Category Archives: Rocky Horror

October 28, 2020 – Dante Gives Michael a Brotherly Lecture, Shannon Has a Party, Elizabeth Rechristened, Charm’s Here, News Of the South, Not All In, a Picture Show To Remember & Big Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the vending machine, Franco apologizes to Epiphany, saying, he didn’t realize she was waiting. He had a hard time making a decision. She looks at the machine, and says, did he just take the last chocolate bar? He says, did he? and she says she’s just spent the last solid eight hours in pencil pushing hell. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing there was a chocolate bar waiting, and he seized the last one. He asks if she wants half, and she says she wants satisfaction. She wants justice. She wants her old job back. Cyrus appears, and says that’s not all she’ll get with that attitude.

Chase finds Brook at The Floating Rib, and he says he’s been looking for her. She congratulates him, adding, he found her. She’s alone; no Valentin. She’ll be out of his hair soon, and he can go back to his awesome life. He says, clearly, she’s never looked in his underwear drawer. She asks why she would do that, and he says she’d see there aren’t any G-strings.  

Michael punches the heavy bag, and thinks about Willow. Dante asks what he’s angry about, but Michael says he’s just letting off steam. Dante says he thought Michael was going to town on the bag because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Willow.

Elizabeth runs into Willow at the hospital, and says, it’s been a while. Willow says she was given time off for the custody hearing, and Elizabeth tells her, congratulations. She asks if Willow is back at work, but Willow says, actually, she was notified that they don’t need a full-time teacher, so she’s looking at her next step. She shows Elizabeth a booklet, and Elizabeth says she’s applying for the nurse’s training program. Willow says she’s fortunate to have the option. It’s one way her life has never been better. Mostly. Things are going so well, she and Michael are getting an annulment.

Carly is hugging Jax, when Nina and Sasha walk in. Carly tells Nina, just the person she needed to see. Nina says she’s surprised to see Carly, and tells Jax that she’s sorry she had to abandon him, but glad to see he has company. He asks how it went with Curtis, and she says Curtis has a new lead, and she’s a step closer to finding her child. Jax says, congratulations, and Carly says she didn’t know the search was back on. Nina says she didn’t broadcast it. Sasha says Nina has company, and it’s been a helluva day. She’s going to take off. Nina says she’s not, since she’s not feeling well.   

Ava sees a romantic table set, and smells a rose. There’s a storm going on, and Nikolas is on the terrace. She joins him, and he says he sees she got his message. She says, it’s lovely, and stormy. Tell her why he lured her out there. We see Ava has a knife behind her back, and Nikolas says he didn’t lure her out. He invited her. She says he’s not the first person to invite her out there. She’s sure he remembers what happened; he witnessed it firsthand. He says, he did. Then he saved her life. She says, then hours later, they were married. It was a whirlwind. He says, that’s one word, and she says, any regrets? He says, hundreds. Her? She says, the same, and he asks what she’s holding behind her back. She says, insurance, and he asks if she thinks he’d go through all this trouble to toss her back in the harbor. She says she thinks it would be a permanent solution to their situation, but he says, believe it or not, he doesn’t want her dead. She says he just wants the family fortune all to himself, and he says, it is his family’s fortune. She says, not to mention Elizabeth.

Brook says Chase wouldn’t know what to do with a G-string if he had a fistful of singles. He says he’s trying to charm her after being a jerk, but she says she gets enough of that from her father. Just because she’s staying with Chase, doesn’t give him the right to weigh in on her life. He says he knows that, and if she’d stop talking, she could hear him. He’s saying he’s sorry.

Nina tells Sasha where the shower is, and says there’s a fluffy robe with her name on it. Take all the time she needs. Sasha says, it sounds great, but… Nina insists, and Sasha goes to the bathroom. Jax asks, what’s wrong with Sasha? and Carly says, she doesn’t look good. Nina says it’s not her place to say, but trust her. She wouldn’t have brought Sasha back if she didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.

Willow tells Elizabeth, she and Michael got married to protect Wiley from Nelle. Nelle isn’t a threat now, so staying married isn’t necessary. Elizabeth asks if Willow will still be a part of Wiley’s life, and Willow says, absolutely. Elizabeth says, if that’s what Willow feels is best, she’s happy for her. It’s no one’s business but theirs. Although sometimes people who have to craziest reasons for getting married, and the marriages you think will crash and burn, are the ones that last.

Michael tells Dante, he’s not losing Willow. They’re going to stay together until the annulment is finalized, and afterwards, they’re going to be co-parents. Dante says it sounds like they have it sorted out, and Michael says they made the decision together. Dante has one question. Did Michael say what he said to Willow because it’s what he wanted, or was it what he thought she wanted to hear?

Cyrus says he’s sorry it took so long to make Franco’s acquaintance, and introduces himself. Franco says he knows who Cyrus is; he saw his picture in the company newsletter. Epiphany adds, and on the news. Franco says Cyrus is a busy fella, and Epiphany says, he is. Firing half the staff and alienating the rest. Cyrus is sorry to hear about the low morale, and promises to bring it up to Britt. Franco says, everyone just wants to be heard, and Cyrus says he has a few minutes if Franco wants to meet with him, but Franco says tonight, some of them go to The Floating Rib. It’s karaoke night. Cyrus says, it sounds fun; he won’t keep Franco from it, but the door is open. He starts to walk away, but Franco says, hold on. How’s his singing voice? Want to be Simon to his Garfunkel?

Nikolas asks where Ava is getting the idea about him and Elizabeth, and she asks if she’s wrong. There must be at least a little something to it. He flashes back to kissing Elizabeth, and he says, in this case something is nothing. She says she knew it, and he says, fine. What he and Elizabeth have goes beyond friendship. In his darkest moments, he’s reached out to her, but it’s because they share a history; not because he wants to be with her. Ava says, that’s the most eloquent rationalization she’s ever heard. He says, look him in the eye, and tell him that she’s never sought out something she’s not getting from their marriage. She thinks back to kissing Franco, and he says he thought so. She tells him, she didn’t say anything, and he says she’s not as good a poker player as she thinks. She says he begged her, trapping her into what she thought was a fairytale romance. He says she asked him to talk about things, and he told her about his feelings. She says, so? What are words? Hot air without the action to back them up. To prove he wants her… He says he has to divorce her. Done.

Cyrus thanks Franco for the kind invitation, but he doesn’t want to infringe on the staff’s private event. Franco says it’s not like they close the place; everyone is welcome. Cyrus says, in that case, he has work to finish up. Perhaps he’ll see them later. He leaves, and Epiphany looks at Franco. He says, what? and she says he’d better run. Run.

Chase tells Brook, sorry for coming on too strong, but she says she’s actually impressed. He almost turned her around. He says, it’s working for him then, and she ask what’s the rest. As long as he’s not going to tell her that he’s kicking her out on the street.

Jax asks if Sasha needs a doctor, but Nina tells him not to push it. It was all she could do to get Sasha there. Carly says she’ll talk to Sasha, and Nina tries to stop her, but she keeps going. Nina tells Jax, even when Carly means well, she’s impossible. He says, she did bring wine, and Nina says, red wine. He says, Carly wanted to apologize for the scene she caused in the cemetery, and Nina says, when she accidentally pushed over Nelle’s gravestone? The only thing Carly is sorry about is Nina caught her

Sasha goes into the bathroom, and takes out her baggie of coke. Carly knocks on the door, and Sasha says she just needs a minute. Carly says, let her in, but Sasha keeps trying to get a hit of coke together using her Amex card. Her hands shake.

Dante says Michael doesn’t want an annulment? and Michael says, if it was up to him, they’d find a way to stay together, and make the marriage real. Make a life together, for Wiley’s sake, but also for themselves. Dante asks if Michael said this to her, and Michael says, of course (🍷) not. Dante says Michael wants to set Willow free from her obligation. He’s an idiot.

Willow tells Elizabeth, after Chase, she can’t think of starting something new. Michael has so much to give that’s going to waste in their so-called marriage. Elizabeth says she’s known Michael a long time. He’s a decent guy. Willow says, for the past few months, she’s been lucky to see that every day; how he is with Wiley and his family. Michael is honorable and kind, and sees the best in people. He should be able to share that with someone. Elizabeth says, it sounds like he already is.

Brook asks Chase to just give her more time, and he says he will. Eventually, she’ll have to find another place though. Brook says, don’t tell her to go back to her father, and Chase tells her not to worry. He was recently reminded that bringing families together by force of will isn’t in his skill set. She thanks him, and says she’ll definitely find a new situation. Not tonight though. She has other plans. He asks what they are, so he can disapprove of them, and I laugh. She shows him a flyer that says, Karaoke Night.   

Dante tells Michael, don’t make life altering decisions based on what you think another person wants. It’s stupid, or at least a disappointment and a regret. It’s not fair to Willow either. Michael asks what he should do, and Dante says, be honest. Tell her how he feels, and let her decide. Don’t think the only decent thing is to separate. Michael says Willow deserves someone to be in love with, and they’re not in love. Dante asks how he knows, and Willow walks in. She asks if she’s interrupting.   

Carly tells Sasha, open up; she’s worried. Sasha pops out, and says, all hers, but Carly says, nice try, and turns Sasha around. She tells Sasha to look in the mirror. Does she really want to go out looking like that? What’s a nice girl like her doing with a face like that? Sasha says she’s not that nice, and Carly says, really? Is she coming down with a cold? Sasha says she’s fine, but Carly says she doesn’t look fine.

Jax tells Nina, he knows how it looks, but he and Carly talked. She had no intention of knocking over Nelle’s headstone. She says he doesn’t have to lobby for Carly anymore. It’s nice that Carly came over with wine – red wine – and she apologized. They never have to speak about Nelle again. Jax is sorry it came to this. It will be a while before Carly stops looking over her shoulder. Nina doesn’t doubt it, and says it’s great Carly has him in her corner. Carly is Josslyn’s mother, and other people might not understand their relationship, but she does. He asks, what other people?

Back at the table, Ava asks what Nikolas is doing. He says, divorcing her. It’s what she said she needs for him to prove he’s not playing her. He lifts a dish cover, and underneath is a rolled up document. He says, voila! takes it off the plate, and tells her, the pages are flagged where she needs to sign. He’s following the conditions of the post-nup to the letter, and relinquishing 90% of the estate to her. Ava asks, what’s the catch? and he says, no catch. She says, of course (🍷) there is. She wonders if it’s some kind of trap, and he says, there is a price. She says, here it comes, and he says she can have everything she asked for – money, property, material things – but she can’t have him.

At The Floating Rib, Franco tells Epiphany that he did a good thing. She says, inviting the devil himself to their safe space? He says, even the devil gets lonely, and Elizabeth suggests he buy them round. She steers Epiphany to a table, and asks, what’s going on with her? Epiphany says, nothing; certainly nothing she wants to bring up at karaoke. Elizabeth asks how much they’ve been through, and how many times they’ve had each other’s backs, and Epiphany says, more times than she can count. Elizabeth says, then tell her, and Epiphany starts cry. She says she and Milo are breaking up, and I make a sad face.

Jax asks Nina what she means by other people. Did someone say something? She says, it’s not important. She wishes they were the only people in the relationship, but Carly will always be a part of his life. When co-parents get along… people talk. He says, all it is, is talk. They’re just two people trying to do the best for their daughter.   

Sasha thanks Carly for her concern, but it doesn’t matter if she’s fine. Carly says she’s wrong, and doesn’t think Michael would agree. Sasha says she went out of her way to make sure her life is none of Michael’s business. Carly says she did it to protect Wiley from Nelle. If Michael knew what she did, the sacrifices she made, and that she was still hurting, he’d have something say. Sasha says, he won’t. Michael finally has Wiley, and Wiley has Michael, and they both have Willow. They’re a family now, and she can’t take that away from them. Even if she could, she wouldn’t, and neither should Carly. She walks out, leaving Carly with her mouth hanging open.

Michael tells Willow that he was in the middle of a brotherly lecture. Dante says he hopes Michael sees the benefit in his wisdom, and takes his advice. Willow says, if it came from Dante, it must be worthwhile, and Dante tells Michael, his wife is a wise woman. Willow says her class is about to start. She took a Ride Share there, and was hoping to go home with him. He says he’s still got to work out, so he can wait. She says she’ll see him later, and leaves. Dante says he rests his case.

Chase says, Brook is going to sing? He thought the doctors said she couldn’t. She says, they told her it was unlikely, not impossible. He says, so she’s going to get up there and see what happens? She says, it can’t hurt to try.

Franco stands at the bar, and Cyrus comes in. He tells Franco, this round is on him.

Elizabeth tells Epiphany that she’s sorry. What happened with Milo? Epiphany says, Milo has been away, traveling and opening gyms for the franchise across the country. They haven’t seen each other in months. Meanwhile, she’s become a paper pusher. Elizabeth says, Milo adores her. She can’t imagine they can’t make it work. Epiphany tells her, he said he’d come back, and Elizabeth says, great, but Epiphany says she told him no. It’s not the same anymore. As much as she hates to admit it, they’ve grown apart. Elizabeth asks how she can help, and Epiphany says, first, she doesn’t want a fuss made. Elizabeth says Epiphany can’t keep it inside; she has to let it out. Brook takes the stage, and Epiphany says, not another word about it. I note that Brook doesn’t have much of a scar. She tries to sing, but struggles. She says, wrong key, puts the mic down, and runs out. Chase goes after her. This is driving me nuts, since I’ve sung most of my life, and Brook is supposed to be a professional. I doubt she would have just gotten up there without even attempting to practice first, or even warm up, and she sure gave up easy. Instead of saying, wrong key, she should have said, too soon. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know what happened. This is frustrating the hell out of me.

Ava asks what Nikolas is trying to pull, and he asks if she thinks he wants to sign the papers. Of course (🍷) he doesn’t. He had them drawn up to force her hand; get her to move forward with the marriage or end it. She says, it’s an elaborate ultimatum, and he says, it’s a gamble that their night in the cabin wasn’t a one-off. Tell him she feels the same way. He thought instead of signing the papers, they’d burn them together. Ava says, there are certain considerations. There are people who will be affected if they end the marriage. He says he took a leap and owned up to his feelings. Do the same, or he’ll have to admit he’s a jackass. She says, of course (🍷) she has feelings, but it complicates things. He says it’s simple, they’ll stay married, but she says certain people may be made to pay if they remain married. Let her think things through; she needs a minute. She walks away, her back to him, and he says, once and for all, decide now. She doesn’t realize how close he is to her, and when she turns around, she stabs him accidentally, her knife going into his abdomen. I gasp out loud. I was not expecting that.

Sasha comes back out, and Nina asks if she found everything okay. The guest room is down the hall. Sasha says she’s not staying, but Nina says she should. They can have breakfast tomorrow. Sasha says it’s kind of Nina to bring her there, despite everything. She just needed a moment to catch her breath. Don’t give her another thought. She jets, and Carly comes out. In the hallway, Sasha makes a call. She says she needs a refill. She’ll be there in 15.   

Michael does crunches in the ring, and Willow walks back in. He asks if her class was canceled, but she says she blew it off. Curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to hear Dante’s advice in person. Michael says, Dante left, but she says he can tell her. He says, Dante thinks they should stay together. Those weren’t his exact words, but it was the overall idea. She says the closer they get to the annulment, the more fans they have. He says he was thinking the same thing. He says he’ll get cleaned up, and she says, her too – even though she didn’t have a class. She says she’ll meet him back there, and gives a lingering look to his back before she walks out.

Chase finds Brook outside and asks her to come back. They can sing a duet. She’ll sound like an angel in comparison. Highly doubtful, since I still remember him singing Feel It Still for the Nurses Ball, and he rocked. He says maybe she jumped in too soon. Now that she has that out of the way, he knows she has another performance in her. She says, that wasn’t a performance; it was her swan song. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Franco brings Cyrus over to the table, and says, look who made it. Epiphany tells Elizabeth, she’s back in hell again, and Cyrus asks if anyone has seen the songbook. Elizabeth hands it to him, and Franco jokes that he’s probably a fan of Miley Cyrus. What does he want? Gilbert and Sullivan? Sammy Hagar? Cyrus says, the 70s, and Franco tells him, pull up a chair. Epiphany says, not today, Satan, and gets up to sing. Franco says, she’s having a bad day. Epiphany sings. I give up trying to find out the titles, but it’s something about waiting, and debating if her love will come back to her.

As Epiphany sings, we see Michael in the shower, pondering. He turns around, and Willow is there in a towel. She lets the towel fall, and I’m not sure I’m on board with this. He drops his towel, and they move closer. Okay, now I’m guessing this isn’t real because they keep switching to them being alone.

Ava takes out the knife, and tells Nikolas, he’s bleeding. He says, yeah; he’s been stabbed. She drops the knife, and takes off his shirt. Is this some kind of weird foreplay? They kiss…

Afterwards (we assume), Nikolas says, well…? and Ava says they’re going to have to do something about these, and picks up the divorce papers. He says, it doesn’t matter; they’re not real. He wasn’t going to risk anything. She’s too proud to admit she’s crazy about him. Now he’s sure. She calls him an arrogant SOB, and he asks, is it arrogant if he’s right? She takes the papers, and opens the door. He asks where she’s going, and she says, to find the cyanide. She leaves, and he smiles. He says, she likes me. She really likes me.

Chase tells Brook, it’s going to be okay. She says, it will be something, but it will never be okay. If she can’t do the one thing that gives her purpose, what purpose does she have?

Everyone applauds for Epiphany. Cyrus says he can’t imagine how anyone can follow her, and Franco says, if anyone could, it’s the Chairman with Sinatra. Cyrus says he could be persuaded. His phone dings, and he says, however, he’ll have to take a raincheck. Epiphany says, convenient, and he promises to revisit. I’m very disappointed.

Carly says she tried talking to Sasha, but Sasha wouldn’t hear her. Nina says, maybe Sasha heard, but didn’t agree. Carly says, Sasha needs help, but Nina says she can’t keep Sasha against her will. She did the best she could, at least for tonight. Carly says she can do better, like it’s a competition, and leaves.    

Willow meets Michael, and they leave the gym together.

In an alleyway on the phone, Sasha asks, where the hell are you? Don’t leave me hanging. The dealer hangs up, and she throws her phone, saying, dammit. Cyrus comes along, and says, there are cheaper ways to channel her frustration. What’s the trouble, and how can he help? 

Elizabeth says she’ll be right back, and Franco tells Epiphany that she sounded great. Epiphany thanks him, and says she’s decided he can have the chocolate bar. He says, good, because he already ate it. He’ll get her next time. She says he can get another round, and she’ll call it even. He gets up, and she says she hopes he knows how good he has it with Elizabeth. He says, doorknob. She tells him, say that again? and he keels over.

Tomorrow, it’s Halloween in Port Charles, Valentin thinks Peter has a Spinelli problem, Ava hopes Nikolas can forgive her, Nikolas says he’ll save Julian’s sorry ass, Cyrus tells Sasha that they can have a mutually beneficial friendship, and Carly tells Sonny that she thinks Sasha is a drugs.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Shannon talked to John about her concern that Emily was dismissive with her. John told her she didn’t have to be best friends with Emily; just be okay. Elizabeth and Kelly met Gina at Farmhouse for dinner. Elizabeth said there was a gag order over her divorce details, but she was going to have a great party afterward, where she’d spill everything. Gina didn’t understand how Elizabeth was not having sex with Jimmy, and in her interview, Kelly thought that he had to be getting something done. Elizabeth said she liked Shannon, and Gina said Shannon had kicked her under the bus, saying her house was sad and depressing. In her interview, Gina said don’t bring her 9 lemons in an f-ing bowl, then say sh*t about her. She felt Shannon wasn’t authentic. Kelly said Emily had tried with Shannon too, but it wasn’t easy. They talked about how much better 2020 was going to be than 2019, and I laaaaughed.

Braunwyn said she was a basket case, either being so happy or so miserable that she wanted to jump out of her skin. In her interview, she said the only thing that might be bigger than her problem with alcohol was her love for her kids. She told Sean that she hadn’t been as present as she should have been, and realized she wasn’t a good mom. She didn’t know how she let it get so bad so fast. It was the one thing she wanted to be good at, and she wasn’t. He told her it was going to be okay. Lots of okay stuff today, both on GH and this.

Kelly took possession of her new house, which looked huge, especially with nothing in it. She told us it was 4500 square feet, with a pool and spa, but it’s suburbia. She met with her interior designer, and in her interview, she said the moms there were buttoned up, prim and proper, and cooking with aprons on. It was a Beaver Cleaver neighborhood. She said Shannon was a Stepford Wife, and she was scared she was going to turn into that. Rick had lived in NYC forever, and was ready to settle down, but she was mostly doing it for Jolie, who wanted to be in a family community. She wanted Jolie to have the best childhood possible, and see what a good relationship was like. She said it goes by fast. Truth!

Braunwyn picked up Shannon to go see Dr. Moon, and told Shannon about going to her first AA meeting. Braunwyn admitted that she’d told Emily about Shannon saying Gina’s house was sad. In Shannon’s interview, she insisted she hadn’t said that, and told Braunwyn that she had to set the record straight. Shannon said her fear was that Dr. Moon was getting older. She wondered what she was going to do when he retired. Braunwyn told Dr. Moon that her life had become unmanageable (part of the first step in the twelve), and she’d been drinking and hiding it. His solution was to stick a needle in the middle of her ear, which he said was for addiction. In her interview, Braunwyn said she was more grateful for Shannon’s support. Shannon made the usual loud noises when Dr. Moon needled her in the back of the neck for a sacroiliac problem. (I’ll have you know, I spelled that right on the first try.) In her interview, Shannon said she was trying to help Braunwyn, who was making her look bad and putting words in her mouth. It was the ultimate betrayal. I dunno about that. I could probably think of worse things.

Emily said she’d never had relationship or friendship with Shannon, and was going to her housewarming party. On a side note, we found out Shannon’s kids aren’t allowed to swear until they’re 18. Shannon gave her house a once-over, which I totally understood. I should have done that when I discovered a pair of underwear thrown on a chair after a party, and I don’t mean by a guest who had too good of a time. They were my underwear. I was mortified. In her interview, Braunwyn said she hadn’t figured out how to navigate her bedroom yet, but she was going to a party. She wanted a drink badly, but couldn’t say anything, or she’d be that weird alcoholic girl. I dunno about that either, but her friends would definitely not want to drink in front of her. At least if they’re decent people. Oh yeah. I forgot, we’re talking Housewives here. Someone would probably yell at her, and then put her under a microscope, while they guzzled pinot in front of her the whole time.  

When Gina saw Shannon’s house, she said she could see why Shannon would say hers was sad. Her home could fit inside Shannon’s home. It was like a Polly Pocket home. Gina jumped on Shannon the second she got there, but Shannon insisted Braunwyn was the only one talking smack about Gina’s house. Moving whichever way the wind is blowing, Gina said she didn’t trust Braunwyn. In Shannon’s interview, she said she was grateful Gina believed her, but she was angry that Braunwyn put words in her mouth. Yeah, yeah, the ultimate betrayal. Shannon told Gina that she was a renter, but Gina was an owner, and there was nothing sad about Gina’s life right now.

In her interview, Emily said part of her would like to imagine Shannon wanted her at the party, but she knows Shannon doesn’t. Shannon’s dad Gene arrived with his young girlfriend, and when Kelly was introduced, she called him big d*ck daddy from Cincinnati. In Shannon’s interview, she said she’d never call someone’s father that, but I say, it depends on the father. FYI, not this guy. Shannon didn’t waste time taking Braunwyn aside, and told Braunwyn that she was hearing wrong. She hadn’t called Gina’s place sad. That wasn’t even in her vocabulary. Braunwyn stuck by her memory, saying she’d been totally sober, while Shannon had a couple of drinks, but Shannon insisted she was wrong. Braunwyn said either Shannon was lying or she didn’t remember, and Shannon said Braunwyn crossed the line. Shannon ended the conversation by saying how dare Braunwyn do this at her party, and I had to laugh when Braunwyn said she wasn’t the one who brought it up. Another truth! Shannon made a beeline for Emily, telling her that she never said Gina’s house was sad. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said every time she’s tried to be nice to Gina, it’s gotten thrown back in her face. We flashed back to all the times Gina has shut Braunwyn down, and it looks to me that Gina just plain doesn’t like Braunwyn. And I don’t think anything is going to change her mind. Braunwyn told Sean she didn’t know where to go from here.

Shannon made it sound like Braunwyn had accused her of being drunk, and in her interview, said Braunwyn was now using her sobriety as a weapon. Like always, they played telephone, and by the time Gina repeated what Shannon had said, Braunwyn claimed Shannon was so wasted. Gina brought up the text from Sean, and Emily thought it wasn’t unreasonable that she found it creepy, in context of his and Braunwyn’s lifestyle. A love shack! A sex apartment! Threesomes! In Elizabeth’s interview, she said she’d never seen women act like this, and Braunwyn was just as big of a nut. Shannon, who’d told Braunwyn earlier that she’d never do two against one, attacked Sean and Braunwyn with Emily, Gina, and Kelly in attendance. Emily thought Braunwyn was pretentious, and Shannon told Sean, maybe they should start being authentic. Gina said Braunwyn looks down on her because she doesn’t have as much money as they do. We flashed back to some instances where Braunwyn said something Gina didn’t like, and I see it as Gina being the one who feels defensive about not having money. Gina got in Braunwyn’s face, screeching that Braunwyn was a sloppy chihuahua, and wasted all the time. She told Braunwyn to go get wasted again, which is really nice, and Braunwyn said she was 30 days sober today, bitch. Braunwyn ran off, telling Gina, f*** you!

Next time, the party continues, Braunwyn never wants see them again, Kelly thinks Braunwyn is better when she drinks, Braunwyn insists Shannon isn’t telling the truth, and Shannon says she doesn’t move on when people call her a liar. Great. We’ll be on this for the rest of the season.

👀 Elizabeth and Gina were guests tonight on Watch What Happens Live. I really like Elizabeth. She kind of reminds me of Garcelle on RHOBH. She stays above the fray, and laughs a lot. She said she was surprised she’d been chosen to become a Real Housewife, especially with the pandemic going on. Her divorce had been finalized, and we found out she and Jimmy finally had sex. Or as she put it, she’d been officially rechristened. I tried to ignore Gina, since she’s on a par with Teddi for me. She’s a follower, and an a-hole. Both the guests and audience were remote, and it was actually kind of fun. The Countess made a guest appearance, and sang Viva la Diva, while the audience danced in their Zoom boxes. Under normal circumstances, you rarely see the audience, so it had a different vibe. The sound people also made LuAnn sound a lot better than she really does, unless she’s been taking lessons. I want those people for karaoke. If I ever see karaoke again. I miss singing… and bourbon… sniff…

🍹 Don’t forget – The new season of Southern Charm begins tomorrow – i.e. Thursday.

👩🏽‍🏫 Brush Up On Your Charm…

New cast member and first woman of color on the show. She looks a lot like Lily Ghalichi from Shahs of Sunset.

Might Shep finally be settling down? Omg, he’s 40. He should probably pick a lane now.

Kathryn co-parents up close and personal.

One of the few really decent people in reality TV.

https://extratv.com/2020/10/15/reality-stars-eliza-limehouse-and-mark-struthers-mcbride-jr-expecting-first-child-weeks-after-their-wedding/

🍋 The Stirrer Gets Stirred…

I wouldn’t last two seconds in this program. I’d be All Out.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/09/10030895/all-in-by-teddi-mellencamp-diet-business-scam-twitter

👠 Because It’s That Time Of Year…

And because I was the first one to throw something. True story.

https://nypost.com/2020/09/25/how-rocky-horror-went-from-tiny-musical-to-filthy-phenom/

⏰ The Clock Is Ticking…

It’s almost Halloween, and also almost time to change the clocks. Don’t forget to fall behind an hour this weekend. Yay! I’ll finally get some sleep. No I won’t. And also don’t forget to stay safe, stay truthful, and stay not being the one who takes the last chocolate bar from the vending machine. Especially if Epiphany is behind you.

October 26, 2020 – Dante Thinks It’s a Mistake, Write Maritime Law 100 Times, No More, Halloween Chat, Memories, All Clear For NYC, New Girlfriend, a Revival, Lovecraft Report, Dare You & Warp This

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the very beginning, but here are the important points. Julian found Alexis drinking in Charlie’s, and cut her off; Robert swiped some flowers, and brought them to Jackie’s hotel room; Sam was with Jason outside Kelly’s, talking Halloween and Cyrus, when Spinelli joined them; and Dante went to The Floating Rib, and saw Maxie. And here we are…

Jason tells Spinelli and Sam that Brando just started working for Cyrus, and Sam says he can confirm Cyrus’s true intentions are Port Charles and the hospital. Jason says it could take him a while to get the information they need, and Spinelli thinks they should focus on another pressing matter. Sam says, Peter, and Spinelli says, exactly, and exposing him for the villain he really is.

Alexis tells Julian not to go too far. Julian says she could be home drinking alone, yet she’s here in the bar. What does that say? She tells him, it says she doesn’t care who knows. She drinks where and when she pleases. It’s about her and nobody else. He tells her, what it says to him is, either she’s looking for a fight or someone to stop her. Which is it?

Lulu shows up at Doc’s research office, startling him. He says he’s used to being alone, and she says, the subject matter doesn’t help. He supposes it doesn’t, and she says she brought him dinner. Her mom is worried that he’s not eating enough. He says that’s kind, but he has the feeling it’s not the only reason she’s there. What’s on her mind? She says, Dante.

Maxie and Dante sit down, and she says it’s so good to see him. He says it’s good to see her too, and she says she misses seeing him at the PCPD, or calling him when everything goes to hell, which has happened a lot lately. He’s sure she has plenty of people to call, but she says not like him. He’d show up, no questions, no strings attached. She missed him. He thinks she missed him on the softball field, and she says they were terrible last summer. He says he knew it, and she tells him, welcome home. He says, it’s the first time it actually feels like it.

Robert calls Jackie his partner, and she hands the flowers back to him, saying, they came with a price tag. Do his own investigation. If Peter is no good, she’ll write a story. She won’t hand over evidence to him. He asks what if she discovers some? and she says she’ll write a story; that’s her job. He says they’re on a parallel track, but she says they have two entirely different motives. She’ll do her thing, and he can do his. He says she’s more hotheaded than ever.

Alexis says Julian’s ego is boundless. If she wanted to stop drinking, does he think she’d go to him? He says, what about the last time she slipped? She called him, he picked her up, and she went straight to a meeting. She says, no one else answered the phone, and this isn’t like last time. She doesn’t want to be sober. He says she doesn’t mean that. He knows her better than anyone. She says, if he knew a damn thing, he’d know why she drank in the first place. He’s the reason she’s an alcoholic.

Spinelli says, Peter continues to worm his way into the fabric of Port Charles and Maxie’s life, and by extension, Georgie’s and James’s. Sam says, it will just get worse when the baby is born, and Spinelli says they have to reveal Peter’s true nature. If that monster puts his name on the birth certificate, it will become nearly impossible for Maxie to disengage. And Nelle confirmed Peter’s involvement.

Lulu tells Doc, Dante is back in town, and he’s surprised Laura didn’t say anything. She says that’s because she didn’t tell Laura. Laura would cut her trip short, which would be pointless. Doc says Laura could support her during this confusing time, but she says, no one can say or do anything to make it less confusing. Doc says, especially since Dustin has been thrown in the mix, and she says she’d just asked Dustin to move in, when Dante showed up. Doc says, that’s a big step, and she says they’re ready to start the next chapter. Now she feels strange. He asks how Dustin reacted to Dante coming back, and she says, he was amazing. He was patient and gracious, and offered to step aside for the sake of the family. He asks what she told him, and Lulu says she told him that Dante said to move on. He asks if she’s not sure what she wants to do.

Maxie asks Dante, how’s reentry? and he says, weird. He knew it was going to be, but it’s really weird. She says, Olivia must be happy to have him home, and he says his mother’s great, but he thinks she doesn’t know what to do with him. Maxie says, it will take time to adjust, and Dante says he missed some people so much, but now everything is different. They way you get in sync with people, he didn’t have to think about it. Maxie says, now he does, and he asks how she is.

Robert says, Jackie seems to have forgotten, they’re not kids anymore. She thanks him for the reminder, and he says, there’s more than just a story. She met Maxie, who’s like a daughter to him. He’d give up his life to protect her. She says, and he’s worried because Macie is pregnant with Peter’s child, but he says he was worried eons ago. She says, then don’t wait for her. Get off his ass, and prove it. He says he plans to.

Finn tells Anna that this isn’t her only option, but she says, it is. She doesn’t carry the marker for rheumatoid arthritis, and the only way to find out is by the process of elimination. Alex isn’t going to get tested, so that leaves Faison. Finn says, but he’s dead, and the only genetic material is his brain. She says, it’s a few floors down. If Faison doesn’t have the gene, that means Alex is Peter’s mother.

Julian tells Alexis that he’s sorry she turned to alcohol because of what happened between them. She asks if that’s a euphemism for holding a knife to her throat. It was months and months of his cowardice, lying, and violence, and sneaking around like a rodent. He says, they had some good months, and she says, four years ago. Then he tried to kill her. She didn’t have a problem before. That’s just a fact. So he’s responsible for the bottomless pit of crap that’s become her life, and she drinks to cope with that. He says, so she’s going to cozy up to the bar for the rest of her life? She says, pretty much, and he says he doesn’t accept that. She says she doesn’t care. The bottle is much better for her than he ever was. He says he was horrible to and for her, and she says, ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! She gets up, and announces it to the room. He says he needs to do something good with his life before it’s too late, and needs to do it soon. Let him help her.

Sam tells Spinelli, back up. What did Nelle confirm? He says, Jason didn’t tell Sam? and she says, Jason knew? Spinelli says, the night of the Nurses Ball, he ran into Nelle backstage. He didn’t know what she was planning, but she told him that Shiloh said he was blackmailing Peter. Sam says, about when he was in Afghanistan with Drew? and Jason says, that explains Peter with the bag of cash the night Shiloh took Sam hostage. Spinelli says, Peter wasn’t just a bystander, and was responsible for Drew being kidnapped, which led to all sorts of crimes. Sam asks about the evidence against Obrecht, and Spinelli says, Peter framed her. Now he’s on the cusp of marrying Maxie, and Maxie is carrying his child.

Jackie thinks she and Robert are done, but he has one more thing. What’s the deal with Finn and his father? She asks what he means, and he says, they had some falling out, but Finn is tight-lipped. She says, that’s an understatement, but she guesses he wants to keep the issue private. He says, so there is an issue? and she says it’s no secret that Finn hated his dad getting married so soon. Robert says, it’s been thirty years, and she asks how it’s his business. He says he’s looking out for Anna, and she says he’s Anna’s knight in shining armor. Her phone rings; it’s Peter.    

Anna tells Finn, it’s strange. She hopes Faison has the marker. If not, they’re back to no way of knowing. She thinks it’s better to be able to tell Peter, Alex might be his mother, as opposed to, she is his mother. Finn asks if that’s really the worst thing. She’d be disappointed, but Peter would still be family. She says she turned away from the dark path, and watched Valentin do the same. He wonders why she’s talking about Valentin, and she says they turned their lives around. They did on it on their own, but that’s not the case with Peter. His grasp on a new life happened because he found out she was his mother. Now she might have to tell him that she’s not. She feels as if she’s the tether tying him to the good side. She doesn’t mean it to sound egotistical. She wishes Maxie and the baby were enough, and desperately wants it to be true, but she doesn’t think they are.   

Lulu tells Doc, she loves Dustin, but part of her will always love Dante. In a way, it would be easy to reunite, and go back to the way it was before the nightmare happened, but time didn’t stand still. What she has with Dustin is real. To pretend it’s not isn’t fair to anyone. Doc says she has a lot of feelings to sort through, but doesn’t have to do it right this second; take her time. Her world was just thrown for a monumental loop. No one expects her to have everything figured out. Her phone dings, and she says she has to go. She thanks him for listening. He walks her out, and asks her to do him a favor and call her mother. She says, okay, okay.

Dante says, enough about him, and Maxie says, shocking. He’s shifting the focus off himself, and he asks, what’s going on with her? She says, same old, but he highly doubts it. She says she has so much going on, she doesn’t know where to begin. Georgie and James have gotten so big, he won’t recognize them, and she no longer works at Crimson. He asks if she was finally fired, and she says she quit. She’s partnered with Lucy in Deception. He says, sounds colorful, and she says he has no idea. Other than that, she and Peter are getting married and having a baby.

Anna and Finn sneak downstairs to Doc’s research office. Anna picks the lock, and they go in.

Alexis asks Julian, who pulled the strings this time? He says he has no one to blame but himself, and she asks if he thinks he’ll make things better by pointing out her error in her ways. He says he needs to make up for lost time, and she says he needs to get over it. She stupidly thought she could trust him, and he accused her in front of everybody of sleeping with Neil, and said Neil was taking advantage of her. He’s the reason Neil lost his license, and she got disbarred. He’s the reason Neil turned to drugs, and the reason Neil is dead. Hasn’t he done enough?

Spinelli tells Sam and Jason, what galls him most is that Anna is a superspy. She should be able to see through Peter. How can she turn a blind eye? Jason says they talked about this. Anna wants to believe it. Spinelli says, he understands; Peter is her offspring. Jason says, that’s a lot. Anna turned her life around back in the day, and knows it’s possible. She wants or needs for it to be possible for Peter too. Deep down, even if Anna doesn’t admit it, she knows it’s a lie. Spinelli wonders when they can act on that, and Sam says, when they get proof, and they will.

Dante says, Peter? and Maxie says, he’s wonderful. Dante says he doesn’t think he understands. She’s actually marrying Peter, and they’re having a baby? How did she get in so deep? She says, Peter was cleared of things he was accused of. He runs a respectable paper, and has earned the respect of a lot of people, Lulu included. Dante doesn’t care if Peter’s earned the respect of the mayor. He’s the reason Nathan is dead. She remembers that night, right? She remembers Nathan, right? She tells him, don’t do this. He says, sorry, and she says, of course (🍷) she remembers Nathan. She thinks about him all the time, but because Nathen died, that doesn’t mean she has to stop living. She didn’t die with him. Her life with James is on. It’s not the same, but that doesn’t mean it’s of less value. He says he didn’t mean to throw Nathan at her, but he thinks she’s making a big mistake. She says, not him too.

Robert whispers for Jackie to put it on speaker, but she ignores him. Peter says he’s been in touch with HR, and all Jackie’s terms and conditions have been approved. She’s all set to begin working with Lulu on the investigation into Cyrus. She can start as early as tomorrow. She says she looks forward to working with him, and she’ll see him then. She hangs up, and tells Robert, that’s how it’s done, and don’t forget it.

Finn and Anna sneak around, and Finn says Faison’s body was donated to science by his next of kin. She says, Peter, and he says, it can’t legally be released without Peter signing off on it. She says, that would defeat the purpose of keeping Peter in the dark, and Finn says, speaking of which, it’s dark in there. Doc turns on the lights, and asks if that’s better.

Julian says he cares about Alexis. He didn’t mean to send her crashing down. She says he never means to do anything. Time and again, he’s created a path of destruction in his wake. Everything he touches is a steaming pile of garbage, including her. She doesn’t want his help. She yells, she doesn’t want his help, and wants him to leave her alone. He says he can’t.

Sam gets up , and Jason follows her outside. He asks if she’s okay, but she honestly doesn’t know what she is. She guesses he’s known this information for a while, and Spinelli has known since the Nurses Ball. Why didn’t he say anything? She could have helped. She wants to help. Jason says he’s not used to going over the day to day stuff with her. She says, when it relates to Sonny’s business, she totally gets it. She shouldn’t be involved, but he should apply her to every aspect of his life. He says she’s right.

Doc asks if Finn and Anna would care to explain. Finn says Anna was there for her phlebotomy appointment, and he was taking her upstairs. She felt dizzy, and they were near Doc’s office, so he brought her in. She needed a place to sit, and maybe get something to eat. Doc says, in a research lab? and Finn says, their next stop was the cafeteria. They were just waiting for the dizziness to pass. Anna looks like a bobblehead, agreeing with everything, and says she’s better now. They start to leave, and Doc says, what’s strange is, he locked the door on his way out. It’s a mystery how they got in. Finn says he thought that was strange, and Anna asks to talk to Doc alone. It’s basically a matter relevant to him as well. Finn says, it is? and she says Doc deserves to know the truth as much as anyone. Finn says as long as she’s feeling okay, and leaves. In the hallway, his phone dings. He gets a text from Chase; second thoughts about dinner?

Robert asks if Jackie is going to keep the flowers, and she says, if he’s just going to throw them out… He says, that’s the spirit. It was fun hanging out with her at The Floating Rib. She says, it was, and he says it made him think about old times. She’s a good friend, and he’s lost a few lately. It’s made him think he can’t take relationships for granted, or friendships. She says her schedule is erratic, but how are the Panthers? He says, clawing their way out of the basement, and she says she’s always had a soft spot for the underdogs. Maybe they could catch a game. He says, sounds like a date.

Maxie tells Dante, not him too. She’s gotten it from all sides; Robert, Spinelli, especially Spinelli. She knows Spinelli was coming from a genuine place… Dante says, as is he, and she says Spinelli was wrong about Peter. Fighting about it was devastating. Don’t make her have that fight with him too. Don’t make her choose. She’s marrying Peter; he’s the father of her baby. Just understand and wish her well. Dante says, all Nathan wanted was for her to be happy and loved. It’s all he wants too. She thanks him, and Lulu walks in. She and Dante look at each other.

Alexis says Julian looks like he’s in trouble. He looks desperate, and trying to save her isn’t going to change anything for him. Save himself. Take the wreck he’s made of his life, and leave her alone. It’s the only good thing he can do for her. He asks if she’s going to piss her life away in a bar. He’s asking her to leave, and he’s going to call her a car. If she doesn’t listen, he’ll call her daughters. Alexis starts to cry, and says, at least when she pisses her life away, the only person she’s hurting is herself. He’s destroyed everyone around him. The one good thing is their daughter, but otherwise, he’s been a cancer in her life. She can’t wait until the day she never has to cross paths with him again. She walks outside and cries.  

Sam tells Jason, Spinelli is her friend, and so is Maxie. Why didn’t he say anything? He says he’s not trying to keep anything from her. It’s not like he’s withholding information on purpose. It didn’t cross his mind. She says that’s a problem they need to figure out.

Robert sees Spinelli outside Kelly’s, and says, if it isn’t his partner in crime. He asks how it went with Maxie, and Spinelli says, as difficult it was to sell it, Maxie believes he supports her marriage to Peter. Robert says, excellent. Remember to continue to go slow. Robert’s phone dings, and he looks at it. He says, huh, and Spinelli asks if it’s something of interest. Robert says, it’s a text from Olivia. Dante has been released from the Geneva facility. He’s back in Port Charles. Spinelli says, surprising. He thought Dante was supposed to receive longer treatment. He wonders what expedited Dante’s release. Robert says he’s wondering the same thing himself.

Lulu tells Dante, hi, and he says, hey. It probably doesn’t get more awkward. She says she didn’t know he would be there, and he says, what are the odds? Peter says Maxie made it, and she suggests they get some drinks – non-alcoholic. Maxie steers Peter to the bar, and Dante says, so Maxie is pregnant. Lulu says, can he believe it? and he says, no. Life keeps moving along. Lulu says, whether they like it or not.

Jackie messes with the flowers when there’s a knock at the door. She says, don’t tell her he wants the flowers back after all. She opens the door, and it’s Finn who says, hello.

Anna says she and Doc were both unwilling participants in Cabot’s experiments, and he says, an unfortunate fact they have in common. He fails to see what that has to do with her breaking into his lab, and she says, it left lingering questions for her, as she’s sure it did him. There are things she tries ignore that sometimes keep her up at night. She doesn’t know for sure if Peter is her son, and Doc is the only person who can help her get to the truth.

Tomorrow, Valentin says Sasha is in a better mood, Chase tells someone to stop lying, Dustin wants to get to know Dante, and Carly wonders what she forgot about Nelle’s fall.

Below Deck Mediterranean – Reunion – Part Two

Andy started off by saying the manufacturer verified that what Hannah said was a CBD pen, was really a THC pen, but Hannah claimed you could put anything in it. Bugs thought they should let it go, but Jess said she was knowledgeable, and had one too. Captain Sandy said it was illegal, and Jess said, so arrest her. Jess said she wasn’t informed it was illegal to have; it was CBD. Malia said it was nothing personal, and during training they’re told no drugs are allowed on the boat; everything has to be registered. Hannah said the prescription was on the box, and showed it, along with a letter from her doctor. Text came up, and said that production had received the prescription 12 hours after Hannah left the boat. Malia said, even if it was a current prescription, you can’t take valium alone in your cabin. I’m not sure what that means. You have to invite other people? Andy asked if everything that alters your state has to be checked, and Captain Sandy said they’re crossing international waters, and if drugs are found on board, the owner’s vessel will get seized. It’s all documented to protect the owner. Malia said she went through the same thing with Benadryl, since it says it causes drowsiness, and not to operate machinery. The captain interjected that the yacht is machinery. Malia said it was to delegate who’s on duty. She said maritime law about twenty times, and everyone looked bored. Hannah said, the medications are meant to bring you to a normal level, and doesn’t work the same if you don’t have a mental illness. Malia said it wasn’t up to the crew member to take for themselves with no accountability. Hannah said if it wasn’t a revenge thing, why didn’t Malia tell the captain about the valium when she told her, Hannah is freaking out? Malia acted ignorant, and said she didn’t realize until she found it. Rob looked like he might go to sleep, and Malia said, it was about maritime law and the safety of the vessel. Jess said she never knew it was such a big deal. Rob said he was checking out, and Captain Sandy said it was illegal, and Jess was trying to justify it.

Jess was tired of Malia talking, and said they’d seen it all on her social media. Bugs thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion. She said she suffered from depression, and still worked on boats. They went around this whole thing again, and when Andy tried to get a word in, he was ignored and literally banged his head on his desk. We found out Malia went to production first, and was told to take it up with the captain. Yeah, I’ll bet. They don’t want to be responsible for that. She said there was also a management company, and Hannah said they got it – maritime law. A viewer asked why Malia didn’t check with Hannah first, and Malia said it wasn’t her place. Andy asked if it was planned so Bugs would get the position, but Bugs said Malia hadn’t known she was coming until she was there. Which doesn’t exactly mean it wasn’t planned, just not planned ahead of time. Malia said Tom being on the yacht with her wasn’t romantic, no matter what people wanted to think. Captain Sandy said the management company had to see she was following protocol. Hannah said it would have been nice if the captain had pulled her aside, and they’d had a conversation. She was made to feel like a criminal. I have to say, Hannah did really keep her cool, and she must have really been freaking out inside. Andy said, there was a lot of backlash, and asked if there was anything the captain would have done differently. Captain Sandy said, sometimes the right decision wasn’t the popular decision (which sounds like something your mom would tell you), but she followed the protocol of the management manual. Rob decided to out Jess, saying she’d told him to get rid of her weed pen, but Jess held her ground that it was CBD, and added she had a laundry list of Rob’s indiscretions. Andy asked if Hannah had regrets, btu she said she was in a good place in her life. He asked if she’d retired from yachting for good, and she said she was in Sydney, about have a baby girl, and yes, she was retired. Hannah was dismissed, and Malia made a weird face at her when she said goodbye. She might have been trying to keep her forked tongue in her mouth.

Tom and Aesha joined the virtual group. Tom explained, on bigger boats, you don’t have to cook for the crew as well. Captain Sandy said he was an incredible chef, and she didn’t regret hiring him. Tom said he got death threats because of his association with Malia, and Malia said she had hard backlash. Andy asked about the status of their relationship, and if they lived together. Tom said because they’re always on boats, they don’t live anywhere, and try to do as best they can. We found out they hadn’t seen each other since May, and Andy asked if they were still together. After dancing around this for like, ten minutes, Malia said she didn’t know if they were together, but Tom said they were working it out. He also claimed they were monogamous when on charter, which I find difficult to believe. Andy didn’t ask about what happens off-charter though.

We revisited Rob and Jess’s relationship. Rob said Bali was a beautiful experience, but things fizzled. Jess said she didn’t want to air dirty laundry. People think she’s jealous and/or crazy, but it’s because they don’t understand where she’s coming from. Without saying the words, she hinted that Rob was a real d-bag. Rob said he was open about having girlfriend, but Jess said, according to his ex, they didn’t have an open relationship. Andy asked if that contributed to the break-up, and Jess said, it didn’t help. Rob said it was unrealistic to expect to develop a relationship on a boat. I wanted to know what he told the first officer after he’d said he’d go on the crossing. Did he even bother to tell him? Rob said again that he regretted nothing. Aesha putting her hand on Rob’s ass, and their flirtation was discussed, but I kind of spaced out, since it was the same sh*t we heard for weeks. Jess said she wasn’t a jealous person, and felt like she was being gaslit by Aesha and Rob. A viewer asked if Rob would have pursued a relationship with Aesha had he met her first, but he said they didn’t have that type of connection; they were like brother and sister. Aesha said there was zero attraction, and no chemistry. Jess wondered about an inappropriate DM Rob had sent Aesha about c*cks. She saw it on Facebook, and Aesha responded. Aesha acted like she didn’t know what Jess was talking about, but Rob readily admitted to sending it. He said, it was just banter… and maybe a little flirtation. Aesha said she had a boyfriend now, and we saw a picture. He’s cute, and they look like they belong together. He must like potty jokes.  

A viewer asked when Bugs was going to realize Alex is hot, and Bugs said she did already; he was a catch. Alex said they’d gotten together to catch up, but they were realistic. They lived in different parts of the world, and couldn’t really foster a relationship.  

In ending (at last), Andy asked for high and low points. Malia said it had ultimately been a fun experience to meet everyone, and her low point was what happened with Hannah. It wasn’t what she wanted. Aesha said the whole experience was great, but she was so homesick and exhausted before she got on board, she didn’t make the most of it. Alex said his high point was meeting Bugs everyone, and on the flipside, he involved himself in drama by accident, when he was just trying to help. I don’t know if I spaced out again, Bugs had nothing to say, or if it was so boring, it just didn’t register.

Andy finished with saying it had been a dramatic, wild ride. Okay. If that’s what you call just sad.

⚖️ The Verdict Is…

Hint: They didn’t work it out.

🖥 In Chat Room, the ladies dressed up for Halloween. Kate said it was a week early, but this was 2020. She was Kate Moss, wearing moss in her hair; Hannah was Wonder Woman, using a costume that belonged to her mom. She did not elaborate on that. Both Porsha and Gizelle were Cleopatra, although they each wore it differently. The high point was Kate bringing out her dog Halo, wearing a unicorn costume. The women also picked a favorite Housewife costume of the past. Gizelle chose Kandi in a riff on Pennywise from It; Hannah liked LisaR dressed as Erika Jayne; Kate said she hated Ramona, but loved her in red leather as Britney Spears; and Porsha went with Cynthia as Fifty Cent. While still much prettier, Cynthia was definitely spot-on. I love this show, and wish it was on more often, and for an hour.

🤡 Here It Is…

Pennywise never looked so good.

🎀 Charlotte Through the Looking Glass…

Scarlett Fernandez remembers her first day in Port Charles.

🗽 It’s All Good…

The RHONY gets the all clear.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/23/the-rhony-cast-is-covid-19-free-despite-production-interruption/

And goes back to work.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/23/rhony-cast-spotted-back-at-work-in-greenport-ny/

💓 He’s Moving On…

Juicy Joe has found a new main squeeze.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/24/joe-giudice-is-seeing-someone-new-following-teresa-giudice-divorce/

⛏ Dexter Returns…

In a CYA move, Dexter is revived.

🛣 Come Back, Country…

It looks unlikely there will be a second season of Lovecraft Country. The book did have a definitive ending, but why can’t they give us more? Since it’s a supernatural atmosphere, they can even revive the dead if they want.

Not only was it well-written, but everything was also beautifully crafted. And some of the monsters were truly scary.

🏞 Spirited Hiking…

Haunted trail anyone?

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/scariest-haunted-hiking-trails-us?ic1=triv_102420

🥺 Mondays Is Rough…

I’m off to finish an article for https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/, which is a little nostalgic, it being Halloween week. No matter what it is you’re doing, stay safe, stay bold, and stay not sending inappropriate DMs. Especially if you’re on a reality show where everyone keeps receipts.

October 30, 2019 – The MetroCourt Hosts a Halloween Party, My Excuse, LeeAnne’s Wedding Begins, Back Channel, Baby/Cat Convo, It’s Everywhere & Going With the Flow

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

The Halloween party has started at the MetroCourt. Dressed as Cruella de Vil checks her purse for her gun. Laura startles her. I’m not sure what Laura is, either a queen of some kind or the Virgin Mary. Sasha – some kind of version of Wonder Woman? – and Michael – a combination of Jon Snow and Aquaman – come in, and Sasha wonders if it’s a good idea. She’s the town pariah. Michael says she’s his pariah. She made a mistake. She says it was a big one, but he says she owned up to it and apologized repeatedly. Give him one good reason why she shouldn’t enjoy herself. She sees Valentin and Nina walk in as Cleopatra and Marc Antony.

Captain America TJ joins Jordan and Curtis, who’s dressed as Sherlock Holmes. Jordan – I have no idea who she’s supposed to be, but she looks hot – is glad TJ put the books down. She asks where Molly is, and Molly says she had to stop by the apartment first.

Elizabeth straightens up the living room. She looks at a family photo with Franco in it. Cameron comes down, and she says she was just cleaning up the Halloween tornado his brothers left. Cameron asks how she does that; act like everything is okay. He gets her doing it with Jake and Aiden, but not him. He gets how much it hurts. They hug.

Finn tells Violet about Roxie. He says, she likes to eat orchids, and they both go, eww! He says maybe they shouldn’t knock it until they’ve tried it. She asks if she can meet Roxie, and he says nothing would make him happier.

Jason tells Carly that Avery couldn’t wait to go trick-or-treating. She says, thank God for Brad and Lucas, and he says her cousin Rocco couldn’t wait to show her the ropes. Carly is sure he’ll be helping her eat the candy, and Jason says, that too. She tells him, Donna is asleep, and they have an hour before she’s screaming for food. He asks how she’s doing, and she says, tired, but happy her little girl is thriving. How about him? How’s Sam? He says, she’s not doing that great. She opted for a bench trial. Diane gave her the options, but she chose it because it has a quicker turnaround. Carly says, and no jury, and he says, no Dawn of Day members can be selected. Which I think would recuse them anyway, but okay. Carly says she knows how hard it is, and he says, it will be okay, but Alexis is having a hard time.

Molly, dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, stops by Alexis’s place. She knocks, but there’s no answer. She sees the lights are on, and knocks again. We see Alexis passed out on the couch, and she knocks louder.

Carly says, let her guess. Alexis wanted to defend Sam, but she went with Diane. Alexis doesn’t want to make it more stressful, so she’s hanging back, but privately prepping the case in her living room. Jason says, yes to all of it. He agrees Diane is the better choice, and thinks Alexis sees where Sam is coming from. Carly says, but it’s hard to relinquish control when it’s your own kid. She thinks Jason should go to the party in a superhero costume, but he says she knows how he doesn’t like to dress for Halloween. She begs him to do it for her. Josslyn comes running downstairs, and says she can’t find the watch Oscar gave her. She thinks she lost it.

Trina shows up at Elizabeth’s house, carrying a garment bag. She sees Cameron isn’t dressed up, and says she had a feeling that he’d bag the dance. She figured her and Josslyn could throw something together at Josslyn’s place. Cameron says he’s in, unless Elizabeth would rather he stay home. It’s not a big deal. Elizabeth tells him to go. She has to work anyway, and tells him to go have fun with his friends. Trina tells him, let’s go. She’s glad he’s coming. She wasn’t sure if he was up for it.

Finn tells Violet that people think he’s weird because he had a bearded dragon for a friend. She’s really cool when you get to know her; she’s the best listener. Hayden comes in, and notices a bar of chocolate on the bed. Violet says Finn brought it, and he thanks her for selling him out. He tells Hayden that he just gave Violet one piece. Okay, two. Violet is stuck there on Halloween. Hayden thanks him, and asks Violet if she said thank you. Just because we’re sick doesn’t mean we forget our manners. Finn says she thanked with her killer smile. He says he’ll come back and see her soon, Hayden gives Violet her phone, and says, just one show. If her eyes get heavy, let herself sleep.

Out in the hallway, Hayden asks if Finn has heard from Dr. Mulvari. Is Violet going to be okay? He says he did hear back.

Ava asks if Laura makes a habit of startling people. Laura tells her, she just wanted to say hello. She wasn’t sure Ava was going to come. Ava says it’s for a good cause; she wanted to contribute. Laura says last year was horrific, but Ava would rather not talk about Ryan. Is there an open bar? Laura tells her to knock herself out.

Valentin says, who needs a costume party? and wants to go, but Nina says, like hell. She’s not leaving a party for a worthy cause. Just stay close. Valentin says, always.

Molly knocks more fervently, but still no answer. She opens the door with her key, and sees Alexis. She says, oh my God, and shakes her. She tells Alexis to wake up, but gets no reaction.

Josslyn tells Carly that she asked everyone. She even checked Avery’s room, but it’s nowhere. She lost it. Carly says Josslyn doesn’t know that. it could have slipped behind the dresser, or be in a pocket. Josslyn says, no. She lost it. She took it off at the exhibition match. She was worried it might get broken, so she put it in her backpack, but didn’t zip it up. She was so caught up in the game, she completely forgot. Carly says they’ll drive to Mayfair tomorrow, and check the lost and found. Or it could be in the gym. Josslyn says, the match was on Monday, three days ago. She lost the watch Oscar gave her, and didn’t even miss it.

TJ says it’s an awkward moment, and Curtis says he knows that. He’s in the same family. TJ asks if Jordan still has the engagement ring his dad gave her. She says she still has it; why? Curtis says, TJ is thinking of asking Molly to marry him.   

Alexis finally wakes up, and Molly says, thank God. Alexis asks what she’s doing there, and why does Molly look like Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Molly says she’s been trying to get ahold of Alexis all day, but she didn’t answer her phone or Molly’s texts. Her office said she wasn’t in, so Molly got worried. Alexis sits up, obviously still groggy. She says, it hurts, and asks, what time is it? Molly says she’s really sorry, but she has to ask. Has Alexis been drinking? Alexis says, no. No alcohol has touched her lips. Molly asks, what happened? but Alexis doesn’t know. She didn’t feel well. Neil brought food over, and she was obviously not feeling well, since she sent him home. She says she’ll be fine, but needs coffee. Molly says what she needs is to go to the hospital, and that’s where Molly is taking her.

Finn tells Hayden that Violet will make a full recovery. She’ll be fine. He’d still like to keep her for observation, and Hayden says, whatever he thinks is best. She tells him, she’s so grateful, but he says he didn’t do anything. She says he’s been amzing with Violet. She didn’t know… He says, how he’d be with his own daughter? He imagined it, but seeing her in person is a different story. He takes Hayden aside, and says he’s still having a hard time understanding why she kept Violet from him for so long. He asks if she would do it the same again, but she’s not so sure. If she could go back and tell him… She doesn’t know. Finn says, the only thing that matters is, Violet will recover. They’ll talk when she’s out of the hospital. Hayden asks what that’s going to look like, now that he knows about Violet. He says he’ll be in it for life .

Carly explains to Jason that when Oscar was still well enough to go anywhere, he took Josslyn to the footbridge, and gave her the watch. He’d heard a legend that when the time was at 11:11, he could reach out after death and she would feel it. Jason says he can go to Mayfair and take a look around, but Carly says, they’re closed now, and the gym is locked. It’s not worth it. Even if the watch was there, what really has Josslyn upset is that it was three days before she noticed it was gone. Jason says, she doesn’t know how to act in the situation, which is a good thing. Carly says, Josslyn is getting on with life. It’s what Carly wanted, but not this way. She wanted Josslyn to take off the watch when she was ready. In losing it, she feels guilty and like she’s betraying Oscar.

Laura tells Jax, dressed as Mr. Incredible, happy Halloween. He says, it’s better than last year, and she says, anything would be better than last year. Doc is sitting this one out, and she can’t blame him. She knows they’re off the clock, but she wants to fill him in on the brainstorm she and Curtis had. When Helena said she kept the codicil close, maybe it wasn’t physically close. Maybe she meant close to her likeness. Jax asks if she means it might be part of the portrait itself.

Hayden tells Finn she knows she messed up. That’s not the right word. He says, that’s two words, and she says, it’s unconscionable. She was hoping… Elizabeth sees her, and says she was trying to reach Hayden last night. Where has she been? Hayden says, something crazy came up, and Finn says they have a lot to talk about. He and Hayden will finish their conversation later. Elizabeth wonders what that’s about.

Nina wants more champagne, and takes Valentin to the bar. Sasha and Michael are there, and Nina says she thought Michael would be interested that she received a call from the DA. He’s reviewing her testimony. The case against Cassandra has to be airtight, since their star witness is now unreliable. Sasha says she’s so sorry, but Nina says, there’s no apology necessary. She just wants Sasha to know, if that bitch goes free, Nina is holding her personally responsible. She drags Valentin away.

Cameron and Trina get to Sonny’s, and Cameron asks Josslyn, her too? Did she think he’d bail. Josslyn admits it crossed her mind, but she’s glad he’s there. She sees he has no costume, and Trina says he’s a typical guy, and expects them to dress him up. Trina goes upstairs to check on Dev’s costume. Cameron says he’s fine, but Josslyn says she knows he’s hurting, and the last thing he feels like doing is getting dressed up. Cameron says, actually, he’s fired up. For real. If he didn’t go, he’d be sitting at home by himself, with his life in a dumpster fire. He thinks he can find a way to make it fun. He goes into the living room, where Carly is on the couch. She says she’s been thinking about him and his family. How’s he doing? He says, it helps having great friends, but obviously, it’s hard. Josslyn and Trina come down, and Josslyn asks if he’s ready, and Cameron says, just one second. He goes out on the terrace, where he sees Jason. He asks if Jason has a second, and Jason asks, what’s up? Cameron says he owes Jason an apology.

Cameron says he jumped down Jason’s throat, and he shouldn’t have. He’s sorry. Jason says she doesn’t need to apologize. Cameron says he wanted this for his mom, and he thought his testimony would do that; make the judge see the real Franco wants to come back. Jason say the judge understood, and Cameron says, not enough. What he said should have been more clear, or better. Jason says she knows the truth, but it doesn’t matter what anyone said. What mattered is what Doc said. it’s great that she heard them, but in the end, it didn’t tip the scales. It couldn’t. He’s sorry. Cameron asks what he does now. How does he cut himself off from this crappy feeling? Just say, this is it what the judge decided? Jason says he can tell himself that when all was said and done, the judge gave the choice to Franco. Cameron says, he’s not Franco, and Jason says, whoever that man is, can make the choice. They don’t have to like it – they can hate it – but they can’t change it. Cameron has two choices. He can walk around angry all the time, or learn to live with it, and help the people he loves pick up the pieces. Jason goes back inside.

Elizabeth can’t believe Hayden had a daughter. They look through the window at Violet. Hayden says, Elizabeth’s niece. Elizabeth asks why Hayden didn’t tell her, but Hayden says she doesn’t know. She lied so much, it felt like she couldn’t tell the truth. She’s sorry. Elizabeth says, she’s beautiful, and helluva surprise. Hayden says, that’s what the consensus seems to be. She has a lot of regrets about the choices she’s made, but the truth is out now. Violet is here, and she’s the most fun Hayden has ever had.

Molly brings Alexis to the hospital. Alexis says she’s sure it’s just the flu. Molly says, maybe, but she still wants Alexis checked out. Finn comes out, and asks if everything is okay. Molly says, no, and Alexis says, yeah. He says, cleared that up. Alexis thought Finn went out of his way not to be there on Halloween, but he says he has a special case. He asks, what’s going on? and Alexis says she feels out of it. Molly says she’s been sick for 24-hours, and passed out. She had to shake Alexis awake. She’s worried. Alexis says she’s been prepping Sam’s case, and Finn asks if Alexis is her lawyer. Molly says, no, and Alexis says she’s been working out a lot, and feels run down. Finn says they’ll find out for sure, and they go to an examining room.

Curtis asks if he’s right. Is TJ going to pop the question. TJ  tells him, relax. He’s thinking about it. Curtis says it must be serious if he’s asking about a ring, and laying the groundwork. TJ says, Molly will want something with sentimental value, and a family heirloom is perfect. Curtis asks, when? and TJ says he’s just thinking about it. He just knows that Molly is the person he wants to be with forever. Curtis tells him, congratulations. He’s making grown man moves. Why is he getting the vibe Jordan isn’t into it? Jordan says, because she’s not.

Laura tells Jax that they could be wrong, but Helena left Nikolas the painting knowing Valentin was out there. She thinks Helena armed Nikolas with something that would neutralize Valentin. Jax says, so she thinks it’s part of the painting itself, and she says, in the frame, or underneath. The real problem is that Valentin disposed of it, and they have no idea where it is. Valentin comes by, and asks if she’s still talking about that. Why is she obsessed with the portrait of Helena?

Valentin say, after everything Helena has done to Laura and her family, he thought she’d be thrilled he got rid of the painting. Laura says, Helena left Nikolas the portrait, and it belongs to Spencer – the rightful heir. Nina says Spencer had told her about everything he claimed Valentin stole, but never once said anything about the portrait. If he cared, he would have said something. Laura says Spencer had a fondness for his late grandmother, but that wouldn’t matter to Valentin, would it? She walks away.

At Sonny’s, Cameron pours liquor into a soda bottle when no one is looking.

Elizabeth tells Hayden, you love your kids so much, you want to make it right, but you know you can’t. Hayden says Elizabeth is the best mom. Elizabeth assumes Finn knows. What does it mean for the two of them? Hayden says, it’s not about them; it’s about Finn and Violet. It’s not fair that she dumped a new reality in his lap, and Elizabeth asks if Finn has had any contact with Violet. Hayden says, Violet only knows him as a doctor, but they’ve talked a little, and Finn snuck her in some chocolate. It’s insane. From the minute she found out she was pregnant, she dreamed about Finn and their child. Now she’s finally seen it. Elizabeth says, and? Hayden says, he was perfect.

Alexis tells Finn that she thought she was tired from her workout, but it moved to her stomach. Finn says, nausea, but she says, pain. Molly says she got sick on the way over. He says he’ll get her set up with an IV. She wonders if it’s the flu, and he asks if she’s gotten a shot. She says it’s October, and he tells her it’s the time of year they suggest getting vaccinated. Molly says she’s running late, and starts to leave. Finn tells her to set up a flu shot appointment before she goes, and she says she already got one. Okay, okay. We get it. They want us to get our flu shots. Alexis says, of course (🍷). She wants to be Molly when she grows up. Finn notices a rash on her palms, and asks how long she’s had it, but she doesn’t know.

TJ says he thought Jordan liked Molly. She says she does. Molly is everything she’d want for him in a partner, and she’s practically family. He asks, what’s the problem? and she says they’ve been together since high school. He’s never dated anyone else. He says he didn’t want to, and they’ve proven it will last. She says they come from the same town, and both go to a local college. Has he considered that he’s limiting his options? He asks if Jordan wants him to date other people, and she says she thinks they should both explore more of life before making a lifetime commitment. Molly calls, and TJ steps away. Curtis looks at Jordan, who says, oh look. The comptroller. She needs to say hello. I guess that was like a how about them Mets? subject changer.

Sasha tells Michael, if Cassandra walks, it’s her fault. No one takes what she says seriously anymore. Michael says, he does, and she can’t believe he still trusts her after what happened. He says he trusts her more. She says she doesn’t deserve it. He asks if she wants to go, and she says she’d like another club soda. Michael heads for the bar, and literally runs into Ava. She drops her purse, and he sees the gun in her bag.

Curtis asks Jordan if the comptroller is keeping Port Charles afloat, and she says, so far, so good. She asks where TJ went, and Curtis says Alexis is at the hospital. Molly thinks she has the flu, but she wanted to be sure. So does she want to talk about it? The bomb TJ just dropped, and how she treated it like she’s in denial. She says when they transitioned form high school sweethearts to college roommates, it was easy. She never considered where it was heading. Curtis says it never occurred to her that TJ might want to marry Molly?

Alexis says she’s being embarrassed further by a med student observing? Molly says he’s there as a supportive boyfriend. Alexis asks if she really asked TJ to leave the party, and Molly says he decided to. TJ says, family shows up for each other. Alexis says, isn’t that the sweetest? and Finn says, pretty sweet, yes. Alexis asks how much longer until she’s not feeling crappy? and Finn says, soon. By the time she goes home tomorrow. He wants her to stay overnight; that’s his professional opinion. She asks, why? What does he think is wrong?

Hayden apologizes, telling Elizabeth she forgot to ask about the trial. What happened? Elizabeth says, Franco won, and Hayden is so sorry. Elizabeth says, it’s really rough on the boys. Hayden ask if they know, and Elizbeth says, Cameron does; he was there. Hayden ask how he is, and Elizabeth says, pretending he’s fine, but she knows he’s beating himself up. She hates all of it, and hates that it’s out of her control. Only one thing makes sense in all of this. Why Hayden came back, and why she’s so good with the boys. She’s part of the club now. Elizabeth hugs her, and Hayden says she guesses she is.

Jason brings Carly some tea. She says she’s worried about Josslyn is covering. She had the alternative to stay home. Some people would gut it out to prove they can be strong. Jason says, she is strong, and she says she hates seeing Josslyn hurt. She wants to jump in, but she can’t. Jason knows, and says she has to let Josslyn find her way. She says she’ll remind of that years down the road with his kids. He says he’ll need help, and she says like he’s there to help her. They hug.

Josslyn says for someone who claims not to care about Halloween, Dev is obsessing about his costume. Trina thinks they did a good job; she’s proud of them. She knows Josslyn and Cameron are going through a hard time, and Josslyn says they’ll just go to the stupid dance, and try to have fun. Cameron doesn’t think they have to try. He looks at the bottle in his coat pocket.

Michael says, what the hell? and Ava says she has a permit. He says that doesn’t mean she should bring a gun to his mom’s hotel. She can’t believe he’s saying that with a straight face. Sonny and Jason have never been there without carrying a gun. He says they have special privileges, and she says after what she’s been through, she’s learned you can never be too careful.

Laura tells Jax, that was close. They need to stay off the clock in public. Jax says, agreed. If Valentin still thinks the painting is worthless, he won’t look to reclaim it.

At the bar, Nina asks what Valentin thought about Jax’s conversation with Laura. He says it’s probably nothing, but he’s beginning to think the portrait is more valuable than he realized. Ava overhears.

Tomorrow, Finn asks Hayden what part he plays in Violet’s life, Doc has a confession to make, and Sam gets her cellmate back.

🎃 I am still behind with Halloween, and suddenly, it’s tomorrow. I’m also in desperate need for some sleep tonight, so this is a quicker RHOD than usual. The worst thing? It all might get rained out. But you know as well as I do, if I don’t make up a billion candy bags, that’s when I’ll get six busloads of kids at once. One year, I thought I started rifling through my cupboards, but I didn’t think instant oatmeal would be the treat anyone was looking for. Luckily, I ended up with three goody bags left.

The Real Housewives of Dallas

Kary, Brandi D’Andra meet for lunch. D’Andra acts like she’s shocked about Kameron’s lack of manners, and they talk about how awful it is to bring someone uninvited to a bar. Kary once again compares it to a wedding. I guess she thinks her girls nights are that special.

LeeAnne goes for her final fitting with designer Nardos. Tiffany, Stephanie, and Kameron are along for the ride, along with some friends we don’t pay attention to. Kameron says when the quartet trio played at the shower, it became real. Stephanie is annoyed that Kameron is holding on to a petty thing. In her interview, she says she doesn’t need a third six-foot tall child.

Brandi says she’s not going to the wedding. A typed invitation ten days before the wedding is tacky. Says the woman who wore a hat decorated with plastic turds to a society party. She says she’s not dropping already made plans, and if she doesn’t have any, she’ll make some. I added that last part. D’Andra says her invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.

LeeAnne models her dress. I’m loving the lace sleeves and back, but not so much the skirt part, which has a giant extra ruffle that makes it look weirdly unfinished. Nardos says it brings the child inside LeeAnne to life. LeeAnne wants to be worthy. She didn’t get that as a child, and struggles as an adult. Kameron loves being a part of her fairy tale, and Stephanie hopes the feeling makes LeeAnne a softer person.

Kary flashes back to LeeAnne being a downer. D’Andra doesn’t understand why Kary is going. Kary says she and LeeAnne are figuring out their friendship. In Kary’s interview, she says it’s a nice way to extend an olive branch, and she doesn’t want to give LeeAnne a reason to be negative. She tells D’Andra and Brandi that her next girls night is going to be in an undisclosed location.

Kary tells us that daughter Olivia’s prom is in two days. Olivia is working on her dress. Olivia is interning with designer Mackenzie Brittingham. In her interview, Kary says growing up, Olivia always wore interesting things. She thought she’d miss Olivia when she went to college, but Olivia has been such a pill, she’s looking forward to it. Olivia wants to go to fashion design camp in London, but can’t afford it. Eduardo is loaded, but shot it down. In Kary’s interview, she says Eduardo has been a good step-father to her kids, but as they get older, their financial needs are bigger, and she doesn’t get support from her ex anymore. She hates that Eduardo has the financial power. Geez, how stingy is Eduardo? It’s not like Olivia is asking for a party on a yacht. Kary tells Olivia about her plans for getting her own money. Olivia wishes Kary still had her prom dress and she could mess with it. She sounds like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.

Brandi is pissed that Brooklyn is riding her scooter in the street. Brooklyn insists the sidewalks are more dangerous. Probably, but just for the people walking on them when she comes along. In Brandi’s interview, she says she’s been making the effort to give Brooklyn more time, but when she’s not getting attention, it backfires, and feels like Brooklyn is purposely pissing her off. Brooklyn argues over wearing a helmet. This kid is beyond obnoxious, but that’s not surprising. Brandi is afraid Brooklyn is going to resent it if she disciplines her, and push her away. Um… that’s called part of parenting. She says sometimes it feels like she’s failed.

Jeremy and D’Andra pick out clothes for a family dinner. In her interview, D’Andra says her family is small, and they don’t see each other often, so it’s important when they do. Jeremy asks how it went with Mama Dee, and D’Andra says her mom says mean things. D’Andra has taken a pay cut, moved the office to the house, and Jeremy’s been an employee. In her interview, she says now Jeremy understands how the business works. Her mother has made no effort to help, and just makes her feel bad. She tells Jeremy that she wants to show Mama Dee a united front. In D’Andra’s interview, she says her mother left the company in bad shape, and needs to take responsibility for the fact that she caused this. She tells Jeremy that they’ll both ask questions.

LeeAnne and Rich go out for sushi. LeeAnne tells Rich that everyone keeps telling her it’s x amount of days until the wedding. She told them, no math. He says, it’s not regular math; it’s a countdown. She says the wedding is in 72 hours, and he says, don’t threaten him. She says her mom is staying in a hotel. In her interview, LeeAnne says they haven’t spoken in two years. When they went to therapy, her mother said what she needed to look good, and lied. If they can’t find a place of truth in their conversations, LeeAnne doesn’t need to have them. She had a tough time deciding if she should include her mother. Rich says she only gets one. LeeAnne suggests letting her participate in lighting the unity candle. In LeeAnne’s interview, she tells us, in the South, you honor your mother, but in reality she wasn’t. LeeAnne’s mother didn’t raise her. Her grandmother did. She tells Rich that her mother tends to make things about her, and cause drama. She wants a mostly drama free wedding, and really wants to see her grandmother. Rich says, she’ll be there, so happy up. He says he hates when women cry, and will do a lot to prevent it. She says that’s why she’s with him. They toast to their future as husband and wife.

Jeremy and D’Andra meet Mama Dee, her brother James, and some of Dee’s friends for dinner. That’s the family? Dee toasts to their wonderful family and friends. In D’Andra’s interview, she says Dee and James have always had a tumultuous relationship. James was born when Dee was fifteen, and she sometimes treats him like a son. They argue a lot. Dee applauds Jeremy working with D’Andra, and Jeremy tells her about the new website, saying it’s going to spell out what the company means to D’Andra. Dee says, a mission statement, and D’Andra says she couldn’t find one on the old site. Dee doesn’t think she ever had one, but they were on TV. We see an old clip of D’Andra and Dee doing an infomercial. Jeremy says that’s where they were nailing it, but the market’s not there anymore. Dee says she built it for herself, and now D’Andra has the opportunity to go her own way, and start at ground level. D’Andra says she’s never been in that position. In Dee’s interview, she says she’d never put money into the company because she has no faith that it will come back and boom. Jeremy says, nothing has been invested in it for a long time. D’Andra says everything should have been in place. If she’d known, she would have been happy to cut her salary, but Dee wouldn’t let her see anything. Dee says D’Andra doesn’t understand the financial side. Only the owners and CPA see the numbers. Who made up that rule? I was in accounting for a long time, and never heard that before. D’Andra says she came in not knowing anything. James says her father was the expert. Oh ho. I think I see what happened. The father didn’t let Mama Dee see the books, and when he died, everything went south. Jeremy asks if Mama Dee has any regrets, but she says, no. She’s glad D’Andra has the company. D’Andra says if the switch had been made three years ago, she wouldn’t be in this position. Mama Dee says she has no regrets. In her interview, Dee says she never felt that she did anything wrong, and has no guilt. It’s not her responsibility. Dee rambles for a while, and says they can’t keep going back to this. She says if D’Andra thinks she did it deliberately, she needs to see a doctor. I guess I do too. D’Andra says nothing upsets Dee and she has no regrets. Why did Dee put her in this position? Dee says she thought D’Andra would be there 9 to 5, but she’d show up at 4:30 when everyone was leaving at 5. She  thought D’Andra would be more attentive to the company. It doesn’t sound like Dee encouraged that much. She says she refuses to talk about it anymore.

Brandi and Stephanie get ready for their podcast, A Weekly Dose of B.S. In case we didn’t get it, Stephanie explains in her interview, it stands for their names, not bullsh*t. She says it’s the most fun she’s had in her life. In Brandi’s interview, she says it’s really an hour of them catching up. Brandi decides to call Kary, pretending to be the gardener from next door, and telling her a spilly spider has gotten loose, and went into her house. They want to come and get it out. It’s dangerous, and can eat her pets. A friend of Kary’s gets on the phone, and asks what address they’re calling about. When Brandi hesitates, the friend says, eff off. Brandi and Stephanie die laughing, and Stephanie tells Kary it’s a prank call. She’s on their podcast. Afterward, Brandi tells Stephanie that Bruin’s biological mother is pregnant again, and already planning to give it to the state. She and Brian would be the first people asked to adopt the baby. Stephanie says it’s insane. She knows a couple with six children because the biological mother wouldn’t stop having them. Brandi doesn’t know if she can handle another baby. In Stephanie’s interview, she says Brandi would need full-time help if she took on another baby. She worries that Brandi needs help as it is.

LeeAnne and Rich arrive at the church. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she knows it’s tradition for the groom not to see the bride before the wedding, but he’s been married a few times. it’s her first, and her MF’ing rules. She says no more normal life, and he asks when it was normal. LeeAnne tells Steve the final count is 350, but might be more.

Stephanie and Cary note that there’s a window of five hours in between the wedding and the reception. Stephanie thinks it’s brilliant that LeeAnne has a whole day celebrating her, and they have five hours to figure out what to do with their kids.

Kary and Kameron get their makeup done together. Kameron calls LeeAnne, and asks if she’s excited. LeeAnne says she was at the Round Up late. Court brings the ladies some food. In Kary’s interview, she says Eduardo would be expecting her to make him a sandwich while she got her makeup done. He sounds more and more like a real gem. Kameron shows Kary her photo book of mommy porn. It’s pictures of Court doing various chores around the house, including taken a dish out of the dishwasher that has his face on it. It’s very cute, and I have to say, has more imagination than I would have given him credit for. Kameron says, the sexiest thing is a man with a vacuum cleaner. In Kary’s interview, she thinks Kameron must have a golden vagina because of the things Court does for her. Kameron says, helping a mom out is a turn-on.

Cousin Katy tells LeeAnne that her mom is late. Tiffany goes through some positive affirmations with LeeAnne. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says her mom being late triggers he little girl who feels abandoned. Once the church door is shut, nobody is walking in, and ruining or distracting from her moment.

Next time, there’s no food at the wedding, Brian tells Brandi that two babies is a handful, and Eduardo says Kary only wants to talk about what she wants to talk about.

🌌 FYI, the Sy – we can’t spell – Fy channel has been rerunning Channel Zero. Since it’s been canceled <sob!>, catch it while you can.

🐈 They Don’t All Look Grey In the Dark…

I just thought this was cute, and appropriate for the season. He’s sort of black.

https://nypost.com/video/cat-conversation-with-18-month-old-caught-by-baby-monitor/

👠 It Will Last Through the Apocalypse…

Along with cockroaches and Twinkies, the Rocky Horror Picture Show will be with us forever.

https://www.tvinsider.com/821409/barry-bostwick-the-goldbergs-season-7-halloween-episode/

💧 So I’ll Remove the Cause…

But not the symptom. Yes, I threw the first confetti. See Sal Piro‘s book, Creatures of the Night. Believe me, it’s not something I would make up. You’re welcome, or I’m sorry, depending on where you stand on that.

June 26, 2017 – Lotsa Gettin’ Busy, Two Charming Finales & the Zen Room

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Nelle and Michael almost get busy. He says they should stop, but she says no.

Hayden has morning sickness at night. She throws a giraffe toy across the room, and almost hits Curtis.

Griff asks Finn if everything is okay with Hayden and the baby. Finn says everything checked out with the OB/GYN, and in case Griff was wondering, she’s keeping the baby. Griff asks if he’s ready to be a father. Finn says no.

Obrecht tells Ava that her injuries put a lot of stress on her heart. She notices the DNR, but says that Ava seems to be healing. She asks if Ava isn’t cheered by that news.

Julian approaches Alexis at Kelly’s where she’s eating a gigantic ice cream concoction. He asks if she never eats at home, and she asks him the same question. She says she ran out of ice cream. He asks if it’s helping.

Josslyn tells Oscar about the horse her parents leased for the summer. He didn’t know she rode, and says it fits her; she seems like someone who cares about real things, instead of taking selfies and accumulating likes. She asks if he cares about real things. I’m not usually into the summer kid storylines, but these two are cute.

Carly and Sonny are also getting busy, but she pushes him away. He asks if he did something wrong and why she stopped. She says he’s doing it again. She was almost out of his life, but then was so afraid she was going to lose him, she could barely breathe.

Julian asks what brought on Alexis’s drinking in the first place. She says it doesn’t have to be any one thing specifically. She wanted to feel something other than nostalgia and regret, and it’s not all about him. He talks about loneliness and loss, and says he’s right there with her.

Griff tells Finn that he was terrified when he thought Charlotte was his daughter. He’s glad to see Finn is taking charge of his life, like he did with getting sober. Finn says he needs time to breathe, and find a way through it.

Curtis asks if Hayden is okay, and she says that she’s fine. He asks why she called him, and she tells him that she has a job offer. She explains about Finn’s drug tests coming back positive even though he’s not using anymore. Curtis says the road to recovery isn’t a straight line, and Hayden asks why he doubts Finn. Curtis says he knows Finn loves her, but addicts lie. She says they know who’s tampering with the tests, but need him to help prove it.

Ava tells Obrecht that she’s not exactly optimistic these days, and Obrecht asks if she’d like to talk to someone. Kiki comes in, and Obrecht says the best medicine is here. She’d give anything to be with her daughter. She leaves, and Kiki says she thought Ava would feel better after hearing that she’s going to recover. Ava tells her about seeing what she looks like, and that it’s the price she has to pay for what she did to Morgan and Kiki. We haven’t seen under the bandages, but she actually looks pretty good for someone that injured. And then we do have her perfect manicure. Just sayin’. I also know they would have taken her nail polish off before doing any procedures involving anesthesia, since I worked at a women’s clinic for a couple of years. Sorry. Nit-picky, I know. After 50 years, I feel entitled.

Josslyn tells Oscar that when she rides, she doesn’t think of anything else. He says he feels that way when he plays music – his favorite thing is to let go and just feel it. She says it feels good not having to think about problems. She moves in for a kiss, then says OMG. Her grandmother is here; she heard the car.

Sonny tells Carly that the assault came out of nowhere. She says it’s his entire life. If Jason hadn’t shown up, they’d both be dead. She can’t stand remembering when he was shot, and making him promises that she thought she could keep, just so he’d live. He asks if they can’t think about how they survived and pulled each other through.

Michael and Nelle get busier.

Carly tells Sonny that they’re in the same place they always end up, but this time it was faster. She says their relationship is love versus violence, bliss versus grief, and hope versus loss. They barely survived, and she’s so angry she could scream. He says he doesn’t blame her; he’s angry with himself. She hates caring about him, and all of this. He asks if she hates him.

Bobbie walks into the house. Oscar introduces himself. She says she sent the half-naked kids in the hot tub packing, and they’re lucky they have their clothes on. Oscar gets out while he can. Josslyn says she can explain, and Bobbie says she’ll be doing the explaining.

Kiki tells Ava that surgery will do a lot. Ava says Kiki is too kind and good to write her off, but it would be easier if she hated her. Kiki says easier for who, her or Ava?

Finn tells Griff that circumstances not under his control lost his job for him. He explains how he and Hayden thought Brad was trying to sabotage him out of greed, when it was really someone who was envious. He says that it’s been her goal to destroy his career since he got there. Griff is like, she? And Finn tells him it’s Obrecht. She stares at them from across the room.

Hayden tells Curtis about her urine being tested. She says it was positive for opiates, and… She trails off.

Julian reminds Alexis that they got through the first night of her sobriety together. She says that night is long past, but he says here they are, together again.  He tells her that maybe he was meant to run into her.

Ava tells Kiki that it would be easier for both of them if she’d turn her back. Kiki says part of her thinks her life would be better, and Ava tells her to do it. Kiki asks if Ava really wants her to go and not come back. Scotty comes in, and asks if he’s interrupting. Ava says that Kiki was just leaving.

Hayden explains to Curtis that Finn is suspended, and can’t be reinstated until they prove otherwise. Curtis says he has ideas, but they have to talk money. She asks if they aren’t friends, and he says if they are, she can start by telling him about the baby.

Finn tells Griff that someone has been doctoring his drug tests to make it look like he’s under the influence.

Alexis talks about Gordo Garvey, saying she tried to call Sonny, but went right to voicemail. Julian tells her that he passed along the information to Jason, and would have heard if everything wasn’t okay. Alexis says he went the distance today. Julian says he might be going to prison, so he made a last effort to make a difference. She asks if he’s in danger now.

Bobbie tells Josslyn that she got a call about kids in the hot tub, and thought it was impossible, since Josslyn was spending the night at Trina’s. Josslyn says she wasn’t planning on drinking, but Trina brought friends with wine coolers, and she didn’t know what to do. She says she wants to have fun and hang out, and not think about her parents or Sonny or any of it. Bobbie asks if she was successful, and she tells Bobbie that she had the best time.

Sonny tells Carly that he felt the same, thinking she could die. If she had, he couldn’t live without her. Carly says she can’t live without him. They go back to getting busy.

Julian tells Alexis that he wouldn’t be there if he thought he was in danger; he wouldn’t expose her to that, but it means a lot that she asked. She asks if he saw Sam, and how is she? He says hostile as usual, but she seemed fine. Alexis says that Sam has been agitated lately, but when she asks about it, Sam gets even more agitated. Julian says she’s probably not happy that Alexis came to his defense about seeing Leo. He asks Alexis to keep him posted.

Obrecht questions Finn about his belief that someone is sabotaging his career, and he says he knows it. Griff says he believes it too, and she tells him that compassion is clouding his judgement. She says they rely on science, not sentiment, and they’ve been more than generous with Finn. The hospital has lost an excellent doctor, but there’s nothing they can do. As soon as she’s gone, Griff tells Finn that he’s right; now how do they prove it?

Curtis tells Hayden that he’s trained to observe, and she’s about to be sick. She mumbles something about questionable chicken salad, but he’s not having it. He says she almost told him something else about the test, and she hasn’t left the giraffe toy alone since he got there; she’s pregnant. She admits that she is, and he congratulates her. He asks if Finn is cool, and she says he’s great. He asks if she’s cool.

Josslyn tells Bobbie that she was in there the whole time talking to Oscar, and that’s all they did. Bobbie says she was drinking. Josslyn says it was just one, but Bobbie says besides her being underage, it was wrong because she lied. Josslyn tries getting around Bobbie by asking if she didn’t do anything wrong when she was young, but Bobbie isn’t going there. She says she can’t allow her to have boys in the house without an adult present or any drinking at all. Josslyn says she’s sorry, and it won’t happen again. She asks if Bobbie is going to tell Carly, and Bobbie says yes, she is.

Kiki tells Scotty that she guesses she’s leaving. Ava says she loves her; she’s just not very good at it. After Kiki leaves, Scotty says it sounded serious. Ava tells him not to worry, but he says he does. He brought her balloons and candy, but they wouldn’t let him bring it in because it’s not sterile. He apologizes for taking so long to visit, and she says he’s just afraid she’ll tell the cops what he did to help her with Morgan’s pills.

Michael and Nelle hit the sheets, and there’s a song part.

Hayden tells Curtis that other than Elizabeth and a couple of others, nobody knows she’s pregnant. Curtis is surprised that she told her sister, but Hayden says that she practically threw up in front of her and Jake. She doesn’t want everything revolving around the baby when Finn needs help. Curtis says who else can she talk to but him?

Finn tells Obrecht not to throw the party just yet, but he might be back. There is something he can do about the test.

Scotty tells Ava that he’s there because he cares. What happened made him sick. He wonders how things would have gone if they’d gotten her out of town. She tells him not to bother with the coulda, shoulda, woulda. He tells her that Lucy is the one who spilled the beans. He managed to divert Dante, but now he’s on a fishing expedition for information. He asks if Dante was there, and Ava tells him no, but Sonny was. She adds that she didn’t say anything about Scotty being an accomplice, and he asks if she will if Dante shows up.

Griff sees Kiki in the hallway, and asks what’s going on. She says her mom wants her to hate her. He asks if part of her still loves Ava, and Kiki says yes.

Sonny and Carly bask in the afterglow. She says for them, love has never been a problem; it’s everything else. He says he’s done. He’s getting out of the business.

Bobbie tells Josslyn that she’d be irresponsible not to tell Carly, and it would look like she was condoning what Josslyn did. Josslyn says that she’s going through a lot, including her mother going to a disgusting love shack with Sonny. Bobbie says turning it around will get her nowhere. Josslyn begs her not to let her mother take her life away, and why burden her with more problems? Bobbie says not to try to manipulate her. Josslyn says sorry, but then do it for her. One mistake doesn’t make her a screw-up, and they love each other. Bobbie says just clean the place up.

Alexis wants to go home. Julian asks if she wants a ride, but she tells him that too much sugar doesn’t mean she can’t operate heavy machinery. He tries to entice her with a playlist of music they used to listen to, and asks her to let him take her home.

Ava tells Scotty that she’d never rat on him. Scotty thanks her, and says, if only. She tells him it doesn’t do any good, and she’s tired of thinking about it. She’s just tired. He says he’ll be back. He cares about her.

Griff tells Kiki that Ava really needs her. Kiki has been traumatized too, and they have resources to help her with choices. He says for forgiveness to work, you have to find your own way to it. She has to make whatever decision gives her peace of mind. She looks in the window of Ava’s room.

Curtis tells Hayden that it’s okay to be scared. Becoming parent is a huge change, and he’d be petrified. She says that she thought she’d have an amazing connection with her baby immediately, and feel hope and joy, but instead she’s ambivalent. She doesn’t know if she wants to be a mother. Finn overhears.

Julian suggests driving on the lake and listening to tunes. Alexis says he needs to hear her – she’s not letting him in again.

Michael and Nelle bask in the afterglow. And get busy again. Geez.

Josslyn gets everything cleaned up, but doesn’t see that there’s still a bottle under the table. She tells Bobbie that it’s like it never happened. Carly will never know – unless Bobbie tells her.

Sonny tells Carly that he’ll quit that part of his operation and do everything he can to make a good life for her and the family. She says he might believe he can, but she doesn’t.

Tomorrow, Obrecht asks Kiki for help, Julian wants Sam to see a doctor, and Carly broaches the possibility of all-out war.

Southern Charm

Ha-ha! I almost typed Southern Comfort, but I was thinking of the movie, not the drink.

I want to know how Kathryn got her hair into that topknot. Did she do that by herself?

When we last left, Landon surprisingly defended Kathryn to Thomas. He’s stunned, which probably doesn’t take much when you only have a few brain cells. Cameran tells us the tides have changed.

The gang is still in Key West. Everyone is doing something different – jet skiing, a massage, Kathryn is reading, some are by the pool. Naomie told Craig that if he was disrespectful, it was over, and she says that’s pretty much what happened. She and Jennifer book. Craig says he doesn’t know who she is anymore.

Austen and Chelsea do some parasailing. He thinks Chelsea feels like she caused a rift with him and Shep, but everything is cool now. Kathryn joins Danni and Elizabeth (half bleh) by the pool. She says things seem unresolved because Landon hasn’t taken ownership of what she said about Kathryn. She says things don’t just switch around like that. Elizabeth tells her what Landon had said earlier, but Danni thinks her approaching Kathryn was genuine, and tells Kathryn how Landon stood up for her and called Thomas a d*ck. Landon joins Cameron and looks like she has a hellacious hangover. Suddenly, it’s like she gets Kathryn, saying Thomas is being a bully who pushes her, and she doesn’t want a man like that. She still doesn’t want to be around Kathryn either though, since she’s not sure what she’ll get.

Elizabeth tells Kathryn that you should give second chances, but she sees red flags. Kathryn thinks Landon isn’t that deep.

Cameran gets a party bus to go to dinner. Thomas recognizes Kathryn’s fabulous dress from when they went out on New Year’s Eve. In her interview, Kathryn says now that she sees what Thomas is like when he holds all the cards, she wants to encourage him to remain on good terms. They arrive at a gorgeous restaurant – lots of candles and twinkling lights. Outside, Kathryn tells Thomas she understands the consequences of her actions, but getting iced out from the person who has her kids isn’t good for her or them. She says they’re at the point where they don’t need mediation, and should handle it themselves. She calls the second baby Julien and I get confused. I thought his name was Saint. Has she been away from them so long, she forgot his name? Thomas tells her he’d like that, since he’s paying ten grand a month for lawyers, and I choke. In his interview, Thomas says if her actions match her words, they can successfully parent.

Suddenly, Danni doesn’t feel well, and keels over. Everyone just stands around looking stupid, but at least Thomas calls for an ambulance, and she’s taken to the hospital. One of the girls calls her fiancé, Todd.

Commercial break. Ha-ha! I love Justin Guarini as Lil’ Sweet. I also love Dr. Pepper, but it’s more than a lil’ sweet. I drank a whole two-liter bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper once, and in the morning thought I suddenly needed glasses.

JD (bleh) gets a call from Elizabeth. He, Shep, and Landon decided to ride mopeds to the restaurant, and took a wrong turn, so they’re late. He tells the others about Danni going to the hospital. Cameran gets a text from Danni saying she was dehydrated. Everyone finally gathers for dinner. Craig says it’s good they got Danni help when they did. Thomas makes a snarky remark about sitting far away from Landon. Landon suggests they be nice to each other, and no jabs. In her interview, she’s glad that she got the full Thomas, since it gives her an out. She marginally feels sorry for Kathryn, who will have to deal with him for life. Drinks are ordered. Craig asks if Whitney had to give up cheese or oral sex, which would it be. Whitney says cheese, but Craig says he really loves cheese.

Craig brings out a onesie with Arriving Soon embroidered on it that he whipped up for Cameran. He wanted to give the baby its first outfit. Does he cook too? Man, too bad I’m old enough to be his mother. Maybe when Patricia’s butler, or whatever he is, retires, Craig could take his place.

Danni gets back, and in the morning, Shep tells her how worried they were. We see a clip of the girls picking her up from the ER in the party bus, and she says that she’s fine. Cameran tells Shep that he’s wasted, and every day is Groundhog Day in his life. She thinks maybe he should just have water if he wants to get on the plane to go back home.

Cameran wants to talk to Craig. She says he has to become aware of how he speaks to Naomie, especially in public. He says therapy blew up in their faces, and she says maybe they have the wrong therapist. In his interview, he says she left without saying good-by, but he had a better time once she was gone. Cameran says from an outsider’s perspective, he’s the one who looks like the a-hole, but he says in private, it’s a different story and Naomie cuts deep. We flash back to some of Naomie’s finest moments. Cameran says they need mutual respect. Shep comes bearing biscuits and gravy for Cameran. And a beer for himself. He is getting wasted, and if he doesn’t get un-wasted, they’re not going to let him on the plane. He says what a great time it was, and Cameran tells him they need to be in the lobby in ten minutes. He spends a few of them talking to the fern.

Commercial break. The Beguiled looks excellent. I saw the original, but barely remember it.

Everyone manages to get back in one piece. Patricia is wearing giant curlers, like the orange juice cans women used to use, and Whitney tells her she looks like Joan Crawford. She’s not so sure that’s who she wants to look like,

Thomas visits JD (bleh), who tells him that Shep and Craig missed the connecting fight. Thomas says he and Kathryn seemed to get along, but Landon surprised him, coming to Kathryn’s defense about things she knows nothing about. He thinks she should both sympathize and empathize with his situation since she’s dealt with it too. JD (bleh) says the one person who should always have his back is his lady. I can’t help it. The Pillsbury Dough Boy has more personality than JD.

Landon visits her sister, Pebbles Bam. She shows Bam a video from the trip, and says that she and Kathryn even got along, but now Thomas is mad at her for sticking up for Kathryn. She got a text from him, quoting Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and she sent a quote back. Because they can’t think of their own words.

Thomas tells JD (😐) he dodged a bullet, and quotes his quote – my good opinion, once lost, is lost forever. In his interview, he says he feels enlightened rather than betrayed. Well, maybe a little betrayed. He wants a woman who feels privileged and honored to be with him (gag), but she’s lost her opportunity. JD (🎧) says he has a black-tie event coming up, and asks if he should uninvite her. Thomas says he can be cordial, like she’s a waitress. Even though I’m not crazy about her, I’d say Landon is the one who dodged a bullet.

Landon tells Bam that Thomas was speaking to Kathryn the way her ex spoke to her. She starts to tear up. She’s tired of men thinking they can control women with money and power, and it struck a nerve with her. Kathryn is trying hard, and Thomas should shut up. She says it was like a warning. He could turn on her too.

Kathryn meets Naomie for dinner. Naomie asks how the rest of the trip was. Kathryn says Craig seemed closed off, and Naomie says not a lot of people know him like Kathryn does. She says they haven’t been getting along, and Kathryn wonders what’s at the bottom of it. Naomie says she just wanted to blame him, and she’s obsessed with telling him not to think so highly of himself. Kathryn says he feels he’s being judged, and overcompensates. Naomie thinks her anger is coming from him lying about taking the bar for a year. She says she hasn’t been very good to him, and feels badly because no one sees her being rude to him. They continue the argument outside, and Naomie suddenly acts nice. In her interview, Kathryn can’t imagine Naomie being mean, saying that she’s not even a bitch to bitches. Kathryn tells Naomie that maybe Craig needs affirmations, and gives her some tips. In her interview, Kathryn says that going through such a complicated relationship has given her insight into people. She thinks if they work at it, they’ll be fine.

Cameran’s mom, Bonnie, comes to visit. She says her birthday was good crazy, and shows Bonnie some stuff she bought from Home Goods. She wants to turn the guest bedroom into a Zen room (shades of Rocky Horror), and says one day it could be a baby nursery. She tells her mother that she’s stopped taking birth control, and shows Bonnie the onesie that Craig made. Bonnie says she never wanted children, but she had them and loved it. She says maybe Cameran is scared of babies, like she was. Cameran says she thinks it’s the initial shock of having your life changed, and her mother says it’s instinctive and profound. She tears up, saying it’s a wonderful experience.

Craig is studying, and Naomie comes in from her last exam. They haven’t talked about the trip, and she’s acting like it never happened. He feels like he was finally himself when Naomie left, and doesn’t want to hide from it anymore. She says she realizes that she has a huge part in the arguments, and the things she says behind closed doors are wrong. She apologizes. He appreciates it, and says it’s nice to hear. She says she’s not saying he’s not an a-hole. Nice follow-up. He says it’s hard for him, because he’s extremely angry. He could never do what she did to someone he loves. He doesn’t think she feels the way she thinks she does about him, and they’re not healthy together. They’re not happy anymore, and he needs a positive influence. She says she’s had similar doubts and thoughts, but she doesn’t want to be with anyone else. He says she seems disgusted with him, and she says she has been judging him and feels badly about it. He says she needs to think about if she wants to put in the effort. She acknowledges what she’s done, and says all she can do is be aware of herself. In her interview she says she doesn’t want to lose Craig. She says they have a lot to process and think about. He says he’ll always love her, and they hug. I have the feeling he just wants out at this point.

Kathryn visits Thomas, and he gives her some photos of the kids with Santa. The kids are in the kitchen having dinner, but since it’s not her day, they can’t go back there. Okay, Thomas is even creepier than I thought. Even if it’s court mandated, he could give her a break. In her interview, Kathryn says she wants to show him she meant what she said about working together. She tells him that she thinks he’ll be pleasantly surprised. He tells her that her energy is powerful, and if she directs it positively, she can accomplish anything. She says during the times they were together, she felt diminished, but now feels like they’re equals. When he goes on about her body in his interview, I wonder if he thinks so. He says he’s seeing a different Kathryn. If she can take pride in who she is, they can make things work. He tells her that he’ll see her tomorrow,and quotes Gone with the Wind, saying tomorrow is another day. She says she totally gets Scarlett. They hug, and he thanks her for coming by. He says he thinks about her a lot, and she says she thinks about him too, and kind of wants to kiss him. Is baby number three far behind?

Sermet’s farewell party is about to happen, and everyone gets ready. Chelsea tells Austen he looks like Richard Gere. No. Just no. Cameran flashes back to some party where she got so drunk she fell on the floor. Thomas thinks Austen looks like James Bond. That would be a no too. Patricia thought it made sense to put Landon and Thomas together, but it didn’t work – next. We find out that Shep wasn’t allowed on the plane. What did I say? Naomie tells Cameran that Kathryn and Thomas kissed because we’re in high school. Then the information goes around the room for the same reason. Landon isn’t surprised.

Kathryn comes in, and Thomas tells her she looks beautiful. Cameran says that she told everyone they were making out. In her interview, Kathryn says love is crazy, and so are they.

Shep brings ex Bailey to the event. We flash back to her putting him in the friend zone. Dinner is served. Shep thanks Craig for being a good friend at the airport. In his interview, Craig says that he didn’t want anything bad to happen. Craig tells Shep about a fight he nearly had that he doesn’t remember, and Shep talks about getting a chicken wing stuck in his throat. Good times.

JD (🐰)gets up and goes blah-blah-blah. Austen mingles. Kathryn asks Naomie how it’s going, and Naomie says better, and thanks her. Bailey asks Austen what the deal with Chelsea is. She’s hugging him, and Chelsea says she’ll let it continue for a minute, and then say her piece. Seriously.

Craig talks about Kathryn and Thomas making up. Austen sits by Chelsea. She tells him that when he has another woman on his lap, and he’s running his hand up her butt and back, it makes the girl he came with look like an idiot. Austen says he didn’t realize. It’s the first he’s hearing that she even cares. Well, regardless, if you came with someone else, you don’t do that. He asks her what she wants, exclusivity, or to stop it altogether because she’s scared to get hurt. It’s come to a crossroads. She asks him what he wants, and he says he’s crazy about her. She says she thinks the same about him, and wants the exclusive route. They kiss.

Craig mentions the first dinner in Key West to Landon and Shep. He says he made himself vulnerable, but it freed up his life. He tells Landon that it’s not true that she never said anything bad about Kathryn. He doesn’t think they all really get along, and Landon asks why he cares because she’s so shallow. He tells her that putting a band-aid on things doesn’t help. Shep keeps interrupting, and Craig tells him to shut up. Craig starts suggesting something to Landon, and Shep interrupts him again, so Craig whacks him on the leg. He says next time he’s punching him in the mouth. Shep says he’s incapable of receiving criticism.

Shep calls Kathryn over. She tells Naomie she’s going to mediate. He asks her if Craig was the worst mediator ever seen. Craig says before drunk ass Shep got involved, he was telling Landon to apologize for what she’d said about Kathryn. Shep says Landon admitted it, and Craig calls him a drunk a-hole. Shep says Craig is, and f-u. Craig says they missed the flight because Shep wasn’t allowed on the plane, not him. Shep says Craig is the one with anger issues, and walks away, telling Craig that if you mess with the bull, you get the horns, and never forget that he’s the bull. I can’t believe anyone even talks like that. Landon gets up, saying, well done, don’t quit your day job, which is more how normal people talk. In her interview, Cameran says it’s obvious that Shep is the a-hole, and that maybe it’s time to face reality, even if it comes from Craig, of all people.

Shep leaves the venue, and later everyone is dancing. Kathryn and Thomas sit on a couch. Kathryn says that it’s nice how they’re not the ones creating the drama for once. Thomas flirts with her, poking at her Spandex leggings, and telling her she should wear silk. Cameran wonders if they’re in love again. Kathryn is glad their friends again. Thomas says that they communicated more last night than in the last two years. He’d thought she didn’t love him, and she asks if he’s kidding. She loves him, and always will. Austen asks Whitney what he thinks is going on, and he says they’ll end up in bed or killing each other – or both.

This was finale, so next time is the reunion. BTW, Cameran is pregnant. The psychic was right. Cue Twilight Zone music.

🍹 Just a bit on Southern Charm Savannah, which also had its finale tonight. I keep saying I can’t decide, yet I’ve watched pretty much the whole season, even if in bits and pieces. Somehow, this group seems to have more histrionics, but still manages to also be kind of boring. I even had a hard time keeping their names straight, and one of the girls is named Happy. The one stand-out is Ashley, who I think is a wannabe actress, since much of the drama has revolved around her. She has a son named Izzy, and up until tonight, they both lived with her husband, who has only been her friend for some time. In the final episode, she’d found a new place, and it ended with them having “a talk.” Ashley also had a masquerade ball to benefit the victims of Hurricane Matthew. A few of the group decided to split their time, and ended up arriving too late. Ashley told them never to darken her door again. Lyle also tried to propose to Catherine, and it turned into a total mess, with both of them getting weepy with high pitched voices. Apparently, he hadn’t even discussed things with her first, and she felt there was a lot they needed to work out before getting married, like life and finances. The whole thing was embarrassing, and I don’t even know if I like these people. I also don’t know if they’re worthy of a reunion either. There have been no ads for it, and there was no preview afterward.

RHPS-ZenRoom

He’ll probably be in… the Zen room!

April 16, 2017 – A Curse is Lifted, Suicide Squad is Okay by Me, Potomac Goes to the Races & Atlanta Reunites

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Once Upon a Time

In Neverland, the Lost Boys chase Hook. He slides down a hill and is surrounded. He says he has treasure and rum, but they want him to pay for what happened to Peter Pan. All of a sudden, the boys drop like flies. Tiger Lily is in the shadows with a blowgun, and reveals herself. She says she never expected to see Hook back again, and he says it wasn’t planned. He thanks her for the rescue, and she pokes him in the neck with a dart.

David tells Emma they never would have put her in the wardrobe if they’d known all this was going to happen. Henry tells her it’s going to be okay, and she says she knows. David tells Regina that the story can’t end like this; Emma can’t go into the final battle without her family. Regina says she’ll have to make do with just one of them. She’s working on breaking the curse, but it might be dangerous or life-threatening. David says whatever she has, it has to work. It’s not like it’s their first time. We flash back to a few other curses the Evil Queen has laid on them.

Snow/Mary strolls through parallel Storybrooke, but everyone is in bad moods. Archie claims Pongo is off gluten. She runs into Regina, and asks if there’s any news about a John Doe in the hospital. Regina says it looks like he may never wake up. Snow ditches the flowers she was bringing to the hospital, and sees a bloom through the cracks of the sidewalk.

Snow brings the flower to David. It makes purple sparkles in the air. The machine he’s attached to goes off, and he opens his eyes. He struggles to get out of bed, asking where the Evil Queen is. He says the guards stabbed him, and the curse brought them there. He tells “Mary” that Snow White is in there somewhere, and somewhere inside, she knows he loves her. She takes his hand, and calls him Charming.

In regular Storybrooke, Snow tells Regina that they have to do this now. Regina says it’s going to hurt. Zelena and Regina take the combined heart of Snow and sleeping David, and put the halves into a potion. When the hearts are done basting, the witches return them, but Snow keels over. Zelena says the magic weakened the hearts. A revived Snow says that Emma will have to fight the final battle without them.

At the parallel hospital, David asks for Grumpy’s help. Snow tells Grumpy (calling him Leroy) to pay no attention to this mental patient she found wandering around. Snow tells David that it’s called a curse for a reason, and everyone else doesn’t know about it. She gives him clothing to change into. He says he put Emma in the wardrobe, so she must be there too. She suggests they find Gold, and tells him to meet her at an abandoned farmhouse in an hour. Snow tells Regina that David was sleepwalking and headed into the woods.

In standard Storybrooke, David shows Emma a video Snow left. She says they have to work together. David tells Emma that her mother found a way to break the curse, but didn’t know it. He shows them a picture of some flower petals, and Zelena recognizes them as pixie petals. She tells them that the enemy is already there.

The Black Fairy shows up at Gold’s shop along with Gideon. Gold says Gideon concocted a ruse to bring the fairy there, and Gideon says that one day he might understand. Belle comes out from the back, and tells Gideon he can still come back to them. Gold tries to make magic, but the fairy stops him with the dagger. She says she practically invented dark magic, but she won’t force him to do anything. When he joins them, it will be because he wants to, and then they can be the family they were meant to be. She and Gideon disappear, poof! in a puff of silver smoke.

In strange Storybrooke, David goes to Gold’s shop. He doesn’t think Gold is under the curse, and wants to know where Emma is. Gold doesn’t know what he’s talking about. David says they’ll have to find Emma on their own, but Gold says maybe he can help. Hearing Emma’s name was the appropriate wake-up call, and now he gets what’s going on. David knows that Emma is destined to break the curse, but doesn’t know where she is. Gold tells him that the pixie dust can reunite anyone who shares true love.

Back in the sort of real world, David says they need Snow’s tracking skills to find the flower, so he has to go to sleep. He knows Hook is out there fighting for Emma too.

Tiger Lily smacks Hook awake. He’s tied up in a cave. He says someone’s life is depending on him getting out of there, but Tiger Lily needs him to deliver something to another realm. He says his love is in danger. She doesn’t believe he could possibly fall in love. She shows him a piece of driftwood and says it’s really a weapon, and the only chance of winning the coming war. He says it’s not their war, but she says there’s a great darkness on the horizon, and the Savior will die without it. He says that’s the woman he loves, and tells her to look in his pocket. She takes out the ring. Tiger Lily says the Black Fairy is in Storybrooke, and this is the Savior’s only hope to defeat her. Hook asks if she has any magic, and she says Pan might, but the Lost Boys outnumber them. He says they don’t stand a chance.

No one can find David in sleeping Storybrooke. Snow says they haven’t looked everywhere in the woods. Regina suggests Archie and Pongo check the mines. When they’re out of sight, Regina reveals an electrical box. She says the tunnel is rigged for demolition; one push it all comes down. She says Snow and John Doe are both awake, which means the curse isn’t working. Snow/Mary claims she was just doing her rounds at the hospital. Regina says Snow is a hero, who would never let the cricket die, but Mary has never stood up to her. She asks what it’s going to be. Snow clutches a pair scissors. The townspeople arrive, and Regina backs off of the box. Snow disappears.

Sliding sideways, Snow and Emma find a small field of pixie dust flowers. Snow says they grow in the presence of evil. The Black Fairy appears, and says she’s been waiting to meet Emma. They’ve been destined to clash since the beginning of time. Gideon joins them. Emma asks if this is it, and the Black Fairy says everyone will know when the final battle begins. Gideon makes the flowers disappear. Emma shoots an arrow at the Black Fairy and Gideon, but they both disappear, poof! in a puff of black smoke.

Tiger Lily explains to Hook that the weapon is what banished Black Fairy to the realm where she was trapped, and that she was once a fairy. Hook asks why she gave it up, like it was tennis or something. She says she failed in stopping the Black Fairy, so she hung up her wings, and took refuge in Neverland. She points out a tree that contains the sap Hook needs to find Emma. The Lost Boys are having a Burning Man Festival, and Tiger Lily shoots an arrow at them. They run after her. Hook hooks the tree and gets the sap. One of the boys sees him, and sounds an alarm. Hook gives his own shadow the driftwood to give to Emma. He drops down into a cluster of the Boys.

David and Snow meet at the farmhouse in parallel Storybrooke. She says Regina is on to them, and gives him the flower. Gold shows up. He says they’re awake, but everyone else asleep. Gold tells David that if they find Emma now, the curse won’t be broken, and everyone will stay asleep. He gives them a vial, and says it will put David and Snow back to sleep, and make everything right again. He says the potion is the only way forward.

In real Storybrooke, Emma knows she can’t change her destiny, and tells Snow it’s not their fault. Snow says there’s something she doesn’t know. They see a pixie dust flower peeking out from the snow.

In snoozing Storybrooke, Snow sprinkles the pixie dust into her hand. David tells her to think about Emma and let the magic do the rest. She throws the dust in the air, and a door appears. David opens it. They see young Emma in her bedroom, reading. Snow says if they go through the door, she won’t be the Savior. David tells her that Emma will have new destiny with them. Snow remembers that Regina said Snow is a hero who wouldn’t let anyone suffer to get what she wants, and she’s right. She can’t sacrifice everyone else’s happiness for her daughter. She says everyone is separated from those they love, and they can’t sentence them to that forever. They have to believe that Emma strong enough to grow up without them. David wishes she wasn’t right. Snow tells Emma that they’ll see her again, and closes the door.

She tells David there isn’t much time, and starts to cry. She didn’t think they’d be saying good-by so soon. He says he’ll always find her. She says one day, Emma will find them. They kiss. He drinks the potion, and falls asleep. Then Snow drinks it.

Regina messes with the pixie dust in original Storybrooke. She gives it to Snow, and Hook’s shadow flies in, and gives her the weapon. She asks where Hook is, and the shadow drops his hook at her feet. She says there’s something wrong, and asks where he is again. The show touches her cheek and disappears. Henry says they’ll find him. She says they don’t know where he is. Snow says the magic can open the door to Hook, and explains how they used it in the past. Emma says they had to do what was right for everyone else. Snow says today she’s putting Emma first. She says they can’t allow Hook to be taken, after they’ve already taken so much. Not before the final battle.

The Lost Boys sentence hook to death for his crimes against Peter Pan. The door appears, and Emma pops out. She and Tiger Lily kick ass. Emma and Hook go through the door and Tiger Lily jets.

Emma gets Hook back to Storybrooke, and says she got his message. He says he should never have run away, but she says tells him that she didn’t make it easy. He says there’s something he has to do before he gets pushed to another portal. He takes out the ring and proposes. He says he’ll always be by her side. She says no. Just kidding. She says yes, and they kiss. He puts the ring on her finger. He says it’s time he faced her father, but David is asleep. Emma explains that they went into a sleeping curse so she could save him.

Regina says there might be another way, but it’s risky.

Everyone gathers together. Regina says once Snow and Charming had a chance to find their own happiness, they chose the good of everyone there. She wants the people to do something for them now. She shows them a chalice, and says if they share the curse, they might dilute its power. Hook takes a sip; then Regina and Emma. The chalice is passed around. Grumpy says he could use a nap. These people are taking some pretty big sips. It must be an endless cup.

Snow and David’s eyes open. They hug and kiss. He says she did it, and she says she didn’t do anything. They find Hook and Emma asleep, but they slowly wake up, along with everyone else. Hook asks if Emma told David his secret. David says Hook is a changed man now, and they’ve all seen it, and everyone is all happy. Regina says it wouldn’t have worked if Snow hadn’t inspired them – she gave up her family. Snow says she did it for a better one, and they’ll defeat the Black Fairy. She tells Emma that she won’t be facing the fairy alone.

Gold meets the Black Fairy. He asks why she gave the dagger back to him. She tells him that he has to choose to be part of this family. He says she has Gideon’s heart, and tells her about Gideon keeping the flower alive as a way of resisting her. He has his mother in him. Gold says he’ll get Gideon’s heart back. The Black Fairy tells him that if he comes at her, there might be nothing left of the town when they’re done. He says he’s willing to pay that price.

Next time, Zelena isn’t afraid of the Black Fairy and vows to kills her, and an ultimate sacrifice will be made.

💣 Suicide Squad

Although I’d wanted to see Suicide Squad in the movies, it never happened. I really shouldn’t complain, since I have 500+ FIOS channels that I pay dearly for, and probably should watch something other than BRAVO. From what I’d read, this film was panned by the critics, but I enjoyed it a lot.

As a kid, I read both the Superman and Batman comics, as well as some other random ones. Doom Patrol was, and remains, my favorite. By the time these characters came along, my comic reading days were long gone. Out of the Squad members, Harley Quinn got high marks, as she brought to mind another favorite from back in the day, Batman’s Poison Ivy. When my friends and I used to act out our comic books – what do you expect from someone who started The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult? – I was always Poison Ivy. Since I’m not part of today’s comic scene, I had no expectations, which might have made a difference in my perception. I had no reference material to compare this with.

The plot was okay. It dragged in spots, and the whole Enchantress business isn’t exactly my thing, but while plot can be a plus, that’s not my reason for watching an action picture. I’m there for the action, colorful characters, and maybe a few good one-liners. On that, the movie delivered.

I also liked the subplot of Deadshot’s relationship with his daughter, and thought Will Smith’s performance was excellent. The costumes, the explosions, the effects – it was all good. And the soundtrack was fabulous. There was a lot of noise about the Joker not being in it all that much, compared to his presence in the previews, but I thought it was just enough. Jared Leto’s portrayal was so over-the-top, any more of it would have been overkill. I’d also heard that he took his Joker persona into his off-time on set, which gave it an extra eww! for me, since I find actors who do that rather creepy.

It’s on rotation on HBO now. If you’re paying for it, might as well watch it. It’s a lot of fun and you could do worse.

🏛 On tonight’s The Real Housewives of Potomac, the ladies went to the Preakness, and of course wore hats. I went to the Belmont Stakes once. I’d never been to the racetrack before, and was surprised that a race takes about two seconds. I didn’t wear a hat, and I didn’t win anything, except a drunk guy trying to pick me up outside of the ladies room. True story. Ashley is finding out that the restaurant business isn’t as easy as she thought, like every single restaurant owner on Kitchen Nightmares. Charisse is having some renovations done on her house, and I have to admit that I sometimes wonder what it’s like to be wealthy enough to be able to add a “fierce champagne room” to my home.

🍑 The excruciatingly long, four-part The Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion has begun. The women all look gorgeous, although I’m not loving Porsha’s dress. It looks like she’s wearing a kimono ten sizes too big for her. A sparkly kimono. Sheree also keeps pulling up the top of her strapless number. Is she wearing She by Sheree? Although dumb as a post, Porsha got my vote for quote of the night: Andy…he’s messy. Out of the mouths of stupid. Things didn’t start escalating until almost the end, when Kandi and Porsha started to get into it. Most of the show was nonsense talk, but it looks like Porsha will be the one walking off this reunion. Probably not next week. I’m guessing that’s the carrot being dangled to get us to watch all four parts.

Extra! Extra! I Started the Rocky Horror Show Cult

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While these aren’t exactly random, rambling thoughts on what I watched today, in honor of the 40th anniversary, HBO is having a midnight showing. Not quite the same as seeing it in the theatre, but an homage all the same.

Gather around, children, and you shall hear of the midnight show called Rocky Horror. I’ve often thought that I should write about it, and the time is now. Since I was just totally ignored by the new generation.

It was my first week in NYC. I was young, headed to acting school and the world was my oyster. A friend of mine had come along on the moving trip to get in a little R&R. My family was staying a couple of days and he was staying two weeks, but I was there permanently.  We were hanging out at a gay bar called The Ninth Circle in Greenwich Village, getting our drink on and meeting people. One of the people hanging out with us was the manager at the New Yorker movie theatre uptown. The Rocky Horror Picture Show had recently started its midnight run. He asked if we would like to go, tickets on him. I didn’t know much about it, but knew it was a musical, as I had seen the soundtrack for the L.A. production.

“Is it a horror film?” I asked.

“That depends on what you’re scared of,” he answered.

I was definitely intrigued and game for anything, so he told us to pick up the tickets at the box office that Friday night. He also handed us a joint. Smoke a joint? In a movie theatre? I wasn’t exactly naïve, but I had never heard of such a thing. Apparently, I wasn’t in Kansas Ohio anymore.

There weren’t too many people there, and my friend was pretty exhausted. He promptly fell asleep, leaving me to my own deductions, and an entire joint. At first, I didn’t know what to make of it, and it wasn’t because of the pot. When I saw Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) dancing backward in a graveyard, I thought, Is this a joke? But by the end of the film, I thought if it was a joke, it was a well-written one.

A few weeks went by, my friend went back to Ohio, and I was already meeting loads of new people. The RHPS had stuck in my mind though, and I really wanted to see it again. I got together a few new friends, and we decided we would go to the Waverly in Greenwich Village, rather than schlep all the way uptown.

It was a totally different atmosphere there, crowded, the crowd brimming with excitement. We staked our claim on some balcony seats. At the time, there were no fans dressing up or yelling things, but there were a lot of joints being passed.

Rocky Horror had a highly addictive property, and it wasn’t the weed. It was a well-crafted film, to be sure. (Although, don’t shoot me, I actually think Richard O’Brien’s Shock Treatment is better and more relevant in a lot of ways.) The music is excellent, no stone left unturned in detail, and it couldn’t have been cast any better. But there was more to it than that. In 1976, the idea of “don’t dream it, be it” had found its perfect home in New York City. It was the right time at the right place.

At the time, I had also found the perfect home. While NYC will always be one of the greatest cities in the world, in the late 70s and early 80s, it was still affordable, and I’d landed there like Columbus discovering the New World. I was attending morning classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (less impressive than it sounds) and living in the Webster Apartments, a women’s residence on West 34th Street. It was a cross between a dormitory and a Tennessee Williams play. Rooms with sinks, shared bathrooms on each floor, two meals a day included, and no men above the first floor (unless you were my dad, who insisted on inspecting it when I first arrived). If a guy showed up, you received a phone call from the front desk telling you that you had a “gentleman caller” and there were rooms on the first floor called “beau parlors” where you could receive your male company. You could also have a guy over for dinner, but he had to wear a jacket between October and May. If he didn’t have one, it could be provided for him at the desk, and that orange jacket got a lot of play from my friends. If you missed a meal, you could get a voucher for a friend, and broke friends need to eat. The meals were surprisingly good, cafeteria style, and there was often a sundae bar. Women weren’t excluded from the dress code either. While you were free to wear what you liked during the week, there were rules for the early Sunday dinner and you had to wear either a skirt or a pants suit. My grandmother had given me a polyester pants suit that I’m sure she thought was very chic (it wasn’t) and I can’t count the times I rolled out of bed on Sunday and into that suit and downstairs for the meal. It wasn’t always the most convenient place to live, but it was great for starting out and a good place to meet other women. I met my eventual roommate, Anna, there, who also became my cohort in Rocky Horror crime.

We started going downtown to the Waverly every Friday and Saturday. The line was long, the excitement was high (no pun intended), and I’m sure every merchant on West 4th Street hated us. Since the movie had originally bombed and been shelved, there was no soundtrack for the film, but the soundtrack for the LA Roxy cast was still available, so I immediately got a copy. We would often act out the musical numbers in our rooms after coming home. It wasn’t long before our private shows translated into audience participation.

The first person to dress up has never been mentioned in any of the books. I don’t know his name; otherwise, I’d totally give him props. One night, when it got to the part where Frankie asks if Janet heard “a bell ring,” someone in the balcony rang a bell, causing us all to convulse into laughter. I noticed the guy was dressed up like Eddie, the motorcyclist jazz musician played by Meat Loaf in the film. Afterwards, I sought him out and complimented him on his costume, which included the LOVE/HATE tattoos on Eddie’s knuckles. I asked him if they were real. “I’m a psychiatrist,” he told me. “If they were, my patients might get a little disconcerted.” Good point.

RHPS was a little like therapy, a way to let off some steam, without waking up with a hangover. At least I didn’t. I don’t know what other people were doing. Ironically, it was both therapeutic and addictive; both the rehab and the habit. We had made our home in the balcony, and made friends we saw week after week. The party started in the line that stretched down the block, where we waited to get in. We were always early, getting ready by nine and out by ten.

Louis, who sat in our row, was the first one to shout back at the screen. As Janet holds a newspaper over her head in the pouring rain, he yelled out, “Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch!” A line that lives on to this day.

I went home for Christmas break, and it wasn’t long after my return that I got my first apartment, on West 27th Street, not far from where I was already. We walked most of my stuff over. I had a roommate for a while, a woman I had met at Webster, but it didn’t last very long. She had trouble adjusting to the city and decided to move back home. By then, I had my first job at Chargit. They took ticket orders for Broadway shows before Ticketmaster was the place to go. I’m sure it got absorbed by them at some point. Anna moved in with me, making it easier for us to be Rocky Horror fangirls together.

Our place was even decorated in early Rocky Horror. We purchased everything we could get our hands on. There wasn’t much merchandising , and certainly nothing like there is now. The only T-shirt you could get was one being sold at the record store near the Waverly.  It was black with the dripping words The Rocky Horror Show, sans Picture because it was from a stage play. My guess is that the store bought out someone’s stock and made a nice buck.  There were a couple of tchotchkes that had come with the Roxy soundtrack, but the Mecca of Rocky Horror movie stills, lobby cards and posters was Jerry Ohlinger’s Movie Material Store. We bought practically everything they had.

We also knew a couple who lived out in Queens, but attended the midnight show at the Waverly. He was a photographer and often took stills of the screen during the movie that he made into 8 x 10s.  I still have those stills (ha-ha). The best part was that no one else had those same pictures. When fans started selling buttons and T-shirts, we got those too.

People were starting to dress up, and found glitter platforms, fishnet gloves and stockings, and feather boas at the hooker stores in Times Square. NYC has everything, so costumes were not that difficult to put together. While Anna and I always dressed fabulously, we didn’t wear costumes and Rocky makeup as a general rule. Speaking of which, it’s so much easier today to find black lipstick and eye shadow. Back then, it was nearly impossible. We found it, but it took some work. We did do the full Rocky regalia one night when we were having an after party. I wasn’t about to wear a garter belt and fishnets on the subway, but I had this incredible 1940s black velvet coat with a beaver fur collar that I’d gotten for ten bucks at Trash & Vaudville on St. Mark’s Place and I wore it over my outfit.

Our apartment wasn’t big – a railroad flat, two rooms and a bathroom – but mostly college and acting students lived there, so no one cared about the late night noise, guests spilling out into the hall, or the funny smelling cigarettes some people were smoking. At one point, there was a banging on the door with the shout, “Open up! Police!” but it was only our upstairs neighbor, Jeff, wanting in on the fun. Later on, he became known as “Naked Jeff.”

After a night of such fine partying that someone drank the bong water (no, it was neither one of us), we had the brilliant idea to watch the sun rise from the apartment rooftop. What we forgot to think about was the height of our building, which was considerably shorter than those surrounding it. No sun rise for us, but we still enjoyed ourselves, chatting, smoking and wandering around. Until Jeff scared us half to death. All of a sudden, his head was peeking over the edge of the roof, which none of us had expected. He actually had every right to scare us, since we’d woke him up. As he came up the fire escape, we realized he wasn’t wearing anything. He wasn’t about to put on any clothes either, but at least he wasn’t mad, and hung out (literally) with us for a while as we watched the sun not rise.

Oh yeah, how it started. The first row of the balcony put you more on the level of the screen, and without seeing other audience members, gave you a certain intimacy with the film. One night, after Frankie sings I’m Going Home, several of us spontaneously stood up and applauded, along with the audience in the movie. It felt like we were in the movie. And that’s how the thought started. How fun it would be, I told Anna, if we tossed confetti during the Frankie/Rocky wedding scene, at the same time they do it on screen. It will fall on the audience below us and they’ll really feel like they’re a part of the movie. I was going back to Ohio for vacation and I’d also wanted to do something special, since I wouldn’t be at the Waverly for a while.

The audience was thrilled and, although it wasn’t the intention, the confetti throwing took off. Anna calls it a “private joke gone public,” and I tend to agree. When I got a letter (yes! we actually put pen to paper and wrote letters back then!) from my sister, who lived near a midnight showing in Cleveland Heights, telling me they were throwing confetti in the theatre there, I was astonished. Imagine my surprise that this even exists 40 years later, all over the world.

The confetti birthed holding newspapers over our heads when Janet did. The paper they hold in the film is the Plain Dealer and I was able to get copies from my father, and I gave them out. I recently sold the last one on eBay for $19.76, in honor of the first year I saw RHPS. Although several people tried it (not me!), it was a no-no to be holding candles so close to newspapers in a movie theatre (that pesky fire code), so that gave way to flashlights. Costumes started coming out, and a mini floor show. Lines were consistently being thrown back at the dialogue on screen. Some stuck and some didn’t. Luckily I got out of there before throwing toast and hotdogs started happening.

One night, after discussing how ridiculous it was that this was our entire social life, Anna and I decided to see another film. Had it been better – I believe it was The Excorcist 2; the title says it all – maybe we wouldn’t have still ended up at RHPS, but we did. By this time, we were getting in for free, although I have a ribbon with hundreds of ticket stubs attached to it. The film was already in progress, and as we approached the balcony stairs, there was a literal wall of smoke. We sat on the steps (breaking another fire code, I’m sure), spending another Saturday night the way we always did.

Probably about a year in, the floor show started to gain more prominence. The film itself started to gain more prominence. It had also lost a certain amount of spontaneity. It became kind of how socialism is good in theory, but someone always wants more and turns it into communism. A few people wanted to take charge of something that had taken flight from a genuine want to make the audience equal with the film. Individuality — don’t dream it, be it – was what the movie was all about for me, and it was time to move along.

Anna and I did attend one of the anniversaries, where our picture was also taken for Sal Piro’s book, Creatures of the Night. A great read – I highly recommend it, as well as his sequel.  Although our perspectives differ somewhat, it’s a wonderful depiction of the phenomenon that RHPS became. He certainly doesn’t mention weed – and for all I know, he was squeaky clean back then; we didn’t really hang out together – and that was a big part of it. Hey, it was a big part of the 70s.

I’ve had a bootleg copy since the first one was made, but there’s nothing like seeing it on the big screen with those who are like-minded. Before I moved away from the city, Sal called and asked me to come to an anniversary event (the 20th?). Since my husband was a “virgin,” I thought it would be fun. And it was, but in some ways, it had already become homogenized. Little bags of props were being sold, along with rice for the wedding in the beginning. The audience also seemed to have a comeback for every line in the film. To me, this lessened the experience of the movie itself. If everyone was just waiting for their cue, how could they be comprehending what was on screen?

I can assure you, I’ve never once introduced myself like I need a 12-step program. Hello. I’m Theresa and I started the Rocky Horror Show cult. Although it has bumped into me along the way. Like the night at karaoke when it came up in conversation. This led to someone thinking I was making it up. Now there was a surprise. Who in their right mind would make something like that up? If I was going to choose my 15 minutes, it wouldn’t have been that. But to save my reputation, I brought  Sal’s book with me the next time I was there. Even after all these years, it’s obvious that’s me. The even weirder thing was, someone mentioned it to the KJ who was working the sound. It turned out he was there at the Waverly back in the day. Talk about a small world.

I was almost at the 40th anniversary in Manhattan this weekend, but decided to write this instead and save my money for Halloween. Seeing it was sold out, I shot an email to the person in charge, asking for them to take pity on a RHPS “pioneer” (Sal’s term), and writing a little anecdote, along with a copy of the picture from the book. I could have heard an internet pin drop. They replied, but what they said was it was sold out, but I could get tickets for the midnight show at the Ziegfeld and sent me a link to the movie theatre. Ouch! Not even a nice-to-meet-you.

I got a follow up email, telling me someone was looking to sell their weekend pass, but I decided to take a pass, telling them thanks, but no thanks.

And with that, I officially retire my corset.