What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase works out like a maniac at the gym, when Brook walks in. She says, looks like her timing is right. She has a big ask, and hopefully, he won’t have the energy to fight her.

On the phone, Carly says she understands that, but there’s only so much she can do. Please try to get some sleep. Josslyn walks in, and Carly asks, how was her run? Josslyn says, good, and asks if it was her dad. Carly says, it was, and he’s very concerned about what’s going on here. He’d like Josslyn to spend some time with him in Sydney. Josslyn asks what Carly told him, and Carly says, she told him that it was up to Josslyn. Josslyn says, she can’t leave now. Not when everybody she cares about needs her. Carly says she loves how brave and protective Josslyn is, but she’s got to start looking out for herself. Josslyn asks what Carly is saying. Does Carly want her to leave Port Charles?

Dr. Navarro asks if Willow and Michael are ready to learn the sex of their baby, and Michael asks if the doctor can give them a minute. She says she’ll be back in a bit, and leaves. Willow says, they can’t hold the doctor up from her other patients. Why did he send her away? Michael says he’s not sure they should go through with this.

Alexis meets Drew at Charlie’s, and he thanks her for helping him on such short notice. He knows how busy she is. She says, they all are. Another attack? This time, one of Port Charles’ finest. Her phone rings, and she says, her phone has been blowing up. She turns it off, and tells Drew that she’s been doing some digging. He says he can’t thank her enough, but she says, no thanks necessary. He had her at Harmony.

Sonny comes into the gallery with Nina, and asks what Ava is doing. The door was unlocked. Nina says, thank God she’s okay, and Sonny asks why her glass is smashed on the floor. Nina asks where Ava was last night, and Ava says she was here. She was working last night. Nina says, with everything that happened, she actually called Nikolas this morning, and when he told her that Ava wasn’t home at Windymere, she thought something happened. Ava says, that’s sweet, but Windymere is no longer her home. Nikolas has made sure of that.

Nikolas finds Elizabeth at the hospital reception desk, and she asks what he’s doing here. He says, they have a lot to discuss, but she says, not here; she’s working. He says, she ran out last night, he hasn’t heard from her since, and he couldn’t wait, but she says, he’s going to be waiting a long time. She just started her shift. She starts walking down the hall, but he follows her, and asks why she told him that she was going to turn him into the cops.

Josslyn says, is she freaked out about what happened to Rory? Is she worried that The Hook might be out to get her and her best friend? Absolutely, but she can’t just walk out on her life. Carly says she wants Josslyn as close to her as possible, but the thought of something happening to Josslyn scares the hell out of her. Josslyn’s dad misses her, and Carly knows she loves Australia. Josslyn says she does love Australia, but Trina needs her, Cam needs her, even Spencer. Carly says, Josslyn has to promise she’s going to take this seriously and be careful. Did she stay on the grounds for her run? Josslyn says she did, and Carly says, that has to be her new normal. No cross-country runs or going anywhere alone. And no more risky rescues involving gunshots and dorm rooms. Josslyn says, that was a one-time thing, and Carly says she hopes so, because she’s extremely worried about Josslyn’s involvement with Dex.

Nina thanks Sonny for his help, and says, he’s amazing and she loves him. She’ll see him later. Sonny walks out with Dex, who asks if he’s sure they shouldn’t arrange protection, but Sonny says, no; Ava’s covered. Her biggest issue is her husband. Dex says, what about the rest of Sonny’s family? and Sonny says, Kristina’s covered, Donna… Dex says, Josslyn?

Nina asks what inspired Ava to stay at the gallery last night, and Ava says she was too keyed up to sleep, so she thought she’d get some paperwork done. The invoices are complete, but her neck is paying the price this morning. Nina says, clearly, Ava was busy. Too busy to clean up that mess. She indicates the smashed martini glass, and asks why Ava didn’t just come back to her place last night. Ava says, she was feeling pretty lousy, and didn’t want to subject Nina to her mood, but Nina says, no more playing cat and mouse. What happened with Nikolas?

Elizabeth closes the chapel door, and tells Nikolas, this is exactly why people think he’s arrogant and self-centered. She told him that she was working, and the Hub? Not exactly the place for this conversation. Not to mention, Finn could have seen them, and she doesn’t want to rub salt in the wound. He says he gets it, but he’s been calling her all night, and she’s not returning his calls. What other options did he have? She says, like, ten, starting with wait and give her some space. She needs time to think. He says, they can think about this together; they have to be on the same page. She says she just wishes this whole thing would go away, and he says, but it won’t. We have to fix this now, especially now that we know Esme isn’t The Hook. She says, you keep saying we, but do you really have any idea what we’ve done?

Chase asks what Brook wants, and she says she wasn’t quite sure how they left things. Is he still planning on performing with Blaze tomorrow, at the Rice Plaza Gingerbread Jam? He says he thought he was pretty clear. He’s done with their relationship, personal or professional. He’s not trying to hurt her or get back at her. He’s just trying to make her understand. He’s done wasting his time on stage. His only focus is on regaining his career; the one she doesn’t seem to care about.

Michael says, Willow got devesting news yesterday. It’s understandable if she doesn’t want to do the scan right now. She says, today is supposed to be happy; the day they find out if Wiley is having a little brother or little sister. Can he believe she actually misses Harmony? She would have called Harmony, and they would have been excited together. She knows Harmony wasn’t her birth mother, and did some terrible things, but Harmony knew her, inside and out. They had that familiarity, and today made her realize that some part of her still longs for a mother, but Drew just told her that her mother is dead. Michael says, why doesn’t he share his mother with her? He knows she’s a lot, but she already loves Willow. Willow says, don’t get her wrong. She’s grateful for his whole family, and Wiley… He says, but she can’t help grieve what she lost, and she says, and everything she could lose still.

Alexis asks, what made Drew decide to bring up Harmony? and he says, Willow decided to track down her birth mother. She says, that’s quite an undertaking. Why now? He says, being pregnant, he thinks she realizes she has no family health history. She says, he told her that the firefighter’s story corroborated Harmony’s, so why does he think there’s more to it? He says he took Denise’s story at face value, but did a little bit of digging, and came up with a census taken after Joan arrived. He thought if he was able to find the commune leader, Josiah, maybe Josiah could help him track down Willow’s birth father. He’s still trying to pinpoint exactly where Josiah is, but what threw him was, there was no Joan in the census. Alexis says, maybe she changed her name. Cultists can be fluid with monikers. He says, but there was nobody who even matched her general description. He gets commune members sometimes flaunt authority, but you’d think a census taker would have noticed a very pregnant woman about to give birth. She says, and his hunch is correct, because it jives with her source. He thinks aspects of this firefighter’s story doesn’t add up, and he would be right.  

Carly says she’s not going to bother telling Josslyn what to do, because Josslyn is just like her, and she knows Josslyn’s not going to listen. She’d sound like a hypocrite if she told Josslyn to stay away from Dex because of the danger factor. She knows all too well the lure of a bad boy. She spent her life with Jason and Sonny. Josslyn says, that’s cool, but Carly says she’s serious. She’s in Josslyn’s corner, always. She has faith in Josslyn. Her hesitation isn’t about Josslyn not knowing what she’d be getting into with Dex. Josslyn spent her life with Carly, so she knows Josslyn knows. Josslyn says she knows, and wants to apologize for something she said about Jason. She said he was an idiot to work for Sonny, and here Dex is doing the same thing. Carly says, so Josslyn has feelings for Dex, but Josslyn says, it’s a non-issue. After what Spencer pulled last night, she doubts she’s even in the friendzone. Carly says, Spencer’s been released? and Josslyn says, sorry she didn’t tell Carly. It’s been a crazy 48 hours, but he is. Carly doesn’t have to worry. She doubts she’ll be seeing much of Dex anymore.  

Ava says, Nina spoke to Nikolas? and Nina says she called him this morning when she saw Ava wasn’t home, and Ava wasn’t answering her calls. Nikolas said he left her here last night. Ava says, her husband is an expert at omitting salient facts, and starts to pick up the glass. She bets Nikolas didn’t tell Nina that he served her with divorce papers. Nina asks why he would do that. He’s crazy about Ava, and Ava was just considering giving him a second chance. Ava says, that was before she found out he slept with Elizabeth Baldwin, and Nina says, Nikolas was unfaithful to Ava again? Ava says, there’s more. Nina hasn’t heard the worst of it. Nina asks, what’s worse than cheating on Ava twice? and Ava says, Elizabeth is pregnant.

Elizabeth says, for weeks, Nikolas has kept an innocent pregnant young woman literally locked in a tower. Nikolas says, Esme’s hardly innocent. Even if she’s not The Hook, she still framed Trina. She drugged that bartender, and menaced Elizabeth on the docks. And let’s not forget, she filmed Elizabeth’s son and his girlfriend in a very compromising position. She says, he doesn’t get to do that. Do not use her son’s pain for his own ends. He asks if she doesn’t want justice, but she says, what he’s doing isn’t justice. If she’d known Esme wasn’t a murderer, she would have called the police immediately. He asks if she’s sure about that.

Michael helps Willow on with her coat, and says, they can reschedule the sonogram and meet his mom at Charlie’s. She says, lunch with Carly; she almost forgot. Carly is going to be on pins and needles waiting to learn if they’re having a boy or a girl. He says, she probably heard what Drew learned about Willow’s birth mother. If they skip lunch, she’ll completely understand. He asks if Willow is okay, and she says she really wanted to meet her birth mother. Not just because she was a potential bone marrow match, but she wanted to see her mother’s eyes; see if they if look like hers. She wanted to compare their chins and mouths. She’ll never know if she laughs like her mother, or sneezes like her. And her mother will never know her, or Wiley, or this baby. It’s all just so… final. He says he’s sorry. They could try to find some photos of Joan, and she says, that would be nice. He says he knows she lost the dream and hope for a future relationship, and knows it hurts. She says, maybe she’ll find her eyes and smile in this little one. She can still dream of meeting their baby. They promised to deliver important news to a grandmother and big brother today, and she doesn’t like to break her promises. He asks if she’s sure, and she tells him, call Dr. Navarro back in.

Alexis tells Drew that she tracked down a paper in Colorado, and talked to a veteran reporter who covered the crime beat in Clairborne County. The whole story of Joan ending up dead in a flophouse just didn’t sit well with him. They have issues with illegal weed there. They have opioid usage problems, but crackhouses are unheard of. He says, it was a long time ago. Could Denise have been confused? Alexis says, that reporter is solid. He checked his facts, and there were no ODs at that time. He says, maybe Joan died of something else, but she says, this reporter investigated the death record for five years. The only woman named Joan who died during that time was a woman who was 91 years old and died in her sleep. So whoever Willow’s mother is, either Joan is not her name… Drew says, or she’s still alive.

Nina says she can’t believe this, and Ava says, neither could she, but it’s true. Her husband is having a baby with another woman. Nina says, she must be so angry, and Ava says she’s furious. She’s mad as hell. How dare he make a mockery of her? It’s one thing for Nikolas to fool around behind her back, but now he’s made lifelong evidence that he couldn’t keep it in his pants. It’s humiliating. Nina says, it’s no reflection on Ava, and Ava says she knows that. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to that man. It’s humiliating because now the rest of the world will realize what a weak and feckless man-child of a man she married. Nina says, Ava has every right to be angry, and Ava says, you bet she does; angry and disappointed. Nina says, Ava loved him, and he let her down. Ava says, she disappointed herself, because every time he told her that their love was once in a lifetime, that they were meant to be together, that they were for keeps, she believed it. Nina says, she takes partial responsibility. She never should have encouraged Ava to take him back. Ava says, no. She did it to herself. She was never a happily ever after kind of chick, but she let herself fall for Nikolas; for this idea of forever. She’s a damn fool.

Nikolas says, the day Elizabeth discovered he was keeping Esme at Windymere, she wanted to call the police, but didn’t. Instead, Elizabeth asked to see her. Elizabeth says she wanted to make sure Esme was being treated humanely, but he says, Commissioner Ashford could have seen to that. But before he even suggested Esme was The Hook, her first instinct wasn’t to turn him in. She says she guesses their friendship clouded her judgement, and now he’s weaponizing it against her? He tells her, he’s saying, on some level, she agreed to this, but she says, never. The only reason she got involved was because he was so worried his baby was going to be born in prison, and he was convinced Esme was dangerous. He says he still is. Esme might not be The Hook, she’s still a danger to his child. If Elizabeth calls the authorities, and Esme winds up in a facility, she’ll have no more use for his baby. After the baby’s born, he would love to turn Esme over to the justice system, but he can’t risk Elizabeth’s freedom. He promises he’ll keep Esme safe on Cassadine Island. She’ll be away from everyone, so she can’t hurt people. He’s begging Elizabeth. Do not endanger his child because of the sins of the parents. She tells him, stop it. This is emotional blackmail. He says he knows. Is it working? I laugh.

Drew thanks Alexis for going through all this trouble, but she says, all she did was make a few phone calls. It also clears her karma. Trying  to be friends with Harmony made her complicit in the lies and damages Harmony perpetrated. Drew flashes back to Carly saying she was the last person in the room with Harmony before she died, and she told Carly that Nina was Willow’s birth mother. He says, Harmony definitely told some pretty major lies, but… why would Denise mislead him? She says, that’s a good question. Something doesn’t add up. Phyllis comes in, and hears Alexis say, Harmony’s not the only one telling tales.

Carly thinks Josslyn needs to be clear about what she wants, and who she wants. Josslyn says, you and me both. How can she have feelings for someone dumb enough to work for Sonny? Carly says she’s sure Dex has his reasons, just like Jason did, and she certainly didn’t try to tell Jason what to do. He was his own man, and he could make his own decisions. She didn’t want him to resent her for trying to control him, and he felt the same way about her. She thinks that’s what made the relationship work. She has the feeling Dex is similar. Josslyn says she loves Cam… but they’ve grown apart. And it’s not Dex; it’s her and what she feels and doesn’t feel. She doesn’t know what to tell him. Carly says, Josslyn’s already told this to her. She thinks Josslyn is stalling, and she gets it, but the longer Josslyn waits the harder it’s going to be, especially for her. Josslyn thanks Carly, and they hug. Carly says, the circumstances are terrible, but she loves having Josslyn home so much. So does her sister. Josslyn asks, where is Donna? and Carly says, Pilar took her to the park because they have lunch with Willow and Michael. Josslyn asks if Carly is sure they won’t mind her coming, but Carly says, is she kidding? They’re going to be so happy to have her there. The doorbell rings, and Carly opens the door to Sonny and Dex. Josslyn comes over to the door, asking, who is it?

Chase tells Brook, the PCPD lost one of their own last night. A young man Chase didn’t know or show the ropes to because he’s not there anymore. He’s just some guy on the outside looking in. He needs a shower. He starts to walk, but she says, wait. She made mistakes, especially writing his character reference letter to the CCRB too late. She did write it. She told them that she supported his dreams of rejoining the force, but she’d been too selfish as usual. And that both incidents were entirely her fault. She wishes there was something more she could do, but Dante said it was impossible. He says, we’ll see. He’s not giving up. She says, that’s good. Just know she can still help him with music. It’s already working. He’s already making money, and the single with Blaze could be huge. He says, she still doesn’t get it. It was never about the money for him. What he wanted then, what he wants now, is to be a cop. If he needs money, he’ll work some shift job. He’ll do whatever it takes not to be tethered to her.

Sonny asks how Josslyn is holding up, and she says she’s had better nights. He says, they need to be ready for anything, and need to take every precaution possible. He’s going to assign Josslyn protection. Josslyn says she doesn’t want anything from him, but Carly says she’d sleep better at night. Josslyn says, fine, and Carly asks, when can Sonny start? They’re meeting Michael and Willow. Sonny asks if everything is okay, and Josslyn says, today they’re finding out if they’re having a boy or a girl. She thinks she’s going to skip lunch and stay here; call Trina. Carly says, alone? She’s not okay with that. Sonny tells them, Dex can stay until he finds somebody to relieve him. He’s sure Josslyn’s okay with that. Carly says she’s going to get ready, and Sonny asks her to tell Michael and Willow that he wishes them the best.

Dr. Navarro says she’ll take a few pictures so Dr. Westbourne can have a look, but everything looks good. The baby is progressing well. Growth measurements are right on target, amniotic fluid looks good… Let’s hear the heartbeat. They listen, and Willow says, that sound never gets old. She asks if they can determine the sex, and the doctor says, you tell me; look at the screen. She points out the head, arms, torso, and legs. Michael says he can’t see much of anything, and Dr. Navarro says, that depends on what you’re looking for. Congratulations. You’re having a girl. Michael says, they’re having a baby girl, and Willow laughs.

Phyllis says she doesn’t mean to be rude, but are they working on something to do with Harmony? Drew says, yeah; they’re doing some research for Willow. Phyllis says, she’s a very nice woman. How she managed to turn out so well with what she had as a mother is a testament to her character. When she first knew Harmony, she called herself Lorraine. Even then, it was like she was always keeping secrets. Alexis says, people with homicidal tendencies often do, and Drew says, Phyllis knew Harmony in New York, didn’t she? and Phyllis says, they worked in the same building. The problem is, Harmony remembered their time together very differently. It felt like Harmony was trying to rewrite history, and it left a bad taste in her mouth. Alexis says she wishes she’d talked to Phyllis before she let Harmony move in with her, and Phyllis excuses herself. Alexis asks, what’s next? and Drew says he thinks it’s time they put their firefighter in the hot seat. She tells him, send up a flare if he needs her, and he thanks her. She says, Willow deserves to know the truth, and she’d like to know herself.

Elizabeth says, Nikolas is right. It’s too late. They’re in too deep. She’ll be charged as an accessory to kidnapping, even if she goes to the police herself. Her boys will grow up without a mom. They still need her, and Spencer still needs him. And what about this new baby losing both its parents; it’s too much. She feels like a rat trapped in a maze. He says, she’s not trapped. In fact, she’s done. He’ll take it from here. She says, what Esme’s about medical care? and he says he’ll hire someone. If she  gets out now, she’ll still have some plausible deniability if he gets caught. Elizabeth says, Esme will talk, and given what they told Ava and Finn, it won’t be hard to connect the dots. She may not get jail time, but her livelihood will be over. No more nursing for her. He says he’d help out. He can set up an emergency offshore account… She says, he’s done enough, and he says, what now? She says, they don’t have a choice. They stay the course because their kids need them. He says, and the new baby? and she says, he doesn’t have a plan for raising Esme’s baby? He says he’s talking about their fictional one, and she says, she guesses they need to come up with a story, like now.

Ava tells Nina, no more tears. Never again for that man. Her only consolation will be divorcing Nikolas, and taking him for everything he’s worth. Thanks to Uncle Victor. Nina asks how Victor fits into all of this, and Ava tells her, let’s just say, the man understands the value of keeping family skeletons in the closet. Nina says, please tell her that she’s not crazy enough to extort money from this family. She doesn’t need money. She doesn’t need revenge. Just walk away, and keep her sanity. Ava says, the only place she’s walking right now is to the pharmacy to get something for her neck. Nina says she’s sorry, and Ava says, her too. She’s sorry she worried Nina last night. As they walk out, Nina says she’s still little afraid for Ava right now. Will Ava promise she won’t do something she’ll regret? Ava says, Nikolas and Elizabeth made a fool of her. The only thing she can promise is, she’ll make them pay.

Nina sees Phyllis on her phone at the bar, and says, playing a game? Phyllis says, one she hasn’t played in decades. She gave her number to a man. Nina asks if she’s dating someone, and Phyllis says, shh. She’s texting someone. The usual? Nina says, yeah, and Phyllis brings over a pot of coffee, and says, she’s not sure she’s up for much more. Nina asks if Phyllis likes this gentleman, and Phyllis says, his spelling is good, and he uses punctuation. Nina says, they’ll give him points for that, and pours the coffee. She’s glad Phyllis is happy, and Lenny would want her to be happy. Phyllis says, he would. No one could ever replace her Lenny, but… Nina says, but? and Phyllis says, it’s nice feel to special again; she missed that. Nina says, Phyllis is incredibly special and deserves someone who treats her that way, and Phyllis says, Nina does as well. Is her friend Sonny still making Nina feel like the only woman on earth?

Dex tells Carly, Mr. Corinthos just left, and Josslyn’s guard will be here in 30. Carly thanks him, and he says, Mrs. Corinthos? She corrects him, and says, she’s Ms. Spencer, and he apologizes. He says he never got the chance to thank her for helping him when he was… indisposed. She says she’s glad he recovered. She asks if Josslyn is sure she doesn’t want to come, but Josslyn doesn’t. Dex says, he’ll keep an eye on her, and Carly says, that’s what she’s afraid of. She leaves, and Josslyn says, sorry. Her mom’s a little overprotective. Dex says he gets it, and she says, he doesn’t have to stay, but he says he was given an order. She says she guesses she has no idea what he does or doesn’t have to do, and he says he can explain why he said that, but she says, there’s no need. It’s clear where they stand. He says, for the record, he’d stick around, orders or not, and she says, stay, go; she’s fine either way. She starts to walk away, and he asks if this charade isn’t exhausting. Isn’t she tired of pretending?

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, they know what they need to say, and she says, they do. He says, a lifetime ago, this pregnancy could have been real, and she says, they thought Aiden was his. Maybe if that had been true, and they’d stayed together, they wouldn’t have caused such devastation. He says he’s sorry about her and Finn, and she says, the issues they have were probably insurmountable. They had a chance, just  like him and Ava. Now they’re both stuck with the stupid choice they made. She hopes sleeping with Esme was worth it. He says, it wasn’t, but she’s carrying his child. If that baby is born healthy, and he gets a chance to parent it, he’ll have no regrets. She tells him that she wishes she could say the same.

Brook says, Chase must really despise her, but he says, never. That’s not possible, but he does think they could use some space. The past few months have proven they don’t work. She says she can accept him firing her, but he did make a commitment. He says, to Linc? but she says, screw Linc. She’s talking about Blaze. She and Chase seemed to have a good rapport. He says, Blaze is cool. She’s got a real passion. They don’t share the same dream, but he can relate. Brook says, then don’t let her down. Perform as scheduled tomorrow, record the single, and he can use the royalties to pursue a career in law enforcement. This doesn’t have to be a total loss.

Michael and Willow look at the sonogram, and Willow says, a girl. Does he think Wiley will be happy with a little sister? Michael says, as long as he doesn’t have to share his trucks, but she says she makes no promises. He says, his mom is going to be thrilled, and Donna and Avery are going to be over the moon. Also prepare for an onslaught of hand-me-downs… Who is he kidding? His mom is going to go to the store after lunch. Willow doesn’t respond, and he asks if he said something wrong. She says, what if she leaves her daughter motherless? What if her daughter winds up like her? He says, she’s not going leave her daughter. They’re going to beat this cancer. She says, Joan was an only child, and there’s no evidence she has siblings. He says, Drew is still looking for her father, and she says, it was unclear as to who her father even is, and what if he’s gone too? He says, they’ll find someone who matches through the registry. People find matches who aren’t relatives all the time. They’re not giving up. She’s not going anywhere. She says she’s not. She will not leave her daughter and son. They need her, and she’s not going anywhere without a fight.

Denise comes into Charlie’s, and says she’s glad she got to see Drew again before her flight. He says, him too. Would she like to join him? She says, great, and they sit down. She says she wishes they had more time, and he says, so does he. She asks, why? and he says, because he doesn’t think she told him everything she knows.

Sonny tells Frank (or whoever) to do him a favor and send a baby gift to the Quartermaine gatehouse. Something nice, gender neutral, no card.

Dex says, Josslyn doesn’t have to have everything under control, and she says, there he goes again, thinking he knows her so well. He says he pays attention, especially to her. He’s seen her in action, and knows she’s tough in a crisis, but it’s okay to be scared. She says she’s fine, but he says, she’s not, and takes her hand. He says, it’s okay. Just let go. If there’s anywhere she’s safe, it’s with him. She falls into his arms, and cries.  

Nikolas says he appreciates Elizabeth helping him. He knows how much it’s costing her. He’s sorry. She says, they hurt people, and they’re going to have to face that sooner or later. Nikolas leaves the chapel.

Brook tells Chase, think it over. She’ll hold off on contacting Linc about cancelling the Gingerbread Jam, and call him for his final word. He says he’s already given her his final word – no. She says, in that case, she’ll start drawing up the paperwork to sever their business relationship, and she’ll drop it off at his place later. He says, don’t worry, just send them over certified, and walks out. I’m kind of surprised at Chase not caring about the poor singer he’s left in the lurch.

Elizabeth starts to leave the chapel when Ava walks in. Ava says, going somewhere? I don’t think so.

Nina tells Phyllis that she feels guilty. She just left a good friend who has a broken heart. The man that she loved betrayed her. Phyllis says, and Nina feels guilty because she’s happy? Because Sonny would never treat her that way? says, she and Sonny have been tested. She thinks Phyllis is the only person who supported them being together. Despite the odds, they stuck it out with each other, and Nina is happier than she’s ever been. Phyllis says, that makes her whole day, and Nina asks what she’d do without Phyllis, her precious friend. Phyllis has been with her through some dark times. Sometimes she thought the sun would never rise again. After all she’s lost, she finally feels peace, and she wants that for Phyllis too.

Denise says she doesn’t know what more she can tell Drew, but she can stick around, and try to remember more. He asks if she’s positive he can trust everything she recalls, and she says, excuse me? He says, the stakes are too high here. He doesn’t have time for games. He checked out her story – Carly walks in – the one that was identical to Harmony’s? She hasn’t told him the truth about Willow’s mother. Every word out of her mouth has been a lie. Carly is like, rut-roh.

Tomorrow, Dex tells Josslyn to stop denying herself; Cody says, one bad decision could change your whole life; Drew says, Denise isn’t leaving until she tells him why; Elizabeth tells Ava that she’s sorry, and Ava says she will be.

Below Deck

Rodney Bay Marine. Captain Lee tells the crew that he’s been struggling with his mobility, and he’s made the decision to leave the boat. His mind and heart are there, but his body won’t cooperate. He’s given himself a plane ticket home, but it’s round trip. He’s going to the states, getting his problem fixed, and coming back to tell whoever’s here to get the hell off his boat. He probably overstayed longer than he should have, but he’s f***ing stubborn. In his interview, he says he made the right decision. He’s no longer an asset, but a liability to the crew. He’s holding them back, and it hurts him to the core. He tells the crew that he’s leaving today; the relief captain will be here this afternoon. He thanks the crew for putting up with him, and says, they have work to do; get after it. In the captain’s interview, he says he’s big on doing the right thing, no matter how difficult, especially when it comes to the crew. He doesn’t have the right to tell someone to do what he wouldn’t or couldn’t do. There are held back tears, hugs, and goodbyes. In the galley, Fraser hugs Rachel, and she cries. Fraser says, the captain is suffering more than they are, and in Rachel’s interview, she says she loves Captain Lee, and it’s sad that he’s not going to be here. But he needs to go home and get better. She wants to make sure to perform as if he was here, and make him proud, because he deserves it. Fraser says, they’re doing it for the captain. Fraser can’t find his radio, and Rachel says she knows where it is. He races to Captain Lee’s quarters, and says, this will not be the captain’s last memory of him, taking his radio back. He says, Captain Lee has been more than a captain. He’ll do what he can to finish out the season for him. Katie says, this could be a disaster. Although the first time she saw Ross, she thought they were screwed. Hayley hopes the new captain is as sexy as Captain Lee. Fraser meets with the stews, and tells them to think of Captain Lee in everything they do. During every fight think about, how important is it? Ben asks Alissa about kissing Ross, and Alissa says they made out in the hot tub, but Katie is into him. Like this matters. Ben says, Katie and Ross had a make-out sesh, and Alissa said, then Ross wonders why Katie walked off upset. In Katie’s interview, she says, she was upset, but it is what it is. She’s not going to ruin the trip over a drunken make-out. She’s not worried, and doesn’t care. Camille says, Alissa is stressing her out, and in Alissa’s interview, she says, the issue with Camille is that she sees Camille literally not doing sh*t, and wants to punch her in the face. Alissa and Hayley sit on the bed in one of the guest cabins, but won’t let Camille join their reindeer games. Alissa says, Camille needs to pick up the pace; she’s lazy. Camille says she’s going as fast as she can to her cigarette breaks, and Alissa says, she needs to be faster. Camille suggests if Alissa is faster, she do it herself, and Alissa says, sure, if Camille can do her job. Camille says she can do Alissa’s job better then Alissa can, and storms off, calling Alissa classless. Alissa asks who is Camille to talk to her about class, when her p*ssy was hanging out all night? I don’t remember it being like that, but whatever. In Ross’s interview, he says, the relief captain has some big boots to fill. There are good captains, and not so good captains; it’s a lottery. Who knows what the next captain will bring? Captain Lee writes, relieved of duty, and Captain Sandy comes on board.

Captain Sandy hugs him, and he says he appreciates her coming on such short notice. In his interview, he says, Captain Sandy did him a solid. It’s not easy to inherit someone else’s crew. He tells her that he doesn’t anticipate any issues with the crew, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, she and Captain Lee go way back. When she heard about his situation, she felt terrible. Who wants to leave because they can’t physically do it? Her hope is that he feels supported. She’s here to take care of his boat and crew until he comes back. The captains sign off on the switch, and Captain Lee radios for assistance with his luggage. The crew members all go to the deck, except for Camille who’s taking a shower. The captain asks if they don’t have something better to do, and everyone holds back more tears. Fraser says, they’ll hold it together until he comes back, and make him proud. He says he already is, and they all tells him to feel better soon. In his interview, Captain Lee says he can’t explain how hard it is; an emptiness he’s never known. He’s put in the work, and dealt with the pain, and he’s going to come back and finish what he started. The captain salutes the crew, and goes off in the water taxi. Fraser says, as the captain would tell them, back to work.  

Camille whines to Ben  that Alissa says she’s lazy, and he gives her a hug. Captain Sandy radios the crew, saying, she’s the temporary captain, and she’d like to meet in the Sky Longue. When the crew is gathered, she introduces herself, and says, it’s not easy to take over another captain’s boat. She hopes Captain Lee gets better soon, and comes back. A new captain means a new step on things; a change. In her interview, she says she started on a small boat, and went to engineering and captain school. She started in the Caribbean, then went to the Mediterranean. We flash back to Below Deck Mediterranean, and she says, she’s been through storms, fires, saw pirates coming, and a warship rescued them. It’s a hard job, but at the end of the day, she loves it. She tells the crew to do their captain proud, and asks to meet Ross on the bridge. She says she’s heard he has great experience, and tells him that she’ll decide who’s on anchor watch from 12 to 8. She wants the deckhands to learn and feel the responsibility, so one day they can be in a position to command. In Ross’s interview, he says, when Captain Lee was here, the engineers stepped in. This isn’t the best news, but out of respect for the captain, he’ll do what he can to make it work. Captain Sandy tells him to make sure the deckhands get proper sleep, and moves on to talk to Rachel. She asks Rachel to show her the crew area, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, with Captain Lee, she had piece of mind. They were a well-oiled machine, and now it’s a different dynamic. They need to figure out how to be cohesive. Ross thanks the deckhands, and says he’s awarding Ben the golden dust brush (i.e. a push broom). With the award comes the title of lead deckhand. He dubs Ben with the broom, and in Ben’s interview, he says he likes being in charge, and being a leader. He did team sports and competitive swimming; it’s in his blood. Captain Sandy calls Ross, Rachel (Ross & Rachel – ha-ha), and Fraser to the crew mess for a preference sheet meeting.

Captain Sandy tells them, the primary is Gigi Fernandez, a two time Olympic gold medalist, and International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee. She’s also won 17 Grand Slam titles. Gigi’s wife Jane is a professional golfer, and on the first night, they want to celebrate Gigi’s birthday. They want a consistent them of Puerto Rico, and a tennis and tequila excursion. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, the last time she was in the Caribbean was 2014, and she loves St. Lucia. It’s great to be back. You can anchor right off the Pitons, and it feels like Jurassic Park. She tells the group that she’s sorry about Captain Lee, but glad the crew seems into their work. Rachel shows Fraser a broken glass that’s been disposed of improperly, and he knows it’s Camille. In his interview, he says, the worst issue is that Camille’s work ethic isn’t there. It’s not working. Rachel says he has to sort it out, and asks if he has a plan, but he says, no. He’s hoping one comes to him soon, and she says, it will.

Some of the crew have wine in the crew mess, and Camille says, it’s hilarious that she’s drinking again. Fraser suggests she have some water, and the rest of them go to bed. Camille loudly searches for a lighter, and goes out on deck for a smoke. She says, Elon Musk, do you copy? and says, she needs ride to the moon. She goes back to her cabin, and drinks, and Fraser tells Hayley that Camille takes any shortcut possible. She needs to have a desire to help the team, and not be in conflict with them. In the morning, Fraser has an interior meeting, and tells the stews that they have a charter today. Hopefully they’ll have eight beds done. They get to work, and Captain Sandy points out to Fraser that some closets are unlocked. She gives Ross some docking instructions, and the provisions come.

It’s 30 minutes to guest arrival, and covers are taken off of everything. The captain radios the crew to meet on the main deck. Captain Sandy welcomes the guests, and tells them that Fraser will show them around, and after their luggage is loaded, they’ll take off. In the captain’s interview, she says, it’s her first time driving this boat, and the wind is at 27 knots, She’s got to take it off the dock with a tennis professional and golf champion on board. Pressure. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s awesome to have a female captain. They head for the Pitons, and everyone is awestruck. Alissa serves drinks, and in Camille’s interview, she says, she’s used to her deck/stew role being 50/50. She didn’t sign up for yachting to do laundry. She confronts Ross about it, and in Ross’s interview, he says he doesn’t appreciate her being demanding in front of the crew. He tells her that’s between him and Fraser, but she tells him that they don’t say sh*t about what she’s supposed to be doing. He tells her that she’s not being respectful.

The captain compliments Ben on handling the slide so professionally, and says, he thinks things through, makes a plan, and follows it. Fraser tells the guests that they can be seated, watered, and wined. He tells Cameron that he needs her for clearing, and Cameron mumbles that she has to set these men straight. Ross asks Camille for a private chat, and Camille apologizes for her delivery. He says he has no time for drama. She shouldn’t be coming in swearing, screaming, and demanding. In Camille’s interview, she says, her emotions have always gotten the better of her. She used to stand up to the principal in her high school, and eventually got expelled. She got her GED, but never made it to college. She and Ross hug it out. At the table, Jane says, she’s glad there was no social media when she was a kid, and Hayley calls her boyfriend, and shows him her bunion. They say they miss each other, and in her interview, Hayley says, she and her boyfriend are great. People says the key to a good relationship is communication, but it’s not; it’s s*cking d*ck. The water toys are brought in, and Camille tells Ben that the great thing about being on deck is, you can bring the toys in, and then chill. Ross and Fraser agree that Camille is  more trouble than she’s worth, and Ross says she’s affecting his crew. In Rachel’s interview, she says, the goal of dinner is to transport Gigi to her childhood experiences with the cuisine. While Captain Sandy is taking a shower, there’s suddenly smoke everywhere, and the fire alarm goes off. The guests are shown where the life jackets are, and the captain comes out of the shower wondering, WTF is going on?

In the captain’s interview, she says, the boat is on fire, and she didn’t hear the alarm while she was blow drying her hair. It’s not a good day for Sandy when she sees smoke. The engineer thinks it’s electrical, and Fraser counts everyone on deck. Ross discovers it’s a fan coil; an electric cord fell in the water. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, unfortunately boats catch fire. It’s usually electrical, and in this case, it was a smoldering wire in an air conditioning unit. The crew was fantastic, and she feels safe with them, which is pretty awesome. Everyone goes back to work, and the guests sit down. Ross shows Tony the new schedule where he’s on nights, and in Tony’s interview, he says, he’s a morning person, and it’s frustrating as hell. It’s going to screw his time working out, and pisses him off. Ross says, the captain made the schedule, and it’s best they stick with the plan. Tony says, it’s hard for him, but he’ll do it. The food is pronounced amazing, and Gigi asks the guests to tell about the most amazing thing they’ve done. She played tennis at the Royal Alpert Hall in front of the queen. Does she really think anyone can top that? Meanwhile, Hayley tells Alissa things I don’t want to know about. Jane says, the most amazing thing she’s done is being with Gigi at the birth of their kids, causing everyone to aww. Rachel makes a cake that looks chocolaty delicious, and in Rachel’s interview, she says she wants to make a tennis ball. She has texture spray to make it look fuzzy. She’s going to serve Gigi the most amazing birthday cake ever. She discovers the color on the can isn’t the color that comes out, which is orange. In her interview, she says, it looks like SpongeBob just died. It looks like it’s dead, like her soul.

Rachel says, it’s f***ed, but it’s too late to go back. F*** my life. She brings the cake out with a sparkler candle in it, and tells Gigi, it was a tennis ball. Back in the galley, she tells whoever’s listening that she f***ed up their tip. In Spanish, Tony tells Rachel that he’s not very happy. The new schedule is filth. It’s vulgar trash. Captain Sandy pitches in with the clean-up, and Rachel gets to go to bed. Alissa says she’s never seen a captain mop a galley floor. Alissa wonders what’s up with Camille, and Camille says, the captain pulled her for another job. Captain Sandy says, laundry, and Alissa goes off mumbling that Camille gets upset when asked to do her job. It’s not like she comes here to work. The captain asks, what’s going on? and Alissa says she’s having a hard time motivating Camille. The captain tells Alissa to go to bed; she’ll take care of that. Alissa goes to her cabin, and tells Hayley that Camille is going slow on purpose. Camille tells Captain Sandy that Alissa is picking on her, and the captain says she never asks anyone to do what she wouldn’t. And if she does her job, Camille will want to do hers because she sees how hard the captain is working. Camille will get the same thing out of her teammates if she works hard. Alissa complains that Camille gets to bond with the captain and play victim. It pissed her off that the captain told her to go to bed. Captain Sandy walks through the boat, and says, it’s a f***ing nightmare.  

Next time, a tennis match; Ross comes on to Camille; Katie is over it and annoyed; and Camille feels pulled in every direction.

☃️ Nipping At Jack Frost’s Nose…

Make a return trip tomorrow for soap and perhaps a spot of tea, but for sure some measures of music. Until then, stay safe, stay focused on the spirit of the season, rather than the commercialism, and stay remembering during every fight, how important is it?