(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
In a voiceover, Judith says, sometimes she wonders if it takes more courage to live or to die. We’ve all done things still be here; things we’d like to forget. We flash back to some of those, and she says, we became who we needed to be… Who we are now, the choices we make, maybe that’s all that matters.
There’s chaos in the commonwealth, and Eugene and Max get separated. A woman points to Eugene, and says, he’s the one who killed Sebastian. Daryl grabs him, and even though he doesn’t want to go without Max, shoves him inside the nearest building.
Sebastian is on an examining table, and Mercer asks if he should shoot him, but Pamela says, no one touches him until she says so. She tells Mercer, Sebastian was a good boy, despite what people thought. Perhaps she was too late. They had issues, but families are complicated. He says he knows that, and she says, his sister was loyal to her for over a decade. She wants to think Max just lost her way, and perhaps can be helped before it’s too late. Pamela needs an example to remind people that their actions have consequences. If they find and arrest Eugene, they can make him an example for the Commonwealth, and maybe she can help his sister. She wants them to do a city wide sweep, and capture everyone from Riverbend, Hilltop, and Alexandria. Any known associates of Eugene are to be questioned regarding the Founders Day riot and Sebastian’s death.
Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah walk the horse and wagon on a path through the woods. They see some zombies milling around up ahead, and Jerry asks if Aaron thinks they should hunker down, but Aaron says, no. They’ll find a way around. Jerry thinks off-roading is risky, and he can dazzle them with his bean recipe, but Aaron says, they should keep moving. Jerry asks, what’s the rush? and Aaron says he wants to make sure Oceanside is okay, and get to Alexandria. They have no time to spare. They head into the woods.
Rosita sits in the interrogation room, and Mercer comes in. He sits down, opens a folder, and reads her statistics out loud. He asks if she can verify the information is true, and she says, seriously? So they’re strangers? He keeps repeating the question, and she says, it’s true. He says, she was seen with Eugene at the Founders Celebration, and she says, it was about a half hour before the riot broke out. He asks what they were talking about, and she says, his sister. She wanted to stay here, and change this place for the better. He asks if she’s seen Eugene since then, but she says, no. He says, at the end of the day, obviously, Eugene is going to be with her; they’re like family. He tells her that he respects her, even if at this moment, she doesn’t respect him. He needs her to tell Eugene to turn himself in. Eugene’s remorse and cooperation will go a long way in helping everyone. If her people make it harder than it needs to be, no one will be going anywhere, and it will only get worse for all of them. She laughs, and walks out.
In the church, Daryl is carving a stick, and there’s a knock at the door. Daryl answers, ready with a knife, but it’s Rosita. He asks, how’d it go? and she says, there were a lot of repeated questions and intense staring, and he says, same. They’re leaving at dawn. She asks if he knows Mercer is watching, and he says he’s counting on it. Eugene comes out from the sacristy, and Rosita asks how he’s holding up. He says, better than he deserves, and asks if she knows Max’s whereabouts. She says she doesn’t, sorry, but he says, he should be the one saying, sorry he got them in this compromising situation. Daryl says, they had it coming, and Rosita says, they’ll get Eugene out. Daryl says, the east gate. There’s a shift change at dawn. Rosita says, they’ll meet the others outside, but Eugene says, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, he can’t leave without his beloved. Daryl says, Eugene wouldn’t make it a block, but Eugene says, he won’t leave without at least ascertaining Max’s safety. Rosita says she’ll look for Max. If she can find Max, maybe they can get them both out. Over the loudspeaker, Pamela says, the perpetrator of these horrific events will be be punished. Anyone who had information on his whereabouts will be rewarded. Anyone aiding and abetting him will share his fate of swift and final justice.
The wagon gets stuck in the mud, and Jerry suggests leaving it behind, but Aaron insists they can do this. They finally get it moving, but Jerry hurts his knee in the process. Aaron looks out, and says, this looks like it might be the place; it has walls. They’ll go on foot. They go inside what’s left of the Kingdom, and Elijah builds a fire. He and Lydia make eyes at each other. Aaron is trying to fix a flag, and tells Jerry, it’s got big walls, they have water nearby, and there’s tons of land to farm. The Kingdom 2.0. He messes up, and it totally changes his mood. He says, it’ll be dark soon. He’ll first watch.
Pamela cleans the blood off dead Sebastian’s face, and I wonder why he’s not a zombie yet. She says, he always complained that she chose this place over him, but there wasn’t a choice. She was never capable of giving him what he needed, or controlling him. And now… after all the struggle, trauma, and sacrifice, what are they left with? At least they don’t have to disappoint each other anymore. Sebastian starts growling, and Pamela looks disgusted. On her way out the door, she tells a trooper, take care of that.
Mercer takes Princess into his office, saying, she shouldn’t be here. She asks if he’s kicking her out, but he closes the door, and says he can’t be seen treating her differently. She says, so it’s nothing personal? and he says, Milton’s son is dead, and Eugene is being held responsible for it. Princess says, if they catch Eugene, they’ll kill him. How can Mercer be good with that? She was by herself for years, scaring off anyone who got close. Eugene believed in her, and accepted her; no judgments. He saved her. Bad people don’t do that; good people do. Eugene didn’t know that was going to happen, but it did, and they can’t change it. They have to look out for family. Mercer says, Eugene will get a trial, and Princess says, a fair one? He doesn’t say anything, and she nods. She asks, what’s the point of this place if a good man is put to death? A trooper comes in, and tells Mercer that Max has been sighted, and he says he’s got to go. Princess says, her too.
Aaron asks if Lydia wants to rest; he’ll take over watch. She says, she’s fine, and he asks if everything is good with her and Elijah. She says she just had a moment that brought back memories of Henry. She doesn’t think she can do it again. Aaron says he was married once; not legally, but married. He doesn’t talk about it much anymore. He and Eric met in DC, and had an instant connection. Eric asked him out, and he said no for six months. She asks, why? and he says he’s not sure. He thought he was too busy or not ready, or maybe he was just afraid. Eventually, he said yes, and their time together, and years in Alexandria were the happiest moments of his life. After Eric died, he thought he’d give anything to take back one of those noes, and have one more day. Loss is inevitable; it always has been.The only thing we can control is when we say yes. We see zombie hands gripping the top of the wall.
Max slips around the buildings after dark. She sees Rosita, who starts to come toward her, but troopers are coming. Rosita holds up her hand, and Max starts to backtrack, but it’s too late. The troopers surround her, and tell her that she’s under arrest. She imperceptibly shakes her head at Rosita, who steps aside as they pass.
In the interrogation room, Max reads a confession, and says, those aren’t her words, but Mercer says, they need to be. She reads that she suffered from depression, and stopped taking her medication. Her confusion and paranoia caused her to slander the Milton family, and manipulate the tapes. She hopes the Commonwealth can find it in their hearts to forgive her. He tells her, sign it and say Eugene got her involved, and she can get a pardon. She says she did this because she couldn’t stand being part of something rotten anymore; it was killing her. They want to hang Eugene out to dry, and Mercer says, he’ll be executed for treason. She says, for trying to save this place. Speak the truth, no matter the cost. Their dad used to say that. Even as a general, he never forgot his responsibility as a citizen. She thinks he would have liked Eugene. She thinks he would have been proud of what they tried to do, and ashamed of Mercer. She pushes the confession back across the table to him, and he leaves.
Daryl sees Eugene looking out an open window, and asks if he’s trying to get caught. Eugene says he’s peeping at the trooper activity level. He’s tired of being on the proverbial sidelines. He starts to leave, and Daryl stands in front of him. Eugene tells him to step aside; there’s no need for this to get ugly. Daryl just looks at him, and Eugene says, very well, backs up, and rolls up his sleeves. He makes fists, and Daryl stands there a moment, then moves aside, telling him, go ahead. Eugene walks past Daryl, and says, Daryl’s not trying to stop him? Daryl says, he’s not going, and Eugene says, because he’s a coward, but Daryl says, no, because he’s smart. Eugene says, he’s always been a liability, relying on others to help him survive; relying on their courage. He knows he has a penchant for prevarication, and is ashamed that it’s his only discernable skill. He asks if Daryl thinks people are born brave or become it? and Daryl says, both.
Ezekiel tells Princess that they’re working to smuggle Eugene out, and she says, they’ll meet up with the others, and it will be like it was – them, Yumiko, and Eugene – the four of them on the road again. Ezekiel says, he’s not leaving, and she says, even after this crazy sh*t that’s been happening? She says, all the more reason to stay. The people want change, so what better time than when the powers that be are frightened? She says, maybe they don’t feel like fighting underneath. Maybe they think it sucks, and it’s not worth holding on to. He asks if she thinks Mercer is a good man, and she says she’s known a lot of guys who she thought were good, but they don’t always turn out to be good. He says, most people are trying to make the best of what’s in front of them. Maybe Mercer is doing the same. She says, maybe she deserves more than making the best of a bad situation, and he says, she does. He puts his hands on her shoulders, and says, whatever she decides, he’s here if she needs him.
On his knees in a cell, Lance hears footsteps coming toward the door. The door unlocks, and a trooper lets Pamela in. He leaves, and Lance thanks her, and says, he hoped she would come. He has a lot to say, but what matters most is talking to her about a way forward. She says, he killed her son. He had some workers murdered, and they turned into rotters who attacked the public. He says he needed to get her attention. He never intended… He took a gamble, and it didn’t go the way he thought it would. He and Sebastian had their differences, but in the end, he was there for Sebastian. When Sebastian needed people for his side projects, he helped her son. She smooths his hair back, and touches his face, then does the Vulcan Death Grip on his neck. She says, this is because of them; Hilltop and Alexandria started the descent into chaos… They’ll never stop until they’ve taken everything. He asks what they has to do with him, and she says, they’ll do it his way. She provocatively takes his lucky coin out of his pocket, and says, they’ll take a gamble. She tosses it back and forth in her hand, and says, if he wins, he gets to live. If he loses… Which hand? She holds out her fists, and he picks the left one. It’s in there, and I say, dammit. He thanks her, she puts it in his vest pocket. He promises to do better; no games, no secrets. He’s 100% at the Milton family’s disposal. She says she knows he is, and zombie Sebastian is brought in on one of those leash sticks. He says, he doesn’t understand, and she tells him, like he said, he’s at the family’s disposal. Thanks to him, this is all that’s left. A trooper tosses in a dead guy, with a bullet hole in his forehead, along with a knife. He undoes Lance’s bonds, and she says, the body is still warm. Feed her son.
Mercer comes to Princess’s apartment, and asks if they can talk. She says, sure, and he comes in. She says, this is awkward, and he says he doesn’t want her to leave. She says she kind of has to, and he says, because of him. She says, yeah… no… maybe. He’s great, but she’s just got to get out of here. Eugene is going to die. He says he’s doing everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but she says, not everything. It’s all such a sh*tshow. He says he knows this place ain’t perfect, but she’s been out there. She’s seen what’s waiting, and it’s worse. She tells him, don’t say that, and he asks if he’s wrong. She says she needs him to understand. Nothing’s been easy. Even before all of this, it wasn’t easy. Her dad bailed on them when she was 9, and her mother remarried. Her stepfather brought her evil stepbrother to live with him, and they both started acting like they were her dad; yelling and shoving. They sit down, and she says, and her mom let it happen, just to keep him around. She’d raise hell all the time, and her new dad and new brother started tying her up and throwing her in a closet when she acted out. They’d leave her for hours, and she’d piss herself sometimes. Then they’d take turns beating her. All she can hear is, Juanita, you have a roof over your head; Juanita, the bills are being paid; Juanita, it could be worse. F*** that, thinking it could be better. It should be. This place is starting to look like her stepdad. If she sits by and watches it happen, that makes her, her mom. And she’s not her mom. So she’s got to go. She tears up, and Mercer tries to take her hand, but she pulls away. She picks up her bag, and says, because of what happened to her, when she sees a man, she sees a monster. She’s been seeing them like that before they died and turned into actual monsters. She knows that’s not him, and she wants him to know that. She leaves, and he stares at the empty doorway.
At the new old kingdom, Lydia tends the fire with Aaron. They hear a gate open, and Aaron says, they triple-checked everything and made sure it was locked. It’s probably the wind. They hear a bunch of noise, and Lydia says, that wasn’t wind. Aaron gets up, and says, maybe they should do another sweep, when some zombies come toward them. Aaron says, sh*t. Is Lydia good? She says, yeah, and they stab, whack, and gore the zombies. Lydia is having a problem killing one, and Aaron says, they need to get Elijah and Jerry now. They run like hell, yelling for Jerry and Elijah to wake up; there’s trouble. They dispatch zombies for a moment, then barricade themselves in the nearest place. Jerry wonders how they got through the walls, and sees a doorknob turn. It opens, and Jerry slams it shut with his body, saying, what the hell? Since when do the dead use doorknobs? Aaron says, the Whisperers. They have to get on the roof. Lydia goes up first, then helps Elijah. They look out, and there are tons of zombies milling around. Aaron asks how Jerry’s leg is, and Jerry says, good enough. Aaron says he’ll hold the door, and Jerry tells him, be careful. Arms are reaching in through the wall, as Jerry and Aaron switch places, and Jerry makes it to the roof, Aaron following. They discuss jumping to the next building, and ask if Jerry can make the jump. Jerry says, no problem, but Aaron says, they can’t risk it. Aaron says, there’s an area where they can get down, and separate the Whisperers from the rest of the group. Zombie hands appear on the top of the wall behind jerry, and followed by the whole zombie. It picks up a rock, and Jerry yells, dude! Aaron fights with the zombie, but finally gets it down. He says, another goddam Whisperer, but when he tries to take off its mask, its facial skin and scalp comes off in his hand. He stabs it in the head, and Jerry asks, how the hell are the zombies doing that? Aaron looks horrified.
We don’t see it, but it’s now daylight, and zombies lie everywhere. Aaron looks at the face in his hand, and Jerry asks what he thinks it was. An aberration? Aaron says, he’s heard roamers and lurkers have come back to places they remember, and heard stories about zombies that climb walls and open doors. He’s not sure if the stories are true, but maybe there are other kinds. Jerry says he hopes not, and Aaron asks if he’s sure he’s okay to travel. Jerry says, thanks to Aaron, and Aaron says, it’s his fault. Jerry says, today is a new day, and Lydia goes over to where Elijah is loading the wagon. Elijah says he’s going to grab the rest of their stuff, but Lydia asks him to wait, and kisses him.
Wagons ho! out of the latest Kingdom, and Aaron says, what Jerry was saying about The Kingdom 2.0, he sees it now. Jerry says, Ezekiel will be king again, but Aaron says, it feels more like it was built for King Jerry. Jerry says, and Queen Nabila; he likes the sound of that. Aaron says he does too.
Rosita comes to the church, and tells Eugene that Max isn’t coming. It’s too late; she’s already in police custody. Daryl says, the shift change is about to happen, and they should get going. Eugene says, it’s time for him to bid them adieu, and Daryl says he’s going to check on the others, and will meet Rosita back at her place. He leaves, and Eugene tell Rosita, his path is leading elsewhere, but she says, there is no other path. There is nothing he can do for Max. He says, maybe not, but what kind of a man would he be if he didn’t try? She says, they’ll kill him, and he agrees that it’s not rational, but matters of the heart never are. If he leaves, it won’t be a life worth living. When he was at his lowest, feeling like a posterior cosmic joke, Rosia told him that his person was out there, and he should find her. He trusted Rosita – he always does – and she was right. Now he needs her to trust him. It’s going to be okay. He wants her to give something to Coco for him, and takes off his bolo tie with a heart on the medallion. He says he believes that one day Coco will have the style to pull this off; maybe after age 15. She takes it, and hugs him.
Eugene walks into the trooper station, and one of them yells, on the ground! Name! He says, Eugene Porter. He’s here to confess he made a recording that he surreptitiously switched with the tape that was supposed to be played at the Founders Celebration. While he didn’t mean for it to happen, he’s confessing to the death of Sebastian and the melee that followed. Mercer says, anything else? and he says he acted alone. While Max was present, she had nothing to do with any of it. Mercer swallows hard, and says, take him.
Max sits stunned, while Mercer tells her what happened. Eugene sits alone in his cell. Rosita puts the necklace into her bag. Her door opens, and she says, is everyone ready? Two guys (not troopers) try to subdue her, and she kicks their asses, but a third jumps her, and she’s overwhelmed.
Next time, Pamela tells Yumiko that her friends have been removed from the Commonwealth, and she needs to consider how her actions will affect her brother; Pamela (who’s apparently very busy in this episode) tells Eugene, if he doesn’t tell her where his friends are, he’s dead; and Eugene says, no matter how bleak it appears, it’s not the end.
Stop by tomorrow to see what’s going on in Port Charles and on the Mediterranean Sea. Until then, stay safe, stay being a reliable friend, and stay understanding that loss is inevitable; it always has been. The only thing we can control is when we say yes.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Dante walks into Kelly’s where Cody is eating, and asks if Cody is having breakfast for lunch – because no one eats an omelet outside of breakfast. Cody says he had a late night, and slept in because he didn’t have to work today. Dante says, it must be nice. He’s been up since the crack of dawn, chasing down leads. Cody says he can tell by Dante’s face, and asks if anything panned out. Dante says, no. Cody should take his job since Cody’s on a roll; he’s hitting nothing but dead ends. Cody says, no way, man. Dante is too stubborn to quit. He’s going to get this guy. Dante says, woman, and Cody says, damn. Dante says, Diane Miller identified her assailant as a woman, and Cody says, Dante will find her, no doubt. Dante thanks him, and asks, what’s up with the late night? Was he with Britt? Big date? Cody says, hardly.
Maxie sees Britt at the hospital, and asks if she has a minute. Maxie needs to talk to her. Britt says, sure, then says, wait. Maxie has that look, like it’s a private thing. Follow her. They go where there are no people, and Britt asks, what’s up? Maxie says she needs Britt’s honest opinion about Cody Bell, and Britt says, she means the invisible man? She hasn’t seen Cody in days, and she’s happy to never see him again.
Also at the hospital, Sam says, Diane was really touched by the flowers Spinelli brought. Especially when he explained the language of the flowers; how the bouquet said, best wishes, get better, and a deeper friendship. He says, all heartfelt sentiments. He’s beyond relieved that Diane is doing so well. Actually, now that he has Sam here, he owes her an apology. She says, he doesn’t, but he says, when he was telling her about Cody blackmailing him, he fears he said too much. He doesn’t want to drag her into his legal woes, especially since she’s cohabitating with a cop. He made her an accessory after the fact. She tells him, stop. She doesn’t want to hear it.
Lucy answers her office phone, and it’s Anna, who says she’s just checking in to make sure they understood each other after last night. Do they? Lucy says, she understood Anna. It didn’t seem like Anna understood her though. She looks at the bracelet Victor gave her, and says, she’s a grown woman who’s perfectly capable of making decisions about how to handle Victor. Anna says, but some of those decisions can have unexpected consequences, and Lucy says, like diamonds. Anna says, like death, and Lucy says, wow, and they call her dramatic. Anna’s phone beeps, and Lucy says she’s going to let Anna get that because she’s got to go, but Anna says, listen to her. Lucy says, thanks for calling. Ciao.
Johann hands Victor a velvet box, and Victor says, any problems? Johann says, all set. Has he decided what to do about Miss Coe? Victor says, not yet, and Johann says, something should be done. Lucy was listening in on Victor’s conversation with the Deputy Mayor. He’ll take care of it, if Victor wants… Victor says, need he remind Johann of who works for who around here? He’ll take care of it as he wishes, and in his own time. Johann says, yes, sir, and Victor says, Lucy Coe will be taught a lesson, the severity of which will be decided depending on if she was just overly curious, or working for someone else.
Robert goes to Anna’s place, and asks, what was so important she couldn’t tell him over the phone? She says, they have a lead on one of Victor’s accomplices, and he says, don’t leave him hanging; who? She says, Deputy Mayor Eileen Ashby. He says, I’ll be damned. He never did really trust her. With Laura working remotely, she has no overseer, and way too much power. Anna says, this just shows them how far Victor’s reach goes, and he says, tell him everything she knows, and let’s start with the source.
At the hotel in Jacksonville, Carly asks what Bobbie is doing here, and Bobbie says, checking up on her. Carly asks how her kids are doing, and Bobbie says, everybody in Port Charles is safe and sound, but they miss her. Carly says, not half as much as she misses them, and Bobbie asks, where’s Drew? Carly says, he’s up in his room; he’s on a conference call with Aurora business. She can’t believe Bobbie is here. Bobbie says, she just figured with everything Carly has been up against, she could use a little backup, and Carly asks how she knew. Bobbie says, Michael fixed her phone so when Carly’s name pops up, she’ll know. Carly has been ruffling a few feathers. Carly says, ya think? and Bobbie says she happens to know the folks in this town, and taking on the Beautification Guild is no easy feat. She really wishes she could have made it in time for the meeting yesterday. How did it go? Carly says she did everything she could to convince them to scrap their plans for the parkway, but she doesn’t know if it was enough. She’s up against a determined woman with a powerful grudge.
Sam says, if Spinelli had come to her the second Cody threatened him, he woudn’t be apologizing to her at all, and Spinelli says, this mess is entirely of his own making. He threw himself into the creation of this dating app, and it became kind of a calling, or a healing, after Ellie. But he was so focused on perfecting the app, he didn’t see that he was creating a tool that could be used for nefarious purposes. His algorithm is basically a master key to the internet. She says she knows, and she always knew he was too brilliant for his own good. He says, Dr. Frankenstein. He got so caught up in the creation, he failed to see what his monster could beget. She says, first of all, he has to stop and listen to her. No matter how reckless he thinks his algorithm is, it’s amazing. He’s a genius. And second, he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. That’s not him. He asks if there’s a third, and she says, yes. He can never, and she repeats never, tell anyone about this. The NSA can never find out. He says he understands, and thankfully, the only thing Cody demanded of him for his silence was a fake match with Society Set-Ups. She says, so far.
Maxie asks if Britt and Cody aren’t dating, and Britt says, they had the one disaster date, which ended with her upending her wine on his head. Then they had a non-date the night of the Quartermaine picnic, when she actually agreed to second real date. She showed up, and Cody was really distracted. Maxie says, that’s weird, and Britt says, since then, he’s texted her a handful of times, but only, what’s up? No mention of future plans. Maxie says, he ghosted her? and Britt says, kind of, yeah. After being so annoyingly persistent, now he can’t be bothered? Maxie says, he has had a lot on his mind lately, and Britt says, like combing out horse manes, or ointment for saddle sores. Maxie says, Britt doesn’t know?
Dante says, if it’s over for Cody and Britt, he thinks Cody dodged a bullet, but Cody says, Dante has to admit, she’s never boring. She’s smart as hell, she’s got killer legs, and a fiery sense of humor. Dante says, while he pleads the fifth on the legs, he agrees with Cody on the rest. The thing about her is, she’s always looking out for number one. Cody says, so is everyone, but Dante says, not Cody. Say what he will, Cody is here for his friends; he was for Dante anyway. Cody tells Dante not to get sappy on him, or he’s going to regret asking Dante to sit down. How did such a gifted prankster become so conventional? Dante says, there are benefits to having a job on the right side of the law, and Cody says, name one. Dante says he never has to look over his shoulder. What’s happening with Mac Scorpio? Is he still gunning for Cody?
Bobbie and Carly sit at the restaurant, and Carly says, she wasn’t sure by the looks on their faces if she’d gotten through to them or not, but Bobbie says, of course (🍷) she did. Their hearts would have to be made of stone to not be moved by her words. Carly touched hers. Carly says she hopes Bobbie understands why she’s fighting so hard to protect Virginia’s grave; it’s no reflection on her. Bobbie says, Carly doesn’t have to reassure her. Virginia was Carly’s mother when she couldn’t be. Virginia raised Carly, and she loved her, and Carly loved Virginia. Bobbie will always be grateful for that. She’d like to think Virginia handed her the baton when she couldn’t hold it anymore. She’s so glad Carly found her in time, so she could take it… even if the hand-off was a little bumpy. They laugh, and Carly says, that was an understatement. She hopes Bobbie knows that she’s really grateful for the relationship they have now. Bobbie says, her too, and takes Carly’s hand across the table.
Victor knocks at Lucy’s office door, and says, looking lovely as ever. She thanks him, taking his hands, and says, she’s a bit surprised. She didn’t think she’d see him so soon. He hopes he’s not imposing, and she says, not at all. It was she who imposed on him last night, but she’s much better now. He says, of course (🍷) she is. She’s the brilliant, resilient, unsinkable Lucy Coe. But in case she had any lingering blues, he thought he would drop by and bring her a bit of cheer. He opens the velvet box, revealing a beautiful, delicate diamond necklace. Lucy says, oh my.
Anna tells Robert that her source is Lucy Coe, and he says, she brought in a civilian? A Lucy Coe civilian? She says she didn’t have a lot of options, and Victor was already enamored of her. So she saw her opportunity, and took it, but Lucy’s part in this operation is done now. He says, she’s not too good at taking orders, and Anna says, she’s reluctant to distance herself from him. He says, any sane woman would run screaming, and Anna says, she knows, but apparently Victor has been a bit generous with diamonds and such. He says, oh yeah, Lucy’s Achille’s heel, and she says, don’t worry about her. She’s handling Lucy. They need to focus on Victor. She thinks Ashby is their in. He says, that would explain the sudden interest in transparency, and she says, maybe Victor realizes they’re getting close, and wants to limit their resources. Robert says he has no qualms about using his position as DA to take this bastard out. As far as he’s concerned, Victor is a total menace to the public. Anna says she believes Ashby’s connection to Victor is going to give them leverage, and he says, do tell. They’re going to use this how?
Carly tells Bobbie that a local station did a piece on her, and at the meeting, Peyton made her out to be some out-of-town troublemaker who flies in to mess with decent people’s lives. Bobbie asks if Peyton really said decent people? and Carly says, and more. She is a bitter spiteful woman determined to make it Carly’s fault that her family imploded. Bobbie says, some people just don’t want to face the truths, and that woman doesn’t want to admit she was married to a depraved creep. Peyton’s life is Peyton’s responsibility. Bobbie doesn’t want Carly letting Peyton inflict her garbage on her. Carly says she won’t, but it’s just so sad. Peyton can’t see, by holding onto the past, it keeps her from moving on. Bobbie says, the news feature touched on Reese’s accident. That must have been hard for Carly. Carly says, dredging up the accident made her sick to her stomach, but it helped her realize the accident wasn’t her fault, and she can forgive herself and let go of the guilt. Bobbie says, that’s huge; she’s so proud of Carly. Maybe this detour was destined to be. It has more meaning than a leadership seminar. Carly says, coming to Jacksonville gave her closure, and Drew being with her is what made all the difference.
Maxie tells Britt, it’s not absolutely 100% for sure until the DNA test is done, but the dates match up, and her mom and Mac seem pretty convinced. It’s looking like Cody is Mac’s son. So Britt can see why he’s been a little distracted. Britt says, that is so unfair. Her long lost relative was Peter August, and Cody gets Mac Scorpio, who according to Maxie is the best dad ever. Maxie says, yes. If there was a competition for best long lost relative, Cody would definitely win. That’s what’s so puzzling. Cody hit the dad jackpot. So why won’t he take that DNA test to lock that down? Britt says, a new family member can throw you for a loop, and they are talking about Cody’s potential father. Maxie says she sees Britt’s point, and Britt says, look what Peter did to their lives; what he’s still doing. Maxie asks what she means, and Britt says, that box of his effects. Maxie says, she still has that? and Britt says, it didn’t feel right to just get rid of it. Maxie says, that’s why they should have gone with their original instinct, which was to let her get rid of it. She was two seconds away from throwing it out, when Britt wanted it back. Britt says, Peter didn’t do anything without an agenda. There had to be a reason he left her that box, and one day she wants to take the opportunity to go back to it, and figure out what the hell he was up to. Maxie says, the only good thing Peter ever did was give her Bailey Lou. Other than that, his existence was meaningless. Britt says she thinks they’re getting a little off course. All she was saying is that she can see how this would be a lot for Cody to take in. It’s not just Mac. A new guy comes with a whole new family. Maxie says, right; her and her kids. She and Cody are going to be quasi siblings. That’s why she wanted Britt’s opinion of him. Britt says, maybe he didn’t blow her off. Maybe he really has a lot on his mind. Maxie says, Britt actually likes him, doesn’t she?
Sam tells Spinelli, good thing she has a little time before she has to play peacemaker between her mom and Kristina. He says, more mother/ daughter friction? and she says, they’re on the outs again, but it’s going to give her a little time to go talk to Cody. He says he wishes she woudn’t, and she says, Cody happens to be a really good friend of Dante’s, and she thinks he’s an okay guy. He may play fast and loose with the law, but so do all of them. This blackmail thing is troubling though, so she wants to look him in the eye, and find out what he really wants.
Cody says, he’s not worried about Mac Scorpio trying to put him away anymore, and Dante says, good. He told Cody that Mac was a nice guy. Cody says, about that… and Dante’s phone dings. Dante says he’s got to go, and Cody says, kitten up a tree? Sorry. His bad. Have fun… helping old ladies cross the street. Dante says he will. That’s hilarious. Don’t quit his day job though. He starts to go, and Cody tells him, be safe out there. Catch this knife wielding maniac. Dante says, you bet, and leaves.
Robert says, it could work, and Anna says, it will work. It’s her plan, and it will work. He says, too bad she doesn’t have a bit of backup, and she says, another dig at Valentin? He says he sees this guy for who he is. He’s double-crossed everybody he’s ever had as a partner. He’s out for himself, and doesn’t care who picks up the tab for whatever he does. He’s even about to double-cross his worthless father. She says, because he doesn’t have any illusions about who his father is, and he says, treacherous, a liar, untrustworthy… She says, Robert doesn’t have all the facts, and Robert says, because she’s never given them to him. And here they are, about to use this guy in a plan where he’s front and center, and Robert doesn’t trust him this much. He holds his thumb and forefinger a millimeter apart, and Anna says she knows she’s given Robert reason to doubt her judgement in the past, but she and Valentin have been working together recently. If Robert doesn’t trust Valentin, that’s fine. Can he at least trust her? He says, he always trusts her. She wants justice for Luke as much as he does. Victor killed him, and Victor’s going to pay big time. She says, exactly. That’s why they have to do whatever they can to stop Victor before he hurts someone else.
Lucy says, he shouldn’t have, and Victor says, let’s try it on, shall we? He puts the necklace on her, and something about it strikes me weird. She turns around, and asks how it looks, and he says, absolutely stunning. She says she has no idea how to thank him, and Martin walks in, and says he’s sure Victor has a couple of ideas.
Britt asks what Maxie thinks of Cody, and Maxie says, she’s not sure. At first, she liked him, and then she didn’t, and now, she kind of likes him again, but there’s definitely something sketchy about him. Britt says, there is. She wishes his actions matched up with his words. Maxie asks, what kind of actions? and Britt says, just a kiss. Maxie says, a good kiss? Go for it. Talk to him. Put all her cards out on the table. He likes poker, right? Britt says, Maxie is right. She’s a grown woman; accomplished, professional. What’s the big deal?At least Cody’s sexy. Better than the other duds who’ve been interested in her lately. She turns her head, and Spinelli is standing there.
Sam joins Cody at Kelly’s, and thanks him for agreeing to meet with her. He says, of course (🍷). It was an intense sounding text: We need to talk. He asks if she wants a bite of his food, but she says she’s more in the mood for a conversation. He asks if he’s in trouble, and she says, yeah. He says, for what? and she says, blackmailing her friend Spinelli was a huge mistake.
Bobbie asks if Drew is still hung up on Aurora business, and Carly says, he’s wrapping up now, then he’s going to the gym. Bobbie asks how Aurora is doing, and Carly says, it’s coming back, slowly though. She doesn’t know how Drew does it; managing his business and helping her out at the same time. Bobbie says she’s glad Drew is here for Carly, and Carly says, her too. She and Drew really get each other, and everything seems clearer after she talks to him. Bobbie says, that sounds really special, and Carly says, it is. Drew’s an amazing friend. Bobbie says, is that all he is?
Martin says, when the cat’s away, but Lucy says, there’s no cat; no kitten even. He’s home; he’s here. She fusses over him, and asks when he got here. He says, apparently, not soon enough, breaking away from her, and walking toward Victor. He says he gets the distinct impression that he interrupted something, and Victor says, Lucy came to see him yesterday. Lucy says, she did. She was upset. She was distraught after Brando’s funeral. Did Martin hear about that? Martin says, uh-huh, and she says, good… not about the funeral, but the fact that he knows. She hasn’t known what he’s known because he hasn’t called or really stayed in touch that much. She sought out Victor, and he’s become a friend. Martin looks at her bracelet, and says, a very generous friend. Very. He tells Victor, now that he’s up to speed on recent events, what exactly is Victor doing here? Victor asks if Lucy is going to tell him, or shall he?
Maxie says, Spinelli! Look, Britt. Spinelli. Spinelli tells them, good afternoon, and Maxie asks how he is. He says his life is excellent; he wants for nothing. Britt says, good for him, and excuses herself. He says, thank God, and Maxie asks if he’s sure he’s over Britt, because that level of awkward was exceptionally high, He says, believe him. He has no designs on Britt. That discomfort was a function of not having seen Britt since the unfortunate revelation of his interest. He and Britt haven’t spoken of it, and never will. Maxie asks if he’d like her to make sure Britt knows he’s over her, and he says, yes, but how did his name come up? Britt doesn’t talk about him, does she? Maxie says, no, don’t worry. If she’s anything, it’s discreet. Ha-ha! His face.
Dante sees Britt, and she asks if he got the Haggerty autopsy report. He says he just picked it up. He’s going to see Diane if that’s cool. She says she won’t stop him, and he starts to walk, but she says, wait. Has he heard from Cody? He says he was just with Cody at Kelly’s; why? She says, no reason. She just hasn’t heard from him, and thought she’d give him a call. He says, great, and she asks, what’s his problem? Does he think she’s not good enough for his friend?
Cody says, look… but Sam says, save it. She knows he threatened to sic the NSA on Spinelli if he didn’t create a fake match between him and Britt. The kind guy she thought she knew would never do something like that. Unless… Is she completely wrong about him? He says, blackmail is too strong of a word; he just asked for an exchange of favors. If you think about it, Spinelli got the better deal. All Cody got was a date. He’s keeping Spinelli’s intrusive, highly illegal, algorithm a secret, which kind of makes Spinelli the criminal mastermind, not him. Sam asks if Cody is going to keep his word, and Cody says, as far as he’s concerned, he and Spinelli are square. He hasn’t asked Spinelli for anything, and he won’t; nothing more. She says, okay, but why was it so important for him to get set up with Britt? Cody flashes back to Dante telling him about Britt being on the run with her father, Cesar Faison, and Sam asks, what’s the con?
Lucy says, Victor came to her with a proposition, and Martin raises his eyebrows. She says, a business proposition. Victor wanted a partnership with Deception. Martin asks why Victor would be interested in partnering with a cosmetics company, and Victor says, not the company, the woman behind it. Lucy says, her brains. He’s interested in her brains. Victor also admires her business sense. Martin asks if Victor will excuse them, and kindly get the door on his way out. Victor says, of course (🍷), and tells Lucy, they’ll talk later. He leaves, and Lucy says she promises it’s not what it looked like, but Martin says, from where he’s standing, it looks like Lucy’s been making a fool out of him. What else is there to say except, congratulations on trading up. She asks how he can say that. Has he lost in her; in them? He says, that’s a relevant question, because he doesn’t want to leapfrog over another man giving her diamonds. What the hell happened? Was he gone too long? Did she just lose interest? She says, not any of that. She’s been working with Anna. When Anna lost Martin spying on Valentin, Anna pressured her to spy on Victor. He says, and getting diamonds is a door prize?It’s all part of the spy game? She says, Victor is just kind of into her, and Martin is like, what? She says she did it for him, so he could come home. Anna forced her to do this. He says, Anna never said a thing to him about it, and she says, he talked to Anna? When? He says, she called him last night, and told him to come home, and he caught the first flight. Lucy says, that little witch. She did all of this on purpose.
Robert tells Anna, once upon a time, being a public servant meant serving the public. Nowadays, everyone’s got an agenda. How long does Anna suppose Eileen’s been in Victor’s pocket? Is she recently corrupt, or did he bring her into the dark side? Anna gives him some tea, and says she doesn’t know; it’s difficult to say. Victor plays the long game. He’s very patient and strategic. This could have been in the works for years. He says, there’s nothing worse than a sneaky Cassadine. Helena was like that. Stavros, and Mikkos? No. They’d get a crazy idea and jump right in. None of this dillydallying. Anna says, he sounds a bit nostalgic. Does he miss being in the field? He says, there are times he thinks of the good old days. Some of the crazy, mad missions they went on. She says, good times. They were a hell of a team. He says, damn right. She had a partner she could rely on. She laughs, and says, there he goes, ruining it, and he says, is she sure her relationship with Valentin isn’t compromising her judgement here? She says, he could do with a little compromising himself. This whole salty curmudgeonly persona he has going. It might work at the DA’s office, but it’s not doing him any favors. He asks, what that’s supposed to mean? and she says, it’s obvious. He hasn’t been anyone’s partner for a long time. Doesn’t he miss it?
Carly says, she and Bobbie have already had this conversation. She and Drew are just friends; the timing is off for anything more. Bobbie tells her, so she keeps saying, and Carly says she doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life. Bobbie says, she’s only been here a short while and can already sense a difference. Carly is lighter. There’s a sparkle in her eye. This experience has changed her. She has her self-confidence back. Carly says she doesn’t know if she saved the cemetery, or if she accomplished anything here, and Bobbie asks if she really needs the Guild to tell her that.
Maxie tells Spinelli not to disturb Georgie’s crystals. She’s been growing them for her latest science project, and they have to stay in the laundry room. Spinelli says, of course (🍷), the warmth from the drier. Georgie’s blazing through these science kits. He’s already had to dip into her Christmas stash. Maxie says, he already started Christmas shopping? How does he beat her every year? He says, because she waits until after Halloween, and that’s when the official season starts, and she misses all the deals. She says, so he’ll be there on Saturday by 6, and she’ll leave something out for dinner. He says he can bring something. Georgie and James love Noodle Buddha, and they can mash up some noodles and peas for Bailey. Where is she going anyway? She says, she and Austin have tickets for the symphony, and he gives her a look. She says, it was Austin’s idea. She can like the symphony. She has a great symphony outfit. He says, he’ll enjoy his Saturday with Georgie and her siblings, and she says she’s glad he can help out, but she wishes he had plans of his own. He says, make up her mind, and she says she thinks he’s making a mistake. He says, she’s the one going to the symphony, and she says she’s talking about his Society Set-Ups algorithm.
Dante tells Britt, Cody is a grownup. It doesn’t matter what he thinks; Cody is going to make up his own mind about things. She says, Dante just looks on disapprovingly, and he says, he and Britt have a sketchy history. Maybe she’s changed, maybe she hasn’t; he doesn’t know. But Cody will figure it out for himself. He’s a good guy, and a friend of Dante’s. Just don’t jerk him around.
Cody tells Sam, obviously he and Britt got off on the wrong foot, like literally. He landed on top of her, and dragged her… Sam says she was there; she saw the whole thing. But to resort to blackmail… He says, they’re not using that word, remember? Some information fell into his lap, and he leveraged it, that’s all. She says, that’s a long way to go for a date, and he says, normally, he doesn’t need to resort to those tactics, but he’s not stalking Britt. If she tells him to get lost, he’ll walk away. But there’s something about her… He doesn’t know; maybe it’s the challenge. She says, okay, and he says appreciates her not telling Dante about this. She asks, what makes him think she hasn’t said something to Dante? and he says, he saw Dante earlier. He didn’t have his I’m-disappointed-in-you-Cody face, which he would have had if he knew. And he knows she wouldn’t put Dante on the spot like that. She says, like what? and he says, she can’t tell Dante about him without revealing Spinelli’s dive into illegal hackerdom. Then Detective Falconari would have to inform the NSA about Spinelli’s universal key that apparently unlocks all of the internet. She says, the thought has crossed her mind, and he says, so it’s better not to tell Dante. She says, for now. She’s going to take Cody at his word, but if he hurts Spinelli, he’ll wish he’d never been born. She leaves, and he says, good chat.
Lucy says, Anna didn’t get what she wanted, so she brought Martin home to catch her. Martin says, doing what exactly? and she says, not cheating. He has to believe her. Everything she did, she did for them, for their future. He says, letting a man like Victor Cassadine refurbish and fawn over her? and she says, Martin has nothing to worry about. He’s 16 times the man Victor will ever be. She missed him so much. Does he believe her? He says he supposes, and they kiss. She grabs her bag, and he says, she’s leaving? She says, she’s got to go. She’ll explain when she gets back. They’re going to get everything they want, as soon as she gets Anna the hell out of her way. She blows him a kiss, and dashes out.
Robert says, he takes it Anna isn’t referring to a work partner, and she asks if she was being subtle. She was referring of course (🍷) to his love life. He says what about it? and she says, he doesn’t have one. He says he’s fine, and she says, what kind of an answer is fine? He says, just because she’s chosen to stick her neck out again… She says, any relationship is risky, and he says, especially with a Cassadine, but she says, stop.Don’t do that. He’s not changing the subject. Because the truth is, along the way he’s walled himself up in work. Doesn’t he want more? Doesn’t he miss having a relationship? He says, there are times he… misses… not waking up next to one of those nice soft bodies. Having somebody to talk to besides the dog. Someone to come home to at night. She says she wants that for him. Could he break down a bit of this wall, and live a little? He says, okay. He’ll think about dating again. Just as soon as they take out Victor.
Johann and Victor go back to the hotel room, and Victor takes out a laptop. He plugs something in, along with some earbuds, and listens. I knew it.
Bobbie tells Carly that she can check into her room now, and wants to make sure she gets a room with a view. They get up, and Carly says she knows a few tricks of the trade on getting an upgrade. She’ll meet Bobbie at the front desk. Bobbie leaves, and Cary tells the manager that she’d like to settle her tab, and charge it to her room. She signs the receipt, and turns to leave, coming face-to-face with Peyton.
Maxie asks if Spinelli is all right, and he says, she just caught him off-guard. She said there was a mistake in his algorithm. She says she just thinks he should consider using his algorithm to find a match of his own, and he says, doctors don’t operate on themselves. She asks if he’ll at least think about it. She wants him to be happy. He says he wants the same for her, calling her Maxinista.
Britt walks into Kelly’s, and Cody says, fancy meeting her here. She says she was looking for him
Carly asks how the Guild voted, and Peyton says, it’s over. The parkway will not be rerouted. Virginia Benson’s remains must be moved. Carly failed.
Lucy repeatedly rings Anna’s doorbell. In the hotel, Johann asks if it’s transmitting, and Victor holds up his hand for Johann to hush. Anna says, what in the world… and Lucy says, we have to talk. Victor says, turnabout is fair play, Miss Devane. That bauble was worth every penny. Anna asks, what’s going on? and Lucy says, she’s really sick of butting into her life. Anna says she thought Lucy would be happy to see Martin, and Lucy says, of course (🍷) she’s happy to see Martin, but after everything she’s done for Anna, this is the way Anna is treating her? We see a close-up of the necklace. Just in case we hadn’t caught on.
On Monday, Britt asks why Cody won’t take the DNA test; Felicia asks if anything jogs Scotty’s memory; and Victor tells Valentin, he’s not the only one who’s been holding back.
🚪 When We Left Her…
Sounds like a tough road, but it’s good to hear they’re being accommodating. I’m looking forward to her return.
It is only when we take chances, when our lives improve. The initial and the most difficult risk that we need to take is to become honest. – Walter Anderson
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. – Kurt Vonnegut
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. – Albert Einstein
The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you. A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it. – Vik Muniz
To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone. A backbone. And a funny bone. – Reba McEntire
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu
He graduated from Corny University. – David Toborowsky, Pillow Talk: The Single Life
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. – Mark Twain
All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them. – Viola Davis
There are two schools when it comes to brownies. People who like them fudgy, and people who are wrong. – Zac Young, Halloween Baking Championship
💃🏽 Tapping My Troubles Away…
Take the next two days off, then come back for what’s going on with the Dead. Until then, stay safe, stay honoring old traditions while creating new ones, and stay being aware that some detours are destined to be.
So who would even sleep with Shep at this point? You don’t know where it’s been.
We see everyone in their dressing rooms on break, and Taylor says that Shep has never worked, so it’s no surprise that he won’t work on a relationship. Like Kim Kardashian said, get off your ass and go to work. Apparently, she didn’t hear about all the blowback from that remark. Andy says, for the first time, he feels sorry for Shep, and Shep says he feels sorry for himself. No surprise there either. Lamar and Little visit with Leva while she eats lunch. She says she feels squished on the end of the couch, trying to sit as far away from Kathryn as possible. Kathryn says, f*** Leva. She’s going out to represent the underdog. Austen, Craig, and Venita shotgun a beer, while Madison has some other alcoholic beverage, saying, it’s the only way she’s getting through this.
When they return, Venita is under the microscope next. Andy says, she knows her way around fashion, but the same can’t be said about how she navigates her friendships. She says she’s channeling Barbie tonight, which is the new word for wearing as much pink as possible. Andy asks why there isn’t discussion about Venita’s love life, and she says she doesn’t like talking about it. The last relationship she had, he was mentally abusive, and she paid for everything. Madison says she knew him, but didn’t know about the money or she would have asked Venita if she was out of her mind. Andy asks how Venita got out, and Venita says, he cheated on her with a woman who DM’d her on Instagram. On top of it, she was 60. This really doesn’t give us a full picture, since we don’t know how old he is and what kind of 60 the other woman is. Andy says, Venita’s mom got a lot of love on Twitter, and we flash back to Vi saying she wanted to protect Venita from the drama between her and Venita’s father. Venita chokes up, and says, it was the first time her mom opened up about her dad. She mimics her mom, who will do whatever it takes present a glass house; she doesn’t share. Andy moves on to the garden party, where Venita asked if Kathryn was raising her kids to be racially insensitive. A viewer thinks it’s a valid question, but Kathryn says, that’s not how it was presented, and we flash back to that. Venita says she asked Kathryn if she raised her kids based on what she’d done in the past, and Leva says, she felt bad for Kathryn; as a mom, it was severe. But she also felt bad for Venita, since she’s not good with her presentation; it just came out. Andy says, Craig and Venita formed a bond, and Craig says he appreciated that Venita had his back when he felt ganged up on. We flash back to the dinner where Venita suggested they let Craig air his feelings, and she says she wanted him to get his feelings out. Naomie says, her feelings were hurt, and she reacted. Andy asks if they’re good now, and Naomie tells him, they said what they felt, and Venita apologized. What more can she ask for? He says, Venita and Madison’s friendship didn’t survive the season, and Madison says she was angry because Venita threw her under the bus. Venita says she did her best to apologize, and Madison says, in a text; she could have called. Venita says she tried, but Madison hung up on her. Ignoring this, Madison says she was Venita’s biggest fan, and Leva says, her too. Madison says, it came out of left field, and she would have expected it from anyone else in the group, except for Venita. Venita asks how she talked sh*t about Madison, and Madison asks if they’re watching the same show. We flash back to Venita’s interview, when she said Madison had snatched the phone out of her hand. Madison says, it was a lie, and asks if anyone is going to speak up for her. Leva says, that’s what Venita told her, and Madison says, that’s what Venita told everyone. Andy says, they’re not going to resolve this now, and asks what Venita’s biggest regret is. She says, not being more of herself, and Craig says, it’s the biggest lesson she’ll learn. Andy says, the birds, and the bees, and the 1-2-3’s, and Kathryn says, it’s easy, right?
There’s a little break, and some milling around. Andy says, everyone loves a comeback, and Naomie kept the viewers coming back for more. A viewer asks, what was worse, Naomie coming back to Charleston with her tail between her legs, or facing the cast she turned her back on? Ouch. Kathryn tells Naomie that she’d said negative things about them, and what the show is about, but Naomie says she thinks it’s more personal to Kathryn. Kathryn says, it hurt her. She reached out when Naomie’s father passed away, then Naomie posted on Instagram that Kathryn should be ashamed about spreading a rumor about Cameran. Craig says, Naomie called him, and asked if he had a problem with her coming back, but he said he was all for it. Naomie says she spoke with the people who mattered, and Kathryn wasn’t one of those people. Andy says, there was a lot of feedback about Naomie and Craig hooking up in Vegan, and we flash back to Craig telling Shep and Austin about it. Andy says, Craig was there at a bachelor party… and Naomie says she was there with friends; it was totally unrelated. Andy asks if they did the walk of shame or had breakfast in the morning, and Naomie says, they saw Leva. Craig delayed his arrival, and they thought they were being slick, but Leva knew. Andy says, what about Paige? and Craig says, it was prior to them weren’t exclusive; Paige was still seeing Andrea. Andy says, the most shocking revelation was Naomie and Whitney hooking up, and I think, oh yeah, Whitney’s not here. I don’t think he ever comes to these. Andy asks, who made the first move? and Naomie says, they had a friendly dinner. Shep says, Whitney told him that Naomie grabbed his hand, and suggested they go to another bar. Andy asks if Naomie had been hiding feelings for Whitney, and she says, there was more than what they saw on the show. Whitney had lost his dad over the summer, and they started talking. It was a slow build, and they’re still great friends, but it was never more than a friendship that turned for a moment. Craig says he thinks Whitney likes her, and Andy asks, how many times she had to sneak out of Patricia’s house. Naomie says, she wished she ran into Patricia, but Patricia sleeps late, and Naomie never saw her. Shep says, Whitney told him in private, but he kept it a secret. Whitney is frightened about his personal business being made public. Kathryn says, it hurt her that when she and Whitney had been together, he told her, don’t say anything, and got mad when she did. We flash back to that, and she says, but he was totally cool with him and Naomie being on camera. It was embarrassing, like she’s not good enough. Naomie says, it could be the Thomas of it all. Andy asks Craig what surprised him most by it, and Craig says he thought it was great. Andy says, he looked like he was bothered, and Craig says, it was absolutely shocking. Olivia reminds him that he literally said, f*** you, to Whitney, and Andy says, Craig claimed Whitney was breaking bro code. Craig says, you don’t hook up with friends’ exes, and Andy suggests maybe Craig is still in love with Naomie.
After the commercial break, Craig says he ripped his pants, and Kathryn says, he doesn’t wear underwear, but he says he does when they do stuff like this. Andy asks, what’s up with that? and Craig says he wore boxers in high school, and they were uncomfortable. I have to admit, I’ve always wondered how any man can wear a pair of loose-ish shorts under his pants and feel good about it. Andy suggests he try briefs, and Craig says, that’s what he has on now. No underwear is freeing. Andy says, that’s why they call it free-balling, and Craig says, it freaks Austen out. Andy says, it’s amazing the opinions Austen has about Craig’s privates. He asks about the pillow business, and wonders if Craig will be adding other stores after he opened one in Charleston. Craig says, they just got a deal with Kroger, and I think, pillows in a grocery store? Well, I did get my TV from Shoprite. Andy reads a tweet that says, Shep has been jealous of Craig since Craig won the bachelor auction in Season 2, and we flash back to that. Shep says, it was rigged, and Austen says, Shep just likes to give Craig sh*t. Shep says, he and Craig started on the show together, and Craig says, Shep is supportive at times, but they’ve spent months without speaking; Shep triggers him, especially if Whitney is involved. We flash back to them dragging Craig at the campfire, and Andy says, he’s never seen Craig more blackout than in St. Simons. We flash back to Craig having shots and acting like an a-hole, and Andy asks if he remembers wrestling Austen to the ground. Naomie says, Craig tried to pay the Uber driver with leaves, and I literally burst out laughing, and wish they’d gotten that on camera. Craig says, when he stopped taking Adderall, he replaced it with Jager (blech), and Andy says, he couldn’t use chardonnay? Craig says he’s trying to temper his drinking overall, and switching gears, Andy says, the narrative Craig was spreading was that Naomie was obsessed with him. Craig says, if it was Paige in the same situation, and she went to talk privately with an ex, in his head, they’d be doing inappropriate things. What is wrong with this guy? Andy says, viewers speculated that he was still in love with Naomie, and he says, Naomie can still push his buttons. Naomie says she’s doing her best not to, and Andy says, Paige convinced Craig to invite Naomie to his party. Why did he make the effort, then treat her like an afterthought? Leva says, they were just trying to get a table, and Andy asks why there was no seating chart? Craig says, he was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t. If he’d made a chart, he’d be telling everyone where he wanted them to sit. Andy asks how not making one worked out, and Craig says, it worked for everyone except Leva and Naomie. Then Leva made the party about herself. Leva asks if she hasn’t been supportive of Craig. At the party, he went from zero to a hundred. Naomie says, half the people were sitting, and there was no space for them, and Craig says, Leva came in hot, then put his partners in an awkward spot. Kathryn says, it seemed like Leva was trying to take over, and Leva says, take over what? Andy asks if Craig can own that his behavior was terrible, and Craig says, he wishes he’d handled it better, but it is what it is. Andy says, merry Christmas, but I have no idea why.
Andy says, Leva is the mom of the group, but some wondered if she’d crossed the line from mothering to meddling. We find out she and Lamar are talking about having another baby, and see a clip from her new show, Southern Hospitality. She says, she’s the boss, so the dynamic is different, and a viewer asks where she gets off telling her friends what to do. Leva admits she’s so bossy, and Austen says, now he understand the phrase, advise to my demise. Andy asks, who’s bossier, Madison or Leva? and Madison says, they don’t want to go there, but Leva knows to leave her out of it in the future. Andy reads a tweet that asks if there’s ever been a fight Leva hasn’t inserted herself in, and Andy wonders how the garden party would have gone differently, if Leva hadn’t encourage the guests to air their differences, and Leva says, her husband always tells her to stay out of it. She genuinely thought she was being helpful in regard to Madison. Andy says, after the party, there seemed to be a split in the group, and Leva unfollowed some people. He asks for an unfollowed show of hands, and it’s nearly everyone. Leva says, she expected Austen to tell Craig that he shouldn’t speak to her that way, and the girls were snarky about it. She was offended and hurt, and didn’t want to see their faces. I totally get that.
Andy says, Little Craig’s dad was in the doghouse, and a viewer asks why Shep is allergic to birth control if he doesn’t want children. Shep has no answer for this, but says he wants kids one day. Taylor says, he’s 43, and Andy says he was 50. Shep says, he and Taylor talked about marriage and children, and Taylor says, and he failed. Why does he accept failure? Shep says he’s working on himself, and a viewer asks if Taylor thought Shep was being honest when he’d said he just had a kiss in a stairwell. Taylor says, yes, but methinks Shep’s face says, no. Austen says, Taylor called him and asked him to be straight with her, and Craig whines that they were trying to make it seem like it was okay, when everything was falling apart. Andy asks what Taylor’s parents think of Shep, especially after he called her an idiot, and she says, they still love him. Andy tells Shep, it was an egg toss, and Shep says, he’s fully aware of what he did wrong. He speaks to everybody that way. Taylor says, he degrades his parents, and the next morning, his parents are telling him they love him. Shep pretends he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and she says, he’ll tell his parents, f*** you, and then in the morning, he’s sweet. Andy asks what Shep thought when he watched the show, but Shep says he didn’t watch it. Taylor says, he needs to watch the show so he corrects his behavior. Nobody in his life holds him accountable; name one person who does. Shep says, he’s not playing this game with her, and she says, because he can’t think of anyone. They all say, it’s just Shep. He lays the path, and they follow it, even his parents. Shep says, she doesn’t have to deal with him anymore; he set her free. Taylor says, she knows his potential. What the f*** is he doing with his life? He says he’s trying figure that out, and she says, in other women’s pants? She saw his true heart, but he looked at her as just another number. He says, that’s ridiculous, and she says, he allegedly slept with over 300 women. Why is he using women? Why did he use her? He says he didn’t, and she says, she was just the whore who stuck around the longest. Andy says, all the girls are crying, and Leva says she feels for Taylor. Taylor loves Shep, and Leva thinks Shep loves her too, but doesn’t treat her like he does. Taylor asks what he was looking for in Texas, and does he even know her name? Andy says, with all due, they’d broken up, but she says, it doesn’t matter. Shep just wants to use women to masturbate; it doesn’t matter who they are. Andy asks why she cares if it’s over, and she says she loves him. Andy asks if Shep loves Taylor, and Shep says he always will. Andy asks if he’s in love with her, and he says, not right now.
Shep mumbles that Taylor went after his mom and dad; she crossed the line. I know he doesn’t watch the show, but he is in the same room, isn’t he? Idiot. Andy asks if Shep had been feeling doubts, and Madison says, an atheist and a Bible beater; what did they expect. Shep says, their different views were definitely a sticking point, and Andy asks why he convinced Taylor to quit her job and travel with him? Shep says he wanted to show her the world, and we flash back to him presenting this idea. Andy asks if something happened on the trip that accelerated the break-up, and Shep says, they were living well in Venice. They went to a Michelin Star restaurant, and after dinner, he found Taylor crying. She said she didn’t think they saw the world in the same way, and maybe they didn’t belong together. He was gobsmacked. Taylor says she doesn’t regret their time traveling together, but when she traveled overseas before, she slept in a third-world country, on a dirt floor in a tent. It was culture shock. Shep paid for everything, and she doesn’t want him to pay her way. Andy says, it would be a lot of people’s fantasy, and Shep says, it was a testament to her. He knows people who would have ordered Dom Perignon, and not cared. And he would have normally looked for the exit as soon as they didn’t see eye to eye. Taylor says, he found his exit, and Andy asks about Shep getting caught trying to kiss an employee of Leva’s. Shep says, he doesn’t remember it, and Craig says, Shep was already drunk when he got to the bar. He saw what was going on, called Taylor, and she dragged him home. Taylor says, later, the woman DM’d her, and said he’d been hitting on her hard. Craig says, right away, he could see Shep wasn’t there, and when he tried to kiss the woman, Craig told him, sit the f*** down, and forced him into a chair. Andy asks Taylor if that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and she says, yeah. He asks Shep if there are any misconceptions he wants to clear up, and Shep says, he hopes one day that Taylor can appreciate their time together the way he does. Andy asks if Taylor has anything she regrets holding back, and she says she loves Shep immensely. He says he loves her too, and she says she hopes he finds stability and peace. He says he hopes the same for her, and Leva cries, saying, it’s sad. Craig says, they’ve had this before, and while it was different, it’s always sad.
Andy wants to give everyone an opportunity to clear the air. He asks Kathryn, who she wants to be in a better place with when she leaves, and she says, everyone, especially Leva. He asks if Madison and Olivia can let bygones be bygones, and Madison says she’s good. Olivia says she’s good too, but Andy says he doesn’t believe it. He asks if Austen can finally congratulate Madison on her engagement, and he does, adding that he wishes her and her husband the best. I don’t believe it. Andy asks Venita what friendships she wants to work on, and she says, Leva and Madison. She hopes they can be a unit again. He asks if there’s anyone Craig wants to squash a beef with, and Craig says, he has a lot of work to do on himself, but he’d like to be able to pop in to Republic for a drink. Leva says, he can always pop in for a drink, but if he wants to pop in for a drink with her, they need to talk first. They all laugh, saying, Leva will take his money any time, and Craig says, at least it’s a step forward.
Andy says, that’s a wrap on the season, and it’s time for champagne, in coupes, a homage to Patricia. For whatever reason, an actual toast doesn’t happen, and Craig asks Leva for a hug. She says, she’s always here for a hug, and he tells her that he loves her, and he’s going to work on himself. After Craig sits back down, Andy thanks the Charmers, and tells Craig that there’s a place he can show Austen his d*ck privately…
🦆 Ducking Out…
Stop in tomorrow, before you start whatever the weekend holds for you. Hopefully for soap, but definitely for tea, words to ponder, and music to enjoy. Until then, stay safe, stay securing treasure that can’t be stolen, and stay not hooking up with your friends’ exes. Apparently, it breaks bro code.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nikolas says, Esme is pregnant? and she says, surprise! He’s going to be a daddy again. He says, no, this isn’t happening. She bought one of those fake baby bumps or something. She says, sorry to disappoint. Feel it. She takes his hand, and puts it on her bare midriff. She says, this isn’t some trick. It’s her get-out-of-jail-free card.
Johann knocks at Victor’s old room, and a staff member opens the door. Johann asks, what’s going on? and the man says, they had to move Mr. Cassadine to another room. Johann says, where?
The phone rings, and Victor tells Lucy, if this is about another change of suite, he will… What is it? Eileen says, he’s got a problem, but he tells her, this is not a good time. He has company. Lucy says, no, take it. She knows how important he is. Of course (🍷) he needs to take it. She’ll go freshen up; she must be a mess. He says, that is not possible, and she says, that’s very sweet, but don’t be rude. She takes her bag, and heads for the bathroom. Victor tell Eileen, be quick about it. What’s the problem? Lucy goes to the bedroom instead, and listens at the wall. In the park, Anna and Valentin continue to listen, and wonder if Lucy can get Victor to tell her more.
Josslyn and Cameron kiss, and she says, life’s been so crazy. It’s nice to get some alone time. A bell dings, and we see they’re at Kelly’s. He says, it’s just you, me, and the BLTs, and she says, BLT making; he’d better get on that. He goes to the cooker, and says he’s sorry he couldn’t make Brando’s reception. She says, that’s okay. She didn’t make it either. He asks what she was doing instead.
Michael walks into Dex’s apartment, and says, Dex lied to protect Sonny. Dex closes the door, and says, he told Detective Falconari that Sonny didn’t abduct or injure him. Michael says, well done. They have Sonny right where they want him. Dante’s convinced Dex lied to protect Sonny. Dex says, that was the plan, right?What was the big entrance all about? Michael says, in case Dex’s neighbors are listening or watching, he wanted to pretend he was having it out with Dex. In reality though, he’s here to commend Dex. Because of his performance, Sonny thinks Dex is still loyal to him, even though he falsely accused Dex. Dex says he tried his best to sell it, and Michael says, it must have been tough. Dex says, it was.
Sonny strides into Pozzulo’s, and Frank asks if he can get Sonny anything. Sonny says, no thanks. He’s going to be in his office, and doesn’t want to be disturbed. Ava runs in before Frank can close the door, and tells Sonny, they need to talk. He says, not now, but she says, yes, now. Before Trina ends up dead.
Jacksonville, Florida. Carly and Drew see a sign on a door that says, Guild Meeting 4:00 PM. Some people are milling around inside, and Drew says, looks like this is the place. She says, her last chance to change minds, and save the cemetery where her mother is buried. He asks if she’s ready, and she says, the better question? Are they ready for me?
Michael says he wants to make something clear. If Dex is having second thoughts, not only does he get it, he encourages Dex to walk away. Sonny will never find out from him that Dex was working against him. Dex says he’s all in. He’d been working as a mercenary; he’s used to risk. It feels good to be doing the right thing for once. Michael says, okay, and Dex says, to be honest, he’s more worried about Michael’s role in all this. He knows it’s important for Michael to bring down Sonny, but is it worth the risk to his relationship with his siblings?
Josslyn tells Cameron, it was really no big deal. She went to check on someone, and it was a waste of time. He says he misses her, and she says, even though they text 3000 times a day? He says, it’s not the same as being with her, and she says she misses him so much too. And the fact their classes didn’t line up isn’t helping. He asks if that’s the reason he can’t remember the last time they were alone together, and she says, what would be the other reason? He says, forget it; it’s too stupid, but she says, no. Talk to her. He says, they haven’t had sex since that first time at the cabin. She asks if that’s a problem, and he says, kind of.
Drew asks if they should make their introductions, and Carly says, let’s do it. They move toward the other people, when Peyton comes in, and says, Caroline. Carly says, there’s only one person in the world she allowed to call her that, and Peyton’s not him. Peyton says, she should have known Carly wouldn’t have the good sense to stay away. It’s too late. Carly says, why? Because of that hatchet job of a story Peyton let the paper run. Peyton says she simply told the truth, and Drew says, in the most misleading way possible. How low do you have to be to bring up a car crash from high school, one that was clearly not Carly’s fault? Peyton asks, who’s Carly’s guard dog? and Carly says, he’s her friend. Peyton says, well, friend, she just wanted the Guild to know who they’re dealing with, and Carly says, they have no idea. Chairman Benoit tells everyone to take their seats. This meeting will come to order. Drew tells Carly, here we go.
Sonny asks if Trina has been threatened, and Ava says, not outright. There’s been another attack. On the docks this time. Oz Haggerty is dead. He says, that sounds familiar, and she says, he’s the bartender whose testimony set Trina free. He says, so Ava, Diane, and Haggerty helped Trina out in some sort of way, and she says, a little suspicious. He asks where Brando fits in, and she says she doesn’t know. He’s the only victim who doesn’t have a connection to Trina… Oh God.Brando’s funeral was today, wasn’t it? He says he’s so ready to stop saying goodbye to people, and she says she’s so sorry. She knows he and Brando were quite close. He says, Brando was like a son to him, and he needed that, especially with what’s going on with Michael. She asks if something else happened, and he says he reached out to Michael in an attempt to make peace, and Michael stabbed him in the back.
Lucy listens at the wall, and Victor tells Eileen that he guesses he has to clarify his expectations. He’s paying her for verification and facilitation, not companionship. So unless it’s something of value to tell him, he doesn’t want to hear it. Why is she calling? She says she just walked into DA Scorpio’s office, and saw him conferring with Anna Devane.
Anna tells Valentin, she wishes they could hear the whole conversation. She wonders who he’s talking to. Victor asks if Robert suspects Eileen.
Lucy picks up the phone in the bedroom, and hears Eileen say, Robert doesn’t respect her authority or oversight, and this isn’t the first time they’ve clashed. She doesn’t think he suspects her, but it’s clear Anna and Robert are still investigating Luke Spencer’s death. Victor asks what they know, and she says she’s not sure. She’ll do her best to keep Scorpio from using city resources for his personal agenda, but that’s as far as her reach goes as Deputy Mayor.
Michael tells Dex, his father has to be neutralized. Whether that translates to actual prison time, or being forced to permanently leave the country, he doesn’t know, but something has to give. (Wasn’t Sonny born in Brooklyn? He’s not Joe Giudice.) Michael says, he already told Dex that he’s willing to be the bad guy, and Dex asks if he’s prepared to lose his sisters. Because they’re going to be angry. The younger two, because of what he did to their father… Michael says, and Josslyn because he lied to her, and he should have let her in one this, but he can’t. Like Dex said, this is going to devastate Donna and Avery when this all goes down, and they’re going to need their sister more than ever. Dex says, if they’re mad at Josslyn for keeping the secret, they’ll never accept her support. Michael says he hates all of this. He hates lying to Josslyn, and hurting his little sisters. He even hates what it’s going to do to Dante and Kristina, and they’re full grown adults. Hopefully, they can move past it, but if they can’t… Sonny was willing to torture Dex to get him to confess to something he didn’t do. He has to be stopped, and if it costs Michael his siblings, so be it. Dex says he agrees with and respects everything Michael just said. It won’t be easy to keep all this from Josslyn. For whatever reason, she feels the need to protect him from Michael’s father. Michael says, then Dex needs to show her that he doesn’t deserve her protection.
Josslyn says, Cameron is upset because they haven’t had sex? and he says, no. He wants to, but if she’s not ready yet, he totally understands. He doesn’t mind waiting, but he needs to know. Did he do something wrong? She puts her hands on his shoulders, and says, no. Their first time was everything she hoped it would be; it was better even. But Esme ruined it, and she’s having trouble getting past that. He says he gets it. Being exposed like that doesn’t exactly put you in the mood. There’s no rush. She thanks him for understanding, and wants him to know that she still feels as close to him as ever. They’ve been friends since they were kids. He takes her hands, and says, she knows she’s his favorite person, right? She says. he’s her favorite person too.
Nikolas says, maybe Esme is pregnant, but she says, there’s no maybe about it. He says, it’s not his, and she says, who else’s? Spencer? Fat chance. He was only pretending to love her so he could help Saint Trina. They hadn’t slept together in months. (Well, that answers that question.) He says, someone else’s then, and she says, he’s the only man she’s been with. He remembers, when he seduced her in the sitting room. He says, he seduced her? and she says she hardly forced herself on him, and he was ready, willing, and oh so able. He says he wants a paternity test, and she says she doesn’t have one on her at the moment, but she’s willing to take one, as long as it doesn’t put their baby at risk. He knocks back a drink, and she tells him, take it easy. Their baby deserves better than a drunk for a father. He tells her, stop saying their baby, and considering it has a murderer for a mother, this kid is already doomed. She says she didn’t attack anyone, with a hook or otherwise. What a thing to say about the mother of his child. He says, the police are going to charge her for trying to kill that bartender. Not to mention the sex tape she tried to frame Trina for, that Esme recorded and released. She’s screwed. Even if she’s pregnant, she’s not getting out of prison time. She says, that’s where he’s wrong. She’s not setting foot behind bars. He’s going make sure of it.
There’s a knock at Victor’s door, and he tells Eileen, hold on. It’s Johann, who asks why Victor changed rooms. In the park, Valentin says, he thought Robert was dealing with Johann, and Anna says, something must have gone wrong. Victor tells Johann that something was wrong with the water, and Johann asks where Lucy is. He goes into the bedroom, and sees Lucy putting on makeup. She says, he’s back. Did the flowers make it to Sasha?
Sonny tells Ava, Dante showed up, and he found out that Michael tried to have him arrested. She says, for what? and he says, for kidnapping and threatening to kill Dex. She says, he did that though, right? and he says, but he let Dex go as soon as he found out Diane said the attacker was a woman. She says, so it’s over, but his own son still went to the cops. She can’t help notice Sonny’s not under arrest right now, and he says, Dex denied it, and said Michael was lying. She says she told him Dex was a keeper, and he says he’s grateful Dex had his back in spite of what he did, but he can’t help think that he doesn’t want everybody to think Michael is a liar. He made his bed and lost his son, but if he could just figure out a way make right. Ava says, there’s nothing he can do. So stop trying.
Michael comes into Kelly’s, and says, fancy meeting Josslyn here. She says, her boyfriend works here. What’s his excuse? Michael says, pregnant girlfriend. She’s craving some sweet potato pie. Cameron says, they have some in the back; he’ll go grab it. Michael thanks him, and Cameron leaves. Josslyn tells Michael, she went to see Dex, and he asks if she can please just stay away from that guy. She says, he’s walking around like what happened is no big deal. The man is covered in bruises, especially on his wrists; he can barely move his hands. Michael says, let it go; he’s begging her, please. She says, Sonny just can’t kidnap and terrorize people when he feels like it, and Michael says, he agrees, but she can’t change how Dex deals with it. She asks if Dex was questioned, and he says, by Dante. She says, and? and he says, Dex says nothing happened. She wonders if Dante asked him if it was Sonny, and Michael says, Dex denied everything. She says, he can’t do that, and Michael says, he already did. His phone rings, and he says, the pie is being secured as they speak, and steps away. Cameron comes back, and Josslyn says she’s got to run. She’ll call him.
Nikolas says, Esme is out of her mind if she thinks he would lift a finger to help her, but she says, prison is no place for a baby, or a woman in her condition. He says, she’s deranged, and she sits on the sofa. She says, anything could happen to them. Speaking of, how is Spencer enjoying Pentenville? He tells her not to mention his son’s name, and she says, he must have a real target on his back, being a spoiled rich kid. He says, Spencer’s being looked out for, and she says, of course (🍷) he is. Which is how she knows they can count on him. He asks what she thinks he can do for her, and she says, use some of that Cassadine money. He says, right, because Commissioner Ashford and DA Scorpio are easily bribed. She says, take the money to hire the best defense attorney out there, a real shark. One that will make the PCPD think twice about even attempting to prosecute her. He says he can’t help her, and she says she guesses she’ll just have to talk to Ava.
Sonny tells Ava, when he and Carly got divorced, Michael thought he was choosing Nina over Carly and his family. Ava says, people divorce all the time. Michael is grown, and needs to get over it. Her guess is, he will. He asks if she’s talking about forgiveness; her? She tells him, she’s just saying. People hurt the ones they love; they just do. It’s inevitable. But if the love is real, and the person is truly sorry, she thinks they deserve a second chance. Or at the very least, they deserve to be left in peace; Michael is affording him neither option. He’s choosing to wallow in his hurt, obsess over it, instead of getting on with his own life. Sonny says, as long as Michael is stuck on revenge, nothing is going to change his mind.
Benoit says, that concludes new business. Now, public commentary on the Beach Parkway Project. Drew says, that’s her cue, and Carly gets up. She introduces herself, and says, her mother was born and raised in Jacksonville, and she’s buried at Sandy Shores Cemetery. She’s here hoping the Guild will reconsider their decision, and let her mother and hundreds of others rest in peace. Peyton says, this is a waste of the Guild’s time. They’ve already approved the Parkway construction. Carly says, without consulting the many families who would be affected by this. She contacted a few, and they told her they had no idea about the Guild’s grand plan, until someone showed up on their doorstep offering them money to relocate their loved ones. These people are part of their community. Peyton says, as if Carly cared about this community. She ran away from Jacksonville the second she could; hasn’t been back in years. Don’t waste their time listening to this woman. She’s sure they all read the story in the news. This is the type of woman who flies in to disrupt decent people’s lives, and then hopes the next flight out. Carly says, decent people? She hopes Peyton isn’t referring to herself.
Victor tells Eileen, they’ll speak later. In the bedroom, Lucy thanks Johann for taking the flowers. She appreciates it. She goes back to the living area, and Johann follows. We see the phone isn’t quite in place.
Anna tells Valentin, Lucy needs to get out now, and Lucy tells Victor, there he is, her emotional support buddy. Johann practically stands between them, and I’m surprised Victor isn’t telling him to buzz off. Lucy says she couldn’t have made it through the day without Victor, and he says he’s happy to have been of service. Johann asks if Victor swept the room, and Victor asks if that isn’t Johann’s job. Lucy says she’ll leave them to it, and starts to leave, but Johann blocks her. He says, she’s not leaving until he’s done.
Michael asks where Josslyn is, and Cameron says, she had to leave. Michael asks if he knows where, but Cameron says, she left pretty abruptly. Michael says, he told her to let it go, and Cameron says, let what go? Michael says, she’s mad that Dex Heller isn’t pressing charges against Sonny. Dex denied everything when Dante questioned him about being abducted. Cameron asks what he’s talking about, and what does it have to do with Josslyn?
Dex answers the repeated knocking at his door, and Josslyn walks in. He says she’s back, and she tells him, stop smiling. She stood up to that Carver guy and saved his life, and he’s throwing it all away to cover for Sonny.
Sonny says, until the attacker gets caught, he’ll have his people look after Trina, and Ava thanks him. She gets up, and says she’ll be seeing him around. She’s staying with Nina for now. He says she’s sure Nina’s place is big enough for them to avoid getting in each other’s way, and she says she won’t be there much longer. She’s moving soon. He asks where she’s headed… Don’t. She’s going back to Windymere?
Esme asks Nikolas, where is Ava anyway? Don’t tell her love didn’t conquer all. He tells her to leave Ava out of this, and she says, it still amazes her that Ava shoved her off a parapet and didn’t even check to see if she survived. It’s a miracle they’re still here. He says, there’s no reason to tell Ava, and she says she disagrees. He asks, what’s the point? Ava knows already that they slept together. Esme says, and she took it so well. What does he think this little update is going to do to her? It’s one thing know he cheated on her conceptually, and quite another to see physical proof. He says, Ava’s a grown woman; she knows things like this happen. She says, aww. He’s still holding out hope for the two of them. That’s sweet. Delusional, but sweet. When Ava finds out Esme is having his baby, she will never forgive him. He says, she’s right.
Victor says, Lucy smells divine. He might even say edible. She says, it’s her lipstick. It smells and tastes like strawberries. (Is she 14?) He tells her, you don’t say, when Johann comes out and says, they’re clean. Victor says, excellent, and Lucy kisses him on the cheek. She says, ta! He asks when he’ll see her again, and she says, call her. She leaves, and outside, she clutches her stomach and leans on the wall.
Carly says, she has no shame about her roots, or either of her mothers, both of whom were born and raised in Jacksonville. Were they perfect? No, but is anyone in this room? They’re just as much a part of this city as the Guild is, whether they belong to the almighty country club or not. The story about her? The facts are true; the spin, not so much. She admits she was young, and made mistakes. At the time, she tried to pretend they didn’t happen and pave over who she’d been; present herself as someone shiny and new, much like their proposed access road. But she quickly learned ignoring her past wouldn’t work. That her history isn’t just part of who she is, it’s a vital part of her story. And Sandy Shores is a vital part of Jacksonville’s. Her mother loved this city; she loved being close to the beach. She always said, there’s not a problem that can’t be solved by a few hours at the beach. Don’t move her mother to God knows where for a road; a road that divides Jacksonville no less, putting the burden on the working class neighborhood that they know is the heart of Jacksonville. Don’t pave over Jacksonville’s heart. I still can’t get over how good Linda Purl looks. She legit looks better than she did when she was younger, which is rare when someone has work done.
Lucy runs over to Anna and Valentin, and Anna asks if she’s all right. Lucy says she doesn’t think Victor suspects anything. But she doesn’t get it. Why didn’t Johann find the bug? Valentin says, they deactivated it when they found out he was going to do a sweep, and Anna says, without a signal, it can’t be detected. Lucy says, that’s good news, but Valentin says, the bad news is, the bug is dead, along with their chances of finding out who Victor is working with. (They can’t reactivate it? A WSB and ex-DVX agent?) Lucy says, never fear. She knows who it is. Anna says, how? and Lucy says she listened in on Victor’s phone call from the bedroom. Anna asks why she’d take such a risk, and Lucy says, it was a risk, but it worked. Guess who Victor was talking to? Deputy Mayor Ashby.
Benoit thanks Carly for her input, and says, the floor is open if anyone has anything else to add. No one does, and he says, Carly has given them a lot to think about. The public portion of this meeting is over. The people get up to leave, and Carly asks if there isn’t going to be a vote.
Cameron tells Michael, so Joss thought Sonny did something to Dex, and went to confront him at Pozzulo’s alone? Michael says, at first, but then she found him, and Cameron says, thank God. He knows Sonny wouldn’t hurt Joss, but his employees might not have gotten the memo. And all this for a guy like Dex? Michael asks if Cameron knows Dex, but Cameron says, not really. What he’s heard has been less than flattering. Michael says he thinks it’s best for everyone involved if they keep Josslyn as far away from Dex as possible.
Josslyn asks Dex if it’s landing how lucky he is. How lucky he is that she realized what was going on, and had Michael to go to. And that Michael could stop this man from cutting Dex up into a million pieces? He says he’s grateful; he never said he wasn’t. She says, what about the guys who weren’t so lucky? All the guys who didn’t have somebody realize they were in danger and save them? What about all the guys who are buried somewhere in the marsh, under Sonny’s orders? And this is the man Dex is supporting? He says he gets why she feels that way, but she says she doesn’t think he does. He says, when he was discharged from the army, he started working for a security firm; that’s a fancy way of saying he was a mercenary, a soldier for hire. He would go to whatever combat zone they sent him to, no questions asked, and he did what needed to be done. She says, and this is like that? but he says, no. That’s his point. He’s better off not risking his life for some corporation. She says, so he’d rather risk his life for Sonny. Please tell her he’s not that naïve. He says, think about it. He proved himself, both by surviving and not giving Sonny up. This is an opportunity for him. She says, opportunity for what? and he says, advancement, power. It might sound awful, but they haven’t lived the same lives. She’s been given much more choices than he has. She says, that’s the biggest cop-out she’s ever heard.
Sonny says, Ava is going to take Nikolas back, even though she thinks he stabbed her? but she says she never believed… He says, she banned Nikolas from her hospital room. If she wasn’t scared, why’d she do that? She flashes back to Nikolas admitting he had sex with Esme, and she tells Sonny, she’s not going to say she and Nikolas don’t have their issues, because they do. But they’re beginning to move past them. He says, so she wants him to give up on Michael – she says, temporarily – but she won’t give up on Nikolas. She says, the situations are very different, and he asks, how? She says, Michael seems hellbent on revenge, and Nikolas actually wants to work things out. When things are good with Nikolas, they’re very, very good. Who knows? Maybe they’ve weathered the worst of it, and now it’s just smooth sailing ahead. He says, good luck with that, and she thanks him, even though we all know that means, all the luck in the world won’t help you. At the door, she says, if she could leave him with one last bit of advice. She knows she’s biased; this kid saved her life. He says, so now they’re back to Dex, and she tells him, she just wants to say that having Trina to mentor, and talk to, and teach about her business, has been so wonderful for her, in ways she didn’t realize at first. She thinks it will be good for him to have Dex around. And what’s good for him, and keeps him in power and safe, is good for their daughter, so she’s all for it. She leaves, and Sonny closes the door.
Nikolas asks, who else knows Esme is in Port Charles? and she says, plenty of people saw her. Windymere wasn’t her first stop. He says, she’s lying. She wouldn’t risk it. She’s been skulking around in this get-up, remaining hidden. That’s smart… until now. She asks if he’s threatening to kill her, but he says he’s offering to help her. If she wants to stay out of jail, she has to stay out of sight. She says, the lawyer he gets will see to that, but he says, it’ll take time. She asks, how much time? and he says, a couple of days; maybe a week. Now would she like to stay in a cell, or somewhere more comfortable? She says she supposes he has a point. She’ll hide out here. Is her old room made up? He says, no one can know she’s at Windymere, even the staff. She says, they wouldn’t dare turn her in, and he asks if she’s sure about that. She didn’t exactly endear herself to them when she lived here. She says, so what are her options? Hide out in the stables? She and the baby will need a proper bed. He says, and she’ll have one. He knows just the place.
Benoit says, the vote is private. They’ll take everything she said under advisement. She says, what about the results? and he says, they’ll be posted on the Guild’s website, and she thanks them for their time. She and Drew leave, Peyton staring daggers at Carly. In the hall, Drew says she was amazing; really, truly amazing. She says, thanks, but she’s not sure it was enough.
Josslyn says, now that Dex is done explaining himself to her, can she tell him what she sees? He says, go for it, and she says she sees a guy who’s tough, and smart, and strong, and can do whatever he wants with his life, and he’s choosing this. Sonny will turn on him again. Know how she knows? Because her mom stood beside him more than anybody else over the years, and he left her. So it’s inevitable Sonny will turn against Dex. And when he’s hanging from a meat hook again, please do not ask her to come save him. She leaves, and in the hallway, her phone dings. It’s a text from Cameron, saying: Meet me after my shift? Important. Dex’s phone rings, and Sonny tells Dex to come to his office. They need to talk about Dex’s future.
Nikolas brings Esme to a suite of rooms upstairs, where all the furniture is covered. He says, it has everything she needs, including an en suite bathroom. He lifts a covering, and shakes it, dust flying everywhere. Esme coughs, and says, it’s a little dusty. He says he’ll make sure to bring up a vacuum. It’s used for storage, so the staff won’t find her, and dust is preferable to a jail cell, yes? She tells him, make sure he works fast. She doesn’t want to be stuck up here for long. He says he’ll take care of everything, and she says she’ll need a computer. He says, there’s no Wi-Fi in this wing, and she says, no internet? What’s she supposed to do? Nikolas and I both say, read, together, and he says he’s sure she’ll find something to her liking. Have fun. She hears the lock click, and runs over to try the door. It’s definitely locked, and she yells for Nikolas to let her out. What the hell is going on? From the hallway, he says he refuses to let her hurt anyone else, and she says she didn’t attack those people. He says, maybe not, but she’s still dangerous. Enjoy the books. She bangs on the door, and screams, come back!
Lucy says, admit it. She makes a pretty damn fine spy. Anna says, this it for her now, but Lucy says, she has Victor exactly where they want him. They can’t kick her off the team now. Anna says, that’s exactly what she’s doing, because it’s becoming too dangerous. Lucy says, no. She has so many interesting questions. The most obvious one is, pray tell why is the Deputy Mayor working with Valentin’s father? Valentin says, they’ll take it from here, but Lucy says, they can’t just dismiss her like this. He says she’s served an extremely useful purpose, but for her own safety, it’s time for them to part ways. Lucy says, wow. Fine. If they’re ever in a jam… Anna says, they know where she lives. Anna thanks her, and Lucy says, you’re not welcome, and stomps off. Valentin says, she’s not going to leave Victor alone, and Anna says she knows, but thinks she has an idea that might stop her. Deputy Mayor? Right after Luke died, Laura told Ashby that they suspected Victor. Could she have been working with him all this time? He says he thinks it’s likely. The question is, did his father just want to keep an eye on Laura, or is there something more to their partnership? Anna says she hopes the Deputy Mayor can help them find out.
Victor sees the phone askew, and picks it up. His fingers come away with red smears on them, and he sniffs it. He says, strawberry? Oh Lucy.
Tomorrow, Maxie tells Spinelli that he’s making a mistake; Lucy has no idea how to thank Victor; and Carly asks Peyton, how did the Guild vote?
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Part 1
They do that time jump thing where we go backward through the Reunion. Time filler, since this is going to be three parts. Then we see what’s basically the trailer, and now I feel like I saw this show already.
The set is done like the Beverly Hills Hotel. Everyone gets ready. Garcelle and Sutton clink bacon strips. All the dresses are gorgeous, and Andy says it’s the chicest Reunion he’s ever seen. They’re one Housewife short because Diana’s not feeling well, but Andy says, they’ll check in from home later. Blah-blah-blah, the introductions, and how everyone looks exquisite. Andy says, Kyle went blond, and I don’t think we have the same definition of blond. LisaR brings out her ceramic bird, says, Lois is here with her, and the angels are protecting her. Bleh.
We go back to the Homeless Not Toothless episode, and Jamie Lee Curtis showing the merchandise sold by her charity, My Hand In Yours. Andy says, The Daily Beast deemed the Homeless Not Toothless discussion, the best 8 minutes of TV. They might actually be right; it was pretty funny. Andy makes them say it together, then tells them, Jamie Lee is here. Then says he’s kidding, and then she comes out. I love her, and wish she’d associate with a better group of people, but her new movie Halloween Ends is coming out this weekend, so I get it. Andy tells her that she’s an honorary Housewife, and she says, being on the show had an unexpected benefit. When the show aired, it was the single best day for her charity. She’s rebranded it the Chicest Children’s Charity, and renamed the windchime, the Dorit Chic Windchime. She says Dorit’s genuine enthusiasm changed her company. She gifts everyone with pumpkins that have their likenesses carved in them, and they’re amazingly accurate. Andy says, Jamie Lee is the original Scream Queen, which is debatable, since there were plenty of them in the 50s and 60s, and asks how it feels to know she’s an OG after 45 years. She says she feels the love from the horror fans, and he asks Kyle how it was working with her. Kyle says, they have a rare and unique relationship. Kyle knew Jamie Lee when she was a child, and Jamie Lee a teenager. Now they’re friends, mothers, and wives, and it’s an amazing relationship that’s grown stronger. They laugh about Jamie Lee looking at the camera when she was on the show, and she says, when she showed up, the first person she talked to was a camera person. We see a clip of Jamie Lee looking into the camera, and saying that she’s going to break every rule they’ve had. She says she thinks they’re fabulous because they’re unseen, but not unseen. She makes her exit, and Andy wonders if he can ask a dumb question. Erika says, when hasn’t he? He says, and they’re just getting started.
Andy asks Garcelle about son Jax being attacked on Instagram, and says, it was racist and unsettling. Garcelle says, it was the most cruel thing anybody could do to a child. It was Jax’s first week of high school, and somebody sent him her Playboy pictures. It hurt a lot, but the one that really affected all of them said, if it weren’t for Jax’s white daddy, he’d have a knee on his neck. Garcelle chokes up, and Andy says, there seems to have been trauma out social media for everybody this season. It was heavy and it sucks. Erika says she doesn’t like death threats, and Andy says, a lot of it was from bots, and not real people, but someone was behind it. Garcelle says, absolutely, and he asks if she thinks it’s someone in the group. She says she doesn’t know if any of them would have personally said things like that, but someone purchased the bots. She felt like she wasn’t wanted on the show, and a way to get her to leave was to attack her children. She has an investigation going on. Andy says, he’s appalled. Viewers can love the cast or love to hate them, but only in the spirit of entertainment. Bravo condemns any kind of reaction like this.
He tells us, in an instant, Dorit’s life was turned upside down, but as much trauma as the home invasion was, it was just the beginning. We see the video, and there’s a lot of reaction from everyone. It’s still upsetting to me, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for poor Dorit to relive it. I notice LisaR looks like the merman from Cabin in the Woods, and if you haven’t seen the film, that’s not a compliment. Andy asks how Dorit’s life has changed, and she says, there’s no aspect of her life it hasn’t touched. She had issues in her marriage, and she has a wonderful marriage. It does something to your confidence as a mother, and there are days it’s hard for her to get out of bed. You’re grieving the loss of who you were. Kyle says she lives right down the street, and to think they were sleeping while Dorit was going through this is upsetting. Andy says he’s impressed at how she kept her cool, and Dorit says, her mama instinct kicked in. She thought if she made them feel she was helpful and not a threat, she could save her babies. Andy says, Dorit got a lot of support, but there were naysayers. One viewer wondered what thief would leave Dorit’s phone by the gate, and another theorized it was PK running an insurance scam. Dorit says she doesn’t pay attention to that stuff, and it’s not something you can orchestrate. She was lucky, and not a day goes by that she doesn’t remind herself of that. Andy asks why she thinks they let her have her phone back, and she says, she was calm, and showed them where everything was. She said she’d have to call her husband once they were gone, and could they please leave her phone. One of the guys said he’d leave it by the gate, and he did. Andy asks if they were caught, but she says, it’s still an open investigation. He asks if she’s replaced anything, and she says she’s not making repeat purchases, but please. Everyone laughs, and Andy stifles a yawn. She asks if she’s boring him again; that’s two years in a row. We flash back to the exact same thing at the last Reunion, and he insists he’s just a yawner. Dorit says she takes it day by day, and some days are better than others. She has diagnosed PTSD. Kyle asks if she told them that the person who burglarized their house reached out to her sister-in-law. He said he was the person who burglarized them, and he went to jail, but her stuff is at his grandmother’s house. He sent pictures, and they sent him money, but not much. Erika wonders why she sent a f***ing dime, and says, it was a shakedown. It’s unclear as to whether she actually got her stuff back, but way to eclipse someone else’s story. Andy says, they’ll leave it there, and wishes Dorit continued recovery.
Andy wonders if the generation gap can be bridged, and we flash back over Crystal’s season. He asks why she’s sharing about her eating disorder on social media, and she says, she felt it was important to say it out loud. Culturally, Asians are quiet, and it helps people understand everyone’s experience is different. One viewer remarked that the biggest fear is that someone will walk in while they’re binging or purging, and asks if that was what was behind Crystal freaking out over Sutton walking in on her. Crystal says, no, but it was attached to her body dysmorphia because she was naked. Andy says, a viewer wondered why it was okay for Kyle to talk about her eating disorder when Crystal brought up hers, but not okay for Sutton to bring up her miscarriages when Diane talked about hers. Isn’t it the same thing? Kyle says, her behavior at Garcelle’s party was terrible, and blah-blah-blah too many tequilas. We flash back to Kyle’s behavior, and I want to smack her all over again. Another viewer asks why the blip Erika told Crystal that she’d take laxatives, and Erika says she thought she was empathizing. She grew up in a dance studio. Andy says, she followed up by telling Crystal not to eat the chicken tenders, and Erika says, it was the wrong thing to do. Crystal says, they talked about it, and they’re good. Yet one more viewer asks how Crystal feels about Dorit sharing the info that Crystal was vomiting every day. Crystal says, that was not okay, and Dorit looks totally surprised. Crystal tells her, when she shares, she tends not to be graphic because it’s shameful. When she saw Dorit talking about what she’d shared privately, it was not okay. She gets teary, and says, it felt gossipy and so personal, but Dorit says, Crystal had been talking to the entire table. She never mentioned it until Crystal raised the issue. It’s not like she shared a secret. We flash back to that, and she kinda did. Crystal tells her, when they speak privately, they’ll talk about it, but it was terrible. Dorit says, she’s truly sorry.
We move on to the dark comments Sutton supposedly made, and Andy says, Crystal alluded to them being racist comments, but refused to say what they were. Crystal says she didn’t know Sutton then. Knowing her now, she wouldn’t have the same feeling today. It wasn’t something specific, but the overall conversation made her feel a certain way. It was the tone of the conversation. Kyle says, she’s telling them the opposite of what she said then, and she and Crystal go around in circles, Sutton not saying one word. Andy wonders why Sutton’s comment about her pool full of kids of different races was offensive, and Crystal says, just because she found it offensive, doesn’t mean they have to. Andy asks what Sutton’s reaction is, and Sutton diplomatically says she understands where Crystal was coming from last year, and she didn’t use the right words to communicate. LisaR and Erika are bored and want a fight, so they wonder why it’s suddenly okay with Crystal and Sutton. Crystal wonders why they can’t be allowed to be okay, which is a damn good question. Andy says he thinks it’s great they’re okay, but for three episodes, he wondered what the dark comment was. Dorit thinks Crystal was trying to make herself look good, and Crystal says, one of her biggest regrets is bringing it up. Andy asks what Kyle meant by calling Crystal a dramatic millennial, and Kyle says, one thing was the words she used, like violated. Crystal says, Kyle said she felt violated when someone broke into her house, and Kyle says, they didn’t bring her a jacket. Crystal wonders why they’re harping on a word instead of asking what her experience was. LisaR makes faces, and cocks her head back and forth, looking like a pigeon. Andy brings up Crystal saying, it was no surprise the women didn’t understand why requesting Michael Jackson was problematic, and Erika asks why it was. He says, because of the accusations, and she says, he beat the case. Ha-ha! Beat it. A viewer asks what Crystal did to get 14 friends mad at her, and Crystal says, it was because she was doing the show. After going around and around this, saying Crystal was contradicting herself again, Kyle says she heard different, but she’s not saying anything. Um… She just kinda did.
Diana beams in from home, and Andy says he knows she’s sick, but she looks good. She says, he should have seen what she looked like this morning. He says, her lawyers have been busy with cease and desist letters. There were rumors online that Diana was some sort of madam, and her book was a catalog of call girls. I think Diana is a lot of things, but that’s so stupid, even I don’t believe it. She says, the book has done good for a lot of people, and it broke her heart to have to defend it. Andy asks if there’s any truth that she’s linked to Jeffrey Epstein, and she says she’s never met him. The photo was from 1997 in NYC, when she was a refugee in London. It would be a physical impossibility. He says she’s been linked to everyone from Justin Timberlake to Guy Ritchie, and she says, they’re friends. Isn’t she allowed to have friends? He brings up some brouhaha that ensued when Diana said something about Black content creators. Apparently, she had this confused with people creating content for the dark web. Crystal says, she saw it, and was going to call Diana out. Then Diana said she couldn’t believe black content creators were writing mean things about them to troll them with, and Crystal realized she didn’t understand what the phrase meant. Diana says she can’t apologize enough, and I think a big part of her problem is, she doesn’t do her homework. Andy says, Diane claimed if your passionate about widows and orphans, put your money where your mouth is, and she did. She says, Erika’s hands were tied, so she thought the rest of them could join efforts. Andy asks if Erika is pissed, but she says, not at all; she thinks it’s wonderful. Andy asks if Garcelle thought Diana was behind the bots, and Garcelle says, if she’s being honest, yeah, she did. Diana says, Garcelle must have a low opinion of her if she thinks Diana would bully a fourteen-year-old, and Garcelle says, yeah. I love Garcelle.
Diana says she doesn’t know how evil she must appear, if Garcelle would consider she’d do that. Garcelle starts to talk, and Diana interrupts her, which doesn’t sit well. Garcelle says, Diana sent her a threatening text, and Diana says she asked Garcelle to pencil her name What I just said. She means edit, and needs to understand what she’s saying before she says it. Diana says she was getting death threats, and Garcelle says, Jax was at his dad’s house when he saw the post. We see the rest of the nasty white daddy post, and it says, tell your mom to leave Diana alone or deal with us. Garcelle says, Jax wrote, you’ve gone too far, and reposted it because he was fearful. He wasn’t thinking about taking out Diana’s name. He wasn’t thinking about protecting anyone but himself, then everyone picked it up. Diana sent a text to Garcelle that said if anything happened, Garcelle would be responsible. A threat is a threat. Diana says, her family has been murdered, and I assume she’s talking about in Bosnia. She tells Garcelle, it’s not a cease and exist [sic], and Garcelle says she’s not talking to Diana anymore. Diana says she can help protect Garcelle’s family; her team will find out who did this. Garcelle says she has an investigation of her own going, and Andy asks, what’s the number one thing Garcelle would say to Diana if she was here? Garcelle asks, why is Diane so obsessed with her? Diana says, because she’s gorgeous, and Andy says, Garcelle didn’t mean it that way, right? Garcelle says, Diana has been targeting her on social media every day; sometimes twice a day. We see a few posts that shade Garcelle, and Garcelle says, please leave her alone. She doesn’t hate Diane; she just wants to be left alone.
Next time, LisaR says she’s a work in progress (ugh); Diana wonders what’s worse, the c-word or evil, and Andy says, the c-word (agreed – no contest); Sutton doesn’t consider LisaR a friend; and Kathy arrives in her robe and slippers.
👨🏻 Altogether Ooky…
Inviting your back tomorrow, for soap and more Charm than you can stand. The new season of the God awful Winter House premiers tomorrow, but no recap, just complaining. Until then, stay safe, stay not taking everything too personally, and stay giving someone a second chance if the love is real and they’re truly sorry. People hurt the ones they love; they just do.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sonny says he wants to make things right with Michael, whatever it takes, and Michael says, Sonny thinks he can suddenly make things right between them. Sonny says he always wanted to make things right, and thinks deep down inside, Michael does too. Nina slips out to answer a call, and says, everything okay?… She’ll be right there. Michael tells Sonny, it’s too late, and Sonny says, if Michael can look him in the eye, and make him believe he doesn’t want anything to do with him, he’ll walk, and Michael will never have to deal with him again.
Dante says, he wants to ask Dex a few questions about what went down with him and Sonny after Brando was killed, and Dex asks if he should call a lawyer. Dante says, not this time. He’ll keep it simple. Dex has bruises on his face, and his wrists look pretty bad. The way he’s standing there, Dante can tell his ribs are in bad shape too. Want to tell him what happened?
Robert walks into his office to find Anna sitting in his chair, and she says, about bloody time. He says he didn’t know he was expecting company; most people call first. She says, he didn’t pick up. She tells him, close the door and listen to her. If they’re going to bring Luke’s killer to justice, they’ve got a lot of work to do.
Outside Kelly’s, Victor asks if Ava is sure he can’t give her a lift, but she says she doesn’t think that would be very wise. He says, it’s no trouble, but she says, he’s nothing but trouble, and goes inside.
Ava meets Trina, and they hug. Ava says, two days in a row, and Trina thanks her for coming. Ava asks if everything is okay, and Trina says, she heard from her mom that Oz Haggerty was attacked and killed. She wanted to see how Ava is holding up. Is she freaked out? Ava says, don’t worry about her; she’s resilient. Trina’s phone dings, and Ava says, don’t ignore it on her account. Trina says, it’s just Rory. She can’t deal with him right now. Ava says, if there’s a problem, Trina shouldn’t ignore it. She shouldn’t let it fester. Take it from someone who knows. Victor looks through the window. Outside, he tells Johann that he’s just about had it with these distractions. Nevertheless, they should keep an eye on Ava. She’s unpredictable. And of course (🍷) there’s that other loose end they have to take care of, convincing the authorities that Esme Prince is alive and well, and nowhere near Port Charles. Hmm…
Nikolas comes in as Esme is opening the safe, and says, who the hell are you? She makes a mad dash for the patio door, but he grabs her, pulling off her hood. He says, Esme, and she turns around, saying, hello, lover. Did you miss me?
Dex lets Dante into his apartment, and Dante asks if Dex wants to tell him how he got those bruises. Dex says he doesn’t know (really? that’s the best he can do?), and Dante asks if it was from Sonny. Dex wonders why he’d ask that, and Dante says, let’s say, a concerned citizen said Dex was kidnapped and assaulted by his boss. Does he want justice?
Michael says, Sonny is so far away from the man he once called his father, he doesn’t even recognize Sonny anymore. Sonny says, Michael doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and Michael says, he knows Sonny had his employee tortured. Sonny says, they’re not talking about Dex; they’re talking about them. Michael said he wanted to destroy everything that Sonny built, and Sonny has to hand it to him; he did a pretty damn good job of that. He got the harbormaster fired, and he got every major client stop buying Corinthos Coffee. Michael is looking everywhere but at Sonny, and Sonny says, he’s looking Michael in the eye right now. He’s just saying, let’s come to an understanding. Michael says, he’s past an understanding, and Sonny says, they’ve both hurt each other so much, but they just watched Gladys bury her son. They both know what that’s about; the finality of a life cut short. Sonny tears up, and says, the last time he saw Morgan, he was running out the door, and Sonny never got a chance to tell Morgan that he loved him. And he prays to God that Morgan knows, and he wants Michael to know he’ll always love him. Can they just figure out a way to end this – his voice cracks – so they can be a family again? Michael says, Sonny can’t just throw the word family out there, and expect it to erase everything he’s done, and Sonny says, maybe not, but it’s a good place to start.
Nina walks down a hallway at the MetroCourt, when Valentin taps her on the shoulder. She jumps, and he says he didn’t mean to startle her. She tells him, fine. He said it was important. What is it? He says he needs her help getting into Victor’s room, and she asks why he didn’t ask at the front desk. He says he doesn’t want Victor to know about it. It’s a delicate situation. She says she thought they were thick as thieves these days, and he says, maybe that’s what he wants Victor to think. She says, whatever parlor game the Cassadines are playing these days, she doesn’t have the time. She has a lot on her plate. He says, he knows that. He needs her help. And she can’t ask questions, for everyone’s safety… for Charlotte’s safety. She says, I’m in.
Anna says she feels like she’s hit a dead end, and Robert tells her, he can’t say that surprises him. Vic is slick. She says, he’s cunning. He’s spent his entire life honing his reputation for ruthlessness, and now it’s really paying off. Robert takes it his contacts didn’t pan out, and she says she just mentioned Victor’s name and they evaporated; they ran scared. He says, understandable, but disappointing, and she says she’d hoped at least one of them would be up for the challenge. He says, what’s the next step? and she says, this is where he comes in. He asks what she needs from him, and she says, a warrant.
In Victor’s room, Johann says, Esme Prince just posted from San Tropez, and Victor says, good. Keep leaving those digital footprints of Esme’s idyll in the south of France. This mess has already interfered with the plans he’s been making for years. This ends now. There’s a knock at the door, and Johann opens it to find a weeping Lucy. She shoves the bouquet she’s holding at Johann, and falls into Victor’s arms.
Esme says, Nikolas looks like he’s seen a ghost, and he says he thought… they thought… She says, that she was dead? Ava sure tried her damnedest when Ava threw her off the parapet. He says, that’s not what happened, and she says, how would he know; he wasn’t there. She’s sure Ava has him all roped into her scheme. She’s sure Ava spun some tale, making herself out to be the victim, when she was the one being swallowed by cold, dark water. They both left her for dead. She’s sure they celebrated. He got what he wanted – her, gone. Except she’s not. She’s back. He’s really going to have to try harder next time.
Ava says she can tell something is on Trina’s mind. Trina can tell her anything. Trina says, what’s on her mind feels so trivial with what’s been going on. People are dying, and the maniac who attacked Ava is still out there. Ava says, Trina doesn’t need to remind her of that, but here she is. She’s still alive and she’s going to live her life, and Trina should do same. Frankly, she’d like to hear about something other than life and death. So tell her; what is going on with Rory? Trina says, he asked her to go to a comic book convention, and Ava says, that’s cool. Does she like comics? Trina says, yeah, but it’s out of town, and Ava says, that is a significant invitation. Trina says she’s not sure how she feels about going on an overnight trip with Rory yet. She really likes him, and wants to get closer, but she can’t help thinking about the last time she went on a weekend trip. Ava says, this is nothing like when Trina went to Sonny’s cabin; this would just be the two of them. Trina says, she knows, but she can’t shake the feeling that something horrible is going to happen. Ava says, she understands. It’s hard coming back after a traumatic experience like Trina had. It’s hard to trust again; other people, her own judgement. Maybe she’s afraid she’d be leaving herself open to more pain, more hurt. She has to ask herself, does she really want to let what Esme Prince did to her dictate the rest of her life?
Nikolas says, so Esme came back looking for money, and she asks if she doesn’t deserve something after what Ava did to her. While they got to carry on with their lives, she drifted further and further into deep water. She thought she was going to die, just like he wanted. He says he didn’t want her to die. He searched for her. He had to fight to stay alive when he was adrift at sea. She says, thankfully, a fisherman found her, and put her up in a Canadian hostel until she could regain her strength. He says he supposes the fisherman ran out of money, and she couldn’t access her funds, but coming back here was a mistake. She should have stayed out of the country. She says, of course (🍷). That’s exactly what he wanted; to get rid of her. He says he’s talking about the PCPD. They’re looking for her for attempted murder because she drugged that bartender. She says, the cops have it all wrong, and they certainly can’t prove a thing, and he says, Oz Haggerty gave pretty convincing testimony of Esme’s guilt at Trina’s trial. Interestingly enough, he was found murdered this morning. Is that why she really came back? To finish what she started?
Lucy says she thinks she’s ruined Victor’s jacket, but he says, that’s inconsequential. Why is she in such a state? Is it Morton? She says, it’s Martin. No. He’s still incommunicado, and it’s not him. It’s just her; it’s all on her. He leads her to the couch, and she sits. She tells him, it’s just that, Sasha Gilmore, one of her partners, her husband’s funeral is today, and she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t face Sasha, so she wanted to bring her flowers, and now it’s too late. He says he’s sure it’s not too late, and she says, it is for Brando. He gently tells her, calm down. He’s sure Johann can deliver the flowers for her. She asks if Johann has been drinking (ha-ha! poor Johann), but Victor says, he’s perfectly sober. She says, okay. That would be very nice. The reception is downstairs in the gardens. Victor asks Johann to please oblige Miss Coe, and Lucy thanks Johann as he leaves. Victor asks if she feels better, and she says she does – she puts her head on his shoulder – now that she’s with him.
In one of the hotel rooms, Valentin tells Nina, the less she knows, the better. To get the information he needs out of Victor, he has to put a listening device in his room – this room. That’s where she comes in. As co-owner of the hotel, he needs her to call Victor, and say there’s a problem with his suite, and he needs to move into this suite. She asks why he doesn’t just put a bug in the room Victor’s staying in right now? but he says, that’s not possible, because he has a security guard named Johann who does a daily sweep. Johann is busy, so if they can get Victor into this suite right now, it might buy Valentin a day or two before the bug is discovered. She says, what then? and he says he’ll handle it, but that’s all he’s going to tell her right now. She says she knows Victor is Valentin’s father, but he’s a very dangerous man. She doesn’t like that Valentin is taking him on alone. Valentin tells her, don’t worry about him; he has backup. Multiple partners, each playing integral roles. Hopefully, that includes her, but he needs her to make a phone call.
Michael says, Sonny isn’t the same father who put family above everything else, and Sonny says, he’s done the best he could, but Michael says, Sonny hasn’t. Don’t forget, he’s a father too. He’d never hurt Wiley the way Sonny hurt his children. Sonny asks how he knows that; life is unpredictable. How did he know he was going to lose his memory, and live in a town called Nixon Falls? Michael says, this is about what Sonny’s done since he came back. All of Sonny’s choices have led him to here. Take ownership of that. Sonny says, no! Put himself in Sonny’s shoes. What if Wiley thought Michael screwed up, and started treating Michael the way Michael is treating him? Would Michael just give up on him, or would he do everything he possibly could, and hope to God that Wiley met him halfway?
Dex says, three days ago, Dante thought he was a murderer with a hook. Now Dante is all about justice for him? Dante says, things have changed. His source tells him that Dex was the victim of a serious crime, and it’s his duty to follow up on that. Dex says he commends Dante’s commitment to protect and serve, but he’s good. Dante says, so Dex has no comment on this accusation? and Dex asks if this is an official investigation. Dante says, no, but it can be if Dex wants him to file charges. Dex was brought in as a person of interest in a series of vicious attacks. He’s been told, Dex’s boss Sonny Corinthos turned on Dex as a result. Is there any truth to that?
Anna tells Robert that she needs a warrant for Johann Bauer. She knows Robert has been keeping tabs on him. It can be for unpaid parking tickets; it can be for anything. He asks if she doesn’t think he’d have brought Johann in already if he had something, and she says, he drinks. He fell overboard off the Haunted Star, and the crew had to stop and pick him up. Robert says, and she knows this how? and she says, the point is, can they not use that? Say another boater reported it? He says, intentionally jumping into the water from a passenger vessel would be considered unsafe operation of said vessel, and it would be illegal. However, she’s implied that the jump wasn’t intentional. She says she just wants him detained. Bring him in for questioning. The charges don’t have to stick. He says, so they not only abuse his office, now they’re going to waste taxpayers’ resources for… nothing. She says she thinks taking Victor off the street is for the greater good. And this is for Luke. He says, something about this tells him there’s more going on. Annie, it’s Bobby. Tell him the whole story. She says she wants to, but she can’t. So please help her, because she’s running out of time. He says, that bastard did kill their friend. Okay. He’ll make the call, but this the last time. She says, okay, and Deputy Mayor (or whatever she is) Eileen walks in. She asks if she’s interrupting something.
Lucy tells Victor, she didn’t know who to talk to. Martin is still with his mother, and she kept thinking he would know exactly the right thing to say. He tells her that he’ll do his best, and the room phone rings. Nina introduces herself, and says she’s the new co-owner of the MetroCourt. She’s so sorry to bother him, but they’re going to have to shut the water off in his room. She knows it’s a complete inconvenience, but they’ll have to move him to another suite, at least temporarily. He says, now is not a good time, and Nina says she understands, and she’s sorry for the disturbance, but they have no choice because a room on his floor has a leak. She’ll have a staff member there momentarily to help him move his things. Valentin holds up a bottle, and she says, and there’s a bottle of wine, complementary, waiting for him. She thanks him for his cooperation, and he says, if she’s sure there’s no other choice. She tells him, once again, their sincere apologies, and he says, very well. He hangs up, and tells Lucy, apparently, there’s a water leak somewhere, and they’re going to have to temporarily move him to another suite… Something feels off. She says, that completely explains when she was rushing up to see him, she saw some maintenance men in the lobby. That must be why. She guesses he has to get ready, so she’ll leave him to it. She thanks him, and says, she just feels so alone. He says she’s not alone. If she can just wait until he’s figured this room changing mess out, he promises her his full attention.
Esme says, she was the one who was left to drown, and Nikolas is accusing her of being a murderer? He says, her timing seems suspicious. She shows up in town, and the witness who pointed a finger squarely in her direction, winds up dead. She says, the only thing she’s guilty of is loving his son and trusting him. When she was in that Canadian hostel, that man tried to pin everything on her. How do they know he wasn’t hired by Trina’s people or Sonny’s? He says, give it a rest. He’s done buying the victim act, and she says, he knows her intimately. He doesn’t really believe all those horrible things about her, does he?
Dex says he has no idea what Dante is talking about, and Dante says, that’s his story, and he’s sticking to it, huh? Dex says, Mr. Corinthos didn’t do anything but give him a ride home after he was released. Any other questions? Dante says, just one. Is Dex afraid of retaliation? He knows how his father works. Word is, Dex went through something hellacious. Dex opens the door, and Dante says, if Dex was threatened to keep his mouth shut, he’s in a position to make sure his father doesn’t get to Dex for telling the truth. Dex says, whoever told Dante that Mr. Corinthos tried to harm him is a straight-up liar, and Dante thanks him for his time.
Michael asks how he can meet Sonny halfway when he doesn’t know who Sonny is anymore. Sonny turned his back on everything he once believed in. Sonny says, Michael keeps saying that he doesn’t know him anymore. Michael has known him his whole life; that doesn’t count for anything? A lifetime of being a father? He gets it. Betrayal, anger, disappointment. He lived with that his whole life with his father. You think I wronged you; I think you wronged me. It’s like never-ending circle. One thing Sonny wants Michael to know is that he still loves him. This has got to end before it’s too late. They’ve buried too many people already; Jason… Brando… my father. He cries, and says she doesn’t want it to be them. Michael says, look… dad, when Nina has the bad timing to walk in.
Robert says, his door was shut for a reason, and Eileen says, his assistant told her that he didn’t have any appointments. Anna says she was just leaving. She doesn’t want to keep Robert from his work. She believes he was about to make a phone call. She’ll be in touch. She leaves, and Robert says, she’s right; he’s in the middle of something. Eileen says, his call can wait. She’s here on mayoral business. He says, if Laura wants to speak to him, all she has to do is reach out directly, and she says, Laura may be working remotely, but she needs someone on the ground to keep an eye on things. What was his ex-wife doing here? He says, it’s none of her business, but since she stuck her bid in, they’re planning a trip to Australia, and taking their granddaughter, who wants to play the digeridoo. She says she hopes that’s the case, and he asks what that means. She says, Miss Devane has been known to pull the PCPD into WSB business. Laura confided to her that he and Anna were working on the investigation into Luke Spencer’s death. He says, Spencer was a dear friend, and what he does on his own time is his business. She says, they both know that’s not what he’s doing, and she intends to stop it.
Victor opens the wine, saying, voila! He tells Lucy, at least they had the decency to pick out a very nice vintage. He asks if he can pour her a glass, and she says, after the day she had, she’d love some. He tells her to make herself comfortable. She sits on the sofa, and he says he considers himself a good judge of character. He sits down, handing her the wine, and says, although he’s still getting to know her, he’s already recognized she’s a strong, capable woman; the kind who won’t lose her head when the going gets tough. She says, it’s served her well as a woman in business, and he says, which is why it is so out of character that a floral arrangement would reduce her to a hysterical puddle. She says, doesn’t he know, a scheming vixen such as herself sometimes has a very bad day. He says she’s not a scheming vixen. Nor is she being honest with him. So why doesn’t she tell him what’s really going on here?
Michael says, maybe Sonny doesn’t see how much he’s changed. Maybe Sonny hasn’t changed, and Michael is just now seeing him for who he is. Sonny says, don’t back off now; Michael just called him dad. Michael says he was wrong. Sonny isn’t the man he knew. He abandoned his family; he abandoned his code. He’s capable of anything. Sonny says, Michael has no right to judge him, and Michael starts to walk away. Sonny yells, don’t turn your back on me! and Dante walks in. He says, that’s enough. This ends now.
Ava says, Trina’s safety is important, but it shouldn’t be a motive for going away with her boyfriend. Only she can decide if she’s ready to make that step. Trina says she’s so confused. In her heart, she feels like she’s safe with Rory. She doesn’t feel like he’ll hurt her. Ava says, that’s not insignificant. That’s a lot. Trina says, but what if they go away, and that all changes?
Nikolas says, a lot has happened since Esme’s been away, and she says, he makes it sound like she was on holiday, instead of recovering from his wife trying to kill her. He says, Trina has been exonerated, and Spencer is in Pentenville. In an attempt to give Trina an alibi, he testified that he broke out of Spring Ridge. And Oz Haggerty isn’t the only person who was stabbed recently. She says, that’s terrible; crime’s really up. Do the police have any leads? He says, the killer used a large hook, and she says, sounds gruesome. He says, it was. Ava was the first victim. Esme says, but she survived, and he says, thankfully. She says, karma’s a bitch, and he says, Diane Miller was also stabbed. She gave Esme a pretty tough time at Trina’s trial. She says, remind her, what’s his point? and he says, it’s a pretty big coincidence that three of the victims happen to be people Esme thought wronged her in some way. She says, now he knows not only what she thinks, but how she thinks, and he says, he thinks she’s capable of murder, and he thinks she came back for revenge. She says, that would mean he’s next.
Dante says he paid a little visit to Dex Heller, and Sonny asks, why? Dante asks if he can talk to Michael, and Michael says, Dante is here for him, not Sonny? Sonny goes over to Nina at the bar, and Dante tells Michael, Dex said Michael lied about everything. Michael asks what he’s talking about. Sonny kidnapped Dex, and tortured him to force him into a confession, which they know now would have been false. Dante says, this vendetta with Sonny has gotten out of hand. Now Michael is lying to the police about a crime. Michael says, he came to Dante brother to brother, and Dante says, Michael has a family to protect. This beef he has with Sonny is going to lead him to do things that are destructive. Let it go. Dante’s phone rings, and he says he’s on his way. He tells them, looks like we have another victim, and Sonny says, another stabbing? Dante says, yeah. The wound’s consistent with a hook. It looks like they have a serial killer on their hands. You two are on your own.
Robert says, the mayor’s office does not oversee the DA’s office, but Eileen says, she has the authority to initiate an internal review. It’s called checks and balances, and if she finds anything the least bit off, she’ll hold him accountable. Their citizens deserve better. He says, she’s abusing her power and wasting human resources on this pointless review, and she says, we’ll see.
Anna joins Valentin on a park bench, and asks if everything is going according to plan. He says, yes. Robert? She says, detaining Johann. It’s all up to Lucy now. He says, that’s the part that worries him.
Lucy tells Victor that she’s had some hard times in her life. She thinks they’ve shaped he into the woman he seems to admire, but they also left some scars. Sometimes she feels so helpless and scared, and wants someone who makes her feel safe, and Victor does. He says he’s flattered she feels she can talk to him, and she says, the last time she saw Sasha was the day before her husband died. She basically asked Sasha to give up her financial stake in Deception, which she thought was a good idea at the time, and still does, but it really hurt Sasha. Lucy just couldn’t face her, and it started her spinning, thinking about her future, and what will happen in her life. She tells him, she knows it sounds selfish, but he says, they all have fears that can be illuminated by tragedy. She says, she can’t stop thinking about the future. Will she be all alone? He tells her, not if he has anything to say about it, and she says, that was another reason where she thought she could come to him. When he talks about his plans and his future, he sounds confident, like he’s figured everything out. She finds that so comforting. He says he has his own anxieties. That’s why he made the plans. She says, the plans; right. Can he tell her more of them? It’s really what she needs right now. Could he tell her, just for her?
Esme laughs at Nikolas, and says, sorry; she couldn’t help it. What he’s suggesting is ridiculous. He says, is it? and she says she didn’t intend to stay this long, even though she’s enjoyed their little chat. Don’t worry. As soon as she can afford it, she’ll be out of his hair. He blocks her, and says she’s not going anywhere. She tells him, he’s going to let her go. Unless he wants the police to know about her little tumble off the parapet. He says, what tumble off the parapet? Does she think they’ll actually care when they find out she’s connected to three of the stabbing victims? If anything, her alleged fall gave her a motive. He takes out his phone, and she says, he’s not going to do that. He says, why the hell not?
Sonny asks if Nina is okay, and she says, no. Just when she thought this day couldn’t get more brutal, there’s another victim. What are they going to do? He says he doesn’t have all the answers right now, but he’s going to tighten security, and Nina is going to have to keep her bodyguard for a while longer. She says, that’s no problem. She’s glad Sonny is looking out for her, but what about him? How is he doing, dealing with this after ten rounds with Michael? He says he can handle it, and she says she can’t believe Michael, lying to the police about Sonny. She never thought he’d stoop so low.
Michael bangs on Dex’s door, and walks in when Dex opens it. Michael says, Dex lied to protect Sonny, and Dex says, he told Dante that Sonny didn’t abduct or injure him. Michael says, well done. They have Sonny right where they want him.
Robert leaves a message for Anna, saying, they’ve got a problem. They can’t arrest Johann. Whatever she’s doing, stop it. This mission’s got to be aborted and now.
Anna listens in, and says, you’ve got this Lucy… Don’t overplay your hand. We see the missed call from Robert on her phone.
Lucy says, Victor is going to tell her a little bit more about his plans, and she’s going to pretend it’s a bedtime story. So, once upon a time… He says, for many years now, he’s been working on… The phone rings, and he says, if this is about another room change… He picks up the phone, and says, what now? Eileen says, they’ve got a problem.
Johann knocks on the old room door.
Ava says, it’s Trina’s call. If she’s not ready to go away with Rory, then don’t. That’s perfectly fine, but just know that all romance is a leap of faith. You have to be willing to take the chance. Trina says she doesn’t want to miss out on something great with Rory because she’s scared. Okay. She’s ready. She should text him now and tell him. She picks up her phone, and Ava says she just wants Trina to be happy and have fun. Get herself a light saber. Trina says, too bad she can’t get a real one. Then no one would have to worry about her safety. At least she’ll be with a cop, so there’s that.
Nikolas tells Esme to give him one reason he should let her go, and she says she didn’t want to tell him so soon, but he’s forced her hand. You’re not going to call the cops on us. He says, us? and she says, me and our baby. She opens her coat and rubs when could possibly be a baby bump, or a heavy lunch.
I sigh heavily. Didn’t we just have this storyline? And on the off-chance she is pregnant, Nikolas could just say she’s crazy, and the baby is Spencer’s.
Tomorrow, Anna says, Lucy needs to get out of there – now; Johann says, Lucy isn’t leaving until he’s done; Esme says, it’s her get-out-of-jail-free card; and Sonny says, nothing is going to change Michael’s mind.
📜 Regarding the Day…
I love when an actor uses their celebrity for good, rather than exerting undue influence in arenas where they’re no expert.
I’ve always admired her career. She did it all, and didn’t compromise. I was blessed to see her in Sweeney Todd on Broadway, and she was absolutely brilliant. There was no one like her, and she will be missed.
Come set a spell tomorrow for some soap and Reunion insanity. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering your manners, and stay not judging others, because life is unpredictable.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nina and Sonny walk into the MetroCourt Garden, where there’s a large photo of Brando on display. Sonny says, Nina made the place look great; she even found a great photo of Brando. She says, planning the post funeral reception is the least she can do for Sasha. He kisses her and they hug. Michael and Willow walk in, and Willow says she sees the way Michael is looking at his dad. Keep telling himself, this day is about Brando, and they’re here to help Sasha and Gladys any way they can. He tells her that she’s right.
Maxie comes in with Dante and Sam, and thanks them for the ride. Austin is still at the hospital, and she didn’t want to be alone. Olivia leads Gladys and Sasha in, saying, she knew the Garden would be the perfect place for the reception; they got a perfect Autumn morning. Sonny asks how Sasha is doing, hugging her, and she says she’s okay. She thanks him and Nina for coming, and Nina says, they woudn’t be anyplace else. She hugs Sasha and says, the funeral was very touching. No matter what Sasha and Gladys think, they’re all here for them. Sasha thanks her, and says, everything looks beautiful. Looking bottles on one table, Sasha says, of course (🍷) Brando would be the first person to say they shouldn’t have gone to so much fuss. She can just hear him. She walks over to the photo, and touches it.
Funeral program in hand, Josslyn knocks on Dex’s door. He asks what she’s doing here, and she says she could ask him the same thing.
Curtis goes to Jordan’s office, and says he got her message. It sounded important. She says, it is, and he asks if there’s a break in whoever attacked Diane and Ava, and killed Brando Corbin. She says she was just at Brando’s funeral, and after Diane telling them the attacker was a woman, they don’t have very much. That’s not why she asked him to come by. She hands him a large envelope, and asks him to read what’s in it. His future depends on it.
In an exam room, Ava tells Portia that she has a very busy day ahead. She has to figure out what she’s going to do now that she’s closing the gallery. She’d appreciate it if they can wrap this up. Portia is talking to Amy, and Ava says she’s feeling really good. Her wound is almost healed now, so is there something else wrong with her? Portia thanks Amy, who leaves, and Ava says, whatever it is, she can take it.
Nikolas closes the secret safe in the bookcase, and Victor says, counting his blessings? Nikolas says he was just adding some documents, and Victor says he assumes Nikolas will soon be adding another important document to that safe of his; his finalized divorce decree. But of course (🍷) Nikolas insisted on hiring his own lawyer, so Victor hopes he’s filed all the paperwork correctly. Nikolas tells Victor, he said he would handle it, didn’t he? and Victor says, he’s seen how Nikolas handles Ava, signing a false confession to a murdering Esme. That little mea culpa of his could have sent him to prison for life if Valentin hadn’t gotten it away from Ava. Fortunately, his ridiculous romantic gesture won’t be coming back to haunt them, and neither will Esme Prince, may she rest in peace.
Oz is zipped into a body bag at the docks, and I’m disappointed, since I thought his character would have made an interesting addition to the canvas. An officer tells the paramedics that they can take him, and radios, a dead John Doe found on Pier 55, apparent stab wound, no driver’s license or ID. They leave, and Esme comes down the stairs.
Sasha says she’s so grateful to Nina; all the trouble she’s gone to. Nina says, it’s no trouble at all, and Sonny says, she thought of everything, right? Like Brando’s favorite drink, beer; root beer. Gladys says, it was always his favorite, ever since he was a little boy. Michael – who I like less every time I see him – says he can’t watch this anymore, and asks if Willow would like a drink, but she says she’s good. He goes over to the bar, and Dante asks if he’s all right. Michael says, no, he’s not.
TJ brings Willow a club soda, and tells her, drink up; doctor’s orders. She raises her glass to him and takes a sip. Nina glances at them, and Sonny asks if everyone can gather around. Raise their glasses. They’re going to make a toast to Brando. Brando was an incredible son, a kind and loving husband. He left them way too soon. He had a big laugh, but most important, he had a big heart. To Brando, he’ll never be forgotten. Everyone raises their glasses or bottles, and takes a drink.
Josslyn asks why Dex isn’t at the hospital, and he says, then he wouldn’t be here to let her in. She says, he knows what she means. He’s covered in bruises from what Sonny did to him. He says he is a little sore, and she says, a little. He says, okay, he hurts everywhere, especially his wrists, but it could have been a lot worse if she hadn’t shown up. He never really got the chance to thank her for that.
Curtis says, it looks like the divorce papers are ready to go, and Jordan says, he can see it proves she submitted them to the court. She wants him to keep that. He says he doesn’t need proof. He takes her at her word that they were filed. Now they just need the court to sign off, and they’ll officially be divorced. She says she’d feel better if he held on to the receipt. It’s something he can show Portia, since she botched things the first time around. He says, this is what doesn’t make sense to him. She’s one of the most organized people he’s ever known, so it just doesn’t add up that she misplaced the original papers. She tells him, what can she say? Nobody’s perfect. She thinks she proved that during their marriage, right? He says, it takes two people to make a marriage, and two people to mess it up. Let’s be honest. They both knew their marriage was over long before they signed those papers. She says, maybe for him, but not for her.
Portia says, physically, Ava is recovering just fine. But as her doctor, it’s Portia’s job to treat the whole patient, and she wants Ava to take care of herself. To be honest, she’s a little worried about Ava’s well-being. Trina told her that Ava closed her gallery, and she knows it was far more than just a business deal. Ava says, it’s Portia’s fiancé’s fault really, and Portia asks, how that is exactly? Ava says, Curtis came to her and said he was worried about Trina working at the gallery with some serial slasher roaming around, and he was right. As much as she hates it that she won’t be working with Trina for now, she has to do whatever she can to protect Trina from any future attack. Portia says she thinks Ava did the right thing for Trina and for herself, but she needs Ava to know that working at the gallery was far more than just a job to Trina. And she never got a chance to thank Ava for arranging the Fellowship at The Chuck for her. Ava says, that was Curtis’s idea exactly. She just made a couple of phone calls, and gave Trina a sterling recommendation, which is well-earned. She’s just sorry Trina is upset with Curtis for setting it in motion. She said she already has one protective father looking out for her. If there isn’t anything else, she’s really spent more than her fair share of time at GH. Portia says, there’s just one more thing. She wants Ava to focus on keeping herself out of harm’s way, and since the gallery is already off-limits, at least Ava knows she’s going to be safe at Windymere, right?
Victor tells Nikolas, Esme is lying at the bottom of the harbor, thanks to Nikolas’s wife. And no one need be any the wiser, despite Nikolas’s ridiculous attempt to take the blame for the murder, in an attempt to woo Ava. So just proceed with this divorce as planned, and no more confessions in the name of love. Are they clear on that? Nikolas flashes back to making the videoed confession on Ava’s phone, and Victor says, Nikolas. He was always a poor judge of women, and a fool for their charms. So tell him the truth. What else has Ava got on him?
Esme says, bad for you, Oz, but good for me. She goes into her bag, and takes out her wallet, looking at how much money is in it. She says, this won’t get me through the day. Windymere, here I come.
Ava tells Portia, she’s no longer living at Windymere. She’s happy Nina’s offered her a place to stay; she’s staying with Nina. She’s grateful for that, and plus, there’s the added benefit that Sonny is looking out for Nina. Portia says, which means Sonny will be looking out for Ava, and Ava says, as Avery’s mother, Sonny wants to keep her safe. Portia says, she’s glad Ava has someplace to go but… Ava says, but what? and Portia says, Ava knows she has no love for Nikolas or his son, but she knows Ava is still in love with her husband. But for Ava’s sake, she hopes Ava finally leaves Nikolas and never looks back.
Curtis says he’s surprised to hear Jordan say that, but he’s with Portia now, and she says she knows. All she’s saying is, she never made it a secret about how she felt. She was ready to fight for their marriage if he had been. He says he couldn’t. By that point, there was too much damage for him to try again; too many secrets, too many lies. He’s a former cop, so he knows some of the deception comes with the job, but not all of it. She says, no, not all of it, and he’s a man who values honesty above everything else in a relationship. He tells her, he’s not saying he’s holier than thou, but in his book, if you can’t trust the person you love, who can you trust? She says, and he’s found what he’s look for in Portia? and he asks if that’s a question or a statement. She says she wants him to be happy. She hopes he knows that. He says, then why does she make it sound like there’s a reason they won’t be?
Josslyn points to Dex’s open shirt, and asks if it’s his look for the day, or is he going to button that? He tries to button it, obviously in pain, and he says, his wrists. He’ll just grab a T-shirt. She says she’ll do it, and she buttons it for him. He thanks her, and she says, he can thank her by making sure that Sonny never does this to anyone again.
Olivia asks Nina for a word, but Nina says, not today, for Sasha’s sake, please. Olivia tells her that she just wanted to say the set-up is really beautiful. It’s tasteful, it’s lovely, it’s well done. Nina thanks her, and says she appreciates that.
TJ asks how Willow is feeling, and she says she’s hanging in there. She tells him, don’t look now, but Nina is watching them as if they’re stealing the silverware. He asks what Nina’s problem is with them, and she says, Nina saw them hug the other day at the hospital, and has it in her head they’re having an affair. He says, what? and she says, don’t let it get to him; she doesn’t. It seems Nina judges everyone by her own shabby standards.
Michael hugs Sasha, and says he’s here for her, whatever she needs. She says, he may regret making that offer, but he says, never.
Sam tells Dante, she keeps trying to remind herself that Brando’s not alone; he’s got Mike. It’s just still really sad. He says, Brando was too young to die, but he sees Sasha is handling it so well; he admires her courage. It makes him more determined than ever to find out who did this. Maxie asks if she can borrow Sam for a second, and Sam says, sure. They leave, and Michael tells Dante that he hopes the investigation leads to the actual perp. Unlike their father. Dante asks what he’s talking about. Sonny?
Sonny sits with Gladys, and asks how she’s doing. She says she can’t do it. She can’t be brave like Sasha. He says, it’s normal. Brando was her only child; nothing hurts like that. She says she can’t fill up her mind with other things and forget, and he says he doesn’t think that’s what Sasha is doing. He thinks she’s holding it together for Brando’s sake. It’s what he would have wanted. She says she keeps thinking about when she came to town to see Mike. She told everyone Brando was dead. She couldn’t stand to admit she was ashamed of him and his addiction. Then one day, he showed up. She was given a second chance. She and her son had a chance for the kind of life their cousin Sonny had; picture perfect marriage, beautiful, loving children. He had it all. Sonny says, looks can be deceiving; time has proven that. He takes her hand, and says, nothing in life is guaranteed. He and Michael look at each other, and Gladys says she made a decision this morning. The best thing to do going forward is for her to pack up and go back to Bridgeport. Sonny says, he’s known her to be a lot of things over the years; a little greedy, a little selfish. But one thing he’s never known her to be is a coward.
Sasha thanks TJ and Willow for coming, and TJ says, of course (🍷). Molly had to stay at the courthouse, but asked him to pass along her condolences. Sasha asks him to thank Molly, and says she knows he and Brando had a little falling out, but it meant a lot to Brando that they patched things back up. She wishes they’d had more years of being friends. Nothing lasts forever. Willow asks TJ to give them a minute, and he steps away. Sasha says she’s okay, but Willow says, it’s the day of her husband’s funeral. No one expects her to be okay. She’s just sorry she hasn’t been around more for Sasha. Sasha says she understands why Willow stayed away, and Willow says, she does? Sasha says, Willow didn’t think she could handle her having Michael, and Wiley, and a baby on the way. Sasha is happy for her. Willow’s life is pretty perfect.
TJ says he appreciates Nina pulling out all the stops today for Sasha, but he’s not surprised, considering his Uncle Curtis is one of her biggest fans. She says she feels the same about him, and TJ says, what he doesn’t understand is why she’d stick her nose in, and suggest something is happening between Willow and him.
Jordan says she knows Curtis and Portia love each other. It’s plain to see when they’re together. They’ve done more than just buy a house together. They’ve done everything they can to create a family. Not just for the two of them, but his dad and Aunt Stella. He says, and don’t forget about Trina. Even though she’s away at college, living in the dorms, it’s her home as well. She says, of course (🍷), and it’s because of Trina that… He says, what about Trina? and Jordan’s phone rings. She says she needs to take this, and answers. She says, what?… When did this happen and where?… She’ll be right there. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, we have another victim.
Amy asks if Ava and Portia have heard; it happened again. Portia says, they haven’t heard. She’s just trying to get her patient safely home. Ava asks, what happened again? and Amy says, a John Doe was just brought in. Another guy is dead after being stabbed. According to the coroner, it’s likely the same woman with a hook. They weren’t able to identify him, but she recognized him right away, because he’s been a patient here not too long ago. Ava asks, who is it? and Amy says, the bartender guy who testified at Trina’s trial. Portia says, Oz Haggerty? and Ava practically flies into the elevator, saying, she has to go.
Nikolas says, Victor just doesn’t get it. It’s not about what Ava has on him, or what he has on her. Victor says, tell that to the young lady Ava pushed over the parapet, and Nikolas says, Ava swears it was an accident. Victor says, fine. Say he believes that. Does Nikolas really think the police or a jury would? Ava had just discovered Nikolas had slept with his son’s girlfriend. They’ll think she was out for revenge, and to frame Nikolas for the crime. Nikolas says, it would be an act of love. Ava didn’t twist his arm; she didn’t threaten him. He proved she can trust him despite the terrible mistake he made with Esme. He earned Ava’s trust by putting his life in her hands. He did it willingly, with his eyes wide open. But Victor can’t understand that, can he? Victor says he can understand Nikolas acting like a damn fool, and Nikolas says, it’s sad. Despite all of Victor’s conquests, he’s never been in love.
Esme comes to the door at Windymere, and tells herself, who says you can’t go home again?
Sonny says, Gladys can’t cut and run. She has to be here for Sasha, and be strong for her, because Brando can’t be. Sasha has lost a child and a husband. No one knows that kind of pain, only Gladys does, because she’s lost a son and a grandchild. Gladys has got to be here for Sasha; they’ve got to be here for each other. Today, the next day, and the day after. Gladys says she wishes she was as strong as he thinks she is, and he says, she’s not going to have to do this alone. She doesn’t have to grieve alone; he’s going to be here for her. Brando used to come to him for advice, not for tuning up engines or business. Brando thought he had all the answers, but he told Brando he didn’t. Brando used to say, how can he be a better father, a better husband? and Sonny would say to him, there’s nothing more important than family – success, power, money. He just wants Gladys to know, she’ll always be a part of his family. They get up, and she says, of course (🍷) family’s the most important thing… A lot of money doesn’t hurt though, right? He says, that’s the Gladys he knows, and hugs her.
Willow says she knows her life looks perfect, but it’s not, and Sasha asks if there’s an issue with the baby. Willow says, no, the baby is fine, and Sasha asks if there’s an issue with Willow. Willow says, no, she’s fine. It’s just that it’s not all smooth sailing. Sasha says she gets it. Willow lost Harmony not long after she found out Harmony wasn’t her biological mother. That’s a lot. Willow says, if this year taught her anything, it’s that good and bad things can happen at the same time. Which is why she feels fortunate to have a friend like Sasha, and she hopes that never changes. Sasha says, never, and they hug.
Nina says, whatever is going on with TJ’s quote-unquote friendship with Willow, she’s just giving him a friendly warning. Take it from her. He does not want Michael Corinthos as an enemy.
Michael asks if the PCPD had legitimate reason to suspect Dex Heller, and Dante says, he can’t talk about the details of an ongoing investigation. But Dex was brought in as a person of interest until Diane told them her attacker was a woman. Why? Michael says, before Diane made her ID, Sonny took matters into his own hands, and almost played judge, jury, and executioner. Talk to Dex if he doesn’t believe it.
Dex says, he already told Josslyn, he doesn’t want to get the cops involved, and she says, but he didn’t tell her why. He’s not a fugitive, is he? He says, no, and she says, he’s not afraid to incriminate himself in his own kidnapping and torture? He says, no, and she asks, then why is he protecting Sonny? He says, she hates her stepfather; he gets it. She says, and he doesn’t? and he says, Sonny’s not his favorite person at the moment, no. She says, so many good people have been protecting Sonny; someone has to take him down. He says, she sounds like her brother, and she asks how Dex would know she sounds like Michael?
Esme tries her key, and says, they changed the locks? Like that’s going to stop her.
Victor says he will not be schooled in the art of love by a man who bedded his son’s ex-girlfriend, because his own wife wanted nothing to do with him. He’s experienced real passion, the kind Nikolas will never know. Nikolas asks if Victor is talking about what he had with Liesl Obrecht? He believes that’s called obsession, not passion, and she clearly wants nothing to do with Victor. What Nikolas and Ava have happens once in a lifetime. Victor asks if Nikolas doesn’t mean had; their divorce is well underway. Nikolas says, Victor can force him to divorce Ava, but the way he feels for Ava will never… The door rattles, and Victor holds up his hand, and moves quietly toward it. He unlocks it, and Ava comes in.
Dante tells Michael, they’re supposed to be here honoring Brando, and supporting Sasha and Gladys. Can he put it on hold just for today? Michael barrels on, saying, the PCPD brought in Dex for questioning. Sonny shows up to get him out, and Dex and Sonny leave together. Then Dex disappears for 48 hours. Dante knows their father as well as he does. Where does he think Dex was?
Gladys thanks Nina, and says, everything is so lovely. Nina says, there’s no need to thank her, and Gladys says, maybe she can repay them like this. She knows everyone thinks she’s self-absorbed, and sometimes she is. But she’s seen the strain between Sonny and Michael. She just spent two years trying to make things right with Brando. They were almost there, and then she ran out of time. Don’t make her mistake. Don’t think he has forever to make things right with Michael. Do it now.
Dex tells Josslyn, it’s no big secret that when he’s out with Sonny, and they run into Michael, Michael goes after Sonny with both barrels. He has to say, the way boss keeps his cool with Michael attacking him is impressive. She says, it sounds like he admires Sonny, and he says, Sonny looks after the people he cares about. She points to his wrists, and says, this is Sonny looking after the people he cares about? He says, he didn’t say he likes it, but he gets it. Josslyn asks if he doesn’t see. That’s exactly what Sonny is doing. He wants Dex to be able to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s never going to do that for Dex. Dex needs to quit Sonny’s organization now, before he gets in deeper. Dex asks her, who says he wants out?
On the phone, Jordan says, the John Doe has been identified by a previous stay at GH. His name is Oz Haggerty. Portia takes Curtis aside, and asks what he’s doing here. He says, Jordan asked him to come by to show him a new set of divorce papers. They’ve officially been filed. She says, it won’t be long now, and he says, too late to back out. Jordan hangs up the phone, and asks if they don’t have a wedding to plan. Curtis says, they do, but if there’s anything Jordan needs to help find the attacker, they’re here to help. Jordan says, sadly, the files are getting thicker and thicker. The only thing they have to go on is, Diane said the attacker was a woman, but they’re not any closer. Portia says, there is something three of the victims have in common; her daughter.
Ava tells Victor, don’t touch her, and he says, listening at keyholes now, are we? She tells him, don’t flatter himself. She has zero interest in what he and Nikolas talk about. Nikolas asks what she’s doing here, and she says she wanted to tell him, there’s been another fatal attack. This time, the victim was that bartender, the one who Esme tried to keep from testifying for Trina. He thanks her for the update, but says, she could have just called. She says she was just going to get some of her clothes, but never mind. If he’d please ask the staff to pack up her things and send them to Nina’s. Victor says, perhaps he should come with her as added protection, and she says, suit himself. Nikolas thanks her for the warning, and Ava leaves, Victor following her. Outside, she says, on second thought, she can take care of herself. He says he has no doubt, but it’s a wicked world out there. They leave, and Esme comes out from behind the bushes, and goes in the door they stupidly left unlocked.
Esme looks around, and strides through the sitting room. She opens the bookcase, revealing the secret safe, and wonders what the combination is. She says, Spencer’s birthday, and puts it in. It opens, and Nikolas comes in the room. He asks, who the hell are you?
Nina says she knows it’s been a difficult day for everyone who loved Brando and loves Sasha. She tells Michael to make sure Willow gets home safe, and gets some rest. Willow says she can take care of herself, and asks TJ if he’ll give her a ride. He says, of course (🍷), and Michael thanks him, saying he’ll see Willow home. They leave, and Sonny asks if Nina can give them a minute. He wants to have a conversation with his son.
Portia says she doesn’t know how, but Trina is the common denominator. First, it was Ava, and she’s not just Trina’s boss; she’s Trina’s mentor, and supported Trina during the trial. Then Diane came in when Scotty had to step away, and was brilliant in defending Trina. Now there’s Oz Haggerty. It was his testimony, saying he sold the black market phone to Esme Prince and not Trina, that proved Trina was innocent. Jordan says, yes, at first glance, Portia’s theory seems correct; it seems to be a pattern. But what about Brando Corbin? Is there a connection to Trina that Jordan’s not aware of? Portia says, he’s the only exception; Trina barely knew Brando. Curtis says, unless… and Portia says, unless what? Jordan says, unless Brando wasn’t the target. Josslyn Jax had just been in that same alley behind Charlie’s, and Josslyn is connected to Trina.
Josslyn says, just so Dex knows, the next time Sonny turns against him, don’t wait for her to come rescue him. He says, there might not be a next time, but she says, yes, there will be. Sonny will betray Dex, like he has everyone else. She just hopes Dex can see the man Sonny really is, before it’s too late for him. She leaves, and Dex says, son of a bitch.
Nina goes to get some water, and Sonny says, Gladys shared something with him that he wanted to share with Michael. She said it was too late to make things right with Brando, but she thinks it’s not too late for him and Michael to get things right. He took that to heart, and just wants Michael to hear him out. He wants to make things right, whatever it takes.
Dante knocks on Dex’s door, and Dex asks how he can help Dante. Dante says he wants to ask Dex some questions about what happened between him and Dante’s father after Brando Corbin was killed.
Tomorrow, Trina tells Ava, something horrible is going to happen; Esme tells Nikolas that he’ll have to try harder next time; Valentin asks Nina for help; and Dex asks if he should call a lawyer.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Valletta, Malta. At the crew dinner, Storm leaves the table, having had enough of Natalya’s roller coaster ride. Natalya says, he’s the most dramatic person, and Mzi goes to find Storm in the restroom. Storm tells Mzi that he’s always the bad person every time, and it has nothing to do with her. She’s making him look like an idiot. Mzi tells him to calm down, and Storm says he’s going back to do anchor watch. He wants to go back to doing his job. This is bullsh*t. Storm leaves, saying, f*** all these people. He’s done with this sh*t. Mzi goes back to the table, and in his interview, he says, he’s trying to comfort Storm when he feels bad himself. Everything is everywhere. He’s not living his best life. Natalya tries to trash talk Storm some more, but Mzi tells her, please don’t talk. Storm gets back to the boat, and tells Jason that he’ll take over the watch. In Jason’s interview, he says, he’s done, and he’s pumped. Somehow, Tasha’s shoes have gotten wet, and Dave gives her a pair of his. It’s unclear whether he’s going barefoot, is now wearing heels, or he usually carries spare shoes. In Tasha’s interview, she says, she and Dave are still friends, and her boyfriend clearly wants her away from him, but she can’t because she has to work with Dave. It’s the worst thing about yachting; you have to put your work life first. Kyle says, let’s shake our caboose, and they get ready to move on to a club. They take a couple of taxis to the club, and in Mzi’s interview, he says, the lead deckhand situation was soul destroying, but Courtney’s happiness overrides his sadness. He’s going to drink to numb some emotions. Everyone cuts loose on the dance floor, and Tasha goes outside to call her boyfriend. She says she misses him, when Dave comes by. She tells Dave that she’s talking to her dogs, and he says, come dance. She blows him off, but her boyfriend has already overheard, and tells her, just leave me the f*** alone. F*** off. Tasha runs to the restroom, crying, and Kyle follows her. She tells him that her ex (another thing that’s unclear – sometimes she calls him her boyfriend, and sometimes her ex) told her to f*** off. She doesn’t want any men in her life; just Kyle. Kyle tells her to blow her nose, and take deep breaths, and she says she’s sick of men. He tells her, stop it. He means that out of love. She’s an outstanding woman, and doesn’t need a man to complete her. Get off the man train. Never cry over a man again. Say f*** you. I don’t need you in my life. Got it?
Courtney asks if Tasha is okay, and Natalya wonders why everyone is upset. Courtney grabs Kyle’s bag, and the crew starts walking to the taxi. Kyle walks Tasha out, and she says she loves him. They get in the taxis, and in Tasha’s interview, she says she was always in long term relationships. She gets attached to people very easy, and never experienced being single. She puts all her time and energy into one person, and makes them feel loved. She guesses she wants that feeling back. They take a regular taxi to the water taxi, and shakily get in. Kyle says he loves a boat ride, and Courtney suggests they go straight to the snacks. In Natalya’s interview, she says, Storm gets emotional when he’s drinking. For no reason, he literally stormed off. She’s just over it, and she’s not chasing anyone anymore.
At 6:30 everyone gets up, and Jason packs. Captain Sandy curses the wind gusts, and in Courtney’s interview, she says, becoming lead deckhand is amazing. She’s excited, but feels bad about the Mzi situation. She thinks he’s fine and doesn’t think his ego is hurt, but she doesn’t know. The captain radios the crew that they’re going back to the dock. When the guests come on board, the sun comes up, and this all blows away, they’ll get off the dock. Natalya complains that Kyle could offer to help with laundry, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, if they ran the boat Natalya’s way, there would be no guests, they’d be on top of the laundry, and there would be a good place to sleep in the guest beds. Natalya asks if Kyle wants her to be the supportive friend today. She has six personalities, and can pick one. Anchor is home, and Storm says, it’s cold, and not a vibe. Jason helps out with the docking, and Captain Sandy gripes that she has to dock in the rain. The boat docks without incident, and the captain tells them, good job. They prepare the boat for the guests, and Jason says goodbye to everyone. He says he enjoyed meeting them, and be true to themselves. Courtney wonders how guys pack so light, and Jason goes to the bridge to say goodbye to Captain Sandy. She says, it’s been a pleasure, and he says he’ll text her his information. In his interview, he says, he’s glad to go home, but he’s sad that he’s leaving because it’s not what he planned or expected. He came to this place, and there were three friends and one outsider. Unfortunately, the outsider was him. It makes him sad; the emotional part. Storm tells Courtney that Jason was amazing this last charter, but she says she guesses he didn’t want to be here. Captain Sandy calls Storm, Dave, and Tasha to the crew mess for the preference sheet meeting.
The captain says, it’s charter number seven, and what’s cool about this charter is, the co-primaries are repeats, Jonathan and Eric. We flash back to their charter, which I have no recollection of at all, and Captain Sandy says, Eric is an entrepreneur who was so successful, he was able to retire at 59. Jonathan is a personal trainer, and they’re coming with clients. One guest wants their cabin spotless at all times, and another is a professional dominatrix, and wants a BDSM evening. Dave has to explain what BDSM is to Tasha, and in her interview, she says, people think a yacht is elegant and posh, but this theme is quite seedy. The captain says, it’s going to be an awesome charter, and Storm says, as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, it will be fantastic. In Courtney’s interview, she says, it’s a lot more pressure for her now that she’s lead deckhand. She hopes the new deckhand is helpful, good at his job, and good looking.
New deckhand Reid arrives, and meets Captain Sandy, who radios Storm. Reid says he’s had 18 hours of flying, but he’s glad to be here. The captain introduces Reid to Storm, and says, Reid has worked on tugboats, so he knows lines. Storm says, they have less than an hour, so let’s get cracking. Storm introduces Reid to the crew, and Kyle introduces himself as Captain Kyle. Reid finds out Dave will be his roommate, and says, the boat is pretty. Kyle tells Tasha that Reid is handsome, and in Reid’s interview, he says he’s from Decatur, Alabama. It’s got small town charm, but no opportunities. He graduated, 4th generation, from the University of Alabama. Storm texts Natalya, asking to talk, and she tells him to come to the twin cabins where she’s working. She asks why he left the table last night, and he says he needed to come back to the boat. She says she knows he’s pissed off at her, and he says, she lectured him in front of everyone, when it should have been a private conversation. It must be fun to turn it into a sh*tshow. She says, when they get out to have a good time, and there’s drinking, it inevitably becomes a vibe she doesn’t want to be around. It’s too heavy too quick. In her interview, she says, she knows when she’s in love; the other person’s energy matches her own. She sees Storm as more of a friend than boyfriend. If she can’t see someone as the father of her children, why date them? Storm says, the last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad, and in his interview, he says, it’s his first time as bosun, and it’s more stressful. There are more feelings on his side with Natalya, so he has to switch to work vibe. He doesn’t want it to affect his work.
Provisions come in, and Natalya tells Courtney, this sh*t drives her up a wall. This is their life now. She complains to Kyle that there are 80 bottles of wine, and nowhere to put them. It makes her frustrated. He asks what the actual problem is, and she says, too much is being ordered, and everyone agrees. In Reid’s interview, he says, one of his best friends told him, when he gets on the boat, keep his head down and his mouth shut, and don’t piss anyone off. He’s good at putting his foot in his mouth. He asks Mzi, what happened with the other guy? and Mzi tells him, it wasn’t what he’d call a bad attitude, but he was beefing with everyone. In his interview, Reid says he gets nervous and cracks jokes only he thinks are funny. He has a sh*tty sense of humor. The only one who thinks he’s funny is him. Natalya bitches to Storm about provisions, and tells Tasha that they’re out of space. They can’t keep dumping sh*t here. Tasha tells her, calm down, and watch the way she’s speaking. Natalya tells Courtney that she’s going in hot, and Courtney relays the beef to Mzi. Tasha says, Natalya is a bit cranky, and Natalya says, they have five boxes of beer. Tasha says, that’s why she asked for help from the deck crew, and Natalya says, Tasha needs to learn how to delegate. Kyle is setting the table, and they don’t need that right now. Tasha tells her not to be disrespectful, and don’t shout at her. On her way upstairs, Natalya mumbles, she’s f***ing insane. Dave laughs, and says, he told Tasha that she’s a ticking time bomb.
Tasha says she’s going out for fresh air, and whines to Courtney that this is bullsh*t. Tasha tells Kyle that she won’t be spoken to like that. Natalya comes back, and says she’s right here, and she wasn’t yelling. If Tasha wants to have a chat with her, take it somewhere private; don’t bring it up with Kyle. In Tasha’s interview, she says, Natalya is trying to make her look bad at her job, and she’s not bad at her job. She’s Natalya’s boss, and Natalya is pissing her off. Natalya’s not respecting her. Natalya tells Tasha to speak to her, and not everyone else, and slams out. Kyle hugs Tasha, and tells her that they’re taking a second. Tasha says she won’t bring him into it, and he laughs, saying, ain’t nobody getting him down. The captain radios for the crew to change into their whites. She notes that the boat looks pristine, and tells them, really good job.
The guests arrive, and Captain Sandy welcomes them back. The guests meet the crew, have a champagne toast, and Tasha gives them the tour. She points out two chairs on the bow that I don’t remember seeing before, and tells the guests they can sit in them while the boat is moving. Mzi shows Reid what to do with the luggage, and Storm shows him how to watch during departure. Eric and Johnathan check out the galley, and Johnathan asks if Dave can do a whole sea bass. Eric says, the last time they were on the yacht, the chef was excellent. They’re foodies. We flash back to Chef Tom, and again, no clue. Did I lose time? In Dave’s interview, he says, the last chef was amazing; f*** off. When he’s challenged, he goes at twenty times his original pace. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Reid worked on tugboats, and his family owns a towing company. He’s a line handler; it’s all they do. So she’s fine with him on lines. They pull out, and in Courtney’s interview, she says, it’s her first time as lead deckhand. The boat wasn’t crushed, so she’s doing good. Natalya unpacks BDSM outfits and accessories, and Kyle puts on a mask. She says, he doesn’t know where it’s been, and he throws it back down. The crew changes uniforms, and Eric does a solo Titanic pose on the bow. In Tasha’s interview, she says she didn’t mean to confront Natalya face-on, but she could see it getting more heated. The guests are on vacation. They don’t need negativity training. Two of the female guests get nakey, and Storm helps them into the bow chairs. In Storm’s interview, he says, what’s going on? He’s trying to be respectful. Captain Sandy looks out, and says, holy sh*t! They’re completely nude in the chairs. Tasha says, their vaginas are out, and in her interview, she says, she’s not jealous. It’s just the weirdest thing she’s ever seen. Maybe the panties could stay on. I thought one of them was a germaphobe. Wouldn’t that freak them out?
Storm coaches Reid on dropping anchor, and tells him, good job. In Storm’s interview, he says, Reid seems keen to get things done. Jason was in limbo, and he wants to be in more communication with Reid to avoid Jason-like problems. They arrive at Dwerja Bay, and Tasha says, they need someone to go to the beach. She asks if Natalya wants to go, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, she takes everyone to the beach, while they take the opportunity to relax on the yacht with no guests around. Because you can’t please this a-hole, and it’s not like there’s no work when guests aren’t there. Eric asks Kyle if they found a nude beach, and Kyle says, it’s a nude beach now that they’ll be there. Storm says, they’re going on a hike first, and Tasha checks in with Dave about lunch. He says he’ll come up with the food, and Tasha puts a few plates on the bar inside. Eric and Johnathan can’t help themselves, and pick at the food before it gets to the table. Eric apologizes to Tasha for them being pigs, and ruining the display. They have no will power. The deckhands get chairs and supplies ready for the beach. Dave tells the guests what they’re eating, and guest Amanda pronounces it the perfect lunch. Eric tells the other guests that in the center of every fig is a dead wasp. The fig reacts to the wasp, and dissolves its decomposed body parts. He tells them, look it up, so I did. See below.
The guests get ready for the beach and their hike. Storm tells Natalya that he’s going now, but he’s coming back to put the toys out. She says she hopes everything is fine with them, and he says, it is, but keeps working. She hangs around, even though he’s working, and she annoys me even more. The beach is weirdly cratered, and Mzi says, welcome to the moon. Reid says, NASA faked the moon landing, and this is where they did it. Natalya says, they need to make this place look like a Catalina wine mixer, whatever that means. Reid asks Mzi and Natalya how it’s been on the yacht, and Natalya says, being the only legend is hard. She has a lot to deal with. Courtney brings the guests to the beach, and Eric thinks it’s a great place to do nudes. In Courtney’s interview, she says, she wants to eat, drink, and be merry on a yacht. She’ll even pose nude if that’s what it takes. Courtney drops Mzi off at the boat, and returns to the beach. Reid leads the hike to the top of an incline, and tells the guests, it’s quad day. In Natalya’s interview, she says she hates physical activity, and doesn’t like someone telling her what to do. It’s not her thing. Tell us something we don’t know. The hike doesn’t look easy.
Eric takes some nude shots on the top of a cliff, Reid assisting. In Reid’s interview, he double face palms. He says, he came from a conservative background, and it’s awkward. Eric jokes that he has a tough life. While the guests are gone, Natalya finds a spot to dip herself in the water, sans pants, and is getting out just as a guest comes down. She admits she had to go to the bathroom. This is what we here at the shore call a shore pee. On the boat, Dave asks what Tasha is going to do about Natalya, and she says, they live in the present, not the past. Kyle makes welcome back drinks, and Courtney returns with the guests. Tasha asks Natalya how it was, and Natalya whines that it was hot and there was no shade. The guests play on and with the water toys, and in Natalya’s interview, she says she knows Tasha and Kyle were talking about her. The dream team has gone downhill.
Tasha asks Dave when the dinner plans are, and he says he’s going to do the bass. In Dave’s interview, he says, it’s super difficult. He’s going to have to bend it to put it in the oven, and he wonders how he’s going to get it to look good. It’s going to almost fuse together. He shoves it in, and hopes for the best. In Kyle’s interview, he says, a BDSM party, it’s f***ing outstanding.We’re all animals who need to be tamed. Zookeeper Kyle to the rescue. The guests get dressed up, along with the interior. Natalya says, she wants a red district vibe, and hangs sheer red curtains. Tasha tells Dave to get dressed up and make that tip money, and in Dave’s interview, he says, Tasha looks so hot. The table is done in black with red accents, and the stews take pictures of it. Reid realizes he has the wrong size pants, and Natalya suggests he gain some weight. He says he just lost twenty pounds, and Storm says he’s talking to people who use the metric system. Reid asks if twenty pounds isn’t six meters, and I actually think he is kind of funny. Kyle takes pictures with Natalya and Tasha, and they ask if Captain Sandy wants to join, but she says she’s good. Kyle sees the clean freak guest sitting alone, and apologizes that they were late cleaning her cabin. He tells her the head of housekeeping wasn’t on the boat. The guest is cool with that, but Natalya tells Kyle that he’s pissed her off. There’s no head of housekeeping. They’re equally responsible, and the problem is time management. Make it better, and don’t try to blame her. He says he’s not blaming her, and she didn’t hear the full story. If she thinks she’s going to come for him, he’ll put her in her place. She will not come for him like she does everyone else. She’s 24, so act mature. He walks away, saying, he’ll switch this bitch off in two seconds. Not on his watch.
Next time, Reid inadvertently insults Courtney; Natalya is fed up with interior; and Kyle says, Natalya’s been talking trash, and tells her to stop spreading sh*t.
🦟 About Those Figs…
Eric wasn’t wrong, but it’s not as gross as it sounds. My concern is, how many wasps hang around fig trees?
Stop in tomorrow for soap, a cuppa tea, and a random musical interlude. Until then, stay safe, stay being well-read, and stay not thinking you have forever to make things right, and do it now. Don’t make Gladys’s mistake.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
When we last left, Daryl had a knife to Lance’s throat. In the meantime, Carol was trying to make a deal with Pamela, saying, if her son didn’t do what he’s accused of, someone did.
In a voiceover, Judith says, they’ve come too far; they’ve lost so much. We flash back over the last 10+ years, and she says, it’s hard to trust people when they can go at any time, but the people who go, the people who die, aren’t lost forever. She has to believe that. Remembering their voices is how we keep them alive.
In the tunnel, Mercer tells says, everyone, stand down. He comes forward past the troopers with Carol and Pamela. Daryl backs Lance up against a wall, the knife still to Lance’s throat. Pamela says, he heard Mercer; lower his weapon. It’s not just about him. She needs Lance alive. Mercer tells him, not here, not like this, and Daryl says, he’s choosing this POS? but Mercer says, if he was, Daryl would be down already. Daryl asks Carol what she’s done, and Carol says she made a deal for them. Daryl stares at Lance, making him unsure for a hot minute, then takes the knife away. But in a surprise move, Daryl stabs Lance’s hand through to the wall. Lance screams, and Daryl removes the knife, making him scream even louder. Daryl tells Pamela, don’t worry, he’ll live, and throws the bloody knife down.
Back at the Commonwealth, Carol tells Daryl, Maggie, and Gabriel that all slates will be wiped clean on both sides. They’ll be given supplies, water, and weapons; anything they need to rebuild. Then they’re free and clear. Gabriel says, they can just go home? and Maggie asks what Pamela is going to get. Carol says, Hornsby. He’s going to tell the people that he’s responsible for the people who died. He takes the fall. Annie says, they’ll have to talk to their people. It’s a lot to think about. Negan says, like how Lance killed most of their people, and Carol says, anybody else? Maggie says, the most important thing is that they’re together. She doesn’t want to go it alone anymore. She doesn’t trust them, but thinks it’s worth the risk. Daryl says, all right, and walks off.
Mercer guards Lance on a hill somewhere, Lance’s hands tied behind his back. Lance whines, but Mercer tells him, get used to it. Lance says, he thought they got along well, and Mercer asks, how many of his men has Lance gotten killed? Lance says he thought Mercer realized by now, they’re not his men. A couple of growling zombies toddle toward Lance, as Pamela watches, and Lance tells Mercer, hop to it. Mercer flips out an ax like a switchblade, and chops their heads off. Pamela tells Lance that he’s being transported to the Commonwealth where he’ll be put on trial, and he tells her, it’s just the two of them; she can drop the act. She tells him, it’s no act. He’s gone too far. He laughs, and says, it’s never been a problem before how he got the job done, but Pamela says, they’re not talking about the past; they’re talking about now. He can survive if he plays his cards right, but his life at the Commonwealth is over. Lance says, after all he’s done, his service to her, but she says, he served himself above anything or anyone else, trying hard to prove the world wrong. Lance says, she’s refusing to see that he’s made something of himself, and she says, he’s an angry, delusional little boy, trying to win a game he’s too foolish to realize he’s never actually been a player in. She starts to walk away, and Lance says, she still needs him. She stops, and he says, if something happens to him, certain alliances with stabilizing factors are likely to become a problem, but she doesn’t respond, and keeps walking. He says, whatever game she’s playing, he’s very much in it.
Pamela addresses the public, saying, Lance abused his position, and caused untold suffering, but their friends, allies, and dedicated armed forces made sure he was unable to escape. She promises justice will be served. The crowd applauds, and Stephanie tells Eugene that Lance is taking the fall. Pamela says, they’re going to be celebrating what makes the Commonwealth great – its people. They’ll rise above because they’re the Commonwealth. Eugene wonders if there’s nothing more they can do, and Stephanie says, he’ll be leaving; it’s not his problem. He says he’s still here, and she thanks him for everything he’s done. He says, if she ever considers a change of scenery, she can visit him. She’s shown him her home, now he can show her his home. She looks up to see Sebastian on a balcony, and says, maybe someday, but not yet.
Aaron tells Maggie, they’re going to make sure Oceanside is okay, and Maggie says, it’s going to take them a while to get everyone ready and get the supplies together. They’re headed for Alexandria first. Aaron says he’ll see her there, and they hug. Carol asks if Lydia is sure she wants to go with Aaron and not go home, but Lydia says, it’s just a few more weeks on the road. Elijah comes over and talks to Lydia, putting his arm around her. When he leaves, Carol says, a few more weeks? and Lydia says, sorry… She hasn’t forgotten Henry, Carol hugs her, and tells her, take happiness where she can get it, and never be sorry for it. Carol leaves, and Daryl asks Lydia if she’s okay. She says, she thinks so, and he says he never thanked her for saving Carol. Lydia says, she never thanked him for saving her, and they hug. Daryl tells her, be safe, and she says, him too. Daryl hands Judith a Rick’s gun, but she says she doesn’t want it, and hands it back. She says, her mom talked about the day she would hang up her sword for good; not because it was completely safe, but she wouldn’t need it. Things should be getting better now. Daryl says, they will be when they get home, but Judith wonders, how, when things are still broken? Shouldn’t they help the people here, like they did in Alexandria? He says, what they did in Alexandria was different, but Judith says, that’s just because he wants to run away. He tells her to stop, and Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah head out in a wagon.
Ezekiel is hauling some animals to the zoo in a wagon, and Carol says he doesn’t have to lug those anymore. He says he can’t disappoint the kids, but she says, someone else will do it. He tells her, maybe he enjoys the exercise. She says, he’s not coming. They’ve got plenty of medicine. He says, it’s not that. His place is here. They were all desperate for help, and he was desperate to make a difference. One last time. This place, these people, Carol, gave him a second chance to do more. So that’s what he’s going to do. She takes his hand, and he says he’s helping the people of another kingdom before it falls apart. He lets some kids in, and tells her, we can all do that, then follows them.
In her office, Pamela listens to a tape from President Milton, reenforcing the Commonwealth’s mission statement, and Sebastian wonders why he has to hear this. Pamela says, there are certain things he needs to do if he’s ever going to lead. Stephanie/Max gives him a speech to read, and he says, it’s a privilege to be here, honoring the founding power of their great home. He crumples it up, and says, it’s crap, but Pamela isn’t having it. She tells him that he’s jeopardized their home enough with his stupidity. The public will see he has nothing to hide, and be reminded whose grandson he is. Show her. He picks the paper back up, and uncrumples it. He says he will, and she says she knows he will. Politics wasn’t her first choice either. He was born to lead this place. Stephanie/Max jets.
In an OB/GYN exam room, Annie gets a sonogram, and the doctor tells her that her amniotic fluid is high, but she’s in the right place. They caught it in time. She leaves, and Annie tells Negan, it’s going to be fine. Staying isn’t an option. There are people looking to them, and she can’t risk them; she won’t. Negan says he keeps hearing his dad’s voice saying, your life is not your own once you have kids. He always wanted to know what that meant. Now he finally gets to. Annie says, she hears Ian and Jesse, and the people they killed. They don’t need this place. It’s us now. Negan kisses her, and smiles.
Daryl packs, putting his gun in its holster, and picking up a HUGE knife. He grabs his angel wing vest, and puts it on. He’s ready to rumble. He asks RJ where Judith is, and RJ tells Daryl, he’s not supposed to say. Daryl checks Judith’s backpack, and sees it’s empty. RJ tells him, she said she wasn’t coming, and Daryl asks, where’d she go? RJ says he doesn’t know, and Daryl leaves.
We see a commercial for the 47 Walking Dead spin-offs that are coming up.
The Founder’s Day Celebration begins, and Daryl tells Carol, about this parenting thing, what would Rick do? She says, Daryl is the one who’s here, and he says, it’s weird being a parent. She says, when Sophia was born, she had no idea what to do. She just knew she loved her. She was so tiny, and looked to her for everything. He’ll figure it out. He says, yeah, but doesn’t seem so sure.
Eugene follows Stephanie down a hallway, and says he’s not sure this is the best idea, but she says, there’s no choice. She has to do something. All the years she’s worked in this office, and she just went along with it, went along with Sebastian. He doesn’t know what it’s like to feel guilt like that. He says he’s fairly familiar with the burden of that kind of guilt, and she says she was proud of what they did. She thought they were trapped in the old world, so why shouldn’t they try something better? Thinking like that made her feel good, like they could change things. Now it’s all being erased. They have to try, no matter what, but he doesn’t have to be involved. He says he wants them to be safe. He can’t trust this man, but if she believes there’s an outside chance he can help them, Eugene will suck it up, and do his best.
They go to Lance’s cell, but Stephanie stays out of sight while Eugene does the talking. Lance says he thought Eugene would be gone, but Eugene says, not quite, and drops a bag through the cell door slot, saying, sustenance for conversation. Lance brings a candy apple out of the bag, and asks if it’s for all the times he got Eugene out of a cell. Eugene says he’s surprised Lance hasn’t gotten himself out, but Lance asks, what makes Eugene think he wants to? Eugene asks if there’s any assistance he can offer, and Lance says, weak play. If he wants something, ask for it. Stephanie listens as Eugene says, he’s looking for any damaging information on Pamela and her progeny, and Lance says, that’s a tough one. He’d love to help, but the irony is, Pamela is probably the only reason he’s alive. Some friendly advice. If they go after go after the Miltons, the Miltons will crush them. Things are just getting better for Pamela. They wanted her head, and now they’re dancing in the streets at the Founders Celebration. Eugene is better off making nice with Pamela and her sadistic sh*t of a son. He adds for Eugene to make sure he tells his girlfriend too. She’s great at hiding in plain sight, sitting next to Pamela. The last thing they want is to end up in a cell like his. They have to live with it unless they’re willing to burn the whole thing down.
Gabriel stands at the pulpit, and says, be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you. We see the pews are empty, and someone comes in. Gabriel says, He will not leave or forsake you. My last sermon. Rosita walks up the aisle with baby Coco, and says, not his last. He asks if she’s packed, and she nods. He says, the parishioners brought him food. They can enjoy Mrs. Brennan’s ambrosia on the road. She says, it’s all his, and he says he didn’t think he could come back to this, to Him, but he did. The people in the pews gave that to him. Rosita says, he gave them something too, and what he gave them will be here long after he will. He says he wishes they’d brought cotton candy instead, and they hear a sound from the back. They go into the sacristy, and Judith stands next to an open window.
A work crew goes into an enclosed lot, and a woman says, it’s the same every year. They set it up just to take it down, and don’t even see the event. A man says, as long as he hears the lottery numbers, he doesn’t care. He promises not to forget her when he wins. Shira and Calhoun, the couple who were hunting Jerry and the kids, come in, shoot everyone, and leave.
Daryl goes to the church, and finds Judith sitting on the floor. She says she wasn’t trying to worry him, and he says he knows. She says, she just… He says, wanted to be alone? He gets it. He had a spot like this when he wanted to hide and not go home. She asks where it was, and he says, he’d go to a river behind his house. He’d go there and wait until his dad went to sleep. She asks if he was alone a lot, and he says, yeah. She says she doesn’t mind being alone; sometimes she likes it better. He says, you have time to think, and she says, and figure things out. He sits next to her on the floor, and says, sorry about earlier. She says, it’s okay, and he says he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he’s trying really hard. He wishes things were like how she wants them to be. That’s the way they should be, but they aren’t. He has to keep her safe. He’ll hold onto the gun for a while, until she wants it, or not. Either way, she’s stuck with him. He asks if they’re good, and she says, they’re good. She asks if she gets to say bye to her friends, and he tells her to help him up.
Sebastian practices his speech, and says he sounds like a d-bag. Why he thinks that’s different from how he always sounds, I’m not sure. Pamela says, he’ll be great, and gives Stephanie/Max a tape recorder, for later. Pamela leaves, and Sebastian says, this is bullsh*t. She puts the recorder down on a credenza, quietly turning it on, and pours them both a drink. He mutters his speech to himself, and she gives him one of the glasses. She asks if he’s going to do it, and he says he doesn’t think he has a choice, but she says, they all do. He tells her, not according to his mom. This should be his brother; he’s the one she wanted. Sebastian is just the one who’s still here. She says, he could be more than that, and he accuses her of just being a lackey who’s getting him to do what his mother wants. She says she doesn’t just work for his mom; she’s a citizen. He shouldn’t just tell people words. They respect the truth. He says, the people don’t want honesty. They want to be told everything is going to be okay, so they can ignore what a mess this world really is. The Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want. There are no bootstraps to pull themselves up on. His mother even hand picks the lottery numbers. The people who Max thinks want honesty are just too stupid to see it. They’re pathetic. She says, it sounded like he believed that. Maybe he just chooses to be a spoiled a-hole. If everyone expects it, who’s left to disappoint? She picks up the recorder, and leaves.
Daryl, Judith, and Carol walk around the fair, and Daryl tells Judith to go have fun. She runs off to be with her friends, and Carol tells Daryl, nice work. Eugene is working a booth that sells lottery tickets, and Stephanie gives him the recorder. She tells him that she’s all right, and an announcer tells everyone to take their seats. The main event is about to begin. Everyone cheers and shouts, and Mercer precedes Pamela and Lance to the dais. Pamela waves to the crowd, and a wrestling bell dings. The announcer asks if they’re ready to witness a battle for the ages. We see a ring, and some wrestlers give the audience some WWE action. The winner (who was in the WWE IRL) starts to chant, Commonwealth, and the crowd chants with him. Pamela comes into the ring, and thanks the combatants. She says, to continue this wonderful day, her son Sebastian has prepared a few words. She gives Sebastian the mic, and he says, it’s an honor and privilege to be here to celebrate the… He lowers his notes, and says he knows a lot of them don’t think well of him, and knows he probably deserves it. It’s going to take a long road to earn their trust, and live up to his legacy. He doesn’t have the words to describe what this place means to him, but his grandfather did. So he humbly asks them to join in listening to the wise words of President Milton, the founder of the Commonwealth. The audience applauds, and Pamela nods to Eugene. So does Stephanie, and we hear Sebastian say, the Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want. There are no bootstraps to pull themselves up on. His mother even hand picks the lottery numbers. The people who Max thinks want honesty are just too stupid to see it. They’re pathetic. Sebastian launches himself toward Stephanie, who takes off. The crowd starts throwing things at Pamela and the troopers, some of them attacking the troopers. Pamela yells for everyone to remain calm, and Mercer tells the troopers, no firing weapons. Stephanie runs through the crowd, with Sebastian after her.
In his cell, Lance hears a whistle. He looks out, and Shira and Calhoun give him a hand signal. He takes a bite of the candy apple.
Mercer tells the crowd to back up, but it’s just getting worse. Bottles are being thrown, people are jostling toward them, and tons of people are running. By now the work crew has reanimated, and come onto the scene, and everyone changes course. A few are caught unaware by the zombies, and are feasted on. Sebastian grabs Stephanie, and Mercer looks out from the ring, and sees what’s going on. He radios, tango, tango, tango; all units to the square. He tells Pamela that he’s going to make sure the inside walls are secure, but she says she’s the governor; he’s supposed to protect her. He says, his job is to protect the Commonwealth, and he leaves.
Everything is chaos, and from where I’m sitting, it’s pretty exciting. Ezekiel grabs (I think) RJ. Daryl takes Judith’s hand, and they move quickly through the crowd, but get separated. Daryl is as panicked as I’ve ever seen him, as the crowd moves her along, and away from him. She gets to the side, and sees a zombie coming toward her. She freezes, and someone shoots the zombie from behind. Daryl grabs her, and says, let’s go. She tells him to give her the gun, and he does, saying, they’ll do this together, okay? They run, as Mercer walks against the crowd. He shoots a couple of zombies, and Judith shoots one. Stephanie is looking around for Eugene, when Sebastian surprises her. He says, she’s nothing, and pushes her into a zombie. The zombie grabs her, but she manages to keep it at bay, while Sebastian stands there acting like it’s a laugh riot. Too bad for him, Eugene arrives, and doesn’t find it funny, pulling the zombie away from Stephanie, and shoving it onto Sebastian. Sebastian yells for help, and no surprise, the best he gets are looks of amusement. Eugene tells Stephanie, they need to go, and the zombie finally locks on to Sebastian’s neck, ripping it open. He dies a gruesome death, and we all relish the moment. Judith shoots the zombie, and Sebastian gurgles blood as we hear, they’re just to stupid to see it. The Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want.
Way to make a point.
Next time, Pamela says, they need to make someone an example to remind the people that actions have consequences; and an elite group of zombies has learned to open doors and climb walls.
⚰️ Built On Bullsh*t…
The actor’s feels about how Jerky McJerkface met his end. He was on Talking Dead tonight as well, and is, of course, the nicest guy. The bad ones usually are.
Visit again tomorrow for some soap and yachting on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving it looking better than you found it, and stay being desperate to make a difference. We can all do that.
In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy. – Albert Clarke
Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. – Shari R. Barr
Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. – Hesiod
The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you. A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it. – Vik Muniz
The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. – Dante Alighieri
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. – Marilyn Monroe (I was going to say, that’s genius, but…)
We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, love with full sincerity, believe with true faith, and hope with all of your might. Better to have lived in truth and discovered life, than to have lived half-heartedly and died long before you ever ceased breathing. – Cristina Marrero
We rise by lifting others. – Robert G. Ingersoll
🥁 Turning the Beat Around…
It’s time again for the weekend, or the next two days if you’ve loud quit. I’ll be back when the Dead Walk, if you’d care to join me. Until then, stay safe, stay going the extra mile, and stay not having public meltdowns, especially if your last name is Hilton.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Portia meets Trina at Kelly’s, and apologizes for being late. She asks if Trina wants a milkshake, and Trina says, Portia is treating her like a child. Portia says she didn’t know milkshakes were just for children, and Trina says she’s trying to make a point. Portia doesn’t treat her like an adult. Portia says, okay, she’ll have one for herself, and signals the waitress. Trina says, make that two, and she wants whipped cream, and Portia says she’s glad Trina isn’t too grown up for whipped cream. Trina says, what she’s too grown up for is the lecture Portia is going to give her about forgiving Curtis. That’s never going to happen.
Elizabeth, Finn, Terry, and Yuri sit at a table in The Savoy, and Curtis says, it’s good to see them. He’s sure Chase will appreciate the cheering section. He hopes they enjoy a wonderful evening. He leaves, and Elizabeth says she’s glad they’re finally doing this. She and Finn were talking about getting together with them. Finn says, they were? and Elizabeth puts her hand on his leg. He says, they were. He was just saying, it’s long overdue. Terry says she’s excited to hear Chase perform. Yuri is a big fan of male singers. Yuri says, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Weird Al Yankovic… and Finn asks if that’s what brought the two of them together, a love of Slavic singers, but Terry says they have more in common than that. Yuri says, they’re both very good at kissing.
Cody comes into the back of The Savoy, and Selina says, very prompt. She hopes his card counting talents are as finely honed as his timing. He says, with all due respect, does she even need him? It looks like she has a pretty good operation here. She says, he’s not trying to back out of their agreement, is he? This could be a significant problem… for both of them.
Chase thanks Dante for coming, saying, he can use all the fans he can get. Dante says he wouldn’t miss this for the world, and Chase says, in case he makes a complete fool of himself? Temp Brook says, fat chance. Chase is ready for this. Dante’s phone dings, and he says, it’s Sam. She sends her apologies for not being able to be here, but Danny’s got a cold. Brook says, tell Sam that they hope he feels better, and they’re going to miss her, and Dante says he will. Chase asks if there are any updates on the hook attacks, but Brook says, please, no shop talk tonight. Chase says he’s free for a consult if Dante needs him, and Brook asks if he heard what she said. Curtis comes by, and asks if Chase has time to go over some details before his performance. Brook says, of course (🍷) he does, and Chase says, Curtis heard his manager. Lead the way. They leave, and Brook says, Chase misses the job. Dante says he might have a fix for that.
In her office, Jordan tells Robert, they’ve been operating under a misapprehension. Learning their perp is a woman will change the course of the investigation. Robert says, they’re hardly back to square one. Her department’s done a great job of profiling the killer. When they circulate this information, it will narrow the field. She says, it better, when there’s a knock at the door. She says, come in, and Oz says, good evening, Commissioner, DA Scorpio. She says, he looks fully recovered from his drug overdose, and Oz says, no thanks to that psychopath Esme Prince. Have they found her yet?
Esme says, Ryan looks surprised to see her, and he says he is. She says, because she’s here after visiting hours? and he says, because he thought she was dead. She says, he forgot she was her father’s daughter; impossible to get rid of, and she’ll seek revenge on anyone who tries.
Yuri asks if Finn is the same kind of doctor as Terry, but Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist. Terry says, Finn would have appreciated the conference she just attended. It made her realize GH is way ahead of the curve when it comes to new cancer protocol. It feels so good to know she can offer her patients the best care possible. Finn says, his department certainly benefits from her department’s breakthroughs, and Terry tells Yuri, there are a lot of overlaps in their specialties. Finn says, especially since his original specialty was oncology, and Terry says she had no idea. What made him switch to infectious diseases? Finn says he lost someone close to him, and Terry wonders if she can ask what happened. He says, at the time, he lacked the knowledge and resources to save their life. That kind of haunted him, and he guesses he became obsessed with the obscure and the unknowable. Elizabeth asks if there’s any part of him that regrets making the switch, but he says, no. He feels just as challenged by infectious diseases. Gesturing toward Terry, he says, they have excellent doctors leading the charge in oncology. Terry asks what everyone is drinking; the first round’s on her. Finn says, something non-alcoholic, and Yuri asks if this place has Krambambula. Elizabeth says, if Finn hadn’t experienced that loss, the whole trajectory of his life could have been different, and Terry says, everything happens for a reason. Elizabeth tells her, people say that, but the whole course of Finn’s life changed when fate intervened. Can Finn honestly say he’s happy with the life that chose him?
Ryan asks how Esme got past security, and she says she might be banned from Spring Ridge, but she’s very resourceful. He says, and before Spring Ridge? and she says she was biding her time at a Canadian hospital. Brought there by a sympathetic fisherman pulled her from a lake after she fell off a parapet at Windymere. He says, Ava paid him a visit. She said Esme missed her step. She says, one moment, she was wrestling with the object of his affection, and the next moment, Ava got to resume her life as mistress of the manor, while Esme fought to keep air in her lungs. He asks if Ava pushed her, and she says, let her put it this way, she never heard a siren or saw a searchlight; Ava left her for dead. Ryan grabs Esme’s wrist, pulls her to him, and says, and she decided to get even by butchering Ava with a hook.
Jordan says, Esme is still wanted for questioning, and Oz says, he’s sure arresting some rich girl for almost killing a bartender is top priority for her. She says, arresting Esme Prince is a top priority for the PCPD. However, as she’s sure he knows, they can’t discuss the details of an ongoing investigation with him. Robert says, when Oz’s attorney arrives, they can go over Oz’s plea deal. He signs it, gets a copy, and walks out a free man. Oz says, they’ll be dealing with him alone. It should be fairly simple. After all, you people owe me.
Tasting their milkshakes, Portia and Trina go, mmm… and Trina says, it’s her favorite. Portia says, strawberry milkshakes have always been Trina’s favorite, since she was a little girl. Trina says she’s not a little girl anymore, and Portia says, she knows that, but Trina will always be her little girl. And she’ll always protect Trina. Always. Trina says, she gets it. Portia and Taggert are her parents, but Curtis isn’t.
Curtis tells Chase that he adjusted the reverb, so it will no longer be an issue, and Chase wonders if he could have some water. Curtis asks N’neka to get some water for their star, but Chase says he’s hardly that. Curtis says he understands the nerves, but Chase will be fine. Chase says, Jordan told him that Curtis used to work in law enforcement, and Curtis says, once upon a time. Chase asks if he misses it.
Brook asks, what’s Dante’s idea? and Dante says, Jordan has some influence with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and thinks she can get Chase reinstated. Brook says, that’s such a relief. She was convinced she’d cost him his job. He says, it’s good for Chase too, and she says, of course (🍷). So in a few months, after Chase has been able to establish his singing career, he’ll be able to work out a schedule that allows him to do both. Dante says, if this works out, it’s going to happen a lot sooner than a few months. She asks, how long? and he says, a couple of weeks. She says, that’s not enough time.
Cody tells Selina, he doesn’t want any problems, and he definitely needs cash like any other guy. but he really wants to play legitimately, not cheat. She says, he’ll do as she asks, and he can secure his buy-in. Until then, he owes her. He says, in all fairness, she did take back the money he won; left him with 50 bucks, while her associate tenderized his torso. She says, what Li did to him in the alley was merely a love tap. He’ll really show Cody what he’s capable of if Cody lets her down.
Finn says he doesn’t understand what Elizabeth is asking, and Yuri says he doesn’t either. Terry tells Elizabeth, the waitstaff seems swamped. Let’s get the drinks at the bar. Elizabeth says, but… and Terry says, now. They leave, and Finn says, so besides Weird Al, what else is Yuri into? Yuri says, doctors.
Terry asks if Elizabeth is okay, and Elizabeth says she is. Why? Terry says, what was that? and Elizabeth says, what was what? Terry says, she was interrogating Finn. What’s bothering her? Elizabeth says, Reiko, and Terry says, a Japanese name meaning beautiful and wise? but Elizabeth says, she was Finn’s wife, but now she’s dead. And Elizabeth thinks her family could be responsible.
Ryan says, Esme wasn’t holed up in a hospital all this time, was she? She was getting even with her enemies at the sharp end of a hook. She says she barely knew Brando Corbin, and he thanks her for not pretending she wasn’t aware of these attacks. She asks how she could not be aware; it was all over the internet. He says he doesn’t blame her for relishing the publicity. He knows how much she hates Sonny, and she’s welcome to target anyone around him. Except for one. She says, his precious Ava? and he pulls her closer, saying, Ava is his. He determines her fate. She had no right. She says she has nothing to do with it, but he says he’s not sure he believes her. Revenge is fine, but she’s getting distracted from their original goal. She says, goals change, and he says he hates repeating himself. She pulls away, and says, so does she. She’s done talking about that hook, and so is he.
Jordan says, Oz was going to be charged with redistribution of stolen property and felony theft by extortion, and he says, extortion? She asks how Esme got the opportunity to slip something into his drink if they weren’t meeting to discuss a payoff, and Robert says, this is a generous deal. How does Oz figure they owe him? Oz says, the exculpatory evidence he laid out to the judge and jury exonerated Trina Robinson. Good thing he woke up from his medically induced coma right in time to testify.
Portia says, when she marries Curtis, he will be Trina’s de-facto parent, but Trina says, of an adult woman who can protect herself. Portia says she seems to remember Curtis doing a lot to protect Trina. He’s the one who realized she and Trina had been taken hostage by Cyrus Renault. And if he hadn’t tracked down Oz Haggerty, and brought him back for Trina’s trial, things could have gone very differently. Trina says, and she’ll always be grateful to Curtis, but just because he looked out for her in the past, doesn’t give him license to interfere with her life now. Like having Ava fire her? Portia says, Curtis knows he overstepped, but there’s something Trina needs to realize. As awful as these past few months have been for her, Portia doesn’t know if she would have made it through without Curtis.
Curtis tells Chase, sometimes he does miss law enforcement, but his situation is complicated. He took away a lot of hard lessons. Chase asks if Curtis is happy where he is now, and Curtis says, owning a nightclub seems to be meant for him. Chase says, that’s the thing. He doesn’t feel like he’s meant to be a singer. Curtis says, it’s early, give it some time, and Chase says, now Curtis sounds like Brook. Curtis says, they both agree Chase has mad talent, so why doesn’t he see where it goes? Chase says he is; mainly because he has no choice. He knows fame and fortune might appeal to most… Curtis says, but not him, and Chase says, don’t tell Brook, but if he could be a cop tomorrow, he’d drop this singing business in a second.
Brook asks Dante if Chase can really be reinstated in a few weeks. Won’t there be interviews, and lots of paperwork? He says, it doesn’t work that way. With the Commissioner involved, it can really speed up the process. Plus the CCRB takes into account letters of support. Since Brook was with Chase at both instances when he threw his fists, which got him suspended… She says, on her account, and he says, but it’s not a done deal, so don’t say anything yet. She says she won’t breathe a word.
Cody comes out, sees Maxie, and turns around, but she says, excuse me. What is he up to?
Jordan says she’s not sure what Oz is driving at. The doctors at GH brought him out of his coma. She had nothing to do with the timing. He tells her, he’s just saying, her department and the DA’s office would have some serious egg on their faces if they’d convicted an innocent person. Now that he’s had more time to think, he realizes the immunity deal they have on the table is the very least they can offer him. Robert says, make no mistake; that’s all they’re going to offer him. Oz leaves here, and puts a foot wrong, they’re going to haul him in. Come on. He’s just a lowlife fence and a two-bit hood. Oz says, he’ll also be representing himself. He graduated at the top of his class in law school. In the hospital, he was promised full immunity from criminal prosecution in exchange for his testimony. And if any document they care to show him falls short of that, he’ll sue them into oblivion. Hell, maybe Trina Robinson will want to jump on a class-action suit for false arrest and malicious prosecution.
Portia says, Trina’s father, Curtis, Marshall, they all called in favors to get evidence to get Trina exonerated. But at the end of the day, it was Curtis who held Portia when she cried. It was Curtis who tracked down Oz, and waited outside his hospital room day and night, waiting for him to wake up. And he even considered mortgaging The Savoy in case Trina was convicted and they needed money for the appeal. Trina says, Curtis was willing to do that? and Portia says, Curtis might not have raised Trina, but that man loves her.
Cody asks, what makes Maxie think he’s up to something? and she says she knows trouble when she sees it. He says she’s been hanging out with her Uncle Mac too long, and she says, speaking of Mac, has Cody given any more thought to the DNA test? He says he’s had other things on his mind, and she says, like avoiding Dante? Cody says he’s not avoiding Dante, and she says, then why not go over and say hi. He tells her, because nature calls, and leaves.
Yuri’s phone dings, and Finn asks if everything is okay. Yuri says, his friend wants to know how much to feed Svetlana, and Finn says, his cat? but Yuri says, Svetlana is a bearded collie. Finn says, no kidding? He has a bearded dragon, and Yuri says, two beards. Name? Finn says, Roxie.
Elizabeth tells Terry, when she saw the picture of Reiko, she realized it was the woman she’d sketched; that’s the woman in her recovered memory. Terry asks if she’s sure she hasn’t seen a picture of Reiko before, and transposed it into her memory, but Elizabeth says, Finn never even talks about her, and she only saw Reiko’s picture after she drew the sketch. It can’t be a coincidence that they were both at the Mariana Islands at the same time. She knows Reiko’s face because she knew her, and so did her father. Terry says, drink, then answer. Elizabeth takes a sip of her drink, and Terry says, does she think Reiko died after a fall, and her or her dad was there when it happened or caused it? Elizabeth says she doesn’t know, and Terry says, why doesn’t she ask Finn?
Ryan asks, what was in the water Esme fell into? and Esme says, when you’ve been through hell, nothing scares you. He says, not even her father? She just missed Ava. Clearly Ava doesn’t know she’s back. He assumes that extends to the Cassadine men as well. She says, he was her first stop, but Windymere hasn’t seen the last of her, and he says, but will she complete her mission? Or is the old plan beneath the new Esme? She says, adaptation is necessary for survival, and he asks if she’s pitching him a new strategy. She says she now has a powerful weapon in her arsenal, one that guarantees mass destruction of the Cassadine family, and will drive Ava into his arms. He asks if she intends to share this, and she says, thank God he’s already sitting down.
Maxie says, it’s so exciting, and Dante says, Chase is pretty nervous. Maxie says, which is totally normal; he’s going to be fine. He’s going to be great. Brook says, he’s going to be better than great. He’s going to be legendary. Dante says he’s going to get a beer, and asks if they’d like something. Maxie says, surprise her, and Brook asks for a double vodka on the rocks. He leaves, and Maxie asks if Brook doesn’t want to make it a ginger ale. She looks like she might lose her dinner. Brook says, for good reason. Dante just told her there might be a path back to the PCPD for Chase. Maxie says, that’s fabulous… right? but Brook says, no, it’s the worst.
Curtis says he’s sure Brook knows how passionate Chase is about being a cop, and Chase says, she does. What she doesn’t know is, he’s doing this whole singing thing for her. She worked like crazy to promote him, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. Curtis says he’s sure Brook doesn’t want to disappoint Chase either. Chase didn’t ask, but a word of advice. Don’t hold back in a relationship. It is the beginning of the end. Portia walks in, and Curtis raises his glass to her.
Oz looks at the paperwork, and Robert says, does it meet with your satisfaction, counselor? Oz says, no need to be nasty. It’s all in order. Jordan shows him where to sign. Oz signs, and says, always happy to right a civil wrong. You’re welcome. Jordan says, Oz is shrewd and sharp, and Robert says, too bad he uses his intellect to break the law. Jordan says, in a perfect world, this would serve as Oz’s wake-up call, but something tells her that he’s going to continue to ignore his potential in the wake of a little profit. Oz says, he’s the victim here, remember? Esme Prince tried to kill him. In a perfect world, she’d be out there trying to catch the maniac with the hook, instead of harassing the little guy. He grabs his copy of the papers, and leaves. Robert says, what a waste
Esme asks what Ryan thinks, and he says, it’s genius. She says, even though it wasn’t part of their original plan? He says, plans evolve. His wide traveled and worldly wise daughter taught him that. They laugh.
Elizabeth asks Terry, why burden Finn with speculation? It’s enough that losing Reiko derailed his life. Terry tells Elizabeth, she’d hardly say Finn is off-track; he saves lives every day. Elizabeth says, except for the one he couldn’t. That’s probably why he’s so determined to save her. Terry says, he loves her though, and Elizabeth says, does he?He tends to equate loving someone with rescuing them. Terry says, all doctors have a savior complex, herself included, but Elizabeth says, she’s not his patient. She’s supposed to be his partner. Terry asks if he’s been like this in past relationships, and Elizabeth says, her sister Hayden was dying from the same disease that killed his wife, so Finn moved heaven and earth to save her. His engagement to Anna fell apart because she didn’t need to be saved. Neither does she. She can’t have her personal problems cast in the shadow of the woman Finn couldn’t save. A woman, who if she were still alive, he’d probably be with today. She needs to know what happened to Reiko. Finn deserves the truth. Terry says, and she’ll tell him if she finds out? and Elizabeth nods. Terry says, then she’s here to help, and they clink glasses. Here’s the part I don’t get. Reiko died of an infectious disease, so why is Elizabeth worried about her being killed from that fall? Wasn’t Finn there? Or wouldn’t he have been able to tell what she died from even if he wasn’t? Are they changing the past here?
Finn tells Yuri, his daughter Violet has full conversations with Roxie, and she’s sure Roxie understands everything she’s saying. Yuri says, Svetlana understands every single word he says, both in Belarusian and in English. (Not unusual; there are a lot of bilingual dogs.) Wearing silver pants and a black shirt, Chase comes over, and says, sorry to interrupt. Finn says he’s not. Great pants. He was wondering what happened to his shower curtain. He asks if Chase remembers Yuri, and Chase says, of course (🍷), and says hello in Belarusian. Yuri is impressed, and says he thinks the two brothers deserve some privacy. He leaves, and Chase sits down. Finn asks if he’s nervous, and Chase says, he has to ask? He knows dad is watching Violet, and asked Finn to record it on his phone, but please don’t. Finn says, okay, but Chase isn’t really nervous, is he? He’s the most prepared person Finn knows. Chase says he’s all nerves, and Finn says, understandable, but a little ironic if you think about it. Chase used to make his living going into the line of fire, and now singing for a bunch of hipsters is making him break out in a cold sweat. Chase says, Finn’s not helping. He doesn’t know if this is for him, and Finn says, the things we do for love, bro, and looks at Elizabeth.
Curtis greets Portia and Trina, and says he’s glad they could make it. It should be a wonderful evening. Trina says she’s sure it will be, but that’s not why she’s here. Portia steps back, and Curtis says he knows things between them have been tense since he spoke to Ava about Trina’s job at the gallery. He’d like to explain. Trina says, her mom helped her figure out a few things, and she understands why he did what he did. And she can appreciate his instincts. He says, she’s very important to her mother, and even if he didn’t know her, that would make her important to him, but he does know her, and cares a lot about her. It’s hard to apologize for that. She says she won’t ask him to, but she will ask him to never go behind her back again. He nods in agreement.
Esme tells Ryan, if she’s going to put their plan in motion, she’s going to need some essentials, like food and a roof over her head. He asks if she has access to her trust fund, and she says, she could, but she’s wanted for questioning by the PCPD, and she can’t risk the money being traced. Can he help her? He says he did manage to squirrel away some money when he was pretending to be his brother, but without Doc’s credentials, he can’t get to it. She says, that’s okay; she’ll figure something out. He says, she’s managed to get this far under the radar; it’s impressive. She says, believe her. Nobody ever sees her coming. He says he only has one ask, but she says, don’t bother. Ava will pay for what she did to her. But she has other scores to settle first, so for now his beloved is safe from her. He says, but is Esme safe from Ava?
Terry brings drinks to the table, and Yuri says, no drink for him? She says, he has to explain Krambambula to the bartender, and she leaves with him. Finn wonders why he’s getting the distinct impression that Terry is giving them some space, and Elizabeth says, because she asked Terry to. She wanted to apologize for interrogating Finn earlier, but Finn says, she doesn’t have to; she can ask him anything. Why the questions about his change of specialty? She says, he’s mentioned it was because of a loss, but he never elaborated. He says, it’s not really a secret. He had a really good friend once, a good doctor; they served together in Doctors Without Borders (🍷 this is becoming like the river in Pennsylvania). His name was Garrett. One day in the field, he got bit by a snake. Finn tried to save him, but he couldn’t. She says, oh. She kind of assumed… He says, that he was talking about Reiko. He understands she asked his dad about Reiko, and he thinks he knows why. Okay, they’re changing the past.
Esme asks if Ryan is worried about her, and he says, when Ava insinuated she’d been in an accident, he was worried he’d lost her forever. She says, how inconvenient. He would have needed a new foot soldier. He says, she means do much more to him than that, and she says, does she? He says, she’s his legacy; she’s the best of her mother and him. And there’s no limit to what they can achieve, especially with this new development. She says, now they’re closer than ever to getting what they want, but there is one obstacle that needs her immediate attention. He asks what she’s waiting for, she kisses him on the cheek, and he says, welcome back.
Robert says, Jordan had the same strange look on her face when Haggerty mentioned waking up to testify. Is there a story? She says, petty criminals like Haggerty frustrate her; they’re always getting away with their crimes. He says, get used to it. There are plenty of Haggertys out there. She thanks him, and says, that was comforting.
Trina tells Curtis, this is her life, and she’s going to try to direct it as best she can. And while she respects that Curtis marrying her mom makes him her stepdad… He says, she doesn’t need another one, and she asks, what does he say? Does he want to be friends again? He says he’d like that a lot, and they hug.
Maxie tells Brook, Chase seems like he’s more comfortable chasing down bad guys than being a rock star. Isn’t she happy for him that he might get his old job back? Brook says, she wants what Chase wants for him, but it sounds like it will happen quickly. What happens to all the plans they made? Chase comes out in a jacket matching his pants, and says he’s ready. Maxie tells Brook, go. They’ll talk later.
Cody sit at the bar and knocks back a tequila shot. He says, another please. He has a tab running. Maxie asks if he’s okay, and he says, one more of these and he will be. She asks if she can suggest something, and he says, can he stop her? She says, if the way he’s living requires liquid courage, he’s going about it wrong.
Brook says, ready? and Chase says, almost. He needs something from her. She says, anything, and he says, kiss me. She says, unusual encouragement from the manager, but whatever works, and she kisses him.
Yuri sips his drink, and Terry says, well? He says, perfection, and kisses her hand. He says, dziakuj, and she says, you’re welcome. At the table, Elizabeth says, they can talk later, but Finn says, no, it’s good. He shut down after Reiko died; he closed himself off to other people. Elizabeth has unlocked parts of himself he thought were gone forever. He just wants her to know there’s no part of him that he woudn’t share with her.
Curtis thanks everyone for coming out tonight, and asks if they’re ready for tonight’s performer. Brook says, go get ‘em, tiger, and Chase goes to the stage. Curtis says, for the first time on this stage – he knows they’re going to love him as much as he does – help him welcome to The Savoy, Harrison Chase. Chase asks how everyone is doing, and they all yell and cheer. He sings Brook’s song Falling Into Place, and the crowd loves it. Maxie tells Cody, see? Chase chose a new path. He can too. Selina nods, and Cody he goes with her to the back. There’s lots of applause, whistling, and cheering, and Chase does a reprise. Brook gives him a thumbs up, and Dante says he has to hand it to her; she knows how to spot talent. Chase is almost as good a singer as he is a cop. He’ll reach out to her about that statement. He looks forward to getting his partner back.
Robert says, Jordan is a good Commissioner, but remember something; she worked hard and she earned it. She says he used to do almost anything to achieve a result. Then she overcorrected by refusing to bend the rules. Neither strategy has served her well. He says, trying to figure out what line not to cross is tough in their business, and she asks how he manages. He says he straddles the line, but just enough to administer justice to the good people of Port Charles, and he sleeps well at night. She says, and when he slips? When he’s party to something that may be for the greater good, but is an ethical grey area? He says, remember they’re only human. The real criminals are out there, running around committing violent crime without mercy. They bring them in, whatever it takes.
On the phone at the docks, Oz says he’s in the clear. Is he good to go back to work at the Highsider?… Good, but not full-time; he decided to study for the bar. Guess who has a future as a lawyer?…That’s right. Bye. He hears something, and says, hello? He goes back to looking through his paperwork, and in no surprise to anyone, he turns, and the hook comes down.
Next week, Dante tells Sam, he’s more determined than ever to find out who did this; Victor asks what else Ava has on Nikolas; Brando’s funeral happens; and Esme tells herself, who says you can’t go home again?
Southern Charm – The Reunion, Part 1
Ugh. I forgot it was the Reunion. Venita starts off by saying she’s wearing a little bit of Barbiecore, and I’m already irritated. When did pink turn into that? <sigh> Okay, 3… 2… 1…
Andy welcomes us per usual, to break down another wild season. He tells Craig that he doesn’t have the authority to throw anyone out, and asks how Naomie feels to be back. She says, it feels good to be here, although I can’t imagine why. We find out that Little Craig broke up with Peaches, and he’s after Venita’s dog. Andy says, there’s been talk that revelations from last season’s Reunion may have contributed Bennifer’s marriage, and we flash back to the brouhaha about Madison’s texts, but she says, no comment. Andy says, it seems the hardest part of running with this crew this season was running into exes. Madison and Olivia were both with Austen, and Kathryn shares commonalities with Naomie and Taylor. Is there anyone he doesn’t know about? Madison suggests Thomas and Olivia had a hook-up, but Olivia says, Thomas is a family friend. Did Madison just pull that out of her fake ass? My jury says, probably. Andy says, a Twitter poll asked, which Southern Charm male would make the worst husband, and Madison says, sorry, Shep, but Shep says he’s here for it. Andy says, Shep got 53%, and Austen came in a close second. Andy asks Craig if it’s easier dating someone who lives outside Charleston, and Craig says, it’s been his most successful relationship. Although you can find temptation anywhere. Taylor says, Shep can fly somewhere to find it, like Texas, and Shep says, he’s single; it was no capital offense. Taylor says, allegedly, Shep has slept with over 300 women. They broke up because he said he wasn’t capable of being in a committed relationship or wanted one, and he said he wanted to figure out himself out. He partied and hooked up all over the place, and now he’s wrapped her into a slew of whores he’d f***ed. Now she’s just a number. He says he’s sorry she feels that way, and she says, two and a half years. She’s just the whore who lasted the longest. Andy asks if Taylor was Shep’s longest relationship, and Shep says, yes, but Taylor says, the whole time, he was searching for other women. He’s single, 43, and using women to masturbate then tossing them to the side. He’s hurting women and hurting himself. Does he want to get to a million? She asks if he even knows anything about her, like her favorite color, movie, or animal. Anything. He says, green and her dog, but the figurative buzzer sounds, and Taylor says, wrong. He says, she told everyone he wasn’t capable of being trustworthy, but didn’t he make an effort? Did he do nothing for her or with her? She tells him to ask himself, and he says he already did, Craig asks Taylor if she believed Shep could be better, and she says she knows he can. She’s seen a better side of him that’s pure, raw, real, and capable. Andy asks Taylor what Shep’s favorite color is, and she says, purple. Shep says, oh, because he’s wearing it, and she says, no, because he told her. Andy asks what she thinks Shep’s favorite book is – I guess we’re assuming he reads – and she says, probably his own. Apparently, we’re off to the races quickly.
Andy says, Kathryn had a birthday blowout for her big 3-0, and realizes he’s known her for her entire adult life. She says she started when she was 21, and she’s 31 now. He asks how the kids are, and she says, amazing. They’re now 7 and 8. Kensie opened a lemonade stand, and made $42, and Saint read his first book. Shep says he saw Thomas, and he’s the same old. You have to smile because he’s larger than life. Andy says, Chleb left Charleston after the break-up, and Kathryn says, he lives in Miami, but they’re not in touch. We flash back to Chleb talking to Venita at Kathryn’s birthday party, and Andy asks if Venita had any idea Kathryn was upset. Venita says, not until she watched it, and Kathryn says, Venita was acting like she suddenly wanted to solve the problem came out of nowhere. It was fake. I think Venita’s problem is she doesn’t read the room well, and wants to fix things her way and now. Andy says, Venita’s not the only person who felt Kathryn’s wrath that night, and we flash back to Kathryn calling Naomie a petty little bitch. A viewer says, instead of extending an olive branch, Kathryn whacked Naomie with it. Kathryn says she overheard someone tell Naomie to talk to her, and Naomie saying, fine. Let’s get it over with. Naomie says, Kathryn was stomping around. She knows Kathryn’s face when she’s mad. Kathryn says she came out of the bathroom straight to the table to talk, and calls bullsh*t. Andy asks if Naomie wouldn’t have been pissed if she overheard what Kathryn did, and Naomie says, she would, but she’s not sure she would react like that. Kathryn says, Naomie claimed she tried to ruin a good person’s family, when she and Cameron said sh*tty things about her for years that were used against her in custody battles. Naomie has always been a condescending mean girl with her, and made her feel less than. Naomie says, that’s Kathryn’s own trigger, and Leva tries to butt in, but Kathryn tells Leva to stop shutting her down. She’s voicing how she feels. Andy asks Leva if Chleb was right, that Kathryn is the problem in the friend group, and Leva says, she thought they were good, and Kathryn flipped the switch. She was super rude on Watch What Happens Live; that’s when they were done. We see a clip of Kathryn saying, Leva is trying to be relevant, and Andy says, a hot button issue was Kathryn’s jelly meatballs; a viewer said, it looked like the worst dinner ever, with Chleb choking down those dry-ass meatballs. Andy asks where she got the recipe from, and she says her mom makes them on Christmas. They’re made with chili sauce, grape jelly, and ketchup. He asks if she made them for Thomas, and she says, no; she made Thomas salmon with mayonnaise. We flash back to that, and Andy says, maybe she should stop cooking for her men. Andy reads a tweet that says, Kathryn’s relationship with Chleb looked staged, and they suggest it was to clean up her image. He asks how genuine their relationship was, and Kathryn says she definitely thought she was in love. Andy asks for a show of hands from whoever believed their relationship was genuine, and it’s everyone. He asks if she’s dating anyone, and she says she’s talking to someone not in Charleston. He asks if she’s on Raya, but she says, no. She applied three or four years ago, and thinks she’s still on the waitlist. Andy says, maybe Shep can recommend her, and Taylor makes a face. Oh Andy. Why?
Andy says, after Austen’s dramatic break-up with Madison, Austen claimed he was moving on, but the past moved with him. They discuss Austen’s ass, which is apparently prime, and Austen and Shep show off their (thankfully clothed) booties. Then Andy moves on to Austen and Shep having compared d*cks. Austen says, Madison and Taylor were there, and Venita wonders how all that happened. Craig says, they get mad at him when he won’t show his, and Austen says, it’s weird that he’s known Craig so long and hasn’t seen it. Craig asks Andy to help them explore their love, and Andy says he’d love to facilitate that. Austen says, it’s a normal thing for friends, but Andy says he hasn’t seen Anderson Cooper’s d*ck. He says, Austen claimed he was no Christian Grey in the bedroom, and we flash back to Austen telling Kathryn that he’s not kinky. A viewer says, no surprise Austen is boring in bed, but Madison says, something kept her around for three years. Andy asks about Austen’s parents, and Austen says, they’ve settled into their new home. A viewer says, it was the sweetest thing seeing Austen packing his late sister’s belongings, and we flash back to that. Andy asks how difficult that was to relive, and Austen says, when they were doing it, it was emotional with his parents; it broke him down, but it was beautiful because of where their family has come. Everyone starts to get teary, and Austen figures out she’s been gone for 28 years. He says, there were 26 years of memories in the house to pull out. His mom was going down Memory Lane full-on, and one of the last boxes they packed was his sister’s stuff. Everyone is openly crying now, and we see a clip of Austen and his mother looking at his sister’s teddy bear. Shep says, it’s the saddest thing in the world, and Taylor leaves the stage. Austen says he wishes Katie had been there. She was the one who saved the family. He was an only child, and the family became whole. It was broken until she was born. Everyone loves her, and she’s funny as hell. We see a clip of them together, and Andy wonders why Taylor was so broken up. Shep says, her sister is sick. She also loves Austen a whole lot. Austen says, she’s an empath with him, and Andy decides to take a break.
Taylor comes back, and Andy asks why she left. She says, her sister is going through cancer, and she can’t imagine losing a sister. It’s hard, and she respects Austen for being able to talk about it. He puts his arm around her. Andy says, friendships have been the bedrock of this group, but Austen and Shep were estranged from Craig at the beginning. Austen says, they hadn’t sat down and talked about it, and Taylor says she thinks Craig pulled away from everyone. We flash back to Craig saying, hanging out with them isn’t healthy for him, and Andy asks if Craig was a little full of himself. Leva says, Craig told her that she doesn’t want to go to war with him because he’s the most popular person on Bravo. Andy switches topics, and says, their newest cast member is blond, beautiful, and bold; Austen has a type. He asks Olivia what the best thing about the season was for her, and she says, the friendships. Her drinking tolerance also went up. He asks, what was the worst part? and she says, exes. Madison shrugs, and a viewer says, Austen’s new girl is a Madison clone, and Olivia says she’ll take that as a compliment. She’s just mean as hell. Andy says, Madison called Olivia trust fund trash, and homely, and Olivia adds, homeless. Madison says, Olivia lives at her parent’s house, and Olivia says she was taken aback. She didn’t think they knew each other well enough to have beef. Then Madison went on a shade tour. Madison says she’s sorry, but Olivia says she doesn’t need an apology; she’s just curious. Andy tells Austen, he said Olivia was wifey material, then wanted to take it slow. Clearly, seeing Olivia with a date made him regret his decision. Austen says he knew the risks to tell someone to date other people. Then when they do, you have to eat it. Olivia says she didn’t go home with her date, but Austen went home with his ex, Sierra. Austen says, it wasn’t his intention, but Andy says, Austen knew it was a crappy move to spend the night with Sierra. Craig says, it wasn’t out of revenge, and Olivia says, Austen told her that if she hadn’t brought a date, he wouldn’t have done it. Craig says, Austen wouldn’t have gone home with Sierra if he hadn’t seen Olivia with a date, but he didn’t sleep with her out of revenge. I kind of get what he’s saying, but Andy says he thinks Craig is rationalizing, and I agree. Taylor says, Austen should have swept Olivia off her feet, and told Jack or Zack or whatever his name was, get away from my women. Madison asks if Austen and Olivia are in a relationship or not, and Olivia says, no. Austen says it would break his heart to lose Olivia’s friendship. Call him a coward, but it terrifies him to commit. Olivia says, after filming, they had fun, and there was no pressure. It’s okay to have fun in the grey area, but after a while, it chips away at your confidence. After so many months, you wonder why you’re still here. She was ready for a relationship, but Austen couldn’t figure it out. Andy asks if Madison thinks Olivia and Austen will get back together, and Madison says, after Austen’s redemption tour, no. All of his exes say he’s a lap dog, and Olivia is here calling him a Range Rover. Oliva says, that’s because she doesn’t want to break people down like Madison does, and Madison says, talk to her when she’s three years in. Craig says, after only one round of questioning, everyone is ready for a drink.
Andy tells Madison that they got a lot of messages about Brett, and asks if the proposal was everything she’d dreamed of. She says, it was shocking. He asked for Hudson’s permission, and Hudson said, as long as he was a part of it. Andy says, it must have been a factor in why she said yes, and asks if they’re talking babies. Madison says, in the future for sure. Andy asks if Kathryn could date a Mormon, and Kathryn says she loves how Salt Lake City looks. Madison says, it’s just a joke about him saving himself; they’re very active. He was raised Mormon, but he’s not practicing. Andy says, viewers think Madison and Austen were still hooking up close to the engagement, and that’s why they weren’t talking, but they both say, false. Leva says she thinks Madison gets a kick out of bugging Austen, and Austen gets bugged. Madison says she thought they were friends until she got engaged, and he iced her out. Austen says, if they were friends, he wouldn’t have been blindsided, and Madison says, it’s not like they were talking daily. Naomie says, it wouldn’t be appropriate if the first person Madison texted was her ex, and Austen says, it was also dig after dig. We flash back to Madison livestreaming about her engagement, and saying Hudson’s father is the only ex who means anything to her. Madison insists it wasn’t a dig, and Andy says, Madison showed off her rock at her and Venita’s joint birthday party. He asks Venita if she thinks Madison invited Olivia and Kathryn to sabotage her, and Venita says, no, but she would have preferred Madison to give her a heads up. Austen asks if Madison and Venita are friends, and Madison says, no. Venita says, it’s not of her choosing, and we flash back to Venita saying that Madison snatched the phone out of her hand, and saw that Leva had texted: Madison is so dumb. Madison and Venita have a mini argument over whether Madison grabbed the phone or Venita showed it to her, and Madison says, f*** Venita and Leva. Venita threw her under the bus on girls night. She failed to tell Venita that Venita never wants to be on her bad side. She says, Venita acted like a brat at their birthday party, and Venita says she’s allowed to be on her birthday, which is pretty childish, Madison says, she threw the party, and Venita never said thanks or helped clean up. Venita says she sent people, but Madison says, the people were her.
Andy says they took a break because Olivia was upset, and we see a clip of Olivia in the dressing room, saying she doesn’t know why she’s upset. A producer asks if she feels Austen should have had her back more, and she says, yeah. I say, leading the witness. Olivia comes back, and says, it’s very confusing. She doesn’t like having to explain that she and Austen are just friends. Madison seems to hate him, but they’re cracking each other up. It’s a lot weird; like a different universe. Taylor thinks there’s a lot of love there, but Austen was wishy-washy, and Olivia says, things with Austen were complicated, and she was mentally f***ed. She imagined they’d get there, and then he agreed to just be friends. Venita explains that Olivia didn’t want him to immediately agree, and to fight for her. Taylor says, every girl wants a man to fight for them, and Andy says, Austen seems to have a pattern; it’s reminiscent of Sierra. Austen says he knew he’d dragged his feet too long, and Andy says, Olivia rejected him in that moment, so he folded. Olivia says she was patient while Austen figured out what he wanted, but when she needed him to be patient, he was like, that’s that. Naomie says, Olivia put in the time, and Austen wasted that time talking about Madison. Olivia says she sees them laughing at each other’s jokes, and Madison says, they put in three years; Olivia’s been there five minutes. Olivia asks if Madison wants him, and Madison says, no. Olivia says, then stop talking about it. Madison tells Austen that he can do nothing right at this point; they’re ganging up on him. Olivia says, they’re just talking about it, and Madison says, let it go. Craig says, it’s a tough thing to say, but if it was meant to be, they wouldn’t have waited so long. Andy says, Austen hurts people because he’s a p*ssy, and Shep agrees with Craig. Olivia has always been more of a homebody, and he thought it would end up being a sticking point. Taylor says, actually, that’s a good quality at 30, and Shep says, he’s just saying Austen is more of a social animal. Andy says he thinks they’ve figured out why Olivia was in tears, and they’ll leave it here.
Next time, Craig rips his pants; Andy asks how many times Naomie has snuck out of Patricia’s house; Craig says, Leva made his party about herself; Leva says, Craig went from 0 to 100; and Andy asks why Taylor cares if it’s over, and she says, because she loves Shep.
🛌🏽 Falling Into Bed…
Don’t forget, no soap tomorrow, baseball, but I’ll pour a cup of tea for you, with some quotes and music on the side. Until then, stay safe, stay curious, and stay not holding back in a relationship. It is the beginning of the end.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly says, this cemetery has been here for 100 years, and the idea of uprooting this kind of history is a violation . And the only reason the Beautification Guild is targeting this cemetery is that the citizens who have family members buried here, are primarily working class. None of those families have the kind of financial resources to fight this injustice. Reporter Tara says, unlike her, accompanied by her friend, who happens to be the CEO of Aurora Media, and Drew says, if she’s asking if Carly has his support, that’s a yes, without a doubt. Tara says, but this issue was up for debate 10 months ago. Where were they to make their arguments then, and tell them why should the residents should listen to them now?
Willow is looking at her own lab tests when TJ asks if everything is okay. She says, everything’s good… No, actually things aren’t so good. She was looking at her latest bloodwork, and the numbers keep moving in the wrong direction. He says he’s sorry, but not surprised. What is she going to do about it?
Ava tells Ryan, Windymere isn’t always a safe place. In fact, it can be downright treacherous if you don’t watch your step, and Esme… she failed to watch hers. She seriously doubts anyone will ever lay eyes on Esme Prince again. He clenches his fist, and she leans forward, saying, for somebody who can only communicate by blinking, he certainly has a lot of rage in his face right now. Or is that just her imagination? No. He doesn’t seem seriously upset about this Esme news, but one can never be too careful. She gets up, goes to the door, and says, she’ll speak to his brother about another neuro-exam for him, just to be sure there’s no chance. She leaves, and he says, Ava, my love, what have you done to my daughter?
Esme skulks around Kelly’s in her hooded cloak, but disappears when she sees Trina coming. Trina sits down outside, and calls Ava. She says she just got a table outside of Kelly’s. She’ll order Ava a coffee. See her soon. Esme watches.
Nina sees Curtis at the hospital, and they hug. She tells him, she was just headed to the 10th floor to fill out paperwork confirming the MetroCourt will be the location for next year’s Nurses Ball. He says he just left there, stealing away precious time with his lovely fiancé, and she says, the MetroCourt is also a fantastic place for weddings, in case he and Portia haven’t locked down a location yet. He says, running the MetroCourt clearly agrees with her, and she thanks him. She says she’s getting a handle on it… she thinks. Despite the constant pushback from Carly and her army of supporters.
Sonny walks into Pozzulo’s, and Michael says, hey dad, look who we found in your freezer, which is just as funny the second time. Carver says, these three were threatening to call the cops, and Josslyn says, Dante would want to be a part of this. She’s calling him. Michael tells her, hold on. Sonny might deserve it, but he doesn’t want to put Dante in the position of arresting his own father. Josslyn says, Dante would do it in a heartbeat if he knew Sonny hired this freak to torture Dex with knives.
Carly tells Tara that she didn’t pay for her mother’s cemetery plot, or pay the maintenance fee. That was all done by her best friend Jason Morgan, who’s no longer with us. Drew says, Jason was his brother, and in the process of settling his estate, the notice the city sent notifying him of moving Virginia Benson’s grave wasn’t forwarded to her daughter. Tara says, that makes sense. Had Carly been paying regular visits to her mother’s gravesite, she probably would have found out about the Guild’s plans. I’m not a huge Carly fan, but I’m less of a fan of eminent domain, and it’s stupid to expect someone to come from upstate New York to Florida regularly to visit a grave. Carly says, just because she’s late to the battle doesn’t mean her cause is any less valid. The only reason the city wants to move this cemetery is because it wants to protect other areas from commercial development. It’s the same old sad story of the haves protecting what’s theirs at the expense of the have-nots. Tara thanks them for their time, and says, they have enough, telling the cameraman, it’s a wrap. She thanks them both for bringing this to her attention; it’s going to make for a very compelling segment. Carly asks if she knows when it’s going to air, because the sooner it does, the more pressure the city is going to face. Tara says, it will air on tonight’s newscast, but she feels she needs to warn them, there are many influential people who are invested in this project, and aren’t about to take the objection lightly.
Josslyn says she doesn’t know where Sonny found this sicko, but there’s a bag of knives in the freezer. This so-called chef was going to use them to torture Dex. Michael says, so that’s how Sonny’s claiming to protect their family? Sonny already lost him and Josslyn; what about the rest of his family? He’s sure Donna and Avery are too young to understand torture, but what does Sonny think Dante and Kristina are going to think? Does he think they’d thank him? Sonny says, Josslyn and Dex were on their way out. Michael should go too. By the way, Diane woke up, and she identified her attacker as a woman. Josslyn still thinks they should call Dante and let him know what Sonny did to Dex, but Dex says he already told her that he didn’t want to get the cops involved. So can they just get out of here please? He’s not feeling so hot. Josslyn says, she’s sorry. His boss was going to torture him, perhaps even have him killed, and Dex is sticking beside him. She grabs her jacket, and leaves, Dex following, and then Michael. Sonny glares at Carver, and says, what’s with the knives?
Nina tells Curtis, she’s not naïve. She knew by keeping Carly’s half of the hotel, Carly was going to be against her, and there was going to be resistance from the staff. He asks, so what wasn’t she ready for? and she says, Sonny’s children, specifically Josslyn. Nina knows she’s Sonny’s stepdaughter, but she sets the emotional toll for Avery and Donna, and she’s made it very clear she can’t stand Nina. He says he gets that. He knows what it’s like to fight against a determined young woman who’s convinced you’re in the wrong. She asks, what’s going on with him? She thought things were great between him and Trina. He says, they were… until he tried to help.
Still on the phone, with Esme lurking in the background, Trina leaves a message for Josslyn. She says, just checking in. Did Josslyn find Dex? She’s at Kelly’s. Hit her back. She gets up, and Esme ducks back. Ava joins Trina, and they hug. Trina says she got Ava a coffee, and Ava thanks her, saying, she’s sorry she’s late. She was at Spring Ridge, and lost track of time. Trina asks what she was doing there, and she says she went to see Ryan Chamberlain. Trina asks why Ava would put herself through that when she just got out of the hospital, and Ava says, there was a time not that long ago when Ryan was stalking her, and he used a hook to kill somebody, just like one was used to attack her. So she wanted to see for herself that he was still immobile, and not faking it. She needed to be sure Ryan wasn’t her attacker all along. Trina says, and? What did Ava find? Esme continues to listen.
Willow tells TJ, it’s only a few more weeks until she’s in her 2nd trimester, and then the baby will be developed enough to safely begin her treatment for leukemia. He says, right, and in the meantime, she’s putting a huge strain on herself, acting like nothing is wrong. Her schedule would exhaust anyone, let alone a pregnant woman with leukemia. She says, thank you for your opinion, Dr. Ashford, but he says, that’s just it. He’s not speaking to her as her doctor; he’s speaking to her as her friend. And to be perfectly honest with her, the choices his friend is making are scaring the hell out of him.
Ava tells Trina, Ryan was in his wheelchair, unable to move, except to blink yes or no. His condition is unchanged. Trina says she gets why Ava wanted to check, but now that she has, can she please take it easy? Ava nearly died, and Trina doesn’t know what she’d do without her. Ava tells her, the doctors say she’s healing well; she has no intention of relapsing. Her phone rings, and she steps away. Josslyn shows up, and Trina asks if she found Dex. Josslyn says she found him all right, and Trina asks what that means. Ava comes back, and says, Diane Miller told the cops that her a attacker was a woman. Esme listens more intently, and Josslyn tells them, Sonny said the same thing. Lucky for Dex that Diane knew her attacker was a woman, because Sonny blamed Dex, and they all know what happens when Sonny thinks someone is guilty. Ava says, Dex helped save her life, and Josslyn says, not that it mattered to Sonny. Ava thanks Trina for the coffee, and says she has to run. She has to take care of something, and it looks like the two of them could use some time alone. She leaves, and Trina asks why Josslyn looks upset. What happened? Josslyn says, Sonny is even worse than she thought.
Curtis says, after Ava’s attack, he thought it wasn’t safe for Trina to work at the gallery alone, especially after her classes at PCU. So he suggested Trina work at The Chuck. It’s a great facility with a strong security unit. Ava agreed, and she made the arrangements. Silly him thought because the Chuck was so prestigious, Trina would be thrilled. Instead, it all blew up in his face. She says she thinks Trina is lucky to have such a supportive, loving future stepfather who’s willing to step in and save her from herself, and he says, there’s no chance Nina is a little bit biased? Nina says, no, and they laugh.
Sonny says, Carver never talked about using knives on Dex, but Carver says, when Sonny hired him, Sonny knew he was an experienced professional. (Please. After his total fail?) He uses knives because he’s found they make people talk faster than any other method, and Sonny wanted a confession. Sonny says he wanted the truth. He didn’t want a made-up confession from Dex because he wanted to get Carver to stop cutting him. The third victim, Diane Miller, told the police it was a woman who attacked her; that makes Dex innocent. Carver says, lucky for Dex, but Sonny says, lucky for Carver. He was going to cut Dex in Sonny’s name without his knowledge. Sonny has a problem with that, and he doesn’t like problems.
Michael knocks on Dex’s door, and Dex asks what he’s doing here. Michael asks to come in, and Dex says, he’s the boss. He’s surprised Michael would show up in person. That’s not the best way to hide he’s working for Michael. Michael says, that’s over. Dex doesn’t work for him anymore.
Willow tells TJ, all she wants is to give this baby the best chance to be born 100% healthy. The whole reason she’s keeping the truth from Michael is because she doesn’t have the strength to fight with him about it. She knows he’d insist on her getting treatment right away. She doesn’t want to fight with TJ either. TJ says he’s sorry for pressuring her. He told her that he would support her, and that’s what he’s going to do. She thanks him, and they hug. Nina passes by the doorway, and sees.
Trina asks what Josslyn means by Sonny was worse than she thought, and Josslyn says, Sonny decided Dex was responsible for the attacks, and was holding Dex in his restaurant. She has her phone, and could have videoed what she saw, but it was more important to rescue Dex. What she should have done was called Dante. She was witnessing a crime in progress. She had the perfect opportunity to get Dante there to arrest Sonny. Trina asks why she didn’t, and Josslyn says, Michael was there, and she didn’t want to get her brother involved. What’s even stranger is, Dex – the victim – didn’t want to get the cops involved either. Esme is still listening, every once in a while taking a peek at them.
Ryan closes his eyes, and Ava comes in as he starts moving around. She says, aha! She knew it was too good to be true that he was a motionless vegetable. She saw it; he can move. He says, he can talk too, and jumps up, grabbing her by the throat. He says, and she’s gonna walk him out of here, as his hostage. She says, he’s been faking it this whole time, and he says, he was just waiting for the right opportunity. Now that she’s killed his daughter, he’d say that time is now. She says, what daughter? and he says, Esme Prince; his flesh and blood. She says, of course (🍷). It makes perfect sense. She was just as sick and twisted as he is. He says, she killed his daughter; his little girl. She says, no. He murdered her daughter Kiki. His daughter just tripped off the parapet, which is more than fair. He says he doesn’t care about fair; he wants revenge. And he’ll get that after. She says, after what? and he says, after he loves her one more time. He kisses her, and she kisses back, putting her arms around him. He opens his eyes, and no surprise, it’s all in his head, but how would he know Esme tripped?
Sonny tells Carver, he called Selina Wu and told her they’re not a good fit. Sonny won’t be using him as an interrogator anymore. Carver says, it’s up to him. His body of work stands for itself. Sonny says, he and Selina speak on a regular basis, so if Carver disappoints her – he whispers – he’ll know about it. Ava comes in, and Carver walks out without another word. She says, he was in a hurry to leave, and Sonny asks what she’s doing here. She says she’s here to put in a good word for an employee of Sonny’s. Dex Heller? He’s the man who saved her life.
Nina watches TJ and Willow for a moment, then leaves. She says, well, well, well . Who are the cheaters now? TJ tells Willow that he’s sorry for coming down so hard on her. It’s only because he cares about her so much. She says she knows, and it means a lot. She can’t disagree with anything he said, but there’s just no other choice she can make. She knows what it’s like to lose a baby. She still visits Jonah’s grave on a regular basis. She can’t lose another child. TJ says, she’s a fighter. He has total faith she’ll beat this, and he’ll be by her side, all the way. She thanks him, and says, that means everything to her. They hug again, and TJ leaves. Willow looks at her watch, and heads in the same direction as Nina. Nina is looking at her phone as Willow walks past, and she asks if Willow got some good news.
Michael hands Dex a check, and Dex says, fifty thousand. Michael says, that’s severance, plus a bonus for hazard pay. Dex says, the job’s not done. He didn’t get what Michael wanted. Michael says he hired Dex to take Sonny down. He never intended for Dex to die in the process. Dex says, he knew the risks. He was infiltrating a criminal organization, and that’s a dangerous proposition. Michael says, it sounds like Dex was more realistic about who Sonny was than he was. As many times as Michael has been angry at Sonny, or disappointed, or wanted to take him down, he guesses he was naïve to who Sonny really was. He thought Sonny lived by some code. Never in his wildest dreams did he think Sonny was capable of torturing someone with a knife. It’s just beyond the realm. He didn’t understand the risks he was asking Dex to take, but now that he does, the job is over. Dex says he can’t accept that. Did he get lucky today? Of course (🍷). But they can use that to their advantage.
Carly tells Drew, the first time she was at this cemetery was at Virginia’s funeral. She was a mess. Jason handled the arrangements. When she realized he’d picked a spot this close to the ocean… You can still feel the ocean breeze. He says, absolutely, and she says, the perfect spot for her mother’s resting place. She should have done more. He says, like what? and she says, for starters, she should have been on the paperwork. Then she would have known about the potential move. She could have been part of the original fight against this change. He says, it’s not often he’d use her own words against her, but what did she just say to Tara? That even though she’s starting late, it doesn’t make her cause any less valid. She says, Virginia was a good woman. Terrible taste in men, but she was kind, loving, and way more forgiving than Carly. She deserved so much more than life gave her. She deserved a more attentive daughter. Carly knows she can’t change the mistakes she made as a teenager, but as an adult, she can make sure Virginia’s grave isn’t dug up; she deserves that. And she damn sure deserved a better husband than Frank.
Sonny says he appreciates Ava’s two cents, but he’ll make up his mind about who he works with. She follows him into his office, and says, it’s more than her two cents. All her doctors at GH agree Dex saved her life. Josslyn found her, and called 9-1-1, but it was Dex who realized she was bleeding out. And if he hadn’t acted like he did, she would have died. He tells her, Josslyn said the same thing, and for Avery’s sake, he’s happy Dex helped her out. She says, then he can see why she’s concerned about the young man’s welfare, and Sonny says, Dex is in no danger from him. She says, that’s good, but she has to wonder. Is that because Sonny trusts him, or because Diane ID’d her attacker as a woman?
Dex asks if Michael is giving up on getting evidence against his father, but Michael says, of course (🍷) not. He’s more determined than ever, but it can’t be for something like assault, where Sonny will work the system and go free. He has to get Sonny on organized crime charges. If he can find evidence of RICO violations, there’s no way out for Sonny. He just needs to find another way to get proof. Dex says, starting over with someone new is a waste of time. He’s already in Sonny’s organization. Michael says, Sonny almost had Dex killed, and Dex says, because Sonny thought he was behind the attacks. Now Sonny knows he’s innocent; even better, Sonny knows he was wrong. The look he gave Dex when he admitted the attacker was a woman, is an opening. Sonny’s feeling guilty because he misjudged Dex, and he’s going to want to make up for what happened to him. That’s how Dex can get close enough to get Michael what he needs.
Josslyn tells Trina, Sonny has brought nothing but misery to Dex’s life. Dex has to realize he could have been seriously injured, or killed. Why not call the cops? Press charges, send Sonny to prison where he belongs. Trina says, maybe Dex just doesn’t hate Sonny like Josslyn wants him to. Esme peers over the bushes.
TJ thanks Curtis for meeting him, and Curtis says, he got TJ’s message. Good thing he was already here visiting Portia. What’s going on? TJ says he can’t go into specific details, but a friend is going through something and choosing a risky path. He tried to intervene, but was told to back off, on no uncertain terms. Curtis says, seems to be a lot of that going around.
Carly tells Drew, she could never understand why Virginia kept the last name Benson. Frank walked out on their marriage; never paid her a dime of alimony or child support. Why not go back to her maiden name? Wow. She could ask herself the same question. Why is she keeping Sonny’s last name? They’re over; she’s not going back. She doesn’t want anything from him. They’ve already established their divorce settlement. Why is she still Carly Corinthos? He says, maybe she wants to have the same last name as Donna; a lot of her career is tied to that name. She says, keeping Sonny’s name means she’s holding on to something, and she’s not. Maybe it’s time to stop being Carly Corinthos and become somebody else.
Sonny tells Ava, until Diane said the attacker was a woman, all the circumstantial evidence pointed to Dex. He was second on the scene after Ava was attacked, and there before or after Brando and Diane’s attacks. And then there was the dog tags, which fit perfectly with the metal noise Brando and Josslyn heard. Ava asks if Diane had another explanation for that, and he tells her, Diane said the attacker was wearing a bracelet. She says, then the circumstantial evidence that pointed toward Dex was misleading, and he says, that’s right. She says, but when he thought Dex was the guilty party, what was he going to do to get him to confess? He says, he wasn’t going to condemn Dex without proof, but he also wasn’t going to let him wander around free if he thought Dex was a threat to his friends and family. She says, he made the right call.
Michael says, Sonny just proved how far he’ll go. He doesn’t want Dex’s death on his conscience. Dex says, the security firm Michael hired him from has been sending him into combat situations. He’s used to risking his life. That’s how he earns a living, and it pays well. There’s incentive in that, but he doesn’t see the honor in being some corporation’s soldier for hire. He does see the honor in stopping Sonny. Michael says, enough to take a chance like that? and Dex says, after what Sonny just did to him? Hanging him from a meat hook overnight, being his judge, jury, and executioner? Sonny definitely has this coming. Think about what would have happened if Michael and Josslyn hadn’t shown up. He likes to think he’s tough, but he’s no match for that psycho’s bag of knives. He could have been killed, or at least cut to ribbons by the time Sonny realized he was innocent. The next guy won’t be that lucky. That’s why he wants to see this through. Michael asks if he’s absolutely sure, and Dex says he is. Michael says, okay. In that case, keep the check; he deserves the bonus for hazard pay. Dex thanks him, saying, he’s generous. Michael says, there is one added condition of his employment. Stay away from Josslyn.
Willow tells Nina, it’s just work stuff, and her shift just ended. Time for her to go home. Nina says she gives Willow credit, continuing to work with everything she has to do; taking care of Wiley, and another baby on the way. Willow says, lots of women continue to work while they’re pregnant, and Nina says, that’s true, but a lot of women aren’t pregnant with the next Quartermaine heir. Willow says she worked to get her nursing degree, and she loves her work. Nina says, money is no object. She’s sure Michael would be thrilled if Willow stayed home during her pregnancy. Because she has to say, Willow looks pale; nooffense. Is she just taking on too much? Then she has to wonder, what’s here at the hospital that’s so compelling Willow can’t seem to tear herself away from it?
Drew says, if Carly drops the name Corinthos, what name would she go by? but she says she doesn’t know. Back in the day, when she first came to town, she was Carly Roberts, but that was an alias; she stole the name from Reese. She’s been Carly Quartermaine, and Carly Jax, but just like Corinthos, those were her married names. She doesn’t think legally she’d be allowed to use those names again. Besides, Monica would lose her mind if she called herself Carly Quartermaine again. He says he bets she would, and she says, what about him? He’s been faced with this question. Was he ever tempted to use the Quartermaine name?
Curtis tells TJ, even Ava admitted her security is nothing compared to the security at The Chuck, and TJ says, plus the Murphy-Katz Foundation Fellowship is a big honor. It would look awesome on Trina’s resumé. Curtis says, that’s what he was thinking, so he was talking to Ava, and she said Trina was more than qualified for that offer. The problem is, Trina’s not trying to hear it, because she’s so mad at him interfering in her life. So everything they’ve built, all the progress they made, just evaporated. Now he’s back at square one. TJ disagrees. He doesn’t think Trina would be able to stay mad at him for that long.
Drew tells Carly, he thought about the name Quartermaine. For good or bad, they’re family. Sometimes it’s a bit of a bumpy ride, but he feels like he’s one of them. She says, but he never took on the family name, and he says, because he’s also a Navy SEAL. Chief Andrew Cain, and he’s very proud of that part of his history. The tours that he did, and the people he served with. He doesn’t want to distance himself from that part of his life just for a family brand. Carly says she feels the opposite. She wants distance from Sonny, but she doesn’t want to do it by taking back the name Benson. Drew’s phone rings, and he asks Tara, what’s up? She says she’s confirming Carly’s interview will air tonight, and he says he’s here with Carly; she’s on speaker. She says, unfortunately, someone beat them to the punch. She’s texting Drew a link to a story that already aired on a rival station. She’s sorry she doesn’t have better news. Carly says, she appreciates the heads up, and Drew goes to the link. He hands Carly the phone, and she reads: The woman behind the last minute effort to stop the development of the new parkway not only has ties to madam and sex trafficker Ruby Anderson, Carly Corinthos has a history of violent and erratic behavior, has been institutionalized, and as a teenager, was rumored to be responsible for an auto accident in Jacksonville that left two teenagers dead and one in a coma. She tells Drew, yeah, they’re coming after her. Why doesn’t she just out Peyton’s husband for rape? Reese is no longer alive, so who cares?
Willow says she doesn’t know what drama Nina is trying to drum up this time, but the simplest answer is that GH needs nurses. Like she said, she worked hard to get her degree, and it’s important that she use it. Not that it’s any of Nina’s business if she works or not. Nina says, she completely disagrees with that, and follows Willow to the elevator. She says, Willow and Michael’s reason for banishing her from her grandson’s life is that she’s somehow a threat to the safety and security of their happy home life; a happy home life with two loving parents, completely committed to Wiley and each other. Willow says, she and Michael are committed, and Nina says she really hopes that’s true, because rumors and gossip spread like wildfire. And while she has no intention of telling people about that incredibly intimate embrace between Willow and Dr. Ashford, other people might not be as considerate. She walks away.
Sonny says, Ava came there to defend Dex; now she’s saying he had a right to suspect him. She tells him, she’s saying he had a right to be cautious, to do whatever he deems necessary to protect his family. He says, what if he hadn’t figured that out in time? and she says, but he did. Dex was unharmed. He says, relatively, and she laughs. She says, the way she sees it, he has an opportunity here. He’s proven to Dex that he doesn’t rush to judgement; that he’s dangerous, but inherently fair. He says he might consider it a test, and she says, one that Dex passed? but he says, that remains to be seen. She says she thinks he found a keeper. Dex is smart, capable, and she thinks he could be trained to be a trustworthy and valuable associate, and she likes that for Avery’s father. Because she wants Avery to have both her parents for a long time.
Dex says, Michael wants him to stay away from his sister? and Michael says he hates lying to Josslyn, and she can’t know Dex works for him. Dex asks, why not? She certainly seems open to the idea of taking Sonny down. Michael says, she’d be all over it, but it would hurt other siblings who Josslyn loves, especially Avery and Donna. He’s willing to be the bad guy, because in the long term, he believes his siblings would be better off without Sonny in their lives. But in the short term, he doesn’t expect them to agree. So those little girls will need Josslyn more than ever, so she needs to be clear of his plans; that means she has to be clear of Dex. Dex says, okay. Michael’s the boss. Dex doesn’t like the idea of lying to Josslyn when he sees her, so he won’t see her.
Curtis says he thinks TJ is being optimistic. It’s one thing for Trina to forgive him. It’s quite another thing for her to see him as her stepfather. TJ says he hears Curtis, but he disagrees. Even if Trina hasn’t come to say the words just yet, he thinks Trina’s grown to love Curtis. And by the time Curtis and Portia get married, he’s confident she’ll be there cheering them both on.
Josslyn says, she hopes that even though he didn’t press charges, this is a huge wake-up call for Dex, and now he’ll be more appreciative of his life. And hopefully take off, and go far, far away from Port Charles. Trina says, that would definitely be for the best. Not just for Dex, but for Josslyn. Josslyn says, her? and Trina says she’s been where Josslyn is, or at least something similar. Think about all the time Spencer brought trouble into her life. Think about all the excuses she kept making for him. Getting involved with someone like Dex, or Spencer, could cost you a lot.
Esme lets herself into Ryan’s room, and says, hello daddy. Did you miss me? Ryan smiles.
Tomorrow, Ryan asks if Esme is pitching him a new strategy; Selina tells Cody, this could be a significant problem; and Chase says he’ll drop this singing business in a second.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s fascinated with the love of Birkins. She doesn’t have one; she has kids to send to college. She thinks it’s outrageous to spend that much on a bag, and wonders if it comes with money in it. Christos is one of her best friends, and had a store on Melrose decades ago where everyone went for couture and vintage. He’s helping her throw a Birkins & Bubbles party; two of the things the girls love – girls being her word, not mine; the girl ship sailed away from this group decades ago, along with Christos’s store. She says she stole Patrick from Kathy, and we flash back to Patrick doing his butler thing at one of Kathy’s parties. Christos shows Garcelle the Birkins named after women; the Jane, who was a sexy French girl in the 60s, and the Kelly, named after the Princess of Monaco.
In an odd tie-in, Kyle is getting ready to host an event for the Princess Grace Foundation. In her interview, she explains, it’s for their US launch of their luxury brand, and 100% of the proceeds go to their charity. Gismondi is a supporter of the charity, and offered to let the women borrow their diamonds. Uh-oh, check Erika’s pockets before she leaves. Kyle says, the dogs are confined to the bedroom where they’re eating her shoes. The women start to arrive at Garcelle’s, LisaR toting a mini Kelly bag, the first Birkin she bought. In Sutton’s interview, she promises no one is going to threaten anyone, and we flash back to Kathy’s dinner, and Erika saying she’ll come for Sutton, and Patrick telling the kitchen staff, they’re fighting like cats and dogs. Just ask Kyle is coming in, Sutton picks up a green Birkin, and Kyle rushes her, reminding me of the women at the clearance table in Alexander’s back in the day. In Crystal’s interview, she says, Garcelle is brave to have this party without security. She thinks Kyle is going to win the fight, since Sutton won’t be able to catch her with those skinny legs. In Kyle’s interview, she says, seeing LisaR is awkward, now that this situation happened between LisaR and her sister. She’s hoping Kathy’s apology will be enough, so they can all move on, and selfishly, it will make her life easier. She tells the women that she’ll be wearing a 52 carat diamond tomorrow. Josh chats up Patrick, asking if he has a husband, but Patrick says he’s a butterfly, who goes from flower to flower. But he can be a good friend. Garcelle ponders getting a Birkin in her favorite color, yellow, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, Garcelle had a Birkin birthday cake. We flash back to Garcelle saying, it’s the only Birkin she’s ever going to have, and Sutton says, turn the cake into a real Birkin. The women chant, get the bag, and Christos says, sold.
Kyle tells Garcelle that Kathy apologized, and Garcelle – who wasn’t in on that whole thing – says, for? Kyle says, Kathy got upset, and had a meltdown. She knows apologizing isn’t easy for Kathy. Garcelle asks if LisaR knows, and Kyle says, she came over. She told Kathy that she thought Kathy needed help. We flash back to that, and Kyle says, then Kathy goes silent. She wants to just move on. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, she grew up with five girls; she knows about drama with sisters. If Kyle wants to sweep it under the rug, LisaR needs to butt out. Kyle says, all roads lead her, and she wants everyone at the wedding. In Kyle’s interview, she says, it’s not just her sister. She doesn’t get to see her nieces and nephews. Paris and Nicky (?) are like her sisters. She has more to lose than one person. We find out Erika can’t come because of personal stuff; it’s Jagger’s birthday, so Dorit won’t be here; and Diana can’t make it either. Sutton tells Garcelle, regarding the Bumble, a man she thought was nice called her. They talked on the phone for 40 minutes, then suddenly, the phone went dead. She texted him, and it went green – he blocked her. She thinks he got busted by his girlfriend or wife. Kyle says, or Sutton’s clumsy words offended him. In her interview, Sutton says, she’s having fun, she’s single, and she’s 50. She’ll report back later on how it’s working for her. Garcelle says, she heard about Kathy’s apology, and LisaR says she thinks overall it’s a good thing to have happened. Whatever that means. She asks how Kyle feels, and Kyle says, better. She just wants to move on. LisaR asks how much Garcelle knows about what happened, and Garcelle says she got a text from Kathy at almost 1 am, and LisaR says she got one at around 1, but didn’t see it until the morning. She’d locked herself in the bedroom. Garcelle asks, why? and she says she was shook by Kathy’s behavior. Her using the word shook grates on my nerves, and Garcelle says, she was that scared? In her interview, Kyle wonders why LisaR can’t just accept the apology and move on. She can be a dog with a bone. Then, like Bravo read my mind and wants to personally irritate me, we flash back to every time LisaR said she was shook. Kyle tells us that she thinks LisaR is more upset that she had to witness this, than she’s concerned about looking after her. LisaR says she thinks it’s something Kyle and Kathy need to deal with, and Kyle says she’s feeling uncomfortable. She has to move on. LisaR says she thinks she’s being protective of Kyle, but Kyle tells LisaR to put herself in her shoes. They’re not shoes anyone wants to wear. She heads for the kitchen, and Sutton says, she thought the ruckus was about the dress code. Crystal says, they couldn’t hear anything in the club. They couldn’t even hear each other. LisaR can’t help herself, and follows Kyle. She says she hopes Kathy gets the help she needs, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, LisaR is putting her in a worse position. She’s not helping by taunting Kyle’s sister. Accept the apology and move on. LisaR says she prays for Kathy and hopes she takes this, and asks, how can I grow from this? Omg. I might actually get sick.
Everyone gets ready for Kyle’s event, and Erika says, she’s going to try to be Grace Kelly, and rise above it all. She’s sure it will last five minutes. On the way there, Crystal explains to Rob that Prince Albert runs the foundation, and Rob wonders if they’ll have any diamond grills. He insists Grace Kelly wore one. LisaR tells Erika – no surprise these two are thick as thieves now – that Kathy’s publicist called her. Erika says, Kathy’s lawyers are trying to kill it. It’s known what went on. We see a clip of a podcast, where host Zack Peter thinks Kathy probably has tantrums and meltdowns often. Someone has loose lips. In LisaR’s interview, she says, as much as Kathy would like to silence her, Kathy knows what she did. She acted like a fool, and her behavior was disgusting. Now the press got ahold of it, and it’s everywhere. Kathy wants her to stay silent, but she’s not that person. Yeah, we know. <yawn> She tells Erika that she’s still shook (stop it!). She’s never seen behavior like that in her life. I guess she’s forgotten slamming a glass on the restaurant table – #WhatDidHarryDo – when she was pissed at Kim, and the pieces went flying everywhere. The women begin to arrive at Kyle’s and pick out jewelry. Kyle puts on the 52 carat ring, and in her interview, she says, the more glamorous it looks, the more money people feel they have to give. Gorgeous gowns, tuxedos, and diamonds galore. People will spend money. Kyle tells Crystal that Kathy is out of town, and Crystal says, it seems like Kyle has a lot of stuff going on; it’s not healthy. They sit, and Crystal says, Kyle needs to handle whatever’s going on between her and Kathy. Kyle says, Kathy’s meltdown was leaked. They all heard and saw it, but Erika and LisaR are the most upset. We flash back to Erika telling Diana, if they’re going to talk about Erika’s behavior, they’re going to talk about everyone’s behavior. Crystal wonders who would have the motive; what’s the point? Kyle says, it’s not like everyone’s an angel. You don’t get to decide whose apology is acceptable, and who should be forgiven. If they care about her, can they not talk about it? She and her children are the ones who will get hurt in the end.
Crystal asks if Kyle wants to talk to them, but Kyle says, not now. In Kyle’s interview, she says she was hoping everyone would drop what happened in Aspen, and have a beautiful, fun evening. Wow. She asks a lot. At the bar, Erika says, technically, she’s not supposed to drink anything, but that’s not going to work tonight. The charity rep goes to the mic, and says, tonight is extra special. They’re launching the first luxury brand that’s funded entirely for good. All the profits go to the artists and their charitable mission. They’re ushering in a new era for the Princess Grace Foundation. Everyone sits down for dinner, and Kyle asks if Garcelle has spoken to Kathy. Garcelle says, Kathy is upset about people running with a story that doesn’t make her look good. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she thinks Kathy is pissed at LisaR, and feels like she shouldn’t have been made to apologize, but she doesn’t know what happened. LisaR isn’t letting go, and it’s going to hurt Kyle and Kathy’s relationship. Is it worth it? Only LisaR knows. Kyle says, LisaR and Erika claim it hurt them to hear Kathy talking bad about her, but Garcelle says, they don’t seem to care. If they did, they’d let it go. In her interview, Garcelle says, if they really cared, they would drop it, but they’re not doing that. This is their agenda. Garcelle tells Kyle, she thinks it distracts from Erika. No one’s talking about Erika anymore; they’re talking about Kathy. Kyle says, it’s hard to talk. She feels like she’s being watched. She feels like the opportunity is being taken advantage of, and Garcelle says, and they’re running with it. Kyle says she won’t be able to recover from this, and they go to a lounge area that has heaters. The women trickle over, and Garcelle tells Sutton that she wants to get to the bottom of this. Why did Kathy apologize to LisaR? Garcelle says she feels like she’s out of the loop about Aspen. Why was LisaR offended and need an apology from Kathy? LisaR says didn’t need anything from Kathy. Garcelle says, if Kathy apologized, they should let it go, and playing stupid, LisaR asks, who should let it go? Garcelle says she’s talking to LisaR and Erika, and LisaR says she’s sensing some attitude. Why is Garcelle being opinionated about something she’s not part of? Do they really not see what they do, or do they think we have short term memory loss?
In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Erika has said awful things in past – we flash back to that – and it feels like they’re gunning for Kathy. Erika says, people were hard on her, she took it, and owned up to it. Kathy needs to own her sh*t too. LisaR says, it’s not her fault, or Erika’s that Kyle’s sister had bad behavior. Kathy did it, and that’s that. Garcelle says, Kyle would rather it not be brought up, and Kyle says, she wants everyone at her daughter’s wedding. They have to let it go. Telling Kyle what she should do with her feelings, LisaR says, Kyle can’t sweep it under the rug, and pretend it didn’t happen. Garcelle can if she wants, but if LisaR didn’t express herself about the bad things that go on, she’d get sick with cancer. it’s that vile that she’ll get sick and die. There are various interview reactions from laughing to Garcelle wondering we’re back on Days of Our Lives again. LisaR says, Kathy said things that could ruin people’s lives forever. Does Kyle know what happened back at the house? Does anyone? Before they point fingers, she’s protecting her friend. Okay, here’s where I have a big problem. Either LisaR is greatly exaggerating, because all we know is Kathy said she’d ruin people, not how she’d ruin them; or she’s going to poke this beehive until what could ruin people comes out and ruins them. What an asshat she is. In Erika’s interview, she says she doesn’t know what happened. Only LisaR knows, and she hopes LisaR tells everything. Rob says, every moment is big drama, and Crystal says, Kyle wants to mend things with her sister. Family is bigger than anything. Erika says, she was pummeled for a year and a half pummeled, and Kyle asks if that’s why she wants Kathy called out. Erika says, Kathy was in a public place, and there’s consequences. Kyle says, they’re punishing her, but LisaR says, no, her sister is. Erica says, that’s right, like she’s giving a witness, and Kyle gets up, saying, she’s going to the bathroom. Dorit follows her, and they sit inside. Kyle says, it’s weird that at every detail is leaked from every event, and Dorit agrees it’s weird, and asks if she thinks it’s somebody here. Kyle says, 100%, and in her interview, she says she heard from a reliable source that the leaks in Aspen came from someone in the group, and there were other leaks that didn’t make it to publication. She tells Dorit that she knows who it was. It’s someone who wants her sister to look bad so they don’t look as bad. Everyone starts leaving, and Kyle tells the morally corrupt Faye Resnick that she’ll fill her in later. Articles came out, and Kathy’s lawyers are trying to squash them. Sutton asks if she has to do this, and flat-out asks Erika and LisaR if they leaked it to the press, but they both say, no. Erika says, she doesn’t know how, and the world laughs. Kyle says it was Erika’s publicist, and in her interview, she says, Kathy launched an investigation, and someone on Erika’s team leaked the story. Erika asks Kyle to show her what she has, and Kyle says she’ll get it to her. LisaR says, she got calls from her publicist just this week about things said about her. Stuff gets out there, but not necessarily from a leak. Kyle says she’s never had any calls like that, and Erika says, she and Nicky share a publicist, and she wouldn’t think it was in their best interest. In her interview, Erika says, how convenient accusing her publicist. Kyle’s sister made an ass of herself in public, and everyone saw. It’s disappointing to see Kyle try to flip it back on her. She’s afraid of Kathy, and what Kathy can do to her. LisaR says, if she opens her mouth, people are listening and watching. Kyle says, stories have been given to the tabloids, and at Erika’s hair party, someone called from the event, and texted a play-by-play. LisaR and Erika start firing questions at Kyle about why it hasn’t been printed, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, there are a number of reasons a story might be squashed. It’s not true, there’s no evidence to support it, someone has motivation to discredit someone else, or there’s a threat of a lawsuit. She knows it came from that camp. She tells them, people who want to make Kathy look bad are only hurting her.
In LisaR’s interview, she says, accusing Erika’s publicist is bullsh*t.Kyle knows what happened, and the extent Kyle is going to, to cover for her sister is un-f***ing-believable. Kyle says, they think Kathy was an a-hole – Erika says, she was – so they’re making sure everyone knows it. Erika says, she’s having a hard time with this conversation. For the last two years, her ass was chewed every day about things she didn’t do, and her behavior was up for discussion. In her interview, Kyle says, there was no reason to talk to the press or anyone outside the group. If they’re her friends, they need to end this, so she can repair things with her sister. Garcelle wonders why they want to take Kathy down, and in her interview, Erika asks what she’d have to gain. The people who are suing her don’t give a sh*t about Kathy. Maybe not, but maybe Erika gives a sh*t about public opinion. LisaR says, it’s a dangerous game, and Erika says, a lot of people don’t like Kathy. LisaR says, it’s not about taking Kathy down; Kathy is taking herself down. Kyle says, it distracts from Erika, and Erika says, there’s no distracting from her. Kathy isn’t well-known enough to distract from her. In Kyle’s interview, she says, it’s not a competition about who’s more famous, but if Erika wants to play that game, she thinks Kathy’s last name trumps Girardi. Dorit whispers to Kyle that she shouldn’t have brought it up, and Kyle says she has to give back the earrings. Is she keeping the ring? Erika and LisaR start to leave, and Kyle says, if it’s not out, can it stay that way? but they’re like, not a chance. In her interview, Kyle says, she’s not sure what happens from here, if she’s forced to choose between her friends and her sister. Regardless of what happened, her sister is her blood. Garcelle says, if someone said her people did this, she’d be asking herself if that was a possibility. Dorit says she hates when it becomes sides. She likes standing on her own island.
Since it’s the finale, the text tells us that Dorit is still working to overcome her trauma, and the robbers at still at large. In her interview, she says, when you go through something like she went through, and your friends all rally around you, you feel like you can get through anything. We read that Crystal’s family adopted a puppy, and Crystal is also seeing an ED (that would be eating disorder, not erectile dysfunction – why are those known by the same initials?) specialist. In her interview, Crystal says, it’s just a part of life. She’s going to keep taking one step at a time toward recovery. When she does, she’s having a good day, and today is a good day. We see Diana had another painful miscarriage in May, but remains determined to have another baby. Sutton tells Kyle that blood is thicker than water, but water moves faster, and blood is slow. Just hold on. We read she’s still seeing Sanjit, but insists they’re just friends. In her interview, she says, this year, she was thinking of herself too much, but she’ll always stick her foot in her mouth. She wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t. I love Sutton. Garcelle tells Kyle, let it play out for them to work it out, and the text tells us that Garcelle’s memoir received good reviews… even if everyone did not enjoy it. We see a picture of Erika putting Garcelle’s book in the garbage. Because we’re in middle school. We read that Garcelle took her Birkin on tour, and in her interview, Garcelle says, sometimes you have to say how you feel, and she does that. Kyle says she just wants everyone to be okay, and Garcelle says, Erika and LisaR should understand that if they’re her friends.
In the car, Erika says, she told LisaR that they’d try to pin it on them. Nothing could be a distraction from the nuclear bomb her life is. The text says, Erika is off the hook with one lawsuit. It was determined she had no knowledge of Tom’s financial shenanigans. She’s still trying to win back the $1.3 million earrings (an amended appraisal from $750K). In her interview, she says, her goal is to get to a peaceful place with all these women. Hmm… Maybe she should try a different tactic if that’s the case. She says, their lives could blow up, and she’ll be the one to give expert advice. She tells LisaR that they didn’t give her enough understanding and space about her mother. LisaR sucks it up, then falls apart at home. That’s what they do. What the…? Is she on the same show I’m watching? Or are we supposed to pretend LisaR didn’t have several outbursts, for which she apologized, but didn’t mean it. Erika says, she had too many drinks, and fell in front everybody. LisaR says, there are worse things Erika could have done. Yeah, like leak info about someone else to the press. We read that LisaR and family honored Lois with a private ceremony in Oregon, and she still hears Lois in every bird. In her interview, she says, it’s been the hardest year. She doesn’t know who she is without her mom, but she has to be for her family what Lois was for her. And those are huge shoes to fill. The text says that Kyle has only seen Kathy a few times since the show wrapped, and has no idea if she’s going to attend Farrah’s wedding. In her interview, Kyle says, everyone has gone through a lot, and she’d like to think they’ll come out the other side, but she just doesn’t know right now.
Kyle returns to the backyard, and says, let’s get the party started… There’s nobody here.
🚪 Dave’s Not Here…
Return to this same spot tomorrow for soap and those Charmers from the South. Until then stay safe, stay surprising yourself occasionally, and stay remembering, just because you’re late to the battle doesn’t mean your cause is any less valid.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 