What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Phyllis and Lenny walk past the sign for the dance, and it says all proceeds will benefit Firehouse 3. Lenny says, what did he tell Phyllis? and she says she was hoping he was wrong. Sonny says, wrong about what? and she says, what he’s wearing. He says he has a limited wardrobe, but Phyllis says he could still make an effort. She puts a cowboy hat on Sonny’s head, and says, much better. Lenny says he’s a born cowboy. Sonny says, yippee kai-yi-yay.

Scotty arrives at Elizabeth’s house, and she says, sorry it’s short notice. She hopes she didn’t pull Scotty away from anything, and he says, only the television; his film noire channel. She asks if Scotty will watch the kids, since Cameron is already a half hour late, and Scotty says that means Cameron’s got his game back.

Josslyn tells Cameron, they can’t keep having this same conversation, and he suggests they not talk about it, but she says, ignoring it won’t make the problem go away. He asks if she’s saying they can’t be friends anymore, and she tells him, don’t do this. He says, it’s a simple question. Can they still be friends? Yes or no? She says she’s not going to let him pressure her into saying what he wants to hear. He says, that’s right. Her standing by him isn’t nearly as important as her standing by a murderer.   

Jason asks Carly to tell him exactly what happened, and she says, Nikolas hired mercenaries to track down Florence, so he could give her back to Cyrus. (I love how they all talk about Florence like she’s a possession, not just Cyrus.) She says she couldn’t risk a shootout, so she told the guards to give them Florence. He says she made the right call, but she says, without Florence, they can’t stop Cyrus. That’s why they have to move now.

Finn tells Portia that he’s ordered another lab series, but it’s not in Chase’s chart. Portia says, the lab is backed up, but it’s marked as a priority. She’s sure the results will be in soon. Finn says, that’s not good enough. He put them in last night. How is he supposed to treat Chase without the basic data to diagnose him?

Willow sits by Chase’s bed, when he opens his eyes. He says, she’s still there, and she says, where else would she be? Did he sleep okay? Michael looks in through the window.  

Chase says he’s better now that Willow is there, and she says she’s flattered, but the doctors will need more specific feedback. He says the worst part is the constant monitoring. He’s over being poked and prodded while they check his bodily functions. Michael comes in, and says he guesses that’s a negative on the sponge bath he just arranged.   

Finn says, for a lab that’s so good at leaking personal information, they seem to have trouble doing their actual job, and Portia says, she’ll go to the lab personally, and expedite it, but she wants him to do her a favor. He says, name it, and she says, just step back, but he says, not when Chase is exhibiting a laundry list of symptoms that don’t point to any known condition. His job is to diagnose Chase. She says, his job is to be a father.

Peter tells Anna, Finn looks worried. No, frantic even. Heartbreaking, isn’t it? He’d do anything to save Chase from pain. Would she?  

Elizabeth tells Scotty that Cameron is having a hard time with Franco’s death, and he’s channeling his grief into anger. Scotty says, he’s been there more than once, and she says, Cameron blew up at Jake, insisting Jason is guilty. Of course (🍷) Jake defended his father. He says it sounds like she could use some help around there, but he’s sure she can do better than an ambulance chaser like him. What about her sister Sarah? She says, Sarah is busy with her practice on the west coast, and he says, her father. What about him?    

Josslyn says Cameron can force the issue all he wants, but she’s not choosing between him and Jason. He says, really? He’s keeps choosing her every time. Like when she used him to make Oscar jealous, and when Oscar was dying, he stood by her. When she needed a friend to lean on, and he wanted to be… She says, wanted to be what? and he says he just wants his friend back, but not if it means ignoring the fact that Franco, who he loved, is dead, and her wonderful Jason killed him. He walks out past Jax. Jax asks if Josslyn is okay, and she says, no, hugging him.

Carly tells Jason that she and Laura went screaming over to Windymere, but they were too late. Nikolas was already on the phone with his guys. He’s convinced returning Florence to Cyrus will save Alexis, and thinks he’s being a hero, but he doesn’t realize he’s being played. Jason says, maybe it’s for the best. They couldn’t hold Florence forever. She asks if it’s okay with him that Cyrus will have free reign because it’s not with her. He says, it’s not okay, and she asks, what happened to his hand? He says, it’s fine, and she says, did he fall and bang all of his knuckles at once? He was in a fight. Was it Cyrus’s men? He says, it’s fine; it’s being handled, and she asks, how long can he keep fending them off?

Sonny tells Phyllis, nice set up; fundraising is important. She says, so is community building. Lenny tells Sonny, don’t let Phyllis fool him. She’s here to dance. She says that’s why she got Sonny the hat. She didn’t want him begging off because he’s not properly dressed. She’s counting on him and Lenny to spin her around the floor. Lenny says, as long as it’s clear she’s his date, and Phyllis says she’s sure Sonny can find his own date. Eli and Nina arrive, and Lenny says, the whole gang is here. Eli says, it looks like the whole town showed up, and Lenny says, it gives you hope, doesn’t it? That Nixon Falls can pull together and get through this rough patch. Eli says, hope is a beautiful thing, and Phyllis says, it can move mountains, or build a barn dance. She says Nina looks pretty, and Nina says, never mind her. Look at Mike.

Scotty tells Elizabeth that he knows Jeff from way back. He’s a good guy. If she needs his help, he’ll be there. She says she and her father aren’t close, but he says, maybe this would be a good time to get close again. Cameron comes in, and says, sorry he’s late, and Elizabeth says Scotty is there because she didn’t know if he’d get home in time to watch his brothers. He tells her that he said he was sorry, but she says she doesn’t want to hear it. The boys are in their rooms. She leaves, and Cameron says he can’t deal with this. Scotty says Cameron looks like he went a few rounds, and got chewed up and spit out.  

Josslyn tells Jax, Cameron just ended their friendship, and it’s the third time he said they can’t be friends. So it’s official; three faults and they’re eliminated. Jax asks if it’s about Jason, and she says, no. It’s about Cameron pressuring her into joining his one man vendetta, and she refuses. A friend who only likes you when you agree with them, is a friend not worth having. He says, in general, he’d agree with her, and she says, but she should make an exception for Cameron? He says, that’s up to her.  

Carly says, the night Sonny disappeared, Jason said they were in this together, and he says, they are. She says he told her they’d make decisions together, and he says, they do. She says, that means being honest, so let’s be honest. Cyrus is going to get him killed. He says, Cyrus is going to try, and she says, eventually, he’ll succeed. Jason is outnumbered, and he doesn’t know who he can trust. At some point… She can’t let that happen. Jason says, this is where they are, and there’s nothing she can do to change the situation. She says, wrong.

Nina says Sonny’s hat looks amazing. Who would have guessed?. He says, that he could wear a cowboy hat? and she says, that he’d look so good wearing one. He says he has Phyllis to thank; she picked it out. Phyllis says she had the feeling it would suit him, and Lenny says, enough of this chit-chat. Is Phyllis ready for the dance floor? She says, lead the way, and Eli suggests he and Nina get a drink, and check out the silent auction, but Sonny says, Phyllis and Lenny have the right idea. He holds out his hand, and asks Nina to dance with him, and she says, how can she refuse? She tells Eli that the can find her on the dance floor. Eli doesn’t look happy.    

Portia says she knows Finn took the lead when Chase was admitted, but doesn’t he think it’s past time they called in a specialist? He says he’s not turning over the case to someone else; Chase is his son. She says, that’s exactly her point. There are rules governing which doctor treats which patient, and number one is doctors don’t treat their children. He says, these are extraordinary circumstances, but she says he’s lost all objectivity. Every time he goes into Chase’s room, he’s less of a doctor, and more of a father. Finn says he is a specialist, and she says, who’s desperate to save his son, which could lead to errors in judgement. Does he want to be responsible if something happens to Chase because he did something wrong? He says, he’ll be responsible either way.

Anna tells Peter he shouldn’t be there; get out. He says he thought there might be a story for The Invader – PCPD detective struck by mysterious illness. She asks how far he’s going to take this, and he says, how far is she going to make him take it? She asks if he really doesn’t care that Chase is suffering because of him, and he says she might want to keep her voice down. He gave her his terms. No more public accusations by her and Valentin, and they’ll treat him like the upstanding citizen he is. She says he told her that he had an antidote, which he’s yet to produce. He says, about that. He’s reconsidered.

Anna and Peter go to a stairwell, and Peter says they can speak more freely there. She asks if he even has an antidote, or did he poison Chase, and make them hope they’d save him, while he’s stringing them along to get what he wants? He says, Chase is still alive, and she asks if she’s supposed to trust him. If Chase dies, Peter dies. He says she’s a bit late. Valentin already promised to kill him, but he might find it’s not as easy as he thinks. She says she thinks Valentin is pretty capable of killing Peter. Valentin is ten times the man he is; ten times smarter, and ten times more lethal. He just doesn’t have access to the bag of Faison’s leftover dirty tricks. But Valentin won’t be the one to kill him; she will. She’ll put a bullet in him, and not even blink. He says, she hates him that much? but she says she could pity him, if he’d ever tried to change. He tells her to get down off her soapbox. He has the antidote. She asks where it is, and he says, first things first. He needs her help with Maxie.

Chase asks if Willow told Michael about his face plant in his living room, but Michael says, sadly, she left that part out. Chase says he passed out cold; so much for being a tough guy. Willow says she’ll let them catch up, and check in with Portia. She leaves, and Chase says he hopes he didn’t upset her. Michael says, she just needs a minute, and Chase says Willow has barely left his side since she brought him in. She’s gone above and beyond, especially considering what he and Sasha did. They’re so lucky that she and Michael are so forgiving. Michael says, Willow didn’t tell him? and Chase says they’ve had no chance talk. Fill him in.

Finn tells Portia, with all due respect, he doesn’t feel the need to justify himself to her or anyone else. She says she respects him, and sympathizes with what he’s going through, but not enough to ignore best medical practices. He says she’ll just have to report him to the higher ups, and she says she has a duty of care. Anyone on their team, including the Chief of Staff, would agree with her. He says, so that’s it? She’s going to turn him in to Britt? She says, only if he forces her hand. Now she’s going to check on his son’s labs. Elizabeth comes in, and asks if Finn is okay. He asks if he looks okay.

Josslyn says, Jax knows about Jason saving Cameron’s life, and he asks her to remind him of the details. She says, when Cameron and Trina were kidnapped when they were on their way to the midwinter formal, Cyrus wanted to use Trina as bait to trap her father. Cameron got away, and was literally running for his life, when he tripped and fell. One of Cyrus’s men was standing over him with a gun, and was going to shoot him, when Jason shot Cyrus’s man first. Cameron told her the story, and now it’s like it never happened. Jax says, because Jason was accused of killing Franco. She says, Jason didn’t do it, and Jax says, of course (🍷) he didn’t, but Cameron doesn’t know that. All Cameron knows is, the stepfather he loved is dead. There are two witnesses, one of them is his mother, who said Jason did it. Josslyn says, Jason was kneeling near Franco, that’s all. She assumed Jason killed him, but didn’t see it happen. He asks if she told Cameron this, and she says, many times. Not that it mattered; he won’t listen. The other witness is Gladys Corbin, a lying liar who lies, and will do anything for money, but Cameron would rather believe Gladys than Jason, the man who saved his life.

Cameron says he’s glad Scotty is there, but there was no reason for it. Everything he does, his mom totally overreacts, and she’s not the only one. He feels like everyone is mad at him for some reason. Scotty says he made that mistake at Cameron’s age. He still keeps making it, so don’t follow in his footsteps. Cameron doesn’t want to go it alone; that’s no good.

Jason says whatever Carly is doing, she needs to stop. She says, wrong. She tried it his way. Cyrus offered to have Gladys retract her statement, and Jason made her turn him down. Jason says, because it was a set up. Cyrus is not going to have Gladys take back her story; Diane needs to break Gladys on the stand. She says, that won’t happen for months, and by then, he’ll be dead, and she can’t handle that. She can’t lose him. She doesn’t care if he’s mad at her, or thinks she’s wrong. They’re going do it her way, and they’re going to do it now.

Elizabeth tells Finn, it was poor choice of words. Clearly, he’s not okay. Can she help? He asks if she can convince Portia to mind her own business, and she says, about? He says he wants to be the lead on a patient’s team, and Portia thinks it’s inadvisable. She asks who the patient is, and he says, his son.

Michael says, clearly Willow has other priorities, like Chase’s heath. Chase says he appreciates that, but he can use a distraction. What’s going on? Michael says, he and Sasha broke up. They were never really back together, so it’s more accurate to say they mutually agreed to end things. Chase says he’s sorry. He thought they’d work things out. Michael says he thought so too, but they finally admitted to themselves and each other that their hearts weren’t in it anymore. He’s grateful Sasha is in his life, and hopes she feels the same, but they were headed in different directions. Chase says, what a waste. If he and Sasha hadn’t lied… Michael says they did what they did with the best intentions, and this is where they all wound up. Chase says, he knows it sounds selfish, but he can’t help wondering, if Michael and Sasha couldn’t make it, what chance do he and Willow have?

Willow sees Portia, and tells her, Chase is awake. Portia asks if he’s in any discomfort, and Willow says, he’s not complaining, but that doesn’t mean he’s not hurting. He just doesn’t want her to worry. Portia says, so he’s less than forthcoming about his symptoms, and Willow says, at least not with her in the room. She asks if there’s been any progress, and Portia says, not yet. Chase has multiple symptoms, seemingly unrelated. Right now, they have to come up with an accurate diagnosis, so they can start the proper treatment, but stay strong. They’ll figure it out.

Anna asks if Maxie didn’t call Peter from the ER the other night, and he says they are finding their way back to each other, but it’s happening way too slowly. She asks if he’s on some kind of schedule, and he says he wants to be in the room when his daughter is born. He wants her to know him from her first breath. She says, he’ll have to take that up with Maxie if he wants to be in the delivery room, and he says he wants her to lay the groundwork. After all, Anna is Maxie’s godmother, and Maxie respects her opinion. She says, not anymore. Maxie wants nothing to do with her. He says, then try harder. Make it a priority, or else – he takes a vial out of his pocket – Detective Chase will have to do without.

Cameron says Scotty is acting like he’s tried to antagonize everyone in his life, and Scotty says, no, just the people he cares about. Those are easy targets. Cameron says, maybe it’s not his fault. Is it impossible to think someone else is wrong? Scotty says, no. Cameron has a good point, but he has to make the playing field bigger. He can’t just pick on his mother, his brother, and Josslyn. Cameron tells Scotty that he didn’t say anything about Josslyn, and Scotty says, he was going to. Cameron says, the only person he wants to target is Jason, and Scotty says, Jason is in the slammer. If Cameron wants to go after someone who goofed up his life, he should do ten rounds with him.  

Josslyn tells Jax, she never thought Cameron could be this unreasonable, this flat-out hateful. He tried to convince Jake that Jason is guilty. How can he do that to his own brother? Does he think she’d do that to Avery, even though Ava is fully responsible for Morgan’s death? Jax says, of course (🍷) she wouldn’t, and she asks how could Cameron be so selfish. He says maybe she’s asking the wrong question. Maybe the question she should be asking is, is it worth losing Cameron’s friendship over something that’s out of her hands? She asks what he means, and he says they talked about playing the odds. The odds are good that Jason will be exonerated, and they’ll find the real killer. Then, Cameron will know that he’s wrong. And even if that doesn’t happen, how will it help Jason to fight with Cameron? She ponders this, and he says, the real reason he came there was, he wondered if she wanted to join him for a little flight in the Cessna? She says, at night? and he says, it will only be a couple of hours. It might give her a different perspective. She says she’d love that, but she can’t. She has to stay there; her mom needs her. He says, fine, and she hugs him, saying, fly safe. He says he always does, low and slow. He tells her, one more thing. Try to understand, underneath all that anger, Cameron is just scared. Maybe he needs Josslyn’s understanding more than Jason needs her to defend him.

Jason says, what are they doing? and Carly says, what needs to be done. He says he knows she’s scared and wants to fight, but whatever she’s setting up, she needs to think it through. Not just how it will work, but how it will fail. Will she be protected? Will there be blowback? If there is, it’s not worth risk. She says, it is, and he asks if Donna says it is. Does Josslyn say it is? It’s okay with them that their mother risks her life? He can survive in there for as long as he needs to. She says he won’t have to much longer. Be ready. He says, for what? and she says he’ll know it when he sees it. She puts the phone back, and walks out.  

Nina tells Sonny, that was crazy. What’s gotten into him? He says he thinks his partner had something to do with it, and she says she could barely keep up. He says maybe the man he used to be was a dancer. Or maybe he felt lose enough to do what he couldn’t do before. It’s just the mystery in his life that he’s not going to get the answer to. She says, there’s no mystery that he’s got skills on the dance floor, and he says, he’s not that good. He just likes to make a fool of himself. She says, dignity is overrated, and he asks if she just insulted him. She says, never. It’s just that she knows a lot of dignified people who wear their social status like armor. People who would rather look down on life rather than embrace it like him. He says he can’t imagine her with those people, and she says, right now, she can’t either. He says, when they were dancing, he saw the real her, and she says, when she was tripping over her feet? He says she was happy, shining like nothing could touch her. It’s the happiest he’s seen her since they met. She says she thinks her partner had something to do with it. They almost kiss, when Eli approaches, and asks if Nina is ready for their dance.

Eli says he saw her on the dance floor, but he couldn’t reach her, and Sonny says, maybe his timing was off. Eli asks if he can have this dance, and Phyllis and Lenny come out, Lenny leaning on Phyllis. Nina asks if he’s okay, and he says he just needs to rest. Nina says she thinks Lenny must have overdid it, and Eli says, or he wants an excuse to sit this one out. She says she’s going to double-check on Lenny, and she’ll circle back around, but Eli says, Phyllis has this one covered. The dance floor awaits. He takes her hand, but Sonny says she offered him a raincheck. Why doesn’t he take it? Eli says, whatever she wants, and she says she’ll be right back. Nina leaves, and Eli says Sonny needs to learn to stay out of business that doesn’t concern him. Sonny says, that’s the thing, Nina, Lenny, and Phyllis aren’t business; not to him anyway. Eli says he gets the feeling Sonny doesn’t think much of him, and Sonny says, why would he? Eli is lying to Lenny and Phyllis about his past. What else is he lying about?

Finn says he’s sorry for snapping at Elizabeth, and she says, don’t let it happen again. What’s going on with Chase? He says Willow brought him in last night; he passed out at his home. Initially, he was exhibiting flulike symptoms, but his fever dropped, and he developed severe neuropathy. She says, anything in his labs? and Finn says, the first round showed nothing. He ordered a second round, but he’s still waiting for the results. She says, he knows neuropathy can be the result of a condition that doesn’t show up in the initial series, and he asks if she’s telling him not to worry too much. She says, he has every right to worry. Just don’t let it cloud his judgment, or cause him to fight with the people on his side.

Portia asks how Chase is feeling, and he says, he and Michael were just discussing his imminent return to the gym. She asks Michael if they can have a moment, and he tells Chase, feel better. Chase says maybe when he gets out they can go grab a beer. Michael says, sounds like a plan, and leaves. Chase tells Portia to do her worst.

Michael tells Willow that Portia is in with Chase. She says, maybe now is a good time to talk.

Anna asks Peter if that’s an antidote or a mind game, and he says, no game. It’s the real deal. Shoot Chase up with this, and he won’t be good as new, but he’ll be further from death’s door. She tells him to give it to her, and he says, deliver Maxie. She says, that will take time, and he says, Chase doesn’t have time. She says, all right. Can’t they come to a compromise? Like an intermediary step of some sort? He says, now that she mentions it, he’d like her to arrange a visit, hassle free, with Maxie at the house they once shared. She says, done, but he says he’s going to need more than her word. He drops the vial to the floor and crushes it with his heel, telling her, work fast.

Cameron asks what Scotty did to mess up his life, and Scotty says, indirectly he did. If he’d been a better father to Franco, Franco would have turned out different; things might have been a different story. When Scotty was young, he was deemed a bad guy in this town. He did a lot of horrible stuff, and never thought about the consequences. For cryin’ out loud, he has three grown kids he didn’t know about until they were grown. He thinks about that all the time. Could he have been a better guy, a better father? Cameron says, Franco wouldn’t have wanted Scotty to blame himself, and Scotty says, he wouldn’t want Cameron to make the same mistakes he did. The things you do as a kid, that’s what shapes you. If you’re not a stand-up guy now, when you’re older, you won’t be.   

Carly comes back home, and Josslyn says she just missed dad. Carly asks if he was looking for her, and Josslyn says, no. He was taking a short trip in the Cessna, and thought she’d want to ride with him. Carly asks, where? but Josslyn says she forgot to ask. He said he’d only be gone a couple of hours. She asks if Carly is okay, and Carly says she’s getting there.

Jason is put back in his cell. The guard tells him that he just got word from the powers that be. Jason is getting a roommate.

Willow asks Michael how Chase is, and he says, Chase is putting up a good front, but he could tell he’s in pain. Willow says that’s why she couldn’t tell him about them, and he says, of course (🍷). She asks if he doesn’t think she’s a coward, but he says he thinks she’s caring and wonderful. She says, and she has no idea what she’s supposed to do now.

Portia tells Chase to rate his pain from one to ten, and he says, it’s like a three, or five, or six, but down from nine. All he knows is, last night, it was excruciating, and now he’s uncomfortable. She says his most recent lab tests will be back soon, and they can eliminate any conditions he doesn’t have. He says he’s not worried. He has the best taking care of him.   

Finn thanks Elizabeth for talking him down. He’s going to find Portia and apologize. Elizabeth says she’s sure Portia will appreciate it, but thinks right now, Chase needs his attention more than Portia does. He says, good point, and heads for Chase’s room, running into Anna on the way.   

Peter asks if Chase is up for a visitor, and Chase says, not him. Ha-ha! Peter says he’s sorry to hear that. Chase’s mother is his star reporter, and that makes Chase as part of the Invader family (ugh). Chase says Peter violated his mother’s privacy, and splashed her private personal information all over the front page. Is that how Peter treats family? Peter says, it depends on the family, and tells Chase, get well soon.

Finn asks Anna why she’s at the hospital, and she says she knows what’s wrong with Chase.

Josslyn calls Cameron, and he hesitates, but answers. She says she doesn’t like how they left things, and he says he doesn’t either. She says, can they just not give up on each other yet? He says he’s glad she called. The entire way home, he thought about calling her. He deleted about ten texts. I hope not while he was driving. He tells her that he doesn’t know what to say, except he doesn’t want to give up either. He goes upstairs with the phone, and Scotty makes a call. He leaves a message, saying he’s at the Webber house, babysitting. The kids are busy, so if she gets this message, maybe they can have their own Oktoberfest. If not, then gute Night Fräulein.  

Carly gets a call from an unknown number. She asks, is it done?… Okay. Time to move on to the rest of the plan.

Jason’s cellmate is brought in, and Jason looks shocked. We see it’s Shawn, and Jason asks, who set this up? Shawn says, good question.

Lenny looks at Eli and Sonny, and says, look at those two fools. Like a couple of roosters, strutting around the barnyard. Phyllis says she’ll talk to him, but Nina says, they can handle it. Phyllis says, she hopes.  

Eli tells Sonny, so what if he lost his shirt with the startup? and Sonny says, he nearly went to prison in the process. Did he tell Lenny and Phyllis that? Eli says, why would he tell them something that would worry them? and Sonny says, because they’d be less trusting and generous with him? Eli says, like they are with him? He has a sweet deal. Why doesn’t he back the hell off? Sonny asks, why not tell Lenny and Phyllis what happened in California? and Eli says they don’t have to be enemies. Sonny tells him, who said anything about enemies? and Eli says, he did, and walks away. Nina asks Sonny, how about another dance? and he says he’s game if she is. She says, just try to keep up.

Lenny tells Phyllis, it’s been going downhill since Eli offered to buy the Tan-O and Mike gave them the money to keep it. Phyllis says, she thinks it’s got less to do with the Tan-O, and more to do with Nina. Lenny says Phyllis started pushing her toward Mike. Has she changed her mind about Eli? Phyllis says she’s staying neutral. Nina has to make up her own mind. All of a sudden, Jax appears, and says he’s hoping they can help him find someone.  

Tomorrow, Willow knows it’s a lot to ask, Maxie says she’s in trouble, Carly says she needs more than Jordan’s word, Jax asks if Nina is still in Nixon Falls, and Jason wonders who set this up. It’s a lot.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Marge invited the women to a yacht party in Norwalk, Connecticut on ghostwriter Emily’s yacht (the same ghostwriter Teresa used). I’m rethinking my career if the ghostwriter is the one who has the yacht. Marge was going to read some of her book to her friends, so she could get the vibe. Melissa wasn’t feeling well, and passed on the party. Since Marge said Melissa had been throwing up, I wondered if Melissa could be pregnant. Even though she’s said that ship has sailed, four words – change of life baby. Feel free to start a rumor. Delores told Frank Jr. about her abnormal mammogram because she didn’t want to repeat her mistake in not telling David about having a procedure that could potentially affect her family. In her interview, Teresa admitted she was dating someone, but wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Jennifer talked to daughter Gabriella about the fight between her grandparents. Jennifer explained that she’d grown up with that, and had been petrified of her mother. She tried her best, but was never happy. She told Gabriella that her grandmother had married when she was 16 and her grandfather was 26. It had been an arranged marriage, and since Josephine was the only daughter at home, she had to cook and clean for everyone. Jennifer thought she’d agreed to get out of the house, but then he wanted to move to America, ripping her away from her family. Jennifer also thought her mother was embarrassed that her dad was staying with them, and wondered what people would think. She said it was also possible Josephine was a little jealous of Jennifer’s marriage. In Jennifer’s interview, she said her mother didn’t get to choose her life, and they had to understand where she was coming from.

Emily’s boat was called The Frivolous, and a fabulous spread was arranged. Emily introduced Captain Fred and First Mate Parker, and Jackie immediately wanted to fix Parker up with Teresa, saying in her interview that she wanted Teresa to be happy. Maybe if she was happy, she’d stop doing bad things. When everyone arrived, Jackie said she was going to be 44 soon, and they discussed possible plans. A restaurant was brought up, and Teresa said she’d gone there on a date. In Marge’s interview, she said she was glad Teresa was admitting it, and Teresa told them that she’d met him at the Shore after praying that her mother would send her a guy who was everything she’d ever wanted. She told the women that they were taking it slow. Delores said he sounded like a guy who would court her, and in Delores’s interview, she said maybe Teresa wasn’t being honest with herself, or telling herself what she needed to, since she was pregaming with pineapple.

Marge said the first chapters of her book were about Marge Sr. – the first chapter called Raised By Wolves – and she was going to read about how and why she slept with her boss. In Marge’s interview, she said she was nervous. It was bringing her back to a time in her life when she wasn’t strong, and now it would be in print forever. She felt vulnerable. She read that she knew he was taking advantage of his power, but she compartmentalized. In Jennifer’s interview, she said the first time Marge told the story, it was in a different tone. She hadn’t understood Marge felt powerless, and just thought she was living it up. Jen told Marge that wasn’t how she’d processed it, and Marge said Jen didn’t read things correctly. At a time when people were worried about getting a stimulus check, she was on Instagram, complaining she couldn’t find help. She was tone deaf. Jennifer told Marge, if she didn’t like the music, change the channel, and Emily said Jennifer didn’t know how to read the yacht. Jennifer said they had no idea how much she had on her plate. Her kids were homeschooled; her parents were constantly going at each other, so she had to referee; and she had a hard time taking care of such a large house. She didn’t feel she should be judged for the occasional good time – i.e. getting blackout drunk and falling all over the place. She said after hearing Marge read her story, her perception had changed, and she was sorry. She told them about how her mom believed she’d been emotionally abused during her marriage, and she wanted to cheer her up. She thought her mom should do something social, and wanted to have everyone over with their moms. She thought maybe Josephine’s peers could give her advice, since if it came from Jennifer, she thought it was an attack. Marge said life was too short to hold grudges, and suggested they move forward. In her interview, Jennifer said, even though she thought Marge sometimes came for her, she respected and loved Marge, and wanted to find a way to move forward.  

Jennifer visited Melissa, who told Jennifer about her date night with Joe #2. She said she was scared to have in depth conversations with him because she felt like they ended up arguing. She was ready to go, and thought if Joe held her back, she’d end up resenting him. Jackie brought up Teresa’s mention of her boyfriend, and in Melissa’s interview, she said she’d been sworn to secrecy. She had to pretend she hadn’t met him, even though she had. Teresa had always been on the defense, backing up her marriage to Joe #1, and if she had a nice guy who made her feel good about herself, maybe she’d chill. She thought if Teresa was content and in love, she would be a better Teresa. These people expect a lot out of Teresa getting boinked.

Marge Sr. came by Marge’s house, and Marge asked if she’d read the book. Marge Sr. said she had, and she’d known about Marge’s antics in high school, but not the sexual harassment later. Marge said, at the time, women felt shame or like they were responsible. In Marge’s interview, she said women were made to feel that if they looked sexy or attractive, they brought it on themselves. She was afraid to say anything, since she was 22 and had her dream job. Marge Sr. felt badly that Marge had never felt safe growing up, and Marge said, growing up, she wanted Marge Sr. to be the same as the other mothers, but she also loved the glamour. Their bathroom was filled with cosmetics even though their refrigerator looked like it belonged to a bachelor. She said she’d gotten her work ethic from Marge Sr., and Marge Sr. said she felt badly that she hadn’t been around more, and didn’t give Marge the advice she needed. Her personal life had been a mess. Marge said she’d made up for it, and was the best grandmother ever. Marge Sr. said that Marge had become a fantastic woman, and she knew the book would be a success. I can’t wait to read it. For the record, I too, worked in the garment district, and can back up the attitude Marge talks about. However – and this is not judging Marge in any way – I didn’t go down the same path. One day, I was bending over my desk, and the VP came by. He put his hand in my back pocket, and I never even turned around, but told him, if he wanted to keep that hand, he would take it out immediately. He did, and laughed, never doing it again. I guess he could have fired me, but I was pretty good at what I did. True story.

Melissa gave Antonia a private shopping experience at envy, where they picked out some school clothes. Melissa asked if Antonia was still with her boyfriend, and Antonia said she was, but didn’t want to talk about it. Actually, she seems like a typical teenager who doesn’t want to talk about anything personal with their parents. Melissa barreled on anyway, telling Antonia that her mother never told her about anything. She asked if Antonia had had sex yet, and Antonia said no, but wondered why Melissa wanted information about her life. Melissa said Antonia was her daughter and she knew Antonia was no longer a child. She said Antonia needed to know she could get pregnant, or get a number of STDs, at which point Antonia looked like she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her. She told Melissa, please stop, and Melissa said Antonia could laugh, but needed to hear what she was saying. That’s where Antonia had enough, and hid in the bathroom, saying she’d be back after a 15 minute pee. In Melissa’s interview, she said she hoped she got the message across that Antonia could come to her. She yelled to Antonia that she had to be strong enough to say no, and Antonia went, la-la-la.

Jennifer and Josephine got ready for their Turkish tea party, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said her mom was in her glory when she was putting out a big spread. She loved to cook, and started cooking with her own mother when she was five. Jennifer’s grandmother was famous for some of her dishes in the village, and Josephine had even surpassed her. When the party commenced, I almost didn’t recognize Jennifer’s mom without her hair in a bun and wearing an apron over old lady slacks. She looked a lot younger. Melissa told everyone about discussing sex with Antonia, which I’m sure will thrill Antonia when she sees that. We flashed back to various scenes with Teresa and her mom, and Teresa said she had to leave; she missed her mom. In her interview, she said, you never get over the loss of your mom. She felt the need to see her, so she feels like she’s with her (by which, I assume she means go to the cemetery). I could understand this, since my dad died just before I got married, and I tried to spend the next Christmas with my in-laws. I had to leave too. Teresa told the women that she’d had so much anxiety, she could sleep the night before. We were all wiping our eyes.

There was no preview, other than, to be continued…

⏳ Like Sands In the Hourglass…

Lots of tea tomorrow, as well as the long-awaited finale for Frat Summer House. It looks like they saved their most disgusting drunken messes for last. For now, stay safe, stay fierce in a good way, and stay never thinking you brought harassment on yourself just because you look good.