Tag Archives: Andrew Lincoln

Jul6

July 5, 2024 – Kristina Confronts Natalia, Celebration, VanderSuit, Woe Is Her, A Tease, Dead Talk, Possible Return, Responding, Almost Here, If They’re Lost, Pets (!) At the Polls, Close To 10 Quotes & Woman

Posted on July 6, 2024 by theresakp

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Drew sees Jordan at the pool, and says, she rarely leaves the Deputy Mayor’s office, so she must be undercover. She asks if she looks like she’s dressed for wearing a wire. Even her cell phone is in her locker. He says, she’s really just here to relax, and she says she is indeed. Laura asked her to take over one of the meetings for her. So many suits and so many horrible people wearing them. They were angry when they were done, but when the receptionist told them they don’t validate, she thought they were going to burst into flames. He bets she misses her old job, and she says, they do use nicer language, but after subbing for Laura at the mayor’s conference in DC and that dumpster fire of a meeting she just had, Laura told her to take the rest of the day off. For once, she took Laura up on it. What about him? He says he just took a chance to get some pool time in and take advantage of the last few days before he makes his announcement. Once he officially runs for Congress, he’s going to have to get his laps in at like 6 in the morning because the days are going to be crazy. She says, on the upside, at least he’ll probably have the pool to himself. And she’s thrilled for him, and for them when he wins. The campaign trail awaits.

Trina and Josslyn unpack at the new apartment, while Dex brings in boxes. He asks if Josslyn is sure all this came from the one dorm room, and she says, most of it, yes. That’s why it was so comfortable. He says, when he transferred units in the army, he had one backpack and one small bag, and she says she knows he’s making a point about packing light, but that just makes her sad for him. Trina says, it does. One cute pillow, and your tent becomes a home. He says, only if it’s really cute, and she says she was thinking about turning one of her bedroom walls into a gallery wall. He says, she has the space and the light, and she says, look at him, appreciating light. And her work is done. Josslyn says, there are some tools they might need in the garage. She and Dex can grab them. She and Dex leave, and Trina opens a box, taking out the Molyneaux art book that Spencer gave her. She looks at the inscription and closes it again. Gio walks in, and it falls off her lap onto the floor.

Maxie and Brook walk into Maxie’s office, and Maxie says she knows trolls live to be nasty, but some of these comments… Brook says, are over-the-top, even for a bunch of losers who don’t have lives. Maxie says, some of the lies they’re writing about Blaze and Deception… Brook says, make you want to track them down, and Maxie says, and teach them a lesson? She doesn’t know what’s worse. The homophobic trolls who are spamming them… Brook says, or the Deception customers that feel deceived and betrayed that Blaze wasn’t transparent. Because somehow, they’re entitled to know every single thing about her life, whether she wants them to or not. Maxie says, check this one out. Deception, it’s all in the name. She guesses they kind of walked into that one. Brook says, judging from all of the similar comments, she guesses they did. Trolls aren’t a particularly imaginative bunch, are they? Maxie says, no. This is a bona fide disaster. She hates that any Deception customers would think they want Blaze to hide who she really is. Brook says, or that Deception would be anything but supportive of the LGBTQ community, and Maxie says, it goes against who they are, personally and professionally, or as a brand. Brook says she feels so terrible for Blaze. Her mother knew the truth about her and still said those things. Maxie asks how much she thinks that had to hurt, and Brook says she can’t imagine. She talked to Blaze about being open with her fans, but she just wasn’t ready. Maxie says, and Brook respected that, but let’s be honest. She wasn’t ready because of her mom. And if it was up to Natalia, Blaze would never be ready. Brook says, probably not, but Blaze deserved to decide if and when she wanted to come out. She remembers a time when outing people was a thing. She hated it then and she hates it now. Maxie says she hated every single word that came out of Natalia’s mouth, but this is between Natalia and Blaze, and they deserve the space to navigate this privately. Someone took that away from them.

Kristina knocks at Natalia’s hotel room door, and Natalia lets her in. Kristina says, if Natalia wants to hate her, fine, she can. She doesn’t like Natalia much either right now, but she’ll survive. But what Natalia has just done to her daughter, to Allie, the person she loves, is unforgivable. Natalia says she didn’t know… and Kristina says, she didn’t know what? That she was being recorded? Of course (🍷) not. At the top of the list of the things she doesn’t know, she doesn’t even know her own daughter. Allie is amazing. She’s so special. How could she do this, reduce Allie to the things she said about her? Natalia is her mother. She’s supposed to protect her. What’s wrong with her?

Dante knocks at Sonny’s office door, and Sonny says, what can I do for you, officer? Dante says he just wanted to check in on Sonny; see how he’s doing. Sonny says, he checked in. He did his duty. He can tell the Commissioner he’s doing nothing. Dante says, so Natalia, huh? He knows Sonny liked her. He took her to the wedding, and it seemed like they were having a good time. Sonny says, that doesn’t mean he didn’t hate what she said on that recording, and Dante says, that makes two of them. Sonny says, but who he despises is Ava, because it was Ava’s fault, and he’s going to hurt her in ways she doesn’t even know.

Maxie says, to be honest, she’s said some things she wouldn’t want recorded and broadcast to the world, and Brook says, not her. She’s always been thoughtful and kind. Maxie says, she’s a real angel, and Brook says, even as a joke, it’s not believable. Maxie agrees and tells her, what Natalia said is out there on the internet forever and she can’t take that back, even if she wanted to. Brook says she doesn’t know how Natalia and Blaze move past this, try to repair their relationship, if they even can. Maxie says, they need to figure out how they can turn this around. Otherwise, Natalia’s comments are going to cancel Blaze and Deception. They need to shore up the company, figure out how to turn their public image around, and save their customer base. Otherwise… Brook says, otherwise, they lose everything, for everyone, including them and their careers. Maxie says, they’ll do whatever they can to support Blaze, and Brook says she’s sensing a but. Maxie says, but with everything going on, she senses that maybe they should take a break from Blaze being the Face of Deception.

Natalia asks if Kristina is done. Or does Kristina need her to order some room service so she can keep her energy up to keep yelling? Kristina asks if she’s actually making a joke right now, but Natalia says she’s taking this very seriously. Kristina says, but in her world, gay people aren’t serious about life. They’re not serious about it at all, right? That’s what she said. The alphabet soup that they call themselves? They’re very flighty? She will give Natalia this. She packed a hell of a lot of homophobia into one sentence. Natalia says, no. It was reckless and it was wrong of her to voice her private thoughts to somebody she barely knew. Kristina asks how she could even think them to begin with, and Natalia says she didn’t grow up the way Kristina did. She can’t change that and she’s not going to apologize for having grown up in a different way than Kristina did. Kristina says, part of her life she lived with her daughter. Allie is none of the things she said. She is the hardest working woman and she’s more serious about her career than anybody Kristina knows. And flighty? She doesn’t even know where Natalia got that. Natalia says, maybe she wasn’t referring to Allie.

Gio tells Trina, must be some book. It looked like she was far away from here. She says she was just caught up in a memory, and he says, a good one he hopes. She says, Spencer gave her this book. He was really into art and not the way people say they are. He really understood how important it was. Gio says, art was something they shared then, and she puts the book back in the box. She says, it really was, and they sit on the window seat. She says, Spencer traveled too. He’d actually been to places she’d dreamed of, and she used to imagine a future with him, and now none of it will ever happen. And even though she knows he’s gone, sometimes she looks up and expects to see him coming through the door. He says, it’s like you can still feel the person you lost. Sometimes you can only feel their absence.

Dante asks what Ava did now that’s got Sonny out for her blood, and Sonny says, Natalia showed up at his place to drop off something. She got to talking to Ava, and Ava recorded the conversation, and sent it to The Invader. Dante says, Ava’s behind that recording. He gets that she’s capable of worse, but why would she even bother doing this? Sonny says, because she’s jealous that he took Natalia to the wedding, and Dante says, so he was supposed to take Ava? So she’s going to completely wipe her memory of all sorts of things the Falconaris wouldn’t be forgetting about. Sonny says, he wasn’t going to offend Connie’s family by bringing Ava to the wedding. He told Ava that and made it very clear. But now that she’s gearing up for a custody battle, she’ll do anything to hurt him. Dante says, maybe he’s right about that, and Sonny says, you want to come after me, you’re an idiot. You want to come after my daughters, you’re a dead man. Dante says he gets that Sonny is furious right now. And what Ava’s done to Kristina definitely crosses the line. Sonny says he’ll take care of it. Dante can go ahead and go. Dante says he’s not going anywhere, and Sonny asks if he has a warrant. Dante asks, for what? and Sonny says, if he doesn’t have a warrant, then Dante needs to get out of his place. Does Dante want Sonny to make him leave? Dante says he’s just been shot again, and almost died again, so maybe they can save the threats and hating each other for never. Because that’s not what they do with each other. Sonny says, Dante told him a long time ago that a guy like him couldn’t live in his law-and-order life, so get out of his life, and Dante says he’s sorry, but no. Sonny says, who is Dante to come in here and say no to him? and Dante says, his son. And he loves Sonny, unfortunately, okay? So when Sonny hurts, he hurts. He knows Sonny is full of whatever it is right now – rage, aggression, he’s ready to pop. He feels like he needs to do something. He doesn’t. And the last thing Dante needs is to walk out that door and let Sonny do something that’s going to destroy him.

Jordan asks what Scout thinks about Drew’s campaign plan, but he says, she doesn’t know yet. She asks if he doesn’t think she’ll know when she turns on the TV and sees ads that say he’s running for office, and he says he just wants to make sure he’s got things lined up before he tells her. She says, it could be a challenge, and he says, Scout isn’t running for office. It’s really important that she just gets to be a regular kid. She says, this could be a pretty unique opportunity for the both of them. He could take Scout on the road with him, and she could see a political campaign in action. Hearts are going to melt when the voters see him and Scout together. She has no doubt Scout is going to be his secret weapon in this campaign. Curtis approaches them and says, Drew had his vote, even before he knew Scout was on the ticket, and Jordan says, what did she tell him? Curtis apologizes for being late. He was on the phone with the architect. But it’s nice to see that the Deputy Mayor got started without him. She says she’ll have him know she’s off the clock, and he says, she could never resist a good strawberry daiquiri. She says, why would she? They’re even delicious when they’re virgin. Drew suggests he and Curtis get in and start doing laps before they end up with margaritas in their hands, and Jordan says she’s going to soak up the sun, enjoy her drink, and maybe order some chips and guac. Curtis says, that’s just playing dirty, and he and Drew get ready to go in the pool.

Gio says he lost his mom when he was 10, and Trina says she’s so sorry. He thanks her and says, she was a musician, a violinist. She was his first violin teacher. She was great. She was a great mom too. She says, people always say that, but when he says it, she believes it. He says, it’s really true. He and his mother were like their own little family inside this big Cerullo clan. And then one day, she was gone. She says, then you’re stuck wondering how someone could just fill up your whole world and disappear all at once, and he says, that’s how it was with his mom. He didn’t mean to get them so off-track. She tells him not to apologize. She gets it. He says he knows she does, and gets up. It’s pretty hot outside, so he thinks he’s going to grab some waters from the house. She thanks him, and he leaves.

Kristina says, so she’s the flighty gay who’s not very serious? If Natalia thinks that about her, then Natalia knows less about her than she does her own daughter, which is saying a lot. Natalia says, that’s funny, because Kristina has a whole lot to say for someone who’s just seen a teeny tiny snapshot of a decades’ long relationship with her daughter. She carried her daughter in her body. She loved her before she was even born. Kristina says, then why can’t Natalia love her right now for exactly who she is? and Natalia says she does love her. She loves her very much. Kristina says, that’s not how it works. You don’t get to love somebody by picking and choosing pieces of them that you’re going to accept and expecting them to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of. Natalia says, it’s pretty easy for Kristina to stand here and lecture her about things she knows nothing about, and Kristina asks what she’s even talking about. Natalia says, let’s see where Kristina is at in about twenty years, when that baby she’s carrying is hurting, and she would do anything, even if it means them hating her, to spare them the tiniest bit of pain. She knows Kristina isn’t having this baby because she wants to be a mother. She just thinks Kristina is in for some pretty big surprises. Kristina says, Natalia doesn’t know anything about why she’s carrying this child. She’s doing this for her sister because she loves her, and she’s never been more serious about anything in her entire life.

Dante says, Sonny knows he has to stay calm and take the emotion out of it. Think while the other guy’s reacting. He wants to do something he might regret because of Ava? That’s not like him. Sonny says, it’s not like him to let Ava live under his roof, and the only reason he did it was because he needed somebody to talk to. Dante says, Sonny is going through something right now and she was there. So was Avery. Maybe it felt like Sonny had his little family. Sonny says, the Jeromes aren’t his family. His family is dead because of them. Connie was murdered… Morgan… Ava messed with his medication. And he still, for whatever reason, made sure she was safe. Dante says, it seems to be what Sonny does, and Sonny says, what Ava does is stab him in the back, again, and hurt the people closest to him.

Curtis and Drew come out of the pool, and Curtis says he knows it’s been a while since they swam laps together, but Drew is part dolphin. Drew says, Curtis used to swim laps just fine. He’s going to get it back. Curtis says, remember he said that. He’s swimming laps with Drew from now on. He’s going to get his strength back. He can’t have Drew flapping his pruney feet in his face. Drew says he loves it, but Curtis says, Drew might love it less when Curtis starts flapping him. Drew says he’ll deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, he wants to tell Curtis that his congressional campaign starts with the Quartermaines’ July 4^th picnic. Curtis says, he’ll be there cheering Drew on, and Drew says he knows, and he appreciates that. He also wants Curtis to know that he appreciates all the work he’s been taking on with the wellness division rollout. It’s been pretty much all him. Curtis says, alone is fine. Fewer people to butt heads with. Drew says, whatever he’s doing is working. He locked in the flagship property and also narrowed the target markets for the rollout. Curtis asks, what can he say? He loves the work. He loves what he’s doing. But Drew needs to focus on that congressional seat. It does no good to run a great campaign only to come in second. Drew says he only plans on doing the first part of that, and Curtis says, good. Because the woman he’s running against, Chelsea Grimes, is a populist reactionary. He’s convinced she’s only running to gratify her ego and to gain a few followers. Drew says, so her idea of public service is using the public services to get more for her, and Curtis says, pretty much. So when Drew accepted that nomination, he took on the responsibility of taking that woman down, and he’s going to do everything in his power to make it happen. Drew thanks him.

Josslyn slips off a chair while taking down a smoke alarm, but Dex catches her. She thanks him, and he says, happy to help. What is she doing? She says she’s changing the battery, not the smoke alarm. This one lasts five years, so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and turn it off a million times. He suggests getting a real ladder, but she says, no. She almost had it. He just has to spot her. He says he’s here to help, and she says, thank God. When she said she and Trina could do this themselves, she might have been a little bit over-confident. She still thinks they can do it. They just might need another week. He asks if he’s hearing she’s happy he’s helping, even though she’s too stubborn to ask for it, and she says, her? Stubborn? He sounds crazy. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Blaze comes to Maxie’s office, and Brook asks if she texted, but Blaze says, no. She just showed up. She hopes she’s not interrupting. Brook says, no. They were just talking… Through her tears, Blaze says she’ll keep this brief. She’s so sorry about the things her mother said, and she’s so sorry for her decision to stay closeted for so long. Brook takes her hand, and Blaze says, it’s pretty clear she’s a liability to Deception, and that’s the last thing she wants. So she resigns.

Natalia says, maybe Kristina is able to just have that baby and hand it off and move on with her life and be completely indifferent to it. But her babies were her life. They still are. There wasn’t a single day she wasn’t grateful for them, not a single day. Her children are the best part of her. She didn’t just stop loving them or caring about their happiness even though they no longer needed her for their literal survival. Kristina says, her love is limited, and she can’t love Allie for who she is, and Natalia says she’s struggling to accept something she wasn’t raised to believe in. Kristina says, that gay people existed? and Natalia says, no, that gay people were confused. She tears up and says, that there was something not right, that they chose to be the way they were. It was wrong. Kristina says, okay, but she has to know now that’s not true. There’s science and genetics. It’s proven. Natalia says, it takes time to reconcile a past with a present that’s so different from what’s ingrained. So she’s sorry she’s not doing that quickly enough for Kristina. Kristina says, it’s not that Natalia’s not doing it quick enough. It’s that she’s a bigot because she’s choosing to be a bigot. She can blame her upbringing all she wants, but the reason she’s a bigot is her. And while she’s working so hard to become a decent human being, her daughter is hurting and she is in pain, and Natalia is the reason for that.

Josslyn says she’s never going to admit she’s stubborn because she’s not, and Dex says, she wins. She’s a human willow tree. She says, let’s not go that far. She’s just saying that she can adjust her attitude to situations or new information as it presents itself. He says, good to know, and she says, no one knows everything and no one’s perfect. He says, she comes pretty close though, and moves closer to her. He’s crazy about her just the way she is. They kiss, and she says she doesn’t want to rush this. He says, him either. That’s not true. He does want to rush it, but he won’t risk messing it up. She kisses him, when Trina and Gio walk in.

Nina sees Drew talking to Curtis, and tells Jordan, good afternoon, Deputy Mayor. It’s nice to see her out of her office. Jordan says she has to admit, it’s nice seeing sunlight for a while, and Nina says she hopes Jordan is enjoying the amenities. She looks over at Drew and Curtis, and adds, the view, and Jordan says she would prefer a view with fewer ex-husbands in it, but she guesses she can’t complain. Nina says she hopes Jordan enjoys herself. She deserves it. Jordan thanks her and says she thinks so too.

Nina goes over to Drew, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but something’s come up and she wonders if they can speak. Drew asks, what’s going on? and Nina says, Blaze’s mother made some homophobic remarks and outed Blaze in the process. Clearly, the remarks were made in private, but The Invader got ahold of them and now they are everywhere. Social media has piled on from every conceivable corner. They are desperately trying to make this into a scandal. He asks what she wants to do, and she says, as publisher, she’s already done it. She held the Crimson print run, so she could give Deception time to pull the Blaze ad and replace it with a simple two-page statement – no one cancels love. He asks what kind of a delay in publication they’re talking about, and she says, twenty-four hours, give or take. So what does he think?

Dante says he hates what’s happened to Kristina, but he’s not worried about her because she’s a fighter. She’s a protector. He guesses he could say she got that from Sonny. Sonny says, all Kristina gets from him are mistakes, his mistakes. The first mistake was letting Ava back in his life. The second mistake was letting her live in his house. All that matters is Avery and he could have found a different way to keep her safe. Dante says, okay, but if he’s saying his different way would have been something happening to Ava, how does he think that would work out for Avery if something happened to her mom? Sonny says, it would have been the best thing for everyone. Avery’s mom is like the rest of the family, but everybody judges him. But he has a code. What does Dante want? Blood on the streets? Does he want drugs everywhere? That’s the Jeromes. Dante says, what’s sad is that the Jeromes aren’t around anymore, and Sonny says, Olivia Jerome’s bomb could have been the one that killed Morgan, but it doesn’t really matter because it was Ava who messed with his medication. Dante says, Olivia was a bona fide psychopath, and Sonny says, so is Ava. She just puts a face on it. That’s what makes her more dangerous. Dante says, now they know everything she’s capable of, okay? but Sonny says, they don’t know for sure. Look what she did to Connie. Look what she did to Morgan. How does he know she’s not going to do something to Avery? Dante says, she loves Avery. She’s not going to hurt her. Sonny says, Ava is what she is, the last of the Jeromes. And he’s going to take that last cycle down.

Natalia says, Kristina has every right to question the things she said. But don’t dare ever question her love for her daughter. Kristina asks, exactly where was that love in the things Natalia said about her? She has no idea what she lost. Allie is amazing, and unlike Natalia, Kristina appreciates and accepts her for the gift she is. Natalia says she thinks she’s seen and heard enough of Kristina for a lifetime, and honestly, the only reason she let Kristina go on this long is out of respect for her father. Kristina says, but not out of respect for her own daughter? That is consistent. Natalia is right. They are done. Natalia is a prisoner of her own prejudice and wouldn’t even free herself if someone was handing her the key. Natalia says, that’s enough. Come on. Kristina picks up her bag, and Natalia says, tell her daughter that she loves her, but Kristina says, nobody needs the kind of love Natalia has, and she’s going to make sure Allie doesn’t need Natalia again for anything. She walks out.

Maxie says, Blaze has nothing to be sorry for. They’re sorry she’s going through this. Her heart hurts for Blaze. Blaze says she appreciates that, and Maxie says, they were talking though. Given everything that’s going on, they think it might be a good strategy for Blaze to pause being the Face of Deception. Brook says, they’ll hit the ground running in the fall and let everything die down a little. Blaze says she doesn’t think… Brook’s phone chimes, and she says she’s sorry. She steps away, and Blaze tells Maxie that she appreciates them trying to keep her on, but she doesn’t think it’s the right move. Brook comes back and says she’s so sorry. The label just made an announcement. They’re dropping her. Blaze says, so that’s it then. There’s no reason for her to be the Face. Not anymore. Maxie says, that’s not true at all, and Brook says, absolutely not. They believe in her. They know what she has to offer. Blaze says, which is nothing without her music. They don’t want to say it, but they know it’s true. Maxie says, what she knows is, they’ve been counted down and out several times. And Lucy has come back a miraculous and upsetting number of times. Blaze is going to love when it happens. They live for payback. That’s not Deception’s official motto, but lowkey, it really is. Blaze thanks them both, and leaves. Brook and Maxie look at each other.

Drew tells Nina, this is really a tough situation. Not only for Deception, but also Crimson. He thinks she made the right call. She says she was concerned he be worried about the cost, and he says, normally, he would be, but in this case, he’s very impressed with the compassion she’s shown Blaze. And he thinks it’s a better business decision in the long run. It’s better to hold off for 24-hours and issue a statement of tolerance, than rush to meet the deadline and walk right into a firestorm. Nina thanks him, and he thanks her. Curtis says, Nina is real good with PR. It’s no small thing. This guy – he points to Drew – could use her help with his congressional campaign. She’d be a valuable asset. Jordan says, sorry to interrupt their meeting, but Drew’s phone is blowing up. She hands it to him, and says, he got five messages in the time it took her to walk over here. He looks at it, and Jordan asks if he’s okay. He says, yeah. It’s all good. Curtis says, he’s not really selling the all-good part, and Drew laughs. He says, it’s just that the name change is now legal and official. They’re now looking at Drew Quartermaine.

Trina sings as she and Gio put pillows on the couch. He stops to listen and she stops singing. He asks why she stopped. It was great. She has a fantastic voice. She says she doesn’t know about that. She loves to sing, but she usually saves it for her shower. He says, showers usually have good acoustics, and she says, the point of hers is that it has her alone in it. He says, she’s lucky. You can’t play the violin with the water running. She says, give her a break. When it comes to music, he’s like on a completely different level. He says he doesn’t think that at all. Trina’s voice is an instrument, and if an instrument gives you joy, that’s all that matters. She tells him that he has to say that because he’s her friend, but he tells her that he doesn’t say anything about music he doesn’t mean. She asks who he listens to, and he lists several musicians and says, and of course (🍷) Roman. She says, a legend, and he says, and her? Legend category. She says, Aretha, and he says, hard to imagine anyone giving her anything but R-E-S-P-E-C-T. They laugh.

Josslyn and Dex come back with a six-pack of beer, and says, it’s to christen the place. They each take a bottle, and Gio says, absolutely. Who wants to do it? Trina says she will. To good friends, independence, and new adventures. Josslyn says, cheers, and they clink bottles.

Brook says she can’t believe Blaze’s label dropped her. (Doesn’t Lois work for a music label?) They caved in to an anonymous mob. Maxie says, a mob who’s going to move on to somebody else’s mess in a few hours. She meant what she said. She’s not giving up on Blaze and neither will Deception. Brook says, but Blaze doesn’t want to be a model. She wants to be a singer. She is a singer. Maxie says she knows. It’s her passion. Brook says she may have lost her chance to sing, but there’s no way she’s letting Blaze lose hers.

Kristina comes home to find Blaze there and asks if something happened. She’s sorry. She means, did something else happen? Blaze starts to cry and says her label dropped her. It’s over. Everything she poured her heart and soul into for years. This was the thing her mother wanted for her more than anything else and now it’s gone. Kristina holds her as she cries.

Dante says, if Sonny goes after Ava, he’s going to cut his own throat. If he wants to beat her, he’s got to pull it together. Everyone needs him to pull it together.

On Monday, Laura says she’s putting all her faith in the experts’ opinions; Dante tells Sam that this might make it look like she’s got something to hide; Sasha says, this is about a thing that can only end in disaster; and Tracy wonders, who the hell invited her?

🎉 It’s Their Day Off Too…

I’m guessing we all celebrated pretty much the same way.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-the-stars-celebrated-independence-day

🍸 Just a Little Thirsty…

Normally, I’d never agree with Sandoval, but yeah, she’s just trying to extend her fame. If you want to call that fame.

‘Frivolous’: ‘Vanderpump Rule’s Alum Raquel Leviss Slams Ariana Madix Over Her Attempt to Escape Invasion of Privacy Lawsuit

‘Vanderpump Rules’ Alum Raquel Leviss Drops Bombshell in Revenge Porn Lawsuit Against Tom Sandoval

⚖️ Make Good Choices…

Maybe she and Rachel Raquel can get together.

https://okmagazine.com/p/brandi-glanville-no-choice-sue-bravo-health-legal-issues/

🪝 Don’t Want To Know…

This might be a little too surreal.

https://www.etonline.com/surreal-life-villa-of-secrets-trailer-teases-kim-zolciak-and-chet-hanks-hookup-228311

⚰️ All Kinds Of Dead…

The longest interview ever. Centuries in the making.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/interview-with-the-vampire-season-2-finale-streaming-amc

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-rolin-jones-sam-reid-season-2-finale-season-3-preview-exclusive-8670980

Like we didn’t know.

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-cast-where-are-they-now-8671571

Directing the Dead.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/lauren-cohan-to-direct-episode-of-the-walking-dead-dead-city-season-2-01j17mb26vg0

February 29, 2023 – Tracy Gives Brook Something Meaningful, Karen, Beyond Soap, Hail Mary Pass, Awful Summer, Splitting, Two Ones, Leap Year, New Puppy (!) & Go Ahead

Posted on March 1, 2024 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the boxing gym, Michael says, so this is how it has to be? and Sonny says, he can go ahead and leave. Anybody who’s done what he’s done would have already been gone. Michael says he knows Sonny is angry… but Sonny says, Michael has no idea how he feels, his own son setting him up. Michael says, then he tried to protect Sonny, and Sonny says, from who? Him? Dante suggests Michael take a walk, and Michael makes himself scarce. Sonny says, today sad and remorseful, tomorrow he’s calling the Feds, and Dante says, that’s not how he really is, but Sonny says, no? Michael came very close to handing him over to the Feds with a bow on. He didn’t see that coming. Dante says he didn’t either, but it’s good he didn’t go through with it, right? but Sonny says, the damage is done. He can’t trust Michael now. His own son. So where do they go from there? Dante says, Michael loves him. He just wants to know that Sonny is okay. Sonny says, Judas doesn’t have the right to know anything about him or his life, and Dante says, this is not God’s way. Sonny asks who’s side he’s on.

Dex says he’s sorry. He wishes he could go back to Port Charles with Josslyn, but he has to keep moving and find a way to disappear. Josslyn says, don’t ask her to pretend to be okay with that, and he asks what she wants him to say. Sonny gave him one option that left him breathing. He hates this, but he needs to accept the things he cannot change. She says, really? It still feels like he’s taking Sonny’s orders. He says, if it weren’t for her mom, he’d be dead. Sonny was going to have him killed, just like he always knew Sonny would if he found out the truth. She says, and Dex has been protecting him? but Dex says he started out spying on him. Sonny only gave him the option to leave because her mom wouldn’t back down. The least he owes her is to go. She says, just tell her the truth. Would he rather she hadn’t found him?

Chase asks, what is this? and Brook says she was just coming to find him to explain. He says, the part about a termination event, not exactly a confidence builder. She says, it’s not like that, and Lois says, anyone who isn’t Brook Lynn or Chase needs to get out of here. Let’s give them their privacy. Let them make their own decisions – she looks at Tracy – for a change. Everyone clears out.

Elizabeth says, the Quartermaine lawyers sent Chase a prenup as an email attachment without any warning? That is so wrong. Finn says his dad’s convinced it was a mix-up, and she says, his dad is a very kind and forgiving person who probably doesn’t know the Quartermaines well enough yet. He says, with that family, anything’s possible, and she says, they should have expected a few curveballs. However, to be fair, planning a wedding is unpredictable no matter who the bride and groom are. He says, there’s unpredictable and there’s the Quartermaines, and she says, odds were it was never going to be dull. Speaking of never going to be dull, did he get himself one of these? She takes a card out of her bag, and he says, no. What is it? She says, an invitation… to Violet’s wedding. There are hearts drawn across the top and it says, You are invited to Violet’s wedding. Underneath is a drawing of a groom holding out a bouquet.

Brook tells Chase that she swears on her life, she had no idea the lawyers were drawing up a prenup. She certainly didn’t ask for it. He says, and it’s perfectly understandable if she did. It just would have been nice to have a little heads up. She says, for all of them. They all know who’s behind the prenup email. Her grandmother’s not one for advanced warnings. He says, she already raised the subject. When they told her they were getting engaged, the first thing she said is they should sign a prenup. She says she expected the family lawyers to bring it up eventually, but she thought they would have the decency to talk to her about it first before attaching it to an email and pressing send. He says, all right. Forget about the lawyers, forget about the emails, and the attachments, and her grandmother. She says, if only, and he asks if she, Brook Lynn, wants him to sign the agreement.

Lois says, how could Tracy sic her squad of lawyers on poor Chase? but Tracy says she didn’t. There was a miscommunication between their attorneys, but any thinking person would know there would be a prenuptial agreement in the offing. Lois says, it didn’t seem like Brook or Chase were waiting for it, but this isn’t even about the prenup. This is about how Tracy is insinuating herself into everything. When is she going to stop interfering in Brook’s life?

Brook says she hates how the simple fact that she loves Chase and that she wants to spend the rest of her life with him has turned into something so complicated. He asks if it has to be, and she says, they’re about to make a huge commitment to each other and he’s the only person she cares about, but he’s not exactly her grandmother’s number one priority. He says, that’s fair. Tracy’s not his number one priority either. Brook says, Tracy is just trying to protect the Quartermaines, but it makes her furious, because Tracy should see he’s about to become one of them. She should be welcoming him to the family with open arms. He says, maybe Tracy has a point. As much as he wants to marry Brook, and he does, there are parts of her world he does not understand. She says, those are the parts that are in the fine print, and she doesn’t understand them either, and he says, that’s why they have all the lawyers. When he got that prenup, he flipped out a little, but then he calmed down. He thought about it rationally and he had to admit, there’s a chance they may not make it.

Tracy says, when Lois left Ned and settled back into the outer boroughs, clearly, she forgot what it is to be a Quartermaine, and Lois says, it means paying for a bunch of lawyers, some houses, and referring to Bensonhurst as the Hinterlands. But she’s not referring to Tracy’s precious company or her trust funds. She’s talking about her baby girl, Tracy’s granddaughter, and how all she wants to do is marry the love of her life. Tracy says she’s not stopping them, but Lois says, no. Tracy’s just running in front of her, setting up all these hurdles. It’s supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but instead of Tracy supporting and encouraging that happiness, so far Tracy’s managed to extort Brook into betraying Maxie, browbeat her into taking a job she doesn’t want to do, and running her ragged at that job. And now, she’s trying to control Brook’s wedding and write the fine print of her marriage? Tracy says she’s a grandmother trying to protect her grandchild, and Lois says, Lila was Ned’s grandmother, and Lila couldn’t have been kinder or more loving to her. Instead of ambushing her with a prenup, Lila made her wedding possible. She almost called the whole thing off, if Lila hadn’t offered her wedding dress. On top of that, she gave them a beautiful cruise around Manhattan. Granted, that went a little sideways when they almost drowned in Dead Horse Bay, but her point is, Lila wanted her to have the most beautiful wedding possible and did everything in her power to make that happen. Tracy says she’s not her mother, and she’s well aware that she’ll never measure up. But what she can offer, this family needs, and so does Lois’s daughter. Whether Lois likes it or not, marriage is a contract – Maxie and Gregory walk in – and one interloper can to a hell of a lot of damage. Gregory clears his throat, and Tracy turns around. He says, interloper. What an interesting way to refer to his son.

Dex says, seeing Josslyn again is a gift. It killed him to leave Port Charles without saying goodbye to her. Josslyn says, he didn’t have a choice. Sonny forced him to leave. But nobody is stopping him from coming back to Port Charles. He’s free. He doesn’t work for Sonny anymore. He says he knows better, and she asks if he thinks Sonny would still have him killed. He says he knows so much about Sonny’s organization, he’s a liability, and she says, Sonny can’t touch him, for the same reason he couldn’t kill Dex in the Pine Barrens. Her mom won’t let him. Michael won’t let him. Dante. Too many people know about him. If anything happens to Dex, Sonny knows it will just come right back and bite him, and he’s not going to take that chance. They can beat him. They just have to call his bluff. He says, if he comes back and Sonny does nothing, it makes him look weak, and that puts her whole family at risk. He’s not going to do that to the people she loves, and he sure as hell won’t do it to her.

Dante says he’s on Sonny’s side, but so is Michael. Yeah, he wanted to get evidence to use to incriminate Sonny and he probably got it, but he didn’t do anything with it. So Sonny could say he’s standing here a free man because of Michael. Sonny asks if Dante is saying he should be grateful, but Dante says, no, he’s not at all. Sonny should be hurt and pissed off, and he doesn’t blame Sonny for any of it. But Michael is family, so like it or not, he’ll have to be civil one day. Sonny says he has to be civil? and Dante asks, what’s the alternative? Is Sonny going to walk out of every room Michael walks into? Sonny says, it wasn’t his doing, when Michael comes over to them. He says he’s headed out. Just please be careful. Sonny says, Michael doesn’t get to say that to him, and Michael says, whether Sonny believes it or not, that doesn’t change the fact that he cares about him. And he doesn’t want Sonny to do something he regrets just because of him. John walks in and stares daggers at Sonny.

Gregory says, it looks like this particular conversation is a private family matter, and he should be on his way. He heads for the door, and Lois gestures to Tracy, who follows him. She asks him to wait, and says she’s so sorry for her choice of words. She should have said… He says, outsider? Infiltrator? She says, newcomer, and he says, better. He’s hoping after the wedding that family is the term she chooses to go with. She says she’s seen too much to be anything but a realist. She sincerely hopes her granddaughter and his son have a long and happy marriage, but not all marriages last. And it’s not something you want to think about when you’re ordering flowers and French champagne, but somebody has to. He asks if it would surprise her to hear he agrees.

Lois tells Maxie that she knows Tracy is just trying to do something nice for her granddaughter, and Maxie says, that is a generous interpretation of this prenup. And she applauds the mental gymnastics that got her to stick that landing. Lois thanks her, and Maxie says, but she thinks there’s something Brook wants from Tracy that’s not an uninvited prenup or love based bullying. Lois says she believes Brook is really good at asking for what she wants, but Maxie says she doesn’t know if Brook knows how to ask for this. Lois says, spill it, and Maxie says she thinks Brook wants to wear Lila’s dress.

Brook tells Chase, don’t say we won’t work out. Don’t even think it. He says he’s just being practical. Sometimes, things don’t work out and they should be prepared. He wasn’t when he married Willow, and it nearly crushed him. He thought he worked through the failure of his first marriage, but then he got this prenup and it got him thinking. She says, thank you, Tracy. This is nothing like his wedding to Willow. He has to see that. He says, the rational side of him does, but in that moment, he thought he saw the whole picture when he married Willow. She says, how could he? Him and Sasha, Michael and Willow, they were good people just pretending to be in relationships so they could help each other. He had no idea Willow had stopped pretending and actually fallen in love with Michael. He says, if her feelings changed for him, she wouldn’t spare him, right? She’d tell him the truth even if it hurt him. She says she’ll always tell him the truth and she trusts he’ll forgive her for it. He thanks her, and she says, the point is, by the time Willow was ready to tell him that she actually loved Michael, he was on his deathbed. She thought that marrying him was the right thing to do, and at that point, he was so sick, whatever vows they said to each other, what they were really saying was goodbye. He says he has to admit, he doesn’t remember a lot from that moment in his life, and she says, if he did, he would know there’s no comparison between them now and him and Willow then. Willow felt obligated to him. What they have is real. It is messy and imperfect and real. She has never loved a man the way that she loves him. She can’t wait to marry him. She’s so excited for every single day of their future. But if he’s anxious or having second thoughts… He says, no, not with her, and she says, but if the wedding is too much… He says he cannot wait to celebrate. He cannot wait to see this brilliant, beautiful, amazing girl walk down the aisle and stand with him at the altar. He can’t wait to say their vows in front of their friends and family. He can’t wait to dance with her at the reception. She says she wants that too, and he says, maybe he is a little nervous because he can’t see into the future, but he does know this. He loves her so much. And even through all of their ups and downs, they’ve always wanted the best for each other. She says, that will never change, and he says he just wants to make her happy. He takes the prenup, and starts to sign it, but she says, wait. He finishes signing.

Finn takes the card from Elizabeth and says, Violet’s getting married? She’s seven. They live in the same house. How come he doesn’t know about any of this? She asks if he wants a paper bag to breath into, and he says, it’s not funny. (Yes, it is.) She says, it’s a little funny. It’s early. She’s not even registered yet. He says he doesn’t think she’s helping, and she says she’s sorry. She’s sure it must be a little bit of a shock at first. He says, what does she mean, at first? and she says, this is a totally normal phase. Cameron had like a thousand crushes before he hit first grade. He asks if Cameron ever made wedding invitations for any of them, and she says, no, but he wasn’t as industrious as Violet is. He says, lucky her, and she says, he did have a crush on a cartoon character once. That was weird. (Me too! Pepe Le Pew.) Anyway, kids Violet’s age like to look at the lives around them and model adult behavior. He says, they have been talking a lot about Brook and Chase’s wedding, and she says, yes, so she wanted to have one of her own to better understand it. She doesn’t think he has to worry about meeting the in-laws any time soon. He says, good. He knows he has a few years before Violet dating is a reality, but he’s pretty sure he’s never going to be ready. She says he has time to prepare himself, and he says, thank God. He’s having enough trouble helping Chase with his wedding. She takes Finn’s hand and says, just be there for him. Listen to his questions. It’s pretty much what he already does. It’s not that complicated. He says, it’s the first time in history a wedding has been described as uncomplicated, and she asks if he wants to talk about that. He says, why, if it’s so uncomplicated? and she says, maybe weddings are uncomplicated, but what about their future?

Sonny approaches John, who says he’s just here to work out. That’s it. Sonny says, he calls this keeping his distance? and John says, Sonny’s the one who walked over here. Sonny says, John calls hanging out with his ex-wife and his children keeping his distance? and John says, call it lunch. He likes the burgers at Bobbie’s. Sonny says he knows why John walked into Bobbie’s. He was trying to get information out of Carly. John says he’s stopping Sonny right there. As much as they both hate this, he’s trying to keep Sonny alive. So yeah, he talked to Carly, and he’ll talk to Sonny’s children. And he’ll talk to Sonny’s bodyguards and his housekeepers and his barista and his doorman and his priest. He’ll talk to whomever he wants, whenever he wants, and until Sonny gets jurisdiction over the FBI or dies of shame, there’s nothing Sonny can do to stop him.

Chase says he told Brook, he doesn’t care about the money, and she says she never thought he did, but did he even read this agreement? He says, not every word, but he skimmed it, and she tears it up. She says she loves him, but if he’s going to be her husband, he has to swear to never sign an agreement he hasn’t read. And never take the first offer, okay? He asks what he’d do without her, and kisses her. She says she really does think they should discuss a prenup, but not now, not like this with all of these stressful circumstances and their families in the next room and they have this rack of dresses bearing down on them. He says he hopes she didn’t fall in love with the one she’s wearing. Not that she doesn’t look gorgeous in it, but he doesn’t want to risk the bad luck and he’s already seen it. She says, this is definitely not her dress. She doesn’t even think any of them are. Did he ever see her mother’s wedding gown? He says, no. He’s heard about it though. She says, it was regal and classic and a true one of a kind, but the most important thing about the dress, was that it was her great-grandmother Lila’s. She let Brook’s mother borrow it and the women in her family imbued it with their love and strength. He asks if her mother wouldn’t let her wear the dress, and she says, in a heartbeat, but it’s not hers to offer. It’s Tracy’s and she’s not holding her breath.

Lois tells Maxie, of course (🍷) Brook wants to wear Lila’s dress. It’s so beautiful, she wants to wear that dress again. Maxie says, it really is occasion specific though, and Lois says she wants to make this happen for Brook. So tell her honestly, does Maxie think it will help or hurt if she talks to Tracy? Maxie says, that’s a tough one because Tracy was very sensitive when the topic of the dress came up, but she doesn’t know if Brook would want her to get involved. Lois says, Tracy might just say no because she’s the one asking, and Maxie says, on the other hand, Tracy does love Brook. Lois says, now that she knows, she can’t just sit back. She’s got to make it happen.

Gregory tells Tracy that he’s grown to appreciate the time saving benefits of direct conversation over the past couple of years, which is not to say he’s on board with her approach in this particular case. Tracy says, once again to be clear, the lawyers made the error, and he says, noted. But he does think they should acknowledge the difficulties and uncertainties of marriage. A wedding is a joyous event. There’s no need to pretend that the road ahead will be unbridled bliss. If marriage was easy, it wouldn’t be cause for celebration, would it? Lois comes out and says she’s glad Gregory is still here. They’d like for him to stay, and they promise to behave themselves. Gregory says, don’t stop whatever they’re doing on his account, and Tracy takes his coat. Lois says, shall we? and they go back into the living room. Lois asks who Gregory is going to have on his arm at the wedding, and he says, Alexis Davis. It’s always nice to have a friend at these events. Tracy says, a friend? And he says, yes, a good friend. Which reminds him. He keeps meaning to ask her, who’s lucky enough to be her escort? Tracy says, as a matter of fact, she… Lois says, Tracy hasn’t decided yet. She’s still fighting them off. Gregory says he has no doubt.

Elizabeth says, things between her and Finn have been going so well. It’s not like they’ve had much of a state of the union. He says he’s been thinking the same thing, but he didn’t want to bring it up because she might think something is wrong. She says, understandable, but right now might be a good time. They’re both happy. She’s assuming they’re both happy… she hopes. He says he’s never been happier, and she says, he had her worried there for a second. He says, she has nothing to worry about, and she says, neither does he. But watching Brook and Chase get ready for their wedding, as happy as she is for them… He says, it’s hard not to think about your own relationship. She says, right, and he says he’ll be the one to ask. Is marriage something she thinks about? Is that something she wants?

Dex says, think about it. If Josslyn can find him, so can someone else. She says she found him with Spinelli’s help. That’s like getting help from the CIA. Not just anybody is going to be able to find him. He says he can’t take that chance. He needs her to promise that she won’t come looking for him again. She says she just doesn’t get it, because the last time they were together, they were working together to find a solution, and they still could. He says, there is a solution. They just don’t like it. He’s sorry he dragged her into this mess. She says she’s not some helpless victim here. She knew who he was pretty early on, and she chose to be with him over and over again. He says, she’s the best thing that ever happened to him. That’s why he’s not going to drag her down with him. She says, don’t do that. Don’t talk like this is over. He may want to give up, but she never will.

Sonny asks if it isn’t Karrie’s birthday around now, and John says, Karen. He doesn’t get to call her cute little pet names. Not in front of him anyway. Sonny says, today is her birthday. He remembers because Stone bought her this beautiful cake and she was really… John says, save that for someone who can stand the sound of his voice, and Sonny says, relax, Agent Cates. Just seeing him brings back so many memories, especially of his brother Stone, who was a great kid. Funny, generous, incredibly brave, but John wouldn’t know nothin’ about that, because John took off when Stone needed him most. Michael asks Dante, what’s dad doing? and Sonny says he takes that back. Because John did visit him once. Stone was dying of AIDS and John managed to take some time out of his busy schedule and visited him for like, one hour. John says, Sonny knows nothing about him and his brother, and Sonny says, what he does know is, John didn’t take care of him. He didn’t take care of his brother and he hates the air Sonny breathes. And it didn’t matter to him that Sonny sat by Stone, holding his hand, listening to his fears, while John took off with Karen, living his best life. Then he cheated on her. She divorced him. He’s not only a bad husband, he’s a bad brother. John throws a punch, but misses Sonny, who says, whoa. Back up. Does he want to do that again? Sonny takes a fighter’s stance and says, John wants to hit him? but Michael and Dante pull them apart.

Dante asks what Sonny is thinking, and Sonny asks what he means. He didn’t raise his hand. John is the one who lost his cool. Dante says, because Sonny was baiting the guy. John is trying to help Sonny. Sonny asks what he means, and Dante says, don’t worry about it. John’s trying to help Sonny and so is he. Sonny says he thinks Dante is just getting in the way right now. Michael tells John, stand down, Agent Cates, and John says, he’s Michael Corinthos. In case he didn’t know, his dad is losing it. He’s sloppy and out of control. Michael says, the only punches he saw came from John, and John says, if that’s all he saw, he needs to open his eyes. Sonny always brings out the best in people, doesn’t he? Michael asks if federal agents aren’t required to follow a code of behavior regardless of who they’re dealing with, and John says, tell his dad to be careful. His luck is running out.

Chase tells Brook that he’s lucky he’s a guy. Nobody cares what he’s wearing. She gives him a look, and he says, almost no one. If he has his dad and his brother there, and she’s standing there with him at the altar, it will be the greatest moment of his life. She says, he’s right. There are so many more important things about this wedding than whatever dress she decides to wear. He says he didn’t mean it like that. Let’s be honest. It’s going to be her day and she should be happy with every single part of it. She says, that’s another reason she adores him. Her grandma loved her mother, Lila. Everyone did. But let’s be honest, her grandmother can be prickly. He says, a little bit, and she says, but Lila loved her. Unconditionally. She was never afraid to tell Tracy when she behaved badly and always believed in the best in her. She thinks her grandmother really misses her, still grieves her. She’s afraid that bringing up the dress will just bring up pain for her, and it’s the last thing she wants to do. He says, Tracy’s lucky to have a granddaughter who understands her as well as Brook does, and Brook says she and her grandmother speak the same language. They deserve each other… most of the time, as much as it pains her to admit it. He says, if she doesn’t run the risk of asking Tracy for the wedding dress, she definitely won’t get it. And who knows? Maybe she’ll be open to the opportunity to give it to Brook. Brook says, maybe, but that’s a dream she’s willing to let go of because a much bigger dream of hers is coming true. He asks if she’s sure, and she nods and says, should they tell them the wedding is still on? He says, no. He thinks they should make them sweat a little while longer. They kiss.

Lois holds out her hand and says, come on, Tracy, let’s make peace. Tracy ignores Lois’s hand and says, peace is not synonymous with unconditional surrender. She will make her terms very clear. Maxie says, they’ll come back to her terms. Look. Brook and Chase are independent people, but she knows from experience everyone needs help planning a wedding. People who didn’t RSVP will show up with guests and those guests will most likely be exhausted children under the age of five. Family members will think an open bar is a challenge, and people who weren’t asked will give speeches. Lois says, it’s true (yep). They’ve got to be prepared for things to go sideways. That’s why they’ve got to put their differences aside and be on the same page, so they can plan the perfect wedding for the perfect couple. Just like Lila did for her. Gregory says he couldn’t agree more, and Tracy says, that’s what she was trying to do. Lois says, they know she was trying to do right by Brook, and while legal advice is helpful, it’s neither borrowed nor blue. Tracy says, she’s borrowing the company plane, and Lois says, and that is extremely generous, but she was talking about maybe something extremely meaningful. Something that maybe isn’t as easy for Tracy to give. Brook and Chase come in, and Brook says, they can all exhale. She and Chase have sorted everything out. And they are going to discuss the agreement with their lawyers. Chase says he wants to thank Tracy. He knows that all she wants to do is protect her family, and that’s what he wants too. He hugs Tracy, and she says, they’ll be so excited to welcome him to the family. He thanks her and asks if Gregory is ready. Gregory says, indeed he is. He is so looking forward to this wedding. Chase gives Brook a quick kiss, and Gregory tells Tracy, be sure to save a dance for him. He and Chase leave, and the girls are all like, oooh. Lois tells Brook, all right. Let’s go find you a dress.

Dante says, he’s getting in the way. Of what? Sonny getting beat up? Sonny says, Jagger should not be working this case. They go way back. Things Dante doesn’t understand. Bad blood. He was trying to get John to hit him so they would send him back to Washington, and John would be away from him and this case. Dante says, bad blood or not, this guy’s trying to protect Sonny, and the FBI have better resources… Sonny says, the FBI doesn’t want to protect him, but Dante says, yes, they do. Sonny says, no, they don’t. And Jagger sure as hell doesn’t either. He’s trying to pay Sonny back for things that were settled years ago. He’s telling Dante right now, John’s either going to get him shot or he’s going to stand there and watch. Or John’s going to set him up for something worse. Sonny doesn’t trust him at all and neither should Dante. Sonny leaves, as Michael watches everything.

Dex says, Josslyn doesn’t think he hates this? She doesn’t think this is tearing him up too? Nothing in his life prepared him for her. He doesn’t feel like he made a choice to love her. He just does. And he knows he always will. It’s because he loves her that he’s doing this. She says, maybe he’s right and maybe it’s too early for him to come back to Port Charles, but what if he came back in six months, a year? He says he’s not going to ask her to wait around for a time that will never come. She has her whole life ahead of her. She’s going to finish school, become an amazing doctor, and save lives, just like she did his. She says, none of that matters if he’s not there, and he says, she knows he’s right. She can have a good life, but she has to let him go.

Elizabeth says, marriage? and Finn says, you know, weddings, dancing, cake, a lifetime commitment, all that stuff. She says she does like cake, and kisses him. He says he likes cake. Anything else? She says she likes their relationship just the way it is. And they have the luxury of time, and she’d like to enjoy what they have right now. Why rush it? He says he feels the same way, and kisses her again. What a relief. He’s sorry. Please don’t take that the wrong way. He’s pretty sure he has bad luck with weddings. Chase asked him to be his best man and his response was less than enthusiastic. He thinks he let Chase down. Chase and Gregory come in, and Gregory says, all’s well that ends well. It seems there was a slight miscommunication. Chase says he and Brook are good, and Finn says, that’s good news, right? There’s something he’d like to say to Chase… Chase says, hold on. He’d like to go first. He’s sorry he pressured Finn to be his best man. He can ask someone else. It’s not a big deal.

Lois raises her champagne glass and says, to new beginnings. Fussing with the dresses, Maxie says, and to bows and ruffles, in moderation. Brook, Lois, and Tracy clink glasses, and Brook says, all right. Let’s do this. She goes over to the dress rack, and Lois nods at Tracy. Brook says, this one might be more exciting off the hanger, and Tracy says, Brook Lynn, and sets down her glass. Tracy tells Brook that she was evasive with her earlier, talking about her mother’s dress… She tears up and says she misses her mother every single day and she so regrets not wearing that dress when her mother offered it to her. So. She’s come to understand that dress was never meant for her to wear. It was meant for her to share. (Unreal. They nearly have me crying over a stupid dress, but you can really feel what Tracy’s feeling.)

Tracy brings in a large white box, and places it on the coffee table. Brook says, is that…? Brook sits down, opens the box, and unfolds the tissue paper. Tracy says, make any alterations she wants. The dress is hers. Brook lifts the top half of the dress out of the box, then puts it back. She gets up and, her voice breaking, tells Tracy, you have no idea what this means to me. She hugs Tracy, and says, thank you so much for the dress. Thank you for this incredible moment. Lois and Maxie smile.

Chase sees Violet’s invitation and looks at it. He says, for Violet’s wedding, does his suit have to be as colorful as the invitation, or can he squeak by with a black one? Finn says, what he meant to say earlier, what he should have said earlier is, he’d be honored to be Chase’s best man. And he appreciates Chase letting him off the hook, but there’s no way he’s letting anyone take his place. Chase hugs Finn, and Finn tells him, don’t get emotional. Gregory is loving it.

Josslyn’s phone rings, and she tells Michael, this is not a good time. She can’t talk. He says, this can’t wait. He needs her to do something for him. If she finds Dex, he needs her to bring him back to Port Charles. He looks at Dante and Sonny sparring, and says, and don’t take no for an answer. Josslyn looks at Dex, who’s messing around with his suitcase. He looks back at her.

As they spar, Dante says, history or no history, Sonny is playing with fire, messing around with a federal agent like that. Sonny says, that’s all right. He can handle himself. Dante says he’s glad Sonny walked away, and Sonny says, good to know. They stop for a moment, and Dante says he’s not going to apologize to Sonny for stopping the fight. Sonny says, what’s gonna happen is gonna happen. Sooner or later, Dante is going to know the truth about Jagger Cates. They go back to sparring.

Josslyn says, that was Michael and he said she needed to bring Dex back to Port Charles and not to take no for an answer. Dex asks, why? and she says she thinks Sonny’s in trouble. And he needs you.

Tomorrow, Carly says, Drew can’t do that if he’s focused on revenge; Felicia asks why Maxie is so much angrier at Spinelli than her; John tells Anna that he wants Sonny Corinthos out of his life for good; and Sonny tells Ava and Spinelli, tonight he’s bringing his enemy down to his knees.

🎂 They Said It’s Her Birthday…

Because I had to know. I didn’t see how Sonny was as horrible as John is making him out to be. Not to mention, it was a brief time a million years ago.

Who Was Karen on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

🍟 On the Side…

This book sounds like a good beach read.

Jon Lindstrom on Becoming a Bestselling Author (EXCLUSIVE)

Rock on.

GH’s William Lipton Stars in a New Series!

I love K-drama.

GH’s Sebastian Roché Adds a Korean Soap to His Resume!

💎 And They Should Know…

Like none of them has ever been desperate to hang on before.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13139295/Teddi-Mellencamp-claims-Dorit-Kemsley-released-text-Kyle-Richards-stay-RHOBH.html

🏊🏽‍♀️ She’s the Worst…

More proof of how awful some of these people are. I was drawn back into the trainwreck and seeing it was even more awful.

https://people.com/summer-house-recap-lindsay-hubbard-makes-hurtful-accusation-sober-carl-radke-on-cocaine-8602650

📉 Not All Marriages Last…

Apparently, Tracy was right. Not too much of a shock with this one.

https://people.com/welcome-to-plathville-ethan-and-olivia-plath-file-for-divorce-8602028

I have to admit, I’m surprised. What happens to their new show now?

https://people.com/jax-taylor-and-brittany-cartwright-announce-separation-8598833

⚰️ About Those Ones…

The principles share their perspectives.

https://ew.com/danai-gurira-michonne-walking-dead-ones-who-live-entrance-8599395

https://ew.com/andrew-lincoln-explains-walking-dead-ones-who-live-premiere-shocker-8599329

🏃🏽‍♂️ Whys and Hows…

All about Leap Year.

https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/why-do-we-have-leap-years-and-how-did-they-come-about

🐕 Sudsy Pup…

She was also on the much missed The Haves and the Have Nots.

Brytni Sarpy Introduces Her New Puppy!

💃🏽 Leaping Into March…

See you tomorrow for the usual soap and the unpredictable Friday free-for-all. Until then, stay safe, stay making voicemails brief, and stay never signing an agreement you haven’t read. And never taking the first offer.

Sep20

September 19, 2021 – Aaron Questions a Whisperer, Dead In the Family, Baby Daddy, Unused Ending, Fear Preview, a Look At Beyond, Two Kinds Of Winners & Dance

Posted on September 20, 2021 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Aaron walks through the woods with Grace. An unmasked Whisperer with a W carved on his forehead asks if they’re lost. Grace says she’s scared, but Aaron says it will be okay, and to stay close. They hear whistling, and another Whisperer comes out with a gun, one more with a knife. A real zombie joins them, and Aaron kills it. He calls for Grace, but she’s gone. He’s surrounded by Whisperers and zombies, and they close in, hacking at him. He wakes, and sees Grace sleeping peacefully.

Jerry quietly steps over some sleeping kids to go to the bathroom. He looks out sees a zombie, and yells, breach inside the wall! Everyone scrambles around, and Aaron tells Grace to head downstairs to the basement and stay there, like they practiced. Does she have her whistle? He leaves.

A zombie is eating a random guy in the street, and everyone is running toward a section of the wall that’s been pushed down. Carol, Aaron, and some others try to put the panel back in place, but the zombies aren’t making it easy. One grabs at Aaron, who’s trying to block what’s left of the opening. Jerry finally whacks it in the head with a hammer. They get the wall back in place and fortified.

At the Commonwealth, Eugene and company watch a welcome video. Director of Ops, Lance Hornsby, says if they’re watching this, they’ve made it through the rigorous screening process, and are on their way to becoming part of the community. He explains they’re under the leadership of Pamela Milton, and they’re 50,000 strong. Each person is assigned a job best suited to their skillset in order to keep the community thriving. This orientation will give them a taste of what’s in store. The future starts here. We see an ice cream truck and a sack race, and Lance says, community. We see some happy old people, and he says, care giving. We see the stormtroopers under a banner that says, Fight the Dead, Save the Living, and he says, security. That’s the Commonwealth way.

Yumiko says, Pamela Milton. Wow. Princess smiles and nods. Am I supposed to know who she is? A man gives each of them an envelope, and Eugene says he’s in the high school teacher pool. Princess takes out her $2 bill, and says it’s a good sign. Eugene asks what this is, and the man says, their job and housing assignments. Eugene says taking up permanent residence wasn’t their intention, but the man says, if there’s a problem, take it up with their case supervisor. Eugene says, they’re not there to work; they came to get help. Princess wonders if they can’t stick around. She got a retail position, and maybe there’s a mall. Ezekiel says, he got animal control, and thinks the positions were based on what they’d done before. Yumiko says, hers isn’t an assignment; more like an invitation. It’s from an Edmund Widgeway, to meet and talk about opportunities in the community. Princess says, sounds fancy; it must be the accent. Eugene they have to leave asap, before these entanglements usurp their Plan A. He’s supposed to meet Stephanie, and Princess says she’ll go with him, since she wants to see more of the city. Ezekiel tells Yumiko, maybe whoever gave her the invite can help. Yumiko goes over the man’s desk, and he tells her to see her case supervisor, but she says she doesn’t have one. She only has this letter. He looks at the letter, and seems impressed. He asks how he can help, and she says she was inquiring about a family member she thinks lives there, but hasn’t heard anything. He says he’d be happy to help with that.

Zombies gather outside Alexandria. Rosita says, the wall is fragile since it broke, and Aaron says, they need a long term fix using updated tools. Rosita says, they’re back to square one soon with the food, and Aaron says, it’s nasty (if you remember, it’s horse), but it’s going fast. Maybe they should check Hilltop. Carol says they could make a run, and see if there’s any game along the way. I find it difficult to believe there isn’t even a bird or squirrel around. And again, nuts? Berries? Roots? Rosita says, what if there’s nothing left? What if they can’t make it safe? They need to look into other options. Aaron says, this is their home, and he’s not ready to abandon ship. They’re going to try and make it safe first.

Maggie and Negan fight a zombie together in the woods, and bring it down. Negan tells her, the only way this works is if they trust each other. She asks why she’d ever trust him, and he says, he doesn’t know. Maybe she wants to stay alive, the same as him. Maggie says she’ll stay alive in spite of him, not because of him. He says, if that’s how she feels, he doesn’t understand why she hasn’t put him down yet. She flings a knife toward his head, and he ducks. It lodges in the head of a zombie behind him. He says, sh*t, and she says, she asks herself that question nearly every day. She walks past him, and he says, no sh*t. He follows her.

Aaron, Carly, and Jerry ride to Hilltop, which is a burnt out mess. Aaron says, it’s been picked clean. There are some zombies toddling around, and Jerry says, heads up. Those are our people. A zombie writhes on the ground close by, and Lydia says, that’s Troy. Carol says, let’s just get it done, and Jerry looks sad. They walk around, dispatching the roaming zombies, and Aaron stabs Troy in the head without looking at him.

Back in Alexandria, Judith teaches the children the art of fighting zombies, using wooden swords. They see some teenage kids teasing a young zombie who’s poking his head through an opening; putting their hands close to his mouth to make him snap, and banging on the wall. Judith strides over, and says they shouldn’t be doing that; it’s dangerous. The tallest kid tells her, calm down. They’re just having fun. Judith says, if they don’t stop it, she’s going to tell Rosita. The boy says, she talks too much. No wonder her mother abandoned her. Judith tells him, what did you say? and he says she’s such a baby. Her mother must have gotten tired of her whining. Judith puts a knife to his throat, and tells him, say it again. I dare you. Grace comes over, and asks her to come away from them. The boy says, stay away, psycho, and Judith walks off with Grace.

On the road, Maggie and Negan walk into a suburban area. They go inside a house, and Negan says, it doesn’t look like anybody’s been here. She says, so they wait, and he asks, how long? She ask how long he’d want someone to wait for him, but he says, the longer they stay, the more likely those lunatics will catch up to them. They should just take the food from there back. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. She says, it’s nothing. They need to feed a whole community. He says, she needs to know when to cut her losses, and she says, those losses are her people. He says, she still has people; she still has Herschel. She asks if he doesn’t know that’s the reason she’s doing this. He says, she can’t. That’s his point. He knows he doesn’t get a vote, but here it is anyway. They should give it until sundown. If they others don’t show by then, they should go.

Yumiko looks in a bakery window. She goes inside, and smiles. A baker comes out and asks how she’s doing. They have a fresh batch of donuts. She says she’s looking for someone, and another baker comes out, carrying a cake. He says, ready, boss, and sees Yumiko. She says, hi, Tomi, and he drops the cake.

Aaron and the others go through Hilltop, and Aaron says, it’s all gone. Jerry says, a lot of them are still standing; remember that. Carol says, it’s war. They need to take care of the stray zombies before they keep searching. They see a group of zombies walking like they’re pushing the wheel in Midnight Express, and Lydia tells them, look at the way they’re moving. They’re being herded. Aaron says, Whisperers, and they run toward the zombies, Aaron using his metal mace arm to smash heads. One falls to the ground, and it’s a Whisperer. Jerry rips its mask off, and Lydia says she knows him.

And ice cream truck plays music from The Sting, which is better than that crappy music they usually play. Eugene waits by the sidewalk, and Stephanie brings him a cone. He takes a lick and approves. They walk, and he tells her, if she doesn’t mind him saying it, this place has creature comforts he didn’t know he missed. It’s a fine day for him. She says, it’s a fine day for her too. She’s glad he’s here. He sees a woman pushing a stroller, and Stephanie asks where he is. He says, his people. Back where he’s from, there used to be a place like this. He could be content indefinitely, but he wouldn’t be the man he is if he didn’t do what he came there for. He can’t stay. He has to help his friends. Since there’s significant red tape to become a citizen, does she have any advice on how to cut through it? She wishes she did have some, and they sit on a bench. She looks up at the radio tower, and he looks at her. She says she bets he’d feel better if he could talk to his people. It’s not in her realm of responsibility, but she wants to help. Ezekiel and Princess join them, and Ezekiel says, the deputy superintendent said it would take five weeks to see the boss. It might as well be five years. Princess asks if there isn’t an unofficial version, and Eugene hands Princess his ice cream cone. They all walk toward the train station where the tower is, as Mercer watches.

The kids are all running around the house, when Judith comes in. She finds a handprint thing that Carl made for her, and she asks who broke it. She goes up to the bully kid, and asks if it was him, but he says, no. She says, don’t lie, and he tells her not to pull another knife on him. He said he didn’t do it. Grace says she can help fix it. RJ says, he can too, and Herschel says they all will.

Judith sits outside with the broken piece, when Rosita comes by. She says she remembers when they made those. She was so small, and Carl wanted them to have a memory together. Judith says, now it’s broken, and Carl is gone. Everybody is. Rosita says she misses them all too, and Judith asks if it gets easier. Rosita says she’d be lying if she said it did, and Judith says she’s worried she’s going to start forgetting about them. Rosita sits next to her, and says she never really knew her dad, and her mom died when she was a little older than Judith is now. For a long time, it was just the two of them. They moved a lot, from job to job, but her mom always managed to keep them going. She didn’t know it then, but her mother was teaching her to survive on her own, so Rosita would be okay if she wasn’t there. Carl and Judith’s dad did the same for her. She’ll always be able to get through tough times. Pieces wood are nice, but she doesn’t need that to remember how much they love her. Rosita adds that she’s really good at fixing things.

Aaron asks the Whisperer his name; and no Alpha/Beta garbage. The guy says his name is Keith, and Aaron asks what he’s doing there. He says he’s not hurting anyone. The herd scattered, and those who weren’t killed or burned, they all left. Aaron asks why he’s keeping the walkers, and he says, protection… comfort… old habit. Jerry asks what Aaron thinks, and Aaron says, he’s never met a Whisperer who wasn’t a liar. Lydia says he believed Mary, and Aaron asks how she knows Keith isn’t lying. Why is she so certain? She says he wasn’t part of her mother’s inner circle; he was afraid of her. Aaron says, all that proves is, he’s got eyes, and Keith says, during the long winter, he took care of Lydia. Does she remember? She says she’s not sure, but it doesn’t matter. Aaron says, he’s hiding something, and Carol says, Aaron is right. They need make sure he’s not a threat. Aaron says they’ll put him in the cellar until they decide.

They go down to the old jail cell, and Jerry says, dude… Aaron asks, what is it? and Jerry says, nothing good. Four people are crouched along the wall, and Aaron says, he’s not alone. Let’s see what else he lied about. Aaron digs around the cell, and finds a mask. He asks, how many more? and Keith swears that’s it. Aaron says, Keith just led to him, and Lydia tells Aaron, look at them. They’re scared. They’re just trying to be people again. Aaron asks how they know they’re not a threat; hiding in plain sight before they get ambushed. She says, they weren’t all monsters, and Jerry sees a scarf. He said it belonged to Nabila. They were in Alexandria. They burned down their home. Carol asks Aaron what they’re going to do, when Keith grabs a knife. Lydia yells, look out, and Keith lunges at Aaron, slicing him. The others run out during the distraction, and Aaron says, his turn, and knocks Keith out.

At the Commonwealth, Stephanie leads Eugene into the train station. Remind me not to let these two spy for me. They’re so nervous, it looks obvious they’re up to something. Ezekiel sits in the waiting area, and Eugene and Stephanie go upstairs. Princess watches everything.

At a sidewalk café, Yumiko tells Tomi that she’s good with a slingshot too. He says, not bad for a barrister. He tells her that she’s changed, and she says so has he. How did he find this place? He says he fled Chicago after it first started going bad. He ran out of gas about 20 miles from there. He was lucky enough to find good people, and they walked there. It was early on, and they had just a few secure blocks when they first started, but they expanded. He almost forgets what’s going on outside the walls. She says, he’s been there the whole time making cakes? and he says he likes baking; it makes him happy. She says, he could save people, and he says she’s still trying to run people’s lives. She says she just wants what’s best for him, and he asks, when was the last time she saw him happy, truly content? She says she can’t remember. Maybe now. He says he likes his life the way it is. It’s the one gift he got out of the world falling apart. Don’t ruin it for him. She says, of course she wouldn’t ruin it, but tell her one thing. Is it as good as it seems? He says, better. She says, if she wanted to get help for her people, could she do that there? He says, anything is possible, as long as she follows the rules. Does she want some cake? She says, hell yeah.

Princes sees Mercer coming up the steps to the train station, and runs out. She says, fancy meeting him there. She admires his muscles, and says, clearly, they’ve got a gym. He asks her to excuse him; he has business inside. She says she wanted to thank him, and he says, for what? She holds up the $2 bill, and says, for making sure she got this back. He says, no need to thank him. He was returning her property. Is there something else? She says, yeah… He has really beautiful eyelashes.

Keith hangs by his arms, and Aaron says tell him where the others went. He holds a zombie on the end of a stick, close to Keith, and says, how many more? Answer him. He brings the zombie closer, and it bites at Keith’s jacket. Keith yells for Lydia to help him, and Aaron asks, where are they? Keith says, the Alexandrians pretended they were better than the dead, but dead is honest. His friends are better off dead. Aaron lets the zombie bite Keith, and Lydia is clearly disturbed. Aaron says, the clock is ticking. Does he feel better off? He can help Keith by cutting off his hand before the infection spreads, but they don’t have much time. Where are they? Keith says he doesn’t know; he swears. Aaron asks if the Whisperers are still a threat, and Keith says, no, but Aaron says, stop lying. Lydia says, enough, but Aaron says he needs answers. Lydia says Aaron wants something else, and she won’t be there to watch. Jerry, who’s holding Keith’s arms up via a pulley, drops Keith closer to the zombie, and Aaron says, tell the truth. Keith asks what Aaron wants him to say. There were more, but they’re gone. He doesn’t know where. Carol shoots the zombie in the head with an arrow, and Aaron asks, what the hell is she doing? She says, she’s stopping him from doing something, but he says he’s doing what he has to, to keep safe. She, of all people, should understand. She says, not like this, but he says, look around. They’re standing in the ashes of what the Whisperers destroyed. Grace is hungry because of them. There’s a world full of people beyond saving, and he’s not waiting for them to show up on their doorstep. Carol says she knows how it felt after Henry was murdered, when she let it take control of her, and take her down a dark path. Now with everything she does, she carries it with her. It’s a path he doesn’t want to go down. Let him go. Jerry drops Keith, and Aaron says, he can cut Keith’s hand off, or he can do it himself. The choice is his. He drops a knife in front of Keith. Geez, not even an ax.

Rosita fixes the handprint thing, and hears Eugene on the radio. She asks if he’s okay, and says it’s good to hear his voice. He says, they’re all safe, and yes, he’s doing okay. How are things there? Rosita says, the war is over. Alpha and Beta are dead, but Alexandria is trashed. They’re running out of food. He starts to break up, and she asks if he’s still there. Where is he? Judith says, he’s gone.

Eugene says he lost the feed. Something is haywire. Mercer marches in, and tells him, hands up. He tells some guys to search Eugene, and says Eugene is under arrest for unauthorized use of company property. Eugene is taken away.

Negan puts stuff in his bag, and Maggie asks what he’s doing. He says he’s leaving, and she says, not with the supplies. Their mission isn’t finished. He says, it is for him, and they struggle over the bag. He tells her, get over it, and she pushes him. They look at each other for a hot minute, and she pushes him again. They hear someone about to come in, and get in position, grabbing weapons. Elijah brings Gabriel in, and Maggie says, he made it. Elijah says the found each other in the woods, and Gabriel says he didn’t know if he’d survive. He knew they would be there, but what about the others? She tells him that Duncan, Cole, and Agatha are dead, and Alden is holed up in a church; she doesn’t know about the rest. Gabriel says, so we wait. Maggie nods, and says, we wait. She looks at Negan, and he sits.

Eugene paces in the office, where Ezekiel and Princess wait with him. He asks, where’s the young woman who was with him at the train station? and a man says they’re being charged with unlawful trespass, reckless endangerment, and illegal communication with a foreign entity, according to article whatever, and section whatsis of the Commonwealth criminal code. They’ll have a hearing before a judge, and if found guilty, they’ll be dropped in a zone far outside the Commonwealth walls, and banished from the community forever. Princess asks if they can’t talk to a lawyer, and the man says, they have an attorney? Ezekiel says, a fancy one. If they like rules so much, they need to have one. The man says, they’re asylum seekers, not citizens, and Eugene asks again about Stephanie. He says, she’ll be charged separately as a citizen, and Eugene says, they weren’t doing anything wrong. He says, tell it to the judge, when Lance walks in with Stephanie. He tells the man, let them go, but tells the group, don’t move. He’s going to find Mercer. He leaves, and Ezekiel says, was that…? Princess says, the video guy. Eugene thanks Stephanie, but she says, she might have stopped them from being banished, but they’ll have to pay in one way or another for what they’ve done.

Keith tells Lydia that he understands. Alpha would have done worse. Carol gives him some mushrooms as sustenance for him and the others, and he thanks her. He tells her that they’re not all like Alpha; some of them just want to survive. Lydia tells him, don’t ever look back. The group loads up their wagon, and Keith says, they don’t think he’s changed. Jerry tells him, that’s not for him to say, and Keith says he can prove it. Jerry asks, how? and Keith says he saw one of their people. She came out of the cave where Alpha kept the horde. The cave collapsed, and she was all alone. She looked hurt, but alive. Carol asks when he last saw her, and he says, in the woods by the screaming cave. Carol asks if Lydia knows where that is, and Lydia says she does. Carol says, they’ve got to go. Connie is alive. Aaron says, it will be dark before they get back. They’ll go at first light. The group heads out, and Aaron looks back. The other four Whisperers come out, and go to Keith.

Next time, Kelly says, something’s not right; and Connie is trapped by someone.

😱 How Much Is That Zombie In the Window…?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton’s son Gus did a zombie cameo in tonight’s episode. Giving us proof that you can’t escape bullying even when you’re dead.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-gus-morgan-cameo-season-11-episode-5-jeffrey-dean-morgan-hilarie-burton/

👶 Old News…

Does anybody even care about Shane anymore?

https://www.insider.com/is-judith-ricks-kid-cailey-fleming-response-2021-9

🗯 Everybody Has an Opinion…

Why shouldn’t Rick have his own ending?

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-show-andrew-lincoln-unused-ending-perfect/

⚰️ Save the Date…

The new season of Fear the Walking Dead begins October 17^th.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1008292/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-apocalypse-survivors-preview/

🌄 And While We’re On the Subject…

Walking Dead: The World Beyond starts it’s second and final season October 3^rd.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1008293/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-preview-rick/

🏆 For the Win…

Tonight’s Emmy winners.

https://ew.com/awards/emmys/emmy-awards-2021-winners-list/

And the most important part – the fashion.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/33272/emmys-2021-red-carpet-fashion

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/emmys-red-carpet-fashion-2021-best-worst-looks-1235016236/

Some of the worst. Although I actually like the thing with the charms hanging from it, and the humongous belt buckle.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10001837/The-worst-dressed-stars-2021-Emmys.html

🍃 Making Like a Tree…

Funny how another Monday happens every week. Or how meaningless the word Monday is to those who have abandoned calendar living altogether. See you for soap and on shenanigans on Deck tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay being your bad self in a good way, and stay not letting anything take you down a dark path. Not even a zombie.

Feb10

February 9, 2021 – Not Preempted 4U – Phyllis Gives Nina a Confirmation, Will They Or Won’t They, All About Alex, Unmasked, a Goodbye, New Wonder, Dead News, Globe List, Today’s Fact & Dancing

Posted on February 10, 2021 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

🤫 I found it elsewhere. Shhh…

General Hospital

Everyone gets ready for Sonny’s funeral while sad music plays. Carly puts on her wedding ring set, and we see a picture of them together.

Lenny asks how Sonny is doing, and he says he’s fine. He’s getting used to the pills Phyllis gave him. Lenny says Sonny misses Phyllis almost as much as he does. Sonny smiles, and the phone rings. Sonny answers, and it’s Phyllis, who asks how he’s doing. He says he thinks there’s an echo in there, since he just had the same conversation with Lenny. He’s fine, but can she hurry up and get home? Lenny is driving him nuts without her. She laughs, and says she’ll do her best. Nina comes out, and Phyllis says she has to go. Tell Lenny she’ll talk to him later, and she wants the two of them to behave. Sonny says they’ll do their best, and hangs up. Lenny asks if he’s chopped liver, and Sonny tells him, relax. Phyllis is calling him back. Trooper Finchley comes in, and Sonny says they’re closed. Finchley tells Lenny he’s there on business, and Lenny says, what’s the trouble? Finchley says, him, meaning Sonny.

Alexis’s daughters arrive at her house, and she answers the door wearing her bathrobe. Sam tells her to get dressed. Sonny’s service is in an hour and they don’t want to be late. Alexis thinks it’s better if they go without her, but Sam says, no; they’re going as a family. Alexis thinks they’d be better received without her, but Kristina says she doesn’t care how they’re received. She’s saying goodbye to her dad, and wants Alexis with her.

Jax finds Josslyn, and she says she’s really glad he’s there. They hug, and he asks how she’s holding up. She says she’s really sad that Sonny is gone. He says, of course (🍷) she is, and she says, it made her realize how lucky she is to have her dad. They hug again.

Olivia hugs Dante, and says she couldn’t get through this day without him. She tells him, it’s strange. Someone with an imprint as big as Sonny’s is just… gone. Dante says, he’ll be missed, and she says she’s sorry he didn’t get more time with his father. He says, him too. She says she means now too, but she was talking about when he was a kid. Growing up without a dad. It didn’t have to be that way, but it was, and that’s on her.

Michael comes downstairs with two ties in his hands, and Willow asks if Sonny didn’t love blue. Go with that one.

Carly can’t get her necklace clasped, and says, dammit! There’s a knock at her door, and it’s Jason. She says she doesn’t think she can do this, but he says, yes, she can.

Dante tells Olivia, maybe he and Sonny were meant to meet later in life. If they’d met earlier, maybe they wouldn’t have been as close as they were. He never wants to hear her questioning the decisions she made again. She and Sonny are his parents, and he’s forever grateful. She says she’s the grateful one. She wishes she could go back in time and tell that terrified fifteen-year-old that everything is going to be okay, that her biggest mistake would be the greatest thing that ever happened to her. He scares her half to death, being a hero, and taking syringes meant for someone else. What was Alexis thinking? He says, she wasn’t, and Olivia says, Alexis could have killed him. He says, but she didn’t. She even came to the hospital to apologize. Olivia says, knowing him, he forgave her, but she has to be honest. Him, and God, and everyone else can forgive Alexis, but she won’t.

Michael says he thought Willow had class today, but she says she told her advisor there was a death in the family. That’s what they still are, right? She wouldn’t be anywhere else. He says he’s glad she’s there, and asks if she thought any more about his proposal. She says, moving into the gatehouse? He says she’d have her own space and still be close to Wiley. She says she thinks it’s a great idea; the perfect solution. She thanks him for the offer, and he says she’s amazing. She says he is too… for an ex-husband. He says, she played the ex card, and she says he gave her the opening. He says he did, and laughs.

Finchley asks if Phyllis is around, and Lenny says, she’s out of town, but they haven’t had any trouble with Mike (Sonny) since Finchley picked him up outside the hardware store. He was off his meds, but everything is fine now. Finchley asks if Lenny is sure about that. Lenny asks, what’s going on? and Finchley says someone robbed the hardware store. Fred had to close down. It’s not the only store that was hit, and it made him wonder if Phyllis’s stray is responsible.

Nina thanks Phyllis for coming on such short notice, and Phyllis says, Mike convinced her; the man Nina spoke with on the phone. She’s glad she came. It warms her heart to see Nina so successful and happy. Nina says she’s one of those things, and Phyllis says she thought Nina would be over the moon, now that she found her daughter. Nina hands her the picture of young Nelle, and Phyllis says, adorable. She’s even wearing the necklace. She must be grown-up by now. If Nina wants confirmation that she’s her daughter, why not just ask her? Nina says she would if she could, but that girl is dead.

Josslyn tells Jax, when he or her mom leave a room, there’s a part of her that wants to yell out, don’t go, because, what if something terrible happens? She’s so used to not being that person; the one who’s always afraid and anticipates the worst. He says she should never be that person. People say Josslyn is a lot like her mother, but she’s a lot like him too. She understands in ways her mother never has, how to play the odds. It’s true the world is full of horrible things that could happen, but they probably won’t. She says, so the odds are in her favor, and he says they are. If that’s not enough comfort, maybe this will be. All the people she’s lost, wanted her to live life to the fullest. Life isn’t like money; you can’t save it up to use at a later date. You have to use it while you have it, which is why we say, live in the moment. She can grieve and feel the fear, it’s healthy and normal, but never give into it. That’s a waste of a life.

Carly says she has this part of her that, even when life is horrible, she can find it inside, and it helps her push through. This morning, she made coffee and played with Donna, then she came up to take a shower. When she got out, she looked in the mirror, and thought about the day. She thought about the funeral, and the gravesite, and the service with no body. Yet she has to say goodbye. Acknowledge that Sonny is gone, and put an empty casket next to her son who’s gone, and Sonny’s father who’s also gone, and she couldn’t find it. She couldn’t see herself standing there doing that. This part of her isn’t there, and she needs it to be. It’s the only way she knows how to move forward. She’s got nothing, not even a plan, so she sure as hell hopes he does. He says, if she has nothing, why is she dressed and ready to go?

Phyllis says, the daughter Nina has been trying to find is dead? and Nina says she didn’t want to tell Phyllis over the phone. She’s not even 100% sure that Nelle, the girl in the picture, was hers. That’s why she needs Phyllis to confirm it. Phyllis asks how she died, and Nina says, it was a terrible accident. She was running from the police, and fell off a cliff. Phyllis says, oh my God, and sits down. She says, when she thinks of all she did for Nina’s mother… giving that baby away to protect her mother… It was hard enough to learn it was all a lie, but now to hear the kind of life she had and where it led her… Nina says, it’s not Phyllis’s fault, and there’s a slight chance her baby didn’t grow up to be Nelle. Phyllis says she’d do anything to ease Nina’s mind, and hers. Nina says, maybe she can.

Alexis says she knows better than to argue with the three of them, so she’ll put on something appropriate. Molly asks if she needs help, but Alexis says she can manage. Alexis goes upstairs, and Molly wonders if she could be any more obvious. She might as well have said she didn’t trust Alexis not to sneak a drink. Kristina says, well, she doesn’t, does she? Molly says, no. She stopped by last night to make sure there were no more vodka bottles in the house. She hated doing it. Sam says, it was for her own good, and Kristina asks what the future lawyer thinks the chances are of Alexis snagging a sympathetic judge or jury. Sam says, her honest opinion, and Molly says, given her history of alcohol abuse, and her attack on a decorated ex-cop, not good.

Lenny says Finchley has the wrong man. No way Mike could have pulled those robberies. Finchley says Lenny has known Mike less than a month, and he’s willing to vouch for him? He doesn’t know who he is or where he comes from. Lenny says he knows Phyllis, and she believes in Mike. Sonny says he doesn’t need anyone speaking for him, but Lenny says, take it easy. He tells Finchley, Phyllis said he’s still adjusting to the meds. Finchley asks Sonny if the meds are supposed to keep him from doing things he’s not supposed to be doing, and Sonny tells him, Phyllis says he needs them. Ask her. Finchley says he’s asking Sonny. Where was he at 11:45 last night when Harper’s Hardware was robbed?

Jason says, the piece Carly is talking about is the first thing he saw in her. He guesses you could call it being a survivor, but it’s more than that. It’s the absolute refusal to quit. Of course (🍷) she’s feeling empty right now. She lost a man who loved her when he didn’t want to, and she didn’t want to love him back. She says Jason knows who Sonny was at his core; what made him wonderful, and infuriating, and unique. She knows you’re supposed to say nice things about the dead, especially at their funeral, but Sonny was complicated, and not always in a good way. Often not in a good way. She just can’t see her life without him. Jason says he knows. He thinks they’re going to be walking around with huge holes in them; holes they can’t expect to be filled. Not right away, and maybe never. But she’s dressed, and she’s standing, and she’s ready. She’s going to get through this, because there is no other option. This is the life they made, and she has to come through for the people who love her, because that is her. She never fails people. She says she’s been standing beside, and pushing against, and arguing, and falling back in love with Sonny for so long, she doesn’t know who she’ll be without him. He tells her, let’s just get through the next few hours. Get through that, and don’t bite anybody’s head off who says something about Sonny, because they’re just trying to be kind. She says she’s just going to picture Sonny standing there with that smug look on his face. He loved being the center of attention. Jason takes her hand, and says, one more thing. Sonny wouldn’t have lasted this long, or had this family, if it wasn’t for her. She made his life whole. He thanks her, and she hugs him. They go downstairs.

Lenny asks if Finchley is trying to turn Mike into some kind of criminal mastermind. Maybe he’s got a whole mob working under him. Sonny and I laugh, and Sonny says, anything is possible. Finchley says, so, last night? and Sonny says, he worked late locked up after Lenny and Phyllis left, then went to bed. It was nice. Finchley asks about the pills Sonny is taking, and Sonny says Finchley can look at the bottle and see how many he’s taken, and check the prescription. Or Finchley can take him to jail, and let the real perp keep ripping people off. It’s up to him.

Josslyn asks if Carly is okay, and Carly says she is. Josslyn says she was having a little bit of a rough time, then her dad showed up, and Carly knows how it goes. Carly says her father is pretty incredible.

Nina tells Phyllis, she’s the only person who can identify the man who raised her daughter. Does she think she could recognize him? Phyllis says she doesn’t know; he’s probably changed a lot since then. Nina says, no. Would she recognize him at the time she gave him and his wife her baby? Phyllis says, without a doubt, and Nina hands her the picture, saying, his name is Frank Benson. Phyllis wishes she could tell Nina different, but he’s the one who drove up in that big black car. She handed the baby to his wife, and they left. She’s sorry. Nina says, don’t be. She knew in her gut. Phyllis just removed that last shred of doubt. Nelle really was her daughter and they lived in the same town for years. Phyllis says, she lived in Port Charles? and Nina says, yes. She was a very troubled woman, and did a lot of terrible things, but what if she wasn’t like that because she was intrinsically evil? What if she was like that because she didn’t have anyone who loved her? Nina tears up, and says, she didn’t have a mom who loved her. Nina wishes she would have known. It might sound irrational, but when Nelle died she was haunted by the idea that Nelle must have been a good person at one time. Like there must have been a chance that was missed. She holds up the photo, and says, this girl. If there was someone who was just there for her. It should have been her. Phyllis asks if she can call someone for Nina. That handsome man of hers, Mr. Jax? Nina says, no. Jax won’t help her. Phyllis asks if she’s sure. He struck her as a very capable man. Nina says, he’s very, very capable, but he suspected Nelle was her daughter and chose to keep it a secret.

Josslyn asks Carly if there’s going to be any trouble because it’s Sonny’s funeral, and Carly asks, what kind of trouble? Josslyn says she doesn’t know. People who might take advantage of the fact they’re all distracted? Carly says, Jason has it handled, but she has to get to the church, and go over the reading they decided on. She asks Jax to give her a ride, and says Josslyn can go with Jason later. Jax leaves to warm up the car, and Carly says she forgot her necklace. Josslyn offers to get it, and when she’s gone, Carly says she needs Jason to do her a favor. She needs him to reassure Josslyn. Don’t lie to her, but tell her everything is going to be okay. He says, sure, of course (🍷). Josslyn brings down the necklace. They hug and Carly says she’ll see Josslyn in a while. Josslyn says she loves Carly, and Carly says she loves Josslyn too, so much.

Kristina asks Molly how they can improve Alexis’s chances, and Molly says, first and foremost, they can help her stay sober. If her attorney can demonstrate diminished responsibility, and the judge sees true remorse, it could lessen her charges, or lead to a suspended sentence. But if the judge has an inkling that Alexis’s sobriety is just a stunt and she has no intention of giving up drinking… Sam says, then any claim of remorse would seem bogus, and they’ll throw the book at her. Alexis listens from the stairs, and Kristina says, so basically, it’s all on mom. Molly says, pretty much. Which is a real problem, since they haven’t been able to rely on her for months.

Lenny tells Sonny, no one is accusing him of anything, but Finchley says, sure sounds that way. Sonny tells him, take him in, or get off his case. Lenny tells Finchley, give him a break. Phyllis says he’s still adjusting. Finchley says he has a gut feeling, and his gut’s never wrong, but Lenny says Finchley can’t arrest Mike based on a feeling. Finchley says he should have gotten prints when he had Mike the first time. Then they might have a clue as to who he is.

Josslyn tells Jason that she wants to be okay for her mom and dad. They sit, and Jason says they want her to be okay for her, because they understand what she’s going through. She says her mom asked him to stay and talk with her, didn’t she? and he says, if it makes her feel better, he can take her though all the security measures he’s put in place. She thanks him, but says she doesn’t need to know. If anyone can keep them safe, she knows it’s him. It’s not about one particular thing; it’s about the big thing. The fact we can’t control life. He says, that’s true. There are no guarantees nothing bad will happen, or that you’ll never lose someone. It’s just not possible It’s life. What is possible is to live, and not shut down. And be open to whatever comes next, knowing you can’t control the outcome. If you can accept that, you can find a lot of freedom. She says he’s obviously accepted that, and he says he thinks her mom and dad have too.

Jax tells Carly, now would be a good time to tell him why she wanted Josslyn to stay behind with Jason. She says, because Josslyn is terrified. She thinks bad things are going to happen because she’s lost so many people. It’s just not right. He says he and Josslyn talked about it. He tried to convince her bad things probably weren’t going to happen, and thinks he got through to her. He’s still worried about her. It’s more than anyone should have to go through, especially at her age. Losing Dev to a random, violent crime, and a few weeks later, Sonny, who was like a father to her. Carly tells him, go ahead; he’s more than earned it. He says, what? and she says, it’s everything he didn’t want for their daughter. Everything he warned her about. The cost of Sonny’s life, and she dragged Josslyn right into it, so he has every right to unload on her. He says he’s not going to do that. He and Sonny had their differences, but Carly loved him, and he’ll always respect that.

Nelle tells Phyllis, for the record, Jax didn’t know Nelle was her daughter until well after she died, so she can’t blame him for any time they missed out on, but what hurts is that he kept it from her. He didn’t give her the credit that she’d want to know[ that she needed to know. Phyllis asks why she thinks that is, and Nina tells her that Jax said he didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t want her to beat herself up for the person Nelle turned out to be. Basically, that adds up to him thinking she wasn’t strong enough to take it, but what really gets her is, she has a grandson. Phyllis gets excited, and Nina says, he’s the most beautiful little boy. His name is Wiley. Phyllis says, that’s wonderful news, and Nina says they have a chance to connect; a little piece of her daughter. She can still make an impact. Phyllis says, that’s a beautiful grace to come out of all this, and Nina says, it is, but Jax didn’t see it that way. The man she loves, the man she opened herself up to, didn’t consider that in keeping this secret, he was keeping her from her own flesh and blood. Phyllis asks if it was a conscious decision, and Nina says, no. He was just caught up in everything else, but it should have occurred to him. Phyllis says, absolutely. Jax made a terrible mistake, but it doesn’t seem like it was calculated or made out of malice. She wonders if, given time… Nina says, he would have realized about Wiley and told her? He would have. Because that’s the kind of man Jax is. Just because he made that choice now, doesn’t mean he’d make it forever. Phyllis says, Nina said she loved him, and Nina says she does. Phyllis says, then don’t give up on him.

Michael and Dante toast to their dad, and Dante asks if Michael is okay. Michael says he is, and Dante? Dante says their father was far from perfect, but he cared. Michael says they’re lucky Sonny gave them each other, and they hug. Olivia comes in with Willow, and starts to cry. She says, it would make Sonny so happy to see them together, bonding. Dante tells her, easy on the tears. There’s going to be plenty of time for tears. Michael wants everyone’s vote on his tie, and they all agree with Willow on the blue.

Alexis joins her daughters, and asks how she did. Molly says, love the dress, love the shoes, and love the woman who’s wearing them. Alexis says, not as much as she loves the three of them. She asks how Kristina is holding up, and Kristina says, she’ll be okay as long as she has them. Sam says they’re here for Kristina, and Molly says, just try to get rid of them. Alexis says she left her phone upstairs, and suggests they wait in the car; she’ll be right there. As soon as they’re out the door, she changes course, takes a nip of vodka out of the bookcase, and chugs it. She turns around to see Molly.

Willow asks if Michael is okay, and he says he was just remembering it was his dad who taught him to tie his first tie. He was struggling, and wanted a mirror, but his dad said, a mirror wouldn’t always be around, and he had to learn to do it without one. She says, good advice, and he says, his dad’s usually was. She says, it looks perfect… almost, and straightens it. He says, now it’s perfect. He takes her hand, and they leave.

Jason tells Josslyn, her mom and dad want to promise nothing will ever happen to them, and he wants to do that too, for the people he loves, but he can’t. The only thing he can promise is to do his best, and live his life to the fullest. It’s the only promise they can keep. Josslyn says, her dad said it different, but it was pretty much the same message. Stepping outside of the house is still scary. He says, it is, and most people wouldn’t be brave enough to do it, but she is.

Lenny tells Finchley, Phyllis trusts Mike and so does he. Finchley asks where Sonny got the coffee he’s drinking, and Sonny says he’ll make a fresh pot. Lenny says he has some work to do, and goes to the back. When he’s alone, Finchley takes the mug Sonny was using, and switches the coffee to another one.

Jax tells Carly, there were many times he wished Sonny gone, but that was never a solution. Their lives were too intertwined. Carly loved Sonny, and their daughter loved him. Right now he just wants to be there to help them through this. Carly says she’s so grateful, and he says he’s grateful Josslyn is still with him, and he can be her dad. Carly says, it makes such a difference to have both parents in your life, and he says, it makes a big difference to have your kids in your life too.

Nina comes into the church, looking for Jax, and a woman tells her, he’s in the waiting room. Jax tells Carly, when he thinks about her losing Morgan, and Nina losing Nelle, he’s grateful he’s not going through that. She asks if he was able to talk to Nina, and he says, no. She still won’t hear it. He doesn’t blame her. Carly says, she felt horrible. She wanted to come up with a plan to get them back together, but she didn’t have it in her. He says, one step at a time; her focus is on Sonny. Carly says she’s not going to think about Nelle, or what happened that night on the cliff – Nina listens from outside the door – because Nelle is dead. Let that night die with her.

There was no preview. I’m not sure if this will be on tomorrow; it will be preempted, but I’ll still be able to watch online; or it’s going to be like the first time around, and we’ll be out a few days. You’ll know when I do.

🤷🏽 Could They Be More Vague…?

The soaps could be preempted. Maybe. But they’re not sure when.

Are the Soaps on Today? — Everything You Need to Know About the Impeachment Preemptions

👠 More On Mrs. Merrick…

What you need to know about Alex.

Alex Marick on GENERAL HOSPITAL — Everything You Need to Know

💥 Pandemic Handling…

The powers that be are pleased.

Disney TV Chairman Dana Walden Praises GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Success Handling COVID

😢 Gone Guy…

Another loss to the soap world.

GENERAL HOSPITAL Actor Don Dolan Dead at 84

🏡 Wondering…

I can’t imagine this not being good.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/the-wonder-years-reboot-from-lee-daniels-moving-forward-at-abc

⚰️ The Filming Dead…

Andrew Lincoln tells all he knows.

https://undeadwalking.com/2021/01/27/andrew-lincoln-gives-update-on-when-rick-movies-will-start-filming/

Same news, in a different way.

https://winteriscoming.net/2021/01/27/andrew-lincoln-reveals-rick-grimes-movies-begin-filming-this-spring-summer/

🌎 Go For the Globe…

It says the awards will be shown virtually or in some fashion. In what fashion would that be?

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/03/entertainment/golden-globe-nominations/index.html

📌 That’s a Fact…

Chicago native and national treasure, Ella Jenkins, has been called The First Lady of Children’s Music and no wonder – her music is delightful! Many of her songs feature call and response, chants, and are very interactive. Start your morning with You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song, and set a sweet tone for your day.

Other ways to celebrate Black History Month with your little ones:

https://www.thetot.com/mama/how-to-celebrate-black-history-month-with-your-children/

🌃 Closing Out the Day…

For once, I’m getting to bed early, dammit. Which actually means before 3 am for me. No matter what early is for you, stay safe, stay respectful of one another, and stay being open to what happens next, but knowing you can’t control the outcome.

Apr22

April 21, 2018 – Double the Dead with Catch-up & a Side of Random Thoughts

Posted on April 22, 2018 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

I couldn’t do this last week because the wind blew my internet away. But now, I’m all caught up, and if you weren’t, you will be too. Sorry for the different tenses between shows. It just came out that way.

The Walking Dead

Rick wondered how it happened that Carl got bit. Siddiq explained that his mom believed the dead’s souls were trapped. Carl wanted to honor her to gain Siddiq’s trust, and died paying respects to a woman he never knew. Siddiq had a brainfart, and forgot it was dangerous. Which didn’t exactly answer the question.

Ezekiel told Jerry to justify what they’ve lost, be prepared to lose everything. but they weren’t going to lose sh*t. Daryl still thought Dwight could be setting them up. Morgan got weird, thinking that something was happening, and nearly skewered Henry with his pokey stick. Maggie wouldn’t let the stray Saviors come along for the battle. Morgan insisted on coming, even though Rick was skeptical. Morgan said they were worse than they were, and it was wrong for Rick to have given his word, then double-cross the renegade Saviors. They lost everything good, and can’t go back. Morgan wanted to finish it.

Negan told Dwight that he had nothing, and told his guys to load Dwight up. Eugene personally checked and quality controlled all of the ammunition, and Negan tested it on an effigy of Rick. Eugene suggested a one-fell swooper. Negan decided Gabriel should tag along; he had things to confess.

Negan set up a roadblock, using his own people as bait. He told Gabriel that Rick thought he got the real story. Now he’ll find the map with the time and place, and believe it, because he’s going to kill everyone who could have told him otherwise. Sure enough, Rick kills them all, even the last guy begging for his life. Morgan saw Jared in a vision, and he told Morgan that he should try dying sometime. Ezekiel found the map on one of the dead Saviors, and Carol figured they could get to Negan before he knew what happened.

Gabriel was surprised that Negan wanted to kill everyone; he’d thought Negan didn’t want that to happen. Negan told him it wasn’t about want; it never was. Gabriel bounced out of the moving car, but Eugene helped hunt him down. Negan remembered Gabriel saying he didn’t want to die a fruitless death, and told him you can’t always get what you want, while I got a Rolling Stones earworm. He told Eugene to put Gabriel back in the car.

Jesus tried to explain the conundrum of safety to Morgan, and proposed the pokey end of his stick for the dead, and the blunt end for the living. When Rick and company came out into the open, they heard whistling. It looked like the Saviors had Rick’s people outnumbered by about 300%. Negan said he met Rick’s ambush with a bigger one, and to come out and face them. He wanted to make it fun, so he brought some old friends. He told them that Eugene made today possible; the same with Dwight. He told Dwight he was going to watch them die, and live with that. He was going to clean house, starting with Gabriel. He told Rick there never had to be a fight, if he’d just accepted how things are. Negan started to count down, and they looked like the Jun horde from The Beastmaster coming over the top of the mountain.

They joke was on them, because Eugene had quality controlled the bullets to shoot backward, and they shot themselves. Pretty good trick. Rick announced the charge, and there was lots of shooting, but Negan took off. The ex-Saviors Maggie didn’t want there came anyway. A bunch of Saviors who came out of nowhere, nearly nailed the group, but got blown up by the Oceansiders, who’d decided to join in too. The remaining Saviors kneeled in front of Maggie, and said, it’s over.

Rick went after Negan on his own, but ran out of bullets. They kicked each other’s asses for a while, by the tree where Carl is buried. During a break, Negan told Rick he was bullsh*tting with the eenie, meenie, minie, mo business in the beginning. He just didn’t want to kill a kid’s dad in front of him, but if he had, the kid might still be alive. Negan always makes good points. He told Rick he’s bigger, badder, and has a bat. Rick wanted to talk about the future. He told Negan that Carl said there didn’t have to be a fight. Despite looking somewhat weepy, Negan said Carl was wrong, and Rick slit his throat. Surprising the hell out of me, and probably everyone else, although somehow, it seemed anti-climactic and rude.

Everyone was like, whoa, and then, now what? Rick said Negan was still alive, and told Siddiq to save him. Maggie freaked out, saying they had to end it, and it wasn’t over until Negan was dead. Rick said they were all going home. Negan might be alive, but his way of doing things was over. Anyone who couldn’t live with it would pay the price. He said they were going to live in peace and fairness, and find common ground. The world was theirs, but others would come for them unless they stood together. The new world was going to begin, and there had to be something after. Rosita gave props to Eugene for the sabotage, but punched him in the face anyway for the puke.

Morgan gave Carol his pseudo armor for Henry, and walked off. Rick got teary, as Rick is wont to do these days, and said, mercy prevails over the land. He sat where Carl was buried, and cried.

The ex-Saviors decided to go back to the Sanctuary, hoping to get something out of it. The guy whose name I can never remember told Maggie that he’d been reading the book, and could make some things. He has a passion for building things, and said she gave him his life.

Daryl took Dwight to the woods. Dwight started crying and saying he knew what he did, and knew he’d have to face it and pay. He was ready; it was enough to see Negan taken down. He cried, saying how sorry he was, and Daryl told him to shut up. He tossed Dwight some car keys, and said to keep going. If he saw Dwight again, he’d kill him. As Dwight walked away, Daryl told him to find her. I assumed he meant Sherry.

Gymboree Jadis was reading at the trash heap when Morgan showed up. He told her that Rick said she could come back if she wanted. He explained that Rick wanted to show people that things can change, and needed all the hands he could get. He told her that she didn’t want to be alone, and everything in life worth a damn, is people. She told him her name is Ann, which was kind of a let-down. He told her he needed to be alone, and go back without him, which made perfect sense considering what he’d just said.

Dwight went back home to the cabin in the woods (no, not that one), where he found a note. it just said honeymoon, with an infinity symbol below it.

In Maggie’s office, she told Jesus that he was right. She had no regrets, but he and Rick were right. Rick wasn’t right about Negan though. She said they had to make it thrive for the people who live there. They needed strength, and the ability to defend themselves better, but RIck was wrong; Michonne too. She said they were going to bide their time, wait for the right moment, and then show him. Daryl came out of the shadows, and said, yeah, they will. I don’t like this.

Negan woke up, his neck bandaged, handcuffed to a bed. Michonne said she needed to tell him some things. They planned on making him watch what happens. Rick said it wasn’t about who he killed, but what he did to so many, making them live for him and putting them under the boot. Negan struggled to say, he saves people, and Michonne put her hand on his throat. Rick suggested they could open his stitches for a while. Rick said Carl pitched something better; working together for something bigger than all of them. Michonne added, being an example. They weren’t going to kill or hurt him, but his fate was to rot in a cell for the rest of his life, evidence that they’re making and getting back a civilization like they had. He’ll get to see how wrong he was about what people and life can be. They’ll show people things changed by keeping him breathing. Michonne said after all this, he’s good for something.

Gabriel went to the burned out church and thanked God. He said he understood, and knew now. He’s been given so much, and now he can see.

Rick wrote to Carl. As he wrote, we saw them in the old days, walking down a road. He told Carl that he forgot who he was, and Carl made him remember. He remembered walking with him, and knew who he was for the first time. They were walking side by side, but Carl was bringing him somewhere. To the new world. He made it real. Rick sees it and remembers. Officer Rick and little Carl continued to walk down the road.

Moving right into…

Fear the Walking Dead

Out in the middle of nowhere, a man stands by a truck. He hears something, and asks if anyone is there. He longs to hear someone else’s voice, and suggests they come out and have something to eat. He talks about his life before, and says he can make popcorn. He also has books. He says, since no one is there, before he goes quiet again for another year, he has a story. He talked to a woman who showed up. He let her stay. They had feelings for each other, and one day, they allowed it. He hoped by saying it, he would see it. He did. It was nice, and there hasn’t been a lot of nice. We hear a zombie. The man shoots it, and we see Morgan just behind. The man introduces himself as John Dory, like the fish. He asks Morgan what’s his story?

Morgan is at the trash heap. Jesus knocks at the entrance. He thought they could continue their acquaintance. He insists Morgan cares about people, and tries to get him to come back.

Morgan is alone again. There’s another knock at the entrance, and this time it’s Carol. She asks him to come back. He helped her, so let her help him. She’s not going to tell him what to do, but he belongs with people who care about him.

Again, Morgan is alone. Rick shows up, and says he can hide, but he can’t run. He wouldn’t be alive if not for Morgan. Rick was hurt, and Morgan brought him in. Morgan wasn’t shot, but he’s been hurt. He asks Morgan to come back, and not to waste another second. He’s alive and part of the world. A lot of people are there because he helped them. Morgan says that’s not him anymore. Rick disagrees, saying he’ll end up with people one way or another. He’s part of the world already, so just come back. Rick leaves.

Morgan packs up his stuff, and gets his stick. He takes a long last look at the trash, and moves on down the road. He thinks about Rick’s words, and starts to run. He hotwires a car, and the gas tank is miraculously full. He walks some more. He sees a group of people, and avoids them. He finds another car, and drives again. He goes into a town and sees a cluster of zombies.

He opens a car to find someone who’s sick and shaky. He starts to leave some supplies, but the guy doesn’t want them. Morgan says, sorry. He thought the guy was on his own. The guy says, we all are. Morgan moves along, and it starts to rain.

Morgan comes up behind a zombie in the woods. A shot rings out, the zombie falls, and we’re back to the beginning. John tells Morgan he’d like company, but Morgan is hesitant. John asks if he’s seen a woman with a pistol like his; he’s looking for her. Morgan says he hasn’t, and starts to leave, but John suggests he stay the night; he can take the back of the truck. Morgan sees the wisdom in a good night’s rest. He slips out later while John is snoring.

Morgan finds a tent with a lantern lighting the inside. He sets down his stick and gets whacked in the head. I jump a mile.

Dude tells Morgan, whatever he’s thinking, don’t. Morgan says keep the food, and he’ll go. Dude doesn’t want him telling no one. Morgan says he has no one to tell, and doesn’t want to know anyone. John is suddenly there, and shoots dude in the arm. He says he’s looking out for his friend, and dude says he has friends too. They’re surrounded, and John says now he got himself captured. He’s reminiscent of Eugene in how he speaks.

A big ass truck drives into the tent city, or whatever it is. The woman behind the wheel asks what’s going on, and remarks they have new people. She likes new people. She has a cake and some Cup O’Noodles, the good kind, and she’ll throw in some Pall Malls. Apparently, dude likes Pall Malls. She opens the hatch of the truck to reveal a couple of machine guns. She tells dude, there’s always a choice, and this is an easy one. Morgan and John get in the truck.

The woman’s name is Althea; Al for short. John asks if she’s an officer of the law, and she says, not exactly. She tells them that they owe her. She didn’t save them out of the goodness of her heart. John draws his gun, but she says she just wants to ask them questions. What they’ve seen, who they’ve met, where they’ve been, and where they’re going. She tells them that she’s a journalist, pulls over, and picks up a video camera.

Al interviews John, who talks about Laura. Al asks how they got split up. He says it’s not a happy story, and gets vague. Morgan asks why it matters; there are no news stations anymore. She says he owes her. He tries to give her some food instead, but she only wants his story. He just wants to go. John gives him some clean socks for the road.

Dude comes back with his friends to hassle Al. They want the truck. Dude asks for Morgan’s stick. Morgan slams him with it, and he and john get the better of dude and several of his guys. John gets his gun back. Morgan jumps onto a truck, and John inadvertently lets a bunch of zombies loose. Dude tries to steal Al’s truck, but doesn’t have the keys. Al flings them away, and dude tries to run for them, but a zombie goes after him. Morgan gets shot in the leg by a sniper, who’s been a bad shot up until now. Morgan knocks him around on the roof. The sniper falls off, but hangs onto the ledge, dangling above a gaggle of zombies. Morgan holds out his hand, and pulls him back up. As thanks, the sniper punches Morgan. This is a good example of no good deed going unpunished. They both tumble through the roof. No surprise, Morgan does not help a second time, and gets the hell out. He throws a grenade or something, ducks, and the room blows up. He goes back outside.

John and Morgan shoot and pike zombies. Dude harasses Al for the keys until John finally shoots him, and leaves him for zombie food. Al gets in her truck, opens up the guns, and kills the rest of the zombies. And they all lived happily ever after. Not quite, but they lived.

Al says Morgan still owes her. He tells her to pull over. She films as he talks about Alexandria and the Kingdom. He says there was a big fight, but he left before he left. She asks why he left, but he thinks she should talk. He asks why it’s important, but she doesn’t want to return the favor. She says one real thing, and they’re even. Why did he leave? He tells her that he loses people, then he loses himself. He starts walking down the road again.

Morgan sees the station wagon the sick guy was in, and sees someone walking in the distance. He follows them, but some zombies, feeding by the side of the road, decide to follow Morgan. Since his leg was injured in the fight, he can’t go too fast, and he falls. They’re on him, but John appears once again, and pikes them in the heads.

Morgan needs to know who it is walking up the road. I guess he’s hoping the guy made it, but that’s a no, and he ends up spearing now-zombie guy in the head with his stick. He says he’ll travel with them until his leg heals, and no asking questions. Al says she’s not going to stop, and he says, no answers then. John says she’s taking him to look for Laura in exchange for more story.

Al sees someone in the middle of the road. Both Morgan and John inform her that they don’t kill. She tells them it’s a great moment to share that information. It’s a girl, hunched over. Al asks if she’s injured, and tells Morgan to get the first aid kit. The girl says there are bad people there, then grabs Al in a headlock. It’s Alicia. Victor, Madison, ♫ and the rest ♫, come out from the forest. Al asks what Alicia’s story is.

And there we have it. Until tomorrow night.

🔎 An Observation…

Andrew Lincoln always looks like a businessman on an interview when he’s a guest on Talking Dead.

🎬 Another Thing I Watched…

Mourning Son is a 2015 documentary about the murder of Dave Navarro’s mother, and how it’s affected him throughout his life. It’s also a glimpse into what an incredible artist he is. I had no idea about his background, but always thought he was a very honest and kind man. When Bill Maher was hosting Politically Incorrect – before he fully turned into a mean curmudgeon, and was just working on it – I saw Dave put him in his place when he was talking out of his ass. I’ve admired him ever since. Even more so after seeing this excellent film.

🎆 Right now, I’m (finally) watching Girl’s Trip, and between this and Star, can confirm that Queen Latifah wears more fabulous wigs than the entire cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta put together.

🛀 Enjoy the Remaining Weekend Like…

Minions