Category Archives: real housewives

Aug26

August 25, 2023 – Cody Asks Sam For Help, Newbie, Atlanta Receipts, Called Out, No Shock, Leaky Deck, VanderLock, Tasty Move, New Horror, Dead News, Second Last, Stray Training, Apple Pups, 9 Crisp Quotes & Out

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if she’s had a setback, but Willow says, just the opposite. She wants to get back to work. Does Elizabeth have room for one more nurse?

Finn sets up the backgammon board, and Tracy says she hopes he’s been practicing. He’s going to need it. He asks if she’s kidding. He has an eight-year-old daughter, and there’s not a day that goes by that there isn’t new disease at the hospital to challenge him. Does she really think he has time to practice backgammon? She looks at him, and he says, okay. The minute he knew she was back in town, he started practicing his ass off. She says, good choice – she takes a paper out of her pocket – because according to her calculations, Tracy-47, Finn-29. He says, 47-29? She kept that all this time? She asks what he thinks and he says, of course (🍷) she kept it; she’s winning. She says she loves to win, and shakes the dice.

Cody says he’s desperate here. Sasha’s in trouble, and Sam could be his only chance. She says, to get himself locked up in Ferncliff? and he says, to help Sasha. She says she thinks it’s a terrible plan, but he says, it’s the only plan he’s got. Please. She says she won’t help him, much less be the one who commits him.

On his phone at the Crimson office, Sonny asks what Brick’s got for him. Has the fake information Betty stole from his computer been downloaded?… He gets that, but he’s impatient. It’s just that he wants some answers. He may have to figure this out. Nina comes out of the elevator, and Sonny says, he’ll see Brick later. Nina comes in and asks, what’s wrong? Sonny says, nothing. A beautiful woman is in front of him. What could be wrong with that? She says, nothing’s wrong with that, and they hug. Absolutely nothing.

At the pool, Molly thanks Alexis for coming, and Alexis says, of course (🍷) she would be here. She knows how much this means to Molly and TJ. Molly says she really wants Alexis to like her, and Alexis says she thinks it’s more important that Molly and TJ like her. Molly says, they really do, when Andrea comes in. Molly introduces her to Alexis, and they sit at a table. Kristina appears in the doorway and sees them.

On the phone, Brook says, so it’s all true?… She can’t say she’s completely surprised. She could kill her with her bare hands… No, no. Not them. A certain member of her family.

Tracy asks, how’s Finn’s father? and Finn says, he’s… fine. She says, fine? Really? She was supposed to have dinner a few days ago at the MetroCourt with her sister-in-law who had to cancel. There, she ran into Finn’s father, who coerced her into having dinner with him. Finn asks, how bad was the dinner? and she says, actually, the food was much improved now that Carly Spencer is no longer running the show. He says he meant, how was his dad’s company? and she says, he’s charming, but he couldn’t hide the fact that his hand was cramping. What’s wrong with him? Finn says he’ll have to ask her not to pursue that line of questioning, and she asks, why? He says he’d prefer not to lie to her, and she says, fine. He shakes the dice, and asks how Ned is doing. She says, he’s still singing on streetcorners and hanging out with her favorite person, Sonny Corinthos. And how is Detective Chase? He says, Chase is convinced Tracy is forcing Brook to give up her music career to work at Deception, and she says she needs to ask him not to pursue that line of questioning. He asks, why? and she says she’d prefer not to lie to him. He laughs.

Willow tells Elizabeth that she’s feeling stronger every day. She’s got her energy back and she’s really starting to feel like her old self again. Elizabeth says, that’s such great news, and Willow says she loves her time with Michael and the kids, but what she really wants is to get back to nursing. Taking care of people who need help, like she did when she was getting her transplant. This hospital is full of excellent nurses who took such amazing care of her and really supported her when she needed it. She’s not sure what she would have done without them. Elizabeth says, they do have excellent nurses here, but Willow wasn’t just any patient; she’s one of them. Willow says she wants to pay it forward and give that type of care to other patients who need it. Elizabeth says, that’s why they do this, and she’s all for Willow coming back to GH because she’s an amazing nurse, and she can’t wait to have Willow back on rotation, as soon as her doctors approve her return. It would be a bad way to repay all those nurses by coming back too soon and pushing herself too hard, compromising her immune system. Willow says, of course (🍷). She agrees. That’s why she’s here, to talk to Dr. Randolph and see when she’ll be approved. Elizabeth says, great. This place needs people like Willow, and she can’t wait to get that documentation that says Willow is ready to work.

Sonny says he doesn’t want to keep Nina from her work. Maybe she should see if something urgent came up. Nina says she’s just fine in his arms. Besides, there’s nothing that can’t wait. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she says she would have gotten a text or an email from one of her assistants. He says, maybe its one of those old fashioned phone things. Why doesn’t she just check it out? She asks why he’s acting so weird, and he says he doesn’t want her to miss something important. She goes to her desk and finds a jewelry box, and asks, what’s this? He says he doesn’t know; maybe she should open it. She opens it, and says, oh! revealing a stunning diamond pendant necklace. She says she loves it; it’s beautiful. He says, it’s going to be even more beautiful when he puts it on her, and she asks if it’s an apology for being so secretive with her. He says, yes and no, and she asks, which is it? He says, why doesn’t she turn around and he’ll put it on her. She says, it’s gorgeous (it gets my vote), and he says, it’s absolutely amazing, putting the necklace on her. He hooks the clasp, and she asks how it looks. He says, she looks beautiful and that just compliments it, and she says, he always has a way of making her feel special. What happened to him to put him so at ease? He says he’s just happy, but she says when she saw him in his office the other night talking to Ava, they both seemed pretty tense.

Sam says, even if she wanted to – which she doesn’t – she couldn’t have Cody committed because she’s not related to him. Therefore, there’s no legal standing to do it. He says, easy fix, and she says she can’t wait to hear this. He says he gives her power of attorney. She becomes his medical executor. She says, so he appoints her one day, and she has him committed the next. That’s not going to look suspicious at all, is it? He says, it’s good enough to get him into Ferncliff, and if people start asking questions afterward, who cares? She says she cares. This is a bad idea. He says, no, it’s not. It could work. She says, this is a pointless discussion because she’s not going to do it, and he says, why? She says, because she’s not going to do anything that’s going to make Sasha worse.

Andrea says, the view from up here is amazing, and Alexis says, you can see most of Port Charles from up here. Kristina says, TJ likes to come here and go swimming to blow off steam, and afterward they grab something to eat. Alexis notices Kristina, who ducks out. Molly and Andrea discuss the food there, and their favorite dishes. Alexis looks over and sees Kristina is gone.

Tracy says she wins, and Finn says he has the feeling that’s her favorite phrase. She says, it’s definitely one of her favorites. Isn’t he even going to try to beat her? He says, just wait til next game, and she says she appreciates his enthusiasm, adding something to the paper. She says, the running score is now 48 to 29, and he tells her that she doesn’t have to say it so loud. He’s surprised she doesn’t have her own Quartermaine score tab stationery with a little family crest on it. He can see it now; one for Brook, two for Tracy, Ned zero. She says, that’s a clever idea, and he says, you’re welcome. She asks what they’re going to talk about now that he’s removed his father from the topic of conversation and she’s removed her granddaughter? She knows he doesn’t want to waste any more time talking about stationery. He says he discovered a fascinating new bacteria… but she says, no. Infectious diseases is off the table. He says he has a topic, and she says, Monica’s cheap china or business cards? He says, what about Luke?

Gregory comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if he’s here to see Finn, but he says, actually, he was hoping to have a word with her. She says, sure. Is everything okay? He tells her, let’s just say, it’s extremely important.

Sam tells Cody, they’ve been over this. Sasha has suffered a psychotic break. Right now she needs medical attention because she’s dangerous and delusional. He says, no, she isn’t, and Sam asks what he’s talking about. He has a scar on his side where Sasha stabbed him. He says he’s telling her that Sasha is being drugged, and somehow, Gladys is responsible for it. How is he the only one who sees it? She says, he may think that, but Sasha also has a history of mental illness, and he says he knows all about her history, but one minute she’s fine, and the next minute, she’s hallucinating. How does that happen? He’s telling her, something isn’t right. She says, okay. Say he does get in to see Sasha and he pushes her further into her delusion. He says he wouldn’t, but she says, he doesn’t know that. Or maybe even the worst-case scenario. Maybe she thinks he’s Cyrus Renault again and attacks him a second time, and he’s not so lucky and winds up in the hospital, or worse. He says he’s thought through all that. He’ll be on his guard this time, and he can defend himself from Sasha. She says she’s not worried about him, and he says, gee, thanks. She says she’s worried about Sasha and him traumatizing her more. Is he willing to take that risk?

Sonny says he understands why Nina feels excluded, and she says, good, because she did. First, Dex and Gabe wouldn’t let her in the penthouse. Then when she went to his office, she found him talking with Ava, and she seemed to be in the know about what was going on. He says, because he and Ava share Avery, and she says, but then he tells her that it’s for her safety that she doesn’t know. Who wouldn’t feel left out? He says, because some things in his business are better left unsaid. They’ve gone over this a thousand times and he doesn’t want to put her in danger. She says, he’s willing to put Ava’s life in danger? and he takes her hand. He says he came here to apologize for making her feel like an outsider. He doesn’t let her in on things because it puts her at risk. She knows everything else. She says she feels like Frank or Gabe when his office door is shut in her face, and he says he doesn’t ever want her to feel like an employee. She says she knew from day one what she was getting into when she fell in love with him, and she accepts all of him; this charming, amazing man in front of her, and the ruthless businessman. She loves all of him. He says he doesn’t ever want her to forget how much he loves her. That’s all that matters. She says, just let her in. Maybe she can help him. She can handle it. He says, some things are best not knowing.

Kristina goes to the reception desk and asks if Dr. Randolph is in. Walking by, Willow says, Dr. Randolph had an emergency that pulled her away, and Kristina hugs her. She says, Willow looks great. It’s nice to see her out. Willow says, it’s great to be out. She’s feeling a lot better. Kristina says she’s sorry she didn’t come see Willow. She didn’t know when Willow was accepting visitors again. Willow says, it’s okay. After she left the hospital, she had to restrict her visitors to a small group, since her immune system might be compromised, but now she’s almost fully recovered, so they can see each other any time. Kristina says, that’s amazing news, and Willow says she couldn’t be more grateful for what Liesl did for her. She’s actually here to see Dr. Randolph too. She’s hoping to get the all-clear to go back to work. What about Kristina? Is she okay? Kristina says, not really. Actually, it’s probably best she doesn’t see Dr. Randolph today.

Elizabeth tells Gregory, she’s officially on break, so she’s all his. What’s going on? Are Finn and Violet okay? He says, they’re fine, and they sit down. He needs her to accept his apology. She says, for what? and he says he’s been keeping something from her, from everyone close to him. But the time has come for him to be up front and transparent. He waited too long. He never should have agreed to watch Violet the other night. She asks, what happened? and he says he fell, and Violet came in and saw him on the floor. She says she’s sure it was scary for Violet, but she’s going to be okay. What about him? Is he hurt? Does he want to see a doctor? He says, no. The fall was nothing serious, but Violet was worried and so was he. He told Finn and now he’s telling her. He has ALS.

Tracy tells Finn that she keeps forgetting Luke is gone. The fact that he’s not around to drive her crazy is something she finds impossible to wrap her head around. Finn says, she really misses him, doesn’t she? and she says, yeah. He has her at loose ends, so she concentrates on her good friend – she nods to him – and focuses on a business project she’s involved in. He asks if she wants to talk about it, or is it one of those subjects they shouldn’t pursue a line of questioning? She says she prefers not to lie to him, and he laughs. Brook storms in and says, how could she? Tracy says, they’re in the middle of a game, and Brook swipes the board onto the floor. She says, now they’re not.

Nina and Sonny sit at a table, fully set for dinner in her office, and she says, one of the perks of having her office in the MetroCourt is that she can have them send dinner down when they’re feeling hungry and romantic. He says, speaking of romantic, they haven’t even talked about the details for the wedding, and she says, they’ve been a little preoccupied. Him with whatever he’s doing and Michael, and her with  the MetroCourt and the magazine and Willow. He asks if they can focus on themselves. They haven’t even set a date when she wants to marry him. She says she’s glad he asked because she wants a winter wedding, and she wants their table centerpieces to be filled with anemones and orchids and roses, and she was thinking about wearing an off-white gown. He says, she thought about this? and she says, a little. He says, a lot, and she says, if they have a winter wedding, she saw these amazing emerald and gold invitations; they’re gorgeous. And he would look dashing in a burgundy tux, and she could picture them in Crimson’s January issue. He says he’s not very comfortable with being splashed across her magazine, but he does like a winter wedding because they have time to plan and she can have what she wants. She says, there’s another reason she wants to wait for winter. She wants to make sure Willow is fully recovered. If they have a wedding before Willow is completely cleared, she thinks it would be disrespectful to her. He says, Nina wants her to come around so she can be part of the wedding.

Kristina says she doesn’t know if Willow heard, but she’s starting an LGBTQIA+ youth center here in Port Charles. Willow says, Michael told her. She thinks it’s an amazing idea. Kristina says she asked Dr. Randolph if she would be on the board of directors, and Willows says, she would be excellent. What did she say? Kristina says, she seemed interested, but she didn’t commit yet, so she’s here hopefully to convince her to get on board. (No pun intended?) Willow says, she will, and Kristina says she’s glad she ran into Willow first. She’s realizing she’s not quite in the right head space to talk to Dr. Randolph today, and the worst thing she could possibly do is throw herself into business to distract herself and potential risk messing things up for the foundation. Willow says, distract herself from what? and Kristina says, from feeling left out of her sister’s life.

Alexis asks what led Andrea to wanting to become a surrogate, and Andrea tells her, like she said, she’s married. She and Ben have a young son, Randy; he’s just a baby. Her husband is a plumber and she used to work as an executive assistant. Alexis says, so she’s no longer working, and Andrea says she really wanted to stay home with her son and not look for another job, and she and her husband decided being a surrogate would allow her to do that. Randy’s young enough that he won’t remember her being pregnant. Someday they’ll explain to him of course (🍷), when he’s old enough to understand. Alexis says, it’s good to come clean about things like that, and Andrea says, at this point, he’s so young, he won’t anticipate a sibling when he sees her pregnant. So it won’t mean anything to him. Alexis asks, what will it mean to her?

Cody tells Sam that he can’t think of anything more traumatic than Sasha being trapped in Ferncliff. Please, just hear him out. She sits down, and he says, so Sasha had a breakdown after her baby and husband died within a year. Then she started using drugs; that’s when she cracked. That’s when she smashed in the windshield. Sam asks if he’s trying to prove her point, and he says he gets it, but then Sasha got help. She made a full recovery and was doing so great, she was even able to go back on TV selling Deception’s beauty products. And just when she’s ready to dump Gladys as her guardian and start taking control of her own affairs, she cracks again, even worse than before, leaving greedy Gladys in control of her money. Come on. Doesn’t Sam find that way too convenient?

Finn points to the game on the floor and says he was going to win. It doesn’t matter; Tracy and Brook should talk. He’ll show himself out. Tracy says she apologizes for the rudeness of her granddaughter. She was clearly raised by her mother. He says he’ll call Tracy later and leaves. Brook asks why she did it. Why? Tracy says, do what? and Brook says, go after Deception and in the process hurt her friends. Tracy says, please. She’s told Brook time and again, there are no friends in business. Does Brook think her great grandfather could have built ELQ into what it is today by making friends? Besides, they got what was coming to them. Brook asks how she can say that, and Tracy says, Lucy Coe stole the designs for The Deceptor. Brook says, from who? Tracy? Tracy says, no, and Brook asks, then who? Tracy says, from the company she’s working with, and Brook says, so there it is. Tracy just revealed the whole plot. Tracy used her. Tracy says, Brook used her to get Chase back his job, and Brook says, and Tracy used that to blackmail her into hurting her friends so she could help some random company. For what? Some revenge on Lucy Coe? Some bizarre vendetta? What’s happened to her? My guess: Tracy is working with Martin’s ex-wife number three, whose idea he inadvertently passed to Lucy.

Cody tells Sam, Sasha isn’t in Ferncliff because she’s a danger to him or herself. She’s in Ferncliff because she’s a threat to Gladys controlling her money. Sam asks if he really believes Gladys had Sasha drugged and sent to Ferncliff so she could remain in control of Sasha’s assets, and he says he’s played cards with Gladys. She’s an addict, like anyone who’s addicted to booze or coke. She says, that’s a big accusation to make, and he says, yeah, and Gladys has an even bigger debt to pay. Addicts are liars. He has no idea what lies Gladys has told herself to justify what she’s doing to Sasha. Frankly, he doesn’t care. All he cares about here is the victim. So is Sam going to let Sasha just rot in Ferncliff, or is she going to help him get in there and help her?

Sonny tells Nina, Willow’s on the road to making a full recovery, so they have to believe that. Nina says she does. She saw Willow earlier at Kelly’s and she looked a lot better. She just doesn’t want to tempt fate. He says, she’s going through a lot; she’s been through a lot. She’s a fighter. Nina says, she is a fighter, but it’s hard not to worry about her, and he says, they’re always going to worry about their kids. Nothing’s going to change that. But Nina’s been doing a lot of praying, and her prayers seem to be answered. Nina says, Sonny knows her a little too well, and he tells her not to forget that. He knows how important it is to have Willow at their wedding. Nina says, they’ve made a lot of progress. They’ve had some really good conversations, and Willow has made it clear she wants more of a relationship with her. He says, that’s great, and she says, it’s just going to be a long, hard road to rebuild that trust, but she wants Willow at the wedding, and they both know she won’t attend as long as Michael’s not there. (I dunno about that.) How does he feel about that? He says, if Michael wants to show up, nothing would make him happier. If you’d asked him six months ago if there was a chance Michael would come to their wedding – they laugh – he would say, no way. But you‘ve got to have hope, and he and Michael are doing a lot better. She says, that’s great, because she knows how important that is to him. He says, they’ve got to be thankful for everything they’ve got, and things seem to be looking up for them.

Willow says, Kristina can talk to her. What happened? Kristina says she knows she can trust Willow with this, and the secret is going to be out in nine months anyway. Molly and TJ have been having some infertility issues; Molly specifically has been. Willow says, poor Molly, and Kristina says, she’s been taking it really hard, and ever since they found out, she – they – have been talking about ways to have a baby of their own. So Kristina stepped up and committed the unpardonable sin of offering to be their surrogate. Willow says, wow. That is quite an offer. She’s taking it that it didn’t go over well. Kristina says, but it should have. You’d think Molly would see it as the selfless and loving gift she intended it to be. Instead, she’s insulted and completely shut Kristina out.

Andrea says she’s sure Alexis knows, there’s no greater joy than being a mom, and she was blessed with an easy and healthy pregnancy. If she can somehow pass that joy on to Molly and TJ by being their surrogate and giving them the gift of being parents, she’s also providing for her family and she’s willing to do it. Molly says, she and TJ can’t thank Molly enough. And they’ll both be there for Andrea every step of the way. Andrea says, luckily, she does know what to anticipate with the pregnancy, and going into it, knowing she’s carrying Molly and TJ’s baby and not her own, will make it possible for her to do this. That’s why she signed the contract. Alexis says she knows something about contracts, having been a lawyer for most of her life. She also knows what they can’t do. They really can’t capture the emotional part of what it means to have a child. So she thanks Andrea. It’s an incredible gift Andrea is giving to her child.

Elizabeth says she’s so sorry this is happening to him, and Gregory thanks her. It’s been a struggle to wrap his mind around it. (There’s a lot of that going around.) He put off facing it for as long as he could, which is why he hid his diagnosis from Finn and Chase for so long. He still hasn’t found the strength to tell Chase. Now that Finn knows, on the one hand, he’s relieved; on the other hand, he knows his son. She says, he’ll do everything he can for Gregory, and he says, that’s what he’s afraid of. Finn will act as both his doctor and his son, and he’ll forget to feel. But he’ll need to be in touch with those feelings, and for that he’ll need Elizabeth. Gregory dreads what’s ahead for him, but knowing Finn has her beside him, supporting him, he can dread it a little less.

Tracy says, what’s happened to her? What’s happened to Brook? Chase has softened her beyond recognition. Brook says, thank you, but Tracy says, that wasn’t a compliment. Brook says, Luke’s death has hardened Tracy more than she could have possibly imagined. She’s not only destroyed a company, she’s destroyed dreams. Does she understand that? Tracy says, please, and Brook says, if there’s any merit to this suit, it could bankrupt Deception. Tracy says, well, then Lucy Coe hasn’t kept very good books if her company’s that financially fragile, and Brook says, she’s unbelievable. This could leave Deception vulnerable to a hostile takeover. Or it could crumble before it ever has a chance to get back up on its feet. Tracy says, that’s the plan.

Elizabeth says she’ll do everything she can to support Finn, and Gregory. And she’ll be there for Chase and Violet. Gregory tells her that he had no doubt she’d say that, and thanks her. She asks, who else knows? and he says, at this point, it’s her, Finn, and Alexis Davis. He knows he’s being a coward, but he’s dreading telling Chase. She says, he’s anything but a coward. Facing this alone for months takes way more strength than he’s willing to admit. He’ll find the right moment to tell Chase. He says, Chase is the baby of the family, but boy, the optimist; the one who believes no matter how bad things get, it’s going to be okay in the end. He doesn’t know how to tell Chase that he’s sick, getting sicker, and one day, he’ll be helpless. There are days when he doesn’t believe it himself, but then his hands cramp up, or he struggles to stand up, or he falls down like he did with Violet, and it hits him. He’s going to die. This is real. She says, yeah, it’s real. There are still good days ahead, and she’s going to help him enjoy them. He thanks her and they hug, and Finn sees them.

Brook says, what plan? What is Tracy really after? She hasn’t been interested in ELQ in years, and that’s money to run a small country. What’s really going on here? Who sets out to ruin people’s lives? Oh wait. She’s sorry. Of course (🍷). A Quartermaine. Well look how well that’s turned out for this family. No wonder her dad woke up thinking he was someone else. Who’d want to be Tracy’s kid? Brook stomps out, and Tracy ponders this.

Andrea thanks Molly and Alexis for the lovely meal and even lovelier company. She’s so glad she’s in the position to help Molly and TJ. Molly says, they’re the fortunate ones to have found Andrea, and Andrea tells Alexis, it’s been a pleasure. Alexis says, it was a pleasure for her as well. It was a wonderful night. Andrea leaves, and Molly asks what Alexis thinks, and please, be honest. This is too important for anything else. Alexis says she likes Andrea. She thinks Andrea has a good head on her shoulders, and a good understanding of what it’s like to be a surrogate. Molly says she’s so relieved to hear Alexis say that, and Alexis says she thinks Molly and TJ are going to make fantastic parents. Molly thanks her, and they hug.

Kristina tells Willow, if she’s honest, it feels like Molly is punishing her because she can have a baby and Molly can’t. She knows that sounds harsh. Willow says, Kristina has a right to her feelings. She won’t pretend to know the answers, but one thing she’s learned is that babies are great bridge builders. Once the child is there and you’re interacting with this small miracle and the immediacy of them, it makes the old wounds seem less painful. So don’t assume she and Molly will feel this way forever. It’s very possible once the baby gets here, Kristina will just be aunty and Molly will be mom, and neither one of them will feel the need to be so territorial. It’ll all get easier. Kristina says she really hopes Willow is right, and she hopes the same for Kristina and Nina. She knows there’s negative history there and she gets it, but she’s been spending some time with Nina and she’s really a good person. Kristina’s dad loves her a lot. Maybe it’s like Willow just said, the immediacy will make the old wounds seem less painful. She hopes things get easier for Willow too, and Nina. Willow says she likes the sound of that.

Nina says, she and Sonny need to have these romantic dinners more often, and he says he knows. He’ll see what he can do. They kiss and his phone rings. He says he’s got to get this, and she says, go. He steps away and asks, what’s the update?

Cody says, what if it was Sam in Ferncliff? Or one of her sisters? Alone and afraid, being held against your will, being told by the doctors and staff that you’re crazy. Wouldn’t she want someone to check on her and make sure she’s safe? Wouldn’t she want someone to do something for her if she wasn’t? Wouldn’t she want someone to save her if they could? Or would she prefer everyone just stands on the sideline, does nothing, and hopes for the best? Because when that doesn’t work out, her and everyone she loves are going to regret it for the rest of their lives. Sam says, okay. She’ll do it. She’ll have him committed.

On Monday, Marshall asks if Portia has any good news; Lucy calls Martin an idiot; Trina tells Josslyn, there’s got to be a way to bring them back together; and Stella tells Curtis that he’s not giving up.

⚖️ New Lawyer In Town…

Too bad Nora wasn’t available. Then we’d have both Pine Valley and Llanview representing.

Carly Hughes Cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🍑 Peach Of a Reunion…

I’ve been watching this off and on, but I still can’t get the image out of my head of Shereé and Marlo screeching at each other in gibberish back in (I think) season 4. No one seems to have matured much since then either.

VIDEO: See RHOA Season 15 Reunion Trailer! Kenya Serves Marlo a Subpoena, Drew’s “Incriminating” Texts With Ty Are Exposed as Ralph & Drew Face Off, and Kandi Accuses Drew of “Gaslighting”

🍊 Clap This…

Tamra can make justifications and excuses all she wants, but that episode was disgusting, and she hasn’t changed for the better in all these years.

RHOC’s Tamra Judge Claps Back After Bethenny Calls Out “Naked Wasted” Drama With Gretchen and Accuses Her of Going After Son Ryan, Plus Claims Narrative Aired is “Completely False”

🛟 His Ship Is Sinking…

Never liked him. Never will.

Former ‘Below Deck’ Production Member Accuses Gary King of Sexual Misconduct

https://people.com/below-deck-sailing-yacht-gary-king-accused-alleged-sexual-misconduct-7852575

⛴ The Latest In Decks…

Not sure how I’m going to feel about Captain Lee’s replacement.

Everything That’s Leaked About Below Deck Season 11

🍸 Because Can’t Let It Go…

Why doesn’t he just leave already? No matter what she says, this can’t be comfortable for her.

https://ew.com/tv/vanderpump-rules-ariana-madix-sleeps-with-door-locked-tom-sandoval/

At least she has something to balance it out.

Ariana Madix Opens up About ‘Calming’ Relationship With Daniel Wai

🍜 Tastes Change…

It’s a wonder she didn’t end up in the hospital from exhaustion.

Padma Lakshmi Reveals Why She Left Top Chef

👹 Delicacies Of Horror…

Some of what to expect in AHS season 12.

https://ew.com/tv/everything-we-know-about-american-horror-story-12-delicate/

AHS trivia. Maybe they should do an AHS: Barbie.

https://ew.com/tv/margot-robbie-almost-starred-in-american-horror-story-asylum/

⚰️ Dead Review…

Apparently, it doesn’t take much to impress him. Just because you’re not repeating the same lines over and over doesn’t make it art. TBD.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/08/24/norman-reedus-teases-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-making-art/

For the life of me, I can’t remember this guy.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/24/fear-walking-dead-watch-return-troy-otto/

Teasing Rick and Michonne. Mostly Michonne.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/22/walking-dead-ones-live-teaser-cast-release/

Maggie’s plans in the City.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/07/26/walking-dead-city-season-2-maggies-plan-negan/

🏞 Mapping the Last…

They’re ready to roll. Now if the strike would just end.

https://ew.com/awards/the-last-of-us-season-2-mapped-out-craig-mazin/

🐶 No Dogs Under 17 Allowed…

I think this says it all: For years, I have been saying, Somebody needs to make an R-rated talking dog movie, the animal trainer says.

https://people.com/strays-dog-casting-training-exclusive-7692967

🦮 Pets in 3D…

I love it! Kudos to Apple. 🍎

https://people.com/dogs-with-prostheses-star-apple-iphone-campaign-the-invincibles-7724735

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. – Neale Donald Walsch

You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals. – Booker T. Washington (Well, if I ever reach my goals, it will be one helluva yardstick.)

New beginnings are disguised as painful endings. – Lao Tzu

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. – Calvin Coolidge

Nobody can make you a doormat unless you lay down on the floor. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us. – Susan L. Taylor

Today stretches ahead of you waiting to be shaped. You are the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to you. – Steve Maraboli

The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest. – Deepika Padukone

Don’t spend major time on minor things. – Jim Rohn

🍒 Outside the Club…

While you’re enjoying what’s left of the summer, stop by on Monday really Tuesday for soap and random cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay tempering your ambition with courtesy, and stay being thankful for everything you’ve got.

Aug24

August 23, 2023 – And the Mystery Boss Is, Shannon Blows Things Out Of Proportion & Good

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna goes to Pozzulo’s and Sonny asks how she’s holding up. She apologizes for just wearing jeans, and says she had to get some clothes. He says, she could wear a burlap sack, and she’d still look great. She thanks him, and he asks if she’s hungry, because he’s been cooking in the kitchen. She asks what he’s making, and he says, a very special lunch.

Sasha rocks back and forth on her bed, when Janice comes in and asks if she’s up for a visitor. Sasha says, no, no, no, and Gladys comes in and asks, what’s wrong with her? Janice tells her, Dr. Montague said she’s going through withdrawal, and Gladys says, from what? Drugs? That doesn’t make any sense. Hasn’t she gone through withdrawal already? Janice says, unfortunately, Dr. Montague said she’s been using in Ferncliff. She must have found someone to bring her drugs. Gladys says, who? How? She’s not allowed any visitors. She’s the only one who gets to see Sasha. Janice says, the medical staff gets to see her, and so does the custodial staff. Gladys would be surprised what an addict will do in order to get what they want.

Selina sees Marshall sipping a drink at a table near the pool, and says, so nice to see him again. They’re blessed with a beautiful day. Is he here for a swim? He says he’s waiting on his sister-in-law, and Selina says, since she hasn’t arrived yet, this is a great opportunity for them to revisit her offer to purchase The Savoy.

Deanna hugs Stella and says, it’s so great having her back working here. Stella says, as long as her family needs her – and Lord, do they ever – she’s sticking around Port Charles. She might as well keep busy and earn some extra money while she’s at it.

Ava arrives at the gallery, which has loads of bird paintings on the walls (this figures in later), and goes through the stuff on her desk. She hears something and picks up a three-hole hole puncher (which is pretty hefty). She stands by the door waiting, when Trina comes in. Ava says, Trina scared her, and Trina says she’s so sorry. What is Ava doing here? How’s Avery? Is she okay? Ava asks, what’s wrong with Avery?

Carly wonders what Austin is doing at Pentenville, and Drew says, he has his doctor bag with him. Maybe he’s seeing a patient or doing some kind of community service or something. She says she never liked that guy. He manipulated Chase into spying on the Quartermaines. Drew says he remembers that, and she says she can’t figure out what his deal is. (That’s okay. Neither can the rest of us.) There’s something about him that she doesn’t trust.

The guard tells Austin, there’s his patient, and Cyrus gets up. He says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt, it’s so nice to see you again, and it’s good to know someone still makes house calls. Austin says, how about if they just get this over with?

Trina tells Ava that Josslyn said Avery was sick; she has a cold. She thinks the new nanny told Josslyn that. Joss is not a fan of hers. Ava says she thinks they might have made a mistake letting Pilar go. She did make a mistake, that’s true, but Avery likes her so much and was so comfortable with her. Just because someone has a spotless reputation as a nanny doesn’t mean that person is the right person to take care of your child. Trina asks if she’s talking about Pilar or Betty, and Ava says she thinks she and Sonny should give Pilar another chance. But enough about that. How is Trina? How’s her summer? How’s Spencer? Trina says she wouldn’t know. Ava would have to ask Esme.

Carly tells Drew that she’s sure Austin has a very good reason for being at Pentenville, and she’s not wasting any more time speculating about it. He says he likes the sound of that, and she says she wants to focus on him. He told her that he saved Cyrus’s life, and that means every inmate in here thinks Drew is his ally. A guard brings Dex in and seats him at a table, and Carly asks if it doesn’t put Drew in even more danger. He says, that’s the way life works in prison. You can’t stay neutral. Like it or not, everybody in here – everybody – is allied with somebody else. Book walks in, and Carly says, Drew didn’t answer her question. Does that mean Cyrus’s enemies will now be targeting him? Book sits down with Dex.

Austin listens to Cyrus’s heart and says, he’s a lucky man. Cyrus says, yes, he knows. The good Lord chose to keep him on this earth a while longer so he can continue doing His work. Austin says, no. Cyrus is a lucky man because he had a heart attack in front of a trained Navy SEAL who knew enough to keep him alive until the medical professionals could arrive. He was lucky Drew Cain was there to intervene. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be alive. Cyrus says he’s thankful God chose to put Drew in his path that day. That whole experience was enlightening in so many ways. Austin says he’s sure. And if that helps Cyrus sleep at night, he’s happy for him. Austin is a fan of science, and this is medicine. He holds up a pill bottle and says, this is for Cyrus’s heart. It’ll unclog his arteries. He’s to take it once a day with baby aspirin. Cyrus says, really, doc, that’s it? No lollipop?

Anna says, this is so delicious. Who taught Sonny to cook? He says he taught himself. Cooking relaxes him. Anna says she rarely cooks. She’s learned to like it a bit more, but she can’t remember the last time she spent a significant amount of time in her kitchen. He says he’s sorry her house burned down, and she says she thinks it’s hitting her harder than she thought it would. He says, it’s her home; she’s going to be hurt. She says she hasn’t been there that long. The stuff inside, it’s just things, like furniture and clothes. She has to remind herself that no one was hurt. Like, what if Robin and the kids had been visiting or Charlotte was home? That’s the stuff she keeps running around in her head. He says, the important thing is nobody was hurt, that’s true, but it’s her home. She picked out the furniture, her clothes… She felt safe, and someone deliberately destroyed that. They wanted to take what she valued and leave her with nothing. She says, yeah. Whoever is out there trying to ruin her life, they’re doing a pretty good job.

Stella sits next to a young woman and introduces herself. She says she was told the woman’s mother was brought in with a lung issue and was put on a ventilator. She knows that must be very scary for her. Felicia walks in and watches from a distance. Stella asks if there’s anyone she can call to be with the woman; dad, grandparents, a sibling? The woman says, it’s just her and her mom. Her mom can’t talk and she doesn’t know what the doctors are saying to her. Stella says, that’s where she comes in. Her job is to help the woman understand all the medical jargon so she knows exactly what’s going on with her mom. Okay? The woman nods, and Stella asks her name. She says, Joanie, and Stella says, good name. She’s got a friend back home named Joanie. And her mother’s name? Deanna tells Felicia, she’s pretty amazing, isn’t she? and Felicia says, she knows exactly what to say. Deanna says, they see it here all the time. Stella is hands down the best patient advocate they have. If anything ever happened to her, she’d want Stella in her corner.

Selina sits down, and Marshall says he didn’t ask her to join him. She says she finds it so much more civilized to discuss business in comfort, but he says, they have no business to discuss. He thought he told her, The Savoy’s not for sale. She says, yes, but that conversation happened in front of his son, who has suffered a devastating injury. She can understand Marshall not wanting to discuss taking anything else away from him, but they’re alone now. It’s time for him to face reality. Either sell the club to her, or simply put, The Savoy will go under.

Gladys asks if Sasha knows who she is, and Sasha says, Gladys. She doesn’t understand. Why is this happening? Gladys asks, why is what happening? and Sasha says, everything hurts. Is Brando coming? Gladys says, we lost Brando. He’s not coming. Sasha says, no, no, no. She needs him. She needs Brando. Everything hurts. Dr. Montague comes in, and Gladys asks what he’s done to her daughter-in-law.

Sonny asks if there are any leads on who burned down Anna’s house, and she says she was with Dante this morning at the PCPD, but nothing. He says he’s asked around, but he hasn’t heard anything. He’s trying to figure out if the shooting at the pool was meant for her or him, but if she was the target, does she think there’s a connection between the fire and the shooting? She says she doesn’t know. She’s not sure what’s more upsetting; the thought that there’s an individual out there laser focused on ruining her life, or that there are multiple people out there after them. He says he’d still like to offer her protection, and she thanks him. She says, Dante offered her that this morning too, but she’ll tell Sonny what she told him. Thank you, but no. He says, Dante’s a cop. It makes sense for him to guard her, but if she doesn’t want the cops to track her… He’s just a friend who’s worried about her safety.

Book asks what Dex wants, and Dex says he works for Sonny Corinthos. He sent him with a message for Book. Book asks, what’s that?

Carly says, Drew shouldn’t have to take on Cyrus’s enemies. She can only imagine that’s one helluva list. He says he can’t undo what’s already happened. Like it or not, he set something in motion when he stepped in to help Cyrus. There’s no way to stop it. She says, that’s where he’s wrong, and he asks, why? What is she thinking? She says she’s thinking they can avoid all this by focusing on getting him out of here.

Cyrus takes the top off the bottle and says he’s glad it’s not a childproof cap. Austin says, again, lucky you, and Cyrus looks on the underside of the cap, seeing the flashdrive, and says, ah. God certainly works in mysterious ways. He puts the cap back on, and Austin says, all right. He’s done everything Cyrus has asked him to do, and it’s Cyrus’s turn to repay the favor. Do unto others, right? That’s the basics for his newfound faith, right? Because he’s done. He’s done cleaning up Cyrus’s messes, he’s done cleaning up Mason’s messes, he’s done risking the integrity of General Hospital, and putting innocent people at risk. He’s done. He’s more than paid off his debt. He wants out. Cyrus says, does he now?

Ava says, it can’t be easy watching Spencer and Esme play house with Spencer’s little brother, and Trina says, yeah. She doesn’t blame Spencer. If she had a little brother whose mother was Esme, she wouldn’t take her eyes off him. Ava says she understands Spencer’s impulse; he’s worried about Ace. Spencer approaches the gallery entrance, and Trina says she gets that. Family is too important to take for granted. She sees that with her mom and everything that’s going on with Curtis… She means, her dad. So she doesn’t blame Spencer for standing by his little brother; that’s what family does.

Stella says she has some answers for Joanie. She spoke with Dr. Burns, and he said he put her mother on a ventilator because her lung collapsed, and he also thinks there might be possible infection. So he’s ordered some other tests to figure out why her lung collapsed in the first place  and what could be causing the potential infection. And he may need to put a stent in her lung to help her breathe better. It’s a serious situation, but it is far from being fatal, and Dr. Burns expects her mom to make a full recovery. Joanie starts to cry, and says, really? She hugs Stella and thanks her. Felicia watches and smiles.

Gladys says she wants Sasha out of this place today, but Montague says, take a look at her daughter-in-law. She’s in no shape to be released; she’s a mess. Gladys says, because of him. He put her in this nuthouse and he can get her out. He says, so she can go straight to prison? She says, all of this is too much and she wants it to stop, and he says, anything she wants… after she pays him for all his trouble. He’d say fifty thousand will do the trick.

Spencer comes into the gallery and says, this new showing is amazing. He always said Ava’s gallery is for the birds. (BA-DUM-CHH!) Trina says, funny, hugging him, and he asks if it’s somebody he’s familiar with, but Ava says, no. It’s a very talented up and comer she happens to have great faith in. Trina can tell him all about it. She’s going to go take care of what she and Trina discussed earlier. She leaves, and Spencer asks Trina to tell him about this new showing. It sounds very cool, very exciting. She says, he hasn’t seen her in forever, and he really wants to talk about the new art exhibit when they have much better things to do? He says, like what? and she says, like this, kissing him.

A nurse comes out and says, Joanie’s mom is asking for her. Stella says she told Joanie that her mom is going to be okay, and Joanie thanks her for everything. They hug, and Stella says she’s so welcome. Now go see her mom, and if she needs anything after, Stella will be right here. Joanie leaves with the nurse, and Felicia approaches Stella. She says, they’ve never met before, but she’s Felicia Scorpio. Stella asks what she can help Felicia with, and Felicia says she was observing Stella with that young girl. The way Stella comforted her was really remarkable. Stella thanks her, but says she was just doing her job. Felicia says, which is what exactly? and Stella says, a social worker. Here at GH, she’s a patient advocate. She helps patients and families of patients navigate their way through the healthcare system. It can be very daunting for the average person. Felicia says, it must be very rewarding to help people, and Stella says, it’s a very rewarding job, but you also have to remember, not every patient gets better. There are some rough days too.

Marshall says, if his son doesn’t sell her the club, Selina is going to run The Savoy out of business? but Selina says she’s sorry. Allow her to clarify. She’s just stating the truth. Curtis isn’t capable physically of running The Savoy right now and Marshall isn’t qualified to run the hippest club in town. (Ouch.) He doesn’t have the connections, or know the ins and outs to keep it going. He says he’ll tell her what he does know. He knows she’s running an illegal poker game in the back room, and in his first act as manager, her poker game is done. Her being welcomed at the club anymore is done. And whatever she’s got on Curtis and whatever arrangement she has with Curtis is done. She ain’t got nothing on him. She says, he’s lived long enough to know how life works. Everyone has something that can be used against them. It’s just a matter of her finding out what his is.

Personal note. Selina would have nothin’ on me either. I’ve always been an open book just in case I get famous, so the tabloids would have nothing on me. Whatever it is, I’ve already outed myself.  

Gladys says, fifty thousand dollars? She doesn’t have that kind of money. Montague says, but Sasha does, and Gladys is in charge of her finances. So she does have that kind of money. She says, it’s not like it’s liquid. It’s not like it’s sitting in some account somewhere. She has to sell stock, and she’s already in debt to Selina Wu. (Didn’t he pay that off for her? Isn’t that how we got here in the first place?) He says, then if he were her, he’d find a way to figure it out, because Sasha isn’t leaving Ferncliff until he gets paid.

Anna says she really appreciates Sonny’s friendship. It’s nice. It feels… well, it comes with amazing food. He laughs, and she says, now that she’s not in law enforcement, it’s a lot less complicated too. He says, so she agrees to have his guys watch her, but she says, no. She doesn’t want his people following her, because she treasures her privacy… and her autonomy. He says he could still have his guys follow her, and she tells him, think about that for a second. How does that work? If she has strangers trailing her, she’s not going to know if they’re his guys following her or the bad guys, so he can see how that would be confusing. He says, all right. He won’t pressure her. He just wants her to know he’s here, he’s available, and he has a lot of resources if she needs them. She says she knows he means it. She also knows he has challenges of his own. He says he can handle that, and asks if she wants more parmesan. She says, that remedies everything, and he sprinkles some on her pasta.

Dex tells Book, Mr. Corinthos wants Drew Cain to be left alone. Don’t mess with him. Don’t approach him. Nothing.

Drew tells Carly that he pled guilty. He accepted the verdict. There’s no way to get out of that. Carly says she disagrees. The sentence the judge imposed on him was unfair and wrong, and it wasn’t what he agreed to with the DA. (Talk to Roman Polanski about that one.) There has to be a way to appeal it, get it overturned, and get him the hell out of here.

Cyrus says, Austin wants out. Just like that. Austin says, just like that. He’s hopeful Cyrus is going to be open to the idea because they go way back, don’t they? When he was a kid, when Cyrus showed up at the house, it was like Christmas morning. It’s the only time in his childhood that he can remember his mom stopped crying. It was great. For her, it was like it was her birthday or something, every single time. And it was so good for him, a relief. For those little chunks of time, he didn’t have to be her perfect little man. And he’s so grateful. He really is. He thanks Cyrus, and thanks him for paying for his education. He thanks Cyrus for checking on him all of those years. He’s grateful, but that’s enough. It’s enough. Because now it’s just all the downside. Little by little, Cyrus roped him into this world he doesn’t belong in. Whatever gratitude that was between them, Cyrus manipulated it. Any love that might have been between them, Cyrus twisted it. He’s exploited Austin’s skills as a doctor and used him. Cyrus has coerced him and forced him to do things he didn’t even think a person could ever do. He didn’t know he was capable of that. He looked Ava Jerome right in the eyes and lied to her, a beautiful woman. He told her that her husband was dead. Who does that? He’s done. Ava deserves to know the truth. She deserves to know Nikolas is alive and he’s the reason. He saved Nikolas’s life.

Spencer tells Trina that he doesn’t want Ace to suffer the same fate he did. He knows that’s far from ideal with him living at his grandmother’s house with Esme and Ace, while she’s off looking for his father. His hope is that his living situation improves once his grandmother and Doc get back. He knows his family situation is really complicated. He wishes it was something simple like Trina has. She says, had. With Curtis being shot and paralyzed, her life is far from being ideal. Spencer asks how he’s doing, and she says, it’s hard seeing him like that. And her mom too, because she wants to help him so badly. He keeps shutting her mom out, and the worst part is, there’s nothing she can do to make it better. She just feels like… He pulls her close and holds her.

Carly says, Drew’s sentence was harsh and arbitrary, and there has to be a judge out there who will at least review it. Diane is the perfect person to find that judge and plead Drew’s case. Drew says he hates being in here; he hates it. He hates being away from her and Scout, but he has to do the time. She says, no he doesn’t, if there’s a chance they can get him to overturn… He says, just hoping for an early release is its own form of torture.

Book tells Dex that he wasn’t going after Drew. He was going after Cyrus and Drew got in the middle. Otherwise, he would have left Drew alone. Dex says, Mr. Corinthos doesn’t want any explanations or excuses. He wants full compliance. So even if Drew spends all day every day with Cyrus Renault, that’s his business. Book doesn’t go anywhere near him.

Austin tells Cyrus, this thing he did with Nikolas is the last thing he does. Where are they at now? Cyrus smiles, and Austin says, that’s it? He’s got nothing to say? Cyrus says, go in peace, and sits down. Austin gets his bag and asks what Cyrus is planning to do with the information he just gave to him. Cyrus says he’ll do what he should have been doing all along. God’s work. Austin gives him a puzzled look, and leaves. Cyrus looks at the bottle and smiles.

Gladys runs into Selina at the pool, and says she was hoping to find Selina here. Selina says, that must mean Gladys has her next payment, and Gladys says, about that. There’s a little problem getting the money together. Some kind of hold was put on Sasha’s Deception, but don’t worry. She’ll do everything she can to clear it up quick. Selina says she’s not here to listen to Gladys’s problems. She wants her money.

Jordan and Anna sit at a poolside table, and Jordan says she’s worried about Anna. It’s unfortunate she can’t head up the investigation into the fire, since she accepted this new role as Deputy Mayor, but she needs Anna to know, she’s monitoring Anna’s case. Anna thanks her, and says she appreciates what everyone is doing, but it’s strange there aren’t any leads. She finds that quite interesting. Jordan asks if she thinks the arson could be connected to the shooting here that injured Curtis.

Stella tells Marshall that she’s so sorry to keep him waiting, but he says, no need to apologize. What she’s doing at GH is important. She says she couldn’t agree with him more, and she thinks she might have recruited someone new to join her department.

Spencer tells Trina that he wouldn’t count Curtis out just yet. It’s really hard for him to imagine someone as active and vital as Curtis facing life in a wheelchair. Does she remember what kind of badass he was in Greenland? He was amazing. Spencer thinks she really needs to trust that Curtis will figure this out. And as soon as he gets his thoughts together, Curtis is going to do the right thing by her mom. She says she just wishes she could do something, but he says, she can’t put that on herself. He thinks ultimately, she needs to remember that this is something between her mom Curtis, and even though he views her as Superwoman, this is one battle her mom is going to need to fight on her own. And what’s more, her mom is one hell of a doctor. She’s not going to let Curtis get anything but the very best care he could possibly have, no matter what he says. The most important thing Trina can do, is stand by her parents. Because that’s what family does.

At Pozullo’s, Ava says she did just what Sonny asked her to do. She went to Austin and asked if Betty found any information on Sonny and Pikeman. Sonny asks what he said, and Ava tells him that Austin assured her they have everything they need. And that as soon as the information is given to their boss, they’ll get Nikolas’s body back, and this will all be over. He asks if she thinks Austin believes that. Does she think Mason and the mystery boss are just going to hand Nikolas’s body over to them, and lose whatever leverage they have?

Dex says, Book wants to stay on Mr. Corinthos’s good side. Not only is he going to avoid any trouble with Drew, he’s going to help Drew out if he gets into trouble with anyone else. Book says, got it. But for the record, Drew is pretty good at taking care of himself.

Carly says, this is Drew’s life, and she’s going to fight for him. If there’s the slightest chance they can get him out of here, they’re going to take it.

Montague tells Sasha that he does have sympathy for her. She’s so confused. She looks around and says, wait. Gladys was just here… Wasn’t she? He says, yes, she was, and Sasha asks if she’s still here. He says, no, she had to go, and Sasha asks, where’d she go? He says, Gladys went to save her, and for Sasha’s sake, she’d better hope Gladys comes through.

Gladys says, please. She’s good for the money. Selina knows that. Selina says, does she really? and Gladys says, in the past, she’s always made her payments on time. This is just a little problem with the Deception stock. Selina tells her that she already said that, and Gladys says, so Selina gets it. She just needs a little more time. Selina says, time is what Gladys doesn’t have, because she’s shutting down the poker game. Gladys says, what? Why? Selina says she doesn’t have to explain anything to Gladys. But when she closes down the poker game, she’ll also be closing down the books on it. No more extensions. No more credit. Payment in full.

Anna tells Jordan that she doesn’t have any evidence to back up her theory, but her instinct tells her the shooting here isn’t related to the arson at all. Jordan says she really wishes they had something on the shooting; any lead, even a small one. Curtis is really going through it at the rehab facility. Even though they’re fairly certain Curtis wasn’t the intended target, it would sure help him to know who was responsible for leaving him paralyzed and unable to walk.

Stella tells Marshall, someone saw her in action today at GH, and she asked Stella about her job, particularly the patient advocacy part. And she got a chance to tell her how wonderful the job could be and how it really gives you a sense of giving back to the community. Marshall asks if she really thinks she’s getting a new colleague, and Stella says, she certainly seemed receptive to the idea. He says he’s not surprised with Stella promoting it. Nothing gets in the way of her – nudge, nudge – getting her point across. She says, he can poke fun of her all he wants, but he’s not going to spoil her good mood. She believes she changed somebody’s life today. He raises his glass to her.

Felicia sits on a bench at the hospital. She smiles at Deanna, then begins to fill out a Patient Advocate Program form.

Spencer asks if that’s a smile he sees. Did he just succeed in cheering up Trina Robinson? Trina says, more like, he stopped the pity party. Because how is she going to help anyone if she’s feeling sorry for herself? So she’s going to take a deep breath – they take one together – and she’s going to promise to be there for her mom and Curtis, whatever they need from her. He says, that sounds more like the fearless person he knows she is, and she thanks him for reminding her that family is all that matters. Speaking of family, how is his little family with Esme? He laughs, and asks what she means. She says, when Laura and Doc get back, are they all going to still live together?

Ava tells Sonny, honestly, she doesn’t know from one day to the next if Austin is being sincere with her or if he’s manipulating her. The night that Nikolas died though, she would have sworn he wanted to help her. Sonny says, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what Austin believes. It’s Nikolas’s body that’s the ultimate leverage over her. They’re not going to get it back unless they find out who Austin and Mason are working for. She says, right. So let’s say his plan works, and the phony information Brick planted on the computer for Betty to find does lead Sonny to their boss. Then what? He slams his hand on the table and says he’ll deal with them.

Carly says, Diane is the best for Drew’s case. It’s her area of expertise. He says, okay. Let Diane explore their options. Carly says, Diane is going to get him out of here, but he tells her not to get her hopes up. The odds are, he’s going to have to serve the full three years. She says she doesn’t believe that, and whatever happens, she’s with him.

Dex tells Book that he’ll be back for another visit soon. He’s going to be monitoring Book closely to make sure he’s following Mr. Corinthos’s orders. Carly sees Austin leaving, and so does Dex. She and Dex lock eyes.

Tomorrow, Brook asks, what’s the emergency; Lucy tells Maxie, someone is out to bring them down with malicious intent; Cody tells Mac to take him in; and Sonny asks about Carly’s visit to Pentenville.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Shannon tells John that she felt ambushed and Emily betrayed her. John says, they need to STFU, and tells her to be careful who she trusts. As usual, Shannon blows things out of proportion. I think everyone should just ignore her relationship. Emily is going to an event for the California Innocence Project, but plans on getting back for Shannon’s taco fiesta or whatever. I’m with Emily when she says there are a lot of flaws in the legal system. In many of these cases, it’s so obvious they’re innocent. Fancy Pants tells Gina that her day was a clusterf***. She doesn’t think she’s making Shannon’s taco thing, and Gina says she doesn’t think Shannon wants her (Gina) there. In Gina’s interview, she says she’s joining Emily rather than having tacos thrown at her and being screamed at. Fancy Pants meets with Shannon and says she’s sorry Shannon is upset. She doesn’t like people saying she’s spreading info about Shannon’s relationship. She’s never initiated a conversation about it ever and isn’t spreading anything. As usual, Shannon blows everything out of proportion. In Shannon’s interview, she says she wants to think people have good intentions, but they don’t. Fancy Pants says Shannon doesn’t seem to remember who she tells what, and in Gina’s interview, she says, Shannon drinks the truth serum and it brings out the truth. In Emily’s interview, she suggests Shannon get a breathalyzer for her phone. Shannon whines that John wants privacy, and Fancy Pants suggests she not talk so much to so many people. In her interview, Fancy Pants says that Shannon has told several of them that John likes the limelight. As usual… you know the rest. Shannon abruptly ends her conversation with Fancy Pants and walks away.

There was a bunch of family stuff and fostering kittens with Jenn. Her son Dominic is adopted and came to them at 11 months, and in Jenn’s interview, she says, even though she worries about all her kids, she’s more protective of Dominic. She talks to Dominic about his birth mother, and I have to note that all her kids seem very well-adjusted. Run, Jenn, run!  

Fancy Pants signed escrow papers for the penthouse she and Terry negotiated on for 9 months, and it looks like they’re selling the house for $55 million. Fancy Pants says, it’s like having a baby. Shannon takes the news of Fancy Pants canceling calmly, and says, more tequila for her. As Shannon gets the house ready for her fiesta, Emily calls and says, it’s important they have sit-down. She cares about their friendship. Shannon says, Emily is talking to everybody else about her relationship, but Emily says, Shannon shares her relationship BS off-camera, then doesn’t take accountability for what she says. She’s two different people. Shannon makes excuses, and Emily says she’s not doing this on FaceTime, and she’s not doing it tonight. Have fun at her party. Shannon is still talking as Emily hangs up. In Emily’s interview, she says, the purpose of her call was to tell Shannon that she was going to be late, but forget it, she’s not going at all. And tacos are her favorite food, so you know she’s pissed. She tells production that she’s sick of Shannon’s BS. As usual, Shannon blows everything out of proportion, and whines to production that John’s kid doesn’t like her. She can’t say that on camera. It’s on camera? They can’t put that on camera.

We revisit the story of Terrill, a man who served time for a murder he was innocent of when he was a kid. Emily had met him early on through the Innocence Project, and Gina tells Emily that she’s a great friend and person. She’s pissed at Shannon badmouthing Emily, but thinks Shannon is in a bad spot. They meet with some of the exonerees before the gala, and one woman had been in prison for 28 years and on death row before the girl who committed the crime confessed. In Gina’s interview, she says she was in jail for less than 24 hours, and it was enough for her. Terrill is there with his little daughter, and says, he can’t get his time back, but can help another young person. Emily says he could be pissed off, but he’s kind and radiates light and positivity. In her interview, she says, when do work that’s bigger than you, it puts things in perspective. It makes you realize the things that are trivial and that you have no reason to complain. At the gala, the head guy makes a short speech, and Emily is introduced. She tells them that tonight is about money and make sure they donate. It’s also about the exonerees, and she encourages the guests to take the time to meet them and hear their stories.

In contrast, Shannon wails that six people aren’t coming. She bought 16 of everything and it was expensive. As usual, she blows things out of proportion, and in her interview, she says, it’s the worst case scenario. I guess it doesn’t occur to her that she could have no one showing up. In Tamra’s interview, she says, Shannon called her up, hysterical and crying, and telling her six people weren’t coming. She feels bad, but if you have a fight with them the night before, probably. Taylor and her husband, Jenn and Ryan, and Tamra and Eddie arrive. Shannon bitches to everyone, Señor Noodles mans the grill, and they swill tequila. Should Eddie be drinking like that?

Shannon says she’s grateful for those here. She had a tough day, but she’s with people she cares about and who care about her. Eddie says, they’re glad to be here to celebrate Shannon and John’s relationship. John says, it’s not perfect, and Eddie says, nobody’s is. In Tamra’s interview, she says, when she sees Shannon and John together, things seem good, but she doesn’t believe it. She doesn’t know if they’ll get married, but her gut tells her no, and her gut is always right. Señor Noodles says, the steaks are high, and no that’s not a typo; he holds the steaks aloft on his knife. Jenn says, it sucks to have your relationship scrutinized and to have being honest thrown back in your face. It’s not right. In Jenn’s interview, she says, no one deserves that treatment, but if you’re hiding something, this is not the group to hide info from. The food looks absolutely amazing, and Taylor says, she’s new to the friend group, so she wonders who can be trusted. Tamra tells her to look at who’s sitting at the table and who isn’t. Which could be taken two different ways. Jenn tells Shannon that Gina felt Shannon was poking around in her relationship, and we flash back to that to Gina saying, Shannon talks about her relationship, but God forbid Shannon’s relationship is talked about. Shannon says, if she’d been crying to John about David for years, he’d say get TF out. She tried to be nice to Gina and help her with her DUI a million years ago. We flash back to that, and Shannon says, Gina’s children would have gone to CPS if she hadn’t intervened. In Jenn’s interview, she says, this is not table conversation. You don’t talk about a mom, her kids, and CPS. If she was Gina, she’d be pissed. Tamra suggests they just move on, and Señor Noodles says, they need a tequila shot. He brings out a super soaker filled with tequila, and after Taylor nearly chokes on it (the tequila, not the water gun), somehow Tamra gets ahold of it. She chases Taylor around, but gets Shannon instead, then throws it in the water, saying, bad gun.

I know I don’t have to tell you how very extra and fabulous the penthouse is. I was too mesmerized to gather many details, but it’s over five thousand square feet, which is bigger than my 4-bedroom house. Roberto Cavalli did a lot of the furniture, which was included. All this for only $14 million. In her interview, Fancy Pants says, the finishes are perfection, but she wants to tweak some of the furniture. She and Terry feel like newlyweds. The view is insane, and all I can say about the main closet is, wow! She says, they’re not sharing details about the sale of the house yet. It’s not goodbye to Orange County. She’s just seeing someone else for a moment.

Omg, they’re bottle feeding the kittens. Gina visits Jenn, who asks where she was. Gina says she didn’t want to be responsible for messing up Shannon’s fiesta. It made zero sense to go. Shannon got super defensive, assuming Gina was trashing her relationship. Jenn tells her that Shannon didn’t say that, but she alluded that she helped Gina when she went through a DUI, and Gina’s kids would have gone to CPS if she hadn’t stepped in. Gina says, there were zero scenarios where her kids would have been taken. She and Shannon are going to have a problem. You don’t say things like that if they’re not true. In Gina’s interview, she says, it’s a completely false statement. If that happened when you got a DUI, everybody’s kids in the OC would be locked up. She tells Jenn that Shannon relentlessly brings that up, and we flash back to that. Gina says, the best way for her to have a healthy relationship with Shannon is to set boundaries. Now Shannon’s being crueler. In her interview, Gina says, there isn’t going to be a friendship, but Shannon needs to know she crossed the line. She tells Jenn, you can’t light me on fire and let everybody watch me burn, and Jenn says, Gina needs to sit Shannon’s ass down and say, enough.

Emily meets Shannon for lunch, and in Shannon’s interview, she says she cares about Emily, but she doesn’t think the feeling is mutual. Emily apologizes for what she said during their call, and Shannon says, if Emily is concerned about her, she needs to talk with her instead of talking behind her back. Emily says, they had a conversation about Shannon’s relationship because they were concerned about her, and Shannon says she thinks Emily is exaggerating, which is pretty funny considering that’s Shannon’s M.O. She tells Emily that Fancy Pants is insinuating her relationship is all bad sh*t, and said Emily brought it up; Gina and Tamra brought it up. In Shannon’s interview, she says, Fancy Pants has a history of making things worse than they are, and we flash back to Fancy Pants telling Terry that Shannon is having a psychotic break when she’s really just yelling. Shannon tells Emily that Fancy Pants is calculating and manipulative, but Emily suggests they table Fancy Pants and get back to them. She wants to move past this. She cares about Shannon and wants her to be happy. In Emily’s interview, she says she can’t force someone to be friends or forgive, and in Shannon’s interview, she says she’s grateful for this meeting. She feels good about things, but she’s going to proceed with caution. Emily says she’s sorry for missing Shannon’s taco party, and Shannon says, it was on National Taco Day. It’s the way she says it. Like it makes the offense even worse.

Next time, pumpkin races; Gina confronts Shannon about the CPS remark; Jenn says, the thought of marrying Ryan is scary; Shannon wonders if John is really in the relationship; and Shannon thinks Fancy Pants is insincere.

🏄‍♀️ Living Life Without It…

Come by for soap, what’s on the Runway, and teatime tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay being assertive without being aggressive, and stay not having pity parties. How are you going to help anyone if you’re feeling sorry for yourself?

Aug23

August 22, 2023 –It’s Time For the Big Finale, A Notion, Back When, New Charm, Party In the City, Jersey Share, The Hills Are Alive, Ultimate Standout, Tastes Just Like Chicken & Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna thanks Dante for meeting her at the station so they could talk alone, without Valentin. She asks him to show her what he has and asks if Valentin was at ELQ the night of the fire, but Dante says, he wasn’t. He says he’ll show her everything, but wants her to promise she’ll get a bodyguard. She says she’s not going to do that. She’s not allowing him to take away the one thing she has left, her privacy.

Finn heads into a meeting, and flashes back to Gregory revealing he has ALS.

Alexis comes out of the hospital elevator when her phone rings. She tells Esme that she’s headed to a meeting. What’s wrong?

Drew waits in the visitor’s room and flashes back to Cyrus saying, Drew needs some kind of family to survive behind these walls. If Drew won’t join his flock, he strongly suggests Drew find another.

Nina thanks Martin for meeting her in some obscure place outside, and he asks why they’re here. She says she didn’t want to chance someone seeing them. He asks what he can do for her, and she asks if he’s still getting pressure from the FBI and SEC to reveal the source of the insider trading tip against Carly and Drew. He asks if she means pressure to tell them it was her.

On the phone at Kelly’s, Carly tells Katrina, it’s not her fault. It’s okay. She has an appointment, but she’ll leave when Katrina gets here. Be safe. Willow walks in, and Carly gives her a hug, saying, she’s happy to see her. She’s sorry it’s been so long. Willow says, Carly never has to apologize to her after everything she’s done for them, and Carly asks if Michael and the kids are with her. Willow says, Michael is working and Olivia agreed to watch the kids. She’s on her own. Carly asks how that feels, and Willow says, good. It’s something she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to do again. Michael told her that Carly took over Kelly’s. Look what she’s done to this place. Carly says she just wanted to spruce it up a little, and Willow says, she sure did that. As I try to figure out just what she did, Carly says, it’s good to see Willow and asks what she can do for her. Willow says she’s there to see if there’s anything she can do to help Carly.

Dex listens outside Austin’s office door, as Austin tells Ava she has nothing to worry about. Ava says she is worried. She just needs to know exactly what’s going on. She’s got this con artist Betty who’s pretending to be a nanny spending time with her daughter. She’s already super worried about going to jail. Austin says, for killing Nikolas? He promises she’s not going to jail for killing Nikolas. Everything is under control. She asks, how exactly is everything under control?

Still on the phone, Alexis says, it’s working?… Good. All’s well. She’ll see Esme later. She heads for the meeting.

Meeting leader Dana asks, who would like to share first? and Finn raises his hand. He says he’s Hamilton and he’s an addict. He wants to thank Dana for her powerful message. The idea of navigating life’s challenges while dealing with addiction really resonates with him right now. He recently had some bad news about someone he loves very much. This person has been suffering and he had no idea. Had he known, he feels maybe he could have helped them, but he guesses he was so caught up in his own life. Alexis slips in, and Finn says, the fact he couldn’t help them because he didn’t know they needed help has left him feeling a little resentful. He has this good friend and she knew the truth, and she chose to keep it to herself.

Nina tells Martin, this is important to her. That’s why she was anxious to set up this meeting. He says he knows. He’s sorry. His brother Cyrus had a heart attack and he had to take care of some business for him, and it’s not like the situation is all that urgent. She says, maybe that’s him, but she needs to know if the SEC is going to be knocking on her door. He says he told her; it’s under control. Drew Cain took a plea deal. There will not be a trial, therefore, she won’t be pressured to testify. She can relax. She says, it’s really done? and he says, yes. There’s no reason Willow or Sonny should ever find out she turned in Drew and Carly.

Carly tells the kitchen, the ELQ order is almost ready. Let her know when the wings are done. Willow says she doesn’t want to take up Carly’s time. If she needs to work, that’s totally fine. Carly says, the lunch rush is over. She just has to wait for Katrina to get here, so she can go visit Drew. Willow says, she’s going to visit Drew? That’s great. Carly says, it will be great, now that he’s out of solitary confinement, and Willow asks why Drew was in solitary.

Dante says he feels that privacy should be the least of Anna’s concerns right now, and she says, don’t make her regret sharing information with him. He says he doesn’t want her to regret anything. He wants her to be safe. It’s his job to keep her safe. He cares about her. She says, if they wanted her dead, she’d be dead, and he asks what she thinks that shot was at the MetroCourt pool? Just a friendly message? One that put Curtis in a wheelchair? She has no idea whether they thought she was in that house or not. She says, if they were watching her, she’d be dead already. They would have gotten her on her run. He says, that’s another thing he doesn’t think she should be doing at that hour of the night on her own, and she says, for God’s sake, it had been a long day. She already told him that setting a fire is too clumsy. You can’t guarantee you will get your mark. But what you can do is destroy a person’s life. They can take everything away from her – her reputation, her memories, literally her home – because she believes someone is out to leave her with absolutely nothing.

Austin tells Ava, Betty collected some very valuable information on Sonny, and last night, she passed it on to Mason. She says, so his crazy cousin got what he wanted, and he says, yes. He’ll deliver the data and they’ll get on with their lives and find Nikolas’s body. She says she’ll believe it when she sees it, and he tells her, believe it. It’s going to happen. This whole nightmare will soon be over. His desk phone rings, and he says he knows. He’s sorry. Something important came up. He’s on his way. He tells Ava that he’s got to go. He promises he’ll let her know the minute he hears from Mason. Dex scoots around the corner, and they come out. She says if she doesn’t hear from him… but Austin says, she will, and they leave, as Dex – the least stealthy spy in the world – watches.

Austin says hi to Jake and Wyatt (who has had quite a growth spurt), and says he hasn’t seen them since last summer. What’s going on? Elizabeth says, they had a little laser flip incident, and Austin says, that’s not good. He suggests they go into an exam room and get a closer look. They leave and Dex follows. Honestly, worst spy ever.

Dr. Bronson introduces Gregory to TJ, and says, he’s doing a neurology rotation. TJ is going to be shadowing him with Gregory’s permission. Gregory says, absolutely. They’ve met before, and he’s heard great things about TJ from his son Finn. TJ says, it’s great to see him again, and Bronson says, TJ is going to stay for Gregory’s examination and consultation. Gregory says, of course (🍷). Having two good doctors in his corner… He knows he’ll be needing all the help he can get. Bronson tells TJ that it’s been six months since Gregory’s initial diagnosis. He went to the Mayo Clinic and they did extensive tests. Gregory says, unfortunately, there’s no doubt he has ALS, and he understands he’s in for the fight of his life. Bronson says, Gregory told him on the phone that he had another episode, and Gregory says he agreed to babysit for his granddaughter Violet and took a fall. Bronson says he’s sorry, and Gregory says, fortunately, she wasn’t in the room, but that look on her face when she found him… Bronson suggests they get started with the exam.

Finn says he knows in times of crisis there’s a possibility of using again, but he doesn’t think that’s going to help. He has someone who needs him. They need him now more than ever, and he just wants to focus on being there for them. It’s funny the things that come flooding back to you though. They didn’t want to burden him with their problem, but they were reaching out, wanting to spend more time together. He would have if he would have known. Alexis sits down, and Finn says he understands why his friend didn’t tell him what she knew. He wishes she would have. Then he would have had more time. Time is so important; time is everything. He just wants to spend every minute he can taking care of this person for as long as he can… He wants to thank them all for listening. They applaud.

In the bathroom, Cyrus looks in the mirror, and says, we know the importance of cleanliness, don’t we, God? Thank You for granting me another beautiful day. He dries his face.

Carly tells Willow that she doesn’t know the details of why Drew was in solitary confinement, but she’s hoping to find that out when she sees him. Willow says, please give him her love. She wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t risked his life in Greenland to get Liesl Obrecht back for the transplant. (Hey, where is Liesl these days?) Carly says, he’s such a good guy, and he’s helped so many people, and Willow says, it’s so unfair Drew is stuck in prison because someone was spiteful enough to turn them in. Is Carly still convinced Ned was the one who turned them in? Nina walks in and says hi to Willow and Carly. She says, the place looks really nice. The improvements Carly made look great. As I still ponder what those might be, Carly thanks her and sees Katrina. She says she has to go, and jets. Nina says she didn’t mean to drive Carly out, but Willow says, don’t worry. She didn’t.

Dante tells Anna that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to come at her like that. He knows it’s not easy. She says, that’s all right. She’s lucky to have a friend like him. Everyone’s been very supportive. He says, but she lost her house. It’s awful and it’s got to hurt. She says, what hurts is Curtis in a wheelchair because of her, and he says, she has to stop blaming herself for that, but she says she doesn’t. It doesn’t compare really. She’s not hurt and she has resources. Insurance is taking care of the fire. He asks how Valentin is doing, and she says, he’s very supportive of her. Dante says, he showed up to be by her side the morning after the fire? and she nods, saying, and since. He says, Valentin lied to her about working for Pikeman, but she says, Valentin didn’t lie to her. Dante says, he was dishonest, withheld the truth. Why did he tell her then? Did it come out of nowhere? She says she was putting together the pieces and he came home, and he says, Valentin realized she knew and had no choice but to come clean. They don’t have to call it a lie if she doesn’t want to, but they both know Valentin lied to her about where he was the night of the fire. She says she wants to see this proof he has.

Anna looks at Dante’s laptop, and he says, she can see Valentin’s car never showed up that night at the ELQ garage. His car wasn’t even in the area that night. Dante checked the surrounding areas and there was no sign of it at all. Also, there was no water main break; he confirmed that as well. So Valentin was in fact lying to her. She says, all right. She’ll take that into consideration. He hopes she also takes into consideration that Valentin lied to her on that specific night. She says, just because he didn’t tell her where he was doesn’t make him the arsonist, and Dante tells her, he’s not saying Valentin was, but she can’t rule him out as a person of interest. She says, that is ridiculous, and he says, is it though? Valentin finds out everything Anna knows and has to tell her that he worked for Pikeman. Anna calls Dante and he comes to the house. Maybe Valentin sees that all happen. She says, any number of people could have seen that happen, and he says, but she told him, whoever did this wants to take everything away from her. Who has motive to leave her with nothing? She says, what? and he says, could Valentin want her totally dependent on him? She says, Valentin loves her. That, she’s certain of.

Wyatt says, told Jake it wasn’t broken, but Austin says, it’s a pretty bad sprain. Jake was right to bring him. Jake says, see? and Austin says, here’s what we’re going to do. Heat, ice, alternate, and try not to move it at all for a couple of days. Wyatt asks if there isn’t some way he could heal it faster. He’s supposed to play cello in their band concert day after tomorrow. Austin asks if that’s his bow hand, and Wyatt says, yes. Austin says, that’s not going to happen, and Jake says he’s sorry; this is all his fault. He shouldn’t have talked Wyatt into going to the skate park. He messed everything up for him. Wyatt says, Jake didn’t make him do the laser flip. He even tried to talk him out of doing it again. Jake says, it was really cool though. He’s only seen one other person do it. Wyatt says, at least he did it once, and Elizabeth says, and he’ll do it again. In the hallway, Dex steps away from the door, saying, this is it. He sends a text to Gabe: All set?

Dana says, that’s all the time they have for sharing today. Could Finn lead them in the Serenity Prayer? Finn says, yes, and everyone gets up, joining hands. Finn and Alexis exchange a look, and Finn says, God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Everyone applauds, and Dana thanks Finn. She says, good luck. See you next week? He says, see you next week, and everyone leaves. He starts putting the chairs away, and Alexis asks if she can help him. He says he’s guessing she heard his share, and she says, loud and clear.

Gregory holds his palm against TJ’s, and Bronson says he wants Gregory to put on as much pressure as he can… That’s good. They’ll run more extensive diagnostic tests next week. For now, he wants to get Gregory fitted for leg braces and hand and wrist splints. He should wear them at home. Try to wear them when he sleeps to help his extremities remain stretched and in a good position. Gregory asks if he needs a cane, and Bronson says, does he? Gregory says he doesn’t think so, and Bronson says, then it’s good for now. Aside from the episodes Gregory described, he seems to be ambulatory without it. Gregory says, when the time comes, he’d prefer a cane to a wheelchair, and Bronson says he’s sure a wheelchair won’t be necessary right now, but considering the episodes he’s had, Gregory definitely shouldn’t drive. Does he need someone to drive him home? Gregory says, no. He took a car service here. After what happened with his granddaughter, he doesn’t want to put anyone else at risk. He won’t be driving anymore.

Cyrus slathers on shaving cream, and I wonder what he’s going to shave with. Oh okay. I guess Bic’s are all right to have in prison.

Nina asks if Willow is sure Carly lighting out of here didn’t have a little something to do with her, but Willow says, no. She was late for her visit with Drew in Pentenville. Nina asks how he’s doing, and Willow says she’s sure it’s miserable, but he’s such an amazing guy, always positive. She doesn’t know how he’s doing it. Nina says she’ll always be grateful to him for helping save Willow’s life, and Willow says, so will she. She’s grateful that, even in Pentenville, Drew knows he has Carly’s love and support. He’ll make it through this. Nina says, of course (🍷) he will, and Willow says, it’s an outrage that Drew was even sent to Pentenville in the first place.

Nina tells Drew that she’s sorry she’s late. Katrina’s car broke down, and she had to cover at Kelly’s until Katrina could get there. Drew says, she’s here. That’s all that matters. He loves her. She says she loves him too.

Alexis says she knows Finn’s very angry at her for not telling him, and she doesn’t blame him. He has no idea how much she wanted to tell him. She just couldn’t because Gregory was adamant about her not doing it. Finn says he understands the position Gregory put her in. He probably wouldn’t have told Finn if he hadn’t collapsed in front of Violet. Alexis says, oh, and he says, she’s okay. He can’t believe he was so caught up in his own life, he didn’t see the signs. She says, he was very good at covering them up, and Finn says, she was very good at honoring his wishes. Too good. She says she’s sorry, and he says he knows she is. He understands. He’s is a very private and persuasive man. To see him accept this… She says, his dad is very brave, and he says he knows. His dad was so excited about this trip he wanted to take. He wanted all of them to go on this trip, and Finn put him off. He could have made it work, but he didn’t. He got so caught up in everything Violet was going through, but he could have made it work. Alexis says, doesn’t Finn understand? What Gregory wanted was for them to lead a normal life, so he could watch Finn, Violet, and Chase being productive and happy. He doesn’t want them to zero in and focus on his illness. That is not how he wants to spend the rest of the time he has left. Finn says, the time he stole from him.

Gregory comes out of the elevator as Dana goes by in her wheelchair, telling a woman, just focus on today. That’s all any of them can do.

Elizabeth tells Wyatt to give his arm a rest for a few days. It was great seeing him. Wyatt says, her too, and she goes back to work. Jake says he thought Wyatt would be more mad that he couldn’t play in his concert, but Wyatt says he’s going to play. He just won’t tell anyone he fell. Gregory comes by and says he hasn’t seen Wyatt since their camping trip last summer. It looks like he had a little accident.

Anna says she didn’t realize Dante disliked Valentin quite so much, but Dante says he’s just doing his job. She says, it’s not about his job, and he says, she’s right. It’s about more than that. It’s about Charlotte. She’s staying with them right now. Lulu’s daughter. Valentin’s her dad. They love her, she loves him. He guesses what he’s saying is that Anna isn’t the only one who thinks Valentin’s changed. She says, he has changed, and Dante asks her to put herself in his shoes right now. With the facts and logic laid out as they are, is she telling him that even for a second, she wouldn’t entertain Valentin as a suspect? She says, he wouldn’t do that, but Dante says, he would. She can’t just ignore the man’s past. He’s manipulative. Anna says, wow, and Dante says, she knows it; he’s always been that way. He’s sorry. Maybe she got close to some truth. Maybe Valentin needs her totally and completely dependent on him for some reason, but can she look at him and tell him that she thinks there’s no way he could have done something like this? She says, whatever he’s lying about, it’s not that he burned down their home, and he says, her home. Why did he lie to her? She says she thinks it has something to do with Pikeman.

Cyrus dries his now clean-shaven face, and looks at least ten years younger. I’m thinking how cool his hair looks down, when he takes a shiv out of his sock and begins to cut it. Why, Cyrus? Why? Speaking of his age, since they’ve been calling him an old guy, I looked it up and he’s going to be 70. Like I always say, there’s 70 and there’s 70. For an old guy, he’s looking fit.

Mason goes into Austin’s office, and Austin asks what he’s doing here. Mason says, stay cool. It’s almost showtime. Austin asks why he’d care, and Mason says, because he has the starring role. Austin says he doesn’t; he’s already played his part. Mason says, no. It’s time for the big finale. Austin gets to deliver the flashdrive to the big boss. Austin says, no he doesn’t. He’s got appointments lined up all afternoon. Mason says, there are other doctors, when there’s a knock at the door and TJ walks in. He says, sorry. He didn’t realize he was interrupting. Austin says, he wasn’t, and Mason says he’s not a patient. He’s Austin’s cousin. They were just catching up. He introduces himself and shakes TJ’s hand. TJ says, it’s nice to meet him, and Austin says, here’s the chart, handing TJ a folder. He’s sorry he didn’t get it to TJ earlier. TJ says, not a problem, and takes the folder from Austin. He goes to the door, and stops. He asks if he and Mason have met somewhere before.

Carly says she’s just trying to understand why Drew chose to protect Cyrus Renault, and he says, some guys were coming at Cyrus. He stepped in, they fought, he got solitary. It’s as simple as that. She says, it’s not that simple, and he asks if they can drop this, but she says, no. Drew was in Port Charles when Cyrus got out of prison, and he was threatening everyone. She just doesn’t understand why he had to intervene. Why couldn’t he just walk away?

Nina says, it seems wrong that Drew was sent to Pentenville for what he did, and Willow says, he’s been so good to them, and supportive in every way. He was supposed to walk her down the aisle when she and Michael got married. She can talk to him about anything. He would listen and give her the best advice, and he never had an agenda. Nina says, and she always does. She’s sorry. Sometimes she just pushes too hard, doesn’t she? Willow says, yes, she does. But in all fairness, Drew isn’t her father and doesn’t feel like he has anything to make up for. So her guard isn’t up when she’s around him. Nina says, like it is with her, but she would like to change that, and Willow says, Nina’s marrying Sonny. Nina’s going to be a part of her life. They’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, whether they like it or not. Nina says, that’s one way to look at it, and Willow says she doesn’t want things to be so strained between them. Nina says, her neither, and Willow says, they have to find their way to some kind of relationship. Nina agrees, and Willow says, no matter what, those things take time. Ava comes in, and Willow says she’s got to get home to Wiley. Nina says, right, and Willow says, goodbye. She leaves, and Ava says, progress? Nina says she thinks maybe so.

Drew tells Carly, the guy that came for Cyrus was way younger than him. Cyrus isn’t exactly in his prime, and Drew just doesn’t have it in him to turn a blind eye to someone like that. He’s sorry, but he guesses it’s just a character flaw. She says, it is, but it’s one of the many things she loves about him. If he was the kind of guy who could watch an old man get beat up and not do anything, and just walk away, he wouldn’t be the man she loves. He says, it was kind of crazy. Cyrus was the one person he was trying to stay as far away from as possible, and now they’re bonded for life. She asks what he means, bonded for life? All he did was stop the fight. He says, after the fight, Cyrus had a heart attack and he gave Cyrus CPR. He saved Cyrus’s life.

All Cyrus’s hair lies next to the sink, and he tosses down the shiv. He pulls on his shirt, and runs his hands through his now much shorter hair, another ten years off him. He looks in the mirror and says, You work in mysterious ways – he looks up – very mysterious ways. And he’s grateful.

Mason says he doesn’t believe he and TJ have met. Then again, people are always saying he reminds them of someone. Sometimes even Vin Diesel – the lack of hair and the voice. He rubs his head and smiles. TJ says, no. He thinks they did meet before. He just can’t remember where. Mason says he really hasn’t spent that much time in Port Charles, but who knows? Austin looks grim, and TJ says, maybe he’ll figure it out. He thanks Austin for the file, and leaves. In the hallway, TJ ponders Mason, and in the office, Austin says, so Mason has met Dr. Ashford? Mason says, they may have crossed paths.

Dante says, Anna thinks Valentin is lying to her about Pikeman? She says, when Dante called her last night, when he told her that he had evidence Valentin wasn’t at ELQ the night of the fire, Valentin was in the shower. He’d just received some papers. It kind of looked like a contract, maybe a consultancy project or something. They had the Pikeman logo on them. Dante asks if she thinks he could be working for Pikeman again, but she says she doesn’t know. He says, Valentin told her that he wasn’t working for Pikeman anymore and he gets papers with the Pikeman logo on it. Could Pikeman have been behind the shooting at the MetroCourt pool? She says, they don’t know that, and he says, maybe they weren’t after her. Maybe they were after Sonny and they hired Valentin to set him up.

Alexis asks Finn to please stop being so hard on himself. His father has gotten past all of that. He says, how? He was estranged from his father for years. He looks at his daughter Violet now, and he gets to watch her grow up. And he can’t imagine, not for a moment, her not being in his life. She says, there is no value in dwelling on the past; there just isn’t. They just learned this, right here, right now. All we have is today. He says he doesn’t plan on wasting a minute of it, and she hugs him.

Alexis and Finn get out of the elevator, and both of their phones ding. Alexis says, who would have guessed they were so popular? and Finn says, back to the real world. She says she’s sorry she wasn’t able to tell him about his dad’s condition, but she’s glad he knows, and he says he’s not looking forward to helping him tell Chase. She says she hopes he tells Chase sooner than later, so Chase doesn’t resent Finn, like Finn might resent… He says he doesn’t resent her at all. He’s lucky to have her as a friend. If his dad had to tell someone about his condition other than him, he’s glad it was her. She thanks him, and he says he just wishes his dad weren’t so damn stubborn. She says, pot, kettle, and her phone rings. She tells him that she’s got to take this. It might be some kind of office crisis. It was nice while it lasted. She leaves, and he goes over to Elizabeth at the reception desk. Wyatt says, if he hadn’t tried that laser flip again, he wouldn’t have hurt his arm, and he’d be fine. Finn and Elizabeth watch Wyatt talking to Gregory, and Wyatt says he can’t let the band down. Gregory says, but the doctor told him to let his arm rest for a couple of days, so he won’t be able to practice at all, will he? Wyatt says, no, and Gregory says, if he does try to play, does he really think he’ll be able to do his best? Wyatt says, no, and Gregory says, sometimes you have to be honest with yourself about what your body can and can’t do. If he shows up and tries to play and can’t do his best, then he’d be letting everyone down. Wyatt says he never thought about it like that, and Gregory says, admitting he’s injured, even though he really wants to play, is probably the most honorable and generous thing to do in the long run. Wyatt says, Gregory is right, but he still hates it, and Gregory says he knows exactly how Wyatt feels. Wyatt thanks him, and he and Jake leave. Gregory looks at Finn and smiles.

Anna says, Valentin would never set up Sonny, and Dante says, never? She says, no… Unless he was being blackmailed. Dante says, maybe Pikeman has something on him from when he worked for them. She says, right. They could use it against him. Dante says, right, or… She says, what? and he says, she knows how much Valentin loves Charlotte. He’d do anything for his daughter. She says, what if Pikeman were threatening her? and he says, it’s a theory. It’s not going to be easy to prove. She says she just wants to prove this theory is wrong and that Valentin is clean. He says, they’d better both get digging, and she says, they need to find out what the truth is, no matter where it leads them, and she leaves.

Ava says she wanted to talk to Carly about Avery. Has Nina seen her? Nina says, she went to visit Drew. How is Ava? Ava says she’s better she thinks, and Nina says, nice to hear. One question. Are she and Sonny going to get rid of that new nanny of Avery’s? Because every time Nina sees her, she’s kind of like a… Ava says, she’s a bitch, right? Hopefully, she won’t be around too much longer. Nina says, good. One less thing to worry about with their wedding coming up and… Ava lowers her voice and says, and Drew in prison because Nina sent him there. Nina asks if she has to say that out loud. She was surprised they sent him to a place like Pentenville. Ava says, just keep hoping Sonny and Carly never find out, and Nina says, they won’t. Ava says, she seems pretty sure of herself, and Nina says she is. As long as her beautiful, intelligent friend stays quiet, the SEC is going to drop it. And no one will ever know she’s the one – she whispers – who turned in Carly and Drew.

Drew says he stayed with Cyrus until the prison doctor got there, and Carly says, so everybody in this prison knows he defended Cyrus and saved his life? He says, word travels pretty fast around here, and she says, the word is going to be, he’s Cyrus’s ally. Does that mean Cyrus’s enemies are going to target Drew? They see a guard walking through with Austin, and Carly says, what’s he doing here?

Mason paces around somewhere where there are a lot of pipes, and sees someone approach. He thanks them so much for taking the time. He really appreciates them meeting him.

The guard tells Austin, here’s his patient, and Cyrus stands up.

Tomorrow, Austin says he’s more than paid off his debt and he wants out; Gladys asks what Dr. Montague has done to her daughter-in-law; Dex has a message for someone; and Carly asks if that doesn’t put Drew in more danger.

💭 Thought: My mind goes to Cyrus being the big boss, but then some of the rest of it doesn’t make sense, like, why give away all his money? He’s also not related to Austin as far as I can figure. I suppose he could be running Pikeman, since it’s kind of like a mob organization, but again, there’s a disconnect.

🏥 His Struggle Was Real…

He’s kind of a whiner. I love how Maurice Benard is like, maybe it was you.

Sean Kanan Opens up About His Struggles Playing A.J. on GH

🍹 See Them In September…

Go back to the South on September 14th, 9 pm.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1382295/southern-charm-everything-to-know-so-far-about-season-9

https://people.com/southern-charm-season-9-trailer-exclusive-7568910

🗽 Their State Of Mind…

This week’s RHONY. I’ve been watching this peripherally, and a high point in this episode was Jessel and husband Pavit checking out $62K preschools for their toddlers. She nearly wrote that their kids were socially inept on the application because she didn’t know what the word inept meant. Pavit wasn’t sure either, but points for the good sense to look it up. People like that shouldn’t have $62K to throw away. Once again proof that the wrong people have all the money.

RHONY Recap: Brynn Flirts With Abe at His Wedding Anniversary Party With Erin and Sai Leaves Event for Lack of Food, Plus Meredith Marks & Brooks Make Their Debut

👠 Good Time Had By All… Almost…

I can’t wait until Teresa finally goes off the deep end and causes a lawsuit for Bravo. I’ll also settle for her dumping that jerk Luis.

PHOTOS: RHONJ Cast Films First Group Event for Season 14 at Jenn Fessler’s Birthday, See Who’s Returning as Sources Share What Went Down

💎 Dirt On the Diamond…

Garcelle’s speaks her truth.

Garcelle Beauvais Talks Kyle Having Most to Answer to at RHOBH Reunion, If She’ll Attend Erika’s Show, and Where she Stands With Crystal, Plus If She’ll Reconcile With Rinna

🐣 Ultimate Break-Out Star…

While this aired on Peacock a while ago, I’m just catching it on Bravo now, even if half-heartedly. This guy was definitely a standout, as the ultimate concierge and Housewives peacemaker.

Fans Think RHUGT Breakout Star Was Disrespected by Cast Member

🐕 Sounds About Right…

It was a Golden Retriever. What did they expect? I had one named Einstein. It was a false prophecy. He would watch a frisbee as it bounced off his head, and when a blimp came by once, he was mesmerized by it and wagged his tail like maybe his people were coming for him. He was also literally afraid of his own shadow. Nevertheless, he was much loved.

https://people.com/mass-couple-italy-wedding-jeopardy-pet-dog-eats-passport-7693351

🌊 Going Against the Flow…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the rotten oranges from the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving a tip for Pete’s sake – you are not helping the waitstaff to a better hourly wage; you’re a cheapskate – and stay not dwelling on the past. There’s no value in it; there just isn’t.

Aug22

August 21, 2023 – Cyrus Wants To Repay Drew, She’s Got Two, Crappie Ending, Plathville Returns, Uniquely Exotic & Day

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna wakes up with a start and realizes Valentin isn’t there. She calls to him, then gets out of bed and looks around.

Robert meets Diane in an office, and says, Judge Barns isn’t here? She says, proving his disregard for punctuality remains unchanged. Robert sits down and says, dammit, and Diane tells him that the judge’s clerk said he’d be in soon. He says, define soon, and she chuckles. He asks, how was the car show?

Anna wonders, what was so urgent that Valentin’s lawyer came over in the middle of the night? She undoes a paperclip and tries to open his briefcase.

Olivia sees Ned in the nook and asks what he’s doing. He says he’s eating her lasagna from last night, but she says, what is he doing eating it cold; he’ll get a stomachache. He insists he won’t. He likes it like this – vintage. She says, vintage lasagna, and he says, not vintage. Like rock and roll; late nights, music until dawn, cold lasagna. She says, right. Bar crawling all night, too wasted to put it in the oven. He says, exactly, and she says, except he’s got a working oven and somebody perfectly willing to heat it up for him, but he tells her that he’s not going to let her do that. She’s too busy. Besides, he likes it like this. He’s used to it. Eating on the go. Cold and quick. She says, it’s not going to happen on her watch. He’s not eating cold lasagna. Let her make him a frittata. He says he’ll make her a deal. How about warm lasagna? He hands her the plate.

Anna gets the briefcase open, and rifles through it, taking out the Pikeman envelope.

Josslyn comes into Sonny’s old kitchen, paying homage to the moss bowl🎍, and Carly says, she’s up early. Josslyn says she’s going to the pool. Unless Carly needs help at Kelly’s. Then she can totally cancel. Carly says, Pete is opening up. Go have fun. Josslyn says she’s not going to have fun. She’s going to be binging Gray’s Anatomy all day; not the show, the book. She wishes it was the show. Carly says, her new semester’s starting soon, and Josslyn says, so soon, too soon. Summer flew by. She has a mountain of things that she should have done over break. Carly tells her that she says that every year. Then she aces her tests and tells Carly how interesting her classes are. Josslyn says, they are interesting. There’s just so much to remember. Then life happens, and she gets distracted. Carly says, life’s always happening, and Josslyn says she knows. She has to stop delaying. She’s trying to remember, tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Carly says, that’s right. Mom’s Aunt Ruby; that’s what she used to say. Josslyn says, if Carly needs her, call her or text her. She’ll be in mental boot camp. Carly tells her to leave her phone on, and Josslyn leaves. Carly’s phone rings, and it’s a collect call from Pentenville Penitentiary. Will she accept the charges? She says, absolutely.

Anna puts the envelope to the side, and keeps looking through the briefcase, when she hears something. She quickly closes it up, placing it back where it was and putting the envelope to the side. Valentin walks in.

On the phone outside Sonny’s penthouse, Betty says, she already got them the goods. Why do they have to keep up this Nanny act?… Yeah. Okay. It will cost them. Frank comes out, and she says she’s just arriving at work, but they should definitely sue the dry cleaners. Frank says, good morning, and she says, angora. It’s her own fault really. You should never dry clean angora. He says, thanks for telling him.

Inside the penthouse on the phone, Sonny tells Brick to keep in touch. There’s knock at the door, and he says he has to go. He opens the door to Betty, and tells her to come in. He tells Frank that he doesn’t want to be disturbed, and closes the door. Betty asks if Avery is ready, but Sonny says, she’s not getting anywhere near Avery.

Drew tells Carly, thank God. He was starting to go crazy in there. She says, Sam told her that she brought Scout to see him, and he says he knows; he heard. She says she can’t believe they turned Scout away because she suddenly has no idea how prison works, and he says he’s sorry he couldn’t let anybody know. She says, don’t worry about her. She’s just glad he got out sooner. He says, sooner? How did she know how long it was supposed to be? What did she do?

Betty asks Sonny, what’s wrong? Why doesn’t he want her near Avery? He says, isn’t it obvious? Avery’s sick. He’d hate for her to catch it. She says, how considerate of him. She was really looking forward to seeing Avery today. She hopes Avery feels better, poor little cupcake. (Ugh.) Text her when he needs her again. He gives her some cash, saying, here’s a little extra something for her, and she thanks him. He says, goodbye, Betty, and closes the door. Sonny tells Dex that he knows what to do, and Dex leaves.

Ned looks out to the patio and says, this is a pretty nice spread you have here, and Olivia says, that’s putting it mildly. She puts his lasagna on the table, and he says, the kid is always going on about horses and bugs. Leo was telling him about some sort of spotted lantern bug that’s been invading New York. (Yep. Truth.) She says she hears about it every day. Leo is on the patrol. Ned says, he’s a good kid. Leo wants Ned to teach him the banjo. She asks if he plays the banjo, but he says, not in the slightest. He has to admit, the lasagna is definitely better warmed up, and she asks if he wants extra parmesan, but he says, no. He hates that. It’s like putting a sax solo in a punk rock song. It just doesn’t fit. She says, it’s weird; Ned always loved it. He says he’s not Ned, and she says, she knows. He tells her, forget it, and gets some more coffee. She says, late night, huh? and he says, busted. She says, it must have been quite a party. She wasn’t aware Port Charles had such a vibrant after-hours scene. He says, no, it was up to him to create his own party scene, and she says, any interesting party animals?

Diane thanks Robert for asking, and says, the car show was wonderful. Just row upon row of the most exquisite new vehicles. She felt like she stepped into the future. He asks which was her favorite, and she wonders how he can ask that with so many amazing models to choose from. All the chrome was buffed to mirrorlike perfection. All the new leather interiors and reliable engines. There were electric vehicles, gorgeous colors. All in all, a wonderful time was had. He asks if Alexis enjoyed it, and she says, Alexis? He says, Diane took her, and Diane says, after he expressed little… no interest, she did ask Alexis. Alexis couldn’t go, so she took Chris Simmons. He asks if he or she enjoyed the car show, and she says, very much so. Almost as much as she did. He wonders where the judge is, and Diane snickers behind her hand.

Anna says she was wondering where Valentin was, but she can’t find her phone. He asks if it would be the one on the nightstand, and she takes it from him, saying, when she woke up, she was really disoriented. She didn’t know where she was, and he wasn’t here. Where did he go? He tells her that he was at ELQ. He noticed they’re still not up and running – he sees the envelope on the table – thanks to the water damage to the servers. He’s sure they’ll be fixed soon. Ned Quartermaine isn’t really himself these days, so he has to stop by to keep the ship afloat. She says she feels sorry for Olivia. It’s so unsettling when someone you know is acting strangely. He says he’s sure. He hasn’t had a lot of time to talk to the Quartermaines. His phone rings, and she asks if it’s ELQ. He says, yeah, but he’ll let it go to voicemail. What can he do for her? She says, he can help her find out who is literally trying to destroy her life, and why.

Anna says, someone out there is trying to kill her, or at least destabilize her so much that she takes her eye off the ball. He says he’d like to smoke them out and strangle a confession from them, and she says, really? He says, that was a poor choice of words. His point is, he doesn’t think that’s an appropriate cause of action. They both know they’re dealing with a professional; this was a professional job. She says, so they just drop it? They just ignore the fact there was a public shooting and he life went up in flames? He says, of course (🍷) not. They’re dealing with people who can cover their tracks. She says, they have experience in that department too, and he says he’ll continue to make inquiries of his sources, but they need to prepare themselves that there aren’t going to be any easy answers. She says she needs to have a shower. She has to go to her lawyer, then the insurance company. Put what’s left of her life back together. She goes to the bathroom, and he picks up the envelope. His phone dings, and he sees a text from Sonny: Need to see you ASAP. Come now!

Robert tells Diane, the judge is taking his sweet time, when his phone rings. He answers, and says, what? When?… Of course (🍷) he knows nothing about it… What?… He’s in a judge’s office waiting for him to get back… Yeah. He’s on his way. Diane asks if there’s fire that needs putting out in the DA’s office, and he says, the fire’s been put out. It destroyed a life though.

Carly says she didn’t do anything, and Drew says, meaning? She says, Sonny did. She didn’t ask him to, but she’s so glad he did. Drew tells her, Sonny did say he’d do whatever he could for him while he was inside, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine. The other guy, not so much. She asks, what happened? and he says, nothing he can’t handle. Don’t worry. She asks if this has anything to do with him being put in solitary confinement, and he says he got into it with a guy who was giving another inmate a hard time. He couldn’t just stand by and let it happen. She says, he doesn’t have to protect everyone. Who was this inmate he helped? He says, Cyrus Renault.

Betty sits on a chaise lounge, and the waiter asks if she’d like something from the brunch menu. She says she’ll have the American breakfast with extra bacon, and she means extra bacon. Rye toast. She opens a Crimson magazine, and he says, all right, but she says she’s not done. Get her a Bloody Mary and don’t forget the horseradish. Got it? He says, yes, and leaves. On a nearby chaise, Josslyn says, drinking on the job or was she fired already? Betty says, Josslyn’s sister is sick, so back off, and Josslyn says, it looks like she touched a nerve. Instead of Mary Poppins, she’s going to call Betty Bloody Mary. Dex walks in, and Josslyn asks what he’s doing here. She though he wasn’t… He kisses her.

On the phone, Sonny asks Ava if he can just talk. Avery’s with him. She’s not going to be with Betty today… She’s fine. Now listen to him. They already set the trap. They just have to spring it, and then they’re going to get the answers they need.

Ned says, no party animals, unless you count Tracy, and Olivia says, Tracy? Ned says, she was here on a preemptive hangover strike with water and ibuprofen. Definitely had a few too many. The real party was him and the old six-string in the solarium. Great acoustics in there. She asks what exactly he and his six-string were doing in the solarium, and he says he was writing a song. She says, so he does write his own songs, and he says, oh yeah. You’ve got to write your own material if you really want to stand out. She says, it’s a tough business, and he says, it is, but he has help. You might say a muse. She asks, what is this muse, a magical spirit that whispers sweet lyrics into his ear or something? He says, sort of. His muse is a little more earthly. Ever hear of Elvis Presley? She says, the King of Rock and Roll? She’s heard of him. That’s his muse? He says, the one and only. Let’s just say, Elvis inspires him. Music is fire in his belly; the spark in his soul. She says, music is really everything to him, isn’t it? and he says, it makes him who he is.

Olivia says, so Eddie/Ned and his guitar in the solarium with the ghost of Elvis (sounds like a Clue clue), and he says, just us and the spirits. Would she like to hear what he’s written so far? Does she want to hear his song? She says she would love to, and he says he’ll get his guitar. He leaves and her phone rings. She sees it’s Monica.

Diane says she can’t even imagine what Anna’s going through, and Robert says, she’s been through so much. First expulsion from the Bureau, now this. She asks if they have any idea what caused it, and he says, arson. He’s got to go see her. When Barns gets here, tell him that he’ll send his ADA over to handle it all.

Anna calls to Valentin, asking if he has any scissors, but when she comes out, she sees he’s gone. His briefcase and the envelope are gone, and she picks up a note. It says: Had to run. Dinner? Just us.

Valentin says he assumes this is important if Sonny is willing to risk meeting in his home, and Sonny says, it is important. That message he had Anna deliver. What was that about?

Carly asks why Drew would help Cyrus, and he says he did what he had to do. Let’s not get into this now. He only has a little bit of time left on this call, and doesn’t want to waste it on Cyrus. He’s way more interested in her. Is she okay? She says she’s fine, but he says, she doesn’t sound fine. She says she’s just so glad he’s out of solitary confinement, and the guard gestures to Drew that time’s up. He tells her that he’s got to go, and she says she loves him. He says he loves her too. If she can, come see him today. He really misses her. She says she promises, and they say goodbye.

Dex is still kissing Josslyn, and Betty mumbles, get a room. Dex says he’s sorry he’s late. Traffic was a nightmare. He leads Josslyn back to her chaise, and sits on the one next to her. She says, now that he’s here, he can help her learn about muscles for her anatomy course. He says, gladly, and Betty sends a text to Mason: The kid’s sick, taking the day for myself. She sips her new namesake.

Drew goes into the library and sees Cyrus reading. He flashes back to doing chest compression on Cyrus, and Cyrus says, Drew Cain, we meet again.

On the phone, Olivia says, that sounds exhausting, and she hopes Monica is taking care of herself. Monica says, don’t worry about her. It’s a lot less stress than dealing with Tracy. Is she behaving? Olivia says, barely. She wishes Monica were here to referee. Monica says, Olivia doesn’t need her for that. She has Brook. She’s the best Tracy wrangler by far. She’s really calling because she wanted to check in with Olivia and see how things are with Ned. Olivia says, she means Eddie? Ned comes back with his guitar and says he’s ready to serenade her. Monica says, still? She knows she’s only been gone a week (!), but she really hoped for some progress. None? Olivia says, nope, and Monica says she’s sorry. How is it going? Is she okay? Olivia watches Ned, and says she’s okay. Actually, everything is all right.

Anna crumples the note and tosses it on the bed, since apparently the wastebasket is too far to walk. She picks it up, uncrumples it, and smooths it out. There’s a knock at the door, and Robert asks if she’s there. She runs to the door, flings it open, and hugs him. He says he heard about the fire. Was it arson? She nods and cries. She says, it’s all gone, and he says, the house is completely destroyed? She says, yeah. It doesn’t matter. The house, the clothes, the furniture. It’s like memories she really wanted to hold on to forever… like Robin, like Emma, like photographs… This little thing Noah made her out of driftwood… It was so beautiful, and now it’s all just gone. He sits next to her on the bed and puts his arm around you.

Valentin says he has an acquaintance that used to work at Pikeman who gave him the heads up that there may be some personnel changes. He thought that was information he should pass along. Sonny asks what heads up means. Is there trouble at Pikeman? Valentin says, no, and Sonny asks if he’s sure about that. Valentin says, maybe, and Sonny asks what Valentin isn’t telling him. Valentin says, trouble or no, that doesn’t change the fact that there are elements in the Pikeman organization who are frustrated with Sonny’s lack of cooperation. Sonny says, Valentin can tell his friend to tell Pikeman, they can take their frustration and shove it. He told them months ago that he’s not lifting a finger until they give him answers on the warehouse shooting. Valentin says, maybe they don’t have answers. This is a big deal. He doesn’t think they’re going to tank it over withholding information. Sonny says, Valentin seems to have a lot of insight about Pikeman. Is he working for them? Valentin says, no, and Sonny says, maybe he should just call this off. Valentin says, he can’t do that, and Sonny says, watch me, stealing my line when anybody says I can’t do something.

Diane knocks at Sonny’s old kitchen door, and comes in. Carly asks, how bad is it? and Diane asks why Carly assumes she only brings bad news. Carly says, because she’s a lawyer.

Cyrus says, they let Drew out, and Drew says, they did. Cyrus says he’s sorry. Solitary for most can be unbearable, but Drew seems to have survived unscathed. Drew says, does he? and Cyrus says his experiences there brought him closer to God. Drew says, really? His brought him closer to insanity. Cyrus says, but now he’s out, and Drew says, and Cyrus is alive and he looks well. Cyrus says, the heart attack was just a Divine reminder that we have far less control over our lives than we think. Drew says, that’s certainly true in this place, and Cyrus says, it’s true everywhere. But a warrior like Drew seldom accepts such a notion. He lives in the realm of strategy and calculated risks in order to navigate the chaos of war. Drew says, the war is over. We lost. Cyrus laughs and says, the war is never over. He will never forget what Drew did for him. He owes Drew his life.

Betty tells the waiter to bring another Bloody Mary, and Josslyn tells Dex, another drink and it’s not even lunch. Maybe it’s a good thing Avery is sick, if she even is sick. Dex says, all these diagrams make him even more appreciative of the human body. What a work of art. Betty’s phone rings, and she says, dammit, stepping away to take the call. Dex asks if Josslyn would mind switching seats. He could really use some sun. Dex changes seats with her, so he’s now closer to Betty.

Monica says she loves Olivia, and tells her, take care. Olivia says she loves Monica too, and goes over to Ned at the table. She says she worries about Monica. She’s pushing herself too hard with these trips for the hospital. She wishes Monica would stop trying to save the day for once. He says, sounds like her, and she asks what he means. He says he watches her. She does everything for everybody. She works at the MetroCourt, she’s dealing with Leo, she’s dodging Tracy and Brook when they’re fighting. Of course (🍷) she’s dealing with him. She says, you’re all worth it, and asks him to play his song.

Robert asks if Anna supposes whoever started the fire knew she was out, but she says she doesn’t know. She can’t really speculate on their motives at all. She has to concentrate on getting her life back together. She was on her way to the lawyer. He says, and insurance. Would it help if he came with her? She says, maybe. All the policy numbers are up in the cloud, wherever that is, so she’s just going to let them handle it. She does have something far more important she has to do. He asks what he can do to help, and she says she has to talk to Robin. Would he stay with her while she tells Robin what happened? He says, yeah.

Betty grabs her stuff and jets, Josslyn saying, bye, Betty, as she passes. Dex gets up, putting on his shirt, and Josslyn asks, what the hell is going on? He says, just trust him, and tells her that he loves her. He kisses her and says he’ll call her, then follows Betty.

Carly asks if Diane is sure nothing’s wrong, and Diane says, not every visit from her lawyer spells disaster. Carly asks what she’s talking about. It’s in her job description. She’s the carrier of bad news. Sometimes it’s good news, but most of the time, it’s bad news. Diane says, touché, and Carly says, and Diane doesn’t usually visit her unless there’s a crisis. Diane says, that’s one of life’s great shames, and Carly says, rephrase that, unless there’s a crisis with her. Diane asks if she’s that transparent, and Carly says, she wouldn’t win a game of legal poker right now. Diane says she’s sorry. She should be bothering Carly with this. Carly says, stop. Diane is her lawyer, but she’s also Carly’s friend. Whatever’s going on, she could use the distraction, so spit it out. Diane says, okay… Carly’s going to charge her for this, isn’t she? Carly says, oh yeah.

Sonny asks why it’s so important to Valentin that he keeps this deal, but Valentin says, it’s not important to him, but obviously it’s important to Pikeman and it was important to Sonny at one time. Sonny says, time’s changed, and Valentin says, what hasn’t changed is the nature of the people they’re dealing with. Pikeman is a ruthless organization that has invaded multiple institutions and governments. He’s looking out for Sonny here. Sonny thanks Valentin and says, he appreciates that, but the next time Valentin wants to look out for him and give him a heads up, deliver it himself. Valentin says, don’t provoke these people, please, and Sonny (now in yelling mode) says, Valentin doesn’t have to worry about him. He can take care of himself. He’s a big boy. Unless Valentin knows something he should be aware of. Valentin says, no, and Sonny says he didn’t think so. He tells Valentin, go ahead and go, and Valentin leaves.

Eddie/Ned holds up his notebook, saying, keep in mind, this is a work in progress, and Olivia says she’s not judging him. If he can make any sense of what’s written there, she’ll be impressed. He plays his guitar and sings. It’s a seafaring tune about a distant memory, and Olivia is obviously moved. He stops singing, and she asks why he stopped. He says, that’s all he has, and she says, so you never find out who she is? You never see the siren? He says he doesn’t know. He hasn’t figured out how to finish it. He’s not even sure he can. She says she thinks he can. She thinks he’ll finish it when the time is exactly right. Please keep working on it; it’s beautiful. She thanks him for sharing it with her, and leaves. He begins to play again, and she tears up in the hallway.

Diane tells Carly that after Robert blew her off for Holly, she tried to be friends. Not best friends, just friends, because she wanted to maintain an air of civility. Take the high road. But then, Robert starts acting all knight in shining armor; very chivalrous, very solicitous, gallant. Carly says, it’s nice to have somebody in your corner, and Diane says, is it? It’s been so many years since she and Max were together, she’s forgotten how all of this works. Carly says, it’s like riding a bike. You just jump back on. They laugh, and Diane says she’s afraid if she jumps back on, Robert is going to put on the handbrake and send her flying into a ditch. Carly says, there is that, and Diane says she sees Carly’s been there. Carly says she has a whole bunch of T-shirts. Does Diane want one? Diane says she’s trying not to give it too much weight, and Carly says, men are complicated. So are women. What it comes down to is, if Robert can’t see the accomplished, amazing woman standing right in front of him, to hell with him. Diane says, that’s not really the answer she was looking for.

Sitting in his car on the phone, Dex tells Sonny, she’s in the nail salon. She hasn’t met with anyone all day, but she got a phone call she didn’t seem too happy about. Sonny says, forget about her. She’s going to lead them in circles. They’ll have Gabe tail her just as a precaution. Sonny wants him to follow someone else. Someone they have to pay close attention to.

On the phone somewhere outside, Valentin says he told them that rushing things was a mistake. Now they’re going to pay for it.

Anna says goodbye to Robin, and tells Robin that she loves her. Robert says goodbye as well, and tells Anna, she’s worried. Anna says, don’t make this worse, but he says, come on. This is their daughter. She sees right through them. She knows when they’re in danger, and by the way, they’re in danger quite a lot, but she accepts that. She’s as strong as Anna is. Anna says she doesn’t know how far this goes, and he asks what she wants to do next. She says she’s not going out to see Robin. She’s not bringing whatever danger she’s in out to her. She has to figure out who it is who’s after her, then piece together what’s left of her life. She glances at Valentin’s note, and says, which includes figuring out who she can and cannot trust.

Drew says, Cyrus owes him nothing, and Cyrus says, oh, but he does. I owe you everything, my friend. Drew says, we’re not friends, and Cyrus chuckles. He picks up the Bible and says, as God is his witness, he’ll find a way to repay Drew… for everything. Drew furrows his brow.

Tomorrow, Alexis heard Finn’s share loud and clear; Anna won’t allow Dante to take away the one thing she has left; and Carly asks if Drew can’t just walk away.

🎭 Double Blessing…

They have quite a few excellent actors on this show.

Finola Hughes Opens up About Working With Two Great Actors on GH

🤽‍♀️ Leaving the Lake…

It seems this show was better than everyone expected it to be, including me.

Welcome to Crappie Lake Finale Recap: Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Bid Farewell to Benton With a Love Song

Sonja is a changed woman for her time there.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sonja-morgan-on-how-welcome-to-crappie-lake-changed-her

🏡 The Saga Continues…

It’s really a little bit like something out of a V.C. Andrews book.

https://www.distractify.com/p/welcome-to-plathville-season-5

I have to admit, I was surprised when the family imploded.

https://people.com/welcome-to-plathville-is-back-ethan-and-olivia-plath-continue-to-struggle-and-kim-has-a-new-man-7570703

🦛 They’re Not Uncool…

They’re right. I’ve never heard of most of these. As a bonus, I now know what my high school mascot, the bearcat, looks like IRL.

https://pethelpful.com/exotic-pets/-Cool-And-Unique-Exotic-Wild-Pets-Youve-Never-Heard-Of

🍳 Not Just For Breakfast Anymore…

Join me tomorrow for much of the same, soap and fun gems from around the internet. Until then, stay safe, stay setting trends instead of following them, and stay remembering, tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

Aug19

August 18, 2023 – Anna Discovers the Truth, PS, Back Again, Drama Chat, Ultimate Legacy, Sharing, VanderMash, The Con, From Dead To Flowers, Tasty, Unusually Cute, An Eighter Of Quotes & Never Gonna

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny shows up at his old Carly’s place late at night, and she says, please tell her everyone’s okay. He says, everyone is okay, and she tells him that Donna’s been asleep for a while. He says he figured, and she says, yet here he is. He must want a favor.

Tracy sits in the nook with her head on the table and a towel over it. Eddie/Ned puts on the light, and she groans and says, whoever you are, go away. She pulls the towel off her head and ha-ha-ha! It’s Tracy with a hangover looking more disheveled than we’ve ever seen her.

Kristina says she was under the impression that things were good between her and Molly, and Molly says, they were… They are. Kristina says, but not good enough for Molly to invite her to a family gathering, but Molly says, it wasn’t a family gathering. Kristina says, except for one sister it was, and Molly says, it’s getting late and TJ’s going to be getting back… Kristina says, TJ is the one who told her about Kristina’s sushi party; the one she had for their mother, their sister, and her mother-in-law. She guesses her invitation got lost in the mail.

Getting ready for bed, Dante says his terrible day is over, and Sam says, he wouldn’t believe what happened to her tonight. He says, try him, when his phone rings. He says, Detective Falconari… You checked the surrounding areas too?… So Valentin Cassadine’s car never entered the ELQ parking garage the night Anna Devane’s townhouse burned down… Okay. He hangs up and says, why are you lying to Anna?

Anna and Valentin go into a room at the MetroCourt, and he says, it’s a lot nicer than the place she stayed last night. The MetroCourt was booked, but it’s available now. She can have it as long as she wants to. She says she guesses this is home, but he says, it’s not home; it’s just temporary. As far as hotels go, it’s pretty comfortable. She’s always liked staying in hotels. She says, but she had a home to come back to and now she doesn’t.

Gregory tries to sweep the beads from the table into his hand, but some of them end up on the floor. Finn comes in and says he’ll get that. He picks up the beads and sits next to Gregory on the couch. He asks if Gregory is okay, and Gregory says, he’s fine. He’s just tired… and clumsy. Finn asks if that’s why he fell, or is it something else? After a pause, Gregory says, it’s something else… something awful, and Finn asks if he’s sick. Gregory nods, and Finn asks if he’s been diagnosed. Gregory says, yes, and Finn says, maybe he can help. Will Gregory tell him what it is? Gregory says, ALS.

Eddie/Ned says, good evening, and Tracy says, it would have to be him. He says he never took her for someone who was a hard partier, and she holds up her hand, saying, stop talking and just leave. She reaches for a bottle of aspirin and knocks it on the floor. She groans and puts her head in her hands. Ned picks it up and says, she’s drunk as a skunk, but she says, no. She’s not drunk. She just wishes the room would stop spinning.

Anna looks through some shopping bags and tells Valentin that she doesn’t even know what she bought. What’s wrong with her? He says, her house burned down, and she says she’s been through worse. He says, that’s true, and she says she wasn’t in any danger. She was out running. Thank God Charlotte wasn’t there. She was with Dante and Sam, and Valentin was at ELQ. She needs to get it into her head that she has a lot to be thankful for, and she needs to just move on. They sit down, and Valentin says, she’s not a machine. She lost her house. It was a violation, and they can be thankful no one was killed, but she doesn’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. She says, it really does, and he says he’s with her. She’s going to get through this. They’re going to get through this together, and they’ll find who did this to her and stop them from doing it again. Does she trust him?

Carly says, if this is about Avery having another sleepover, she’s welcome here anytime, but Sonny says, the Avery situation is under control. Carly says she’s glad to hear that. Ava must be relieved. She was really worried about… something. He says he’s not here for a favor. Actually, he’s in a position to do her a favor. She says, no thank you.

Sam wonders what’s up, but Dante says, it’s nothing that can’t wait. But there is something that can’t wait. Sam asks, what? and he says, this, and kisses her. No matter what kind of day he has, he knows when he gets to see her, everything’s going to be okay. She says, he stole her line, and he says, it’s his line because he just said it. She tells him that she was going to say, when she has a day where she thinks she won’t be able to sleep at night, she thinks about coming in here and getting into bed with him and turning out the lights, and everything else just melts away. They kiss, and he says, maybe the should talk a little bit before they turn out the lights. Her first. She says, he can go first, but he says, she knows how rock-paper-scissors work. She says, since she was twelve, and they play. She picks rock and he picks scissors, and rock beats scissors. She says, her crazy day. Where does she start? Molly and Kristina are headed for World War III.

Molly says, this is so typical, and Kristina says, Molly not inviting her to something? She agrees. Molly says, no. Kristina’s reaction. Is she not allowed to have a dinner party and invite who she wants? Kristina says, Molly invited everyone in the family but her, and Molly says, fine, she’ll say it; Kristina wasn’t invited. But despite what Kristina always thinks, it wasn’t about her. It was about Molly and TJ. She wanted to share the good news with mom and Sam and Jordan that they found a surrogate.

Finn says, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Gregory says, yeah. Finn says, there are other conditions that have the same early symptoms. Is he certain? Gregory says, yes. When he told Finn he was going to Milwaukee for a seminar, he was actually in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. They did extensive testing and the results were conclusive. Finn says, that trip was over six months ago. He’s known all this time? Gregory says he’s sorry. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. Finn asks, why not?

Anna comes out from her shower, and sees Valentin pouring some wine. She says, he read her mind, and he asks what they’re going to toast to, handing her a glass. She says she has no idea, and he says, then to us. To our future together, which can only get less complicated and less dangerous. She says she’d like to believe that, and they clink glasses. He says, she may not believe it now, but they have a lot to be grateful for, and she promises not to keep wallowing in self-pity. He says, it’s not self-pity. She’s been traumatized and she’s dealing with some very powerful emotions. She’ll work through them. She says, and they’re going to find out who’s behind this, and he says, yes, but in the meantime, he has something to talk to her about. It’s something important. He’s going to buy season tickets to the ballet in New York. Charlotte still loves dance, and he knows she does too, so why doesn’t he buy three tickets? She can join them. She says her house just burned to the ground, and someone is trying to kill her, and he’s talking about Swan Lake. He says he can’t think of anything he’d rather do than spend time with the two women he loves most in this world. And he likes Swan Lake. She says she likes it too, and he’s about to kiss her, when there’s a knock at the door. Anna wonders who it is, and he opens it to Martin. Anna says, it’s a bit late for a business call, and Valentin says, whatever this is, he’ll deal with it quickly. He goes out into the hall with Martin and closes the door.

Tracy tosses a couple of pills in her mouth and drinks some water. Ned says, Leo told him that a guy like him needs 15½ cups of water a day, and she says, Leo’s a very smart kid. She can’t tell him how grateful she is Leo’s not here now. She holds her head, and Ned says, she doesn’t seem very experienced at this sort of thing. She says, if by that he means she doesn’t look like someone who gets drunk all the time, she didn’t get drunk this time. He says, she didn’t? and she says, no, she did not. Well, she did, but it wasn’t her fault. Somebody insisted on putting too much alcohol in those Mai Tais at the MetroCourt pool… ugh. He asks if some old bartender was trying to loosen her up for her dough, but she says, no. Actually, it was not some old bartender trying to loosen her up; it was Ned’s daughter. Not that he even acknowledges that he has one. She rubs her forehead.

Finn says he doesn’t understand. Gregory didn’t think he could handle it? Gregory says, it wasn’t Finn; it was him. After all these years, they were finally getting to spend time together as a family; Finn, his brother, Violet, and him. It was so special. Finn says, it is, and Gregory says, the big stuff, Christmas and Halloween with Violet; and the little things, him bringing over muffins from Eckert’s or showing Violet videos of Uncle Chase singing. Finn says, it wouldn’t have changed, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. It will. It already has. When he looks at Finn, he can see it in Finn’s eyes, he knows what this disease does. Finn knows he’s dying.

Sonny says, Carly’s not even going to listen to him? and she asks if he can’t listen to her. Did he not hear her down at the police station? He says, that was different. He was there to help Ned and she was there, so he thought he’d help her. She says, he decided she needed help. He didn’t listen to her. He says, and when she turned him down, she spent the night there. She says, and she was fine with that. She can take care of herself. He says he’s sure she can, and she says, it’s taken a while, but they’re both moving on. They respect each other and want each other to be happy. And as he can see, there’s no For Sale sign in the front yard because Kelly’s is doing great. She’s going to take care of herself on her own, so whatever his favor is, no thank you; she doesn’t want it.

Dante asks why Molly didn’t invite Kristina, and Sam says, because she was revealing her big news that she and TJ had found a surrogate who was perfect. She thinks Molly didn’t want to hurt Kristina’s feelings. He says he understands that. It is Molly’s decision. Sam says she understands that too. She also understands Kristina being hurt. She’s sorry. She shouldn’t be going on like this. He asks, why? and she says, because of the situation he and Lulu had with Maxie. He says, that’s okay. It was a long time ago. TJ and Molly have to realize this is a big decision. You can’t take this lightly. She asks if he thinks Molly’s making the right choice by not having Kristina be the surrogate.

Kristina says, that’s great. She hadn’t realized Molly and TJ were even interviewing surrogates yet. Molly says, they wanted to keep it quiet, and Kristina says she gets that. She’s sure mom, Sam, and Jordan were thrilled to hear the news. Molly says, they were very happy for her and TJ. This is what they want. Kristina says she knows, and Molly says, the woman they found is perfect, and she’s willing to go through the process right away. Kristina says, that’s very exciting, and Kristina says, it is. After everything they’ve gone through, there’s still a good chance she and TJ could have a child within the next year. Kristina says she’s happy Molly is so happy, and Molly says she planned on telling her first thing tomorrow. Kristina says, just not tonight with the rest of the family, and Molly says she wanted it to be a happy occasion. She knew mom, Sam, and Jordan would be happy for them. Kristina says, and she wouldn’t? She would have spoiled all that? Molly says she doesn’t know. They’ve been getting along so well, but she didn’t want to take the chance that tonight would turn into a discussion about why they turned to a surrogate instead of Kristina. Kristina says, now that everyone is gone and Molly brought it up, why are they paying a stranger to have their baby when she was willing to do it?

Finn says, six months. They could have done so many things. Gregory says, the last six months have been perfect. What he didn’t want was to be a burden to Finn, or have Finn spend time with him out of some sense of obligation. Finn says, that wouldn’t have happened, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. He knows Finn and Chase. He’s so proud of both of them, and he and Finn finally got the time to know each other. Finn says, that’s meant everything to him. He’s the one who’s sorry. He’s sorry for costing them all that time. Gregory says, there’s no need to rehash that now. Getting to know Finn and getting to understand and appreciate his incredible accomplishments over the years has been so rewarding for him. Finn and his brother make it almost impossible for him not to be one of those obnoxious bragging fathers. Finn says he’s one of those too, when it comes to Violet, and Gregory says, Violet, what a gift she is. Every single moment he spends with his granddaughter is even better than he imagined. Finn says, she pretty much thinks her grandfather’s the greatest guy in the world, and Gregory asks how she’s going to feel when all he can do is sit and stare at her, when he can’t even speak her name?

Ned asks, why would Brook give Tracy too much booze? and Tracy says, Brook’s up to something and she should have known the minute she saw the fire eater. He says, fire eater? and she says, it was a luau, with tiki torches and leis. He says, sounds like fun, and she says, he would think so. She should have gone right back down to the lobby and ordered a car. He says, it sounds like maybe she had a lot of fun. What’s wrong with that? She rubs her temples, and says, that’s all he ever thinks of; having fun and being Eddie Maine. Anything to avoid facing the reality of his life.

Valentin says, Martin understands this is critical, and Martin says he does. Valentin asks if he’d act like it, and Martin says, his fee, as exorbitant as it is, grants him 24-hour access, but doesn’t give him or any other client the right to abuse him. Valentin says, point taken. He has a lot on his mind. Martin says he understands, and yes, it’s hot off the wire. He gives Valentin an envelope, and Valentin checks out some paperwork inside. He says, looks good, and thanks Martin, opening the door. Martin says, he’s welcome. Although why he insisted on doing this tonight instead of first thing tomorrow morning makes no sense to him. Anna hears that part, and Valentin goes inside and sets down the envelope. Anna asks if it’s important, but he says, not really. Why Martin insisted on coming by in the middle of the night makes no sense to him.

Ned says, Tracy wants him to face the reality of his life, which means she wants him to ride around in limousines and pretend to be some hotshot tax dodging executive. She says, it’s a start. Or he could just stop singing on street corners, and running around all night to sleazy bars, and getting arrested for fighting. He asks if it’s embarrassing to her somehow, and she says, it’s embarrassing to the whole family. He says, so it’s best to just shut Eddie up? and she says, he’s not Eddie. He says, and she wants to prove that by having someone strap him to a table and have electricity shot through his head. She says, what? and he says, I’m on to you, lady. He overheard her tell Olivia that she wants him committed.

Carly says she doesn’t know if Sonny knows this, but Drew is in solitary confinement. Sonny says he knows, and Carly says, of course (🍷) he knows; he’s protecting Drew. She’s really worried about him. She knows he went through worse in Crete, but still. Sonny says, he’s been through a lot. He’ll get through this. She asks if Sonny thinks he can get a message to Drew, and he says he might be able to do better than that.

Finn says, Gregory has to give Violet more credit. She constantly surprises him by how much she understands. Gregory says he hopes Finn is right, and Finn asks what the doctors told him in terms of prognosis. Gregory says, luckily, he was still in the first stage when he went to the Mayo Clinic; muscle cramps and occasional difficulty walking. Finn says, and now? and Gregory says, it’s progressed. His hands cramp more frequently than before. Finn asks, what happened tonight? and Gregory says he was trying to help Violet make some bracelets. He could barely hold on to the thread. He doesn’t think she noticed, but then she got up to get some clasps from her bedroom and he tried to stand up to shake out his hands, and that’s when he fell. Thank God she wasn’t here to see it. Finn says, but she came back in, and Gregory says he told her he tripped over the coffee table (he did not; he said it was probably a bead on the floor). She had to watch him struggle to get back up on the couch. He knows he can’t hide his disease any longer, and he’s so ashamed about tonight.

Molly says she’s so glad she didn’t invite Kristina tonight, and Kristina says, she’s made that perfectly clear. Just answer the question. Why would she rather a stranger have her baby as a surrogate, when her own sister offered to do it for her months ago? Molly says, with a surrogate, they sign a legal, binding document, and Kristina says she knows how it works; she rents out her womb and throws in her egg at a discount. Molly says, both sides benefit. She gets money she needs for her family, and they get the child they want. Kristina says, the child they want; there it is. As opposed to the child she’s offering to give them that they clearly do not want. Molly says, the surrogate is performing a service, not racing around town working on some pie-in-the-sky project, and letting everyone know she’s saving her poor sister from her own infertility. Kristina says, if Molly has some stranger as her surrogate, she’s not even going to be related to the baby.

Sam says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have put Dante on the spot like that. It’s a really confusing situation. He says he gets it, and stop apologizing. They’ll be playing rock-paper-scissors all night long. It’s a personal thing for Molly and TJ, that’s all. He’s sure Kristina had the best of intentions when she offered to be their surrogate. Sam says she understands that, but Kristina and Molly haven’t been close lately. He says he knows she loves her sisters and wants to fix all kinds of things for them, but maybe this one… She says she should let them work it out for themselves. He says, maybe, and she says, he’s right. Now it’s his turn. Spill. He says, it was just kind of a regular weird day, and Cody shows up at the station while Gladys is there, filing a restraining order against Cody on Sasha’s behalf. Cody loses his mind completely in the middle of the squad room, saying, Gladys is the one having Sasha drugged. He lost it. He went crazy, and Dante and Mac had to restrain him. She asks if he had to arrest Cody, but he says, not this time. Those two hate each other. She says, Cody and Gladys? Definitely. He says, and the whole time this is happening, he’s investigating Anna’s townhouse burning down.

Valentin asks if Anna left him some hot water, but she says she feels like the MetroCourt has an unlimited supply. He says, give him five minutes, and goes to the shower. She’s about to look at the envelope, when her phone rings. Dante says, sorry to call so late, but there’s something he thought she should know. He had one of their tech guys look at the ELQ security footage from the night her house burned. Valentin’s car never exited or entered the ELQ parking garage. He had them check the surrounding area to see if the car was parked somewhere else too, but they got nothing. She says she sees, and he says, Valentin told her the reason he went to ELQ was, there was a water main break and he was concerned about the mainframe computer? She says, that’s right, and he says, there was no water main break. She says, thanks for that information, and listens to hear if the shower is still running. She takes the envelope, and looks at the papers inside. It’s an invoice or something with Pikeman’s letterhead.

Tracy says she did ask Olivia to commit Ned, and he says, because he embarrasses her? She says, because this can’t go on. She thought just maybe if he was in a hospital, they could help him stop faking this ridiculous… He says he’s not faking anything. He is Eddie Maine. And by the way, he didn’t ask to be in this house. They all want him here. So he’s trying to make them understand he can’t choose to be who he is. He’s Eddie Maine and there’s nothing he can do about it. She says, okay. He’s Eddie Maine, but she’s Ned Quartermaine’s mother, and she’s never going to stop fighting for her son.

Finn says, Gregory has nothing to be ashamed of, but Gregory says he does. He’s so selfish to put his daughter at risk. Finn says, that’s okay, but Gregory says, no. He shouldn’t have agreed to watch her alone tonight. Somehow, he convinced himself he’d be okay. Finn says, it turned out okay, but Gregory says he had no right to take that risk. The other night, he went to one of those hatchet throwing places and he did it. Maybe it’s human nature, but he thinks he’s been trying to convince himself that he can beat this thing, or at least hold it off, but that’s just denial. He needs to stop that before he puts someone else in danger like he did Violet. Finn says, it’s happening to Gregory and he has to figure it out on his own, and Gregory says he needs to stop driving. He shouldn’t have been driving this long. Finn says, so stop driving. No one’s going to judge him for how he’s handled this so far. No one’s going to judge him. Finn wishes he’d had someone to talk to besides his doctor. Doing this all on his own all this time must have been hell. Gregory says, Alexis knows. She was snooping around and they got in a big argument, and he collapsed. He had to tell her. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. He didn’t want to see the look on Finn’s face that he’s seeing right now.

Carly asks if this is the favor Sonny came over here to talk to her about, and he says, before she turns him down, hear him out. She says she’s listening, and he says, when he got news of Drew’s situation, he did some digging and he has a connection with someone who could arrange for Drew to get out of solitary early. So when he’s released, she’ll be able to go see him. She asks if Drew is going to owe anybody anything, but he says, absolutely not. She asks what it’s costing him, and he says, from the look on her face, it means everything to him. She sits next to him on the sofa and says, Drew’s going to wonder why the sudden change. He says, when she talks to him, just tell him no strings attached. It’s just a gift from him. She says, he knows Sonny is protecting him. She doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about this. Sonny says, it’s not a gift to him; it’s a gift to her. She asks if there are any stipulations for her if she accepts.

Sam comes back in the bedroom and says, it looks like Dante’s rotten day is still with him. He says, it’s just hitting close to home this one, and she says, and he can’t get into specifics. He says he can tell her that Valentin is being dishonest with Anna, and she laughs, saying, when has Valentin ever been honest? He says, she’s right, but it’s weird. Valentin really cared about Anna, and she cares about him. He told her all this pretty surprising stuff, then he lies about where he was the other night. Sam says she’s not that surprised about it. She knows he lives a complicated life. Who knows what he’s got going on? Dante says, he wants to know what Valentin’s got going on because his daughter’s in the room down the hall.

Anna lies awake, but pretends to sleep when Valentin gets into bed. He turns out the light, and she opens her eyes. She says, he lied to her.

Gregory says he understands. Finn’s a doctor; one of the best. He knows all about this hideous disease. Finn knows what it’s going to do to him. Finn says he looks at Gregory now, and he looks fine; he looks good. Gregory says, that’s what’s so hard to grasp. He looks in the mirror, he feels good, but he knows this thing is in there somewhere. Finn says he also sees the man he grew up with. The man who used to toss him so high in the air, and he was never once afraid Gregory wouldn’t catch him. Gregory says he remembers that guy too. As you get older, try to hang on to that self-image as long as you can. The thought that he’ll be less than that for Finn, for Violet… Finn says, never less. He’s still that man, and he will always be that man, no matter what happens. Gregory thanks him for that, and Finn says, he knows what Gregory is facing, so there’s no point in trying to tell him no, because he’ll be by Gregory’s side every step of the way from here on out. Gregory tells him, do what you have to do, but he has one favor to ask, and Finn says, anything. Gregory says, help me tell your brother. Because he’s afraid it’s going to crush Chase. Finn says, it will, and they’ll be there for him. He tells Gregory that he loves him and starts to cry. Gregory says he loves Finn too, and they hug.

Ned asks if loving her son means locking him away somewhere, and Tracy says, stop being so dramatic. If he overheard her saying that, he also overheard Olivia refuse. And she’s his… She has final say. He says, but he’s watched Tracy. She can be very persuasive. What’s to stop her from changing Olivia’s mind about putting him away? She says, answer her something. If he’s so worried about them having him put away, why is he still here? Why isn’t he at Sonny’s? He says, Sonny is a nice enough guy, but too many goombahs around. Tracy says, there it is. She knew it. You are in there, Ned. Somewhere.

Sonny says, there’s no strings attached in there for Carly either, but he’s sure Drew is going to be happy to get out of that little cell. He wants to be clear, this is for her – or not. It’s her decision. She says, he’s unbelievable, and he says, yes. She says, he came to the police station the other night and he was so offended when she said he couldn’t help her. He came up with a favor he knew she couldn’t turn down. He says, maybe he’s just being nice, and she says, yeah, he is, but he still wins. He asks if that’s a yes, and she says, yes, please get Drew out of solitary. He says, all right, and gets up. He’ll let her know when it’s done. He heads for the door, and she says, thank you. He says, you’re welcome, and leaves.

Molly says, that was mean, even for Kristina, and Kristina says, that came out wrong. Molly says she thinks Kristina said exactly what she meant, and Kristina says, fine. If they’re saying what they really mean, why doesn’t Molly say what she really means. She would rather have a baby from a stranger than one from her own sister. Molly says, yes, and it’s true she might not be biologically related to the baby, but TJ will be, and that baby is going to be created for them as a result of their love for each other. Kristina says, if she had the baby for Molly… Molly says, if she did, it would be a gift for my sister, and no one would ever be allowed to forget it. Kristina says, wow. She guesses she never realized how selfish and insecure Molly is. She leaves.

Sam says, Charlotte is Rocco’s sister, so she and Dante need to find a way to get along with Valentin. Dante says he knows, and he’s glad she’s here with them, especially with a threat to Anna. She says, burning down someone’s house is definitely a threat. Any theory on why Valentin would lie to Anna? He says, not yet. He never really trusted that guy. She says, as much as they don’t trust him, she really does believe Valentin loves Charlotte, and she doesn’t think he’d ever do anything to hurt her. Dante says he agrees. Intentionally, he wouldn’t hurt her, and he probably loves Anna. She says, but he doesn’t think Anna trusts him, and he says, no, and neither can they.

Valentin asks what Anna said, and she glances at the Pikeman envelope as she turns to him and says, he lied to her. He said he was going to be five minutes, and he was way closer to fifteen. He says he’s sorry; the water felt good. He kisses her, and she says she’s so exhausted. He says, so sleep, and kisses her forehead. They turn back to back, but their eyes stay open.

Tomorrow, Carly tells someone that she’ll be there; Anna tells Valentin, it’s unsettling when someone you know is acting strangely; Sonny says, maybe we should just call this off; and Cyrus tells someone, we meet again.

💣 GH FYI: Mason did say the boss was a woman. So I’m not crazy. Well, maybe I am, but I didn’t imagine that. The theory is that there are already enough female villains on the canvas – i.e. Selina and Gladys – so they changed the boss to a man. Still, just a wee bit insulting to viewers’ intelligence.

👨‍👧‍👧 One Of the Boys…

Jake pops back before they can excuse his absence with back to school.

Hudson West Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🗽 Discuss Amongst Yourselves…

The new RHONY cast talks about their favorite subject – themselves.

Real Housewives of New York Open Up About Season 14 Reboot

🦕 Old New York…

Well, if the Countess says it’s cool, it can’t possibly be uncool. But did they get the yacht?

Luann de Lesseps Promises ‘Good Drama’ on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

🦘 Not Down Under…

More on the Deck drama that rocked the franchise. I actually tried to catch this episode the other night, but came in too late. And I’m not desperate enough to hunt it down on Peacock. Not yet anyway. João ended up as one of the replacements, much to the mini distress of Aesha.

Aesha Scott Shares What Didn’t Air on Below Deck as Producer Addresses Luke & Laura’s Firings and Reveals Team’s “Valiant Effort” to Intervene, Plus Captain Jason Speaks

🍸 VanderBreak Is Officially Over…

I couldn’t figure out how Graham was bait here, but we know she’s prone to flights of fantasy.

Raquel Leviss Accuses LVP of Not Genuinely Caring, Claims James Taught Dog Graham to Bite, & Dog Was Used as “Bait” for Vanderpump Rules Return, Slams “Villain Narrative,” Plus Talks Family & Podcast Plans, & Death Threats

I’ll definitely be getting Ariana’s new book. I requested and got Fancy AF Cocktails for Christmas after it came out, but this looks a whole lot juicier better. I dunno about Scheana’s music, although I have to admit Good As Gold is on one of my playlists.

Brock Davies Fires Back at Raquel’s Podcast Interview as Ariana Madix Announces New Book Will Cover ‘Scandoval’ Drama & Relationship With Tom Sandoval, Plus Scheana Releases Music About Scandal

The minutiae.

Kristen Doute Claims Raquel Leviss Was “Telling Some Truths” After She Alleges James is “Violent,” Denies Being Silenced With Pump Rules Spinoff as Raquel Reacts to Kristen’s Shocking Comments

🎪 More Bravo Than You Can Shake a Stick At…

All the guests at BravoCon 2023.

Full List of BravoCon 2023 Bravolebs Revealed

💐 Not Those Flowers, Lizzie…

This looks suspiciously like a V.C. Andrews book.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/04/alycia-debnam-carey-lost-flowers-alice-hart/

🌍 Padma Is the New Waldo…

Where in the world is she?

https://www.padmalakshmi.com/taste-the-nation

🐙 Behold the Unusual…

I want them all.

https://www.alwayspets.com/s/cutest-unusual-pets-754c25d1fa0043c2

🐚 Quotes of the Week

Immature love says, I love you because I need you. Mature love says, I need you because I love you. – Erich Fromm

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes. – John Wooden

What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. – Epictetus

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. – Albert Einstein

You can’t make somebody your number one if you’re always their number two. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis

It’s not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache. – Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), The Rocky Horror Picture Show

🧋 Drinking the Milkshakes In My Yard…

Let’s reconvene on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever tea I can pull out of a hat. Until then, stay safe, stay living your best life as your best self, even if it’s only in your mind, and stay never judging how someone is handling their illness.

Aug16

August 15, 2023 – Sonny Set His Plan In Motion, New Old Face, Surprise, Best Life, Reunion Shocks, Their Talk, Every Throne, Last Word, InstaPets (!) & Never  

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Gregory sees Alexis at the pool area and says he missed her this morning at the editorial board meeting. She says, sorry about that, but she had a very good reason. She got an on the record quote from Judge Wright for his op-ed piece. He thanks her and asks why she’s at the pool; a little lunchtime swim? She says, God forbid. She has a lunch date. He says, him too.

Molly makes TJ move a vase of flowers around and tells him, make sure there are nice napkins on the table too. He asks, how nice? and she says, come on. This is important. They want to make a good first impression. He wonders if nicer napkins will make a difference, and she says she knows she’s getting carried away. She just wants everything to be perfect, because today could be the day they meet the woman who will be carrying their child.

Portia peeks in on Curtis’s physical therapy. Therapist Roy suggests a break, but Curtis says he doesn’t need one. Roy says he does. He’s not used a client starting at this pace. Most of them start slower. Curtis says he’s not most people, and Roy says he knows; Curtis is wearing him out. Curtis sees Portia in the doorway.

Brook walks into the pool area, and Nina gets up from her table. She says she’s glad she ran into Brook, and Brook asks, what’s up? Nina says she called Ferncliff to check on Sasha and they wouldn’t tell her anything, but they did tell her that Sasha can no longer have visitors. She’s a little concerned. Brook says, Nina has reason to be. When she saw Sasha the other day, Sasha was in bad shape. Brook is actually really worried about her.

Sonny goes into his office, and Ava is there. She says she needs an update about their daughter, who’s currently being cared for by the nanny from hell. Sonny says, good morning, and she says, please. She’s worried. She can’t stand the thought of Avery in the hands of that criminal. He says, she needs to relax. He has it all under control.

Gabe is standing at the door when Betty brings Avery to Sonny’s penthouse. He asks how Avery’s first day of camp was, and Avery says she loved it. He asks what she did, and Betty says she’s sure Avery could tell him all about it for hours, but they know he’s working, so they’ll leave him to his job. He lets them in, and Dex comes out from around the corner. He and Gabe nod to each other.

Dex phones Sonny and says he followed Betty and Avery back to his penthouse from day camp. Sonny says he doesn’t want Dex to let Avery out of his sight for one second. Let Betty go into the penthouse, do what she needs to do, and go about his business. They need to let Betty think she’s working hard and she’s outsmarting them. Dex says, copy that.

Betty tells Avery, that was a big first day at camp. Why doesn’t she go take a nap? Avery says, naps are for babies. She’s going to watch TV. She picks up the remote and puts the TV on.

Portia says, it looks like Curtis is working really hard, and he says he’s doing what he can, focusing on his upper body, the part that still functions. She tells him that Trina said they spoke and had a really good conversation. As a matter of fact, she called it a breakthrough. Curtis says he wouldn’t go that far. Did she say breakthrough? Portia says, she did. She thinks Trina is finally getting used to the fact she has two dads. He asks if she actually said that, and Portia says, no, but that was her interpretation. But Trina was really happy about the conversation they had and it inspired her. She was hoping they could have a similar conversation. He says, he and Trina don’t have the same issues they do, and she says she knows. He says, so how would they do that? and she says, by starting over.

TJ says, she’s coming, and Kristina stands in front of him so he can see what she’s wearing. He says he liked the other shirt better, and she turns around to change, but he says he’s kidding. She looks perfect. She thanks him, and there’s a knock at the door. He asks if she’s ready, and she says, here we go. They’re going to meet candidate number one. He opens the door, and a woman introduces herself as Andrea. Thomas? He says, yeah, but she can call him TJ, and he shakes her hand. She comes in, and Molly introduces herself. Andrea asks, what happened to her foot? and Molly says, just a stupid fall down the stairs in some ridiculous high heels, but the boot will be long gone by the time the baby arrives. TJ asks if she’d like something to drink, but Andrea says she’s fine. They sit down, and Kristina says she’s sorry if they seem nervous. Andrea is the first candidate they’re interviewing. Andrea says she understands it’s an awkward situation. They’re letting complete strangers into their home, and they’re going to ask some very personal questions. TJ says, before they get to the personal questions, let him tell her a little bit about them. He’s a doctor at GH, Molly is an attorney, working in the DA’s office, so their child will be taken care of financially. When it comes to family, they both have lots of loved ones in town who will love and help them raise their baby. Andrea says, that’s terrific. She hands Molly her résumé, and says she’s married to a great guy, Ben, and they have one child, Andy. She recently lost her job due to cutbacks, and they’re trying to supplement their incomes.

Time passes. TJ asks if there are any health issues in Andrea’s family history, and she says, not much. Her maternal grandfather died of lung cancer, but he was a heavy smoker. He died her senior year of high school, and watching him suffer like that, she’s never had a single cigarette in her life.

More time passes. Molly says, if it turns out Andrea is their surrogate, how would she feel about them attending doctor’s appointments to watch the baby’s progress? Andrea says, it never occurred to her that they wouldn’t be at every single doctor’s appointment. TJ and Molly smile at each other.

Alexis tells Gregory that she has no idea why she said it was a lunch date. It’s really not a date; it’s work related. Esme comes in, and Alexis says, there she is now. Esme says it’s great to see Gregory again, and asks if he’s joining them for lunch. He looks over at Brook, and says, no. He’s having lunch with his family. Enjoy their meal. He leaves, and Alexis and Esme go to their table.

Nina tells Brook that she can’t believe this is happening to Sasha. If she’s in such bad shape, Nina doesn’t get this no visitor’s policy. Wouldn’t it help Sasha to know people are there to support her? Brook says, you would think, but when she saw Sasha the other day, she was really upset and incoherent. It was really painful to watch. It was like she was having a complete break with reality. Nina says she doesn’t get it. Sasha was doing so great. This doesn’t make any sense. Brook says, let’s just hope she’s getting the help she deserves, and looks over at Gregory checking out his phone. She says, if Nina will excuse her, her lunch companion is here, and goes over to Gregory.

Gregory tells Brook, it’s nice to see her. He thought Chase would be coming with her for their lunch. She says, he just texted her that he’s going to be late, so for now, it looks like it’s just the two of them.

Ava says she doesn’t know how Sonny can be so calm, knowing their daughter is with that dangerous woman, but he says, Avery is never going to be alone with Betty. Dex has been tailing her all day. Gabe is outside the door. They’re going to let her go in the penthouse and look for things. Then Dex is going to make his presence known. Ava says she’ll feel so much better when this is over, and he says he will too. But in the meantime, Gabe and Dex are going to make sure Avery is safe. They’re just going to wait for Betty to find what he planted for her.

Brook tells Gregory that she’s so sorry Chase is going to be late. He knows how super dedicated Chase is. He says, no need to apologize. It’s nice seeing Chase so happy being a detective again. He’s proud of the work Chase does. Brook says, her too, and he says, besides, this gives them a chance to get to know each other better. He knows her passion’s in the music business, but she runs social media for Deception. So tell him, what did she study in college?

Esme asks, what’s the purpose of the lunch? What is Alexis trying to figure out about her this time? Alexis says she understands that because of Esme’s experiences with other Cassadines, Esme finds it hard to trust her. What she can tell Esme is that she’s been very upfront about the reasons she hired her. Other than that, she has no agenda. Esme says, Alexis can understand why she’s a little suspicious, and Alexis says she can, but it’s a beautiful day and she didn’t want to have another salad at her desk. Esme says, so Alexis just invited her here because she wanted to get out of the office? and Alexis says, that, and she believes an employer needs to let an employee know when they’re doing a good job. And Esme, as of late, has been doing a good job. She thanks Esme for digging in and trying harder. Esme asks if she really means that.

Andrea says, if TJ and Molly don’t have any other questions, she just wants to assure them that she’s thought about this a lot, and if she was ever going to be a surrogate, it feels like the perfect time. Her child’s just a baby, so he won’t remember it or thinking he’s having a little brother or sister. TJ says, that’s very sensitive of her, and she thanks him. He says, it was nice to meet her. They’ll be in touch. He’ll walk her out. Which in Port Charles means, he’ll walk her to the door. Molly says, it was nice to meet her, and Andrea says, her too. TJ thanks her again, and she leaves. He tells Molly that he liked her… a lot, and Molly says, her too. He says, ready for number two? and she says, number one is going to be hard to beat.

Curtis tells Portia, it’s too much; he can’t do it. She says, what’s too much? and he says, you and me. He’s trying to adapt to life in a wheelchair. He and Trina are starting to figure things out, and he can’t deal with a relationship on top of all that. She says she understands where he’s coming from, but he doesn’t have to learn to live life in a wheelchair all by himself. He has people to lean on. She’s here. She’s right here for him and so is Trina. Roy comes back, and asks if Curtis is ready for round two. Curtis gets his wheelchair in position.

Alexis tells Esme, in her experience, we’re the sum of our parts, and Esme says, which means what? Alexis says, it means people may forgive you, but they’re not going to forget what you’ve done. Esme has had a very high profile, very negative past. She understands Esme may not remember that version of herself, but others will, and may be slow to trust her. Esme says, thanks for the pep talk, and Alexis says, pep talks have chapters. That chapter was about her past. The next chapter is about an opportunity that awaits her. In business, people have to prove themselves, day after day, and every day is an opportunity for her to change the image of what she was before to somebody that can be trusted. Does Esme see what she’s saying? Esme nods, and Alexis says, she got off to a spectacularly bad beginning, but she now seems to have turned a corner and is able to handle this job. Esme thanks her and says she thinks she can. The inner workings of The Invader really interest her; all the moving parts, and how when a story drops, it can change on a dime. It’s really exciting. Can she ask Alexis a question? Alexis says, that depends on what the question is, and Esme says, it’s about her job as editor. Spencer told her that this is a second career for Alexis; that she used to be a bigshot lawyer. Does she ever miss her old life?

Brook repeats Gregory’s question, and says, what did she study in college? She did go to PCU for a year, but it didn’t really work out. He says, that’s too bad. He’s sure his being a professor all those years has made him bias. Has she ever thought about going back and getting her degree? Brook says, college was never really her thing. Let’s just say she had a pretty unconventional childhood. Her parents split when she was pretty young, and she went back and forth a lot, between Brooklyn and upstate New York. He says he’d imagine living with a single mom versus life in a posh family mansion could be challenging for a little girl, and she says, especially with two extremely different extended families. The Cerullos and the Quartermaines. The Cerullos are loving and loud and artsy, and the Quartermaines are intense and loud and business centric. He says he knows. He met her grandmother. She says, right. Her grandmother really gets under his skin, doesn’t she? She has to say, she’s never seen anyone get under her grandmother’s skin like he has. He really pushes her grandmother’s buttons.

TJ welcomes the next candidate, whose name is Chelsea. She says she’s divorced, and she and her ex do a pretty good job co-parenting their two kids. She hands them her résumé and says, she’s in good health. She’ll be honest. She’s doing this to get ahead financially. Although she loves being pregnant, and her kids bring her so much joy. Molly asks how her second pregnancy was different from her first one, and Chelsea says she was so anxious and nervous during her first pregnancy. Every rumble, every bump, she was afraid it wasn’t normal because she’d never been pregnant before, but with baby number two, it was so easy. She was like, she knows what that feeling means now. TJ asks if she’d be open to reading to their baby while she’s pregnant or listening to certain music, and Chelsea says, that’s a total yes. During both pregnancies she read to the babies and she played music for them, everything from classical to classic rock. She’s a big Aerosmith fan. She loves baseball, and both of her pregnancies were during the summer, so they watched a lot of baseball.

Molly asks if Chelsea follows any kind of special dietary plan when she’s pregnant, and Chelsea says she doesn’t normally eat read meat, fish and chicken mostly, but she went with what the baby was craving. Baby number one was really into chicken, but baby number two wasn’t really into meat. She got most of her protein from tofu. Full disclosure, she doesn’t think she’ll ever eat tofu again. They all laugh.

Portia introduces herself to Roy, and vice versa. She says she was wondering if it was okay if she stayed and watched the rest of the session. She wants to see how she can help Curtis. A woman walks in with towels, and Roy asks her to take Curtis over to the bands and get him started with his stretching exercises. She wheels Curtis away, and Portia says, it looks like he’s doing really well. What can she do to help? Roy says he’s been working with people with spine injuries for a lot of years. It’s an emotional experience as well as a physical one, so he has to ask. What exactly does she think she can do for Curtis?

Gregory says, Brook’s grandmother definitely pushes his buttons, and Brook says, her grandmother has never shied away from conflict. If anything, she runs toward it. She knows it can be a lot, but Tracy can be very loving, just not in your typical grandmother way. She’s not the type of grandmother who would knit or bake you cookies. But if she could say one thing about Tracy Quartermaine, it would be that when she loves you, she will always have your back. He says, okay, but what does that mean in actuality? Why does Brook need Tracy to have her back? Chase arrives and apologizes for being late; work held him up. Brook says, it’s all good. They know how important his job is to him, especially with all those months away from it. Gregory says, anything he can talk about? and Chase sits down, saying, he can’t go into details, but he is actually working on several different cases. Did they find something to talk about? Gregory says, they did. They were discussing the importance of an education. Brook says she 100% agrees with that.

Sonny tells Ava, whoever Betty is working for is very determined to find out about his deal with Pikeman. So he put out some false information that Betty is going to find and take that false information right back to her boss. And then they’re going to figure out who she’s working for. It’s what you call cutting the snake off at the head. Ava says, that sounds great, but what she really needs is Nikolas’s body back.

Betty says she thinks if Avery wasn’t so tired, she wouldn’t be fighting her on this. She really needs to rest and take a nap. Avery says, no. She wants to watch cartoons. Betty says, all right then. If she won’t nap, will she watch them on her tablet using headphones? Betty holds the tablet and headphones out, and Avery takes them.

Gabe asks when Dex is going inside, and Dex says he’ll give it a few more minutes. Give Betty time to start looking around. Nina walks up and asks if everything is okay. Dex says, everything’s fine, and Nina says she left a few things… Dex blocks the door and says he’s sorry. He can’t let her inside.

Alexis tells Esme, yes, she misses being a lawyer very much. She misses standing up in front of a judge and jury, and advocating for her client’s rights. Having said that, she thinks she’s done a reasonably good job turning The Invader into something more positive. Esme asks if there are any similarities, and Alexis says, that’s a very good question. Actually, yes. In all legal cases, facts are important; so is the presentation equally important. She needs to make sure the judge and the jury think the facts she’s presenting are interesting and important. So it’s the same when writing stories for a newspaper. Headlines have to be authentic, but they also have to grab the attention of the reader. Esme asks if that’s how she turned the paper around. Spencer told her the paper used to be trash, but now it’s a well-regarded news source. Alexis says, that’s very nice to hear. And speaking of her favorite nephew, how is it cohabitating with him now that Laura and Doc aren’t there to referee?

Chase thanks Brook for ordering for him, and says, she always knows what he wants. She says, he seems to like everything, so it’s easy, and Gregory says he has a question. Chase says, go for it, and Gregory asks if they’ve discussed their future together. Chase says, dad! and Gregory says he didn’t pester Brook while they were waiting for him. He waited until they were both here. Brook excuses herself to go to the ladies room, and Chase tells Gregory, thank you for that. Gregory asks what he said that was so wrong. Life is short. You need to have a plan. Chase says, they haven’t been a couple for very long, and Gregory asks if they’ve talked about the future. How do they know they want the same things? Have they discussed having kids? Where they want to live? Whether they want to get married? Chase says, no, no, and definitely no, and Gregory says, no, they don’t want to get married, or no they haven’t talked about it? Chase says, they haven’t talked about it because they’re not there yet. He doesn’t understand. Why is Gregory in such a rush?

TJ says, candidate number three, Pamela Reed. She’s a single mom. There’s a knock at the door, he lets Pamela in, and they all introduce themselves. As Pamela loads a plate with snacks, Molly says, they read her file, but they’d like to hear in her own words why she wants to be a surrogate. Pamela says she’s a single mom. Her son is school age, so the pregnancy will be manageable. She works from home as a translator, so it’s not physically demanding, but to be perfectly honest, her son’s father’s not in the picture, so the extra money will be a big help for them. Molly asks what her diet is like, and Pamela says, honestly, it’s based on what she can afford, but if they want her to eat healthier foods, she’d totally be down for that, as long as they picked up the tab. She shovels some crackers into her mouth.

TJ says he’s a doctor, so it’s important they know her medical history. Are there any serious medical conditions that run in Pamela’s family? She says, her grandpa died of prostate cancer, but his doctor told them, if they live long enough, every man will eventually get it. He would be 87. She continues to eat, and Molly asks, who is her current OB/GYN, and does she know which hospital they’re affiliated with? Pamela says she just goes to the free clinic to save money, but they’re picking up her hospital bills, so she’ll have any fancy General Hospital doctor they want. Also, for how many months after she delivers will they continue picking up her doctor’s bills? Until her body goes back to normal?

Sonny tells Ava, like he said before, Avery is never going to be alone with Betty. He knows she’s nervous and he gets that, but she has to trust that he’s handling it. She says, nothing can happen to her, and he says, nothing’s going to happen. He said that already. She says, okay. What about Nikolas’s body? His body’s still out there. Who knows? Maybe their plan ends with her in prison. He says, focus. Austin and Mason are working for some mysterious boss. They’re probably the ones who have the body. So she wants to get the body back? They have to figure out who they’re dealing with.

Nina says, what does Dex mean, he can’t let her in? She practically lives here. Dex says he totally understands that, and under normal circumstances, he’d let her right in, but he can’t do that. Gabe says, boss’s orders, and she asks if he’s saying Sonny instructed them not to let her in. Dex says, not her specifically; they can’t let anyone in. She says she’s not just anyone; she’s his fiancé. Dex says he’s sorry, and Nina says, this is unbelievable. She stomps off, and Gabe tells Dex, it’s showtime.

Betty looks at the pile of mail on the mantel, when Dex walks in. He asks what she thinks she’s doing. Avery says hi to Dex, and Betty says she was just looking for some art supplies for Avery. (Wow. Looking for art supplies in a pile of mail? I thought she was good at her job.) But on second thought, maybe she’d be better off with a nap. Avery says, Betty told her that she didn’t have to take a nap, and Betty says, as Dex can see, she has her hands full. Maybe it would be better if they didn’t have any more interruptions. Dex says he’s so sorry. He didn’t mean to bother anyone. He tells Avery bye, and Avery puts her headphones back on. In the hallway, Dex tells Gabe, Betty doesn’t want to be disturbed.

Gregory says, Chase is right. No rush. As long as he’s happy. Chase says he’s happier than he’s been his entire life, and Gregory says he can’t tell Chase how pleased he is to hear that. Brook returns to the table and says, hear what? Gregory says, Chase was just telling him how happy he is, and Brook says, Chase is always happy. Has he always been that way? Nothing ever seems to get him down.

Esme tells Alexis that she’s right. She was worried when Laura said she and Doc were going to look for Nikolas. They’ve been such a good buffer between her and Spencer, but things are actually turning out better than she expected with him. Alexis says, that’s good, and Esme says, they’re really finding their rhythm together. He loves Ace. He sings to him and never complains about changing a diaper. And he always finds a way to make Ace laugh. He makes her laugh… but of course (🍷) she can’t wait for Laura and Doc to get back. But it is kind of funny how things work out. Alexis only offered her the job as a favor to Laura so she would stay in town with Ace, but it turns out, she’s really enjoying this job. Alexis says, all right then. Just keep doing a good job and it will be a win for everyone. She looks over and sees Gregory having difficulty signing for the check.

TJ says, they’ll let Pamela know as soon as they decide, and she says, nice meeting them. She leaves, taking a water with her, and TJ asks Molly what she thinks.

Portia says she guesses Curtis didn’t tell Roy, she’s not just his wife; she’s also a doctor. She just wants to help her husband as much as she can. He says, of course (🍷) she does, but she has to remember, Curtis’s life has taken a very unexpected turn, one he didn’t see coming. He has to figure this out for himself. She says she knows that. She just wants to be there for her husband every step of the way. She knows it’s going to take some time. He says, Curtis is at the point in his recovery where accepting any help, including from his doctor, is going to be difficult for him, a real struggle. Inserting herself into his recovery could do more harm than good. She’s going to have to be very patient with Curtis while he figures this out. She has to work on Curtis’s timetable, not hers.

Betty snoops around Sonny’s home office and gets on his laptop. She puts Pikeman in the search and a bunch of files come up.

Nina walks into Sonny’s office at Pozzulo’s, and he asks how she’s doing. She says, the better question is, why wasn’t she allowed into their home? What is going on at the penthouse?

Chase and Brook leave, and Alexis asks if she can join Gregory. He says, please, have a seat, and she thanks him. She asks, how was lunch? and he says, fantastic. Brook is very special. She makes his son very happy, and he thinks they’re starting to get serious. She says, that’s nice to hear. What else is going on? He says, oh. She saw him struggling with the check. She says she did, and he says, fortunately for him, they were so wrapped up in each other, they didn’t seem to notice. She says she’s sorry, and he says, it’s getting worse. He thinks he’s running out of time.

TJ tells Molly that he thinks it’s safe to say they both like Pamela, and Molly sarcastically says, yeah, tossing the folder on the table. She says, Pamela seemed so focused on the money, she has the feeling that no matter what contract they offered her, she’d manage to ask for more. TJ says, agreed. They both like Andrea and Chelsea. Molly says, let’s go with Andrea. She has a really good feeling about her, and they’ll know they have a back-up in Chelsea. This is really happening. He says, it’s an important first step, and they hug.

Roy tells Curtis, so much of his strength is going to come from his arms. So do a few reps using his arms to move his body straight up. Curtis says he can do that, and Roy says, he’s got this. That’s it. Push. Curtis lifts himself up, and Roy says, that’s good. Do another one. Portia lingers in the doorway like mold, and Curtis does another rep.

Sonny tells Nina, everything’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about. He promises. Nina asks what Ava is doing here, and Ava says she’s here to talk to Sonny about Avery, that’s all. But she’ll go. She’ll let them talk. Ava jets, and Nina asks why Sonny’s guards wouldn’t let her into the penthouse. And why is Ava acting so squirrely? (I love that word!) He says, it’s best she doesn’t know, and she says, they had a talk about this. He says, yes, he’s an open book, but there are some things she should not know for her own safety. He’s protecting his family. That’s all he can tell her, and he hopes that’s enough. She says she guesses she doesn’t have a choice, does she? But she’s going to tell him this before she goes. This just makes her feel like another one of his employees. She leaves, glancing back at him before going out the door.

Dex slips into the penthouse, and Avery takes her headphones off. He gestures for her to keep quiet, and she puts them back on.

In the office, Betty chooses a file, and takes a flashdrive out of her pocket. She copies the file onto it, takes the flashdrive out, closes the laptop, and looks all proud of herself.

Tomorrow, Nina asks Ava what they’re celebrating; Selina says she’d like to take The Savoy off Curtis’s hands; Michael asks Dex why his father has Dex following the doctor; and Cody tells Brook, it’s time for them to do something drastic.

🏥 Return Trip…

How cool that he won a contest to get on the show.

Who Is Roy on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

🕶 Extended Run…

Another amazing start. Seems like he’s been around forever.

Maurice Benard Reveals How Six Months Turned Into 30 Years at GH

⛲️ No Greek Tragedy Here…

I would love to swim in that blue, blue water.

Kelly Thiebaud Shares Her Amazing Pics From Greece!

👠 Seismic Wives…

Another matter of opinion. What about Teresa bouncing Andy back into his chair? Or when the bird got in and scared the crap out of Andy?

The Most Shocking Real Housewives Reunions

📺 Seduced By Reality…

My favorite part was Kate explaining some of the shows to Captain Lee. There were times when it was reminiscent of Jake explaining SpongeBob SquarePants to Evelyn on Two and a Half Men.

Captain Lee Surprised by ‘Seductive’ Reality TV Shows He Watched for Couch Talk With Kate Chastain

🐉 Spinning the Game…

While we all wait for George R. R. Martin to finish the damn book.

https://ew.com/tv/game-of-thrones-every-spinoff-in-development/

🌁 Getting There…

I don’t imagine the writers’ strike did them any favors.

https://bamsmackpow.com/2023/08/15/the-last-of-us-season-2-everything-we-know-so-far/

🐩 It’s Okay To Like Them Better…

I’ll bet their posts are better too.

https://people.com/celebrity-pets-with-their-own-instagram-accounts-7567698

🥣 Rounding Out the Meal…

For whatever reason, it looks like no making fun of the OC tomorrow, but stop by for soap and whatever else makes its way here. Until then, stay safe, stay not jumping the line, and stay being aware of when inserting yourself will do more harm than good.

Aug15

August 14, 2023 – Olivia Accepts Ned As Eddie, Off Screen Time, Big Apple Wives, Parting Is No Sorrow, VanderFlip, Talking Off Deck, Bubble Bear & Too Cool

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia sets out towels on the chaise lounges, when Dante comes in and asks if she doesn’t have people to do that for her. She says she does, but doing it herself keeps her busy and keeps her from constantly worrying. He says, about Ned? and she says she misses him. Even when they were at the PCPD last night, it felt all kinds of wrong. Dante says, Ned didn’t want to come with them. Sonny’s got him; he’ll be fine. She says she knows and knows she can trust Sonny. She’s just got to come to terms with the fact that she lost her husband. He asks if she’s going to give up on Ned.

Ned walks in while Sonny is on the phone with Selina. Sonny says, she can’t go over there conducting business without letting him know first. Does she understand what he’s saying? Are they clear? After holding his head a moment, Ned walks to the door, and Sonny asks where he’s going. Ned says he needs some coffee, but Sonny says, they have coffee here. He’ll have Garciella make him a fresh… Ned says he needs some space, and leaves.

Carly walks into Sonny’s old kitchen with Josslyn and says she can’t believe Josslyn had her phone off. The moss bowl🎍disapproves, and Josslyn says she’s sorry. Carly says, what if there had been an emergency? What if Michael and Willow needed her? What if Donna needed her? What if the moss bowl🎍needed her? Josslyn says she knows. She woke up this morning to all of Carly’s texts and voicemails and freaked out. She can’t stop thinking about how she left Carly at the PCPD overnight. Carly says she’s the one who got in a bar fight, and Josslyn asks if Carly wants to tell her about that. What was she doing at the Highsider?

Dex tells Sonny that Betty’s on her way up, and Sonny says he wants Dex to listen and stay out of sight. Outside, Betty tells the guard that she’s here to see Sonny, and he knocks on the door. Sonny opens it, and tells Betty to come in. He says he appreciates her coming by before she went to Windymere to pick up Avery. She says, it’s her pleasure, as Dex listens in. Whatever she can do to make Sonny and Ava’s life easier. Sonny says he appreciates that, and she says she hopes everything is all right with Avery and her. Sonny says, Avery is great. So far, so good. She seems to be getting along with Betty. Betty says she’s so happy to hear that. Avery’s adorable and they’ve been having fun. Sonny says, good, because there’s been a change in plans.

The firemen are combing Anna’s house, when Valentin walks in. He tells her that the fire department and the police are wrapping things up. He passed along her appreciation for doing what they could to save her townhouse. She sits on the stairs looking at a framed photo, and he says he thinks they should go. She says she knows; there’s nothing left here. She runs her hands over the photo, and we see it’s Robin and Emma. She says, there’s nothing left of her life.

Betty asks, what’s changed? and Sonny says, she’s taking Avery to camp today, right? She says, that was her plan. She’s picking up Avery from Windymere this morning, then take her to day camp. He asks when camp is finished, and she says, three. Then she’ll bring Avery back here, if that’s okay with him. He asks if she’s going to stay with Avery until it’s finished, and she says she was planning to, unless he or Ava need her to do something for them. He tells her to stay with Avery. He has a business meeting he can’t miss and won’t be back until after five. So stay with Avery until he gets back. Can she do that for him? She says, of course (🍷). She looks forward to the time she gets to spend with Avery. She’s such a sweetheart. Dex continues to listen, and Sonny says, she’s clear on what Ava needs her to do, right? It was funny. He was worried to change nannies because Avery’s so attached to Pilar, but Betty seems so sweet, and Avery seems to be taken with her. She says she knows how hard change can be for a child, so she’s glad to hear Avery is adjusting so well. Sonny says he’ll see her around five, and she leaves. Dex comes back out.

Austin goes into his office, and Mason is behind the door. He says, hey, cuz, and Austin says, why is he always here? Mason says, good morning to him too, closing the door, and Austin says he doesn’t want Mason here. What does he want this time? Mason says, one of the reasons the boss paid for Austin to go to medical school was so he’d be available to them, and right now, he’s in need. Austin says, no, he’s not. He patched Mason up last night. It wasn’t a serious injury. There was no need for him to come back. Mason says, tell that to his headache. He just needs something for the pain, and he’s still seeing double from when that blonde conked him last night.

Carly says, it all started when she went to the MetroCourt last night to see Olivia, and Josslyn says, how was that? She knows they’ve been having a hard time. Carly says, it was weird. Olivia is in her old office. Josslyn says, that’s tough. She’s sorry. At least Nina didn’t take advantage of that opportunity to steal that again. Carly tells her that Olivia said she’d never let that happen… She misses the MetroCourt. She misses her staff. She misses the day to day problems and all the excitement that comes with it. She misses the guests. It made her more determined than ever to get her hotel back, and she will. Josslyn says she has no doubt, and Carly says, she and Olivia were hanging out and reminiscing about the day they met. Olivia is going through so much with Ned, and she’s worried about Drew. They needed a distraction, so they went to the Highsider. Josslyn asks if she found her distraction before the cops showed up, and Carly says, things got really crazy really quickly, but it wasn’t their fault.

Olivia tells Dante, of course (🍷) she hasn’t given up on Ned. How could she? He’s Leo’s father. He says, she can’t just do this for Leo, and she says she’s doing it for their family. For Leo’s sake as much as hers, she has to figure out who Eddie is. She doesn’t know what’s going on in that head of his. He may never go back to being Ned. Dante says, wow. Does she think she can accept that? She says she doesn’t know. It kind of freaks her out. She looks at him and expects to see Ned, and all she sees is Eddie. He’s all Eddie now. Ned has completely disappeared and she has to figure out a way of living with that, so that he’s not fighting against her and she’s not trying to completely control him. Dante’s phone rings, and he tells her, it’s the station, sorry, but she tells him not to apologize. Take it. He steps away and asks, what’s up?… What happened?… He’s on his way. He tells Olivia, there was a fire in Anna’s townhome last night, and she asks if everyone is okay. He says he doesn’t know. He’ll let her know. He hugs her, and she thanks him for rescuing her last night. He tells her, good luck with Eddie, and leaves.

Valentin says he shouldn’t have gone to ELQ last night, and sits next to Anna. She says, he can’t blame himself for this, but he says he should have been here with her. She says, he didn’t know this was going to happen. He has a business to run. He can’t babysit her all the time. He says, this could have ended very badly. She could have been upstairs sleeping in bed. She says she wasn’t. She went for a run, thank God. He says, they got lucky, but she says she doesn’t know. He asks what that means, and she says she doesn’t know if the arsonist was outside, waiting for her to leave or they assumed she was asleep upstairs. He says, let’s hope for the former. He doesn’t much like the sound of the second one. This whole thing started when his father outed her past as a double agent, and he got what he wanted. Someone has made her a target of their revenge.

Sonny says that he wants all eyes on Betty, especially when she’s with Avery, and Dex says, absolutely. He hands Sonny a small envelope, and Sonny asks if it’s from Brick. Dex says, yes. It arrived this morning. Sonny takes out a flashdrive, and Dex asks what it is. Sonny says, a special present, for Betty. There’s a lot of information on this flashdrive, fabricated by Brick, none of it accurate, and Betty is going to find it. Dex asks how they make sure she gets her hands on it, and Sonny says, Betty is going to be here with Avery for a few hours, and she’s not going to resist searching the place. And she’s going to be pleasantly surprised at what she finds on Sonny’s computer – false Pikeman data. Dex says, then what? and Sonny says, she’s going to bring it to Mason and Austin, and they’re going to bring it to whoever they work for.

Carly tells Josslyn, when they got the Highsider, Ned was there, and she wanted to find out for herself if he’d lost his memory and really thought he was Eddie. Josslyn asks if he remembered turning her into the SEC, and Carly says, no, but Olivia gave her some alone time with him. That’s when some guy came up to Olivia and wouldn’t take no for an answer and kept grabbing her. Josslyn says, ew! And that’s when Carly stepped in? Carly says, no. Ned jumped in before she could, and that’s when the fight started. Josslyn says she doesn’t understand. Why were Carly, Ned, and Olivia arrested, when someone else started it? Carly says she doesn’t know. When the cops showed up, the guy must have snuck out the back. Olivia was really upset about that, and got a little aggressive with one of the cops, and that’s when they got arrested. Josslyn says, never a dull moment. She’s so sorry for leaving Carly there all night. She feels so bad. Carly tells her not to worry about it. Honestly, she could have left earlier if she’d let Sonny sign her out. Josslyn asks why she didn’t. She thought Carly was all let’s forgive and forget when it comes to Sonny. So much so, she has Dex watching him and reporting back to Michael. She doesn’t understand. If Carly cares about him, why wouldn’t she let him help her?

Anna tells Valentin that Victor put a target on her back. He’s probably smiling up at all the hell he sent her. Valentin says, even from beyond the grave, he won’t stop inflicting pain, and Anna says, in the beginning, she thought his motive was to get her kicked out of the WSB, but she thinks it was a lot bigger than that. She hurt a lot of people. He says, she paid for that, but she says she doesn’t know. People suffered because of what she did. He can’t deny that. People died, and who did they leave behind? Children, lovers… How did it affect them? One life touches a lot of people, and someone out there wants her to pay for what she did. Obviously, she doesn’t blame them for wanting that. He tells her, stop. Don’t say that. She doesn’t deserve any of this. Whoever is after her, whatever they think they’ve lost, it does not justify revenge. She says, since when?

While distributing menu cards, Olivia finds Ned in the pool area, and says she’s surprised to see him here this morning. Same outfit he had on at the bar last night, huh? He says he doesn’t have too many changes of clothes over at Sonny’s, but he’s glad she’s here. She asks, why? What’s going on? He says he wanted to see her, but didn’t want to run the risk of going to the house and bumping into Tracy. She says, Tracy can be a lot to take first thing in the morning, and he says he can only imagine. So how is she doing after last night? She says she’s doing okay, but she wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t stepped in and defended her from that creep, so she thanks him for that. He says, don’t mention it, and she asks how he is. He says he’s okay, and she says, the guy landed a few good punches on Ned; he hit Ned pretty hard. Ned says he’s definitely feeling it this morning, and she suggests getting him some ice, but he says he’s fine. He’s just glad she’s okay. She says she’s glad he’s okay too, and he says he should get going. She says, Eddie… wait.

Carly tells Josslyn, watching out for Sonny, and making sure his businesses are stable, is very different from accepting help from him. Josslyn asks, why is it different? She doesn’t understand. Carly says, they’ve talked about this. Sonny has got to stay strong. If he loses power, they’re no longer safe. Josslyn says, they’re not married anymore, so why would that affect her? and Carly says she agrees. In a normal situation, it shouldn’t affect her, but she already told Josslyn, because of who Sonny is, they’re all affected. If Sonny is weak, then his kids and everyone around him are targets. That includes Donna, Avery, Michael, Josslyn, Dante, her… especially her. (Um… and Kristina?) Josslyn says she just doesn’t like that Carly has to protect him, and Carly says she gets that, but Josslyn needs to understand, this is the way things are, and she and Sonny will always be connected. Josslyn says, so that’s why she wants Dex and Michael working together to protect him, and Carly says, yes, exactly. Josslyn asks if that’s the only reason.

Sonny tells Dex, Ava got herself in a complicated situation. She’s being blackmailed by Austin’s cousin Mason. He doesn’t want to bore Dex with the details. Dex says he understands, but does Sonny think Austin is in on the blackmailing? Sonny says, Ava doesn’t think so, but he’s not 100% sure Austin is innocent in all this. So he had Brick run intel on Austin, Mason, and Betty. They’re from Pautuck. Mason and Austin are cousins; Betty used to work for Mason’s family’s trucking company. They sold out a few years ago. It’s unknown who bought it out, but it was purchased through a shell company; no criminal record. Dex says, so Mason blackmailed Ava into hiring Betty as Avery’s new nanny, giving her access to Sonny and the penthouse, and Sonny says, yeah. Here’s the thing. Betty doesn’t know Ava came clean with him, and Ava thinks Mason and Austin are working for somebody else. Dex says, any idea who? and Sonny says, somebody who wants information on his Pikeman deal.

Mason asks if Austin is going to give him something for this headache, when Betty slips into the office. Austin says, this is not a clubhouse. He’s actually a doctor and actually has patients to see. So they’re going to have to have their little treehouse meeting some other place. Betty says she has business to discuss with both of them, and Mason says, Austin might be the fancy doctor with a medical degree and all, but he’s just an employee like the rest of them and does as the boss tells him. Speaking of which, does Betty have good news for them? She says, better than good. She’s taking Sonny’s daughter to day camp this morning, then back to his penthouse. Sonny will be away at a business meeting. That should give her two hours to get some information on Pikeman. Mason says, didn’t he tell Austin that it was worth it to get Betty in there?

Anna says, Valentin understands this though. He wanted revenge on her for years. He says, but then he realized it was her sister Alex all along, and she says, but revenge feels like the answer – that’s her point – but it’s not. It feels like it’s going to take away the pain, but sometimes it really just magnifies the whole thing. He says, it certainly did with him, and she says, someone out there is hurting, maybe because of the decisions she made. And putting a target on her back, burning her house down, makes it feel righteous because of the things she did in her past. Dante arrives and tells Anna that he’s so sorry. She thanks him, and he says he’s glad she’s not hurt. He says hello to Valentin, and tells Anna that he knows his timing can’t be worse, but if she’s feeling up to it, he could use a statement. She says, protocol, she gets it, and he says he’ll give her a lift to the station. She says, that’d be great, and Valentin says he’ll go with her, but she says she can handle this on her own. He asks, why? and she says she’ll see him later, leaving with Dante.

Sonny says, Brick filled the flashdrive with all kinds of false information, and Dex asks if it will be convincing enough. Sonny says, Brick is the best at what he does. Mason and Betty are going to think it’s the real deal and deliver it to their boss. Dex asks how feeding them false information helps Sonny, and Sonny says, Brick installed sophisticated tracking software. So whoever has access to this flashdrive is going to allow Brick entry into their records and their network. Once he finds out who these Pautuck yahoos are reporting to, he’s going to take care of them and their boss. Dex says, so they have to make sure Betty finds that flashdrive, and Sonny says he has to make sure she doesn’t know he’s leading her to it. Dex asks, what’s the plan? and Sonny says he’s going to take Donna over to Carly’s, and since there’s not going to be anybody here when Betty brings Avery from camp, Dex is going to handle what happens next.

Austin says, this is so great. Betty having access to Sonny’s penthouse, she’ll have hours there by herself, and can gather up all the information she can find and pass it on to the boss. Then his favorite part, the two of them gone and out of his and Ava’s life for good. He walks to the door, and Mason says, for a person who went to medical school and became a doctor, Austin is pretty dumb. Why on earth would he ever let Austin go when he still has use for him? Austin wonders how he knew Mason was going to say that, and Mason says, because Austin delivered the grand prize – Ava and her little kid. That gave the boss major leverage on Sonny. Austin says, the last thing he wanted was Ava involved in this, and definitely didn’t want her child involved, but Betty says, too late for that. Mason says he knows Austin. Play the hero for Ava all he wants, but in the end, he’s still about himself.

Carly tells Josslyn that she knows her stance on Sonny is confusing and hypocritical, but their lives are intertwined, and that’s a fact. Josslyn says she understands, and Carly says, and they share a child, one they love and adore. And all their other kids. There’s Josslyn and Michael and Dante and Kristina (oh, she remembered). And Morgan. The loss of a child, they’ll be bonded over that forever. There’s so much that she and Sonny share. Josslyn says she knows that. That still doesn’t mean it’s not impossible for Carly. Carly laughs, and says, yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard, but they’re moving forward in their relationship. Sonny’s going to marry Nina; she’s with Drew. She’s just focusing on the future. It’s all she can do. Josslyn says she just doesn’t know how Carly is doing that with him, and Carly says, because she has to. She doesn’t have a choice. This is where they are. And being in a never-ending war with Sonny is not productive and it’s not healthy. Josslyn says she doesn’t think this is healthy for Carly. She doesn’t think Sonny is healthy for any of them. Carly says she knows everything that has happened and everything they’ve been through, but at the end of the day, Sonny is still family and they can’t forget that.

Ned asks Olivia if this is another pitch to get him into therapy or to bond with the Quartermaines. Because if it is, she can save her breath. She says, on the contrary; it’s the opposite of that. She knows it took her a little while to get her head around this, but she realizes it now. He’s not Ned anymore; he’s Eddie. He says he’s surprised to hear her say that, and she tells him, as much as she’d like to wrestle him to the ground and force him back to being Ned, she can’t do that. He’s not Ned anymore. He says, no, he’s not, and she says, he’s changed, and he’s got to be true to how he feels and who he is now. And he’s not hurting anybody by living as Eddie, so… He says he’s hurting her and he’s sorry. And he’s sorry for hurting Leo, and Brook, and even Tracy. But if he’s being honest with himself, he has to live as him, Eddie, because that’s all he knows how to be. She says, and she’s got to respect that.

At the station, Dante tells Anna, according to the fire chief’s report, the physical evidence found at her house indicates it was arson. Some kind of flammable liquid was ignited. She was at the house when it happened? She shakes her head and says, she’d gone for this short run; she needed to clear her head. He says she didn’t see anything or anyone suspicious, right? and she says, no. He says he was at her house around 10:30 last night, and she told him that Valentin went to ELQ. She says, there was a water main break, and it was threatening the mainframe computer, and he asks what time Valentin came back. She says, Valentin didn’t come back to her house last night, and he asks if Valentin spent the night at ELQ, but she says she doesn’t know. She didn’t see him until this morning. Dante asks what time he went over to ELQ, but she says she’s not sure. Obviously, it was before Dante turned up. What is he getting at? He says he’s just covering all the bases. She knows how this works. She says she does, and he says he’s just got to make a quick call. He’ll be right back. In the hallway, he makes a call and asks if they can pull the security footage from the ELQ parking garage for last night. He’s trying to find out when Valentin Cassadine’s car entered the parking lot, and if it ever left… And report this back to him only please. He goes back in and tells Anna, let’s find out who had motive for that fire.

Carly thanks Sonny for bringing Donna to the house, so she didn’t have to go all the way to his place. He says he’ll take any time he can with Donna and the moss bowl🎍. Carly has raised a smart and independent young lady. She says, they both have, and Donna couldn’t stop telling her about how much fun Sonny’s sleepover was last night. He says, they had a great time. What about her? The moss bowl🎍 laughs, and he asks if she enjoyed her time in jail. She says, no, she didn’t. He says, then why didn’t she let him sign her out? Was it her pride?

Eddie/Ned thanks Olivia for respecting him. He gets that this is really hard on her. She says, it hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure, and he says he wants to apologize for disappearing on her yesterday. She was being really nice and supportive, and listening to him play his music. And when she went to get him something to drink, he snuck off. He’s sorry for not letting her know he was leaving. She thanks him for saying that, and says she knows it hasn’t been easy on him either. She was afraid she was smothering him or hovering… He says, no. It had nothing to do with her. He was actually freaking out, thinking about what Tracy had said about having him committed. She asks if he didn’t believe her when she said she’d never let that happen, and he says he was just afraid Tracy might have changed her mind. She’s a force of nature.

Dante says, when he was at Anna’s house, they were talking about who would want her dead, and if there’s any connection between Pikeman and the sudden power shift at the WSB. She says, something about this fire feels different to her. She doesn’t think the WSB or Pikeman had anything to do with it. Starting a fire is too sloppy for the Bureau. Like, if an agent wanted to kill her, they had ample opportunity to do it. When she went for her run, a sniper could have easily taken her out. He says, like they tried to at the MetroCourt pool, and she says, or she could have been hit by a car. He knows as well as she does that there are people at the Bureau who would take the fall for that; make it look like an accident. Those are their tactics. They both know that’s how they would have got it done. If she was a priority, she’d be dead by now. They’re not going to start a fire in an empty house. He asks if she’s ready to take the WSB off the table as a suspect, but she says she doesn’t know. But to her, in her gut, this feels like revenge, plain and simple.

Anna tells Dante, once The Sun got ahold of the story that she was a traitor at one point, they made it public knowledge. And it’s true. Some people suffered for decisions she made. She thinks there’s someone out there who she hurt, and they want payback. Dante says he thinks she’s been carrying this guilt around for a long time, and maybe it’s messing with her head a little bit, clouding her thoughts. She says, there’s a lot of processing going on, but her thoughts are clear, and he says, okay. Maybe she has to see someone within the WSB trying to get rid of her. She says she told him, starting a fire is too sloppy for the Bureau, but he says, it’s deliberately sloppy, right? If someone in the WSB wanted to make it look like they wanted to get rid of her, they wouldn’t follow procedure. They would cover their tracks. And what better way than setting her house on fire to get revenge, to send a message? She says, it could be anyone within that community, and he says, that’s what makes this so dangerous. But she knows better than anyone about intelligence and espionage. You build something up, make it look like something else. She says she used that strategy in a few black ops missions, and he says, him too. Create an illusion. Make something look spontaneous when it’s really taken tons of planning and logistics to pull it off. She looks far away, and he says, what? She says, logistics, and he says, it goes hand-in-hand with trying to keep your enemy off your trail, right? She gets up and says she’s told him everything about the fire. She’s kind of tired and right now she’s homeless. She’s got to get over to the MetroCourt and book a room. He says, let him call his mom; she can get Anna a room. She says, that’s okay. She appreciates it, but she’s got some things to take care of first. He thanks her for coming in, and says he’s really sorry for the things that have been happening to her. She says she knows, and thanks him. She leaves, and his phone rings. He asks what they’ve got… Valentin’s car never made to the ELQ parking garage? Are they sure about that?

Ned tells Olivia, admit it. She thinks Tracy’s right. He’s crazy and belongs in a looney bin. She says she never thinks Tracy’s right, so let’s get that straight, but he did clonk his head pretty hard when he fell at the pool. So maybe her kneejerk reaction was to think maybe he knocked something loose, but that’s not what she thinks anymore. He thanks her for the reassurance, because he’s not that CEO business guy she says he was, and he’s never going to be. She says she sees that now. She knows it’s taken her some time to get her head around that, but she accepts he’s someone else now. He says he’s Eddie Maine, and she says she knows. And even if she thought that one good jolt of electroshock therapy would bring her husband back to her, she could never do that to him. He thanks her, and she says, and another thing. She would never have him committed for being someone new. She gave him her word on that and her word is gold. He says, is that so? and she says, yeah. She’s a Bensonhurst girl. She always keeps her word. She walks off with the tray of menu cards, and he looks bemused.

Carly says, this isn’t about pride, and Sonny tells her, all he’s saying is that she didn’t have to stay at the PCPD. He was willing to sign her out. She says she can’t let him be her safety net anymore, but he says, they’re always going to be there for each other. She says she gets that. And throughout the years, no matter where they were with each other, he was always there to bail her out. That means more to her than he’ll ever know, but she can’t let him do it anymore. He says he didn’t go there to get her; he was there to sign Ned out. She says she got herself in the situation, and he says, because she was protecting Olivia. She says, it doesn’t matter. She’s the one who has to get herself out. He says, if she needs him, he’s there… He gets it. She’s independent. She says she’s always been independent. She just got to the point where she was depending on him for everything, and she has to take care of herself now. He says, all right. She doesn’t need his help. She says she’s glad they cleared that up, and he says, because at the moment, he’s got a lot going on. He leaves, and she sighs.

Austin says, Mason caught him. He’s all about himself. Who isn’t? He really wants a life for himself. He wants a life where he’s not constantly looking over his shoulder. He wants a life where Mason is never in his office, ever again. Mason says, sadly, it doesn’t work like that, and Betty says, as entertaining as this is, she’d better head to Windymere. She’s got to pick up little Avery and not be late. Ava can be fire when she wants to. Mason tells her, go. Please bring them something on Pikeman from Sonny for the boss. She says she doesn’t plan on leaving there empty handed, and Mason says, that’s his girl. She leaves, and Austin says, one down and one to go. Mason says, they’re not finished, and Austin asks why the boss wants info on Sonny and Pikeman anyway. Mason says, honestly, he has no idea. But Austin knows him; he’s not one to explain himself to anyone. But he wants it, and he’s going to get it. Well, we know the boss is a dude now. I could have sworn they alluded to it being a woman early on.

Dex follows Betty out of the hospital at a discreet distance.

Tomorrow, Curtis tells Portia, it’s too much, he can’t do it; Brook tells Nina that she has a right to be concerned; and Sonny tells Ava, it’s what you call cutting the snake off at the head.

⏰ Off the Soap Clock…

I love this. My dad raised me, and this sounds like something he would have done.

Dominic Zamprogna Goes ‘Taylor-Gating’ With His Daughters!

They seem like they’d be fun to hang out with.

Kirsten Storms Opens up About Her GH Gal Pals

🗽 A New York Minute…

What the new RHONY were up to this week. I’d be glad to take any castoffs from Jenna’s closet.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/rhony-recap-erin-and-jessels-tribeca-fight-is-an-instant-classic

💎 Buh-Bye Already…

I’ll bet it will be more than fine.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Is Just Fine Without Lisa Rinna, Here’s Why

She should be dead to Bravo for whatever she’s wearing there.

Lisa Rinna ‘Dead to Bravo’ After Encouraging BravoCon Boycott, Claims Insider

🍸 Bizarro Rules…

Things are sometimes not what they seem to be, but on the surface, it’s Topsy Turvy World.

Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval Pose Together While Filming Pump Rules
Lala Kent Hugs Tom Sandoval on Beach in Shocking Pump Rules U-Turn

🛟 Life After Deck

Captain Lee! Kate! Kate’s baby! Kate’s attention starved dog! Guest cameos! Talking smack about reality shows! The only thing better than watching TV is watching other people watch TV, and it’s all here with my two favorite Deckies. I’m already hooked.

https://people.com/kate-chastain-captain-lee-rosbach-tease-bravo-couch-talk-exclusive-7642653

https://decider.com/2023/08/14/couch-talk-with-captain-lee-and-kate-interview-kate-chastain-traitors/

🐻 Calgon, Take Him Away…

True story. One time when we were at the Westchester County Fair, there was a bear act. They had a baby bear with them, and apparently, no one was keeping an eye on him. I looked over, and baby bear was making a break for the fence, beyond which was oncoming highway traffic. I jumped out of my seat and got to the fence before baby bear was too high for me to stop. He wouldn’t let go, but I was able to hold him there until the professionals got him. They let me pet him. He was bristly, but very cute.

https://people.com/bear-takes-bubble-bath-zoo-knoxville-video-7574570

💻 Blog Post Energy…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and nighttime tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not dressing to draw attention away from the wedding party if you’re a wedding guest, and stay not seeking the answer in revenge. It might feel like it’s going to take away the pain, but sometimes it really just magnifies the whole thing.

Aug12

August 11, 2023 – Bar Fight Repercussions, Newcomer, New Strike, Billie the Ally, Forget You, Pass the Salt, Costly Deck, Wishlist, New Dragons, Dead Talk, Next Year, Film Pups, Quotes Totaling Nine & Club

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth goes out on the roof and tells Finn that he’s in her spot. He asks if she really comes up here often enough to claim a spot, and she says, it’s a perk of being head nurse. He says, she’s here late. Who’s looking after the boys? She says, it’s summer. They’re away at camp, and since night shift pays time and a half, she figured… He asks if it’s really her spot, and she says, yeah. It’s usually very clearly marked with a ginormous E. He asks what makes this spot so special, other than being exclusively hers? and she says she comes up here to make sense of everything that happens in this hospital. He says, that’s exactly why he’s here.

On the phone in bed, Sonny tells Ava, don’t worry. He’s taking care of this Betty situation; he’s handling it. She asks just how he’s handling it. This woman is going to be around Avery every day, and they know she can’t be trusted. He says he has eyes on Betty. If she does anything wrong, one of his guys will get back to him. She asks how long they’re going to have to play this sick game before they get Betty away from their daughter, and he says, it’s going to be over soon. Avery comes into Ava’s bedroom, and Ava asks what she’s doing out of bed. Avery asks who she’s talking to, and Sonny tells Ava to put her on the phone. Ava tells Avery that her dad wants to say hi, and hands her the phone. Sonny asks what she’s doing up, and she says she couldn’t sleep. He tells her that she needs some rest; it’s a big day tomorrow. She says she knows. She’s so excited. Betty’s taking her to day camp. He says, she’s not going to have fun if she’s falling asleep in camp, when Nina comes in. Avery says she’ll try to sleep, and he tells her, goodnight. Ava says she’ll talk to him tomorrow, and Nina gets into bed. She says, Avery is up awfully late, and he says, she’s a lot like her dad; she doesn’t sleep very well. Nina says she knows she’ll sleep great as long as he’s next to her.

Dante checks out Pikeman on his laptop, when Sam gets into bed. She takes the laptop and puts it on the nightstand. He asks what she’s doing, and she says, work is over for the day. He wonders what they’re going to do for the rest of the evening. He has a lot of energy. They start to get busy.

Along with a couple of officers, Chase leads a handcuffed Ned, Carly, and Olivia into the station. Ned says he didn’t do anything wrong, and Carly says, it’s crazy. Olivia says she was accosted, and tells the officer to get his meat hooks off of her. Carly says, Ned and Olivia were assaulted, and Ned says, he was just having a beer. And by the way, they arrested the wrong guy. Chase tells them, enough. Shut up or you’re all going to the holding cell.

Anna leaves the house in the dark as someone watches her.

Olivia tells Chase, so she and Carly wind up at the Highsider because they were talking about old times and wanted to blow off some steam. Carly chose the Highsider because it reminded her of this old bar called Jake’s that she used to really like to go to. So they run into Ned – Ned says, Eddie – Eddie, and Eddie starts trying to pick up on Carly. Ned says, trying? He was doing a pretty good job. Carly says, no he wasn’t. She took advantage of the situation because she was trying to figure out what was going on with Ned. Ned says, Eddie… Wait. She was working him? Carly says, that’s so not the point. She was telling Eddie that she knew someone who went through the exact same thing. She was trying to spark some kind of memory in Ned, or get Eddie to go back to the Quartermaines and let them get to know him somehow. Chase says he doesn’t see where this is going. Where does the guy come in who wouldn’t leave Olivia alone, and how did this fight start that ended with all of them in his custody? Olivia says she had to go to the ladies room because she put her hand in a big blob of nacho cheese. She comes back from the ladies room and sees Ned… Eddie at the bar trying to pick up Carly. Meanwhile, this low life comes over to her, a really totally unpleasant guy, and was trying to pick her up, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Chase’s phone rings, and he steps away to take the call. He says, this is Detective Chase… He understands. He goes back to the group, and says, that was the manager at the Highsider. He’s not going to press charges. They all breathe a sigh of relief, and Olivia says, so they can go home? Chase says he can release all of them as soon as someone comes to sign them out. Would anyone care to make a call?

Sam and Dante continue to get busy, when she says, wait. She has to ask him something. He says, right now? and she says she promised she’d ask and doesn’t want to forget. Maxie wants to rent the house. He asks, whose idea was that? and she says, mine?

Sonny’s phone rings, and he looks to see who it is.

Looking up at the sky, Elizabeth says, it’s beautiful, and Finn agrees. She asks, what’s got him up on this roof so late? He doesn’t say anything, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he is, and she asks, what is it? He says he lost a patient tonight, and she says she’s sorry. What happened? He says, it was a parasite, and he was able to identify it, and started treating it, but something just wasn’t right. He didn’t seem to be getting better. She asks if he didn’t get treatment in time, and Finn says, time was the one thing he didn’t have. When he started treatment, Finn noticed anomalies in his blood, so he took further tests, and it turns out he also had Stage IV cancer. She says, he didn’t know? and he says, no one did. His cancer had metastasized. He still chose to fight; he wanted every moment he could spend with his daughter and wife. She says, that’s the worst part about their job. It never gets easier. He says he hates it so much. It’s like a little part of him dies every time this happens. This one hit him hard. It’s like it was personal. She says, personal how? and he says, his daughter was a classmate of Violet’s. It just made him think, what if that was him?

Anna goes for a run in the dark, which seems like a weird thing to do, considering the circumstances. Someone slips into her house, and we see men’s shoes, so I assume it’s a man, but you never know.

Elizabeth says, it’s a natural reaction to think of your own life when someone dies, and he says, this is different. He’s Violet’s only parent. What happens to her if he was gone? She says, God forbid if something were to take him away from her, she’d still have her Uncle Chase and her grandfather and her. But he’s not going anywhere. He’s just rattled. She’s sure he has provisions in place with his dad and his brother. He says, Chase is a cop. He puts his life on the line every day when he goes to work. She says, but he really loves her, and Finn says he knows, but maybe that’s not enough. He’s thinking maybe there’s someone better for Violet. She says, like who? and he says, her. Will she be Violet’s guardian?

Nina wakes up to find Sonny gone. She calls his name a few times, and lies back down, but then she gets up.

Sam asks if Dante is sure he’s not upset with her for suggesting Maxie rent his house, and he says he’s sure, but he hasn’t thought about that house in a long time. (Wait. Wasn’t he just talking about it a few days ago? Assumption of audience short-term memory loss.) She says, they don’t have to talk about it if he doesn’t want to, but he says, they can talk about it. She says, he should have seen what she saw when she went to Maxie’s earlier. It was a complete disaster. Georgie and James were fighting, and Maxie had to put Georgie in her room because Georgie and James share a room. Obviously, it’s too close for comfort, and they just fight all the time. Then you add Bailey Lou to the mix, and you have three kids and Maxie in that apartment, and it’s so small. She thought about his house and thought, what a great idea. Maxie would be a great renter and his house is open, and Maxie’s practically family, right? She asks him to say something, and he says he thinks it’s a great idea. And he thinks Lulu would be really happy Maxie is living there. He thinks Maxie would take care of the place and her kids would have a yard to play in. She says, that’s exactly what she was thinking. James would actually be able to use the yard to play soccer, and Maxie could get Bailey Lou some type of swing set, and Georgie would be able to have her friends over. They could get tents and camp out in the backyard, and do what kids do. She thinks it would be really great for them. He says, yeah. And if Lulu were to wake up one day, she’d be the one to decide what to do with that house. Sam asks if he’s sure he’s okay with this, and he says he is. Why should that house sit empty and hollow, when Maxie could be filling it with her family and memories? She asks again if he’s sure, and he says, yes; it’s perfect. She says, that’s her thought, and he says, everything is perfect, kissing her. His phone rings, and she tells him, take it. He answers, and Chase says, they have a little situation down at the station with his mother. Dante says, his mother? Is she all right? Chase says, Olivia’s fine, and Dante tells Sam that his mother’s at the police station. She asks if Olivia is all right, and he says, yeah, then asks Chase, what happened? Chase says, there was a run-in at the Highsider and when the cops got there, let’s just say his mom had a lot to say with a lot of attitude. She left him no choice but to bring her in.

Austin runs into his office, sees Mason at this desk, and asks what he’s doing here. What does he want now? Mason shows Austin the cut on the back of his head and says he needs a doctor.

The man pours gasoline all over the inside of Anna’s first floor.

Ava’s phone rings, and she tells Nina, it’s late. What’s up? Nina says, Sonny is gone, and Ava asks what she means. Nian says she woke up and he wasn’t next to her, and Ava asks if she checked the rest of the apartment. Nina says she did. She even asked the guard, and he just told her that Sonny had to step out. He didn’t tell her where Sonny went or why he had to leave. Ava says, honestly, what did Nina expect?

Austin says, Mason can’t just waltz in here and make himself comfortable whenever he feels like it, and Mason says he’s hardly comfortable. He needs medical attention and who better to come to than his cousin who happens to be a doctor? Austin says, the ER, urgent care, whatever normal people do. He has real patients he has to attend to. Mason says he doesn’t think Austin wants him going to the ER, bleeding all over the place, just to ask for his cousin. Austin says, what he wants is for Mason to not be here at all, and Mason says he was doing Austin a favor. Austin says, if Mason wants to do him a favor, get out of here, and Mason says he didn’t want to draw attention to either one of them. He was trying to be discreet for Austin’s sake. Austin says, thanks. Here’s what he thinks. He thinks Mason is hiding in here from whoever hit him on the back of the head. So before he treats Mason – if he treats him at all – does Mason want to tell him what happened? Mason says, not really, and Austin says, okay. Then he doesn’t want to bandage Mason up. He heads for the door, and Mason says, okay. He had an encounter with a lady in a bar, and maybe things got a little out of hand.

Carly says she doesn’t understand why they need somebody to sign them out, when Dante comes into the station. Olivia says she’s a grown woman, and she doesn’t understand… Chase says, oh boy. Is he glad to see Dante, and Olivia says, not as glad as she is. You know what? Things need to change at the PCPD. She gets hauled into the station for defending herself against some lowlife, while there should be a manhunt out there for the jerk who was trying to accost her. Dante asks, what the hell happened here? and Chase says, his mom, Carly, and Ned started a fight at the Highsider. Olivia says, he’s damn right they started a fight. The guy wouldn’t take his hands off her; he wouldn’t take no for an answer. If this was Bensonhurst, her cousins would have had that guy… Dante says, stop. Please. Let him handle it. What are the charges? Chase says, the manager at the Highsider said they weren’t going to press any charges. Chase thinks he was glad just to get the three of them out of the bar. Dante knows how this works. If he signs for them, Chase can release them. Dante says, let’s do that. He’ll sign for all three of them. Carly says, no, and Olivia says, Dante Angelo Falconari. She did not do anything wrong and she refuses to be released into her son’s custody. Dante says, let’s not do this here, but Olivia tells him, just turn right around and go back the way he came. Dante says, oh yeah? and Ned says, thanks for the offer, but his ride is here. They all turn to see Sonny.

Anna stops for a moment, checks her watch, and runs back the way she came.

A gas can is dropped on the floor, and gas pours out. A match is lit and dropped into the puddle. It bursts into flame, and the man leaves the room.

Olivia says she did nothing wrong, and she refuses to be released into her son’s custody for defending herself against some handy jerk at a dive bar, and she’ll stay the night here before she gets Dante involved any further. Dante says he admires her principles, and she says, he should. Because they’re the same principles she instilled in him, and that’s why he turned out so good. She doesn’t care. She’ll stay here all night. She’s standing her ground. She folds her arms, and Dante asks her to come with him, just for a second, and tells the others that they’ll be right back. He takes Olivia into the interrogation room, and says, she’s so hellbent on spending the night here. That means he’s got to spend the night here with her. She understands that, right? She tells him, go home and be with Sam and the kids, but he says he can’t do that. How can he leave her here in this place and act like nothing’s wrong knowing she’s here? She says, okay. She guesses she understands. He says, please. Do him the favor. Let him take her home. She says, if she lets him take her home, if she lets him sign her out of here, it means she did something wrong. She did nothing wrong. She’s not guilty. He asks if she’ll think about Leo for a second. He’s going to wake up in the morning, and she’s not going to be there. He’s already dealing with Eddie in there, and he’ll have to leave Leo in Tracy’s care. She says, all right. She’ll do it for Leo, but she’s not admitting she did anything wrong. They go back in, and Dante says he’ll sign out for Carly too, but Sonny tells Dante to take his mother home. He’ll handle it. Olivia asks if Carly wants her and Dante to stay here until she leaves, but Carly tells her to go. It’s okay. Olivia says, text her when she gets out, and Carly says she will. They hug, and Olivia leaves with Dante, Ned watching her. Sonny says, as soon as Chase finishes the paperwork, Carly can go with him. She says, he can take Ned. She’s not going with him.

Nina tells Ava that she woke up and Sonny wasn’t next to her. Is it too much to ask to go to bed beside the man that she loves, the man she’s engaged to, then wake up with him still beside her? Now she’s here all alone. He could have texted her. He could have left her a note. Anything is better than an empty bed and a blank stare from one of the guards. Ava says, the man Nina is engaged to a mobster, and Nina says she knows that. Ava says, then she knows he doesn’t work 9 to 5. He’s going to disappear in the middle of the night with no note or text. Then he’s going to return with no explanation of where he was or why. She thought Nina understood all that. Nina says, knowing it in theory is a lot different than waking up alone.

Austin stitches Mason up, and Mason says, ow! Take it easy. Is he doing that on purpose? Austin says, if he was doing it on purpose, Mason would know, and Mason says, he must have a dozen malpractice suits, but Austin says, not so much. Does Mason want to tell him what happened with this woman? Is she going to be pressing charges? Mason says he doubts they’re going to be looking for him. He was just hitting on a hot brunette with a feisty temper. Austin says, from the look of those stitches, she was more than just feisty, but Mason says, she’s not the one that hit him. Someone… he thinks it was her blonde friend, hit him with the bottle. The next thing he knows, cop sirens were blaring. Austin says, and he just stumbled out of there, blood everywhere? Anybody see his ugly mug? (Sounds like something Scotty would say.) Mason says, no. He managed to sneak out the back during all the confusion. He thought to himself, hey, what better time to visit his cousin than when he actually needs a doctor? Austin says, lucky me, and Mason says he figured he could check up on their girl Betty. How’s she doing taking care of Sonny’s daughter?

Finn says he knows it’s a lot to ask, but Violet loves Elizabeth, and he can’t think of a better person to raise her if anything happened to him. He knows she’d be safe and loved with her and the boys. Elizabeth says, nothing’s going to happen to him, but he says, that’s just the thing. No one knows that for certain. She says, he’s right. No one knows what the future holds, but she also thinks he’s just unnerved over losing his patient tonight. He says, maybe, but if something was to happen to him, can he count on her? She says, of course (🍷). Always.

The man lights another match and Anna’s foyer goes up in flames. He lights one more and sets an easy chair on fire. He walks out, closing the door. Anna’s whole first floor becomes an inferno.

Finn tells Elizabeth that he’ll sleep easier knowing there’s a place for Violet; that she’ll grow up in a loving home. He can’t thank her enough. She says, he doesn’t have to thank her. She wants to do it. He doesn’t have anything to worry about. Everything’s going to be okay. He tells her, when she says it, he actually believes it, and she says, good. Because he’s going to get to watch Violet grow up, graduate from high school, graduate from college; maybe become a brilliant doctor just like her dad. He says, or maybe a brilliant nurse like her aunt, and Elizabeth says she likes the sound of that. He says he wants to make sure she knows what she might be getting into. Violet is unique. She says she knows, and he asks if she knows Violet is very particular about how she likes everything organized. It’s borderline OCD, and Elizabeth’s not the most organized person. She says, what? and he tells her that he’s just saying, there’s all that clutter in her house and she never throws anything away, and there’s still Cam’s soccer balls lying there from when… He just wants to make sure she’s up for it. She says, how hard can it be? He’s doing it. He laughs, and I say, touché.

Dante comes home to find Sam asleep. He touches her hair.

Avery comes into Ava’s room, and says, mommy? waking her. Ava says, what is it? and Avery says she can’t sleep. Ava says, well, she had a glass of water, she talked to her dad, Ava’s tucked her in twice. How can she help Avery? Avery says she wants to sleep with Ava, and Ava says, what about her little stuffed bunny? Won’t he miss her? Avery says, he’s tucked in already. She told him she was sleeping with her mommy. Ava laughs, and says, all right, hop in. Avery gets in the bed, and Ava puts the covers around her. Ava tells her, just think about all the fun she’s going to have at camp tomorrow. They’ll be lots of games and snacks, and she’s going to make lots of new friends. Avery says she already has a friend – Betty. And she’s going to see her tomorrow. She’s so nice. Ava doesn’t look happy, as none of us would.

Austin finishes stitching up Mason, and Mason asks about Betty. Is she still in with Sonny’s little girl? Austin says, who’s Betty? and Mason says, don’t play dumb. Austin says, he’s not playing dumb. Betty is Mason’s mole, not his. She’s his to keep tabs on. Mason says, she’s theirs to keep tabs on; Austin’s, his, and Ava’s. They’ve got to take ownership in this. They have as much riding on it as he does. And his friend Ava? He hopes she realizes what happens if this doesn’t work out. Austin says, Ava does not need to be reminded of what’s at risk here, and Mason asks if he’s sure. She seems to be like a loose cannon. He only knows what Betty tells him, but from what he hears, Ava is not happy. Austin says, he put Ava precisely between a rock and a hard place. He’s thinking she’s not happy. Mason says he’s thinking Austin needs to rein her in, and Austin says, thankfully, Ava is a woman who will never be reined in. Mason says, if she slips up and tells Sonny something… Austin says, she’s not going to slip up. Mason has Ava’s daughter, her life, right in the palm of his hand. Mason says, okay. The last thing they need is for Ava to expose Betty, or worse, expose them. Austin says, from what he knows, Avery is thrilled with Betty, and lucky for them, Sonny is happy with her services too. Mason says, that’s good to hear. Betty is cooperative. The more Sonny trusts her, the greater their odds they get something about his deal with Pikeman.

Ned says he doesn’t know what the deal is with Carly and Sonny, but he’s ready to go back to the bars. If Sonny would please sign him out… Carly tells Sonny, just take Ned and go, and Ned says, Eddie. Carly says, take Eddie and go, and Sonny tells Carly, let’s go. Chase comes out and promises Carly, it’s just a formality. All Sonny has to do is sign her paperwork and walk her out, and off the record, she can just call a Ride Share. Carly says she’s fine. She called her daughter. Josslyn’s coming down here, and Josslyn can sign her out. Sonny says, let’s talk, but she says, he’s not going to change her mind. Ned asks if he can leave, but Chase says, not without Sonny. Ned says, this just gets better and better, and Sonny tells Carly, let’s talk this out, and they step aside.

Sonny asks why she’s doing this. Why doesn’t she just text Josslyn and tell her that she doesn’t have to come down here; it’s late. Carly says she doesn’t need him. She doesn’t need his help. He asks why she has to be so stubborn. He’ll sign the papers, and they’ll walk out of here. Why does she have a problem with him doing this? She says she doesn’t have to tell him her reasons. Those days are gone. He says, but this is now. Forget those days. She says, why doesn’t he just take Ned and go? and he asks why she always puts her pride in front of everything else. She says, because her pride is the only thing she’s got. It’s the only thing she can rely on. He says, she can rely on him, and she says, come on. He says, he’s here, isn’t he? and she says, he’s here for Ned. Just take him and go, since she knows Nina doesn’t want him here. He says, it’s not about Nina right now. It’s about them having a conversation. She says, just take Ned and go, and he says he sees he’s not getting through to her, and nothing’s going to change her mind. She doesn’t want his help. She says, no, she doesn’t want his help.

Anna comes back to the house, and reaches for the doorknob, but pulls back from the heat. She uses her shirt to open the door, and finds everything blazing. A beam falls, but instead of calling, oh maybe the fire department, she surveys everything burning.

Elizabeth points out the first star in Orion’s belt, and Finn says, it’s his favorite. She says, her too, and he says, when he was a kid, he’d make wishes on it. She says, let’s make a wish, and closes her eyes. After a moment, he asks if she made a wish, and she says, yeah. Did he? He says, yes, and she puts her head on his shoulder as they gaze at the stars.

Dante gets into bed and spoons Sam. She asks if his mom is okay, and he says, mm-hmm. Her and Ned and Carly got into some hot water at the Highsider. Sam asks if they’re okay, and he says, yeah. He took his mother home, and Sonny was dealing with Carly and Ned. He’s just happy to be back here. She says, her too, and they get back to getting busy. There’s a song part.

We see Nina tossing and turning, and looking at her engagement ring.

Carly says, as hard as it is for Sonny to believe, she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. He says, look around. She’s still being detained. Unless she walks out that door with him, she’s going to be detained. She says, it’s her life. Whether she’s wrongfully detained or rightfully arrested, she can handle herself, and she can deal with the consequences. He says, it’s an easy fix. As long as she doesn’t make it so damn… She says she doesn’t care that it’s an easy fix. Ned called him; she didn’t. Sign him out and go. Sonny says, suit yourself, and signs the paperwork for Ned. Ned thanks him, and they leave. Chase asks if Carly has heard from Josslyn, but she says, no. She’s texting Josslyn, but thinks her phone is on silent. He asks if there’s anyone else she wants t to try calling, and she says her mom’s out of town and she doesn’t want to wake up Willow and Michael. He can just stick her in a holding cell if he has to. She gets it. He tells her to just sit by his desk and wait until her daughter calls, and she says, he doesn’t have to give her special treatment. He says he’ll get her a coffee, she sighs and sits down.

Finally outside on the phone, Anna says, her house is on fire. 232 Harborview Road… No. She’s standing out front. They need to hurry. It’s spreading rapidly.

Tomorrow, Dex asks, what’s the plan; Anna tells Valentin that someone out there wants her to pay for what she did; Mason asks why on earth he’d ever let Austin go; and Sonny says, there’s been a change of plan.

👶🏽 She’s Having Their Baby…

An addition to a storyline that already has us confused with revolving Davis girls. Cool that she gets to go to work with dad though.

Lily Anne Harrison Cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL as Andrea

🎳 Not The Strike You Think…

This sounds like a lot of fun. I’m actually tempted.

Don’t Miss the Daytime Stars and Strikes Event!

If you want to get tickets. The prices aren’t bad.

https://www.daytimestarsandstrikes.com/events.html

🍸 Still Drinking the Kool-Aid…

I have the feeling Billie Lee tends to go wherever the controversy spotlight is.

REPORT: Billie Lee Returns to Vanderpump Rules as Her Role is Revealed, Plus Rachel Leviss Goes Makeup-Free in New Pic Amid Her Exit Rumors

💎 LisaR Who…?

It’s not surprising. The relief has caused amnesia.

Sutton Stracke Says RHOBH Cast ‘Kinda Forgot’ About Lisa Rinna

Like she cares. Sour grapes anyone?

RHOBH Alum Lisa Rinna Demands Reality TV Stars Boycott BravoCon Amid Bethenny Frankel’s Union Calls and Shares Post Calling Out Fans Who Defended Garcelle

🧂 Trailing Salt Lake…

It’s hard to take anyone seriously when they’re dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow or a drag queen. Love the blue cast photo though!

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-season-4-premiere-date-trailer/

⛴ More Than You Can Afford…

Wow. Just wow.

How Much Does a Below Deck Charter Cost?

📺 Bravo Baby Come Back…

I loved the Shahs. I believe Bravo definitely wanted to distance themselves from Mike, but that shouldn’t have caused a cancelation. And I don’t believe for a second they couldn’t have figured out a budget.

Cancelled Bravo Shows That Should Get Another Chance

🐉 The Dragons Are Coming…

What’s happening with Season Two of House of the Dragon. I missed the first couple episodes of Season One, and for some reason, couldn’t get into it, but maybe I’ll give it another whirl.

https://hiddenremote.com/2023/07/18/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-release-updates/

⚰️ Dead Happenings…

Those two crazy kids.

https://movieweb.com/the-walking-dead-rick-and-michonne-spinoff-unveils-behind-the-scenes-images/

Yep. We’ve all made bad decisions. Although most of them don’t result in us finding ourselves in France.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/11/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-bad-decisions-france-video/

🏆 Pinning Down Emmy…

2024 is the new 2023. Unfortunately, it looks like the Daytime Emmy Awards have been postponed indefinitely. Susan Lucci can never catch a break.

https://ew.com/awards/emmys/2023-emmys-new-date-announced/

🐕 Lassie Come Home…

Dogs you might know.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/pets/g20687419/famous-dogs-from-movies/

🫧 Quotes of the Week

From the errors of others, a wise person corrects their own. – Pubilius Syrus

Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection. – Mark Twain

You can start changing our world for the better daily, no matter how small the action. – Nelson Mandela

Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them. – Madam C.J. Walker

People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action. – Steve Maraboli

I’d bet on rabbits if you could get them organized. – Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), Two and a Half Men

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety. – Aesop

Once you start name calling, cordial’s out the window. – John McManus, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days

The noisiest thing in the world is someone trying to be quiet. – me

🎤 Whoomp, There It Was…

Make a return trip on Monday really Tuesday for soap and a look at Kate and the Captain’s Couch. Until then, stay safe, stay continually learning new things, and stay understanding that if you’re engaged to a mobster, he’s going to disappear in the middle of the night with no note or text. Then return with no explanation of where he was or why.

⚠️ Caution: Lyrics may not be for sensitive ears.

Aug11

August 10, 2023 – Ned Hits On Carly At the Highsider, Back When, Tribute, Changes, Runway Freedom, Deck Detestables, VanderPics, Historical Pets (!) & Hooray

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maxie opens the door to Sam holding up a large carton of ice cream and a bottle of wine. Maxie asks if Sam is her fairy godmother, and Sam says, Maxie’s call came just in time. She just got the wine and ice cream out for herself because Dante’s still at work, Scout’s at the Q’s, and the boys – Maxie snatches the wine – are at a sleepover. So she’s in luck. Maxie says she’s excited to catch up with Sam. It’s been a long week. Sam asks where the kids are, and Maxie says, Bailey’s with grandma and grandpa, and… Georgie screams at James in the other room, and Maxie holds up the bottle. I dunno about you, but wine with ice cream? What happened to cheese? Unless it’s champagne ice cream, I don’t see it.

Portia sets out a platter of cheese (she knows what I’m talking about) when Marshall comes in. She says, you’re just in time to join us, and he says, us? She says, Trina decided to move back in, and he says, that’s great news. Portia says, she’s unpacking right now. She’ll go get her. She calls Trina to come say hi to her grandfather, and tells Marshall, it’s probably the loud music. She’ll go get her. She goes upstairs, as Marshall enjoys some cheese.

Finn asks Deanna to check for any changes with his patient in 941. If there are any, he wants to be informed immediately. Trina comes out of the elevator and runs over to Finn. She says she’s so glad he’s here. She needs his help.

As Curtis drowses, he recalls the shooting. He jerks awake, and checks his legs, but there’s no change. Elizabeth comes in and asks if he’s okay.

At Alexis’s place, Kristina watches TV, while wearing a beauty mask and eating popcorn. Alexis comes in, and Kristina jumps. She says, Alexis scared her to death, and Alexis says, Kristina scared her. What did she do to her face? Kristina shushes her, and she asks what Kristina is watching. Kristina says, To Catch a Killer.

Dante goes to see Anna, and she thanks him for coming. Someone outside watches.

Carly brings Olivia to the Highsider, and Olivia tells her, when Carly said she knew a place they could go, she really didn’t think Carly meant this. Carly says, they were talking about Bensonhurst and the good old days, and she thought of this place. It reminds her of Jake’s. Olivia says, this is the place where Joss was with Trina, and Carly read them the riot act… Carly says, yes, and she never wants Josslyn to know they were here. Capiche? Olivia says, capiche, and touches the table. She says, oh! and looks at her hand, telling Carly that she has to go wash it. Carly asks if she’s going to brave the ladies room, and Olivia says, it can’t be worse than this. She tells Carly to get them a couple of beers, and goes to the ladies room. Carly goes to the bar and asks for a couple of bottles of El Ray Sol, and the bartender says, nice. He figured she’d want a glass, but Carly says, he figured wrong. Ned comes along and says, and he figured her for some fun.

Anna thanks Dante for coming out so late, and asks if she can get him something, but he says he’s good. She asks if there’s been any progress with the shooting at the MetroCourt pool, and he says, they have more questions than answers, so if she calls that progress, they’ve made a lot of it. She says, so he can’t definitively rule anything out, and he says, that’s kind of the gist of it. That gun came from the WSB, so it looks like she’s the winner. They also can’t rule Sonny out as a target either, but that’s not why she called him. She says, no. She said she’d call him if she got any new information. It’s not anything solid, but it could be another avenue that may or may not be related. Has he heard of a company named Pikeman?

Alexis says she was under the impression that Kristina didn’t watch TV anymore, and Kristina says she doesn’t, but – she takes off the mask – she’s been streaming this docuseries; it’s so good. Her internet went out, so she decided to come here and see if Alexis’s worked. Alexis asks, what’s so great about this show that Kristina couldn’t wait for her internet to be turned back on? and Kristina says she was in the middle of the finale. She couldn’t be left hanging. Besides, it’s so much better to watch it on Alexis’s TV than on her phone or her computer. Alexis says she loves Kristina so much, and Kristina says she loves Alexis too. Alexis says, and she always wants Kristina to be welcome here anytime, but if Kristina really loves her, she’ll let Alexis know next time, so she doesn’t walk in and have a heart attack and die. Kristina says, that sounds very dramatic, but she’s only been here a half hour and she didn’t think Alexis would be out this late running around. Alexis asks if Kristina thought she’d be sitting in a rocking chair knitting an afghan, and Kristina says, it feels on brand. She hopes Alexis had fun, and Alexis says she had a lot of fun. Alexis heads upstairs, and Kristina asks what she was doing. Alexis says she was checking something off somebody else’s bucket list.

Maxie tells Sam that she’s sorry about this next part, and asks Georgie and James, come out here please. They stomp out, and Maxie tells them to say hi to Sam. Sam says, it’s good to see them both, and Maxie asks, what happened? James says, she started it, and Georgie says, he won’t stop touching her stuff. Maxie says she thought Grandpa Mac got both of them to agree to a truce, and James says, she broke it. Georgie says, he doesn’t even know what a truce is, but he says he does too. She says, he doesn’t, and Maxie tells Georgie, my room now. Georgie runs out, and Maxie says, hopefully, this doesn’t take too long. She follows Georgie, and James asks Sam, what’s a truce? She says, it’s when you agree to end a disagreement or an argument, and he says, wait. Is that ice cream?

Portia tells Marshall, it looks like Trina left a little note: Gotta go out for a little while. Be back soon. She got out of here pretty quietly. She hopes Trina didn’t run to see Spencer. He tells her not to do that to herself, and she says she knows. She’s grateful Trina’s back. and when Curtis gets out of rehab, they’ll all be under the same roof. He says he doesn’t think that’s such a great idea, and she asks if he doesn’t think Curtis should move back here. He says he absolutely does, but he also thinks he should move out. He was planning on doing that before Curtis was shot. She says, he was, but she was against it then, and she’s against it now. Curtis is going to need him now more than ever, and so will she and Trina. He says, all right, and she says she knows he’ll do anything to support his family, and Curtis and Trina deserve support from him. She guesses she’s not sure if she does.

Finn asks if this is about Trina’s dad, and she says, yes. He’s going to rehab tomorrow, and she needs to see him tonight to let him know she’ll always be there for him, and she loves him. He says he’d like to help her, but… She says she knows Curtis refused to let her see him since he found out he was paralyzed, and her mom tried to explain it to her. She thinks she understands. He’s a proud man. He’s a hero, and he doesn’t want her to see him like this, but he’s her father. Finn says he knows. He just doesn’t want to get her hopes up… She says, please. If Violet asked someone to get her in to see him, wouldn’t he want someone to help her?

Elizabeth says she sees Curtis is scheduled to go to rehab tomorrow. His occupational therapist says he’s in great shape. He says, never better, and she says, it’s not going to be easy, but he’s strong and he’s going to work hard, and he will adjust to his new situation. He tells her that she can just say it. He’s going to have to adjust to spending the rest of his life in a chair.

Maxie comes back in, sees James, and says, James got Sam to give him ice cream. He says, just a little, and she says, Georgie’s sleeping in her room tonight. He thanks her and runs off, and she says, don’t eat all of that. She tells Sam, they’ve got to move out, like really soon. They’re driving each other crazy, and by that, she means they’re driving her crazy. Sam says she thought Lucy was helping Maxie find a bigger place, and Maxie says, she is, but every place she likes, she gets outbid. It’s a tough market right now. Tomorrow she’s seeing two places she would never have considered a month ago, but when James and Georgie are going after each other all day and all night, it affects Bailey and she starts crying. And by the end of the day, Maxie is the one who’s crying. Sam says she thinks she actually has a solution for Maxie.

The bartender gives Carly the beers, and Ned asks if one of those is for him. She says, it’s for a friend, and he says he can be a friend; a very good friend. She says she bets; a friend who would betray her. He asks why anyone in their right mind would betray a beautiful woman like her, and she says, someone did. He says, let me at him. He’ll defend her dignity to the death. Maybe they should go somewhere a little less noisy and further discuss this dilemma of hers. Olivia comes back and says she sees Carly has met Eddie. Carly says she did, and Ned asks what Olivia is doing here. She says, this used to be her kind of place. She figured she’d come in and check it out. Ned says, great. He’s sure one of these guys would love to show her a good time. Meanwhile, he and her friend Cary… They both say, Carly, and he says, Carly, beautiful name. Meanwhile, he and Carly are discussing the downside of betrayal (like there’s an upside) and getting to know each other. He and Olivia have already met. Olivia says, right. If he could just give her one second. She motions Carly over, and says she might be stating the obvious here, but is it possible her husband is trying to pick up her best friend? Carly says she doesn’t think so, and Ned says, hey Carly, it’s getting lonely over here.

Kristina says, Alexis isn’t going to believe… Alexis says, don’t tell her, and Kristina asks if she’s watching it. Alexis says her TV accidentally turned on and she’s on episode three. Kristina says, she’s not going to believe what happens…  but Alexis says, Kristina’s not going to ruin this for her. Kristina says she’s amazed Alexis actually watched some guilty television, and Alexis says, if Kristina is amazed at that, she’s going to be amazed at what she did tonight. Kristina says, tell her, and Alexis asks if Kristina is going to make fun of her. Kristina says, probably, and Alexis says, okay. She threw hatchets at a bullseye, a target. Kristina says, that’s the place Sam went with Dante. She said she loved that. Alexis says, it was really exhilarating. She thinks it’s just human nature that something so basic is so satisfying. Kristina asks who she went with, and Alexis says, a friend. She gets up to get something to drink, and asks if Kristina wants anything. She moves Kristina’s bag, and sees some books on top of it. Kristina says, it’s from Sam, and Alexis reads, Business and Finance Management. Is this her light beach reading? Kristina says she thinks Sam was honestly shocked that she didn’t throw them at her.

Dante asks if Pikeman is a company in Port Charles, but Anna says, no. They’re security defense contractors, and according to Robert, they have ties to the WSB. He asks if Pikeman is selling them weapons, and she says, perhaps. The most interesting thing is, there’s like this kind of revolving door situation, where Pikeman recruits former WSB agents as operatives. He says, that’s kind of par for the course with those guys. Is she sure about this? She says, at first, she was skeptical, until she spoke with someone who was with the WSB who was recruited by Pikeman and worked for them. He asks, who was that? and she says, Valentin.

Dante asks if Valentin is still working for Pikeman, but Anna says, no. This was years ago when he first left the WSB. He asks what Valentin was doing for them, and she says, logistics. He laughs and says, that sounds like a euphemism for something. She says, he was a contractor, and he worked for them on a project-by-project basis. He said they didn’t allow him to get near the inner workings of the company. Dante asks why they recruited Valentin, and she says, they told him it was because he had prior WSB experience. Dante asks, where is Valentin tonight?

Carly tells Olivia that she’s sorry, and Ned sings into a beer bottle; Carly, the night is young and… What rhymes with Carly? He sings, gnarly, and Olivia says, he’s definitely hitting on Carly. Carly says, he’s definitely Eddie Maine, and Olivia asks if Carly doubted her. Carly says, no, but now she’s certain. Ned Quartermaine would never do that. They see Ned talking to another blonde, and Olivia says she guesses she should feel lucky Ned’s hitting on Carly instead of some floozy. She tells Carly to go, and Carly says she’s going to try and find out what he wants, and pull him back in Olivia’s direction. Olivia says, hurry up before he decides what he wants is that, and Carly tells the blonde, that’s her spot. Ned says he likes her style. Didn’t want to give up Eddie, did she? Carly says, nope. Just trying to figure him out. Mason goes up to Olivia and says she looks lonely… and hot. She rolls her eyes.

Alexis says she’s surprised Kristina didn’t throw the books at Sam. Sam gave her that nice pretty blouse and Kristina threw it at her. Kristina says, it was pink. They all know how she feels about pink. She’s not throwing books at her sister. Alexis says, but she came over to watch this show, so she’s wondering why Kristina brought the books. Kristina says she thought… Alexis says, she was going to burn the books in the fireplace, wasn’t she?

Maxie says, Dante and Lulu’s house? and Sam says, it’s empty. And it’s been empty since he and Rocco moved in with them. Dante doesn’t want to sell it, so she was just thinking… Maxie says, Lulu’s house? and Sam says, maybe she didn’t actually think this through, but Maxie said she needed a bigger space, and Maxie says, it makes sense. Sam says she knows Maxie misses Lulu, and Maxie says she does. She doesn’t get to see her enough, but when she does visit Lulu, she talks to her. She tells Lulu about her kids, everything that’s been going on. It’s been almost three years… She’s sorry. She knows Sam doesn’t want to talk about this. Sam says, it’s okay. Maxie can talk to her about Lulu. Rocco talks to her about Lulu all the time, and Dante just took Charlotte to visit her. She is a part of their lives. Maxie says she knows Dante and Rocco had to move on with their lives. She’s really happy it was with Sam, and knows Lulu would be happy too. Sam thanks her, and says, that means a lot, especially coming from Maxie, but maybe it’s just a bad idea. Maxie says, maybe… She doesn’t know. It’s not good for a house to be empty for too long. Sam says, it’s true, and Maxie asks if she thinks Dante would be okay with her living there. Sam says she thinks if Dante decided to rent the house, there’s no one else in the world he’d rather rent it to than Maxie.

Marshall says he doesn’t care whether Portia thinks she deserves his support or not; she’s got it. Portia says she knows she’s made mistakes… and he says, let him finish. Portia is his daughter-in-law and the mother of his grandchild. That alone is enough, but does she know who else she is? She’s the one who made him realize he doesn’t have the genes for schizophrenia, and that changed his life. She says she did that for him as a doctor, and she’s glad she could, but as his daughter-in-law and Trina’s mother, she just can’t help feeling it’s her fault that Curtis could end up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Elizabeth says, Trina is here late, and Trina says, it was important for her to come. Elizabeth says she understands. She knows Cameron’s been in touch with Trina. Trina says, he has. He’s been so supportive. All of her friends have. Elizabeth must be really proud of him, already playing on the varsity soccer team. Elizabeth says she is, and asks if there’s anything she can do to help Trina. Trina says, no, not yet. Dr. Finn is working on something for her. Her phone dings, she looks at it, and smiles.

Finn goes to Curtis’s room, and says he heard Curtis is heading to rehab tomorrow. Curtis says, that’s what he’s told. Finn is visiting kind of late. He hasn’t gotten any infectious diseases since he’s been here, so he’s guessing Finn isn’t here for any medical reason. Finn says, when you’re a doctor, it’s kind of hard to avoid that God complex. You want to be able to cure everyone. Curtis says, but you can’t, and Finn says, no, but it’s the humbling part. He can’t cure Curtis, but he can do something he thinks will help. He opens the door, and Trina walks in.

Carly says, Olivia told her that Eddie/Ned is staying with the Quartermaines, and he says, for a few days. Before that, he was staying at his friend’s, Sonny Corinthos. Does she know him? She says, everyone who lives around here knows him, and Ned says, he’s a good guy. He just felt like he was crowding Sonny. He’s got this gorgeous fiancé, Nina. She says, now he’s with the Quartermaines, right? They’re nice people. He says, they mean well. Leo is a sweet kid. He really likes Leo, and actually thinks Leo likes him too. She says, he probably does, and he says, Olivia’s got it in her head that he’s her husband. Can she imagine him living with that overbearing, wound up… She steps on his foot, and he says, ow! She says, sorry. She thought she saw a roach. So, since the Quartermaines are good people, why isn’t he trying to get to know them? He says, because they all want him to be someone he’s not, and she says, so why doesn’t he help them understand who he is, and maybe they’ll learn to accept him? He tells her that she says that like she thinks they would, and she says she actually knows someone who went through something similar, and they learned to love him.

Olivia tells Mason to get his hands off of her, and he says, come on. She knows she wants the attention. He touches her again, and she says, what she wants is for him to keep his hands off of her, or she promises she will make him sorry. He says he’d like to be sorry with her, and moves closer, but she shoves him back, saying, get away from me.

Kristina asks why she’d want to burn the books her sister gave her, and Alexis says, sorry. The books were here and the fireplace is there… Kristina says, and my spiteful daughter is going to burn the books my other daughter gave her, and Alexis says she knows the two of them haven’t been getting along well since Kristina showed Sam her plans, and Sam got kind of… Kristina says, obnoxious and skeptical? and Alexis says, to be fair, Kristina never enjoyed any of the gifts Sam gave her. Except for the motorcycle jacket, but that’s not really a gift. Kristina says she has every intention of returning that to Sam someday when the timing is right. Sam’s never given her anything like this before. Alexis says, that’s because she’s trying to apologize to Kristina. Sam knows she hurt Kristina’s feelings when she got down on her for not having a permit or a business plan. Kristina says, Sam did hurt her feelings. She was also right.

Maxie says, Sam threatened to throw Gladys in the pool? and Sam says she’d throw anyone in the pool if they talked to Scout that way. She doesn’t trust that woman. Maxie says she ran into Gladys when she went to visit Sasha. Gladys told her the doctor was with Sasha and she couldn’t see her. She ended up being relieved. Sam asks, why? and Maxie says, Brook did see her, and she said Sasha was really out of it. She said Sasha was yelling and screaming, and Maxie doesn’t want to see her like that. Sam says, when she saw Sasha, and what everyone else said, she was pretty in control. Maxie says, the last time Sasha was on Home & Heart, someone put the sound of a baby crying in her earpiece and she didn’t break. Sam says, then what happened? Maxie worked with her. If she’s using on a regular basis, Maxie would know, right? Maxie says, definitely, and Sam says, then she stabs Cody out of nowhere. Maxie says, drop it, and looks behind her to see James sneaking the carton of ice cream off the end table.

Curtis says he really doesn’t appreciate the ambush, and Finn says, God complex, remember? If medicine doesn’t work, go with what does. He tells Trina, hang in there, kid, and leaves, closing the door. Curtis says, it’s late and she should just… She says she knows he doesn’t want her here, but she had to see him before he goes to rehab tomorrow to let him know how sorry she is.

Anna tells Dante, there was a watermain break over at ELQ and it was quite close to the mainframe computer, so Valentin went over to check on everything and make sure no critical information was lost. He asks if Valentin knows she’s talking to him, and she says, no. He says, Pikeman is a shady sounding company. He’s surprised Valentin would even admit to her that he worked for them. She says, he didn’t at first. He doesn’t like to talk about his past. She thinks he told her because he’s concerned about her safety. Dante asks if she thinks Pikeman had something to do with the attempt on her life.

Mason has Olivia’s arm, and she says, she told him to get his hands off of her. Ned spins Mason around and says, he heard the lady. Mason says, get lost, old man (which is amusing since they look around the same age). This is what she wants. Ned asks if this is what Olivia wants, and Olivia tells Mason, no, you idiot. Ned tells him, back off now, and Mason says, or what? Ned punches him in the face and knocks him down, but Mason pops back up and shoves Ned’s face onto the bar. The bar fight begins with the patrons cheering them on. Honestly, I’ve been in some seedy places – certainly seedier than this – and I have never once seen a bar fight.

Anna asks if Dante has heard about the power shake up over at the WSB, and he says he heard some rumblings. She says, when Frisco refused to authorize the drone strike in Greenland out of concern for their safety, he was relieved of duty. Dante says he did hear Frisco had been replaced, and she says, it’s just been a domino effect since then. The new director got rid of anyone who was ever associated with her or Robert. He asks if she met the new director when she was in London being debriefed, but she says, no. I have this brainwave that maybe the new director is also Mason’s boss, and she says, at first she didn’t think anything of it. Then as it turns out, the agent who was debriefing her was droning on and on about procedure, and something caught her eye. Right behind him was his briefcase, and sticking out of the top of the briefcase was a portfolio. On the corner of the portfolio was the Pikeman logo.

Marshall says, there is no way Portia is responsible for a stray bullet, but she says, he doesn’t understand. All the years of lying, everything she did, how she handled everything, led to that moment. If she’d just been honest – she starts to cry – she, Curtis, and Trina could have been together. They could have been a family. If she’d just told the truth when she came to Port Charles… Marshall gets up and says, no, but she says, he doesn’t understand. Curtis came there to see her. He came to make things right with her; things she made wrong. It’s because of her. He says, it’s good to take responsibility for your mistakes, but she’s got to move on. Focusing on the what ifs and the what might have been is no way to live your life. They’ve got to move forward. She says she just doesn’t know if it’s too late for them, and he takes her hands, saying, Curtis is going to need her. He’ll need her to move forward. He’s going to need his daughter. He’s going to need his wife. But whenever that puts too much of a strain on her, he’s going to be right here. He’s going to be right here to help her with whatever she needs. It’s going to be all right. He holds her as she cries.

Curtis asks what in the world Trina has to be sorry for, and she says, when she found out he kissed Jordan, she got all high and mighty about it. He says, she was just being protective, but she says she didn’t have to pull away from him. She loves her mom and wants her to be happy, and she knows how much her mom loves Curtis. She just prays they’ll be able to work things out, but if they do or if they don’t, he’ll still be her father. He says, yes, he will, and she says, they were just beginning to figure this out, when she pulled away from him. She was just being so stupid and selfish, and she doesn’t want to be that person for him or herself anymore.

James sleeps with his head in Maxie’s lap, and she tells Sam, isn’t it so nice? Hopefully, it lasts past 5 am. Sam says, he’s awake that early? and Maxie says, sometimes it lasts until 5:30. Sam says she’ll be out of Maxie’s hair soon. She just called Dante, and he’ll be here in like, twenty minutes. Maxie says, it’s too soon. It was so good to see Sam and spend time with her, an actual adult. Sam says, the jury’s still out on that one, and they laugh. Maxie asks, how’s Molly doing? and Sam says, she’s actually back to normal. Maxie says, and Kristina? and Sam says, not so much back to normal. Maxie says, Sam sounds like that’s a good thing, and Sam says, because it is. She loves both of her sisters so much, but Kristina has been a handful sometimes. Maxie says, and now? and Sam says, now she’s actually pulling her life together. Maxie says, Sam actually sounds proud of her, and Sam says, because she is. They clink glasses.

Alexis tells Kristina that she just said Sam was right. She heard it. Kristina can’t take it back. Kristina says she can admit when she’s wrong, but Alexis says, not usually when it comes to one of her sisters. Kristina says, Sam was right. She had some strong points in the beginning, and Kristina didn’t want to hear them because they were coming out of Sam’s mouth. But Sam told her that she really could have benefitted from logistics (call Valentin!) and planning, and not just focusing on the end result. Alexis says, and the books? and Kristina says, the books have been very helpful. But more than that, she appreciates it. It makes her feel like Sam cares about her. Alexis says, she does. Sam loves her. Kristina says, and she loves Sam… and Molly, and Alexis says, and she loves Kirstina, Sam, and Molly. Although they do argue a lot, which she thinks is healthy. So now what? Kristina says she’s gathered a lot of valuable information on logistics and set-up. It feels good. This project feels really important and she’s going to finish it. She cuddles with Alexis, who says, that’s her good little baby girl.

Curtis says, Trina has never been selfish and she’s far from stupid, but Trina says she pulled away from him. He says he pushed her away, and he realizes he shouldn’t have done that. She says she understands, and he says, then she’s far ahead of him. He still hasn’t figured out how he’s going to handle being… What’s it going to mean? He keeps thinking about how it was in Greenland. She says, scary, and he says, yeah, but he was able to protect his daughter, to rescue her, and to be the father she needs. She says, he’s still the father she needs and always will be. She has no doubt about that. Does he remember the first words he said when he woke up after surgery? He says, I need my daughter, and she says she’s here and she’s not going anywhere. They hug.

Deanna gives Finn the phone, and says, it’s about his patient. he says, yes?… See what nurse is available and Page Dr. Everett. He’ll be right there. He jets, and Elizabeth watches him going down the hall.

Dante tells Anna, so what they’re saying here is that Pikeman is in bed with the WSB on one of their investigations, and she says, they know what they’re capable of. At least what they were capable of. And now with these new people in charge, all bets are off. Dante says, or that logo thing she noticed was just a coincidence, and she says, think about it. If the Bureau has access to a private entity like Pikeman, what’s to stop them from using it to further their own political agenda? He asks if the WSB doesn’t want deniability. Why would they give Pikeman a gun they knew could be traced? It gets risky – she says, of course (🍷) – getting involved with a private security contracting company like Pikeman, even for someone as cold as the WSB. She says, the WSB has always worked with risk, since the beginning of their existence… because it pays off. He says he sees this theory is gaining a lot of traction with her, but she says, there’s a lot of holes. He says, that’s why she called him. He’ll go to the PCPD and check in with some contacts, and see if he can get any more information on Pikeman, and try to connect them to her and Sonny. He’ll let her know what he comes up with. He’ll keep it on the downlow. She thanks him, and he thanks her for keeping him in the loop. It feels good. She should keep doing it. She says she promises, and walks him to the door. He leaves, and someone is still watching.

Mason slugs Ned, who falls to the floor, and he tells Olivia, to the victor. You and me, honey. He grabs her, and she tries to throw him off, telling him to get his hands off her. The bartender slides a big bottle over to Carly, who takes it and cracks Mason over the head. He drops to the floor. Very gracefully, I might add. Olivia runs over to Ned, and Ned sits up. He sees Mason, and asks if he got him.

Tomorrow, Chase asks if Ned would like to make a call; Olivia’s not admitting she did anything wrong; Nina says, Sonny is gone; and Sonny asks Carly why she has a problem.

🧼 Because Todd…

He was only supposed to be on for a few episodes, and now look.

Five Things That Happened On August 6 In Soap History

💫 To a Fallen Star…

I’m still in shock over her death. Hell, I’m not over Sonja Eddy and Jacklyn Zeman.

Stars Pay Tribute To Andrea Evans

🗽 Not Loving It…

I have no problem with Housewives change, although I can agree with the rest of their reasons. What they’re leaving out though, is the heavy cloud of social media floating over the show. If I want that, I’ll get it online.

Everything That Fans Don’t Like About Real Housewives of New York Season 14

👗 Letting Their Fashion Flags Fly…

This week, the designers were given the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Obviously, the fewer the contestants, the harder it is for the judges, and all of the creations were breathtaking. Of the two lowest scores, one surprised the hell out of me, and the other I had to agree took my breath away for the wrong reasons. It was busy AF, with a feathered jacket. Oddly enough, when the jacket was removed, it looked beautiful.

‘Project Runway’ 20 episode 10 recap: In ‘Freedom,’ the designers were blessed (or cursed?) with unlimited options [LIVE BLOG]

⚓️ Most Hated On Deck…

I didn’t see Down Under, and I’m sure they were worse, but I couldn’t stand Chef Leon. Come to think of it, Ashley was no prize either.

Former Below Deck Crew Members We Never Want to See Again

And while we’re on the subject.

https://ew.com/tv/below-deck-down-under-luke-laura-fired-inappropriate-behavior/

🍸 Throwing Back the Rules…

It’s funny how people don’t change much. Unless with the help of a plastic surgeon.

Unrecognizable Throwback Photos of the Vanderpump Rules Cast

🐻 Furry Companions In History…

Very cool!

https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/famous-pets-0017655

🛶 Floating My Boat…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a wealth of tea, talking points, and music befitting the day. Until then, stay safe, stay willing to step in when you see injustice, and stay not focusing on the what ifs and the what might have been. It’s no way to live your life.

Aug10

August 9, 2023 – Gregory Takes Alexis Hatchet Throwing, Lots Of Concern About Shannon In the OC & All

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis looks at a headline on her computer: Senator Wilkins Acquitted On All Counts. She says she can’t believe it. That son of a… He got away with it. Gregory asks what she’s talking about, and she says, look at this, and reads him the headline. He asks how that’s even possible. He was caught red-handed. She says, that’s because he has good lawyers. No. He’s got clever lawyers. He’s got expensive lawyers because he can afford to pay for them. This makes her so freakin’ mad. It’s the height of injustice. He says, not to mention inept prosecutors, and she says, right. They were so sure they were going to win. He says, they underestimated the opposition, and she says, this makes her so mad. She just wants to break something. He says, why doesn’t she?

There’s a knock at Olivia’s office door, and she says, come in. Carly says she hopes it’s okay she dropped by. Trish said Olivia was working late. Olivia asks what she can do for Carly, and Carly says, it’s so weird, being in her old office. She’s surprised Nina hasn’t taken it over. Olivia says she’d never let that happen, and Carly thanks her. She heard about everything going on since Ned left the hospital, and she wants to say she’s so sorry. Nina comes to the door, and Carly says she wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy. Nina clears her throat, getting their attention.

Curtis is glued to his phone, when Marshall comes in. Marshall asks how it’s going, and Curtis says, whatever Marshall does, don’t ask how he’s doing. Marshall says, of course (🍷), but if Curtis changes his mind and decides he wants to tell him, he wants to know. One thing he knows without Curtis telling him is, time drags in the hospital. Curtis says, yes it does. He couldn’t even watch the big fight tonight because he couldn’t stand to watch those athletes in peak physical condition, or even the audience, all active and energetic, while he sits here doing nothing. Marshall says, maybe he should stop thinking about what he can’t do and start focusing on what he can do. Curtis says, like what? and Marshall takes out a deck of cards, tosses it on the tray, and taps the box.

Portia flashes back to telling Curtis that they’re in this together, no matter what the odds are and no matter what life throws their way. Trina comes in, and Portia says, she’s home. Trina asks if it’s okay, and Portia says, of course (🍷). It’s more than okay. It’s the best news she’s had in a long time. She hugs Trina, and Spencer walks in with a load of bags.

Jordan finds Dante in the interrogation room, working on his laptop, and asks what he’s doing in there. He says, it gets a little noisy in the squad room, so he thought he’d come in here and try to focus. Jordan asks what he’s working on, and he says he thought she hung up her Commissioner badge for the Deputy Mayor spot. She says she did, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be curious about something.

Sonny tells Donna that he liked the movie, and she says, her too. He says, now she has to brush her teeth and go to bed. She asks if she can’t stay up with him, and he says, all right. Five more minutes. She says, yay! and he puts the TV back on.

Olivia asks what she can help Nina with, and Nina says she just wanted to thank Olivia for this morning… But they can talk about it another time. Goodnight. Olivia says, goodnight, and Nina leaves. Carly asks what that was about, and Olivia says, she met with Nina to plan the wedding.

Alexis tells Gregory, it’s not that breaking this or that, or sweeping her arm across the whole desk (I’ve always wanted to do that) wouldn’t feel cathartic, and she wants to. But then her office would be all messy, and she’d be the one who has to clean it up (that’s what stops me too). So she’s not going to break anything. So she’s just going to walk away and not read another word about that miserable senator that’s making her crazy. Gregory says, she took his suggestion way too literally. He wasn’t suggesting she destroy her office. He has a much better idea.

Gregory and Alexis walk into the hatchet throwing range, and Alexis says, ax throwing? Doesn’t he think it’s a bit violent? He says, it’s not violent; it’s a sport. He’s guessing it’s going to be cathartic in getting out her frustration. She asks if he’s done this before, and he says, no, but his sons have. Anytime Finn and Chase agree on something, he has to give it a try. They say it’s very satisfying. Besides, it’s something on his bucket list. She says, he has a bucket list? and he says, actually, he has two.

Sonny watches the fight, and says, great hit. He looks over at Donna sleeping on the couch, and calls Dante. He asks if Dante is watching the fight, but Dante says, no. He’s still at work. Sonny says, he’s missing out. Ferrari is killing him. Dante says, don’t tell him anything; he’s recording it. Sonny says he won’t spoil it for Dante. Why is he still at work? Dante says he’s just going through some cases, and Sonny says he’ll talk to Dante soon.

Dante tells Jordan, it was his dad, giving him an update on the fight, and she asks if he has any updates on the pool shooting, the one that paralyzed Curtis. (Like there’s more than one.) He says, nothing much. So far, they just have more questions than answers.

Curtis says, Marshall brought a deck of cards. No doubt to play Go Fish. He knows that’s a kids’ game. Marshall says, the way he remembers it, it was Curtis’s favorite game to play as a boy. That and checkers, although he wasn’t very clear on the rules. He had this tendency to always declare himself a winner, even when he wasn’t. Curtis says he doesn’t know about declaring himself the winner, but he sure loved jumping those pieces across the board. Marshall says, he sure did. According to Trina, there’s an app on his phone where he can play checkers. Of course (🍷) if you can’t pick up the pieces, what’s the point? Curtis says, exactly, and Marshall laughs. Curtis says he remembers when he was a kid, sitting across from Marshall and looking up at him, and Marshall laughing exactly like that. He loved hearing Marshall laugh, but what he loved more was spending time with him. Marshall says he’s sorry. He deprived them both of so many years. Curtis says, none of that matters now. What matters is, Marshall was there when he was a kid and he’s here now, and he couldn’t be any more grateful.

Spencer tells Portia, when Trina asked for his help moving back home, of course (🍷) he said yes, because he knew how much it would mean to Portia to have Trina living with her again. Portia tells Trina that she’s so sorry. She’s been using Trina’s room as extra storage while she was gone. So she’ll be sure to remove all those books and extra towels later. Trina says, it’s no big deal. She’ll move them right now. She’ll be right back. She goes upstairs, and Spencer says he’ll take this stuff up to Trina’s room, but Portia says, that won’t be necessary. She’ll take it from here.

Carly says, Olivia is planning Sonny and Nina’s wedding. Wow. She can’t believe they had the audacity to ask her to do that. Olivia says, they didn’t ask; she offered. And it’s not what Carly is thinking. She’s not doing it for Nina and Sonny. She’s doing it for herself. She needed a distraction. She has to get her head out of all things Quartermaine. She can’t stop obsessing over Ned. She looks at him and sees her husband. Then he opens his mouth… Carly says, and he’s Eddie Maine, and Olivia says, being in that house, her home, it’s unbearable. Carly says she’s so sorry, and Olivia says, luckily, Michael is taking care of all things Quartermaine and all things Aurora. And Leo. Somehow that kid is able to comprehend that Eddie isn’t his dad better than she can, but he still misses his dad. How can he not? And Tracy is trying to get Ned committed. Carly says, that’s so extreme, and Olivia says, ya think? And just when she thinks she’s getting somewhere, she turns her back and he completely disappears. Carly asks how she can help, and Olivia wonders how Carly can even offer that after the way she treated Carly.

Nina asks what Sonny is reading, and he says, the commentary on the fight he just watched. She says, he has a little smile on his face. She’s guessing his guy must have won. He says, it makes him kind of happy. It went down to the wire; it was a great fight. He hates when a fight is uneven, and the one guy just pounds on the other guy. He wants it to be more competitive, like a dance… She’s not interested in boxing, is she? She laughs and says, as a sport, no, not really, but anything that makes him so excited and makes him smile means a lot to her.

Dante says, the working theory on the pool shooting is that the target was either Anna or Sonny, and Jordan says, two different ends of the spectrum. One spent most of her life fighting crime, while the other spent most of his life a criminal. Dante says, here’s the thing. The gun that was used was traced back to a storage locker at a WSB facility in Berlin, but there’s no prints. They can’t trace the bullets or the shooter. She asks what the WSB is saying about the gun, and he tells her, they said it was a break in, a security breach, and they didn’t know how it happened. But there’s no leads, no suspects. She asks if he doesn’t find it odd they’re not showing more interest, especially given that Anna was a former agent for them. He says, yeah, but it sounds like the WSB is washing their hands of Anna Devane.

Curtis asks if Marshall has a two, but Marshall says, no. Go fish. Curtis takes a card from the pile, and asks, what’s up with Marshall’s band? Marshall asks if he’s got any eights, and Curtis hands him one. Marshall thanks him, and says, they played a couple of gigs around town, plus there’s a club in Brooklyn that’s showing some interest. Curtis says, sounds exciting, and Marshall says, it does, but he doesn’t think it’s a good time to leave town. Plus the owner of the club is lowballing them of course (🍷). Curtis says, if they’re lowballing him, why is he still considering it? and Marshall says, they can expose the band to a brand new audience. Curtis knows he can talk about the music business for hours, but why don’t they talk about what they’re both thinking. He’s wondering what’s going to happen to Curtis, and Curtis says, to be honest with Marshall, he’s wondering the same thing.

Alexis’s ax bounces off the target, and she takes off her jacket. Gregory is a natural, but she keeps trying, and there’s a song part. She finally hits the target, and dances around.

Sonny and Nina cuddle, and he asks, who gave her that ring? She says, this little thing? Just some guy who says he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He says, seems like a smart guy. He’s showing her how committed he is by putting a ring on it. Why was she late? Where was she? She says she wanted to stop by Olivia’s office and talk about wedding plans, but when she went there, Olivia was in her office with Carly.

Carly says, Olivia was in the middle of a crisis and snapped at her. She gets it. During some of the worst times of her life, Olivia’s been there for her, and she’s come to depend on Olivia’s friendship, so they’re good. Olivia says, that just makes her feel worse. She was so overwhelmed with worry that Ned wasn’t going to wake up; that she was going to be stuck forever with some middle-aged rocker, but that’s no excuse. Carly says she appreciates Olivia’s apology, but who else is she going to dump on? Tracy? She was terrified, and Carly’s tough. She can take it. Olivia says, but she shouldn’t have to, and Carly says, Olivia is her best friend and they’re always going to have each other’s back. She so appreciates that and she needs that. Besides, she comes with limitations. Olivia can make a lasagna and she can only make a simple casserole, but what she can do is promise Olivia that she’ll always be there for her no matter what. Olivia cries and hugs her.

Portia tells Spencer, this is always going to be Trina’s home, no matter what. No matter how old she gets. When Trina’s done with college, she’s always going to be here for Trina. So she’s more than capable of helping her move back in her room. He says, of course (🍷). He completely understands that. It’s just that Trina asked for his help moving back in, so he thinks she’s expecting him to stick around. She says she understands that, but since her husband is in the hospital, and he’s currently paralyzed, she’d kind of like some one-on-one time with her daughter. She doesn’t think he understands how much she worried about Trina, about her safety and security. He says his Uncle Victor is dead, so that threat is gone. She says she wishes the Cassadines were the only thing she needed to worry about though. Curtis was shot by a ricochet bullet at the MetroCourt pool of all places; a place they should all feel safe, right? And the police say, there’s a possibility the bullet that wounded her husband was meant for his other uncle, Sonny Corinthos.

Jordan says, right before the shot rang out, she remembers seeing Anna having a conversation with Dante’s dad. Does he have any idea what they were talking about? He says, they’ve known each other forever. They could have been talking about anything. Maybe she was filling Sonny in on what Robin’s up to or maybe she was telling Sonny what she’s going through with the WSB. Jordan asks how Anna’s handling that, and he says, honestly, he doesn’t think she’s doing very well. Who would be in that situation, going through what the WSB’s put her through? She’s been in law enforcement her entire life, and now she’s on the outside looking in. On top of that, she was the potential target in a shooting, and she can’t investigate it. She doesn’t have WSB resources anymore. He thinks she’s having a tough time, even though she says she’s handling it well. She says, Anna always insists she can handle anything, and he says, they’ve got to find that shooter. She says, if they need her, officially or unofficially, she wants to help.

Alexis says she’s feeling a lot less stress, and Gregory says he told her so. He’s about to throw an ax, but drops it, and says he needs to take a little break. She tells him, have a seat. She could use some water too. She tosses one more ax before heading for the table, and Gregory points at the target. She sees she’s gotten a bullseye, and says, look at that.

On the phone, Dante says he loves Sam too. He’ll see her soon. He picks up the file on the pool shooting and opens it.

Olivia asks if Carly remembers the day they met, and Carly says she does. It was here in the MetroCourt. Olivia was in town for Sonny and Kate’s wedding. She grew up with Sonny in Bensonhurst, and he ran into her and asked her to be the maid of honor for his fiancé Kate Howard. Olivia says, Kate Howard was not her real name, and she spilled all of Kate’s secrets that her real name was Connie Falconari and she was from Bensonhurst, not some snotty blueblood from Connecticut. She was from Bensonhurst, just like Olivia, and she used to talk just like Olivia. Carly laughs and says, that was fifteen years ago. Can she believe it? We flash back to Olivia and Carly’s friendship over the years. Olivia says she guesses they’ll always be connected through Sonny, but Carly says, she doesn’t give them enough credit. Sure, they’ll always have a connection through Sonny, but becoming Olivia’s friend is one of the best decisions she ever made. She really does value Olivia’s friendship. Olivia says, then be honest. Does it really not bother her that she’s helping Nina and Sonny plan the wedding?

Curtis tells Marshall, when he checks out of the hospital, he’s supposed to go to a rehab facility. He’s got to say, he’s dreading that. Marhsall asks, why? Aren’t they supposed to teach him how to get around and get on with his life? Curtis says, that’s just it. He feels like going to that rehab facility is like him announcing to the world that he’s given up hope of ever walking again, and that he’s accepted this is what his life is about; life in a wheelchair. Marshall says, just because Curtis learns to get around in a wheelchair doesn’t mean he has to stop hoping he can walk someday again. He knows Curtis and knows he’s a proud man, and he’s had a very active life. He feels Curtis’s frustration, but he’s here to remind him that he doesn’t have to go through this struggle alone. Curtis says he knows Portia is so determined to be with him to support him. Just seeing her reminds him of the life they’ll never have together. It just makes it worse. Geez, Curtis might as well go to rehab, since he sounds like he’s given up. There’s a knock at the door, and Jordan asks if she’s interrupting, or is this a good time for a visit?

Spencer tells Portia that he’s so incredibly sorry for what happened to Mr. Ashford, but as he understands it, the police aren’t sure who the intended target was. The last thing he wants to do is make Portia’s life more difficult. One thing he can promise her is that he’s nothing like his late Uncle Victor or his Uncle Sonny. She says, he’s not exactly a saint though, is he? and he says, that’s true. His track record is far from spotless, and he hopes he’s earned some redemption for what happened in Greenland. But beyond that, he wants her to know that he wants Trina to be safe and to be happy. So to make her night easier, he’s going to say goodbye to Trina and take off. She says, there’s no need for him to say goodbye in person. She can let Trina know he had t to take off. He says, okay then. Goodnight. He leaves, and Portia heads for the stairs with a suitcase. Trina is on her way downstairs, and asks, where’s Spencer? Portia says, he took off.

Alexis asks if Gregory is okay, and he says, mostly just embarrassed. She says, embarrassed? He’s an ax athlete. Tell her about his bucket list. He can only have one. He tells her, says who? and she tells him, says logic. Says common sense. You get one bucket list, which means you can keep adding on as much as you want, so you don’t need a second. She sees his hand shake, and asks if it’s getting worse. He says, every single day.

Marshall tells Curtis, don’t worry, as he gathers up the cards. He’ll be back tomorrow and Curtis can redeem himself. Curtis thanks him, and Marshall leaves. Jordan says, Go Fish? Really? She always thought he played higher stakes games. He says, Go Fish reminds his dad of when they played cards when he was a kid before he took off. So if it makes him smile, it makes Curtis smile. Jordan says she’s got it, and he says he knows people are on edge when they come to see him, because no one knows what to say. So if playing a kids’ card game puts his dad at ease… She says, that’s what he’s going to do. She sees that. He wants his dad to feel better. He says, except there’s not much he can do these days, so it’s nice to do the one thing he can, and she says, which is exactly why she’s here. She needs something from him.

Trina tells Portia that she wishes Spencer had stayed. They could have gotten everything to her room a lot faster. Portia says, Spencer is probably thinking about his baby brother, and Trina says, right. She knows how important Ace is to him. Portia says, besides that, it’s her and Trina. They manage pretty well, don’t they? It’s like old times, right? Trina says, that is the reason she decided to come home, and Portia asks what she means. Trina says she didn’t want Portia tackling the biggest job by herself. This house isn’t handicap accessible. So what’s the plan? Is she going to install ramps for a wheelchair? Hand grips in the bathroom? Maybe they should move to someplace that’s all one-level. She knows how much Portia loves the beach house, but is it really the best place for Curtis?

Sonny tells Nina, Port Charles is a big city in some ways, but in other ways, it’s a community. He and Carly share kids, and Nina is going to be running into her a lot, and he doesn’t want her to feel like she’s got to avoid Carly, especially in her own hotel. She says she doesn’t. She knows Olivia and Carly are really good friends, and she didn’t mean to interfere. She doesn’t want to make things more tense than they already are. Things are going really great between her and Olivia, and she doesn’t want to ruin it. Especially now, and specifically considering what she went to Olivia’s office to talk to her about. He asks what she went to Olivia’s office to talk to her about, and she says, their future. Specifically, setting their wedding date.

Gregory tells Alexis that he has a disease that’s making his world smaller and smaller, and day by day taking away his abilities, and making him more dependent on other people. Alexis says, he must be scared, but he says, no. Angry… No. Royally pissed off. But what good is being angry going to do him?It’s just using up more of what he doesn’t have – time. Time with his sons and his granddaughter, who brings him endless joy. Alexis says, how could she not? and he says his family life is still pretty good. He has great friends, like her. He started a second chapter career. But lately, he can’t stop thinking… no, obsessing about the inevitable. When he first started getting symptoms, he was able to ignore them for a while, until he couldn’t. Then he was diagnosed. At  one doctor’s appointment, in one moment, everything changed. Everything was taken away from him, and he doesn’t want to give it up. She goes around behind him and hugs him, and he cries. Me too.

Portia tells Trina that Curtis will be in a rehab facility for a month or so, so she has some time to make this place handicap accessible. And just to be perfectly transparent, he hasn’t even agreed to come back here after. Trina says she’s so sorry. It must be killing Portia. Portia says, intellectually, she knows what’s going on. She knows how patients deal with facing paralysis, but she believes this is the time you show up for the people you love. So she’s going to wait for him to get through this and let her in. She hopes he’s going to let Trina in too. Trina says she hopes she’s ready if he does, because she’s been feeling so sad and disconnected. Portia says she’s sure Curtis is feeling the exact same way. Trina knows ordinarily Curtis would love to spend time with her. Portia thinks he’s just facing the feelings of being paralyzed. Trina says she wanted to see him and she wanted to see Portia too. That’s the reason she came home, because she missed her mom. Portia says she missed Trina so much, and hugs her.

Curtis says, as Jordan can see, he’s not really in a position to be doing any favors, but she says, he might be able to help more than he thinks. She sits down and says she doesn’t know if he remembers, but she was at the MetroCourt pool with Zeke and Portia the night he got shot. He says he remembers, and she says, the police believe either Sonny Corinthos or Anna Devane was the intended target of the shooter. Has anything come back to him about the shooting? Any details or observations that could help them track down the shooter? He asks how she’s investigating the shooting. Isn’t she the new Deputy Mayor? She says she is, and she’s doing her best, but what can she say? Once a cop, always a cop. Besides, she has a personal stake in his case. Obviously, he does too, so if anything comes back to him… Any memory, any sound, anything at all, please let her know. He says he can do that.

Gregory tells Alexis that he knows he keeps saying he doesn’t want to tell his sons about his ALS. It’s because they’d look at him differently, and he wants their time together to be special. But lately, these symptoms are getting worse. He finds himself canceling, avoiding them. While his bucket list is getting longer, he’s opting out of it. Not just the bucket list, but day to day stuff, like hiking with Chase, breakfast with Finn and Violet, because he’s so scared that he’s going to have some symptom he can’t hide or explain away. She says, how about if he just starts with Finn? He’s a doctor. Finn can help him. Gregory says, he’s been through so much already. He doesn’t want to be a burden to Finn. She says, he just told her that he wants to enjoy his life for as long as he can. So do it.

Nina says, when Sonny was talking to Brick, she was talking to Olivia about wedding plans, and she quickly realized they can’t make wedding plans without setting a wedding date. He says he already told her that he loves her, and he wants her to have the perfect wedding of her dreams. But he wants to be perfectly clear. He’ll go to a courthouse to marry her. He’ll go to Vegas and marry her. He just wants her to know he’s committed and serious about marrying her. They kiss, and he says, but they’ve got to pick a date tomorrow. They kiss some more.

Carly says she knows Olivia loves Sonny and wants him to be happy, so of course (🍷) she’s going to support him. Like she said, it’s more about distracting her from the Eddie Maine situation, so yeah, she understands that. Olivia says she really appreciates that, and Carly says, that doesn’t mean she has to like it, but she can learn to live with it. Besides, she has so much going on right now. Olivia asks, how is Drew? and Carly says, he’s okay given the situation. She’s just so worried about him, and she feels so frustrated because there’s nothing she can do except visit him… Does Olivia want to get out of here? Olivia says, sure. Where does Carly want to go? Carly says, you’ll see, and gets up. Olivia follows her out.

Tomorrow, Portia asks if Marshall doesn’t think Curtis should move back home; Curtis says he’s guessing someone isn’t visiting him for medical reasons; Sam thinks she has a solution for Maxie; and Trina needs someone’s help.

The Real Not-So-Hot Messes Housewives of Orange County

We see a lot of clips with the women with their pets. I love Fancy Pants’ dogs, and take comfort in the fact that I’m sure they poop on her floor. Emily bathes a chihuahua like mine, and I love him too.

Tamra says, closing the gym was exhausting. She wants Eddie to enjoy life, but him not having a place to go every day is getting on her nerves. He eats all day, and his chewing drives her nuts. They’ve opened an office closer to their house, and she doesn’t care what he does in it, as long as he goes there. She tells him about co-hosing the theme party with Jenn where each of the women comes as another.

Gina and Fancy Pants meet to pick out pumpkins, and Gina says she misses New York in the fall, which I totally get. Fancy Pants tells Gina that Jenn said Shannon is poking around in Gina’s relationship. Gina says, Shannon has no problem poking in other people’s relationships, but never wants them to talk about John. She tells Gina about her problems, then gets pissed when Gina voices concern. She asks if Fancy Pants doesn’t have concerns, but Fancy Pants says she doesn’t want to get involved. In Gina’s interview, she says, Fancy Pants got nervous and is pumping the breaks. Gina says, it feels like Shannon needs to talk about someone because she doesn’t want to talk about herself, and she doesn’t like it.

Jenn meets a friend named Taylor, but not that one. Taylor grilled Ryan on getting married, and he said it revolved around the timing of Jenn’s divorce. In Jenn’s interview, she says she needs someone who loves and knows her to give their opinion. She’s starting to question what she wants. Taylor asks what she’s looking for and if she’s worried something is going to come out after she’s got the ring. In her interview, Jenn says her divorce is complicated, since her ex works for the family business, the family wants to divorce him from his job too. Jenn tells Taylor that she doesn’t have to be married, but Ryan thinks it might be self-sabotage. She doesn’t want to be part of a second failed marriage, and tells Taylor that she’s happy the way things are.

Everyone gets their makeup done for the party, and while Tamra, gets done up as Fancy Pants, she blabs to the makeup guy about Fancy Pants and Shannon. Shannon’s daughter doesn’t know what pantyhose are, and I wonder if they still make them. Vicki meets Shannon beforehand and insists on dressing like herself. In Shannon’s interview, she says she knows she’s in for some crazy fun. Vicki is dating someone, but says she’s skittish. She had 18 things on her future man list, and he hit all 18. Gina hopes whoever does her, does current Gina, but she has the feeling they won’t. Shannon is doing Gina, and she’s right. Vicki asks who Shannon is budsy-wudsy with, and Shannon says, Emily is fun. But everyone is chipping in on her relationship. Ha-ha! That sounds like they’re taking bets. In her interview, Shannon says she’s had conversations with Heather about normal relationship issues, and Heather is blowing it out of proportion. I have the feeling Shannon gets drunk after a fight with John and makes emotional drunk phone calls. When she sobers up and cools off, she’s like, it was no big deal, even though she made it a big deal to her friends, and gets mad when they’re concerned about that. Maybe I’m mean, but this is the kind of so-called friend I’d distance myself from, and have.

Tamra toddles to Jenn’s door in her Fancy Pants outfit, and shoots off a money gun as Jenn gets her makeup done as Taylor, yes that one. In Jenn’s interview, she says she and Tamra are rebuilding their friendship, but she’s keeping an eye on Tamra’s tequila intake. Gina arrives as Emily, and in Emily’s interview, she says she’s impressed. Gina nailed it, except for the boobs. Heather joins the group as Jenn, and in her interview, she says she would never buy a money gun; it’s déclassé. Taylor arrives as Tamra, but in Tamra’s interview, she says, Taylor could have just worn a sign that said a-hole and it would have looked more like her. She’s disappointed. Taylor thinks Jenn did a great job, even carrying Smudge the Cat from the meme of Taylor. In Gina’s interview, she says she’s not surprised Shannon chose a version of her at her worst, but she doesn’t think Shannon could pull off current version anyway. Vicki comes as herself, lugging a keg, and immediately does a keg stand, but she can’t drink upside down and it comes right back. Shannon is next and it just looks rude. Tamra says she’s slutty Heather, and in her interview, Fancy says, apparently dressing up like Heather doesn’t mean you act like Heather. The buffet looks like a farmers market charcuterie board; definite food porn. Emily tells Gina that she opened up to Shannon, but Shannon won’t open up, and they agree Shannon keeps asking for help, but then won’t take it. Hint: What Shannon is looking for is attention and them to agree with her. And if you give her A, she’ll want B, and vice versa.

Shannon announces that she’s having an outdoor super casual event, which is what you do when you’re at someone else’s event. It’s also game night, and they play Do or Drink, and as usual it’s all sexual stuff I don’t want to know about. I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear about their proclivities or see them. In her interview, Shannon is offended by Emily’s interpretation of her hand gesturing, but it’s actually pretty accurate and funny. In Emily’s interview, she says, when she heard game night, she thought Monopoly and Twister, not getting her nipple licked, but she’s not mad about it. Shannon wants to talk to Fancy Pants on the side, and tells her that she’s been hearing from Emily, Gina, and Tamra that Fancy Pants is saying her relationship is bad. At the table, Emily says, Shannon likes to tell them about John, and she gets that Shannon wants to protect him, but it gets to the point where it’s unfair. Fancy Pants insists she’s neutral about Shannon and John, and in her interview, she says, Tamra is trying to drum up allegations that she can’t keep a secret. And Shannon is more concerned about who’s talking about her relationship than her actual relationship. In her interview, Shannon says she never cared about someone so much and she doesn’t want to lose that. Fancy Pants says, some of the girls are concerned about Shannon not having a good relationship and hiding it. Shannon says she thought she could share private information with Fancy Pants, now the girls are talking, but Fancy Pants refuses to be held to the fire for something she didn’t do. Tamra polls the table about who Fancy Pants talked to, and bat-eared Fancy Pants asks why she’s whispering.

Tamra asks if Fancy Pants talked with Emily and Gina about Shannon’s relationship, and Fancy Pants asks if they all talked about it. Shannon says she’s not doing this in the group, and Emily says, Fancy Pants can’t blame it on them. In Emily’s interview, she says, Fancy Pants is trying to deflect, but this whole thing began with her talking about what Shannon shared with her. Gina says, Shannon expressed concern about her and Travis, so why is she upset about Fancy Pants’ concern? Shannon yells that they owe her boyfriend an apology, and Gina says, they’re just concerned. WOTD. Shannon says, nobody knows anything about her relationship, and screeches that she’s never been more in love and has never hurt more when they’re not in a good spot. Emily says, they’re all concerned, and in Shannon’s interview, she wonders if she’s  being ambushed. She says, they’re exaggerating, and tells them to enjoy talking about her and walks out. In Jenn’s interview, she says she’s seen Shannon and John together and they seem happy. Bless them for trying to avoid the group. Fancy Pants says, apparently she’s a Machiavellian terrible person who manipulates everyone. After quickly looking up Machiavellian, Tamra wonders why she’s being brought into this when she hasn’t said anything, and Fancy Pants says, they’ve all talked. Shannon says she’s never told Emily anything bad about her relationship, but Emily says, Shannon’s told her a lot of things, like when they were at Javier’s. Shannon puts her thinking cap on, but says she doesn’t remember. In Emily’s interview, she says, from what Shannon has told her, she doesn’t feel like John is invested in the relationship and she thinks Shannon is wasting her time when she can do better. In Fancy Pants’ interview, she gives a long list of what’s wrong with John, like Shannon pays for everything, and they always stay at her house. But she doesn’t want to talk about it. Shannon says, they’re influencing where her relationship goes. He’s done. She doesn’t know how she’s going to talk to him. Vicki comes out, but Shannon wants to leave. She tells them to give themselves a pat on the back. Her relationship is over. Good Lord. Can we have more drama? In her interview, Emily says, Shannon is trying to maintain a relationship in public that’s solid, perfect, and amazing. Shannon has said John called her names, and said she was fat and unattractive. It makes Emily’s heart hurt just to say it. At the table, Emily cries and says she’s worked hard to be friends with Shannon. In her interview, she says she’s sure Shannon’s pissed and thinks she was betrayed. But at the end of the day, who be there? John or them? She puts her money on them. She tells Fancy Pants that all she is, is concerned. I dunno. If you have to work to be friends with someone, that’s a job, not a friendship.

Shannon goes on and on about how few times she’s talked to anyone about John, and Tamra asks if Fancy Pants is lying. Shannon says, things are going around online about Fancy Pants and her husband, and in her interview, Fancy Pants says, just because Shannon’s relationship is no beuno, don’t come for hers with ridiculous sources online. Shannon yells that she doesn’t have affairs and bad sh*t. They have arguments that paralyze her. By this time, she’s outside, and tells production to stop the cameras. She’s not a crazy person. Even though no one suggested she was.🤔Vicki and Tamra follow her, and in Vicki’s interview, she says she doesn’t know John, but she knows Shannon wants her relationship to work. When people talk, it causes Shannon to have doubts. Let her figure it out. Wow. Vicki, the voice of reason. This is one way reality TV never ceases to surprise me. Sometimes wisdom is in the last place you look. Shannon is still ranting, screeching that she called them one time in 2020. Her hands go all over the place, and she says, they have normal fights, but they paralyze her. Everyone’s outside by now, and Jenn’s smoke alarm goes off, but no one seems too concerned, which is funny considering how many times that word has been used. Gina wonders if Shannon burned the house down. In Shannon’s interview, she says, they don’t know John, but they all have opinions and comments. Inside again, Fancy Pants tells Emily that she threw her under bus. If she wanted to spread sh*t, she’d spread sh*t. But she doesn’t do that. Emily is just looking for reasons to be pissed with her, and she doesn’t like it. We flash back to Emily reading Fancy Pants a few times, but she’s not wrong. Gina says, everyone violated the vault, but Shannon needs to take responsibility for her own sh*t. Outside, Vicki wants to know, who wants to whoop it up? and Shannon says, it’s a f***ing spectacle.  

My read. Oh yeah. Shannon likes to blast John when she’s had one too many and Heather is nothing but a big gossip. Gina, Jenn, Taylor, and oddly enough, Tamra, are blameless, and Emily is genuinely concerned. Again, in a total surprise twist, Vicki is the sage one.

Next time, too much tequila; Fancy Pants and Terry close on the penthouse; Gina says, Shannon was mean; Fancy Pants says, Shannon doesn’t remember that she tells lots of people lots of things; John tells Shannon, people need to STFU; Emily says, Shannon is two different people; and Shannon says she’s out. This is not what she signed up for. I’ll bet it is. She just doesn’t remember.

🍃 Blowing Through the Jasmine In My Mind…

Breeze on in tomorrow for soap and a spot or two of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay using your turn signal (didn’t they teach that in driver’s ed?), and stay not being angry. It only uses up more of your time.