(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Dog! Daryl messes with his bike, and gets on. Carol comes by and picks up a map from the ground, and puts it in Daryl’s backpack. The engine isn’t turning over, and she asks if she ever told him about the pedal sewing machine her grandma had. She’d help when her grandma got tired. She said Carol had an especially strong right foot. He says, she followed him out there… She tells him, no one is following anyone, and he says, she wants to come, right? She says she wants to hunt what’s left to hunt, and he needs a spotter. The bike starts, and she gets on. He tells her that he didn’t say she could come, but he takes off, Dog running behind them as they bicker in fun.
They go through the woods. Carol gives Dog a snack, and Daryl says, five miles due south at the east gate. He tells her, stay close, and remember this spot in case she gets lost. She says she’s not going anywhere. Dog spies something, and they follow him to a dead deer. Carol says, the other deer are probably all gone by now. She suggests they find another spot, and Daryl says he’s thinking the river. She says, let’s do it, and they walk.
Carol stops, telling Daryl that she has a foot cramp. He hopes it’s not her very special strong right foot, and she says she’s fine; give her a minute. He thinks they should have gone the other way, but Carol says they should fish before noon. It’s worth a shot. He gives her a stick, and says, be his guest. He tells dog, watch this disaster, and Carol immediately gets a fish. He says, no way, and she shows him. He says, beginner’s luck. She guts and scales the fish, as he watches, and she tells him, say it. He doesn’t think she’s doing it right. He tells her, try closer to the bone, and she says she’s fileted fish before. Why doesn’t he do it himself? He says, it’s fine, but they should go. It’s going to be dark soon. They need to find a place to stay. Carol asks if he thinks their luck has run out, and he asks what she means. She says, Hilltop was hard for everyone to take, but at least they were there to fight for it. But losing Alexandria… He says, they didn’t, and she says, not yet. It feels different, like everything good in the world is not on their side anymore. He says, they’ll build and start over, and she says, until it happens again. They had a good long run; longer than most. He knows this world. The dead will catch up to them eventually. He says, if they let it. He’s not going to let it. He tells her, let’s go, when Dog takes off. Carol wonders if it’s another animal. He calls to Dog, and they follow.
They move faster, and Dog runs into a clearing, where there’s a cabin with a sun porch. Carol asks if Daryl is coming, and she and Dog go inside to investigate. Daryl sees a woman on the porch, petting Dog, but it’s just in his mind. He goes inside, and Carol is there with Dog. He looks around, and Dog acts all busy. Daryl looks out the window.
Five years ago. Daryl sits by the river. Dog as a puppy runs up to him, and he picks Dog up, kissing him, and wondering where he came from. Dog runs off, and Daryl follows. He finds a makeshift shelter, and takes out a map, putting it on the wall. He circles something, and keeps walking. He sees Carol across the river, and asks, what’s going on? She says, nothing, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it doesn’t matter. Things are just different. He asks, how? and she says, it’s harder to talk; harder to trade. Maggie left. She took Herschel, and went with Georgie. She’s on her own journey now, like him. He says she knows she’s got to do this, right? She says she knows, and he asks how the kids are. She says she doesn’t know. It’s been two years. How long does he plan on staying there? He says he doesn’t know. As long as it takes. She asks if anything has turned up, and he says there’s a spot up the river that he’s going to check out. She says she does understand. If not for Henry and Ezekiel, and things going on back at the Kingdom… Daryl says he gets it. She should go. There’s a storm coming. Carol tosses him a backpack, and he thanks her. She tells him, be careful, and he says he will.
Daryl sees a lone zombie, and looks near it through binoculars, seeing an overturned canoe near the river. He stabs the zombie in the head, and rights the canoe, seeing a body underneath it. It starts to move, and he smashes its head with his foot. That’s one way to get your aggression out.
Daryl sits in the shelter as it storms around him. He realizes his map is getting soaked and damaged. He grabs it, yelling at the sky. Some of the shelter topples, and he walks out into the storm.
One year later. Daryl sees a knife or something sticking out of a tree. Dog is bigger now, and runs to the cabin, Daryl running after him. He follows Dog into the cabin, and kills a zombie. A woman comes out of another room with a shogun, and asks who the hell he is. Daryl puts his hands up, and she says she asked him a question. He says he’s leaving, and she says, no, you’re not.
Dog digs at the floor, and Carol asks if he found something. She pulls up the floorboards, and Dog gets excited. He pulls out a cuttle bone, and runs off with it. Carol asks if she lived here, and Daryl says, it was a long time ago. He goes outside, where Dog is chewing his bone on the porch. He says he already told Carol everything, but she says, no, he didn’t. He asks what else she wants to know, and she says, whatever he wants to tell her.
It’s night, and the woman pulls the downed zombie outside using the rug. Daryl sits by a fire, his wrists bound. He asks if she’s going to kill him, and she says, should she? He doesn’t say anything, and she says, that’s what she thought. Something tells her that he wants to die. Not today. He says she doesn’t know him, and she says, he’s right; she doesn’t. So she’ll ask him again, who the hell is he? What’s he doing out there on her land? He says his name Daryl. He didn’t come looking for trouble. Her dog found him. He was just trying to help. She says he’s tied up in her cabin with a 12-gauge pointed at his head. What kind of help does he think she needs? She lowers the gun, and takes out a pocket knife. She cuts him loose, and he says, she’s letting him go? She tells him, get out, before she changes her mind. He puts on his backpack, and heads for the door. He asks if she’s going to tell him her name, but she says, no.
Six months later. Daryl is using a tree stump as a desk, when Dog runs up to him. They walk together, and the woman sees him heading toward the cabin. She thanks him for bringing Dog back. She says Dog likes Daryl, and Daryl says, he’s just a dog; he don’t know any better. If she won’t tell him her name, what about his? She says, Dog, and he says, just Dog? She asks if he’s got something better, and he says, no. At least he won’t forget what he is. She says, it’s not for everyone; living out in the wild and chasing the dead. He says, it catches up with all of them after a while, but she says, only if you let it. He says he’s going, and she tells him, be careful, and goes inside.
Eight months later. Daryl walks down the river in the water. In the forest, he gathers wood, and a bunch of zombies come out. He shoots one with his crossbow, and stabs another in the head. He hears a gunshot, and the woman motions for him to come. He follows her, and they hide behind a tree, as the zombies toddle past. They’re in pretty close proximity, and Daryl almost smiles. When the zombies are gone, he tells her that she needs to stay away from his camp, and keeps walking. She says, name’s Leah, as she walk in the other direction.
Three months later. Daryl heads for the cabin, and tosses a fish inside, but it’s quiet, and he leaves. While he warms his hands over a fire in the woods, a fish is flung at his head. Leah says she can catch her own damn fish, and he asks why she’s always throwing something at him. He was trying to be nice. She says she doesn’t need him to be nice. She doesn’t him to be need anything. She wants to be left the hell alone. He says he won’t bother her again, and she says, then she won’t come around again. He says, good, and she says, great; bye. He turns around, and says, she’s still there. He says he thought she was gone, and she says she is. He tells her that he gets it; being out there by herself. She asks if he’s been out there a long time too, and he says, he lost track a long time ago. She looks at his hands and asks if it’s frost nip. He says, no big deal; he’s had it before. She says, it’s not a big deal until you lose a couple fingers or a hand. Come on.
Daryl sleeps on the floor of the cabin, and wakes to Leah picking up pieces of glass from a frame. She says, it’s his birthday today, and he sees her looking at a picture of herself with a little boy. She says she didn’t have a family growing up. She knew she had to find her own way, her own family. She found it in her squad. They fought side by side for years, and when the world went to hell, they swore they’d stay together, fight together. They gave her hope, and she tried to give it to her son… Matthew was her son. She didn’t give birth to him, but he was hers. He was born of her sister; that’s what Leah called her anyway. Leah lost her when he was born. It doesn’t matter; he’s gone. She fiddles with her bracelet, and covers the floor hiding spot, smoothing the carpet over it. She walks past Daryl, brushing tears away, and looks out the window. She says she held Matthew tight, Dog’s mama next to her; she was pregnant. The dead came from all sides; there was so much screaming… so much blood. She cries, and says she was separated from her family, and she ran; it felt like she ran forever. She ended up there. Her boy was bit. She said goodbye to him the same day Dog was born, and hasn’t seen another soul since. She turns to him, and says, not until he came along. Who did he lose? He says, his brother, and she asks, how? He says, it was an accident.They never found the body. She asks if Daryl thinks he’s still out there, but he says he doesn’t know. He’s not stopping until he finds out. She says, always the hero, huh?
At the river, Leah shows Daryl the fish she caught. He says, lucky shot, and she gets another. He walks away, and Dog follows.
Daryl and Leah look at the moon, and she says, it’sbeautiful, huh? They lie together next to the fire, and she motions him closer.
Ten months later. Daryl and Leah eat in silence, and he says if she’s not going to talk to him. She gets up, and he says, it’s only going to be for a few days. She wonders where he belongs. Out there on the river, looking for his dead brother, day after day after day? Or does he belong to the family he left because it became too hard to face what happened? Or does he belong there with her? He says he doesn’t know, and she says he does. She tells him that he has to choose, and leaves.
Carol approaches Daryl, as he’s looking at his map. She says she’s happy to see him too, and he says he’s just busy. He asks, what’s up? and she says she was going to ask the same thing. Does that mean he’s coming back? He says, no, and she gives him a sweater. He says, tell him why she really came, and she asks if she can’t bring a friend a gift. She came because she wanted to tell him that it will be a while before she comes back. He says, okay, and she says, things are tough at the Kingdom, and Ezekiel needs her there. He wonders if she’s asking permission, and she says, no. He says she doesn’t need to ask him to move on with her life, and she says, it’s just… He says she wants him to move on with his? She says she wants him to find some peace. She doesn’t want to lose him because he can’t figure out when to stop. He says she ain’t gonna lose him. He’s just got stuff to do.
Daryl walks through the woods. And walks. And walks. He runs.
Daryl calls for Leah. He sees the broken, now empty, frame, and looks around the cabin, but Leah isn’t there. Dog runs up to him. He packs up some cans, and writes a note. I belong with you. Find me. He puts it under the floor, and leaves with Dog.
On the porch, Daryl tells Carol that he should have been there. He could have helped her. She asks if he thinks Leah is alive, but he says he doesn’t know. She says, it’s possible Leah just left, and he says, what? She says, it’s not an accusation. He says he walked away, and she says he didn’t. He thinks that every time he loses something, it’s because of him. He says he made mistakes, and she says, they all do. Losing Leah isn’t on him. Neither is Rick, or Connie. He says, no. Connie on her, because she never knows when to stop. Carol says she’s sorry for Connie, but not sorry for going after the horde, or making Alpha pay for killing Henry, because she was right. He says, and that’s all that matters; you being right. She says, it’s not just about Leah, or Connie, or anyone else. Why doesn’t he say what he wants, that she shouldn’t have gone. He says she wanted to help, but she says she wanted to run, so she ran. What the skins did to Alexandria, she just couldn’t deal with the guilt. He says, that’s not his problem, and she says, his only problem is that he thinks he can save everyone. She doesn’t need a savior. She doesn’t need a martyr. She needs a friend. He says, friends don’t have the damn same conversation over and over again, and she asks if that’s what’s happening. He says, that’s what’s been happening. He’s sick of it. She says he should have let her get back on the boat, and he says he should have stopped her from running. She’s a runner. Run. He knows where he’s supposed to be, and won’t stop her this time. She says she was right. Our luck has run out, you and me. She tells him, no one is around except them, and it’s going be dark soon.
Next time, Gabriel wonders if think things are ever going to go back to the way they were (as we all do), Gabriel and Aaron explore, Gabriel meets a stranger, and Aaron puts a gun to his own head.
⚰️ Sometime In the Future…
Sadly, Walking Dead will come to an end with season 11, but at least it will be stretched out due to the pandemic. There’s always an upside.
The Dead have come and gone, signaling the start of another workweek, or another stretch of seven days, depending on how pandemically affected you are. But regardless of the calendar you keep, stay safe, stay bouncing back from whatever life throws at you, and stay not having the same damn conversation over and over again with your friends.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Chase asks Jackie if Violet is okay, and Jackie says, she fell asleep watching a movie. He thanks her for getting Violet out of there, and she says she could tell things were about to go south. What ended up happening? He says, apparently, Anna knew Peter wasn’t her son, and didn’t tell Finn. He’s sure it was hard for her, so he’s trying not to judge, but how can you plan on marrying somebody, and keep something so major from them?
Finn is looking out the window, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Anna, who asks if she can come in. He steps aside, and she says she’s sure he has a lot of questions. He says, just one. What else is she lying about?
Maxie tells Peter, she’s getting nervous. Why hasn’t he answered her? He says because he can’t believe she still wants to marry him, and she says, of course (🍷) she does. Her love for him hasn’t changed just because his mother has. He asks if she’s sure; he doesn’t want her pity. She says, the one she pities is Obrecht. She was so determined to wreck their lives, she made enemies out of everyone. What Peter does have is her love, her respect, and her heart. She hopes she still has his. He says she does, and he will marry her. Obrecht tells Valentin, Peter isn’t who Maxie thinks he is. The pretense of morality and kindness is all a lie.He’s a manipulator who can’t be trusted. He mustn’t be allowed to go home to her grandson. She owes it to Nathan to keep James safe. She walks over to Dante, and takes out her pen. Britt asks what she’s doing, and Obrecht says, what must be done; Maxie and James must be protected. Valentin practically shouts, sorry, Maxie. He can’t allow this wedding to continue. Not until she knows who Peter truly is. Maxie makes an exasperated noise, and asks Peter what Valentin is talking about. Peter says he doesn’t know, and asks Valentin, what the hell is he talking about? Valentin says, this has gone on long enough. It’s time the truth was brought to light.
At the MetroCourt bar, Carly asks Jax if everything is all right. He says, yes… Nina’s not returning his calls. He thought he’d run into her downstairs, but she skipped out on Maxie’s wedding. Carly says, that’s one sacred ceremony she can’t desecrate, and he makes a face. She says she thinks she might know where Nina is, or rather who she’s with. He asks, who? and she says, Wiley.
Michael opens the door to Nina, and asks her to come in. She thanks him for inviting her over, and he says he’s glad she could make it on such short notice. She says, is he kidding? She would have jumped off an airplane mid-flight to be there. She’s grateful, and thanks him for giving her a chance to get to know her grandson and be in his life. It means the world to her.
On the phone, Franco leaves a message for Obrecht, saying, he checked himself into the MetroCourt, just for the night, until he can check himself into Shadybrook tomorrow. If she feels like breaking into a hotel, give him a call back. There’s a knock at the door, and Franco opens it to Elizabeth and Cameron. He asks what they’re doing there, and Elizabeth says he didn’t bring much stuff with him, so they brought a few things to make it feel like home. Franco says he would have managed, but Cameron says, it was his idea. He got upset, and stormed off. He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.
Valentin says Maxie needs to listen to him, and Peter says she doesn’t. She says, everyone needs to just stop. It doesn’t matter to her who Peter’s mother is. It doesn’t change her love for him. Valentin says it doesn’t change the way he feels either. He’s not condemning Peter because Alex is his mother. Peter condemned Peter through the actions he’s taken, and the choices he’s made. Peter is a liar. His redemption is a lie. You can’t have redemption if you lack the capacity to acknowledge who you really are. Peter clearly doesn’t have the courage to do that, so he’ll do it for him. Everyone waits…
Jax says, it was generous of Michael to allow Nina to have a relationship with Wiley, and Carly asks if he’s surprised. He says, of course (🍷) not. He’s sure Nina appreciates it. Carly says, she’s sure too, and he asks if she thinks Michael is wrong. She says she thinks Wiley should get to know his grandmother, but she’s still furious at Nina. Her behavior was out of line at Sonny’s grave, and she’d tell Nina to her face, but that’s between her and Nina, not Wiley. But she’s worried about Nina spending too much time with Wiley right now, not once things have settled down, and Nina has faced her new reality. It’s been one shock piled on another. Even before Nina found out Nelle was her daughter, she made excuses for Nelle, painting her as not as guilty as she was. Jax says, trying to redeem Nelle’s memory, and she says, if Nina allows that to bleed onto Wiley, what is that going to do to that little boy?
Willow sees Nina, and says, that was fast. Nina tells her, the name Wiley put some pep in her step. Can she see him? Willow says he’s playing with blocks, and brings Nina into the living room. She says, look who’s here to visit him, and Michael asks if he remembers Nina, his grandmother. Wiley nods, and I’m telling you, that kid is going places.
Franco tells Cameron, enough with the goodbye stuff, and Elizabeth says, it’s a temporary arrangement until the issue with the tumor is resolved. Cameron says, and if they aren’t? and Franco says, those are the only two options, but Terry says while the tumor isn’t shrinking, it’s not growing either. That’s good news. Elizabeth says, very good. It gives them time to figure things out. Franco takes a phone out of the suitcase, and says, what’s this?
Jackie tells Chase, she knows he’s protective of his brother, and he should be, but try not to be too hard on him. Relationships are more complicated than anyone outside of them knows. Chase says he’s figuring that out. He’s sorry for not realizing how strained things were between her and Gregory. He had such an amazing childhood, and so many fun memories. That’s all he knew. She says, it’s all he should know. As a kid, of course, you want your parents to be perfect, and want your world to be secure, and that’s what your parents want for you too. But the truth is, we’re all making it up as we go along, and none of us is perfect.We’re doing the best we can, and sometimes it’s enough, but sometimes it’s not.
Finn says, Anna knew since she got the lab results that Peter wasn’t her son? and she says, yeah. He says, and the plan was to never tell him? She says, there was no plan. When we found out the truth, we realized everything had to be contained. Finn says, we? and she says, her and Valentin. He says, so she trusted that little weasel more than she trusted him.
Peter says he doesn’t know why Valentin is doing this, but Valentin says, yeah, he does. Maxie asks if someone can get Valentin out of there, and Mac starts to move, but Robert stops him, and says he thinks Maxie should listen to Valentin. Peter says he thought Valentin cared about him all these years, and Valentin says he does. Peter is the man he is today because of the actions Valentin took. Don’t think that’s ever been lost on him. That’s why he promised to protect Peter from Jason, but he’s not going to allow Peter to hurt anyone else, definitely not Maxie.
Franco looks at the phone, and asks what phone it is; it’s three models ago. Cameron says Franco might want what’s on it. Franco said he was suffering some side effects of what Shiloh did. When he thought he was Drew, and they were about to do the procedure to bring him back, he asked for a phone to record something on. Elizabeth says, Drew left a video, the one Franco has put off watching for over a year. Cameron says he thought it might help Franco understand the voices he’s hearing, and Franco says, cool, thanks. Cameron says, he’s not going to listen? and Franco says he’d do anything to get Drew out of his head, and looks in the suitcase, wondering what else is in there.
Carly tells Jax, she’s worried Nina is going to tell Wiley her version of who Nelle was, and they know that version is a lie. He says, yes, but it’s not like they can have an open conversation about Nelle. She says, no kid that age should know their mother was insane and a killer, but he shouldn’t believe in a fantasy that’s only going to be shattered. What if when he gets old enough, he does research, and finds out on his own who Nelle was? Jax says, he’ll be devastated, and she says, that’s why she thinks, while he’s still young, they shouldn’t tell him much at all. When he asks, they’ll say Nelle was troubled and had problems; keep it vague. When he’s mature enough to understand, they can tell him that Nelle had a terrible and abusive childhood, and grew up to do terrible, abusive things. Jax says, and Carly doesn’t think Nina is in a place to understand and abide by that? and she says she knows Nina isn’t. But it’s Willow and Michael’s decision, and she has to honor that. She’s scared that their best intentions will turn out awful for Wiley.
Anna tells Finn, she knows how it looks. When everything happened with Jordan and Curtis, she was afraid they were headed down the same road. He says, it’s not the same. He knew what he was getting into when he fell in love with her. He knew certain parts of her life existed in the shadows, but he didn’t think she’d keep secrets from him, and confide in someone else. She says she’s sorry, but he says he doesn’t want an apology; he wants an explanation.
Maxie tells Valentin, this isn’t news to her. She’s aware Peter was coerced by Helena and Faison into kidnapping Drew. Valentin says, but Peter wasn’t an unwitting pawn. He was trying to double-cross his father with Helena’s help. Peter asks why Valentin is lying, and Valentin says, Helena wanted it done, and Peter orchestrated the whole thing, but it was a long time ago. The point is, Peter knew what he did was wrong, and in working to cover it up, he did something much worse in the process. Maxie says, like what? and Peter says, she knows Valentin is a liar. She says she needs to know what Valentin is accusing Peter of. What is this horrible act that was so much worse than anything else? Valentin says, Peter brought down Drew’s plane, and she asks if he’s saying Peter is responsible for murdering Drew. Valentin says, yes.
Sam heads toward Peter, but Robert holds her back. She says, you son of a bitch. She knew it. He killed Scout’s father. Maxie says, it can’t be true, and Obrecht says it’s why she was released. Peter framed her for his crimes. Robert says he suspected as much, and Maxie says, because Robert hates Peter. Peter says, this is absurd, and suggests he and Maxie get out of there, but Mac says he’s not taking Maxie anywhere. Valentin says, first, Drew’s plane went down, and looks at Sam and asks, then what happened? Sam says she was kidnapped by Shiloh, and Valentin says, Shiloh knew Peter was responsible for Drew’s kidnapping. That’s why Peter arranged Shiloh’s escape, and was on the pier with a bag of money. He wasn’t buying an apartment; he was paying Shiloh off. Covering up one crime by committing a worse one in the process.
Franco asks Cameron if he’s going to be buying sunscreen and visors to visit him in California, and Cameron says, no one wears visors. Franco says he loves a visor. Lots of people like them. Cameron isn’t answering his question. Cameron tells Franco, remember when he said he wanted less Drew inside his head? and Franco says, oh, he gets it. Cameron doesn’t want to be pestered about college. Cameron says he catches on fast; good for him. Franco says he’s super smart; everyone says so. Elizabeth’s phone dings, and she says, it’s the hospital. She has to go in. Cameron says he’ll hang out for a few minutes, and meet her back at home, but Franco says, it’s not safe for Cameron to stay there.
Jax says he knows Carly is in a different headspace where Nina is concerned, but he feels terrible. They made a huge mistake in not telling Nina that Nelle was her daughter, and a bigger mistake forgetting Wiley was her grandson. She says, not on purpose, and he says, that doesn’t make right. They don’t get to decide if Nina gets to have a relationship with Wiley. She says she agrees 100%, and he says, it’s actually a blessing… Hear him out. Nina gets to have a relationship with her grandson without Nelle around. Even though she might not realize it, it’s the best thing for Wiley. Carly says, amen to that, and he says he knows he doesn’t get a say, but Carly is right. He doesn’t think Nina is capable of seeing Nelle for who she was. Nina sees her as a victim. Carly says, that’s the picture Nina will paint, Nelle the way she wanted her to be, and Jax says, that’s okay now, but it would be sad if it was a pattern that got laid down. Without realizing it, Nina could inflict pain and grief on her grandson. I guess these two still haven’t learned not to make decisions for other people.
Wiley smashes whatever he was building with his monster truck, and Michael tells Nina, Wiley is in a phase where all the building part is just a means is total destruction. Nina says Nathan was like that. He’d have her spend hours constructing a huge tower, just to have him take it out like Godzilla. Michael looks at his phone, and says, stuff is going down at Aurora. He’ll be back. Willow asks Wiley if mommy can help him build.
Jackie tells Chase that she and Gregory were happy for a long time. She doesn’t want him thinking he grew up in a lie. For three decades she had the most wonderful family, including an amazing son. He says, go on, and she says she could, for hours. He still brings her that joy. She wouldn’t give up the years with him or his father for anything. There were times when she and his dad were on their own tracks; when tracking a story was too tempting not to go after. Maybe she shouldn’t have. Looking back, there are a thousand things she wishes she’d done differently, but it’s just… Chase says, life, and she says, yeah. Life.
Anan tells Finn that Valentin came to her, and told her that Peter was way more culpable in Jason and Drew’s kidnapping than he’d admitted, and he’d gone to great lengths to cover it up. Meaning, that he’d had Drew’s plane sabotaged, and arranged for the assassin to kill Andre and Franco. Finn asks when she found this out, and she says, a couple of days ago. She realized she could no longer be in denial about Peter’s guilt, and pretend his redemption was anything other than a show. They decided Peter couldn’t marry Maxie… Finn says, so they had Peter abducted on his wedding day. She says, yeah, but she did this with Valentin not because she trusts him more than Finn, but because he understands the complexities of her relationship with Peter. Finn says, and he doesn’t? and she says, Valentin had the same relationship with him. She didn’t want Finn anywhere near this. He’s such a good man, she just didn’t want him to be part of the whole tragic, sordid mess. He thanks her for making the decision for him, and she says she knows he’s angry. She doesn’t blame him, but she can assure him that she didn’t know any of this. She didn’t want to accept how bad Peter really was. She starts to cry, and says, it’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. He says, because of her, he allowed his daughter to be around a murderer, and she says she would never let Violet be in any danger. He says, because of her, the wedding Violet thought she was going to be a part of, was never actually going to happen, because she was too busy playing spy games with Valentin. She says, it happened so fast, there was no time to tell him. He asks if he was really that much of an afterthought.
Willow asks if Wiley thinks he can build the tallest skyscraper ever. Show mommy. Nina says, maybe he’ll grow up to be an architect, and Willow says, may be. It’s kind of wild for her and Nina to be part of the same family, playing games together. Nina says, they’ve come a long way, and Willow says, they’re both in a better place. She certainly is. Nothing can make up for losing a child, but it meant so much for Michael to say he wanted her to stay in Wiley’s life. Nina says, not just stay, but legally adopt. After all that heartache, she’s still Wiley’s mom. The doorbell rings, and Willow opens the door to Carly, who trots in. She says she was texting with Michael, and he said Nina was coming by. How’s it going? Willow says, great. She thinks it will be good for both Nina and Wiley. In the living room, Nina tells Wiley that she’s his grandma, like Grandma Carly, but she’s not his mommy’s mommy. That’s not how they’re related. Wiley laughs, probably because he has no clue what anyone is saying, but it’s fun to build and smash stuff.
Cameron tries to argue, but Elizabeth says she can’t get into it now; she has to get to work. Cameron says, go. He’ll be fine for a few minutes. Franco says his mom is right. He woke from a nightmare, and attacked Cameron. Cameron says, that’s such an exaggeration, and Franco says his head’s not right. Cameron says he can’t believe this. Fine. Is Elizabeth coming with him, or is it okay for her to be there alone with Franco? Elizabeth says she’ll be there in a minute; she’ll meet him in the lobby. Franco tells Cameron, wait, and thanks him for bringing the stuff. He’ll see Cameron in a little bit. Cameron leaves, and Franco tells Elizabeth that she shouldn’t be there. If he’s a potential threat to Cameron, he’s a potential threat to her.
Robert says he knows it’s painful, but it makes sense, and Maxie says, except for one thing. Anna knew all this? Valentin says, she did, and Maxie says, Anna would never do that to her. Anna loves her, and she knows Anna would never let that happen. If what Valentin is saying is true, Anna would have told her.
Anna tells Finn that she was wrong; she knows that. She just couldn’t see her way out, which makes her no different than Peter. She was selling him on a lie that she was sharing her life with him, and she wasn’t. She thought she was protecting him, but she was really just protecting herself, trying to avoid this moment. He phone rings, and Finn says, don’t answer. She says, it’s Robert. It’s going to be about Peter and Maxie. She asks Robert, what is it? and he tells her, get down here right now. All the information she and Valentin have been hiding is going to hit the fan. He doesn’t know how Peter is going to react if he’s pushed in a corner. She says she understands, and Finn asks if she needs to go. Anna says she wants to work this out, and he says, she has other properties. She says she’s so sorry; she really is. Finn says, so is he, and she leaves.
Jackie tells Chase, everything will be okay. He’s seen her and Gregory. It’s not like they can’t be in the same room; just the opposite. He says, it’s weirdly cordial, and she says they have too much mutual respect for it not to be. He says, it’s getting late. Does she think he should take Violet? She says, probably. She’d love for Violet to stay there, but she’s still practically a stranger. Violet will be more comfortable with him. He says he’ll get her, and she says she loves him. He says he loves her too.
Maxie tells Peter, she’s right, isn’t she? Everything Valentin is saying is a lie. Peter says, of course (🍷) it is. Valentin is the man who lied to Nina for years, and literally trades in secrets. He doesn’t know what game Valentin is playing – Valentin says, no game – but all that matters is he loves her. She has no reason to believe Valentin. Anna appears, and says Maxie has every reason to believe her though.
Willow brings Carly into the living room, and says, how lucky is Wiley? Two grandmothers in one night. Carly asks Wiley for a hug, and says, it’s so good to see him. Is he having fun with Nina? He says, yeah, and Willow suggests Wiley get in his PJs. Then he can come down and play afterward. She takes Wiley upstairs, and Nina asks if Carly is checking up on her. Carly says, no… Actually…Well… she wants to acknowledge that she may have been too blunt. Nina says, that doesn’t sound like an apology, and Carly says, it wasn’t. They both have good reason not to trust each other, but she assumes they both want what’s best for Wiley. Nina says, yes, and Carly suggests they just leave at that.
Franco says it’s not just that he’s being honest with Elizabeth, but he’s being honest with himself. There’s a realistic possibility that these violent outbursts – she says, just one – are going to get worse. She says he sounds like Jason, and he says, Jason’s not wrong. She says, yes he is when it comes to Franco. Jason doesn’t know him like she does; he doesn’t know them. She tells him that she’s scared, and he asks her to come over to him. She sits next to him on the bed, and he holds her. She says she wants to make things perfectly clear; she’ll never give up on him. It doesn’t matter how dark things get, or how dismal things are, she’ll always be his champion. Not just because of what he does for her, but because she loves him. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. He says, okay. Good enough. He hands Elizabeth her phone, and she says she’ll call him later. She leaves, and he looks at the phone Cameron brought.
Anna tells Maxie, everything Valentin said is true. Obrecht says, let her guess. Anna has known Peter was guilty the whole time, and allowed her to rot… Anna says, get this woman out of her face or she’ll lose her mind, and Obrecht says Anna’s mind isn’t the only thing she’s about to lose. Valentin drags Obrecht out, still talking, and Anna tells Maxie that she’s sorry. Maxie says, no, because if it was true Peter did those horrible things and Anna knew, Anna would have told her. Anna says she didn’t know until recently. She had her doubts, but she thought she was being paranoid. She thought Peter had changed, but he hadn’t. Maxie asks, when did she have doubts? For how long? Anna says, really too long. She’s sorry. Everyone looks like they’re either pissed off or going to cry. Or both.
Nina picks up her coat, and Michael asks if she’s heading out. Nina says, it’s getting crowd… late. She thanks him for inviting her. Willow comes back with Wiley, and Nina says, perfect timing. She picks Wiley up, and says it was wonderful spending time with him. Willow says, just ten more minutes, and then straight up to bed, and Nina thanks them for thinking of her. Carly asks if Willow is okay, and Willow tells her, Wiley just said she’s not his real mommy. Carly looks at Nina. Okay, my suspension of disbelief is lacking here. Wiley is cute and smart, but there’s no way he got that from what Nina said. I don’t even think he could form that kind of sentence yet.
There’s a knock at Jackie’s door, and she asks if Violet forget something, but it’s Finn.
Franco sits on the floor, and leans against the bed. He looks at the phone, and presses play. He appears on the screen, and says, hi, Franco; it’s Andy. He needs to tell Franco a few things.
At the MetroCourt bar, Valentin thanks Obrecht for interrupting the wedding. If she hadn’t, he would have had to. She says she’s shocked that he abandoned Peter at the end, but he says he didn’t have a choice. Anna was willing to go through with it, but if Maxie had married Peter, she would have never been able to live with herself. She says, his devotion to the scarecrow is annoying at best, but this time, it worked to her advantage. And Maxie’s. At least now, she’ll finally be free of Peter. He says, let’s hope so.
Anna tells Maxie, she knew last year Peter was closely associated with the company who sent the assassin, the man who made the attempt on Andre and Franco’s lives. Peter says he stopped the attack, and she says, amazing that he happened to be there at just that moment. He says, it was luck, and she tells him, just stop. He knew the assassin was there, because he hired the assassin to be there. She tells Maxie that she chose to cover up the connection because she didn’t believe it, for the same reason Maxie doesn’t believe it. She can’t bear the fact that Peter is guilty, but he is. He confessed everything to Valentin. Valentin told her, and she confronted Peter. Peter says they’re both lying. They’re in this together. Anna says, no. She confronted Peter, and gave him every opportunity to tell the truth, but he didn’t; he lied. It made her realize that he will always lie. She doesn’t think it’s his fault, but the man Maxie loves just never existed. Peter says, enough of this. He tells Maxie, let’s get out of here; he’ll explain everything. Mac says, the hell he will, calls Peter a son of a bitch, and punches him in the face.
Maxie sits down, breathing heavily, and Britt and Sam rush over to her. Maxie says, the baby, and Britt says, justbreathe. Maxie glares at Peter.
Tomorrow, Carly asks Nina if she thinks it’s a good idea, Jackie asks Finn if he can get past it, Peter asks if he’s being arrested, and Dante asks Sam if she’s going to tell Jason what happened.
🏖 Since I had the time, I actually paid attention to Summer House. Carl found out his brother had died from an overdose. I have to admit, although I don’t like these people (with the exception of Hannah, who I think is just young), Carl is the most mature of the bunch, and actually seems to be working on himself as a person. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, so all this has gotten him so far is being the designated watcher, since no one is driving anywhere. These are the last people I’d want to go through a tragedy with. Or a victory. Or anything for that matter. Amanda and Hannah compared notes on who attacked who first, and it was all, no, you. Hannah was the clear winner, since Amanda had thrown a glass at her. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but a wine glass could take an eye out. The guys scattered, while the girls all listened in. This was really nice too, considering Carl was trying to keep it together. Kyle tried to turn everyone against Hannah, saying she was out of control, but again, insulting someone vs throwing an object at them that’s not a pillow? The majority couldn’t give a flying, as long as they weren’t in the line of fire. No surprise, Carl couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
As I’m typing this, I realize nothing really ever happens on this show. And this season, they’re even working from home, but still nothing. Ciara still seems pretty sane, but give her time. She tried to explain to Luke that, relationship or not, he should have treated Hannah with more respect. Ergo, she wasn’t interested in more than friendship with him. For Lindsay’s birthday, Stephen got food from the restaurant where he’d asked her to be his girlfriend. He set up a fish and chips dinner outside, and I thought that was pretty romantic, but she told him that she had higher expectations than just going through the motions. I guess she wanted to be wined and dined in the middle of quarantine? They argued, and Stephen split in an Uber. I don’t know if I was missing something, but it seemed like Lindsay just wanted to start sh*t, and then was shocked when Stephen left. Hannah thought she should order some sage for the house, and Kyle said it was the worst day of all time.
Next time, Lindsay says there’s no coming back from it; Hannah says Kyle thinks he’s boss of the house, but he isn’t; and Kyle gets whacked in the balls with a croquet ball.
💍 Officially Moved On…
It no longer matters what zone she’s in with Luke.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Of all days, I was running late, but this is what I missed. Carly and Michael talked about missing Sonny, and Michael said he told Wiley about Sonny all the time. Carly said Nina was in denial, and wanted to turn Nelle into a wrongedinnocent, but Michael said they’d been through worse. Nina met Ava at the Bistro, and Ava wondered why Nina wasn’t at the wedding. Nina said Maxie had disinvited her. She told Ava that Maxie believed she was still upset about Nelle, but Nina also thought Maxie didn’t want to be reminded of Nathan. Ava was clueless about Nelle, and Nina explained Nelle was her daughter. Ava was glad Nina learned the truth, even if it hadn’t been a happy ending. Nina said she knew Jax would always choose Carly over her, and told Ava about what happened on the cliff, and how she’d heard Carly and Jax talking about it, and confronted them at Sonny’s funeral. Curtis came back from taking a call, and wondered what was going on, and Sam told him about Obrecht crashing the wedding. Maxie accused Obrecht of kidnapping Peter, and said Obrecht was a fugitive, but Obrecht said she had nothing to do with it, and she’d been released. She showed Robert her paperwork, and he said it was legit. She said she’d been exonerated of her crimes, and they could call the WSB to verify it. Robert called, and confirmed it was true. And then…
Michael tells Carly that he feels badly about the scene Nina created at Sonny’s grave, but he wishes it had been enough for her, and she didn’t feel the need to follow up with the FBI and the police. Carly says, fortunately, they didn’t believe a word Nina had to say, and Michael says, it’s over from a legal standpoint, but won’t be good for Wiley if Nina keeps blaming Carly for Nelle’s death. She says that’s the exact reason she went to Nina’s office; she wanted to straighten things out. He says, that’s a nice way of putting it, but be honest. She went to Nina’s office to lay down the law, didn’t she?
Robert says, the WSB exonerated Obrecht, and she was given a full release. Jordan says she thought the evidence was air-tight, and Maxie asks why Obrecht is trying to ruin her special day. Obrecht says, new evidence has come to light that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she never committed any of those crimes. Curtis says, if Obrecht wasn’t responsible, who was?
Obrecht says she’s not privy to the workings of the WSB, but believes they have a suspect under investigation. From the evidence they’ve gotten so far, it was suggested she be exonerated. She’s a free woman. Lucy says she’s creating a huge nuisance, and asks Obrecht to find the nearest exit, and let her join these couples in wedded bliss. Obrecht says, no one is getting married, but Maxie says she’s marrying Peter. Obrecht says if she does, it will be her final mistake, but it’s no surprise, given the pack of lies she’s been told by the people she trusts most. Anna says Obrecht wasn’t invited; just get out. Maxie tells Obrecht, what she said, and looks at Peter.
Nina asks Ava if she should be sorry for caring about her daughter, and being upset because her life was cut short. She was angry because Carly might have helped, but chose not to. She complained to Jordan, who notified the FBI because Nelle’s body was found across state lines. They questioned Carly, and even though she lied to the police for months, she was cleared of any wrongdoing. Ava says, there were no witnesses or evidence, so it’s pretty standard, and Nina says, Carly thinks she was acting irrationally, and being vindictive because she wants justice. She told Nina that if she continues to spiral, she’ll lose everything, including Wiley. She said Nina would have no one else to blame but herself. Ava says, oh boy. She hates to say it, but in this particular instance, Carly might be right.
Carly tells Michael, she made it clear there can’t be another scene like the one at Sonny’s grave. Then she highly suggested Nina work things out with Jax, and not dwell on the past. Michael says that’s why he and Willow brought Wiley to see Nina, so he can get to know his grandma. She says she gets that, but she was completely blindsided when she found them in Nina’s office. Michael says, not that he can’t guess, but how does it make her feel?
Obrecht says she’s not going anywhere. She objects to this marriage; Maxie’s, not Anna’s. If Anna and Finn want to inflict their misery on each other, feel free, but they’ll have to take their vows another time. Chase says if she doesn’t leave, he’s going to arrest her for trespassing, and Obrecht says if they won’t listen to her, maybe they’ll listen to Anna’s twin Alex. Anna says, she’s dead and can’t hurt anyone anymore, but Obrecht says, Alex left a gift for Anna, and especially for Peter. She plays the video. Alex says, hello, Peter. If he’s seeing this, she’s probably dead, which is so unfortunate, but she didn’t want the truth to die with her.
Carly tells Michael, of course (🍷) she thinks Wiley should have a relationship with Nina – at some point. She doesn’t think it needs to be right this minute, especially if Nina is holding on to her fantasy about Nelle, and imposes it on Wiley. He says, Wiley doesn’t remember Nelle, and Carly says, that’s why she thinks it’s healthier for everyone to take a step back. Nina should go to grief counseling, and can see Wiley when she’s ready. It will be better for both of them.
Nina says, Ava is siding with Carly? Has the world ended? Ava says, it’s still spinning, and asks Nina to put herself in Carly’s position for just a second. She was at her husband’s grave, facing life without him, when Nina showed up confrontationally, crashing the party, so to speak. Nina says, in retrospect, she could have handled it better, but at the time, she was grieving. Ava says, of course (🍷) she was, but to make it worse, she went to the cops, and she had to know how angry that would make Carly. Nina says she didn’t care. She turned her back on Nelle when she was alive. The least she could do is defend Nelle in death. Ava says, hindsight is not always 20/20, and can obscure what really happened. Nina says she went on the stand, and testified against her own daughter, but Ava says, she told the truth. Nina says, if not for her ruining Nelle’s chance of custody, she wouldn’t have run with Wiley, fell, and gotten killed. Ava says, everyone knows that she’s no fan of Carly’s, but Carly was grieving the loss of her husband, and when Carly feels attacked, she fights back. Trust her, Carly will not back down.
Curtis tells Sam, this shouldn’t be happening here, and suggests they put a stop to it. They leave, and on screen, Alex says her sister is quite lethal when she’s threatened, and she’s afraid of the truth. Anna takes the remote, but Obrecht says she’s already texted Alex’s speech to everyone. Anna can’t stop the truth. Anna says, not in front of everybody, but Obrecht says, who’s fault is that? Anna didn’t tell them, so it’s her duty to protect Nathan’s widow and her grandson. Alex says she left this with her ex-husband Dimitri, and he agreed to send it if she didn’t return. She has something important to tell Peter; something that will change his life. Something Anna knows, and most likely neglected to tell him. She’s the one who slept with Faison, not Anna, and in the night they spent together, they created new life – him. Anna is not his mother. She is. Peter starts to cry, and Alex says if he doesn’t believe her, ask Anna. She’ll tell him. Everyone gives each other soap looks.
Sam tells Curtis, it looks like they weren’t soon enough, and Peter asks Anna if it’s true. Maxie says, no. Alex was crazy, and hated Anna. She tells Anna to let Peter know it’s a lie, but Anna says she can’t; it’s true. Alex was Peter’s mother. Peter asks, why lie? Why did Alex give him to her? Valentin says, Alex gave the memory to Anna because she couldn’t live with what she’d done, and Peter says, he knew too? Valentin says, yes, he did, and Maxie says, this is what Obrecht meant at the cemetery when she said Peter wasn’t the man he thinks he is. Finn says, Anna knew all along from when Faison’s DNA was tested, and Anna says she’s sorry. He says, tell Peter, not him, and she says she can explain. Finn walks out, and she follows. Chase intercepts her, and says, let him talk to Finn. He tells Finn, wait up, but when he catches up to Finn, Finn shakes him off.
Obrecht tells Britt, she couldn’t allow Maxie to marry a man who was lying to her, but first, Anna’s halo needed to be removed. Britt says Obrecht stopped the wedding, but Obrecht says, actually, her mission is not yet complete.
Jordan says she wishes she had the authority to arrest Obrecht, and Chase says, it proves that lies, even for the right reason, always end up hurting someone. Jordan says she knows all about that, and Willow says, there’s always forgiveness. She tells Chase that she thinks it’s safe to say the wedding is over. Does he want to leave? He says he’s going to stick around and check on his brother, and she says he’s a good guy. He tells her he’s trying. He says he’ll call her, and she leaves.
Michael asks if Carly doesn’t think the more people who love Wiley, the better. That’s what he had as a kid, and it’s not so bad. She says, Nina will bring up Nelle every chance she gets, and spin it, saying Nelle was a sweet, sensitive person who got a raw deal, instead of telling him the truth. His mother was a psychopath who gave him away at the side of the road. He says, Wiley is going to find out, and they can’t lie about who his birth parents are. She says she’s not suggesting they do. When Wiley is old enough to understand, they’ll tell him the truth. His biological mom died before he knew her. When he’s mature enough, they’ll explain she had severe problems. Wiley will process things on his own timetable, not Nina’s.
Nina tells Ava, she’s Wiley’s family, and she’s going to be a presence in his life. Ava says she gets that. She’s just telling Nina that if she chooses to declare war, Carly will use every weapon in her arsenal to keep Nina away. Doesn’t she see a way of giving peace a shot?
Obrecht says Robert promised to look after Maxie, and keep her safe from Peter. He broke his promise. He says, so she decided to turn up, and blow up the wedding. She says she wouldn’t have if Peter had been proven guilty. She had no choice but to bring him to justice herself. He says he doesn’t see any justice, just broken hearts, and she says, if he thinks that’s bad, just wait. More is coming.
Maxie tells Peter, it makes sense. All the things Alex said to them, she wasn’t speaking as his aunt, but as his mother. Mac says, none of this is Maxie’s fault, and she says, what about Anna? She’s just as bad. She knew the truth, and she lied.
Anna approaches Peter, who asks why she lied to him. She says, because he needed to believe she was his mother, and he says she had no right to make that decision for him. She says, no, but she thought she was protecting him. He wanted a second chance after the horrific life with his father; a chance at love, a chance with Maxie. He asks how long she knew, and she says she always suspected, but didn’t know until last autumn. He says she kept the secret all this time, and Anna tells him to understand this doesn’t have to destroy his life. He’s in control. He says, not anymore. He’s never going be the man Maxie wanted.
Ava says Nina needs to be careful how she approaches Carly. Apologize for the confrontation at the grave, even if she doesn’t mean it. Nina says she did apologize to Willow and Michael, and Ava says, that’s a great start. Nina says they brought Wiley to her office, and it put her in a gracious mood. It was lovely. She got to play with Wiley, and hold him, and they suggested she babysit. Ava says, great. So Michael is open to letting Wiley be in her life. Nina says she thought it was great too, until Carly arrived, and threated to blow it to pieces.
Michael says, Nina is Wiley’s family, and he’s not going to deprive Wiley of his grandmother, the same way he wouldn’t deprive Wiley of Carly. Carly says he can’t trust Nina not to go off the deep end, but he says, raising children is all about trust. You trust they’ll be healthy and happy, do well in school, eat their vegetables, and play well with others. And you trust that love will make it better. He’s saying this as Wiley’s father, and Willow, as Wiley’s mother, agrees with him. It will make everything easier on Wiley, especially if Carly is on board. Willow comes in, and says, sorry to interrupt. Michael wonders why she’s back so soon, and she says, neither wedding happened. Peter disappeared, and Dante found him locked in the utility closet. Carly says, she’s kidding, and Willow says she wishes she was. Peter was fine, and the wedding started. It was underway, when Obrecht arrived. Michael says he thought she was in prison, but Willow says, she was exonerated, and had real paperwork to prove it. It went back and forth for a while, and Maxie asked Obrecht to leave, when Obrecht played a recording from Alex. Apparently, she’s really Peter’s mother. Carly says, it came out at the wedding? and Willow says she felt terrible for Anna, especially when Finn walked out. Carly says, Finn left Anna (looking a little too greedy for gossip IMO), and Willow says she guesses all of the revelations were too much, and he took off. Chase is worried about him.
Jordan says she’d have given anything to haul Obrecht away, and Curtis says, when Obrecht objects to a wedding, she goes all out. Lucy wonders if the apple would fall that far from the tree, and Peter could be like his mother. Jordan says she never trusted him; he seemed to have a secret agenda, and he published the article on Franco’s medical records. Curtis says, it had him questioning Peter’s motive, and Jordan says she put it aside because Peter made Maxie happy, and helped her get over Nathan’s death. Curtis says, it could still happen, no matter who Peter’s mother is, and Lucy says, she thinks it matters to Peter more than anyone else. Curtis says, except Finn. He had no idea Anna was keeping that big of a secret. At least he found out before they got married. He leaves, and Lucy asks, what was that? Not that it’s any of her business, but Curtis seemed to be talking about him and Jordan. Jordan says she lied, and Curtis walked out on their marriage. Lucy says she’s so sorry. Is there any chance it can be fixed?
Obrecht says, Maxie must realize the man she thought she was marrying doesn’t exist, and Sam tells her, back off. Robert says, given time and distance away from Peter, Maxie can get the whole story, but Mac says, that’s Maxie’s decision alone.
Valentin tells Anna, it’s safe to say it didn’t go the way they’d hoped, but Maxie didn’t marry Peter. Anna supposes that’s a consolation, and he says they did their best to save things, but she says, they were a little too late. He says, Peter’s horrific childhood notwithstanding, he committed his own crimes. He lied to her and Maxie. She asks what he’s going to do, and he says, what he told Peter. He’s going to do everything to minimize the pain inflicted on those they love. She says, it’s a bit too late for that, and he says, trust him. She says she’ll have to. She’s got to find Finn.
On the phone, Finn says he appreciates Jackie taking Violet. She needs to be far away from the situation. Let her rest; it’s been a long day. When she wakes up, tell her that he loves her, and give her a glass of milk. She likes that when she wakes up. The wedding didn’t happen, but he’ll tell her about it later. Chase knocks at the door, and says he’s not going away. Open the door. Finn tells Jackie that he has to go; they’ll talk later. He opens the door, and Chase says he knows Finn doesn’t want to talk. Finn says he’s got that right, but Chase says Finn shouldn’t be alone. Finn says he should be. What part of he knows what’s best for himself does Chase not understand? Chase says if Finn changes his mind, he knows where Chase is. You can be really stubborn, but I love you, brother.
Maxie tells Peter, it’s not the wedding they expected, right? He doesn’t reply, and she asks what being Alex’s son really means. He’s still him, the man she loves. He’s going to make a great husband and father. She puts his hand on her belly, and asks if he feels that. It’s their little girl kicking in agreement. She’s asking her daddy to marry her mommy. She wants to be a happy family, and neither one of them can say no to their sweet Lu. She hasn’t said the words officially, but she loves him for better or worse. He’s her heart, and she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. Will he do her the honor marrying her? Valentin closes his eyes.
Willow tells Michael, she decided she needed a dose of Wiley to take the edge off, and Carly says she’s sorry the wedding turned out like that. Michael says, Wiley is upstairs playing with his new truck. It will probably end up at the gatehouse, which Wiley thinks is a big playroom. Carly asks how Willow’s new digs are working out, and Willow says, the gatehouse gets more adorable every day. Michael is on a non-stop renovation kick. Wiley gets to come and go between two homes, and she still gets to have her own life. Carly should come by. She’ll be Willow’s first guest… Second; Chase picked her up there. Carly says she’d love to, but she can’t tonight; she has to go. She tells Michael that she’ll be in touch, and leaves. Michael says, before Willow sees Wiley, would she mind hanging out for a second? She says, sure. What does he have in mind?
Nina tells Ava, Carly couldn’t stand to see Wiley happy and laughing and having a good time.She couldn’t get Michael and Willow out of the office fast enough. When they were gone, Carly kept saying over and over that Wiley was her grandson, and threatened to keep him away from Nina if she didn’t play her cards right. Ava says, then play them right. Make peace for Wiley’s sake. The good news is, Michael is willing to let her in Wiley’s life. Nina’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Michael. Michael says he hopes he’s not interrupting, but he was wondering if she’d like to come over and see Wiley if she has the time. Nina says she’d love to; she’ll be right there. She thanks him, and Ava says, good news? Nina says, great news. Michael invited her over to spend time with Wiley. Ava says, fantastic, and Nina says, Michael understands the importance of family. She’s Wiley’s family, and the only part of his mother that he has. Ava says, birth mother. Willow is Wiley’s mom now. Nina promises to remember that, and act accordingly. She’s going to take Ava’s advice. Ava says, which part? and Nina says she’s going to apologize to Carly.
Jordan tells Lucy that she offered solutions to repair their marriage, but Curtis doesn’t trust her anymore. What happened at the wedding reminded him of why their marriage imploded. Lucy says she’s had more broken relationships than broken nails, so she’s probably not the right person to give advice, but can Jordan say she’s sorry? Can she think about what she did to make Curtis leave, in the hope of trying to make him come back? Lucy thinks they both deserve to be very happy. She squeezes Jordan’s hands, and leaves. Jordan and Curtis look at each other, but Curtis turns away.
Finn looks out window. There’s a knock at the door, and he ignores it for a moment, then opens it. Anna is there.
Robert says, don’t tell him that Maxie is proposing to Peter, and she doesn’t know that she just dodged a bullet. Mac tells Robert to get over himself. He could list the skeletons in Robert’s closet. Peter is just as shocked. Robert says, Peter’s newfound mama is the least of his problems. Personally, Robert thinks they should wait, but Mac says, the priority is Maxie’s happiness. Robert says, maybe Peter will pass up the proposition. Sam tells Britt that she thinks it’s the wrong decision, and Britt says, everyone knows Peter is wrong for Maxie, except Maxie.
Maxie says she’s getting nervous. Why isn’t Peter answering her? He says he doesn’t believe she still wants to marry him, but she says her love hasn’t changed because his mother has. He says he doesn’t want her pity, and she says, who she pities, is Obrecht. She decided to wreck their lives, and made enemies out of everyone. He has her love and respect, and hopes she still has his. He says, she does, and he will marry her. They hug, and Obrecht says, Peter is not who Maxie thinks he is. He shows the pretense of morality and kindness, but he’s lying and manipulating Maxie. He can’t be trusted, and he must not be allowed near her grandson. She owes it to Nathan to keep James safe. She clicks her pen, and Britt asks what she’s doing. Obrecht says, what must be done; James and Maxie must be protected.
Valentin says he can’t allow this to continue until Maxie learns who Peter truly is.
Tomorrow, Carly thinks she knows where someone is, Robert thinks Maxie should listen, Jackie wishes she’d done a lot of things differently, Valentin says it’s time the truth came to light, and Finn asks Anna what else she’s lying about.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
The women were still at Lake George, where the day’s agenda was to go on a boat ride. Marge called Joe #3, and said every time they went away, there was drama. She felt sad because Jackie wasn’t there, and Teresa was hyper-focusing on the analogy, even though everyone was trying to talk to her. Joe said Teresa didn’t understand anyone else’s point, so why bother? Melissa wanted to continue the good vibe, but Marge thought it was weird without Jackie. Teresa insisted she’d already apologized, and we flashed back to her saying, sorry, BUT where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Great apology, T. She thought Jackie must have skeletons in her closet due to her anger level, and Melissa asked for a show of hands as to who thought they were beating a dead horse. In her interview, she said she felt sorry for Jackie, but they couldn’t spend the whole trip trying to convince Teresa she was wrong when she wasn’t hearing it. Teresa asked if everyone wanted a shot before they left, and Marge said, it’s 11 am; why not?
On the way there, Marge said the guys were getting together, and the last time they did, Joe #2 was Gorga-ed. Delores said, don’t compete with a Gorga, and Jennifer said, Bill enjoyed being Gorga-fied. Teresa spoke to her realtor about selling the house, and in her interview said it was hard. She and Joe had built it together, and raised their daughters there, but she was ready to move on. Melissa said Antonia just turned 15, and had a boyfriend; they’d been together since 8th grade, and he was so sweet. Melania told her that he didn’t pressure Antonia to have sex, and everyone had sex. Teresa said she was so not ready for that, and it led them to talking about how old they were their first time. Melissa said she’d rather die than talk birds and bees to her kids, but thought it was becoming necessary. She said she didn’t miss her kids that much, since they hadn’t left her side since February because of quarantine. Joe #2 wasn’t keen on her going to Lake George with the girls, and she worried he was going out.
The women got on a tiki boat with Captain Greg, who informed them it was a boozy boat. Delores thought Teresa should get Joe #2 back for making her lie about him being in a strip club a million years ago, and suggested Teresa say Melissa was talking to another guy. Teresa texted Joe, saying, the owner of the restaurant where they had dinner asked Melissa for her number, and he and Melissa had been texting all day. She added, don’t tell Melissa that she told him, and to delete the text after reading it. In her interview, Jennifer said she didn’t think a practical joke about cheating was a good idea after what they’d just gone through. Case in point, Jackie wasn’t there. Teresa called Joe, telling him the guy was cute, and she was interested, but he kept going up to Melissa. Joe started talking in Italian, and in Melissa’s interview, she said that meant Joe fully believed it. She was surprised he had no faith in her. Teresa told him that Melissa and the guy had taken a walk, and in Marge’s interview, she said Teresa might be the best pathological liar she knows, but she was a genius. Teresa told Joe that she didn’t always have her eye on them, and he said, mama mia, you never know. That’s when she told him he’d ben punked, and he said they’re morons. In his interview, Joe #2 said they got him, but he wouldn’t have listened if it had been anyone else. Marge said Teresa might get the Academy Award, and everyone dozed on the way back.
Back at the house, Melissa made Marge show them her new boobs, and in Marge’s interview, she said, Melissa loves assess and t*ts, so she just goes with it. Melissa must have been a man in a previous life. They decided to order in, as they guzzled rosé, and Marge went upstairs to put on sweats.
Melissa called Joe #2, and said since he’d been speaking Italian, he must have believed Teresa. He said he didn’t want the kids to know their mother was a dirty tramp, and asked the status on Jackie. Melissa said Jackie had sent a text just saying she missed them, but she knew Jackie was upset. She suggested Joe invite Evan to the guys night, and he said he already had, but Evan claimed to be busy. Jennifer told Delores that she’d talked to Teresa’s realtor friend Michelle at the party, and she’d said Joe #2 owed her husband money. In Jennifer’s interview, she said it wasn’t the first time she’d heard that Joe owed someone money. He’d also said he did a kitchen renovation, and the person who really did it, called him out on it. If he was willing to lie about a kitchen renovation, what else was he willing to lie about? She told Delores, Michelle’s husband did motivational speaking for Joe, and was never paid. Delores said, a lot of bombs were being dropped at the party. Jennifer wondered if she should go to Melissa. They’d just made up, and she didn’t want Melissa to flip on her like Teresa did on Jackie. Delores suggested she not ruin tonight. If it was Frank, she’d want to know, but Jennifer needed to watch how she said it.
Frank, Bill, and Joe #3 met at Joe #2’s house. Joe #2 provided an incredible spread, including Tito’s and sushi. They played deuces wild, and Joe #3 cleaned up. Joe #2 told the guys that he’d been faking his night. His sister called, and said the owner of the restaurant where they had dinner was hitting on Melissa, and Melissa had been calling him all day. He told them that he was about to cry. The bottom line was… he got punked. In his interview, Joe said he had a stable marriage, but the cheating word is serious, and you have to be careful. Frank wondered if the girls were having as good a time, but Joe #3 said they were going to be arguing about Teresa and Jackie. Frank said he was three tequilas in, and wanted to make sure he understood about the rumor. Joe #3 said he’d heard rumors Evan had a girlfriend, and Joe #2 said maybe there was something to it. In Frank’s interview, he said the only person who knew if it was false, was Evan, but they went out all the time, and Evan never looked at women or flirted. They agreed Evan was a stand-up guy, and toasted to him. I always find myself smiling and laughing when the guys get together, and they always work out their differences. Maybe they should have their own show. Or their own channel. You could just have them on in the background, and it would feel like you’re at a party.
Tons of food came, and Melissa and Marge sat on Melissa’s balcony. Melissa said she missed Jackie, and Marge said she felt bad. She called Jackie, and said they missed her. Jackie said she missed them too, but she had to do what was right for her family. Evan was disgusted. He worked in finance, and it hurt his reputation. Teresa needed to clear his name. Jackie wanted Teresa to call Evan, and say it was total bullsh*t. In Melissa’s interview, she said it wasn’t a small request. The lot of them couldn’t even convince Teresa that it was wrong to spread the rumor. Melissa suggested Jackie start the ball rolling by apologizing for the bad analogy, but Jackie said she had nothing in the world to be sorry about. Teresa had been hurtful, and it was totally in her court. Marge told Melissa that Jackie wouldn’t have been as upset unless Evan was.
At dinner, Marge said she’d called Jackie, and Jackie wasn’t crying, but she was heated. Evan was upset about his reputation. Teresa said if he wasn’t doing anything, why would he be upset? and Melissa said he was in a different type of business. Teresa said Jackie had no backbone, and was effing weak. She must have an inkling that Evan was cheating, because someone acting like this was out of control. I wondered if it was me, or did Teresa just not make sense. Marge said her friends would hit the roof if they were in Jackie’s position, and Teresa said, when confronted with Joe #1 cheating rumors, she was secure in marriage, so she stayed calm. I realized the question I should have asked was, were we watching the same show? but in her interview, Marge confirmed this by saying, FYI, Teresa’s husband was cheating, and she was not calm about it. We flashed back to that, and Teresa said she was tired of all this. She was about to blow her casket. Everyone was like, um… and she said she was never going to tell Jackie anything again. Although it was atrocious timing – New Jersey, the atrocious timing state – Melissa said Jackie would like Teresa to call her husband. She could say she heard a rumor, but whoever said it was probably a liar. In Teresa’s interview, she said she wasn’t sure if Jackie was trying to imply she’d made it up, but it was something she’d heard. If Jackie didn’t like it, too effing bad. She told the women, Jackie needed to apologize to her daughter. Melissa said she was sure Jackie would do that, and Teresa started whining really loud like she does, saying, oh my God, she’s like a broken record. Melissa said Teresa was 100% wrong for saying it at the party, and Teresa – who can never be told she’s wrong – said she was leaving, They were all a-holes, and could go f*** themselves. I laughed at Jennifer’s face. She really shouldn’t be surprised by now.
Marge said they weren’t attacking Teresa, just showing her another point-of-view, and Melissa said they’d all tried talking to her, but she wasn’t having it. Marge said, while Jackie didn’t bring this on herself, she made the situation worse. The women descended on Teresa in her room, and Marge suggested she and Lexi go upstairs, since there was mass hysteria going on. Delores’s said, enough already, and Melissa told Teresa that they were just trying to bring two people back together, but only had one there. In her interview, Melissa said Jackie had to find a way to move on, or they wouldn’t be able to be together again.
The women put on their matching sweatshirts, and sat around a fire outside, making smores. They heard something in the woods, and Delores and Teresa took off for he house as a prank. The others freaked, and ran after them.
Next time, Marge talks about sleeping with her boss, Jennifer tells Melissa what Michelle said, and Jackie says if no one has her back, there’s no point in being there.
Another day, another fight with my computer and my email. The technical struggle is real. Whatever your struggle, stay safe, stay knowing good times will come, and stay hanging out with the guys and playing deuces wild, instead of going to Lake George where there will be drama.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn looks through the scans of Franco’s brain. Elizabeth asks what he thinks, and he says he thinks cancer isn’t his specialty. She says she knows, but she just got the images back, Terry hasn’t gotten back to her yet, and she trusts him to be honest with her. She’s not asking for a prognosis, just his take. Is the radiation working? Is Franco’s tumor shrinking?
Franco tosses and turns on the couch, repeatedly hearing, please be Drew Cain; you know his brother.
Curtis brings Sam to the club, and she says, it’s really nice. She wonders why she never heard of it. He says, probably because she has kids, and she says, back in the day, this place would have caused her a lot of trouble. He says he’d have been right there with her. Sam says she noticed a bunch of beautiful women, ogling Curtis. Does she need to call Jordan to save him? He says, Jordan’s got enough to do saving herself.
Portia goes to Jordan’s office, and Jordan asks how she can help. Portia says she doesn’t need help, but Taggert does. Whatever Cyrus wants to tank the government’s case against Taggert, she wants Jordan to give to him.
Standing in the woods on the phone, Jason says he sees it. He tells them, no, don’t do anything yet. Let’s see how it plays out.
In the car next to Jackie, Martin cleans up a basket of fried chicken, licking his fingers. He says he’d offer her some, but she’s already expressed her displeasure of fried chicken several times. She said he just worked his way around a gooey cinnamon roll, and he says he never eats like this unless he’s nervous. He just realized, no one ever made fried chicken like his mama. Jackie says she’s not surprised. His mother sounds perfect. He says, close enough. If she’s wrong about this… She says she’s not. She looks through a pair of binoculars, and says, Bobbie Spencer is holed up in that house. And the patient she’s caring for is his mother.
Bobbie sits on Florence’s bed, reading out loud to her. Florence looks happy.
At the hospital, Nikolas pays off a guard, saying he wants 30 uninterrupted minutes. The guard leaves, and Laura comes out of the elevator. She says, friend of his? and he says he’s been meaning to call her, steering her down the hall. He tells her that wanted to run some wedding ideas by her. When they’re out of sight, Ava comes out, and sneaks into a room. Ryan sits in a chair, and she says, please don’t get up.
Laura asks if Nikolas and Ava have set a date, and he says, they’re hoping for late spring, early summer. She says, good. It gives him time to make peace with his son.
Ava wonders what malady brought Ryan back to GH from his minimum security prison. She flips through a folder, and says, oh, bed sores. That’s what happens when you let your stabbing and severing muscles fall out of use. She can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for him, but she doesn’t have to imagine it. She leans on the back of his chair, and says, they both know he’s not as helpless as he appears.
Martin asks why Jackie is so convinced Jason has his mother stashed away in there. There’s been no sign of her, or anyone else who might be involved in her abduction; just lights behind curtain windows. She tells him, look in the back seat, and he picks up a big plastic bag, wondering what she has in there. It stinks to high hell. She says, the thing about garbage is that it has an unpleasant odor, and he takes out two prescription bottles. She asks if they look familiar, and he says his mother takes this medication. She says, and the prescriber? He says, Bobbie Jean Spencer, Nurse Practitioner, and she says, aka Bobbie Spencer. He asks how she knew they were here, and she says she did a story on private nurses; their dedication and long hours. One of the nurses from her story is a contact, and she has a friend who relieves Bobbie when Bobbie needs a break. He asks when she had time to go through the trash there, and she says, while he was in line for fried chicken, she took a trip there. If he keeps looking, he’ll find someone has a yen for Corinthos coffee. He says he’ll take her word for it; color him impressed. But if she knew his mother was there, why didn’t she call the police? She says, and risk his mother being in the middle of shootout between the police and Jason’s men? He says, so what are they going to do? They can’t just sit there while his mother languishes. She tells him, don’t worry. Does he know what the biggest newspaper in the nation named her? Jackie Templeton, woman of action.
Jordan tells Portia, fine. Let’s talk. Portia says they don’t need to talk. What her family needs is action – from Jordan. Cyrus agreed to stonewall the Feds’ case against Taggert, and without Cyrus’s testimony, Taggert could go free. Jordan asks if Cyrus told Portia what he’s expecting to get back for his cooperation, and Portia says, he didn’t volunteer any information. She asks what he expects for keeping quiet, and Jordan says, Cyrus and Jason are in a stand-off. Cyrus wants Jason to give up his leverage, which will leave Port Charles open for a mob war. Cyrus will run his drugs through their town, and they’ll see an epidemic of overdoses and deaths. Jason and his men will try to fight back, leaving the PCPD and GH to pick up the pieces. So Cyrus isn’t offering his silence in good faith. It isn’t an offer; it’s a manipulation. Portia says, it’s no surprise Cyrus would want to use the situation to his advantage, but she doesn’t care what he wants not to testify, as long as he refuses. It will break Trina’s heart if her father goes to prison. If anyone knows what it’s like to protect their child’s happiness, she knows it’s Jordan.
Curtis tells Sam, he thought his and Jordan’s relationship could handle just about anything. Pretty naïve, huh? She says, no. Sometimes we think we can handle it all, then something comes along we don’t anticipate, and it puts a new perspective on it. He says he doesn’t know how much is a new perspective, as much as it’s just a series of events that led him to realize Jordan isn’t the woman he thought she was. If he could be so wrong about his marriage, what else could he be wrong about?
Finn tells Elizabeth, Terry is a top oncologist, and will let her know if Franco’s tumor is changing. She says, but he can read the scans. Please. She’s desperate. He says it will just be his opinion, and she says she’s not going to sue him if she doesn’t like it. He says, okay. In his opinion, after Franco’s initial rounds of radiation therapy, the size and shape of his tumor remains unchanged.
Franco is still sleeping restlessly, and starts to repeat, Jason. He gets louder, and Cameron says, Franco, trying to wake him up. Franco suddenly sits up, pushing Cameron back. He’s about to punch Cameron, when Cameron raises his hands and says, Franco, it’s me. It’s Cameron.
Laura asks if Nikolas has reached out to Spencer since he and Ava decided to renew their vows. Does Spencer know they’re marrying for love this time? He says he spoke to Spencer and explained, but Spencer’s response was less than enthusiastic. She says she knows how much Spencer loves him; he’ll come around. Keep reaching out. He says, for how long? Spencer is stubborn. Spencer is quick to anger, and slow to forgive. She says, and he’s sensitive and bighearted, like someone else she knows. He asks if he should apologize for wanting to marry Ava again, and she says, of course not (🍷), but don’t expect a change of attitude overnight. She thinks once Spencer sees how much Ava loves Nikolas, and how happy Ava makes him, he’ll come around.
Ava tells Ryan, she’s so impressed at how he was able to communicate to one of his minders that he wanted to send her this lovely gift, made just for her. She shows him the roach, no longer under glass. She says, soon, he won’t be able to give her any more tokens of affection. She and Nikolas are going to identify his helper, and put an end to this. The note was such a nice touch; secrets and cockroaches, the only two things that always survive. Except for us. She laughs, and says she nearly busted a gut. She’s so sorry. Did he think she’d be frightened? She puts her face close to his, and says, no, Ryan; not anymore. She moves even closer, and says, if anyone ought to be scared, it’s him… scared of her.
Franco wonders if he hurt Cameron, and says he didn’t mean to. Franco didn’t know it was him. Cameron says, it’s okay; it’s no big deal. Franco was dreaming. It was probably a nightmare. Franco says, Cameron woke him up, and startled him. He’s sorry. Cameron says, it’s his fault; no biggie. He’ll get Franco some water.
Elizabeth says, so it’s too soon to expect any progress, and Finn says, yeah. She says, dammit. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. She bangs the wall with her fist, then puts her head against it. Finn comes up behind her, and says, hey.
Bobbie reads to Florence from a romance novel, and Florence says her Marty used to read to her all the time, but nothing as steamy as this. Bobbie has a soothing voice; it lulls her right to sleep. Bobbie says Florence misses him doesn’t she? and Florence says she does. Her Marty is a good boy. He always looks out for her. Bobbie promises she’ll see him very soon, and leaves to get Florence’s medication.
Martin asks Jackie, what’s the plan? She’s the woman of action; how does she intend to sneak them in to locate his mother undetected? Jackie says, the house was renovated last year. She got the plans from the county clerk’s office, and memorized the layout. It’s easy to navigate. He asks if that’s the plan. They just go room to room, looking for his mother, hoping they remain undetected, and Jackie says she understands Florence is bedridden. There’s a parlor on the first floor. She guesses that’s where Florence is. She’d be easier to move if needed. He says, what if one of Jason’s henchman discovered them snooping? and she says, they didn’t. The guards have 12-hour shifts, and their best opportunity is during the changeover. Which is now. She opens the car door and says, coming? He says he has one last question. What’s the plan if they get caught? She says, there isn’t one. Don’t get caught. He says, oh Lord. He’s going to live to regret this.
Finn asks how Elizabeth’s hand is, and she says, it’s fine; she’s used to it. He asks if it happens often, and she says, only since Britt became Chief of Staff. He takes it Britt hasn’t mellowed, but Elizabeth says she’s glad Brook is there. She needs someone to take out her anger on. It’s hard to take it out on the tumor, and she’s mad at herself for being mad at Franco.
Cameron brings the water, and tells Franco, sorry. It’s his fault; he shouldn’t have startled Franco. Franco tells him not to blame himself – ever. He shouldn’t have reacted. Cameron says it’s not Franco’s fault. He’s sick, and had a nightmare. Does he remember any of it? Franco says, no, and Cameron says Franco was talking, saying the same thing over and over. Franco asks what he said, and Cameron says, it sounded like Jason.
Sam is sure Curtis’s problems with Jordan caused him to question himself. He entered the relationship thinking they were on the same page. He says, along came some test that blew up his assumptions, and she says, he realized along the way that he’s one who changed. He’s not the kind of person that believes in relationships anymore. He says, yeah. He’s been rethinking about a lot of things lately, including his profession. He’s made a career out of digging up other people’s dirty little secrets, and he never cared, because they weren’t his secrets. Then he discovered his life was full of them too. He can’t stomach another case of infidelity, or tell another client that they’re being lied to by the person they trusted most. He’s done digging. She gets it, and asks what he wants to do. He looks around, and says she’s looking at it.
Portia tells Jordan, it was wrong of her to bring up TJ; it was uncalled for. Jordan says Portia had every right to bring it up, but Portia says Jordan doesn’t need Trina adding on to her problems. Just get her in to see Taggert, and she’ll take it from there. Jordan says Portia doesn’t need her permission, and Portia says, no, but she needs Taggert’s. He refused a visit. Jordan says she thought Trina didn’t want to see him, and Portia says, Trina was hurt and angry. She was confused, and completely overwhelmed, but that changed when Cyrus dangled Taggert’s freedom in front of her. Naturally she’s interested in her father coming home, but now he refuses to see his daughter. Jordan says she’ll speak with him, but he’s not going to change his mind, and he’d be right not to.
Jackie and Martin sneak around the house where Florence is, and he asks how long they have. She puts her finger to her lips, and peeks into a room. They go in, and Martin says, it’s him, Marty, come to take her home. The bed is empty, and Jason is sitting in a chair. He says, wrong room. Ha-ha! Jason’s way of being low-key funny.
Elizabeth tells Finn that she’s angry at Franco for getting sick. They’re not perfect, but they had a good life. They were happy. Finn says, before the tumor, and she says, Franco didn’t tell her, and hid his diagnosis, making a plan without her. He says, the desire to hide a diagnosis from a loved one is pretty common. In part, it’s to protect the loved one, but part is also denial. He’s seen it before; he did it himself. She thinks Franco’s denial lasted longer than normal. When he finally told her, he ignored Terry’s advice to start radiation, and took off to Switzerland for an unproven treatment. She can’t help thinking about the time they lost, and how much bigger the tumor might have gotten because they did nothing. She wonders how much sicker he got, and if he’s too sick now to get better.
Franco wonders why everything is always about Jason, and tells Cameron, there are more interesting people in this world. Cameron says, it makes sense Franco’s nightmare would be about Jason. Jason hates him. Jason can’t forgive the things Franco did when he had his first tumor, but it’s not Franco’s fault. Franco hates that Cameron has to think about any of it, and Cameron says, that’s why Jason keeps his distance. Franco says, there’s nothing anyone can do about Jason, but Cameron says, the hell there isn’t.
Jason says he wondered how long it was going to take Jackie and Martin to get out of the car and pay Florence a visit. Martin says Jason knew they were there? and Jason says, yeah. Martin asks where Jason is holding his mother. He wants to see her now. Jackie says, if they could track Bobbie, so can Cyrus. Jason says if they want to talk to Bobbie, feel free. Martin says he doesn’t give a damn; he’s not there to play games. His mother is old and vulnerable. Please. He needs to see her. Jackie says, when Martin spoke to his mother on the phone, she said she was doing well, but he wants to see it with his own eyes that she’s whole and healthy. Jason says, okay.
Nikolas tells Laura, he adores Spencer, and will never stop trying to win him over, but he doubts he can do it in time to get Spencer’s blessing for the ceremony. He’ll keep trying to get Spencer to participate, for her. She says, no, for him and his son; the whole family really. He says he wants family togetherness as much as she does. Speaking of family, what’s going on with Cyrus? She says, his mother is missing, and he blames Jason for abducting her. He says that doesn’t sound like Jason, and she guesses what started the debacle was Carly. She leaps before she looks. Now Cyrus blames Jason, and her too, in a way. He says she has nothing to do with it, but she says, Cyrus believes she has the means to return his mother. He tells her, stay out of it. Let Cyrus play games with Jason, not her. She says she’d like nothing better, but Cyrus is irrational, and has an obsession with his mother. If she’s not returned, she’s afraid he’s going to lash out. She doesn’t want anyone in the family in his sites when he does.
Ava asks Ryan if she’s crystal clear. If he continues reaching out, she wouldn’t want him to claim she didn’t warn him. The only pest is him, and this is what she does to pests. She stomps on the roach, and grinds it into the floor. Ryan continues to stare straight ahead.
Finn asks if Elizabeth really wants his unvarnished assessment about Franco’s chances, and she says he knows she does. He says, Franco is too annoying to die. He doesn’t think death wants anything to do with Franco. He looks at her and the boys, and sees the love they have for Franco, and he doesn’t want anything bad to happen. She says, Franco is fighting cancer, not only the radiation, but the side effects. Finn asks if he has fatigue or nausea, and Elizabeth says, they went out on Valentine’s Day. Franco wasn’t feeling well… then his hair… She starts to cry, and says they went home, and Cameron saw what was going on. She could see how Franco was trying hard to cover up his embarrassment, and Cameron ran upstairs and shaved his own head. Finn says, impressive. Violet won’t be happy.She loves Cameron’s hair, but it will grow back. So will Franco’s. He says, it looks like Elizabeth has Franco covered. She says she does, and he asks, who’s covering her?
Franco tells Cameron, no one has hurt him, and Cameron says, really? Sam’s mom tried to stab him with a syringe, and almost killed Dante. People are refusing to treat him. Franco asks how Cameron knows about that, and Cameron says he heard Franco and his mom talking about the tech that didn’t want to be in the same room as Franco. Franco says, that’s one person, but Cameron says, it’s not. He’s seen it all over social media that Franco deserves to die. People think the tumor has made him dangerous, and it gives them the right to go after him. And don’t tell him that he’s stupid to worry and want to protect him. He cares whether Franco lives or dies. Franco says Cameron is super smart, and a good kid, but he doesn’t want to pick a fight with crazies to defend him. Cameron says, if he doesn’t fight to defend his family, who else would he do it for?
Portia says, Jordan and Taggert believe his best chance is to stay in the PCPD jail, essentially in protective custody, but for how long? What if the Feds decide to go ahead with the case? And even if by some miracle, Taggert is exonerated, Cyrus will come after him. Jordan says, by then, she should have Cyrus, and Portia asks, how’s that working for her this time? Jordan doesn’t say anything, and Portia says, that’s what she thought. In the meantime, she’ll shut out her daughter, causing no end to the pain and heartache. She doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do, and Jordan says, tell Trina, it’s not on Taggert, but on her.
Sam asks if she heard Curtis right. He wants to buy the nightclub? She’s sure he knows a healthy amount of patrons will want to unload their problems, and he’ll have to hear about their troubles. As a server – which he will be sometimes – he’ll be forced to stay in the bar and listen to their troubles. He says, the difference is, at the end of the night, he’ll close up shop and go home. He won’t have to think about them again. She says, and that appeals to him? He says, not having to produce pictures of infidelity to a brokenhearted spouse, or watch a man gamble away his child support money appeals to him. She says, then go for it, and he says he already is. He sits down and says, this is where she comes in.
Finn tells Elizabeth, it’s times like this when she needs a support system. Who has she reached out to? She says, Laura, Bobbie, Scotty; she has her career at the hospital. He says, good, but for what it’s worth (🍷), she can lean on him. She thanks him for talking her off the ledge, and gets up. She says, tell Violet that Cameron’s hair grows pretty fast. He says, good to know, and she leaves.
Franco says he can’t criticize Cameron for wanting to protect his family, and Cameron says Franco is already dealing with cancer treatments; he doesn’t need to deal with vigilantes. Someone needs to make them back off. Franco wonders what happens if Cameron gets into trouble defending him? Where does that leave Jake and Aiden? The boys look up to him. Cameron says, that’s crazy, but Franco says, it isn’t; it’s wonderful. They’re good kids, and want be like him. He’s a good kid. So he needs to continue being an honorable young man. At least until he goes to college in California. Cameron says he’s not going; he’s staying there. Franco asks when he decided that, and Cameron says, the other night. Franco says, Valentine’s Day. Why didn’t he say anything? Cameron says Franco and Elizabeth would have just argued with him, and tried to talk him out of it. He feels like so much has changed. Maybe he won’t go to college at all. Franco says, because of him and his tumor? and Cameron says, Franco didn’t leave him when he was in trouble. Why would he leave Franco?
Curtis asks if Sam is done with the P.I. game, and she says, actually, no. She’s ready to take on some work. Unlike him, she misses it. She’s not talking about anything dangerous. She has kids, and knows she has to be safe, but she just misses it so much. She wants to help people know the truth, even if it hurts them. He says he sees a way they can both get what they want, and she says she’s listening. He says, buy his half of the P.I. firm. He’ll give her full ownership of operations, his contacts, files, and lists, and he’ll give her fair market value. She asks what he’s going to do with the money, and he says, close the deal on this place. What does she say? Does she want to buy him out? she says, let the bidding begin.
Portia says she doesn’t want to lie to her daughter, but Jordan says, it’s not a lie. Effective immediately, she’s barring Taggert from having visitors. Portia asks if she can do that, since it’s Federal and out of her jurisdiction, but Jordan thinks they’ll accept her request. If Portia has a problem with Trina, send Trina to her. Portia says, if she’s willing to take on the full brunt of her daughter’s fury, and Jordan says she deserves it. It’s the best she can do, at least for now. Portia says she’ll take it, but only for now. Jordan says, good. Now if Portia doesn’t mind… Portia picks up her coat, and says she’s sorry to her about Jordan and Curtis. Cyrus really ruined a lot of lives. She leaves, and Jordan looks sad.
Bobbie tells Florence, someone is eager to see her. Martin walks in, and Florence holds out her arms. They hug, and Martin says he heard she was expecting him. He must say, her radiance is a sight for sore eyes. In the hallway, Bobbie asks Jason, now that Martin knows his mother is here, is there any chance this might be over? He says, sorry. It’s too soon to know how this will effect Cyrus’s reach. Florence tells Martin that he’s lost weight, but he says, don’t worry. He just ate the better part of a bucket of fried chicken. It wasn’t as good as hers though. She says, of course (🍷) it wasn’t. He eats badly when he’s stressed. Has he been worried? He says, about her? Of course (🍷). He hasn’t seen her for weeks. She says she missed him, but Bobbie and Mr. Blue Eyes are taking wonderful care of her.
Ava cleans her shoe, and says, it’s been fun, hasn’t it? What does he thinks of her new scent? It’s a Valentine’s gift from Nikolas; lovely, isn’t it? Would he like a whiff. She takes a bottle out of her bag, and sprays it all around him, then says, oh, sorry. She forgot he’s allergic to perfume, isn’t he? She guesses he’ll have to sweat it out, like an itch he can’t scratch. She leaves, and he still doesn’t react, except to blink.
Florence says, everyone is so sweet, and Jackie says, Martin isn’t the only one worried about her. Her other son is anxious to see her. Florence says, that guy can wait, and Jackie says it sounds like she doesn’t have a lot of patience for Cyrus. Florence says, sadly, her older son is a lost soul. He’s willful, selfish, and lacks conscience. She doesn’t know where she and his father went wrong, but she washed her hands of that scoundrel years ago. Jackie takes out a recorder, and says, tell her about it.
Nikolas asks Ava how the conversation went, and she says, one-sided. He says, the best kind, and thanks Laura for her advice; he’ll take it to heart. She says, any time, and Nikolas and Ava leave. Laura peeks in on Ryan through the door window, and walks away. A guard comes into Ryan’s room, and says he’s got mail. He puts a stack of envelopes down, and says he’s got one there from Ryan’s biggest fan, Heather W. He reads, dear Ryan. Love your work. I’m your biggest fan. We see some outgoing mail, with a letter addressed to S. Cassadine on top.
Tomorrow, Lesley says Cyrus is wrong for GH (like we didn’t know), Elizabeth asks if Franco is talking about moving out, Maxie uninvites Nina, and Cyrus wants to know where his mother is.
🏖 I’m here to report that Summer House is still just as awful, and the cast is still a bunch of horrible, horrible people, to borrow a phrase from Sophie on 2 Broke Girls. Ciara should run for her life, and take Hannah with her. Luke is still stringing Hannah along, using words like connection and chemistry and I love you. For a moment, I thought Ciara might actually be the voice of reason, when she told Hannah that she wanted nothing to do with a guy who could yell at a friend the way Luke yelled at Hannah. But the next thing I knew, she was sitting next to him, being a bobblehead while he talked a bunch of bullsh*t. Kyle, who’d seemed to have matured, and had just done a quarter million in sales with his online business, reverted back to his true baby nature, whining about people not doing their chores. I’m not sure what all happened there, but both Amanda and Hannah ended up in tears. Sadly, at the end of the episode, Carl found out his brother had died, and on Amanda’s birthday. Still, if you decide to watch this show, just remember, it’s an hour of your life you won’t get back.
🎁 Another Gift That Keeps On Giving…
Joining LuAnn’s drunken fall into the bushes, Ramona’s crazy-eyed runway walk, NeNe telling Kim, close your legs to married men, and so many other memorable moments, comes the analogy.
I find it hard to believe that Gia’s character is being questioned, unless kids her age don’t understand what an analogy is either. In which case, we have a bigger problem than this mess.
Not new news, but a great article on the town. I always thought it would be a fun place to live if it wasn’t 110 degrees in the shade. And not so expensive.
Marsha “Pay it No Mind” Johnson (1945-1992) was a Black trans woman who was a force behind the Stonewall Riots and surrounding activism that sparked a new phase of the LGBTQ+ movement in 1969. – from glsen.org
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. – Martin Luther King, Jr
🎐 Sweet Dreams To You Dear…
We made it to the end of another week, or seven sunsets block of time, depending on how you’re calculating your days. But whether you’re keeping track or not, stay safe, stay industrious, and stay not getting caught if you don’t have a plan for that.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At the bistro, Carly tells Jason, since there was no evidence, the special agent determined there was no reason to charge her. Nelle’s death was officially declared an accident. He says, because it was, and she says, but Nina isn’t remotely ready to accept that.
Michael tells Nina that he knows it’s late, but Wiley was wide awake. Willow says they thought Nina would like a visit from her grandson. Nina approaches Wiley, and says, hi, Wiley. She tells him, it’s been a while since they met. She’s sure he doesn’t remember her, but she remembers him. She’s his gr… She’s Nina.
Olivia tells Robert that Dante is on the mend; no thanks to Alexis. Robert says, Alexis has been arrested and charged. She’s not going to get away with sticking a syringe in Olivia’s son. He asks, what about Nedski? Has anyone seen him since Robert stupidly invited him to the hospital to join her? She says she’d rather talk about Robert and his life. He says his life is kind of boring, and she says, really? Has he made peace with Maxie and her choice of husband? He says she’s kind of got him there. If he gives his blessing to the wedding, that means lying. On the other hand, if he sets out to stop it, he risks making a martyr out of Peter and alienating his niece for good. She says it’s not like Robert Scorpio to be indecisive and sit around doing nothing, and he says, Livvy, have you ever known me to sit around and do nothing?
Obrecht shines a flashlight around, and says, if she were Peter, where would she hide incriminating evidence? She checks the couch cushions.
Britt tells Maxie, she never had a sister, and never thought she wanted one, but now that she’s linked to Maxie and Nina, it’s a surprisingly good feeling. Maxie says they have each other’s backs, but Britt says, what if having each other’s backs means saying something the other doesn’t want to hear? Maxie says, please, no more advice on how she should marry someone other than Peter. How many times does she have to tell Britt and the rest of the world that she loves Peter and she’s going to spend the rest of her life with him? Britt says, methinks when you stop protesting so much. She tells Maxie, okay, she’s going to make a graceful exit, so Maxie can enjoy her date without her unwanted advice. Maxie thanks Britt, and says, speaking of her date, he’s late. She wonders if he’s stuck at the office, and thinks she’ll call him to see if he’d like a relaxing night at home. Britt tells her, don’t do that, and Maxie says, why not?
Obrecht checks the shelves, and sees a laptop. She sits at the desk, and opens it. When she moves it forward, the pile of mail falls to the floor. We see the envelope from D. Marick.
Peter arrives at Anna’s and says he got there as fast as he could. He asks if everything is okay; she sounded serious. She says she thinks it’s time they faced the truth… together.
Carly tells Jason, at the very least, Nina thinks she could have saved Nelle, but chose not to, and she doesn’t see that changing. He asks what more Nina can do. There’s no evidence; the Feds closed the case. Carly says she knows, but Nina refuses to see Nelle for who she really was, and only sees the daughter she didn’t get the chance to raise and love. But there’s one more person connected to Nina through Nelle. He says, Wiley, and she says, her grandson happens to be Nina’s grandson too.
Nina says Wiley is very much daddy’s boy, but she sees he also takes after his mommy. Michael says, Willow is Wiley’s mom, and Nina thanks them for bringing Wiley to see her. Willow says they thought Nina might need some cheering up tonight, and Nina apologizes to Michael for her meltdown at his father’s service. She should have taken her problems with Carly and Jax to a private area. Michael says his mom had an interview with the FBI tonight. There was no evidence that she had anything to do with Nelle’s fall, and the case was closed. Obviously, it’s a relief for him and his family, but he hopes Nina finds a way to move past her issues with his mom, for Wiley’s sake.
Olivia says she knows that smile. What does Robert have planned to keep Maxie away from Peter, and how can she help? He asks what she has against Peter, and she says, besides the fact that he fired her son? Robert says, Peter thinks he can get away without a head of security? and Olivia says, he’ll need one when she gets through with him. Peter felt Dante wasn’t a good fit for Aurora. Honestly, she’s happy Dante isn’t working for him, after he published Franco’s private medical records. That’s what led to Dante getting stabbed by Alexis to save Franco. Please, don’t tell her how drunk Alexis was; she nearly killed Dante. He says, it’s an ongoing investigation, and he can’t discuss the case, and she suggests they stick to him and his plan of how to save Maxie from that termite Peter. She has a spectacular bottle of wine that she and Ned were saving for a special occasion, and tells him, don’t even think of saying no. Robert stammers as she leaves to get it. The doorbell rings, and he says he’ll answer. It’s Alexis.
Britt says it’s Maxie’s last chance for a night out with Peter before they’re married. She should make the most of the time, because her due date is fast approaching. Once her little girl comes kicking and screaming into the world, all her nights will be at home. She can’t change a diaper at the club. Maxie supposes she’s right, but doesn’t understand what’s keeping Peter. He usually calls if he’s going to be late. Britt asks what’s really bothering her; that Peter is late, or that he’s late because he’s up to no good? If Maxie can’t trust him before the wedding, how is she going to trust him once they say I do? Maxie says, it’s not about trust; it’s concern. She wants to make sure he wasn’t in a car accident, or took a fall in the shower. It’s what people do when they’re in a committed relationship. They worry, and want to make sure the other person is okay.
Obrecht wonders where Peter has hidden the proof of his wrongdoing. It’s not in the office; she already searched it. I’s not there. Is there a storage locker he has under another name? An office or an apartment no one knows about? No matter. She’ll find it, and his secrets. She picks up the mail, and puts it on the desk. She starts to leave, stops, comes back, and looks at the mail again. She sees the envelope.
Anna tells Peter, what they decide tonight will directly affect the wedding, but more important, Maxie’s future happiness. He says she’s scaring him, and she says, good. She wants to scare him. She wants him to take it seriously. He’s about to pledge his life and love to her goddaughter. Before he says I do, she wants to know he’s being completely honest with her; no secrets, lies, no evasions. If he has something to tell her, now’s the time to do it.
Carly tells Jason, Wiley is her grandson too, and she owes it to Wiley to make sure Nina’s is emotionally okay to be part of his life. He asks what that means, and she says she doesn’t want Nina projecting her fantasies about Nelle, and how she could have been onto Wiley. He’s way too young to carry all of Nina’s grief.
Nina tells Michael, the FBI called her to tell her that her accusations had no merit. The only thing that matters is making sure Wiley is loved and cared for. She tells Wiley that she’s so sorry this place is so boring. There are no lollipops or toys. She asks how he feels about polar bears, and Willow says he loves polar bears, especially after a documentary they saw. Michael adds that a few weeks ago he wanted to be an astronaut, but now they’re sure Wiley wants to be an artic explorer. Nina says, then they should get started. It just so happens that she loves polar bears too. She helps him into her chair, and says she got a cool app that she’s been too busy to use. So she was wondering if he could help her. What does he say? First stop, the arctic circle? She shows him the screen.
Alexis asks if Olivia is in, and Robert says she shouldn’t be there. She says she didn’t come to make things worse; that’s not her intention. He says she shouldn’t be around Dante’s mother; Alexis almost killed her son. She says she was drunk, and afraid Franco was going to hurt her family, and he thanks her for the window into her defense. Olivia walks in with the wine, and stops short.
Britt tells Maxie, they agreed to support one another, so allow Britt to support her as she begins her married life with Britt’s brother. Maxie says she doesn’t need support. Everything is awesome. Britt asks, then why does Maxie care so much what other people think, including her? Why does she need validation for her choice of husband? Unless she has cold feet.
Obrecht looks at the envelope, and says, Marick; curious. Anna’s sister is dead, and Alex’s husband is sending an envelope from beyond the grave. She wonders why, and opens it.
Peter says, Anna spoke with Valentin, and she says, yes. Valentin wants Peter to be happy; he feels a great responsibility for him, and wants him to do the right thing. He doesn’t want Peter going down the path of his father. Peter says, it’s true. Valentin has been the one constant in his life, even before he met her and fell in love with Maxie. He wonders why the sudden talk about secrets and lies, and Anna goes to her desk and picks up a folder, saying, because of this. It’s a paper trail, showing he worked with the assassin, and proof that he hired him to kill Andre and Franco. Peter asks why she kept the document, and she says, to protect him. When she took the file from the WSB, she committed obstruction of justice and tampered with evidence because he convinced her that was innocent. He says, because he is, and Anna says, please. She’s bringing it up again because he’s going to marry Maxie, and his choices will become Maxie’s choices. Peter says Anna knows he loves Maxie, and Maxie does too. She says, if the documents are accurate; if there’s a paper trail linking him to the assassin. If it’s real, then he needs to say so. She’s giving him a chance to clear his conscience.
Peter looks through the folder, and says, one bank statement. He reads, David Black, and says, the man who tried to kill Andre and Franco, the man he stopped from killing them. Anna says, proof of payment made to the assassin from the same company they both worked for, Eurotech. He says, and this payment can be connected to him? He could have hired an assassin to kill Andre and Franco, then tampered with the plane that went down carrying Drew? She says if he did that, and he says, let him ask her something. Are there more documents other than the original? Does he have some noose around his neck that he doesn’t know about? She says, if there is, doesn’t he think he should tell her so she can help him? He says, whatever file links him to the assassin is a lie of Obrecht’s. She says, so the information in the file isn’t true? He says, they’ve been over this before, and it’s true he once worked with David Black, and maybe came in contact with him, but he’s certain this is Obrecht’s doing. She says, so Obrecht doctored the documents? and he says, it looks like it. Obviously, Obrecht got her hands on some innocuous records, and twisted them to appear damning to him. There’s only one thing to do with a lie like that. She says, what? and he says, destroy the evidence.
Maxie tells Britt that her feet are very warm, that’s because Peter… Britt say she doesn’t want to hear about foot rubs, back rubs, or emotional support. Maxie says she’s happy so many people doubt Peter’s intentions. It will make it that much sweeter when they’re proved wrong. Britt says, and she’s confident they will, and Maxie says, look at how much Peter has had to overcome already. He moved to Port Charles as a stranger, shook the curse of being Faison’s child, and helped her recover from the loss of Nathan, his own brother. Not to mention he helped her deliver James. Even with all the doubters and haters, Peter revamped The Invader and made it a success. In Maxie’s apartment, Obrecht finds a letter and flashdrive in the envelope. She reads, dear Peter. In the event of my death, you should hear the truth in my own words. Maxie says, along the way, Peter discovered that Anna was his mother, the antidote to whatever poison he inherited from his father. That is how she knows there’s good inside Peter. It’s been there all along. He gets it from Anna. Obrecht puts the flashdrive into the computer. Alex is on the screen, and she says, hello, Peter. If you’re seeing this, I’m probably dead. It’s unfortunate, but I didn’t want the truth to die with me.
Alexis says she knows she has no business being there, but it’s never stopped her before. Robert suggests she try now, but Olivia says she’d like to hear what Alexis has to say. Robert doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and Olivia says she appreciates his concern, but doesn’t need his protection. She’ll be fine. Robert says, okay. He’s just a phone call away. He’ll take a raincheck on Nedski’s bottle. Olivia says she wouldn’t miss it for the world, and he leaves. Olivia says, after you, and they go into the living room. She says Alexis has five minutes. Start talking.
Nina shows Wiley the laptop, and says, the polar bears are ice skating; how fun. Now they’re dancing. See that? Michael says she’s a natural, and Nina says, it’s true what they say; grandparents have all the fun, and none of the responsibility. Willow says she might not agree when they ask her to babysit, but Nina says she can’t wait. Carly arrives, and listens outside. Willow warns Nina that Wiley is a master negotiator. If you don’t get a firm commitment to a limit of three stories, he’ll manipulate you into reading all night. Carly peeks in, and shakes her head.
Nina tells Wiley, see the baby? and Carly comes in. Michael says, mom. They decided to bring Wiley to surprise Nina. Carly says they surprised her too. It sounds like they’re having fun, but it’s past Wiley’s bedtime. Michael says, Grandma Carly is right. They’ll save some polar bears for next time. Nina tells Wiley that she had a wonderful time, and hopes he comes back soon. Willow says, he will, and Nina thanks them again for bringing him. Willow says, it’s their pleasure, and they leave. Carly isn’t smiling anymore, and closes the door. She says she hopes Nina enjoyed the time with her grandson. If she doesn’t play her cards right, it will be her last.
Alexis tells Olivia that she’s deeply, terribly sorry for what she did to Dante, She was drunk and out of control. Olivia says, ya think? She’s surprised Alexis had the guts to come and apologize. She thought Alexis would be out drowning her sorrows in whatever dive bar was still willing to serve her. Alexis says, that’s always very tempting, but she wants Olivia to know she takes full responsibility for what she did. Olivia says, so what step is this? and Alexis says she doesn’t think she’s in a position to explain any of the steps. It’s her first day of sobriety, yet again. What’s more important is that Olivia has been a good friend. She even went out of her way to prove Alexis didn’t drive drunk. Olivia says, more proof that no good deed goes unpunished. Alexis says she’d like the opportunity to make it up if she can. She wants to be the kind of friend Olivia has been to her, and hopes Olivia gives her the chance. How is she doing for time? Olivia says she’s off the clock. Keep talking.
Robert meets Jason at the bistro, and thanks Jason for seeing him. Jason asks, what’s on his mind? and Robert says, Sonny is gone, so he guesses Jason is running the Corinthos businesses. He wouldn’t answer that. Jason says, then why bring it up? and Robert says, he’s concerned Jason’s new responsibility will cause him to take his eyes off what he thinks is the bigger prize. Jason says, Peter August?
Britt tells Maxie, bravo. That was an impassioned defense of her fiancé. Maxie says she noticed Britt didn’t say convincing, and Britt says she knows more of Peter’s history and family tree than Maxie, and has her own reasons to doubt his so-called goodness. Maxie asks if this is how she plans on keeping her pact to have Maxie’s back, and Britt says, absolutely. By being honest even if it hurts. Maxie says, maybe she’s right, and Britt says, she is? Who is she, and where’s the Maxie who just defended her fiancé to the death? Maxie says, clearly something is going on with Peter. He hasn’t returned her calls or texts, and she has a bad feeling. She thinks she’ll just go home. Britt tells her, wait. There’s a million reasons why Peter might be missing out on date night. His phone died, he can’t find his phone, he’s out of gas. He had a wedding emergency with Finn, and lost track of time. Maxie says he’d still find a way to reach her, and Britt says, okay. She’s going with Maxie. If something awful did happen, Maxie will need her. Maxie leaves, and Britt follows her.
Obrecht says she does believe she struck the motherlode. She kisses the flashdrive, says, and she does mean mother, and laughs.
Peter tells Anna, destroying the documents is the only way to keep Obrecht from using them again. He has reason to believe Obrecht deceived her handlers, and she’s free from Steinmaur. And she’s not retiring to some Swiss chalet. She’s going to come after him. If Obrecht gets her hands on those, she’ll turn them over as proof of his guilt. He doesn’t think the authorities would believe her, but they both know how Obrecht could twist Maxie against him. More lies and doctored evidence; is that what Anna wants? She says she just wants the Peter she believed him to be, and he says, here he is. He holds out his hand. She puts her hand in his, and he takes the folder from her. He puts it in the fireplace, and it burns.
Nina tells Carly that Wiley is also her grandson. Willow and Michael get to decide who Wiley sees, not Carly. Carly says she knows Willow and Michael are Wiley’s parents, unlike Nelle, who gave him away. Nina asks if that gives Carly justification to watch her daughter die; let her fall to her death. Carly says, that’s not what happened. Ask the Feds. She and Jax were grilled for two hours, and she’s not under suspicion. Does Nina know why? Nina says, because Carly lied through her teeth? but Carly says, because Nina’s claims had no basis in fact. She was just trying to get back at them for not telling her that Nelle was her daughter. Nina says, that’s right, they didn’t tell her. How long were they going to be silent? Were they going to let Wiley grow up, never knowing she was his grandmother? Were they just going to go on, letting her live in the same city as her only grandson? The hell with that. She’s Wiley’s grandma also, and Carly isn’t taking away her grandson like she did her daughter. Carly says she didn’t take Nina’s daughter away. And if Nina spirals out of control like she did in the cemetery, she’ll lose everything, and only have herself to blame.
Willow tells Michael, it was hard for Wiley to fall asleep. He was excited about the visit to Nina. Michael says Willow was right. Nina needs Wiley in her life, and their son needs her. Willow says, as much as she loves being right – and she loves it a little too much – Michael was willing make first move and reach out to Nina for Wiley’s sake. Good job, dad. He says, thanks, mom, which is just a little creepy.
Alexis thanks Olivia, and says she hopes Olivia knows her forgiveness means everything. Olivia tells her, who said she forgave Alexis? She wonders why Alexis wasn’t at Sonny’s funeral. Was she out getting drunk? Alexis says she didn’t want to embarrass her children with the charges against her, and didn’t want it to end up being about her instead of Sonny. Olivia doesn’t think Alexis needed to worry about that, and Alexis says she’s trying to do better. Olivia asks, if Alexis had been sober, would she still have picked up the syringe and stabbed Dante? Alexis says she never meant to hurt Dante, and Olivia says she meant to kill Franco. What if it had been Elizabeth or Sam that got in the way? Alexis says, she never would… and Olivia says, she did, and she’s going to keep hurting people until she gets help.
Obrecht is about to leave, and hears Britt, talking loudly. Britt says, if Peter is out galivanting tonight, what can Maxie expect after the wedding? Maxie asks if Britt can be any louder. She doesn’t think Mrs Getz in apartment 66 heard her. Peter isn’t a gallivanter; he’s the last of the romantics. If he missed their date night, he has a good reason. They go inside, and Maxie asks if Peter is there. She goes into the bedroom, and Britt looks around. Maxie comes back, and says, no sign of him, and Britt says, at least he didn’t fall in the shower. Maxie says, but if he’s not there, where is he?
Peter tells Anna, no more moving backward. All the things they did wrong, and things they should have done differently, It’s all in the past now, and they have to think about the future. She’s marrying Finn, and he’s marrying Maxie. Anna says, that’s all that matters now, yes? and he says, the next time he sees her will be on her wedding day; his too. He kisses her cheek, tells her, be well, and leaves. He lingers on the porch, looking grim, and Anna pokes around in the fireplace, but there’s nothing left of the folder.
Carly tells Nina, she’s made mistakes, but so has Nina. Concentrate on what she has, not what she lost. Let go of her bitterness, work it out with Jax, and focus on being happy. Nina says she doesn’t remember asking for Carly’s advice, but Carly says she should take it. Wiley needs stability, security, and a loving nurturing home. Nina asks what part of that Carly thinks she doesn’t understand, and Carly says, given her performance at Sonny’s grave, she’d say, all of it. If Nina pulls something like that again, Nina will never have a place in her grandson’s life. Carly stomps out, and Nina sits.
Willow tells Michael that she should go; she has class in the morning. If Wiley needs her, she’s just a gatehouse away. Michael says, before she goes, he apologizes. He hopes he didn’t ruin her Valentine’s Day by making her watch the movie. She says he didn’t make her watch it; she’s glad he asked. She hopes she and Chase didn’t ruin his when they walked in on him and Sasha. He says, it’s fine, and she asks if he’s going to see Sasha again. He says, ofcourse (🍷), and asks what about Chase? She says, of course (🍷), and he says the whole reason they did the annulment was so they could be with Chase and Sasha. She says, absolutely. She’ll see him and Wiley tomorrow. He says, goodnight, and closes the door. He heads for the stairs, and turns to look again at the door.
Olivia says she believes Alexis wants to make amends, but intentions are meaningless without actions to back them up. She doesn’t mean showing up at a meeting here and there, but choosing to make changes, and not taking any shortcuts. Alexis says she’s willing to try. Does Olivia have any suggestions? Olivia says she doesn’t have those answers, but she thinks Alexis took the first step in coming there tonight, and Alexis leaves.
Maxie tells Britt, maybe she should call the police, but Britt says Maxie is overreacting. If Peter isn’t home by midnight, she’ll be the first one to organize a search party. In the meantime, this worrying isn’t good for the baby, and Maxie should lie down and rest. Maxie says she will, for the baby’s sake, and Britt says, good; she’ll keep trying Peter. Maxie thanks Britt for bringing her home. She’s so distracted, she wouldn’t have been a good driver. Britt says, anytime, and Maxie goes into the bedroom. Britt waits a beat, and says, all clear. Obrecht comes out, and Britt hustles her to the door. She asks if Obrecht found something, and Obrecht says, Henrik is as good as dead. Britt says, congratulations. She doesn’t want Maxie to hear. Obrecht has to go. She literally shoves Obrecht out the door, and lets out a sigh of relief.
Jason tells Robert, he hasn’t forgotten about Peter. Peter went to a lot of trouble to target Franco and Andre. He got Franco. Robert says, when he published the article about the return of Franco’s tumor? Peter would call that journalism. Jason says, it was about more than driving traffic to The Invader. He doesn’t think it had anything to do with Franco’s tumor or what Franco did in the past. Is it possible that Franco knows something about Peter, and Peter is trying to shut him up? Jason’s phone dings, and Robert says, trouble? Jason says, yeah, but not with Peter. Robert is on his own until Jason gets back. He asks where Jason is going, and Jason says, on a quick trip out of town.
Britt says the things she does for her mother, and sinks onto the couch. Maxie comes out, and says Britt is still there? Britt says she promised to look out for Maxie, and that means staying the night. Maxie thanks her, saying she could use the company. Peter comes in, and says he’s sorry she was worried. He just got her messages. She asks where he was. Is he okay? He promises he’s just fine, and he’ll never worry her like that again.
Anna calls Valentin, crying, and says she gave Peter a chance, but he was right. His redemption was just a lie. They turned a blind eye for too long. She honestly thinks it’s up to them now to stop him… Okay… She gets up, and walks past a photo of her and Peter, toward the door.
Tomorrow, Sam asks what Curtis wants to do, Martin asks what the plan is if they get caught, Ava visits Ryan, and Elizabeth asks if Franco’s tumor is shrinking.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
And there we were, back at the analogy heard round New Jersey. In her interview, Marge said Jackie clearly didn’t know her audience. There were two rules, never use an analogy – no one understands them – and never bring up kids in an argument. Jackie delivered a two for one special. Jackie called Marge, saying she wasn’t going on the Lake George trip. She never wanted to be around that woman again. Marge insisted it would be made right. Teresa immediately called Melissa, insisting she heard what she heard, and any strong woman would want to know. She guessed Jackie was a weak woman. In Melissa’s interview, she said Jackie would have never accused Gia of doing cocaine. She knows Teresa twisted it, or it was said wrong. Teresa said she was going to demolish Jackie. Melissa wasted no time in calling Jackie, and letting her know she’d poured gas on the fire.
Jennifer went to see mom Josephine with Olivia. In her interview, Jennifer said her brother Michael had married Melda in Turkey, and decided to stay there until Melda got her visa to come to the US. They had a honeymoon baby, and named it in honor of their father John. Josephine refused to call the baby John, instead using his middle name Bryan. She told Jennifer it was because her husband was mean, but Jennifer thought she was being unreasonable. In Jennifer’s interview, she said it had been an arranged marriage, and in their culture, they don’t do divorce. She never saw her father do anything bad to her mother, but she never saw any love either.
Dolores went to see her mother Valerie, and they sat socially distant in the yard. In Delores’s interview, she said, for fifteen years, her mother had done nothing but take care of her grandchildren, so she was feeling lonely, even though the grandkids visited at the gate. Dolores told Valerie that David could handle anything except talking about relationships. In her interview, Delores said when her dad became Chief of Police in another town, he wanted to live there, but her mother wanted to stay put, so they’ve had a marriage in every sense of the word, except they don’t live together. Delores told Frank about the trip to Lake George, and he said he was sure there was a big guidette population there. He wanted to shake David down for a commitment while Delores was away, and Delores said she thought the trip was going to be a bloodbath I kept thinking, no one can be this stupid, but then I remembered Teresa went to prison for signing something without understanding what it was. I actually do believe Joe #1 told her to just sign the papers, and she did. Just in case you have any doubt about things like that, always read something before you sign it. Always. I can’t stress it enough.
Margaret must have had a bout of amnesia, since she thought she could talk sense into Teresa, and actually get her to apologize to Jackie. The women met at Marge’s under construction house, and Teresa was late, so Marge explained to the others that Jackie wasn’t coming. She griped that now she had to explain how you don’t go to a birthday party and spread rumors about the person whose birthday it is. Delores thought it was a smart move on Jackie’s part not to come, and said all Teresa heard is that Jackie said something about her daughter. In Marge’s interview, she said Teresa wasn’t the inured party, Jackie was, and the analogy wouldn’t have been made if Teresa hadn’t spread the rumor. On the way to the lake, Marge told the group that her kids went to camp near there, and she would vacation with her husband there. It was a nice town with a beautiful lake, and good memories. Teresa tried to justify her idiot self for what she’d said, and declared she wasn’t sorry for saying it. I wondered who the extra blonde was who resembled a younger Marge. After the show, I googled it. See below.
Jackie did buzzcuts on her kids, and Evan was pretty angry about the whole analogy thing. In Jackie’s interview, she said she hadn’t taken an easy breath since it happened. When the kids wondered why she didn’t go to Lake George, she told them that they didn’t have to be friends with someone who didn’t treat them right when you did nothing wrong. In her interview, she said Teresa got to cause trouble, and she stayed there to pick up the pieces while Teresa got to go on vacation with all her friends. She hoped they had her back.
While the women were at Lake George, at home, the guys went bowling. In his interview, Frank talked about a bad accident he’d had falling down some stairs. Both of his quads detached, and his knees blew out. I felt pain just hearing about it, and he said he was essentially paralyzed, and David took him in. He told David that he was on his side about Delores having surgery, and said they should work things out. He accused David of procrastinating on the relationship front, and said he was a great doctor, but a mediocre boyfriend. The two of them seem like genuinely nice guys.
The women went to a modern designed lake house, and chose rooms. No surprise, they were all gorgeous, and Marge had amazing goodie bags for everyone. How come I’ve never gotten a goodie bag at a party or get-together? Not since I was twelve anyway. Marge said she should have brought gummies, and I wondered, did she mean…? The rumor/analogy thing was brought up off and on, mostly by Teresa, who moved on to blaming Jennifer next for giving her tequila.
Melissa tried using logic, but Teresa didn’t listen, and in Melissa’s interview, she said if Teresa and Jackie didn’t make amends, there would never stop being tension in group. It would be over. We saw a clip of Teresa telling Gia about it on the phone, and Gia saying if Teresa had upset Jackie, she should apologize. Out of the mouths of babes, but contrary to what the tabloids claim she said. Still, video doesn’t lie. Teresa told everyone that Joe #1 was selling sex toys, and had sent her one. Jennifer wanted to start fresh with Melissa, and apologized. Teresa jumped back on the bashing Jackie train, and said Jackie should STFU, and quit crying like a baby. In her interview, Marge said, with Teresa, information had to go through the cogs, the cobwebs, and hair extensions, then came out in an effed up way, which was actually scary. The episode ended with some guys buying their table a round.
Next time, Teresa can’t get on the phone fast enough to call Joe #2, and tell him Melissa is flirting with the owner of the restaurant.
👱🏼♀️ That Blonde…
Across from them was Margaret Josephs, and seated next to her was her assistant, Lexi Barbuto. The blond has frequently been on the show in the past, although never held a housewife or friend title.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City – The Reunion – Part 3
Lisa came back, and said she was good; let’s go. The husbands came out, Seth and Robert remotely. Seth said he was in the land of opportunity in Canton, Ohio, and Robert was keeping traveling to a minimum because of covid. Whitney’s pole dancing was brought up, and she deferred to Justin’s talents on the pole, saying he was better at spinning. We saw a bunch of clips from the season, and Andy said viewer Melissa from Wilmington, Delaware was upset that Lisa had thrown John’s Rolex out the car window. Lisa said he’d forgotten her birthday, and she’d given him the Rolex as a gift for his. He told her that she could have her gift back, and she said he had ten seconds to put it back on, or out it went. She tossed it toward a Taco Bell, but he stopped the car and retrieved it. John showed proof on his wrist, and I’m sure Melissa from Wilmington was thrilled. Andy asked about Sharrieff missing Jen’s father’s funeral, and if coaching was more important than family. Coach Shah said it was not, and he thought the problem was that Jen’s father only seemed responsive to him. Because of that, Jen had it in her head that he could have made her father rally, and resented him not being there; however, there was nothing that could have been done. Andy asked if Jen could let it go, and she said Sharrieff had done what he could. They talked Mormonism, and Justin said he’d gotten a letter from the church saying he was no longer a member after he married Whitney. He said if there had been tithing rebate, it would have been easier, and I literally LOL’d. Still stuck a little in that mindset, Heather got weepy.
Andy asked what Robert wanted people to know or what he thought people misunderstood about his relationship with Mary, and Robert said the grandfather stuff pissed him off. Andy asked if Robert could let bygones be bygones, and Robert told him that the gossip was that Mary had married for money, and the grandaddy stuff. He was 22 when he married Mary’s grandmother, so he was nobody’s grandpa. He was used to it, but he didn’t like people messing with his wife. Mary was a great mother and wife, his co paster, and his equal. Mary got emotional, and said no one knew her better than he did. His words validated who she is, and touched her. Coach Shah said he made it clear to Jen at the beginning that he wasn’t there to engage in any fight she had with the women. He told her what she’d said to Mary was unacceptable, as was commenting on any marriages or what people did therein. Jen apologized to Robert. We found out Whitney’s dad had dropped off the face of the earth, and wasn’t speaking to her. She said his disappearance was brutal on her heart. Andy asked how Seth and Meredith’s reconciliation was going, and Meredith asked why she’d want to share anything with the group. After she got a little pissy, she said he show actually helped save their marriage – no doubt a first. I told you these Wives were different from the others. She said they couldn’t sweep anything under the rug. Jen apologized to Robert again, and Robert said, don’t you worry about it, sister, which I thought was sweet. Then the guys left the magic circle.
The next topic was the Las Vegas trip, and we flashed back to that. Andy remarked that Meredith’s mask was ahead of its time, and Heather said it was a prophecy. We found out they’d wrapped week before the pandemic hit. Heather talked about Jen being insulting on social media, and Jen raising her hand when the hypnotist asked who didn’t trust Heather. Andy asked Mary’s opinion. Mary had her eyes closed, and he asked if she’d fallen asleep. She insisted she hadn’t, and knew the question, so I guess not. She said Jen felt hurt, and had raised her hand as a dig. Jen started to get agitated, and said when terms like aggressive were being used, it was dangerous to a POC; there was a double-standard. Meredith said no one denied white privilege, but to make that accusation was a huge statement. Jen said she didn’t want to get into this sh*t, because it was painful, and they didn’t understand. She ran off to find her husband, and Whitney called Justin to alert Coach Shah. Sharrieff came out, and Jen collapsed into his arms.
Jen hopped up and down, talking about discrimination, and did a bit of exaggeration, even making up a few things. True to form, Sharrieff calmed her down, and walked her back. I think Jen’s disconnect with the group is because she wants to give the reasons why she did something, rather than just taking responsibility. After she sat down, she said that the good thing was, people were willing to listen more than before. Andy said the one great success of the Reunion was seeing Mary and Jen find common ground, along with Robert Sr. and Sharrieff. He wondered if there was a double-date in the cards.
He asked the women to name one thing they’d learned watching themselves, and Lisa said she had to work on listening more. She noticed she talked a lot. Mary said she needed to work on the way she said things, and how they could come across offensive or wrong. Jen said she had to work on communication, and making sure her friends felt they could trust her, and didn’t feel threatened. Whitney wanted to focus on her timing and delivery, and how to speak clearly and confidently with her own voice. Meredith said she’d treated everyone with kindness and respect, but didn’t feel she’d been treated the same, and was disappointed. She said Whitney and Heather had called her to apologize, and she thought Jen’s apology was genuine for the first time. But an apology didn’t make things go away. She would forgive for herself, but to move forward, trust needed to be earned. Heather said she hoped she’d be able to speak up, embrace people where they were, and not hold back.
Instead of the usual alcoholic adult beverage, meatballs on sticks – or meat lollipops, if you prefer – were distributed to everyone. Mary’s eyes lit up, and I thought she must be hungry. Andy said Jen was the CEO of fun, and asked her to give a toast. She said, to a great reunion, understanding each other, and meeting in the middle. Heather toasted to how many licks it took, and Andy made it snow. No, really. Snow fell inside the studio. It was pretty cool, both literally and figuratively.
📌 That’s a Fact…
From the end of the Civil War until the last vestiges of the Jim Crow era were finally deemed illegal, Black Americans sought to obtain their sliver of the American Dream while facing violence and discrimination—a journey that continues today.
Here are 9 places you can visit today that provided Black Americans with some of what America had been denying them, on the ongoing journey to equality and freedom. – from AtlasObscura.com
It’s been a long day. So long, it’s the next day. Whatever day you’re in, stay safe, stay learning from your mistakes, and stay understanding each other and meeting in the middle.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I missed the beginning, since that’s the way the week is going, but what happened was… Carly met Diane in the PCPD interrogation room to go over what Carly was going to say to the FBI. Diane said Carly should stick to her original statement, and say Nina misheard them. Maxie found Nina at Crimson, and said she’d heard about what happened at the cemetery, and Nina told her about Jax and Carly knowing Nelle was her daughter. Jax met Alexis at the café, and she said it seemed like he had something on his mind. Michael told Willow about Nelle being Nina’s daughter, and how Nina thought Carly was responsible for Nelle’s death. Anna and Finn were getting ready to look for Obrecht, but Finn had to deliver Peter’s tux to him first. When he left, Valentin showed up, and Anna said she could tell he didn’t have good news. He said their suspicions about Peter were right, and it was worse than they feared. Britt met Obrecht in the club Curtis is thinking of buying. Obrecht showed up wearing a dark fedora and trench coat, looking like a spy, and Britt told her the sparrow had landed. Peter went into the apartment, dropping the mail on the table, but not noticing the envelope from Dimitri Marick. Then I sat down, and…
Diane tells Carly, they’re going to want to interview Jax. Is there any chance he had second thoughts about backing her? Carly says he told Nina that they’d talked to the authorities before they found out Nelle was Nina’s daughter. They all felt bad, before Nina went off at Sonny’s grave, which is exactly why they chose not to tell her. Diane says, and here we are. They should have told Nina the moment they discovered it; it would have saved them a world of pain. Carly says, Jax devested Nina, and Diane says, that’s her point. Will Jax think Carly is more deserving of his protection than Nina is?
Jax tells Alexis that Nina was searching for her daughter, when he and Carly found out Nelle was Nina’s daughter. They chose not to tell her, but the truth came out. Alexis says, it inevitably does, and he says Nina felt betrayed. She’d misinterpreted his conversation with Carly, and went to the authorities. Her statement was given to the FBI. Alexis says, about? and Jax says, the night Nelle died. She says he knows attorney/client privilege is no longer a thing for her, and he says he’ll just say, certain facts were simplified to protect certain people. She says, in other words, Carly. Don’t tell her. He says he can confirm Nelle’s death was an accident; their original statement was simplified. That’s why they were… She says she’s not able to give him advice, and he says he understands. She says, simplifying can make him sound like the biggest criminal. Why further incriminate himself? Just her two cents. He says he appreciates it, but she says he seems to have reservations. He says he was wondering what’s the best thing for Nina.
Nina tells Maxie, she talked herself into believing that once Jax realized he was keeping Wiley from her, he would tell her the truth. She was looking for him to salvage… something. When she found him, he was with Carly, and they were talking about Nelle’s death on the cliff. Carly was there, and when Nelle fell, Jax encouraged Carly to keep quiet. Maxie says, Jax told Carly to lie, not the other way around? and Nina says, she had no intention of confronting him. She wanted to go someplace private, but of course (🍷) Carly needed Jax. Maxie tells her, don’t get mad, but they were at Carly’s husband’s funeral. Nina says she should have heard Carly. She thinks Carly was happy that she made a scene, so Carly would have an outlet for her anger. She knows it wasn’t the right place or time, but she swears everything she said was true.
Obrecht asks what sparrow Britt is speaking of, and Britt says, herself. Anna isn’t the only one deserving of a code name. Obrecht asks, what code name? and Britt says, scarecrow. Obrecht says, that’s not a code name. It’s an epithet of scorn and derision. Britt says the scarecrow confronted her, demanding to know where Obrecht was, and Obrecht says, Britt said nothing? Britt says, of course (🍷) the sparrow remained silent, but the scarecrow revealed more than she intended. She was trying to determine Obrecht’s whereabouts, by asking questions of the WSB. Obrecht asks what the WSB told Anna, and Britt says Anna thought they were stonewalling her, but that’s just her amateur suspicion. Obrecht says, no doubt Anna isn’t used to being kept in the dark, and Britt says Anna warned Peter that Obrecht was on the loose. Anna didn’t say that to her, but if she hasn’t told him, it’s only a matter of time. Obrecht says, perhaps it’s what she does with the time that matters.
Valentin tells Anna, before he says anything, he’ll give her a choice. She can drop this, and let her questions about Peter lie, believe he’s the man she wants him to be… Anna says, or the truth. Why does he want her to know? Is he somehow incriminated? He says, for once, Peter’s actions have nothing to do with him, other than being the man who started Peter on this path. Anna says Valentin did what he did, but didn’t make peter the man he is today. Neither did Faison, Alex or her; he’s his own person. He says she wants to believe Peter is someone else, someone better, and she says Valentin knew Peter was lying to her all along, didn’t he?
Britt says she doesn’t get why Obrecht is being under the radar, unless it’s to wear that get-up; it’s fabulous. Obrecht preens, and says, danke. Britt says, Obrecht was cleared of all charges and released. It’s not as exciting as prison, but it’s less stressful. Obrecht says she’s not avoiding law enforcement; it’s for the element of surprise, so she can trap and unmask Henrik. Britt asks, how? She hasn’t been able to prove anything. Obrecht says, no one that dirty can cover up everything. The proof is out there. Britt says, Obrecht wants revenge, and Obrecht says, of course (🍷), but she wants to protect Maxie and James even more. She swore on Nathan’s grave that she would. Britt says she’s not the only one swearing on Nathan’s grave. She was there the other day and ran into Peter, who was making a few promises himself.
Finn goes to Maxie and Peter’s apartment, and asks if Peter is ready to do this. Peter says, bring it on, and Finn hands him a garment bag. Magically, they’re dressed in black tie, and Peter says, too much? Finn says, maybe, but he looks good. Peter says, look at them, ready to tie the knot, and Finn says, it’s amazing what the love of a good woman will do.
Jax tells Alexis, Nina’s pain had unintended side effects. He had to take steps to protect Carly and Josslyn. She says, if he takes Nina’s side, it will give credence to her claim, and asks if there’s any hard evidence. He says, no, and she asks if there were any witnesses. He says, no, and she asks how Nina would benefit by him not sticking to his story. He says, Nina would know he’s on her side.
Nina tells Maxie that she was getting angrier, and lost her composure. She could feel the stares, followed by the cringes. Maxie says, as someone who can share in public cringe-worthiness, solidarity, sister. Nina says she hears that. They were thinking, there’s crazy Nina, having a breakdown again. They should have focused on what Jax and Carly did. That’s why she went to the Commissioner, and told her everything they did. Maxie says, she turned them in? and Nina says, someone has to hold Carly responsible for killing her daughter.
Michael tells Willow, Nelle’s death was an accident. His mother didn’t cause her fall, but But Nina went to the FBI (actually, she didn’t, Jordan did, but I’ll let it pass), and told them a crime was committed. Now they want to interview his mother. Willow says, Nina went for the worst possible course of action, lashing out at Wiley’s other grandmother. Willow tells him, her relationship with Nina has been rocky at best, but then Nina testified at Wiley’s custody hearing. He says, a game changer, and she says, Nina showed up out of compassion for their child. Everything Nina did for Wiley happened before she knew Wiley was her grandson. She may be acting badly now, but people do awful things when they’re grieving. Maybe it will help Nina and Wiley to let them know each other.
Maxie asks if Nina is trying to get the case reopened, and Nina says, damn right. Maxie says that she gets that Nelle is Nina’s daughter, but she was also a raging psychopath. She made Michael and Carly’s lives hell for years. Nina says she’s not excusing Nelle’s litany of crimes, but she was also a person. As her mother, shouldn’t she want to know how Nelle died? Maxie says, of course (🍷), but the question Nina should be asking, is how Nelle became the person she was. Nina says she already knows the answer. Her mother gave Nelle away, and she was raised without any love by a man – Nina starts to cry – who literally sold her for parts. She sits at her desk, crying, and Maxie sits opposite her. She says she can’t imagine what Nina is feeling now, knowing what Nelle went through, and that there was nothing she could do to stop it, but lots of people live difficult lives and experience terrible abuse and hardships, and they still manage to be good people. There came a point where Nelle stopped being a victim of circumstance, and decided to hurt people. Nina wonders if Maxie is saying she should drop it; cut Jax and Carly out of her life. Maxie tells Nina, that’s not for her to say, but she thinks Nina should ask herself, if she was Carly, and saw Nelle go over the cliff, would her first thought be to help her? Or would she be thinking, is Nelle going pull her over the edge if she tries?
Carly whines to Diane that the Feds are going to look for any inconsistency that leads to obstruction of justice just because she’s Sonny’s wife… Sonny’s widow. Diane says, Sonny left behind an allegedly successful enterprise, that’s at present unprotected. Any prosecutor could use the case to uncover it. Carly says, there is no case to make. She’s sticking to her statement.
Alexis asks Jax if he wants some hard earned life advice, and he tells her, go ahead. She says, throwing yourself under the bus because you want to prove you care is not all it’s cracked up to be. He thanks her, and says he should get going; he’s already late. She says, the Feds don’t like to be kept waiting. Does he know what he’s going to do? He says he thinks so.
Obrecht says, Henrik visiting the sacred ground her Nathan is buried in is abhorrent. She hopes Britt spat on him. Britt says she did one better. She talked about how good and decent Nathan was, and how that’s what Maxie loved about him. Obrecht says, it’s moments like these that make her proud, and asks how he responded. Britt says, it bugged him, but he never veered the whole time, giving his I am not my father’s son mantra. Obrecht says, let him believe that, and Britt asks if she ever thinks Peter will follow in their father’s footsteps. Obrecht says, he’s a liar and a murderer, but he’s no Caesar. Britt says, maybe he doesn’t need to be. Maybe he just needs to be a good enough bad guy that even Obrecht won’t catch him. What then?
Valentin says he told Peter that Obrecht had been released, and was probably heading for him, and Anna says, and he admitted to framing her? Valentin says, he did, and arranged the hit on Franco. She wonders why he’d arrange a hit just to abort it, and Valentin says, a fit of conscience, a change in strategy. She asks why he’d order a hit on Franco in the first place, and Valentin says, Franco was having a procedure to reverse the one that had given him Drew’s memories. A possible outcome might have been the memories becoming more intense and vivid. She says, Drew knew something that Peter didn’t want to be common knowledge, and he says, Peter is good at making people disappear who get too close to the truth. She says, he tried with Andre, and Valentin says, he arranged the attack on Andre. That means… She says, he arranged for Drew’s plane to go down.
Nina tells Maxie that Jax and Carly repeatedly lied to the authorities. She’s not wrong to want them to face the consequences. Maxie says she gets that, but she doesn’t know that sending them to prison will give Nina the peace she needs. Only Nina knows that. Nina says Maxie is right. She’s been so focused on making sure they were punished, she wasn’t thinking about Josslyn or Donna. She doesn’t want another child deprived of their parent. Maxie says, there’s one child she hasn’t talked about, who’s waiting for the avalanche of love Nina has stored up. Nina says, Wiley, and Maxie says, don’t tell her that she hasn’t thought about it. Nina says, it’s all she can think about. She’s going to spend time getting to know him. Maxie says if Nina keeps the focus on Wiley and the world she wants with him, she knows Nina will get it. Nina says Maxie is a good friend, and Maxie says, not friend – family. She made a promise with Nina and Britt over Nathan’s grave; together, no matter what. No matter what, she has Nina’s back. Now, she has a hot date with her groom-to-be.
Obrecht tells Britt, Henrik is weak. He believes he’s worthy of having the scarecrow as a mother, and worthy to take Nathan’s place. He’s desperate to maintain that belief, but he forgot, sooner or later, he’s going to crack. Britt says, all she’s hearing is posturing. Tell her that there’s an actual plan. The wedding is almost on top of them. Obrecht says Britt is right. The operation is moving too slowly. It’s time to confront the beast in its lair.
Finn tells Peter, it probably sounds incredibly corny, but being in love with Anna and being loved by her changed his life in a way he never thought possible. Peter says he never had a maternal presence in his life, and now… Finn asks if he remembers the time without it, and Peter says, quite well, too well. It’s a life he never wants to go back to. Since they’re being corny – Finn says, fire away – sometimes he thinks if there weren’t a mother in his life, he wouldn’t have changed course. He was headed down a dark road, and he’s grateful to put it behind him. Marrying Maxie, and bringing their daughter into the world is the final step in closing the door on the life he had before he met Anna.
Michael tells Willow, someone is making a strong argument for more stories, and she asks if it’s any story in particular, or should they make up a new one? What does daddy think? He says he thinks nothing makes him happier than seeing her with Wiley, and she says she’s pretty sure she knows someone else who would like to see him. He says he knows Nina deserves to see her grandson, but he doesn’t know if it’s the right time. She says, Wiley might fill the hole in Nina’s heart, and bridge the chasm between her and his mother, and he says, the little guy does have a way of bringing people together.
A man walks into the interrogation room, and says he’s Special Agent Wilson from the FBI. He’s there to follow up on some accusations by Nina Reeves regarding the death of Nelle Benson. Diane says they’re eager to cooperate, and he says, then he’ll begin. Nina stated she overheard a conversation between Jasper Jax and Carly, where Carly stated she was present when Nelle fell to her death. Is that true? Diane says, sorry. Is he asking if the statement is true, or if it’s true they had this alleged discussion? Is it the discussion of the event, or the event itself? Wilson apologizes for being unclear, and asks if Carly stated she was present at the time Nelle fell. Carly tells him, she never said that, and he asks if she was present when Nelle fell. She says she stands by her original statement, and he says he’s sure her more than capable attorney advised her to answer yes or no questions with a yes or a no. So was she present when Nelle fell to her death? Carly says, no. He asks about what Nina heard, and Carly says Nina was mistaken about what they were discussing. He says, if they weren’t discussing the events surrounding Nelle’s death, what were they talking about? and Carly says she has no idea. They were laying her husband to rest, and outside of Nina’s outburst, the day was a blur. He says, tell him again what happened on the night in question, and Carly says, she caught up with Nelle in the clearing. They fought, Nelle took off, and she never saw Nelle again. He asks where Jax fits into the scenario, and she says, he showed up after she scuffled with Nelle. He asks if she has anything she’d like to add, and Carly says, no. He thanks her, and asks them to wait outside. Jax is in the squad room, and Wilson tells him, come on in. Carly looks panicked.
Finn sees Alexis at the Bistro, and she says, the groom to be. The day is fast approaching. He says, that it is, and she asks if he’s happy or dreading it; it’s hard to tell with him. Finn sits with her, and says he’s dreading the crowds, and socializing in general. He learned a secret though, Violet taught him that the fuss is really about everyone else. Violet is loving every minute of it, so he guesses he is happy. For him. How about her? She looks happier… happyish. She says she’s had three of these, indicating her coffee cup, and has one of these. She shows him her AA chip, and he says he’s proud of her. He asks if it’s okay to say that, and she says, yeah, but she’s not too proud. It’s her second one for 24 hours in less than a week. Finn looks at it, and says he is proud of her. He believes in her. He knows how hard it is to start day one. If she ever needs a friend, he’s there.
Obrecht tells Britt, there’s been a fortuitous turn of events. She pretended to be a potential advertiser, and inquired about Nina’s assistant Maxie. She found out Maxie has dinner plans with her fiancé tonight, presenting her with the prefect opportunity. Britt says, for what? and Obrecht says, to pay a visit to Maxie and Peter’s home. What a pity they won’t be there. She and Britt laugh.
Wilson asks Diane and her client to join him and Jax in the interrogation room.
Valentin tells Anna. Peter has been working hard to cover up the true nature of his crimes, which brings them back to Franco. Anna says, Franco has been hearing Peter’s voice in his head, which is really Drew’s memory. Valentin says, Franco’s tumor retuned, so Peter blasted it all over the internet. Anna says, to discredit Franco, and Valentin says, in case he figured out what he was remembering. The only time Drew would have remembered Peter’s voice when he was connected to Shiloh and Cabot… was when they were in Afghanistan. Anna says, right, so Peter was really working with Faison and Helena all along. Valentin says, Peter may have told him months ago, but he didn’t say anything because Anna believed that was in the past, and Peter had been redeemed. He realized that redemption was a lie. She says, it was clear to everyone; to Robert and Jason, and Finn. She blinded herself to who Peter really is, and that makes her just as culpable for the harm he’s done.
Anna says she was thinking about something Alex said, after she shot her. She said the reason she gave Anna the memories of Peter was so she’d protect him, but she didn’t do that. Valentin says, nonsense. He’s the one who delivered Peter to his father. She says she doesn’t mean that; it’s not the entire reason. Cabot’s memory transfer caused her to believe Peter was her son; hers to rescue and raise the same way she did Robin, but she didn’t. She decided she preferred to carry the guilt, and turned her back on him, and that was the reason Alex hated her so much. He says, take it from a man who has to make up for damage that he’s done; Peter’s life ain’t on her. They sit, and Anna takes his hand. She says, okay. Peter’s done what he’s done. The question now is, what do they do about that? He says, take their heads out of the sand; ask the tough questions. Anna says, what’s the point of protecting Peter when he’s putting those they most love at risk? We see she has tears in her eyes.
Finn hands Alexis’s chip back to her, and she says, say something. He says, maybe, but don’t argue. She says, he doesn’t want to argue? and he says, okay. She’s one of the most brilliant, capable, and kind people he’s ever met. She says he always has her back, and he says he always will. He wants her to treat herself the way she treats other people. Back the hell off, and leave his friend alone. She deserves better. He says he wants her to do what it takes, lean on who she needs to lean on. Crawl, scream, do what she has to in order to get through, but get through. She deserves better.
Peter’s phone rings, and he says, Anna. If she’s looking for Finn, he just left. She says she was hoping to talk to him. Can he come by the house? He says, sure. He’s about to meet Maxie, but if it’s important… She says, it is. It’s important that they talk.
Maxie sees Britt at the club, and Britt says, fancy meting her there. This place is great. They have an impressive selection of mocktails. Does Maxie want to sit and have a baby-friendly drink? Maxie says, sure, before Peter gets here. It’s their last date night. Britt says she can’t wait, and Maxie says she’s been thinking about Britt. She was just talking to Nina. Her sister Georgie is gone, and Lulu is out of commission. She and Nina were remembering when they made that promise in Nathan’s memory, and it’s good to know that she has sisters looking out for her again.
Obrecht breaks into Maxie and Peter’s apartment. We see the envelope from D. Marick on the table with the mail.
Wilson says he wants to speak to both Carly and Jax. In the absence of hard evidence, and no witnesses, they have no reason to pursue the case. The case will remain closed. He thanks them for their cooperation, and Diane thanks him. She asks if he’d like to go brief the Commissioner together, and they leave. Carly says, thank God it’s over, and Jax says, the legal part. Nina isn’t happy. Carly says she doesn’t care, and she doesn’t feel bad. Jax says she has every right to be angry and upset, but he’s just saying, there’s going to be fallout.
There’s a knock at Nina’s office door. Willow and Michael come in with Wiley, and Michael says they were wondering if Nina was up for a visit. Wiley waves at her in all his cuteness.
Tomorrow, Olivia tells Alexis that she has five minutes, Anna thinks it’s time she and Peter face the truth, and Carly tells someone if they don’t play their cards right, it will be their last.
🤹♀️ A couple of random things. While I didn’t see The Real Housewives of Dallas, I did catch some of Marge and Delores (RHONJ) watching it. The highlight was a drunk shopping trip, where the women thought a charcuterie board was for spanking. Good thing they bought it, since they’d tested it out. Repeatedly. Ricki Lake and John Waters were virtual guests on Watch What Happens Live, and told a ton of good stories. They also pulled out some souvenirs from their Hairspray days, which proved one way being remote is good. People can run into the other room and find stuff to show us.
Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women’s rights and Irish home rule. – from Biography.com
I’ll be interviewing underground rap artist, Mumm-ra tomorrow for MUPO Entertainment. He sounds like an interesting guy, who’s also a comic buff and collector. Same. See you in Salt Lake tomorrow, when the Reunion wraps up, and it’s their last chance to rip more bandages off. Until then, stay safe, stay inquisitive, and stay deserving of whatever code name you choose.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I missed the beginning, but here’s what happened. Port Charles is on a different calendar, so it was Valentine’s Day there. Cameron serenaded himself on his guitar, when there was a knock at the door. He approached the door, wielding his guitar like a weapon. Chase went to the Quartermaine mansion to pick Willow up, since she was there putting Wiley to bed, and he had an awkward moment with Michael. It got even more awkward when Sasha came by for her date with Michael. Then the awkwardness tripled when they found out both couples had reservations at the Port Charles Grill (the mysterious replacement for The Floating Rib). Portia went with Curtis to the nightclub to help him with his case. Molly and Kristina went to an office, where Molly said she was ready to make a commitment, and TJ was on his way. Franco and Elizabeth were also at the Port Charles Grill, where they overheard another couple talking about them. The couple talked about being afraid of Franco, and left. Franco said he didn’t feel well, when Nikolas and Ava also arrived, and Franco and Elizabeth told them what happened. Franco excused himself, and Elizabeth told Ava and Nikolas about Franco getting treatment. Jordan showed up at the hospital to question Brando, who had a bandaged leg, and Jason came in just as she was asking Brando what happened. At the hospital, Britt was impressed that TJ had stayed late on Valentine’s Day, and TJ told her that he hadn’t been on the schedule, and he had a big night planned. That’s when I sat down, and…
Michael says he figured Chase and Willow were going to the MetroCourt, so he made reservations at the Port Charles Grill. Chase says he can call and change his reservations, but Michael says it’s hard enough to get one. He’ll call Olivia. He’s sure she can get them a table at the MetroCourt. Chase says, let him know if it doesn’t work out, but Michael says, it will. Chase says, cool, and Willow says, happy Valentine’s Day… to all of them. After Chase and Willow leave, Sasha asks if she can tell Michael how much she hated that. Not because everyone wasn’t perfectly nice… Michael says, but because everyone was perfectly nice. She says, it reminded her of how things used to be, and he says, him too. While he disputes the tactics used, what they did, they did for Wiley’s sake, and he’ll never regret it. She says, neither will she, and he says, there are consequences when you give certain things up. Some things, you can’t get back. He’s afraid the friendship between the four of them is one of them.
Trina tells Cameron, it’s just them; open up. He opens the door to Trina and Josslyn, and Trina asks what he was going to do. Sing them to death? Cameron says, ha-ha, and Josslyn says he’s taking protecting his family seriously. Cameron says they should know how many threats the family has gotten since the article came out. Josslyn says, it’s the worst; notorious family members on the front page. Then you have to worry about vigilantes. She says she thought celebrating together might take their minds off everything, and Trina produces a heart-shaped box of candy. Josslyn says, happy Valentine’s Day, bringing out more candy.
Ava asks how Franco is doing, and Elizabeth says, he’s having radiation treatments. Nikolas says, that’s good, isn’t it? and Elizabeth says they’re doing everything, and praying it’s enough. Franco comes back, and Elizabeth congratulates Ava and Nikolas on their engagement. Ava says Franco is the one who convinced her to go all in with Nikolas, and Elizabeth says she and Franco are celebrating their second anniversary. Franco says, not everyone gets married in a jail cell. He runs his hand through his hair, and realizes it’s falling out.
Britt tells TJ that he’s off the clock, and asks how he and Molly are doing. He says they’re still going strong; it’s a big night for them. Britt tells him, then get out, and he heads for the elevator. He asks, what about her? and she says, her heart belongs to GH. He tells her that she’s changed a lot since her first go around there, and Britt says, bye. The elevator door closes, and she says she doesn’t know about that. She still has a few tricks up her sleeve. She goes into one the rooms, and says, sorry to keep them waiting. There’s no one she’d rather be with tonight. She takes off her lab coat, and poses seductively, and we see Brad in the bed.
Jason tells Jordan, he was just checking on Brando, and she says, how convenient. Brando was just about to tell her what happened. Jason says, don’t let him interrupt, and Jordan tells Brando, go on. Brando says he was about to meet Cyrus, when he heard a shot, and felt an incredible pain in his leg that took him down. Jordan says, and the person who shot him? Brando says he never saw them. He only heard them running away. She says, so he has nothing that can ID the person who shot him? and he says, no. She asks if that’s all he’s going to give her, and Brando says, that’s all he’s got. She asks if Jason has anything to add.
Cameron thanks Josslyn and Trina for coming, and says he can’t help feeling bad. Josslyn asks, why? and he says, aren’t they supposed to be at the dance? Trina says, without him? and Josslyn says, insane. Cameron tells them, he remembers last year at this time, and Josslyn says she knows the year was rough for all of them. She wants them to know she couldn’t have gotten through it without them. Trina says, her neither, and Cameron says, same. Trina looks at the Valentine’s Day banner hanging over the fireplace, and says, it’s falling down. Cameron says, that’s what happens when Jake insists on doing it by himself. He wonders where the tape is.
Elizabeth tells Franco, Terry said the treatments were working so well, she upped the dosage. He says, if horrible is what she intended, it’s working well. He didn’t think they’d be testing the in sickness or in health so soon, and she says, it’s not a test. It’s life, and they’re going to live a long and happy one.
Britt and Brad put together Valentine’s Day goodie bags, and Brad tells Britt, this may be a new low; making Valentine’s for other people, when he’s received none of his own. Britt says, they’re sick kids, and it’s to make them feel better, so stop moping. She busted him out to have fun, not sit and cry about how lonely he is. He asks how she made it happen, and she says she told the warden that Brad needed a follow-up to insure the proper healing of the stab wound he sustained in the warden’s jail, and on his time. Brad says he guesses she wanted to see him because she needed help, and she says, of course (🍷) she wanted to see him. It’s only the most depressing day of the year, but if he’d rather be in jail, she’ll gladly alert the warden’s office. He says, this is exactly where he wants to be, and thanks her for making it happen. She says, he’s welcome, and he says he has one question. Does Lucas know he’s there?
Felix and Lucas are at the reception desk, when TJ comes by. Felix says, someone has big plans, and Lucas says, don’t let them keep him. Have fun. TJ says he plans to. Ciao. He leaves, and Lucas says, ah, to be young and in love. Felix says Lucas is still sort of young. What are his plans? Lucas says, nothing, and Felix says, he could change that. Does Lucas want to go for a drink after work?
Portia asks Curtis what they’re doing there again, and he says his client believes his wife is cheating with the owner. She asks, who’s the wife? and he says, 11 o’clock. She says, what about the owner? and he says he hasn’t seen the owner yet today. Portia says, let her know when he sees him, and he says, will do. He stares at her, and she says, what? He says, look at her, having a good time, and she says she loves her life; her job, her daughter. But every day she moves from chaos of GH, and dealing with patients, hopefully saving lives, to home, where she deals with Trina, who, as he knows, is dealing with an extremely difficult situation with her father. It’s a difficult place to be in. Curtis said he was over the P.I. stuff, but it’s like a little vacation for her. He says, well, all right, and they clink glasses.
Jason tells Jordan, he has nothing to add, and Jordan says, shocking. She doesn’t know why she bothers to ask any more. The ballistics report shows that Brando was shot at close range. He claims he didn’t see who did it, but does he have some idea of who might be motivated to do this? Who is he protecting? Cyrus or Sonny’s organization?
Molly tells Kristina, TJ is done with work and on his way over, and Kristina asks if she’s nervous. Molly says, no. She’s excited, happy, and most of all, at peace. Kristina says it’s the perfect way to feel before a commitment, and Molly asks if she thinks Sam and their mom will be upset when they find out she and TJ did this without them. Kristina says she thinks when Molly explains why, they’ll understand. Molly says, as much as they love their families, and want a big celebration, doing it this way feels right. Kristina says, intimate and simple; she gets it. Molly says, no big fanfare. Just the two of them starting their lives together. The clerk comes out, and says, not if she has anything to say about it.
Curtis tells Portia, there he is, and she says, the owner? Where? He says, 2 o’clock, and she looks over. She asks why he didn’t say, at the bar? and he says, it sounded more P.I. She says, it kind of does, actually. She looks over again at the couple, and says, wow. He can’t keep his eyes off of her. Has his client asked her if she was cheating? Curtis says, she denies it, but his client is positive she’s lying. Portia says, that’s usually the way it goes.Maybe they’re friends, and just enjoy working together. She sees the woman run her hands over the owner’s chest, and says, maybe not. Curtis tells her, say cheese, and he takes her picture, with the couple in the background.
Jordan says, Brando is Cyrus’s driver, or whatever his job title is, and Brando says, so? She asks if he did something to make Cyrus angry, or Jason, but he says he doesn’t have an issue with either of them. He told her that he doesn’t know who did it, and she says, whoever it was, didn’t want him dead, or he would be. Maybe it was a warning. Brando says, maybe it was random, and Jason says, maybe it was a gift. We all go 😮 since Jason said something other than he’s not talking without his attorney.
The clerk tells Molly and Kristina, see what time it is? She’s about to close. Molly says, she can’t, and she says she most certainly can, and she won’t feel bad. Molly says her fiancé just texted. He’ll be there any minute. He’s in med school. Can’t she make an exception? The clerk says she has 20 minutes. If Prince Charming isn’t here by then, buh-bye. Molly says, come on, TJ, and wonders, where is he?
On the phone, TJ tells someone, 400 milligrams, and gives instructions about a patient. A man comes up to him, and thanks him, saying he and Britt were so kind in caring for his wife. TJ says he’s glad she’s feeling better, and the man says they’re married 48 years today; they got married on Valentine’s Day. TJ tells him, congratulations, and the man says he hopes TJ finds that kind of love with someone special. TJ says he already has.
Lucas says, it’s cool of Felix to ask him out, but he’s not ready. Felix tells him, who said anything about asking him out? and Lucas says, Felix did. It’s not like they haven’t been here before. Felix says he thought they could have a drink as friends. They can ignore Valentine’s Day together, and not talk about their exes. Lucas says, sounds enticing.
Britt tells Brad that she hasn’t seen much of Lucas, and he asks if Lucas is working tonight. She says she’s not sure, and he says, she made the schedule. She tells him, let it go, please. He says he knows he doesn’t make her nervous, so why is her hand shaking?
Sitting at a table, Nikolas says he and Ava have come a long way, and she says, not exactly in a straight line, but she likes where they landed. He says, him too, and she wonders if it’s possible they actually found happiness. He says, not only is it possible, it’s happening. Welcome to the rest of her life. They clink glasses, and Ava says, it’s good. He says, the best, and a waiter comes over with a heart-shaped box for Ava.
Chase tells Willow that she looks beautiful, and she thanks him. He says he wanted to tell her at the Quartermaine’s, but it seemed… She says, awkward? She tells him that he looks nice too, and he asks if they should get a bottle of wine. She says, definitely, and he looks at the wine menu. She asks if they have a specific one, and he says he’s never heard of it. He wonders if she’s been hanging out with the wine guy, and she says she has, but not their wine guy. Michael had a tutor come to the house, and her head was spinning with regions and vintages. He says, sounds cool, and she says, it was. He orders the wine.
Michael tells Sasha that Olivia squeezed them in at the MetroCourt, and Sasha says she’s surprised Michael asked her out tonight. He says, they had to start somewhere, so why not one of most fraught days of the year? He wants them to get to know one another again. No expectations. Just see where the night takes them. Does it sound good? She says, sounds good, and he tells her, if he hasn’t said it already, she looks absolutely beautiful. She says he hasn’t, and thank you. As they’re leaving, his phone rings. He says it’s his mom, and she tells him, take it. He answers, and says, is he okay?… Wait. What?
Curtis tells Portia that he got some good shots. They put on quite a a show; they weren’t even trying to be discreet. She says, now he has to tell his client? and he says, it’s part of the job, and not the fun part. He shows her the pictures, and she says, not the butt grab. They’re not fooling around. He says, neither is he.
Jason tells Jordan, the longer Brando is out of commission, he can’t do Cyrus’s bidding. Brando says, but he has to work, and Jordan says she thinks there’s more to this than they’re admitting. She’s telling them, she will figure it out. She leaves, and Brando asks why the hell Jason shot him.
Kristina tells Molly, don’t worry about the clerk. She’ll take care of her. Molly asks, how? and Kristina says, what part of don’t worry doesn’t she get? Sit back, and go to her peaceful place. They sit down, and Molly asks if Kristina was surprised, and Kristina says, a little that they picked Valentine’s Day to become partners. Molly says, cliché? and Kristina says, traditional. It’s anything but them. Molly says they did it to give the day more meaning than greeting cards and chocolates. This is what it’s supposed to be about; true love. Kristina says her little sister was always a romantic. The clerk says their 20 minutes are up. It’s closing time. Clear out.
TJ looks at his phone, and says, this isn’t happening. Not one Ride Share. He decides to look for another app, when Jordan approaches him. She asks if everything is all right.
Ava wonders what could be in the box. She already has two beautiful rings, so she’s sure it’s not that. Is it a necklace, or perhaps earrings? She asks Nikolas, what is it? and he says, open it and find out.
Franco pushes his plate away, and Elizabeth says, he can’t eat again? He says, it’s okay; he’ll watch her eat. She says they’re going home. She’s not taking no for an answer. He says, thank God, and they leave.
Cameron can’t find the tape, and thinks Jake must have taken it upstairs, but says he has some in his bag. He bought a calendar to count off the days until graduation. Trina says, the days until they’re college bound, and Josslyn starts to dig in Cameron’s bag. He tells her, wait, and she takes out a paper. She asks if it’s for him. It’s an acceptance letter to Stanford University.
Josslyn says, Cameron got in? She didn’t even know he was looking at Stanford. He says he applied for early acceptance, and Josslyn says, amazing. Trina says, congratulations; she’s proud of him. Josslyn says, it’s dated over a month ago. Why didn’t he tell them? He says he doesn’t know if he wants to go, and Trina says, he doesn’t know? He says, it’s an amazing school, with an incredible soccer team, and Josslyn says, he’s an incredible player. He says, there, but what if he sucks at college? Trina says, what if they all go to college, and totally tank? Should they stay home, or worse, be scared? Cameron says he’s not scared, and Josslyn says she gets him not wanting to be away from his family. He says, that’s part of it, but it’s also them. It doesn’t feel done yet. Trina says, what? and he says, this. High school. He doesn’t know if he can be apart from them. Trina says, it does feel like everything is changing, and Josslyn says she gets that, but whether they go or stay, life will change anyway. That’s just the way it is.
Brando says he’s the one in the hospital bed; Jason at least owes him an explanation. Jason says, Cyrus was threatening Brando, and Brando was stuck, so he took Brando out of commission. Brando says, okay, Jason did him a favor, but he could have given him a heads up. Jason says, and risk having him flinch? This was the easiest way. Brando asks if Jason knows how much it hurts to take a bullet (I think he probably does), when there’s a knock at the door. Michael and Sasha come in, and Michael says his mom told him what happened. Sasha asks if Brando is okay, and Brando says, nothing a little rest won’t fix. She asks if he’s sure, and he says he’s fine. What are they doing there? Sasha says he saved her life; the least she could do was check on him. Michael says his mom was a little light with the details. Does Brando know who did it? Jason says he’ll let Brando fill them in, and leaves. Sasha asks, what happened? Does he know who shot him?
Chase tells Willow that he noticed work being done on the gatehouse. She says, a little, and he asks if it was in bad shape. She says she mentioned in passing that the kitchen could use an island or more counter space; nothing urgent. Michael did a full gutting and renovation, not just of the kitchen, but the whole house. It’s hilarious how he’s been spying on her. She points out something she likes, like a chair, and it shows up at the gatehouse. She apologizes, and says she doesn’t mean to be talking so much about Michael. Chase says she lives on the property, and she and Michael are raising a kid together. Michael is part of her life. She asks how his life is. How is he? He says, right here in this moment, pretty damn great.
Ava opens the box, and looks in. Nikolas asks, what’s wrong? and she looks at him.
Britt takes her hand away from Brad, and says she’s fine. Being Chief of Staff is a lot of pressure. He says, it’s Cyrus, isn’t it? She went to the trouble of breaking him out of prison; talk to him. She says, the less he knows, the better. She doesn’t want Cyrus going after him again, and he needs to be in the hospital. She says she should deliver the bags, and he asks if he can help. She says, great idea. Walking around GH when he’s not supposed to be there. He says, so it’s a no? and she says, a hell no. She tells him, keep a low profile. She’ll be back. Outside, she drops some of the bags, and while she’s picking them up, Jason comes by. He asks if she needs some help. I think, nooo. Are they going to get together?
Michael says, Brando never saw who shot him? and Brando says, whoever it was hit nothing major. He says they must have better plans than this on Valentine’s Day, and asks Sasha how recovery is. She tells him, as they say, one day at a time, and he says, nothing wrong with slow and steady. He’s sure they must have reservations somewhere, and tells them, go. Have a good time. He needs the rest anyway. Sasha says, okay, but she’ll be back. He says he’ll be there, and they leave. In the hallway, Michael’s phone dings, and he says, change of plans.
Willow says, it’s so great that Finn and Chase’s dad are getting along. Chase says he never thought it would happen. He feels hopeful that they’re finally becoming a family. She says, it just goes to show, damage can be repaired, bridges can be rebuilt… Chase says, and relationships can be regrown. It’s happening for his dad and Finn, and he hopes it happens with them.
Brad hears Lucas and Felix talking in the hallway, and peeks out through the blinds. Lucas tells Felix, let’s go grab that drink, and Felix says he knows a new place. Brad turns away.
Ava looks at a large bug in a display dome, and Nikolas says he got her something, but not that. What is that, a roach? She says she hates roaches, and he wonders if anyone likes them. (Maybe an entomologist?) She says she doesn’t understand. Who would do this? Nikolas says they’ll find out.
Curtis tells Portia that he’s so used to going on missions solo; it feels good to have a partner again. She says, if he needs an assist, hit her up, and he says he might take her up on it. His job there is done, and he asks if she’s ready to get out. She says, um… and he says, look at her. She wants to stay. Portia says, maybe one more song, and Curtis says he’s there for it. One more song.
Jordan tells TJ that she knows he’s still mad. She made a mess with him and Molly, and she’s so sorry. He doesn’t have to be ready to forgive her, but if there’s anything she can do to help… He says his car won’t start, and he’s a half-hour late. Jordan says, it will be impossible to get a car, and he says, yeah. Would she give him a ride? She says, of course (🍷). She’ll even use the siren.
Molly tells the clerk, please. She bets he’s parking right now. She’ll go get him. She leaves, and Kristina says, look. Her sister really needs this night to happen. The clerk says, they all have needs, and Kristina says, maybe the clerk has plans, or maybe she’s tired and wants to get home. She gets it, but she wants her sister to be happy, so will this help? Kristina slides a few fifties across the counter to the clerk.
Josslyn tells Cameron, they’ll see each other all the time, and when they can’t, they’ll stay in touch. He asks if they think he should go, and Trina says, if he wants to. Josslyn says she heard there’s some awesome surfing in California. When she visits, she’ll teach him a thing or two. Elizabeth and Franco come in, and Cameron says they’re home early. Elizabeth says, Franco’s not feeling great, and Franco shows Cameron some hair in his hand. He says he’s going for Jeff Bezos, and asks Cameron’s opinion?
Britt tells Jason, she’s got this, but since he’s intent on giving her a hand, does he want to help her deliver them before the kids are asleep? Or is he too badass to spread a little love? Jason. Almost. Smiles.
Tomorrow, Curtis doesn’t want to, Ava hopes the next present is from Nikolas, Elizabeth tells Franco that it’s just the beginning, Molly asks TJ if he’s ready, and Cameron says he has to do this.
🎞 More Davis, Please…
Just in case you can’t get enough GH, here’s something they left out.
Everyone weighs in on the analogy heard round Bravoland. While I realize Jackie could have picked something safer, what really bothers me is that many of them – mostly Teresa – don’t grasp what an analogy is. Is this some kind of collective stupidity?
Oh horrors. Gia is suffering. Over an analogy. After her parents both did time for fraud, and her father has been shown to be an insensitive idiot over and over on the show.
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry was a volunteer Union regiment organized in the American Civil War. Its members became known for their bravery and fierce fighting against Confederate forces. It was the second all-Black Union regiment to fight in the war, after the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
The ultimate measure of a person is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King, Jr
Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied. – George Washington Carver
We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. – Maya Angelou
You are here for a purpose. There is no duplicate of you in the whole wide world. There never has been, there never will be. You were brought here now to fill a certain need. Take time to think that over. – Lou Austin (And let’s hope it’s not to create stupid names for lipsticks.)
Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular. – Roy T. Bennett
Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly. – Mahatma Gandhi
Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. – William James
You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. – Jim Rohn
A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. – Steve Martin
🚙 Getting On the Exit Ramp…
It’s that time again. Time to wrap up the week, or cross another day off the calendar as you mindlessly eat another bag of your chips of choice. But the world is opening up more, so step away from the chips, and do something different. Get out of the house, and give the outside winter wonderland a try. Unless you’re in the middle of a blackout, in which case, you’re not reading this anyway. Until we reunite on Deck, stay safe, stay appreciative of what you have, and stay knowing that, no matter what you do, life will change anyway. That’s just the way it is.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Valentin meets Martin, who says he’s glad Valentin showed up. Valentin wonders why he’s surprised, since Martin asked him to join him at the Port Charles Grill, but Martin says Valentin has been avoiding him for weeks. Valentin asks why Martin is being so dramatic. He has more pressing issues in his life. Martin says, apparently finding his mother isn’t one of them. All Valentin has been doing is wasting time with Jackie, who won’t do anything other than dig up dirt on his brother. They argue as Jackie walks in. She goes to their table, and says she found Martin’s mother. Does that help?
Phyllis cries over the damage at the Tan-O, and wonders how they’re going to recover from this. Lenny looks at the cash drawer, and says, damn. They were cleaned out. Phyllis starts to pick things up, but Sonny tells her, it’s best to wait for the cops, and she says he’s right; she wasn’t thinking. Sonny gets a chair for her, and she says she shouldn’t be so upset. It’s just things, but the level of destruction is so angry. She’s glad Sonny wasn’t there; he could have been hurt. Lenny asks where Sonny was. He was supposed to be watching the bar. What happened? Officer Finchley walks in, and says he’d like the answer to that himself.
Carly tells Jax, Diane wants to go over everything that happened with Nelle on the cliff, step by step. Jax wonders why, and Carly says, Diane wants to be prepared for whatever. She hopes Diane is right about what she anticipates, and the PCPD leaves well enough alone. She asks if Jax is okay, and he says he is, considering he just destroyed Nina.
Jordan tells Nina that Nelle probably just fell, but Nina says, Nelle wasn’t alone. Carly was on the cliff with Nelle when it happened. She’s been lying to them, and the police. Jordan asks why Nina supposes that is, and Nina says she wants Jordan to arrest Carly for Nelle’s murder.
Britt tells Jason that Cyrus’s research is fiction, and she thinks he must have complete control over Dr. Roberts. She did her own research, and the drug is addictive on the first use. Cyrus must have told the doctor and his team to change the data, so the Board wouldn’t vote against the drug. Jason asks if she still has her research, and she says she does. She’ll print it out and show him. Cyrus made a mistake thinking he could fool the Board and falsify data. It’s a good thing she ran her own tests and can prove the result, so she can expose Cyrus’s lies. Her laptop says, file empty.
Cyrus says he’s putting Brando on notice. He tasked Brando with finding his mother weeks ago, yet he hasn’t made any progress. Perhaps Brando isn’t as useful as he originally thought. Brando says he’s been trying to find Cyrus’s mother, and he’s made some headway. Cyrus says, go on, and Brando says he tracked the SUV caught on the security camera the night his mother disappeared. Cyrus says, and? and Brando says he can confirm it’s not the one that transported her off the premises. Again, Cyrus says, and? and Brando says, that’s it for now. Cyrus raises his fist and says, not good enough.
Jackie sits down, and Martin asks where his mother is. She says, Vermont probably, and Valentin asks her to please explain. She says Carly’s mother is working in Vermont, nursing a private patient. Martin says, she needs a job, but Valentin says, it makes sense that Carly would involve her mother. Bobbie is a competent nurse, and has unequalled loyalty. That would explain why Bobbie didn’t come back for Sonny’s funeral. Jackie says she’s going to Vermont to check it out, and Martin asks, when are they leaving?
Portia explains Cyrus’s offer of refusing to cooperate and testify against Taggert. She says she can tell he hadn’t heard about it, and he says, it’s the first time he’s hearing about it. Why is she coming to him? She says, because Cyrus made the offer to Jordan, and she turned it down. He says, Jordan must have some leverage over Cyrus, and Portia says she doesn’t blame her for not wanting to take a deal from Cyrus, but once again, she’s out of loop on something that directly impacts her family. He says he doesn’t expect Jordan to check in with him on police matters, but Portia says, if Taggert isn’t protected and not prosecuted, he’ll go to prison. It will impact her daughter, so will he please talk to Jordan and find out what she’s thinking. He says he doubts Jordan will tell him anything. They’re officially separated.
Jordan tells Nina that she’s making allegations about a case that’s been closed for months. Maybe she should take it down a notch. Nina says she’s not letting people turn a blind eye to protect Carly; not this time. Jordan says, that’s not what she’s doing, and asks Nina to sit and start at the top. Nina says she was at Sonny’s funeral, when she overheard Carly and Jax talking about what happened on the cliff. Carly heard Nelle calling out, and hesitated. She let Nelle fall, and left her there. Jordan says, Carly told the police that she fought with Nelle in the clearing, and Jax said that’s where he found her. They never went to the cliff. Is Nina accusing them of lying to the police? Nina says, that, and so much more. The truth has to come out about what happened to her daughter. Jordan says, her daughter? and Nina says, yeah. Nelle was her daughter. She fingers the necklace.
Josslyn comes home, and Carly asks if she’s okay. Josslyn says she was at Trina’s, trying to do homework, but couldn’t focus. What happened at the cemetery? Why did Nina lose it? Jax asks what she overheard, and Josslyn says, Nina accused him and Carly of doing something to her daughter. Carly tells Jax that she already explained to Josslyn that Nelle was Nina’s daughter, and Josslyn asks what Nina is accusing them of. What does Nina think they did to Nelle?
Sonny tells Finchley that he drove a drunk customer to the motel in the customer’s car, and had to walk back. Lenny says, leaving the Tan-O ripe for the picking. Did he even lock the door? Sonny says he did, and Lenny can check the damage on the lock. Lenny says, none of it would have happened if Sonny had been there watching, and Finchley asks how long Sonny was gone. Sonny says, twenty, twenty-five minutes, and Finchley says, it took him that long to drive to the motel and walk back? Sonny says, he took the customer to his room. He didn’t want him found frozen. Finchley says Sonny is a regular good Samaritan, and Sonny says, he can’t say; he doesn’t remember. Finchley says that seems to be his answer for everything, and Phyllis asks what he means. What is he implying? Finchley says he’s not implying anything. He’s saying straight up that Mike/Sonny is a liar.
Jason asks Britt, what’s wrong? and she says, her research is all gone, erased; even her back-up. Jason says, obviously Cyrus found out and covered his tracks. She says she’ll confront Dr. Roberts, but Jason says he can’t let her do that. She says, don’t tell her what to do, and he says, he respectfully requests that she hear him out. The smart move is to do nothing. Take their time. She says, time is something she doesn’t have, and he asks, why? Is she going somewhere?
Jackie tells Martin, she works solo, but he says, not this time. He and Valentin are going. Valentin says he can’t drop everything for a Vermont road trip, and Martin asks, why? Is it ELQ, or Valentin’s obsession with his ex? His romantic woes can wait; they need to find Martin’s mother. Valentin says he’ll even pay for the trip, but if they find evidence, they’re to go directly to the Vermont police. Jackie says she’s not going to try and rescue Florence by herself, but it’s moot until they’re certain she’s there. That’s why she needs to keep a low profile. It makes sense for her to go first, and alone to scout the location. Martin says he’s absolutely going. End of conversation. She says, then prepare to fail. If he goes, he’ll ruin everything.
Portia brings Curtis into one of the examining rooms, so they can talk privately. She says she’s so sorry to hear he and Jordan are separated. She knew they were going through a rough patch, but thought they’d work through it. They obviously love each other. He says, it takes more than love to make a marriage, and she asks if he’s saying it’s over. He says, no. He’s saying it’s on pause, but he’s tired of living a life of lies and omission, no matter how well-intended. She asks if that isn’t the actual job description, and he says, he knows the boundaries of the job. When he and Jordan worked together in Baltimore, he knew more about her personal life than he does as her husband. Portia says she gets it, but she doesn’t think Jordan intended to shut him out. He says, it keeps happening, and Jordan is so good at it, he wonders what else she’s not telling him. He’s exhausted, waiting for the other shoe to fall. If they can’t be honest, what’s the point? She says, honesty is the backbone of a marriage. That’s why she and Taggert didn’t make it.
Nina shows Jordan how the necklaces match, and says, two halves of a whole. Nelle had it the entire time, even when she was a little girl. Nina didn’t know until it was too late. Jordan says she’s so sorry. She knows how long Nina had been searching. It must be devastating. Nina appreciates Jordan’s understanding, and says, now that Jordan knows, she can help. Nina wasn’t Nelle’s mother when Nelle was alive, but she can still fight for her. Jordan says she understands the instinct to do something, but as she explained… Nina says, Carly is responsible for Nelle’s death. She could have saved Nelle, and did nothing. She needs to be held accountable. Carly is the reason Nelle is dead.
Carly tells Josslyn that she hesitated; she thought it was a trick. She thought Nelle would pull her over. She finally looked, and saw Nelle dangling. She reached out, and tried help, but Nelle fell. She was kneeling there in shock, when Jax showed up. Jax says he was afraid if the police showed up, they’d accuse Carly of pushing Nelle, and Carly says, so they went to the clearing. That’s where she told the police she fought with Nelle, Nelle ran off, and it was the last time she saw Nelle. Josslyn says, so she lied, and Carly says, she did. Josslyn says she made the right call.
Phyllis tells Finchley, that’s an outrageous thing to say. Mike/Sonny has been open and above board with them. Lenny says, he had his doubts, but that was before he had the chance to see Mike in action; he’s a hard worker. Finchley says, good to hear, and Phyllis asks why he’s so dead set against Mike. Finchley says Mike showed up just as the smash and grab robberies started, including this one. Sonny says he wasn’t there, and Finchley asks if the customer had a name. Sonny says, they didn’t have a conversation; the customer was too drunk. Finchley can check with the motel. Finchley says he will. He won’t take anything Mike says at face value, especially since he ran Mike’s fingerprints. We all go, WTH? Does he know Mike is Sonny? But it’s a commercial.
Sonny says, Finchley ran his prints even though he said no? and Lenny says, it’s within the man’s rights. Lenny asks how Finchley got them, and Finchley says he took a cup he saw Mike/Sonny drinking from. Sonny asks if Finchley ID’d him. All this time, Finchley has been harassing him when Finchley knew who he was?
Brando says he’s proven himself to Cyrus over and over, but Cyrus tells him to prove himself again; find his mother. Brando says, he needs time. but Cyrus says he’s made himself perfectly clear. He hired Brando as a source of information about Sonny’s organization. Now Sonny is dead, and Jason has no loyalty to Brando. Brando needs to prove his worth in other ways. Find his mother. If he doesn’t, he’ll have Brando terminated.
Britt tells Jason, she has a full plate. She has a staff to manage, and a department to oversee. If Cyrus discovered she did her own research, he’s bound to come after her. Jason says he won’t let that happen, and she asks how he’s going to stop it. He says, any way he has to. He has enough leverage to back Cyrus off. She asks, what kind? but he says he can’t tell her. He gets a text from Brando, saying, Saint Street alley. ASAP, and tells Britt that he’s got to go; be careful. She says she can take care of herself; she always has. He leaves, and Britt looks at her hand shaking. She says, this, she might not be able to fight.
Carly says she doesn’t know if lying was the right or wrong decision, but it’s the one she made in the moment, so she’s seeing it through. Josslyn says she understands. She doesn’t want Carly going to prison for something she didn’t do. It’s like what happened with Nelle all over again, when Carly went to Ferncliff for pushing Nelle down the stairs. Even though she was innocent, she was locked up anyway. Josslyn never wants that to happen again. Jax says they’ll do everything in their power to make sure it doesn’t, and Carly says, Nina is grieving. She’s lashing out about the daughter she’d imagined, and blaming Carly. It’s not fun, but she’s survived worse. She and Josslyn hug.
Portia tells Curtis that she gets it. Taggert had so much locked away, she felt abandoned emotionally. Then she met Curtis, and she was the one holding back. Ultimately, the only thing they shared was Trina. Even when Taggert was home, they didn’t have enough life together to make the marriage work. Curtis says, everyone has a secret or two, and he understands, but the secrets Jordan has been keeping directly effect their lives. She knew TJ was kidnapped long before she told him, and she knew he blamed himself for Taggert’s death. Meanwhile, Taggert was safe, and in hiding. Jordan might have her reasons, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t want to live like this, no matter how hard it is to walk away.
Jordan looks at her and Curtis’s wedding photo. She gets her coat, and leaves her office.
Martin tells Jackie that he resents the implication. He’d never do anything to put his mother in danger. She says, not on purpose, but he’s too emotionally involved. He’ll probably charge in and try to rescue her the minute he lays eyes on her. Martin says he does know his mother is all right, and Valentin asks, how? Martin says he spoke to her, and Jackie says, how? When? He says he received a dedicated phone, and she asks if his mother said anything like the name of her nurse or her location, but he says all she told him was that she was being treated well. Nina walks in, and Valentin excuses himself. Martin says, they’re not finished, but Jackie says she thinks they are. He says, very well, and she says, then it’s decided. He says he’s coming with her.
Valentin sits with Nina at the bar, and says he hasn’t seen her in a while. She says, he knew that Jax knew Nelle was her daughter. She’s not asking how he knew, but it was just the tip of the iceberg. He asks, what happened? and she says, Carly was on the cliff when Nelle fell. Jax convinced Carly to lie, so she wouldn’t be arrested. For all his fancy talk, insisting he was protecting her feelings and saving her heartache and grief, the whole time, the person he was protecting was Carly. Valentin warned her, didn’t he? He was right. Jax always puts Carly first, and she can never forgive that.
Carly opens the door to Jordan, who thanks Carly for seeing her. Carly asks if she had a choice, and Jordan comes in. Jordan says she was hoping Jax would be there; otherwise, he was her next stop. Jax asks what they can do for the Commissioner, and Jordan says she’d like to do this privately. Carly asks Josslyn to go upstairs and check on Donna. They exchange I love yous, and Josslyn leaves. Carly says Jordan is aware Sonny’s funeral was a few hours ago, and Jordan says she’s sorry, but she had to come tonight. There are allegations against them, so she’s going to ask flat out, did Carly push Nelle to her death? BTW, regular Jordan is back. Funny thing, I never even noticed. I guess I’d already forgotten about tween Jordan.
Portia tells Curtis, she’s so sorry it’s come to this. She hopes Jordan realizes what she’s losing, and he finds it in himself to change his decision. He says, it’s not just about Jordan. He needs to refocus his own life. She asks, in what way? and he asks if she remembers their conversation at the gym. He’s tired of trading in secrets, his and other people’s. He makes a living uncovering other people’s dirty laundry, then blows their secrets wide open. He needs something new… something more.
Nina tells Valentin, Carly admitted she hesitated. How do they knew she put in any effort at all, with all the bad blood between them? And Jax blindly backs her without question. He didn’t care enough about Nina to think she deserved the truth. Valentin says, so he didn’t see Nelle fall, and Nina says, if Jax can lie about Nelle being her daughter, how can she believe anything he and Carly say about what really happened? Valentin says, she can’t.
Jackie tells Martin, there’s no proof Bobbie is looking after his mother; it’s just a hunch. He says that’s good enough for him. He’ll be her back up. She says she doesn’t need back up, and he says, what happens if she gets caught, or Bobbie gets wind she’s been asking questions? Jason will relocate his mother, and they’re back to square one. She says she’s not an amateur. She’s navigated war zones. She thinks she can handle a sleepy Vermont town. Cyrus approaches, and asks if they’re planning a trip.
Finchley says he couldn’t ID Mike/Sonny, and Phyllis asks why Finchley did it. It’s plain that he’ll make any excuse to blame Mike. Lenny says, Finchley took Mike’s fingerprints without his consent, and stole a cup from him to do it. Finchley says he’s concerned with stopping the robberies, but Sonny says Finchley isn’t catching anyone when he’s fixated on him. Lenny says, the robberies were going on before Mike got there, and Sonny offers for Finchley to check his room. He’ll see Sonny didn’t steal anything or bust up the place. Finchley says, don’t mind if I do, and goes upstairs. Sonny thanks Lenny and Phyllis for sticking up for him, and says Finchley isn’t going to find anything up there. Phyllis says she’s sorry, but he can’t stay there any longer.
Curtis tells Portia, now that he’s realized what he wants, he sees no reason to stay. The job he’s working on will be wrapping up shortly, and it might be the last one. Portia says, the nightclub? and he says, yeah. He’ll be stylin’ tomorrow night, and blending in. He’s going to finish the job and make his money. Does her offer to help with the case still stand?
Carly tells Jordan that she didn’t kill Nelle; it’s the God’s honest truth. She knows Nina made allegations. She barged in on Sonny’s funeral while they were laying roses on his grave. She got upset, and leveled unfounded accusations. Carly knows Nina is in pain, but so is Sonny’s family, and so is she. Jax says, Nina was distraught about Nelle being her daughter, and Jordan says she’s still wrapping her head around that, but it’s her job to investigate. Nina heard Carly say she had been on the cliff, but that wasn’t in Carly’s statement; why is that? Carly wonders if this is an official interview, and says she’s calling Diane. Jordan says, that’s not necessary, but before she leaves, she has to say something.
Sonny tells Phyllis, he’ll go, but he just doesn’t want them thinking he did this to them. She says she’s not asking him to leave because she thinks he’s a criminal, and Lenny asks, what’s the deal? She says, obviously, Finchley is fixated on Mike/Sonny. If he stays there, the only way it will end is with Mike behind bars, and she doesn’t want that. Lenny says, so she doesn’t want Mike to go? and she says, of course (🍷) not. She’s thinking about what’s best for Mike. Sonny says, all right, he’ll stay. He’d like to think he’s needed there, and he needs them, but he’s got to tell them, he doesn’t think their troubles are over.
Valentin says he’s sorry Jax betrayed Nina’s trust, but Nina says he knew it was coming; so did Ava. Valentin says he takes no pleasure in being right. He doesn’t like to see her in pain. Nina says, ironic, considering how much he hurt her, and he says he’d do anything to make it up to her. She says, then prove it.
Cyrus takes his jacket off, and says, cozy. Martin says they were just enjoying a cocktail, and Cyrus says, and discussing Vermont. Jackie says she was looking into Martin’s allegations that Jason kidnapped his mother, and Cyrus says, Martin told her? Martin says Cyrus knows him, and knows he’d do anything to get their mother back safely. Jackie says she was thinking of taking a trip to Vermont to speak to the staff who were on duty when his mother disappeared, but Cyrus says her inquiry isn’t necessary. He’s confident that his man understands the urgency and the consequences if he fails.
Brando tells Jason that he can only put off Cyrus for so long. His time is up. Cyrus is going to terminate him if he doesn’t show results. Jason says, define terminate, which is what I was thinking, and Brando says Jason’s guess is as good as his. Cyrus is either going to fire him or kill him, unless they come up with a solution.
Sonny thinks the Tan-O is a target, but Lenny says, they’re not the only ones. The hardware store was also robbed. Sonny says, but this is the second time since he’s been there. He disarmed the first guy, but this time it’s more than a robbery. Look around. Whoever did this wanted to do as much damage as possible. Finchley comes back, and says Mike/Sonny’s room is clean. Lenny thanks him for coming by, and Finchley says he finds Mike’s story flimsy. It will be hard to prove with no name, and he could have checked out by now. Sonny says, law enforcement is harder than it looks, and Finchley says he’s got his eyes on Sonny. He leaves, and Phyllis says, what did she tell them? Finchley is like a dog with a bone. He’s not going to let up. Is Mike sure he wants to put himself through this? Sonny tells her, like he said, he’s not leaving them in the lurch, especially with all the kindness they’ve shown him. As long as there’s trouble there, he stays. Lenny guesses they’d best start cleaning up then, and Sonny says he’s Lenny’s man.
Portia asks if Curtis wants her to help with the case, and he says, nothing dangerous, he promises. She says she knows he’d never put her in jeopardy. Okay, she’s in. What does he need her to do? He says he wants her to be his Valentine.
Jordan tells Carly and Jax, Nina is not going to let this go.She wants Carly arrested. Jax says he doesn’t care what she wants. Carly didn’t kill Nelle. Jordan says, Nelle’s body was recovered in Pennsylvania (on the other side of the river), and it’s out of her jurisdiction. She’s going to have to notify the Feds, and thinks it would be wise for Carly to alert Diane. She leaves.
Martin asks if Cyrus has any promising leads, but Cyrus thinks it’s best he keeps them to himself. Martin says he’s sure Cyrus intends to keep him in the loop, and Cyrus says he’s going to keep their mother safe at all costs. He tells them to enjoy their drinks, and leaves. Martin tells Jackie, he hopes she understands that if Cyrus finds their mother first, he’ll move her to another location, and she’ll be lost to him all over again. Please, he’s begging her. He’s got to find his mother. Jackie says, okay. She’s going to track Bobbie, and hopes it leads to Florence.
Valentin says he’ll do anything for Nina. What does she need? Nina says, help her make Carly pay.
Josslyn comes back, and tells Carly that she changed Donna, and she’s asleep. She asks if Jordan left, and Jax says, yeah. Josslyn asks if Carly is going to be arrested, but Carly says, no. There’s no evidence, and the simple fact is, she didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just a formality. Everything will be okay. They hug.
Britt looks at her phone, and calls Dr. Todd Walsh. She says she’d like to make an appointment. The referring physician is Dr. Britt Westbourne… The symptoms are intermittent tremors in the right hand... She’d like the earliest available appointment.
Brando tells Jason, he’s doing everything he can, but he’s out of time. Cyrus is out of patience, and he needs a solution now. Jason says, Brando is right; that is a problem. He turns his back, and Brando says, so that’s it? Jason’s not going help him? He did his best for Sonny, and now he’s on his own? So be it. He walks away, and Jason shoots him in the back.
I literally said, whoa! out loud, and something about what a dirtbag Jason is, but after some thought, I’m guessing he’s just putting Brando out of commission for a while. Even though I’m not really a Jason fan, I don’t see him shooting someone in the back. At least not Brando. If that’s not the case, then he is a dirtbag.
Tomorrow, it’s Valentine’s Day in Port Charles, Britt says there’s no one she’d rather be with, TJ says it’s a big night, and Jordan asks who someone is protecting.
🏖 The awful people living in Summer House were still just as awful tonight. I found it particularly distasteful when Luke tried to gaslight Hannah, while confirming she was in the friendzone. She said he was no friend of hers, and he said she was delusional and overly dramatic, but I’ve met his kind before. He’s a jerk whose M.O. is benching certain girls, and not worth her time. It’s been a while since I was in the dating pool, and while the meeting place might have changed, the players haven’t. Still far from Luke’s narcissism, Kyle comes in at second place for humble bragging about working 80 hour weeks in the Hamptons. But I thought summer was supposed to be fun?
📌 That’s a Fact…
On March 30, Alvin Ailey and a group of young, black modern dancers perform for the first time as members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York’s 92nd Street YM-YWHA.
The rest is history, and you can read about it here:
I am writing this book to redefine Blackness and establish a new ‘Black Card,’ so to speak. Carriers of this car will no longer be ashamed of admitting that past traumas have hurt them….Trauma isn’t just war flashbacks. It’s having to raise your siblings because you were fatherless. It’s have to raise yourself because your mother was dealing with her own crises. It’s having a father who left you and your siblings at home while he roamed the streets looking for a fix. It’s being neglected because you were raised by a single parent who dealt with their trauma in silence. – AD Thomason, Permission to Be Black
🏇 That’s a Finish…
While there will be plenty of Port Charles Valentines and tea tomorrow, I have to work on some copywriting, so I’m off. Until we meet in the Saint Street alley, stay safe, stay sure of yourself, and stay the hell away from dudes like Luke.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
There’s a knock on Jordan’s office door. She thanks Curtis for coming, and says she wasn’t sure if her request would carry any weight. She sees his face, and says, sorry. It’s been almost two months since he’s been staying at the MetroCourt. She never thought he’d be gone this long. He says, it’s not like they resolved any of their issues, and she suggests they work on fixing them. She made an appointment with Dr. Massey. If Curtis doesn’t want to work on them by coming home, they can work on them in counseling. He says, no, they can’t.
At the hospital, Cyrus asks Britt where she’s going, and she says, as Chief of Staff , she usually circulates through the departments, checking in and supervising. Portia watches, and flashes back to when Cyrus told her that he was willing to withdraw his statement to the DOJ. They can’t prosecute Trina’s father without his statement, but Jordan declined. Portia wonders what those two are up to.
Lenny welcomes Phyllis home, and asks, why the suitcase? She says she knows she should have stopped home, but she wanted to make sure they didn’t burn the place down in her absence. She tells Lenny, she’s just joking; no need to get upset. Lenny says, it’s not that. Mike remembered something. Sonny says , no. He actually remembered someone.
Nina stares daggers at Carly and Jax at the cemetery. Jax sees her and reaches for her, but she shrugs him off. He says he didn’t expect her there, and she says she was at Nelle’s grave, but she saw him, and they need to talk. He says, they can talk after; Jocelyn needs him. Nina says she’s sure Carly needs him too, and asks if they can talk afterward, but she says, no. They need to talk now. She knows what he and Carly did. Dante asks Olivia, what’s going on? and Olivia says she doesn’t know, and she’s not asking. Carly walks over to Nina and Jax, and asks, what’s going on? Nina tells Jax, go ahead and tell her. No, never mind. Let her do it. She tells Carly that she knows what they both did to her daughter.
Jordan asks Curtis when he became too macho for therapy. He was the one that suggested family counseling before they got married, and he was right. It did them a world of good to air their grievances in a safe space, and Stella even came to the wedding. He asks how they’re supposed to tell a stranger about their compromises. How is Jordan going to open up to a stranger, but not to her husband?
Cyrus sees Britt going into the elevator, and says, not to interrupt her perpetual motion, but she should get off the elevator. They don’t want to tie it up for the patients. He tells her that he called a board meeting, and she says, she’s aware and appreciates the honorary seat, but she doesn’t have a vote. Her energy is better spent on patients. He urges her not to skip the meeting. It’s everything they’ve been working for. Portia joins them, and asks if everything is okay, but Britt says, everything is fine. Cyrus says, they were talking about the board meeting. As a Department head, Portia is welcome to join. Portia asks why she would need to be there, and he says, winds of change are blowing through General Hospital. Trust him; she doesn’t want to miss it.
Phyllis tells Sonny, that’s exciting; tell her everything. He says he was by himself. He was groggy, and he dozed off. Music was playing, and he was dancing with someone who had blonde hair, but he couldn’t make out her face. Phyllis says, they were wondering about the wedding band. It could be the wife that gave him the watch. He says he doesn’t know, but she definitely felt important to him. Phyllis said, like she told him, as the medicine starts working, he could possibly remember things in his life. Sonny says, maybe it was just a dream and not important. They have no way of knowing, so… He starts to walk away, and Phyllis says, that’s not necessarily true.
Jax tells Nina to keep her voice down; they’ll talk afterward. She says, no. He had his chance to be honest about her daughter, and he didn’t do it. No secrets or lies. She wants the whole world to know what he and Carly did to her daughter. Carly walks over, and says, it’s not the time or the place. Sam wonders what’s going on, but Jason says he doesn’t know, and Sam leaves. Nina says, she knows what they did to her only child, and Jax says he was trying to protect her. Nina says, he wasn’t protecting her; he was protecting Carly. Carly always comes first. Her child didn’t even merit having a funeral, just a lousy prayer at the grave. If it had been up to Carly, she wouldn’t even have had that. Nina doesn’t know what’s worse, the sheer hypocrisy or the heartless lies. She knows Carly was there when Nelle died, and they were both there when Nelle fell to her death.
At the board meeting, Cyrus says his assistant is passing out a prospectus regarding the spearheading of the research project he’s been doing in the hospital lab. It’s going to be a financial addition that will keep them from having to gouge the patients. He was inspired by Finn’s discovery, and Finn’s generous donation of the patent for Blackwood’s, but it’s a niche market. General Hospital is ready to enter into the field of pain management, an enormous market. One of the board members says, it’s an interesting presentation, and another board member says, it will help a lot of patients, and be a financial windfall for the hospital. Cyrus says, he’s glad they recognize the incredible potential. With the board’s approval, he’ll be ready to present his findings to the FDA. It requires a unanimous motion. Lesley comes in, and says she objects big time.
Jordan tells Curtis, plenty of people feel more comfortable talking to a trained medical professional, and the legal issue will be covered by doctor/patient confidentiality. Curtis says, that doesn’t always apply, and she says, they can still figure out the root of what’s going on between them. He says, that is the root. It’s tied to dancing around the truth; the lies and secrets. If she can’t speak freely to him, he doesn’t see how they can fix the relationship. He can’t live like this anymore.
Phyllis tells Sonny, she doesn’t have much experience with bipolar patients, but she did her research. There are racing, intrusive thoughts when in the manic phase. Sonny says, like the handiwork he tried there, and Lenny says, don’t remind them, Phyllis says, and the supreme confidence that led him to believe he didn’t need to figure out who he was. But like she said, when the medication builds up in the bloodstream, those thoughts leave. It might be enough to lift the fog, so he can see clearly, and remember who he is. Sonny says , maybe so. How was her trip? Lenny asks if she was able to give her former patient the answers she wanted, and Phyllis says, she was able to give answers, but not the ones her former patient wanted to hear.
Nina asks if Carly is speechless for once, and I laugh. She tells Carly not to try to deny it. She watched Nina’s daughter fall to her death. Carly knew her daughter was in the river for weeks, and said nothing. She let Nelle rot. Why is that? Carly knew if she tried to save Nelle, she could have. Carly tells Nina, don’t. This is her husband’s funeral, and Nina is going to destroy it. Nina says, just like Carly destroyed her daughter’s body, and Carly says, Nelle was a horrible person. She was a killer and a kidnapper, and on the day she died, she slashed Brooke’s throat. Nina says she doesn’t deny Nelle was trouble, but who made Carly judge and jury? Her daughter deserved dignity in death, even if she didn’t get it in life. Tell the truth. If she was capable, would Carly have saved Nelle, or did a part of her, even a small spark , hold back because she wanted to see Nelle die?
Nina says, tell her the truth. Carly owes Nina that much. Could she have saved Nelle? Diane approaches, and says, as Carly’s attorney, she strongly advises Carly to walk away. Jason agrees, but Carly tells Nina that she tried to save Nelle, despite what Nelle did. Nina says, she believes Carly hated Nelle, but doesn’t believe Carly tried to save her. Carly says she doesn’t give a damn; not after the stunt Nina just pulled. That’s exactly the reason why she and Jax didn’t tell Nina the truth. Nina can’t handle the truth. Nina says, Carly doesn’t care that her daughter is dead, even though Carly should have saved her. Nelle never had anyone in life. Nina has heard stories about Carly. Carly did horrible things, but got a second chance. Why is that? She has a whole town filled with Carly enablers. Jax says, enough, but Nina says, the best part is, Carly got Jax to go along with it. Carly is never happier than when she gets someone else to drop everything for her and back her up. Maybe Carly will bring Jax up to the major leagues now that Sonny is gone. Carly says she remembers this side of Nina. The side that drugged Ava, and cut Avery out of Ava’s womb. When Nina is in pain, and her grief is overwhelming, she takes it out on everyone around her. She and Nelle aren’t so different after all.
Phyllis tells Lenny and Sonny, her patient’s daughter passed away months ago, but the real tragedy is, she didn’t know who her daughter was until after her death. Lenny says he’s so sorry. He knows how much guilt Phyllis carries about the situation. He’ll drive her home, so she can drop her things off, and they can talk about it during the drive. He asks if Sonny thinks he can handle things, and Sonny says, no problem.
Leslie tells the Board, they don’t need Cyrus or his drugs. Cyrus says, sorry. Who is she to make that determination? She’s a board member emeritus. It’s honorary and meaningless. Leslie says she doesn’t get to vote, but those who do, should use it wisely.
Jordan says, Curtis knew secrets were part of the package when they were dating, engaged, and then married. It’s not about trust, it’s about her doing her job . If he’s being honest, his profession is trading secrets. He says, technically, it’s uncovering secrets. He gets that her job requires information she can’t share, but in the past year, she’s been keeping secrets that go well beyond work. Secrets about her being compromised by Cyrus. His nephew was kidnapped, and he was left blaming himself for Taggert’s death, when Taggart was alive and in hiding. It started with work secrets, but it’s still about him. In each case, she made the decision to keep him in the dark. How is that being a team? Jordan says, it can be. He showed up; that’s a good sign, especially after her ultimatum. She admits she was too harsh. She felt it was the only way to get through. So has he decided to come home?
Sonny asks the lone customer if he’d like another whiskey, but the customer says he’d rather get moving. He takes out his keys, and drops them, and Sonny says he’s not driving anywhere. He’s had too much to drink. The customer hands Sonny the keys, and says he can do the honors.
Nina tells Carly, one way she’s different from Nelle, is that she wasn’t an impoverished little girl from Florida with one kidney and an abusive father, but she’ll sure as hell stand up to Carly and defend her. Jason says Nina is ruining sonny’s funeral, and Nina says, he’s just proving her point; Carly has her trio of enablers there. Diane is just doing her job, but it’s not like she wasn’t warned that Carly would come first with Jax. Carly says, they’re done. She doesn’t know what Nina tried to accomplish, but she failed. Nina says Carly failed compassion, honesty, and saving the life of someone right in front of her. She’s the worst kind of selfish. She goes around thinking she’s so selfless, and her friends support it. She’s superficial, sugar sweet, until you get between her and her needs. It’s oddly poetic justice that Sonny fell to his death, like Carly watched her daughter fall. Nina starts to walk away, and Jax follows, but Nina turns and says she doesn’t even have the words for him. He had her convinced he was a white knight that would never lie to her, but just like everyone else, he is a liar. He just does it with a tan and a smile. She adds that she was wrong. She did have the words. She leaves, and Jax goes back to what’s left of the mourners.
Olivia, Dante, and Sam go back to the Quartermaine mansion. Monica says they’re home early, and Olivia says, long story. Monica asks Sam if her mother caused a scene, but Sam says, not this time; she couldn’t make it. Olivia says she wondered about that. Alexis should have been there to support Kristina. Dante suggests a Olivia check on Leo, and Monica says he and Wiley were having so much fun with video games, she didn’t even need to look in on them. She and Olivia go upstairs, while Sam and Dante go into the living room. Dante says, it might sound insensitive, but how about a drink? Sam says, it doesn’t sound insensitive. It’s actually welcomed. He says, Scotch or Scotch? and she guesses it will be Scotch. Dante asks how she’s holding up, and she asks if he’s serious. They just came from his father’s funeral, and he was just in the hospital because of her mother. She’s more concerned about him. They clink glasses, and Sam tells him, she’s not saying they needed her mother there for something of significance to go down, but she wasn’t feeling well, and thought it best not to go. Dante says, what about her? It couldn’t have been easy not being with Jason. Sam says, aside from co-parenting, things have been strange between them, but today crystallized things. She knows exactly where they stand. ** clink glass not saying need something of significance went down mom wouldn’t been there not feeling well thought best not go**
Cyrus says, Dr. Webber’s dire warning has no merit. The science is on the up and up. He looks to Britt for confirmation, saying she approved the research. Britt says, right. She did verify the scientific research, and while the findings seemed to be impressive, she wants to make it clear to the Board that this is not her field of expertise. Cyrus says, that’s why the research is important. Portia says, it’s what would be deemed adequate, considering his past in prison. It’s a valid question, especially since this is a could be a very addictive narcotic. A board member reminds her that Cyrus was framed; he was exonerated. Cyrus says, her concern is noted, but she has no vote. Portia says, that’s true, but she does have the right to block a unanimous motion. A board member says, the hospital could use the potential income, and Cyrus says, all of their voices will be heard on the floor when they vote at the regular shareholders meeting in a few days. This meeting is adjourned.
Curtis tells Jordan, of course (🍷) he wants to come home, but he’s not ready. Jordan asks, why? and he says, if he does, then nothing changes. She asks what he needs to have changed? Is he asking her to quit her job,? He says, ofcourse (🍷) not. He admires her commitment to her job, but he needs something of his own; his own life. He does trade in secrets and lies, and he’s got to figure out how to make peace with it. Figure out who he is aside from a P.I. He doesn’t expect her to wait. She’d said, if he couldn’t come home and forgive her, he needs to let her go. She says, that was the anger talking; she takes it back. Curtis says, she’s right. He needs to let her go.
Jordan asks what he means by let her go. She doesn’t want to lose him. He says he doesn’t want that either. She wonders if he’s asking for a divorce, and Curtis says, nothing that permanent. They have to learn to be individuals again, and be okay being separate, if they want to have a chance to find their way back to each other again. Jordan asks if he wants a separation, and Curtis says, to him at least, that means they both have a chance to clear their heads, so they can figure out what they really want. He admits he can’t guarantee an ending, and knows they can’t go in with a preordained ending. It’s not fair to either one of them. Jordan says, please don’t walk away, and Curtis says, he’s not. Hopefully, it won’t be forever. Someone has to see how dysfunctional a couple they are, and call that out. The only way to face it, is to call it by its name, or else… He just can’t live like this anymore.
Cyrus approaches Lesley, and says he’s not sure what that power play was all about. Lesley says, he’s responsible for putting her granddaughter into a coma. How does he sleep at night? He says, she’s been listening to rumors, and she says, not from her daughter, the mayor. Cyrus says, she may have delayed things, but the board members are enthusiastic about the new medication. That’s how he sleeps at night. He walks away.
Britt looks at Jason’s phone number in her phone.
Back at Sonny’s house, Diane says she assumes part of Nina’s accusation is true. She gets Carly and Jason’s friendship, but she’s the attorney. She can’t continue to represent them to the best of her ability, if she’s the last one to know; she has to be the first. She waits, and then says, someone better start talking, since apparently, Nina has no edit button. Tell her the gory details. Go. Jax says, Nina isn’t entirely inaccurate, and Diane says, that means some of it was accurate. Carly says she told the police that when she saw Michael and Wiley were safe, she went after Nelle. That was true. Diane says she knows about what Carly told the police. Tell her what she doesn’t know. Carly says she caught up with Nelle in the clearing, they fought, she fell, and Nelle took off. She heard Nelle screaming, and found her dangling from the cliff. Nina wasn’t lying, but she only hesitated for a second; she did try. She got on the ground, and reached out. Honest to God, she tried to save Nelle, but she fell; she couldn’t hold on. Jax tells Diane, that’s when he found Carly, kneeling at the edge of the cliff. He’s the one who convinced her not to tell the police, because there were no witnesses to back her up. Calling him Mr. Jax, Diane says she understands advising Carly to alter the truth, and understands why Carly went along. As their attorney, she keeps their dark family secrets. She is paid a tremendous amount of money to know when, where, and how to bend the truth to suit their needs. Now Carly flat out lied and it’s a matter of public record. Jason asks, how bad is it? but Diane says, it’s too soon to tell. Jason looks at his phone, and Carly says, go. He leaves, and Carly shakes her head.
Olivia tells Monica, she’s going to miss this place. Monica asks what she’s talking about, and a Olivia says, she doesn’t know what’s going on with her an Ned. He didn’t just hook up with Alexis, he lied about it for months. She doesn’t know where they stand, and as nice as it’s been for her to stay there, it’s not her home. Monica says, the last time she looked, this was her house, and Olivia says, because Alan gave it to her? They laugh, and Monica says, much to Tracy’s chagrin. She wasn’t born into the family, but gradually over the years, she became a Quartermaine through and through, and so has Olivia. Like it or not, she’s one of them.
Dante asks what Sam is saying. She became clear about things after the crazy at the cemetery? She says, if she and Jason were still together, things would have played out differently for her today. He asked, how so? and she says, for starters, she’d still be there helping clean up the mess, instead of having a drink with him. He says, it’s preferable, a win, and she says, she’s not part of Jason’s world anymore. He asks what that makes her, and she says he can call her Sam. They smile at one another.
Cyrus tells Portia, he wants her to know that he’s not holding the Board meeting against her. She says, if doctors prescribe the medication wrong or too casually, the hospital could face a lawsuit, so she questions its review. He says, so noted. On a different subject, his offer stands regarding Taggert. Get Jordan to do her part, and Taggert will no longer be in jail, and no longer in danger. That will make her daughter happy, right? He leaves, and Curtis comes out of the elevator. Portia says, she sorry to put him in the middle of those, but she needs to talk to him about his wife.
Jordan looks at her and Curtis’s wedding picture, then turns it face down on her desk.
Phyllis and Lenny come back to the bar, and everything is a wreck, all the tables and chairs overturned. Phyllis says, what on earth…? and Lenny says, what happened? Phyllis wonders, who would have done this?Robbery is one thing, but why destroy the Tan-O? Sonny comes in, and says, Oh my God, what happened?
Jason goes to Britt’s office, and she thanks him for coming . He asks if the room is secure, and she says she checked it herself after the board meeting . He says, he takes it that it wasn’t a good meeting, and she says, Cyrus ambushed the Board, presenting his plan for the new pain medication. He wants to fast track Board approval, so he can take it to the FDA, and she had to play along. Jason says, good, but she says, it’s highly addictive. She hands him the folder, and he says he’ll look it over. She asks, when? The vote is in a few days, sooner than anticipated. She wonders why Cyrus is fast tracking the drug, and Jason says, Sonny is gone, and Cyrus sees an opening.
The Quartermaine’s doorbell rings, and Monica sees Lesley on the porch. She says Oh my God, and Lesley says, hello, Monica.
Dante tells Sam that it sounds like she’s embarking on a new chapter. He gives her another drink, and asks who this new Sam McCall is going to be. She says, for the first time in a long time, she doesn’t know, but she’s excited to meet her. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), him too. They clink their glasses, as Olivia watches.
Leslie tells Monica, she loves the remodel, so tasteful. Who is her decorator? Monica says, cut to the chase. What inspired her unprecedented visit here? Leslie says, she’s there about the hospital . She needs Monica to help expose Cyrus as the monster that he is.
Carly asks Diane, how much trouble is she in? Diane says, it’s all hearsay, with no evidence to back it up. The Philadelphia authorities closed the case. If there isn’t a lot of pressure, the PCPD may close their case, and choose to leave well enough alone.
Nina walks into Jordan’s office, but Jordan says she was heading home. What’s up? Nina says she has new information to report on the murder of Nelle Benson.
Tomorrow, Jordan asks if Nina is accusing Carly and Jax of lying to the police, Jackie tells Martin that she found his mother, Cyrus says Brando isn’t as useful as he first thought, and Sonny asks if someone knows who he is.
👠 A new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey has begun, and already Teresa has created pandemonium. Wasn’t it last season when she threw the Solo cup at the camera? Tonight, she threw rumors around. Jackie and Evan had a party for Evan’s birthday. Delores had a butt lift, along with few other procedures, which was a topic of conversation, along with Teresa’s possible dating life. Even the women who hated each other were excited to see one another because, covid. Although I did find it a little disconcerting that no one appeared to be concerned at all; no social distancing or masks, and this was filmed a while ago. Teresa had too much tequila, and tried to spread gossip, but was bad at it, since she could remember zero details, only that Evan did stuff at the gym. Marge was doing some renovations on her new house, courtesy of – no surprise – Joe #3, and was planning a girls trip to lake George. Frankie Jr. was living with David, but – again, no surprise – Delores still didn’t have a ring. She’d waited until the night before to tell David what she was having done, and he wasn’t happy, not approving of elective surgery.
Jennifer had a family meeting, minus her mom, to discuss the explosive fights between her parents that her mom was instigating. In her interview, she said it was the last thing she wanted to do, but felt she had to step in for her father’s sake. A friend called Jackie, and told her about Teresa claiming Evan was cheating on her, and spreading the rumor at the party. It looked like Jackie had her lips done, and I was like, no. She and Teresa had a sit-down at Marge’s house, and while Marge provided the neutral territory, she got the hell out of there fast. Jackie said all she wanted was for Teresa to admit she spread a baseless rumor with no evidence behind it. Teresa refused to tell Jackie who she’d heard the rumor from, wouldn’t admit it was a lie, and refused to apologize. If she had any sense at all, Jackie would have never tried to use an analogy to explain anything to Teresa, but she did, suggesting she heard Gia does coke in the bathrooms at parties. Teresa does not understand an analogy, and when she hears one, takes it as fact. After hopping up and down, and pointing her finger at Jackie, Teresa called her the c-word, let loose a string of bleepity-bleeps, and stomped out past Marge, who was sweating bullets, and saying, oh my God.
Next time, Joe #3 thinks Joe #2 is going through something, Teresa starts dating, and Halloween happens.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City – The Reunion – Part Two
Andy said they had so much to get through, like this was something important.
Mary was up first, and we took that flashback trip. Whitney thought it was hard to watch. Did you know Mary had her odor glands removed? Me neither. Heather wondered if it could be done for BO, but Mary said, no; she has a condition where they repeatedly got infected. It sounded pretty awful. Jen claimed she hadn’t been to the hospital the day Mary said she smelled like one, and Mary apologized again. Jen insisted it was the first time, but the video didn’t lie, and backed Mary up. Jason from Provo asked about Mary not going into a 7-11 if Black people were outside, but Mary said she’s Black (in case we hadn’t noticed), and she was referring to a group of men standing out front. Meredith said her interpretation was that Mary was talking about sketchy people. Mary admitted being attracted to light-skinned men, but said all shades of Black were beautiful. She said she realized she could be offensive, and had to work on that. Jen’s constant disparagement of Mary for having married her step-grandfather was discussed. Heather said it was cruel, and true to form, Jen gave a bunch of excuses.
Andy wanted to get to the bottom of Jen’s scariness. Whitney clarified that she thought Meredith and Lisa were scared of Jen’s reactions to things, not Jen herself. That’s what I thought. They’re scared Jen is going to throw a tantrum at any moment. Heather said the name Mary was like a rip cord to Jen, and Lisa called Heather out for being scared of Jen. She hadn’t asked Lisa about what Whitney told her, before passing it along to Jen. Lisa got pretty worked up, waving her arms and saying, Whitney and Heather, bad weather, a tornado that spins the truth, destroy. It got so quiet, you couldn’t even hear crickets. Then Heather said Lisa was a sh*t friend to Meredith, and Lisa called Heather a horrible person and a liar. She said everyone else had talked about Meredith’s marriage, but she never did. Meredith said she and Seth were in a positive space, and it had been a long journey with a lot of hard work. The next one who said something negative about her marriage and family, in any way, shape, or form, wasn’t her friend.
Somehow, they started talking about Mary’s marriage again. For some reason, Andy found it weird that Mary hired family members to clean her house. I thought it made sense, since those might be the people she trusts most, and one of her bags is worth a year’s salary to some people. We found out that the age gap between Mary and Robert Sr. was the same as the one between Whitney and her husband; eighteen years. Mary talked about being married for twenty-two years, and said she’d been married before, but the break-up had nothing to do with Robert Sr. She said they didn’t sleep in the same bed anymore, but they were happy, and it was hard to find happiness, especially in a man. She told Andy, as long as they were happy, and the Man upstairs was happy with both of them, that’s all that mattered. Andy asked about rumors that Mary’s church was a cult, and Heather interjected that the Mormon church was also often called a cult. Andy brought up a question about Mary using church donations to buy her accoutrements, but she told him that her church members saw how she lived, and wouldn’t have stuck around if they thought they were paying her way. Her grandmother had left quite a bundle to Robert, Sr., having had several lucrative businesses. Mary and Jen finally made nice, but we’ll see how that goes next season.
Heather was grateful to have been on the show, and said it was therapeutic. Whitney said she’d seen a change in Heather, who finally realized her worth. Heather said Rihanna was the healing moment, and Andy told her to get on an app. We also found out that Heather and Whitney discovered they were cousins. Heather said she wanted her kids to be wild, and have multiple partners, and I thought Mary’s eyes would pop out of her head. Heather said she wanted them to get wasted, and live. Andy asked about negative blowback, and she said some Mormons felt she didn’t represent them well, and she understood – she would have felt the same way – but the majority of the feedback had been supportive. Lisa said they attracted the same crowd, then doubled back to the liar thing.
It sounded like Jen had been busy on social media, posting negative stuff and digs at everyone, and Whitney said Lisa had put her down to her face and behind her back. Andy wanted to take a break, and said the sooner they came back, the sooner they could leave, which didn’t make it sound like he was having a good time. Heather wasn’t sure if she wanted to move forward with Lisa, and Lisa said, good, but don’t sabotage her other friendships. Meredith asked if Andy was sick of it, but he said he loved it, as he twirled his moustache and touched his horns. During the break, Jen had her makeup touched up, and Lisa jumped around, pointing her finger at Heather, and talking like a jackhammer. Heather asked if Lisa was watching her own performance, while Mary sat quietly. Meredith said Lisa and Heather both interpreted each other’s words in the worst way, and Whitney left to get Advil. Meredith couldn’t leave with her fast enough. Lisa said Heather was mean, and Heather said it was a defense mechanism. Lisa split, complaining that it was negative, and she needed a hug from John. Mary woke up, and wondered, what is this? and Lisa whined to John that Meredith was supposed to be her best friend. She said it was effing crazy, and they didn’t need to be filming this. Andy wondered if she was coming back, and Meredith said she hoped so. Lisa told John that they could go on without her.
Next week, the dudes join the group, and Jen walks off.
This month we celebrate Black History. This year, the first since an important national reckoning with our history and reality of racial injustice, at Havenly, we wanted to mark the occasion with a celebration of Black History in the home design industry and highlight some talents that we think everyone should have on their radar. – Lee Mayer
Read Diversifying Design: Black Designers I Admire here:
🦢 Feather Ball Time… Tomorrow’s TV doesn’t sound like much. Bravo is airing the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Summer House, which I’ll no doubt watch, even though I’m horrified. Until then, stay safe, stay dignified, and stay hiring whoever you want to do your cleaning. It’s your house.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Looks like we’ll be getting a new episode tomorrow. Barring all unforeseen trials and/or tragedies. If you missed today, it was posted on February 11th, and you can find it here:
Tomorrow, Cyrus says winds of change will be blowing at General Hospital, Sonny tells Phyllis that it felt like someone was important to him, and Nina wants the whole world to know what Carly and Jax did.
🐴 I saw the last half hour of The Real Housewives of Dallas, and it was much of the same old. Kary had invited the women for a weekend at an estate in Austen. Apparently, D’Andra had been saying Kary was a bully behind her back, and Kary called her out for it at dinner. D’Andra offered to leave if Kary didn’t like it, and Kary didn’t disagree. Zzzz… I think Kameron should have a box in the corner where she does diagrams of whatever’s going on, like the people who do signing for speeches. This show needs something to perk it up. I thought it was Tiffany, but she ended up breaking down in tears at the table, instead of force-feeding everyone chicken feet.
🤵🏼 Scotty Gets Real…
A glimpse into the private life of Port Charles’s favorite lawyer.
I hope you’re watching Big Sky. It won’t be back again until April 13th, but you can catch up On Demand. It’s well worth your time. Whether you take me up on that or not, stay safe, stay assertive without being aggressive, and stay choosing not to air your gripes during a group dinner.