What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Sonny is cleaning up at the Tan-O, when Nina comes in. He says, if it isn’t his firehouse dance partner. She says she knows Phyllis is insisting on them going, but she’s not the boss of their social life. He asks if she has something against dancing with him, and she says, not at all. He says, good, because what they did before was a warm-up. He’s going to show her his big moves. She says, he has big moves? and he says he’s a man of mystery. Who knows what he has up his sleeve?
Michael opens the gatehouse door to Jax, and says, this was unexpected. Jax says they told him where to find Michael at the main house. He hopes Michael doesn’t mind him dropping by unexpectedly. Michael says, no, and invites Jax in. Jax says Wiley has gotten big; he hasn’t seen Wiley in a while. Michael tells Wiley, this is Jax, his Aunt Josslyn’s father. Wiley waves to Jax, and Jax says, he’s a charmer. No wonder everyone loves him. Michael says, by everyone, is Jax talking about Nina?
Dante walks into the Quartermaine mansion and Brook greets him. He says he heard she was back in town, and she says she’s sure his mom gave him an earful. He says, a word or two maybe, and she says she was sorry to hear about his dad. Sonny was special to her. He says she was special to Sonny, and she says she can’t help but wonder what he’d say if he saw her now. He says, probably a couple of things. What does she need, and is she sure she knows what she’s doing? She says she can tell him one thing; she definitely knows what she’s doing.
At the hospital, Portia asks if Finn can see where she wants to try this one more thing, and he says he completely agrees with her assessment. He thinks the new protocol might do the trick. She thanks him for the second opinion, and he says, anytime. She leaves, and Jackie comes out of the elevator. She approaches Finn, and he says he survived family dinner. Isn’t that enough for one night? She says no one is happier than she is that it wasn’t a complete fiasco, but they have some unfinished business with someone else. He asks who that would be, and she says, Peter August. He needs to face some consequences for that horrific Invader article, especially for the pain he’s inflicted on Chase.
Willow goes to Chase on the floor, and turns him over. She asks if he can hear her, and says he’s burning up. She gets her phone out of her purse, and Chase says her name. She goes back to him, and says she’s right there.
Anna goes down to the basement, and tells Valentin that she just spoke with Finn. Chase has come down with something. He asks if it’s serious, and she says she doesn’t think so. It’s food poisoning. They were all just out to dinner, but nobody else got sick. He asks if she thinks it’s Peter’s doing, and she stomps over to Peter. He says she looks worried. Somebody she cares about is sick? Maybe there’s something he can do to help.
Nina puts a thermos on the bar, and says she doesn’t suppose Sonny has time to fill this with hot chocolate before his Dancing with the Stars audition. He says, dancing with what? and she says, Dancing with the Stars. It’s a show she loves. It’s about hard work and overcoming obstacles. She thinks he’d really like it, but for now, how about that hot chocolate? He asks if she’s going somewhere, and she says Elijah said he wanted to take her to the Nixon Falls Lookout. He said it’s a spectacular place for stargazing. Sonny laughs, and says, how about that? She says sightseeing around Nixon Falls was his idea. Remember the article he wanted her to write? He says it’s not the sightseeing that bothers him; it’s her choice of a tour guide. She says, Phyllis and Lenny are very fond of Elijah, and he says he knows. She says, but he doesn’t think they’re good judges of character? They took him in. He says, they’re probably good judges of character, and she says, probably. He says his gut tells him that they’re wrong about Elijah Crowe. Eli walks in, and asks if Nina is ready to see the stars. Nina looks at Sonny.
Jax asks if Wiley is having storytime with his dad. He remembers when Josslyn was Wiley’s age. She couldn’t get enough of books read to her. Michael says he remembers she had a revolving list of favorites. There was one by the ocean… Jax says, Goodnight, Gorilla. He had to read it at least once a night. Michael says, Wiley has his list of favorites too. He puts Wiley down to play, and tells Jax that when he was talking about Nina, he didn’t mean to be rude. Jax says he didn’t take it that way. It was a fair question. He says, other than business, he and Michael haven’t had a chance to talk since Sonny’s memorial, when Nina confronted his mother about Nelle. He knows Michael has had a lot to process. Michael says he wanted to thank Jax for standing by his mom. He knows what it cost Jax. Jax says, she’s the mother of his child. He’ll always stand by Carly. He also knows she did nothing wrong the night of Nelle’s fall. It was a tragedy, and he thinks that’s how Nina will see it, but she’s spent years searching for her daughter, only to find out it was too late. Wiley is the only thing she has left, and he’s hoping Nina can be a part of Wiley’s life.
Olivia gives Robert a drink, and he thanks her. She says she thought he could use one after his little chat with Monica. How did it go? Was he able to calm her fears about Jason being in Pentenville? He says he didn’t have a lot to offer. He told Monica that he’d been in touch with Warden Alvarez, and Jason was in Pentenville. He hasn’t been found guilty of anything, he’s awaiting trial, and his safety is a matter of public scrutiny. She says, that’s huge. She’s sure it gave Monica a lot of comfort. He says, there she goes again. She’s always doing this to him. He comes out with some stupid little statement that’s meaningless, and she gives it substance. She laughs, and says, sometimes we need a little outside perspective to see the big picture. He says, in that case, if she wants to be separated from Ned, why does she continue to live in this house? Olivia does a spit-take.
Brook tells Dante, there’s no tactful way to say it. Olivia is policing her entire life. Ned comes in and says, good; they’re both here. Brook says she lives there and Dante and Rocco live there half the time. Is them being there so surprising? Ned says he’s about to win back his wife.
Willow asks Chase if he can make it back to the couch with her help, and he says he can get there on his own, but he barely gets there with her helping. She says she’ll get a cold cloth, and he says if she insists. She gets one faster than one has ever been gotten, and he says he’s so sorry. He ate something that didn’t agree with him. He’s fine. She asks if his thermometer is still in the medicine cabinet. He says, probably; he doesn’t know. She goes to look, and he says she can look wherever she wants. He has nothing to hide. No secrets; secrets are bad. She comes back with a forehead thermometer, and he says all they have is the truth, right? She takes his temperature, and says, oh my God. She’s taking him to the hospital.
Peter says, let him guess. Finn is feeling a bit off? Anna says, no; he’s fine. Why does Peter look disappointed? Peter asks, who is ill then? The family went to Peridino’s for dinner, right? If Finn isn’t ill, is it The Invader’s star reporter, Jackie Templeton? Or Finn’s wronged father? Or perhaps the surprise is on Chase. Anna raises her hand to smack him, and says, he’s such a bastard. He says, so it is Chase then. Perhaps he ingested something that didn’t sit well with him. She takes out her phone and says she has to talk to Finn, and Peter says, when she does, perhaps she should suggest he talk to her old friend Sean Dunolly. If his memory serves him correctly, Sean and Tiffany Hill encountered a similar situation. Valentin says, what is this? What has Peter done? Peter asks if Anna would like the pleasure of telling Valentin, or should he?
Finn tells Jackie, Peter deserves payback, but she’s in no position to start collecting, so do what she does best. She says, eviscerate Peter in the press? and he says, there’s no law against trashing someone’s life on the front page or the internet. She says, unfortunately, it’s not an option. She’s under exclusive contract with The Invader. If she tries to publish something elsewhere, Peter can sue her into oblivion. He can block her from other outlets. What about Anna? Now that the truth about Peter has been exposed, maybe she knows how to contain him. He says he’s not up to date on Anna’s plans these days, about Peter or anything else.
Robert asks Olivia if it’s too much perspective, but she says, good friends ask difficult questions, and he’s a good friend… and that is a difficult question. He asks if they have an answer, and she says, no; they do not. Robert says, there’s worse things than living in a mansion full of servants, and she says, this is not a lifestyle she dreamed about; a fancy mansion with a billion dollar kitchen she needs a permission slip to walk into. The house came with the guy, and it was the guy she wanted. He asks, what about now? and she says she doesn’t know. If she’s not with Ned, what the hell is she doing there?
Ned tells Brook and Dante, he wants the living room filled with flowers, from the floor to the ceiling. He’ll call every specialty florist if he has to. He’s going to get down on one knee, in front of them and the grandkids, and declare his love for Olivia. They’ll renew their vows, and he’s going to give her this to seal their renewed commitment. He shows them a mammoth ring, and asks what they think. Brook says, it’s beyond a desperation play. It will never work. Ned says, why not? He made a huge mistake with Alexis, and now he wants to make a huge gesture to win Olivia back. Brook tells Dante to explain it to Ned. She doesn’t have the heart. She leaves, and Ned says he takes it Dante agrees with his daughter. Dante says, sorry, but if Ned thinks a fancy giant ring and a room full of flowers will win back his mother, Ned doesn’t even know her.
Willow brings Chase into the hospital, and Portia asks, what happened? Willow says she found Chase like this in his apartment. He said he hasn’t been feeling well. He’s burning up with fever, and he passed out. Chase says, it’s probably just food poisoning, and Portia says, let’s get him to an examining room. He asks if Willow will stay with him, and she says she’s right there. She helps him into the room.
Anna says Peter wouldn’t, and he says, once again, she underestimates him. Valentin asks if someone will tell him what’s going on, and Anna asks if he knows Sean. Valentin says, of course (🍷). He was a legend at the WSB. Anna says he was also her boss. She and Robin became close to him when they moved to Port Charles. He was instrumental in helping Robert get her away from Faison. Valentin takes it that Faison didn’t like Sean very much, and Peter says, his father always had to have the last word. Anna tells Valentin, Faison poisoned Sean’s wife Tiffany, and held on to the antidote. It wasn’t enough for a complete cure, but enough to control the symptoms. In order to keep his wife alive, Sean had to do what Faison wanted. Peter says, one of Faison’s best efforts, he thinks, and Valentin says, and Peter used the toxin on Chase? Peter says, not that one; they came up with a cure for that one. But he did come up with one of his own. The thing about science is, it’s made great strides since dear old dad’s days. Toxins are more complicated, but still lethal. She says, what does he want? and he says he thought she’d never ask.
Peter says, Chase’s condition will continue to deteriorate until he gets a dose of the antidote. Anna asks what he wants, and Peter says, for them to follow his instructions – to the letter. Stay out of his way, and end the never-ending smear campaign against him with Maxie. Anna asks what good it will do him. Maxie already knows the truth; it all came out at the wedding. Peter says Maxie still loves him. In time she’ll be able to focus on him and their child, and ignore these accusations the two of them have been yapping in her ear this whole time. Valentin says they’re not the only ones who want him away from Maxie, and Anna asks if he thinks Mac and Felicia will let him within ten feet of her? He says, perhaps Anna and Valentin don’t grasp the gravity of the situation. Should he write the detective off, and find someone closer to Anna to target? Anna says, no. They’ll do what he wants. Peter says, good; that’s better. One more thing, the agreement is to stay between the three of them. If there’s even one slip-up to Finn, one inkling that he’s involved in any way, the deal is off. Anna’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Willow. She steps away to answer, and Willow says she hopes she’s not bothering Anna, but she found Chase quite ill at his apartment, and brought him to GH. Anna asks what the doctors said, and Willow tells her, they’re in with him now. Anna asks if Finn has seen Chase, but Willow says, not yet. They just paged him. Anna says she’s on her way, and tells Valentin, Chase was just taken to the hospital. Peter smiles.
Finn comes down the stairs, and says he just got the page. What’s going on? Willow says, she found Chase at his apartment, and he wasn’t feeling well. He thought it was food poisoning, but he had a fever of 104, so she brought him in. Finn thanks her, and Portia comes out. She says she’s glad Finn was still at the hospital. Jackie says Willow told them Chase had a fever, and Portia says, it was high enough to be concerning. Finn asks if there are other symptoms, and she says, nausea, racing pulse, Willow mentioned that he briefly lost consciousness as well. Willow says she took him to the couch, and he passed out. Portia says, they’re doing tests; they’ll know more when the results are in. Finn says he was with Chase earlier, and he said he didn’t feel well. He thought he got food poisoning. Portia says, the symptoms aren’t consistent with food poisoning, and it doesn’t look like he has the flu either. Finn says he’ll go to see Chase, and Jackie says she’ll call Gregory. Tell Chase that she’s there and she loves him. Finn leaves, and Jackie says she’s glad Willow found him. She’s sure it must have been a great comfort to Chase. Now she has to call his father… Gregory.
Michael tells Jax that Nina took it upon herself to tell Wiley that Nelle was his biological mother, not Willow. Wiley is far too young to understand a situation that complex. Jax says, Nina admitted she made a mistake, but Michael says he’s afraid she’ll make it again, or one like it. Not out of carelessness or malice, but because Nina can’t or won’t see the truth. She’s grieving the idea of her daughter, and refuses to see Nelle for who she really was. She can believe what she wants, and it’s not healthy for Wiley. Jax says Michael’s mom said something similar, and Michael asks if Jax thinks Carly is pressuring him to keep Nina away. Jax says, is she? and Michael says Carly says what she thinks, but what happens with Wiley is up to him and Willow. Jax says, fair enough, but doesn’t Michael think there’s a better chance of Nina spending time with Wiley if she and Carly settle their differences? Michael asks if Jax isn’t being over-optimistic, and Jax says, maybe. He loves Carly; she defends her family. Michael says, after his dad died, she went into overdrive, and Jax says, sometimes it’s better to compromise for your family. There was a time he and Sonny couldn’t stand being in the same room. To make it work for Josslyn, he had to accept there was room for someone like Sonny, who he was at odds with, who cared about his child. It wasn’t always easy, especially when Josslyn began to love Sonny. Michael says, so what Jax is telling him is, it doesn’t matter if Nina and his mom can’t stand each other. Jax says, it would help, and he thinks in time, things will be okay. Nina just wants the opportunity to be Wiley’s grandmother, the same way Carly is. And given Jax’s history with Michael’s family, Jax doesn’t think it’s too much of an ask.
Eli says he’s looking forward to showing Nina his home town, but as a fashion editor, he’s sure she’s seen beautiful vistas all over the world. She says she’s had her share, but not so many that she doesn’t appreciate looking at the stars in the night’s sky. Sonny says she doesn’t have to go far. Just go out the front door, and the stars are out there. She says he’s absolutely right, and after his recommendation, she’s been doing that every night. Eli says when he lived in San Francisco, he often hiked to the Twin Peak summit for inspiration, and no matter how stressed he was, it always cleared his head. Nina asks when he lived there, and Eli says, a while back. He had a business there; tech startup. Sonny says, from Nixon Falls to San Francisco. Now, that’s a story he’d be interested in.
Eli tells Sonny, it’s not much of a story. That’s the thing with startups. Some make it big, but most of them come and go fast. Nina says, it sounds competitive, and Sonny says, Silicon Valley, right? What are they talking about? Dotcom or venture capital? Nina says Sonny is grilling Eli. It didn’t work out, and he probably doesn’t want to talk about it. Sonny says, was he being pushy? He was just curious. He’d been reading about Silicon Valley, and he’s interested. He’s sorry if he made Eli uncomfortable. Eli says it’s all right. It never caught on, and he lost a little money. Nina says he’s not the only one who ever took a risk and walked away empty-handed. Everyone makes mistakes. Sonny says, the trick is, not to make the same mistake twice. Know what I mean?
Robert says, no pressure from him; he stands by Olivia no matter what she decides. She thanks him, and says he’s been a special friend. She knows he pulled in a lot of favors to get her outside that door in Geneva, but it’s ultimately what brought Dante back to her. She’ll never forget it. She takes Robert’s hand, when Brook walks in. She asks, what the hell is going on here? and Olivia says, excuse me, I don’t think like your tone. Brook says, excuse me, I don’t like you holding another man’s hand in my father’s house. Robert says, it’s entirely innocent, and they both tell him, stay out of this, in unison.
Ned asks Dante if they really need to go outside for this conversation, and Dante says he doesn’t want his mother to hear. Ned says, that bad, huh? and Dante says he knows Ned has good intentions. His mother knows Ned has good intentions. His mother knows Ned would move heaven and earth to prove how much he loves her. But they have problems that can’t be solved by a ring and flowers. Ned shook Olivia’s faith him, and worse, in herself. He needs to be the man she trusts again, the man she can feel safe loving again. Ned asks how he does that, and Dante says he doesn’t know, but it can’t be flashy. There was a women in his neighborhood when he was growing up. She married a successful guy, but he was a bastard. He showered her with gifts, but cheated left, right, and center, sometimes right in front of her face. His mother always said, nothing was worth that amount of pain. Ned asks if Dante thinks that’s how Olivia looks at him, like that woman’s husband? but Dante tells Ned, he’s just saying that Ned has to come up with another plan to earn his place back in Olivia’s life.
Jackie tells Willow, sorry. She knows it’s hard on Willow too. Willow says she’s fine, and Jackie says Chase told her that they were trying to work their way back toward each other. He was happy Willow forgave him and gave him another chance. Willow says, Jackie… but Jackie tells her that she doesn’t have to say anything. What happened between Willow and Chase is their business. It’s just this whole paternity mess coming to light. First within their family, then splashed on the front page of The Invader. When her son talks about Willow, it’s just about the only time she sees him happy.
Valentin says, with all of Peter’s protestations of love for Maxie, and his claims that he wants to be worthy of her and be a great father, how is he going to reconcile that with poisoning an innocent man? Say he gets away with it. He won’t, but say it works. It’s another lie he’ll have to tell Maxie. Another secret he’ll have to keep from her. Another ticking time bomb waiting to go off and destroy everything he’s worked for. Peter wonders why Valentin is lecturing him. Valentin should be congratulating Peter for following his example. Valentin has always been strategic, quick to strike, and clever at avoiding repercussions. He was always good at getting what he wanted, no matter what the cost. Sound familiar? Why shouldn’t Peter be the same? He’s listened to Valentin for so long, talking about wanting a a life with Nina and Charlotte, when all Peter wants is to raise his daughter with the woman loves. Valentin and Anna need to stay out of his way. If this detective dies, his blood is on their hands – Valentin’s and Anna’s – not Peter’s. I have to laugh because Peter seems so much like Faison now. Wes Ramsey must have figured if he has to go out, go big.
Ned tells Dante, he’s absolutely right. A big flashy gesture will just push Olivia farther away, and make her doubt him even more. He just wants to put the sparkle back in her eyes. He wants her to look at him and light up the way she used to. Dante says, that look is about more than love. It’s about respect too. That’s not easy to come by, and not just because Ned cheated with Alexis. He cheated because he thought Olivia was doing the same thing with Robert. Ned lost faith in her. Ned thanks Dante for his honesty, and Dante says he doesn’t mean to say hurtful things. He likes Ned with his mother… usually. Ned says Dante is disappointed in him; that makes two of them. Dante asks what Ned is going to do, and Ned says, he’s not sure yet, but he will find his way back to being the man who deserved Dante’s mother. In the meantime, keep eye on her. Dante says he’s got it.
Olivia tells Brook not to imply she has anything to be ashamed of; Robert is her friend. Brook laughs, and says, after what she walked in on, is Olivia really trying to sell that? Olivia says she’s not selling anything; that’s the truth. Brook says, Chase is her friend, and she doesn’t hold his hand. Olivia asks, what’s with the people in this house? They’re all incapable of faith in anyone, especially each other. She suggests Brook adjust her attitude before she poisons the baby she’s carrying. She tells Robert that she’ll walk him out.
Michael tells Jax, he and Willow are committed to making a family for Wiley, where Wiley feeling loved and secure is their first priority. Jax says he had a very similar conversation with Carly, and Michael has to admit his situation was complicated. He considered Sonny to be his father, but made room for AJ in his life, even when Carly objected. Michael says he remembers. Along those lines, Jax will be happy to know, he and Willow have discussed Wiley’s connection to Nina. They’re going to figure out a way for Wiley to have both his grandmothers in his life. Jax says, maybe not at the same time, and Michael says, right. He’ll circle back with Willow, and maybe they can arrange for Nina and Wiley to have another visit, and see how it goes. Jax says, thanks. This is awesome.
Eli says Sonny has no memory, but he’s got a lot of opinions about other people’s mistakes. Nina says, it’s just conversation. There’s no need to make things tense. Sonny says, Elijah’s right. He doesn’t know his history. He doesn’t know the mistakes he’s made in the past, so he has to trust his instincts now when it comes to spotting trouble. Nina tells Sonny, how about them Mets that hot chocolate? She doesn’t imagine the stars are going to get any brighter. Sonny goes in the back, and Nina asks Eli to give her a second to freshen up. Eli says, sounds good.
Finn looks in on Chase, and Anna joins him. She says Willow called her. She hopes it’s all right that she’s there. He says, sure, and she asks how Chase is. Finn says they’re waiting for Chase’s fever to break, and to get the test results back. She asks if anyone knows what’s going on with Chase, and he says, they don’t, but he’s going to do everything he can to find out. He had a brother, but it turns out, he really wanted a son. He goes into Chase’s room, and Anna texts Valentin.
Valentin says, what makes Peter dangerous is a profound and chronic inability to accept the consequences of his actions. He creates damage, but it’s never his responsibility. He had Drew killed, and it was Drew’s fault for getting in Peter’s way. He killed Franco because Franco was hearing Drew’s voice. Now he’s poisoned Chase, and it’s Valentin and Anna’s fault. It’s never him. Valentin’s phone dings, and Peter asks if it’s Anna. How’s Detective Chase? Valentin looks at his phone, and gets up. He opens his switchblade, and says Peter is coming with him. Peter makes a frowny face like he wasn’t expecting that.
Brook asks Dante if Ned left, and Dante says, a while ago. He asks, what about Olivia? and Brook says, he just missed her. It’s probably a good thing. Dante asks, why? and Brook says, they keep clashing. Olivia is overprotective of the baby, and she’s overprotective of her dad. Can she ask him a question? Dante says she can, and she tells him, be honest. Does he thinks his mom and her dad can work this out? He says he doesn’t know. Since he’s been home, everything is different; Lulu is in a coma, his dad is dead… Normally, he’d say Ned and Olivia were solid, but now he doesn’t know. The ground keeps shifting beneath him. She says she knows what he means. He asks if she wants to tell him who the lucky guy is, and she says, believe it or not, Valentin. He says, wow. He didn’t see that coming, and she says, neither did Valentin. Dante says he has experience in co-parenting with Valentin with Charlotte. It’s been interesting at times, and if she needs back-up, she knows who to call. She says that’s sweet of him, but she thinks she’s got Valentin’s number.
Willow waits by Chase’s bed, while outside, Jackie tells Anna, before she found out Chase was sick, all she could think about was how angry she was at Peter for blowing up her son’s life. It was difficult enough with Chase finding out about her night with Finn, but finding out Finn was his father… It shattered his entire world. Then Peter splashed it across the front page, and she wanted to strangle him with her own hands. It seems so trivial now. It’s not as if Peter’s actions did any real damage to him. Jackie excuses herself, and goes over to Portia.
Chase opens his eyes, and Willow says, hi, there. He says he’s so glad she’s still there with him, and holds out his hand. She hesitates, but takes it, and he tries to smile.
Michael says he knows it’s late, and past Wiley’s bedtime, but he wanted them to be up when mom got home. She’s having a very difficult conversation – an adult conversation – with Chase. He might not be taking it well, and his mom is doing what she can to be kind. If he was doing his job right, Wiley would be in bed, but what the heck? It’s a special night. How about if they stay up, and when mom comes home, her guys are waiting for her. Is he ready for a story?
Valentin arrives at the hospital with Peter, and asks Anna how Chase is. She says, he’s not good. Peter made his point. She gives up. Valentin says, no. She hasn’t given the doctors any time. Finn is a brilliant researcher, and he’ll come up with an antidote without giving into Peter. Anna says Chase is Finn’s son; he can’t be objective. She’s seen how this plays out, and she’s not letting Peter ruin one more innocent life. He’s done enough damage. They’ll let him go, and Maxie can follow her heart where it leads with no interference from them. He has her word. Peter smirks, and she tells him to give her the antidote. He says, nice speech, but he doesn’t think so.
Nina’s phone rings, and she sees it’s Jax. She steps away to answer, and Sonny asks why he gets the feeling Eli isn’t who he says he is. Eli frowns. A lot of that going around today.
Portia tells Jackie that they’ve administered broad spectrum antibiotics, but there’s been no improvement. To abate his symptoms, they’re going to start steroid therapy. Jackie asks, what’s the diagnosis? Why is Chase so sick? Finn says they don’t know, and she asks if they’re buying time. Are they keeping him in a holding pattern, hoping he won’t get worse, and hoping he gets better? If they don’t know what’s wrong, they can’t treat him or help him.
Tomorrow, Sasha suggests Brando drop the pretense, Willow tells Chase that they need to talk (seriously, this can’t wait?), Sonny says Eli’s story doesn’t add up, and Jax asks Nina to tell him where she is, and he’ll come and get her.
I don’t get why Anna didn’t just tell Finn what’s going on. It’s not like he might break up with her if she does, and since he is a brilliant researcher, he might come up with something.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Jennifer and her mother looked at pictures from the trip to Turkey, and Jennifer said her mom should have gone. In her interview, she explained that her mom didn’t want go because her dad was going. Ultimately, her anger was keeping her from meeting her grandson, and stealing the joy that could be in her life. She whined to her mother that Marge had been judgmental about her drinking at the pool party, and had just been waiting to attack her. She thought Marge was jealous because Bill was the man of everybody’s dreams. Actually, Frank is the man of my dreams. He does absolutely everything for Delores, is emotionally supportive – even of her dating another guy – and expects nothing in return. I’m in. Jennifer’s mother said her father wasn’t man enough, and not a husband or father, but Jennifer said she had no bad memories of him. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, growing up, her father was always working, but she remembered him as a gentle old soul who made sure she said her prayers at night, and got up at 6 am to drive her to school in the morning. She acknowledged that it didn’t diminish what her mother went through. When her parents got married, her mother was 16, and her dad was 26. Her mother didn’t want to marry him, but Jennifer’s grandmother said she’d shame the family if she didn’t. As soon as she got pregnant, her father moved them to America, and her mother was ripped away from what she knew. She was angry about the past, and taking it out on her dad.
Jackie, Marge, and Melissa had lunch, and Marge talked about her book coming out. She told them, reflecting back, she was born when her mother was 20, and she’d never been a mother. Instead, Marge was her mother’s confidant and best friend. In Marge’s interview, she said she learned that being smart didn’t matter. To get ahead, you had to use your looks and sexuality, so she learned to play the game. She was annoyed about Jennifer judging her for sleeping with her boss. She told Melissa, since she’d been arguing with Jennifer, she hadn’t realized Joe #2 was upset until they got in the car. We flashed back at Joe throwing a hissy fit about Melissa walking ahead of him, and Marge said she thought his reaction was deep-rooted. She thought he saw Melissa was different than when they met. She’d grown independent, and it scared him. Melissa said, when they met, she was a girl, and wondered if she was breaking her commitment to him. Marge and Jackie told her to get that idea out of her head immediately. Melissa told them she did think she needed to pay more attention to what Joe #2 needed. She forewarned them that Teresa was going to have a psychic party. Jackie said she never knew where she stood with Teresa, but want keep everything happy. In Marge’s interview, she said not one picture was posted on Teresa’s social media of the soccer game she’d said she was attending. Teresa posted pictures of her oatmeal every day, and wouldn’t post a picture of Adriana’s soccer game? She thought if Teresa was constantly talking about tasting sweet, someone was hitting the pineapple. In Melissa’s interview, she said she was the worst liar in the world, but had been sworn to secrecy – i.e. Teresa had a boyfriend.
Even though Delores had been given the Ambassador of Hope Award for her work with breast cancer, she realized she hadn’t gone for her own mammogram in a few years. When she did, it came back abnormal, so she had to get a biopsy. She was still doing house flipping with Frank, and the pandemic had boosted their business, since people were fleeing the city. In her interview, she said Italians didn’t talk about their business, especially to their own family. You just handled it.
Everyone met at Teresa’s house for the psychic reading. Before Jennifer got there, Marge asked if everyone had seen Jennifer’s Instagram, where she whined about needing a housekeeper. Marge thought it was tone deaf, since people were unemployed, although if you think about it, it’s actually the opposite. Isn’t she looking to employ someone? Psychic Gina Marie was more like a medium, and told Marge that a father figure named Bernie was coming through. Marge said he was Jan’s father, and had he still been alive, she might not have divorced Jan. Gia Marie said Marge was the daughter Bernie never had, and he supported her decisions. She told Delores that her grandparents were there for her, and David wasn’t her soulmate, but there was someone out there who she would have chemistry with like she’d never had before. However, she wouldn’t find them until she was free. She told Delores that her grandparents were sitting on a couch, and a big dog just jumped up. Her grandmother wanted her to know that Boo was with them. Delores started to cry, then I started to cry. While I think it’s unhealthy to depend on a psychic, and a lot of it is a bunch of hooey (I’m talking to you James Van Praagh, who throws a hissy fit when he’s wrong), I do think some people are the real deal, and this woman seemed to be one. She was confirming what I already believed, that our pets wait for us. It was like a punch to the gut. Delores said she slept with Boo’s ashes, and everyone except me was surprised she reacted so strongly to the news of the dog, but not David. Gia Marie asked if there were any people who were holy in Jennifer’s family, and we found out Jennifer’s great-great uncle was a martyred for his faith during the Armenian genocide. He’d also been canonized several years before. Gia Marie said that love was in the air for Teresa, and her parents were giving her the green light. Gia Marie was spot-on with everyone, including realtor Michelle, but these were just the highlights.
Jackie had a Rosh Hashana celebration, and in her interview, said they weren’t religious, but she loved keeping the holidays. After seeing the psychic, she felt that her grandparents were looking down on her, proud that she was carrying on their traditions. She told the family that Gia Marie had heard from her Grandma Esther, and had no way of knowing her name. Evan said 90% of Jewish grandmothers were named Esther, and I literally lol’d. In Jackie’s interview, she said she was choosing be less cynical and rigid. She wanted to be open to a different energy and different ways of thinking.
Melissa and Joe #2 went out on a date to a restaurant called Rails, and were seated in the Cave, where Melissa had a previous birthday party. Joe looked pained when Melissa said she was taking Antonia clothes shopping, and was going to have the talk with her. Joe said he loved Melissa’s drive, but didn’t want her to forget about him. She said they were at a different stage in life; toddlers and a wife cooking dinner weren’t going to greet him anymore when he got home. He told her to keep doing what she was doing, but don’t let it consume her life. He apologized for his behavior, and said he just worried about losing her. She said she liked date night.
Jennifer said the psychic told her to acknowledge her mother’s feelings about being emotionally abused. She had the right to feel how she felt. Her mother said her husband never made her happy, but Jennifer’s father said, bullsh*t, and Jennifer said there was animosity on both sides. Bill said, 50 years ago, marriages in Turkey were different. That didn’t make it right, but Josephine shouldn’t the past by the present, where women had equal rights. I thought this was amazingly sound advice. Jennifer promised to make more of an effort with her mom, and in her interview, she said her mom was at her breaking point, and she didn’t know how to handle it.
Next time, Jackie turns 44, Melissa talks to Antonia about the birds and the bees, Marge tells Jennifer that she’s tone deaf, and Jennifer says if Marge doesn’t like the music, change the channel. I’ll have to remember that one.
⛺️ Calling It a Night…
Tea tomorrow, nighty-night now. Whenever your bedtime, stay safe, stay sustainable, and stay gazing at the stars out your front door.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 