(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
😳 Oops. My bad. After the insane week I’ve had, I had a hard time reading my own shorthand yesterday and attributed Nelle and Brook’s final words backward. Sorry about that. I did question myself at the time, and should have known Brook would never back down to Nelle. The correct version is in today’s post. Moving forward…
Lucy welcomes us back, and says, once again, the 2020 General Hospital Nurses Ball telethon, a spectacular event to raise money for frontline workers’ special safety equipment. It’s a great honor to introduce everyone’s favorite nurse at GH, EpiphanyJohnson. Epiphany comes out, and explains that hospitals are a collaboration. They aren’t made up of just doctors and nurses, but orderlies, lab technicians, cleaners and other workers.Together they provide essential services. These are incredibly stressful jobs, and take their toll on service providers and their families. The viewer donations let them know that the community they support, supports them back. Lucy says the telethon is a way to say thank you to all the medical personnel and first responders, who are heroes, along with their families, and who do so much for them. While the viewers are making donations, they’ll be entertained with amazing acts still to come.
In the bathroom, Ava tells Nina, the Cassadine men do have a way of getting under their skin. Nina says, which brings her back to Nikolas. Is he trying to make Ava jealous by making a fuss over Elizabeth? Even if they’re married in name only, flirting, especially with a married woman, is just tacky. Ava says, and also profitable. If Nikolas sleeps with another woman, he’ll break the infidelity clause, and she’ll wind up with 90% of the Cassadine estate. Nikolas can shower tributes on Elizabeth to his heart’s content, and if he woos her into bed, Ava gets the payoff she deserves. Inside one of the stalls, Elizabeth listens.
Carly tells Jax that Josslyn called. He wonders if there’s something wrong, but she says she thinks Josslyn was just checking in. She might be looking for a congratulatory present. Jax asks if Carly knows Josslyn has been angling for a car, and Carly says she does. She’ll let him handle that. Before he leaves, Jax tells Nikolas, the scholarship for the nursing students in Elizabeth’s name was generous, but maybe he should have thought about it a little more. Franco says, Jax has a point. Next time a wave of generosity washes over him, he may want to shower it onto his wife.
Michael explains the Quartermaine relationships to Willow, telling her, Tracy married Luke. Michael thought it was a fraudulent marriage, but he can’t keep track. They definitely turned out to be life partners though. She asks if unconventional marriages are a thing for the Quartermaines, and he says they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Monica sits back down on the couch, and says, still sleeping; disaster averted. Julian comes up behind her, and chloroforms her, knocking her out. Wiley sleeps peacefully with Mr. Hopsicle.
Brook tells Nelle that she can’t wait until Nelle is hauled off in handcuffs in front of everyone there, and all the people viewing at home. Nelle says the police won’t believe Brook; they’ll say she’s harassing Nelle. Brook says, she’ll call Michael, and he can call the police, but Nelle smacks the phone out of Brook’s hand. Brook says, no worries. Mac is there; he can arrest her himself. Brook heads for the door, and Nelle says she’s sorry. She picks up the shears, and asks Brook to pretend that she didn’t see or hear anything. Brook turns around, and stupidly walks back to Nelle, and says she messed with her last Quartermaine. Nelle slashes at Brook, and we see blood on the shears. Why? Why do they always do that? Like Tuco said in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, if you’re going to shoot, shoot; don’t talk.
Michael sees that Brook called, but didn’t leave a message. Willow says maybe Brook wanted to make peace with him, but he say she doesn’t need to. He didn’t like the idea that she sold her shares, but so did other members of his family. At least she didn’t know she sold them to Valentin. She says he’s less worried than Ned seems to be, and he says he hates the idea of Valentin being in charge, and intends to force him out eventually, but in the short term, Valentin is a smart businessman. He doesn’t think ELQ will suffer. Willow says he doesn’t think of it as a betrayal, so maybe he should tell Brook. He tries calling.
Nelle stands over an unconscious Brook, and says she should have been nicer, more sympathetic. Her mistake. Now Nelle’s plan to have Wiley vanish has gone south. She needs to go. Brook lies on the floor in a pool of blood, next to her ringing phone. Nelle slips out.
Monica is knocked out, and Julian says, sorry. He turns off the TV, and his phone dings. He sees a text from Nelle that says, the timetable has been moved up. We need to move now. Is it done? He closes the doors to the living room, and trots up the stairs.
Michael gives Willow a bottle of water, and raises his own, saying, to Wiley, and his amazing new life. He’s safe from Nelle because of her. Willow says, because of us, and Diane. He says, to Wiley and Diane. Carly watches, and smiles. Michael smiles at Willow, and little hearts start to pop out of his eyes.
Lucy asks Amy if she’s found Jordan. Maybe she’s warming up, since she’s the next act. Amy says she couldn’t find Jordan, so she asked Curtis, who said she was called away on a case. Lucy says, no; that doesn’t work. Jordan is the Police Commissioner. She doesn’t have to solve every case. She can delegate to other police people. Lucy can’t delegate an act. Amy says she called the PCPD and the hospital, but no one has seen her. Lucy will have to cut her number. Lucy says it can’t just be her out there; she needs acts. Acts and asking for money. They need alternate activities. It’s like the NFL draft, but she doesn’t have an act to draft. Amy tells Lucy not to panic; she can panic later. She asks if Lucy wants to shut the Ball down, and Lucy asks if Amy is losing her mind. She tells Amy to find Epiphany and Deanna, and warm up. She’ll stall. She’ll do a tap dance. She doesn’t know how to tap dance. She hates tap dancing. She’ll just stall.
Anna tells Valentin that his song was beautiful, and he says, at least someone appreciates it. She says false modesty doesn’t look good on him. It was wonderful, and he knows it, as was his pledge. He asks if she’s going to chastise him for burnishing his public image. She says, isn’t he? and he says, that’s part of it. He hears congratulations are in order. She must be thrilled for Peter and Maxie. Being a parent changes everything. It makes you better. It did with him and Charlotte, and her and Robin. Maybe it will with Peter. She says, of course (🍷) it will. He hopes so, and says, some mistakes are impossible to fix.
Nina tells Ava, Franco is her friend. She hopes Ava isn’t playing with his marriage. Ava says she’s doing no such thing. She’s heard rumors that under that angelic façade, Elizabeth is chronically unfaithful. If she chooses to break her vows to her husband, Franco should know the truth. Nina sees one flaw in Ava’s big plan. The way she and Nikolas were looking at each other, either she’s getting good at pretending to love him, or something changed in the last few days. Ava says Nina is projecting her issues with Valentin onto her. They leave, and Elizabeth comes out.
Michael tells Willow, they’re supposed to take a tally, and give Lucy the paperwork. What if after that, they sneak out? She says, abandon their post? He says they’ve done more than enough. They can go home, and check on Wiley. She says he’s making her an offer she can’t refuse. She glances at Sonny, and says, did she really just say that? They leave to finish up.
Lucy says hello to all their gorgeous, generous, amazing donors. They’re doing a great job, and she hopes they realize how important it is to the frontline workers who help them every day. When they work together, they do something more than raising money. They’re building a community, and showing the medical personnel and first responders that they support them. Any amount is great. Keep pitching in, and they’ll keep entertaining. They’re in for a special treat.
Nelle dashes through the corridors in the MetroCourt, and around runs outside. Julian sends a text that says, it’s done.
As Monica sleeps, Julian comes downstairs with Wiley, and leaves with him.
Michael and Willow arrive home, and Michael says, sorry the evening crashed and burned. She says, it didn’t. She had a good time. He says, until Chase and Sasha. She says, they were fantastic (I guess we don’t get to see that), and he says, someday it won’t hurt so much. Until then, they can make some popcorn, and watch the funniest movie ever made. She says he doesn’t have to cheer her up, and he says he’s cheering himself up. They sit on the stairs.
Sonny says, Michael and Willow aren’t coming back? and Carly says, they probably went to check on Wiley; they’re such good parents. Sonny says he’s glad it wasn’t her idea; Chase and Sasha pretending to be involved so Michael and Willow would get married. Face it. It’s exactly the kind of plan that’s up her alley. She says, back in the day, 100%. She’d be seeing all of their hearts breaking and feel guilty. Instead, she’s grateful Michael and Willow got custody of Wiley, and Wiley got the best stepmother on the planet. Sonny says he knows there’s too much going on, and Carly asks if he wants to check in with Turning Woods, but he says, no. They’ll call if there’s any change. The best thing he can do for his dad is to stay and support the people who have given him such amazing care.
Olivia tells Ned, she’s trying to call Brook, but there’s no answer. He says, his problem daughter? No surprise. He tells Olivia to save the lecture for now, but she says she’s just expressing her opinion. He says, on this topic, they’re one and the same, and she says he’s scaring the hell of her. She’s heard stories about his grandfather, and his intentions were good, but his methods were toxic. She says this with love, but he’s turning more into Edward every day. He says, that’s not true, and she says, prove it. Find his daughter, and talk to her.
We see Brook lying on the floor, unconscious.
Ned asks if Dustin and Lulu have seen Brook, but Dusting says, not for a while. She might be warming up. They’ll go check. Ned thanks them.
Robert asks Olivia if she’s got a minute, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he has good news. The commissioner at the Bureau said he can get her in to see Dante. Olivia gets super excited, and asks, when? Where is he? Robert says, he’s at a facility in Geneva. No civilians are allowed, so he’ll go with her. The supervisor is waiting for his boss to return, and there’s a narrow window. They have to hurry. He’d like to leave now if they could. She throws her arms around him, and thanks him. Ned watches.
Willow says, popcorn and the funniest movie ever? and Michael says, if only to cheer him up. Feel free not be cheered, since it’s only about him. He asks what she’d like to see, and she asks him, promise not to laugh, but he says, that’s the point. She says it’s a kid movie, with silly humor, and he tells her, cue it up, and he’ll check on Wiley. They go into the living room, and see Monica asleep. Michael tries to wake her, but she stays out.
Julian waits at the pier, and says, sorry, Wiley; you deserve better than this. Unfortunately, your crazy birth mother has other plans. Why is he going along with it? He’s the world’s biggest coward. He should have told Sonny that he knew all along, but Sonny can kill someone. He’s run out of options. He flashes back to telling Ava, go ahead. Tell him what an idiot he is for getting mixed up with Nelle. Ava asks what on earth was he thinking, and why hasn’t he killed her yet? He says he wouldn’t be there if she didn’t have him over a barrel. Ava says if he thinks Nelle will release him when it’s over, he’s a damn fool. On the pier, Julian says, maybe not.
Lulu says, if she’s not backstage, Brook probably bailed, but Dustin says, she might have stage fright, but she wouldn’t run away. They go into the makeshift dressing room, and see Brook on the floor. Dustin runs to check her pulse, and Lulu says, oh my God. Dustin tells her, call 911, and tells Brook to wake up.
Lucy tells the viewers that the Nurses Ball is still so passionately committed to HIV and AIDS. Sonny and Nikolas’s generous donations will be going to those charities. She wants to introduce a woman committed to both causes, and welcomes Anna. Anna thanks the viewers for their donations. She’s been answering the phones, and got to speak to some of them; they’ve been lovely. She’s grateful for their generosity. The Nurses Ball has a special place in her heart, and not just because she received a lovely marriage proposal on this very stage a year ago from Dr. Hamilton Finn (I always forget he has a first name). She says, it’s special because so many lives have been touched by HIV and AIDS. She’s the mother of an HIV survivor. She was diagnosed at a time when the prognosis wasn’t as optimistic; a time when prejudice and fear were more rampant. Her daughter Robin, and countless others, are alive today because of medical research. Perhaps that’s why Robin became a doctor herself. This leads her to tell them how important the telethon is. She served as Police Commissioner, and saw how closely first responders and medical staff work together. Their work is vitally important. The police, doctors, the ambulance crew, the hospital cleaners; no one does their job alone. They need each other, and we desperately need them. So give what you can. Any donation, whatever size. I have a friend who was diagnosed with HIV many years ago, like Robin, and he’s doing fine today.
Elizabeth tells Franco, Nikolas isn’t the problem, Ava is. She’s playing emotional chess with Nikolas, and they’re the pawns.
Robert tells Olivia he has to go back inside. Anna is going to have a fit because he wasn’t there during her speech. Olivia says, tell her the truth. He found a way for her to see her son; Anna will understand. He says he’ll be waiting, and she says she doesn’t know how to thank him. He leaves, and Ned comes out. He says, amazing. They have a fight and she runs to Robert because he says the right things. Olivia says it has nothing to do with their marriage. Robert found a way for her to see Dante. Ned says, that’s great news, and Olivia says, he’s at a facility in Geneva. Robert knows the guy in charge. Ned says he’ll change his schedule, and they’ll go, but Olivia says Robert has to sneak her in as it is. Only one person can go. Ned says, okay, and Lulu comes running in. She says, Brook has been attacked.
Michael begs Monica to please wake up. Monica opens her eyes, and asks if everything is all right. He says she scared him half to death. Is she okay? She says she must have dozed off, and Michael says she was sleeping pretty heavily. Where’s Wiley? She says she doesn’t remember. The phone rang, and she’d left it in the foyer. She came back in, and heard Wiley. Michael asks if Wiley was downstairs or did she hear him on the monitor? Willow says she’ll check the nursery.
Nelle goes to meet Julian, and asks where Wiley is. He says Wiley is safe in his car, and she asks if he’s saying he’s giving her a set of wheels. That’s totally nice, but unnecessary. Just put Wiley in her car, and they can get going.
Elizabeth tells Franco, Ava is encouraging Nikolas to cheat, so she can get the Cassadine fortune. Franco says she has it backward. Nikolas is the one who’s playing them.
Lucy thanks everyone, saying the Nurses Ball was a resounding success; just amazing. She’d like to thank the volunteers who jumped in at the last minute, and gave generously of their time, and the amazing performers backstage who pitched in and made this happen. She thanks her rack of gowns on stage with her, and goes behind the rack, coming out in a volunteer T-shirt and jeans. She says the most deserving of all is their amazing audience. It’s her great pleasure to introduce the intrepid nurses of GH. Epiphany, Amy, Deanna, and an unidentified flying nurse sing. I’ve had zero luck with finding the titles of songs I don’t recognize, but if I can find a list, I’ll post them. They sing in front of a grid with candles everywhere on it, and I think, that’s impressive for something done on the fly.
Backstage, Lucy smiles at her success.
Brook is taken out on a stretcher, while Mac gathers evidence. He asks if Dustin and Lulu saw anybody. Did anyone look like they were fleeing the scene? Lulu says, they didn’t see anyone. Ned tells Brook to hang in there. He won’t leave her side. He’ll be right there. They leave, and Finn goes with them. Mac tells Lulu and Dustin, if they remember any detail, no matter how small, call him.
Michael asks what Monica was doing before she fell sleep. Was Wiley downstairs, or in the nursery? She says she doesn’t remember, and Willow runs down the stairs. She tells them, Wiley’s not in his room, and Monica says, what?
Nelle says, all right, hubby; it’s been fun, but it’s time go. Julian says, sorry, but she’s not going anywhere. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says she pushed him too far. Now he’s pushing back. He takes out a gun.
To be continued…
On Monday, Portia has an update on Brook, Nina tells Jax not to hate her for what she’s going to say, Julian tells Nelle that someone has to stop her, and Sonny says someone is going to tell him right now.
Sunday August 30th, starting at 6 pm, AMC will also be showing the first episode of each season of The Walking Dead. I still think the very first episode was the best one. Rick’s WTF? face can’t be topped.
I didn’t know you could scream that loud after smoking cigarettes. – Cynthia Decker, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé, referring to Angela screaming at Michael
Tough times never last. Tough people do. – Robert Schuller
Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. – Kent Nerburn
How to sell books in 2020: Put them near the toilet paper. – NY Times
An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break. May you be open to each thread that comes into your life – the golden ones and the coarse ones – and may you weave them into a brilliant and beautiful life. – Unknown
We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day. – Brad Meltzer
Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt
The noisiest thing in the world is someone trying to be quiet. – me
People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action. – Steve Maraboli
Luckily for me, I have all my best ideas drunk. – Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Birds of Prey
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. – Confucius
Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.’ – Erich Fromm
Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying. – Roy T. Bennett
🏍 Moving Forward…
Next week has to be better, right? Right? Enjoy your weekend, or pretend it’s the weekend, depending. Until Monday, stay safe, stay supportive of the front line, and stay away from psychopaths with fabric shears.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Lucy welcomes us back to the Nurses Ball Telethon. She’s proud to be the mistress of ceremonies, and says the audience may have noticed that things are different. They wanted to make sure frontline workers get what they need. When those who usually attend the Ball were asked to pitch in, they didn’t hesitate, because it’s a way to thank the essential workers and their families. She tells us not to think too much has changed. It’s still all about entertainment, and the most talented Port Charles residents are waiting to entertain us. Don’t go away.
Brook tells herself, she can do this, and then says, she can’t do this. Dustin comes in, and asks if she has stage fright.
Franco thanks Elizabeth for coming, and she says since they’re raising money for the frontline workers, she’d feel selfish staying away. He asks if she’s mad at him, and she says, should she be? Ava joins them, and says she didn’t realize Elizabeth was coming. Elizabeth says, clearly not, and Ava says she’s glad Elizabeth decided to pitch in, but the phones aren’t going to answer themselves. She tells them to get back to it, and Elizabeth shoots Franco a look.
Lucy finds Maxie backstage talking to Lulu, and says, there she is. She needs to put on her mic. Lulu says she’ll help, and Lucy says, the plan is for Maxie to make a short speech. Hit the stage, be warm and winsome, and pitch her heart out. Be adorable, and introduce Brook. Lucy adds, throw in some humor. Make them laugh, and they’ll throw money at her. Brook’s song will be over-the-top. When Lucy is gone, Maxie says, no pressure or anything.
Anna asks if Peter is okay, and he says he’s proud of Maxie, and wants the night to go right. Anna is sure Maxie will be her spectacular, charming, effervescent self. Anna knows Peter truly cares for Maxie, and when she looks out, he’ll be there cheering her on.
Spinelli tells Robert, tonight, Peter’s castle of lies will crash around him. Robert says, Nelle’s baseless information is interesting, but there’s no proof, and Spinelli shouldn’t be talking about it. Spinelli says, it’s imperative that Maxie know the truth tonight.
Curtis asks Portia what she thinks about the Ball, and Portia wonders why Jordan held a press conference, singing the praises of the man responsible for her husband’s death.
A man approaches Jordan on the pier, and she says he’s looking pretty good for a dead man. She thought they’d agreed he’d stay far away from Port Charles. We see it’s Taggert, and he says it turns out he has unfinished business.
Trina, Josslyn, and Cameron run backstage, and Trina says sorry she wasn’t on time. Cameron says, they’re not late. They have plenty of time. Portia says they’re cutting it close, and Curtis tells them, break a leg. He tells Trina that she’ll make her father proud, but she says she doesn’t need him to tell her that. She tells her friends, come on guys; the show must go on.
Jordan says Taggert is taking a risk. If Cyrus or his men see him, he’ll really be dead, and if her men see him, he’ll be arrested for fabricating his death. He says, there’s no warrant out for his arrest. He’s a dead man.
Lucy introduces Epiphany, Felix, and Amy, and Felix says, it’s because of people like the viewers that they’ve raised funds for HIV/AIDS over the years. Now they’re extending that to the frontline workers. Amy says they can’t do their jobs alone, and Epiphany says, there are also firefighters, police, EMTs, and ambulance crews. They all take risks on the frontline, and are there when they’re needed. The telethon is a chance to do something in return. Lucy asks everyone to please call or donate online. It’s up to the viewers to thank them.
Brook asks Dustin why this always happens; she loves performing. He says she’ll be fine once she gets in front of the lights, but she says, what if nothing comes out? He reminds her of a performance at the bar, where he had to block the door to keep her from running away, and asks, what happened next? She says she blew the roof off, and did seven encores. He says, the same thing will happen tonight.
Sam tells TJ and Molly, Jason is going to make a full recovery, but the bad news is, he could bolt the hospital at any time. Molly says she doesn’t believe he’d do that. TJ sees Brando, and calls him over. TJ says he guesses when Brando heard about the Nurses Ball, he was never told he’d be picking up phones. Brando says if he has a choice between the phones or sitting around in a tux, he’ll go with the phones.
Jax comes into the phone bank, and tells Nina, sorry he’s late. She asks if he knows what to say, and he says, Nurses Ball Telethon; thank you for calling.
Sasha’s picture is on a big screen on stage, and Lucy says if everyone is wondering who the absolutely gorgeous woman is behind her, it’s Sasha Gilmore, the face of Deception Cosmetics. She’s proud of the image, but prouder that Deception will match every single donation given to this wonderful cause. They can do that because of the generosity of one of their partners, Valentin Cassadine. Full disclosure, she’s also a partner, but tonight isn’t about one person or a company. It’s about coming together to honor others. Lulu puts the microphone on Maxie backstage, and Lucy continues. She says she wants to welcome Deception’s own Maxie Jones. Maxie tells Lulu, that’s her cue. Lucy is going to kill her. Lulu continues hooking Maxie’s microphone up, and Maxie says, at least she’s not in a ball gown. She won’t be wearing one of those anytime soon. Lulu asks if she’s had a chance to talk to Peter, and doesn’t realize the mic is on. Everyone can hear what Maxie is saying. She says, it’s delicate and she has to find the right moment to tell Peter that she’s pregnant. Since everyone in the place hears, including Peter, I say, not anymore
Maxie says, it’s not like they planned it. On stage, Lucy says, no, no, no. Technical difficulties. Excusez-moi. Maxie says she doesn’t know how Peter feels. They’ve never even tiptoed around the subject. Lucy flies backstage, and says, Maxie… and Maxie says she knows; she missed her cue. Maxie runs out, and says she’s sorry she’s a little late. Hi, Port Charles. She tells everyone that she’s the VP and creative director of Deception, and it’s a privilege to be there. Lucy comes back out, and tells her that her mic pack is on. Maxie says, yes, it is. So everyone can hear her. Lucy says, they can, they did, and they have heard every word. Maxie says, oh no, and Lucy says, oh yeah. Her whole conversation with Lulu was broadcast through the MetroCourt and all the viewers in town. Maxie walks quickly off the stage.
Anna looks at Peter, and he dashes out. Lulu asks if Maxie is okay, and Maxie says she can handle it, but keeps walking.
Dustin says Brook is a great singer, a potential legend. If he didn’t know the first night he heard her, he definitely knew in the bar. She says whenever she got knocked down or discouraged, he was the first to pick her up, and he’s doing it again, like no time has passed. As corny as it sounds, he’s a knight in shining armor. She’s an idiot for letting him get away. She kisses him, as Lulu walks in.
Lulu says, excuse me. Would anybody care to explain? Brook says, this is awkward, and Lulu says that’s not the word she’d use. Brook suggests she not be there next time, and Dustin says, there’s not going to be a next time. He’s sorry if he gave Brook the wrong idea, but she can’t avoid her problems by using him as a crutch. It was a long time ago, and she ended it. He’s glad they’re writing together again, but he’s moved on. She says, got it; no problem, and she leaves.
Lucy says, in keeping with tradition, there are always surprises. Maxie’s was a doozy. She stole the spotlight, but they’ll hear more about Deception soon. Felix comes out, and tells Lucy, Cyrus would like to say a few words. She says, absolutely not. Tonight is about heroes, and he’s not a hero. Felix says, he’s waiting in the wings, and Lucy says, first, a bit of an announcement. She’s sure everyone is aware of the upheaval at GH lately. They’re fine, and stronger than ever, thanks to the new Chairman of the Board. She introduces Cyrus, and he thanks her. He thanks Port Charles for the warm welcome, and says he’s not much for speeches, so he’ll be brief. He came to the city with a bad rap, and a worse reputation. The community understands the importance of overcoming adversity, and has given him the opportunity to show who he really is. He’s deeply moved and grateful, and hopes it’s just the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership with the city of Port Charles.
Epiphany tells Felix and Amy, this is the start of a dire time at the hospital. Mark my words.
Alone in one of the offices, Maxie asks, why did this have to happen at the Nurses Ball? Peter finds her, and says, is it true? She says this isn’t how she wanted him to find out. On a list of all the ways, it’s all the way at the bottom. He asks if she’s really pregnant, and she nods. He asks why she didn’t tell him, and she says she’s not sure what to make of all of this. Having a baby with him is a dream she always wanted to happen… someday. But Deception is a dream she’s making happen now, and the thing about dreams is, you have to sacrifice. She’s scared she can’t sacrifice enough to do right by both dreams. He asks, who said she’s the only one who has to sacrifice? Say the word, and he’ll sell the paper tomorrow. She doesn’t have to sacrifice any dream. He’ll be there 24/7. They’re in this together 1000%. If that’s what she wants. She says, it’s their baby; of course (🍷) it’s what she wants. He says he loves her, and they hug.
Portia tells Curtis, Jordan must be working, since she’s not performing with Chase. Cyrus approaches, and says, the Commissioner performing is something he’d pay good money to see. He congratulates Portia on her new position as Chief of Internal Medicine, and says, funny how things turn out in a way that works for him. She says, lucky her, and he says, the luck is all his, and the hospital’s. He’ll see her around. She leaves, and he smiles at Curtis, who follows her.
Jordan tells Taggert that she called in every favor to get him a new ID, and had to convince Epiphany to go along with it. Evidently, they slowed his heart rate so much, even his daughter thought he died. He says he hates that Trina is grieving, and Jordan says, it was the only way to keep her safe. If Cyrus finds out he’s alive, Trina will be a target again. Is that what he wants? He says, of course (🍷) not, and she tells him, explain why he’s showing his face in Port Charles.
Lucy says, tonight, we’re seeing the best and brightest in Port Charles. What they lack in years, they make up for in talent. The kids get ready to go on, and Trina looks at a picture of Taggert on her phone. She says, this one is for you, dad. Lucy introduces Josslyn, Trina, and Cameron. Cameron plays guitar, and they sing. I have no idea what the name of the song was, but it was good, about being able to go anywhere if they just believed it.
Taggert says Jordan is acting high and mighty, after dragging his name through the mud. She says, with his blessing, and he says, that’s a strong word, She says, the only way to bring TJ home and eventually expose Cyrus, was to sacrifice Taggert’s reputation. He says she was supposed to be gathering evidence to put Cyrus away for real, and she says, that’s still the plan. He says, the last time he heard her, she was praising Cyrus in a press conference, and she says she had to convince Cyrus that she’s under his thumb. Taggert says, from where he’s sitting, Cyrus isn’t the only one convinced. She asks if he has a better plan, and he says he does. The reason he’s there is so he can kill Cyrus himself.
Jax tells the kids, they were fantastic – all of them – and they thank him.
Brook swipes everything off a desk, and says, screw you, Dustin. She doesn’t need him. She doesn’t need anyone. She looks in the mirror, and says she’s BLQ.
Portia tells Curtis, Cyrus makes her skin crawl, and Curtis says, Taggert is the reason Cyrus spent time in prison. Taggert is gone, so he’s taunting her instead. She says, son of a bitch, and he says she’s putting it kindly, She says, more than that, he made her miss Trina’s performance. He says she can catch it online; Trina will never know. Portia says, she’ll know. Trina can smell a lie just like her father. She wishes Taggert could be there to see Trina on stage. He deserved better than what she did to him.
Jax finds Nina, and says he was put to work so fast, he barely had a chance to say hello. How is she feeling about Maxie’s big moment? She says she’s happy for Maxie. Peter too. She guesses she can’t help wondering about her own child. Is she a doctor? A paramedic? In prison, or dead? Jax says his jeweler thought she had a lead, and he’ll follow up. Valentin joins them, and asks how Nina is holding up. Jax says Nina is no longer Valentin’s business, and Valentin asks if that’s how Nina feels. Nina says she has to get ready, and she and Jax leave.
Anna and Mac find Maxie with Peter. Anna says she was just checking, and Maxie says she can come in. Anna says she doesn’t mean to pry, and Maxie says, she’s a spy; all she does is pry. Mac asks if it’s true, and Maxie says it is. Anna asks if it’s good news, and she says, the best. Mac says, just when he thought he was through with dirty diapers… but he loves grandkids and dirty diapers. He leaves to call Maxie’s mom, and Anna tells Peter that she’s happy. He says, thanks, grandma. She leaves to catch up with Mac, and flashes back to Robert asking if it’s ever occurred to her that Peter is Alex’s son, not hers.
TJ asks if Brando boxes, and Brando says he started in the service. It’s a great way to stay in shape. TJ suggests they get in the ring sometime, but Molly says TJ is a doctor. He shouldn’t even be hitting the heavy bag. Sam says, working out is one thing, but sparring is a bit much. And Brando had that baseball injury. TJ says, he plays baseball? and Brando says, yes. Sam says they’re going to be late; they’d better get back. She steers Brando away, and he asks, what’s the problem? He was just making conversation. TJ is a friendly dude. She says, act unfriendly, and he says he’s not trying to bring trouble. How many times does he have to say it? She tells him that he can say it as many times as he wants to. She still won’t believe it.
Portia tells Curtis that she goes back and forth. Loving Taggert for saving Trina, and cursing him for making her a target. But she misses him. It’s been years, but she misses him every day. Curtis says he’s learned that you don’t stop caring just because you grow apart. She says the marriage didn’t end because they grew apart. Something came between them. Curtis asks, what? and she says, him. He says he thought she’d said she never told Taggert. She says she didn’t, but she might as well have. After Taggert came back, there was a distance between them; something unspoken. She thought she couldn’t get past the months Taggert had been gone while he was undercover, but what she couldn’t get over was Curtis.
Jordan says Taggert must be joking. She’s not going to let him commit murder. He says, it’s not murder, it’s justice. He’ll get away with it, since no one will suspect a dead man.
Portia tells Curtis, it was years ago; ancient history at this point. She should probably get back. She walks away, and he ponders.
Jordan tells Taggert, not cold-blooded murder. That’s not the man she knows. He says, the man she knew didn’t have someone trying to kill his daughter. She says, his daughter wasn’t in danger until he came back, and backed Cyrus into a corner. She has a plan. She’s going to let Cyrus get complacent, and do a legitimate bust. He says that’s not a plan; it’s an idea. She says, if he takes Cyrus’s life now, that’s it. He’ll lose all hope of coming home. When Cyrus begins to trust her, she’ll bring Curtis on board. He laughs, and says she hasn’t told Curtis he’s alive, has she?
Lucy says, the next couple has wowed the Nurses Ball crowd before, but with other people. She introduces a dashing corporate raider, and the stylish editor-in-chief of Crimson. If there was ever a couple totally in sync, it’s these two, a duo with scintillating and soulful moves, Jax and Nina. Nina dances to She by herself for a few measures, then Jax joins her.
Valentin broods. Peter comes by, and Valentin says he gathers congratulations are in order. Peter thanks him, and Valentin says he was a bad mentor. He failed Peter in a lot of ways, and hopes Peter allows him opportunity to make it up with his hard won advice. Whatever Peter is keeping from Maxie, tell her now. A child changes everything, so if there’s something he’s keeping to himself, tell her. Before he knows what happened, it will be too late.
Jordan tells Taggert not to make it worse. Go back to where he was relocated before someone sees him. He says he’ll stay gone for now, but don’t think he’s going to stop checking up on her. She says she wouldn’t have it any other way. He tells her, be safe, and take care of his daughter. She promises to finish this soon, and leaves.
Dustin congratulates Peter, and Peter says, they intended on staying, but this has tired them out. Lulu says, goodbye, but Maxie is hesitant, saying she doesn’t know if Lucy will appreciate it. Lulu says she’ll handle Lucy. Go home and put her feet up.
Robert tells Spinelli, he’s still going to keep his trap shut, and Spinelli says, it’s not the night Maxie will learn the inconvenient truth. Robert says, they agree on something, but Spinelli can’t tell anyone until there’s proof. Spinelli says, then find it they must, before Maxie and Peter start raising a baby. He goes over to Maxie and Peter, and says, congratulations to them both. Whatever their endeavors, he’ll embrace them without hesitation. Maxie says that means the world to her, and to Peter. They leave, and Spinelli tells Robert, they must act in haste. The child will tie Maxie to Peter more than ever.
To be continued…
Tomorrow, Anna tells Finn it’s the best possible news, Nina tells Jax to stay out of it, and Nelle tells Julian tonight will be her greatest performance yet.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
After the day I’ve had, I so wish I could slap one of these self-righteous nitwits into next week.
Back in Beverly Hills, Denise visits Garcelle, whose house is all done up for Christmas. In Denise’s interview, she says, the day she got back from Rome, she was literally in the airport the next day, going to Montana for Thanksgiving. After Rome, she needed to decompress, and she could bring as many pairs of sweatpants as she wanted. They have some tequila, and Denise tells Garcelle that she couldn’t have done it without her. Just being her friend says everything. In her interview, Denise says she loves Garcelle. At least she felt like she had a friend there who had her back. Garcelle asks if Denise told Aaron, and Denise says, yeah. Garcelle asks what he said, and Denise tells her that he couldn’t believe how the women are – and he’s seen it. He feels bad about some of the things that were said. In her interview, Denise says she and Aaron don’t have secrets. If she told him that she slept with Brandi, he’d ask how come he wasn’t invited. Garcelle asks if Aaron is going to address it with the women, and Denise says, when he sees them, he probably will. She admits to not liking Teddi. In her interview, Garcelle says she’s known LisaR for 20 years, but in the last few months, she’s seemed harsher and relentless. Garcelle doesn’t know who this person is. Denise says something is different between her and LisaR. She feels like it will take a lot for them to get back to the way they were. In Garcelle’s interview, she says LisaR is aggressive, and wants everyone to own it. She doesn’t want to own it all the time. It’s exhausting to own it all the time. Garcelle tells Denise, girl, you were fierce that last night. She came out and had sh*t to say. She stood up for herself. Denise says she can handle that.
Dorit goes over the shower logistics at Buca di Beppo with Kyle. In her interview, Dorit says she loves baby showers, pregnant women, and babies. It’s the perfect opportunity for her to have control over the room and throw a nice party. In Kyle’s interview, she says she was planning the shower, but when they were in Italy, Dorit said she wanted to join in. We flash back to Dorit saying the restaurant room is ready, and she’s thinking about having a shower there. Dorit tells Kyle that Teddi thinks she’s coming for the room reveal. Kyle asks if Teddi knows it’s a party, so she doesn’t show up in sweats, and Dorit says she told Teddi that she’s hosting a nice dinner, and showing them what she designed. In Dorit’s interview, she says it’s the first time she’s designed a room in a restaurant; it’s a big deal. She says it like all rich people do this. We see clips from two weeks earlier, where Dorit shows the room to PK and the kids, and says, it’s a work in progress. We see before and after pictures, and Kyle says it has beauty and allure. The colors make her feel like she’s stepping into a restaurant in Capri. I’d describe it as, there’s lots of yellow and lemons everywhere. Kyle says she feels like she’s been transported, and they go over seating. Dorit puts Denise next to herself and Garcelle. In her interview, Kyle says, they tried to patch things up and have fun the last night in Rome, but she hasn’t spoken to Denise since. She asks if Dorit thinks Denise will come, and Dorit says, Denise didn’t say she’s not coming. In Dorit’s interview, she says she’s found Denise to be a stand-up girl. She’s a tough cookie, and there’s no way she wouldn’t show up to avoid a conversation. Kyle says, Kim and Brandi are coming, and Dorit asks if she thinks that’s a good idea. Kyle says she’d been planning something already, and they were invited. We flash back to Kim asking Teddi if she’s invited, and Teddi inviting her and Brandi. Dorit says she thinks everyone is an adult. Apparently, she’s on a different show than the one we’re watching. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Denise doesn’t care; she knows Denise isn’t coming. Dorit asks what she’s supposed to do. She doesn’t want to get involved.
LisaR rifles through daughter Amelia’s night table drawer. In her interview, she says Amelia is moving in a week. She’ll be in L.A., but not under LisaR’s roof. We see a clip of LisaR telling Amelia that she’ll help her out a little bit. In LisaR’s interview, she says her work is to not be a helicopter parent, and let it go. She asks Amelia about her therapist, and Amelia says she’s on anti-depressants, and feels that her mood is more balanced. LisaR says she’s noticed. In her interview, LisaR says, a lot has happened in the last few months, and we flash back to Amelia telling LisaR about her anxiety, and saying she was in a bad place, but she’s been serious about getting her mental health on the right track. Amelia says it’s the one year anniversary of her being recovered 100%, and LisaR says Garcelle was wondering if her posting on Instagram had anything to do with Amelia’s eating disorder. We flash back to Garcelle asking if LisaR thinks there’s any correlation. Amelia tells LisaR that she’d tell Garcelle as nicely as possibly to f*** off. Um… I don’t think there’s a nice way to say that, and I can’t imagine it doesn’t affect the kids in some way. It also wasn’t like Garcelle was being mean. She was genuinely concerned. Amelia says she talked to her therapist, and it seems like women get shamed no matter what size they are. At one point she did blame LisaR because she was thin, but that wasn’t fair. She did everything on her own; sitting there crying, and looking up diets. She did it herself, and LisaR isn’t a part of her stuff. LisaR says, it’s easier to lay blame. In her interview, LisaR says she pushed a button in Garcelle. She says Amelia is smarter than anyone she knows. No comment, since she knows some really stupid people.
Guests start coming, and Dorit introduces herself to Teddi’s friends. LisaR brings a gift basket, and Kim asks if Teddi gets a bunny. LisaR says, of course, and in her interview, she says, not in a million years did she think she and Kim would be laughing and talking about a bunny. We flash back to Kim bringing the stuffed bunny LisaR gave to her to the reunion, and giving it back, saying that she didn’t give it to her grandson since it had bad energy. Then the single tear rolling down LisaR’s cheek. Breaking out my violin. LisaR says Kim spent Thanksgiving with her daughter, and she didn’t. In her interview, LisaR explains that Amelia is dating a guy whose brother is married to Kim’s daughter. Maybe they’ll be related by marriage. It could happen. She tells us to picture her and Kim in the kitchen basting a turkey together. LisaR asks if everyone is coming, and in her interview, she says she vowed to be a better friend to Denise before they left Rome. She’s looking to keep the good will moving forward.
Garcelle arrives with a massive stuffed pink flamingo. Denise calls Dorit, and Garcelle asks if she’s calling to say she can’t make it. Denise says she’s been sick all night and all day. She’s sure Teddi and Erika wouldn’t appreciate it if she showed up sick. In her interview, Denise says she’s not sad about it. She didn’t want to show up anyway, so it was a blessing in disguise. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s not sure if Denise is really sick, or sick of these women. Actually, she does seem sick, but I’m sure she’s also sick of this group. I know I am. Dorit tells everyone to scream, surprise! when Teddi walks in. Again, I don’t know how wise it is to scare a pregnant woman. Kyle and Teddi arrive, everyone yells, surprise! and Dorit tells Teddi, welcome to her baby shower. It’s from her and Kyle. Teddi thanks them, and Dorit leads them to the Capri room. In Dorit’s interview, she says she and Teddi have come a long way. Before, they couldn’t go ten minutes without an argument. Sutton says, the room is beautiful; lemons everywhere. In her interview, she says, so far, the shower has been about Dorit. Dorit says, Denise called, and she’s not feeling well, so she’s not coming. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Denise isn’t sick, because she’s a doctor who saw Denise that afternoon. She wishes Denise would be honest and says she doesn’t feel like coming around now. That’s what creates distrust. I wonder who the blip cares. Even if she wasn’t sick, it’s called being polite. Oh that’s right, this group doesn’t know how to be that.
Erika shows up with pink hair, and says she’s wearing the baby gender on her head. Kyle says she can’t wait for the Buca di baby. She thinks Teddi is an amazing mom, and loves her. I gag, and Teddi thanks them for coming. LisaR says she and Kyle always have a good time at baby showers, and we see photos of them at Andy’s baby shower. LisaR says, the next time they see Erika will be on stage, and Erika says it’s the last time she’ll see them before she sees them in New York. They toast to that, and LisaR says she’s so excited that Erika is doing something she loved so much. In her interview, Garcelle says, let Erika have the spotlight. She tells LisaR that she’s been supportive, but at the same time, whenever Erika’s debut was brought up, she chimed in that she’d done it 18 years ago.
Dorit acts all shocked, and LisaR says if that’s what she believed Garcelle thought about her, she’d be sad. Garcelle says that’s not how she meant it, and LisaR knows her better than that. LisaR swears she hasn’t tried to take Erika’s thunder. In her interview, she wonders why Garcelle needs to be sh*tting on her. It’s almost like a backhand. I know I’d like give LisaR a backhand. LisaR says it’s not about her, and that’s on Garcelle, implying Garcelle needs to own it. Garcelle and Sutton decide it’s time for them to go, and Garcelle says she’s always been there for LisaR. LisaR says she appreciates it. Kim says Brandi just texted that she’s in the neighborhood, and wonders if she can come by, and Teddi says she was invited anyway. Erika wonders where Denise is, and Dorit tells her that Denise said she was sick. Teddi says she’d have more respect if Denise just said it was awkward being around her right now. She’s also a doctor who diagnosis people by telepathy. It looks like they’re going to gang up on Denise without Denise being there, which isn’t too much of a surprise. Kyle says, it’s not honest, and Dorit asks how she knows Denise isn’t sick. Teddi says Kim was sitting there when Brandi spilled her guts. Kyle says she’s never known Brandi to be a liar, and in Dorit’s interview, she says Kyle is quick to believe Brandi, but she’s had an issue with Denise. If it was someone else, would she believe it so quickly? Dorit doesn’t think so.
Bitch Brandi arrives, wearing a dress way too youthful for her, and a face so squinty and tight, you could bounce a quarter off her forehead. Brandi says she almost wasn’t coming, and Dorit says, if Brandi plays her cards right, she can come more often. Brandi says she used to bring her boys there to eat in the kitchen because she was screwing the chef, and Kyle says Brandi is an amazing mom. Brandi says their dad said they could come for desert on Thanksgiving. Dorit asks if honesty is important to Brandi, and Brandi says, 100%. Dorit asks if she prides herself on honesty, and Brandi says, 1000%. Dorit asks if Brandi is always honest, and Brandi says, 99% of the time. What’s happening? Kyla says they had a conversation regarding what Brandi said about her friendship with Denise. We flash back to that, and Teddi says she had major anxiety about it, but when she asked Denise about what she’d said, she couldn’t make eye contact. LisaR says she’s uncomfortable because Denise isn’t there, and they’re talking about it. She had a breakdown in Rome, because Denise said she didn’t have her back. She also points out there are strangers at the table, and if it’s true, it’s a side of Denise she doesn’t know. Brandi says she doesn’t know 95% of the people at the table, and Dorit thinks it’s not fair. Teddi says maybe it’s time for her friends to go, so they can talk smack about Denise, since the conversation is about to be not baby shower friendly. Her friends wisely leave while they still have their sanity.
Teddi says the first night at dinner, they confronted Denise about the things she said about her and Erika. She immediately distanced herself from Brandi and said they were never that close. Dorit tells Brandi, Denise said none of it is true. LisaR says she told them Brandi was a liar, and never to be believed. Erika says she asked point blank if Brandi was a liar, and Denise said she was. Brandi says she’s not trying to hurt Denise in any way, she just wants back on the show. In April, Denise did her podcast, and invited her to a movie set. Keep in mind, Denise said Brandi really wanted her on the podcast, and asked to come out there. Teddi asks if Aaron was there, and Brandi says Denise told her they had an open thing, but just with girls. Brandi says, they were making out, then Brandi bit Denise, leaving marks. There’s a lot of chatter at the table about this biting thing, and Brandi says, the next day Brandi told her Aaron could never know; he’d kill her. She was going to tell him it was from the corset she’d been wearing on set. Brandi thought, now she’ll have to keep a secret. In Brandi’s interview, she says she hates cheaters, and would never be one. Dorit says, it’s confusing. Teddi says that Denise claimed she and Brandi didn’t have a relationship, and Erika says, even then Denise was distancing herself from Brandi. Teddi says, until Brandi came back in the group, then she fed Brandi information to make it seem like they were close, so Brandi wouldn’t out her. Erika asks if Denise said things about them, and Brandi says she only mentioned two things. In her interview, she says, Denise went to Rome knowing she’d said things about them, and hoped Brandi would back her up. Dorit says, sorry, she believes Denise. In her interview, Dorit says her exchanges with Brandi haven’t been pleasant. Brandi behaves a certain way, and isn’t easy to believe. Brandi hands over her phone, and Erika scrolls through the texts supposedly from Denise. In her interview, she says, it’s pages. Brandi says she’s not an effing liar, and in Teddi’s interview, she says it clearly shows there was a relationship. Dorit is still skeptical, saying she doesn’t know Brandi, but knows Denise. Teddi says if Denise wasn’t distancing herself, she wouldn’t have said there was no relationship. Another thing, when Denise and Brandi met that time on camera for drinks, it sounded like they hadn’t seen each other too many times before that. Dorit says she’s not saying that, and Brandi says she had her bleepity-bleep-bleep in Denise’s bleepity-bleep. She’s not an effing liar. Everyone looks shocked at Brandi’s sailor mouth, except for Erika, who never changes her expression anyway. In Kyle’s interview, she says she hates when Brandi talks like that. LisaR reads a text from a year ago that says, even if they went a year without speaking, they could pick up where they left off. Loyalty doesn’t change, and Denise loves her. I also have to mention, besides the fact that Brandi has definitely been known to be a liar (although maybe with all the drinking and drugs she does, she believes her own stories), the texts don’t sound like how Denise talks. In LisaR’s interview, she says, you don’t say that you love someone; this is an intimate friendship. Again, is she kidding me? While I don’t think these are really texts from Denise, I always end conversations with friends by telling them I love them, and I don’t bleepity-bleep with any of them. It can always be the last time you talk to someone, and I don’t want that regret. LisaR says, it’s personal; a relationship. Brandi says she thought Denise was her friend, until she wasn’t. She thinks Denise is a people pleasure, and more of a master manipulator (I hate that phrase) than LVP. In her interview, LisaR says, why lie about a friendship – unless you’re hiding something. She tells Brandi, she thinks the two of them need to get together and figure this out. Why, when they have this whole group to figure it out for them? LisaR says, now they’re all involved, whether they want to be or not. Omg, I can’t. But I will. They involved their effing selves, so they wanted to be.
Erika and her assistant Laia load up the car with luggage. Tom tells Laia to take care of his buddy. In her interview, Erika says she’s excited and nervous, but you only get this opportunity once in a lifetime, and dammit, she’s taking it. She left once before to go to New York, 30 years ago, and was go-go dancing. She watched private jets go by, but never envisioned herself on one. Now she’s the girl on the private jet, starring in a Broadway musical. She’s using one of those halo lights in her interview, and it makes her look really odd. I know people like them, but it doesn’t always look attractive.
LisaR visits Kyle, and says her Christmas decorations are cute. She asks how Kyle is, but Kyle doesn’t know. It was a lot last night. She says Teddi’s friends probably think they’re crazy. LisaR says, it was a fun baby shower, until wasn’t. In Kyle’s interview, she says, at her baby shower, no one talked about anyone sucking anyone’s anything. LisaR says she really believed Denise when she said Brandi was a liar. Brandi was convincing, and her heart sunk. In her interview, she says there’s sadness in Denise not telling the truth. What else has she lied about over the years? She tells Kyle, she wants to stick up for her friend, but she can’t do that. In Kyle’s interview, she says she’s been in that position, when you want to believe so badly, but the information makes it impossible. We flash back to LVP telling her to show herself out. If Denise and Brandi did sleep together, it’s none of their business, but Brandi told them, so regardless, Denise has to deal with it now. She feels bad that LisaR is upset, and LisaR says she had a breakdown in Rome about not being a good friend. She’s said this like five times now. We flash back to Denise saying she was hurt, and LisaR displaying some crocodile tears, since apparently she doesn’t know what the word breakdown means. She wonders if it was part of Denise’s plan, and says she sounds like a conspiracy theorist. In her interview, she says she feels like Denise weaponized their friendship. (Huh?) She used everything to make LisaR feel bad. What if she’s being manipulated too? She doesn’t know, and feels duped. Maybe she’s a big, fat fool, and doesn’t like the feeling. Well, she’s not fat.
Next time, the Finale (thank God), the women go to NYC, Denise talks to Camille and blocks Garcelle, Brandi shows up in NYC, Denise tells LisaR that she didn’t go because she thought Brandi would create a Jerry Springer moment, and LisaR says it was a lie that there was a family emergency.
I am so over this bunch.
📱 She Says They’re Fake…
It’s possible, since it can be done. And considering Brandi’s face, among other body parts, is fake, why not?
I was trying to find out what the deal is with Brandi’s ex in regard to the kids, and found this gem. Brandi got pissed because it wasn’t her week to have them when the pandemic hit, and this poor big baby was all alone. Maybe there’s a reason for that. She also whined that her ex and his wife wouldn’t let her stay in their guest house. Really?
Ugh, ugh, and more ugh. Windows decided it was time for an update, and it wreaked havoc with my computer. It took all day to deal with, and I still didn’t get back to a semblance of normalcy until HP (never again) had to update because of the update. As usual, it was no improvement. Until next time, stay safe, stay proficient in what you do, and stay not fixing what ain’t broke.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At the MetroCourt, Brook asks Carly for a black Russian, but Carly suggests sparkling water instead. After Brook and Lulu trashed the place, she has a vested interest in not overserving Brook. Brook thinks there might be another reason, and Carly says, why? Brook says Michael is out as CEO of ELQ, and it might possibly, conceivably be her fault.
Anna tells Finn, someday, he has to put aside his differences with his father and stepmother. Finn says he would like Violet to have a relationship with her grandfather – someday. She asks if the wedding couldn’t be that day. His father could have been at Violet’s birthday. Finn sees Chase coming toward their table, and says, Violet also had her Uncle Chase there. What’s better than that? He tells Chase, sit; he’ll buy Chase a beer. Chase says, he just had two. He left his credit card, and came back to pick it up. Finn says he’ll get Chase a Shirley Temple then. They’ve got a wedding going on. Chase says, okay, assuming he’s on the list. Finn says he’s the first alternate if someone cancels, but Anna says he’s in. She’s got him down for a plus one. Would that be Sasha?
Ava says she was going to make a speech, but what she’d planned on saying doesn’t seem important anymore. So she’ll just say she was so happy when Franco agreed to paint her portrait, and she’s proud to share it with them tonight. Without further ado… Franco lifts the covering, and everyone look shocked. Ava backs away, and Elizabeth shakes her head. Ava has a gorilla face, and there’s a graffiti tag on the painting. Franco says he didn’t paint this, and Ava says she knows he didn’t. Elizabeth says she knows Franco isn’t responsible, but guess who is. She looks at Ava.
Carly asks what Brook is talking about. Michael just got full custody of Wiley. Brook says, awesome; congratulations. Carly asks if Michael was voted out while he was in court, and Brook says, unfortunately, yes. Carly says, Brook voted against Michael, but Brook says, no; never. Carly asks how it can be her fault, and Brook says she sold her ELQ shares to Linc to get out of her contract, but he was just a front. Valentin now has controlling interest, with 50% of the shares. Because he backed Deception, Lucy voted with him as the tie-breaker. Carly says, Valentin pushed Michael out? and Valentin approaches, saying, no hard feelings. Michael didn’t do a bad job, but he’ll do better. Carly says she should throw Valentin out, but she’d rather take his money until Michael takes back his company, and he will. She says, Valentin and Brook can take a table far away. Brook tells Valentin that he can apologize any time. He destroyed her relationship with her family, especially her father. Deception is an unknown quantity, and could possibly fail, plus he handed GH over to a drug lord. He owes her a major apology.
Anna asks Chase how the custody hearing went, and he says Michael and Willow officially have sole custody of Wiley. Everything worked out the way it should, but he stopped to talk about the wedding. He supposes all of the guests are hers, since his brother is anti-social and only knows three people. Anna asks who the third is, and Chase asks if Finn is inviting their dad.
Elizabeth tells Ava to admit she did this, but Ava says she commissioned Franco to paint it; why would she destroy it? Elizabeth says it would make headlines, and Ava asks if Elizabeth thinks she wants this vandalism publicized. Elizabeth says Ava keeps saying, there’s no such thing as bad press, and here’s her crowning achievement. She wanted to show the world Franco is back and bad as ever. Ava says it’s a baseless accusation, and Franco says that’s not who Ava is. Elizabeth says, it’s exactly who she is. Look how she treated Kiki. She’s manipulated every person in town, and now she’s manipulating him. He says Ava chose him as a favor; to show the world he’s still making art. Not to mention she paid a pretty penny for it. Elizabeth says, she’d rather be broke than play along with this joke. Nikolas approaches, and starts to say something about Elizabeth, but Franco says he doesn’t get to be the guy who tells him anything about his wife. Ava says she’d like it if everyone would leave, and Maxie says, oh man. Just when it was getting good. Franco asks if Ava is okay, and she says, no; she’s not.
Peter and Maxie go to the MetroCourt, and Carly asks if they shouldn’t be at the unveiling. Maxie says, it didn’t exactly go as planned, and Peter says, there was a little bit of drama. When Franco removed the drape, the painting had been vandalized. Ava threw them all out, so they came in for a drink. Carly goes over to Jax and Nina’s table, and Nina asks if Michael has heard from the court yet. Carly says they got the best possible news ever. Michael and Willow got full custody, and Nelle didn’t even get visitation.
Franco tells Ava, the paint is still wet. Three hours ago it was perfect. She asks if he thinks it can be salvaged, and he says he can get rid of the spray paint, but… She says he’s not optimistic? but he says, it’s not that. No matter how hard he tries, his past has left a mark he can’t shake. Dustin asks Lulu if she has any idea who might have done it, and she says, Elizabeth might be right. Ava has a propensity for drama, but then again, so does Nikolas. Ava tells Franco, not in a million years would she do this, and he says he knows. She says she gave a platform to whoever did. She gave this party to show that she and Nikolas were a power couple, and look how it turned out. The best thing for her to do would be to cut her losses, and go home.
Nikolas finds Elizabeth on the parapet, and Elizabeth says if he expects an apology, he’s going to be disappointed. He says she has nothing to be sorry for, and she says, but he doesn’t think Ava did it, does he? He says he would never sing Ava’s praises. She’s selfish and vindictive, but she’s not dangerous, and he can’t imagine she’d paint a monkey over her own portrait. Elizabeth says, if he doesn’t think Ava is dangerous, he’s wrong. If he’s not careful, Ava will destroy what good is left in him.
Anna tells Chase, it’s so funny. They were just having that discussion. She thinks it’s time Violet met her grandfather, but his brother disagrees. She says, look at the time. She hopes Chase has better luck persuading Finn, and jets. Finn says, let’s hear it, and Chase says he’s only going to say what he always says. His dad and stepmom have been married for a decade; it’s time to let the hurt go. If not for Finn’s own sake, for Violet. Finn asks if there was a group meeting; Chase sounds like Anna. He’s not opposed to working things out, but he thinks doing it at a wedding would be poor form. Chase says, now he’s thinking maybe Finn shouldn’t invite their dad.
Peter tells Maxie, now they have an early night, so she can get some rest before Deception’s big launch at the Nurses Ball. It’s going to have major impact, so he’s glad they can celebrate before she’ll be too busy to see him. She doesn’t say anything, and he tells her, it’s her big moment. Why doesn’t she feel more excited?
Valentin says, Brook could have warned her father when she knew he bought the shares, but Brook says he offered to jumpstart her career, and she needed that. She did her research, and knows he worked a miracle at Cassadine Industries, bringing them back from the brink. ELQ is in good shape, but he can make it better, which is a gift to her family, whether they recognize it or not. He says that’s why he’s not bailing out the hospital, but she says he left the door open to a drug lord. He says, Cyrus was exonerated, and she says, so was he. Does that make him any less guilty? He says, touché, but if Cyrus is as bad as she says, Sonny will take care of the situation. She asks what he knows about Sonny, and he says he knows if Cyrus is a threat, he’ll be removed. Either by a tragic accident or he’ll go missing. He knows in time, GH will be grateful.
Carly brings Nina and Jax her best champagne, with her compliments. Nina says Carly should be celebrating with Willow and Michael, but Carly says, it was Nina’s testimony that showed Nelle for who she was. It’s an understatement to say it was important to the case. Jax asks if Nelle was denied visitation permanently, or can it be amended later?
Valentin tells Brook, he’s sorry she’s being held responsible for his presence in ELQ, but she says, controlling interest is more than a presence. He says, by the time she realized, it would have been too late, but she kept quiet, which shows good faith. He’s going to show good faith too. The Nurses Ball is a good start, and she deserves it.
Maxie tells Peter, at the risk of jinxing it, she thinks tomorrow will go well, but it’s still nerve wracking. If something goes wrong, it’s on her. Peter says, the bigger the production, the bigger the chance someone screwing up, and she says, exactly. They’re in a good place now. Georgie is living nearby, and Peter is bonding with her and James. Big changes are coming, and she doesn’t want anything coming between them. They’ve worked hard to get where they are. Peter says nothing is going to stop them, and she says she has something to tell him. Anna asks if she can join them.
Finn asks Chase where that came from. History has shown he’s always on their dad’s side. Chase says he’s a coward. He hasn’t told their dad that he and Willow broke up. He’d told their dad that Willow was probably the one. How is going to tell him that he broke her heart?
Lulu tells Dustin that her mother was hoping Nikolas was taking a turn for the better. How is she going to tell Laura about the plot Nikolas was working on? Nikolas just told her that he and Spencer teamed up to protect their inheritance. They want to make Ava feel guilty about Spencer rejecting his father, so she agrees to divorce Nikolas without taking the money. What if it works? Nikolas gets everything he wants, and his son inherits a fortune through manipulation. What lesson will that teach Spencer? Dustin says, do whatever it takes to win, and she says, exactly (WOTD). Which brings her to the spray painted graffiti. What if Nikolas is responsible? She doesn’t want to believe it, but she can’t put anything past her. She wanted to talk to him, but maybe they should just go. They leave.
Ava comes out, and says, damn you, Nikolas Cassadine. I go into shock because she doesn’t have a martini in her hand. Yet.
Nikolas wonders if he can ask Elizabeth a question, and she says, only if it’s multiple choice. He asks why she didn’t arrive with Franco, and she says she wasn’t coming at all. She believes in his talent, but hates anything that harkens back to hid bad boy days. He’s not that man anymore, and they’ve worked hard to create a solid, healthy family life. He asks if the boys are okay with Franco, and she says, there were issues with Cameron at the beginning, but the boys adore him, and Franco is devoted to them. Ironically, Franco took Ava’s commission so he could set aside money for Cameron’s tuition. Nikolas asks if she wishes now that Franco had never taken the commission, and she says, it’s bad enough Ava was generating publicity with his past, but to watch Franco go along with it… It was painful to watch him embrace this version of himself, after the years he spent convincing the world he’s changed.
Ava yells for Nikolas, asking where he is. Franco asks if she’s seen Elizabeth, and she asks if he’s sure she didn’t leave. Elizabeth wasn’t happy with anything that happened tonight. He says he’s sorry. He knows she had high hopes for tonight, and it didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. He does have some good news. He’s pretty sure he can restore the painting. She says she can’t think of think of anything but her lying traitor of a husband. He asks what she’s going to do now, and she says, it doesn’t matter. She plans to remedy the situation permanently.
Peter tells Anna that he was just about to grab some drinks. Maxie says, nothing for her; she has an early start tomorrow. Anna says she does too, and Maxie tells him, go ahead. It will give them time for girl talk. He leaves, and Anna asks if Maxie is okay. She’s been quiet.
Finn says Chase should tell their dad that he was trying to do the right thing. He made a sacrifice so Michael and Willow could get custody of Wiley. Chase says he can’t tell their dad; the fewer people who know, the better. If the truth gets back to the judge, it could jeopardize everything. Finn says, Chase hasn’t told Willow that he never had an affair?
Dustin asks if Lulu thinks Peter will have her do a write-up, and she says she does remember too well what Franco was like before. Dustin says, it was tragic, but he was still a genius; a brilliant, revolutionary artist. She says, that’s right. He doesn’t know. She was one of Franco’s targets. He says, sorry. He had no idea. Brook comes up to them, and says she thought Dustin had her back and they were collaborating. He says, they are, and she says she called, but he didn’t answer. Lulu says, he’s not a border collie who will run to her when she calls. He says he’s there now; tell him what happened. She says her father kicked her out.
Carly tells Jax, the judge said he might reconsider if Nelle becomes a super productive citizen, but they know that’s not going to happen. Jax says, a weight has been lifted. Nelle has no power over any of them now. Carly tells him, they say it takes a village to care for a child, but it takes a village to protect a child. Wiley is home safe. She toasts to everyone who made it possible, and they clink glasses.
Dustin asks why Ned kicked Brook out, and Lulu asks, how? It’s Monica’s house. Unless Monica agreed. Brook says, it seems like no one can make mistakes anymore, and Lulu asks, what mistake Brook made.
Elizabeth tells Nikolas, Franco isn’t the first artist to be susceptible to fame and want their work admired, or the first to compromise. But he can realize it, and turn this thing around. Hopefully Nikolas can too. Nikolas says, excuse me? and she says, Ava blackmailed him into marriage, but he doesn’t have to stay. Ava will burn him in the end. He tells her, trust him; he has a plan. She says his last plan kept him away for years. She asks him to come home for real, to the people who really know him. They all miss him. He asks, what about her? Does she miss him? She says he knows she does. He’s been a huge part of her life. Nikolas starts to lean in, presumably for a kiss, and she says she needs to find Franco. Think about what she said, and get away from Ava before it’s too late. She goes back inside, and he sighs. He’s not as good at it as Jason though.
Ava tells Franco that he doesn’t know what her deceptive husband and his son cooked up. They’ve been working together. She overheard him talking to Lulu, and he and Spencer are working to make her feel so guilty, she agrees to divorce him, and waive her rights to his fortune. Nikolas has been plotting against her since they said I do. He sabotaged her redecorating, put a snake in her handbag, and now he’s vandalized her portrait. He literally defaced her. He embarrassed her in front of her guests, and is using his son to manipulate her. Franco says, this is toxic. She needs to get out. She and Nikolas hate each other. She needs to stop punishing herself, and walk away. She says, if she leaves, she’ll lose everything. He asks what she’ll lose. Money? This creepy island doesn’t suit her. Doesn’t she miss the penthouse and her life? What does it matter if what she’s keeping is killing her? She asks, who’s waiting for her? Nobody. He says she’s got her brother, and Avery. She says Avery doesn’t live with her, and her brother is involved in his own life. Face it, without Kiki, she’s completely alone, except for Nikolas. She might hate him, but even that’s better than the emptiness. Franco says he doesn’t know much, but he knows she’ll never be alone. She’ll always have him. Ava asks how she’ll always have Franco? He has Elizabeth. He says he does, and he should find her. Take his advice, and go also. Ava says, another dream bites the dust, and walks away. Franco looks at the portrait.
Lulu says Brook sold her ELQ shares without discussing it with the family? She thought that was the number one rule with the Quartermaines. Brook says Lulu is acting like she sold them to buy tickets to Coachella (not this year). She had an iron clad contract with a sexual harasser. She’d think she would be respected for her creative solution to the problem. Dustin says all Brook had were bad options. Lulu doesn’t begrudge Brook the extreme measures she used to get away from that creep Linc, but she could have given the family a heads up, so they weren’t blindsided. Brook says, like Lulu did when she published the article that cost the Quartermaines a fortune? Lulu gets the gold medal for being a hypocrite every time.
Jax steps away to take a call, and Carly tells Nina that she never believed in silver linings, but if Michael, Willow, and Wiley stay together and they’re happy, it will be worth the pain Nelle caused.
On the phone, Jax says he hopes it’s good news. Is there any information on the necklace?
Finn says he gets Chase not wanting to jeopardize the case, but he’s not going to hold a press conference. Come clean to Willow. Chase says he’d like nothing more, but Nelle will never give up. If Michael reunites with Sasha, Nelle will go straight to the judge. Finn asks if this is going to keep going indefinitely.
Maxie tells Anna that she’s fine; just a teensy bit overwhelmed. She’s the boss, and the one in charge. Georgie is living near Port Charles now, and she can’t stop thinking about having to juggle responsibilities. Deception and her kids are both going to want all her time. Plus Peter. She’s scared she’s going to let someone down. Anna says, don’t worry. Of course (🍷) she’ll let someone down.
Elizabeth looks at the portrait, and Franco says he thought she went home, but she says she just needed fresh air, and some time to think. He says he’s really sorry he made things tense. He shouldn’t have let anything come between them. She says they both need to communicate better. He says, maybe, but when she said she couldn’t be there, it hurt. He makes jokes, but feeling that she’s by his side shows the world he’s okay. She says she wants to support him and his art, but she’s not comfortable with exploiting his past. It troubles her that he went along with it.
Ava finds Nikolas getting ready to change, and he asks if everyone is gone. She says she doesn’t know and doesn’t care. She overheard him talking to his sister about his plan with Spencer. They’re teaming up against her. Too bad, because it was working. She was actually considering letting him go, and forgetting her right to the settlement. But that’s changed. He doesn’t deserve a dime, and she’ll see to it that he doesn’t get a single penny. She might hate him, but she’s not going anywhere. Nikolas says he hates her, and Spencer hates her. He hates this sick, demented carnival ride. How long does she plan to torture him? It’s going to be a long, lonely wait. After what he’s gone through, he’s not giving up. She wonders how long before he has the nearest girl in his bed? and he wonders how long before she has a stable hand in her bed? She says she doesn’t need anyone, but he says, she’s chronically needy. She tells him, he’s outmatched. By this time, they’ve moved pretty close to each other, and they kiss.
Maxie asks if Anna thinks she’ll disappoint everyone she loves, but Anna says she’s not saying that because she think Maxie wants to or is a bad person. It will happen because she’s human. The whole idea of having it all is a demented ploy by advertisers that’s taken on a life of its own. Something is bound to fall through the cracks. She needs to find balance. She can’t have the right answer to everything all the time. Anna says she speaks from experience. She had to choose between her daughter and her career. Maxie doesn’t think Anna’s super spy work is the same as setting up a photo shoot, but Anna says she’s not talking about the type of work. She means the compromises all women make; weighing what’s right for them and what’s right for their kids. Whatever works for Maxie is hers, and no one else should judge. If anyone tries, they’ll have to go through Anna first.
Finn tells Chase he knows less about women than anyone on the planet, but if Chase is going to do something, do it soon. The closer Michael becomes to investing in Willow as Wiley’s mom, the harder it will be to get her back. Chase says, it’s not about him or what he wants, but what’s best for Wiley. And what’s best for Wiley is not breaking up the family. Finn hopes Chase knows what he’s doing. The longer he keeps the secret, the more likely it is to destroy his relationship for good. Chase says he appreciates Finn’s honesty, but he has to go.
Peter says, Maxie had something she wanted to tell him? but Maxie says, no. She changed her mind.
Anna asks Finn how it went with his brother. Finn says, Chase is an idiot. Sweet, and honorable to a fault, but still an idiot.
Lulu says, it’s unfortunately Ned threw Brook out, but if she’d been honest, she might have saved ELQ, and certainly would have saved the hospital in the process. She walks away, and Brook tells Dustin, there’s more to it. She was between a rock and a hard place. Dustin says, it was a bad choice, but that doesn’t make her a bad person.
Carly asks if Valentin is ready to settle his tab, and he asks if he can buy her drink. She says she doesn’t think so, and he says, Michael will be fine. He’s remarkably capable for a rich kid. She asks if that’s supposed to be a complement, but he says, it’s insight. People with money often underestimate their own strengths. She says, Michael might have been raised with money, but he’s seen his share of adversity. He knows life rarely goes as planned, and adapts and adjusts. He did with the custody case, and he’ll do the same to get rid of Valentin. Valentin asks if that’s what she’s celebrating with Jax and Nina, and she says Jax and Nina are definitely a couple. He says, for now.
Nina asks Jax if everything is okay, and he says they have a second occasion to toast. His jewelry contact thinks she can trace the necklace. Nina might have a lead on her missing child.
Elizabeth says Franco is a new person, and she thinks his art should reflect that. Franco says, okay, but art doesn’t live in a vacuum. She says, she’d think he’d fight for the piece to stand on its own merit, and he says, ten years ago, he would have loved it; spray paint as opposed to oil, and graffiti over a portrait. He would have done a whole series like it. She asks if he’s thinking that way because the bad boy is back in the limelight. He says he’s not answering that right now. Any answer he gives her is an excuse to have an argument, and he doesn’t want to. Elizabeth suggests they call a truce, and he says, right now, he’s going to fix it. She says he’s going to work after what they said? He says, now’s the time to get it clean. She tells him, good luck with that. Clean away, but he can’t change the past.
Ava asks how dare Nikolas. He says she kissed him. She tells him that she can manage without sex, or anything else. She walks out, closing the door behind her, and leans on the wall in the hallway. Nikolas is like, hmm… and I think he liked it.
Tomorrow, the 2020 Nurses Ball begins, Robert is keeping his options open, Valentin is rising to the occasion, and all of them are wearing Nurses Ball T-shirts instead of glam.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Time to get irritated, followed by RHOBH and more irritation tomorrow. While I get what happened, I still have some thoughts that I’ll post at the end.
Captain Sandy gets first mate David. She wants him in her office to follow protocol. She asks Hannah to come sit down. She says it’s been brought to her attention has drugs on board. Hannah says, her valium? and the captain says, It was laid out with her pot pen in her cabin. Hannah says, that was in her bag from L.A. The captain says she has to do a disciplinary action, and go through it by the book. The violations are posted in the laundry room. If Hannah has a prescription, she needs to bring it. They can’t go to sea otherwise. She tells Hannah to get her valium and pot pen, and bring it in. Hannah says she hasn’t taken anything since she’s been on board. We flash back to Hannah going into the bathroom, this time, clearly seeing she has the valium in her hand. The captain says she has to do this by the book, and can’t ignore this. I’ve never heard of a pot pen before. It’s not a vaping device, so wth?
Everyone goes about their business. Hannah goes to get her valium. David says the marijuana pen on the boat is a no-no, and if Hannah can’t come up with a prescription for the valium, it’s grounds for dismissal. Captain Sandy says she needs to make sure noting is being destroyed, and jets to Hannah’s cabin. She opens the bathroom door, where Hannah has her pants half down. Hannah asks if she can’t go to the bathroom, and the captain says, please give her all the drugs. Hannah hands them over, and the captain says, this is all she has? Nothing else? Hannah says that’s it, and the captain asks if she has a prescription, but Hannah says she doesn’t. She tells Captain Sandy that she needs to pee, and the captain says she wants to get through this quickly. They have a charter starting. In Tom’s interview, he obliviously says he’s preparing for a great first day. He’s excited. Hannah goes back into the captain’s office, and asks what she should she do. Captain Sandy says, at this point with everything going on, with her hyperventilating at 4 am on the floor with Malia, right now she can’t go sea with Hannah. She has clients she’s responsible for. Hannah gets up, and the captain says, let her finish. She has the utmost compassion, but she’s going to finish the season with the crew. It’s not worth it. She’s a captain, and worked hard for her license. She doesn’t want to risk it. There’s too much going on. Hannah asks if she can have her valium, and the captain hands it back. Hannah says she’ll pack now. Hannah leaves, barely batting an eye, and Captain Sandy ponders.
Tom asks Hannah how it’s going. She breezes past, saying she’s not talking; sorry. Hannah asks Rob to grab her suitcase. Jess sees Hannah go to the dock. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says it’s hard when she has to let someone go, but maritime law is no tolerance. They have to be drug free. If a plane has an emergency landing, the attendants are responsible for the guests. If they have a catastrophe on board, the chief stew has to gather the guests and keep them calm. If she didn’t address this, and something happened, she’d go to jail, the boat would be incarcerated, and she’d lose her license. What Hannah did was illegal. On shore, Hannah calls Josh. Rob tells Jess that he thinks Hannah quit. Jess says, it could get bad. Hannah tells Josh that the captain heard she had an anxiety attack, and it’s too risky to go out to sea with her. She tries to shake the cameras, and tells Josh, now she’s a drug addict and the worst person in the world. She’s over it; it’s utter bullsh*t. She’ll call him back. Captain Sandy finds Hannah, and says that her hands are tied legally, but personally she doesn’t want to drive out to sea with how Hannah has been lately. Hannah says she had an anxiety attack, and the captain says she has drugs on the boat. If they go to sea, she’s responsible. Hannah says, it’s utter bullsh*t, and the captain says, if that’s how she wants to see it. On the boat, Rob tells Jess that he thinks Hannah quit. Bugs looks for Hannah.
Captain Sandy tells Hannah that she cares about her, and Hannah says, okay, in that way it’s not okay. The captain asks if Hannah doesn’t think so, and Hannah says she doesn’t. The captain says, if she’d wanted Hannah off the boat, she didn’t have to use this. She could have fired Hannah last year, or the year before. If Hannah wants to make it about this, and say she doesn’t care, it’s fine with her; she won’t care. She officially doesn’t effing care. Hannah can pack and go now. Captain Sandy calls Malia to the bridge, and says she’s releasing Hannah from her contract due to the findings. She’s not comfortable going out to sea; it’s a threat to the season. Bugs asks Hannah if she should unpack the alcohol, and Hannah says she doesn’t care. In her interview, the captain says, she feels for Hannah, but it’s her job. If a guest gets wasted, and breaks a leg, and Hannah fails a test, there could be a lawsuit. She tells Malia, obviously, people are noticing. If they come to her, tell them the captain is going to have a meeting. Bugsy will be chief stew. Jess says, God help us all. Bugsy wonders what happened. Jess finds Hannah, who says she has valium, and the captain doesn’t feel safe. Jess asks how the captain knew, and Hannah says, Malia probably took a photo. It’s a dog-eat-dog world in this industry. In Hannah’s interview, she says, Malia is like a snake. They have a checkered past. We flash back to that, and Hannah says they’ve been getting along well this season, but Malia just went down to the gutter. She tells Jess, Bugs will be chief stew, and Jess says, she’s so neurotic. The next charter is going to be psycho. Hannah says, she’s all yours.
Two hours before charter. Bugs asks Hannah, what happened? and Hannah says she doesn’t know. She has a prescription for valium. Hannah smiles at Malia, and says, apparently you can get fired for having anxiety attacks. She has a legal CBD pen, and a prescription for valium, but the captain thinks it’s too much of a risk because she’s unstable. Malia asks if Hannah registered her prescription with the boat, but Hannah says she doesn’t remember. Maliah makes a noise like she’s not buying that. Hannah says goodbye to Alex, and tells Tom, it was nice to meet him. Good luck with the charter. Jess follows Hannah out. In Tom’s interview, he says, it’s a great first day. Hannah has a cigarette on the dock. In her interview, she says, so this is how it ends. Malia tells the deckhands that Captain Sandy is having a meeting. In Hannah’s interview, she says, she’s aware of maritime law; she’s been in yachting for years. It was a mistake on her part not to declare what she has, but she thinks she’s been ready to make a hasty exit for a few years now. She doesn’t like leaving like this. She hates leaving on a dark, horrible note, but doesn’t regret her time in yachting. It’s part of who she is as a human being and always will be. She had the highest of highs – we flash back to the fun times – and the lowest of lows – we flash back to some miserable times. She says she’s done with the heart attack, but would have preferred to end on a high – not literally. She thinks the next chapter is going to be so much better, even though yachting was fantastic.
Rob wants to make a pact that no one else leaves. Jess says she’ll need to get fired; she’s not quitting. Malia says, that’s the spirit. Captain Sandy asks to see Bugs. Alex wonders, who’s next? The captain tells Bugs, obviously, Hannah is no longer on board, and asks if Bugs is okay with being chief stew. She’ll get someone for her next charter, and the deck will help. She just wants to make sure Bugs is up to the task. She doesn’t want the chatter about Hannah to effect Bugs. Bugs says Malia explained some things, but it’s not for her to know. She’ll just have to carry on. Right. Like she won’t be pumping her friend for info later. In Bugs’s interview, she says, someone has to step in and take charge, but it’s unfortunate the way it played out. Provisions come in, and the captain radios the crew to meet in one hour in the mail salon, wearing their whites. In Tom’s interview, he says he’s had classical training. He likes to be organized and prepared, but to be dropped into the season like this, is mad. Captain Sandy says she’s had better days. Malia tells the deckhands, they have to stay strong, leave the personal stuff, have each other’s backs, and finish strong. She thanks them for being awesome. Tom says he’s never seen anyone walk out the day of charter. In her interview, Bugs says Hannah had the knowledge of how to run things. You need a system, and she has no time to do it. That’s her biggest concern at this point. Alex says he’s not stressing, and Tom says Alex is leaving the stress to him.
Malia asks Captain Sandy if another person is coming, and the captain says, next charter. She thinks they’ll see a change in Jess. Malia thinks there will be a change when they understand why Hannah had to be let go, and what the severity of the situation is. They need to understand that, even if they have a prescription, you can’t take anything while on duty. She had an allergic reaction once, and had to log the Benadryl. A nurse had to be called on shore to give an okay for her to take it. Hannah didn’t register valium and weed. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, under maritime law, pot is illegal on a vessel in international waters. She knows of a ship in the Bahamas that was seized for one joint. She tells Malia that she wasn’t going into all that when she had an emotional being in front of her. Whatever it is, it has to be registered. Malia says, there’s a reason for the laws, and in her interview, says, this is probably the roughest situation Tom could be thrown into. She feels nervous and protective of him. Everyone gets into their whites, and in Jess’s interview, she says she thinks the crew is shocked and confused. WTF just happened? She knows where Bugs gets her name; she bugs the sh*t out of everybody. Jess tells Rob that she loves him.
The crew meets in the main salon for a pre-charter meeting. Captain Sandy says, the reality is, Hannah was let go. It’s ultimately the captain’s responsibility to uphold maritime law. When they go to sea, the chief stew is responsible for every life on board, and can’t be drowsy or incapacitated in any way. This is why they can’t drink or take any medication, not even Benadryl. She needs to make it crystal clear that they need to be relied on in case of an emergency. It’s no joke. She says Bugs will be chief stew because of her past knowledge. They’re hitting reset and starting new. Bugs says, blah-blah-blah to Jess, and in her interview, Jess says, oh my God. Here we go. Bugs says she sees that enthusiasm, and Jess says she can’t wait.
The guests arrive. Bugs runs out just in time, and Malia calls Tom to get out on the dock. The crew greets the guests, and Captain Sandy says they’re happy to have them. Bugs will show them around the boat, then they’ll take off for their first anchorage. In Bugs’s interview, she says she’s comfortable with the title, but she never expected having to do it with only one other stew. She gives the tour, and shows them the cigar lounge, which I’ve never seen; it’s very cool. Malia tries to lift one of the guest’s bags, and says, holy hell. In her interview, she says, the guests look high maintenance.The chief stew and the chef are shockingly new, and now isn’t the time for a challenge. Bugs takes the guests downstairs to show them the cabins. Malia tells the captain, ready to launch, and Bugs shows them the hot tub. Malia says, stern lines are clear, and Bugs pours champagne, saying they can call her Chief. She asks if lunch is good at 2 pm, and if family style is okay. She relays the information to Tom, and in his interview, he says, food is very much the pride of a professional chef. His mom never let them sleep in, and they had a massive amount of chores, She once sprayed him with a hose while he was still in bed, telling him that he needed to get something done, and wasn’t going to achieve anything in bed.
Jess tells Bugs that one of the guests wants an espresso martini, and Bugs asks if Jess wants to learn how to make it. In Bugs’s interview, she says the downfall interiors is usually because the chief stew doesn’t show the stews how to do anything, and expects them to be miracle workers. As busy as it is, giving people your time is important. She shows Jess how to make the martini. Pete asks Malia if Hannah was let go for drugs, and Malia says, yeah. It doesn’t matter if you have a prescription. You can’t have them in the cabin or be taking them on duty. Bugs asks if there are any spare hands to do dishes, and Malia says she’s on her way. Until it’s time to drop anchor, the deck crew is all hers. Tom says he’ll make a chef out of Malia, and she says, sous chef. Bugs asks how Alex is doing; it’s a beautiful day. Alex says, and they have a beautiful new chief stew. Isaac tells the other guests, it’s good to know me, and they clink glasses.
Cala Fornells. The boat is anchored, and the water toys are put out. In his interview, Tom says, first impressions are huge. You need to get it right, and ride the wave. He starts plating, and Malia calls the deck crew to help serve. Tom has Malia do the garnishes. In her interview, she says she thinks Tom is doing fine, but he’s not used to not having a sous chef. She’s a nervous wreck because he’s her boyfriend. She doesn’t want any repercussions. A guest asks the chef’s name, and Bugs tells him, saying they just got him. Captain Sandy comes by, and asks how lunch is, and the guest (I think it’s the father, but I’m not sure since they’re not indicating a name) says, if the chef isn’t five-star, he’s not for them. He asks if the captain has eaten the chef’s food yet, and she says no, and he says, he’s not a fan of veal. Another guest says, it’s delicious; Tom is a great chef. In her interview, the captain says, whew! Thank God. Tom wonders where he’d be without Malia, and she says, not here. The guests go in the water, and one asks Bugs if she’s married. She says, to her job, and he rudely asks how old she is. She tells him, twenty-nine; she still has some time. Rob radios Malia that the jet skis have disappeared behind a rock, and she asks him to go to the bridge, and see if he can keep eyes on them. In her interview, she says, the guests are doing everything all at once, it’s hard to keep track of them. The wave runner overturns, with one of the guests underneath it. He’s fine, and Malia explains weight distribution. A guest asks if Rob has a girlfriend, and he says he’s seeing Jess. The guest says he has good taste, and Rob says, she does too. Why guests always quiz the crew on their status is beyond me. I don’t ask my waiter those questions. In Rob’s interview, he says, the relationship has gotten deeper, stronger, and more powerful quickly. Flying to the other end of the world after knowing someone a couple of weeks could be seen as crazy, but he’s considering flying to Bali.
Malia asks Tom how it’s going, and he says, it’s his first day; his first everything. Jess and Rob kiss in their cabin. A fat, old dude guest – I think it’s the father, so we’ll just call him Jerod from now on – says he wants whiskey twice his age, and a woman half his age. Alex calls Bugs Hannah, which is bound to happen. The guests throw a dildo around (mind you, none of them are kids), and one says it’s hers; don’t play with it. Bugs tells guest Ashley that they’re doing the celebration for their achievement tonight, and Ashley says they also want to do the birthday party. Bugs asks, what kind of cake? and Ashley says, chocolate. Jerod tells Bugs, there’s a sea cucumber that he’d like her to take back, indicating the dildo. She says, some sea cucumber, but bravely picks it up. In her interview, she says she doesn’t want to know, and she puts it on the bed. Bugs makes a light-up sign that says, Yay for 100K. She tells Tom about the birthday cake, and he says, cool, but it’s not really. Jess checks to see who wants drinks, and in Tom’s interview, he says, last minute requests reflect on the chef. He can make something last minute, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect what he’s capable of. Bugs just threw it at him. Like it’s her fault. In Jess’s interview, she says Bugs is intense and detailed. She says she must be second stew now, since there’s only two of them. Captain Sandy calls for a second stew, and says, yes, again. Bugs takes photos of the guests. Tom grumbles, effing birthday cake at the last minute, and bitches about it. He tells Malia, even if he could cook whatever he wanted, the job is hard enough, and she says she has to deal with it too. He gripes that he’s cooking for the crew too. Whatever. It’s bullsh*t. I stop listening to him whine.
Jerod takes topless pics of his whatever-she-is. He says he’s going to the room to play with that thing. Bugs tells Jess to get the cutlery out, and writes down what she needs. Tom bitches some more, because he didn’t see oysters on the list, and wonders how he’s getting them open. In his interview, he says he didn’t think of it, and never got an oyster knife. It’s not a good start. Malia asks if they have a knife, but they don’t. Bugs asks for help with service and turndown. In Bugs’s interview, she says she loves working with Tom. He’s an easy person to work with, but she keeps waiting for him to throw a dish at her. Jerod wanders around. Malia tells Alex to help Jess with the cabins, and says she’ll help serve. Tom says, piece of sh*t, blah-blah-blah. In his interview, he says he’s feeling flustered. There’s been a lot of stress and drama already. It’s not necessary; today has been a lot. Jerod pops his head in the galley, and asks if Tom is going to make them a good meal. Tom says he hopes so, and Jerod asks where he’s from. Tom says, the UK, and Jerod wants to tell him a joke. A guy from the UK comes home to find his wife in bed with another man. What does he say? Tom doesn’t know, and Jerod tells him, ‘allo, ‘allo, ‘allo. Tom is like, huh? and Jerod says, it’s an American joke making fun of an Englishman. Awkward.
Bugs asks how Captain Sandy’s day is going, and the captain says she wanted to go home. It was a rough morning, and she could be at a Broncos/Jaguars game right now. Jerod wanders around nakey with the dildo, and tosses it into one of the rooms. WTF??? Jess looks at her flight layover, and Rob says, he’s used to that sh*t. Bugs creates another stellar tablescape in blue and metallics. In Malia’s interview, she says she didn’t realize how she’d feel differently when Tom came on board. Now she’s carrying the responsibility of a partner. It scary, but good.
The guests get ready for dinner. Alex tells Jess that he’s helping her with cabins; let him know what to do. One of the guests cuts a piece of meat off of what’s on the grill with a pocketknife. How classy. Jerod says when he threw the dildo in her room, Tatiana yelled at him. Tatiana confirms that she did. I won’t tell you what I’d do. The guests complain about shells in their oysters, and one says they didn’t appreciate it. All I want to do at this point is eat cookies and my feelings. Bugs asks if they want another round, and primary Isaac suggests they say one nice thing about each other. He likes everyone’s boobs, and loves Tatiana’s hair, because apparently, she’s chosen not to have fake boobs. Bugs tells Tom about the shells, and he says he can make more, but it will take time. He notes that they ate them anyway.
Alex helps Jess, and in her interview, she tells us, they worked together on a boat in Florida. He’s her little, degenerate brother. She wants to slap and hug him at the same time. She asks Alex to gather the trash. He says he’s the second stew and she’s the third. Bugs tells the guests that the chef is more than happy to make more oysters, but lobster is coming, and they say they’re good. Tom asks Malia to help plate the lobster. Alex sees the guests suitcases open, but says he’s not putting their effing clothes away. He sees the dildo, and laughs like crazy. He says, that’s a good d*ckin’; it’s like a kickstand. Bugs asks Alex to wait outside the galley to help with the food. The guests complain about the lobster being raw. Jess tells Alex to pull it off gently, meaning the bedsheet. He says, the d*ck or… and they laugh. Bugs tells Tom about the lobster, and says she’s sorry. He says, it’s nonsense. Effing hell. He’s cooked for two hours. He bitches for a while, but says he’ll sort it out. He continues to complain, wondering how he’s going to cook the potatoes now. In his interview, Tom says, it’s not what he thought he was signing up for. He’s a laughing stock. What’s the point of being on the boat if the guests don’t like it? It’s suicide. He’s good at what he does, and doesn’t need to prove it. He has too much self-respect to do this effing bullsh*t.
This season: Captain Sandy says, yachting is emotional and tiring; she wants them to be champions, and not at each other’s throats, and she can’t do insubordination. A new stew arrives, Alex gets covered in glitter and belly dances, a repeat guest, a jelly fish sting, Ibiza, Bugs takes a spill, Tom says he’s done, a tight parking spot, the captain tells Malia to stay out of the galley, Rob feels trapped, and Tom throws a fit.
🐍 Okay, I get the maritime law thing, and why Captain Sandy feels the way she does. HOWEVER, Malia is the worst for the way she handled it. A panic attack should not be interpreted as freaking out, and she made that sound worse than it was when talking to the captain. I believe she lulled Hannah into a false sense of friendship security, and I don’t believe for a second had Hannah not been averse to the cabin switch, that Malia wouldn’t have let it go. Regardless, she shouldn’t have been all stealthy, taking a picture, when she knew earlier. Why didn’t she alert the captain then? She had added incentive, knowing her buddy would be promoted to chief stew. The whole thing stinks. As for Captain Sandy, once she had that information, she had no choice to confront Hannah, but David told her it was grounds for dismissal, not absolute. I believe she didn’t just fire Hannah for the drugs, but for a series of problems she perceived having with her. What I really didn’t like is, when Hannah said she didn’t think the captain cared, it was because she was blindsided and hurt – admittedly, it was stupid of her to leave that stuff lying around – and the captain should have recognized that, and not taken it personally.
🎱 Deadline Looming…
My deadline for https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/ is at high noon on Tuesday, so I’ll be saving the tea for another day, since I still have work to do. Until we join forces again, stay safe, stay using your brain, and stay leaving your drugs at home if your vessel is traveling international waters.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
TJ tells Elizabeth, there’s dedication and martyrdom; she should go home. She says she’s not going until she knows Jason is okay, and he supposes there’s no point in arguing.
In the elevator, Ava says Nikolas is unusually quiet. He says he heard from Spencer, and she asks if they worked things out. Is he planning to work on their marriage, or leave her and his fortune behind? He says, they are, only answering her first question.
Willow tells Michael that she never thought they’d get out, and he asks how many books they read Wiley. She says she lost count, and Michael says, Wiley held out long as he could, but was asleep by the end of Goodnight, Moon. She hopes when this is over, they’re able to read to Wiley every night.
At the MetroCourt, Nelle says Julian knows how to spoil her, and he asks how he can when she’s already rotten. He tells her, whoever is doing the hostage holding, pays the bill. She says, until the judge makes a ruling, they need to make a good impression of the happy, thriving couple they are. Ava and Nikolas come by, and Ava says she thinks Nelle needs to look those words up. She doesn’t think they mean what Nelle thinks they mean. (Ha-ha! A nod to The Princess Bride.) Nelle asks if Ava is there to congratulate her on becoming Ava’s sister-in-law, and Ava asks Nikolas to give them privacy. He leaves, and Nelle says he didn’t have to go; they’re all family. Ava says there’s no need for Nikolas to witness this. She and her big brother have a lot to catch up on.
Lulu sees Ned at the hospital, and asks if she can have a moment. He says, it depends on the subject matter, and she says rumors are circulating that Cyrus has offered to bail the hospital out, but ELQ is going to block him by providing the money instead. Does Ned have a comment? He says, to the reporter who leaked ELQ’s last major acquisition? No. She says, what about off the record? To a family friend who knows Cyrus is bad news and cares as much about the hospital as he does. Information could be helpful. Her mom is still in DC, but one of her contacts on the GH board told her that Cyrus put forth a very attractive proposal, and they’re voting tomorrow night. Ned says, which means they’re running out of time.
On the phone with Martin, Valentin says Sam turned him down, but he’s not overly concerned. She’ll have a change of heart sooner rather than later.
Jordan tells Curtis, she’s working on a case, and doing her job. Curtis says he knows when she’s holding back. Why not not do that this time, and tell him the truth? She says, fine. She had a meeting with Cyrus.
Cyrus toasts to Jason. He imagines Jason would have been a worthy adversary.
Sonny asks Brando to take him through what happened at the garage. Brando says he fixed Jason’s bike… Sam appears, and says he’s lying. Jason would never let anyone touch his bike.
Franco comes to the hospital, and Elizabeth asks Franco how Jake is doing. Heputs on a brave face. Franco says he doesn’t know anyone who’s been through such darkness and come out good. She says she does, and he thanks her. She says she should go see how Jake is doing, but he says he knows she wants to hang out until she gets news about Jason; he understands. And she’s probably making overtime. She says she is, and calls him a gold-digger. He says, now she knows. He’s feeling neglected, but she can make it up to him at the unveiling tomorrow. She says, with everything going on… and he says she’s planning on not going, isn’t she?
Sam says, no way in hell did Jason ask Brando to work on his bike. Brando says Jason didn’t. Jason ordered a stabilizer and he thought he was doing Jason a solid. She says, it’s the same thing that failed and caused the crash, but Sonny says they don’t know that. She says, it makes sense. It’s Brando’s fault Jason is fighting for his life.
Curtis asks where Jordan was with Cyrus, and she says, his new apartment. She was perfectly safe. It would take him too much time to break in a new Commissioner if she was dead. He asks if she ever thought of having some backup, but she says she can’t have a witness to her acts of corruption under duress. He says she needs to go to Mac, and make this an official sting operation, but she says she has to figure out how to do this without Curtis and TJ getting hurt. Curtis suggests she keep him in the loop the next time she goes to a private meeting at a known drug trafficker’s lair. She says she should have told him, but she knew he wouldn’t let her go.
Ned tells Lulu that no one wants to see the hospital fall into Cyrus’s hands. Lulu says half the board thinks he’ll save the hospital, and Ned says, the other half don’t care who it is, as long as the check clears. Michael is preoccupied, but Ned is going to hold an emergency family shareholders meeting tomorrow. He’ll make a pitch for ELQ to be the hospital’s chief financial backer, and with any luck, it will be approved. Lulu says, with any luck? She thought it was a done deal.
Valentin tells Martin to focus keeping the shares he’s already acquire under wraps. He’ll take care of the details. Nikolas comes by, and wonders if someone needs to watch their back, their wallet, or both.
Ava says she would have offered to buy the newlyweds a set of knives, but she didn’t think it would end well. Nelle says, cash is acceptable. After all, she and Julian are starting a life together. Ava wonders if she should leave it on the dresser. Tell her how this blissful union came to be? Nelle says it was after she saw how close Julian was with Wiley. There’s nothing sexier than a good daddy. Ava says, or a good-looking grandpa. Go on with the love story. Nelle says she spent some evenings at Charlie’s, and she and Julian got to know on another. Ava asks, when and with what did Nelle blackmail her brother? She hates to hijack Nelle’s story, but she’s taking forever. Nelle says Ava has had an unlucky time in the romance department, but Ava says those days are over. She’s a legitimate princess, and her marriage isn’t just a sham. Julian says she’s right. The bloodthirsty manipulative little bitch blackmailed him.
Michael tells Willow that he has confidence in Diane. The best they can do is stay positive, and hope for the best. Willow hopes he’s right. The doorbell rings, and she says until the ruling is made in their favor, she’s not taking anything for granted.
Elizabeth tells Franco that Jason is having exploratory surgery. He says he hopes it goes well, and she says she wants to stay close – for Jake’s sake. He says he was selfish to ask, and she says, it wasn’t; it’s just bad timing. Felix calls to her, and she tells Franco to let Jake know that she’ll call if there’s any news.
Valentin wonders if no one ever told Nikolas that it’s impolite to eavesdrop. Nikolas asks if no one ever told Valentin not to make clandestine phone calls in public places. Valentin says that’s where the best clandestine phone calls are made. Nikolas says the unveiling is tomorrow, and Valentin says he can’t make it. Nikolas says he wouldn’t put it past Valentin to sabotage the night, since he probably still misses Windymere. Valentin says his business is no longer Nikolas’s concern, and turns his back.
Ned tells Lulu, someone is making a play for ELQ, and she says, again? He says, this is different. It’s off the record? She says, of course (🍷), and he says someone is using an intermediary to buy up the voting shares. She asks how bad the situation is, and he says he’s reasonably confident it’s under control. She hopes he’s right, because if there’s any delay, Cyrus will swoop right in. Cyrus walks up, and says, that’s why his ears are burning. He’s always at the top of someone’s mind around there. How flattering.
Nelle tells Julian, it’s one thing to make a joke with his sister, but she’s his wife. Surely he wouldn’t want anyone to think their marriage is anything but legitimate. Julian misses the opportunity to say, don’t call me Shirley, and says, Ava already knows. Ava says, even if she didn’t, Nelle just gave it away with her poorly veiled threats. She’s aided and abetted Nelle, and knows how Nelle works. Nelle says she’s a changed person; she’s learning and growing. Ava says Nelle may get over on her brother, but why did she go to all this trouble, when she has all the money she needs? Julian says Nelle thought she’d have a better chance at custody, and Ava laughs, saying Julian isn’t the best character witness, and shouldn’t be trifled with. Nelle hopes Ava’s not threatening her. After what they’ve been through together, and done for one another, Ava should trust her as much as she trusts Ava. She wouldn’t want Sonny to find out what Julian did. Neither would she want something to happen to her brother. Nelle says she’ll have this put on Julian’s tab, and goes to the bar. Julian tells Ava, go on. Tell him what an idiot he is, getting mixed up with Nelle. Ava asks what on earth he was thinking, and why hasn’t he killed Nelle yet?
Willow opens the door to Harmony, who congratulates Willow and Michael on their wedding. She read about it in The Invader. Willow says, it was spur of the moment, and Michael says they were committed to make it happen. Harmony says, when she read about the custody suit, she figured that’s why they expedited things. Michael says, it was a small ceremony, and Harmony says she doesn’t want to jeopardize anything, since she’s associated with the criminal element. Willow says, that’s in the past, but what about her associations in the present?
Curtis says, Jordan is right, and she says she knew he’d try to stop her. He says, not try; he would have. Jordan says, maybe she would have been a no show. Then TJ might have been jumped on his way home, or Stella would have received a disturbing text message all the way in London, or Curtis would have been in a concrete foundation at a new construction site, and she would have never known what happened to him. That’s why she didn’t tell him things were getting out of control. He says, it’s worse, keeping him in the dark, and she says, sorry she can’t practice full disclosure all the time. He says maybe she’ll practice it now. Look him in the eyes, and tell him there’s nothing else she’s keeping from him. She flashes back to calling (we assume) Harmony on the burner phone, and saying she has to do something. She’s not sure she can go through with it, and needs to be told it’s okay.
Sonny tells Sam to get back, and she says they all know what caused the accident, but Sonny says, it could have been anything. It could been another vehicle or road conditions. He knows it’s hard to believe that Jason’s not perfect, but he misses things. They need to keep it together until Jason pulls through. She says, if he pulls through, and Brando says he knows his way around a bike blindfolded; he never makes a mistake. She says, then explain, but he says he can’t. She says, unless it’s not a mistake.
Julian tells Ava, the second the judge gives a decision, his part in this is over. She tells him, stop making this sound like it’s under control. He wouldn’t be there if Nelle didn’t have him over a barrel. If he thinks Nelle will release him when this is over, he’s a damn fool.
Jordan says, the secrets she’s kept were to protect Curtis and the people they care about. He says, so that’s a no? and she says she’s sorry. It’s tearing her up. He says, then let him in. Unburden herself. She asks what he’ll do then? Sit on it, or take it to Sonny? She knows he’s met with Sonny and Jason at least once. What did they talk about, coffee? Curtis says there was a target on Cyrus’s back as soon as he held TJ captive; now he’s holding the whole city captive. Jordan says she can’t speak out, or people will get hurt, and she can’t quit. Compromise or not, she can’t sit back while a mob war breaks out. She has to figure a way out. He says, and in the meantime, she’ll jump when Cyrus says jump, and do his bidding, while she makes compromise after compromise.
Michael tells Harmony that they know she’s mixed up with a crime boss who’s new in town, and it has to be Cyrus. She says, the man who set up a charitable foundation… Willow says they know she’s a go-between. Jason has been on to her since she approached Sonny’s cousin at the garage.
Brando asks what Sam is saying; he’d never make a mistake like that. She says, then it must have been deliberate. He can’t believe she’s accusing him of trying to kill Jason. Why would he do that? She says, tell her. When things go to hell with her family, he’s always there. The shooting, then her sister. Sonny asks what with her sister, and she says, it was a misunderstanding. Brando says when Cyrus came to town, Sonny became a target, and she says, that’s why it’s no coincidence. He says he knows she’s worried about Jason, so he’s not taking it personally, but she doesn’t know a damn thing about him. She says she doesn’t, and it’s time to do something about that. Elizabeth comes out, and Sam asks if Jason is okay.
Julian says he appreciates Ava’s concern and creative solutions, but the thing with Nelle is under control. She says, it doesn’t look that way, but if he says so. He says he does, and she wonders where Nikolas ran off to. Julian says they both got themselves stuck in marriages of convenience, but she says she didn’t get herself into anything. He says, they’re damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
Willow asks Harmony why she’s really there; no stories or excuses, the truth. Harmony says she’s honestly there to congratulate them on their marriage. She can see how much they love each other. The love may be friendship, and may never be more than that, but it’s still a kind of love. Willow thanks her; it was kind of her to say that. Michael’s phone rings, and he steps away to take it. Harmony tells Willow, Michael is a good man, and she deserves what he has to offer. She doesn’t mean the house – although that doesn’t hurt – but his strength and kindness. She’s going to… Willow says, what? and Harmony says, forget she said anything. Forget she was there. Please promise to listen to Jason, and do what he tells her to. He understands the situation, and can protect her. Willow says, from who? Cyrus? Michael comes back in, and Willow asks if he’s okay. He says, Jason was in an accident.
Elizabeth tells Sam that Jason is stable, but still unconscious. Sam asks if she can see him, and Elizabeth says she’ll take Sam to ICU. They leave, and Sonny tells Brando, hold on. Now that Sam is gone, he has questions of his own.
Cyrus tells Ned and Lulu that he thought he’d pop in, visit the board, and find out how the deliberation of his offer is going. Ned says the hospital has been pushed into a corner, but who knows? Another proposal might come across to save them, and Cyrus can save his money. Then they won’t have to consider a man with a tarnished reputation. Cyrus says they’ve been given the wrong impression, and assures them he’s an innocent man. Lulu says, legally exonerated doesn’t equal innocence, and he says, doesn’t he know it. Fortunately, he has the feeling his damaged reputation is about to be rejuvenated.
Jordan tells Curtis that Cyrus wants her to clear his name. He says she got his conviction expunged, but she says, it’s not enough. Even though his record is clean, he’s still perceived as bad. Curtis asks how she’s going to do this, and she says she’s holding a press conference. He says she’s holding a random press conference to tell everyone how Cyrus loves children and rescues kittens, and she says as Commissioner, she’s going to vouch for Cyrus. He says, then Cyrus gets what he wants, but she says she doesn’t see another option. She knows what happened to Jason, and doesn’t want to invite more trouble. She needs to treat it as a warning, and can’t let anyone interfere, including him.
Sam goes in to see Jason, and asks Elizabeth what the doctors said. Elizabeth tells her, the surgery went well, and there’s no immediate cause for alarm. They’ll know more when he wakes up. Sam says she’d like to be alone with him, and Elizabeth leaves. Sam tells Jason not to quit on her now, and takes his hand.
Brando asks if Sonny thinks he wrecked Jason’s bike, but Sonny says, if he did, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. He needs Brando to tell him if there’s any information out there. Does he think there’s a chance he might have done something? Could a mistake, an oversight, a faulty part have caused the accident? Brando says, absolutely not. He checked the part before and after; it was perfect. Sonny asks if there’s something else Brando needs to tell him, and Brando flashes back to Cyrus coming to the garage, saying his car is fine, but he’s there to discuss another matter. He tells Sonny, nothing that he can think of.
Lulu asks how Cyrus plans on rejuvenating his well-deserved reputation, and he says, the good old-fashioned American way – philanthropy. Ned says, so he’s going to buy himself a good reputation, but Cyrus says he’s going to let his devotion to social justice speak for itself. He has to run, and when he’s gone, Ned says he talks a good game for a known drug lord. Lulu says, Jordan told her mom that Cyrus is the most dangerous man she ever met. They have to stop him, for the sake of the hospital and Port Charles.
Jordan says, the reporters are there, and Curtis says she doesn’t have to do this. If she talks to them, and gives Cyrus his reputation back, he’ll be one step closer to rebuilding his drug empire. He has a foot everywhere in Port Charles. She says, that ship has sailed, and she doesn’t have much luck in getting it back to shore. She just has to plug the holes. She won’t ask him to stay. She walks out, and he watches as she goes down the hallway.
Sam tells Jason, he’s an expert rider. Someone did this; either Peter or Cyrus. Felix comes in, and tells her that her parole officer is there to see Jason, and Sam asks him to tell her to lay off. Say Jason can’t have visitors. He says, she’s flashing her badge, and acting like there’s a crime in progress. Sam says just tell Delores that she needs twenty minutes, and Felix tells her that she knows what Delores will say. Sam says, that she has ten. He leaves, and she picks up her phone. She calls Valentin, who asks if she’s considered his offer. She says she’s at the hospital; the 10th floor. Get here fast, please.
Willow tells Michael that she’ll look after Wiley if he wants to go to the hospital, but Michael says, Jason is unconscious. He knows from experience that all they’ll be doing is waiting. Besides, Wiley needs him.
Nikolas finds Elizabeth, and says he heard about Jason. He asks if Jason is going to be okay, and she asks if he’s actually concerned. He says he and Jason were friends long ago, but admits he’s more concerned about her. She and Jason have a lot of history, and share a child. He gets the sense Franco is the jealous type. She says, he’s getting better, and Nikolas says she might want to talk to someone with more distance. He mostly wants to make sure she’s okay. She says, it’s not fair, and he says, accidents happen. She says, not that; him. She wants to be angry at him, then he acts like her friend. He suggests they call a time out. Then she can go back to being angry, but for that one minute, they can be old friends again. He takes her hand, and Franco sees them. Nikolas says, how about it? A time out.
Ava comes by, and says Nikolas is sneaky, turning his GPS off. She had to work extra hard to find him. Elizabeth leaves, and Ava says she felt stood up. Nikolas says, perhaps because she was. She says she loves what passes for Cassadine wit these days. He’s such a good friend. He tells her, go to hell, but she says she means it. Franco is so troubled, he lacks the emotional maturity, but Nikolas is exactly the type of warm, understanding, affectionate friend that Elizabeth needs. Nikolas walks down the hallway, and texts Spencer, saying he’s looking forward to discussing their future together.
Nelle asks if Julian and Ava finished bonding, and he says he hopes she didn’t feel left out. He’s sure a cutting edge new money debutante like her can keep busy at the bar. She says, someone is in a sour mood. She wants to make sure they’re on the same page. The second the verdict is handed down, they’ll go their separate ways. If he can’t trust his wife, who can he trust?
Michael tells Willow, he’s trying not to obsess over the worst case scenario, and she says, but he’s obsessing over the worst case scenario. He says they’re in it for the long haul, and hopes they convinced the court. They’ve done everything they can, and he has to hope it’s enough. His phone dings, and he says, it’s a text from Diane. The judge made a ruling, and wants them to convene first thing tomorrow.
Sonny tells Brando that he wants to check in with Carly, but just so they’re clear, he’s not done yet. He goes into the elevator, and stares straight ahead as the doors close. As Brando walks away, he sees Harmony walking toward him. She says, Mr. Corbin, and keeps walking.
Valentin meets Sam in Jason’s room, and says he’s sorry to hear about Jason. She says she bets, and he says she wanted to see him. She says the police are circling; they don’t want to let her stay in ICU. He says, he’s sorry to hear it, and she asks what the deal is again. He says he gets Danny and Scout’s voting proxy until they’re 18, and he’ll pull strings so she can see Jason whenever she wants. She says, deal.
Lulu tells Ned that Jordan is holding a press conference. Jordan stands at the podium, and says she’s asked to speak publicly, and address head on the rumors about Cyrus. As Commissioner, she holds a firm belief that the law is only as good as how well law enforcement holds its own accountable. She found out that evidence was planted by her former colleagues to frame Cyrus for a crime he didn’t commit. Any implication otherwise is false. Cyrus Renault was and is innocent. They can’t give him back the year he spent behind bars, but as Commissioner, she’ll do what she can to protect his reputation as an upstanding member of the community, as she would for any of them.
Watching from his new home, Cyrus says, there’s his girl. He knew she had potential.
Tomorrow, TJ wonders if Jordan will get fired, Michael asks what the hell is going on? and Curtis tells Cyrus that they’re going to play by his rules from here on out.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Port Adriano, Spain. Kiko leaves, and Hannah tells Rob, there goes her best friend on the boat. It shouldn’t have gone down like that; he’s a good person. Rob says she is too, but she says, not like that. Bugs asks Malia how she thought charter went, and Malia says, it was a lot of smoke and mirrors. Bugs thinks they work well together. Malia says if her boyfriend becomes the chef, he won’t be okay with the messy galley. She and Bugs are used to a certain standard, but some people aren’t. Hopefully Tom will be able to sleep on board tonight. Captain Sandy calls the crew for the tip meeting.
The captain says, obviously, everyone knows about Kiko, but charter is a business. It’s never easy, but in spite of what’s going on, it never effected the client professionalism. She thanks them for that. The tip is $20K, or 1500 euros each. In Hannah’s interview, she says, it’s a great tip, but they need to address the elephant in the room; who the chef is. Captain Sandy says the owner had arranged for them to have a day off together. The crew clinks champagne glasses. Alex talks to Bugs, showing her a picture of his waxed chest. He says he’s due for another waxing, and she can do it. She says, sweet.
Malia calls Tom, and asks if he can stay on the boat tonight. The captain said she wants to meet him. The chef leaving wasn’t planned, and they need a chef. He says he’s not fully prepared to cook, but all right. In Malia’s interview, she says the reason Tom is on his way to the UK is to see a sick family member. He has some personal things weighing in at the moment. The captain calls wherever you call for crew members, and says she knows everyone is looking for a chef. She gets it. In her interview, Hannah says, how convenient. She asks Alex how it’s going with Bugs, and he says they joke around and have a good time, but it’s hard in a work environment. Hannah says, Bugs is good at table décor, but I have no idea how that applies here. Malia asks Captain Sandy if it’s okay if Tom stays on the boat tonight. She can see if eventually he wants to do the rest of the season. The captain says she wants to talk to him about that.
In Bugs’s interview, she says her sister worked with Tom, and was matchmaker for Tom and Malia. She was Malia’s cabin mate, and Tom said he liked her, so she hooked them up. Yachting is an incestuous, small world. Alex radios for Bugs to meet him on deck. He asks her to wax his back, saying he feels like a spotted cow. In her interview, Bugs says, like Wolverine. In Rob’s interview, he says he told Jess he loves her, but she didn’t say it back. He wants to go at a pace she’s comfortable with. A producer asks how many women he’s said that too, and he says, not a lot. Bugs works on Alex’s back, and says they could make a carpet. He’s one hairy lug.
Tom arrives, and Malia runs to meet him. He sweeps her into his arms. Bugs continues waxing as Pete looks on. Malia brings Tom on board, and introduces him around. She shows him the boat, and says it’s a shame about the chef, but it was one pretty bad dinner. I’m so sure she cares. Hannah introduces herself to Tom. Malia and Tom go to the guest cabin, and there are rose petals everywhere with a sign that says, Malia and Tom: Reunited and it feels so good. In Malia’s interview, she says, in their business, it’s extremely hard to maintain a relationship. She and Tom knew each other four weeks, when they were separated all over the globe. When they get time together, it’s amazing. It’s worth fighting for. She doesn’t want say he’s the one, but…
Everyone gets ready to go out. They head for a restaurant, and Rob says he’s feeling sassy. Hannah tells Rob and Jess, she feels jealous; she misses Josh. My bad. I thought her boyfriend’s name was also Tom. Bugs keeps asking for one more shot at the bar, and Alex says he has no Bugs spray, so she kept coming around. Rob tells Tom that he respects how Malia’s defined her position in a masculine dominated industry. Hannah says she’s going back to the boat; she’s not feeling that great. She tells Tom that he has an angel on his hands. I’ll bet she doesn’t think so now. Rob says, there’s a cheers in South Africa that says, never above them, never below them, always beside them. He asks why Jess is so sexy, and they kiss. Hannah eats dinner alone, and talks to Josh on the phone. The others leave to go back by 1:30.
Rob says, elleshwallsweitbgfbi (not a typo) to Jess as they go to her cabin. In the guest cabin, Tom and Malia get busy. Rob tells Jess that he loves her, like a lot, and she says she loves him too. In her interview, she says she’s in love with him, and laughs. She says she’s had enough hurt in the past, and it’s hard to say, but none of her past relationships understood her, and he does, naturally.
Alex yells for everyone to wake up at 10 am for the beach club. Malia tells Tom the captain is excited to meet him, and introduces them. Captain Sandy asks if they had fun last night, and they tell her they did. Tom says he’s flying to the UK, and Captain Sandy says Malia has told her about his mad skills in the galley. She’s been reading about him, and would like to have a chat with him. She promises Malia that she won’t steal him. Um… I doubt Malia thought she would. She says his resume is what she’s always wanted. He worked his way up. He was a sous chef, he was formally trained, and worked in Michelin star restaurants. He was the head chef on an 80 meter vessel, and the sole chef on a 50 meter boat, serving 12 guests. She says she’s asking if he could help her with this season, and he looks like a deer caught in the headlights. The captain says, their maximum is 8 guests, and they have 11 crew members. He says if he can spend more time with Malia, he’d be happy to help. She says she’s so grateful. She can’t wait to see what he can do. She hugs him, and says, thank you. He explains that he was on his way to the UK because his uncle is quite unwell. If something happens, he’ll have to go. Captain Sandy says, the galley is his.
Malia asks how Hannah is doing, and Hannah says her stomach is sick. She lies down while the others get ready for the beach club. Tom tells Malia about being offered the job, and she’s excited. In his interview, Tom says he knew she’d get him into trouble one day. Captain Sandy calls everyone to the main salon for an announcement. The captain tells the crew that Tom has agreed to be chef. Everyone is like, yay! except for Hannah. Captain Sandy says she’s grateful; the timing couldn’t have been better. No effing comment. She welcomes him, and tells the crew to have a great day. Hannah says she’ll be joining them in a few hours. She’s not well, and can’t leave the bathroom. In her interview, she says she sees trouble on the horizon. If she has an issue with Malia, she’ll have on with Tom, and vice versa. The crew gets in a taxi, and heads out.
In the taxi, Malia asks Alex how he feels about Tom joining the crew. She says, every chef is a little psychotic, but he’s a good one. They arrive at a gorgeous beach club set in a cliff. In Alex’s interview, he says he never thought he’d see something like this. In Jess’s interview, she says, there are a lot of good selfie spots. They have someone take a group shot. On the boat, Hannah eats toast. Jess takes photos of her and Rob. Jess gets on top of Rob, and Bugs wonders what’s going on over there. In her interview, Jess doesn’t know what level they’re on; PG or R. Tom joins them, but Hannah is a no show. Malia and Bugs sarcastically say, Hannah is sick and unable to make it. In Rob’s interview, he thinks Hannah doesn’t want to be around Bugs. Jess says, it’s definitely bullsh*t. Rob tells Jess that he doesn’t belong in America, and she says, same. She’s flying to Bali after this. He says, maybe he’ll come. Everyone does some paddle boarding and swimming.
The captain checks on Hannah, and asks how she’s feeling. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says Hannah is on her own, and she’s sad for her. She has to see how Hannah shifts this. She asks if Hannah wants some water or toast, and says she’s there for Hannah; whatever she needs. At the beach club, the crew changes for dinner. Jess takes a picture of Tom and Malia, and they move on to the restaurant. They toast to charter six with a new chef. Alex says Malia told him that Tom did some things with Gordon Ramsay, and Tom says he worked under him in London; it was cool. In his interview, he says he had classical training. His mom cooked for the Queen Mother, and hated it. His dad is a chef, and was a raging alcoholic, who he hasn’t seen since he was young. He thinks his mom saw that in his future, and said if he was going to be a chef, he had to do it properly. The food comes, and Malia thinks Hannah is in bed, watching movies and drinking rosé. Not quite. She’s sitting on her bed, using the computer, and drinking ginger ale. In Jess’s interview, she says her and Rob’s relationship is on steroids. It’s scary, but fun. He’s moving in with her. Malia says she doesn’t know if the cabin change has been approved yet, and Tom says, Plan B is that they share a bunk. In Malia’s interview, she says, grow up. They have to work together and live together; it’s part of yachting. Steam starts to come out of my ears. They leave, and Tom massages Malia’s feet in the taxi. Back on the boat, Jess tells Hannah that she picked the wrong day to get sick, and hopes she feels better. Hannah thanks her.
Bugs tells Malia that she hopes Hannah is all right. She started making beds. Malia says, at least someone is taking the initiative. I hate Malia now, as do many of the fans. She fake asks Hannah, what happened? and Hannah says she thinks it’s something she ate. She feels like she’s been through a washing machine. Malia asks if she has a minute. She’d like to share a cabin with Tom, and Jess and Rob would like to share. Hannah says she needs to have a chat with Bugs. They’ve had friction in the past, and she doesn’t know if it will help the situation. In Hannah’s interview, she says, it’s not going to happen. Malia says she needs to know by today, and hopes they can be professional. Captain Sandy radios the crew that she’s going for a walk, and will be off the boat. Malia tells Alex he’s late. He says, three minutes, and she says, that’s ten minutes in deck life. She gives the deckhands a to-do list.
Hannah tells Bugs that Malia came to her about the cabin situation. She understands that Malia wants to be with her boyfriend, but does she think it’s what’s best for the work environment? Bugs says, ideally, Malia would share a cabin with Tom, and Jess and Rob would share a cabin. Hannah says she and Bugs are probably both apprehensive, since they’ve managed to have a good work relationship. It seems like an unnecessary risk. Bugs agrees, and thinks it’s awkward for them, since they’re in a good state. Bugs says, what’s the plan otherwise? They’ll have to find a way to work it out. In Bug’s interview, she says it’s obvious Malia would want to share a cabin with Tom. Do they suck it up? She’s a mature person, and can live whoever she has to live with. Alex asks Rob when the wedding is, and if he can come. Rob says he’s best man. Hannah tells Malia that Bugs isn’t keen on the idea. Their working relationship is going well, and she doesn’t want to risk it. Malia asks how fair that is to her and Tom? They can find a way to make it work, and put their differences aside. Hannah says she’ll have to talk to Bugs, and Malia says, it’s not Bugs’s decision. Hannah says, just because they’re a couple, doesn’t mean it should be Malia’s way. Malia says Jess and Rob are already sneaking around to be together, and Hannah says, just because a Jess and Rob hooked up two weeks ago, doesn’t mean they should go out of their way to cater to them. Malia says she’s in an actual relationship, and Hannah says, so everyone should change things around? Malia says, if a couple is hired, they bunk together, but Hannah says, they didn’t hire a couple. Malia tells her, why don’t you just man up and share a cabin?
Malia tells Hannah, now that they have a team on board, they have to make room. Hannah says, there is room; with Rob. Malia says, you hired Tom, and Hannah says she didn’t hire him. Malia says, you don’t have couples who are a team not room together, and Hannah says it’s how she and Bugs feel. Malia says they didn’t always get along, and they shared cabin fine. Man up, and share the cabin. Hannah says, man up, and live without her boyfriend for two weeks. In Malia’s interview, she says Tom wouldn’t have joined the crew if they couldn’t be a team. It’s either share a cabin or find a new chef. Bugs gives Tom some chef’s jackets to try out. Hannah radios that she’ll be on the dock, and off the radio for ten minutes, and leaves to have a smoke. Malia tells Captain Sandy that she’s done, and the captain says, talk to her. Malia says Hannah doesn’t want to room with Bugs. Instead of realizing the boat is run a certain way, she’s told why can’t she live two weeks without her boyfriend. Tom is head chef, and you don’t tell the chef that his girlfriend – who is also bosun – can’t room with him because someone can’t get along. The captain radios the crew, saying she’s grateful there’s a chef on board. He’s going to stay in the cabin the other chef (who is now apparently nameless) was staying in. In the captain’s interview, she says Tom did them a favor. The chef gets his pick of cabin, because his rank is over everybody. She tells Malia, stay professional, not emotional. They have enough emotion on board. If she wants to be a captain, she can’t act like that. Malia stomps her foot and sucks her thumb. Not really, but she might as well.
It’s time for the preference sheet meeting. The primaries are Isaac and wife Ashely. Isaac is the CEO of a tech company his father started, and he’s also bringing his father and brother. The company is celebrating getting to 100,000 users. It’s a three-day charter, and a beach picnic lunch has been requested, along with an Arabian Nights themed party, with two belly dancers. They also want Michelin star food, and Captain Sandy appreciates that Tom is on board. She says, let’s do it, her new catchphrase. In the galley, Bugs tells Hannah that she’s looking at her new cabin buddy. Malia and Tom want to share a cabin, and Tom outranks them. The chef can have his pick of cabins. In Hannah’s interview, she says it’s become a power struggle, and she doesn’t want to play that game. Just do your job, and thank your boyfriend at the end of the season like normal people. She tells Bugs, it’s only two weeks.
Malia explains to Rob and Jess how they’re switching cabins. Hannah packs. In Alex’s interview, he says, it makes sense. Rob wonders why he has so many sweaters. In Malia’s interview, she says she doesn’t get it. The crew is scared of Hannah, but she’s not. Maybe the crew is supportive of Hannah, but I guess that’s not a possibility to Malia’s tiny mind. Malia says she’s learned not be intimidated by people who shouldn’t intimidate you. Her brothers taught her that. Bugs packs, and Alex sweeps the deck. Rob tells Jess the bottom bunk is too small to cuddle, so they move to the top bunk. In Jess’s interview, she says, it’s amusing that they’re a brand new couple, and technically living together. She doesn’t know about when she needs to use the bathroom. Tell him, get the hell out of the bedroom? She doesn’t like the pressure. She tells him the top will be the cuddle bed.
Tom cleans the galley. Hannah asks how he’s doing, and tells him if she can do anything, let her know. The crew goes to bed. Captain Sandy gets a text from Malia, saying she’s sorry she has to report this. Attached is a photo of a box that says Valium 5 mg.
5 hours before charter. Captain Sandy asks first mate David to come to her office. She says she found this, showing him the text, and needs to know the protocol. She wants him be there. To be honest, it’s not perfect timing. She calls Hannah in, and says it’s been brought to her attention that Hannah has drugs on board.
There was no preview, because they probably didn’t want Malia to give the plot away – like she did with this one. Apparently, her Instagram post trying to justify her actions didn’t go as well as she thought it would on several levels.
My new weekly venture – https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/ – is due on Tuesday at noon, and I’m still editing. See you next time, and don’t forget to stay safe, stay easy-going, and stay out of other people’s business, especially when you don’t know the details.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Maxie waits in an exam room. The nurse says the doctor will be a while, and Maxie says maybe she doesn’t need one. She needs a time machine, or a boyfriend who shoots blanks.
Peter meets Anna at the MetroCourt. He says he has a big favor to ask. She tells him not to worry; Finn isn’t a bachelor party type of guy, but Peter says, it’s the seating chart. Please tell him that he’s not sitting next to Robert.
At the hospital Finn shows Portia something he got from Violet on his phone, and says, kids are funny. She tells him, cherish the time. Kids fall out of love with their parents in the preteen years. Trina seems to be the exception.
Chase asks if Curtis found Jordan, but he says he asked her assistant, and she has no scheduled appointments. Is Chase sure she didn’t say anything else? Chase says Jordan wanted to talk to Jason, and sent him on his way.
Jordan asks Cyrus why she’s there, and he says to show he can count on her, for everyone’s sake. She says she arranged for his release, and he’s walking free. He says she got the job done, but needs to step up her performance and dazzle him. She says she has to be careful; there’s only so much she can do. He suggests she take the initiative, and show him how far she’s willing to go. He doesn’t lack problems, so pick one and solve it. Ha-ha! That sounds like me talking to my husband.
Sonny goes to the garage, and asks if Brando is working late. Brando says he’s just finishing up, and Sonny asks if business is good. Brando flashes back to Cyrus saying his car is fine; he’s there to discuss another matter. He tells Sonny that he just missed Jason.
Sam sees Peter and Anna, and asks Carly how Peter gets a free pass. He’s the guy who kept Drew and Jason prisoner for five years. Carly gathers he’s not Sam’s favorite guy.
Jason lies unconscious on the road, his motorcycle laying next to him.
Carly tells Sam, there are two reasons Peter gets a free pass – his mother and his girlfriend. Anna and Maxie believe in him, and nothing or no one is going to change their minds. Sam says Carly realizes Peter was exonerated, right? He’s responsible for Drew’s death, and it doesn’t make sense. He framed her when he broke Shiloh out of prison, and there he sits, basking in Anna’s appreciation. Carly agrees the hypocrisy is staggering. Robert approaches Anna and Peter’s table, and Anna wonders why he’s there. He says, it’s a work day, but she says she doesn’t think people would mind if he took time off. He supposes she’s referring to Holly. It would be nice if his closest friends would tell him what actually happened to her. Peter wants to leave them to their conversation, but Robert says, sit. He has questions, and he’ll start with this one. He shows Peter a tablet with an article on Holly; Holly Sutton: Death is Her Last Great Adventure. He asks why Peter is exploiting Holly’s death in this rag of his.
Maxie tells the nurse that she needs a pregnancy test. The nurse asks how late she is, and Maxie says, late. Speaking of late, she has a meeting she needs to get to for Deception. She says the nurse may have heard of it. It was huge in the 90s, and now it’s back. She should try their new moisturizer. It’s going to be a major seller once she locks down the distributor, which is what she should do now. She can do this later. She starts to leave, and says she knows it goes without saying, but the nurse isn’t going to talk to anyone about it, right? She can’t have this getting around. She runs into Lulu, who says, she can’t have what going around?
Sonny says, Jason is a customer? and Brando says Jason needed a stabilizer for his bike. Sonny says, Jason is family. Speaking of family, he’s there about a family matter. Brando asks if it’s Mike, and Sonny says he wanted Brando to know they’re getting close to the end.
Curtis asks Chase to run through what happened again. Chase says he stopped by the courthouse, and saw Jason, who said he was there to get permits. They suspect Jason was involved with a warehouse explosion on February 19th, but have zero evidence. He wanted to talk to Jason, but Jordan saw them, and said Jason could sue them for harassment, and sent him back to the station, while she stayed to chat with Jason. Curtis asks if he has any idea what they were talking about, and Chase says, maybe Cyrus. They have reason to believe Cyrus was behind the attacks on Sonny’s family, and Jason blew up the warehouse in retaliation. Maybe she was trying to Jason to finger Cyrus. Curtis thanks Chase for the information.
Jordan says she doesn’t want to climb the ranks of Cyrus’s rancid organization, and he says, like she once did? He tells her that she hates admitting it, but she enjoyed the power, prestige, and influence. She still does. That’s why she’s Commissioner. Jordan says she’s going along with him to keep people safe, but he says she’s not going along; she’s taking orders. She says she’ll do what she must, but she’s not part of his organization, and never has been. He appreciates her candor and says maybe she’ll appreciate some in return. The safety of those close to her is in direct proportion to him, and grows with each success. She says just tell what he needs now, and he says his philanthropic endeavors are being blocked; he needs a clear path. She says blocked by who, and he says their esteemed mayor. Take care of her.
Finn asks Portia if her daughter is a mommy’s girl, but Portia says, no; she’s a daddy’s girl through and through.Her father could do no wrong. She’s sure Violet will be the same way, and idolize her dad. Trina had difficulty with the revelation that Taggert framed Cyrus. She wishes she could do more to help, but Trina is shutting her out. Finn says, it’s tough, and she says she doesn’t mean to scare him. She doesn’t think he’ll have the same challenges with Violet, but Violet might have an issue with his fiancé. Finn says, Violet and Anna get along well, and Portia says, that’s good. She’s just saying the day may come when Violet resents Anna for not being her real mom. Finn says, that’s not Anna’s fault, and Portia says, no, but it’s something kids go through in their tween years. They need to blame someone for the missing parent, and mythologize the absent one. He says he knows about that, and hopes history doesn’t repeat itself.
Anna asks Robert if the article is inaccurate, and he says, it’s a hatchet job. He reads: Holly Sutton was known for her colorful past, and proclivity for wit, her ability to get in and out of Dodge, and being comfortable in dangerous situations. Anna says, it sounds like her, and Robert says, it sounds like an article about a woman they’re better off without. Peter apologizes for not consulting Robert, and says he’ll confer with the editor and they can revise the article. He leaves, and Robert asks what Anna thinks Peter is getting out of asking him to contribute. She calls him an idiot, and says Peter is trying to be his friend.
Maxie has a bandage on her arm, and the nurse says she’ll have the results soon. Lulu says they’ll both wait. Maxie wonders if she should call Peter, and let him know his star reporter is trolling the hospital instead of doing her job. Lulu says she’s researching a story on the hospitals finances, but maybe she should call Peter and tell him why she’s all up in Maxie’s business. Maxie tells her to go uncover some facts to report, but Lulu says, not until Maxie tells her something. If she thought she was pregnant, why not take a home test? Maxie says she took three, and Lulu asks if she got different results, but Maxie says they were all positive. Lulu asks if Maxie thought there was inconsistency in that. Maxie says the tests can be unreliable. It can happen, especially to her. She says, she’s totally pregnant, isn’t she?
Carly tells Sam, she understands Maxie is grieving. Peter was there, and only showed her what he wanted her to see. She’s a civilian, but Anna knows better. Sam says Carly is missing the point. Anna doesn’t want to know.She wants to think her son is a good man. Carly says she can empathize; Anna isn’t the first mom to convince herself her kid has changed. She hates that Peter kept Jason prisoner, but he was under Faison’s thumb, and that’s over. If Jason is willing to let it go, and Anna has hope that the bad stuff is behind him, what about Sam? Sam says, after what happened to Drew, Peter is still a threat. Why is Anna still protecting him?
Sonny tells Brando, his dad stopped eating. He’s at the point where he can’t even swallow anymore. Brando says he didn’t know that could happen with Alzheimer’s patients; he thought it was just a memory thing. Sonny says, so did he, at first. Brando asks what the options are, and Sonny says, a feeding tube. Brando says, that’s rough, and Sonny says, he considered it, but then he reconsidered. That’s not living, it’s existing, and he knows his dad wouldn’t want that. Brando asks if they talked about it, and Sonny says they didn’t get the chance, or maybe he didn’t want to go there. When he wanted to, it was too late, so he made the choice for his dad. He’s praying it’s the right one.
Jordan says Cyrus isn’t asking her to kill Laura, is he? He laughs, and asks what he’d do with a murdered mayor. Port Charles needs her, and he’s fond of her, but she’s getting in the way of him acquiring GH. Jordan says Laura is lobbying for Federal funding, and he says her daughter has a public platform. She asks why he doesn’t drop it, but he says, it’s too rich a prize to pass up, and they may never be this vulnerable again. Nelle is suing for unauthorized surgery on her son, and the insurance doesn’t want to cover it. If she wins, the hospital will be even more vulnerable, and it will be the perfect opening for him. Jordan says, Monica rallied the Quartermaines to give the hospital resources. The board will refuse him if they’re told he’s a known drug trafficker. There’s nothing she can do. He says he needs a champion to vouch for his character.
Curtis finds Jason, and asks if Jason can hear him. Jason doesn’t respond, so he calls 911, saying he needs paramedics on Harborview Drive at the Greenville turnoff. There’s a motorcycle rider down, and he’s completely unresponsive.
Jordan tells Curtis that she can’t offer her endorsement. How would it look? She has no business stepping outside her role. He says, but she can speak out for a man wrongly convicted. She discovered the miscarriage of justice, so who better to vouch for him? When she talks, Port Charles listens. She says Laura isn’t staying away indefinitely, and will wonder why she’s advocating for a man she despises. What good will it do for her to lose Laura’s trust and get fired? He says, good question. Make sure it doesn’t happen.
Portia says she hopes she didn’t offend Finn with her amateur psychology, and he says, no offense taken. She says she’s just projecting. She thinks Violet will be fine. She’s growing up with two attentive parents, and will be happy and well-adjusted. Finn says, in his humble opinion, he thinks Trina will be fine too. She has a loving, caring mother. Elizabeth joins them, and says a patient has been brought in who had an accident. He was unresponsive on arrival, and a head injury is possible. Finn asks if she’s okay, and Elizabeth says, it’s Jason.
Anna tells Robert that Peter tried. He knows how Robert feels about him. Does he think anything will change? He’s never given Peter a fair shake, and likes to look for excuses to hate him. Now he’s using Holly’s death. It’s pathetic. Robert says the only reason Peter wrote the article was to get under his skin. Anna says, which is looking thin. If Peter wanted to sensationalize or exploit Holly, he would have highlighted her past deeds. Robert says he’s not arguing, but a lot was left open to interpretation. She says, another reporter might have skewed the story, but Peter wrote it himself. Robert says Peter spun the story, and threw it in his face, and she says she guesses it’s easier to take his anger out on Peter, rather than deal with his feelings. Robert says, what feelings? and she says, grief, loss, anger, regret, pain. She could go on; she’s got all day.
Carly sees Peter at the bar, and asks how he’s enjoying his day. He says, it’s been trying, and she asks if there’s a problem with the service. He says, no, it’s fine, and she tells him to let her know if it’s otherwise. The Invader is an important tenant and she wants to give them her full attention. Peter says she’s thoughtful, and she says she prides herself in troubleshooting and avoiding problems. Sonny is the same way, but his way is more inflexible. Sam gets a call from Curtis, who tells her, Jason was in an accident; he’s on his way to GH. Carly really needs to stop making veiled threats to people about Sonny.
Brando says he doesn’t know about right or wrong decisions in situations like this, but he knows a bit about Mike. Things he learned the summer Mike spent in Connecticut. Sonny says he’d like to hear it, and Brando says, he was ten and crazy about horses. Mike would pick him up and take him to the track. The thoroughbreds were too valuable to have a kid around them, but there were working horses, and he spent his time with one horse in particular, Smoky. Smoky would see him coming, and come over. He knew Brando had an apple or carrot. One day at the end of summer, Mike picked him up and he knew something wasn’t right. Mike told him Smoky got hurt and wouldn’t recover. They went to say goodbye, and Brando tried, but he started crying and said he was ready to leave. Mike asked if he loved Smoky. He said he did, and Mike said, if you love something, you love it all the way to the end. (Yep. Here come the waterworks.) So he stayed, and the last thing Smoky heard before he was put down, was Brando saying he wasn’t going to hurt anymore. Lesson learned. Whatever choice Sonny makes for Mike, Mike will understand. Sonny says he appreciates Brando telling him, and Brando says, Mike is no stranger to making tough decisions. Sonny’s phone rings, and it’s Carly. She tells him that he needs to meet her at GH. Jason was in an accident. He says he’ll be right there, and tells Brando that he’s got to go. Brando says, Mike? but Sonny says, Jason. He leaves, and Brando looks stunned. I really appreciate them stomping on my heart about Mike and a horse.
Lulu says she takes it Maxie and Peter weren’t planning on this. Maxie says they haven’t been living together that long. They’ve never even had a conversation about having kids, and the only time marriage came up was when they were arguing with Spinelli. Lulu says, that’s a lot to unpack in one statement, and Maxie says she has no idea how she feels. Before they moved in together, Peter had a total crisis. He was confused, and afraid to be happy, but he moved in anyway, and lived through the fear. Lulu bets he would love to be married to Maxie and have kids. The family would be over the moon. Maxie says, Spinelli and Robert not so much. Lulu asks if she really cares what Spinelli thinks, and Maxie says, of course (🍷). Spinelli is Georgie’s father, but she doesn’t have to clear her decisions with him. Her feelings are complicated. Lulu asks if it’s because of Nathan, and Maxie says, she’s always thinking about Nathan, but this has nothing do with him. Lulu says, she and Peter are okay, right? Maxie says she loves him, and he loves her, and James and Georgie. They’re building a life. Lulu asks, what is it? Maxie can tell her. Maxie says, the timing couldn’t be worse. She feels selfish, but what if she’s not ready? What about her career?
Robert says he hates when Anna tells him what’s in his soul, and she say he does it to her, and she hates it more. Too bad. He’s bellyaching now because he knows she’s right. He’s afraid of his feelings, and he’s ashamed about not ending things properly with Holly. He says, rubbish, and she says she heard there’s a memorial service in England. Has he made plans to attend? He says, no, and she says she didn’t think so. He should go. It will give him a chance to say a proper goodbye, mourn Holly, and pay his respects. Robert asks why should he mourn an empty grave?
Jordan tells Cyrus. ELQ is capable of pulling GH back from the brink, but he says, they’re prone to infighting. The board will be open to an alternative donor, providing it’s someone in good standing with the community who they can trust. Build that trust. Chase calls, and asks if she’s okay; he’s had a hard time reaching her. She says she’s in the middle of something. Is there a problem? Chase says, Jason was in a motorcycle accident, and was just brought into GH. Jordan says she’s going back to the office, and tells Chase to head out to the accident site and get a full report. Cyrus says he knows she has to keep up appearances, but don’t misplace her priorities. She says she knows what her priorities are.
Carly and Sam run into the hospital, and Sam tells the reception nurse that they’re looking for Jason. The nurse says, he’s being treated now, and Sam says she wants to see him. The nurse says Sam can’t, but she’ll relay the new information as soon as they have it, and Sam and Carly sit in the waiting area. Curtis arrives, and Sam asks, what happened? He says he spotted a rider down, but didn’t know it was Jason. He called 911, and waited until the paramedics got there. Sam thanks him, and he says he’ll go to the station and find out what he can. Elizabeth comes out, and says she was there when they brought Jason in; he was unconscious. There don’t seem to be any internal injuries, but they’re running a battery of tests to see if he’s had a traumatic brain injury.
Carly calls Diane, and tells her, they don’t know anything yet, but they’re running tests. She asks if Diane is sure the paperwork was filed, and asks her to put it in a PDF file and email it. She doesn’t want any problems. Elizabeth tells Sam that she can’t go in while the doctors are working on Jason. The best thing is to just wait. She’ll let them know if she hears anything. Peter comes by, and tries to say something to Sam, but Sam says, back off. Brando has joined them, and tells Peter, listen, but Carly says Jason wouldn’t want them going at each other. She tells Peter that he shouldn’t be there, and Peter says he didn’t mean to intrude; sorry. Elizabeth leaves to get an update, and Sonny gets off the elevator. He asks, what’s going on? How’s Jason? Carly says they don’t know, and no one is telling them anything.
Maxie says she’s sure this isn’t the first baby who’s misdirected a career move someone has been waiting forever to happen. There’s a lot at stake at the moment that she has to evaluate; it’s a big deal. She knows Nina would kill to be in her situation, and Lulu says, if Maxie has a baby, it should be because she wants to. It’s her body, and her priorities are her own. The nurse comes back holding a paper, and Maxie asks if those are the results.
Anna says, now they get to the real issue; Robert’s fixation that Holly is still alive. He tells her that he didn’t say that, and she says, but he’s thinking it. He says he’s thinking a lot of things. What was Holly doing working for the WSB, why the ship went down, who was on the ship, and what happened to Holly’s body? Anna suggests he go get answers rather than feeling empty, and directing his pain at Peter. It’s not doing Holly or her memory any good.
Cyrus’s main dude asks how the meeting with the Commissioner went. Cyrus says he gave her clarification of their respective positions. She wasn’t happy, but she’s going to comply. Dude asks if she should be on the guest list, and Cyrus says he’d be disappointed if she wasn’t. Dude asks how he should handle it, but Cyrus says he has confidence that Jordan will do what she’s asked – for the time being. He has a bigger target in mind. With Jason out of the way, there’s nothing left between Sonny and a bullet between the eyes.
Sonny says Brando told him Jason was just in the garage, and Brando says, Jason was there to pick up his bike. He’d just finished working on it.
Robert says Anna is insufferable, and she says, thank you. He always says that when she’s right. Who else would call him on it? He says, Holly, and Anna says, she’s not there; sorry. She thinks Holly would be appalled at his behavior. He needs to find another way of dealing with the pain before it eats him up. He’s going to RSVP to her wedding, and no is unacceptable. She leaves, and he looks at the article again.
Peter sees Lulu and Maxie, and tells them, Jason was in a motorcycle accident. Maxie says, poor Sam. He says he came to look for Lulu because he thought she could write the story. She says she doesn’t think she could be objective, and he says he’ll call the desk to send someone else. Maxie wants to check on Sam, but he tells her that they want to be left alone. What’s she doing there? Maxie doesn’t know what to say, and Lulu says, Nurses Ball stuff for Deception, and Maxie repeats, for Deception, leaving us with a double entendre.
On the phone, Chase says he wants pictures right away. He wants to review them before he leaves. He also wants the site kept secure. He tells them not to let CSI touch anything until he gets there. The Commissioner wants him to deal with it personally. He receives a picture the road, with Jason’s overturned bike at the end of a skid mark. He says, none of this makes sense.
Curtis is waiting for Jordan outside her office, and she says, before he starts, she saw he called, but she was wrapping up something and couldn’t pick up. He says she has a lot of irons in the fire, and she says, now isn’t a good time either. He says, because of Jason? and she says, he heard? He tells her that he was the one who found Jason when he was out looking for her. Does she mind telling him where she’s been hiding?
Cyrus asks Dude, what’s in the bag? Dude says he thought Cyrus would like to celebrate, and pulls out a bottle of Jack. Cyrus says, the demise of Jason, and Sonny’s loss of his human fireball is cause for celebration.
Portia says, the news is good. Nothing is broken, there’s no indication that Jason has internal injuries, and his vitals are strong. Sam asks if he’s still unconscious, and Finn says his pupils are good, but they need to rule out a possible TBI. He consulted with someone in neurology, and they recommended an immediate exploratory procedure. If Jason is hemorrhaging, the worst case is that he’s brain dad. Sonny says, that can’t happen, and Finn says Sam has to sign a consent form. Sam says, it’s not up to her, and Carly says she has power of attorney, and pulls out the confirmation. Elizabeth gives her the form, and she signs it, saying they’d better damn well save him. Everyone looks at each other, but Sonny looks hard at Brando.
For what it’s worth (as they would say on GH), I don’t think it’s Brando. Way too easy.
On Monday, Franco says Elizabeth is planning on not going, Ava asks Nelle how she’s blackmailing Julian, and Sonny asks if Brando has something else to tell him.
I kind of thought it was Hannah, and that it was her prescription, but the way this was handled was appalling. I checked out Malia’s Instagram, and fans are not happy. Apparently, she removed the text on the post in question, and disabled the comments. That didn’t stop anyone from commenting on the post. Malia’s excuse for outing Hannah was baloney, since when Captain Lee found out Kat was taking a prescription, there was none of this. Very disappointed in CaptainSandy and Malia.
I don’t even know what to say anymore. Whether or not Denise and Brandi hooked up, only they know, but, next to Jax, Brandi is the worst human being in the world. As Judge Milian from People’s Court says, I wouldn’t believe her if her tongue came notarized.
It takes 30 seconds to make an impression that last 30 years. – Loren Brovarnik quoting her father, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’! – Audrey Hepburn
A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. – Elbert Hubbard
Be the change that you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
Without music, life would be a mistake. – Friedrich Nietzsche
I call her BF, which doesn’t stand for best friend. It stands for bitch face. – woman whose sister slept with her boyfriend on Dr. Phil
When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong. – Richard Dawkins
The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. – Henri-Frédéric Amiel
I learned…that inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness. – Brenda Ueland (I’m all for solitude & idleness.)
Path-walker, your footprints and nothing else are the path; Path-walker, there is no path, the path is formed as you move. – Antonio Machado, Caminante, no hay Comino
😱 Drag Me To Hell…
Is it A) the name of a horror film, or B) the title for my week. It’s Friday, so moving on. I hope. For now, stay safe, stay diverse, and stay enjoying life no matter what the circumstances.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At the WSB facility in Geneva, Switzerland, Dante tosses and turns. He yells, don’t pull the trigger! He wakes, breathing heavily, and says he didn’t kill him. Ned tells Olivia that he may not always know the right words to say, but he loves and cares about her. He’s there for her if she wants to talk more about Dante. She has better idea, and asks if he’d care to join her upstairs. They kiss, and his phone rings. He says the deal he’s been working on just came through, but he definitely has time for a break. Olivia asks if that means squeezing her in before he runs back to ELQ. At the hospital, Portia asks what Cyrus is doing there, and he says he was just asking about her daughter. She tells him to stay away from Trina; don’t even mention her name. Laura approaches, and asks if everything is okay. Brook tells Valentin they’ve never formally met, but she remembers him being there when she hit Lulu with the champagne. He tells her it was a miscarriage justice, and he’s been there. She asks if he’d been completely innocent, and he admits he wasn’t. She says it’s nice to meet him. In court, Nelle clutches the half-heart necklace. Nina has taken the stand, and Martin says Nina is Nelle’s employer; how is she doing? Nina says Nelle is still learning the ropes, but she’s a quick study. She’s competent and a hard worker. Martin asks if that’s why Nina hired her, and Nina says she believed Nelle deserved a second chance. Nelle smiles.
Ned tells Olivia, he’s completely blindsided, and Olivia says she saw him quickly checking the phone while he was pretending to apologize. He says his apology was sincere. He’s been working hard on the Mertin Tech deal, and today it’s a go. He could be at the office. Olivia wonders if she’s an afterthought, and he asks if he’s made her feel like that. She congratulates him on his big deal, and starts to walk out, but he says they’re going to talk about this. He heard her with Robert, and she’d said Robert made her feel better. Before Robert came over, they’d been talking about Dante. She says, she was talking about Dante. They never do. For everyone else, Dante has ceased to exist, but not for her. Lulu has moved on with her life and a new man, and Rocco’s memories are fading. He’s a little boy, and can’t put his life on hold until Dante comes back. Neither can she. Her son is out there, and she may never see him again. Robert is going through something similar with Holly, and maybe they’re both in denial, but Robert made her feel better and not so alone. Ned says she’s not alone. She’s with him.
Dante is in a small locked room with a few furnishings – a bed, a desk, a chair, and a night table. He drinks some water, and throws the plastic cup on the floor. He holds his head, and says, damn headache. He says he has to find a distraction, and tells himself, don’t give in to it. He looks at a pencil and pad of paper on the desk.
Cyrus says it’s good see Laura, and she says he’s always at the hospital. Does he have a health issue? He thanks her for her concern, but he’s healthy except for allergies. He doesn’t mind though. He’s glad to be breathing the Port Charles air, instead of the stale prison air. She’s sure the air is just as exhilarating out west, and he says he’s never seen a mayor so concerned about their constituents. Port Charles is lucky to have her. He says he has an appointment, and leaves. Maybe. Portia says, that man is so disgusting. He made a point of bringing up Trina. She wanted to slap him in his smug face. Laura doesn’t like how he’s flaunting his freedom, and Portia says he’s a known drug trafficker, and Taggert is dead, with his name being dragged through the mud. How is this justice? Laura says she understands.
Martin says Nelle was also nanny to Nina’s stepdaughter, and he’s sure she vetted Nelle carefully. Diane wonders if there’s a relevant question or is he trying to bond with the witness, and Judge Lowe tells him, get on with it. Martin says Nina lost a child. Is it fair to say the loss was difficult? Nina says the loss affected her deeply, and Martin asks if it also created a kinship between mothers. Nina says, it’s a pain no mother should have to bear. It colored her perception. He says she’s worked with Nelle for several weeks. She must have formulated an opinion. Not just about Nelle as an employee, but the kind of mother she’d be. Nina says in the time Nelle has worked for her, Nelle confirmed her initial impression. I lean closer to the TV, and Nina says, Nelle is a compulsive liar. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I knew it.
Brook says she’s flattered Valentin wants to join her, but he says he doesn’t think so. He thinks she’s trying to disarm a worthy opponent, but he doesn’t want her as an opponent. They have things in common. She says, like ELQ. She knows he used Linc to buy her shares.
Laura says she thought Taggert was a good cop, and Portia says, he was. He was devoted to his work. Life wasn’t always easy, but they parted on good terms, and co-parented Trina. Laura asks how Trina is doing in the wake of Taggert’s death, and Portia says, her emotions are all over the place. Sorrow, fear, anger; mostly sorrow. Trina is taking her father’s death hard. Most people don’t know what to say. Or they think Portia is embarrassed that Taggert conspired to frame Cyrus. She’s not embarrassed. He tried to find a legal way, but Cyrus was too smart and slick, so Taggert went by his own code of ethics to put a criminal behind bars. She explained to Trina that he took a stand for what he believed in. Laura says, Trina was lucky to have a father like him.
Nina says, Nelle can’t help herself. She lies about everything, and just uses people. She sees the custody case as a contest she’ll do anything to win. She married Julian… Martin objects, and Diane says, he’s objecting to his own witness. Martin asks for permission to treat the witness as hostile, and Nina says she’s not hostile; he wanted the truth. He tells her to please just answer the questions he asks her. He asks if she’s currently seeing a psychiatrist, and she says, no. He asks if she wasn’t committed to Shadybrook, and Diane objects, saying Nina isn’t on trial. The judge says, sustained, telling martin, that’s quite enough. Martin has no further questions. Diane asks what Nina was going to say before she was so rudely interrupted, and Nina tells her, what she was going to say was that Nelle married Julian to shore up her custody case. She found out Michael had married Willow, and wanted to be on equal footing. Nelle doesn’t love Julian; she’s using him. Martin objects, asking how she can know what’s in his client’s heart, and Nina says she knows because it was clear Nelle blackmailed Julian into marrying her. Carly smiles, and I laugh. My bad day just got better.
Brook asks what Valentin’s angle is, and he asks Brook to tell him. She says he doesn’t want a little piece of a big company. He wants to acquire a major block, but it won’t work. Quartermaines take care of their own, and when she tells her father, no one will even look in his direction, let alone sell to him. Valentin says he’ll make the shareholders much richer, and revive her stalled career.
Nelle says Nina is lying, and asks if Carly threatened her. Judge Lowe tells Martin to control his client, and Diane asks if Nelle actually said she blackmailed Julian. Nina says, not those exact words, but she said she’d resorted to desperate measures, and would do whatever it took. She said Julian valued his life too much not to play by her rules. Diane says, those were her exact words? and Nina says, yes. Nelle jumps up, and says, you double-crossing bitch. She knew she was crazy for trusting a baby stealer. Nina is so starved for attention, she blew up her own wedding to get back at the groom. Now she waited until the 11th hour to make up a story. Was she talking to Carly? What’s her angle? Martin begs her, please be quiet, but she just gets louder. She says Michael resorted to desperate measures and forced Willow to marry him, or she’d sleep with the fishes like everyone else who gets in Sonny’s way. The judge calls for order, and Nelle says Nina is just like everyone else here. Maybe she’s jealous because Nelle’s child is alive, and she’s helping Carly take her baby away. She yells that Carly will never take her baby away. Wiley is hers. Martin says, for God’s sake, stop, and Nelle suddenly clutches her chest and gasps for air, acting like she’s having a heart attack. This is too funny.
After the commercial, Martin thanks Judge Lowe for the brief medical recess. His client was overcome, and apologizes for her outburst. Her need to protect her son is so strong, she lashed out. Diane recalls Willow to the stand, and asks if she was coerced into marrying Michael. Willow says, absolutely not. No one threatened her, or sent her a dead fish or anything. Diane asks if she received financial compensation, and she says, no. Diane says, Michael is a wealthy man. Now she is too. Willow says she’s a credited teacher. She has a good job and values her independence. She doesn’t need Michael’s money. Diane asks why she married Michael, and she says, because he’s a decent man. She knows that doesn’t sound like much, but decency is the foundation of trust, and trust is how you build a life. Michael isn’t perfect, but he’s fair, compassionate, and sees the value in compromise. He doesn’t assume that because he’s richer, he’s better. He’s known grief and loss and injustice, but it hasn’t made him bitter. It’s given him empathy. Her greatest wish is that Wiley will grow up to be a man like his father. That’s why she married him. She wants them to raise Wiley together as a family.
Dante plays with the pencil for a while. He puts it down, then picks it back up. He starts to write.
Olivia says she’s not trying to make Ned feel like he’s being insensitive. He’s the man she loves, and he couldn’t be a better father, but he’s been focused on ELQ at the expense of everything else. Ned says he needs to protect his family, which she and Leo are a part of. She says, but not Dante. She can’t see the family as a corporation; they’re people who love one another, and Dante is one of those people. Ned says she’s right. The family isn’t a corporation, but this family owns one, and his job is to keep it going strong. She says, Michael is the CEO; he doesn’t have to do this by himself. He says Michael has been trying to keep his son away from a madwoman, and even before, he was preoccupied with Wiley for months. She says, so he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart; choosing not to tell Michael that an outsider is buying up the shares to consolidate power. Ned’s title as CEO is temporary. He says he’s not leading a coup against Michael. He’s trying to manage a crisis. If the outsider acquires enough shares, ELQ risks a hostile takeover.
Brook asks Valentin, who said her career is stalled? He says she’s an excellent singer, but so is every back-up singer in New York. She says she’s not a back-up singer, and he says, no, she’s not. She’s a lead singer, but no one is beating a path to her door, and she blew off her agent. She says Linc is a sleazeball, but he asks if someone else will take a risk with a troublemaker? He can fix it. She asks, how? and he says he can give her visibility and momentum. He can find a producer to work with her, but first she has to work with him.
Judge Lowe says, court is adjourned. He’s going to take everything into consideration. Nelle asks Martin why he didn’t stop Nina, and Julian says, how? Nina was telling the truth. Michael is a decent guy, and Nelle lost her own damn case. She says she proved she was passionate about her child. In her office, Nina looks out the window. Jax comes in, and asks if she’s okay. She says she is. She was just thinking about what happened. She’ll never live down her crazy past. No matter who she is, it’s a sure fire way to discredit her. Jax says, that’s not true, but she says he doesn’t know who she was. She was weak and vindictive… He tells her, stop. He knows she had a difficult past, but the woman she says she was isn’t who he’s looking at. She proved that in court. She helped an innocent child, and helped the court to see who Nelle is. Nelle showed her true colors, and he’s proud of Nina.
Cyrus thanks board member Tom for his interest, and says he looks forward to hearing from him. When Cyrus is gone, Laura says she saw Tom talking to Cyrus. What did he say? Tom says, they were discussing the future of the hospital. Cyrus listens from around the corner. Laura tells Tom he should think twice about involving himself with Cyrus, but Tom says Cyrus was wrongly accused. Laura says, his sentence was vacated; that doesn’t mean he’s innocent. He tells her that he has to run, and she tries to follow him, saying she’d like to discuss this, but he keeps going. Cyrus asks if there are problems, and she asks why he’s always around. What’s his real interest in the hospital? He says he’s a businessman, and the hospital is having a fiscal crisis. GH is the heart of Port Charles, and it would be a shame if they had to curtail services, or worse, shutter. He might be in a position to provide assistance. She says, his assistance isn’t necessary. The people who have helped close the gap in the past, will in the future. Cyrus says the hospital’s pending litigation might be discouraging to potential donors, but she says they’re a strong community, and take care of their own. He says he admires that. It’s why he wants to give back, and he’s established the Cyrus Renault Foundation for Social Justice. She tells him, GH doesn’t need his money. The Quartermaines have been patrons for generations, and ELQ will step up again to give the hospital support.
Ned tells Olivia that he’s not sounding the alarm, but ELQ could be in jeopardy if this isn’t stopped. She says maybe it’s not the time for him to be CEO, but he says, Michael was asleep at the switch; it started happening on his watch. He’d thought she was on board. She says she was, but now is the time to circle the wagons, and shoot at the enemy, not inward. What good is a family business if it drives the family apart? She thought he would have learned that from past experience, but she guesses he hasn’t. He says he’s trying to keep the family safe, but she says, no. He’s trying keep himself and ELQ powerful. It’s not the same.
Valentin says he’s heard Brook sing, and seen her online videos. She has talent and can make it, but needs the right venue and the right people. She asks if he’s suddenly a music mogul, and he says his interests are varied, and he loves music. He’s a partner in Deception, and wants to use her music for their relaunch at the Nurses Ball… if she’s ready for that level of spotlight. She asks, what’s the catch? and he says she can’t tell her family that he’s accumulating shares. She says, in other words, he’s paying her off. He says, no; those are the words. Her silence for his connections. She says she has to go, and he says he’s enjoyed talking to her, and he’ll see her again.
Nina tells Jax that she initially hired Nelle to spy on her, and get dirt for Michael’s custody hearing. Jax asks if Nelle didn’t solicit the job from Nina. Nina didn’t lure her into a trap. Nelle wanted to use Nina to make herself look good. She says, maybe, but her point is that she started to believe Nelle’s love was sincere, and that she only needed encouragement, and someone to believe in her, like Nina had. Jax says Nina’s trauma was real, and she can’t compare them. Nelle thinks the world owes her. Nina says she saw herself in Nelle. Sometimes the life she has now feels like a dream. Jax says she deserves all the happiness in the world. This is real, and what they have isn’t going anywhere. He hugs her.
Carly tells Diane that she was amazing, but Diane says, don’t thank her yet. She thinks it’s a slam dunk, but the judge is going to deliberate on the testimonies and documents. Carly says Willow was amazing, and Willow says she only spoke from her heart. Diane says Nelle’s only sincere moment was when she went ballistic. In the hallway, Nelle asks if it would have killed Julian to hold her hand or something, and he says, what Nina said was the truth. She says if Nina cost her the case, she’ll never make Nina stop paying. Julian says Nelle cost herself the case. Martin might have been able to spin it, but when she got on her feet, the whole thing was over. He tells her that he’s out of there, and call him when the verdict comes in, and he’ll meet her back at court.
Martin goes to the MetroCourt for a drink, and Valentin says, rough day in court? Martin says Valentin’s ex torpedoed his entire custody case. Valentin says he told Martin not to underestimate Nina. Martin says Valentin mentioned Brook in his text. Did he have an altercation with her? Valentin says she knows he used Linc to get her shares. Martin says Valentin’s ELQ takeover is finished if Brook warns her father, but Valentin says he doesn’t think she will.
Ned tells Olivia, the Quartermaines are tied to ELQ. If he company prospers, so do they. They can be shrewd and ruthless, but if they’re not, someone will swoop in and take advantage. The world isn’t about peace, love, and messages from the great beyond. Olivia says she and Ned might not see eye to eye on psychics, but that’s no reason to be condescending. He says he wasn’t; he was being real. She says so was she. She’s feeling real pain, and her son is real. If he can’t respect those things, he can’t respect her. Brook comes in, and says she got some career advice that she wants to run by Ned.
Dante writes. I miss you, mom. I miss my life, but it’s more important to keep you safe from me. That’s why I’ll never send this letter. He puts the pencil down, folds the paper into a small square, and puts it under his mattress. I assume they don’t change the sheets too often there. He looks out the door window, but there’s a shade covering it. He flips the pencil around.
Cyrus tells Laura, they might not be able to rely on the people who’ve bailed them out in the past. GH might need a new savior. She says he’s not their savior, and he’s not getting anywhere near GH. She has close friends on the board, and there’s no way he’s using the hospital to launder his drug money. He says, she’s formidable, but be careful about false accusations. Don’t underestimate him. He goes into the elevator, and Laura looks shook.
Jax tells Nina that her testimony was truthful. She has nothing to apologize for. She said she’s sorry for buying into Nelle’s charade, but her eyes are open now. He tells her that they’re lovely eyes. He’s meeting his daughter, and asks if she wants to join them, but she says she doesn’t want to intrude on daddy/daughter time. Besides, she has a lot of work. He says he’ll call her later.
Carly tells Michael that she’s heading home. She doesn’t expect they’ll hear from the judge today, but if they do… Michael says she’ll be their first call. She thanks Willow for what she said about Michael, and Willow says she meant every word. Carly says she knows, and leaves. Michael says they have to believe they made the strongest case. He’d suggest a celebratory dinner, but he doesn’t want… They say, to jinx it, together. He says, why don’t they go home and be with Wiley? and she says, sounds great.
Nina looks at her half of the necklace, when Nelle bursts in. Nelle says, how could she? You betrayed me, bitch. The necklace falls to the floor.
Tomorrow, Ned says it’s time they learned who they’re dealing with, Sonny has a terrible decision to make, and Nina suggests Nelle get her facts straight.
Absolutely. Worth the. Wait.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Captain Sandy tells Kiko, just get through the charter, and Kiko says, then leave. She nods, and she tells him, do your food. In the captain’s interview, she says she feels like she’s hammering at the guy. He continues to pour his heart into the food, but it’s off. You can like someone a lot, but if they’re not trained properly, they have to be let go. Kiko says he’s a failure, but she says he’s not. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and he’s worried he’ll be the reason they make less money. One of the guests says they’re done with fried food for the rest of the charter, and primary Sean says, speak for himself. Kiko tells Hannah that Captain Sandy said he’s not capable. The guests complained that it looked like kid food. He’s never been to Vegas, and didn’t know what to do. Hannah cries on deck, and says she hates this effing job. In her interview, she says she feels like she let Kiko down. She suggested the menu, and she’s shaken to her core. Kiko says he wasn’t prepared for this kind of charter, took a risk, and screwed up. He’s the most sad ever. Bugs tells Malia that she feels sorry for him, but he wanted honesty. Malia says, he’s the sweetest person ever. Hannah tells the deckhands that they’re doing the strip club thing now. In her interview, Bugs says, it’s heartbreaking but this is yachting. The show must go on. A guest says, this is Vegas. Whatever happens here, stays here, the deckhands and Bugs get ready. The guys dress in black pants with suspenders and no shirts.
The crew comes out, and Malia does a handstand. They all run around the table, gathering dollar bills in their waistbands. Kiko cries in his bunk. Captain Sandy sees Hannah in the galley, and asks why she’s shaking. Is she upset about Kiko? Hannah says, yeah, but not much else; she just keeps working. Alex plays dealer for the guests’ poker game, and Bugs clears the dinner table. Jess gives Hannah a hug, and Hannah checks on Kiko. She says she effing likes him, and if he’s in pain, she’s in pain as well. He says he doesn’t have the mind or energy to cook, and she tells him that she’ll get up and help with breakfast. She hugs him, and he says they have real love. She’s a good person. She says he is too, and they vow to be friends forever. The guests go to bed, and Rob asks Jess for a quick kiss. In Rob’s interview, he says he feels deeply saddened. Kiko is a beautiful person. He tells Kiko that he’s sorry.
Hannah wakes up at 4 am, breathing heavy. She gets up, and goes into the bathroom. Malia asks if she’s okay, and she says she thinks it’s a panic attack. She needs a valium, and thinks it will pass. Malia asks if she has a prescription, and gives her a hug. She asks again if Hannah is okay. Hannah says she will be, and Malia goes back to bed. Hannah gets her phone, and gets back in her bunk. I assume she took a valium.
Third day of charter. Jess sets the breakfast table, making the napkins look super cool. Captain Sandy goes to the galley, and tries to make conversation with Kiko. She thanks him, and in her interview, she says, as captain, it’s hard to fire people. She hired her nephew once, and her first officer said he was terrible. She had to say, sorry, dude. You have to go. It’s not about liking someone; it’s about if a person can do the job. She tells Jess, good job, and she’s not just saying that; she’s honest. Kiko tells Jess, he just can’t do it. He doesn’t have the energy for this anymore. In his interview, he says he just wants to leave. After preparing some fruit plates, he packs his knives, and prepares to go. He tells Jess that he’s leaving, and Bugs asks if he’s doing actual breakfast, but he gets back in his bunk. Alex tells Malia, it’s a shame; everyone likes him. Captain Sandy wonders where the chef is, and Bugs says, in his cabin. Sandy knocks, and asks to talk to him. He tells her that his head is f***ed up, and she asks him to leave his emotions in his cabin, and do the job. Please. Let’s finish this together. They just have one more night, and he can do this. Do his food. He brings his knives back out.
Kiko tells Hannah that his food is emotional, and he feels sad. Hannah says she’ll help with breakfast. Captain Sandy tells Malia, ready when she is, and they pull out of port. Hannah makes reservations under the boat’s name for the guests’ land excursion. The captain says it’s a beautiful day, and they need it after last night. Malia tells Captain Sandy that Hannah is freaked out, and feels bad. The captain says, it’s sad, and Malia says it all comes back to her, and the standards she allows on the boat. The captain says, that’s why she’s in that seat.
The boat goes to Valldemossa, and drops anchor. Hannah tells Jess and Rob, they’re going on an excursion. There will be a taxi waiting on shore, and they can drop the guests off for lunch. Any decisions they make, she doesn’t care. Rob says it’s their first date, and Bugs jokes that she remembers her first date with Alex; it was romantic. Hannah asks the guests if they’re ready to rock and roll, and the guests board the tender. Captain Sandy asks to speak with Hannah in the office, and asks, what’s wrong besides Kiko? Hannah says, when someone is really emotional, it’s infectious. The captain says she wants to finish strong. She told Kiko to do his food. She wants to lift him back up. She says Hannah can always talk to her, and she just wanted to make sure Hannah was okay. Hannah says she just wanted to help Kiko, and thinks it’s good the guests are off the boat for lunch. Captain Sandy thanks her for talking. I love Captain Sandy. She’s the boss we all would love to have.
Rob tells Jess, she’s the voice of the operation, and the guests dub them JOB – Jess and Rob. Crystal says they can hold hands; no one cares. Captain Sandy makes a call for a chef. She knows it’s crazy busy, but send what they can. Jess gives a tour, reading from a pamphlet, and pronounces Chopin like choppin’. In her interview, she says the city is beautiful, but she keeps staring at Rob. They kiss, and the guests take a picture. They deposit the guests at the restaurant, and the guests toast to JOB. Rob asks Jess how her finger is, and she says, a lot better.
Alex massages Bugs’s shoulders while she washes dishes. In her interview, Bugs says Alex is too young for her, but she prides herself on being a bit of a cougar. Rob and Jess hang out on a restaurant terrace. In Rob’s interview, he says he and his mother understood each other, and it was the last time he felt seen. With Jess, he feels seen – and heard, which is nice. Sean says, everyone in the crew has good energy, and another guest says it takes a lot to deal with him. Rob tells Jess that he loves her, and asks if that’s crazy. She says, kind of, and he apologizes for scaring her. In his interview, he says, she didn’t say it back. He doesn’t know if she’s just holding back. He can’t tell, but he doesn’t want to hold back.
Malia calls her boyfriend Tom, and tells him they’re down a person; the chef. He’s been crying, but he needs more practice. In her interview, Malia says Tom has been there too, since he’s a chef. The first time he worked on a 16 meter, he said he would never do it again. It’s a hard position to do. Hannah tells Kiko to talk to the captain. She thinks it would be disrespectful to the clients and captain if he leaves now. He says he was going to finish dinner, and cut stuff up for the morning, but he’ll finish the job. In his interview, he says, at least he’s not a quitter. Malia volunteers her rapping skills for the 90s party, and works on some rhymes. Jess calls Bugs, and says they’re on their way back. When they return, Bugs welcomes the guests.
Bugs radios Malia, telling her, two of the guests want to jet ski. Malia says, be careful; it’s pretty choppy. Malia radios Rob to come and keep eyes on them. She tells Captain Sandy, the conditions are rough. The guests are very good, and Malia says she’s loving it. Rob is with Jess in her cabin, and taking his time. Rob says there’s too much going on, and Jess isn’t communicating. Now he’s in his head. Jess says she’s scared to fall in love and get hurt. He says he doesn’t want to get hurt either. Malia radios again, and in her interview, she says, after what happened two days ago, they all need to watch. There’s two people out there, and she can’t save them both. Jess tells Rob that she wanted to say it, and felt it, but part of her has fear. In her interview, she says it’s hard for her to trust. She gets it from both parents. They divorced when she was two, and her mother stayed in Florida, while her dad moved to California. They wanted to stay as far away from each other as possible. The guests come back in, and Malia says, thank God they knew what they were doing.
Ron finally shows up, and Malia asks where he was. He says, in the bathroom, and she tells him to let her know if he has to run somewhere, or she’ll wonder where he disappeared to. In Kiko’s interview, he says he wishes he could stay, but he knows he’s got no second chance. It’s hard for him to get chances in the first place, and he prefers to stick with his style and kill it. He’ll do that for dinner, then he’ll be finished. He tears up again. Hannah asks if the guests are excited about the 90s party, and Captain Sandy tells Pete to get pizza. She’s not asking Kiko to make crew food. The guests toast to living life to the fullest. Malia tells Kiko that her boyfriend has a soft spot for him. He’s been there, and was completely broken, but now he has a huge career. It’s not the end for him. Guest Richard gives Hannah a ring to put in the dessert for his wife Karen’s birthday. Pete is going to pick up the pizza, and Hannah tells him to stop at a patisserie. He doesn’t know what that is, so she says, a bakery.
Bugs comes out wearing crazy tights. The deck is decorated with streamers, lots of neon, and glow sticks. Captain Sandy thinks the décor is cool. Pete asks the pizza guy if they have cakes, and gets something to bring back. The captain asks Kiko if he’s doing dinner Kiko style, and he says he is. The guests are dressed like recording artists from the 90s, bringing parental advisory signs with them. They’re happy with the décor. In her interview, Hannah is praying Kiko serves a good meal, so they can leave on a high. Please. The entrée is spinach mash and grilled sea bass, and they say it’s delicious and perfect, and ask if Kiko will come out. Bugs asks Kiko to see the guests, and he reluctantly goes upstairs. They chant his name, and he tells them, enjoy. In Kiko’s interview, he says, the night feels good. He’s making everybody happy, and it’s just cool. He cries some more. Bugs says she heard them cheering; well done. Kiko and Hannah hug, and he says he’ll miss her. Hannah says she doesn’t want to stay on the stupid boat without him. What is she going to do? She puts the ring on a slice of chocolate cake. The desserts are brought up, and one guest says, Kiko is a pro at desserts. Hannah tells Karen that she heard it was her birthday. Karen sees the ring, and is obviously thrilled. She starts to cry, and hugs Richard.
Malia says she has zero dignity, and Hannah introduces her as their 90s throwback. Alex and Bugs back her up as she raps about the crew, and the guests are drunk enough to appreciate it. Jess hugs Rob, and says, they’re crazy tonight. They kiss. The guests dance. Alex says they’re his favorite charter, and Crystal says they’re her favorite crew. Malia texts Tom that she can’t wait to see him.
Final day of charter. Kiko makes breakfast, and Captain Sandy tells Jess, great job with the table. She tells Malia to start hauling anchor. Jess says she wants to sleep this afternoon. Kiko says, so does he, but he wants to have six beers first. In his interview, he says it’s been good, bad, and good again. He got the job because he took a risk. He takes chances and risks, and has both good and bad in his life because of that. The anchor is in the pocket, and Bugs tells the guests, good morning. In the galley, she asks if Jess has been writing down the breakfast orders for the chef, and Jess says, no. Hannah tells her to start doing that, or she’ll get a rude awakening when they get a new chef. In Hannah’s interview, she says, Kiko has been a breath of fresh air in the galley, compared to other chefs, and we flash back to some of those. She says she wishes he could stay. Bugs says, the 90s party wiped the guests out. Malia tells Captain Sandy about Tom coming to visit. He’s on the way to see his family, and stopping by. The captain asks if he’s currently employed, and Bugs says she was thinking the same thing. Malia says he does freelance, and Captain Sandy tells Malia to have Tom come see her, if she’s comfortable with that. Malia says, it would be amazing. The crew gets in their whites.
Malia tells Crystal that docking is the most critical moment. Crystal tells her that she looks pretty doing it, and Malia’s interview, she says she’d rather be told she’s a pretty powerful person. The boat docks, and the crew lines up to say goodbye. Sean says, nice work; it was the best one yet. In Kiko’s interview, he says he doesn’t want the captain’s opinion, and to hear what he already knows. He’s just leaving. Sean says they’re going to make a U-turn and come back. Kiko tells them that he cooked with love. Crystal says, it was an incredible experience. Their every need was catered to, and she’s so happy, she’s crying. Sean gives Captain Sandy the tip envelope. In Hannah’s interview, she says, it’s ironic. The guests had an amazing, memorable time, and say they made nine new friends, but one friend was fired in the middle of dinner service. The captain tells them to gather in the main salon for the tip meeting. Kiko says goodbye to everyone, and Malia tells him that he’ll be all right.
Kiko and Hannah sit on the dock, and Kiko says they’ve known each other for a short time, but they’ll be friends forever. He tells her how much he loves her, and says, it’s not bullsh*t. She says she doesn’t want him to leave, and he tells her, don’t cry. She says she’s not, but she is. In Kiko’s interview, he says it was the best experience of his life. He cried and he laughed. He likes to cook, and had good and bad moments. There were jokes made, and he made friends. He’s learned to try not to effing care what people think too much, and he’s going to follow what he learned. He’s going to follow what he loves, be himself, and spread love to the world, and it will be a better world. Hannah calls out that she loves him. Bugs says there were a lot of changes in a short space of time, with a new second stew and chef. Hanna tells Rob, it shouldn’t have gone down like that.
Next time, the crew parties, Bugs comes on to Alex, the owner arranges a day off for the crew, Jess says she and Rob went from PG to rated R, Tom arrives, and Captain Sandy says it’s been brought to her attention that someone has drugs on board.
It looks like it’s going to be another one of them there weeks. I hope yours is off to a better start, and you stay safe, stay strong-minded, and stay determined to make this a better world. Like Kiko.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Today’s GH Flashback was from May 14th – we’re getting close to the flashback finish line (see below). If you want to keep it short, I got you here, but if you like it long, go to:
At Charlie’s, Finn talked to Anna, and realized she wasn’t paying attention. He told her that he’d come across a rare case of alienitus, quarantined the patient, and last night, his chest burst open and a big slimy alien crawled out. She told him, that’s interesting, and he said it was friendly. So he gave it bath, called it E.T., and gave it to Violet for a pet. Finally listening, Anna said, very funny, and he asked if her mind was on Holly. Anna told him that she and Holly were frenemies. She’d always expected Holly to turn up again one day, but it wasn’t going to happen now. Finn said sometimes the best response to a sudden loss was a life affirming decision. She asked if he had something in mind, and he said he did. Sasha was still sleeping, fully dressed, when her phone woke her up. It was Maxie, who told her that she had five minutes to get to the photo shoot, or they’d find another model. Sasha flew out of bed. Maxie told Lulu that the photo shoot was about to implode, and take her career with it. At the MetroCourt, Laura told Jax that she just came from a fundraising breakfast, and thanked him for his generous donation to the homeless center. He apologized for not being there in person, but he had a breakfast meeting himself, and was waiting for Nina. He asked how things went, and Laura said, better than expected, thanks to him and some other generous donators. Jax said Laura had been good for Port Charles, and he was grateful for her hard work and integrity. She said she was only as good as the people she represented, and he said she had the ability to inspire people. Sasha ran into Nina in the elevator, and Nina asked if Sasha was having a tough morning. Sasha said Nina had no idea, but Nina thought she did. Martin met with Valentin, and told him that he’d acquired numerous ELQ shares from Quartermaines far and wide. Valentin said he still didn’t have controlling interest yet. Carly went to see Chase at the PCPD, and said she was sure he was aware that Willow and Michael had gotten married. She regretted what the decision had cost him. Michael got home where Diane was waiting. He told her that he’d been to Turning Woods, and told her about Mike. She said she was sure Sonny appreciated his support, but moving forward, he needed to make Wiley’s custody a priority. Stripping custodial rights from a mother was difficult, even a mother as bad as Nelle. He told her things might have gotten easier, and Willow walked in. Diane said, what a gorgeous ring, and Michael said it had belonged to his great-grandmother. Diane wondered if it now belonged to his wife, and Michael said they’d gotten married last night.
Finn told Anna that he thought it was time they planned their wedding, when Robert came in, saying, isn’t this cozy? They were acting like nothing had happened. He told Anna to stop going around town, telling people what they could or couldn’t say to him. Chase told Carly that he hoped Willow and Michael gave Wiley the life he deserved, and she said that was the plan; the custody hearing was today. He asked why she was there instead of at the courthouse, and she said there was someone she needed to thank. Nina said she’d heard Sasha and Michael broke up, and Sasha said Nina was right about her; she wasn’t good enough for Michael. Nina said Sasha had hurt herself most of all, and hoped she found peace and love, and that the pain she was feeling was gone forever. Lulu said Maxie worked best in a crisis, and Maxie said it was supposed to be her moment in the spotlight. She was taking a 90s cosmetics company and making it a power brand, but all she saw was her hopes and dreams disintegrating. Sasha ran in, and Charlotte told her that she looked terrible. Maxie asked the makeup artist to work her magic, and Sasha went to be transformed from a toad to a swan. Lulu told Maxie, the model was there, the makeup artist was working her magic, and Maxie had hot coffee. It was a straight road from there. Maxie said, until the next crisis. It was easier being number two, and all she could think about was, what would Nina do? Nina walked in, and said she would just ask the person whose opinion she trusted the most – Maxie.
Anna told Robert, the WSB was still investigating Holly’s death, and there was no evidence so far of foul play. If any was found, he’d be the first to know. Robert wondered if the investigation was evidence enough. Nina said she’d seen Sasha, and was there to offer Maxie moral support. Maxie said she appreciated it, but it was just making her more nervous. Lulu asked Nina to take Charlotte to watch the shoot, and Nina said no one knew how to manage a shoot like Maxie. She hadn’t left Crimson to second guess herself. She’d left to be the one who made the final decisions. Those who freaked out and played it small weren’t stars, and never would be. She told Maxie, toughen up, get the job done, and be a star. Jax told Laura that he was surprised Valentin hadn’t fought harder to hold on to the estate; he could have dragged it out for years. Laura said maybe Valentin realized it was a blessing and a curse, and she was sure he’d find a way to make money. Martin told Valentin that he’d used an intermediary to acquire the shares he’d gotten, but the Quartermaines seemed more preoccupied with Brook getting arrested and the custody battle for Wiley, for which he had to get to court. Valentin said it was time they looked into the other heirs. Drew was dead, and Jason had no interest in ELQ, but he wanted Martin to find out who was controlling the children’s shares. Diane said Willow was brave to marry into the Corrinthos and Quartermaine families. They were a bit difficult as individuals, but as a group, they were fearless, intelligent, and never boring, and Michael was the best of the lot. She thought they were a perfect match, and they’d be genuinely happy. She couldn’t imagine better parents for Wiley. She said to let her know where they were registered, and Willow told her, the only gift they needed was knowing Wiley was safe from Nelle. Carly told Chase that she’d thought noble people were stupid and suckers, until someone she loved gave up their happiness for her child. She eventually realized their sacrifice had changed everything. Michael had been a baby at the time, but it had made his life better. Chase hoped it worked out that way with Wiley, and Carly said the judge would see two people who loved Wiley, and would do anything to insure he had a happy and safe home. She said if he crossed paths with the person who’d made the sacrifice for Wiley, make sure they knew she would always cherish their selfless actions. Chase said he’d let them know.
Nina brought Charlotte to the MetroCourt, and Charlotte told Valentin how awesome the shoot was. She said she used to be mad at Sasha, but now she felt bad for her. Valentin praised her compassion, and said it wasn’t good to be angry and resentful all the time. Charlotte thanked Nina, who said maybe they could have a girls night out this week. Laura and Jax came by, and Valentin left to take Charlotte to school. Nina apologized to Jax for being late, saying she had a special delivery. Laura thanked Jax again, and left. Jax asked what Nina wanted to talk about, and she thanked him for his help with Charlotte, but said she couldn’t lean on him forever. It was time for her to take control of her own life. Maxie barked orders at everyone, and Lulu said she’d make an excellent general. Maxie said she knew her bossiness would come in handy one day. Sasha came back and asked where Maxie wanted her, and Maxie left to find the photographer. Lulu wanted to ask Sasha some pre-shoot questions, and wondered what it was like to be involved with the launch, and where Sasha saw herself in five years. Sasha said she was trying to take it one day at a time, and couldn’t imagine tomorrow, much less five years from them. She started to cry, and Maxie returned. Maxie asked what Lulu said to her, and Lulu said she’d just asked Sasha about her future. Maxie said the makeup artist had probably left, and asked for a moment alone with Sasha. She told Sasha that Lulu shouldn’t have asked about the future. Sasha probably had no idea where Chase fit in. Sasha said they weren’t together, and started to cry again. Maxie said she wanted to care about Sasha’s personal life, but not today. Today, they were businesswomen, whose future depended on the launch. Sasha needed to pull it together. They didn’t have the time or money to postpone it. Get it together and smile. She could cry afterward. Maxie told Sasha not to make her regret giving up her career. At the courthouse, Carly asked Martin if his client was still sleeping under her rock, and Martin formally introduced himself. Carly told him that she’d be lying if she said it was a pleasure, and he asked if she didn’t believe everyone was entitled to a fair hearing and to be represented. She said she believed in justice for those who deserved it. He agreed, and she said she’d tell her husband how he felt – Michael’s father, Sonny Corinthos. Martin knew who he was, didn’t he?
Sasha fixed her makeup, and flashed back to Michael confronting her and Chase, and asking how long the affair had been going on. Anna told Robert that there was no proof the ship went down, and Robert asked if she thought Holly might be alive. She said that’s why she didn’t tell him. If there was a glimmer of hope, he’d chase ghosts like he always did. Robert told Finn, they’d thought Holly had died in a plane crash, but she was really in a coma from a car crash. Finn said that was quite a coincidence, and Robert said she’d tried to return. Anna finished for him, saying that she and Robert were involved by then, and Holly stayed away, but she wasn’t the only one missing this time. Robert said there were enough discrepancies for Anna to talk to his brother, and asked if she believed Holly wasn’t dead. She said she wasn’t sure, and Robert said he had calls to make. One of Maxie’s assistants found Sasha in the makeup room, and handed her a vial of cocaine – a little something to get her through the shoot. Sasha said she didn’t, and the assistant said she didn’t either, except on really tough days. (So, would that be every day?) Chase showed up at the photo shoot, and asked Lulu if it was over. Lulu said Maxie had sent everyone on break; she was trying to salvage the day. Chase asked, what happened? and Lulu told him to tell her. Sasha was a mess. She overslept, was hungover, and couldn’t stop crying. Chase said he was sorry, but Lulu said it was too late for apologies. She’d thought he was a decent good guy, but he was just hiding the jerk underneath. Lucy and Maxie were going to lose their investments and reputations if the shoot didn’t happen. She told him to talk to Sasha, and maybe they could salvage their careers and their lives. Martin told Carly that he knew who Sonny was, and how those who displeased him disappeared. Carly said she didn’t know what he meant, and he said he was sure she was well-instructed on how not to incriminate herself or Sonny. She said her husband was a businessman, but he did have powerful connections; connections that a lawyer might find lucrative. Diane arrived with Michael and Willow, and Martin said, a sudden marriage before court, and wondered if he had to keep an eye on them. Diane said who was she to stand in the way of a happy, committed, stable family? and everyone went into court.
Valentin found Laura sitting at his table, and she asked how Charlotte was. He said she was fine. He’d dropped her off at school, and they were going riding later. He appreciated whatever she’d said to Lulu. She said he should thank Charlotte. She ran away when she thought they’d separated. Valentin said he’d intended on letting her go for her own good, but he realized it looked like abandonment, and would have the opposite effect. He was abandoned, and look what happened to him. Laura said she’d persuaded Lulu to compromise for Charlotte’s sake, and not to make her regret it. Lulu told Maxie that she’d sent Chase in to talk to Sasha; it couldn’t get worse. Maxie said Chase was the guy who’d blown up Sasha’s life, and if he and Sasha had a mutual meltdown, this was over. Sasha asked Chase what he was doing there, and he told her Carly told him that she was grateful for what they’d done. Sasha asked if Carly admitted she knew they’d faked the affair, and he said, not in so many words. She said she appreciated what she called their sacrifice. Sasha said she didn’t think it would be this hard, and he said, neither did he. Nina told Jax that Sasha wasn’t having a good morning, and she’d felt the need to comfort her. Then she dropped by the shoot, where Maxie was drowning in self-doubt, and she wanted to boost Maxie’s self-confidence, and gave her a pep talk. After that, Charlotte needed her. Her point being, she knew she’d told Jax that she didn’t want go down that rabbit hole and look for her daughter, but denying her feelings wasn’t helping. She needed to know. Jax asked if she wanted his help, and she said, absolutely not. Michael asked what Carly said to Martin, and she said she just reminded him of who Michael’s father was. Diane told her not to try to intimidate Martin. He was going to do his best to goad her, and paint her as a domineering, controlling woman, who wanted to wrest her grandson from the arms of his loving mother. Martin came in, and Diane said, underneath his Southern charm, Martin was a shark, ready for blood. Judge Lowe took the bench, but Nelle was nowhere to be seen.
Finn said he’d never seen Robert so upset, and Anna said, Robert and Holly had a unique relationship. They would fight and makeup, Holly would leave and Robert would go after her. She didn’t think Robert had ever stopped loving Holly. Finn said he could see Robert’s need for her to be alive, and Anna said she was afraid Robert was going to lose himself, and neglect everything else in his desperate quest. Finn asked if she thought there was a chance Holly was alive, and she said there were always questions with a maritime accident. Until and unless Holly’s body turned up, she didn’t think Robert would accept she was gone. Chase told Sasha, when Michael and Willow had custody of Wiley, they’d see it was worth it. Michael and Willow may never know the part they played, but they did a good thing. She said Chase was coping better than she was, and he said he’d barely gotten out of bed; the Chief of Detectives had called him. All he can think about is Willow’s smile and the sound of her voice. Sasha said she couldn’t get out of her own head, and she was ruining Lucy and Maxie’s dreams. Chase said they were her dreams too, and to make them start happening today. She asked him to tell Maxie that she’d be right out. Laura said it was proven Valentin wasn’t a Cassadine, and he said he was aware of that. What was her point? She wondered if Nikolas and Spencer were free from his retribution, and he said he was no fan of Nikolas, but he had no plans for that. They were safe. Laura said second chances were rare. Valentin could write his future, and decide who he wanted to be. She hoped he used it wisely, and became the man he was meant to be. He asked who that was, and she said, a man who puts family first, before money and power. He asked if she thought he could be that man, and she said, the question was, did he want to be?
Maxie asked Chase if he was 200% sure Sasha was okay. He said he thought so, and she said that didn’t sound like 300% (not a typo). He said he explained what matters, and Sasha breezed in. She asked why everyone was hanging around, when they had a dream to make come true. Let’s get this party started. Maxie told Chase, get out. We saw the makeup table, with the empty vial sitting on it. Brilliant of Sasha to leave it there, especially with a cop walking around. Nina said she didn’t need Jax or anyone else to undertake the journey that should be hers. If her daughter was out there, she’d sure as hell find her herself. In the hallway outside the courtroom, Martin called Nelle, leaving a message for her to get there now. He went back in and thanked the judge, assuring him that Nelle would be there soon, and sent her deepest apologies for being late. Diane told Michael not to get ahead of himself, and Michael asked what the best case was if Nelle didn’t show up. Diane said the judge had all the documents, and could rule in his favor. Judge Lowe asked if Martin’s client was in the courthouse, and Martin said he was sure she was. The judge said they’d waited long enough, when Nelle blew in, wearing a wedding dress and carrying a bouquet. She said, the most incredible thing just happened, and flashed he ring at everyone.
It Finally Happened…
On Monday, the wait is over for all new GH episodes.
Captain Sandy tells Kiko that she doesn’t want to ruin her reputation, but it’s not a beat-up session; it’s a reality session. The food has to be spectacular, and he needs plating and organizational skills. He also needs to learn how to take the pressure. In Kiko’s interview, he gets weepy, and says the captain’s words hurt a lot. He tried his best. Jess ices her finger. She wants to show Hannah how squashed her finger is, but Hannah doesn’t want to see it, and asks if Jess can just help scrub the bathroom.
It’s time for the preference sheet meeting. The primaries are Sean, an entrepreneur (isn’t everybody?), record label owner, and a dabbler in real estate; along with his wife Crystal, an ad executive. They’re going to be celebrating their anniversary, want to take a shopping excursion, and want a Vegas party, as well as a hip-hop themed 90s night. It’s a four-day charter, and in her interview, Hannah says, one extra day added makes a difference. It’s harder for interior and the chef. Captain Sandy says she doesn’t want guests to see an empty table, and wants to kill it this charter. Rob is ready to have a humdinger. I’m not sure if he means a good time, some kind of drink, or something completely different.
Rob snuggles Jess, and in her interview, Jess says she’s due to have an actual successful relationship. A producer asks if she and Rob are in one, and she says she thinks so… kind of. Alex flirts with Bugs in the crew mess. She tells him to be up front, like Rob, and not play hard to get. In Alex’s interview, he says, last night was terrible. We flash back to his shrinkage in the cold hot tub. He says when he’s drunk, he gets out of control and doesn’t have a chance. The crew gets ready to go out, but Kiko wants to rest. He has a lot of sh*t to do. Bugs comes out in a really cute mini dress, with tons of hair ornaments and jewelry. She says she loves accessories. It’s her thang.
The crew goes to a restaurant, while back on the boat, Kiko tries to organize the galley. In his interview, he says he comes from a country where there wasn’t a lot of support for his choices. He thinks whether or not you can do something, you should always try to do well with your chance. Alex says things went sour in the galley, and asks Hannah if she thinks Kiko is going to last. She says she hopes so. Rob feeds Jess, and Alex says he loves Bugs’s passion. Malia asks when they’re moving into the same cabin. In Bugs’s interview, she says she thinks Alex is cute, but she holds back from potential relationships because of fear of rejection. When she was fourteen, a guy told her that she wasn’t the one for him, and it was a huge turning point. She’d never allow herself to be set up for heartbreak again. Wow. She gave up early. Rob tells Alex that he has a chance, and just keep going the way he is. They move on to a club that’s very Vegas; an outside elevator, lots of flashing lights, and people in costume. Malia tells Jess that Hannah seems off. In Hannah’s interview, she says she’s connected with one person, and he isn’t there. Bugs tells Malia that, to be honest, the chef is a great guy, but… Malia says, that doesn’t cut it. If Hannah and the captain keep supporting him, it could have an impact.
Kiko plays guitar alone in the crew mess by himself. In his interview, he says he’s freaking out, but he’d never quit. He keeps imagining his father and mother. They had a painting store, and it grew fast, but people started stealing from them, and at fifty-four, his father was broke. He’s a fighter, and he’s back now, so Kiko learned to never stop trying. The crew heads back to the boat. Rob and Jess cuddle in Jess’s cabin. In Jess’s interview, she says she thinks she manifested him. Her spiritual therapist made her write a list of what she wanted. She listed sensitive and intuitive, but not an emotional trainwreck. A former bad boy, but a nice guy. In the crew mess, Alex tells Bugs that he respects her a lot, and thinks she’s an awesome person. At the end of the day, she might not care, but he’s having a hard time explaining. She takes his hand across the table, and he says he’ll see her in the morning. In Alex’s interview, he says she wishes he had a breathalyzer that said, buddy, stop talking. He sees a red light, but he’s still going 90 mph through it.
Hannah tells Kiko that she needs him to stay. Malia tells the deckhands, they’re going from top to bottom, and Hannah meets with the stews. She says Bugs will do lunch and dinner service to insure service flow. There are issues in the galley, and Kiko needs support as much as possible. The deckhands talk about their laundry, and Rob says his underwear was a different color. Hannah tells Jess, she doesn’t know what’s going on in laundry, but it needs to change. Bugs suggests shelves with the crew numbers on them. Provisions arrive, and Captain Sandy hears Malia tell the deckhands that she wants a quick chat on the aft deck. Malia tells them that they need to step up as a team. If a guest is out there, greet them, and don’t assume someone else did. They need to keep the pace up. The captain hears Malia tell Hannah, Jess claimed laundering the uniforms wasn’t a priority. Captain Sandy joins them, saying, that’s not the case. She tells Hannah that Jess either gets it right this time, or she’s getting another strew. She’s tired of excuses. Jess has a great attitude, but she needs someone who does their job, and Hannah can tell Jess that she said that. Malia is excited that boyfriend Tom is coming to visit, saying, it will be refreshing to have intelligent conversation with a man on board.
Hannah says tells Jess what Malia said about the uniforms, but Jess says that wasn’t the case; she didn’t say they weren’t a priority. Hannah says Captain Sandy overheard Malia, and said Hannah needs to whip her into shape or she’ll find a replacement. Jess asks if she going to be fired over a miscommunication, and Hannah says, make sure she’s giving 100%. Jess says she is, and in her interview, she says she loves Hannah and loves working with her, but she’s also making Jess’s job more difficult, and making her look bad. Being the third stew is like being her little bitch. She’s not supposed to remember everyone; it’s not her job. We flash back to the dinner where the guests sat unattended. Malia says she’s psyched for the next charter. Jess tells Malia that she wants to clarify something. She’d said the crew’s personal clothing during charter wasn’t a priority. Next time, talk to her, so it doesn’t get to he captain. Malia says Captain Sandy was sitting there, and had asked about her uniform. In Malia’s interview, she says she has no time to supervise Jess, but she feels for her. Instead of being hard on her and hurting her feelings a little, Hannah keeps throwing Jess under the bus, but Jess has no voice to stand up to what the problem is. Jess tells Malia that the captain threatened to fire her, and Malia says the laundry doesn’t just fall on Jess; things need organization. She didn’t mean to throw Jess under the bus. Captain Sandy radios for the crew to get in their whites.
A load of gorgeous people arrive, and the crew greets them. Captain Sandy says she wants to get off the dock as soon as possible, and Crystal says she wants a conversation with the chef to make sure everything is copacetic. In Kiko’s interview, he says, the guests are going to be very picky. The guests are given champagne and warm towels. Alex takes a look at all the luggage, and says he didn’t know they were having twenty guests. Hannah gives the tour. When they get to the galley, everyone says hey to Kiko, and a guest steals an oyster. The boat starts to move out. In Alex’s interview, he says he had a 1.9 GPA and a disability, while his sister’s GPA was 4.0. When he found yachting, he was in his element. He didn’t need to open a book to know what he was doing. Rob steals a kiss from Jess. Oysters are served, and the table is set for lunch.
Hannah tells Kiko to get as much information as he can from the guests. He goes up to meet with them, and Crystal and Sean joke that they don’t want any vegetables, meat, or fish. Kiko says all the preference sheets are different, and he’s going to follow what’s there, so everyone is happy. One guest tells him that when they do a making-it-rain gesture, he’s good. Everyone cheers. In his interview, Kiko says this will make his life much easier. The ship is anchored, and Hannah tells Kiko to put the steaks on. Hannah tells the guests that they can be seated when they’re ready. They’re ready now, and paella and filet mignon are served. The guests declare the food great. Captain Sandy comes by, and they tell her it’s fantastic. Crystal invites the captain to join them at their anniversary dinner, and she says she’d be delighted. The guests toast to living their best and their blessed life. The captain tells Kiko to put the gravy on the side next time. In his interview, he says, it seems like she wants to change him, and not help him anymore. Sean and Crystal go out on a jet ski, and take a spill. Malia is a rescue diver, and dives in. Alex and Pete follow, and right the jet ski, while Malia helps the couple back to the boat. She asks if Crystal is good, and says, it can be scary. She tells Alex, it was their first emergency, and he handled it well; nice job. In his interview, he says, Malia is a badass; she’s awesome.
Hannah tells Kiko that the captain will be at the anniversary celebration. Malia tells the captain that the guests had a rough go at water sports, but everyone is fine. Crystal tells Malia, they need more girls on deck. Captain Sandy sees a squall coming, and says, it’s getting rough. They’re going to have to go to the dock. Everything is brought in, and they head for Sóller, Spain. Some of the guests nap on deck, and Bugs tells them, enjoy. Hannah phones boyfriend (another) Tom, and says she needs to help Kiko; he’s struggling. She’ll be home soon, and can’t wait to get back to normal life. Bugs creates a beautiful burgundy and gold table setting, and in her interview, she says she has mad drive when comes working. A captain told her that she’d never last as chief stew because she lacked experience, and she burned to prove them wrong. She puts up balloons that say, 15, and Captain Sandy says she’s so talented. Hannah mumbles that she hates this boat. The guests are seated, and Sean says, twenty-five years ago, it was love at first sight, and he looks forward to another twenty-five. The table toasts to their anniversary. Kiko is nervous about the captain being at the table. In his interview, he says he’s not fancy. That’s not how he cooks, and he can’t change himself. The guests keep calling him everything but Kiko – names like Keedo and Kido – which I find really rude, and I’m surprised.
The guests say the starter is beautiful, and Hannah relays that to Kiko, and says they’re raving about the food. Keep it up. Bugs and Alex help in the galley. One of the guests says, Kido makes it delicious, and Hannah tells Kiko, everybody’s happy. Hannah tells Malia that she was thinking about sending Bugs and Alex on the excursion, and asks if that’s okay. Bugs says, but is it okay with her? Alex jokes that he doesn’t feel comfortable. In Bugs’s interview, she says she’s become a weirdo with relationships. Crystal says Kiko’s presentation is superb, and Captain Sandy tells Kiko, nice job; she liked it. In her interview, the captain says she’s never had a problem with the flavor, but Kiko needs more super yacht style. She hopes he blows it out of the park tomorrow. After dinner, it’s lights out.
In his interview, Kiko says he’s totally ready for the second day. Jess sets the breakfast table, and Bugs tells her how pretty it is. In Jess’s interview, she says, Bugs is a good influence. Jess tells us that she generally does her jobs as best as possible, and she’s probably at 90%. She thinks that’s good. A guest wonders what they’re going to see today, and Sean says he doesn’t know; that’s part of the adventure. Bugs and Alex bring the guests to what looks like a trolley. In Bugs’s interview, she says, it’s one of the world’s oldest electric trams. It gets thisclose to the shops and restaurants, I get nervous. In Alex’s interview, he says he likes Bugs. She’s weird, and can go from working hard to goofy. It’s super cool and cute, and he’s definitely into it.
Kiko confers with Hannah on the Las Vegas party. He’s thinking finger food, and Hannah suggests truffle fries and nachos. The guests go to the south side of Sóller, which is charming and quaint. In Bugs’s interview, she says, it’s beautiful, and the perfect date…day. Now she’s embarrassed. Everyone tries on hats, and Alex buys a visor for Bugs. She asks if she looks bougie. He gives her a hug, and the guests cheer.
The guests begin their return, and Bugs radios Hannah that they have a twenty minute ETA. When they get back to the boat, they’re met with fancy shots. In Kiko’s interview, he says he’s never been to Vegas. On TV, it sounds fancy, but he’s trusting Hannah. Crystal tells Hannah that she wants to do something wild, and wants the crew to do it with them. The crew talks about Vegas, and Alex suggests the guys wear bow ties with no shirts. Bugs says they can be the Wellingtondales, and finds Columbina masks for the women to wear. Bugs decorates the table, and Captain Sandy says, it captures the spirit of the night. Kiko uses a blow torch on the nachos. In Hannah’s interview, she says when she sees what he’s sending out, it’s not what she had in mind. In Malia’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to be the one to tell him what he can serve to the guests, but the nachos are disgusting. They do look awful, and so do the fries. Crystal says, Kiko better get it together, and Sean says it’s the most fried food he’s eaten in years. No one looks happy, and Crystal says, it’s not like last night. Kiko gives Bugs a plate of brownies decorated like dominos, and in her interview, she says serving brownies with nachos is unheard of. Captain Sandy wonders what’s up with the brownies, and Bugs says Kiko told her it was like a buffet. The captain says this concerns her, and tells Kiko, the guests can eat the brownies afterward. She asks the guests how dinner is, and they tells her, good, but too much fried food. Sean says, to each his own, and the captain sees the nachos. She asks Hannah, what is that? In Hannah’s interview, she says, this is really not good. After this, she’s definitely going to need therapy, Xanax, and Valium; anything she can get her hands on. Crystal says, it’s like a kid’s birthday party. In the captain’s interview, she says something like this would never be served on a super yacht in a million years.
Captain Sandy asks, who put out the nachos? and Bugs says she did; she was told to. The captain says Bugs should have called her. In Bugs’s interview, she says, if this is Hannah and Kiko’s idea of Vegas night, what is she going to do? The captain asks Hannah why she served the nachos, and Hannah says she didn’t; Bugs did. She’s sorry, but that’s what came out of the galley. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, it’s shocking, especially after the last charter season. We flash back to Mila making crappy nachos. Sean says the service was great, and the guests toast to great service, and to Captain Sandy keeping it real. Kiko asks Bugs if everything was okay, but she says she doesn’t know. She caught the tail end of a conversation. He says Hannah told him it was okay, and Bugs tells him the guests thought it was like a kid’s birthday party. In Kiko’s interview, he says he did what Hannah told him, and now he’s getting nervous. The captain goes to the galley, and says the nachos were really awful. He says he was never in Vegas, so he googled it and spoke with Hannah. She tells him, leave Hannah out of it; it’s not her fault. That should never be served on a super yacht. She’s seen things at a kid’s birthday party that were better. It’s beyond. Bugs tells Hannah, she loves Kiko, but he’s spiraling. The captain tells Kiko, the clients are being nice, but the others are looking at her. He asks if he should apologize, but she says, no. Don’t bother. That he has to google something concerns her. He asks if she liked the food yesterday, and she says it’s what would be served to the crew. He says, if she wants to fire him, he tried. She tells him, just get through the charter. Do his food. He says he understands. If he leaves, he leaves. She says, finish the charter, and he says, don’t worry. He’ll leave.
Next time, Malia hunts for Rob, the 90s party happens, Hannah hates her effing job, and has a panic attack.
🥀 Gone But Not Forgotten…
Another spate of celebrity deaths, in order of demise. First, John Saxon, who did his share of horror films, most notably, Nightmare on Elm Street.
I’m writing articles for a new website, and haven’t quite gotten my scheduling down yet. I have an article due tomorrow, and still need to do some editing, but I’ll have some tea and real estate for you in my next post. If you want to check out my first article on the Snowpiercer TV series, go to:
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
At last, the guide and I are on the same page… or date. Today’s GH Flashback is from May 6th, 2020. The short version is below, or you can check out the long haul at:
At The Floating Rib, Felicia told Anna that she was worried about Robert. Mac told Robert, getting hammered wouldn’t bring Holly back, but Robert said it numbed the pain a little. Brook was at the gym with Michael, and told him a workout was better than pacing at home; put on the gloves and get aggressive. Nelle told Nina that she had no one to vouch for her at the custody hearing, and asked if Nina was willing. She’d heard what Nina said about her needing someone to believe in her, and how maybe Nina could be that person. It could make all the difference unless she didn’t mean it. At the MetroCourt, Carly told Jax that Nina was playing into Nelle’s hands, but Jax said Nina was nobody’s fool. All she was saying is that Michael should compromise. Sonny was visiting Mike at Turning Woods, and told him that it was Dante’s birthday, but there was no response. Mike just stared into space. Sonny said, no matter how far away Dante was, he was still with them, like Mike. He reminded Mike that Dante had stayed with him when he’d gotten arrested after taking Avery to the stables. He said Mike had to remember something. Just one thing. For him. Alexis said Sam had gone to prison for Kristina, and Kristina said now Sam was on parole, and would be home free as long as she stayed away from Jason, but she couldn’t help herself. Sam had to find a way to sneak around and break the rules, spice it up. Jason appreciated it when he wasn’t not busy taking care of Carly and Sonny. Jason was always busy cleaning up their messes, while Sam was at home with the kids. Jason would die for Sam, but his first priority was Sonny and Carly. Molly said Kristina was jealous of Sam and Jason’s love.
Robert said Holly had beauty and spunk; Mac adding, and a talent for running scams. Robert said Holly could steal your wallet, and make you love her for it. He loved her. Felicia said Holly would want them to celebrate her life, not mourn her death, and Anna said, Holly would want everything first class – on someone else’s dime, of course (🍷). Maxie and Peter walked in, and Maxie wondered what was going on. Robert said it was a terrible time, and they didn’t need Peter around. He told Peter to get out. Sonny showed Mike a picture of Dante on his phone, but Mike only said, nice phone. Sonny talked to Felix in the hallway, saying it was strange that his dad was now eating applesauce like Avery did. Jax told Carly that Lulu and Valentin had a cease fire, but she said their situation was nothing like the one with Wiley. Nina had told Carly that she’d hired Nelle to protect Wiley. Jax said, if there was no smoking gun, Nina wasn’t going to plant one, but Carly said, why the hell not? Jax said Nina saw Nelle as herself, a woman who never got the love of a mother. Carly said Nelle gave her the same sob story, and it was an act of manipulation. Nina told Nelle that she’d misinterpreted what Nina said. She wasn’t defending Nelle, but trying to understand her. Nelle said it was more than anyone had done or tried to do, and Nina said if Nelle was honest, she’d admit there was reason to doubt, or even fear her. Nina said it didn’t matter what she thought anyway; it was about what the judge thought. She didn’t know why she’d even gotten involved, since the custody case had nothing to do with her. Michael sparred with Brook at the gym. She said he needed to get his aggression out, so he didn’t lose it on Nelle, and call her out for the psycho bitch she is. Michael swore he’d be under control, but she told him not to be cold and calculating either, or he might regret it. He had to vent. She told him to pretend she was Nelle and her lawyer. Or pretend she was Chase. While Brook was talking, Chase and Sasha came in and heard her.
Anna told Peter and Maxie that Robert was hurting, and drowning his pain in beer. Maxie explained to Peter that they were there to say goodbye to Holly, Robert’s great love. He said he thought Robert loved Anna, and Maxie said there could be more than one; look at them. Anna added that she and Holly had been frenemies. Maxie wanted to give Robert her condolences before they left. Sonny thanked Felix for being there, and Felix said he was glad Sonny reached out. Making patients more comfortable was the reason he got into nursing. Sonny talked to Mike, but still got no response. He asked what Mike needed. How did he want to live his remaining time? Did he want every measure taken to save his life, or nothing done? Mike motioned Sonny closer, and said, Yankees. Carly told Jax that Nina had unresolved issues. Nina wasn’t not a mother, and Carly thought Nina romanticized it. She told him, just because you delivered a baby didn’t make you a selfless person. She cited Nina’s mother as an example, and Jax asked if having Michael hadn’t changed Carly. Carly said it did, but it wasn’t like a magic wand. It took time for her to figure things out, and make choices. She had to give up things she liked, and had to learn sacrifice. Nelle wasn’t going to learn what was best for Wiley. Nina told Nelle that the most she could say was, Nelle had been a good employee for the near month she’d been there. She couldn’t speak to Nelle’s motives or character, or how good a mother she’d be. Nelle said they talked about it, and she felt the same way about Wiley that Nina felt when she thought she’d found her daughter. She told Nina not to believe Brad. She had a chance to do better with Wiley, but couldn’t do it unless she was given that chance. Chase told Brook to stay out of it, and Brook said Chase deserved to get beat up by Michael, but Michael couldn’t do that. She’d given Sasha the benefit of the doubt, and was willing to buy the fairy tale of Sasha changing her ways for the love of a good man, but Sasha was rotten to the core. She was a liar and a user. Chase told Brook that she was out of line, and Brook called him a cheating cheater who cheats. Willow found out her baby died, and he jumped into bed with her supposed friend. Sasha said Brook’s problem was with her, not Chase. Kristina said it was true that her love life was like the Titanic, but she wasn’t jealous of Sam and Jason. She wanted a relationship like Molly and TJ’s. Molly said she’d cheated on TJ, and Sam told them to stop talking about it. She just wanted a drink. She told Alexis, sorry, and Kristina said Alexis had been sober for years. Alexis said since they were being brutally honest, she’d only been sober two weeks. Maxie told Robert how sorry she was about Holly, and that Peter meant well. Robert said he always did, calling him Henrik. He said, how remarkable it was that a woman like Holly should die, and a dirtbag like Peter gets to live. Sonny and Mike watched the Yankees, and Sonny told Felix, out of everything Mike had forgotten, he remembered baseball. Sonny wished Dante could be there. Jax told Carly that Nina cared more about Wiley than Nelle, and to trust her to do the right thing. Carly hoped he was right. They had a lot going on with Mike, and she was hoping they could lock up the case and be over with Nelle. Jax said he’d help any way he could, and Carly said he was still the good guy who wanted to swoop in and save the day, but he couldn’t. Jax promised to talk to Nina, and Carly said if Nina would listen to anyone, it would be him. Brook asked if Sasha wanted to go ten rounds, and Sasha said she wasn’t like Lulu. Sasha said, don’t bet on it, and Chase told Sasha not to stoop to Brook’s level. Brook stepped out of the ring, and told Sasha that she’d had everything with Michael. She could have been sitting pretty, but jumped into bed with this loser. Getting wound up as she talked, Brook ended with punching Sasha in the nose. Alexis told her daughters that she’d had one drink, and went to an AA meeting. Maybe it was because of testifying at the hearing. Sam admitted that she’d gone off on Alexis, but Alexis said Sam hadn’t made her drink. She did it herself. If she drank every time she and her daughters exchanged words, she wouldn’t have a liver. She was ready for whatever was next. Kristina asked if she meant with Neil, but Alexis wasn’t sure.
Peter went out in the hallway, and Maxie told Robert that he didn’t get to talk to Peter like that. Robert said he knew it wasn’t Holly’s time, but Felicia said it was never the right time. Peter sent a text, saying, I need answers. NOW. Maxie told Robert that she knew it was the grief and beer talking, but it wasn’t Peter’s fault Holly died. Carly met Sonny at Turning Woods, and Sonny told her about Mike wanting to watch the Yankees. Nina told Nelle that Wiley had been taken away from the only parents he knew, and Nelle said Michael’s family would raise Wiley to believe he’d deserted her. He’d grow up wondering why his mother didn’t want him. She asked if Nina was going to help her, when Jax came in. Michael took Sasha to the hospital, and Chase told Brook that she couldn’t keep punching people. Brook said, it was an accident, and he wondered why accidents always involved her. Brook told him not to blame her because he’d ruined his life since he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Felicia brought Robert coffee, and Robert insisted he hadn’t said anything bad. Anna said he tried to make Peter feel guilty for being alive, and Felicia said they understood he was upset, but he owed Peter an apology. Holly would want that. Maxie said Peter was out getting some air. In the alleyway, Peter threw his henchman up against the wall, saying he’d wanted to distract Robert, not kill Holly. The henchman said he had nothing to do with it, and swore it was the truth. Peter said there was no need for distraction now. Fate had done it for him. Sonny told Carly that Mike connected Dante’s birthday to the Yankees. Sonny had asked about the DNR, and that showed him that Mike wasn’t ready to give up yet. Jax went to the Crimson office to see if Nina was finished, and Nelle said they were mid-conversation. Nina said it was late, and Nelle thanked her for listening. She hoped Nina would think about what she’d said. Nelle left, and Nina told Jax that Nelle wanted her to be a character witness at the custody hearing, and he said Nelle was shameless.
Brook asked if it made Chase uncomfortable that she called him out. The Quartermaines might talk about each other, but they closed ranks when it came to an interloper like Sasha. Chase said, behind closed doors, that was their business, but her disturbing the peace was his. He gave Brook a ticket, and she ripped it up. Peter came back, and Maxie told him, it was just Robert’s grief talking. Felicia told Anna that they’d have to plan a proper memorial, but not too proper. Holly loved a good time. Anna said she read the report from the WSB; Holly sometimes did contract work for them. Whether she’d been on assignment was classified, but Anna saw enough to believe there was more to the story. Sonny told Carly that he wasn’t ready to make any decisions, and he’d try to talk to Mike tomorrow. Brook called Chase a glorified meter maid, and arrested her. Nelle called Martin, saying she’d just found a character witness that would make their case a slam dunk. Nina said she didn’t tell Nelle that she’d testify, and Jax said she didn’t say she wouldn’t either. If she gave Nelle the benefit of the doubt, Wiley would pay the price. Could she live with that? Kristina asked Alexis if Neil had lost his license because of their relationship, but Alexis said she wasn’t sure. Diane called Alexis, who said she couldn’t talk, and just give her the news. When she got off the phone, Sam asked, what happened? and Alexis said she’d been disbarred.
The Shahs of Sunset – Reunion Part One
This was on Sunday night, but I watched it late.
After the initial introductions, and weirdness since everything is remote, GG talked about having Elijah. Since she’d only been allowed one person with her, due to the pandemic, she’d brought her sister Leila. Nema said GG had blocked him from all social media, and GG said whenever she posted something without mentioning a name, he made everything about himself. GG kept eating the whole time, making me laugh, especially since she was high as a kite. Paulina joined Mike, and we revisited MJ trash talking Mike to her when they were in Hawaii. Paulina said Mike had been honest with her from the jump, and everyone agreed she was Mike’s soulmate. Andy said there had been a rumor there was a blow-up at Bravocon, but Reza said that was false; it was just a discussion. He and Mike ended up crying together. Andy said he loved it when they did that, and we revisited other times when they’d gotten weepy. Mike mentioned that Paulina was the first significant other he’d brought to the reunion, and Andy said that was only because Mike wouldn’t allow Jessica to participate. Nema said he wanted to heal the relationship with his dad, and wanted to have the kind of relationship GG and Mike had with their parents. He was optimistic, but there was a lot of hurt to overcome. Destiney told him not to let ancestral drama get in the way. The conversation moved on to Nema’s new veneers, which Destiney, GG, and Reza had joked about on social media. Personally, I find them pretty distracting. GG got offended when Nema called the Shahs our show, and he said, like it or not, he was a cast member. GG said he had jumped on their pinky toe fungus, and I thought, I’ll have what she’s having.
They moved on to when Mike, Shervin (who wasn’t at the reunion), and Nema had been kicked off the plane to Arizona for no reason other than discrimination. Mike explained that a guy had taken their seats, and expressed his fear of them. Destiney said she consistently got her hands checked for bomb residue, which caused Andy to change the topic to Destiney’s relationship with Sam. We flashed back to that, and Reza said, after Sam slept with Destiney, he had a swaggy-ass walk like he had a five pound penis. Destiney would not confirm or deny that weight. Adam joined Reza, and MJ suddenly said she needed more accountability from Reza or she wasn’t participating. She pretended to leave, stood next the computer (GG pointed out that we could clearly see her shadow), then sat back down. GG said she’d already pulled that move at the last reunion, and Reza suggested MJ was jumping on GG’s pinky toe fungus act. MJ said she needed to intercept [sic] the conversation. She and Reza had been friends for thirty years, and she didn’t believe he’d ever cared about her. Reza said Tommy had tried to record a conversation he’d had with Reza’s hairdresser, trying to get dirt on Adam. MJ said Adam was the one who had brought Ali into their group, and that’s when the inevitable happened – everyone talking at once, so I could hear nothing. MJ said she hadn’t seen Ali since then, and Mike said MJ had allowed and encouraged Ali to pump up his story. Once he had a platform, he continued to embellished the story, and she should have shut it down. MJ said she’d nearly died in childbirth, and Reza said she used her near-death experience as an excuse for everything. He said MJ had betrayed him, and MJ thought should Reza should focus on Adam’s philandering (who uses that word?) texts, and claimed the reunion was a dog and pony show. She said, like life in the pandemic, their friendship wasn’t going back to the way it was. He’d destroyed thirty years.
Next time – part two – Mike mediates Reza and MJ, while GG, Destiney, and Nema are asked to leave. Since the fight between MJ and Reza has disturbed me greatly, I’m bringing tissues.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Hannah tells Kiko that he has to work on portion sizes; the guests are still hungry. Kiko says it’s hard for him to deal with mentally. Some of the guests start clanking something that looks like a chain, like they’re ringing a bell for the help, and shouting, where’s the food? Hannah brings out more. Rob asks how Malia feels about Pete being demoted. She says, it was necessary. It’s not okay to make someone else uncomfortable. In Malia’s interview, she says it was better to keep Pete away from the females, and give him time to get in his own head and realize he’s creeping the rest of the crew out. She confirms that Rob is to hand anchor watch over to Pete at 4 am. The guests cram into the hot tub, and dance around. At least they crash at around midnight, which beats those guests who brought their own guests, and kept going until nearly 5 am.
At 6:30, it’s a new day. Kiko tells the captain that, even though the guests liked the food, he wasn’t thrilled with his organization and presentation. Captain Sandy suggests mapping out where everything is in the galley. In her interview, she says Kiko needs to be organized; the ability for timing is critical, and the food is good, but the guests need the full experience. Hannah tells the guests that they’re going on a 45 minute cruise to a beautiful anchorage, where they’ll put out the water toys, and we find out it’s Giancarlo’s birthday. Malia instructs Alex, and in her interview, she says she’s trying to get the deck crew up to standard, and giving them an extra push. Jess does cabins despite her fractured finger. In her interview, she says it’s a bit of a struggle, but she’s determined to show she’s no different, and it’s the equivalent of someone with a bad hangover. Anchor is dropped and the toys are put out. In Kiko’s interview, he says, last night was a disaster. He has a chance to show what he can do, and he’s going to do his best. Sushi and tempura are planned for lunch, and Bernardo asks if Kiko knows how to make ponzu sauce. Rob is having a problem with his toe, and needs to tape it. Afterwards, he steals a kiss from Jess in the laundry. Malia asks Rob to help with something, and he says, there’s tension on the boat; they should try to be polite. Malia says, the guests need to be up to speed, and Rob says he’ll just be quiet today. Malia says he doesn’t have to take it personally, but sometimes a boss will ask you to hurry. Rob says she’s creating negative energy, and she tells him, regardless of how people are feeling, it has to be a professional pace. In Malia’s interview, she says she doesn’t give a f*** about Rob’s energy. He needs to move faster. She tells him, regardless of how people are feeling, they have to step it up. The guests jet ski and take photos. Kiki says he needs to kill it on lunch, and thinks he’s got some skills. He makes a ton of sushi. I haven’t eaten dinner yet, and it looks heavenly. I cry a little in my head, as our local sushi place closed. The slide is put up, and Malia instructs Rob on how to pull it out into the water. He says she’s making him stressed out, and Malia wonders why it’s so hard. Bugs asks Jess to bring wine glasses, and Jess says she would if she could understand Bugs. In Bugs’s interview, she says she doesn’t need a smart-ass comeback; she’s trying to help Jess. The guests are seated for lunch.
Hannah serves sushi a la Kiko, and Bernardo wonders about the ponzu sauce. Hannah asks Kiko about the sauce, and vegan rolls. Bernardo also wants more mushrooms. Jess comes down the stairs with the glasses, and for a moment, it looks like a tragedy is going to happen, but she makes it. Malia tells Rob that he needs to realize, sometimes something needs to happen in the moment, and she’ll explain later. They have a million different things to get done. Rob says he’s sorry. Bernardo demands the ponzu sauce, and it looks chaotic in the galley. Another guest whines that they’re not full, and Bernardo says they’re having a late lunch and an early dinner. Hannah talks to boyfriend Tom on the phone. Bugs tells Bernardo that Kiko wants to ponzu sauce on point, and Kiko chops mushrooms like a madman. Bugs tells him, the guests want more sauce, and in his interview, he says he’s not effing McDonalds. Malia tells Alex, they’re at charter four, where the boat starts going near the iceberg. Bugs asks Kiko for more vegan rolls and tempura. She asks if Jess can’t multitask, and Jess tells her, not while she’s talking. Bugs thinks things are out of control. In her interview, Bugs says working under another person, and not being in charge, is helping her to start letting go of the control freak in her. Jess asks Bugs to try speaking slower and clearer, but Bugs doesn’t know how can do it any better. Jess says Bugs is right; it’s her, but she doesn’t purposely not want to understand. Jess and Bugs start to get into it, when Captain Sandy comes by, and says, no; we’re done. The captain tells Hannah that Jess can’t understand Bugs over the radio, and Bugs asks Hannah for help. Jess mumbles, clearly, Bugs can speak clearer if she heard her the third time around. Bugs tells Hannah that she’s trying to be calm, and make sure Hannah isn’t bombarded after her break. The captain tells Jess that they’re in an industry where there are different dialects and accent. They have to adjust their ears to others’ communication. Jess says she’s trying, and Captain Sandy says she knows everyone is tired and trying to figure it out. In her interview, Bugs says it’s frustrating watching the interior run like this, but it’s liberating that it’s not in her control. The captain tells Hannah that she knows Jess is their weak link, but she has a great attitude. They also need to help Kiko adjust, since he’s not used to this level of service. Malia asks Captain Sandy if they can leave the jet skis out, but the captain says, no, since they’re going on a three hour tour cruise.
The dinner table is set, and Malia leaves to pick up the mariachi band. Bugs tells Kiko, they’re seating the guests at 7:15. Alex says he loves Bugs’s smile, and she says she loves that he loves it. He wonders if they’re flirting. Captain Sandy tells the guests that they’re going to do a cruise. When they wake up tomorrow, it will be a different experience. The guests toast to that, and Malia radios Hannah that the band is approaching. The band starts to play, and continues as they board the boat. In Kiko’s interview, he says he never had a captain watch him before. He needs to concentrate and be in control. Bugs tells Kiko that the guests are loving the food, and Kiko says, if they’re happy, he’s happy. Kiko tells Hannah that the entrée is a surf and turf, and vegan pasta. He wonders where his effing almonds are. Alex says, another day in paradise. The vegetarian guest isn’t thrilled with the pasta, and says, it’s cold. Another guest sends their surf and turf back. Hanna tastes the prawns, and tells Kiko, the flavor is good, but the texture is off. Hannah asks if the guest wants something else, but she says she’s fine. In Kiko’s interview, he says he’s not confident at all, and doesn’t know wtf to do. The carrot birthday cake comes out, and it’s gorgeous, delicately decorated with flowers. Captain Sandy asks Bernardo how dinner was, and he says he thought it was good, but for some people… The vegetarian guy says, for a yacht like this, the food is average. The chef doesn’t know how to navigate vegetarian. The captain says she’s not happy. Her goal is for their level of experience to be the best they’ve ever experienced.
The boat moves forward, and a guest asks Bugs if they she can call for boys, or if anyone is gay on the boat. Somehow she dodges those questions, and a guest asks who she’d hook up with. She says she would shag Kiko, marry Alex, and kill Pete. The guests chant, Bugs-y!Bugs-y! In the crew mess, Kiko says he’s so tired, he wishes someone would shower him. Hannah says she likes Jess’s dressing gown, and Jess says it makes her feel like she’s not on a boat working her ass off, and Hannah says, so does valium. In Alex’s interview, he says he thinks Bugs is a little into him. The guests dance on deck, while Captain Sandy says they get to anchor in the moon, which looks amazing above the water. At 1:30 the guests go to bed. One nearly slides down the stairs.
In his interview, Kiko says the stress of the boat makes him depressed. Food is about mood, and if he’s stressed, his food isn’t the same. Hannah tells Jess to vacuum, and the dreaded slide is put out. Jess tells Hannah that the vacuum isn’t functioning, and Hannah asks if the bag is full. Captain Sandy asks the guests if it was a nice ride last night, and they agree it was amazing. She finds out no one has waited on them yet, and tells Hannah, the guests are sitting at the table, but no one has been out to see them. Not one person has gone to check. Hannah says Jess was supposed to radio her, not mentioning how she was also changing the vacuum cleaner bag, and the captain tells her to take some food to the table immediately. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s disturbing. Hannah takes coffee orders, and procrastinates in the galley. In her interview, the captain says she doesn’t see Hannah leaving, and feels like Hannah doesn’t care.
In Malia’s interview, she says she likes that Alex is a step up to the plate guy, who she can throw anywhere. Hannah mixes up the oat milk and almond milk orders. Captain Sandy sees a plate of what look like American cheese slices, and says, it can’t go out like that. She’s not happy with the whole breakfast. Hannah does seem like she’s sleepwalking through the second half of this episode and I wonder if it has anything to do with the boyfriend call. The captain watches, and mutters, f***. The guests jet ski and use the slide. Captain Sandy tells Hannah that she wants to chat after the tip meeting. In Rob’s interview, he says, it’s so emasculating. The slide took everything out of them. The captain has Malia help at the bridge, and in her interview, Malia says, it’s exciting to get to drive the boat out of anchorage. It feels like a dream. She feels like the captain is making her Captain Sandy Junior, and she’s okay with it. Hannah tells Jess that the captain is missing laundry, but Jess says she hasn’t done the captain’s laundry. Hannah says, Captain Sandy ain’t happy, and Jess says she’s trying as hard as she can.
It’s time for the guests’ departure. Bernardo says they’ve chartered yachts before, and it’s been amazing. He’s grateful for the experience, but knows some people weren’t crazy about the food. Giancarlo says, a boat this big should have incredible food and service, and they were kept waiting a lot. He says Bugsy was helpful and nice, and Bernardo gives Captain Sandy the tip envelope. Pete says he didn’t know the kitchen failed. Alex says, it sucks. Jess tells Rob about getting yelled at when she was giving her all. Rob says, kill them with kindness; that’s what he does. In Jess’s interview, she says Rob is her safe zone. If she hugs him for two seconds, she feels better. It’s time for the tip meeting.
Captain Sandy shakes her head, saying she thinks they failed. The crew is prioritizing themselves, not the clients. Breakfast was a disaster. She knows they’re tired and working hard, but she’s tired of having the same conversation. She wants to finish with all of them, but if she can’t do that, she’ll have to let some people go. They’re going to be there on charter five. The tip is $15K, or 1100 euros each. In Bugs’s interview, she says she feels sorry for Kiko, and Hannah. Hannah is getting flak form the captain, but at the same time, Hannah is also letting a ton of stuff slide. The boat is cleaned, and Captain Sandy calls Hannah to meet her on deck. The captain says she wanted to check in with Hannah, and asks if she’s good. She feels like Hannah is different; not herself. She knows there were a lot of challenges, and wants to support, not replace. She feels like Hannah resigned, and wonders if she’s thinking things that aren’t accurate. Hannah says it’s a shock to her, and the captain says either Hannah has passion or she’s timid. In Hannah’s interview, she says she’s effing tired, and knows what it’s like when Captain Sandy is on a rant like this. The best thing is for her to keep her mouth shut. The captain wonders why Hannah never mentioned anything about Kiko’s level of cooking, and Hannah says, it’s not laziness. Captain Sandy says she doesn’t want to fire him, but if she can’t get what she needs, she’ll have no choice. She’s just making sure Hannah feels supported. In her interview, Bugs says Jess is a good person, and she doesn’t want to hold anything against her. If it’s not going to matter five years from now, why waste five minutes on it?
The captain calls Kiko to the bridge. She tells him that the guests weren’t happy with the food, and it’s not about being nice. It’s about her goal to her client. She doesn’t need personality; she needs the food, and she’s worried. She wants to hear the clients go, wow. They pay a lot of money. She doesn’t want her reputation ruined, and doesn’t want to be average. They have to be spectacular. He says he always tries, and she says, it’s not a beat up session, but a reality session. He has to be good in every capacity, or she has to find another chef.
Next time, Jess has to come up to par or be fired, Kiko thinks the guests will be picky, and Malia dives into the water when a guest has a jet ski accident.
🍵 Tea Tomorrow, Bed Now…
It’s been a long week already, and this is just the first day, but tea will be spilled tomorrow. In the meantime, stay safe, stay positive, and stay cool, both literally and figuratively.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Methinks we’re getting closer to the goal of seeing new episodes, since today’s dart landed on April 28th, 2020 (even though the guide said May 6th – wth?), which was like, five minutes ago, and after quarantine started. You can find the short version below for a catch-up, but If you want the whole shebang, it’s at:
Nina’s fashion shoot on a tropical island got rained out, so she got permission to shoot at the fine arts museum. Jax showed up at her office, saying she seemed like she was in crisis mode, and she told him that she’d had to go with Plan B. He asked if he could help, and she asked for a hug. He wondered why her assistant Nelle wasn’t helping, and asked if Nina had taken his suggestion and fired her. Nina said she’d sent need on some errands because she didn’t want her telling tales, especially to The Invader. Sasha had cheated on Michael, and since he was Sonny’s son, it was going to be news.
Alexis saw Valentin in the MetroCourt bar, and said he looked like he’d lost his best friend. He said he did, but they were better off without him. Lulu asked Laura why she thought Valentin gave up on Charlotte, and Laura flashed back to Valentin telling her that she was a good person, and he needed her to teach Charlotte to be good, since clearly he couldn’t. Lulu thought he was being manipulative, but Laura thought something was different after Violet’s birthday party. Lulu asked if Laura meant when she was advocating for Valentin, and Laura said she’d been advocating for Charlotte. Charlotte listened in on their conversation, and Laura said it sounded like Valentin was walking away from Charlotte for her own good. At the garage, TJ wanted to pay Molly’s bill, but told Brando there was something wrong. Molly, Kristina, and Sam were at Charlie’s, where Molly told her sisters about the accident she’d had. She said they’d just met the mechanic; it was Brando.
On the pier, Sonny told Cyrus to crawl back in the hole he came from, or there would be a war. Cyrus said he couldn’t go back to Seattle, and Sonny said that left only a nuclear option left. Cyrus said he had an offer that would work for both of them. Chase came home to an empty apartment, and flashed back to happier times with Willow. Finn showed up, and wondered why Chase wasn’t his annoyingly upbeat self. Chase said he’d cheated on Willow, she found out, and he’d lost her. Valentin told Alexis that he wasn’t planning on challenging Lulu for sole custody. Charlotte wasn’t little anymore, and had witnessed some regrettable behavior on his part. He was walking away, and not looking back.
Nina told Jax that the scandal could affect Michael’s custody fight for Wiley. Jax said, Sasha and Michael were happy together and crazy about each other. Nina said she’d warned Michael, but he’d been determined to believe Sasha was a fallen angel who needed him. She said Sasha was weak at best, and an opportunist at worst. Cyrus said he and Sonny could both do business, and not interfere with each other. After being in prison, he wanted the opportunity to put down roots. He enjoyed the fresh air and sunlight, and Port Charles was a friendly place. Jason asked if it was friendly of Cyrus to have a sniper on the roof watching them, and Sonny asked if this was how Cyrus wanted it to go down. Molly told her sisters that she’d slept with Brando, and Sam said she’d go pick up Molly’s car. TJ told Brando, the price seemed low, but Brando said it was a discount for first time customers; it kept them coming back. He said Molly had told him TJ had been in the hospital, and asked how TJ was doing. Laura told Lulu that Valentin thought Charlotte was better off without him, and Charlotte flashed back to telling Valentin that she’d seen what he did to Ava (he’d pushed her off the parapet before the wedding). Lulu was skeptical, but Laura thought Valentin was putting Charlotte’s well-being before his own. Alexis asked why Valentin had come to his decision, and remembered Sam calling her out about Neil, and saying she didn’t look up to Alexis anymore, and how she had a drink afterward. Nina told Jax that she didn’t miss Sasha, but missed who she’d thought Sasha was. Jax said if she wanted to look for her daughter, he’d be happy to help, but Nina said she’d put a lot of time and effort into standing on her own two feet. It was tempting, but it was like he was always offering her the best dessert, and she could only have it on special occasions.
Chase lied to Finn, telling him that Willow was baby-obsessed, and Sasha was actually present when they were together; she gave him her full attention. She felt the same way, and they’d slept together, and kept sleeping together. Finn said it was the biggest load of crap he’d ever heard, and to tell him what really happened. Lulu asked what Valentin had told Laura to convince her that he was putting Charlotte first, and Laura said it was the state he was in. She felt that he’d changed. Lulu said he was the same guy who had shot Nikolas, and Laura said, the brother Lulu couldn’t forgive for surviving. Lulu told her to stay on topic, and that it made no sense. Valentin would do anything for Charlotte. Laura said maybe he loved Charlotte that much, and was willing to walk away. Jax tried to get Nina to take the afternoon off, but Charlotte showed up. She screamed at Jax to get away from Nina, and said Nina had to get back together with her papa – today. Cyrus told Sonny, it was just a precaution in case Sonny had his own guy on the roof, but Sonny said he had all the back-up he needed, indicating Jason. Cyrus called his man off, and Sonny said he had an offer. Take it or leave it; one time only.
TJ said Molly had the accident before he’d gone to the hospital, but Brando said he’d run into Molly at Charlie’s that morning. Sam came into the garage, and TJ told her about the special discount Brando had given Molly. Lulu told Laura that she didn’t doubt Valentin loved Charlotte, but it was the way he showed it that she disagreed with. He ran off with Charlotte after the wedding didn’t happen, intending on kidnapping her. Laura said they didn’t know that, and he might have just wanted to get Charlotte away from what was going on. She thought he’d had a life-altering experience. Lulu said when Valentin came off as wise and compassionate, it was time to count the silverware. Laura wondered how they were going to tell Charlotte. Charlotte said Nina and Valentin belonged together, and Valentin wasn’t fighting for her anymore. Jax told her, dads were forever. Alexis told Valentin that she tried to help someone, and might lose her license because of it. Valentin said it wasn’t the end of the world; she was more than her job. She said now that they found out they weren’t related, she almost liked him. Who was he? He said he’d like to know that too. His phone rang, and it was Nina, asking him to come to her office. Charlotte was there, and needed her father. Chase acted offended, and Finn said his story was a doozie. He wasn’t so good with feelings and emotions, but even he could see Chase loved Willow. Normally, Chase was a walking Valentine’s Day card with a candy heart attached that said something embarrassing. He said Willow had seen what Chase wanted her to, and Chase asked why he’d do something like that. Finn told Chase to clue him in; why had he pushed Willow away? Kristina told Molly not to be hard on herself, but Molly wondered how she and TJ could have a future, when she fell into bed with the first person who came along when she didn’t hear from him. Kristina said Molly hadn’t known if TJ was out having wild and cray sex too. Molly said she wasn’t going to rationalize having a one-night stand, and knew what she had to do.
After TJ left, Sam said she didn’t know Brando, but knew why he came to Port Charles, and that he’d brought baggage with him. She told him, forget about Molly; it never happened. Jax told Charlotte that her dad loved her, and explained that dads had a special handbook for daughters, since daughters had special powers over them. Valentin arrived, and Nina told him Charlotte was afraid he didn’t want her anymore. Sonny told Cyrus that he could live in Port Charles, but had to conduct his business elsewhere. Cyrus couldn’t move his merchandise through Sonny’s territory, and couldn’t touch Sonny or his associates. Cyrus said Sonny had a large territory, and such deference would be expensive. Sonny said, take it or leave it; it wasn’t his problem. Cyrus said, fine, they had a deal, and they shook hands. I’d forgotten how much I like Jeff Kober in this role.
Lulu and Laura hunted for Charlotte. Nina called Lulu, and told her that Charlotte was at her office. Charlotte was physically fine, but she was upset. Valentin was with her now. Lulu said she’d be right there. Valentin told Charlotte that he loved her, and Charlotte said she’d heard Laura and Lulu saying he wanted to leave her. Valentin said he never wanted to leave her, but wanted her to know the difference between right and wrong. She said if he loved her, he would take her away, and begged him take her wherever he was going. Jax went to the MetroCourt bar, and sat with Alexis, saying he needed her level head. Charlotte had seemed afraid Valentin was leaving her. Alexis said Valentin had made a decision about his and Charlotte’s future. His life had been knocked off course, and he wanted to do right by Charlotte, even if he suffered. Finn said Chase was laying it on thicker than Violet put hot fudge on ice cream at a sundae bar. Chase said he’d tell Finn the truth if Finn promised to keep it between them. Finn said he would, as long as it was the truth. Chase said he needed Willow to think he’d cheated on her so she’d marry Michael. Molly told Kristina that she needed to be completely honest. She was going to tell TJ everything. Brando told Sam that he hadn’t even known Molly had a boyfriend until after they’d slept together, and she hadn’t done anything she hadn’t wanted to. Sam asked he wanted, and he said to run his garage, if she’d leave and let him do it. She said if he tried to make trouble for Molly, he’d have a world of trouble with her.
Cyrus and his bodyguard went to the MetroCourt, where Cyrus had been thrown out recently. Cyrus said it had been too easy. Sonny thought he’d lowered his guard, and was going to kill him, but he didn’t play by Sonny’s rules. He was going to start by getting rid Jason. At the pier, Sonny told Jason that he was going to let Cyrus get comfortable, and when Cyrus stopped looking for Sonny out of the corner of his eye, he would take him out.
Below Deck Mediterranean
I got confused for a second. I saw Bugs and thought, is this a rerun?
When we last left, Jessica had smashed her finger in a door the day before charter.
Jessica tells Bugs what happened, and hopes it isn’t broken. Bugs asks if she felt a snap, and Jessica says, yeah. Bugs radios Captain Sandy, who tells her to send Jess to the hospital, and Bugs puts her in a taxi.
It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Captain Sandy says primary Bernardo is a real estate mogul from Miami, who’s bringing along some entrepreneur and model friends for one of their birthdays. There are also some vegans in the group, and in his interview, Kiko says he hates cooking vegan. He misses the protein. He’s from Brazil, and likes meat and fish. Bernardo wants a mariachi band, who plays as they approach in a tender while the guests are having dinner. Kiko says, they look chill, but Captain Sandy says, they’re from Miami; they’re not chill. Jess returns, and tells Rob her finger is fractured. They hug. In Jess’s interview, she says she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to keep her job, but she hopes so. Her other fingers work good. She shows Hannah and Malia her splint. She tells them when she’d gotten breast augmentation, she still worked, and Hannah says she hopes Jess’s hand heals as quickly as her boobs. Jess tells the captain, it’s a hairline fracture. Captain Sandy tells her to talk to Hannah, and see if she can figure it out. They may have to bring someone else in, but she’ll see how it goes. In Hannah’s interview, she says she needs a third stew with two hands, but Jess will have to do this charter. Bugs tells Malia she thinks Pete says things for shock value, but it’s gotten inappropriate. Malia says he crossed the line, and suggests Bugs chat with the captain. Jess tells Rob, she hopes this doesn’t affect her job, but if it does, the captain will have to find someone else. They kiss.
In the crew mess, Kiko looks at the sheets and sees dairy/gluten free, and dairy/gluten free vegan. He says he needs to be confident, or he’ll mess up. The captain calls Hannah to the bridge. She says it’s obvious they have to get through next charter, and Hannah hasn’t had a fair shake. She tells Hannah to let her know how it’s going. At least she’s got Bugs. Hannah says, yeah, and her lack of enthusiasm is obvious. Hannah tells Kiko that she doesn’t want Jess fired. She’s afraid she’ll get another effing Lara, and she doesn’t trust Bugs. She asks if Kiko has her back, and he says, don’t worry.
Four hours before charter. Hannah has a pre-charter meeting with the stews. She says, obviously, the charter is going to have some challenges, and Bugs says she doesn’t mind helping. In Hannah’s interview, she says, one good thing about Bugs is, she knows what she’s doing. Hannah can let Bugs pick up the slack and manage Jess. They don’t need more drama. She tells Malia, obviously, Jess can’t do service, and asks if she could help. Bugs tells the captain that she had a strange encounter with Pete. She thought he said certain things for shock value, like how he talks about women, but after the charter in the crew mess, he was rude in a sexual way. We flash back to him telling Bugs about how he likes to bang stews. She says he was slightly threatening, but she’s not accusing him of anything. He did nothing physically, but they live in close quarters, and she’s concerned for the girls. Captain Sandy tells Bugs, for her to say she’s uncomfortable means something. She asks if Bugs is all right with the next charter, and Bugs says she just doesn’t want it to happen again. The captain says she’ll speak to Pete, and calls him to the bridge.
The captain tells Pete that she’s seriously considering letting him go because of what she’s heard. The way he talks about women and treats them is not okay. She tells him, this is serious, and he admits he might have said inappropriate things. He’s too much of an open book. Apparently, Pete doesn’t understand what that expression means. Captain Sandy says, it’s not okay out in the world, much less on the boat. He needs to get his head on right, and consider what comes out of his mouth. He’s lucky she’s not leaving him on the dock. She tells him, just do your job.
Jess forgets to turn on the vacuum cleaner before vacuuming. Hannah calls for the mariachi band, explaining they need to be playing as they approach the boat while the guests are having dinner. Maliah calls Pete to meet her on deck. She tells him, this isn’t going to be easy, but he’s no longer the lead deckhand. She needs to put her foot down. It’s impacting the whole crew. They have a professional code, and the things he says are vulgar. He has a female captain, a female bosun, and a female chief stew, and he’ll have to respect that. His ego and cockiness are putting the safety of the vessel in jeopardy, and she’s baffled as to why she has to explain this to someone who calls themselves a captain. In her interview, she says, from the beginning, he talked back and didn’t listen. This is the next step. She tells Pete consider this his one, two, third warning. She’s not putting up with it. He says he understands, but we’ll see. The provisions come in.
Pete asks Bugs to meet him on the bow. Malia tells Rob and Alex that Pete is no longer lead deckhand. She thinks it’s the best decision for the team, and Rob agrees. She says she doesn’t want Pete to feel left out, but he needs to learn a lesson. Pete apologizes to Bugs, saying if he came at her any way, he didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable. Bugs says, in the beginning, she thought it was shock humor, but it got extreme. He’d said he felt she was flirting with him, but she’s just a friendly person. They can move past what happened. In her interview, she says she’s all about second chances. The chance to redeem yourself is important. Thank you. Fairness is key, even if it’s Pete. Captain Sandy calls the crew to the dock. Jess fumbles at buttoning her shirt, and asks Rob to help her. He says, damn, girl, and she says it’s the first time he’s buttoning it, instead of unbuttoning it. Hannah puts Jess’s deodorant on her. Everyone gets on dock.
Captain Sandy says she can tell already the guests will be so much fun. She welcomes them, saying there’s going to be great weather, and the crew is going to show them an amazing time. In Hannah’s interview, she says, they look interesting and fun. She’s hopeful that she won’t have to bring out any of her non-existent Spanish. She gives the guests the tour. In Malia’s interview, she says she needs someone else to step up. She’s giving Alex the responsibility, and hopes he can run with it. It’s a broken hope. Hannah says they’ll have lunch on the water, and set up the beach club. Guest Joel admires Kiko, and Hannah tells Kiko, somebody has a crush on him already. They’re off the dock, and Captain Sandy says, amazing job. Malia gives props to the deckhands as well. Jessica is looking for lemons, and asks Kiko if he has any. Bugs says, that’s Hannah’s responsibility, and wonders if Hannah ordered them. She tells Kiko not to give them any of his; they need to take care of themselves. They’ll use limes. Bernardo asks Hannah if he can get some mushrooms on the side, and if someone can unpack for him. Alex tells Pete, be a man about it, and Pete says, it’s all good. Watch out for Professional Pete. It’s a side they haven’t seen yet. The guests take loads of picture for social media. Hannah asks Jess to unpack Bernardo’s suitcases, and asks Kiko for the mushrooms. Bernardo goes to his cabin, and tells Jess to just unpack the one suitcase. Hint: it’s not the one she’s already unpacking. In her interview, she wonders how he doesn’t feel guilty. She’s got a broken finger, and she’s unpacking for him. Is it really necessary? She tosses his stuff on bed.
In his interview, Pete says he got kicked in the teeth a little bit; he needed it. All he can do now is bring out Professional Pete. It’s not always Party Pete. I gag. This guy could give Jax a run for his money in a few years as worst human being on earth. Hannah calls the yacht provisioner, and asks for lemons. Bugs brings Bernardo his mushrooms. Ron kisses Jess in the laundry. Hannah says, these people are going to be a nightmare. Kiko tells Hannah about Bugs claiming she was responsible for the lemons. In Hannah’s interview, she says it’s Bugs’s second charter, and already Bugs is throwing her under the bus. Kiko tells her to open her eyes, and she says she sleeps with one eye open. Malia tells the deckhands, once they have anchorage, get everything out in thirty minutes. Guest Giancarlo is picky about his juice, and Bugs concocts something for him. Giancarlo pronounces it amazing. They drop anchor in an unbelievably beautiful cove. In Malia’s interview, she says Pete is taking his demotion well. She doesn’t know if it’s genuine or he’s playing the long game. She’ll see how he holds up. She tells the guests the rules for the jet skis. No surprise, they don’t listen, and get way too close to some paddleboarders. Jess does some ironing. In her interview, Hannah says Bugs’s over-enthusiasm drives her up a wall. If Bugs thinks she can do Hannah’s job, then do it. The deckhands have the usual struggle with the slide. In Kiko’s interview, he said he hates cooking vegan; it’s not his style. He’s going to try his best to make the guests happy. They guests are served ceviche tropical, with quinoa salad for the vegans. It all looks good to be. Bugs says she’ll just keep feeding them. Bernardo wants more mushrooms, and Kiko says vegan cooking is a challenge. He makes a pan of mushrooms, but Bugs, a vegetarian, says they’re too chewy. He says it’s the quality of mushrooms, but it’s all he has.
Bugs makes up something about the mushrooms not coming in. In the galley, Kiko says, pressure, pressure, pressure. One of the guests asks Jess about her injury. Having had the same thing, the guest says it pains her to see Jess like that. In her interview, Bugs says, Kiko is a hot mess. She feels bad, but it’s just the job. The yacht provisioner calls, and says she can deliver mushrooms today. In the crew mess, Bugs tells Malia, what a day, and Malia says, it’s only up from there. Bugs says the thing with Pete turned into the biggest drama, and Malia says maybe he’ll recognize he has a problem. They need to give him a chance. Hannah asks Kiko about the vegan main course, and he says, the mushrooms need to get there on time. If they don’t, he’s screwed. Everyone gets ready for dinner. Guest Edwin asks Hannah to press his jacket, which is a rumpled mess. Hannah buttons Jess up for dinner. Captain Sandy tells the crew, good job; they worked hard today. The guests gather in the lounge, and everyone makes a fuss over Bernardo’s suit, but I don’t see it. I guess he’s paying for the trip. In Jess’s interview, she says she can’t dress herself, and has to figure out how to hold drinks, but she has Rob. She’s got this. Rob brings the drinks upstairs for her. Pete tells Malia, he’s sorry they started off wrong, and she says, it happens; learn from it. I don’t know what Bugs has going on with the table décor, but it has fairy lights, so I love it. A guest gripes about the time, and Bugs’s interview, she says Kiko is under a lot of pressure, but he brings some of it on himself. She’s keeping the drinks flowing and the party going. It’s part of what they do. The mushrooms arrive, and Kiko gets to work. It’s nearly 10 pm by the time the guests are seated, when dinner should have been served at 9:30. In her interview, Bugs says there was a set time, but it’s come and gone. It’s hard to cover this up. In Kiko’s interview, he says, timing is hard on the galley. His mind is messed up over the mushrooms, and he feels like sh*t. Everyone except the vegans get their meals, and Kiko works frantically. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she’s confused. The last dinner was 72 plates, and it was incredible. Now she’s at a loss. Kiko says mushroom teriyaki is an art, and comes up personally with the vegan meals. The guests chant his name, and the food is declared delicious. Malia puts Pete on anchor watch, and explains the monitor. In his interview, he says he needs to be professional. He let the crew down, and he needs them to believe in him again.
The guests are anxious for the next course, and Hannah asks Malia for help serving. Everyone says the fish entrée is perfect, but Bernardo says his is raw, and asks for it to be cooked more. Bugs brings it back to the galley, and Kiko says, f***, aye, aye, aye. He asks her to apologize for him, and she says she already did, but she’ll do it again. In his interview, Kiko says he messed up. He knows Bugs is helping him, but everything is on him. Jess cleans the cabins. Joel says, Kiko, my pal. Jess and Rob kiss, and she says she wants to snuggle. Rob says he’ll ask Kiko, since they share a cabin.
The guests are still hungry, and guest Victor says they want more food. Hannah goes back to the galley, and says he needs to work on portion sizes; the guests are still hungry, and want more everything. Some of the guests start jingling some kind of doodad they have like they’re ringing a bell for the help. In Kiko’s interview, he says he feels like sh*t. It’s like he’s not good enough. He tells Bugs, he doesn’t understand it. He just served 72 plates, and today is the worst day of his life. Bugs says, we all have those days, and tells Hannah that Kiko is down. In Hannah’s interview, she says she hopes he pulls himself out of his funk. He’s the chef, and they kind of need him.
Next time, Rob says there’s tension on the boat, the food is late again, Captain Sandy says she doesn’t see Hannah leading, Jess and Bugs argue, and Captain Sandy talks to Kiko.
😥 Two Sad Farewells…
This is starting to get just a little weird. Is it me, or are there an inordinate amount of people dying? And I don’t mean just from the virus. I only knew her work on Glee, but I liked her outspokenness.
It’s no secret I love The Spice Girls, and Posh is my second favorite (after Ginger). Victoria Beckham not only is a fabulous designer and has a wicked sense of humor, she seems to be a wonderful mother. And these two seem like a lovely couple.
I found out the New York Post co-produced this show. I’m not surprised. And in case you didn’t know, Alexander Hamilton founded the newspaper. Again, I’m not surprised.
You know the really sad part? A friend of mine from high school lives in the city, and every once in a while, we go to the theater together. He’s the Best. Date. Ever. He pays for everything, and wants nothing but my scintillating company. We had just been planning on seeing Patti Lupone in Company when the pandemic hit. …sniff…
While it’s quite the roller coaster ride right now, don’t give up hope. If Samuel Pepys made it through the bubonic plague – better than a lot of people are dealing now – you can get through this. Stay safe, stay out of trouble, and stay looking out for one another.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
GH pins the tail on the flashback, and we lift the blindfold to find April 4th, 2008.
Kate asked a young Michael if he understood that his father’s real job had nothing to do with coffee. Claudia (who confused the hell out of me at first, since she was played by Sarah Brown, who was also Carly at one point) was worried about Johnny, and Trevor (who worked for Sonny’s then rival Anthony Zacchara, and also Ric’s dad) told Johnny if he didn’t kill Sonny, Sonny would kill him. Claudia’s phone rang, and she told a hitman that Sonny would arrive at the warehouse in an hour, and to call her when it was done. Max said he didn’t like Sonny going to the warehouse without protection, but Sonny said it was legit business, and Michael and Kate would be there. He appreciated Max’s concern, but told him to take the night off. Alexis showed up, and told Sonny that a dead body had been found in the water after an explosion. She wondered what he knew about it. Sonny said he had important plans, and told her to ask him tomorrow. Spinelli told Jason that mob hostility was being kept at bay, giving Jason the potential to walk in the sunlight with Jake. Robin talked to Elizabeth about raising children by herself. She’d seen how well Elizabeth had done, and that it didn’t have to be a disaster. Elizabeth said, you just do the best you can, and pray a lot. She admitted that she sometimes wished she had a partner, and wanted to be with Jason. Robin said Jason had been her rock after Stone died. She knew he had a special heart, and his heart had been broken when he lost Michael because of her. (She’d told AJ that he was Michael’s father.) Elizabeth said Robin had wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret from Patrick, but Robin said she’d done it from a different perspective, and was glad he knew now. Elizabeth said the truth always came out eventually. Elizabeth said Jason had a great capacity to love a child, and they’d found common ground when he thought Lucky was dead, and he was grieving. She said Jason’s situation was harder, and he’d had to make sacrifices. Rabin said that’s why she was meddling; she hoped Jason would get the chance to be a father. Jax (still married to Carly) told Carly that he had to take a meeting for Kate (Sonny’s then girlfriend, and Jax’s then business partner) in Houston, and suggested she fly there with him, and they could have dinner. Carly asked him when Kate had become more important to him than she was. Jax said most women would find a private jet ride to dinner romantic, but she said she didn’t like being an afterthought, and wondered why Kate couldn’t take the meeting herself. He told her, just come with him, but she said she had the kids to think about. He said the kids had a nanny, but she said she didn’t want to be away from the children or him, and to tell Kate that he was having dinner with his wife. He said he loved her, but didn’t like ultimatums. She said it was a choice, and he said she had one too. She could try to manipulate him or have a great evening, but Carly chose not to go. Kate told Michael that sometimes he thought things were true that weren’t; like when he’d bought a gun. Michael admitted it was stupid, and Kate said it was admirable that he wanted to protect his family, but he’d gone about it in the wrong way. Like it or not, there were rules for kids that weren’t the same for adults, but the bright side was, they were past it. His father’s job had included violence, but Sonny was changing that, and Michael would get to be a part of it. Alexis told Sonny, the body had been ID’d as Randal Compton, who had a connection to Ric’s girlfriend Mariana, who’d left in a hurry. Sonny suggested she talk to Ric, but she said, typically, when a dead body was involved, Sonny was too. Randal had been killed by a blow to the head that could have happened in the explosion, but Kate had been shot by a nearby shooter who was never found (it was Michael), and maybe Sonny had gotten to them first.
Trevor said, unless Johnny went after Sonny, Sonny would take it as a sign of weakness. Trevor said Carly had her own agenda – self-preservation – and Johnny had better have a plan, because if he did nothing, he’d be dead. Claudia told Johnny not to worry; Sonny would be dead in an hour. Jason told Spinelli that Trevor taking over had upset the balance of power, and Spinelli said he knew Jason’s first concern was the safety of Sonny and his family, but he’d more than proved himself. Why didn’t he apply his skills to his own family? Robin told Elizabeth, if the right man came along, she’d get involved. Patrick didn’t know what he wanted, and she didn’t want to be a test case while he figured it out. Elizabeth said Jason’s job wouldn’t put his family in danger, since the violence had been broken up. Robin said their lives were going in different directions, and there was Carly. Elizabeth said Carly wasn’t the problem, and if it was just her, she’d be fine with Jason, but she didn’t want the kids to be in danger. Robin said her mom and dad were always in danger when she was growing up, but what she remembered and was grateful for was the love. Johnny was concerned a hit on Sonny would be traced back to them, but Claudia assured him it would look like it was a third party hit. They would still need airtight alibis, something even Jason would buy. Johnny suggested he go to the Haunted Star, where Luke was busy working, but Claudia was concerned Luke might find out Johnny was using him. It was risky taking Sonny out, and they needed to keep their hands clean. Sonny said he had something to tell Alexis, but didn’t want her using the information. She promised not to, and Sonny said Michael thought he should protect Carly and Morgan after Emily and Laticia were murdered, and bought a gun. Alexis said Michael was only twelve, and Sonny said he knew that’s why Alexis had kept Kristina from him. He knew he’d hurt Michael, and she was worried he’d hurt Kristina, but he promised on his children’s lives that he was changing all that.
Lulu told Luke that Kate was launching Crimson. They were having their fiftieth meeting with a party planner, and somehow it all got dumped on her. Luke suggested she quit, but Lulu said if she did, Maxie would win. Luke said Maxie would only win if Lulu cared, so try not to care, then extricate herself. She inquired about Luke’s new investor, and Luke told her not to pretend she didn’t come there hoping Johnny would show up. Claudia told Johnny that Luke was smart, and knew the players, but Johnny insisted he wouldn’t be able to trace it back. She told Johnny, the less he knew, the better, and he needed to watch his back. Johnny said he wouldn’t be intimidated by Luke, and she said it was his call. She was off to find her own alibi. Alexis told Sonny, no more lies, and Sonny said he was concentrating on his legit holdings. He wasn’t covering up anything, and just wanted his kids to have lives that weren’t tainted. He wanted them to inherit something not soaked in blood. They were growing up, and he had to make changes. He didn’t want Kristina and Morgan to go through what Michael did, so he was making peace, and trying to show them a different way. It was only coffee coming in. Carly came home, and the nanny said she’d thought Carly was going out. Carly said Jax had abandoned her, so she was just going to make fishsticks and corn for the kids; don’t judge her. The nanny said Michael wasn’t there, but Morgan was upstairs. Carly said Michael wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without permission from her or Sonny, but the nanny said Sonny had picked him up. They were going to the warehouse to check out a new coffee shipment that was coming in; she’d thought it was okay. Carly told her to feed Morgan fishsticks and corn, and she’d be back. When she opened the door, Jason was there, but she told him that she was leaving.
Lulu told Luke that there was money coming out of the Haunted Star, but none coming in, which was bad business. He said she was changing the subject, and he wasn’t going to tell her what to do or who to do it with. Plenty of people lied to her, so why put herself on the list? She insisted she wasn’t lying to herself, but he said she was being defensive. She wasn’t the first Spencer to be ruled by hormones, but why didn’t she have more guts to face what she felt, and deal with it? At the MetroCourt, Jerry Jax introduced himself to Claudia, saying he was happy to meet her. Not sure what that was about. Claudia told the guy at the reception desk that she wanted the best suite they had, but he said they couldn’t accommodate her; the suite wasn’t available. She insisted on talking to the owner. Carly told Jason that that she was going to the warehouse; Sonny hadn’t even bothered asking her if he could take Michael there. Jason said a lot of things were going to change, and Carly told him that Jax had blown off dinner to take a meeting for Kate in Houston, then Sonny and Kate decided to take Michael on a field trip. Jason thought it wouldn’t hurt for Sonny to spend time with Michael, and Carly said when Michael went missing, Sonny wouldn’t even leave his girlfriend’s bedside. She wanted to limit Sonny’s visitation, but Jason thought that would make it worse for Michael. He suggested she and Sonny talk tomorrow, in a more neutral area. Michael had been through a lot, and Sonny was helping him through it. He thought she should cut Sonny some slack. Carly’s phone rang, and it was the MetroCourt reception guy telling her that Claudia was there being difficult. She said she was on her way.
At the warehouse, hitman Ian got himself in position while Sonny was talking to the customs agents. Michael ran to Sonny, so Ian didn’t shoot. Jason found Elizabeth waiting for him when he got home, and she said Spinelli had told her it was okay on the phone, but ran out when she got there. They kissed, and she told Jason that she’d realized she asked him to make the wrong sacrifice for Jake. Johnny went to the Haunted Star, and Lulu asked Luke to leave. She told Johnny what he was doing sucked. He said he’d accepted responsibility and decided to walk away from their relationship, but she said he still kept popping up in her life, and had bought into her dad’s business. If he wanted her back, he should have the guts to admit it; it wasn’t on her. He said it was. She wanted him, but she was too ashamed to admit it. Carly told Carly Claudia to get out of her hotel now. They had a certain class of clientele. Claudia said Carly was easily threatened, and asked if she wanted a lawsuit for discrimination. Carly said it was private property, and she could do what she wanted. Claudia taunted her about sleeping with Sonny, and Carly said Claudia sounded like a stalker, since she kept bringing it up. Jerry went to Carly’s, saying he wanted to see his brother, but the nanny explained that Jax was in Houston on business, Carly was at the hotel, and Michael was at the warehouse with Sonny and Kate. At the warehouse, one of the workers took Michael to look at the crane, while Sonny had Kate smell the coffee beans. Every time Ian tried to take aim, something blocked him. Sonny told Kate that she was right, suggesting he bring Michael there, and she said he needed his father – so did she. They kissed, and Michael came back, suggesting they get a room. Ian took aim again. Elizabeth told Jason that she knew she’d told him to keep his distance, but it was hurting Jake, and Jason deserved to raise him. He said it wouldn’t work if she was afraid, but she said the best thing to do was love the kids and not sneak around; it was wrong. She loved him and wanted to share her life with him if he still wanted to. He said, of course (🍷) he did. All he wanted was a life and family with her. Who is this Jason?
Maxie told Johnny that one minute, he was a sweet guy, and the next, he was gun-toting wackjob. He said she wanted him to chase her, and she said she wanted to forget about him, but he wouldn’t let her, and they kissed. Carly told Claudia she was a one-night stand Sonny might have had the bad taste to have, but he made it up by ditching her, and she was looking at a restraining order. Claudia said Kate couldn’t hold on to Sonny, but she could, and that scared Carly. She should be scared, because no matter how hard she tried, Sonny wouldn’t be able to stay away. While Jerry was on the phone in his car, he nearly hit Alexis. She came over to his car, and asked what the hell was wrong with him.
Ian set his sights on Sonny for the thousandth time, but the warehouse was really busy, and he couldn’t get a clear shot. Michael babbled at Sonny about how high the shelves were in the warehouse, and Sonny told him the coffee was going to be in restaurants all the way to Canada. Michael asked what was really in the bags, and Sonny laughed, but said it wasn’t really funny. Michael said Sonny wasn’t really an importer, but Sonny said he was. It was for his kids, and if they did it right, they wouldn’t need a gun. They hugged, and Ian took aim again. Sonny told Michael to go play, but then noticed Ian. He grabbed Kate, they both dropped to the floor, and Michael ended up getting hit. So for all his practice, that dude had some very bad aim.
👩🏼⚕️ Pick a Clue, Any Clue…
We’re back to one of those time periods where I wasn’t really watching, or don’t really remember. So if you feel lost too, here’s Claudia:
When we last left, Kiko was screwed, since the guests were bringing guests for dinner, and twelve guests times six dishes was seventy-two.
Bugs tells Kiko, they have strong team and everyone will help out. They’ll be fine. Hannah says, it’s a complete clusterf***. In his interview, Kiko says he’s done that many plates in restaurants, but there were six to ten chefs. How is he going to do this? Bugs sets the table, and Captain Sandy radios Malia to take what they can from the beach, and get back. The guests return, and Malia asks for all the hands she can get to unpack. She tells the captain, the guests got their beach picnic, water sports, and Justin got to visit with Scout. The dog nanny takes Scout back, and Hannah says, there’s been so much sh*t, but the guests are still having fun. Bugs tells Hannah that she’ll do the cutlery and glasses. In Hannah’s interview, she says she doesn’t particularly like Bugs, and if she didn’t like someone she wouldn’t come back, but Bugs is a strong second chief stew. She laughs at herself for creating a new title.
The guests ask Jessica for snacks, and Hannah tells Kiko that she’ll deal with it. She brings some cheese, and Justin says she’s a lifesaver, but she draws the line at feeding it to him. She tells Jessica that she’ll get the serviettes (napkins), and Jessica asks what soviets are. Hannah brings up more snacks, and oyster guy (I think his name is Leon) talks to his mom on the phone. In the galley, Kiko uses the word mother in a different context. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she’s nervous, and tells Kiko to call if he needs her. Malia tells wants to talk to Pete about the line confusion, and he swears he was just emphasizing that he was putting on the right line, not being a smart ass. Malia suggests he just keep his responses to copy that. She tells him, good job, and they fist bump. In Pete’s interview, he says, allowing her to have control is challenging. He’s used to doing it all on his own. He’s a captain, and also takes care of his dad and son. It’s hard to have someone else being in charge. I think it’s more like, it’s hard to have a woman being in charge. Alex asks Jessica if she thinks Bugs likes him, and she says she’ll find out. Because we’re in middle school.
Kiko tells Hannah, it’s going to be an international menu, and dictates each dish while she writes it down. She says, it sounds like something of everything. He says he didn’t know the guests could ask more people to dinner, and has provisions for eight, not twelve. Hannah asks if he wants her to talk to the captain, but he says he has to do it, but if he wins, he’s effing good. Hannah says, but if he fails, it’s on him.
Port Adriano. Hannah says, 72 plates for 12 guests who’ve been drinking all day. Kiko realizes he doesn’t have enough of some ingredients. In his interview, he says he worked in an Asian restaurant, where they did as many as 2000 plates in one night. It was hard, but nothing like this, since he’s by himself. Jessica says she doesn’t understand Bugs because of her accent, and Bugs says she can speak American, sounding just like one. Bugs shows Jessica how to make a fancy fold with a napkin. In Bugs’s interview, she says she thinks Jessica is receptive to learning, and teaching is a part of her. She taught her little brother and sister, and her brother is now a yacht broker and her sister is working her way up to chief stew. Rob visits the laundry – i.e. Jessica. In her interview, Jessica says the more she talks to him, the more she likes him, but she’s leery about going into a relationship. She’s been betrayed too many times. She caught her last boyfriend cheating. He’d been thirsting over Instagram photos on his phone, so she dropped it in the shower. Hannah tells Bugs that she’s glad to have a strong second. Bugs’s table is gorgeous; all amber and gold and candles. The guests are seated, and think the first course looks amazing. Bugs tells everyone that they’re a good team. The guests watch Scout on Justin’s phone. Malia says her boyfriend is a chef, and she thinks Kiko is doing well, but 72 plates is way too much for one person. Captain Sandy says she’s in awe of the team. In the captain’s interview, she says Hannah and Bugs have put the past aside to work together, and she thinks they’re going to be fine. Guest Zach bitches that he doesn’t like shrimp. Hannah tells Kiko, awesome timing. Captain Sandy tastes Kiko’s bacon ice cream, and says, wow, that’s Michelin star. In her interview, she says, since day one, Kiko’s had the passion, flavor, and smile, but now he has the timing and creativity. She’s blown away. In Kiko’s interview, he says he did it. It’s like when a football player makes a goal, and the audience roars. Then he has to do it all over again. Malia tries to get Pete’s attention, and he says he’s in the zone with the silverware. In Malia’s interview, she says it’s great that he’s helping with service, but she thinks he’s testing her. He wants to see how far he can push her, and it’s frustrating.
Sandy tells the crew, amazing job. The guests’ guests go back to shore, and Justin thanks Kiko personally. Kiko says, it’s a pleasure, which he can’t possibly mean. He’s exhausted, and it’s almost 1 am. Hannah thanks him for his hard work. Justin drinks from a gigantic bottle. Hannah makes toasted cheese sandwiches and Ramen noodles. The guests use the hot tub, while Alex keeps watch. One of the guests says Alex must be tired, and they wonder why he’s still up. In his interview, he says, he can’t go to bed because they’re in the hot tub. If they die, it’s on him. The guests finally crash at around 3:30.
Justin is up by 8, and ready for breakfast. Rob says, it’s going down tonight, and Pete says he’s been working since 6. In Pete’s interview, he says he’s picked up that Bugs is a flirt. He’s going to play it differently than he did with Lara. She’s not going to fall in love overnight, and he has play it cool. News flash: She’s not going to fall in love with you at all, dude. In Bugs’s interview, she says, Pete is like another specimen. I think she means species. Pete sits on the counter, and stares at her, grinning weirdly. She says, what the hell? He’s undressing her with his eyes, and she feels violated. Pete says, let the energy take control. In her interview, Bugs says, Pete has a sense of entitlement to say whatever he wants, but no, it’s not happening. Pete tells Kiko that he came in too high, and Kiko says, go get ‘em, tiger.
Scout is deposited back at the dock. Alex tries to pet him, but Scout ducks, and I laugh. The crew says goodbye to the guests, and Justin gives Captain Sandy the tip envelope, saying if they’re ever in NYC, let him know, like that will ever happen. The crew gathers for the tip meeting, and the captain commends Kiko, saying, he never got any rest, but continued to smile. It’s a different dynamic now, and they’re seeing the main goal; amazing. She thanks Bugs for the table settings, and says, it doesn’t matter what the client thinks, but what she thinks. The tip is $17,000 USD, or $1277 each. I think that’s low, and a text box says the average tip is $20,000. Jessica shows Hannah and Bugs a picture of her and Rob kissing. Hannah asks about his girlfriend, and Jessica tells them that he says he’s not seeing his her, but Hannah says there was a picture of them in Rob’s Instagram story the other day. She shows Jessica, and it’s a similar picture, but with another girl. Rob comes in, and the girls get quiet. Hannah says they were just looking at his and Jessica’s photo shoot. In her interview, Jessica says she needs time to realize Ron isn’t like the other losers she dated. Hannah tells Jessica, the picture is before she and Rob hooked up. Jessica says she really likes him, and doesn’t need a broken heart. Hannah says, just ask him about it. Malia calls boyfriend Tom. In her interview, she says he completely supports her career path. Her goal is to be captain of a super yacht. Before this, they were working on the same boat, so it was a hard adjustment. She’s happy he’s coming to visit. It gives her something to look forward to.
Alex says, tonight we party, and the crew gets ready to go out. Bugs is excited to get loose. In her interview, she says relationships aren’t her strength; she’s married to her job, and the single life is the good life for now. They get in the taxis, and Malia talks about having her first date with Tom on her birthday. She got sh*fasced, and hit on the waiters. At the restaurant, Alex asks how Bugs is adjusting. She says she feels like she’s known them a long time, and they toast to being the three charters in. In his interview, Pete says he’s seen the way Bugs looks at Alex when he’s not looking. Maybe they like each other. He’s not jealous; he’s just missing Lara. He texts Lara, saying, hey, boo. You up? Again, because we’re in middle school. Hannah asks if Rob and his girlfriend have an open relationship, and Rob says he no longer has a girlfriend. In Jessica’s interview, she says, so we’re going there? Ron says, it’s over, and in his interview, he says he’d rather not be in something if he’s going to cheat, even though they have an open experience. He asks Jessica what puzzle she’s putting together. People come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime, and everything in his life has been temporary. Pete asks Bugs, what’s going on? and she says he’s creepy. He doesn’t do it in the right way. He tells her, if it happens again, let him know, and she says he needs to be respectful. In Bugs’s interview, she says she thinks Alex is cute in a teddy bear way, and he made her comfortable coming back on board after the situation with Hannah. The crew moves on to a club. Rob tells Jessica that he’s happy, and she says she is too. Hannah asks if she can steal Bugs a minute, and they sit outside. Hannah asks if Bugs was worried about working with her, but Bugs says a lot of time had gone by, and she hoped for the best. Hannah says it’s gone better than what she thought it was going to, and Bugs says, it’s not a power struggle; she came to support Hannah. Hannah says she’s at a different stage of her life, and thinks that naturally makes Bugs respect the hierarchy. Bugs says she trusts Hannah, so it’s perfect. In her interview, Bugs says she hopes Hannah will stay cordial. She’ll get back to us on that one. Shots are done, and Bugs tells Alex, he smells like Jager bombs. Everyone dances, and Malia says Bugs came in with a bang. They head back, Alex and Bugs together. Rob and Jessica ride alone in another taxi, making out.
Hannah tells Malia that her boyfriend doesn’t get why she can’t always answer the phone. In her interview, she says her boyfriend has a corporate job, and doesn’t understand how she goes away months at a time and can’t communicate. She loves him, and wants it to work, but she’s also serious about her career. Well, we see how that worked out. Malia says her boyfriend asked if she was okay when she didn’t respond to his texts, but she literally hadn’t looked at her phone. Jessica and Rob get into bed together. Alex and Bugs get in the hot tub, and Malia decides to join them. She asks if they’re low key in love, and says, it’s fine. She says the water is ice cold, and checks the controls. She tells them that they’re sitting in a tub of cold water; the heater isn’t on. Bugs points to Pete’s privates, and says, we can tell. Everyone goes to bed. On the phone, Lara says she misses Pete. Bugs tells Alex to tuck her in, and kiss her head. He gives her a quick head kiss, says he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and goes to his own bunk.
Turnover Day. Bugs wonders if she’s alive, and asks if she was drowning in the jacuzzi. Malia says Alex was there to save her, and Bugs asks if she kissed him. In Bugs’s interview, she says she’s with a new crew, it’s the first charter, and she’s making out with one of the deckies. Rob tells Jessica that he’s ten years sober from narcotics. She asks, which ones? and he says, all of them, but he’s happy, even if he’s feeling overwhelmed. In his interview, he says he and his mom went to rehab together. He got sober, and left, and everything turned to sh*t. He starts to cry, and says he wanted to protect and help her, but he couldn’t. He misses her a lot. Her dying gave him the strength to continue to be sober. He wants to give his future family what he never had. It gave him power, and gives him strength not to repeat the pattern. In the crew mess, Bugs asks if she offended Malia or Alex, and Alex tells her about how she pointed out his shrinkage. Malia says she’s glad she could be there for all this.
The boat is cleaned up, and Hannah makes a list for the next charter. Bugs says, now she knows who Pete is; he’s shameless. He says his name is Shameless Pete, and she asks if he had a connection with Lara, and did she feel the same way. He says he’s going to do things Lara has never had done before, and she’ll fall in love. Bugs says he’s making her hangover worse. She asks if he’s had a relationship on a boat before, and he says he’s banged stews. She says she doesn’t know if he said that for shock value, and he says, stews are just down for the good time. His nickname is Party Pete. He says something rude that’s too bleeped for me to decipher, and she says he’s batsh*t crazy. He says, 100%, and tells her that he’s going back to work. In the meantime, Jessica has accidentally slammed her finger in a door, and Bugs finds her crying in the galley. Jessica hopes it’s not broken, and Bugs asks if she felt snap. Jessica says, yeah.
Next time, Hannah says Bugs went out of her way to throw her under the bus, Hannah tells Kiko to work on portion sizes, Bugs talks to Captain Sandy about Pete, Malia talks to Pete about Pete, and the captain says she’s considering letting Pete go.
⛴ Location, Location, Location…
I do love looking at Below Deck’s scenery, especially that blue, blue water.
We’re back at the beginning of the week, or continuing with days, depending on where you’re at. For me, it’s called, one more day that I’m not any closer to getting my taxes done. Hoping Uncle Sam gives to you, rather than takes, and that you stay safe, stay thoughtful, and stay hanging onto hope for a better world.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 