(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
✍🏽 Since I’m attending a 3-day virtual business conference, I wasn’t able to see GH at its regular time. It’s slightly condensed, because I need that pesky sleep, but I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled excruciatingly long transcripts on Sunday night.
General Hospital
Julian wants Ava to call him if she hears from their friend in Pentenville (i.e. Ryan). Sam tries to get nosy about it, but Julian blows her off, asking if there’s something he can help with. She says, it’s her mom.
Alexis is busy getting drunk at the MetroCourt bar.
Josslyn tells Dev that she’s going to talk to Cameron face-to-face, since he’s been ignoring her calls and DMs.
Trina shows up at Kelly’s while Cameron is working. She says they haven’t hung out in a while, and wonders, what’s up?
Jax sees Curtis at the MetroCourt with Jordan, and says he heard Nina hired him to help find her child. Curtis asks if it was Nina’s idea, or Jax’s.
Carly shows up at Nelle’s gravesite, and Nina says, wrong turn? but Carly says she’s right where she’s supposed to be.
Cameron tells Trina that he’s been busy with work, but she doesn’t buy it. He flashes back to when Dev showed him Josslyn’s journal, where Dev faked Josslyn’s writing, saying she didn’t like Cameron kissing her. Trina asks if he’s too busy to help her clear her father’s name, but he says, of course (🍷) not. She says the injustice of Cyrus walking around while her dad’s name got trashed is making her crazy. Cameron tells her not to worry; they’ll fix it. Trina thinks they should find out why Taggert came back to Port Charles in the first place, and Cameron suggests looking at his old reports. She says she’ll pretend she’s looking for mementos in his stuff. There’s no way her dad would set anyone up. He was a good cop. Cameron says he knows, and they’ll make sure everyone else does too.
Jordan excuses herself to let Curtis and Jax talk. Curtis walks, and Jax follows him. Jax says he senses mistrust on Curtis’s part, and Curtis says he doesn’t want to see Nina get hurt. Jax says, that makes two of them. Curtis asks if Jax is manipulating Nina the way Valentin did, and Jax says, absolutely not. He’s just there for support, but he appreciates Curtis looking out for her. Curtis says he was going to say the same about Jax.
Nina asks if Carly is going to create a problem. She made sure Nelle’s grave wasn’t near Mike and Morgan. Carly says she’s not going to cause trouble, and Nina asks why she can’t let Nelle go.
Sam tells Julian that Alexis is drinking again. She thinks it started after Neil died. Julian asks if she’s sure, and Sam tells him about Alexis drinking right in front of her, saying, Alexis almost seemed defiant. He says he’ll do what he can to help.
Jax tells Curtis, Nina knows they might hit a dead end, and Curtis says, or maybe there was never a baby in the first place. Jax says, Nina’s intuition tells her that her child is out there somewhere, and Curtis prays that’s true. Jax says, but he’s worried about Nina if it isn’t, and Curtis asks, isn’t Jax?
Carly tells Nina that she can’t wait for the day Nelle isn’t even a factor, and Nina says, apparently, that’s not today. Carly says she doesn’t know why she’s there, and Nina asks if she’s okay. Carly says she will be, and Nina asks if it’s possible to forget about Nelle completely, when she’s the mother of Carly’s grandson?
Trina tells Cameron that she needs their help; there’s strength in numbers. She says she knows him well enough to know he’s holding back. He says he wants to help her, and so does Josslyn, but he’s afraid he’ll mess things up. She asks, how? and he says, by having feelings for her. Possibly more than friends feelings. He feels like a jerk, since he feels the same about Josslyn. Trina says it’s her fault for sending mixed signals. She’s confused about her feelings too.
Josslyn tells Dev that she and Cameron haven’t talked since they kissed, and Cameron also kissed Trina. She doesn’t want to mess things up for them. Dev says, if Cameron is avoiding her, she has her answer.
Britt orders a drink at the bar, and Alexis says, the more, the merrier. She suggests Britt switch to vodka, but Britt says she has a meeting. Alexis says she remembers those. Britt asks if there’s someone she can call, and Alexis says, a dating service. Her last boyfriend died, and she’s looking for a new one.
Sam tells Julian, she’ll handle her mother on her own, when Cyrus walks in. Cyrus says he wants to purchase the bar, and believes Julian will find his offer impossible to turn down.
Britt asks how many Alexis has had, and Alexis asks if she’s reporting to Julian. Britt says no, and Alexis says Britt just sleeps with him. Britt says, not anymore, and for the record, she had zero idea that Alexis and Neil were a secret. Alexis says, so Britt didn’t actively try to destroy her life; she appreciates the distinction. Britt says, even though Alexis is hammered, she could take it down a notch. Jordan comes in, and asks if Britt has a minute. Britt says, lead the way, and tells Alexis, it’s been a pleasure.
Jordan tells Britt, law enforcement and public health go hand in hand. She had a collaborative relationship with Britt’s predecessor, and is hoping to carry it forward. Britt is in agreement, and asks how GH can help the PCPD. Jordan says, off the top of her head, combating child abuse, domestic violence, andof course (🍷) drug abuse.
Sam says she’d love to hear about Cyrus and Julian’s business together, but Julian says, there isn’t any. Cyrus says, there could be, and Julian should jump at the chance. Molly calls Sam, who steps away. Julian is miffed that Cyrus brought his proposal up in front of Sam, and Cyrus says he’s had ample time to consider it. He asks if it’s the size of the offer that’s the problem, but Julian says, it’s everything. He’s not parting with the pub. Cyrus suggests keeping him on as manager. He’d have the windfall of the sale, plus revenue from the job. Think of it as the evolution of the partnership they already have. The one that formed when he provided Julian with an alibi.
Jax says he doesn’t want to see Nina get her heart broken again, but it’s what she wants. Curtis says they know Nina won’t take no for an answer when she wants something. Jax says, she’s spent so much of her life wondering; he thinks she’s ready for an answer. Curtis says, even if the answer isn’t what she wants? and Jax says, yes. Curtis says Nina is going to need Jax if that’s the case. Jax says she’ll need Curtis too, and they agree to be there for her.
Nina tells Carly, Nelle is Wiley’s mother. One day he’s going to grow up, and want a headstone to visit. Nelle was a human being before her life unraveled. She’s not minimizing the horrible things Nelle did, but Nelle is dead now. Help her rest in peace. Carly says, Nina sentimentalizing a nightmare doesn’t make it less of one, and it’s going to be hard when Wiley finds out his mother was disturbed and killed people. Would it serve him better believing a lie? Nina says, there has to be middle ground, but Carly says, there isn’t when it comes to Nelle. She slit Brook’s throat and kidnapped Wiley. Carly thinks it’s all about Nina. She’s projecting. Nina did some bad things, and turned her life around, and she thinks Nelle could have too if someone had stepped in. Carly tried. Nina was nowhere near as toxic as Nelle on her worst day. Nelle couldn’t have been saved. Nina says, Nelle is dead. Carly won. Why can’t that be enough? She leaves, and Carly tells Nelle’s headstone she doesn’t know why she’s there. She doesn’t know why Nelle still matters. Why can’t she let Nelle go? A Carrie hand comes out of the ground, and Carly struggles with it, knocking over the gravestone. Nina comes back, and looks at Carly.
Julian says he didn’t ask for Cyrus’s help, and Cyrus says, Julian can’t deny he needed it. Be grateful. If Cyrus hadn’t stepped in, the police might have found out what led to Martin’s mugging. Julian says he doesn’t know anything about it, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷) not. Martin probably made many enemies, just representing Nelle. Perhaps as many as Julian made when he married her. He might want to think twice about rejecting a hand extended in friendship.
Sam tells Molly, mom has been off lately, and suggests they meet later.
Jax sees Alexis at the bar, and she says, this is what it looks like. Don’t sound the alarm; Sam already knows. Does he want to join her? For a drink, not a pity party, and not an intervention. Just sharing a drink with a friend. Some people don’t like to drink alone. She’s not one of them.
Britt says her boss has brought up drugs as well. It’s of interest, given the nature of his false imprisonment. Cyrus was deeply moved by the recovering addicts he encountered in the system. He wants to find a way to break the cycle. Jordan says, very admirable. Britt sees Jax, and says, her meeting is here. She tells Jordan that she looks forward to working with her.
Jordan joins Curtis. He asks if she’s wondering the same thing he is, and she says, why is Britt with Jax? He says, exactly.
Britt and Jax sit in one of the side alcoves, and Britt says her mother is obsessed with him. He asks how Obrecht is, she says they haven’t spoken since the WSB picked Obrecht up. She was hoping her mother had cleaned up her act, but not so much. He congratulates her on her new job, and assumes that’s why she wanted to meet. She says she needs money.
Dev says Josslyn and Cameron have been friends most of their lives, and Cameron has been ghosting her since they kissed. Dev doesn’t want to see her hurt, but doesn’t think Cameron’s that into her. Josslyn asks if they shouldn’t talk about it, and he says they can, but he doesn’t think Cameron is comfortable with it. Then there’s the whole Trina thing. She wants them to get together to help her clear her dad’s name, and Josslyn wouldn’t want things to be awkward between her and Cameron.
Trina says she might have feelings for Cameron too, and he wonders why things have to be confusing. She says, because feelings are messy. They change from day to day, minute to minute sometimes. Cameron says, it’s like going through a maze. You think you know where you’re going, then you’re lost. Trina says, the past few months felt like that. She thought about their kiss a lot. He says so did he, and she says, it doesn’t make sense. They were both messed up. She doesn’t know if the kiss was good or bad. He asks what they do, and she says, this, and kisses him.
Julian says, sounds like a threat. Go ahead. Cyrus says he’s merely reminding Julian that he did him a good turn, and could continue to. When it comes to secrets, he’s the exception to the rule that says, two people can only keep a secret if one of them is dead. He walks out, and passes Sam. She stares at Julian.
Trian says, wow, and Cameron says, wow good, or wow bad? She says, wow as in he’s an awesome friend, and that’s where they’re supposed to be. He says, she’s friendzoning him? He should be offended. She says he’s more sensitive than he gives himself credit for, and he says, don’t tell anyone. It will ruin his rep. She says she thinks he was picking up on how she thought she might have feelings for him, going back to their Niagara Falls trip. She didn’t want to go there, since he was in love with Josslyn. He tells her, nobody said anything about love, and she says she was creating a situation, when in reality there was none. The feelings she has for him are friendship. He says, what about him? She says if he wants to crush on her for the rest of his life, go ahead. He says, what about Josslyn? and she says, that’s for him and Josslyn to decide. He says he just wants everything to go back to normal. It’s their senior year. Before they know it, it will be mid-winter formal. She says she can’t wait to go to the dance with someone she really wants to kiss. He says, speak for herself. This last year has been tricky. He’s taking a break from relationship drama. She asks, for how long?
Nina asks, what happened? and Carly says she tripped. She was saying her piece, and lost her footing, and tripped. Nina says, and in the process, she accidently knocked over the gravestone? She couldn’t just leave this alone.
Jordan tells Curtis that she talked to Britt. She was feeling Britt out. Seeing if she’s worth it as a means to get to Cyrus. He asks what she thinks.
Jax asks Britt what the money will be used for, and she says she’s developing a new research program. Hopefully, it will return GH to it’s rightful place as a top medical institution. He says, it’s ambitious, and she says, it’s expensive. The recent legal issues tainted both the hospital’s reputation and finances. She needs his help. He asks, why not hit up her boss? Cyrus already bought his way onto the Board. She says, he’s already making a substantial contribution, and Jax says, that’s not enough? She says, not to sustain project, and from her understanding, he and the hospital go way back. He says, so did he and Monica. Britt says she’s channeling her inner Monica, and wants to restore the hospital back to its former glory. She understands he’s hugely respected. He says, he’s told Cyrus calls the shots now – literally – and she says, that’s out of her control. He says, he understands business is business, and sometimes you have to work with people you don’t care for, but Cyrus is in a whole other category. He was hoping Cyrus was deceiving her somehow, but she knows who Cyrus is, and it doesn’t bother her. It’s her prerogative, but he doesn’t do business with people like that. She says, that’s it? and he says, sorry. As long Cyrus is in charge, the Bank of Jax is closed. She says, interesting, his lofty standards, given who is brother is. She thought they’d be sympatico; the daughter of Faison and Obrecht, and the brother of Jerry Jax. Still, he judges the rest of them. He says he separated from his brother years ago. She says, keep telling yourself that. Jax’s phone rings.
Nina asks Jax to come to the cemetery. His ex-wife is having a moment.
Trina visits Josslyn, and says she talked to Cameron. He’s going help with her dad. Josslyn asks if Cameron is all good with them working together as a group, and Trina tells her, he said the important thing was, they all remain friends. He said he’s spending senior year free of relationship drama, and making no commitments. Joss says, sounds good to her. The less time they spend on drama, the more time they can focus on clearing Taggert’s name.
Dev sits with Cameron at the counter in Kelly’s. He says he’s checking in to see how Cameron is doing after what Josslyn said. Cameron says, those things were private, and Dev says if Cameron wants to tell Josslyn that he found the journal, go head. Cameron says he doesn’t want her to know he knows. She’ll make excuses that she didn’t mean it.
Jordan tells Curtis, Britt said Cyrus was all about using GH’s resources to combat drug abuse. He asks if Britt is in on it with Cyrus, or looking the other way, but she doesn’t know. She says, Cyrus didn’t sink his money into the hospital to become a patron saint. He’s got something else in mind. Curtis says, and he’s arrogant enough to think he can get away with it.
Britt calls Cyrus, and says she met with Jax. He asks if she secured the financial backing, but she says, not exactly.
Julian leaves a message that he needs help. He needs someone to disappear. Sam tells Julian, his meeting with Cyrus confirms what she’s known all along. He says, forget Cyrus. He wants to get back to her mom, but she says, after what she witnessed, leave her mother the hell alone. He says, in some way, her mother trusts him, and Sam says, look where it got her. Now he’s cozying up to Cyrus. Leave her mother alone, and if she comes in, don’t serve her. He says he’d never serve Alexis alcohol, but Sam says, the list of things he’d never do gets smaller every day. She walks out.
Alexis continues to drink. She says, one more. She’s got nowhere to be.
Carly tells Nina, she’ll pay to have it set. Jax arrives, and asks, what happened? Carly tells Nina, she said it was an accident. Nina tells him, Carly said she tripped. Carly doesn’t know why Nina called him, and Jax says, because she was worried. Carly says she’s fine, and Nina says, is she? She’s going, and hopes Jax has more luck with Carly than she did. She leaves, and Jax wants to know what’s going on. Carly says, it’s nothing. It’s nothing that needs to be discussed. It’s over and done with. She looks at the gravestone, and the leaves move. Presumably, it’s the wind.
On Monday, Alexis says Robert is the reason she’s an alcoholic, Dante thinks Maxie is making a mistake, and Sam wonders why Jason didn’t say anything to her.
A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her. – Maya Angelou
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. – Harvey Fierstein
Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there. – Will Smith
Happiness is for dogs and Americans. – Dr. Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), General Hospital
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James
The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived. – Robert Jordan
The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere. – Xun Kuang
If I had to rate Pedro on a scale of one to ten, he’s a three. – driving instructor, The Family Chantel
🍭 Blowing This Pop Stand…
See you when it’s Dead time, but in the meantime, stay safe, stay amused with life, and stay away from Carly. She’s a little clumsy.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly is resting, and Sonny asks, what’s up with Josslyn? She doesn’t look good, and said Nelle stole something from her. Carly says she’ll talk to Josslyn, and gets up. Sonny says, this is probably it. Nelle came back to get it. Carly sees what I’m guessing is a bloody kidney in his hands. She screams. And wakes up. She wonders why this is happening.
Chase tells Willow, she, Michael, and Wiley make a wonderful family. He’s glad she’s happy. She thanks him, and he says it’s all he ever wanted for her. He hopes Michael does better by her than he did. He starts to walk away, and she asks him to wait. She wants to tell him something about her and Michael, but he says whatever it is, it’s better if she doesn’t.
Jax asks if he can talk to Michael, and Michael says, if it’s something about Aurora, he doesn’t have much to contribute yet. Jax says they can talk about whatever he wants, but keep him distracted. He looks over at Nina talking to Valentin. Nina tells Valentin, it wasn’t easy to shut him out and start over, but he left her no choice. He says if she means that, she wouldn’t care who he sleeps with, but she obviously does. Maybe she’s not as over him as she thinks. She says if by over him he means indifferent, she never claimed to be, but she’s determined to move on. He says, then let him do the same. Or did she expect him to wait around indefinitely?
Carly finds Jason in the kitchen, and asks him to pour her a cup of coffee. She could use the caffeine. He asks, what happened? and she says she hasn’t been sleeping well, so she took a nap. Big mistake. She dreamed about Nelle – again. She can’t keep going like this.
Nikolas walks in, and Ava says, good; he’s home. She has something important to discuss. He closes the door, and says he does too. Something he should have told her a long time ago. She says she’s sure it can wait a little longer, but he tells her, for once in her life, lower her guard enough to listen. She asks what makes him think she’s interested in anything that comes out of his mouth. He thought she liked his mouth, and she says she’d like to slap it. So unless he’s about to confess… He says that’s exactly what he’s doing. He hasn’t been honest with her. About him, and about them.
Ava says, speak, and he says he’s been thinking for a while about how things are going. Not just with them; there’s the whole family to consider. She tells him, spit it out, and he says she’s not making it easy. She says clearly he hasn’t thought out what he needs to say, and he suggests she let him say it, instead of being smug, cynical, and ready with a cutting remark. She says he knew how she was when he married her, and he says, a conniving, treacherous opportunist. She says she can never live down her bad choices. She’s selfish and ruthless; never mind his history. He says he knows who he is, but he’s just starting to get to know the real Ava, the woman behind the façade. He’s realized that in their marriage of convenience, he has inconvenient feelings.
Nina says she doesn’t want Valentin to wait for her. There’s no chance for them. He says he doesn’t believe that. Jax is a rebound, and she’s his plus one; his companion, a trophy. She says Valentin knows nothing, and he says he knows she and Jax like each other. He knows they have certain things in common, and knows it’s a safe relationship, because both of their hearts are otherwise engaged. Jax loves Carly, and she loves… She says, no. She’s not threatened by Jax’s connection to Carly.
Jax tells Michael that Valentin wants Nina back. He can’t say he blames him; she’s an incredible woman. Michael says she seems happy with Jax, and Jax says he’s happy with her. But when you’ve been married to someone, you develop an understanding of each other that doesn’t go away just because the marriage ends. Michael hopes he’s right.
Chase tells Willow, he set all of this in motion. He did what he did, and she ended up with Wiley and Michael, and he’s truly happy for her, but he’s no longer a part of her life. Not the way he used to be. So whatever she was going to say… She flashes back to Michael saying there’s nothing selfish about being in love; it’s what he wants for her, but he considers their marriage a success. She tells him, she does too. She tells Chase, it’s not what he thinks, but he says, it doesn’t matter. Whatever she was going to say, it’s best she holds onto it. Michael walks up to them.
Jason asks if Carly wants to talk about it, and she says she keeps having nightmares. The details are different, but they’re horrible and all about Nelle. Even though she’s dead, she’s not. He says Carly just had to sit through a police interrogation about Nelle; it makes sense that she’d be dreaming about her. She says the interrogation was frustrating because the detective accused her of pushing Nelle. Jason says, but she didn’t, so there’s no case. She tells him, that’s what Diane said, and he says he can see why she’s still worried. She says she is, but not because of the cops. It’s because Nina is giving Nelle a proper burial this afternoon at Woodlawn Cemetery. She says she’s doing it for Wiley, so he can visit his mother’s grave, but that’s BS. She’s doing it for herself.
Carly says, Nina had a breakdown a few years back. She kidnapped Avery, and wound up in Shadybrook, but she was able to get the help she needed, and turned her life around. But Nelle didn’t, and Nina can’t let it go. He asks if she thinks Nina feels guilty because she got saved and Nelle didn’t, but Carly doesn’t know. She doesn’t care about Nina’s motives. She cares that Nelle is going to be buried in the same cemetery as Morgan and Mike. She cares that Nelle is going to have a headstone in Port Charles, where she caused so much misery. If Nina wants to do something, pay to have her buried in Florida. I get distracted momentarily by the bowl of moss, and Jason says, who cares about Nina? Why does Nelle bother Carly so much? She says it doesn’t make any sense, but he says, tell him anyway. She says she knows Nelle’s dead, but it seems like Nelle isn’t done with her.
Nina tells Valentin that she admires the way Jax and Carly co-parent, and she’d like to think they could do that with Charlotte. Show her the best of them without the fallout from the relationship they both messed up. He admits he’s responsible for the lion’s share of the damage. He wants to be there for Charlotte, and wants Nina to stay in her life. She says it would make things easier if he’d stop needling her about Jax. He agrees, but wants her to extend the same courtesy to him. She says she doesn’t needle him, and he says she did when he walked in with Brook. She says, that wasn’t needling; she’s appalled. She’s not jealous, and he should know that. Brook isn’t in the right frame of mind to decide if she wants to sleep with him. She’s recovering from a brutal attack. He says he didn’t take advantage of Brook, and she says, Brook is traumatized. Jax asks if everything is okay, and Valentin calls him Jasper, saying, they were just talking about Nelle. Jax says he despises Nelle, but Nina wants to give her a proper burial. Valentin says, she what?
Michael apologizes for barging into the conversation, but Chase says, no big deal. It’s not like when Brook walked in with Valentin. His jaw was on the floor. Michael says, Brook was with Valentin? and Chase says he’s not gossiping. They were pretty open about it. Brook spent the night with Valentin. Michael wonders what she was thinking, and says, Ned isn’t going to like this. Good thing she isn’t living at the house. It’s going to be World War III. Chase asks if he should be looking forward to Brook sleeping on his couch for the foreseeable future. Michael asks if Brook would accept money from him, but Chase says, she’d rather walk on glass. Willow says its good Brook has Chase to help her. He says she means it’s good he’s a sucker, but she says he’s not, and Brook wouldn’t take advantage if he was. She’s not a user like… Chase says, like Janelle.
Ava asks Nikolas what that means exactly, inconvenient feelings? He says it’s not supposed to happen in a relationship like theirs, and she asks him to be more vague. He says he wishes he had done it differently. He wishes he’d returned to his family as soon as he got back. He wishes he’d contacted her without the subterfuge, and that they hadn’t started out at each other’s throats. Being with her is more good than bad. She says, Ava Jerome, more good than bad; that’s a phrase fit for an epitaph. He says he’s falling for her. No, it’s already happened. He’s fallen for her.
Carly tells Jason, maybe it’s PTSD. Nelle has been after her for so long, she can’t let her guard down. He asks why she’s doubting herself. If she thinks something is off, it probably is. She has great instincts. She says, not with Nelle. When Nelle first came to town, she fell for Nelle, hook, line, and sinker. She played right into Nelle’s hands. Jason says she was grateful about Josslyn, and she says, too grateful to see what was in front of her. She didn’t recognize the girl from Frank’s apartment. She couldn’t go back and fix Nelle’s life, which is what Nelle wanted. When she caught up to Nelle in the clearing, Nelle blamed her for everything; every choice, every horrible thing that happened to her. She begged Nelle to turn herself in for Wiley’s sake, but she refused. She was fighting to hold on, and Nelle was fighting for her life. Nelle came at her, scratching and clawing. She feels like there’s something she’s supposed to remember. Like how you can’t remember a name, but it’s on the tip of your tongue. He tells her, don’t push it. It will come to her. She says, or she could confront it.
Valentin asks why Nina is paying for Nelle’s burial. She says, not that it’s any of his business, but Nelle left a son behind. He might want to visit her grave. Valentin asks why he’d want to do that. If Michael is honest with him about the pain Nelle inflicted, why would he want anything to do with her? He’s glad he didn’t know Helena was his mother while she was alive. Nina says he can’t compare Nelle to Helena, and he says, how about the pain Madeline inflicted? Nina isn’t going to romanticize her mother; why romanticize Nelle? She says, it’s none of his business. She doesn’t want to be late for the graveside service that she paid for. She flounces out, and Valentin asks if Jax isn’t going with her.
Chase tells Michael, Janelle is being buried today, and Michael says Nina called and asked if they wanted to attend. When Wiley is an adult, and he wants to visit, that’s up to him, but he has no reason to. Willow says she feels the same way. Nelle was incredibly damaged, but she caused a lot of hurt, and she hurt Willow. All Willow wants to do is leave the past behind and focus on Wiley. Chase said he felt like that at first, but now he thinks he needs to face Janelle one last time.
Ava walks up to Nikolas, and says, so he’s fallen for her. He says, without meaning to. Against his will, and against good advice from people he respects. She says, so this isn’t the first time he’s spoken of these inconvenient feelings. He says he needed a sounding board. Someone to talk to about it, while he tried to talk himself out of it. She says, yet here he is. He says, here we are. They’ve come a long way since she burned his grandmother’s portrait and threatened to shoot him. She says he has no idea how close she came to pulling the trigger, and he says, why shoot him when she could blackmail him into marriage? She says, her sentiments exactly, and drains her martini. He says, it’s different for him, so he has to believe it’s different for her too. Is she in it with him? Yes or no? It’s not just him, is it? She feels it too? She flashes back to when she found the piece of check with his signature on it, and says she feels annoyed and insulted that he expects her to fall for his declaration. He says, it’s the truth, and she says his relationship with the truth is somewhat casual. He asks why he’d leave himself open to being vulnerable if it wasn’t true, and she says, to get her to lower her guard. He says telling her his feelings doesn’t get him closer to his inheritance; it gets him closer to her. She says he’s been working on her for months, trying to wear down her resistance. He asks if that’s what happened at the cabin. She says, yes, and makes a beeline for the door. He gets in front of her, and says, tell him that she didn’t want him as much as he wanted her that night. Tell him it wasn’t real for both of them. She asks if it’s as real as it is when he’s with Elizabeth.
Jax sits down and tells Valentin, it pains him to say this, but he agrees. It would be better for Wiley if Nelle was in an unmarked grave. Valentin assumes he pitched that argument to Nina and it fell on deaf ears. It’s all wrapped up in her head with the loss of her child. Speaking of which, he’s aware what Jax is doing, encouraging her to keep up the search. If he’s doing that, he’d better be damn sure there’s a child out there to find.
Michael asks if Willow is okay, then says, forget that. It wasn’t a question as much as a demand for reassurance. He wants her to tell him she’s okay, and obviously she’s not. She says she doesn’t know what she is. She hates Nelle and always will, and it’s beyond ironic that everything good in her life comes from something Nelle did. He says Willow had every reason to use her pain as an excuse to hurt others, but she didn’t. She says, maybe because at her darkest moments, she had people to support her, and Nelle didn’t. He asks if one of them was Chase, and she says, Chase was there for her, until he wasn’t.
A pastor says a prayer at Nelle’s gravesite. Fastest. Headstone. Placement. Ever. Chase arrives, as Nina says, amen.
Jax says he’s not like Valentin. He’s not hiring someone to pose as Nina’s child. He’s going to help her as much or as little as he wants. Valentin says, and when the search hits a dead end, and Nina is devastated, what then? Jax says, what’s the alternative? Is he supposed to shield her from disappointment? He’s not in charge of her life. Valentin says, aren’t we enlightened? Someone’s done a lot of work on themselves. He wonders if Jax would be so objective if it was Carly about to break her own heart.
Michael tells Willow, there was a moment where Chase was the same Chase he’d always been. She says she felt it too. Before Michael came over, Chase said he was glad she was going to adopt Wiley. She knows he was sincere and he really wants her to be happy. It’s like there are two Chases. The one who loves her, and the one who threw her away. Michael says he can see how much Chase regrets it, and how much he still loves her and wants her back.
Sonny comes home, and apologizes for keeping Jason waiting. His got held up. His dad had Diane draw up a will after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He didn’t have a lot, just some personal stuff, and this. He hands Jason a picture and says, a race horse. One quarter share of a thoroughbred, and now it’s his. They laugh, and Jason says, Mike never told him? Sonny says, Mike might have been concerned he’d think Mike was gambling again. Maybe he forgot. Another thing Alzheimer’s took from him. Jason says, Mike loved horses, and Sonny says, he doesn’t know if the horse ever won a race, or if Mike even cared. He didn’t buy it for an investment; he bought it for part of a dream.
Michael says he was being intrusive, but Willow says she’s not offended by what he said. She doesn’t think it matters if Chase wants her back or not.
Valentin asks Jax how far he would go to protect Carly. What boundaries would he cross, or rather what boundaries wouldn’t he cross? Jax asks how many times Valentin has had this conversation with Nina. That is the angle, isn’t it? Playing up his relationship with Carly, so Nina feels more insecure? Valentin says he’s not the only one who sees Jax’s relationship with Carly for what it really is.
Nina thanks the pastor, and tells Chase that she’s glad he changed his mind. He says, if he hadn’t met Janelle, he’d probably still be a cop in coastal Maine. He’s not grateful, and she never did him any good, but in the end, he benefitted. He’s there to acknowledge that, and put her behind him once and for all. Nina says, Nelle had so many gifts, she could have accomplished a lot if just one person was looking out for her. He says, if Nina really believes she could have been the one to save Janelle, then she fooled Nina in death like she fooled him in life. Nina asks if he doesn’t think Nelle’s life would have been different if someone had intervened, but he says, Janelle had plenty of chances to turn her life around. She had plenty of people willing to help. Carly, for one, and Michael. If she’d just put down her vendetta, and tried to become the person she pretended to be, they wouldn’t be standing there right now. But Janelle was broken. She couldn’t accept kindness or support, much less love. Nina says she can’t help but think about it differently. She has a history of making horrible, disastrous choices, and turned herself around, but she had the privilege of having friends and family who cared about her. Nelle didn’t have anyone. Not one person. Maybe he’s right. Nina thought she could save her, but in the end, all she could do is give her a decent burial, and hope that she rests in peace.
Jax says he and Carly have a child together, and Valentin says, it must be difficult to watch him build a life with another woman. Jax says, not as difficult as it is for Valentin to see him building a life with Nina. Valentin says, he’d be more comfortable with Nina’s choice if he believed Jax cared about her half as much as he does. It’s obvious Jax isn’t entirely over Carly, and Valentin doesn’t think he ever will be.
Willow tells Michael, it’s hard for her to imagine getting back together with Chase, and not seeing the betrayal every time she looks at him. She can imagine getting excited over a special dinner, but it wouldn’t be real; she’d just be playing a part. Pretending he never cheated. And pretending would hurt more than accepting they’re over.
Sonny tells Jason, he’s having Diane locate the other shareholders. He wants to buy them out. If the horse still wants to race, he’ll let him, but if not, he’ll find him a pretty pasture. Jason says, Mike would like that. Sonny says he thinks Mike would, but more than that, he keeps doing it over and over, wondering what Mike would want him to do. He’s gone. Sonny loves him and grieves, but has people there who need him. He has to let his dad go, and focus on the present.
Nikolas says, Elizabeth has nothing to do with this, and Ava says she’s seen how Nikolas looks at her; how he watches her. How he grovels for her attention, her approval, and God knows what else. Elizabeth has always been his ideal, hasn’t she? It was Elizabeth who he was hoping was waiting for him when he got back. He says, Elizabeth is his oldest friend. The romance they had was over years ago. She says, look her in the eye and tell her that he hasn’t dreamed of leaving her for Elizabeth.
Nikolas says, it’s true. He thought of starting over with Elizabeth. Ava says, then spare them more of this farce, but he says, it was just a fantasy. Elizabeth is his past. She says, and she’s his future. He says, that depends. Is he hers? Does she return his feelings? Yes or no? She says she refuses to play this game. He says, she doesn’t have to; he got his answer. She says, believe what he likes, and he says he’ll say it as many times as it takes. She tells him, save his breath. Actions speak louder than words. He asks what he can do to prove himself. Name it. She says if he wants to prove his feelings, divorce her.
Jax says he’s been clear on Carly’s place in his life, and Valentin says, he’s holding nothing back? There’s nothing in his history with Carly that Nina can’t know? Jax flashes back to being on the cliff with Carly when Nelle fell, and telling her that she can tell the truth or save herself/ He tells Valentin, if he ever feels the need to settle his conscience, he won’t be talking to Valentin about it. He leaves, and Valentin wonders what he’s hiding.
Michael says he doesn’t want to make Willow uncomfortable, so no is an acceptable answer to what he’s going to say. She says, okay… and he says he doesn’t know a lot about wine. As CEO, he’s going to have a lot of business dinners, and he needs to study up. While they’re still married, would she like to study with him? He could have a broker send over a selection, maybe once a week. Cook could make dinner. They could make it themselves, but Cook would never let them in the kitchen. He doesn’t want to do something too close to what she and Chase enjoyed, but she says she’s not going to give up wine for the rest of her life because she used to drink it with Chase. She’d love to study wine with him. It sounds like fun. They clink glasses, and she says he’s making the annulment more difficult. The more she’s around him, the more she realizes what to expect from a relationship; someone she can trust, solve problems with, and study wine with. She doesn’t want what she had with Chase. She wants this. While thy’re still married, she’s going to honor that for as long as it lasts. He says he is too.
Sonny asks Jason if there’s any word on Brando. Jason says, Brando went to work for Cyrus this morning. He should be safe for a while. Cyrus won’t test him too soon. Sonny says, eventually, Cyrus is going to want Brando to prove his loyalty, and Jason says, thenBrando knows what to expect. Sonny says, what if Cyrus orders Brando to kill Jason? and Jason says he thinks the motorcycle sabotaging was a one-off. He doesn’t have to try for a while. At lest not in public. Sonny asks if Jason thinks Cyrus would risk a war with what he’s got going on at the hospital, and Jason says, he got rid of the long time staffers. He cut Elizabeth’s hours, and put Epiphany on administrative duties. Sonny says, so no one would notice Cyrus is moving product through the hospital. Sonny asks what Jason thinks the end game is, and Jason says, if Cyrus controls the mayor’s office, the cops, and the hospital, he gets Sonny isolated. He takes out Sonny, and he owns Port Charles. Sonny asks if Jason thinks it’s that simple, and Jason says, no.You have to control a lot of people, and in an organization like that, you need secrecy and loyalty. Cyrus has neither. Sonny says, the more Cyrus wastes his time, the more Brando moves closer. Jason says, what if Cyrus openly breaks the truce? Sonny says, then they take him out. It could get messy, but they have too much to lose; too many people in the line of fire.
Nina kneels at Nelle’s grave, and says she doesn’t know what to say. Sorry seems inadequate, and anything more than that seems like a lie. The people Nelle hurt didn’t deserve it, but she didn’t deserve the kind of life she had. Nina wishes things could have been different for Nelle. She hears footsteps, and looks up. It’s Carly.
Tomorrow, Curtis asks Jax if it was his call to continue the search, Alexis asks if someone wants to join her, Cyrus says Julian will find his offer impossible to turn down, and Carly says she’s where she’s supposed to be.
👒 Tonight, Bravo gave us the gift that keeps on giving. Ashley from Southern Charm made an appearance to watch the season 5 finale, along with Kathryn. Well, not exactly with Kathryn. Since it was remote, we could see both of them, but they couldn’t see or hear each other. Believe me, it was better that way. Starting off, Ashley said she was terrified, and Kathryn said it was going to be funny. Kathryn said she was going to be watching all by herself… sort of, and Ashley said, what do you mean Kathryn will be watching? She seemed more amused than embarrassed, and said once you’re a villain, there’s nothing you can do to redeem self. Apparently, she forgot Kathryn, since that’s pretty much what happened with her. Ashley told us, the opening music got her heart rate up. It was a horrific time for her, and she could feel the anxiety; whereas Kathryn said it was a new beginning for her; she’d come full circle with her relationships.
We found out Kathryn never finished Patricia’s book, The Art of Southern Charm. I have to confess, I haven’t either, but I really just bought it for the pictures of Chauncy. Kathryn also informed us that Craig’s finger was permanently crooked from the butter knife incident. She said she and Craig both had houses that were a wreck, but at least she had the excuse of having children. Yep. I have pets is my excuse. Ashley said Craig was one of her favorites, but she was still waiting for her pillow. I’m guessing she’ll be waiting a long time. She said Shep had been the kindest to her, but made it clear that she loathed Naomie, saying she’d rather watch Kathryn, and hated Austen too. She made fun of the way Austen talked, which was extremely mature of her, made fun of the majority of the cast, called them bitches, and said she hated them. Kathryn’s attitude was just the opposite. She laughed at herself, and gave us various details that weren’t on camera.
The episode featured Patricia’s Christmas party, where Ashley called Kathryn an egg donor. In a completely Twilight Zone moment, Ashley said that Thomas had told her to wear a red dress, and Kathryn said she bet Thomas told Ashley to wear a red dress. ♫ Do-do-do-do do-do-do-do ♫ When Cameron said the party was like the Titanic, Ashley felt compelled to inform us that it sank. No surprise to me, Ashley said JD (bleh) was her favorite. She harped a lot on Naomie being a bitch, and how abusive she was to poor Craig. As Captain Lee would say, Craig wrote Naomie a check his ass couldn’t cash. Neither one of them communicated well, and I like Craig, but she had a reason to be unhappy.
The takeaway point was that Ashley is definitely still bitter, and still proving she’s a nurse, as she showed us her credentials. She also talked to herself in third person, like, run Ashley! She’s still clueless too. When, during the episode, she told Kathryn that she was living the life Kathryn wanted, she confirmed her original assessment, telling us that Kathryn still did. I find that highly doubtful. At the end, she insisted she wanted nothing but the best for Kathryn, even though she talked sh*t about her. On the other hand, Kathryn laughed her way through it, and said she was glad to say goodbye to that chapter. I don’t know what the hell was in her head with that monkey emoji, but sometimes decent people can be thoughtless. I like Kathryn, also want nothing but the best for her, but won’t be talking sh*t.
This was followed by How They Got Here 2020, which basically gave a quick review of seasons past. The new season begins next Thursday, October 29th.
I actually have to get up early tomorrow for an online seminar, and schedule changes aren’t high on my list of fun. So until we meet at GH and Tea, stay safe, stay self-possessed, and stay not expecting a pillow from Craig.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Ned tells Monica, good morning, and she says, that depends. Did he apologize to his daughter? He says, no, and she asks if he confessed to wife that he cheated. He tells her, shhh, and she says she’s pretty sure Brook knows about his little tryst. What’s keeping him from telling Olivia? In perfect soap timing, Olivia walks in, and says, tell her about what?
In their hotel room, Brook thanks Valentin for the shower. She was surprised he didn’t join her, and he says he considered it, but decided to give her privacy. She says that was considerate, and he says he’s a gentleman. Does she regret last night? She says, not for a second.
Chase leaves another message for Brook, telling her that he understands the radio silence, but call him. If he doesn’t hear from her soon, he’s going to put out a bulletin, but he’ll look pretty stupid if she’s sleeping on somebody’s couch.
At the MetroCourt, Jax asks Nina if she’s working on Crimson business. She says she was going to lie to be polite, but it’s still a lie. She’s working on Nelle’s burial.
Chase runs into Sam, and tells her that he has questions about Jason’s accident.
On the phone, Michael tells Diane, if it interferes with Wiley’s adoption, it can wait. The priority is making Willow Wiley’s mother; they agreed on it. He tells her to just start the paperwork, and give him what he needs to sign. Willow comes downstairs, and asks if there’s a problem with the annulment. He says, Diane thinks it’s a mistake.
Ava goes to Charlie’s, and says Julian told her it was urgent. He says she’s damn right. Sonny paid him a visit. She says she thought he was going to steer clear of Sonny, but he says Sonny was there when he came in. Sonny wants him to serve Corinthos Coffee. She says, so serve it, but he says, it’s just an excuse. Sonny wants to remind him that he’s just being tolerant as a courtesy to her, for Avery’s sake. Ava says, that’s sweet, and he says, it’s not sweet. Sonny is a ruthless crime lord, who’s killed indiscriminately. She needs to get that letter before he disappears without a trace. Maybe she’d like that. She tells him not to be absurd, and he says she’d get more time to focus on her marriage to Nikolas.
Nikolas asks if Elizabeth can take a break, and she says, she has to go according to the schedule or she’ll be working at Mercy. He says he’s sorry, and she tells him not to apologize. He has a lot to apologize for, but Britt isn’t one of them. He says he’s there to apologize for something she doesn’t know about.
Ned tells Olivia, Monica thinks he’s being unfair to Brook, and Monica says, on so many points. Ned says Monica is convinced Brook is going to come running to Olivia with her side of the story, but he says it won’t happen. Olivia says, it won’t, because she has every intention of reaching out to Brook. He doesn’t think Brook will be receptive, and she says, neither was Dante. He wouldn’t even show his face, but something she said got through, and here he is. He says he’s thrilled, but the situation with Brook is completely different. She tells him, let her do her thing, and when the time comes, everyone will sit down together and get everything out in the open.
Brook tells Valentin, last night was perfect, but just so she’s clear, it can never happen again. Valentin says he’s clear on that. She says, the sex was incredible, and he says, his sentiments exactly. She says she learned the hard way never to get involved with someone who’s madly in love with someone else, and he says, that’s probably wise. She says, with him, everything is complex. He has secrets within secrets, but he’s straightforward about his love for Nina, and no one else. He says he was in love before Nina, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever stop loving her. She asks if he’ll ever find her, and he says he knows where she is. She asks if he’s going to be reaching out, and he asks if she’s matchmaking. She says, maybe a little. Nina seems into Jax. He says, for now, and she says he doesn’t think it will last? He says he thinks he’d like breakfast, and she says there’s a better menu in the restaurant. He thinks they’d better change into something more formal. She says she knows she said they’d never do it again, but they’re still in the room. Technically, it’s the same night. She takes off her robe, and he says he likes the way she thinks.
Julian says, Ryan wants Ava to divorce Nikolas, and she’s stalling. She says, it’s a complex situation, but Julian says, it seems simple. His life or her marriage. Ava says she thinks she knows how she can save him, and still get everything Nikolas owes her. He asks, what happened to Nikolas’s feelings for her? and she says, recent events have proven otherwise.
Elizabeth says sorry Nikolas had to wait, and he says she’s a respected professional, and the best nurse there. She says she still couldn’t take a break until it was time. He says she shouldn’t have to clock her break minutes, but she says Britt is doing it to everyone. What is she forgiving him for this time? He says she may not, and he doesn’t blame her. She says just tell her, and he says he tried to manipulate Franco and Ava into an affair.
Willow asks if Diane thinks they shouldn’t pursue the annulment because it interferes with the adoption. He says, they’re totally separate, and she asks why Diane thinks it’s a mistake, and he says Diane thinks they’re a good match, but it’s none of her business. Willow says Diane is never shy about speaking her mind, and he says, she’s not wrong. They are a good match. It seems selfish to say that it’s not enough. She says, it’s not selfish to want to be in love, and he says he wants that for her. She says she wants that for him too, and he says that’s why he’s working on an annulment. Not staying married seems like a failure, but if anything, he thinks it was a major success. She says she does too, and he says they walk away winners; no regrets or divorce. The leave the same as they came in, as friends who want the best for each other. She asks if Diane said how long it would take, and he says, she doesn’t have a timetable. He hopes Willow stays until it’s finalized, and she says she thinks that’s best for Wiley. He says, unless she meets somebody, and she says she doesn’t see that in the near future, but if someone sweeps her off her feet, she’ll be sure to tell him. In the meantime, she’s happy the three of them are together as a family for as long as they can be. He says he’s taking a breakfast meeting with Sam, but isn’t sure why. Does she want to go? She says she’ll get her purse, and he flashes back to kissing her.
Sam says, if Chase has any questions about Jason’s accident, he should ask Jason himself. He tells her, be careful. If Cyrus is trying to kill Jason, he’ll try again. Don’t wait until she or her kids are collateral damage
Nina tells Jax, she had to pay extra to get the headstone in a hurry. He says she’s gone to a lot of trouble for someone who called her a crazy baby stealer in court. She says she knows he doesn’t approve, but he says it’s her decision; she can do what she wants. He doesn’t get a say. She says maybe Carly is right and she’s over-identifying with Nelle, but she can’t help thinking things would have been different if someone intervened. He asks, when?Before Nelle killed her first fiancé, or before she tried to kill Carly? He knows Nelle resonates with her way, and this is her way to cope, but he can’t participate.
Michael meets Sam, and she says it’s good to see Willow. Willow says she’ll wait at the bar, and Michael asks Sam what this is about, but she wants to wait for Jax. Jax sees Michael arrive, and tells Nina, he thinks his meeting is starting. Jax joins them, and Michael says he didn’t realize Jax was coming. Sam says Jax’s print division at Aurora is thriving, but her online division isn’t. Jax says, it’s not a crisis, but Sam says, it’s a trend she’d like to reverse. Michael asks how he can help, and she’s glad he asked. She’s looking for a permanent CEO to run her half, and she’d like it to be him.
Chase sees Nina, and sits down. She says she’s glad he could meet her, and he says, of course (🍷). He’s not sure why she wanted to see him, and she says, it’s a little awkward. Nelle is being buried this afternoon in Port Charles Woodlawn. She thought he might want to be there. He asks why she’d think that.
Elizabeth tells Nikolas she doesn’t know how to react or understand how far he’d go to manipulate Ava. He says he jumped at the idea, and pushed them together. He would hurt Ava’s feelings, and when she was left vulnerable, he thought she’d turn to Franco for comfort. He was counting on Franco being receptive. Elizabeth says, even though Franco is her husband. He says he told himself they’d both be better off. She’d be free of a husband who wasn’t good enough for her, and he’d be free of a wife he thought he didn’t want.
Ava tells Julian, last night she met with Scotty. Julian isn’t sure he should represent Ava, but she says, he’s not. He was blackmailing her. Julian says, smarmy bastard, and she says she was disappointed; she considered him a friend. He asks if she’s sleeping with both Nikolas and Franco, and she says she and Franco shared a kiss. She thought it was mutual attraction mixed with nostalgia. Now she’s thinking it was a set up by Scotty, Franco, and Elizabeth. She thinks they were in on it together. He says he can see Franco and Scotty – they’re both lowlifes – but why does she think Elizabeth is involved? She says, because Scotty is blackmailing Nikolas as well.
Nina says she knows Chase and Nelle were close at one time, and he says he knows her by Janelle, the name she was using when they met. He was investigating the death of Janelle’s first fiancé; she killed him. Nina says she’s aware of that, and he says he was the greenest of rookies. It was his first investigation, and Janelle played him. He fell for it, and she slept with him to compromise the investigation. It almost cost him his career. Nina says, and he never forgave her for that. She just wants to give Nelle a decent burial. He says that’s her prerogative, but excuse him. He gets up, and Valentin comes out of the elevator with Brook, who straightens his tie.
Ned asks if Olivia thinks that’s a good idea, and she says she tracked Brook down the night Ned kicked her out. She knows how painful it is, but they can’t move forward unless they talk. He says they have nothing to talk about. He admits he’s wrong, regrets it, and will never do it again. Monica says he sounds like her when she was drinking. The next day she would vow it would never happen again, and it did until she went into recovery. He says, there’s no 12-step program for fighting with your daughter, and Olivia says, maybe not, but the same rules apply. There’s no hope of healing or reconciliation unless he’s honest about everything that happened.
Michael says he has no experience in media, but Jax says, he does have experience though. He did a great job with ELQ. Michael says, until he was replaced, but Jax says he was forced out. He was an excellent CEO. Michael says Jax sounds surprised, and Jax says he thought Michael was too young and inexperienced, and given a job no one else wanted. Michael says, that sounds about right, and Jax says Michael defied expectations. Aurora could use some long-term vision. Sam says she needs someone she can trust until Scout is old enough to run it herself.
Nikolas says, it’s Elizabeth’s life and her choice. He should have respected that. They never would have kissed if she hadn’t been fighting with Franco, and they wouldn’t have been fighting if not for him. She says, apology accepted. She doesn’t want to fight with him anymore or judge him. It makes her feel like a hypocrite. She’s done her fair share of wrong things. He said he was wrong and apologized. He thanks her, and she says she’s sorry he’s so unhappy with Ava that he did that. He says if Ava is unfaithful, he can divorce her and not give her a dime. That’s why he pushed Franco at her. Since he signed the post-nup, his goal was to make Ava so miserable, she’d look outside the marriage for comfort. Things didn’t go as planned.
Ava tells Julian that Scotty had a picture of her and Franco kissing. Franco clearly orchestrated it to threaten Nikolas. Julian asks how much Scotty wanted, and she says, too much. He says, everything she’s done for that loser, and he set her up. She says he thought he was justified, and she did nearly break her arm shoving Nikolas at Franco’s wife. It appears she was successful.
Brook says she got Chase’s messages. As he can see, she’s fine, and in the future – if there is one – she doesn’t need him to monitor her. He says last he checked, she was sleeping on his couch. She says, last she checked, he was pissed at her. He says he apologized, which she knows since she listened to his messages. She says she didn’t say she listened to them; she saw he’d called. She was busy. He says, with Valentin, and she says she didn’t say that. He says, if she doesn’t want people to jump to conclusions, don’t show up in the same clothes she was wearing last night. Nina says she doubts anything happened, and Brook says, if she does, she’d be wrong.
Brook says she ran into Valentin at Charlie’s, and they got to talking, and here they are for breakfast; they worked up quite an appetite. Chase says Valentin is the reason she’s estranged from her father, and she says her father is arbitrary, unfair, and a total hypocrite. She suddenly realizes she doesn’t have her tote bag, and says, dammit. She’d better go get it before someone sticks it in the closet for all time. Valentin says he’ll take her, and she says he’s sweet, but she’ll get a Ride Share. Enjoy his breakfast. She had a lot of fun. He says, so did he. She leaves, and he asks, who has questions?
Nikolas tells Elizabeth, Ava is a different person when she’s around Avery. She’s warm and kind. The scheming Ava is the suit of armor she wears to protect herself. He likes the real Ava underneath, and almost wishes he could take off his armor too. Elizabeth asks what he thinks would happen if did, but he says he doesn’t think he can risk finding out. She says he told her there’s another side to Ava, but there’s one to him too. He’s compassionate and generous. She doesn’t recall him having a suit of armor. He never manipulated or used people. He says he does now, but she says he doesn’t have to. He can be better.
Julian asks if Nikolas is cheating with Elizabeth, and Ava says she’s not certain to what extent, but she’s convinced Scotty caught them doing something. He asks why she’s so sure, and she says she met Scotty at the hospital. Later, she saw him collecting scraps of paper from the floor, and he ran off, chasing Franco and Elizabeth, protesting something. She looked at the only lone scrap of a check left behind with her husband’s signature. If Nikolas is cheating, and she can prove it, she gets 90% of everything he owns. He says, so she’s back to wanting a divorce for real, and Ava says, only when she’s certain she can get the money. He says he can’t deal with her excuses anymore. Stop.
Michael appreciates that Jax and Sam have faith in him, but his goal is to find a strategy to get ELQ back. Jax asks, why?What’s best for the company isn’t always what’s best for the family. Michael says, Ned wants the company back in the family’s hands, and Jax says, let Ned deal with it. Sam says, right now, she needs to put her half of the company in capable hands. Jax says if Michael reinvents Aurora, he can get capital for the revival of ELQ. He needs a counterpart. Michael asks if Jax won’t mind working with someone he used to take to Disney World. Jax says he watched Michael grow up, and that’s why he trusts Michael. He’s navigated two crazy damaged families, and kept his sanity. Sam says Michael is the first person she thought of, and the best person for the job. Michael says, in that case, he accepts.
Ned says Brook betrayed the family when she sold her stock. That was bad enough, but when she found out Valentin was pulling the strings, she should have warned him. Olivia says, he’s right; she should have. But she didn’t. How can she make amends? He says she doesn’t have to, and Olivia asks, what if she wanted to? Would he let her? He says she doesn’t want to, and Olivia wonders if he asked her. He says, no, and she says, he’s not communicating. He was harsh and unfair. How can he make amends? Ned says he doesn’t know, but Monica says she does. Be the bigger person. Admit he was wrong, say he wants to make it up to her, and toss the ball into her court. Give her control. That’s something Edward would never have thought of doing. He says he’s not his grandfather. Brook comes in, and says she forgot her bag; she’s not staying. Ned says he wishes she would.
Ava says she doesn’t care about Ryan and the money, and Julian says she doesn’t care about his life. She just s about playing her pathetic game with Nikolas. She tells him, watch it, and he asks, why? Because he called her on her delusion of hoping the prince will fall in love with her? Nikolas wants out. Let him go, and walk away. She doesn’t need the money. Ava says, don’t presume to know what she needs. Nikolas is her husband until she chooses to let him go.
Elizabeth tells Nikolas, she was friends with Kiki, and some of the things Ava did were awful. He says, Ava lives with that every day. They have that in common; they failed their child. She asks if he realizes he’s defending Ava, and he says, yes. She asks if he feels sorry for her, and he says, not at all. He feels there are moments when they connect, and it’s like going back to how it used to be. They were thrown together by accident. He was a fugitive, and she could have turned him in, but she chose to help him. Before they made all the wrong choices. She asks if he’s told Ava any of this, but he says, no. She says, maybe he should. It might change things. Even if it doesn’t, he’ll have the satisfaction of knowing he was honest, and one step closer to who he really is.
Jax says he’ll set up a meeting to coordinate the transition, and Michael says, the sooner, the better. Sam says she’d like to speak to Michael in private, and Jax says he has phone calls to make. He tells Michael, welcome aboard, and Michael says he’s happy to be working with him. Jax leaves, and Sam says, first, she’d like to thank Michael for taking the job. He says, don’t thank him yet; he hasn’t done anything. She says, no doubt, he will. She tells him that she has to apologize. Valentin got control of ELQ because of her. He says he could say the same thing about Brook, Mya, and Lucy, but Sam says, let her take responsibility for her part. Her parole officer wouldn’t let her see Jason, and Valentin cut a deal and made it happen, but she had to give up Scout and Danny’s shares. He says she made the right choice.
Brook goes the Quartermaine mansion, and says she came back for the bag she left in the living room. Monica says she’s welcome to look, but she hopes Brook stays and hears her father out. She says her father heard her, and she heard him. They don’t need to do it again. Olivia asks her to try again. Nothing will get better until they communicate. Brook says, fine, and Ned goes with her to the living room. Monica asks how Olivia thinks it went, and Olivia says, it’s a start.
Brook finds her bag, and says she doesn’t want to fight. Ned says, neither does he. He just wants to tell her how sorry he is. He loves her, and she’s more important than anything in the world; certainly more than ELQ. She says she’s sorry too, for hurting him. She didn’t mean to; she just wanted out of her contract. He says he knows. Valentin took advantage of her. She says, actually he didn’t. Not the way Ned means. Ned says he wanted to set an example for her, and build something worthwhile, so she’d be proud of him. She says, Valentin will just make ELQ better. She saw him last night. They ran into each other at Charlie’s, and one thing led to another, and… He says, and? She says, they spent the night together.
Nina asks what Valentin was thinking. Sleeping with Brook was incredibly inappropriate. He asks, why? and she says, for one, Brook is traumatized and not thinking clearly. He asks if she’s saying he took advantage of Brook, and she says he should have had better sense. Brook wants to lash out at her family. What better way than with them hooking up? She starts to explain the term, but he says he knows what it means; it paints the perfect picture. She tells him to stop smiling; he’s enjoying this. He says, it hadn’t occurred to him that she’d be jealous.
Chase sees Willow at the bar, and asks if he can sit next to her. She says, feel free. She doesn’t think she’s going to be there long. Michael had a meeting, and they’re going out for breakfast. He says he doesn’t know if Michael told her, but they ran into each other at the gym. She says, he didn’t mention it, and Chase says the ended up sparring. She asks if he’s sure that was a good idea, and he says, probably not. He took a good punch. She says, sorry, and he says it’s his fault. He’d said he was happy about her adopting Wiley. Michael said what she did was none of his business, which is true, and Michael punched him in the face. But he still thinks Wiley couldn’t ask for a better mother.
Ned says, Brook slept with Valentin? She says he’s shocked, which is fine. He says, it’s not fine at all, but she says she’s a grown woman, and knew what she was doing. He says she’s lashing out, and making the most disastrous choices. Possibly it’s no different than him sleeping with Alexis. He wanted to pay Olivia back for hurting him. Brook slept enemy with the enemy. She says, first, Valentin isn’t her enemy. It didn’t even cross her mind. She was enjoying herself as a consenting adult. He says Valentin manipulated her, just like he did with the stock, and she says, wow. He really has no faith in her whatsoever. She didn’t make a mistake, but if she did, it was hers to make. She hurt no one. He says, only herself. Is he kidding? Valentin is hot, smart, rich, and has a wicked sense of humor. I’d sleep with him too.
Nina tells Valentin, she’s happy with Jax. He’s wonderful and supportive, and has too much sense to jump into bed with someone half his age. Valentin says, she’s not half. She says Valentin lied to her about almost everything. It’s not easy to shut him out and start over. He broke her heart, and didn’t leave her any choice. He says, if that means she cares who he sleeps with, and she obviously does, maybe she’s not as over him as she claims to be. Jax watches them talking.
Brook tells Ned, she woke up with a smile on her face. She’s not sad or upset. It didn’t hurt until she tried talking to him. She picks up her bag, and walks straight out past Olivia and Monica. They turn and look at Ned. I dunno. I can’t see saying I slept with anyone to my father, much less telling him I woke up with a smile on my face.
Sam tells Michael, more important than controlling ELQ, she wants Danny and Scout to understand what family means. Michael says, more than ever before, every day he spends with Willow and Wiley, every moment together as a family is precious.
Chase tells Willow that she, Michael, and Wiley make a wonderful family. She thanks him, and he says he’s glad she’s happy. It’s all he ever wanted for her. He hopes Michael does better by her than he did. He starts to leave, but she says, wait. There’s something he needs to know about her and Michael.
Ava is making a martini, when Nikolas comes in. She says, good; he’s home. She has something important to discuss with him. He closes the door, and says he also has something important to discuss. Something he should have told her a long time ago.
Tomorrow, Nikolas tells Ava that he has inconvenient feelings about their marriage of convenience, Nina tells Nelle’s gravestone that she wishes things could have been different, and Carly tells Jason there’s something she’s supposed to remember.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Kelly and Emily got together, and Kelly told Emily that Shannon was legit her neighbor. She said she wanted to be cordial, but wasn’t going to trust Shannon. She told Emily that Shannon did things to piss her off, but had a sweet heart. We flashed back to Kelly’s ups and downs with Shannon, and Shannon throwing her plate at The Quiet Woman during that not-so-quiet dinner. Kelly thought Shannon also had Tamra and Vicki in her ear, and she was a follower. Emily said them leaving was Shannon’s ultimate opportunity. She’d have to form her own relationships now. In Emily’s interview, she said if Shannon and Kelly could reconcile, maybe Shannon would realize she has a pulse.
Elizabeth’s mom Lyn was visiting, and Elizabeth explained to us that boyfriend Jimmy was the opposite of her ex. He’s an introvert, technical, and young. Since Jimmy is Mexican, and so was Elizabeth’s father, Elizabeth thought he also spoke to that part of her. Her father had never taught her Spanish, and Jimmy volunteered.
Braunwyn and Sean went out for Valentine’s Day. In her interview, Braunwyn said she’d been either pregnant, nursing, or drunk for the last 25 years. She told Sean that she thinks if she keeps saying she’s fine, it will become true. He told her not to make alcoholism a stigma, and said he felt guilty for being an enabler. She said she found it scary to be herself, but he said they had so much love, they could get through everything. (Aww!) She was worried she was going to lose friends.
Shannon was working on launching her Real for Real brand that she’d financed with all her money. She said she was parlaying her divorce money for a future. She and the girls met with marketing guy Don, and new boyfriend John joined them. Shannon said he was her biggest supporter, and his daughter Juliet works for her.
Gina and Emily met for lunch, and Gina said she’d been non-stop not working out and eating. She was happy that she and Emily were back on track, but said she was pissed at Braunwyn. Tamra told her that Braunwyn was saying mean stuff about her tiny house. They did shots, and Emily called them the Dos Idiotas. In her interview, Gina said Braunwyn was all smoke and mirrors, and her 8000 square foot house was part of it. Fueled by alcohol, Gina took Emily’s phone and called Braunwyn, accusing her of saying sh*t about her. Braunwyn said Gina had talked smack about her husband, and it wasn’t cool. She told Gina, if she wanted to talk about it, they could look each other in the eye and say it face-to-face; she wasn’t doing it over the phone. In Gina’s interview, she told us about Sean getting her an Uber after the tea party, and getting a text from him later. Now six months later, she was hearing about it. She showed Emily the text, that she apparently kept. It said he was just checking on her, he’d gotten Braunwyn to the condo and she was asleep, and it was nice spending time with her. She told Emily she thought it was creepy, but I thought, it depends. It’s hard to tell if he was hitting on her in some weird way or just being nice, since I don’t know them. She made Emily call Braunwyn back, but Braunwyn wasn’t having it, and said she wasn’t doing this on the phone. In Emily’s interview, she said, Tamra had the day off from her master Lucifer, and came to earth to let Gina know what was going on. She suggested Tamra needed a hobby, so she’d stop being interested in their lives. For some reason, probably added to by the shots, Gina took Braunwyn wanting to talk in person as a condescending insult, and I decided Gina is a total a-hole. PS – Gina does not know what the word soliloquy means.
In Kelly’s interview, she says her relationship with her mom was flourishing. Jolie was a teenage handful though. She thought she should set a better example.
Elizabeth and Braunwyn went shopping, and Braunwyn talked about Gina and the text Elizabeth talked about her dad’s alcoholism, and we found out both Elizabeth and Braunwyn’s fathers had died from the effects of the disease. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she had to tell Emily the truth, because Emily had called her out, but she wasn’t making a general announcement. She said it was like being slapped in the face. She hated that she made this choice. She thought she had enough sobriety under her belt to handle it, but she wanted a drink. She explained that her quirky mom Deb called Tamra, and told her that Braunwyn had quit drinking. Apparently, Lucifer let Tamra have a couple of days off. Braunwyn said she was just taking baby steps, but she’s being forced to share that she’s an alcoholic before she’s ready. It reaffirmed her mom didn’t love her as much as Deb loves herself. She was meeting Shannon for dinner, and was afraid she was going to lost Shannon as a friend, since they’d been drinking buddies. I find Shannon annoying at times, but I don’t see her being like that. In Shannon’s interview, she said she had no doubt Braunwyn was pregnant. In the car, Braunwyn told Shannon she couldn’t drink anymore, and Shannon was all, yay! but Braunwyn said, no. She thought she was an alcoholic. She told Shannon that Deb had blackmailed her. She’d said if Braunwyn didn’t tell everyone that everything she’d said about Deb was a lie, she would tell people Braunwyn had a drinking problem, and Braunwyn wasn’t ready to share. I definitely lost all respect for Deb, who I’d thought was eccentric, and probably not meant to be a mom, but cool. In Shannon’s interview, she said she had no idea, but when she looked back, it added up.
Emily had a birthday party for seven-year-old Annabelle, who she said went from being a little girl to 17 years old. She talked with her hands on her hips a lot. Everyone wore cat ears to the party, and it was interesting seeing the variety. Braunwyn told Emily that Shannon had also made fun of Gina’s new place, saying it was sad and depressing. Emily said Gina had a rough year, and it was what she could afford. She was proud of Gina. Braunwyn said she didn’t like how Shannon often made fun of people who couldn’t afford the same lifestyle, which I’m sure will cost her later. Gina met Elizabeth at the party, and Emily passed the Shannon info along to Gina. Gina said she found it hurtful. She said she had some choice words for Braunwyn, but all of them would get her kicked out of Shane’s house. (Shane! Come back!)
Next time, Dr. Moon returns, Shannon won’t admit to talking sh*t about Gina’s place, and Gina screeches at Braunwyn.
🥂 After the Drinking’s Over…
I dunno. After having ten kids, you’d think the only thing they’d want to redefine is a nap.
I love this movie. I used to take care of my neighbor’s kids, and they loved it, so I’ve seen it like, a thousand times. I also hunted down the Elle Woods Barbie like it was my job several years ago. It comes with a little dog.
I hear we might be streaming Halloween this year, and trick-or-treating will be done via Zoom. Regardless of the situation in your town, celebrate anyway. Dress up. Dress up your house. Dress up your dog. Eat all the candy if you have to. And don’t forget to stay safe, stay updated, and stay out of Tamra’s way on her days off from hell.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Dante hears, complete the mission. He flashes back to aiming his gun at Lulu. He wakes up, and calls her name.
Lulu sits in Charlie’s, and sees Dustin through the window.
Carly tells Jax, she wishes she’d never gone after Nelle that night. She’s afraid… Outside the interrogation room, Nina flashes back to Valentin telling her, no doubt Jax has lied to and for Carly, and will again. With Jax, Carly comes first. Jax and Carly walk out, and Jax says he didn’t know Nina was coming to the station. She says there’s paperwork she has to sign, and asks if everything is okay. Jax says a detective from Pennsylvania wanted to talk about the night Nelle disappeared. Carly says she just wants to stop thinking about Nelle. The sooner Nelle is forgotten, the better.
Brook asks Valentin what they’re drinking to, and he says, nothing. He’s at a bar preparing to get drunk, and she’s in his proximity. That doesn’t mean they’re drinking together. She apologizes for judging him earlier.
On the phone, Chase says he knows why Brook’s not picking up. It wasn’t his place to tell her to work things out with her family, and he apologizes. He takes back his ultimatum. His couch is hers as long as she wants it. Call him. He sees Brando, and says, word on the street is, Brando is no longer a person of interest in the motorcycle crash. Brando says they told him, and Chase asks if they told him why.
Jordan tells Curtis, the guy from the Hanover PD was a showboat. He pushed for the investigation. Curtis says, probably because he wants another shot at a Corinthos. She says, he strongly implied Sonny was covering up, but the only criminal pressuring anyone, is Cyrus.
Willow says Michael can go first if he wants, and he says he was the one who pressured her. She says whatever decision they come to, she wanted marry him. He says, to save Wiley from Nelle. They did that, and Nelle isn’t a factor anymore. They have no reason to stay married. Willow says, unless they want to.
Sonny meets Sam at the MetroCourt. He says she told him it was important, and she says she needs his help.
Michael asks if Willow wants to stay married, and she says she thought he was going first. He says he enjoys sharing his life with her, and parenting Wiley together, all the family moments. He enjoys being around her. She’s interesting, quirky, and gives great advice. She says he’s the one who gives good advice, and he says he’s good with other people, but hopeless at figuring out his own life. She’s everything he could ever want. He’d be an idiot to give it up, except they deserve more than just companionship and good conversation. They deserve love.
Dante gets out of bed, and takes some medication, not bothering with water. We see marks on his back like he’s been whipped.
Dustin thanks Lulu for meeting him, and she asks how he is. He says, until he saw her with his own eyes, he was worried. Things felt tense when he left her with Dante. It was tough, leaving the woman he loves alone with the husband who left her, who she still loves.
Valentin says he thought Brook despised him, and she says she’s reconsidered. Her dad admitted he should have never thrown her out, but that’s his problem, not hers. Valentin asks, why the change of heart?
Chase says, the crash resulted from a defective stabilizer that Brando installed, and Brando says they covered that question before; the case is closed. Chase says, the manufacturer said they’d never had a problem with that part. Why was Jason’s bike the exception? Brando says he has no idea, and Chase asks if he has any idea why the case was closed. He wonders if someone intervened with the PCPD or city hall. Brando says he’d like to get started with his workout, and Chase says don’t let him interfere.
Sam tells Sonny, it’s about her mother, and Sonny says it seems like Alexis is off, like she’s trying to avoid him. Sam says, she’s drinking again. She’s not going behind Alexis’s back in telling him. Alexis claims she’s an adult, can choose how she lives, and chooses to drink. Sonny says he’s sorry, and she says, her too. She doesn’t want to enable Alexis. She’s been pushed to the point where she doesn’t care; she’s angry at the world. Sonny says, that’s accurate. He’s knows since he’s been there. She says, that’s why she called. In his experience, how do you find a way out? He says he had help. He hadn’t wanted it, but for the people he loves, he has to live the best life he can. Alexis will get there eventually.She’s too smart not to.
Nina asks if Jax has to talk to the detective, but he says his statement was requested. That’s why Jordan called, to see if he wanted to add anything. Nina says, does he? and he says, no, but he has to sign the document, which is why he’s waiting. Carly says she’s sorry Jax is still getting dragged in. Jax says he started the vendetta, and should get some of the fallout. Carly says she has to meet Sonny. She hopes Jax doesn’t get kept long. After Carly leaves, Jax asks Nina if the paperwork has to do with Nelle’s burial. She says it does, but she thought it best not to talk about it in front of Carly. He says, Carly will find out sooner or later. She may as well hear it from Nina.
Brook says Valentin is a strategist. He likes to move people like pieces on a chessboard. It’s not an admirable quality, but he’s not like her father. He’s not a hypocrite. He says plenty of people would say otherwise, his daughter’s mother being one of them. Brook says, Lulu is the queen of double standards. She puts people into two groups. Those she approves of, which aren’t many, and those of them who are mere mortals and can’t possibly measure up. He says he couldn’t agree more.
Michael tells Willow, she said she was in love with Chase, and probably always will be. Willow says they were still raw from the breakup. To be honest, she was in freefall, and couldn’t stop thinking about how happy she and Chase had been. He says she can have that again. Maybe not with Chase, but with someone else who will make her heart race. He can’t imagine life without her, but she’ll never have that if she’s married to him. She says, what about him? Does he think there’s someone out there for him?
Jordan tells Jax, the paperwork is ready, and he asks Nina if she wants to wait. She says, of course (🍷), and Curtis walks in. He asks Nina if she’s okay, and she says she’s fine, and thanks him for caring. He says, always, and she says she’s been debating. She thinks she needs to hire the most fabulous P.I. in the world. He says his plate is full, but she says, it’s super simple. She has a name and an occupation in the last five years. He asks who it is, and why she wants to find them. She says, Phyllis Caulfield. She’s a nurse, and Nina thinks Phyllis might have information on her child.
Sonny sees Diane having a drink, and says she looks like she needs it. She says, his wife is the most difficult client she has. He ask if there was trouble at the police station, and she says, Carly wasn’t arrested, so there’s that. He tells her, stop the dramatics and tell him what happened, and she says, the autopsy states Nelle died from a traumatic fall. She went bouncing down the cliff, and was dead before she hit the river. There was a cliff near where Carly admitted finding Nelle, and the detective thinks Carly pushed her.
In the elevator, Carly flashes back to Diane says, never, under any circumstances comment on her feelings. Feelings lead to motives, and motives lead to convictions. She believes Carly didn’t push Nelle off the cliff, but the detective doesn’t. Carly gets out, and sees Diane and Sonny at the bar, but keeps walking. Diane tells Sonny, Carly didn’t push Nelle off the cliff, even if Carly hates her. In the hallway, Carly flashes back to Nelle falling, and Sam startles her. Sam asks if she’s okay.
Dustin asks Lulu how it went with Dante, and she says, it was difficult. They both said a lot of things, and they weren’t said well. She told Dante when he left that she didn’t agree, and didn’t want to end the marriage. When she received the divorce papers, she was completely blindsided. Dustin says if she needs to give it another try, he understands, and is ready to let her go.
Dante hears Willow and Michael talking. Michael says his track record is awful, but Willow says he’ll never know until he tries. He says, neither will she, and she asks what he’s saying. He says, the longer this goes on, the more comfortable they’ll get, and the harder it will be to end it. So if they’re going to end it, they have to do it now. Dante wanders to the front door, and looks outside. Michael comes out, obviously surprised to see Dante. He hurries to his brother, and they hug.
Brooke says, Valentin has been co-parenting with Lulu. He took over ELQ; he can take over custody. He says he and Lulu have both had their days in court, but he realized he was doing more harm good for Charlotte, so he stopped. She says, just like that? and he says, just like that. Their reasons for wanting full custody were the same; they love Charlotte. His past does pose a danger to her, but not as dangerous as becoming like him.
Curtis tells Jordan that Nina offered him a job. It’s straightforward, but he’s not sure he can take it. He’d be tracking another lead to her child. He’d have to find a woman with no effort, but it seems too easy. It seems legit, but he doesn’t want to bring another disappointment to Nina. Chase asks if he can talk to Jordan, and she steps aside with him. He says, it’s about the Jason Morgan crash, and she says, the case has been closed. He says he thinks it’s premature. Obviously Brando is hiding something. She says she’s going to stop him from going further down this rabbit hole. There are plenty of cases that need solving. This is not one of them. She tells him, the case is closed, and walks away.
Brando punches the heavy bag, and flashes back to Sonny telling him, if Cyrus offers him a job, take it. Cyrus walks in, and says Brando is dropping his left shoulder. He’s glad Brando agreed to a meeting, and Brando says, no offense, but why at a place Sonny owns? Cyrus says he and Sonny have a truce. There’s no reason for him to avoid Sonny’s places of business, or for Sonny to avoid General Hospital. If Brando works for him, what if Sonny objects? Brando says, Sonny can object all he wants, but can’t tell him what to do. Cyrus says, glad to hear that, and Brando says he has an answer for him.
In the elevator, Nina tells Jax, she’s still not sure, and he says she doesn’t have to talk to Carly. They can go to his place. He can text Sam that he can’t make it. She says, no, have his meeting. She has to figure out what, if anything, to tell Carly.
Carly tells Sam, she knows she shouldn’t let it bother her, but the detective was clearly on edge. Sam says, Nelle has caused enough grief. Why can’t they close the case? Carly says, that’s how she feels; it’s ridiculous. Jax and Nina come along, and Jax says he has Aurora business to discuss with Sam. They go to a table, and Nina asks Carly if she has a moment. There’s something she’d like to discuss with her.
Sonny asks if Diane thinks Carly will be charged with murder. Diane says, the detective would like to charge her, if he could prove Carly shoved Nelle off the cliff, which he can’t. There are no witnesses, there’s no material evidence, and nothing to prove Nelle didn’t stumble in the dark and fall off the cliff. He asks what the problem is, and Diane says, nothing, except Carly herself.
Carly asks what Nina wants to talk about, and Nina says, Nelle. She’s decided to give Nelle a proper burial.
Dante tells Michael, by the time he got to the church, the funeral was over, but Sonny was still there. Michael is sure Sonny must be glad Dante is back; it will make Mike’s loss more bearable. Those last days were rough, but meaningful. They said what they needed to say, and when Mike died Sonny and his dad were at peace. Dante is grateful Michael was there; he’s a good brother for stepping up. Michael introduces Willow, and Dante says he’d ask if she makes Michael happy, but he can see it written on Michael’s face.
Valentin says, his general feeling is that the end justifies the means. He’ll lie, cheat, steal, and worse, to get what he wants. She says, other than that, he’s a nice guy. He says he won’t actively seek to destroy things, and tries not to make enemies, but he didn’t consider what he might be doing to his daughter. Brook says his daughter wants to be like him; she gets it. She felt that way about her dad. Sometimes she still does. That makes it harder, knowing she’s disappointed him.
Jordan tells Curtis, if she’s not careful, Chase is going to figure out how she’s compromised. He wanted to talk about Jason’s crash. He doesn’t buy that it was an accident.
On the phone, Chase asks for the complete file; everything in the case about the accident. He knows it’s closed, but he got stuck doing the write-up. Send every test they ran. He owes them one. He gets a call from the gym, and finds out he left his wallet there. He jets.
Cyrus tells Brando, he needs a driver to take him where he wants to go, and provide security and protection when he gets there. Brando says he can do that. Cyrus says there’s opportunity for advancement, and Brando asks, what’s the downside? Cyrus asks what he means, and Brando says he’ll be putting himself between Cyrus and a bullet. How many people want Cyrus dead? Cyrus says he doesn’t think anyone is actively trying to kill him at the moment, but the situation could change. He needs to find someone; if not Brando, someone else. Brando needs to make a decision. If he’s going to take the job, he starts tomorrow.
Sam sits with Jax, and he reminds her that they’d discussed her taking a more active role in Aurora, but she says she’s still not ready. He says the lack of permanent leadership is hurting her half of the company. Has she considered selling? She says she can’t. It’s Scout’s inheritance, and she wants it to be there when Scout gets older. He says, understood, and she says, what about him? but he says he can’t take on both divisions.
Diane tells Sonny, Detective DeLeon is convinced Carly is guilty, mostly because of her last name. Sonny says, he wants to take down a Corinthos, and she says, the detective would be delighted to charge Sonny with Nelle’s murder, but he was miles away at the time. He says Diane should have protected Carly; that’s what he pays her for. She says she did. She shut down every avenue of inquiry, including Carly’s fight on stairs with Nelle. Sonny asks why she brought it up, and she says the detective did, citing a parallel. Sonny says, it should have ended there, and Diane says, that was her legal strategy. Carly needed to finish, so they can claim she cooperated fully, but then the detective asked if Carly thought Nelle posed a threat to her family. Carly replied that Nelle was twisted and evil, and she was relieved Nelle was dead.
Carly says she’s not sure she understands, and Nina says, the police offered Nelle’s body to Julian, but he refused. He wanted her buried in Potter’s Field. She couldn’t let that happen, so she got a plot at Woodlawn. Carly says, Mike and Morgan are buried there. So is Willow’s poor little baby that Nelle switched. Nina says, their plots are on the other side of the cemetery, and Carly asks if that’s supposed to make it okay. Nina says she knows Carly is upset, but think about Nelle’s son. Doesn’t she think it will help Wiley to visit a grave with a headstone, and have a tangible reminder of his biological mother? Carly says, no. She thinks it will help Nina.
Brook tells Valentin, everyone keeps asking why she doesn’t go home, instead of camping on Chase’s couch. The truth is, she could. Valentin says she couldn’t go home now. And swallow that gorgeous pride? It would be admitting she can’t make it on her own. She says even if she apologized, her father would still treat her like she’d done wrong. He says, that’s an understatement. If she goes home, it would be on their terms, and she’d never give them the satisfaction. She asks how he knows, and he says he’d do the same thing.
Lulu asks if Dustin is breaking up with her. He says she and Dante have history; they don’t. It makes sense that she’d want to try again, for herself and the kids. So he’ll step back and make things easier. She says things would be harder without him.
Dante says, so Michael and Willow teamed up to fight Nelle for custody, and Michael says, the judge’s decision had a lot to do with Willow. Willow says he’s giving her too much credit. Dante asks what it feels like, marrying into the two most dysfunctional families in Port Charles? Willow says, it’s been wonderful. She’s going to miss it. Dante looks questioningly at them, and Michael says they’ve decided to end the marriage.
Jordan tells Curtis, Chase is starting to put the pieces together, and is going to figure out someone powerful is pulling the strings. He’ll know it’s not Sonny. How long until he digs deep enough? Every favor she’s done for Cyrus is waiting to be uncovered. He asks what about the file Cyrus asked for, and she says, it’s nothing good, she’s sure.
Jax tells Sam, he’s not comfortable running the other half of Aurora unless he owns it. She says she’ll have to hire someone, and he says he can’t help with that, but he can make a few calls. She says she thinks she has someone in mind.
Sonny asks Diane how bad the damage is, and she says, it works in Carly’s favor that she admitted struggling with Nelle. It will explain any trace amounts of her DNA. He asks, what about the detective wanting to charge Carly? and Diane says, with what?All the evidence points to an accident. If Carly just keeps her mouth shut from here on in, she’s home free. He says, nice work. Diane earned her money today. Diane laughs and takes a drink.
Carly says, for years, Nelle tormented her family. For some reason, Nina identifies with Nelle, and she doesn’t believe Nina is doing this for Wiley. She thinks Nina is doing it to make herself feel better. She tells Nina, get some therapy, but don’t polish Nelle’s reputation. There’s nothing she can do for Nelle; she’s dead. Why not help the living? Help Wiley. Let them move on with their lives. Carly gets up and walks away.
Michael tells Dante, they got married to improve his chances for custody. Nelle is gone now, and Willow agreed to adopt Wiley. There’s no reason for them to stay married. Willow says she’s enjoyed being Michael’s wife, and being part of both families, but the situation has changed. Dante says he just got there, so what does he know, but they seem happy, and genuinely compatible. It’s a rare thing, but they know what’s best for them. He asks what the next step is, and Michael says neither one of them want a divorce. Willow says, they have no grounds, and Michael says, they decided on an annulment. Dante says, they don’t just happen overnight. They can take a long time. His Uncle Vinnie’s took almost a year. Michael says neither one of them is in a big hurry.
Lulu tells Dustin, the last thing she expected was to open the door and see Dante. It will be an adjustment having him back. She’ll have to reevaluate, and make room in her life for him, but it doesn’t mean she wants to let Dustin go. He says he wants to make it okay for her, and she says, it is. Dante wanted to end the marriage, and told her to move on, and she did. She wants Dustin to stay where he is. In her home and life, like they planned. He hugs her.
Jax asks Nina how it went with Carly, and she says, not great. Carly thinks she identifies with Nelle, and is paying for Nelle’s burial to feel better about herself. He says he’s sorry, and she says, but he’s not surprised. Does he agree? He says he thinks she’s giving Nelle a proper burial because she honestly cares, but he agrees her care is misplaced.
Carly tells Sonny, she saw Diane leaving. Did Diane tell him that she’s double-charging her? Sonny tells her, Diane also said Carly told the detective that she was relieved Nelle was dead. She says she is, but she’d be more relieved if Nelle was in an unmarked grave. Nina has other plans, and Nelle is going to be buried at Woodlawn. Sonny says, what? and Carly says, Nina insisted Wiley would need a place to visit his mom’s grave. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear Nelle orchestrated it herself.
Sam calls Michael, and he asks if everything is okay. She says it is, but she could use his help. She asks if he has time to meet tomorrow.
Jordan tells Curtis, the file is more than four years old and heavily redacted. He asks what the crime is, and she says, murder. Back in the day, it must have been important to someone to minimize exposure. He wonders why Cyrus would care, and she says she intends to find out. He says he thinks it might have something to do with the hospital and whatever Cyrus’s agenda is.
Cyrus suggests Brando notify Sonny, so it’s out in the open. Brando says, understood, and Cyrus says if Brando happens to hear anything of interest, he expects to be told. He likes to stay informed. Brando says Sonny treats him like a poor relation, and Jason thinks he sabotaged the bike. They don’t tell him anything, so if that’s the real reason Cyrus hired him, he should call it off. Cyrus says he hired Brando to drive him. He expects Brando to be there at 8 am. Welcome aboard. They shake hands, and Chase sees them.
Brook tells Valentin, they’ve been running in circles, trying to convince everyone they’re the person everyone wants them to be, instead of who they are. He asks who she is, and she says, a singer who can’t sing. Who is he? He says, a lover who can’t be with the one he loves. She says, poor us, and he says, poor, poor us. She grabs his tie, pulling him closer, and they kiss.
Tomorrow, Nikolas tells Elizabeth that things didn’t go as planned, Jax says he can’t participate, and Valentin tells Brook that he doesn’t regret last night.
The Haves and The Have Nots
Jeffrey tells Colby to get out of the pool. Colby says, if she’s calling the police, they have time. Jeffrey says, she’s not calling the police; she’s getting her gun. Trevor (or Terry) says they’re not getting shot for him, and they both get out. Colby says they’re such wusses, and Jeffrey tells him, get out. Colby says it was Jeffrey’s idea, but Jeffrey says, no it wasn’t. Colby tells him, the water is so warm, and Jeffrey says, she will shoot him and get off. Colby says, she can’t do that, and floats around. Jeffrey says get his ass out of the pool, and Colby says she can kiss his ass. Relax. Jeffrey says he doesn’t need to relax. He knows her. Get out. Colby says, okay, but continues to drift around. Veronica tells Samuel, if he hears gunshots, don’t be alarmed. And if he is alarmed, wait six minutes to call the police. He asks if it’s about the guys in pool. Let him talk to them. She asks if he goes that way too, and he says, no, but he’s not interested in calling the police. She tells him to get out of her way.
Colby tells Jeffrey, stand up to this bitch. Veronica comes out, and asks if this was Jeffrey’s idea. Colby says, sure was, bitch – and his. Sam tells Colby to get out, but Veronica says, let it stay. Colby says, it? and she says, he’s not a boy, not a girl, he’s in the middle – an it. Colby says she’s like her own definition. Not old, not young, all used up, washed up, and run through– an it. Sam tells him again to get out of the pool, but Colby says he wants to piss rainbows in it. Veronica says, let it stay, and starts to shoot. Sam grabs her, and she keeps shooting, but he keeps her from shooting at Colby. Jeffrey tells Colby, hurry up, and Colby scrambles out and runs. Sam tells Veronica, it’s okay, and continues to hold her arms. She asks why he’s holding her. She can’t stand for a man to overpower her. He says, sorry, and she says she was going to kill that son of a bitch. Sam says, damn. She’d have made him clean it up too. He kisses her, and tells her that she’s sexy. They kiss some more, and he backs away.
David pulls up to his house, and sees Alissa. He tells his guard, what the hell? and Alissa says she’s there to talk to him. He says he’s not in the mood, but she says, please. He says, what? and she says, inside, please. The guard says he checked her out; she’s clean. David says, come on, and they go in. He asks again, what? She says she thinks she’s gone about this all wrong, and he says she did. She says she means she should have just slit her tire, and waited for him to help. That’s what Erica did; she staged the whole thing. He says he knows that now, and she says she should have decided to just tell him that she wants to be kept. He could have her body any way he wants. She’ll let him do whatever, whenever. She just wants a nice apartment and to get out of the game. David says, that’s it? She says it like it’s nothing. She says she doesn’t want to insult him, and he says, she has, over and over. She tells him, trust her; it’s all she wants. He says, whenever someone says, trust me, he doesn’t. (I hear that.) She asks if he ran her. He should, since he doesn’t remember her. He asks why he would, and she says she came before him, when he was on the bench. She was nine. He says he saw a lot of people when he was a judge. She says her father was raping her and her sister, and killed their mother. David thinks back, and he says she asked him where she was going to go after they put her father away for life. Alissa says, he remembers, and he says he often wondered what happened to her. She says, here she is. When she was working with Erica, she knew he was a good man. He asks what happened to her sister, and Alissa says, she died of a drug overdose. He says, sorry, and she says her first foster parents were the worst. She’s sorry she’s so wild and crazy, but here are her labs. She hands him some paperwork, and says she’s disease free, but if he sleeps with another woman, he has to tell her. She uses condoms, and doesn’t exchange bodily fluids, but he can have her any way he likes. He says she should put more value on herself, and she says she knows what she’s worth. He asks how much Candace is getting, but she says she’s had no contact with Candace for as long as she can remember. He says she’s lying, but she says, that’s something she won’t do. He says she should leave, and she says, after he makes love to her. She starts taking off her clothes, and tells him, she loves sex. He tells her, stop, and she says, don’t make her beg, and he lets her not stop.
Hanna and Al go over Kathryn’s paperwork, and Al asks if Hannah understands. She says, she got the first part, but the other part is complicated. He says that’s why people hire people like him to stay on top of the changes. He tells her not to be so hard on herself. She says she has to learn. Her boss put her in charge because she trusts her. He tells her, don’t expect to be an accountant in one day. She doesn’t expect to be able to do all this, does she? Hanna says, no, and he tells her to take the pressure off herself. She says he doesn’t get it. She can’t. She’s worked her whole life. She likes to work. She started as a maid, and she was never ashamed of being one. She’s a caregiver, and loves being of service. Kathryn trusts her and has given her a huge responsibility. This was her life, her family lineage, her legacy now. She’s got to honor that, so she has to get this. He says he admires that; it’s who she is. She says she knows a lot of people who are like that, and he says she doesn’t get it. Kathryn gave her power over everything. She could put it in her name. Hanna says that wouldn’t cross her mind, and he says, that’s why he admires her. She says, it’s called integrity. He says her eyes are beautiful, and she says, thank you, but can they get back to what they were doing? Talk to her about section 2, title 9. He says she wants to go for the big stuff. She says, show her all of it, and he says he’s impressed with her.
Jeffrey and the others go back to Madison’s apartment. Colby says he’s still crazy and adventurous, and Jeffrey says, he’s drunk. Terry (or Trevor) says, that was insane. Colby says too bad he wasn’t down for it, and he says he’s down for living. She shot at him. Colby says, he lived. He tells Jeffrey, he used to be fun, and one of the T’s says, she shot a hole in her pool. Colby says, she wasn’t serious, and Jeffrey says, yes, she was. Trevor and Terry decide it’s time to go. Too much excitement. They leave, and Colby says, they’re so boring. He asks if Jeffrey wants a drink, but Jeffrey thinks Colby has had enough. Colby asks if Jeffrey wants him to walk a straight line. He doesn’t do drugs, and drinks a little. He gets it. Jeffrey thinks if he gets intoxicated on some level, he’ll be bold himself. That’s why he didn’t jump in the pool. Jeffrey says, it was a bad idea, and Colby says, it was his idea. Jeffrey says, he knows, but… Colby says, no buts. Does he know why Colby wanted him to jump into the pool buck naked? The pool represents the world, the water represents what Jeffrey fears. Being naked represents vulnerability, and jumping in is saying, this is him. Instead, Jeffrey operated in fear. Jeffrey says, she shot him, and Colby says, shot at him. What he’s saying is, when you live your life fully, people always take shots at you. Succumb. Jeffrey says he understands, and Colby says he knows Jeffrey does. He went to school for this sh*t. Madison comes home, and says, oh hell. Colby says, what? and Madison asks what he missed. Jeffrey says, tell him, but Colby lies down with his head in Jeffrey’s lap, and says he needs a nap. Jeffrey says, they went to his mom’s, and Colby says, tell him how she almost ended a bitch. Tell Madison the two of them need to go out and talk about when Jeffrey’s dad walked in on them, and how he’s worried that Madison is only attracted to his body. Sh*t they should have talked about at the beginning of the relationship. Colby’s phone rings, and he says he needs to make a run. Madison says, booty call? and Colby says, maybe. He asks where he can take it, and Madison says, the bedroom. Madison sits next to Jeffrey, and asks, what happened? Jeffrey says, they went to his mom’s house, because Madison told Colby too much. Madison says Colby is pretty much his only friend, and he’s kind of amazing. Jeffrey says Colby kind of almost died, and Madison says, what happened?
In the bedroom, Colby tells someone, it’s $250 for a half hour, like his online ad says. Text him the address, and he’ll be right there. He only plays it safe. Yes, he has condoms. He’ll see them soon.
Veronica’s doorbell rings. A dude comes in, and says she wanted to see him. She says he’s been working for Mrs. Cryer; she knows he’s her gigolo. She knows he’s ex-military, and French. He was there on a visa, and married to get citizenship. He’s a mercenary, and did things Kathryn needed done. She tells him that her husband is having her followed. He hired someone, and she needs to take care of it. He says, if he was that kind of person, what would she pay? She says, if he was, she would start at $5000. He says, that’s low, and she says, she told him start. If he wasn’t in the sack with Kathryn, she’d give him a better price. He should know, Kathryn’s in jail, so whatever was going on, it’s over. He says, in jail for what? and she says, murder. He really should read the English newspapers. He’s American now. He says, and she’s a bitch. He doesn’t like bitches. She asks if he’s ever tried one. He declines her offer, and she says, 10. He says he’ll think about it, and she says, don’t think too long. She was told whoever’s following her is foreign, and she needs a foreigner to take care of it. He says, make it 15, and she says, for that, he should be rubbing her back. He says, when he’s done, she’ll be the one rubbing his back. She says, deal, and he says he’ll be in touch. He leaves, and she smiles.
David visits Jim in the hospital, and says, the car wasn’t at the loft. Let him use the locator. Jim says he’ll have to give David his password, and David says he knows everything else. Jim looks at his phone, and says, the car is… where is that? David looks, and says, the police station down the street. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe they have Wyatt in custody. Jim says, they know he’s safe, and David says, as safe as he can be in jail. He’ll talk to Carmen, and she what she knows. Jim says he’s going batsh*t crazy, and David says he’s got to relax. Jim says David sounds like his mother. David tells Jim, text him the link for he app, and leaves. Jim says if David was really a friend, he’d go to the app store and download it. He taps his phone, and says, oh. That’s a whole other app.
On the phone, Veronica says, Laura Wilson and Samuel Wilson. She needs to know everything there is to know. They’re up to something, and she wants to know what it is. She wants to be one step ahead of them. She wants a full background check, and wants everything as soon as – really that soon? She says, great, thank you. She looks on her phone at Samuel’s picture and bio.
David goes into the station, and tells the desk sergeant, Judge David Harrington would like to see Carmen Davis. The sergeant makes a call, and says she’ll be out in a second. Carmen comes out, and asks what brings him to see her, of all people? He says he needs a favor. She says she can’t let him see Kathryn, or Wyatt. He asks if Wyatt is there, and she says she can’t tell him. The Chief and DA are on something in the case, and she shouldn’t even be talking to him. He says, they go way back. Tell him what’s going on. She says she resents him coming in after not talking to her for years. He says she knows how Veronica is; he was protecting her. She says he wasn’t, and she’s afraid she can’t give him any information. Sorry. Why doesn’t he call one of his friends who’s still on the bench. He says they’re pariahs in this town, and she says, my, how the mighty have fallen. He tells her, don’t count him out, and she says she never does. She did count their relationship out. Don’t call her again. Next time she might not be so nice. She leaves, and he asks the desk sergeant what the hell he’s staring at.
Sam tells Veronica, it’s all fixed, and she asks how much she owes him. He says, nothing, but she says it’s dark out there, and he’s been out there a long while. He says he wanted to make sure everything was done right. He takes a lot of pride in his work. She says he takes a lot of pride in working out. How often does he go to the gym? He says he and his wife go every day, and asks if she’s going to look at the camera to make sure it’s fixed. The wire was sliced. She asks if he’s sure it wasn’t wear and tear, but he says, it was cut. Does she know anyone who would do that? She says she has a lot of enemies. He says he finds that hard to believe, but she says, don’t; it’s true. He says she’s such a nice woman, and she says, keep it up. Flattery will get him everywhere. He says he has to get back; he’s making dinner. She ask what he likes to cook, and he says, Laura’s favorites. She gives him a bottle of wine, and says for them to enjoy with dinner; a $1200 bottle. He says he couldn’t. Laura will ask way too many questions. She’ll want to know why Veronica gave it to him. Veronica says she wanted him to enjoy himself; she’s possessive. He says he likes to keep the questions to a minimum. She asks if he’s sure she can’t pay him, but he says he has to go. Rest assured, he doesn’t remember anything about what happened. He leaves, and she guesses she’ll have to drink it her own damn self.
Justin flashes back over his time with Jeffrey, as he takes the pictures of Jeffrey off the wall, and throws them away. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Colby, who asks, is he Sam? Justin says he is, and Colby asks where he wants to do this. Justin asks if they can talk first, and Colby says, it’s his dime. Justin sits, and asks how often Colby does this. Colby says, as often as he needs to. Justin says, how often? and Colby says he thought he was there to have a good time. He asks how often Justin does this, and Justin says, never. Colby says he’s in luck. Justin is cute, even with the bruises. Justin says Colby’s ad said masculine, and Colby says, he’s whatever Justin’s fantasy is, calling Justin daddy. Justin says he thinks Colby should leave, and Colby says Justin needs to pay him. Justin says Colby was there for two seconds. He’s not paying sh*t. Colby says, then they have a problem. He can do anything and everything Justin needs him to do. Tanner walks in.
Veronica’s doorbell rings again, and she says she knew it was him. She pulls in a kind of old guy, and calls him judge. He says, it’s late, and she says, it’s an emergency. He says he was hoping it was. If it’s about Kathryn, he can’t help; no one will. She says, it’s not about Kathryn. It’s about Kathryn’s husband. He has two kids by their maid, and he hasn’t paid support in many years. She has the documents to prove it. She hands him a folder, and he says she knows he hates that bastard. What does she need? Veronica says, $2000 by tomorrow, and he asks if that’s all she wants. She says, unless he wants to give her more, and the judge says, he does, but they’ll start here. He’ll give Jim 24-hours, and sign a warrant. He asks if she’d like to deliver the news personally, and she says she’d like nothing more. He says, it’s good see her, and leers at her. He asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want to… for old times’ sake. She asks how his pacemaker is holding up, and he says, it wouldn’t be. He tells her that she’s as sexy as ever, but she’s right. He leaves, and she’s like, yuk. She says she needs a shower, and calls Celine, leaving a message. She says she has great news. They’re going see Jim in person. They’ll talk later. She trots upstairs, presumably to take a shower.
Tanner says he knew he couldn’t trust Justin. Colby says he didn’t know Justin had a lover. He’ll just go. Tanner says he’s not going nowhere. What are they doing? Justin says, nothing, and Tanner asks who Colby is, and what he’s doing there. Colby says he’s there to meet a friend, and Tanner asks how he knows Justin. Colby says they go to the same gym, and Tanner asks, what gym? Colby says the one Justin goes to. What’s with the questions? Is he a cop? Tanner says he is, and Colby asks, what division? Tanner says, the bomb squad. He’s the one asking the questions. Colby says, clearly, they have things to work out. He’ll let them do that. Tanner says he’s a prostitute, and Colby says, excuse me? Tanner says he saw the text chain. Justin says Tanner cloned his phone? and Tanner says he can’t trust Justin to do the right thing. They’re not going anywhere. He calls them queers, and Colby says, this is going in the wrong direction. He’s excusing himself. Tanner stops him, and says he thinks he’ll break Colby’s face first, but Colby says, first of all, his face is his fortune. And he doesn’t think Tanner wants to do that. Tanner asks, why the hell not? and Colby says he’s not your average bear. Then proceeds to totally kick Tanners ass, Tanner ending up on the floor against the wall. Colby says I’m a former marine, bitch. Don’t let being gay fool him. He’s all man. He says he’s glad he wasn’t some kid they took advantage of. Where’s his money? Tanner says, don’t give it to him, and Colby asks if he’ll have to mess up his makeup even more. Justin hands him the money, and he says, thank you, boo.
At the Iron Bone, Vinnie is on the phone. He says, she still won’t budge. He calls Mama Rose, and says, the Cryer lady said no deal… Okay… Yes, ma’am. He’ll make it look like an accident. He’s got it. He chugs the rest of his beer, and says, let’s go. His three guys follow him.
They go downstairs, where Wyatt sits in the dark. Vinnie pulls a chair over, and tells him to sit. He wants to tell him something. The guys surround him, and Vinnie says he wants to see his wrists. He tells the guys, take the bandages off. Wyatt says, it hurts, and Vinnie says, those are scratches. Give him the knife. Wyatt says, for what? and Vinnie’s guys hold him. Vinnie asks if he wants to die, and Wyatt says, no. Vinnie says he’s going to, and Wyatt says, what about the money? Vinnie says his mom didn’t pay a dime. Wyatt says, she said that? and Vinnie says, yep. She cut him, so he’s going to cut Wyatt. Wyatt begs him to wait; he’s sorry. Vinnie says, hold his arm, and tells Wyatt, relax. Remember when Wyatt cut him? Wyatt says he didn’t mean too, and Vinnie cuts his wrist. Wyatt says, it’s too much blood. He’s going to die. Vinnie says, know how much blood he lost when Wyatt cut him? Wyatt says he’s sorry, and Vinnie cuts the other wrist. He says when Wyatt passes out, leave him on the Cryer lawn. Wyatt left him to die, so one thing for another. Wyatt says, too much blood…
Next time – the finale – Mitch tells Candace that Benny knows about Derrick, Alissa tells David that he’s buying her a house, Veronica pays a visit to Justin, and Veronica tells Sam to let her upgrade him. There will also be a special announcement for loyal fans. I have no clue what that might be.
🧙🏽♂️ Making myself disappear…
This week is going to be quite the magic act, as well as doing some acrobatics. Tomorrow is a peek at the OC and a cup of tea, but for now, stay safe, stay surprising yourself, and stay away from the Iron Bone. Nothing good seems to happen there.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly comes into the station, and meets Diane. Diane tells her, being on time creates a favorable impression. Being early shows you’re too eager, and being late shows you don’t care. Carly says she was told because Nelle’s body was found in a different jurisdiction, that’s why the detective wants to talk to her. What’s the real reason? Diane says he referred to her as Mrs. Corinthos three times when she talked to him, and wanted to know if her husband would be joining them. Carly says, so it’s about Sonny, and Diane says, he probably wants to enhance his reputation by taking down a Corinthos – any Corinthos – including her. Carly says, Diane isn’t going to let that happen, right? and Diane says, not based on the information Carly gave her. Has she left anything out?
At Charlie’s, Jax tells Nina that he’ll have to sell the company or get a competent CEO. Nelle says he already runs half of Aurora; why not run the whole thing? She’s just putting it on the table as an option. Her phone rings, and she answers, telling the person, a single plot with just a headstone. Her name was Jenelle Benson.
Outside, Sasha drops her bag, and everything falls out. She says, perfect. She sees her baggie of coke, and scoops it up. Willow comes by, and asks if she needs some help.
Michael hits the heavy bag at the gym, flashing back to Willow saying she wants to be Wiley’s mom, no matter what happens with them. He tells her, him too, but there’s no rush. Wiley isn’t old enough to wonder what the nature of their marriage is. Chase walks in, and says Michael is really unloading on that bag. Michael says he’s trying to clear his head, and Chase asks how that’s working out for him. Michael says, it’s not, and Chase says it might help if he has an actual opponent. Michael says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for them to spar, but Chase puts on punching mitts, and says he won’t throw any punches. Michael tells him, proceed at his own risk.
Sam knocks on Alexis’s door. Alexis opens it, saying, that was fast. Sam asks if she’s expecting someone, and Alexis says, it’s a bad time. Sam says she’d rather be home with Scout and Danny, but this can’t wait.
Brook quietly goes back into the Quartermaine mansion. She hears Monica telling Ned, one great advantage he has, is that his wife is head over heels in love with him. He’d have to do something so appalling for her to give up and leave him. He says, like finding out he cheated with Alexis. Would that do it? She says, tell her that’s not true, but he asks if she thinks he’d make that up. He cheated on his wife. Monica says, now he’s really done it. Brook hears everything.
Carly says she told Diane everything that happened, and Diane says Carly also told her everything the night Claudia Zaccara died, and it turned out to be a lie. Michael was convicted for a murder he didn’t commit. Carly says, it was years ago, and Diane says she wants to believe that Nelle ran off, and that was the last Carly saw of her. Carly asks why Diane is arguing then, and Diane says things are seldom clear cut with her. Jordan thanks them for coming, and Diane says, like they had a choice. She asks if it’s standard operating procedure, allowing visiting police officers to order her constituents around, and Jordan says, it’s a professional courtesy. They can wait in the interrogation room. Diane says they know where it is, and Jordan says, the detective will be there shortly. Diane asks if she’s not sitting in on it, and Jordan says she offered, but the detective declined. She’s going to let him experience the full impact of Diane’s defense. She leaves, and Diane tells Carly, short, concise answers. I don’t recall and I can’t recollect are options, and if she’s withholding anything, please keep it withheld. The last thing Diane wants is a surprise.
Nina says, no funeral, but a prayer at the gravesite. She doesn’t think Nelle was religious, so something simple. She thanks them, and says, Jax doesn’t think she should be doing this. He says it’s not his place to say; she should do what she wants. She says he doesn’t think Nelle deserves a proper burial, and he says he thinks Nelle caused a lot of problems, and the sooner she’s forgotten about, the better. She says, Nelle is leaving behind a little boy. Someday he’s going to grow up and ask questions, and might want to visit her grave. Now there will be one to visit. He asks if she’s doing this for Wiley, and she says, partly, but also for Nelle. Not the psychotic Nelle, but the Nelle that could have been if life were different. Jax gets a call from Jordan, who says she has some follow-up questions about the night Nelle disappeared. He says he’s already told her what he knows, but she asks to see him tonight. He says he’ll be there, and Nina says, that sounded ominous. He tells her, Jordan has questions about the night Nelle died.
Sasha tells Willow, she’s good, thanks. She’s just clumsy. Willow asks if Sasha is sure she’s all right, and Sasha says she doesn’t see why Willow should care. Willow should hate her. Willow says she doesn’t. In fact, she thinks they should have a glass of wine together.
Chase says he’s not sure Michael is aware, but a Pennsylvania detective is looking into Nelle’s death. Michael asks, why? and Chase says the body was recovered across state lines, and they opened their own investigation. He thought Michael should know in case he’s contacted. Michael says Chase is acting like it was six months ago, but it’s not. Too much has changed. Chase says he understands, but Michael doesn’t think he does. Willow loved Chase, and believed in him. Chase broke her heart, and it might be unfair, but Michael blames Chase more than Sasha.
Alexis says Sam seems put out, and Sam says she’s worried about Alexis. She missed Mike’s funeral; Kristina’s grandfather’s funeral. Alexis says she told Sam, she forgot to set her alarm, and Sam says, getting hammered does funny things to you memory.
Ned says he knows he made a mistake, and Monica says, one he has no intention of repeating. He says, of course (🍷) not. He only did it because he thought she was cheating with Robert. Monica says she knows infidelity runs in the family, but thought he would have learned from the Lois/Kathryn debacle. He says if she mentions it again, he’ll blow his top, but she says that’s better than blowing his chance with his wife. He needs to tell Olivia. He says he has no intention of telling her. This secret is going with him to his grave. In the foyer, Olivia asks what Brook is doing home. And who is she spying on?
The detective comes into the interrogation room, and introduces himself as Detective DeLeon from the Hanover PD. Nelle’s body was recovered in his jurisdiction, and it’s his understanding that Carly was the last person who saw her alive. Diane says, hello, and introduces herself. She says, while her client is certainly willing to answer his questions to the best of her ability, she wants it noted that Carly has already given a statement to the PCPD. DeLeon says he read it, but has additional questions. Carly can answer them tonight, or he subpoena her. Diane says he’d have to show cause for a subpoena, and has none. Instead of wasting the court’s time, Carly has agreed. She says she’s sure he intends on recording the interview, and she wants a copy or they’ll see him in court. He says she doesn’t miss a trick, and she says, his choice.
Valentin asks Nina if the seat next to her is taken, and she says Jax was there, but he can take it. She’s busy though. He asks if it’s Crimson, and she says, a personal project. He asks if she’s willing to tell him, and she says she’s looking for a nurse names Phyllis Caulfield. She has every reason to believe Phyllis knows what happened to her baby.
Sasha thinks it’s a bad idea, but Willow says she knows Sasha loves the house pinot. They sit, and Sasha asks if Willow remembers the time they got a bottle for the table. They drank most of it. The guys were so busy debating the merits of the wine, they missed the actual wine. Willow says she misses the four of them being friends, and Sasha says she does too.
Ned asks if Monica is telling him to destroy his marriage, but she says he has a better shot at saving it if he tells Olivia himself. Better she hear it from him than from someone else. She asks how many people know, and he says, him, her, and Alexis. She asks if he expects attorney/client privilege in the bedroom, and he says, Alexis may not be the most reliable person at the moment – she’s no longer recovering – and Monica says, Olivia may figure it out even if Alexis says nothing. Olivia and Brook walk in, and Olivia asks if they want to explain what Brook is doing with her ear pressed to the door. What are they talking about?
Alexis says she already told Sam that she didn’t forget, and Sam says, so she chose to skip the funeral? Alexis asks why she’d do that, and Sam says she had more important drinking to do. Alexis says it may come shock, but she doesn’t answer to Sam. Sam says when they were at the MetroCourt, Alexis put her drink down. When she left, Sam picked it up, and it was full of vodka. It’s the first step – honesty. Just admit she was drinking. There’s a knock at the door, and Sam says Alexis doesn’t have to get it, but Alexis says she does. Alexis tells the delivery guy, right on time, and takes a bag obviously containing a bottle out of his hand. Sam asks what it is, and Alexis shows her the bottle.
DeLeon starts the recording. He says it’s an inquiry into the death of Nelle Benson. He’s interviewing Carly Corinthos, and also present is Carly’s attorney. He asks Carly, to her knowledge, was she the last person to see Nelle alive?
Alexis tells Sam, she can go, but Sam says she’s not leaving Alexis like this. Alexis says she’s partaking in a legal substance in the privacy of her own home. She’s not hurting anyone. Sam says she’s hurting herself and the people who love her. Alexis says, what Sam’s doing isn’t love. It’s holier than thou condescension, and a convenient distraction from the mess waiting for her at home. Sam says Alexis is trying to change the subject, and Alexis asks if Valentin wasn’t all that Sam hoped. Sam says she thought Alexis and Valentin were buddies. She and Jason noticed how stressed Alexis was at the reception. Alexis asks how they knew that, and Sam says, she was drunk. Alexis asks why Sam is hounding her. Go home. Jason is back. Or is their reunion not all it’s cracked up to be?
Olivia says she’s thrilled Brook is home, but Brook says, she’s not there to stay. Monica summoned her, but it turned out to be a trap to get her to have a face-to-face with her father. He said hurtful things, so she left. Olivia asks if she snuck back in to spy on them, but Brook says she thought of some other things she wanted to say. Olivia says, by all means, have at it. It’s time to clear the air.
Chase asks why Michael blames him more, but Michael doesn’t want to get into it. It’s not the right place. Chase says, Michael is always so restrained and controlled. He needs to learn to let loose. Michael says he had everything he wanted, but it came at a cost, mostly for Willow. He thought she and Chase had something real, and he thought they were friends. He guesses he was wrong on both counts. Chase says he wasn’t.
Willow asks how Deception is going, and Sasha says, this morning it was great. Now it’s on the brink of disaster, mostly because of her. Willow tells her not to be hard on herself. Everyone can be a nervous wreck. She was before the custody hearing. Sasha says, but Willow nailed it. She showed the judge what a great person she is, and why she deserved Wiley. Willow nailed her moment, while Sasha crashed and burned.
Nina tells Valentin that Phyllis was one of the nurses who took care of her. She remembers Phyllis because she was kind, and actually took care of her. He asks if she thinks Phyllis was there when her child was born, but Nina says she doesn’t know. And she won’t know until she finds her. She does believe Phyllis forced her mother to give half of the necklace to her baby, so she might know who adopted them. Valentin asks her to let him help her find Phyllis.
Jordan thanks Jax for coming in, and he says, absolutely. She said she had additional questions, specifically about the timeline the night Nelle disappeared. Jax asks why they’re going over it again, and she says, Nelle’s body was found downriver in Pennsylvania, and the local PD is opening their own investigation. She wants to make sure his statement is complete. He wonders if she’s also asking Carly questions, and she says, they sent a detective. Carly is in the interrogation room with him and her lawyer now.
DeLeon says the autopsy shows Nelle didn’t die from drowning. She died from a traumatic fall. Does Carly know anything about that? Diane asks, what about? Autopsies or traumatic falls in general? He’s supposed to ask specific questions. DeLeon asks if Carly pushed Nelle off a cliff, and Carly says, no. He says Nelle was a threat to her and her family, and she wanted Nelle stopped. Carly says, yes, and he asks if she wanted Nelle to die. She says, Nelle was twisted and dangerous, and she’s relieved Nelle is dead.
Ned says he was looking for Olivia, and she says she got caught up in something she needs to tell him about. She needs to tell everyone, but right now, she’s brokering a father/daughter conversation. Monica thinks they might want to discuss things in private, and Olivia tells them, just remember they love each other. It’s a precious bond; don’t take it for granted. Don’t get caught up in their pride, and throw it away. She and Monica leave, and Brook stands with her arms folded. He asks how much she heard, and she says he slept with Alexis. He says, it was a mistake, and she says, sure. She gets it. Things happen. Out of curiosity, when she traded stock she legitimately owned, was it a worse mistake than him cheating on his wife?
Sam says she’s there because she loves Alexis. She’s not avoiding Jason; they’re doing fine. Alexis tells Sam, if she says so, and Sam says Alexis can be as ugly as she wants, but can’t drive her away. Alexis says so Sam wants to help her when she doesn’t want it, and Sam says maybe Alexis can hear it from someone else. She can call Finn to take Alexis to a meeting. Alexis says, great idea. Finn will be the first person to convince Sam that she can’t be talked into doing something she doesn’t want to. Sam asks what she’s supposed to do. Nothing, and watch Alexis drink? Alexis suggests Sam have a drink with her. How much does she want? One finger? Two? Three?
Chase tells Michael, he’s not making excuses for what he did, but before Nelle filed for custody, before things spiraled out of control, his life was on a completely different rack. He was committed to Willow, and considered Michael a good friend. He loves his brother, but he’s nowhere near as close to Finn as he was to Michael. Michael is easier to talk to than Finn. Michael says he spent a lot of time with his younger brother. Morgan was his best friend, and when he died, Michael went looking for another. That’s what Chase became for a while. Chase says, but not anymore, and Michael says, no; not anymore.
Sasha tells Willow, this is crazy. She cheated with Willow’s boyfriend, and now she’s asking for Willow’s sympathy. Willow says Sasha is having trouble at work. One has nothing to do with… the other. Sasha says, except it does. Her confidence is shot. She thought she knew who she was and what she wanted. She thought she could handle losing Michael, but it’s been harder than she could have ever dreamed. She knew she loved him, but she had no idea how deeply. Now it’s too late. Willow flashes back to Michael asking if she wants to go back to the way things were before, and her saying, it’s not possible. She can’t pretend Chase didn’t betray her, no more than he can pretend Sasha didn’t betray him, but they might want to open their hearts to someone else one day. Michael asks, how would that work if they’re still married? Willow asks Sasha, what if it wasn’t too late? What if she had another chance? Sasha asks, what if Willow had another chance with Chase, would she take it?
Valentin tells Nina, she knows the name and when Phyllis was employed. It should be relatively easy to track her. Nina tells him to promise he won’t do that. She can’t have him near this. He says he just wants to help, but she says he wants to control the narrative; what she knows and what he thinks is too painful for her to now. That’s why she wasted months not looking for her real child. He says he didn’t know about the necklace. If she’d told him… She says, he would have made sure Sasha got the necklace to make it more convincing. He says he didn’t know she had a legitimate lead, or he never would have recruited Sasha. She says, it doesn’t matter. She needs to find her child on her own. He says, or with Jax?
Jordan asks if Jax heard anything; a cry for help? He says, no, and she asks what Carly’s attitude was when he found her. Defiant? Angry? Disoriented? He says she was upset Nelle got away, but they knew the police were coming, and decided to leave the search to them. She says, anything else? and he flashes back to telling Carly to either tell the whole truth, or take his advice and save herself. He says he’s told Jordan everything he remembers.
DeLeon asks, when Carly found Nelle, did she push Nelle off the cliff? Carly says, no, and he says she wanted Nelle dead, but Diane says, what Carly wanted or didn’t want doesn’t matter. It’s what she did or didn’t do. Carly says Nelle wanted her to destroy herself. She’d never kill Nelle. She wouldn’t give Nelle the satisfaction. She stands by her statement. Nelle ran away, and she never saw Nelle again.
Chase says, this is probably their last work out together, and Michael says, probably. Chase says he’s glad Wiley got the parents he needed, and glad Willow is adopting Wiley. She’ll be an awesome mom. Michael says it’s none of Chase’s business, and hits Chase. Chase says, please tell him that wasn’t on purpose. Michael says he’s got to go, but for what it’s worth (🍷), he wishes things had gone differently. After Michael leaves, Chase says, him too.
Willow tells Sasha, that wasn’t fair; she asked first. Sasha thinks the answer is the same for both of them. There’s no going back. No do-overs. Willow and Michael are married. They’re Wiley’s parents, and the three of them are obviously happy. Willow says, they are, and Sasha says, that’s how it should be. She and Chase did what they did, now they have to live with it. She says she should get going, and takes out her wallet. Willow says, her treat, and Sasha says, good seeing her, but they probably shouldn’t do this again.
Nina says, Jax is helping her, and Valentin is sure he is. Nina says, what he’s not doing is lying to her or having her go down a path of breadcrumbs where the outcome is staged for his own good. She can trust him. Valentin says that’s what she thinks in the short time she’s known him. Ask Carly what he’s capable of. He’s sure Jax has lied to and for Carly, and will again. For Jax, Carly comes first. She says he sounds like Ava, and he asks what that tells her. He and Ava disagree on everything, yet they agree about Jax’s feelings for Carly. Nina’s phone dings, and she says, thank God. A place she needs to be. She and Valentin can stay in each other’s lives for Charlotte’s sake. Other than that, stay out of her life. She walks out.
Diane tells Carly, to be clear, Carly revealed on record that she’s relieved Nelle is dead. That’s the kind of surprise she was talking about that’s not welcome. Carly says she’d obviously be lying if she’d said she wasn’t relieved. That doesn’t mean she killed Nelle. Diane asks how long Carly and Jason have been friends, and Carly says, forever. Diane says, in that forever, how many times has he been interrogated by the PCPD? Carly says, hundreds, and Diane says, yes. In all the hundreds, how many times does she think he’s ever volunteered information? It’s never okay. Take a lesson, and confine her answers to yes, no, I don’t know, I can’t remember. Never explain or interpret or under any circumstances comment on her feelings. Feelings lead to motives, motives lead to convictions. Carly says she didn’t push Nelle, and Diane says she believes Carly, but the detective obviously doesn’t. Carly says, there’s no way to prove Nelle didn’t fall, and Diane says Carly is in the clear if she doesn’t volunteer anything else to the police. She tells Carly that she needs a drink, and she’s going to be billing Carly double for this. Carly requires more fancy footwork than any other client. Diane leaves, and Carly sits down. Jax comes in, and asks if she’s okay. She says she honestly doesn’t know.
Ned tells Brook, he deeply regrets cheating, and she says she’s sure he does. He says it probably wouldn’t have happened if he’d heard the message Brook deleted. Brook says, so it’s not his fault that he slept with Alexis; it’s hers. He says she acted impulsively and selfishly, and she asks him to hear himself. He cheated on his wife, and she’s selfish. He says it’s between him and Olivia, and Brook says he made it clear to Monica that he’s going to cover it up. He says he’s trying to spare Olivia pain in knowing something that shouldn’t have happened. Brook calls him a hypocrite. She has to tell the truth and take responsibly, but he sleeps with who he wants. Knock himself out. He’ll have to find someone else to blame next time. Maybe he should look in the mirror. She storms out.
Alexis tells Sam to have a drink with her mom. It’s better with company. Sam says she’s not enabling Alexis, and Alexis says, that’s not very equitable, considering the enabling Sam has received in her life. Jason is an unhealthy addiction. Sam says she loves Jason, and Alexis loves that bottle. Alexis says, unlike various people in her life, the bottle doesn’t criticize her or lie to her or judge her. Sam says it’s victimized her, and Alexis says, it makes her feel better. She doesn’t love the bottle, but she likes it a lot more than Sam right now. Sam needs to get off her back or get the hell out. She takes a drink. Geez, I’m starting to want a drink.
Michael walks into the Quartermaine mansion, and Willow says, good; he’s home. She wanted to do some thinking about their marriage, and she’s made a decision. He says, so did he.
Chase hits the heavy bag, when Sasha comes in. He says she just missed Michael, and she says, small world. She just saw Willow at Charlie’s. They had some wine, like old times. Chase asks how Willow is, and Sasha says, moving on, whether she knows it or not. Chase says Michael is too.
Olivia asks, where’s Brook? and Ned says, gone again. Monica asks, what happened? She thought they were clearing the air. Ned says Brook made it very clear she wants nothing to do with him. Olivia says she’s sorry they’re at odds, but she’ll find a way to build a bridge. Monica says she tried with no success, but Olivia says she’s on hot streak. Monica says she seems confident, and Olivia says she is. The most wonderful thing happened. Dante is home. When she went to Geneva, he didn’t see her, but she stood outside his room, and he heard her talking. Something she said got through. He was discharged and he’s back in Port Charles. He’s in the house right now. He’s not back at Lulu’s; long story. She hopes it’s okay, and Monica says, it’s fine. She’s fond of Dante, and it will be nice to have a detective in the house.
Sam tells Alexis that she didn’t come looking for fight, and Alexis says she found one anyway. Sam says drinking is just going to hurt her, and Alexis says she’s been hurting for the last three years, but she’s not feeling any pain now. Sam asks, what about tomorrow? When she wakes up hungover because she’s putting booze ahead of the people who love her. Alexis says she doesn’t intend to lose her family, but she intends to do as she sees fit to do without judgment. Accept that, or Sam is welcome to leave. Sam says she’s going to go, but she’ll be coming back. She leaves, and Alexis looks miserable, but drinks some more.
Valentin is drinking at the bar at Charlie’s, when Brook comes in. She sits next to him, and asks if he’s ever tried a black Russian. He says, once, in Moscow, and I think he’s going to make a joke, but he says he prefers vodka straight, especially if he’s drinking to get drunk. She says she might join him. It’s been that kind of day.
Jax asks why Carly didn’t call him, and she says Diane was with her. Diane knows how to protect her. He asks if she did, and Carly says, the autopsy says Nelle died from a traumatic fall. The detective thinks Carly pushed her, but there’s no evidence because it didn’t happen. She stuck to her story like he told her to. He says he knows the pressure she’s under, and she says he was right. If she admits to being there, she’ll be charged with murder. She thanks him for talking sense into her. She’s grateful she can count on him. He hugs her, and says, always. Nina sees them hugging.
Tomorrow, Cyrus asks if someone has the answers he wants, Dustin says he’s willing to let Lulu go, and Sam asks for Sonny’s hep.
Below Deck Mediterranean – Reunion – Part One
The reunion was remote, and Hannah told us it was 3 am in Sydney when she was getting her makeup done. Everyone was everywhere all over the globe, and we started with flashing back to Laura, the insanely bitchy second stew for five minutes. Andy said she’d been invited, but had told the producers, considering how she’d been portrayed, she was declining the invite. Andy asked the cast if they thought she’d been represented unfairly, and that was a unanimous no. Captain Sandy said had she known what all was going on, she would have fired Laura.
Things seemed scratchy between Hannah and the captain from the jump. There was a big deal about the laundry having been behind until Bugs created a system, and it went on for way too long. Andy brought up Kiko telling Hannah to watch out for Bugs, and Kiko said he was getting a weird vibe from Bugs, but Bugs insisted she never tried to throw Hannah under the bus. Andy tried to get Jess to choose between them, but she stayed diplomatic.
The issue of Hannah not being herself was brought up pretty quickly. Bugs thought Hannah hadn’t wanted to be there, but added that everyone was getting to the stage where yachting wasn’t the be all and end all. Hannah said she didn’t want to be cleaning toilets at age 45. Andy moved on as quickly as he landed on that topic, and we flashed back to the deckhands, mainly Pete, being disrespectful to Malia. Andy read that Pete was terminated in June after sharing a racist and sexist meme on his Instagram. (You can find it if you google it, but I’m not leading you there.) Captain Sandy said Pete lacked consciousness about what’s going on in the world. She said the meme was disturbing, and everyone agreed. She’d texted him, asking what he was thinking, and he replied it was a mistake, but then there was radio silence. You could tell Malia was all proud of herself when she was brought up as being a chick woman in charge. She was also in semi-darkness with halo light, looking as though she was posing for glamour shots. Bugs seemed heavy handed, pouring her own champagne.
Hannah thought Captain Sandy didn’t like the fact that she didn’t want be in yachting long term, but the captain said she was happy for Hannah, who was living her dream. Malia was proud of herself again when Captain Sandy gave her props. Andy said Kiko was one of the only living yacht chefs who was not totally insane, and Malia seemed amused when the captain said Kiko didn’t live up to his resumé. I wanted to smack her. The captain said, it wasn’t personal, it was professional (a recurring theme from her), and he needed more training. Seriously though, anyone who would have a bad thing to say about this guy personally, would be off their rocker. He’s probably one of the nicest people alive, especially in comparison to the other chefs they’ve had. Tom went apesh*t over a cucumber, for God’s sake. Hannah thought they should have lifted Kiko up more, but Captain Sandy said professionalism required you to keep your emotions in check. She said if Kiko studied under another chef, he’d be great, since he had the best attitude of any chef she’d ever worked with. He said he would have fired himself for Vegas night. This was rehashed for way too long too.
Malia said yachting wasn’t Hannah’s thing anymore, and it showed. Hannah said, when she started the season, she was of two minds. Then she had to deal with Laura. Andy asked why Captain Sandy didn’t go to Hannah first, and tell her that she’d have to switch cabins so Tom and Malia could bunk together, instead of announcing it over the radio? There was never an actual answer to this, and the captain said it’s actually up to the first officer, but she made an executive call. Malia said there was no clear-cut protocol, and she thought it was blown out of proportion. They moved on to Hannah’s valium and weed or CBD pen, depending on who you believe. Again, I got why they did it, but didn’t like how it was done. Andy said viewers found the timing after the cabin argument suspicious, even though Malia insisted that had nothing to do with it. Captain Sandy said it was a fine line. You don’t want to mess with someone’s livelihood, but have culpability as a captain. Andy said Hannah’s pen matched the manufacturer’s THC pen; not their CBD one. And that’s where they left it.
As reunion episodes go, it was pretty harmless, but it’s still early. No doubt they’ll get to that point where everyone talks at once and you can’t hear anybody.
Next time, Malia is asked if she regrets Tom joining the crew, Jess claims Rob sent Aesha an inappropriate text, maritime law is discussed, Jess threatens to air Rob’s dirty laundry, and Andy bangs his head on the desk. On purpose.
👠 Welcome Return…
I loved Baby Phat! And I love Kimora Lee Simmons. I think she’s one of the most beautiful women ever, and I have the Barbie that was fashioned after her. Bonus: It comes with a little dog.
Tomorrow is a busy day, and I still have to shop for Halloween. Although I’m still unclear on the status of trick-or-treating in my town this year. I don’t want to end up living off of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for the next month like I did after Hurricane Sandy hit. No matter what your Halloween plans, stay safe, stay out of the candy, and stay masked under your mask. Unless your mask is your mask.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I missed the very beginning, but not much happened. All you need to know is, Monica asked Brook to the Quartermaine mansion to make peace with Ned, and Scotty met Nikolas in an alley to make the exchange.
Nikolas tells Scotty, it’s all there. If he hears from Scotty, asking for another dime, he’s going straight to the cops. Scotty says Nikolas isn’t going to the cops, but Nikolas says he’d rather take his chances with them than pay Scotty again. Nikolas takes out a check, and Scotty says, it’s supposed to be cash, but Nikolas says he can’t access that much hard currency. Even if he could, he’s not comfortable carrying it into an alley. Scotty asks how he knows it’s not going to bounce, and Nikolas tells him, take it now or the deal is off. Scotty says he doesn’t have to be rude about it, and snatches the check out of Nikolas’s hand, saying, nice doing business with him. Nikolas says he means it. If he hears from Scotty again, he’s going to the cops. Scotty says Nikolas is getting more and more like his Uncle Stephan. Nikolas looks at the picture of him and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth tells Franco, she’s having second thoughts about blackmailing Nikolas and Ava. Franco tells her, they have every right to be angry. It’s one thing for Ava and Nikolas to try cutting each other out of the Cassadine fortune; it’s another to try and sabotage their marriage. Elizabeth says, they set Ava and Nikolas up, and Franco says Ava and Nikolas set them up too; it was self-defense. She says she did the same thing as him and Ava; is she supposed to feel good about that? He says if they can pay a couple of bills and Cameron’s tuition, she’ll feel good, but she says, what if she can’t?
Brook wonders when Monica became peacemaker, and Monica says, after she was fired from the hospital, she had a lot of time on her hands. Brook asks if there isn’t a clinic she could volunteer at, and Monica says she was also getting threats from Tracy. Tracy said if they didn’t patch things up, she was going to fly there and talk sense into both of them. Ned says he explained that he begged Brook to come home and she refused. Brook says he threw her out of the house in the first place, and it’s not even his house. Monica says, valid point, and he admits he overreacted when they lost ELQ, thanks in part to Brook selling her stock to Valentin. Monica says, enough about ELQ. It’s just a company. You can’t hug it, love it, or kiss it goodnight, and it’s certainly not more important than his daughter. He tells Monica, he never said it was, but Brook says that’s not how he acted. She didn’t know Linc was a front, and by the time she figured it out… She should have warned him, but she didn’t. Ned asks, why?
Sonny tells Brando, let him know when Cyrus makes contact. Brando says he will. Is there anything in particular Sonny is watching for? Jason says Cyrus has been contacting Julian, who owns Charlie’s, and Sonny says, Julian could be dangerous if he wasn’t a spineless coward. Jason says Cyrus has made several visits, and wants to buy the pub, and Sonny says, Cyrus is cultivating Julian. Brando says, like Cyrus is doing to him. Sonny says, Julian will turn Cyrus down, and Jason asks how he knows. Sonny says he knows, but they have to make sure.
On the terrace, Josslyn remembers Cameron kissing her. She sees Dev, and asks how long he’s been there. He says, not long. She seemed lost in thought. He didn’t want to interrupt her. She says she was looking at the stars, and asks if he got the boat tied up. He says, everything is taken care of, and she says Tony was pissed when Dev let it drift out on the lake. Dev says, now he doublechecks. He tells her, it seems like a clear night. Does she want to go out on the lake and watch the stars? She says, it sounds like fun. She’ll text Cameron and Trina, and see if they want to come. Dev says, no offense, but they can’t cramp Trina and Cameron’s style.
Elizabeth says she’s not a blackmailer, and Franco says, come on. Ava and Nikolas messed with them. Can’t they mess back a little bit? She says, two wrongs don’t make a right. She can’t hold her children to one standard, and herself to another. Cameron comes out of the elevator, a towel wrapped around his bloody hand. He says he cut himself at work. He didn’t think it was bad, but the waitress said he should come in. Elizabeth says she was right, and she wants him to see a doctor. She runs off, and Franco tells Cameron to do what she says. Trust him when it comes to his mom.
At home, Alexis drinks. The doorbell rings, followed by knocking. She hides everything in the cupboard, and opens the door to Nikolas. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says he needs her help. She invites him in, but says he should know she doesn’t have her law license. She’s not practicing right now, but she’ll do what she can. He asks if it’s a bad time, but she says it’s never a bad time when it comes to her nephew. What’s up? He asks if she has any leverage on Scotty. Maybe proof of malpractice or personal misconduct. She says she knows Scotty cuts corners when he practices law, but she has no proof. He says he figured, and thanks her anyway. He starts to leave, but she says, oh no you don’t. He just asked her for blackmail dirt about Scotty with no explanation. Tell her what’s up. He says he got himself in a mess that involves her ex.
Brook says there were two reasons she kept quiet. The first is that Valentin offered to jumpstart her career. Ned says, what the hell does Valentin know about the music industry? and Monica tells him, be quiet; he’ll get his turn. Brook says he offered her a gig being the voice of Deception, with all kinds of cross-promotion. All she had to do was not warn anyone that Valentin had acquired the shares. Ned says, giving him time to get the necessary shares to take over. Monica says, Brook told them there were two reasons, and Brook says, obviously, it was a good deal for her, but she thought it could be good for Ned too.
Sonny walks into Charlie’s, and tell Julian it looks like business is bad. Julian says, it’s all right, and Sonny tells him, stress kills.
Brook says when Ned stepped in for Michael and started working at ELQ, it was a point of tension for him and Olivia. Ned says, don’t bring Olivia into it, and Monica says, enough. She tells Ned, sit and stop interrupting. She’d asked Brook to explain. Brook says what Ned was doing made him preoccupied and demanding. He’d said that if someone more effective could take over the company, he’d step down. She did research, and when Valentin took over Cassadine Industries, the company was a mess. Within two and a half years, Valentin turned it around, and it’s worth more than ever. She figured ELQ was in good shape, and Valentin could make it more profitable. It would benefit all of the shareholders. That’s why she took the deal. She may have been naïve, but she’s not a traitor. Monica tells Ned, it’s his turn.
In the examining room, Cameron says he doesn’t think he needs stitches, but Franco tells him, do what his mom says, and let the doctor take a look. Cameron says, it was a stupid accident, and Franco asks, what happened? Cameron says he was cleaning the carving knife, got distracted, and cut his hand. Franco says, distracted how? and Cameron says, just stuff. Franco says, like work stuff, scholarship stuff, or relationship stuff? Cameron says he doesn’t have a relationship. Not officially. They kissed at homecoming. Franco says, him and Trina? but Cameron says, him and Josslyn. He really likes Josslyn, but he also really likes Trina. He likes her more every day. When Josslyn was under house arrest, they got close, and he feels like he can talk to Trina about anything. Franco asks if he doesn’t feel like that with Josslyn, and Cameron says he used to. Sometimes he still does, but there’s a weird tension between them. Maybe it’s in his head. Franco asks, how about Josslyn? Does he have any idea how she feels? Cameron says they haven’t had a lot of time to talk, but to be honest, he’s kind of been hiding. He’s afraid he’ll say the wrong thing. Franco says, the longer he hides, the higher the risk of a catastrophic catastrophe. Cameron gets a text from Dev, saying, Where are U? Need to meet. Cameron asks how long Franco thinks before the doctor gets there, and Franco says, ten minutes, assuming one shows up.
Cameron texts Dev to meet him at the hospital, and Dev tells Josslyn, Cameron is busy, but didn’t say why. He bets it’s with Trina. Josslyn asks what he meant by her cramping their style, and he says he thinks they need space. They’d rather be alone, but they’re too nice to say anything. Josslyn tells him that she’s not in the mood anymore for going out on the boat. She thinks she’ll take a jog.
Carly asks Jason if everything is okay, and he says, Brando is going to work for Cyrus. She says, Sonny told her everything. He was afraid she’d freak out and try to stop Brando, or warn Cyrus, and blow the whole plan. Jason says Sonny knows how she thinks. She asks if Sonny said where he was going, and Jason says, he went to clarify a few things with Julian. Carly says, that’s a good thing. Focusing on work will distract Sonny from grieving over Mike. Jason says Sonny will be okay. She’s the one he’s worried about.
Ned says he was wrong to kick Brook out and close the door in her face. He should gone after her immediately, and apologized. She’s his daughter. He loves her, and wants to take care of her. She says, what about the company? and he says, they’ll get it back somehow. He says she should have known better than to trust Valentin, but obviously she’s learned her lesson. Now she realizes you always put family first. Monica says Ned is sounding like Edward. Keep it up, and Ned will be just like him.
The cupboard door is ajar, and Alexis quickly closes it, telling Nikolas, if this is about Julian, she’ll have to pass. She’s worked hard to keep a firewall between her and their disastrous relationship. She wants to keep that intact. He says, Julian is just peripheral, and she says, to what? He says his marriage to Ava is more complicated than he anticipated. She says he doesn’t seem upset, and he says he’s not. It makes no sense. Since Ava coerced him into marriage, he’s been looking for a way out, but recently, there’s been a shift. Ava is kinder and less defensive. She’s still fiery, and has an intelligent, wicked sense of humor, but he doesn’t dread seeing her around the house, or having her take his arm in public. In fact, he’s realized that he doesn’t want to divorce Ava.
Elizabeth sees Cameron leaving, and asks Franco where he’s going. Franco says, it’s okay. He just took off to meet someone. She hopes it’s Trina. She loves Josslyn, but she and Carly are like oil and water. The less interaction the better. Scotty walks in, and says, it’s payday. He tells them not to look all serious; they’re just getting started. Franco takes the check, and Scotty’s phone dings. He says, number two, and Elizabeth says she hates this, but Franco says, it’s compensation.
Scotty meets Ava, who says she doesn’t like being kept waiting. He suggests they get down to business, and says he’s got the shots of her making out with Franco. Either he shows them to Nikolas, or she shows him the money.
Julian asks if Sonny wants a drink, but Sonny says he’s not there to drink. Julian says he’s sorry hear about Sonny’s father; he liked Mike. Sonny says, everybody liked his dad. Julian guesses he got the box of old pictures he’d asked for, and his father appreciated the photos. Sonny says his father is at peace now, and won’t need them anymore. Julian says, maybe he can donate them to the historical society, and Sonny says, maybe. Julian should attract more customers. Julian says, it’s just a lull, and Sonny says he should consider selling Corinthos Coffee again. It would be in Julian’s best interest to have Sonny’s name affiliated with the place.
Jason asks when Jordan told Carly about talking to the detective, and she says, it was after Mike’s funeral. Just when she thinks Nelle is out of their lives, she’s back again causing trouble, even after she’s dead. When she ran out on the cliff, she could hear Nelle screaming. She thought it was a trick, and Nelle had just slit Brook’s throat. Nelle kept begging for help, but she just stood there and didn’t move. She thought Nelle had done it to herself. Then she reached out her hand, and Nelle slipped. She fell. Jason promises her, it’s better this way.
Sonny says he hears Julian is negotiating with Cyrus, and Julian says Cyrus wanted to make an offer to buy the place, but he turned Cyrus down. That’s all there is to it. Sonny says, Cyrus is persistent, and won’t take no for an answer. Julian says he’s not selling Charlie’s, and he’s not selling Sonny’s coffee. Sonny says Julian doesn’t have the luxury of turning him down.
Jason says he’s glad Carly didn’t kill Nelle. She says she could have reached out, but Jason says Nelle would never have stopped coming after her, and hurting her and the people she loves. Nelle had to die. It’s no one’s fault. This way, she did it to herself. Carly says, what if the police don’t believe her, and he says, that’s what Diane is for. She asks if he could call Diane and reschedule the meeting. She has to talk to Josslyn. She goes outside, and finds Josslyn stretching on the terrace. She asks if Josslyn is okay, and Josslyn says she just got back from a jog. Carly says she usually doesn’t run this late, and Josslyn says she felt like getting out. Carly asks if there’s any particular reason why.
Cameron meets Dev at the hospital, and Dev asks, what happened to his hand? Cameron says he had an accident at work; no big deal. Why did Dev want to meet? Dev says, this, and hands Cameron a notebook. Cameron reads, Cameron kissed me and I wish he hadn’t. He says, this is private, but Dev says Cameron needs to hear it. He reads, it was sloppy and clumsy. Why did he think it was okay? How do I tell him we’re just friends? Cameron says, it’s totally violating Josslyn’s privacy, but Dev says he thought Cameron would want to know. Josslyn threw it away. Cameron says if Josslyn didn’t give it to him, he stole it, and Dev asks, what happens when Cameron tries to kiss Josslyn again? He could lose her as a friend. Cameron says he has to go, and hurries off. Dev flashes back to copying Josslyn’s writing. He puts the notebook in the trash.
Josslyn tells Carly, she keeps thinking about Cameron and how they kissed. They were alone on deck talking, and suddenly they were kissing, but what if it wasn’t meant to happen? What if it was an accident, or Cameron is really into Trina and they want to be together? She doesn’t want to mess up, and asks what Carly thinks she should do. Carly says Josslyn, Trina, and Cameron have all been friends, long before the kiss. Trust that friendship. If Cameron doesn’t have feelings for her, he’ll tell her, but if he does, then the kiss was no accident.
Alexis asks if Nikolas would choose to stay married to Ava, and he says he thinks he would. Not only because of the money. Alexis says he doesn’t have to stay married to someone he hates. Either Ava is going to change or he is. He says, maybe they both have.
Ava tells Scotty, please don’t do this. She’s asking as a friend. He says she’s breaking his heart, but he’s going to do it anyway. She says, if this is really how he wants it, and he says, another check? He prefers cash, or that new thing. Vemo? She says, Venmo. The sale of the penthouse just went through, and he says, it was in progress before he blackmailed her. She doesn’t need it, how that she’s happily ever after married on the island. She says she gave him the money; give her the picture. He gives her an envelope and says, it’s all there. She says she guarantees if he comes back for more, she will retaliate in ways he won’t enjoy.
Brook tells Ned, all she wanted was to be a singer. It was dumb of her to sign the contract with Linc, but she was desperate. Ned says she was impatient. Her career wasn’t going the way she’d hoped, and she took a shortcut. Something quicker and easier, and it blew up in her face. Until she starts being responsible for her actions, she’s doomed to make the same mistakes. She says there’s one mistake she won’t be repeating. She won’t come crawling back to her family. She walks out, and Ned says he’s not sure what Monica and his mother were hoping to accomplish with this little summit. She says they were hoping to hold the family together, since he’s doing a bang-up job of tearing it apart. He says, Brook is being unreasonable, and she says so is he. In the past few months, he’s lost ELQ, alienated his daughter, and things aren’t going well with him and Olivia. He says, Olivia is the best thing that ever happened to him, and he knows it. Monica says, but does she?
Brook realizes she left her phone inside.
Ned tells Monica that he’s doing everything he can to let Olivia know he loves her. She says, the way he acted when Olivia wanted to see Dante didn’t scream happy marriage. They’re going through a rough patch, but they can come back stronger if he stays out of his own way, but that may be asking too much. Brook quietly lets herself back in the house. Monica says, the one great advantage Ned has is that Olivia is head over heels in love with him. He’d have to do something appalling for her to give up and leave. He asks if finding out he’d cheated with Alexis would do it. Brook listens outside the door.
Nikolas tells Alexis, when they say something genuine, Ava lowers her guard, and he lowers his too. It might be the beginnings of trust. Alexis says, if it makes him happy, she’s all for it, but he tells her not to get ahead of herself. Ava may not return his feelings. Alexis suggests he ask her. Nikolas says he might, and heads for the door. She tells him that her wisdom is available any time. He leaves, and she jets to the cupboard, takes out the vodka, and pours herself a drink.
Scotty tells Franco and Elizabeth, mission accomplished. He hands Franco the check, saying, Ava guaranteed it won’t bounce. They have the Cassadine check, and as soon as they cash those babies, their money problems are gone. Elizabeth wonders if it’s what they want, and Scotty says, of course (🍷) it is. They messed with Elizabeth and Franco’s marriage. Now it’s tuition and summer camp; it’s for the family. Franco and Elizabeth rip the checks up, and Scotty asks what they’re doing. Franco says, the right thing. He might want to try it sometime. They walk away, and Scotty scrambles, trying to pick up the check pieces, saying they can tape them together. He follows them, and Ava comes along. She picks up a piece Scotty missed, and it has Nikolas’s signature on it.
Sonny says Julian keeps making obstacles in small unknowing ways. First, he pays for Brad’s defense; then he marries Nelle. Now he’s chatting with Cyrus. Sonny has looked the other way because of Ava, and for Avery’s sake he’s continued to. But this time, Ava can’t save Julian anymore. No one will. Sonny walks out.
Carly asks if Jason talked to Diane about rescheduling, and he says, Diane tried, but the detective pushed back hard. Carly has to talk to him tonight, or she’ll be subpoenaed to Pennsylvania. She says that will give her time to prepare, but he says, the harder she fights, it will look like she’s hiding something. She says she is, and he tells her, go tonight. Diane will block any questions she shouldn’t answer. She says she doesn’t like it, and he says, neither does he, but there’s nothing they can do as long as she sticks to her story.
On Monday, Ned says the secret goes to his grave with him, Valentin asks Nina to let him help find Phyllis, Willow wants to have a drink with Sasha, and Carly says she stands by her statement.
🏥 Gonzo In Port Charles…
I saw him in Follies on Broadway. He was replacing a regular cast member, and I was like, I dunno about this, but then he was really good. So there you go.
What did Columbus discover? People were already here. It’s like crashing your car into Starbucks & saying you discovered coffee. – Jimmy Kimmel
We can have peace if we let go of wanting to change the past and wanting to control the future. – Lester Levinson
Healing comes from taking responsibility: to realize that it is you – and no one else – that creates your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. – Peter Shepherd
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas A. Edison
With great power… comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later. – Rick Riordan
Always forgive, but never forget, else you will be a prisoner of your own hatred, and doomed to repeat your mistakes forever. – Wil Zeus
Anger … it’s a paralyzing emotion … you can’t get anything done. – Toni Morrison
Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. – Voltaire
🛌🏽 Full Speed To Bed…
I have a full day tomorrow, so bidding you goodnight and good weekend. You know. Those things that used to signal the end of the workweek. Pretend it still does, and stay safe, stay coping as best you can, and stay not cramping anyone’s style.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly goes through a box of Mike’s belongings, and asks Sonny if some booklets count as sports memorabilia. He says, it counts as old junk; racing forms and programs. She thinks they should have Diane send a clerk over to catalog it. It might not have monetary value, but Mike’s stuff is valuable to him, and he doesn’t want to throw it out. Sonny isn’t so sure, and Carly looks through some pictures. She takes out one of Sonny as a young boy.
On the phone, Brando says, of course (🍷) he’s grateful, but wants to know what it’s going to cost him. Cyrus says, just a few moments of his time. He wants to meet. Tonight.
Peter tells Jackie that he had his doubts when Lulu wanted to bring her in. She says she’s fond of Port Charles, and he says he knows she cut her teeth at The Herald. She says, for a few years in the 80s, she investigated her sister’s abduction. The trail led her there. He says, the city where she made her name. He asks how Port Charles has changed for her, and she says, it’s certainly bigger… shinier, faster. But none of that changes its essential character. At its heart, it’s the Port Charles she left behind.
Maxie tells Robert, she hopes he didn’t say something to upset Mac. He asks why he’d do that, and she says he can’t seem to help himself sometimes. Anything with Peter goes back to Faison with him. He says, excuse him for being overprotective, and she says she doesn’t need him to protect her from Peter. He isn’t like his father any more than she’s like hers.
Anna asks Finn to give her the basics on epigenetics. He says he loves when she talks sexy, and she says she’s being serious. From her research she sees that epigenetics involve changes that don’t have to do with the DNA sequence. He says some stuff I don’t understand and she says, meaning one identical twin could have a trait that their child inherits, a trait not necessarily present in the other twin. He asks what she’s thinking, and she says, this is how she can prove whether or not she’s Peter’s mother.
Someone looks around The Floating Rib from the back hallway. Dante comes out into the alley, and says, there are a lot of people in there. Peter will have to wait.
On the phone, Olivia says Ned doesn’t have to call her back, but she wants to talk to him when he gets home. She ran into Brook at the reception, and got quite an earful. She hangs up, and says he has no idea how lucky he is to actually have his baby there at home.
Brook stomps over to Valentin and says he played her. She let him use her against her own family. Chase doesn’t think the conversation will do anyone any good, but she says the only good thing about being fired in front of God and everyone else is, now she can tell Valentin what she really thinks. Valentin says, please do, and she says she should have warned her father that he was after ELQ. Instead, she let him buy her silence. Now her life is a dumpster fire. That’s what she gets for trusting him. He says from his perspective, the only person she has to blame for her wreck of a life is herself. Chase suggests they sit down, and starts to steer Brook away, and Valentin says he doesn’t want her to think he’s unsympathetic to her current situation. If she’d just told him that her voice hadn’t healed, he could have gone to Lucy and made arrangements. Instead, she did whatever the hell this just was, and embarrassed the entire company. She laughs, and says, please. As if Lucy’s never made a public spectacle of herself and he’s never told a lie. He says he didn’t lie to the buyer and get caught. He understands her. she wants to fix everything on her own, so she doesn’t have to admit when something is broken. It worked to his advantage when he made a play for ELQ, but today, it’s the very thing that sunk her.
Anna tells Finn about Maxie and Peter’s genetic screening appointment. She says, there was nothing concerning, but Peter had a marker for rheumatoid arthritis. She knows she doesn’t have it since she got a full genetic workup when she was diagnosed with PV. He says, that means Peter inherited the gene from Faison or… She says, her sister. If Alex has the marker, that means Peter is her son, not Anna’s.
Peter says he can imagine Jackie had some nostalgia for the place she got her start, but she says she has other irons in the fire. She has family of her own there, and she’s interested in the city whether they work together or not. He asks if exposing a philanthropist as a major drug trafficker isn’t high on her to-do list, and she says, if Cyrus is dirty, he’s done an incredible job of covering his tracks. Any investigation would be risky, labor intensive, and costly. He says he’s willing to pay. She and the story are worth it. She says the money isn’t what’s holding her back. It’s him.
Maxie tells Robert, her dad was addicted to adventure. He wasn’t cut out for parenthood, and cut out on his family, but he’s not in the same universe as Faison. Robert says, agreed, and she says she was making a point. Her father is an absentee parent. She’s not. Faison was an evil lunatic, but Peter isn’t. Robert needs to stop worrying. He says, worrying about the people we love comes naturally. It’s what makes them human. She asks, you know what else makes them human? Sharing in joy with others.
Maxie sees Spinelli talking to Brando and squeals that he’s there. Spinelli says, and by fortuitous coincidence, she’s present also. Brando says they know each other? and Maxie says they have a child together; Georgie. Who’s going to be so excited that Spinelli is there. Brando says he’s going to take off, and congratulates Maxie again. Spinelli says, congratulations are in order? He asks if it’s something Georgie will like, and Maxie says, she’ll be over the moon, and not just because she gets to wear a special dress for the occasion. He says he can only surmise she and Peter are getting married.
Carly looks through the photos, and asks if Sonny remembers them. He says he recognizes the old building, but that’s about it. She says he was so young, it’s not surprising he doesn’t remember. He says, objectively, she’s right, but he can’t help thinking about what happened to his dad. When did he know he had a problem? Carly says, that’s a huge leap, going from something he doesn’t remember when he was six, to thinking he has Alzheimer’s, and he says, it’s a question he’s been asking himself since his dad was diagnosed. Is it going to happen to him?
Brando meets Cyrus, and thanks him for getting the cops off his back. He asks how Cyrus managed it, and Cyrus says, he has a voice at the PCPD. Having been unjustly incarcerated himself, he has an affinity for others who might be denied due process. Brando asks, why use that voice for him? and Cyrus says, partly to make amends for Brando landing in the hospital. Brando says, so Cyrus got the guys who beat him up sent away, and got the cops to stop investigating him for the motorcycle crash. That’s a lot of good will on Cyrus’s part. Cyrus says, someone had to step up for him. It was clear Sonny wouldn’t.
Sonny tells Carly, the last few years, he’s been focusing on his dad, but he has been wondering if the Alzheimer’s was passed on to him. She says she’s done some research, and a person with a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s does have a higher likelihood of developing it, but there are many other factors. He says maybe he should start figuring out the odds; there are tests. She says, they’re not for everyone, but he says, they are an option for people with a family member who has Alzheimer’s.
Spinelli tells Maxie, traditionally, it’s not unusual for someone expecting a baby to wed, but he thought she might take a less conventional route. She says she thought he might step up and be happy for her, but clearly, that’s not what’s going to happen. He says he always wishes for her happiness, but she says, not one more word. She’s the one whose engagement party was just rained on, and now it’s her turn to talk.
Jackie tells Peter, the best publishers she’s worked with stay out of the limelight. He has a bad habit of becoming the story. His father, his kidnapping, his recent arrest… He says he was cleared on all charges, and she says he doesn’t have to sell her on Port Charles or The Invader, but he does have to sell her on himself, so make his pitch. Why should she take a job with him given his reputation? He says, it’s tempting, but he’s not going to pitch her. It’s clear she’s already been given the hard sell by Robert Scorpio.
Anna says, there are cases where one twin acquired a gene, no? and Finn says, there are, but it’s more likely Peter acquired the gene from Faison. She says, then the next step is to find out if Faison had the marker for rheumatoid arthritis. He says, or she could tell Peter the truth. Family secrets can be devastating and they always come out . He thinks Peter should hear it from her. She asks if he’d like to elaborate on why he can’t patch things up with his stepfather, even for Chase.
Valentin says he and Brook aren’t so different. The black sheep of powerful families. Chase says, okay, that’s enough, and Brook says she’s nothing like Valentin. Nothing. He says, methinks the lady doth protest too much, and Chase says, they’ve both said what they had to say. He’s calling this. He tries to get Brook to go, but she says she’s not done. She might be selfish at times, but Valentin is worse. He’s the type of selfish person who believes he’s selfless, and that the things he does for himself are motivated by his love and devotion to others. At least she owns who she is. He smiles, and she asks if something is funny. He says, no. He thinks it’s remarkable that, after everything she’s gone through, she still ahs that spark. He likes it.
Jackie says she never said anything about Robert, and Peter says she didn’t have to. His vendetta and paranoia are all over the conversation. It’s no secret they have a history, and clearly (WOTD) Robert’s opinion matters to her. She says, why shouldn’t it? He might have an attitude, but he’s the closest thing she’s witnessed to an honest to God hero. He says, as opposed to his father. An irredeemable villain who tainted him by association. She asks what good her story would do if it was printed by a publisher her readers didn’t trust. She needs to trust him. He says, trust isn’t won overnight. His numbers are spiking at a time when people are saying print is dead. If that isn’t good enough, he suggests she take a leap of faith
Maxie tells Spinelli, she and Peter are having a child together. She loves him, and asked him to marry her, and he accepted her proposal. It’s a done deal. If she had any doubts, she wouldn’t be marrying him. Can’t that be enough? He doesn’t say anything, and she says, all right then. She won’t ask him to be happy for her. She won’t invite him to the wedding He doesn’t even have to get them a gift, but he does have to be fair to their daughter. That means keeping his opinion about Peter to himself. Do not influence Georgie’s opinion of him. if Spinelli can’t play by her rules, she’ll no longer consider him her friend. She walks away, and walks past Robert at the bar.
Robert goes over to Spinelli, and Spinelli says he guesses Maxie convinced Robert to drop their investigation of Peter.
Brando says he’s not going to talk to Cyrus about Sonny, and Cyrus says, then let’s talk about the job he’s offering. As a driver, among other things. Brando asks, what other things? and Cyrus says Brando is an ex-marine, a combat vet. He could use Brando on his team. Brando is sure it doesn’t hurt that he’s close to Sonny, and Cyrus says he thought Brando didn’t want to talk about Sonny. (D’oh!) Brando say,s Sonny is his cousin and has done a lot for him. It would be wrong of him to work for Cyrus.
Carly says Sonny spent more time with Mike than anyone. He’s just in the beginning stages of grief. Give himself some time before he takes a step like being tested for Alzheimer’s. He says, it’s not just his future at stake. If he knows his status, then Kristina, Donna, and Avery can decide later if they want to get tested. Even Dante. She says, even if he found out Dante was at risk, what good would it do? Dante doesn’t want to talk to anyone in the family. He says, that’s not true anymore.
The doorbell rings, and Olivia answers it. Dante says he’s come back. She throws her arms around him, and hugs him.
Jackie says, Peter wants her to take a leap of faith on him, and he says, he is on her. He’s heard she can be demanding. She says, exacting, and he says, aggressive. She says, persistent, and he says, difficult. She says, the D word. She knows what people say about her. If she was a man, they’d say she was a go-getter. He says, good assessment, but off point. He’s willing to take a risk in spite of her reputation. Why can’t she do the same with him? She says, there would be some conditions. She only works with Lulu, and they only report to him. No editors or middlemen in between. He says, done, and she says, she and Lulu get final copy approval. He says, with his input, but she says, no. Final editorial approval. He says he’s sure they can work something out, and she says, the only thing left to do is set up her expense account. She’s sure he doesn’t mind her writing the drinks off. He says, by all means, and she says, she’s sure this is the start of a beautiful working relationship. He says, God save them both, and excuses himself.
Peter goes over to where Maxie is sitting, and says he takes it Spinelli isn’t thrilled with their engagement. She says, he thinks it’s a disaster. In all fairness, he didn’t use the word disaster, but it was written all over his face. She can’t take it anymore, and gave him an ultimatum. She said he couldn’t influence Georgie’s opinion of Peter, or make anymore ridiculous paranoid accusations. If he does, their friendship is over. She wanted to take it back the second she said it, but she can’t.
Spinelli tells Robert they can’t drop the investigation. Peter has killed in the past, and may very well kill again. Robert asks, what happens if he says that to Maxie? and Spinelli says, she’ll end their friendship and cling more tightly to Peter. Robert says Spinelli has to change his tactics. He has to convince Maxie that she can trust him again. Spinelli asks, how? and Robert says, lie to her.
Valentin goes to Anna’s house, and she tells him they have to make it brief. He says her fiancé doesn’t approve of him, and she says, he’s heard one too many allegations about Valentin’s unsavory past. Most of which are true. He suggests Finn doesn’t like the fact he knows Anna better, and always will. She asks why he’s there, and he says they need to decide how they’re handling her sister. Anna says, maybe they don’t. Since the initial call, she hasn’t tried to make contact. He says, direct contact. There was an attempted ambush in Berlin. She says, according to him. He says he thought he was there because she requested him, but… he starts to leave, and she says she’s sorry. she’s not implying otherwise. It’s just hard to accept that her sister has gone from sabotaging her career to wanting her dead. Valentin has a suggestion. Kill her before she kills Anna. Anna says Alex is her sister. She can’t just… kill her. He says, if she’s playing Alex’s game, it’s the surest way to die, and it looks to him like she is. They’ve lost valuable weeks since the ambush. It gives Alex the advantage of time and momentum. They need to act. If she’s not going to, he will. She asks, why the urgency? and he says if Alex knows he’s involved, then she’s a present danger. Not just to him, but his daughter. He’s not going to let anything happen to Charlotte. Anna seriously doubts Alex gave Valentin or his daughter a second thought. This is about Peter. He says it sounds like she knows something, and she says she does. He says, how about telling him, since she obviously knows more than he does? What is Alex’s fixation with Peter? Anna says, she might be his mother.
Brando tells Cyrus that he’s not betraying Sonny, and Cyrus says, nor should he. He and Sonny called a truce. By taking a job with him, Brando would be a liaison of sorts. Someone to keep the lines of communication open. Brando doesn’t think Sonny would agree with that perspective, and Cyrus says, Sonny’s a practical man. He has no doubt sonny would approve of any arrangement that keeps the peace. Come work for him. Everyone benefits.
Olivia lets Dante in, and says he feels good. Olivia says, the beard is a little scraggly. He does look scraggly, but I like it. He says he wanted to see her first before shaving, and she guesses she raised him right. She’s overcome, and tells him that she doesn’t know what to say. Is he really there? Is he there for good? He says, he’s home, and it’s all because of her.
Carly says, Dante’s home for good? and Sonny says, he’s healing. She says, he’s healthy enough to come home, and Sonny says, they gave him everything he needs to stay healthy. She says, Dante can be tested, and the girls, but the right now, the only opinion that matters is Sonny’s. He says, what if he just wants to do it? and she says, what if he wants to do it, thinking if he has the courage to do it, he’ll get the results he wants? She understands that kind of magical thinking. If I’m brave enough to face the worst, maybe the worst won’t happen. But with Alzheimer’s, it’s hard to know for certain. The tests are narrow in scope and not predictive. He asks what she became a medical professional, and she says she’s not a doctor, but she’s his wife. She doesn’t want him to torture himself about something if he doesn’t have to.
Chase and Brook go back to the bar. He asks if she’s given any more thought to moving back home, but she says she doesn’t think there’s enough room for her and her family. Underneath the bickering, there is a lot of love, but there’s also judgement. She’ll never be equal to Michael, Dillon, or her father, if she doesn’t stand on her own two feet. Even then, they’ll have to come to her with an apology. He says he’s sorry to hear that, because he has more bad news.
Valentin asks what Anna means, Alex is Peter’s mother? and she says, might be. Does he remember the night he got her to admit she had Faison’s baby? He says, of course (🍷) he remembers that night. He watched her unraveling in his living room. Please tell him it was Alex. She says she can’t be certain. He knows she was subjected to memory transfer. Something from Alex was imprinted in her, and this might be it. He says, thank God. This means he didn’t follow her that night. She didn’t sleep with Faison, and he didn’t deliver her baby to Faison. He didn’t betray her. She tells him, stop it. Everything he did was despicable, whether it was to her or Alex. He says, of course (🍷) it was Alex. He thinks he always knew it. She says he knows more than she does, because it’s just a theory. She thinks she might be able to prove it by specific genes, and he says, run all the tests she wants to, but he knows it was Alex; they both know. She would never do the things Alex did. She says, Peter has to believe she’s his mother, and Valentin says, okay. That’s why she’s afraid of Alex. It’s not what Alex will do to her, but to Peter. She’ll tell him the truth. Anna says she doesn’t want him involved with this anymore. It’s her problem, and she’ll handle it now. He asks how? when Finn comes in. Finn says he didn’t realize they had guests, and Valentin says he just dropped by for a quick word with Finn’s fiancé. Finn says, if this is about the planned ambush, he already knows.
Spinelli says, and after he convinces Maxie that he approves of her marriage to that miscreant? Robert says, stay close. She’ll need someone to lean on when the bottom drops out of everything, and it’s going to, because he’s going to make it. Spinelli says, and Robert is going to continue with the investigation? Robert says, Peter is guilty, and he intends to prove it.
Peter says he’s sorry Maxie’s feelings were hurt, and she says, as much as she cares about Spinelli – and she always will – if she has to choose, she chooses him. Spinelli has to see, this time he has to compromise. Spinelli approaches the table, and asks if he could have a moment. He needs to apologize to them both. He never offered his congratulations on their engagement, but offers it now with a full heart. He wishes them every happiness. Peter thanks him, and Maxie says it was beautiful, but what made him change his mind?
Dante says, Olivia saved him. It wasn’t until he heard her that he realized he had to do everything in his power to get home. She needs him; his family needs him. Olivia says she’s his mother, and she’ll always need him, but she didn’t save him. He saved himself. She just let him know he always has a place to live, no matter what. He says he was worried she’d given up on him, and she says she tried, but she knew in her heart that she’d see him again. She has to call Sonny.
Sonny tells Carly, when they buried his dad next to Morgan, he was thinking that Morgan inherited being bi-polar from him, so maybe he inherited Alzheimer’s from his dad. If he did, they’ll deal with it. Carly says, there’s no medication you can take to prevent it. Live a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, which he does, and eat well, which he does. She guesses he could drink less, and he says, maybe he can box more and drink the same. She laughs, and says she thinks one of the greatest things about being a human being is that you don’t know how life will turn out. They have no idea what’s going to happen next. If it were her choice, she wouldn’t want to know, but it’s not her choice; it’s his. He says, something to think about, but not anytime soon. She says, it’s a decision he shouldn’t rush. If he ends up slipping like his dad at some point, promise she’ll tell him. She says she will, and she’ll be by his side the entire time, the way he was with his dad. Always.
Valentin says Finn knows more about the situation than he does, so tell him, is she setting a trap for Alex or not? Anna says, there’s been a change in plans. She’ll deal with her sister herself in her own way. He says he respects her more than she’ll ever know. That’s why it pains him to see her indulge in denial. Her sister has unfinished business with her, and she will be visiting Port Charles. It will either be on her terms or Anna’s.
Chase tells Brook that he needs his couch back; his whole apartment really. She says, but he told her… He says, she could stay until she got back on her feet. She needs to start doing that. She says she just lost her job, and he says he believes in her. He believes she’ll stand on her own, but that doesn’t mean she can’t carve out a place for her family. The longer she lets this fester, the more it will take on a life of its own.
Valentin leaves, and Finn asks if Anna changed her mind. She says she’s changing tactics, and needs his help. She won’t throw Peter’s whole life into question until she’s exhausted every option. He says, what options? Alex is a fugitive, and Faison is dead. She says, dead, yes, but not gone.
Robert asks if Jackie had a nice time cozying up to Peter. She says she’s decided to work with Peter, but not with him. Like she told him, if he wants to dig up dirt on Peter, do it on his own time. He says he intends to, but when she finds something – and she will – she’ll know how important it is that they work together. She’s met his niece, and knows what’s at stake.
Spinelli says, Maxie warned him that his continued actions were ruining their friendship. He had to step back and reassess his priorities. They’re Georgie’s parents, and continue to raise her in mutual admiration and regard. He hopes to regain her trust, and hopes to get Peter’s. Peter says, it’s over; let’s put it behind us. Spinelli says, that’s very gracious, and Peter says it’s all he can do. All he’s ever wanted is to prove himself. Spinelli says he’s done that by making Maxie happy. Maxie asks if that means Spinelli is coming to their wedding and he says she couldn’t keep him away.
Dante tells Olivia, he tried to make Mike’s funeral, but he missed it. Sonny was still there, saying goodbye. She says she saw Sonny afterward, but he didn’t say anything. Dante tells her, he asked Sonny not to. He wanted to see Lulu and the kids first; he didn’t want them to hear it from anyone else. He went to Lulu’s house, and there was someone else there. She says, Dustin, and he says, seems like they’re pretty serious. She says, Dustin doesn’t hold a candle to him, and he thanks her, but says he doesn’t think her opinion is going to make a bias. She says, this can wait until morning, because he’s there. He’s staying there, in this house. They have 20 million guest rooms, and even if they didn’t… He doesn’t know how long she’s waited for this moment. Her baby is home. She hugs him, and says, everything will be okay.
Carly says Sonny was so cute, and he agrees, pointing out his dimples. She bets he was as modest then as he is now, and he says, just about. The doorbell rings, and Sonny goes to get it. It’s Brando, and Sonny asks if he has an update. Brando says he has some news, but sees Carly, and stops talking. Sonny says there are no secrets between them, and Brando says he just met with Cyrus. Cyrus wants to recruit him. Sonny says, good.
Tomorrow, Ava is starting to believe Nikolas cares for her, Nikolas tells someone to take it now or the deal is off, and Sonny tells Julian that he doesn’t have the luxury of turning him down.
🍹 Tonight’s Bravo offering was the season 4 finale of Southern Charm, with Craig, Shep, and the two Toms from Vanderpump Rules watching virtually. Craig and Shep were together; ditto the Toms. The first thing that stood out was how much Tom Sandoval is looking like Freddy Mercury with blond highlights. These guys were way chattier than anyone has been so far, and there was a lot of discussion between boxes. Part of the episode was when the cast went to Key West, and also included a party hosted by JD (bleh). Cameran gave a lecture to a more than hungover Craig, and Shep came by, still keeping the party going. When Shep focused heavily on a sandpiper, Schwartz said, when you’re drunk and hungover like that, there’s a raw appreciation of nature. Ugh. I don’t think I’ll be testing that theory, since just watching Shep brought me back to the couple of times I’ve continued drinking into the next day, and I actually felt a little sick, even though it was many years ago. Sandoval did a lot of fashion critiquing, called out household hints, and had a lot to say about how he would have handled various situations. The Toms also pumped Craig and Shep, who reminded me of frat boys, for information on other cast members. The episode included some high tension between Craig and Naomie, who were seeing each other at the time, and Craig not-so-humble bragged about how he had passed the bar, and was now a lawyer, as it had been a bone of contention with Naomie. While watching Craig tell Naomie how he was done with her criticism, Shep said it was the most boring scene he’d ever seen. He made me laugh, but he also may have been right. When it was over, Craig suggested they watch Vanderpump Rules with the Toms. Sandoval was all for it, but Schwartz said he was out. All in all, it was a fun show.
🐴 Beating a Dead Horse…
Dorinda wanted to make it nice, but needed a vacation.
How is it a week can drag by, yet the month between mortgage payments goes by fast? One of life’s mysteries. Along with how the hell did such a promising number as 2020 treat us so badly? But you’re still here. Keep it up. And while you’re at it, stay safe, stay thinking beyond now, and stay not torturing yourself about things you don’t have to.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Curtis sees Portia at the hospital. He says he’s picking TJ up from work, so he and Jordan can get a minute of quality time with him. Portia says her parents used the same trick on her when she was in med school, and tells Curtis, it’s going to be a while before TJ is finished. He says he’ll wait, and she asks if he’d like some company. She could use a break, and her ears are still ringing from the loud music at the homecoming dance. He says, according to his recollections, she couldn’t listen to music loud enough back in the day. She says they won’t be telling Trina that, and he asks how Trina is. It couldn’t have been easy on her. The last time she went to a dance… Portia says, her father was killed.
Jordan sees Cyrus by the elevator in the parking garage. He says he’s been waiting for her.
Maxie tells Peter, it’s the best day. They’re engaged. She’s not even upset that his sister was a witness. He says Anna wants to talk to him; it sounds like something important. She asks if he wants to go over there now, but he says they’re supposed to give Mac and Felicia the good news. She suggests he go see Anna, and she’ll wait for him at The Floating Rib. She’ll stall as long as she can. He says he loves her, and can’t wait to marry her. She says she can’t wait either, and hopes Anna doesn’t have bad news. He’s sure it isn’t, but nothing is going to bring him down today.
Anna flashes back to Finn saying she should tell Peter the truth; that she doesn’t know if she or Alex is his mother. Her phone dings, and it’s a text from Peter, saying he’s on his way.
Chase goes to Finn’s office, and asks if he has plans this weekend. Finn says, it’s too early for best man plans, but Chase says he wants to have a family dinner; him, Chase, Anna… his mother…
At The Floating Rib, Jackie sits at the bar with Mac, telling him old tales about Robert. Robert comes in and says he sees Jackie has met his baby brother. She says, the fairer Scorpio by a mile. She had lunch there with Chase, and tells Mac that he really has a special place. Mac says, drinks are on the house, and Robert says Mac wouldn’t know flattery if it smacked him in the head. Mac says, maybe not, but he has more sense. How could Robert let Jackie get away? Jackie says, good question.
Miss Madigan tells Lucy that she certainly had a unique pitch. Perhaps they could revisit putting Deception in their stores at a later time. Valentin says they only buy products every six months, and Sasha asks if there’s anything they can do to change her mind. Lucy says, this is silly. Why don’t they have the actual voice of Deception give a performance? The artist is there, live and in person. Valentin says he thinks it would be an excellent idea. Behind the scenes, Amy looks panicked. Lucy tells Madigan not to let a silly flashdrive mistake stop her from hearing a song they think will be number one. Madigan says she doesn’t think a song is going to change things, and Valentin suggests rescheduling, but Lucy says, Madigan is there now. She knows Madigan will love the song. Everyone who hears it, adores it. And she knows Brook would be thrilled to sing it for her. Brook smiles.
Curtis says, it would be a shame if Taggert’s death got in the way of Trina enjoying all the things a young person should enjoy;dances and friends. Portia says there were some bumpy moments, but ultimately, she thinks Trina had a good time. It’s sweet of him to keep asking about Trina, since Trina has been less than understanding. He says he’s a grown man. He can take what she throws at him. She says, but Trina’s anger is misdirected. She’s tried to get Trina to understand, and hopes one day she sees that Curtis is the reason she made it through that night. He saved her daughter’s life and she can never repay him.
Cyrus says Jordan got his text, and she says, she’s there, isn’t she? He asks if she has what he asked for.
Finn tells Chase, the best man title can be revoked at any time, and Chase says his brother and mother haven’t been in the same zip code as him since he was a kid. He thought it would be nice. Finn says, for him, and Chase says, yes, for him, and for the whole family. Wouldn’t it be easier if Finn made nice with his parents before the wedding? Finn knows Chase means well, but his relationship with his dad and Jackie doesn’t have to be the same as Chase’s, and it isn’t Chase’s responsibility to be mending fences. Chase says, the best man has to have a more important job than just not losing the rings, and Finn says. if the wedding even happens.
Anna thanks Peter for coming. He says before she gets into what she has to tell him, he has something important to tell her first. He and Maxie are getting married.
Robert says, what Mac doesn’t understand is that he possesses a certain je ne sais quoi. He can’t help it if he possesses magnetism to women of a certain order. Jackie laughs, and Mac asks how Robert explains Felicia never falling at his feet. Maxie comes in, and Robert starts to introduce them, but Maxie says, Jackie Templeton, the journalist. Robert says Jackie’s head is big enough already, and Maxie says Lulu mentioned she was going to try and get Jackie there. She introduces herself, and asks Mac where Felicia is. Mac says she’s delivering meals to the elderly; is something wrong? Maxie says, quite the opposite. Robert says, out with it, and Maxie says she wanted to wait for Peter, but she can’t. She and Peter are getting married. Mac says, that’s great, and hugs her. Robert frowns.
Brook says, as much as she’d love to sing, she doesn’t have the music track. Lucy says it’s on her laptop, but Brook says her voice isn’t warmed up. Lucy asks Madigan to give them a teeny moment, and tells Sasha to give her some pastries and herbal tea. Sasha takes Madigan to the bar, and Lucy says she appreciates what Brook has gone through, and sympathizes, but that woman can put their product in over 250 stores across the country, not to mention they have an amazing website. They might not get the opportunity again for at least six months. Brook is sure there’s another way to get her on board. Valentin is quite the charmer. Valentin says, in the short time he’s known Brook, he recognizes her as a fighter. Don’t let Nelle steal her voice. She wants to sing in front of a live audience again, doesn’t she? Brook says, more than anything in the world, and Lucy says, all right then. It’s settled. Brook will reach deep inside herself and find a way to do it, right? Brook says yeah, some way. Amy watches.
Jordan gives Cyrus the file, and he thanks her for her promptness. She says she can’t imagine he’ll get much use out of it; the case is dead, and most of it is redacted. He says he shouldn’t have any trouble filling in the blanks. Earlier today, she was questioning Brando. Does she have him pegged as the person who sabotaged Jason’s motorcycle? She says she’s asking Brando questions about how the part was sabotaged. It’s standard procedure in an investigation. He says, not any longer. He needs her to kill the investigation.
Chase asks what Finn means, and Finn says, forget it. He was talking nonsense. Chase asks if he and Anna had a fight, but Finn says they’re fine. Chase asks if it has to do with their dad and his mom, but Finn says, for once it has nothing to do with their family. It’s Anna’s. There’s the distinct possibility Anna’s sister could end up in Port Charles. Chase says, Alex has been on the run from international authorities for years.Why would she risk getting caught coming back to Port Charles?
Anna tells Peter, that’s wonderful news, and hugs him. She asks where Maxie is, and he, says she’s already at The Floating Rib. Anna asks him to tell her everything, and they sit in the living room. He says they were at the hospital for their genetic testing appointment. They got some great news, and Maxie asked him to marry her. Anna says, it’s so typical Maxie, and he says he thought same thing. He’s wanted to pop the question for months, but his fear was holding him back, and Maxie did it for him.
Mac says, so Maxie is getting married, and she says he dragged it out of her. He says, sorry for the relentless interrogation. She says he badgered her until she spilled the beans. At least that’s the story they’re going to give Felicia. He says he’s happy for her. They’re already a family; this just makes it official. Jackie says, congratulations, and Robert asks if she’s sure this is what she really wants. Maxie says she should hope so, considering she asked Peter. Mac says he’s going to call Felicia to make sure she gets back as soon as she can. Robert tells Maxie to sit while he and Jackie rustle up some cider. Brando comes over to Maxie, and tells her that he couldn’t help overhearing – congratulations. She says, a new baby, a new career, a new husband. It seems like things are finally starting to go her way. It feels pretty good.
Lucy asks Sasha, what happened? and Sasha says she’s sorry. She had a bad day. Lucy says she’s had her share of bad days, and public disasters, but this isn’t a bad day. Something isn’t right. Sasha is scattered, and she can’t focus. Sasha says she gets it; she messed up. Message received. She stomps off.
Valentin tells Madigan, it shouldn’t be much longer. Brook wants to warm up and do the song justice. Madigan says she respects people who take pride in their work.
Brook says Amy told her she would help, and Amy says she did, but what Brook is asking now… Brook says, is nothing. All they have to do is sync Amy’s mic to the Bluetooth speakers she’s going to use. She’ll be performing, but they’ll hear Amy’s voice. She remembers the lyrics, right? It will be a piece of cake. Brook can’t let them down. They need her, and she needs Amy to be her voice.
Jordan tells Cyrus, there are lines she won’t cross. An investigation into an accident where someone was hurt is one of them. Cyrus says he’s not trying to puncture holes in the wheels of justice, but he suspects she doesn’t really believe Brando had anything to do with Jason’s accident. She’s just dotting her i’s and crossing her t’s. He’s asking her to her to leave some i’s undotted and t’s uncrossed. She flashes back to Curtis saying, Cyrus needs to believe he has them where he wants them, and her saying, that way, he won’t know what hit him when they take him down. Jordan tells Cyrus, okay, but why is he protecting Brando? He says, seeing an innocent man accused of something he didn’t do, hits close to home. They wouldn’t want Brando to suffer the same injustice he did, would they?
Finn tells Chase, if Anna knew what was going on in her sister’s mind, it would make their lives easier, but she doesn’t. Chase says, Anna is more than capable of taking care of herself, and Finn says, physically. Chase’s phone rings, and he says, that’s strange. It’s Valentin, who says his presence is required at the MetroCourt. Chase asks if there’s a situation in progress, and Valentin says, of a criminal nature, no, but Sasha is his friend, and she could use one right now.
Lucy thanks Madigan for her patience, and says she’s in for a treat. Sasha’s phone dings, and a text from Chase asks if she’s okay. Brook puts the music on, and Amy begins to sing backstage. I’m guessing the title is, We Were Created from the Ruins, since it’s sung like, 1000 times.
Jackie tells Robert, who knew the lead singer of Riff Raff would go on to have a cosmetics mogul as a daughter? He says, Frisco’s grown up quite a bit, and she says, so has he, for the most part. He says he thought they buried the hatchet, and she says, hatchet buried; water under bridge. She’s not talking about the past, but his present. What does he have against that girl’s fiancé?
Peter tells Anna, the scariest thing on earth is to get everything you wanted, because you have everything to lose. She says, it is scary to get what you want, but she thinks it’s more tragic to push it away. Now that he has it, he has to try hard to be worthy of it. He’s says he’s doing everything in his power. It’s been a major revelation. It’s been a lot for him. The pregnancy, the genetic testing… She says, they came back good? and he says, the tests came back clean. He has nothing that could be passed on to the baby. Anna says, it must be a relief, and he says the only thing he had flagged was a marker for rheumatoid arthritis. He assumes he got that from her.
At the hospital, Jordan tells Chase that she’s reassigning some cases on the docket. He’s no longer working the Jason Morgan crash. He asks if he messed up, but she says, no; he’s one of their best detectives, but she’d rather use his talents on more pressing investigations. He asks if eliminating Jason and opening the door to a mob war isn’t serious. There’s no way it was a faulty part; someone tampered with the stabilizer. It was a murder attempt dressed up to look like an accident. She says, there’s no way of proving the stabilizer was tampered with; no way of knowing Jason was targeted. It was an egregious error on the plant’s part. He says, that’s a big coincidence. Brando did a stretch in prison, and is just the kind of guy Cyrus would use to do his dirty work. Portia and Curtis come around the corner, and Jordan says, Brando is no longer a person of interest. He says, since when, and she says they’ll talk about it tomorrow at the station. He says, yes ma’am, and leaves. Jordan says, sorry they had to see that. It’s never pleasant putting your foot down as a boss. Portia says, it isn’t, but neither is letting Taggert’s killer get away with murder, Jordan asks what she means, and Portia says, they both know Cyrus is directly responsible for Trina losing her father. Curtis says, no one is disputing that, and Portia says, she gets they don’t have evidence to tie Cyrus to Taggert’s shooting, and she can rationalize Jordan had information to set that monster free, but she has a new investigation. One that could put Cyrus back in prison where he belongs, but instead, she shut it down. Why? Jordan says, with all due respect, she doesn’t have to explain her investigations to Portia, but just so she knows, there was no direct evidence linking Cyrus to Jason’s accident. Portia says, and there won’t be now that Jordan is shelving the investigation. She never took Jordan for a coward. Jordan says, Portia has no idea what she’s been through this past year. And the hard decisions she’s had to make. She’s not a coward, and certainly doesn’t answer to Portia. Portia says, then why doesn’t she answer to Taggert. What’s it going to take for her to bring his killer to justice, especially when she dragged his name through the mud?
Cyrus knocks on Finn’s office door, and he says he’s been meaning to introduce himself. They have much to discuss.
Peter says, apparently rheumatoid arthritis is supposed to be inherited. Maxie said Nathan didn’t have it, so he assumes he didn’t get it from Faison. She says he didn’t get it from her. She had a full genetic work up when she was diagnosed with PV, and didn’t have it. He says maybe it was Faison, and the gene skipped Nathan. He can handle a little arthritis. He tells Anna, he has a fiancé to get to, and she says give Maxie a hug for her. He says, wait a minute. He came there because she wanted to tell him something, but she says, it can wait. It’s nothing compared to his spectacular news. She tells him to go, and when he leaves, she goes to her laptop.
Jackie tells Robert, that was the most tepid reaction to an engagement she’s ever seen. He couldn’t even muster a congratulations. He says she doesn’t know Maxie’s fiancé. He doesn’t trust Peter August. She says if the story she’s working on turns into anything, she’ll be working with The invader, and he says there’s no way she should be working with Peter. She says she doesn’t remember asking him for career advice. He gave up that right long ago. He says, it’s not the rant of some jealousex. Peter’s a guy she doesn’t want to mess with. He’s genuinely dangerous.
Amy continues to sing, while Brook mouths the words. Madigan bops her head to the music. Lucy tells Valentin, it looks like something is final going right. Thank you, universe, for allowing Brook to pick up the pieces of a disaster. Sasha jets, and Chase shows up. He sees Amy, and asks what she’s doing. Amy accidently unplugs the Bluetooth connection.
Curtis tells Portia and Jordan, there’s enough pain between the three of them to fill the whole floor. Neither one of them is the enemy. Don’t forget it’s Cyrus. Portia says, he’s right. She hates this. She hates that Cyrus is allowed to walk the halls where Taggert died, but she has to assume Jordan is doing her best to do what’s right. Jordan says, she is. No one wishes Cyrus would vanish from their lives more than she does. She wishes she could make it all go away, but she can’t. She’s the Commissioner, not a ghost. She can’t off Cyrus without anyone seeing. Curtis says, a ghost? What is she talking about?
Finn says he can’t think of anything he and Cyrus have to discuss. He’s never dealt with the Chairman of the Board before, and sees no reason to start now. Cyrus says, that’s not entirely true. He believes Finn dealt with the Chairman of the Board when he was suspended for drug use. Finn says, the dugs keeping him alive. Becoming addicted to something given to ease your pain, can Cyrus believe there are people out there who take advantage of that? Who would make money from it? Cyrus says, it was awful that he was pegged for a drug kingpin, responsible for destroying people’s lives when he was innocent. Finn says if Cyrus is dangling that he might be fired for his past drug use, go for it, but Cyrus says he wasn’t dangling that. Britt would make that decision. Finn says, the Board decided to fire Monica and Bobbie, but Cyrus says Finn is a noted expert and an asset to the hospital. He looks forward to a rewarding, collaborative relationship. Finn says, he has patients, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷).
Peter arrives at The Floating Rib, and Maxie asks, how’s Anna? Is everything okay? He says he blurted out the good news, and Anna told him it could wait. It wasn’t that important. Maxie says, he told Anna. That will make her feel less guilty for blurting it out to Mac. He says he knew it, and she says she tried not to. Was Anna over the moon? He says she was ecstatic. She knows Maxie made him the happiest man alive.
Jackie says she did her due diligence when Lulu reached out. She knows about Peter’s reputation. Robert says she’s not considering working with him. Maybe she’s got an angle? She says, no, she doesn’t. She can’t believe she’s indulging his paranoid streak, and he says he genuinely believes Peter is up to no good. She says she’s not saying he’s wrong, but if she discovers something illicit at the newspaper, the public will know. He asks what she thinks that might be, and she tells him that he’ll read her article along with everyone else. She tells him that she wouldn’t risk losing family over it. Can’t he bring himself to congratulate them? Robert gets up, and goes over to Maxie and Peter’s table. He mumbles that he wanted to congratulate them before it slipped his mind, and stuff like that. Maxie asks if that was for both of them, and Jackie says, of course (🍷) it was. Mac grabs Robert, and asks him to help with something. When they’re out of earshot, Mac asks, what Robert’s problem with Peter is.
Chase says let him help, but Amy says he doesn’t understand what they’re doing. They can be heard in the other room, and Brook shuts off the music. Madigan says, will someone explain what’s going on? and Lucy says, sometimes you can pick up a private phone call. That has to be what’s going on. Amy runs in, and says she’s sorry, and Madigan says she’s the nurse who sang so beautifully at the telethon. She was the one singing? Brook tells Lucy that she’s sorry, and Madigan says, so the voice of Deception is a fraud? Did Valentin know? He says, absolutely not, but he noticed something was off. Lucy says she told Madigan about the vicious attack on Brook. It must have affected her mentally and emotionally. Madigan asks how Lucy explains her partner flailing during her presentation earlier? It’s clear to her Deception can’t manage a simple presentation, much less an entire company. She’s afraid they won’t be going into business together. Valentin stops Lucy from going after Madigan, and Lucy turns on Brook. She asks, what did Brook do to them? How could she do this? How could she lie? Brook says she didn’t want to let them down, and Lucy says, look what she’s done. The entire future company is in jeopardy. What Sasha did was pretty bad, but Brook… She’s so embarrassed. What they did was unprofessional. No, worse. Brook made them look absolutely pathetic. Brook says she’s sorry, but Lucy doesn’t want to hear it. She never wants to hear anything else from Brook again, and she doesn’t want Brook to be part of the company. She’s fired.
Sasha digs in her purse, but the baggie of coke she comes up with is empty.
At the bar, Brook tells Amy, she doesn’t think Lucy is going to forgive her for this one. Amy says, forgive them, but Brook says, no way is Amy sharing the blame. She’ll make sure. She doesn’t want to jeopardize Amy’s friendship with Lucy. She tells Amy, go before Lucy comes back, and sends some wrath her way. Call if she needs anything. Amy leaves, and Brook tells Chase, Lucy wouldn’t have fired her if the plan had worked. If they’d sealed the deal, she would have been a hero. He says, so the end justifies the means? and she says, sometimes. It’s not meant to be. It seems like nothing in her life goes well for her. In fact, everything has gone straight to hell since she made a deal with the devil. We see Valentin.
Curtis says, no one said anything about offing anyone, and Jordan says, sorry. It’s been a stressful week, so her stress has started spouting off. Taggert was her friend, her partner, and she misses him too. She says she should go, but Curtis says they’re picking up TJ. She says she can’t tonight. Tell TJ she’s sorry. She leaves, and Portia says she didn’t mean to upset Jordan. (Yes she did.) Curtis says Jordan has been under a huge strain. To go and accuse her of covering up for the man who killed her friend… Portia says it wasn’t intentional, but Jordan’s actions regarding Cyrus are incredibly suspicious. She can’t be the only one noticing.
Cyrus calls Brando, and says he just wanted Brando to know that the PCPD ended their investigation of him. He made sure. Isn’t Brando pleased? Brando says, he is. What exactly does Cyrus want in return?
Mac tells Robert, Obrecht committed the crimes, and set Peter up to take the fall. It makes sense; they’re in her wheelhouse. Robert is phoning it in with Peter, and upsetting Maxie. Robert says, he can tell? and Mac says, Maxie has accepted Peter and loves him. They’re going to get married, and start a family together. Let it go, for all their sakes. Robert says, he’s right, and Mac says, what? Robert says he’s being hotheaded, but if they think Peter changed his ways, who is he to otherwise. Mac says, thank you, and Robert says, except – Mac says, here we go – if anything, and he means anything, happens to Maxie or anyone around her, and Peter is implicated, he’s going to do something really bad to him. Mac says, if something like that happens, Robert won’t be doing it on his own.
Maxie asks what Robert and Mac are talking about; it seems serious. Mac says they’re talking how much they both love her. Robert says, and how much they take her happiness seriously.
Peter tells Jackie, it wasn’t easy rebuilding The Invader into a serious newspaper. He knew he would lose some readers.
Finn comes home, and sees Anna on her laptop. He asks what she’s doing, and she says she asked Peter to come over. She didn’t tell him though. Finn says, because… She says she may not have to. She thinks she’s found a way to prove once and for all if she’s Peter’s mother or not.
Tomorrow, Maxie asks if it’s not enough for Spinelli, Finn thinks Peter should hear about it from Anna, and Cyrus says he could use Brando on his team.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
The first episode of the new season was kind of sweet. We’ll see how long that lasts. It opened with pictures of the casts from days gone by, and a voice over about the seasons. I wondered if it was Jeana narrating, and it was (see below), so points for me. Shannon had a new house and a new boyfriend, John, who was introduced to her by a mutual friend. He has three kids and she has three kids, but they’re not Brady Bunching yet. Kelly had just become engaged to Rick Leventhal, and she was thrilled. She said he didn’t seem like he was 60, and she felt like she was in the move Cocoon. Geez, it’s not like he’s 90, and there’s Viagra now. Jolie has turned 13, and Kelly said she hated Brian, but loves Rick.
Gina also moved into a new place, and she said her life for the past year had been like a soap opera. We flashed back to her arrest, and she said she was proud of herself. She also had a new boyfriend, and they also have three children each. Is there something in the water? Must be, because Braunwyn moved too. She’s now a block from Shannon, and Kelly was moving into the neighborhood. Shannon was still pissed about Kelly reaching out to Jim Bellino in the midst of him suing Shannon, but Gina thought Kelly’s anger was more toward Tamra, who, in case you didn’t know, is gone from the show, along with Vicki.
Replacing Tamra is Elizabeth, who lives near Braunwyn. In her interview, Braunwyn described Elizabeth as fun, and doesn’t take sh*t. In Kelly’s interview, she said Elizabeth had married a billionaire, and lives an extravagant lifestyle. She has jets and mansions. She also has a divorce in the works, and a boyfriend named Jimmy, who hasn’t had sex with her yet, since she’s still married. Sadly, her billionaire had a child with another woman when he’d told her that he didn’t want kids, even though she did. Ugh.
Emily is still married to Shane (come back, Shane!), and they were celebrating 11 years. She said the last six months had been amazing, and apparently, her hip surgery was a huge help. She said when she came out, it felt like she had a whole new life, and Shane was there to share it with her. Good for her. I guess. During dinner out, she told Shane that Braunwyn drank too much to have any meaningful conversation or relationship with.
Braunwyn called her new house, the suburban dream. It was 3000 square feet, and 3 stories, and included a home theater, some kind of disco den, and an outdoor pirate ship. I’m not sure what suburb she’s referring to.
Gina and Kelly went to hot yoga, and Kelly said she’s been kicked out 3 times, but didn’t elaborate. Was she too gaseous or combative? Gina was ready to get rid of her not-so-freshman 15 she’d put on because she’s in love. I understood that, but it usually doesn’t happen until after you’re married, when you can relax. Kelly told Gina that Braunwyn had gone to Miami when they were celebrating Rick’s 60th birthday. She wasn’t judging, but Braunwyn’s drinking was on a whole other level. When Gina mentioned that Shannon was still hurt by Kelly getting involved in the lawsuit, in her interview, Kelly said Shannon was choosing that tres amigas bullsh*t.
Elizabeth checked out a property for a dog rescue. In her interview, she said she grew up dirt poor in the south. When she realized money got her out of poverty, she never stopped working. She’s the owner of Edge Music Network, a video streaming service, and said she’s ready to sell her share, but she’s waiting until after the divorce is finalized. Smart move. She told us she’d lost herself being married, and had become a bobblehead wife. She couldn’t stand it, and had missed herself.
Shannon went over to Braunwyn’s house, and Braunwyn played peacemaker, inviting Kelly to join them. They did shots, and Shannon and Kelly made up (I think).
Braunwyn visited Emily, and admitted her drinking was out of control. She’d started drinking at 14, it had never been an issue, especially since she had been sober when she was pregnant. Since they have 10 kids, that’s a pretty big chunk of time. She told Emily she had never felt anything, and she was scared of finding out who she is without alcohol. Emily promised to be supportive, and Braunwyn said she didn’t think she could ever drink again, and it scared the sh*t out of her.
This season, Shannon is excited for 2020, Covid hits, one of Braunwyn’s sons does drag, Kelly’s third wedding, Braunwyn’s mom says she’s not as fun anymore, Gina screams at Braunwyn, and Gina says, 2020 has got to be better than 2019. Yep, we were all excited and we all thought that.
I skipped Prime Day this year. Last year all I did was sign up for Prime, and I still haven’t watched Mrs. Maisel. Tomorrow, Craig, Shep, and the Toms from Vanderpump Rules watch Southern Charm’s season 4 finale. I don’t know if they would have been my choice for commentary, but we’ll see. For now, stay safe, stay scrupulous, and stay away from Kelly at hot yoga.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn sees Anna and says, that’s not the face of a woman who wants to be planning a wedding. She says she’s enjoying planning the wedding, but they have to discuss her. He asks if it has something to do with Jackie being in town. She says she’s interested in learning more about Jackie, but it’s about her sister. Apparently, Alex tried to have her killed.
In the doctor’s office, Peter says Maxie is quiet. She says he is too, and he asks if he’s less of a man for being worried as to why Dr. Navarro summoned them there to discuss the genetic testing. She says he’s more of a man for admitting it. She’s worried too. What if something is wrong? He tells her, they can’t think like that, but she says they are thinking like that. He suggests they think about how excited she is about Deception’s big pitch meeting today. She says she’s sure Lucy is excited to handle it on her own. She has a lot to prove, since she was the one who opened the door to Cyrus taking over the hospital. Britt comes in, and says, poor Mr. Renault. Everyone is always so down on him. But if he hadn’t taken over, she wouldn’t be there to cook the little bun in Maxie’s oven.
Chase meets Jackie at The Floating Rib. He apologizes for being late, and says it’s on him. She says she already slipped the bartender her credit card; mother’s prerogative. Since it’s on her, she gets to ask all the questions, starting with when does she get to meet Chase’s girlfriend?
Sasha looks like hell when she shows up for the pitch meeting. Lucy says she’s so late, but it doesn’t matter. The place looks gorgeous, and they’re going to knock this baby out of the park. She takes a good look at Sasha and asks, what happened? She looks like roadkill.
Brook sees Amy at the MetroCourt, and asks what she’s doing there. Amy says she wants to see the reaction when Brook plays their tracks. Brook says they’re her tracks, but Amy says they’re her vocals. Brook says, that’s right, which means Amy can’t be seen, only heard. Valentin pokes his head in and asks if Brook is ready.
Nina is sitting at Charlie’s, when Jax shows up. She asks if he’s stalking her and he says he is. Her receptionist said he could find her there. She says she’s doing more research on Phyllis Caulfield. He asks if she found anything, and she says she did. Out of the surprising number of Phyllis Caulfields out there, none of them are her Phyllis. You mean she can’t spring for a P.I. or even one of those online searches? He says they’ll keep on looking. Unless she’s giving up. She says, of course (🍷) not. Aside from going back to work at Crimson, she’s been thinking a lot about Nelle. She’s one of the reasons Nelle lost custody of Wiley.
Nikolas goes to the bar, and asks Julian what he hell is going on with Ava, and how does he keep her away from Ryan? Julian says he’s asking the wrong question, and Nikolas says, what’s the right one? Julian says, how Nikolas stops caring for his sister.
Ava goes to see Ryan. He looks unkempt, and asks what took her so long? He’s been waiting all morning. She says, filing for divorce doesn’t happen overnight, and he asks if she’s agreed to his terms. Is she divorcing Nikolas? She says she’s not divorcing Nikolas just because Ryan wants her to; she’s divorcing him because Ryan swore he’d give her the letter that incriminates her brother in the Wiley baby switcheroo. He says she’ll get it as soon as her marriage is null and void. Who’s her attorney? She says she has something better than a divorce. A counter offer she thinks he’ll find appealing.
Chase tells Jackie, Willow is busy, but she says she thought Willow wasn’t a teacher anymore and has a job at the hospital part-time. He says she’s doing it again; treating him like an interview subject. She says it’s a hard habit to kick, but she senses he’s hiding something. He says she’s right. He hasn’t told her everything. He and Willow broke up. She says she’s sorry. The way he talked about her, she sounded great. He says, she was; she is. That’s why he didn’t want to tell her they ended things. She says her and his dad don’t care who he’s with or if he’s with anyone, as long as he’s happy. He says he was happy, and she asks, what happened? He says he cheated on her.
Brook motions Amy away, and tells Valentin that he shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. He says he didn’t realize he was sneaking up on anybody. He asks if she’s ready for the big meeting, and she says, of course (🍷). He asks how the recording session went, and she says, why? Did someone tell him it didn’t go well? He says he’s just asking out of concern. He thought after her unfortunate confrontation with Nelle, work might be difficult. She says, confrontation? That bitch slashed her throat. But everything is fine.
Lucy fixes Sasha’s makeup, and says it’s the best she can do. Sasha says they can always postpone until she feels better, and Lucy says she doesn’t want to know what happened, but she does know there’s no postponing. The buyer is coming all the way from Ohio, and she’s sure they won’t be willing to plan a second trip. Sasha says, if anyone can persuade her, it’s Maxie. Where is she? Lucy says, she had a pressing appointment about her pregnancy. Sasha asks if Maxie is okay, and Lucy is sure it’s just routine. Somehow, babies come before cosmetics. Go figure. She promised Maxie the team wouldn’t let her down, right? Sasha says, right, and Brook and Valentin walk in. Lucy says, there’s her star, and asks what Valentin is doing there. He says he’s insuring a profitable return on his investment, and she tells him, then stay out of the way. She asks if Brook has the demo, and Brook hands it to Lucy, saying she thinks Lucy will be happy. Lucy is sure she’ll love it, but what’s important is that the buyer loves it. She asks if they’re ready to make the deal of a lifetime, and Brook says she forgot her pom poms, but she’s ready. A woman comes in, and asks if one of them is Miss Coe. Lucy says, that would be her. Lucy realizes she’s the buyer, Miss Madigan, and says she’s lovely and welcome and please call her Lucy. She introduces Brook and her co-investor spokesmodel Sasha. She asks if the woman is ready to experience Deception.
Nina tells Jax, there’s that look. The look that says he hates that she brought up Nelle again. He says he thought he was using his poker face, and she asks if he wins much. He says, good one, He knows Nelle got under her skin when she worked for Nina, which was her intention, but she was a pathological manipulator. Nina says the Nelle that she knew, also felt lost, sad, and unloved. So forgive her for having empathy.
Nikolas tells Julian, stop caring about Ava? That’s pretty callous, especially coming from her brother. Julian says he told her not to see Ryan, but she didn’t listen to him. Know why? Nikolas says, no, but he’s sure Julian will fill him in. Julian says because it matters to Nikolas, and Nikolas says he told her that he didn’t want her to get hurt, and it caused her to run straight to Pentenville. Julian says, give the man a prize. If Ava thinks it matters to Nikolas, she’ll self-destruct. Any relationship she’s gotten into, she’s gotten hurt. She won’t allow herself to get close to anyone again. It’s better if their marriage remains a business transaction. Ava feels safer that way.
Ryan says, good. She wants to play a game. They’ll set the stakes; winner take all. She says the truth is, she blackmailed Nikolas into marrying her. She wanted the money and what goes with being a Cassadine. He says, and they both lived happily ever after, but she says, no. The marriage is loveless and celibate. She’s sure he appreciates her desire for revenge. He says she knows he does. It sounds well and good for her, but what’s in it for him? She says, a cut of the money, of course (🍷), and he says clearly he has no use for it. She asks if making her happy still means something to him.
Finn asks Anna why he’s just hearing about this now. She says she just found out. She was supposed to meet Alex in Berlin, but Valentin sent someone in her place. It was an ambush. If she had gone, she would have been killed. Finn says he’s sorry, and she says, over the years, Alex has been creative in ways of taking her off the chess board, but she’s never been so brazen as to try to kill her. He asks what’s changed? and she says if she had to guess, it has something to do with the one thing that still connects them. He says, Peter.
Maxie says, Britt isn’t Dr. Navarro, and Britt says, she’s not? looking at her nametag. Peter says he heard she was back in town, and Britt says she’s not the hugging type, but he’s her brother, so… They hug, and he says he heard she had a new job. She says his sister is the big cheese at the hospital, and Maxie says she’s sure Britt has a million things to do. It’s fine if she has to go. Britt says, and leave her niece or nephew in the hands of a stranger? Maxie says because she made an effort with James? and Britt says circumstances prevented that, but she’s there to connect with him now. Just like she’s there to give this baby the family treatment. She says they’re there for genetic counseling, and Peter says he had some concerns. Britt says she bets he does, given their father’s background. Maxie asks what the test says. Is Peter carrying anything that could affect their child?
Jackie says, Chase cheated on Willow? Chase says he can’t begin to tell her how hard it is to tell her. She says she admits she’s… He says, disappointed? Ashamed? She says, surprised. He said he was happy. He says he was, but then things started going wrong. He wasn’t sure they were headed in the right direction, or that he could give Willow what she needed. He knows that’s no excuse, but one day something happened. He messed up big time, and when Willow found out, she wanted nothing to do with him. She asks if there’s no way he can go back and make it right, but he says he doesn’t think so. She says, why not? and he says she’s interviewing him again. She says, and he’s not answering. If she won’t forgive him, that’s that, but if there’s hope… He says, she’s moved on with someone else. Sort of. It’s complicated. She says he can work with that, but he says she’s not listening. He hurt Willow, more than he imagined he could. He said things he knew would cause her pain, things he wishes he could take back, but he can’t. She says, no one can take back words; take it from an expert. Words are weapons. They scar unless they heal, but they can heal if the person who said them apologizes. He did wrong, but if he shows up, and backs up his words with actions, maybe Willow will grant him the second chance he so clearly wants. He says she’s being real understanding to a guy who just admitted he’s a dirtbag. She says he’s her baby boy. She’ll always love him, even if he’s a dirtbag, but he’s not a dirtbag. He’s a person, and people make mistakes. He’s looking at the queen of them.
Finn says he knows Anna doesn’t care if Alex is Peter’s mother, and she says it doesn’t make her love him any less. But with Alex being armed with information she doesn’t have, Alex can hurt Peter. She suggested to Valentin that they play Alex’s game, but on their terms, and lure her to Port Charles. If they have her on their turf, they’ll have the advantage. They can bring her to justice, and get the answers she wants. He says, but in the meantime, she puts everyone in danger, including Violet. She says she knows it’s a risk, but she feels she’s better able to protect him if she knows when Alex is coming. He says he doesn’t need protecting, but she says it’s the only move she has. He suggests she break the hold Alex has on her by telling Peter the truth. That she doesn’t know for certain if she or Alex is his mother.
Britt says they can do an amnio and they’ll know more, but if Maxie and Peter are concerned the baby will inherit a disorder from them, there’s nothing in the report to suggest that. Maxie tells Peter, there’s nothing to worry about, and Britt says he was looking for something specific, wasn’t he? Huntington’s? He says she knew Faison had it? and she says, it probably played a big role in his decision to go looking for Nathan. He was running out time. Peter says he knows he doesn’t have the gene, and she says then there’s no possibility of the baby inheriting it from Faison. Peter says he’s worried about other possible complication. She says the testing indicated he has the markers for rheumatoid arthritis. He might want to discuss it with his primary physician. Maxie asks if that’s going to be Britt too, and Britt laughs, saying, that would be ridiculous. Maxie says she’s glad it’s over. The baby is making her hungry. Maybe they can grab a bite before she talks with Lucy and Sasha. Britt says she’d love that, and Maxie says she was talking to Peter. He says he doesn’t know if he can do this.
Sasha stumbles through describing the lipsticks, and can barely apply some. She says, sorry, and Miss Madigan asks if she’s all right. Lucy thinks it’s time they take a teeny weeny break. She has herbal tea and vegan desserts she made herself. Sasha excuses herself. Valentin introduces himself to Miss Madigan, and says he’s a major investor in Deception. He welcomes her, and thanks her for flying all this way to look at their product line. She asks what he wants to say, and he says he wouldn’t invest in the team if they weren’t bringing something fresh and new to the cosmetics market. She says, he’s a Cassadine. He can afford to dabble. As a buyer for one of the top cosmetic chains in the country, she doesn’t need to waste her time on an inferior presentation. He says his ex-wife shops at her store almost exclusively, and she says then he understands why she has to be choosy in what she buys. To satisfy his ex-wife and the millions of women like her. Brook asks Sasha what the hell is wrong with her, and Sasha says she asked Lucy if they could postpone, and Brook says, that couldn’t happen. This isn’t just a job; it’s an investment, a career, her future. And not just Sasha’s. Maxie and Lucy have an investment in it, so she cannot tank this deal.
Jax asks Nina to forgive him for not having empathy. She says, Nelle had a terrible childhood, and he asks if that’s Nelle’s defense. Her father didn’t love her and used her?Lots of people who have that same story turned out fine. The only thing Nelle cared about is revenge, and if she was still alive, it’s still all she’d care about. She says it sounds like he’s happy Nelle is dead, and he says he didn’t wish her dead, but he’s not going to pretend he’s unhappy that she’s gone.
Nikolas asks Julian if he’s got this straight. An imprisoned serial killer calls his wife and asks her to visit, and he’s supposed to pretend like he doesn’t care? Julian says, exactly. Ava won’t keep talking to Ryan if it doesn’t attract his attention. Martin comes in, and orders bourbon neat. He wonders if he can talk to Julian for a moment in private. Julian says whatever he has to say, he can say in front of Nikolas, his brother-in-law. Martin says, as he wishes. He’s not sure if Julian is aware, but Nelle’s body was released from the morgue today. Julian says, he cares because… Martin says, legally, he’s her next of kin, and responsible for the burial arrangements. How does he intend to handle her remains? Julian says he’ll give her the burial she deserves, an unmarked grave in Potter’s Field. The sooner she’s out of his life, the better.
Ryan tells Ava that he knows what he saw, and he saw a spark there. Ava says, of anger. She’s trying to get Nikolas to cheat on her. She wants him to be so driven by his sexual frustration that he’ll go elsewhere to have his needs met. When he does, the post-nup kicks in, and she gets it all. He says, sorry. Her plan’s not working. Because based on what he saw, Nikolas only has eyes for her. That doesn’t work for him.
Chase tells Jackie, he messed up Willow’s life so much, he would rather not have her in his life than risk hurting her again. Jackie says he didn’t stand a chance. He gets the martyr complex from his father’s side of the family. Don’t listen to his mother, who has decades of hard won experience and wisdom. He says, and modesty. She says she never claimed to be perfect. He says if she’s interested in putting that wisdom and experience to work, he has a job for her. She says she’s listening, and he asks if she can help him fix things between his dad and Finn.
Anna says she’s not telling Peter about Alex, and Finn asks, why not? She says Peter is happy with Maxie and James, and about to be a father. She’s not going to turn his world upside down. Finn asks if she doesn’t think the stability he’s gained will moderate his reaction to learning about Alex? She says, what if it doesn’t? Peter believes she’s his mother, and that belief has helped him move past his identity as a bad person. If she suddenly says Alex could be his mother, it leaves him susceptible to Alex’s manipulations, and she can’t have that, especially now that Alex is proving herself as twisted and lethal as Faison ever was.
Peter tells Maxie, he doesn’t know how to live without the fear of his father looming over them. Maxie says Faison isn’t in his life anymore. He hugs her, and thanks her for loving him and believing in him. She says she doesn’t love him as a favor. She loves him because when her life was shattering into a million pieces, he never left her side. He was patient and kind, and it gave her the room she needed to mourn Nathan’s death. He says he lied to her about Nathan and his father, and she says she punished him for that. She pushed him away and tried to hate him, but he never left. He never wanted her to be someone she wasn’t or feel something she didn’t feel. He helped mend the part of her that was broken after Nathan died. He was her friend and safe harbor; her lover, then her partner. He’s an uncle, then a father to James. She can’t imagine life without him. He says she doesn’t have to, as long as she’ll have him, he’ll be by her side. She says then marry her. Marry her, and they’ll have each other forever.
Peter asks if she just proposed to him. She says they talked about getting married, or talked around it. He says, call him crazy, but he imagined there would be flowers and candlelight, and someone, preferably him, getting down on one knee. She says she didn’t plan for him to deliver James, but it was an incredible, amazing day because her son was born. He asks if she wouldn’t have preferred something more normal or traditional, but she says picture perfect doesn’t make her happy either, but the thought of spending the rest of her life with him does. Britt sniffles, and grabs some tissues. She says, pretend she’s not there.
Sasha tells Miss Madigan that she’s sorry for what happened. If she’ll give her and Deception another chance, Sasha promises they’ll impress her. Brook says Sasha was nervous; who wouldn’t be? Lucy says, they’re so aware they’re competing with products from France and Italy, and the best all over America. Sasha says their team cares about their products. They work with the best chemists, and if they’re excited, they believe other women will be too. Brook says Lucy and Sasha have put their heart and soul into every lipstick and eyeshadow because they want their products to be perfect. Sasha says what Brook is kind enough not to say is she’s not the only person in the world to screw up, but Deception makes this imperfect woman look perfect. What they want to bring to women who shop at her stores is, perfection in an imperfect world. They all want a second chance, just like her.
Martin says if Julian just puts his signature on the documents, he’ll have Nelle’s body released from the morgue and delivered to the Potter’s Field. Will he be requesting a service; words spoken at the gravesite. Julian suggests Martin save him some time, and say the words for him – good riddance. Nina approaches, and says, even Nelle deserves better, but Julian says, not from him. She says she’ll do it. Release the body to her, and she’ll make sure Nelle gets a decent burial. Julian says Martin heard the lady. Martin suggests they speak away from the bar.
Ava says Ryan took her daughter from her. How can he say he loves her if he’s willing to take her brother too. He says he doesn’t want to take Julian from her. Her happiness is a point of pride with him. He’ll go to great extremes to secure it, but he’ll also go to great extremes to make sure she doesn’t find happiness with anyone else. She says she’s not happy with Nikolas. She just wants his money. She needs to be sure her brother is safe, so give her the letter. He says when he gets the signed divorce papers, she’ll get it. It’s been great playing with her. Always fun. He hangs up the phone, and leaves.
Miss Madigan says she has the feeling that pitch was unrehearsed, and Sasha says, it was, and that’s a good thing, because it came from the heart. Miss Madigan says it’s different from other meetings she’s attended. Lucy asks if a little novice bravado is that bad, and Miss Madigan says, unprofessional perhaps, but not without charm. She asks if Brook isn’t the singer, and Lucy says, she’s an amazing recording artist. She’s the powerful voice of Deception marketing. Miss Madigan asks if she has to wait, or can she hear Brook now? Lucy says, of course (🍷) she can. Brook made a special recording for her. Take a seat. Lucy wants to explain the whole idea because it’s like a synergy. You take the music and link it to their cosmetics. So you hear the song, and buy the product. Amy watches from around the corner, and smiles.
Nina thanks Martin for taking care of things, and he thanks her, saying he’ll be in touch. He leaves, and Jax says, clearly, Nina doesn’t think Nelle should be in an unmarked grave, but did she have to get all the bells and whistles? She says she doesn’t condone Nelle’s behavior. She left a wide swath of destruction, but she felt unloved and motherless. The least she can do is give Nelle a proper burial. He says, why her? and she says, why not her? No one else is going to do it. She can’t help but wonder if all the wrong Nelle did, didn’t come from an inner emptiness. He says, because she wasn’t loved? and Nina says, because she was desperate. And if she can understand anything, it’s desperation.
Britt tells Peter, don’t leave them waiting; answer the woman. Peter gets down on one knee, and tells Maxie, nothing in this world would make him happier than spending the rest of his life with her. Yes, with his whole heart, which he gives to her now, he’ll marry her. They kiss, and Britt dabs at her eyes.
Jackie tells Chase, he sure doesn’t know how to pick his battles. He says he tried to patch things up, but Finn won’t budge. He can’t get over the fact his dad… She says, married her. He says, it was a long time ago, and she says, he just lost his mother. He says, Finn wasn’t a child, and she says, neither is he. Wouldn’t he still be upset if something happened to her? Finn must have been so uncomfortable. His father married so quickly, and to someone basically his own age. Chase says, it’s past time Finn got over it. Violet wants to meet her grandfather and… She says, don’t say it, and he says, her grandmother. She says lunch is on him. He tells her, he’s just saying, the only thing keeping the family apart is Finn. They go way back. Can’t she help broker the peace? She says she can’t, and if he knew what was good for him, he’d stay out of it.
Lucy can’t get the recording to play, and says she doesn’t understand; this always works. Miss Madigan says, she’s sorry, but she’s spent as much time as she’s needed to. It was certainly a unique pitch. Perhaps they can revisit putting Deception in their stores at a later time. Lucy says, what was she thinking? She has the voice of Deception right there, and they can have a live performance. Who needs a recording when they have the artist in person? Valentin says, that’s an excellent idea.
Jax says he understand that Nina sees a bit of her own desperation in Nelle’s actions. He said it before; she and Nelle are nothing alike. He hopes when the burial is behind her, she can get Nelle out of her thoughts. Ava comes in, and asks what Nikolas is still doing there. He says he likes Julian’s whiskey selection. He tells her he’s on his way out, and she asks if she won’t see him later. He says he doesn’t know, and leaves. She asks Julian, what was that? and Julian says, hell if he knows. He’s her husband, at least for now. Did she make a deal with Ryan or not? She asks if he means did she get the letter from Ryan, and he says he has no desire to be murdered by Sonny. She says she’s figured out a way to get what they want without divorcing Nikolas.
Chase tells Jackie, that’s a hard pass. She was just selling him on lost causes when it comes to Willow. She says, there are lost causes and lost causes. Finn and his father’s beef is so old, it’s taken on a life of its own. It defies logic. He says that doesn’t mean she can’t help raise the white flag, and she says he can’t get involved in this war. If he does, he’s liable to take friendly fire.
Finn tells Anna that he has an emergency at the hospital; he’s sorry to run. She asks if they can talk later, and he says, sure. He says, nobody doubts her love for Peter, but she might want to ask herself if keeping this secret is in his best interest.
Britt thanks Peter and Maxie for letting her share their joyful moment. Congratulations. She says she’ll take a hint, and give them some privacy. She tells Peter, good job, and leaves. Peter guesses Maxie never expected an audience when they got engaged, but she says they had one when he found out he was a father, so… She says she never thought she’d be this happy again, and he says he never thought he’d be this happy ever. What do they do now? She says, plan the rest of their lives together.
Anna calls Peter, and leaves a message asking to see him. There’s something he needs to know.
Tomorrow, Sasha says message received, Maxie tells Mac about getting married, Portia says she’ll never be able to repay Peter, and Cyrus asks Jordan if she has what he asked for.
The Haves and The Have Nots
Derrick pulls into the Cryer driveway, and Benny meets the car. Derrick says, hey, and Benny says, don’t hey him. He has one question. He tells Derrick, get out of the truck, and Derrick does, asking, what’s up? Benny puts his hand on Derrick’s shoulder and asks, did Derrick rape his mother? Derrick says, Benny… and Benny says don’t say his damn name; answer the question. Derrick asks if Hanna told Benny that. He just wants Benny to know the whole truth. He was a drug addict then. He was robbing and stealing at Benny’s age. He’s not that man now. Benny asks if Derrick raped his mother, and Derrick says, he’s different now. Benny says he’s asking one more mf time, and Derrick says he wishes he could take it all back, and Benny says, so he did. Derrick says, Benny… and Benny says, don’t say his name. Did Derrick rape his mother? Derrick says, yes, and Benny punches him, knocking him down.
Benny says, you SOB, get up. Derrick gets up, but says he’s not going to fight Benny. Benny says Derrick did that to a helpless woman? Derrick says he wishes he could take it back, and Benny says what he can take is an ass whoopin’. Derrick tells him, do what he wants, and Benny asks, how could he do that? Derrick says he’s sorry. He’s not that man anymore. Benny says he’s a bitch ass coward, and Derrick says he was. He says he’s not going to fight Benny, and Benny tells him, get the hell out, and don’t let him catch Derrick around there again. Derrick says he works there, and Benny says he just got fired. Derrick says he’s got to make a living, and Benny asks if Derrick is trying to make him kill him. Get his ass out. Derrick wishes Hanna would just let him make it up to her, and Benny asks how he can make up rape? He’s an idiot; get out now. Benny opens the car door, and shoves Derrick in. Derrick asks Benny to tell his mother that he’s sorry, and Benny says, get TF out of here. Derrick backs out. Benny paces and gives Derrick the finger with both hands.
Jeffrey, Madison, and Colby have some laughs at a restaurant. Madison says he has to get back to work, but Colby says he has another 30 minutes. Madison says Colby has had his visit; it’s time to go. Colby says he’s taking Jeffrey out for drinks, but Madison says, that’s not happening. Colby asks what Jeffrey thinks, and Jeffrey says, as long as Madison is there. Colby says Madison has him trained. Why can’t he find a Jeffrey? Madison says because he’s been trying to find a bunch of Jeffreys at once. Colby asks if that’s a read, and says Madison finds this guy, and suddenly he’s a saint. Did he tell Jeffrey about his go-go dancing? Jeffrey says, no, he didn’t, and Colby says he’s not surprised. In college, Madison danced on the bar at a club. Madison says when Colby was slinging hash, he was making beaucoup bucks. Jeffrey says, he was a stripper? and Madison says, not stripper. Go-go dancer; there’s a difference. Colby says, it’s the same thing, and Jeffrey says, Madison was a cliché stripper – go-go dancer – paying his way through school. Madison says, it worked, and Colby asks how many guys he picked up. Madison says Colby is evil; he’s got to go. Colby says, dinner tonight? and Madison says it’s on him. Jeffrey tells Madison that he’ll see him later, and Colby says, ciao, bitch. Madison leaves, and Colby says he knows Madison really likes Jeffrey. He can tell. He’s seen Madison around people, and he likes Jeffrey. Don’t be afraid; he’s a good guy. He loves from his heart. Jeffrey says, is that right? and Colby asks if Jeffrey is scared. Jeffrey says, no. It’s just all new. Colby says Jeffrey should take Madison out to dinner; just them alone. Ask him about a few things. Jeffrey asks what else Colby talked to Madison about, and Colby says, just that he’s glad he walked in on Jeffrey naked. Madison hasn’t told him a lot about Jeffrey, but he did say everything changed when Jeffrey saw him naked. Madison tells him a lot, but not everything. He thinks Jeffrey should tell Madison how he feels. Do it tonight. Jeffrey asks, why? and Colby says, now do a lady a favor, and pay the bill. Jeffrey asks why he should pay, and Colby says Madison told him Jeffrey was rich. Jeffrey says, no; his dad is rich. Colby says, bill it to his dad then. Better yet, bill his mother. Jeffrey says, what? and Colby says he heard about her. He also heard Jeffrey got so drunk, he wanted to skinny-dip in her pool. Jeffrey says, just to piss her off. Colby says he hates homophobic a-holes like Jeffrey’s mother. He can’t stand that bitch for him. What’s her address? Jeffrey says he’s not thinking of going over there? and Colby says he is. Jeffrey says, the hell he is, but Colby says he’s going over there and getting in the pool buck-ass naked. He’s serious. He has friends who would go right now. Give him the bitch’s address. He’ll introduce her to some of the real gays. Jeffrey says, she’ll call the police, and Colby says, so? Some of the finest men are in jail.Let’s do it. He’ll call some of his wild side buddies, and go over there. Jeffrey says he doesn’t think… Colby says, drink, baby, and they clink glasses.
Samuel is outside Veronica’s house when Laura comes back. He says the outfit looks good on her, and she says the house looks good on them. She asks what he’s doing, and he says he was fixing the camera. He knows they need this money, but Derrick said they can’t trust Veronica; she’s trouble. Laura says they need this, and Veronica is nice to her; she’s mean to other people. He says he’s heading home after he fixes this. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. They kiss, and Veronica comes out. Laura says, sorry, and Veronica says, no. She loves love. Laura says Samuel is something special, and Veronica bets he is. Laura says she got it all done, and Veronica tells her, come in. She looks at Samuel as she closes the door.
Benny bangs on the Cryer’s door, and Hanna asks what he’s doing there; she told him to get away. He says he needs to talk to her, but she says she’s not talking to him. He says he saw Derrick. He was on his way there. Hanna says, what? What did Benny do? Benny says he killed Derrick’s ass, and threw him in the back of the truck. He’s kidding, but he beat Derrick’s bitch-ass down. Don’t act like she didn’t want him to do it. She says she didn’t, and Benny says Derrick rapes her, and she just wants to let it go? She says, it was a long time ago. Now stay out of her business. He asks why Derrick is still coming around, and she says, he works there for now. It’s not her house. He says, this is crazy. She needs to tell him something. She says she don’t need tell him nothing else. Stay out of it. He asks if she’s talking to this dude, and she says he knows she’s not. He says, then what’s she doing? She says, the man said he changed, and if God says someone can change, who is she not to believe him? She’s done with this. He says she should know he told Derrick, don’t bring his ass around there. She asks him, where’s Jim’s money? and he says, here we go with that. She tells him, go now, and he does.
A man comes to the door, and Hanna says he must be Al. He says she must be Hanna, and she lets him in. He says she has a beautiful house, and she thanks him, but says, it’s not hers. It belongs to the lady who made her executor. He says, the entire estate; she must trust Hanna. Hanna says she does, and shows him the documents. She says she’s been going over everything, and he asks to take a look, but she says she can’t let him. She doesn’t know him like that. He says if she doesn’t show him, how can he help. She tells him, make himself comfortable. She has a meeting tonight, and she wrote down some questions. She shows her list to him, and says she’s written definitions, but she can’t figure out things like marketing margins and trade analysis. He tells her, they’ll start with capital gains tax. It’s tax earned on gain. She writes that down, and he reminds her that she promised him coffee. As she pours him a cup, he explains, if he sells a house or stocks, the profit is called capital gain.
Oliver goes to Landon’s office, and Landon notices he’s happy. He asks, what’s going on? and Oliver asks if he’s not allowed to be happy? Landon makes a phone call to Amy, and thanks her, saying, it’s working great. He asks if she can get him on the morning shows and a prime time special. Oliver says he shouldn’t be doing this, and Landon tells Amy, it’s for him; it’s about Candace. He knows. Just get it booked, and he’ll get her there. He swears he will. Will she try? It’s not that difficult. She’s on the front page of every newspaper right now. He promises he’ll get her an interview with him for sure, but make it happen first. He hangs up, and Oliver says, this is going to blow up in his face. Landon says Oliver doesn’t get love and passion. Oliver asks what he’s talking about, and Landon says, how he feels about her. Oliver says, she’s a whore, and Landon says, who he loves. Oliver insists he doesn’t, but Landon insists he does. He asks if Olivier just hates the idea of her, and Oliver says he thinks Charles should be with Gretchen; she’s a nice girl. Landon says, another one born with a silver spoon in their mouth, like Oliver. Oliver says, it’s getting old; punishing him for being born with rich parents. Landon says Charles likes danger. He’s the President now, but he’s also human, and not allowed to be himself. Oliver asks if he’s going to let his kids get raised by a whore, and Landon says it doesn’t concern him. Oliver says, the American people concern him, but Landon says Oliver just wants Charles to look perfect.. Oliver says he wants him to look like the President, and Landon says, he should look like a man who’s happy. Oliver stammers, seeing Charles in the doorway, and Charles tells Oliver to finish. Landon says he doesn’t think Oliver meant… but Charles thinks he did. Oliver says, with all due respect, he thinks Charles could do better. Charles says he can do better. With someone else in Oliver’s job. If he ever hears Oliver speak about her, or him, in that manner again, he’s fired. Charles leaves, and Oliver says, you son of a bitch. Landon set him up. He knew Charles was there. Landon says Oliver should have quit while he was ahead. He’s lucky Charles didn’t fire his ass. Oliver says, keep it up, and Landon says he intends to.
Landon finds Charles in the living room, and says he’s so sorry. Charles asks who Oliver thinks he is, and Landon says, he’s got issues. His parents have a lot of money. Charles says, it will only get him so far. Does Landon think Oliver has a point? Landon says, Oliver has an opinion. Let him have it. Charles thanks Landon for what he said about him being happy, and Landon says he gets it. He’ll always have Charles’s back. Charles says he appreciates. He thinks he’ll take the kids for a walk, and Landon says he’ll let the nanny and the Secret Service know. It would make a great photo op. Charles says, not with the kids, but Landon says, just one; they’re so cute. He won’t even know the photographer is there, and it will go a long way with the press. Charles says, just get his kids.
Back at Madison’s apartment, Colby says, she did what? His mother? Jeffrey says, yes, and there’s a knock at the door. Colby says, hold that thought. He opens the door, and says, entrée bitches. He introduces Trevor and Terry, who says, Madison always something to drink. Colby gets some liquor, and Terry asks where Madison is. Colby says, at work, per usual. Terry says, Jeffrey is cute. He told Trevor that Madison was holed up. Trevor says, Madison does that when he has a new beau. He asks Jeffrey to them about himself, every detail. Colby says Jeffrey was telling him about his mother, and the way she treated him when he came out. Terry says, the world is changing, and Trevor says, not fast enough. He hates bitches like Jeffrey’s mother. Colby smacks Trevor’s knee, saying, that’s his mother. Didn’t Jeffrey tell him that he got mad and wanted to skinny-dip in her pool? Jeffrey says, that’s not a good idea, and Colby says, shots. Terry asks, how crazy is that bitch? and Colby says, insane. They need to piss in her pool. Jeffrey asks if he’s serious. They don’t know her. He was drinking when he said it. Colby tells him, then drink some more. Jeffrey says, it’s the worst idea, but Colby says he’s going through with it for real. Terry says Jeffrey doesn’t know Maddy’s friends. They’ll do it. Colby says, they’re here to make the evil bitch more evil, and Jeffrey says he appreciates their concern, but he doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Colby says, they’re doing it; drink. Terry says, look how sweet Jeffrey is, and Trevor says, Maddy did good with him. They leave, and Jeffrey drinks his shot down, and follows them.
At the Iron Bone, Vinny asks Sandy what he’s going to do. His girl is seeing another guy. Sandy says he didn’t hear that, and Vinny asks if he’s stupid. Sandy asks how Vinny knows what she’s doing, and Vinny says he’s got her covered. Sandy can be soft. Sandy says, enough with that. Vinny saying that about him is kind of funny. Vinny asks what he means, and Sandy says, the Cryer kid. Nothing happened to him. Vinny asks if Sandy is being disrespectful, and Sandy says, of course not. Vinny says, don’t forget about the money, and Sandy says Vinny reminds him every day. Vinny says, just so Sandy knows, he’s going to take care of Wyatt. Sandy says Wyatt is in the basement; go do it. Vinny says he’s talking crazy. Is he daring Vinny to do something? Sandy says he’s joking, and Vinny knocks him off his bar stool. He says the only joke in the family is Sandy. Sandy says he’s sorry, but Vinny says, get out.
Landon meets with a Secret Service agent, and asks what he’s got. The guy gives Landon a folder, and says, he’s from New Zealand, a mercenary who was a marine. Now he works with 12 guys out of Mexico. It was low-key and no one suspected what was going on. He’s keeping an eye on this woman. Landon looks at a picture of Veronica, and says, oh sh*t. The agent says, does he know her? and Landon says, everybody knows the devil. The agent says he’s watching her night and day. He was hired by Jim Cryer. Landon asks what this has to do with Oliver, and the guy says, he also runs cocaine. Landon’s boy has had a little problem since college. Landon says, this is getting good, and the guys says Oliver’s dad tried to keep it off the radar, but he found the records. Landon says, that little snotty nosed bastard. The agent says he can get more, but Landon says, this is fine. He has questions though. He looks at some pictures, and asks why Oliver is talking to him. The agent says, aside from the coke, he doesn’t know. Landon asks where the pictures were taken, and the agent says, a private airport. It’s Oliver’s dad’s plane, one of them. Oliver gets coke, and pays extremely well. Landon wonders why they’re on his dad’s plane, and the agent says he doesn’t know. Maybe daddy is doing anything to keep Oliver happy. Landon thanks him, and says he’s been very helpful. The agent asks what Landon is going to do, and Landon says, lay a slow trap and wait to pounce. The agent leaves, and Landon says, that little bastard I got you now. This is going to be fun.
The boys go to Veronica’s pool, and Colby says, they’re doing this. Jeffrey doesn’t know, and Colby wonders how many times a day Jeffrey says that. Jeffrey says they don’t know her, but Colby says he’s not scared. Jeffrey says, that’s because he doesn’t know who he’s about to meet. Colby tells him to take his damn clothes off, and go skinny-dipping. Jeffrey doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but Colby says Jeffrey thought of it. Jeffrey says, he was drunk, and Colby says, they’re doing this, and takes his pants off. He asks what the others are waiting for, and Terry and Trevor get naked. Colby says if Jeffrey doesn’t get in, and confront his mom, they will. Inside, Veronica comes downstairs and has a drink. She remembers her wedding, and takes a trip down David Memory lane, flashing back to everything; his affair with Maggie, her retaliating with Benny, and them trying to kill each other a few times.
Colby tells Jeffrey, take his clothes off. Samuel comes out, and wraps up the hose. Colby asks, who is that? The hell with her, Colby wants to meet him. He tells Samuel, hi, and asks who he is. Samuel says he works for the homeowner, and Colby asks if he’s afraid to look at a naked man. Samuel says, no, and Colby says, look at him. Samuel asks, why? and Colby says if he has to answer, Samuel is too straight. Samuel says, he is, and Colby says he’s missing out. Samuel tells him, have a nice night, and Colby asks if he’s sure he doesn’t want to join the party. Samuel wonder whose party it is, and Colby says, her son. Tell the old bitch they’re in her pool. Samuel says, sure, and puts the hose aside. He knocks on the patio door, and them goes in. Colby says, come on, bitches, and they jump in, except for Jeffrey, who’s still fully clothed. Colby says they have to show a bitch some time.
Samuel tells Veronica, he finished the door, and had to fix a wire. There are also naked guys in her pool. She says, what? and goes outside. She asks, what’s going on? and Colby says, hey, bitch, welcome to the real world party. Her son is gay, they’re gay, there are gay people in the world; get used to it. She says she doesn’t give a damn about gay people in the world, but she does in her pool. Get out. Colby says, look at these men; the things they do to each other. Veronica says, stay there, and goes inside. Jeffrey tells them, get the hell out, and Veronica gets her gun.
Next time, Veronica kisses Samuel, Vinny tells his guys to make it look like an accident, Veronica wants to know what Samuel and Laura are up to, Wyatt begs Vinny not to do it, and Al suggests Hanna put all the money in her name.
🍵 Tea You Tomorrow…
Tuesdays are always tough, but at least they’re over with early in the week. I’ll see you for OC and tea tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay centered, and stay out of Veronica’s pool.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I missed the first. All you need to know is, Scotty was talking with Elizabeth and Franco; Nikolas saw Britt at the hospital; and Cyrus crashed Mike’s memorial celebration at the MetroCourt.
Dante asks Lulu if it’s a bad time. Dustin says, Dante, right? and Dante says he shouldn’t have come. Lulu tells him, please stay.
Cyrus tells Sonny, he’s truly sorry about Sonny’s father, even though he never had the pleasure. Sonny says, not personally, but he sent a representative to greet them in New York. Right, Jason? Cyrus says he’s sure Sonny’s father was proud to have a son rise from humble beginnings to see his family flourish. Speaking of family… He looks at Brando and says, Sonny’s cousin is someone to be proud of. It’s good to see him again.
Carly tells Gladys, she didn’t drive all the way from Bridgeport to pay her respects; she wants something. Gladys says she wants what’s right for her son. She sees what Sam and Jason have. Sam says they earned everything they have, including Sonny’s trust. She can’t demand her share. Gladys says, Sam and Jason had a whole new life handed to them, and unlike Sam and Jason, they’re family. Sam says, as much as Gladys talks about family, she has no idea what it really means.
Scotty says Elizabeth’s lifelong friend Nikolas pretended to be dead to get his hands on the Cassadine money. Does she think he’s going to give it up over a smooch with her? She says he thinks he might, and Franco says she thinks Nikolas is going to give up something it took him three years of scheming to get? She says, not give up, but take a risk.
Nikolas tells Britt, Cyrus has talent. You can’t run a drug empire without a good team. She asks if the whole town rehearsed that response. Sonny donated an entire wing, and no one cared. Nikolas says, the AIDS/HIV research wing. Sonny is nothing like Cyrus. She says, right. Sonny is a good mobster. She’s choosing to ignore the accusations, and focus on saving lives. She tells Nikolas that she hasn’t heard from Spencer in a while. He’d begged her to intervene, asking her to save Nikolas from himself or from his new wife, whichever came first.
Julian tells Ava, if Sonny reads the letter, it will be his death warrant. She tells him that Ryan has it.
Cyrus tells Brando, he hopes they can start fresh now that the men who attacked him are behind bars. Brando says he appreciates Cyrus making sure they were punished, and Cyrus says he was mortified to learn they were trying to impress him by beating up one of Sonny’s relatives; it was the least he could do. Sonny says Cyrus is a regular concerned citizen, and Cyrus says he doesn’t expect a medal for doing his civic duty. Jordan comes in, and he says, here’s someone else who’s committed to doing good by their fair city. Always a pleasure.
Elizabeth says she and Franco intended on getting back at Nikolas and Ava for dragging them into the twisted game they’re playing. She’d hoped maybe they’d wake up, and come to their senses. Scotty tells Franco, say something, and Franco says, she’s right. Scotty says, say something else, and Franco says, in the beginning, Elizabeth was all in. What changed? She says her decision was based on anger, but she realized they’re blackmailers. Scotty says, so what? If people would stop doing stuff to be blackmailed for, they’d stop being blackmailed, especially Ava and Nikolas. Franco says they disrespected his and Elizabeth’s relationship. They’re balancing the scales.
Nikolas tells Britt, he’s come around to being married, and she says she figured as much when she saw him wearing his wedding band. Has he enlisted Spencer in playing his loveless marriage con? Nikolas flashes back to him and Ava having sex, and tells Britt, things between him and Ava are complicated. Britt laughs, and says, oh my God. He went ahead and developed feelings for Ava. He says he’s not getting into that with her of all people, and she says she got over him around the time he pressed charges against her. But she’d still sleep easier knowing he was watching his back. He’s playing a dangerous game. He says, she would know, and she says, people who are close to Ava have a habit of dying. She read about Ava’s daughter. He says, don’t remind him. Ryan is still obsessed with Ava. She says, for God’s sake, divorce Ava before he’s on Ryan’s radar.
Julian asks how Ava knows Ryan isn’t bluffing, and she says, how would he know the letter existed? Julian says, Nelle could have told him, and she admits, it would be like Ryan to wield something over her head that he doesn’t have. She supposes it’s possible she could call his bluff, and wait and see if Sonny gets anything interesting in the mail. He asks when Ryan wants to see her next, and she says they’re supposed to seal the deal today. The terms were that Ryan holds on to the letter if she visits once a week. He says, that’s all? and she asks if he knows what that means; weekly visits with her daughter’s murderer. Just then, her husband barged in, supposedly to rescue her, and Ryan got the distinct impression Nikolas cares. Even worse, that she cares about him. So he changed the demands accordingly
Alexis tells Olivia that she went to Neil’s memorial, and Neil’s brother told her that she wasn’t welcome. Olivia says Ned saw she was upset, and listened. Olivia says she’s not surprised. Ned is a good person. She asks Ned how Alexis helped him, and Ned says he was worried when he hadn’t heard from Olivia, and… Alexis says she told him not to be worried, because Olivia loves him. We flash back to Alexis telling Ned that she’s supposed to be Olivia’s friend, and Ned saying she never exchanged vows with Olivia. He’s a married man, and Olivia loves him. Olivia says, that’s so sweet, and Alexis says it was the least she could do after Ned gave her – she remembers saying, what happened tonight is… and Ned saying, tonight – sound advice. Olivia says that’s her Ned. Always looking out for other people.
Carly tells Gladys, this day is all about remembering Mike. They can discuss her ambitions for Brando and her greed another time. Gladys says Mike would be ashamed to see how they’re treating her son, and Carly says if Gladys wants to do something for her son, get in the car and go back to Bridgeport. The ATM is closed.
Jordan tells Sonny, first, her condolences about Mike. She knows how much he meant to Stella. He was one of her favorite people. Sonny says, Stella was one of Mike’s too, and their family’s. She said first; does that mean she’s here on official business? She says they have questions for Brando regarding Jason’s accident. Brando tells Gladys that they’re trying to pin the accident on him, and she says, Brando is an excellent mechanic. He doesn’t make mistakes. Jordan tells her, she never said it was a mistake.
Lulu tells Dante, please don’t go. Did he come all this way to turn around and leave? Dante walks in and looks around. Dustin introduces himself, and holds out his hand. Dante takes it, and Dustin says, good to meet him, but then Dante twists Dustin’s arm, forcing Dustin to his knees. He takes out a gun, and Lulu says, Dante, no1
Lulu tells Dante, please don’t. She says he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Dante is about to shoot, and Lulu says, no! but it’s all in Dante’s head. He takes Dustin’s hand, and Dustin says he’s heard a lot about Dante. Dante asks if Lulu minds if he washes up, and Lulu says, sure. Does anyone know he’s there? Dante says, he’s been released. If she doesn’t believe him, she can call the field office. She’s still listed as his next of kin. He goes into kitchen, and takes out his prescription bottle.
Olivia says she’s so glad Ned and Alexis can still connect. It’s important to have support. She excuses herself, saying she wants to check on the waitstaff, and make sure they’re doing their jobs. When she’s gone, Alexis says, that was close, and Ned says, too close.
Britt asks if this is how Nikolas wants his story to end; an episode on a true crime podcast? He says he’s aware of the threat Ryan poses. Ryan nearly killed his sister. She says if he doesn’t care about his own life, care about Spencer’s. He’s already grieved Nikolas once. Don’t make him do it again. She says his life is none of her business anymore, but if he decides to risk everything to save his fortune, he’d better hope Ava isn’t willing to do the same. Nikolas walks away, and Britt sees Scotty walking by.
Julian tells Ava, she divorces Nikolas, visits Ryan a few times, and gets the letter; what is she waiting for? Start filing. She says, a lot of money is involved, but he says, forget the money. If Ryan sends that letter to Sonny, he’s a dead man. She says, it’s Ryan they’re talking about. There are no guarantees he’ll honor the deal. She could divorce Nikolas, lose her share of the Cassadine fortune, and he could still mail the letter for kicks.
Jordan says forensics narrowed down the cause of the accident, and Brando says, the stabilizer. What does that prove? Parts fail; it happens. She says, no other part in the batch was flawed. Their examination indicates it was tampered with. Gladys says that doesn’t prove Brando did it, but Brando says, what matters is, they can attach his name to it. Sonny tells him, keep it down, and Brando says, there’s only one plausible theory; he didn’t do it.
Ned asks if he can trust Alexis not to say anything to Olivia, and Alexis asks if he thinks she wants to ruin Olivia’s life. And it will make her life easier. Don’t worry; she’s not going to say anything. He says, not intentionally, but it’s clear she’s going through a rough patch. She asks if he thinks she’s too emotional to be relied on. Look in the mirror. He hopped into bed next to her. Olivia comes back, and Alexis says, just in time. She was just telling Ned that she needs more ice. He’s all hers. When Alexis leaves, Olivia says, Alexis is drinking again. He asks what makes her think that, and she says she saw Alexis spike her drink earlier. She asks if that’s what happened last night. She assumes he saw Alexis drinking, and tried to help. He says, something like that, and she says she’s proud of him. He says, don’t be, and she says she feels terrible for Alexis. She doesn’t know what she’d do if she lost him. He says, she never will – never. They hug.
Britt says, it’s Scotty, Ava’s flunky, and he says, not flunky; friend. She says, so be a friend, and use whatever influence he has to get her to divorce Nikolas. He asks, why? Does she want to take another stab at Nikolas’s gazillions? She says she’s looking out for Spencer. Someone is going to lose in this game, and she doesn’t want it to be Nikolas’s kid. He says, don’t worry. Ava and Nikolas will eventually head for splitsville. She asks why he’s saying that. Would he care to share with the rest of the class?
Ava tells Julian, whatever course she takes, there’s no guarantee of the outcome. He says if Sonny reads the letter, he’s a dead man. Divorce Nikolas, and it will buy them some time to, shall he say, find a more permanent solution to Ryan. Will it be her actual brother or fake husband? Nikolas comes in, and Ava smiles at him.
Gladys says, Sonny is head of the family; do something. He tells her, relax, and says if Jordan wants to question Brando, she’ll do it with his lawyer present. Brando asks who the lawyer is, and Sonny says, whoever he wants to represent him. Brando says he can’t afford a lawyer, and Gladys tells Sonny, come on. Brando says Sonny doesn’t think he did this, does he? Sonny says, it doesn’t matter what he thinks. If Brando is smart, he’ll shut his mouth, and let the lawyer do the talking. Brando says he’ll get himself a lawyer then. He asks if he’s under arrest, but Jordan says she just wants him to come down to the station. He says he’ll come tomorrow, and she can ask him every damn question without the help of anyone there.
Dante comes back, and Dustin says he’ll check in with Lulu in a bit. He leaves, and Dante asks about the kids. Lulu says, Charlotte is at Valentin’s, and Rocco is sick; he’s upstairs sleeping. He says she didn’t have to send him away… Desmond? She says, Dustin. He says he knows they have a lot to talk about, and asks where she wants to start. She says, how is he? He says, released, and she says she’s not asking what the doctors said. She’s asking how he’s feeling. He says he worked hard to get better, and had no choice but to come back. She says, the last time they spoke, he had no choice but to leave. He asks if she’s saying she wishes he hadn’t come back, and she says, how dare he ask that? Of course (🍷) she’s happy he’s back. He says he’s sorry; that wasn’t fair. She says no, it’s not. She didn’t ask to end the marriage. Does he have any idea what he did to her, to their family? Watching him walk out, and hearing him say, don’t wait; move on with her life. He was her life, but she did what he asked. He said he was sick, and couldn’t get better there with her, his wife. So she let him go. She crawled out of the wreckage he left, and kept going without him, despite every fiber in her being wanting to get him and bring him home where he belonged. Don’t dare come back to the house he abandoned, and ask if she wishes he hadn’t come back. She prayed for this moment, until she realized her children needed her to look at them, not at the door she was wishing he’d walk through. She did what he asked, and moved on. She told him that she’d wait forever, and he said forever was a long time. Dammit. Forever was a year and a half. He says, if she’d known, would she have… She says, what? Waited?
Gladys says, Sonny’s father – may he rest in peace – is turning in his grave because Sonny won’t spring for a lawyer for his own flesh and blood. After all Brando has done for them. Carly says, that’s enough, and Gladys says, for once they agree. She’s done with this family, and how it treats its own. Cyrus, who everyone forgot was there, says he should be going as well. His deepest condolences. He leaves, and Jordan tells Sonny, she didn’t mean to disrupt Mike’s memorial. Sonny says, she had a job to do. Jason says Brando surprised them all. Jordan asks if she can speak with Carly. She has some questions about Nelle. Sam asks Jason, what’s going on?
Elizabeth tells Franco, they worked hard to create a loving, stable household for the boys. She doesn’t want them to lose that. Franco says they won’t let that happen. Scotty has them covered. They can sit back, relax, and watch him collect.
Julian tells Nikolas, they’re in the middle of something, but Ava tells Julian to give them a couple of minutes. She and Nikolas have something they need to discuss. They walk over to the bar, and Ava asks, what’s wrong? Nikolas says, where to begin, and she suggests he start with last night. He barged in when she didn’t need rescuing. He asks her to tell him what’s going on. What did Ryan say? Why is a serial killer targeting her? He thought it might be something they could talk about over coffee and toast. Does her brother know? Why did she rush to Pentenville the second Ryan snapped his fingers? She says, Ryan has something she wants, and he asks if what she wants from Ryan matters more than what she has with him.
Lulu says, if she’d known Dante was only going to be gone a year and a half, she probably would have toughed it out. She doesn’t think he would have sent the divorce papers either. He says he probably would have, and she says things have changed for them now. He says he’s sorry, and she says, for what? He says, hurting her while he was coming and going. Lulu says he did what he thought he had to at the time, and it doesn’t hurt her that he’s back. He says, it seems like it does, but she says she didn’t realize how angry she felt. She doesn’t want to be angry. He says he can’t blame her for that, and she says, he’s back, and suddenly the whole life she built without him is totally different. He asks her to promise him one thing. It is a good life right?
Olivia tells Sonny, the folks in the old neighborhood would like to do something to honor Mike, with his permission. She’d be happy to put it together. Sonny flashes back to Dante asking him not to say anything yet about his return. He tells Olivia, it would be nice to see all of them. She says she’ll be in touch. Alexis walks in, and Ned looks panicked.
Sam tells Jason, she knows something’s up with Cyrus. Keep her in the loop. Sonny walks over, and tells Sam, it’s business. Alexis saunters up, and asks if they’re talking politics or religion. Sonny says, not now, and he and Jason walk away. Alexis asks Sam if it was something she said.
Sonny and Jason move to the hallway, and Sonny says, thanks to Brando, they have a problem on their hands. Brando joins them, and says he’s not the problem; he’s the solution. Jason wanted him to spy on Cyrus’s organization. This is his way in.
Franco tells Elizabeth, if they do this, Cameron can go to college. They can pay all the bills off, Jake can go to art school, and Aiden can go to the CIA. Not that CIA. The Culinary Institute of America. She asks how they can look the kids and each other in the eye, knowing where the money came from? I dunno. I could look in everyone’s eye just fine if I was them.
Ava asks if, instead of getting what she wants from Ryan, she should stick with what she’s got with Nikolas? What does he think they have? He says, a marriage, and she laughs. He says, it might be forged in hell, but it’s still a marriage. She says, maybe on paper, and he says, even if it ended today, he couldn’t stand by and watch her be drawn back into Ryan’s orbit. She says it’s good to know there’s a limit to how much hate he has for her, but he says he never hated her. She says he did, and he says, maybe a little. She says, that’s okay; she hated him too. She’s got to go. He asks her to please tell him that she’s not seeing that maniac. He can’t stop her, but he’s begging her, please don’t go back to Pentenville. Don’t see Ryan again. Whatever hold he has on her, tell him; he’ll fix it. Just don’t go. Julian makes a hand motion at her, and she says, sorry, she has to, and leaves.
Sam asks if Alexis wants to talk about what’s going on, but Alexis says she’s all talked out. She walks away, and Sam picks up her drink and smells it. Not very clandestine of Alexis.
Jordan tells Carly, it’s strictly a formality. She wants Carly to come to the station, and fill in the blanks. Carly says, what blanks? She spoke to Valerie that night, and to Chase when they found the body. Jordan says, the body was recovered in Pennsylvania (on the Pennsylvania side of the river (🍷). The detective from that jurisdiction has some questions. Carly asks if it can wait; she just buried her father-in-law. Jordan says, the sooner it’s handled, the sooner it goes away. They just need the last pieces of the puzzle
Outside of Charlie’s, Cyrus runs into Gladys. She says she saw him at Mike’s reception, and asks how he knew Mike. He says he never had the pleasure, but wanted to pay his respects. He introduces himself, and she does the same. They shakes hands, and he says, it’s lovely meet her. He’s so impressed with her son Brando. She says, that makes two of them; Brando’s a great kid. Too bad his own family doesn’t give a damn. He says, they’re grieving. That’s the only way to explain how harsh Sonny was to her boy. He tells her, Brando needs a friend, and hands her his card. Tell Brando to call him, and the same goes for her.
Sonny tells Brando, what he did could backfire, and Brando says he created a public rift. Sonny must have appreciated it, since he played along. Sonny says he had no choice, and Brando asks if Sonny doesn’t think Cyrus believes him. Sonny says he doesn’t know what to believe, and Brando says, come on.Cyrus was so damn arrogant; so sure he could take a family member away from Sonny. Sonny asks what Jason is thinking, and Jason says, if Cyrus is convinced, he’ll make another offer. If not… Brando says he’ll go to Cyrus, but Jason says, no. Cyrus is asking Brando to betray his family. If he seems too eager, Cyrus will know it’s a trap – if he didn’t figure it out already. Brando says, Cyrus sees it as an opening to pull him in. It’s going to work. Sonny asks if he’s willing to bet his life on it.
Dante says, it’s a good life, right, that Lulu made with Darius? She laughs through her tears, and nods. Dante says he’s truly happy for her, and she says Dustin isn’t him, but he’s a good person; kind, generous, and sweet, and he loves the kids. He loves her. Dante says, how could he not? He tells her, he should go, and she asks, where? He says he’s got to find a place to crash, and she asks if he’s staying in Port Charles. He says he’s never leaving the family again. He walks out, closing the door behind him. She runs to the door, but doesn’t open it. He leans against it on the other side, and she leans against the inside and cries.
Tomorrow, Ava tells Ryan that she’s there with something better, Lucy asks if everyone is ready to meet the deal of a lifetime, Peter doesn’t know if he can do something, and Finn tells Anna that he doesn’t need protecting.
Below Deck Mediterranean
This is the finale, right? Please tell me it’s the finale.
Jess tells Rob he’s done this passive/aggressive thing with the relationship, always threatening to leave. He says he doesn’t want to deal with petty stuff, and it’s on her. In his interview, Rob says he’s reached the point where he’s questioning whether to go to Bali or not. He tells David he’s in on the crossing, while Jess weeps in her cabin. Their relationship is wearing me out.
The captain tells Malia that she’s driving them out at 9:15. In Malia’s interview, she says it’s a huge honor to her. A captain doesn’t have to do these things, and Captain Sandy has put in an extra effort to encourage her. She can’t thank the captain enough. The anchor is in the pocket, and Captain Sandy stands next to Malia as she drives. Tom has come up, and Malia has her feet on the steering wheel. Tom says they don’t have an auto chef, but Malia says, it’s called a microwave, and ramen. Wow. All this time I didn’t know I had an auto chef in my kitchen. Bugs takes the breakfast orders, and checks on Jess in the laundry. In Bugs’s interview, she says being promoted, and gaining the respect of the crew was challenging, but she thinks interior came a long way. There’s an expiry date on yachting, and she’ll settle down eventually. She feels like Peter Pan in a girl’s body. She’s not ready to grow up yet.
Alex goes to the bridge, and jokes that he doesn’t feel safe without Captain Sandy at the wheel. Rob tells Alex that he might do the crossing. In his interview, Rob says it’s a great opportunity for him to progress in the industry, and will give him and Jess time to be apart for two weeks. It’s a hard position to be in. He doesn’t want to hurt Jess. They can enjoy themselves tonight, and he’ll tell her tomorrow. Aesha calls Alex poopy bum, and tells him that she’s excited to fly home. In her interview, she says she’s done yachting for so many years, giving everything to people she doesn’t know. She wants to put her motivation and energy into forging her own future. The guests visit the galley, and tell Tom, everything was excellent. In Tom’s interview, he says he’s never had so much stress working on a boat. Saying you’re going to quit or walk off is a way of physically taking control, but you’re not. You have a mortgage and twelve cats at home. Of course you need the effing job.
The captain asks if Malia and Tom own a boat together, and Malia says they have a job together. Aesha asks how Jess is, and Jess says, fabulous, darling. Malia tells the deck crew, they have one last docking. In Alex’s interview, he says, the deck team has been a roller coaster. Malia is a great leader, a great bosun, and a friend for life now. I don’t care. I still think she did Hannah a dirty. They dock, which is something I have to give Malia props for. She’s able to call out an accurate distance on sight, and I would so suck at that. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she’s worried about the ground lines. If she hits one, it can damage the propellor on the boat, or if it wraps around and gets tangled, she can pull the bow into the next boat’s stern, and damage two boats. There are lots of bleeps. Bugs asks Tom if he’s proud of his lady, and he says he is. In her interview, Malia says she hopes to be an inspiration to other females who do jobs that are traditionally male. She didn’t know from yachting when she started, and she wants to be a captain now.
Primary Hannah gets her cast signed by the crew, and Tom does a whole drawing of a chef with one of those poufy hats. The captain calls the crew to the dock to say goodbye. Hannah tells the captain, as moms, they’re used to taking care of everybody, so it was nice to be pampered and have fun. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and as they walk away, Aesha yells she loves them. Tom asks if she wants to go with them. Captain Sandy says, it’s the last charter, and tells them to change into their reds. They go back to the boat to change, and she radios them to meet in the main salon for their final tip meeting.
They gather, and the captain says they made it through the final charter. She loved how they were on the dock hugging and not fighting. It was a beautiful thing. When they started, she knew she wanted to end with the same crew, but that’s not life. That’s in a perfect world, and rarely happens. It turned out better. The interior went above and beyond. The women were happy. She asks, who rule the world? And the girls all say, girls! She says, how much? and Bugs says, a lot. She tells them the tip is $20,000, 1500 euros a person. Their season total was $14,292 each, the total being $175K and change. She says she spent the evening in her cabin making up awards using the Beaufort Wind Scale, since she felt they were champions. Jess’s status on the scale is a 2. She’s a light breeze; she’s always smiling and has a can-do attitude. Did we see the same person this season? She says Rob is a 0. He’s calm and steady, and can mitigate a storm. Tom is a 10, a full gale. He demands excellence, he’s creative, and he never forgot to feed the crew. Aesha is a 5, a fresh breeze. She’s kind, confident, and gentle, and ready to help. The captain was glad to have her back. In Aesha’s interview, she says, this is exactly what she was talking about, and we flash back to her telling Captain Sandy that the interior isn’t getting as much praise as they should. The captain says they finished the season great. Alex is an 8, a fresh gale. He’s a tried and true team player, and still trying to figure out Bugs. She gives Bugs a 9, a strong gale. She’s a queen who goes above and beyond for the guest’s experience, and leads by example. Malia is a 9, another strong gale. She’s steadfast, funny, fair <cough!>, and a true leader. In Tom’s interview, he says he has more admiration for Malia now. She’ll make a great captain. She’s his calm. Captain Sandy says she’s going to join them for dinner. Alex asks if he can erase that part when he figures Bugs out. (Apparently, they’ve recently rediscovered their romance.)
Jess says she appreciates what Captain Sandy said. She’s been told the opposite her whole life. People thought she was an idiot. The captain says she saw that Jess was eager to learn, and Jess says she needed more direction. Captain Sandy says she was open and willing to learn. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Jess is gracious and kind. She doesn’t know why anyone would call her an idiot. Everyone has different gifts. She was kicked out of the 11th grade, and didn’t go to college. She would never describe Jess that way. In Jess’s interview, she says she has issues from childhood, trying to please her mother. Jess thanks her, and they hug.
Malia tells the deckhands they have to wash the boat, and asks them to do it quickly. The stews clean the cabins, and Bugs asks them to bag up the sheets. Alex asks if Bugs has a kissy for Alex, but she says she’s still at work. Aesha says she’s been secretly screaming inside the whole time, and Jess suggests she do it now, but Aesha says she doesn’t like screaming. Aesha says she feels happy, and Debbie Downer Jess says she feels like tonight will not go well. Rob tells Malia that he just wants to have a good night. She if he and Jess have had a night out that didn’t end in fighting yet. Aesha feels like she’s been there so long. She can’t believe they’re leaving. They find a pair of shoes, and Alex tries to give them to Bugs, but that’s a no. He says, the things he does for her… In Malia’s interview, she says, get the champagne ready. It’s the best night. It’s the best feeling. The final night out is the best.
Jess tells Rob, she’s tired, and ready for it to be done. He says he wants to have fun tonight, and she asks, are they good? He says, yeah, and she asks if he’s sure. My God. This even saps my energy. He says they are, but he doesn’t want to talk now. He wants to have fun, and not be serious a little bit. She says they can be single tonight. He’s shutting her down now. He says he just wants to have fun. We catch a glimpse of iced out Pete taking pictures of the crew.
Jess gets in a different a taxi with Malia, Tom, and Aesha, and says, Rob’s being a d*ck. Tom says they have the A-team, and with Aesha, they’ve got the volume. In the other taxi, the captain says she’s just having dinner, then leaving. Tom asks if Jess is all right, and she says she’s over it. She wants to have a normal, fun night, and Rob needs to be a weirdo. Rob tells Alex about Jess saying why don’t they be single, and Pete says, why not? His first line in 8 episodes. Alex says, don’t trust it. In Rob’s interview, he says it affirms he should go on the crossing, and not Bali. Jess says she doesn’t want to cry, and Malia says she looks old-fashioned beautiful; don’t cry. Rob says the guys should stick together, and Alex says, it’s their last night.
They go to a gorgeous restaurant, where their table is on the balcony. Jess sits as far away from Rob as possible. Aesha says they couldn’t ask for a better last day. She wants to be around her family and friends. The captain says, having Tom was a gift, and he says it wasn’t his intention to blow up. She says she believes yachting has the best chefs because they adapt. When they have to do everything, and cook for the crew, it’s stressful. A guy comes in, and starts singing. Some other guys get a rhythm going on wooden boxes, and a woman comes out and flamenco dances. She’s wearing one of those frilly dresses, but it looks like she’s paired it with Oxfords that have chunky heels, so I’m puzzled. The box players pick up other instruments, and the crew dances to the music. Except for Jess, who sits being moody, and the captain, who doesn’t drink. When they come back, Captain Sandy says she loved this crew. Losing Kiko and Hannah, and bringing back Bugs and Aesha, it was a challenge since day one. But they were a real charter crew, and it never permeated through to the guests. She toasts to in appreciation of her champions. She leaves, and the crew toasts to the last night. Jess asks Rob if something is wrong, and he doesn’t say anything. As they get in the elevator with the first group, Malia says, it should be a fun ride. She gets in with the next group, and Tom says, someone farted. Everyone is giving all kinds of reactions, and in her interview, Malia says, oops. They come out coughing, and Alex tells her that she needs Febreze. She says, sorry. There was a malfunction in the elevator.
They move on to a club. Rob tells Jess that he’s doing him like she’s doing her. She says, if it was up to her, she’d be sitting in his lap holding his hand, but he’s giving her the cold shoulder. Bugs opens a magnum of champagne, and Rob says, every single time, it reverts back to him. It’s tiring. Jess asks, what changed? and he says she suggested they be single. WTF is up with that? Those were her words. She says he’s like her mom. She’ll never be good enough. She’s sorry. He says he’s staying; she can go to Bali. She says she knew he didn’t want to go, and he’s been looking for a reason. The crew has a toast, and Jess gets up and jets. In her interview, she says, this is an effing nightmare. Bugs goes to find her. Rob looks like a zombie. Fire dancers perform.
Bugs knocks on a weird door that looks like a bookcase, and blends into the wall. I assume this is the ladies room. She gets no response, so she goes back to the table. Malia says, the charter guests are there, and in her interview, she says, they just dropped them off. Why are they here? Alex can’t believe it’s the last day, and says he loved every minute. Bugs says, it was so much fun. He’s grown on her; it’s so easy. He says he loves what they have, and she agrees. In her interview, she says when she’s working, she’s focused on the job at hand. Alex helped her open up. She’s more relaxed in her old age of 30. Ex-primary Hannah asks if Rob wants to smell her shoes. He’s hesitant at first, and she shoves her shoe under his nose. He says, amazing. This is the worst foreplay I’ve ever seen. She tells him that she thinks he has a beautiful soul, and he says, her too. That’s why they connect. He’s 100% authentic. Jess says, this is effing bullsh*t, and Malia says, Hannah is married. She’s just a total flirt. Rob tells Hannah that he identifies with strong women, and I think maybe he needs a dictionary. Jess tells Malia that Rob was obsessed with Hannah from the beginning. Rob says he knows how to speak with women on an authentic level. Alex kisses Bugs. The ex-charter guests leave.
On the way to the taxi, Bugs tells Alex, it was so much fun. Malia says, girls and boys, and Tom says, it was a crazy night. Jess says she doesn’t feel good, and Bugs lies down in the back seat. Malia takes Jess’s arm, and says, come on. Jess cries, and says, clearly Rob has his own demons to work out, but he damaged her along the way. It’s unfortunate, because she loves him. Omg, I can’t stand the dramatics. It’s like these two are in middle school. Alex tells Rob, at the end of the day, he deserves what he wants. Don’t let anyone manipulate him. Rob says he appreciates Alex telling him straight.
They get back, and mill around the dock. Malia hugs Rob. She says he might not want to hear this, but it was the first time she got to chat with Jess. She thinks in a weird way Jess loves him. They just have different wavelengths right now. She can tell him from past experience working on a boat, everyone gets involved, and you perceive people in a different way. Jess is heartbroken over him. He says he doesn’t know the answer, and she says, it’s a tricky thing. Alex wonders where Tom is, and asks Malia if he’s crying on the dock too. Malia says, no; he’s in bed. Bugs chugs water, and Jess sits on the deck steps with her phone.
In Jess’s interview, she says, it doesn’t seem like Rob wants to be together from the signals he’s giving out. He can be single. She doesn’t know what he wants from her anymore. The next morning, they don’t speak, and Jess asks where the suitcases are. He suggests she ask Alex, and she asks what did she do exactly? He wonders if this is worth it, and she says, it’s caused a lot of damage. He says he needs space. He’s doing the crossing for himself. She says he’s running, and he says he’s telling her what he needs. She cries, and asks what she needs to say. He’s damaging her. He says, it’s a gift, and she says, heartbreak is not a gift. Keep that sh*t for someone else. She follows him, and asks if she can have a hug. He says he needs to get TF off the boat, and she says, please don’t do the crossing. He says he has a ticket to Bali, and two days to decide. She says, please don’t run from this, and he says he’s not. I have absolutely no clue where they stand at this point, since it’s all so vague.
Everyone has coffee in the galley. Alex says his goodbyes. In his interview, he says he’s been tested in a few situations. They taught him how to make a negative situation positive, and turn it around; find a way out. This makes him think he can be a lead deckhand on a bigger vessel. Bugs tells him that he’s the best big… He says she was going to say brother; that’s incestuous. He’s the first one to leave. He seems like a good guy, and he’s cute with Bugs. Jess says goodbye to the captain, and Rob says goodbye to Malia. Aesha says, good luck. She enjoyed meeting him. Rob tells Jess, let’s embark on our journey, and Jess hugs Bugs, who tells her, have fun. Jess says she’s going to try. On the dock, Rob and Jess say they love each other. The text says Rob went to Bali, and in Aesha’s interview, she says, you’ve got to be kidding her.
Aesha says goodbye to Captain Sandy, and says she’s excited to go home. The captain tells her, enjoy it. In her interview, Aesha says she’s notoriously positive. This showed her that as a human, she has her low times, and that’s okay. Now she just wants to fly home, and everything will be easy breezy from there. Bugs is off, and says goodbye to Sandy, who says she was a dream come true, and thanks her. Bugs thanks her for the opportunity, and the captain says it was a pleasure working with her again. Bugs leaves, and there’s a tiny goat on the dock that’s just about the cutest thing alive. She stops to pet it. Malia tells Tom, it’s just them, and he jokes that he’s got to go; bye. They run upstairs to see the captain. Tom says, it was short and sweet, and the captain says it was a pleasure working with him. Captain Sandy says, she loves how happy they are, and wants to help in any way she can with Malia’s next step. Malia thanks her for the opportunity, and says, it meant a lot. They hug, and in Malia’s interview, she says, it was a lot to take in.When a relationship comes into play, it can be a tricky balance. One she’s still learning. She has a long career ahead. The sea’s the limit.
Malia calls, goodbye, Wellington. The captain says, adios, amigos. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, no two charters are the same.This was the most challenging. Without those experiences, you don’t grow. Good times don’t make you a stronger person. You find a way if you want to. She’s proud of her crew, and thankful for the opportunity to work with them. There’s a split screen here, while Captain Sandy is talking, so it’s hard to read all the text under the crew’s photos, but it looks like all of them are working on one kind of yacht or another, except for Aesha, and Hannah, who’s having a baby.
Next time – the Reunion, Part One. Ugh. Something about reunions always brings out the mean in people. I guess because they’re reliving moments they’d forgotten about, and would have rather it stayed that way. This season became excruciating. Somewhat because of Malia. It’s not what she did, but the way she did it. I also think it was like how an actor will get an Oscar for something not as great as their other work, so it’s like a cumulative Oscar. In the opposite way, Hannah had racked up enough demerits, and the captain was already wanting to give her the boot. However, Bugs was a better chief stew. Tom coming along was a coincidence, but I think it was held against Hannah that she didn’t want to change bunks. Despite the chef’s rank, even Captain Lee said it should have been left up to the chief stew. I think Malia was pissed about that, but getting the bunk she wanted wasn’t good enough for her. She made it her business to get Hannah off the boat. Although Hannah produced a prescription later, at the time, it was sketchy, so that was definitely a legit reason to let the captain know, but Malia was messy about it. Even more excruciating were Rob and Jess. Their adolescent antics were ridiculous. They were like two moody middle schoolers, and it was painful to watch. My summary of this less than stellar season.
Tonight’s secret word on Watch What Happens Live was sh*tstain. I wondered how on earth anyone was going to be saying that in the first place, but Aesha was one of the guests. Jess and Bugs were the other two, and that’s how I got the scoop on the Bugs/Alex romance. In one of the episodes, Aesha had called Bugs a sh*tstain, claiming it was a term of endearment. In honor of this statement, Andy had her play a game called Are They a Sh*tstain? The things we do out of boredom.
🌬 The More You Know…
In case you wondered about the Beaufort Wind Scale.
Still editing tomorrow’s article for https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/ – so if you like entertainment, check out the site. It’s also soon to have a channel on Roku. Until you hear otherwise, stay safe, stay motivated, and stay not acting like a moody middle schooler.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 