(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I miss the first millisecond. Nothing important, except Lucas is now breathing on his own. Elizabeth tells Julian that they’re all pulling for Lucas. Franco says he’s ready to go home. Elizabeth says she missed Franco, and he says if he’d known he was away, he would have missed her too. She gives him back his wedding ring, he puts it on, and they kiss.
Michael opens the door to Willow, who asks if everything is okay. His text was vague. He says he has some fun things planned for today, and thought she might want to join in.
Anna looks over some folders at her desk. Finn tells her that he just put Violet down for a nap, and he wants one too. Anna says it will take time, and he says he’s never second guessed himself so much. He wants to do things right. Are cartoons good or bad? Anna says the answers will change with his mood. Wait until the first time he hears himself say, because I said so. He says he’s looking forward to that. He asks what all that is on her desk, and she says, research. He says, on? and she says, her son.
Sporting an elf hat, Maxie tells Peter it breaks her heart to see so many kids in the hospital at Christmas. Peter says GH does its best to make it special, and she made them smile. Maxie wishes Lucas was awake to make fun of her hat. Peter says they should have a progress report soon, and it is the time of year for miracles. She asks if he’s ready for their next stop, and he asks if she’s sure they’re not intruding. Maxie says, she’ll love it. She sees the guard outside Nelle’s door, and says, someone’s been naughty.
Martin tells Nelle that she’s looking well. She says hospital gowns have always suited her. He asks if this was her big plan, to get stabbed? and she says, of course (🍷) not. He asks, what happened? and she says, a serial killer happened.
Brad tells Lucas that he doesn’t know what to do. That’s a lie. He at least knows what Lucas would want him to do. Send Wiley back to his true father, but what if he can’t? If he hadn’t come across Nelle that awful night, and taken a baby that wasn’t his, Lucas wouldn’t be there. He wants to make it right, but doesn’t know what to do. Julian comes in, and tells Brad, the test results are in. Brad kisses Lucas’s forehead, and follows Julian.
Michael says he’s taking a personal day, and knows how Willow loves spending time with Wiley, but it’s awkward with Wiley’s dads around. He asks if it’s still hard on her, and she says, no. She was just thinking of Lucas, and how horrible it all is. Michael says, hopefully, Lucas will get better. In the meantime, they can keep Wiley laughing. Willow says Michael has been great taking care of Wiley, and Michael says, of course (🍷). He’s family.
Martin says, Nelle wanted to be released, and this is how she engineered it? If she’d gotten killed, he would have gotten bupkis for his hard work. She’s unreliable. He has one question; why is she doing this?
Anna tells Finn that she can’t get the conversation with Jason out of her head. The list of crimes he believes Peter orchestrated is unbelievable. At the same time, considering Peter’s recent behavior, she can’t dismiss it out of hand. She’s pulled everything she can find, and is trying to make a connection to Brice and the gunman’s deaths. The gunman spent a lot of time in Pentenville, but up until about a week ago, he was in Europe, where he has no arrest record. He worked security for two companies, Eurotech and another one I don’t catch, before and after his stint in prison. Finn thinks the company names should mean something to him, and Anna says they’re known by the WSB to be DVX companies. Finn says, shell companies. Peter lived in Germany, so that would be the connection. Anna says Andre also has connections in Europe, and Brice spent time there. Finn asks if there’s nothing to single Peter out, and she says, no.
Amy tells Elizabeth the paperwork will be ready shortly. Jordan asks Franco to look at a photo of his assailant, but when he does, he says he’s got nothing. But they weren’t really after him. They were after Drew. He’s not telling her how to do her job, but maybe she should be speaking to Drew. Elizabeth asks if Jordan needs anything else, but Jordan says, that’s it. Amy tells Franco that his walking papers are in. Enjoy his homecoming. Elizabeth says, they will, and Franco asks her, what’s going on with Drew? She says they have a lot to talk about, but they’ll do it at home.
Anna says, neither Brice, nor the assassin were in Afghanistan, and Finn says, that implicates Shiloh. She says, exactly, but Shiloh has no known connection to Faison. Finn says, that implicates Peter, but she says, there’s no implication anywhere. Finn says she wants to exonerate him, and she says she wants to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s not guilty. Finn says, that’s impossible. It comes down to what she feels. She says, nothing contradicts Jason’s version of the events, but Finn says, Jason has his own bias. In the absence of real evidence, it comes down to who or what she believes. The doorbell rings, and Finn goes to get it. He brings back Maxie and Peter.
Michael and Willow roll a ball back and forth with Wiley, and discuss a ball rolling Olympics event. Willow asks how Michael got to be so great with kids. Being a big brother? He says, that’s part of it. There was actually a time where he had custody of his sister Avery. It’s a long story, and not complementary of him. Willow doesn’t believe it, but he says, believe it. It was a very complicated, messy, human situation, where everyone acted badly. Willow says she’ll reserve judgment on that. Michael says his biological father was AJ Quartermaine. AJ and his mom didn’t get along, and she left him for Sonny when Michael was two years old. Sonny was the only father he knew. AJ wanted him back, so there was an ugly custody fight. Flash forward to five years ago. AJ and Sonny hated each other, and Ava got thrown in the mix. AJ attacked Ava, and Sonny shot him. He died, but Michael didn’t know it was Sonny who shot him until a month later, and he went a little crazy. It was pretty bad, and he trumped up a legal excuse to get custody of Avery. He wanted to hurt his father, and knew nothing would hurt him more than taking Avery away.
Nelle says maybe she doesn’t need Martin. She got herself out; she can find a way to stay out. Martin says he’s her only prayer to get out before her 60th birthday. If she does exactly what he tells her, and sticks with the program; be a model prisoner. She asks why she should trust him, and he says it’s his only chance of getting paid. Jordan comes in, and asks how the prisoner is. Nelle gives her two thumbs up.
The doctor asks Julian and Brad if they’re waiting for Lucas’s mother, but Julian says they convinced her to get some rest, so go ahead. The doctor says Lucas’s brain swelling is down, but he slipped into a coma. Julian says he’s been in a coma since he got there, but the doctor says it was medically induced to help his body heal. Even after they reduced the sedatives, he’s not waking up. Brad asks, what happens now? and the doctor says Lucas can’t stay there indefinitely. He’ll have to be relocated. They think Turning Woods is the best option; they have long term care. They’ll transfer him as soon as Brad signs off. Julian asks, what’s the rush? and Brad says, they need the bed. Lucas isn’t healing fast enough, so they’re kicking him out. He walks off, leans against the wall, and slides down.
Elizabeth brings Franco in, and says, ta-da! Franco says, check it out, and looks at the huge Welcome Home sign. He asks if Aiden did that, and she says, of course (🍷). Look at what else he did. Franco sees a cake on the table, and says, chocolate ganache; his favorite. He asks where Aiden is, and Elizabeth says he was invited to spend Christmas in Ireland. He was torn; He wanted to go, but wanted to be there to welcome Franco home. Cameron convinced him that Franco would want him to experience new places, and they took him to the airport this morning. He’s come a long way from the uncertain withdrawn little boy, and it has a lot to do with Franco. Franco says he just followed her lead. She says they can still have a celebration. Cameron and Jake will be home soon. He has no idea how much the boys missed him. And how scared they were, although they tried not show it. He says he can imagine, and he’s sorry he put them through it. She says they’re sorry he went through it. He says he didn’t. It’s a matter of perspective. To him, no time passed. She got the raw end of the deal. She says she’s glad he’s home; that’s all that matters. She asks how it feels, and he says, safe and warm, and familiar and new at the same time. It’s weird that he hasn’t seen Drew. He must be busy. Elizbeth says, it’s worse than that. There’s a lot they need to deal with, and in time he’ll adjust. Drew handled it wonderfully, and was determined to get him back. Franco asks where Drew is, and she says, he’s missing, and presumed dead.
Julian tells Lucas, take more time to rest. Don’t worry about Wiley. He’ll fix this thing. By the time Lucas wakes up, everything will be back on track. He’s going to wake up. He has to.
Amy finds Brad, and sits next to him on the floor. She says, it’s not the end. Lucas probably just needs more time. Brad says it’s his fault, and she tells him, don’t say that. He says, it’s true. Between the two of them, everyone knows Brad is the bad one. Lucas doesn’t lie, cheat, or break the law. He’s perfect. Amy says Brad is no angel, but what everyone knows is how much Brad loves Lucas, and how much Lucas loves him. She asks if some gossip would cheer him up. Guess who traded their cellblock for a hospital bed? Nelle.That wacko is back in Port Charles. Brad says he has to do something, and jets. Amy wonders if it’s something she said.
Nelle tells Jordan, they can’t make her go back. Jordan says they can, and Nelle asks how heartless can they be? Ryan nearly carved out her one kidney. Jordan says she’s exaggerating, but Martin says her release is premature, given her medical history. She’ll need more extensive tests. Jordan says, if the doctor says she needs them, she’ll get them. Otherwise, it’s back to prison. Martin says, let’s find out. As he follows Jordan out the door, he turns back to look at Nelle, and she mouths, do something.
Anna quickly clears her desk, and Maxie says they brought gifts. Anna says they shouldn’t have, and Maxie says they’re not for her. She’s been going through Georgie’s old clothes, and thought Violet could use some of them. They’re out in the car. Anna asks Finn to help Peter get them. Anna tells Maxie that she’s glowing. Peter has an effect on her. Maxie says he’s made her happy. She didn’t think it was possible. After Nathan died, she thought that was it. How many chances does one person get? But in walks Peter, now they’re building a life together, and a family. Anna says she’s thrilled for Maxie, and they hug.
Willow asks how long Michael kept Avery, and he says, three or four months. He realized his revenge was tearing his family apart and hurting the people he loved, especially Avery. The only solution was to give Avery back, and forgive his father. Avery was the easy part; forgiving his father, not so much. Eventually, he got there. Willow says, remarkable, but he says, not really. It was a shift in perspective. Avery wasn’t a trophy; she was just a little girl. After he focused on that, everything else fell into place. The point he’s making is, he played dad for a minute. He laughs, remembering when he brought Avery to work, and a big investor came in. He found Michael on the floor, playing blocks with Avery. He already looked young, and needless to say, Michael didn’t close the deal. Willow says, that investor was short-sighted. Anyone playing blocks is engaging, thoughtful, and committed. If it had been her, she would have totally invested with him. Michael’s phone rings. It’s Amy, who says she was just with Brad. Lucas is still in a coma, and being transferred to long term care at Turning Woods. Brad is taking it hard, so she was wondering if Michael could bring Wiley to the hospital. Brad needs to see his son.
Brad walks into Nelle’s room, and she says, nice work, talking his way in there, especially considering what he’s going through. He says his husband being in a coma, and his son without his fathers? All of it is her fault.
Franco asks Elizabeth if there was no body, and she says the plane was found in the water. When it was determined there were no possible survivors, the search was called off. Franco says, it was because of him, but Elizabeth says, Drew was on the plane because he felt it was the right thing to do. Franco says, it’s not fair.
Brad tells Nelle, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t gotten involved with her. All of it happened because he didn’t have the guts to stand up and do what he should have done all along. What Lucas would want him to do – what’s best for Wiley.
Michael and Willow come into the hospital through the loudest sliding door ever. Michael gives Wiley to Willow, and says he wants to give Brad a heads up. Willow tells Wiley that someone is going to be happy to see him.
Anna tells Maxie, she’s happy to hear she and Peter are moving in together. She was a bit surprised though. She thought Peter was getting his own place. Maxie says, he was, but the deal fell through. That’s why he was on the pier the night he helped Dev and Wiley. Anna says, everything happens for a reason, and Maxie says she thinks so. Peter is great for her and James. They’ve finally moved past the baggage. Finn and Peter come back in, and Finn thanks Peter for the stuff. Peter says he didn’t have much to do with it. Finn asks how it’s going since the excitement at the hospital. Peter says he feels horrible that a man lost his life, but Franco is back to himself. It must be liberating, not being bogged down with Drew’s memories. Finn says, it must be.
Elizabeth tells Franco that she’s sorry. Franco wishes he could have tried to save Drew, and she says he did. He got Drew out of the house, and away from that horrible man. Franco says Drew died as a direct result of what was going on with him. Elizabeth says what Franco did changed everything. He, as Drew, chose to give Franco back his life because of what he did all those years ago.
She says she dreaded this moment, telling him about Drew. She knew how hard to would be. He holds her, and says Drew is the closest thing he’ll ever have to a brother. She says he can’t bring Drew back. The only way to honor him is to learn from his own life. Be happy and make the people he loves around him happy. He says he’s an expert at being whiny and bitchy. She says, he is not. Maybe a little. He says he’s so grateful for her. From now on, he’s grateful for everything. She says he has no idea how unbearable it was to see him, and it not really be him. Not just the lack of recognition – that was painful enough – but everything. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he said her name. He wouldn’t make inappropriate comments, or make her laugh with his terrible jokes. He says, they’re funny because they’re terrible. She says she would look in his eyes and search, but she wouldn’t see it. She sees it now, and she’s so happy. he says, if he makes her happy, that’s the single greatest achievement of his life. She says she loves him so much, and they kiss.
Jordan sees Julian, and says she heard Lucas was being moved. He says he just got off the phone with Lucas’s mother, and told her about Turning Woods. She says they’ve received the final report about Brad’s car.
Michael looks at his phone; Brad called. Martin comes by, and introduces himself, saying he has the honor and privilege of being Nelle’s attorney. Michael isn’t sure that’s an honor, and Martin says, Nelle is a remarkable young woman whose gone out of her way to turn her life around. Michael says, Nelle destroys anyone who crosses her path. Stay away. He walks, and Martin says, tough crowd.
Michael sees Amy, and tells her that Wiley is waiting with Willow. Where can he find Brad?
Anna asks if Maxie and Peter can’t stay longer, but Maxie says, it’s Christmaspalooza. They have the coat drive at Rice Plaza next. Anna asks if they’re going to be there for Christmas, and Finn says, that’s the day that’s merry not happy. Anna looks at him, and he says she lives in America now. Maxie and Peter leave, and Finn says, they seem good. Anna says, better than good, and he asks what she’s thinking. She says she’s thinking of taking his advice. She’s going to give Peter the benefit of the doubt. He says she’s taking his advice? and he tells her, enjoy it while it lasts. He goes upstairs to check on Violet, and she straightens her desk. She flips through a folder on Peter, and says, no.
Franco and Elizabeth kiss. She pulls away, and he asks, what going on? She says, you know how it is when your head and your body are feeling two different things? That’s how she’s feeling. She knows she shouldn’t be upset… He asks, what’s going on? Just tell him; they’ll get through it. She says, when Drew was in his body, he had sex with Kim.
Jordan tells Julian, they were unable to determine the cause of the crash. There was too much damage to the undercarriage, and they can’t pinpoint how the brakes failed. He asks if they’re closing the investigation, and she says they have nothing further to learn. She tells him, good luck with Lucas’s transfer. She hopes he comes out of it.
Anna says, Eurotech, and looks in the gunman’s folder. She says, ugh; no. Peter was there at the same company at the same time the gunman worked there. She looks through pictures of Peter, obviously taken without his knowledge.
Michael looks in on Lucas. He tells Brad, sorry. He knows it wasn’t the news Brad wanted to hear. None of them did. Brad says, it was a lot to take in, and Michael says he brought someone to cheer Brad up, if he’s up to it. Wiley is here.
In the hallway, Willow holds Wiley, and Nelle rolls up in her wheelchair. She says, what a beautiful baby boy.
On Monday, Monica reads A Christmas Carol to the kids at the hospital, Robert calls Finn a Scrooge, Obrecht says Christmas is the time put aside their differences and spread good will, and Finn becomes Scrooge. I’m really looking forward to that.
🏥 Her Choice of Friends Scares Me…
I love Denise, but her being good friends with Brandi is scarier than any medical emergency.
I’ve loved Wayne Brady forever. I was blessed to see him in Chicago on Broadway, and hung out afterward, to ask him to sign my program. There were quite a few of us waiting, and every time the stage door opened, you could feel everyone get ready. Then, when it wasn’t him, there was a collective feeling of disappointment. Now we call every letdown after anticipatory feels, a Wayne Brady moment. He did eventually come out and sign programs just in case you were wondering.
Dogs are the best! If you keep watching, there’s a whole sequence of videos of dogs throwing tantrums for various reasons. This first one is annoyed by a cat in her bed. It reminds me of when our cat used to deliberately sit in the middle of the doorway because the dogs were too afraid to go past him. The cartoons have it backward.
Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words. – Harlan Miller
A good conscience is a continual Christmas. – Benjamin Franklin
Hanukkah is about the spark of the divine in all of us made in God’s image. – Suzanne Fields
We’re not doing anything that hasn’t been done better by Burl Ives, God rest his soul. Possibly. I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive. – Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller), King of Queens
Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room. – Nora Roberts
Just as Hanukkah candles are lighted one by one from a single flame, so the tale of the miracle is passed from one man to another, from one house to another, and to the whole House of Israel throughout the generations. – Judah L. Magnes
And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent… – Taylor Caldwell
Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see. – The Polar Express
Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. – Augusta E. Handel
Ho-ho-ho! – Santa Claus
🎁 And One More…
Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father.
He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but his own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.
He had no further intercourse with Spirits; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In the US, today’s GH was the same one I magically saw yesterday that had been preempted. Because the video ended so abruptly, I wondered if it had cut off a few seconds early, but no, the end was the end. If you didn’t read yesterday, and want to check it out, go here:
Tonight, the designers awoke to the sound of jingle bells and, as one contestant put it, Christmas having thrown up in their living room, which was wall-to-wall decorations. Christian was there with news of glad tidings. They were having an unconventional materials challenge, and had to make a fabulous holiday cocktail party dress using whatever they could grab in ten minutes from the décor. This time, the challenge itself was two days. As everyone went into Tasmanian Devil mode and seized whatever they could lay their hands on, Alan said it was crazier than a Kmart on Black Friday in Ohio. Delvin said he didn’t want this, but didn’t know what he did want, and I felt his pain. I didn’t sympathize so much with him saying he didn’t like the challenge, and felt like he was in arts and crafts. He ended up scrapping his first design, and whining that he’d wasted his time.
For the most part, the designs were impressive. Serio made a masterpiece, using part of a giant basket as a hoop skirt, and magically crafting wrapping paper – which I can barely get around a box – around it to make an incredible strapless piece. Guest judge Kiernan Shipka said she’d definitely wear it, and if I was thinner, I would too. I definitely noticed Tyler this week, but for all the wrong reasons. I’m not sure what happened (okay, I was writing out cards while watching), but he ended up creating something that was both terrible, and terribly short. I wish I’d been paying more attention, because he actually started off strong, having made a beautiful bodice out of silver snowflakes. When that changed to some gold snowflakes that blended into the neckline, and a dress that barely covered his model’s who-ha, I have no idea. Poor Brittany got a nosebleed during the mad dash for materials, and ended up with wrapping paper and some leftover faux cranberries. She was unhappy with her design, which looked more like how I wrap packages, with the skirt showing a lot of crinkles, and being obviously uncomfortable. The cascade of cranberries on one side was a bone of contention between the judges, who either loved it or hated it, although everyone hated the dress. Karlie said she thought Brittany’s mentality of being defeated with the challenge might have factored in.
Along with Brittany and Tyler, Alan was also in the bottom three, being told, unfortunately, Burning Man wasn’t in December. I don’t know what he was doing, but it looked more like it belonged to Christmas in space. Nina also thought he made a lot of excuses. On the winning side, along with Sergio, was Victoria, who’d put a cranberry wreath and lots of faux jewel ornaments to good use, and Shavi, who made a garland into a gorgeous 3-D floral number, and another dress Kiernan said she would wear. The top three were told they’d embraced the holidays, and Sergio walked away the big winner. Alan was out, but Brandon thought with his bold persona and work, they’d be seeing more of him. He admitted to coming in super confident, with the belief that he was ready, even though he wasn’t. He felt the competition had changed him for the better, and he was a good designer, but had more to learn and needed more time to learn it. In my words, he got the wind knocked out of his sails, and found out he’s not too cool for school.
Next time, the designers use Goodwill to create the perfect event look for Karlie.
👠 I Just Can’t…
Gee, maybe Brandi will smack somebody again. She’s already talking about wanting to hit someone in the article. No. Just no. Especially with LVP gone. Although it’s like when someone passes away. You miss them, but you’re glad they’re not around to see some things.
🌴 Watch What Happens Live is going on hiatus until January 5th, 2020. When isn’t Andy Cohen on vacation? He’ll also be hosting New Year’s Eve again with the effervescent Anderson Cooper.
🃏 Best I’ve Seen All Day…
I love how Ellen is having the best time during this prank.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
⚠ SPOILER ALERT: This show was not on today in the US, and will be shown tomorrow. So if you don’t want to know yet, skip down to all the Wives.
General Hospital
Jason tells Sonny, they got everything out, and Sonny tells him to check the routes again. He wants everything covered. Jason asks if Sonny is being pressured, but Sonny says, people get sloppy, and he just wants to double-check. One more thing. What the hell is going on with Carly?
At the hospital, Jax gives Carly a blueberry smoothie. She asks if there’s kelp in it, and he says, of course (🍷) not. She tastes it, and admits it’s pretty good. Jax says, when this is over, he has a bottle of Bordeaux with her name on it. She says she thought it was going to be over tonight.
Obrecht asks how Charlotte is, and Valentin says, warm, dry and safe. Nina says Charlotte wanted to read another chapter of Little Women, but her eyes were closed by the time they started. Obrecht tells them, hypothermia can be exhausting, but Nina says Charlotte wouldn’t be home if she had hypothermia. The doctors say she’s fine. Obrecht no thanks to that poor excuse of a mother. What was Lulu thinking, letting Charlotte fall into the harbor? Valentin says, she didn’t fall; she jumped.
Curtis meets Laura, Doc, and Lulu at Charlie’s. He asks how Lulu is holding up, and she says she’s still in shock. All of a sudden, Charlotte took a running jump off the pier. She was sure her bodyguard was going to save her. Curtis says, what about a bodyguard? Doc says, imaginary. Apparently, Charlotte was willing to risk her life to prove he was real.
Alone at the gallery, Ava pours herself a martini. She says, here’s to you, Helena Cassadine. You made one hell of an exit. What more can a gal ask? She hears footsteps behind her, and says she knew he’d show up. He’s awful predictable – she picks up her gun and turns around – for a dead man. It’s Nikolas, and she says she’d offer to fix him a martini, but her hands are full. He says she doesn’t need the gun. She says she needed the last time he broke in, when she asked him to take off his mask. He was so real, she could have touched him. So real, she could have pulled the trigger, if she hadn’t fainted dead away. Fortunately, she’s feeling much steadier tonight.
At the MetroCourt, Lucy explains to potential investor Alyssa that the relaunch of Deception is going to include spas and the whole wellness movement, but they also have a new signature line of cosmetics; strictly organic. Alyssa says let her stop Lucy there, but Lucy says at least let her show the power point presentation. Alyssa says she loved Deception in the early 90s, but can’t make a serious investment in nostalgia, unless she has… Lucy sees Sasha walk in with Michael, and says, she does. Hold that thought. She goes over to Sasha, and asks her to please go along with whatever she does. She brings Sasha to the table, and tells Alyssa that Sasha is a dear friend who is going to help make her vision happen. May she present the new face of Deception, Sasha Gilmore.
Valentin says he’s going to check on Charlotte. He wants to be there if she wakes up. Obrecht tells Nina, for such a cold-blooded manipulator, he certainly loves that child. Nina says, Obrecht is telling her Valentin is a manipulator? Obrecht says, a leopard doesn’t change its spots, and Nina says, neither does a leopardess. She knows Obrecht helped Valentin pass Sasha off as her daughter, and she’s giving Obrecht one last chance to tell her how and why.
Curtis says he’s there to help any way he can, but he’s not sure why he’s there. Laura says they may need him to dig up some dirt on Valentin. Something they could use against him in a custody battle. Curtis thought the custody was already settled, but Lulu says, not anymore. He says it’s her fault since she wasn’t watching Charlotte closely enough. Laura says, of course (🍷) she was, and Doc says, no one could doubt that. Lulu says, Valentin does. He wants to go back to family court, and amend the custody order. Laura says, he’s going to fail. She’s sure there are enough witnesses who will testify for Lulu. Curtis says he’s sure he can dig up something they can use. Curtis wants to hear more about the bodyguard, and Lulu says she thought it was part of a game. Charlotte has been talking about him non-stop. Doc thinks it’s important they figure out why Charlotte invented him in the first place.
Ava asks why Nikolas is there. He says she must know, but she says tell her anyway. He says, when the painting burned, did the codicil burn with it? She says he’ll have to do better than that, and he asks what she wants. She says, an apology to start. On second thought, anything he says would be a lie. Just like his supposed death. His second supposed death. Not the first one he staged in Port Charles; the one she witnessed in Greece. He says he almost died that day, and she says, but he didn’t. He just let her believe he did. That’s a pattern with him, isn’t it? His mother, his sister, his son. Nikolas let them all grieve for him, twice. Why should she be the exception? Because they had a few nice chats, an unexpected connection, and shared a kiss? She’d never kissed a prince. Sounds like a fairytale, but in her case, the prince turned out to be a liar and a user. Now she gets to decide how the fairytale ends.
Jax tells Carly, just as the gavel came down, the painting burst into flames. Now Helena’s portrait is just a pile of ashes. Carly says, Ava rigged the painting to burn? Jax says, Ava claimed she didn’t, and that it was either Helena or the artist, playing a practical joke from beyond the grave. Carly hopes he’s not on the hook for the money, but he says, the painting was never delivered, so the sale is null and void. That’s the good news. The bad news is, the codicil either burned with the painting, or Ava has it.
Sonny tells Jason, Carly is hiding something. Does he know what? Jason says, no, and Sonny asks if she said she was worried about anything or asked for his help. Jason says she didn’t, and Sonny says, then she’s doing this alone, which makes it worse. Jason asks when it started, and Sonny says, it was after Halloween, when Josslyn wanted to move in with Jax part time. He thought Jax would be all over that, but he turned it down. Sonny asked Carly why, and she picked a fight with him. She’s trying to distract him, and when he asks why, she picks another fight with him. He thinks Jax is into something he shouldn’t be, and Carly is protecting him.
Nikolas tells Ava, it doesn’t have to be this way, but she says, it does. Start at the beginning. Nikolas and Valentin were fighting. The gun went off… He says, Valentin shot him, and Ava says she hasn’t told anyone this, but she saw him and Valentin struggling over the gun. From Valentin’s perspective, he was acting in self-defense. He says she told Spencer that Valentin murdered him. Ava says, which clearly, he did not. He says she told Spencer that she’d help him prove it was wrongful death, and she sold out to Valentin. She says she was horribly scarred and wanted her face back. All she had to do was betray his memory, but it turns out there was nothing to betray because he’s been alive the whole time. He says she makes it sound like he was on vacation, and she says, where has he been? And what payoff justified the hell he’s put them all through?
Carly tells Jax, none of this is going to turn out the way Nikolas wants. He’s not going to reclaim the Cassadine fortune or sell Jax the shipping company. Spencer is away at boarding school, and well taken care of. On the other hand, Josslyn will be devastated if he gets deported again. Make sure that doesn’t happen. Call the cops and turn Nikolas in.
Jason asks if Sonny and Carly have been fighting about anything real, and Sonny says, his dad. Sonny still thinks there’s a way to help him, but Carly doesn’t agree. He did have a bad spell on Thanksgiving, and Griff was in town, so Sonny had him look at Mike’s chart. He said Mike’s Alzheimer’s is progressing. Jason says he’s sorry, but Sonny says, it’s not over. Griff is checking into something in Sweden and maybe even the US. He asks what Jason thinks, but Jason says it’s not his call. Sonny wants to know anyway, and Jason tells him to put himself in Mike’s place. If it was Sonny’s kids making the decisions, what would he want? Sonny says he’d want them to make a choice they can live with. He’s already lived his life. He’d want them to be at peace. Jason thinks Mike would want that for him.
Doc says, recently, Charlotte’s life has been filled with uncertainty. Dante’s absence, his brief tumultuous return, Nina and Valentin’s aborted wedding. She’s a little girl, whose world has been in constant upheaval. Laura says, and that was before she was kidnapped by Cassandra. Lulu says, Charlotte knows Cassandra has a grudge against her father. Some part of her must know it’s Valentin’s fault, and she doesn’t want to blame him. Doc says, the bodyguard is a manifestation of Charlotte’s need to feel secure and safe. Laura says, and jumping into the harbor when she knows he’s not real? and Doc says, a cry for help. Lulu says she has to speak with Valentin now; tonight. She gets up, and Laura says, Valentin might not be receptive right now, but Lulu doesn’t care. Right now, Charlotte needs stability, not another tug-of-war custody battle. Curtis says he’s going with her, for moral support and back-up. Laura thinks it’s a good idea, and Lulu says she appreciates the offer, but Charlotte is her daughter. It’s on her to settle this.
Nina tells Obrecht that she’s lost so many people she loves; she can’t lose Obrecht too. Tell her the truth. Obrecht asks if she’s sure she wants to know. Ignorance really can be bliss. She has a man who loves her, and a stepdaughter who adores her. Is the truth really more important than the family she’s always wanted? Nina says she wants the truth, and then she’ll decide for herself. Did Obrecht help Valentin fake the original DNA test? Obrecht says, no, but she knows how he did it.
Lucy says it’s lovely for Michael to join them, and asks if Alyssa has met him. Alyssa says, not personally, but Chad Bailey speaks highly of him. Michael says Chad swears Alyssa has the uncanny ability to spot the next big thing. Alyssa doesn’t know if she’d go that far, but she’s curious as to why he’s there. Is ELQ in the beauty market? and he says they’re in a lot of markets. He sees Sonny come in, and excuses himself, saying his father doesn’t like to be kept waiting. When he’s gone, Alyssa asks if that’s the Sonny Corinthos, the… and Sasha says, coffee importer and noted philanthropist; that’s him.
At the bar, Michael asks if Sonny was looking for him. Sonny says if Michael was in his place, and he had Alzheimer’s that had progressed to the point where he didn’t recognize Michael, would he still look for a cure, even if it was a long shot? Or would he just let Sonny go?
Obrecht says she attended Nina’s mother’s funeral. She was a fugitive at the time, but disguised herself as a homeless woman, and kept to the back of the church. When the service was over, and everyone was gone, Valentin returned with a DNA kit. She watched him take a swab from her mother’s body. Nina says, so from the moment she found Sasha, Obrecht knew she was fake. Obrecht says, she was reasonably certain Sasha was working for Valentin. Nina says she thought Obrecht loved her. Why wouldn’t she say something?
Lulu goes to Windymere, and Valentin asks what she’s doing there. She says she’s there to see him. Charlotte almost drowned tonight, and they have to do better for her.
Curtis says, if Valentin is going to compromise, it would definitely be for Charlotte’s sake, but if he opts for a custody fight, Curtis promises to bring them all the dirt he can find. Laura says they’re lucky to have him on their side. Curtis heads to the bar for a real drink. Laura tells Doc, there’s something else she didn’t want Lulu to know right away, but it might mean something. He says, lucky for her, she’s married to a highly-skilled psychiatrist who knows how to keep a secret. She says, Charlotte showed her a picture of her secret bodyguard. It was picture of Nikolas.
Nikolas tells Ava, he was in shock and bleeding. It was a miracle someone found him and pulled him out. It was a yacht crew who’d just dropped off their owner, and were en route home to Athens. He was able to get medical attention. She says, so while they were there grieving his watery death, he was warm and dry and recuperating in Athens. He says he was still considered a fugitive, and she says, criminal charges from faking his death the first time. The story isn’t doing him any favors. He says he was waiting for Valentin to stake his claim, using the papers he forced Nikolas to sign, while she was being held at gunpoint. He guesses they’ve come full circle, and she says, yes. He was very chivalrous – then. Not so much when he was telling her Kiki was damned. He says he’s not proud of that, and she says either he’s truly ashamed or good at faking it. Either way, it’s of no consequence. So he was waiting for Valentin to use the papers… Nikolas says, he never did. He didn’t need to. Mikkos left him everything. But Mikkos had one last surprise; a codicil disinheriting Valentin and returning everything to him, and it was hidden in Helena’s portrait. The one she destroyed.
Jax tells Carly, they have to let this play out until New Year’s. He has reason to believe Valentin is going to be suffering a reversal of fortune very soon, and it will give Nikolas an opening. She asks, what kind of opening? And what’s going on with Valentin? He says, sorry, but she doesn’t want him sorry. She wants him to answer her questions. Jason shows up, and asks if everything is okay.
Ava tells Nikolas, if he didn’t want the painting destroyed, he should have told her it was important instead of gaslighting her. How long was he having her watched? He says, less than a month, and it was his mother who he was having watched. She says, so he never thought about her at all, but he says he did. He thought of everything there. The wife he missed, the people he loved; he thought about coming forward, but knew if he did, he’d be handing everything to Valentin. She asks if the codicil was supposed to fix all that, and he says, it would have fixed everything. It would have given back everything that was rightfully his. She says, too bad it’s nothing but ashes, and he says, is it? which is exactly what I’ve been thinking.
Laura tells Doc, Charlotte was disappointed that her bodyguard didn’t rescue her. He says, in her mind, her bodyguard is real, and Laura says, absolutely. She offered to show Laura a picture of him, then showed her the picture of Nikolas on Lulu’s phone. Doc asks how much Charlotte knows about Nikolas, and Laura says, she doesn’t know. She’s sure Charlotte has heard her and Lulu talking about him, but could that be enough for her to make him her secret bodyguard? Doc says, it’s possible. He thinks it’s more likely she recognized Nikolas, and chose him for a reason.
Lulu tells Valentin that Doc said Charlotte jumping in the harbor was a cry for help. She’s had so much turmoil. She must have made up the bodyguard because she doesn’t trust them to make her world safe. He says it sounds like she’s admitting she’s part of the problem.
Obrecht tells Nina, she needed leverage over Valentin. She told him what she’d witnessed, and blackmailed him. Nina asks if Obrecht didn’t care that she was falling in love with her daughter, and Obrecht says, it was already too late. Nina was already in love with her daughter, and to Valentin’s credit, the more time she spent with Sasha, the more she was convinced that Sasha was a good daughter to her. Sasha wasn’t trying to take advantage, and Nina was happy. If that little snoop Lulu hadn’t eavesdropped, and made it her business to interrupt the wedding, Nina could still be happy. Nina asks if Obrecht isn’t the least bit sorry, and Obrecht says, sorrier than she can say, but she might have a way to make amends.
Sasha tells Alyssa, classic isn’t the same as old. They’re going to use the history of Deception’s glamour and style to target the current generation. Alyssa says, tell her more.
Michael tells Sonny that he’d have to weigh his need to keep Sonny against his quality of life. Would it be worth putting him through treatment that might cause him to suffer or get worse, or refuse the treatment, and later find out it could have saved him? Sonny says he asked himself that, but he’s not getting an answer. Michael asks what Carly thinks, and Sonny says, they’re having problems right now. She probably thinks part of it is his dad; part of it is, they just don’t agree. Michael says, talk to her anyway. Even if she thinks he’s dead wrong, she’ll always have his back.
Jax tells Jason that he was just trying to convince Carly to drink her smoothie. Carly says, he swears there’s no kelp in it. She’s choosing to trust him. Jax says she won’t be disappointed, and leaves. Jason says, what happened? and Carly says, Jax is in trouble.
Ava laughs, saying Nikolas went through all that trouble, breaking and entering, only to find out Valentin beat him to it, but neither of them found the painting. He asks where it was, and she says, hiding in plain sight. She left it in the original frame, and covered it with a rather pedestrian abstract. He asks if she found the codicil, and she says she has to thank him. For a while, she was concerned that Valentin would find the portrait, but then he showed up, and created the perfect diversion. From then on, all she had to worry about was checking herself out of a mental hospital, and searching the painting. Once she knew what she was looking for, it wasn’t difficult to find. He says she has the codicil, and she says, of course (🍷) she does.
Obrecht gives Nina an envelope, and tells her to see for herself. After Valentin left the church, she took a few strands of her sister’s hair. Nina can run her own test. It should yield the same results as the one Valentin ran; mother and daughter.
Lulu tells Valentin, she’s not the one who got Charlotte kidnapped. Cassandra went after Charlotte because of him. He says Charlotte was with Lulu when Cassandra took her, and was with Lulu when she jumped into the harbor. It sounds like Lulu is the one not keeping their daughter safe. She asks him to please not drag their daughter into a custody fight, and he says he was just hoping she’d be a good mother. She says she loves Charlotte. He’s the one who’s selfish. He spoils Charlotte, and indulges her worst impulses. He says he treats Charlotte like she’s Charlotte. Lulu treats Charlotte like she’s an extension of herself, proving she’s perfect. She calls him a bastard, and he says she despises him and he despises her back. Why don’t they let the family court decide? She says, let’s do that, and she’s going to prove he’s unfit to be anywhere near Charlotte. She walks out, and Valentin joins Nina and Obrecht. Nina says, Lulu sounded upset, and he says, it’s been an upsetting evening. Obrecht says, it’s been quite stressful, and excuses herself to go to bed. Valentin asks if Nina is all right. She says, no, and he says, him neither, and they hug.
Alyssa says her COO will contact Lucy directly about financial arrangements. Lucy says they’ll talk soon. Ta! Alyssa goes down in the elevator, and Lucy squeals, saying, Deception is back, baby!
Jax sees Curtis at Charlie’s, and Curtis asks if there’s a next step in Jax’s plan against Valentin. Or is he cutting his losses now that the painting has been destroyed? Jax says, the plan is still in place, but he thinks it’s time for a change in tactics.
Jason tells Carly, the getaway van was a rental, and it was charged to Jax’s credit card. The same night, he went to question Jax, and it was obvious he was covering something up. He’ll tell her what he told Jax. He’ll do anything for her and Josslyn, even if it means helping Jax, but she has to tell him what’s gong on. Carly says, Jax is into something illegal, and if Sonny finds out, he’ll have Jax deported. So Sonny can’t find out. Her family could be ripped apart before Donna is six months old. She won’t do that to her kids or Sonny. He’s grieving over Mike, and he’ll lash out in anger. Before he realizes what he’s done, it will be too late. Jason says, let him fix it. Sonny comes out of the elevator, sees them talking, and walks the other way. Carly says she can’t ask Jason to get involved, but he says he’s offering. She says she loves him for it, but Jax said he’d have everything handled by New Year’s Eve. If he doesn’t, she’ll tell Jason everything. She promises.
On the phone, Sonny says he needs help. Carly’s in trouble.
Lucy says they did it. They locked down Alyssa, and it’s all due to Sasha. Sasha says Lucy wants her to be the face of Deception, but it doesn’t appeal to her unless she has a stake in the company; an equity partnership. Lucy says, no, but Sasha says it’s going to be her face out there. She wants a say in the product. Lucy says she has a point, so she’ll generously give Sasha point five percent. Sasha asks Michael to be her agent, and he says, fifty percent. Lucy laughs, and says, no, no, no, no, no. Two. Michael says she clearly doesn’t want Sasha as much as she claims. Lucy says she does. Can they just make it a realistic, reasonable number? Michael says, thirty percent; take it or leave it. Lucy says, that’s grand larceny, and Michael says she started the day with a business plan, and thanks to Sasha, she has an investor and a face of the brand. She deserves her fair share. Lucy says, it’s not fair. It’s highway robbery. Michael says Lucy will still be the controlling partner, and Sasha will be very motivated to see that Deception succeeds. Lucy says, fine. Thirty percent. Michael says he’ll have his attorney draw up the papers, and Lucy says he’s nothing but a baby-faced shark. He says Lucy is the owner of a viable company, and Lucy tells Sasha, welcome to Deception. They shake hands, and Sasha says they’re going to do great things together.
Doc tells Laura, Charlotte could think of Nikolas as some kind of hero; a flawed prince. Who better to imagine as her rescuer? If Nikolas were still alive, the source of tension between Lulu and Valentin would be gone. It’s possible Charlotte just wants her parents to stop hating each other. Who better to conjure up than the person Charlotte believes could make that happen?
Curtis tells Jax, there’s a custody battle brewing between Valentin and Lulu. If the change in tactics digs up dirt they can use, he’d like to tell Laura. Jax is fine with that. The more trouble for Valentin, the better. Curtis asks what he’s got, and Jax says, at this point, just a name. Charlotte was carried by a surrogate, Claudette Beaulieu. He gives Curtis a picture of Claudette, and says he wants Curtis to find her.
Ava says she doesn’t really need the gun. She knows he’s not going to hurt her. Not as long as she knows where the codicil is. He asks what she wants, and she says he can start by thanking her for not burning the codicil along with the portrait, or handing it over to Valentin. She says, Valentin is a bit of a bastard, but then, so is Nikolas. Spencer is a different story. Since he has a right to the Cassadine fortune, she’d like him to get it. Nikolas asks if the codicil is there, and can she give it to him now? She asks if he really thinks she’s going to make it that easy.
Valentin tells Nina there’s one thing he’s not getting. Charlotte insists this bodyguard is real. He doesn’t know why. All he knows is that Charlotte needs Nina now more than ever, just as he does. Nina suggests he check on Charlotte, to make sure she didn’t overhear anything. He asks her to come with him, and she says she has a phone call to make, and she’ll be right up. He kisses her and goes upstairs.
Nina takes out the plastic bag with Madeline’s hair in it, and scrunches it a little.
ℹ This is where the video ended abruptly, but I think it was the actual end. If there’s anything extra, like if she tosses it in the fire, I’ll let you know tomorrow. There were no previews, so you’ll get those tomorrow too. Unless there’s some other earth shattering news.
The Real Housewives of Dallas
Sadly, we’re back in Dallas, where nobody gets a baby elephant.
LeeAnne visits Stephanie, and asks how Viet Nam was. Stephanie says they got massages every day, since they were so reasonable. She tells LeeAnne that Travis’s dad is weak, but he’s been that way for a while. In her interview, she says they got him into the hospital where he got his medicine. Then Travis’s sister took him back to the US. She asks how LeeAnne is; she seems sad. LeeAnne says she doesn’t want to be the person who’s targeted all the time. It’s not fair or fun. She had an incident with Kameron in private, and now everyone is in on it. Stephanie says LeeAnne has every reason to feel how she does, but she has to watch how she reacts after she’s hurt. In her interview, Stephanie says LeeAnne can be mad without making insensitive comments. She doesn’t want LeeAnne to get into trouble when she has reason to feel the way she does.
Kameron and Kary go out to eat. Kary tells Kameron that they were all upset when Kameron kind of defended LeeAnne at the table. We flash back to that, and Kameron says everyone was destroying LeeAnne. She can’t let LeeAnne get attacked like that. Kary says she was mad that LeeAnne made Kameron cry.
Leeanne tells Stephanie that Kameron was upset when she realized how bad the district was; not about her yelling. Stephanie says D’Andra expressed to her that Kameron was hurt and upset about LeeAnne screaming and manipulating her. LeeAnne says D’Andra wasn’t there, and Stephanie says if LeeAnne hadn’t felt so protective of Kameron, it wouldn’t have been as heated.
Kameron tells Kary that she thinks LeeAnne had had so much anxiety because she was losing control, since Kameron has been hanging out with Kary. Kary thinks LeeAnne is trying to make Kameron feel guilty, and Kameron agrees 100%. She feels horrible about it. Kary wants to move forward in their friendship and doesn’t want LeeAnne in Kameron’s ear. In Kameron’s interview, she says she wants to tell Kary what LeeAnne said, but part of her is holding back. Kary says Kameron loves her, and she’s Kary’s friend, but she also loves LeeAnne, and Kary wants to respect that.
LeeAnne tells Stephanie, has she been wrong about people? Look at her and D’Andra.
Brandi asks if Brooklyn is nervous about tryouts. Brooklyn says, no, and Brandi thinks she’s more nervous than Brooklyn. In Brandi’s interview, she says each girl makes a team, but there are different teams for different skill sets. The team Brooklyn is looking at were national champion for several years. The tryouts are important, and Brooklyn has been working her little bootie off. Brandi has been slipping over the furniture, and it’s exhausting. She’s also been kicked a few times. Brandi watches as the coaches put Brooklyn through all the moves. In her interview, Brandi says they’re having struggles with Brooklyn going into her preteen years, and it’s hard. Cheerleading is an opportunity for them to pull together. One of the coaches films Brooklyn, and Brooklyn messes up a back flip. In Brandi’s interview, she says she’s not a perfect parent, but her children are loved beyond words. She chooses her battles, and she still has two more to go.
While out for dinner, Kary shows Eduardo her website. He likes it, and she says it’s important to her to have her own independence. In her interview, she says Eduardo can’t appreciate her situation because he’s never had to be vulnerable, and always been in control of the money situation. He’s not an empathetic person, and it makes her feel frustrated. They speak in Spanish about speaking Spanish at home, so the kids will learn. Kary wants Eduardo to hear her out. She’s frustrated, and wants financial independence and security. He gets her concern, and says he’s supportive, asks if she’s doing it because she wants independence, or to be fulfilled. She thinks it’s a combination. She doesn’t want to feel so vulnerable; it’s a bad place to be when you don’t have security. He says it bothers him because he thinks he’s been generous. When they got married, he went from zero to four kids in one year. Kary says he’s great with the kids, but when there are issues, he makes it clear that it’s his house and his money. How would he feel if she had it all, and they had a fight, and divorced? He wouldn’t want to be in that position either. They want to move, and she asks if he’d consider putting the house in both their names for her peace of mind. He says it’s in the trust, so he can’t. In Kary’s interview, she says he always says it’s in the trust, and claims it’s out of his hands, but she thinks that’s BS. He suggests getting a different investment property. He’d wants to feel like they’re working together, not against each other. Kary agrees, and they kiss. In her interview, the producer asks Kary if she believes she and Eduardo will spend the rest of their lives together. She hopes so, but has no idea. If he doesn’t give her some security, she’ll have to move on. Eduardo asks if she wants to pick up the check.
D’Andra meets Mama Dee for lunch. Dee asks if Thailand was good, and D’Andra says she had fun, but she and LeeAnne didn’t end on a good note. Dee doesn’t think they’re going to rekindle their relationship. It’s like a bad marriage. In D’Andra’s interview, she doesn’t think any apology or action will help. Like her father would say, it’s time to fish or cut bait. She tells Dee that she showed Travis the new website. We see clip of that, and she shows it to Dee. Dee says, it’s much more updated. In her interview, D’Andra says Travis is a great mentor. As much as she could, she took his advice to heart, and made changes. The improvements have been because she took his advice. Dee thinks the company is moving in the right direction, and D’Andra says it will probably take a turn for the better, but she’s not there yet. She says she was angry, and it was hard to get over. She was hurt, wondering why her mother set her up to fail. Dee says D’Andra knows how she feels, and why she won’t give her a loan from the trust. We flash back to that conversation, and Dee saying D’Andra spends whatever she makes. Dee tells D’Andra that she’s almost 79, and might need care eventually. It’s expensive, especially care at home. D’Andra says there’s plenty of money for Dee’s care and a loan. In D’Andra’s interview, she wonders what Dee is talking about. She pivots, and there’s a new excuse, but she really just doesn’t want to give D’Andra the money. D’Andra says she wants Dee to be proud, and not come back saying I told you so. Dee swears she would never do that, and I choke on my coffee. She says they’ve been through a lot, and she’s proud of D’Andra. She’s gone above and beyond what Dee expected. She wouldn’t change anything about her. Well, maybe not eating so many doughnuts. In her interview, D’Andra says her mother doesn’t want to say made a mistake or she’s sorry. What’s important is salvaging their mother/daughter relationship. She hasn’t gotten where she wants to yet, but when she’s a self-made millionaire, and Dee comes to her for a loan, enjoy social security, bitch. Dee says she wants to travel; she has the assets to do it. D’Andra says, then she has the assets to give her daughter a loan. Maybe she’d better reconsider the travel. She might need the assets for future care.
Court asks if Kameron is excited about tonight, but she says she’s nervous. They haven’t been together since Thailand. She thinks LeeAnne got anxious about not having control, and it got the best of her. That’s why she ended up freaking out. Court asks where LeeAnne’s anxiety is coming from, and Kameron thinks LeeAnne is afraid she’ll lose Kameron as a friend. She’s never liked Kary and when LeeAnne comments on Kary, she pretends not to hear. LeeAnne called Kary the c-word once, and when she got worked up, she called Kary a chirpy Mexican. It borders on racism. Kameron doesn’t want to blurt something out without thinking. In Kameron’s interview, she says she wants to tell Kary, but she’ll be hurt. At same time, if she doesn’t tell Kary, she’ll be the worst friend on the planet. She tells Court that she has years of history with LeeAnne, but she loves Kary. Court says she needs to be honest. If she thinks a wrong has been done, she needs to come clean.
Brandi gets ready for Bruin’s party. The venue is a beautiful rooftop, and all of the decorations are blue. Bryan says he hadn’t realized they were supposed to wear blue, and Brandi says she sent him an invitation and it was on there. In Brandi’s interview, she says she thinks it’s important to celebrate Bruin’s adoption day, since they’re his forever family. Whether he likes it or not, he’s stuck with them. She tears up, and says it makes her sad that she wasn’t there for his actual birthday, but she can be there for this day. Bringing in Bruin’s sibling would be double the trouble, but also double the love. The guests start to arrive. LeeAnne, Stephanie, and Brandi toast to one year. There’s a band, and an excellent family-style spread. At the bar, Jeremy asks if Brooklyn is getting vodka, and D’Andra tells him, don’t encourage bad things.
Kameron and Court pick Kary and Eduardo up in a limo. Kary asks how Kameron is, and Kameron says she’s good, but she has something hanging over her head. She hasn’t been completely honest, and needs to be. When Kary asked if LeeAnne had talked bad about her, she didn’t want Kary to get hurt, but LeeAnne called her the c-word. Kameron isn’t okay with that word, and didn’t want to repeat it. She’s turning herself in because they’re good friends, and she owes it to Kary. Kary thanks her, but Court butts in where it’s none of his business, and says, that’s not the whole story. Kameron says LeeAnne did say something else; she called Kary a chirpy Mexican. She also did an impression of Kary, saying she was a big powerful Mexican. In Kary’s interview, she says she doesn’t like or connect with LeeAnne, but that’s being racist. If LeeAnne had a big heart, she wouldn’t be prejudiced. Eduardo says he has one comment – remember the Alamo. Kameron asks, what’s the Alamo? and Kary says when you mess with one Mexican, you mess with them all. Court says Kameron can’t be a pushover, and Kameron says she doesn’t know what’s gotten into LeeAnne, but it’s out of control.
The bandleader asks everyone to gather around the stage. Brandi has a few words to say. She thanks everyone for coming, and says it’s been an incredible journey. They’re blessed to have Bruin, and family and friends who support and love them. They went through a year of tears and laughter, and having Bruin is really a miracle. In her interview, she says Bruin is one of the biggest blessings in the family. He’s brought love and joy, and was a piece of the family they never knew was missing until he became a part of it. We flash back to when Brandi first held Bruin. She wants tonight to be special, and tells everyone to party. In Brandi’s interview, she says, you never know what’s out there in life until you open yourself up to it. It’s the biggest blessing that Bruin has given them. LeeAnne looks for Kameron, and suggests they sit and talk.
Kary tells Stephanie and Brandi about what LeeAnne said. She says LeeAnne is showing her true colors. She clearly feels strongly about Kary being Mexican. Stephanie says LeeAnne also said something to her about Kary being Mexican, but she thought it was in the heat of the moment.
Kameron tells LeeAnne that sometimes she doesn’t always talk about Kary in a positive way. She asks LeeAnne to explain why she said Kary was a chirpy Mexican. LeeAnne says she doesn’t remember calling her chirpy, but Kary does talk a lot. Kameron says she also referred to Kary as a big powerful Mexican, but LeeAnne says she doesn’t remember that either. If she used the word Mexican, she didn’t mean it to be offensive. LeeAnne asks Kameron what Kary has said about her, and Kameron tells her, Kary said she’s controlling and manipulating. Kameron thinks LeeAnne is uneasy, knowing she’s close with Kary, but LeeAnne says it genuinely doesn’t bother her, which I find doubtful. We flash back to LeeAnne saying that Kary has muted Kameron’s empathy button toward her, and it’s a lonely place to be.
D’Andra asks Stephanie and Kary if Kameron had LeeAnne’s back, but they say she didn’t. Stephanie says, they’re talking right now. LeeAnne asks if Kameron thinks she manipulates her, but Kameron doesn’t think so. She’s not afraid of LeeAnne. If anything, LeeAnne should be afraid of her. LeeAnne wonders what’s happening to Kameron. In her interview, LeeAnne says she doesn’t know who this Kameron is. Does someone have their hand up her ass moving her mouth? She doesn’t sound like herself. Kameron tells LeeAnne that she felt horrible keeping it to herself, and had to get it off her chest. She didn’t want to be fake. She wanted to be a good friend, like she’s being to LeeAnne.
Kary joins them, and says she thinks she’s heard enough tonight. LeeAnne says she heard Kary said she was controlling, and Kary says she’s said that to LeeAnne’s face. LeeAnne didn’t call her the c-word or call her Mexican to her face. LeeAnne says she grew up with a Mexican family, and Kary says LeeAnne is again making it about herself. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she doesn’t care if someone is Mexican. She’s slept with plenty of Mexicans. It’s not a negative. She’s been there. She sat in Julio Iglesias’s lap. Alrighty then. By now, the others have sidled over, and Kary says LeeAnne isn’t owning it. LeeAnne says, she just did. Kary says she said it to Stephanie too. D’Andra says LeeAnne always preaches equal rights, and LeeAnne tells her, Kary said she has super powers because she’s Mexican. Kary says there’s always a reason or excuse for everything. Brandi asks if anyone wants a shot. Kameron says Kary can say it, but LeeAnne can’t. D’Andra tells LeeAnne, in today’s climate, you can’t say stuff like that. LeeAnne says, in today’s climate, you shouldn’t say a husband is cheating without evidence. Kary says she’s going to get a drink. It’s not worth it.
Brandi asks if Kary is okay, and Kary says she is. D’Andra tells LeeAnne that she thought it was derogatory, but LeeAnne insists it wasn’t. It’s not bad; that’s D’Andra’s opinion. D’Andra says, it’s everyone in the country’s opinion. Kary says LeeAnne didn’t even apologize. D’Andra joins the others, saying she got sucked in the rabbit hole again. LeeAnne Tells Kameron that she didn’t mean it in a derogatory way. In Brandi’s interview, the producer asks if Brandi thinks LeeAnne is racist. Brandi is like, hmm… In their interviews, Stephanie says, no. She thinks LeeAnne just does really dumb sh*t. Brandi doesn’t know if she wants to answer that question. Kary says, LeeAnne isn’t that ignorant. She has to be racist. D’Andra says, what we say is who we are. Kameron says, no. LeeAnne isn’t racist, but she didn’t use her words properly, and she has to fix that. LeeAnne says it’s ridiculous to say she’s racist. Court comes over to Kameron, and says Rachel wants to talk to her about something. LeeAnne says she’s going to apologize to Kary. Court tells Kameron to stay away from LeeAnne because of the racist sh*t she said. Kameron asks where Rachel is, and Court says he was just trying to get Kameron away. In Kameron’s interview, she says instead of being concerned about her reputation, LeeAnne should be concerned about her own.
LeeAnne tells Kary, if that word offends her, she won’t use it again. She didn’t mean it in a derogatory way, and apologizes if she hurt Kary. Kary thanks her for the apology, but says it feels forced. LeeAnne tells her, she wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t mean it. She didn’t think it was offensive. Kary says she’s not going in circles about this with LeeAnne. LeeAnne says she and Kary aren’t close, and she’s good with that, but she’s saying she’s sorry. It’s Kary’s choice to accept it or not. In her interview, Kary doesn’t see how she can get over LeeAnne being racist. Kameron says she’s not afraid of LeeAnne, and if she hears anyone says that, she’ll call them out. LeeAnne says she wants to be clear that she apologized, and Kary says, actions speak louder. LeeAnne says, actions can’t happen tonight. She’s going to go home. Kary says, an apology doesn’t cure everything.
In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s not racist. She never has been. She does bad things, but she’s not a bad person. There is a difference. The finale text says, LeeAnne hasn’t seen her mother since the wedding. She and Rich finally went on a honeymoon, but it wasn’t in Mexico.
D’Andra tells the others, her friendship with LeeAnne has been very one-sided. We read that she’s signed a contract with HSN, and paid the remainder of her office lease. God spoke to Mama Dee, and told her to give D’Andra the money.
In her interview, Kameron says people assume she’s a Highland Park blonde who married for money, but when they actually get to know her, they realize she’s more than that. I, for one, never thought Kameron was stupid, and I think Sparkle Dog Food was a stroke of genius. Her postscript says Kameron is struggling to maintain with her friendship with LeeAnne, but her friendship with Kary is going strong. They’re more than surface friends.
D’Andra says Kary is her favorite Mexican, and Kary says she’s excited to share more memories with the women. In parting, it says that Kary is still waiting for a house with both her and Eduardo’s name on it. She’s been selling her jewelry at trunk shows, and has yet to get LeeAnne a wedding gift. Hmm… I wonder what Kameron would say about that.
Brandi’s goodbye words say that she and Bryan still haven’t made a decision about adopting Bruin’s sibling, Brooklyn made the cheer team (which one, it doesn’t say), and Brandi is missing her glory days. She’s considering joining an adult cheer squad.
In Stephanie’s interview, she says, it’s been a hard year emotionally, but she’s stronger, and she knows who she is. For the first time, she’s okay with who she sees in the mirror. Her season ending says she’s continuing therapy, and still taking medication for her depression. There’s also been a new addition to the family – a dog named Teddy.
Court takes a group photo, minus LeeAnne. Is that prophetic?
She might be a lot of things, but I don’t think LeeAnne is racist. I think she latched on the Mexican adjective because Kary keeps harping on Mexico this and Mexican that, and how it applies in whatever situation she’s in, as though being Mexican makes her smarter, better, faster, whatever. It’s actually kind of annoying, and I think that’s why LeeAnne started focusing on it. Just my two cents.
Next time – The Reunion: Part One.
The Real Housewives of Orange County – The Reunion: Part One
This wasn’t the world’s most interesting reunion, but they’re just warming up. There was still enough screeching to last a lifetime. Andy said the OC Wives were still bringing the drama freshly squeezed, but I don’t know how fresh it is at this point.
Shannon started off well, with forgetting her Spanx, and having to go back home to get them.
It was established, now that the divorce has been finalized, Shannon is fun, single, and free, and Fun Shannon was discussed. Andy asked if it was true Shannon got $1.4 million in the settlement, as well as $10K a month. Shannon feigned ignorance about the final figure, only saying that seemed to high, but she did admit she was getting $10K a month. However, she’d expected more based on the lifestyle they’d had. They moved on to Shannon’s new boyfriend, and she said she met someone when she wasn’t looking, and he’s everything she’s looking for. They haven’t talked about the marriage question, but they have talked about the future.
In the dressing room, Vicki was annoyed that she’d been kept waiting. Drama queen told the producer, if they didn’t want her, just let her go.
Gina got stupid with Emily, saying she needed to be selfish this year, and needed Emily to be there for her. Emily said she could say the same thing. Gina wasn’t there for her, and was judgmental behind her back. When Gina came to talk to Emily about her DUI, her judgement level was zero. Gina says she thought Emily was disappointed, and had asked if Gina was drinking more than usual. Emily asked if she should have said, great job, or good for you? What was really annoying was Tamra and Kelly sniping at each other throughout the whole thing, so no one could be clearly understood.
Still not on stage yet, Vicki whined that the show had gone down since she’s not the leader anymore. She felt like a bottom feeder. She finally shut up when Steve suggested they go home. Vicki did look the best I’ve ever seen her, in a mustard-colored gown with sparkly trim. Andy asked Emily if there had been a change in Gina since hanging out with the tres amigas, and Emily said she felt a distance between them. Gina didn’t want to talk as much, although they did lots of talking among themselves. Andy says Tamra insisted Emily knew that Shane’s cousin had a girlfriend, when Emily swore she didn’t. Tamra said someone told her. Emily said she told Tamra different, and Tamra said maybe she didn’t believe Emily. Gina and Emily eventually declared themselves like sisters, and hugged it out. Gina being the one to get up, since Emily is still recovering from hip surgery.
At last, Vicki was brought out, Andy introducing her as Jane Row, before her actual name. She immediately started bitching about him making her wait, and he explained that the OG of the OC is also Jane Row, using the name in a lawsuit against Bravo, and the producers of a show called Evolution, the crux of which is the lawsuit Kelly brought up. Vicki said she’s had her own business for 31 years, and anyone who insinuates she’s a con-woman is getting sued. Apparently she had also filed for a restraining order against Kelly, but it was denied.
This led to the next screaming match, between Vicki and Kelly, about who is a real businesswoman. Vicki ended up shrieking, get off my show! and when Braunwyn pointed out it’s not her show, Vicki said none of them would be there if it hadn’t been for her starting it all years ago.
If she says so, but I had no idea it had started as a one-woman show. 😕 Next time – The Reunion: Part Two.
🍝 On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, it was Easter, so there was a lot of family stuff. Jennifer had her gay brother over for a visit, and explained that she was raised in a family that didn’t talk about things, but doesn’t want the same for her kids. While watching this show, I almost liked Jennifer, but I’m sure she’ll change my opinion back in no time.
Danielle met with Teresa, who said she’d had too much cabernet. When Danielle asked about Jailbird Joe, Teresa gave us the quote of the night: Do you think I don’t feel like drinking a bottle of tequila every night? That pretty much said it all. For us too.
At Easter dinner, David was bugged by Dolores’s entire family about making a commitment to Dolores, embarrassing them both. It was bittersweet at Teresa’s house. While the family was all together, the girls were missing Joe #1, and there was some concern over Papa Gorga’s health. He wasn’t looking too good. Joe #1 called, and everyone ended up crying. At the end, Joe #2 told everyone they had to eat the sprinkle cookies, because they were symbolic of never letting the little things affect them again.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
So sorry. I missed the beginning. I don’t know why I think I’ll have time later to watch and fill it in, since that almost never happens. I’m still not done Christmas shopping, so every spare moment is going toward that at the moment. And when that’s done, decorations. Then cards. But I digress. I had the usual small dog distraction. You’ll figure it out, as I did. Shh… Franco is waking up…
Finn says he thinks Peter’s mother is proud of him. He went toward the danger, and because of that, Franco is going to return to his family. Peter tells him, please stop.
Elizabeth asks Franco to say something. Does he remember her? He says, Elizabeth.
Lulu calls 911, and says her ten-year-old jumped in the water. Her friend jumped in after her, but they need to send paramedics, and possibly rescue divers. Dustin says he’s got Charlotte, and pulls her out onto the pier. Lulu tells the dispatcher, they’re out of the water, but they still need paramedics. Dustin says Charlotte is conscious and breathing, but has possible shock and hypothermia. Lulu repeats what he said to the dispatcher.
Ava says, that concludes the auction, and thanks everyone for coming to the gallery. The gallery will contact the winners, and insure secure transport of their item. She tells Mr. Keys that he’s always professional, and went above and beyond. He says, it’s one for the record books. Laura asks if Ava knew the painting was rigged to self-destruct, and Ava says, of course (🍷) not. Would she hold an auction, and have Laura and Valentin outbid each other if she knew? Laura says, absolutely yes. Jax says, maybe she didn’t. Ava thanks him, and he adds, do it on her own. Maybe she had help. Curtis says they can rule out the artist; he’s been dead for years. Ava says she had to notify the estate about selling the painting. Maybe they sent an emissary at his request. Jax says, since the gallery failed to deliver, the bid is null and void. Ava agrees, and says she got it for next to nothing, but just the thought of making Valentin buy back his own garbage was too delicious.
Behind the gallery, Nikolas says he’s going to make Ava wish she’d stayed in Shadybrook. Trina comes to the gate, and asks who is he, and what is he doing there?
Valentin enjoys some champagne, and scarfs down appetizers. Jax asks if Valentin isn’t upset that he lost the painting that he almost paid a half million dollars for. Valentin says, prepare for a shock. He didn’t want it. He just didn’t want Jax to have it. Laura asks, why is that? and Valentin says he knew Jax was working for her, and she lied about getting it for Spencer. They agree on one thing; one portrait of Helena is one too many. He tells Ava that he tips his hat to her. Getting him to pay half a million dollars for his own garbage to teach him a lesson? Salute. She did him a favor. Now the portrait is gone, along with its many secrets.
Nikolas has his back to Trina, and says he’s a collector. She says she didn’t see him bidding. He holds up the tablet, and says, that’s what this is for. He watches behind-the-scenes, and has a proxy bid for him. She says, a secret art collector? More like a thief. That’s why he has his back turned, so she can’t see his face. Oddly enough, they just had a break-in. The cops should hear his story. She suggests they find out, and he jets. She says, like she thought.
Valentin says, the portrait was cursed. It’s what Helena wanted, but no longer; no more. They can move on to happier things. Laura asks if he’s dying or just moving, and Valentin says he’s getting married. He hopes they can all make it. Nina says she delivered the invitations personally. Trina comes in, and tells Ava that she caught someone lurking out back, but he took off. Ava says, maybe he was the art arsonist, or more likely a disappointed art lover.
Dustin tells the paramedics that Charlotte wasn’t in the water long, and Lulu says, thanks to him. Rocco says he’s sorry, but Lulu says, Charlotte will be okay. She just wishes she knew why Charlotte would do something like this.
Nina says, thrilling as it’s been, she thinks it’s time to leave. Valentin says Charlotte’s mother should be bringing her back any minute. They leave, and Ava guesses the party is over. She thanks Trina, saying she couldn’t have done it without her. Trina says she can stay. Maybe if they put their heads together, they can figure out what happened. Ava knows if anyone could figure it out, it would be Trina, but art happens sometimes. She hands Trina a stack of cash, telling her, here’s a nice bonus. Trina thanks her, and Ava says, do spend it all in one place. She’ll be glad she did. Jax tells Laura that he’s heading out. She looks at what’s left of the torched painting, and goes with him.
Lulu calls Valentin, obviously upset. He asks if Charlotte is all right, and she says, something happened. She can’t explain now. He tells her, put Charlotte on the phone, and Nina asks if Charlotte is okay. Lulu tells him, the paramedics said Charlotte was okay, but they’re taking her to GH. She’ll explain there. Laura asks, what happened? but Valentin doesn’t know. He has to get to the hospital.
Peter knows Finn means well, but he’s no hero. Anna says he saved two lives, and Peter says, he took another. She says Franco’s family will have him back, and Peter says he was just in the right place at the right time. Finn says, if Franco comes out okay, he doesn’t think Elizabeth and the boys will ever leave Peter alone.
Elizabeth tells Franco, she’s right there; so is Cameron. Franco looks at Cameron, and says, hey. Is he okay? Did they hurt him? Cameron says, he’s okay. Franco saved him, and he wouldn’t be asking if he didn’t remember. Elizabeth says, oh my God, you’re you. Franco. Franco says who else would he be?
Andre tells Franco, don’t force it. Allow the memories to come back on their own. Franco says he remembers being strapped to the chair, and them injecting him with a needle. How long has it been? Elizabeth says he was gone a while, and he asks if it’s still summer. She says, no, and he says, fall? Cameron says, it’s December. Franco says Andre doesn’t live in Port Charles anymore. What’s he doing there? Andre says, it’s a long story, better absorbed later. Franco says, now would be great, and Andre tells him to think of a deep sea diver who’s been down too long. If he surfaces too quickly, he can get the bends. He’s sure they have better things talk about, and he’s going to leave them to it. He leaves, and Elizabeth smiles at Franco. Franco asks if that guy is gone. He has to ask something important. Do they think the cafeteria is still open? Elizabeth laughs.
Andre tells Peter, Finn, and Anna that Franco is awake. Finn tells them that he’s always said Andre was a genius. Anna asks if Franco is okay. Peter says he’s just glad it worked out. It’s going to be a great story. He’s going to put Lulu on it. Finn says he might want to bring in another reporter. Charlotte was just brought into the hospital. Valentin, Nina, and Laura run in, and Valentin asks, where is she? Lulu says, she’s sleeping, and he goes into Charlotte’s room. He kneels by the bed and kisses her forehead. He says, whatever happened, he’ll fix it. He swears he’ll fix everything. Laura asks, what happened? and Lulu says they were on the pier, and Charlotte jumped in. Nina asks, why? but Lulu has no idea. Dustin jumped in after her. Dustin doesn’t think Charlotte breathed in any water, and Laura thanks him. Dustin is glad he was there. Valentin wonders how Charlotte fell in, but Lulu says, she jumped. He asks why Charlotte would plunge herself in ice cold water, and Rocco says, it’s his fault. He didn’t believe her about her bodyguard.
Ava looks at the frame and the burned fragments of the painting. Curtis is still there, and she says, perhaps he didn’t hear her announcement; the auction is over. Curtis says he was hoping for a minute, so she can expand his knowledge of fine art. She asks if he has a specific artist or piece in mind, and he says, the portrait; the one that burst into flames. She says, what about it? and he says, all he knows is, she had it destroyed. She asks why she’d do a thing like that? He says Valentin had the most to gain in getting rid of it, and she asks if Curtis thinks she’d lift a finger help Valentin, much less destroy a work of art. Curtis says, if she didn’t do for him, and it damn sure wasn’t Jax, then who? Ava says it’s been wonderful catching up, but she has an early day tomorrow.
Jax meets Nikolas, and says now Nikolas knows why he didn’t want him there. Nikolas says he got away, and Jax says it’s lucky Trina didn’t get a good look at him, although she probably wouldn’t recognize him. Nikolas says, see? No problem. They can regroup. The portrait literally went up in smoke, along with any chance to overturn the will. Jax says, to be honest, he’s relieved. When you play with high stakes, you learn to cut your losses. He lost; Valentin won. Game over. Nikolas says he’s going to finish what he started, but Jax says, the only thing left is what Nikolas should have done a long time ago. Let his family know he’s alive. Go back to them, and live his life. Nikolas says that’s not going to happen until he’s destroyed Valentin. Until it’s over, they’re allies. Jax says, until New Year’s Eve. After that, he’ll deal with Valentin in his own way on his own time. He walks away.
Curtis finds Trina at the café, where she’s counting her money, and says, look at her. Be careful. Money doesn’t buy what it used to, but she can still put it to good use. He sits with her, and introduces himself. He thinks they met at Franco and Elizabeth’s wedding reception. She says she knows who he is. His wife is the police commissioner, but she wasn’t at the auction. Curtis says, she’s out catching bad guys. It turns out, they’re everywhere, even in the back room at an art gallery. She says she noticed, and he asks if she’s sure she didn’t recognize the intruder, and the money wasn’t payment to say she didn’t. She asks if he’s curious, or did his wife make him a deputy? Can she see his badge? He says she can’t blame him for being curious. Another question; who destroyed the painting? She says he could try asking Ava, but he says he’s asking her. If she’s as smart as he thinks she is, she’ll tell him.
Lulu tells Rocco, nothing is his fault. Rocco says, Charlotte told him that she had a secret bodyguard, and wanted to prove it. Dustin says, she jumped in so the bodyguard would save her? and Rocco says he’s sorry. Lulu says he has nothing to be sorry for, and Laura agrees. His sister can be headstrong, and likes to prove she’s right. Valentin asks if she’s blaming Charlotte, and Lulu says, all that matters is that Charlotte will be okay. Rocco thanks Dustin for saving his sister. Finn comes out of the elevator, and says he just got a page that Charlotte was there. Is she okay? Valentin asks why an infectious disease specialist was called, and Finn imagines it’s to check to see if Charlotte picked up an infection, and goes into Charlotte’s room. Laura says Charlotte told her that her father hired a bodyguard, and Valentin says he didn’t, and he would have told Lulu if he had. Lulu says, because full disclosure is his thing. Laura says she thought it must be a secret imaginary friend Charlotte conjured up after Cassandra abducted her. Lulu says Charlotte was made a target for Valentin’s enemies, and Valentin asks if she’s saying it’s his fault. Finn comes out, and says, Charlotte is asking for her grandmother. Laura goes in.
Franco asks if Cameron took good care of his mom, and Elizabeth says, he certainly has. Cameron says Franco was wrong, and Franco says he’s wrong all the time. About what? Cameron says, about what Franco said when he took his place; that the world would be better off without him in it. Franco says he was just saying that. It’s what families do, and they’re family. He asks where Aiden and Jake are, and Elizabeth says they didn’t know when he’d wake up, or if he’d remember them, so they’re with Audrey. Franco says they can fill him in on what happened; all of it. Elizabeth says there’s so much to explain. They need to take it slowly. Cameron says the most important thing is that his mom didn’t give up. She wouldn’t quit or let them quit. Elizabeth says, neither did Franco’s dad. He went to bat for Franco. Franco says there’s something they’re not telling him, but it doesn’t matter. He thanks them for not giving up. It’s the first time anybody refused to give up on him, much less everybody. Cameron says he’ll leave them to it. Elizabeth hugs Franco, and he says, not so fast. Is there anyone else he needs to thank?
Anna tells Peter, what a night. it had a kind of balance. The gunman died, but Franco came back to his family. The good guys won. Peter says he wants to make sure it The Invader’s lead story before someone else gets the scoop. Cameron says Franco wants to see Peter, and Anna says, an exclusive.
Franco tells Elizabeth, they have a few minutes, and she asks what he has in mind. He says, a couple of things; their vows. She asks if he wants to renew them, but he says he has a new one. Just him; she doesn’t have to do any. He takes her hand, and says, Elizabeth Imogene Webber, he vows to spend the rest of his life making it up to her for fighting for him. She says she loves it. Peter comes in, and says Franco asked to see him. Is there something Peter can do for him? Franco thinks Peter knows what he’s done, and so does he.
Finn says Charlotte has no infection, and there’s no need to keep her overnight. She needs to rest a while, then she can go home. Valentin says there’s no reason she can’t have more than one visitor, but Nina says she doesn’t want to overwhelm Charlotte. Just tell Charlotte that she loves her, and she’s there. Laura tells Charlotte that she’ll be just outside, but Charlotte wants her to stay.
Jax sees Nina, who says it’s sweet of him to come. Charlotte is fine; she’s resilient. He says he knows what Charlotte means to her. She says, and Valentin.
Valentin tells Charlotte, when he was a kid, they went swimming in the summer. Is she trying to start a chapter of the polar bear club? She says, sorry, but he says she doesn’t have to be. Just be okay. She says she doesn’t know why her bodyguard didn’t save her.
Trina messes with her phone, and Curtis says sometimes he wonders if her generation lives on their devices so they don’t have to deal with real questions. She says she’s not a generation; she’s her. And it’s not her fault he doesn’t like the answers. He says, maybe Ava isn’t the best role model, and she says she didn’t need a role model. She needed an internship, which Ava was kind enough to give her. She tells him to excuse her. A friend needs her.
Franco says Peter saved his life. Word on the street is, a guy tried to kill either him, Andre, or both of them, and Peter stopped him. Peter says, it was nothing, and Elizabeth says he’s being modest. Peter says, a man died, and he doesn’t know what to do with that. Franco thanks him again, and says if there’s anything he can do to repay Peter… Peter says Franco doesn’t owe him anything, but Elizabeth says, they all do. He’s family, and family pulls together.
Anna asks Finn how Charlotte is, and he says, well. She says, Valentin must have been terrified. He loves Charlotte. Finn thinks they can all relate. Peter is her son, and nothing is going to change that.
Jax asks Nina why she told him to stop bidding, and she asks if it matters now. The portrait literally went up in smoke. He asks if that’s why she told him to stop bidding or he’d regret it. Did she know what was going to happen? Valentin comes out, and asks why Jax is there. Nina says, he was checking on Charlotte, and Jax says he’s glad to hear she’ll be okay. He leaves, and Nina tells Valentin, Jax was being nice. Valentin says, was he? He can’t deal with Jax right now. Lulu joins them, and asks how Charlotte is. Valentin says, overwhelmed, but who wouldn’t be? She backed up Lulu’s version of the events. She told him that she jumped into the water – while Lulu was supposed to be taking care of her.
Peter tells Franco, there is something, and Franco says, name it. As long as it’s legal, and his wife doesn’t mind. Peter says he’d like an exclusive for The Invader. Franco says he has to check with Elizabeth. Elizabeth says she knows how Franco hates attention, and Franco says, an exclusive?
Anna tells Finn that Jason thinks Peter orchestrated Shiloh’s escape, and the killing of the guard. He also believes Peter is behind the original attempt on Andre’s life, and the crash that killed Drew. All of it. Finn asks what Peter’s incentive would be, but Anna doesn’t know. To stop Andre from doing the memory procedure, and prevent Franco from remembering something that would incriminate him. Finn says, if Peter hired the gunman, why would he kill his own henchman? He can’t believe he just said the word henchman in a normal conversation. What’s happening to him? Anna says, covering his tracks, a flash of conscience, maybe both. What if Jason is right?What if Peter…? Peter comes out, but he’s on the phone and doesn’t notice them. He says he’ll be there. It’s just in time. The answer to a prayer. He goes into the elevator.
Trina arrives at the hospital, and says she got Cameron’s text that Franco is back. Cameron says he just woke up. It’s amazing. They claimed they were all staying hopeful, but they were all terrified. Trina says, of course (🍷). This isn’t a thing that happens ever. He says he would have missed if she hadn’t dragged him there. He thanks her, and she says, that’s what friends are for. They hug.
Andre looks in on Elizabeth and Franco, who are in the bed together. Franco says he’s looking forward to her telling him what happened, but guesses it can wait. Elizabeth says, good. All she wants to do is look into his eyes and see her husband staring back. She can’t tell him how much missed this. He asks, how is it? and she says, good; not weird. How is it for him? He says, the most natural thing in the world. He’s not sure how much longer… He knows it’s her workplace. She kisses him, and says, there’s a lot to talk about. She’s so glad he’s back. It’s just… He says, about that. He’s a little offended. The last thing he remembers with absolute clarity is telling Cameron to tell her that he’d be back. Did Cameron forget? She says Cameron told her. That’s what kept them going. He’s glad to hear it, because nothing – he means, nothing – can keep him away from her. They kiss.
Nina says, time out. Everyone is upset, and it’s no time to be pointing fingers. Lulu says they’ll talk tomorrow. Right now, she wants to take her son and daughter home. Valentin says she’s not taking Charlotte. They were walking home, and Lulu allowed Charlotte to be put in a life threatening situation. The court order says it’s his week, and he’s going to stick to that until it’s amended. Don’t think he won’t tell the judge. Dustin says, emotions are high. Why don’t they sleep on it? Valentin says, twice Charlottes life was threatened, and Lulu asks if that includes Charlotte being kidnapped by one of his many enemies. Valentin says it wouldn’t have happened if not for her neglect. Dustin says, it happened too quickly for anyone to stop it. Valentin asks what they were doing when it happened. He can make a guess. Lulu says if Valentin had been there, the outcome would have been the same. Valentin says he’s taking Charlotte home, according to the court order, and tomorrow, he’s applying for full custody.
Laura tells Charlotte that she shouldn’t have jumped in the water. Charlotte says she thought he’d save her. Laura says, her secret bodyguard? and Charlotte says, that’s why papa hired him. Laura says her secret bodyguard is just pretend, right? but Charlotte says, no; he’s not. Her mom has a picture of him on her phone. Laura says, here’s her mom’s purse. Does Charlotte think she can find it? She gives Charlotte Lulu’s phone, and Charlotte scrolls through the pictures. She says, there he is. Her bodyguard. She shows Laura a picture of Nikolas.
Alone at the gallery, Ava says, here’s to you, Helena Cassadine. You made one hell of an exit. What more could a gal ask for? She sips her martini, and hears footsteps. She says she knew he’d show up. He’s so predictable – she turns around with a gun in her hand – for a dead man.
Tomorrow, Lucy introduces Sasha as the new face of Deception, Sonny asks Jason what the hell is going on with Carly, and Carly tells Jax to call the cops and turn Nikolas in.
I have to add, no matter what is going on, Ava always looks amazing. Frosted hair, frosted lipstick, and frosted jacket; she looked like a scrumptious Christmas ornament at the auction.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
Shannon goes out to eat with new guy Duff. He asks about her day, and she says she’s been getting the engagement party decorations. We see clips of Shannon dealing with the party. Unfortunately, she won’t be getting those life-size horse decorations she wanted. She tells Duff the theme is formal Western farmhouse chic. In her interview, Shannon explains that she doesn’t know Duff well. They met through mutual friends, and she spent time with him, so they’re going on a date. She vowed she would date, and put herself out there until she meets someone. She’s not really looking, but she’s having fun. She tells Duff it’s crazy that he and Vicki worked together. We flash back to 2007, and a brief scene with Vicki and Duff that I don’t remember even remotely. Duff says she just got out of a marriage; has she been dating? Shannon says she’s dated a few times, but she’d been married for twenty years, and isn’t looking to jump back in. Although she would like to grow old with someone, she doesn’t want to just grab the first opportunity. Duff says he doesn’t want to set the bar so high that she won’t find anyone. In Shannon’s interview, she says never been on a date with someone so forward. She’s not making any commitments. He asks if she’s a furnace, clarifying by adding, is she hot in bed? She’s like, um…
Emily visits Gina, and her garage full of stuff. She has a buyer for the Coto house, and it’s time to get everything out. The buyer wants measurements of a few things, and Emily helps as they talk. Emily asks what’s going on with Matt? and Gina says she’s never seen him so committed. He’s like a different person. He has feelings and he’s super sensitive and complimentary. In Gina’s interview, she says she and Matt have decided to reconcile, but it was hard getting over the anger. She tells Emily that he loves her and they’re a family, so she’d be crazy not to see it through. She says, you don’t forget, but you move past it, and it makes you stronger. He’s made her feel secure, and it’s like they have a new relationship. In Emily’s interview, she says Matt sends up a lot of red flags. How much has he really changed? Gina thinks it’s cool that they can come back and salvage things, and the kids are so happy. Emily says, no need to dwell on it; just move forward. Gina says she’s getting a new life, and Emily says, she’s getting a new marriage. Gina says, it’s all good.
Braunwyn is doing Bhakti yoga in her backyard with Dr. Deb. It’s some kind of yoga backed by a few instruments and chanting. In her interview, Braunwyn says if it keeps her mom happy, she’ll spare no expense. They’ve become a little bit separated, and if it helps their relationship, it’s priceless. When they’re finished, Braunwyn tells Deb that she needed this. Deb says they all need this. Braunwyn says she didn’t realize how quickly her new friend group was going to form. She has an amazing village, and needs someone outside of the kids. Deb says a lot of mothers try to make you feel guilty for wanting something outside of your children. She sent them to boarding school to get someone else’s perspective. In Braunwyn’s interview, she says she felt abandoned when her mom went to medical school. In Deb’s interview, she says, it’s not like she went to the Bahamas. She tells Braunwyn that you get a lot of diminishment, and she would get asked how she could send her children away. In her interview, Deb says she doesn’t know if Braunwyn suffered because she didn’t get an Ozzy and Harriet background while growing up, but Braunwyn thinks she did. In Braunwyn’s interview, she says of all her relationships, the one with her mother is the most complicated. We flash back to her altercations with Deb, and she says, if her mom thinks they’re in a good place, then they are. They hug.
Emily goes to an RA clinic. The doctor examines her. In her interview, Emily says her mom always talked about how much pain she was in, and that it made her depressed, but she didn’t get it. She never felt that way, and now that she has chronic arthritic pain, she understands. There’s no relief ever, and it makes her irritable and ruins everything. The doctor explains that her sockets are hollow, and as a result, the cartilage is wearing out in one of her hips. He shows her the x-ray on a screen, and says she needs a hip replacement. He’s surprised she’s made it this far without it, and tells her, it will be a life changer. She’ll be able to walk and exercise. She thanks him, and calls Shane, who tells her that she’s let it go for too long. Emily says she’s just telling him how severe the pain is. There’s no cartilage in her joint. In her interview, she says he’s her husband, and supposed to support her. Just tell her, sorry, it will be okay, don’t worry. It’s all she wants to hear. Annabelle cries, and Emily tells her not to worry. Mommy will be better.
While Tamra is getting her hair done, she says Kelly decided to come at the last minute. She took anger management, and was hypnotized. Now it’s all good, but Tamra is a little worried.
Braunwyn tells Sean that she thinks Kelly is going. Sean says he’s not line dancing… unless there’s tequila.
Emily tells makeup person Danielle that they’ll know tonight if Shane passed the bar. Danielle asks what Emily did when she passed, but Emily doesn’t remember.
Kelly tells makeup person Julie that Mike told her to come at them with acts of love. Julie asks what if someone says something Kelly doesn’t like? What will she do? Kelly says, tell them, F-U, bitch. She laughs, saying that’s the old Kelly. In her interview, Kelly says mantras help people, but she doesn’t think it will help this. She tells Julie that Vicki is ominous. It’s like going into the lion’s den.
The party is set up. In Tamra’s interview, she says they’re exited. Vicki is in a good relationship and getting married. She thinks the third time is the charm. It worked for her. Tamra greets Vicki’s brother Billy. Gina arrives, and Tamra admires her new haircut. In Gina’s interview, she says she made a lot of bad choices regarding her hair. She doesn’t know who she thought she was. The only choice was to chop it off and start over. Steve and Vicki pull up, and Steve asks, who’s the lady with the colorful hair? Vicki says it’s Braunwyn’s mom; she’s a doctor. Steve asks if she’s a witch doctor. They join the party, and Vicki asks Deb if it’s a wig or really her hair. Deb says she has dreadlocks, and the colors are woven in. Shannon explains that Duff had a child with Tammy Knickerbocker, and knows a lot of people there. We see another ancient clip of Duff with someone woman I’m not sure if I’m supposed to remember, but I don’t. Billy says he thought he recognized Duff. Vicki tells Eddie, they’re finally doing it. A friend of Steve’s says she’s an attorney, and Tamra says she doesn’t like attorneys right now. In her interview, she says she just had to write another big check to defend herself. It made her think about Kelly and her involvement. She’s tried to let it go, but she can’t. Emily says, Kelly is coming. It’s her way of implementing what she’s learned. Braunwyn thinks that’s a good thing. Steam comes out of Tamra’s ears.
Brian and Kelly go over what she’s going to say in the car. Brian says she’s there to wish Vicki happiness and health. Kelly says she’s not looking forward to celebrating.
Tamra takes Vicki inside, where it looks like a fancy barn dance. In Vicki’s interview, she says, it’s exactly what she and Steve love. Other than when she was dating a-hole Brooks, she loves Tamra and Shannon. Vicki changes her clothes, putting on a white lace dress, and the line dancing starts. Tamra asks Billy if he has any last words for his future brother-in-law. Billy says he’s curious if Steve is all in, and wants to get married again. They’ll see what happens. In Tamra’s interview, she’s not sure if Billy is being a protective brother or is he onto something? Billy says he asked Steve’s mother how his and Vicki’s personalities mesh, and she said, they don’t. Tamra says, opposites attract?
Kelly tells Brian the last thing she wants is to go to the engagement party. Emily announces Kelly has arrived, and in Kelly’s interview, she says, may you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be… She doesn’t think this is working. She tells Vicki, happy engagement, and introduces Brian, who congratulates Vicki. Kelly tells Vicki that she wrote her a note with the gift. Emily tells them to hug, like they’re five. Kelly wishes Vicki happiness and health. Tamra tells Billy, Kelly is here. In Tamra’s interview, she says she’s trying to be the bigger person, but looking at that effing bitch, acting like they’re good friends, who does she think she is? Everyone sits for dinner.
Emily tells Shane the results come in at 6 pm, and it’s 5:40. In her interview, Emily says the sacrifices she went through are worth it, assuming Shane passes the bar. We flash back to Emily going out of her mind while he was gone. She says, if he passes, she’ll run down the street naked, screaming and doing cartwheels, and knock on everyone’s door. She’s taking the dog with her. Shannon introduces the bride and groom to be, and Vicki wonders where her fiancé is. News flash: he’s at the bar. Shannon tells everyone to help themselves to the buffet. IMO, it’s a seriously nice spread. Gina says Kelly is doing good; she’s proud of her. Emily asks Brian when he and Kelly are getting married. In a dual interview, Brian says he’d be the luckiest guy to marry Kelly, but not right now. Kelly says, same with her. Vicki gets up, and says on 12/31, 2016, her vision board had what she wanted for her future. We flash back to her saying she put George Clooney in the center of her vision board, and he appeared three months later. Just in case you’re slumming, and have never seen Steve, George Clooney he’s not. Vicki says, she’s gotten every single thing on the board. She’s met her soulmate, and loves and respects him and his family. In her interview, she thinks they’ve gotten it right this time. Steve is quality, and her soulmate. She wants to grow old with him. They’ve both gone through marriages, and know what they want. Vicki hands someone pads from bra, takes a shot, and joins the dancing.
Tamra gyrates all the way to the floor, and Vicki tells her to cover her who-ha. Tamra thinks it’s ironic that they’re all dressed as cowboys, and Kelly is an Indian. She can eff off. Tamra raises two middle fingers, and Vicki says, she’s not doing that. Tamra says she could have put her kids through college with the kind of money she has to pay for the lawsuit. Kelly knew it was devastating, but she reached out to help him. Shannon says she won hers, but it was two years of litigation. In Shannon’s interview, she says Kelly keeps saying she just intended to hurt Tamra, but what she needs to understand is that it’s hurting her too. Kelly crossed the line, and she can’t get past it. Tamra says Kelly is aware of the hours they cried, and how she’s suffered financially. Shannon says, Kelly is an effing a-hole, and Tamra says she wants to believe Kelly has a good heart. Shannon says, Kelly has no good intentions. Shannon leans forward to talk, and her hair catches fire from the candle. Vicki tosses tequila on it, and they scramble to put it out. Shane says, something is burning, and Shannon says, are you kidding me? Billy asks, what happened? and Shannon tells him. Tamra is annoyed that Kelly is laughing with some people, and says, everybody is buying the Kelly juice right now. Tamra heads toward them, and Shannon tells Vicki that Tamra has had a lot to drink.
Tamra stomps over to where Kelly is, and asks what they’re laughing about. In Braunwyn’s interview, she says she has no idea what’s gotten into Tamra. It’s like a light switch flipped, and probably involves a lot of tequila. We see clips of how much Tamra was drinking, ending with her saying she needs one more shot, when no, she doesn’t. Gina thought they had talked it out. In Emily’s interview, she says, it’s the stupidest thing ever. No one is deposing Kelly or using her for a witness. Keep paying you bills for the defamation suit. It has nothing to do with Kelly. Gina thinks she might overreacting, and Tamra asks if Gina wants $300K taken from her. Gina says they can go ahead; she doesn’t have it. In her interview, Braunwyn says she thinks Tamra is picking a fight with Gina because it’s easier. She’s already spoken to Kelly, and it got nowhere. Tamra tells Gina, F-U, pushes Shannon aside, and runs off. In Shannon’s interview, she says Tamra’s anger is justified anger. The nuke Kelly threw went too far. Kelly says Tamra is the one who opened her mouth, and when you lie, you get sued. In her interview, Kelly says, they need to take responsibility for their own sh*t. Shannon says she’s disappointed in Kelly, and Kelly says she’s sorry Shannon feels that way about her. She was backed against a wall. Shannon says she didn’t back Kelly against any wall, and Kelly says she’s not the one who caused it. In Kelly’s interview, she says, did they not just solve this issue in Florida? We flash back to her and Tamra hugging it out. She says, doesn’t Tamra have a husband to tend to? Doesn’t Shannon have a date at this party? Why are they concentrating on her?
Outside, Tamra asks if Gina knows what she’s going through. Gina says, it’s effed up. She’s not saying it’s right. Tamra – who’s lost all sense of reason at this point – says, so Gina is okay with it. Gina says, it’s not wonderful. Inside, Braunwyn tells Kelly that going after Tamra and Shannon wasn’t nice. Kelly says she’s not involved. Is Braunwyn that dumb? In Braunwyn’s interview, she says she’s seeing a side of Kelly that everyone warned her about. When she lashes out, she lashes out hard and deep. She’s not stupid; she just doesn’t agree with Kelly. Well, maybe she’s not stupid, but no one seems to understand that while what Kelly did was nasty, it had no bearing on the lawsuit itself. Shannon asks where Tamra is. She’s outside, screeching at Gina that she would protect her in the same situation. Gina asks what Tamra wants her to do, which causes Tamra’s ever-shrinking brain to implode, and she yells, F-U, and runs across the lawn. She stands by a tree, weeping, and tells Gina – who has made the mistake of thinking you can reason with a drunk – to go away. Gina says she’s acting crazy. An understatement. This is Stassi on her birthday to the nth power.
Kelly says she didn’t get on the stand. Gina finds Tamra – wait for it – standing in the middle of some hedges, like Homer Simpson. Shannon decides to look for Tamra, and Kelly says she’s leaving. She tells Braunwyn that she’s out. Tamra wails that Gina doesn’t understand, and in her interview, Gina says, no, she doesn’t, while laughing her head off. She says she loves Tamra, but she doesn’t love pulling her ass out of the bushes. I wonder if Tamra is trying to give the Countess a run for her money. Or cocktail. Gina tells Tamra, come on, but Tamra keeps screaming, you don’t know. In her interview, Gina says she’s at an engagement party, and trying to have fun, line dancing and sh*t, and Tamra is being weird and aggressive. She asks if Tamra wants to talk about, but Tamra says, no.
Tamra wants to know why Gina is taking Kelly’s side, and Gina says she’s not taking sides, and tells Tamra to come out. Gina finally pulls her out of the bushes, and now I’m laughing my head off. And Tamra’s hair! She is the definition of a hot mess. Shannon and Vicki join them, and Shannon says she’s dry heaving. Shannon screeches that Gina doesn’t know, and how Gina is just taking this all in stride, I’ll never know. I guess it’s dealing with those unruly kids of hers. In Gina’s interview, she says, they were just line dancing, and now they’re having a meltdown on the curb in the street. Vicki gets all animated, and tell Gina, you should support the people who are hurting, and not the ones who are getting involved. Gina thinks everyone is hurting, and Vicki says, Kelly is a bully. Shannon and Tamra are hurting financially because of what Kelly is getting herself involved in. Kelly tells Shane and Emily that they turn on you, and make it look like you’re turning on them. They did it to themselves. Brian asks what her mantra is. In Kelly’s interview, she says she’s learned there’s a lot of jealousy, and a lot of women like trying to poke the bear. Kelly tells Emily, it was hard to come to this, and Emily says she did a great job. In Kelly’s interview, she says there are people who just want to see a reaction from her, and she has to be above it, and just keep chugging along. She just pities people like that. She tells Emily that when she makes peace, she’s done. She’s like a dude; she’s cool.
In the text, it tells us that Brian and Kelly broke up, but Kelly’s love life is chugging along. She’s engaged to Rick Leventhal after dating for three months.
In her interview, Emily says the past year has been the worst of her life. She’s had a lot to deal with. There were marriage difficulties, and Shane taking the bar exam added stress, but she’s a fighter. Dammit! They’re going to make this work. Shane is going to be a good husband. She hugs Kelly.
The text tells us, Emily is putting her naked cartwheels on hold while she recovers from hip surgery… and until Shane passes the bar. He’s failed three times. (Ah-hah, in Nelson voice.)
Eddie helps Tamra to the car. In her interview, she says she learned maybe she needs to have a filter on her mouth, and keep her opinions to herself. (What a concept!) She’s fortunate that she has an amazing husband and children, love, and a roof over her head. Whatever happens, she knows she’ll get through it.
The text says that Tamra is still involved in the lawsuit, but her sons are getting along. And Tamra has learned that you can’t hide from you’re problems in a bush.
In Braunwyn’s interview, she says she’s grown a lot this year. She knows how strong she is, and how strong her children are. Her relationship with her children has changed; they’re much more open and honest. It’s not so much that way with her mother. They haven’t gotten to that place yet.
We read that Braunwyn had a 42nd milestone birthday party (because no one told her that 42 isn’t a milestone year). All of the Housewives were invited… Her mother wasn’t.
Braunwyn tells Gina, maybe they’ll finally get to meet Matt. In Gina’s interview, she says this year showed her that she has strength and can persevere. She can get through a lot of stuff, and it feels good. She’s excited to see what the future holds for her and Matt.
We see that Matt moved in, but then was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence. His case is being heard in January of 2020, and he’s pleading not guilty. W.T.F.?
In Shannon’s interview, she says her divorce is final. She’s not jumping into a relationship again. She has one more shot to do it right, and she’s going to find someone, grow old, and be happy.
We’re told that Shannon’s hair was the only spark she felt that night. She hasn’t seen Duff since, but things have been heating up with her new boyfriend John.
Vicki puts on a cowboy hat, and asks Steve if she looks country. He thinks she could do better. She takes the hat off, and throws it in the trunk. They drive off.
🍊 Next time – starting Wednesday – today – TheFinale: Part One. There was no preview, but I do have this. And just give Vicki an orange, or whatever it is they hold, already. She was in the same amount of the show.
I don’t normally pay much attention to TV commercials – unless there’s an animal involved – but I could appreciate this one. Who hasn’t used the excuse, it’s for the house, to buy something? And it really is for the house, it’s just that no one else but you would give a flying if you bought it or not. They got this one right.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Cocktail hour before the auction at the gallery commences. Trina tells Ava, anyone who is anyone in Port Charles is there. Ava says, not everyone. Not yet. She thinks it’s going to be a lucrative evening. It will be interesting to see what happens when Helena’s portrait is put up for auction.
Cameron finds Elizabeth asleep on one of the couches in the hospital waiting area. She says she didn’t mean to fall asleep, but she wanted to be there the second Franco wakes up.
Andre tends to Franco, while Peter watches through the window. Andre sees Peter, and beckons him to come in. Peter says he’s sorry he’s hovering. How’s Franco? Andre says, his vitals are strong. He’s just waiting for Franco to regain consciousness; then they’ll know more. He thanks Peter again for saving his life. Peter says he’s just glad Andre and Franco are okay. Andre says, it’s the second time someone tried to prevent the procedure from being performed. Someone has gone through a lot of effort to interfere with his work
In the hallway, Anna is on the phone with Finn. She wants to let him know things have calmed down at the hospital. Finn says her friend Andre has more lives than a cat. He asks if she wants to join him and Violet for dinner at Kelly’s. She says, she’d like to, but she can’t. He asks, why not? and she says there’s something more pressing she needs to take care of.
At Kelly’s, Chase asks if Willow is okay. She says she is, but he tells her, It’s okay if she’s not. Most people wouldn’t be; she’s had a rough couple of days. He asks what she’s thinking about. Lucas? Nelle? Her mother? She says, all of the above.
Charlotte and Rocco run into Kelly’s, arguing about Charlotte doing a triple-axel. Charlotte says Rocco is just jealous because he can’t do it, and he says he’ll race her to the table. Dustin asks if Lulu wants to race, but she says she got her cardio in with ice skating. He says she’s pretty good, and she says he’s a saint, spending his day off with her and the kids. He says, the kids are good, and she says, what about her? He says she’s not so bad. He wouldn’t turn down some alone time. She kisses him, and tells the kids they’re just getting ice cream. She has to get Charlotte home, and Rocco is having a sleepover. Charlotte asks if Lulu is having a sleepover with Dustin.
Laura and Curtis arrive at the gallery. She tells Jax, sorry they’re late, but he says they didn’t miss anything. She sees Helena’s portrait on display, and says, there it is in front of them. Jax says Ava is nothing if not shrewd. She’s giving all of them a chance to buy it, fair and square. Laura asks if he thinks Ava knows the codicil is in the painting, but he tells her that couldn’t say. Jax’s phone dings, and he steps out to the hallway. Curtis is glad Jax and his deep pockets are on their on side, and Laura says, it can’t hurt. She looks around, and Curtis says he knows she’s not worried. There’s no way in hell anyone else is leaving with the portrait. Laura says she wouldn’t be so sure. Nina and Valentin walk in.
Jax meets Nikolas in the alleyway behind the gallery. He’d hoped Nikolas was joking, and had the good sense not to be there. Nikolas asks where else he would be? and Jax says, hiding at his house. He and Nikolas’s mother have it covered. Nikolas says not until they have the portrait, and Jax says, then stop interrupting him so he can make it happen.
Willow tells Chase that she’s trying to focus on what she can control. There’s nothing she can do about Lucas or Nelle. He says, that leaves her mother. Willow says she wants to rebuild their relationship. She misses her mother, but it got complicated with Shiloh. Her mother regrets what she did, and Willow can forgive her, but doesn’t change what Shiloh did, and what Willow had to give up. Chase says, being Wiley’s mother. Willow sees Finn coming in with Violet, and says they’ll talk later. Finn asks if Violet remembers Willow and her Uncle Chase, and Violet says, of course (🍷) she does. Chase asks if her dad has been boring her, and Finn says Chase is a bad influence. Chase says it’s an uncle’s prerogative, and he’s the luckiest uncle in the world. Violet asks, why? and he says he has the coolest niece. Violet might know her; her name is Violet. Violet says, that’s her, and Chase takes her into his lap. Willow says she has to get going. She wants to see Brad and Lucas before visiting hours are over. She tells Chase to stay; she’ll see him at home. When she’s gone, Finn asks if it was something he said.
Willow leans on the wall outside. Maxie comes along with James, and asks if she’s okay.
Elizabeth tells Cameron, Franco knew the risks of the procedure not working, but he said he’d come back. She’s choosing to believe him.
Andre and Peter come out, and Andre thanks Peter again. Peter says he only did what anyone would have done. Anna says, not everyone would put themselves in the line of fire, but he did. Andre says he and Franco owe Peter big time. He tells them that he should give Elizabeth an update, and goes to the waiting area. Anna asks how Peter is feeling, and Peter says, fine; why? She says it’s normal to feel uneasy after shooting a man in the OR, and Peter admits it was a first. Anna says, hopefully, the gunman will pull through, and they’ll be able to question him about who sent him.
Elizabeth asks Andre if there’s any news. He says, Franco’s vitals are excellent. He’s just waiting for Franco to wake up, to see how the procedure affected him; then see where they go from there. Elizabeth asks if Andre is confident that he’ll wake up, and Andre says everyone who has gone through the procedure has regained consciousness, so he has no reason to believe Franco will be any different. He tells Elizabeth and Cameron that Franco did understand the risks beforehand, and signed a DNR order.
Ava tells Curtis and Laura, J. Garrin is considered divisive, and Curtis says, not the appreciation for his work. Didn’t one of his abstracts sell for $100K at Christie’s? Nina asks if anyone wants a drink, and Ava says she’ll show Nina to the bar. Laura asks Curtis to give her a moment alone with Valentin. Valentin asks if he should prepare for one of her signature tongue lashings, and she says, always. But this time she doesn’t want to talk about him. She wants to talk about Charlotte.
Lulu asks why Charlotte would think she was having a sleepover with Dustin, and Rocco says grown-ups have them too. She asks how they know this, and Charlotte says, Nina slept over when she and papa were boyfriend and girlfriend. Are Lulu and Dustin boyfriend and girlfriend? Lulu says, um… and Dustin give the kids money to get ice cream, saying he’ll save their seats. Dustin tells Lulu that he doesn’t think Charlotte fell for it, but Lulu says, Charlotte will be back to trying to convince Rocco that she pulled off a triple axel in no time. She’s sorry they embarrassed him, but he says, they didn’t. She says she keeps forgetting he works with teenagers. He says, it’s natural for them to be curious. He and Lulu have been seeing each other a while. Lulu says it sounds like they’re getting serious, and Dustin says, aren’t they?
Valentin says if Laura has a legitimate concern about Charlotte, he’ll listen. But if she’s just going to parrot Lulu… She says Valentin can’t make a decision about Charlotte’s safety without sharing it with Lulu. He should have told Lulu about Charlotte’s bodyguard. He says, what bodyguard?
Jax tells Nikolas that he has no reason to be there; he’s a liability. Nikolas disagrees, and Jax asks what can he do, besides lurk? Nikolas says he’s streaming the security footage on his tablet. There’s room filled with prospective buyers, including his wealthy and murderous uncle, who want the portrait. He wonders what Valentin and Laura are talking about. They don’t seem to be enjoying the conversation. Jax says, someone has to deal with Valentin, and he’d rather it be him than Nikolas’s mother.
Dustin asks if he brought up serious too soon. Lulu says, no, but he says the panic in her eyes suggests otherwise. She says she likes that things are getting more serious, but they skipped some of the bases on their way to home plate. He asks if she means having sex on the first date, and being walked in on. She says she’ll send him her therapy bill. He says it’s been three months, and she asks if he’s counting. He says, a little, but it’s okay if they take it slow. She asks if he’s sure. What if Charlotte is on to something? Does he want to sleep over? She kisses him. At the counter, Charlotte tells Rocco that she’ll do a triple axel next time. She needs more practice, so she’s going to be on the ice every day. He says she’s going to crack her head, but she says her bodyguard will make sure nothing happens to her. Rocco laughs, and says, what?
Valentin tells Laura that he didn’t hire a bodyguard. She says, not even after Charlotte was abducted? He says he has private security, but no one is watching Charlotte, and if they were, he’d tell Lulu, so she would realize Charlotte is being watched, not stalked. Laura believes him, and says, Charlotte is convinced she has a secret bodyguard. Is it possible that she has an imaginary friend? He says, absolutely not. That doesn’t sound like Charlotte at all.
Nikolas tells Jax that he’s taking the portrait home, and he’s prepared to do it by any means necessary. Jax asks, how? Does he plan to sneak in and grab it? Nikolas says, of course (🍷) not, and Jax says, then what? Oh, wait. He’s going to wait for the winner’s driver to load the painting, and then whack them in the head and steal the car? Better yet, is he going to threaten the driver’s family if they don’t leave town, and tell them they’ll never see their daughter again? That’s his M.O. Nikolas hopes it doesn’t come to that. It’s on Jax to win the portrait, but he has a contingency plan if Jax fails. Jax says, that’s not happening, and Nikolas says, prove it. Jax goes back inside, and Nikolas goes back to his tablet.
Nina asks Ava if it’s all set, and Ava says, trust her. None of these fools will know what hit them. Nina says, cheers to that, and Curtis says, cheers to what?
Finn tells Chase, Willow took off after he showed up. He didn’t shower. Is Chase sure it wasn’t him? He’s been told by some that he can be an acquired taste. Chase says they told Finn the truth, but Willow leaving had nothing to do with him. She has a lot going on. Finn says, by looks of it, he’s not the only one who heard Nelle was admitted to GH. Chase says, thankfully, Willow doesn’t even know what Nelle looks like. Finn asks if Chase is going to tell him what’s going on or keep him guessing. Chase looks at Violet, who’s coloring, and Finn says, she’s in her own world. Chase says, for a minute, Willow thought she was pregnant. She’s not, but she didn’t tell him until after the fact. It’s like Pandora’s box. Once you start thinking about parenthood, it’s nearly impossible to stop.
Willow tells Maxie, she’s just overwhelmed. Willow asks James how he is, and Maxie says, he had too much fun at the park. Willow asks how Maxie is, and Maxie says, it’s been a bittersweet couple of days. Lucas hasn’t woken up. Willow says she’s headed there now, and Maxie says she’s been keeping her mind elsewhere, so she doesn’t not lose her mind. Willow asks if she’s had any luck, and Maxie says she started with the Kon Mari program. She needs to get rid of the clutter in her apartment. It’s been chaotic since Peter moved in. She’s been boxing up Georgie and James’s old clothes, so someone else can use them. James has grown a lot since last year.
Peter tells Anna that he doesn’t want the man’s blood on his hands. Anna says, don’t. Even when forced to kill for the greater good, it says with you. It was fortunate he didn’t want to send a reporter, and he says it was out of consideration for the family. She says Elizabeth should know the lengths he went to in order to spare them. Did he always do his own reporting? He asks what’s up with the third degree? Does she think he’s lying? She says, of course (🍷) not.
Andre tells Elizabeth and Cameron, if Franco ends up without brain function, he didn’t want to be on life support.He didn’t want to live that way. Cameron tells him, Drew decided that, but Elizabeth says, he won the right to determine his own medical care. Cameron asks how long they have to wait before the DNR kicks in, but Andre suggests they not get ahead of themselves. He has every reason to believe Franco will regain consciousness. They have to be patient. He’ll give them some privacy. Cameron flashes back to Franco giving him his phone.
Laura asks if Trina is a fan of art, and Trina says she is, but she’s interning at the gallery. She’s studying fine art, and not so fine art. Laura says if she’s referring to Helena’s portrait; she couldn’t agree more. If it was up to her, every image of that horrible woman would be wiped off the face of the planet. Trina asks if she knew Helena, and Laura says Helena was her son’s grandmother. Trina asks if Laura is bidding for him, and Laura says, in a way. Her son died a few years ago, but his legacy and family are important to her. In a strange twisted way, the portrait embodies that legacy. Trina hopes Laura wins, for her son. Laura says, her too. It would mean a lot to his son, and the rest of the family. Trina says she’s rooting for Laura, and Laura thanks her.
Valentin says, let him guess, Jax is bidding on the piece that’s a collision of technology and nature. Jax tells him, save the pretense, but Valentin says, that’s no fun. Jax says he’s glad Valentin came. He’s going to enjoy watching him fail. Valentin says, may the best man win, and Jax says, he always does.
Curtis approaches Nina, but she says, now is not a good time. Ava says they’re almost ready, and Curtis steers Nina into the hallway. She asks, what is it? and he says she’s been dodging him. She says she’s been busy, and he tells her that he has important information about Valentin. It’s clear Valentin has been lying about Sasha, and he has proof.
Ava says, ladies and gentlemen. She can’t tell them how thrilled she is at how quickly some pieces have moved, but she believes she knows why some of them are there. The auction centerpiece, a rescued J. Garrin original portrait of Helena Cassadine, matriarch of the Cassadine family. They’re ready to start the bidding. She introduces the auctioneer, Mr. Key, and says he’ll take it from there. Mr. Key says he’s starting the bidding at $10K. Valentin bids $50K.
At the pier, Lulu says the launch isn’t there yet, and Rocco asks if he and Charlotte can watch the boats. She says, of course (🍷),but stay away from the edge. Dustin suggests he grab some things from home, and meet her later. She kisses him, while Charlotte and Rocco skip rocks. Charlotte pulls Rocco back, and says if he falls, she’s not going to save him. He says maybe her imaginary secret bodyguard will. She says she’s not making it up. Her bodyguard is real, and she’ll prove it to him.
Nina asks Curtis, what proof? and he says he followed up on the DNA test that was supposed to indicate Sasha was her daughter. As it turns out, the sample is from a mother and daughter, just not them. She asks what that means, and he says, all he’s saying is, he didn’t watch Sasha use the swab. He gave it to her, and returned for the sample. Valentin could have given Sasha another swab, and she had help from someone who knew their way around the lab. Nina says, Obrecht, and Curtis says, call him crazy, but she doesn’t seem surprised about Valentin lying to her. She says she’s not, and goes back into the auction.
Valentin bids $100K, and Jax bids $150K. Mr. Key says, going once… Going twice, and Valentin says, $300K. Nina tells Jax, whatever he thinks he’s doing, stop it now.
Anna says she doesn’t think Peter is lying. She just asking because there’s going be an extensive follow-up. The police are going to want to know everything that happened in detail, and she doesn’t think he’s prepared to tell them what they want to know. Andre goes by, and Peter says maybe Andre has an update, and they follow him. Elizabeth asks, what’s going on? Is Franco waking up? Andre says, there’s been no change yet, but he’s gotten an update on the man who tried to kill him.
Elizabeth asks if the gunman is out of surgery, and Andre says, yes; he didn’t make it. Peter asks if he’s dead, and Andre says, yeah, and with him any chance to find out who hired him to kill himself and Franco. A sound from one of Franco’s machines is heard, and Andre does an about-face. Anna asks if he’s okay, and Cameron and Elizabeth follow Andre. Andre says, there’s been a spike in Franco’s heart rate. Cameron asks if that’s bad, and Franco’s eyelids flutter.
Finn asks Chase, what’s the matter? Didn’t anyone ever talk to him about using protection? Chase says he and Willow were responsible. Besides, it was a false alarm. Finn says, good. Kids are amazing, but he’s barely ready to be a father, and he has a few years on Chase. Chase says, a few? and Finn says, hilarious. What would Chase have done if it hadn’t been the preferred outcome? Chase says he’s not ready to be a father just yet, but he’s committed to a future with Willow. He loves her, so he’d be all in; the stroller, the minivan, the whole thing, but he’s not going to lie. He’s not ready. Finn says Chase will be a good dad when the time comes. Everything will work out, so what’s the problem? Chase says he just thought it brought back feelings about Wiley for Willow.
Maxie tells Willow, it’s amzing how fast kids grow from week to week. In a couple of months, you forget what they used to look like. She apologizes for rambling. She realizes James isn’t much older than Wiley. Willow says, it’s fine. Maxie doesn’t have to walk on eggshells around her. Maxie says she does have some understanding about how Willow feels. She went through a messy custody situation with Georgie, that she created herself. She thought she could give Georgie up, but she couldn’t. Willow says she’s sorry. It was different with her. She gave Wiley up to protect him from Shiloh, and she can never regret that.
Mr. Key says, $300K. Going once… Going twice… Nina tells Jax that she said stop, and drags him out. She tells him that if he keeps bidding, he’ll regret it.
Nikolas watches on his tablet. Valentin bids $400K, and Mr. Key says, going once… Going twice… Laura says, $450K. Ava is thrilled. Me too. This is fun.
Mr. Key says, a bid for $450K from the mayor. Ava says, that was quite a bid. Is Laura sure? Laura says, Ava heard her, and Mr. Key says, $450. Going once… Going twice… A waitress slams into Valentin, distracting him, and Mr. Key says, sold! Curtis and Laura fist bump, and Valentin looks furious. Suddenly, the painting is ablaze. Nikolas says, dammit! No! Everyone watches in shock as the portrait burns. Nina smiles, and Ava looks satisfied.
Dustin and Lulu kiss. Charlotte asks Rocco if he wants proof, and jumps into the water.
Willow tells Maxie that she doesn’t regret it. She protected Wiley from Shiloh. She’s so grateful he has two parents who love him. Maxie says, that doesn’t make it hurt any less, and Willow says, not really. She says, she’d better run before visiting hours are over.
Chase tells Finn that he knows Wiley is in Willow’s heart. He overestimated how well Willow was coping with giving him up and still seeing him. Finn says, it’s got to be hard. Anna still grapples with her decision to give up Peter.
Anna asks if Peter is okay, and he says, yeah. It’s a lot to process. She’s sure he can take comfort in having saved Franco and Andre’s lives.
Andre says, a rising heartrate means Franco is closer to consciousness. He tells Elizabeth and Cameron, talk to him. Help him find his way. Elizabeth touches Franco’s face, and says they’re here for him. They love him so much, and he said he’d come back to them. They’re here waiting. Cameron has no idea what to say, and Elizabeth says they just love him so much. Franco’s eyes start to open.
Tomorrow, Trina asks who Nikolas is and what he’s doing there, Valentin says the portrait is gone along with its many secrets, and Dustin tells Lulu to call 911.
Below Deck
Ashton tells the deckhands that the captain was in the crew mess, and Kate had the audacity to throw their clothing all over the place. He doesn’t care what Brian said; it doesn’t effing matter. Who TF does Kate think she is? Kate goes to her bunk, crying. Brian is upset that Courtney took Kate’s side, and she says she tried to talk to him about it, but he shut the car door in her face, dismissing her. In Brian’s interview, he says Kate is the issue, and is starting sh*t to get a reaction. It’s disappointing and frustrating that Courtney is taking her side. Kate tells Rhylee, the entire crew hates her. In Kate’s interview, she says she’s not feeling so great. Everywhere she turns, she’s being attacked. We flash back to incidents with Simone, Kevin, and Brian. She doesn’t know what she did to these people. She doesn’t feel it should be her job to point out that they need to respect her stripes, but she wishes somebody would.
Tanner texts, U up? to Simone. She texts that she can’t sleep, and Tanner tells Brian that they’re pulling the old switcheroo. Simone goes to Tanner’s bunk, and Brian apologizes to Courtney. In Simone’s interview, she says, she’s weak. Brian tells Courtney, he misses her, and gets in her bunk. In her interview, she says, he’s like a lost puppy.
Courtney helps Kevin, while the deckhands finish up getting the boat ready. Rhylee says, it’s hot already, and Ashton says that’s why he likes being on deck early. And he’s still drunk. The captain calls Kate to join him for a cup of coffee. Rhylee asks how Ashton feels about the elephant in her room, now that he’s sober. In her interview, Rhylee says, Kate is used to the captain jumping to her defense. She doesn’t want to betray Kate, but she does get favored, and runs the ship however she wants. Ashton says she’s taking advantage. Maybe the previous crews allowed her to get away with it, but he doesn’t think this crew is going to.
Captain Lee tells Kate he’s not going to tolerate someone blowing up. She says if she hadn’t been drinking 10 am, she probably wouldn’t have thrown the clothes on the floor. He says she’s got to be above that. In Kate’s interview, she says it’s never great to have a talk with Captain Lee about behavior he’s witnessed the night before. She’s so hungover, and there’s make up on her face from crying. The captain tells her that they have a good crew their responsible, and Ashton has to make sure it stays that way. In his interview, Captain Lee says he’s worked with Kate for five years, and she’s earned preferential treatment, but her behavior is inappropriate, and he’s disappointed. It can never happen again. She says she’s sorry she threw the uniforms on the ground. The captain hopes it’s the worst thing she ever does. She promises it won’t happen again.
Courtney tells Kate that everyone washed their clothes, and left hers in a pile. In Kate’s interview, she says, thank God Courtney is good at her job. It feels like Courtney is the only person who respects her at all. The captain calls Ashton, Kate, and Kevin in for the preference sheet meeting.
He says he wasn’t pleased about last night, and going forward, he expects them to act like adults. This shouldn’t be a difficult charter, and he suggests they not screw it up. He passes out the sheets, and Kate says, Master Pearson. It’s repeat guests, Torrie and Albert. Kate says the kids have grown up so much. Captain Lee says, one of the guests who’s coming back, is the one Chandler dropped on her ass. We flash back to that, and he says he wants to send her back with less bruises this time. In Ashton’s interview, he says, it was a sh*t show. We flash back to Chandler dropping the guest, the guests getting stranded with no supplies, and Pearson wailing when he stepped on broken glass. Ashton says as much as he and Kate are at each other throats, they need to put their personal differences aside. They can’t mess this up. The captain says they want to see a traditional Thai dance performance, and Torrie wants to surprise husband and children with Albert’s parents, who live there. He tells Kevin that he’ll have two more guests for lunch that day. They also want a roaring 20s party. Kate asks if there won’t be any alcohol, since there was Prohibition, and the captain suggests bathtub gin.
Ashton calls Kate, and asks if she has a minute. Kate says she hates today so much. In his interview, he says, at this point, it’s obvious Kate has no respect for his position or the rest of the crew. They should be setting the example, and Kate thinks she’s better than everyone. It’s frustrating that she gets away with murder. She asks. what’s up? and he says, obviously there was a bit of a scene in the crew mess last night. She says Brian called her a bitch, and she got mad at Brian. Ashton says, it’s important for him to find out why something brings him to that level, and I’m surprised Kate shows so much restraint in not slapping him for acting like her elementary school teacher. Or A therapist. He says, when they’re told a time to be ready before an excursion, he feels like she and Rhylee don’t care. That’s where his frustration is coming from. In her interview, Kate wonders who Ashton thinks he is. Has he lost his mind? She thought he was going to apologize, not bitch about something else. Kate says, sorry he got frustrated.
Kevin tells the captain that the exhaust fan in the galley isn’t working, and the engineer has no clue what’s wrong. In his interview, Kevin says, this is going to be a problem. If there’s a smoke smell, nothing will go up. Captain Lee suggests getting another fan, and they’ll try and work with it that way. Kevin goes back to the galley, and the captain says, what else? Ashton tells Brian that Kate didn’t apologize. She said she’s sorry he feels that way. Kate gives Courtney an extra stripe. In Kate’s interview, she says it’s a reward for Courtney, and a punishment for Simone. Between Simone’s bratty behavior, and Courtney being good at her job, Courtney deserves the extra stripe. She tells Courtney that it comes with extra responsibility, and Courtney says, yeah. What she’s doing already. In Courtney’s interview, she says, it’s awkward, but not unwarranted.
Tanner tells Ashton that he got sh*t for dancing with the girl by the pool. He doesn’t want to be with someone who gets jealous this easy. In his interview, he says he likes Simone, but he loves being single. How many people say, thank God I got married? (No comment.) Courtney says it’s hot in the galley already, and Kevin says, it’s just going to get hotter. Simone calls her mom, and explains what happened last night, saying, apparently, Kate threw stuff on the floor. Then she gave the other stew a new position. Her grandmother says, no one is indispensable, and Simone says, she’s evil. In Simone’s interview, she says Kate’s got the wrong person if she wants to get a reaction. She’s not that basic bitch. The provisions come in.
Captain Lee calls a staff meeting, and Tanner says, it’s like being called to the principal’s office. The captain isn’t happy about something. He has two rules; don’t embarrass yourself or the boat. It seems all of them aren’t getting that message. He got an email from the beach club about the behavior of the crew. Cannon balls into the pool resulted in damaging the DJ equipment. We see a clip of Ashton jumping in, and water going all over the boards. In his interview, Ashton says, f***. The captain says they want to be compensated, and it’s justifiable, so the crew will iron it out and pay for it. In Kate’s interview, she says, hilarious. Ashton’s not so perfect. In Ashton’s interview, he says he’s ashamed of it. He’s not perfect. He apologizes to Captain Lee, who appreciates it. Ashton says he’ll cover the cost and apologize to the club. The captain says they’ve been working together for years, and Ashton knows what he expects. In the captain’s interview, he says, Ashton got a pass this time, but the pond Ashton is skating on has thin ice. He gives Ashton the printout of the damage, and says he hopes they get a good tip.
The captain says, fifteen minutes until the guests arrive. Ashton apologizes to Kate for his behavior at the beach club. She’s sure he built up frustration waiting for her and Rhylee, but he says they’re separate issues. In his interview, Ashton says he’s going around with his tail between his legs, and the queen bee bitch needs to have the last say, and drive a knife in his side. He tells Kevin that he doesn’t think it’s cool. Rhylee tells Kate not to make her late. Kate hopes she’s using deodorant and not hair spray on her armpits.
The guests arrive. In Kate’s interview, she says she likes returning guests. It takes away some of the stress of not knowing. But these guests had miserable experience last time, so there’s more pressure to make sure it’s perfect. The captain tells them that Kate will give the tour, and they’ll get out of there and have some fun. I guess he can’t get this party started because, little kids. Torrie says it’s a different vibe on the Valor, and they ship out. Albert thinks it’s more beautiful than Tahiti. After the guests settle in, Courtney asks Albert if he’d like another drink, and he says, the answer will almost always be yes.
Kevin wants to avoid making anything hot, and says, a caprese salad is refreshing on a hot day. Lunch is ready, and the toys are put in the water. Tanner points out all the jellyfish, and Ashton tells the guests that they have a pool they can put in the water. In his interview, he says the pool has a protective net to prevent sea creatures from coming in. He’s definitely been avoiding it, since he’s heard it’s a massive pita to put together, but this is the charter they need to redeem themselves with, so… A guest finds hair on her cheese. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s disgusting. It’s one of the worst things anyone can experience, and not a good way to start the charter. She shows Kevin. In his interview, he says he can’t believe they’re starting this way. It’s a nightmare. Albert says, strike one, first meal.
In his interview, Kevin says, the first meal sets the tone, but it’s not his fault; it’s not his hair. I’ve noticed nothing is ever Kevin’s fault, but it is his fault. He should have noticed. He sends out a new hair-free plate. Ashton tries to figure out the pool, and he, Brian, and Rhylee set it up, and lower it into the water. Kate calls for a Thai dancer and some décor to go with the performance. In her interview, she says she loves local culture, whatever their location. The guests and crew like it, and while everyone is distracted, it gives her a break. The pool is brought back, and Ashton says, all that work for 40 minutes of play.
Kate says, even the limes are sweating. She’s going to get the fans. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s just effing hot. If an oscillating fan is blowing on you, you’re somewhere depressing, like the DMV. Packing up the pool is taking forever, and Ashton says, this thing is a sh*t show. Brian tells Rhylee to calm down, although for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. She says she is calm, and tells him, don’t start with her. He says he’s not, and tells her not to get excited. She walks away, saying , he’s an effing moron. She’s not saying anything, and he’s telling her to calm down. She’s effing irritated. The dancer arrives. Kate asks if Rhylee wants some stripes, and Rhylee tells her to give them to the boys. She thinks they know all about stripes. She’s pissed off at Brian, and wonders how somebody so good looking could get under her skin. Ashton tells Brian that if he has an issue with Rhylee, and needs to speak to her, pull her aside. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s like walking on eggshells dealing with Rhylee. He needs to be careful how he says or explains things. Fighting fire with fire is not going to work, and he doesn’t want to deal with more drama. Kate tells Rhylee, they’re a bit of a bitch, huh?
Lanterns are hung and decorations are put up. Ashton tells Kevin that they can smell smoke on the deck, and Kevin says he’ll just make salads from now on In Kevin’s interview, he says, lunch wasn’t perfect, and he wants to step it up for dinner. He’s making pineapple fried rice, and serving it in baby pineapples, along with meat on a lemongrass skewer. It’s fun for the kids, and looks cool. Kate tells them that they have a surprise before dessert. The dancer comes out, and does her thing. It’s pretty cool, and I love her costume, but she’s wearing… tube socks? In Kate’s interview, she says, the dancer is so festive. Kate respects her; she has commitment to her craft. Everyone takes pictures, and dessert is brought out. No one except Albert is into the dessert. Guest Scott bitches that he expected Michelin star quality food. Ground pork on a stick? He hopes they can do better tomorrow. Kate tells Kevin, and in his interview, Kevin says, obviously, Scott wasn’t looking for meat on a stick tonight, but he thinks there’s no pleasing these guys. Sorry.
Tanner tells Simone, the deck crew has lost seven pounds sweating. He asks if she’s cool with keeping their relationship casual, and she says as long as there’s respect. In Simone’s interview, she says she doesn’t get what’s in his mind. She likes being with him, she likes making out with him, and waking up next to him, but maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe she should be like, stop – she slaps her own wrist – leave the hot man alone. Tanner says as long as they’re on the same page.
The captain tells Ashton and Brian that the water taxi is bringing Albert’s parents out. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s a surprise arrival of the kids’ grandparents. They already have two kids on board, which is a safety hazard, and now they’ll have two elderly people. Everything they do needs to be calculated. The water taxi heads for the yacht, and on deck, Torrie tells the kids she wonders why the boat is coming so close. The kids see who it is, and get all excited. In her interview, Kate asks if it gets cuter than this. Has this yacht turn into a Hallmark movie? She loves old people. They’re cute and have wisdom. Kevin asks how long the guests will be on the beach, and Kate says, as long as they want. He suggests they put the food on table. In his interview, he says family style is a fairy tale for him. Growing up, he had a small family. He likes how you can sit back and look at the food, and get into it.
On deck, Pearson feels rain, and Torrie says, the wind is getting strong. Driving the first boat to the beach, Ashton isn’t comfortable with the waves, and says he’s sorry he teased them with a beach excursion, but they can’t do it. He doesn’t want the boat to be smashing them. In his interview, he says they’ve dealt with injuries already. The narrow approach, and crashing waves are a bad combination. They can’t have injuries or the guests will pack their bags. Ashton radios Captain Lee, and says he’s not comfortable. The captain says if he can’t do it safely, don’t do it at all. In Kate’s interview, she says they had it on their preference sheet, and the guests were excited. Canceling is a big deal. They’re all screwed. Torrie says, they can’t go? but she’s told, it’s rough, and they can’t risk it.
In Kate’s interview, she says she and Kevin were going to have lunch set up for when the guests came back from the beach, but thanks to Ashton, there’s no beach, they have disappointed guests, and they wasted their time. The captain tells the deckhands to break out the toys; all of them. In Ashton’s interview, he says he avoided one problem, but created another problem. Now they have to rush to make sure the guests aren’t bored and mommy is happy. Captain Lee tells Ashton to put out the pool, and they’ll give the guests as much fun as they can. Kate tells the guests, they’re going to proceed with lunch; it’s one large feast. Tanner tells Ashton, it was the right call. Pearson wants the toys, and Torrie says, they’re setting them up. Kate says, we took circulated air for granted.It’s getting smoky. Tanner says the current is working against them, and asks Rhylee to tie off the line on the pool. She says he just asked her to untie it. Ashton complains about Rhylee’s fishing knots.
It’s really smoky in the galley, and the fire alarm goes off. Torrie says they can go to the island to eat. Rhylee and Tanner continue to bicker over the line. Kate holds up the fan, and tells Kevin that she’s his biggest fan. BA-DUM-CHH! In Kate’s interview, she says the guests are disappointed, and she’s frustrated. It’s hard to think when you’re just trying to survive. It’s chaos. The most wild experience of her life.
Next time, Captain Lee says they have to pull out all the stops, Ashton tells Rhylee not to come at him with that attitude again, Smashton’s out of his cage, and Kate walks.
⛵ A new member of the franchise, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, will premiere on Monday, February 3rd. You can check out a nugget about it here. No sign of Abbi though.
❗ FYI – The finale of The Real Housewives of Orange County is tomorrow (okay, today really), Tuesday, December 17th, but Part One of the Reunion will be the following day, Wednesday, December 18th, at 10 pm. That makes the line-up, New Jersey, Dallas, and Orange County, starting at 8 pm. That’s just too many Wivesin one night, so I’ll see what I can conjure up.
👧 Maybe It’s Me…
It sure looks like they both have the same hairline in the pictures.
and it led me to this song. I love foreign language pop, but this is unique in that it’s nonsense. It’s also pretty catchy, and sounds like it could have been written a lot more recently than 1972.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
🎅 As promised, Friday’s GH. Sorry to be a day late, but last night I did some Christmas caroling at a nursing home with a group of karaoke friends, and then made an appearance at a neighborhood holiday party. Since Yahoo Groups is closing, when I got home, I frantically scrolled through photos there in case there was anything important that I didn’t have. You know. Like pictures of other people’s dogs. Moving on.
General Hospital
Peter tells Deanna that he’s trying to ascertain the patient’s condition. The gunman wouldn’t be fighting for his life, if not for him. Jason walks over, and says, the gunman is fighting for his life because tried to kill two people. Peter says, even so, he’d like to know how he’s doing. Deanna says, he’s still in the OR, and Peter asks, what about Franco?
Anna finds Elizabeth drowsing in a chair near Franco’s bed. Elizabeth tells her that Andre just took Franco for an MRI. Anna asks if he’s still unconscious, and Elizabeth nods. Anna wonders if it’s to be expected at this point, but Elizabeth has no idea. Anna says, uncharted territory, and Elizabeth tells Anna that she just wants Franco to wake up; as himself or someone else. Whatever it is, they’ll deal with it later; just wake up.
Carly tells Sonny, she hates that Ava is at their house. He says, Avery was asking for her, and Carly says she knows it’s the right thing, but she still hates it. Ava comes downstairs, saying, it was a nice visit. Carly says, now it’s over. Time to go. Ava says, Avery is doing so well; she’s a fantastic kid. Carly rolls her eyes, and Ava thanks Sonny for taking such good care of Avery. He says he did it for Avery’s sake; the same reason he brought Avery to Shadybrook. Ava says she’ll never forget it, and Carly says she’ll never forget Ava trying to have Mike arrested for kidnapping Avery when he was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The lack of compassion is ironic, since Ava just got out of a mental ward she checked herself into. Ava says, turns out she was mistaken. She’s never been more sane.
Laura meets Curtis at Kelly’s and they hug. He says, it’s been too long. She says, work. Running the city would be so easy without it. He asks about the overcrowding at Pentenville, and she says there’s a mass of prisoners slated for early release, and her constituents are not happy about it. He says, it’s too bad they fill one of those freed up cells with Valentin’s ass. She says she hopes they can relieve Valentin of his fortune, and return it to it’s rightful owner. Curtis says he’ll drink to that, and they clink glasses.
Nina flashes back to Ava showing her Helena’s portrait at the gallery, and Ava saying she knows exactly what they’re going to do next. Jax appears, startling Nina, and he tells her Valentin paid him a visit last night.
Nikolas texts Jax; Pier 17 ASAP. He hears Valentin and Charlotte coming. Valentin is on the phone with Martin, telling him that their priority is the painting. He tells Charlotte to stay where he can see her, but she skips off, and sees Nikolas behind a gate. She whispers that she knows who he is. Valentin says, of course (🍷) the painting didn’t disappear. Nikolas tells Charlotte, of course (🍷) she knows him; he’s her secret bodyguard. She says she saw his picture on her grandma’s phone, and he says that’s because he saved her life once. That’s how Valentin knew he was trustworthy. She says she fell off the monkey bars, and when she called for him, everyone laughed. He says he has to keep out of sight, but she says she thought he got paid to help her.
Laura can’t believe TJ is thinking about getting married, and Curtis says, he’s gearing up to pop the question. She asks how Molly can be that old. He tells her, Jordan is on the fence. It’s not that she doesn’t adore Molly. Laura gets it. She likes Dustin, but… He says, they’re not thinking of getting married, and she says, they’re just in the getting-to-know-you phase. He says he thinks they walked in on that phase. She suggests they talk about Valentin. He’s dangerous, but no one has been able to pin anything on him. Curtis says, no one on the fringes, but maybe it’s time they took a look a little closer to home.
Jax looks at Nikolas’s text. He tells Nina that he’s worried about her because there’s more tension between him and Valentin. He doesn’t want her getting caught in the middle. She says she’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. He says he knows that, but it’s escalated past that point. She says, things have been escalating for months, and Jax says, ever since he rescued her from the wedding, Valentin has been openly hostile. She asks if that’s what last night was about, and he says Valentin accused him of trying to bring him down so he can have Nina for himself. Nina laughs, and asks if Valentin was right.
Anna tells Elizabeth, it stands to reason that if Cabot – who’s half the doctor Andre is – was successful, the odds are in Andre’s favor to reverse the procedure. Elizabeth says she’s sorry to sound ungrateful. They wouldn’t even be having this conversation if not for Peter. She wouldn’t be waiting for Franco to wake up; she’d be burying him. Anna’s son saved her husband’s life.
Deanna tells Peter that she’s sorry, but she can’t share the Franco’s status with him. Peter tells her not to apologize. He’ll check with Elizabeth. Jason wonders who Franco will be when he wakes up, and what he’ll remember. Peter jets, and Jason sees Anna. He asks if they can talk, but not there. They get in the elevator.
Laura says, Curtis wants to bring Nina into this? She’s Valentin’s apologist and chief. She’s been making excuses for him for years. When she did manage to take her blinders off, she put them back on, and she’s going to remarry him. Curtis feels that Nina’s decision was uninformed, and Laura asks how much information Nina needs? Her long lost daughter, who Valentin hired, admits she’s not Nina’s long lost daughter. What a scam. Curtis says they know Valentin was behind it, but Sasha still claims she acted alone. Laura says, Nina is the only person on the planet who believes it. He tells her, if they present hardcore evidence to Nina that Valentin was involved, she would ditch him and help them. Laura asks if hardcore evidence exists, and does he have it.
Jax says he has no desire to take Nina away from Valentin. That would presume she can’t make her own decisions. He thinks she should remove herself entirely from the situation. He asks if that’s still the plan, or did her revenge plot hit a snag? She asks him not to call it revenge. It’s evolving, but the snag is the same. She hates Valentin’s lies, and wants to bring him to his knees as payback, but she can’t deny that he and Charlotte brought her happiness, especially Charlotte. Being part of that family has meant everything to her. It’s made the walk on the wild side worth it. When Charlotte came into Valentin’s life, it was like a missing piece of the puzzle. Jax asks how a man doesn’t have a child one minute, and does the next. Didn’t it set off alarm bells?
Nikolas tells Charlotte, she has to be in way more serious trouble for him to come. Valentin calls to Charlotte. He asks what she was doing, and she says, talking to someone. He asks, who? and she says she’s not sure. Valentin says they’ve had this discussion, and she can’t talk to strangers. She says, he’s not a real stranger, and Valentin says she knows how important this is. He tells her, they’re late to meet Nina, and have to go.
Carly asks if sane what Ava calls the slo-mo nervous breakdown she’s been having for months. Ava says she’s no longer seeing things that are not there. Sonny asks how she came to this breakthrough, and she flashes back to Nina showing her the ring, and saying, ghosts don’t wear rings with the Cassadine crest. There are only a few in existence, and Nikolas has one of them. Ava tells Sonny that she realized sometimes there’s more truth to a so-called hallucination than there appears. Donna cries, and Ava says she’ll let them get back to their lives. She thanks them again for taking care of Avery during this difficult time. She tells Carly, Lucas is a lovely person. She hopes he gets better quickly. She’d say Carly is in her thoughts, but then Carly might think she’s crazy. Carly and Sonny look at each other.
Jason and Anna go into a conference room. Anna asks, what’s going on? and Jason says, it’s Peter. He’s the reason Sam’s in prison.
Leaving a message for Jax, Carly says she just saw Ava, and she’s not at Shadybrook. She checked herself out, and Carly thinks it has something to do with their mutual friend. Call her. She’s rapidly losing patience. Sonny tells Carly that Donna is asleep. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she was just negotiating something regarding Jax’s roommate. She asks if Sonny believed Ava’s performance, and Sonny asks if she doesn’t buy it. Carly says, there’s no doubt she’s better, but there’s more going on than Ava is saying. He says as long as it doesn’t involve Avery. He has more important things on his mind. Carly asks how it went with Mike last night, and Sonny says, it was fine; they played dice. She tells him that Josslyn told her about the Joe Skully thing, and that Mike thought he was Skully, and thought Dev was Sonny. Sonny says it’s not a big deal, and if she knows the answers why is she asking? She says they can’t be in denial. They need to have an honest discussion about what’s best for Mike. He laughs, and she asks what he’s laughing about. He says she’s talking about honesty when she and Jax have been lying to him for weeks.
Nina says, Claudette a mercenary little snake who was married to her late brother, then had an affair with a priest. He’s since left the priesthood, and calls himself Dr. Griffin Monroe. Jax says he just met Griff; he’s in town for a bit. Nina says fast forward to Claudette coming to Port Charles and wreaking havoc on Nathan. She produced a beautiful little girl, who she first said was Nathan’s, then Griff’s, and then she disappeared. Then Valentin announced Charlotte was his. Valentin is this bachelor with an angelic little girl, and looking back, it’s clear she fell in love with the pair of them. Jax asks how Lulu fits into it, and Nina says, after his announcement, Valentin explained that Lulu was Charlotte’s biological mother, and Claudette was a surrogate. Jax says, and by the time the truth came out, Claudette was gone? Nina tells him, it was reported as a suicide, and he says, unless Valentin murdered her. Nina must be troubled by that possibility. Nina says, no.
Curtis tells Laura that he has evidence. He puts the odds of convincing Nina at about 80%. Laura thinks it’s not good enough. If Nina isn’t swayed, she’ll run back to Valentin, and tell him what they’re up to. He asks if she doesn’t think Valentin is on to them already. What about the run in she had with the lawyer who asked about the portrait? Laura says Valentin wants the painting as much as they do, and he says Nina is the closest one to Valentin. If there are any skeletons in his closet, she can bring them to light, and they’ll bury him. They have everything to gain, and not much to lose. She says, not for her, but Nina is a friend of his. It could put a permanent rift in their relationship. He asks what kind of friend would he be, if he let Nina marry Valentin after what he’s done? and she says he wouldn’t be the friend he is. Valentin walks in, and she says, speak of the devil. They can’t afford lose sight of the portrait, so if Curtis is going to make his case, do it fast.
At the hospital, Elizabeth tells Peter that she’s glad to see him. He saved Franco’s life.
Anna asks if Jason wants her to believe Peter is responsible for all of it. Jason says Shiloh chose his words carefully, but dropped Peter’s name, so it would get back to Peter and light a fire under him. Shiloh was threatening to tell what Peter did to Jason and Drew. They know Peter was at the original memory transfer, and Andre confirmed it, but he played a bigger role than he’s ever let on, and Shiloh knew it. Anna asks if he has proof, but he says, no.
Jason says he wouldn’t say this if he wasn’t absolutely sure, but she says he has no evidence. He tells her, he can connect Peter to Brice, who implicated Sam in Shiloh’s breakout. Andre ID’d Brice as his attacker, and it ties into Drew’s disappearance. Anna asks where Brice is now, and Jason says, he’s dead, but he was cutting a deal to give Peter up to the Feds. Brice told him that Peter sent him to eliminate Andre before he could treat Franco. When it didn’t work, Peter sent a gunman to try and kill Franco and Andre in the OR. She asks, then why would Peter stop the man trying to kill them? Jason says, maybe the plan went south, or maybe the plan changed, but Peter didn’t want anybody messing with Franco’s head. He didn’t want the wrong memory to surface and implicate him.
Carly asks what Sonny is talking about? Sonny says she was whispering on the phone, but she says she wasn’t. She told him that she was talking to Jax. He says, about whoever is shacked up at Jax’s house, keeping Josslyn from staying there. She says Jax is trying to protect her, but Sonny says, she’s a junior in high school. It won’t blow her life apart if she finds out Jax has a new girlfriend. She says, after the year Josslyn has had? and Sonny says, she’s lying. She says, he’s the expert, and he says he can see right through her. Tell him that he’s wrong. What is she up to with Jax that she’s afraid of him finding out?
Nikolas paces at the pier, and says, where the hell are you, Jax? He looks at Spencer’s picture, and promises they’ll see each other again soon.
Trina shows up at the gallery, and Ava says, there she is, her intrepid intern. She hopes Trina didn’t mind being called in on her day off. She thought Trina would like to see how the prepare for an auction. This is the perfect opportunity. Trina asks, for what? and Ava says, a payoff that’s long overdue.
Laura says it’s a treat to see Charlotte, and Charlotte says they’re meeting Nina. Laura suggests they peruse today’s selection of scones. They go to the counter, and Valentin says he hopes he’s not speaking out of turn, but Nina misses Curtis. Curtis says he misses her too, and Valentin asks how come he hasn’t reached out? Curtis says he didn’t think Nina would want to hear from him. Their last conversation didn’t end well. Valentin asks if it’s Curtis’s plan ghost her over him, or can Curtis see fit to accept their relationship, and wish her well?
Jax says he doesn’t buy it. There’s no way Nina would look the other way when it comes to murder. Nina says he’s right, but as it happens, she didn’t have to; Claudette isn’t dead. He asks who told her, and she says Valentin did, but she has more information. Valentin staged Claudette’s suicide, and payed her off. She took the money, and it would have worked if Cassandra hadn’t taken her to use as leverage. But Cassandra slipped into a coma, and Valentin freed Claudette. He asks where Claudette is now.
Elizabeth tells Peter that she and her boys owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The only reason Franco is coming back to them, is because Peter got in the way of a killer. He says he only did what had to do.
Jason asks if Anna doesn’t think it’s strange that Peter was by the OR at the same time. There are too many coincidences. Peter being in the wrong place at the wrong time too many times. It all adds up. She says, it adds up for him. He was Peter’s prisoner, held for five years, drugged and insensible, away from his family. She hasn’t forgotten. She can’t excuse it, but she can’t give him back five years of his life. Peter has remade his life, and he’s not the same person he was.
Ava asks Trina if she’s pulled up the caterer’s information. She wants Trina to handle the necessary arrangements. She’ll need waitstaff, and enough food and drink for thirty people. Trina asks if Ava wants her to work the auction, and Ava says, unless Trina doesn’t feel she’s ready. Trina says can handle it, and Ava says she’s counting on Trina. Tonight, the Jerome Gallery is going to host some of the most discerning tastemakers in Port Charles. They’re going to auction off some of their most iconic pieces, including their most controversial one. Trina says, not Heather Webber, but Ava says, no. This beautiful masterpiece, and picks up the portrait of Helena.
Laura tells Charlotte that she’s glad they had cranberry scones; Charlotte’s favorite. Seeing Charlotte’s bandaged hand, she asks what Charlotte did to it, and Charlotte says she fell off the monkey bars. Laura tells her to be more careful, but Charlotte says she didn’t think she had to. Papa hired a bodyguard who’s supposed to protect all the time.
Nina tells Jax that she has no idea where Claudette is. She’s probably off swindling someone else. If Valentin was as bloodthirsty as everyone says, it would be easy for him to make the suicide real. Jax says she’s back to defending Valentin, but she says she’s not. She’s sorting things out; the good and bad. It would be easier if she could be childish, and say Valentin has always been the bad guy who she’ll hate forever, but Valentin’s not just that. There’s a lot of good in him. There’s a lot of love in him, and he’s done kind and generous things. She’s weighing the good and bad, and seeing which one will win. Jax says, it’s levelheaded of her, and she says she’s sensing sarcasm. He says,. He hopes Nina sees that she’s better off without Valentin. The alternative is that she keeps rationalizing no it, until all the bad catches up with Valentin, and she and Charlotte pay the price. He leaves before she can respond.
Carly tells Sonny that Jax asked her to do him a favor. Sonny says, a favor she can’t tell him about? and she says, yes. He asks if she’s cool with that, and she says, no. She didn’t want any of this. It’s just something she has to do. He asks if Jax is blackmailing her, and she says, no. She found out something she wasn’t supposed to. If Sonny knew… Sonny says, knew what? and she says it would make it worse for everyone, including him. He needs to not push her. Let her do this. He asks if she doesn’t trust him, and she says she’s asking him to trust her. She didn’t choose to know what she knows, but she can chose to carry it herself. He says, so now she’s doing him a favor? Carly’s phone dings, and it’s a text from Jax: Pier 17. NOW. Sonny asks, is that it? and she says she has to go. He’ll understand soon. She leaves, even though he asks her not to.
Peter asks Elizabeth how Franco is doing, and she says, he hasn’t woken up. He’s having an MRI. He asks if Andre has made a prognosis, but she says, no. They’re in the super fun wait-and-see stage. At least it’s an option. She was afraid he wouldn’t make it through procedure. Peter says, but he did, and she says, thanks to him. She wonders if she should check in, and he says, anything that would offer her peace mind, he’s for all it. She says, you and me both, and leaves.
Jason tells Anna that Peter kept him prisoner for one reason; to kill Faison, which is exactly what he did. Anna says she thought he was protecting Carly. He tells her that he hates having lost five years, and that he was kept locked up until he was needed, but he put it aside and got his life back. Out of respect for her, he put all that aside, but Peter used Sam. He paid Brice to tell the cops that Sam paid him to break Shiloh out. Now she’s locked up away from her kids. It all started with Peter. He knows Peter is her son… Anna says she doesn’t know what he wants her to do, but he says she does. The question is, will she?
Ava calls Sonny, and he asks what she needs. She says she just wanted to thank him for how well he handled her recent struggles with Avery. She’s doing so well. She was appropriate concerned, but not frightened or upset. Ava thinks they’ve finally landed in a good place of co-parenting. Sonny says he’s glad she and Avery had a nice time. He’ll set up another visit soon. She says, that would be wonderful. Take care. He hangs up, and looks puzzled.
Carly waits at the pier. Jax joins her, and she says, it’s about time. He asks if Nikolas is there, and she says, is he supposed to be? Jax says Nikolas texted him to meet there. He says he got her message; what’s going on with Ava? She says, first things first. Sonny is on to them. He’s going to figure it out, and Jax is handing over the information Sonny needs to deport him. Jax says, that’s not a wise tactic, considering Sonny’s cousin is there illegally. Carly says, Sonny doesn’t care. He’s going through so much with his father, it’s affecting his judgement. Jax appreciates the warning, but he’s handling things. He’s in the process of cutting Nikolas loose. Nikolas arrives, and says, good. They’re both there. They have a lot to discuss.
Curtis tells Valentin, make no mistake. He’ll be there for Nina, Valentin or no Valentin. Valentin says, good. Make sure he RSVPs. Curtis says he wouldn’t miss it. At the counter, Laura tells Charlotte, back up a second. What does she mean, bodyguard? Charlotte says she’s not supposed to talk about it. Her papa hired him after Cassandra snatched her. He’s always around, but she never sees him. At least not when anyone is around. Laura asks if he’s there now, and Charlotte says he said he’d only appear if she needed help, but how did he let her get this. She holds up her hand. Valentin calls her over, and Curtis goes to the counter. He asks if something is wrong, and Laura says she’s not sure, but she thinks after what happened with Cassandra, maybe Charlotte has a little PTSD. She’s conjured up an imaginary bodyguard.
Nina apologizes to Valentin and Charlotte for keeping them waiting, especially Charlotte. She got in so late last night, Charlotte was asleep. Valentin says she’s been burning the midnight oil a lot at Crimson. She says she has a tight deadline and a lot of pieces to put together. She didn’t know Valentin was going to see Jax last night, and he says he was hoping for a meeting of the minds. He’s hoping she wasn’t expecting a truce though. Charlotte excuses herself, and Valentin tells Nina that he didn’t come away completely empty-handed. Jax confessed that his motives aren’t purely financial. He wants Valentin out of the way, so he can have Nina to himself. She asks if Jax said that, and Valentin says, he didn’t have to. Jax will never come between them, just like he’s not going to get his hands on that portrait.
Trina asks how much Ava thinks this horror show is worth, and Ava says, mid six figures. Trina understands that the painting has inherent value, but who would want to hang it on their wall? Ava says, it is pretty nasty, but the art business is all about marketing. Zero in on the right audience, and you can make a fortune. She hits send on her phone.
Jax looks at the dry cleaning in Nikolas’s hand, and says, really? Nikolas says Jax took his sweet time, so he did some errands. Jax says all Nikolas should care about is finding the ring. Carly asks, what ring? and Jax says, the one with the Cassadine crest. Carly says, the ring no one could possibly have except Nikolas? Ava knows. She just saw Ava, and she’s making all kinds of noise about seeing things clearly, and how some hallucinations are real. Jax asks if Nikolas knows anything about that, and Nikolas says he haunted Ava the other night at Shadybrook, but it paid off. He got her to admit she still has the portrait. Jax asks if Nikolas had the ring on his finger when he left, and Carly says, oh my God. Nikolas says, the situation is still salvageable. All he needs is just one more crack at the painting. Jax’s phone dings, and he says Nikolas just might get his shot. He shows Nikolas the phone.
Laura gets a text from Ava. She says, Helena’s portrait. Valentin shows Nina his phone. There’s a picture of Ava with the portrait, and underneath, it says, J. Garrin’s masterpiece is up for auction tonight. Bring your checkbooks.
Ava tells Trina, that’s what you call building anticipation. Now all they have to do is sit back… Trina says, and watch the money roll in. Ava laughs, and says, you wouldn’t know to look at it, but this is the kind of art people kill for.
On Monday, Laura needs to talk to someone about Charlotte, Andre tells Elizabeth that Franco signed a DNR, Jax tells Nikolas to stop interrupting him so he can make it happen, and Valentin says may the best man win.
🙌 Quotes of the Week
We really ended in places no one has a reason to go, not even reindeer! – Mathilde Le Moullec, who searched for reindeer in the far reaches of Norway to track their recovery
Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. – The Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. – Anne Frank
Perception is reality, and the truth is not. – Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, in Lauren Greenfield‘s chilling new documentary The Kingmaker (What freaks me out is, I think a lot of people subscribe to that theory.)
There’s more beauty in truth, even if it is dreadful beauty. – John Steinbeck
Sometimes, we are so attached to our way of life that we turn down wonderful opportunities simply because we don’t know what to do with it. – Paulo Coelho
If she has one more facelift, she’ll be wearing her ass as a hat. – Evelyn Harper (Holland Taylor), Two and a Half Men
🌃 Not Quite an Early Night…
Cutting it short, since I have zero cards sent out, and I’m not much further along in my Christmas shopping. I’d love to blame it on the late Thanksgiving this year, but the truth is, it’s my own fault. The wreath, however, is on the front door. So points for me.
🎄 Get Out Of My House, Kenny G…
Not exactly a Christmas song, but it was at the end of Bad Mom’s Christmas, so close enough.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Jason visits Sam at Pentenville. She tells Jason they have to focus on two things for her parole hearing. One is her good behavior. Jason asks if there’s been any problems, and Sam says, not really, but there is her cellmate. The other thing is, they want her to take responsibility for her crimes.
On the phone, Sonny asks how long it will take the doctor to determine if Mike is right for the study. He says, the sooner the better. He’ll be waiting to hear. Michael comes down, and Sonny says he’s enrolling his dad in a clinical trial. It’s not a cure, but it might help. He asks if Michael doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and Michael says, sorry; he doesn’t. Does Sonny really think taking Mike halfway around the world is the right thing to do?
At Turning Woods, Mike stares into space. Josslyn comes in, and sees Dev is there. He says, she made it. Mike tells her, keep it down. This kid is breaking him out.
Willow tells Brad that she doesn’t want to intrude, but she’s there for him. Whatever he and Wiley need.
Monica says she wanted to give Bobbie a moment to rest, and Bobbie thanks her for keeping a close eye on Lucas. It’s a comfort, and important to her family, and her.
Carly asks if Julian and Brook know each other. Brook says they met briefly. Julian thought she was a hooker.
At Pentenville, Chase hears a scream. He runs into the infirmary, and finds Nelle on the floor, with Ryan standing over her, holding a bloody scalpel. Ryan says, this isn’t what it looks like.
Michael tells Sonny that he loves his grandpa, and wants the best for him. Sonny says that means he doesn’t give up. There are breakthroughs all the time. It can’t cure the disease, but it can stop it from getting worse. Michael says he’s done some reading, and Sonny says he forgot who he was talking to. Michael says the results are promising, but Sonny should ask himself if hanging on is what Mike would want.
Josslyn says Dev is breaking Mike out? and Dev says, that was the plan, but the busses have stopped running. Mike says he needs to get to the track. He needs to pick up a quick fifty for his son’s birthday. Dev says if he’s looking for action, there are checkers on the table. Mika laughs, and says he needs to get to the track. Josslyn says, does he? Or is he just afraid Dev will beat him? Mike says, set ‘em up. He’s going to show Dev what’s what.
Sam tells Jason that she basically told the judge the same thing. She killed Shiloh because she felt there was no other choice. If circumstances were the same, she’d do the same thing again. She came close to getting on the table, and screaming that she wanted to be home with her kids. He says he doesn’t know if it will help, but she focuses better than most people, and she’s got to stay focused on what’s in front of her. Make it through today, then make it through tomorrow. She says, it sounds like a 12-step program, and he says every day she’s one day closer to coming home. When that day is there, he, Scout, and Danny will be waiting for her. They touch palms against the glass between them.
Nelle wails, why did Ryan stab her, and he says he was trying to help. The guard says, the inmate is secure, and Nelle calls him a psycho freak. Chase tells the nurse that Nelle has one kidney. Nelle asks why Ryan did this to her? She tells Chase, don’t let her die, and Chase says he won’t. Ryan says, you two. So cute together. I’m kind of liking his unshaven Miami Vice look.
Sonny tells Michael that his dad isn’t dead. He still has good days ahead. Michael says, he’s not himself. He’s not grandpa anymore. Mike used to live there, and on Thanksgiving, he didn’t know the house. It was like he’d never been there. At what point is a familiar place not safe? What will it be like in a strange country, giving treatment to someone whose disease is past the point of no return? Sonny says, that’s for doctors to decide. If he’s gone too far, they won’t take him. If they do, there’s hope. Michael says he sees Sonny has made his mind up, and Sonny asks what Michael wants him to do. Michael says, next time he’s with Mike, ask himself if the person he’s hanging onto is the man Mike wanted to be.
Dev tells Mike that he’s killing him, and jumps his own checkers with Mike’s. He tells Mike it’s his turn, and Mike asks if Josslyn is there to see him. She says, of course (🍷), and he says a pretty girl there to see him; that’s something. He tells Dev that he asked for it, and jumps the rest of Dev’s checkers. Dev says Mike trounced him, and Mike says it must be his night. What say they up the stakes and play some craps?
Jason goes to the Quartermaine mansion, and asks if Ned heard anything about Sam’s parole hearing. Ned says the first thing Jason needs to understand is, the board is incorruptible. There are no leaks, and it will take as long as it takes. Jason asks if Ned can talk to someone; no pressure, just a conversation. Ned says he’s a prominent citizen, and used to be mayor. If he asks a favor, there’s no quid pro quo. He can’t try to influence the outcome. It all has to stay above board.
Alexis visits Sam, who says she just missed Jason. Alexis asks if he’s been visiting regularly, and Sam says he has. Alexis asks how Sam is, and she says, frustrated. She wants to be home with the people she loves. Alexis asks how the hearing went, and Sam says it’s the same thing she told Jason. The judge just wants her to take responsibility for her crimes. She’s been a model prisoner, and that’s saying a lot since Cassandra is there. It’s lucky Sam hasn’t attacked her. She thinks the board took into consideration that she saved a guard, but that can only get her so far. Alexis tells her, try to be patient. Sam says she knows. What other choice does she have?
The nurse tells Chase, the ambulance is on its way from GH. He asks what Nelle was doing there, and the guard says, she’s on laundry duty. She was bringing in towels. Ryan says he can’t resist a pretty girl. It was the perfect storm; desire, bloodlust, and linens. Chase says Ryan is serving consecutive lifetimes, and Ryan says Chase is smarter than he looks. Chase says, goodbye, Mr. Chamberlain, and Ryan says, it’s Dr. Chamberlain. Chase is pretty sure Ryan lost his license, but Ryan says, while the MP is out, the PhD is forever. Give Nelle his best when he sees her.
Monica tells everyone that they’re going to try again to wean Lucas off the ventilator so he’s breathing on his own. They’re also going to taper off his medication, in hopes he comes out of it. Brook says, that’s good, right? and Monica says, it’s part of the process. The next few hours will be an indication of responsiveness, since he’ll have no sedation. Julian says, what if he’s not responsive? and Monica says, one step at a time. She’ll keep them posted. Brook says she’s going to find Bobbie, and Carly says she’ll get some food for her. Willow sits with Brad, and asks if he’s okay. It’s very promising. Brad says if he had a do-over, he’d make better choices. She says, about what? and he says he wishes he could take back everything that landed them in the car in the first place. She says, it was horrible, but it was an accident. What happened isn’t his fault. Julian listens in.
Brook finds Bobbie, and they hug. Bobbie says she came. It will be so nice for Lucas to have someone around that he grew up with. Brook says, Lucas grew up. Her, on the other hand… Bobbie says, wait until he wakes up. He’ll be so happy to see her. Brook says, her too.
Sonny says he doesn’t love what Michael is saying, but respects him saying it. Michael says, other people’s problems are easier to deal with than your own, and Sonny says, any problem in particular? Michael says, between the two of them, he’s been stalling deals at ELQ. They think he’s playing hardball, but he really hasn’t had enough time to prep. The few moments he has at his computer, he can hardly stay awake. Sonny says that’s because he’s trying to be all things to all people all at once. He can’t take care of everybody. He needs to take care of himself. Michael says, Wiley comes first, and Sonny says, Wiley is taken care of. Michael needs rest and sleep. He asks if Michael wants to stay there, but Michael says he’ll just get up when he hears Wiley. Sonny says it’s up to Michael, but he appreciates the straight talk about his dad. Sonny knows he doesn’t always make it easier, and Michael says, it helps that he’s not afraid of Sonny. Sonny asks, why would anyone be afraid of him? Michael says he can’t imagine. He tells Sonny that he loves him, and apologizes for being so hard on him. They hug, and Sonny says, it’s a lot harder on his dad.
Jason tells Ned that he’s not asking for a favor, and Ned says, good. That’s the quickest way to torpedo any chance of Sam getting out. Jason asks if there’s any way at all Ned can help, and Ned says if the board finds Sam worth of release, he can suggest they expedite it, if appropriate. Jason asks what the time frame is, but Ned says, the deliberation will take as long as it takes. If Jason wants to risk calling in his own favor to someone who owes him a debt, it’s his decision. Otherwise, he suggests being patient. Let it happen the way it’s supposed to happen.
Willow asks if there’s anything she can get Julian. He says, no, but he appreciates her being there. She says she needed to do something, and hopes she’s not in the way. He thinks Lucas would be touched at how well she’s taking care of his crazy family. Willow says there’s no place she’d rather be. Maybe he can give her some advice. He says he’ll try, and she says, Brad is holding himself responsible. It doesn’t matter what anyone says; he thinks it’s his fault, and she can’t reason with him. What she’s asking is, would Julian speak to him? Knowing Julian doesn’t blame him might help. Julian says he’ll talk to Brad, and try to make him understand why it happened.
Sonny goes to Turning Woods. Mike is ready to throw the dice, and says, papa needs a new pair of shoes. He gets a seven, and Sonny asks if it’s a private game, or can anybody play? Mike jumps up, and yells, stay away from my son, you SOB.
Nelle is wheeled into GH on a gurney. The nurse says she has a single stab wound to the abdomen and possible kidney damage. Nelle says please don’t let her die. Carly watches, and she’s like, whaaat?
Sam tells Alexis, the most aggravating thing is, Shiloh is dead, but they’re still fighting him. Alexis says, it’s unfair, and Sam says she keeps thinking about how it began. It started with her.
Jason tells Ned that he’ll stay the course. Ned was hoping Jason would see it that way. He’s really glad Jason came to see him. Grandfather used to say, family first, then business. Jason says, especially in business. He asks Ned to let him know if he hears anything. Michael arrives, and asks if everything is okay. Jason says, it’s fine, and asks how Lucas is. Michael says, there’s been no change, and Jason says he’s going to the hospital to check in. Michael asks him to let Carly know he’ll be there soon. He has ELQ business to finish. Jason leaves, and Ned says, forgive him, but Michael is looking ragged. Michael says he has a lot on his plate, and Ned says, the family is a rock, and business is a hard place, and there Michael is being crushed in between. Michael says, Ned speaks from experience, and Ned says he’s been where Michael is. ELQ, Lucas, and Wiley; it’s a lot. Let him help. Michael asks in what way, and Ned says since he lost the election, he’s had nothing but time on his hands. If Michael needs him to pick up the slack at ELQ, he’s available. Michael asks if Ned wants to take over ELQ.
Carly tries to go into the room where Nelle is, but a guard says she can’t. She says the woman in there used to be her daughter-in-law. Can he tell her what happened?
The doctor tells Nelle that he’s going to do an ultrasound to see how extreme the injury is. She tells him to hurry.
Carly tells the guard that she knows what confidentiality is. She sees Chase, and he asks how her brother is. She says, they’re cautiously optimistic, and asks what Nelle is doing there. He says, Ryan stabbed her, and she asks how he got access to her. Who thought it would be a good idea to put them together? He says, Ryan might have nicked her kidney. If he did, it’s a big deal; if not, they’ll stitch her up, and it’s back to Pentenville. Carly says, the sooner, the better. Chase goes in, and asks, how bad is it?
Mike tells Sonny, he doesn’t want him around there. Sonny says he doesn’t have to play; he’ll go. Josslyn tells Sonny not to leave. She says, he’s just a friend, and Mike says she’s new around there. Stay away from this guy; he’s filth. He tells Sonny, stay away from his son. His son could lose his life working for him – Joe Skully.
Josslyn tells Mike, good news; there’s been a mistake. He’s not Skully. Mike says, he is. He knows Skully when he sees him. Josslyn says he looks like Skully, but he’s not. She didn’t realize it when she invited him. Mike says she invited him? and Josslyn says, she and Dev both did. They wanted more players for craps. Dev says their friend’s name is Sonny, and Josslyn says, he’s a good guy. That’s why they decided to invite him. They thought he and Mike might hit it off. Mike tells Sonny, come sit with them. He’s sorry he got a little rough. He thought Sonny was someone else. Mike asks if Sonny knows Skully; he’s garbage. Sonny says he thought Mike was being too nice, and he and Mike laugh. Mike says he likes their friend. He was just looking out for his guy. He puts his arm around Dev. He asks if Sonny has kids, and Sonny says he does. Mike says, then he knows. They’re just playing for pennies; nothing serious. Sonny says, pennies work. Dev and Mike set up the game, and Josslyn asks if Sonny is okay. Sonny says, it’s just the disease talking.
The doctor tells Nelle, good news. There’s been no damage to her kidney. Chase asks, what’s next? and the doctor says he’ll patch up the wound, and she’s all his. Chase says he can’t wait. Nelle thanks the doctor, and he leaves. She says she knows things between her and Chase aren’t great. He says he doesn’t know what she means. Sure, she killed her fiancé, trashed his career, and almost killed one of his best friends, but it’s water under the bridge, right? She says he can be as standoffish as he wants, but he wouldn’t be there if he didn’t care. He says he does care; he needs her statement. She asks if he’s sure that’s all it is, and he says, pretty sure. The guard at Pentenville said she was delivering towels. Is that why she was in the infirmary? She says that’s her job. She’s proving she’s a good citizen, and has changed her ways. He says, yes or no, and she says, yes. She has two jobs, in the kitchen and in the laundry. He asks her to describe the attack, and she says she came in to restock towels, and Ryan was there by himself. When she dropped the towels off, and tried to get past him, he grabbed her. He ordered her to try and help him escape. He was going on about Ava, and Nelle was supposed to wheel him out in a laundry bin to the loading dock or he’d hurt her. Chase says, then what? and she says she obviously couldn’t let that happen, so she tried to get away and alert the guard, when he stabbed her. If Chase hadn’t come in when he did, she wouldn’t be there. He saved her life. He walks out, and Nelle doesn’t look happy.
Ned tells Michael that he was offering to pinch hit, not take over, and Michael says he was just kidding. Ned says Michael has a lot of plates in the air, and they’re all full. Once Lucas is in recovery, and things with Wiley are normalized, he’ll hand back the reigns. Michael says what Ned is suggesting is exactly what he was going to ask. He can’t do right by his family or ELQ if he overextends himself. He appreciates Ned picking up some of the work load. Ned says it’s his pleasure, and they shake hands. Ned tells Michael to have his office forward the necessary documents, and he’ll schedule a briefing to bring him up to speed. There is one issue they need to take care of sooner than later. The disposition of Oscar’s shares of ELQ.
Willow tries to hand Brad a protein bar, and says, eat this, but he says he can’t think of food right now. She says he has to keep up his strength. Lucas would want him to. He asks how she knows what Lucas would want, and she says, he’s right. Lucas wants him to pass out from hunger and lack of sleep when he wakes up. Brad says he knows she’s trying to help, and she says she knows they were going through a rough patch. He says that’s none of her business, and she asks if that’s where this is coming from. She wouldn’t have trusted them with Wiley if she didn’t think they’d be good parents. He tells her, stop being so damn nice to him. She doesn’t know the truth. He sees Julian standing there. Chase comes over, and Willow asks why he’s there. He says he was taking a statement from Nelle.
Mike says he had the luckiest streak ever, but Josslyn says, it was more than luck. It was his lethal combination of skills and expertise. Mike says he hates to play and run, and Sonny says Mike cleaned them out. Mike tells Dev to be a gentleman, and see Josslyn home. She can come back whenever she feels like it. She says she’ll do that. Mike says he’s tired, and tells Sonny, it was nice to meet him. Sonny says it was nice to meet Mike too. Mike goes to the desk, and Sonny asks Josslyn and Dev if they could wait outside. Josslyn tells Dev, that was kind of amazing; changing the craps rules so Mike would win every time. Dev says he was just following her lead. She’s amazing. They smile at each other. Mike tells Sonny, this where he gets off, and Sonny says he’ll walk Mike the rest of the way. Mike says his kid was right. Sonny is okay. If he wants to come back, he can do that.
Ned tells Michael, the lawyers think they’re close to solving the probate issues. Michael says, Shiloh is dead, and Oscar wanted the shares to go to the Kilimanjaro Foundation; it seems pretty straightforward. Ned says, the foundation will be funded, with or without the shares. The family will make sure of that. He’d like to acquire the shares for Olivia and Leo, and Michael asks if Ned wants to buy the shares, and Ned says, that’s the idea. Michael says there’s another scenario they haven’t considered. Shiloh was Wiley’s biological father. If probate decides that the shares were legitimately Shiloh’s, Wiley is his next of kin. If they go to the foundation, the family can reacquire them. Ned says he doesn’t think his grandfather’s stipulation was meant to go on in perpetuity. They’re not Shiloh’s shares anymore. Michael says that points back to the question of Ned buying them for Olivia and Leo. He’s too tired to think right now; let him sleep on it. Besides, the shares are still tied up in probate, so there’s no reason to rush. They’ll talk soon. Ned tells Michael, get some sleep.
Monica says, good news. Lucas is off the ventilator, and breathing on his own. Bobbie asks if he’s responding to stimuli, but Monica says, not yet. Although it’s not uncommon in cases like his. Julian asks, how long until Lucas wakes up? and Monica says they’re keeping a close eye on him. The next 24 hours are critical. Julian asks, why? and Bobbie says, the longer he stays in a coma, the less chance he has of waking up.
Alexis tells Sam not to blame herself. None of it is her fault. Sam says she’s been on Shiloh’s radar. DoD wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t drained his father’s bank account. Alexis says Shiloh would have been a predator no matter what, but Sam says she put it in motion, and her kids are suffering for what she did.
Brad asks what Chase means; Nelle is there. Chase says, Ryan stabbed her, and Brad asks if it’s life threatening. Chase says, he regrets to inform Brad, she’s going to recover. Brad says she belongs back behind bars, and Chase says, she will be, as soon as he can get her back. Brook watches them.
Carly tells Jason, it’s not fair. He says he knows, but there’s nothing they can do. She says, it’s wrong. Nelle killed her fiancé, almost killed Michael, and made her family’s life a living hell. Now her brother is fighting for his life because of another psycho. It’s wrong.
Nelle makes a call, and tells the guard that her family is going to be relieved to hear from her. She says, voicemail, and asks if he minds giving her privacy. He goes out to the hallway, and she says, Marty. It’s your favorite client. He’ll never guess where she is.
Tomorrow, Charlotte recognizes someone, Curtis tells Laura that it’s time to look closer to home, Peter says he did what he had to, and Sonny says Carly and Jax have been lying to him for weeks.
👠 On Project Runway, the designers were met with a giant door. Karlie Kloss popped out, and explained that their challenge was going to be inspired by the reimagined world of Cats. She told them that the latest perspective was that animal prints were the new neutral. I don’t think so, but okay. The contestants’ task was to create a chic street style look that was a fresh take on animal prints. Dayoung became ill, and was carted off, but she rallied the next day. Apparently, it was exhaustion and stress, that I’m sure was added to by her two-day challenge becoming a one-day challenge. Surprisingly, the other designers who had extra time, came to Dayoung’s aid and helped her finish. Except for Delvin, who just danced around. I thought most of the designs were pretty interesting, as well as wearable. Veronica, who hadn’t counted on some of the problems she grappled with, ended up making a romper that I thought was kind of cute, but Brandon said it was like an exotic diaper he didn’t want to see anyone wearing. Victoria continued to call faux leather fox leather, so I guess no one is going to correct that. I wasn’t crazy about her design, which had some kind of crisscross mess going on. Brandon said it looked like a snake had crawled into the garment. Victoria and Veronica both ended up the bottom two. One of the judges remarked that Marquise’s design was the only one they could actually see women wearing on the street. It was a sort of skort/blouse combo that definitely worked, except I don’t like when a garment has an uneven hem. I don’t mean a high/low or a handkerchief hem – love those – but this was like a sharp four inch difference on one side of the skirt, skort, or whatever it was – like a half shorts, half skirt is the best I can describe it. So, not for me. Maybe Delvin made the right choice by being selfish, since he ended up in the top two, along with Marquise, presenting a gorgeous peacock feather print coat dress. During the deliberation, Brandon suggested, rather than having been inspired by Cats, Veronica’s outfit was for the woman who has a cat. Meow! What’s interesting – although it might apply to a lot of competition shows – is that some of the designers have a definite presence. Like I (almost) know their names already. Yet some of the others seem invisible. When writing, I often refer to the photo list for the season (I’ve said it before, I suck with names, and think everyone should always wear a nametag), and I wonder where they were on the show. Tyler was a good example. Even though he was a low scorer, he got through, and I think it’s because of his power to wear the cloak of invisibility. Marquis was the big winner. One perk of winning is having the design manufactured, and sold on Bravo’s site, which I could see with this design and also last week’s jumpsuit. I’d even buy the jumpsuit, but I’m pretty sure it’s out of my Old Navy price range. Veronica was out, the judges feeling her garment was unfinished and not street enough, but it was a double-edged sword for her. She wanted to get home to her kid, but wishes she’d made it all worthwhile. I thought, she made it onto the show, and got her name out there. Isn’t that worthwhile? She did add, if you can walk away with being proud of who you are, you really did your best. So isn’t that worthwhile? Next time, the designers have an unconventional materials challenge, using Christmas decorations and wrapping.
🏡 Watch What Happens Live was a blast, the guests being the original case of The Brady Bunch, who have a gig going on HGTV. They began with the theme song, changing it to The Shady Bunch, and I literally lol’d. Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) gave a wonderfully insightful quote, when Andy asked if the show jumped the shark by introducing another child. A show is already in the toilet when you add a new cute kid. They just flush.
💃 Moving On…
I’m kind of surprised the court hasn’t politely asked Larissa to leave the country. Not that I think she should. I don’t think Coltie and his mommy treated her very well, and she should get a do-over. I’m just thinking, Juicy Joe committed a white collar crime, and has to put an ocean between himself and his family. It doesn’t seem very fair.
🚧 Due to pre-Christmas obligations, I’m not sure when Friday’s GH recap, et al, will be posted. I’ll try for Friday night (really the wee hours of Saturday morning), but it might have to wait until Saturday, depending.
🎁 Can’t Return This Present…
I don’t know if this would be considered a holiday song, but it’s certainly a gift. Warning: Inappropriate in every way.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Julian sits in ICU, and deliberately knocks a tray over. Alexis comes in, and asks, where’s Lucas? Julian says, it’s all his fault.
Olivia tells Ned that she has errands to run. She’s giving him some privacy, and hopes he gets to the bottom of what’s going on. He says he told her that he would. Brook walks in, and says he summoned her, so she came. Olivia says she’ll leave them to it. She tells Ned about watching the kids skate at Rice Park, and how nice it was with all the Christmas decorations. He says, speaking of Christmas, are they having the pleasure of keeping her through the holidays? Life on the road never stops. She says she doesn’t have a gig before New Year’s, and he asks why she fired her mom.
Willow sees Chase looking at his phone, and says, really? He says, sorry. There’s been a shooting at GH. She says, at the hospital? How bad is it? He says there’s only one victim, but the PCPD needs all hands on deck. She tells him, go, and asks him to do her a favor; check on Lucas. His family is always there for him, and Brad and Wiley. It’s amazing. Chase says, families are like that. There’s a knock at the door, and Chase opens it to find Harmony. She asks if he remembers her, and he says she’s Willow’s mother. Willow comes to the door, and asks what Harmony is doing there.
Carly tells Sonny they need to confirm Donna’s christening date, but Sonny suggests they postpone it. He’ll handle Father Flanagan. She doesn’t want to push it back indefinitely, and Sonny says they’ll do it soon. He wants to track down the doctor in Sweden for his dad.
Nelle asks Martin, what took so long? and he says he does have other clients. She asks if they’re giving him a crazy payout, and he says he had a rough night. He didn’t get much sleep, and was hoping for an early evening. She says she’s hoping to resume life outside of her cell, but he says he told her; he can’t do anything until her next parole hearing in sixteen months. She says he has to figure something out. She has to get out immediately – tonight.
Josslyn tells Michael that she can’t decide if Wiley is better off not understanding what’s gong on, or if that makes it scarier. Both of his fathers have disappeared. Michael says they’re surrounding Wiley with love while Lucas recovers. Josslyn says it’s important to stay positive with Lucas fighting for his life. He loves Brad and Wiley so much. Michael says, Wiley is easy to love. Brad… She laughs, and says she’s glad he’s her brother; she loves him. She wants to tell the people she loves how she feels while they’re still around to hear it. Michael says, good policy. He says he loves her too, and they hug.
Carly tells Sonny that she thought the trial wasn’t until March. Three months is a long time. They don’t know what condition Mike will be in by then. Sonny says the doctor he contacted is working on a drug to repair the damage done by Alzheimer’s. It concentrates on clearing the plaque from the brain. The sooner they get Mike on the drug, the sooner he can be ready for the trial. Josslyn comes in with Michael, and Sonny says, there’s still food left. Josslyn says she’ll have a snack before she visits Mike. Michael asks if it’s part of her love appreciation tour. Carly says she’ll take Josslyn to see Mike in the morning, Josslyn asks, why? and Sonny says, yeah; why?
Harmony says she’s obviously interrupting, but since she’s there, can she come in? Chase says, sure, and Willow says she’ll go get him a shirt. He says he hasn’t been alerted to any prison escape, so he assumes she was released. She says she got an early parole release because of overcrowding. She’s going to a rehabilitation center where she’ll need a job, have a curfew, and be closely monitored. Any violation, she’ll be sent back, but she has no intention of squandering her second chance. Willow comes back, and says she’s happy for Harmony. Harmony knows it’s inconvenient, but she was hoping to talk.
Alexis asks Julian how Lucas is, and he says, Lucas is getting an MRI to see if the swelling in his brain went down. She asks how Julian is holding up, and he says he’s worried about the swelling, and what happens when it goes down. What if Lucas can’t speak? What if he has to learn to walk again? What if he can’t practice medicine? Alexis tells him to stop tormenting himself. He has to have hope. Julian laughs, and Alexis says Lucas will wake up, and chase his baby again, and sing to him. And he’ll practice medicine again, because he’s strong, like his father.
Olivia sees Lulu at the hospital, and asks if there’s any news. Lulu says her mom went home, but she promised to let her know if anything changes. Olivia asks if Lucas is allowed visitors, but Lulu says, only family. Brook was not happy. She thought Brook would be going on tour starting yesterday.
Brook can’t believe her mom snitched. She didn’t know her mom and Ned still spoke. Ned says, anything for their pride and joy. She left L&B Records; why? She says she was tired of playing amusement parks, supper clubs, and malls. It wasn’t working out. He thought her new manager was aggressive, and she says, he’s a shark. Ned asks why she’s free until New Year’s. Maybe she was hasty in ditching her mom. She says she thought Lincoln had a hard-hitting launch strategy, but it hasn’t worked out. He says, it’s only been a few weeks. What could go wrong so fast?
Martin says if he had five dollars for every client who wasn’t guilty, had a medical condition, or a religious epiphany, he wouldn’t need her payout. She says she’s never seeing her son grow up, and he says, that has no bearing on it. She says, it should. Carly and Michael put her through hell. If she doesn’t act soon… He says, what? and she says they’re going to get the satisfaction of seeing her rot in prison. Martin says challenges don’t scare him, but clients who lie are another matter. He doesn’t like to lose. If she’s withholding information, she’s sabotaging herself, and him, she needs to tell him. Try again. Is there anything else she’s been keeping from him? Anything at all?
Carly asks if Michael is taking Josslyn to see Mike, but he says he has an ELQ meeting. He was checking on Wiley. He asks if it’s cool if he checks in on Donna, and Carly tells him, just be quiet. Carly says, if Josslyn is set on going tonight, she’ll take her, but Josslyn says Milo is already going to do it. She spent no time with Mike on Thanksgiving, and she wants to have a quick visit to tell him that she loves him. Carly says, that’s sweet, and Sonny says Mike will love to see her. Carly says, Mike is worse at night, and it’s late. Sonny says if she wants to go, go. Josslyn says she won’t stay if Mike’s not feeling up to it. She’s going to have a quick bite first. Sonny asks Carly, what was that about?
Nelle asks if Martin is promising to keep what she says secret, and he tells her not to disclose any illegal activities; he can’t be party to a crime. She says she was going to knock over a convenient store as soon as she’s out, and he says he’ll take that as sarcasm. Why the sudden urgency? She asks if he remembers her friend Brad from her parole hearing. He and his husband were in a terrible car accident. Fortunately, Brad is okay, but his husband is in a coma. Martin says he’s sorry to hear that, but what does it have to do with her? She says, they have a young son, Wiley, and without Lucas to help, Brad will be overwhelmed, which he’s prone to do. Legal services might get involved, and take the baby. Martin says, by no jurisprudence would she be given the child. She says, who said anything about give?
Harmony tells Willow that she has a nice place. She’s not pretending they still don’t have healing to do, over what Harmony put Willow through with Shiloh. Willow says she doesn’t even like hearing his name, and Harmony says she won’t dredge it up, but she wants the chance to make amends. She wants to show Willow that she’s not that woman anymore. Willow asks why she’s still calling herself Harmony, and Harmony says, she tried to go back to Lorraine, but she’s not that person anymore. She still uses Willow. Willow says she changed her name to escape Shiloh; Harmony is the name her mother took for him. Harmony says, he was toxic. Following him and getting involved with DoD was the second worst mistake of her life. Willow asks, what was the first? and Harmony says, pressuring Willow to join, and handing her over to Shiloh. She completely failed Willow. Willow says they weren’t going to rehash it. Harmony messed up, and Shiloh took advantage of her, but to revisit the pain is to give him power. Why did she keep the name? Harmony says her life as Harmony was more than him. She built a community center in Beecher’s Corners. She did things that were good, and that she’s still proud of. Willow says that’s true; she did some good. Harmony says she’s focusing on her strength, and not her weakness and exploitation as a blind follower. She wants to be her true self, including being the mother Willow deserves. She asks Willow to let her.
Lulu tells Olivia, Brook staying in Port Charles is the last thing she needs in her life, although she knows Olivia is the one who has to live with her. Olivia says, Brook has her good points. Leo adores her, and she spiced up Thanksgiving. Lulu says, about that. She’s sorry for what she said about Dante. Olivia says Brook pushed her until she snapped. Brook is just like her grandmother, and Olivia has been there and done that. Lulu asks how Dante is doing, and Olivia says it’s probably nothing Lulu wants to hear about. Lulu asks what she means, and Olivia says she’s been writing to Dante, and Robert’s been forwarding the letters. She got them back, unopened, with a note saying he doesn’t want her to contact him. Lulu says she’s sorry; it must be devastating. Olivia says it drives home the point that she’s powerless to help her kid. She can pray and be patient. Brook is Ned’s child, and needs her father right now. She’s jealous. She’d give anything to be able to help Dante.
Brook says her new manager just hasn’t gotten to her yet, and Ned says she needs to be clear about what she wants. Brook says what she made clear was what she wasn’t going to do for her career. He says, it’s the busiest booking time, but she says she doesn’t regret firing her mom. Brook loves her, but she’s not the best manager. Lincoln’s not either. Ned was right about the music business. She asks him to help her out of this mess, and he asks to see her contract.
Alexis tells Julian, she knows what it’s like to be waiting and praying for a sick child. How can she help? Does anyone know why Lucas lost control of the car? Julian says, the undercarriage has too much damage. They know the brakes failed, but don’t know why. Alexis says the forensics department is excellent. They will find out what happened. He can at least take heart in that.
Carly tells Sonny that Griff was clear about Mike’s condition. Sonny says Griff told them Mike wasn’t in the final stage yet, and there was still hope. Carly wonders if he heard something entirely different than she did. Mike hasn’t declined physically, but it’s doubtful that his mental deterioration will stop, much less reverse. He asks what she wants him to do; give up hope? She says, instead of running around trying to find a cure, enjoy the good days while he has them. Sonny says, and just watch Mike deteriorate? Carly thinks it’s better than putting Mike through experimental treatment that he can’t consent to, and won’t understand. Sonny says he’s not sitting around watching his father die, and Carly says, his dad; his call. Sonny says, sorry. He knows his dad has good days and bad days, but he doesn’t think there’s any harm in trying to find ways to help him.
Willow tells Harmony that she’s not up to a big conversation. She has a lot going on. Harmony says she can tell something is wrong. If living with Chase isn’t working out… Willow says she and Chase are fine. Why did she jump to that conclusion? Harmony says she’s sensitive to a man running a woman’s life, and Willow says, Chase is amazing and supportive. Harmony says, good. As long as Willow is happy. She hopes in time, Willow will trust her to be supportive too. Willow says, Wiley’s fathers were in a car accident, and Harmony asks if they’re okay. Willow says, Brad had minor injuries, but Lucas is in a medically induced coma. Harmony asks if Wiley was in the car, and Willow says, no, thank God. He’s with his godfather now, and he’s generous and giving. Harmony wonders if Willow thinks she could meet her grandson, but Willow says Wiley isn’t her grandson.
Lulu sees Chase, and asks, what’s going on? He says, there was a shooting in the OR. Is that why Lulu is there? She says she’s there in case there’s news about Lucas, so Bobbie can get some rest. She asks about the shooting, but Chase says he can’t comment on an ongoing investigation. Lulu says, what about off the record? and he says he’s willing to talk to her, but only if the entire conversation stays off the record. She tells him, nothing he says will show up in The Invader. He says the gunman was in the OR, where Franco was sedated. He attacked Andre, and they struggled. A bystander was drawn to the commotion, and shot the gunman with his own gun. Lulu asks if he has any names, but he says he can’t disclose them, even off the record.
Alexis tells Julian, he has resources and needs to use them. He can’t take this on by himself. Julian says it’s his burden to carry, but she says he has people who love and want to support him. He says he doesn’t deserve that much, and she says she knows how he responds when he’s in pain. He withdraws and shuts down. Don’t do that this time. When he isolates and tries to go it alone, he gets in trouble.
Martin says it’s noble of Nelle to want to help her friend, but it’s not a compelling reason for the parole board to give her an early release. She pleaded no contest to attempted murder, among other charges. Even the sixteen months is vanishingly small. An early release is non-existent. She says what about a sort of special consideration; like a medical one. She only has one kidney. The other was ripped out of her against her will. He says he knows, but it’s not like her life is in danger. She says, interesting. Thanks, Marty. She’ll be in touch. On her way back, she steps into Ryan’s room. She asks if she’s bothering him, but he says he loves their conversations.
Josslyn asks what happened to Michael’s meeting? and Michael says, nothing. He was watching Wiley and Donna sleep, and they were so peaceful. She says he saw how freaked out Mike got when he didn’t recognize her. Then Sonny freaked out about that, and Carly freaked out about Sonny. Michael says, they’re having problems, and Josslyn says, they get defensive when things get tense. She knows it’s not fair to ask, but he’s the best referee they have, so does he think he can talk to them? Michael says it’s his big brother job to be there when she needs him, so he’ll try, but he can’t make any promises. He says, something he learned when growing up is that sometimes when their parents are out of sync, they pull in different directions. It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. The impulse is to want to fix it, but it doesn’t work that way. They have to figure it out for themselves.
Ned says Brook signed a five year deal without consulting a lawyer? What was she thinking? She says her career was stalled. She needed a change, and Lincoln puts out great hits. He says he might believe that if she was a naïve eighteen-year-old, fresh off the bus from Kansas, but she grew up in the music business. She’s a Quartermaine. Even AJ knew better. She says, Mr. drunk driver who faked his own death lifetime loser?
Olivia asks if Alexis saw Lucas, but Alexis says he’s having tests run. She was just with Julian in the ICU. Olivia asks how he’s doing, and Alexis says, he’s a wreck. Olivia says she put a call in to Alexis’s office. She wants to talk about Charlie’s. She’s going to call off the lawsuit. She doesn’t care. Life is too short to bicker about money. Alexis thinks it might give Julian a boost. The accident is hitting him especially hard.
Chase asks if it’s still off the record, and tells Lulu that there’s been an ID on the victim, but he has no apparent link to Andre or Franco. Lulu asks if he’s a hired gun, and Chase says, it’s possible. He’s an ex-con, so Chase is going to pull his record and see if anything turns up. He says he’s not going to read about this anywhere, is he? She promises he won’t.
Nelle asks Ryan how the infection is, and he says, painful. The medic insisted it was self-inflicted, but the entire facility is one big unsanitary mess. One wayward step could be catastrophic. She’s the one bright spot in this whole wretched place. She says she feels the same way. She’s glad they became friends. They are, right? He says, abs totes. She says there’s something he can do for her; he’s the only one there who can do it. The one person who betrayed her, she thought she could trust… He says, Michael, the man she tried to kill. She says he stabbed her in the back. Not literally like Ava did to Ryan, but it was devastating nonetheless. He asks what she wants, and she says she wants him to punch her ticket out of there.
Olivia goes into ICU, and Julian says, Bobbie will be back later. She says she came to see him. Leo wants to tell Julian that he loves him very much. He asks what she told Leo about Lucas, and she says she told Leo that Lucas was hurt, but Julian is looking after him. Leo said he wanted to visit, but Julian says, it’s probably not a good time.Lucas is on a ventilator. Olivia says she’s praying for him. She’s good at praying. Julian can come by anytime and visit Leo. Julian says he’s not good for anyone right now. the kids are better off without him.
Willow tells Harmony that Wiley is Brad and Lucas’s son, and they’re allowing her in his life on a limited basis. Harmony says they must be grateful that she entrusted them with Wiley, then went above and beyond to protect him. Willow says she respects their boundaries, and she’s not comfortable with Harmony seeing Wiley without permission. Harmony says she’ll follow Willow’s lead when it comes to Wiley. She’s just thankful to be part of Willow’s life.
Carly asks what Michael is still doing there. Doesn’t he have a meeting? Michael says he’s just going over Oscar’s shares with Ned, and they live in the same house. He has more pressing business there. Is his dad okay? Carly says he saw what happened on Thanksgiving. Mike has deteriorated. The good days are fewer, and it’s hard to know the right thing to do. She tells him to be with his dad while she has to go to the hospital. His dad will be happy to have company.
Ryan says Nelle’s plan could work, but what’s in it for him? Nelle says Chase confiscated Ryan’s picture of Ava from the Crimson cover. She can replace it with photos of Ava at the gallery, getting coffee, walking through Rice Plaza. She can be his link; his eyes and ears to the woman he loves and Port Charles. He says she might be on to something, and she says, so help her. He says her plan has merit, but could use a few modifications.
Lulu says, Lucas’s brakes failing saved Alexis’s life, and Alexis asks if she’s writing about it. Lulu promises not to sensationalize it. it must have been something to realize Kendra was Kendra Bower. Alexis says, it was a lot to process. She can give Lulu a quote, and Lulu says, that would be great. Alexis says Dr. Neil Bern and Julian Jerome arrived at the accident site when she wasn’t able to summon help. Julian found the other car, and summoned help. He played a pivotal role saving lives.
Brook comes into the hospital, and sees Julian. He says, oh, it’s her, and she says she’s not a hooker. She just offered to be nice to a total stranger. She won’t make that mistake again. Carly joins them, and asks Brook how life is as a Quartermaine. Julian says, she’s a Quartermaine? and Carly says, she’s Ned’s daughter, and Leo’s step-sister. Brook says Julian is Leo’s dad? There’s zero resemblance; he looks like Dante. He says he’s Leo’s biological dad. Small world. Carly asks if they know each other, and Brook says they met briefly.
Ned asks Olivia how it went, and she says Lucas was still getting tests. She hopes he doesn’t mind, but she told Julian that he could come over anytime to see Leo. Ned says he feels bad for Julian. No matter how old a child is, they’re still your child, and you’d still do anything to protect them. Olivia asks how it went with Brook, and he says he started by helping, and ended up comparing her to AJ. She says, that bad? and he says his darling daughter is in way over her head.
Willow asks Harmony to give her word that Wiley is off-limits. Harmony says she won’t go near Wiley unless and until she has Willow’s permission. Willow asks if she’d like to see a picture, and shows Harmony her phone. Harmony says, he’s so handsome, and Willow says she likes to think so. He’s very bright, and has the sweetest smile. Harmony says she should get going; she doesn’t want to be late checking in. She’ll be in touch. She tells Willow that she loves her. Willow says she loves Harmony too, and they hug.
Sonny asks Michael if everything is okay, and Michael says being with Wiley made him realize how much he wanted to spend time with his own dad. He thinks of Wiley as a baby, and all of a sudden he’s standing and climbing. It’s crazy how time goes by. Michael is going to blow past huge moments in his life if he’s not careful, and he doesn’t want that to happen to him and Sonny. Sonny says, it won’t. Michael is a lot wiser than he was. He always has been. If Sonny could get back a fraction of the time he wasted with his dad; the years of fighting, their years apart, the years he wanted to reach out, but didn’t. Now he just has a little bit of time left. Sonny’s phone rings, and he says it’s the international call he’s been waiting for on treatment for his dad. He answers, and asks if the doctor got the information on his dad.
At Pentenville, there’s a scream, and Chase runs toward it. He busts into the room to find Nelle lying on the floor, and Ryan standing over her with a bloody scalpel in his hand.
Tomorrow, Brad wishes he could take back everything that led up to the accident, Sam has no other choice, Michael asks Sonny if this is what Mike would want, Mike asks Josslyn to help break him out, and Ryan says it’s not what it looks like.
The Real Housewives of Dallas
Bangkok. When Kameron gets back to the room, LeeAnne asks if she has any clue how many sex workers they saw. Kameron asks why LeeAnne is yelling at her. LeeAnne says Kary has to prove how tough she is because she’s from Mexico. Kameron asks why LeeAnne went, and LeeAnne says Kary wanted to go; she was just another member of the group. Kameron says she and Kary ran out; it took them a few minutes to get out. LeeAnne says she voiced that she didn’t want to go. She went because everyone else was going. Kameron says, then LeeAnne yelled at her. In Kameron’s interview, she says she was never yelled at by a grown up. LeeAnne says, it was an upsetting situation, and Kameron asks again why she went. LeeAnne says she wasn’t leaving people she cared about in a place where they had no clue how dangerous it was. Who would protect them? It bothers her when she can’t protect people. In her interview, Kameron asks if she missed something. Where is this all coming from? LeeAnne says she worries about Kameron, and doesn’t want her exposed to sh*t she shouldn’t be exposed to. Kameron says she didn’t even know there was such a thing. She’d never heard of a ping-pong show. When she realized what it was, she wanted out of there. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says Kameron being in the red light district in Thailand is not acceptable in Dallas society. It would be like Laura Bush walking out of a nudie bar. LeeAnne says, the chirpy little Mexican had to have her way, so she drug them there. In Kameron’s interview, she says, you can’t do that; put a verb or noun before a nationality. But the last thing she’s going to do is call LeeAnne on it. She’s not acting like a sane person. LeeAnne says Kameron would never catch her lying or putting Kameron in an unsafe environment.
Kary tells D’Andra that she’s tired, and D’Andra says she’s never going to drink again. She was hit by a ping-pong ball. That dress is going in the trash. Kary says she didn’t think they were going to be part of the show, and D’Andra says it wasn’t what she thought it was at all. Then LeeAnne turned it around, saying they were supporting sex workers. In D’Andra’s interview, she says Kameron was fine in the car, and after they came back, she went to the roof for a drink with the others. She got a text from LeeAnne, saying Kameron was upset. When she got to the room, Kameron said LeeAnne claimed it was going to ruin her reputation. Kary says, Kameron didn’t want to go back with LeeAnne, now LeeAnne is saying, if she’d only listened, she wouldn’t have put herself in that position. D’Andra says, everyone was adults, and Kary says she actually thought it was ridiculous to make Kameron feel guilty. In Kary’s interview, she says the red light district in Thailand is a big tourist attraction. It’s like Times Square in New York. Of course it’s safe. I don’t even know where to start with those statements. D’Andra thinks LeeAnne feels threatened because of Kary’s friendship with Kameron. Kary says, that’s her problem.
Travis arrives at the hotel. He goes to Stephanie’s room, saying, honey, I’m home. Stephanie says, it was a long night, and he asks if they did anything fun. Stephanie says they saw a ping-pong show, and Brandi demonstrates, saying the first act was just shooting them out of her butt. Stephanie says she toots a lot; maybe she could do that. He asks if Kameron went, and Brandi says she had fun. Stephanie says Kameron was laughing. Brandi excuses herself to go to the bathroom, and Stephanie asks about Travis’s dad. Travis says he hasn’t been able to get ahold of him all week. In Stephanie’s interview, she says, tomorrow they’re going to Viet Nam to see if his father is okay, and find out what they need to do to get him home. Travis says he doesn’t think his father is taking his medicine. He knows kind of where his father is at, and it’s only a few miles from where they’re staying. In her interview, Stephanie says she has to be strong for Travis.
In her interview, Kameron says she feels blindsided by LeeAnne. She thought they had a good relationship, but she saw a side of LeeAnne that she’s never seen, and it’s not a good side to be on. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, going to the red light district triggered bad things for her. She guarantees if she didn’t have God in her life, she’d be on a pole doing what they’re doing, and she doesn’t want to face that. She’s upset because she made Kameron cry, and for some reason, Kary has completely muted Kameron’s empathy button toward her. It’s a painful, lonely place to be. She goes to get a massage.
Kary goes to Kameron and D’Andra’s suite. Kary says she’s tired, and Kameron says she’s cross-eyed. Kameron asks how D’Andra looks so good on three hours sleep. Kameron says LeeAnne was crying this morning. She said she’s going to take a massage, then she’s coming back to watch cartoons and take a nap. I hope they’re at least weird Thailand cartoons. In Kameron’s interview, she’s relieved LeeAnne isn’t going shopping. She needs to get some air after the flames that came out of LeeAnne’s mouth last night.
Kameron says she’s excited about going to the market; they can go to the pool any day. We see a clip of Stephanie telling the women they can go shopping or hang out by the pool the next day. In Kary’s interview, she says she’s found amazing pearls for her jewelry there. It’s special for her to do this with her girlfriends. She negotiates a price on some triangular-shaped handbags for the three of them. In her interview, she says, negotiating is part of the Mexican culture. She’s tried in the states, but got in trouble trying to negotiate with the cops, asking them how much they wanted for a ticket.
Stephanie calls the desk, and asks if someone can meet her by the pool. She wants something super romantic with strawberries and champagne. Like she’s getting engaged.
Kary, D’Andra, and Kameron go to a jewelry store. D’Andra asks if Kary buys beads to make her pieces, and Kary says she buys what she likes, then creates what she wants. D’Andra also buys some jewelry. She says she doesn’t understand what happened last night. They were happy and having fun, then LeeAnne was yelling and screaming. Kameron says, LeeAnne is so dramatic. She can’t remember the words LeeAnne was using, but LeeAnne caught her off guard. LeeAnne was screaming, and she didn’t know what to do. She wondered why LeeAnne was yelling at her. In Kameron’s interview, she says dogs who are violent growl before they bite. LeeAnne is a silent biter with no warning before the bite. That’s a scary dog. Kameron wondered what she did, and where this was coming from. D’Andra says, you can be either for or against it, but don’t have a good time, then say it was a bad choice, and make someone else feel bad. Kary says LeeAnne is guilting Kameron. It’s manipulation. She’s trying to make Kameron feel guilty about not doing what LeeAnne wanted. D’Andra says LeeAnne is jealous because she didn’t bank on Kameron and Kary being good friends. D’Andra asks if LeeAnne has said anything bad about Kary, and we flash back to that. Kameron says the only thing LeeAnne said was that she thought Kary didn’t like her at first. In Kameron’s interview, she says, it’s not the right moment, and could ruin the rest of the trip. There’s already enough tension, and no need to pour gasoline on the fire. Kameron says she has to let LeeAnne know that it’s okay for her to be friends with Kary. It’s not going to change anything. She thinks they need to have that conversation, so LeeAnne can feel more secure and not doubt it. Kary says, it’s not okay. She doesn’t think it’s fair. Real friends don’t do that.
In Stephanie’s interview, she says, being in a foreign land brings out her romantic side. She doesn’t get to show it often, and wants to share it with someone she loves. There are rose petals around one of the lounge chairs, and champagne on a side table. Stephanie blindfolds Brandi, and brings her to the pool. In her interview, Stephanie says things have been hard with the adoption, and she wants today to be special for Brandi. She tells Brandi to bite, and Brandi bites into a strawberry. She caresses Brandi’s face with a banana, dips it in chocolate, and tells her to bite. Brandi is concerned about what Stephanie is going to put in her mouth, but she does. In Brandi’s interview, she she’s definitely not romantic, and doesn’t let Brian do that stuff. She prefers a joke being played on her to being romantic. However, when Stephanie does it, it’s a different story. We flash back to their bubble bath two seasons ago. They clink glasses. Stephanie says, last night was definitely a situation. She thinks LeeAnne was uncomfortable. Brandi thinks LeeAnne is full of sh*t. She gave LeeAnne the benefit of the doubt, but she tries to bring everything down, and she thinks it’s just because of Kameron being friends with Kary. Stephanie thinks LeeAnne feels like she’s losing control, and it scares her. Brandi hopes Kameron stands up for herself if she’s not being treated well. Brandi says Kameron could be scared of LeeAnne; a lot of people are. Travis jumps into the pool, and splashes them.
The women get dressed up for dinner. D’Andra asks if Kameron has seen LeeAnne, and Kameron thinks she’s showering. LeeAnne goes to Stephanie and Brandi’s room, and they leave together. Travis lies down on the couch with the remote.
No surprise, the restaurant isn’t nearby. They’re seated in a rooftop area. In Stephanie’s interview, she says, since it’s their last night, they’re going to a fancy restaurant that Travis recommended. She checked, and there are no condoms. They sit, and Kary asks if LeeAnne stayed home. LeeAnne says she had a 90-minute massage. There’s a revolving piece in the middle of the table, and Kameron plays with it, nearly knocking LeeAnne’s drink over. LeeAnne says Kameron can be mad, but don’t screw with her drink. Kameron says she’s not mad, and D’Andra says LeeAnne was upset last night. Kameron says, really, really upset. LeeAnne took her anger out on her. Kary says, it’s not fair to do that to Kameron. Why did LeeAnne go there? LeeAnne says it felt safer if they all stuck together. Kary says they don’t need her to save them. They’re all friends; it’s not like LeeAnne is a superhero. LeeAnne says she’s not trying to be a hero. Kameron said she wanted to go, and she wanted to make sure Kameron was safe. Kary says LeeAnne shouldn’t make Kameron feel guilty about it, and LeeAnne says she didn’t want to make Kameron cry. Kary says, but she did, and LeeAnne thanks her for pointing it out. She says she apologized several times, and doesn’t know what else to do. Kary feels that LeeAnne is being manipulative because Kameron didn’t do what LeeAnne wanted her too. LeeAnne says Kary is wrong, and asks if Kary thinks her intention was to make Kameron cry. Kary says she wanted to make Kameron feel guilty. Kameron thinks LeeAnne’s past makes her more aware of what’s going on. LeeAnne overreacted because of her past. Last night brought back memories, and LeeAnne got out of control. In D’Andra’s interview, she thinks Kameron is somewhat brainwashed by LeeAnne. She’s defending LeeAnne when she’s wrong, and Kameron looks like an idiot for having LeeAnne’s back. Food comes, and D’Andra says LeeAnne is threatened because Kameron and Kary are getting along so well. She’s protective and territorial when it comes to friends. LeeAnne says she is protective of her friends, not territorial; there’s a difference. She didn’t want Kameron to regret going. D’Andra says she put it in Kameron’s head that she would regret it. Kameron says LeeAnne mentioned that someone might get the wrong perception if people knew she’d gone to the show. In Kameron’s interview, she says LeeAnne implied that her reputation would be ruined. She thought about it, and she was only there for two minutes. She made a bad decision. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, Dallas is a very judgy town, and Kameron’s reputation could take a hit. D’Andra says LeeAnne explained it in a way that got Kameron upset, and snarks at LeeAnne. LeeAnne asks if D’Andra wants to throw down on the roof. D’Andra says she’ll throw LeeAnne’s ass off the roof, which I find highly doubtful. LeeAnne says, please. D’Andra already pushed her. In her interview, LeeAnne says she’s not D’Andra’s mama or her empty bank account. Back up. Brandi asks if Kameron is afraid of LeeAnne; be honest. Kameron insists it’s okay if she goes against Leeanne or if LeeAnne is upset with her. LeeAnne says she let Kameron do what she wanted, and Kary makes a big deal of LeeAnne saying let, telling LeeAnne, thank you, mom. Kameron asks if they think she’s LeeAnne’s pet, and gets silence. D’Andra says she’s trying to process. When they were shopping, she was confused as to LeeAnne’s motive. Kameron says she never said there was a motive; they brought it up. Brandi is having a hard time believing there’s no jealousy, and Kameron says, anxiety maybe. Brandi says their girls night out turned south for no reason, like the elephant sanctuary. They were having an amazing time, and it turns around to be about LeeAnne. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, wtf? Literally. She thought she and Brandi were getting along fine. LeeAnne asks Brandi, how? Because she was heartbroken over the elephants, and had a different reaction? Brandi says, everything turns into a negative experience. LeeAnne is constantly the victim. D’Andra says it’s not always about LeeAnne. Stephanie asks Kameron if she’s okay, and Kameron says she is. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she and Kameron fought somewhat, but they’re getting along now, and she’s not jumping in. That’s Kameron’s responsibility. LeeAnne says she’s sorry her personal story irritates and upsets Brandi. D’Andra repeats, I’m the victim, like twenty times. LeeAnne says she related to the elephants. She’s sorry that’s tragic and self-serving. Whoever wants her to leave the dinner table, raise their hands. D’Andra says, once again, LeeAnne is the victim. Just listen and understand. Brandi gets up and leaves.
In her interview, Brandi says she tried to go with the flow, but she’s had enough negativity. LeeAnne has ruined moments over and over. We flash back to LeeAnne talking about her past, and Brandi says she doesn’t want to be around it anymore. LeeAnne apologizes again to Kameron for what got started. D’Andra says, exactly, and LeeAnne says she was talking to Kameron. D’Andra doesn’t need to jab at her. D’Andra says she was just confirming what LeeAnne said, and Kary leaves. Stephane says, two down. She feels like everything got heated, and LeeAnne says, it didn’t start that way.
Kary and Brandi get drink at a teeny tiny table on the roof. At the dinner table, Stephanie says, it’s like the last supper from hell. Kameron asks if LeeAnne feels ganged up on. More food comes. In her interview, Kameron says it’s not that she doesn’t agree with some of their points, but she doesn’t want to pile dirt on top of LeeAnne. She’ll always be LeeAnne’s friend. Brandi tells Kary that Kameron can’t stand up for herself, and she couldn’t do it. In the past, she’s thought Kameron was LeeAnne’s puppet. When LeeAnne would hurt someone else, Kameron would say she’d never seen LeeAnne do that or lie right in front of her. Leeanne tells Kameron that she’d never lie or hurt her, and Kameron says nothing will affect their relationship. LeeAnne says she feels like she hurt Kameron, and D’Andra says, this is silly; it’s not a big deal. LeeAnne says then why did she make it a big deal? LeeAnne feels guilty for making Kameron cry, and she’s sorry D’Andra doesn’t feel guilt when she hurts a friend.
Brandi tells Kary that LeeAnne has done that before, saying someone has done something to ruin their reputation. She said it to Stephanie about hanging out with her. We flash back to LeeAnne telling Stephanie that Brandi is going to ruin Stephanie doing charity work. Brandi says she did it to D’Andra last year. Kary says LeeAnne is not a good person or friend. Brandi doesn’t see how Kameron can excuse it when it happened to several of them. Stephanie says she’s tired. She’s glad that LeeAnne made up with Kameron last night, but then it escalated at the market. LeeAnne leaves the table. In her interview, she says she’s back where she started, and she doesn’t know how she keeps getting there. D’Andra says, everything doesn’t have to be dramatic. She can’t take the way LeeAnne is carrying on. It’s getting to be stupid. Stephanie clinks glasses with Kameron. Kameron thanks Stephanie for the girls trip. They check out what LeeAnne was eating, since she left the bulk of it. In Kameron’s interview, she says she feels for someone leaving the table, but come on. Her rule is, you retreat, I’m gonna eat. Stephanie gets up and goes out the door backward, bowing. D’Andra tells Kameron to get a good night’s sleep, and also leaves. Kameron says, and then there was one.
I’m desperate to go to Thailand but not with any of these people. Maybe Kameron. Definitely no one from the Jersey Wives.
Kameron goes back to the suite, and sees LeeAnne in her bedroom. She says, hey, girl, and LeeAnne closes the door in Kameron’s face. Kameron asks, why lock her out? Why not talk about it? In her interview, LeeAnne says she doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s over it. Kameron asks why LeeAnne has a problem with her, and LeeAnne says she just doesn’t want what they say to go to the group. It comes back to bite her in the ass. They want Kameron to be afraid of her. Kameron asks why she’d be afraid. They made up. It escalated because of other people insecurity they’re afraid. It escalated because other people got involved. She didn’t think that was going to happen. It became everyone’s business to deal with their problem. LeeAnne doesn’t understand why. She doesn’t care who’s friends with whom; that’s not who she is. But she can’t be the one who’s constantly picked on by everybody. Please tell her it was unanimous, and Stephanie didn’t have her back either. Kameron says Stephanie didn’t say one word; she was not involved. LeeAnne is sure Kary will want to switch seats, so she can talk to Kameron. Everybody is going to be fake nice her on the plane. Kameron says she hates the fakeness, and LeeAnne says, tell them all to jump off the plane.
They pack. In D’Andra’s interview, she says she’s disappointed in Kameron. She wanted Kameron to see for herself, and be vocal about her feelings, but she let LeeAnne slide. Why can she call out everyone else’s behavior, and LeeAnne gets a free pass? In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s ready to be home with her dogs husband. She doesn’t want to talk to anybody. She just wants to get in her seat on the plane, and be home.
Stephanie asks Travis when they’re leaving tomorrow, and he thinks around one. She says, last night’s dinner was awkward. She wants to be a good hostess, and make sure everyone is good. She’s seeing them off in the lobby. She brings Brandi some French fries, and says she’ll miss her. Brandi says she’s excited to get home. She misses her kids. Cheer tryouts are coming up, and she’s having a party. She’s included everyone, so they’ll see. In her interview, Brandi says they’re celebrating the one year anniversary of Bruin’s adoption. It’s crazy how life can change in a year. She can’t imagine not having Bruin in the family. Stephanie hugs Brandi goodbye, and goes to wait in the lobby. She thanks everyone as they come through. LeeAnne says Stephanie won’t have to come on that miserable flight.
In Stephanie’s interview, she says, the trip started with good expectations, but in the end, it s*cked big d*ck… Just like the lady boy show.
Next time – the finale – Brandi’s party, D’Andra tells LeeAnne to own her sh*t, D’Andra tells Mama Dee that the company is going to take a turn for the better, and LeeAnne is accused of being a racist.
🌴 On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the women were still Jamaica. They swam with the dolphins, which probably terrified the dolphins, even though Teresa said she wasn’t a fan of animals she didn’t know. Surprisingly, their final dinner was non-eventful. Dare I say peaceful? Dolores and Jackie made up, sort of, and Dolores admitted she had been a d-bag harsh. The biggest thing that happened was Teresa telling the women that Danielle had slept with Marty, despite their impending divorce. This prompted Marge to call Joe #3, who was now a buddy of Marty’s, even though Joe pushed him in the pool last season. Or the one before. I don’t remember. Joe wasn’t picking up, so the women encouraged Marge to call Marty, which she did, but he denied, denied, denied, saying Danielle was looking to get out of having to buy him out or get out, since apparently, they were still living together. It didn’t take two seconds before Danielle was calling Teresa, saying she didn’t want to talk about this, and hanging up. No doubt, Marty had texted her. The saddest thing was Teresa, going through old family photos with her girls, reminiscing about when their family was whole. In her interview, Teresa said the girls’ father had made mistakes, but deporting him was going to punish the children. Sadly, I agree with Melissa, who told Joe #2 that she thought the court would make an example of Joe #1. Yep. Court is one time your celebrity (albeit D list) name could work against you. Sure enough, Joe’s appeal was denied. Ever the wiser but sadder one, Gia said it was hard for her to watch Adriana, because she had so many memories of her father, while Adriana had so few. They flashed back to better times with the family, so it ended on a bummer of a note. I have no clue what happens next time.
And I’ve seen some dumb sh*t. In front of horrified onlookers? Really? And if the banana is the idea, how about just paying the artist with an idea of money?
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
So here’s what happened, I’m guessing just on the east coast. When I turned on GH, it was breaking news, but actually relevant to my area – a shooting in Jersey City. Okay. I get them breaking in for that, especially since it was ongoing and they hadn’t apprehended or killed the suspects at that point in time. Nevertheless, because it’s my job – albeit a volunteer one that I created for myself – I went on the hunt. Here you go.
Scotty asks Elizabeth if Andre said how long it’s going to take, but she says, no. He wonders if they’re just going to sit around, staring at the clock, and asks Cameron how long it took Shiloh and Cabot to scramble Franco’s brain. Cameron says he guesses he was too scared to notice.
Andre tells Franco/Drew that he’s an incredibly brave man. If this works, it’s the last time he’ll know himself. Andre will do his best to make sure the sacrifice isn’t in vain. The program is almost ready.
Peter runs into the hospital. Laura says she needs a word with him, and he asks if it can wait. She says it can’t. It’s city business, and it’s urgent.
At the MetroCourt, Anna hugs Griff. She’s glad to see him, but sorry for the circumstances. She knows he and Lucas were friends. They sit, and she asks how he is. He says, glad to have her back in town. She says she was gone too long, and he says he bets Finn is thrilled. She says Finn had a bit of a surprise for her. It turns out he has a daughter with Hayden. He says, what?! and she says she reacted that way too. He just found out about her; her name’s Violet. He asks how Finn is taking it, and she says, it’s hard being thrust into the role of a father. Griff says he remembers, and she says, that’s right. The same thing happened to him with Charlotte.
Nina holds out her hand to Ava, and asks if Ava will take down the Cassadine boys with her. Ava says, no thanks. She has zero interest in partnering with Nina. Nina asks, why not? and Ava says Nina visited her at Shadybrook because she wanted to get her hands on the portrait. She’s no better than Valentin or Nikolas. Nina says she’s wrong. She’s on Ava’s side, and wants Ava on hers.
Valentin continues to ring Jax’s doorbell, and Jax tells Nikolas to get out of there. He invites Valentin in, and ask what he wants. Valentin says, closure. Things got heated between them at the MetroCourt. Jax admits he wasn’t very gentlemanly, but thinks he got his message across. Valentin says, partly, but if Jax is trying to take his inheritance, he’ll fight back hard. Or they can pool their resources, and they both win.
Nina says when she saw Ava at Shadybrook, Ava was shattered. It broke her heart. Ava asks what she expected after Nikolas said those cruel things to her. Kiki is in hell because of her. Nina asks if Ava wants to let him get away with that, and Ava says, of course (🍷) not. Nina says Nikolas preyed on her vulnerabilities; let’s make him pay. Ava asks why she should trust Nina. How does she know Nina isn’t Valentin’s emissary, and going to prey on her vulnerable state? Nina says she has no interest in helping Valentin. Ava says Nina is in love with Valentin. She probably sprinted home to tell him about the ring, and how Nikolas is alive and well. Nina says Valentin has no idea that the man who broke into Ava’s gallery is Nikolas. Ava tells her to warn him, so he can swoon over her more than he already does. Nina says Ava is right. Valentin loves her and would do anything for her; even fabricate a daughter that didn’t exist. He was behind Sasha’s lies and orchestrated the whole thing. She’s known for months, and it’s her chance to turn the tables.
Valentin tells Jax, the more they fight each other, the more they stand to lose. They’d be better off joining forces to find Helena’s portrait. Isn’t it what they both want? Jax says, so Valentin wants a truce and a collaborator, and Valentin says he does. Jax laughs and says, that’s never going to happen. Valentin says he knows Jax had someone break into Ava’s gallery. Jax feigns ignorance, and Valentin sees the garbage bags full of Nikolas’s clothes. He asks if Jax has a new roommate, and Jax says his daughter is coming to stay with him. Valentin says, daughters are the best; he has one of those. He compliments Jax on his home, and asks if Jax minds if he looks at the sunset. Nina has been raving about the view. Valentin goes out on the terrace, and Jax follows, saying, he’s surprised Nina noticed. She was pretty upset after that debacle of a wedding. Valentin says they’re fixing that soon, and Jax asks if Valentin thinks he’ll make it through the ceremony this time.
Griff tells Anna not to worry. The Charlotte thing isn’t a trigger for him anymore, but he can still remember the feeling of surprise fatherhood; how full you feel in your heart. He asks how Finn is handling it, and Anna says, it’s day by day, but they’re starting a lovely connection. He says, speaking of which, have she and Peter grown closer? She says they’re getting there. He and Maxie came for Thanksgiving. They’re together. Griff says a lot has changed since he left. She says especially Peter, but she thinks he still struggles with being Faison’s son. As much as she tells him that he’s not his father, he can’t allow himself to be happy. She asks how Griff is getting on, and he says work keeps him busy. He still has his faith. The other parts will fall into place when the time is right. Maxie asks if she’s interrupting, and Anna says, of course (🍷) not. Maxie thanks Griff for coming for Lucas. He says he wishes he could have done more in the short time he’s there; he’s leaving Port Charles tonight.
Elizabeth tells Scotty, the last time Franco did the memory transfer, it seemed like forever before he opened his eyes, and when he did, he had no idea who she was. He called her ma’am. Scotty says, that must have been brutal, and she says, this whole ordeal has been brutal. The good news is, it’s about to end. Cameron understands she’s trying to be hopeful for Franco, but he also knows she’s scared. Scotty says they’re all scared. Elizabeth thinks it’s possible to be both at the same time.
Peter tells Laura that he doesn’t have time. He’s there on important Invader business. She says, it’s about The Invader. She sent him an email, and he never replied. He asks, what’s going on? and she says, prisoner overcrowding at Pentenville. They’re considering early release of several prisoners. Her constituents are worried, and there’s been no coverage in The Invader. She expected better from him.
Andre tells Franco, the procedure is mostly out of his hands, but he’s going to work like hell to make sure he comes back as he really is. Suspicious dude comes in, and points a gun at Andre.
Ava says she thought the Valentin/Nina love story was one for the ages, but Nina says, not all love stories end in hearts and flowers. She’s hoping Ava keeps the information she’s giving her between them. Ava asks why should she? and Nina says she’s putting a lot on the line trying to prove herself to Ava. Ava says she wouldn’t worry. Even if she told Valentin, he wouldn’t believe her. Nina says if Ava gives Valentin even a little reason to distrust her, he’ll figure out her plan. Ava asks, who else knows?and Nina says, Jax. Ava says, and he wants the portrait. If Nina wants her help, she’ll have to enlighten Ava. Why do Jax, Valentin, and Nikolas want the portrait? And is Laura next? Maybe she’s just pretending to be Ava’s friend; Nikolas is her son. Nina is sure Laura doesn’t know Nikolas is alive, and if she’s looking for the portrait, it’s for Spencer’s sake. Ava asks why Nina is looking for the portrait.
Jax asks if Valentin is surprised he was invited to the wedding, and Valentin says, no. He’s Nina’s boss, and was invited to the first one. Why wouldn’t he be invited to the second one? Jax says he’s looking forward to it. Almost as much as he’s looking forward to Valentin getting to the point of why he’s there. Valentin says, Spencer. He’s in the dark, right? He’s unaware of the whole mad dash for Helena’s portrait and the codicil. He’s just living the life of the American teenager abroad. Jax says, lucky him, and Valentin wonders how Jax got dragged in. Why is he so desperate to get his hands on Helena’s portrait? If it’s not for Spencer’s sake, then whose?
Maxie tells Griff, that’s so soon. Anna asks Maxie if she and Griff can finish their conversation, and Maxie asks Griff to check in with her before he goes, leaving them to talk. Anna says she was hoping Griff would have a chance to meet Violet, but he says he’s sorry. The losses in Port Charles are still too fresh. She understands, and he hopes he can at least take her to dinner tonight. She says she’ll have to cancel her phlebotomy, and he says her health is more important. He promises to do better at staying in touch. She says getting emails from him is the highlight of her day. He’s doing such great work; for others, and for himself. Duke would be proud of Griff. She is. She tells him keep it up, and he tells her to take care of herself. They exchange I love yous and hug. Anna tells him not to be a stranger.
When Anna leaves, Maxie asks Griff if everything is okay with her, but Griff says they were just catching up. She says she wouldn’t mind some catching up herself, and he says he’d like that. He asks if she and Peter are official, and she says, that’s one way to put it. As of today, they’re officially living in sin.
Peter gives Laura his full assurance that the overcrowding issue will get full coverage in The Invader. She says she’s meeting with community groups and prison officials tonight and tomorrow. He tells her to email the details to him, and text him with updates. He gets in the elevator, and she tells him to at least get it in tomorrow’s website.
Elizabeth reminds Cameron of his playoff game against Sawyer. Their team was down by five goals. She asks if he was scared he was going to lose, and he says, for a while, it looked really bad, but they got more intense and focused, and in the end, they won. She says because they banded together, and turned the game around. She says that’s what they’re doing there. She has faith that between their hope, and Andre’s talents, this procedure will work. Cameron says, what about Scotty? He’s a lawyer. He sees things the way they are, not the way he wants them to be. What does he think is going to happen to Franco once he gets in the operating room?
Andre struggles with suspicious dude, who is now a gunman. The gunman drops his gun, and Andre jumps on him. Andre lands some good punches, and they continue to struggle as the procedure keeps going.
Jax asks if Valentin doesn’t think he has his own reason to want him to fall, and Valentin says, sure, but he also knows Jax isn’t acting alone. Who’s in Jax’s corner? Valentin thinks it’s Laura, acting on Spencer’s behalf. Jax asks if Valentin’s fishing expedition is going to take much longer, and Valentin says whatever they’re paying, he can top it. Jax says, it’s not about the money, and Valentin asks if there’s anything he can do to make peace between them. Jax says, no, and Valentin says he can only assume Jax is moving him out of the way so he can have Nina all to himself.
Nina tells Ava that she’s not interested in that Godforsaken portrait. They’re after the codicil that Helena hid inside. Ava says they’re finally getting somewhere. What codicil? Nina says Valentin’s father left a codicil to his will. It’s supposed to disinherit Valentin, and leave everything to Spencer and Nikolas, and it’s supposed to be hidden in Helena’s portrait. Ava says, that explains a lot, and Nina says, Valentin and Nikolas really want it, but if she and Ava get it, they’ll have a lot of leverage. Ava asks what Nina means by we; she hasn’t agreed to work with Nina. Nina is in love with Valentin, which clouds her judgement. Nina says she’s clear on this; Valentin and Nikolas don’t deserve it. If anyone deserves it, it’s Spencer. Or doesn’t Ava want to help Spencer anymore? She withdrew her statement, so Spencer’s wrongful death suit fell apart. She’s sorry, but Ava didn’t step up. Ava says it’s a mistake she deeply regrets. Spencer should have had peace after losing his father. Nina says, but he didn’t lose his father. Nikolas is alive and wants the portrait. Does Ava want to give it to him? Does she want to give it to Valentin, or does she want what’s behind door number three?
Maxie tells Griff that she and Peter are living together. He congratulates her, saying, they’ve made quite a U-turn. She says, a little of Griff rubbed off on her. All that talk about forgiveness, redemption, not judging, and not casting the first stone. It turns out he was right. He asks how she and Peter got together, and she says they found a connection; first friendship, then more. And it’s not because Peter is Nathan’s half-brother or James’s uncle. They connected on a level she didn’t think she could still reach after Nathan died. He says he’s happy for her, and she says, it took a while. They messed up for a couple of months. They’d get close, then one of them would chicken out and take a step back, but they were finally able to admit their feelings for each other. He says she deserves it, and she appreciates that. She wants Griff to trust he’ll find love again. It won’t replace Kiki or what they had, but they’ll make something new. Laura comes in, and says she’s sorry to interrupt. Maxie says she just said the same thing to Anna; everyone is happy to see Griff. He’s there to help Lucas. Laura says it’s kind of him, and she’s sure it’s a comfort to Bobbie. He says they’re praying for the best; it’s all they can do really. Maxie suggests calling Peter; maybe they can all have dinner. Laura says she just ran into Peter at the hospital, and he barely had time to talk to her.
The gunman gets the better of Andre, and knocks him out. I say, sh*t! He goes over to Franco. Peter walks in, and picks up the gun. The gunman asks what he’s doing, and Peter takes the silencer off of the gun.
Scotty tells Cameron that he has to be honest; he’s scared too, like Elizabeth, but they have to hope. They have to have faith, and believe this is going to work.
Anna comes in, and goes to the reception desk to check in for her phlebotomy appointment. A gunshot is heard, startling everyone. Anna tells the reception nurse to call 911, and tell them there’s an officer on the scene, but to send back up. Elizabeth tells Anna, it sounded like it came from the OR. Anna takes out her gun, and jets. Elizabeth tells Scotty to take care of Cameron, and Scotty pulls Cameron away, despite his protests. Elizabeth follows Anna, and Scotty shoves Cameron into an examining room. Cameron says he has to be with his mom, but Scotty says, they have an active shooter out there. Cameron doesn’t care, but Scotty says he’s not letting Cameron put himself in danger.
Anna busts into the OR, and says, don’t move. Peter says, don’t shoot; he’s unarmed. He tells her the gunman is right there. She sees him lying on the floor, kicks the gun away, and asks, who fired? Peter says, he was just walking by… Elizabeth runs in, and goes to Franco. Anna asks Peter, what happened? but he says he doesn’t know. He came in, and Andre was unconscious. Anna asks if Andre is okay, and Andre says he will be. Elizabeth checks the gunman, and says, he’s still alive.
Jax opens the door, and Valentin says Jax has always been after Nina. He doesn’t blame Jax. She’s brilliant and beautiful, but she’s taken. Jax says Nina is his associate, and he respects her. Valentin says he just happened to be outside the church that day to whisk her away after the wedding, and he just happened to be available to bring her to Windymere the next morning. Jax says, they’re done here, and Valentin says whatever happened between them that night, that’s the last time. Make sure he’s at the wedding. He wants Jax to see who she’s chosen.
Jax closes the door, and Nikolas comes out. He asks if Jax still wants to call it quits, or help him out. Jax tells him, just find his damn ring, and walks out. Nikolas slams the door.
Ava tells Nina, aside from righting the wrong she did to Spencer, she doesn’t see what teaming up with Nina gets her. Nina asks if she doesn’t want to see Valentin lose, and Ava says, who wouldn’t? But as Nina pointed out, the painting is leverage against Valentin and Nikolas, and she has the painting. Nina says, for this reason. Ava forgot she has this. She takes out the ring, and says Ava checked herself into Shadybrook, claiming she saw dead people. What’s going to keep Sonny from taking away her one remaining daughter?
Maxie apologizes for Peter being short with Laura, saying, sometimes he’s so focused on work, he doesn’t realize he’s being rude. Laura says she didn’t take it personally. She just wanted The Invader to be aware that she’s having a meeting tonight about criminal justice reform, and it’s important to get that out to the public. Maxie says she’ll make sure Peter follows up. Laura asks if she can count on them to join her, but Griff says he’s leaving tonight. Laura says, that’s too bad, and Griff says he would have liked to see Lulu. He asks how she is, and Laura asks how much time he has. A lot has changed in Lulu’s life since he left town. Dante volunteered for an undercover assignment with the WSB, and it was rough. He came home with a terrible case of PTSD. He’s in a facility, receiving treatment, but he and Lulu are divorced now. Griff is sorry to hear that, and asks about the kids. Laura says, Rocco is taking it pretty rough; Charlotte, not so much. She misses Dante, but still has Valentin, for better or worse. Jax walks in, as Griff says, Charlotte still has her father. Laura says, loving Charlotte is about the only good thing Valentin does. Jax says, hello, and Griff introduces himself. Jax asks if he heard them mention Charlotte, and Griff asks if he’s a friend of Valentin’s. Maxie says, hardly, and Griff asks how he knows Charlotte. Maxie asks if anyone told Jax how Lulu came to have a child with Valentin, and Jax says he thought it was probably more tactful not to ask. Griff says, for a time, he thought he was Charlotte’s father, and Jax asks if he and Lulu were involved. Maxie says, it’s way more convoluted than that. Laura says, Charlotte was carried by a surrogate, and Maxie adds, a shady lady named Claudette. Jax asks where Valentin fits in, and Maxie says she’s getting to that.
Nina says Ava has been trying to tell people Nikolas is alive, but without the ring as proof, nobody is going to believe her. Ava asks if she’s really lost that much credibility, and Nina says she’s been on a long, downward spiral since Kiki was killed, and she was poised to follow. She gets it. The anger, the hate, the sadness; they have that in common. She’s sorry for everything she did to Ava, but they can change this. They can turn it around. They have Nikolas’s and Valentin’s fate in their hands. Doesn’t it feel good. Ava says follow her. She shows Nina a painting, and removes a layer. Underneath is Helena’s portrait. Nina smiles.
Cameron asks how long they’re supposed to wait, and Scotty says Elizabeth will come get him. Cameron says they haven’t heard anything for a while, but Scotty won’t let him leave. He says Cameron’s mother would have his head, and Franco would kill him if he put Cameron in harm’s way. He knows Cameron is upset, and he’s the horrible step-granddad, but come soccer season, he’ll be the granddad on the sidelines, cheering Cameron on. He wants to be out there too, but they can’t. Not until everything has been neutralized. Cameron asks what do they do in the meantime? Think happy thoughts until the shooter goes away? Scotty says, why not? He’ll think about how he felt when he found out Franco was his son. Cameron says, what was that like? and Scotty says, it was kind of a nightmare.
Elizabeth asks how Andre feels, and Andre says, a little hazy. She asks if he knows what happened, and he says he started the program, and heard the OR doors open. He turned around, and a man was standing there with a gun in his hand. He rushed the guy, they struggled, and the gun fell to the ground. Andre lunged for it, and it must have been when the guy knocked him out. That’s the last thing he remembers until seeing them. Anna asks how Peter knew something was going on, and Peter says he wanted the story for The Invader. Out of respect for the family, and to make sure no boundaries were crossed, he decided to come there and do the story himself. He was headed for the waiting room, and saw a guy in scrubs. Something seemed off about him. He was lurking, and it seemed like he didn’t want anybody to notice he was there, so Peter waited and watched. Andre says, good intuition, and Peter says he knew Andre had been attacked once before, so when he saw the guy come in, he followed to make sure everything was okay. When he came in, Andre was unconscious, and the guy was standing over him with a gun. They fought, but the guy kept coming at him. He just reacted, and shot him. He didn’t know what else to do. Andre says Peter saved his life, and thanks him. Elizabeth says, what about Franco?His vitals are good, but is the program still running? What’s happening to him?
Nikolas flashes back to being with Ava at Shadybrook, and pulling his hands away from hers. He says, she grabbed his hand. The ring is in her room at Shadybrook.
Nina says, it’s been here the whole time, and Ava says, hiding in plain sight. Nina says she’s brilliant, and Ava agrees. Nina says she’s always hated this picture. It seems benevolent, but the more you look at her, the more vicious she becomes. Ava says, because she’s got a secret, and Nina says, she’s got the codicil inside. Maybe they should cover it until they plan their next move. Ava says she already has. She says she knows exactly what they’re going to do next, and calls Nina partner.
Valentin arrives at the MetroCourt, but sees Jax with everyone, and walks back out. Jax says, so Valentin hired a surrogate who gave birth to Charlotte, then posed as her mother and took off with her. Griff says, Claudette was complicated, and Maxie says, she was a pathological liar. First she tried breaking up Maxie and Nathan, then told Griff that he was Charlotte’s father. Griff says imagine his surprise when Valentin came in, and Charlotte ran to him, calling him papa. Jax says that must have been hard for Griff, and Laura says, it still is. Imagine how Lulu felt, finding out she had a daughter and she’d missed the first years of her life. Jax asks, what happened to Claudette? and Laura says, sadly, she committed suicide. Griff says he doesn’t believe it. He accepts Claudette is dead, but doesn’t believe it was suicide. She had her share of problems, but loved life too much to have killed herself.
Scotty says he doesn’t have to tell Cameron about Franco’s reputation, does he? and Cameron says, it’s all over the internet, and Franco kidnapped Aiden when he was little, so… Scotty says, that was before the tumor was removed. He was worried about his own reputation, so he distanced himself from Franco. Cameron says he did a lot of that himself when Franco started seeing his mother. Scotty says, this whole thing stinks right now. They’re waiting on the procedure, and there’s a lunatic out there with a gun. Cameron tells him not to jump to the worst case scenario before they know what’s going on. Anna knocks at the door, and tells them, the gunman has been subdued. Scotty asks if he’s alive, and she says, he’s in surgery. Franco is unharmed, and Elizabeth is with Andre. They’re trying to figure out what’s going on with Franco and this whole procedure. Scotty asks what went on? and Anna says, someone tried to kill Andre, and Peter saved him. Scotty tells Cameron, let’s get out of here.
Peter wipes the silencer clean of prints, and ditches it in a trashcan. He joins Anna, Scotty, and Cameron, and Scotty says Anna told them that they owe him some thanks for intervening. Cameron asks if anyone knows why the gunman tried to kill Andre, but Anna says, not yet. Scotty says, someone tried to kill Andre when he came to town, the same day Drew died. Anna says, and someone tried to kill Andre today. Cameron thanks Peter for all their family, and Peter says he’s glad he could help, but it all happened so fast; he really didn’t do much. Anna asks if she can talk to Peter for a second, and they go around the corner.
Peter asks if there are any updates on the guy who tried to kill Andre. She says, he’s in surgery. He’s in critical condition.
Elizabeth asks Andre how it’s looking. Andre says, the gunman came in just as the program was starting to run. He wasn’t able to supervise or control any of it. She asks if there’s anything he can do to adjust it, but he says, no. The program just finished running. The screen says, program complete, and she asks if it worked. He says they won’t know until Franco wakes up. She asks Franco to wake up and come back to her.
Tomorrow, Julian says it’s all his fault, Nelle tells Martin that she has to get out of Pentenville immediately, and Sonny says he’s not going to sit around and watch his father die.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
You can dress them up, but you can’t take them out. And some, you can’t even dress up. <sigh>
The women get ready to go to a museum. The three amoebas amigas hang out in Vicki’s room. Tamra says they’re supposed to be going to someone’s house, and Shannon says, he better have good coffee.
Emily tells Gina and Kelly that Tamra sent a video of Vicki going in an ambulance. Kelly guarantees Vicki isn’t hurt. Vicki tried to bully her, and picked on her. Braunwyn says she’s tired of picking sides. Emily says she’s not doing that, but Kelly says, they make you feel like you have to. In her interview, Emily says it’s like high school, but instead of the senior girls hating her, it’s the senior citizens. In Braunwyn’s interview, she’s excited about going to Earnest Hemingway’s house. says she loves the time he lived in; they lacked moderation. She identifies. Tamra wonders who Hemingway is, and if he’s still alive. Vicki checks on her phone, and says he died in 1961, before Tamra was born. Vicki wonders why he still has a house. I don’t even know what to say. Even Max on 2 Broke Girls would know who Hemingway was. Tour guide Rusty greets them at the house. Kelly asks if that’s a lighthouse right next door, and Rusty tells her it was so Hemingway could find his way home from the bars. There are all kinds of unique artifacts in the house, including an original Picasso tchotchke. In her interview, the producer asks Kelly what her favorite Hemingway book is, and she says For Whom the Bells Toll [sic], so points for that, close enough. There are some cats hanging around, and Rusty says Hemingway loved six-toed cats. I actually knew that, so I give myself some points. Emily tries to pet one, but kitteh is not having it. They go outside to the pool. Rusty says there’s an insane story behind it, and Emily says, whatever the story is, Kelly has done worse. I’m pissed when we don’t hear the story. It’s probably going to be in some lost footage extra episode at some point. <another sigh>
Tamra checks Vicki’s leg, and asks if she can walk. Vicki says she can, and picks up a pair of crutches. She insists they must be two different heights, and doesn’t navigate them well. Eventually, she falls, but manages to stumble back to the bed. She slides to the floor, and laugh-cries. Shannon tries to demonstrate how crutches are used, and steps on Vicki’s foot.
After changing clothes, the women meet to do some water sports. Gina is wearing the same surfing top as Kelly, but doesn’t fill it out like Kelly. In Kelly’s interview, she says, Gina went platinum, but she shouldn’t stop at the hair. She needs to get herself some tatas. If she wants to fit in, she can’t have pancakes. She, Gina, and Emily are doing some jet skiing, while Tamra, Shannon, Braunwyn and Vicki go parasailing.
In her interview, Braunwyn says she thought the trip would be the perfect opportunity for them to all work through their issues, but the camp is divided. They’re separated by where they’re staying, separated at dinner, and in the cars. She misses Shannon and Tamra, although I can’t figure out why. It feels like she still doesn’t know Tamra.
Gina wails about fish being in the water. News flash, they were here first. And she’s from Long Island. She’s never seen the ocean or been to the beach? She doesn’t understand why there aren’t more people in the water. In her interview, she says, sharks and whales eat people. It seems inappropriate. Clearly, she’s a genius when it comes to marine life too. Shannon tells the boat captain that Vicki hurt herself running from the popo. On the jet ski, Gina says she’s nervous, and Emily says, mama’s got it. In Emily’s interview, she says she used to date a drug dealer, and he had a boat and lots of jet skis. The instructor, and brother to Captain Obvious, says it must be Gina’s first time. Kelly picks up a starfish, and freaks Gina out with it. I do remember dropping the first one I picked up, since I didn’t realize it would start walking around in my hand.
The instructor gives life jackets to Tamra and Shannon. We flash back to Shannon having a meltdown over the rope climbing course they did in a previous season. In her interview, she says, maybe the string will break. She and Tamra are lifted out, and Shannon repeats, be zen, to herself. She doesn’t know if she can look. Mind you, this is passive parasailing, where she and Tamra are seated, and it’s more like an amusement park ride. The instructor tells them, once they get up, relax. On the way back down, Shannon screams, no touching the water, but she’s not the boss of this, and they glide through it. She says she hates Tamra. Still on the jet skis, Kelly sees stingrays, and Gina sees a shark. In her interview, she says, this is how I die. Kelly still has the starfish, and I get pissed, since if you don’t put them back, they die.
Jet ski guy tells Gina, no one ever died from a hammerhead, but she doesn’t want to go near it. She’s never getting in water again. In her interview, Kelly imitates her and laughs. Tamra lets go of the handlebar, as the parasailing thing goes through the water, and Shannon continues to scream. Kelly gives Gina the starfish for support, and Gina feels better now that she has a weapon. I shake my head. Shannon checks parasailing off her bucket list, never to be done again.
Emily, Gina, and Kelly sit down for lunch. Gina says, shark and jail. Her top two terrible experiences in life. Kelly says Vicki is in a wheelchair. Maybe she should be in a convalescent home. Emily has to explain what that is to Gina, and I start to wonder if anyone even graduated high school. The other women go somewhere else for lunch, and Braunwyn tells them, Kelly admits that she has anger issues. She knows she has a problem, and thinks she should go to therapy. Tamra says, or shock treatment, once again proving her high level of sensitivity toward others.
Kelly wonders why Vicki hates her so much. She doesn’t know how Vicki can have so much hate. She doesn’t know what she did. Gina says the dinner cruise is going to be great. Vicki tells the others that she doesn’t get the girl code thing. Kelly’s ex wanted to date a friend of hers; so what? We flash back to Kelly saying that Vicki is the one who should have told her. Vicki says she thinks Kelly is still in love with Michael, and reinforcing her ignorance about what Kelly was actually angry about. Braunwyn asks if Tamra thinks they can still have a boat ride and have fun tonight, and Tamra says, doesn’t it sound like it?
The women meet at the dock, and have a drink. Tamra asks if everyone had fun, and Gina says, it was like shock therapy. Braunwyn thanks them for coming. In her interview, she says it didn’t go at all as she’d hoped. We flash back to all the screeching, and then more screeching. Tamra has gotten AF hates for everyone, and they put them on. Gina’s says, Single AF, but she thinks it should be Confused AF. Kelly’s says Krazy AF, and in her interview, she says, they want to poke the bear, and thrive on getting her angry. She’s tired of it. Emily tells Kelly, all she can do is handle her own reaction, and admits to flying off the handle too. She says she found herself being reactionary, and yelling in front of her daughter. Then she saw Annabelle yelling at her little brother the same way. She has to get it under control. Kelly suggests they go to anger management together. In Kelly’s interview, she says she gets defensive and reacts. She goes for the jugular, and doesn’t want to live life like that. She needs to learn how to walk away. She says she and Tamra have been in many fights, but Tamra is there to forgive when she screws up. Sure. So Tamra can pat herself on the back and gossip about it later. Kelly says she didn’t know how the Jim thing would affect Tamra, and should have called her. Tamra says she really had Kelly’s back, and Kelly says she knows. Tamra promises to never repeat anything they talk about, and Braunwyn says, a fresh start. She wonders if Vicki and Kelly can have a fresh start. Vicki says Kelly called her a pig, and Gina says, it will take time to heal. Vicki wonders how it’s going low when she does nothing back, but Tamra says, she did, and we flash back to Vicki consistently talking about Kelly and talking to the girl from the bar fight. Braunwyn tells everyone, don’t engage; take a step back. She’s going to get so drunk, they can blame her for everything
Back home, Braunwyn tells Sean there was a lot of drama and fights, but they had fun. They keep rolling. Get in a huge fight, just jump in a convertible, and puke out the side.
Shannon meets a party planner to talk about decorations for Vicki’s engagement party. Tamra gets impatient.
Gina and Sienna get their ceramic on at a pottery place. Sienna wants to be Batgirl when she grows up.
Eddie, Tamra, Braunwyn, Sean, Shannon, and Ken meet for dinner. Tamra tells Braunwyn that they don’t have many couple friends. In her interview, Shannon explains that Ken doesn’t live in California, but they’ve kept in touch. He’s in town, and they’re having fun. Eddie asks why the girls keep calling him babe, and Shannon says when they first went out, she called him that without thinking. Tamra says they had a lot of fun on the trip, and it makes her sad. Kelly and Vicki have known each other a long time. She hopes they can come to an understanding, and bury the hatchet. They’ve both gone dirty. It’s not like one is worse than the other. Shannon says going low causes long term damage. She went through that with Vicki. Tamra says Vicki did it to her and Eddie, and Shannon says she did it to David too. Tamra says, when she feels backed into a corner, she attacks. Shannon says Vicki and Kelly are alike that way. Tamra tells Shannon that Kelly and Emily are going to anger management together. Acknowledging anger is the first step. Maybe they can agree to disagree. In Shannon’s interview, she says she’s been in therapy a long time, and seen an improvement. One session isn’t going to change anything. In Tamra’s interview, she says, if Kelly doesn’t go to Vicki’s engagement party, she might regret it. If she can get back on track with Vicki, she knows Kelly can. Tamra says she invited Kelly to Vicki’s engagement party, but she might not go.
Kelly and Brian hit balls at the batting cages. Kelly gets four to Brian’s zero. She tells him that she talked to Tamra, who invited her to go to Vicki’s engagement party. Vicki keeps going after her, and these people are like Jekyll and Hyde. Brian asks if she thinks they can save the friendship. Is there anything left? Kelly says, no, and he says, then stop trying. Kelly says she’s done. In her interview, she says, why go? Vicki will be nice to her, then cut her, and then pour salt in the wound. Vicki wants to take her down. It doesn’t make sense. Brian tells her to think about priorities. Kelly asks what’s next for them, and he says they need to start looking for a place. She says she’s not moving in with him without being engaged. In Kelly’s interview, she says, Brian clearly has commitment issues, but she wants to do things the right way. If he can’t meet her criteria, bye Phillipe. Brian says they’re not getting tired of each other – yet.
In Gina’s interview, she says they’ve sold the Codo house. She looks around and sees happy memories, but there are also bad memories. She calls Susan, who compliments Gina on her shorter hair – which does look a million times better – and Gina says she took the extensions out, and is letting her hair get healthy. Good call. She tells Susan that they’re packing; the deal is going through. Both she and Matt are excited, and it will be a done deal in two weeks. Susan asks how it affected the relationship, and Gina says they’re not getting divorced. Susan says, wow, and I second that. Gina says, it’s the first time Matt has been in a fight for his family. They both get it now, and they’re more connected. In her interview, Gina says, they’ve been through a lot – we flash back to the main points in their relationship throughout Gina’s two seasons. She says she’s going to embrace this. Susan says she didn’t know Matt well. She knew the Matt that he wanted to present, but she knows him better now. He had a genuine moment when he found out Sienna needed to go to therapy. She could see in his face that he understood. Gina says, it was a wake-up call, and Susan says, marriage is hard work. If you hang in, you get to a special place where you know the person in a more complete way. In Gina’s interview, she says she’d be naïve to trust Matt 100%, but she’s doing her best to let go of the anger, and let her guard down. That’s the only way it’s going to work.
In her interview, Tamra says, Spencer broke up with his girlfriend, and he’s never had this kind of pain. Since then, he’s gotten four tattoos, and a septum ring, and he’s dyed his hair three different colors. Who is he? Ryan comes in, and Spencer says he looks like a struggling alcoholic with his shades on. Ryan says he’s struggling, but Spencer is already there. Tamra says they had their last conversation on social media. In Tamra’s interview, she says she wants her sons to sit down and talk it out. She wants everything normal again. Ryan says he didn’t anticipate some of the things Spencer said. Spencer has to be more understanding about how their upbringings and lives are different. Spencer says he’s grateful for what he’s gotten, and doesn’t try to take advantage of it. Tamra says, sounds good, and Ryan says, Spencer has done it in the past, but Spencer says he’s over it. He points out that Tamra has been pissed about work, and taking it out on others. In her interview, Tamra says someone is trying to rip everything away from her – we see media coverage of the lawsuit with Jim – and she’s been taking it out on Eddie and the kids. Spencer says they don’t talk that often, and Tamra says she’s been up until four the last few nights talking to him. Spencer says she just told him, get over it. In Tamra’s interview, she says she was on the phone with Spencer when she was in Florida, trying to help him with the break up. She doesn’t know where this is coming from. Spencer has a broken heart. He’s upset, and taking it out on her. Spencer thinks they should address it, and Ryan says the whole family is like that, and Tamra is no different than anyone else in the family. Tamra gets up, and says this is his family too, and it’s difficult on everybody. In her interview, she says Ryan isn’t speaking to his father. Spencer isn’t speaking to his father, and Sidney doesn’t speak to her. It’s the most dysfunctional functional family ever. Spencer says they crack jokes to deal with things.
Kelly and Emily meet with therapist Mike at the beach, and they sit. Kelly says she needs to learn how to walk away, and not let herself get angry. He asks what goals they have. If he waved a magic wand, what would they want changed? Emily says when her husband rubs her the wrong way, it makes her mad. She gets defensive, and she’s quick to snap at him. Sometimes, he deserves it, but not all the time. He asks where she thinks it comes from a hard childhood. Her dad left when she was young, and her mom was a single mother. Emily was angry as a kid. In Emily’s interview, she says she wondered why she had to put herself on the bus, why there was no lunch money, and why there was no food. Kelly says she had a good childhood, but her mom was combative, and had a sharp tongue. If you’re going to fight with her, game on. Emily says she noticed her six-year-old yelling at her brother, who’s four. She was really going at him, and it crushed Emily’s soul. She realized a change was needed, and she had to dig deeper and choose loving kindness. Mike tells them to close their eyes. Who do they see as the person who’s always easy to love? Kelly says, her daughter Jolie, and Emily says her three kids. He tells them to move on to the person or people who are most difficult to love. Emily says, her parents, and Kell says Vicki, Eric, and Michael. Mike tells them to say, may you be happy; may you be healthy; may you be peaceful. Kelly flashes back to Vicki giving her the finger, and says she wants to punch Vicki in the face. Ha-ha-ha! He says if they react, they’re letting them win. The ultimate winning is to cultivate calm. Emily says she realizes she’s hard on herself. She wants her kids to be perfect, her house to be perfect, and her husband to be perfect. She grew up in chaos. He says she has to learn to loosen her grip, with herself too, in order to learn how to be kind to other people. Kelly says it takes everything in her not to lose her sh*t with Vicki. She doesn’t want to hate Vicki, and wants to act with love and kindness. She wants her daughter to be a better form of her, and she’s an example. He tells her that when she Vicki says something, see her daughter in her mind’s eye, and do it for her. Kelly says, it’s brilliant. He asks what they can do differently, and Emily says she’s going to take what she learned home, and focus on a visualization of her kids. She wants to think of them being happy and healthy, and tell herself that she’s better than this. Mike wants to talk about Vicki. What are they doing at present; using avoidance? Kelly says she does try to avoid Vicki, and he says, change happens through experience. When people have a phobia, it’s not the idea of a snake, but the experience of seeing one, and the person realizing they’re not going to die, that cures it. Experiences profoundly change us. Emily says when she sees Vicki, she’s not going to let Vicki get her goat. She can deal with her. She can go with the tools she’s cultivated today. Kelly says she feels like Emily is at level 400, and she’s regressed to the GED level.
In Kelly’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to succumb to being vicious and angry. She wants to be more kind and loving, and hopes this works. Emily thinks it’s an opportunity for Kelly to prove Vicki wrong, and be classy. Mike says it’s the ultimate test, and Kelly has what it takes.
Next time – the finale – Emily wonders how much Matt has really changed, Vicki’s engagement party, Shannon is disappointed in Kelly, and Tamra yells eff you and runs off.
🎉 Happy Birthday, Dear Scotty…
Does anyone remember Kin’s brother Wil, who had a talk show for five minutes?
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna says she didn’t watch Peter grow up, but feels they’re connected. She’s beginning to see how he operates.
A suspicious dude sits in the hospital waiting area, and watches Franco and Elizabeth. Elizabeth says she’s checking in on Cameron; he’s off early today. Franco says she’s a good mom, and she thanks him. He says she seems calm; it’s almost showtime. He hopes all goes well, and she’s reunited with her husband. Elizabeth says he knows what that means for him. He made the choice to give Franco his back his life. She’ll always be grateful. Of course she wants Franco back, but if that doesn’t happen, and he remains Drew, she’ll live with it. At least she’ll know one of them is still okay. Franco says he knows the risks and figures Franco was always there. He must be if someone as special as Elizabeth loves him that much. Suspicious dude watches, and checks his waistband for his gun.
Trina is at the gallery, when Cameron walks in. He asks, how goes the art world? and Trina says he almost gave her a heart attack. He says, the door wasn’t locked, and Trina tells him, someone broke in the storage room. Now she has to match the artwork to the inventory photos to see if anything was taken. Cameron asks if she needs help, and she says she appreciates the offer, but she knows what day it is. Why isn’t he with his mom? Ava walks in, and says she heard from the police that someone has been messing with her things, and Trina knows how she hates that.
At the MetroCourt, Nina looks at Nikolas’s ring. Valentin arrives, and apologizes for keeping her waiting. She asks if his apology includes an explanation as to why he didn’t come home last night. He says he got home late, and didn’t want to wake her. She says she spent the night worrying. The last she heard from him, he was going to the gallery. Did he find anything? He says he hit a glitch, and she asks if the glitch has anything to do with the bruise on his chin.
There’s a knock at Jax’s door, and Nikolas yells to let him in; it’s cold. Jax opens the door, and Nikolas says he tried the back door. What’s wrong with the lock? Jax says, nothing; it’s new. He had them all changed, but Nikolas can keep the key as a souvenir. Nikolas asks what Jax is talking about, and Jax says he told Nikolas that he wanted him gone, so he packed Nikolas’s stuff. Take it, and go. Nikolas sees some black garbage bags sitting on the couch, and Jax says he’s out.
Anna says whatever Peter’s call was about, it must be important. He can tell her about it. He says he was clearing his calendar at work. He’s moving in with Maxie and James. Anna says, today is the day? and he says Maxie is probably tripping over boxes as they speak. Anna says, that’s lovely. She tells him, it’s a big step, and wonders why he’s not there unpacking.
Andre tells Franco, not too much longer. How does he feel? Franco says it doesn’t matter how he feels; how’s Andre? Did he get enough sleep? Andre says, it’s not actual surgery. He starts to explain, but Franco says he doesn’t care; that part will be lost on him. Andre says, just know he’ll be sedated, and won’t wake until afterward. He’ll let Franco know when they’re ready. Suspicious dude acts even more obvious.
Trina says Ava is back, and asks if she escaped. Ava says she didn’t escape. She checked herself in, and she checked herself out. Tell her about the break-in. Trina says, the back room is a mess. She was just making sure nothing was stolen from the front, and replaced with something from the back. Ava thanks her for being a loyal intern, and asks if Cameron is going to just stand there and watch Trina work. Cameron says he was just reading a text from his mom; he swears he’s going to help. Ava looks in the back, and says, at least he had the decency to confine his activity to the back room. Trina asks how Ava knows it’s a he, and Ava says, just a hunch. What did the cops say? Trina says they were just leaving when she got there. They want to go over the camera footage. Either the security alarm kicked in, or a neighbor called them, and told them to contact Ava. Ava asks if Trina knows if anything was taken, but Trina says everything looks the same out front. The back room is a mess, but she doesn’t know if anything is missing. Ava says, imagine that. Someone took all that trouble of breaking and entering, and left empty-handed. It almost makes her feel sorry for him… Almost.
Nikolas says he has no intentions of leaving; Jax gave him a deadline. Jax says that was before he staged the attack on Hayden. Nikolas says they can’t always play it safe, but Jax says he didn’t sign on for this. Nikolas says Jax liked the idea of helping Spencer, but Jax thinks that was just an excuse for Nikolas. He’s not buying it anymore. He tells Nikolas to grab his stuff and go. Knock on Valentin’s door, and stake his claim. He hopes it’s worth all the damage. They’re parting ways, and he’ll leave it at that. Nikolas says he can’t. He didn’t get the codicil.
Nina asks Valentin to tell her the truth, and he says he went to the gallery to look for the portrait. He took Martin wit him, to make sure someone could decipher the legalese if they found the codicil. He discovered Martin is a shark in the courtroom, but useless in a pinch. They struck out, and didn’t find the codicil, but another interested party showed up. Nina asks if he was caught, and Valentin says it’s more like he caught them. It was a man in a mask, and he thinks they were there for the same reason. There was a scuffle, and Martin was useless; he doesn’t even think the guy knew Martin was in the room. Valentin landed a couple of blows, but was caught off balance and some boxes knocked the wind out of him. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine. She asks if the other guy was injured, and he says the guy will have a headache. She says, so someone else is looking for the same thing. Does he think it’s Jax? He says, on the contrary. He knows it wasn’t Jax.
Peter tells Anna that he’s never lived with a woman, let alone a small child. Maxie’s place is smaller than he realized. There’s a lot of arranging and rearranging. He never realized how many books he’s accumulated, and Maxie has a lot of clothes; every closet if basically filled. Anna says, that’s flexible. They can get a storage unit. Peter says there are a million details to deal with, but that’s not what worries him. He knows it’s a big step. She asks if he’s having second thoughts, but he says he was never more certain about anything. Building a future with Maxie and James was more than he’d hoped for, and he’ll do anything to keep from losing it.
Scotty shows up at the hospital, and says, thank goodness the procedure didn’t start yet. Franco says, Andre is getting the OR ready, and Elizabeth says she’ll go check. Scotty sits, and Franco asks if he’s okay. Scotty says, it’s funny. He’s never been at a loss for words with Franco. They always knew what to say to each other. Franco says, if it goes great, Scotty will have the chance to talk to his every day for the rest of his life. Scotty apologizes. He said horrible things about Drew, and he’s a stand-up guy. He appreciates what Drew is doing for his son, and hopes nothing goes wrong. Franco says, when you step into battle, you expect the worst. Otherwise, you don’t step into battle. They’ve done everything. Now it’s up to Andre, and God, fate, or whatever. He’s made peace with it, and Scotty should too. Andre comes back, and tells Franco, time to prep. Is he ready?
Cameron checks out a painting, saying, cool. It would look great is his bedroom. He asks Trina, how much? and she says, six figures. He says, on second thought… Ava comes out, and says she’s pleased to say her way of doing inventory works. It’s so confusing, no one can find anything but her. Trina says they broke in the safe, but Ava says, nothing was taken. She gives Trina and Cameron some cash, and tells them to get hot chocolate and a sandwich on her. Trina asks if she’s sure; it’s a mess in the back. Cameron says he’s used to cleaning up messes, and Ava says he’s a sweet young man. She can see why Franco is taken with him, and she promises to give Trina a stellar review as a great intern. Cameron goes on ahead, and Ava tells Trina that he looks like he could use a friend. Trina says, one more thing. There are a bunch of messages for Ava, mostly from her brother. Trina thinks Julian needs to talk to her. Ava says, he’s always two steps away from a crisis; she’ll talk to him. She tells Trina to go. In the hallway, Cameron says he doesn’t feel like skating, but Trina says she has a better idea. Try to keep up.
Ava looks at one of the paintings, and says, Helena, you vicious harpy. I hope you’re enjoying your disguise. She hears footsteps, and thinking it’s Trina, says she said she’d be fine. She turns, and says, oh my God. It’s Griff.
Jax says Nikolas didn’t get the codicil? Nikolas says Jax delayed him, and he was too late. If he’d left earlier, he would have been in and out, and no one would have been the wiser. Because he was delayed, someone had already disable the alarm by the time he got there. Uncle Valentin.
Nina asks how Valentin is sure it wasn’t Jax; he’s after the portrait. He says, if it was Jax, he’d still be on the floor.The guy wasn’t as tall, and had a slighter build. There was something familiar about him. She asks who Valentin thinks it is, and Valentin says, it’s just a feeling. Anyway, he didn’t get the portrait. How was her visit with Ava? Did Ava give her anything useful?
Anna tells Peter that he’s not going to lose Maxie or James. Why is he torturing himself? He’s no longer the guy who can’t escape his father’s shadow. He’s free. He’s severed the branch. He says he tried, but what if it’s not enough? Maybe some people can’t make their own destiny. Does she believe they do?She says, how could she not? She’s living proof.
Cameron joins Elizabeth in the examining room, and she’s glad he came. He says he wanted to be there, but he was having a hard time. Trina says, sometimes Cameron needs a kick in the butt, and Scotty says he’s needed a few himself sometimes.
Ava says Griff is looking well, and he says, her too. She says, an early morning spa appointment will do that. She’s been incommunicado for a time, and today is her reentry to the world. He says he heard she was in Shadybrook. He went by, but they said she’d checked out. He trusts she’s feeling better, and she asks if that’s his polite way of saying he’s hoping she’s not a threat to society. Or at least a worse threat than usual. He says that’s how she looks at herself. He doesn’t. She says, give it time. Did he happen to read her interview in Crimson? He says, it was hard to miss. It reaffirmed what he knew all along; she’s her own biggest enemy. The person she hurts most is herself. She says, Kiki might beg to differ. What brings him to Port Charles? He says he’s there for Lucas, and she asks if he’s consulting on a patient. He says she hasn’t spoken to Julian? She says she owes Julian a call. What’s the problem, and what does it have to do with Lucas?
Nina slips the ring back in her bag, and Valentin says he’s sure Ava was out of it. Nina says, she was talking about ghosts; Kiki and Nikolas. He says Ava is lucid enough to entertain bids for the painting, but she says, maybe it doesn’t exist. Maybe it does.Who was the man in the mask? Martin texts Valentin, and Nina asks if he wants to double his retainer. Valentin says he’s sure that’s coming, but Martin has new information that could change everything.
Jax asks if Valentin saw Nikolas, or followed him back to Jax’s house. Nikolas says he was wearing a mask, and Valentin had no clue who he was. He pulled a gun on Nikolas, and they fought like old times, but he was able to overpower Valentin, and get away. Jax asks where he’s been, and Nikolas says, at the gallery. He kept watch, but they have no clue, and there was no sign of Valentin or his accomplice. The police are searching everywhere. Jax says if they find anything that leads back to him… Nikolas says they won’t. He didn’t just wear a mask; he wore gloves, and he’s dead. Jax says Nikolas still exposed himself. Valentin knows someone else is after the painting, and he was willing to break into the gallery. Don’t underestimate him. Nikolas says he never does, but Valentin’s fatal flaw is that he underestimated Nikolas. Jax says he overestimated Nikolas. He completely misjudged him. He had no idea how obsessed Nikolas is or how low he’s willing to go. He isn’t dragging Jax down. Hayden has dealt fairly with him, and Jax is going to return the favor. He’s going to do what he can to bring her home.
Cameron asks how Franco is doing, and Franco says, not good; what about Cameron? Cameron doesn’t know, and Franco says, look at it this way. He already lost his stepfather once. It won’t happen again. If everything goes right, he’ll get Franco back. Cameron says, and if it doesn’t? and Franco says he needs to know he can count on Cameron.
Anna tells Peter that she’s settled down with a man who loves her, and she’s overcome a major health scare. Peter came back into her life, and she got a second chance with her son. Everything she could hope for was right there, and she let the fear of losing it literally run her out of town, in search of… Peter says, what? and she says she forgot what she had was solid and unshakable. She convinced herself it was built on sand, and listened to her fear. She blew things out of proportion, and ended up running away to fix something that wasn’t broken. She risked the things she loves. She abandoned Finn for months. He’d never say it, but he had to feel that he wasn’t a propriety. You don’t just disappear from someone who matters. You have to fight for what’s important, even if it means fighting yourself. Peter says he’s discovered he’s a formidable enemy, and Anna asks, why not trust himself? She was just saying to Robert that Peter is his own man; a man Maxie loves and trusts. A man she’s proud to call her son. Peter excuses himself, and steps into the hallway.
Franco says Cameron and his stepdad had something special. He can see why. He sees what Franco saw in Cameron. He’s a good kid, and if it’s not in the cards for Franco to come back, he needs Cameron to be the man of the house. He knows it’s a lot of responsibility to ask from someone Cameron’s age, but life isn’t fair. He knows Cameron can handle it; he’s seen it. Cameron says he will. About him and Franco. He already said they didn’t always get along. At the beginning, they couldn’t stand each other, but Franco was the first one to make peace. He just hopes Franco knows it. Franco says, do him a favor; hold on to this, and gives Cameron his phone. Andre asks if Franco is ready, and starts to wheel him out. Elizabeth asks him to wait, and says she’ll never forget him. Franco tells her, be happy, and Andre leaves with him.
Suspicious dude sees them go, and follows, throwing his burner phone in the garbage can. We see there’s an incoming call, and at the MetroCourt, Peter says, pick up.
Ava tells Griff, no wonder Julian has been trying to reach her. It’s terrible. Lucas is just starting his own family. Griff says, where there’s life, there’s hope. The doctors induced a coma so Lucas’s body would have a chance to mend on its own. She says, thank God Wiley wasn’t in the car. How’s Brad? He says Brad didn’t bear the brunt of the injuries, but he’s certainly devastated. Ava says, Julian and Lucas were just starting to bond. Has Griff seen Julian? Griff says he hasn’t, but he knows Julian has support around him. Ava says, the pain of losing a child is an agony she’d never wish on her worst enemy, let alone her brother. She prays Lucas comes back. Yes, she said pray. Old habits die hard.
Valentin tells Nina, full disclosure; Martin is following Spencer around the clock. He was just at a gastropub, but one thing he doesn’t do is exchange a lot of phone calls or emails with the United States. Could she see Jax taking orders from Spencer? Nina says, if Spencer isn’t pulling the strings, who is? Valentin says he has a mask to find, and kisses her. When he’s gone, she takes out the ring, and leaves.
Jax tells Nikolas not to worry. He won’t tell Hayden he staged the attack. He just wants her to know it’s safe to come home, but she hasn’t returned any of his messages. He tries calling again, and says, her phone is no longer in service. Nikolas says, maybe she’s worried about it being traced. She’ll contact Finn eventually; she wouldn’t cut ties with her daughter. Jax says, she’s already proved she’ll do anything to protect Violet. He guesses the thug Nikolas hired was pretty convincing.
Anna asks Peter, what’s going on? And don’t tell her it’s the stress of moving day. She can’t help him if he doesn’t tell her.
Scotty tells Elizabeth, they’ve probably started by now.
Franco says, this is it? The instruments? Andrew says, no scalpels, no sutures, no blood, and Franco says, just his memories. Everything that gives him his identity, and makes him who he is. Doesn’t he have a form to sign? Andre asks if he’s sure, and Franco says, positive. If goes south, he’s not breathing through a tube on a ventilator. Andre hands him a DNR, and he signs. Suspicious dude has changed into scrubs, and skulks around outside the room.
Griff tells Ava, part of the reason he came back was to see her. He regrets how things ended, and how much he hurt her. She appreciates that, but she knows she caused her fair share of pain, and owns that. Griff says he’s trying to do better; be of service to people, and get to know himself and own his choices. He carries Kiki with him all the time, in his heart and soul. She envies him. She only sees Kiki in dreams; her nightmares really. Kiki tells Ava that she’ll never forgive her. Griff says that’s her own conscience and regret, not Kiki. Kiki was all about forgiveness. Ava says she’ll never know. She can only tell herself stories about Kiki now, and how she feels about the loss and emptiness every day. She learned something along the way. She doesn’t do broken well, and doesn’t do helpless at all. She hit rock bottom at Shadybrook, but she’ll never let anyone take what’s hers, or give them the power to hurt her. Nina walks in, and says she didn’t know Griff was back in town. He says it’s just a short visit. He understands Nina is engaged to Valentin – again. He wishes her all happiness. He asks her to tell Charlotte he said hello, although she probably won’t remember him. She says she’ll tell Charlotte a friend said hello, and Griff tells Ava that he should get going. It was nice to see her. He leaves.
Nickolas tears through his stuff. Jax asks if he’s packed yet, and Nikolas says he can’t find it. Jax wonders if this is a stall tactic, and Nikolas says he must have left it in his room. Jax says he packed everything; what is Nikolas looking for? Nikolas says, his ring with the Cassadine crest. He might have lost it.
Nina says she called Shadybrook, and they said Ava had checked out. She had a feeling Ava would be there. Ava says there was a break-in, and the storage room was ransacked, but she guesses Nina already knew that. Nina says they both know who’s responsible, and what they’re looking for. The real question is, what are they going to do about it?
Nina tells Ava, there were two break-ins. Valentin was the first one, but someone else had the same idea. She has no idea who it was, but does Ava remember this? She shows the ring to Ava, and says she found it in Ava’s room at Shadybrook after the ghost of Nikolas came to haunt her. Ghosts don’t wear rings with the Cassadine crest. There are only a few in existence, and Nikolas had one. Ava asks if Nina believes Nikolas is alive, and Nina says, so does Ava. Otherwise, she’d still be curled in a ball at Shadybrook. Doesn’t she think it’s time they do something about the Cassadines’ lies and manipulations? Does Ava remember her saying that? Ava says she does, but she was still on meds. She needed one last reality check. Nina says, this is it.It proves Nikolas is alive, and not an apparition or a fevered delusion. He was alive last night, and broke in. If that doesn’t convince Ava, nothing will. Ava says, convince her of what? and Nina says, for them to join forces. Let’s take down the Cassadine boys once and for all.
Jax says, Nikolas lost his ring? It could identify him, and prove he’s alive. If the wrong person finds it, they might think it belongs to Valentin, and bring it to him. Nikolas will be exposed. The doorbell rings, and Valentin yells for Jax, saying, let’s put cards on the table, shall we?
Peter tells Anna, it’s a potential scoop, and his reporter has gone radio silent. She says he’s a publisher; he has editors to handle that. He says, it’s sensitive material. He can’t let anyone else handle it, and jets.
Scotty says Elizabeth is brave; he’s scared to death. Cameron asks how she can be so calm, and she asks what Franco’s last words were to him. Cameron says he’s told her a thousand times. Franco said to tell Elizabeth that he loves her and he’ll be back. Elizabeth says, she believes him. She believes her husband, and they all have to believe now.
Andre tells Franco that he’s administering the sedative. Franco looks scared, and takes a deep breath. Andre tells him to count backwards from one hundred. As he counts, suspicious dude peeks in.
Tomorrow, Maxie tells Griff that she and Peter are officially living in sin, Nina says she’s on Ava’s side, Valentin suggests he and Jax pool their resources, and as the Peter’s hit man makes himself known, Andre says, what the hell?
Below Deck
Courtney tells Kevin, there’s a deep meaningful meeting happening in the stew panty. Simone says Kate made her second stew, but doesn’t treat her like one. Kate says she’s not sure Simone is a great second stew. It’s nothing personal, but it’s not wonderful to hear from other crew members that she got a second stew upset. And Simone made the department look bad. Simone says she didn’t, but Kate says she’s telling Simone that she did. In Kate’s interview, she says, a second stew would know better. When she was a second stew, she had it worse. She didn’t see land for two months straight, and only saw laundry. She didn’t complain; that was the job. Kate tells Simone to take a minute. Simone goes to her cabin, and says, this is bullsh*t. She tells Courtney that she’s a good second stew, and starts crying. Kate says, the yacht needs a certain level of maturity, and she can’t teach that. She tells the other crew members, goodnight. In Simone’s interview, she says she doesn’t like confrontation, but she was pushed to the end. Rhylee says Simone sounded upset, and they step away. Courtney says Simone seemed like she was doing well enough, but Simone says, some people don’t think so. Rhylee tells Simone that Kate has little patience, and Simone says she wants to spend more time doing service. Rhylee asks if she told that to Kate, and Simone says she did. Rhylee suggests they have drinks tomorrow, and Simone says that would be amazing. Courtney says, no worries. Simone did everything she could.
Rhylee asks Kate, what’s the deal with Simone? and Kate says, Simone is such a victim. Rhylee says she doesn’t know Simone, but likes her. Kate says she did at first too. Rhylee says Courtney is mousy, and so boring. She’s going to steal Brian. Kate says Rhylee is so sauvage. Rhylee asks what that means, and Kate says, savage. I guess that was too hard to figure out?
Koh Hong; final day of charter. Tanner sings, it’s drop-off day. Kate serves coffee to the guests, and asks if they had a good time. In her interview, Kate says she feels bad for them. She knows what a Thailand alcohol hangover feels like. It’s not good. We flash back to Kate’s hangover. Captain Lee calls for deckhands to bring up the anchor, and Brian – who is back to work somewhat – and Ashton guide the anchor into the pocket. Kate asks how Simone slept last night, and Simone says, not as well as planned. In Simone’s interview, she says, it’s just a few more weeks. She’ll make the money, and she’s out of there. Tanner asks for some sugar, and they kiss. He says, let’s get lit. Over the radio, captain says, whoever is still changing into their whites, step it up. Ashton says it’s the first time since the second week that he’s had a full crew on deck. It actually feels good.
The guests say goodbye, the primary telling Captain Lee that they’re so grateful. He takes good care of them. The crew rocked it. When they’re gone, Ashton says, another one down, bro. Kevin tells everyone, good job, mates. At the tip meeting, the captain says, it was a good charter. The tip is $12000; not the biggest, but for a short charter, not bad. We’re still all disappointed though. In his interview, Kevin says he’s there to make money, and it’s a bit frustrating when he’s putting his heart and soul into it. He’s not getting any applause either, but he doesn’t need it. Okay, he guesses he does, a bit. Captain Lee says he wants them to have some extra time for themselves, and they’re going to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Instead of washing the boat, they’ll be washing elephants. In his interview, the captain says they’ve had a lot of adversity this season; injuries, crew members leaving. It hasn’t been easy.The crew deserves a day off, but frankly it’s necessary. He tells them, hang out, enjoy the day, and enjoy the sanctuary. Until then, bust a hump getting the boat ready.
Courtney tells Simone that she’s obsessed with elephants. They’re her favorite animal. Tanner sees a million messages from his mom. In his interview, he says if he doesn’t answer, she starts blowing up his phone. He calls her, and asks, why? She says she’s sorry, but she worries. He says, if anything happens to him, she’ll find out. She says she loves him so much. In Tanner’s interview, he says she probably cares too much. He’s the youngest of four, and the baby. He tells her that he’s working today, and she says she misses him. She tells him, don’t get any hookers pregnant, and he says, Jiminy Cricket. I don’t think hookers are what she has to worry about. Courtney wonders what to wear for elephants. Kevin tells Courtney and Simone not to take up space in the refrigerator with the wine. The captain radios, telling them to have their asses ready for the elephant excursion in fifteen minutes. Kate radios back that her ass will be ready for the elephants in fifteen minutes. Everyone has started drinking already.
Kate wonders why the wine was moved out of the refrigerator, and says, the fridge is for the guests. Kevin says it’s his space, it’s his fridge, and that’s how he likes it in the galley. She says, it’s empty, and he says he made it that way. There’s plenty of room upstairs. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s a fridge. Why is Kevin losing his sh*t over a wine bottle in the fridge? He tells her to do what she wants, and she says she’s going to. He says to shove it up behind the vegetables, and she says she’ll shove it up the backside of the fridge. In her interview, she says, it’s wild. not based in logic; he just likes to oppose her. They leave, bringing along beer and wine. Kevin says there’s only so much space. It’s his domain, and he doesn’t want to compromise. In the taxi, Rhylee says, Kevin is high-strung. She accuses Simone of not telling them the whole truth. She said she and Tanner just cuddled, but Tanner said he went downton on her abbey. And she touched for like eight seconds. Simone says, Tanner is an a-hole. In Simone’s interview, she says, that’s childish. He shouldn’t be telling everyone about their private moments. She’s hoping a huge elephant steps on his foot.
They get to sanctuary, and we see a baby! ♫ Thailand! Thailand! Where everyone gets a baby elephant! ♫ The guide explains that the elephants were rescued from a riding park, and were saved from a horrible life of being abused. The elephants play in the sand, and everyone is charmed. Courtney says she literally can’t cope, and wants to live there. They pet the elephants, and no surprise, the guys have to point out the male elephant’s junk. The guide says, it’s time to get dirty, and they get in a huge puddle with the elephants to help with bathing. In his interview, Brian says, they’re absolutely majestic. They need days like this, especially for team building. He has a little FOMO, since he can’t get his leg wet, but he’s glad to be there. They help wash the elephants. On the way out, Kate says she kissed five of them, and Courtney calls her a ho.
Court asks Simone what’s happening with her and Tanner, but Simone says she doesn’t know. In Simone’s interview, she says it’s different if he’d told his friends, but he thinks she’s dumb enough that it’s okay to tell her co-workers. She’s not letting him get away with it. She asks to have a talk with Tanner. In Tanner’s interview, he says nine times out of ten, when a woman asks you to have a chat, it’s not a good one. He’s walking into quicksand. She tells him whatever happens between them, she wants him to keep it between them. If he talks about it, it seems like he’s keeping a scorecard, and it makes her feel dirty. He says he doesn’t want her to feel that way. He doesn’t want to bother or upset her. She thanks him, and they hug. In her interview, Simone says she appreciates Tanner being up front, but don’t play her for a fool. It’s not her first rodeo. She tells Courtney that she and Tanner had a chat, and he said the last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad. That’s it. In Tanner’s interview, he says this is why he doesn’t get into relationships. You’re having fun, and then you’re being interrogated. Simone is an awesome, cool girl, but not his vibe right now. Apparently, Tanner doesn’t understand the difference between interrogation, and someone telling him to shut up. It definitely sounded like she wanted to keep it more casual than he did. Kevin and Kate fold laundry in the crew mess.
Tanner tells Brian that someone told the girls about what he said happened between him and Simone. Brian says, Rhylee, and Tanner says, that’s pretty obvious. In his interview, Tanner says, Rhylee is a double-agent. She wants to work with the boys, but still be part of the girls. She’s a bridge between the drama, but she’s creating more. He tells Ashton that he wants a bro code. Rhylee told Simone what he’d said. Ashton says, if Rhylee wants to be one of the girls, the boys need to keep their sh*t with the boys. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s better if they can speak freely, but Rhylee can’t be trusted. He calls day drinking tomorrow, and they go to bed. Tanner stumbles around, drinking by himself. He texts Simone, asking her to come to his room, but when she gets there, he’s passed out and snoring.
It’s the crew’s day off, and everyone is yawning. Ashton tells them to be ready by 10:30, and someone tells him, shut up. Kate says her bed at home is bigger than the cabin; this is hell. Courtney says she loves to lounge around. Drinking wine, and eating pasta; is that too much to ask for? Tanner and Brian complain about how long Kate and Rhylee are taking. Ashton tells them, hurry it up, as Kate leisurely does her hair while having a drink. Ashton says, the whole crew is waiting for two people; it’s disrespectful. Tanner wonders how long it takes to put on a bikini. In Kate’s interview, she says in the first place, she’s a higher rank, and second, STFU. They come out, and everyone heads to shore.
The girls go in one taxi and the guys in another. Tanner tells the guys that he woke up naked next to Simone, and got a text later, asking, what is she? A booty call? Ashton asks if he doesn’t remember. Kate asks how Simone is feeling. Tanner tells the other guys that every time his mom calls him, she says, he hasn’t gotten anyone pregnant, has he? Simone tells Kate that she doesn’t know why she’s tired. Kevin asks about Brian and Courtney, and Brian says it’s going slowly. Kevin is glad love is blossoming on the boat. They get to Dream Club, a resort where they’re welcomed with fancy drinks. I don’t think they could shove any more accoutrements in that glass. There’s a pool with a DJ setting up in a nearby gazebo. In Kate’s interview, she says she didn’t think there was anything better than meeting a baby elephant, but this place has everything she loves: a bar, a pool, a beach, a bar. She can relax now. They guys play pool. Rhylee marvels at Brian’s abs, and says he’s better than Ashton. In Courtney’s interview, she says she’s enjoying getting to know Brian, and it’s nothing serious yet, but she feels some jealousy. She goes over to watch the guys, and Rhylee tells Kate, Courtney’s staking her claim. She waves to Courtney, who waves back.
Rhylee asks Kate why Brian has to be taken. He’s gorgeous, and she would do him so hard. In Rhylee’s interview, she says relationships aren’t for her. She’s a hunter. She tells Kate that she can make Brian not remember who Courtney is. The DJ starts spinning, and the others get in the pool, while Kate and Rhylee continue to get some sun. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s been tough as bosun. His goal is to put back a lot of drinks, and go from one to Smashton. Tanner makes sweet talk to Simone, and she pours water on his back. Kate tells Ashton that Simone is treating Tanner like a baby elephant. In Kate’s interview, she says, Simone is like an octopus, putting her limbs around Tanner; slowly suffocating her pretty. Two girls come out, and it seems like everyone stops to look. They get on perches and dance by the pool. I guess they come with the DJ. Ashton gets up, and Kate tell him, do what you’re good at.
Meanwhile, back at the Valor, Captain Lee suns himself on deck.
Tanner waves at Kate to come over. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s her day off. She doesn’t want to engage her other hand unless someone is handing her a cocktail. Ashton announces that Smashton is back, and he’s entertaining. Brian says if Ashton doesn’t do a striptease, he’ll be disappointed. Ashton gets up, and dances with one of the dancers. Simone asks if Tanner is done looking, as he stares at the other dancer. Tanner says, it’s amazing. He was thinking about dancing with her. He asks if he should, and Simone discourages that idea. He says, damn, girl, and in his interview, he says he’s been drinking and wants to be moving. Simone tells him, go; be happy. Tanner gets up with the other dancer, but he’s not exactly Ashton caliber. In Simone’s interview, she says it’s her day off. She’s supposed to be having a good time, but she’s feeling disrespected. She doesn’t know what Tanner’s problem is, but she’s not having it. Ashton dips his partner, and when Tanner tries to grind against the girl he’s dancing with, she walks off. Kevin tells Tanner that he screwed up big time, and Brian says, massively. Simone likes him, and it wasn’t cool. Tanner says he asked permission, and Courtney says Simone didn’t mean it. Tanner says he’ll make up for it. Back by the pool, Tanner tries to jump on Simone, but she’s says, no. In Kevin’s interview, he says he thinks Simone has sugar-coated feelings, but Tanner wants something a little different – like a threesome. Simone tells Tanner that he should know better; she shouldn’t need to tell him. In Simone’s interview, she says he’s not her boyfriend, but she sleeps in his bed, and treating her like a toy is rude. In Courtney’s interview, she says, it was a d*ck move. Tanner kissing Simone, then awkwardly gyrating against the poolside dancer. He’s a douche.
Tanner says, his bad. He’s sorry he upset he. Kevin suggests he and Brian watch the sunset on the beach. Ashton joins them, yelling, Thailand, baby! Courtney tells Kate that Kevin and Brian are having a romantic moment. Kevin tells Brian, Kate treats them like bitches, and it’s going to pop. He’s not there to get treated like a bitch. In Kevin’s interview, he says, Kate’s not an evil, terrible person but… she kind of is. Kevin tells Brian that Kate doesn’t like them either. The crew gets ready for dinner, changing out of their swimsuits and into regular clothes.
Kate goes to the bar, and Kevin asks if she got a bill. Kate says he’s usually sleeping, but usually she pays them. That’s what she’s doing now. We flash back to all the times Kevin has been passed out on their way back. She says she’s happy to do it, just don’t be rude. He says he’ll pay it, and she says she’ll pay him to stop talking. In Kate’s interview, she says he’s not the boss of her; not on the yacht, and not on her day off. They go to the dinner table, and Rhylee remarks that everyone cleans up so nicely. Tanner and Simone don’t sit together, but he makes faces at her. In Brian’s interview, he says he thinks Tanner is still young, and doesn’t realize the consequences of his actions. He needs to understand that he hurt Simone. She’s feeling sad, and it’s not cool. The food comes, and they clink beer bottles. Tanner asks if Brian wants to go for a smoke. In his interview, Brian says he hates to see women disrespected. Tanner is in a rut, and has to understand that it’s not cool to flirt if Simone is there.
Tanner sits with Kevin, Brian, and Courtney, and Brian tells him that he’s a sh*t. Tanner says, Jiminy Cricket. He didn’t know it would be such a big deal. Kevin says they knew. In Tanner’s interview, he says, the whole crew is upset. This is why you don’t dip your pen in the company ink. Tanner gets up, and starts heading for the table, then back again. At the table, Rhylee wonders when this turned into a nightclub, and Kate says, right now. Kevin hugs Simone, and Tanner tells Ashton that he just got chewed out. Kevin says they didn’t feel like they were in the wrong, but hadn’t intended to bring it up. Tanner says he just wants to eat dinner with his co-workers. Simone joins them again, and Ashton thinks it’s time they went back to the boat.
In the taxi back, Kate tells Tanner not to allow Simone in his bed unless he’s going to give her gentlemanly attention. Kevin says he still needs to keep his guard up. Brian says he packed the van, and Kate says he’s the best yachtie she knows. He asks her not to call him a yachtie; he prefers seafarer. In his interview, Brian says it’s a disrespectful term. It refers to someone who doesn’t work hard, but makes a lot of money. Kate says she thinks a yachtie is agreeable, hardworking, and well-traveled. Brian says he still doesn’t like it, and Kate says she’s not calling him one. What does he think she is? He says, kind of a bitch. In Kate’s interview, she says she thought he was the nicest guy. She was happy to have him n the crew, and surprise! He thinks she’s a bitch. Kate pouts, and Tanner says, get over it. Kate starts to get out, and the producer tells her, hang on; the car is still moving. She barely waits for the car to park, before she’s out and walking to the boat.
Courtney calls Brian a dum-dum. In Brian’s interview, he wishes Courtney would have his back in this situation. Kate is wrong, and Courtney is smart enough to see that. As they walk to the boat, Rhylee asks how the ride was, and Courtney says she wouldn’t recommend it. Rhylee asks, what happened? and Courtney says she’s an innocent bystander. Brian tells Kevin, Kate was just being Kate, and Kevin asks if he told her to shove it. Brian says he did, and Kevin says, my man. He’s got Brian’s back. In Brian’s interview, he says, anyone can see that Kate is the issue. She’s the common denominator, and needs to be put in her place.
On the boat, Kate sits with Captain Lee in the crew mess. Tanner tells Ashton that it got heated. Ashton says Kate has been acting like a brat, and it’s something they need to address. She hears the crew on their way down, and says their lovely powwow is about to be interrupted. As the guys come in, Kate asks the captain what size pants he wears, and starts tossing the pairs of other sizes on the floor. In Kevin’s interview, he says that Kate acts like she’s above them, but this is on another level. And in front of the captain. Kevin tells Ashton what Kate is doing, and Ashton comes in, asking, what’s gong on? She asks if he knows what his deckhand said to her, and he says, it must be bad, considering all the clothes on the floor. She says those stripes are below her, and he asks if they’re in kindergarten. She tells him to ask his deckhand. Ashton says she’s doing this in the crew mess, which is shared by the crew and captain. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, the crew has a day off, and comes back bat sh*t nuts. They’re not playing well in he sandbox with each other, but he’s not wasting his time right now. You can’t reason with drunks. But tomorrow, he’s having a come to Jesus meeting with them.
Ashton tells Kevin and Tanner, he can’t believe Kate had the audacity to throw their clothes around. Brian tells Kate, sorry, and Kate says, cool. He waits, but she says she thinks they’re done. In Ashton’s interview, he says he doesn’t care what was said. It doesn’t matter. How old is Kate, and who does she think she is? Kate starts crying, and goes to her cabin.
Here’s my take on the situation. I like Kate, and would have no problem working with or for her, since I have an extremely strong work ethic. However, I think a lot of people either just plain don’t have that, or they mistake a career in yachting for a vacation. Kate has also forgotten the rule that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and that goes for pretty much every profession. As for Tanner, this guy is so stupid and/or narcissistic, he thinks Simone’s problem is that she’s not taking their casual relationship casually. News flash, just because it’s a casual relationship, doesn’t mean she wants to go on a double-date with you and her, and you and another girl.
Next time, Captain Lee says the crew isn’t all getting the message, Kate feels attacked, Master Pearson makes a return appearance, Simone doesn’t understand what’s going on in Tanner’s mind, and Rhylee says it’s a boys’ club on deck.
👈 And You Get a Kardashian…
I love lists and I love reality shows. Here’s a list of the best reality shows, but if anyone deserves two paragraphs, it’s Gordon Ramsay, not the K women.
But if I stop watching every entertainer who’s personal junk I disagree with, I’ll end up with Mr. Rogers and… I’m sure there’s someone else. And regardless, I love this movie.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 