In Dolores’s interview, she says, Paulie is recovering well, but has a different idea of what a nurse should be, since he wants her to dress up in a hot nurse outfit. She tells him about her conversation with Frank at the luau, and how he took it personally that she didn’t stay at his house. Paul says, Frank needs to grow up. He and Dolores had a good relationship, but now it’s gone. In her interview, Dolores says, Paulie has a good relationship with his ex-wife, but she and Frank are closer. Paulie wonders if Frank realizes he made a mistake, but in her interview, Dolores says, Frank realized he made a mistake before he walked out the door. It’s about change, not a personal attachment. She tells Paulie that she’s having lunch with Jennifer, and we flash back to their whatever-it-is, and in Dolores’s interview, she says, it’s like being in a hamster wheel. She feels like enough time has passed, and they can have a real conversation. She tells Paulie that Jennifer needs to stay in her lane, and he says, meet Paterson Dolores. I’ve never been to Paterson, so I’m not sure exactly what that means. I assume it’s a tough, earrings off town.
I think Rachel should escape this show, and possibly New Jersey, immediately. In her interview, she says she’s a perfectionist. She comes from a corporate background, while her husband comes from the streets; that’s why she’s handling buying the school supplies. Why? Would he just give the kid a stick and a rock? She tells John that she wants another baby, but stepson Jaiden isn’t crazy about the idea. In Rachel’s interview, she says, Jaiden is going off to college in a few years, and it’s scary. She reminds John about wanting to adopt Jaiden, and he says, there’s a process they have to go through. Jaiden’s biological mother would still have to sign off, even though he has full custody, and he doesn’t feel like dealing with her. In her interview, Rachel says, her few interactions with Jaiden’s mother were uncomfortable since Rachel is parenting her child. To have to tell somebody’s birth mother about their kid’s life is sad. She knows the best thing is for his birth mother not to be in Jaiden’s life, and she wants to protect Jaiden and their family, so she feels like she’s earned the title. John suggests they sit with an attorney.
Dolores meets Jennifer, and it’s all how are you and you look cute. In Jennifer’s interview, she says she thought they were good friends, but didn’t receive their recent interactions that way. Fighting got her nowhere, so she can find another way forward or not be friends with Dolores. Dolores says, Paulie likes Jennifer, and felt bad when they were fighting, and Jennifer says, what broke the camel’s back last year, and made it hard, was Dolores becoming close with Marge. She felt like Dolores wasn’t defending her, and joining their ship. Little things bothered her. I double check, and Jennifer is 45; a little old for high school. Dolores tells Jennifer that she should have said something, and in her interview, Jennifer says she let her anger get the best of her, but she doesn’t want to keep fighting. Dolores suggests they call a truce, and promises to watch how she speaks to Jennifer in the future. In her interview, Dolores says, if Jennifer had told her instead of just getting angry, she would have curbed herself. Jennifer talks about raising the kids, and how Bill thinks therapy is unnecessary. She says, even when he’s home, he’s not home. When he does have free time, he’s still not choosing to spend it with the family. Dolores says, she and Frank weren’t married when she raised the kids, and lived separately, so it wasn’t an issue. In her interview, Dolores says she remembers hitting the breaking point. She was tired of catering to Frank, when he thought his job was more important than hers. Jennifer says she avoided Marge at the luau, and Dolores says, the fighting is getting bad amongst all of us. Jennifer says she knows a woman who reads Turkish coffee cups, and she was thinking of getting the girls together for a reading. She wants to invite everyone, but doesn’t want Marge at her house. Dolores suggests doing it at her house, since it’s neutral territory.
Melissa and Antonia go to the new house, where Joe #2 is working. In Melissa’s interview, she says she feels like she’s finally seeing what the house will look like. She’s sick of living in Disney princess houses, and she’s ready for something more sophisticated and classy… like her personality. She laughs. She suggests Joe send the molding back to 1999, where it belongs, but he tells her to let the builder build, and stick to fashion. She says she’s doing a pop-up at Envy for Danielle’s children’s line. She sees herself in Danielle, having little kids and wanting to get into business. If she can help, she wants to.
Danielle calls Teresa, who’s sick. Teresa says, her immune system is low from dealing with Melissa, and Danielle asks ,what happened at the luau after she left? Teresa says, it was terrible. Louie wanted Melissa’s mother’s phone number so he could invite her to the wedding, and Melissa refused to talk to him. I don’t think it went quite that way, but moving on. Teresa tells Danielle that Joe said she was miserable, and she said, he and Melissa were miserable, then Joe and Melissa left. Louie went out to talk to them, and came back crying. Louie always comes back crying. He and James Kennedy could have a cry-off. And I’m by no means making fun of anyone having feelings, but these two are drama kings. We see a clip of Louie bawling and saying, he feels Joe and Melissa’s pain, and it sucks. Teresa says she feels bad for Louie.
At the house, Melissa tells Joe that Marge said, Louie was sobbing after they left. Joe says, Louie only needs to fix one person – himself. He’s two-faced with that kumbaya stuff; it’s fake. Then it came out in the press that Teresa had a falling out with Dina. We see a headline about Dina’s husband having beef with Louie over business, and in his interview, Joe says, Dina’s husband David called him because they’re friends. It was Pizzagate, part two. Louie f***ed up another relationship in Teresa’s life. He tells Melissa, Louie says he wants everyone to be nice, but he needs to be real. He comes in like he’s God.
Theresa tells Danielle, that’s the only family she has, and they’re being mean to Louie. Louie needs to draw a line in the sand. Danielle says, Teresa has a built-in excuse not to go to the coffee reading, so she’ll bring Teresa’s feelings along with her own, and unleash for both of them. She tells Teresa, Rachel told Marge what she’d said, but she was only talking about what she heard other people say. Why was she the bad guy? Rachel was just as catty. It became her against Marge and Rachel. In Danielle’s interview, she says, she was bullied in high school because she was an athlete and hung out with the guys. The girls bullied her, and she has a lot of trauma from not being accepted (she’s 37, BTW). She tells Teresa that Rachel caused this and messed her up. Then the women were gossiping about her and her brother, saying there must be another side to the story. She doesn’t like to leave a situation, so it’s been bothering her. In her interview, she says she’s worked hard not to let people affect her, and she’s pissed that she let it. She’s not letting them get away with it. Teresa says, they’re all showing their true colors. I dunno. Is it me? Teresa whines that Joe is her only family, yet she continually bashes Joe and Melissa, and excludes them. Danielle decides to repeat something negative that may or may not be true about Marge, then gets pissed because it’s repeated to Marge. Is this Bizarro New Jersey?
Dolores tells the caterers, if things start going crazy, pretend it’s not happening, which is probably the best advice I’ve ever heard on this show. In Jennifer’s interview, she says, Angie saw N in her coffee reading, and Bill’s real name is Nebil. What better way to bring the women together than telling their futures? Jen walks into Dolores’s house, and in her interview, she says she’s trying not be jealous, but it’s Fifty Shades of Grey, and she’s desperate to find the red room. In Melissa’s interview, she says, Dolores is doing something right. Frank built her a house. David built her a house. Now she’s sitting pretty in this house. If they were playing Monopoly, Dolores would be winning. Melissa asks why Dolores and Jennifer are throwing a party together, and Dolores says she suggested a truce, and Jennifer wanted to have a party, but didn’t think everyone would come to her house. Yeah. That’s believable. In Marge’s interview, she says, she knows Dolores doesn’t want any negativity, but does she really like Jennifer? Does anybody really like Jennifer? They talk about Danielle leaving the luau, and in Jennifer’s interview, she says, if someone is in pain, she’s not going to play Inspector Gadget. My mind boggles. Maybe she has short term memory loss. Jennifer says she never would have wondered what Danielle did to deserve it, and Marge says, nobody thought that. Danielle shouldn’t have said she had an arsenal. Jennifer says, she just repeated stuff she’d heard, and Marge says, don’t be seeding this around. Danielle arrives, and in her interview, she says she’s happy to be here. She actually lost sleep over leaving the luau. It’s her vindication day. Dolores tells everyone that Teresa has covid and won’t be attending, but while she was meditating on her wedding, she pictured Dolores and Jennifer being in the wedding party. We see a clip of Teresa asking them to be bridesmaids. Marge drops that Dina is out, and Melissa says, Dolores wasn’t even invited to the engagement party. Again my mind boggles, wondering who is really the most awful in reality TV when there are so many candidates.
In Dolores’s interview, a producer asks if she thinks she wasn’t invited to the engagement party because Dina was, but Dolores says she’s not talking about Dina – ever. (She later changed her mind, saying on Watch What Happens Live, that were no problems between her and Dina, and they just grew apart.) In Melissa’s interview, she says, Dina’s husband and Louie argued over business, and now Dina isn’t Teresa’s friend or bridesmaid. The meditation moment is convenient. They sit to eat, and Danielle is seated next to Marge. In her interview, Danielle says, she’s uncomfortable right now, but they were seating themselves, and she’s not glued to the chair. She tells Marge, it’s awkward, and Marge says, Danielle stormed out of the luau. In Danielle’s interview, she says, Marge is lucky she needs energy before she rips heads off. Geez. Maybe she was ostracized in school for some other reason. Dolores says she thinks they’ve all been under stress, and they haven’t been away in a long time as a group. She went to Ireland with Paulie for Valentine’s Day, and came back a different person. She’d like for them all to go. In Dolores’s interview, she says, since she’s going to be a bridesmaid, she wants to plan a trip for Teresa, and put the other stuff behind them. They should do something different to bring different energy into the group. She tells them, it’s also the bachelorette party capital, and I’m pretty sure that’s Las Vegas and she’s making that up. Cup reader Angie arrives, and in Jen’s interview, she says she’s been to psychics, but they’re not often looking into a cup of Nescafe. Angie says, Dolores’s reading is short and sweet; a ring is coming soon. In Melissa’s interview, she says she thinks marrying Paulie would make Dolores happy, but Frank would be sad. Paulie isn’t going to suggest going on playdates. Angie tells Rachel that she’ll have a big victory in the next three months or three years. Something significant is going to happen. Rachel says she wants to adopt her stepson, and Angie says, she’ll win at the end. In Marge’s interview, she says, that’s the way she feels about her kids. They needed her because their mom didn’t live here. She needed a family to love, and someone to love her. Angie tells Marge that she’s sees something about a close friend Marge grew up with. She’s seeing the letter L, and seeing a knife in Marge’s back. In her interview, Marge says, how convenient, when Jennifer has been talking non-stop about Laura. Angie says, they went from friendship to fighting, and in Jen’s interview, she says she’s gullible, but not that gullible.
Angie says, the friendship is going to be rekindled, but Marge says, never. In Jackie’s interview, she says she knows she’s cynical, but come on. Jennifer is next, and asks Angie if there’s anything about her life with her husband. He’s been putting a lot of pressure on her, and she’s struggling. Angie says, he loves her a lot, and she sees Jennifer is all about family. She sees people offering Jennifer endorsements, and we flash back to Jennifer at Jen’s house, saying she was more in demand than Marge, and Marge asking what endorsements she had. Jennifer then tells Marge that she turned them down because her family is her endorsement. In Marge’s interview, she says she’s never seen such a set-up in her life. In Melissa’s interview, she says she’s embarrassed for Jennifer. Angie says, when Jennifer’s youngest is older, the endorsements will start coming her way, and in her interview, Marge says, no one’s endorsing Jennifer. Maybe Charmin, since she has 16 bathrooms and is full of sh*t. Jackie says, that felt obvious, but Jennifer insists she barely knows Angie. In Jennifer’s interview, she says, it’s ridiculous. They’re just mad that somebody is saying she’ll have good vibes in the future. Angie says, not everyone believes, and that’s fine, which annoys me. She says, in Danielle’s cup, she sees a conflict between Danielle and her brother. She sees him in a wedding, but doesn’t see her. This hurt Danielle, and they both cry about it, but there will come a day his anger goes away. It gets better, and they make a connection. Danielle says she didn’t like everybody questioning her about this, like she must have done something, but Rachel says, that wasn’t it at all. Jackie says, they just felt there was something missing in the story, and Jen says, she didn’t understand it. Danielle says she doesn’t get it herself, and it should be done. Period. In Melissa’s interview, she says, it’s enough. Leave her alone. Danielle says she doesn’t like to walk away from situations, but she felt blindsided, especially after Rachel made it sound like she was sabotaging Marge. Rachel says, that’s not what she was doing, but Danielle says, Rachel threw her under the bus. In her interview, Marge says she was upset at Danielle repeating negative things, when she’d never been anything but good to her. Rachel says she doesn’t care, and Danielle says she does, nearly launching herself over the table. Everyone is like, whoa, and Rachel says, just because she repeated it, doesn’t mean she was using it against Danielle. In Rachel’s interview, she says, she didn’t take anything out of context, and she wanted Marge to know what was being said. Danielle says she learned she can’t talk to Rachel that way, and in her interview, she says, guilty, insecure bitches aren’t capable of apologizing. If you want to be on your high horse, go ahead. I hope you fall off. Dolores says, I love you all but… get out.
Next time, Danielle calls Rachel a rat; look out Ireland; Danielle asks Jennifer what Laura told her that she won’t repeat; and Jennifer says it’s about someone they all know.
🍕 Break It Down…
A blow-by-blow of Pizzagate, part two, although there’s still not much detail about what the business was.
See you tomorrow for (hopefully) soap and hunting for VanderEggs. Until then, stay safe, stay balancing productivity with some fun stuff, and stay not getting involved in business dealings with Louie.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nina asks MetroCourt bartender Jamie if he isn’t in business school, and he says, PCU’s graduate program. She asks why someone in a leadership position would be investigated by the SEC, and Sonny walks up wondering why she’d ask that.
On the phone, Ava leaves a message for Austin asking if they can discuss his charming cousin, and the not-so charming stranglehold he has on them. Call her as soon as he can. Trina comes in and says she received a notification that artwork came in, but Ava says, it’s not her job to track it anymore. Trina says she wanted to spare Ava from anything gallery related, especially after everything that’s happened to her lately. Ava says, thanks, but Trina doesn’t have to take care of her, and Trina says, to be honest, she wanted a reason to return to the gallery. This place is really important to her; like a second home. Now it’s more important than her first.
Curtis is in the elevator, when Selina joins him. She congratulates him on his nuptials, and asks if Brad delivered her gift at the rehearsal dinner. Curtis says, he did, and she says she’s surprised she didn’t hear from him. Did the gift not meet with his approval?
At the stables, Cody looks for a receipt in a file folder, and ends up dropping everything on the floor. He says, Mama Q didn’t hire him for his organizational skills, and Sasha comes in, saying, that much is obvious. He says he’s about ponies, not paperwork, and she says, he’s good with horses. He’s also good with people. Among them, her.
Lucy asks Anna if the coffee is dark roast; it tastes burnt. Bleh. I know what she means and I hate that. Lucy says she misses Kelly’s smooth coffee. She misses Kelly’s. She misses croissants. Couldn’t Anna just kill for a chocolate babka? Why does Felicia just bring yoghurt and granola? Valentin comes out, and Anna asks, how was his shower? but he says he didn’t actually take one. Somebody decided to use the last of the hot water again. Lucy says, that’s because the water here is so very hard, she has to rinse a lot to get the shampoo out of her hair. Lucy moves the blind to peek out, but Anna yells, stay away from the window! Lucy asks how long they have to keep hiding here. This is torture. Anna and Valentin look at each other.
Victor is putting on his tie as Eileen wakes up. She says, good morning, and he says, is it? She says, it’s the best sleep she’s had in weeks. She feels so rested. He says, that makes one of them, and she says, he’s not upset about last night, is he? He says he’ll thank her not to mention last night again.
Felicia, Bobbie, and Maxie have coffee at Charlie’s, and Bobbie says, they treaded very carefully with Jesse Brewer. She was a wonderful, generous woman, but she had zero tolerance for personal drama at work, so she really kept them on their toes. Maxie asks how long she’s worked at GH, and Bobbie says, 45 years. The hospital’s turning 60 this year, so she wasn’t here at its conception. Felicia says, 60 years is quite a milestone, and Maxie says, thehospital’s the center of so many peoples’ lives in Port Charles. How are they marking the occasion? Bobbie says, there aren’t any plans she’s aware of, and Felicia says, that’s a missed opportunity. Maxie says, it’s more than that. It’s a travesty. Somebody needs to do something about it.
Looking at her tablet, Lucy sighs, putting her feet up on the couch next to Valentin, and he says, problem? She says, the stock, and he says, took a hit? but she tells him, relax. He’s still getting a return on his investment. It’s just… It could be a whole heck of a lot better. He says, if she was there, and she says, yes. Anna comes out and tells Valentin, that was the last of the coffee, and he says he misses Paris. She says, her too, and he says, for a lot of reasons, but right now for the coffee. Anna snuggles in his lap, and Lucy says, stop. Marty can’t be here because he’s visiting his mom, so seeing the lovebirds is tough when she’s involuntarily celibate. Anna tells her, when this is over, Marty will be waiting for her, but Lucy says, don’t say the w word. Waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s all she does. She’s so sick of waiting. She just wants out of here.
Victor puts on his shoes, and Eileen says, they were both tired last night, and they’d both been drinking. Oooh. I get why he’s cranky. She says, neither of them were at their best, but now they’re both rejuvenated. He puts on his jacket, and she asks if it was something she did, but he says he has a busy day today. She says, anything to do with the next phase of his plan? He doesn’t have to go it alone. She’s with him all the way. She straightens his tie, and says, didn’t she prove that to him, when she helped take care of Anna Devane? She grabs his lapels, pulls him toward her, and says, let her in. Tell her what he needs; what he wants. She’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Cody says, if he knew Sasha was coming, he’d have cleaned the place up. She helps him pick up the papers, and asks if he found what he was looking for. He says he’s afraid not, but no worries; he’ll look later. He doesn’t notice, but one of the papers stays on the floor, and Sasha hands him a box. She says, it’s to thank him, and he says, for what? She says, for what he did when she confronted Heather Webber at the PCPD.
Ava says, trouble at home? but Trina says, Ava is the one who just went through hell. How is she? Ava says she’s getting there, and Trina says, and her friend Dr. Gatlin-Holt? Ava says, well enough to check himself out of the hospital. Trina’s mom treated him before he left GH. When are she and Curtis headed to Italy? Trina says, as far as she knows, that trip is canceled. They’re not in a great place right now. Ava says she’s so sorry to hear that. What happened? Trina says, I happened.
Curtis tells Selina that he had a few things on his mind. Sending out thank you cards wasn’t on his list. Selina says, it’s not like him to be ungrateful, so she’ll ignore his oversight. Newlywedded bliss can be all-consuming. Or so she’s been told. He asks her to excuse him, and walks off.
Gladys plays poker on her phone in a private area of the hotel, and says, you’re bluffing, sucker. Selina comes along, and says she never bluffs. Gladys thanks Selina for meeting her, and Selina asks why she didn’t want to meet at The Savoy. Gladys says she makes bad decisions when she’s at the club, and Selina asks if that’s what she thinks, indicating a manila envelope on the table. Gladys says, the deed to her son’s garage.
Nina tells Sonny that she’s always pestering Jamie with business questions; he’s in business school. She’s taking credit when he passes his course with flying colors. Sonny asks if she’s heard from Willow today, and she says, no. And she didn’t want to risk their somewhat shaky truce, bothering Willow with questions and calls. He says she’s taking it slow, that’s a good thing, and she says she’s just grateful she’s in the loop where her daughter’s health is concerned. He says he wishes he was in the loop where his daughter was concerned. Has she heard anything from Ava about Nikolas threatening to take Avery?
Bobbie says she agrees. It would be great to honor GH’s six decades of service to the community, but they’re still navigating Britt’s loss, so they’re just putting up a plaque. Maxie says, they need more than a plaque. Port Charles has seen so much loss and turmoil in sixty recent years.This town needs a celebration. Felicia agrees, and Bobbie says she supposes Maxie has something in mind. Maxie says, many somethings actually, but there is a clear winner to usher in the festivities. This town needs the biggest and best Nurses Ball GH has ever seen. There is no better way to mark GH’s sixtieth anniversary than the Nurses Ball. Felicia says, the anniversary is next month, but Bobbie says, there’s no way to get the Nurses Ball ready in time. It’s not an easy enterprise. Maxie says she’s done bigger events in less time. She just needs a choreographer, a fireworks team, a llama, and a truckload of bubbly. Plus a celebrity guest, teasers for the local news, and some corporate sponsors to foot the bill. Bobbie says, easy peasy, and Maxie says, we can do it. Felicia asks, who’s us? and Maxie says, the three of them.
Victor kisses Eileen’s hand, and says, she really wants to help? and she says, any way she can. He says, then only come when he calls. It wasn’t long ago she imagined she was being haunted. She says she was under a lot of pressure, and realizes now it was sleeping pills her doctor prescribed. She requested a copy of the file on Holly Sutton with her accident at the cabin; the original unredacted file. It contained useful information on the necklace. He says, she’s certain she can get her hands on this file? and she says she has strings she can pull. He says, then pull them now. In the hallway, she makes a call, and says, checking in… as demanded.
As Anna tries to talk to Eileen, Valentin tells Lucy, as far as safehouses go, this is fine. We’re all making sacrifices, so deal with it. Lucy asks why she should. He and Anna are the spies. She’s just a humble… Anna says she can’t talk right now. Eileen’s contact will meet her where she is. She tells Valentin and Lucy, they cannot go out the door, but Valentin says, this is their best chance to bring Victor down. Lucy says, this really seems like a you problem, pointing at both of them, and Valentin says he wishes he’d taken that attitude when they found her shackled in a Paris catacomb. Lucy says she really is grateful, but she woudn’t have needed rescuing if Anna hadn’t blackmailed here into spying in the first place. Anna says she just had Eileen on the phone, and she says she’ll get them everything they need to stop Victor. Lucy says, for their sakes and for hers, she hopes Eileen comes through – and soon. She walks out of the room, and Valentin says, if they don’t get out of here soon, he just might kill Lucy Coe himself.
Gladys picks up the envelope, and says, this will make her and Selina square, right? Selina says, more than amply, and holds out her hand. Gladys gives her the envelope, and Selina checks out the paperwork. She says, Gladys is more than covered. The remaining funds can be deposited into a business account, or used for a stake in the next game. Gladys says, no thank you. She’s done with all that. A deposit will suit her fine.
Cody says he was afraid Sasha would think he was butting in, but he knew Dante would look after her, and she says, Dante showed up because Cody sent him? Cody asks if that’s not why she’s thanking him, but she says, no. She’s thanking him for not giving her up to the desk sergeant when she claimed to be Heather’s lawyer. He looks in the box, and says, yum, biscotti, and she says, he enjoyed Olivia’s biscotti that night in the solarium. He thanks her, and says, she’s not mad? She says she pretended to be someone’s lawyer to get in to see the woman who killed her husband. He thought she was out for revenge, and tried to save her from herself. He says, turns out, she doesn’t need saving.
Ava says, none of this is Trina’s fault, but Trina says, if she hadn’t gone to see Aunt Stella the night of the wedding, none of this would have happened. Ava says, most secrets come to light. What’s important is how Trina is doing. Trina says she’s all over the place. She’s angry at her mom… Ava says, but Trina misses her, and Trina says she wants to stay close to her dad, but she’s starting to feel distant from him. And she likes Curtis, but she resents him. Ava asks what she can do. What does Trina need? Trina says, a solution, but Ava says she doesn’t think she can help with that.
Nina says, Nikolas threatened to take Avery? and Sonny says, Ava told him it was an empty threat, but there’s no empty threat when it comes to his child. Curtis approaches, and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but can he and Nina talk for a moment? Nina says, of course (🍷). Isn’t he supposed to be in Tuscany? He thanks Nina for comping the room for them, but he can’t accept. He gives her an envelope, and she says, he’s reimbursing her for the room? Sonny says, it was a gift for Curtis and his wife, and Curtis says, that’s just it. Portia may not be his wife for much longer. Nina says she’s so sorry; what happened? Sonny wisely gets up, and says he’ll let them have a discussion. He has something he’s got to do. Curtis suggests he and Nina have a seat at his table.
Selina says, just the man she wanted to see, and Sonny asks what he can do for her. She asks why her shipment was rerouted from Pier 55 yesterday, and he says, a minor inconvenience. She says, if he’s concerned she might attempt to join his Pikeman deal… Gladys almost walks in the room, but stops, and Sonny says, they had an arrangement. She operates on his docks at his discretion. And he wants her to keep it that way. She walks off, and Sonny sees Gladys. She says, hi cuz, but he tells her, don’t hi cuz him. What was she doing with Miss Wu?
Ava says she’s always here for Trina, but there’s no quick fix for this particular situation. She knows Trina is probably sick of hearing things like this, but with maturity comes the understanding that nothing is absolute. There are almost always shades of grey. Trina says, what her mom did was wrong. No amount of age or perspective will make her see that differently. Ava says she agrees Trina’s mother was wrong, but if Trina is looking for her to validate her righteous indignation, Ava thinks Trina is going to be disappointed. She knows from personal experience, there’s no telling what a mother might do when she’s afraid she’ll lose her child.
Sasha tells Cody, it wasn’t easy listening to the woman who murdered her husband; every word coming out of Heather’s mouth infuriated her. He says, and Sasha didn’t go for her throat. He admires her restraint. Sasha says, it would have felt so satisfying to claw her face off, but she thought about what Brando would want; to get justice for him without compromising her future. He says she definitely seems lighter or something, and she tells him that she wouldn’t say it was closure, but a burden has been lifted. How about him? How does he feel? He says he’s not really liking himself much lately. He seems to be in the habit of letting down anyone who cares about him. She says, all any of them can do is forgive themselves, and he says, if he can’t, what then?
Maxie tells Bobbie, Corinthos Coffee, ELQ, Aurora Media, and they can get Ned to come up with the rest. Bobbie says, hold on there, hotfoot. They haven’t even pitched this to the Board. Maxie says, when they hear she lined up donors, and she’s offering her services free of charge, how could they object? Bobbie says, Maxie needs a reliable committee, but Maxie says, no problem. She can already think of half a dozen go-getters, and she already has a co-chair. Bobbie says, Maxie’s mother didn’t agree to that, but Maxie tells her, who said she’s talking about her mom?
Felicia comes bearing coffee to the safehouse, and Valentin says, they heard about what happened with Ryan Chamberlain. Is she all right? She says she’s getting there. The whole thing was a traumatic experience, but she thinks it’s worth it, because Ryan is now gone. How is everything here? Valentin says, it would be nice to believe they’re making progress. Despite his reservations, Anna said Felicia was the most convincing corpse she’d ever seen. Felicia admits she liked seeing the look on Eileen’s face when Eileen realized she’d been had. Valentin doubts she liked being played. Let’s hope she hasn’t gone rogue. Felicia says, if Eileen wants to take them down, she’s going down first, but Anna says she has the feeling Eileen is too self-serving for that.
Eileen waits in the Bistro, when Laura walks in. Laura says, Eileen was expecting someone else, and Eileen says she thought maybe Felicia, but she should have known it would be Laura. Laura asks, why is that? and Eileen says, Anna is clearly enjoying her fall from grace. What better way to stick it to her than send Laura? Laura says she volunteered, and Eileen says, not surprising. Laura was the first to tell her that Anna was dead, then sent her to the morgue. Laura’s been playing her since Lucy Coe was shot. Laura says, they were on to her long before that. They were biding their time until she could prove to be useful to them.
Lucy begs Felicia not to go, and asks if she can’t stay and be a buffer between them. Felicia says she’s sure there’s not friction; they’re all on the same side. Lucy says, they’re all going a little stir crazy. She knows that saying, two’s company… Valentin says, three’s a necessary evil in order to survive, and Felicia promises she’ll be back. And she’ll bring Lucy an update on what Maxie is planning for the Nurses Ball. Anna gestures for Felicia to shush, but Lucy says, oh my God, the Nurses Ball. They set a date? When is it? Anna is like, eh! but Felicia says, in a few weeks. Lucy says, there can be no Nurses Ball without her.
Maxie says, Bobbie makes the most sense as a co-chair. She loves the hospital. She knows its history. She’s played a role in the health and happiness of so many who’ve walked through the doors, the least of whom is her. She has to do it. Nobody else can fill Lucy’s shoes. Maxie needs her… She has until the end of breakfast to decide. Now, musical acts… Maxie consults her phone.
Sasha tells Cody that she’s had a lot of time to think, usually at night when it’s quiet. One of the things she couldn’t let go of is how Brando spent so much time taking care of her before he died. They lost a lot of valuable time together when she was spiraling. Cody says, she went through a lot. It’s not her fault she was a hot mess express. She laughs, and says, don’t be shy. Tell her what he really thinks. He says he’s sorry. He suffers from foot in mouth disease. She tells him not to apologize. She told him before, she appreciates he doesn’t feel the need to treat her with kid gloves. He says he could still stand to have more grace, and she says he could stand extending some grace to himself. Once she managed to do that, her regrets stopped keeping her up at night. He says, sounds easier said than done, and she says, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Comet snorts, and Cody says, Comet agrees. Sasha tells Cody that he’s outnumbered.
Trina tells Ava, she doesn’t know what to say to her mom, or Curtis, or even her dad. Should she take the DNA test? Ava says, that depends. Does she want to know who her biological father is? Trina says she’s not sure, and Ava says, maybe the better question is, would knowing change anything for her? Trina says she won’t let it. Marcus Taggert is her father. He raised her, he loves her, and that will never change. Ava says, if that’s the case, some would say, there’s no reason to find out. But at the end of the day, Ava likes looking in the mirror and knowing who she is, exactly where she came from. It might not change her habits or behavior, but at least there are no lingering existential questions. Trina asks if Ava is saying she should get the test, and Ava tells her, she’s saying, why not know for sure?
Nina tells Curtis, she’s so sorry; she doesn’t know what to say. Curtis says he doesn’t either, and she asks how she can help. He says, she can take his check, but she says, they both know she’s not doing that. He’s not really telling her that his marriage is over, is he? He says, Porta lied to him. When they met again after all those years of being apart, she made a point of telling him that Trina couldn’t possibly be his daughter. She says she’s not defending Portia, but to be honest, she can’t condemn her either. Curtis says, Portia didn’t admit Trina could be his daughter until her secret came out and she had no choice. Nina says, because Portia was afraid she was going to lose him, and she can understand that. She withheld information for the exact same reason.
Sonny asks what business Gladys could possibly be doing with Miss Wu, and she says she was just following his advice. He discouraged her from selling the garage to a low bidder. She rejected that offer, and sold it to someone who knows its worth. Selina Wu is the proud new owner of Brando’s garage.
Victor goes to the bar, and Selina says, whatever Mr. Cassadine is having, put it on her tab. Victor says, it’s kind of her, but unnecessary, and she says, she insists. He looks like he needs a pick-me-up. He asks what she knows about it.
Sasha pets Comet and sweettalks him, and Cody asks if she grew up around horses. She says, lately, she’s more familiar with the horsepower of muscle cars, but he says, she’s not afraid. The last woman he had there would rather be caught dead than… She says she loves riding; it’s just been a while. He suggests she ride there, and she asks what he charges. He says, she’d be doing him a favor. It exercises the horses, and Mama Q will stop worrying whether he has friends or not. She asks Comet if that sounds fair, and listens. Cody asks what Comet said, and she says, that Cody does have friends.
Laura asks what Eileen found out, and Eileen says she and Victor shared a room last night. They used to… Laura says, Anna told her. The less she hears about that, the better. Eileen says, Laura doesn’t have to. She’d hoped reigniting their physical relationship would loosen Victor’s lips, but it didn’t work. Laura asks, why not? and Eileen says, Victor hasn’t been himself… He had an off night in the bedroom.
Selina asks Victor to disregard her intrusion. Enjoy his coffee in good health. Perhaps it will restore his customary courtliness. She takes out her phone, and turns her back to him.
Nina says, not telling Sonny’s family he was in Nixon Falls is a mistake she’s still living down, but at the time, she thought she was justified. Curtis asks if she’s saying Portia did too, and she says, yes, but that being said, she’s always on his team, especially with this issue. She knows how painful it is being denied your own children. He says, finding out Trina might be his daughter, is nothing in comparison with what Carly did to Nina with Willow, and she says she’s trying to focus on rebuilding her relationship with Willow, but she’s so angry. Curtis says, so is he, and she says, he has every right to be, but she wants him to remember the circumstances aren’t the same. Portia is his wife, and she’s Trina’s mother. Has he spoken to Trina? He says he went to see her. The whole time he spoke with her, he just kept looking into those big, beautiful brown eyes, and wondering if they were his mother’s eyes. He’s got to know. She says, he’s got to have answers, right? But does Trina want to know? He says, she’s considering it, and Nina says, take it from her, don’t push. She’s learning to live with what she’s given. Whether it’s a DNA test or a relationship, let Trina decide.
Ava says she and Trina share no DNA. Nature didn’t forge the connection they have; they did that. It’s one of the most meaningful bonds she has. She doesn’t know if that’s an argument for or not getting the test; only Trina knows. But whatever she decides, Ava will be beside her, holding her hand. They hug.
Maxie tells Bobbie, time’s up. What’s it gonna be? Bobbie says, all right. She’ll co-chair the Nurses Ball Planning Committee. Maxie says, Bobbie is the best. She won’t be sorry. She promises the Nurses Ball will be the best way to celebrate the sixtieth festivities of the hospital. She’s going to text her mom. Bobbie says, she and Lucy might not have always seen eye to eye, but she’s going to do Lucy proud. Maxie says, Lucy worked really hard every year to make sure the Nurses Ball was a huge success, and Bobbie says, Lucy made it sound like it was the biggest undertaking in modern times, but she intends to do just as well, without breaking half the sweat or losing her clothes. I wonder if that’s how Lucy is going to make her reentry.
Felicia looks at her phone, and says, it’s largely because of Lucy that Maxie thinks the show should go on. She wants to honor what she thinks is Lucy’s legacy as the heart and soul of the Nurses Ball. Lucy says, that’s lovely and she’s grateful, but it’s really no small feat organizing an entire Nurses Ball, and in just a few weeks? She doesn’t think Maxie is capable of doing it. Felicia tells her not to worry. Maxie has plenty of people to help her. The text she just received? Bobbie is going to co-chair. Lucy says, Bobbie Spencer? Anna opens the door, and Felicia says, sounds like it’s all in hand. Stay safe. She jets, and Lucy asks if they actually heard that. Bobbie Spencer, no. No, no, no, no, no. Bobbie Spencer is not going to take what is hers… again.
Nina says, whatever Trina decides, no matter the results, Curtis is still going to be part of her life because of his relationship with her mother. He says he’s not sure where he and Portia stand, and Nina says, so if Trina’s not his daughter, both Portia and Trina will be out of his life?
Trina says she doesn’t know what she’d do without Ava, and Ava says she’ll always be here for Trina. But she only has one mother. Trina says, maybe, but unlike her mother, Ava has never been dishonest with her. When it comes to Ava Jerome, what she sees is what she gets.
Cody thanks Sasha for the biscotti, and she says, probably not as good as Mama Q’s, but he says, if they are, he won’t tell her. She says she thinks she’ll take him up on his offer. She would love to get back into riding. He says, excellent, and she says she wishes she could give him something more in return. Like free color matching at Deception, or free tune-ups at the garage. He says he’s already found his perfect foundation shade, thanks, and he doesn’t have a car; which works out, since she no longer has a garage. Sasha asks what he means; she still has Brando’s garage. Cody flashes back to hearing Gladys says she’d sign the garage over to Selina, and says, he’s sorry. He must have heard wrong. Sasha says, from who?
Sonny says, it sounds like Gladys selling Brando’s garage to Miss Wu is a savvy business deal. He’s good with it as long as Sasha is. Gladys says she’s glad he’s on board. See ya. She tries to jet, but he calls her back, and asks, is Sasha good or not?
Valentin sips his coffee, and says, now that’s a cup of joe. Anna says she knows living with Lucy is a temporary – he says, insanity? – thing, but it’s all going to work out in the end. If they can prove Victor killed Luke, and framed her for killing Lucy… He says, providing Eileen does everything they as her to do.
Victor tells Selina that he should apologize. He hasn’t been feeling himself lately. She says, oh? and flashes back to him raising the martini she put something in, which I’d forgotten about. She says, that’s a terrible shame, smiles at him, and leaves. So she gave him something to make him impotent? I guess killing his ego is the next best thing to killing him.
Laura asks if that’s unusual for Victor, and Eileen says, until now, he’s actually been rather… robust. But they haven’t been together in months. Maybe last night explains why. Laura says, clearly, Eileen isn’t going to be able to get information from him seducing him, so they have to come up with another way to engage his interest.
On the phone, Selina says, Miss Sutton, it’s Selina Wu. She’ll be interested to know that something has disconcerted their mutual acquaintance, Mr. Cassadine. Perhaps that something has to do with the substance Holly paid her to slip him? She gets in the elevator, as she watches Victor at the bar.
Eileen tells Laura, despite Victor’s frustration and embarrassment earlier, his interest was piqued when she mentioned getting the unredacted report of Holly Sutton’s accident and the necklace she stole. Laura says she thinks they just might have to give Victor exactly what he wants.
Tomorrow, Drew has a proposal for Ned; Sasha wants to know who Cody heard discussing selling Brando’s garage; and Sonny says, Gladys better know what she’s doing.
🍼 Forgotten Son…
I have some vague recollection of him, but God knows we heard his name enough from Heather.
I don’t see why he couldn’t come back. I fully expect Faison to show up again, even though his brain is in a jar, or that his good twin will show up. Maybe Doc and Ryan were triplets. Or maybe Ryan figured out a way to seem dead, since he had a lot of time on his hand (ha-ha), and Heather will come dig him up.
I don’t know how secret any of this is, but it’s interesting. It kind of sounds like (June, June) Hannah will be back in the franchise too. Although obviously not working for Captain Sandy.
While it was hard to choose among the many, many, many articles on the top – including those on CNN and the New York Times, because this is such important news – we’ll start with these. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that Reunion. Unless Ariana is carrying a flyswatter.
This is a great show. Nice that they were able to incorporate an actor from the game into the series. I’ve never really played video games except for when I babysat. I’m too afraid I’ll get sucked in and never come up for air. And I don’t have a grandmother whose basement I can live in.
I still love Barbie. But it’s really all about the clothes. And the tiny shoes that always get lost. And all the accessories. And maybe the teeny dog that comes with her.
Join me for the free-for-all that is Friday’s post, when there will be soap, tea, insightful words, and captivating music. Until then, stay safe, stay being the calm in the storm, and stay remembering, with maturity comes the understanding that nothing is absolute. There are almost always shades of grey.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Chase calls Brook just as she’s walking into the pool area. He says, don’t hang up. He thinks they need to talk. She says, no time like the present, and he realizes she’s right there. She comes over to where he’s sitting, and he wonders why it feels like déjà vu. She says, maybe because they apologize to each other two or three times a day. You’d think they’d be used to it by now. He says, maybe that’s it, and she says, since they’ve played this scene before, could they just fast forward to the part where they’re friends again? He says, they could, but he doesn’t know if they should.
Alexis says, Gregory’s op ed is less of an opinion and more of a hit piece. The Invader’sinterjection of opinion into the reporting of facts is not only lamentable, but an ethical slippery slope? He says, she issued a challenge; he accepted. Now the question is, can she set her ego aside and accept his? She says, his ego? and he says, his challenge.
Finn says, what does Doc mean, Elizabeth is gone? and Doc says, Finn just missed her; she checked herself out. Finn asks if that’s a good idea, but Doc says, she came of her own volition. She had the power to leave any time. Finn asks if Doc is saying Elizabeth left against his recommendation. Then Doc knows as well as he does that’s a mistake.
Terry asks if Britt can look at this, holding out her tablet, and Britt asks if it’s boring. Terry says, yes, and Britt says, then she lives for it. She takes the tablet, and Terry says, Epiphany made some last minute changes to the nurse’s rotation. Also, she wanted ask Britt about that Society Set-Ups mixer. Britt says, oh God, what now? A new GIF from another angle? Terry says, nothing like that. She was so impressed with the clientele, she signed up. Britt hopes Terry has better luck than she did, and asks if they have enough coverage for tonight. Elizabeth joins them, and says, problem solved. She’s back and reporting for duty. Where do they need her?
Olivia comes into the stables, and Cody says, Mama Falconari. She says, it’s Quartermaine now, and he says he knows, but he’s thought of her as Mama Falconari for all these years, so he hates to break tradition. She says, then don’t; she answers to both. He asks, what can he do for her? and she says, he already has. He’s made a forever friend in her son Leo. He says, Leo’s a great kid, and she says, he can’t stop raving about Cowboy Cody, and how he can answer any question about horses. He says, it’s nice to have an appreciative audience, and she says, it’s funny. He grew up making trouble with her one son, now he’s showing the ropes to her other one. He says, handling horses is a lot like getting to know people… Sometimes it’s a lot easier. She says, in regard to her son Leo, horses are a lot smarter than the men in her life, and Ned walks in.
Valentin comes into the MetroCourt Garden, and sees Laura texting. He says he’s glad he found her. Does she mind if he joins her? She says, not at all, and he sits. She asks if Charlotte is all right, and he says he believes so; why wouldn’t she be? She asks why else he’d be seeking her out, and he says, Charlotte is healthy and safe, and he promises there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make sure she remains so.
On the phone, Anna says, C-A-S-S-A-D-I-N-E, first name Valentin, as Victor lurks around behind her. She says, he was recuperating at their clinic several weeks ago. She knows they wouldn’t normally release that kind of patient information, but this is an ongoing official investigation with the WSB… Yeah, she can send over her credentials immediately. Could they please have the director call her back at this number… She thanks them, saying, she appreciates it. Victor says, good morning, Agent Devane, and she asks if he’s stalking or lurking. He says, out for a morning constitutional is all, and she says, an agenda-free stroll. Why doesn’t she believe him? He says he would have announced himself, but he saw she was preoccupied investigating his son.
Brook says, Chase doesn’t want to be friends? but he says, of course (🍷) he does, and they are. She says, okay, then what? and he says he just thinks they don’t bring out the best in each other; that maybe their friendship, as much as it means to both of them, isn’t healthy. She says, he may have a point. The pattern they’ve fallen into with all the fighting and apologizing. Not to mention it made him punch someone. You could say it’s… He says, childish? Co-dependent? She tells him, she was going to say tricky. Forget about being a cop; he could work for Webster’s. He asks how she’d benefit from that, and she says, ouch. He says he’s sorry, but she says, don’t be; she deserves it.
Gregory says he realizes Alexis hasn’t had time to do more than skim the op ed, and she says she can’t wait to sit down and take it all in. He says, the gist of it is, The Invader coverage blurs the lines between objecting reporting and editorializing. He challenged her staff to commit to objectivity at all costs. She says, first of all, The Invader is a newspaper, not a wire service, and he asks if she’s saying only wire services can be objective. She says, secondly, the newspaper has to have a point of view, and he says, still, The Invader is miles ahead of where it was when Peter August was at the helm. She asks if he’s damning her with faint praise, but he says, not at all. The Invader can become a journal not unworthy of respect, and she says, as an editor, she needs to point out the double negative, but he says he used it for effect. She says, sure he did, and he says, still, as far as The Invader has come, there’s still room for improvement – for both of them. She says, he’s just chock full of suggestions – she points to her phone – thousands of words of them, most of them scathing. He says, listening to her now, he’s reminded of a criticism he omitted, and she says, there’s more? He says, her penchant for hyperbole, and she says, you know what she thinks? He says he’s eager to hear, and she says she thinks the good professor is so accustomed to dusty dry tomes, and just isn’t used to contemporary journalism. He says, and if he may? and she says, by all means. He says he concludes, the humble –that’s irony, by the way… She says she recognizes it, and he says, the humble editrix is unused to being challenged.
Doc says, Finn knows he can’t discuss specifics of Elizabeth’s treatment, and Finn says, he doesn’t need to explain doctor/patient confidentiality to him. He doesn’t want the details; he just wants Doc’s honest determination. Did Elizabeth discharge herself prematurely? Doc tells him, look, all he can say is, if a patient no longer wants intensive therapy, it’s their call. As for Elizabeth, he takes heart in knowing she has a good support system at home. Finn says, as long as she doesn’t push everyone away, and Doc says, then he’s afraid it’s going to take time and patience. Finn says, he’ll hang back. He’ll give her time. It seems like that’s all he’s doing these days, but how does he know if he’s giving her the space to heal or the room to relapse? Doc says, he doesn’t.
Terry says, Elizabeth didn’t tell her that she was coming in today, and Elizabeth says, it’s time; she’s ready. Britt says, it’s good to see her, and Elizabeth thanks her, saying, it’s good to be seen. So how about it? Put me in, coach. Britt says she’d be happy too, as soon as she hears from HR that Elizabeth is cleared, and Elizabeth suggests they skip the red tape. It sounds like they’re shorthanded. Britt says, while she loves the enthusiasm, the hospital has policies, protocol where… Elizabeth says she knows what protocol is. She’s worked here longer than Britt. Terry says, hang on, Biz, and Elizabeth says, Britt was probably hoping she got rid of her for good. Britt says, actually she was hoping Elizabeth had a speedy recovery and returned to work soon. She’s an excellent nurse, and yes, they are short-staffed. Elizabeth says, then what’s the problem? and Britt asks if she needs flash cards. If Elizabeth wants to come back, then she needs to be cleared by HR. So go to HR and get cleared. Elizabeth says, this is so like Britt. She’s sure Britt has convinced everyone else that she’s turned over a new leaf, but she can see pretty clearly, the Britch is back, and bitchier than ever.
Victor asks what possible reason Anna could have for looking into Valentin’s private medical records, and Anna asks if he’s ever heard the quote, we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. He asks her point? and she says, given his villainy, it makes sense he would ascribe nefarious intent to others. He says, cynicism is an ugly look on such an attractive woman, and she says, so is misogyny on such a dapper man. Yet here we are. He laughs, and says, she’s such a joy, and she says she tries. He says, always a quick rebut, and the appropriate literary reference. The question, however, remains, does Valentin know she’s a spy, in and out of the bedroom? She says, yes; why? He says he’s asking as a concerned parent. What exactly is the nature of her relationship with his son? She asks, what exactly is his?
Laura tells Valentin, she doesn’t say this often enough, but she’s actually grateful that Charlotte has him to watch out for her. He says, that’s nothing he’d expect to hear her say, and she says, they’ve had their difficulties in the past, but she can’t deny he’s an excellent parent. He thanks her, and says, coming from her, that means more to him than he can express. She says, if this little visit isn’t about Charlotte, to what does she owe the pleasure? and he says, just a drink between friends. He tells the waiter that he’ll have a bloody Mary, and Laura says she’ll have an iced tea. The waiter says, coming right up, and Valentin says, just an iced tea? She says, day drinking is not a good look for the mayor, especially after an attempted recall, and he says he’s glad that ridiculous attempt to oust her failed. She was a wonderful mayor, and Port Charles thrived under her leadership. She asks, why does he talk about her tenure in the past tense?
Brook says, when she offered to manage Chase’s singing career, she really did it to help him, and he asks, what percentage was to help him? She says, 90, and he looks at her. She says, 85, hand to heart, and he says he believes her. She says she hates that he’s out a paycheck, for defending her honor – again. He says, his actions were his own, and she says, but she put him in the middle of her mistakes… and two guys anyone would want to punch. He says, that is true, and she says, so even though it wasn’t her main goal when she was pitching the idea to him, the revenge part kind of slipped in. He says, so it wasn’t always there in the back of her mind? and she says, of course (🍷) it was. He says, then why not come out and say it; tell him the plan from the get-go. She says, because she didn’t want him to think she was using him, and he says, was she? She says she’s a Quartermaine. Self-interest is kind of in her DNA. She puts her hand on his knee, and says, on her word, nothing is more important than helping him.
Ned says, Olivia? and Olivia tells Cody, and here’s one of those men right now. Ned says he’s been looking for her. Can he speak to her about something? Cody says he’ll leave them alone, but Olivia says, they wouldn’t dream of interrupting his work, and tells Ned, she was just thanking Cody for being such a good friend to Leo. Ned says, Leo seems to think Cowboy Cody stepped straight out of a John Ford Western, and Cody says he’s lived a lot of places. Home is wherever you hang your hat. Ned says, about that. Since Cody will be interacting with his son, he took the liberty of going over Cody’s employment history. Seems like he doesn’t stay in one place for long. Should they already be looking for a replacement? Olivia says, Ned… and Cody says, no worries, Mama Q. He has been bouncing around for a while, that’s true, but their kind employment has gotten him doing exactly what he wants to do, exactly where he wants to do it. Don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere.
Britt tells Elizabeth, that’s enough, Nurse Baldwin. Clearly she’s still under duress. So leave now, while she still has a job. Elizabeth says, Britt can’t fire her; she’s union. Britt says she doubts Elizabeth’s union rep will come running to her defense, and as Chief of Staff… Elizabeth says, Co-Chief, and asks Terry if she’s going to let Britt threaten her like this. Terry says she’s sorry, but she has to agree with Britt. Elizabeth’s out of line.
Victor says, if Anna is curious about the deepening bond he has with his son, why ask him? Ask Valentin. Anna says she knows what Valentin’s intentions are when it comes to Victor; now she wants to know Victor’s. What does he want with Valentin? He says, what any parent wants. To see their child excel; to uplift and exalt the family. Most of all, to make him proud. Anna says, okay, and he says, she seems confused. She says, the relationship Victor is describing doesn’t sound reciprocal. It sounds like he’s using Valentin. And knowing what Victor is capable of, compels her to ask, to what end?
Valentin tells Laura that he’s sorry; he misspoke. He meant say, she is a great mayor, and Port Charles continues to thrive… With all the machinations of ELQ, he’s not sleeping. She says, she’s not going anywhere, and he says he hears the all-stars gathered at Charlie’s to celebrate her. She’s much loved and very respected. Her phone rings, and she says she has to take this. She steps away, the waiter brings the drinks, and Valentin puts something powdered in her iced tea that’s probably not Splenda. After he’s done, with convenient timing, she comes back, telling him, it was Doc. A patient canceled, so he’s on his way over. Valentin says, he certainly won’t be a third wheel, so until Doc arrives, they should make the most of their time. They clink glasses, and as Laura is about to take a sip, her phone dings. She says, what a coincidence; it’s Charlotte. He asks if everything is all right, and she says, everything’s fine. Charlotte was just thanking her for the care package she sent. He says, he wasn’t aware Charlotte needed anything, and she says, it was hardly disaster relief. It was just the new book by her favorite author, and a couple little other fun things she thought Charlotte might enjoy. He says she’s sure she appreciates it, and Laura says, Charlotte’s mother is still not able to be present, so she tries to fill the void when she can. He says, Charlotte’s lucky to have her, and she says, and him. And Charlotte’s not the only lady in his life that feels that way. Anna seems to have grown very fond of him.
Victor says he’ll tell Anna what his plans are for Valentin, provided she tells him why the furtive call to check up on him. She says she’ll never explain herself to him. They can remain mysteries wrapped in riddles inside enigmas forever. He says, it’s obvious to him that she and Valentin don’t know each other nearly as well as they claim to. Nor do they trust each other, which is a pity. Because without trust, she’s nothing more to Valentin than a comely diversion.
Gregory says, for someone who takes issue with his subjective opinion, Alexis certainly prints a lot of them, and calls it hard news. She says, her paper takes stances on vital issues alongside fact-based articles, like the fact-based articles they did on city hall. He says, so will The Invader next be printing an interview with the exculpated mayor? and she says, she doesn’t see why not; they printed the petition against her. He says, she’s still relatively new to journalism. It’s a subject he teaches at university level. She says she’s sure it’s easy for him to sit on his high horse behind ivy walls, but while he’s talking about journalism theory, some of them are out in the field doing actual reporting.
Brook says she’d hoped Chase would see that his intentions were sincere, and when he didn’t… He says, she thought he was overreacting, and she says she did, until she talked with her dad. He helped her see that she probably should have run the whole plan by him, including the revenge plot. He says he also talked to his father. His father and brother urged him to give her the benefit of the doubt. She says, they did? and he says, they saw she was just trying to help him, and… She says, and what? and he says, they don’t seem to think her proposition is as crazy as he does. She gets up, and says, great. Then it’s settled. They move forward with her plan. He says, whoa. Pump the brakes, Quartermaine.
Elizabeth says she can’t believe Terry is taking Britt’s side, and Terry says, Elizabeth knows if she’s on anyone’s side, it’s hers. Elizabeth says, then let her come back to work, but Terry says, no; she’s not ready. Elizabeth says she’s fine. She just can’t stand the way Britt acts like she’s queen of this place. She’s Co-Chief of Staff, not God. Terry says, she is, and Britt asked Elizabeth to go to HR, the same as she would have. Elizabeth says, she was at that clinic voluntary. Why does she need to go to HR? Terry says, for liability purposes, she still needs medical clearance. Did her doctor at Shadybrook sign off? Elizabeth says, she signed herself out, which is her right, and Terry says, it is her right, but was it right for her? Elizabeth says she appreciates Terry’s concern caring for her doesn’t give Terry the right to question her decisions. She shouldn’t have to justify herself to anyone. She turns around and sees Finn.
Chase says he hasn’t agreed to Brook’s pop star scheme, and she says, but he will. It’s inevitable, so why waste time? He says, it’s doubtful it’s going to do either of the things she wants; get him paid or give Linc what he deserves. She says, maybe not, but they don’t know until they’ve tried, and he says, he’s not the pop star she’s envisioning. She says she’s not suggesting they put him in a Spandex onesie and throw glitter all over him, and he says, he doesn’t think the PCPD will value a singing detective as much as she does. She says, if after his suspension, he wants to go back to being a detective, she’ll totally support that. But while he’s in limbo, why not take the road not traveled? Maybe this setback will lead to a new passion. He says, a new passion can be a risky proposition, and she says, but the rewards could be greater than they ever dreamed.
Gregory says he didn’t write the op ed to insult Alexis. In fact, he admires what she’s done in such a short time. She thanks him for that, and says, she’s sure he understands that in the era where news is a click away, she has to distinguish the paper. He says, when she reads what he wrote, she’ll see he doesn’t fault her for that. He merely offers constructive ideas to help maintain integrity in reporting. She says she’ll read the whole op ed piece, put her wrath aside, and let him know if there’s a place for it. She starts to leave, and he says, if she stands by her vision for The Invader, she won’t have a problem printing every word.
Olivia says she’s glad Cody is sticking around. She’d hate for Leo to lose him. Cody says he’d hate to leave behind a brand new friend. Leo is stuck with him. Ned says, that’s good to hear. They’ll let him get back to work. Cody goes in the back, and Olivia asks if Ned is planning on alienating every single person in this house this week. He says he guesses he could have been a little more tactful, and she says, he couldn’t have been less. He says he was just looking out for Leo, and she says she knows that. He says, it looks like he’s been inconsiderate and self-centered all around, and she says, if that’s the road he wants to go down, she’s not going to stop him. He says, and because she deserves to hear this as often as possible, he should have looped her in on his decision making process about his ELQ vote. She says, yes he should have. It’s not like she’s asking for veto power over all his business decisions, but she does expect communication in the marriage. And she’s just going to pray for peace in this family. He says he let her down and he know that; he’s sorry. Now he needs to know they’re okay. She puts her arms around his neck, and says, they’re a team. If they stick with that, they’ll be fine. She kisses him, and he asks if there’s something else bothering her. She says, he picked up on that, and he asks if it’s anything he should know about. She says, things may be fine at home, but at work… it’s all falling apart.
Britt thanks Terry for the back-up, and says she knows Elizabeth is Terry’s friend. Terry says, Elizabeth is her best friend, and Britt says, great. Maybe Terry can tell her what the hell is going on with her BFF.
Elizabeth walks with Finn, and he says, she looks good. She thanks him, and says she feels good. The pills are out of her system, so no more sleepwalking. He says, that’s a great start, and she says, start? She was at that clinic for weeks. She did the work, and she’s better. Believe her, if she felt like she was a danger to herself, her boys or her patients, she’d still be at Shadybrook. He says, he knows how committed she is to the people in her life. He thinks they’d just like to return the favor. She says she knows, and he asks, then why didn’t she tell anyone when she discharged herself? Or was he the only one who didn’t know?
Anna says, Victor doesn’t know the first thing about her and Valentin. They go back decades, and unlike Victor, his concerned father, she’s been there for him. He says, this isn’t a competition, and she says, if it were, he’d lose. He says, the difference is, unlike her, he trusts Valentin. He relies on Valentin to do what’s expected of him. She says she trusts Valentin too. She just doesn’t trust the people around him. He says, that makes two of us.
Valentin says, Anna spoke to Laura about him? and Laura says, she did. He says, anything she can repeat? and she says, it seems Anna has found a kindred spirit in him. He asks if that’s what she said, and Laura says, it’s not so much what she said, but how she said it, or how she didn’t say it, as the case may be. She does seem to have found the good in him. He says he told Laura it was there, and she says, he did. He seems to get Anna in a way most people don’t; kindred spirits. She just hopes Anna’s faith in him isn’t misplaced. She’s about to take a sip of her tea, and Valentin reaches for the pepper mill, practically shoving it in her face, so she spills her drink. She gets up, brushing herself off, as Doc comes in.
Alexis says, as she told Gregory, The Invader welcomes all viewpoints, even his. She’s sure after it’s proof read, it will be submitted into the next issue. He says, good to hear. Print and digital? She asks, exactly how many platforms does he need? and he says, it’s easier to read the commentary online; he likes the readers chiming in. She says, so he’s pretty sure the feedback will all be in his favor? and he says he suspects many will agree, with tweaks, The Invader is on its way to being a great source of information. She says she suspects the readers will already attest to what they’re doing right, and he says he looks forward to reading their reactions… providing the feedback is uncensored. She asks, what the hell is that supposed to mean?
Anna’s phone rings, and she says she has to take this. She steps away, and Director Gibson says they received her credentials, and he can confirm Valentin Cassadine was a patient there. Anna thanks him, and says, that’s what she needed to know, but he says, however, his convalescence didn’t occur on the dates she provided. According to their records, he discharged himself after a week. The end date she provided… She says, exceeds that by a lot, and he says, exactly. He’s sure she can’t divulge the nature of the investigation, and that’s fine, but his priority is that the clinic not be held liable for any health implications caused by his early departure. She says, that won’t be a n issue, and he says, great, and asks if there’s anything else he can help her with. She says, no. He’s helped her more than he knows. Victor approaches her, and says, problem? but she just walks away.
Valentin says he’s so sorry, and tells Laura to send him her dry cleaning bill. She says she will, and Doc asks, what happened here? Valentin says he’s afraid Doc arrived to witness a rather inelegant lunch with the pepper. He tells the passing waiter, another iced tea, and says, as he was telling Doc’s wife, he hasn’t been sleeping well, and it’s made him clumsy. Doc says he’s never known Valentin to be clumsy before, but Valentin says, it happens. He apologizes. He looks at Laura, and says he’s so very sorry, and she says, just when things were going so well. Valentin jets, and Doc asks, what’s all this about? She says she wishes she knew. She’s just as confused as he is. Valentin asked to join her, and they had a surprisingly civil conversation. Doc says, he’s about as social as he is clumsy, and she says, today he was both. Doc asks why he doesn’t believe any of it, and she says, because he’s keenly perceptive and smart. He thanks her and kisses her hello, and she asks how things are with him. He says, today could have gone better, and she says, it’s not even lunchtime yet. (I know the feeling.) Is it Elizabeth? He says, she left Shadybrook, and Laura asks if she was his patient cancelation. He says, yeah, and she asks if she should be worried. He says he wishes he could say no.
Terry tells Britt that she’s sorry; Elizabeth’s not like that. Britt says, Elizabeth has been downright hostile to her since they met, and Terry says she knows they never liked each other. Britt says she was terrible to Elizabeth; to everybody. She earned all of her lovely nicknames, but now…? Today, this? Terry says, she’s been going through a lot, and Britt says, she understands, but her time away didn’t seem to have helped at all. Elizabeth seems to be the same… Terry says, again, best friend, and Britt says, challenging personality she always was. Whatever Elizabeth has going on, she can’t bring it to work like that. Terry says, agreed. She just hopes Elizabeth is okay. Britt says, oh,she’s in fine form.
Elizabeth says she’s sorry she didn’t tell Finn, but he says, it’s okay. He was just trying to figure out why she left him out of the loop. He knows he had a little trouble giving her the space she needed to heal, and for that he’s sorry, but he thinks he’s gotten better with that. She says, he has, and he asks if this is the way she wants things going forward; she doesn’t need him around? She says, no. She asked for distance when she was at Shadybrook because she had a lot to work through. She knows he wanted to be there for her and help her, and he did, by allowing her to have the space she needed to take this journey and figure things out on her own. He asks, how’d that go? and she says she learned a lot. The most important thing she realized is, her life is just better with him in it.
Brook and Chase almost kiss, and Brook says, so for what it’s worth (🍷), she thinks he’s the It Factor, and she knows Linc agrees. He says, two people; that’s quite the niche fan base. She asks him to give her his phone, and he does. She says, check this out, and she shows him the video of him singing. She says, whether or not he wants to be a recognized performer, he’s well on his way.
Ned says, if he’d known Carly had invested so heavily in Aurora… and Olivia says she didn’t even know until the morning of the vote. He says, anyway, it’s not going to be a problem, but she says she might end up owning he hotel with some oligarch who’s laundering his money; it’s a problem. He says, not if they buy Carly’s half of the hotel and give it to her, but she says she already floated that idea; it’s not going to happen. Carly said, no dice. He says, not even if they sell it to her at the same price she purchased it? and Olivia says, the history between Carly and the Quartermaines is too much; forget about it. He says, it’s going to be okay. The best partnerships cannot be torn apart. They’re proof of that. He kisses her, and they leave.
Elizabeth says she knows she kept Finn at arm’s length, but it was never meant to hurt him. He says he knows. He can be thick sometimes, and wanted to help. It took time for him to realize she needed some distance, and that’s on him. She asks, what if she told him what she really needs is him? and he says he’d probably tell her that he’s the luckiest guy on the face of the earth. Is she sure? Because everything that was wrong with him before is still there. He’s working on himself, but he has a long way to go. Is she sure she wants all that? She says, all of it, and they kiss. She says she’s sorry about everything she put him through. She promises it’s all behind them, and he holds her.
Cody puts away a saddle, and his phone chirps. A message from Society Set-Ups says they’ve found a match for him.
Britt looks at Elizabeth and Finn, and tells Terry, apparently, there is a lid for every pot, even the cracked ones. Terry says, if that’s true, maybe there’s hope for Britt yet (BA-DUM-CHH!) and walks away. Britt’s phone dings, she looks at it, and says, okay Society Set-Ups. Let’s see what unpromising loser you insist is my perfect match. She sees Cody’s name and photo, and sighs.
Alexis says, first Gregory maligns her leadership of the paper, and now he’s questioning her integrity? He says, he’s merely pointing out how tempting it is to confirm our own biases, and she says, she’s convinced the readers will reject his narrow suppositions. He says, care to make it interesting? and she says, like a bet? He says, unless she’s not as confident as she’s pretending to be, and she says, now his strategy is to call her chicken? She didn’t know they had playgrounds at universities, because that’s clearly where he picked up his tactics. He asks if his tactics are working, and she says, no, but she’ll take his idiotic wager. She’s in. He says, great. What are the stakes? She says, besides the massive hit to his ego? If the readers support him, then she’ll entertain his archaic notions. He says, is that all? and she says, he’s got her time and attention; take it or leave it. He says, done. And on the off-chance the readers side with her? She says, he’ll promise to pipe down, and stick to enlightening young minds. He says, it’s a bet, holding out his hand, and they shake.
Chase looks at the video and says, he can’t believe this. She says, they have to credit Leo. He’s the first one who liked the performance, and it sort of blew up from there. Chase asks how it has so many views, and she says she has an intern at Deception watching it on repeat, and he says, she does? She says, no. The numbers are all him. Face it. There’s an audience who wants him. All they have to do is cultivate it, and monetize it of course (🍷). He asks where they start, and she says, is that a yes? He says, it’s not a no, it’s a how. She says, don’t stress the details. By the time she’s finished these numbers will look quant in comparison. Leave it to her. She’s going to make him a household name.
Anna walks into the MetroCourt Garden, and Laura asks if she forgot something. Anna says she was looking for Valentin. He’s not in his room, so she thought she’d try here. Doc says, her instincts are good, but she just missed him. Laura says she doesn’t know where he went, and Anna says she was going to ask him something, but now that she’s here, she’s changed her mind. Laura asks if everything is okay, and Anna says she’s not sure, but she intends to find out.
Back in the park, Victor asks Valentin, is it done? but Valentin says, no. Laura remains in perfect health. Victor asks, why, pray tell, is that? and Valentin says, because he failed. Victor says, that’s a pity. He’s sure by now Valentin is aware, failure is not an option.
On Monday, Cody asks Britt why he’d leave, now that he’s met his match; Maxie asks why Spinelli would say something like that; and Carly says, it’s her only option.
🗽 Moving It Nice…
I’m not sure what her selling the apartment has to do with RHUGT. Doing it for an extra tag?
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King Jr.
Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering. – Santosh Kalwar
Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change. – Thomas Hardy
The four hardest tasks on earth are neither physical nor intellectual feats, but spiritual ones: To return love for hate; to include the excluded; to forgive without apology, and to be able to say, ‘I was wrong.’ – Unknown
Faith is daring to put your dream to the test. It is better to try to do something and fail than to try to do nothing and succeed. – Robert H. Schuller
Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies, and the character of his friends. – K@$H
Above all else, go with a sense of humor. It is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lip is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. – Hugh Sidey
You can roll manure in powder sugar, but that still doesn’t make it a jelly donut. – Berta (Conchata Ferrell), Two and a Half Men
👡 Shuffling Off This Internet Coil…
Enjoy formerly known as the weekend, but come back for soap and some Deck when it’s over. Until then, stay safe, stay giving without expecting a return, and stay keeping in mind, we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna and Robert race for the remote, and Anna wins. She wants to see what’s streaming on Hulu, but Robert says, why bother when you’ve got the classics? She says, it’s called expanding your horizons, and he says, it’s called wasting time. She calls him a stick-in-the-mud, but he says, she loves him for it. She says she doesn’t, but he insists she does; it’s written somewhere. She says, look at them. They used to be facing down deadly assassins. Now they’re fighting over what to watch on TV. He says, there’s a term for that; bliss. She says he might be right, when the doorbell rings. He says, it has to be trouble at this hour, and she says she could do with some trouble. He tells her to turn the telly off, and they go to answer the door. It’s Mac and Felicia, who asks if this is a bad time.
Nina shows up at Charlie’s just as Phyllis is about to close, and Phyllis asks if everything is okay. Nina says, it’s a been a night. Phyllis knows Harmony… Phyllis says, formerly known as Lorraine? and Nina says, yeah. She was rushed to the ER. There was some kind of accident. Phyllis says she hopes Harmony is all right, and Nina says, so does she. Phyllis says, they don’t need a reminder, but life is so short, they have to grab every bit of joy from it they can. Nina says, yeah, and flashes back to dancing with Sonny.
Sonny is thinking about the same thing, and Frank asks if he’s okay. Sonny says, somebody reminded him tonight to carpe diem, and Frank says, seize the day (in case someone didn’t know); good advice. Sonny tells Frank, goodnight, and goes into the penthouse.
Michael tells Willow that he’s been studying up on Paris, preparing for their trip. They’ll go to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, but did she know there’s a museum solely dedicated to Monet? She says, really, and he says, it’s on the outskirts of the city, and there’s this huge, beautiful park right next to it. It sounds like it rivals Central Park. She says, you know who would love it? Wiley. He says, but only if there’s dogs, because nothing is cool in Wiley’s world unless there’s dogs. (Mine too!) Brando and Sasha come out of the elevator, and Sasha says they’d like to wait with them, but if they don’t want them too… Willow says she wants them here. They sit, and Willow says her mom’s awake, so that’s something. Sasha says, that means there’s hope, right? Michael says, there’s always hope.
Carly tells Harmony that she’s not making any sense. Does she know where she is? It’s Carly, she’s in the hospital, she was in an accident. Does she remember? Harmony says, Willow… and Carly says, Willow’s here. Does Harmony want her to get Willow? Harmony says, Carly needs to protect Willow, and Carly says, of course (🍷) she will. From what?
Anna says she’ll open a bottle of wine, and they can stream the hottest new show on Hulu (which apparently, we’re advertising today). Robert suggests they have a couple of shots of single malt scotch, and watch Bogie and Bacall. Felicia asks if it would be okay if they skipped movie night, and Anna asks, what happened? Felicia says, it’s such a beautiful night. Why don’t they take a look at the stars? She drags Anna outside, and Robert tells Mac, okay, start talking.
Outside, Felicia asks Anna if that’s the Big Dipper or the Little Dipper; she can never tell. Anna asks, what’s going on?
Phyllis brings Nina some tea, and says, let her guess. Nina saw Sonny today. Nina asks if it’s that obvious, and Phyllis says, to her. Nina says, for so long, it seemed impossible, and Phyllis says, and now? Nina says, now it seems there may be a way forward for her and Sonny. She just has to be brave enough to take it. Valentin walks in, and tells them, the sign says, open. Is this a private party? Nina says she thinks there’s room for one more, and Phyllis says, if it’s okay with Nina, it’s okay with her. Nina tells Valentin, have a seat, and he asks how Phyllis is. She says, she’s good; and him? He says, maintaining, and Phyllis says, tea? He says he’ll take something stronger, bourbon, neat, and she says, coming right up. He says, so he and Nina meet again, and she says, they do.
Sonny comes out with a bowl, and tells Frank that he heated up some meatballs. He should try one. Come on in. Frank says he can’t leave his post; he’s sorry. Sonny says, can he just try one, for his boss? and Frank says, as he wishes. He tastes one, and says, it’s delicious. Sonny says, told him, and Frank asks if Sonny is sure he’s okay. Sonny says he can’t sleep, but he’ll be fine. Sonny takes the bowl back in, and leans back on the couch. He opens his eyes, and he’s at the firehouse in Nixon Falls. Lenny says, it’s about time he arrived.
Harmony says she shouldn’t have attacked Carly, but Carly says she’s fine. Harmony struggles to talk, and says, she could have killed Carly. Carly says, but she didn’t, and Harmony says, Carly and Michael… they’re the only ones… She almost ruined it. She ruins everything. Carly says, she didn’t ruin Willow; she’s a beautiful young girl. Harmony says she’s so selfish, and Carly tells he that she needs to calm down. Harmony says she wanted to repair what she’d broken with Willow… She should have told the truth when she had the chance.
Felicia says, there will be a lunar eclipse at the end of the month. Some call it a blood moon. There are some cultures where it’s considered a bad omen for pregnant women. Anna says, oh my God… She’s not…
Mac tells Robert, they enjoyed being around Bailey so much. It’s all the fun and none of the responsibility. Robert says, except to keep the child safe and unharmed while the mother’s gone. Mac says, Robert knows what he’s saying, and Robert says he does. Being a granddad is great. Play with the kid, hand it back, and go to bed. Mac says, unless you don’t, and Robert says, he’s not following. Mac says, what if instead of the granddad, you’re the actual dad? What if you do the parenthood thing all over?
Felicia says, no, she’s not pregnant, and Anna says, for a second there, she thought… Felicia says, Mac wants a baby.
Robert tells Mac to stop talking in riddles and get to the point. Mac says he thinks Felicia wants a baby, and Robert laughs.
Nina says, nice tan. Wherever Valentin has been, it looks good on him. Is he fully recovered? Back to his old self? He says he hopes not. He’d like to think he’s done some growing. She says she’d like to think so too. About herself, not him. Maybe a little about him too. How’s Charlotte? He says, wonderful, and Nina says, she seems like she’s really enjoying boarding school. Valentin says, Nina’s been in touch with her? and Nina says, yeah. She has to admit, she’s surprised. She didn’t think he had it in him to part with his little girl. He says, it wasn’t easy, but when Peter abducted her, he wanted her far away from Peter and Victor. Nina asks if it wasn’t Victor who dropped Charlotte off at school. She’s only saying that because Charlotte made a point of saying she wished it had been Valentin. Valentin says, he was laid up, recuperating. He figured at the very least he could trust Victor with a drop off. Nina says, don’t forget about her. She’s always here, especially when it comes to Charlotte. He says he likes that, and he’ll keep that in mind.
Sonny says, Lenny. Is this the firehouse where he used to dance with Nina? Lenny says, it is. Once again, Sonny’s wardrobe is lacking. Good thing he’s prepared. He hands Sonny a cowboy hat, saying, it’s his; might as well take it. Sonny puts it on. Lenny says, perfect fit, and Sonny says, this is not real. He can’t be here. Lenny says, give him one good reason, and Sonny says, Lenny is dead. Lenny says, look who’s talking. When Sonny crawled out of the river, wasn’t he a goner; a funeral held back home for him and everything? Sonny says, that was different, and Lenny says, that depends on how you look at it. Lenny calls Sonny Mike, and says he looks like he could use a stiff one. What’s his poison these days? Sonny says, club soda. Things have changed since the last time he saw Lenny. Lenny says, good thing he’s got nothing but time. Why doesn’t he start from the beginning, when he went back to Port Charles.
Willow thanks them for being here; it means a lot. Michael says, they woudn’t be anywhere else, and Sasha says, they love her. Brando says, if there’s anything they can do… and Willow says, trust her. They’re doing it.
Carly tells Harmony that she gets it. She was raised by her adoptive mother, but it wasn’t kept secret. The longer she takes to say it out loud, the harder it will be to say it. Harmony says, if she just would have been brave enough, it wouldn’t have gone this far. Carly asks if she means with Neil, but Harmony says, no. If she’d just told the truth, there would have been more time. Things would have been different. Now it’s gone too far. Willow isn’t safe with her, and Willow can never know.
Anna tells Felicia, Bailey is the most adorable little baby, and she completely understands Mac wishing he had one exactly like her. Felicia says, what if it’s more than just wishing? and Anna asks if she thinks Mac is serious about having another child. Felicia says she doesn’t know; they haven’t gotten that far yet. She’s not even sure what he’s saying; she’s getting this vibe. Anna says, what about Felicia’s vibe? Mac may want to raise another child, but does Felicia really?
Robert says, have we got that all out of our system? and hands Mac a drink. Good. He has a story. It’s about an old man who becomes a father, except he thinks the diaper that needs changing is his own. Mac says, ha-ha, and Robert says, seriously, he’ll never forget that Mac helped raise his little girl at a time he couldn’t. Mac says, raising Robin was one of the ultimate joys of his life. He’ll always think of Maxie and Georgie as his own, but he and Felicia have never brought up a kid together. Robert says, this isn’t just Felicia? Mac wants this too?
Sonny tells Lenny that he can’t believe he and Carly are divorced. He thought they’d last until… Lenny says, until death do us part. Take it from him, death is easy compared to divorce. Phyllis can still put flowers on his grave, and think of him when they’re playing their song. Remember them at their best, and not their worst. Sonny says, he envies that, and Lenny asks if he has kids. Sonny nods, and Lenny asks, how are they taking it? Sonny says, they’re young. Donna and Avery are a little confused. They miss Carly, but she’s good about seeing them as much as possible. Lenny says, they’ll be all right, and Sonny says, his son has a problem. He’s grown up, but it’s put a strain on their relationship. Lenny asks what his name is, and Sonny says, Michael. Lenny says he likes that name. Is he in the family business? Sonny says, his son wanted to be at some point, but he shut it down. Now forget it. He doesn’t need or want any part of Sonny or his life. Lenny says, don’t give up on him; that’s an order. Sonny says he’ll never give up on his son, but his son has given up on him. Lenny says, just because Sonny isn’t with his mother? and Sonny says, that’s part of it. Lenny asks, what’s the other part? and Sonny says, Nina.
Valentin says, Charlotte has made the equestrian team, and Nina should ask about it next time they talk. Nina says she definitely will. She’s truly impressed. She’s sure the competition is fierce in an elite European boarding school. He says, where the students not only ride, but have a string of their own expensive horses. Nina says, exactly her point. Charlotte rode one of the horses at the school, and still made the team. His daughter is a talented rider, a true competitor. He says he can’t argue there, and she says, okay, now out with it. He says, what? and she asks how badly he misses Charlotte. He says, desperately, and she asks if there’s a parent’s weekend coming up. He says he hopes so. He needs to check the school’s website. Nina says, it must have been hard for him after everything that happened with Bailey, and he says, he loved Bailey. She says she knows he did, and he says, but he’s come to appreciate that Brook did what she had to do. It was the right thing to protect Maxie’s daughter from Peter. She says, but it’s painful; she can see it in his eyes. She knows what it’s like to lose a child, but it’s even more painful when it turns out she was never yours.
Sasha looks at the pills in her pillbox, then looks in the mirror. She says, if she would have taken one of these, and they’d found it in her system… No. She’s been given a second chance. Don’t blow it. She puts the pills in the toilet bowl, hesitates for a moment, then flushes. Brando asks if she’s okay, and she says she’ll be right there.
Willow says, she’s so aware of it now, and Michael says, what? She says, all the time she kept her mom at arm’s length. Not that she didn’t deserve to be, although it was always more about protecting herself than punishing her mom. He says, she had every right to want to distance herself, and she says, but now it’s just staring her in the face. Her mom could be dying, and she feels it on her heart. All the time she could have spent with her; all the things she could have said to her. She knows she made the right decision for herself back then… He says, but she still wishes she could get the time back, and she says, so much.
Carly asks Harmony, who can never know? Willow can never know she’s adopted? Harmony says, Willow’s had too much too hard. She’s obsessive and possessive. She’ll try to take her away from Michael; she’s dangerous. Carly asks if Harmony is talking about Willow’s biological mother. Does Harmony know who she is? Harmony says, she’s bad for Willow. Willow knows it, and hates her. Carly says, Willow knows this person? and Harmony says, she’s one of two. Her Willow had another half. Carly says, Willow’s a twin? and Harmony says, Nelle. The lightbulb comes on, and Carly says, oh my God. Nina is Willow’s biological mother? Harmony says, try to protect her. Nina’s love will smother her. Carly… please… Alarms start to go off, and Carly promises Willow will be okay. TJ runs in, and Carly gets out of the way. He checks Harmony, and says, no pulse. Some staff, including Amy, run in with the crash cart. TJ uses the defibrillator, then does chest compression.
Valentin says he’ll always regret what he did to Nina, using Sasha to manipulate her emotions and win her heart. She says, the irony is, he already had her heart, but now she can see that his intentions were good. He just wanted to give her the one thing she was missing in her life. It was a beautiful sentiment. He says, poorly executed, and he agrees. He says, ironically, Nelle was in town the whole time. She says she still can’t believe Nelle was her daughter, and everything that played out after that. She discovered Carly kept the truth from her, and had a hand in Nelle’s death, and it set in motion a chain of events that continues to this day. He says, Sonny Corinthos, is he a link in that chain?
Lenny says, hallelujah! Sonny/Mike finally got up the gumption to tell Nina how he feels about her. Sonny says, he doesn’t know what they are. He and Nina are kind of like a slow dance. Lenny says, slow dances are nice and all, but what do they get you? Sonny tells him, take it easy there, and Lenny says, or what? He’ll bust a blood vessel? Been there, done that. Listen up. If Sonny keeps waiting for the right moment, next thing he knows, he’ll be pushing up daisies like yours truly. Sonny says he always appreciated Lenny and Phyllis’s love. It was real and honest, not always perfect, but it was tough like you can go through anything in life. What’s the secret? Lenny says, no secret. You just try to give more than you get, and if you both do that, you can’t lose. Sonny says, Nina gave him a gift. It’s a long story, but she’s not making him take sides against his son. Lenny says, that’s some gift. So what is he giving Nina in return?
TJ says, clear, and gives medical instructions while doing chest compression. Carly watches from the hallway. Amy administers oxygen, but Harmony flatlines. TJ says, time of death, 10:53 am, and tries not to cry.
Sasha joins Brando, and he says, this hospital holds painful memories. Let’s wish for good news tonight. Sasha says, it’s a beginning, when Carly comes back, and tells Willow and Michael to get back to the ICU.
Felicia tells Anna, she’s not sure how she feels about raising a child at this stage of her life. Let’s face it. She’s a grandmother, of three. Anna says, don’t let that be the thing that stops her. She’s young at heart in all the ways that count. If she’s sure this is something she and Mac both want… Felicia says, she’s not sure, and Anna asks if this isn’t a conversation she should be having with her husband. Felicia says, ya think? She and Mac have shares so many adventures; raising a child isn’t one of them. Anna says, whatever Felicia decides, she’ll always be in her corner, and Felicia says, maybe it’s all in her head. It’s probably the last thing Mac wants.
Mac says, maybe he’s got it all wrong. Maybe the last thing Felicia wants is a baby. Robert says, there’s one way to find out. Let’s go ask her. Mac says, Robert had better not. He swears, if Robert says anything… Robert laughs, and says, look at him. Anna and Felicia come back, and Robert says, ladies, what’s it like out there? Anna says, breathtaking. How’s the whiskey? Robert takes a sip, and says, breathtaking.
Sonny says, Lenny is absolutely right, and Lenny says, tell him something he doesn’t know. Sonny says, Nina is putting him ahead of her own interests; he should do something for her. Lenny says, what’s he waiting for? Get out of here. Sonny gets up, and asks, how does he get out of here? Catch the next plane? How does he get home? He turns around, and Lenny is gone, only his hat left behind. Sonny says, where’d he go? Come back. He wakes up, and Frank asks, what’s the problem?
Nina tells Valentin, what she and Sonny had was back in Nixon Falls. Now that they’re back in Port Charles, he has a life, a family, and responsibilities; so does she. He says, sounds very sensible and thought out, and he doesn’t believe a word of it. She says, excuse me? and he says, the tone in her voice changes when she mentions Sonny’s name. She says, don’t tell her that he’s jealous, and he says, there’s a notable change in the tone of her voice when she says his name, and that tells him they’re more than two people living separate lives. She says she’s sure he’s going to tell her his opinion, and he says, whatever happens, whether she gets everything she wants or it all comes crashing down – he takes her hand – she can count on him. She puts her hand on his, and says, she’ll keep it in mind.
Sasha says, she really thought Willow’s mom was going to be okay, that she was going to make it, and Brando says, they don’t know anything yet. Maybe she’s gone into surgery, or taken a turn for the worse… Sasha says, or she could have killed her, and Brando says, it was an accident. Willow knows that. Everyone knows that. She says, why is this happening? and he holds her.
TJ looks at Willow, and shakes his head, looking the saddest ever. Willow says, she’s gone, isn’t she? and he says, they did everything they could. He’s so sorry. Willow cries, and Michael holds her.
Felicia says, they should probably call it a night, and Mac says he has a busy day tomorrow. Robert tells him to rest while he can, and Felicia asks what that means. Robert says, the Chief of Detectives is on call 24/7. Felicia hugs Anna, and tells her to forget everything she said; it’s probably her imagination. Mac says, dinner soon? and Anna says, absolutely. Mac and Felicia leave, and when they get outside, they look up. Mac asks if that’s the Big Dipper or Little Dipper, and Felicia says, that’s the same thing she asked Anna. Does he think it’s okay to make a wish, even if it’s on the wrong constellation? He doesn’t see why not, and they hook pinkies and close their eyes. Mac starts to talk, but she says, shh. Don’t say anything or it won’t come true.
Anna and Robert toast to Mac and Felicia. Anna says, may they get everything they wish for, and Robert says, may the person who gets to the remote get everything they wish for. They race for the remote.
Sonny tells Frank, he just drifted off for a second; everything’s fine. Frank says, bad dream? and Sonny says, actually it was a good dream. He tells Frank, goodnight, and Frank leaves. Sonny calls Nina, and gets her voicemail. He says, he just wanted to tell her that he was so happy to see her tonight. He can’t wait see her very soon
Valentin thanks Phyllis for her hospitality, and she says, any time. He asks if he can walk Nina to her car, and Nina says, that’s chivalrous of him. He says, he’s always chivalrous, and Nina thanks Phyllis for the tea. She says, they’ll talk tomorrow, and Phyllis says, sounds good. Valentin says, after her, and Nina says, again being chivalrous. He says, it’s kind of an infliction, and they leave. Phyllis turns out the lights, and flips the sign to closed. She wipes down the table, and Lenny comes up behind her, putting his arms around her. She closes her eyes for a moment, but when she turns around, he’s gone.
Willow asks if she can have a minute alone with her mother, and TJ tells her to take as much time as she needs. I feel the worst for TJ. He leaves, and Willow asks Michael to come with her. They go in, and Willow sits next to the bed, shaking her head.
TJ comes out, and Sasha says, oh God. TJ says, it’s a good thing they’re here. Willow is going to need her friends more than ever.
Willow takes Harmony’s hand, and says, Harmony needs to know she forgives her and loves her so much. More than Harmony probably realized. Remember their picnic in that meadow in Colorado? Harmony braided Willow’s hair and put wildflowers in it. She doesn’t know if she’s ever felt so beautiful or free. There were good memories too, filled with magic, laughter, love. She kisses Harmony’s hand, and says, those are the ones she’ll tell Wiley about. Hold on tight to that love, and she will too. Michael puts his arms around her, and Carly looks in. She flashes back to Harmony telling her to protect Willow, and that Nina’s love will smother her. She remembers telling Harmony, it’s okay. She’s got Willow. Willow is going to be okay. She leans on the window sill, looking like she might pass out.
Tomorrow, TJ tells Britt, it was worse than he could have ever imagined; Sonny asks Dante, is it him or his business that’s vulnerable; Michael tells Carly, they have to protect Willow from the fallout; and Willow wonders what her mother was trying to hide.
😟 Don’t Be Cruel…
Geez, leave the guy alone. What I like about Sonny’s relationship with Nina is, it’s part of what’s made him a new man, and I like the meld of Mike and Sonny.
I love Barbie. I always have and always will. But it’s more about the clothes and accessories for me than anything else. And I’m just going to say it, I don’t see Amy Schumer as Barbie. I also think there was more to it than her wanting Jell-O high heels.
Come by to take a dip in the soap pool tomorrow, and have a spot of tea after. Until then, stay safe, stay taking periodic breaks from your screen of choice, and stay trying to give more than you get. If we all do it, we can’t lose.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Once Upon a Time
Underneath a bridge, a little girl reads a fairy tale book, then uses the pages to stoke a fire. A young man asks what her story is. She tells him that she ran away and it’s none of his business. He asks her to stop burning the book, and tells her that The Ugly Duckling was his favorite. He says the best fairy tales are about transformation. She says that’s not what it’s about; the duck was always a swan, but didn’t know it. He says it’s about belief; if we believe in something strongly enough, we all have the power to change our fate. He asks if this is the fate she wants.
The little girl tells a desk clerk that her friend brought her there, and her name is Emma Swan.
In the enchanted parallel world, before Emma and Regina can jump into the porthole, Robin holds them up for their jewelry. Some huntsmen ride close by, and Robin jets. Henry leads the pack, and thinks that Emma and Regina crossed the river. Emma tells Regina nothing there is real. The place was created by a wish. Emma thinks she’s found a way back.
David and Hook stroll the streets of Storybrooke. David says they need to give the Evil Queen what she deserves, and he’s not resting until it’s done. Hook says he’s in, but he hopes David knows what he’s doing.
Rumpelstiltskin (as Gold) asks Gideon how this is possible. Gideon says he was in a place where time didn’t move. Gold asks if the Queen harmed him, but he says she toughened him. In all of the dark years, he tried to remember Belle and follow her example. He’s still going to kill Emma though, because he’ll gain her power as Savior. He needs to rid his land of the Black Fairy. He says when he kills Emma, he’ll finally become a hero. He disappears, poof! in a puff of pick-a-color smoke. Okay, I wasn’t looking.
Emma finds Pinocchio, who thought she’d been captured. He asks what happened that she’s in the Enchanted Forest, and she says it’s a long story. He tells her how he desperately wanted to be a real boy, and it only took his father to make it so. He asks what he can do for her, and she tells him to build something to get her out of there. She wonders if he still has the enchanted wardrobe, but he dismantled it years ago. He thinks he can still help. He knows where the grove is that the wood came from, and thinks they might be able to replicate his father’s work. Emma asks Regina what she thinks, but there’s no Regina, only a note. Regina says she knows Robin isn’t real here, but needs to know if he’s better off without her, like everything else in the realm.
Regina looks through the window of the pub, and remembers seeing Robin for the first time. She goes inside and everybody freaks because she’s the Evil Queen. They all run, but Robin asks if she’s going to buy him a drink. He thinks she’s there for the necklace that he stole, but she wants to talk. She asks if he’s happy, and he says she’s a strange one. He tells her that his life is great, he answers to no man and sleeps under the stars. She says he was better off, and he asks why she would care. Before she can say anything, the Sheriff of Nottingham comes in to arrest Robin, and slaps a cuff on Regina. He says Robin comes with a bonus, and tells his men to take her too.
Pinocchio and Emma go to the enchanted grove. Pinocchio checks out his father’s tools, and picks something out. He says that a true wood carver must be in conversation with the tools and materials. Emma pulls out a sword and tells Pinocchio she’s no longer a princess, but a Savior. She explains that her fate is to die while protecting her family.
Hook comes out of nowhere to “rescue” Emma. He’s fat, has grey hair, and looks like an aging Jack Sparrow. Obviously, he wasn’t better off.
In Storybrooke, Gold tells Gideon that it’s lonely. Gideon says that’s his fate. Gold says fate is a tricky business that requires planning. Gideon believes that Gold thinks he isn’t strong enough. Gold says there are things a man learns with time, but Gideon tells him to get lost. He says Gold thinks he knows all about him, but he has no idea. Gold says that Gideon’s life has been full of pain, but if he wants someone to pay, let it be him. He tells Gideon to hit him. Gideon doesn’t do it, and Gold says if he can’t hit his father, how does he expect to kill the Savior? He says he can help, but Gideon says he doesn’t need his help.
Emma tells Hook to let Pinocchio go, and leave the rescue to the professionals. She says she doesn’t need rescuing and Pinocchio easily takes Hook’s sword from him. Hook says there’s a reward for Princess Emma’s return. Pinocchio asks if she knows him, and she says she knows another version of him, and they sort of live together in another world. She knocks Hook out with some magic, and says it’s time to go home and get someone off the rum. Hook disappears, but the tool is broken.
Emma asks if Pinocchio can fix it, but he says he can’t. She says they have other tools, but he says they need magic and he’s not good enough. He says he’s sorry she put her faith in him, and hopes she doesn’t make that mistake again.
Regina and Robin are locked in a cage in the forest. Robin says he’s going to die having accomplished nothing. She says he’s Robin Hood who robs from the rich and steals from the poor. He asks if she’s nuts, and tells her that he just steals from the rich. She finds out that Marion died before they got married. He says there’s no one. She asks if he’s happy. He says if she wants the truth, he hasn’t been happy for a long time. She says he never had love.
The horses begin to rear up and run away. The guards chase them. One approaches the cage and is blown back. Rumpelstiltskin appears. Regina asks him to take the cuff off. He says on one hand she helped him escape, and on the other, the woman he loved starved to death. He dumps out a bag of bones and says that’s her now. Regina assures him that she had nothing to do with that. He says he might not be real, but he has the feeling he can still make her bleed. Yikes.
In real life, David tells Snow he’s sorry he can’t wake her. He promises he’ll find their daughter, bring her home, and fix this. He and Hook try to make a plan. Belle says they’re looking for her son, Gideon. He grew up in another realm, and the experience affected him. She says Rumpel is out looking for him too. David wonders who Rumpel is helping, and Belle says she can stop him, but she doesn’t want anyone harmed. She trusts them, and asks them to trust her. David says when they find Gideon, she can try to get him to listen.
Back in the world of fairies, Rumpel pushes Regina and Robin into a cell, and locks the door. Robin is like, so, I’m living in a fake world created by the wish of a princess who isn’t fake, and I’m a folk hero in another version. Regina is surprised he believes her. He says he doesn’t mind believing that he lives a better life in another world. He asks if he’s a scoundrel there, and she says he’s dead. He asks if the other Robin had a good life before he died. Regina says she thinks and hopes so. He helped a lot of people, and loved his friends and family. And her. Robin says it sounds like a good life, even if it was too short. He tells Regina that he’s not just the world’s greatest thief, and breaks the lock. They leave the cell.
Emma is about to chop at the tree, and spies a carved box with her name on a gift tag tied to it. There’s a carved swan inside. She goes to Pinocchio’s ship and asks him what it is. He tells her happy birthday. He says he always liked swans, and talks about The Ugly Duckling. His father told him that if you believe hard enough in something, you can change your fate. Emma remembers him at the fire, and says, it was you. She says when she was a kid, Pinocchio gave her advice that changed her life. He says she became the swan. She hands him the magic spatula and says he can do this. If he believes he’s a master carpenter, he will be, and his life will change.
Pinocchio chops at the tree. Magic pops out of it, and he says it looks like the swan is going home.
Commercial break. No surprise. It’s for Beauty and the Beast. I’d love to see it on the big screen, but I’ve sworn off any movie below an R rating. The last time I saw something that was PG-13, I felt like I was in the middle of a bus during a field trip, surrounded by the light of phone screens.
Pinocchio builds whatever, and thanks Emma for believing in him. She says his father would be proud. He shows her the finished product – a new enchanted wardrobe. Regina and Robin arrive, and Robin asks if they’re getting back in a tree. Regina tells him sorry for dragging him in. He gives her a feather, saying she’ll have a piece of Robin. She tells him that when her Robin died, there was a feather that was lost. She’d hoped he was in a good place, and thinks somehow, he lives on in this Robin. Emma asks if she wants to bring him as her plus one, but Regina says he’s not real. How can a wish become real? Emma says if Regina believes that any part of Robin is in there, she should bring him, saying that they make their own fate. She did it, and now it’s Regina’s turn. Robin says he’s in. Regina tells him it might not work, but he says it might. She asks if he wants to take the risk, and he says it’s not that great there, so why not go with the woman who was willing to die for another version of him?
Pinocchio opens the door. Emma steps through and Regina thanks him.
In Storybrooke, Emma and Regina come through, but no Robin. Emma says she’s sorry, and Regina asks for a moment alone. While she’s meditating on her sadness, Robin appears. She hugs him. He’d probably hug back, but he has arrows and stuff in his hands. She shows him the town from the top of a hill, officially welcoming him to Storybrooke.
Commercial break. It’s for the Time After Time series premiere. I thought this show had been on already, since there have been ads for it for months. I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to see it, but I loved the 1979 movie with Malcolm McDowell and David Warner.
Emma strolls down the street, thinking about her vision. Gideon appears and says he’s been waiting. She says she only knows one Gideon, and he’s a lot younger. She asks what he wants, and he attacks her. They battle with their swords. Emma’s sword goes flying, and Gideon has them both. The others run up, and Emma tells them to stay back. Belle tells Gideon that he doesn’t have to do this. He freeze frames everyone. He tells Emma that he’s not going to hurt them, just her. Her hand starts to shake, and he tells her that she’s fated to die. She says not today.
Emma blows Gideon back with magic and holds a blade to his neck. Gold begs her not to kill him. Gideon says he doesn’t need Gold’s help, and disappears. No poof, no smoke, just disappears. Emma is stunned that he was Belle and Rumpel’s baby. They suddenly notice Robin, and Regina explains about the alternate reality. Everyone hugs. We hear a typewriter.
Emma walks in on Pinocchio typing. He says he works in a cabin out there, so his father can sleep. She asks him if he knew it was her when she was little. He says he kept tabs on her for a while. He knew she didn’t belong on the streets, and had to make sure that she did too. Emma sees the book that she was going to burn in a box on Pinocchio’s table. He says when she picked Swan as a last name, it made him happy. He figured she got it, and was on the way to being the person she was supposed to be. She says she thinks she’s on her way to believing she makes her own destiny. He tells her that believing is the first step.
Gold finds Belle on the bridge, and asks if she’s making a wish. She says he succeeded in keeping Gideon from his horrible fate. He says Gideon had the power to make his own choices. He thought Gideon would make the right choice, and even though he was wrong, Gideon may still do it. Gold says that through his whole dark life, he’s sought out light, like her. He doesn’t want Gideon to kill anyone because it’s not the cure for his pain. He doesn’t want that for his son.
Belle says she protected Gideon, knowing what he wanted to do, and it can be easy to rationalize. Gold says, indeed it can. As they’re talking, Gideon is climbing up the stairs inside the clock tower. Belle wonders what they can do. Gold says if there is, they should do it together; not just for them, but for everyone. War is coming to Storybrooke.
Gideon busts out the clock’s face. It shatters everywhere.
Next time, Emma wants to break the curse, David needs a pirate, and Emma wants to know what Hook is hiding.
The Walking Dead
Michonne and Rick comb a house for supplies, gathering anything of value. Down in a van by the river, she thanks him for keeping watch last night. He says they’re getting batteries for the walkie-talkie and getting it to work again. They raid another house, fighting off some zombies. They get busy during a break. Rick is discouraged that all they have are two guns, some dented cans of beans, and some football jerseys, but Michonne says they’re fighting the fight.
They come across a group of Saviors playing golf. They see batteries in the back of their truck.
Back at the van, Michonne tells Rick that they have to get back. Rick wants to stay a little longer, and sounds like a kid who wants to stay up later. Michonne agrees.
Rosita stitches herself up. Tara tells her it’s going to work out. They have the numbers to fight; they just need guns. Rosita asks where they’re going to get them, and says she can’t just wait. Tara says they’ll get the guns and fight. Rosita says it’s not going to be easy; it wasn’t the last time. She says she’s going to find guns.
Rick sleeps while Michonne drives. Rick sleeps while Michonne makes coffee. She sees a deer and tells Rick to shhh! even though he was sleeping. She gets a gun, but the deer is gone. Rick says he owes her a deer. They look around the forest, making so much noise that every deer within miles has disappeared.
They see a fence with a half-fallen tarp on it. Rick bangs on the fence and a soldier zombie stumbles around on the other side. Rick sniffs a bullet casing and they look around. Michonne says something serious happened here a long time ago. Rick says there might be serious guns in there.
Rosita noses around an abandoned house. She starts to go inside, and a Mama June (not hot) type zombie ambles out. She slices mama’s head in half with a machete. She finds a gun, but it’s just a water pistol.
Michonne and Rick go to the top of a building. They see zombie soldiers and civilians wandering around a carnival. Cool! Let’s get those zombies on the Ferris wheel. Rick says there was a fight, and they’re still wearing their guns. Michonne shoots, and ends up doing well at one of the carnival games. Until she and rick fall through the roof. We hear Rick laugh. Because it’s all good when you’re in love.
Rick and Michonne lie there laughing. They look around and find a boatload of food. Some kind off pre-packaged “ready to eat” meals.
Rosita finds Gabriel at the church. She tells him she didn’t find any guns even though she was out there all day. She had a gun, and was going to kill Negan with it. If she’d done it, he’d be dead. Maybe she would too, but who gives a damn? She lists all the people who would still be alive, and says that she’s still there because she was stupid enough to listen to him. She tells him that he doesn’t know sh*t about sh*t, and he tells her she’s right. He told her not to do what she was planning because they needed her, and they still do. It’s easier to be dead, and if it’s his fault, fine, but he did what he thought was right. He says she can blame him for having life, but what is she going to do with it? Anything is possible until your heart stops beating. Since she can’t argue with that, she walks out.
Michonne and Rick open the boxes, pull out the meals, and dig in. Michonne makes a plan to get the others to fight with them and kill Negan, but she doesn’t know what happens after that. They’ll have to reorder the world once he’s gone. Rick says they’ll figure out how to work together. She thinks he should be in charge, but he doesn’t. She says he’d be good at it, if it’s something he wanted. He says he doesn’t think he would, and he doesn’t want it. He says they could work together, and he wants that, if she does. She says she wants that, and they kiss.
Rick says they can take their time. The place is clear, locked up tight, and they found the only way in. He thinks they should get back. He gives her a package of chili and mac and cheese together. That’s love. The zombies stagger about outside, while Rick and Michonne get busy inside. Honestly, I don’t know how busy I could get, or would want to get, with zombies lurking around several feet away.
Tara babysits Judith. She’s torn between telling Rick about Oceanside or not, and uses Judith as a sounding board. She says that the others should just fight with them, but they only want to hide because they fear the world. But if she tells everyone about Oceanside, it might end up proving their point. She wonders what makes their life worth more than the others, because they want to stop the people who want to hurt other people?
Carnival time! Rick and Michonne watch the zombies from behind a truck. Rick wants to block one of the gaps to make it easier for them. He wants to do it quiet with the sword. Michonne makes a noise, and takes out the zombies one by one as they come her way. Rick grabs a gun from a zombie soldier, who’s wedged halfway through the windshield of a car. Rick tries pulling him out by the feet, and the zombie’s foot comes off. Ha-ha! He pulls some more and the guy’s legs come off. Ha-ha! again. Rick finally gets him out of the windshield glass. Michonne joins him and they push the car toward the gap. He realizes that the breaks don’t work, and all of a sudden there’s gunfire from a soldier zombie. Michonne jumps into the trunk, and Rick steers the car to the opening in the fence. Zombies surround the car and claw at it. Rick says it was a great plan, and Michonne agrees that it was.
They jump off the car and behind some ride barricades. They run through the fairgrounds, the zombies trailing behind. They knock over the test-your-strength game, and it blocks the zombies for a bit. Rick asks if Michonne wants to go, but they both think they can do this. Rick goes in front of the Ferris wheel and coaxes the zombies forward. Michonne does the same thing by the big slide. As the zombies get to the gate, they’re dispatched; heads rolling, eyeballs squishing, blood spurting. Rick sees the deer, and jumps onto the Ferris wheel, climbing up to the top. He’s about to shoot the deer as zombies are coming toward it, and he falls off. Oh crap.
Rick is down, but grabs the gun, and starts shooting the zombies. Michonne runs toward him, gun drawn. When she gets there, she sees the zombies circled around something, eating. She looks sick, and tears roll down her face. She drops her sword. The zombies start to come toward her. She backs away, but she’s not herself.
Like Superman, Rick jumps out of a crate, and throws the sword to Michonne. They slice and dice the zombies. They hug, and Rick says he tried.
They gather up the guns. A lot of guns. Michonne has a moment.
It’s quiet on the ride back, but they got tons of supplies. I’d be hiding some of those somewhere. Rick pulls the van into the forest. He wishes they could have spent more time away. He says he hasn’t been sleeping, thinking about what they’ve lost, and the friends he couldn’t save. He says they went through something, and this doesn’t cure it. Michonne says she’s sorry. He says they’re going to fight them. They’re going to lose people, maybe even each other, but it will be worth it. Michonne says she can’t lose him. Rick says she’d asked him what kind of life they’d have by just surrendering, and it would be no life. Fighting the fight is living, making a future for Judith and the others. He says she can lose him. It’s not about them anymore; it’s about a future. If he doesn’t make it, she’ll have to lead, and she can. She asks how he knows, and he says she led him there.
Back at the Heapsters heap, Jadis asks if the guns are all operational. Rick says they need cleaning up. There are over sixty guns, but Jadis says it’s not enough. Rosita suggests they leave and take their guns with them. Jadis says no, and they haggle. Jadis gets to nine and they get the cat back, and Rick says twenty, and they fight together. Jadis says yes, and if they get more soon, they’ll fight. Everyone wanders around looking like they’re doing something important. Michonne tells Rick they have a few more days before what happens next. They’ll figure it out in a few more days.
Back in Alexandria, Tara is looking for Rick. He asks if she’s okay, and if she’s seen Rosite, who hasn’t shown up for her shift. Tara suggests that maybe she went out looking for more guns. She says she has something to tell Rick.
Rosita stomps through the streets, and sees Sasha at Abe’s grave. She says she needs Sasha’s help. Sasha says under one condition – she gets to take the shot. Rosita agrees. She asks if Rosita brought explosives, but Rosita felt that was taking too much of a chance. She has something better. She brings out a bazooka, and hands it to Sasha, so she can take her shot. Rosita says that Rick and Michonne found guns and the Heapsters wanted more guns. She thinks that means more excuses. She tells Sasha that she’s memorized what Carl and Daryl told Rick about the Saviors’ camp. Sasha says she has a map that Jesus drew for her. They discuss how they can’t be caught alive, and it’s a one way ticket for both of them.
Next time, Ezekiel rises up, Carol emerges, and there are lots more guns.
💣 Feud: Bette and Joan is perfection! The casting couldn’t be better, and the topic couldn’t be more current. For all the equality whining going around, not many people talk about how ageist our society is, and the scope is even narrower for actresses in Hollywood. Way back when, Joan Crawford recognized this, and brought the novel, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? by Henry Farrell, to BetteDavis’s attention, thinking it was the perfect vehicle for them both. Being no slouch in the brains department herself, Bette agreed, the rest is history, and their feud is legendary.
While both women are gone from this world, so there’s no one to confirm or deny, this interpretation of their relationship shows an almost softer side. While hating each other on a certain level, neither could deny the other’s talent or their admiration for it. Although “frenemy” wasn’t a term back then, they were the perfect example of it.
The cast is chock full of exceptional actors and actresses, like Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, and StanleyTucci. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Jackie Hoffman playing Mamasita, Joan’s right hand person. I recognized her right away, pointing and shouting “Penny’s mother!” at the TV, as I’d seen her on Broadway in Hairspray.
And lest we not forget one star of any period drama – the clothes and props. So far, I’m enthralled. One of my favorite things in the world are those brocade dresses with matching coats that were so popular in the 1960s. My favorite Barbie outfit will forever be Evening Splendor. (However, I would not have paired the green/blue bag with this.)
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 