’s brother.

Maxie tells Sasha and Cody that she’s explaining this all wrong. Of course (🍷) Deception’s products are amazing, the best in the business. The Deceptor? Game changer. But advertising is all about getting customers to associate selling with something that they want, even if it’s subconsciously. Whether people are willing to admit it or not, everyone wants a little romance in their lives. Cody and Sasha together, in front of a gorgeous sunset… It’s the epitome of that. Sasha says, it sounds like Maxie has a very thorough, well thought out marketing plan, when there’s a knock at the door. Felicia says, sorry to interrupt. She just didn’t want Maxie to worry. James is okay. Cody asks if something happened to James.

Trina says she had no idea Curtis was going to have such strong feelings about which tree they should get, and Marshall laughs and says, he always did. When Curtis was about three years old, he and Irene took Curtis and Tommy to pick out their tree. This is when he makes a beeline to the one he wants, this ugly, gnarly piece of tree. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Curtis says, they ended up getting the tree, and Marshall says, absolutely. Because Curtis’s mother agreed with him. She said, Curtis picked out the loveliest tree. Trina laughs.

Jake says, sure. Elizabeth can ask him whatever she wants. She asks how things are between him and Charlotte, and he says he’s not really sure. He thinks they’re still dating, but since what happened, they haven’t seen each other that much, and she hasn’t really texted him back either. Elizabeth says, maybe she just needs more time, and he says, maybe. Even before that, she was kind of hard to read. Most girls he knows talk a lot and say everything that’s on their minds, but not Charlotte. He never knows what she’s thinking.

Adam tells Josslyn that he’s sorry. He just panicked. His dad would have been so mad that he left an important test. She says, even to help a friend? and Adam says, he would have hated that. She says, except she was the one who left for him, and he says he knows. She says, so what he’s telling her is, if she was the one who was in trouble, he would have left her and she would have been on her own. He says, she doesn’t understand. Ever since he was a little kid, his parents have wanted him to be a doctor. She asks what he wants, and he says, it doesn’t matter what he wants. It doesn’t work like that in his family. She says, so he’s just going to do what they want him to do forever? When is he going to start making decisions about his own life?

Esme tells Spencer that the Ride Share will be here in twenty minutes. She’s going to check their room to make sure she didn’t accidentally leave something. He says, don’t forget his favorite blanket, the warm fuzzy one he likes, and she says, it’s the first thing she packed. Would Spencer mind watching him? He says, of course (🍷), and she gives Ace to him. She goes in the back, and he sits on the sofa with Ace. He says, okay. This is it, buddy. Ace and his mommy are going to be getting their own place, which means they’re not going to see each other as much. Which means – he tears up – he’s going to miss Ace. But he’s still going to take Ace to the park to see the ducks, and he’ll ask if he can be the first person to give Ace some ice cream, because he knows it’s going to be his favorite too. Esme watches from the doorway, and Spencer kisses the top of Ace’s head. He says, and then next summer, they’re going to go to the pool again, because he knows how much Ace likes the water. And he knows they’re not going to live together anymore, but he wants Ace to know that he’ll always, always, always be his big brother. Okay? No matter what happens. He kisses Ace again, and Esme looks like she might cry.

Alexis tells Finn that he wants to keep his answers short. Yes or no; don’t volunteer anything. Finn says, this is all much more complicated than he realized, and she says, the law is much more complicated than most people realize. By the way, this is important, specifically to Finn’s case. It could backfire on him if he says he doesn’t remember. A man is dead, a family’s grieving, and the jury wants to feel that Finn will remember every detail leading up to the death. Martin says, but don’t lie. If there is something Finn forgot, it’s better to admit it than make up a story that’s going to come back to bite him. Finn says, nobody’s ever accused him of being overly verbose, so don’t worry. He thinks he’s got this. Martin and Alexis look at each other.

Laura says, clearly, Dante isn’t talking about Martin, and Dante says, no. Her other brother, Cyrus. Jordan says, considering his rap sheet and all the crimes she personally saw him commit, he’s certainly capable of murder. What’s his connection to Austin Gatlin-Holt? Dante says, it looks like Mason and Austin were both working for Cyrus the whole time he was in Pentenville, and Laura says, doing what? Jordan says, and how does Dante know this? and Laura says, this is a huge accusation. Does he have any proof?

Alexis asks if Finn can state his name for the record, and he says, Dr. Hamilton Finn. Martin says, wrong, but Finn says he’s pretty sure that’s his name. Martin says, it is, but that’s not what she asked. She specifically asked could he state his name for the record, to which he replies… Finn says, this is ridiculous. This is a deposition, not Simon Says. He’s not going to play lawyer games and parse every word coming out of Diane Miller’s mouth. Alexis says, he’d better, because Diane is going to parse every word coming out of his mouth, and then try to get a jury to see he’s negligent and at fault. So does he want to take a breath and they’ll start again? Can he state his name for the record? Finn takes a breath and says, yes. She asks, what is his name? and he says, Dr. Hamilton Finn.

Elizabeth tells Jake, Charlotte’s been through a lot. There are two kinds of trauma that happen after someone gets shot and she’s going through both. Obviously, there’s the physical pain, but there’s also the mental and emotional trauma of knowing she could have died. He says he guesses he didn’t see it that way, and Elizabeth says, she’s lucky though. Her physical injuries are healing, and she’s going to make a full recovery. But the other wounds? They’re going to take a lot longer to heal. Jake says he hates guns.

Trina says she’s a little scared to ask, but what do they think about this one? and Marshall says, don’t look at him. Talk to the tree whisperer here. It’s all his decision. Curtis says, getting close, but this ain’t it. Why don’t they take another look at this one? Trina’s phone dings, and she says, it’s perfect. She loves it. She can’t wait to see it decorated. She kisses Marshall and Curtis on their cheeks, and runs off. Marshall laughs and says he guesses she had someplace to be.

Felicia says, James went to the school nurse saying that his tummy hurt. When they couldn’t reach Maxie, they called her. Maxie says she can’t believe she left her phone here. They tried to call her four times. Felicia says, don’t worry. He’s okay. Cody asks, how sick is he? Where is he now? Felicia says she took him home. She put him right to bed and gave him some ginger ale and his favorite comic book. Liesl was willing to examine him and said, don’t worry. It’s just a case of the 24-hour flu that’s been going around. She’s there with him now and said he should be as good as new tomorrow. Maxie says, okay, so it’s not an emergency, and Felicia says, not at all. Cody says he’s happy to hear that.

Josslyn says she understands Adam is under pressure, but she doesn’t like when people lie about her, for any reason. She stayed because it was the right thing to do, and she wouldn’t have felt great if she’d just focused on her test and left him to fend for himself. He says he’s sorry. He owes her. She says, he doesn’t owe her anything but honesty. He doesn’t have to go around telling people what happened, but if he does, tell the truth. He says he has to get going, but he forgot to ask. What did she get on the make-up test? She says she got a 90, and he says he’s sorry. That’s too bad. He’s sure she’ll do better next time. He’ll see her later. He leaves.

Esme says, it looks like she has everything, so she guesses this is it, and Spencer asks if she wants him to put Ace in his stroller. She says she’s got it, and takes Ace from him. He says he guesses she doesn’t want him to help, and she says, it’s a production, but she’s got it. She guesses this is it, so wish them luck. He says, luck, and opens the door. Esme leaves with Ace, and Spencer watches as they get in the elevator.

Dante says he has a confidential informant, and they’re telling him Austin visited Cyrus at least one time in Pentenville, maybe more they don’t know about yet. Jordan says, that’s interesting, and Dante says, it is, especially when you consider the fact Austin testified at Cyrus’s hardship release hearing, saying that Cyrus was ill and he wasn’t a danger. Laura says, it shouldn’t be too hard to find out how many times Austin visited Cyrus in prison. There’s a visitor’s log, there’s security footage; Pentenville’s full of cameras. Dante says, in theory, that should be the case, but when he called Pentenville and asked them, they said they had no record of Austin being there at all. Jordan asks if there’s any possibility his confidential source is lying, but he says, not a chance. They’d have no reason to. He thinks someone wiped the records clean.

Alexis says, tell her about Mr. Muldoon’s first appointment. What were his symptoms? Finn says, dizziness, fatigue, gastro-intestinal distress, some weight loss, and Alexis asks if Mr. Muldoon disclosed anything that pointed him toward a preliminary diagnosis. Finn says, he’d been traveling through rural areas in the tropics and believed he’d contracted a tapeworm, and Alexis says, who initially raised the possibility of a tapeworm, him or Mr. Muldoon? He says he believes Mr. Muldoon did, and she asks, what was his response? He says he ran some tests and a culture, and she asks what he thinks those results indicated. He says, the tests revealed low hemoglobin and elevated white blood cell counts, and the culture came back positive for a tapeworm, so he… She says, you what? and he says, the tests confirmed Mr. Muldoon had a tapeworm, and she asks if he treated Mr. Muldoon per that diagnosis. He says, yes, and she says, how? He says he gave him praziquantel, and she asks if those symptoms Mr. Muldoon was experiencing could have been indicative of anything else… She asked him a question. He said his patient was complaining of dizziness, of fatigue, of low hemoglobin, of low white blood cell counts. Could any of those symptoms been indicative of another disease or illness? Finn says, only about 10,000 things.

The tree guy hangs a sold tag on the tree, and Curtis thanks him. Curtis tells Marshall that they’re going to deliver the tree this afternoon. He hopes Marshall is up for it tonight, because he’s ready to hang some ornaments. Marshall says he loves how Curtis gets so excited about Christmas. It reminds him of Curtis’s mama and how she got excited about it too. Curtis says, it was always her favorite time of the year. Even when times were tough, she always went all out, no matter what it cost.

Trina knocks on Laura’s apartment door, and Spencer answers. She hugs him.

Jake tells Elizabeth that he knows what happened with Charlotte was an accident, but it still really scared him. So he started reading about some gun control groups. He thinks he wants to get involved with one of them. She says she loves that. She loves that he’s finding something that matters to him, and he wants to make a difference. Let her know if there’s anything she can do to help. He says he will, and she says, but for right now, they have to find a tree. He says, she’s right, and they need to find the best one to send pictures to Cameron. He points at one and says he likes that one over there.

Curtis tells Marshall that when he was a kid, he used to think Christmas just happened. Mom and Aunt Stella always did such a good job at making Christmas magical for him and Tommy, it never occurred to him that it took work. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he realized they had to plan and save all year so that day could be memorable to them. Then every year without fail, they always had many gifts under the tree; good gifts too, stuff they wanted. Mama always knew how to make them the happiest. She and Aunt Stella would go without so they could make it happen for them. He asked mama one year if Christmas was any fun for her, because she didn’t get many gifts. He remembers her saying, baby, the best presents are the smiles on your faces. Marshall says, that sounds like Irene.

Trina and Spencer sit on the sofa, and Spencer says he hates to admit it, but Esme was right. It’s taken him a long time to understand this, but he thinks it’s going to be better for Ace in the long run. Trina says, it may not mean much in the moment, but she’s so proud of him for being so mature and putting Ace first. He says, that means a lot actually, and it’s better that he’s so young, because he’s never going to remember his life was any other way. But the thing is, Spencer will. He’s never going to forget all those moments of seeing Ace change and watching him grow. Watching him figure out that he’s got fingers and toes. And he’ll always remember how it felt to hold him and rock him in the chair in his room, both of them so cozy and happy while he sang Ace to sleep. She says, that’s beautiful, and she believes Ace will remember all of it. Maybe only subconsciously, but it will always be in his mind that Spencer’s voice was the first one that he heard. That Spencer’s arms used to hold him. And he’ll remember how safe and secure he felt with Spencer. That will be imprinted on his mind and in his heart. She cuddles against him.

Josslyn tries to study, but puts down the book. She puts in earplugs and gets on the bed with her phone.

Adam tries to study, but gets frustrated. He opens his desk drawer, taking out the prescription bottle. He downs a couple of pills and goes back to work.

Maxie tells Felicia that she doesn’t know what to do. She hates not being with James when he’s sick, but this video conference call is really important. Cody says, if it will help her get back to James, he can talk to Pavella’s people all day, and Maxie says she appreciates that. She really does. And it’s not that she doesn’t trust him and Sasha. They were great together on Home & Heart. It’s just that this conference call is so important. Felicia says, Cody and Sasha want to do this, and she said herself that they can handle it. So just say thank you and let them. Sasha promises they’ll call her right after and tell her how great everything went, and Cody says, yeah. Maxie says, they’ve convinced her. They’ll have to let her set them up first. She leads them over to a table and tells them where to sit. She asks Cody to scootch closer to Sasha, then tells Felicia, let’s go before she changes her mind. They leave, and Sasha opens the laptop. She asks if Cody is ready, and he says, hit it. She links in to the call and says, thank you everyone. They thank everyone for meeting with them today. She’s Sasha Gilmore and this is her colleague, Cody Bell. Cody says, nice to meet them. He and Sasha just want to fill them in on what’s going on with Deception.

 Martin slaps a twenty dollar bill on the table and tells Alexis that she was right. Broken in less than fifteen minutes. Finn says, objection. He did not break. Martin says, as much as it pains him to say it as Finn’s attorney, he definitely did. When he snapped at Alexis, it was basically admitting he took the easy way out with his diagnosis. Finn says, that is not what happened, and Alexis says, it doesn’t matter what happened. If he says that, this is what the jury is going to hear, that he took his patient’s word for it. Finn wrote him a prescription and sent him on his way without finding or treating the cancer that eventually killed him. Finn says, understand this. There are literally thousands of illnesses that present with fatigue, intestinal distress, low hemoglobin, and elevated white blood cell count. That’s a fact. Look it up. How would they like him to answer this question? Martin says, as simply as possible. When Diane asks him if those symptoms were indicative of anything else, just say yes. Alexis says, just that. Just that one word, yes. Finn says, okay. Keep his answers short. Duly noted. Thank you. Alexis says, all right. Let’s take it from the top. Can you please state your name for the record? Finn says, yes.

Laura says she’d like Dante’s opinion. Does he think Cyrus murdered Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt? He says he doesn’t have any evidence to back up that theory, but she says she’s not asking about evidence. She’s asking his opinion. He says, did Cyrus have a motive? Yeah. Sure. Austin came to see him at the PCPD before he died. He was worried that Mason was going to make it look like he kidnapped Ava. He wanted immunity. He was going to give up the name of the person he and Mason were working for and he was going to provide corroborating evidence. She says, and he thinks that person was Cyrus? and he says, just to be clear, Austin never told him that he was working for Cyrus. He found out after Austin died. Jordan says, but it certainly gives Cyrus ample motive for Austin’s murder, and Dante says, the problem is, Cyrus has an alibi. He was mopping floors at the Port Charles Grill when Austin was killed. Jordan says, this is Cyrus they’re talking about. If he didn’t want to do it himself, he certainly could have hired someone else to do it. Dante says, but that’s making a couple of assumptions. One of them is that Cyrus still has the associates and contacts that would actually murder for him; and two, that he knew Austin was going to give him up and he’s not convinced Cyrus did. Laura says, all right, and gets up. She wants Dante to keep her in the loop with everything involving this investigation; nothing is too small. Dante says, absolutely, and she says, because if her brother is the same ruthless killer he always was, she’ll make sure he never sees the light of day again.

Tomorrow, Gregory says, it’s an unfortunate coincidence running into Diane; Curtis asks if Portia is saying this is a possibility for him; and Anna tells Dante that she knows someone else is involved.

The Real Awful Housewives of Beverly Hills

We backtrack a little. Sutton says, something is going on with Kyle’s personal life that she’s not sharing with the group, and Kyle asks, with what? Garcelle, tired of circling this drain, says, her marriage. What’s with the new band? Knowing Kyle probably thinks this is about a concert, Sutton says, she’s not wearing her wedding ring. Garcelle says she thought it was a make-up band, and Kyle asks if they’re saying her husband cheated on her. Sutton asks if she said that, and Kyle asks if Sutton wants Mauricio to have cheated on her, but Sutton says she’s content with Kyle’s answers. Morally corrupt Faye feels like this is wrong, and Kyle says, when she drinks, she feels down and depressed. She can’t afford to feel that way right now. She discusses these things with her good friends. Sutton says, maybe they’re not as good of friends as she thought, and Kyle says, Sutton’s not acting like a friend. Sutton says, they just came from a quiet room, but Kyle brings up the name ‘em discussion and we flash back to that. Sutton says she had a lot going on and she’s sorry for that. And she’s sorry for how Kyle reacted as well. We flash back to Kyle literally running away from the conversation, and Kyle thanks Sutton for apologizing on her behalf. There are crickets for a while, and the next course is served. Garcelle talks about getting make-up gifts from Michael. She says, Michael is great dad and a horrible husband, but life continues after divorce. Erika says, she wants to have a love affair like you see in the movies, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, Erika had a love affair like in the movies. It was Harold and Maude, but in reverse, and will eventually be made into a Lifetime movie. The chef is barraged with questions about his personal life, and we find out he’s married before he runs from the room. In Erika’s interview, she says, Tom was established and had his own life for many years before she came along. She fit in his life. We flash back to better times, and Erika says she doesn’t want to do that again. She wants to carve her own life and meet someone with whom she can go forward together. Dorit asks if Denise missed them, and Denise says she did. She has a question for Erika. Why is it that Erika treated her a certain way after they met? When she met Erika for the first time, she thought Erika was sweet and lovely. We flash back to that, and Denise says, a year later, it was a different dynamic. Erika says she doesn’t feel anything personal toward Denise, and Denise asks what she did to Erika. Clearly, Denise is not herself. She seems more drunk than stoned though. Erika says, tell her what it is, and Denise says she’ll be clear. Erika was so kind to her… In her interview, Erika says she doesn’t know if Denise is high. She knows she’s high, but Denise seems to be on another level. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, maybe Denise had a drink before because she was nervous. In Dorit’s interview, she says she doesn’t know what Denise is partaking in, but she doesn’t want some. Denise says, then Erika was very different, and Kyle asks if there’s a specific moment Denise is talking about. Denise says, they’re grown-ass adults. Erika knows what she’s talking about. Erika says she really doesn’t, and I believe her because I don’t either. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Denise can say it. What did Erika do to her? Erika asks if it’s something specific or just the whole thing, and Denise says, the whole thing. They don’t need an example. Watch the show. In Crystal’s interview, she says, the weed dinner is kicking in. What are you talking about? Bitch, what? At the table, Crystal starts laughing like you sometimes do with weed.

In Garcelle’s interview, she wonders, who is this Erika? She’s cool as a cucumber and not lunging across the table. The old Erika would be like, bitch, what are you on? Denise says, she was so f***ing nice to Erika, then Erika was a bitch to her. Own it. Erika says, what? and Denise says, that. Now I’m laughing. In Erika’s interview, she says she’s so confused and high. They were having a good time, and this is ruining her high. She has no idea what Denise is talking about and neither does Denise. Erika apologizes because where else is there to go? and Denise thanks her, then says, you’re welcome. The chef tells the kitchen staff, Denise Richards is f***ed up. Sutton lights up a joint, stunning everyone at the table, and I’m dying here. Sutton says, it’s totally legal, and Erika says, they’re hitting the trees at the table. She never thought Sutton would love a joint. In Crystal’s interview, she says she loves Sutton, but she’s a walking contradiction. Here she is, smoking a joint, but in Vegas, she couldn’t deal with a few half naked men. That’s Sutton. Sutton says, there are things about her they don’t know, and dessert is served. Garcelle tries to talk to Denise in private, but Kyle, Annemarie, and Dorit follow them. In Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t understand what’s going on. Did Denise partake before she got here? Garcelle tells Denise that she thinks Erika really doesn’t understand, but Denise says, Erika is playing dumb. They all knew. Erika f***ing knew. In Sutton’s interview, she says, sometimes Denise doesn’t know how to say things she needs to say. If she was Denise F***ing Richards, she’d be walking around naked drinking tequila. She doesn’t like tequila, but that’s what she’d be doing. Dorit notices that Denise has her little, pink fuzzy coat on upside down, but Denise insists it’s fine. She tells Dorit, don’t do it. She knows what Dorit is doing, and she doesn’t give a flying about her jacket. In Dorit’s interview, she says, maybe Denise is onto something, and they’ll all be wearing them upside down. But right now, it’s a hard no. Denise leaves, and Erika tells Crystal that she doesn’t know what she apologized for. Denise ruined her buzz. Outside, Denise tells Kyle that Erika knows what she did, and gets in her limo. Erika tells Crystal, you can always count on someone here to ruin a good time. I say, yeah, and sometimes it’s you. Not today though.

Dorit tells Kyle, that was intense and not cool. Sutton was saying Kyle was in denial, and Kyle says she asked Sutton, what about? Sutton was acting like she knows something. Sutton makes the mistake of joining them, and says, it seems like Kyle is denial about something, but Sutton doesn’t know anything, so she wants to let it go. Kyle tells Sutton to quit gaslighting her, and if she knows about something, share it with her. Sutton says, she doesn’t know anything, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, Kyle is in denial about something going on with her marriage. Personally, she thinks Kyle is unhappy, but Kyle doesn’t like to talk about personal things. Kyle says she’d told them that her marriage wasn’t the best right now when they were at the retreat. Sutton says, Kyle’s been saying she doesn’t eat. She eats. Kyle says, maybe Sutton has a disorder, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she has an esophageal disorder and it’s nothing to make fun of. There are times she can’t swallow her own saliva. What’s going on in Kyle’s life that she’s not drinking? Is it because there was a problem? Sutton tells Kyle that she’s sick of fighting with her. Kyle already lost two sisters. Does she want to lose a third? Kyle says she knows the truth. Sutton had her own situation with her. She kisses her ass in public. Sutton says, so this is about Kathy, and Kyle says, Sutton just made it about Kathy. Sutton says, Kathy didn’t like that she didn’t stick up for her with the press, and we see a clip of Sutton being interviewed. The interviewer asks who Sutton believes, Kathy or Lisa, and Sutton says, it probably lies somewhere in the middle. Sutton says, Kathy called her and she felt firsthand what Kyle experienced, but Kyle says, Sutton was real quiet that day. We flash back to the Reunion, and Kathy insisting things that happened never happened while Kyle is bawling next to her. In Erika’s interview, she says, Kathy holds the key to what a lot of people want. She can lock you out of parties and social standing. Erika has always been a lone wolf on the outside. She doesn’t care if she’s on the list. They all know Sutton likes a socialization situation. That’s just the way it is. Erika tells Kyle that she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Kyle’s marriage, and Kyle admits it’s not great right now, but she wasn’t okay with Sutton’s sister comment. Outside, Annemarie tells Sutton that it was going good, then it was going bad, then it got going good again, then bad. Everyone leaves, and Kyle hugs the staff since that’s all she really has.

This is excruciating.

Erika and her assistant wonder how to make lemonade, and Erika suggests they look on the internet. Her assistant wonders if they don’t have to set up a stand if they make it. I only included this because I thought it was amusing that anyone would have to look up how to make lemonade. Um… water, lemons, sugar? The amount depends on how you like it.

Kyle jogs to Annemarie’s house and they play pickleball. Kyle says she doesn’t know the rules. She just hits the ball. In Kyle’s interview, she says she and Annemarie are both working moms with a lot in common. They’re both competitive, like to work out, and live down the street from each other. Annemarie speaks her mind. In Annemarie’s interview, she says, they share weird things. Like she has the same birthday as Kyle’s mom, and she and Kyle have the same surgeon. They play and it looks like ping-pong with a bigger ball and net. In her interview, Annemarie says she was into sports at five years old. She raced every grade, and in high school, she got into basketball. The janitor opened the gym at 6 am for her every day. It was no coincidence she ended up with an NFL football player. They sit down, and Annemarie says she needs a full rundown. It was her first encounter with most of the women, and she didn’t know why they were doing whatever. Sutton didn’t want to say what she was talking about and was talking circles around it. In Kyle’s interview, she says, it’s upsetting that Sutton would throw accusations at her. Garcelle, too, when she’s gone through it publicly and knows how hurtful it is. She’s disappointed. Annemarie says she feels she wants to know Sutton more.

Crystal, Garcelle, and Sutton meet for lunch, and Denise joins them, Garcelle saying, oh yeah, she invited Denise. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Denise looks like she’s gliding through the wind. Calm, composed, and beautiful. Not like at the weed dinner. Garcelle tells Sutton that she saw a commercial where they talked about neuropathy. She hadn’t known about it until Sutton said she was experiencing it. Some cases are so severe, they have to amputate. In Crystal’s interview, she says, thank God Garcelle isn’t a doctor. You’d come in with a headache, and she’d say you have a brain tumor. Sutton says, Kyle asked if she’d had too many drinks or was it her medication, and Denise says, Kyle was judging Sutton on drinking. Sutton says, splits and ponytail on the ceiling, and Garcelle says, and sweeping the dancefloor with her coochie. They’ve all seen I t. Crystal thinks Sutton throwing sisters was hard, and Sutton admits it was a low blow. At Annemarie’s, Kyle tells Annamarie that Sutton’s remark was designed to hurt her. In her interview, Kyle says she doesn’t know if Sutton has something going on personally or has issues with her, but Sutton should stop thinking about Kyle’s life and focus on her own. She and Annemarie talk about Sutton’s eating issue, and in Annemarie’s interview, she says she’s a nurse anesthetist. She puts tubes down people’s throats, and airway anatomy is her jam. She uses the words esophagal sphincter and Kyle can’t compose herself because she’s five. At the restaurant, Crystal asks Denise what the thing with Erika was about, and Denise says, they were at a dinner party and Erika was talking about threesomes when her kids were at the other table. We flash back to that, and Crystal says, what the hell? Denise says she wants Erika to acknowledge it and apologize. Otherwise, she’s just a mean-ass bitch.

Dorit says she has to catch PK up on Kyle’s party. Something is going on, but Kyle hasn’t spoken about it in detail. PK says, Mauricio has been busy. He’s on the global domination track, and travel has put pressure on their own marriage. Just be a good friend. In Dorit’s interview, she says she’s not surprised that Kyle reacted so strongly. She understands Sutton wanting something clarified, but to come at Kyle like that felt dirty. She says she wants to talk to PK about homeschooling, but PK says, being with other kids is important for their kids’ growth. If it was up to Dorit, she’d keep them home until they were 19. In Dorit’s interview, she says, during the pandemic, they started homeschooling. Teachers come to the house. The kids are thriving, and they love their teachers. They do well one-on-one. She tells PK that she wants them to have a good transition back, and he should hear what they have to say. PK says, it’s not a consideration. School days are the best days, and their kids should experience them. Dorit says, that would be true if he was here, and in her interview, she says, when PK travels, she feels like a single mom. PK isn’t involved with the kids. He doesn’t know their needs and wants to swoop in and tell her what’s best. She asks PK for another year, but he says, no. He understands she went through a trauma, but her fears are irrational and she’s going down the wrong avenue. He heard her tell Jagger that if he goes to college, mommy is going to live on campus. A lot is coming from her need and desire for the kids to be close at all times, and she needs to own that element. In Dorit’s interview, she says, it’s a year and a half post home invasion, and PK is still not getting the gravity of the situation. She lived a moment where her kids’ lives were over. She saw it in her head, and it does something to a person he can’t understand. She tells PK that if she thought something wasn’t good, she’d change it. What’s best for the kids is at the forefront of her mind, always.

Erika meets with Mikey, and says, it’s time to turn a page. In Erika’s interview, she says she loves performing so much. She’s missed performing and the exchange of energy with the audience. The only time she’s truly present in life is on stage. That, and when she has good sex. Mikey says, they need the right room with the right capacity, and to have a residency. In her interview, Erika says she loves Las Vegas. Showgirls, costumes, money, all the steak and lobster. She tells Mikey, creating new music and creating a show and mounting a show is a big thing, but there’s nothing like it. In her interview, she says what she loves most in life is the pursuit. She’s a hunter by nature. Why not hunt the biggest game?

Dorit meets Kyle, who says, it was insane. Sutton saw a ring she’s never seen before. Kyle has a lot of jewelry Sutton hasn’t seen. Dorit says she’s trying to understand what Sutton was trying to say, and Kyle says, it was very clear. Dorit says, she was suggesting Kyle is trying to hide something, and Kyle says, it was a low blow. Kim arrives, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, their relationship is in a good place. Kim knows she’s going through a hard time and has been supportive this last year. Kim says she hasn’t left the house since lockdown, but it’s given her time to work more on herself. She also started coloring on the walls. In her interview, Kyle says, Kim had a hard time during the pandemic. She didn’t leave home and started painting murals. She’s actually really good. We see pictures, and she is. Kyle says, seeing Kim painting and out socializing makes her happy. Kim says she told Kathy that if Paris needs anything painted for Baby Phoenix, let her know. Kyle asks if she’s seen Phoenix, and Kim says she has. We see a clip of Kyle telling Mauricio that she found out about Phoenix on Instagram, and in her interview, she says, her sisters and nieces are a package deal. If she has an argument with one, she’s cut off from everybody. That’s the hardest part. Kim says, life is too short to fight. She tears up and hugs Kyle. She says she wants them to fix it, and Kyle says she doesn’t know how it got to this degree. She only had good intentions wanting Kathy to be in the group. Kim says, they both could have done something different, but even though you don’t see it in the moment, everything’s a lesson. In Kyle’s interview, she says she thinks of all the time she’s losing, the babies in the family. Normally, they’d all be together, and the kids would be close like they were when they grew up. It makes her sad. She tells Kim that sometimes you need to take a step back and take time, and Kim says, too much time becomes resentment.

Next time, Garcelle has dinner with Jaid and Ashlyn; Sutton has a party for her store; Annemarie asks Sutton about her medical issues; and Sutton wonders why she suddenly has a doctor’s appointment.

🧂 A Pinch Of Salt…

The mess that is Salt Lake.

🏂 The House That Shall Not Be Named…

I keep trying to watch this, but nope. Again, no judgement.

🩰 We’ll Always Have Paris…

While I didn’t watch the first season, Season 2 of Paris in Love is on Bravo, and I loved it. Her film This is Paris was very impressive, and if you don’t know it already, there’s a lot more to her than just being hot.

https://collider.com/paris-in-love-season-2-marital-drama/

📜 Checking My List Twice…

Come along for the ride tomorrow to soap and unreliable Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay forgetting about perfection, and stay not fighting. Life is too short.

December 5, 2023 – Brennan Reveals His Intentions, Thanks, Happy Anniversary, Who He Is, Leads Lunch, Still Closed, Stupidity, On the House, About Us, Winging It, Check That Tree & Good

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura and Esme carry some boxes into the living room, and Esme wonders how everything is going to fit in her new place. Laura says, she can always leave some stuff here. That way it will be here when she visits, which she hopes Esme is going to do often. Esme tells Laura that she knows she doesn’t say this enough, but she’s really grateful for everything Laura’s done for her and Ace. Laura says she’s going to miss both of them, and they hug.

Mopping the floor at the PC Grill, Cyrus hears someone come in. He says, we’re closed, and Ava says, then he ought to lock the door. He says, when the restaurant’s closed, that means the bar is no longer serving, so… She laughs (me too) and says she sees his newfound devotion to the Lord hasn’t dulled what’s meant to be his wit, but he says he wasn’t joking, and he is busy. So if she’s not here for the cuisine… She says she came here for a little bit of his wisdom, and he says he’s but a simple man of God, but if he can help her on her way… She says she only has the one question. Austin Gatlin-Holt is dead. Why did Cyrus kill him?

Blaze asks if she overstepped, and Kristina asks if Blaze didn’t notice her kissing back. Blaze says she noticed, and Kristina says she’s glad to know she’s still got it. Blaze says she didn’t mean to ambush Kristina like that. The last thing she wants to do is make Kristina feel uncomfortable. Kristina says she’s not uncomfortable. In fact, she’s just the opposite.

Felicia says she’s glad Anna could make it, and Anna thanks Felicia for having her over. Felicia asks how she’s doing, and Anna says, okay. Robert surprised her for Thanksgiving with Emma. She’s so smart. She’s studying dark matter and subatomic something or other. Anna doesn’t understand any of it. Felicia says, as long as she’s not majoring in the didgeridoo, they can count their blessings, and they laugh. Anna says, Emma’s back at school now. She could really use a friend. Felicia says, she’s come to the right place.

Sam sees Dante holding an evidence bag and asks, what’s that? He says, this is literally the key to help them find out who’s after Anna, and tosses it on the table.

Hume opens the money briefcase and tells Brennan, it’s all here. Brennan says, trust, but verify. Too bad Corinthos didn’t take the money. It would have been so much easier if they could have just paid him off. He shuts the case.

At Pozzulo’s, Curtis thanks Sonny for seeing him, and Sonny says, for him, anytime. He asks if Curtis wants a drink, but Curtis says he has to stay sharp, and Sonny says he understands. What does Curtis want from him? Curtis says, specifically, names. Who would have a reason to take a shot at Sonny at the MetroCourt?  

Felicia says, after everything that’s happened, maybe a visit to Berkeley to see Robin? and Anna says, Robin will want to know everything, and she doesn’t want to… Felicia says, talk to her, and Anna starts to cry. She says she shot a kid, and Felicia hugs her.

Sam asks what it’s literally a key to, and Dante says, a private locker at the train station. The M.E. found a key on this guy named Jameson Forsythe, who was killed in a hit and run that sounds deliberate actually; the vehicle didn’t even slow down. Sam asks what that has to do with Anna, and Dante says, he and Anna were in the WSB together in the 80s. She had evidence against this guy, and recently, it vanished.

Hume asks how long Brennan will be in Port Charles, and Brennan says, as long as it takes to set up operations so that Pikeman can send shipments to Canada and do international distribution. Hume asks if he’s going to handle it in person, and Brennan says, if you want a job done right and all that. He learned that the hard way with Forsythe. He also needs to clean up that mess, since Forsythe failed to handle Anna Devane. Hume says he understands, but won’t an extended absence be a problem for the head of the WSB?

Sonny tells Curtis that there are several people who might want him gone. He’s looked into all of them, and so has the PCPD. Curtis says, nothing? and Sonny says, let’s put it this way, the case is still open. Has Curtis talked to Anna about this? Curtis says, not yet, and Sonny says, because her list of enemies is as long as his, but they’re harder to track down. Curtis says he knew this was going to be difficult from the start. He’s got to know who put him in this wheelchair. Sonny asks if he thinks he can do better than the police, and Curtis says he was a P.I. He’s done undercover work, and he’s not juggling a dozen cases. Sonny says he understands. If he were Curtis, nothing would stop him. Curtis thanks him for understanding and asks, who’s at the top of his list?

Cyrus says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt is dead? When? How? Ava says, two shots, close range, shortly before Thanksgiving, and Cyrus says, well, that is a tragedy, and Ava is a callous woman. She says, at least she’s not the one who killed him. Cyrus did that, didn’t he? Cyrus says, even if he had been responsible for Austin’s death, why would he tell her? and she says, that’s okay. She expected him to deny it. He says, then why ask the question? and she says, just to see if she believed the answer. He says, and does she? but she says, he didn’t answer it. And before we get to what I believe, let’s talk about what I know, shall we? She knows, for example, that he ordered Austin’s cousin Mason to kidnap her, so that Austin would testify about his fragile health and a judge would grant him early release from Pentenville. Now look at him. He’s a free man. And how did he repay Austin for giving him his life back? By taking Austin’s?

Esme says, Laura doesn’t think she’s doing the wrong thing by moving out, does she? and Laura says, if she thought Esme was doing the wrong thing, she would have never co-signed the lease. Esme suggests it might have been a bad decision on Laura’s part, but Laura says she couldn’t be more proud of Esme, that she took a stand to create an independent life for herself and for her son. Esme says, now that it’s all happening, she’s terrified she’s going to blow it all, but Laura says she thinks that’s a good thing, because Esme will be careful. It’s the people who think they know everything who fall on their faces. Esme says she’s terrified of failure, and Laura says, let’s say for a moment it was a mistake. Esme can always move back in because Laura’s home will always be a nice, soft, landing place for her and her son. Esme thanks her and says, that’s incredibly reassuring, and Laura says she’s watched Esme grow into a competent and self-sufficient single mom. So now believe her when she says, Esme’s got this.

Kristina says she had no idea Blaze might be gay, and Blaze says, there’s a reason for that. The way her life is, she can’t be open like that, and she totally understands if that’s offensive to Kristina. She personally has so much respect for people who are out and proud, and she’s more than a little jealous of them, but for her it’s not an option. Kristina says, first of all, she’s not offended. Blaze’s sexuality is just that, it’s hers. How she chooses to express it and when is entirely up to her. So don’t ever feel like she has to defend herself to Kristina. Everyone’s on their own journey. Blaze thanks her for everything. She can’t tell Kristina how much it means to hear her say that.

Curtis says, maybe Austin didn’t tell Ava, but he paid for Austin to go to medical school. He supported Austin during his residency, so forgive him if the news of Austin’s passing is a loss for him. Ava says, he’s positively bereft, and he says, now that he’s answered her question, would she mind returning the favor? She says, has she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior? but he says, did she kill Austin? Because from what she’s told him, she has many reasons to do so. More than he does. She says, he did it and now he’s trying to shift blame, and he asks if she’d like to speak to his manager. She says, to report a murder? but he says, to check his alibi. He’s worked past closing every night since he got this job, so he has an alibi. Does she? She walks out.

Blaze tells Kristina that she’s never been in a long-term relationship. Part of it’s her career. She sees so many artists wreck everything they had, break the heart of someone who didn’t deserve it, or get theirs broken when the person they left behind moved on. For her, it was easier, safer, to put her focus on her career. Kristina asks if Blaze really thinks her fans would have a problem with her sexuality.

Anna tells Felicia that she’s not sleeping at all really. When she does, she has these nightmares of pulling the trigger. And when she wakes up, it’s always the same. She realizes it wasn’t a nightmare; it happened. Felicia says, what happened was a tragedy, but Charlotte survived, and Anna says she doesn’t know what she would have done if… Felicia says she knows Anna. She’s a professional. She doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later. Anna says, but she did, and Felicia asks, why? What made this time different? Anna says she convinced herself that this enemy of hers from back in the WSB was the person who was after her. That he’d been stalking her and harassing her. Burned her house down. And when she got back to Maxie’s apartment that night, she thought he was the one inside waiting for her. She had no way of knowing it was Charlotte… Valentin didn’t tell her.

Brennan tells Hume, that’s the thing about being Director. Only a few people know where you actually are at any given time. Hume says, he can run the WSB as he sees fit, and Brennan says, once he was able to oust Frisco Jones, the rest was easy. Anyone who might have been an obstacle was transferred to a very out of the way station, demoted, or thrown out of the Bureau altogether. He has to fly to London now and then to keep everyone on their toes, but everything else, he can pretty much do it his way. Hume says, speaking of obstacles, who is their priority? Sonny Corinthos or Anna Devane? Brennan says, both.

Laura walks into the PC Grill and says hello to Cyrus. He says, what a surprise, and she says she just saw Ava leaving. He says, her former daughter-in-law stopped by to pay him a visit. Apparently, he’s quite popular this evening. She says, anything she should be concerned about? and he says, with Ava? No. She is a troubled soul though. Always in search of absolution it seems. That’s what comes with a guilty conscience. Believe him; he knows. Anyway, enough about him. What brings her here so late?

Kristina asks Blaze if this was Linc’s idea. Was he afraid being queer would conflict with the whole pop star image he was trying to create for her, and it would then alienate her fanbase? Blaze says, Linc didn’t know, and Kristina says, there goes her theory. Blaze says, not that he cared. He would have gone right on harassing her regardless. She never wanted to expose anything personal about herself. Kristina says, it’s good Blaze never has to deal with Linc again, but if it’s not that she’s worried about what the public would think of her… Blaze says, if she came out now, she’s pretty sure she would turn off some fans, but it’s 2023. She thinks most of them would accept her. Unfortunately, her very Catholic family would absolutely not.

Sam asks what kind of evidence it would turn up, and Dante says, Anna told him that she had a hard copy of a report on a mission, an op that went sideways, that incriminated Forsythe. Sam says, that shouldn’t be a big deal. The WSB probably has hard copies and digital copies. He says, but they wanted to bury that report, and Anna wanted to keep a copy so she wouldn’t be scapegoated into being the reason the op went bad. She had it with her the night she shot Charlotte. She was obviously distracted with Charlotte, and when she went back to get her bag, the report was gone, so were any corroborating documents that went along with it. Then Forsythe’s body turns up, and the M.E. finds a key in his shoe. Sam says, so the report is in the locker, and Dante says, most likely, but he won’t know until he checks. She asks what Anna thinks, but he says, Anna doesn’t know yet.

Felicia says, Charlotte was stalking her? and Anna says, yeah. Victor got in her head, and convinced Charlotte that she was a threat to her father. So Charlotte was trying to drive her away to protect him. Felicia says, and Valentin knew? and Anna says, yes. Valentin knew the night Charlotte broke into her hotel suite and didn’t tell her. Felicia asks, why the hell not? Valentin should have known Anna would want to be supportive and want to get Charlotte help. Anna says, Valentin doesn’t trust her. She doesn’t think he trusts anyone, because he himself is untrustworthy. It’s over. That is it for them. This whole thing with Charlotte shattered any illusions she had about him. Felicia says she’s so sorry, and Anna says, it was a risk going into a relationship with him, but she didn’t have any idea it would end this badly. Felicia says, it wasn’t her fault, and Anna says, that’s very nice of Felicia… She’s the one who pulled the trigger. Felicia says, there were very extenuating circumstances. Who was this person at the WSB who she thought was targeting her?

Sonny says he’s sure Curtis heard about his arrest this summer, and Curtis says, just that it happened, and Sonny’s time in custody was so brief. Why was that? Sonny says, because Cyrus Renault was behind it. Even though he was in prison at the time, Cyrus tried to frame Sonny. Curtis says, if he had the resources to get Sonny arrested, he could have arranged the hit, and Sonny says he doesn’t know. Curtis says, it’s worth looking into. Anyone else? Sonny asks if Curtis has access to the police investigation, and Curtis says he does. Sonny says, then Curtis knows the sniper rifle that was recovered was liberated from a WSB station in Berlin, and Curtis says, so Sonny thinks Anna was the target? Sonny says, not necessarily.

Laura says she stopped by to check in, see how the job’s going. They seem to be working Cyrus long hours. He asks if she really cares, and she says, excuse me? He says he visited her in her home, and she threw him out. He came to see her in her office, and he clearly wasn’t welcome there. Shouldn’t this be a two-way street? He’ll stay clear of her place of business, and she’ll stay clear of his. She says, it’s not really the same thing though, and he says, why not? Because she’s the mayor and he’s an ex-con whose existence embarrasses her? She says, that’s not what she means. She means, she works in a private office, and he works in a public gathering place. He thanks her for that clarification and says, now if she doesn’t mind, he knows it’s not really an important job, but it’s his and he should get back to it. Please. She says she’ll go if he wants her to. She just wanted to say that she thinks he was right when he said they were family, and because they’re family, they should look for middle ground. He says, that’s all he’s been trying to do since the day he found out who she was. Only now for whatever reason, does she deign to recognize him, begrudgingly no less, as her brother. It’s a little late.

Blaze says, Kristina knows how she went down to see her abuela in Puerto Rico when Kristina’s dad was getting married, and Kristina says, vividly. Blaze says, she adores her abuela. Obviously. She’s wonderful, loving, and also deeply old-school religious. So are Blaze’s parents, her brothers and  sisters, her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Kristina gets the picture. Kristina says, yeah, she gets it, and Blaze says, she has this one uncle who no one talks about. She can’t say with any certainty whether he’s gay or not. She hasn’t seen him since she was a little girl. Kristina asks if Blaze has tried looking him up on social media, and Blaze says she has, but it was all for nothing. There are a bunch of people with the same name as him, but she can’t be sure if any of them are him. It’s been way too long and none of their family are mutuals. Kristina says, it must be really hard, and Blaze says, impossible. And even if she did meet him, what would she even say? If he is gay and he came out to her family, he lost them because of it, and she’s not brave enough to risk a loss like that. Kristina says, revealing your true self, especially to your loved ones, can be… it is the scariest decision you can make, but it’s also a necessary one.

Sam says, right now, the only people who know about the key are… Dante says, him, the M.E., and now Sam, and she says, the M.E. didn’t put in a report for it? He says, not yet, and she says, and clearly Dante hasn’t gone to check the lock for himself. He says he doesn’t know what his approach is going to be. If somebody is watching Forsythe’s body, he doesn’t want to lead them to the locker. She says, why not just tell Anna? and he says, if she was Anna and she knew about this key and this report, what is she going to do? She says she’s going to the train station and opening the locker, and he says, which sounds like a trap. Forsythe was murdered. Whoever killed him… She says, could also be after Anna. And she’s sure the locker is under surveillance. He says, this whole thing could just be a set-up to draw Anna out, and she says, right. So why not just turn the key over to the PCPD?

Anna tells Felicia, years ago at the beginning of her career with the WSB, she was involved with this op that got blown. The original report exonerated her, which it should have, and placed the blame on the person who planned and executed the op. Felicia says, as it should have? and Anna says, her opinion was yes, and it was the Bureau’s position. At least it was at the time. Felicia says, they changed their minds, and Anna says, they did. This agent in question, Jameson Forsythe, managed to make himself indispensable to the Bureau, so… Felicia says, they buried the report, and Anna says, they did, but she kept a copy of it, just for insurance. Felicia says, just in case they tried to pin it on her, and Anna says, right. But nothing ever came of it, so she kept the report, but just put it away in this trunk that she had full of reports. She was very fastidious about stuff like that. She put in it in storage in England, where it remained for decades. Then a couple of years ago, she brought it out here, thinking she’d go through the trunk, and she never got around to it. (We’ve all been there, even if it’s just a box of stuff.) Felicia says, she has been kind of busy the last couple of years, and Anna says she supposes so. Anyway, when it was clear she was never going to go through the trunk, she put it in storage in Port Charles. Felicia says, when her house burned down, was the trunk still in storage? and Anna says, yeah. So after the fire, she wondered if there was something in there that could help her figure out who’s after her. So Robert helped her bring it to Maxie’s apartment, and as soon as she saw Forsythe’s name, she just knew it. He would kill to keep that report buried.

Hume says he has no preference personally, but why not eliminate Corinthos altogether? and Brennan says, that option’s still on the table, but only as a last resort. Corinthos has controlled Port Charles for decades. Removing him would create a power vacuum. The last thing they need is a bunch of crime families vying for control of Port Charles and its waterways. Next thing they know, state and federal law enforcement will be nosing around. Hume says, exactly the kind of attention Pikeman wants to avoid, to get their merchandise to international buyers, and Brennan says, they’re much better off securing Sonny’s cooperation. Hume says, except that hasn’t really worked so far, and Brennan says, money hasn’t worked. Sometimes it doesn’t. All that means is, they find a different kind of leverage.

Sonny asks if Curtis has ever heard of Pikeman Security Group, and Curtis says, yeah, basically corporate mercenaries and they supply weapons systems. They’ve been in the news once or twice. Sonny says, what hasn’t been in the news is, Pikeman is in bed with the WSB. They have some kind of revolving door arrangement where former WSB agents work for Pikeman. Then Pikeman personnel work for the Bureau. Curtis says, another connection to Anna, but Sonny says, guess what? Pikeman has made overtures to him. Curtis says he takes it Sonny didn’t accept those overtures, and Sonny tells him, let’s just say it didn’t live up to Pikeman’s satisfaction. Curtis says, so Pikeman may have a reason to come gunning for Sonny, and Sonny says, anything is possible.

Dante tells Sam that he thought about turning the key over to the PCPD, but then they’d have access to Anna’s files and records. This guy was WSB, and they’d want to monitor the case. Sam says, they probably are already, and he says, then they’d confiscate the key. She says, and if the report is in the locker, the WSB will grab it and destroy it forever, and he says, right. Which puts Anna in even more danger.

Hume says, Anna Devane. Again, professional curiosity. Why is she so important? Brennan says, that’s classified, and Hume says, understood. Brennan tells him, that said, he can see how this intel might help Hume help him. Back in the 80s, Anna worked a WSB op that went sideways. Forsythe was the field agent in charge and screwed it up big time. And the WSB buried the incident. Hume says, of course (🍷), and Brennan says, but Anna was thinking ahead. She kept a copy of the original mission report naming those responsible, including Forsythe. Hume says, and he imagines if this report got out, it would be embarrassing, and Brennan says, which is why Forsythe was supposed to retrieve the report and eliminate Anna. It’s too bad he failed at both.

Anna tells Felicia, on Halloween night, she took the report and a journal she had supporting it to show Robert. He agreed with the theory, so then when she returned to Maxie’s and saw the door was unlocked, she thought, oh no. There’s someone inside her home again. Felicia says, she thought it was Forsythe, and Anna says, yeah, and if it was him, he was there to kill her. So she just went through that door with her gun leveled and the safety off. She saw a figure in the shadow and yelled, freeze, but they didn’t; they turned. They had what she thought was a weapon in their hand, and she fired, thinking it was him.

Kristina tells Blaze that she didn’t mean to imply it was a requirement to come out to your family. It’s just, when she decided to come out to her parents, who again, are very different from Blaze’s… Blaze thanks her for acknowledging that, and Kristina says she tied herself up in knots over it. With her mother, it wasn’t so much her sexuality that was the problem. The problem was, she was involved with an older woman, which in hindsight, her concerns were valid. And if Blaze tells anyone that, she will deny it. Blaze says, Kristina’s secret is safe with her, and Kristina says, with her dad, he’s totally old school and traditional. She and her dad are incredibly close. Even at times when she didn’t think she and her mom were that close, her dad has always been there for her. And she was afraid, terrified, that if she revealed her true self to him that he would reject her. Blaze says, clearly, he didn’t. Did he come around eventually, or… Kristina says, he accepted her immediately. You might not think a devout Catholic and legitimate coffee importer would be that open-minded, but his love and support for her allowed her to truly explore who she is.

Cyrus tells Laura, all his life, he’s bent over backwards for his family, for his parents who were never satisfied with anything he did. His mother won’t even accept money from him unless it’s funneled through his brother first. Every single cent that’s gone for her care has come from him. As soon as he heard that Spencer was sentenced to Pentenville, he went out of his way to make sure Spencer would be protected. Not that Spencer ever asked for his help, but he’s Laura’s grandson, and that makes him family and that’s what family does. So she and Martin and his mother can continue to treat him like he’s less than dirt, but he knows, and more importantly, God knows what’s in his heart. And that’s more than enough for him.

Blaze says, she and hers aren’t there yet, and she doesn’t know if they ever will be. Kristina says she respects that, but Blaze says she thinks she’s a coward. Kristina asks if she’s met herself. She’s kind of amazing. Blaze says she kind of is, isn’t she? and Kristina says, as far as coming out to her family, if and when that’s what Blaze decides to do, the timing is totally her own. Whatever Blaze needs from her, she’s got it. Blaze thanks her, and Kristina says, of course (🍷). Blaze says, and for the record, Kristina’s pretty amazing herself. Kristina says she is, and they kiss.

Laura says she’s sorry. Cyrus is absolutely right. She had no idea what family means to him, but she does know that she hopes every single doubt she’s had about him is wrong. She thanks him for keeping Spencer safe, and he says, it’s what they do. She says, and as far as the rest of it goes, can they just wait and see? He says he’ll take that as a downpayment on a future apology, and she says she looks forward to giving it to him. He says, all right then. If she doesn’t see him around in the next week or so, don’t worry that he’s fallen back into his old ways. He’s going to be visiting his mother. She says, good for him. Give his mother her best. He says he will. He missed her while he was in prison, even if she didn’t miss him. He goes to the back with his mop and bucket, and Laura leaves.

Kristina walks Blaze to the door, and Blaze says, see you around? Kristina says, you bet, and Blaze leaves. These two have more chemistry than most of the other couples put together, especially now that Anna and Valentin are off the table.

Sam says she doesn’t understand why they would work so hard pinning this on Anna, and Dante says, maybe there’s someone implicated in the report besides Forsythe. She says, maybe that’s why Forsythe is dead. Maybe he knew who that someone was. Dante says, so the only person who knows about the report is the person who was in on the op, and Sam says, and that person was Anna. He says, she’s the only other witness. Whoever wants to bury that report, wants to bury her too.

Felicia asks if Anna thinks he’s still after her, and Anna says she thinks he was. Felicia says, was? and Anna says, when she returned to Maxie’s apartment, after the shooting, someone had been there, and they’d been through the trunk and taken anything pertaining to Forsythe and the op. It was all gone. And shortly after that, Forsythe turned up in Port Charles morgue. He was the victim of a hit and run. He was found on the side of the road, and there was no indication that the vehicle even slowed down. Felicia says, murdered? and Anna says, that’s what it looks like. She bets Forsythe died because of something that was in that report.

Hume says, their team went through Forsythe’s hotel room, his luggage, and his car. They gave Brennan everything they found. Brennan says, the last message from Forsythe, he said he had the report. So he either lied about having it or left it somewhere as insurance, which means that report is still out there somewhere. A ticking bomb.

Curtis asks, what if Sonny was the intended target and they wanted to lead the investigation away from that assumption? If Sonny had been hit by a WSB rifle, the investigators could claim that gun was bought on the black market, and no one would connect it to Pikeman. Sonny says he’s not ruling anything out. He wants to be clear. He doesn’t know for sure if Pikeman tried to kill him, but he doesn’t see a reason why they would try to kill Anna. Curtis says, that they know of. But to find out, he’s going to have to start back at square one and see where this trail leads.

Tomorrow, Maxie says, Cody and Sasha have this special chemistry that everyone can see; Esme says she can’t rely on Spencer anymore; and Jake says he never knows what Charlotte is thinking.

🏆 He’s Welcome…

The only soap fit to print.

Maurice Benard Thanks You for Helping GH Hit a Major Milestone!

💐 Deserving Of Two Bouquets…

One of the most underrated actors in daytime, but he does get double the fun. Ryan might be dead, but I fully expect him to show up again.

💣 New Villain In Town…

I thought I recognized him. He’s been in quite a few TV shows.

🍹 Soap Ladies Who Lunch…

This is such a cool idea. It must be fun.

🥪 Something About Opening Already…

To be fair, the socks are really cute. But the place looks gorgeous, so what the hell?

💉 Don’t Try This Anywhere…

Seriously, is she stupid or crazy? Is keeping up with the Housewives really worth it?

🐉 Imagining Dragons…

The latest on House of the Dragon, Season 2.

https://people.com/bloody-war-is-coming-in-the-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-teaser-8410126

🌁 Latest On The Last…

I could see Bella Ramsey playing The Joker.

More game versus series talk.

⚰️ Improvising the Dead…

Since there’s precious little news at this time.

🦥 Double Check That Thing…

This story is hysterical, but don’t let this happen to you.

https://people.com/woman-discovers-possum-hiding-in-christmas-tree-8410211

🦌 Playing Reindeer Games…

Join me tomorrow for soap and trying to stomach Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay respecting others’ holiday differences, and stay trusting, but verifying.

December 1, 2023 – Ava Spills To Nina, Posing, Side Gig, Shade On, VanderUpdate, Parade Pics, Windows, Finale Of Fear, More Turkey, Holiday Pets (!), Just Over 8 Quotes & Philly

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook walks into the nook where Lois is chopping vegetables. Lois says, there’s her girl, and Brook says, okay, but Lios says she can do better than that. Where’s her main squeeze? Brook asks if she means Chase, and Lois says, no, her other main squeeze. Yes, Chase. Brook says, he’s probably halfway to Canada by now after grandma’s tirade on marriage.

Kristina shows Molly into her apartment and tells her to stay there while she secures the necessary provisions. She leaves and comes back with two glasses and a bottle of wine. Molly is still standing by the door, and Kristina says she didn’t expect her to still be in the same position. She leads Molly to the sofa and says, talk to her. What happened? Molly says she realized she’s never been here before.

Elizabeth and Finn are having dinner at the PC Grill (the restaurant of the moment), and Elizabeth wonders if they’re celebrating a special occasion. He says, that depends, and she says, on? He says, whether you deem the calm before the storm special.

A tall, impeccably groomed, well-dressed man walks up to the counter at Kelly’s and Carly welcomes him. She asks if she can get him something, and speaking with a British accent, he says he certainly hopes so.

Sonny and Dex walk into Pozzulo’s, and Dex says, Hume would have been waiting for Sonny if they’d have let him. Sonny asks if he was alone, and Dex says, just him and his briefcase, which he can only assume was full of cash like last time. Sonny says, okay, let’s hear what Pikeman has to say, and takes out his phone.

At Windymere, va opens the door to Nina, who says she’s completely freaked out. Ava sounded frantic. What’s going on? Ava says, this arrived in the mail today, handing her the note with the picture of dead Austin.

Elizabeth says she takes it that it didn’t go well with the hospital lawyer. What’s her name again? Finn says, Dede Clark. It went fine on the surface. She talked a lot about cooperation and implied they’re all in this together on the malpractice suit, and that he could do his part just by answering some questions. She says, but underneath? and he says, the more questions she asked, the more clear it became that GH’s plan is to sacrifice him and save themselves.

Kristina says, that can’t be true, but Molly says, it is. Think about it. Whenever they hang out, Kristina comes to her place, or they meet up at mom’s or Sam’s or a restaurant somewhere. Never here. Kristina says, Molly’s never been to her apartment (neither have we), and Molly says, no. Kristina says, that is weird. Well, welcome. Molly thanks her, and Kristina says, for the record, it’s not like she’s throwing parties or entertaining. Her kitchen is essentially a barren desert. It’s easier to go out. She pours the wine, and Molly says, Kristina doesn’t have to defend herself, but Kristina says, doesn’t she? Molly is her sister and hasn’t even seen her apartment. She hopes Molly knows it’s not intentional. She now has an open invitation, any time she wants to come here, day or night. Molly says, be careful. She just might take her up on that. Kristina says, she better, and they clink glasses.

Lois tells Brook, tirade is a bit of a stretch, and Canada is not that far away. Doesn’t she think she’s being a little overdramatic? Brook says, no. After some of the things grandma said to Chase, she can’t even go there. It was mortifying. Lois says, it’s a good thing to know, nobody ever died from embarrassment, and it didn’t seem to bother Chase all that much. Brook says, he was being polite, but Brook says, or maybe he was seeing Gloria for who she is, a meddling Italian grandmother whose views on modern relationships are stuck in the 1800s. Lois says, exactly, and Brook says, she and Chase have never even discussed marriage. They just moved in together. Lois says, indicating that marriage is probably the next step, but Brook says, they’re nowhere near that step and that’s okay by her. Lois says, good to know, and Brook says, it is good. Lois tells Brook that she just said that, and Brook says, she and Chase are perfectly happy the way things are. Chase walks in with a bottle of wine, and Lois says, he made it.  

The man tells Carly that he’s in Port Charles on business, and he has a craving for a burger. The concierge at his hotel recommended this place. Carly says, he must be staying at the MetroCourt, and he says, she knows it. She says she knows it well, and he says, if he were staying somewhere else, would they also recommend Kelly’s? She says, absolutely. Kelly’s is a Port Charles institution, and they have the best burgers in town, if she does say so herself. He says, wild guess. She works here. She says she owns the place, third generation. So how does he like his burger?

Nina looks at the photo and says, is this real? Ava says, as real as it gets. Austin is dead. Nina asks, how? and Ava says, he was shot to death in Pautuck. Look. She shows Nina the envelope and says, a Port Charles postmark. It could have been sent by anyone. Nina asks if it was just the picture, but Ava says, no. It came with this sweet little note. She gives Nina the paper that says, you’re welcome, and Nina says she doesn’t understand. Ava says, join the club, and Nina says, clearly, the killer wrote this. Oh my God. Would they just assume Ava would be grateful Austin’s dead? Ava says, that’s her guess, and Nina says, she has to take this to the police. Ava snatches them back and says, no. That’s the last thing she’s going to do.

Sonny says, before Hume gets here, how long did Dex tail Austin? Dex says, only when that nanny was working for Sonny. Betty? Sonny asks if anyone called Dex on it, and Dex says, a couple of times at the hospital, he was asked what he was doing there, but he always had a cover. Sonny asks if he roughed Austin up, and Dex says, when Ava disappeared, he questioned Austin. He stonewalled, Dex put him in a headlock and told him if Ava wasn’t back, he’d be back for him. Sonny says, that could be a problem. Austin was murdered and if anyone saw Dex threaten him, they could assume he did it.

Ava says, Dante has already been out here to question her, and Nina asks, why? Because of Austin? Ava pours drinks and says, there’s so much Nina doesn’t know. Nina says, then fill her in, and Ava asks if Nina remembers walking in on her and Sonny having an intense conversation a few months ago, and Nina says, yeah. She asked what was going on, and neither of them would tell her. Ava says she was being blackmailed, and Nina asks, for what? Ava says, when Nikolas went missing, she had every reason to believe he was dead, and Nina asks her to define every reason. Ava says she thought she’d killed him, and Nina says, oh my God. Ava says, he came here, and he was in a rage. He was threatening to disappear and take Avery with him. She had to do what she had to do to stop him, and she grabbed a statue and she hit him. She just wanted to stop him, that’s all, but he fell. He stopped moving and she panicked. She thought he was dead. Nina says, thank God she was wrong, and Ava says she was trying to hide his body when Austin found her. He told her that he’d help her cover it up. Then the body disappeared, and Austin’s cousin Mason claimed he had it. He said he would bring it to the police if she didn’t do everything he told her to do. Nina says, so Austin’s cousin Mason was blackmailing Ava because she killed Nikolas, but he wasn’t actually dead? and Ava says, but Mason wasn’t acting alone. It turned out, Austin was working with him.

Dex says, after questioning Austin about Ava, he never went near him again, and Sonny says, if the cops decide Dex is a suspect – and that’s a big if – tell them that he’s not talking to anybody without his attorney present, and that includes his son Dante. Dex says, understood, and Sonny says he takes care of his people. If Dex gets picked up, he has the best representation. Dex says he appreciates that, and Sonny says, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. The less attention the cops pay to Dex, the more valuable Dex is to him.

Carly presents the man with his burger and says, tell her what he thinks. Don’t spare her feelings. He takes a bite, and she says she wants to know the real deal. He makes happy food noises and says, talk about the real deal. She says, really? and he says, it’s delicious. It’s full of flavor, perfectly cooked. She tells him to enjoy his dinner. She looks at the door and says, not again, and they turn to see a homeless man hanging around the doorway. She goes outside.

Carly tells the man that he can’t be out here, and he asks her not to call the cops, but she says, that’s not what she means. It’s too cold. He needs to come inside.

Kristina asks if Molly wants to tell her what happened, and Molly says, shoot. She had a folder at the park. It’s filled with really personal information… Kristina says she’s got it. She picked it up from the ground when they were leaving. Molly thanks her and says, she’s a life saver. Kristina says, of course (🍷), and takes the folder out of her bag, giving it to Molly. What’s in it? She doesn’t have to share that. It’s 100% her right. Molly says, no, it’s fine. Open it. Kristina looks inside and says, surrogacy candidates. She doesn’t understand. Is there something wrong with them? Molly says, there’s something wrong with her, and Kristina says, watch it. That’s my sister you’re talking about. Molly says she has this whole folder of potential new surrogates and TJ has no clue she’s even looking at them.

Lois brings out glasses and thanks Chase for the wine. She says, it’s very thoughtful of him, and he asks if she wants him to open it. She says, is the Pope Catholic? and tells him to pour while she works. She goes back to the cutting board, and Chase asks if they have a corkscrew. Brook gets it for him, and he asks what they were talking about. Lois says, you, and Brook says, you and Blaze. And how you used to sing together and now she sings alone. Speaking of which, what does he think of her new song?… Hello? Chase says he’s sorry. He got distracted. It’s amazing how Lois can do all that with those nails. Lois says, there’s nothing she can’t do with these nails.

Elizabeth says, Finn has to separate the hospital from the hospital’s lawyers. Sure, it may be a good legal strategy to use him as a scapegoat, but Portia and Terry would never, and she’s sure the Board would follow suit. He says he doesn’t know anymore. If the Muldoons can prove that the hospital somehow knew he was negligent and turned a blind eye, it’s possible they’d be liable for damages. Martin thinks GH’s best plan is to say that he was negligent, but he acted without the knowledge of the hospital. She says, but he wasn’t negligent and he’s going to explain that to a jury when he testifies. They’ll have to be sympathetic to him. He says, really? Has she met him?

Finn says, his testimony alone could tank the case, and Elizabeth tells him, says who? He tells her, says his lawyer; he said it a bunch of times. She says, that’s ridiculous, and he says, really? She says, if Martin Grey doesn’t believe in Finn, fire him, and Finn says, Martin does believe in him, but he’s also a lawyer. Good lawyers point out the landmines. This case at the core is about a grieving family who are looking for answers, and really, can you blame them? She says, of course (🍷) not, and he says, then it’s possible a jury might feel that way too. She says, and it’s possible to have empathy for the family, and realize their loss wasn’t his fault. He says he doesn’t know. He just feels that when he gets on the stand, the jury’s sympathies are going to be with the Muldoons, and the only way he can win them over is to get them to… like him. She says, he did it with her and she’s a way tougher sell. A bunch of strangers? Cakewalk. He says he doesn’t know whether to take that as a pep talk, but all he heard was, she likes him. She says, very much so.

Chase asks if Lois is sure she doesn’t need any help, but she tells him, just sit back and relax and enjoy the wine, which is very good by the way. Brook says, it’s delicious, and Chase says he’s got a guy. Lois says, he’s got a wine guy? and Brook says, it’s true. His recommendations are always on point. Lois says, good to know, and she’s very glad the two of them can join her for dinner. Chase thanks her for the invite, and she says, it gives her a chance to get to know him better. And to apologize for all things Gloria. He says, get out of here, and she says, not really apologize, because God knows she loves her mother, but she does know she could be a bit much. Brook says, a bit? and Lois says, but she means well. Her mother is a romantic. She’s in love with love, and for a woman from her generation, if you’re in love, you put a ring on it. Brook chokes on her wine.

Molly tells Kristina that she was contacted by the matching professional about looking for a new surrogate, and she was excited about getting things going again. Kristina asks if TJ felt differently, and Molly says, when she told him, he said it was too soon. Kristina says, too soon for whom? and Molly says, for him. For them, she guesses. He’s not ready to get back on that roller coaster again. Kristina asks how Molly feels about that, and Molly says, deflated… frustrated. This whole thing is bad enough, but to not be on the same page as your partner. Anyway, she ran into Dr. Navarro when she was leaving the hospital, and she says so kind and steady, and she really put things in perspective. Kristina asks what the doctor said, and Molly tells her, basically, the risk of miscarriage is the chance that you take, no matter who’s carrying the child. But when you weigh that against the chance of actually having a baby, so many people have had success through surrogacy. She wants to be one of those people. Kristina takes her hand, and Molly says, she took the meeting alone. Kristina asks if it was productive, and Molly says, it was, until mom showed up.

The homeless man tells Carly that he’d rather stay outside. He doesn’t like being around too many people. She says, at least let her bring him something to eat, and he says, really? Carly says, of course (🍷), and he says, that’d be great. Thanks. She says she’ll be right back, and if he changes his mind, the door’s open. She runs inside and goes directly to the kitchen, as the man at the counter watches.

Nina says, she didn’t know Austin well, obviously, but he seemed to really care about Ava. Ava says she thought so too. She thought Austin was someone she could trust. When he tried to convince her that he was being coerced, that he didn’t want to help his cousin, that he was trying to get her out from under the blackmail, she believed him. But Nikolas wasn’t dead, and she’s convinced Austin knew all along. Nina says she just doesn’t get it. What was his endgame? Ava says, per usual, in this underworld at least, all roads lead back to Sonny.

Dex shows Hume into Sonny’s office, and Sonny says, well? Hume says, Pikeman needs him to facilitate another shipment, and Sonny says he thought he made himself clear. He doesn’t do anything for Pikeman unless they tell him who the shooter was at the MetroCourt. Hume says, they’re not the police or the WSB. Pikeman is a manufacturer. Sonny says, that exports merchandise through his channels, and Hume says, and they’re willing – he puts his briefcase on the table and opens it – to pay double this time. We see the briefcase is crammed with stacks of bills.

Kristina asks if Alexis is trying to discourage Kristina from trying again, but Molly says, no. It was just typical mom. She wants what Molly wants. But when Molly told her about taking the meeting without tell TJ… Kristina says, technically, she did consult TJ, but Molly says, Kristina knows what she means. Mom said whatever she and TJ choose to do, they have to make the decision together, but she just has this sinking feeling that TJ might never be ready. So she went to the park to clear her head and ran into Willow and Amelia. It was nice. Willow was really sweet, and she got to hold the baby. Kristina asks if it wasn’t hard for her, and Molly says, at first, but it was so amazing to hold this tiny little human in her arms. Once she left them, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she might never have the child of her own. She wants to be a mom so badly. She starts to cry, and Kristina says she knows Molly does.

Chase asks if Brook is okay, and Brook says she will be once her mom changes the subject. Lois says, in a sec. The biggest thing Chase can take away from all of this is that Gloria obviously likes him. That’s not an easy feat because that’s not a woman you can win over very easily. And for what it’s worth (🍷), Lois likes and approves of him too. Chase says, it’s worth more than she knows, and Lois says, he makes her daughter happy. She can see it in her face. She can hear it in her voice and in the way she moves. As a mother, that’s all she could ask for. Chase says, for the record, her daughter makes him very happy too, when Lois’s phone rings. She says she has to take this and asks Brook to finish up for her. She leaves and Brook asks if Chase brought his shovel for the hole he’s going to dig, where she’s going to hide for the remainder of her days. He asks if she doesn’t think she’s being a little dramatic, and she asks why everyone keeps saying that to her… Do not answer that. She’s so, so sorry. He says, why? He’s not.

Finn says, it’s too bad they can’t clone her and have a whole jury box full of Elizabeths. She says, that’s a terrifying thought, and I laugh at the mental picture. He says, not to him, and she says, truth? He says, sure, and she says, sometimes he can be a little… He says, abrasive… guarded… socially awkward, and she tells him that she was going to say standoffish. But once people get to know him, they see what she sees. He says, and what’s that? and she says, a man of the utmost integrity; a brilliant researcher; a dedicated physician; a loving, sometimes neurotic, father. He says, sometimes? and she says, a person who really cares and a doctor who never quits on his patients… and someone who needs a little work on their maple tapping skills. He says, a lot of work, and she says, he’s saved hundreds of lives, and he has the potential to save so many more. He says, not if he loses this malpractice suit.

Carly takes a to-go bag out the homeless man and says she hopes he likes goat cheese. There are fries in there, she threw in a piece of pie, and here’s a coffee. She hands him a cup, and he thanks her. He asks if it’s okay if he sits out here and eats, and she tells him, of course (🍷), and stay as long as he likes.

She goes back inside to the counter and asks the not-homeless man if he’d like anything else. He says he thought she was going to run that guy off. Instead, she fed him. How come?

Nina asks what Sonny has to do with any of this, and Ava says, Austin and Mason were working for Cyrus Renault. Nina asks if Sonny knows, and Ava says, he’s the one who told her. Nina wonders why he didn’t say something, and Ava says, he doesn’t want Nina involved. God knows she wishes she wasn’t involved. Nina says, so Cyrus is the one who had her kidnapped? and Ava says, yes. He wanted Austin to testify for him at that hearing in Pentenville. Nina says, his hardship release. So he had Mason take Ava hostage to guarantee Austin’s testimony. Ava says, helluva guy, huh? and Nina says, Austin did what Cyrus wanted and testified to save Ava. That means Ava did mean something to him. Ava says, something maybe, but not enough.

Sonny closes the briefcase and tells Hume to take it back to his superiors along with this message – he’s out. He’s not moving anything else for Pikeman for any price. Find another harbor. Hume says he’ll relay the message, and Sonny says, you do that. Hume leaves and Dex closes the office door. Sonny says, Dex is going to have an opinion on what he just did. So what does he think? Dex says he thinks Sonny made a mistake.

Finn tells Elizabeth that he thinks the biggest question is going to be why he didn’t screen Muldoon for more tests that would have indicated the presence of cancer. She says, Finn told her that he wanted to, and Muldoon didn’t want to have any more tests. Finn says, he knows, but they might say something like he didn’t explain it to him fully, or maybe he was open to the tests and Finn just didn’t bother. She says, and what? Finn told him he was fine and pushed him out of his office? Finn tells her that they might say he got busy with his research or other patients. She says, he would never do that, and he says he knows that, and she knows that, but what if the jury doesn’t know that?

Brook says, all this marriage talk has got to be wigging Chase out, and he says he’s not wigged out. And he’s pretty certain no one says that anymore. She says her family just really loves weddings, in an unhealthy co-dependent kind of way, and he asks if she’s been to a lot of them. She says, weddings? Oh yeah. Between the Cerullos and the Falconaris, there are too many to count. He asks what they’re like, and she says, big, loud, enough food to feed an army… and the people there fighting. And the dancing. Nobody dances the tarantella like her grandma. He says he’d love to see that someday, and she says, he will. Not at their wedding… She didn’t mean that. She meant at a wedding, probably one of her gajillion family members. Is it hot in here? She fans herself and he says, she needs to relax, but she says she feels terrible. Everyone’s all up in his grill. He says, nobody’s up in his anything, and she says her grandma has probably already reserved a church for them, but they can’t blame her. It’s all she knows. The moment you turn 18, every nona keeps asking when it’s going to be your turn. So she understands it from her grandma. Or at least she’s trying to. But from her mother? That’s a completely different story.

Counter man says, not to sound callous, but he can’t imagine it’s good for business to have a homeless man hanging around outside, and Carly says, probably not. She did tell him to come inside, but he didn’t want to, so she just brought him some food. He says, that was kind of her, and she says, they wrap up all the unused food and send it to the homeless shelters, so she would have been feeding him anyway. At least this time he’s getting a hot meal. The man says he’ll pay the check when she gets a chance, and can she give this to her friend outside. He hands her some cash, and she says, thanks.

Ava tells Nina that Austin came to see her at the gallery the night he died. When she found out he’d known she was held hostage… He could have gone to Sonny. He could have gone to the cops, but he did nothing. He was silent. She was furious. They fought about it. She told him to leave and he left. Nina says, and that was the last time she saw him? and Ava says, yeah. She just doesn’t have any way to prove it. Nina asks if there aren’t cameras at the gallery. Can’t they prove Ava was there at the time Austin was shot? Ava says, the cameras in the back aren’t working, and that’s where she was most of the night, and Nina says, well, that is going to be an issue. Ava says, even if the cameras were working, she doesn’t think it would help her. That’s why she can’t bring the note and picture to the cops. They’re just going to think she hired somebody to get rid of Austin. Even dead, that man is still making trouble for her.

Sonny says, Dex thinks he should have taken the deal? and Dex says he thinks it’s better to play along than make himself an obstacle that needs to be removed. When he was in Afghanistan, there were a lot of these private security groups there. Sonny says, including Pikeman, and Dex says, these are powerful people. They have connections to all the major security ops, the CIA, the WSB. If they come at Sonny, it may be at a level he hasn’t seen before. Sonny says he appreciates Dex’s insight. He’s already considered all that, and he realizes his best move right now is to get out. He doesn’t want Pikeman investing any more in him. He’s betting that they think he’s more trouble than he’s worth and move on.

Molly says, it’s like she’s lost all self-control, but Kristina says she thinks that’s a good thing. Molly says, that she’s a human walking waterworks? and Kristina says, yes actually. For the first time, Molly’s allowing herself to feel what she feels, without trying to edit it or control it. Being a mom is hugely important to her. Molly says, it’s like she won’t be her if she doesn’t, and Kristina says, that’s really beautiful. Molly says, not if TJ won’t consider these surrogates. And she won’t have a child without him. She won’t do that to him. Kristina takes her hands, and they sit down. She says, TJ will come around. She knows he will, and when he does, let Kristina help her. Let her carry a baby for them.

Chase says he doesn’t want Brook to be mad at her on his account. He thinks she’s awesome. She says, he does? and he says, Brook obviously comes by her beauty and her spark naturally. Brook thanks him for the compliment and for just being overall amazing. How’d she get so lucky? He says he asks himself that every day… about how he got lucky, not her. (Ha-ha!) She suggests they agree they’re both lucky, and he asks what she say were the three most important moments of her life. She says, when she scored Jonas Brothers tickets in 2010, and he says he’s being serious. Humor him. She says, all right. The last time she ever saw her great-grandfather Edward; that’s a big one. The first time she ever wrote a song, and when she gained a little brother in Leo. He says he wants this moment right now to be on that list, and she asks what he’s talking about. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine – he gets down on one knee, taking her hands – will you marry me?

Finn pulls his chair closer to Elizabeth and says, she called him caring. She says, because he is, and he says he thinks he knows that somewhere deep down. He also doesn’t like being questioned or doubted, and when he gets defensive, he gets awkward. These jurors aren’t medical professionals, and this medical jargon thing will go right over their heads, and the only thing that’s going to resonate with them is that this man is dead, and his family is grieving. And there’s this doctor on the stand saying he did everything right. She tries to interrupt, but he says, no. What if he would have pushed harder for Muldoon to get those tests? Made him. Demanded he get that colonoscopy. Would Muldoon still be alive? She says, no one can answer that question. But what she can tell him is, all they can do as medical professionals is their best, and he did that. She knows that. So they need to teach him how to project that inward kindness outward, so the jury will believe him and maybe even like him. He asks if that’s even possible and she says she thinks… Yeah. They’ve got their work cut out for him. They kiss.

Kristina takes Molly’s hand and says she knows Molly was originally against it when she offered to be their surrogate. And admittedly, she hadn’t really thought it through, not fully. Maybe there was a part of her that wanted to swoop in and be the hero. Molly tells her, when she said that before, that was her pain talking. She was disappointed and bitter that Kristina could carry a child and she couldn’t. But that was unfair and she’s sorry. Kristina says she’s sorry Molly is going through this at all, and she’s sorry Molly lost her first baby. Molly says, it’s not Kristina’s job to fix it for them, and Kristina says she doesn’t think it is. Not at all. That’s not the way she sees it. Bringing Molly’s child into this world is something she can and truly wants to give her. Not just for Molly, but for this baby who’s going to be in this family with the most incredible parents. Molly says, she’s absolutely positive? and Kristina says, 100%, no backsies. Molly says, now she knows Kristina means business, and Kristina says she does. Molly says she has to talk to TJ about it; they have to be together on this. Kristina says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, no matter what they decide it means everything that Kristina has offered. Molly thanks her, and Kristina says she loves Molly. They hug, and Molly says she loves Kristina too.

Ava looks at the photo of dead Austin, then picks up the note and puts them both in the fireplace. She watches them burn.

Dex says, so Sonny will end his association with Pikeman and hope they cut their losses, when there’s a knock at the door. Nina comes in and says, Frank told her that she could come in. Sonny asks, what’s wrong? and Nina says she just came from Ava’s. She knows about Austin and Ava said he was working with Cyrus. More importantly, she said Cyrus still may be after Sonny. Sonny says, damn. Ava has no business telling her that. Nina says, no, she doesn’t really. The person she should hear it from is him.

Carly thanks the man for coming by, calling him Mr. Brennan (I guess he used a credit card). She hopes they see him again at Kelly’s soon, and he says he can practically guarantee it. He gathers up his things and heads for the door, when Hume comes in. He tells Brennan, we have a problem. Corinthos refuses to move any more of our shipments.

On Monday, Brook says, let’s take the topic off the table and forget it ever came up; Ned says, if he doesn’t figure out how to stop him, Michael will push him out; Molly wants TJ to hear her out first; Blaze asks if Kristina wants to celebrate; and Nina tells Sonny that she’ll do whatever she can to make sure someone comes home.

📸 Meant For More…

I never knew this. That photo doesn’t even look like him.

💣 Happier Villainy…

I still haven’t seen this, but it looks like a fun show.

💎 Shades Of Mess…

While I don’t normally side with Erika, I thought this was weird too. Denise seemed drunk. Maybe she was. Maybe there’s something we don’t know. First world problems.

🍸 Take Two…

If anyone still cares.

🍂 Goodbye Autumn…

In case you didn’t see the parade.

🎁 Switching Gears…

Another thing better seen online. You would not believe how crowded this stuff gets. The tree lighting looked insane.

⚰️ Rehashing the Dead…

All about the Fear finale. The best part – if you haven’t seen it, major spoiler – Skidmark made it! Even better, when he showed up, secretly thanks to Alicia, Daniel just asked, where have you been? No, how the hell did you appear out of thin air after disappearing for years? Or even, what are the odds? It was a great moment. It was a great finale. Nothing left unsaid.

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-series-finale-kim-dickens-interview-8402455

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-colman-domingo-reacts-to-victor-strand-finale-ending-8403734

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-showrunners-explain-alycia-debnam-carey-finale-return-8404001

🦃 Twice the Thanks…

I saw Thanksgiving for my birthday. They were giving out swag and I got a poster.

While it was a good time, and Eli Roth is a great director, this news surprised me.

https://people.com/thanksgiving-slasher-film-getting-sequel-2025-director-eli-roth-8409658

🫏 Practice Run…

Warming up for pets dressed as Santa, Santa’s elves, the Grinch, and whatever other humiliating holiday costume their pet parent can find.

I have no clue who these people are, but their celebrities somewhere and they have cute pets.

https://push.abs-cbn.com/2022/12/24/celebrities-flex-their-pets-on-christmas-day-1413

🐳 Quotes of the Week

My songs will pass and be forgotten. What counts, however, is that I sang them. – Father Andrew Greeley

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.Lou Holtz

Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity. It is through compassion that a person achieves the highest peak and deepest reach in his or her search for self-fulfillment.Arthur Jersild

No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has. – Henry Ward Beecher

No matter who you are, we’re creatures of habit. The better your habits are, the better they will be in pressure situations. – Wayne Gretzky

The world needs a-holes. Otherwise, where would the sh*t go out? – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz), Downsizing

If you’re going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now. – Marie Osmond (Who knew she was such a philosopher?)

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.Ann Landers

Tomorrow I’m going to feel the pounds. – Andrei Castravet, 90 Day Fiancé, The Other Way: Pillow Talk

🐹 On the Holiday Hamster Wheel…

Take some time to stop and smell the pine needles this weekend, and join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and that mess in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping realistic expectations of yourself and others, and stay allowing yourself to feel what you feel, without trying to edit it or control it.

November 30, 2023 – Dante Questions Ava, Charleston Invades Jamaica, A Thought, All the Salt, I Can’t Look & Last

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia goes into the breakroom and sees TJ staring into space. She says, it looks like he’s got a lot on his mind, and he says he was lost in his thoughts. He asks if she’s on a break or just getting off work, and she says, he doesn’t have to do that with her. She can tell something’s wrong. Does he want to talk to her about it? He says he might have made a huge mistake with Molly.

Molly walks into the park and sees Willow playing with Amelia on a picnic blanket.

Maxie says, it’s generous of Felicia and Mac to offer to bail her out of credit card debt, and Felicia says, she’s their daughter. Of course (🍷) they want to help. She and Mac are confident that Maxie will be on her financial feet in no time. The Deceptor will be flying off the shelves and Deception will make an historic comeback. Maxie says, maybe she can hang on until it does. Or she could take out a partial loan. They don’t have to completely bail her out. She looks at the unmade desk and says, if someone would just assemble this desk, she’d be eternally grateful. Felicia asks if Maxie wants her to ask Mac to come put it together for her, when James runs in and says, guess what? He saddled his own pony today. Felicia says, by himself? and James says, Cody helped. Cody is the coolest. Cody walks in.

Sam and Kristina go to Sam’s place after shopping, and Kristina says, watching Sam move around with maximum efficiency… She knew exactly what she wanted and exactly where to get it. Sam says, when she feels like wandering, she goes to the farmers’ market, but for staples, she is in and out. Kristina asks if Sam is telling her all this is only going to last her three days. Teenage boys. Sam says, and Scout. Scout can hold her own. Trust her. Kristina picks up a brochure and says, Westwood. That’s where she went. She loved Westwood Academy. Are they thinking of sending Scout there? Sam says, Drew is pushing it, and Scout really wants to please her dad.

Michael sees Nina at the MetroCourt and asks if she knows where Sonny is. She says she hasn’t seen Sonny since he left the penthouse this morning. Are Willow and the kids all right? He says, they’re fine. Sonny asked him to meet there. Nina says she’s sure he’ll be along soon. If he wants to sit at a table, he’s more than welcome to. Sonny comes in and says, good. They’re both here. There are a few things they need to settle.

Giles welcomes Ava home and tells her that all her mail is on the desk. He asks if he can make her a martini, but she says she’s surprisingly not in the mood. He says he’ll be down the hall if she needs him, and she thanks him. She goes into the living room and pours herself some (I think) water. She remembers Sonny telling her that Austin is dead, and that if she killed Austin, she needs to tell him now. The doorbell rings, and Ava hears Dante say he’s here to see her.

Maxie tells Cody that James said he saddled his own pony today, and Cody says, he did. He aced all of his riding lessons too. James tells Maxie that Cody said he was a natural with the horses, and Cody says he sure did. James has come a long way since he took his first riding lesson. James says his riding lessons are his favorite part of the week. He looks forward to them more than recess. Felicia says she knew Cody was a jack of all trades, but he’s gone from riding instructor to handman. She looks at the tool bag in his hand, and James says, Cody fixed Comet’s stable door really fast. He told Cody that Georgie’s desk went back in the box because they didn’t know how to put it together. Maxie says, what? and tells Cody that she’s sorry James put him on the spot like that. He doesn’t need to assemble Georgie’s desk, but thank you. James tells them, Cody said he’s going to help him put it together, but Maxie says, no, he’s not. She tells Cody that she’s going to send the desk back, and he asks if she’s sure. Because he always likes an opportunity to show off his handyman skills.

Kristina asks if that’s the blender she heard, and Sam comes in with two smoothies, saying, she thought they should try the new protein powder she bought. She gives one to Kristina, who tastes it and says, it’s really good. The other place that has really good smoothies is the snack bar at Westwood Academy. Funny. She doesn’t know if Sam remembers, but she really enjoyed her time there. She thinks in hindsight, it might have been better to stay there through 12th grade, rather than transferring to Madison. Sam says, she used to talk about Westwood a lot, and Kristina says, it was a lot of fun, and she still keeps in touch with a lot of the girls from there. It’s a great school, and the teachers there are invested; they really care. Why does Sam think it might not be a good fit for Scout? Sam says, because she’s thriving where she is right now, and Kristina says, what if she thrives even more at Westwood? All girls. They have a great swim team. Sam says she knows. Drew told her about all that, but she doesn’t think he realizes Scout had a really tough time when he was in prison. She would ask Sam every single day if he was going to be okay, and school is a bright spot for Scout. She likes her teachers and her friends, and Sam doesn’t want to take her away from all that, especially in the middle of the year. Drew wants her to start at Westwood in January, and it can be tough on a kid. It’s not fair. Kristina says, just say no then, but Sam says she’s not sure she should.

Giles brings Dante in and tells Ava that Detective Falconari is here to see her. She says she can see that and thanks him. Giles leaves, and Ava says she assumes Dante is here on official business. Best to keep her wits about her. What can she do for him? He says, answer some questions? and she says, go for it. He asks, when’s the last time she saw Austin Gatlin-Holt?

Willow sees Molly and says, come. Hang out. She pats the blanket, and Molly walks over. She says she doesn’t want to intrude, but Willow says, it’s no intrusion at all. The more, the merrier. What brings her out this afternoon? Molly says, this gorgeous autumn day. How many more of these do they have before it gets cold? Willow says, winter is right around the corner. And with the lake effect winds, it will be cold before they realize. She asks Molly to have a seat, and Molly kneels down on the blanket. She tells Willow that Amelia is so precious, and Willow says, they were just enjoying some mother/daughter bonding.

TJ says, the service that matched them with Andrea contacted Molly about other potential surrogates, and Portia asks how he feels about that. He says, it’s too soon. He’s still processing the miscarriage. He can’t imagine investing in the prospect of another baby this quicky. She says, how about Molly? How does she feel? He says, Molly is ready to meet with the matching professional and other possible surrogates, and she asks if he’s told Molly how he’s feeling about the whole thing. He says he sort of put it on hold for now. It’s such a time consuming and complicated process, does Portia think trying again so soon would be rushing it? She says, actually, she doesn’t.

Sonny says, Christmas is around the corner and Michael is probably busy with a lot of family obligations. Is he right? Michael says, between mom and Josslyn and bringing the kids to the Quartermaines, he just has enough time for him, Willow, and the kids. They’re fully booked. Sonny says, that’s what he thought. They have a busy schedule too. He was thinking maybe Michael, Willow, and the kids could spend time with him and Nina as a family.

Ava wonders why Dante is asking her about Austin, and he says, because Austin’s dead. She says she’s so sorry to hear about the doctor’s passing, but he says, she doesn’t seem that sorry or surprised to hear about it. Did she already know? She says, so what are these questions he came all the way out here to ask her? She’d like to get on with her afternoon. He says, she shows a remarkable lack of curiosity, and she says, curiosity killed the cat. He asks if she doesn’t want to know how Austin died, but she says she imagines he’s going to tell her. He says he imagines she already knows.

Michael says he’ll have to talk to Willow, and Sonny says he figured that. That’s what he’s approaching Michael now. Do they have any plans for Christmas yet? Michael says, nothing definitive yet. Wiley’s really excited about Santa Claus. Willow wants to make Christmas morning really special for him. Sonny says he knows Carly is going to want to carry over the tradition of Michael coming over for Christmas breakfast and the Qs are going to do their traditional gathering on Christmas Day. So he was thinking maybe they could come over on Christmas Eve. Everybody can see them. They’ll make everybody happy. Nina says, that’s a great compromise, and Sonny says, the kids will open up their Christmas presents from grandma and grandpa. They can make up their own traditions. He’ll even cook. Egg salad… ravioli… like the one Michael used to love. Nina asks if it’s Sonny’s own recipe, but Sonny says, no. It’s Mrs. Cerullo’s, but Lois doesn’t even know the recipe. But if Michael comes early and brings Wiley, they can come in the kitchen, and help cook like they used to.

Portia tells TJ, if she’s learned anything in her life, from keeping Trina’s paternity a secret for as long as she did to Curtis’s shooting, it’s that life is too short. Don’t postpone your joy; don’t postpone happiness. And you can’t sit around and wait for somebody to come knocking on your door to make your dreams come true. They want to have a baby, right? There is never ever going to be the perfect time that you’re guaranteed everything is going to work out the way you want it to. It just doesn’t work like that. You’ve got to take a leap of faith. He says, they’re both still in mourning, and she says she gets that. They’re going to have to find another surrogate. They’re going to have to go through the whole process again and it’s going to take time, maybe even months. He says, so why subject themselves to that kind of stress? and she says, he’s always going to have stress. He’s got stress now being a doctor. And she knows Molly’s got all kinds of stress being an ADA. But time? Time waits for no one, and it plays by its own rules. Rules that you can’t, and honestly you won’t, change.

Willow tells Molly, since she went back to work at GH and Michael’s been running Aurora, Amelia’s been spending a lot of time in the Q’s nursery. And Wiley’s in school full-time now. If she’s not careful, she’ll blink, and it will be Amelia’s turn. So they thought they’d take full advantage of her day off and hang out in the park while they had the chance. Molly says, and here she is intruding on their special day together, but Willow says, not at all. She wanted Molly to join them. She and Michael were talking this morning about how fast Amelia’s growing. She’s loved watching every stage of Wiley growing up, but there is something about this time when they’re still babies. She wants to take in every moment, every smile, every laugh. Molly says, she’s a sweet little angel, and Willow asks if Molly would like to hold her.

Felicia says, James has really taken to Cody, and Maxie says, yeah. Don’t tell Cody she said this, but he’s kind of terrific. James runs out and tells Maxie, come on. He and Cody put Georgie’s desk together. Maxie goes with James, and Cody comes out. Felicia says, it sounds like he impressed James with his handiwork, but Cody says, James did it all himself. Felicia says, sure he did. She’s impressed too. He says, it was no big deal, really, and she says she wasn’t just referring to the desk, although it was really lovely for him to put that together for Maxie. What she meant was, all the attention he’s been giving to James. Teaching him how to ride and tie knots, and now assembling a desk. He says he really likes James a lot; he’s a great kid. And he does have a way with horses. He doesn’t just want to ride them; he wants to get to know them. He has a real understanding of them that’s going to lead to a great connection. He’s going to be an awesome rider someday. Felicia says she’s quite the horsewoman herself. She grew up on a hacienda in Texas that she and her grandmother ran. They had some really wonderful horses, so it runs in her family. Maxie comes back with James, and says, wow, she’s impressed. She tried for two hours to assemble that thing and got nowhere. Georgie’s going to love it. She thanks Cody, and James says, he and Cody did an awesome job. They high-five.

Kristina asks if Sam is going to tell Drew how she really feels about Westwood Academy, and Sam says she’s really torn over it. Kristina says, Scout is Sam’s daughter. She can and should do whatever’s best for her. She knows Drew is a good dad, but mother’s intuition knows best, right? If she doesn’t think this is a good fit for Scout, then just say so. Sam says she wants to parent with Drew amicably and wants to respect what he thinks is best for Scout. If that’s going to Westwood Academy, then maybe she should just agree. After all, he’s been through so much. (Then let him go to Westwood.) Kristina asks how he’s doing physically from the assault, and Sam says, it seems like he’s recovering, but she can tell he’s in a lot of pain. She keeps finding him trying to hide it from her or trying to cover it up. She just doesn’t want Drew to feel more shut out from Scout’s life than he already has. She adores her dad. She would do anything for him. Kristina says, even if she doesn’t want to go? and Sam says, she doesn’t. Scout already told her. Kristina says, then there you go, and Sam says she knows Scout deserves to have her opinion considered, but she’s way too young to be choosing what school she needs to go to. In the end, it’s between her and Drew, but what unsettles her is the way he just decided this for her. There was no discussion, no debate. It literally went just like that. Kristina says, let’s face it. There are a lot of gaps in Scout’s childhood where her father was missing. She thinks now he’s trying to make up for that time. Sam says she doesn’t know. There’s something different about Drew. She didn’t see it at first, and she can’t quite put her finger on it, but something about him has changed.

Molly thanks Willow for letting her hold Amelia. She’s so amazing, such a blessing. Willow says, she really is a miracle, considering everything she went through to get here. Molly asks how many weeks pregnant Willow was when she had to have a C-section, and Willow says, thirty-six. She heard from TJ that their surrogate miscarried. She’s so sorry. There are support groups at GH who specialize in this kind of loss if Molly ever needs Willow to point her in the direction of one. Or Molly can talk to her. Anytime. Molly thanks Willow for being so understanding, and for being so open and generous with Amelia. Willow says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, Willow could have easily scurried away the second she saw Molly, thinking the sight of a baby would upset her too much, but she didn’t. Willow says she thinks it depends on the person, but when she learned her son had died, she found tremendous comfort in holding Wiley. It helped her on her road to healing and she thought it might help Molly to hold Amelia. Molly says, it does, and wonders if she can ask Willow a personal question. Willow says, no subject is off the table between them, and Molly says, after what happened with her first child, did she ever think that maybe she didn’t want to try again?

Nina, Michael, and Sonny sit at a table, and Nina says, having the whole family gathered at their place on Christmas Eve sounds too good to be true. She wants to hear about these fabled ravioli and why she hasn’t had them. Sonny says he only makes them on Christmas because they’re very special, and Nina says she can’t wait. Is it totally 100% homemade or is he secretly buying the dough premade? Sonny says, all authentic made from scratch. Does she know those big raviolis? You got to cut them with a water glass? Put ricotta cheese in there and some secret ingredients. He asked Gloria for the recipe for years and she wouldn’t give it to him. Finally, she gave him the recipe, but he can’t make it as good as hers. He excuses himself and says he’ll be right back. When he’s gone, Michael asks what Nina is trying to pull, using Sonny to get around him. Michael officially becomes insufferable.

In the hallway, Dex says he thought Sonny would want to know right away. They heard from Pikeman.

James says he has their next job, and Cody asks, what is it? James says, the cabinet in the kitchen is loose. Let’s go take a look at it. Cody says, all right, boss, and follows James, but Maxie says, that’s enough. Cody’s already done plenty for them. Cody says, no big deal. He’s sure he and Big James can fix it. James says, they can. And when they’re done, they can take a look at the garage door and the front door; they both squeak. And can Cody build him a treehouse? There’s a huge tree in that backyard, and that would be perfect. (He sounds like me talking to my husband on the weekend.) Maxie tells James, if Cody does everything on his list, he’s going to be here all night, and James says, that would be so cool if he did spend the night. Can he? Cody can sleep in his room. He has two sleeping bags and they’re both Star Wars. Grandma bought them for him. Felicia says, and grandpa, and Maxie says, Cody has a job he has to go do. He needs to go back to the Quartermaine stables to take care of Comet and the other horses. James says, this isn’t fair. Grandpa’s at work and if Cody leaves, that means he’s the only boy. He wishes Cody was his brother.

Ava says, Dante came all the way out here to Spoon Island to inform her of Austin’s death. He’s done his civic duty. He can go now. He says he can’t. He’s here on behalf of the Pautuck PD. They have questions for her. She asks, why Pautuck? and he says, that’s where Austin died… or was murdered. Two shots to the chest, close range. Whoever did it wasn’t messing around. But because he lived and worked in Port Charles, the Pautuck PD thinks the killer is here. She says, there’s a whole big city of people out there, and yet, he’s questioning her. He says, no one knew Austin quite as well as she did, but she says, Austin had a lot of associates. Has he spoken with the Quartermaines? How about Maxie Jones? How about all the people he worked with at the hospital? Dante says, none of those people were kidnapped by Austin’s cousin Mason, but she was.

Kristina tells Sam, of course (🍷) he’s changed. Sam did when she was in Pentenville and Michael was a shell of himself at first. Maybe Drew wanting Scout to go to Westwood is his way of proving to himself that he can provide better opportunities for his daughter. You never really know. Sam says, she could be right. That’s why she doesn’t know if she should fight Drew on this. Kristina says, then don’t. Maybe Scout will be as happy as she was at Westwood. Sam says, or maybe she won’t be. She doesn’t know what’s best for her.

Dex says, Hume came in person to the restaurant and asked to see Sonny, and Sonny asks what Dex told him. Dex says he sent him away pretty quicky, but before he left, he told Dex to give Sonny this message. He needs to see Sonny and he’ll meet Sonny wherever he wants.

Nina says she didn’t put Sonny up to anything. Michael should know his father well enough to understand he’s not easily manipulated. Wiley and Amelia are his grandchildren, so of course (🍷) he wants to see his grandchildren at Christmas. Can’t Michael see that his whole plan to police her access to her daughter and grandchildren isn’t going to work? They’re family. Their lives intersect on too many levels for him to continue this vendetta against her. He says, his mom is family too, and her life intersects with his and Willow’s on just as many levels, but that didn’t stop Nina from turning her in to the SEC. She says she’s done everything he’s wanted her to do. She offered to sell her half of the hotel back to Carly and Carly refused. What more does he want? He says, what he wants is to expose her in front of the whole world for the liar she really is. The only reason he’s not doing that is because he knows how much it will hurt his father and Willow. So he’s keeping silent for them. For them, not her, but she benefits, so it’s going to cost her. She says, what if she’s not willing to pay? when Sonny comes back. He asks if they want to tell him what he just missed.

Willow says she always knew she wanted more children, and Molly asks where she found the courage after losing her first. Willow says, it’s different for everyone. Molly may feel the same way she did, or it may take her a while to decide. But when Willow realized she was pregnant with Amelia and was diagnosed with leukemia, she was advised to terminate her pregnancy so she could start chemo right away. Molly says, but despite the health risks involved, she kept the pregnancy, and Willow says, in her mind, there was no alternative. She even went so far as keeping her diagnosis a secret from Michael. Something she’ll always regret. She should have shared everything with him. It’s not fair to shut the person you love out of a life altering decision.

Maxie tells James that she always wanted a brother, but even though Cody would make an excellent brother, they’re going to settle for him being their friend, okay? James says, Cody would be an awesome brother. They could play video games until midnight every night. Felicia says, but not on school nights, and Cody says, that should do it; no more squeaking. James says, now he can sneak candy without his mom hearing the door open, and Maxie wonders if that’s why he wanted the cabinet door fixed. James wants to move on to the garage door, but Cody says he’s really got to get back to the stables and bed down the horses. James asks if he can’t stay for dinner, and Cody says, James wouldn’t want Comet to be uncomfortable in his bed tonight, would he? James says, no, and Cody says he’s sorry. He really does have to go. James says he’ll walk Cody out and asks Maxie to come with them. Felicia thanks Cody and he says he’ll see her later. She flashes back to Cody saying he’s not Mac’s son, and Mac telling her that looking at the paper isn’t going to change that.

Dante asks, when was the last time Ava saw or spoke to Austin, and she says, two days before Thanksgiving. He asks, where? and she says, he came by her gallery to see her. They spoke. He left. Dante asks if she has proof, and she says, yes. They have security cameras. He’ll be able to see Austin leaving through the front entrance. He asks what time she left the gallery, and she says she was working late. It had to be some time after midnight. He asks if the security footage will back up the time that she says she left, but she says, unfortunately, no. She locked the front door after Austin left, went in the backroom to do inventory, and left out the back. He says, there’s no security cameras at the back door? and she says, they’ve been having trouble with those cameras. They’ve been shut off for weeks. They’re in the process of upgrading them now. He says, so basically, she’s saying she can’t prove she was at the gallery past midnight. He thanks her for her time, and says he imagines the Pautuck PD will have more questions for her at a later date. She says she’ll be sure to have her lawyer with her, and he says, that would be a good idea, and leaves.

Sonny says he’s trying to take the temperature down between Nina and Michael. The reason he wanted to have this discussion today was to make plans for Christmas. He leaves for five minutes and there’s tension? Nina says, no. There’s no tension. She was just quizzing Michael about what he’s going to get Wiley for Christmas. She just doesn’t want to duplicate gifts. Sonny says, speaking of which, he wants to get Wiley a ticket to the Yankee game next summer. Michael, him, and Wiley sitting behind Homeplate. They’ll take the jet. What does he think? Michael says he thinks it’s a great idea. He never thought about giving Wiley Yankee tickets, so yeah, feel free to. Sonny says he just wants to create family memories with Michael and Wiley, and Michael says he’ll have to talk it over with Willow, but he hopes he sees Sonny at Christmas. He leaves, and Sonny asks if Nina is okay.

Portia offers to take care of TJ’s patients for the rest of the day, but he says he thinks being at work actually helps. He thanks Portia for her time and advice. She always knows what to say. She says she should take her own advice, and he says, they’re their own worst critics. She’s doing fine. She tells him, good luck, whatever he and Molly decide.

Molly says, obviously, Willow and Michael got past all that. She’s never seen two people more in love. Willow says, they’re very lucky, and Molly says, she’s in remission, she and Michael have two beautiful children, and Willow even has her birth mother in her life as a bonus. How are things with her and Nina now? Willow says she and Nina are getting along better than she ever dreamed possible, and Molly says, that’s great to hear. Willow says, the kids adore Nina. She brought over gifts on Thanksgiving and gave Wiley this robot that he still can’t put down and a stuffed kitty for Amelia. Molly says, if she knows Michael, he’s still holding a grudge against Nina, and Willow says, he can’t seem to let go of his anger at her. Molly says, when Michael makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it, and Willow says, don’t get her wrong. She respects Michael’s feelings, but she wishes he’d see Nina for who she is now, instead of focusing on what she’s done in the past.

Ava goes through her mail and comes to a handwritten envelope. She opens it, and a folded note says, you’re welcome. She unfolds the paper, and inside is a picture of Austin’s dead body.

Sam looks at the Westwood brochure, when Dante comes in. He says he really hates going out to Windymere. Between the cold, foggy boat ride to Spoon Island, and its inhabitants, not a good time. Is she okay? She says she’s just got a lot on her mind, and he asks, what’s going on? She says she thinks she and Drew may have hit their first co-parenting snag, and she doesn’t know what to do about it.

Michael goes to the park, and says, here’s his two favorite girls. He sits on the blanket and takes Amelia. He asks how Amelia is liking the park, and Willow says, she loves it. She was pointing out a few squirrels to Amelia and she was smiling. He just missed Molly. She hung out with them for a bit. He asks how she’s doing, and Willow says, she’s still dealing with her surrogate’s miscarriage. It helped her to see Amelia though. She understands what Molly is going through right now. Hopefully, she and TJ will figure out how they want to proceed. Where has he been? She tried to reach him at his office, but his assistant said he was out. he wasn’t picking up his cell. That’s why she sent him a couple text messages. He says he had a meeting outside of work, something that needed to be straightened out.

Nina says she’s okay, and kisses Sonny on the cheek. She’s better than okay. He says he just worries about her, and she says, why? The prospect of having the whole family over at their place for Christmas Eve, having this legendary ravioli, and a beautiful set table… and Christmas carols. The family she always wanted. It’s perfect. He says he knows things with Michael are still tense, and he’s sorry about it, but she says, he doesn’t have anything to apologize to her for when it comes to Michael. Sonny says, yes, he does, because Michael is his son and he knows Michael doesn’t make it easy. It’s taken Michael a long time to get right with him and he still feels like the relationship is tense. He wants her to know he appreciates her being patient.

Molly sits on a bench in the park and looks through the pictures of the surrogates. She flashes back to Willow saying she should have shared her diagnosis with Michael and it’s not fair to shut out the person you love from a life altering decision. She starts to cry, and the folder falls to the ground. Kristina comes into the park and runs to Molly. She takes Molly in her arms and holds her as she sobs.

Tomorrow, Lois tells Brook and Chase, if you’re in love, put a ring on it; Finn tells Elizabeth that GH plans to sacrifice him; Dex thinks a mistake has been made; and Nina tells Sonny that the person she should hear it from is him.

Southern Charm

Craig tells Austen that he invited the whole crew to Jamaica so Paige can get to know everyone better. JT says, Rod that has to come on the trip. He needs his wingman. Venita calls Madison and tells her that Manny can’t come because he’s in Utah, and Madison says, Brett had to go back to work after only three days. Paige will make it better. They can have a pina colada and laugh at everyone else. Craig paints one nail blue and I wonder, what’s up with that? He calls Paige and says he was thinking about taking a trip together. He asks if she’s ever been to Jamaica, and she says, no. He says, he found this last-minute deal to go next week for three days. If she came, all the crazy cats in Charleston would get to know her better. She says she thinks it would be a heck of a time, but workwise, it would be irresponsible of her. She wants to hang out, but she can’t right now. In Craig’s interview, he says he’s more of a big picture guy. He should have checked with Paige before scheduling the get to know Paige trip and inviting all his friends. Well, yeah.

Craig and JT meet to shop for beach stuff, and in Shep’s interview, he says, the last time he was in Jamaica was when he was in college. He had a lot of fun. He was partaking in extracurricular activities. He tells JT that after the guys’ dinner, Taylor tried to make him jealous. She texted asking where he was and if he wanted to hook up. He said he didn’t think it was a good idea, and she said, fine. She’d stay with Austen. In his interview, Shep says, the text shocked him to say the least. He doesn’t know what Taylor is trying to do. JT says he thinks she needs closure and she’s having a hard time with it. Shep says, maybe it’s his fault. Maybe??? In JT’s interview, he says, Shep cares about Taylor, but he thinks Shep’s presence is causing complications. Shep says he should leave her alone, and JT says, after their dream trip to Jamaica.

Austen goes to his therapist Kristen and tells her that he feels his routine is good; he’s keeping busy. He’s going to Jamaica, and Taylor is going. He told Kristen about the entanglement at the guys’ dinner. Taylor texted him and Shep. She met them there and proceeded to attempt to make Shep jealous via him. In Austen’s interview, he says he wonders what he got himself into. It was already tense with Shep. She didn’t have to use him for that. He tells Kristen that he thought it would be fine to hang out with other people, in a group setting, but he should have boundaries. Kristen tells him to listen to his intuition, his gut feeling. In his interview, a producer asks if Austen thinks he had good intuition, but he says, no, he doesn’t. Kristen tells him to listen to himself instead of getting caught up in everyone else. In his interview, he says he doesn’t want to piss off people. He’s a people pleaser and his first instinct absolutely gets him in trouble. Kristen says, he can’t make everyone happy, and Austen says he’s realized how much his life is consumed by a pretty girl. He’s not seeking out somebody or dating. That’s not what he’s looking for. He and Olivia now have a working friendship. We flash back to their last conversation, and Kristen says, be clear that his intentions aren’t romantic. Listen to his intuition.

Madison calls Brett on the way to her OB appointment. In Madison’s interview, she says she couldn’t imagine having another child, but she met Brett and thought she’d be crazy not to. He’ll make an amazing father, and he’s amazing already as a stepfather. She tells him that she’ll treat this trip as her last hurrah, since she’ll be getting pregnant when he comes home. He tells her to have fun, and says he hates that he can’t be there. In her interview, Madison says she just got this body, and now she’s going to ruin it, but it’s totally worth it. She tells Dr. Pound that she’s had an IUD for five years, and wanted to know if she needs to do anything beforehand. She’s also having PTSD about being pregnant because she had a pelvic fracture during delivery. In Madison’s interview, she says she was on bed rest for three months after the baby was born. She had a Baby Bjorn and a walker. Being pregnant scares her, but she’s doing it again. Dr. Pound recommends a C-section, but just to avoid fracture. She’s not high risk. When she’s ready, they’ll take out the IUD, and as soon as it comes out, she’ll be immediately fertile.

Taylor visits Leva at the restaurant, and says she has a lot of emotions right now. She knows Shep and she’s comfortable with him. This past weekend, she texted him, and asked what he was doing after the guys’ dinner. She supposes it was a booty call. In Taylor’s interview, she says she’s not sorry about calling. She’s in love with Shep, and it wasn’t a mistake. She tried and it didn’t work out. She tells Leva that Shep said he was headed home, so she said she’d stay with Austen. She was being petty. Leva says she’d love to see them untethered, and in Leva’s interview, she says she’s not sure this is the person she knew, but she thinks Taylor is just having bad breakup. Guys act out of pocket all the time after a breakup, but as women, they’re seen by different standards. She tells Taylor that Shep doesn’t bring out the best in her. She needs to find new boys to hang out with.

Olivia packs while she talks to her mom Robin. Robin asks if Olivia is going to talk to Taylor, but Olivia says, no more conversations. Taylor doesn’t understand the level of betrayal. So she’s taking some space and wants to shelve this in Jamaica. She wants to have fun. Robin says, Rob is sweet, but Olivia says, they agreed it’s better for them to pump the breaks. We flash back to her putting Rob in the friendzone, and Olivia tells Robin, thinking about the different dynamics of uncomfortableness is overwhelming. Austen is saying he still loves her. Robin says she knows it’s confusing at times, and in Olivia’s interview, she says she’s annoyed at herself for back questioning her feelings. She tells Robin that she’s looking forward to the trip and having vacation time.

Craig and Austen work out, and Craig says, Paige isn’t able to make it. They’re more fortunate than most to be able to go at the drop of a hat. He probably should have checked with her earlier. Again, I say, well, yeah, and Austen says, classic Craig. Craig says he can’t get mad, and in Austen’s interview, he says, Craig puts on a façade that it’s all good, but deep down, he’s fretting. He’s not saying there’s trouble in paradise, but Craig can talk to him. He tells Craig that Olivia calls him and they just chat. He has to figure out how to move forward as friends. Craig asks if Austen thinks it’s a steppingstone back to romance, but Austen says he has no agenda. Craig wonders if a friendship can continue. She’s a gal pal, but they used to have chemistry and history. In Craig’s interview, he says, that’s why you shouldn’t hang out with your ex. You just remember the good, but the bad and the reason you broke up is still there, and will rear it’s ugly face sooner or later. Austen is trying to compartmentalize.

They all meet at airport, and fly to Montego Bay, going straight to the Shot Bar. Craig explains the dynamics of the group to the bartender, who I’m sure couldn’t care less. In Craig’s interview, he says, all the exes are hanging out together without closure. He doesn’t know what he was thinking. A bus comes to take them to the hotel, and Craig says, everyone has an oceanfront room. In Austen’s interview, he says, when he and Olivia are getting along, they’re like two peas in a pod. They have to make sure to stay in the friendzone. It takes forever for everyone to check in, Whitney wondering if he got the presidential suite. In his interview, Craig says, checking into a hotel is not that hard. It’s like they never did it before. Taylor suggests someone is trying to get her drunk, and Shep is all for it. In JT’s interview, he says, he and Shep just talked about not giving mixed signals and they just got here. Whitney says his room is not presidential. Not at all.

Dinner is outside, and Madison, Olivia, and Venita show up first. Madison says she wants a conversation with Taylor, but it’s not the time or place. There’s a bunch of mess about seating, and Shep says, the last time he was in Jamaica was 22 years ago. Venita says she’s 29, and Shep looks uncomfortable. Craig thanks everyone for joining him, and says, no matter what’s happening, they can still enjoy a meal, share a smile, and poke non-malicious fun. He tells them that Paige couldn’t make it, and friends sub in when a couple in a long-distance relationship can’t be together. Shep asks if Craig has a girlfriend, and says, that changes everything. In JT’s interview, he says, it’s hard feeling bad for Craig. He’s kind of perfect. (Huh?) But he feels bad that they’re in a beautiful place and Craig must be bummed she’s not here. He’s doing a good job of not showing it. After Shep makes a dig at Taylor for not being more well-traveled, in her interview, she says, Shep acts like he has more life experience, but he’s 40. In his interview, JT says, Shep is being patronizing and disrespectful to Taylor. Let the fish off the line. (Ugh. He acts like he’s so respectful, and consistently likens women to some kind of prey.) Craig tells everyone, it’s an adventure chic aspect tomorrow, but wear a bathing suit underneath. They drink, balancing the glasses on their biceps, and Shep wanders out to the beach, rolling up his pants, and putting his feet in the water. Austen says, they’re all on vacation together, and in Madison’s interview, she says, Austen is like a big kid and drives her crazy, but deep down, she thinks he’s a good person. She sits with him away from the table and asks how he is. She’s seen his face and demeanor, and feels like he loves Taylor.

Austen laughs, but she tells him, don’t laugh. He says, it’s not what he was expecting her to say. She says she’d hate for him not to pursue something because of other people. That motherf***er (i.e. Shep) is the is most selfish person in the entire world. Deep down, she knows Austen has a good heart. She doesn’t want either of them hurt, but at the same time, she wants to be happy for him. The others hang by the bar and discuss Madison talking to Austen. Austen says, at one point, they thought there might be something and Taylor made a move, but now she won’t admit there was a moment. She said it was a two-and-a-half-hour thing, but it was a four or five-day thing when they were thinking about it. He wants the romcom ending. Madison says, he’s a dork, but it’s his niche. That’s what draws people to him. Austen says, this is not his romcom ending. It wasn’t Taylor. They were confused and thought there were vibes, but it was because they were hurting. He was hurting for Olivia.

Olivia tells Craig that Austen talks negative things about Madison. He’s so f***ing fake. Craig says he knows she’s not able to shake him, but she can do better than that. Olivia says, maybe she has unresolved feelings, and Craig asks if she had closure. Olivia says, no. Logically, she knows Austen’s not the person for her. In Olivia’s interview, she says, the problem with Austen is, you don’t know what you’re going to get with him. He’s confusing and can be manipulative. It reminds her of why she didn’t want him in her life in the first place. Craig says, there must be things she can never forgive, and Olivia says, it bothers her that she’s so bothered.

Austen tells Madison, it’s not about Taylor; it’s about Olivia. He loves her. It was always about her. He went to therapy for her and should have ended up with her. Madison asks why he still can’t. He says he doesn’t know why. If he can’t be happy with the person who’s perfect, what’s he going to do?

Next time, waterfalls; Page Six writes about Austen and Taylor hooking up; and Shep and Craig butt heads.

💭 This episode was fairly innocuous. Probably because we need a break now and then. It looks like next week will make up for it.

🧂 Rubbing Salt In the Wound…

I’m watching this peripherally, but it just seems to be circling the same drain. It’s sad that the first season seemed promising and at this point, women who were genuine friends at the start are now at each other’s throats. Jen’s life in prison is probably more peaceful.

🎿 Schwartz Skates Out…

The show I literally can’t watch anymore, but no judgement.

🍤 Requesting the Secret Menu…

Start your weekend off tomorrow with soap and a sleigh full of internet joy. Until then, stay safe, stay not giving to receive, and stay not postponing your joy or happiness, or waiting for somebody to come knocking on your door to make your dreams come true.