Tag Archives: Beastie Boys

Aug2

August 1, 2022 – The Heroine Of Her Own Story, Bad Bosun On Deck, Farewell Lieutenant & Sabotage

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Two young women watch Mac swimming, and one says, oh my God, Silver Fox. Hello daddy. Felicia listens, as they watch Mac get out of the pool, and the other women says, that’s Mac Scorpio, the Chief of Detectives; she saw him at press conference. The first woman says, he can slap handcuffs on her anytime. Felicia walks over to them, and says, sorry to disappoint, ladies, but that Silver Fox has a Mrs. Silver Fox, and that would be me. She walks over to Mac, and passionately kisses him.

On the phone outside Kelly’s, Michael says he has a business associate who’s being screened with a background check, and he needs certain information to show up… They said could handle it. Just get it done today. Sam comes out, and says, whoa. Now she guesses she knows what kind of boss he is; decisive and demanding? He’s got a lot on his plate. He says, she doesn’t know the half of it.

In an exam room, TJ says he couldn’t help noticing Willow giving Michael the runaround when Michael asked why he was taking the lead and not Britt. Is there a reason she’s not telling Michael this isn’t her usual OB appointment? She says, there is nothing Michael needs to know until the test results come back… Unless there’s something more serious he found out. Is that why he looks so worried?

Elizabeth tells Finn, at least she doesn’t have to worry about getting her steps in with some of the elevators being out of commission. Finn says, he knows it’s a pain, but the functioning elevators seem to be prioritized for the patients in trauma. She says she knows, but it’s a helluva way to start her first day back. He asks how she feels about coming back, and she says, grateful. She’s got a really good support system rallying around her now that she’s recovered. He says, maybe it’s the addict in him talking, but at meetings they never talk about being fully recovered. Every day is another day in recovery. It’s okay if she’s still got some recovery to do. There’s no shame in taking more time before she comes back to work.

Judge Young says, there will be a 30 minute recess, and tells Diane to be prepared to call next witness when they return. Portia says, all this time Trina had an alibi for when the revenge porn was distributed. Why didn’t she tell them? Trina says, if push came to shove, she was going to testify about it. She never expected Spencer to do it himself; he could go back to prison. Taggert suggests she just focus herself. While Spencer’s testimony isn’t a not slam dunk, it could create reasonable doubt with the jury. Portia says, at least Spencer seemed adamant when he told the jury that he didn’t believe their daughter would do this.

In the hallway, Spencer tells Nikolas, whatever this is, it can’t take long. He needs to get back in the courtroom. He wants Trina to see him when she testifies. He needs her to know whatever sacrifice he made was worth it. Nikolas says he hopes it helps Trina, because Spencer might have just thrown away his freedom.

Ava tells Esme, playtime is over. They’ll deal with Esme sleeping with her husband another day, but right now, Esme is going to go directly to the courthouse. She’s going to exonerate Trina. She’s going to tell the world that she filmed Joss and Cam. Esme says, they’ve already had this conversation. She has no idea where Ava is getting this crazy idea from. And besides, why would she even do it? Is Ava offering to help her disappear, so she doesn’t have to go to prison? No. She has no intention of being a fugitive for the rest of her life. Ava says, darling girl, you misunderstand me. She moves closer to Esme, and says, Esme either confesses to framing Trina or she will make sure nobody finds her… not while she’s still breathing. Esme asks if Ava is threatening her, and Ava says, if one were to believe the rumors, she’s killed for a lot less. Esme says, Ava is judge, jury, and executioner, all rolled into one person, and Ava says, Esme tried to take her husband from her. She and Spencer teamed up to try and take her sanity, and now she wants to take Trina? Ava will not let that happen. Either tell the truth or it’s the end of the line for Esme Prince. You decide.

Felicia tells Mac, those two women were totally checking him out when he got out of the pool, but Mac says, they were not. He’s too old to be checked out. She says she’s not kidding. One of them called him a Silver Fox, and the other one knows he’s Chief of Detectives. She was fantasizing about him slapping some handcuffs on her. He laughs, saying, get out of here, and she says she had to get a little possessive. She let them know that Silver Fox is married – to her. He says, now she knows what he has to deal with when they go out. She’s usually the one turning heads. She says, stop, but he tells her, what can he say? They’ve still got it. He kisses her.

TJ tells Willow, he knows waiting is hard, but they don’t want to speculate about things until they get information back from the lab. Like she said earlier, raised white blood cells can mean any number of things, or it can be an anomaly in the first reading. She says, but if the results are consistent, he’s afraid the issue is serious? She’s about to graduate from nursing school; he can’t bluff her. He says he’s not trying to bluff her, which is why this makes for a good example that doctors and nurses make the worst patients. Though he has to ask, if she’s worried it’s bad news, why doesn’t she want Michael here to support her?

Taggert asks what Diane thinks. Is Spencer’s testimony enough to cause reasonable doubt with the jury? Diane says, they definitely made progress in the right direction. Although, as the ADA demonstrated, Spencer’s alibi isn’t foolproof. Trina says, she doesn’t understand. Why put Spencer back on the stand? Why have him admit he snuck out of prison if it isn’t going to do her any good? Diane tells her, like her father said, it creates reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury, and that’s like money in the bank for them. It actually didn’t help that Spencer said he bribed an official in order to sneak out of prison. It’s not a good look for a star witness, but it just means Trina has more work to do.

Spencer tells Nikolas, he had to do it. He can’t stand by and let Trina take the fall for this. Nikolas says, that’s where Spencer lost him. All this time, Spencer and Esme have been insisting they thought Trina was responsible. Spencer says, it was just an act to try and get Esme to slip up and admit she was guilty. Does Nikolas think for one second Spencer thought Trina would hurt Joss and Cam that way? It was Esme who was insisting Trina was guilty.

Ava says she woudn’t hesitate to give up her life to save Trina. She certainly wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing Esme’s. So Esme had better think very hard about how she’s going to play this. Trina is like a daughter to her, and she won’t allow Trina to go to prison, where someone as demented as Esme belongs, locked up. Esme says, Ava’s devotion is touching, but where was all this motherly devotion to her daughter Kiki? Is that why Ava is obsessed with Trina? Because she’s filling the void of the real daughter Ava drove away? She certainly can’t blame the dashing and gorgeous Dr. Griffin Monroe for upgrading to a younger model, especially when the current model is Ava, because Ava is just downright awful. Ava drove away her daughter, just like she drove away Nikolas. The only problem is, when she drove away Kiki, she didn’t just skip town. Ava drove her to her death. Ava cracks Esme across the face, and the envelope flies out of her hand.

Felicia asks if this means Mac is having second thoughts about Dante  taking over for him as Chief of Detectives when he retires, and Mac says, he told her. He only mentioned it to Dante as a possibility; something to think about down the road. He’s not planning on retiring anytime soon, but this day off has its appeal. He’s had so many careers. He’s been a mercenary, he’s owned a bar; he’s been a P.I. and a Police Commissioner. He’s always been a bit nomadic when it comes to his career. He’s looking for what comes next. She says she agrees with all that, so she’ll ask him directly; what does come next?

Sam suggests she and Michael take a seat and talk about it. She has the feeling she knows what’s going on. He says, she does? and she says, it doesn’t take a P.I. to know what he’s up to. It’s Aurora, isn’t it? Michael says, she’s got him. The stock price went into free fall when the merger with ELQ fell though. She says he heard about that. How bad is it? He says, the bleeding stopped, but it will take a while for Aurora to get back to where it was a few months ago; not to mention his mom inflated the price. He’s just a hired CEO, but he takes it personally. He had big plans for the merged company, plus he feels like he let Sam down. She says, her? How? He says, Aurora only started because it was her dream with Drew, and she says, that was like, five lifetimes ago, and they only did that for Scout’s future. She’s not saying that to pressure Michael or make him feel bad. She knows he’ll do everything it takes to get it back for Scout, and for Wiley too. He says he thinks she means Wiley and his new sibling. She puts her hands over her mouth, and he says, yeah, he and Willow have some exciting news to share

Willow tells TJ, Michael is going through a lot right now. His parents’ divorce, his anger at Sonny choosing Nina over his family, and Aurora’s in trouble ever since the merger with ELQ didn’t happen. TJ says he’s aware of all of that, but he’s also aware she just lost her mom, and she’s about to become a nurse. Her plate is pretty full too. She says she knows, but Michael’s finally got some good news when he found out they were having another child. She doesn’t want to take that happiness away from him, not until there’s an actual reason to worry. He says, that’s a heavy burden to be carrying all by herself. If she doesn’t want to talk to Michael, isn’t there someone she can confide in? What about Sasha? She says, talk about someone who has a lot on her plate. Besides, it’s hard for Sasha to be around her, knowing she’s pregnant. He says he gets her point. What about Michael’s mom? She says, no. Carly is dealing with her divorce, and the loss of the MetroCourt. She’s telling him, she can handle this. It’s not going to be a very long wait. The test results will come back, and fingers crossed, TJ will tell her it’s nothing, and she and Michael will laugh about this later… right?

Taggert asks if Portia is okay, but she says, not really. She knows their daughter is in college, and she’s growing up and not going to tell her parents every single thing, but that girl had an alibi since day one, and she’s had all of them running around, scrambling, trying to help her for months now. Portia is upset and hurt. Trina chose to protect that spoiled entitled brat over herself. He says he was shocked too, but they’ve got to remember, she said if she thought it was necessary, she’d bring it out in her testimony. She says, that’s her point; why wait until the last minute? If Trina would have been honest from the very beginning, maybe they could have gotten the PCPD to use their resources to find the real criminal, who isn’t their daughter. He says he knows. It’s tough watching their daughter suffer. She says, this is just all so completely unbelievable to her. Their daughter is on trial for a crime she didn’t commit, and for the first time in Spencer’s life, he’s decided to tell the truth, which is great, she guesses. She just doesn’t know if it’s enough at this point to help Trina.

Rory and Josslyn go over to Trina, and she says she knows what they’re thinking, but she was always planning on admitting she had an alibi for when that video was distributed. What doesn’t make sense is Spencer. Why would he admit he escaped from Spring Ridge? He has everything lose, and nothing to gain. Josslyn says, maybe Spencer couldn’t sit back, knowing what it was costing Trina, and Diane says she needs a word with Trina in private. They step away, and Diane says, Trina is up. She’s putting Trina on the stand next. Trina says she knows; she’s ready. Diane says, except things have changed. The calculus is a little different, so she needs to pursue a different line of questioning. Trina asks what she means, and Diane says, it might be a little more personal than they’d originally intended.

Esme’s lip is bleeding, and Ava says, Esme’s been begging for that for months. Esme asks if that’s all Ava’s got, because she’s not afraid of Ava. She wipes the blood with her finger, and licks it off, adding, at all. Ava says, the walls are closing in on Esme, but she’s too arrogant to understand. She’s the definition of a poor little rich girl; she will never be loved. Esme says, she’s so done with Ava and her entire family. She starts to get her suitcase, and Ava sees the envelope. She picks it up, and says, Esme seems to have forgot something, fanning herself with it.

TJ tells Willow, he predicts outcomes of professional sports or awards all the time, but a patient’s diagnosis, never. His phone beeps, and she asks if everything is okay. He says, yeah. He needs to check on a patient. He promises he’ll be right back. He leaves, and goes to the reception desk. He picks up the phone, and asks, who’s on call for oncology today?… Okay. Have Dr. Singh paged… Yes, it’s very important. He needs a consult on some lab results.

Nikolas says, Spencer believed Esme made the revenge porn, and he was just trying to get her to slip up to save Trina. He should have let Nikolas know. Esme was a guest in his house. Spencer says he understands Nikolas is confused. but the more people who knew about his plan, the greater the chance of him being found out. They both know how smart Esme is – Nikolas flashes back to you-know-what – and how quickly she can twist things to her own advantage. It’s complicated, all right? Nikolas says, he just wishes Spencer would have included him in his plans. It would have changed so much. Spencer says, they can work out this mess later, but he needs to get back into court. Nikolas says, there’s something he needs to tell Spencer, and Spencer says, when the trial is over for the day, they’ll go someplace, and talk, but Nikolas says, he has to tell Spencer now. It’s very important Spencer hear it from him, and no one else. So does Nikolas think someone might tell Spencer in court? This guy is the king of bad ideas. Which is no small achievement in Port Charles.

Ava says, the letter, the one Esme didn’t want her to see. She wonders what kind of incriminating evidence is revealed in here. Esme flashes back to writing to Maggie, saying, she doesn’t quite have everything she wants just yet, but she’s well on her way. Ava says, how does she know this is Esme’s at all? It could be a Cassadine letter she’s stolen for some kind of leverage. Esme says, it’s hers, and she wants it back. She lunges for it, but Ava holds it away from her and laughs. She says, Esme is so desperate to have it. She wonders what’s written here.

Elizabeth says, she appreciates Finn’s concern, but she’s ready to get back to work. Keeping busy is going to help her feel normal again. And she processed her grief over Franco, and as long as she doesn’t overwork herself, or self-medicate with sleeping pills, the worst is behind her. Now she just needs him and Terry to understand that she can handle this. He says, of course (🍷). He owes her an apology… She says, they’ve already talked about this. He doesn’t owe her an apology, but he says, if Terry is guilty of smothering her, so is he, and he apologizes. Maybe he’s a little gun-shy. His last relationship kind of went off the rails because of all the secrets being kept. It destroyed everything they had, and he guesses he went all-in on the truth, and no middle ground. He knows it’s a terrible excuse, but he’s still trying to find the right balance with privacy and someone he loves.

Michael tells Sam, keep it down. He’s excited, but Willow is still in her first trimester, and they’re not telling everybody just yet. Sam says she’s really happy for him, and he says he’s so excited. The last time he found out he was going to be a father, it was turbulent to say the least. She says, that was different because it was Nelle was the one having his baby, and he says he hated the way she lorded it over him. Then after she gave birth… Sam says, it’s going to be different. He and Willow love each other. He says he’s so happy he and Willow make such a good team. This time around, he has nothing but hope for the future.

Willow paces, her hands on her stomach. She says, it’s okay, little one. It will be just fine.

Dr. Singh looks at the report, and TJ says he really hopes his diagnosis is wrong. Please tell him that he’s overreacting. Dr. Singh says, unfortunately, he thinks TJ’s diagnosis is spot-on.  

Ava says, there must be something really juicy in here. Did Esme write about how she framed an innocent woman for a crime she committed? Or how she seduced Ava’s husband? Esme says, Ava is so self-centered. Her letter said nothing about Ava, but it’s hers and she wants it back. She reaches for it, but Ava pulls it away again, and says she believes she’s detecting some real genuine emotion. Rage mostly, but fear underneath. There’s something here Esme doesn’t want her to know, and she can’t wait to see what it is. She starts to open the envelope, and Esme tackles her.

Spencer says, whatever Nikolas has to say to him is obviously weighing on him, which means it will probably be a long discussion. So it really needs to wait until the trial is done for the day. Nikolas’s phone rings, and Spencer says he really needs to go back inside. He jets, and Nikolas says, what is it?… What kind of commotion?… Who’s upstairs with his wife?

Elizabeth asks Finn what he just said, and Finn says, he thinks he said… you know… something about love. And by love, he means he really, really cares about her… and there’s no getting out of this one, is there, after his truth speech? He knows he’s been taking things deliberately slow, and he’s not sure how she feels about him, but he’s pretty sure he knows how he feels about her. He loves her. He’s in love with her. And she doesn’t have to say anything back. She doesn’t have to say anything at all. Her phone dings, and she says, TJ needs her help with something, so she should… He says, she should, and she leaves.

Trina tells Diane, don’t worry. She knows exactly what she needs to do. Diane says she’s Trina’s attorney; it’s her job to worry about Trina. She’s endured so much during this trial. She can’t imagine what it’s like, sitting there listening to that woman try to convince everyone that Trina would betray her friends in such a heinous fashion. A lesser woman would have crumbled under the pressure, but Trina’s not a lesser woman. Her mom and dad raised a strong, confident woman. Trina thanks her for the pep talk, but Diane says, it’s not a pep talk; it’s the truth. She can’t believe she’s going to say this, but Spencer actually helped their case. But the ball’s not in the end zone yet. That’s up to Trina. She needs to be the heroine in her own story. Trina says she likes how that sounds, and Diane says she thought Trina might. They go back to Portia and Taggert, and Portia says she knows Trina is testifying next. How is she feeling? Taggert says, she’ll do great, but Trina says, she’s going to do better than great. She’s going to be the heroine of her own story. She looks at Diane, and Diane says, let’s win this. The bailiff says, all rise, and Trina sees Spencer come in with Josslyn. The bailiff tells everyone to be seated. Court is now in session. Judge Young asks Diane to call her next witness, and Diane calls Trina to the stand. Trina looks at Spencer once again.

Ava and Esme struggle, knocking over furniture, and rolling around on the floor. It’s actually pretty funny. Ava gets away, and Esme pushes her down. Esme grabs the envelope, but before she can skate, Ava grabs her ankle, and she falls, the fireplace screen falling on top of her. Now I’m really laughing.

Diane asks if Trina can confirm Nikolas’s testimony that she and Nikolas were together at the very moment that revenge porn email was distributed. Trina says, yes. She was at the cemetery, working on an assignment for her Art History class at PCU, and the last person she expected to see was Spencer because she knew he was serving his sentence at Spring Ridge. She was shocked to say the least. Diane says, if she’s always had this very clear alibi, why did she wait until now to bring it to the court’s attention? Trina says, as the ADA demonstrated, emails can be sent by a timer. So Spencer being with her when the email came out, was never going to be enough to clear her name. And if Spencer came forward and admitted he bribed someone to let him go for the day so he could visit his mother’s grave, he would get into a lot of trouble. So she was hoping there would be enough of the other evidence to prove her innocence without jeopardizing Spencer’s future. Diane says, but Trina is on trial for felony charges. That’s an awfully big risk, doesn’t she think, to put someone else’s well-being ahead of her own future? Trina says, she’s sorry; what’s the question? Diane asks her to please tell the court why she put Spencer’s future ahead of her own. They’ve already established she’s an intelligent young woman; she gets excellent grades. And yet she sat on a key witness that could have provided her with a rock solid alibi because she didn’t want to harm him. She’s just trying to understand Trina’s motivation here, and she can only come up with one reason. It was an act of love. Spencer looks like he might cry, and a tear rolls down Trina’s cheek.

Mac tells Felicia, Dante is super focused on the day to day; raising Rocco as a single parent, forging a new relationship with Sam, playing the go-between with Michael and Sonny. He’s an extremely good detective, but he’s not thinking about his overall career objectives. Sometime way in the future when he wants to retire, Mac wants someone to replace him that he knows can do the job as good as he can. So the conversation he had with Dante, he was just planting a seed. He’s not turning his badge in anytime soon. She thanks him for the clarification, and he says, on the other hand, when he stepped in and hosted open mic night at the Haunted Star, it reminded him of how much he enjoyed running The Floating Rib. Sure, the insurance check they got from the explosion made a nice nest egg for them, and for that he’ll be eternally grateful. (Yikes. Did he forget it killed Dev and Dustin, and put Lulu in a coma?) He says, but he misses it as his home base. He felt anchored to the community. It’s where people came to get engaged, to celebrate an anniversary, or an entire office would come to celebrate a retirement. Or if someone was just having a bad day at work, it was someplace friendly to unwind. He loved all that. She says she knows what he means. When they lost The Floating Rib, it left such a void. She thinks she tried to fill that void by revisiting her P.I. skills. Between working with Anna and giving Sam advice, it was fun for her. He says, as he recalls, she was the best in the business. He knows they’re grandparents, but they’re still young at heart. She says, that’s true. When she was working with Sam, she felt so useful. He says, about that. She told him that Sam was struggling with a heavy case load, and she pointed Sam in the right direction concerning someone’s biological parents? She says, she suggested Sam look for a hard copy of the analog records, and he says, maybe Sam could use more than her advice. What if she stepped in and lightened Sam’s case load?

Sam tells Michael, it’s amazing news. It’s the kind of surprise she could actually use on a day like today. He says he’s surprised Dante didn’t tell her, and she says, his brother knew and was holding out on her? He says he thinks Dante was waiting for the official green light to tell anybody. It’s no secret, but the doctors tell them not to broadcast the news until they’re safely through the first trimester. And Dante’s got a lot on his plate, navigating things between him and Sonny. She says, Dante’s pretty good at keeping things close to his chest. Sometimes she feels like she needs a decoder to figure out what’s going on inside his head. She’s not saying he keeps secrets from her, but like Michael said, it’s a big job negotiating between him and Sonny, and she just thinks there’s a whole world going on inside Dante’s mind. Which means she’s always in for a surprise as they take their next steps in their relationship. He says, that sounds newsworthy. What kind of next steps are they planning?

TJ tells Elizabeth that he needs a favor, and asks her to go to the lab and print out a more detail analysis of this patient’s bloodwork, and bring it to his office. He needs to make this a priority. She says, of course (🍷), and leaves. TJ asks Dr. Singh, what happens now? and the doctor says, when he gets the results, he’ll share them with Dr. Randolph, and they’ll discuss what options Willow has. Willow steps outside the exam room, and sees them talking.

Ava grabs the envelope, and Esme gets herself out from under the fireplace screen. She grabs at it.

TJ tells Willow, the blood work shouldn’t take too much longer, and then he can answer her questions. She says she saw him talking to Dr. Singh. They both seemed extremely serious. She has to ask. Were they talking about her? She knows he doesn’t want to scare her, but she’s about to be a nurse; she can handle it. Dr. Singh is an oncologist. Does he think… Does this mean he thinks she has cancer? He says he’s worried she has leukemia.

Elizabeth finds Finn, and he says, that was really fast. She says she just had to pick up some time sensitive results. Now she has to take them downstairs. He tells her, what he said before… He doesn’t want to put any pressure on her. She’s been through a lot, and they haven’t even… She kisses him, and says she loves him. He says, she does? but she says, if she doesn’t leave right now, Epiphany is going to think she’s playing hooky. Will she see him after her shift? He says, absolutely, and she goes into the stairwell. He raises his arms in a sign of victory.

Elizabeth walks down the stairs, and stops suddenly, her pen falling from her hand. She remembers Peter lying on the landing, and taking his pulse. She drops everything, and sits down on the step.

Sam tells Michael, she didn’t mean for that to sound so big; she was talking in the abstract. She and Dante are happy, but they’re taking it slow out of necessity. They have three kids involved between the two of them, and Rocco’s mother is in a coma, and it’s complicated. And she and Dante are consumed with work and parenting, and her caseload is intense. He says, his mom told him she was looking into ways to get Trina exonerated, but she ran into a brick wall. Sam says she did, but she got some excellent advice from a veteran P.I. tis morning, and she has the feeling this tip could get them closer to the proof they need.

Felicia asks how many Mai Tais Mac has had. Sam never told her that she’s looking for a partner. He asks if she’d be interested even if Sam wasn’t. They’re both Jacks of all trades, and love dabbling in everything. That doesn’t mean Felicia can’t scratch that itch by helping Sam out every now and then. She says, it could be fun. Plus, Sam told her that she needed to be stealthy about this investigation because it would hit close to home for some people. She can speed the process along by doing the legwork. It’s not like she has any connection to the client’s biological parents.

Esme grabs the envelope and runs out onto the turret, as no one with any sense would do. Ava is right behind her, and Esme balls up the envelope. She’s about to throw it over, when Ava grabs her hand, and they struggle.

Diane says, the prosecution alleges that Trina filmed that video of Joss and Cam because she was jealous of their relationship. So let’s clarify things. Was Trina ever involved with Cameron Webber? Trina says, no, and Diane says, but she once had feelings for him? Trina says, they kissed twice, and decided they were better off as friends. Diane says, and at the cabin last January, did Trina have feelings for Cameron then? but Trina says, no. Diane says, because she had feelings for someone else, and Trina says, yes. Diane asks, and who would that person be? and Trina says, Spencer Cassadine. Spencer smiles, Diane looks smug, Portia looks like she wants the earth to swallow her, Josslyn looks at Spencer, and Rory looks grim and annoyed, although I don’t know why, since it was before his time.  

Nikolas comes flying into the sitting room, calling for Ava, and hears Esme and Ava on the turret. Ava and Esme are battling over the envelope, and Esme gives it a good pull, falling back and over the turret wall, as Nikolas comes out.

Tomorrow, Jordan tells Curtis that he needs to talk to Esme; Trina says she told the truth, now her fate is out of her hands; and Ava asks if Nikolas found Esme. I’m starting to think that fall from the turret is only about four feet, since pretty much everyone survives it.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Captain Sandy tells Raygan that she needs a bosun she can trust, and who makes the guests a priority. Raygan promises to prove herself. The captain says, sometimes she sounds harsh, but she doesn’t want them to be learning in front of the guests. They should be there already. The theme of tonight’s dinner is Morocco, and Natalya says she’s ready to live her best life in Morocco, with a rich old guy about to cork it, and he has a tragic death. Raygan tells Storm that Captain Sandy’s not happy with her. They’re not organized. Storm suggests they put everything in the water, and Raygan says she’s going to have a meeting. The captain says, the weather is going to be terrible, and Raygan calls the deck crew together. Dave tries doing something nice in leaving coffee for Tasha outside their cabin, but she steps on it when she comes out. Seriously, placement is everything with liquids. She tells Dave that she’s struggling to wake up, and Dave says, she’s grumpy. She says she came out of their cabin, and kicked coffee everywhere. She wonders why he’s being weird, and in Tasha’s interview, she says, they seem in a good space, but deep down she’s struggling with this situation with Dave. She broke up with her ex just before they got on the boat, but ever since she cheated, she’s felt guilty. Now she’s trying to keep Dave from telling the crew, since a lot people have different perceptions of cheating. Some people might think she’s the worst person in the world, and she doesn’t know how the crew would react to the situation. Raygan tells the deckhands, try to be as quick as they can, and inflate everything. She says, Storm is more experienced with mega yachts than she is, and asks who’s good with smaller boats. Jason says he’s good on the tender, and in Raygan’s interview, she says she feels pressured. Captain Sandy is annoyed with her, and she feels like her job is on the line.

Breakfast happens, and guest Noah says, hangovers are bullsh*t. Why do they have to be the consequence for drinking? Ah, the age old question. We flash back to them harassing Dave the night before, and primary Emily says she’s seen them worse. Natalya tells them, a swim helps with a hangover; it washes them away. She suggests a trip to the caves for a swim or dip, and Jason packs the tender. In Jason’s interview, he says he’s used to smaller boats, and he’s comfortable taking guests out on adventures. All he’s doing is inflating and deflating things, and he could be used more in the tender role. He’ll keep working hard until his time. Tasha tells Dave they’re doing a Mexican theme for lunch, and in Dave’s interview, he says he’s struggling. The night before he and Tasha joined the boat, they made an agreement. They’d give it a week and then slowly adapt. Otherwise he woudn’t have shared a cabin with her. Now he feels like she’s avoiding him, and he can’t handle the pressure anymore.

Tasha and Natalya do the cabins, while Storm takes the guests to the caves in Crystal Lagoon. The guests all jump off into the water, and I could cry, it’s so beautiful and looks so relaxing. On the boat, Captain Sandy says she doesn’t trust the weather, and monkey brain welcome back shots are prepared. I look this up, and it’s vodka, Irish cream, lemon juice, and grenadine. Urghhp. The captain says, the storm is coming early; she sees it building. The guests return, and take photos. Captain Sandy points out the sky, and says, they’re going back to the dock. The wind is going to be 30 knots, with 4 meter seas, which are massive. She feels bad, but it’s a safety issue. In her interview, she says she never wants to have to go back. They’re here to show the guests a good time, but it’s all about safety. It’s her responsibility, and they have to go back. She radios the crew, and Kyle says, heaven help me, probably because the pressure is now on the interior to be entertaining. Raygan eats tacos in the crew mess, and Captain Sandy says, they’ve got to hustle; the wind is picking up. The stews decorate for lunch, and the guests are bummed. The captain calls Raygan to the bridge. Noah asks Jason about his career path, and Jason says, he’s been captain on smaller boats; in particular a 60 foot sailboat. Before that, he was in corporate America. He tells Noah, America is a sh*tshow right now, and he doesn’t want go back. Captain Sandy says she wants the stern clear to swing away from the dolphins, and in her interview, she says, there are too many variables; wind, the current, too many dolphins. She has to zig-zag, and it’s difficult. Raygan tells the deckhands the plan for docking, and Noah sprays beer in his own face, trying to poke a hole in the can. Anchor is home, and they head back.

Raygan says she hasn’t eaten all day, and jets to the mess. I guess she means she hasn’t eaten since ten minutes ago. Storm radios Raygan, but she ignores it. In Storm’s interview, he says, WTF is she doing? This is bullsh*t, dude. Right now what she’s doing is eating a jam donut, which she says is proper jammy. In Mzi’s interview, he says, Storm likes to take charge. He has a big work ethic, and can be a perfectionist at times, but he always steps up. Raygan finally tears herself away from the donuts, and joins the deckhands, saying, they’ve got 40 minutes to bang this out. Dave throws down some laundry, and it hits Tasha. She says she got a G-string in her eyeball; it’s the lowest point of her life. Dave says he’s so over this. The guests decide to wait until after they dock for lunch, and in Dave’s interview, he says, delaying lunch is the worst because of the potential of the food drying out. Then if dinner is later, it’s the same nightmare, but he carries on. He has to be flexible, but this could be a disaster. The guests ask for more cocktails, and Natalya says, the laundry room makes her feel like she walked into a brothel. When the laundry is out of control, she feels out of control. The wind begins to gust, and the guests go inside. Mzi and Storm go over the docking procedure, and in Raygan’s interview, she says, she’s comfortable when it comes to docking. She knows what she’s doing. Noah makes Jason explain what he’s doing until Raygan comes along, and tells Noah that Jason has to concentrate on what he’s doing. They come into port, and wow, the dolphins are tight. Captain Sandy asks if she’s clear, and Raygan says she’s got three meters. Jason says, it’s one meter; they’re going to hit. The captain hits the dolphin, and because that’s not bad enough, Noah yells, you hit it. Captain Sandy dashes to the deck.

In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, no captain wants to hit anything. It’s the first time in her career that she’s touched anything. It’s not okay. The guests are impressed with the table décor, and the lines are thrown ashore. I see a fly, but I’m not sure if it’s on the lunch table or my TV. Jason says, it’s a bit of a sh*tshow, and in Mzi’s interview, he says, the environment makes it difficult. There’s no leadership. In the captain’s interview, she says, when she approaches the dock, she expects the bosun to have things in order. This was mismanaged, and lines were everywhere. Raygan doesn’t know her job. Tasha tells Dave that he can’t expect to function on two hours sleep, and in her interview, she says she’d like to think Dave is respecting her wishes, but she can tell it’s eating him away inside. She doesn’t want to hurt him, but she feels like she’s treading on eggshells around him. Captain Sandy tells Storm, nice job, and in Raygan’s interview, she says, they could have done a few things better. They docked safely; that’s the main thing. She tells the captain, they just slightly touched; there’s no damage. Guest Anna says, food is her love language, and this is love. Natalya tells Kyle that the laundry is like a brothel, and he says, that’s because she works there. BA-DUM-CHH! They set up a plank so the guests can go ashore, and Captain Sandy says, they have permission to take the tender down. In Storm’s interview, he says, structure is needed. It’s a new team on a new boat, in a new area. There’s a pace at which they need to do things. Jason is sucking his thumb, and packing a box that should take two minutes, and it’s taking thirty. Kyle says, when he laughs, he farts, and Natalya says, his butthole needs a plug. They pretty much banter like this all the time. Noah whines about having to dock, and Mzi says, it’s for safety. Noah says, when you don’t follow rules, life is better. Obviously he’s drunk away his hangover. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, the docking was a mess. It starts with leadership. You have to be able to lead your team. We flash back to Raygan’s lack of leadership skills, or any skills except smoking and eating, and the captain says, the docking was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She texts Norma from Yacht Staffing, and says she’s looking for a bosun. Norma says she has none available, and asks if a deckhand could work.  

Storm takes the guests on a ride around the city in the tender. When they get back, it’s vodka/lychee/raspberry shots which is finally something that doesn’t turn my stomach. The guests get ready for dinner, and Natalya says, her life is doing laps. In Dave’s interview, he says, the guests want Moroccan; Moroccan is sick. If he was doing cooking like he did in Morocco, he’d dig a hole in the mud, and use charcoals, but he can’t. He has to settle for braising it in a big pot, and adding spices and herbs. Storm flirts with Natalya in the laundry room, and in her interview, she says she’s not on the hunt, but if it pops up, she won’t say no. He has to be cool, from a good family, with a good friendship group. She just broke up with her boyfriend, so she’s not rushing into anything, but she’s happy to ride the train and see where it’s going. In his interview, Dave says, on their previous boat, he and Tasha were always together. She was going to leave her current boyfriend, and he thought he was in the door. He’s afraid she’s regretting it now, and it’s making him feel worthless. When he falls in love, he want to talk about it, but he can’t. What a drama queen, but what he can do is make amazing food. He comes up with the dinner, and guest Kelly says, he’s the man. She’s trying so many new things. Kyle says, are we happy penis? then insists he said happiness. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s a born service queen. The interior is excellent. Tasha’s cocktails are extraordinary, and Natalya excels in housekeeping and laundry. He’s all for supporting the team, but if the tip is whopping, it’s because of them. The guests go to the upper deck for dessert, and it’s decorated with gauzy white drapes, low tables, and floor pillows. Noah asks if this is more of that hippie sh*t. Dessert is a white chocolate pie, which Kelly says, rocked their world. I’m not a huge white chocolate fan, but I have the feeling that I’d even like things I don’t like from some of these yacht chefs. Emily says, this day of the charter was a terrible day, and she lost a sh*t ton of stocks. Noah says, she’s still rich. In their cabin, Storm bitches at Mzi for missing the toilet. Tasha asks if Dave is okay, and he says his mind won’t stop. She says, stop what? and he says, thinking about everything. Is there something she’s not telling him? She says, he’s starting to freak her out. It’s like she’s on eggshells. He asks if she’s scared of what he’s going to say, and she says she just doesn’t know what he’s going to do. It’s not stuff anyone needs to know. Dave says he feels like crying all the time, and doesn’t like it. She tells him that he needs to get some sleep, and he tucks her in. Ugh. These chefs are always so sensitive.

It’s breakfast time, and Tasha says, Dave must have slept, but he says he got no sleep. She says, that’s not all right, then they move to the topic of bread making. Captain Sandy asks Storm to meet her on the bridge for a quick chat. They talk about the docking, and she says she loves how he took charge. He understands it’s critical to get the lines on shore. She wanted to acknowledge that, and says she’ll talk to him later. Emily says they went above and beyond, and Anna says she’s so sad to leave. The guests pack and the crew changes to their whites. The captain radios the crew to meet on the dock for guest departure.

In Mzi’s interview, he says, at the end of every charter, there’s a woo-hoo. It’s been tense, so he’s looking forward to a drinky winky tonight. Emily tells them, it was unreal. They were all amazing, and the only complaint was being kept waiting to get in the water. We flash back to that, and yeah, there was no excuse. Emily gives the captain the tip envelope, and says, well done, team.

At the tip meeting, Captain Sandy says, it was a difficult docking. The lines took a long time, and she touched the mooring buoys. That can never happen. Interior, as always, did an amazing job. She hasn’t had a chef like Dave in a long time; he’s doing a great job. It was overall a great charter. The tip is $19K or $1,727 each. The crew applauds and toasts themselves. The captain thanks them, and tells them to enjoy their night out.

Captain Sandy calls Raygan to the bridge, and tells her, have a seat.

To be continued…

🥀 Final Frontier…

She was truly a trailblazer.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/31/entertainment/nichelle-nichols-star-trek-dies/index.html

👢 Walking the Line…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and a tea leaf or two. Until then, stay safe, stay away from pettiness, and stay not struggling over anything on a turret.

Jun4

June 3, 2021 – Laura Negotiates With Cyrus, Covid Hits the Listings, Renovation Is Hard & Brooklyn

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Peter tumbles down the stairs, and lies at the bottom on the landing. Blood pools around his head. Someone runs down behind him, and stands on the steps. We see the fake passports for Peter and Maxie on the floor next to him. A hospital employee runs up the other stairs, and checks the pulse in his neck.

Earlier. On the hospital roof, Peter looks at the fake passports. He looks up, and we see a helicopter. His phone rings, and he says, yeah… It’s too late? For what he’s paying them, they should be where he wants, when he wants… He doesn’t care. Hurry. He has to get the hell out of there. Finn says, he’s not going anywhere, and Peter tells Finn, stay out of his way. His daughter’s out there. Finn says, and his son is dying downstairs. Give him what he needs to save his son.

Valentin comes into the hospital, and asks if Elizabeth has seen Anna. Elizabeth says Anna is in Maxie’s room on the 4th floor. Valentin asks if Maxie had her baby, but Elizabeth says she hasn’t seen Maxie’s baby. He asks if Maxie is all right, and she says, physically, Maxie is fine, no thanks to him. He says, I beg your pardon? and she says, he looked the other way, so did Anna. They both knew what Peter was capable of, yet he and Anna still unleashed him on the rest of them.

Anna asks Maxie if something happened to her baby. Maxie says, thanks to Peter, her daughter is gone.

Brook tells Louise, she’s happy now. Look at them. Louise is only a few hours old, and already in her first hotel room. A 9.3 guest rating; she could do worse. She’s really real. She always knew Louise was real, but she seems so much more impressive now that she’s there. They’ve got a long road ahead of them.

Willow answers the gatehouse door to Michael, who says he wanted to see how she was doing. She says she tried to rest, but she still feels guilty. Michael comes inside, and she says, tonight, when Chase sent them home, all she could think about is how she wanted to be with Michael.

On the phone, Laura says, Cyrus is looking to keep a hostage. Here’s her offer. Let Portia and Trina go, and take her instead. Cyrus says, he’ll trade Trina for her, but the good doctor stays. Laura says, he releases both of them, and then she comes in. That’s her offer; think it over.

Outside, Doc asks Laura if she was bluffing, but she says she meant every word. He says she can’t turn herself over to that man. He’ll kill her. She says she knows he’s concerned, and he says he was called there to negotiate a hostage situation. He can’t do his job effectively if his wife is offering herself up as one of the hostages. She says it makes sense because she has a connection to Cyrus, and he says, that appears to be severed. She says, not completely. If she can use that connection, he’ll let Trina and Portia go free. He says, or they let the police do their job. Or let him do his, and negotiate, which is better than risking the mayor’s life. Jordan says she agrees; it’s too risky. She can’t let Laura go in there. Laura says, with all due respect, Jordan can’t stop her either.

Anna asks what Maxie is telling her, when Mac comes in. He tells Maxie that he’s sorry. He’s going to do everything he can to protect her, and get his new granddaughter back. She says she knows he will. She didn’t have a chance to check Peter’s confession before she sent it; did it go through okay? He says, clear as a bell, and she asks if it’s enough to lock Peter up. He says she’s amazing. He doesn’t know where she found the wherewithal to get Peter to confess, not to mention the presence of mind to record it. She says she did what she had to do. Just promise her that he’s not going to get away with it this time. Mac says he thinks they’ve got Peter. Besides the confession, Gladys Corbin named him as Franco’s killer. They’ve got an APB out, and they’re doing a floor by floor search of the entire hospital. He’s on his way to security right now to check the footage. Is she going to be okay? She says, as okay as she can be under the circumstances. He asks if Anna will stay with Maxie, and Anna says, of course (🍷). Maxie says, please just find Peter, and Mac leaves. Anna asks how Maxie got Peter to confess, and Maxie says she hired a nurse to help with her pregnancy. Unfortunately, Peter replaced that nurse with an imposter to kidnap her and induce labor. The imposter double-crossed him, and took off with their child. Anna says, that’s awful, but is Maxie sure it wasn’t another trick? Is she sure this woman didn’t hand off the baby to Peter? Maxie says, trust her. Peter has no idea where their daughter is.

Brook tells Louise, this part is a little tricky. They can’t just walk into the Q mansion. That would be chaos, not to mention the lecture she’d get from Valentin, which from his perspective will be completely justified. Valentin is going to take one look at Louise, and fall madly in love with her. He’s going to give Brook back the ELQ stock. That is what we call collateral benefits. The most important thing is, he’s going to take care of Louise like nobody’s business. He’s going to protect her. First things first, they have to get her home, which means she has to call someone she trusts enough to lie to.

Valentin says Elizabeth is right about everything she just said. He gave Peter far too much leash. She’s suffered enormously, and he’s truly, truly sorry. She says, apparently, Gladys Corbin just told the police it was Peter who killed Franco, not Jason. Any thoughts on that? He says just that he’s sorry, but he has to find Anna to warn her, because Peter is far more dangerous when he’s cornered. She says she’s sure she is, excuses herself, and jets.

Peter says he’s sorry Chase is unwell, and Finn says, Peter poisoned him. He knows Peter tried to poison him, and the toxin got delivered to Chase instead. Peter says Finn has been reading too many spy novels, but Finn says they’re talking about his son’s life. Peter’s been holding the antidote over Anna’s head so she’ll fall into line, threatening to withhold it if she doesn’t do what Peter says. Peter says it does sound like something Anna would make up, and that Finn would believe. Peter’s phone dings, and he sees a text from the helicopter pilot, saying, I can’t land. He starts to walk away, but Finn grabs his arm, and says, if he wants to play games with Anna and the WSB, go ahead. He’s not going to let Chase die. Peter says, if Chase dies, blame Anna.

Portia tells Cyrus to keep her; just let Trina go. Trina says, no. She’s not leaving Portia alone with that psycho. Cyrus tells them, shut up, and Portia tells him to point the gun away from her daughter. He tells her that she has no say in who comes or goes. She has no say in anything. Understood? Portia says, fine, and Cyrus goes to the window to look out. Portia says, if Trina gets the chance, she wants her to run. Trina says, no, but Portia says, just do it, okay?

Taggert launches himself toward the house, and two officers grab him. Jordan tells them to stand down, and tells Taggert to stand down too. Taggert says, that son of a bitch has Trina and Portia in there. Curtis says, Taggert isn’t going to help anything, and Taggert pushes past the police tape, but Curtis tells him to listen to Jordan.

Inside, Cyrus wonders, what’s going on out there? He grabs Trina, and Portia screams at him to get his hands off her daughter. Everyone outside hears her.

Peter tells Finn, Anna deceived and betrayed them both, and Finn let her. He’s not going to do that. Doesn’t Finn see? There have to be consequences. Finn says, not for Chase; he has nothing to do with this. Peter says, Finn is right. It should have been him in the hospital fighting for his life. What can he say? He missed. (Okay, I have to admit, I laugh.) Finn says, this isn’t about Anna anymore, but Peter says, on the contrary. It’s absolutely about Anna. The rules were very clear. She was only to get the antidote if she didn’t disclose his involvement. She broke the rules. Finn says, she broke the rules to save Chase’s life, but Peter says, no, to save his life with this – he shows Finn a vial – she had to follow the rules. Now if Finn is done wasting his time… He starts to walk away, and Finn asks where he thinks he’s going. Peter says he’s going to find his daughter, and launches the vial over the side of the roof. Finn says, no! and Peter says, consequences. He didn’t sentence Chase to death; Anna did. Peter walks away, and after a beat, Finn follows him.

The phone rings and Cyrus tells Portia to answer it. Portia tells Jordan to get her people back, and Jordan asks if she and Trina are all right. Portia says they’re fine, and Cyrus says, fine for now, unless Taggert decides to play hero. Jordan says, don’t worry. Marcus understands what’s at stake. Cyrus says, good. Now get his sister back on the phone. She’s the only one who appears to understand the situation. Jordan says, the mayor has stepped away to deal with the press, and Cyrus says, get her back now. He tells Portia, hang up.

Jordan tells Taggert, another move like that, and she’ll have him locked up. Does he understand her? If he wants to stay, stay out of her way. Wait. She tells the officers to get Taggert away from the area. If he tries to rush the house again, cuff him to a squad car. They lead Taggert away, and Curtis tells Jordan that he’s going to check on Laura. A SWAT guy tells Jordan that everything is in place. They have the house surrounded, and will breach at her signal. Curtis tells Jordan that Doc insisted Laura wear a bulletproof vest, and Jordan says, there’s no talking her out of this, is there? Curtis says she could cuff Laura to a squad car with Taggert, and she says, fine. If Laura insists on going in there, they need to use her relationship with Cyrus to their advantage.

Michael tells Willow that he feels bad for Chase, but he’s not going to feel bad for loving her. She says she loves him too, but they agreed this wouldn’t be a good idea. He says he changed his mind. They did their best for Chase, but being together tonight isn’t going to hurt him. They’re about to kiss, when Michael’s phone rings, and he ignores it, but Willow says, what if it’s the hospital? He answers, and says, what’s up?… Oh my God, what?   

Finn follows Peter. As Peter opens the door, Finn grabs him, and throws him down the stairs. And I mean throws. Peter lies at the bottom of the stairs on the landing, blood pooling around his head, the fake passports next to him on the floor. Elizabeth runs up the stairs. She checks the pulse in Peter’s neck, and asks if he can hear her. Finn comes down the stairs, and says, is he…?  

Laura tells Doc that her daughter is lying in a hospital, and may never open her eyes again because of that man. She couldn’t live with herself if she let that happen to another child, or to another mother. She’s sorry if that’s not what he wanted her to say, and he says, it isn’t, but that’s who she is. Right now, he hates that he loves that about her. She thanks him for understanding, and thanks him for loving her. He says, his pleasure… always. Jordan joins them, and says, Cyrus agreed to the trade. Laura says, both Trina and Portia are coming out in exchange for her, and Jordan says she wants to stress that Laura doesn’t have to go through with this. She has a SWAT team in place. Laura says she knows that, but thinks they can all agree, this is the best way forward. When Portia and Trina come out, and she goes in, she wants Jordan to take whatever action she believes is most effective. Jordan says she won’t let Laura go in unprepared.

Portia says, Cyrus is bleeding. It’s an infection waiting to happen. Let her change his bandage. Can Trina get her some fresh gauze? Cyrus asks why Portia can’t get it, and she says it’s easier to work on him if he’s not holding a human shield. He lets go of Trina, and Portia says she has gauze in her bag. Portia tells Cyrus to sit down, and he says he’s watching Trina. He tells Portia, he always wanted to have a kid, but she says, children require sacrifice. Parents need to think about them first; what’s best for them, not you. He asks what she’s implying, and she says she’s not surprised he doesn’t have any.  

Anna says she’s so sorry, and Maxie asks, why? It’s not her fault. Anna says, it sickens her; the thought of Maxie’s baby out there with some stranger. Maxie cries, and says she just keeps thinking, it’s just good she’s not with Peter. Anna says, that much is true, and Maxie says, she’s realized, the only thing worse than being Peter’s enemy, is being loved by him.

Brook makes up the bed, and asks if Louise is lonely. All that time she spent cuddled up inside her mama. She can’t imagine how much her mama is missing her right now. She never thought she’d say this – she never got along with Louise’s mama – but she’s one strong lady. So strong in fact, and she loves Louise so much, she gave Louise to her. Just for now, until her daddy goes up the river. Can she say penitentiary? Not yet? Don’t worry, she’ll get the hang of it. In the meantime, her job is to keep Louise safe, which is exactly what she’s going to do.

Jordan says she’ll be monitoring Laura the entire time she’s inside, and Laura says, great, but Jordan is going to give her time, right? She wants time to talk Cyrus down, and get him to turn himself in. Jordan asks if Laura believes that’s a possibility, and Laura says, possible, yes, but likely? No, but she has to try. Jordan says her priority is to get Laura out alive. She’ll give Laura time, but not much. And they need a signal. Just a word. Something that won’t make Cyrus suspicious. When they hear it, she’ll signal the SWAT team to breach. Laura says, how about his mother’s name, Florence? and Jordan says, okay, that works. Curtis says, please just don’t say it by accident, and Laura says she’ll be very careful. Doc says, please do. Jordan says, let’s do this, and Doc hugs Laura, saying, be careful, be careful, be careful.

The phone rings, and Portia hands it to Cyrus, who says, Laura? Doc says it’s him, and Cyrus says, his erstwhile brother-in-law. Thanks for reaching out, but he’s not interested in Doc’s services. Doc says he’s not calling as a psychiatrist or a negotiator. He’s calling as Laura’s husband. Cyrus asks if Doc talked Laura out of coming in, or is he going to try and talk Cyrus out of trading Portia and Trina’s lives for his sister’s? Doc says he was unable to persuade Laura not to come in, so he asked Jordan to let him talk them through the exchange. Given they each have as much to lose. Cyrus laughs, and says, they both know that’s not true, but Doc guesses that’s a matter of perspective. Either way, Cyrus needs to get ready. Laura is approaching the house. Cyrus asks how he knows he’s not going to be shot the moment he opens the door, and Doc says, because his wife will be directly in front of Cyrus. Cyrus motions Portia and Train to go to the door, and Portia opens it. Cyrus puts Trina in front of him.   

Elizabeth tells Finn that she’s sorry. She’s not getting anything; no pulse, no breath. He’s gone. Finn sits on the stairs, his head in his hands, and says, oh no. He hurries to Peter, and checks Peter’s wrist, saying, come on. He sits back down, and says he killed the one person who can save Chase’s life.

Mac sees Anna outside Maxie’s room, and asks, how is she? Anna says she’s all right, but she wanted some time alone. Mac heads for Maxie’s room, and Valentin comes out of the elevator.

Maxie asks if Mac found Peter, and Mac says, not yet. They’re still searching.

Valentin says, Maxie had her baby? and Anna says, she did, but something happened. Her baby is missing. 

Finn says, the police are looking for Peter. They have to tell someone. Elizabeth asks, why? and Finn says, because they have to? She says, Peter hurt a lot of people. He killed Franco; he deserves to rot. He says, they can’t leave him, but she says, they’ll find him soon. They’re probably looking right now, so they have to go. Finn says he can’t, and she asks, why not? He says he did this. He threw Peter down the stairs, and killed him. Peter threw the antidote off the roof, and he lost it. She says if he tells the police what happened, there will be an investigation. He’ll lose precious time he needs to save Chase. Worse, he could go to prison, and Violet will lose another parent. He says, they can’t leave Peter there, and she picks up the passports. She says, these are passports with fake names. Maxie is Jennifer Brady. Does he think Maxie knows about this? Does he think Maxie consented to this? Peter was planning on taking Maxie someplace against her will. She won’t let Finn go to prison for killing a man who deserved to die. Finn says, the antidote is gone. Peter said, if Chase dies, it’s Anna’s fault, but it turns out, it’s going to be his. She says, it’s Peter’s fault, and no one else’s. He poisoned Chase and withheld treatment. Finn is Chase’s best chance for survival, but he can’t save Chase from behind bars. Finn says, they can’t leave him there.

There’s a knock at Brook’s door, and she tells Louise, it’s show time, sweetie. Michael comes in with Willow, and she says she didn’t know he was bringing a plus-one. He says he got the call when he was at the gatehouse, and Brook says, the more, the merrier. She can’t believe she thought she could drive herself home. She can barely be on her feet. Willow says, of course (🍷). She just had a baby; she’s beautiful. Brook says, she is. Ten fingers and ten toes. She’s really here. Michael asks, what happened? He thought she was visiting a friend. Brook says, that was the plan. While she was driving, she started getting contractions. Before she knew it, her water broke. She called her friend Cecilia, who, thank God, knew a doula in the area. After that, things were moving like a speeding train. She came there, then the doula came, then the baby came, then housekeeping came to change the sheets because… well, they get it. Anyway, mommy and baby are there safe and sound. Willow says, it must have been terrifying, and Brook says, it was something. Willow goes over to Louise, and tells Michael, look at her, and Michael says, hey you. Does she have a name? Brook says, Bailey. Baily Lois Quartermaine. He says, BLQ II, and Brook says, it has a nice ring to it, doncha think? Willow says, it’s perfect. Welcome to the world. She knows Bailey’s mama is so glad she’s there. Brook says, she sure is. She just wants to get her baby home, safe and sound. Michael says, that’s what they’ll do after they stop at GH, but Brook says, they’re fine. Michael says he’ll take her home once she and the baby have been looked at.  

Laura tells Cyrus, she’s there; he can let them go. Portia says, let Trina go first, but Laura tells Portia that Trina will be right behind her. Go now. Portia walks out, and Laura tells Trina, it’s okay. They’re going to switch places. She’s going to step between Trina and Cyrus, and when she does, Cyrus will let her go, and she’s going to run to her parents. Do it on three. One…  She moves toward Cyrus. Two… She steps in between them. Three… run. Trina takes off, and runs to Portia, who holds her. Laura goes inside, and Cyrus says, welcome. Laura says she’s glad she’s there, and he says, if she’s truly there as his sister, she’ll treat him as her brother, not a criminal. She says, okay. Tell her how to do that. He says, take off the vest.  

Laura removes the vest, and says, okay, vest off. She’s here as his sister. Cyrus says, she was the one who was so eager to join him. He’s guessing she has a particular conversation in mind. She says she does. She’s here because of his mother. She’s such a sweet woman. She knows this isn’t what his mother would have wanted for him. He laughs, and says, this is her plea? The woman who can barely tolerate being in the same room with him wouldn’t want this?

Jordan tells Doc, time to call in; make Cyrus believe they’re worried. He says, as if they’re not, and calls. Cyrus’s phone rings, and Laura says, he’s not going to answer? He says, they can wait. He’d rather hear more of her theories about his mother, who she’s met once. Laura says she just knows a mother’s love. She doesn’t think it’s in his mother’s nature to cut him out of her heart completely. He says, not everyone is her. The world is filled with terrible mothers. She says, if his mother’s so terrible, why does he care what she thinks? and he yells, because she’s his mother. She’s not terrible, she just disapproves of his choices. Laura says she thinks if his mother didn’t care at all, this… He says, this wouldn’t bother her? Okay, they have time to kill. Say he believes her. How would she suggest he go about opening his mother’s heart? She says, be the person his mother wants him to be, longs for him to be. Somewhere deep down inside is the little child she lost. Bring him back.

Curtis says, Laura is good, and Doc says, she is. Jordan asks if Doc thinks it will work, and he says, they’ll know soon enough.

Trina says Taggert came to get her; he wasn’t going to let Cyrus hurt her. Taggert says, not in a million years, and hugs her. Portia tells Curtis, she keeps seeing Cyrus holding the gun on Trina. She should have let him bleed out on her rug. Then she feels bad for thinking that, and she can’t stop shaking. Curtis says he gets that, and she says she thought he might. He says, the drama takes a long time to process. If she wants to talk, he wants her to know he’s here for her. Taggert thanks Curtis for talking him down; Portia and Trina mean the world to him. Curtis says, trust him. He gets it.

Cyrus tells Laura that she’s more his sister than she knows, and she says, how’s that? He says, she instinctively knows how to find a person’s weakness, then surgically drill down, and turn it into an asset. She won’t admit it, but she’s cruel. What else would drive her to wound him so? She says he’s so used to fighting with people, he can’t tell when someone is trying to help him. She doesn’t want to wound him. She cries, and says, she’s trying to save his life.

Anna tells Valentin, Maxie got Peter to confess to hiring the nurse who ultimately stole Maxie’s baby. Valentin suspects they’ve underestimated Maxie, and Anna says, she is a brave woman, but she’s in so much shock right now. She’s relieved the baby isn’t with Peter, but the potential outcome of the situation hasn’t gotten to her yet. She doesn’t know when it will.

On the phone, Mac says, search the whole building. He tells Maxie, sorry, and she says, they didn’t find Peter? He says, not yet, but when they do, Peter will give them the kidnapper’s real name.   

Anna tells Valentin that she has to find Finn.

Finn tells Elizabeth he’s not sure about this, but she says, the police know Peter is on the run. All they have to do is let them think he got away. No one will ever know he’s dead. Finn looks down, and sees Anna at the reception desk. He comes down with Elizabeth, and Anna says, it’s about Peter. He had Maxie’s baby kidnapped. The woman that he hired to kidnap Maxie and deliver her baby, double-crossed him and took off with the child. He didn’t show up there with the antidote either. Elizabeth asks if they have any idea where he is, and Anna says, he disappeared, which is what she suspected he’d do. She tells Finn that she’s sorry, and Elizabeth says, it was a mistake to depend on Peter. The best thing for Chase, is to find an actual cure, and that’s what they’re going to do. Anna says, for what it’s worth (🍷), they have her word. As long as Peter is out there, she won’t stop looking for him.

Willow brings Brook into the hospital with the baby, and Brook says, Michael didn’t have to drop them off and park the car. She’s perfectly fine to sit there by herself. She sits down, and Willow says, it’s just an excuse to be around the baby. Brook says she can’t blame Willow for that. Willow leaves to find someone to help, and Maxie puts on her robe. She goes to the window, and Brook holds Louise up, so Maxie can see her.

Doc says he doesn’t like this. They need to get Cyrus back on the line. Curtis says, with Doc calling every few minutes, Cyrus won’t know that they can hear him. He’ll think he has the upper hand. Doc says, he does have the upper hand. His tone is starting to shift; he’s becoming more unstable. Jordan says they need to go in, and Curtis says, with anyone else, maybe. Doc says, but not with his wife? Curtis says he realizes he doesn’t know Laura the way Doc does, but he and Laura have been in some dangerous situations. She’s always cool. If it gets too dangerous, she’ll use the code word.

Laura tells Cyrus, help her save his life. Answer the phone, and tell them she’s okay. He asks why they’d trust him, and she says because he let Trina and Portia go; that’s good. It bought him time, but that time is running out. He says, if that’s true, it won’t end well for her, and she says, the only way it will end well, is if they both walk out together. He says, then what? He goes to prison, and she walks away. She steps back into her life; the life she had before he entered it. He’ll be back in Pentenville, and Martin, maybe she’ll accept him or maybe she’ll reject him completely. He doesn’t really care. She asks, then why bring him up? and he says, no matter what she thinks, Martin is his family; like his mother, and like her, and family matters to him. He cries, and she says, then let her save his life. He says, incarceration is not a life. He won’t throw away everything he’s achieved, everything he’s built, just so she can have him locked back up in solitary. He won’t be an afterthought or a bad memory.

Jordan tells her team to get in position, and wait for her signal.

Cyrus tells Laura, it’s simple. Either he walks out a free man, or neither one of them is getting out alive.

Tomorrow, Finn says Peter won’t bother Maxie again, Valentin meets (not) his baby, Cyrus says whatever happens to him happens to Laura too, and Carly asks Jason if he thinks she screwed up something.

Million Dollar Listing New York

Ryan was looking at a property in Brooklyn from developer Avi Fisher, who he’s had an ongoing business relationship with for a while now. Ryan said it was the most luxurious project in Brooklyn, and with 138 units, his potential commission was $8 million. Altogether, the property was 22,000 square feet, and 300 feet high. After showing Ryan the automatic valet garage – which was impressive, but I wondered what you did when you wanted your car back – Ari took Ryan to the 13th floor penthouse. I’d thought buildings pretended not to have 13th floors, but I guess builders aren’t superstitious anymore. In Ryan’s interview, he said, everything people went to Manhattan for, was now in Brooklyn. Their next stop was the rooftop deck, that had 360° views, which were fantastic. Ari said they’d bought the air rights, and in his interview, Ryan said this was done to keep views unobstructed, and they’d probably spent millions just on air. While Ryan thought this was a sure partnership, Ari said he wanted Ryan’s opinion, but at the end of the day, the company would do what was right for them.

With assistant Kemba and team member Josh helping him, Tyler had the open house for the 2nd floor apartment that was across from a police and fire station. It had been on the market for a year with no nibbles, when Tyler took over. Owner Robert had taken Tyler’s advice and, in addition to dropping the price to $2.1 million, spent $70 in staging. In Tyler’s interview, he said if he couldn’t get it sold, he was going to look like an a-hole. Being on the 2nd floor alone made it challenging, so Tyler rolled with the police/fire station issue by hiring gorgeous male models dressed as cops and firefighters. He said it captured the idea of safety and being prepared, but was mostly for distraction. He was bringing the outside, inside. He’d been hearing more about covid, and people were getting anxious, which was making him anxious. A broker called the models a walking calendar shoot, and Tyler decided that celebrating the UES and firemen had been a good idea. He’d also pointed out the soundproof, $10K each, windows. KJ showed up, and in his interview, Tyler said he felt uncomfortable. The last time she’d come to one of his opens, she took the opportunity to steal his business. KJ said she was selling another apartment on the 3rd floor, and wanted to get the vibe.  

March 14, 2020. KJ said covid was starting to be on everyone’s mind. She met with her friend Stephanie, one of her European jet-set group, at Stephanie’s apartment. Stephanie said the apartment had been a passion project, but it was time to move; they needed more room. Stephanie had added a floor onto the building, bought the roof and air rights, and constructed a 1300 square foot penthouse. The penthouse had a glass NanaWall, a folding glass door that took up the entire wall, and led out to a sky terrace. The master closet was humongous, with sliding shelves, and clothes hanging behind clothes. KJ thought it was modern, but European. There were odd angles because of some rules about airflow from the Department of Buildings, since no one wanted a penthouse to blow off the roof. Stephanie wanted $3 million, but KJ said $2.895 million would get more people in the door. Not that Stephanie still wouldn’t make a huge profit.  

Steve wanted to get more listings in the building where he lived. His end goal was to make the SoHo apartment his family’s forever home. His open for the Baxter Street apartment – the one that touched four different neighborhoods – had been packed and insane, but Steve was worried covid was going to affect his sales. A broker called saying the apartment was great, but the lobby was lacking, and Steve explained it was going to be renovated. I was surprised that he hadn’t made that clear to everyone who went to the open, since it was an obvious issue. He told the broker that he’d send renderings, and in his interview, he said he felt like he’d cracked the code. He also felt that if it didn’t get sold now, it wasn’t going to happen.

March 16, 2020. Ryan met with broker Barbara to show the gigantic townhouse ,but her client had canceled. In Ryan’s interview, he said, the NBA had canceled, Tom Hanks had covid, and restaurants were closing. Some people claimed the virus would hit them hard, but some people said it was just the flu. He wanted to be cautious, but didn’t want to stop life. He showed Barbara around the 11,000 square foot, 5 bedroom, 12 bath mansion townhouse, with a 2000 square foot master bedroom, housing a 6 foot in diameter soaking tub. While I’m at it, there was a two-story open chef’s (whatever that means) kitchen, and an enclosed dining terrace that had walls of piping where an ivy system (as Ryan put it) could be grown. There was a fitness center, an endless pool, a sauna, and steam room. Barbara said her clients would want to see it for themselves, and Ryan said he’d be happy to get them hazmat suits. After she left, Ryan called the office, but found out from assistant Jordan that the other two showings had canceled. Jordan said people were canceling by minute, and thought Ryan should go home and be with his family like everyone else. They could figure out the rest later.

March 17, 2020. Tyler got three offers on the 2nd floor apartment; one for $2 million, one for the asking price of $2.150 million, and one for $2.175 million, all cash. He’d met with broker Danielle who said her client was a single mom who wasn’t going to be interested in getting into a bidding war, ending Tyler’s fantasy about that. They discussed how unbelievable it would be for NYC to shut down, and Tyler said he couldn’t see it. In Tyler’s interview, he said, when you told a broker that you had other bidders in a down market, they thought you were playing a game. His gut told him to go with the all cash offer and wrap it up, especially with the virus looming. He called Robert, who agreed to go with it, and Tyler could smell his commission of $65,250. He told Danielle it was a deal, but she said her buyer had just called, and got cold feet after speaking to her finance guy, who said she shouldn’t go over asking price. Tyler said it would have been nice to know before he called the owner, and Danielle said, these things happened, and she was just kidding. They had a deal. In his interview, Tyler said, how dare she take his gay ass on an emotional roller coaster ride?

March 18, 2020. KJ said the virus had started to hit home. She had one kid whose school had closed. That meant it was a big deal. She headed for an apartment building on West 95th Street, which she said was an affordable luxury building. You could get a 2 bedroom for the same price as a 1 bedroom condo, and she was taking the smaller properties because she wanted a more diverse portfolio. She’d been helping to refresh and sell apartments in the 200 unit building since 2017. She met with the seller’s team, who seemed pretty antsy about sanitizing and social distancing before it was even fashionable. KJ checked out the 949 square foot apartment, and in her interview, she said that she loved being involved in the staging part of the process. If the apartment wasn’t big, they needed to stage to maximize space. Sometimes developers took her staging advice, and sometimes not, but they’d been agreeable in the past. The seller said KJ had sold 13 out of 22 apartments, and they had 13 they needed to move quickly. KJ suggested a price of $1.595 million, with her potential commission being $490K and change. She found out that her other kid’s school had been suspended for two weeks, then Stefano texted, saying the market was cleaned out. As KJ jetted from the building, a producer asked what the text was about, and she told them it was the school, leaving out the market part. She seemed close to tears, and said she just wanted to be home, and be with her kids. She thought this was going to affect everything deeply. Boy, we didn’t know the half of it then. What was interesting was, it was like I was feeling it as they were experiencing it. It was kind of weird.

March 19, 2020. Steve spoke to David, the owner of Baxter Street, and said he was hoping for more showings, and to bring David an offer soon. David said he was now working from home, and thinking of taking the apartment off the market. He had a reappreciation for the environment now, and couldn’t see living somewhere else. Steve asked if there was no way David would reconsider, but David said he couldn’t; no way. In Steve’s interview, he said it was his first client to have their work affected. He didn’t know if it was an overreaction, but he had to be sensitive to what was going on. He told David, as a broker, he should give David a bunch of reasons why he should sell it, but he was sympathetic to the situation.

March 20, 2020. Fredrik called his office in NYC, and said he was coming out, but his assistant Ellis said that offices were shutting down. They were no longer allowed in the office building. He thought Fredrik should stay in L.A. with Derek and the kids. Besides, flights were being canceled. They were worried about people backing out of deals because people were leaving NYC. In Fredrik’s interview, he said it was impossible to shut down NYC. He had 80 agents in 5 markets. This was something he’d seen in movies, but it usually involved vampires or zombies. He told Ellis to keep checking on flights.

3 hours later. Ryan said, non-essential businesses were being told to shut down. NYC was falling apart. There were stay-at-home orders for non-essential workers. WTF was going on? Things they’d thought wouldn’t happen, were happening. Shutting down NYC was impossible. Things happened in the world that were bad, but this was new. It wasn’t something that happened in the USA. He called Jordan, and said to tell the team to do what they wanted. He thought maybe they should take the listings off-market temporarily.

Next time, brokers in quarantine, phase-two reopening, and applauding essential workers.

🏰 They slid right into Ryan’s Renovation, where Ryan had gotten an 8000 square foot townhouse in Brooklyn for $7.6 million. He said, it was fine as is, but they didn’t want fine, and his small renovation turned into a full gut of the house. They started with September 2019, day 143 of the renovation. Construction manager David had taken a two-family house, and made it into one, putting in a staircase. They’d also made provision for Emelia’s mom Despina. In her interview, Emilia said that Ryan couldn’t live without her mom, but her mom came with her dad, her sister, her brother, and their people. You didn’t just get one; you got more. No surprise, the property was beautiful, and I was especially taken with the 26’ closet. That’s longer than my living room. Emilia said she and Ryan had different decorating styles. She tended to go for super moody. Ryan said he didn’t really have a particular choice, but he knew what sold, and buyers liked it bright.  

Ryan moaned about the budget, saying there was always something wrong. He’d thought the renovation would run around $1.5 million, but they kept coming across roadblocks, like needing a steel beam reinforcement if they wanted to put in an elevator. He’d been off by $1.1 million, plus their June completion date had already been moved to August.

Ryan’s mom came to visit for Zena’s first birthday party. Emilia said there were going to be 65 people, and in Ryan’s interview, he said his family wasn’t super flashy or loud; not like the Greeks. They were conservative, and if they could have kept the same car for the rest of their lives, they would. He appropriated that quality in business, which made him cost effective and efficient, but he only had one life. He said the house was a never-ending renovation that might kill him.

I’m not sure what to say about Zena’s birthday party. I don’t think I’ve been to an adult party that elaborate, except for a wedding. Although I’ve never seen a ballpit at a wedding, let alone a white and gold one. The cake actually looked like a wedding cake, with a gold cherub playing a harp on top. You can’t tell me that was for a one-year-old who probably would have preferred something like SpongeBob. Ryan found out about another unexpected expense, and said, if one more bad thing happened, he was going to lose it.

Next time, Ryan is nervous to show the townhouse to Emilia’s dad, a house blessing, and Ryan is tempted with a $12 million offer.

👋 Hello, I Must Be Going…

Saving the tea for tomorrow, but tonight, stay safe, stay unbreakable, and stay not throwing elaborate parties for one year olds. They won’t remember it, so at least admit it’s for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0uvKk4S7CY