Tag Archives: Alexis Bellino

November 14, 2024 – Jason Punches Drew, New Lulu, First Soap, Gates Open Soon, A Friend Joins the OC Reunion, Salty Talk, Prank Slam, Charming Exit, Latest House, Surprise & Cosmic

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Alexis says, if Kristina wants her help to get justice, she’ll do everything she can to help. Kristina says she wants to prepare for Ava’s trial and do everything she can to see that Ava is found guilty of killing Adela.

Ava meets Ric at the Grille, and he tells her that he’s going to be upfront. Her case isn’t a slam dunk. An innocent baby is dead, two mothers are grieving, and there’s a photo where Ava has her hands on Kristina. Ava says, it’s not what it looks like, and Ric says he believes her, but he doesn’t know if a jury will. Ava asks if he doesn’t plan to paint Kristina as an explosive, unpredictable woman, and he says, like her?

Trina sees TJ at the boxing gym, and he tells her that it’s good to keep busy. She says she’s sorry about Sam. How’s Molly? He says he’s barely seen her.

Molly sits at Bobbie’s reading a book. She puts it on the table and looks at her phone. As he’s walking by, Isaiah knocks the book off the table. He picks it up and says, Little Women. She must be in the mood for a good cry.

Willow says, it seems something is bothering Michael, and he says, there is something on his mind. There’s no good way to ask, so he’s just going to ask. How does she feel about Drew moving to DC?

Jason is waiting in the foyer when Nina comes in with Drew. She tells Jason that his brother is a congressman, and Drew walks toward Jason, holding out his hand. Jason punches Drew in the face. (Jason is all of us right now.)

Nina says, what the hell? and Jason and Drew struggle. Jason hits Drew again and draws blood. Nina yells, stop! when Lois and Brook come out. Brook says, that’s enough, and Nina says, Drew is hurt. Drew asks Jason, why? but Jason says, you know why. He leaves, and Ned comes in. Ned asks if Drew wants to tell him what the hell that was about.

Willow says she understands it might be difficult to believe, but she’s glad Drew is leaving for DC. He won’t be a constant reminder to Michael, and the longer he’s gone, the easier it will be to get past this and the less it will matter. Michael asks if that’s what she wants, and she says, it’s all she wants. He says he’s glad to hear it, and she says, he doesn’t seem as happy as she thought he’d be. He says he’s not sure it solves their real problem and wonders if it’s enough to save their marriage. Or is it too little too late? Willow says, of course (🍷) it’s not. It will give them a chance to work on their relationship. He says he knows where he wants to start, with the truth.  

TJ tells Trina that losing Irene was devastating. They don’t have closure. Trina says, maybe they need more time, but TJ says, they’re burying themselves in work and avoiding each other. They used to love spending time together. She says, grief changes you. She always thought she was outgoing, but after Spencer died, she felt alone. He says, when they lost the baby, he thought they’d tackle it together, but they feel separate. She suggests they’re just going through a rough patch and will figure it out, but he says, with Sam being gone, Molly is more distant than ever. She’s not confiding in him, but he doesn’t blame her. The loss is too much.

Molly tells Isaiah that Little Women is her favorite book. It comforts her. He says, it doesn’t look like her first copy, and she says, it’s the newest edition. It was her birthday gift to herself. Her birthday is today. He tells her, happy birthday, and she says, he’s the first person this year to wish her happy birthday. He may be the only one. He asks if everyone forgot, and she says, seems like it. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Her family has a lot going on. He says, that’s no excuse, but she says, it kind of is. She doesn’t mean to unload on him, but her sister just passed away. They’re all in shock and dealing with planning a funeral. He says he’s sorry, and she says, it doesn’t feel real and doesn’t make sense. He says he hopes she doesn’t mind him asking, but what happened? Was she sick? Molly says, she died unexpectedly after a routine surgery. She was a liver donor. He asks if her sister was Sam McCall.

Kristina tells Alexis that she’s not worried about the outcome. She has faith that justice will prevail, and they’ll find Ava guilty of killing her daughter. She wants to be as prepared as possible. She’s been working with the DA’s office, but she trusts Alexis more. Besides, they could use the distraction. Alexis says, it’s a good idea to be as prepped as possible and know what she’s going to say on the stand. Kristina says she does. She’s going to tell the truth. Alexis says, of course (🍷), and Kristina says, it’s an open and shut case. Alexis says, it’s possible the case may not work the way Kristina wants.

Ava asks how Ric can say that when he knows she’s hanging on by a thread, and he says, the prosecution is going to portray her in the worst possible light. She says she’s not the monster people make her out to be, and he says, she needs to be prepared for what the ADA is going to throw at her. They way she reacted to what he just said might not bode well on the stand, and the cross-examination by the prosecution will be harder. She says, it’s not her first time, and he says, they’re going to leave no stone or bad deed unturned. Every time she jaywalked, they’re going to dredge it up. It’s his job to see how well she holds up under pressure.

Kristina tells Alexis, of course (🍷) it’s going to go her way. The truth is on her side. Alexis says, unfortunately, that’s not going to matter. Not when Ric is involved. He doesn’t care about her feelings or her grief or her pain. Kristina says she can handle Ric, but Alexis says, he’s smart and shrewd and will set a trap. Kristina will walk into it and he won’t bat an eye. She’ll do what she can to help Kristina be prepared, but it may not go the way she wants. Kristina says she’s not going to fall into Ric’s trap, but Alexis says, she already has, at the Grille. Don’t think he won’t use that to make her look unstable. Krisina says, Ric won’t blindside her again. With Alexis’s help she’ll be ready for whatever Ric throws at her.

Ava asks Ric why her past needs to be brought up. Isn’t it inadmissible? He says, that motion is always shot down. Character is definitely relevant to establish a pattern. Ava says, there’s no pattern, but he says, her brushes with the law are admissible. Her taking the stand is the only real weapon in their arsenal. She has to confront her past and accept what she’s done. She says, probably nobody will understand why she’s done the things she’s done.

Willow asks what Michael means by the truth, and he says he’s done a lot of thinking. It’s all he’s been thinking about. He loves her and he wants them to move past this. She says she does too, and he says, she has no idea how happy he is to hear her say that. They haven’t exactly been truthful. She says she’s sorry she kept her and Drew’s kiss from him, but he says he’s not just talking about the kiss. They’ve both kept secrets from each other. He didn’t tell her about his and Dex’s plan to take down his father, and didn’t tell her that Nina was the one who called the SEC. It’s easy to keep secrets because it’s become their pattern (WOTD). She says she wanted to tell him. She hated lying to him. It was tearing her apart. He says, they’ve both lied. He wants to feel like they can be honest. To make it work, there have to be no more secrets, and he can’t be the only one who wants that to happen. She needs to want it too. Is she ready to be completely honest?

Drew is helped to the living room, and Ned tells them not to let Drew bleed on the upholstery (ha-ha-ha!). Lois asks, what’s wrong with him? and he says he’s thinking about Monica. If they keep the damage to a minimum, she never needs to know. Nina says, Drew was just attacked by his brother, and Brook says, that will be upsetting to Monica. She leaves to get ice, and Lois says, Drew needs to go to the emergency room, but Ned says, no. The family can’t endure another scandal. Lois says, Drew needs medical attention, but Drew says, Ned’s right. It will draw too much attention that they don’t need.

Molly says, Sam is her sister, and Isaiah says, this is a strange coincidence. He’s the surgeon who operated on Lulu. They introduce themselves, and Molly says she didn’t know who was operating on Lulu. They were so focused on Sam and Lucas, it didn’t occur to them to ask. He says, there’s no reason they should have. He’s sorry for her loss. From what he heard, Sam was an amazing person. Molly says, she was, and thanks him. She says, if he’s not meeting someone, would he like to join her? He says he’d love to, and sits down. He says he can understand why her family forgot. He’s sorry he was harsh. She says, even if they’d remembered, she’s not in the mood to celebrate, but he says, even on the hardest of days, it’s important to enjoy yourself. Birthdays are only once a year. It would be a shame to waste it. He has something to take care of, but he’ll be right back. He leaves the table.

Trina works the heavy bag, and TJ says, she packs a hell of a punch. She says, it comes in handy when somebody cuts in line at the coffee shop, and he says he has to get back to work. It was nice to have a sympathetic ear. She says she’s here for him, and he packs up. He tells her to enjoy her workout, but she sees Kai is there and says she doesn’t see that happening. Because of that guy. He says, Kai Taylor? and she asks if he knows him. He says, everybody knows him, but she says she didn’t before the other day. He tells her all of Kai’s football accomplishments, and she says, he’s messing up her GPA. He’s her partner for a project and hasn’t showed up for any classes. TJ suggests she talk to him.  

Kristina says she’ll do what it takes to beat Ric, and Alexis says she believes Kristina can do whatever she puts her mind to, but she’s not sure it’s going to work. Kristina says she can’t accept that. Ava has tortured their family long enough. Ava killed Morgan and Connie, and it’s not fair there were never any consequences. Ava belongs in prison for everything she’s done. Ava is responsible for the fact she can never hold her daughter or experience being a mother. She wants Ava to experience the unbearable pain of having Avery ripped out of her arms and know it’s because of her.

Ric says he knows what it’s like not to be proud of your past, and Ava says she had good reasons for doing the things she did. He says, that’s what they try to convince themselves and the people they love, doing mental gymnastics. One small bad deed leads to another until they’ve painted themselves so far in a corner, they don’t know how they got there. And the worst part is, when it’s over, they’ve lost the people they love. The people they love hate them, and they’re left alone wondering where they went wrong. They live with the guilt and the person they’ve become, becomes familiar. Maybe they’re not so different. He’s not going to judge her when he’s not ready to judge himself. She tells him, do his worst, and he says, Miss Jerone, how did you feel when you pushed Kristina Corinthos-Davis out of the window? Similar to when you shot Connie Falconari in cold blood?

Lois asks if they know a doctor who will make house calls, and Nina says she’ll get Willow. She thinks they should call the cops, but Ned says, the attention the police will attract is worse than an ambulance. Nina says, they can be discreet, and if the press finds out, she’ll mitigate the fallout. Jason needs to be held responsible. She leaves, and Ned says, so they all agree, no cops. All he saw was a disagreement between brothers. Lois says, it was more than that, but Drew says, no cops, no ambulance.

Willow says she wants a life with Michael. It’s what she’s always wanted, for them to have a family together. He asks if that’s what she really wants or is she saying that because she feels obligated? but she says she’d never think of him as an obligation. He says he wants to make sure they’re on the same page and both want to fight for their marriage. She says that’s exactly what she wants. Where do they start? He says he thinks it’s time they were completely honest, when there’s an urgent knock at the door. It’s Nina, and she says, Willow needs to come to the house. There was a fight and someone was injured. Michael says, who? and she says, Drew and Jason had a fight and Drew was hurt. They leave.

Isaiah brings Molly a cupcake with a candle in it, and she says, that’s very sweet. He says he’s embarrassed to admit it, but he’s a big birthday guy. But it’s not a go until she makes a wish. She asks if he thinks it’s okay if she wishes for something that’s not possible, and he says, that’s the best kind of wish. She blows out the candle.

Ava says she did not kill Connie, but Ric says, she was arrested for Connie’s murder. She says, the charges were dropped, and he says, because the evidence disappeared. Just like the bags Kristina tripped over. Ava says she explained that to the police. She panicked and moved them. He says, the same bags Kristina fell over when Ava pushed her out the window and killed her baby? Ava says she’s done terrible things that she wishes desperately she could undo, and he says, like killing Morgan? She says she didn’t kill Morgan. She loved Morgan. He asks if she didn’t replace Morgan’s bipolar medication with placebos causing him to have mental breakdown and be in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing his death. Remember, she’s under oath. She says, his breakdown was her fault, but she’s not responsible for the explosion. She put Morgan in a vulnerable position, but she never intended for him to die. Morgan was the most beautiful person she’s known. She’s not denying she switched his medication and prays for forgiveness for the part she played in his death. It haunts her. But as tragic as it was, it was nothing like what happened with Kristina’s baby.

Alexis says she’s never heard Kristina talk like that, and Kristina says she’s never experienced what she’s been through. Alexis says, it’s not about revenge. The law is about justice. Kristina says, not if the guilty don’t pay for their crimes. Ava deserves to be punished. Alexis asks if she knows who she sounds like, and Kristina says, her father? Alexis says, she sounds angry and cold and she’s talking about Ava like she’s not human. Act like this, and Ric will exploit it. Kristina says she’s not going to let him get to her. She’s more focused and has clarity. Ava needs to be punished. Alexis says, revenge isn’t the same as justice, but Kristina says, in this case, justice and revenge go hand in hand.

In the nook, Lois says she can’t believe what happened. She hopes Drew is okay. Brook says, his eye looks terrible. She wonders what caused Jason to lose his temper, and Lois says, he’s still grieving Sam. Brook says, that’s probably it, and Lois asks, what’s that look, like she knows something? Spill it. What’s this big secret thing they’re not letting her in on? She’s Brook’s mother. Brook can trust her. Brook says, she can’t keep a secret. It’s big and it’s better Lois doesn’t know. Lois says, it’s affecting her life in this house, and she has the right to know what’s going on. Brook says, she does have a point. Promise not to tell a single living soul. Lois gestures locking her lips and putting the key down her bra, and Brook says, Drew and Willow kissed. Lois says, holy cannoli, and Brook says, obviously, Jason knows. This is really bad.

Willow asks, what happened? and Nina says, Jason happened. He attacked Drew out of nowhere. Willow asks why he would do that, and Ned says, let Willow take a look at Drew while he talks to Michael in the foyer.

Ned says, Michael told Jason? and Michael says, it just kind of happened. Ned says, Michael knows that Jason likes to take matters into his own hands.

TJ leaves, and Trina walks over to Kai. He asks if she’s going to dump her water on him too, and she asks what he’s doing here. Doesn’t he work out in that fancy gym on campus? He says, it’s under maintenance, and she says she’s sorry he has to slum it with the rest of them. He says he doesn’t think of it like that, but she says she doesn’t care where he works out, as long as it’s not in her space. He says he thinks they got off on the wrong foot and he wants to make things right. He got his schedule and he’s going to come to class for the rest of the year and work hard. She says, don’t bother. She already asked for a new partner, and when it gets approved, she’ll never have to think about him again. She walks out.

Isaiah says, it’s a book he’s read many times. Maybe Molly should just read part one, the happy part… happyish. She says she means this as a compliment, but she never met a man as familiar with Little Women as he is. He says, when he provided medical services to refugees in Africa, it was the only book he could get his hands on. He must have read it ten times, maybe more. She says, it’s a great book. It’s definitely gotten her through some hard times. He says, immersing yourself in a book is better than something less constructive, like binge drinking, and she says, self-destructive coping mechanisms aren’t her thing. Those are more Kristina’s speed. He says, so she’s one of several girls. That’s why she loves the book. She says, they all have different fathers and her mom is the one who bonds her together, like Marmie. He asks, which sister is her? and she says, Meg, the responsible one. Kristina is Amy, spoiled and impulsive. Sam is definitely Jo, independent and outspoken. She was Jo. She doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to referring to Sam in the past tense.

Lois says, Chase missed everything, and Brook says, he was called out on an emergency. Lois says, it’s best he wasn’t here. He would have had to arrest Jason. They head to the living room with the ice, and Lois says, that’s what happens when you kiss someone else’s wife. Brook shushes her.

Ned asks what Michael was thinking. Now the whole town will know Drew and Willow were playing footsy. Michael says he needed someone to talk to, and Ned says he hopes it was worth it.

Willow tends to Drew’s eye, and Brook brings her the ice. Lois says, it looks awful, and Nina agrees. Nina, Brook, and Lois leave, and Willow asks Drew why Jason attacked him. Does he know what happened? Drew says, that’s impossible. They’re the only two who know.

Outside Bobbie’s, Isaiah’s phone rings. He asks what he can do for Terry… Can he ask what it’s about?… Sure. He’s headed over there now.

Molly gets up to leave Bobbie’s, when Kristina comes in. She hands Molly a present and says, happy birthday. Molly opens it, and it’s a gold necklace with a tiny M initial charm. Kristina says she knows Molly loved hers, so now she’s got one of her own. She hopes Molly doesn’t mind that they’re matching. Molly says, of course (🍷) not. She loves it. Kristina says, happy birthday.

Ava says, Kristina’s fall was a terrible accident. If she hadn’t tripped… If she had it to do all over again, she would never have let Cates leave his luggage. That bag is the reason she’s in this mess to begin with. She shouldn’t have moved it. That’s what makes her look guilty when she’s not. How could people think she’d hurt a pregnant woman? That’s a line she would not cross. She’s barely slept since it happened. She lays in bed remembering the look on Kristina’s face before she fell. How shocked she was. She remembers the sound of glass breaking and Kristina’s scream, so panicked and scared. She’ll never forget it. Kristina lost the baby daughter that she loved and couldn’t wait to meet. Just like Ava lost her precious Kiki. She knows how horrible the pain is. It rips you apart. She would never inflict suffering like that on another mother. Shame on people who think that. If she could, she’d give up everything to give Kristina back her baby. Ric says, that’s it. Perfect. That speech is exactly what he wants her to say on the stand. Her heartfelt sympathy is real and if she takes accountability the way she just did, they’ve got the win locked up.

Kristina fastens the necklace on Molly, and Molly says, it means more than Kristina knows, this year especially. Kristina says, Sam wishes her a happy birthday too. They hug, and Jason walks in. Kristina notices his bloody knuckles, and he quickly goes to the back.

Willow tells Drew that the cut will need to be cleaned. She’ll come back in the morning. Michael looks into the living room, and because these two don’t learn, he sees Drew and Willow alone, Willow’s hand against Drew’s cheek. Willow says she wanted to make sure Drew was okay. She’s sorry this happened. Drew says he’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.

It’s not often I feel sorry for Michael, but yeah, this is one of those times.

Tomorrow, Felicia tells Anna that Sasha doesn’t know something; Lucky asks Sonny why he should stay if what he’s looking for isn’t here; Jason says, all Carly needs to know is that Drew got everything he deserved; and Ric asks Drew to please tell him they’re pressing charges.

🩺 And Suddenly…

I’m thinking Terry called Isaiah because there’s been a good change in Lulu’s prognosis.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/alexa-havins-teases-her-debut-as-ghs-lulu

🧴 Gotta Start Somewhere…

She could do worse than Rice Plaza at Christmastime.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/days-star-bryan-dattilos-daughter-delia-cast-on-gh

🧼 Opening the Gates…

Beyond the Gates begins February 24, 2025 CBS – the next day on Paramount+.

https://parade.com/tv/beyond-the-gates-season-1

🍊 These Oranges Are Moldy…

It’s the second part of a three part too long RHOC Reunion, and the Jenn/Ryan topic is still raging. Tamra annoys me immediately, saying she misspoke in her tirade about the FBI, having heard gossip on the street. First of all, let’s look at the word misspoke that’s being used incorrectly here. The actual definition is mispronunciation, but what’s worse is how this word is constantly used by people who are actually talking about gossiping or lying. You didn’t misspeak. You passed along something without knowing if it was true or not, and presented it as fact. Tamra said she was plastered and didn’t remember it the next day. She ended up getting a cease and desist letter. Alrighty then.

There was a lot about how Jenn is a dimbulb who doesn’t even understand where her rent payment is coming from or even if it’s being paid. She did finally spill that she’s supposed to get $6K a month from her ex and it’s an ongoing battle. Still, this woman needs to learn how to take care of herself. Then there was the subject of the $2000 dress. Jenn and Katie thought it was mean girl of Fancy Pants Heather to check the price tag and tell Tamra, but Fancy Pants said it was just gossipy. Because mean girls don’t gossip? Fancy Pants ultimately said she brought up the dress because Jenn didn’t take her financial suggestions. A debate over mean girl versus gossipy ensued, and in reference to being gossipy, Emily said, we all do that. My next bone of contention after misspoke. This statement is equal to the person who says, we were all drunk, when they alone did something incredibly stupid while drunk. No. It wasn’t all of us. It was you.

Jenn said, Tamra went lower than the rest of them, and she wondered when it stopped. She said, everybody would rather be by Tamra’s side than go against her, so they weren’t her targets. Tamra confessed that she was starting therapy, and Andy asked, what took so long? Tamra said, when everybody tells you you’re dead, it’s time to lie down. This gives me hope, but not really. Emily told Jenn that her ex was probably going to string things out forever, and she wanted Jenn to create something for herself. Or as Gina put it, be her own hero.

We found out that Gina and Travis are still living apart, but Gina was more forthcoming about the problem being Travis’s ex. Apparently there had been incidents that affected Gina’s children, making them fearful. Gina said she and Travis saw each other every day, but she didn’t think things would ever improve with his ex, even after the divorce was finalized.

There was a blah-blah-blah about Katie’s kids saying Fancy Pants was mean. Funny, for someone who insists they don’t exhibit mean girl behavior, the word mean comes up a lot in conjunction with her. Evidently, Katie’s daughter is also telling the world via TikTok that her mother works with fake-ass bitches. She’s not wrong. The women were all like, my kids would never, and said, no matter how old they were, they’d force their kids to remove it. Maybe. But bottom line is, Katie’s daughter is an adult and her own person. Maybe she’s bucking for her own show. Who cares? Andy had to finally shut the conversation down citing the beating-a-dead-horse clause.

Alexis was brought on in the last 15 minutes and was the same idiot she’s been on the show. When Andy asked how she was feeling about coming back to RHOC, Alexis acted like it was a return to her fabulous career as a television star after a hiatus. Shannon asked how many times she’d practiced, there’s the door, Shannon Beador, when there was no door. Technically, there was, but they were outside, and Shannon going inside would defeat the purpose of showing her the door. Alexis pretended that she’d never intended to bring up the videos and it somehow just slipped out. Once again, a receipt of unseen footage told us otherwise. The general consensus was that she should stop being Johnny J.’s mouthpiece.

Another peeve, Fancy Pants going, no, no, no, no, no, like Brynn did on RHONY. Is this a thing now? No. Just one no.

It seemed like they saved a lot of the fun times footage for flashbacks of things we never saw the first time. They used to do that with the lost/found/secret footage specials. I think we need to see more fun on the actual show. Maybe I’d dislike these women less.

Next time, Emily says, Alexis is the dumbest girl she’s ever f***ing met. That’s enough to get me to show up.

If that wasn’t enough.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-shannon-beador-slams-alexis-bellino-being-john-janssen-mouthpiece-reunion-fight-8745852

🧂 Adding Some Salt…

Yesterday’s recap, lengthier than mine.

Another teaspoon. I found this pretty amusing, especially when Angie called it a random blog.

🗽 Not a Fan…

Is he kidding? That’s the best episode I’ve seen of RHONY 2.0 since it began.

🍹 Time To Bounce…

No great loss, but so did things not go well with Venita or…?

https://people.com/jarrett-jt-thomas-announces-exit-from-southern-charm-amid-filming-for-season-10-8742246

💣 Moustaches Are Twirling…

I don’t watch this show faithfully, but every time I catch it, it’s a lot of fun. There’s a big difference between Teresa haranguing her brother and screeching about false love bubbles on RHONJ, and Teresa deliberately acting the villain and strategizing as such in a game. And I love Joel McHale.

🐨 Australian Meet Cute…

It’s a shame it tried to bite, but what an experience.

https://people.com/australia-couple-comes-home-find-koala-in-bed-8745155

🍂 Jumping In a Pile Of Leaves…

Join me tomorrow for soap, what to watch (or not), and watchful words. Until then, stay safe; stay making a contribution to your local food bank/soup kitchen for Thanksgiving; and stay enjoying yourself, even on the hardest of days.

October 11, 2024 – Brad Wonders What Portia Is Up To, Glow Girl, Salty Talk, She’s a Lot, Charming Update, Villain Down, His Costumes, Upcoming Watch, Runway Worthy, 8 Solid Quotes & This

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Carly says, Lulu seems to be getting worse, and Lucas says he can’t believe none of her brothers are viable donors. Carly says, wait. Ethan was tested? and Lucas says, apparently, Holly contacted him. She says, with the three of them out of the running, finding a donor seems less and less likely, but he says, between her and Nina getting the word out and Olivia contacting everyone she knows, they still have reason to be hopeful. Ava comes by and says she had no idea Lucas was back in town. Although she can’t say she’s completely surprised considering she didn’t hear from him when he was here for his mother’s funeral. He says he was here for his family, and she says she’s family. Is there any special reason for this visit? Carly says, it’s not a visit. Lucas is home for good. Meet GH’s new trauma surgeon.

Martin visits Alexis and asks, how is his effervescently challenged client today? She says, judging from his effervescence, she takes it he gave the photo to Anna, but he says, actually, he had to leave it with her assistant, and he hasn’t heard back yet. Then again, he doesn’t remember having Alexis convinced that his picture was going to get the charges against her dropped. She says her lawyer instincts kicked in and he says, so did his. That’s why he had his P.I. do a little more digging. She says she takes it his P.I. found something, and he says, she did. As far as he’s concerned, Alexis should be out of here by the end of the day.

Anna goes to Robert’s office, and he asks what brings her by. She says, this, and drops a file on his desk. He says, and this would be? and she says, proof that Alexis Davis is innocent.

Cody sees Elizabeth at the hospital, and she says, if he’s looking for Dante, he’s not here at the moment. He says he just wanted to tell Dante in person that he’s being tested to see if he’s a match for Lulu. She says, that’s great. She’s sure he’ll be pleased. He asks how it’s going. Are people coming in? She says, yes, and people are getting tested in other places as well. He says, Mama Q strikes again. He was bummed to hear that Lulu’s brother Lucky wasn’t able to donate. She says, that was rough, and he says, especially for Dante. He doesn’t know how much longer Dante can hold out hope. She says, he’s not one to give up, and he says, but he’s realist and he knows Dante is bracing himself in case Lulu doesn’t make it.

At the station, Dex asks how Dante is doing, and Dante says, they’re hanging in there. Dex says, Joss told him that Lulu’s brother can’t be the donor. He’s really sorry. Dante says, they’re not giving up, and Dex says he has an appointment to get tested over his lunch hour. Dante thanks him, and Dex says, if Dante doesn’t mind him saying, he’s surprised Dante came in. Dante says he just has to finish some stuff up, then he’s taking a leave of absence to be with Rocco and Lulu. Is it true there was a bomb threat here yesterday? Dex says, someone dropped off a suspicious package. It turned out to be a gun. Dante says, a package with a gun in it? and Dex says, the theory is, it’s the gun Alexis Davis dropped off the bridge. He saw the ballistics report. It’s definitely not the gun that killed Cates.

Sonny thanks Kristina for coming to the penthouse, and she sees Michael is there. She says, Sonny sounded urgent on the phone. Now she knows why. Clearly, Michael told him that she went to see Anna last night. Don’t worry. She didn’t say anything because he stopped her… Sonny says, it’s not about that. He’s not mad. He loves her very much. She says she loves him too. What’s going on? Sonny says he’s made up his mind. He’s not going to let Alexis pay for his crimes. He’s going to confess to killing Jagger.

Ava says, Lucas is moving back to Port Charles. Why didn’t he tell her? Carly asks, why would he? and Lucas says, neither one of them has reached out to the other since he left. She says she sent her condolences when his mother passed, and Carly asks if she read the note that Trina wrote before she sent it. Ava says she’s hoping to have an uninterrupted conversation with her nephew, and Lucas asks if that’s really necessary. Maybe there’s a reason they’re not close, and maybe that doesn’t need to change. She says, he’s right that they’re not close, but they are family. She can’t wait for him to see Avery. She’s grown up so much. She’s so beautiful. He says he knows. Carly sends him tons of pictures of Avery, so he’s all up to date. She says, that’s so kind of Carly, and Carly says, family is important to Spencers. Ava says, Lucas may have grown up with Bobbie and Tony Jones, but there’s no changing the fact that he’s Julian’s son. Carly says, it’s funny she would bring up Julian when he’s the reason Lulu is fighting for her life, and Ava says she’s sure she and Lucas have feelings about that because they were close to Julian and Carly certainly wasn’t. Carly says she’ll tell Ava about Lucas’s feelings, but Lucas says he’d like a minute alone with Aunt Ava. Carly says, sure, and he thanks her for understanding. Ava says, her magnanimity knows no bounds, and Carly says she’ll see Lucas at home, and leaves. Ava asks if they should get a cup of coffee, but Lucas says, right here is fine. She says, okay. Was there something… He says he would like her to explain why she outed Kristina’s girlfriend Blaze.

Elizabeth tells Portia that they’re having so many people being tested for Lulu, their labs are getting backed up. Can she please approve some overtime for their techs? Portia says, consider it done. And speaking of the lab, has she had any trouble with Brad Cooper?

Alexis says, don’t keep her in suspense. What is this new information that’s going to set her free? Martin says, their P.I. was able to get a copy of Jack Brennan’s room service order. Dinner for two with champagne, i.e. ooh-la-la. He’s already emailed a copy of it over to Commissioner Devane. (Really? He’s better than this. That proves nothing except Jack was having dinner with someone.) She says, that’s it? and he asks what she means. You combine that with a picture of Carly going into his hotel suite… Alexis says, at this point, she doesn’t think that’s enough proof, and he says, she’s right. It doesn’t actually prove anything. She says, that’s the funny thing about evidence. It’s supposed to prove stuff. He says, no, it’s not. This evidence is there to cast doubt on Sonny and Carly’s alibi. That’s it. She says she just doesn’t think that Brennan’s room service order or a picture of them is going to do that. He says he’s done a heck of a lot more with a hell of a lot less, and she says she’s so glad he’s so confident. It’s a long shot at best. He says, fine. He’s open to suggestions since she doesn’t seem to like any of his. She says, the only thing that’s going to get her out of here is if Sonny confesses, and he laughs. He says, and how likely is it that a known crime boss is going to let his conscience get the better of him? and she says, not likely. Because he’s not going to put Kristina in the mix. He says, how about if they somehow tie Sonny to the murder weapon? and she says, that weapon is in a thousand pieces somewhere or it’s melted down. He says, fine. So where does that leave them? She says, with the improbable possibility that Sonny is going to put Kristina at risk and come forward and save her.

Anna says, and inside the package is a chrome nine-millimeter pistol, and Robert says, like the one Ric Lansing and Elizabeth Baldwin saw Alexis throw off the Blackstone Canyon bridge. She says, it matches the description, so she’s going to bring them in and see if they can positively ID it. He asks if it’s worth her time. There’s plenty of nine-mills out there. She says, the lab turned up minerals that are found in the Blackstone River, enough to confirm it had probably been there for several weeks. They also ran the serial number, and the gun is registered to Sonny Corinthos. He says, similar to the one that disappeared shortly after Cates’s murder, and she says, yeah. At least they’ll be able to tell if it’s the murder weapon or not. He says, if it clears Alexis, that’s all for the best. He thinks they all know she didn’t do it. She says, there are far more likely suspects, and he says, one in particular. She says, if Sonny did this, they’re never going to find the weapon that he used. The FBI is going to have to build a case without it. He says, it didn’t stop them where Alexis is concerned, and she says, it will now. She’s going to call Martin Grey and let him know. He says, let’s not be hasty.

Kristina says, Sonny can’t do this. She knows he’s doing this because of her. He says he’s doing this so her mother doesn’t have to pay for something she didn’t do, and she says, it’s not going to work. Mom said so herself. She talked to her about it and she said, if Sonny goes to the FBI, they’re going to think it’s only to protect her. Sonny says he’s got it under control. He’s got a meeting with the FBI today. She says, no. She can’t lose him. He says, she’s not going to lose him, but she says she will if he goes to prison. He says, she has to understand something. This is the right thing to do. She says, there has to be another way, and Michael says, this is the only way to keep her mother out of prison. Sonny says, they both know Jagger came at him. Jagger couldn’t get him, so he went after everybody Sonny loves. Jagger wanted to hurt them, and he hurt Kristina in the lowest moment of her life. He had to be stopped. She asks if that’s what he’s going to tell the Feds, and he says he’s going to tell the Feds the truth. He doesn’t want anyone else paying for Jagger Cates’s death.

In the lab, Brad says, it’s good to see Cody, and Cody says he takes it Brad is back at GH. Brad says, on a probationary basis. He really wants this to work out, so no capers, no schemes, no altering lab results. Just doing what he loves where he loves doing it. Cody asks if his aunt is okay with this career change, and Brad says, she finally realized he wouldn’t be a good fit for her business. Cody says he knows Britt would be happy to see him back here, and Brad says, full disclosure. He invoked her name to get his foot in the door. Cody laughs and says, she would have loved that, and Brad says, damn right she would. Cody says, it sounds like Brad is all good, and Brad says, mostly. His ex-husband Lucas is also back at GH.

Lucas says he knows Ava recorded Natalia Ramirez and gave her audio to The Invader, and Ava says she’s sure Carly could wait to tell him. He says, she had no right to out Blaze. Nobody should be forced to come out before they’re ready. She says she agrees with him completely. She had no intention of outing Blaze. She’s spent half her life in the art world. You don’t do what she’s doing without being an ally to the gay community. He says, then why did she do it? and she says she was trying to protect Avery. He says, from what? and she says, Sonny. She was trying to get any proof she could that he was incapable of providing a suitable home for her. He asks what Natalia had to do with that, and she says, Sonny was trying to take Avery away from her. He says he’s still not following, and she says she thought by exposing his companion Natalia for the bigot she is, it would reflect badly on Sonny, and it would help her with her custody case. It didn’t help at all. He says, she’s just like Julian. He never thought about anybody but himself either. She says, he doesn’t think Sonny would do the same to her? Or worse? He asks if Sonny is really the best person to use as a moral barometer, and she says she supposes not. But when it comes to Julian, he was a deeply flawed man, but he loved Lucas with everything he had, and Lucas knows it.

Elizabeth says, don’t hate her for saying this… and Portia says, let her guess. Brad’s work has been flawless. Elizabeth says, it has. Sorry. Portia says, what about his attitude? His demeanor? Elizabeth says, beyond reproach. Trust her. She’s as shocked as Portia is. Portia says she just doesn’t understand why he’s working here. Brad puts the entire hospital at risk. Elizabeth says she’s certainly not going to defend Brad as a person, but since he’s been back, his work has been excellent. For all his faults, he knows his job.

Walking into the hospital, Kristina says, Michael didn’t have to escort her to therapy, and he says he wants to make sure she’s all right. She asks how she could possibly be all right. Their father is about to go to prison. He says, Diane is going to get him the best deal possible, and she says, she’s not a miracle worker. He says, they have to trust dad knows what he’s doing, and Diane knows how to get it done, and she says she knows he’s right. He says, pick her up in an hour? and she asks if he has a real job. (My question exactly!) He says he doesn’t want her to be alone right now, and she says she appreciates that. She means this lovingly, but please just go home. He says, fine. He’ll check on her later. She says, much later, and watches as he leaves. She takes out her phone and sends a text to Dante asking, where are you?

Dante’s phone dings, and he answers, headed to GH soon. She texts back, good. I’m already there. He gets up to leave, and Dex asks if he can talk to Dante for a second. He spoke to the Commissioner, and she wants to keep the ballistics report on the gun confidential for now. Dante asks, why is that? and Dex says he’s not sure, but he probably shouldn’t have said anything, so can they keep this between them? Dante says he already forgot about it, and Dex thanks him. Dante gets another text from Kristina that says, we need 2 talk ASAP!!!

Robert says, Diane has requested a meeting between Counselor Reynolds and her client Sonny Corinthos, and Anna says, to talk about the Cates murder? He says, they both know Sonny killed Cates. His conscience has never bothered him until now. Why bother talking? She says, now this is making sense. Because Kristina came to see her to tell her that she had information about the night Cates was killed. He says, she told him Michael stopped her, and she says, yeah, he did. So whatever it is that Kristina was going to say… He says, Michael knows what it is and they’re both covering for Sonny, and she says, if anything could make Sonny talk, it would be his kids. He asks if she really thinks Sonny would give up his freedom to protect his kids, and she says she thinks it’s possible. What time is this meeting? He says, noon today, and she says, so he wants her to keep the ballistics results under wraps until after Sonny has met with the FBI? He says he doesn’t know about her, but he can’t wait to hear what Sonny has to say, and she says, if he finds out what’s in the report, he’s going to change his mind about talking. Robert says, and the last thing they need is to give Sonny an excuse not to confess.

Anna says, they better get busy then, and Robert says, doing what? She says, breaking Sonny’s alibi. If Carly finds out Sonny is going to confess, then she might change her statement. She’d hate to see Carly go down covering for him. He says, she’d be an accessory to murder of a federal agent, and she says, even so. Sonny’s kids don’t deserve to lose both their parents.

Coming out of the lab, Brad says, enough about him. What’s up with Cody? Cody asks where he begins, and Brad says, how about the rumor that he’s Mac Scorpio’s son? Hospital gossip. Is it true? Cody says, yeah, it’s true, and Brad asks, how’s that been going? Cody says he almost ruined it right off the bat, and Brad says, naturally. Cody says, but Mac’s such a great guy, Mac forgave him, and Brad says he’s sure saving Maxie’s son from drowning probably scored Cody a few points. Cody says, it didn’t hurt, but he’s not really comfortable being seen as the hero. Brad says, why? He looks good in a white hat. Cody says he’s just glad everything turned out okay, and Brad says, because Mac is the best guy he knows. Cody says, he really is, and Brad says, and Lucas is the best guy he knows. So maybe Lucas will forgive him too. He hugs Cody and says, thanks. He’s the best. Portia comes out of the elevator and says, Mr. Cooper. Is this what you consider professional behavior?

Dante asks Kristina, what’s going on? What’s with all the text messages? She says, dad is meeting with the FBI at noon. He’s going to confess to killing Agent Cates. Dante says he doesn’t know anything about any meetings. Is Anna involved in this? She says she has no idea. All she knows is dad said he was meeting Diane at the PCPD to talk to the Feds. She knows Dante has figured out she knows more than she’s let on. He asks if she killed Cates, but she says, no. He asks if she saw who did kill Cates, and she says, no. Dante tells her, then she does what Sonny says. Do nothing and say nothing. She says, and just let him throw his life away? and he says, that depends. Does she trust their father enough to do what he’s asking her to do?

Sonny visits Alexis and she asks if Kristina is okay. He says, she’s fine, and she says she wasn’t expecting to see him. He says he thinks there’s something she should know, and she asks what it is. He says he has a meeting today at noon with FBI counsel Reynolds, and she says, the prosecutor in her case. Why? He says he’s going to tell him the truth.

Alexis says, and by telling him the truth, Sonny means what exactly? and Sonny says he’s going to tell him exactly what happened that night. She says, wow. She wasn’t expecting him to say that. How does he think Kristina is going to handle that? He says he already talked to her. She’s not going to put herself in jeopardy. Alexis says she hopes he’s right because they both know Kristina was at the Quartermaines and she had a gun. And if she doesn’t keep quiet, they’re going to arrest her for obstruction. He says he’s handling it, and she says, he needs to be a tad more specific. He says, before he agrees to tell the FBI everything, they’re going to have to promise him in writing that she and Kristina and Carly will be immune from prosecution.

A woman tells Elizabeth that she’s looking for the head nurse, Elizabeth Baldwin, and Elizabeth says, that’s her. How can she help? The woman says she’s with GH’s legal department. The hospital’s been issued a subpoena from the Court of Appeals regarding Heather Webber.

Portia says, when Brad is wearing this lab coat, he’s representing this hospital, and she assumes he’d act that way. He says, it was just a hug… which will not happen again. She says she’s sure she doesn’t need to remind him that he’s still on probation, and he says, no, she doesn’t. He knows he needs to prove that he deserves this job. She says, if he can, and he says he’s certainly going to try. In fact, the lab’s been really busy lately. If she needs him to work more hours… She says, no, that won’t be necessary now, and he asks if there have been problems with his work. She says, not yet, but why don’t they just keep it that way? She walks away.

At the station, Carly asks Dex, what’s up? and he asks if everything is all right. She says, you tell me. She was summoned here. Anna comes out and says, good. Carly is here. Fantastic. Just follow her. She leads Carly to the interrogation room, and Carly asks if she should call Diane, but Anna says, no. It’s just one question. Does she want to change her statement about the night Agent Cates was killed? Carly says, no, and Anna asks if she’s sure. Carly says, yes. Why would she want to change her statement? Anna says she didn’t think Carly would want to be charged again, and Carly says, charged with what? Anna says, making a false statement to the police. It’s a misdemeanor in the state of New York, as is obstruction, but the murder of an FBI agent is federal. Carly says, even so, she’s happy to stand by her original statement. She heads for the door, and Anna says, the statement is that she was in bed with Sonny the night Agent Cates was killed. Carly says, yes, and Anna says, they were seen having dinner at the MetroCourt. Are they back together? Carly asks why Anna cares, and Anna says, it just looks like maybe her interests lie elsewhere. She shows Carly the picture of her going into Jack’s room.

Cody sees Dante at the hospital and says he wanted to tell Dante in person that he just got tested. Dante says, thanks. He appreciates that. Cody asks, what’s wrong? Something tells him there’s more going on than Dante just worrying about Lulu. Dante says, there always is, but he can’t talk about this. Cody asks if it’s an ongoing investigation, and Dante says, something like that. Cody says, Dante knows he can tell him anything, and Dante says, but not this. Cody says, come on. Dante obviously needs to talk about it. What’s up? Dante says, they’ve got new evidence that could exonerate someone who’s been charged with a serious crime, and Cody says, he means Alexis. Dante asks why he’s naming names, and Cody says, sorry. Cop. Civilian. No names. Dante says, so it’s come to their attention that someone else is going to come forward and confess to this crime, and Cody asks if this other person actually committed the crime. Dante says, it’s highly likely, and Cody says, then what’s the problem? Dante says, they’re really only coming forward to get the other person off the hook, and Cody says, so if this person is exonerated, the real person wouldn’t have to confess. Dante says, that’s right. So they’re withholding this new evidence from the person in custody’s attorney. Cody says, so they have evidence that could exonerate Alexis, but the cops are keeping it from her lawyer so that Dante’s dad confesses to killing that FBI agent? And Dante is wondering if he should warn his dad before he confesses to a murder he probably committed. Is he right?

Anna says, if Carly and Sonny are trying to make a go of it again, why was she seen entering Brennan’s room? Carly says she’s co-owner of the MetroCourt. She was just checking on a guest. Anna says, Jack’s certainly getting the VIP treatment. Didn’t she find Carly in his room a couple of weeks back? Carly says, Mr. Brennan is the new WSB Station Chief, so he is a VIP, and she wants to make sure all her guests have the best stay possible. Anna says, really? Because there’s also a room service order for dinner and champagne that same night. Carly says, sounds like Mr. Brennan had big plans after she left, and Anna says, look. She really likes Carly, so she’s going to level with her. She’s making a big mistake. Carly says, it wouldn’t be the first time, and Anna says, Brennan is a dangerous man. She doesn’t want to get involved with him. Carly says, Anna isn’t going to be offended if she won’t take dating advice from her, is she? and Anna says she’s known him a really long time. She knows what he’s capable of. Carly says she’s calling Diane, but Anna says, it’s fine. They’re done. Diane is going to be very busy this afternoon anyway. So she doesn’t want to change her statement? Carly says she’s good, and Anna says, loyalty is a very commendable thing, but she thinks Carly is giving it to the wrong person. Carly says she’s going to go, and Anna thanks her for her time.

Ava says she remembers how Julian looked when he talked about Lucas. Julian was so proud of him. Lucas says, there were times he was proud of Julian too. But every time they got close, he’d find out some horrible thing Julian had done, or some new secret would come to light or he’d hurt somebody else. And it never stopped. She says, did he ever think the reason Julian made all of those bad choices was his insecurity? He was always so afraid he wasn’t good enough to be Lucas’s father.

Brad says he got Elizabeth’s page. What’s up? She hands him a paper and says, the Court of Appeals has ordered an investigation into Heather Webber’s bloodwork. He says, why? and she says, there are discrepancies between GH’s findings and the other labs. The court wants to know, was there a procedural error, is it some fault in their lab… He says, she wants him to look into it? and she says, the sooner, the better. He says he’ll get right on it, and she thanks him.

Dante says, no more helping his father. He’s a cop. Cody says, right, and he’s obligated to see justice is served. Dante says, it’s kind of his job, and Cody says, so what’s bothering him the most about this? Is it the withholding evidence thing? Because don’t cops do tricks like that all the time to get people to confess? Dante says, it’s the fact that he’s either betraying his badge or betraying his father, and Cody says, even if Dante thinks he did it? Dante says, especially if he thinks Sonny did it. If he tells Sonny what he knows, he’s lost all integrity. He literally would help him get away with murder. Cody asks if Dante wants to know what he thinks, and Dante says he doesn’t think he does. Cody says, probably not, because it’s probably not going to be helpful, but here goes anyways. After everything that FBI guy did to Dante’s family, he thinks it just comes down to one simple question. Which one’s more important to him, his family or his job?

Sonny says, the FBI is going to jump at the chance to put him behind bars. So he’s going to talk about everything that they’ve tried to pin on him. As long as they leave her, Kristina, and Carly alone. She says, because the crime in question isn’t enough, he’s going to tell them the whole story? and he says, they’re not going to play ball if he doesn’t give them something worthwhile. She says, so what about his associates in all his endeavors? What happens to them? He says he’ll deal with that. He doesn’t see another way. She says, so after all these years of him evading the authorities, he’s just going to give himself up, and he says, it’s either that or Alexis is going to spend the rest of her life in prison for something she didn’t do. Does she think he would let her do that? She says, the thought has crossed her mind, but she knows if he was given the choice between her and Kristina… He says he’s doing this for Kristina, and she says she thinks he’s doing it a little bit for her too. He says, a little bit, and she thanks him. He says, take care of our girl, and through her tears, she says she promises. Sonny gets up and leaves.

Lucas says, Julian was always his own worst enemy, and Ava says, at least they can agree on that. He says he didn’t mean it when he said all of his memories of Julian are bad, and she asks if he’d share one with her. It’s been a long time since she’s heard anyone say anything kind about her brother. He says he’s been thinking about the day Julian married Alexis. He was proud to be Julian’s best man, and he was so happy for him. And that day, he thought, maybe his dad could finally be happy. She says, and he would have been if he’d married anybody else. Alexis was literally the worst thing to happen to Julian. Lucas gets up and says, so much for fond memories, but she says she’s just trying to be honest. How many times has that woman broke his heart? He says, probably as many times as he broke hers, and Ava says, her constant judgements, her endless conditions to be worthy of her love and attention wore him down. It wore him out. And in the end, she was the reason he did all of those terrible things before he was killed. He says, she can’t blame Alexis for Julian’s actions, but she says she certainly can. He says, good talk. He’s got to run. She says, before he goes, please keep in mind that nobody should be judged entirely based on the worst thing they’ve done. His father loved him. He says he knows, and he loved him too. She thanks him for saying that. Just so he knows, she loves him too. It’s true they’re not close, but they could be. He says he’ll think about it, and she says, okay. She’d hate to think that he has so much family that he can afford to throw away his father’s side. He says he’d never throw away Avery… or her mother, and he leaves.

Portia says, Terry told her that the hospital received a court order about the lab’s testing, and Elizabeth says, it’s about Heather Webber’s bloodwork. Portia says, what about it? and Elizabeth says, Ric Lansing had her cobalt levels tested, and their lab concluded her levels were still high. Portia says, okay, that’s good, but Elizabeth says, he also had the tests run at three different labs. Portia says, it’s normal to do that, and Elizabeth says, none of the results matched theirs. So they’re just trying to prove that the error is with the GH lab, and that’s why the court is ordering an investigation. Portia says, humans make mistakes. Mistakes happen. You’d think they would drop it. Elizabeth says, a mistake like that could cast doubt over the integrity of their lab. And not just with Heather’s results, but other results in the past that have been used as evidence. Portia says, that’s a good point, and Elizabeth says, but don’t worry about it. She’s taking care of it. She’s sure it’s going to be fine.

Brad compares a paper to what’s on his laptop. He says, oh ho. Dr. Portia Robinson, what have you been up to? and he smiles.

Carly comes into the hospital, and Michael thanks her for coming. She says, something about Kristina? and he says, she’s not answering her phone. Of course (🍷) they can’t tell him whether she showed up for her therapy session or not, but he thinks she ditched it right after he dropped her off. Carly says, he didn’t watch her walk in? and he says, it felt intrusive. They have to find Kristina before she does something rash, and dad’s confession will all be for nothing.

Alexis goes into the visitor room to find Kristina and asks what she’s doing here. She wasn’t expecting to see her. Kristina says, they need to talk about dad, and Alexis says, her dad has been here. She knows what he’s going to do. Kristina asks if Alexis tried to talk him out of it, but Alexis asks why she’d do that. Kristina says she doesn’t know. This is all such a mess. She just wishes she’d told Anna everything she knew. Alexis asks what she told Anna, and Kristina says she went to see Anna to confess. Alexis says, confess to what? and Kristina says, driving Alexis’s care to the Quartermaines, stealing dad’s gun. She was trying to do anything she could to convince Anna that Alexis didn’t do this. Alexis asks if she told Anna anything, but Kristina says, no. Michael stopped her. Alexis says, don’t help. She’s just making everything worse. Kristina tells her, that’s what everyone says, but they need to stop pretending this isn’t her fault, because it is. If she never went to Ava’s hotel room, her child would still be alive. Cates would never be able to charge her with killing her daughter, and dad would have never been upset enough… Alexis says, what’s missing here is the truth and that’s what people need to hear. That her father actually did the thing he’s going to confess to, and he’s doing the right thing by turning himself in. Kristina says, but he did it because of her, and Alexis says, he did it because that’s what he does. Cates was never going to let up until Kristina was destroyed, until Michael was destroyed, until Dante was destroyed, and Sonny wasn’t going to let Cates hurt his children anymore. Kristina says, but if dad confesses, he goes to prison, and she can’t let that happen.

Sonny walks into the station, and Anna says, he’s early. He says he’s meeting Diane, and she says, someone will see her in as soon as she gets here. She asks him to follow her, when Dante runs in. He asks Sonny to wait. There’s something he should know.

On Monday, Molly tells Dex that it’s nice to know they might have some good news coming their way; Brad says he may have found something interesting; Martin asks why he wasn’t notified about Anna’s new evidence; and Alexis says, Kristina’s father got them into this and now he’s the one who’s got to get them out.

🪄 She’s All Glowed Up…

Well, she’s really no slouch before makeup either.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kirsten-storms-shows-off-her-stunning-gh-transformation

🧂 A Dash Of Salt…

Yeah, I doubt she’d risk buying stuff from Alibaba and reselling it. And I remember the whoop-de-do about Alibaba using other merchants’ photos. That’s a big no-no on eBay, even if you’re selling the exact same item.

Apparently, she’s tamed her saltiness while in the clink.

🍊 Putting the C In the OC…

If I agree with Teddi, you know there must be something very wrong going on.

A lot of what?

🍸 Hope He Evacuated…

I miss Michael. He was one of the best things about the show. I’m surprised Patricia didn’t send a PJ for him.

💣 Mustaches Twirling…

Who got the boot. This explains why that first episode seemed so long.

🎃 Halloween Hijinx…

Getting stuck in a hallway because of a Halloween costume sounds like something that would happen to me. Kudos on originality with Baby Forest Whitaker.

https://ew.com/jordan-peele-costume-halloween-beetlejuice-baby-forest-whitaker-8727052

💻 Thinking About Watching…

Major From vibes? I’m in.

https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/peacock/peacocks-new-dark-thriller-show-teacup-is-binge-worthy-tv-and-it-will-have-you-craving-more

I saw The Platform and didn’t really know what to make of it, so I was surprised it got a sequel. EmpireOnline called it a bloated, murky haze, and the reviews aren’t great, but I’ll probably watch it anyway. Not many spoilers – more of an explanation of the system.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-platform-2-netflix-film-review

I also saw Smile and wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but again, I’ll probably watch it anyway when it comes to a streaming platform in like, five minutes. I saw the trailer when I went to Deadpool & Wolverine. It ain’t no Deadpool, that’s for sure.

🧦 Costume and Fashion…

This is one of the cutest things ever. I would love to see something for tiny hamsters as well.

https://people.com/halloween-2024-halloween-costumes-for-guinea-pigs-8726708

There is no world in which my dogs would let me put these on them.

https://people.com/pet-crocs-crocs-for-dogs-coming-soon-8725361

💼 Quotes of the Week

You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals. – Booker T. Washington

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. – John Lubbock

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. – Unknown

There is no room for mediocrity in karaoke. – an obviously drunk kid I met there

Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else. – Nathaniel Branden

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.  – Ralph Waldo Emerson (Uh-oh.)

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. – Shari R. Barr

Let’s kill this f***ing clown. – Richie Tozier (Bill Hader), It: Chapter Two

🧚‍♀️ Dreaming Awake…

Sending those in weathertorn states safety and healing vibes (been there; done that; it sucks), and for those who are in better climes, enjoy the autumn weekend. Then return again on Monday for soap and Sailing. Until then, stay safe; stay considering battery-operated flames for your Jack-o’-lantern (hey, it’s coming faster than you think); and stay never judging someone entirely based on the worst thing they’ve done.

September 20, 2024 – Sidwell Extends an Invite, First Day, OC Tea, Iconically Salty, Big Apples, Expanding His Territory, Oh No They Didn’t, An Octuplet Of Quotes & Fair

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

At The Savoy, Curtis says he’s glad they did this tonight, and Portia says, her too. She really needed it. N’neka brings their drinks and says, this is what she likes to see. Two beautiful people in love, and her favorite boss back where he belongs. Curtis say he appreciates it, but don’t get used to it, and N’neka says she’d hoped seeing him was a sign he’d be around more. He says, unfortunately, no. He does miss this place and he misses them all, but Aurora’s keeping him crazy busy. Portia says, maybe, but it is a Quartermaine business. They could be at each other’s throats any minute now. Drew walks in with Nina, and Portia says, unless Nina gets to Drew first.

In the nook, Michael says, let him deal with it, and Ned says, he told Michael, let him handle it. Willow says, maybe they should table the ELQ business for now, and Lois says, and discuss matters closer to home, like the fact the boathouse is still a crime scene. Michael says he’s concerned about that too, but right now, they need to get this situation squared away. Ned says he has it covered, and Michael says, nobody’s seen ELQ’s majority shareholder and it’s been weeks since he disappeared. Ned says he has their best people working on tracking him down, and Michael says, and yet, the FBI says his trail has gone cold and Ned is saying he can find him. Ned says he can, and Michael says, they can’t count on Valentin being caught. They need to lock ELQ down so Valentin can’t offload his shares to fund his new life. Ned says he doesn’t need Michael’s constant reminders about not locking down ELQ, and Michael says, maybe if Ned had sided with him and Drew instead of collaborating with Valentin, they wouldn’t be in this mess. Ned says, yes, and maybe if Michael hadn’t invited Sonny over to the house, John Cates might still be alive.

Looking very broken and beaten up, Lucky is thrown into a cell by two guards. One says, maybe that will teach him to keep his mouth shut. At least they’ll have peace and quiet until he wakes up. The other guard says, if he wakes up.

Holly says, Anna seems to have her hands on a phone that doesn’t belong to her, and Anna says, stay out of this, but Holly says she’s afraid she can’t do that. Anna is a thief, and she’s caught her red-handed. What choice does she have but to sound the alarm?

At the table, Sidwell throws down his cards and says, a straight flush. So what has Jason got? Don’t keep him in suspense. Jason folds, and Sidwell says, you fold, you lose. He’s going to collect his winnings and his woman and call it a night. Jason says, not yet. Their night isn’t over.

Portia says she loves Nina’s dress, and Nina thanks her and says she loves Portia’s dress too. 🥱 Drew says, Curtis looks okay, and Curtis says, just okay? He did his hair and everything. Portia says, they both look amazing, and Curtis says, before he forgets, he has a call for Monday. Their negotiators are closing the Tokyo deal, and he wants to run some things by Drew. Drew says he’ll make sure to be there. They’re going to get a table. Curtis tells them to enjoy their evening, and Nina and Drew go to sit down. Portia says, those two seem awfully close. She wonders what’s going on between them. Curtis says, who knows? and she says she guesses she’ll find out eventually. That stuff with the Tokyo deal sounds pretty positive. He says, she’s not disappointed, is she? and she says she wants him to succeed. She doesn’t begrudge him his success. He says, but she might wish he found it someplace else, and she says, it’s not that. It’s just that she has heard some stories at the hospital. Individually, the Quartermaines are lovely people, but as a group… He says, their family battles are legendary, but he’s noticed it’s usually confined to ELQ business. Drew and Michael get along great at Aurora. She says, still. Please have his exit plan in place. Just in case. He laughs and says, there’s no reason to leave Aurora. He has some plans for their family and it’s going to pay for it all. So stop worrying. Things are only going up from here.

Nina says, someone is in a good mood, and Drew says, why wouldn’t he be? The election’s coming up and he’s ahead in the polls. She says, don’t get cocky. He’s up by 7% with a 4% margin of error. This election is by no means a done deal. He needs to direct his full attention to the final push for votes. He says he will, but he really doesn’t want to talk about politics tonight, and she says, great. Then they’ll talk about business instead. He says, there are a lot of other things to talk about, and she says, it’s impossible for him to take that Monday call and do his debate prep at the same time. He can’t do everything. She thinks it’s time for him to turn over the reins at Aurora.

Lois says, everyone, time out. Take a few deep breaths. Willow says she thinks that’s a good idea, but Michael says, no. He thinks if Ned has evidence that his father wasn’t where he said he was when Cates got shot, he should turn that over to the police. Lois says, and if not, zip it, and Michael says, they need to focus on ELQ. They’re in a position to remove Valentin from the company and from their lives entirely. Ned says he’s instructed their ELQ lawyers to get in touch with the SEC and they’re moving to stop Valentin from making any ELQ stock transactions. Does that suffice? Michael says, all he wants is to keep ELQ growing long enough to provide for their families, and Lois says she thinks everyone can get behind that. Ned says, great. Then stay out of his way and let him do what he does best. Michael asks if that’s betraying their family, and Willow says she knows they planned to stay in tonight, but she could really use a night out. What does he say? Michael says, yeah. He’d love to take his beautiful wife out on the town. She says, great. Let’s go get ready. He says he’s right behind her, and she leaves. Michael follows, and Lois gives Ned a thumbs up and says, way to clear a room.

Sidwell says he’s had enough gambling for one night, and Jason asks if it really counts as gambling if he cheats. Sidwell says he doesn’t cheat, and Jason says he doesn’t lie. He grabs the wrist of the woman next to him, and she says, let go of me. He pulls an ace out of her sleeve, holds it up, and says, it’s a lot easier to win if you have help. Sidwell signals the guards to take the woman away, and says he doesn’t know that woman, much less be in cahoots with her. Jason says he’d like to believe that and he’s sure everyone else in the club would too. How can they be sure? Sidwell sits back down and says, deal. Jason says, he’ll take another 50,000, and a fresh deck.

Anna says, Holly doesn’t know what she’s doing, and Holly says she’s interrupting a crime. Anna say she thinks she’s doing exactly the same thing. Is Sidwell aware of Holly’s… what should they call it? Her colorful history? Maybe he would really appreciate an old friend’s perspective on her. Holly says, let’s not be hasty. Sidwell has more than enough to go around and she’s more than willing to share. She asks for Anna’s discretion, and Anna says, Holly can keep his money. She just needs help replacing his phone before he realizes she’s taken it. Holly says she wants no part in whatever WSB shenanigans Anna and Jason are cooking up right now, but Anna says, this isn’t for the WSB. This is for Luke.

Lucky groans and tries to get up, but he can’t. A woman smooths his hair back, and we see it’s Elizabeth.

Anna tells Holly, Lulu’s in trouble. She needs a transplant in order to survive and she doesn’t qualify for the national registry. Sidwell’s guard listens from outside the door, and Anna says, their best hope is to get a donation, and Lucky is their best chance. So she and Jason have come here to find him and bring him home. That’s assuming he’s still in one piece. Holly says, he was yesterday, and Anna says, she saw him? She saw him and didn’t do anything to help him? Holly says she didn’t have the opportunity, and Anna says, of course (🍷). She’s still lining up her latest score. Holly says, Sidwell surrounds himself with a small army, and he has redundancies in place of security apparatus. Anna says she’s trying to circumvent his security by getting the information off his phone, but Holly says, it won’t do her any good. He changes the passcode every day. It doesn’t matter how good she and Jason are. The chances of them getting in and out undetected are nil. Anna says, it’s going to have to be an inside job then.

Sidwell places a bet and Jason says, call, putting in more chips. Sidwell turns over his cards, then Jason turns over his. Sidwell sighs and says, damn it. Jason looks over at the bar and sees Holly.

Drew asks if he can borrow Curtis for a minute, and Portia says, go. Just don’t be too long. He says he’ll be back before Portia finishes her drink, and leaves with Drew. Nina says, Portia is a good sport. Talking business isn’t exactly how she wanted to spend her night either. Portia says she didn’t expect Nina to spend her night here with Drew, and Nina says she thinks it’s good for Drew to be seen out and about before the election, and she’s happy to help his campaign. Portia says she just doesn’t remember Nina being interested in politics before, and Nina says, she wasn’t… until Drew.

Drew thanks Curtis for getting Aurora Wellness up and running. He’s doing an amazing job. Curtis says he can’t take all the credit. He has a terrific team and great leadership from the top. Drew says, that’s what he wants to talk to Curtis about, and Curtis asks if he should be worried. Drew says, no. He’s just saying his campaign requires his full attention. So does Aurora, and neither can reach their full potential if his focus is split. Curtis says he knows Drew isn’t stepping away from the campaign trail, and Drew says he’s stepping away from Aurora effective immediately and leaving Curtis as acting CEO.

Ned tells Lois, Michael has the worst qualities of all of his parents. AJ’s self-importance, Carly’s bad faith, and Sonny’s hypocrisy. Lois says she wishes there was a way for Ned to get along with Michael. She wishes he was able to put his problems with Sonny behind him. He says, that’s not going to happen, and she says she’d be happy to sit down with him and Sonny and hash it out. He asks why she’d want to put herself in the middle of all this, and she says, the last thing she has time for is to be a peacemaker, but if it would help… He says, it won’t, and no one’s asking her to. She says, being part of a family is not waiting for an invitation. He and Michael and Sonny are a family. He says, that’s a bit of a stretch, and she says, Sonny is Michael’s father. They’re always going to be a part of Ned’s life. Why does he want to hold onto this hatred for Sonny? How does he benefit? He says he’s never going to change how he feels about Sonny Corinthos, and she says, he spent all last summer thinking he was Eddie Maine. He pushed everyone away except for one person – Sonny. He says, that was Eddie. Obviously, he was delusional. She says, it didn’t matter to Sonny. Sonny still looked out for him. Isn’t that something that family does for each other? Gio stands at the door, and Ned asks why it’s so important to Lois that he get along with Sonny. How does she benefit?

Portia says, so the man Nina sent to prison for insider trading enticed her to work on his campaign, and that kickstarted her interest in politics. Nina says, she and Drew both had to make amends for their past, but she thinks her opinion of him started to change when she saw how much Congressman McConkey respected him. It was the congressman who suggested Drew run for office. Portia says she was sorry to hear about Mr. McConkey. He was a good man. Nina says, a very rare, good man, and when she saw how much he liked Drew, she started to wonder if her combative relationship with Drew blinded her about all the good he could do. He saved the life of someone she loves more than anyone else in the world. Her daughter.

Michael and Willow come into the club, and N’neka says, it’s nice to see them both. She has a great table for them, unless they’d rather sit with their family. Willow looks over to see Drew talking to Curtis.

Drew says he knows it’s a lot to ask, and Curtis says he’s shocked. Being acting CEO wasn’t even on his radar. Drew says, Curtis is his righthand man and he knows he’s been clear about how happy he is with the work Curtis has been doing. So is he in? Curtis says, hell yeah, he’s in. He thanks Drew for believing in him and says he won’t let Drew down. Drew says, it never crossed his mind, and Curtis says, one question. How come he didn’t ask Michael to be acting CEO? He’s run Aurora. Drew says, Michael will be available if Curtis needs his help, but the better part of Michael’s attention is required elsewhere.

Lucky says he must be worse off than he thought, and Elizabeth says, contusions, bruising, and lacerations. They all need stitches. Probably internal injuries and a concussion. He says he thinks the concussion’s pretty obvious since he’s talking to someone who’s not here, and she says, let’s get you upright. He moans as she helps him sit up, and she asks, what happened? He says, she’s going to have to be a lot more specific, and she says, helping people is all well and good, but he’s right. This is as far as he can go. He’s run right up to the edge of his very own grave. Now what?

Jason says, luck must be on his side tonight, and Sidwell bangs his hands on the table. He gets up and goes to the bar, and Holly says, don’t worry. He’ll win it back. Anna goes to the table, slipping Sidwell’s phone back into his jacket pocket. Jason says, it took her long enough, and she says she knew he could handle it. He says he’d like to cash out please, but she says, so soon? Quietly, she tells him, change of plans. Keep winning. She has it on good authority that Sidwell really enjoys the competition, so if he plays his cards correctly, they’re going to get an invite to his camp. He says he can’t guarantee he’s going to keep winning, and she asks if he learned anything from his card shark ex. If he runs into a problem, just think, what would Sam do?

Gio says he’ll just grab this and get out of here, but Lois says, he doesn’t have to go, and tells Ned, if a truce between him and Sonny brings nothing more than a little peace and quiet, it would be worth it. Ned says he might actually believe that if he could trust a word she says, and she says she’s the most trustworthy person in this house. Gio says, she’s not wrong, and Ned says, she was, then she ditched her accent. She threw away something that made her unique like it was nothing. She says, words, consonants, vowels, and in her Brooklyn accent, she says, who cares? Ned says he does, because it’s her. He’s known her for years, and he loves her accent. This other person she sounds like, he doesn’t even know who she is. So does she blame him for wondering if he can trust a word that this new her says? Gio says, a little harsh, and Ned says, the truth often is, and leaves.

Sidwell tells Holly that he’s lost enough already, and he wants to be alone with her. She says she’s never known him to walk away from a table with so little to show for it, and he says he prefers to leave with something rather than leave with nothing. She says, that’s not very sporting of him. Does he really want to leave empty handed? Go back to their guest and tell him that he encountered another player as good as him and turned tail and ran?

Jason says, it’s risky, and Anna says she knows, but she thinks it’s better than breaking into Sidwell’s camp uninvited. Sidwell comes back and says, Jason has had quite a run lately. Congratulations. He puts on his jacket and says, it’s getting late. He’s done. Anna says, perhaps he can point them in the direction of the high rollers table then, and Holly says, this is the high rollers table. Anna says, oh, this is, and Sidwell sits down again. He says, maybe he has one more hand in him, and Anna and Holly exchange glances. The dealer gives out the cards and says, place your bets. Jason puts a bunch of chips into the pot, and Holly whispers to Sidwell that maybe he could draw on his credit… unless he’s reached his limit. Does he have any cash? He says he can do better than that, and takes a jewelry box out of his pocket. He opens it, displaying a diamond bracelet, and puts it on the table. Anna says, that’s beautiful, and asks Jason if he can win it for her. Jason says, done.

Portia says, Nina was just telling her about her political awakening. She said Willow had a lot to do with that. Willow says she doubts she had anything to do with it, but Michael says, she’s being too modest. Not only did she encourage Nina to get involved in the campaign, she’s Drew’s biggest cheerleader and she got the entire family together to support him. And they know how rare unity is for the Quartermaines. Portia says, here’s to hoping for unity… and victory, and Nina says, from her lips. Portia says she’s going to find her husband. Enjoy their night. Portia leaves, and Willow says, so Nina and Drew are here together. Nina says, Drew asked her to accompany him in public in the final stretch of his campaign, and Willow says, and she doesn’t mind? Nina says, no. It’s a small favor she can do for him, especially if it means helping him get to DC. Willow says, right, and looks over at Curtis and Drew. She says she needs to freshen up and asks them to excuse her.

In the hallway, Willow asks N’neka to do her a favor. She’s not feeling so well. N’neka asks if she can get Willow something, and Willow thanks her, but says she thinks she’s just going to get a car and go home. Would N’neka let her husband know she left? N’neka says, of course (🍷), and creeper Drew says, N’neka doesn’t have to worry about that. He can tell him. (Because even though he’s only about 50 feet away, Willow can’t do it. Didn’t N’Neka think this was in the least bit weird? Like, her ride is right there.)

Lucky says he needs Elizabeth to know… and she says, save his strength, but he says he needs her to know, being away from her was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do. She says, that’s interesting, because he never looked back. He struggles to speak and says he thinks about her every day, and their family all the time. She says, Aiden is great by the way, and he thanks her for taking such good care of their son. She says, he misses Lucky, and Lucky says, really? He misses Aiden too… constantly. He winces in pain and says he couldn’t be the father Aiden deserves. That’s why he had to leave. She asks if he would do it again, and he says he doesn’t know, but he did do it. He has to live with that, and helping people here was the only way he knew to atone for everything. She says, great story, but she’s not buying it. She thinks the truth is, he’s too much of a coward to face his family as anything but a hero. Easier to dodge bullets in the desert than own up to being flawed. He says he messed up, but he’s flawed, and she says, he could have come to her. She would have helped him. He says, she wouldn’t if she’d known who he really was, but she says she would have helped him anyway. He says, of course (🍷) she would have, because she’s so much better than he is. He was torn. To see the disappointment in her eyes, he couldn’t live with that. He couldn’t take it. Not from her. She says, so he just decided for all of them. No one else gets a say. He says he’s sorry, and she says, if he’s so sorry, then come home. Not as a hero, but as a man who messed up and has the guts to admit it. He asks if she thinks he can, and she caresses his face. She says, you tell me. Are you brave enough to come back to your family?

Standing to the side, Holly says, so Anna and Jason, huh? Alan would be rolling in his grave. Anna shushes her, and Holly says, does Robert know? Robin? Anna says, oh, shut up. She looks at the table and says, that’s going to look good on her wrist.

Anna goes over to Jason, and Sidwell leaves the table. Anna says, remind her to send a thank you note to Sam, and Jason says, making Sidwell angry isn’t getting them any closer to Lucky. She says, just wait for it.

Holly says, Sidwell promised her those diamonds, and he says, there will be plenty of others. She says, not like those. Get her bracelet back. He says he has nothing more to play with, and she says, he has plenty of diamonds back at the compound. If he wants to get back in her good graces, invite them to the camp and win her bracelet back. She walks away, and the guard comes up to Sidwell. He says, a word? and Sidwell says, get lost. The guard says, Sidwell will want to hear what he has to say. It’s about his competitor’s girlfriend and a conversation she had with his. (Rut-roh.)

Nina asks how Michael and the kids are adjusting to Willow being back at the hospital, and he says, it’s taking a little time. Her schedule is kind of up in the air right now. She says she’s sure it will calm down once it becomes routine. Although that might change if Drew wins the election. He asks, why? and she says, because he’s going to have to hand Aurora off permanently. He asks what that has to do with him and Willow, and she says she already told Drew that he’s going to have to step aside and name an acting CEO until the election is over and he seems like the natural choice.

Willow says, Nina told her that Drew asked her to accompany him for the final push on the campaign trail, and he says he did. She says she’s glad Nina could help, and he asks if she’s okay. He saw her notice him and kind of bolt out. She says she convinced Michael to go out tonight to get away from their… troubles. She doesn’t want to cause any trouble so she’s going to leave. He says, wait. They can’t take turns leaving every time they run into each other. People are going to start to notice and it’s going to draw attention to a problem that doesn’t exist. She asks how he can say that, and he says, because nothing is going on between them and nothing ever will. Nothing at all.

Gio asks if Lois is okay, and Lois says she stopped letting Ned get to her a long time ago. He says, as far as he’s concerned, no matter what anyone says about her accent, she’ll always be the same person who took him to his first punk show. She laughs, and he says, but he kind of misses her sounding like the Aunt Lois he grew up with. She says, he’s got her. Always have, always will. He says, she doesn’t mind? and she says, is he kidding? It’s a relief. And she’s so glad that he remembered the first show she took him to. He says he loved it, and she says, everybody remembers their first down and dirty punk rock show. Sonny took her to hers. (Somehow, I can’t quite envision that. I see Sonny as listening to Italian opera or classic rock from the 50s.) He says, that doesn’t surprise him. They both have great taste in music. Somehow (he stole my word), he can’t see Ned going to see a punk rock show. She says, Ned is a good guy. He’s just stressed. He says, that does not make it okay the way he talked to her, and she says, he’s right. No one should take their issues out on anyone. Remember that. He says, what’s his problem with Uncle Sonny anyway? and she says, there is a lot of bad history there. It’s too much to get into. He says, it seems like everyone has bad history when it comes to Sonny. Sonny has always been so nice to him, it’s hard to believe. She says, believe it.

Michael asks if Drew has seen Willow, and he says he just bumped into her a few minutes ago. Sorry to leave him stranded with Nina. Michael says, no. They had a pretty interesting conversation. She said that Drew was stepping back from Aurora. Drew says he is. Michael was next on his list to tell. Michael says, that’s okay. He’s ready to step up if Drew needs him. Drew says he appreciates that, but he just talked to Curtis and he’s going to step up as acting CEO.

Curtis and Portia clink glasses, and she says she’s so proud of him. He says he’s pretty surprised, and she says she was worried that he was spending too much time at Aurora, but she was wrong. He’s more than proved himself, and now he’s being rewarded for it. He says, if Drew wins this election, chances are the CEO job could be his permanently.

Michael says, Curtis doesn’t have much C-suite experience, and Drew says, Aurora is in a really good place right now. This is just until the election is over. He thought Michael would agree with him that his focus is better spent on the situation at ELQ. Michael says, Drew is probably right. He got into it with Ned earlier about Valentin. Drew says, he wants to act quickly on this and get ELQ back under family control, his and Michael’s. Michael says, and Aurora? and Drew says, let’s just wait and see how the election plays out. (Like Michael needs another job. What’s wrong with him and why does everyone want one more thankless position?)

Willow comes back in the club, probably confusing the hell out of N’neka, and Nina asks if she’s okay. It’s Drew. Willow says, no. She looks over at Drew and says, it’s nothing at all.

Lois says, Gio is going to hear a lot of rumors about Sonny, and he says he’s heard a lot already. She says, a lot of those rumors are rooted in fact. Not all of them, but enough. He says, it’s just hard for him to put the Uncle Sonny that he knows square in his head with the Uncle Sonny people hate, and she says, that’s because, like everyone, you can’t be reduced to just one thing. For every one of the bad things Gio is going to hear about him, there are qualities about Sonny that are admirable. Sonny is the most loyal friend he will ever have. He’s also the most reliable and the most generous. Gio needs to remember that when he starts hearing all the bad stuff. He says he hopes she doesn’t mind him saying it, but he’s heard some bad things about Ned too. She laughs and says, Ned will deny it until he’s blue in the face, but he and Sonny share a lot of the same qualities. Those two are more alike than either one of them are wiling to admit.

Sidwell says he’s impressed. Jason is the second-best player he’s ever had the pleasure of losing to. Jason asks, who’s the first? and Sidwell says, a guest in his camp. Anna says, he has a camp? and Holly says, it’s a lovely spot just a short flight away. Please come and join them. Anna says, no. They couldn’t possibly impose. Sidwell says, nonsense. Please. They never get the chance to socialize. Holly says, they’ve got plenty of room. It’s a tad rustic, but very charming and they have all the necessary comforts. Sidwell says, and cards. Please come. It will give him a chance to repay them for such an entertaining evening. Holly says, and maybe Jason will give Jenz a chance to win back everything he lost, and Anna says, how can they possibly turn down such a lovely offer?

Alone again, Lucky struggles to get up. He takes a knife out of his pocket, and crawls over to the cell door. He pulls himself up and starts to pick the lock with the knife.

Sidwell says his driver will be waiting for them outside. He’ll take them to town, and they can grab their things. They’ll be right behind them. Anna says, great. They’ll see them later then. She and Jason leave, and Holly says she’s glad they’re coming back to the camp. She’s sure he’ll find a way to win back the diamonds he promised her. Jason’s luck can’t hold on forever. Sidwell says, it wasn’t luck, and she asks what he means. He says, there’s more to those two than they’re letting on. But don’t worry. Win or lose, she’ll get her bracelet back. And Jason and Anna will get what they deserve for lying to him. Holly looks worried, as we all would be.

On Monday, Brook says, if Gio repeats that, she’ll deny it and she will hurt him; Molly says, maybe the universe is trying to tell her something; Portia asks why Terry didn’t tell her Brad was back; and Jack tells Carly, things and people aren’t always what they seem.

🧴 Getting His Soap Legs…

It’s funny how he’s hooked on the show now.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/carlo-rota-opens-up-about-learning-to-love-daytime-on-gh

🍊 All That OC Jazz…

When did she become Switzerland?

Ugh. Jim  looks like that weird uncle who you don’t want to dance with at a wedding.

In related news. Also be sure to check out the video of Alexis’s Sorry-not-Sorry apology tour.

Does she tune up her photos much?

🧂 Just For the Salt Of It…

At least one meme included in every show!

🗽 Making It Here…

The new season premieres October 1st.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city-season-15-photos-spoilers

Love her hair. Her life ain’t bad neither. I heard her speak at a business seminar and she was great. Definitely one of the best speakers.

https://pagesix.com/2024/09/19/style/spend-a-day-with-new-rhony-star-rebecca-minkoff-during-nyfw/

🌏 Riding Wasn’t Enough…

This sounds like fun, but I’m geographically challenged, so I’d probably be the first one out.

https://people.com/jeffrey-dean-morgan-announced-as-host-of-new-travel-competition-series-destination-x-8715507

🐼 When Is a Panda Not a Panda…

Craig Conover is going to have a field day with this one.

https://people.com/zoo-china-reveals-its-pandas-are-painted-dogs-8716240

You can see the panda pups here, but yeah, no. They’re definitely cute, but they look more like dogs than anything else.

https://people.com/chinese-zoo-dyes-chow-chow-dogs-to-look-like-pandas-8646638

🦞 Quotes of the Week

I actually want to cry, but I can’t cry on TV. – Jamal Lake, contestant on Halloween Baking Championship, when his dessert was deemed a dud

Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. – Joshua L. Liebman (Some of us mature faster than others.)

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. – Harvey Fierstein

If you are clear where you are going and you take several steps in that direction every day, you eventually have to get there. If I head north out of Santa Barbara and take five steps a day, eventually I have to end up in San Francisco. So decide what you want, write it down, review it constantly, and each day do something that moves you toward those goals. – Jack Canfield

Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. – Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.Mae West

People will always have opinions about your decision because they’re not courageous enough to take action on their opinion. – Steve Maraboli

If you’d have a drink, I’d make a lot more sense. – Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), Boardwalk Empire

🤹‍♀️ A Mosaic Of the Seasons…

Enjoy your weekend of choice, be it in the great outdoors or the adequate indoors. Then meet me here on Monday for soap and a proposal on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not putting your summer clothes in storage yet, and stay never taking out your issues on anyone.

September 18, 2024 – Ric Gives Heather Bad News, Return From Nowhere, Salt This, A Saint, Not Allowed, Surprised, VanderFilming, Two To Watch, Runaway Capybara & Night

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Judge Otis says he’s made his decision. The defendant is to be held without bail and remanded to Pentenville to await trial. Alexis says, given the nature of the charges, it’s not unusual to deny bail, but there are other options for incarceration. Noah says, it’s not her first time in Pentenville, but she says she was transferred from Pentenville to a minimum-security facility. Noah says, the charge is the murder of an FBI agent, and it’s the only appropriate course of action. The US government asks that the judge stand by his decision. Alexis says, it’s cruel and extreme, and the judge says they can address the charges at trial, but his decision stands. Kirstina jumps up and says, he can’t do this.

On the phone, Sonny tells Brick that he doesn’t care. Just get him here. There’s a knock at the door, and Natalia asks if it’s a bad time. He says, it’s been a day, and she comes in carrying a bottle of champagne. She says she thought they should take a moment to celebrate.

At the hospital, Portia asks Elizabeth, why do they want to be in charge again? and Elizabeth says, she seems to be in a good mood. Portia says she’s having dinner with Trina after work, and Elizabeth tells her to give Trina a hug and enjoy their time together.  

Ric visits Heather, and she asks how her handsome attorney is today. He asks how it’s going, and she says, the sandwich sitch isn’t great, but it won’t be much longer, right? He says, sorry, but she’s never getting out of here.

Heather asks, why? and Ric says he received the results of her blood test and there need to be significant differences before and after surgery. According to the results, the difference is negligible. Heather asks how that’s possible. It’s not like she’s sucking cobalt lollipops all day. He says, she can ask the health experts there, and she says, they have one lame doctor and a couple of nurses. Maybe they’re feeding her cobalt rich food. Her bacon did look a little blue. He says, her previous hip didn’t poison her. She committed the crimes of her own accord.

Kristina says, this is a huge mistake, and Judge Otis tells Alexis to get her daughter under control. Alexis says she’s so sorry. Her daughter has been through a series of traumatic events. The judge says he’s sympathetic, but he won’t tolerate disruptions in the court. His ruling stands. Pentenville, no bail. Court is adjourned.

Sonny asks what they’re celebrating, and Natalia says she thought he’d like an update on his investment. She just closed a 3-year deal with Goddess Gleam Beauty that will generate more than 10 million dollars minimum. She wonders why he’s not more excited, and he says he’s got a lot on his mind. She says she knows Alexis’s arraignment is today, and honestly, she was trying to take his mind off of it. He says he can’t focus when he knows Alexis is facing time for a crime she didn’t commit, and she says, he seems sure. He says, she’s not capable of it. She will defend and protect her daughter, but that, no. She says, they need to just have some faith, and he says he’s not on good terms with the Almighty. She says she’s talking about the legal system. If Alexis is innocent, the authorities will figure it out and find the actual murderer. (She clearly hasn’t been in Port Charles very long.)

Sonny says, Alexis is Kristina’s mother, and they don’t always see eye to eye, but they’d both do anything for their daughter. Natalia is impressed that he’s still communicating with some of his exes, and he says, for better or worse. She says, Ava is the worst. She can’t stand to be in the same room with Ava for more than ten minutes. He says, sometimes two, and she says, they can drink to that, when Sonny’s phone rings.

Kristina hugs Alexis, and Sam joins her. Molly stands to the side, but Alexis brings her in for a three-way hug.  

Heather says, what she needs help with understanding is, her former lawyer was sure this was a solid case. He convinced her to pursue it. Ric says, they both should have managed her expectations better, but the case had a lot of potential. She says, it makes no sense. She’s been better since the hip replacement. Her dark thoughts have stopped, and she can make no sense of her actions before that. He says, maybe she anticipated feeling that way even if her condition had nothing to do with it, but she says, no. She doesn’t think she’s different, she is different. She’s never been an angel, but when she was consumed with hatred and revenge, something was off, and she’s so much better now. He says he can’t see a path forward with the case, and she says, that’s just it? He says he’s sorry, and she says, thanks for trying. It’s not his fault or what he wanted. It would have been a big payday. He says, that was the hope, and she says, for a lawyer, he’s honest. There’s value in that. It was never about the money for her, but it would have been great. It would have allowed her to be a better grandma to Ace. It would have allowed her to be a grandma at all… He just lost a grandchild, didn’t he? She takes his hand and says she’s so sorry. There’s nothing worse than losing someone who’s supposed to outlive you. After losing Esme and Franco, this was her last shot at having a family. He says he’s sorry, but he’s afraid he has to go.

Alexis is handcuffed and the guard leads her out. At the door, she smiles and nods at her girls.  

At the hospital, Sam tells Kristina to sit, and Kristina says, they should be helping. Sam wonders how, like breaking Alexis out? Kristina says, if she could, she would, and Sam says, they’re helping now. Kristina asks, how? and Sam says, Kristina is getting the help she needs. She fell out a window and nearly died. She lost a baby… Kristina says, and a sister, and Sam says, and everything Cates put her through. Kristina says she wishes she’d killed him, but Sam says, it’s not right to take a life out of revenge. Kristina says, Jason and her dad would agree, and Sam says she’s not a professional, but after everything Kristina has experienced, it had to cause PTSD. Kristina says she feels like she’ll never be the same. It’s like she’s… broken. Sam says, she’s not broken. She’s getting professional help because she can’t do it on her own. Kristina suggests they call her dad. He knows what to do in situations like this. He always has a good idea. Sam tells her, stay put and talk to the professional. She’ll be right back. Stay here. She leaves and Kristina takes out her phone.

Sonny’s phone rings again, and Natalia says, Mr. Popular. He asks, what’s going on? and Kristina says, the arraignment is over. Her mom was denied bail and sent to Pentenville to await trial. Sonny says, she’s no danger to the community, and Kristina says, it was the murder of an FBI agent, and they sent a Fed to prosecute her. There’s no death penalty in the state of New York, but there is in a federal case. He tells her, just breathe. Where is she at? She says, GH. Sam took her here. Sam thinks she needs help. He says, Sam did the right thing. She can’t handle this herself, none of them can. Let him take care of her mom’s situation. The best thing she can do is help herself. She tells him that Sam said the same thing, and he says, when she’s right, she’s right. They exchange I love yous, and Natalia says, that didn’t sound like it went well. He says, no bail and Alexis was remanded to Pentenville. She says she’s sorry. It’s crazy. Is there a trial date set? Sonny says he’s going to do everything he can so that Alexis doesn’t spend one more second than she has to in Pentenville.

Alexis’s mug shot is taken. She puts her jewelry in a bag and has her fingerprints taken. (No ink needed anymore!) The guard searches her and gives her a uniform. (Do they not get underwear?) She hands her clothes to the guard and changes.

Elizabeth asks Ric what he’s doing at the hospital, and he says, saying hi to his favorite ex-wife. She says she’s probably the only one who doesn’t want to kill him, and he says, and she’s probably the one who should want to the most. She says, that almost sounds like an apology. What’s the real reason he’s here? He says, to confirm test results. It was going good for a while, but now it’s all over for Heather.

Felicia says she’s glad Kristina is here. She’s amazed Kristina is still standing. Kristina says, so is she, and Felicia says, they have a wide array of support resources and services, and suggests they go to the conference room where it’s more private. Sam promises to stay, and Kristina leaves with Felicia. Dante comes by and Sam hugs him.

In the conference room, Felicia says she’s here solely on Kristina’s behalf. She can speak openly and honestly. Kristina says she doesn’t usually hold back, but lately she doesn’t know where to start. Felicia asks how she’s doing right now, and Kristina says she’s upset and angry. She feels sad and guilty and feels like a failure. She feels empty. She cries and Felicia says, what she’s feeling is normal after going through what she experienced. Kristina tells her that Sam said she had PTSD, but Felicia says she’ll let the professionals decide. Losing a child is devastating. Kristina says, when she was pregnant, she had all the fears of what could happen to her child, but she never imagined they actually would. Even when she was in the hospital, she never let herself think Adela could… She’s sorry. Felicia says, don’t apologize, and Kristina says she guesses it’s true that grief comes in waves. Lately, it’s been tsunami after tsunami. Felicia says, she’s been through a number of traumas. She just fell out a window. Kristina says she keeps replaying it in her mind, and Felicia says, to add to her injury and loss is her relationship with her sister. Krisina says, it’s a lot to process, and Felicia says, most women in her situation have postpartum depression, hormonal changes, and PTSD. As her advocate, she’ll walk Kristina through the mental health resources, but as a mother, one who lost her own child, she wants to help Kristina get through it. She’s not alone. She knows what it feels like. Kristina asks, what’s next? and Felicia says, that’s up to her. She can connect Kristina with the hospital’s psychiatrist who’s a specialist in postpartum depression, and there are grief support groups that meet weekly. Kristina says, no offense, but she hates that idea, and Felicia says, bereft mothers find connecting with each other to be invaluable. Kristina says, okay, but she has to tell Sam. She knows if someone doesn’t hold her accountable, she’ll never go. Felicia says, it may not feel like it right now, but if she does the work, the pain will be significantly less.

Elizabeth asks if Ric will still be staying in Port Charles, and he asks if she wants him to. She says, idle curiosity, and he says he’ll be staying for a while. Molly needs him since Alexis was remanded to Pentenville. They were all blindsided. Ric’s phone rings and he steps away.

Sam tells Dante that she wonders how things got this bad. Kristina being Molly’s surrogate was a terrible idea, but no one could have predicted this insanity. Dante says, it’s tragic, and Sam says, even before that, Kristina was thinking about keeping the baby and Molly felt betrayed. She understands both sides. Dante says, Kristina made a promise that was impossible to keep, and Sam says, it’s all anger and blaming, and they haven’t even begun to grieve. Dante says, then Cates openly went after Kristina, and Sam says she’s glad he’s gone. He says he doesn’t think many people are going to miss him, but he’s like a roadblock to her family grieving. Where’s Molly? Sam says, probably somewhere being upset because the focus is still on Kristina, and he says, Kristina is needier? Sam says she thinks Kristina doesn’t remember that Molly also lost a child, and he wonders how neither one of them cannot understand the other’s grief and loss. She says, they’re not dealing with it head on and making it about each other. She’s terrified about what’s going to happen to her family.

Sonny opens the door to Martin, who says, Sonny’s communications director is very persuasive… Mr. Brick. Sonny says, just Brick, and Martin says, of course (🍷). Sonny asks if Brick explained why he needed to see Martin, and Martin says he’s got the gist. If Sonny wants him to step in for Diane, he’ll be more than happy to act as Sonny’s counsel. Sonny says, Diane is his attorney, and with all due respect, she’s the best. Martin isn’t here to represent him. He wants Martin to represent Alexis Davis.

Alexis is walked to her cell.

Kristina thanks Felicia, who tells her to reach out with any questions. She hopes she didn’t overwhelm her with information. Kristina says, it’s not that. She feels behind in her grief. There are already so many things she should have been doing. Felicia tells her, you know what they say about planting trees, and Kristina says she’s not exactly a gardener. Felicia says, the best time to plant is 20 years ago. The second-best time to plant is right now. There’s no timetable for life. She’s here getting help right now. Kristina says, what if it’s not enough? She knows she won’t get over it, but she thinks she can learn to carry it. Felicia says, it’s possible. Believe her. She knows. Kristina says, what she thinks she doesn’t know is how. How does she carry her guilt? Felicia says, for what? and Kristina says her baby died because of a fall that happened because she was somewhere she shouldn’t have been. Felicia says, one thing she’s learned about guilt is, it does no good and doesn’t help, and Kristina says, it could have been different if she never went to Ava’s hotel room. Her sister Molly blames her for what happened to the baby and her biggest fear… is that Molly is right. She is responsible. Felicia says, Kristina didn’t jump out the window, but Kristina says she created the circumstances for the accident to happen. Felicia says, the accident. Sometimes terrible things happen and it’s nobody’s fault. Kristina says, even if it’s nobody’s fault, there’s always someone accountable, right? Losing the baby, the rift with her sister, and everything that’s happening with her mom is all because of her. Felicia says, what if it is? What is she going to do with it? What if it isn’t? How is she going to deal with that? Kristina says she guesses that’s what she’s here to figure out, and Felicia says, the best thing for her to do for her mom is to work on herself and her mental health. That’s what she’s doing and it’s a great first step. Kristina cries and Felicia holds her.  

Sonny tells Martin that Diane can’t handle Alexis’s case because she’s representing him in the same case. Martin asks how Sonny is involved, and Sonny says he was a person of interest before Alexis. Martin asks who her current attorney is, and Sonny says, she’s representing herself. Martin says, she’s making a mistake. It’s a fool’s errand. Scotty would be better. Sonny says, Alexis likes doing things her way, but Martin says, she can’t. She should know that. Sonny says, that’s why Martin is here. He needs somebody to represent Alexis who can beat these charges. Martin says he’d be a fool to not be interested. The murder of a federal agent? That is huge. You can’t buy that publicity. Sonny says he needs somebody who’s doing it for the right reason and would do anything to win, and Martin says he certainly has no intention of losing. Sonny holds out his hand and asks if they have a deal. Martin shakes it, and says, they have a deal.

Sam tells Dante, no one is thinking clearly. All the sanity is up to her. He says, that’s a scary thought. They have to focus to help her mom. Sam says she did have a chat with Michael about that. He said they should focus less on who killed Cates, and more on finding the evidence to clear her mom. Dante says, it makes sense. The only thing involved is the gun. She says, it’s not the gun that killed Cates, and he says, ballistics will prove it, but it’s still in the river. The police divers can’t find it. She says she wishes they knew an expert diver… She is. He says, the water is choppy, but she says she can handle an undercurrent. (so does everyone who drowns here due to one every summer.) He says he’s not loving the sound of this, but assumes there’s no talking her out of it. She says, waste of breath, and he says, so what’s next? She says she’s going to find the gun her mom tossed off the bridge and end this nightmare for her family.

Elizabeth says she sees Ric is still here, and he says he was wondering if he could ask her a question involving a medical issue. She says, as long as it’s not violating a patient’s privacy, and he shows her some paperwork. He says, the results from both labs are from the same blood same taken at the same time. Shouldn’t they be redundant? She says, the test results are wrong. They’re not even close. The level from the outside lab is much lower. The tests should be done again. Something is seriously wrong.

Alexis sighs, and a guard comes by. She says she was told she has a cellmate, but she’d like to lie down and doesn’t know which bunk… The guard keeps walking, and another guard arrives. She unlocks the cell, and Heather walks in. Alexis sighs again. (I’m dying laughing.)

Cyrus sats, somehow, he will help someone; Ric says, Elizabeth is the one person he’d do anything for; Dante says he wants Rocco to be prepared; and Jason guesses he and Anna caught a break.

🧴 Blink and You Missed It…

I’m not sure if you can return if you’re not really gone, but okay. I’m also not sure if Drew and Nina posing as a power couple is going to help his campaign, but double okay because I’d rather he be with Nina than creeping on Willow.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/cameron-mathison-returns-to-general-hospital

🧂 Salt On the Snowflakes…

My bad yesterday. I forgot Million Dollar Listing LA was over and has no Reunion. So on to Salt Lake.

During the gorgeous opening shots, I was immediately reminded of how much I love and miss snow. While it’s not like I live in the south, near the ocean, the winters are often mild, and nowadays, we’re lucky if we get one good blast during the entire winter. But I digress.

After Mary told her that she looked thin, Heather made the disturbing comment in her interview that she finally cracked the code. She lost 25 pounds, and Mary loves her. She does look great, but it’s sad how much being liked is tied to appearance, whether it’s a real thing or just perception. Although Mary did get Angie an invite to Kathy Hilton’s Christmas party, so maybe it’s wise to be on her good side, no matter what that entails.

New Housewife Bronwyn (no, not that one) has six dogs, so she’s okay by me. They all look like Boxers too, so I doff my cap. Those dogs can be a handful. What I didn’t like about Bronwyn was her anecdote about meeting Lisa (whose coattails she rode in on). She and Lisa first met at an upscale department store and when Lisa complimented her on what she was buying, Bronwyn brushed her off because she was wearing sweats. Bronwyn said she didn’t remember it – it was what Lisa had told her – but it sounded like something she would do. As the Countess would say, don’t be all uncool.

And what’s up with Angie and Mary in the Burger King crowns?

🍊 And In a Shocking Twist…

Maybe he should have stayed with the devil he knew.

🚫 No Friends For You…

Gina stuck herself in the middle with Fancy Pants and Katie. And who said she’s not allowed to be friends with Katie? Bowling for Soup was right, high school never ends.

🃏 Maybe She Is Just Stupid…

Has she watched herself? Was shutting up about Johnny J. and his blackmail Ring tapes not an option?

🍸 Only Andy Knows For Sure…

Is it a spinoff? Is it a reboot? Is it something completely different? Does anybody really care? Okay, I might if LVP is involved.

💻 What Else To Watch…

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this film, other than the enjoyment of seeing Jason Momoa shirtless through most of it, but had I known it was a meditative art film wrapped in a bloody genre blanket, buried deep in a scorching sci-fi desert, I might have put more thought into it. While I didn’t pick up all the nuances this reviewer did, no one enjoys an apocalypse more than I do (okay, maybe Murphy from Z Nation), and I still appreciated the hell out of it. This review is years old (from when the movie actually came out), but the film remains the same and is now on Netflix. Warning: Major spoilers ahead.  

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/why-the-bad-batch-is-one-of-the-best-films-of-2017

I’d been waiting a while for this one to stream, since I love an animal/human hybrid theme. This is no Sweet Tooth, but it still contains the element of people fearing what they don’t understand and ridding the world of those who are different. I would have liked to see more of the animal/human hybrids, but it was a fascinating watch all the same. I also would have preferred a different ending, but that doesn’t make it bad. Actual animal, the main character’s dog Albert, added a touch of realism since he was no Lassie, and ran off in the face of danger as my dogs would. You can stream this on Hulu or Disney+ – in French with subtitles. Minor warning: A few small spoilers, but they don’t give the whole film away.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-animal-kingdom-film-review-2024

🦔 Where In the World Is Cinnamon…

Capybaras are one of my favorite animals. They’re kept as pets in some places and seem pretty chill, so I’m wondering why she’s so hellbent on not going back, especially since her capybara family is there. I hope it’s just because she has an adventurous soul.

https://people.com/cinnamon-capybara-runs-away-from-zoo-found-in-nearby-field-8714849

🦥 Dreaming Through September…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the OC for sure. Until then, stay safe, stay not sacrificing comfort (or safety) for style, and stay not carrying guilt. It does no good and doesn’t help.

September 10, 2024 – Isaiah Says Lucky Sent Him, Soap Suds, Dubai Reunites, This Week’s Life, Betrayal In Plathville, It’s Not Her, Funny Guys Live, New Dog In Town & Almanac

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Elizabeth tells Isaiah, they don’t know who he is or where he’s from, but she’s sure of one thing. He matters to someone out there. Isaiah opens his eyes, grabs her wrist and says, Lucky.

Sidwell comes back and tells the guard to take Lucky’s cuffs off. Lucky asks why he’s so glum. Was it not the good news he was hoping for? Sidwell says, the night is young, and Lucky asks if he wants to talk, but he says he’s more interested in resuming their card game. They’ve played dozens of hands, over 100, and Lucky has yet to lose. Enjoy it while it lasts. Sooner or later, he’ll lose then he dies. Lucky says he has to keep winning then. Wish him luck. Sidwell looks at Lucky’s hand and says, looks like his luck just ran out, when a guard comes in. While Sidwell is distracted, Lucky slips some cards up his sleeve, and the guard says, there’s news from the mine

Carly puts flowers in Lulu’s room and says, if she opens her eyes today, she’ll see something pretty. They’re all fighting for her, especially her mom. She’s gone to the other side of the world to find Lulu’s brother. He’s the best chance she has for a match. If anyone can find Lucky, it’s Laura. Lulu will be fine. She just has to fight a little longer.

In Anna’s office, Jordan tells Anna that the would-be assassin was brought to the station, booked, and he’s behind bars. She hopes he rots. Anna is writing this down, and Jordan tells her to leave out that last part. Anna says, great work apprehending the assassin. Not too shabby for a Deputy Mayor. Jordan says, they don’t know who the John Doe is or why someone wants him dead. The assassin has no ID and won’t talk.  Anna says, that’s where she comes in. She’ll keep Jordan posted. They’ll know more when their John Doe wakes up. Jordan leaves, and Jason knocks at the door.

Molly calls Diane and leaves a message that her mom needs help. Kristina and Michael come in, and Kristina asks what Molly is still doing here. Molly says, their mom is at the police station for questioning about the murder of John Cates.

Anna says, Jason must be glad. Alexis was brought in as a person of interest in John Cates’s murder. She’s being questioned, and right now his boss is off the hook. She asks if she can help him with something, and he says, she asked him to come by. She says she asked him to come with her, but he didn’t. He says he was busy. Now he’s not. What does she need? She says she needs to know who she’s dealing with, who she’s been dealing with. She thought they had an alliance of sorts. They worked together to find out who ran Pikeman and regarding John Cates. She can see it’s all over. She thought they’d become friends. Jason says, they worked well together. They didn’t agree on everything, but he did give her extra time to warn Valentin. She says, then he told Sonny that Valentin was running Pikeman, but he says he didn’t tell Sonny that she helped Valentin get away. That stays between them. She thanks him for coming in. He has his job to do and she has hers, so unless he can provide information about Cates’s murder or something else in her official capacity, she has work to do. He says, give him a minute. He thinks he’s earned it.

Sidwell says he has to triple check Lucky and looks at his cards again. He says, time to move to a new location.

Elizabeth tells Isaiah that he’s okay. He’s in the hospital. Don’t try to talk. She’ll let the doctor know he woke up. She calls for TJ to come to the room and tells Isaiah that he’s on his way. He asks where he is, and she says, General Hospital in Port Charles, New York. He says, Port Charles? Lucky, he… Elizabeth says, he was brought in with no ID. Can he tell her his name? He says, Isaiah Gannon… Lucky… his friend… sent him here. Lucky Spencer. She asks how he knows Lucky, when TJ comes in. He says, Elizabeth is needed at the nurses’ station, and she says she’ll be back as soon as she can, and leaves.

Drew tells Jordan that the governor’s office is going to have a special election, but even if one of them finishes McConkey’s term, that could change in a couple months. She stares off into space, and Drew says, Jordan? She says, sorry, and he asks what’s on her mind. She says, not much. Just the attempted murder she walked in on.

Michael asks Molly why they think Alexis knows anything. She wasn’t even at the Quartermaines. Molly says, she was seen tossing a gun in the water at Blackstone Canyon. Kristina wouldn’t happen to know about that, would she? Michael says, they know Alexis didn’t do it, so there’s no need to panic, and Molly says she saw that look he gave Kristina. It was a signal to shut up. Michael says, there’s no need for cross examination, and Molly say she’s talking to her sister. What was Kristina going to say before Michael stopped her? What does she know about this gun?

Jordan tells Drew, it’s a long story. The John Doe is under guard and the assassin is in custody. Her old instincts kicked in. He says, Deputy Mayor by day, vigilante warrior by night, and she says she doesn’t plan to make it a habit, but she wasn’t about to let it go down. She’s so distracted. She keeps going over it in her head. She thinks either their John Doe is dangerous or in danger or both. Whatever the case, she can’t stop thinking about it.

Elizabeth calls Carly and says, she might want to come to the hospital. Carly says she’s already here visiting Lulu. Is everything okay? Elizabeth says, they have a patient who’s a John Doe. The first thing he said when he woke up is that Lucky sent him to Port Charles. Carly says, if Lucky sent him… and Elizabeth says, he might know how to get ahold of Lucky or know where he is. They could have a liver donor. Carly asks, what floor? and Elizabeth says, 8. Carly says she’s on her way, and tells Lulu, it looks like their prayers are being answered.

Isaiah asks if they ran a CT scan, and TJ says, they did. Isaiah wonders if there was any bleeding or fractures, but TJ says, he was all clear. Isaiah asks if they did a CBC count, and TJ says, he’s a doctor. Isaiah asks, what gave it away? and TJ says, doctors are the worst patients, and he’s the worst there is. Definitely in the top five. He’s getting the best possible care and is in great hands. Isaiah says he’ll reserve judgement for later, and TJ says he’ll let the police know Isaiah is awake and chatty, and Isaiah asks if that can wait until later. He’s got a lot to tell.

Anna says, Jason has one minute, and he says, they worked well together when they left Sonny out of it. Anna asks if he’s suggesting she put him aside even though he’s a suspect, and he says, she’s basing that on a missing registered weapon. She asks if Sonny would never use a gun he legally owned to commit a murder, and he says, Sonny isn’t stupid. She asks if it’s not possible he got rid of the evidence because he assumed they’d think that, and he says, that would be a stretch. She says, the problem is that she’s been doing this for quite some time. She trusts her gut, and it’s telling her that Sonny did this. She doesn’t know for certain, but Jason does. Her phone rings, and she says she’ll be right over. She tells Jason that John Doe is awake, the man whose life he saved. She thanks him and he says he wants to finish this another time.

Kristina says she doesn’t know about the gun. She was going to say that their mom needs them both… Molly says, she’s lying, but Kristina says she’s not. Molly says, she’s not an idiot. What has Kristina done and how is mom wrapped up in it? Kristina says she’s done nothing, but Molly says, their mom got rid of a gun the night someone shot and killed John Cates. Where was Kristina and who was she with? Kristina says she was alone at the baby’s grave, and Molly says, of course (🍷). Kristina says, it’s the truth, and Molly says, mom would do anything for Kristina, and the one time Kristina can come through for her, she doesn’t. Whatever happened, she’s going to get to the bottom of it. They can panic now. She leaves.

Carly says she can’t wait to find out where Lucky is, when Elizabeth gets a hospital 911 and says she has to go. She tells the guard to let Carly in. Carly goes into Isaiah’s room and says she’s sorry to bother him. He asks if she’s with the hospital, and she says she’s Carly Spencer. She’s Lucky’s cousin. Isaiah knows him? Isaiah says he’s honored to meet Lucky’s family, and Carly asks if he can tell her where Lucky is. It’s a matter of life or death.

Molly barges in on TJ and says he won’t believe what happened. He asks what Kristina did now, and she says, it’s a new low, even for Kristina. He says he’s braced, and she says, her mom is at the police station. She thinks Alexis is about to be arrested for something Kristina did.

Kristina thinks she should tell the truth and get her mom off the hook, but Michael says, the gun that shot John won’t be the same model number. But they can’t prove it wasn’t the gun because her mom got rid of it. Kristina asks how that sounds, and Michael says, bad.

Anna asks how the John Doe is, and Elizabeth tells her that his name is Isaiah Gannon, and he might know where Lucky is. He said Lucky sent him to Port Charles. Carly is in there trying to get more information. Anna says, so he’s lucid? She needs to speak to him on her own. Elizabeth says, good luck getting Carly out of there, and Anna goes to Isaiah’s room. Jason comes out of the elevator, and he and Elizabeth look at each other.

Head mine guy tells Sidwell that they’re extracting smaller quantities every day, and Sidwell says, they should be getting 10 pounds weekly. Mine guy says, they got barely a pound today and they’ve stripped the entire area. They have to move. Sidwell says, very well, and as mine guy is about to leave, Sidwell shoots him dead. He tells Lucky, search him.

Jordan says her head’s not in the game, and Drew says she doesn’t have to apologize. He thinks it’s kinda great. She saved the day. Look him in the eye and tell him that she’d rather be with the PD. It’s fine. He can defend democracy himself. They got a big chunk done and the rest can wait. He thinks she should go back to Anna.

Anna introduces herself to Isaiah and says she needs to speak to him alone. Official business. Carly says, this is family business and they’re racing the clock to find Lucky. Anna suggests they start with his name, and he says, Dr. Isaiah Gannon. She asks how he ended up here at GH, and he asks where she wants to start. She asks how he knows Lucky, and he says, he was working overseas, providing medical relief in international areas in need. Lucky provided supplies. It was a risky job, but Lucky’s not one to run from danger. The danger got up close and personal when they were abducted by Sidwell, a crime boss war lord. Anna says she knows who Sidwell is, and Isaiah says, mining takes manpower and men in mines get sick and hurt. Sidwell acquired him to be his doctor. He’s kind of a hypochondriac. He and Lucky had a break-out plan, and he got out, but as far as he knows, Lucky is still in the compound. Lucky told him that if he managed to make it to Port Charles, to contact the WSB. Can Anna do that for him? Anna says she can, but they have a time crunch and asks where the compound is. Isaiah says, Somali, near the Shebelle River, and Carly says she has to get that information to the person who can get to Lucky.

Michael says, Kristina has to think rationally, not emotionally. What was she going to do, confess that she stole the gun from dad and Alexis disposed of it? Kristina says, Molly is upset and hurt with her, not mom. Molly is blinded by grief and rage and not thinking clearly. She has to do something to help mom. Michael says, Alexis will be fine. Molly won’t let her go down for murder.

TJ asks what Kristina did, and Molly says, her mother is now a person of interest in John Cates murder. A witness saw Alexis dispose of a gun by throwing it off the bridge the night of the murder. Add Kristina to the equation. She denied everything. TJ says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, but she’s in this up to her eyeballs. And somehow Michael is involved, but she’s not sure how. TJ says, Kristina always finds someone to clean up her messes, and Molly says she has to figure this out objectively. She needs to come at this as an ADA, not Kristina’s sister. Cates had Kristina arrested, so she’s got motive, and she’s got no alibi. She knows because mom and Sam were calling her, asking where Kristina was. Now mom got rid of a gun, presumably for Kristina. TJ asks if she can prove it, but she says, not yet. Michael doesn’t want Kristina to talk. He asks where that leaves her, thinking as an ADA, and she says, it’s all circumstantial, but it only leads to one place. Kristina killed John Cates. (Ugh. These two.)

Anna asks how Isaiah ended up in a ditch on Route 41, and he says, that part is hazy. When he flew in, he could tell someone was following him. He tried to lose them, but they tailed him. He ditched the car and ran, then bam! All he remembers is waking up here. Anna shows him her phone and asks if that’s the man who was following him. He says, yeah. How did she know? She says, he was caught trying to inject a lethal dose of fentanyl into Isaiah’s IV, and Isaiah says, an opioid overdose is a nasty way to go out. He thanks her for the rescue, but she says, it wasn’t her. It was the Deputy Mayor.

Jordan tells Drew that she’s staying not being a cop, but it raised questions. They can be answered tomorrow, so how about defending democracy? It does do her heart good to know she’s still got it. .  

Kristina asks what she can do, and Michael says, absolutely nothing. The police will realize there’s not enough to go on and let Alexis go. Kristina says she didn’t kill Cates. She knows mom believes her because she wants to, Molly won’t because she doesn’t want to, but what about him? Why does he believe her?

Carly goes to Jack’s office, and he asks to what he owes the pleasure. She says she needs help, and he says he assumes it’s in the pursuit of justice and the enforcement of international law. Shed says, it is, and he says he’s intrigued. She says she needs to know the exact location of Lucky Spencer, and he closes the door. He says, Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr. was last seen at the Kenya-Somalia border. He tracked Lucky for his mother recently. Carly says she needs to know his exact location now.

Elizabeth says she’s happy to see Jason. It’s been a weird day. A patient was found in the Pine Barrens, the victim of a hit and run. Jason says, he’s the one who found him, and she says, coincidences abound. He knows Lucky. He asks, how? but she says she doesn’t know. She keeps getting called away. Jason says, they have to talk to him, but she says, Anna is in there. He asks what the patient has said so far, and she says, not so much, but whatever he has to say about Lucky seems pretty urgent.

Kristina says she knows she’s Michael’s sister and he loves her and blah-blah-blah, but does he have a reason? He says he does. He knows she’s not capable of killing someone. She says, he’s right, she’s not capable of killing someone, even someone she hated as much as she hated Cates. She wanted him gone. He says, there’s a big different between wanting someone dead or wanting to kill them and going through with it, and she says she wanted him gone, but she didn’t kill him. Michael says he’s going to make sure none of them go down for the murder – Alexis, dad, or her. Molly is suspicious and there’s only a matter of time before they’re questioned. Kristina says she was afraid of that, and he says, no matter how bad she wants to help her mom, stay quiet. She has to understand that and let Diane handle it. There’s too much riding on this. She can’t say anything to anyone.

TJ asks if Molly thinks her sister could kill someone. She’s emotional, impulsive, and reckless, but a killer? Molly says, they’re coming at this objectively, and he says, can they? She says, let’s try. She has to come at this like any other case, and the facts point to Kristina. He asks what she’s going to do, and she says, what she has to. She’s not letting her mother take the fall for something Kristina did. She’s going to get Alexis exonerated and get Kristina to confess.

Jack tells Carly that using WSB resources for personal reasons is frowned on. He already tried get Lucky’s location. If he does it again, he might get in trouble. He’s already been busted from director to station chief. If he screws up one more time, he could be a janitor. She says, it’s a matter of life or death. Her cousin is fighting for her life. He says, she’s not shy about tugging at his heartstrings, and she says, he has a heart. Now it’s his chance to prove it. He says he’ll see what he can do. He has a difficult time saying no to her. She says, most people do, but he says he guesses not for the same reason. He picks up the phone and says he wants an update on the search for Lucky. (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love Jack. He’s the new Valentin in my eyes. Valentin could possibly come back, but after he tampered with Sonny’s meds, I can’t look at him the same way.)

Anna comes out and tells Elizabeth, all hers. Elizabeth thanks her and Jason, and she goes into Isaiah’s room. Anna says, Jason should go in and take credit for his good deed, but he says he’d really like to finish their conversation. She says she did, but he says he didn’t. She says, fine. She goes first. They walk around the corner, and she says she appreciates his discretion with Sonny regarding her letting Valentin get away, and he says, it stays between them. She says, that’s the problem. Jason is a man with exceptional skills, and she believes has a strong sense of integrity, but he functions outside, regardless of the law. She’s been there and understands more than anyone the position he’s in. How difficult it is to have feet on both sides of the boundary. He was kept away from his children and family, and she thinks that’s why she was encouraging him to take a strong step over the boundary. He has, just not in the direction she’d hoped for. He says he’s not going to abandon Sonny, but he doesn’t see why that should prevent them from helping each other if they need to. She asks why he wants to help her, and he says, because he considers her a friend too. She says she wishes she felt the same still, and he tells her to let him know if that changes. She says she hopes it does, and leaves.

Lucky searches mine guy’s body and hands Sidwell a couple of gold nuggets. Sidwell says, bastard. His so called righthand was skimming off the top. Does Lucky know what the worst part is? Lucky says, if he had to guess, he’d say it was disloyalty, but loyalty has limits. Greed has none. But mine guy was right. The mine is drying up. Sidwell asks how Lucky does it. He was just about to shoot and kill him if he answered wrong, but Lucky wins again. Lucky says, and he thought his streak was over, and Sidwell says, it will be soon. It’s time to move on. He’s lost contact with the man tracking Lucky’s friend and doesn’t know if he should take Lucky with him or end it right now. He aims his gun at Lucky, and Lucky says, come on. Sidwell looks at Lucky’s cards and laughs. He says, Lucky really is the luckiest man alive. He laughs again and pats the chair. He tells Lucky, as you were, and tells the guard to cuff Lucky again. And get someone to clean this up. Sidwell leaves, and Lucky tells the guard, don’t ever give that guy bad news, word of advice. The guard leaves and Lucky takes a gold nugget out of his sleeve.  

Elizabeth introduces herself to Isaiah and says she used to be married to Lucky. They have a son together – Aiden. Isaiah says, Lucky mentioned her. He said she was beautiful. Usually Lucky exaggerates, but he doesn’t think Lucky did her justice in this case. She thanks him and asks what he can tell her about Lucky. He says, they worked together for a few years being modern day Robin Hoods. She says, that sounds like Lucky. She’s had a bad feeling. Aiden has been trying to get ahold of his dad for some time. Is he okay? Isaiah says, he’s seen Lucky in difficult situations, but he’s never seen him in one like this. The last time he saw Lucky, he was still breathing, but he doesn’t know if that’s still the case.

Tomorrow, Nina asks if she can tempt Ric with something stronger; Anna asks Isaiah why someone would want to kill him; And Jack tells Carly that he trusts her judgement.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

Drumroll, please… Introducing the latest Lulu.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/alexa-havins-is-the-new-lulu-on-general-hospital

In case you don’t know or remember Lucky.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/lucky-general-hospital-jonathan-jackson-151164

This looks like it was wonderful, but even Sonny isn’t worth battling Long Island traffic.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/a-special-night-with-ghs-maurice-benard

I had no idea she did stage work.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-lisa-locicero-wins-best-actress

🐪 Oh For Camel’s Sake…

Look at those dresses… Sorry, I got distracted by the glamorous Red Sea. I’m not a huge fan of Reunions, since they inevitably reach that point where everyone is talking over everyone, and nothing can be understood. This one culminated with Ayan literally screeching long and hard. The view of Taleen’s nether regions, now known as V-gate, was rehashed. Stanbury said she wasn’t the one who belabored the point. She’d only mentioned it once during a phone conversation, but Brooks kept bringing it up. Excellent point. Taleen was over it in like, five seconds, yet Brooks held onto it for the whole season. It was also disturbing to hear that Ayan got backlash from revealing how she’d been the casualty of female genital mutilation as a child. I can’t think of much that’s more unfair or disgusting, unless it’s bullying someone about it. Apparently, Lesa had used the word victim to describe her, and Ayan was less than pleased about that as well. Someone drop a clue on Lesa that we use the term survivor these days.

🪄 Fabulous Redo For Glenn…

I don’t blame her. Keep your engagement out of my birthday.

https://www.accessonline.com/videos/my-big-fat-fabulous-life-whitney-doesnt-want-hunter-to-get-engaged-on-her-birthday-trip

Details about the renovation. It did look amazing.

https://www.realtor.com/advice/reality-tv/big-fat-fabulous-life-whitney-thore-unbelievable-renovation/

🏡 Welcome To Heartbreak…

I have her answer. He’s a d-bag. It’s as simple as that. Learn from it and move on.

https://people.com/welcome-to-plathville-recap-moriah-plath-reveals-ex-had-secret-family-8709926

Interesting. Word on the internet streets says he’s a gold digger.

https://screenrant.com/welcome-to-plathville-clues-micah-plath-signs-dump-veronica-peters-clues-not-serous-him/

🍊 Not Because She’s Being a Jerk…

They always blame the editing. I don’t care how sweet Alexis is in the unseen footage. She’s been coming for Shannon since she walked in and triggering her at every opportunity.

🤣 Laughing Their Peacock Off…

Streaming live on Peacock September 12, 9 pm.

https://ew.com/colin-jost-michael-che-live-comedy-special-peacock-8706010

🐶 This Time It’s Not an Insult…

I’ll bite. Wait. Wrong choice of words. This looks intriguing. Shades of True Blood’s Sam, the perfect boyfriend. When he becomes annoying, he can just turn into a dog.

https://ew.com/amy-adams-transforms-into-a-dog-in-nightbitch-trailer-8705913

Ha-ha! I had a dog who freaked out when I put on a hat in the wintertime.

https://ew.com/amy-adams-freaked-out-dogs-nightbitch-set-lunged-at-her-8708189

🪹 Post Summertime Blues…

Join me tomorrow for soap and what’s Listing in LA. Until then, stay safe, stay parking between the lines and not taking up two spaces, and stay not having feet on both sides of the boundary.

August 30, 2024 – Sonny Meets Jagger At the Boathouse, A Thought, On Or Not, Engaged, Who’s Back, Kyle’s World, Next In the City, Play Ball, A Half Dozen Plus One Quotes & Away

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Lucky is shoved into a chair, and he tells the guards that he doesn’t understand the attitude. He thought they were getting along just fine. Sidwell comes in and asks how long Lucky has been working with the doctor, and Lucky says, the guy Sidwell wanted him to shoot point blank? Sidwell says, Lucky came here with the intention of leaving with Dr. Gannon and he was hardly successful. He’s escaped, but Lucky is still here. He put a call out to an associate abroad who is very good at giving him what he wants when he wants it, and he’s going to find Isaiah. Lucky says, he’s got a guy who can get him anything any time and he had him track down the doctor? That would not have been his first or tenth choice. Sidwell says, Isaiah’s presence is very important to him, and Lucky says he didn’t peg Sidwell as the sentimental type. Sidwell says he wants Isaiah here to watch him kill Lucky.

At the airport, Isaiah gets off a flight from Heathrow, and hears, welcome to Port Charles. He moves on, and another man follows.

Dante tells Carly, it takes a special kind of person to take a sledgehammer to someone’s life and walk away. Does she have any idea what that did to Brook – Brook stands outside the door listening – using her as revenge to get between him and Lulu? Brook walks in and says she’s hearing her name and the tension in this room is like a ten. So what’s going on? Carly says, Dante is calling her out for paying Brook to break up him and Lulu, and Brook says, that was a very long time ago. Carly says, it was, and she regrets it. If she didn’t say this before, she’s sorry to both of them, and Lulu. Brook says, okay. She accepts Carly’s apology. Carly says she doesn’t want to fight with Dante under any circumstances, but especially right now when Lulu needs her family to be fighting for her.

On the phone, Michael says, Aurora is committed to expanding its interests into the streaming sector… Good. He’s glad they’re able to get everything sorted out and make it happen… No. Thank you. Getting dinner ready nearby, Sasha says, that sounds like it went pretty well, and he says, it did finally. He was worried the whole deal would disappear. He’s been on the phone since he pulled into the driveway. Thankfully, Yuri was here to help Monica out of the car. She says, try to stop him. Yuri is devoted to Michael’s grandmother. He says, the deal is done, so fingers crossed, and she asks if the fingers crossed clause is an addendum. He says, just in case. It can’t hurt. She says she knows how capable he is when he’s committed to a goal, and he says he was pretty sure they were closing the deal today, but until the ink is dry on every contract, he worries. She says she hopes it won’t affect his appetite, and he says, not at all. He’s really looking forward to the family dinner. He’s just wondering what’s keeping Willow.

Drew tells Willow that he doesn’t know why this is hitting him so hard. He feels kind of silly about it. He knew McConkey was sick. They all knew this was going to happen eventually. She says, knowing something intellectually and knowing it in your heart are very different things, and he says, there’s so much he wanted to ask McConkey, so much he wanted to learn from him, and all McConkey wanted was to spend more time with his family, and with his wife. She says she met Hazel briefly. She was so lovely. Drew says, he was a tough old guy, but when he talked about her and how much he loved her… He gave his life to politics, and all he wanted to do was spend the rest of it with the woman he loved.

Ava asks, where exactly are they headed? and Boyle says, Ava is being relocated to a more secure safe house. Ava says, in Port Charles? and Boyle says, Agent Cates chose the location. It will be more discreet. Ava says, that sounds perfect.

John asks if Kristina’s mother finally realized her case is hopeless and went home, and Kristina says her attorney is filing an emergency injunction against him. He says he loves her attorney’s never say never attitude, but it’s not going to amount to anything because he’s going to keep her in custody. Cadet Heller will cuff her and take her down to holding. He tells Dex that he’s on the PCPD’s payroll now, not Sonny’s, and Kristina laughs. She says, want to know the difference between John and her father? Her father has a moral code. John doesn’t have anything but… a badge. He says, that’s all he needs, and she says, no one is surprised he thinks that. He says, cadet, and Dex walks around the table. She asks how he’s going to charge her in the death of her own child, and he says, sometimes when you want to get a deal done, you’ve got to incentivize the other party to hold up their end. Now if Dex would be so kind… She says, this isn’t happening, and John opens the door. Dex tells Kristina to stay calm and puts the cuffs on her. He gently takes her elbow and leads her out, when Alexis comes back. She asks where the hell John thinks he’s taking her daughter.

On the phone, Sonny says he didn’t think Diane was going to pick up. He’s going to need her on call tonight. As a matter of fact, he’s going to need her on call all night. Make sure she has her phone with her at all times. He agreed to turn himself over to John Cates… It’s already been decided. Just be there when he calls. He leaves the penthouse.

Felicia brings coffee to Lulu’s room for Maxie, and Maxie asks how Felicia knew she wanted this. She didn’t even know she wanted this. Felicia says, she’s Maxie’s mom. She knows things. Maxie says, yeah, and Felicia scares her. Felicia says she understands why Maxie doesn’t want to leave Lulu, but she hopes Maxie isn’t spending the night here. Maxie says she’s not. She just doesn’t want Lulu to be alone. Felicia says, with any luck, she won’t be much longer, and Maxie says, Lulu went through life like she was invincible, and for a long time, Maxie really thought she was. Felicia says she can see why, and Maxie says, in a different world, Lulu would be the one going to the ends of the earth to save the ones she loves. That’s not who’s in this bed right now.

Brook asks if it’s her or did that come out of left field? and Dante says, it did. He hasn’t thought about that in a long time. Her? She says, no, not really, and he says, that thing with Carly was like a lifetime ago, and she says, a different lifetime. He says, a lifetime Carly doesn’t know anything about, when Sonny comes in. Dante asks how it’s going. Is everything okay? Sonny says, it will be. They need to talk.

Willow says, time is the most precious thing any of them will ever have. Most people don’t figure that out until it’s too late. But she knows. In the core of her being, she knows. She tears up and says, he gave her the gift of more time when she was sick. He says he would do every bit of it again, and she says she knows. She’s so very sorry for his loss and she hopes he can take some comfort in knowing that the man he believed in so deeply, believed in him. He says, McConkey saw something in him. He’s had bosses and commanding officers, but he never had a mentor. Somebody he could go to and ask for guidance. She says, sort of like a father figure? and he says, maybe. He never knew his father. By the time he met the Quartermaines, Alan was gone. She says she never met him, but she heard he was quite wonderful. Drew says he keeps asking himself, if the congressman saw something in him, would Alan Quartermaine have seen something? Would Alan have been proud of him?

Dante asks, what’s going on? and Sonny tells him that he just wants to say he’s sorry about Lulu. He’s sure Rocco is worried. Dante says, his mother’s been in a coma for so long, he doesn’t think Rocco thought anything else was going to happen. Then it starts to look like she may be dying, and he doesn’t think Rocco was ready for that. He sent Rocco off to baseball camp. That was a distraction for a little bit, but it’s weighing on him. Sonny says, what about Dante? How’s he getting through it?

Ava says she doesn’t mean to be a pest, but she thought they were headed back to Port Charles, and Boyle says, change of plans. Ava asks, why? What’s changed? Has their cover been blown or is the FBI so understaffed they can’t protect her in town? Boyle says, Ava can ask all the questions she wants, but she doesn’t have the answers to any of them. All she was told is, Corinthos has a lot of resources. Ava says, that is certainly true, and Boyle says, he could find her, so they’re moving her somewhere where he won’t. Ava asks if she has no say in the matter, and Boyle says, she does not. At this point, her life is in Agent Cates’s hands.

Cates says he’s taking Kristina to a holding cell, and he’s seen Alexis’s record, so he knows she knows what the inside of one looks like. Alexis says, he’s a disgrace. What kind of a monster would take a woman with Kristina’s physical injuries and throw her in a filthy holding cell? He says, take her to the cell, but Alexis tells Dex, don’t you move. (Poor Dex. I’ll bet he’s sorry he joined the force. Working for Sonny was easier.) John says he’s patiently listened to Alexis’s concerns, but if she thinks his patience for hysterical rants is infinite, she’s gravely mistaken. She says, when the FBI finds out what he’s done to this woman, they’ll have his badge (yes, for the love of all that’s holy, someone call them already), and he says, be careful, counselor. She just got her law license back. One call to the Bar Association and he can make that go away. Permanently. She says, do it. Do your worst. Because if he continues to try pushing around innocent people, she’ll stop him. Mark her words. She will stop him permanently. Anna comes out and asks, what the hell is going on here?

Sidwell says, spare him the fiction Lucky was just about to sell him. He came here to free his friend. It’s that simple. Lucky says, it’s even simpler than that. He wanted to work for Sidwell because he’s the only one around here who has any money. He hopes that doesn’t hurt Sidwell’s feelings. Ask around. Humanitarian work doesn’t pay. Sidwell says, so he was just pretending to care for the lives of others, and Lucky says, caring adjacent. He just cares about himself a whole lot more. You need work as a solid cover when you’re trying to get in and out of places or cross a few borders, but the pay is non-existent. And if there’s luxury anywhere around, he might just want to snuggle up and sit in its lap. Sidwell says, so Lucky wants him to believe it’s just a coincidence. He just happened to be here at the same time as Dr. Gannon. Lucky says, he can believe whatever he wants. He just hopes it comes with a big side of cash.

Sonny and Dante sit down, and Dante says, this thing with Lulu is hard, but with Sam’s help, he’s getting through it. Sonny says, Sam’s great. He’s glad Dante’s got her. But that doesn’t mean that Dante doesn’t sometimes think how things could have been different. Dante asks if he’s speaking from experience, and Sonny laughs and says, maybe. He wants to thank Dante for not giving up on him. He knows he made it tough at times. His mind was not… quite there, and his meds were messed with. But Dante never quit. Dante helped him get through it and he appreciates that. Dante puts his hand on Sonny’s shoulder and says, you’re my dad. When he was lost and messed up and threw away his life with Lulu, Sonny was the one who came halfway around the world to find him. Thank you. You didn’t give up on me either. Sonny says he may not be perfect – far from it – but he’d never give up on Dante or any of his children, and he knows he should have said this more often, but he’s proud of the man Dante is. Dante says, it means a lot, and thanks him, and Sonny says he wishes he could have seen Dante grow up. He wasn’t there, but just watching him these past years, seeing the honorable man he’s become… Dante says he loves Sonny.

Alexis says, Agent Cates is clearly guilty of overreach and abuse of power. He’s going to throw her daughter in a holding cell on charges that are unfounded and egregiously offensive. Anna says she sees, but Alexis says she doesn’t know that Anna does. Did she know he was going to throw her in a holding cell over what happened to her and use that tragedy to trump up bogus charges against her? Anna tells John, a storm is rolling in, which means this department’s resources will be stretched thin. The last thing the PCPD needs is a grieving mother still recovering from traumatic physical injuries in their custody, potentially needing resources that the department will be unable to provide. Alexis says, if so much as one of Kristina’s stitches becomes undone, she’ll sue John, the PCPD, and the FBI. Jerkface John says, the prisoner stays, and Anna says, all right. In which case, she needs him to ensure that all the appropriate paperwork for an extra departmental prisoner is completed and filled out and filed. That is going to take a lot of time, so he might as well start right now. He says he doesn’t have time for this, and she asks if he has somewhere else to be. He says, the Quartermaine estate. He’s taking a suspect into custody. Anna says, he’s not listening to what she’s saying, and he says, fine. Alexis can take her client home. He tells Kristina that he’ll be in touch. Don’t leave town. John leaves, and Dex takes off the cuffs. Kristina thanks Anna and Alexis hugs Kristina.

Drew tells Willow that every time he gives a campaign speech and introduces himself as Drew Quartermaine, he thinks about what that name means. He remembers where he was when the name change became final. He was at the MetroCourt pool and the significance of the Quartermaine name hit him all at once. Willow says, it’s a lot, and he says, it is. And not just because it’s a name that raises your profile or it’s a name people will recognize. It’s because it’s a way he can honor a man that he never got a chance to know. She says she’s sure Alan would be so proud of him, and he says, think of all the lives Alan saved at General Hospital. He devoted so much of his life and his time to the citizens of Port Charles. They sit down, and Drew says he wishes he’d known him. Willow says, Alan’s legacy lives on, and not just within the walls of GH, but within his family. And that includes Drew.

Sonny is about to leave, when Lois asks if he’s trying to sneak out without seeing her. He says, no, never, and she says, he’d better not. She hugs him, and she says, Dante told her that he was here, which she’s got to say surprised her, because a Quartermaine family dinner is the last place she’d expect him to be. He says, it’s a special occasion. All his kids are here except Kristina. Lois says, Kristina will be here next time, she promises. How’s she doing? Sonny says, she’s doing good. She’s tough. Lois says, just like her father, and he says, don’t let Kristina’s mother hear her say that, but Lois says she can take Alexis. Besides, she’s telling the truth. He’s a good dad. He thanks her and she says she’s really sorry about their recent issues. She was just trying to protect her daughter. He says he respects that, and she says, they do what they need to do to take care of their kids. He says, get the job done. Speaking of which, can she do him a favor? She says, yeah, and he says, a lot of his favorite people are Quartermaines – Amelia, Wiley, Michael. Take care of them, will she? She says, yeah. She’ll look out for them. She’ll always look out for his family, whether they’re Quartermaines or not.

Willow says, Alan might not have gotten to know Drew, but she has. She knows the man he really is. He says he thinks she might be the only one who does, and she says, he’s a good person. He saved her life without even thinking about it. He sacrificed himself and went to prison to protect Carly. He inspires her every day. There’s no one who comes through for his family more than he does. There’s an incoming call from Michael on her phone, but she doesn’t notice.

Michael leaves a voicemail, saying, everything’s fine here. He and the kids are wondering if she’s going to make it back in time for dinner, so just give him a yell when she gets this. He loves her. Sonny comes in and asks, how’s it going? Michael says he left Willow at Drew’s campaign event at Rice Plaza. He thought she’d be back by now. Sonny asks if Michael wants one of his guys to check on her, but Michael says, no. It’s fine. He just knows there’s going to be a pretty good storm tonight and he doesn’t want Willow caught up in it. He still gets nervous when she catches a cold. Sonny says, that’s understandable. He wants to take care of the people he loves. Michael asks if he’s talked to Krissy, but Sonny says, not since that bastard Jagger hauled her back to the PCPD. He’s charging her with the death of her own child. Michael says, that’s sick, and Sonny says, he’s sick. Jagger has had an agenda against him longer than Michael’s been alive. The one thing he’s always been afraid of is that one of his enemies are going to come after him through his children.

Alexis tells Kristina to make herself comfortable. Have a seat and she’ll make them some tea. Kristina thanks her for everything and says, Agent Cates is out of control, but it meant the world to her that Alexis fought for her. Alexis says she’ll always fight for Kristina. She’s got her. Kristina says she knows Alexis does, but she has to fight for herself. Cates has to be stopped. Alexis says, he will be, but it’s not going to be tonight. She wants Kristina to take that blanket, wrap it around herself, keep herself warm, and she’ll make some tea. Alexis’s phone rings, and she adds, after she answers the phone. She looks at the phone and says she has to take it. She answers as she walks into the kitchen, and Kristina takes Alexis’s keys out of her bag. She grabs her own bag and leaves.

Michael says, Sonny wasn’t himself, but the father he recognizes, the one that’s always been there for him, that’s the man who’s standing in front of him right now. He knows they’ve both made mistakes, but hopes they’re in a place now where they can move past them. Sonny says, they can do that. He’s a good son. Michael says, Sonny is a good dad, and they hug. Carly walks in and says she’s been waiting for this. It’s about time. She’s here on a mission. Wiley and Amelia are upstairs in the playroom and they’re asking for Michael. Michael says he knows better than to ignore the bosses, and leaves. Carly says she’s been praying that Sonny and Michael would reconnect, and Sonny says, it’s important that he’s on the same page as his children. He loves them and he doesn’t want anything to go unsaid. No regrets.

Lucky says, while Sidwell is trying to decide – he gets up, but a guard pushes him back down – whether he wants to kill him or hire him or cut him loose, they might as well play some cards. What do you say? Sidwell says, they have to kill the time, right? And it just so happens, he enjoys poker. He takes a deck out of his pocket (I guess he does enjoy it), and the guards put a crate between them as a table. Sidwell says, you shuffle, and Lucky says, with pleasure. Sidwell says, for someone who says he’s all about the money, Lucky spends a lot of time with nothing, and Lucky says, the last people to hire him were aid workers. It’s not much, but he ate. Sidwell says, what about a wife? Children? Lucky says, a wife and kids just want to eat too. He likes it on his own. He always has. How many cards?

Maxie tells Felicia, it’s not fair that Lulu can’t be added to the donor list. She understands the thinking behind it, but it just makes her mad. It’s like she has to fight with one arm tied behind her back. Felicia says, one of the hardest things you learn as a patient advocate is, donor lists are reserved for patients with a quality of life. Maxie says, so because Lulu’s been in a coma for three and a half years, her life doesn’t matter? and Felicia says, of course (🍷) her life matters, but with so many people on the donor list, there has to be some criteria. And the perception is, even with a transplant, Lulu’s quality of life wouldn’t significantly change. Maxie says, perception is not reality. Lulu’s life matters just as much as anybody else’s, and she’ll fight like hell for it.

Ava says, oh my God. This is Route 41. Boyle is taking her to the Pine Barrens? She knows Boyle isn’t with the FBI and that’s okay. Really. She’s known more than her share of professionals. She’s a Jerome. From the Jerome family. She has a lot of resources. Boyle says, if Ava had resources, she wouldn’t be hiding from Sonny Corinthos, and Ava says she’s talking about money. She has Jerome money. She has Cassadine money. Boyle says, she must be very proud, but Ava says, nope, just very rich. She can afford to pay Boyle a hell of a lot more than Cates is offering her. Don’t take her to a kill site. Take her to a bank. Boyle tells her, who says he’s paying her?

Cates goes to the boathouse and calls for Sonny. Lightning begins to flash, and John tries the door, but it’s locked. He looks in the window and says he knows Sonny’s here. Come on out. It’s time. Sonny comes out and says, he’s right. It is time. It’s time for this to end. It starts to rain.

Kristina lets herself into Sonny’s penthouse and takes a lockbox out from a credenza. She puts in a combination, opens it, and takes out a gun.

Sidwell lays down his hand of cards, and Lucky tells him, you know what they say. Lucky at cards, unlucky at love. He lays down his hand, and Sidwell says, so he assumes Lucky is no stranger to heartbreak. (I have no clue what these hands are. Other than a short flirtation with Yahtzee years ago, I have no poker knowledge.) Lucky says he’s what they call relationship challenged, but it’s made him one hell of a poker player. Sidwell says he can just as easily kill Lucky tomorrow as he can today. So let’s go again. Lucky says, why not? Tomorrow’s not going anywhere. He picks up the cards.

Maxie says she knows this isn’t fair to Sam, but she wishes Lulu would wake up and tell Dante that she loves him. She wasn’t able to tell him that she wanted him back. There’s a knock at the door and Dante comes in. He thanks Maxie for sitting with Lulu, and Maxie says, of course (🍷). Any time. He knows that. He says he just spoke to the doctors, and they say the cirrhosis is progressing faster than they thought and they could be losing her.

Michael calls Drew and says he’s trying to reach Willow. Can Drew call him back when he gets this? Thanks. Nina comes in and thanks Michael again for the invitation to his family dinner. Is Willow in the main house? She thought she’d ask before she trekked to the gatehouse in the rain. Michael says, she’s not here. They went to Rice Plaza together for Drew’s campaign event and he thought she would be back by now. He’s a little worried. He hopes she’s okay and not out in this storm somewhere.

Drew asks how Willow does it. She just always knows the right things to say. She’s so beautiful and compassionate and full of strength. She makes him want to be worthy of her belief in him. She says, he already is. There is no one like him.

John says he was thinking Sonny might not show up. Sonny leaves him no choice. He filed a case against Kristina. Sonny tells John that he said he’d be here, and John says, this must be his nightmare come to life. He must have spent sleepless nights wondering when a man with just handcuffs and a badge would eventually show up and it would be over for him. Sonny says, and here he is with his handcuffs all ready, and John creepy smiles. He says, nothing is going to give him more pleasure than perp walking Sonny past the Quartermaines. Everyone is going to finally see who Sonny really is. (Because they had no clue before. This guy is such an idiot.) Sonny says, no, Jagger. Now you’re going to see who I really am. He takes a gun out of his waistband and aims it at John.

Ava says, if Boyle isn’t in it for the money, Cates must have something on her. Boyle admits John has evidence that will take her down, but it goes away if Ava goes away, and Ava says, Boyle can’t trust him. Look what he’s making her do. Boyle says she might be taking a chance on doing this, but it’s the only chance she has. Ava says, no, but it’s not. She doesn’t have to do this. Isaiah (for whatever reason) jogs out to the road, and Ava grabs the wheel, saying, Boyle can’t do this. Boyle tries to right the wheel, when Isaiah comes out of the shadows in front of the car. Ava yells, watch out! and the car skids.

Alexis comes back in and says, finally, some good news about the injunction. She looks around and says, Kristina? She sees her bag laying on its side, open, and looks inside. She says, Kristina has her keys, and she runs out the front door calling Kristina’s name.

Sasha hugs Nina and says she was so happy that Nina was coming for dinner. She knows how much it means to Nina to spend time with Willow and the kids. Nina says, it would mean a lot more if Willow was here, and Sasha says, she’s still not back from the campaign event? Nina says, no and neither is Drew, and Sasha says, traffic in the rain is a nightmare. (WOTD) She’s sure they’ll be here very soon. They both know nothing is more important to Willow than her family. Michael comes by and says he’s going to the gatehouse. Willow might be there by now. Nina asks if he wants her to go with him, but he says, no. Only one of them should get soaked. Just call him if they hear from Willow. Nina says, of course (🍷), and he leaves.

Drew asks if he’s imagining this, and Willow says, what? He says, you and me. Not her hero and not the guy who saved her life, but the man who sees her and wants her. And she wants him too. She says, yes, and they kiss. (As a friend of mine texted me, no amount of yelling at the TV stopped them.)

John says, really? Is Sonny going to shoot a federal agent? Right here on the Quartermaine estate? Sonny says, John left himself wide open, and John asks if Sonny thinks he came alone with no backup. Sonny asks why John would need backup. John wants sole credit for bringing him in. John says, Kristina is about to go away for assault and murder. Sonny could save her by just turning himself in and confessing his crimes. But no. Sonny is too selfish to sacrifice himself for her. Or for anyone. Sonny is no man and he’s sure as hell no father. Sonny says, John has been banging the same old tired drum about Karen for decades. He still doesn’t understand, and now John targets his daughter? Sonny has told him over and over and over, John can come after him, but when he goes after Sonny’s daughter – he raises the gun – that’s unacceptable. He shoots John in the chest, and John goes down. Sonny walks over to him and puts another bullet in him for good measure.

Next week (presumably Tuesday), Chase tells Brook, there’s been a shooting; Drew says, there have been times when he wishes he’d met Willow first; Portia asks Jordan if she thinks a winning case can actually be made for Heather; and Sonny says he needs Carly’s help.

💭 Just a thought. Maybe John isn’t really a federal agent. Like, maybe he used to be, but something happened, and he got canned. I’m just wondering how Sonny is going to get away with this. There’s blood, so it’s not a bulletproof vest situation. He did talk to his boss and the lawyer recognized him as an agent, but as far as I know, Sonny isn’t going anywhere, so I need to find some justification here. Or maybe they’ve just discovered John isn’t who he claims to be, he’s extremely dangerous, and Sonny will be a hero. I’ve wondered how Adam J. Harrington is justifying his character’s behavior. He might just be rolling with it, but he’s playing it like someone who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

🛁 Who Will Be Laboring…

GH will be rerunning the August 1st episode where Kristina confronted Ava.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/find-out-if-your-favorite-soaps-are-airing-on-labor-day-2024

🍊 Rubbing Salt In the Lemons…

Yeah, yeah. The heart wants what it wants, but this still seems deliberate. I’m sure Shannon was a handful, but no one deserves having their nose rubbed this hard in it.

https://people.com/alexis-bellino-and-john-janssen-are-engaged-after-9-months-of-dating-exclusive-8703643

🌴 They’ve Got Style…

No premiere date yet.

💎 The Hills Are Alive…

It can’t be happiness to see Mauricio take his new, much younger, main squeeze public.

But then this happened.

🗽 Delis and Laundromats and Gay Bars…

Premiering October 1st. I’m looking forward to the pigeons.

In the meantime, relive last season.

🐕 Put Him In, Coach…

I once had a Golden Retriever who would stare at a frisbee until it boinked him in the head. Even worse, his name was Einstein. It was a false prophecy.

https://people.com/shohei-ohtani-dog-decoy-throws-first-pitch-8703895

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Some days you just shouldn’t get out of bed, in my opinion. – Bob Spart (Bill Hunter), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

My responsibility to myself, my neighbors, my family and the human family is to try to tell the truth. – Toni Cade Bambara

So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love. – E.A. Bucchianeri

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.Fyodor Dostoevsky

I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. – George Washington

The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. – Phil Jackson

We were good before things went bad. – Silas Clay (Michael Easton), General Hospital

🍃 Summer’s Last Stand…

Make a return trip on Monday where there won’t be soap, but a Deck that rests for no one. Until then, stay safe; stay not leaving food out for more than two hours when eating outside (one, if it’s particularly hot); and stay knowing that time is the most precious thing any of us will ever have.

August 27, 2024 – Heather Gets a New Lawyer, Soap Suds, No Stanbury Drama In Dubai, Slammed, Guilty, She Filed, Coming Up, Troubled Reality, Gilded Girl, They Do & Turns

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Alexis is on the phone when there’s a knock at the door. She says she’ll call them back, and opens the door to Ric.

Dex sees Molly sitting near the park and asks if she’s out for a run. She says, that was the original idea, but he can see how far she’s gotten, and he says he’ll leave her alone if she prefers. He just wanted to make sure she’s okay. She says she is… That’s a lie. She’s not okay at all.

At the hospital, Elizabeth says she thought Portia would be with the family after the funeral. She was sorry to hear about the baby. Portia says, it’s been a difficult day all around.

Tracy sits in the chapel, and Dante asks if she minds if he joins her.

Deanna says she hopes Portia can decompress, when Carly and Jossln walk in. Portia says, it’s not likely, and goes over to them. Elizabeth asks Deanna to cover for her and leaves. Carly asks if Portia can tell them anything about Lulu, and Josslyn says, they’re family. Carly says, no one sticks together the way the Spencers do

Laura waits in the visiting room at Flatland Prison. Nicolas is brought in, and they hug.

Elizabeth asks Heather, what seems to be the problem? and Heather says, nothing her little Lizzie Beth can’t fix. Elizabeth asks what she’s doing at the hospital, and Heather says, she’s getting a blood test, and she missed chow time at Pentenville. She requested dinner, but they forgot the Jello and got huffy when she asked. Elizabeth says, it’s not a hotel with room service, and Heather says, they don’t have Jello at Pentenville, or pudding, or anything that jiggles, except things that shouldn’t. Elizabeth says she’ll get Heather something special if she takes it easy on the staff, and Heather says, of course (🍷). The last thing she wants is to make trouble for Elizabeth or herself. God forbid she should jeopardize… Can Elizabeth keep a secret? Soon she’ll have access to all the Jello she wants. She’s fixing to go free.

Portia explains to Carly and Josslyn that Lulu’s status has changed. A blood test showed that her liver was compromised, likely due to her medication. She has cirrhosis and needs a liver transplant to live. Josslyn says, test her.

Laura asks how Nikolas is, and he says he’s in one peace. How’s Ace? She says she brought pictures, and shows him her phone. He laughs and Laura says, Ace is a happy kid and hitting all his milestones with flying colors. He’s learned the word no in three languages because his babysitter is a language major. Nikolas says, he’s going to be cosmopolitan, and she says, like his father. Nikolas says, and like his big brother… How is she? She says, they have a problem, which is why she needs him to toe the line in here for his sister’s sake. She needs him.  

Tracy asks, to what does she owe this visit? and Dante says he just wanted company. She says, hers? and he laughs. He thanks her for being here. It helps him knowing she’s here for Lulu. She says she’s not here to make things easier for him, but he says, it still does. She stepped up for Lulu a lot of times and knew when to step aside. It’s impressive. She helped shape Lulu, then cut her loose on the world. Tracy says, Lulu became someone she doesn’t recognize.

Dex asks if Molly needs a ride, but she says she’s not ready to go anywhere. She doesn’t want to face her family. The funeral was taxing in ways she didn’t anticipate. He sits down, and she says she blew up at her mom and sister. She said awful things. He says he’s been there. There were a lot of fights before he took off. She says, he doesn’t talk to his family at all? and he says, it doesn’t have to be that way for her. She can patch things up. She says, suck it up and apologize when she’s not sorry and suppress her feelings because her sister is a walking disaster, and her mom has no time for anything else? That would be status quo, and she’d rather have nothing.

Ric says he can’t stay because he has an appointment, and Alexis says, with Satan? She tells him that Kristina is upstairs, so she suggests he keep his voice down. He says he’s glad she’s taking care of Sonny’s offspring. Molly is hurting. She’s upset with the way Alexis is treating her like an afterthought. She’s in pain and holds Alexis accountable for part of it. He suggests Alexis seize the chance to change, because she’s not getting another one.

Molly says, run, literally, while he can, but Dex says he’s absorbing it. It seems like she and her mom have a great relationship. She says, they get along well and can talk about almost anything. They have mutual respect and by many measures, Alexis defines a good mother. He asks, what about the other measures? and she says she knows some people have it worse and knows her mother loves her to the extent circumstances allow. She raised a family on her own, which is commendable, but any one individual has only so much time and energy to go around. So when one family member can’t stand on their own feet, they need more love and understanding, and the rest of them learn to live with what’s left.

Ric tells Alexis to try listening, and she says, to his absentee daddy parental advice? He says, don’t let that be an excuse not to make it right with Molly. She was crying for hours and he reassured her that Alexis would reach out and try to fix it, but she didn’t call. Alexis says she was too busy dealing with her post-op, postpartum, post arrest daughter who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but he says, Molly needs her just as much. All she needs to do is let Molly know that she’s on Alexis’s mind and heart. Alexis says, Molly knows that, but he says, she doesn’t feel it.

Elizabeth tells Heather that there’s no doctor/patient confidentiality. She can’t keep quiet about an escape attempt. Heather laughs and says, no. She’s Heather 2.0 and doing things the right way, the legal way. Scotty took her case and said it’s a slam dunk. They’re supposed to meet here. Has she seen him? Elizabeth says, no. No one has seen Scotty. He’s gone.

Nikolas asks if Laura is flexing her mayoral muscles by bringing her own lab tech, but she says, time is of the essence. All they need is to arrange for him to be moved back to Port Charles if the blood test proves that his liver is healthy and functioning. He says he’s already a match, and she says, they’ll fly him home within the hour, but it’s not without risk. He says he’d do anything for Lulu, and she says she hopes it’s enough. He says, it was last time.

Dante says, Lulu is the same person she was when she went into the coma, and Tracy says she’s surprised he doesn’t see it. What does he remember when he and Lulu first met? He says, she was a handful. Fiery and mischievous, always up to something. She says, Lulu was confident and didn’t take any crap, and Dante says, she kicked ass. Tracy says, then she changed. She became insecure and cautious with a conservative approach to life. Dante says, maybe he’s not so grateful she’s here, and Tracy says, he doesn’t like it when she’s holding up a mirror and showing him what he did. Lulu had spirit, determination, and courage, and he robbed her of it.

Alexis says, however Molly feels, she knows that’s untrue, and Ric says, then tell her. She says, he saw Kristina at the funeral. She was about to lose it. She almost died, the baby die, she’s recovering from surgery and postpartum, and living with the threat she might lose her freedom. She needs help navigating it. He says, Molly doesn’t? and she says, yes. Doesn’t he think she wants to spend every minute with both her daughters? One person can’t be both places at the same time. They’ve had a profound loss, and the one more equipped to handle it is Molly.

Dex asks if Molly thinks her mom would agree, and she says, no, but there’s no denying Kristina is a mess. She always has been and always will be. (I think this is unfair. Kristina is a mess off and on, like everyone else in Port Charles, except maybe Molly, who’s been a mess since she met her first real life problem, infertility. Kristina had actually been doing very well before this whole mess.) She tells Dex that Kristina couldn’t function without their mom’s oversight. She figured this out when she was young, so she learned to be strong and independent, a problem solver. It might sound vain, but she learned to be excellent. She knew if she asked for more, her mom would kill herself trying to give it to her and her sister would suffer as a result. He says, it’s the one thing she can’t talk to her mom about, and she asks about his family. He says his dad hurt the whole family, and his brothers hurt people as a result. His mom got it the worst. She asks if his mom ever thought of leaving, and he says he doesn’t know. She may have thought that’s what love was. She says she bets his mom wanted to leave, and he says, if she left, she had no one to go with her. He wishes he’d asked her on the side, but he took off instead and never looked back. Molly says she never asked for more because she assumed her mother couldn’t give it, but he says, maybe she didn’t give it because Molly never asked.

Tracy says, so Dante walked away. He’s good at that. He says he was sick. He had PTSD. She says she understands, but he sought help alone. He says he didn’t want to drag Lulu down with him, and she says, Lulu vowed to stay by his side when he was at his most vulnerable, despite the fact he slept with her cousin. But he turned her away. He says he didn’t want to, but she says, it doesn’t matter what he wanted. He shattered Lulu’s confidence. She was a shadow of herself. If she dies without reclaiming the spark she inherited from her father, Tracy will never forgive him. He says he can live the rest of his life without her forgiveness. Why doesn’t she keep it for herself?  

Nicolas says he remembers the first time he saw Lulu after the operation. He still has a mark on his back. Laura says, from the bone marrow, and he says he couldn’t wait to make sure she was okay. She says, he brought Lulu flowers, and he says, to a toddler. It’s the thought that counts. He saw a little girl who needed protection and care and told her that he was going to do that. He said that to his boys… He starts to cry and asks, is it too late for him? Will he ever be able to atone for destroying his family?

Josslyn says she knows Nikolas is a match, but she’d like to be tested. Portia asks if she isn’t already an organ donor recipient, and Carly says, she had childhood kidney cancer. Portia says, that makes her ineligible. They’d be surprised how many factors come into play. Carly asks if she can be tested, and Portia says she’ll get the ball rolling. She asks Deanna to draw Carly’s blood, and Deanna says, as soon as she’s done relieving Elizabeth. She’s sure it won’t be much longer. Portia looks toward Heather’s room, and Deanna says she can draw blood at the same time. She’ll multitask.

Heather asks what Elizabeth means, and Elizabeth says, Scotty is out of town indefinitely. She thinks it’s some big, possibly lucrative, case. Heather says she has a big, lucrative case and he’s supposed to represent her. He told her that he’d get her out of that hellhole, and she could be with her grandson. She has plans. Portia comes in and tells her, you know what they say about plans. God laughs, and so do I.

Dex sits in the MetroCourt and looks at his phone. He sees calls from his mother.

Portia asks, what brings Heather here? and Heather says, a court order. Her lawyer pushed it through. Elizabeth says, he arranged for a blood test, and Portia says she’ll be more than happy to take Heather’s blood.

Ric says, Alexis’s reasoning doesn’t change the fact that Molly thinks she’s choosing Kristina over her, but Alexis says she never has and never did. Ric asks, what about the document? and she says, it was misunderstood. He says, her and Molly’s relationship is in jeopardy, and she says she’s been in a relationship with her daughter since the day she was born. No breaks. His relationship with her is long distance phone calls and she thinks she knows better. Now he shows up with his flashy righteous arguments. Kristina needs her more and Molly understands. He says, what if she doesn’t? when Molly walks in. Ric says he prays Alexis is right, greets Molly, and leaves. Molly tells Alexis, whatever he said, she wishes he didn’t. She can fight her own battles. Alexis says she thought Molly was here to work things out with her sister, and Molly says, not with Kristina. With you.

Laura says she believes in Nikolas, and he says, that makes one of us. She says, he turned himself in and saved Ace from a life on the run. It was a selfless choice, like he did with Lulu and he’s about to do again. He says, it’s so hard to hold on to that in here, and she say she gets that he’s struggling, but he can survive that. He asks, how? and she says, serve his sentence, come home, and be a good father. The technician comes in, and she tells him to go save his sister.

Tracy says, before Dante delves into it, she’s lived too long and experienced too much to waste time dwelling on her past mistakes. He says, what about her promise to Laura that Lulu would get the best care possible? She probably promised Luke the same thing. Maybe she promised Luke that Lulu would always get top notch treatment. Or maybe she told him that she could wake Lulu up with her money and resources and treat Lulu like her own daughter. Maybe Luke thought about that when his life flashed before his eyes and found comfort in knowing she’d look after his little girl. She kept almost all of her promises, but Lulu has nothing to show for it.

Laura looks at a paper and says, Nikolas can’t do it. He can’t help Lulu.

Josslyn comes up behind Dex and puts her hands over his eyes. She says, guess who? and he says he’d recognize those hands anywhere.

Dante says, Tracy is right. Lulu wanted to stick it out and told him that if he left, it was the end, there was no coming back. That terrified him, but the alternative was worse. He was more afraid if he stayed, so he left. He knows it was wrong, but it’s done. Lulu is fading away and there’s nothing he can do about it.

Nikolas says, it must be a mistake. Lulu has his bone marrow. Laura says, it’s not that. The test shows his liver function doesn’t meet the criteria. He says he’s not sick and he’s not drinking in here, and she says, his liver is fine for him, but not fine for donation.

Elizabeth says she heard Carly got tested, and Carly says, yes. She’d also like to add herself to the registry. Maybe one day she can give someone a gift like Josslyn received. Elizabeth says she remembers how sick Josslyn was and how hard it was for Carly. Carly says, it was hard for Elizabeth too, and Elizabeth says, if someone had told her back then that they’d be friends… Carly says, they wouldn’t have believed it, and Elizabeth says, too bad so many things that tie them together are so awful. Carly says, here comes one of those things now, and they see Ric.

Heather says, Portia has a nice bedside manner when she wants to, and Portia says, Heather didn’t think she was going to hurt her. Heather says she thinks Portia was tempted, and Portia says she might have been, but she doesn’t give in to every temptation. She also took her oath seriously and wants to live up to it. Heather says she was regarding Portia as a mother, not a doctor, and Portia says, pain as vengeance isn’t her style. Heather says, it was never her goal, and Portia asks if it was just a pesky biproduct of faulty hip. Heather says, in her mind, she thought she was protecting her daughter, and Portia says, that might be something they have in common. She would go to great lengths to protect her daughter, and so would Heather.

Molly tells Alexis that Kristina is a lost cause. There’s no mending fences unless they’re both willing to put in the work, which means Kristina has to acknowledge that she’s done anything wrong and offer a sincere apology. That’s not going happen, and she has no illusions about her sister. She’s not expecting more, but she’s hopeful for more from Alexis. Alexis asks, what more does she want? and Molly says, understanding, acknowledgment of what she’s navigating. Alexis says she knows Molly is navigating hell and wants her to know she’d do anything to get her to the other side of it. Molly asks if Alexis will tell her the truth, and Alexis says, always. Molly says, if Irene had lived, would she have helped Kristina take Irene away from her and TJ?  

Josslyn tells Dex that it was too late to see Lulu and her mom kicked her out. There was nothing left for her to do, and her mom said she should go live her life. Dex says, remind him to thank her. It’s hard to turn off the worry. She says, there’s a chance Lulu will be okay. She’s trying to be optimistic, but bad things can happen, and she doesn’t want another thing to be added to the list. He says, they can pray it won’t be.

Alexis tells Molly that Kristina came to her with the document and asked her legal opinion. She told Kristina what she’s told all of them all along. If Kristina asserted herself in court, it would probably go her way, but she would not get involved at all. If she’d given Kristina a hard no, in Kristina’s condition, she would have lost her. Like she’s losing Molly now. She loves her three daughters more than anything, equally. As imperfectly perfect as they are, she can’t bear to lose any of them ever. Molly says, Alexis hasn’t lost her, and they hug.

Carly says, look what the cat dragged in, and Ric says he’s in town for an infant’s funeral. Is attacking him necessary? Carly asks if chaining her to a wall was necessary, and Elizabeth says she’s sorry for Molly and TJ’s loss. How are they dealing with it? Carly asks what he’s doing at the hospital, and he says he has business here. Carly says, the memorial service is over, and suggests he go back to whatever hole he crawled out of. Ric says, it’s good to see her. He hopes he and Elizabeth have the opportunity to catch up. He leaves and Elizabeth says, that can’t be good.

Heather says she’s not a threat anymore and Portia doesn’t need to be protective. Portia says, Scotty’s gone, and Heather is too toxic for another lawyer to take on. She’s going to spend the rest of her days at Pentenville where she belongs. Rick walks in, and Portia says, he can’t be here. He says, is she Heather Webber? and Heather says she is. He says, then he’s in the right place. Scotty sent him. He’s Ric Lansing, her new attorney. He’d like a word alone with his client. Portia leaves, and Heather asks if this is really happening. He tells her, let’s get you out of prison and make the bastards pay.

Portia fingers the vial of Heather’s blood and looks at the computer. (The wheels turning in her head tell me that she’s not so ethical after all.)

Tracy tells Dante that she shouldn’t have said what she said, and he says, apology accepted. She says she didn’t apologize. She stands by what she said, but her timing could use work. Beating him up now accomplishes nothing. Dante says he can take it. He knows she doesn’t have a whole lot of use for him and he’s not itching to be best friends, but she’s important to Lulu, which makes her important to him. She got Lulu through more than a few tough times and hopes she has one more left in her. Lulu needs her now more than ever. She almost starts to cry, but catches herself and says, Lulu needs both of them. Dante puts his hand on her shoulder.

Laura says, it will be okay. Just because Nikolas can’t help doesn’t mean no one else can. Lulu has other relatives. He says, including her mother who would do anything to save her. Laura has to find him for Lesley Lu. Find Lucky and bring him home. She nods and they hug.

Tomorrow, Laura says, it’s time the WSB repays the favor; Lucky tells Isaiah to wait for his signal, then they’ll move; and John tells Alexis that she can make her daughter’s troubles go away.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

I’m thinking about getting in on this. Obviously, the dress would be too small for me, but it would be a unique autograph book to have.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/win-jophielle-loves-emmy-dress-autographed-by-gh-stars

What. The. Blip? It says, storyline dictated. Translation: another casualty of new writers. It will open the door to Lulu going back with Dante. Kind of lazy writing if you ask me.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kelly-monaco-out-at-general-hospital

Not sure if anyone cares, but he felt the need to give us this information.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-rick-hearst-reveals-where-ric-lansing-has-been

Extra innings.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/watch-ghs-nicholas-chavez-in-the-first-trailer-for-monsters

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/cameron-mathison-christmas-movie-update

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/exclusive-ghs-ryan-carnes-previews-his-heart-wrenching-new-movie

Losses.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/general-hospital-phil-brewer-martin-west-dead-82-174370

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/one-life-to-live-pamela-payton-wright-dead-78-174330

🐪 A Camel Went Through a Needle’s Eye…

This episode went from one rich person event to another, from an over-the-top Bar Mitzvah to a golf game where Chanel wore a tutu and did not do badly. I often think, being rich must be exhausting. Or at least that’s what I tell myself, so I won’t cry into my coffee. Stanbury told Sergio that it was the first time she wasn’t involved with the drama, and she enjoyed it. She also found out through a hypnotherapist that boarding school isn’t her fondest memory, but keeping a stiff upper lip, she told us in her interview, that’s what rich people in England do. She explained that the family name before the war was Steinberg, Caroline’s father being Jewish, hence the Bar Mitzvah. There was a couple’s dinner where they played one of those question games, which are always about sex and other things I don’t want to know. Several of the women (not Stanbury) are consistently bitchy in regard to one another’s businesses. It’s beyond me why you’d be bitchy about anything when you’ve got millions in the bank. Chanel was confused as to what some of the conflict was about, and she’s not alone. Next time, the finale.

🍊 There’s the Door…

So far, she’s no prize and way too heavy on the Johnny J. defense.

https://okmagazine.com/p/vicki-gunvalson-emily-simpson-slam-alexis-bellino-rhoc-return/

💎 No Big Shock…

For those who are still interested in this guy or doubted the outcome.

🍼 Nothing To See Here…

This is certainly no surprise to anyone.

https://okmagazine.com/p/brittany-cartwright-jax-taylor-divorce-filed/

📺 Next Up On Bravo…

Something to look forward to. Or avoid.

📉 Predictable Outcome…

I don’t care what his wife wanted. This is bad timing to the point of being unsavory. He’s the last guy who should be doing a reality show and doesn’t seem like he even wants to, yet he brought production to court? Not a good look. No surprise.

🪭 Crossing Over and Back In Time…

I was bummed when she died on TWD, but I’m glad she found new life here. I love The Gilded Age. Maybe even more than Downton Abbey.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/walking-dead-s-merritt-wever-joins-hbo-s-historical-drama-the-gilded-age-01j58q56zdxw

💍 Do You Take This Dog…

Shades of Giggy and Grandma Wrinkles.

https://people.com/dogs-who-fell-in-love-at-senior-community-get-married-8700654

⛅️ There Goes the Sun…

Join me tomorrow for soap and LA Millions. Until then, stay safe, stay not spreading out on public transport, and stay being confident and not taking any crap.

August 23, 2024 – A Meltdown At the Cemetery, So Lucky, Temp Sam, New Guy, Rejection, In the OC, Dead Book, Finishing Last, Behind the Dragon, Good Romance, Very Funny, Decagonal Quotes & Cake

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Kristina asks what Molly said, and Molly says, Kristina heard her. She had a choice. Protect her baby or Kristina’s father, and she chose Sonny. The truth is right here. Her sweet, innocent baby is buried right here because of Kristina.

Chase calls Brook from the station, and she says she only has a minute. He says, that’s fine. He just wanted to see how her mom’s segment is going. Caller Myrna says she thought Lois was supposed to entice viewers, not send them diving for the mute button. Lois’s accent is so distracting, she can’t focus on the products. Brook says she’s got to go, and Haven asks if Myrna perhaps had a bad experience with someone from the lovely borough of Brooklyn, or is she just having a bad day period? Dante walks in, and Maxie asks what he’s doing here. He says he’s looking for her. It’s Lulu. She’s been moved to General Hospital.

Elizabeth briefly takes Lulu’s hand, then sees Laura coming into the room. Laura asks, how’s Lulu?

We see a crude prison cell. A prisoner with leg irons is shoved into it.

Maxie asks what Dante means, and Dante says, the doctors are worried about Lulu, but she says she doesn’t know what that means. What did the doctors say exactly? He says he’s getting this information from Laura, but he guesses she’s had a setback, so the doctors want her moved to GH so they can handle her medical needs better. Maxie says she doesn’t like the way that sounds. It seems like there’s something wrong. He says he wishes he had more information, but he doesn’t. He just thought she’d like to know as soon as possible. She says, he was right, thanks him, and goes back to work.

Lois says she understands her accent takes a little getting used to, and Myrna says, a little? Haven says she was raised that it’s bad manners to critique the way someone speaks, and anyone with even a basic modicum of knowledge about etiquette would know it’s very rude to offer unsolicited advice on someone’s physical attributes. She’s sure Myrna has a lot of things to do today, and thanks her for calling. Lois says, the good news is, that Deception’s new Deceiver serum plumps and rejuvenates your skin no matter what your accent. Brook and Tracy watch, and Brook smiles. Haven says, exactly. And here at Home & Heart, we encourage everyone to use their voice and use Deception’s skin care products. Their skin will thank them.

Elizabeth suggests she and Laura talk outside, and they go to the waiting area. Laura asks if there’s been a change, and Elizabeth says, Lulu is stable, but her liver function is still declining. Laura says she doesn’t understand this. She has been on the same protocol for years. Why the sudden change? Elizabeth says, they don’t know why this is happening. They’ve already run additional tests. She knows it’s hard, but they just have to wait for them to come through. In the meantime, she’s doing everything she can to keep Lulu comfortable. Laura thanks her for doing that, and Elizabeth says, it was smart to bring her here. No offense to the long-term facility, but she can get better, more comprehensive testing and treatment here at GH. She’s in good hands. Laura says, especially hers, and Elizabeth says, Port Charles is Lulu’s home. Now she’s surrounded by people who love her. Laura starts to cry, and Elizabeth says, doctors and nurses included. They’re going to get her through this. Laura thanks her.

Molly says, Kristina is looking for absolution, for people to tell her this isn’t her fault. She wants to blame Ava, but this is on her. Nobody dragged her to Ava’s hotel room. She went there on her own and she picked a fight. (I can’t imagine talking like this to my sister, no matter what happened.) Kristina says she went there to protect her family, and Molly says, couldn’t she have waited, waited the few weeks her baby needed to be born? TJ tries to get her to stop, but Molly continues to yell. Molly says she knew she shouldn’t have trusted Kristina. She’s so selfish and self-absorbed. Alexis says, please stop it. Not now, please. Molly says, and there it is. Right on time. Mom swoops in to protect Kristina. You could basically set your watch by it. Alexis says, that’s not what it is, but Molly says, of course (🍷) it is. Because it’s impossible to imagine a world where Kristina has to take responsibility for her own actions without Alexis running in to defend her. Is that why she was so eager to get her law license back? So she could help Kristina steal thier baby? Alexis cries and covers her face with her hands.

Sam says, they know Molly is devastated, but this isn’t helping. Molly says she doesn’t care, and Ric says, let him and TJ take her home. Molly asks if they think she’s just making this up. That she’s just imagining mom was going to help Kristina steal her baby. Alexis says, that’s not what happened, and Molly takes a paper out of her bag. She says she found this in Alexis’s briefcase this morning, an affidavit written by Kristina saying she planned to file for custody of her baby. Alexis says, that’s not what happened, and Molly says, all those times she defended Kristina to TJ. She told him that he was wrong about her. It turns out she was wrong. Kristina was never going to give her the baby, and Alexis was just holding on to this for her, waiting to file it. Was she going to file this before her baby was born, or was she going to rip the baby from her hands and hand her to Kristina right in front of her? Alexis repeats, that’s not what happened, and Molly asks when she was planning to file this document. She did it for Kristina because Kristina was never going to give her the baby. Kristina says, no, she wasn’t.

Laura takes Elizabeth’s hand and says she’s never given up hope that Lulu would wake up. She knows that, right? Elizabeth says, of course (🍷), and Laura says she knows what people are thinking. She can see it in their eyes whenever Lulu is brought up. They know she’s been in a coma for three and a half years and they think that it’s hopeless. Elizabeth says, no one thinks that, but Laura says, yes, they do. They absolutely do. They think she should let Lulu go. That she’s being unfair, going through procedure after procedure, but they don’t know her daughter the way she does. And she knows Lulu is a fighter and she is in there and she’s trying to come back. They need to give her every opportunity to do that.

Dante comes into the station, and Chase asks, how was the funeral? (What a question. How does he think it was at a funeral?) Dante says, it was terrible. Kristina’s a mess. She’s completely devastated. Chase says he’s sorry. He knows how hard it is to see a sibling in that much pain. Dante says, you want to say or do something to help them, but there’s just nothing. He sits down, and Chase says, don’t take this the wrong way, but why did he come in today? He should be with his family. Dante says he got some unexpected news at the funeral and wanted to bury himself in some work and process it properly. He didn’t really want to talk to his family about it at the funeral. They’re dealing with enough as it is. Chase says he’s here. If Dante wants to talk about it, he’s happy to listen. Dante says, it’s Lulu. They moved her to GH. She’s taken a turn for the worse.

Going over to Elizabeth at the hospital, Maxie says Dante told her that Lulu had been transferred here. How’s she doing? Elizabeth says, they don’t know yet. The doctor is running labs and doing an MRI, hoping to get a clearer picture of what she’s dealing with. Maxie says, so she’s hanging in there? and Elizabeth says, she’s stable… for now. Maxie asks if the doctors are with her right now or Laura or anybody? She wants to see her, but she doesn’t want to get in the way. Elizabeth says, the doctor is finished, and Laura went to call the rest of the family. Maxie asks if it’s okay for her to see Lulu, and Elizabeth says, absolutely. They encourage friends and family to visit and talk to coma patients. Some people who come out of a coma actually remember what was said to them while they were under, and she suspects that’s exactly what Lulu needs. Her room is right over there. Maxie thanks her, and Elizabeth says, take all the time she needs. Maxie goes into Lulu’s room.

Back home, Curtis says, that was a lot harder than he thought it would be, and Marshall says, there’s always some sadness at a funeral, but there’s something about a funeral for a baby. Stella asks how Jordan is holding up, and Jordan says she’s okay. It’s difficult seeing TJ suffer this much. She just wants to wrap her arms around him and make it better. Stella thinks they could all use a pick-me-up. There’s plenty of food here. She’ll go heat some up. Marshall asks if she needs help, and she says, absolutely. They go to the kitchen, and Portia asks if any of them happen to know anything about Molly’s father. There certainly didn’t seem to be any love lost between him and Molly’s family. You could practically feel the chill in the air. Jordan says, Ric Lansing certainly won’t win any popularity contests in Port Charles. He operates in what she can call a grey area. But this isn’t the time or place to discuss his would-be transgressions, so let’s just say he’s not very well liked in this town. But Ric and Molly have a decent relationship. He does try to stay far from Port Charles for a reason. He’s estranged from his brother Sonny, and he and Alexis can’t be in the same room without butting heads. Ric’s made his fair share of enemies in Port Charles, so she’s sure he prefers to stay as far away as possible most of the time. Portia says she had no idea, but that explains a lot, and Curtis says, they all know how complicated family relationships can be. But no matter what he’s done, Ric is Molly’s father, and she clearly loves him. He’s really glad Ric showed up when Molly needed him, and it’s very important they do the same for TJ.

Molly says, Kristina was never going to honor their agreement. She was planning on keeping Molly’s baby. Kristina says, she was a part of me. I nurtured her. Molly says, Kristina killed her, and Kristina says she never would have put her intentionally in harm. Never. She was her mother for eight months and nothing Molly can say or do will ever erase that. Molly says, mothers look out for their children and protect them. They keep them safe at all costs. Kristina has zero maternal instinct. She’s selfish. She’s impulsive. She makes the same mistakes over and over. She’s a total trainwreck. Sam tries to get her to dial it down, but Molly says, Kristina got up in that church and presented herself as this grieving mother, all the while pretending she’s not to blame for her baby’s death. Kristina says she loved her. She loved her more than anything in this whole world. Molly says, love? Kristina doesn’t know the meaning of that word. Look at this grave. Her daughter is buried here. Kristina did not protect her. She did not keep her safe. She put her at risk, and she died. Say it. Admit that she killed Molly’s baby. Kristina falls to her knees and sobs.

Chase says, that’s not what he was expecting Dante to say. Lulu never occurred to him. Dante says, him either. It was a total shock. He got used to the status quo, as terrible as that sounds. He just wasn’t expecting this. Chase asks if Rocco knows, and Dante says, yeah. He told Rocco. Chase asks how he took it, and Dante says, how does he think? He’s a kid. They’re talking about his mom. Rocco had hope that she’s going to wake up soon and he’s telling Rocco that she’s getting worse. She might not make it. This is tough. Chase says, Rocco has Dante, he has Sam, and a huge family around him to lift him back up. Hopefully, that’s enough. Dante says he hopes Chase is right, and Chase says he feels for Rocco, but it’s got to be affecting Dante. How is he doing, knowing that Lulu could be slipping away?

Haven thanks the viewers for tuning in today to see what the amazing Deceiver serum can do. The results are indisputable. But don’t take her word for it. Try it for themselves. She promises they won’t be disappointed. Lois says, we can’t wait to hear how it changes your lives, and Tracy and Brook smile. Lois says, until then, stay beautiful, and Haven thanks her for coming. It’s great to see her. And now she’s proud to take this moment to introduce their newest addition to the Home & Heart family. Please meet their new program host, Pearl. Pearl thanks Haven and says, today, she has an incredible line of vegan handbags by Kay Carol. Whether it’s work or travel, fashion or function, we’ve got something that’s going to fit your life. Stay tuned for this exclusive deal. The director says, they’re clear. Let’s move to Stage 14. Nice going. Brook says, wow. These handbags are beautiful. Especially this one. She picks up a bag and says she just needs to have it. As soon as she’s done here, she’ll come see Pearl on Stage 14. Pearl says, don’t wait too long. These handbags are going to sell out fast. Haven tells Lois, that was great. She was fantastic. Not everybody is cut out for this kind of thing, but she’s a natural. Brook says, and a hit. These numbers are amazing. They just keep going up. Lois says, really? And Brook says, absolutely. (WOTD) This was Deception’s best segment yet. She sold the most units of Home & Heart’s entire quarter. Haven says she knows what she’s talking about. Lois is a natural. She knows greatness when she sees it. Lois says, wow. Who knew? Brook says she did, and Tracy says she’s got to hand it to Lois. She really pulled it off. She did a terrific job.

Kristina continues to weep and says, Molly’s wrong. She does know what love is. She loved her. She did. She loved her. She knows what love is. She loved her. She did… She did. TJ bends down and says something I can’t hear, and Molly flashes back to Kristina asking Molly to let her help. Let her carry that baby for her and TJ. Molly flashes back to Molly saying that she was disappointed and bitter to know Kristina could carry a child and she couldn’t, then asking Kristina to be their surrogate. She remembers telling Alexis that the bond between her and Kristina is stronger than all the legal protections in the world, and them being excited when Kristina finds out she’s pregnant. She remembers TJ saying, Kristina is more than a surrogate. She’s biologically and emotionally invested. Molly tells him that she’s still choosing to be hopeful. She flashes back to telling TJ that Kristina wants their baby to be her baby and thanks to the interview, the whole world thinks it is. She remembers trying to get Kristina to terminate her parental rights, and Kristina saying she wonders if she and Allie couldn’t provide a more stable home for this baby right now. She flashes back to TJ telling her about the accident, visiting Kristina afterward, and Kristina telling her that their precious little girl is gone. Ric says, they have to get her home, but Molly says she’s not leaving without TJ. TJ goes over to her and says, let’s get out of here. They walk out hand in hand. Kristina continues to sob and says, she did. She loved her. Sam glares at Ric, and Alexis holds Kristina.

Maxie paints Lulu’s nails and says she’s sorry she missed their visit last week. Lulu knows she considers it their standing date, but James was missing, and they were looking for him. Don’t worry. He turned up. A little worse for the wear, but boy, does she have a crazy story to tell Lulu when she wakes up about who he went to see. You know why she loves painting Lulu’s nails? She believes just because you’re stuck in a bed doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be pampered. And painting Lulu’s nails reminds her of their Crimson days. When they’d get so excited about any free samples they’d receive. Well, it was thrilling for her, and she loved Lulu so much for going along and pretending. Maxie misses her and knows it’s probably driving her crazy to be stuck in this bed being forced to listen to her ramble, so please wake up and tell her to be quiet. She promises she won’t even get offended. Does Lulu know how she knows she’s going to pull through this? There are so many people who still need her. Her mom, Charlotte and Rocco… her. And even though Lulu is stuck in this bed with perfect nails right now, none of them have given up on her. She promises.

The prisoner is pushed into a chair, and we see he has a sack over his head.

Outside the house, Molly tells TJ, this should have been their first step toward healing, and she turned it into something ugly. She’s sorry. She hopes he can forgive her. He says, there’s nothing to forgive. Irene was their daughter. They loved her so much from the moment they knew she was coming. As much as they like to think they can control their emotions, they’re bound to get away from them in certain situations. She says, that’s exactly how she felt. They were just spilling out of her. He says he completely understands. They never got the opportunity to meet Irene, but they’ll always be her parents. In all this messy, horrific, complicated grief, they’ll figure it out together. They hug.

Dante says he doesn’t know how he feels about Lulu. Does he even have a right to feel? Chase says, he’s entitled to have any feelings he has, but he should be honest with himself about that. Dante says he can tell Chase one thing for certain. He loves Sam. He loves the life they’ve created, the family they’ve built. She’s like a miracle for him. Chase says he knows how great Dante and Sam are together, and how much they adore each other, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have complicated feelings for Lulu. She was Dante’s wife. They have a kid together. Dante says, they were already divorced when she got hurt. They were over. She was starting a new life with someone else, and she was happy. But every time he takes Rocco in there to see her in that bed, does he love her? Does he care for her? Does he want her to wake up? Of course (🍷), all those things. But he knows Lulu put him behind her. She’s not lying in that bed dreaming about him.

Maxie says she’ll tell Lulu a secret. She thinks Dante still needs her too. He tracked her down today, at work, just to let her know Lulu had been moved here. After Lulu got hurt, she never told Dante that Lulu was planning on telling him that she still loved him. She did think about it, but it didn’t seem fair. She thought Lulu would want for him to move on, be happy, and he is happy. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need her too. So if that counts for anything, please fight her way back for him too, okay?

Stella says, almost ready, and Marshall asks if he can help her with anything else. She says, no. Everything’s taken care of, but thank you. He says he appreciated what she said at the church. He likes to think that both of their Irenes are up there in heaven, watching over them and taking care of each other. She says she always thought it was Irene who brought him back to them after they lost him for so long. And with both Irenes together, she’s sure they’ll be raining down blessings on them. He says he certainly hopes so.

TJ tells Jordan that Kristina was never going to give up their baby. She had an affidavit all prepared, saying she was the mother and wanted to retain custody. And the kicker is that Alexis was helping her.

Marshall says, TJ needs the blessing the most. He lost a child. That’s the kind of pain nobody can bear and he can’t shoulder that pain alone. He’s going to need them.

Brook asks Lois, what’s wrong? but Lois says, nothing. She’s fine. Brook says, she did a fantastic job. Everybody loves her, so why does she look like somebody just told her that she can only wear pale pink nail polish for the rest of her life? Lois takes Brook’s hands and says she needs Brook to be honest with her. Is her accent unbearable?

Portia tells Curtis that she’s sorry she can’t stay longer for TJ and Molly, but she’s needed at the hospital. He says, that’s okay. He’s sure they understand, and they’ll feel her love and support. Go save lives and they’ll take it from here. She says she loves him so much and he says he loves her too. She says she’ll see him tonight, and she’s about to leave, when there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to Ric, and says, they haven’t officially met. She introduces herself, and he does the same. He says, it’s nice to meet her, and she says her too. She has to leave for the hospital, but she’s so sorry for his loss. He thanks her and says he was very much looking forward to meeting his first grandchild. She tells him, please make himself at home, and leaves. Curtis introduces himself, and they shake hands. Curtis says he’s really glad Ric is here to support Molly, and Ric says him too. Molly comes out and he hugs her. He asks how she’s feeling, and she says she and her dad are just going to step outside. Curtis says, let him know if they need anything, and they go out to the patio. Curtis tells TJ that he knows it’s been hard on him in a million different ways. Is he hanging in there? TJ says he doesn’t have a choice. He just keeps reminding himself that it’s not always going to hurt this much. Time heals all wounds, even the ones that seem like they’ll be raw forever. Curtis says, that’s what he and TJ’s mother are here to remind him of as well, and Jordan says, that goes for everyone else too. They’re all here to lift him and Molly up and get them through this as fast as they can. TJ says he knows. They’ve all been amazing and he’s incredibly grateful for his family right now. Curtis says, good. Because he’s stuck with them. TJ says he’s going to see if Aunt Stella and granddad need anything, and leaves. Curtis asks how Jordan is doing. It must be tough watching her son go through all this. She says her pain can wait. TJ is her primary concern right now. He just filled her in on what took place at Irene’s gravesite after they left the church. He asks what she means, and she says, Kristina and Alexis were planning on stealing her son’s child.

Molly thanks Ric for coming. She knows he doesn’t love being in Port Charles, but it means so much to have him here. He says, of course (🍷) he came. He’s always going to be there for her when she needs him. How is she doing? Honestly. She says she’s completely drained. She feels like she just fought a war. Alone. He says, if it’s any comfort, she won, but she says she doesn’t think there’s any victors today. Her relationship with Kristina is in pieces and it looks like mom is taking Kristina’s side. She’s honestly sick to her stomach about everything. He says he’s proud of her. She stood up for herself and she stood up for her child. (Is that what we’re calling it?) Not everybody would have that kind of strength, especially when you’re being pressured to kind of go along and play nice. She’s a complete marvel. (Ugh.)

Brook asks if Lois is crazy. They talk the way they talk. Lois says, but they don’t talk the same. Their accents and their speech patterns are different. Brook says, maybe a little bit, but who cares? She can’t believe Lois is worried about this. Numbers don’t lie and she was a huge hit. Haven says, yes, she was. She agrees. The people on social media can’t get enough of her, and neither can she. Lois says, that’s very nice of her to say. She knows it was dicey at first, and thanks Haven so much for helping push her through that rocky start. Haven says, once they got her over that hump, they were off to the races. And they won. She can’t wait to book Lois’s next appearance. They need to make this a regular thing. Tracy joins them and says, all right. They don’t need to inflate Lois’s ego more than it already is. They’ll be in touch to book their next segment on Home & Heart. Until then, shall they decamp for home? Brook says, absolutely. Lead the way. As they walk, Brook asks if Haven can believe these numbers. Lois tries to say, decamp for home, the way Tracy did, but then says, forget it, and follows them.

Jordan says, Alexis had a custody affidavit all drawn up and ready to file. Molly found it in Alexis’s briefcase. Curtis says, wow. He had no idea. She says, this is so infuriating. They all knew that Kristina had rights as the baby’s biological mother. TJ’s been worried about that for months. But this baby was conceived because TJ and Molly so desperately wanted to be parents. Kristina never would have even thought of having a baby if it wasn’t for them. So for Kristina to go back on her word and betray her sister and TJ by deciding to keep the baby, it’s unforgivable. And for Alexis to help Kristina, knowing what it would do to Molly and TJ… That baby was his biological child. Curtis says, and what should have been the happiest moments of Molly and TJ’s lives would have quickly devolved into a custody battle. She says she promises him, if that precious little baby had survived, Kristina and Alexis would have been in for the fight of their lives if they thought they could take that grandchild away from her. (Oh, so now it’s her baby.)

Alexis asks how Kristina’s stitches feel. Does she need another pain pill? Kristina says, who cares about her stitches? Her baby is dead, and her sister is blaming her. Alexis says, her sister is in pain too, and she’s lashing out. And as cliché as it sounds, sometimes the people we love the most are the most capable of hurting us. Kristina says, none of that excuses Molly’s behavior, and Alexis says she thinks this is an opportune time to remind Kristina that she’s named after Alexis’s sister Kristina, who she loved very much. They didn’t always get along, but she loved her fiercely and was devastated at her death. And she misses her and would give just about anything to be able to talk to her again. Kristina and Molly are still here and they’re at odds, and she gets how critical this is, but they’re going to have to find a way to repair their relationship. Kristina says, Molly is blaming her for her baby’s death. She will never forgive her.

Molly says, funny thing is, she knows how this is all going to end. Mom and Sam will plead Kristina’s case to her. They’ll say, she’s emotional and fragile right now, and they’ll say, you’re sisters. You’re Davis girls. That should always come first. They’ll probably encourage her to suck it up, be the bigger person, apologize to Kristina, say all the right things to make her feel better. And who knows? Maybe they’ll catch her at a weak moment, and she’ll even do it. Ric says, but she doesn’t want to, and she says, no. She will never forgive Kristina. Every time she visits her daughter’s grave or walks past the room that should have been her nursery, she’ll know it’s Kristina’s fault her baby is dead.

Maxie says she knows it’s a Spencer tradition to pull off a win at the eleventh hour, because Lulu used to love doing that. Then Lulu would give her this smug smile that drove her crazy. But she admired it. She admired Lulu. Anyway, they’re approaching the eleventh hour, so Lulu needs to pull out that win. Come back to them. For Rocco and Charlotte – Dante opens the door – for her, for Dante.

Elizabeth tells Laura that when she was first getting to know Lucky, he told her how Lulu had aplastic anemia when she was a toddler. And he told her how strong Laura was for her and that she never gave up on her. She needs that strength now and Elizabeth knows Laura is going to give it to her. Laura thanks her for saying that. Boy, does she miss Lucky. She wishes to God she knew where he was so she could bring him home.

The prisoner is shoved into the wall, and the guard turns him around. He takes the sack off the prisoner’s head and – big surprise, not – it’s Lucky.

On Monday, Chase tells Brook that he’s afraid it’s not good news; Carly wonders what Jack Brennan wants with Jason; and Laura asks Portia, how the doctors could miss this?

🍀 A Lucky Break…

Wow. Laura wishes and Lucky appears.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/jonathan-jackson-previews-his-return-to-general-hospital

🧴 Just For a Minute…

But if they come up with a new character for her, who would play temp Sam?

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/lindsay-hartley-on-playing-sam-on-gh-again

🛸 Beam Me Up To Port Charles…

This made me wonder what happened to Zeke. I liked him and he totally disappeared. Maybe he’s polishing his skis.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/sawandi-wilson-cast-as-isaiah-on-general-hospital

🚫 She Said No…

Can you blame her? And just curious. What is Dorinda doing in that photo?

🍊 Follow the Bouncing Orange…

In vino veritas and all that, but it’s not that she just speaks her truth. She screeches, rants and raves, gets two inches from people’s faces, and flails around while she’s doing it.

But maybe I can forgive.

So was Alexis at liberty to tell Katie? I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but I’m confused.

Well, just think how we feel.

⚰️ Reading Carol…

Coming to a small screen near you September 29th.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/new-promo-for-twd-daryl-dixon-the-book-of-carol-season-2-01j5x6s1mq33

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/amc-exclusive-content-for-season-2-of-daryl-dixon-the-book-of-carol-in-september-01j5zkmxmeza

You need to be an AMC+ subscriber to actually watch the beginning of the premiere, but this has a pretty long trailer and it looks good. Real good.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/watch-the-first-11-minutes-of-the-season-2-premiere-of-daryl-dixon-the-book-of-carol-01j41x8z1qsd

🌁 That’s a Wrap…

So can’t they edit any faster?

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/last-us-season-2-wrapped-095338207.html

https://winteriscoming.net/posts/the-last-of-us-season-2-held-a-wrap-party-end-of-filming-seems-imminent-01j5xeshf86a

Might be some spoilers here.

https://screenrant.com/alien-romulus-last-of-us-season-2-isabela-merced-dina-casting-perfect/

🐉 How To Make Your Dragon…

Don’t try this at home.

https://winteriscoming.net/posts/watch-how-house-of-the-dragon-s-gorgeous-dragons-were-made-in-new-visual-effects-reel-01j5tv9k3kjr

🐶 Gaga For Frenchies…

Those ears!

https://people.com/lady-gaga-new-french-bulldog-after-dognapping-case-8700159

🥊 More Than a Quote…

Muhammad Ali: I’m defeating America’s so-called threats and enemies. And the flag is going dun-dun-dun-dun. I’m standing so proud. And I’d have whooped the world for America. I took my gold medal, thought I’d invented something. I said, Man, I know I’m going to get my people freedom. I’m the champion of the whole world. Olympic champion. I know I can eat downtown now. And I went downtown that day, had my big gold medal on, and went in a restaurant. And at that time, things weren’t integrated. Black folks couldn’t eat downtown. And I went downtown, I sat down, and I said, A cup of coffee, a hotdog. The lady said, We don’t serve Negroes. I was so mad, I said, I don’t eat them either, just give me a cup of coffee and a hamburger.

🏌️‍♂️ Quotes of the Week

Today stretches ahead of you waiting to be shaped. You are the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to you. – Steve Maraboli

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. – Mahatma Gandhi

I think the only answer is to live life to the fullest while you can and collect memories like fools collect money. Because in the end, that’s all you have – happy memories. – Sarah Strohmeyer

Immature love says, I love you because I need you. Mature love says, I need you because I love you. – Erich Fromm

We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing and inclusion. – Max de Pree

If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas. – Steve Maraboli

Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by opinion. – Red Haircrow

Sometimes we have to be the change we didn’t see coming. – Jacqueline Grace Lopez

Walmart dumped Paula Deen, but continued to sell AR-15 assault rifles after Sandy Hook—interesting ethical credo.Piers Morgan

It’s not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache. – Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), The Rocky Horror Picture Show

🍈 One In a Melon…

Come back on Monday for soap and a mess on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay putting things back where you found them, and stay never offering unsolicited advice on someone’s physical attributes.

⚠️Caution: Might contain bad words

August 22, 2024 – Irene Marie’s Funeral Ends Badly, For Real, Cast List, Gloves Are Off In the OC, Disturbing Dance, Dark Reality, New Dead, Coming Soon, Tribute, Cutest & Lobster

Standard

What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Cody tells James, no more riding without a helmet, but James says, Cody’s hat is cooler. Cody says, James can’t even see with it on, and gives him a smaller version of the hat. Excited, James runs off and Cody takes the helmet and follows him.

Maxie tells Natalia that Lois has been making the rounds as Deception spokesperson, but this will be her first time as an on-air presence on Home & Heart. Natalia says, Lois does have the gift of gab, and Lucy says, they’ll see if she can pull off selling on camera to the home audience.

Lois asks Brook if she looks too demure, but Brook says, she looks beautiful. Is she nervous? Lois says she’ll be talking to people already interested in the product. It’s in the bag. She goes to get her earrings from the makeup artist and overhears her saying that Lois’s Brooklyn accent gives her a headache.  

Molly puts a spray of flowers on the casket, and people begin to come into the church. Kristina comes in with Sam (played by Lindsay Hartley) and Alexis on either side. TJ asks if Molly is okay, and she says, yeah. Him? He says, yeah. Stella lights a candle, and hugs TJ. Molly runs out of the church. Outside, Ric arrives and hugs Molly.  

Sonny says, Ava deserves to pay for what she’s done, and his face should be the last thing she sees, but he’s not here to take her life. He’s here to save her life. Let’s go. Ava says, he assumes she’s going to walk out with him no questions asked? Does he think she’s that gullible? He says, she’s not seeing the whole picture, and she tells him to give her the layout. He says, Jagger Cates wants to end her life, not him.

Molly says she didn’t know Ric was coming, and he says he and Alexis agreed he needed to be here. He’s so sorry. It’s a horrible loss. She says she’s glad he’s here. She feels so alone. He hugs her.

Kristina says, they shouldn’t have to make coffins so small, and Alexis gives the minister the baby’s name. She warns Sam that Ric is coming for Molly. Kristina says she called the baby Adela. She knew it was going to be a girl, but she didn’t tell anyone. When she was lying awake at night, thinking of the baby’s future, that’s what she called her. Dante says, Sonny’s mother’s name.

Tracy says, Maxie can’t be happy about Sonny being a part of Deception, but Maxie says, he’s just investing. Tracy says, he’s forcing them to take on Natalia as CFO, and Maxie asks how many meetings she sat in on where Natalia negotiated Blaze’s contract. She went over everything and was never satisfied. Isn’t that what they’re looking for in a CFO?  

Brook reminds Lois to hold up the product and asks, what’s wrong? She has weird energy. Lois says, last minute stage fright, and Brook asks, since when? Lois says, since she heard her accent gave someone a headache.

Sonny tells Ava that Jagger is going to try and frame him for her murder. The only thing Jagger wants is her dead.

Josslyn sees Trina at the church and keeps walking. Stella asks Trina if everything is okay.

Jordan says, TJ is bearing up well, and Curtis asks how she’s doing. She says, it’s hitting her harder than she thought it would. Portia says she’s sorry for their loss. If there’s anything she can do, she’s here.  

Sam asks, where’s Sonny? and Alexis says, Molly had a meltdown and blamed him for everything. Out of respect and to avoid a scene, he stayed away. Sam says she wishes he was here for Kristina’s sake, and the minister says they’re going to begin the service. Sam says, they have to wait for Molly, and the minister asks if Kristina isn’t the mother. Alexis says, she’s the surrogate. The parents are Molly and TJ. Ric brings Molly back in, and Alexis says, that’s Molly.  

Brook asks, who’s talking smack? She’ll make sure they’re transferred to late night. Lois says she doesn’t want trouble, but be honest. Is it that bad? Brook says, it’s part of her charm. Their different dialects are what makes them cool. Just focus on her and remember everyone in Bensonhurst is watching. She called them.

TJ thanks Ric, and Sam tells Alexis, it’s nice of him to come for Molly. She hopes they don’t regret it. She can’t remember a time when he didn’t make things worse. Alexis says, good thing Sonny’s not here.

TJ and Molly sit down, and Ric tells Alexis that he came as soon as he could. Good thing he was late, since he met their daughter outside.  

The minister says, they gather to celebrate a life and honor the memory. This life was too brief, but Irene Marie loved, gave love, and had an impact. They grieve not just for what was lost, but for what could have been. They mourn Irene Marie and the life she could have had.

The director (Debbie Matenopoulus) asks if Lois is ready, and Lois asks if she’s ever worked in the music business. Was she in music videos? The director says she’s been on TV for years, but prefers the view from behind the camera. Is Lois ready for her debut? Lois says, as ready as she’ll ever be, and Brook tells her, break a leg.

Sonny says he’ll take Ava where Jagger can’t find her. Doesn’t she want to be around for Avery? She says, that’s why she’s not going with him, but he says, if he wanted to take her out, would he be here today trying to convince her to go with him? She says, it’s the baby’s funeral, and he says he needs her alive to do the right thing when the time comes. She says, Scotty would never go for it, and he asks if she’s talked to Scotty lately. She says she and John are closer than he knows. John would never hurt her. He says, Jagger just put handcuffs on Kristina when she was in a wheelchair. Ava gave her statement and now she’s a liability. She says, John is protecting her, but Sonny says, he’s using her. She asks why she should believe him when she knows for a fact that he’d kill her if given half a chance.

The minister asks God to hold Irene Marie in His everlasting love and light. Amen. Now Irene’s grandmother will give a reading. Kristina says she has something to say and goes to the front.

Coming back into the stable with James, Cody says, he looks great. He’s a real natural. His grandparents are horse people and will be super proud. Is he okay? James says, yeah, and Cody says, James knows he can tell him anything, especially now that he’s James’s uncle. James wonders why Grandpa Mac was so mad at Cody, and Cody says he thinks Mac was more mad about the time they didn’t get to spend together when Cody was a kid. James says, that’s not Cody’s fault, but Cody says, Mac has a good reason to be mad at him. James asks what he did.

Haven meets Lois, and Tracy asks if Maxie is sure Lois can do this. Maxie says, if Tracy had seen any of Lois’s trunk shows, she wouldn’t ask. Lois is popular wherever she goes. Tracy says, success in one venue isn’t necessarily success in another. Maybe Lois is too much for TV, from her shoes to her fingernails. Television magnifies things, and she’s not sure if a magnified Lois wouldn’t overwhelm the audience. Maxie says she doesn’t agree, and if Tracy was concerned, she should have said something weeks ago, not just before Lois gets on camera.

Brook tells Lois to imagine she’s talking to the same people that she does at department stores, and Lois says she’ll try. Brook tells her that she’s got this, and looks at Lois’s hand. She says she told Lois to break a leg, not a nail, and Lois says she can’t go on. Her nails are her brand. Brook says, no one will notice, but Lois says she will. Brook says, take a breath. It will be okay.

Haven says, their favorite brand Deception Cosmetics is introducing an exciting new product. She welcomes Lois, and Lois says she’s so… happy to be here, but then just stares at the camera.

Sonny says, let’s go, but Ava says, no deal. She doesn’t need Sonny to save her. She’s a wealthy woman and can disappear on her own. He says, not really, because she’s damn sure not going to take Avery. Jagger’s got her cornered. He doesn’t care where she runs. She can’t hide unless she’s with him. He’s her way out.

Kristina tells everyone that the minister said something that resonated with her, and she wanted to share that. Even though Irene’s life ended just as it was starting, she had impact. He’s so right. She did, and even though none of them had a chance to meet Irene, they knew her. Anyone who felt her kick knew she was destined to be a US Women’s Olympic champion. She laughs, then starts to cry and says, for eight months they shared every second together. She felt her move and watched her grow. They breathed together and she learned about her, what she liked and didn’t like. She used to love walks in the park and was so peaceful after. She liked pastilles and peanut butter, not together, but liked when Kristina ate them. She liked being sung to. Now everyone is crying, and Kristina touches the casket. She says, even though Irene isn’t physically with them, her memory is. The feeling, the weight of her, her impact will stay with Kristina and she hopes with them forever.

Stella says, her wish is for TJ and Molly to find strength and comfort in each other, and she prays they have the family they so deserve. She tells Kristina that she knows Kristina doesn’t have the same connection, but she carried Irene in love and felt her loving spirit, and that makes them eternally grateful. They can’t know what Irene would have become, but with the support of her loving parents, it’s not hard to imagine she would have been a happy girl and gone far in life. She takes comfort in knowing Irene is in the hands of her namesake, Stella’s sister.

Cody says he didn’t tell Mac the truth about something important, and James says, he lied? What about? Cody says, something that wasn’t fair to Grandpa Mac and he regrets it. James says, you’re not supposed to lie, and Cody says he wishes he hadn’t. James says he’s lied before. He said he brushed his teeth when he hadn’t, and he got caught. His toothbrush was dry. Cody says, rookie mistake, and James tells Cody that he said he was sorry, but he’s lied about other dumb stuff. Sometimes it’s easier to lie, but he feels bad and regrets it. Cody says he knows exactly how James feels.

The minister says, they’re going to move to the gravesite, Irene’s final resting place. Kristina begins to sob, and TJ tells Molly, we can do this. Willow says she doesn’t think she can go, and Michael suggests they see Jonah instead. Josslyn sees Trina sitting alone, and Portia asks how Trina is doing. Does she want to ride with them? Trina says she’s okay, but she wants to sit for a while. Portia says, let her know if she needs anything, and leaves. Josslyn asks if she can sit with Trina.

Dante finishes with a phone call, and Sam asks if it’s the station, but Dante says, it’s Laura. He’s got to go. She says, Lulu? and he says he’ll let her know when he gets there, and leaves.

Haven says, the new serum used with the Deceptor is a game changer. She can’t believe all the money she’s wasted on serums that don’t do half of what this does. She asks Lois to tell them how to get firmer, younger looking skin, and Tracy says she guesses Lois isn’t going to overwhelm the viewers after all. Brook nods to Lois, and Lois says, everyone watching should take out their cellphones and credit cards before this product runs out – Deception’s newest serum, The Deceiver. Brook encourages her to smile, and she asks if the viewers have spent a small fortune on their neck, eyes, and lovely faces. Is their bathroom counter covered with half-used products they tried, but didn’t cut it? Haven asks if Lois has sneaked into her house and checked out her bathroom (same), and Lois says, clear that clutter because this product does it all. It plumps and rejuvenates the skin from below the surface. Deceive your skin one drop at a time with Deceiver serum. Haven says, they’re offering it at a special price which will be gone at the end of the day, but she has the feeling they’ll be sold out before then. Lucy tells Maxie, kind of a rocky start, but Lois is watchable. Lois explains how to use the product, and Lucy looks at her phone says, Scotty is out of town on a lucrative, promising new case. She has to call him. If he leaves them high and dry, they’ll need a new lawyer. She leaves, and Maxie says she heard an earful from Tracy about Natalia joining Deception. Now she’d like to hear from Natalia. Natalia says, ask her anything, and Maxie says, Sonny was willing to invest to secure her a position and she’s more than qualified, but what’s in it for her? What did he promise her?

Sonny says he’s glad Ava came to her senses, but she says she’s not going with him. Unless he’s planning to shoot her in the back, why doesn’t he go so she can lock up. She can find a place to hide herself. He says, she’s playing into Jagger’s hands, and she says, he needs to work on his sales pitch. She’s not buying. He tells her to do it for Kristina and the baby. She needs to recant her statement. They don’t have time. Ava tells her to leave him alone and pseudo hero John comes in and tells Sonny, get away from her.

Josslyn says she hates the way they left things, and Trina says, her too. She apologizes for being so defensive. Ava is her friend, but Josslyn is her best friend. She doesn’t know what she’d do without her. Josslyn says, her neither. She’s sorry too. She has no right to tell Trina who she can be friends with, even if she doesn’t like them. Trina says she understands why Josslyn feels the way she does, and why Spencer felt the same way. Ava is complicated, but they’ve always been honest with each other. Maybe she still has hope for Ava. Josslyn says, Ava is lucky to have a friend like Trina, and Trina says she wouldn’t ask Josslyn to change her mind, but don’t ask her to change hers. She puts her head on Josslyn’s shoulder.

Sonny says, Ava isn’t going anywhere with John, and John asks if he thinks she’s better off with a dangerous criminal. Sonny says, she’s safer with him than Jagger, and John says, let him guess. Sonny offered Ava his protection. Funny how the how the ones he claims to protect are the ones who end up suffering the most. Like Karen, like his brother, even Sonny’s own children. Sonny is toxic and radioactive to anyone he gets close to, and no one knows that better than Ava, right?

Natalia says, Sonny just gave her a chance, that’s it. After her incredibly regrettable words that ended up being run in The Invader, she wanted to run, but Sonny wanted to help her just because they’re friends. To be honest, she thinks it’s a convenient excuse for him to be able to back Brook because he really cares about her. Maxie says she appreciates Natalia’s candor, and Natalia says she’s spent some time going over the books and one thing is abundantly clear. Maxie is the beating heart of the company, the one constant that keeps this business going. She has no interest in challenging that. She’s here to help support Maxie and thank Sonny by giving him a good return on his investment. She looks forward to working with Maxie. Maxie smiles.

Michael says he’s glad they came to Jonah’s grave, and Willow says she feels terrible for Molly and TJ, but Kristina’s speech was touching. The little details rushed back and how she felt, even though she was giving Jonah up for adoption. It’s hard loving someone you know you can’t have. Michael says he understands because of the time he believed Wiley was Jonah, but now they have two healthy happy kids. Maybe Jonah brought them together. Willow leans on him, and he says, she can share anything with him. Her memories, fears, ideas, whatever it is, good or bad. They’re in this together. Willow looks troubled and says she wants Michael to know something… Jonah liked Mozart.  

Each person places a pink rose on the grave, and TJ puts a teddy bear that says for a special boy with them. He says, daddy loves you, and Molly says, mommy loves you too. She hugs Ric, and Kristina puts her rose last. She says, I love you my sweet Adela, and Molly says, what did you just call my daughter?

Haven answers a call from Myrna in Indiana, and Myrna says, she’s been using Deception for years and she’s been watching Home & Heart for even longer. She has some advice for Lois. Lose the accent. She had to mute her television. If Deception wants to sell their product, they need a spokeswoman who can speak properly. (I wonder if it’s Lucy on the phone.)

Kristina says she had to call the baby something, and TJ and Molly just named her this morning. Molly says, Kristina didn’t. It was her baby, and Kristina says, the baby was a part of her and she was part of the baby. She knows Molly can’t know what it feels like… Molly says she knows she’ll never feel what it’s like to carry a child, but she refuses to watch Kristina’s grieving Madonna act for the rest of her life. Kristina says she’s not playing anything. She’s devested. Molly says she hopes so. Kristina is the reason the baby is dead.

Ava tells John and Sonny, let’s keep a cool head. There’s expensive artwork to consider. John calls another agent to come in, and she introduces herself as Linda Boyle. John says he’s sure she recognizes Sonny and tells her to take Ava to the car. He’s bringing her into protective custody. Sonny tells Ava, don’t do it. She knows he’s right. Ava asks if John is sure this is necessary, and John says, trust him, it is. She goes with Agent Boyle, and John tells Sonny that he’ll take it from here, and follows them.

Kristina asks how Molly can say that, and Molly says, it’s true. Kristina never should have gone to that hotel room. Kristina says she had to talk to Ava. Ava was making her testify against her own father. Molly says, she had a choice. To protect her unborn child or her criminal father, but Kristina says, it’s not like that. Molly says, it’s exactly like that. In order to protect her father, Kristina sacrificed her baby’s life.  

Tomorrow, Lois says she needs Brook to be honest; Jordan tells Curtis that Kristina and Alexis were planning on stealing her son’s child; and when Maxie asks Dante what he’s doing here, he says, it’s Lulu.

🪞 Life Imitating Soap…

First a MetroCourt beach towel. Next, the Deceptor

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-deception-beauty-products-are-real-and-on-sale

🕵🏻‍♀️ Follow the Port Charles Road…

I’ve always wondered if the writers have one of those big bulletin boards like detectives do, with strings going all over the place.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-cast-list

🍊 Orange Is the New Blackmail…

Every week, I watch this again, and every week, I wonder why, since it just aggravates me. While there are some close seconds, the most aggravating thing is the return of Alexis. I barely remember her from the seasons she was on previously, although I remember Tamra picking on her ad nauseum and feeling badly for her, as well as her husband being no prize. This time around, she’s making up for it, coming fast and hard for Shannon from the jump. It’s no secret that I’m not a Shannon fan, but this is bordering on harassment. She keeps talking about how Shannon is doing Johnny J. wrong, but other than fighting the lawsuit, there’s no clarification as to what it is she’s doing. Yet Alexis is doing plenty and threatening more, kicking someone who is clearly down. Not exactly the Christian she claims to be.

Tamra follows closely behind, saying she’s coming from a place of love, yet her words about Shannon’s drinking are nothing but loving. Tough love doesn’t mean badgering and cruel words. I, too, think Shannon has a drinking problem. I’m not saying she’s an alcoholic – only Shannon can make that judgement – but her drinking has definitely been problematic. So has Tamra’s, but one thing Tamra is right about is that she hasn’t drove her car into a house. Shannon’s problem with alcohol mirrors her problems in general. She can’t seem to take responsibility for anything. Her issues are always because of someone else. That being said, apparently, Tamra is unaware that hassling a supposed alcoholic does nothing to lead them to help. She needs to put her time where her mouth is and attend a few Al-Anon meetings if she’s that concerned.

As for the videos Alexis is hanging over Shannon’s head, while Alexis has remained not at liberty to disclose their content, Katie claimed that Shannon had nearly run over Johnny J.’s daughter while drunk. Yeah, that’s bad, but why is he hanging onto this as a blackmail item? Hasn’t it been a while now? Shannon may have done something more than stupid in a blackout, but extortion is never a good look, and Johnny J. is looking more rotten by the minute, while he hides behind the jugs of Alexis.

If someone even has to ask why it’s wrong, there’s something wrong with them. Again, I’m no fan of Shannon’s, but I’m not liking what Alexis and Johnny J. are doing one bit. And maybe he should pay for her facelift since he took quite a few years away from her.

🩰 New Level Of Cringe…

Is she trying to top Abby Lee’s talent for being insensitive? Or is she that out of touch with human emotion? Even worse is the how the viewers didn’t even get the connection.

https://ew.com/dance-moms-a-new-era-disturbed-viewers-with-a-jonbenet-ramsey-routine-8699661

🌌 While We’re On the Subject…

The Dark Side series is excellent, and I can’t wait to see this one.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dark-side-reality-tv-trailer-174927225.html

While I was looking for that, I came across this related article.

https://www.cracked.com/image-pictofact-7747-29-reality-tv-shows-with-very-dark-downsides

⚰️ A Different Walk…

This sounds intriguing. One of the reasons I love zombie films/shows is because they’re never really about zombies. The zombies are nearly always an allegory for something else, and ultimately, they’re about us being our own worst enemy.

https://www.cbr.com/walking-dead-fans-will-love-handling-of-the-undead/

🎬 Posh, Becks, and Gordon Ride Again…

I’m very much looking forward to checking both of these out. I loved Victoria’s other reality shows and there’s no one more real than Gordon.

I’ve yet to see this one, but it’s on my short list.

https://ew.com/david-beckham-says-making-docuseries-helped-him-forgive-himself-8699550

🦸 Deadpool’s Softer Side…

Sad, but sweet.

https://ew.com/ryan-reynolds-explains-deadpool-and-wolverine-tribute-to-rob-delaney-s-late-son-8697791

🐶 Best In Rescue…

You can vote daily from August 21 to September 20.

https://people.com/worlds-cutest-rescue-dog-contest-2024-8661021

Mine isn’t entered because it wouldn’t be fair to the other contestants.

El Wray the Rescue Chi

🎣 Keeping It Reel…

Join me tomorrow for the usual soap and Friday mixed bag. Until then, stay safe, stay using what you’ve learned to help others going through similar struggles, and stay never making fun of someone’s accent. Our different dialects are what make us cool.

April 11, 2024 – Chase Changes the Honeymoon Plans, Blame Game, VanderMoments, Shading Shannon, Dead Talk, Pet (!) Diversity & Normally

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly wakes up in the chair and looks over at John sleeping on the sofa.

Brook says, what if they made a mistake? but Lois says, they didn’t. Brook says, what if the style’s all wrong? but Lois says, it won’t be. Brook says, what if the lace is like a gross shade of ivory? but Lois says, that’s never going to happen. Brook says, what if they ruined Lila’s dress for nothing? and Lois says, Lila’s dress was already ruined. Unsalvageable, said the seamstress, except for the best part, which they’re putting to perfect use. So what is she really afraid of? Brook says, what if she doesn’t like it? and Lois says, if she doesn’t like her wedding dress, they’ll scrap it and find her something she loves. Because there’s nothing more important than her happiness on her wedding day. Capisce? Brook says, capisce, and Sandrine walks in with an assistant carrying a garment bag. She says, ladies, are you ready? The wedding gown of your dreams.

Curtis walks slowing into Drew’s office, and Drew says, look at him. He can’t believe this progress. It’s incredible. Curtis says he firmly believes if you do the work, you can achieve anything, and Drew says he was in Greenland with Curtis, so he’s not going to underestimate him, but walking this soon after surgery is next level. Curtis thanks him, and Drew says, and he can take a compliment. Curtis says, Trina’s been on him about absorbing good energy. It sounds a little woo-woo to him, but he’s trying. Drew says he’s happy for Curtis, and Curtis says, don’t keep him in suspense. Why is he here? Michael walks in and says, what’s going on? Drew says, let the meeting of the minds commence.

Alexis says, Nina did not just say that, and Nina asks if she denies it. Alexis says, that she’s being mean to Nina’s precious gossip slinger? Are they in second grade? Nina says, DeWitt is not just The Invader’s society columnist, and Alexis says, ugh, that title. Nina says, he got a promotion. He is now associate publisher. Alexis says she knows that. Nina reminds her of that all the time. How could she possibly forget that Nina has hired someone so incompetent? Nina asks, says who? and Alexis tells her, says me. And it’s not DeWitt’s fault that he’s going to make an ass of himself. That honor belongs to Nina.

TJ meets Marshall at a park bench, hands him a coffee, and says, good morning. Marshall says, and what a beautiful morning it is, and TJ says he has egg sandwiches too, handing Mashall a bag. Marshall says, that’s very thoughtful of him. Not that he wasn’t thrilled to get TJ’s call, but since he has the morning off, why isn’t he spending it with Molly? TJ says he considered it, but he knew how the conversation would go. Marshall asks, how’s that? TJ says, she’d thank him for wanting them to do something together, then she’d say she has an arraignment in five minutes, but she’ll make it up to him tonight. Then that would turn into her trying too hard and both of them faking it through whatever she thought of, or even worse, she stays late at the office to avoid the situation altogether. Marshall asks who they’re talking about here, because that doesn’t sound anything like TJ and Molly.

At the MetroCourt, Anna thanks Valentin for meeting her and apologizes for it being so last minute. He says, lucky for her, he had no breakfast plans, and they sit down. He says he ordered her tea and pours her some. She thanks him for being thoughtful, and he says, she called, and he came. What’s this about? She wonders if he can help her with a case, and he says he’ll always help her. What’s the case? She says, Pikeman.

Brook says she doesn’t know what she was so afraid of. The dress is perfection. Lois says, the only thing more beautiful than that dress was her in it, and Brook asks if she’s crying again. Lois says, get used to it. Her baby girl is getting married in the most magical wedding gown. Brook says she doesn’t know how Sandrine did it, but she really captured the spirit of Lila’s dress to a T. Lois says, it feels like she channeled Lila, all of her kindness and her warmth and her acceptance and her generosity, because that’s who Lila was. Brook says, Lois is so lucky she got to wear Lila’s gown, and Lois says, Brook gets to be a part of that too. Brook says, in the tiniest way, but Lois says, no. In her own way. That’s what makes it so special. Brook gets to have a piece of Lila while still being who she is. Beautiful, amazing, incredible her. Brook thanks Lois for doing this with her, and Lois says, is she kidding? Is she insane? She would have busted that door down if she hadn’t gotten an invite. Brook says, then she’s glad Lois did, and Lois says she’s so happy for Brook. And she’s happy for Chase. She’s happy for all of them really. Brook says she’s happy for them too, and they hug.

Alexis says, why doesn’t Nina just admit it. Nina hired DeWitt to piss her off. Nina says she actually does think he’s an asset, and Alexis says, and the fact he’s a colossal thorn in her side? Nina says, that’s just a perk, no doubt about it. Alexis asks, why? and Nina says, why does she enjoy steam shooting out of Alexis’s ears? Alexis says, why is she doing this? She doesn’t even work here anymore. Nina says, that’s exactly why she needed a replacement, but Alexis says, Nina didn’t need a replacement. Alexis was doing just fine and would do even better if Nina would stop breathing down her neck. Nina asks if Alexis wants people to read her publication, and Alexis asks, what kind of question is that? Everything was fine before Nina got here. Nina says, but is it better since she brought DeWitt on? Be honest about that. It is, because there’s a measurable rise in website traffic. Alexis says, and she thinks that’s because there’s a gossip column? and Nina says, yes, partially. Alexis has to court their readers. She has to give them something delicious and irresistible, so they stick around for the hard news. What she can’t do is decide what’s good for them and ram it down their throats. You have to woo them. Alexis says, what if she just quits? and Nina says, there’s the door.

Michael says, it’s good to see Curtis back on his feet, and Curtis says, it’s good to be back. He hears Jason was exonerated. Michael says, yeah. They’re all relieved about that. Curtis says, when Jason was suspected of taking shots at Sonny, he thought maybe there was a chance he tried before last summer at the MetroCourt. It’s nice to know Jason didn’t put him in that wheelchair. Drew says, he didn’t stay in that wheelchair very long though, did he? and Curtis says, no. He was lucky. He had experimental surgery and it worked. Drew says, come on. The surgery just gave him a chance to walk again. Curtis is the one who made that a reality. All the rehabs, learning how to walk again… Is Curtis kidding him? He can’t imagine what that was like for Curtis. Curtis has all his respect for making it through that and getting to the other side. Curtis thanks him and says he doubts Drew brought them here to compliment him on walking again. Why are they here?

Carly asks how John is feeling, and he says, sore. She says she bets, and he says, and very tired. She says, really? He didn’t sleep well? He says, it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep with her waking him up every couple of hours. She says she’s sorry. Should she have let him monitor his own signs of concussion? He says, is he, by the way, concussed? and she says, no. He’s bruised and bloody, but somehow, his head came out unscathed. He asks if that’s her professional opinion as his almost nurse, and she asks if he’s going to start arguing with her this early in the morning. He says he already knows it won’t do any good.

Sandrine says, Lois might surprise Brook, but Brook says, nothing her mother does surprises her. She’s well-aware of her mother’s flair, shall they say, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Lois comes in, and Sandrine tells Brook, like she said. Wearing a midi dress with a black lace overlay and a short white jacket along with pearls, Lois says, ta-da. Brook says, wow… ma… that’s… Lois says, she hates it?

Alexis tells Nina that she always says that – there’s the door – but they both know Nina needs her. Nina says, agreed. And she’s been agreeing with Alexis the whole time. Her point is, she thinks the paper would benefit if they just had DeWitt’s expertise and experience. Alexis says, no, and Nina says, that’s it. Just no. Alexis says she will not sit by and let The Invader be turned back into a tabloid, and Nina says, then don’t let it. Alexis says she’s trying, but Nina is making it very difficult. A messenger comes to the door and says he just needs a signature from Alexis. Alexis signs the form, and Nina says, you know what it’s going to say on Alexis’s tombstone? Alexis says, death by frustration? and thanks the messenger. He leaves, and Nina says, no. It’s going to say, Alexis Davis, didn’t play well with others. Alexis says, and now they’re back to the schoolyard, and Nina says, because Alexis refuses to grow up. DeWitt stays. End of discussion. She leaves, and Molly walks in. Alexis says she hates that woman, and Molly tells her, take a breath. Alexis says, how? She sucked all the air out of the room. Molly says, professional differences? and Alexis tells her, you could say that. She invites Molly in and says, tell her something wonderful that has nothing to do with this publication. Molly says she would, but she can’t. The Invader is actually why she’s here. Alexis puts her head on the desk.

TJ asks if Marshall has ever looked back at a decision and known he should have gone with his gut, and Marshall says, too many times. TJ says, when Molly pitched the idea of Kristina being both their surrogate and egg donor, his instincts were screaming, this is the wrong move. For a million reasons, but the most glaring being that Kristina’s too close. There’s no finish line. There’s no cutting ties at the end. Why? Because there couldn’t be. She’s Molly’s sister. Marshall says, and since Molly couldn’t go forward without his buy-in, that was TJ’s moment to shut it down. TJ says he should have explained why he was against it, calmly and unequivocally, before anything got too far. Instead, he went with the short-term gain of giving Molly what she wanted. Marshall says, some would call that being supportive, but TJ says he calls that being a coward. She was so wrecked. She was utterly devastated that she couldn’t get pregnant. So when she pitched the idea, he knew that for Molly, the closest thing she could have to carrying her own baby was for her sister to have it for her.

Anna tells Valentin that she and Dante were ambushed on the docks by Roman Hume. He worked for Pikeman. It’s just so strange. All roads seem to lead back to this one, ultra secretive organization that’s run by a ghost. He says, a ghost? and she says, Pikeman’s ties to the WSB are clear, but no one seems to know who’s at the top of the pyramid. So she needs information. She was hoping maybe he could provide it for her. He says, Pikeman? and she says, he was working for them as recently as last summer. He says, as an intermediary, a glorified messenger, and she asks how that job came about. He says he did some contract work for them back in the 90s, and they felt comfortable asking him to introduce them to Sonny, but whether Sonny and Pikeman did any work together after that was none of his concern. She says, okay. Maybe she can pick his brain about something else. Or someone. He asks, who? and she says, Jack Brennan.

Lois asks, what’s wrong with it? and Brook says, absolutely nothing. Lois says, well, something, but Brook says, the dress is lovely. It’s classy and elegant and tasteful… Lois says she feels a but coming, and Brook says, no buts. It’s just not really Lois’s style. Lois says, it’s just and but are exactly the same thing, and Brook asks if Lois thinks that’s her style. Lois says, to go out on a Saturday night? No, but she was under the impression that what you wear to your daughter’s wedding isn’t what you wear to go clubbing. They’re two completely different things. Brook says, it doesn’t have to be this different. What kind of nails would she even do with that? Lois says she was thinking maybe just clear, and Brook says, what? Lois says she’s the mother of the bride. She’s supposed to be understated. Brook says, there’s no supposed to be here. This isn’t a royal wedding. There areno standards she has to live up to. Brook just wants her to wear what she wants to wear. Something that makes her feel like her. Lois says, this definitely doesn’t feel like her, and Brook says she didn’t think so. Back to the drawing board. Lois tells Sandrine, let’s pull some colors, some swatches… Maybe show some skin this time. You know what? Maybe a plunging neckline. Brook says, let’s not get carried away, when Chase walks in. He asks if he missed it, and Brook says, missed what? What is he doing here? Sandrine says, there’s been a special order for the bride-to-be, and Brook asks what they’re up to. Sandrine says she was commissioned to design a dress for Brook’s honeymoon, and Brook asks if Chase really thinks that’s necessary. He says, very, and Sandrine takes out a beautiful black cocktail dress. Brook says, it’s gorgeous, and Chase asks if she likes it. Brook says she’s obsessed with it, but it’s long sleeves. Doesn’t he think she’ll be a little warm in Palm Beach? He says, they’re not going to Palm Beach.

Molly says, The Invader ran a piece on the DA’s office being opposed to the overturning of Heather Webber’s conviction, her multiple convictions of assault and homicide going back nearly twenty years. Alexis says, that would be with the metallosis diagnosis. Yes. She signed off on that. Molly says, then she knows the article cited an unnamed source, and Alexis says, yes. Molly says, mom, and Alexis says, what? Molly says, everybody at the DA’s office assumes that source is her. Alexis says, it isn’t, and Molly says, Alexis knows that, and she knows that, but her colleagues, specifically DA Scorpio, do not know that. Alexis asks what Molly wants her to do about it. The story checked out. Molly says she wants Alexis to help her prove that she’s not the one who broke confidentiality and discussed the case with a reporter, and Alexis asks how exactly Molly wants her to do that. Molly says, tell her who did.

Marshall asks if Molly knows TJ has misgivings about Kristina being the surrogate, and TJ tells him that he wouldn’t say it exactly like that, but yeah. Molly has her worries too. He thinks that’s the problem, because whenever he tells her his concerns… Marshall says, about what, besides the being too close part? and TJ says he just doesn’t think Kristina is taking the best care of herself. (Huh?) She’s out late, she’s not avoiding stress, plus the small fact that she’s out with her dad, who’s getting shot at on the regular. Marshall says, points taken. So when he brings all these things up to Molly… TJ says, she takes the position of defending Kristina, even though he knows they share the same concerns. That’s why they avoid the topic altogether. He just feels like, during this time, he and Molly should be closer together, but he just feels more and more distant from her. Marshall says, and what about Kristina? Has their relationship been affected? TJ says, how can it not be? Any time he shares a worry he has with her, she accuses him of overreacting. It’s as if Kristina is having the baby and she’s going to let them know when it’s here. He sounds ungrateful, doesn’t he? Marshall says, no. He sounds human. TJ tells him, that’s what mom said. Marshall says, smart woman, your mother.

Drew says he’s been doing some research and Floodgate Consultancy Group says, the wellness and fitness space is booming out there. They’re all across the country, but especially in the high-end areas, with both residential and urban people spending so much money not only to look good, but to feel good. Really laying the foundation for health, wellness, and longevity. Michael says he read that report too. 40 is the new 25, and with the right fitness regimen and the right products, you, too, can achieve it. Drew says, so thoughts? and Michael says he thinks it’s a good time for Aurora to diversify. Crimson and print media is still a front burner for them, but it is drying up. They need to find alternative revenue streams. He thinks dipping in to an expanding market makes sense. Curtis says, an expanding market like health and wellness, and Drew says, which is where Curtis comes in.

On the phone, Carly says she just ordered toast and eggs. She doesn’t understand what’s taking so long. John comes in, wearing only a towel, and Carly says she’ll hold. She tells John that she bets the shower felt amazing. He says, it did, and she says, it’s amazing what hot water can do, but he says, not so hot really. Carly tells the kitchen that she’s still holding, and looks at John. He says, the water never got too warm, and she says, he’s got to be kidding her. Back on the phone, she says, she’s here. She’s still here… No. She’s pretty sure there’s no food in her hotel room… What? They left the food outside the door, without knocking…?… Okay. She hangs up and says, they’ve got to be kidding her. No hot water, shoddy room service… This hotel is definitely going downhill. She opens the door just as Nina is walking by, and Nina says, oh. Good morning to you. She looks at John standing behind Carly in the towel.

Valentin tells Anna, what he remembers about Jack Brennan is, his rapid rise to director of the WSB was followed by a spectacular fall. He singlehandedly orchestrated Frisco Jones’ ouster and a year later, he was out himself. She says, he knows Jack is in Pentenville, right? and he says, yeah, thanks to her. She says, in part. She went to visit him the other day. Valentin asks, why? and she says, curiosity? Valentin hasn’t been to see him yet? Valentin says, has he been to see Jack Brennan in Pentenville? No, he has not. Why would he do that? She says, because they were close back in the day, when they were all coming up together at the WSB, but he says, no, not really. Jack Brennan did really well academically and even better with the ladies, but he was in the back of the room, not making eye contact. She says she distinctly remembers them at that pub they used to go to… The Archangel. The two of them were playing dice or something. Whatever it was, they were laughing because they’d aced an assignment that the rest of them just botched. He says, that sounds like Jack, but it doesn’t sound like him. If he was at The Archangel, he was lurking. He wasn’t hanging with the cool kids. Not like her. She was at the center of the circle. Jack was too. He thinks she probably has him mixed up with someone else. She says, he and Jack were just feeding off of each other. They were pushing each other to be better, to be smarter… He says, if anybody was pushing anybody, Anna was pushing Jack. They were the best of the best. Everybody knew that. Valentin was on the fast track to a desk job. He and Jack Brennan have never shared more than ten words together.

Alexis says she cannot and will not reveal the identity of her sources, and Molly tells her that now she’s going to say journalistic integrity. Alexis says, very good, counselor, and Molly says, that’s crazy. Leaked, privileged information is not protected speech. Whoever that source is, not only violated their professional conduct guidelines, they also jeopardized future cases. Alexis says, that sounds like a DA problem, not her problem, and Molly says, it’s a very big problem if the article affected the fairness of a trial. Alexis says, what trial? Heather’s already been convicted on multiple counts, and the DA has already refused to revisit any of those cases. And without a case on the docket, Molly can’t argue that a leak compromised anything. Molly says, she’s impossible, and Alexis says, that’s part of her charm. She holds out her wrists and asks if Molly would like to lock her up until she cracks.

Marshall says, TJ is in a tough and undesirable situation. Life hands those to us sometimes. When one was handed to him, he went for the big fix; he left his family to protect them. But had he stayed, had he gutted it out, it turns out he probably would have had a pretty decent life. TJ says, so Marshall is telling him that he made a huge mistake? but Marshall says, no. He’s saying it’s human nature, or more specifically male nature, to go for the big fix. Sometimes that’s not always the answer. Sometimes you can just let it breathe and settle, and that can be the way to go. TJ says, unfortunately, that ship has sailed, and Marhsall laughs. He says, not for the here and now. Kristina is who she is. And yes, she’s carrying TJ’s baby, and he can’t change that, he can’t erase that. But what he can do is step back and take a look at the whole picture and focus on what really matters. His relationship with Molly.

Carly closes the door and steps out in the hall, telling Nina, stalk much? Nina says, just doing her regular rounds. Carly remembers. Carly says, vividly. Although this hotel is definitely not what it used to be. Nina says, better? but Carly says, not quite. Nina says she didn’t think Carly could surprise her anymore, but she’s done it. An FBI agent? What’s Sonny going to think? Or Jason, for that matter? And poor Drew, forever the runner-up in the twin department. Carly asks if she’s finished, but Nina says she could keep at it all day. Carly looks at the food under the cloche and says she’s happy that Nina’s here. Nina says, no one could be happier than her, and Carly says she’d like to file a complaint about room service. Nina asks if Carly even has time to eat, because she seems quite busy, and Carly asks why Nina doesn’t spend less time worrying about her private life and more time managing her hotel. Nina tells Carly to enjoy the rest of her stay, and leaves. Carly pushes the cart into the room, mumbling about Nina, and John comes out fully dressed. He says, friend of hers? and Carly gives a short laugh.

Curtis says he’s listening, and Drew says, as he mentioned, the wellness/fitness space is booming. Aurora wants to move into that business, but they need someone to spearhead the initiative. Curtis says, meaning? and Michael says, someone with practical experience and knowledge of the fitness industry, a strong leader with customer service experience, and multi-level management skills. Drew says, which are skills Curtis has. The Savoy is a huge success. Curtis asks how they see Aurora moving into the business, and Michael asks what Curtis would do. Curtis says, the most practical thing might be for Aurora to buy up some of the small gyms around the country, rebrand them, and combine them into a national high-end fitness club. People are spending a lot of money in wellness. Meditation rooms, plunge baths, yoga, Pilates, physical training… A mind body connection and combined with a training-slash-fitness facility, this is a one-stop shop. It might require significant capital. Drew says, which they have… Nina walks in, saying, Drew won’t believe this. She just saw Carly… She stops when she sees the other two.

John says he gets the sense Carly and Nina don’t get along, and she says, he must be an FBI agent. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she doesn’t let Nina get to her… She tries not to let Nina get to her. He says he knows a little bit about their history, and she says, lucky him. He says he takes it there isn’t enough water under the bridge yet, and she says, there’s not enough water in the world. Sorry about the eggs. He says, it’s not her fault. Besides, coffee is the only necessary component. (Agreed.) She says, when she owned the MetroCourt, this would have never flown. If a customer complained about their food, they would redo it at no charge. She refills his coffee, and he says, she’s big on customer service. She says, it’s literally what the hospitality industry is all about, and he says, she must have had her fair share of jerks blow through here though. She says, yeah, sure, but for the most part, people were great. And she loved it. She loved making people feel happy and comfortable and special. He asks if she doesn’t get to scratch that itch running Bobbie’s, and she says, to an extent. She loves Bobbie’s – she really does – but it’s a restaurant. Full stop. In this place she got a taste of all of it, really curating a space. From the carpets to the linen to the lighting. Even the music. Putting all of those things together to create the ultimate experience. She loved it. He says, sounds like a symphony, and she says, it kind of was. He says, and she was good at it, and she says, she was great at it. He asks if she thinks she’ll ever do it again, but she says she doesn’t know. She tells people that she will, that she’s going to get her half of the MetroCourt back, but she thinks that’s just a pipe dream, The MetroCourt belongs to someone else, two someone elses. She’s just going to have to accept that.

Chase says he’s been working on a surprise for Brook, and she says, but he’s terrible at keeping secrets. Chase says, it’s true. Her mom has been helping him keep this under wraps. Lois says, guilty as charged, and Brook says, so no more Palm Beach? Chase shakes his head, and she says, please tell her that he’s not working. It’s their honeymoon. He says, they’re still going away, but there has been a change in destination. He leads her over to the loveseat, and she says, okay. As long as it’s not a downgrade, she’s in. Everyone else quietly leaves the room, and she says, so what are they talking? Miami? Charleston? Palm Springs? She’s never been to the desert. He says, think a little further away than that, and she says, like out of the US away? He nods, and she asks what he did. He says he’s marrying the woman of his dreams. No, scratch that. He never dreamed of her because he didn’t know someone this wonderful could exist, and he wants their honeymoon to be a reflection of that. He wants her to remember this trip for the rest of her life. Because she deserves it. She deserves everything. She says, he’s the sweetest man on the planet. So where on this planet is he taking her? He says, Florence, and she says, he’s kidding. He says he’s not kidding, and she says, Florence, Italy? He says, her mom told him that she wanted to go, and she says, only for her entire life. Oh my God, Florence? She jumps up and says, not only does she get to go, she gets to go with him? He asks if she’s happy, and she says, happy doesn’t even begin to cover it, and kisses him.

Molly says, so she guesses Alexis wins – again, and Alexis says, freedom of the press wins – always. Except she has no idea why she’s fighting so hard for it when it comes to this paper. Molly says, because she cares about her job and the integrity of her paper, and Alexis says, integrity the new associate publisher will undoubtedly destroy. Molly starts to leave and picks up the envelope the messenger delivered. She asks, what’s this? and Alexis says, a messenger dropped it off when she was fighting with Nina. Molly asks if she’s looked at it, but Alexis says she was too consumed with rage to care. What is it? Molly says, it’s from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and Alexis says, they’re handling her appeal. Molly says, it’s probably her decision, whether they’ll review her case, or she’ll stay disbarred. Open it. She holds it out to Alexis, who backs up, saying, no. She can’t. She tells Molly to do it, and Molly asks if she’s sure. Alexis nods, and Molly opens the envelope.

As Molly reads what’s inside, she looks sad, and Alexis says, it’s okay. It was a longshot anyway. So the appeal was denied… Molly says, they’re giving her a hearing. They set a date and everything. Alexis grabs it from her and looks at it. She says, they’re giving her a hearing, and Molly says, not just that. They’re giving her hope. This is hope. They hug and jump up and down.

Marshall says, TJ needs to find reasons for him and Molly to come together that aren’t about the baby. It’s those moments of now, those moments where it’s just the two of them. Those moments are precious too. Now, as much as he enjoyed that egg sandwich and this beautiful park… TJ says, and the incredible company of his grandson, and Marshall says, that too. Get his behind over to the store and buy all the ingredients for Molly’s favorite dinner. Just make sure it’s reheatable in case she does have to work late. Wouldn’t it be nice for Molly to come home and see her favorite meal on the table waiting on her? TJ says, Molly would love that, and Marshall says, don’t spend the next three months wringing his hands over what Kristina is or isn’t doing. Spend the next three months with his partner, being just that – partners – before they become parents. Molly is a very special woman. TJ agrees she is and thanks Marshall. They bro hug.

Chase says, mimosa for the bride-to-be, handing Brook a drink, and she thanks him. They say, cheers, and clink glasses. Brook says she can’t believe it’s true, and he says, believe it. She says, Florence… the Uffizi, the Duomo, David… He says, whoa. Who’s this David guy? She says, and they have to take a day trip to Pisa and an overnight to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. He says, she’s thought a lot about this, and she says, this is like a bucket list thing for her. And she can’t wait to look up all the best restaurants and they’re going to have gelato every, single day, no exceptions. Okay? He says, yes, ma’am, and she says, they’re going to drink wine at sunset in every piazza they can find. It’s going to be so incredible. He says, she’s so incredible, and they kiss. She says, they have so much planning to do. Wait. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, a honeymoon to Florence is a lot more expensive than one stateside. The airfare alone. He says, that’s okay. He has the money for it. She asks, how? and he says he sold his truck.

Anna says, Valentin and Jack weren’t friends, but they certainly knew each other, right? He says, of course (🍷) they did, and she says, when he was working with Pikeman, in his dealings with them, did he ever get the sense Jack was involved? He says, she believes Jack Brennan was working with Pikeman? and she says she does. She can’t get him to admit it, but when Valentin was an intermediary, did anything jump out at him? He says he wishes he had something useful to offer her, but sadly, he doesn’t. She says, okay. It was worth a try. Maybe when she goes back to see him again. He says, don’t. Pikeman and Brennan are dangerous. If they’re working together, then they’re not to be messed with. She thanks him for his concern, but says she can take care of herself. He says, please do, and she thanks him for breakfast and leaves.

John opens the door for Carly and says, thanks again. She says she doesn’t think he thanked her the first time, and he says, then thank you. Not just for saving his hide on the docks, but for getting him back here and keeping an eye on him all night. She says he’s welcome, and he says, and he guesses they get to be friends, even if it’s just for a minute. She says, just for a minute? Are FBI agents not allowed to have friends? Oh. Worried he’s going to divulge classified information? He says, something like that, and she says, makes sense. But how does he know he doesn’t talk in his sleep? She leaves and he watches her walk down the hall.

Drew tells Nina, they’re at a meeting, so try back later, but Michael asks what she was going to say about his mom. And what did Nina do now? Nina says she didn’t do anything. She just thought Drew would want to know Carly moved on quickly from him and is now sleeping with everyone’s favorite FBI agent, John Cates.

Tomorrow, Tracy tells Brook, disrespecting your husband is no way to start a marriage; Maxie asks why Lucy is insisting on taking this all on herself; Alexis tells Gregory that it’s a risk she can afford; and Carly says she did something that someone isn’t going to like.

🛟 Here It Comes…

Now it’s somebody else’s fault she was a pita. Maybe she confused Fraser by answering every time the primary was asked a question.

🍸 Between Rules and Reunion…

I can’t believe anybody actually monitors who follows who. Aren’t they busy not opening restaurants and stuff?

It’s not about the pasta mirror.

🍊 Shady John…

Andy leaps with glee as he twirls his moustache.

⚰️ About Those Dead…

Like the franchise is ever going away.

Ha-ha! I thought it said giant zombie heads. Now that would be a variant.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-new-villain-zombies-season-1-return

Carol’s turn coming up.

https://www.cbr.com/daryl-dixon-book-of-carol-release-date-cast-news

🐕 From Around the Globe and Back…

Bollywood babies.

Backup pups.

https://people.com/meghan-trainor-stars-in-music-video-with-dogs-8629755

☔️ April Showers Bring More April Showers…

Stop by tomorrow for pre-weekend soap, the Summer smack talk promised, and shenanigans. Until then, stay safe, stay thinking twice before engaging in online debates, and stay doing the work. If you do, you can achieve anything.