What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina walks past the gazillion bouquets and opens the door to leave her dorm room. Spencer falls in and says, good morning.

Josslyn brings Adam into the hospital, and parks him on a bench. She tells Elizabeth that this is her friend Adam Wright. She just brought him in from PCU. He was nauseous, hyperventilating, sweating. She thinks he needs to see a doctor right away. Adam jumps up and says, no!

Finn knocks at Alexis’s office door, and she says, right on time. He thanks her for seeing him, and she says, of course (🍷). Is he okay? He didn’t say what this is about. He seems a little… He says, edgy? and she says, mm-hmm. He says, yeah, and she says, have a seat and tell her what’s going on, but he says, no seat. He needs to find an attorney, and he was hoping she’d point him in the right direction. She says, okay, but he’ll have to narrow this down a little bit. What kind of attorney? He says, one that can save his career from being destroyed.

Blaze says she doesn’t know how Brook did this. She’s doing a guest vocal on Magnum’s new track. Brook says she told Blaze, they’re going to take her career to the next level, and Blaze says, she delivered. Brook says, but they’re on a tight schedule. They have to deliver these tracks today. Blaze says she’s ready to get in the recording booth, and Brook asks if she needs any support. Kristina walks in, and Blaze says, actually, her support just arrived.

Drew says, now that Ned is back to being Ned, they have to come up with a new game plan for ELQ, and Michael says he hasn’t changed his mind. They’re moving forward. Drew says, of course (🍷) they are, but it might be easier said than done, and Michael says, they have to do what’s best for the company. ELQ has been unstable for almost a year, between Valentin’s absence and Ned’s erratic behavior, they’re still on shaky ground. Drew says, their whole plan was predicated on Ned remaining Eddie. That’s not the case anymore, so they need to come up with a new strategy. Michael’s phone rings, and he says, send him up. He tells Drew, Ned’s here. Showtime.

At the MetroCourt, Carly watches as Trish seats a customer, and Nina is on the phone about a king crab order. Nina leaves to get a bartender for a customer, and Trish says hi to Carly. She says, there’s a rumor going around that Carly might be back. Is it true?

Alexis says, Finn isn’t prone to hyperbole. This clearly sounds serious. He says, it is, and she tells him, take a breath. Have a seat. They sit down and Alexis asks for some specifics. He says he’s facing a malpractice lawsuit, and she says, that could be significant. It could also be frivolous. It could be a disgruntled patient that’s looking for a payout. Finn says, it isn’t frivolous. The patient in question, Dennis Muldoon, died. Now his family is suing the hospital and himself. Money isn’t an object for these people and he doesn’t think they’re looking for a quick payout. She says, let’s start at the beginning. When was the first time he saw Mr. Muldoon? He says, it was in April of this year. Muldoon traveled extensively for work, mostly in remote locations, and he came to see Finn because he thought he might have contracted something along the lines of a tapeworm. Finn ran extensive bloodwork and cultures, and confirmed he had a tapeworm. Finn sent him home with a plan of treatment, and he called a few days later, saying that he felt much better. Finn also asked him to come in for further testing, including a colonoscopy just to be sure, but he was off on another business trip and didn’t come back for two months. At that time, Finn increased the scope of the bloodwork and any additional testing, including the colonoscopy. It revealed he had Stage IV cancer. At that point, there was nothing he or oncology could do to save him. Now his family is filing a lawsuit against the hospital and himself. So what does she think? She says, the first thing she’s going to advise him is to stay clear of the General Hospital attorneys. She has the utmost respect for the place, but do not associate with these attorneys. Because they have one goal, and that goal is to protect the hospital. He says, meaning? and she says, they will throw you under the bus.

Blaze does vocal exercises in the sound booth, while Brook gives the sound engineer some instructions. The engineer says she thinks she knows what Brook is looking for, and Blaze asks for less reverb. Kristina says, this is so cool. It’s much more fun to mix music than mix drinks. Brook says she forgot how great the energy is.

Elizabeth brings out a wheelchair, but Adam says he doesn’t need to see a doctor. He thought he did, which is why he agreed to let Joss bring him here, but he’s fine. He just wants to go back to his dorm. Josslyn says, he’s not fine, because they were in class, and he started to have trouble breathing. They had to stop the exam. They wanted to call him an ambulance, but the only reason they didn’t was because she agreed to bring him here. Adam says, oh my God, the test. They’re missing it. What are they going to do? Josslyn says, it’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. Getting loud, Adam says, it’s not going to be okay. What if he fails the class? Elizabeth suggests he sit down for a minute, and helps him into the chair. Josslyn says, he’s not going to fail the class. Please just try to stay calm. Elizabeth says she’s going to take Adam to an exam room and have a doctor check him out. As he’s wheeled away, Adam begs Josslyn not to leave him.

Spencer gets up from the floor, and Trina says, please tell her that he didn’t sleep outside her dorm room all night. He says he sure did, and she says, he could have gotten her in trouble with the RA. Is he crazy? He says, crazy in love with her, and she says she’s serious. He says, so is he, and she says, so this is how he chooses to get her attention? He says he tried everything short of skywriting. She wouldn’t return his calls or texts. She asks if he didn’t think maybe she didn’t want to talk to him. It never occurred to him to respect her wishes apparently. She goes inside, and he follows her in and closes the door. He says he’s really sorry. He knows he screwed up. It was one of those moments that the words were coming out of his mouth and he wanted them to stop, but it was already too late. He can’t un-ring the bell. She says she doesn’t even know what that means, and he asks if she even read the cards he sent her. She says, no, and he says, they all say the same thing, taking one of them from a bouquet. She says, then she’s glad she didn’t bother reading them, and he tells her, they all say he’s sorry and he was wrong. She says, and exactly what does he think he’s wrong about?

Carly tells Trish, you never know what the future holds. Maybe someday, but now she’s focused on Kelly’s. How’s it going here? Trish says she can’t complain. It’s all good, but Carly is definitely missed. Carly says she misses them too, and Trish says, Mr. Cain was here last week. He looked really great. Carly must be out of her mind that he was in prison. Carly says, he never should have been there in the first place, but she’s really happy he’s home. Nina hears them from the hostess podium and goes over to them. She asks if there’s any chance Carly is here to discuss her offer.

Ned joins Drew and Michael, and Michael says he’s not sure which greeting is appropriate. Is it a welcome back situation or… Ned says he doesn’t know if there’s any rule book for this one, and tells Drew that he’s sorry to hear about Drew’s ordeal in Pentenville. He was relieved to hear Drew was released early. Drew says, nobody was more relieved than him. He couldn’t wait to get out of that place. Ned flashes back to confronting Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC, and says he promised he’d sit on this information for a while, but it can’t wait. There’s something Drew needs to know about the SEC charges.

Kristina tells Blaze that she wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is great. Blaze tells her that she says that now, but it’s not all glamorous. There’s a lot of sitting around between takes and it helps to have company. Brook says, hello? and Blaze says, she’s there in a professional capacity. Kristina and Blaze sit down, and Blaze thanks Kristina for distracting her; keeping her mind off the butterflies in her stomach. Kristina says, Blaze is a pro, cool and confident, but Blaze says, it’s just smoke and mirrors. This is a huge opportunity. There’s a lot riding on this. She’s been dying to work with Magnum, but what if she blows it and the song tanks? Kristina says, what if she doesn’t? What if it’s a hit?

Elizabeth sees Terry in the hallway and gives her some figures she’d asked for. Terry is in a hurry to get back to work, but Elizabeth asks if she has any updates on the malpractice suit. Terry says, Elizabeth knows she can’t talk about this, especially to her, given her relationship with Finn. She’s not at liberty to disclose anything about the case. Elizabeth says she’s not asking for details. She just hoped Terry could give her a sense of what’s going on. Terry says she’s sorry. She knows Elizabeth is in a difficult position, but hospital policy is clear, and as Co-Chief of Staff, she has to be in full compliance. There can be no sign of any impropriety. Good luck in protecting Finn. Elizabeth asks if that isn’t what Terry should be doing. He’s not only her co-worker, he’s her friend. Terry says, that’s the problem. Personally, does she want Finn to win? Of course (🍷), but professionally, she has to keep her distance and follow the rules to the letter. Does Elizabeth understand?

Finn tells Alexis, Terry and Portia are not only Co-Chiefs of Staff, but he’d like to think they’re his friends and wouldn’t throw him under the bus. She says, regardless of his personal relationships, this is not about friends. This is business to General Hospital. He came to her for advice. She really needs him to listen to her. She used to be pretty good at this, and she knows her way around a courtroom and knows these kinds of attorneys. She knows their only objective when it comes to a malpractice suit is to win at all costs. They will not do the noble thing, and if he ends up being collateral damage, so be it. He says, and here he thought she was going to put his mind at ease. He gets up and she follows. She says she’s just trying to get him to understand this case and see what they could do. They’re going to present this in the most simple narrative. This is a wealthy family who lost a son, father, husband – in his prime – and they’re grieving, and they want someone to pay. What does he think the jury will believe? He says, hopefully, the truth, that he had nothing to do with this man’s death.

Trish says she’s going to get back to work and leaves. Nina asks if Carly wants to sit down, and Carly says, sure. They sit at a table, and Carly says she’s just curious. Why? Why did Nina offer to sell her back her half of the hotel? She knows Nina has a lot on her plate, but she could ask Olivia to take on more work. Nina says, Olivia is stretched pretty thin as it is, and Carly says, then hire a manager. Or promote from within. There are many ways for Nina to retain her half of the hotel. Is she having financial… Nina says her financial situation is on solid ground, and Carly says, great. Then why is she doing this? Is it because of Willow?

Ned says, this was before the fall at the pool, and Drew says he was there with Tracy. Ned came rushing in, calling his name, like he wanted to tell him something important, and that’s when he hit his head. Ned says, the details were a little fuzzy at first, but he remembers everything now. He remembers what he came to tell Drew. Michael’s office phone rings, and he says, hang on a second. He picks up the phone and says, put her through. He says he has the figures for them and will see them in Sydney next month. They’ll celebrate breaking ground. He hangs up, and Ned asks if that was Angela Trance from RCD in Australia? Michael says, yes. Is that a problem? Ned says, yes. He doesn’t see why Aurora, a media company, would be making a deal with RCD. Michael says, the deal was for ELQ.

Blaze asks if Kristina really thinks it could be a hit, and Kristina says, Blaze is talented. Why not? And from what she knows about Brook, that woman is unstoppable. Blaze says, but the market is so saturated these days. Everyone is posting their music online. The competition is fierce. Kristina says, this is when she roars. Show them what she’s got. Blaze says, even if the song does take off, the real money’s in touring, and Kristina says, then tour. She’s got enough material. What could be better than singing to a sold-out crowd? Blaze says, being with someone. Touring is lonely. To be honest, she’s tired of being alone.

Alexis tells Finn, it’s not going to take much to convince a jury that an overworked doctor had a patient who believed he had a tapeworm. And this doctor took the patient at face value and missed the clue that the real ailment was cancer. Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist who went looking for a parasite and he found one, but Alexis says, when the jury hears the word cancer, it will trigger them, because at least one of them, if not all of them, have lost a loved one to cancer. That’s a compelling story, doesn’t he think? He says he doesn’t know what to think anymore, and she says she’s telling him that he needs to find the right attorney. Because if he doesn’t, his career will be over.

Spencer says, it was wrong of him to give Trina an ultimatum, and he’d do anything to take it back. Trina says, obviously, it’s too late for that now, and even though she doesn’t like the way he said it, he did bring up a good point. What are his priorities? Who comes first for him? She’d like to think it’s her and their relationship, but maybe it’s Ace and Esme. He says he doesn’t care about Esme, but Trina says, sometimes she’s not sure about that. He says, his little brother needs him and he’s not going to turn his back on Ace, but she says she’s not asking him to do that. The fact that it’s hard for him to accept Esme moving out as a normal progression tells her all she needs to know. He asks what that means, and she says, clearly, they have different ideas about what their relationship is and where it’s going.

Elizabeth says, Adam is cleared to go home, and Josslyn thanks her. She says she was so worried. She’s never seen anyone in the middle of a panic attack. It’s scary. Elizabeth says, Josslyn did the right thing by bringing him here, and Josslyn asks if he’s going to be okay. Elizabeth says, all she can tell Josslyn is, he’s been cleared to go home and that’s a good sign. Does she know what else is a good sign? Josslyn’s future as a doctor. Josslyn asks what she means, and Elizabeth says, the fact that she brought him here and looked after him shows what kind of doctor she’s going to be. She has high hopes for Josslyn. Josslyn thanks her, and Elizabeth says she’ll see if Adam’s paperwork is ready. Josslyn goes into the exam room and asks how Adam is. He says he’s fine. He’s really sorry, but it’s all good now. She says, no, it’s not.

Alexis says, they have to find the right fit for Finn. She so wishes she could do this for him. She wishes she could fight for him, but she can’t. He says, there must be somebody who’ll take this on, and she says, the person she would recommend would be Diane, but she knows Diane is swamped. She’s overwhelmed right now and probably won’t be able to take the case. So why doesn’t he give his pal Tracy a call? He says, she’d be tough in the courtroom, but last time he checked, she doesn’t have a law degree. Alexis says, she has the last name Quartermaine, and anyone with the last name Quartermaine has access to top notch lawyers on retainer. He says he knows, but it’s the wrong time to ask Tracy for a favor. She says, Tracy would be happy to help him, and he says he knows she would, but she’s in Amsterdam. She’s meeting Bobbie Spencer. Something about settling Luke’s affairs. She says, who else? and he says, Elizabeth offered to talk to Scott Baldwin. He’s not sure Scotty is the best choice, but Scotty says he’s good at his job. She says, Scotty can be brash and he’s a little odd, but he’s actually smart. He’s also not the right attorney for Finn. He doesn’t need brash; he needs subtle. He says, that’s probably not Scotty, and she says she just told him Diane is probably too busy, and she probably is, but she’s going to call anyway.

Kristina asks how Blaze can possibly be lonely with thousands of fans chanting her name. She wishes the staff at Charlie’s would do that for her when she walked in. And the pub goes wild. They laugh, and Brook asks what they’re laughing about. Blaze says, it was getting too serious and Kristina’s trying to make her smile. Brook says, it seems like she’s succeeding, and Blaze says she was just telling Kristina that touring isn’t as cool as it looks. It’s hard work. Sound checks, dance rehearsals, promotors… Never mind. She’s being ridiculous. Kristina says, Blaze is right. It does sound lonely. Blaze says she has the feeling Kristina knows something about loneliness. The engineer asks if they’re ready to do this.

Ned says, Michael did what? and Michael says he made a deal with RCD. Actually, they closed in July, but there were a few terms they had to iron out first. Drew says, this is what’s best for the company, but Ned says, last time he checked, he’s President of this company. Drew says, they had no idea when Ned was going to recover, and Ned says, Drew makes it sound like he was in rehab. He was in Port Charles the whole time. Drew says, for all intents and purposes, Ned wasn’t here. It was Eddie. Michael says, the deal is done, and Ned asks, what are the terms? Michael says, ELQ has all the paperwork. Feel free to look it over, but he’ll see Michael got RCD to agree to more favorable terms. He’s going to oversee the first stage of construction, but Ned says he has no authority to do that.

Nina asks why Carly thinks Willow had anything to do with this. She just found out about it when they were discussing it at Kelly’s. Carly says she just wondered if Willow was the real incentive for Nina to sell. It makes sense. Nina wants a closer relationship with Willow and her grandson, and what better way to get that than to make peace with her? Is she right?

Ned says, while he appreciates Michael taking this on, he had no authority to act on ELQ’s behalf. Michael suggests he look over the deal before criticizing it, and Ned says, whether it’s a sound deal or not is irrelevant. Michael knows it wasn’t his place to take this on. Drew says, Ned should have been the one dealing with this, but they couldn’t count on him, because he proclaimed to the world that he was Eddie Maine. All he cared about was his music. And Valentin’s been AWOL for months, dealing with the fallout from his lunatic father. And he was in prison, so what did Ned expect Michael to do? He was the only one qualified to engage with RCD. If it wasn’t for him, there would be no deal, so Drew thinks the appropriate response should be thank you.

Nina says, of course (🍷) she wants a closer relationship with Willow, and she thought Carly getting her hotel back would go a long way in repairing the family rift. Carly tells her, that’s what Willow said. She gets it that things won’t feel right until she gets her hotel back, and Nina says, great. She’ll come over with the paperwork… Carly says she appreciates the offer, but she’s going to pass.

Trina says she’s been supportive to Spencer and his situation. He says he appreciates that, and she says, and she’s been respectful to his love toward Ace and his sense of responsibility to him. But that somehow translates to her standing on the sidelines; she’s not on the field. She’s watched him put all his focus and energy into Ace, and by extension, Esme, and she’s not okay with that. He asks what she’s saying, and she says she doesn’t want to be around Esme anymore. This is the woman who tried to destroy her life. He says, but that was the old Esme; she has no memory of that. Trina says she understands that, and she’s accepted it, but she still has to live with the memory. Esme still looks like the same person and that is difficult for her. She doesn’t want to be around her. Spencer says, okay, but Esme and Ace are a package deal. What does she want him to do? Trina says, he wants her not to make him choose, but he never asked her what her choice would be. He says, okay, what is it? and she says she chooses to put herself first. Not to go along with this dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up. If he’s going to stay with Esme and Ace, he’s going to do it without her.  

Adam says, don’t make it into something it’s not, but Josslyn says she’s not overreacting. The second the exam started, he was freaking out. He was dizzy and hyperventilating, and even in the car on the way over, he told her that his heart was racing. He says, that was just the stuff he took to help him study, and she says, what stuff would that be? He says, it’s a supplement, a pill. Some big, long name, dextro something. It’s supposed to help you focus. A ton of people take it and he took too much this morning. It’s no big deal. She says, it is a big deal because that’s an amphetamine, that’s speed. He says he didn’t score some street drug. He has a prescription for it. He’ll be more careful next time. It won’t happen again. She says, and if it does happen again? and he says, now she’s the one who needs to calm down. She asks why he’s doing this to himself. He’s miserable. If pre-med is torture for him, then he needs to switch majors, something with less pressure. He says, there is nothing else. Does she understand? This is all he’s ever wanted ever since he was a kid. It’s been his dream. She asks if it’s his dream or his parents’.

On the phone, Alexis says, Diane has to trust her on this. This is a David versus Goliath type case… Finn paces and nods, and Alexis says, no. She wouldn’t pitch this to Diane if she didn’t think Diane wouldn’t have a huge victory if she took this… She will? Yes. Thank you. You’re the best.

Blaze sings in the booth, and Brook tells Kristina, originally, they got a huge artist who shall remain nameless… Kristina says, Beyonce, and Brook says she’s not at liberty to say. But the artist’s reps wanted extra singing on the song. Then there were rumors flying around that negotiations were at an impasse. That’s when she swooped in and picked Blaze up. Kristina says, very impressive. She’s lucky to have Brook. Brook says, if there’s one thing she’s learned in the music biz, it’s that timing is everything. She has a really good feeling about this song. She really thinks it could become a hit, take Blaze’s career to the next level. Kristina’s phone chimes, and she tells Brook that she’s got to go. There’s something going on with her family, but good luck. She leaves.

Spencer tells Trina that he knows what he has to do now. He has to let go. He needs to stop trying to be Ace’s father and needs to realize he’s Ace’s older brother and nothing more. She says, he can still be supportive of Ace. There just has to be clear boundaries. He says, she was right the whole time. He’s sorry. He just couldn’t see it. He needs to stop trying to control Esme and Ace. It’s not his place. So they’re going to move into their own place, and he thinks that’s probably what’s best for everyone. Trina asks if he’s just saying that to put her mind at ease or does he really believed that? He says he’s trying to, but it might take him a little while to get there. But it will. And he knows one thing for certain. He doesn’t want her to become secondary to anyone. From now on, he’s going to make her his one and only priority. She’s her own person and has every right to be who she wants to be, and to make the choices she wants to make, live the life she wants to live. But he really hopes there’s a place in it for him.

Back at the dorm, Josslyn asks if Adam is okay. He barely spoke in the car. He says he’s sorry for snapping at her. He messed up everything. She didn’t even get to take the test. She says, here’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to take the make-up test and even if it doesn’t go well, it only counts for a fraction of their final grade. So just try and give himself a break. He says, okay. He’ll try.

Finn brings Elizabeth some coffee, and she thanks him. She says, he seems to be in better spirits than he was this morning, and he says, maybe. She says, and the reason is… He says he just thinks it’s going to be a beautiful day, and she says, he’s not talking about the weather. He says, no, and she says, this morning he’d been distracted by the possible malpractice suit. Is it dropped?

Blaze wonders where Kristina is, and Brook says, she had to leave. She got a text, something about her family, and she took off. Brook texted her that they’ll be here a few hours, so maybe she’ll be back. Blaze says she just hopes everything’s okay with Kristina’s family.

Kristina walks into Alexis’s office and says, guess where she just was? Alexis asks if Kristina is going to make her guess, but Kristina says, fine. She’ll tell her. She was at a recording studio with Brook and Blaze. Blaze was laying a guest track for a major artist. She can’t say who, but it’s going to be huge. Alexis says, that’s great, and asks if Kristina has heard from Sam. Sam said she was going to call her. Kristina says, Sam’s been leaving her messages and texting her, asking Kristina to call her, but she called her and it went straight to voicemail. So she came here, thinking maybe Alexis knew what was going on.

Adam tells Josslyn, okay. He’ll let himself off the hook. Like she said, this doesn’t count for much of the grade. She asks if he’s going to be okay, and he says he’ll be fine. He thanks her for everything, and goes back to his room. Josslyn goes into hers and sees Trina and Spencer kissing. She says, it looks like they made up. Trina says, yes, they did, because somebody realized he was wrong. Spencer says he had some help getting there, and Josslyn says, at least something worked out this morning. Trina asks if that means her Organic Chem test didn’t go well, and Josslyn says her test didn’t go at all. She has to take a make-up test. Trina asks, what happened? She studied so hard. Josslyn says, Adam had a panic attack and she had to take him to the hospital. Trina asks if he’s okay, but Josslyn says, actually, she doesn’t think so. She’s really worried about him.

Carly says, it’s not like she doesn’t want her half of the hotel back. She does, but she’s just not in the financial situation to do it. Nina says she assumed Michael would… but Carly says she’s not going to take money from her son. She got herself into this situation and she’ll get herself out on her own. Her phone chimes, and Nina flashes back to Michael giving her terms, one of which was to sell Carly her half of the MetroCourt back. Nina asks if Carly is sure she won’t reconsider. Why doesn’t she take the deal for the good of the family? Carly says, don’t worry. Willow knows she’s not accepting, and she understands. Nina made points by offering to sell to begin with. Take the win. Nina gets to keep her hotel and she’s even closer to Willow. Enjoy. She walks off.

Ned tells Drew, don’t pretend Michael is some kind of hero. He’s a shark. Michael was just waiting until he and Valentin were out of the picture; then he made his move. Michael says, don’t be so dramatic. He made a deal, plain and simple. Drew says, and it works for ELQ. Ned couldn’t have negotiated such favorable terms. Maybe that’s why he’s throwing such a tantrum. It’s killing him that Michael did a better job than Ned could have done. Ned says, Michael had his moment of glory, but from now on, stay the hell out of ELQ. He’s not a corporate officer; he’s only a shareholder. And let’s keep it that way. He walks out, and Drew says, that’s proof Ned is unfit to run ELQ. He’s a loose cannon and they have to move forward with this takeover while there’s still a company to save.

Finn tells Elizabeth, the malpractice suit has not been dropped, but at least Alexis has agreed to help him. Elizabeth says she’s confused. Alexis hasn’t been able to practice law for years. He says, but she still has contacts. He was just at her office and asked her if she could help him find a good lawyer. She set up a lunch with Diane Miller. Elizabeth says, that’s great. She can’t tell him how many times Diane represented Jason in court. And she always won. She’s the best. He says, that’s what he’s counting on.

Blaze sings again in the booth. Brook and the engineer look pleased. Brook says, they’ve got it.

Alexis says, Sam was going to tell Kristina, and Kristina says, Alexis is scaring her. Did something happen? Alexis says, the surrogate had a miscarriage. Molly and TJ lost the baby. We hear Blaze sing, I’ll be right by your side, as Alexis hugs Kristina.

Tomorrow, Carly asks what Drew is going to do about it; Cody says he’s out, but Sasha says, maybe not; Curtis says, Jordan is the only one who’ll understand what he discovered; Nina questions Charlotte; and Sonny says he’ll shut Cyrus down permanently.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle says, Natalya can disappear. Get away from him. She says he doesn’t tell her what to do or how to talk, and they snipe at each other. Kyle says, Natalya will never control him, and she’s been a fake-ass bitch from day one. Natalya says, he started it, and Kyle says, don’t test him. Lara suggests they chill, and Kyle says, instead of giving her opinion about everyone else’s life, focus on her own f***ed up life. Tumi tells them that they’re going to sleep in separate rooms and asks if Natalya would like the master. She would, and Tumi says, Kyle will stay in the crew mess until she goes in there. On her way out the door, Natalya calls Kyle a horrible human. In her interview, she says, Kyle’s not the lovely, yes queen person he says he is. What’s the point in arguing with Satan? Jessika wonders what’s happening, and Kyle says he’s done arguing with a bunch of imbeciles. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya constantly inserts herself into things not relevant to her. He’s sick of her gossiping and talking behind people’s backs. Who does she think she is? Lara keeps Natalya company, and Natalya says, Kyle’s behavior is not right. Lara says, it seemed all of a sudden, and in Lara’s interview, she says she’s upset because they’re both her friends. It’s not good of Natalya to mix in things, but Kyle going off is completely unacceptable. He goes from one person to another, loving then hating them. She can’t keep up with who he likes. Luka tells Jess, it’s over with Natalya, and she asks if it’s been there, not done that. He says, it’s been there, too much begging. Kyle and Max make some sort of drunken truce and high-five. Kyle says, Max isn’t the problem he’s upset about. Natalya was shutting his voice up. In Max’s interview, he says he didn’t understand allies, but he learned tonight and now he can be one. If they want him to be a Teletubby, he’s a Tellytubby. Tumi asks if Natalya is okay. What was said was horrible. She asks if Natalya is okay to sleep on the boat, and Natalya says she feels safe. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it wasn’t Natalya’s battle, but she’s not an a-hole and realizes Kyle’s behavior was inexcusable. She’s going to let them breathe. Then they need to have a conversation and resolve it. There’s only so much she can do. Luka gets in Jessika’s bunk, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, he’s a Scorpio. He’ll eat anything that comes his way that he wants.

2 days until charter. Kyle says he’s hung over as balls, and Lara says, all crew, wake the f*** up. They need to be there at 11.  In Tumi’s interview, she says, she never wants Natalya to feel uncomfortable, regardless of how she feels personally about her. Tumi tells Natalya that she wants her to feel safe, but Natalya says she feels the boat is the easy part. In Natalya’s interview, she says Kyle was fake and she thought he was a good friend. She doesn’t want to be on a team where she’s not valued or appreciated. In Luka’s interview, he says, when he woke up, he said he was never drinking again, then cracks open a beer. Natalya tells Tumi that she’s waiting for Kyle to leave. Maybe she’ll join them later. Jack needs someone to shave his back and Lara bravely volunteers. In Jack’s interview, he says he has a big baby face, but his back looks like King Kong. There’s going to be women at the beach club. In Lara’s interview, she says, this is exactly why she’s gay. Max wants to sleep, and in his interview, he says Kyle wanted to make his drama Max’s and they had a fight. When there’s toxic energy, he wants to explode everything. He’ll be fake later, but not now. Natalya tells Max that she’s quitting because Kyle is an a-hole. She’s never speaking to him again. She’s out tomorrow. In her interview, she says she doesn’t like giving up. She came on confused about her relationship, butted heads with Tumi, then vile Kyle. She’s ready to throw in the napkin. She tells Max, let’s enjoy the sunshine. The others get to the beach club, which is absolutely stunning, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s so beautiful. This couldn’t have come at a better time. They need to get over last night. If they can’t get over it, they have a problem. The drinking commences in the taxi and continues at the beach club. On the boat, Natalya thinks Max should take the day and chill. Sleep on it and see how he’s feeling. Captain Sandy wanders around eating a bag of chips, and Max and Natalya go to meet the others. Kyle says he doesn’t want to be here and jets. In her interview, Tumi says, they need a miracle for the interior. She follows Kyle, who says he can’t do it for any more days. F*** the money. He can’t be near her. Tumi says, they can’t talk tomorrow, and he says he’s just keeping his distance. Tumi goes back to the table, mumbling that she wants to get drunk. In Natalya’s interview, she says she doesn’t understand what’s happening. Luka didn’t stand up for her and didn’t check in on her this morning. She expected more support. She hates how everyone is so calm about what happened. Jessika chats with Max about positivity, when Natalya stomps over to them. She says she hates how Jessika promotes good vibes, yet hasn’t spoken to her or checked in on her. Jessika says she didn’t know stuff went down, and Natalya says, that shows lot about her. In her interview, Natalya says, she’s had Jessika’s back since day one, and Jessika didn’t even check on her. We flash back to Natalya stirring the pot with Jessika on several occasions, which I guess is how she defines having someone’s back. Natalya tells us that it says a lot about Jessika. She needs to be told she’s a bitch. Natalya – judge and jury for the world when she can’t get her own sh*t straight. Natalya tells Jessika, don’t preach good energy when she was in a bad place and Jessika didn’t even check in on her. Jessika wisely just keeps saying, you’re right, since reasoning with Natalya is like reasoning with a three-year-old. Or a drunk.

Jessika tells Luka that she’s not perfect, but it was crazy. She was talking to Max about her life and suddenly her life become something else. In Jessika’s interview, she says she feels bad for Natalya. She’s had exchanges with Luka, Tumi, and Kyle, but she put herself in those situations, and now she’s taking it out on everyone else. She tells Max, this is why she doesn’t put herself in other people’s drama. Natalya calls AJ and says she’s not well. F***ing Kyle is a f***ing a-hole. There are good people, but it doesn’t feel good. She’s stressed and her anxiety is through the roof. Now she’s stuck at this beach club. She shouldn’t have come. She wants off the boat and isn’t spending another night on it. In Jack’s interview, he says he can feel the divide. He feels no one cares how Natalya was treated. Jessika says, Natalya literally yelled at her that she couldn’t believe Jessika was talking good energy. She was right not to get involved in the issue. She just had one and doesn’t want another. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya is 100% a short-fused martyr. He regrets how he acted, but the emotions come back when he sees Natalya. Natalya goes back to the boat, while the others freshen up for dinner. On the boat, snoring comes from Captain Sandy’s cabin. Natalya packs, and at dinner, Tumi tells the server, just pour. In Natalya’s interview, she says she wants nothing to do with Kyle. She’ll have a conversation with Captain Sandy in the morning. She wants to sleep on it and make sure she wants to go through with this. She texts Lara to ask Luka if he’ll help carry her suitcases. Is it me? I have little to no sympathy for Natalya because of the immature, mean girl way she demands attention. She not only thinks everyone not involved should be a mind reader, she’s not even going to let them have dinner in peace without screaming, look at me! Lara tells Luka that Natalya is leaving, and Kyle says, they handled it with three people before. In Tumi’s interview, she says, if Natalya feels she wants to go, she’s not holding her back, and tells Kyle that she thinks they’ll be fine with three. In Jack’s interview, he says, that everyone is okay with Natalya leaving doesn’t sit right with him. They leave the restaurant, and Jack tells Max that he feels Natalya is being pushed out.

On the way to a club, there’s twerking and nipple flashing on one taxi, and sad looking Max and Jack in the other. When they get to the club, Max decides to stay in the taxi. Tumi asks Jessika if she wants something to happen with Luka, but Jessika says she gets attached. Tumi says, Luka’s not that guy, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s a relationship girl. The longest she’s been single is maybe four months. Her first relationship was at 16, and they were together two years. There was a brief relationship with a guy in Vegas, but her advice is, don’t date Vegas guys. Her latest relationship lasted six years. She gives it her all. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s worried tonight isn’t going to end well. Luka and Jessika sort of kiss, but are mostly goofing around. Jack accosts Haleigh about Natalya, and Haleigh says she doesn’t blame Natalya for going. Jack says, no one else is bothered, and Haleigh says, let’s get drinks, which seems like as good an answer as any to the problem. Jack says his phone is dead, so he wants a drink. Kyle says he’s feeling more liberated. He’s never felt more free as himself. Hmm… Sounds like drunk talk to me. Haleigh and Lara get on either side of Jack to help him to the taxi. Kyle says he’s going to help Natalya pack, and in Luka’s interview, he says, Kyle’s being a mean girl. It’s awkward. He doesn’t want to stand up for Natalya too much. He’ll get his head bit off. When they get back to the boat, Haleigh says she’s going to sleep, and Lara says, let’s make some noodles, bitches. In Lara’s interview, she says she can’t keep up with this sh*t. At least she’s not the center of the drama. Ugly drama. She scarfs some, no doubt cold pasta out of a huge bowl, and Tumi checks on Natalya, who says she’s leaving in the morning. Tumi tells the rest in the crew mess that Natalya is done, then asks for some noodles. She says she doesn’t want to be a bitch, but can someone help with Natalya’s bags tomorrow. Kyle says, maybe he can try to talk to her, and Tumi says she has no time for this again. He goes to the door of the master, and in her interview, Tumi says she’s holding her breath. Kyle opens the door and asks, can he… Natalya says, no.  

Natalya tells Kyle that she’s so tired. He says he doesn’t want to make it worse. He just wants her to know it hurts his heart what happened to them. He apologizes and isn’t blaming it on anything. He said what he said. In Natalya’s interview, she says, she can accept his apology – even that’s fake – but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Kyle says, this is an indefinite goodbye. It wasn’t a normal fight. She says, it’s heartbreaking is what it is, and he says, if she ever wants to rechart, she knows where he is. He leaves and tells Tumi that he said apology words, but there was no forgiveness. She may never reach out. He wasn’t there to ask her to stay. Tumi says she wishes Natalya well, and in her interview, she says, Kyle thinks he’s the victim. Maybe the boat will be better, maybe not. Luka and Jessika roll around in the bottom bunk, when Tumi comes in. She says, they’re going to make the best babies, and gets in the top bunk. Luka makes his exit.

29 hours before charter. In Max’s interview, he says he wasn’t sleeping last night. When his Eifel Tower is down in the morning, it’s an indicator that he’s not in a good environment. Good to know. Natalya asks to meet Captain Sandy on the bridge. She tells the captain, besides personal stuff at home, Kyle is fighting with everyone. She misrepresents what happened in Kyle’s fight with Max, which was basically a stupid drunk fight, and tells the captain that she thought Kyle was her best friend. He had Jessika crying because he screamed at her. We flash back to the green stew debacle, and Captain Sandy says she’s going to speak to Kyle. It’s not okay for him to be bullying. Natalya says she needs to get off the boat. She feels safe, but she just doesn’t feel good. The captain says she won’t find anyone as excellent as Natalya. She wants Natalya to stay, but if she wants to leave, nothing is worth her mental health. They hug, and in the captain’s interview, she says, she can’t make Natalya stay nor would she want her to. She wants Natalya to feel supported, but at the same time, she’s pissed about losing Natalya. It’s going to be hard on the interior, and they’re in trouble with their next charter. She’s not condoning Kyle’s behavior. The way Natalya described it, it’s unacceptable, and she’s pissed.

Natalya hugs Jack, who’s all bummed. In Luka’s interview, he says he can’t believe she’s leaving. It will be amazing for her to go home and sort out her stuff and find out what she wants to do. In Natalya’s interview, she says she’s happy that she stuck it out as long as she could, but at a point, she needs to say, sayonara. She needs to have a hard conversation with her partner. Luka should have encouraged her to stay, but he was too focused on vagina. If not for Kyle, she could have had a good relationship. This was the last straw. She’s done. She’s unfollowing him. That makes it official.

Captain Sandy texts Norma asking for a new stew. She calls Jack to the bridge, and in her interview, she says she’s not sure what happened, but she’s not happy. She wants to know the full story, so she’s getting other people’s feedback. Jack says he doesn’t remember what the argument was about (I’m not surprised with the amount of alcohol in him), but Kyle was mad. He stuck up for Max, but Kyle was out of order. It all came out when he was drunk. Everyone seemed happy Natalya was leaving, but he thinks they’re insecure. She’s the best stew they’ve had. The captain says she’ll deal with it, and when he leaves, she says she didn’t expect that. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s not sure how this sh*t is going to pan out. She feels relieved, but what’s happening is confusing. It’s stressful thinking about it. The captain calls Tumi to the bridge and asks if Tumi remembers they talked about respect in the workplace. She asks about the issue with Kyle. What happened with Max? Tumi says, it got heated, but she didn’t understand the story. Captain Sandy asks if she witnessed Kyle and Natalya’s altercation, and Tumi says, it caught her off-guard and it was also heated. The captain says, even when they’re off the boat, they still represent the boat. Tumi says she respects Kyle as a co-worker and loves him, but the way he reacts when he’s emotionally triggered is incorrect. Captain Sandy says, it’s not okay, and asks Tumi to get Kyle. Max is starting to look smart at this point.  

Max compares the yacht to a casino, and he wants to cash out. He wants to go out after one more charter, but Luka says, they have four to go. In Luka’s interview, he says, his team was making progress. They were doing great. He’ll tell Max and maybe that will change his mind. In the crew mess, Tumi tells Jessika about talking to the captain, and on the bridge, Captain Sandy tells Kyle, have a seat. It’s not a good morning for her. She has ears and eyes, and in every situation on the boat, he’s the common denominator. He had screaming matches with Max, Jessika, and Natalya, and he’s the person always in screaming matches. She’d never bring him back as chief stew because he can’t control his emotions. This is a professional setting, and he’s bullying and screaming. She doesn’t want a person like him on board. Does he understand? He says, yes, captain.

To be continued…

🚙 Gathering Together…

Start working off your future Thanksgiving dinner by running here tomorrow for soap and a mixture of side dishes. Until then, stay safe, stay not being the unexpected early guest, and stay never going along with a dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up.