(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Maggie is back home sweet home. It’s night, and she, Carol, Daryl, Rosita, and Kelly go out with a group. They open up a trap door into Fort Connors, and we see bodies everywhere. One lifts its head a little, but they seem to be in a suspended state, like they’re sleeping. Daryl and Jerry stay up top, as the others drop down quietly. They step through the bodies, which still aren’t moving. They go through the room to a padlocked door. One of them opens it, and the lock makes a noise popping open, but it’s okay, and they go into the building. They slip though the hallways, and into another room where they find supplies, and fill their bags. They send the bags back up to ground level, Jerry and Daryl bringing them up on pullies. One of the ropes snaps, but Daryl grabs the bag before it falls. He cuts himself, and a drop of blood falls on a zombie’s head, waking it up. It becomes animated, and alerts the rest, who start to rise. Daryl tells them, hurry, they’re awake, and Carol and Maggie shoot some with bows and arrows; Rosita whacks and slices a few; and Kelly uses her slingshot. They’re severely outnumbered, but still hold their own. Jerry and Daryl shoot arrows from above, and Maggie finally just takes out a gun and starts shooting. Luckily, these zombies are not too fast. Carol breaks out a machine gun and mows some down. It starts getting more chaotic, and the group starts to go back up on ropes, helped by Jerry and Daryl, while Carol and Maggie keep the zombies at bay. Carol shoves some more supplies in her bag, and grabs the rope. The zombies get close, but she gets up top. The zombies that are left huddle at the bottom.
They go back to Alexandria where Aaron meets them. Daryl calls Dog, and hugs Judith and RJ. Negan takes some of the supplies inside, and Maggie eyeballs him. Little Herschel runs to Maggie, and she picks him up. She tells Cole that it’s good to see him, and he says he figured if she was still alive, she’d be there. He’s brought her people Duncan, Agatha, and Frost with him. There’s a fight over some supplies, and Gabriel breaks it up, telling them to calm down; there’s enough food for everyone for one week. Daryl says, just one? and Aaron says, they’ll make it work. Carol wonders how, when they have no crops. Aaron says they’re still scavenging houses, but Gabriel says, it’s hard to build a wall on an empty stomach. Game is scarce too, and Daryl says, they’ll find new territory, but Gabriel says they need food now. Maggie says she knows one more place; where they lived before this – Meridien. It’s got plenty of food, water, and crops. Cole says, now it’s gone, and Rosita asks, what happened out there? Maggie says they were on a mission, leading walkers away. Doug, Agatha, and Frost took a shipment, and on the way back, things went sideways. They got stuck on a boat, but she doesn’t think it was an accident. They heard screams and raced home, but it was too late. The poor people were slaughtered. They ran for their lives. They knew two things about the people who attacked them. They come at night, and by the time you see them, you’re already dead. This was before they caught one. Daryl was with her. It came after them alone. Why? There were not that many at Meridian now, and there’s plenty of food to feed Alexandria until its back up and running. That’s why they took it, and now they need to take it back. Aaron says she’s leaving to fight ghosts? and she asks if he has a better plan. Aaron says, the walls aren’t stable in Alexandria. Walkers could get inside. It’s a matter of if, not when; they’re needed there. Maggie says her son is in Alexandria, so she has skin in the game. She has the best fighters from Meridien, and hopefully some of theirs too. Daryl says, if there’s no food, noting else will matter. He’ll go. Everyone volunteers except Rosita and Aaron, who think it’s a suicide mission. Maggie and the others head out.
They walk in the midst of a thunderstorm, and some want to stop until it passes, but Maggie says they have no time. They see a Metro sign, and go down the stairs. Oh no. Dog is with them. I hate when Dog gets put in danger. Don’t touch Dog! Negan thinks they should wait for the storm to pass, and Maggie says, he doesn’t want to go? He says, no, and she says she doesn’t give a sh*t. Which way? He tells them what tracks to follow, and asks to talk to Daryl, but that’s a hard no. The others bump into Negan on purpose as they pass, like a bunch of babies. No wonder they’re not getting anywhere. Negan seems to do all the heavy lifting too.
They walk, and see graffiti that says, if there is a god, he will have to beg for my forgiveness. They hear a loud noise, and Cole says, it’s nothing serious, just the storm pushing the pipes. Negan says, it sounds serious. He thinks it’s God telling them to turn around, but Gabriel says, he’s sure God would run it him first. Negan asks if he’s willing to lose his remaining eyeball to this flood. He points out a watermark on the wall, and says the tunnel floods on a regular basis when rains. Daryl says, it’s worse up there, and Negan tells him, all he’s saying… but Daryl says, it ain’t working. Keep moving.
People wearing hoods are brought into the Commonwealth via wagons. Eugene sits in an interrogation room, and a woman asks if his name is Eugene Porter. He says, yes, that was his given moniker, and she says, no need to nervous… not if he’s honest. Eugene says, that’s how he rolls, and the woman explains that they’re auditors for the Commonwealth. If they pass inspection, they can go to Level 2. Eugene asks, if they don’t? and she says they go to reprocessing. He asks what that is, but she wants to start the assessment. As the questions are asked, we see the different characters answer them. Are their parents living; what did they do; what was their alma mater (we find out Yumiko went to Harvard Law); their zip code (Eugene has had several, and remembers them all); the results of their last routine physical; vaccinations; have they had cancer? Eugene says, none, and she asks about his goiter. He tells her that it’s a benign growth he’s had since birth. The woman asks Princess where she got the cash she had, and Princess explains that when she cashed her first paycheck, she’d asked for a two dollar bill, so she could have a reminder of the first money she made. The woman asks if they’ve been arrested, and do they have a history of drug use? Eugene says, he was in the anti-drug and alcohol commission when he was in high school, which is no surprise, and tells her that he wanted to meet Stephanie. The woman asks if they’re fundamentally honest, and repeatedly asks where their settlement is. Are there other groups they’ve come across? Some the questions are random and odd, like how they wipe themselves (Ezekiel passes, I don’t think pun intended), and how lucky are they? The woman continually repeats the question about their settlement, and Ezekiel starts to laugh. She asks if he thinks it’s funny, and he says he does. A stormtrooper in red-orange armor (Mercer) stands near them, and Ezekiel asks if he’s in charge; he’s standing there not talking like a man in charge. Mercer says, yeah, he’s in charge, and Ezekiel asks if Mercer thinks he fears him. Mercer says Ezekiel looks scared to him, and Ezekiel asks what Mercer did before the fall. His guess is dude was an a-hole beat cop. That’s why this fascist crap comes so easy. It’s another power trip, like before. They’ve been asked the same questions for over seven hours. He’s been cooperative, and his people have been cooperative. Ezekiel has a coughing fit, and Mercer asks if he’s thirsty, sliding over some water to him. Ezekiel drinks it down.
Back together, sitting at a table in a holding area, Eugene says, Ezekiel told off their leader? Ezekiel says, perhaps he could have handled it better, but he didn’t like way they talked to him. Yumiko says, do they know… but Ezekiel says, no; don’t worry about it. Mercer watches, and Princess says, they’ve got to pull the ripcord. It’s time to get out. Eugene wants them to wait, saying, the gruel isn’t the worst thing he’s ever eaten. Stephanie told him they were cautious. It’s a test. He thinks they should hunker down and level up; get honest. Ezekiel asks if Eugene wants these people to go to Hilltop with machine guns, but Eugene says, they need help. He thinks they can get it from these people. Princess sees a couple in another area, and asks how long they’ve been there. The man says, four months, but the woman says, nine, and he says the reprocessing confused him. One of the stormtroopers takes a guy out who does not want to go, and Mercer says, reprocessing. Eugene says, okay. Gotta go.
Maggie’s group follows the tracks, and stops, seeing bodies in plastic bags covering the space in front of them. Negan looks pretty worried, and Daryl moves to poke one of them. It startles both of us when it moves. He kills it, then checks out the body, saying, his throat was slashed so deep, it almost severed his head. Maggie says, they were killed during the fall, and Negan asks if she’s sure. Whoever is walking them through this masquerade, could still be there. She tells them to take each one out, and clear the path. They keep walking.
They stab each body in the head, but one gets up and out of his bag. He’s a big one too, and looks like one of the radioactive zombies in Planet Terror, all kinds of oozing bumps all over him. He sneaks behind Gage, and they tussle. Negan manages to push him away from Gage, and keeps him at bay for a minute, then shoves him against the wall, splitting his head open with an ax. Maggie tells everyone to pay attention so they don’t lose anymore. Negan asks if that’s her big plan; to pay attention. Does she want them to pay attention to anything in particular? A kid almost died. Daryl says Negan doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid, but Negan says, Maggie doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid. She’s playing dictator and not listening to anyone Whoever or whatever killed these people could still be there. Has that thought crossed anyone’s mind? …Exactly. This is a death march, with Maggie as the Pied Piper. If they want to roll with that sh*t, knock themselves out, but not him, not today. He’s out. Gage says he is too. Negan might be a d*ck, but he makes sense. Roy says, let them go, but Maggie says, Negan knows the city. Negan asks if that’s why he’s there; he’s their DC tour guide. Can no one read a goddam map? Maggie brought him there to die. She’ll find a reason, even if she has to do it herself, away from the prying eyes of Alexandria. He’d thought Daryl was in on it, but can tell by the glazed look in Daryl’s eyes, he had no clue. Gabriel says he’s paranoid, but Negan says, he’s still right. Him dying on her terms is not happening. He’s not letting her drag him through the mud, filth, and slime, and putting him down like a dog, like Glenn. Daryl punches Negan, knocking him down, and Maggie says their kids are starving, and she’s calling the shots because that’s how everyone voted. As for killing him – she cocks her gun, and aims it at him – it’s always on her mind. He’s not wrong about it. The woman who left six years ago, isn’t the one who’s there now. There’s a little bit of the old one keeping him breathing, but she doesn’t know how long it will last, so keep pushing her.
Princess points out two troopers who are flirting, and Ezekiel asks how she can tell them apart. And why does she think they’re flirting? She says she heard some stuff on the wagon, and gives them gossip about several troopers. Ezekiel says, they’re not even looking at each other, but Princess says, it’s obvious in the way they’re not looking at each other. When they go on break, one takes off first, then the other follows. She bets they spend most of their time taking the armor off. Oh…
Princess and Ezekiel are walked down a hall by two stormtroopers. They walk past an interrogation room, seeing the couple they’d spoken to before, and a third soldier comes out. She asks where Princess and Ezekiel are being taken, and one of the troopers says, reprocessing. She tells them to move along, and the troopers – who are really Eugene and Yumiko – walk Princess and Ezekiel to a room that has laundry bins full of money and papers, marked, for incineration, and a wall of photos and notes, that says, flag for expedited assessment and admittance. They look at the photos, and Eugene opens a door, peeking outside. He tells them that they’ve got to go now, but Princess asks Yumiko, isn’t that you? pointing at a photo. Yumiko looks at a picture of her and underneath it, a note from her brother. She says she has to stay.
In the tunnel, the group is still busy stabbing heads, when one of the flashlights goes out. Cole calls for Gage and Roy, saying, they have the rations, but they’re gone. Another dude says, Negan scared them off, because they just automatically blame Negan for everything. Daryl shines his flashlight down the tunnel, and we hear zombie noises. Yep. Here they come. Maggie uses her bow and arrow, and it’s the usual slicing and dicing. Negan, Gabriel, and Cole try to open a subway car, and I think maybe they wouldn’t be so obvious if Daryl would stop shining the flashlight at the zombies. Everyone scrambles to get on top of the car, and Dog takes off. Dammit! Daryl goes after him, which is as it should be, and Dog crawls into a hidey hole. Daryl goes in after him. Negan is next to last, climbing on top of the car, and Maggie starts to climb up behind him. The zombies are there, and it’s not good. One grabs Maggie’s leg, and on top of the car, Negan looks back. He sees what’s going on, and looks at her for a moment. She says his name, but he disappears, and she slips.
Next time, Negan says Maggie was right behind him, and Yumiko tells Eugene to stick to the story.
🙀 And So The End Starts…
Not a bad start to the final season. See you on Deck tomorrow, but until then, stay safe, stay equitable, and stay not bringing your dog on dangerous missions.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sonny and Nina walk into the Tan-O, and Nina says, it feels empty. He was so great with helping Phyllis with the arrangements, and holding her hand. She doesn’t know how he did it. He says, she needed it, and that’s what people do. Like how Nina spent the night with her. In times of crisis, people step up. She says, it’s great to see all the friends and family who came out to support Phyllis and remember Lenny, a decorated war veteran and native son of Nixon Falls. The people of this town really loved him. Sonny says, he loved this town and the people in it. That’s all that really matters, right? Loving others, and being loved.
Josslyn tells Carly that she’s going to Kelly’s – moss bowl! 🎍 – and Carly asks, what’s the rush? Josslyn says she wants to hear about the rest of Spencer’s party from Trina. She asks if everything is okay with Carly, and Carly says, it is; why? Josslyn says it was pretty obvious she had somewhere to be last night, and Carly says maybe she just wanted to get Josslyn and Cameron away from that ridiculous island. There was already enough drama, doesn’t she think? Josslyn says, that’s the way Spencer does things, over-the-top, but once Carly realized Tony got them home, she couldn’t leave fast enough. Why was she in such a hurry, and who was she meeting?
Trina walks into Kelly’s, where Cameron is bussing tables. She says, Joss isn’t here yet? and he says, they left the party so late last night, he figured she was sleeping in. What did they miss? Did Spencer’s dad have any more crazy surprises after that knife trick he pulled? Hey, is she okay? Did something worse happen last night? Do they need to reach out to Spencer? She says she wouldn’t worry. Despite what his father did, Spencer is definitely not alone. He asks what she means, and she says, let’s just say Spencer has a bigger support system than any of them realized.
Laura tells Doc, she has a full slate of meetings today. For some reason, that budget is just never finished. She sees a breakfast spread on the table, and tells Doc that he shouldn’t have. He says he didn’t, and Spencer walks in, telling her and Doc, good morning. Esme follows him with French press coffee, and says, bon appétit.
Anna sits at the pool (🍷) sipping a drink, when Martin sits next to her. He asks if she thinks anyone would judge him if he ordered a bloody Mary, and she says she learned long ago that when a lawyer is all smiles, it’s best to be on your guard. He says, no fear; he’s off the clock. Or couldn’t she tell by what he’s wearing? She says he does look comfortable, and he says, as does she. One more thing they have in common. She says, they have something else in common? and he says their mutual friend and sometimes partner – Valentin Cassadine.
Valentin comes downstairs, and checks himself out in the mirror. Brook says he’s in a good mood for a guy who just dribbled toothpaste on himself, and he says, it’s Bailey’s baby formula. She loves it when daddy makes silly faces to get her to finish her bottle. Brook says he’s really in love with that little girl, isn’t he? and he says, who woudn’t be?
Chase looks at a text from Austin that says, counting on you. Remember, they have it coming. He flashes back to finding out Michael and Willow slept together, when the two of them walk in, Michael chattering away about how Wiley got his phone. Michael says, hey, Chase. He didn’t know Chase was there. Chase says, don’t stop what they’re doing on his account, and they look all kinds of guilty.
Sonny says, it’s quiet, and Nina says, Lenny would hate this. He says, Lenny loved his customers. He welcomed strangers, and loved his music. He played that jukebox every morning; his favorite song. She says, and when he thought no one was looking, he’d dance with the broom. Sonny laughs, and she says, but his favorite was dancing with his wife. She can see them over there, dancing their last dance. He says, he used to watch them, and think to himself, he’d love to have that one day. She says he’s right. They were lucky they had love for a very long time. He says, nothing can change that. Not even death.
Carly tells Josslyn, they got back late last night, and then she had a pressing engagement. Josslyn says, with Jason? and Carly says, yes; how did she know? Josslyn says, because they’re engaged, and it’s not unusual for engaged people to want to hang out. She’s going to Kelly’s now… Carly tells her to wait. There’s something she has to tell Josslyn, and it also involves her brother.
Willow – who is starting to totally annoy me – asks if Chase is ready for her to take him out to the yard so he can work on his physical therapy. He says he got up early, and already did his morning routine, and Michael says it sounds like he’s making progress. Chase says he’s getting stronger every day, but then again, he has great motivation. He looks at Willow, and Michael’s phone dings. Michael says his mother wants him to swing by the house. It’s something important. He leaves, and Chase asks if Willow wants to go with him. She asks why she would, and he tells her, Michael said it was important, and he knows how much Michael means to her.
Laura says, it’s very sweet of them to go through all this trouble, and Spencer says, it’s the least they could do after she and Doc took them in last night. Esme says she did her research and found an excellent patisserie with an excellent croissant. Spencer says, Esme is very resourceful. They have no idea. He flashes back to Esme telling him how she set fire to Ava’s car, and Laura says she hopes Esme found the guest room comfortable. Esme says she slept like a baby, but she knows the three of them have some catching up to do, so she’s going to explore the town. She kisses Spencer on the cheek and says, à bientôt, and Doc says, au revoir. Spencer thinks maybe he’ll go with her, but Laura says his friend seems capable of exploring on her own. She’s just curious why Spencer hasn’t mentioned her before.
Anna says she and Valentin have a very long, very complicated history, and Martin says, it’s not all in the past. They recently took a trip to New York together, didn’t they? On the trail of Peter August. One could only hope they were successful. She says they were following a lead, which ultimately didn’t pan out, and he asks if she puts her relationship with Valentin in that same category. She says, what’s that to you, Mr. Grey? and he says, please, call him Martin. Or better yet, call him Marty. All his friends do. Anna asks if he considers her a friend, and he says he hopes they’re moving in that direction. As a matter-of-fact, can he be honest? She says she’s not sure she can stop him, and he says he’s long been fascinated by the mystique of Anna Devane. He’d surely love to get to know her better, and vice versa. She says, Marty, are you hitting on me?
Willow tells Chase, of course (🍷) Michael’s important to her; he’s Wiley’s father. He says, great. That’s what she shares with Michael; Wiley. Valentin and Brook come in, and he tells Brook that he’s just saying his daughter lights up when he comes in the room, but Brook says she doesn’t recognize him; she just has gas. Willow asks if they’ll ever agree on anything, and Valentin says, just that they created a spectacular baby girl. Brook says, sadly, they don’t agree on much else, least of all Austin Gatlin-Holt’s bogus claim to ELQ shares. Valentin says, Austin’s lawsuit may be an inconvenience to the Quartermaine family, but that doesn’t mean it’s without merit. She says, spoken by the guy who’s keeping Austin in play, on the off-chance he wins his case and gets ELQ shares, just so he can potentially be a vote to keep Valentin as CEO. Chase says, not that anyone asked his opinion, but he has a point of view. Brook says, he’s a neutral observer. She, for one, welcomes his input. He says he hates to disappoint her, but he’s far from neutral. It’s true, he’s not a Quartermaine and doesn’t have a vested interest in the outcome, but he sides with the guy who’s being kept in the dark. Brook says they only have Austin’s word to go on that he’s being denied his birthright. The will made by her great-grandfather Edward was very clear. Jimmy Lee Holt was cut out and wouldn’t get a dime. Edward actually didn’t want him anywhere near ELQ. Chase says, what if there was proof Edward changed his mind and wanted the will to include Austin’s father? Valentin says he’s the detective; does he have proof? Brook says, no he doesn’t because there isn’t any. If there was, Austin would have produced it. Valentin says, as it happens, he’s having lunch with Austin. Maybe he’ll produce it then. He leaves, and Chase says he’s sorry if he spoke out of turn, but Brook says she’s not angry at him, especially since he’s speaking from the heart. She hears Bailey cry, and leaves. Chase says he knows Willow has class this morning, and doesn’t have to stick around on his account. She says she’s leaving soon, but hopes he knows Brook is right. He does have a big heart. He asks if that’s why she loves him.
Martin says Anna will have to forgive him. They’re not all as suave and debonair as Valentin. Come to think of it, even his name sounds romantic. Martin tells her that he’s never shied away from the challenges of the fairer sex, and from where he’s sitting, she’s the fairest of them all. Aww! He’s kind of cute. She tells him, says the man who’s had six wives, and he says, be fair. That was Henry XIII; he’s only had three. And they’re all on speaking terms. What does that tell her? She says, that he got a good deal on alimony, and he laughs, saying, she’s disconcertingly perceptive. She says he’s quite charming, and he asks if that means he’s making any headway. She says his interest is duly noted, and he says he’ll take that as a definite maybe.
Laura says, Esme seems like a nice girl. She assumes Spencer met her at school, and he says, yes. At first he thought she was too cool for him, but they hit it off. Doc says maybe she thought he was cool too, and Laura says, of course (🍷) she thought he was cool; he’s her grandson. Spencer says, bless her, but it’s not like she’s the most objective source, and she says he has his father’s charm. Spencer says he hopes that’s all he inherited, and she says his father does love him very much. She hopes he knows that. Spencer says, he has a warped way of showing it. Either he’s pretending he’s dead or pretending to stab Spencer, but either way, Spencer is done. She says, he’s hurt and angry, and with good reason. It was wrong of Nikolas to accuse him of being Ava’s stalker, and even more wrong to stage that attack. She doesn’t know what he was trying to do; make Spencer see the error of his ways… Doc says he admits, he was beginning to wonder if Nikolas was right. Spencer’s dislike for Ava is well known. Spencer says he doesn’t love that Doc thought he was guilty, but appreciates Doc can admit he was wrong. Doc says, it’s not even remotely the same thing, but if Spencer can see his way to forgive him, he wonders if there’s any chance Spencer can do the same for his father. Spencer says he doesn’t mean to be rude, but he has no energy nor the emotional bandwidth to think about his father right now. His top priority is figuring out where he and Esme are going to live. Laura tells him, as she said, Esme seems like a lovely girl, and shows good taste in dating him, but there’s no way he and Esme going to live together.
Trina tells Cameron, last night was weird. Beyond weird, and that was before Esme showed up. He asks, who’s Esme? when Esme walks in, saying, it’s good to see Trina again. She wonders if they can direct her to the Museum of Fine Art, and Trina says, around there, they call it The Chuck, and it’s good to see her too. She introduces Cameron, who says he doesn’t know if Spencer mentioned it, but they’re sort of cousins. They share the same grandmother, but aren’t actually related. Esme says Cameron is exactly the way Spence described him, and Cameron says, he is? She says she and Spence share everything.
Michael enters moss bowl town, and asks what he missed. Josslyn says she doesn’t know. Carly wouldn’t tell her until he got there. Carly says she wanted to tell them both at the same time. Last night she had a wake-up call. Josslyn says, Spencer’s party was a wake-up call? and Carly says, it had nothing to do with the party. She and Jason realized they don’t need or want a long engagement. She wanted them to be them first to know, they’re getting married on September 17th. Josslyn hugs Carly, and says, here’s to the future Mrs. Jason Morgan.
Sonny tells Nina, a memorial wall is a beautiful idea; everything from Lenny’s past life. They’ve brought out a trunk, and Nina says, let’s take a look. Sonny takes out a medal, and says, Lenny was so proud of being a Marine, and serving their country. Nina suggests they leave the medals out so they can put them on the wall. She takes out some postcards, and says, Lenny sent them to Phyllis when he was overseas. Sonny takes out a photo from their wedding, saying, Lenny is in his uniform, and Phyllis has a white dress on. Nina says, they look so young and happy. Sonny concentrates on the photo, and Nina asks him, what’s wrong? He remembers Carly in a white dress with a bouquet, but doesn’t see her face. Nina asks again, what’s wrong? Talk to her. He says, for a second, he thought he’d remembered something; the woman he told her about, with a wedding bouquet. Maybe it’s not a memory, just a vision of his future. Nina asks if the vision was good or bad, and he says, good.
Josslyn says, it’s so exciting, and asks why Michael isn’t jumping up and down like she is. He says, inside, he’s doing backflips, and congratulates Carly, hugging her. Josslyn says she has to tell Cameron and Trina, and jets. Michael says Carly and Jason aren’t giving themselves much time to plan a wedding. What is he saying? She’s not giving herself much time. Jason will just show up and do what she tells him. She says she can get it together by then, especially if she keeps it small. He asks if the point wasn’t to send a message, and if it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Spencer says he never thought of Laura as a puritan before, and she says she’s not; far from it. But he can’t go from his high school dormitory to moving in with Esme. Doc says, last night, Spencer’s father shook the ground underneath him. It’s only natural that he’d want to spend time with someone he can count on. Spencer says he appreciates their concern and counsel, but he assures them that he and Esme won’t be moving in together. He’d planned on offering her a room at Windymere, but that’s out the window now. He needs to help her find a place in town. Laura asks, for how long? Do her parents know about these plans? And how does he plan to finance this independent lifestyle? Spencer says he has money, but Laura says, his father has money. He took control of Spencer’s trust. He may grant Spencer access, but would Spencer take money from his father with one hand, and push him back with the other?
Anna says she’s not in the market for a romantic entanglement, and Martin says, just for his own verification, if he may be so bold, is it because she’s not interested, or because she’s already romantically entangled? She asks if he approaches every situation in his life like an attorney. She feels like she’s being cross-examined. He says, forgive him, but he feels they all bring their professional life into the personal. For instance, with her training with the WSB, is she always more comfortable with her secrets and deflections, rather than answering a simple heartfelt question? She says, touché. There are people who consider her lack of transparency a deal breaker. He says he’s not one of them. He flatters himself that they were made to dance together. Hell, just for the chance, he’d even let her lead. She laughs, and Valentin watches.
Brook tells Bailey that Valentin loves her so much. He wants to be a good daddy to her. Let’s face it; he’s succeeded. She pushes the stroller through the foyer, and says, what is she going to do when Peter is finally caught and punished, and Maxie gets to bring her home forever. How is she going to explain to Valentin? What’s going to happen to her? Let’s face it, Bailey is all she’s got right now. She leaves with Bailey.
Chase says his and Willow’s marriage began under dire circumstances. She thought he was going to die – everybody did – but he survived, and then he couldn’t walk… She says she married him because she wanted to, and he says, that’s generous, considering he made her believe he’d cheated on her with Sasha. She says, that’s only because he wanted her to be with Wiley. Once she found out the truth, she could only be grateful. He says he never stopped loving her. Even now, even when… She says, when what? and he says, even when he’s not the man he was. She says he’s still that man. He’s getting better, and he will walk again. She absolutely believes that. Nothing has changed. He says, really? Nothing?
Anna says, next time she’s in the market for an attorney, she’ll give Martin a call. He says, next time he’s in the market for a little cloak and dagger, he’ll return the favor. Who knows? Maybe one day he can bail her out of trouble, and she can turn around and help him get into some. She says, stranger things have happened, and Valentin asks what he’s interrupting. Martin says they’re not sure, but it was getting interesting. Anna says she has to make a call, and asks Martin to save her chair. He tells her that she can count on it. He says, that is one amazing woman; the kind you take home to mother. Valentin says, not his mother, and they sit down. Valentin asks what Martin is doing. He’s not getting ideas about Anna, is he? Martin says, if he was, what would it mean to Valentin?
Spencer says, from now on he’s going to take care of himself, and Laura wonders if he’s going to ask Cameron to put in a good word for him at Kelly’s, so he can join Cameron bussing tables. Spencer says he hopes she’s joking, but she says she’s not. Doc says, there’s nothing wrong with an honest day’s work, but he thinks the point Laura is trying to make is that it’s not healthy walking around with all this unresolved anger toward his father. Spencer asks, what’s been left unresolved? After last night, he wants nothing to do with his father, or his money. He storms out, and Laura says, Doc is the expert. How can she help him when it’s clear he doesn’t want her help? And like his father, Spencer has no idea how badly he needs it.
Esme sits down, and Josslyn runs in, saying, she has the most exciting news. Trina says they have news too, and Cameron says, not what, but who. Trina introduces Josslyn to Esme, who says she’s never met a Josslyn before. At least not how she spells it. Josslyn asks if she knows Esme, and Esme says, Spence has told her all about Josslyn. Everything from her scar from her kidney transplant, to her Australian roots, to her mad volleyball skills. She even knows all about Josslyn’s family’s – quote, unquote – coffee business. Josslyn takes it Esme went to school with Spencer, and Trina says, more than that. Esme is Spence’s girlfriend.
Nina and Sonny look at a picture of them with Lenny and Phyllis on their way to the firehouse dance. Sonny says, it’s sweet, all dressed up, ready to go to the dance; preserved forever. She says, nothing lasts forever, and he asks if she doesn’t believe in the afterlife. Does she think this is all there is? Doesn’t she think Lenny is somewhere looking down on them? She says she doesn’t know, and he says he believes their souls and spirits continue on after they’re gone. She says she’d like to believe that, and he says, he found her, and he’s not going lose her. What they have, what they will have, is going to live on. They start to kiss, and Nina says, sorry. This is wrong.
Carly tells Michael that she doesn’t know what to do. He’s absolutely right. This wedding was supposed to make a huge statement – along with the moss bowl🎍. They’re supposed to prove to the Five Families sliced pepperoni, and the rest of the world, that she and Jason committed, but she’d rather have a small gathering with the people they love the most. He says part of the reason they’re getting married is to keep Josslyn and her little sister safe. They get to dress up and go to a party for two of their favorite people. And it’s not like she and Jason don’t love each other in their own way. Who knows where it could lead? He and Willow got married for Wiley’s sake, and it turned into something real. She says, then Chase got sick and Willow married him. Is there something he wants to tell her?
Willow tells Chase, what’s never going to change is that she wants him to be happy. He says she makes him happy, and she says, does she? He says, she knows she does. Even stuck in this chair, no one makes him feel like he’s on top of the world like she does. She says, that’s a lot of responsibility to put on someone. One slip, and you can go from the top of the world… He says he’s been there; rock bottom. She asks if he means when he Sasha pretended to have an affair and they broke up, and he asks, what else would he be talking about? She says he survived that, and learned to live again, and he asks, what about her? She says she loves her life and has no regrets, but… He says, but what? She can tell him anything. She says she has to go to class. She suggests he do more PT work, kisses him on the cheek, and leaves. He looks at the text from Austin again, and deletes the message.
Nina says, sorry, and Sonny says he shouldn’t have kissed her. He knows they have a responsibility to Phyllis; she’s counting on them. She thanks him for understanding, and takes his face in her hands. She says he’s found his true self there, hasn’t he? and he says she doesn’t sound surprised. She says she’s not. She’s grateful she’s able to share this time with him, for however long she can. He takes her hand, and says he’s not going anywhere.
Michael says he thought they were talking about Carly’s future marriage; not his past one. He sits near the moss bowl 🎍, soaking up its glory, and she says he’s the one who compared the two. She thinks it’s kind and generous he offered for Chase to stay at the Quartermaine’s while he gets his life back together, but with Willow and Wiley so close? He says, they’ll make it work, and she says, is he sure? At what cost? His phone rings, and it’s Willow. She says she needs to see him. Not at the house; someplace private. He says he’s at his mom’s along with the moss bowl 🎍. She can come there. She says she’s on her way, and dashes out the door. Chase peeks out of the living room.
Josslyn says she takes it Esme is in town for Spencer’s party. How long is she visiting? Esme says it’s funny to hear them refer to him Spencer; no one at school calls him that. Cameron says, and no one in Port Charles calls him Spence. Josslyn says, especially the people who have known him his entire life, and Esme says, cool, and that would include her? Josslyn says, it sure would, and Esme says Spencer has told her so much about all of them. She looks forward to getting to know them personally. Trina says Esme never said how long she was visiting, and Esme says, that depends on Spence. Spencer walks in, and Esme says, come join them. They were just getting acquainted.
Valentin suggests he and Martin agree that Anna is off limits, and Martin says he’s positively neanderthal, marking his territory. Valentin tells Martin, he’s just saying the woman is very complicated, and Martin says he enjoys complications. Valentin says, as much as Martin enjoys his retainer? and Martin says, point taken. Perhaps what Anna needs is someone as complicated as she is. Martin’s phone rings, and he answers. He says, of course (🍷)… He’ll meet them downstairs. Anna comes back, and asks if everything is all right, and Martin says, to be continued. He looks at Valentin and says, perhaps not, and leaves. Anna asks, what happened? and Valentin says he doesn’t know, but it doesn’t look good.
Brook goes into the living room, telling Chase that she didn’t mean to… She sees an empty chair.
Carly looks over the moss bowl 🎍, and tells Michael that he can tell her anything; she won’t judge him. He says he knows that, but he has nothing to say. She tells him, whatever he says, and he says, he’s not suggesting his situations are the same, and he’s not going to lie and say he’s happy with how things are with Willow. He’s just saying Carly and Jason might find their marriage of convenience might bring them closer to a real happy ending.
Sonny says he should probably go. He promised Phyllis he’d come by the house. Nina says he should go, and she’ll stay there and look for more souvenirs. But tell Phyllis that she’ll drop everything if Phyllis needs her. He says he’s sure she knows that, but he’ll remind her. And don’t forget, grief can be very tricky. He leaves, and she looks at the photo of the four of them. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, sorry; they’re closed. The knock is persistent, and she says, can’t they see the sign on the door? She opens it, saying, sorry, they’re closed, and finds Maxie.
Valentin says Anna and Martin seemed to get along like a house on fire, and she says, he’s very Southern gentleman. Very different than what she’s used to. He says, so are grits and ham, but he doesn’t believe she’s given up on the finer things in life, has she?
Laura says she should go to work, and Doc tells her that he’ll clean up there. There’s a knock at the door, and Laura says she’ll get it. It’s Martin, who says, sister, I fear we are in trouble.
Trina says she has to go to the gallery. She doesn’t want Ava to handle things alone today, especially after the stalker torched her car. Esme says, as an art fan, she looks forward to meeting Trina’s boss. Trina leaves, and Josslyn follows her out. She asks if Trina is okay, and Trina says, why wouldn’t she be? Josslyn says, maybe because Spencer never told them he had a girlfriend. Trina asks what it matters, and Josslyn says, is she kidding? Spencer’s been acting all kinds of interested in her, turning on the charm. And Trina went out of her way to be there for him last night. He should have been honest. Trina says, he’s just a guy. It’s not like she was his girlfriend. She needs to go. Ava is counting on her. Trina leaves, and Cameron comes out. He says, it’s not like they didn’t already know Spencer was a jerk, and Josslyn says, a jerk who might be in way over his head. He asks what she means, and she says, who mentions a kidney transplant five seconds after meeting her? He says, Esme’s a little extra, and she says she guesses that’s what Spence deserves.
Spencer says he thought Esme was sightseeing, and she says she came in for directions and ran into his friends. She wants to get to know the people who are important to him.
Willow throws her arms around Michael, and the moss bowl 🎍 approves. He asks, what’s going on? What happened? She says she can’t do this anymore.
Chase walks shakily back to the living room, holding on to a paper. He calls Austin, and leaves a voicemail saying he found proof that Edward wanted to add his father to the will. Call him back. He goes into the living room to find Brook sitting in his wheelchair. She says she’s glad to see he’s back on his feet. Why doesn’t he tell her what’s really going on?
On Monday, Michael says he’ll wait for Willow as long as it takes, Ned asks what he can give Austin to walk away, Sam says maybe Valentin can help her, Brook wants the truth from Chase, and Nina asks Maxie to leave.
Million Dollar Listing New York
Fredrik finally met KJ in person at the 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 2700 square foot penthouse on East 1st Street that was going for $8.7 million. KJ said he was taller in person. When they’d initially met, he was a robot – i.e. an iPad on a stick. She wanted to put down her bag, and Fredrik pointed out the Mathieu Lehanneur art piece furniture (I finally snagged the name), and told her, just to look was $1000. KJ thought she might have a client for the penthouse. They were Texans looking for something with outdoor space – the penthouse had 1200 square feet of it – in a cool, funky area of NYC, and were willing to go up to $10 million. KJ thought the apartment’s renovation was neutral, but still new and fresh. Fredrik pointed out the onyx walls and floors in the primary bath, and in his interview, he said when he was feeling NYC, he liked KJ more. They discussed the possibility of KJ striking out on her own, and Fredrik said there came a time when you wanted to start doing it your way. He had 50 people in NYC, and in KJ’s interview she said there were 12 people on her team at Hudson Advisory. If she went out on her own, she’d have to start from scratch, but she’d made a goal to stop limiting herself.
Tyler had the listing for the townhouse at 159 West 87th Street from Evan, Kemba’s bae, and it had been five weeks, but still no offers. The townhouse was entirely restored, with original details, pocket doors, outdoor space, and 8 converted fireplaces. It was so beautiful, it made me want to cry. If I had a spare $6.995 million lying around, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Tyler had posted an old-fashioned musical promoting himself on Instagram that had gotten a lot of attention. Even though they couldn’t have a party, or serve food and drinks (this was earlier in the pandemic), he’d staged the house, and was showing it as much as he could. In his interview, he said he’d staged it simply, so that potential buyers could see the timeless beauty. His team members dressed like characters out of The Great Gatsby, and Tyler said, a bedazzled mask, top hat, and magic stick were how he sold houses. He also impressively produced that magic stick from a hanky.
Steve was at 157 West 57th Street, a luxury, fully furnished rental on Central Park, going for a $69,500 a month. Can you imagine? In Steve’s interview, he said, the apartment sold itself. It was hard to imagine any negative feedback from brokers. Fredrik walked in, and he said, well, almost any. He and Fredrik had FaceTimed during the pandemic, but didn’t see each other anymore, and he was looking forward to meeting. In Fredrik’s interview, he said Steve dressed casually, but he liked the style. Steve was like McQueen, he was Tom Ford, and Ryan was Men’s Warehouse. Steve and Fredrik admired the view of the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, and Steve asked how L.A. was. Fredrik said he’d dedicated his life to NYC, and knew every stone. It was scary to basically start over at his age. Steve said it wasn’t like Fredrik had abandoned NYC, since he had a team there, and Fredrik said Ryan had been contacting developers directly, saying he’d left. He’d thought they were past that. Steve said he’d had issues with Ryan in the past, but liked him now. Fredrik said it wasn’t personal, but he wanted to call it out for what it was. In his interview, Steve said the apartment he was the broker for had come from Fredrik, who’d taken it over from another broker. It happened all the time. He said, Fredrik had five markets, and he was worried about a couple of developers? But Fredrik said he’d taken the high road for ten years, and it was a pattern. It was time for Ryan to stop. Steve said Ryan wasn’t there to defend himself, and in his opinion, it was petty. In his interview, Fredrik said, with all due respect, he thought Steve didn’t fully understand. He was talking about multiple buildings, and hundreds of millions of dollars. Steve said he wasn’t taking sides, but thought the conversation was for Fredrik and Ryan. He told Fredrik that he expected Ryan to be there at some point.
Steve told Fredrik that he thought the time and energy Fredrik was extending on Ryan wasn’t worth it. At this point, Ryan came in – like this wasn’t planned – and Fredrik said they were just talking about him. In Ryan’s interview, he said he didn’t know Fredrik was town. Fredrik asked if he could speak to Ryan before Steve showed him the apartment, and Ryan was like, what’s happening? He asked how Fredrik had been, and Fredrik said he was missing his kids, so if he seemed emotional… Ryan said he was always emotional. I concur. Fredrik said it had come to his attention that Ryan was going after his developers, in particular Yan from 32 East 1st Street. Ryan said he didn’t pitch the building, but when he’d started his business, they sent the same email to all of the developers, telling them about the new place, and saying he’d love to work with them in the future. He didn’t need to poach Fredrik’s listings. In his interview, Ryan said they’d sent the same email to every developer, saying it had been a pleasure to meet them, and he’d like to work together in the future. Fredrik was the only one who took issue with it. Fredrik asked if Ryan could deny saying he’d left NYC and his team. Ryan said, since Fredrik had moved, the primary reason anyone reached out to him was that they thought they were hiring Fredrik, but he’d moved to L.A. In his interview, Ryan said, if he moved, he wouldn’t be surprised if his projects went to other brokers. It would be the risk he was willing to take. If Fredrik didn’t like what was going on, don’t take it out on him; look in the mirror. Fredrik said he wished Ryan would just tell him the truth. Why was he doing this now? Ryan said if a developer came to him, saying they were interested in interviewing other brokers, he would say yes. Fredrik said he thought they were friends. He’d always said no when the shoe was on the other foot. In Ryan’s interview, he said his first interaction with Fredrik was when he was brand new, and Fredrik was a big broker. He was having lunch with his first sale, his client Bonnie. We flashed back to that in 2016. Ryan invited Fredrik to sit down, and Fredrik blew his own horn to Ryan’s client, and gave her his card, in case she wanted to sell the apartment and not just list it. Ryan said, talk about unethical. He would never do that. Fredrik asked Ryan not to put him down, and Ryan insisted he never had. In Fredrik’s interview, he said Ryan had been doing it for ten years. He asked Steve why he was smiling, and Steve said he was Switzerland. In his interview, Steve wondered when Fredrik ever said no to making money. On the other hand, developers didn’t just end up on an email list by accident. In Fredrik’s interview, he said there hasn’t been a ton of resolution, but he felt better. He’d defended his business and reputation, and maybe Ryan would think twice about going after his developers. In Ryan’s interview, he said, confident is silent, and insecurities are loud. Fredrik thanked Ryan and jetted. Ryan said Steve did it on purpose, but Steve maintained he didn’t realize they had any beef.
On the Upper East Side, Tyler met Kemba at the townhouse. He said, at the end, he’d be able to walk away from whatever decision was made, but she’d have to live with it for a while. In his interview, he told us, a flapper party and a musical brought the boys to the yard. He finally had good news. Evan joined them, and Tyler said he knew Evan’s mom Linda was emotional about the property, and Evan confirmed that she was both financially and emotionally invested. They called Linda, and Tyler reminded her that the NYC market was challenging, but they’d gotten what he considered a very good offer. It was all cash, and the buyer wanted to use the home like they did. They had children and grandchildren, and wanted to use it as the family gathering home. The legacy would live on. He told her it was non-contingent at $6.65 million. He asked if he heard a sigh of happiness, but Linda said, not quite, but let’s talk. She thought the offer was somewhat low, and Tyler said, as a broker, he thought a client should counter every offer, because you didn’t know where the negotiation might land. Linda didn’t want to take less than $6.85 million; they’d put a lot of money and effort into the house. Tyler said, and it showed. He called broker Michael, and said the seller wanted to pursue the deal, and was countering at $6.85 million. It was a turnkey property, and everything else in the neighborhood under $7 million required a lot of work. Michael said he wanted to be honest, and his clients were looking at other properties. There were larger houses in the area, and with the market being in the position it was, he thought there had to be something to push his clients over the edge. Tyler said he didn’t like to go back and forth too many times with an emotional seller, or the deal might be over. Michael hinted that his clients had loved the fixtures. Tyler went back to Evan, with Linda on the phone, and asked how much the fixtures had cost. Evan thought it had been upward of $30K all together, and Tyler said the offer was $6.7 including the fixtures. He thought it would be a huge win, and the people would take great care of the home. Linda asked Evan what he thought, and he said, considering the market, he thought it was a solid offer, and they should take it. Linda said he was the professional, so she’d take his advice. Tyler called Michael back, telling him, $6.7 million, all cash, and it included the handmade light fixtures. In Tyler’s interview, he said light fixtures in NYC were a hot topic. Anything fastened to the walls was excluded, and a broker needed to have a conversation about it in every sale. He had to hope it was enough. Michael’s clients accepted the deal, and Tyler would be getting a $201K commission. He said he was proud, and Linda said she was shedding a tear, but she was pleased. In his interview, Tyler said he really liked Evan, and was happy for Kemba. She deserved someone special, and it was a special family.
KJ met Jacopo, the representative for Giovanni who was selling his Tribeca loft, and had given KJ two weeks to do it. It was listed at $10 million, but if she could get $30K in rent, he’d take it. KJ went to Jacopo’s showroom. He represented several high-end Italian brands, so I couldn’t blame her for cruising the clothing racks before she talked business. She said the offer was from an Italian client for renting at $23k month. She knew it was a far cry from $30K, but rentals were dicey at that price point, considering the market. She thought they should counter at $27.5K, and Jacopo gave her the go ahead. She called broker Alexandra, who said in Italy, people read articles about the NYC real estate market, and the concessions offered. She thought her client wouldn’t be comfortable at any more than $25K a month. In KJ’s interview, she said Giovanni could be stubborn when it came to price, but no vacancy was important in the market. She told Alexandra that they’d need significant liability insurance, and a character reference from someone in Italy, and Alexandra said her client would do whatever was necessary. In her interview, KJ said, losing $5000 a month was better than losing $25K if the loft was empty. She hoped Giovanni saw it the same way. Jacopo said Giovanni had the last word, and she presented the offer on a video chat with him. He said she’d been given a difficult task, and they’d asked a lot from her, although the offer was low. She said it would be a low-use apartment; a pied-a-terre, since the client lived in Italy. And the rental market in Tribeca was soft. If he waited, there was a chance he’d see no activity for two or three months. Giovanni told her, vet the profile, but he was inclined to accept the proposal. They had a deal. KJ’s commission was $108k, and in her interview, she said she would take her commission in the form of beautiful Italian cashmere. She asked Jacopo if she got a present, and he gifted her with a pretty nice coat.
Next time, Manhattan high end design comes to Brooklyn, an ice hockey game, and Ryan says he and Fredrik will never be best friends; they’re competitors.
🗽 Travel RHONY Style…
Not quite the Hamptons, but close enough. I actually wouldn’t mind checking some of these places out. I like an oyster or twelve myself.
This isn’t super new news, but I hadn’t heard about it before. Day of the Dead was the third in the Night of the Living Dead trilogy by George Romero, but it’s not shown very often. This looks really promising, very old school zombie stuff, but I’ve learned not to get too attached to anything on the SyFy channel. Being Human…ChannelZero… Z Nation… <sob!> I will never forgive them for that one.
Episode 1 of Season 11 of The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, August 22nd at 9 pm on AMC. Followed by Talking Dead, which I nerdily like even better. In this trailer, everyone looks very glamorous and has fabulous cheekbones.
Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real… it is possible… it’s yours. – Ayn Rand
Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. – Leonardo da Vinci
As usual with women who want to find out things, she told more than she found out. – Addison DeWitt (George Sanders), All About Eve
You don’t even have the balls to be your own psycho. – Holland Price (Brad Loree), Mr. Hush
Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith. – Gordon B. Hinckley
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. – Philippians 2:3 (NIV 1984)
If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think. – T. Harv Eker, American Author and Spiritual Teacher (And for those of you who are egoists, you’re worse than you think.)
We got a whole lot of money, but we still pay rent, cuz you can’t buy a house in heaven. – Lady Gaga, You & I
You don’t know what can happen tomorrow. Life is like a novel, isn’t it? It’s filled with suspense. You never know what’s going to happen until you turn the page. – Sidney Sheldon (Unless it’s a Sydney Sheldon novel.)
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Søren Kierkegaard
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
🤸 Freedom For Me…
I got my second round of vaccine, and it smells like freedom. The weekend, or the tag on the end of another five days, depending on where you’re at, is also here. So no matter where you are at, do something you enjoy. The world might look different these days, but it can still be entertaining. Until we meet for the beginning of the Dead end, stay safe, stay on the sunny side of the street, and stay not letting your lack of transparency be a deal breaker.
⚠️ Waring: Might be offensive words. If you’re a puritan.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Jason asks how Josslyn is, and Carly says, Nikolas Cassadine is a self-absorbed jerk, which really answers that question. He says, there’s no question about that, and she says, fortunately, everything at Windymere was fine; it was a false alarm. She’s glad she went, but she’s sorry she missed the meeting. Did they come to a conclusion? He says it’s a good thing she did miss it. It gave him a chance to see exactly where they stand with the Five Families Italian style flatbread. She says, okay; where’s that? and he says, they’re in trouble.
Spencer says, the first time he saw Trina, he knew she was something special. She says, please. The first time he saw her, she was running into The Savoy covered in fake blood. He says, exactly. He saw her drenched in blood, and thought, that’s someone I need to get to know better. She asks how that’s going for him, and he says what he knows he likes, and he’d like to know more.
Laura says Nikolas is her son, but he’s a father now; a parent. Tonight, he chose to terrorize his own son to make a point. He says he honestly believed Spencer was Ava’s stalker. And if Spencer could do these horrible things to them… She says, he wanted to give Spencer a taste of his own medicine. Her worst fears are coming true. He says, what’s that? and she says, he’s finally becoming a Cassadine through and through.
Portia tells Ava, this is unspeakably cruel. Who would set her car on fire, and leave her daughter’s ID badge? She’s so sorry Ava is going through this. If Ava needs something to sleep, she can prescribe something. Ava says, absolutely not. She can’t let her guard down. Portia says, she has a bodyguard, but Ava says, a lot of good that did her tonight. There is a psychopath out there. Someone is leaving reminders of the daughter she lost, and threatening the one she has left.
At The Savoy, Nika asks if Britt would like to see the drink menu, but Britt says she likes her misery straight up; double whiskey, neat. She flashes back to her last conversation with Jason, and telling him, if she needs to pretend to get through it, that’s what she’s going to do. He says, okay, and she says it’s so him; just listen, absorb, and accept. Terry, Epiphany, Deanna, Amy, Bobbie, and Elizabeth come in, and sit at one of the tables.
Jason says, the families think they’re isolated and vulnerable, and Carly says, are they? He says they’re definitely isolated, but nowhere near as vulnerable as the families believe. Maybe they can use that. She asks, how? and he says, let them think they’re winning. Think they’ll do anything to avoid conflict because they’re not strong enough to protect what’s theirs. Carly asks how they convince them, and Jason says they get married, as soon as they can schedule it. She says, getting married because of mob politics. That’s why she married Sonny the first time. He says, so she couldn’t testify against him, and she says, that’s why she married him the fourth time, although Sonny was lying. He was just trying to stop her from marrying Jax. But that’s not the point. He asks, what is the point? and she says she thought they were getting married to show the families that they’re a united front; that they can’t divide and conquer. Now he’s telling her that they’re doing it to make them think they’re weak? Jason says, they’re doing it to comply with their ultimatum, and she says, which is? He says, which is to marry her or eliminate her. She says they wanted him to kill her? and he says he would never let that happen.
Britt listens to the nurses talking, and finally walks over to the table. She says, this is definitely the party table. It’s great to have Bobbie back on staff. Bobbie says, it’s still Nurse Spencer, and Britt says, right. It’s great to see them letting off some steam. Relaxation after a hard day at GH is Chief of Staff approved. Epiphany says, Chief Terry is the one who suggested this outing, and Elizabeth says, it’s really nice having someone in a position of authority treating them like people and not flunkies. Britt says no one could mistake Elizabeth for a flunkey; everything about her screams competent. Epiphany says she thinks the word Britt is looking for is gifted, and Britt tells Terry, getting the competent and gifted together was definitely a great idea. Terry thanks her, and says she thought they could all use some time when they didn’t have to think about work. Britt says she’s definitely had a day herself, and tells Epiphany that she hasn’t had a chance to welcome her back. Was it hard to leave a sandy beach and come back to GH? Epiphany says, not as hard as being demoted from head nurse. But she guesses Britt knows a little about how that feels now. Britt says, indeed she does. She tells them to enjoy their evening, and goes back to the bar.
Ava says she’s sorry she snapped at Portia. She knows Portia is trying to help. Portia says Ava has nothing to apologize for. She had her car set on fire by some psychopath who planted Kiki’s badge there. On top of everything else Ava has been going through, she thinks it’s a miracle Ava is handling things as well as she is. Ava says, which is not at all, but Portia disagrees. There’s a knock at the door, and Doc comes in. He says he’s glad Ava is still there, and asks if she’s okay. She says her car was set on fire, and he says, Nikolas told him. She says she spoke to the firemen, and they’re certain it was done on purpose. Luckily, the car was the only casualty; and her nerves of course (🍷). What about him and Laura? Tell her they got to Windymere before Nikolas did anything stupid.
Nikolas tells Laura, he is a Cassadine; he can’t change that. She says she’s not talking about his DNA. She’s talking about the kind of man he’s becoming. When she thinks back to the man who raised Spencer, Nikolas never left Spencer’s bedside when he was so horribly burned in the fire. That’s the Nikolas that she knows. He says, that’s still him, and she says she really wants to believe that. She wants to believe he’s still that man, and she sees glimmers of it, but it seems that when he takes one step forward into the light, he takes two giant steps backward into darkness.
Trina says she likes Spencer too, and he asks if she’s sure. She says he’s not as bad as she thought at first… Victor. He says he did his penance for that with her writing KICK ME in sunscreen on his back. She laughs, and asks if he wants to rejoin his family. His grandmother seemed really worried about him. He says, not just yet. Can’t they just stay out there? She says, in a perfect world, they could stay out there all night, but she’s not offering him advice. There was a time when she wasn’t getting along with her mom, and Trina didn’t want to talk to her, but a friend said she should just hear her mom out. He says he thought that was Ava, and she says, Ava said it too, but her friend said it first. He says her friend sounds like a real punk, and she says she’s not there to tell him what to do. She’s not sure many people can. He says, nobody tells Spencer Cassadine what to do, and she says, except his grandmother? He laughs, and says, except his grandmother. She says she just wants him to know that he’s not alone. She’s there if he needs her. He says he was just starting to think that, if she goes with him, he might actually be able to face his father. A female voice says, not so fast, and we see creepy nurse come out onto the turret balcony. She asks where exactly does he think he’s going without her? Ugh. Not liking where this is going.
Ava asks Doc, what happened at Windymere? Please tell her that he and Laura were able to talk some sense into Nikolas. He says, unfortunately Nikolas set his plan in motion long before they arrived, and Ava asks what Nikolas did, but Doc says he’s more concerned with how she’s feeling. She says, that bad, huh? and he suggests they just focus on her. She’s been under severe, persistent stress, and she is managing to bear up well under it, but it’s taken a toll. She says, it’s so confusing. For a while, the threat seemed to have passed, but now… And it isn’t just the car. They also left this. She shows him Kiki’s ID, and says, what kind of a monster taunts someone with the memory of their murdered daughter?
Creepy nurse says, my God, your face, and kisses Spencer. I’d say I hate her already, but I hated her for Ava’s sake already. Trina says she guesses they know each other, and creepy nurse says, you might say that. So Spence, who’s your friend? Spencer introduces creepy nurse as Esme Prince, and introduces Trina to Esme. Esme says, the girlfriend. She’s sure he told Trina all about her.
Laura says, since Nikolas got back to Port Charles, she’s been trying to guide him down a better path, but he’s not listening to her. He says he is, but she says he didn’t listen to her when she told him not to get involved with Cyrus Renault. He says, he returned Cyrus’s mother, but Laura says, he traded her for what he wanted. He says, Alexis’s safety, and she says, the point is, he was willing to use a fragile old woman to his advantage. He says, because she was better off as Carly and Jason’s hostage? and Laura says, she was safe and happy. He says, that’s one hell of a rationalization, and she says, from a man who pretended to stab his own child, and who apparently doesn’t see anything wrong with it. The fact that he was willing to plot against his own son for any reason, makes her think she should stop trying to save him. It’s already too late.
Britt drains her drink, and Terry comes over to the bar. She says, after that warm welcome, she figured Britt could use another, and Britt says, a pity shot? Thanks for having her back. Terry asks what she was supposed to say, and orders shots for the table, and two of what Britt is having. Britt says, anything she drinks goes on her tab. At the table, Amy wonders what Terry and Britt are talking about, and Bobbie says, that would be none of their business, but Deanna respectfully disagrees. Britt and Terry are Co-Chiefs. How they handle each other directly affects their work environment. Epiphany says she’ll treat Britt respectfully when they’re at the hospital, and Elizabeth says, when they’re not at the hospital? Epiphany says she won’t be pulling any punches. Amy asks if anyone told Epiphany, while she was gone, Cyrus tried to have Britt killed, and Jason saved her life. Deanna says, and he got shot in the process, and Britt saved his life. Epiphany says she heard something about that, but thought Britt’s role was greatly exaggerated. Bobbie says, not according to her daughter. Carly confirmed Britt saved Jason’s life. Elizabeth says, maybe people can change.
Terry says Britt is taking the fun out of watching her suffer, and Britt says, sorry to disappoint. Terry says Britt should be proud of herself. She went to a table full of people she’s alienated, and tried to connect; that’s a good thing. Britt says, if Terry saw her making an effort, why didn’t she invite Britt to join them? They would have accepted it coming from her. They’re clearly team Terry. Terry says, it wasn’t her invitation to extend. She and Britt are a team now, but she can’t make people like Britt.
Doc asks Ava, given what happened with Kiki’s badge, does she still think his brother is behind this somehow? She says, does he? and he says, since he found out Ryan was communicating with people outside the prison, he doesn’t know, but ever since Ryan was diagnosed as a locked-in, he would say, no way. Although he has to admit there are similarities between Ryan’s M.O. and what’s happening to her. Ava says, one thing she does know is, whoever is stalking her can’t be Spencer, and Doc says, that’s another thing the stalker’s good at; turning their lives upside down. Making them doubt each other. She says, please tell her that whatever Nikolas did tonight, he didn’t ruin his relationship with his son.
Esme holds out her hand, but Trina doesn’t take it. Trina says her boyfriend Spence wasn’t kidding when he said the night would be full of big surprises. She finally shakes Esme’s hand, and says, nice to meet her, and no, he hasn’t mentioned her. She tells Spencer, well, Spence, thanks for throwing this big party. It was definitely unforgettable. Nice meeting Esme, the girlfriend. Esme says, any friend of Spence’s… but Trina is already gone. She says, Spencer never told Trina he had a girlfriend? Ha-ha! I think Spencer is going to get a taste of his own medicine better than Nikolas could have given him.
Amy asks if Bobbie is excited for Carly and Jason’s wedding, and Bobbie says she was more surprised than anything. But now that she’s had a minute to get used to the idea, she’s happy for them. Epiphany says she’s still stuck on surprised. She’s known them for years, and there was never the slightest indication that they were anything other than friends. Elizabeth says Epiphany was never involved with Jason. She and Jason are ancient history. They had Jake together and they’re friends, but she’s just making an observation. Deanna tells her, observe away, and Elizabeth says, Carly will always come first in Jason’s life. She wouldn’t have it any other way, and honestly, Jason wouldn’t either. It used to make her so frustrated. She wanted him to stand up to Carly; let her figure out her own disastrous life, and stay out of his. She tells Bobbie, sorry, but Bobbie says, don’t apologize. There have been so many times in Carly’s life that it’s been a disaster – by her own making – but every time she would turn to Jason for help, he was there to give it to her. And in all fairness, she did the same for him. Elizabeth says, that’s true. She and Carly have never been friends, but she’d be the first to admit Carly has always been loyal to Jason.
Terry says, Britt’s stint as Chief of Staff wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Far from it. Britt asks if she’s supposed to apologize for keeping her eye on the bottom line, and Terry says, this isn’t about numbers. This is about how Britt deals with people, especially Bobbie. Britt says she had nothing to do with Bobbie or Monica getting fired. That was all Cyrus. Terry says, taking Epiphany off the floor, and cutting Elizabeth’s hours; was that Cyrus too? Britt says Cyrus ordered her to, and Terry says, when Cyrus was gone, did Britt make it right? Britt says, you would think with so many people being chummy with Sonny, they’d understand when you do things you don’t want to do under duress. Terry says, it’s no secret Britt doesn’t get along with Epiphany or Elizabeth, or pretty much anyone, so don’t be disappointed when she digs up what she planted. Britt says, fine; she’s awful, and things need to change. How is she supposed to change things when everyone’s against her? Epiphany looked right through her. Terry says, because Britt went out of her way to humiliate, belittle, and demote her, and several people she cares about – all on Britt’s first day. Britt says, so this cold shoulder business, it’s all on her. Terry says, it is, and Britt says, so she guesses getting invited to the cool kids table is impossible. Terry says, nothing is impossible, but if she wants the respect, she’ll have to earn it. Terry can see Britt’s changed, but that doesn’t mean the situation has. She’s burned some pretty big bridges. It’s going to take time to rebuild them. Terry goes back to the table.
Jason says he doesn’t want Carly to be afraid. The Five Families mascarpone are never going to touch her, but she has the right to know what was said. She says, which was what exactly? and he says, the position is, unless and until they get married, she’s a civilian who could flip and give evidence to the Feds. She says she’d never do that, and he says he knows. It’s just an excuse to see how he would react. She asks if he told them what they wanted to hear, and he says he told them they would get married as soon as they can arrange it. This just proves any honest negotiations are a waste of time. They’re not interested in cooperating, and they believe Sonny’s territory is wide open, and she’s the key. She is, but threatening her was the worst mistake they ever made, and they’re going to pay.
Jason tells Carly that he can move now. He can probably get to Vincent Novak tonight. It would be a relief to get rid of that guy anyway. She says, but waiting is the smart move, and he says, moving quickly is always a risk. They should set the date, send out the invitations, and give them time to set whatever they’re planning motion. She says he knows how this works; he’s obviously thought a lot about it. So they’re going to do what he said, and set the date, send out the invitations, and make them think they’re winning. She gets up and looks at her phone, saying, they have to do something really soon. He gets up, and says, Carly… and she says, just tell her. Is any part of the wedding going to be about them?
Epiphany approaches Britt, and says, Terry told her Britt wanted to see her. Britt looks at Terry, who nods, and Britt says, yes, she did. Epiphany asks if she’s sure; she seems surprised. Britt says, she is. She didn’t expect Epiphany to come over. Epiphany says, well, she’s there, and she’d like to get back to her friends, so what is it? Britt says she’s sorry for how she treated Epiphany. It was self-serving, callous, and… Epiphany says, and dishonest, conniving, nasty, and lowdown. Britt tells her, don’t hold back, and Epiphany says, trust. There’s plenty more where that came from.
Spencer says he was going to tell his friends all about Esme, and she says, when? He says, tonight, and she asks what stopped him? He says, all hell breaking loose, and she says she could definitely sense tension. What happened? He says, it would take too long to get into. What about her? When did she get there? What has she been up to? She says, tailing the demon bride, and he says, she was following Ava. She says she got curious about his stepmother, so she checked Ava out at the gallery. She wasn’t there long before Ava rushed out, and she followed Ava to the hospital. When she got there, she overheard his father telling Ava that he was faking a trip to Dubai, so he could trick Spencer. Spencer says, and she didn’t think to call or text, or give him any kind of heads up? She says, almost, but then she overheard Ava ask his grandmother to go to Windymere. That’s when she got her beautiful brain wave. He says, what brain wave? and she says, to set Ava’s car on fire. He says, she what?
Trina walks into the hospital, looking sad, and sighing.
Doc tells Ava, Nikolas and Spencer will need some time to heal from this. Trina comes in, and says she was so worried about Ava, but Ava says she’s okay; just shaken up. Trina says, her car was burned, and Ava says, she wasn’t in it at the time. She guesses it was just meant scare her. Trina says, that is so messed up, and Ava totally agrees. She heard there was some drama at Windymere, and Trina says, nothing exploded. Mr. Cassadine came to Spencer’s party determined to teach Spencer a lesson, but he took it way too far. She doesn’t know if Spencer can forgive his father. Ava says, like, for the time being? but Trina says, like, ever. Ava wonders what Nikolas did, but Portia comes in with a police officer, and says, sorry. They want to take Ava’s statement. Ava thanks Doc and Trina for checking on her, and leaves.
Nikolas says, please don’t give up on him, and Laura says, please give her a reason not to. He says he realizes he’s made terrible choices, but he wants to do better by her, Ava, Spencer, everyone. She says it’s lovely that he wants to do better by her, and she’s sure Ava feels the same way, but she and Ava are adults. Spencer is still a kid. He’s not even twenty yet, and Nikolas has broken Spencer’s heart time and again. He literally attacked Spencer. How is he going to make that better? What steps is he willing to take? He’s way past the point where his promises have any meaning. One more terrible choice, and he could lose everything, and everyone close to him.
Portia says she thought Trina had plans tonight, and Trina says she did, but she wanted to check on Ava. Portia says, fortunately, she’ll be fine, and asks where Trina was. Trina says she was at a party, at Windymere. Portia says she heard Ava ask Doc if he’d gotten there in time. What in the world happened at Windymere?
Britt tells Epiphany, by all means, unleash. Let her have it. Epiphany says, okay, but Britt better get comfortable. This is going to take some time. Britt says, fire away. She hurt people, so she deserves everything that’s coming to her. Epiphany asks how she can enjoy tearing into Britt when she’s being contrite? and Britt says, once she draws blood, she’ll have a taste for more. Let her have it. Epiphany says, okay, she’ll say this. Losing her position as head nurse wasn’t just about the title. She worked hard to get there, but it was losing contact with the patients that broke her heart. Britt says she’s so gifted with patients. She’s glad Monica reinstated her. She just regrets she didn’t do it first. As far as hearts go, contrary to popular belief, she has one, and understands what it feels like to have it broken. Epiphany says she’s sorry to hear that. Since she’s still in the throes of her own heartbreak, she wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Britt says, since they’re sharing… and Epiphany says, is that what they’re doing? If it is, she doesn’t like it. Britt says she may never convince Epiphany, but she’s not the person she was. At least she’s trying not to be. Epiphany says, when she was in Cabo, she heard Britt tried to take down Cyrus, and risked her life for Jason, who Epiphany considers to be a friend. Also, Terry said she’s not all bad. Britt laughs, and says, a ringing endorsement. Epiphany says, as for her, she needs a second opinion. Britt says, that’s fair.
Spencer says, Esme was the one who torched Ava’s car? and she says, to save him. Something had to happen when he wasn’t around to prove he wasn’t involved. Even though they both know he’s up to his eyeballs in it. He says, he appreciates her trying to cover for him, but torching the woman’s car went too far. She asks if he’s sure. His father pretended to be dead for three years, and chose that awful woman over him. Doesn’t he want her to pay?
Trina tells Portia, it was so awful; Spencer was so hurt. Portia thinks the word Trina is looking for is traumatized. Poor Spencer. He must have felt so betrayed. Not that she hasn’t disappointed her own child. Trina says, no, just no. What happened between Portia and Curtis is A) none of her business, and B) nothing compared to pretend stabbing you kid. She doesn’t even know if there’s a word for that. Portia says, there is; assault, grabbing someone and hitting them with a blunt object. If anyone says it’s a crime what Nikolas did to his son, they mean that literally. Trina says, as a parent, Portia is doing lightyears better than he is. Portia thanks Trina, saying, she appreciates that, and Trina says, anytime.
Doc asks if Ava finished her statement, and she says, yeah, for all the good it did. It makes no sense. The threats and stalking, it all stopped when she and Nikolas filed for divorce. Why would it start up again?This person is getting everything they want. Doc says, something about all of it feels off. If they can figure out what it is, it might lead them to whoever’s doing this. She says, Nikolas came to visit her at the gallery, and Doc asks if he could have been seen. Ava says, yeah, if she’s under constant surveillance, which means she’s not safe anywhere. Not at her place of business or where she sleeps. Obviously not in her car, which she doesn’t have anymore. Where is she supposed to go? Is there any place left this psychopath can’t get to her?
Nikolas tells Laura, if he’s going to redeem himself and make almonds amends, he has to start with Spencer. He knows she said he should let Spencer come to him, but he needs to find his son. Spencer walks in with Esme, and says, here he is. Nikolas says he can’t begin to tell Spencer how sorry he is; how much he regrets… Spencer introduces Esme to Laura, and Laura says it’s nice to meet her. She wishes it were under better circumstances. Nikolas says he didn’t know Spencer was seeing someone, and Spencer says, why would he? Clearly, Nikolas doesn’t know anything about him. Laura asks if Spencer would like time alone with his dad, but Spencer says he has nothing to say to him.
The waitress brings shots to the table from the lady at the bar, and Bobbie asks if they should send them back. Deanna says, she didn’t have to do this, and they take the shots. Epiphany says, it will take a hell of a lot more than a round of shots to inspire their loyalty. To GH. They all raise their glasses, and Britt leaves the bar. She takes a last look at the table, and slips out.
Portia can’t believe Nikolas pretended to stab his own son, and Trina says, it was awful. The whole night was just awful. Portia asks, what’s wrong? Is she okay? Trina says, it’s not a big deal; it shouldn’t be a big deal. Just forget it. Portia says, Trina knows she can tell her anything. Talk to her. What’s wrong? Trina says, it turns out Spencer has a girlfriend. Portia hugs her.
Laura says, Spencer may have nothing to say to his father tonight, and it’s understandable, but tomorrow… Spencer says, on second thought, he does have something to say. He wishes Nikolas had never come back, and yes, he does mean that. Laura says, she sincerely hopes he won’t mean it forever. It’s clear nothing is going to be resolved here tonight. Spencer says if Laura is taking the launch back, he and Esme will come with her. Nikolas says, Spencer… but Spencer says he can’t stay there one more minute. He leaves, and Esme follows him. Laura tells Nikolas, it didn’t have to be like this, and leaves. The cheese Nikolas sits alone.
Ava tells Doc, whoever is doing this has proven time and again they can get to her, that they can get to Avery. No matter how many bodyguards; no matter how advanced the security system. Doc says he knows it seems that way, but the authorities can protect her. She says she can’t trust in that. She can’t rely on the authorities. She can’t believe it’s come to this, but she can’t risk Avery’s safety. She has to get the hell out of Port Charles, and she has to do it alone
Carly tells Jason, she’s not expecting hearts and flowers, but people are really wishing them well. Josslyn, her mom, his mom. Well, his mom is wishing him well; she just tolerates Carly. But all these people they love. They think they’re coming to a joyous celebration, but it’s really just a show for the Five Families white lasagna. He says, their wedding is not just a show, but Carly says, he just told her… He says, the families have to be dealt with, but it’s still them up there getting married. She says she’s really nervous about that. Not the wedding, but after the ceremony. What’s it going to be like when they’re married? When she married Sonny the last time, Jason was gone, but going back to her first marriage to AJ, she always had Jason as her best friend, and he’d always be there for her. If something went wrong, and the marriage ended, he’d be there and he was. But this time the marriage is to him, and he’s her safety net. She’s marrying her safety net, and she’s kind of freaking out. He says he’ll still be her safety net, and he’s counting on her to be his. She says he doesn’t need a safety net, but he says he needs her to stand by him, no matter what. She says she always will, and he says, okay. Then they’ll just figure the rest out. She tells him, he keeps saying that, and he says they don’t know what’s going to happen when they get married, no one who gets married knows what’s going to happen. All they can do is hope for the best, and trust each other. She says, they have the trust thing down, and he says, so he needs her to remember that when she freaks out. She says, and count to ten. He says, count to ten, and she hugs him. She says, okay, let’s pick a date. She looks at her phone, and says, how’s September 17th? He says, it works for him.
Tomorrow, Willow tells Chase that nothing has changed, Laura says no way are Spencer and Esme living together, Anna asks if someone is hitting on her, and Carly asks Michael if there’s something he wants to tell her.
Because Bravo hates me, and chose to put Million Dollar Listing New York on at an inconvenient time, stay tuned tomorrow for those deluxe apartments in the sky. Also included, a little soap, a little tea, and a little wisdom. No matter what your cuppa is, stay safe, stay cheeky, and stay not burning too many bridges. It will take time to rebuild them.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nikolas says, someone set fire to Ava’s car, and Trina says, no. He says, Ava is shaken up, but Dr. Robinson is looking after her. Doc asks, where did it happen? and Nikolas says, at the hospital. Doc says, far from here; far from Spencer. Laura says, so Spencer is innocent. She wishes she could say the same for Nikolas. Nikolas tells them, he’s not sure what to say. He was so sure it was Spencer, and was horrified that he could be so cruel. Spencer says, so Nikolas decided to show hm what real cruelty looks like. Congratulations, father. Mission accomplished.
Jax sits at The Savoy, wondering what’s wrong with his phone, when Obrecht asks if she can join him. As friends, of course (🍷). She’s very much taken these days. He says he’d be delighted, but has to warn her, he’s not in the best mood tonight. She says then they won’t make banal small talk, and asks what’s troubling him.
Cameron tells Josslyn, he knew Spencer’s father might be mad about the party, but this is ridiculous. Should they go back inside and back him up? She says she thinks it’s a personal family matter, and they don’t want an audience, but the question is, should they extract Trina? Carly calls to Josslyn, and Josslyn thanks her for coming. She asks if Carly saw Tony; did he tell her what happened? and Carly says, he told her what happened from a security standpoint. She says hi to Cameron, and tells Josslyn, Tony said they weren’t in any physical danger, but it was an unstable situation, and he wanted her out of there. Josslyn says, they want to get out of there too. What happened here tonight, was all kinds of wrong.
At The Savoy, Sam asks if she can talk to Curtis a moment, and he asks, what’s up? She says she got a call tonight. The caller ID said it was an unknown caller, and it was a man’s voice. He said he was Drew.
Guard Russ asks how many times he has to tell Drew, he’s not leaving. Drew says, the law of averages is on his side. Russ has to stop him every time; he just has to get away once. Russ says he’s going to tell the boss. Maybe he’ll finally agree Drew is more trouble than he’s worth, and he’ll let him kill Drew. Drew says, tell his employer that he managed to steal Russ’s phone on his watch, he’s going to fire him. He’s got to look to his future. Russ says at least he has a future. That’s more than Drew can say. Drew says, all Russ has to do is give him a ride to the nearest airport, and tell him the name of the bastard who’s kept him locked up for two years. That’s it. Russ says he doesn’t look like a wealthy man, but Drew says he is. Russ says the world thinks he’s dead. (Which isn’t necessarily true, but okay.) If he made money double-crossing the boss, he wouldn’t live long enough to spend it.
Jason arrives for the meeting, and one of the family heads congratulates him on his exoneration. Some people have all the luck. Jason says, now that they’re all assembled here, he wants to discuss some recent actions by a member of the Novak family. Ms. Wu asks where his fiancé is, and Jason says, she couldn’t be here tonight. He’s speaking for the Corinthos Organization. She says she’s sorry. That’s unacceptable. When he called this meeting, it was their understanding that both he and Mrs. Corinthos would be there. He says he speaks for both of them, and Mr. Novak says, the last time their group met, Mrs. Corinthos proclaimed herself head of the Corinthos Organization. Jason says, as they all know, he was unavailable for that meeting. Ms. Wu asks why Mrs. Corinthos isn’t there tonight, and Jason says, something came up. She says, something more important than this meeting? He called this meeting, and they managed to make the time. I think, Carly has officially set women back by trying to prove you can’t have a career and children. He thanks them, and says, if time is an issue, he’ll be brief. Mr. Novak’s nephew Joey approached his fiancé’s daughter. That is unacceptable. Novak says, forget it. If Mrs. Corinthos isn’t coming, he’s not staying. He gets up, and Mr. Buscema says, neither is he. Jason says, it’s their choice. This meeting will continue, and repercussions will follow.
Curtis asks Sam to run that by him again, and she says she got a call from an unknown caller. Actually, she got two calls. The first call she got, she sent straight to voicemail since she thought it was a telemarketer. A little while later, she got another call, and that one, she picked up. It was a man’s voice on the phone, and he called her by her name, and said that he was Drew. He said he needed help. He said they were coming, and there was all this commotion, and the line went dead. She had one of Dante’s techs run the call, but they came up empty. He says, she went to the police? but she says, no. She and Dante happened to be together when she got the call. Dante thought it was just a hoax, or intended to throw her off the case. It makes sense, but she just doesn’t know. He says, Drew’s plane went down in the Gulf of Adan. There was a search, which turned up nothing. There were no signs of any survivors. She says, he was a Navy SEAL. If anyone could survive a plane crash into the ocean, it would be Drew. Curtis thinks Dante’s right, doesn’t he? He says he thinks what’s more important is what she thinks. Does she believe Drew is still alive?
Obrecht tells Jax, maybe his phone is just out of power. She finds phones get temperamental after a while. Has he updated? He says, it was just 98% charged a minute ago. He was hacked. He’s pretty sure he knows who it was. He drains his glass, and signals for another, and she says he wasn’t kidding about his mood. He says, sorry. He did try to warn her. She says she can think of only two things that cause such consternation; a woman or a child. She’s guessing the latter. Is his daughter all right? He says, very good, but Josslyn is fine. He just wishes Josslyn’s mother was as concerned as she is for her safety.
Josslyn tells Carly, they showed them the creepy writing in front of the fireplace, then Trina and Spencer came in, saying, Spencer had been stabbed. Carly asks how badly he was hurt, but Cameron says, he wasn’t actually stabbed. Josslyn says, it was a retractable knife, like a prop in a play. Spencer thought it was Ryan Chamberlain, until Nikolas came in and said he was behind it all. Carly says, Nikolas stabbed Spencer? and Cameron says, he wasn’t actually stabbed, but yes. His grandmother was very upset. Josslyn says, they were headed for a dysfunctional family trainwreck, and Cameron tells Carly, he never thought he’d say these words, but he feels bad for Spencer. Carly wonders, what the hell was Nikolas thinking?
Spencer says Nikolas turned against him once again. He guesses he shouldn’t be surprised; it’s not the first time it’s happened. He never should have come back. Nikolas tells him, please don’t say that. He never turned against Spencer. Spencer says, Nikolas never chose him either. He’s just supposed to live with whatever horrible decisions Nikolas makes. Roll with the punches, and suck it up in the end. His neglect was hard enough to deal with, and now he wants to dole out the punishment too? Nikolas says he wanted Spencer to understand how damaging his actions have been, but Laura says, the incident tonight with Ava’s car proves he was wrong. Even if he’d been right, he took this way too far. He chose to terrorize his own son and his friends to teach him a lesson. There’s no excuse. Spencer says, it’s obvious Nikolas will always choose Ava over him, and Nikolas says, it wasn’t about choosing Ava. Spencer says, oh please. Nikolas was afraid he’d drive Ava away, and he decided to retaliate. Nikolas starts to protest, but Doc says, Spencer’s not wrong. His actions are more those of a thwarted lover than a concerned father. Nikolas says, was he angry when he thought Spencer was behind everything? He was furious, but he was also concerned, and wanted Spencer to see the error of his ways, so they could get it out in the open, and hopefully move past it and move forward together. Spencer starts to cry, and says Nikolas decided to invoke his mother in order to manipulate him, telling him to be the man she would want him to be. Nikolas says he’s sorry, and Spencer says, just because Nikolas decided that he’s guilty. Nikolas says he pushed too hard. He was wrong. Please forgive him. He loves Spencer. Spencer tells Nikolas not to call him his son, and don’t claim to love him. He storms out, and Laura says, Nikolas almost had him; his son was back. He let his rage blind him, and decided Spencer was the stalker, that Spencer was the one who took Ava from him. Spencer was right; Nikolas decided to retaliate. He thought his way was the only way, the very definition of arrogance. And where has it gotten him? For God’s sake, now is he willing to listen to her?
Nikolas says, he never meant… and Laura says, stop. He could have just paused for a moment, and thought it all the way through. She hoped he’d be able to see how disastrous this could be, but no. He wanted to do what he wanted to do, and even Ava couldn’t talk him out of it. How did he think this thing was going to turn out? He says he hoped Spencer would admit what he did, and she says, he didn’t do it. Was Nikolas so intent on making him pay, he didn’t even consider Spencer might be innocent? The damage he could do if he was wrong? She wants to be with her grandson now; he’s in pain. Doc suggests they let Spencer have some time. Trina’s with him, and it might be easier for him to process this with a friend; someone who isn’t family. Carly comes in, and asks if Nikolas has lost his mind.
Trina asks if Spencer is okay, and he says, a party’s not a party until someone gets stabbed. She says he doesn’t have to do that, and he says, do what? She says, be all cavalier about what just happened, or pretend his father didn’t just break his heart. Spencer says, he really hates me.
Drew says, this is progress. He made a phone call. Sam picked up. Of course (🍷) Sam thinks he’s dead, but it’s not the first phone call she’s gotten from a dead man. She’ll start asking questions. Come on, Sam. Ask questions. He wants to go home. He misses his little girl so much. He flashes back to talking to Scout, who’s in an incubator. He says, she had a bumpy ride, didn’t she? She’s probably wondering where her momma is. She would be there if she could, but for now, Scout gets him. He’s her daddy. He’s been waiting and waiting for her. He’s going to tell her a little secret. Not much scares him, but she does. He wants so badly to give her everything she needs. To love her and protect her. He’s going to make sure nobody hurts her. He’s going to give her the world. Back in the cell, he says he misses his little girl. Not so little anymore; he’s been gone so long. He wonders how tall she’s grown. He wonders what she’s like, and what makes her laugh. He’s so sorry. He didn’t mean to be gone so long. He promises her, whatever it takes, he’s coming home to her.
Sam tells Curtis, she honestly doesn’t know what to think. Logically, none of this makes any sense. He tells her to throw logic aside; what does she feel? She says she feels that she owes it to Scout to see who made that call. Danny too. Drew was a huge part of their lives. He says he gets it. He does miss his man, and wishes he was back. He could show Drew his nightclub, and they could argue over football games the way they used to. He was a good friend, but he has been gone a while. Where the hell has he been, and why did he wait until now to make contact?
Obrecht tells Jax, co-parenting can have many obstacles, especially when co-parents aren’t on the same page. She got lots of emails about this when she had her column in The Invader. (Speaking of which, who’s running that paper now?) However, she always thought he and Carly managed very well. He says, they did… until now. She asks if one of his obstacles happens to wear a black leather jacket, and he says he tried to make Carly see that some of her associations might be putting their daughter at risk. She asks if he regrets these actions, and he flashes back to his argument with Carly in the hallowed halls of the moss bowl.🎍 He tells Obrecht, only that it didn’t work.
Jason says, their leaving sends a clear message that they’re not interested in cooperation. That’s too bad, but he’ll adjust. Mr. Buscema sits back down, and says, forgive them for being confused, but it’s tough to do business when you’re not sure who you’ll be dealing with. Ms. Wu asks if Jason is challenging Mrs. Corinthos’s leadership. At the last meeting, she proclaimed she was head of the Corinthos Organization. Now he’s saying that he’s head of the organization. It seems the only way to solve this problem, is to eliminate Mrs. Corinthos.
Trina says, despite everything that happened, she doesn’t think Spencer’s father hates him. He asks if she’s okay with what Nikolas did, and she says, no; that was seriously messed up. His father honestly thought he was the stalker, and did all those horrible things to him and Ava. He says, for a moment, he thought she did too, and she says she admits she was shaken up, but he does hate Ava, and he’s made no bones about it. He asks what that even means, and she says he doesn’t hesitate to show his disapproval of her. He doesn’t want his father and Ava together, just like the stalker, but she should have known he wasn’t capable of something so twisted. He says, what if he was?
Russ comes into Drew’s cell, and says the boss wasn’t happy with his latest stunt. Drew says, so he told after all, and Russ says, stealing the phone was another pointless attempt on his part. Or does he really think Sam McCall is going to come for him? He heard Drew tried to convince her that he was still alive. He’d better pray she thinks it’s a crank call. If she decides to look for him, she’ll be dead before she leaves the US.
Curtis tells Sam, let’s not assume anything definite right now. Why don’t they go over this phone call? Tell him anything she remembers. She says, the caller said her name a few times, said his name was Drew… The connection was bad. He says, bad reception, like a call from overseas, and she says, yes. He asked if she could hear him. Curtis says, like he knew there might be bad reception, and she says, right. He knew he was calling with bad reception, asked if she could hear him, and then there was all this commotion. He asked for help, and then the line went dead. He says, commotion? Like there was a struggle? She says, maybe, and he says, other than the bad reception and the struggle, could she hear anything else in the background? She says, just static, and he says, whoever this guy is, he wants her to believe he’s Drew, and that he’s on the run from someone or something. He asks if she thinks he could have been running all this time, but she doesn’t know. Why wouldn’t he have tried to contact her earlier? He says, maybe this was his one shot to make a call before he was recaptured, or at least that’s what this guy wants her to believe. Does she?
Nikolas says he’s not in the mood right now, but Carly says, too damn bad. She had something really important planned for tonight, and had to race over there because she thought her daughter was in danger. Only to show up and find out he’s playing boogie man, trying to scare his son and his friends. He says, sorry for the inconvenience, but he’s not taking parenting lessons from her, of all people, or does she want to discuss why Josslyn had a bodyguard tonight? She says, thank God she did. Leave them out of his family drama. She has enough on her plate without his asinine decisions making her life more difficult. She apologizes to Laura and Doc, but Laura says, it’s really okay; it’s been a rough night all around. Carly says, they’re out of there, and leaves with Josslyn and Cameron. In the foyer, Josslyn asks her to wait. She can’t leave yet.
Jason says it sounds like Ms. Wu just threatened Carly, and she says, this isn’t a club. Their alliance is a carefully constructed balance of power; one built on mutually assured destruction. He says he knows what it is. If one of them goes down, they all go down. She says, yes, and when Mrs. Corinthos joined their ranks, she was made privy to information that could destroy every one of them. Jason says they can trust Carly, but she says, that hasn’t always been so. There were reports that she threw a valuable shipment of guns into the Port Charles harbor as a protest against their business. He says, that was a different time, different set of circumstances, and Ms. Wu says, yes. She’d since accepted Carly’s word that she’s changed, but here they all are, and she’s nowhere to be found. Perhaps she’s doing something more advantageous to her, like talking to the Feds. Jason says, that’s ridiculous, and she says, is it?The Feds have been circling the Corinthos family for a long time. Maybe the good widow decided to cut a deal so she can be free of them for good. Mr. Buscema says, Madam Wu might be right. What if Jason’s fiancé decided to cut them all down, so she’s in the clear? Ms. Wu assures Jason, if that’s so, there will be consequences.
Trina asks why Spencer is playing into this game. He didn’t do any of those horrible things, so why even go there? He says, he was just wondering, hypothetically, if he’d done those things to Ava and his father, would she hate him? She says, but he didn’t, and he says, what if he had? Would she be able to forgive him? She asks if this is about him and his dad? Is he trying to decide if he can forgive Nikolas after everything he’s done tonight? That’s not a decision she can make for him. He asks what she means, and she says when her dad first deceived her, when he pretended to be dead, she swore she hated him. She never wanted to see him again. Spencer says, been there, done that, and she says, but he got over it, like she did. But it took some time. He says, years, and she says, now his dad’s disappointed him again. He says, this goes so far beyond disappointment. He had to walk away earlier, because he actually wanted to punch the guy. He thought he was going to die tonight. When this knife came at him, he thought it was over, and he was done. What kind of father does that to his son? How is he supposed to forgive that? She says she’s so sorry he’s going through this, and he says, that’s it? That’s all she has to say? She asks if he was expecting something else, and he says she’s not going to tell him what to do?
Nikolas leaves a voicemail for Ava, saying, he knows she’s dealing with a lot right now, but call him. He needs to hear from her. Doc says he’ll go to GH and check on her, and Laura thanks him. She’s really worried about Ava, and wants to stay there a little longer. Can he take the boat and send it back to her? He kisses her goodbye, and leaves. Nikolas says she should have gone with Doc. He already feels terrible. There’s nothing she can say that will make him feel worse. She says she just wants him to understand how his thinking led to his actions, and he says he doesn’t want to lose his son again. Should he go to him? She thinks Nikolas has to give Spencer a little time to cool off. Maybe let Spencer come to him. He says he’ll be waiting a long time. Another three years; maybe forever. She asks what he thought was going to happen when he made the decision to stalk and stab Spencer? How could he possibly think that this was the right way to deal with his son? He says he thought Spencer was the stalker. It angered him, but it also scared him. He felt that he had to do something drastic to get through to him. He wanted Spencer to understand on a visceral level, by making him feel how he made Ava feel. She says, so he struck back at him. At his own son. Like any good Cassadine would.
Jax tells Obrecht, Carly and Jason’s marriage has been on his mind. He can’t believe she’d associate herself with another mobster now that Sonny’s dead. She had a chance to start fresh and stop putting Josslyn and her other kids in danger. Instead, she chose to double-down. She asks if he’s tried telling Carly how he feels, and he says he’s tried talking to her. He went as far as trying to get leverage to force her out of that life. She gathers his phone is a casualty for his quest for leverage. There is an art to gathering covert evidence, you know. Lucky he’s come to a pro for some tips. She’d love to see Carly squirm. And Jason Morgan, even more so.
Josslyn tells Carly that she’s sorry, but they need to talk to Spencer. She heard Doc on his way out; Spencer ran off somewhere and Trina went with him. He’s probably devastated over what his father did. Carly says she’s sure he is, but she has to get back to the mainland. Josslyn asks Cameron if he can find Trina, and see if she needs a ride back. She’s going to stay and talk to her mom… alone. Cameron leaves, and Carly asks what she wants to talk about. Josslyn says, you. What’s going on? Did they interrupt something important?
Jason says, the idea of Carly going to the Feds is laughable. She’s known everything there is to know for years as Sonny’s wife. Mr. Novak says, Sonny’s dead, and Jason says he’s aware of that. He and Carly will be getting married. Ms. Wu says, will be, but they aren’t now, so Carly could be coerced to divulge what she knows about their operations with or without his consent. He just said she already knows everything. He can’t see the risk this poses to all of them? He says, there’s no risk. They’re sitting around speculating about something that’s not going to happen. Ms. Wu says, when and if they’re married, Carly can’t be compelled to testify against her husband. Fiancés don’t share the same legal protection. So he must understand, until he and Carly are husband and wife, Carly is a liability.
Trina says she’s not Yoda, and not there to tell Spencer what to do. He says, why not? Everyone else does. What to do, what to think, especially about his father and Ava. She says she has her opinions, but now’s not the time for them. She understands how it feels when your parents let you down. That’s why she followed him, to listen in case he wanted to talk. He thanks her, and she says, what are friends for? He asks if that’s what they are. Friends… buds… She says, why not? Cameron joins them, and Spencer asks what he’s still doing there. The party of the summer is over. He should hang on to that wristband; it might be worth something someday. Cameron says, Joss wanted to make sure he was okay. She also wanted to ask if Trina needed a ride back to the mainland. Trina says she’s good; she’ll take a launch back later. Spencer says he’ll make sure Trina gets back safely. The launch should be freed up, so Cam and Joss should be able to get back okay. Cameron says, Mrs. Corinthos brought her own boat, so… Spencer says, Carly’s here? She’s going to kill him for involving Joss in this mess. Cameron says she knows his father is responsible for all this; she let him have it. Spencer says, tell Joss he’s sorry tonight was a fail, but enjoy the novelty with his compliments. Cameron says, what novelty? and Spencer says, for once, he’s the innocent party.
Nikolas tells Laura, it’s true; he’s a Cassadine. There’s nothing she can do to change that. She says he just needs to tame these dark impulses he has. He has to recognize it and turn away from it, for Spencer’s sake. He says, or he’ll pass those traits on to Spencer. It’s too late for that. He’s not the stalker, but he has a cruel streak. She’s already seen that. She says she has. Spencer grew up with a sense of entitlement, just like Nikolas did, but it is not too late to change; to break the cycle of trauma. He could start by just setting a good example for Spencer. He says he’s trying, and she asks if that’s what he was doing when he decided to terrorize his son. When he made Spencer believe that he was going to stab him and kill him? If Nikolas isn’t careful, he’s going to end up going down the same path his father did.
Josslyn says she should have never asked Tony to call Carly. She’s sorry for pulling Carly away from whatever she had going on tonight, but Carly says she did the right thing. Josslyn and all her kids are her top priority. Josslyn says she just feels so bad for Spencer, and Carly says she does too. Josslyn asks why his father would do that, but Carly doesn’t know. She doesn’t think Nikolas has any idea what it’s like to be a parent. He grew up spoiled and selfish, and turned around and raised Spencer the same way. Cameron comes back, and tells them, Spencer said he’s fine and they should go. Carly says, works for her, and Josslyn says, what about Trina? Cameron says, she wants to stay, and Spencer will make sure she gets home okay. Carly says, she’s in good hands; let’s go. They follow her out.
Curtis says, if that phone call was fake, he’s really not okay with someone using Drew’s memory to get to Sam. Sam says, her neither. She’s had people from her past showing up to settle a grudge, but this didn’t feel like that. Why would someone want to send her on a wild goose chase looking for Drew? He says he doesn’t know. Does she have any big cases coming up, or a trial coming up soon? She says, Naomie Dreyfuss is the only thing she has going on right now, and clearing Shawn’s name, but she doesn’t see how it could be related to Drew. He says she still hasn’t answered his original question, and she says because she didn’t have an answer. Until now. The more she thinks about it, the way he spoke to her… his voice… it sounded real. She thinks it was Drew on the phone.
Drew says, Russ’s boss is targeting Sam? and Russ says, the boss has a long reach. They plucked him out of the ocean, didn’t they? Got him there without anyone realizing he survived that crash. They went to a lot of trouble to extract Drew from his life. He won’t hesitate to kill anyone sniffing around. Drew says, because he wants him alive. Russ is losing it. First the phone, now the loose lips… He probably needs a vacation. The stress of the job is getting to him. Russ says he’s not going anywhere, and neither is Drew. Drew slams him up against the wall.
Trina says she keeps picturing Spencer lying on the floor, and he says he’s sorry she had to deal with that. She says, it’s not his fault, and he says, still, he appreciates her listening to him. People don’t always do that. She says, it’s hard to hear him between all the flash and snarks, and he says, but she manages. He moves closer to her, and she says she hears him.
Nikolas asks if Laura thinks he’s as bad as his father, but she says, no. Stavros was insane. He was sadistic and cruel. He had no remorse, but Nikolas does, which means he’s capable of so much more. But the Cassadine instincts are so much a part of him, it terrifies her. He asks what she means.
Jax asks if he can walk Obrecht to her car, but she says, no need, and thanks him for the drinks and conversation. He says he should be thanking her for listening and for her support. She says he has it. And remember, come to her next time, if he wants to try again. She’s confident they can bring down Carly and Jason by working together. Auf wiedersehen.
Carly runs into the meeting like she’s late for a parent/teacher conference. Mr. Buscema and Ms. Wu nod to her as they leave, and Mr. Novak tells her, you’re too late, Mrs. Corinthos. He guesses he’ll have to get used to calling her Mrs. Morgan. He’ll be checking his mail for his invitation. She asks Jason, what happened? How’d the meeting go? He looks grim, but that could mean anything from the meeting was bad, to he wonders what they’re having for dinner.
Sam asks Curtis to tell her. She’s crazy, right? He says, no, she’s not. She’s level-headed, and has great instincts. If she says that’s Drew’s voice she heard, he’s going to trust her on that. She says, Drew’s alive. Scout’s father is alive.
Drew tussles with Russ, but Russ gets the better of him, and literally kicks him when he’s down. He tells Drew, one of these days, you’re really gonna piss me off, and I’m going to snap your sorry neck. Russ leaves, and Drew writhes in pain for a hot minute, then sits up looking at the pen he swiped off of Russ in the fight. He takes it apart, and gets to work on his handcuffs.
Tomorrow, Ava wonders if there’s anyplace left this psychopath can’t get to her; Laura tells Nikolas, one more terrible choice and he can lose everything; and Epiphany is back from vacation.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Sutton was concerned, wondering what they’d gotten themselves into, being supportive of Erika. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to be around Erika, and said she was just protecting herself, lest there be guilt by association. In her interview, she said, Ruth Madoff had no friends. People don’t like liars, cheaters, and stealers. In LisaR’s interview, she said, a friend is going through something major, and you’re worried about your reputation? Princesses worry about their reputations; queens don’t. Who knows where the hell she got that fakakta bon mot. I’m pretty sure queens are on top of their PR. Dorit said they didn’t want their support to be misinterpreted, and Sutton said there was a red flag years ago, when one of the partner’s wives told him something was off, and he left the firm. There was another escapee recently too, and some of the stories didn’t add up. Crystal said it seemed to have started three years ago, with Tom’s decline, but Sutton didn’t buy it. Dorit said the LA Times said the firm’s swindling had been going on for a decade. She didn’t know what to believe. Sutton pointed out that Erika was saying the same things Tom’s attorneys were saying, and in Sutton’s interview, she said, two plus two equaled four, and she wasn’t even good at math. LisaR said there was no proof that what Erika was saying wasn’t true, and believed her. In LisaR’s interview, she said that she knew she was going to get sh*t for not backing Denise, but supporting Erika, but she didn’t care. Dorit said Erika’s life was the opposite from what Erika had presented to them, and we flashed back to Tom tooting his own horn about being a do-gooder. Sutton said she didn’t think ignorance was an excuse when Erika was so smart, and thought the mistress discovery was a distraction. They agreed to ask Erika if she knew what had been going on. At Kyle’s holiday dinner. Another brilliant choice for a confrontation. In Kyle’s interview, she said she felt like the Grinch who was stealing Erika’s Christmas.
Garcelle did a huge Haitian family dinner, and the dishes looked so very good. In her interview, she talked about her oldest son Oliver, and how he’d been a drug addict. To see him now, as the father and man he’d become, was amazing. His partner/wife/not sure Sam had three kids from a previous relationship, and they had Oliver Jr. together, who was quite a cutie. They’d become a family. She told Oliver that she couldn’t believe he was a dad, and he said the diaper in his pocket made it official. Garcelle said you couldn’t pay her to deal with four kids in quarantine. When they said they wished she lived closer, she said she was good. Meanwhile, Kyle told Dorit that Teddi would be coming to the dinner, and Dorit suggested plying her with alcohol, since she was no longer pregnant. Kyle said Erika was also coming, and Dorit said they’d have to figure out a way forward. First world 1% problems. Kyle said she wanted to be supportive, but had questions.
It was Christmastime in Beverly Hills, but it’s just not as pretty as it is on RHONY.
Garcelle thoght Teddi was annoying for no reason. I think she’s annoying too, but I can think of plenty of reasons. LisaR wore her wig named Heather, and Kathy ho-ho-ho’d her way in, saying she was discombobulated, which I thought was her natural state. Teddi talked about baby Dove’s neurosurgery, and we saw clips of Dove in her little helmet at 10 months. Kyle got lots of free booze as hostess gifts, and she wondered if Erika would skip out at the last minute. LisaR reminded everyone, innocent until proven guilty, and said Erika might not be able to answer questions because of legalities. Kyle thanked Erika for coming, and Erika thanked Kyle for having her, since she was a little radioactive these days.
They sat down for dinner and a ticking time bomb. Sutton bugged Garcelle about saying hello to Erica, and in Garcelle’s interview, she said she hadn’t seen Erika since Erika had flipped out on her. Sutton asked if Garcelle was nervous to talk to Erika, and Garcelle said it was awkward, but she wasn’t afraid. Kyle made a full Christmas dinner, and told the women, there was no chef. She’d put her heart and soul into it. LisaR said it was like Christmas on a plate. Erika thanked Kyle for inviting her, and Kyle said she wasn’t just there for the good times. In her interview, Kyle said seeing Erika down like that made her feel bad. She wanted to be able to support her, but with a clear conscience. Kyle gave a toast to happy holidays, and a special thank you to Erika for coming. She hoped 2021 would be better than 2020, as we all did. Kathy toasted to health, happiness, and the best to everybody. Erika said her doctor did tell her she was healthy, so there was that. I’ll bet a lot of people would give everything for that. Kyle asked if Erika ever wondered if it was a dream and she’d wake up, but Erika said she woke up thinking, this is really happening. She said she was so tired, and Dorit said she must keep being blindsided by everything that was coming out. Erika said, more is coming, and there were crickets for a moment. She added, it was far from done, and Sutton asked if she was truly blindsided, or did she have some sort of… Erika told her to go ahead and ask the question, and Sutton asked if she was able to get a heads up on the information about to come out before it hit the press. Erika said she had no access to that, and Sutton said she thought the timeline in the LA Times article was confusing. Crystal said Erika had told them about Tom’s deterioration, and what had happened three years ago. We flashed back to Crystal comparing it to her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She said things had been happening with the firm further back than three years. Erika said she it was only recently litigated, and she couldn’t answer those questions. Dorit said no one was looking to pry, and in Garcelle’s interview, she said Dorit apparently didn’t remember being supportive when they had their sister circle moment. Dorit told Erika that they’d all met the other day. Sutton had asked them to get together.
Sutton said she’d wanted to see where they were, and Erika asked if it was a committee to discuss if they were supporting her or not. In Erika’s interview, she said, there were holes in the story, it’s what they heard; is this the grand jury? Sutton said she didn’t think Erika had anything to do with it, but wanted to make sure… and Erika said, that she addressed the allegations in the LA Times. In LisaR’s interview, she said Sutton was there, but left her spine at home, and told Sutton to be real. Sutton said Erika was going through a lot. She’d talked to an attorney… Erika said, about her case? and Garcelle said she didn’t think Sutton was the only one who got a legal opinion. Erika was like, who else? like anyone would confess, and Dorit said she spoke to her husband and Boy George. Erika asked what Dorit’s husband said, and Dorit said he told her they were by no means legally in trouble, but would be dragged in, like it or not. Kyle said they talked about the LA Times article, and thought it was likely Erika had no idea what was going on. Erika said that was true, and Sutton said she just wanted to make sure. She was protecting herself. Erika asked how she was involved, and Kyle said Sutton was worried about her reputation. In Sutton’s interview, she said she was on all kinds of boards and committees where it would not be cool for her if Erika was complicit. She told Erika that it was a personal issue, and Erika asked if Sutton was that afraid of her. Sutton said, no, but there was a $20 million elephant in the room. Why was the press saying it went to Erika’s LLC? Kyle said the obvious question was, did Erika know? but quickly added that she didn’t think so. In Garcelle’s interview, she said Erika’s answers seemed surface, and she wondered why Erika didn’t seem angry at Tom for being implicated in bad things. She needed Perry Mason or someone to try and explain. Sutton thought it seemed like Erika might have noticed or questioned things, and Dorit said the headlines were hard to digest. The thought of ripping off orphans and widows made her feel sick. Erika said if they wanted to know where the money was, talk to Tom. $50 to $80 million in cash was gone, and no one knew the answer but Tom. Dorit said most people believed Erika was innocent, and it would come out. Erika said it wasn’t nice to repeat things that weren’t true. In Sutton’s interview, she said she was disappointed in Dorit, since they’d been sympatico. We flashed back to a hot minute ago when Dorit was agreeing with Sutton, and saying they didn’t want their support misinterpreted. Teddi said everyone was making it about themselves, and a big portion of the had a lawsuit under their belt, and no one else was involved. She had to believe Tom was the a-hole. Sutton wondered if Erika had any discussion with an attorney on how to navigate through the story. Dorit said she was getting uncomfortable, and I had to agree that was an intrusive question. Erika said she hadn’t, which I actually found hard to believe, and in Garcelle’s interview, she told us that Dorit had a lot to say when Erika wasn’t around, but now that Erika was there, Dorit did a 180. Now it was, I support you. <kiss, kiss> Garcelle told Erika, to be 100% honest, her sister had a kidney transplant, and was supposed to have been awarded money. She was concerned her sister had been stiffed, when her sister said it was just taking a long time. If what they said Tom did was true, f*** Tom. She personally knew what it was like to be waiting for compensation.
Erika said it was terrible, and Tom would pay the price if what they said happened, happened. He wasn’t mentally capable, and had sole control of the firm. She thought it got away from him. They were dealing with a man who had diminished capacity, who was in control and not doing the right thing. If he did steal the money, she wanted to know where it was. Dorit said if they didn’t love and care about Erika, there would be no situation. They all loved and cared about her. For some reason, this turned into a who-knew-Erika-longer thing, and Garcelle asked if it was a competition. The victims were the most important thing. Erika would always be okay. Erika said, of course. She wasn’t worried about herself. She was the last in this, and at the forefront were the people who were owed money. She needed to see what he’d done. LisaR wondered if they’d ever know, and Kathy thought they would get to it. Erika said it was going to be a long road. Those who wanted to be her friend, thanks, and if anyone was more comfortable away from her, she understood and respected that. In Erika’s interview, a producer asked if she felt strong, but she said she didn’t know if she was strong. She was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. She wouldn’t do herself any favors by being hysterical. She had to be calm, and work though all of this. Kyle said she felt bad about asking questions, but Kathy said it was good practice. BA-DUM-CHH! Erika said that was one way to look at it. In Kyle’s interview, she said the dinner was so awkward, she was looking for the eject button.
They moved to the living room for dessert, and Sutton took Dorit aside, asking if Dorit threw her under the bus. She and Dorit had the same feelings, but Sutton felt like, once in front of Erika, everyone disagreed. In Sutton’s interview, she said she felt like she’d been set up, and they’d decided to rally to Erika’s side. Everyone abandoned ship. They got her. Erika left, and in her interview, she said you really knew what people were made of when you were going through a troubled time. She didn’t know if the rat was leaving the ship, or she was leaving the rat.
Next time, LisaR shows Nona’s wedding dress to her daughters, Kathy and Kyle discuss American Woman, Dorit confronts Garcelle, and Garcelle tells everyone, f*** you.
📻 See You On the Radio…
FYI, tomorrow (Thursday) Bravo will be having a marathon of Southern Charm’s first season, starting at 6 am. Yes, you read that right. No matter how early you start to consume media, stay safe, stay being a trailblazer, and stay consulting a pro in the area of gathering covert evidence. It’s an art.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sasha is getting a sonogram, and Dr. Navarro says, boy or girl? Sasha says she and Brando have decided to be surprised. She was asking about the baby the doctor just delivered. The doctor says, boy and girl; twins. She thanks them for waiting, saying, these things have a way of messing up schedules. There’s their baby. We see the sono screen.
Carly says, Jax was recording her? Is that why he was asking her why Cyrus’s ship went down? He wanted her to incriminate herself? He says he wanted her to tell the truth. She says, so he recorded her. Why? He says because he had to save their daughter from the danger Carly put her in.
At the pool (), Dante says in his professional opinion, this was a date, and Sam says, good work, detective. He wonders if it’s against the rules to date another member of their support group, and she says they just invented this two-person support group. She thinks they can make any rules they want. He says, so dating’s allowed? and she says she’s open to the proposition. He asks if she has time for another drink, and she says she thinks she could be convinced to stay for one more. He says, in that case, he’ll be right back, and goes to the bar. Sam’s phone rings, and she sees it’s unknown, but answers anyway. She says, who is this? and a voice says, Sam, can you hear me? She says, Drew? and he says he needs her help.
Jason calls Brick, and says he called a meeting with the Five Families sun dried tomatoes tonight. Vincent Novak’s nephew Joey is acting a little too confident. They need to get a better idea of where the Novaks and the other families stand… He and Carly will confirm they’re getting married, and he’s in charge, so they know there won’t be a power struggle for them to exploit. But he needs Brick to do something for him.
Josslyn and Cameron watch the fireworks, and Cameron says he wishes they could enjoy them instead of waiting for Ryan Chamberlain to attack. She says she doesn’t know what’s going on, but she doubts Ryan is prowling the grounds. He tells her not to worry, when Tony comes in and asks if they’re okay. Cameron says they’re a little shaken up, but okay otherwise. Josslyn says they were actually enjoying the fireworks, and Tony says he took a look at the boathouse; none of the boats were tampered with, and both launches are back. When the fireworks are over, the guests should be able to make it back to the mainland. Josslyn says, so it’s over, but Tony says, not yet. He’s going to arrange for one of their boats to pick them up. Josslyn says, that’s not necessary, but Cameron suggests they think about it for a second. If the party is still going on outside, and the boats are back at the dock, that means all the craziness that’s been happening is targeted toward people inside the house. Tony says, exactly, and Josslyn says, it’s Spencer’s party in Spencer’s house, so this is probably about him.
Ava sees Portia at the hospital reception desk, and says, just the doctor she was looking for. Portia asks if everything is okay, and Ava says she just wanted to see how Portia was doing. Portia says she’s doing much better, thanks to Ava. Creepy nurse watches them.
On the turret, Spencer tells Trina, admit it. Fireworks are the perfect grand finale. She wonders why he’s so calm. Ryan Chamberlain just called to tell him it ends tonight, and as if Spencer needed to be reminded, Ryan projected it on his fireplace. Why isn’t he terrified? He tells her to look at the guests down there; they have absolutely no idea what’s going on. They’re just having a good time. Trina wonders why they don’t join them; get lost in the crowd. Or is he afraid he’ll make them targets too? He says all he cares about is making sure she has a good time. She says, this is about her? and he says, when he first brought up the party, he could tell she was skeptical. All of this is just him trying to prove himself. She says he succeeded, and he says, nothing or no one is going to ruin this night for her. He promises. We see a hooded figure in a mask, holding a knife, watching them.
Carly says Jax used their relationship, her trust in him, to get her to implicate herself? He asks why he should trust her to protect their daughter. Does she think she can just build a wall between her criminal activities and Josslyn? Either she thinks he’s naïve or she’s lying to his face. She says he came into her house, their daughter’s house, and tried to entrap her. He tried to get her to incriminate herself. He says, so she admits she’s involved in criminal activity; activity that puts Josslyn in danger every single day? She asks if he wants to shine a light in her face or handcuff her to the table. How far would he take this? He says, now she’s being ridiculous, and she says, is she? What if she’d said what he wanted her to say? What would he have done with this recording? What was his plan?
Sam says, this isn’t Drew; he’s dead. Who the hell is this? He says, it’s Drew. She has to listen to him. He doesn’t have much time. They’re coming. She says, who’s coming? Where is he? She can no longer hear him, and Dante comes back with the drinks. He asks, what happened? and she says she just got a call from a man claiming he was Drew.
Brando tells Sasha, that’s their baby. He’s had friends who wave their sonogram around like it’s the Holy Grail. Now he gets it. Sasha says, that fuzzy little person is theirs, and Dr. Navarro says, the fun isn’t over yet. She has a special treat for them.
Ava says she’s glad Portia and Trina patched things up, and Portia tells her, Trina said Ava advised her to speak to her mother. She feels so embarrassed. Ava asks, why? Because she had an affair? She’d thought Portia was perfect. Portia says it looks like she’s fallen off her pedestal for sure, and Ava says, she must have been very lonely to look outside her marriage for companionship. She sympathizes with Portia. Portia says Ava is more forgiving of her than she is, and Ava says, all that matters is that Trina forgives her, right? They sit, and Portia says, for the first couple days, she wasn’t sure, but now things seem to be moving in that direction. Ava says, good. Trina has looked up to Portia her whole life. It’s scary for her to realize Portia is human too; she makes mistakes too. That some of those times it felt like she had all the answers, she was making up as she went along. Portia says Ava seems to be speaking from personal experience. Ava says, if she’s being honest, there was another reason she encouraged Trina to talk to Portia – her daughter Kiki.
Josslyn says she’s worried about Trina. She’s off somewhere with Spencer, who’s the target. Cameron wants to go look for them, but Tony says he has to insist they stay there. Cameron says, but they’re their friends, and could be in trouble, and Josslyn says she knows it’s Tony’s job to protect her, but can’t they widen the circle a little bit, and include their friends? He says, Mr. Cassadine has his own security, and Josslyn says she knows, but he can’t call them because there’s no service. Josslyn says, they were going to the turret. She and Cameron know the way there. Can’t the three of them just go together, grab their friends, and bring them back? The doorbell rings, and Tony tells them, stay there. They listen at the door, and Tony checks his gun. He opens to the door, and finds Laura and Doc. Laura says she takes it he’s working there, and he says he is. She tells him that she’s the host’s grandmother, and she’d like to see him immediately. Cameron and Josslyn come out, and Laura says, it’s nice to know Spencer invited them, but it would have been nicer if they’d known about the party. Cameron says, about that. There’s something seriously strange going on tonight, and Laura says, something Spencer’s security can’t handle? Josslyn says, Tony is her security, and Laura says, her mistake; sorry. Tony says he’s making arrangements to get Josslyn and Cameron off the island, and Doc says, lucky for them. The rest of the partygoers are at the dock, waiting for a ferry to take him to the mainland. He’d say this party is officially over. Cameron asks if they shut the party down, but Laura says they didn’t even know there was a party until they got there. They came to see Nikolas. Josslyn says, Mr. Cassadine is in Dubai… Is he not?
Trina says, the fireworks are over, but Spencer says he hadn’t noticed. She hears something, and asks, what is that? Spencer says, probably Cameron playing a trick on him, but she says, he wouldn’t do that, especially after the night they’ve been having. Spencer looks around the corner, but doesn’t see anything. He says he’ll check to see what it is, and Trina says he’s not leaving her alone out there. She follows him inside, but he says, no one is in there. She says, maybe it was a rat, but he says, there are no rats in Windymere. She says, the house is huge and over 100 years old. Of course (🍷) there are rats. He says, fine. A rat made the sound. Let’s go outside and continue where we left off. Trina tells him to check the WiFi, but he says, it can wait. She says, no more distractions. Tonight’s been weird enough. She’s going downstairs to find Joss and Cam. He says, they want privacy, but she says she’s not buying it. The fireworks are over. She leaves, and he says, fine. He’ll check the WiFi. He looks at the device, and the masked figure grabs him from behind.
Jason says he needs Brick to check out the meeting venue for him. Make sure there’s no surprises waiting... He doesn’t know. He thinks there’s a bit of a power struggle with the Novak family. Vincent backed off when they retaliated, but Joey didn’t get the message. He approached Josslyn. Maybe it was to provoke him into having a meeting of the Five Families roasted artichokes, but this guy could set a trap for him. He doesn’t know and needs to be sure.
Sam tells Dante, she picked up the phone, even though it said unknown caller. For a second, she really thought it was Drew. He says, but it wasn’t? and she says, how could it be? The guy was yelling her name, and saying he needed help. There was a bunch of commotion and noise, and then the line went dead. He says he’ll have the techs at the PCPD put a trace on it. Maybe they can find out the origin of the call.
Carly says, when Jax got her confession of her alleged crimes, what was he going to do? Take it to the PCPD, and have her arrested, and let Josslyn relive that nightmare for a second time? Because Nelle did that; she had Carly arrested and prosecuted. He says, for something she didn’t do. Can she still say that? She says, everything she’s done, she’s done to protect her family, and he wants to put her in jail for it. He says he doesn’t want to put her in jail. He was going to play back her confession to her, and let her decide what to do. She says, how noble; thanks. He says, under the circumstances, he thinks it is pretty noble. She knows she’ll always have a special place in his heart, but Josslyn is his daughter, and his first priority. Moss bowl! 🎍 She says, he doesn’t think Josslyn is her first priority? and he says, obviously, he doesn’t. She sees this as a betrayal, but he sees it as a rescue. Saving their daughter. He was trying to save her too. If she would have incriminated herself, she would have had to make a choice between her so-called business or Josslyn. What choice would she have made?
The masked figure holds onto Spencer, who says, please don’t hurt him. He’ll give them anything. His father has tons of money. The figure stabs Spencer, who drops to the floor. He tosses the knife aside before jetting.
Josslyn says, there’s clearly no way to stop Tony from contacting her mother, and taking her home on a Corinthos boat, and Laura asks, what exactly happened tonight? Cameron says it would be simpler to show her, and turns out the lights. They see the writing in front of the fireplace, and Laura says, oh my God. Josslyn says, before the WiFi went out, Spencer got a call from someone who claimed to be Ryan Chamberlain. Cameron says, the launches went missing too; someone must have done that on purpose. Laura asks if Doc thinks he would have gone this far, and Cameron asks who she’s talking about.
Trina runs in to find Spencer on the floor. She goes to him, and asks, what happened? He says, a guy stabbed him, but she says, where? There’s no blood. Where is he hurt? He looks at his stomach, and says, that’s weird. There’s no blood. He looks at the knife, and says, there’s nothing on the blade. Trina says, this is crazy, and he says, what the hell is going on?
Ava says she’s taken so much of Portia’s time. She’s sure Portia needs to get back to work. Portia says she was just about to take s break. She’d love to hear about Ava’s daughter. Ava says she made so many mistakes with Kiki, and – Ava starts to cry – she died before Ava was able to make amends or be the kind of mother Kiki deserved. Portia says she’s so sorry, and Ava says, Portia and Trina is so lucky to have something so special. She thought if anything good could come out of losing Kiki, it would be for her to help other people not make same mistakes she did.
Laura asks where Spencer is, and Cameron says, he went upstairs with Trina. Doc says, let’s go, but Spencer and Trina come back. Spencer asks if they saw him; a guy in a hood and a mask. Trina says, he pretended to stab Spencer, and Spencer says, it was Ryan, Doc’s brother.
The masked figure lurks around, and takes the hood and mask off. No surprise, it’s Nikolas.
Brando says, the heartbeat is fast, and wonders if that’s normal. Dr. Navarro says, the baby is perfect, and he says, how could it not be with Sasha as a mother? Sasha says she thinks he had something to do with the baby’s perfection too.
Carly puts the phone on the kitchen island – aka home of the moss bowl. 🎍 She says she made her choice. Everything she’s done since Sonny died was for her family. Him blackmailing her with a recording doesn’t change that. He says, so there’s nothing he can do to make her see reason, and she says, he blackmailed Michael to give Nina more time with Wiley. She doesn’t know why she’s surprised he’d stoop so low with her. He says he’d do anything to protect Josslyn, no matter the cost. Jason walks in and Carly says she’s glad he’s back. Jax has been busy trying to get her to incriminate herself.
Sam asks if Dante thinks the tech guys can figure out where the call is coming from, but he tells her not to get her hopes up. She says, it couldn’t be Drew. He was on his way to Afghanistan to give back the money Shiloh stole. Dante says he heard. Peter sabotaged Drew’s plane, and it went down in the Gulf of Adan. Sam says, by the time search and rescue got to the wreckage, the bodies were long gone. He says, they know Peter caused the crash, to keep Drew from identifying him and Shiloh from the original abduction, and she asks if he thinks it was Peter who called her. He says, the WSB doesn’t know if Peter is dead or alive, but if Peter was alive, why would he pretend to be Drew? She says she doesn’t know, but it sounded like Drew’s voice. He says, maybe Peter was using voice altering technology, but she asks why Peter would want to make her think Drew was alive?
Portia says she wasn’t very nice to Ava when they met. Honestly, she was jealous of Ava’s relationship with Trina. She was defensive about it, but now she’s so happy that Trina has Ava in her life; that both of them do. She thinks she has to say that she may have underestimated Ava. She has a generous heart. Ava tells her to keep that between them, and Portia promises not say anything. She has to get back to work, but suggests she and Ava grab a drink and talk about something other than Trina. Ava says she looks forward to it. Ava leaves, and the creepy nurse watches and smiles.
Laura asks if Spencer is hurt, and he says, Chamberlain used a retractable knife, but went right for his chest. He thought he was a dead man. Doc’s brother isn’t as helpless as everyone thinks. Josslyn asks if Trina is okay, and Trina says when she saw Spencer lying on the floor, she was so scared. Doc asks where the attacker is now, and Spencer says, he took off; he could be anywhere. Is that why they’re there? Did he escape? Laura says, they came because Ava told them something might happen there tonight. Trina wonders how Ava would know, and Doc says, Spencer’s father told her that he had a plan. Laura says they don’t think Ryan is behind this, but Spencer says, of course (🍷) he is. Who else could it be? The masked figure comes in, and removes his mask. It’s Nikolas.
Ava goes to her car in the parking garage, and finds it on fire.
Laura says she was hoping Ava was wrong, but it was Nikolas terrorizing Spencer, and all of his friends? Doc says, Nikolas used his brother to feed their fears, and Nikolas says, Spencer needed to be taught a lesson. Laura says, like this? It’s like something out of a horror film. Doc says, you have a problem with your son, you talk to him about it, and Spencer says, it was Nikolas. The call from Ryan, the writing on the fireplace, the hooded figure. Why? Laura says, it’s bad enough Nikolas wanted to teach Spencer a lesson, but what about his friends? He had no right to frighten them like that. Doc asks if he doesn’t think Trina was traumatized enough by the real stalker. He had to make it worse? Laura says she’s never been so ashamed of him in her life.
Dante tells Sam, wherever Peter is, he should still be focused on Maxie and the baby. She says, if it’s not Peter, could the call be related to Hayden Barnes, as a way of distracting her from investigating Hayden, and go off looking for Drew? He says he doesn’t know if it has anything to do with Hayden, but whoever called wanted to distract and upset her. She says, and they’re using Scout’s father to do it.
Jax asks if Carly thinks he wanted to take it this far. Doesn’t she think he went through a hundred different scenarios in his head to try to get her away from Sonny’s business, and keep their daughter safe? She says, even if she had walked away from the business, it woudn’t have walked away from her. It’s already too late. He says, that’s the biggest lie. They both know Jason would do anything for her. If she asked him to take over the business, and leave her out of it, that’s what he would have done. The fact that Jason is still there tells him that she doesn’t want him to; she’s happy the way things are. She says, they’re done. Jax crossed a line. So whatever bond she thought they had has been broken – by him, and only him. He says she still doesn’t understand; this isn’t about them. He leaves, and Carly tells Jason that Jax betrayed her. He used her trust, and tried to bait her into incriminating herself. Jason asks if she said anything that could get her in trouble, and she says she doesn’t think so. He says, they need to be sure.
Tony tells Josslyn, sorry to interrupt, but they should have a boat to get her out of there soon. She says, great. She’s definitely ready to get out of there. She asks if Tony could somehow contact her mom, so she doesn’t freak out when she finds out he sent for a special boat for her. Tony tells her to come out when she’s ready; he’ll be outside. Cameron thinks they should go now, and asks Trina if she’s coming. Trina looks at Spencer, and says, not yet, and Josslyn hugs her. Laura hugs Cameron, and says she’s so sorry. Cameron and Josslyn leave, and Spencer asks if Nikolas shut down the WiFi earlier. Nikolas says he didn’t want Spencer calling for help, and Doc says, pretty extreme lesson for his son, doesn’t he think? Trina asks, what happened to Costas? and Nikolas says he told Costas to disappear for a while. He also made the launches unavailable. Laura asks why he would go to such lengths to terrorize his own son, and Nikolas says he wanted Spencer to feel as frightened as Ava did when Spencer stalked her.
Firemen use fire extinguishers on Ava’s car, and one of them asks if it’s hers. She says, yeah. She called it in. She thanks him for coming quickly, and asks if he has any idea how it started. Was there a short or something? He says, it wasn’t electrical. They found a gas can under the chassis. She says, so someone deliberately set fire to her car, and wanted her to know it was done on purpose? He says, they found this nearby, and hands her a hospital ID. She faints into his arms.
Dante tells Sam that they couldn’t ID the call, and she wonders why someone would do this; call her and pretend to be Drew. He asks if anyone has a reason to gaslight her, and she says, not that she knows of. Maybe in her past, but… The voice, it felt so real. It felt like she was actually talking to Drew. It couldn’t be… except… He says, except what? She’s not telling him that she believes it’s Drew.
On the phone, Jason asks if Spinelli is sure it was deleted… Wipe the whole phone… He doesn’t care; Jax can buy a new one. Just do it… Thank you. He tells Carly, okay, it’s done. No one will ever hear the recording. She says, the number of people she can trust just got smaller. He says, it sucks; he’s sorry. She tells him, don’t apologize. He didn’t do anything. Jax did. He asks if she’ll be okay for the meeting tonight, and she says, it’s not like she has a choice. She’ll be fine. Good thing Jason will be there. It was difficult last time. He says, Brando told him that she owned the meeting, and she says she was nervous, but she did own the meeting. Tony calls, and she says, what’s wrong?
Spencer laughs, and asks if Nikolas is accusing him of stalking Ava again. They already discussed it, and Nikolas said he believed Spencer. Nikolas says he has proof this time, and Doc says he was with Ava when she got the phony hand. Trina says she was drenched in fake blood. There’s no way that could be Spencer. Spencer says, maybe they shouldn’t be so quick to defend him.
Portia gives Ava some water, and Ava says, she’d prefer vodka. Portia says she’s still cracking jokes, so she might be okay, but she can examine Ava to be on the safe side. Ava says she’s just a little shaken. It’s not every day someone sets your car on fire. Portia asks if she has any idea who could do something this awful, and Ava says, her stalker.
Outside Windymere, Tony tells Josslyn that her mom is coming. Josslyn says, they’ll wait there. She doesn’t want her mom to be any part of whatever is going on in there. Cameron says, you and me both.
Spencer says, before Nikolas jumps to conclusions, he’s confessing to one transgression, and one transgression only. He threw a party at Windymere when he thought his father was in Dubai, not lurking around Windymere, scaring the hell out of his friends and him. Trina says, Nikolas pretended to stab Spencer, and Spencer says, who the hell does that? Nikolas says Spencer sent Ava’s daughter a teddy bear that spoke with Ryan’s voice. Who does that? Trina says, Spencer doesn’t like Ava. He doesn’t want her with his father;he’s made no secret about. Oh my God. Would he really go that far? Setting up the sprinklers in the gallery to spray fake blood? Nikolas tells Spencer to own up to what he did. Be the man Nikolas knows he can be. Be the son his mother would want him to be. Make her proud. Nikolas’s phone rings, and he says, Ava? She says, there’s been another incident. Her car was set on fire. He asks if she’s hurt, and she says, no; she’s okay. Is Spencer with him? Nikolas says, yeah. He’s looking right at him. She says, well, this happened at the hospital, and he says, then it couldn’t have been Spencer. Because Spencer isn’t possibly smart enough to maybe have worked that out to throw them off.
In the hallway, Brando stares at the sono picture, mesmerized, and Dr. Navarro asks if Sasha still suffers from morning sickness. Sasha says, no, she’s been feeling better, and the doctor says she’ll see Sasha at her next appointment. She tells Brando, congratulations, dad, and says it was nice to meet him. He says, her too, and thanks her for everything. She leaves, and he thanks Sasha for letting him be a part of this. Who knew a doctor’s appointment could be so fun? Sasha says, every check-up gets her closer to meeting this little person, whoever they turn out to be. He says, whoever they turn out to be, they’re already lucky to have her as a mom. She says, and him as a dad, and they look at the picture together.
Carly tells Jason that Tony said something weird is going on at Windymere. He said Josslyn’s fine, but he doesn’t trust the launch, so he sent one of their boats. She needs to go to Josslyn, but she’s supposed to be at the meeting. He says, don’t worry about it, and she asks if he’s sure. He says he’ll take care of it. Josslyn is more important. Carly says, she is, and starts to babble. Jason says, forget Jax. Don’t let it get to her. Just take care of Josslyn. She tells him to take care of himself tonight, and be careful. She needs him. She leaves the home of the hallowed moss bowl.🎍
Cameron asks if Josslyn thinks it was Spencer’s father the whole time, but she says she doesn’t know, and doesn’t even think she wants to know. Spencer can be over-the-top sometimes, but for his own father to do that to him? He stabbed Spencer, and made him think he was going to die. Tony tells her that her mother will be there soon.
Trina asks if Ava is okay; what happened? Nikolas says, someone set fire to Ava’s car, and Trina says, no. Nikolas says, Ava is shaken up, but Dr. Robinson is looking after her. Doc asks where this happened, and Nikolas says, at the hospital. Doc says, far from here; far from Spencer. Laura says, so Spencer is innocent. She wishes she could say the same about Nikolas.
Portia says she’ll wait with Ava until the police get there. Is she sure she’s okay? Ava says, not really, and Portia says, who is this stalker? Ava says she doesn’t know. Someone emulating Ryan; a copycat or someone doing his bidding. Whoever it is had just upped the stakes. Portia says, how so? and Ava says, the firemen found this next to her car. She shows Portia the ID, which belonged to Kiki. Portia says how would the stalker get that? Where was it even last seen? Ava says, it was with Kiki. She buried the badge with her daughter because working there meant so much to her. Creepy nurse walks by, and smiles.
Sam tells Dante, Drew’s body was never recovered. She has to at least consider the possibility that it was his voice. He says, so she’s considering the unthinkable? and she says, yeah. Maybe Drew didn’t die in that plane crash after all.
A man is tossed into a primitive cell; just a cot, paint peeling off the walls. The guard says, wrong choice using the phone. It won’t happen again. He says, this is the last place you’ll ever see, Drew Cain. We see Cameron Mathieson looking all scruffy.
The text says, In Memory of Jay Pickett.
Tomorrow, Laura tells Nikolas that he’s going to end up on the same path his father did, Obrecht meets with Jax, and Jason says the meeting will continue or repercussions will follow.
Still at Black Shabbat, we revisited Leah telling Ramona, it’s not about white people right now. Eboni told Leah that she regretted even doing this. Ramona said she was hangry, and haunted the kitchen, kvetching to the staff that she didn’t eat, had been running all day, and needed food. In Ramona’s interview, she said when no food went into her mouth, her foot went in. Leah told Eboni that she thought Ramona had a low IQ,, and in Eboni’s interview, she said Archie had opened her beautiful home, and given them beautiful food and drinks. Shut up and enjoy it. LuAnn found Ramona, who whined they had another hour to go. LuAnn came back to the table, saying it was shocking and embarrassing. Archie said it was supposed to be about the human values we all have, and gave a toast. In Ramona’s interview, she said Sonja had been drinking since they were on the bus, and had no food. It wasn’t going to be pretty. Unlike the mess she’d just made. But Ramona’s prophecy was correct, since it wasn’t long before Sonja started screeching about finding a purpose, tossing her napkin around, and jumping out of her chair. LuAnn hugged her to shut her up, and Sonja said Ramona wasn’t doing the hard work or heavy lifting. Ramona needed to get real and feel people’s pain. Like she was telling us something we didn’t know. Eboni told Ramona, it was time out on white people, and Ramona said she was both, pointing out that she was wearing a zebra print. Linara tried to tell a story about a turning point in her life, and how medical care was different for a pregnant Black woman. She talked about how the medical staff assumed she was addicted to drugs when she was in pain, and refused to give her medication. The pain ended up inducing labor, when it could have been avoided. This prompted Ramona to bitch about a Black nurse not believing she was in pain when she was in labor. It is pretty amazing how badly Ramona fails at reading a room, or even letting anyone else have a moment. In LuAnn’s interview, she said it was like a runaway train. If you jumped out the window, you were doomed, but you were doomed if you stayed on. Eboni said Ramona didn’t realize her questioning felt adversarial, and in her interview, she said, God help her, she believed in Ramona. Ramona wailed that she was tired, and it had been four hours. Eboni said she wasn’t holding anyone hostage, told Ramona to go home, and apologized to Archie. In her interview, Eboni wondered if Ramona really wanted to leave, was undermining the evening, or was just too selfish to appreciate it. I vote for D) All of the above. In Ramona’s interview, she complained that his was longer than a wedding. Not being able to leave without focusing some more on herself, Ramona said one thing she would change about herself was to be less unfiltered. She wanted to be honest, and said she didn’t take in what others were saying before she jumped on what she was thinking. Eboni told her friends that the women said Ramona was better than she had been, and in LuAnn’s interview, she said Ramona had come a long way. She thought Ramona had exhausted the bad behavior. We flashed back to Ramona screeching about Simon attending a ladies night, berating Bethenny about having no one in her life, hassling a limo driver, screaming take a Xanax! at Aviva, and other random obnoxious behavior. LuAnn couldn’t believe Ramona still had it in her. Sonja and Ramona hugged it out, and Archie just laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. She seems like a pretty cool chick.
LuAnn visited Ramona, and in her interview, said that she thought Ramona had no clue that she was over-the-top rude. She told Ramona it had been quite the night, to which Ramona responded by going on and on about how drunk and nuts Sonja was, and that she thought Sonja was projecting. She said it felt like Sonja was on a train that was going to crash, and she had no regard for people’s feelings or property. In LuAnn’s interview, she said it was typical of Ramona to keep the focus on someone else. LuAnn said Ramona had been rude, and Ramona said she’d been starving. LuAnn said, there were plenty of appetizers, but Ramona said she was still starving. LuAnn said she didn’t need to scarf down a whole meal in the kitchen, and Ramona said she’d had too much to drink. LuAnn knew how it was. LuAnn told Ramona not to throw that at her, and Ramona said she’d apologized to Eboni first thing the next morning. In her interview, LuAnn said it was one excuse after another; too much to drink, she needs food, she needs to pee. In the meantime, Eboni visited with Sonja at the townhouse, while Marley periodically stole cold cuts from the charcuterie board on the coffee table. In Eboni’s interview, she said she was proud that Sonja standing up for herself had been successful, but they needed to find the sweet spot that included social graces. She asked if Sonja remembered peeing in Archie’s driveway, and we flashed back to Sonja taking a leak in other unconventional places like the cornfield.
LuAnn met Eboni at the Alpine Lodge restaurant, and brought Leah along on the phone. In Leah’s interview, she said she thought it would be nice to be isolated for two weeks, but she was having FOMO, and missed the ladies. Ramona joined them, and in LuAnn’s interview, she said it was typical Ramona. After she burns down the house, let’s be nice. In other words, completely ignoring what an ass she’d been at Black Shabbat. Ramona started talking about Sonja’s drinking, and in her interview, Leah said the last thing she wanted to hear was Ramona gaslighting Sonja. Some women from Fortune Society also showed up, and told stories about going to prison. Of course, Ramona interrupted a thousand times, and in her interview, LuAnn wondered where the radar was that Ramona wasn’t born with that says, do not speak now. Ramona managed to turn it into a conversation about Sonja, and the women told her that you could be there for a friend, but they were the one who had to go through their own process. Like Ramona is going to take advice about anything.
Rob brought Kier back to Leah’s place, and she was glad to see them both. She and Rob discussed schools for Leah, and Rob thought they were expensive for high school. Leah said she wasn’t thrilled with some of the elitist viewpoints, but they had to think of the good education Kier would be getting. In Leah’s interview, she said she wasn’t on any boards, and there was no hospital wing named after her. Clearly, she was in over her head. Eboni was a bundle of nerves, waiting for Linda to come with news of a DNA trace. Linda told her that she had three candidates who were all brothers, but thought there was one in particular, who was closest in age to Eboni’s mother, that was probably Eboni’s father. He was still alive, married, with two kids. Eboni got all emotional, and in her interview, she said, it was a lot, but it was extremely wonderful, and the best case. She looked at the picture of most likely brother, and said she was basking in the truth that she had a dad.
Next time, LuAnn says Sonja is getting totally wasted in the daytime, and the women play Pin the Tail on Harry.
🌆 Closed For the Night…
See you tomorrow for more soap and Wives. What will Erika deny next? Will she finally discover waterproof mascara? Until then, stay safe, stay floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, and stay talking about it if you have a problem with someone. Don’t lurk about the halls in a hood and mask.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At the hospital, Ava goes to Doc’s office. She flashes back to asking Ryan (when she thought he was Doc) why he can’t be her doctor if she’s not so horrible. He says she’s not horrible; he finds her fascinating. Too fascinating. In many ways, he can identify with her. She asks, what kind of ways? and he says he can’t say anymore. She says, if he’s not her doctor anymore, nothing he says can be unprofessional. He can’t be her doctor because he can’t be objective where she’s concerned. The real Doc startles her, and apologizes. She says she was just struck by a memory of when Ryan was pretending to be him. He says, sorry, and asks if there’s something specific about Ryan that she’s worried about. She says she is being stalked by a madman, and he fits the bill, but Doc says, it isn’t Ryan. He was at Spring Ridge this morning, and Ryan isn’t moving, let alone stalking. She says that’s why she’s there. She’d like to talk about who is capable. He asks what she’s thinking, and she says there’s no easy way to ask this, but does he think Spencer could be the stalker?
Spencer, Trina, Josslyn, and Cameron use the photo booth props, and strike poses while there’s a song part. They head back to the house, and Spencer says, maybe he’ll post this one of Joss and Cam; very affectionate. Josslyn says, then they’ll see how his dad feels about him throwing a rager on Spoon Island. At the door, guard Costas wants to see their VIP bracelets, and Trina says she thought they were the only ones allowed in the house. Spencer holds up his bracelet, and tells Costas, well done. He’d told him no exceptions. The others show their bracelets, and they go inside. Josslyn tells Tony – who I suddenly realize, is also Oscar from The Haves and The Have Nots – as he can see, they’re the only ones going inside, and asks if he can stay in the foyer. He agrees, but wants her to check with him before going outside, or to any other areas of the house. She thanks him, and goes in.
Trina says she’s glad to be off her feet, and sits on the couch, putting her feet up. She says, the DJ was tight. She hasn’t danced like that since she doesn’t know when. Spencer says he’s glad the DJ lived up to the hype. Everybody seems to be into it. Josslyn says, you think so? His friends are hard to read, and kind of standoffish. Trina says, and by that, she means total snobs. What’s up with them anyway?All they’re interested in doing is taking selfies. Are the influencers or something? Josslyn says, no one she recognized, and asks if they’re Spencer’s friends from school. He says, they just take a while to warm up. Some of them just flew in today. Jet lag. Josslyn says, good thing Cam invited some people from Port Charles. They can have conversations with them. Cameron says, you know us townies, and Trina says, whatever. The party’s a hit. Spencer says he never doubted it, and sits next to her. She says, please. He’s among friends there. He can admit that he’s relieved he pulled it off. Spencer says, the party isn’t over yet. He might still have a few surprises up his sleeve.
Laura goes to the reception desk, and Elizabeth asks, what brings her by? Laura says Doc is finishing up his notes, then they’re going out to dinner. She asks if Elizabeth has a minute to talk while she waits, and Elizabeth says, sure. Elizabeth comes out and walks with Laura, asking, what’s on her mind? Laura wonders if Elizabeth spoke to her father about Naomi Dreyfuss’s death.
Dante and Sam have drinks by the pool (🍷). It’s nighttime, so it’s all pretty with those light-up pool floats. She tells Dante that when she asked Danny why he put a broken skate in the oven, he said he thought she’d never find it there. Dante says, why not? and she says because she never uses the oven. I identify, and Dante laughs, saying, now he gets it. That’s messed up. Rocco makes him feel like a rockstar making him pasta. He asks if she’s getting going, and she says she supposes she should…
Jax acts all stealthy around the halls of the hallowed moss bowl 🎍 – i.e. Sonny’s kitchen. He sets his phone to record, and hears Carly coming. She says, crisis averted. Donna just wanted a sip of water and to be read to, and went right back to sleep. Jax puts his phone face down near the moss bowl 🎍 to get moss bowl 🎍 energy. He says he remembers all the bedtime stories they read Josslyn; she couldn’t get enough of them. Carly says, it seems like yesterday, but also a lifetime ago, and now she’s going off to college. He says, no matter how old she gets, in his heart, she’ll always be the little girl with the messy hair. (I still want to revisit that dressing like corn thing.) She says, climbing, swimming, and taking every dare, and he says, but still vulnerable, and dependent on them for everything. She says she understands what he means, and he says she couldn’t possibly. Otherwise she wouldn’t continue to put their daughter in danger like this.
Sam says, since they’re here, does Dante want to go over the Naomi Dreyfuss case? He asks if that isn’t against the rules of the SPA; Single Parents Anonymous. Parents need to kick back and relax, and not talk about work. She says he’s right. It’s been relaxing and unwinding, and all that, but they’ve talked so much about the kids. He says it goes with the single parents territory, and she says he started by telling her all about the rock climbing thing. He says he thinks his stories are fascinating, and she says, breathtaking. He says, it was a good time, right? and she says, it was. He asks if this is a date.
Elizabeth tells Laura, she hasn’t heard from her dad in months. She believes he’s still working in Africa, but has no idea where. Laura says she thought that might be the case. She just wanted to make herself available in case Elizabeth needed to talk. It’s another death, and that sometimes kicks up other feelings. Elizabeth thanks her, and says she doesn’t even know how to process this. What’s proper etiquette when the woman who your father cheated with, while he was still married to your mom, dies? Is she supposed to track him down and tell him the news? Laura says she thinks you do what you’re most comfortable with, and Elizabeth says, which, until this conversation, was nothing. She guesses there’s always email, and Laura says she’d be happy to send one, but Elizabeth says, the person she really wants to talk to is Hayden. Does she even know her mother died? Laura says, if she does, she might reach out to Elizabeth. Elizabeth says, it’s been so long with no word, she’s starting to think she’ll never see Hayden again.
Doc asks Ava what makes her think Spencer is the one that’s threatening her? and she says, Nikolas is convinced of it. She’s afraid it might tear Nikolas and Spencer apart again. Doc says he and Laura were at Windymere, and Nikolas apologized to Spencer for suspecting him. After Spencer left, Nikolas showed them a letter addressed to Spencer from Ryan; it was quite a surprise. She says, a surprise indeed, and he says, the letter was returned to Ryan unopened, and Nikolas said he didn’t believe Spencer was the stalker because the dates didn’t match; but based on what Ava is saying, Nikolas must have reconsidered. She says, he just doesn’t think that Spencer’s story holds together; there are some holes there. He asks what she thinks, and she says, she thinks Nikolas might be about to make a big mistake. He and Spencer have just started to repair their relationship, and if he confronts Spencer, he could lose his son for good.
On the phone, Spencer says, everything’s cool here. He’s just enjoying the time alone. It gives him space for quiet contemplation… Outside, we hear someone yell, Mark! Let’s go ride that bull! Spencer says, that?That was just some mockumentary. He was streaming shows on HULU. Have a safe flight; text me when you land… I love you too. He hangs up, and Josslyn asks Cameron how many mockumentaries he’s watched. Cameron says, it’s difficult to say… None? Trina says, speaking of bull, what was that guy talking about? Spencer says, his first surprise. He got a mechanical bull. Cameron says, impressive, and Spencer says, thanks. Josslyn tells Cameron to start on the lowest setting; it’s trickier than it looks. She tells Spencer, this party is epic, but isn’t he the least bit concerned about his father’s reaction when he gets back? He’s going to find out, unless Spencer is going to reseed the entire east lawn. Spencer says, it’s more than likely he’ll find out, but he’ll get over it. His father might get annoyed, but never really gets angry with him.
Carly asks how many times she and Jax are going to have this conversation. She told him that she and Jason will do everything in their power to keep Josslyn safe. He says he’s not angling for a fight, but now that Sonny’s gone, he’s struggling with this. Struggling to understand it. She says, understand what? and he says how she can get mixed up with the Five Families grated parmesan cheese. She says she knows he doesn’t approve, but she’s already told him it’s the perception of unity and continuity. Everything has to stay the same; there can be no disruptions. That’s how she protects her family and keeps her kids safe. He says, the way Sonny protected Morgan.
Sam says, this can’t be a date; she and Dante are colleagues. He says, not really, and she says they work together. He says he’s a cop, so he’d never commit to that. She says, they’ve shared information, and he says, when it’s available and falls within the legal limits, sure. She says because he works within the legal limits of the law, and he asks if that annoys her. She says, it does, a little bit, and he says it’s a good thing they’re not talking about the case then, and she says it’s a good thing they’re doing their two-person support group meeting… meeting. Because it’s not a date. He says, dinner and drinks, and she says, everyone in the world has dinner and drinks. He says she’s right. He’s being ridiculous. This is totally not a date. She says she’s sure, and he says, it kinda feels like one though.
Ava tells Doc, she doesn’t know the details. She just knows that Nikolas is convinced Spencer is the stalker, and it’s tearing him up. Doc says, Nikolas did let Spencer believe he was dead for over three years. Obviously, he feels guilty about that. Perhaps his guilt is affecting his perception of the situation. She says, just because Nikolas feels guilty, that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily wrong about this. What does Doc think? Does he think Spencer is capable of doing everything the stalker has done? Doc says his first reaction is no, but then he’s married to Spencer’s grandmother, so he’s biased. She says she needs him to put that guy aside for a moment. She needs the opinion of Dr. Kevin Collins.
Spencer puts his feet up, and Josslyn asks what other surprises he has in store. He says, apparently, she’s unfamiliar with the concept of surprise. The whole idea is, you don’t know what’s coming. Josslyn says, in the meantime, can she take Cam up to the turret? She just loves the view from up there. Spencer asks if she’s sure there’s room up there for her, Cam, and Tony, and she says they’ll figure it out. Spencer says, then by all means, enjoy. They go out to the foyer, and Josslyn tells Tony that they’d like to explore the house a little. Is it okay for him to stay there? Tony says, sure, but if she’s not back in 30 minutes, he’ll have to come looking for her, which he’s sure they want to avoid. Cameron says they’ll be back in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed, but instead of making a pizza joke, Tony says, fine. Josslyn and Cameron head to the turret.
Spencer asks Trina, did he disappoint? and she says she has to admit, he’s exceeded her expectations. He thanks her, and asks if she’s having fun. She says she is. She needed this. Not so much the bougie friends, but the chance to chill and let go. He asks if things have calmed down between her and her mom, and she says she had a talk with Ava, who gave her some good advice as usual. He rolls his eyes, and she says she thought he was making an effort with Ava. Didn’t he call a truce? He says they’re on better terms now, but they’re far from being friends, and if he recalls, he also offered some pearls of wisdom. She asks if he’s jealous, and he says, it depends. What is this great advice Ava gave her? Trina says Ava told her that she can’t let the past get in the way of her relationship with her mom. He says he basically told her the same thing, and she says, then he and Ava agree. Costas walks in, and Spencer asks why he’s left his post. Is there a problem with the mechanical bull? Costas says, the launch is missing.
MOSS BOWL! 🎍 I swear it’s getting bigger. Carly asks, how dare Jax bring up Morgan? And Sonny. What the hell is wrong with him? He says he’s not trying to hurt her. This is too important to keep dancing around. She says, dancing around? She lives with what happened to Morgan every day of her life. As well as the reality that she lost her husband, and he’s throwing both in her face. Why? To prove his point? She gets it loud and clear. He can go now. He says, not until she listens to him. He loved Morgan too. He helped raise Morgan. They decided to send him away to school where he’d be safe, and he was, until he came back, and got mixed up in Sonny’s feud with the Jeromes. She says, that’s not the whole story and he knows it, but he says, it’s close enough. She had a chance to break free of this life, yet she chose to stay in it. How can she justify running the Corinthos Organization when it’s already cost her one child? She says, to walk away would be more dangerous. To stay safe they have to show strength. He asks if she’s sure she’s strong enough, and she says, yes. He says, then tell him what she’s willing to do to protect their daughter.
Carly says she and Jax have worked so hard to come together for Josslyn’s sake. What is he doing? Is he trying to say she doesn’t love her daughter? He says, no, of course (🍷) not, but that Novak guy targeted Josslyn. She says, yes, but it’s not going to happen again, and he says, why? Because Jason said he handled it? Or because she’s going to send a message to the Novaks and the other families? Give them a show of force so they won’t move against her again? So they’ll fear her? She says she’s not going to talk to him about this, and he asks if they fear her already. She says, yes, they do, and he says, because she blew up Cyrus’s cargo ship?
Sam swishes the pool (🍷) water with her foot, and asks, why Dante is so insistent on their support group meeting being a date? Is he one of those men who can’t be friends with a woman kind of people? He says, no, and she says, good, because she has a lot of male friends. He says, good for her. He has a lot of female friends. She says, good for him. She thinks it’s great. He says, but he doesn’t kiss his female friends on the mouth the way they kissed on the 4th of July. She says she was drunk, and he said he wasn’t going to… He says she’s right. It never happened. Except it did happen. She says, Dante, and he says, all right; his bad. Besides, he knows he’s definitely not her type.
Ava says, if Spencer weren’t Laura’s grandson, would Doc think he was capable of being the stalker? Doc says, that’s a complex question; the answer even more so.Spencer never knew his mother, which was traumatic enough. Nikolas was an indulgent father; a wealthy, indulgent father.Spencer got used to getting his way, and was known to act out to get attention. She asks if there were ever any consequences for Spencer’s bad behavior, and Doc says, aside from Laura, probably not. She says, Spencer was dead set against her marriage to Nikolas, and the stalker seems to feel the same way. He says she does seem to be the target of the fixation, and she says, the threats stopped as soon as she and Nikolas made their pending divorce public, and started to create distance between them. He says, it’s what the stalker wanted, and she says, and what Spencer wanted. He tells her to remember that Spencer is still a young man; the brain isn’t even fully formed until age 25. (Truth!) It’s possible Spencer doesn’t grasp how traumatic it is for her. She says she thinks Nikolas is on to something, and asks if he thinks Spencer is the stalker.
Laura tells Elizabeth that she ran into Cameron working at Kelly’s, and she’s proud of him. He’s being so mature and so responsible. And he and Josslyn are so adorable. Elizabeth says, can she believe it? Things are finally coming together for Cameron. Laura says she has to admit she’s happy he chose to stay at PCU, instead of going somewhere far away. Elizabeth says, he chose to stay close to home, even though they all told him it was okay to go to California. But she’s glad he’s there. Although she’s a little concerned that he sacrificed his dream school. Laura hugs her, and says Elizabeth raised a wonderful young man. He’ll do well no matter where he lands.
Josslyn and Cameron go out on the turret balcony, and Josslyn says, isn’t it great up there? Cameron says he’d forgotten, and Josslyn brings up how Spencer had them fully convinced there was a monster in the tunnels when they were kids. He wasn’t completely wrong. Cameron says, he wasn’t completely right either, and she says, typical Spencer. When they were kids, she never realized how lonely he was. She just thought he was spoiled and obnoxious. Cameron says, and now? and she says she still thinks he’s spoiled and obnoxious, but she guesses he’s trying, or at least trying to try. Cameron says, it seems like it, and she says, enough about Spencer. He says, fine by him. It may be Spencer’s house and his party, but the way he sees it, in this moment, the turret is theirs. They kiss.
Costas tells Spencer, some of the guests wanted to leave, but when they got to the docks, the launch was gone. Spencer says, they’re probably picking up people on the mainland. Serves them right. Who’d want to leave so early? Costas says, the plan was to have a boat there at all times. It was to wait for the second boat to return before departing. They can’t reach the pilot of either launch. Tony comes in, and tells Costas, he just wanted to confirm; there’s no transport off this island? Costas says, not at the moment, and Tony says he’s sorry, but he’s going to take Josslyn home. Spencer says he thinks Tony is jumping the gun. It’s probably just a mix-up. One of the pilots probably figured the party was well underway, so it was safe to take a break. Tony says he saw a boathouse earlier. They need to check if the boat’s been sabotaged. Trina asks if that’s necessary, and Tony says, it’s the simplest way to find out if someone wanted to strand them there. He asks how many people Costas has, and Costas says, six; they’re all good and they all know their business, but they’re hardly crowd control for kids. Tony tells Costas to have his people keep their eye on the party goers. He’s going to find out if the boat’s been sabotaged. He thinks it might be a good idea to keep Josslyn there, and Costas says he’ll stay there and keep an eye on things. Tony says if he finds out the boat’s been sabotaged, he’s calling a chopper. He tells Trina and Spencer to find Josslyn and Cameron, and tell them to stay in the living room. Tony leaves, and Trina says she’ll go find Joss and Cam. Spencer starts to follow, and Costas says he’s going to watch the door, and tells Spencer to stay put. He leaves, and Spencer’s phone rings. It says unknown, and he answers saying, everything’s fine. Ryan says, hello, Spencer. It’s Ryan Chamberlain. Spencer was trying to get his attention. Now he’s got it. This ends tonight.
Trina interrupts Cameron and Josslyn, and says she’s sorry, but things are getting weird downstairs. Josslyn asks, what’s going on? and Trina says, the launches are missing. Cameron asks what she means, and she says, there’s supposed to be one in the dock, and there isn’t, and the captain’s aren’t answering. Josslyn says, that’s so weird. Both boats? Trina says, maybe it’s nothing, but Josslyn’s bodyguard is in overdrive, and wants her downstairs immediately. Josslyn says, okay. They should go. Spencer says, there’s always something with the Cassadines, and they leave the turret.
Sam asks what Dante means that he’s not her type, and he says he doesn’t brood, and he has a sense of humor. She says he does slay the dad jokes, and he says, Rocco likes them. What else? He respects the law. She says, because he is the law; very convenient. He says, and he can cook. She says he gets points for that one because she’s not doing the cooking. He says, it probably wouldn’t work. He’s a pretty simple guy. He likes movies with explosions, playing with the kids, softball on the weekends, pancakes at Kelly’s afterwards. She puts her finger on his lips and says, stop talking, and kisses him
The moss bowl 🎍 and phone start to make plans to take over the world, and Carly says she doesn’t know what Jax is talking about. What ship? He says, come on. Back in May, around the same time Jason escaped from GH, a ship carrying cargo for Cyrus Renault was sabotaged. She says she doesn’t remember the sinking of that ship being widely publicized. How did he know about it? He says she ordered the sinking of that ship, didn’t she? She says, the loss of that ship rattled Cyrus, and he backed off, didn’t he? and Jax says, because he knew she was the one that took it from him. She’s responsible for that ship going down, isn’t she? She asks what he’s doing.
Laura knocks at Doc’s office door, and says she’s sorry; did she interrupt a session? A nurse in scrubs stands outside the door and eavesdrops, being very obvious, and no one bothers to close the door. Doc says Ava was just telling him that Nikolas feels Spencer is the stalker. Laura wonders when that happened, and says she’ll talk to him when he comes back from Dubai, but Ava says, there’s no trip; there’s no Dubai. Doc says they saw him leave, but Ava says, they saw him pretend to leave. It was part of his plan to trick Spencer. Outside, the nurse’s head whips around so fast, I’ll be surprised she didn’t get whiplash, and Laura says, how? Ava says she doesn’t know the specifics. Only that Nikolas wanted to give Spencer a taste of his own medicine. Doc says, it sounds ominous, and Laura says, it sounds like a mistake. Ava agrees, and says she tried to talk Nikolas out of it, but Nikolas thinks he can save Spencer from himself. He’s so bullheaded, he can’t see that he’s just going to make it worse.
Spencer says, hello? but the line is dead. Trina comes in, saying, she found them, and Cameron and Josslyn follow her in. Josslyn asks Spencer, what’s going on? and he says, Ryan Chamberlain just called him. Josslyn says, what? and Cameron asks if it’s another surprise of Spencer’s. He doesn’t think it’s going to go over well with his guests. Spencer says he’s serious, and Trina says, is he? Because this isn’t funny. He says, he called and he said he was Ryan Chamberlain. He said Spencer had his attention, and this ends tonight. Cameron says, what ends tonight? but Spencer says he doesn’t know, but he knows it was Ryan, and recognized his voice. Trina asks how it’s possible. Ava said Ryan is practically paralyzed. All he can do is blink. Even if he could talk, he’s in prison. You can’t just call people. Cameron says Spencer is slipping. His pranks used to be way better thought out than this. Spencer says he’s not lying, when the lights go out. Josslyn says, what is that? and we see phosphorescent letters in front of the fireplace that say, it ends tonight.
As she and Dante are kissing, Sam’s phone rings. He asks if everything is okay, and she says, it’s unknown. It’s probably a telemarketer. He asks if that was maybe more than a friend kiss, and she says she doesn’t know. He can figure it out. He says his professional opinion deduces this was a date. She says, good work, detective, and he says, maybe it’s against the rules to date someone in the support group. She says, a support group of two people. He asks if she’s open to it, and she says she’s definitely open to the proposition.
Spencer wonders how that got there, and Trina says, it’s some kind of projection. Josslyn says, please tell her that it’s one of his surprises. He says, no, and yells for Costas. Costas runs in, and asks where the message came from, and Spencer says, that’s what he wants to know. Who’s been in this house? Costas says, no one. All the other entrances are locked. The only way in is through the front door, and him. The lights come back on, and Spencer says, the generator kicked in. Costas says he’s going to check the exterior and look for any signs of a break-in. He tells Spencer to lock up behind him. Spencer locks the door behind Costas, and Trina says, this is bad, isn’t it? Spencer says, the writing on the fireplace is exactly what Ryan said to him. Then the phone went dead. Josslyn says, if this is another one of his stupid jokes, she promises she won’t be mad, but he needs to admit it. Her bodyguard doesn’t mess around, and if he gets worried enough, he’ll call for back-up. Then they’ll have a real problem. Spencer says, this is not a joke. If her bodyguard would like extra back-up, good for him. Maybe it will discourage Ryan, or whoever’s behind this. Cameron looks out the window, and says, the party is still going on outside. Only inside the house seems to be affected. Josslyn says he means targeted, and Trina says she’s had enough hostage for one lifetime. She’s going to call the cops. She gets no signal, and Josslyn and Cameron don’t have one either. Spencer says they have a signal booster to get reception on the island. The power outage probably threw it offline. Cameron asks where it is, and Spencer says, the sitting room; he’ll go. Josslyn asks if he’s insane. He’s getting creepy messages from Ryan Chamberlain, and he wants to wander off by himself? Trina asks if he’s seen a horror movie. He asks if they want cell service or not, and Trina says she’ll go with him. He probably doesn’t know how to reboot it. They leave, and Josslyn and Cameron hug.
Laura says, Nikolas’s phone is going directly to voicemail, and Doc says, so is Spencer’s. Ava wishes Laura had been able to talk to Nikolas; he listens to her. Laura says, sometimes he listens, sometimes he doesn’t. He has that strong Cassadine streak in him. Ava says, especially if he thinks he’s right, and Laura says, if he’s wrong about Spencer, he could destroy their relationship. Ava says, exactly, but he was determined confront Spencer tonight. Laura says, not without her, and leaves. Doc and Ava follow.
Jax says, Carly wants to know what he’s doing? He’s worrying, and he’s not sleeping. He’s fantasizing about grabbing Josslyn and taking her to Australia, the way he used to when she was little, and things got too hot for Sonny. She used to understand that. Why can’t she understand it now? She says, because Josslyn’s 18. She’s in college, she has a boyfriend, and family, and friends there. Does he really think she’s going to move halfway around the world with him? He says, of course (🍷) not. He understands, but he needs to know Carly will keep her safe. She says, as safe as anyone. She doesn’t know what to say to him. She can’t give him guarantees. He says he needs more than vague assurances. She needs to convince him. She says she doesn’t know what he wants her to say; what magic words he wants to hear. He says it would be good to know what she’s already done to protect Josslyn, and what she’s willing to do in the future. That’s what would make him stop worrying and sleep at night. Tell him, how bad is it?
On the phone, Elizabeth says, Cameron’s ears must be ringing, because she and his grandmother were singing his praises. Call her back no matter how much fun he’s having. Don’t make her be a nag.
Cameron and Josslyn look in the foyer, but Costas isn’t there. Josslyn wonders if they should look for him, but Cameron says, Tony told them to stay put. Josslyn says she doesn’t like this. The party is going on outside. No one even knows what’s going on in there. Her bodyguard is off somewhere, so is head of security. Maybe they’re doing their jobs, or maybe they’ve been decoyed. Cameron says he also wants to believe this is just a series of crazy coincidences, instead of what it feels like – a trap. Josslyn throws her arms around him.
Carly says, okay. As Josslyn’s father, Jax should know everything. She’s going to tell him exactly what she’s going to do tit for tat… She walks around the kitchen island, which holds the hallowed moss bowl 🎍, and grabs the phone. She says, wow, holding up the phone, showing it’s recording. She can’t believe he’d go this far.
Laura wonders if they can still get a launch to the island, and Ava says she’ll make the call, and a launch will be waiting at the pier. Laura says, Ava’s not coming? but Ava doesn’t think it’s a good idea. If Spencer is the stalker, she’ll just make it worse, and if he’s not, she doesn’t want whoever is the stalker to see her going to Windymere. Doc says, that’s wise, and Laura say she’ll call and let Ava know what happens. They leave, and someone watches as Ava calls for the launch.
Dante asks if Sam has time for another drink, and she says she can be convinced. Dante says, in that case, he’ll be right back. He leaves, and Sam’s phone rings. It says unknown, but she answers, saying, who is this? A voice asks if she can hear him, and she says, Drew?
Trina tells Spencer, it should take five to ten minutes to reboot. There’s a loud noise, and Spencer tells Trina, the fireworks are starting. It’s his other surprise. She says she thinks she’s surprised out, and he suggests they watch on the turret, while the reboot finishes. They go outside, and Trina says she hopes Joss and Cam can see it from the terrace windows. He says he hopes they enjoy it, and it calms them down too. He doesn’t know what the hell is going on, but right now, they’re okay. He puts his arm around her, as a masked man with a knife watches.
Tomorrow, Dr. Navarro says she has a special treat for Sasha, Laura and Doc get to Spoon Island, Cameron says there’s something seriously strange going on tonight, and Carly wants to know what the plan is exactly.
Below Deck Mediterranean
We ended with a group hug for Lloyd, who was questioning his sexuality.
Sibenik, Croatia. Everyone is winding down, grabbing food, and passing out. Zee wants to invite Courtney to his parents’ place by the ocean in Cape Town. David tries to help Courtney into her bunk, and fails miserably. She ends up in Malia’s bed. Zee eats cake in the crew mess.
Four hours before charter, and it’s a mess. In Malia’s interview, she says, Courtney got sick in the night, and vomited all over her bed. David says his head hurts, and Lloyd thanks Katie for last night. They hug, and in Lloyd’s interview, he says, this is sh*t he never shared even with close friends. He’s never felt this comfortable with a group of people. It’s overwhelming. Courtney does laundry, and Mathew says he feels like sh*t. Courtney finds a pair of bikini bottoms in the crew mess, and wonders what happened. In her interview, she says, it wasn’t her; it was Chloe, her persona when tequila takes over. She tells Zee that she has beer fear, whatever that means. He doesn’t know and neither do I.
Everyone gets down to business, getting the boat ready, and in Malia’s interview, she says, maybe David doesn’t remember asking her out, which is okay with her. They can just slide it under the rug, and move forward with no awkwardness on deck. Captain Sandy calls Mathew, Malia, and Katie for a preference sheet meeting. She tells them that Jennifer and Patrick are repeat guests, and she remembers they loved to party. We flash back to them doing just that, and Malia reads that the guests want the boat transformed into an Oktoberfest celebration. Mathew says they’ll have to get lederhosen, and makes a note to order German products. In his interview, he says he’s happy to be there, and that the captain gave him a second chance. They have Oktoberfest in the Newport are where he’s from, and he’s worn lederhosen, drank beer, and vomited in the street like a tourist. They had Oktoberfest where I grew up, but I just drank beer, ate bratwurst, and petted horses. Katie calls for provisions, and Mathew calls for groceries. Katie has a meeting with the interior, and says Courtney is going to be on dinner service. In Lexi’s interview, she says she doesn’t want Katie giving Courtney more second stew duties. She’s beyond pissed off. So what else is new? Why does this girl think she’s the boss? I just don’t get it. Do your job or find another one.
Two hours to charter. In David’s interview, he says he let loose, and no is cool. He understands. He wants to travel with someone he can grow with, rather than have a go just for the sake of having a go. Lexi complains, provisions come in, another day in paradise. Captain Sandy radios for the crew to get in their whites, and meet on the dock in five minutes. In Mathew’s interview, he says he has another chance, and no matter what is thrown at him, he’s not effing it up. The captain says, it’s a glorious day to start a charter.
Primary Patrick’s T-shirt says, Alcohol Now, and primary Jennifer introduces her pool float, Chad. In Courtney’s interview, she says she thought, alcohol now? Hell yeah. Then remembered she was on service. Katie gives the tour, and the guests are given champagne. Jennifer says they killed 69 bottles of booze in 7 days, and in her interview, Katie thinks she needs to order more alcohol. The lines are freed, and Chad floats in the hot tub. Malia is going to take the boat out of the dock, and in her interview, she says, the first time Captain Sandy let her do it – we flashed back to that – was different. This time she’d be taking the boat out of the slip between concrete dolphins. The captain calls Malia to the bridge, and gives her instruction as she pulls out. Lexi serves drinks, and there’s a spread of snacks, veggie plates and such. Lunch is plated, and in Katie’s interview, she says, the guests are drinking quickly. It’s going to be a long charter.
A couple of the guests need their drinks replenished, and Patrick announces they’re out of booze. The guests start crawling around the boat, looking for alcohol, and being annoying. Katie tells them to sit TF down. Well, not really. She says the more diplomatic, pleasebe seated. In the laundry, Lexi says, psycho chef has clothes, since she’s such a gem of a human being. Lunch is served, and in Courtney’s interview, she says she loves doing service. Nobody puts baby in a corner. In Lloyd’s interview, he says, after all that support, he’s comfortable, and 100% himself; exceptionally rare. Anchor is dropped, and the transom is opened. The dreaded slide is brought out, and Maureen the unicorn. Courtney tells Katie that she thinks Lexi was mentality changed since the captain and Katie talked to her. It felt like she’d been different; she was quiet. Yeah, the quiet ones are the ones you have to watch out for.
Captain Sandy asks the guests how lunch was, and it’s pronounced awesome. The guests go down slide, and the captain tells Lloyd that he can drive the boat out of anchorage. David shows a couple of guests how to use the jet ski, and Lexi sends steam from the iron into the air, setting off an alarm, which I’m pretty sure she did on purpose. Malia calls to Captain Sandy that a police vessel is approaching, and the captain goes down to the deck. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s never good to see a police vessel approaching. She finds out the guests have been speeding, and getting too close to the tourists. She tells the guests to stay away from the shoreline. The guests move on to the hot tub. Katie thinks they’re hitting the booze too hard, and asks when they’d like dinner. Katie suggests Lexi cut oranges, and in Lexi’s interview, she says she’s literally the Cinderella of this charter. That’s not okay. I’ll bet the real Cinderella would beg to differ. Malia says David is in charge when she’s not around, and in David’s interview, he says, it’s kind of awkward, but feelings and crush or not, he’d rather be prided on his work than anything else.
Captain Sandy asks Katie how interior is doing, and Katie says she has Courtney on service. The captain remarks that Lexi has been quiet, and Katie agrees, but in her interview, thinks Lexi isn’t happy with housekeeping. She’s not going to change the way she does things to keep Lexi happy though. That’s how it works; they rotate. In Mathew’s interview, he says usually there’s pressure from the guests, and it’s nice that it’s not happening. In Malia’s interview, she says she’s comfortable letting the crew anchor on their own, and not one guy has a problem with asking questions. She loves it, reiterating, just on charter. The guests dress for dinner, get cocktails, and head to the table, where they’re wowed by the glittery setting. Zee and Courtney say the same things about each other in their interviews, that they have a connection, it’s like they’ve known each other for years, and they like each other. At the end, they both say, we’ll see. The soup starter is served, and Katie tells Courtney to help Lexi with cabins. Lexi insists they’re done, but upon inspection Courtney finds the beds are made wrong, and calls Katie to help her fix it. In Courtney’s interview, she says, Lexi doesn’t like doing it, so it’s sh*t, and it’s annoying. The guests call for more wine, and in Katie’s interview, she says she feels like she’s failing at her job.
The main course of surf and turf with lobster is served, and Patrick says Mathew absolutely killed it. One of the guests glad there are no vegans in the group. Malia tells Mathew there are no guest complaints, and the galley is clean; she’s impressed. Mathew visits with the guests, and Patrick says Mathew’s food is the best he’s had in his life. For Oktoberfest, he’s not telling Mathew to drop the German flair, but just make an awesome dinner. In Mathew’s interview, he says, his schnitzel chill is gone. Malia, Zee, and Lloyd make up games for the guests’ beer Olympics. Mathew takes a break, with slices of cucumber on his eyes.
Second day of charter. Lexi is on breakfast, and says she’s staying TF away from Mathew. In her interview, she says that she’s nervous doing breakfast with Mathew. She doesn’t know if she’ll get, best day ever, or his other side. Pot meet kettle. Captain Sandy calls Lloyd to drive them out, and Zee is on anchor. The captain instructs Lloyd, and in Lloyd’s interview, he says, after being on the last boat, he wondered if it was worth it, and if he was going in the right direction. This time, he’s bloody loving it. Guest Lindsay asks Lexi for tea, and after nearly half an hour, and after Katie is on deck, Lexi asks Katie to take the tea to the guest. The guests sit down for breakfast, but there are no plates or bread or anything on the table. In Katie’s interview, she says she takes pride in what she does. When something like this happens, it looks like she can’t do her job; it’s a simple thing. Katie wakes up Courtney, telling her, it’s a sh*t show. In Mathew’s interview, he says, Katie is struggling because Lexi didn’t set up. He doesn’t think it’s a fireable offense, but it’s effing annoying. The guests jet ski some more. Lexi looks in a guest bath, and says, shower untouched. Thank you. I have the feeling that’s not how it’s supposed to work. They should be wiping it down regardless. Captain Sandy notices the slide isn’t hard enough, and says, WTF? In her interview, she says she loves having the toys out. She wants the boat to look like the most fun boat on the water. We flash back to her telling every crew the same thing every season. She says, on charter, you have to make every second count for the client. She tells David that she doesn’t care how much of a battle the slide is; they battle it. She tells him to keep giving it air after every slide. Malia complains that they only have one pump, but more than one thing that needs air. Malia thinks one of the valves is broken, and they hunt around for a repair kit. Chief Officer Marten disagrees with Malia’s assessment, and thinks they just hate the slide. He tells them to keep the pump next to it. In Malia’s interview, she says, the slide is always drama, and tells the captain, it depends on when the guests go on in relation to when it’s inflated. Captain Sandy tells her to calm down. She wasn’t challenging Malia. Malia says she’s just hungry, and the guests are full-blown water sports. She shovels some food into her mouth.
Katie asks Lexi about the tea, and Lexi makes excuses, saying she’s doing twenty different things. In Lexi’s interview, she says her brain is swamped. Yeah, I’m sure with ideas on how to get back at people, and how much better she is than everyone else on the planet. Malia takes charge of the beer Olympics, which is kind of like a Survivor obstacle course challenge, but chugging beer is involved with every step. It’s basically just a different way to drink a lot of beer. At the end, Malia passes out gold medals. Katie sends Lexi back to laundry hell – ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! – and Katie tends bar. She finds out that Lexi never picked up a guests laundry or gave them fresh towels, and in her interview, Katie says that she can’t have her second stew failing at simple tasks. Captain Sandy asks Katie how it’s going, and Katie says Lexi is making her job hard. The captain says she’s had crew members like that, and she didn’t give up on them. Katie says it’s not that she doesn’t like Lexi, but she’s the one who ends up being responsible. In the captain’s interview, she says, this is about Katie’ leadership, and she needs to encourage her team to step up. She relies on Katie to navigate the stews, and that’s not happening.
Captain Sandy gets a text that the crew member she requested is out of quarantine.
Next time, Octoberfest, a new crew member on deck, and Patrick says having to make his own drink was unacceptable.
🏔 The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City will return on September 12th.
⚾️ Sliding Into Home…
Tomorrow, join me for soap and perhaps a Housewife or two. Until then, stay safe, stay working toward a goal, and stay never wearing a shirt that says Alcohol Now. Just no.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sonny tells Nina, he knows they planned on living in the moment, but he’s feeling inspired. Why don’t they make long term plans?
Outside, Phyllis asks if she can get Lenny a refill on his ice tea, but he says all he wants is her beside him. Now and forever. She says she thinks that can be arranged.
At the hospital, Shawn asks Jordan and Dante if there’s any news on Hayden’s mother’s toxicology report. Dante says he told Shawn they’d rush the results, and Jordan says they just met with the Medical Examiner. Sam says, and? and Dante says, it looks like they were right. Highly unlikely Naomie Dreyfuss’s death was an accident.
Spencer finds Josslyn, Cameron, and Trina at the door, and asks, who invited the riff-raff? Josslyn says, very funny, and he invites them in, asking if they’re ready to party. Josslyn says, yes, and tells Spencer, it looks amazing outside; the LED lights, the dance floor, the photo booth. He thanks her, and asks, what about Trina? Does she approve? Trina says she doesn’t hate it.
Carly says she doesn’t know what to do. Sonny’s gone, and she doesn’t know what her future with Jason looks like. She knows she needs to put the past behind her and let go. In her mind, Sonny appears, and says, that’s easier said than done. She says he’s back. She hasn’t seen him in months. He says he likes to keep her on her toes. She says she was wondering if… He says, what? and she says, she thought recent developments might have kept him away. He says, recent developments? Oh, she means her marrying Jason?
Jax tells Britt, he watched Jason choose this life, and he had plenty of opportunities not to. So the violence that follows him, even if it’s not of his own making, is his responsibility. So don’t fall into the trap of thinking that he’s some kind of hero, because he’s just not. She says, Jason’s no longer a part of her life, but that doesn’t stop her from thinking he’s one of the good guys. He says, good guys don’t put his daughter at risk, and she says, don’t tell her that; tell him. Jax turns around to see Jason in the doorway. Jason asks if there’s a problem, and Jax says he doesn’t even know where to begin. Jason says, name one, and Jax says he knows Josslyn is in danger, and he’s demanding Jason put a stop to this.
Spencer says, the DJ is doing a soundcheck, the extra launch is on the mainland, and his father just texted he’s over the Atlantic. Operation Rager is a go. Trina says, not so fast. They couldn’t risk getting dirty on the way over. Josslyn asks if there’s somewhere they can change, and Spencer tells them, take any guest room in the south wing, Trina says, she likes the east wing, and Josslyn says she’s more of a north wing kind of girl. Spencer says they’re hilarious, and Trina says, south wing it is. Spencer says, before they go, take these, and hands the three of them bracelets. Trina asks what they are, and he says, VIP bracelets. They give access to the house, and only the four of them have one. Trina says, really? and Spencer says, what if they need to escape from the randoms? Trina says he thought of everything, and he says he always does. Josslyn tells Cameron, they’ll be right back, and she and Trina leave. Spencer asks if Cameron needs to change too, but Cameron says, this is what he was going to wear. Spencer says, not to his party. He specifically said, solstice chic. Cameron says, what does that even mean? and Spencer says, come with him.
Britt asks if she needs to get security, but Jason says he has no issue with Jax. Jax says they’ll have to excuse him if the feeling isn’t mutual. He has to admit, this isn’t like how it was with him and Sonny, or Carly and Sonny, for that matter. Sonny was selfish, and Carly backed down because that’s what Sonny needed.He didn’t care about her safety or the kids’ safety. It was a very unhealthy relationship. He understands it’s different with Jason. He knows that Jason loves Carly, and knows he loves Josslyn, and would give his life for them. He doesn’t say that lightly, so whatever reason Jason has for marrying Carly, whether they’re both sad about losing Sonny, or to solve some business problem; whatever it is, he’s begging Jason to do the right thing. End this before someone gets hurt.
Sonny asks why Carly would think he wouldn’t want her to marry Jason? She says she doesn’t. Not only does she think he’d understand; she thinks he’d be all for it. He tells her, he was going to say, he thought she knew him better than that. Why does it seem like she’s holding back? She says she’s scared, and he says, of what? She says, of losing her relationship with Jason. It’s a perfect friendship, to love someone like that without any complications. He says, that’s true, and she says, what if marrying him changes all that?
Nina asks what kind of plans does real Sonny have in mind? He says he was thinking about that story Lenny loves to tell about how he met Phyllis while he was fishing, and Nina says Phyllis wanted him to lose his big catch because she felt sorry for the fish. He says he was thinking maybe they could all take a fishing trip. When Lenny is up to it. She says, they both seem pretty committed to this new lease on life, no matter what the biopsy results are, but she sees one little problem with his idea. She doesn’t know how keen Phyllis is on fishing. He says, it’s less about the sport of fishing, and more about getting away from the bar and the stresses of life. They can just take a vacation. She says she likes it; great idea. It will give Lenny something to look forward to. He asks if that means she’s going to stay for a few more weeks, and she says she’s not going anywhere. He says, so fishing; she’s sold? She says, hook, line, and sinker.
Sam says, define highly unlikely. Was Naomie murdered or not? Dante says they can’t divulge the details of an ongoing investigation, and Shawn says if they’re going to keep looking into Hayden’s disappearance, they need to know what they’re getting into. Word on the street is that there’s compelling evidence that her mother’s death wasn’t a suicide. Jordan says, whose word and what street? and Sam says she has her sources. Dante asks if she can tell them, but she says she promised to be discreet. Jordan says, according to the toxicology report, Hayden’s mother was injected with a powerful drug, and Shawn says, so the bottle of pills left behind was just a prop. Jordan tells them, she didn’t say that; did Dante? Dante tells them, he didn’t say that, and Shawn says, so the Medical Examiner said Naomie did ingest the toxin that killed her. Sam asks if it’s possible she injected herself, but Dante says, most drug users inject themselves in the arm or the leg or the groin. Shawn says, whereas Naomie was injected someplace atypical. Jordan says she was injected in a spot they almost missed; in the back of the neck.
Jax says Jason wasn’t around when Morgan died, so he doesn’t really know. Jax only knows a little of what it did to Carly and Josslyn, but he can tell Jason what it did to him, and it scared the hell out of him. He doesn’t want to think about it. He doesn’t even want to wrap his mind around losing his daughter that way. Jason says he understands, but Jax says he doesn’t really understand because his kids are safe across town at their mother’s, while Josslyn grew up in Sonny’s house, and is going to remain living there until she goes off to college. His business rivals obviously know that, seeing how the Novak guy approached her. So when Jason tells him that she’s protected, he doesn’t believe it. Jason says he’s right. This is a risk to Josslyn. He’s doing everything in his power to minimize that risk. She has one of their best bodyguards with her all the time. Jax says, a bodyguard didn’t save Morgan, but Jason says, Josslyn isn’t Morgan; she understands the situation. Does she love it? No. Do we love it? No, but she gets why it has to be this way just for now. It’s true, he does love Carly, and he does love Josslyn. Trust him when he says he’s not making any decisions for himself or what he wants. All his decisions are made for them. Jax says, to keep them safe, and Jason says, yes. He gets that Jax is scared for his daughter, and Jax says he’s not scared; he’s terrified. Jason says he gets that he’s not giving Jax the answers that he wants, but it’s the only answer he has. Jax says then Jason gets it’s not the answer he wants. He thought he could appeal to Jason as a rational human being, but if he can’t even do that, he’s sorry. He’s done co-parenting with Josslyn’s mom. He walks out.
Josslyn tells Trina that she looks incredible, and Trina says, so does Josslyn. Spencer really went all out, huh? Josslyn says, when Spencer sets his mind to something, there’s not stopping him, and Trina says she can see that. Josslyn says, he likes Trina, and Trina says, she thinks so? Josslyn says, doesn’t she? but Trina says she doesn’t know. Maybe. Josslyn says she has a confession to make.
Spencer says Cameron looks almost as good as he does in that outfit, and Spencer says he appreciates it. Spencer says he should; it came all the way from Milan. Cameron says, my God. Milan, the south wing, this party in general. Spencer asks if his hospitality is bothering Cameron, and Cameron says, what’s bothering him is Spencer is trying too hard.
Moss bowl! Carly says, to her, marriage is what she had with Sonny. He says, what’s that? and she says, he knows, but he says he likes to be reminded. She says, bold and passionate, caring and heated. They had all the shades, and loved as hard as they fought. He says she’s not going to fight with Jason the way she fought with him, and she says she knows it’s going to be different. It has to be different. She just doesn’t want Jason to stop being Jason, and he says she knows Jason better than anyone except him. Why does she think Jason is going to change just because she’s marrying him?
Phyllis tells Lenny, look at you; you’re exhausted. She suggests they go home, but he says, not yet. The sunset’s almost as beautiful as his wife. And the Tan-O is home. She tells him, like she always says, an answer for everything. He says that’s why she loves him, and she says he knows she does. She pats his hand, and says she’ll refresh their ice teas. She kisses the top of his head and goes inside. He smiles, and leans back in his chair.
Phyllis tells Sonny and Nina, she knows they should probably be opening, but it’s so nice having the place to themselves. She asks what they’re all huddled up about, and Sonny says they have an idea. Nina says she doesn’t know if they have an idea; it was kind all Mike/Sonny’s idea. Phyllis tells them, Lenny always says, when Mike’s mind stops to rest, a back-up generator kicks in. They laugh, and Sonny says Nina can go ahead and tell Phyllis the romance part, and he’ll do his best to reel in Lenny. Nina says she’s on it, and Sonny goes outside. Phyllis asks what that was about.
Sonny asks Lenny, where’s his fishing rod? They have to start practicing to impress the girls. He sits down, and says, Lenny? He touches Lenny’s arm, and I start tearing up already. I knew this was coming. He feels Lenny’s pulse, and says, Lenny, but he knows Lenny is gone.
Cameron asks if Spencer didn’t say he appreciated people in Port Charles because they were authentic, and Spencer asks if Cameron is calling him fake. Cameron says he’s saying Spencer says all this stuff, and does all this stuff as a way of putting up a barrier between him and everybody else. So maybe if he stops acting like a jerk for five minutes, he’ll find out people actually like him. Spencer says he’s touched, and Cameron says, there he goes again. Spencer says he’s sorry; it’s a reflex. Cameron says, it’s great to have a party. The DJ looks killer, everybody’s pumped; it’s going to be a great night. Spencer says, it is, and Cameron says, maybe try having a conversation with some of the randoms. They might actually surprise him. He might surprise himself.
Josslyn says she and Cameron talked about this, and Trina says, about what? Her? Josslyn says, and Spencer. She convinced herself that she wasn’t going to get involved, but when they got here, and she saw them all sparkly with each other… Trina says, sparkly? and Josslyn says Trina knows what she means. She would never tell Trina not to date Spencer because it is her life. Trina says, but? and Josslyn says, but Trina doesn’t know Spencer like she does. Trina says, tell her, and Josslyn says, inside that pretty fun package is actually a pretty messed up guy, who’s done some pretty messed up things. She’s not saying they should judge someone by what they did when they were eight. She used to go around dressed like corn. Trina says they’ll revisit that later (oh, please do), and Josslyn says, but Spencer has a certain edge to him. He grew up super rich, obviously. Trina says he told her that his mom died, and Josslyn says, the day he was born. Of course (🍷) everyone felt sorry for him. It’s horrible. Trina says, so they decided to throw money at him, and Josslyn says, there were never any limits, and that stayed with Spencer. He just keeps testing and testing, and pushing things way too far, until he realizes what he’s done. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a great heart, because she thinks he does, but it’s something for Trina to keep in mind before diving in head first. Trina thanks her, and says, just so they’re clear, she gets that Spencer has this whole racket thing going; he’s running it all the time. Josslyn says, all the time, and Trina says she appreciates Josslyn looking out for her, and hopes Josslyn knows she’d do the same for her. Josslyn knows she would, and Trina says, sisters before misters? and Josslyn says, always.
Jordan says she wanted to talk to Shawn privately. It might be none of her business. He’s recently out of prison. Is he sure he wants to get in the middle of all this? Maybe for his sake and TJ’s, he should let Sam investigate the past, and instead focus on what comes next for him.
Dante gets something from the vending machine, and Sam asks him to please tell her what they’re going to do to get to the bottom of this. He says he’s going to start by eating some of these; does she want some? She says, no, and her phone rings. She tells him, it’s Danny; she has to take it, but they’re not done with this conversation. He says he hopes not because he loves talking to her. Sam steps away, and Jax says he needs to talk to Dante about Josslyn. Dante asks, what’s going on? and Jax says he’s sure Dante’s aware that organized crime conflict hasn’t ended with Sonny’s death or putting Cyrus behind bars. People have stepped in to fill the void. Dante asks what people Jax is talking about, and Jax says he’ll give Dante one guess.
Britt says she’s a little disappointed in herself. She thought she was making progress. Jason says, with what? and she says, Britt 2.0, the kinder, gentler, more empathetic version. She has to say, it really helps to see it’s hard for him. He says, you’re welcome? and she says, don’t get her wrong. She’s not all, ha! he’s hurting too. She hasn’t regressed that much, but whatever’s going on, she can see it’s costing him. And choosing Carly over her, for lack of a better phrase, wasn’t something he did lightly. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but it makes it a little easier to live with.
Moss bowl! Sonny says, the relationship will change, like Carly said, unless she decides to stay platonic and not have a real marriage. She says they haven’t decided anything, and he says they’ll figure it out, but if she’s going to have this conversation with anyone, have it with the person she trusts the most, and that’s Jason. She says she trusts Jason more than anything. She thinks she’s fixated and worried about how her relationship with him is going to change. That’s real, but she thinks she’s deflecting. He says, from what? and she says if she marries Jason, and he becomes her husband, that means Sonny is gone from her life. She’ll remember him and love him always, but she’ll finally have to let go.
Phyllis asks if she can level with Nina, and Nina says, of course (🍷). Phyllis says, it sounds less like a romantic getaway, and more like an excuse for a boy’s weekend. Nina says she did a little bit of research, and there are some really nice cabins on the river with lux accommodations. So while the guys are hooking these disgusting worms, they’ll be getting facials and sipping rosé. Phyllis says, now Nina is speaking her language, but she can’t ask anything more. Nina is already helping out with the hospital bills. Nina says she’s happy to do it, but this vacation is for all four of them, and Phyllis says, an opportunity for her and Mike/Sonny to connect? Nina says, maybe, and Phyllis says Nina has changed since she first came to Nixon Falls; she’s lighter now, and unburdened. Nina says, space from your problems will do that to a person. Phyllis says, so will love, and they laugh. Nina suggests they get some tea, and tells Phyllis, it’s really good. Sonny comes in, and Phyllis asks if his ears were burning. She sees his face, and drops the glass she’s holding, sending it crashing to the floor. She shakes her head, and Sonny looks so very sad.
Britt says she didn’t even ask what Jason was doing there. Was he looking for Jax? He says he came to see her. When Joey Novak approached Josslyn, he was worried she could be next. She says, why? and he says because of their history. She says that’s just it; history. They’re not connected anymore. He says he’s always going to care what happens to her, and she says no one’s approached her, so he can stand down. He asks how she’s feeling, and she says, good, strong. Huntington’s hasn’t reared its head yet. He says she doesn’t have to pretend with him, and she says, yes, she does.
Shawn tells Jordan, believe him, he’d love nothing more than to focus on the future, but he can’t do that with a would-be murderer on the loose. That person shot Hayden and stole years of his life. She says, isn’t that the point? In pursuing this, he could be sacrificing even more years of his life. He just got out of prison, and finding himself at the scene of a probable homicide is not a good idea. If it hadn’t been Dante who showed up that day, who knows what another police officer might have assumed? She would hate for TJ to just get his father back, only to have him taken away again.
Phyllis strokes Lenny’s arm, and says, it was quick. By the expression on his face, it was likely his heart or lungs. Lenny was just… carried off. She adjusts his collar, and tells him, you said you would never leave the Tan-O again. She knew he was stubborn, but this one takes the cake. Sonny asks if she wants him to carry Lenny out, but she shakes her head. Weeping, Nina asks if she can call someone or help in some way, but Phyllis says she just needs a final word alone with her husband. Nina and Sonny go inside, and Phyllis breaks down crying.
Carly says she loves Sonny so much. He says he loves her too, and she says she loves him in a way she could never love anyone else. He says, there’s only one us, and she says it makes her laugh because she was told a million times he was bad for her. He says she even told herself that a million times, and she says, she did. There were hardships, tough times, and unimaginable losses, but he was also the best for her because he loved her and gave her children. They built a real life together. He says, a partnership, and she says he was the one guy she couldn’t walk away from.
Jax tells Dante, Carly and Jason have taken over the Corinthos Organization, and Dante says, even if that were true… Jax says Dante knows it’s true, and Dante asks why it concerns him. Jax says because his daughter lives in their house, and Dante says, his daughter has always lived in that house. Jax says, but she hasn’t always been approached by business associates from rival mobs. He’s not going to stand by and lose his only daughter because of Carly and Jason’s shady business dealings. Dante asks if this associate has a name, and Jax says, Joey Novak. Dante says as a father he understands Jax’s concern, and Jax says, but from a police standpoint, he’s out of luck. Dante says he’ll talk to Novak, and open a plainclothes on Josslyn for a while, but without an actual crime being committed… Jax says, his hands are tied; he gets it. Good thing his aren’t. Dante asks what that means, and Jax says he’s going to do what he has to, to protect his daughter.
Sam asks what that was about, and Dante says, nothing good. How’s Danny? She says, major emergency. He got locked out of his game account. Dante says, damn. Is he going to make it? She says, it was touch and go for a while, but she reset his password, and she thinks he’s going to make it. He says, that’s good news. It happened to Rocco once, and he wasn’t sure Rocco was going to make it. She asks if he thinks they’re going to survive, and he says, their kids? She says, all of it, and he says, yeah. They could start up a support group. She says she likes that. When’s the first meeting? He says, how about now?
Shawn says he knows Jordan is coming from a good place, but what’s he supposed to do? TJ and Molly took a huge risk to expose Judge Carson, and got him out. He can’t take that for granted. She says she’s not asking him to, but if the choice is between uncovering the truth about Hayden, or living with the mystery unsolved forever, what does he think TJ would choose? He says he’ll give it some thought, and she thanks him. He says, TJ is all he’s got. He doesn’t want to risk the chance of finally being his father.
Spencer tells Trina, wow. She looks… She says, he approves? and he says he doesn’t hate it. She says he looks pretty nice himself. Cameron says Josslyn looks beautiful, and she thanks him. She says, what is all this? indicating what he’s wearing, and he says Spencer thought he needed some flair. Spencer says he would never use the word flair, and Josslyn says, well, Cameron looks great; flair or no. Spencer says, the guests should be arriving any minute, and Trina says, she’s so excited. He asks if everyone has their VIP bracelets, and they all raise their hands. He says, now, who is ready for some epic misbehavior?
Britt tells Jason, she won’t run anymore. Things are different now. He says he knows, and she says if she needs to pretend to get through it, that’s what she’s going to do. He says, okay, and she says that’s so him. Listen, absorb, and accept. She misses that. He says he thinks about that day in the doctor’s office a lot. When she was struggling to decide if she wanted to find out if she had the marker. She says, fun times, and he says she asked and wanted to know what he would have done. She says, if he’d been her, he wouldn’t have found out, and he says he meant that. He meant everything he said that day. She says he usually does, and he walks to the door. He says he’s glad she decided to have that test. He really respects the courage she showed then, and the way she’s living through it now… He just wishes he could help. She says, but he can’t. She wipes a tear from her eye, and tells him to take care of himself. He says her too, and leaves, heaving a huge sigh in the hallway, now officially taking the title of Sigh King from Griffin Monroe.
Sonny tells Nina, Lenny gave him a hard time at first, but why wouldn’t he? Sonny came there a stranger with nothing. But once he lets you in… They laugh and Nina says, it happened so fast. He was there just a half-hour ago, and now he’s gone. How does that happen? He guesses it’s better than slow, and she says she feels so sorry for Phyllis; he was everything to her, her first love. He says he can’t imagine losing a spouse like that. It must just be never-ending pain.
Imaginary Sonny says, God knows Carly wasn’t the only one who tried to walk away. He tried many times, and she says, they always found their way back to each other. He’s her whole life. He says that’s his line, and she says he is. She’ll always love him. He says, right back at her, and she says, forever. He says, forever, and disappears, replaced by the hallowed moss bowl.
Dante tells Sam, he knows a great place. They’ve got beer and snacks, and dinner, if someone wanted to have dinner too. She says, a beer sounds really good right now, and he says, so she’s in? She says, she’s in, but what should they call it? He says, call what? and she says, the support group. He says he’s got something, and she says, hit me. He says, SPA; Single Parents Anonymous. She says it reminds her of spa, which is really relaxing, and parenting is… He says, not, but it’s kind of worth it. She says, totally worth it. He says, inaugural SPA meeting, here they come, and Sam says she thinks it could really take off. He says maybe they should sell stuff like hats and travel mugs. She says she loves a good travel mug.
Sonny/Mike says, it’s strange. Obviously, he doesn’t remember who he lost in his former life, but this feeling is so familiar, this ache. Nina says she wishes she didn’t know that pain, but she does. He says if he’s feeling this, can she imagine Phyllis? He has to support her. She says he doesn’t have to do it alone, and takes his hand. They’ll figure out how to support her together.
Jason walks into the hallowed halls of the moss bowl, and asks if Carly is okay. She says she is now. She’s so glad he’s home.
Spencer says, it’s official; the launches are on their way. Josslyn says she can’t believe he rented a second one just for tonight. Spencer says, what’s the alternative? and Trina says, people wait? Cameron says, Trina. Unacceptable. Trina says, sorry, her bad, and Spencer says, make fun of him all they want, but mark his words. Tonight is going to be epic. Josslyn says, one thing that hasn’t changed about him, is that he… Someone watches them.
On Monday, Elizabeth tells Laura that she doesn’t know how to process this, Spencer still has a few surprises up his sleeve, Ava asks Doc if he thinks Nikolas might be onto something, and Jax asks what Carly is willing to do to protect their daughter.
Million Dollar Listing New York
Ryan was selling an apartment on the Upper East Side in the Aldyn on the Hudson River. He’d gotten some traffic but said the apartment felt staged, so the owners brought in their interior designer Sofia, who had worked on the original renovation. The apartment was 5847 square feet, 6 bedrooms and 8 baths, with motorized shades, a custom wine wall, amazing closets, 3852 square feet of outside space, a private elevator, and a Euro concept kitchen (shrugging once again, since I have no clue what that means). Sofia had been given a $65K budget to work with, and brought in a lot of bling, including some fabulous beaded wallpaper. Ryan thought it was going to help him showcase the added value, but he couldn’t convince the owners to fill the 37’ pool. In his interview, he said it was called a swimming pool for a reason. He thought it was the perfect home for a family, although the design was now for a glamorous family. He and Sofia called owner Maria, and once again Ryan explained that people had no vision, and he’d be happy to get out there with a hose to fill the pool. It was still a hard no, since Maria said she’d have to maintain it, and it was too big of a hassle. She was sure Ryan could work his magic. Ryan was good with the $16 million asking price, with his potential commission being $480K. In his interview, he said, comps pre-covid now meant nothing.
Fredrik met with developer Yan at the 32 East 1st Street penthouse. Fredrik had the building for three years, and had started with it when it was just a construction site. There were two penthouses available, but Fredrik was focusing his effort B, priced at $8.7 million. Fredrik said the East Village was a great neighborhood, but not known for luxury property, and he wanted to set a record. He’d been waiting for Yan to put in furniture, and Yan had brought in a designer, whose pieces were sold in art galleries, not furniture stores. Sorry, I didn’t catch the name, but you can’t afford him anyway. One of the carpets alone was worth $40K. Even if I could afford it, it wasn’t exactly my taste, but impressive, and the couches actually did look comfy. Fredrik was happy, since he said buyers saw the same thing in every penthouse, and would take note of how rich the décor was. The penthouse was 2766 square feet with a chef’s kitchen (shrugging again, and saying, aren’t they all?), 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, and a 1200 square foot wraparound terrace. In the primary bathroom, the stonework alone had cost $100K. Fredrik told Yan it felt good. He loved the interior, and it would make his job easier. Yan complained that Fredrik wasn’t there half the time, and he’d had people contacting him about ideas to sell it, one being Ryan. Fredrik was upset that Ryan hadn’t called him directly, saying it was unethical. In Fredrik’s interview, he said Ryan was always going after his business, even though he’d never done the same. We saw a clip from Bravo Con, where Fredrik said he’d often been approached to steal Ryan’s listings, but always turned them down. In his interview, he said if someone wanted to screw him and take his business, just be honest. They didn’t have to be friends. He asked Yan if he was fired, and Yan said, no; he just wanted Fredrik to work harder. In his interview, Fredrik said he’d worked on the building for years, but he was going to work even harder. Yan told him that he had to push it, and Fredrik said it was good to be back, yelling, New York is back! from the terrace.
Steve met with the developer’s representative Dan at the penthouse in 15 Hudson Yards. Dan asked what Steve thought of the apartment, and Steve said, this place is nuts, and it was. The penthouse was on the 88th floor, making them 900 feet up, with 270* unobstructed views. The apartment was 5200 square feet, with 26’ ceilings, and 120 linear feet of curved glass, the top of the building being a four-leaf clover shape. Going for $29.5 million, the apartment was a 4 bedroom, 5.5 bath duplex, with views of both the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building. In Steve’s interview, he said NYC was a concrete jungle, and he’d seen his neighbors do things maybe he should not have seen, but the penthouse was literally above everything. It was the pinnacle of living in NYC. He told Dan that he was at a loss for words, which was rare. In Steve’s interview, he said the sneak peek was a vote of confidence, but there were still a lot of other brokers who would want the listing. It would be a game changer for his career. Dan asked how the sale of the 4 bedroom was going, and Steve said he’d invited Ryan and his family over, so he could get a feel of the building to help describe it to his client, who was moving to the city. We flashed back to that, and Steve said there was real interest, and he was talking to several parties. Dan said the partners were happy with what Steve had done, and wanted to offer Steve the penthouse listing. In his interview, Steve said his mind was effing blown. He told Dan that it was a dream come true. He’d be literally setting the bar in Hudson Yards, Dan said there was one catch, and Steve said there always was. Dan said Steve would have to get the 4 bedroom sold. If he got that done, he would be given the listing. In his interview, Steve said the 4 bedroom was the most challenging of all the sales there. He couldn’t ask for another reduction, since they’d already gone from $12 million to $8.995 million, and they’d need room for negotiation. It was a massive opportunity thought, and he was going to find a way to get it done. Steve’s potential commission was #185K. They shook on it, and Dan told Steve not to let them down. Steve asked if he had ever let them down, and Dan said, no… not yet.
Ryan said he was working his broker butt off to get the Aldyn building apartment sold. He’d done marketing videos, and had top brokers coming inf for showings, including Kim from his old firm, whose clients were looking for a family compound. In Ryan’s interview, he said some of the decorating choices weren’t for everyone, like the leather bedazzled headboard and the skulls, but aside from a skull or three, the design was pretty cool. The aesthetic was fancy, and he hoped that made it stand out. Kim said it was like having a Hamptons place in Manhattan. Ryan showed her the pool, saying it was one of the largest private swimming pools in Manhattan. Then he road a bike around the inside of the pool. In his interview, he said the idea had come to him when he saw a line of Citi bikes, and thought he’d put them in there. We saw him lugging one upstairs and into the pool.
Fredrik met with business partner John. In his interview, Fredrik said John also had twins, and had been carrying the New York office throughout quarantine. Fredrik felt it was coming together. John told Fredrik that the L.A. office had been carrying the business, and Fredrik was happy that it had been lucrative, since New York had been struggling. Now he was going to do his best to help them navigate a tricky New York market. John promised to always have Fredrik’s back, and said, speaking of which, he’d heard Ryan was talking smack, saying Fredrik had left New York. John didn’t want to give it credence, but thought it was important enough to discuss. Fredrik said Ryan had always had it in for him, and told John what Yan had said. Fredrik didn’t know how to feel. He was sad because they were supposed to be friends. We flashed back to four years ago, when Ryan had been shading Fredrik to Fredrik’s clients. In Fredrik’s interview, he said brokers were allowed to take over another’s listing, but there was a way of doing it that was classy. He got that you had to be competitive, but stealing another broker’s active listings was disheartening. He didn’t think they should feed into it, since he didn’t think it would ever end. He thought he should mention it to Ryan, so he knew he’d been put on notice about doing slimy, desperate things. But after that, he thought they should focus on the business.
Steve met with Ryan at the penthouse, where a waiter served them wine. In Steve’s interview, he said Ryan’s offer of $6.5 million was offensive, but it was still an offer and a start. So he’d invited Ryan to lunch to try and negotiate. In Ryan’s interview, he said when the wine was being poured before noon, it was clear what Steve’s strategy was. In Steve’s interview, he said he was trying to loosen Ryan up, since he was wound pretty tight. Ryan told Steve that he’d spoken to his clients, and gotten them up to $7 million. Steve said it was a precedent that couldn’t and shouldn’t be set for the building. In his interview, Ryan said there was a high inventory of 4 bedrooms in the area, which meant there was negotiability. Steve said the quality surpassed most buildings, but Ryan said there were a significant number of comps in the area, covid, and a strip club a few blocks away. Steve said he was authorized to only go down to $8.5 million, and Ryan said if that was the bottom number, thanks for the wine.
Steve told Ryan that if his clients bought now, they could ride the market up later. Ryan said he knew they’d walk if he came back with $8.5 million, but Steve said, in two years, Ryan would look like a champion; the apartment would be worth more than $10 million. In Ryan’s interview, he wondered if Steve’s best and final was $8.5 million, why was he still negotiating? In Steve’s interview, he thought Ryan was being super aggressive, which put him in a position of power. Ryan’s client must want the apartment. Steve said he’d call, and see what his client’s bottom line was, and Ryan griped that they could have done this faster on Zoom. Since Steve took more than 10.5 seconds with the call, Ryan went outside, hunting him down. Steve said his client’s bottom line was $8 million flat. He went back in while Ryan made his call. Ryan said he thought his client should jump over it. It would be the lowest price per square foot in the building. He went back in, and told Steve it had been easy convincing them, and they had two stipulations. A contract as soon as possible – Steve said he’d have it in an hour – and Ryan wanted 4%. If Steve was going to drag him to the top of a building for what they could have done on the phone, he wasn’t doing it for less than $300K. In his interview, he said commissions could be negotiated to a higher percentage. As long as the client was happy and aware of what was going on, go for it. Steve said they had a done deal, and his commission of $160K was nothing to sneeze at even with a cut. In his interview, Steve said it was a small commission, but a big sale. He was glad they had wine, since he was celebrating something bigger. Ryan told Steve that he’d even stay to finish his wine, and Steve said Ryan had just gotten him the effing penthouse at Hudson Yards. Ryan drained his glass.
Next time, Tyler dons a top hat, and has a roaring 20s showing, Fredrik and KJ meet in person, and Fredrik confronts Ryan.
Cheerios killed her. – Helen Fahey (Jean Smart), Mare of Easttown
The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it. – Henry Ford
Try to be like a turtle — at ease in your own shell. – Bill Copeland
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. – Dolly Parton
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius
If you’re not confident in something, don’t plate it. – lesson from Top Chef
Whatever you are, try to be a good one. – William Makepeace Thackeray
Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive. – Hafez
Seek first the virtues of the mind; and other things either will come, or will not be wanted. – Francis Bacon
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. – Marthe Troly-Curtin
Don’t move the way fear makes you move. – Rumi
Thoughts are like an open ocean, they can either move you forward within its waves, or sink you under deep into its abyss. – Anthony Liccione
🛰 Mission Complete…
Another rough week under my belt, but feeling closer to 100% every day. See you the next week around, and until then, stay safe, stay doing you, and stay not shunning the randoms. They might surprise you.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At the Tan-O, Sonny says he hopes they don’t regret it, and Nina says, leaving the hospital? It’s Lenny’s decision, and Phyllis is a nurse and backed him up. Sonny tells her, the doctor said it was Lenny’s choice whether he wanted to wait for the biopsy or come home. He doesn’t blame Lenny for wanting to come to the Tan-O, rather than staying at the cancer ward. Nina takes his hand, and says, they don’t know anything yet. They could still get that happy ending. Phyllis brings Lenny in, and he says he missed this old place. He tells Phyllis, he’s home, and he’s never leaving again.
Carly says she hopes Jason doesn’t feel like she’s pressuring him, and he says, about what? She says, Donna won’t remember a time he wasn’t her stepfather. They’ve been friends a long time, best friends. Now they’re getting married and that changes things, doesn’t it? Josslyn comes in with a file box, and asks if she’s interrupting.
Jax is waiting for Britt outside her office, and she says, it’s all his fault, pointing to her new Co-Chief of Staff nameplate. He asks, how’s that his fault? She says she took his advice and agreed to share her job with Dr. Randolph. Of course (🍷), if it all blows up in her face, she’ll know who to blame. It’s a joke. What’s with the long face? He asks how much time she’s got.
Curtis asks Portia if there isn’t something he can do to help her out with Trina, and she says she’ll let him know if she thinks of anything. Hell, she probably would have stormed over to Josslyn’s house, and dragged Trina home herself if Jordan hadn’t convinced her not to. Curtis takes her hands, and they turn to see Trina. Portia drops Curtis’s hands like a hot potato, and says, it’s good to see her. She was wondering if they could talk, but Trina says she came to see Stella.
Cameron sees Spencer reading by the pool (🍷), and says War and Peace?Spoiler alert. Andre dies and Natasha marries Pierre. Spencer says, he already finished the book? but Cameron says, he has a job. That’s what Wikipedia is for, but since he saved Spencer about 1000 pages of reading, Spencer can thank him by telling him a little more about this party he’s having on Spoon Island.
Ava tells Nikolas that he can’t be at the gallery, but he says, actually, he can. She says, no, he can’t. If the stalker finds out, it can get worse for them. He says, they won’t, because he knows who the stalker is, and she tells him, then go to the police, and talk to them… He says, so far, the stalker’s been in the shadows, but now he has a name and he has a face. It’s a face Nikolas knows as well as his own, because their stalker is his son.
Sonny asks why Lenny doesn’t have a seat and take a load off, and Nina suggests Lenny let them pamper him. Lenny walks over to the bar, and Nina asks what he’s doing. He says, reminding himself how good this bar feels, and it’s still here. And he’s still here. Nina thinks maybe it’s a good sign they’re taking their time analyzing Lenny’s biopsy,, and Lenny says, he’s been married to Nurse Caulfield long enough to know a test like the one he took is like shooting craps. Sometimes the lab comes up sevens, and sometimes it comes up snake eyes, but until they get that call, please don’t treat him like he’s fragile. Nina says, they’ll try not to, but Phyllis says she’s sorry. She just can’t do that.
Carly says Josslyn could never be interrupting. They were just having a sweet moment with her baby sister. Josslyn says, Donna has a way of bringing people together, and Carly asks, what’s in the box? Josslyn says she was just going through her stuff, deciding what she wanted to bring to her dorm, and what she wants to donate. Carly takes out a doll, and says she’s not going to donate Mrs. Trizzle; she was Josslyn’s favorite. Josslyn says, she still is, but she’s not going to take a doll to her dorm. She wants Donna to have her. Carly says, that’s so sweet. She tells Jason, when Josslyn was Donna’s age, she took Mrs. Trizzle everywhere. Josslyn says she was under the belief that the doll could make all the monsters in her closet go away. If only it was that easy in real life. Jason asks what that means; is Joey Novak bothering her again? Josslyn says, no, she hasn’t seen him. Moss bowl! Jason asks if Devon is staying close, and Josslyn says, he’s an excellent bodyguard, so she’s fine, but she did get a message from her dad. Carly says, about what? and Josslyn says, that’s just it. All it said was, are you okay? So what does she think he meant by that?
Jax says, it’s about his daughter, and Britt asks if Josslyn is okay. He says, no thanks to Carly’s new living arrangements, and Britt says she thought he made peace with Carly and Jason. He says, that was before he learned, despite Carly’s assurances, her marriage to Jason might not actually make his daughter safer. It might do the exact opposite.
Portia says she’s glad to see Trina is okay, and Trina says she’s fine. Joss and her mom made her feel very welcome staying at their house. Portia says, it won’t be long before Trina moves into her dorm, and she’d like to enjoy spending time with Trina before she leaves. Trina says, tonight, she’s hanging out with Joss, Cam, and Spencer, so she’ll probably crash at Joss’s one more night. Can she see Miss Henry? Portia says, actually, Miss Henry has been cleared to go home, but she’ll see if she’s up for a visit before she leaves. She goes to Stella’s room, and Trina says she knows what Curtis is going to say; that she was wrong to make her mom worry. He says, actually, he was going to say he was worried about her too.
Portia goes into Stella’s room, and Stella says she doesn’t know Portia well, but she seems concerned. Has there been some complication? Some reason to keep her there longer? Portia says she’s still cleared to go home, but as far as a complication – Stella says, just tell her – her daughter is outside and would like to see her.
Ava says, Nikolas thinks Spencer is the stalker? and he says, yes. She says, that’s impossible, but he says he thinks they both know, when it comes to his son, nothing is impossible. She says she had a recent conversation with Spencer, and they seemed to reach a kind of detente. He asks if she doesn’t think Spencer is capable of faking a breakthrough, and she says, that doesn’t explain how he could terrorize her long distance. The incidents began long before Spencer came back to Port Charles. Nikolas says, that’s what they were led to believe, and she says she doesn’t understand. He says, the postmark on the letter would suggest otherwise, and she says, what letter? He takes it out, and says, special delivery to Spencer from an old friend of hers. Ryan Chamberlain. She takes the letter from him.
Spencer says he invited some old friends, and Cameron says, like who? Spencer says, Britt Westbourne, and Cameron says, he invited the GH Chief of Staff? Spencer says, she turned him down, but he’s hoping she’ll change her mind. And some friends from school are flying up from the city. Cameron says, flying up? Impressive. Tell him more about the party. Is Spencer flying in a DJ from the city? Maybe London? Spencer says, California, actually. The DJ works some of the hottest clubs in Los Angeles. His friends from school are really looking forward to it. He’s hoping he can broaden the horizons of some of his Port Charles friends. The way he sees it, a good party isn’t just a collection of people; they all have to blend together just so. Cameron asks how they’re supposed to blend with European kids they’ve never met?
Trina says, there’s no reason for Curtis to worry about her. She’s eighteen, she voted, she’s moving into a dorm soon. He says he’s not questioning her independence. He’s simply pointing out she’s been avoiding her mom by staying at Josslyn’s, since she overheard his aunt talking about her mother and him, back when she was still married to Trina’s dad. She says, it wasn’t easy, finding out her mom wasn’t perfect, and sure, there’s a part of her that wishes she’d never found out, but the bigger part of her needed to know. So in a way, Stella did her a favor.
Stella says she’s sure Portia’s daughter isn’t there to bring her flowers. More likely, she’s there to dress her down for telling tales about Portia and Curtis. Honestly, she wouldn’t blame Trina. Portia says her daughter wouldn’t be there unless she cared about Stella. That’s why Trina wants to see her. Stella asks, what about Portia? Does she want Trina to see her, or does she feel Stella has caused enough harm as it is?
Jax tells Britt, he made the choice of giving Carly the benefit of the doubt. Whatever else her marriage to Jason means, he accepted the premise that they’d be stronger together, which would hopefully mean more protection for Josslyn. But instead… Britt says, a random mobster approached his daughter. He says, that’s right. Is he supposed to be okay with that, because it was completely inappropriate. Britt says, his daughter is going to college soon. Does he think inappropriate is going to end when she walks through the ivy-covered gates of PCU? That’s what Title 9 is for. He says, but Title 9 isn’t going to protect her from guys like Joey Novak. Carly invites this kind of threat purely by the nature of her business. She knows that he’s right, and it doesn’t just apply to Carly; it applies to Jason too. She says he has every right to be concerned, but she thinks if he takes a step back, he might see Jason isn’t the problem. In fact, he could be the solution.
Moss bowl! Carly says Josslyn’s father knows about her run-in with Joey Novak, and Josslyn asks why Carly would tell him. Carly says she didn’t; he overheard them talking. Josslyn asks if Carly couldn’t reassure him, and Carly says she tried, but to be fair, he has every right to be concerned. Jason says, he’s not the only one. He ran into Cameron at the boxing gym, and he was hitting the heavy bag like it was Joey Novak. Josslyn says, great, just what she needs. Her father, and now her… friend getting hurt on her account. Jason says, nobody’s going to get hurt. He’s going to make sure of that. Josslyn says, this is what dad doesn’t seem to understand. The two of them getting married is the answer to everything. They trust each other, they can handle any problem that comes up, and bonus, they actually love each other. So her only question is, when is this wedding actually going to happen?
Sonny suggests he and Nina go for a walk, but Phyllis says, no. She wants everyone to hear this. Lenny’s not the only one who came home from the hospital with a different perspective. All along, she insisted Lenny do everything he can, try every treatment, go the extra mile. Nina says, of course (🍷). She’s a nurse. Phyllis says she’s also the woman who loves her husband, but love also means living, not simply existing. There has to be a quality of life. So whatever that biopsy says, whatever lies ahead, she wants Lenny, and the both of them, to know she’s all in. She wants Lenny to savor the time he has and enjoy it. Or as a certain former marine would say, better to die of living than to die of dying. He says, when she puts it that way – he kisses her hand – he may just live forever. They hug, and Sonny and Nina smile at one another.
Lenny goes over to Nina, and says, no tears. The Tan-O is all about good times. It reminds him of an old Cajun buddy he knew back in basic training. He used to say, laissez les bon temps rouler! It means… Sonny says he knows what it means. Let the good times roll! Lenny says, you really do remember the things that count, Mike. That’s pretty special.
Josslyn asks why they haven’t picked a wedding date, or started making plans? Jason gets a free pass because everyone knows he hates social events. He says he doesn’t hate them… Yeah, he pretty much hates them. Josslyn says, he hates party planning, but Carly owns a hotel and can plan big events in her sleep. So what’s stopping her? Carly asks if Josslyn isn’t supposed to meet her friends. She’s going to be starting college soon. She might as well enjoy the summer while she still has it. Josslyn says Carly is right; she should meet Cam and Trina. She asks if it’s okay to leave the box for Carly to drop off. Also, don’t worry, but she may be back late tonight. Carly says, how late? and Josslyn asks if Carly didn’t just tell her to go off with her friends and enjoy her summer. A couple of them are getting together one last time before they part ways for college. Carly says, that’s vague. Who all is going to be there? Josslyn says, Trina, Cameron, Spencer, the usual crew. Does she need to be more specific? Carly is pretty sure that’s the best she’s going to get, and Jason says he’s going to have Tony drive Josslyn. Josslyn asks, why? Tony is great, but Devon gets the job done. Jason says, Tony has more experience. There’s going to be a lot of kids, a lot going on, a possible distractions. He’d feel better if Tony was with her. She says, okay, and Carly says, Tony knows how to be unobtrusive. He’ll stay out of the way and respect her privacy… to an extent. Josslyn says, oh joy, and Jason says he’s sorry. Josslyn says, it is what it is, and he asks if she’s heading to the pool (🍷) now. She says she is, and he says he’ll have Tony meet her there. Moss bowl! Josslyn says, not tonight, but sometime in the near future, they really should talk about her getting her own car. That way, Tony, or whoever it might be, can follow her. Like a discreet tail. Like a Secret Service Agent. Carly says they’ll definitely think about that, and Josslyn leaves. Carly thanks Jason, and he says, for what? She says, making sure that wasn’t a mother/daughter issue, and he says she’s welcome. But his work is only beginning. She asks what that’s supposed to mean, and he says he has to talk to Jax.
Jax can’t believe Britt is defending Jason. The guy’s a magnet for violence. She says she’s not denying violence is a part of Jason’s life, but from her experience, Jason can also be the best defense against it. Case in point, the time he escaped from GH. Jax says, the time he almost got her killed, but she says, no. Jax couldn’t be more wrong. Cyrus figured out that she was on to the illegal drugs he was manufacturing, so he sent his goons to her office. They were five seconds away from injecting her with a lethal overdose, when Jason jeopardized his own escape to save her. She’s alive because of him. He says, what is it with Jason Morgan? No matter how much damage he causes, he has otherwise intelligent people lining up to forgive him for almost anything.
Curtis says the last thing he wanted was for Trina to get hurt. Like he always tells TJ, actions have consequences, so if she wants to blame someone, blame him. Stella needs to recover, and all Trina’s mom has been doing for the last few days is worrying about Trina. Portia comes back, and asks if everything is okay. Curtis says, yeah; they were just talking. Trina asks if she can see Stella now, and Portia says Stella is expecting her. Trina goes to Stella’s room, and Curtis says, she’s a helluva kid. Portia says, which only makes it more painful to know she’s disappointed Trina so much.
Trina tells Stella that Cameron told her what happened at Kelly’s, and Stella says she’s so grateful. If Cameron hadn’t acted so quickly… Trina says she’s so sorry, but Stella says, please. Let her talk first. She’s really glad Trina came, because it gives her a chance to say how sorry she is; how very, very sorry.
Cameron says, if Spencer is afraid that Joss, Trina, and him are going to embarrass him in front of his Euro friends, screw him and his party. He gets up, and Spencer says, wait. It’s not like that. He follows Cameron over to the bar, and says, it’s the other way around. Cameron asks what he means, and Spencer says, it’s not like he didn’t meet tons of people overseas, but they’re more like acquaintances, not actual friends. They can talk for days about fashion or fusion cuisine or who’s hooked up with who, but it’s all surface. Superficial. No one asked him once if he missed his dad. They all just wanted to know what kind of care he drove. Tonight, he wants them to see what real friends are like. That’s one of the big reasons he came home, because he wanted things to be more… Cameron says, dull? Pedestrian? Spencer says, authentic. Why does Cameron think he likes Trina so much? She doesn’t BS; she tells it like it is. Cameron says he’s right about that. Maybe if Trina can put up with Spencer, he and Joss can try to put up with his Euro friends. Spencer was hoping he’d say that, and asks if Cameron won’t mind hopping on the phone and inviting some more people like himself. Cameron asks if he means more townies, and Spencer laughs.
Ava reads, my apologies for the disappointment called your father. Don’t let his and Ava’s selfishness stymy your progress. Looking forward to more tales of your exploits. Ryan. She tells Nikolas, so this is Ryan’s sick idea of a fan letter, but how does it make Spencer the stalker? He says, Spencer lied about when he received the letter from Ryan, and before that, he caught Spencer in another lie. He admitted he knew about the cockroach. He talked his way out of that one, but it all adds up, because Ryan couldn’t have possibly done all those things to threaten him, but Spencer could have. She says, but all those things happened weeks before Spencer came to town, and he says they only have Spencer’s word that he was on the Amalfi Coast. What if Spencer returned to Port Charles weeks before he walked through the front door of Windymere? He’s got the money and the resources to hide, and he’s crafty enough to make all the various incidents look like they were planned by a madman obsessed with her, except nothing about it was crazy. Everything was calculated to drive them apart, and it almost succeeded. She says she understands Spencer has reason to resent her, hate her even, but why would he do this to Nikolas? He loves Nikolas. Nikolas says, the father that let him believe he died. The father that abandoned him, and wasn’t there for him. Whatever Spencer’s done, whatever the reasons, it’s as much his fault as it is Spencer’s. That’s why he has to put a stop to Spencer’s plans, and give him a taste of his own medicine – tonight. Ava tells him, stop. That is the last thing he should do.
Lenny puts on some Cajun music, and tells Phyllis, he won’t take no for an answer. She says he’s incorrigible, and he says that’s why she loves him. He and Phyllis dance, and it looks like loads of fun. Nina and Sonny bop to the music.
Ava tells Nikolas, she knows Ryan’s letter seems incriminating, but it’s hardly a smoking gun. Why doesn’t he give Spencer a chance to explain himself? He says he already tried. He showed Spencer the letter, suggested its implications, and Spencer never even broke a sweat. She asks if that didn’t tell him anything, and he says, yes. It tells him that Spencer is his father’s son. And even when he wasn’t there in person, he was still teaching Spencer the Cassadine way. Maybe it’s in his DNA, or maybe those three years Nikolas was away taught Spencer all the lesson he needed. Regardless, he knows Spencer is the stalker, and it’s up to him to help Spencer, even if it makes Spencer hate him.
Cameron says, let him get this straight; Spencer wants him to invite more authentic people. Spencer says, he’s been away so long, he’s practically a stranger. Doesn’t Cameron know anyone that’s cool? The more the merrier. Josslyn joins them, and asks what Spencer is doing there. Spencer says, not happy to see him? and she says, just a little suspicious. Ragers on islands don’t throw themselves; they require planning. Is he there planning the party, or is there still a party?
Trina says Stella doesn’t owe her an apology. All she did was tell Trina the truth. Stella says she can hear the hurt in Trina’s voice. A multitude of sins can hide behind the truth. Since her stroke, her short term memory has been hazy, but Curtis helped her fill in some of the blanks, and it leaves her ashamed and embarrassed. Not only was she way out of line when she sat in judgement of Trina’s mother, but she made things so much worse by confronting her in public where Trina could overhear. Does Trina think she can find a way to forgive her? Trina says she still thinks there’s nothing to forgive. Stella says that’s very generous of her. She doesn’t think Trina’s mother feels the same way.
Curtis says, Trina is disappointed, but that’s only because Portia has always been a hero to her. Portia says, exactly, and now she’s failed Trina. He says, Portia didn’t fail her; she turned out to be perfectly human and capable of making mistakes. Sooner or later, shouldn’t every kid find that out about their parents? She says, some lessons are just too hard and painful, especially with Trina going off to college soon. What if they don’t get past this?
Phyllis and Lenny finish their dance, and take a bow, while Sonny and Nina applaud. Lenny is winded though, and Sonny asks if he’s okay. Lenny says he’s just a little out of practice, but Phyllis says he’s out of breath. She wants to take him home and put him to bed. He says, what did she just tell him; love means living. Nina says they can all drink to that, and Phyllis says, then let her take him outside while the sun’s still shining. He can put his feet up, she’ll pour him a nice glass of ice tea, and they can plan that trip they’ve been meaning to take. Lenny says, to the islands? and she says, no time like the present. They leave, arm-in-arm, and Sonny says, it might sound strange, but he envies those two. Nina says she gets it. Some people live a lifetime, and never find a love like that.
Carly asks if it’s a good idea to talk to Jax, and Jason says, if Jax has concerns, he wants Jax to deal with him, not her or Josslyn. She says, Jax was never a fan of Sonny’s. To him, Jason was the lesser of two evils. Jason says, not anymore. Moss bowl! Carly says, it was one thing when she and Jason were friends. Jax didn’t love it, but he tolerated it. Now everything’s changed. He thinks she’s picking Jason over her kids, and she’s putting her kids in danger for a chance to be with him. Jason says, that’s not true. It’s the exact opposite. They’re getting married because it’s the safest option. She says, right, and he says, it only works because of what they are to each other. She says she’s scared of how this is going to change things between them, and he says, it’s as new for him as it is for her. He takes her hand, and says, they’re just going to have to figure this out… together, okay? She says, yeah, and asks him to drop the box off at the community center for her, starting a honey-do list for him already. He takes the box, walks past the hallowed moss bowl, and Carly hugs Mrs. Trizzle to her chest.
Sonny asks why Nina is smiling, and she says she’s grateful that he reached out to her when he did when she was in Port Charles. Not just to help Phyllis and Lenny with the treatment costs, but she feels so blessed to be with them at this time. And him. No matter how much time they have left. He asks if she’s talking about Lenny and Phyllis, or her and him, and she says, why don’t they take a page out of Lenny’s book, and live every moment they’re given as if it were their last. He says, yeah, and kisses her.
Trina tells Curtis that his aunt would like to see him, and he goes into Stella’s room. Portia asks Trina how it went with Stella, and she says, no offense, but she thinks that’s between her and Miss Henry. Portia says she’s right. She almost has a college student on her hands. She’s sorry she keeps treating Trina like a little kid. And she’s sorry she hurt Trina by the choices she’s made in the past, her time with Curtis while she was still married to Trina’s father. Honestly, those are things she never wanted Trina to know, but now she does. Does Trina think she can find it in her heart to forgive her?
Spencer tells Josslyn, yes, there’s an actual party, as they will soon see for themselves. They sit, and Josslyn asks if it’s just going to magically appear on Spoon Island. What about his father? Spencer says, he’s off to Dubai on business. Is that gentleman with her? Josslyn says, that’s Devon. He’s there until Tony takes over. Spencer says, Tony? and she says, he’s an excellent bodyguard. Spencer asks if it doesn’t bother her having constant supervision, but she says, you get used to it. He says, tell him about it. His dad keeps a close eye on him too. He guesses it shows how much he cares.
Ava says Nikolas has lost so much time with his son. They’ve just begun to repair that relationship. Does he really want to jeopardize that based on one letter from Ryan and a questionable timeline? What if he’s wrong? He says he’s not. This is their shot, maybe their last shot, at unmasking the stalker, and finally putting their family back together. She says, but Spencer is part of that family, and he says he knows that, but Spencer’s no longer a child. His antics aren’t cute anymore. For his own sake, as well as theirs, Spencer needs to be stopped. She tells him, don’t take Spencer’s love for granted. Nikolas almost lost him once, and it nearly broke his heart. Don’t risk losing him again. He says, when this night is over, he won’t lose his son. He’ll have him back. The son he knows and loves, and he and Ava will finally be back together again.
Josslyn asks if Cameron is up for a party, and he says, try and stop him. Spencer says he’s in too. Let’s make tonight a night to remember.
Trina tells Portia, she had a talk with Ava. She thinks she should try and patch things up with Portia. Portia asks what Trina thinks about that advice, and Trina says, honestly, she’s not sure why she’s angry or who she’s mad at. She spent her whole life thinking one thing, and now she finds out there’s something she knew nothing about. It’s just a lot to process. Portia says she understands that, and Trina says, all she knows is, she missed Portia these past two days. Portia says she missed Trina too, and Trina says, tonight she’s hanging out with Spencer, Joss, and Cam, so she needs to get ready, but maybe they can talk later when she comes home. Portia says she’d like that, and Trina leaves.
Stella tells Curtis, she’s very impressed with Portia’s daughter. It seems she was raised right. She should have given Trina’s mother more credit. If Portia’s daughter is any indication, Portia must be a fine person. Curtis says, on that, they agree, and puts his hand on hers.
Jax tells Britt, he hated Sonny from the day he met him, but Jason was more difficult. In the beginning, he was misguided. He alienated himself from his family, and Sonny took Jason under his wing. But over the years, he watched Jason choose this life. He had plenty of opportunities to get out, but he didn’t, so the violence that follows him, even if it’s not of his own making, Jason is responsible for. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking he’s some kind of hero. He’s just not. She says, Jason is no longer a part of her life, but that doesn’t stop her from thinking he’s a good guy. He says, good guys don’t put his daughter at risk, and she says, don’t tell her that, tell him. Jax turns to see Jason in the doorway.
Nina says, there’s Lenny, playing Cupid with the playlist, and Sonny says, better not disappoint him. She says, okay, and they slow dance.
Carly tells Mrs. Trizzle that she doesn’t know what to do. Sonny was her life. Sonny’s gone, and she doesn’t know what the future holds with Jason. She just knows she can’t live in the past. She has to let go. Sonny appears, and says, that’s easier said than done. Carly smiles.
Tomorrow, Spencer asks who’s ready for some epic misbehavior, Sonny suggests he and Nina make long term plans, and Jax tells Jason to do the right thing, and end this before someone gets hurt.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Curtis visits Stella at the hospital, and says, someone’s got a lot of fans, when he sees all the flowers. She asks if that surprises him, but he says, not at all. There’s a lot of people in Port Charles pulling for her to be on the mend. How is she feeling? She says like she never had a stroke. He has an in with a doctor. Maybe he can pull some strings and get her released. He says he doesn’t have to; she’s released today. She wishes someone had told her, and nearly jumps out of bed. He tells her to take it easy. He wanted to do the honors, and as soon as the paperwork is completed, he’s taking her home with him. She protests, but he says, no argument. He wants to make sure her recovery goes as smoothly as possible. She says he’d do that for her, after what she’s done?
Jordan walks in with a bouquet of flowers, and Portia takes it she’s there to see Stella. Jordan asks how she is, and Portia says, on the mend. She should make a full recovery. Jordan says, that’s good news. The last time they saw each other, they had a disagreement. Portia says, same here. As much as she hates to say it, maybe it’s good Stella doesn’t remember much about the past few days.
On the phone at the gallery, Trina tells Spencer that it’s okay if he’s having second thoughts about the party, but he says, au contraire, Mademoiselle. The grand fete is still – as they say in her country – on. She says it’s his country too, but he says he’s a citizen of the world. As is his père; he’s leaving for Dubai tonight. Prepare herself for decadence not seen since the Holy Roman Empire fell victim to its own debauchery. Dress accordingly. She asks, what time? and he says, whenever she wants. The party won’t start until she gets there. Ava walks in, and says, don’t tell her that was the elusive Victor. Trina says, not Victor; Spencer.
Nikolas looks at Ryan’s letter, when the doorbell rings. He lets Laura and Doc in, and thanks them for coming, telling them, there have been a few developments. Laura says, developments? and Doc asks if it’s about his stalker. Laura says, please tell her that he and Spencer aren’t on the outs again. Nikolas says, this isn’t about Spencer, and Spencer comes out with a suitcase. Laura says, speak of the devil, and Spencer asks if they’re talking about him. Laura says they are now. She asks where he’s going, and he says he’s not going anywhere; this is father’s. Shouldn’t Nikolas be on his way?
Obrecht and Scotty lounge at the pool (🍷), and Scotty tells her to take her cover-up off. She’s got curves… like the Grand Prix. He makes an hourglass shape with his hands, and tells her to flaunt it. She says he flatters her, but the harsh morning sun on her fair skin, combined with his volatile proximity, may cause her to spontaneously combust. He says, that’s hot, and she says she sees what he did there. He says he’d like to see what he does in his penthouse. What say they go back and try out the sprinkler system? She plays with her hair, and says perhaps they can conduct their own fire drill. The passionately kiss, when Britt appears, and says, decorum please? They may have scarred her for life.
It’s lunchtime, and Jason asks if Donna can take a bite for herself. She does and he says, wow! Look at that. Good job. They fist bump, and Carly walks in. Donna says, daddy.
Obrecht says only Britt’s presence could make this morning more perfect than it already was. Scotty says, if her presence was an hour later, it would have been better, and Obrecht laughs. Britt tells him, she has to say, she’s never seen her mother this happy. He says he’s glad because he’s happy as a clam at high tide. Life couldn’t be better. Britt and her mother exchange a look, and he gets up, saying, he’s sorry. He just put his foot in his mouth. Britt says, it’s fine, but he says, it was insensitive and rude, and that’s his modus operandi. He wants to apologize. She says she really doesn’t need that, but Obrecht says she’s receiving an apology. Savor the moment. Scotty says Obrecht told him about the gift Britt’s father left her, and Britt tells him, he can say Huntington’s. He says he’s sorry she has it, and she thanks him, but she really doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s living in the moment, and for the moment. Obrecht says, and thankfully, without Jason Morgan. He would have gotten her killed faster than any debilitating hereditary disease. Britt says she doesn’t want to talk about him either, and puts her stuff on a nearby chair. Obrecht says, if it’s any comfort, she destroyed Jason.
Jason tells Donna, he misses her daddy too. Carly says, good morning. How’s her sweet girl? She thanks Jason for feeding Donna, and he says, his pleasure. She says he’s a pro. He was so good with Michael. Jason knew how to take care of him before she did. I gaze with satisfaction at the moss bowl on the kitchen island, back home again. He says, those were some good times, and she says she knows. She takes a sip of coffee, and says, another plus of him living there. His coffee is way better than hers. She guesses they have to talk about their problem.
Curtis says, of course (🍷) he wants Stella with him, and she says that’s sweet of him, but she has the feeling that, before her stroke, she upset a whole lot of people. People he cares a great deal about. He asks what exactly she remembers, when Jordan walks in, and asks how Stella is feeling. She was so worried. Stella asks if Curtis will give them a moment, and he says if she needs anything, he’ll be a holler away. He leaves, and Jordan says Stella sure has a lot of admirers, putting her flowers with the others. Stella thanks her for them, but says, what she really needs is the truth. What happened the last time they were together?
Curtis asks if Portia had any word from Trina, and she says, Trina is staying at Josslyn’s house. She’s still not ready to talk to Portia. Ever since she heard Stella confronting her about their affair, it’s like she’s suddenly become a stranger to Trina.
Ava says there’s something she’s been meaning to ask Trina. After she saw the two of them together, Spencer came to see her. Did Trina have anything to do with that? Trina says she doesn’t know. She told him how upset she was that Ava and his father were getting a divorce, and also made it clear that they’re friends, and how much she admires Ava. Why? What happened? Ava says, nothing. She and Spencer had a surprisingly civil conversation. Considering how Spencer feels about her, and the promise she broke, he didn’t have to reach out to her at all. Trina asks what they talked about, and Ava says, her marriage to his father. But this time it was less about Spencer’s dislike of her, and more about his concern for his father’s safety. Trina says, because of the stalker? and Ava says, exactly. She promised she wouldn’t speak to Nikolas directly, and they’d only communicate through their lawyers. Trina asks if Ava is okay with that, and Ava says, no, but she’s resigned herself to it. Her point is, she was impressed with Spencer’s devotion to his dad. Trina say she thinks in his own way, Spencer loves his father as much as she loves hers, and Ava says, it’s just so unfortunate that Spencer didn’t know his mother. Trina is so lucky; she and her mom are so close. Trina says, not anymore.
Nikolas says he doesn’t need to leave quite yet, and Spencer says his luggage is waiting when he is. Doc says Laura told him Spencer is upset about the mistakes he made with his brother, and Spencer says, mistake. The one that nearly took his Aunt Lulu’s life; the one that did take Kiki’s. Ava’s not his favorite person, but she certainly didn’t deserve what Ryan did to her. Doc says Spencer is right. He never should have tried to treat his brother on his own. But if Spencer chooses to remain angry with him, there’s very little he can do about it. Spencer tells him, he’d say there’s nothing Doc can do, and Doc says, except to tell him that his enmity weighs heavily on his grandmother. Spencer says, playing the grandmother card might not be beneath Doc, but it’s certainly beneath him. Laura says she’s not a card to be played, and it does hurt her deeply. Doc is her husband. She loves him, and expects Spencer to make some effort toward making peace. Spencer says, all she has to do is ask, and holds out his hand. He and Doc shake, and she says, thank you. So, about this trip… Nikolas says, it’s just a business trip. He’s going to Dubai. Laura says, in that case, she and Doc will stay with Spencer. Spencer says they don’t need to adjust their plans on his account, but Laura says, nonsense; it’s going to be fun. Besides, it will give Spencer the opportunity to reconnect with Doc. Spencer says he thinks they’ve made enough progress for today, and he has plans of his own; solitary plans. Doc says, doing what? and Spencer says, being solitary. He’s just spent the last few years at boarding school, constantly surrounded by people. He’s going to enjoy being alone, and he’s trying to learn to love his own company. Doc says he applauds the idea, and Spencer says, so they’re not staying, but Laura says, oh yes, they are. She and Doc sit down, and Doc tells Spencer not to worry. They’ll give him a wide berth so he can experience his solitude. Spencer says, but if they’re there, he’s not going to have a any solitude. It defeats the purpose. Laura says she’s sure it will ease Nikolas’s mind to know that they’re there in case Spencer needs them, but Nikolas says, actually, it won’t.
Portia tells Curtis that she wants to give Trina some time, but it’s been two whole days. She knows it doesn’t sound like a lot… He says he’s sure when it’s your child, two days seems like a lifetime, and she wonders how long she’s supposed to let this go on for. He wishes he had something useful to say, or that he could offer some advice, but he has zero experience at being a parent. What he can offer her is a shoulder to lean on.
Jordan says, the last time she and Stella met, water under the bridge. Stella says, if it’s water, she’s drowning in it. She can feel in her heart she did wrong, that she went on some sort of grand meddling mission. She knows she was in Jordan’s office, and Jordan was upset with her. Is that right? Jordan says, it is, and Stella asks if it’s because Jordan and Curtis were getting divorced. Jordan says she’s two for two. Stella was trying to convince her to give her marriage to Curtis another shot. To prove a point, she signed the divorce papers in front of Stella, put them in an envelope, and put them in her outbox. Stella flashes back to seeing Jordan do that, and Jordan asks if she’s remembering something. Stella says, there’s something about that. Like it’s right in front of her. If she could just grab it, she has the feeling it’s important.
Britt asks what Obrecht did to Jason, and Scotty says, he hopes it involved a mechanical tool, like a circular saw. Obrecht says, unfortunately, she’s left her violent ways behind, so she used the next best weapon in her arsenal; her words. She told Herr Morgan exactly what she thought of him. Scotty says, that’s like talking to a turnip, and Obrecht says, Anna Devane thought the same thing, but she saw his face when she hit him with her best shot. She reminded him that he was the first person Britt confided in about her illness. She opened her heart and shared her fears, only for the coward to leave her for his dead friend’s wife. He will never stop thinking of Britt. She’ll haunt him. Obrecht made sure of it.
Carly asks Jason, what’s going on? When she went to that meeting, the heads of the families stood with her against Cyrus, every last one of them, including the Novaks. So what’s changed? Jason says, that’s what they’re going to find out, and she says, Jax is livid about the Joey/Josslyn incident. He says, can she blame him? and she says she doesn’t blame him at all. She tried telling him it was a one-time thing, that Joey is just a punk, and it will never happen again, but she doesn’t know that’s true. Jason says, it is true. He’s going to back the families off. He’s not going to let anything happen to her or the kids. She smiles, and says, the way he said that, it’s like they were his kids. He says, they’re a family. It’s his responsibility to protect and love them, and that’s what he’s going to do.
Ava asks what’s going on between Trina and her mom, but Trina says she doesn’t want to tell Ava what happened with her and her mom. It makes her look like a bad person, which, maybe she is. Ava appreciates Trina wanting to protect her mom, but believe her, there’s nothing Portia could do that would surprise or shock her. She also knows how much Portia loves Trina, so she knows from experience that Portia is hurting too. Trina says, maybe she deserves to. Her mom cheated on her dad with Curtis. Ava says Trina’s parents have been divorced for a long time, haven’t they? and Trina says, it happened years ago. Not only did her mom betray her dad, she lied to Curtis, and never told him that she was married. Ava says, she sees, and Trina says her mom is always talking about the importance of truth and honesty. Now it turns out, she’s a total hypocrite.
Curtis tells Portia, his Aunt Stella is trying to figure out what happened before she had the stroke. Is there some way Portia can determine when she might get her memory back? Or if she can get it back? Portia says she’s afraid not. Some patients recover their memories; some never do. He says Cameron told them that Stella had an envelope she wanted to mail, but it was before she collapsed, and it was damaged, so it was thrown out. She says, and he doesn’t have any ideas what it might have been?
Stella says she remembers Jordan signing the papers, but beyond that, it’s a blur. Jordan wants her to know that after she signed the divorce papers, she went to find Curtis and fight for their marriage one more time. But she was too late. Stella thanks Jordan for telling her. She’s so, so sorry. Jordan says her too, and thanks Stella. Stella says, dear God, for what? and Jordan says, for her single-mindedness of purpose. Stella asks if Jordan means her stubbornness, and Jordan says she does. She thanks Stella for accepting her into the family – eventually – and fighting like hell to keep her in it. For inspiring her to make that last try to save it. It didn’t work out, but now she can let go, and know she gave it her all. Stella puts her hand on Jordan’s.
Laura asks if Nikolas really thinks it’s a good idea for Spencer to stay there alone. Nikolas says, Spencer is practically a grown man, and Spencer says, he is a grown man. Laura says, what if the stalker comes back? and Nikolas says, the stalker has never shown any interest in Nikolas. And there’s a security team, not to mention the staff. Doc says, so much for solitude, and Spencer says, they’re different; they stay out of the way. Nikolas says he agrees. Spencer has lived in dorms for years, and needs to learn how to be on his own with a full staff and security team, and to keep his own counsel. Spencer says he just wants to enjoy the family homestead with a full staff and security team, and get a little bit of quiet. Laura says, well, okay then. She and Doc get up, and she says she’s only a phone call away. Spencer thanks her, and says he’s looking forward to spending quality time with her, just not tonight. She says they’ll have to make plans, and he says, can’t wait. He tells Nikolas to have a good trip, and Nikolas says he plans to. He puts his hand on Spencer’s shoulder and says he wants to apologize again. He should never have been suspicious of him. Spencer says they’ve made such progress as a family, he thinks it’s best they forget about this, and not let it get in the way. Nikolas says, let’s not, and Spencer tells them, farewell, and leaves. Laura asks what Nikolas suspected him of, and Nikolas says that’s why he called them over. He found this letter to Spencer from Ryan Chamberlain.
Ava says she doesn’t understand why Portia told Trina this in the first place, but Trina says, she didn’t. She should have, but she didn’t. She has a right to know. Ava says, no, she doesn’t. First of all, no mother is obligated to discuss any extramarital affairs with her children. Secondly, by sparing Trina the details of the mistakes she made a long time ago, Ava thinks Portia was just trying to give herself a clean slate. Trina says Portia lied to her dad, and Ava says, that’s none of Trina’s business. Trina asks how she can say that; she’s their daughter. Ava says, but it’s their marriage they’re talking about. What goes on in their marriage is their business. Sometimes affairs are a symptom of a bigger problem. When someone is feeling unloved or lonely, sometimes they do things they wouldn’t normally do. The bottom line is, she needs to show her mother some compassion. Trina says, but… and Ava says, there is no but about it. This is Trina’s mother, and she disappointed her – Ava gets and understands that – but none of them , not even Trina, is perfect.
Curtis tells Portia, he has no idea what his aunt was about to put in the mailbox, and unfortunately, neither does she. Jordan joins them, and Curtis says she’s still standing. Jordan says she and Stella had a meeting of the minds about their divorce; she’s finally accepted it. Curtis thanks Jordan for talking to her, and says he should go get her ready. He leaves, and Jordan says, the last time Stella had a stroke, was when she found out she and Curtis were together, and now… Portia says, that woman is a force of nature. First, she refuses to let Jordan in the family; now she’s going to do everything possible to prevent her from leaving. Jordan asks what else Stella did, other than trying to manipulate Portia into staying away from Curtis, and Portia says, it went way beyond that.
Stella tells Curtis, she vaguely remembers being at Kelly’s with him, and he was angry with her, but why? What had she done? He asks if she really wants to know, and she says, it’s not a question of what she wants; she needs to know. He says she confronted Portia about the affair they had all those years ago, and she says, dear Lord. She wishes not being able to remember would absolve her from all that, and he says he thinks they’d all rather put it behind them. She says, wait a minute. Something else happened when she confronted Portia. Something that made it worse. What was it? He says, Portia’s daughter Trina overheard her. Stella says, oh God.
Laura asks where Nikolas got the letter, and he says, in Spring Ridge, among Ryan’s belongings. Spencer returned it unopened, but just seeing it unsettled him. He wasn’t thinking clearly, and accused Spencer of conspiring with Ryan against Ava. She says, Spencer would never do that, and he says she’s right. The dates don’t match up, hence the apology. Laura asks Doc if he thinks Ryan was trying to use Spencer to get to Ava, and Doc says Nikolas was right to bring this to them. He thinks he needs to find out what the hell is going on at Spring Ridge. Nikolas thanks him, and says anything he could do would be appreciated. Unfortunately, he needs to get to the airport. Laura asks if he’s sure Spencer will be okay there by himself, and Nikolas says he’s sure Spencer will be fine. She says, he does seem to be growing up, and he did mention he talked with Ava, and they agreed to a truce. Nikolas asks what else he said, and she tells him, Spencer said Ava agreed to limit contact with him. Nikolas says, that explains the email he got telling him to only communicate with Ava through her attorney.
Spencer goes to the pool (🍷), and says hello to Obrecht, adding it’s a pleasure to see her again. Cassadine family lore hints at a romance between her and his Great Uncle Victor. Obrecht says, like much Greek lore, it’s ancient and filled with horrors. Spencer says, nevertheless, he’s quite fond of her magnificent daughter, and wishes things could have worked out between her and his father, but alas, his father is a very stubborn and unforgiving man. (Kettle, meet pot.) Britt says, trust her; things worked out for the best. He disagrees, and says, Mr. Baldwin. If memory serves, he’s quite an impressive attorney. Scotty thanks him, and says if he ever gets into trouble, come see him. Spencer says he’ll keep that in mind, and Britt suggests they go somewhere and catch up. She steers him toward the bar, and Scotty says, Victor Cassadine? Obrecht says she spent decades in a romantic stupor over Cesar Faison. All things considered, Victor was a step up. He says, even so, and she says she’ll put it this way. Cesar was, as Britta would say, rock bottom. Victor was top soil. And Scotty is the stars. Aww! I love them so much.
Britt tells Spencer, he has to stop trying to put her and his father together. He says, can he help it if he thinks they belong together? and she says, yes, he can. Because he did it to weaponize her against Ava, and friends don’t treat each other like that. He says she’s right; he’s sorry. She says, that’s mature of him. Forgive her if it takes her a moment to buy it. He says take all the time she needs. By the way, she should know, he’s decided to spend less time worrying about his father’s life, and focus on his own. In fact, he was just over at the restaurant, taking advantage of their excellent catering service. She says, special occasion? and he says he’s having the party to end all parties, and he wants her to come. Feel free to bring a plus one.
Obrecht says, she’s been meaning to ask Scotty this… Even now, she hesitates. He says she can ask him anything, and she says, very well. She’s attending a medical conference on new research and advancements in treatment of hereditary diseases, including Huntington’s. He asks, where? and she says, St. Lucia. He asks, how long? and she says, a week. He says he’s going to lose her for a whole week? and she says, not if he comes with her.
Britt says she assumes Spencer’s stubborn and unforgiving father is unaware of his par-tay plans, and he says Nikolas is going to be in Dubai. Please come. She says, to chaperone a bevy of Gen Z’ers? No thanks. He says she’d hardly be a chaperone. Maybe she’ll meet someone. She says she thinks she’ll steer clear of romance with eighteen year olds, and he says, so she’s not seeing anyone. She says she’s serious about that party. He knows how his father can be.
Portia tells Jordan, Trina overheard the whole exchange, and Jordan says, oh no. Portia says, yeah, and now Trina sees her as someone who stepped out on her father with Curtis. She spent the last two nights at Josslyn’s house. Jordan’s probably thinking this is what she gets, right? Jordan says she’s in no position to judge Portia or anyone. She kept from TJ that Cyrus was behind his abduction, and he was furious. Rightfully so. But look at her and TJ now; they’re close again. She promises Portia, if she and TJ can find a way past her mistakes, Trina can find a way past Portia’s. Portia says, any idea how? and Jordan says, whatever she does, don’t push. It never works. Let Trina come to her.
Stella asks what she’s done to that poor child, and Curtis tells her, take it easy. The last thing she needs after a stroke is to elevate her blood pressure. Trina will come around. If there’s one thing Stella always taught him, it’s that they all have the capacity to forgive. She says she’s going to need all the forgiveness she can get.
Ava says, Trina told her that her mother didn’t tell her about the affair. How’d she find out about it? Trina says she overheard Miss Henry unloading on her mom about it. Then not too long after, Miss Henry had a stroke. She’s going to be okay, but the whole thing is just a mess. Ava can see how it seems that way, especially since Trina is at the heart of it. Which means, if she wants things to get better – Trina says, which she does – then Trina has to be the one to start making them better. Go talk to her mom. Trina doesn’t know if she’s ready to do that, and Ava says she doesn’t have to be ready. At least not right this minute, but soon. She’s learned the hard way that they can’t let things like this fester, and to set things right as soon as they can.
Moss bowl! Carly tells Jason, Donna is down for her nap. She heard Donna earlier, when she called Jason daddy. He doesn’t think she knows what she’s saying, but Carly says she does. She doesn’t remember Sonny, but she knows what daddy means, and to her, Jason is daddy. Is he okay with that? He sighs.
Stella asks, why? and Curtis says because he loves her. He was always going to forgive her. And because she was fighting for something she believed in, something he’d asked her to believe in. But his marriage to Jordan is over, and he needs her to accept that. She says it took a stroke to get her there, but she finally accepts it. He says, let’s get you out of here, and she asks how Portia and Trina will ever get over what she did to them? He says, they’re resilient, strong women, just like her. He’s sure things will work themselves out over time.
Jordan says Portia is a good mother. Just give Trina a little time to remember that. Because she will. Portia thanks her, and says, maybe there’s hope for their friendship yet. I guess she didn’t hear that part about not pushing. Jordan smiles, and gets in the elevator, giving a little wave as the doors close. Curtis comes out of Stella’s room, and says he just wanted Portia to know he had to tell Stella what happened with Trina. Portia says, oh no. She was hoping they could protect her from that. He says, him too, but she insisted, and she knows when his Aunt Stella insists. She says she gets it, and asks how Stella is taking it. He says, she’s embarrassed, but most of all, she’s worried about how this affected Trina. Portia says, her too.
Scotty says, a week in St. Lucia… Does he have to go to the lectures? Obrecht says, of course (🍷) not. She has to pay close attention, and he’s far too distracting. But there will be plenty of extra time – she dances her fingers up his arms – to socialize. He says, count me in, mein schnitzel, and she laughs.
Spencer asks Britt to tell him all about her broken heart. Sharing is healing. He takes off his shirt, and she sees the KICK ME on his back, and says she’ll share this with him. His back says kick me. He says, huh? and tries unsuccessfully to look. She asks who was the last person who put sunscreen on his back? and he flashes back to waking up and seeing Trina in the chair next to him, laughing. He says, from this angle, it almost looks like it says, kiss me.
Curtis asks if Portia is sure there isn’t something he could do to help her with Trina, and she says she’ll let him know if she thinks of anything. She’d probably storm over to Josslyn’s house and bring her home if Jordan hadn’t convinced her not to. Curtis takes her hands, and in a stroke of bad timing, Trina shows up. They look at her.
Doc tells Laura, the truth is, Spencer has every right to be upset with him. He never should have tried to handle Ryan on his own. She says he paid dearly for that, and she shouldn’t have to remind Spencer of that. He thanks her, and says, this whole business about Harmony writing letters for Ryan has him worried. He thinks he should go to Spring Ridge, and find out what he can. They can’t afford any mistakes with Ryan. She says, he won’t make any more. She has total confidence in him. He says, that’s nice to hear, and she tells him that she loves him. He says, and he loves her too.
Ava is working at the gallery, and flashes back to getting busy in the cabin with Nikolas. Nikolas walks in, and she says he can’t be there. He says, actually, he can, but she says he can’t. If the stalker finds out, it can get a lot worse for them. He says, it won’t. Because he knows who the stalker is.
Spencer tells Britt, now that his father is on his way to the Emirates, he needs to finish with the party plans. She says, you kids have fun, and he says he means it; please come. It’ll heal what ails her. She says she’s always been a physician heal thyself kind of gal, and he asks how that’s working out for her.
Jason tells Carly, they should probably teach Donna to call him Jason – moss bowl! – and she says, okay. He says, Sonny is her father. She probably won’t remember him, but it just feels wrong to take his place. Carly says, yeah, and Jason says, whatever Donna wants to call him, as long as she knows he loves her and he’s going to protect her. Carly says, she senses that already, and he asks if she’s sure she’s not imagining things. She says, no. Because he’s one of Donna’s favorite people. Like mother, like daughter. They stare at the moss bowl, as we all would.
Tomorrow, Nikolas tells Ava that the stalker is his son, Stella asks if there’s been some complications, Trina says Stella did her a favor, and Josslyn wonders when this wedding is going to happen.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
The Wives I don’t love to hate, but just hate.
After Garcelle made a faux pas by telling the others that Tom had been calling Erika, Erika cried in the bathroom like Garcelle had just done the worst thing in the world. Even Kyle didn’t know why it was that big of a deal. Erika came back out, and wept about how hard it was, and got everyone all weepy. LisaR hugged Erika, and said she was sorry it happened, and that it was effed up. In Garcelle’s interview, she said she was pissed off that LisaR wasn’t giving her the benefit of the doubt. It hadn’t been her intention to hurt Erika. Garcelle was ready to jet, but Kathy asked her to come back, and bugged her until she did. Erika told Garcelle it was okay, and Garcelle said it wasn’t intentional. In Kyle’s interview, she said, whatever was going on looked broken. There had to be something else going on. Garcelle wanted Erika to know that she wouldn’t intentionally hurt her, and Erika told her, don’t worry and hugged her, promising it was okay. In Sutton’s interview, she thought the reaction a little much, and it wasn’t about Garcelle, but Erica. It made her think Erika wasn’t being honest. Erika thought she should go home, since she had to hideassets take care of some things anyway. Kyle said she wanted Erika there, but respected what Erika needed to do. Dorit, Kyle, and LisaR walked Erika out, and inside, Sutton told Garcelle that she’d done nothing wrong and not to blame herself. Outside, Erika wailed some more, and her car seemed to come awfully fast, but no one thought that was odd.
Sutton said it was hard, but they had to pray for Erika, and help where they could. LisaR asked why Garcelle felt the need to bring it up in that moment, and Garcelle said she’d thought Erika was sharing. Dorit – who apparently hadn’t been listening to half the conversation – said Erika hadn’t want to talk about that. Crystal had to explain again that Garcelle hadn’t been there when Erika said that. Garcelle felt like there weren’t a lot of women on her side, and in her interview, she said, ever since she’d been hanging out with them, she felt they had an inner circle she was not inside. LisaR said it wasn’t their job to ask questions unless Erika wanted to share, and we flashed back to the million times LisaR grilled people who didn’t want to share. Sutton said they’d been talking about it in the kitchen before they all sat down. LisaR said there had been an article on an involuntary bankruptcy, and Dorit explained that if they got divorced, Erika wouldn’t get a dime. In Kyle’s interview, she said, Tom had been the wealthiest lawyer she’d ever met, and now it was all gone. They made plans to meet for dinner at 7.
The women regrouped for dinner, and Kyle said she’d texted with Erika. In Garcelle’s interview, she said it bothered her that Erika got upset, but her conscience was clear. Kyle said Erika wouldn’t scream at Garcelle the next time they met, but she wouldn’t trust Garcelle either. Garcelle wondered if LisaR had anything she could own in the situation, and in LisaR’s interview, she said Garcelle needed to check herself, and why she threw darts. Because LisaR can’t stand having to check herself. She claimed Garcelle wasn’t somebody who had your back. In Garcelle’s interview, she thought maybe LisaR felt she asked too many questions, and should take a look at the way she’d treated Denise. It was hypocritical and she could take her ownness and shove it. YES! Garcelle said she wasn’t sh*tting on Erika when she was at the bottom. She wasn’t that person. She wished she’d been told Erika hadn’t wanted to discuss it. It wasn’t deliberate, and she had nothing to own. LisaR was just trying to shut her up.
Food was delivered, and LisaR wanted to play a game. Kyle said games led to drama, and they hadn’t learned their lesson. We flashed back to the many games that ended up a disaster, including the poker game where Kim was way too high, and Brandi pushed Kyle down some stairs. They went through the I-don’t-see-color conversation again, and how it wasn’t cool to say. A couple of the women, mostly Dorit, were still clueless, and Garcelle asked if they’d ever been concerned about cops pulling their kids over. In her interview, Garcelle says, this world didn’t see the value of Black men. Kyle said she could claim everyone was equal, but had never walked in Garcelle’s shoes. Garcelle told Dorit just because she hadn’t grown up with it, didn’t mean it wasn’t experienced by others. In Crystal’s interview, she talks about hearing comments about her slanted eyes in elementary school, and how her parents had told them not to engage.
When Kyle asked for help with the dishes, you’d have thought she’d asked for the moon. In her interview, she said, take one dish, and just rinse it. They were acting like she wanted them to wash her car. Garcelle and Crystal cut out, and we found out that Harry had acrylic nails on one hand to play the guitar. That was his excuse anyway. In Kyle’s interview, she said, forget sexiest man alive. Harry was going for sexiest hand alive. In the morning Crystal brought Garcelle coffee, and asked if Erika had texted her back. Garcelle said she didn’t think so, but as long as Erika knew how she felt, it didn’t matter. The article about the so-called in-depth exposé on Tom and Erika came out, but everyone thought it was too long to actually read. In Kyle’s interview, she said they thought it couldn’t get worse, but both Tom and Erika had been accused of stealing millions from vulnerable clients. Tom’s lawyers admitted he’d been unable to tell them what happened to the money. In Garcelle’s interview, she said it was hard to imagine taking advantage of people like that. Sutton joined them, and said she’d actually read the whole thing, since she was used to reading things other than US magazine. She said the words Ponzi scheme had been used, and Erika could possibly go to jail. LisaR said it screamed Madoff, and asked if his wife had been implicated. Sutton said that was the tricky part. If Erika had accepted funds from Tom’s firm, she’d have to go to court.
Garcelle said she couldn’t imagine it. Every day there was something new. Her divorce had been public, and it was hard when people knew stuff about you, but didn’t know you. It had been in the LA Times, and she couldn’t imagine Erika had no heads up. That would explain why she flipped out. Garcelle thought it wasn’t personal, and could have been anyone. Kyle said it was being implied that Erika had been implicit, and Sutton wondered how Erika could know nothing. LisaR doubted Tom had talked about his day with her, and in her interview, said she didn’t think Erika knew what was going on. Tom was in charge, and when Harry asked her to sign something, she signed it. Sutton explained that if Erika’s name was on an LLC, she was responsible, and in her interview, said, if the devil himself put money in your LLC, you were responsible. Dorit said the picture being painted was that they’d used the money to keep up their lifestyle. We flashed back to their two airplanes, and Erika’s high-end fashion and jewelry. In her interview, Sutton says she wasn’t sure where Erika was in this, but she was questioning it. Dorit said it was a hard pill to swallow. It seemed like they hadn’t known Erika. In her interview, she said, of course they wanted to support Erika, but had been blindsided. They didn’t know how to feel or what questions to ask. LisaR wondered how Erika was keeping her sanity, and Kyle wondered what else Erika was keeping from them. Dorit said it was going to be a long, very expensive road.
When Dorit got back home, she FaceTimed with PK and Boy George. PK said he’d been reading about Erika; what a sandstorm. Dorit told him she thought something didn’t add up, and Boy George said thank God it wasn’t Dorit’s drama. In Sutton’s interview, she said Erika probably knew more than she was letting on, and was wondering what the consequences would be for her.
Sutton wanted to get together with the women, sans Erika, which Kyle and Dorit thought was weird, but also agreed they should do. They met at Dorit’s house, and Dorit said she’d just put out an impromptu whatever was in her fridge spread. In LisaR’s interview, she said it was the hosting version of, this old thing? Kyle said Erika had been posting pictures of Tom’s alleged mistress, and screen shots of her sexts to Tom. She wondered why Erika hadn’t been more open with them, and didn’t know why Erika would be posting this stuff on Instagram. She thought maybe it was Erika’s way of letting everyone know the divorce wasn’t a hoax, but wondered how long Erika knew. Garcelle again brought up Erika having said there was no third party involved. In Garcelle’s interview, she said if Erika wasn’t honest about the affair, maybe she still wasn’t telling them everything. LisaR said when she did the same thing during a divorce, her lawyer said, take it down immediately.
Sutton had reservations about what happened in La Quinta, and what had been said. She’d left thinking something was amiss, and thought they’d been placed in a bad position. The stories weren’t adding up, and when she left, she’d wondered what they’d gotten themselves into. She had questions, and wasn’t sure how much she wanted to be around Erika during this time.
To be continued…
Next time, Sutton doesn’t think ignorance is an excuse and wonders about the $20 million, and Kyle asks if Erika knew.
🥁 Marching On…
Already a long week, but at least we’re over the hump. Right, Mike? Until we meet again, stay safe, stay being an asset to others, and stay allowing your words to be the best weapon in your arsenal.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Dante walks into the hospital while his face is in his phone, so it’s no surprise when he literally runs into Finn, who is looking at paperwork. Finn imagines Dante is concentrating on the Peter August investigation, and Dante says, yeah. He’s going over it with forensics again, how Peter left a trail of blood in the subbasement, and where he went. Finn says he won’t keep Dante, but Dante says, there may be something about Peter’s disappearance Finn could shed some light on.
Shawn and Sam return to Naomie’s room. Shawn calls to her, and knocks, but there’s no answer. Sam asks if he thinks she left, but Shawn says he’s pretty sure her car was in the lot. Sam tries the door, and it’s open. She says she’ll apologize if Naomie is in there, and they go in. They see Naomie, lying on the floor, eyes open.
At the pool (🍷), Spencer puts his shirt back on over the KICK ME on his back. Trina says she has a confession to make. He knows Cam and Joss are her friends, and they told him all that stuff about him. She guesses she was trying to defend them. He was there, and he was kind of passed out… Nikolas approaches, and Spencer says Nikolas startled him. Nikolas says, nervous? but Spencer says he doesn’t like being snuck up on. Nikolas says he’d hardly call it sneaking, and Spencer says he knows Trina, right? Nikolas says, of course (🍷). How is she? She says, good, and asks how he is, calling him Mr. Cassadine. He asks her to call him Nikolas, and she says she has to make a phone call. She thanks Spencer for the advice, and he says, anytime. She leaves, and Spencer asks what Nikolas has in his hand. Nikolas sits down and says, you tell me. Or doesn’t Spencer recognize the letter Ryan Chamberlain sent him?
On the phone, Ned tells someone that they left them incredibly exposed. He hopes they realize that… Yes, he’ll let them know. Olivia comes downstairs, and says, that doesn’t sound very good. What’s going on? He says, they have trouble, with a capital T, and she knows who that stands for. She asks what Tracy did now.
Michael says, when Brook was forced to perpetrate a situation she knew wasn’t cool, he’s guessing it wasn’t easy. And it cost her something to keep it going. She says he’d be correct, and he says he’s also guessing she did the best she could at the time. She says, pretty much, and he says, then she knows what he and Willow are going through.
Monica asks how Willow’s first day of shadowing is, calling her Nurse Chase. I suddenly get confused, and then wonder why both Finn and Chase are called by their last names, and why their last names aren’t the same. Note to self: check on that. Willow says she’s far from being a nurse, she has so much to learn, and it’s Student Nurse Tate. Monica apologizes, saying, since Willow took Michael’s last name, she thought Willow would take Chase’s too, since he’s her husband.
Chase tells Austin, as soon as he’s done there, he’s telling Willow it’s over. He’ll be out of the picture, and Michael and Willow can finally live happily ever after. Austin says, that’s definitely one way to go, and Chase asks if he has another option. Austin says he does. Why settle for a graceful exit when you can make one that has lasting impact?
Austin says he thinks it’s Chase’s inclination, his nature, to be kind to both Michael and Willow. They treated him like dirt. His wife and his best friend are screwing each other. Chase says, it’s a complicated situation. He’s sure Willow felt obligated to marry him. Everybody thought he was going to die. She thought she was doing the right thing. Austin says, maybe. It makes sense with what’s happened in the past, but doesn’t jive with what’s happening now.Michael and Willow are clearly still attracted to each other; they can’t keep their hands off each other. Chase says, don’t remind him, but Austin thinks he needs to. Clearly, Chase’s health crisis is over. He’s been released from the hospital, and they’ve had every opportunity to be honest with him, and yet, they’ve kept him in the dark. Doesn’t that piss him off? Doesn’t he think he deserves better?
Willow tells Monica, she enrolled in nursing school as Willow Tate, so it seemed simpler not to change it. Elizabeth says she’s in the process of showing Willow the ropes. This semester, Willow is going to get some hands-on training at the hospital. Monica is sure she’ll be up to the challenge, and Willow says she’s looking forward to interacting with patients and getting some practical experience. Elizabeth is sure they’ll find plenty for her to do, and Willow says she’s trying not to be nervous. Monica takes out her phone, and says, oh no. Willow asks if there’s something wrong, and Monica says she just got a text from Ned. We see her phone, and it says, SOS.
Brook tells Michael, Willow seems awesome, but she’s not family, so Brook doesn’t get to judge her. He, on the other hand, is not only family, but probably the most principled Quartermaine since Lila, so she holds him to a higher standard. Since he admitted to her that there is in fact a him and Willow, she wonders where that leaves Chase. Ned walks in, followed by Olivia, and says, family meeting. They could be looking at a major crisis.
Sam checks Naomie’s neck, and says, there’s no pulse. Her body’s cold, but Sam doesn’t see any blood or wounds. Shawn says, no obvious signs of a struggle, and Sam says they have to call this in. He says he’ll let her make the call, but he’ll wait for the cops; she can head out. She says she’s not leaving him there to deal with it, but he says she’s on parole, remember? She says she didn’t kill Naomie, and he says she doesn’t know who they’ll send. Some by-the-book cop who could site her with a parole violation or more. She says, all right. She won’t call 9-1-1. She’ll call someone she trusts.
Finn says he doesn’t know how much help he can be, and Dante says he was trying to figure out how Finn and Anna ended up in the subbasement in the first place. Before Finn can answer, Dante’s phone rings. Dante says he has to take it, and Finn says, of course (🍷). Dante steps away and asks Sam, what’s up? She says she and Shawn are at the Woodbridge Motel. They found Hayden Barnes’s mother. Dante says, and? and Sam says, she’s dead. Dante looks at Finn.
Spencer says, Nikolas is saying that’s a letter to him from Ryan Chamberlain, and Nikolas tells Spencer not to insult his intelligence and deny it. Spencer says, all right. He knew about the letter. Where did Nikolas find it? Nikolas says he was visiting Alexis at the minimum security facility when he discovered Ryan is also an inmate, and he found the letter among his possessions. Spencer says, don’t tell him that they let Nikolas go through Ryan’s things, and Nikolas tells him, stop deflecting. Tell him why he was corresponding with this maniac. Spencer says he wasn’t. He got one letter from the guy, thought it was probably trouble, and didn’t even bother to open it. He sent it back, marked return to sender, but apparently Nikolas thought to read it. So what’s it say? Nikolas says, it was complementary toward Spencer, and Spencer laughs, saying, a serial killer is complementing him? How random and creepy is that? Nikolas says, it looked to him like Ryan was trying to get on Spencer’s good side, and hopefully recruit him as an ally. Spencer says he’s glad he didn’t open it, and Nikolas says, Ryan is obsessed with his wife and Spencer’s stepmother. Spencer says, he figured this had something to do with Ryan’s warped connection to Ava, and Nikolas says he’s missing the point. The man that killed Ava’s daughter reached out to him, and he said nothing. Nikolas wants to know why not. It’s unconscionable that Spencer didn’t warn him warn him, whether he opened the letter or not. Spencer says Nikolas is blowing this out of proportion, and Nikolas says Spencer knew Ava was being stalked, and it wasn’t just Ava; Avery was being threatened too. Meanwhile, Spencer gets a letter from a serial killer, and doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning? Spencer says, not really, and Nikolas asks, why the hell not? Spencer says because he knows damn well Ryan isn’t the one who’s been threatening Ava all this time.
Dante gets to the hotel room with a couple of officers, and knocks. Sam tells him, the door’s open, and he goes in. He says she’s really pushing the limits on her last few months of parole, and Shawn says he told Sam that he could handle it on his own, but Sam says, a woman is dead; she’s not just going to walk away. Dante tells the officers to sweep the place and dust for prints, and checks Naomie’s neck for a pulse. He asks, what happened? and Shawn says, they came to the door, and there was no response. The door was unlocked, they came in, and found Naomie lying on the floor. Sam says she checked Naomie’s pulse, but her body was cold. Finn comes in, and Dante says he told Finn to wait in the car. Finn says he thought he could help, but Shawn says there’s nothing he could do. She’s been dead for a while.
Monica walks in, and says, about this SOS. How big, how embarrassing, and how much is it going to cost to get us out of it? Ned says Monica should have a seat, and she says, that bad? Brook asks, what happened? and Olivia says, in a word, Tracy. Ned says he talked to her earlier to keep her in the loop now that Austin is in the picture. Michael says he doesn’t understand. He thought Tracy never wanted to hear the letters ELQ again. Olivia says, that doesn’t mean she wants someone else to get their hands on the family company, and Brook says she doubts granny was shocked by the arrival of another Q interloper. Ned says, she was expecting this, and that could prove to be a real problem for the rest of them.
Austin says, Chase’s wife, who he’s clearly head over heels in love with, is having an affair with his best buddy. He has every right to his outrage. Chase says he’s mad at the situation. Willow has the biggest heart of anyone he’s ever known. If he had any clue she didn’t want to marry him, he wouldn’t have boxed her into this. Austin says, Willow is a grown woman. She could have chosen to tell him the truth at any point since he left the hospital. Chase says he put her in a horrible situation, and she doesn’t deserve the anger he’s feeling. Austin says, all right. Then let’s just talk about Michael, the man Chase considers to be his best friend. He didn’t box Michael in with a proposal. When Chase left the hospital, Michael invited him to stay at the Quartermaine mansion, the big house. Seemingly, a generous offer, but is it really? If Michael knows Chase is there, he can still sneak into the gatehouse and screw Chase’s wife, and Chase can’t do anything about it because he can’t get down there on his own… Chase says, that is enough, and Austin says, Michael betrayed Chase. Isn’t it time for some payback? Chase asks why any of this matters to Austin.
Elizabeth says, Monica took off in a hurry; she hopes everything is okay. Willow says, the text was from Ned. She’s pretty sure it’s ELQ related. Elizabeth asks if she ever gets tired of hearing those initials. Willow says, yes and no. The company is really important to the Quartermaines, including Michael. It’s Wiley’s legacy, but aside from that, it doesn’t concern her, so she’s trying to stay focused on her studies there. Felix appears, and says, she better. People are expecting great things from her. Elizabeth says, but no pressure, and Felix says, of course (🍷) there’s pressure. That’s the job. Elizabeth isn’t doing Willow any favors by pretending otherwise. Elizabeth asks if he’s channeling Epiphany, and he says, Epiphany is on a well-earned vacation in Cabo. Someone has to keep up her standards. He’s curious to see what the GH nursing school has been teaching Willow. If a patient wants to check out early against doctor’s orders, what’s the role of the nurse? Willow says, to acknowledge the patient’s concerns, and give them definitive markers to focus on. Felix says, such as? and she says, if the patient’s oxygen level is too low, you can tell them once their oxygen level has maintained itself at 95% for four hours, then they could be a candidate to be released from the hospital. Felix says, so far, so good, but if she thinks he’s tough, just wait until Epiphany gets back. He still has nightmares about the way she used to grill him, but in retrospect, it was for his own good, and made him a better nurse. Willow promises to keep learning, and while she can’t promise to impress Epiphany, she can promise to do everything in her power to be an asset to the hospital. Felix says, good to know. Let’s start with something basic. Call up the chart on the patient in room 1015. Willow goes to the computer, and Felix says, they’ll walk her through how to sync up any prescription updates the MPs might have made. Willow says she’s on it, and Felix tells Elizabeth, she’s so green. Elizabeth says she knows, but so eager to learn. She was like that. Felix says, so was he.
The cops put a sheet over Naomie’s body, and Dante asks Shawn and Sam to tell him what happened from the beginning. Sam says Shawn asked her to help him investigate Hayden’s shooting from years ago. Finn asks if Shawn didn’t admit to shooting Hayden, and Shawn says, it was a mistake. Hayden herself told him someone else was responsible, but wouldn’t tell him who was. Sam says she found out Hayden’s mother was in town, and thought she could put them in touch with Hayden. Dante asks if she did, and Sam says, no, but she did go on this tirade about how Hayden was a horrible mother and didn’t want to have any sort of relationship with Violet. Finn says, that doesn’t sound right. Hayden was heartbroken when she had to say goodbye to Violet. Shawn says, it seemed strange to them too, so they decided to come back and talk to her some more, but when they did, they found her like this. An officer hands Dante an evidence bag, and says, they found this in the bathroom. Dante says, it’s a recent prescription; they could be looking at a suicide. Finn says, no way. They made plans earlier today for Naomie to spend some more time with her granddaughter. If she was thinking about ending her life, there’s no way she’d promise she’d see Violet again. Someone did this to her.
Nikolas asks Spencer how he can be so sure who has or hasn’t been stalking his wife and their family? Spencer says, Ryan has been locked inside his own body for a year now. So when he heard about the cockroach, it didn’t cross his mind to connect Ryan to it, because he’s been completely incapacitated. He sent the letter back without thinking twice. He’s never made a secret of his feelings toward Ava. She could have testified against Valentin when he shot Nikolas, but she opted to have her face repaired. She sold out. All he ever did was suggest Nikolas could do better, and suddenly that translates to him being in league with Ryan Chamberlain? Trina comes back, and says she just forgot her… Is this a bad time? Nikolas tells her, please don’t leave. He and Spencer were just having a misunderstanding. He’s sorry he jumped to conclusions. Spencer says, apology accepted. He knows the stalker has Nikolas on edge. Nikolas says, it’s no excuse. He tells them to have fun, and says he’ll see Spencer at home. He leaves, and Trina says, what was that about?
Austin tells Chase, full disclosure. He’s in the middle of a financial dispute with the Quartermaine family. Chase asks if Austin is saying he was cut off from the family fortune, and now he’s throwing a tantrum as a result. Austin says, that’s one interpretation of the situation, and not a very charitable one. He’s surprised. He would have thought Chase, of all people, would know where he was coming from. Chase asks, why him of all people? and Austin says because Michael and Willow were cheating on Chase, and the whole family is trying to cheat Austin out of his rightful inheritance. Chase says, so Austin and Scotty are going to take them to court over a will that’s already been probated? Good luck good with that. Austin says he has it on good authority that there’s something in the Quartermaine mansion, that if found, will change the outcome to his favor.
Monica asks Ned to just tell them what Tracy did now, and Ned says, just as a reminder, during grandfather’s final months, he gave up medicine he needed to live so that Emma Drake could have it. It indeed saved her life.The experience must have softened Edward’s perspective, because he began corresponding with Jimmy Lee Holt again. Michael says, grandfather was on speaking terms with Jimmy Lee before he died? and Ned says, yes, and he apparently expressed real regret for cutting Jimmy Lee out of his will. Brook asks how granny would know, and Olivia says, she’ll give Brook three guesses, and the first two don’t count. Ned says, Jimmy Lee didn’t know Edward’s health had taken a turn for the worse because his mother started intercepting the letters. She wasn’t happy to learn he and grandfather might be reconciling. Monica says, it was all for nothing, since Tracy got cut out of the will, and Michael asks if Ned is saying that Tracy might have prevented Edward from changing his will to include Jimmy Lee. Ned says, there’s nothing specific in the letters, but if grandfather left a record somewhere intending to change the will in Jimmy Lee’s favor, it might give Austin’s case a leg to stand on.
Chase says, so Jimmy Lee and Edward were in the process of patching things up, and Austin says, yes, and as soon as Edward mentioned he was reconsidering disinheriting Austin’s father, the letters stopped. His father’s theory was that the Quartermaines swooped in when Edward got sick. Chase asks why Jimmy Lee didn’t take on the family, but Austin doesn’t know. He was a very proud man, but now that he’s passed, Austin thinks it’s his duty to try and settle the score. Chase says, it’s good in theory, but it’s still just conjecture. He’s testified in enough cases to know you need evidence to make a case stick. How is Austin going to prove any of this? Austin says, Edward’s papers are still in his study. The family left the room exactly the way Edward left it. Chase asks how Austin knows, and Austin says when he was at a party there, he looked around. He got as far as getting the door open, but the housekeeper found him, and escorted him back downstairs. Chase says, if Austin had made it in, what did he expect to find? Austin says, if Edward was reconsidering his will, he’d have contacted a lawyer, and there would be a record of it, or at least some handwritten notes. Chase asks what this has to do with him, and Austin says Chase lives there. He can go to the study whenever he wants. Chase says, Austin wants him to do his dirty work? but Austin says, no. He wants Chase to uncover the truth. He wants Chase to use his close proximity to the family to help him claim what’s rightfully his.
Ned says, the current distribution of ELQ shares could be contested should this come to light, and Monica says, Austin obviously knows about this, or he never would have filed a lawsuit. Brook asks, what’s the plan? Does Ned want them to prepare for a fight? Ned says he’s not sure what the right thing is, and Brook says, excuse me? He says, putting the company aside for a moment, his mother may have interfered with grandfather’s final wishes. If that’s the case, Austin’s father Jimmy Lee might have been denied what was rightfully his. Brook says, maybe granny felt Edward wasn’t mentally all there in the end, but Ned says, or maybe she anticipated a big inheritance that wasn’t there in the end. If they deny Austin his rightful share, aren’t they just as bad as Tracy?
Austin says, if Chase wants to bow out of his marriage, go right ahead, but maybe don’t go gently into that good night without at least settling the score. Chase says he knows Austin is trying to get in his head to mess with him, but Austin says, Michael and Willow are the ones who have been messing with Chase’s head, but call it like he sees it. Chase says he is, and he thinks Austin is trying to take advantage of his anger to get what he wants. Austin says he’s not in the habit of using anyone; he’s just being direct. He thinks their situations are crisscrossing in a way they can help one another. Chase says him betraying the Quartermaines helps Austin, but does nothing for his marriage; one thing isn’t related to the other. Austin says Chase is wrong about that. He thinks their situations are exactly similar. Michael and Willow are cheating on Chase, and he’s being cheated out of his inheritance. That’s what the Quartermaines do. They stab people in the back. They take and they take from little guys like them, because they can’t even imagine a reality where the Quartermaines don’t get everything.
Trina and Spencer sit with their feet in the pool (🍷), and Trina asks if things are still awkward with Spencer’s dad. Spencer says, yeah. He was pretty vocal about his feelings toward Ava back in the day. Even though he’s sympathetic to their current situation, there’s still a lot of tension, which is why his father can never know he was there before he announced his return to him. Given all that’s going on, it’s one more thing he does not need to know about.
Nikolas tells the bartender to keep his tab open for his son and his friend. He looks at the postmark on the letter, and sees that it was postmarked February 2nd, and returned on February 13th. He says, Spencer received this letter before Ava got the cockroach. He flashes back two minutes ago, when Spencer said that when Ava got the cockroach, it didn’t even cross his mind to connect it with Ryan, since he’d been incapacitated. So when he got the letter, he sent it back without thinking twice.
Dante asks Finn not to jump to conclusions. They can’t rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose. They have to wait on the toxicology report. Finn says Dante isn’t suggesting Naomie accidentally took a whole bottle of pills? and Dante says he’s suggesting they don’t know how many pills were in the bottle, three or thirty. Finn says he has to find a way to explain this to Violet, and Dante says, go; they’ll get Naomie back to GH. Finn thanks him, and leaves. Shawn says he thinks Finn was right on the money. He thinks Naomie was murdered.
Dante says, if Naomie was murdered, how do they get there? Sam asks where he wants them to start, and he says, they left, and then came back to talk to Naomie about something else. What was it? Sam says, the name Abigail, and Dante asks, who’s Abigail? Shawn says, when Naomie tried to convince them that Hayden had no interest in being Violet’s mother, she referred to Hayden’s middle name as Abigail. Sam says, Elizabeth confirmed that’s not Hayden’s middle name. Seriously, they’re all parents, and you don’t get your kid’s middle name wrong. Even in the heat of the moment, would Dante ever mistake Rocco’s middle name? Dante says, no; she’s right. She says, the middle name was definitely the oddest part, but the way Hayden’s mother spoke about her not wanting a relationship with Violet just didn’t track with what they’d heard. Shawn says when they talked it over, it felt like Naomie was giving them clues, trying to get them to circle back. Sam says, the only way that makes sense is if… Dante says, someone was watching her.
Felix tells Elizabeth, when he sees how hard Willow is working, it makes him think of his nursing school days. She says, her too. She remembers it like it was yesterday. He says, isn’t it funny that over the years, they learned more from their mistakes than their successes? She says a control freak like her doesn’t like to make mistakes, and he says, which is why they don’t make the same mistake twice. Sometimes he actually can’t believe they made it this far. She says, now they’re in a position to help newcomers like Willow, and he says, she’s going to make one helluva good nurse. Elizabeth says, she is, when Finn comes out of the elevator. She says he doesn’t look so great. What’s wrong? He says, Naomie. She’s dead.
Trina tells Spencer that he doesn’t have to throw a party for her, and he says he chooses to extend himself to make a social event that might be worthy of her. She says, oh, please, and he says, the more she doubts him, the more it inspires him to make it an unforgettable evening. Nikolas comes back, and says he and Spencer need to talk. Spencer asks if everything is okay, and Nikolas says he just got off the phone with the board of Cassadine Industries, and negotiations have stalled in Dubai. It’s going to significantly impact their bottom line. Normally, he’d teleconference in, but he thinks he should be there in person. Spencer says, he’s going to be leaving the country? and Nikolas says, only for a few days. He was thinking of calling his mother, and seeing if Spencer could stay with her and Doc. Spencer says he just toured Europe on his own; he doesn’t need a babysitter. Nikolas says, okay. With the exception of the staff, Spencer will have Windymere all to himself.
Austin says, Chase is a police officer. In his work, he puts aside his personal emotions, and examines the evidence. So consider this; these are the facts. His best friend in the whole world slept with his lawfully wedded wife. Shouldn’t there be consequences? Does Michael get away with it? Does he play by different rules because he’s a Corinthos and a Quartermaine? Don’t let him do that. Don’t let him get away with the company and the woman Chase loves. Chase says he should go, and Austin walks to the door. He says he’s counting on Chase. Is he in? He opens the door, and Chase wheels on out.
Olivia tells Ned that it was sweet of him to consider his grandfather’s wishes. Very un-Quartermaine; no offense. Monica says, the way Tracy described it, is that Edward only regretted cutting Jimmy Lee out of the will. Did she ever say he was going to revise the will, and include Jimmy Lee? Ned says, not that she knew about, and Michael says, then they know nothing for sure. Monica says, if Jimmy Lee had pressured Edward, Edward would have told him to pound sand. Edward spent decades disowning that man, and had absolutely no use for his mother. Brook says they can’t presume Edward’s wishes would have been. They can only go by the last will. Michael agrees. He’s sympathetic to a point, but it’s a big step for Austin to assume he would have inherited anything, let alone ELQ voting stock. Ned says, so they’re in agreement to maintain the current game plan? Brook says, which is what? and Ned says, to strike a deal and buy out Austin with a lump sum. Michael says it works for him, and Brook says, her too. If they don’t accept Austin into the family fold, maybe he’ll quit GH and be a country doctor again far away from Port Charles. Ned says he’ll get the ball rolling, and they file out of the room. Brook tells Michael, hang on a second. He never answered her question. He says, this is clearly not a good time. Can she let this go? She says, has he met her? Of course (🍷) she’s not going to let this go. Tell her the truth. Is there a him and Willow, and if so, where does that leave Chase?
Willow runs into Chase at the hospital, and says she didn’t realize he’d still be there. Is everything okay? He says, actually, no, it’s not. Austin watches.
Willow asks, what’s wrong? and Chase flashes back to finding Michael’s shirt, and going upstairs in the gatehouse. She says he looks like he’s a million miles away. What’s going on? He says he was just thinking about physical therapy. He was hoping to take some steps today, but he couldn’t. He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be stuck in this chair. She tells him, keep at it; she has faith in him. She has to report back to Felix, but she’ll see him at home, okay? He says, sure will. She leaves, and Chase looks at Austin, then wheels off.
Brook tells Michael, she knows it’s none of her business, but Chase is her friend. He says all he can tell her is that he and Willow are trying to do the best they can by Chase. Bailey starts crying, and Brook says she should go.
In the foyer, Ned tells Olivia, sorry about interruption, but he had to get this email out. Olivia looks at him, and he says, what? She says, he was willing to put the family legacy in jeopardy to do the right thing. Was he just putting on a show for her benefit, or was it genuine? Ned says, after all this time, she still reminds him that he’s not just Edward’s grandson, but also Lila’s. He knows he has more work to do before he becomes a man worthy to be her husband again, but he’s going to keep trying. Olivia says, good; she’s glad.
Nikolas says, on second thought, why doesn’t Spencer come with him? Spencer tells him, he just said the staff will be there. It’s not like he’ll be alone, and he’s not afraid of whoever’s targeting Ava; they’re not after him. Nikolas says he’ll see Spencer in a few days, and Trina tells him to have a good trip. He leaves and Spencer asks if Trina just heard him. He’s going to be out of the country for a few days. It’s the perfect time to throw that party. Nikolas watches, and makes a call. He tells someone to book a room for him in Port Charles, and says, let’s make sure Spencer’s party teaches him a lesson he’ll never forget.
Finn tells Elizabeth, they found Naomie in her hotel room, and it looks like foul play was involved. She says, oh my God, and Felix says he’s so sorry. Why doesn’t she take a few minutes to process? He’ll have Willow shadow him. He leaves, and she says she doesn’t understand. Sam called wanting to know Hayden’s middle name, and he says, it must be connected. She says, they need to tell Hayden… not that anybody knows where she is. He says, right now, he needs to focus on telling Violet. She was excited about spending time with her grandmother. He doesn’t know how to break it to her. She says, they’ll figure it out together.
Naomie is zipped up in a body bag, and taken away. Dante closes the door, and says, so, Naomie was being watched, and she tried to get a message to them. What could she have known that could possibly get her killed? Sam says, maybe where to find her daughter, and Shawn says, somebody doesn’t want them to know what happened to Hayden. And they’re willing to kill to make sure they don’t.
Tomorrow, Portia asks Curtis how long she’s supposed to let this go on for, Stella needs to know the truth from Jordan, Laura asks what Nikolas suspects Spencer of, and Jason tells Carly that they’re a united front.
The Real Housewives of New York City
Leah called Eboni about the upcoming Black Shabbat. Leah said she’d been practicing her Hebrew, and the struggle was real. In Leah’s interview, she said, Hebrew was a beautiful language… when it was spoken by someone who knew how to speak it. She was hanging her mezuzah, and Eboni showed Leah her own mezuzah. (I, too, have a mezuzah.) Leah’s was really cool; pink see-through acrylic. I had no idea they came like that. Eboni said Leah would get to meet her friend Archie, and since they were both tall, gorgeous blonds, they might run away together. In Eboni’s interview, she said she was excited about Black Shabbat, and was glad to be able to share it with Leah, since Leah had been committed and disciplined about her studies. Ramona met broker Michael at an apartment, and in her interview, she said she didn’t have her license yet, but was three quarters of the way through. She wanted to get her feet wet, and show she had what it took. Michael’s client Jordan joined them, and Michael let Ramona show the $17.9 million, 3800 and change square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment. The views were stunning, and one room had them on three sides. A few times, Michael had to correct Ramona, and in her interview, Ramona said it bothered her being corrected since it meant she wasn’t perfect. I wondered if she thought he was just supposed to leave the client with the wrong info. At the end, Michael said Ramona was assertive and confident. I had other words for what she was, but okay.
Eboni met with genetic investigator Linda, who was going to use Eboni’s DNA to trace her lineage backward to identify her father. In Eboni’s interview, she had a lot of disappointment and heartache. If this didn’t work, it would be a wrap. Linda explained about how she did clustering analysis to narrow it down, and in her interview, Eboni said, part of her was excited, but she also knew it was a shot in the dark.
Sonja met match Brad at a restaurant, and in her interview, she said her first impression was that he was taller and thinner in his picture, but she’d let him work his magic. She was going to be quiet, and hear what he had to say. They decided bacon was healthy, and Sonja said they’d found common ground talking about food. Since Brad lived in Chelsea, Sonja felt that was a strike, as Helen Gurley Brown had said you should live within 10 blocks. Nothing like working off info that’s 40 years old. They talked about their respective businesses; Sonja’s online business had flourished, and his leasing business had tanked because of the pandemic. He told her that he’d bought a house in the south of France, and Sonja’s love meter went up, but then said he’d sold it a month and a half ago, and it went back down. In her interview, Sonja said it was naïve to think there would be love at first sight when looking for Mr. Right. She was on a first date, and headed in the right direction. She was willing to give it a chance.
Sonja’s assistant (#2546) Emma read a description of Shabbat to her. Ramona talked to LuAnn, who called it a Black Sabbath dinner. Ramona hoped they’d have fun, and Eboni wouldn’t get on her soapbox. LuAnn had never been to a seder, which surprised me, since she’s so worldly. She said she didn’t know what to expect. Leah called next, and sadly, had been exposed to covid. She felt fine, but had to quarantine. She was sad about missing Shabbat, and in Eboni’s interview, she said she said Leah had worked hard at her conversion, and she was selfishly sad that Leah woudn’t be there.
The women met on a party bus, and popped some champagne. Eboni explained that although Leah thought she was fine, she didn’t want them to get exposed to anything, so she had to bow out. She would be there in spirit though – i.e. FaceTime. In Sonja’s interview, she said the sad part was losing out on the bonding with Leah. Ramona thought it would be a weird dynamic with Leah on the phone. They arrived at Archie’s house in Summit, New Jersey, where it had snowed, and LuAnn threw a snowball at Sonja. In her interview, Sonja put on a Sopranos accent, and said they’d only been in New Jersey five minutes, and LuAnn was already trying to whack her with a snowball. Ramona hid behind Sonja because she’s a wimp. Eboni’s friends Dionne, Brian, and Linara also joined them, and in Eboni’s interview, she said they’d gone to Israel with her, and shared her commitment to advancing Black excellence. Ramona complained that Archie’s handmade napkins were too big, and in her interview, Sonja said Ramona was picking on the napkins already, and it was only getting worse from there. Ramona moved on to how Archie should be more matchy-matchy with her table settings. Hmm… I don’t think Martha Stewart would agree.
Sonja said when Eboni had told her Archie would be wearing sequins, she’d thought Archie was a gay guy, and they’d be matching. They moved on to the dinner table where challah bread was discussed, and Eboni brought Leah in on the phone. Archie said she was excited to share this beautiful sacred space, and talked about her group called JewBelong, where she wanted to rebrand Judaism to make it more welcoming and relatable. LuAnn asked if you needed to be Jewish to be in the group, but Archie said no. In Leah’s interview, she said felt like a little character sitting on the table. She didn’t know she’d be lined up with the gefilte fish. Ramona started griping about how Eboni seemed to be checking on Leah every second, and Leah said, why not? Sonja said because Ramona was being a bitch. In her interview, Sonja said she didn’t know why Ramona was being rude. Leah was converting, and they were just learning. Archie started with a Shabbat shot.
Leah couldn’t hear, so Eboni had to mess around with the phone some more. She read the description of Shabbat, saying, according to tradition, six days you shall toil, but there is rest on the seventh day. You were to stop even thinking about work, Eboni adding that she didn’t know how to do that. The beauty of Friday evening was that it was designed to act as if work is done. Leah was supposed to light the candles, but Ramona held the phone while Eboni took Leah’s place. In Ramona’s interview, she said she’d been engaged to a Jewish man who’d wanted her to convert from Christianity. But since he never said he appreciated her doing it, she ended the engagement, and felt she’d dodged a bullet. No doubt there’s more to that story. Leah did the blessing, singing a prayer, and everyone said it was beautiful. Sonja said Leah’s commitment blew her away, and in Leah’s interview, she said, singing a prayer wasn’t easy, and it was special to her that Sonja had been touched and understood how important it was to her. Archie said there was so much hatred in the world, and anti-Semitism. There were so many people who wouldn’t even come to a Shabbat. She was worried about the relationship between Blacks and Jews. Ramona said the Italians and Jews were all about tradition, which was totally on topic, not at all. Only in Ramona’s mind. In LuAnn’s interview, she said Ramona was trying to interject something into a conversation of which she had no knowledge. Shut up and listen. Eboni explained that it was easy for oppressed people to join in other forms of oppression, and the only person who would win was the white supremacist. Ramona said they all wanted what was right, and Eboni said the difference was, she’d paid the price. Ramona said, they all did in different ways, to which no one knew how to respond. In Eboni’s interview, she said she believed Ramona was well-meaning, but had a hard time sitting with the pain of marginalized America. She had no idea how painful her reaction was. Ramona said that Jewish people had hated her in college, and Leah said it wasn’t about white people right now. In Leah’s interview, she said, not only was it not about white people, it wasn’t about Ramona. She was sure everyone hated Ramona in college. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, now they’d gone from Italian persecution to Ramona’s persecution in college. It just gets worse. Ramona said she was shunned as a Christian, and Archie said she definitely wanted to discuss that with her, but that wasn’t enough for Ramona. When she didn’t get the pity party she wanted, she jetted from the table. No big surprise there.
In Ramona’s interview, she said at other dinners they were allowed to share their thoughts, but she guessed she was in trouble for doing it there. Archie asked if she should talk to Ramona; she wanted to apologize for how the Jews had treated her. Eboni said Ramona leaving was probably for the best, but Ramona reappeared, whining that she’d been on a bus for 40 whole minutes and hadn’t been able to pee. Leah said she was acting like a psycho, and to sit down. In Leah’s interview, she said she didn’t understand why it was triggering for Ramona to hear about someone else’s history. Ramona apologized for sharing her feelings, totally missing the point. She said she was sorry she’d insulted anyone. Archie said she felt sad that the Jews had left Ramona out, and Sonja’s interview, she said it wasn’t the time or the forum, and not the right audience. Ramona said she wished she’d been born Jewish, and Eboni said they were not making it about her. Brian drained his glass, and quietly said he needed another margarita, no doubt sorry he came. In Eboni’s interview, she said she was horrified. Archie had gone out of her way to create a beautiful night to celebrate culture and compassion, and Ramona acted like an a-hole. Leah asked to talk to Eboni in another room, and Eboni said this was exactly why she needed Leah there. Leah said she was disgusted by Ramona, and Eboni said it was crazy. Ramona continued her insanity, saying she needed to eat, and going to the kitchen to help herself. We saw a clip that said, 2 hours ago, where Ramona was shoving food in her face on the bus. Leah wondered how Ramona got so upset about something so important, and Eboni pointed out that even a white woman was leading the night. Why was Ramona so uncomfortable? Meanwhile, Ramona badgered the caterers in the kitchen, trying to score some protein, then rejecting everything offered to her. In her interview, Leah said it was offensive to Judaism, and the work Eboni was trying to do. Ramona had no idea because she had the IQ of an effing walnut. <snort!> Sonja said Ramona was representative of people who were uncomfortable and defensive, and Eboni said she was regretting doing this.
Next time, Linda thinks one out of three guys she found is Eboni’s dad, Sonja pees in Archie’s driveway, and Ramona feels like Sonja is on a train that’s going to crash.
💰 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles will be back on September 2nd.
🌃 Calling It a Night…
Getting better now, but that cough is still lingering. Out, out, damn cough! Until we find out what pisses Erika off next, stay safe, stay expressing yourself in a lucid manner, and stay not denying anyone what’s rightfully theirs.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 