Tag Archives: Below Deck Mediterranean

Nov29

November 28, 2023 – The News About Austin Travels, Goodbye, Her Return, All Grown Up, Celebrations, Mary’s World, Salty Channel, Two Cents, All Better, Special, That Tree & 45th

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia asks if Elizabeth has heard from Austin. He was supposed to be in at 10 am and they haven’t heard from him yet. He’s never been late like this. Elizabeth says, no one has heard from him. She left him a voicemail and she texted him a few times. Still nothing. Portia says, could be a flat tire, a broken phone… Can she keep trying? Elizabeth says she will, and Finn approaches Portia. He asks her to sign off on the treatment he’s prescribing for a new patient.

There’s a knock at Sam’s door and she opens it to Sonny, who says, hi, neighbor. She says she can’t get used to calling him that, and he says he likes living down the hall from his son and grandson. Is Dante around? She says, of course (🍷), and invites him in. He asks how her Thanksgiving was, and she says, it was different. Dante took the boys to a football game. He says he saw Scout at Carly’s; she was with her dad. Sam was at Alexis’s? Sam says, her, Kristina, Molly, and assorted others. Where was he? He says he and Nina had a quiet Thanksgiving at the MetroCourt, and she asks if he missed cooking. He says, yeah, but next year he’s going to do it right. He’s having a Thanksgiving feast with his kids and their kids and whoever wants to show up. She can come. She can mark it on her calendar. Dante says, he can count on that. What brings him by? Sonny says, a matter of concern.

On the phone at the hospital, Molly says she has to reschedule the 4 o’clock meeting. She needs to free up some time this afternoon. TJ comes by, and she says she managed to get a postponement on the Hamlin case. He says, she came all the way to the hospital to tell him that? but she says, no. She came to tell him that they have an appointment to find a new surrogate.

Alexis meets Laura at the PC Grill, and the maître d’ seats them. Cyrus takes notice of Laura being there.

Finn tells Portia, pretty standard diagnosis and treatment. Nothing out of the ordinary. She says she agrees with his assessment. As soon as she gets back to the office, she’ll log on and okay the treatment. He thanks her and leaves. She tells Elizabeth, that was tough, and Elizabeth says, he’s a leader in his field. It’s ridiculous that he has to have supervision to treat his patients. Portia says, just a reminder, she’s not the enemy here. Finn isn’t the only one being sued for malpractice and wrongful death. The hospital is also listed as a defendant on the suit. She has no choice. She’s just following procedure. Elizabeth apologizes and says she’s sorry if she made it seem like it was all Portia’s doing. She knows it’s not. It’s just that this whole situation is very frustrating. Portia says she knows, when her phone dings. She asks if Elizabeth can try Austin again. In the meantime, they’ll have to give his patients to other doctors. She leaves, and Elizabeth picks up the phone.

Sam tells Dante that she and Scout are running late, so he can fill her in on this matter of concern when she gets back. She calls to Scout, who comes down the stairs and asks Sonny, guess where she’s going today? Sonny says, the museum, but she says, nope. She’s meeting daddy at the MetroCourt and she’s going to interview him about his job for a report for school. Sonny says, wow. That’s a big girl assignment. Maybe when she’s finished with the report, she can show it to him. Scout says, okay, and she and Sam leave. Dante asks, what’s this matter of concern? and Sonny says, it’s about the man who tried to kill Avery’s mother.

Alexis says she’s always glad to see Laura, but she’s curious. Is this a social meeting or is this about business? Laura says, actually, it’s family related. She wanted to check in with Alexis and see how Esme is doing at her job and whether or not Alexis was still happy with her work. Alexis says, actually, she is. She’s proven to be competent, organized, and efficient. She works well with the other departments and manages to stay 10 steps ahead of Alexis, which is not easy. She even asked for a raise, and Alexis gave it to her because she earned it. Laura says she’s so happy to hear this. Esme is about to move out on her own and Laura is about to sign the lease tomorrow, but she just wanted to know Esme was going to be employed in the near future. Alexis says, unless something changes, she doesn’t see why not. She’s wondering about Spencer though. He’s so attached to Ace, she’s worried about how he’ll handle Esme and Ace leaving. Laura says, so is she.

Molly tells TJ that the matching professional called her this morning. She asked how they were doing after Andrea’s miscarriage. She informed Molly that Andrea doesn’t want to try again, which she explained she already knew, but then she asked if they wanted to move forward with a new surrogate. The other women they interviewed were both successfully matched with other couples, but the matching professional had some other candidates she felt might work well for them. He says, so Molly told her yes when the matching professional asked if they wanted to try again without asking him.

Elizabeth goes to Finn’s office, and he says he just wants to finish this email reminding Portia to sign off on the treatment he’s recommending. It’s a good thing it’s not an emergency, or his patient would be dead by the time he finished all this paperwork. He finishes and says, okay. What can he do for her? She says she wants him to close his eyes and take a breath, and he asks if she thinks this is really a good time for yoga. She tells him that it’s a breathing exercise, and takes his hands. She says, close your eyes, and he does. She wants him to breathe in for a count of four, hold it for two, and breathe out for five. He asks if she’s going to keep track, and she says she’ll count for him. Ready? Breathe in, 2…3…4. Hold, 1…2. Out, 2…3…4…5. One more time. She repeats the exercise, and he says he’s not complaining at all, but what’s that supposed to accomplish? She says, it’s supposed to push all that anger and frustration out of his head and clear everything out, so he can actually hear her when she tells him this. He did nothing wrong.

Sam and Scout meet Drew at the MetroCourt, and he says he’s so excited to tell Scout about what he does at work. It’s going to be fun. He shows her a picture of her swimming plaque on his phone and says he looks at it every day. She asks if he likes it, and he says he loves it. She says her teacher said she should record the interview, so she doesn’t forget when she writes her report. She asks if that’s okay with him, and he says, of course (🍷) it’s okay. He gives her permission to record their conversation. She can asks him anything she wants. She says she’s ready to start, and he says, ask away. She says, what is the name of the company he works for? and he says, it’s Aurora Media. He works there, but he also owns it. Scout says, for how long? and he says, for six years. He and her mom bought another man’s business and then they renamed it Aurora. Scout asks why he made this company, and he says he and her mom wanted to build something for her. They wanted to have a company Scout would be really proud of and would maybe work at someday if she wanted to.

Dante says, Sonny knows he can’t discuss an active investigation, but Sonny says he’s not asking for anything privileged. Can Dante at least tell him how long before Mason Gatlin is transferred to Pentenville? Dante says he guesses when the doctors clear him, and Sonny asks when that’s going to be. Dante says, could be any day, and Sonny says he’s assuming the DA is going to make him some kind of plea deal. Dante says he doesn’t know what Robert’s plans are with this case. Why is Sonny so curious? Sonny says he doesn’t want Scorpio to let Mason off so easy. If it were up to him, Mason would be in prison for life; throw away the key. Dante says he agrees, but the theory is, Mason was working for somebody. He didn’t order Ava’s kidnapping. They’re pushing him to get the name of his boss. Sonny says, don’t waste his time. He can tell Dante right now who’s responsible for Ava’s kidnapping.

Laura tells Alexis that because Nikolas disappeared the way he did, Spencer took on a role in Ace’s life that was more like a father than a brother. So naturally, he’d want Ace to continue to live in the same house. Alexis says, obviously, he reconsidered, and Laura says, he absolutely did. He’s still very sad about it, but he’s not angry about it anymore. He’s not even fighting it. Alexis says she’s sure it had something to do with Trina, and Laura says, yes. She’s heard Trina’s a very good influence on him. Alexis says, that’s not an easy feat. She knows her family and how stubborn they can be… fatally when they actually make up their mind. And Spencer gave every indication that he was heading down that path. Laura says she actually gives Spencer a lot of credit here. She thinks he’s matured an awful lot. In part because of the role he’s played in Ace’s life. He had to put somebody else’s needs ahead of his own, so that’s made him more thoughtful and a little less impulsive. But to be honest, there aren’t many men his age who would take interest in a newborn baby brother. Alexis says, good for Spencer, and Laura says, good for him. He’s no longer the grandchild she’s most worried about. Alexis says she assumes Laura is referring to Charlotte, and Laura nods.

Molly tells TJ that she didn’t commit to another surrogate, just to entertaining more candidates. The matching professional is going to meet them at the Port Charles Grill this afternoon for a preliminary discussion. He asks why she didn’t tell him, and she says she just had the conversation this morning and she is telling him right now. He says, this is happening too fast for him. He’s still processing the loss of their baby Andrea was carrying. It wasn’t just a hypothetical; it was real. They had hopes for it. They had dreams for it. They were only a few weeks off from knowing if they were going to have a son or a daughter, and he didn’t even realize how emotionally invested he’d become, and he doesn’t know when he’s going to be up for making that kind of emotional investment again. He just knows he’s not ready now. His phone beeps and he says he has to go. He’ll see her tonight. He leaves and she flashes back to Alexis telling her that she’s here for them, whatever they need.

Finn says he wants to believe he did nothing wrong, and Elizabeth says, he didn’t. He says he keeps going over it in his head. Is there anything he missed? Was there some little thing that could have saved Muldoon’s life? She says, what’s the first hardest lesson any doctor has to learn? and he says, we’re not God. She says, right, and it’s not just doctors who think that. Sometimes it’s the patients too. They want to believe, they need to believe, doctors have all the answers, that there’s a medicine or treatment out there that’s going to give them their life back. But they both know medicine doesn’t work like that. You run tests, you make a diagnosis, prescribe treatment, and you hope it’s the right one. Between what Mr. Muldoon told him and the tests Finn ran, he provided the best treatment possible. She knows that and she’s going to keep reminding him until he knows that too. He says he wouldn’t dream of arguing with her, when there’s a knock at the door. Finn opens it, and a woman tells him that she’s DeeDee Clark. She’s representing General Hospital in the Muldoon malpractice lawsuit.

Scout says, last question. What is Drew’s favorite part of his job? Drew says, nobody’s ever asked him that before. That’s a very good question. He thinks his favorite part of the job is knowing Aurora entertains people as well as informs them. And also that Aurora is a really great place to work. People have good jobs with good benefits and are treated with respect. Scout says, thank you for your time, Mr. Cain, and he says, you’re welcome, Miss Cain. All this interviewing made him thirsty. What if they ask the waitress for some drinks? How about three ginger ales? Scout says she’ll go get them, and leaves. Drew asks if Sam thought he was too preachy, and she says she thinks Scout asked him some honest questions and he gave her some honest answers. He says, she took it so seriously. Maybe she has a future in journalism. Sam says, she could have gotten it from Alexis, and Scout comes back. She tells them, the drinks are coming, and Drew says, in the meantime, he has some big news for Scout.

Dr. Navarro sees Molly and says, this is a nice surprise. Molly says, it’s good to see her, and the doctor says she was told Molly’s surrogate suffered a miscarriage. She’s so sorry. Molly says, of course (🍷) they’re disappointed, and Dr. Navarro says she didn’t mean to upset Molly, but she should know miscarriages are always a risk in the first trimester. Does she think she and TJ will try again?

Finn invites Clark in and introduces Elizabeth, saying, she was recently named head nurse at General Hospital. Clark says, nice to meet her and congratulations on her promotion. Elizabeth thanks her, and Clark says, since Elizabeth is already here, did she have any involvement or interaction with Mr. Muldoon? Elizabeth says she’s sure she was here when he was a patient, but she doesn’t recall having any personal interaction with him. Clark says her team will be doing a comprehensive records check. So if it turns out Elizabeth had any involvement with Mr. Muldoon, they may need to interview her in the future. But right now, she’s here to speak to Dr. Finn. Elizabeth says, understood, and tells Finn that she’ll talk to him later. She leaves, and Finn asks Clark to have a seat. He says, before they begin, he’s been advised to retain his own separate counsel, and she says, as he should. His attorney will focus on his defense. She represents the hospital, but his actions with regard to diagnosis and treatment of Mr. Muldoon will directly affect her defense. That’s why she’s here. And she apologizes in advance if any of her questions seem intrusive, but the key to defending a malpractice suit is having all the information, so that there are no surprises in the courtroom.

Laura says she also wanted to thank Alexis for the discretion The Invader showed in reporting the shooting. Alexis gave all the facts and managed to leave out Anna and Charlotte’s names. Alexis says, first of all, Charlotte, the victim, is a minor, so she’s protected. And Anna has been so unfairly treated by The Sun, she just wanted to protect Anna’s privacy. Laura says she’s so grateful Alexis made that call. When she was elected, she had to learn how to deal with the media scrutiny. She thinks she’s developed a tougher shell, then reads one of these opinion articles about herself, and it’s just absolutely brutal sometimes. Cyrus brings out a tray of glasses, and Laura says, she’d never want Charlotte to be exposed to anything like that, and it’s the last thing that Anna needs. Just having to live with the fact that she knows she shot a child. Laura can’t imagine the guilt she must be feeling. (I can’t imagine talking about this with Cyrus within earshot, especially when Laura just got done saying how great it was names were left out. Erg. And I have no doubt he’s listening.) Alexis says, in truth, if the circumstances were different, she would have had a searing op ed written about gun violence. If someone as trained and skilled as Anna Devane could shoot an innocent person by accident, what better argument is there against carrying guns? (How about the argument against rooting around someone else’s apartment in the dark?) Cyrus drops the tray of glasses, and they shatter. He glances at Laura before bending down to pick up the pieces.

TJ says he can take some of Austin’s patients, and Portia says, that would be perfect. She also called Dr. Park. He should be here soon. Elizabeth says she called Austin again. Still no answer. She left a message. Portia asks, what about the texts? but Elizabeth says she got nothing. Portia asks if they checked when he was last on duty, and Elizabeth says she did. It was two days before Thanksgiving. He had the holiday off and he was due back this morning. Portia says, still, it could be anything. He could have car trouble, or his phone could be dead. Elizabeth asks if Portia wants her to go to his apartment and check on him, and Portia says she doesn’t want to ask Elizabeth to do that, but Elizabeth says she’s volunteering, and leaves.

Dante says, Mason Gatlin is working for Cyrus Renault? and Sonny says, that’s right. Dante asks how long he’s known, and Sonny says, since the day Cyrus was released from Pentenville. Does he remember Avery’s temporary nanny, Betty? Dante says, yeah. He was wondering why Sonny moved on from Pilar. Sonny says, because he knew Betty was a plant. Mason used her to spy on him, so he got Brick to dummy up the computer and put in false information. She stole the information, took it to Austin, and Austin delivered it to Cyrus at Pentenville. Dante says, hold on. Austin Gatlin-Holt was in on this too? Sonny says, it looks like Austin and his cousin Mason have been working for Cyrus all along, and Dante says, dammit. He takes Austin’s card out of his wallet and calls. A man answers, and Dante asks who he’s speaking to. The man asks who he’s speaking to, and Dante says he asked first, but Detective Falconari from the Port Charles Police Department. The man says, nice to meet you, detective. Paul Brisco with the Pautuck PD. Why is he calling? Dante says he’s trying to get ahold of Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt. He’s on staff here at General Hospital in Port Charles. Brisco says he’s sorry to inform Dante, Austin Gatlin-Holt is dead. (Boo! Hiss!)

Clark asks how Mr. Muldoon became Finn’s patient, and Finn says his daughter Violet and Mr. Muldoon’s daughter are in the same class at school. They were at a parent gathering, and Mr. Muldoon mentioned he traveled abroad for business, and he was feeling under the weather and he may have contracted something along the lines of a tapeworm. He recommended Mr. Muldoon come in and make an appointment with him here at General Hospital, and he agreed. Clark asks if he came to see Finn, and Finn says, he did. She asks, how soon after his initial conversation with Mr. Muldoon did Finn examine him?

Scout says she’s glad Drew’s office is here so they can come to the restaurant. Should she put that in her report? He says, it’s her report. She gets to decide what she puts in there. It’s good training in case she decides to become a journalist. She gets to decide what to put in her story and what she doesn’t. Sam says, if their daughter isn’t going to ask him about his good news, she will. What’s going on? He says he closed a deal with Steve Harris, and she asks if she should be familiar with that name. Drew says, he works in venture capital. He has a daughter a little bit older than Scout who attends Westwood Academy. Sam says, that’s that fancy private school, and he says, yeah. Steve’s on the board, and he told Steve about Scout and convinced him to open a spot for her, so Scout can go to Westwood too.

Molly tells Dr. Navarro that she always knew miscarriage was a possibility, but she wasn’t prepared emotionally. The doctor says, no one ever is. What are her thoughts about moving forward? Molly says, Andrea, their surrogate, made it very clear that she does not want to try again. So if they decide to move forward, they’ll have to start from scratch. Dr. Navarro says she knows it will set them back a few more months, but she’s sure Molly and TJ will find a suitable candidate. Molly says, honestly, she’s not sure they can go through this again, and the doctor says, it’s very understandable. It’s a decision only Molly and TJ can make, but while miscarriages are not uncommon, many, many surrogacies have been successful. There are lots of parents in the world, lots of people in the world, who prove that surrogacy can work. She wishes Molly and TJ the best, whatever path they choose going forward, and she leaves.

Dante thanks Brisco for the update, and Sonny says, sounded serious. Dante says, it was, but he can tell Sonny about it, because he’ll hear about it soon enough. Austin Gatlin-Holt is dead. Sonny asks if he knows how it happened, and Dante says, he was shot to death in a house in Pautuck. Does Sonny know anything about it? Sonny asks why he would know about it. He doesn’t know anyone in Pautuck. Dante says, unless Sonny arranged for it to happen, and Sonny says, Dante has known him long enough. Dante knows how he works. If he’s going to arrange for Austin to be dead, they’re not going to find his body because it will be in the Pine Barrons. And the last thing he’s going to do is come here and talk to his son the detective. Dante has to give him a little more credit than that. Dante says he’s relieved Sonny didn’t do it, but now he has to find out who did. Sonny says, no, he doesn’t.

Cyrus cleans up the glass, and the maître d’ says, if the tray is too heavy, than make two trips. Cyrus says, got it, and the wicked stepmother maître d’ says, the cost of the broken glass will come out of your paycheck. Now finish the clean-up. (Geez. A little tough on him for a place that’s supposed to be sympathetic to ex-cons.) Cyrus says, yes, sir, and Alexis tells Laura, either he doesn’t know who his new dishwasher is, or that maître d’ has a death wish.

Sam says she and Drew never discussed Scout going to a private school, and Drew says, it’s a great opportunity. Sam says she knows. Kristina went to Westwood. She remembers her mom having to do backflips to get her in. Not to mention, Sonny had to give a talk with them to get her accepted. It’s really expensive, but he could afford it. Drew says, so can he, and she says she believes the acceptance rate is 7% or something, and there’s an epic waiting list. Is Scout just going to jump to the front of the line? He says, there’s a big waiting list because it’s a great school. And it turns out there’s a student in Scout’s class that had to leave, so Scout can just slide right in there and start right after Christmas break. What does Scout say? It’s an amazing school. It’s all girls and they have one of the best swim teams in the state. She’s going to be able to study so many more subjects than she did at public school, and as she gets a bit older, they even have a study abroad program. Looking less than thrilled, Scout asks if he wants her to go there, and he says, all he’s ever wanted for her is the best life possible. Westwood is a great step up. He thinks she’s going to love it. What does she say? Scout says, okay, daddy, and I want to smack Drew. Probably Sam does too.

Dante tells Sonny, Austin lived and worked in Port Charles. It’s his duty to investigate, but Sonny says, Dante just told him that Austin was shot in Pautuck, the same place where Dante shot his cousin Mason. Dante says, it was in the line of duty, and Sonny asks if it isn’t going to be a conflict of interest for him to investigate Austin’s death. Shouldn’t that fall on the cops in Pautuck? Dante says, if he was running lead investigator, it would be a conflict of interest, but it’s not because Austin was murdered in Pautuck, so the Pautuck PD will run lead. But because, like he said, Austin lived and worked in Port Charles, he and the PCPD have to share information. Sonny could save them a lot of time and effort if he’d tell Dante who he suspects. Sonny says, it’s the same person Dante suspected all along – Cyrus Renault. He tells Dante that he has to go, and leaves.

Cyrus finishes sweeping up the glass, and Alexis tells Laura that she’s surprised an upscale place like the Port Charles Grill would hire an ex-con like Cyrus. Laura says, maybe the manager here believes in second chances, and Alexis asks if she thinks he can be reformed. Laura says she just had this conversation with her other brother Martin, and she’ll tell Alexis what she told him. It is entirely possible Cyrus hasn’t changed a bit and this turn toward God is just a big act, but she believes in second chances. So until Cyrus has proven himself to be a threat, she’s going to stand by her own principles and say her brother deserves a second chance, just like everybody else. Alexis thanks Laura for lunch, and they leave. Cyrus watches them go down the block from inside the restaurant.

TJ tells Portia that he checked on Austin’s patients and they’re all doing fine. They shouldn’t need to be checked on until he makes his rounds. Portia thanks him, and tells him that she hates to say this, but she may have to ask him to stay late to cover. He says, actually, the timing couldn’t be better, and she asks what that means. He says he and Molly had a difference of opinion on whether they should look for a new surrogate, and it’s not a conversation he wants to have right now. So if he can bury himself in work instead… bring it on. Elizabeth comes back and says she really needs to talk to Portia. TJ says, not a problem. He’s got more patients to see. He leaves, and Elizabeth tells Portia that she went to Austin’s apartment. No one was there, but there was food delivery sitting outside his door. She looked at the receipt and it had been delivered on Thanksgiving Day. Clearly, he never brought it inside. Portia says, now she’s starting to get concerned, and Elizabeth says she found the super and explained the situation. He let her in. No sign of him. In fact, it looked like Austin hadn’t been there since before Thanksgiving. Portia says, what? and Elizabeth asks if Portia is thinking what she’s thinking. Should they call the police?

On the phone walking to the elevator, Drew tells Steve that he has an update on his daughter. He spoke to Scout and her mom about Westwood Academy and they’re all for it… Yes. So let’s pick out a time when we can move forward and talk about Scout getting admitted.

Sam and Scout arrive home, and Sam says she knows Scout needs to write her report about dad’s job, but did she have any other homework to finish up? Scout says, no, just the report, and Sam says she was thinking maybe they could take a drive over to Westwood Academy and see what it looks like on the outside. What does she think? Scout just gives her a sad look, and Sam says, they could go by Kelly’s and get some hot chocolate. Scout says she doesn’t want to go to that school, and Sam puts Scout in her lap and strokes her hair.

Molly goes into the PC Grill and tells the maître d’ that she’s meeting someone, but they’re not here yet. She said the reservation should be under her name, Claire Brown.

Finn says, Mr. Muldoon came to visit him about a week after their conversation, and Clark asks what kind of symptoms he complained about. Finn says, he had some G.I. distress, weight loss, general fatigue, and she says, anything else? Finn says, he complained about some dizziness, but it hadn’t gotten as far as fainting, and she asks how Finn treated him. Finn says he ran some bloodwork and a culture. The tests came back with low hemoglobin and elevated white blood cell count, and the culture came back positive for a tapeworm. He treated him for the tapeworm and Mr. Muldoon called a few days later saying he was feeling much better. He also requested Mr. Muldoon come in for a follow-up just in case. Clark says, just in case what? and he says, it’s standard procedure to make sure the patient was properly treated, but Mr. Muldoon refused, saying he had to go on another business trip. She says, then what? and he says, Mr. Muldoon came in two months later, at which time he ran further bloodwork and a colonoscopy. At that time, he discovered Mr. Muldoon had cancer. She asks, what happened then? and he says he referred Mr. Muldoon to oncology. Unfortunately, it was already Stage IV. Mr. Muldoon passed away shortly after. She asks if any of the symptoms Mr. Muldoon complained about in his first visit signs for cancer? Finn doesn’t say anything, and she says, when Mr. Muldoon initially told Finn about his symptoms, did he ever think it might be cancer? Finn says, before he answers any more questions, he thinks he’d like his lawyer present.

Sonny gets in his car and makes a call. He says he’s on his way to the MetroCourt. Get over there now. There’s something you need to know. He drives away.

When Dante goes into the station, the desk sergeant says he has a Detective Brisco from the Pautuck PD waiting for him. He put Brisco in the interrogation room (where all the PCPD action happens!) Dante goes in, introduces himself, and says, they spoke earlier. Brisco says, good to meet him in person, and Dante says, him as well. Brisco says, they’re requesting interdepartmental cooperation to investigate the murder of Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt.

Tomorrow, Gloria asks when Brook and Chase are getting married; Maxie says she’s in over her head and doesn’t know what to do; Finn tells Martin that he might have just made things worse; and Sonny tells Ava, every second she wastes makes it harder for him to cover her tracks.

🩺 Roger Come Back…

It’s just a shame. They never quite knew what to do with him. Now we all lose… sniff…

Exclusive: Roger Howarth On His Exit From GENERAL HOSPITAL

https://ew.com/roger-howarth-goodbye-general-hospital-8405164

He was at his best when he was Todd with Blair. I remember when Todd putt crumpled beer cans on his Christmas tree for decoration. It was at that moment I knew I liked him.

A Look Back At Roger Howarth’s Daytime Career

🍜 G-L-O-R-I-A…

Well, somebody had to ruin the turkey.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/rena-sofer-reveals-how-she-got-ellen-travolta-back-to-gh

Exclusive: Ellen Travolta Previews Gloria’s GENERAL HOSPITAL Return!

🏥 Another Thanksgiving Return…

How ironic she’s in nursing.

Catching up With GH’s Brooklyn Rae Silzer

🦃 Turkey Talk…

How they celebrated.

See How the Stars Celebrated Thanksgiving!

And if that’s not enough, some Thanksgiving memories from soap past.

Seven Memorable Soap Thanksgivings

Rushing the season.

Soap Stars Shine at the 2023 Hollywood Christmas Parade!

👒 That’s One Word To Use…

She is kind of entertaining, but probably not if you’re in the same room.

Everything That Makes Mary Cosby a Controversial Housewife

🧂 Only a Matter Of Time…

There are certainly enough characters in the franchise to glean from.

https://ew.com/sarah-paulson-channeling-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-meredith-marks-for-next-role-8405859

💎 Nothing Earthshattering…

She probably just wants to stay relevant since she’s no longer on RHOBH.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1390413/kathy-hilton-weighs-in-on-possible-kyle-richards-mauricio-umansky-reconciliation

📹 Looks Blankly At the Camera…

I don’t even know what to say.  The Twitterverse (X-verse?) seems to be anti-Kyle and telling Natalya to watch out. I officially Willy Wonka strike that and reverse it.

Below Deck Med’s Kyle Viljoen Says He and Natalya Scudder Are ‘Friends Again’

👠 Demi Plus Drag…

This looks like fun because, Trixie Mattel! On Roku, December 8th.

https://ew.com/demi-lovato-a-very-demi-holiday-special-first-look-8403774

🎄 Get Ready, Get Set…

The season has officially begun. Better to watch it on TV. It’s going to be a zoo this year.

https://www.rockefellercenter.com/holidays/rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/

🎋 Jingling One Bell…

Join me tomorrow for soap and SMH at Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay not feeling pressured to feel holly or jolly, and stay remembering that doctors are not God and do not have all the answers.

Nov28

November 27, 2023 – Nina Comes To the Thanksgiving Dinner Rescue, Chef Jack Opens a Book Of Worms On Deck & Gave

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

As the smoke alarm goes off, Yuri, Ned, and Chase run to the kitchen. Lois asks Gloria, what did you do?

Nina leaves a gift basket outside the gatehouse. She says, they couldn’t be together, but she could leave her little ones a bit of her love.

In the MetroCourt elevator, Anna tells Emma, just what she needs, Thanksgiving with the three of them. As the elevator stops, Robert says, the four of them. They get out, and Diane is waiting. Robert says, there she is.

Drew plays a board game with Josslyn, Scout, and Avery, when the doorbell rings. Carly opens the door to Sonny, Dex, and Donna. Donna hugs her and says, happy Thanksgiving.

Marshall tells Curtis, all quiet on the Western Front. There’s not much for him to do around here. Curtis says, Portia is on-call at the hospital and Aunt Stella is off globe-trotting again. Marshall says, and Miss Trina is off doing her own thing, but Curtis says, it’s just as well. He looks at a floorplan on his tablet, and Marshall asks, what’s all this? Is he considering becoming an architect? Curtis says, this is the floorplan of the 11th floor of the MetroCourt hotel, and Marshall asks why he’s looking at it. Curtis says, because someone took a shot at him there and left him in this wheelchair. And he wants to find out who it was.

Portia leaves a message for Trina and says she’s just checking in. She knows Trina wanted to have a marathon study day, but she was calling to say hi. It’s pretty slow here at work. She’s sorry things aren’t working out with Spencer. She knows it has to be difficult, so she just wanted to say she’s here and she loves Trina. She hangs up and says, hopefully, that will be the last of Spencer Cassadine.

Hardly. In bed, Trina tells Spencer, happy Thanksgiving, and asks what he’s thankful for. He touches her and says, these arms… these hands… these lips, and he kisses her. Trina says, her mom – she’s like Wonder Woman without the hot pants – and then her granddad – he is gold – and she has two amazing fathers. She thinks that’s it. He says, not even an honorable mention? and she says, oh yeah. She’s thankful for him too. She kisses him.

Curtis tells Marshall that he has to admit there’s a lot to be thankful for; a beautiful house, a beautiful family, and now he has a purpose. Marshall says, solving this case is his purpose, and Curtis says, it is now.

Gloria looks at some texts on her phone. We warned you not apologizing would be very regrettable for you. Your silence on this matter is quite upsetting. We are owed an apology. Time’s running out. Lois says, she looks a million miles away. What’s up? Chase, Ned, and a sopping wet Yuri come back, and Yuri says, onions burning in pan set off sprinklers activated by smoke. Turkey’s wet. No good. Olivia says, oh my God, the turkey, and runs out. Ned runs after her, and Chase says, there’s no saving it. Brook says, wanna bet? and he says, unless you like soup. Yuri leaves to change, and Brook says she’d better call Cody and tell him that he, Sasha, and Leo don’t have to rush up here. She leaves with Chase, and Lois asks if Gloria knows the first thing she taught Lois about cooking. You never leave anything on the stove unless it’s on simmer. So what’s going on?

Robert says, this delightful young lady is their granddaughter Emma Drake, and Diane says, of course (🍷). So lovely to see her again. Emma thanks her and says, grandfather didn’t mention they’d have her with them. How wonderful. Anna says, absolutely, and Robert says he’s taken the liberty of ordering them turkey. Anna and Emma go to the table, and Diane says, Robert’s outdone himself this time. He says, all in a day’s work, Killer, when Nina comes in. She and Anna exchange glances.

Michael brings in the basket, and tells Wiley, it’s all his. Go for it. He unwraps it, and Willow asks what he’s got. He says, candy and a cool robot and a kitty for Amelia, and Michael looks at the card. Willow says, that’s so sweet. Who’s it from? Michael hands her the card and says, who else? She reads: To Wiley and Amelia, Happy Thanksgiving. So sorry I can’t be with you, but I left you some treats. Love, Grandma Nina. That is so thoughtful. Wiley asks why Grandma Nina isn’t coming for dinner at the big house, and Willow says, she’s working today, but they’ll see her soon. Wiley says he hopes so. He loves her. He goes to play with his robot, and Willow says she gets Michael’s not thrilled about the gift, but could he try for Wiley’s sake?

Sonny says he brought pecan pie, and Carly says she’s sure it’s going to be delicious. She suggests Donna go into the living room where they’re playing Monkey, and Donna runs off. Carly tells Sonny that Donna loves that game, and Dex says he’s going to leave, but Sonny asks if he wants to say hi to Josslyn. Dex says he would and tells Carly, happy Thanksgiving. Sonny tells him, don’t say I never do anything for you, and Dex goes into the living room.

Josslyn tells Dex that it’s unexpected to see him, and he says, she has Sonny to thank for that. She says she just might have to, and kisses him.

There’s a knock at the door, and Carly opens it to Ava. Ava says, happy Thanksgiving, handing Carly a bag, and Carly smiles at Sonny.

Olivia says, Gloria’s feast is drenched, and Brook says, Tony’s is closed for renovations. Olivia says, Tony’s is never closed. And they can’t use their pizza oven because the kitchen is ruined. Lois says, it’s not ruined. It’s just extremely wet. Olivia tells them that she hates to say I told you so, but Thanksgiving never works at the Quartermaines. The place is cursed. Lois says, stop it. Olivia owns a hotel with a gourmet restaurant. She’s just going to make a phone call and she’ll get turkey for the Quartermaines if it’s the last thing she does.

Nina answers the phone at the MetroCourt, and Lois asks, who’s this? Nina says, it’s Nina Reeves. May I help you? Lois says, it’s Lois Cerullo calling from the Quartermaines. She would like to order some turkey. Gloria tells Olivia that she’s so sorry, but Olivia says, it’s not her fault. Thanksgiving never works out. She doesn’t know if it’s the house or the family, but they haven’t had a turkey on Thanksgiving since the 90s. Lois says, ha-ha-ha! The problem is solved. They are back on track with the turkey. Olivia says, she’s kidding, but Lois says, nope. Nina Reeves is on her way over with a feat for 15; turkey, nibbles, deserts, the whole shebang. Olivia says, Lois is a genius, and asks Brook to come help her set up. Gloria says, Lois sure rode in to the rescue, and Lois says, although she wouldn’t have had to if Gloria had remembered she had onions on the stove. Gloria says, my bad, and Lois asks, what’s going on? First, she cancels her plans in Canarsie, then she ruins Thanksgiving in Port Charles. Gloria says, she heard Olivia, it’s the Quartermaine curse, but Lois says, no. She can tell something’s going on, and the more Gloria deflects, the more she’s going to worry. Gloria says, all right. A couple of weeks ago, she was playing Bingo at St. Nicholas Church, the Russian Orthodox up on North Street. She was playing her boards, minding her own business. She can do 15 at the same time… Lois asks if there’s a point to this, and Gloria says, yeah. Along comes this broad. She sits down next to Gloriaa and starts talking Russian on her phone at the top of her lungs. Gloria very nicely looked at her and said, could she turn it down a notch? and She swore at Gloria in Russian. Lois asks how Gloria knows what she said; she doesn’t speak Russian. Gloria says she played cribbage up in Brighton Beach (my old beach!) – Yuri comes back and stands outside the door – and she picked up a few words. Lois asks, then what happened? and Gloria says she tried to ignore it and keep things calm, but she kept pushing and pushing. So. Gloria finally swore at her… in English. Lois says, ma, and Gloria says, everyone has their limit, and she was not going to let that obnoxious woman bully her and she told her that. Lois asks how she took it, and Gloria says, she screamed and screamed, and they kicked Gloria out of the church. And she’s not allowed to play Bingo anymore until she apologizes to her, and she didn’t apologize. Lois says, fine. So she goes somewhere else to play Bingo. Gloria says, that’s what she’s planning on, and Lois says, so what’s the problem? Chase comes in and wonders where everybody went. Outside the door, Yuri looks troubled.

Willow suggests Wiley be a good big brother and see if Amelia woke up. If she did, he can surprise her with that adorable kitty cat. Wiley goes upstairs, and Michael asks if Willow isn’t finding this the least bit manipulative; sorry I can’t be with you today. She says, Nina’s a part of their family. Wiley really bonded with her at the wedding. Michael says, she’s going to take advantage like she did the last time, and Willow says, Nina’s made mistakes, but she’s trying. Why is he so intent on rekindling bad memories? He says, she’s right. He’s sorry. He’s just being protective, especially when it comes to her. She says, don’t be. Nina has been nothing but kind and wonderful. He says he’ll try to do better, especially around the kids, and she thanks him. Wiley comes back and tells Willow that Amelia’s awake. Can they go to the big house now? He wants to show Leo the cool toy from Grandma Nina. Michael says he’ll get Amelia ready, and goes upstairs.

Nina tells Trish that she just got off the phone with the Quartermaines. They need a turkey dinner for 15. Trish says, they have a 200 headcount tonight and a big party in the ballroom. Their turkeys are taken.  

Diane asks how long Emma’s in town, and Emma says, just for the weekend. She has to get back to the lab. Robert explains that she has an internship at Berkely, and everyone starts to chat. Anna sees Nina, excuses herself, and follows Nina out to the hallway. She says, Nina is avoiding her, and Nina asks what she wants. Anna says she just thinks it’s time they had a chat.

Spencer says he knows he can be a jerk sometimes, but who isn’t, right? and Trina says, let her see… Her mom, Curtis, Spencer’s grandmother, Doc… He says, okay, she’s right, and she asks if it isn’t easier to agree with her from the start. He says, yes, ma’am. He’s glad she’s able to forgive him. She talked him down from the ledge and he’s sorry it took so long. She says, he usually comes around, and he says he just doesn’t want his little brother to feel abandoned like he did, and she helped him see it’s not 100% one way or the other, that Esme wanting to take Ace and be independent doesn’t make her the villain. She says she knows it’s hard, but you can’t always get what you want, and he says he knows, but this one isn’t going to be easy. She says, good things never come easy. You have to work for them.

Curtis tells Marshall that he spoke with Jordan about getting all the preliminary police records. He just can’t sit around and wait for the PCPD to solve this. He’s got to be involved in his own investigation. Marshall asks if he really thinks that’s a good idea, and Curtis says he was a cop and a P.I. He knows his way around a good investigation. Marshall says, of course (🍷) he does, but he thought Curtis wanted to move on, and Curtis says he has to be proactive. It’s like being the passenger when he’s supposed to be the driver in his own car. Marhsall asks if he thinks getting involved in this investigation is going to make a difference, and Curtis says, at least he’ll be doing something. He’s learned in life that it’s not always about getting; it’s about giving and the experiences you get along the way. They fist bump.

Ava thanks Carly for inviting her, and Carly says she knows Avery would really want Ava here, especially after everything their family’s been through. They’re playing games in the living room. Ava says, hopefully nothing to do with water, mimicking a squirt gun, and Carly says, nothing with water, she promises.

Josslyn and Dex greet Ava, Dex calling her Miss Jerome, and Ava says, after everything that’s gone down, she’d prefer he call her Ava. Avery runs over to Ava, who picks her up and says she loves her.

Sonny asks if Carly is all right with Ava being here, and she says, actually, Josslyn suggested it. After the kidnapping, she thought it would be nice for Avery to be with her mother. Sonny says, but Carly agrees, and she says, yeah, because they do what’s best for their kids. He says, they always will.

Anna asks if Nina has any idea how her actions escalated an already volatile situation. By deleting that security footage and keeping quiet about it, Nina basically enabled Charlotte, which led directly to her being shot. Doesn’t Nina think she and Valentin had a duty to come clean about it? Nina says she thinks this is between Anna and Valentin. She was just doing a favor for a friend. Anna asks if she thinks Sonny will see it that way.

Sonny says, nice to see Drew out of that jumpsuit, and Drew says, nice to be seen. Sonny and Drew chat, and Dex tells Josslyn that it’s nice she got all the kids together. Sonny asks if Dex has the keys, and Dex asks if he needs something from the car, but Sonny says he has to get going. He thought maybe Dex would want to stay. Dex asks if he’s sure, and Sonny says, happy Thanksgiving. He says goodbye to the girls and leaves. Dex stops him at the door and says, happy Thanksgiving. Sonny says, him too, and leaves.

At the Quartermaines, Michael tells Willow, it looks like turkey’s off the menu. The kitchen sprinklers ran amuck. Brook says, there will be turkey, but Nina will bring it from the MetroCourt. Chase says, that’s Wiley’s grandma, saving the day, and Michael asks if there’s anything she can’t do.

The doorbell rings and Ned opens it to find Nina there with trays of food. She says, Ned, and he says, remember me? He remembers her, very clearly, but don’t worry. He’s not going to make any trouble. At least not today. Olivia comes in and says, let her take those. A guy comes in behind Nina with pizza boxes, and Olivia says she thought Nina was bringing turkey. Nina says, she told Lois she was bringing turkey, but then she found out their turkey was spoken for, so she had Fernando fire up their new pizza oven. Lucky for them, they started testing it last week. Ned asks if his grandfather can hear that. The curse continues. He takes the pizza boxes, and Brook comes in, saying, here she is to save the day… with pizza. Olivia says, don’t ask, and Wiley runs in. He hugs Nina and tells her, it’s the best robot ever. He thanks her and she hugs him, saying, he is so welcome.

Sonny says he didn’t know Emma was in town. Is her mother here? Emma says, no. She was grandpa’s surprise for grandma. He sits with them, and Diane suggests they toast to this lovely young woman’s visit, and to brighter holidays for all of them. They clink glasses.

Terry calls Portia at the hospital, and Portia asks, how’s the conference?… She’s not missing anything here really. It’s like a ghost town.

Trina and Spencer go to Trina’s house, bearing flowers and dessert, and Spencer produces a bottle of champagne. Marshall asks if it’s the good stuff, and Spencer says he wanted to make sure they had a happy Thanksgiving. Marshall looks at the bottle and says, no argument here. He and Spencer go to the kitchen, and Curtis says, this is a nice surprise. He thought since her mom was working, they agreed to do their own thing this year. Trina says, that was the plan, but then she realized this would be their first Thanksgiving since they found out he’s her father, and she didn’t want to miss that.

Olivia thanks Nina and asks her to join them. Wiley asks her to stay, but Nina glances at Michael and says she would love to, but she’s meeting his Grandpa Sonny at the MetroCourt. Olivia asks Brook and Chase to help her set up and tells Nina that she’s a life saver. Somehow, Michael and Nina end up alone, and he says, this isn’t the deal they made, but she says she didn’t plan for this. She can’t control fate at the Quartermaines. He says, she’d better figure out how to control it, and walks out. What a jerk.

Ava thanks Josslyn for everything she did to help Dex and Dante find her, and Josslyn says, they’re just glad Ava’s okay. Ava says she’s putting it behind her. And she’s so glad that’s what Trina’s finally done with Spencer. Josslyn says she’s happy they made up, and Ava thanks Carly for making room for one more. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Drew says, Carly told him that Ava is selling Windymere. Carly asks how it’s going, and Ava says, Lucy’s got a serious buyer, but she has no idea who it is. Drew says, let’s hope it’s some benevolent billionaire and not somebody who’s going to bring bad karma to Port Charles, and Ava says, too late for that. Windymere’s got nothing but bad karma. She’ll just be glad to forget all the bad memories.

Portia hugs Trina, and says she thought Trina was studying all day. Trina says she thought Portia was working, and Portia says, it was so slow at the hospital, she decided to just go ahead and… She sees Spencer come in with flowers in a vase and says she could have sworn Trina told her that she and Spencer were on the outs. Trina says, it was just a misunderstanding. They worked it out. Spencer wishes Portia a happy Thanksgiving, and she thanks him. Curtis says, look at this. He thought they weren’t going to have anyone for Thanksgiving, and now they have a houseful.

Emma asks how long Robert and Diane have been dating, and Robert chokes on his drink. Emma says, if she can handle grandma’s entanglement, she can handle his, and Diane laughs. Robert says, to answer her question, they’ve been dating a month. Standing to the side, Sonny says, it’s nice to see Emma in town, and Anna says, much needed relief. Just what the doctor ordered. He says, that bad? and she asks if he’s talked to Dante. He says, no, should he have? and she says she just wondered if Dante mentioned a certain dead man who showed up here. She’s been doing these deep dives in her past and found something that could conceivably tie in to the shooting at the pool, but the supporting evidence all disappeared in the chaos on Halloween night. And the man this information pertains to turned up dead here in Port Charles. What are the odds? Sonny says, looks like someone stacked the deck.

Anna says, even with all the setbacks, she feels like she’s inching toward the truth, and Sonny says, whoever’s behind this isn’t messing around. Again, if she needs protection, he’s here… She says, that was really all about Charlotte, and he says, and Valentin. She says, lesson learned. She won’t be fooled by him again. Nina comes back, and Sonny says, finally. He heard she had a crisis or something. She says she just got back from the Quartermaines. Lois’s mother set off the sprinklers in the kitchen. He says, Gloria? and she says, yeah. She tells Anna, hello, and Anna says, Nina. She tells them that she has to get back to her family, and leaves. Sonny looks at Nina.

Lois asks to talk to Gloria in the foyer, and asks, what is the problem? Gloria says, that broad, her husband is kind of a big shot. They call him Uncle Pete. Lois says, Pete Petrov? and Gloria says, yeah. His wife’s name is Petra. A lot of Ps. Yuri listens in, and Lois says, Uncle Pete Petrov is in deep with the Brighton mafia. They’re as crooked as they get. Gloria’s got to apologize and fast. Gloria says, it’s too late. They’re after her ziti. That’s why she didn’t go to Canarsie. They’re hiding ziti for her. Lois says, please tell her that they’re just trying to be intimidating, when Yuri steps out. He says, they have a problem with Russians? He’ll help.

Marshall says he’s so thrilled. This has turned into one perfect Thanksgiving. Portia says, and everyone under the same roof, but Marshall says, almost everyone. Stella is still galivanting around London. She’s taken a real shine to her new cousin Wanda. Trina toasts, to new family connections, and Marshall says he’s really happy they’re all here. And lucky them, he’s got a vat of turkey gumbo ready to go. Curtis says, Marshall always makes enough for a small army, and Trina says, if they run out, they have all that dessert Spencer insisted on bringing. Spencer says, it’s always good to have options, and Marshall says, the Lord always provides, but we just never know what that’s going to look like.

Carly says, dinner is served, and everyone dashes for the table. Drew says he just wanted to steal a moment and tell her that he’s so grateful to be spending Thanksgiving with her. She says, it’s so normal, isn’t it? She can’t believe it after everything they went through. She almost lost him. He kisses her and says, let’s stay right here and forget about the past. She says, it’s just so fragile. They take love for granted and she doesn’t know why, since they can’t guarantee it’s always going to be there. He says, that’s why they have to savor moments like this. They have to be grateful because there’s no guarantee there’s going to be anything like it in the future. Ava comes in and overhears, and Drew kisses Carly.

Sonny says, something seems off between Nina and Anna. What’s going on? She says, it’s nothing. It’s a Valentin and Charlotte thing. Anna knows how close she is with Charlotte. Can they just forget about that for right now? They’re finally in the same room and this is their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. They hug, and she asks if he misses the girls, but he says, no. They’re having a great time. Plus, his life is full of blessings. He and Nina are married. Cyrus is exposed and in his sights. Drew’s out of prison. Michael is in their lives again, and basically, their family is together. But does she know what makes him happy? It’s that she and Willow are getting along. She says, they have so much to be grateful for.

Gloria tells Yuri, no offense, but they don’t need any Russian translation, and Lois says, she’s right. These are dangerous people and a nice boy like him doesn’t want to get involved with Uncle Pete. He says he knows he looks like nice boy, but he’s not always nice. He can handle these people. Brook says, come on in, guys. Let’s get Thanksgiving started.

Olivia says, Cody is bringing Sasha and Leo up from the stables, and Ned says, that’s just the time they need. Everyone here knows the drill. Wiley? Wiley says, first we sing… and everyone says, then we eat. Ned plays his guitar as they sing, We Gather Together.

Marshall says, since Stella isn’t here, he’ll lead the prayer, but Curtis says he’d like to do it this year. Marshall says, go ahead, and Curtis asks them to join hands. Dear God… I’m covering for Aunt Stella. Usually, I talk to You in private, so if I lose my way, take the wheel. There have been a lot of ups and downs this year for a lot of us, and for those of us going through it, we’re reminded that there is a Higher Power that keeps tabs and guides us to our next step. And so we’re gathered here with good people and a table full of good food and we’re reminded just how blessed we are. Perhaps more than most. So God, we ask that You keep a watchful eye out for those less fortunate than us, because life does throw us curveballs. So we’re going to hit those curveballs out of the park, learn a lesson or two, and still find a reason to crack a smile at the end of the day.

We see everyone at their Thanksgiving tables, and Curtis says, Aunt Stella would probably say something poetic about butterflies or rebirth, but God, I’m going to keep it simple. As we prepare to enjoy this meal, we thank You for being better to us than we are to ourselves. We thank You for yesterday, today, and the promise of tomorrow. And God, I know You’re listening. This goes out to You. Amen.

Scout and Donna jump on Drew and Carly, and Avery gets into Ava’s lap. Josslyn and Dex gaze at each other. On the terrace, Curtis looks up at the sky, and Portia puts her hands on his shoulders from behind. Trina and Spencer see them and kiss. Marshall comes out, and they go back to the table for pie.

In Loving Memory of Tyler Christopher.

Tomorrow, TJ says, Molly told someone yes without asking him; Finn asks Elizabeth, what’s that supposed to accomplish; Alexis asks Laura if this is a social meeting or about business; and Dante says, Sonny could save them a lot of effort if he’d tell them who he suspects.

Below Deck Mediterranean

When we left last week, Kyle was getting reamed out by Captain Sandy, who told him that he was the common denominator in all the toxic situations on the boat. She says, he wants to be chief stew, but he won’t be because he can’t control his emotions. If he doesn’t change, she’ll put him on the dock in a heartbeat. She’s not putting up with his bullying, screaming, and lack of respect for people in the workplace. If one crew member comes to her about him, he’s off the boat. Luka wonders, WTF is going on? and tells Haleigh that Max is leaving because he needs to follow his heart. Haleigh says, the vibe is off today, and Luka says, it’s crazy how much things can change in a day. Kyle tells Tumi that he’s resigning. He’s never seen the captain so angry. He tells her about the captain saying he’s the common denominator, and she says she can understand why he’s upset. People got angry, but it was resolved. She tells him not to let it affect him. She wanted them to end together. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s starting to see how Kyle is the common denominator. You can’t always be the victim. She can’t force him to focus on work, but they’re screwed if he doesn’t. Lara asks Max not to leave, and he promises not to let her down. She asks if he’s spoken to Captain Sandy, and he says he’s scared to. In Lara’s interview, she says she and Max got off to a rocky start, but slowly and surely, he’s growing on her. She wonders if she needs to take him in like a little dog and nurture him. She doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t want him to leave. The captain talks to Norma on the phone, and says, great. She calls Luka, Tumi, and Jack for a preference sheet meeting.  

The captain says, it’s going to be a short cruise, and in Luka’s interview, he says, with a short cruise, everything is amplified, and they have to be perfect. Captain Sandy says, the primary is Tonia, who is the founder and editor of P.O.W.E.R. magazine. She’s bringing some likeminded women to celebrate her birthday and celebrate women’s empowerment. Jack reads that they want some healthy salads, and the primary doesn’t eat eggs outdoors. In his interview, he says, that’s next level weird, and wonders how they found that out. Tumi says, they want an all-white party, and Luka reads that they want to explore Portofino. The captain says, it’s a tight dock and she has to back in. It’s going to be a challenge. They’re going to talk her through a ton of little boats and make sure she doesn’t hit anything. She tells Tumi that she’ll be getting a new stew tomorrow, and in Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle is a f***ing rat. He’d cause drama in an empty room with a mop bucket. Luka thinks more people should quit. The tip will be massive.

Max tells Captain Sandy that, even though it’s a super crew, he might want to leave. Shocked, she tells him that they only have two and a half more weeks, and he’ll leave them shorthanded for the rest of the season. He says he’ll think about it, and she says she doesn’t want to lose him; he’s an asset to the boat. She’ll even let him drive when they anchor. In Max’s interview, he says, so much ugliness is affecting him. He’s not getting his Eiffel Tower, and the body is the master. If he receives the call for one more charter, he’s not wasting his time and energy in a bad environment. The captain promises it will be a good charter. Jessika says she’s afraid of who’s coming next, when Tumi is called to the bridge. Captain Sandy shows her the CV of the new stew, who’s only worked on small boats. In the captain’s interview, she says, at this point, it’s not easy to find someone. Tumi has to be clear on her direction. A few boats is better than no boats, and she doesn’t have much choice. New stew Lily arrives, and in his interview, Max says his Eiffel Tower is back, and sings I love you. In Lily’s interview, she says she’s a quick learner. She grew up in Windsor and worked key events like the Royal Ascot and Wimbledon. Her last boat was catamaran, and she’s never worked on a boat this big. She’s sh*tting herself. Max tells Luka about the new stew. He can’t remember her name, but her eyes are blue. Kyle obsesses over what the captain said, and in his interview, he says, this is killing him, all that’s happening and has happened. He needs to fix this. He doesn’t want Captain Sandy to have this perception of him. Jack tells Lara that she’s got a good vibe. In Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle won’t look him in the eyes. He’s the one who got rid of Natalya who only gave him positive vibes. Kyle goes to the captain and says he’s truly apologetic for what he’s done and the way he allowed himself to react. He let his emotions get the best of him. We flash back to him trying to make nice with Natalya, and Captain Sandy says she appreciates someone who admits they’re wrong and wants to change. Sometimes it means you have to remove yourself from the situation. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, what Kyle did was not okay, but she’s giving him the opportunity to change what he needs to.

The guests arrive, and Captain Sandy says, we got this, adding that the guests are going to tease the boys. She gives the guests the usual spiel and the usual tour happens. The guests toast, to power women, and guest Marcie asks for her underwear to be ironed. The pilot comes on board for the check-out, and they depart. The captain tells the crew, nice work. Stay this sharp in Portofino. Kyle shows Lily the laundry, and in her interview, she says, she’s had to be a fast learner her whole life. She’s a rare breed of sushi. Kyle tells Tumi that it’s Lily’s first-time steaming, and she doesn’t know how.

Kyle is still getting silence from Jack, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, Jack blames him for being the sole person who pushed Natalya off the boat. Normally, silence is deafening, but Jack’s silence speaks a multitude of words. Tumi shows Lily the laundry system, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s tough doing training while on service, especially on a busy boat. She needs Lily to succeed ASAP. She misses Natalya. Not for her mouth, but for her skills. Captain Sandy shows Max how to turn the boat, and in Max’s interview, he says, it’s like pressing a button and moving all the cosmos. He has goosebumps all over his body. We see his Eiffel Tower meter is on 7. The water toys are put out, but the guests don’t seem too interested, and just want to chill. In Lara’s interview, she says, usually the guests can’t wait to swim. They’re a 55-meter yacht water taxi. In the captain’s interview, she says, a big part of Luka’s job is selling the toys to the guests. That’s why they buy this stuff. He needs a gentle reminder to be that energy. Captain Sandy tells the guests how fun it is and plays it up. Luka tells Max, show the ladies how it’s done, and Max goes down the slide. Jack accidentally sprays himself with the dishwasher nozzle, and I can identify. In Luka’s interview, he says, the guests are happy, smiling, and enjoying themselves. Captain Sandy motivated him, and it was exactly what they needed. Lily talks with Max, and in her interview, she says she’s never been anywhere longer than 6 months. She’s lived in America 4 months out of the year since she was young. She demonstrates an impressive American accent for us.

Portofino. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, docking in Portofino is difficult. It’s narrow and she has to spin around on a dime, then back down a narrow area to get to a piece of dock this big. She holds her fingers like two inches apart, and says, boats are coming out, oblivious to them. Every ounce of her trust is in her deck team. That’s the only way she can pull this off. In Luka’s interview, he says, there are million-dollar boats everywhere and they have only inches on each side.

Since there are no ground lines, they have to do this thing where they drop two anchors, while a hundred people watch and take pictures. In the captain’s interview, she says, they’ve never done this before, and they killed it. Everyone deserves an ice cream. That was some scary sh*t. She takes the crew to shore for ice cream, and in Max’s interview, he says, he wanted to leave, but he sees that people like him. It’s like a family here. Lily came and brought her energy. He has a new goal. We see his Eiffel Tower meter is now at 9. So apparently all he needed was a new woman? The guests wander around Portofino, and Marcie says she’s living her best life. Back on the boat, Captain Sandy wonders about her underwear. No one is in the laundry, and she radios Kyle, telling him to make sure her underwear and socks get back to her cabin. Don’t lose her laundry. In Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle made them lose their goddess of f***ing laundry. There are lots of bleeps from Lily, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he doesn’t know what shade of green she is. Lily apologizes to the captain, and the guests get back to the boat. Jack is still giving Kyle the silent treatment, and in his interview, Kyle says he feels like he’s in high school, and wonders what’s being said behind his back. It’s time for the all-white party, and the guests get dressed. Jack says he’s tried to put as much white in the menu as possible. Jessika and Lily do the cabins, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, with Lily’s lack of experience, she can’t do anything on her own, and it takes Jessika away from her. She needs to find out what Lily does well and focus on that. Tonia tells Tumi that they need to turn it up, and the guests ask for the guys to strip. Tumi tells the deckhands that she needs a little Chippendales, and Luka tries to run. Max tells Luka that it’s a guest request. He was a deckhand when he came on the boat, and now he’s a stripper. Jack pretty much volunteers and I yell, put it on!

The guys dance around with feather boas, and in Jack’s interview, he says if he takes his clothes off, it might hurt the tip. Agreed. There’s a lot of dancing around, and the guys disrobe somewhat. In Jessika’s interview, she says, Luka is a very attractive man. After everyone goes to bed, Jessika gets in Luka’s bunk. Max walks in and says, no way. In Luka’s interview, he says he thinks Jessika is easy going like him. She’s not in an open relationship, so that’s a good sign. He just wants to cuddle. After a while, Jessika slips back out. In Max’s interview, he says his Eiffel tower is back, and imitates a snake charmer. Tonia explains that she can’t taste eggs out in the air; it gives them a foul taste. Wouldn’t that be a fowl taste? BA-DUM-CHH! In Tumi’s interview, she says, that’s prima donna stuff. On her last boat, a guest asked for raspberries every night, and they were everywhere… and coconut oil. It’s time to take the boat back out, and in Haleigh’s interview, she says, it’s like Frogger. She tells Luka, these people are ruthless, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s like NYC taxis. It can be a huge distraction, but all she sees is navigation. In Lily’s interview, she says, in her old boat, they didn’t even have a laundry room, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, he assumed laundry was a safe spot. He wonders if it’s basically luggage compartment at this point.

They dock, and Max is all happy now. They get ready to say goodbye to the guests, and Tonia says, the whole team was incredible. It was a beautiful day with beautiful people. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests leave. Captain Sandy tells the crew, well done. They assemble for the tip meeting, and Kyle says, it wasn’t much work. Jack tells him to speak for himself, and in Jack’s interview, he says, it’s going to go off tonight. He can feel it in the air. The captain praises the deck team’s docking skills, and says, the tip is $18K, or 1252 euros per person. She tells them, don’t spend it all in one place, and the crew heads for shore. In the taxi, Kyle says he’s putting $100 on Lily getting wasted tonight. At the table, Jack tries to flirt with Lily and gripes about how Natalya had to deal with negative stuff. Lily asks Kyle, what happened? and Kyle says he has to take a wee. He leaves, and in his interview, he says, he knows the game Jack is playing. He’s influencing Lily. He can see it and hear it. Nothing is going to bring Jack’s princess back, and now he’s opened a book of worms.

This season, a big gay breakfast; underwater statues; Jessika likes Luka more than she should; Katie Flood (isn’t she from that horrific Winter House?) texts Luka; Tumi says, Lily isn’t getting it; Captain Sandy tells Lily that she’s got one more chance or she may have to make a change; Tumi tells Kyle that he’s overstepping boundaries; and Natalya aka Jack’s princes surprises everyone by showing up at the bar, but surprises no one by causing trouble.

🌚 Harvest Mooning…

Hoping you enjoyed a long weekend, whether you gathered together or not. Stop in tomorrow for a helping of soap and a pot of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay giving yourself a break if you overdid it, and stay hitting those curveballs out of the park, learning a lesson or two, and still finding a reason to crack a smile at the end of the day.

Nov21

November 20, 2023 – Finn Goes To Alexis For Help, Kyle Is the Common Denominator On Deck & Almost

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Below Deck Mediterranean

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be continued…

🚙 Gathering Together…

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

Nov15

November 14, 2023 – Charlotte Wants Anna Arrested, Deep Dive, Going Country, Salty Talk, Winter Mess, Vegas Fail, Kyle’s Rant, Way To Go, Random Pups (!), Don’t Bother & Who Says

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn and Elizabeth get in the elevator, and he asks, what’s with all the paperwork? She says, the hospital is facing budget adjustments, and she has to get it in by the end of the year. He says, budget adjustments such as staff cuts and supply shortages? and she says, hopefully, it’s not as bad as last year, but they’ll get through it. He says, they always do. When they come out, Portia says she needs to speak with Finn, calling him. Dr. Finn. He says, that’s very formal, and she says, actually she and Dr. Randolph need to meet with him. He says, of course (🍷), and she says, Dr. Randolph is waiting in her office. She leaves and he follows her.

Carly comes to the penthouse and Sonny asks if everything is okay. She says, you tell me, and he says, everything is okay with him. She says, really? Then why is Nina offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt? He says he doesn’t know. It’s the first he’s hearing about it.

Valentin thanks Nina for coming over and says, Laura will be here any minute. Nina asks if something happened with Charlotte, and he says, she’s recovering. She seems to think Anna shot her intentionally. Nina says, no. Charlotte told him that? He says, no. She told Laura that last night. Nina wonders why Charlotte would think that, but he says he doesn’t know. He didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Laura before she was called away on official business. When Charlotte was removed from ICU, the nurses convinced him to go home and get some sleep. He’s going back to the hospital as soon as Laura tells them what happened. There’s a knock at the door, and Valentin opens it to Laura. She says she wasn’t expecting Nina to be here.

Spencer walks into Alexis’s office and finds Esme there. She says, his Aunt Alexis isn’t here, but he says he came here to see her.

Trina walks into the gallery, and Ava says she thought Trina had classes today. Trina says, she did, but she came straight from her last one. Ava says, she’s not on the schedule, and Trina says she just didn’t want to go back to the dorms. Ava asks if everything is okay, but Trina says, no. She got into a big fight with Spencer yesterday. Ava says she’s sorry. It seems like a pretty serious fight. Trina says, it was. He gave her an old tomato ultimatum. Ava asks what she did, and Trina says she got up and walked out on him. She’s been avoiding him ever since.

Dante goes to Austin’s office and says he wants to ask Austin a few questions about his cousin Mason. Austin says he already spoke to Chase about this, and another detective, and Dante says, and he told them to speak to his lawyer. Austin says, exactly. So he doesn’t have anything else to say to Dante. Dante says, that’s cool. Maybe he can listen. He closes the door.

The guard lets Cyrus into Mason’s room, and Cyrus says, nice talking with him. He says, hello, to Mason, and tells him, the Lord instructs us to comfort the sick and the prisoner, and in Mason, he has both. Mason asks if that’s how Cyrus convinced the cop to let him in, and Cyrus says, he’s a man of faith. Mason asks what he’s doing here, and Cyrus says he’s here to show Mason the path to his redemption.

Terry thanks Finn for giving them some time, and he asks if he had a choice. She asks him to have a seat, and he says, this must be serious. Terry says, very serious. He’s going to need to hire an attorney. He and GH are being sued for malpractice.

Esme asks if this is about Ace, but Spencer says, he’s having a ball right now in daycare; he just saw him. She says, in that case, she’s working, so if there’s anything he needs to talk about, they can talk about it at dinner… at his grandmother’s apartment. He tells her that she was going to say dinner at home, and she says she was, but she didn’t. She and Ace are currently staying with his grandmother and Doc. Home will be the apartment they move into.

Ava says she’s surprised Spencer doesn’t know Trina isn’t the kind of woman who would take kindly to ultimatums, and Trina says, who would? Ava says, right on. So why does she think he did it? Trina says, they were talking about his relationship with Esme and Ace, and how it feels like there’s no room in his life for their relationship. So she spoke up and told him how she felt. Ava says, good for her.

Dante says, it sounds like Mason’s been hanging around Austin’s office and the ER for the past year. He sits down, and Austin says, please have a seat. His cousin Mason suffers from the misconception that they’re close. Dante asks if that’s why Mason has been bringing third parties into the ER for treatment, but Austin says he has no memory of anything like that. Dante knows how busy and crazy the ER can get. Dante says, right, and it helps if you’re not keeping a record of treating your cousins, friends, and co-workers. Maybe even treating them for injuries they sustained during criminal activities. But that would make him an accessory after the fact.

Cyrus says, all he has to do is confess his sins, and Mason says, that’s a long list. Cyrus says he’s talking about Mason’s very specific, very recent sins. Abducting Ava Jerome, intending to hold her for ransom, and reconsidering that option. Ava was in Mason’s car as he tried to decide his next move. He was confronted by Dex Heller. During the struggle, he was shot by Detective Dante Falconari. Mason will still be on the hook for the kidnapping charge, but the attempted murder charges will be dropped. All Mason has to do is admit he acted alone. Mason says, but he didn’t.

Laura says she thinks Valentin might prefer this conversation be private, but he says, Nina is fully involved. She took an enormous risk, deleting the security footage of Charlotte breaking into Anna’s room at the MetroCourt. She loves Charlotte. Nina promises Laura that her only concern is for Charlotte, and Valentin says he’s already told her that Charlotte thinks Anna shot her intentionally. Laura says, so she guesses he hasn’t spoken to Charlotte yet today, and Valentin says, no. He wanted to hear what Charlotte told her last night first. Laura says, she admitted to trying to push Anna out of Port Charles and away from Valentin, and he says, why? Did Charlotte tell her? Laura says, yes. It is exactly as they suspected. He says, Victor, and she nods.

Carly says, so Nina didn’t tell Sonny that she was selling her half of the MetroCourt, and he says, no. They don’t talk much about business, but it surprised him, since she loves running the place. Now she’s better friends with Olivia, so he doesn’t know. Carly says, something’s changed, and he asks if Nina told Carly why she wanted to sell it back. Carly tells him, Nina said that she was busy, but it was really strange, so she’s not buying it. Sonny says, they’ve got a lot going on, and Carly says, Nina’s got something going on. And she’s going to find out what it is.

Valentin says, so Charlotte confirmed to Laura that Victor convinced her to go after Anna? and Laura says, she said that her grandfather had written to her, and that he came to visit her at the boarding school. She got the impression they’d had some really long conversations. Valentin says, and Victor did most of the talking, and Laura says, she seems overly obsessed with protecting Valentin… from Anna. Nina says, so Victor convinced Charlotte that Anna was a threat to him. Charlotte did everything that she did because she thought she was protecting him.

Sonny tells Carly, let’s not jump to conclusions. He and Nina just got married. She has a relationship with Willow now. Maybe she just wants to spend more time with Amelia and Wiley. Maybe it’s that simple. She says, nothing is ever that simple with Nina. Ever. He says, like it is with her? (touché!) and she says, at least with her, you get full disclosure and transparency, whether you like it or not. He says, that’s true enough, and she thanks him. She says, is Crimson losing money? and he says, not that he knows of, but even if it was, why would Nina want to sell her half of the MetroCourt? Carly says, maybe she needs money to shore up the magazine, and he says, money’s not an issue for Nina. But let’s say Carly accepted her offer. Where would she get the money?

Finn asks if Terry can tell him the name of the patient who’s suing him and what the complaint is, and Terry nods to Portia. Portia says, the patient in question has died. His wife is the one filing the suit. Terry gives Finn the patient’s file, and he says, Dennis Muldoon. Terry says, they’ll need all the notes he has on the patient, and also everyone on staff who worked on the case with him. He says, of course (🍷). Does this mean he’s suspended? Portia says, he’ll still be able to practice, and Terry says, with some restrictions. He asks what they are, and she says, the hospital’s policy in a case like this is to allow the staff member to practice, but if it’s a potentially fatal case, he’ll need to request a second opinion before he can offer treatment or prescribe medication. Portia says, and because of his history of substance abuse, he’ll be required to do drug testing on a weekly basis. He says he sees. And he understands. That will be the easiest part of this process for him. Terry says, good, and Finn walks to the door. He asks how much time he has to find an attorney, and Terry says, he should start looking immediately. Finn leaves.

Ava puts two chairs near each other, and tells Trina, sit down. She says, Trina’s been a saint when it comes to Spencer spending time with Esme and Ace. She couldn’t stay quiet that long. No way. Sure, she has a history with Esme and this amnesia thing of hers is hard for her to swallow, but that aside, Trina’s in love with Spencer. And here he is, spending so much time with his ex and her baby, a baby that happens to be his brother. Trina says she does understand why he’s being so protective of Ace though, and Ava says, so does she. God knows where Nikolas is, so he’s no help at all. And he made a lot of mistakes with Spencer. She’s sure Spencer just wants to make sure Ace isn’t shortchanged the way he was. Trina said that herself. Trina says, she’s tried to justify all the time he spends with Esme and Ace, and Ava says, she’s been very patient, very understanding. Trina says she has, hasn’t she? and Ava says, she has, so what changed?

Spencer says, he doesn’t want Esme and Ace to move out, and Esme says, he’s made that perfectly clear, but it’s not up to him. He says he just doesn’t understand why she’s leaving all of a sudden, and she says, it’s not all of a sudden. It’s what’s best for her and Ace. He says, how? Right now, Ace has everything that he needs. He doesn’t understand how her taking him and moving in to a different apartment is going to be better for him. If she does that, she’ll have to take care of him all of the time. The only time she won’t have to take care of him is when he’s here at daycare. She says, that’s what mothers do, and he says, when they’re on their own. But she doesn’t have to be. He’s more than willing to step up and help her take care of him. His grandmother and Doc love spending time with Ace, so they’ll have a back-up if they need it. She says she can still drop Ace off to Doc and Laura whenever they’re available and he can help take care of Ace. He says, okay, so what would be the point in her leaving? She says, because she and Ace need to get away from him.

Austin says, Dante asked him to listen, and he did, but Dante says he’s not quite finished. Austin says, Dante doesn’t have anything. If he did have any proof of what he’s talking about, he wouldn’t be here fishing. Dante says he’s not fishing. Security footage is proof. Sworn affidavits from GH staffers who saw Austin and Mason and his friends is proof. And now they have his cousin handcuffed to a bed upstairs, and the more they get to know about his criminal activities, the easier it’s going to be to prove Austin was working with Mason in the kidnapping and attempted murder of Ava Jerome. Austin says he’s the one who saved her.

Mason says, Cyrus ordered him to abduct Ava, and Austin would be forced to testify at Cyrus’s medical hearing so he could get himself out of Pentenville. But the moment he’s on the hook, and Ava can ID him to the cops, Cyrus tells him to let her go. With all due respect, he couldn’t take that chance. He had to get rid of her. Cyrus says, these heavy drugs they have Mason on must have addled his brain to come up with such wild and false allegations, but he understands. Mason must be frightened, but tell him, did those drugs make Mason forget his last visit and how he explained to Mason exactly how it could end for him? Mason flashes back to Cyrus telling him, the pain you felt when you were shot, any pain you’ve felt during your entire life will pale in comparison to the pain you will feel during your long, excruciating journey into death, if you ever betray me again. Cyrus says he believes Mason remembers now.

Terry says, Finn is a good doctor, and Portia says, he’s a good friend. She hated seeing that look on his face. Terry says, her too. It’s hard enough losing a patient, but then to be accused of malpractice? Portia says she’s sure he took copious notes, and Terry says she hopes Portia is right. They need Dr. Finn and GH to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Elizabeth sees Finn at the reception desk and asks, what happened? What did Terry and Portia want to talk to him about? He says, every doctor’s nightmare. I worked for a medical clinic for a while, and I can vouch for the fact malpractice insurance is astronomical.

Carly says she doesn’t know if she wants to buy back the MetroCourt, and Sonny says, Carly loves that place. She says, but she loves Kelly’s. She’s made some great changes, and in some ways, she thinks Kelly’s is a better fit for her than the MetroCourt. He says he doesn’t see it, and she says she knows the MetroCourt seems like it was better for her, but she loves both. She knows she can’t run both and own them, so she’s going to have to make a choice. He says, seems like an easy choice to him, and she says, but it’s not. Her mom gave her Kelly’s when she was in a really bad place. It was really generous of her. He asks if Bobbie is still away, and she says, yeah. She’s in Amsterdam, taking care of Luke’s affairs, and the last thing she needs is for Carly to abandon Kelly’s. Sonny says, Carly could always find somebody dependable to run the place, and she says, but if she decides to buy back the MetroCourt, she has to find someone to finance it. He says, I can – she says, no – help – she says, do not offer – you.

Laura says, when Charlotte first woke up after the surgery, she asked where Valentin was, and she told Charlotte that he’d gone on a walk with Anna. Charlotte seemed to be genuinely frightened for his safety. He says, and that’s when Charlotte told her what she did, and Laura says, yes. She admitted to trying to push Anna out of town and away from Valentin to protect him. He says, they know she trashed Anna’s hotel suite. Did she admit to anything else? Laura says, she didn’t get into any specifics, and after what she’d been through, Laura didn’t think it was a good time to question her. Valentin says, of course (🍷), and Nina says, when Charlotte is a bit stronger, maybe Doc can talk to her again. It seems like she opens up to him. Laura says, he’s already agreed to come and visit her whenever they decide she’s ready for it, and Valentin says, good. Nina says, this whole thing is awful, but at least they know Charlotte wasn’t acting on her own. She was motivated by Victor’s hatred of Anna. Laura says, and he knew she was at a very impressionable age. He arranged to get her far away from home and all alone. Valentin says he should have never let her go to that damn place, but Laura says, he thought he was doing something good for her. And they all did at that time. Valentin says, Charlotte told her that he wrote a letter? and Laura says, yes. He says, excuse him, and goes to Charlotte’s bedroom.

Valentin looks around the room, touching nothing yet. His eyes light on Charlotte’s journal, but he keeps looking.

Elizabeth says she remembers finding Finn on the roof the night Mr. Muldoon died. He was devastated. And now his family is suing the hospital and Finn? Why? Finn says, they believe he was negligent in not diagnosing his cancer in time, and she asks if his symptoms indicated cancer. Finn says, he had a tapeworm he picked up traveling abroad. He traveled for work extensively, mostly in third world countries. So he ordered bloodwork, and the results came back with anomalies. Anomalies consistent with a lot of causes, tapeworm among them. G.I. distress, fatigue, weight loss. So he sent Muldoon home with a plan of treatment and a request for further testing. He called a few days later and said he was feeling much better. He went on another trip, and Finn had requested further testing, including a colonoscopy. He didn’t come in for two months, and that’s when Finn expanded the scope of treatment in order to get more testing. Elizabeth says, that’s when he found the cancer, and Finn says, yeah. He didn’t see it coming. Muldoon thought he’d be here for a couple of hours and then Finn had to tell him that he had cancer, and it was too late to start any treatment. He never left this hospital again. She says, Finn didn’t do anything wrong, and Finn says he believes he didn’t, but that may not matter.

Valentin checks under the mattress, and we see he’s rifled through the drawers. He spies a pile of books and takes down the top one. He opens it and sees it’s hollowed out. The tarot cards are inside, along with the letter, which he opens and reads. He says, Victor.

Spencer says, Esme is going to take Ace and leave because she doesn’t want him growing up thinking the three of them are a family? She says, that’s right. Because the longer the three of them live together, the harder that’s going to be on Ace when it ends, and it’s going to end. Spencer asks, what makes her say that?😐and she says, because it has to. He wants his own life, and she really understands that. He wants to travel when he wants to travel. He wants to spend time with the people he wants to spend time with. And sooner or later, he’s going to want to spend all of his time with someone. He can’t have that life and Ace. He asks, why not? They don’t have to be in a romantic relationship for him to commit to Ace. Or her.

Trina tells Ava, what changed was, she said one word. And Spencer lost it. Ava says, there’s got to be more to it than that, and Trina says, when Laura and Doc came back from their trip, Esme thought it was too crowded. So she decided to rent a place for her and Ace. Ava says, so far, so good, and Trina says, that’s what she thought. And Laura supported the idea. She even offered to co-sign the lease. Ava says, go, Laura, and Trina says, but when Spencer told her that Esme was moving out, she just said exactly how she felt. She said, finally. Ava tells Trina, that sounds perfect to her, but Trina says, it didn’t sound good to Spencer.

Mason tells Cyrus that he can cut a deal if he gives up Austin. He’s the dumb henchman, and Austin’s the smart doctor who planned everything. There’s plenty evidence to back it up too. Lots of people have seen them together, and Austin slept with Ava. He can tell the cops that Austin seduced Ava to get to her money, and when that blew up in his face, he asked Mason to take her. Cyrus’s name will never be mentioned. Cyrus smiles.

Dante says, Austin saved Ava? and Austin says, what he means is, he would never hurt Ava. Dante tells him, that’s not what he said. Austin said he saved her. Austin says he did save her that night at Windymere. Ryan Chamberlain was running around like a lunatic, Heather Webber’s got a great big hook… He’s sure all of this is in Dante’s files. Go read his files. Dante says he’s read the files. The thing he can’t figure out is what Austin was doing at Windymere in the first place. What’s the nature of his relationship to Ava Jerome?

Valentin comes out with the letter, and says, it’s all Victor. There’s no question; it’s his father’s handwriting. He hands it to Laura, and she says, oh my God. She reads: My dearest Charlotte, It is with a heavy heart that I must write to you and share my concerns about our family’s future. A family I cherish and would give my life for. I’m afraid your father has gotten weak, Charlotte. I had so much hope for him, but he’s forgotten how truly important family is since he’s fallen in love with Anna Devane. Anna has completely manipulated your father… Her extensive training in espionage has afforded her the ability to mask who she really is. Nina says, no wonder Charlotte was confused, and Valentin says, he weaponized her. Laura continues: Anna Devane is not who she seems; do not trust her. Not for a minute. And it is imperative you never forget… You must use any weapon you can to defeat Anna, because your father clearly will do whatever she asks. And she will use his feelings, she will use your father, and lead him into danger. She will lead him to his death. Nina says, oh my God, and Laura reads: My dear Charlotte, you are the only one who can protect your father from Anna Devane. You, his most cherished possession, must save him. To guide you, I’m giving you these very special tarot cards. They’re powerful tools, Charlotte. You’ll find them helpful. Use them wisely. Use them to protect and save your father, a man we both love dearly. Your ally and loving grandfather, Victor Cassadine. Nina says, sick bastard, and Valentin says, Victor found the perfect revenge.

Sonny asks when Carly said Nina made her the offer, and Carly says, this morning at Kelly’s. Nina said she’d been at the hospital all night with Charlotte. He says, that was a tragic accident. Anna’s torn apart by it; so is Nina. Charlotte is like a daughter to her. Maybe it hit Nina a lot harder than he thought. Carly says, maybe, but would he think that’s the reason she wants to sell the MetroCourt?

Trina asks if it’s bad for her to think Spencer is too attached to his little brother, but Ava says she thinks this is more about Esme than it is about Ace. What was Spencer’s ultimatum? Trina says, he warned her that if she made him choose between her and Ace, she wouldn’t like the choice, and Ava says, ouch. Trina says, they were closer than ever in New York, but it never seems to fail. Something like this will happen, then they’re further apart. It’s like they’re doomed to fail.

Cyrus says, Mason is a lot smarter than he thought Mason was. That’s a very creative solution. Mason says, it’ll work, but Cyrus says, not for him. He doesn’t want Austin tainted by Mason’s crime. He’s a respected doctor and Cyrus needs to avail himself of Austin’s services and support if necessary. Mason says, so he gets to rot in prison while college boy gets everything he wants, and Cyrus says, don’t be so resentful. College boy will get everything he deserves in good time. Meanwhile, Mason will be well-protected in Pentenville and lead a very comfortable life. And who knows? He might be eligible for release sooner than he thinks, provided he does exactly as he’s told.

Austin says, he and Ava are very close, and Dante asks if she’ll corroborate that. Austin says, what relationship doesn’t have its ups and downs? and Dante says, he’s looking at a lot of downs. They have a laundry list of charges they could file against Austin. Collusion, kidnapping, attempted murder… Austin says, come on. Dante said himself, he’s got Mason handcuffed to a bed upstairs. Dante caught him red-handed. Dante shot him. Dante says he did. Does Austin think it was Mason’s idea to kidnap Ava? Austin says he doesn’t know. Ask Mason. Dante says, come on, doc. He’s not the brains behind this thing; he was the muscle. He was following someone’s orders. Maybe Austin’s. Austin says, no, but Dante says, he’s the smart guy. Come up with the name of Mason’s boss. Maybe he’ll have a chance to save himself. He walks out of Austin’s office.

Sonny tells Carly, maybe Charlotte getting shot made Nina rethink her priorities. Maybe she wants to spend less time working and more time with the people she loves. Carly says, when she heard about Charlotte, all she could think about was Josslyn and Donna. If something happened to them, it would kill her. He says, nothing’s going to happen to the kids. They’re settled, and he’s got everything under control. Carly asks if he’s sure about that. Because Cyrus is walking around scot-free, and Sonny doesn’t have Jason watching his back anymore. He says he thinks about Jason every day, but he has eyes all over town, including Dex and Brick. She says she knows how important Brick is to him, and he says, Dex actually stepped up. If it wasn’t for him and Dante, Ava would be dead. So he doesn’t want her to worry. She’s got Drew back, so just enjoy each other. She thanks him and says, maybe he’s right about Nina. He says, she should think real hard about taking Nina’s offer, and she says she will. She tells him, watch your back, and goes to the door. He says he always does, and she leaves.

Laura gives the letter back to Valentin, who says, Victor turned his daughter into a weapon. He’s weaponized Laura’s granddaughter. He convinced Charlotte to target the woman he loves. How can he fight back against a child? Nina says, Victor’s dead, and now that they have proof he was behind all of this, they can just talk to Charlotte. They tell her that Victor was wrong about Anna, that nothing in that letter was true. Laura says, yes, but they have to look at this from Charlotte’s point of view for a moment. Her grandfather told her that Anna was dangerous, that she was a threat, and now in Charlotte’s mind, Anna has proven that by shooting her. Nina says, but it was an accident, and Laura says, yes, of course (🍷), and they all know that, but because of Victor, Charlotte actually believes that Anna shot her intentionally. She believes Anna wanted to kill her, and she wants Anna arrested for it.

Esme asks exactly what kind of commitment Spencer is willing to make, and Spencer says he has money. He can see to it she’s financially taken care of. She can quit this job if she so chooses, and he can share in the childcare responsibilities with her. He just wants to make sure his little brother is happy. Does she really think moving Ace out of his grandmother’s home is what’s best for him right now? No. They’re a team. They’re just not a romantic one. She says, that all sounds great, so let’s go for it. Why don’t they get a nice little house somewhere for the four of them? He says, for the four of them? and she says, her, him, Ace, and Trina. She bets Trina will think this is a wise plan. He says, come on, but she says, no, you come on. The longer she lives in that apartment with him and his grandmother, the longer she’s putting her life on hold, and that’s not fair to her and it’s not fair to Ace. He isn’t the only one who deserves to have someone special in his life. He says, so this isn’t really about Ace at all. He didn’t realize she’s so desperate to find someone new. She says she’s desperate to start her life again. She doesn’t have to defend herself to him or anyone else. She’s going to do what’s right for Ace, and yes, what’s right for her. If he’ll excuse her, she has work to do. She picks up some files and leaves the office. He makes a call and leaves a message. Please call him. He needs them. Things have gone from bad to worse.

Portia tells Terry that she’s never been in any malpractice lawsuit situation before. What’s the next step? Does the hospital have the same lawyer Dr. Finn does? Terry says, in her experience, hospitals are advised to have a separate lawyer. Dr. Finn will need to prove he didn’t do anything negligent, whereas they’ll have to prove it was a good decision to employ Finn. And they’ll have to prove they have a solid system of checks and balances, and that they don’t have a history of malpractice suits. Portia says she wouldn’t want to be in Finn’s shoes right now. A case like this could ruin your whole career. Terry says, and lawsuits like this have taken down bigger hospitals than GH. Let’s hope that’s not the case this time.

Elizabeth tells Finn, once we find you an attorney, they’ll tell you what you’re up against and how we need to proceed. He says, we? and she says, yeah. She’s going to help him with this. She was with him the night Mr. Muldoon died. She can testify to his state of mind, and the fact that he never said anything that would indicate he might have made a mistake with his diagnosis and treatment. He says, she doesn’t have to… but she says, please don’t argue with her. She’s going to help him do everything he can to clear his name. He says he doesn’t want her risking her position, but she says she’s not risking anything. And as Head Nurse, she wants the truth to come out. So moving forward, she suggest they get back to work, and tonight, they’ll start going over his notes. He thanks her and says, maybe they can start tomorrow. He needs a day to process this. His career’s in jeopardy… She takes his hand and says, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. He says he’s lucky to have her, and she says, yeah, he is. It goes both ways. She leaves.

Trina asks what she should do, and Ava says, it’s not like she’s talking to an expert in relationships here. She’s had her share, and none of them have gone the distance. Not that she’s giving up. She still believes happy endings are possible. Trina’s just at the beginning. Trina’s phone dings, and Ava asks if she thinks that’s the same person who just tried to call her. She thinks she can guess who it was. Trina says, Spencer. She doesn’t want to talk to him right now. Ava asks how long she plans to avoid him, but Trina says she doesn’t have a plan. She just doesn’t want to argue anymore, and she’s not giving in to his ultimatum. Ava asks if Trina has told him how she feels, the way Trina just told her, and Trina says she guesses not. Ava asks if she still loves him, and Trina says, yes. Ava says, sit down with him. Talk to him and keep cool and don’t point fingers. Just tell him how she feels and why she feels that way. Then listen to him and be respectful of how he feels. Trina says, okay, and thanks Ava, hugging her. She says she knows Ava would tell her the right thing, even if it was hard for her to hear. Ava says, what are friends for? Maybe Trina should reply to Spencer’s text. Trina picks up her phone.

As Austin goes by the reception desk, Elizabeth gives him a message left for him. He opens it, and it says: DON’T BE FOOLISH. IT CAN BE DEADLY. He crumples it up, and then sees Cyrus across the hall. He continues to watch as Cyrus waits for the elevator. When it comes, Cyrus winks at him before getting in.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Curtis that she got some news today; TJ needs to talk to someone right away; Sasha says she’ll walk off the set; and Cyrus brings Austin tidings of great joy.

🧜‍♀️ Finding His Siren…

Can’t say I pictured it as a tank. Impressive.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/behind-the-scenes-of-general-hospitals-water-stunt

🚜 Literally Buying The Farm…

Looks idyllic.

Josh Swickard’s Family Moves to the Country!

🧂 A Pinch Of Salt…

Since the recap isn’t out yet, here’s a few tidbits.

Why Monica Garcia and Heather Gay May Be the Next Big Real Housewives Feud

https://www.eonline.com/news/1389773/rhoslcs-monica-garcia-fiercely-confronts-mom-linda-for-kidnapping-her-car

RHOSLC Star Monica Garcia Shares Where She Stands With Mom Linda Amid Feud, and If She Regrets Bringing Her on Show, Plus She Talks Finalizing Divorce From Ex-Husband Mike, & Dating, & Live Viewing Thread

🏂 Apology Tour Already…

No recap yet for this awful mess either.

Watch Winter House’s Kory Keefer Learn Casey Craig Called Sam Feher ‘Trash’

https://www.distractify.com/p/casey-craig-apology-winter-house

https://stylecaster.com/lists/tom-schwartz-katie-flood-still-together-winter-house/

💎 Magic Mike Meltdown…

Fact correction: It was Crystal and Erika on the stage (Kyle came later and Sutton was nonplussed), and really Erika that she freaked about.

RHOBH’s Sutton Stracke Shares New Details on What Caused Meltdown at Magic Mike, & Fires Back at Erika Jayne for Saying She’s the “Worst Lay Ever”

🤺 Rehashing The Deck Fight…

I can’t say I mind a repeat of Kyle insulting Natalya. She’s such a piece of work. Max is just clueless.

Below Deck Med’s Kyle Puts ‘Straight’ Max on Blast for Using LGBTQIA+ Label

👰🏼‍♀️ She Finally Did It…

Kudos to Tinsley for finally making it to the married lady status she’s always wanted. But was he Dale approved?

https://people.com/real-housewives-new-york-city-tinsley-mortimer-marries-robert-bovard-8363397

RHONY Alum Tinsley Mortimer Marries Robert Bovard in Palm Beach Ceremony, See Pics of Couple Arriving With Wedding Attire

🐶 A Tale Of Two Pups, Really Three…

I’d want this dog too.

https://people.com/kaley-cuoco-adopts-adorable-new-dog-8400793

The two that got away. Yes, I know Halloween is over.

https://people.com/kim-kardashian-dresses-dogs-sushi-sake-as-actual-sushi-for-halloween-8384168

🪧 Should Have Stayed Closed…

I watched The Open House on Netflix last weekend. Most of it wasn’t bad, but nothing stellar. Kind of like a Lifetime thriller with a bigger budget. I would have been fine with that, except the ending was like a big F-U in exchange for the time I spent watching it. Before the credits, it said the film was in loving memory of someone, and I wondered if it was the guy who was supposed to write the ending.

🦃 Tofurkey Trotting…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and snipes at Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay asking the host before bringing plus ones or more to Thanksgiving dinner, and stay not being foolish. It can be deadly.

Nov14

November 13, 2023 – Martin Tells Nina To Call Michael’s Bluff, A Meet-Up With the Charter Off Deck & Pumpkin Pie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia watches Ned sleep, no doubt after having gotten busy. He says, good morning, and she says, Ned? He says, it’s me.

Lois thanks Yuri for bringing her coffee, and tells him, stop with the Miss and just call her Lois. Brook comes in carrying several folders and asks if there’s any fresh coffee. He says he just brewed some for her mother, and Brook says she’d love a cup. He goes to get it, and Lois says, somebody’s full of energy this morning. Brook says she needs to be, and so does Lois. Lois is going to help her strategize for Blaze.

Willow hurries Wiley along with his cereal and says, they can’t be late this morning. Michael comes in, and tells her that Amelia is happily playing in the nursery in the main house. Willow asks where Wiley’s math workbook is, and he says he left it upstairs last night after she helped him. Michael says he’ll get it, but Willow says, Wiley has to get it, after he’s finished with his breakfast. Wiley asks if they can see Grandma Nina after school. Please.

Nina comes into Kelly’s and asks for a yogurt parfait and an extra-large coffee with a shot of espresso to go. Carly asks if Nina was at the hospital last night, and Nina says, she heard. Carly says she can’t believe what happened to Charlotte, and Nina says, it was terrible, terrible accident. Anna mistook Charlotte for an intruder and shot her.

Charlotte asks Elizabeth if her papa is here, and Elizabeth says, he was at her side all night long, but an hour ago, they were able to convince him to go home and get some rest now that she’s out of the ICU. Charlotte asks if Anna’s been here.

Jordan goes into the interrogation room and asks Dante if he knows why Anna wanted to meet them here this morning. He says he doesn’t, but he can’t imagine it’s anything good. An officer tells them that Anna is here to see them both, and Dante opens the door to her.

Carly asks when Charlotte woke up from her surgery, and Nina says, last night. She and Valentin were both there, and they’ve since moved her out of ICU, thank God. The doctor expects her to have a full recovery. Carly says, that’s incredible. Please tell her if she needs anything, Carly is here for her. They’re family, and she’d like to help out any way she can. Nina thanks her and says she’ll pass that along. She appreciates it and she’s sure Valentin will too. Carly goes to get Nina’s order, and Nina sits down at the counter. Martin walks in, sees Nina, and turns around, but she follows him out to the courtyard. He says, good morning, and she says, give her one reason she shouldn’t have him disbarred for violating attorney/client privilege.

Wiley says, Grandma Nina told him that he could come to her office any time he wanted. She’ll help with his homework. Willow says, that’s very generous of Grandma Nina. Maybe they’ll take her up on the offer, but not today. He has T-ball today, remember? He asks if they can see Grandma Nina after, and she says, maybe, and tells him to go upstairs and grab his math workbook. Wiley leaves, and she says, Michael hates this, doesn’t he?

Olivia falls back on the pillow and says, he’s Ned all right, and Ned says he’s back. She says, that he is, and they kiss. He says he wishes he could spend the rest of the day in bed with her, and she says, don’t tempt her. He says, she’s tempting him, and kisses her some more, but she pushes him away and says she has so much work at the MetroCourt today. He says he has work to do too. ELQ has been neglected for months, and he’s sure he has a lot of paperwork to comb through. A lot of meetings to catch him up. She says she has a meeting with Nina today about the renovations on the rooftop, and Ned flashes back to hearing Martin talking to Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC. Olivia asks, what’s wrong? Please tell her that he’s still Ned. He says he is, and she blesses herself, saying, thank God. What happened? He says he just remembered something very important.

Lois asks what Brook needs her help with, and Brook says, Linc had Blaze pigeonholed as a popstar. Don’t get her wrong. She’s a great popstar, but she wants to explore other musical styles. That’s where Lois comes in. Lois says, the old tricky transition. That’s not going to be so easy. You’ve got to let your musical talent follow their own inspirations, but you’ve got to manage their expectations. You’ve got to monitor and mentor them, because you want to make sure they don’t reject the new material and run back to what they’re familiar with. All the while, you’ve got to keep an eye on their audience. Brook says, Lois will have to remind her of all that later, and takes out a folder. She says, here is some of the stuff that Blaze is considering. She hands the folder to Lois, who looks through it. Lois says, it’s interesting that her artist Blaze is a popstar. This stuff looks folky and country. Brook says, it is, and Yuri says, the country market is really hot right now. They could – how you say? – lean into this?

Gregory and Chase go to the hospital reception desk, and Gregory says he has an appointment with his specialist Dr. Cramer. The nurse says she’ll check him in, and Gregory thanks Chase for the ride, but says, Chase doesn’t have to wait for him. He’ll get a Ride Share home. Chase says, Gregory’s not getting rid of him that easy, and Gregory says, go to Kelly’s, grab a breakfast, enjoy this fall morning. Chase says he’s not leaving. He’ll be right here when Gregory gets out.

Anna thanks Dante and Jordan for meeting her, but Jordan says, no need to thank them. Anna says, despite being here, it’s not official; none of it. Everything she says is off the record, and she asked to meet with both of them because they’re her friends, and Dante needs to know this because she’s Charlotte’s daughter and she’s family. He says, off the record, 100%, and Jordan says, off the record. What does she have? Anna isn’t sure where to start. What she’s going to say doesn’t justify what happened; nothing can justify that. Jordan says, they’re all friends here. They said they’d keep it off the record. Just tell them what she has to say. Anna says, apparently, Charlotte has been stalking her for months.

Carly comes out with Nina’s order and sees her in the courtyard talking to Martin. Before she can go out, Drew calls her name. He gives her a kiss, and says, it’s his first day back at Aurora, and he thought he’d dress up a little. She approves, and he asks, what are the chances they can have a little bit of breakfast first? I’m not sure if that’s a euphemism, or he means bacon and eggs.

Nina says she’s been trying to get ahold of Martin for weeks. He hasn’t answered her calls; he’s not returning her texts or emails. Is he avoiding her? He says, perish the thought. The simple fact is, he’s a very busy attorney. He has a lot of cases to attend to, not just her. And of course (🍷) there’s Lucy and what she’s been going through at Deception. She has need of his shoulder. Nina says she needs him to shut his mouth. She heard that recording of him accusing her of turning Carly and Drew in to the SEC. He says, that tape wasn’t an accusation; it was an admission. And they both know she was the one who wanted the SEC to investigate Drew and Carly. She says, and he was her attorney. He was her go-between. He was her insurance to make sure she was protected. He promised her that she would be protected, and then he gave her up? She could lose everything. He says, she’s already lost.

Michael says, his opinion of Nina hasn’t changed, but he tries not to make it obvious in front of Wiley, and Willow says she thinks he’s done a great job. She doesn’t think Wiley realizes how he really feels about Nina. At least not now. He says, so he’ll just go on pretending he likes Nina, but she says she doesn’t want him to pretend. That wouldn’t be fair to Wiley. They should always be truthful with him. He says, even when it comes down to the kind of woman Nina really is, but she says, what she hopes is for the possibility Nina has really learned her lesson and changed. He says he knows she wants to believe that, but she’s wrong, and she asks, wrong how?

Ned says, it was Nina, and Olivia says, what was Nina? He says, it was Nina who pointed the SEC at Drew and Carly. Olivia says, what? and he says he overheard her talking to her lawyer Martin Grey at the MetroCourt. She had Martin alert the SEC about Drew and Carly. Olivia says she can’t believe this, and he says, after Martin walked away, he confronted her, and she wanted him to continue taking the fall for her. And eventually, all the people who thought the most of him, wouldn’t believe he was the one who turned them in. Of course (🍷) he refused. She says, low life, and he says, that’s when the hostess came out, interrupted them, and said something about Drew and Tracy at the pool. That’s when he was on his way to tell Drew everything and exonerate himself, and he slipped and fell. He needs to tell Drew and Carly the truth. He starts to get out of bed, but Olivia says, wait. He can’t. He asks what she means, and she says, Sonny and Nina just got married. Sonny is happier than she’s ever seen him before, and Drew is home from Pentenville; he’s safe. Nina and Carly are getting along for once for the sake of the families. Is there any chance he can forget that he remembered? He asks how she can say that. Nina’s the one who turned them in, and Olivia wants her to get away with it? Olivia says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want Nina to get away with it. She’s just saying, maybe letting her get away with it is better than open warfare. He says, that sounds great in theory. How about clearing his name?

Lois asks what Yuri considers great music. Good vocals or something that gives him a good vibe? Yuri says he’s been enjoying the country music, and Lois says, okay, why country? He says, the emotion is right there. It’s immediate. It’s at the surface. It’s raw and unaffected. Brook tells Lois, really good points, and asks Yuri, any particular songs? He says, there’s one song. It’s really about parents and children growing up and moving along, but the lyrics are basically a love song to an adult. But also love songs to a truck and so many love songs to whiskey. The inanimate objects are metaphors for life’s deepest emotions. Lois says, all right. Any songs about boats and trucks in here? She and Brook thumb through the folders.

Chase asks Gregory how his appointment went, then sees a brace on Gregory’s wrist. He asks, what’s up with the brace? and Gregory says he took a fall at The Invader yesterday. He reached out to brace himself and jammed his wrist up. Chase asks why Gregory didn’t tell him, and Gregory says, because it was nothing serious, and nothing to bother Chase about. Besides, it’s fine; it doesn’t even hurt. Chase asks what the specialist said, and Gregory tells him, it’s fine. Let’s get out of here. Chase asks what Dr. Cramer said, and Gregory tells him, the doctor said he should be using a cane. Chase says, then why isn’t he?

Elizabeth walks in the hallway with Charlotte and asks how she feels. Charlotte says, okay, just a little weak, and Elizabeth says, that’s to be expected after surgery. Jake comes out of the elevator with a bouquet of white roses, and Charlotte smiles at him.

Anna says, Valentin told her last night that Charlotte has been stalking her for months, and he found out when Charlotte vandalized her suite at the MetroCourt. Dante asks, what makes him so sure it’s Charlotte? and she says, security footage showing her entering the suite during the window of time that it was trashed, and she was carrying a backpack. Jordan asks, where’s the footage now? and Anna says, he convinced Nina to delete it from the server. Jordan says, why? Why not tell Anna what was going on? Dante says, because Valentin thinks Charlotte is the arsonist who burned down Anna’s house. Right?

Ned says, his life was turned into a living hell, and Olivia wants him to give Nina a free pass just because everyone’s happy. She says, he’s back. She has him back and that’s all she cares about. It’s all that matters. He asks if she’s forgetting that everyone, including her, accused him of making that call to the SEC. Even his own mother thought he did it. Although, she actually applauded the move. Does she know what it feels like to be wrongly accused? She says she can’t even imagine, and I say, oh yeah? What about when Ned accused her of cheating with Robert? She says she’s so sorry she didn’t believe him, and he says, people think he’s responsible for sending Drew to prison, where he almost got killed, so no, he’s not going to drop this. But what he will do is hold off – for now. Trust him. He’s only doing this for her. She wants peace, he’ll give her peace. At least for a little while. But when everything settles down, at some point, he’s going to clear his name and expose Nina.

Carly gives Drew the coffee, saying, it was for Nina, but she’d rather give it to him. He takes a sip and says, it’s so good, but she says, it’s just coffee. He says, it’s so much better than whatever it was they were serving at Pentenville. But breakfast wasn’t the real reason he stopped by. She asks why he did, and he says, just to spend time with her… What’s going on? She says she’s sorry. She just can’t stop thinking about Charlotte and the fact Anna shot her.

Nina starts to go back into Kelly’s, and Martin says, just so she knows. The tape that Michael has wasn’t him giving her up. She says, really? Then what was it? He says, a reluctant admission of something Michael already knows. The man’s got a source, probably someone at the SEC; he doesn’t know. But whoever it is was absolutely sure it was her. What he can say with certainty, however, is Michael Corinthos is a very formidable enemy, and he’s painted a bullseye on Nina’s back.

Michael tells Willow, Nina is never content with what she has. He doesn’t think that’s ever going to change. She’s going to keep pushing for more and more. She’s all nice and light and sweet when she gets what she wants. When she doesn’t get what she wants, she turns into something completely different. Like when she lashed out at them at the visitation hearing. Willow agrees that Nina can be ugly and vindictive, but that was more than a year ago. She’s watched Nina and really thinks Nina has learned from her mistakes, and they’d be setting a bad example for Wiley if they can’t forgive somebody… Wiley comes downstairs and says he found his math workbook, and guess what else he found? She says, his favorite eraser? but he says, no. Grandma Carly’s T-ball hat. He shows her a cap, and Willow says, that’s a very important hat. It’s what Grandma Carly wears to support his team. He asks if Willow can give it back to her, and she says she has a very busy day today, but she can try. Does he have everything he needs? He says, yes, and asks if daddy is taking him to school, but she says, no. She’s going to drop him off. Daddy has to get to the office. She tells Michael that she loves him and leaves with Wiley.

Lois says she doesn’t see any trucks, and Brook says she doesn’t see any boats or dolls, and she doesn’t see any whiskey… Hang on. This one has whiskey. It’s about loving someone and not being able to tell them. Lois says she likes that, and Brook hands it to her. Lois asks, who wrote it? and Brook says, Blaze did actually, which is unusual, since she’s not a songwriter. She’s always gravitated more toward other people’s material. Lois says, from what it looks like, somebody is in Blaze’s heart, but she cannot confess her love. Ned and Olivia come in, and Ned says, morning all. Brook says, Yuri made coffee, and Yuri says, you’re not Eddie. Lois says, Ned? and Brook says, dad, is it really you? Ned says, it’s me. I’m back.

Brook hugs Ned and says she missed him so much. He says he missed her too. She says, wait until Leo hears he’s back, which is hard to say since he’s been here the whole time. Lois asks if it’s really him, and he says it is. She hugs him and says, it better be, because Eddie wouldn’t be standing here in a $2000 suit. Olivia says, doesn’t he look sharp? Conquering ELQ, huh? Ned says he wants to apologize for everything he put everyone through. He loves Brook and he’s so proud to call her his daughter. Brook hugs him, and Lois says, they did a good job with this one, didn’t they? He says, they sure did, and Lois asks, how is it he’s standing here in front of them with his full faculties. What happened? Did Olivia knock him over the head with her lasagna casserole? Olivia promises she didn’t, although she was tempted about a million times, and Brook asks, what happened? How is he better? He says he had a near death experience. He went to the boathouse and followed Lois’s advice. He dove in and almost drowned.

Chase says he knows that this is happening to Gregory, but it’s also affecting him and Finn, because he’s their dad and they both love him very much. It hurts them to see him suffering. They don’t want to take away his independence, but they do want to support him. Gregory says, that’s a fine line, and Chase says he knows it is, but in order for them to help and support him, they have to know what’s going on. So please, don’t be leaving them out like this. Gregory leads Chase over to a bench, and they sit. He says he keeps telling himself that he doesn’t want to worry Chase or his brother – and that’s the truth – but it’s also true that he’s clinging to denial. In spite of the symptoms – the cramping hands, the balance issues, the falls – there’s a part of him that still doesn’t believe he has ALS. He just can’t allow himself to accept the fact that this is happening to him.

Drew says, Charlotte is extremely lucky that she’s going to make a full recovery, and Carly says, Nina told her Charlotte is out of ICU and she’s doing much better. He says, that’s great. He wonders how Anna’s doing through all of this. He should probably stop by and check in on her, see if she needs anything. She hugs him and asks, what’s going on? He says, it just kind of hit him again, and she says, that he’s a free man? He says, how lucky they are, and kisses her.

Nina says, Michael is blackmailing her, and Martin says he’s not surprised. She’d probably do the same thing in a similar situation. She says, no. Actually, she wouldn’t. Now he’s trying to control access to her daughter and her grandchildren, and if she refuses, he’s going to use that recording of Martin’s to tell everyone that she tipped off the SEC. Martin says, call his bluff. Like his mama used to say, everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway. So admit the truth. Tell everyone it was her. Throw herself on Carly and Drew’s mercy. She says she’s not worried about Carly and Drew. She’s worried about Sonny and her daughter… her family. This might be the last straw. They might never want to see her again, and that would destroy her. He says, then he’s afraid she’s stuck with whatever agreement she and Michael have come to. Since she can’t turn him in for violating attorney/client privilege without exposing herself in the process, he’d strive for a more cordial tone. We need friends. Don’t go adding to her list of enemies. He leaves, and she turns to go back into Kelly’s, when Carly comes out with her order.

Jake says, the flowers are for Charlotte, handing them to her, and she thanks him. She says, they’re beautiful. How did he know roses are her favorite? He says he didn’t actually. He told the lady at the flower shop that his friend was in the hospital, and he wanted to give her something pretty to make her feel better. She says she loves them and thanks him again. Elizabeth says, they’re really beautiful, and suggests Jake hang on to them for right now. Does he want to go for a walk with them? He says, yeah, and asks how Charlotte is feeling. Charlotte says, better, now that he’s here.

Dante says, Charlotte was at camp when Anna’s house burned down. He’s driven her to that camp; it’s about an hour away from Anna’s house. She’s relatively tech savvy and has money. She could have easily taken a Ride Share back to Port Charles. Jordan says she’s sure Charlotte is very familiar with the layout of Anna’s house, and Anna says, she is. That’s what Valentin said last night. Dante says, so she spray paints murderer on Anna’s front door, burns down her house, vandalizes her hotel room, and most recently, steals the key to the apartment and shows up there on Halloween with a backpack full of the same spray paint. Jordan says, there’s one thing Charlotte definitely didn’t do. She didn’t take a shot at Anna at the MetroCourt pool.

Gregory tells Chase that he, too, was an athlete. He didn’t have to struggle to stay in shape. He enjoyed exercising and pushing his body, the satisfaction of a good, hard workout. He sees Chase and his effortless grace and balance and remembers when he was like that. It never once occurred to him that he would lose that. He knew he’d grow older, but he took care of himself. He stayed fit. He never drank excessively, he never smoked, so how did this happen? How could his body betray him to the point that he needs a cane to walk? Pretty soon, he won’t even be able to walk at all. Chase says, when he was a kid, he thought Gregory was the tallest man in the world. He remembers sitting on the living room floor, looking up at Gregory and thinking his dad was the strongest, bravest, smartest man he knew. No one could be a better dad than his dad. And guess what? That little kid was right. No one comes close. Any time he was scared of something, Gregory would take his hand and say, I’ve got you, son. And it didn’t matter what it was, he knew everything was going to be okay. Does he remember that? Gregory says he does, and Chase takes his hand and says, I’ve got you, dad.

Anna says, it confirms what she believed, that Sonny was the intended target for the shooting at the MetroCourt, and Jordan says, there are obviously two forces at work here. Dante says, meaning Anna was just an innocent bystander like the rest of them? And the only person who’s been after her this whole time has been Charlotte. Anna says, she convinced herself it was some ruthless killer from her past at the WSB, and all this time she was just being harassed by a teenager.

Carly hands Nina her order and says, it’s the second cup of coffee she made. Drew drank the first one. Nina thanks her and says, Drew’s here? Carly says, he stopped in to see her, and Nina asks if he’s still inside, but Carly says, he went to his office at Aurora. Nina says, Sonny told her that Alexis secured his early release. She’s happy for him, happy for both of them. Carly thanks her and says she’s going to get back to the customers, but Nina asks her to wait. She says, what she and Martin were discussing out here actually concerns Carly.

At the office, Michael tells Drew, welcome back, and they bro hug. Drew says, it’s good to be back, and Michael says he could have come back Monday, but Drew says, is he kidding? He had plenty of time off when he was in Pentenville. He needed this. He needed to get back to work. Michael suggests they start by revealing how Aurora stands amongst their major divisions. It’s in the red. Drew says he looked at the material Michael emailed last night and he was really impressed. Michael’s stewardship of the company has been extraordinary. Michael says he appreciates that. He guesses he’s got a little more Quartermaine in him than he’d like to admit. So where does Drew want to start? Drew says, let’s start with taking over ELQ.

Lois tells Ned that she meant to dive in metaphorically. She was trying to tell Eddie to immerse himself in the music, not to immerse himself in a frozen lake. Ned says, at the time, it was the only way he could finish the song, so he dove in, and it was when he was underwater that he realized, the siren was Olivia. It was her calling to him. Olivia says, literally. Every time she brought her head up for air out of the freezing water. Brook says, she dove in and saved him? and Olivia says she did. And she would do it all over again. Ned says, when he woke up on shore with Olivia kneeling beside him, he literally woke up. Completely. He knew who he was.

Dante says, it’s so much worse than harassing. If it was Charlotte who did this… Anna says, this is why it has to be off the record. Because she doesn’t want Charlotte investigated, let alone charged. And whatever Charlotte was thinking of doing on Halloween certainly didn’t deserve the deadly force she used against her. Jordan says, had Anna known Charlotte was her stalker, she would have never pulled her gun, and Anna says, of course (🍷) not. But Valentin chose to keep that from her, and she trusted him. She won’t make that mistake again. Dante says he’s sorry, and Anna says she needs to talk to Charlotte. She needs to understand why Charlotte was after her. But she has the feeling that’s not going to be easy.

Elizabeth says she’ll get a vase for these beautiful flowers while Charlotte and Jake visit. She leaves, and Charlotte says she’s sorry. Jake says, for what? and she says, for wrecking his Halloween. She’s sorry she snuck off on him. He asks why she did, and she says she had to protect her father. He says, from who? and she says, Anna. She’s not the nice person she pretends to be. Her Grandfather Victor was right. He says, right about what? and she says, he told her to watch out for Anna, and he was right. Anna came in the door, and as soon as Anna saw her, she… He says, she shot Charlotte. Why? Charlotte says she doesn’t know. Maybe the cops will come up with an answer. I think they will, but not the one she’s hoping for.

Yuri asks if anyone wants more fresh coffee, but Ned says he has a busy day. He has a lot to catch up on. He asks if Olivia has any idea where his briefcase is, and she says, Michael has it. There was some crisis at ELQ when Valentin was busy, and he was Eddie Maine. So Michael decided to step in and help out. He asks if she knows what this crisis was, but she says, no idea. He was looking for some deal notes and thought they might be in Ned’s briefcase, so she gave it to him. He says, all the more reason to get back in the office. So he can run ELQ again and Michael can turn his focus back on Aurora. He kisses her and leaves.

Drew says, if the ELQ/Aurora merger had succeeded, then he would have controlling interest in ELQ and he could have pushed Valentin out, but Ned switched sides and the whole thing failed. Michael says, right now, Ned thinks he’s Eddie Maine and his only motivation is his guitar. Drew says, exactly. So the gates are wide open for this takeover. Ned can keep doing whatever he’s doing and strum his guitar, but they’ve got to figure out a way to take ELQ back. Michael says, except last time there was an attempted murder and Drew got sent away for insider trading, but Drew says, this time, there’s going to be no insider trading because this time the only two people who are going to know about this are him and Michael.

Carly asks what Nina and Martin were discussing that has to do with her, and Nina says, even before Charlotte was injured, she knew that she was spreading herself really thin. Running Crimson is a full-time job, and co-owning the MetroCourt is too, so she knows that something needs to go. Carly asks what she’s getting at, and Nina says she’s really enjoyed her time at the MetroCourt and Olivia’s been a really great business partner, but her first love is Crimson. So she was wondering if there was a possibility of them exploring the idea of Carly buying back her half of the hotel. Willow comes by and tells Carly that Wiley accidentally took this home after his last game. She gives Carly the cap and says, he insisted she bring it back to Carly. Carly says, that’s so sweet of him, and Willow says, speaking of Wiley, he really wants to make a date with Nina to help him with his homework. She’s so sorry. They were in the middle of a conversation, and she just interrupted. Carly says, that’s okay. Nina just offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt. Willow says, that’s terrific news, and Carly says, they were just in the discussion stage. Willow says, they should talk to Michael about this. She’s sure he’d be happy to help make it happen.

Tomorrow, Dante tells Austin to come up with the name of Mason’s boss and he might have a chance to save himself; Esme says she and Ace need to get away from Spencer; and Carly wonders why Nina is offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle is mad at Jessika for inferring he made her feel like a green stew. She wonders how he’s projecting this little thing on her when they have bigger issues. She’s confused. Kyle whines to Tumi that Jessika hurt him. You would have thought he’d attacked her. Tumi says, going forward, whatever regards a person, they’ll speak directly to them, and Kyle says he doesn’t trust a single person on this boat. In Luka’s interview, he says he hopes the captain’s wrist is just bruised. Captain Sandy is the heart of the ship, and he feels like it’s his fault. He hopes she’s okay. Primary Amanda asks if they can have a booze cruise on the tender, and Tumi says she’ll ask about it. Natalya tells Luka that she needs therapy, and in her interview, she says, knowing her partner put his hoo-ha in another woman is very heartbreaking. We flash back to AJ and Natalya having that conversation, and she says, it’s adding more anxiety and stress on her. Kyle texts Zach that it’s stressful, and Amanda and guest Sonali invade the galley, Amanda hugging Jack when she finds out he’s making tortellini and chocolate mousse. In Jack’s interview, he says, it’s a bit overboard, like Beatlemania. He is from Liverpool. She asks if Jack can hang out with them, when Max joins them. They ask where Max eats, and he tells them, the crew mess. They want to see it, and in Max’s interview, he says he doesn’t know if they’re supposed to be here, but why not? C’est la vie! They look in his cabin, and Sonali sees that he’s reading a sex book and highlighting things. She asks him to read it in English, and in his interview, Max says, it’s a Taoist sex book by some monk who specialized in sex energy 2000 years ago. He has to careful around the sexy, blondie, smiley girls. Take a bite of the apple. Luka finds a radio and asks around. No surprise, it turns out to be Max’s, and in Luka’s interview, he says he wants to smash Max, but can’t help laughing at him. He works off positive reinforcement and makes the crew happy. The guests ride the jet skis to shore, and on the boat, Jessika asks how Kyle is. He tells her to get out of his face and calls her malicious as hell. When she said he made her feel like a green stew, that meant he thought she was lower than she is and less than capable of doing her job. Jessika says she’s trying to communicate, and he’s taking it wrong, but Kyle says, they both speak English and have perfect communication. He’s saying things he doesn’t mean because he’s emotionally hurt. He thought she was here for him, since he’s been here for her since day one.

Jessika cries to Tumi, while Lara waits on the guests. Jessika tells Tumi that Kyle was snapping when he and Natalya were in the cabin; he was going off on the green stew thing. She tried to apologize and explain, and he said she was malicious. Tumi tells her, just breathe, and Lara says, when they’re done, a guest wants a lychee martini. No rush. Tumi tells Jessika to take a minute, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she doesn’t take men yelling at her well. She never had a father figure. Her mom was a single mom and had her at 16. She never met her biological dad, and she’s not used to having a strong male personality scream at her. Lara tells Haleigh that apparently Jessika complained that Kyle makes her feel like a green stew. She doesn’t know what happens up there. Haleigh says she feels like their team is falling apart, and in her interview, she says, the chaos and drama reminds her of middle school. Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! She’s thankful the biggest problem the deck team has is how many reps Max did with his pullups. Tumi figures out a way Kyle and Jessika can avoid each other until tomorrow, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she forgets how Kyle is like a toddler. He’s 30 going on 3. She needs Jessika to feel safe and needs Kyle to know that he can’t speak to her that way. It’s time to keep things together, and instead, she’s putting out fires. Natalya texts AJ that she misses him, but it’s hard when she knows he’s sleeping with other girls. Tumi tells Jessika that it was the wrong time to talk to Kyle when emotions are heightened. Jessika will do dinner service with her tonight, so they won’t mix. She tells Jessika that she’s proud of her, and they hug. In Lara’s interview, she says, Max is growing on her. He’s a good person and reads books. Who reads books? Seriously? Lots of people read books. Tumi looks for dress-up stuff for the casino thing, and Haleigh packs liquor for the booze cruise. Natalya passes out vests to the guys, and tells them, no shirts. The guests are ready to get on the tender, and Luka says, welcome to the booze cruise. They get in, and Max flirts. On the boat, Natalya tells Kyle that the theme is neon casino.

Captain Sandy returns, and Tumi asks if she’s okay. She says she has a fracture, and in her interview, she says she has a high tolerance for pain. She had the feeling she broke her wrist, since she’d broken the other one snowboarding. If it had been worse, she couldn’t drive and she’d have to be replaced as captain, but it’s not that bad. She can still drive the vessel. She thanks Nikola for holding down the fort. On the tender, the guests take pics and laugh. Natalya radios Luka and says she’ll need a heads up, since she wants to surprise the guests. He tells her, 10 minutes, and Natalya and Lara pour shots. Lara says, it smells like tomorrow night. Jack plates the… food porn! I dub it such before it even leaves the galley. The guests return, and Luka goes to see Captain Sandy. She tells him that she can still drive. It’s just a little fracture, but she’ll still have to wear the brace for 5 weeks. In Luka’s interview, he says, Captain Sandy’s wrist is broken, but she’s still got that attitude. You’re a boss. In Max’s interview, he says he thinks his reputation is getting better. He’s become the cherry on the cake, and it feels good. The captain stops by to see the guests, and explains that when she was launching the kayak, she backed up and fell on her bum, but she can still drive. Guest Carlie says, Captain Sandy’s crew is top notch. Kyle sees Natalya and says, they might as well fight, the day he’s having, and she asks, what happened? He says, Jessika is feeling a certain way, but Natalya says, he can’t harvest that negative energy. Kyle asks if he’s supposed to thank Jessika for talking sh*t behind his back. The drama is always revolving around the interior, and it’s exhausting.

In Jessika’s interview, she says, after the day she had with Kyle being a rude bitch, being on service reminds her that she’s a good stew, and makes her heart feel better. The table décor is Italian picnic surrounded by beautiful greenery, and the guests are seated. Amanda announces to no one in particular that the chef is having desert with them. Natalya and Luka hang up shiny streamers for the casino, while flirting, and Kyle says he’s drained. Jessika wants to know how she came into the conversation, and Tumi says, Kyle just heard green stew and flipped. Luka helps with service, and the guests cheer Jack when he comes up, thanking him for the best dinner. They ask where he’s from, and he tells them, Liverpool, and guest Sonali says she’s from London. Jack says he’s been there, and another guest says, she’s really from Maryland. They ask Tumi if it’s okay for Jack to have a shot, but Tumi says, it’s not her decision. Amanda asks, what if they demand it? and Jack says, then he’ll have to. They chant, shots! Shots! and Tumi serves them. Sonali says, Jack has to taste test the whole thing, and he throws it back. In Jack’s interview, he says he didn’t even want the shot. He feels possessed. And he can feel Tumi’s eyes on him. She knows he did wrong. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, but he is. Tumi tells Jessika that Jack’s not allowed do that. Cleaning the cabins, Kyle says, women are literally the messiest of all humankind. We will have to agree to disagree. Jack spends a half hour with the guests, then cleans the galley. At 11:15 pm, it’s casino time. Jack joins them, and Sonali bounces an inflatable die on her palm. Jack finally leaves, and tells Tumi that it’s a good crowd; sexy as hell. Tumi says, Jack has a crush, and took a sneaky shot. Captain Sandy is so strict on that, Jack has to tell her. He doesn’t want her finding out. He says, she won’t unless there’s a snitch, but she says, the captain will find out. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s giving Jack an opportunity. Captain Sandy will find out from one of the guests or a crew member. She hopes he does the right thing. Kyle says he doesn’t feel good; he’s dizzy. He sits down on the floor, and Tumi says she doesn’t know what to do and runs off to get help.  

Tumi call Lara and tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. Lara speaks to Kyle in Afrikaans, and asks, what’s going on? He says he doesn’t feel well, and Lara asks Tumi to get a cold towel. Kyle says he’s been drinking water, so he’s not dehydrated, and Lara asks if he’s eaten. He says, this morning, and she says, that’s probably why this is happening. Kyle cries that this stupid drama is getting to him. He’s tired. Lara says, a buildup of emotions can create anxiety, plus not eating. Natalya eats in the crew mess, and Lara tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. He’s crying and dizzy. She’s going to make him some noodles. Tumi tells Kyle that it could be an anxiety attack, and Kyle says, the older he gets, he doesn’t want to deal with this sh*t. No more with Natalya’s up and down relationship and feeling this and that. Tumi says, it’s okay, and Natalya says, they’re going to put him in bed so he can get comfy. Kyle says he’s overworked. It’s just everything. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s not a stranger to anxiety attacks. She thinks the pressure this season is getting to Kyle, and he’s internalizing it. Your body tells you when you need a break, and if you don’t stop, your body will. AJ calls Natalya and says he’s – wait for it – missing part of his soul. <gag> He’s never been this long without her. Lara tells Kyle not to overwork himself, and Kyle texts Zach that it’s been a tough day. He loves and misses Zach. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s overwhelmed. He’s been working long hours. He was similarly depressed on his first yacht. He was in a vehicle with the first officer and jumped out on I-95. He wanted physical hurt as opposed to feeling that way emotionally. But what is he supposed to do? Quit his job? Kyle thanks Lara and Tumi in a group chat, and says he reached his breaking point and can no longer obtain personal life matters from everyone anymore.

Nataly asks if Jessika has read the text, and says she thinks it’s a small dig saying he reached his breaking point. She thinks he means Jessika. In the crew mess Lara tells Haleigh that she wants to get laid. She doesn’t know what it feels like anymore. The breakfast special is smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and I wouldn’t throw that off my plate. Natalya asks Kyle, what’s going on? She thinks they should have an interior meeting when the guests are gone. He says, it’s for him and Jessika to sort out, and Natalya says, Jessika saw his dig at her, but he says he doesn’t care. Anchor is up, and Jessika asks if Tumi read the text. Jessika shows her, and Tumi says, it was just because of Kyle’s panic attack. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Jessika and Kyle’s last interaction was him attacking her, so naturally she’d think it was an insinuation against her. Tumi tells Jessika that Kyle said he can’t take on everyone’s issues. She doesn’t think Jessika was the target. It’s not meant to be a friendship group. Kyle tells Tumi that Natalya wants a meeting, but he’s just going to be sitting there. Tumi tells him that Jessika thought the message was targeting her because she didn’t know what happened, so she explained. In his interview, Kyle says, this is what Natalya’s about. She pokes her nose into other people’s business, and acts like she knows better. Stay in your lane. The guests pack.

The pilot boat comes, and Kyle suggests he and Jessika talk and come to a solution when the guests leave. Luka asks the interior to help with docking, telling them to take a fender each. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s a tight slip, but she trusts her crew. Luka is in work mode, and it’s incredible how far they’ve all come. In Luka’s interview, he says he’s proud of his team. They were focused when Captain Sandy was off the boat, and it made him look good. And when he looks good, the captain is happy. There are hugs and goodbyes from the guests, and Amanda tells Captain Sandy that everything was top notch. She doesn’t know how the crew handled them. It was so fun. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests leave. Captain Sandy tells them to turn the boat around, and then they’ll have a tip meeting. Jack tells Luka about the sneaky shot, and Luka thinks it would be a good idea to tell the captain. Jack meets Captain Sandy on the bridge, and he says that he f***ed up a little last night. He had a shot with the guests. The captain tells him, pack your sh*t, and before he has a heart attack, adds that she’s just kidding. Jack says he doesn’t even like shots, but they were encouraging him. She says, don’t do it again, and thanks him for telling her. She told them it would be a hard charter not to cross the line. He made a mistake, and he knows it. In the captain’s interview, she says she’s glad Jack admitted it, and they’re moving on. He knows better now. Kyle asks Jessika to do cabins with him, and in her interview, Jessika says, she wants to hear Kyle out and is ready to speak to him. He closes the cabin door and sits on the bed. She asks if she should go first.

Jessika tells Kyle, that when she said he made her feel like a green stew, she never meant it in a malicious way. After speaking to Tumi, she needs to think before she says something that will come off wrong. She’s sorry for not talking directly to him. He tells her, if it was Natalya running her mouth, he’d be like, that’s typical. Jessika will see things in her own time. Jessika tells him about Natalya bringing her attention to the text, and he says he understands what she’s saying. Jessika says she’s starting to see it, and in her interview, she says, after the conversation about being on service, she didn’t take it personally until Natalya questioned Tumi laughing. Then she questioned Tumi laughing. We flash back to that, and she says she wouldn’t have second guessed a text if Natalya didn’t make her think about it. Natalya is at the core of the drama. She knows the weak link and uses that to stir the pot. She tells Kyle that she’s sorry, and he apologizes for his approach. It brought him back to being picked on previously. Jessika says she’s truly sorry from her heart and they hug. He thanks her for chatting and being open. They’ve got this. He tells her to watch out, and she says she realizes. The captain calls everyone to the deck salon for the tip meeting.

Captain Sandy says, it was a bizarre charter for the crew, but when she was away, they maintained professionalism. She thanks them, and says, on the flip side, she said the guests would push them to cross the line. She asks, how many were tempted? and a few of the crew members raise their hands. She says, superyacht people don’t cross the line, no matter what. They maintained so well, she booked a charter for tomorrow, and there’s a 24-hour turnaround. This news goes over like a lead balloon, and the captain says, just kidding. Gee, she’s a real laugh riot. What’s with her today? She tells them that owners have arranged for a day off for them tomorrow. Go have fun and blow off steam. The tip is $20K or 1400 euros each. In Lara’s interview, she says she’s excited for a day off. Slick as sh*t. They clink glasses and Captain Sandy thanks them and tells them to have fun.

The crew finishes cleaning the boat and gets ready to go out. Haleigh suggests they get blackout wasted. They teleport to a restaurant, and when Luka orders tequila, water, and cucumber. Lara calls him a basic ass white girl. Food is served, and Kyle asks, what was their most challenging charter? Natalya says, the first one, and Kyle says, this last one was the worst in his history of yachting. Jessika says, it’s always a lot and suggests they be positive for the next one. Kyle takes her hand and says he’s glad they’re together again. To be honest, she looks happier. Tumi is a calm mediator. She knew they needed space from each other, and he needed to be away from the guests. Natalya watches them and if looks could kill. In her interview, she says, they have a trio of three best friends. Be positive. You’re so hot, babe. It does her head in. These are the most ungenuine people she’s ever met in her life. Wow. And she’s the most ungenuine, jealous, vindictive, screwed-up bitch I’ve had the pleasure to never meet in my life. AJ texts that he loves her because he senses potential fun, and she texts back that she loves him too. She tells the others that she’s going back to the boat for a minute, and she’ll meet them at the next bar. Kyle asks, what’s wrong? but she just leaves.

At the boat on the phone, Natalya tells AJ that it’s been a stressful week. It just built up. Everyone is out, but she’s on the boat. He says he’s at work, and she says she feels home sick. She doesn’t feel good and can’t deal with what’s going on.

At the restaurant, Jessika calls ex-primary Amanda, and says, they’re going to be in the bar next to the boat. Kyle says he can party, but he’s done with the girls. Natalya is so aggressive and sh*t stirring. He doesn’t want that toxicity around him. Lara says, it gave him an anxiety attack, and Kyle says he feels free now that Natalya walked off. At the next bar, the previous charter shows up, and Lara says, now the tables are turned. The girls have to buy them drinks. Natalya comes back, and one of the girls is sitting with Luka. Natalya says she could hear them a mile away, and Luka asks where she ran off to. She says she had business, and asks if he wants a shot, but he says, no. In Natalya’s interview, she says, Luka is super cold to her. She feels icy vibes toward him. Um… I think she means from him, but she is an idiot. Everyone dances, and kisses everyone else. Lara racks up 10 kisses overall. With different women. Max, who isn’t doing too badly himself with ex-guest Leni, puts Lara on his shoulders. Go, Lara! In Lara’s interview, she says, she’s got charm the straight ladies can’t resist. She’s a fun drunk. Luka goes into the bathroom with Jessika (!), and Tumi listens at the door. In Tumi’s interview, she says, this is going to end badly. Everyone says their goodbyes, and the crew goes back to the boat.

Lara says she hooked up with every woman who ever existed. Haleigh wisely goes to bed, and Kyle says he’s putting money on Max and Leni not working out. Max is 23, and Leni is a grown businesswoman. Kyle’s engaged, so he’s out. Max somehow thinks S for straight should be tacked on to LGBTQIA+, and Kyle says he must be crazy. He supports Max’s straightness and Max can show allyship, but he can’t be accepted as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Natalya says, maybe he’s bi-curious since he’d be with two girls. I think she’s joking, but again, she’s an idiot. Kyle tells her to take a back seat in this conversation, and she tells him not to talk to her like that. He says, she’ll never control him. Focus on her own f***ed up life. Jack tries to intervene, and Kyle says, she’ll throw him under the bus next. Natalya says she can’t believe what he’s saying. This speaks volumes about their friendship. He says, their friendship’s never been real. She’s been a fake ass bitch since day one.

I would cheer Kyle for telling Natalya what he really thinks, but they’ll probably be friends again by the end of next charter.

To be continued…

🌾Bringing In One Sheaf…

Come around tomorrow for soap and a cup or two of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not letting yourself be dragged into debate on Thanksgiving (change the subject), and stay admitting the truth. Everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway.

Nov7

November 6, 2023 – A Quiet Halloween At the Hospital, All-Girls Trip On Deck & Bittersweet

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the hospital, Finn tells Elizabeth that he’s still on a sugar high, and she says, her too. She’s surprised her quietest evening should be Halloween. He tells her, don’t say that. She’s going to jinx it.

Carly and Drew kiss. She says she’s missed him and asks if he’s really here. He says he is. It’s like he’s woken up from a long nightmare. She says, but he’s home now, and he says he is, but he doesn’t know how he got released from Pentenville.

Football player Chase comes home and tells baseball player Brook that he got the assorted chocolates, and they’re the good kind. She says she can’t believe the stores weren’t out, and he says, the first two were, but he hit the jackpot on the third one. She says she’s sure he was the sexiest football player there, and thanks him for going. She looks in the bag, and says, these are the good kind. Too bad all the trick-or-treaters are home sleeping now.

Esme says she’s sorry Ace woke Laura up, but Laura says, he didn’t at all. She was up doing extra work, but she loves every moment she spends with her grandson. Besides, he’s a baby. He cries. That’s what babies do. Esme says she can’t believe she didn’t hear him cry. She should have woken up sooner. Laura says, it’s really okay. That’s why Esme is here with them, so they can help her. Esme asks why Laura is always so nice to her.

Sam and Danny walk into the apartment, and Dante asks how it went tonight… What’s up? Did something happen? Sam says, Danny’s not sure. Charlotte went missing, Jake went to look for her, and now they’re both missing.

Charlotte looks through Anna’s trunk in the dark using a flashlight. Anna is about to come in, but realizes the door is unlocked. She backs away and almost leaves, but stops. The flashlight goes out, and Charlotte messes with it, trying to get it to come back on. Anna takes her gun out of her waistband, and quietly pushes the door open. She sees the hooded figure and says, freeze. Because Charlotte is secretly an idiot, she turns around, the dead flashlight pointed at Anna, and Anna shoots. Charlotte falls to the floor. Jake calls to Charlotte and runs to Anna’s apartment. Anna turns Charlotte over and realizes it’s her.

Anna tells Jake to get the lights. She needs to see where Charlotte is hit. He turns on the lights and sprints over to them. Anna sees the wound is to the side of Charlotte’s stomach, and says she needs something to stop the bleeding. She tells Jake to take off his jacket and give it to her. Quick! She balls up the jacket, putting it against the wound, and tells Jake to call 9-1-1. She asks if Charlotte can hear her, and dispatch asks Jake, what is his emergency? He says, his friend needs an ambulance, and the operator asks if he can tell her what happened. He says, she was shot. Hurry! The operator asks the address, but he doesn’t know, and Anna says, 114 Clover Avenue, apartment 68. He repeats the address to the operator, and says, can they hurry please? She’s bleeding and she’s not moving. The operator says, the ambulance is on the way. What’s his friend’s name and how old is she? He says, Charlotte Cassadine; she’s 15. Please hurry. He asks why Anna shot her, because he too, is an idiot. Has everyone eaten too much candy?

Dante asks, what happened? and Danny says, Mr. Cassadine dropped them off at Harbor Vista to go trick-or-treating. It’s where Charlotte wanted to go. She said neighborhoods around there gave out the best candy. They went trick-or-treating, then a little bit later, stopped to check their bags and figure out what street to go down next. Dante asks if that’s when they noticed Charlotte was missing, and Danny says, yeah. They looked for her. Jake thought he saw her, but when he turned around, the person Jake was looking at was in the Hermit costume from the tarot. Dante asks if that’s what Charlotte was dressed up as, and Jake says, no, but it’s what she was originally going to go as, so if the person they did see was Charlotte, she must have changed her costume at some point. Sam asks if he knows why she wanted to go as the character from tarot, and Danny says, maybe she likes it. They were all at Kelly’s one day eating sundaes, and she said she learned to read tarot when she was away at boarding school in Switzerland.

Elizabeth says, after all the time she’s spent with Finn, she never pegged him as being the suspicious type, but he admits there are things that can’t be explained. Her luck tapping maple trees, for example. She says she has a knack for it. Or maybe she was a maple tree tapper in a past life, which sounds just as crazy as believing in a jinx. He says, laugh all she wants, but one of the weirdest nights he ever spent in the ER started with an intern saying, it’s gonna be a quiet night.

Laura says, why is she so nice to Esme? Because they’re family. Esme is the mother of her grandson; that means a great deal to her, and to Doc. Esme says, families aren’t always nice to each other, and Laura says she knows. Navigating family is tough for some. Esme says, that’s an understatement, especially considering who her parents are, and Laura suggests they focus on the present moment and the people who are here right now, like Ace, who she couldn’t possibly love more. She sees what a wonderful mother Esme is to him, and she can’t help but love Esme. So why doesn’t she just let go of all that guilt? Esme asks if Laura thinks she’s really doing a good job, and Laura says she’s doing a great job. She’s very impressed with how Esme is handling being a single mother and working at The Invader to support her son. Esme says, but Ace’s schedule is disrupting Laura’s life. She’s the mayor and has to put up with a teething baby when she has a million things to do. It’s not fair. Laura says, why doesn’t Esme let her be the judge of that? She loves having Ace here. She loves being able to help Esme with him. Esme says, and she’s been so generous, and it’s been so great, but they can’t stay here anymore.

Chase wonders if he was too generous to the trick-or-treaters earlier, and Brook says, he gave three extra candy bars to three kids dressed in Star Wars costumes, so what does he think? He says, that’s because they looked awesome. Now he feels bad that she had to turn kids away while he was out searching for candy. She reaches for the bowl, but he pulls it away, saying, he doesn’t want to run out again. She says, if they do, she’ll just give out more granola bars, and he says, she didn’t. She says, there was nothing else. She couldn’t just turn them away with nothing. He says, granola bars? That was his worst nightmare as a kid. It was like getting a box of raisins. She says she thinks the granola bars were fine, but he says, no way. He wants their apartment to be primo trick-or-treat territory, not a candy desert. She takes the bowl from him, puts it on the table, and says, there’s always next year. At least they get trick-or-treaters. Every year, her family opens the main gate, and they never get trick-or-treaters. He says, that’s probably for the best. Can she imagine little kids walking up to the Quartermaine mansion and Tracy answering the door? She’d be judging them the whole time. Yours is too tacky. What are you supposed to be? He laughs like a witch, and she asks if he’s implying that her grandmother is a certain Wicked Witch.

True story. I understand about the granola bars. I’ve never given them out, but one year, I thought I was going to have to give out granola bars or instant oatmeal packets, when I nearly ran out of candy. We had an extreme number of kids that year, and my supply was dwindling by 7 pm. I called my neighbor who I knew went all out, and asked if he had any extra. He said he was just about to call me. Thank God I squeaked by, and no granola bars had to be given out. Moving on.

Drew tells Carly that when he got out of the hospital and landed back in Pentenville, they immediately put him in solitary. She asks if they said why, and he says, the guards claim it was for his own protection; they couldn’t protect him unless he was removed from the other prisoners. But then, out of the blue, they took him out of there. They said Judge Kim decided the sentence he’d handed down was too harsh, and that’s when they released him, but he doesn’t know why. Does she?

Anna tells Jake that they’ve got to get Charlotte’s legs up because she’s bleeding, and he puts some throw pillows under her legs. Anna says, good. Talk to her. Just say her name. He tells Charlotte that she’s going to be okay. He’s here. Anna asks if she can hear them, and Jake says, the ambulance is on the way. Valentin comes in and runs to Charlotte, asking, what happened? Jake says, she was shot, and Valentin says, what? Did somebody call an ambulance? Anna says, they’re on their way, and Valentin tells Charlotte, papa’s here. Anna tells Jake to stand by the door; make sure they see him.

Danny tells Dante that they split up to look for Charlotte. Jake went in the direction of the person in the Hermit costume, and he and Georgie went the other way. Dante asks when they found Mr. Cassadine, and Danny says, right after that. They met back at the place they were supposed to meet. When they told him that they couldn’t find Charlotte, he got really scared. He told Danny to call his mom so she could pick up him and Georgie, and he could go look for Charlotte. Sam says, he did good. He followed Mr. Cassadine’s orders and waited there until she could come and get him. Danny asks if he’s in trouble, and Sam says, of course (🍷) not. Why doesn’t he go upstairs and get ready for bed? Tell Scout and Rocco to do the same thing. He asks if he can take his candy, but Dante says he and Sam have to look through it first. Then they’ll bring it to him. (Slick! They’re going to steal their favorites out of it.) Danny goes upstairs, and Dante says, he can’t imagine what Valentin was thinking, leaving Georgie and Danny alone like that to look for Charlotte. (For God’s sake, they’re not 5.) Sam says she doesn’t like it either, but in Valentin’s defense, he could reasonably assume that Danny and Georgie could make it home safely. She’s just glad they have a level-headed kid who knew to call them. Dante’s phone rings, and she says, he’s not off administrative leave three hours and they’re calling him? He says, Falconari… What?… When?… He’ll be right there. He tells Sam, there was a shooting. The address is Maxie’s old apartment.

Carly tells Drew, Alexis interviewed Judge Kim. She said she wanted to highlight his tough on crime stance, and during the interview, she brought up allegations of inappropriate gifts, specifically an expensive trip he received from a prominent businessman. In other words, Kim was bought and paid for. He asks how Kim responded. Did he say anything incriminating? She says, no. He denied it all and stormed out of Alexis’s office. He says, Kim must have known Alexis was on the right track, and Carly says, absolutely. He must have been afraid that a very sexy Navy SEAL who served his country, who was handed down a very harsh sentence, could draw too much attention to him. It could put a very big wrinkle in his ambitious career. Drew asks why Alexis wanted to do the interview. How did she know he was corrupt? Carly says, from her.

Chase tells Brook that he never said that Tracy was a Wicked Witch. She’s difficult… and direct, but everybody knows she’s direct. She is who she is. Brook says, there’s definite similarities between Tracy and a certain Witch of the West, especially when she’s trying to be generous and ends up blackmailing you. He says, this isn’t about the way he feels, is it? This is about Tracy’s claim that she stole Deception to give it to Brook. She says, yeah, and she and granny finally had it out.

Finn tells Elizabeth, everything that could go wrong that night did go wrong. There was nothing tragic, but sort of a series of freakish events. There was dropped trays, a crashed mail cart, the computers crashed, they lost wheelchairs. It all culminated in him delivering a baby stuck in an elevator. She says, crashed mail carts? and he says, that was her one takeaway? She asks if it was his first time delivering a baby, and he says, yes. It was the mother’s fourth child, and lucky for him, she knew what she was doing. She basically talked him through it. Mom and the baby came through just fine. Him? Not so much. He didn’t go anywhere near the OB/GYN for the rest of the year. So the moral of our story is… She says, stay off elevators with pregnant ladies, but he says, wrong. No matter how quiet the night seems, you never say it out loud.

Laura asks Esme what she meant, and Esme says, it’s time for her and Ace to find a place of their own. Laura says she didn’t see that coming at all. It feels sudden to her. Did something happen that makes her feel like she has to go? Esme says, nothing specific. The apartment just feels crowded with everyone living here, and she really doesn’t want to overstay her welcome. Laura says, the apartment doesn’t feel crowded to her. They all have their own bedrooms, and it’s big enough that if you want alone time, you can have it. Unless Esme is feeling crowded by someone in particular. Would this have something to do with Spencer?

The paramedics put Charlotte on a stretcher, and wheel her out. An EMT says, they’ll be transporting the patient to GH, and Valentin says he’s the father; he’ll be riding with them. Dante has shown up, and sees Valentin leave with the paramedics. He goes inside the apartment, and he and Anna look at each other.

Drew says, Carly’s the one who got Alexis to interview Judge Kim? and she says, Sonny went to Alexis first, but she’s the one who got the information about the vacation from a regular here at Kelly’s who’s the regular pilot for the businessman. Kim was a passenger on his private jet. Drew says, that’s kind of incredible. He definitely owes Alexis and Sonny a debt of gratitude. She says, and Diane Miller too, because she provided Alexis with a lot of important information, and he says he’ll thank all three of them, but Carly is the real hero here. It kind of makes sense that she’s the one to save him. She says she’d do anything to save him. She’s the reason he was in prison to begin with. He says, that’s not what he meant. He meant how smart and clever and incredibly beautiful she is. She’s his hero. She kisses him.

Esme tells Laura, it’s hard living with Spencer. Living with him and sharing the responsibilities of Ace makes it really complicated, and she thinks she’s started to develop feelings for him. She guesses if she’s being honest, she can’t help but feel drawn to him. Laura says, everything Esme is saying is completely natural, and Esme says, it is? Laura says, yes, of course (🍷). They’re in close proximity, and Spencer is the one she’d go to if she had a question or issue about Ace. Spencer has sort of taken on the role of father to her son… Does she think it’s all stemming from living here with Spencer, or does she think something else could be prompting this? Esme says, like what? and Laura says, like maybe Spencer’s relationship with Trina?

Danny comes downstairs and tells Sam that Scout and Rocco are already asleep. Where’s Dante? He wants Dante to go through his candy so he can have some. Sam says, he got a work call, but said he’d be here in the morning so he can have breakfast with all three of you kids. Is he okay? He says he texted both Charlotte and Jake. He still hasn’t heard from them yet. She asks him to go through the bowl of candy and see if he can find one of those taffies she loves. (Ooh, is it the chocolate one? I love that too. It’s tastes like a YooHoo.) He says he doubts there’s any left. He saw Scout go through them. She says, give it a shot. If he finds one, she’ll split it with him. He digs through the bowl, and she asks if he knows what’s going on with Charlotte. He says, she seemed pretty excited about trick-or-treating, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s been thinking. What if Charlotte didn’t take off? What if someone grabbed her? He bets that’s what Mr. Cassadine was thinking when he took off, leaving him and Georgie. Sam says she’s going to be really honest with him right now. She’s a little worried about Charlotte too, but they can’t jump to the worst scenario. Let’s just send out good, positive thoughts to her until they find her and get her home. He says, okay, and she tells him to remember that Charlotte is independent, and she does have a little mischievous side to her. So this all could be a simple Halloween prank that went wrong.

Dante asks if Jake is okay. He has a few questions for him, and then he’s going to take Jake home. Jake says he wants to go to the hospital. He needs to see Charlotte. Please. His mom’s working tonight; she’ll be there. Dante says, okay, and asks Jake to hang with the officer here for a minute. He’s got to talk to Anna, and then they can go to the hospital together. Jake goes out to the hallway, and Anna tells Dante that she left her apartment a little before 9, and locked the door. When she came back, the door was unlocked, so she realized someone was inside the apartment. She takes a shaky breath, and he asks if she wants to sit down, but she says, no. She drew her gun because she knew someone was inside the apartment – she starts to cry – and she opened the door really slowly and there was movement over by the trunk. The person turned toward her with what appeared to be a weapon in their hand, so she fired. She discharged her weapon on a child. She begins to sob, and Dante holds her.

Carly says she can’t believe Drew’s here. When he was in surgery, and she didn’t know if he was going to make it, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she was responsible for setting all this in motion, and she just wants him to know – and hear her please – she’s sorry. She’s so, so sorry. He says, it’s over now. It’s over. Except for six months’ probation. She says, Judge Kim gave him six months’ probation? That’s ridiculous. He already served enough unnecessary time in prison with hardened criminals who almost killed him. He says he’ll be fine. He won’t so much as jaywalk. What matters now is that he’s home with the women that he loves. She says, women? and he says, yeah. Her and Scout.

Brook tells Chase that Tracy has her faults, no doubt, but she truly believes Tracy wants to provide for her; that Tracy is genuinely concerned about her future. He says, sometimes people have weird ways of showing their love, and Brook says, Tracy’s pointed out on multiple occasions that she no longer has a stake in ELQ. So Deception is Tracy’s way of providing for her financial future. She’s told Tracy tons and tons of times, but she just doesn’t seem to understand, her future, her love is in music. And she is 100% committed to being a music manager. He says, she needs to follow her dreams and stick to them, and she says, that is exactly her point. If she had Deception to fall back on, it would just undermine her confidence in herself. It would be like admitting she doesn’t have what it takes to make it in the music world. He says, they both know she has what it takes, and she thanks him. She says, she just feels so terrible about Tracy hijacking Deception from Lucy, Maxie, and Sasha. The three of them should be running Deception, not Tracy, and definitely not her. Chase says he has a simple solution, and she says she’d love to hear it. He says, let Tracy give her Deception, and then she can sign it over to Maxie, Lucy, and Sasha. (That was my idea, and probably most of the audience, two seconds after Tracy told her.)

Charlotte is wheeled into the hospital and met by Elizabeth, Finn, and Austin. The EMT says, 15-year-old female, GSW to the abdomen, unconscious and lost a lot of blood. Austin says, her pulse is weak and thready; she’s hypokalemic. He tells them to get her to Trauma 1, and they jet with the gurney. Elizabeth grabs Valentin and asks, where’s Jake? Where’s her son?

Anna looks at the bloodstain on her carpet, and Dante says, CSI is on their way. He sees Charlotte’s backpack, and asks if Anna knows whose it is, but Anna says, no. Jake says, that’s Charlotte’s. She had it with her tonight. Can he take it to her at the hospital? Dante says, not tonight, and tells an officer to make sure CSI bags it as evidence. He tells Anna that he’s going to need her gun, and still crying, she puts it in an evidence bag the officer is holding. Jake asks if he can please go see Charlotte now, and Anna says, take him to the hospital. Elizabeth will have heard all about this and needs to know her son is okay. Just take him. She’ll stay with the officers, and they can take her into custody.

Carly hands Drew a vanilla shake and says, honestly, it’s all she has. The kids at the Halloween party ate everything. They even ate two of Aiden’s pies. Drew says, Elizabeth told him that Aiden’s baking, and Carly says, yes and he’s incredible. He asks if the kids had fun, and she says, they did. They played cornhole outside. It was hilarious, but they had a great time. He asks if Scout was here, and Carly says, she was. He should have seen her. She was so cute. She was dressed up as a scarecrow (oops). She had a blast. She misses him like crazy though. He says he misses Scout so much. He can’t wait to see her. He’s going to see her first thing tomorrow. Can he tell Carly something? She says, yeah, and he says, this is the best vanilla shake he’s ever had in his entire life. She laughs and takes a sip. She agrees it’s good, and they kiss.

Austin says, blah-blah-blah, medical stuff, protocol. He says more medical stuff and asks them to call radiology. They need a stat X-ray and give him the ultrasound.

On the phone, Elizabeth says, let her know when the OR is ready, and Finn asks what Valentin said about Jake. She says, he’s safe. He’s with Dante and the police, but he’s not answering his phone. Jake comes in with Dante, and Elizabeth runs to him, hugging him. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he is. He asks, where’s Charlotte? He needs to see her. Elizabeth says, the doctors are with her now, and he asks if she’s going to be okay.

Esme tells Laura that Spencer’s relationship with Trina is a huge part of why she needs to move out, but it’s also what’s so complicated. Laura says, complicated how? and Esme says, because of Trina. Laura says, because Esme doesn’t want to hurt her? and Esme says, of course (🍷). That’s the thing. She really likes Trina. Trina is so nice, and she’s seen how Trina is with her son. She’s so thoughtful of him; always bringing him little gifts and stuff. Laura says, she is a really lovely young lady, but she and Esme have quite the history. Esme says, that’s what she’s been told, but oddly, Trina seems to be the one who blames her the least, unlike other people. And her mom, Dr. Robinson, is so helpful. Laura asks, how so? and Esme says, Dr. Robinson is the one who suggested she and Spencer take the parenting class over the summer at GH. It’s been really helpful. It really took a lot of pressure off of them and helped bring her and Spencer together… for Ace’s sake, of course (🍷). Laura says, yes, of course (🍷), but still, it had to hurt Esme if she had feelings for Spencer. Esme asks, what doesn’t hurt her? She’s a girl with no past. She’s like a ghost walking through a town full of people who only know the old her and really have no interest in knowing the new her. There’s just something really familiar about Spencer, and she thinks she wants to latch on to anything that is familiar, even when she knows it’s not real or possible.

Danny tells Sam that he should have kept them all together, but Sam says, they’re his friends. It’s not his responsibility to keep them in line. He knows that, right? He says, maybe it wasn’t his job exactly, but Charlotte listens to him. When she was staying with them and left her stuff all over the bathroom, when he asked her to pick it up, she would. Not all the time, but she listened to him the most out of everyone. He needed to step up. She asks if he knows who he reminds her of right now, and he says, dad? She says, yeah, his dad. And just like his dad, he wants to take responsibility for the whole world, but he can’t. Nor can he fix everyone’s problems. Why don’t they wait until tomorrow to figure out the candy? He says, wait. He found one. It’s the last one. He hands it to her, and she says she knew if there was one left, he’d be the one to find it. She thanks him.

Dante tells Elizabeth that Jake was great. He called 9-1-1 and held Charlotte’s hand. He talked to her until the paramedics got there. He was a real hero. Elizabeth says she’s sure Charlotte knew he was there the whole time, and Jake says, it was an accident, right? Anna didn’t mean to shoot Charlotte, did she? Dante looks at Elizabeth.

Anna is standing in the hospital hallway, and Finn asks if she’s okay. She says she just wants to know if Charlotte’s out of danger, and he asks if she wants to sit down. She asks if he knows. Has he heard anything? Is she stable?

Austin says, they need to get her stabilized, and gives the nurse instructions. He asks if the other nurse has heard from the OR. They really need to get her up there before she crashes. Hanging up the phone, the nurse says, the OR is ready for him, and he says, okay. Everything’s good. The gurney is wheeled to the elevator, and Valentin jumps up. He tells Austin, save his daughter, please, and Austin says, they’re going to do everything they can. Valentin tells Charlotte that he’s here and she’s going to be okay. He’s right here. Charlotte is taken into the elevator and the doors close. Anna approaches Valentin, and he says, why? (Why? This is his fault.)

Drew says he doesn’t want Carly to think of anything except going for a night out with him. Some champagne, maybe a little dessert. She says, not a Kelly’s vanilla milkshake? and he says he wouldn’t trade tonight for anything. He loved everything about it. He loves her. She suggests they get out of here, so he can show her how much he loves her, and he asks if they’re going back to her place. He seems to remember how incredibly comfortable her bed is. She kisses him and says she’s going to get her coat. She goes in the back, and he gets up. He clutches his side.

Brook says, Chase is the sweetest man, and he asks if that’s supposed to be a compliment. She says, he’s sweet and kind and just a little naïve when it comes to granny. There is no way Tracy would just sign Deception over to her, for the exact reason he just mentioned. Tracy is a lot of things, but stupid she is not. Tracy would never risk her giving Lucy back the company. He says, she’s probably right, and she says she can see Tracy keeping some level of power. Like becoming the President of the Board. He says, okay, so what’s the next steps? but she says she doesn’t know, but it’s going to have to be something a lot more devious if she’s going to outmaneuver her grandmother. He asks if they can not scheme tonight, because tonight is Halloween, and that only comes once a year. So let’s focus on that, not Tracy. She says, okay. Tricks or treats? He says, treat, and they kiss.

Laura says she understands where Esme is coming from and thinks Esme may be right to put a little space between her and Spencer right now. Just so she can continue to forge her own new path. Esme asks if she thinks so, and Laura says she does. And by the way, she is interested in getting to know the new Esme. Esme thanks Laura for supporting her and says she knows it won’t be easy, especially with Ace leaving too. Laura asks if she’s thought at all about where she’ll live, and Esme says, there are rooms available above Kelly’s. She talked to Carly Spencer about it and thinks that’s about all she can afford on her receptionist’s salary. Plus, it does keep her in Port Charles, which is what she knows Laura would want. Laura thanks her and says, it would mean so much to her to be able to watch Ace grow up. She doesn’t want Esme to worry, so she’s going to help Esme with the rent, but Esme says, no. She’s lived here since Ace was born, and Laura hasn’t asked her for a cent. She can’t take anything more from Laura. Laura says she insists, because Esme is family, and the most important thing right now is that she and Ace have a safe and comfortable home. Esme thanks her and says she’ll think about it. She’s going to check on Ace. She really does think this is what’s best for both her and Ace. Laura says she thinks Esme may be right, and Esme leaves. Laura wonders what Spencer is going to think.

Sam turns out the lights, when her phone rings. She asks if everything is all right, and Dante says, the shooting victim at Maxie’s apartment was Charlotte. She says, what? Tell her that Charlotte is okay. Please. He says, she’s in surgery right now, and she asks, who shot Charlotte? He says, Anna did.

Anna tells Valentin, it happened so fast. It was dark. She thought it was an intruder. She didn’t know it was her. He says, please, he can’t do this, and she says, he doesn’t understand. It was an accident. She didn’t know it was her. He says he can’t do this right now, and Dante comes over and says he has to take Anna in for some questions, and they walk away. Jake approaches Valentin, and says he’s so sorry. He tried to catch up with Charlotte, but he wasn’t fast enough. Valentin says, it wasn’t his fault, and looks over at Anna. She leaves with Dante.

Tomorrow, Drew tells Sam that there’s so much he needs to make up for; Curtis asks what someone’s secret is; Jordan tells Robert that they need to bring in an outside investigator; and Anna tells Sonny that if Charlotte doesn’t make it, it’s her fault.

Below Deck Mediterranean

While she’s in her bunk with Luka, Natalya’s boyfriend AJ calls. Luka laughs, and tells her to take it, but she says, it’s not funny; it’s her f***ing life. Luka says he can’t get laid, and leaves the cabin. Natalya says she hates herself, putting us in the same club, since I hate her too. Lara says she’s still drunk, and Natalya says, if the boat burns, she’s going with it. She’s an emotional wreck and doesn’t know what’s happening. In Natalya’s interview, she says she’s realized she doesn’t want to be in an open relationship. Something all of us realized in the first episode. She says she’s not supposed to be with anyone else, but he is and it’s not okay with her. We flash back to their last call, and Natalya says, another person came along who’s in her heart, but because of her boyfriend, she had to push him away. This girl has messed up thinking in so many ways, I don’t have time to list them. I assume she’s a mean girl because of the crap she allows herself to take from men, but still, no excuse. Captain Sandy calls Luka, Jack, and Tumi to the crew mess for a preference sheet meeting. The captain says, Amanda Britte books event spaces and is a party planner. She’s bringing her closest friends, and they want a casino atmosphere on the yacht. Tumi reads that they love espresso martinis and margaritas. Her kind of girls. The captain says, it’s four girls. Get ready. Jack reads that they like Mediterranean cuisine, and one of them wants no meat except seafood. He concludes that she doesn’t know what she wants. Captain Sandy tells Jack and Luka that they know the line. Don’t cross it. In Jack’s interview, he says he’s crossed it a few times, but you can either do that or be a chef. Kyle asks Jess if she’s confident on service. He’s exhausted. In Jessika’s interview, she says, she’s mentally geared to do housekeeping, but she’s happy to take one for the team. She’s a go with the flow girl. Kyle says he also thinks it’s fair that she do service too. The crew gets the boat ready, and Kyle says he hates all-girl trips. They do cute, weird sh*t that no one thinks is funny except them. Tumi says, it will be fun, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he’s more experienced on service, but depending on how crazy they are and the demands they make, he needs his energy. Haleigh tells Lara that she thinks a good job for her would be hugging walruses, and in Haleigh’s interview, she says she’s going to hug walruses and sell feet pics to compensate. In Luka’s interview, he says, Max is the biggest learning curve he’s been thrown. He thinks there’s literally a cartoon going on in Max’s head; random voices bouncing around. AJ calls Natalya, and she says she tells him everything, and now she’s sick as sh*t about kissing someone for one second. Yet he can go home with anyone. What does he want? If he said she was the only one he wanted to be with, it would be only him for her. She’s trying to get a mindset. She asks if he wants her on a plane. She’s not doing anything. She told him what happened, and he acted like she was moving away with the person. She needs a couple hours to think. They’ll talk later. In the crew mess, Kyle says, AJ is not nice, and Natalya wants to leave, but he said, nope. Tumi is like, why? Max looks at the photos of the incoming guests and says, pretty, but Luka says, the trip is not for jiggy-jiggy. Kyle tells Tumi about his plan for him and Jessica to switch positions, and she laughs. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Kyle is trying to put her on the spot to get out of service. Cute. Try again next week.

Jessika has washed a sandwich in with her laundry, and says she’s confused. Max lounges on deck and yawns. Natalya predicts this charter will be a ballbreaker, and Jessika tells her that Kyle wants her on service. Natalya says, Kyle doesn’t want to be on service, and Jessika says, Tumi laughed. Natalya says, Tumi thinks Jessika can’t do it, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s confused. Natalya is making her think that Tumi doesn’t believe she’s capable. She feels it’s out of character for Tumi to be talking sh*t about her, and she wonders what switched. Kyle says he’s off duty, emotionally and workwise.

5 hours before charter. Haleigh asks if they’re ready to seize the goddam day, and Jack says he’s going to wow them with seafood. Jessika wants to talk to Kyle and asks him about Tumi laughing. She wonders if she’s being belittled. Kyle says, it’s not fair if everyone doesn’t do service. Just keep a smile on her face. He’s here. Provisions come in, and Captain Sandy says, teamwork makes the dream work. I was hoping we could get through an episode without that and/or a baseball reference. Natalya avoids Luka, and in Luka’s interview, he says, the AJ situation is affecting Natalya a lot, but he’s respecting her boundaries. Kyle tells Natalya that Jessika is pissed off about how the service situation was handled, and Natalya says, Tumi has to chill the f*** out. In Natalya’s interview, she says, Tumi realized that she and Jessika were running the show before she got there. She’s bothered that she can’t confront Tumi.

Tumi tells the interior to get in their whites, and Captain Sandy calls the crew to the dock for arrival. Lara says she’s going to propose to one of these women. Primary Amanda introduces herself, and so do guests Delaney and Leni. I guess the others don’t have names. In Jack’s interview, he says, I can’t cross the line… I can’t cross the line… The captain welcomes them aboard and says, Tumi will show them around. Lara says, surely, one of them must be a lesbian, and Tumi says she has tequila shots and champagne. She gives the guests the tour, and Natalya tells Luka that Tumi was talking sh*t. She laughed about Jessika being on service. In Natalya’s interview, she says she’s keeping her distance from Luka, but he’s the person she confides in. She’ll have to put on a chastity belt. The captain tells the crew to prepare for departure. Natalya texts AJ and says, she’s not doing anything with anyone, but they have to talk boundaries. Lara is struggling with a ground line, and Captain Sandy wonders why it’s taking so long.

Lara asks Max to help, as the fenders crunch against the next boat’s fenders. She says, there’s too much line out, and in Max’s interview, he says, the mistake he made two days ago is having repercussions. The guests want to see the galley, and Jack says, this is where the magic happens. In Jack’s interview, he says he promises he’ll be good this charter, and winks. Lara tells Max that he could have brought the line in, but it’s okay; he’ll learn. In Lara’s interview, she says she has to do it in a way that he still respects her. It’s like instructing a little child. It’s going be okay, little Max. The guests request Max’s presence, and Kyle brings him in. Leni says she loves his accent, and in his interview, Max says, we have the master jedi of sex in the boat. Lunch is ready, and Natalya asks Luka if he’s going to date Jess now. He says, yes, but Jessika says, no. Natalya says, rejected. Jack helps bring up the seafood extravaganza, and in his interview, he says, it looks unbelievable, but the seafood towers are super easy to make. He’s not Harry Potter anymore. He feels like James Bond this charter. Jack makes a return appearance after the meal, and the guests cheer, giving lunch a 10 out of 10. He tells them that each course at dinner will be from a different country. When he gets back to the galley, he says he feels like Gordon Ramsay. Natalya says she thought she and Tumi turned a new page, and Jessika says, maybe it’s her. She wasn’t here the last time. Natalya says, it’s not her, and in Jessika’s interview, she says, growing up, her stepdad would shut her down any time she had an attitude or opinion. She realized that she caused more hurt to her family if she had an opinion. She had to learn to stand up for herself as an adult. She’s still learning. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s gay, and there’s nothing up there for him. The guests use the slide and jump off the boat. Lara puts soap on the slide to make it more slippery. Jessika finds Tumi and says she wants to clear the air. When Kyle mentioned putting her on service, Tumi laughed. She’s not sure if Tumi was laughing at her because she doesn’t think Jessika is capable.

Tumi says, Jessika is interpreting it wrong. She was laughing because Kyle was running away from service. Jessika says she could have sworn they were just out drinking and Tumi had said she was doing good. The way Kyle said it, it seemed like Tumi thought she was green. Tumi says, Kyle is not running away, and Jessika tells her that Natalya also said Tumi was making fun of her. Tumi says, it literally has nothing to do with Jessika, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she respects Jessika for coming to her. She thought she and Natalya had made peace, but Natalya is stirring the pot. It’s mind boggling. Tumi and Jack confer on the dinner menu, and in Jack’s interview, he says, it’s going to be a tasting menu; everything but the kitchen sink. It’s what he’s good at even though it makes his job harder. Haleigh and Max dance around on deck, and Luka tells them to bring the water toys in. Lara tells Max that he’s doing amazing, and in Max’s interview, he says he’s giving like crazy. Lara giving him a compliment makes him feel powerful. The guests get ready for dinner. Jack has Tumi taste his stew, and she says, that’s fire. The guests are seated and from around the globe comes… food porn! Natalya tells Jessika that she’s confused as to whether Tumi is nice or not. Jessika says, that’s a conversation Natalya will have to have with Tumi. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s hesitant to talk to Natalya. She doesn’t want to tell her that she talked to Tumi at all because Natalya has her own agenda. She doesn’t want drama. She’s a peacemaker. The guests talk about Diplo and how they know tons of women who have slept with him. In Jack’s interview, he says he hates sh*t like positive vibes only, but he’s a product of the people he’s around. If he’s around people moaning, he moans. He still has a bond with Natalya, but he’s focused on the guests. He says, when he’s the adult, you know you’ve hit rock bottom. The guests pronounce dinner perfect and so good. Natalya calls AJ and asks if he slept with someone last night. Apparently, he did, and she says, he made her feel like absolute sh*t just for kissing someone, and he’s f***ing a girl from the club. He’s a f***ing liar. Kyle vacuums as the guests continue to party, and one of them tells him that vacuuming is stupid and he doesn’t have to do it. In Kyle’s interview, he says, it’s going on f*** o’clock. This is why he wanted a break and to not be on service. All these women are exhausting. One of the guests says she loves Kyle more than she loves her parents. The guests finally go to bed at 3:15, and at 6:30, most of the crew is getting up. Natalya goes to see Captain Sandy on the bridge, and says, this isn’t a positive conversation. The captain invites her to sit down and asks, what’s wrong? Natalya says she doesn’t think she’s mentally doing well, and Captain Sandy asks, why? The boyfriend? Natalya says she’s coping, and the captain says she’s sorry. Natalya asks, how many more charters? and the captain says, five. She doesn’t want Natalya to leave. Methinks Natalya needs some attention.

Captain Sandy tells Natalya that she’s safe and she’s okay. They have her. Kyle and the other people care about her, and this will pass. This feeling will pass. One day at a time. (Ha-ha! The captain is twelve-stepping her.) Sometimes you need those days when you have to deal. Feel sad, then make a decision as to what’s best for herself. The captain gives Natalya a hug. Disappointing me greatly, Lara tells Natalya about Kyle saying she wanted to leave, but he told her not to, and Tumi saying he should have told her to go. In Lara’s interview, she says, at this stage, she’s closer to Natalya than anyone else (translation: she wants to hit on Natalya more than anyone else), and she would want to know if someone said that about her. Natalya wonders what Tumi’s issue is, and Lara says, Tumi didn’t like Natalya from the beginning. In Natalya’s interview, she says she thought they’d hit refresh. She’s not biting her tongue anymore. She’s done with Tumi. The captain and Luka are carrying kayaks across the deck and launching them into the water. As the captain walks backwards holding her end, she falls. She tells Luka that she’s fine, and carries on, not missing a beat. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she thinks she broke her wrist. She just wants to get to her cabin, assess her wrist, and  move it around to see if it’s okay. Chief Officer Nikola bandages it for her. Natalya charges over to Tumi and says she wants something clarified. Did Tumi say it would be fine if she left? Tumi says she never wants someone who’s struggling to stay, but Natalya thinks there’s shade in what she says. She thought they hit refresh. Tumi says, that doesn’t mean they have to be friends. They’re not chums. Natalya says, Tumi’s not a good leader. Maybe it’s the living together that makes them ridiculous, but I don’t get why they don’t just focus on their damn work instead of their relationships with each other and every little word that’s spoken.

A couple of the guests listen in, and Natalya tells Tumi, that’s not a positive attitude. Tumi says, if Natalya is struggling, Natalya can come to her, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, it’s not what Tumi is saying, but the tone that bothers her. Natalya says, Tumi’s comments are upsetting her people, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she doesn’t like being spoken down to. She’s had it her whole life, and it lights a fire in her. Just stop. The listening guests go back with the others, and one says, something is going on downstairs. (Unless I really missed GH, I wouldn’t waste one minute of my Mediterranean cruise listening to crew drama.) Tumi says she knew Natalya would start that sh*t again, and tells Kyle that if Natalya isn’t happy, she could have come to her. Jessica came to her. Kyle says, that’s maturity, and Tumi says, Jessika thought the way Kyle was talking, Tumi thought she was a green stew. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s done everything for that girl, and she just swept the floor with him. How dare you?

Captain Sandy tells Luka that she’s broken her wrist before and she’s going to get it checked out. Nikola will be in charge, and in Luka’s interview, he says he’s 50% to blame. Kyle tells Jessika that she did him dirty when he was there for her. Don’t apologize. She says she doesn’t know why this is triggering him, and he says, she went behind his back and said he was making her feel like a green stew. She says, not in a bad way, and Leni listens in. Kyle says he’s the common denominator between everyone. I guess he doesn’t realize that could be taken in a negative way as well. Luka tells the deckhands about the captain’s wrist, and Kyle accuses Jessika of throwing him under the bus. Jessika says she didn’t, and Kyle says she belittled (WOTD) him when he had faith in her.

Captain Sandy heads for shore.

Next time, Jack does shots with the guests; Luka hits on Jessika; Jessika cries to Tumi; Kyle cries about stupid drama; Tumi says, everyone is at their breaking point; Kyle and Natalya argue; and Kyle calls Natalya a fake ass bitch.

🎪 All The Shade And Nothing But The Shade…

A taste of BravoCon. I heard Teresa got booed, and Sandoval. <snort>

A Recap Of The Shadiest Weekend Las Vegas Has Ever Seen

👻 Post Halloween Blues…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a tea party. I just can’t stomach Winter House – even I have to draw the line somewhere – but I’ll getcha the recap. Until then, stay safe, stay following your dreams and sticking to them, and stay never saying it out loud, no matter how quiet the night seems.

Oct31

October 30, 2023 – An Old Friend Goes To See Sonny, Pirates Of the Mediterranean On Deck & Cat

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At Pozzulo’s, Gabe knocks at Sonny’s office door and says he has a visitor. She told him to tell Sonny that there’s a broad here to see him. Her word, not his. She wouldn’t tell him who she was; said it would spoil the surprise. But she said they were old friends. Sonny goes into the restaurant and sees a woman with her back to him. He asks if she’s the broad who wants to see him, and Lois turns around, saying, hello, handsome. They hug.

Brook sees Eddie/Ned in the solarium, and says, there he is. She’s on her way to sign a new major client, Blaze. He says, congratulations, that’s great, and she says she’s meeting Blaze at Charlie’s. Would he like to come? She’s super nice and down to earth, especially for someone that special. She sings all different genres of music. Maybe she’d be interested in that new song he’s working on. He thanks her for the invite, but he thinks he’ll pass. And when he finishes writing that song, he’ll be the one who sings it. She says, suit himself – Tracy walks in – but as for her, she’s going to go make music history. Tracy says, or Brook could stop hiding from her and sit down and discuss her future.

Austin sits at Charlie’s bar, when Blaze walks in. Kristina says, look who it is. She’s back. Blaze says, maybe she couldn’t stay away.

Finn and Elizabeth make dinner together in the cabin. As she makes salad, he tells her, a few more minutes of marinating, and the steaks will be ready to grill. She says she didn’t tell him. Cameron is dating a girl from college. She doesn’t think he’s completely over Josslyn yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. He says, wow. He knows she and Cameron are close, but it still surprises him that Cameron would tell her about the girl he’s dating. She laughs and says, he didn’t; Jake did. She still can’t believe she has two kids old enough to date, and he says he’s dreading the day Violet is old enough to date. Teenage boys, run! She tells him to prepare himself. It’s going to be here before he knows it. He says he’s not comfortable anymore with this conversation. Let’s grill. He tells her, fifteen minutes, and she says she can’t wait. He asks her to wish him luck, and she says, good luck. They kiss, and he says, she’s amazing.

TJ walks into Charlie’s and joins Austin at the bar. Austin says he’d buy TJ a drink, but the bartender seems busy, and TJ says he didn’t come here for a drink. They need to talk about Austin’s cousin Mason.

At the gallery, Ava and Laura hug, and Ava says, welcome home. Laura says, it’s good to be home, and Ava says she’s glad Laura survived her journey to Chechnya. Laura says, it was hard, but she’s glad she did it. By the way, she heard about the kidnapping. She’s so glad Ava is safe and got through that ordeal. Ava says she prefers not to think about it. It’s just so fortunate that she was rescued by Sonny’s bodyguard and Dante. She’s focused on getting her life back to normal. Laura says she hates bringing Ava more bad news, but she wanted Ava to know they weren’t actually able to find Nikolas. Ava says she’s so sorry. She knows Laura will never stop searching for her son. It must be so frustrating to exert all that time and energy and hope, and come up with nothing. Laura tells Ava that she wouldn’t say nothing.

On the phone, Elizabeth says she really appreciates her gram staying with the boys for her. Tell Aiden that tomorrow they’ll bring him apples for his pies, and they promise to pick them themselves. Finn comes back in, and she says she has to go. Dinner’s ready. Love you. Finn asks if everything is okay at home, and she says, yes. She was just calling to check in. He says, him too. He called Chase when he was outside. He said Violet is great. Everything is well there. She says, good, and he says, now that they’ve checked in at home, maybe tonight could just be about them. She says, it sounds really nice.

Ava says she doesn’t understand what Laura is trying to say. Either she found Nikolas, or she didn’t. Laura says she doesn’t mean to confuse Ava. She doesn’t actually know where Nikolas is today, but she and Doc did find definitive proof that he’s alive and well, and she thinks he’s living somewhere in Europe. Ava asks if she talked to him on the phone, but Laura says, no. They found out he was making financial transactions. Ava asks if there was any proof it was actually Nikolas doing that. Anybody could have hacked his accounts and been doing that. Laura says, it’s nothing like that. They went to Geneva and met with his personal banker, who told them that Nikolas had been in the bank in person several times this past month.

Austin says he doesn’t give a damn about his cousin Mason, but he’s very grateful to TJ. Austin flashes back to TJ running into Mason’s room as he’s smothering his cousin. TJ runs to the bed, telling him, stop, and pulling the pillow away. Austin says, this doesn’t concern him, and TJ says he doesn’t give a damn about Austin’s cousin’s life – he yanks the pillow away – but he cares about Austin’s. There’s a cop right outside. Mason’s not worth it. At Charlie’s, Austin says he was about to throw his whole life away, but TJ stopped him. Thank you.

Brook says she’s not hiding from Tracy. She just doesn’t live in this house, so they’re not going to run into each other anymore. And she has zero interest in discussing her future with Tracy because of the way Tracy’s treated her. Tracy will have no part in her future. Brook walks out, but Tracys follows and says, Brook can avoid her now, but sooner or later, Brook is going to need her. (She calls Brook missy, and I swear I’d deck her if I was Brook. I hate that.) And when that day comes, Tracy will forget this day ever happened, and Brook will sit down and discuss her future with her at Deception. Brook leaves, and Eddie asks if Tracy really thinks threats and blackmail are the most effective way to influence her granddaughter. Tracy shrugs and says, it always worked with him.

Blaze says she’s here to sign the final contract with Brook to manage her music career, and Kristina says, that’s so exciting. She won’t keep Blaze. Blaze says, the meeting’s not for a little while. She came in early, hoping Kristina would be working. Kristina says she works every day, so Blaze could have texted or called to see if she was here, but Blaze says, what’s the fun of that? Besides, she decided to leave it up to chance. She figured if Kristina was working, that would be a good omen. Blaze’s phone chimes, and Kristina asks if everything is okay. Blaze says, it’s Lucy Coe – again. She won’t stop texting about the offer her and Maxie Jones made her to be the new Face of Deception. Sasha walks in, and Blaze says, uh-oh. That’s her. Sasha Gilmore, aka the woman she’d be replacing.

Sonny says he knew Lois was in town. He was figuring out when she was going to visit him. She says, same old Sonny. He never misses a beat. Always knows what’s happening. He asks what she’s in town for. Not that he cares, because he loves seeing her. She says she’s here to see Brook. Tracy screwed her over on a business deal, so she wanted to make sure her daughter was okay. He says, Brook is tough like her. She’ll be able to take care of Tracy. Trust him. Lois says, she shouldn’t have to, but she doesn’t want to talk about the Quartermaines. She wants to know what’s happening with him, because she heard he eloped. Carly must have loved hearing about that. He says, Carly’s fine. They’re trying to get along for the family. She asks how that’s working out for him.

Sonny and Lois sit down to some biscotti and coffee, and he asks, how’s the old neighborhood? She says, it hasn’t changed a bit. Everything is exactly the way he remembers it. He says, that’s what he likes to hear, and she says, although old Mr. Coluso the butcher, he retired and his grandson took over, and all of a sudden, the cuts of meat weren’t up to their expected proportions. So she had to take him out back and show him what’s what. Sonny says he’s sure she terrorized him when she took the clever out of his hands, and she says she did. And she never even had to touch the clever. He says, it’s nice to see things haven’t changed, and they laugh.

Eddie asks why Tracy is making this so much harder than it needs to be. Just offer the company to Brook, and if she turns it down, take no for an answer. She says, there are so many things she finds annoying now that he’s decided to live his life as Eddie Maine. Middle-aged man running around like a frat boy, his music, but most of all – Olivia walks in – his intentional naivete. Olivia says, Mother of God. Will Tracy give it a rest? Stop badgering Eddie. Tracy says she knows Olivia isn’t responsible for her son losing his memory, but she is responsible for how she’s handling it. She’s his wife. She has a legal right to have him committed. And if she doesn’t think shock therapy is appropriate, at least get him some intensive psychotherapy. Unless of course (🍷) she’s starting to prefer Eddie over Ned. (I know I do.)

Kristina introduces Sam and Sasha to Blaze, and Sasha says, she looks so familiar… Oh! She saw Blaze perform at the Nurses Ball. She sang a duet with Chase, right? Blaze says, guilty as charged, and Sasha says, she was incredible, and the way she stood up to her manager was really inspiring. Blaze thanks her. She appreciates Sasha saying that. She tells Kristina that she has to go take care of something and asks her to tell Brook that she’ll be right back. Nice meeting Sam and Sasha.

TJ says he remembers seeing Mason in Austin’s office a while back. At the time, TJ said he thought he’d met him before. Austin says he remembers, and TJ says he finally made the connection. Does Austin have any idea what Mason did to him? Austin says he doesn’t, but knowing Mason the way he does, he’s reasonably sure it’s something terrible. He’s sorry for whatever Mason did to TJ. TJ says, Austin was willing to smother Mason, so he must have done something pretty bad to Austin. Didn’t he have any other alternatives? Austin says he doesn’t think he could have done anything else. Except maybe he could have turned his cousin in to the police. That probably would have saved a lot of grief for everybody. TJ says, right, and leaves.

Laura asks if Ava is okay, and Ava says she’s sorry. She just needs a moment to absorb Laura’s news. Laura says she’s really sorry. Let her apologize for her son. She knows he treated Ava unconscionably during parts of the marriage and certainly the divorce. Ava says, if it makes Laura feel any better, she gave as good as she got, and then some. Laura says, it’s just such a shame, because she knows how much Nikolas really loved Ava, and she believes Ava loved him too. Who knows? Maybe after enough times passes, he’ll change his mind and come back to Port Charles and maybe they’ll be another chance for them. Ava says she doesn’t know. If Nikolas ever did love her, he doesn’t anymore.

Lois tells Sonny, so then, her Aunt Kiki – who’s had one too many glasses of chardonnay – falls flat on her face after toasting the bride and groom. But without even missing a beat, she jumps up on the bar, does a full split, grabs the bartender by the face and kisses him right on the mouth. Sonny says, tall, blonde, she was a character, and Lois says, she was, but this was before she married Lois’s uncle, who was a fireman. She had a thing for firemen. He says, they were all wilder back in the day. Speaking of which, has she seen Ned, or Eddie? He doesn’t know what Ned’s calling himself these days. She says she has and it’s so bizarre. All of the Quartermaines, every one of them, has a different theory about what’s going on with him. He asks, what’s her take? and she says she honestly doesn’t know. She’s still trying to figure it out.

Olivia tells Tracy, as she’s said repeatedly, she’s not having her husband committed. And she can’t believe Tracy would use the term shock therapy, which they have done in half a century because it’s considered barbaric. Tracy says she’s just trying to motivate Olivia into doing something, and Olivia says, that’s Tracy’s problem, because she’s not going to force him into therapy he does not want to do. If he wants to strum his guitar and be Eddie Maine for the rest of his life, she’s going to make peace with it. Tracy says, of course (🍷) you are. Why should she accept an executive husband, a responsible father when she can have Eddie Maine, a permanently arrested development adolescent rock and roller. Tracy storms out.

Cody and Dante join Sam and Sasha, and Cody says, sorry they’re late. He got stuck helping Dante run some errands. They were working on some home improvement project, and this guy is impressively useless at a hardware store. Sam asks if they were able to a stud finder, and Dante says, if that’s what it’s called. Sasha says, it sounds totally made up to her, and Dante says he knows maybe Cody has done some odd jobs in construction, but how did Sam know what a stud finder is? She kisses him and says, there are a still a lot of things he doesn’t know about her.

At the PC Grill, Lucy tells Martin that Blaze is going to be here any minute. What is she supposed to say to her? Hey there, guess what? Our majority shareholder had a temper tantrum and overruled her great idea. Martin says, let him understand something. All she wanted to do was rescind her offer to Blaze to be the new Face of Deception. She could have just called. Lucy says, no, no, no. She’s not going to rescind her offer, because she’s not bowing to Tracy. Blaze is the perfect spokesmodel now for their company and it wouldn’t hurt Sasha. Every success Deception has is a success… She’s here. Blaze comes over to the table, and Lucy says, she looks lovely. She introduces Martin, who says, it’s a pleasure to meet Blaze. Lucy speaks incredibly highly of her. Blaze says, it’s nice to meet him too, and Lucy tells him to grab a chair. She asks Blaze to join them, but Blaze says, no. She doesn’t want to drag this out. While she’s flattered by Lucy’s offer to be the new Face of Deception, she’s thought about it, and she’s going to have to pass. And not that Lucy’s asked for her opinion, but for what it’s worth (🍷), she thinks they should stick with the face they’ve already got. She leaves and Lucy looks sad.

Brook asks if Kristina has seen Blaze; they’re supposed to meet here. Kristina says, Blaze told her to let Brook know that she had to run a quick errand, but will be back shortly. Brook thanks her, and Kristina asks if she can get Brook anything. Brook says she’ll take a club soda. She needs a clear head for what she’s about to do.

Looking at her phone, Laura tells Ava, sorry. Duty calls. Ava says she totally understands, and Laura says she has to get going, but it’s so good to see her back in her gallery, safe and sound. Ava says, as bad as it was, she knows the worst is behind her, and it’s time to focus on her future. Laura says, that’s very smart of her. They’ll talk soon. She leaves, and Ava sits down, her head in her hands. She calls Austin who’s still at the bar, and he says, finally. He’s happy to hear from her. She says, her gallery. Now.

Finn says, you’d think he would have diagnosed his own OCD years ago, and Elizabeth tells him, you know what they say; doctors make the worst patients. She never stops learning new things about him. He says he doesn’t think having OCD is that interesting. He thinks she’s the fascinating one. She’s this amazing artist, but she’s also this compassionate healer who happens to be the Head Nurse at a major metropolitan hospital. She says, he’s just being nice, and he says he’s been described a lot of ways over the years, and nice is never on the list. Trust him. She tells him that she doesn’t care what anyone says, because she knows he’s nice… and handsome, and so, so smart. The whole backgammon thing, she can take it or leave it, but she also knows he’s a really good friend, an amazing father, and an excellent doctor. He says he can’t stand any more of these compliments. It’s making him very, very uncomfortable. So he’s going to kiss her now before she can say anything else about him. She says her plan worked, and kisses him. There’s a song part, and they go to the bedroom and get busy.

Sonny shows Lois pictures on his phone. He says, those are his grandkids. That’s Rocco, Dante’s son. She says, he’s so grown-up and he’s handsome, just like his grandpa. He says, and that’s Michael’s kids, Amelia and Wiley, and she says she can’t wait until Brook has kids. She and Chase would make beautiful children. She thinks Chase is a good guy. Does Sonny know him? He says, yeah, he works at the PCPD with Dante, and she says she knows, but cops aren’t his favorite. He asks what she’s talking about. He loves everyone. She says, he does? What about the Feds? She heard they called him in last month. What was that about? He says, a simple case of mistaken identity, and she says, uh-huh.

Eddie says he owes Olivia a big thank you, and she says, for what? He says, she accepts him for who he is, and she defended him. She defended his right to be himself. She says she’s not going to try and make him be someone he’s not. He’s a spectacular musician. He’s a wonderful, kind-hearted man. He thanks her, and she says, but she’s never going to stop missing her husband, and leaves.

Lucy tells Martin that they don’t even know if Sasha still wants to be the Face of Deception after the hell she went through. She really is still recovering. They don’t know if she’s camera ready or will ever be camera ready. Lucy has lots of classic products she needs to rebrand and new products she wants to launch, and Blaze would have been absolutely perfect. Martin says, except for the part where she doesn’t want the job, and Lucy says, the reason they can’t do this is because of Tracy. She really did bulldoze everybody so she would get her way. She didn’t even have the chance to do her full court press to win Blaze over. She could have had Blaze signed up, locked down, and she wouldn’t even have time to reconsider. He says, so Lucy wanted to trap her, but she says, no. What she wanted was to not take this lying down. You know what she’s going to do? She needs to show Tracy exactly who she’s dealing with. She jumps up, kisses Martin loudly on the cheek, and dashes out.

Cody says he took a look at Dante’s renovation plans for the family room, and if they really made a push, they could probably finish it in four days. Sam asks if he’s offering to help, and he says he is. Sasha says, count her in too.

Blaze tells Brook, sorry to keep her waiting, but Brook says, don’t worry about it. Kristina says she’ll give them some privacy, and Brook says, so let’s get down to business.

Austin arrives at the gallery where Ava is waiting for him. He says, she’s beautiful, and he’s just so glad she’s okay and that she called… She says, he’s drunk, and he says, yeah. It’s been a hell of a day. She says, yes, it has, because she just found out that Nikolas is very much alive.

Laura meets Martin at the Grill, and he says, there she is, his baby sister. They hug, and he says he’s so happy she’s back. He missed her so much. She says she missed him too, and they sit down. She says she’s really sorry she didn’t reach out sooner, but he says he can only imagine how she has to manage the city and their wacky family. She says, what are they going to do about their wacky brother?

Austin says, Nikolas is alive? and Ava says, yes. Laura tracked him to Geneva. While she didn’t see him, his banker told her that he’d been to the bank several times in person. He says, that’s great. Isn’t that great? No more blackmail. She says, yeah. It occurred to her, for months now, she’s been following orders from him, Mason, and their mystery boss, because if she didn’t, they’d deliver Nikolas’s body to the police. But if Nikolas is alive and well in Switzerland, she just needs to know one thing. Did he know about it?

TJ goes into Mason’s room, and Mason says, what’s up, doc? Did TJ come to finish what his cousin started? TJ says he’s a doctor. He took an oath to save lives, not end them. Mason says, so he guesses TJ expects a thank you for saving his, but TJ says, no. He came back here to explain why. He would never condone murder, even for someone as despicable as Mason. Sure, Austin would have most likely been caught, and it would have wrecked the rest of his life. That was a factor, but the biggest reason he stopped Austin was, it would be letting Mason off way too easy. Once Mason is convicted for his many crimes, he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison. Sure, it will be for what he did to Ava, not what he did to TJ, but as long as Mason is locked up forever, he sees that as a win.

Lois says, in some ways, Sonny is different, but in a lot of ways, he’s the same old Sonny that she knows and loves. He says, different how? and she says she doesn’t know. Maybe he’s more… confident, if that’s even possible. She knows what it is. He’s more centered. Hey, she doesn’t know about him, but she’s starving, and that biscotti’s just not doing it for her anymore. He says he’ll get the chef to make something for her, or he’ll make something for her, and she says she’s Gloria’s daughter. Don’t insult her like that. He says, kitchen’s in the back, and she thanks him, and heads for the kitchen.

Brook says, here it is, giving Blaze a folder. The official contract for her to become Blaze’s manager. As she promised, it’s everything they discussed and agreed upon, but she encourages Blaze to read it again. They both made the massive mistake of signing contracts with that sleaze Linc Brown. She’s learned her lesson. She will never again not read the fine print and advises Blaze to do the same. She also had her attorney keep the legalese to a minimum, so she’ll know what she’s signing. Blaze thanks her, and says she appreciates Brook has been where she’s at and that Brook has her best interests in mind. But just in case, she’s going to read it through anyway.

Sasha says, just to be clear, she wants to help, but has zero experience with carpentry or any kind of home improvement. But she’s a hard worker and willing to take direction. Cody asks what Sam and Dante say, and Dante says he feels bad accepting their help. It’s a lot of hard work. Sam says, and at the end of the day, all they’d be getting is beer and a couple of pizzas, and Cody says he knows they mean well, but if they don’t cut it out, they’re going to start hurting his feelings. They’re offering to help because they’re Dante and Sam’s friends.

Basking in the afterglow, Elizabeth says, everything about this is magical, and thanks Finn for planning such a special trip. He says, she doesn’t have to thank him. It’s amazing. She says she had so much fun today. She loved tapping those maple trees. He says he’ll never think of maple syrup the same way again, and she says, her neither, kissing him. (I wonder what they did with it…)

Lois serves Sonny a pasta dish, and says, just for you, old friend. Although she’s got to tell him something. That kitchen in there needs work. He says, oh really? and she says, he should be happy he has a friend who tells him the truth. He asks if he told her how happy he is she’s back, and she says she’s happy to be back. They eat, and now I want pasta.

Cody says, Dante has been a good friend to him, and Sam, in the short time he’s known her, has proven she’s someone he can count on. So he’d offer them his help even if they hadn’t just put themselves on the line to help take down Dr. Montague. But they did, so as a friend, he’s doubly motivated to help them. Sasha says she feels the same way as Cody. They saved her sanity. They saved her life. Sam says she’s just glad that whole nightmare is over. Dante says, time for a fresh start, and Sam raises her beer mug. She asks if they’re doing this, and they agree, clinking glasses.

Blaze says, this contract seems pretty straightforward. She’s about to sign, when Brook says, hang on. They need a witness. She asks Kristina to join them for a second and tells her that they need a witness to Blaze signing this contract. Kristina says, happy to help, and Blaze signs. Kristina signs, and Brook says, that’s it; they’re official. Blaze thanks Kristina for being her witness, and Kristina says, anytime. She goes back to work, and Brook says, congratulations, client. Blaze says, thank you, manager, and they shake hands. Kristina tells them, wait. It’s time to celebrate. She brings over two bottles of beer, and says, here’s to making beautiful music. Brook and Blaze clink bottles.

At the Quartermaine mansion, Tracy says, Lucy wanted to see her, and Lucy says she did. Okay, Tracy wins. Sasha will continue to be the Face of Deception, and there will absolutely be no contract for Blaze. Tracy says she knows. They decided this days ago. Lucy says, but Tracy should know, that’s the last decision she gets to make for Deception. Her dream, her vision, and it’s her company. She leaves, and Tracy says, that she owns 51% of.

Martin tells Laura that he has to admit when Cyrus had that coronary, he worried. Isn’t that somethin’? No matter how angry he gets at their brother or how little he trusts him, he couldn’t help but care. She asks if he believes Cyrus’s religious conversion is genuine, but he says he’s not sure. She knows better than anybody how suspicious he was when all that started. Now he’s not certain after seeing him in that hospital bed. He nearly died; that changes a person. She says, one of the arguments for his release was that he’s an old man in poor health, and therefore couldn’t hurt anyone. Does that sound like Cyrus to him? He says, no. It sounds like he’s playing possum. She says, that’s kind of what she thought too. His heart attack might have brought him closer to God, but it definitely bought him his freedom. It kind of makes her think their brother is just as shrewd as he ever was.

Ava says she asked Austin a question. Did he know Nikolas was alive or not? He says he had no idea. None. He thought she’d go to prison for murdering Nikolas. That’s why he did everything Mason asked him to do. He had no idea Nikolas was alive. And Mason is a liar who lies all the time. He lies to everyone about everything. She has to believe him. She says, does he know what really scares her? She really wants to believe him.

Finn watches Elizabeth sleeping in his arms. He shuts off the light, and kisses her forehead.

Tomorrow, Charlotte asks if Valentin doesn’t trust her; Anna says, it’s exactly what she needs; Josslyn asks Adam to come to Kelly’s with her; and Cyrus takes Trina hostage – again. I think that’s possibly going to turn out to be a dream because I doubt he’s that stupid.

Below Deck Mediterranean

The captain sees the lack of communication between Lara and Max, In her interview, she says, there’s a language barrier, but she thinks it’s how Max uses the radio. He needs to slow down, and Luka needs to figure it out. He’s never been a bosun, and managing personalities is the hard part. Anchor is home, and Tumi tells Jack, happy birthday. In his interview, Jack says his birthdays are always on a yacht, and Tumi reminds him that he’s doing pizza with the kids today. In Luka’s interview, he says, Sandy is a great teacher. He’s learning new skills, and they’re feeding his adrenaline addiction. His mom ripped around on a sports bike when she was pregnant with him. Her craving was petrol, and he thinks that’s where it came from. Lara tells Kyle about Max wanting to know how much experience she had, and they both speak in Afrikaans. In her interview, she says she likes cursing in Afrikaans. It makes her feel better. She lets out a string of curses, and I laugh because the bleep is so long. In Kyle’s interview, he says he and Natalya are like brother and sister. They tease each other, but she has a constant I-can-do-better-than-you attitude, and it’s annoying. She talks and he hears absolutely nothing. Luka explains to Max how to use the radio, and in his interview, Luka says, Lara doesn’t have calm and patience. In Lara’s interview, she says, her mom told her, since she was born she’d get blackout angry. She’s been alone with her mom since the age of two, and her mom grifted to keep them alive. It taught her not to be lazy and work toward what she wants. She never wants to be in that situation again. Luka flirts with Natalya, who would be fun if she wasn’t an a-hole. Her boyfriend AJ texts that he’s going to Thailand with some friends, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, last night, he had five girls over and she wonders what he’s doing over there. Lara tells Haleigh that she hates when guys get all macho, and Haleigh says she has a list of things she hates. She’s scared of anteaters; they look prehistoric. And why don’t pockets in women’s garments make sense? Personally, I think there aren’t enough pockets in women’s garments, and there should be a law about that. Anchor is dropped in Cinque Terre, and the kids make pizza with Jack. In Jack’s interview, he says, besides being a chef, he was also an English teacher. The kids were three, and he was basically a babysitter, so that’s the approach he’s taking. Natalya helps with the pizza, and it reminds me of my first job, short order cook in an Italian restaurant. I used to literally dream about making pizzas. Kyle tells Tumi that she’s lucky she doesn’t room with Natalya; Natalya can talk. We see a clip of her going on and on, and Kyle telling her to go to sleep. In Tumi’s interview, she says, if Kyle is talking sh*t about Natalya, that means he’s talking sh*t about her. She doesn’t know what’s going on, but it’s not genuine. Toppings are put on the pizza, and it goes in the oven. The kids dump flour on Haleigh’s head, but she takes it in stride because, tip. Lara gives Max instructions about a cable and starts to get frustrated since he listens to nothing. In Max’s interview, he says, it doesn’t matter what Lara’s title is. He feels like she doesn’t respect him and he doesn’t care.

In his interview, Max says he feels that Lara needs to be exercised [sic], and a producer corrects him, since what he means is, she needs an exorcist. Natalya complains, and in her interview, she says, she gets triggered by laziness. In childhood, her house was immaculate. Her mom was in charge of the inside and her dad was in charge of the outside. It was like a yacht with an interior and exterior crew. That’s why she’s like this. The pizza is served, and Natalya reminds everyone that tomorrow is the last day of charter, and the guests want them dressed as pirates all day. Jack has made an Italian lunch, and in his interview, he says, he’s good at cooking Italian food and loves to eat it. Lunch is served and it’s total… food porn! Luka radios Max, and in his interview, Luka says, it’s like having a toddler. He has to explain everything, and when Max isn’t happy, he throws a tantrum. He tells Max to help Haleigh, and the guests say the lunch is amazing and delicious. In Tumi’s interview, she says she loves chaos. If it gets still, she destabilizes. She needs to go, go, go or not go at all. If you’re still in your pajamas at 10 am, the day’s ruined. Tumi calls Natalya to the crew mess and tells her that she’s going on a hiking excursion with the guests. In her interview, Natalya says, she doesn’t like hiking; it’s a living hell. Who likes walking up a cliff? No one. Well, probably hikers do. Luka tells Haleigh that she’s going as well, and they leave in the tender. Max has wandered off his post, and Lara tells him to never leave the stern alone. She puts him on a break, probably just to get him away from her. She tells Luka that Max is now an irritation, and in Luka’s interview, he says, one things he’s noticed about Max is, he doesn’t like being told off. He calls Max to meet him on the bow. On shore, the guests climb up to an observation deck, where there’s a statue of St. Francis and a dog. In Natalya’s interview, she says, maybe if she prays to him, he and his dog will help her figure out what’s happening with her love life. It’s an amazing view, and when they guests are finished sightseeing, Natalya calls for the tender. Tumi tells Luka that Natalya is ready, and Jack makes lunch. On a side note, I heard cheffy has now been included in the dictionary. Ugh. It sounds so silly, and since when are pet names in the dictionary? As they pull up to the boat, primary Roy says, all that walking worked up an appetite. Tumi meets them with drinks, non-alcoholic for the kids, and he says, this is the greatest vacation ever. In her interview, Natalya says, everything feels like it’s last minute, and her relationship is affecting her work life. It’s causing anxiety, and she vents loud. Her truce with Tumi is a small step she’s taking toward no violence.

Captain Sandy calls Luka and Lara to the bridge and tells Lara that she’s going to be driving when they haul anchor. In the captain’s interview, she says, Lara works really hard, and she cares. She wants Lara to see how good communication is when she’s at the bow maneuvering. Max and Luka haul anchor, and Captain Sandy instructs Lara on steering. In Lara’s interview, she says, it’s her dream job to be captain and this is giving her the shivers. In her interview, she says, when she was young, she had a vision of herself as a captain with a little monkey on her shoulder, like Captain Hook. She thanks the captain and says she’ll never forget this. The captain tells her to make a turn, then go back to center. Lara follows instructions, and the captain says, excellent work. Lara says she’s a bit stressed, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Lara is like a little Sandy back in the day. She thinks Lara would make a good captain. Everyone gets ready for dinner, and AJ texts Natalya to call him before she goes out tomorrow. Food porn Dinner is served, and Roy says, eating while moving is like music. I don’t get what that, since it seems like it might be more annoying than musical. In Lara’s interview, she says, it’s like a light switch went off. Max is completely in outer space. Natalya mumbles, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he feels she’s being stable since the reset, but she’s not past regression. She’s always convinced something is wrong when no one else sees anything. The drama girl. Anchor is dropped, and Lara says, what a good day. She’s taking that in since it’s rare. Roy and his family play Yahtzee, and Natalya makes up clues for the treasure hunt. In Tumi’s interview, she says, they’ll most likely never be best friends. Unfortunately, she saw the demon first. We flash back to that, and Tumi says, goddammit. The best guests in the world go to bed, and in Luka’s interview, he wonders what Natalya wants. Is it on or off? She’s his type, but trying is getting harder. Who is he to Natalya? A side piece?

Final day of charter; Pirates of the Mediterranean. In Lara’s interview, she says, hop on the fun train; they’re having fun today. Natalya goes over the treasure hunt with the interior, and everyone dresses up. Luka tells Lara, Natalya is shy about her boyfriend, and Lara says she thought they were in an open relationship. Jessika calls Captain Sandy and says she’s much better. The captain says, they’ll see her on the dock in Genoa. Breakfast is served; otherwise known as… food porn! Tumi tells Natalya to start getting ready for the treasure hunt, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, she used to be a nanny to three boys. She’s got the pirate party down pat. Captain Sandy gathers the guests and says she needs help finding the lost treasure. She gives them the first clue; near the piano, they’ll see a cannonball clue near a key. They go to the piano, and find the next clue; outside the doors, there’s a cannonball game. They need to score 3 for the next clue. After they play the game, the next clue says to have a pirate fight with Captain Sharkbites. Max plays the captain, and the kids duel with him. Obviously, he lets them win, and the next clue is, find the cook with a hook for the final clue. Jack gives them the last one; find the pirate flag and secure the bag. They find a bag with a bunch of fake jewels and treasure in it. Guest Asa tells Captain Sandy that it was so fun, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, that’s why she wanted Natalya to do it. She knew Natalya would enjoy it and it’s up her ally. Plus, she doesn’t have to since she couldn’t care less. Natalya put so much love into it and Tumi is proud of her. Natalya says, it lifted her spirits. Anchor is home, and in Luka’s interview, he says, Max is more productive when he’s encouraged. He’s finally learning how Max works instead of getting frustrated. Roy asks if tiny guest Beau is thankful for their good time on the boat, and they get ready to dock. It’s a seriously tight squeeze, and in his interview, Luka says, the gap looks smaller than the boat. He doesn’t know how Captain Sandy trusts him to bring this thing in.

As they dock, guest Ehren says, this is intense, and guest Erika says, Captain Sandy is amazing. Ehren says, look how f***ing tight they are, and the lines are thrown. The captain says, good job everyone, and Max says he’s not doing any push-ups today. It’s time for goodbyes, and Roy says, they’re so lucky. Asa says, it’s the best vacation ever. The treasure hunt warmed her heart. Roy says, they know they’re safe in the captain’s hands and always have a good time. He gives her the tip envelope, and they leave. In Luka’s interview, he says, the game’s been going on too long. Hopefully tonight.

At the tip meeting, Captain Sandy says, they were amazing. They were down a person, but she never had concern. She asks them to give Natalya a hand for the treasure hunt, and one for Luka who stepped into the bosun position like he’d been there. And one more hand for Lara becoming lead deckhand. She’s doing an awesome job. She sees what needs to be done and does it. They’re an awesome team. The tip is $28K or $2300 each, and she says, it speaks volumes. She tells them that Jessika is coming back, so they’ll have their support back. They all clink glasses of champagne, and whatever for the captain. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s 99.9% better. Put me in, coach; I’m ready. They crew goes out, and in the taxi, there’s a lot of random sex talk, and Lara says, this is the most sexual group ever. They go to a bar and do shots. Jack flirts with a girl there, and in his interview, he says, there’s no one on the boat for him. In Natalya’s interview, she says, when she and Luka touch, she feels like a sex addict. Jessika feels left out, and Max and Kyle smoke from a hookah. Everyone dances, and Jack kisses the girl he’s flirting with, calling her the lady in red. I just keep thinking, aren’t they going to eat something? Natalya calls AJ, and she says, she doesn’t know what position she’s in with him… Of course she becomes close with the people she works and lives with… She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t lie. Luka and Kyle discuss Natalya’s relationship, and Natalya tells AJ that she has to deal with him while she’s stuck on the boat. How does he think she feels when she asks if he’s been with anyone? In her interview, she says, if he told her to come home, she would.

In Tumi’s interview, she says, there’s sexual tension between Luka and Natalya. She thinks Natalya doesn’t know what she wants. Just do it already. Natalya says, it’s the strangest situation in her life, and Lara asks why she doesn’t want to do it with Luka. Natalya sits on Luka’s lap and asks if they should go to the jacuzzi. In Luka’s interview, he says, the chase goes on, and they head back to the boat. In the taxi, Luka says, AJ can do what he wants, but Natalya can’t, and Haleigh tells them, kiss now and stop being stupid. In Natalya’s interview, she says, it’s so good, but so bad. When they get back, Max does push-ups on railing. Natalya calls Luka into the bathroom, and we hear kissing sounds. Kyle knocks on the door and says, he’s going to… the thing. I don’t even think he knows what he means, since they’re all so drunk. I just think, drunk on a boat where you sleep in a bunk? No, just no. Luka gets in Natalya’s bunk with her, and she says she knows it’s difficult. He kisses her, and honestly, I don’t think I kiss that loud. Why is it always so loud and smacky sounding? Do they amplify the volume? In the bunk below, Kyle says, sweet dreams, angels. As they’re kissing, AJ calls, and Luka says, go for it. It’s going to be funny. Answer it. Kyle says, don’t, and Natalya says she’s confused. Luka says, get in line, and Natalya says, it’s not going be good.

Next time, Captain Sandy says the next charter is all young girls and maintain as much as they’re temped; Natalya talks to AJ; Kyle argues with Jessika and says she’s not on the team; and Captain Sandy breaks her wrist.

🐦‍⬛ Gently Rapping At the Chamber Door…

Come on by tomorrow for soap and Halloween shenanigans. Until then, stay safe, stay driving extra safely on Halloween and take a car service if you’re drinking, and stay being happy if you have a friend who tells you the truth.

Oct24

October 23, 2023 – Tracy Demands Lucy Rehire Sasha, Third Time Guests On Deck & Season

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook meets Lois at the MetroCourt, walking to the table with her face buried in her phone. She tells Lois that she’s just sending one… last… text, and Lois asks what that’s about. Brook says, she’s about to sign a very important client, and Lois gasps, telling her, congratulations. Brook says, let her reiterate, she’s about to; she hasn’t signed them yet. Lois says, but she will, and Brook says she doesn’t think she can breathe easy until she signs this contract. Lois says she’s so proud of Brook, and wonders if she can ask Brook a question. Is she happy being back in the music business? Brook says, yes, of course (🍷). She should have never left. Lois says, not everybody agrees.

At another table, Mac and Doc hug, and Mac says, it’s good to have him back. Doc says, it’s good to be back in Port Charles. He understands Mac had his hands full as acting Police Commissioner. Mac says, it’s been a lot. There was one case, or one perp in particular, that really got to him.

Cody knocks on Sam’s door, and Sam tells him, Dante’s not here right now, but he says he’s actually here to see her. She says, in that case, come in. What a nice surprise. He says, in that case, be prepared to be even more surprised. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, for the first time, he’s actually not here to ask her a favor. He’s just here to say, thank you.

Maxie and Lucy walk into Lucy’s office to find Tracy looking through a folder at Lucy’s desk. Lucy asks what she’s doing here, and Tracy says she thought all high-level, hardworking executives took lunch at their desks. Lucy says, actually, it was a working lunch. They were discussing what a pain in the rear new shareholder they have. Tracy asks if she means her boss, and Lucy says, yes, obtained through blackmail and a hostile takeover. So what is it she wants? Maxie tells Tracy, what Lucy is trying to say is, what can they do for her? and Tracy says she doesn’t have to remind them that she owns 51% of this company, and as such she expects to be informed of all major decisions before they happen. Maxie says, such as? and Tracy says, changing the Face of Deception.

Sasha looks at a photo of her and Brando, holds it to her chest, and sighs. She puts it in bubble wrap and places it in an empty kitchen drawer. There’s a knock at the door, and she opens it to Dante. She asks if he’s here on official business, and he says, yes and no. She asks if he wants to come in, and he says, sure. Thanks. She wonders if she’s in trouble.

At Pozzulo’s Dex tells Sonny that with Spinelli’s help, he was able to track Mason’s car to the side of a cliff, where he was about to throw Ava over the edge. Sonny says, son of a bitch, and Dex says, they exchanged gunfire. Mason was blinded by his headlights, so he was able to get the jump on him. Ava was able to escape during the fighting, but Mason got the advantage and was about to push him over the edge when Dante showed up and put two bullets in his back. Sonny says, and now Dante’s on forced administrative leave for saving Dex’s life. Dex did good. Dex thanks him, and he says, but stopping Mason doesn’t solve the problem. Dex asks, what’s the next step? and Sonny says he didn’t cut his honeymoon short for nothing. They need to stop the man who Mason works for.

Cyrus approaches Portia at the hospital and says, it’s good to see her. She turns and looks at him.

Sonny tells Dex that it was Austin who brought the fabricated Pikeman information that they planted with Betty to someone in Pentenville. Dex says, where Cyrus was an inmate at the time. So that’s who he thinks Austin and Mason are working for? Sonny says he has no doubt, and Dex says, so Cyrus is the one who leaked to the Feds about Sonny’s deal with Pikeman. Sonny says, Cyrus has been trying to remove him since before he was released. He’s always hated Sonny, but he made a big mistake by abducting Ava. Dex asks if Sonny wants to pay him a visit, but Sonny says, not yet. He wants to make sure all his allies stay loyal. There’s a knock at the restaurant door, and Sonny opens it. He says, speak of the devil, and we see Selina is there.

Portia asks what Cyrus is doing here, and he says he’s here to see her. She says she heard about his early release; an abomination of justice, if you ask her, after everything he’s done. He says he’s sorry she feels that way, and she says, let her make one thing clear to him. She can’t stop him from entering the hospital, but one thing’s for damn sure, she can stop him from approaching her or anyone in her family. He says, she has nothing to fear from him, and she says she’s going to get a restraining order to keep him away from her and her daughter. Does he think she’s just going to forget he held them hostage? That he pointed a gun at her daughter? She thinks a judge will agree with her that it’s a pretty damn good case for her to get a restraining order against him. He says, that is all in his past. God has cleansed him of those sins, and the justice system has agreed and forgiven him. He’s here now just to ask forgiveness of her. She says, this is redemption? Is that what this is? Because the fact that he’s approaching her in her place of work is proof she needs a restraining order. He says, she has his deepest regrets for his past actions. He seeks her out now only to apologize.

Brook says, the only person she knows who doesn’t think she should be in the music business is granny. That’s not exactly news. She has mentioned, on multiple occasions, how she thinks Brook should be in a more prestigious business, because after all, according to her, Brook is a Quartermaine. Lois says, she’s also a Cerullo. Don’t forget that. Brook asks, since when does granny’s opinion mean anything to her? and Lois says, it doesn’t. Brook asks, then what’s her point? and Lois says, her point is, Brook might want to care a little more about what her granny thinks, because she’s about to give Brook Deception.

Doc asks, who’s this perp Mac is telling him about? and Mac says, Doc hasn’t told him about his adventure in Europe. Doc says, ah. Evading his question. Mac says, Doc just got back, and he wants to know all about it, and Doc says, when someone evades the question, that usually means it’s important. Mac laughs and says, has he ever told Doc how he hates it when Doc tries to shrink him? and Doc says, yeah, but he also knows Mac very well. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. He’s just saying, if Mac does, he’ll listen. Mac asks how much he’s told Doc about Cody Bell.

Cody says, this is for her, handing Sam a gift bag, and she says, her birthday isn’t until May. He says he knows. He just wants to show her how grateful he is for her helping him and Sasha. She thanks him and says, he didn’t have to do this. He says he knows, but he couldn’t have gotten Sasha out of Ferncliff if it wasn’t for her help. She got him committed, she had a getaway car waiting for them, she arranged for the cabin for them to stay in. It’s just a little present to say, thank you. She says she was happy to help. She just wishes she’d listened to him earlier. Then they could have helped Sasha sooner, and for that, she’s very sorry. He says, she has nothing to be sorry about. She took a leap of faith when she had plenty of reasons not to. She believed in him, and once she did, she went above and beyond to help Sasha. She says, he’s been a really good friend to Sasha. His concern for her was sincere, and his determination to help her was admirable. He says he guesses Sasha doesn’t need his help anymore.

Sasha tells Dante that she doesn’t know what she could be in trouble over. She was cleared of all charges regarding her breakout from Ferncliff. Her lawyers told her that Cody wasn’t going to press any charges against her for stabbing him. Dante says he’s sorry. She’s not facing any charges. He’s not here on official police business. She asks if there’s something else she did wrong, but he says, it’s nothing she did. It’s what she’s about to do.

Lucy says, Tracy has made it clear she’s part owner. What isn’t clear is, one, why would she care if Blaze is the new Face of Deception; and two, what’s she got against poor Blaze; and three… She can’t think of anything. She knows. Why is it any of Tracy’s business? It’s not. Nada. Zilch. Maxie says she thinks what Lucy is wanting to say is, Blaze is a perfect fit for them. She’s already a major recording artist. She’s clearly on the brink of superstardom. She’s got millions of followers on social media, and… Lucy says, thank you. That’s exactly what she’d be saying. Go ahead. Maxie says, younger women idolize her. Older women respect her. She’s the perfect person to uplift Deception, and market them through major demographics. Tracy says, bravo. Maxie should be in sales. She might have even bought it if she cared. She doesn’t care. What she cares about is, her 51% says Sasha Gilmore remains the Face of Deception.

Dante says he knows from Sasha’s police reports and medical records the hell she went through with that Dr. Montague. He’s so sorry she went through all that. She thanks him, and he says he knows it’s not the same, but he went through something about three years ago, and when his hell ended, he wanted to run away from everything and everyone he ever knew. He didn’t want to be associated with his former life because he thought he’d been irreparably changed. And he loves his life, his friends, his family, but at that point in his life, he wanted nothing to do with any of them. He wanted to run as far as he could and never come back. He thinks trauma does that to them; it did it to him. He thinks it’s doing it to Sasha, and he thinks it only makes things worse.

Sam takes out a softball in a display case, and asks Cody, what is this? He says, it’s a softball. It’s signed by… She says, the US Women’s Softball Team. That is so sweet. Thank you so much. He didn’t have to do that. He says, she didn’t have to help him and Sasha, but she did. She thanks him, and he says, Dante’s always talking about what a clutch softball player she is, so he thought she’d appreciate it. She says she does. She thinks this is awesome. She’s going to put it in the family room so they can all share it. He says he loves how they do that. The family room. He bets she and Dante, and the kids all gather together on the weekend and watch movies in there. She says, he’s right; they do. On Sundays, it’s either a movie or sports or a board game. They make it a point to spend time together. They talk about their week or just hang out. He says he used to wonder what that would be like, to be a part of a family, and she asks if he doesn’t wonder anymore. He says, no. He had his chance, and he threw it away.

Portia says she doesn’t want Cyrus’s apology; it’s so meaningless. His remorse is a sham. He should be in prison for the rest of his life, and the fact that he’s free, standing in front of her right now, is a travesty. It’s insane. He says, she has every right to her anger, and she says, don’t patronize her. He says, it breaks his heart that she’s burdened with this resentment. If he could, he would take it from her. She says, now he’s playing games with her. There’s no point in trying to convince her. She knows he’s not a changed man. The people who released him back into society, they may have believed the reformed act, but she doesn’t buy it and she never will. He says he understands, but if she believes nothing else about him, believe this. He is extremely grateful to those who stopped him that night. His sister Laura and the very resourceful Jordan Ashford, and his gratitude also extends to her husband Curtis.

Sonny thanks Selina for coming to see him, and she says she’s always pleased to receive an invitation to meet with him. He asks if she knows Dex, and she says she does. They exchange greetings, and she says, congratulations to Sonny and Nina. She heard they got married on his island. Sonny chuckles, and she asks, how was it? He says, it was great. It was fantastic. Can he clear something up with her? How did she allow his cousin Gladys to run up such a massive gambling debt? And she didn’t even have the courtesy to inform him.

Brook asks if she heard Lois correctly. Tracy’s giving her Deception. Lois asks if she was mumbling, and Brook says, what would give her that idea? Lois says, Tracy herself gave her that idea. She said she wants Brook to be able to provide for herself in case the music business doesn’t work out. Tracy also told her that Lucy and Maxie weren’t using Brook to her fullest potential. That she’s going to agree with Tracy on, because Brook has amazing potential, and if they were taking advantage of her, that’s not okay. Brook says, stop. Tracy blackmailed her and took the company away from them, and Lois is saying that was for her? Lois says, according to Tracy, that’s the truth. She intends to hand over her controlling interest in Deception to Brook. Brook says, come on. Lois believes her?

Mac tells Doc, Cody got himself in trouble saving Sasha Gilmore. He put his neck on the line to save her. Cody not only impressed him, it brought back memories of how he went to similar lengths to save Cody’s mother Dominique. Doc asks if Mac wasn’t involved with Dominique before she was involved with Scotty, when Scotty appears and asks if he just heard his name mentioned.

Lucy tells Tracy, Sasha has been through too much. She’s been through the most horrible, ugly ordeal because of that disgusting Gladys. So the worst thing to do for Sasha is throw her back in the spotlight where she was publicly skewered. Tracy says she’s fully aware of what Sasha has been through, and Lucy says, then Tracy is fully aware Sasha stabbed Cody Bell at the MetroCourt pool. She stabbed someone in public. She can’t have someone who freaks out and tries to hurt somebody. Deception needs a spokesperson that has nothing to do with anything like that. Tracy says, and what about what Sasha needs? She was the face that relaunched this company. Lucy’s beloved Deception was shut down for over a decade. Maxie asks if she can say something, but Lucy and Tracy both say, no. Lucy says she’s just trying to think of Sasha, but Tracy says, no she’s not. If Lucy was thinking of Sasha, she’d reinstate Sasha’s contract. She needs them to look at the big picture. Look at corporate culture. What kind of message would they be sending if they shut out somebody who’s struggling with addiction? What if this job is the very thing that gets Sasha back on her feet? Would Lucy deny her that? Lucy says, wow. She doesn’t know what’s happening here. Tracy says, that’s not surprising, and Maxie says she’s going to say something whether they like it or not. She can’t believe she’s going to say this, but what Tracy is trying to tell them is to have a heart and give Sasha another chance. Tracy says, exactly.

Brook tells Lois, this is classic Tracy. Do something rotten and horrible and claim you did it for altruistic reasons. Lois says, she didn’t fall far from the Edward Quartermaine tree, that is for sure, and Brook says, as soon as Tracy got back to Port Charles, she zeroed in on Deception like a heat seeking missile. She blackmailed Brook into spying for her, which she did to her everlasting regret, and once Tracy had the upper hand, she filed a lawsuit, and basically bullied Lucy and poor Maxie into settling. Lois says, she’s a real piece of work – she’ll give Brook that – but she’s not sure this time Tracy’s being 100% selfish. Brook says, Tracy did all this for Tracy. Don’t be fooled. Any excuse Tracy did this for her is a blatant lie. Lois says she’s not so sure.

Scotty asks if they mind if he joins them, and Mac says, actually… but Scotty says, it’s been a while since the three of them have done any catching up. Doc says he and Mac were right in the middle of catching up, and Scotty says, but they were talking about him. Mac says, they were actually talking about Cody Bell.

Cody tells Sam, what he did was find his biological father and lied to him about being his son. Sam asks if they’re talking about Mac, and he says, good guess. She says, gut instinct, and he guesses that’s why she’s a great P.I. She asks why he lied to Mac.

Sasha says, Dante is right. They reacted similarly to the things that happened to them, but like he said, the circumstances weren’t the same. He had a family to come back to; she doesn’t. Brando’s gone and he’s not coming back. Neither is her baby boy. Her family was taken from her and every bit of her aches for them. He says he can’t even imagine. He’s sorry. She says she really tried like hell to carry on. She went on with her day-to-day activities, even though she was still grieving and in pain, and honestly, she thought she was doing okay. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), Cody said she was going pretty good before Montague started giving her those drugs, and she says she thought she was doing all right, but now she’s not so sure.

Cyrus tells Portia, Curtis was a hero that night, and he was deeply sorry to hear that he’d been injured. And it must be frightening to know he’s no longer capable of protecting her the way he once could. She says she’s going to need him to get the hell away from her, and she swears, if he approaches her or anyone she loves, she’s calling the cops. She’ll have him thrown back in prison where he belongs. She walks away and leans against the wall. She flashes back to coming into her house and finding Cyrus there, and cries.

Selina tells Sonny, Gladys was, as they say, an enthusiastic player, one they never turn away, even from the best players. Sadly, she lost more often than she won, but Gladys assured her she would do good on her debts. Even though she was slow on her payment, the money always arrived. So she saw no reason to doubt Gladys, or to bother him with it. He says he’s going to stop her right there, because the next thing she says might have lasting repercussions. In their business, does she know how to distinguish between allies and enemies? She says, of course (🍷) she does, and he says, enemies lie and allies deal in honesty. So before she opens her mouth, she needs to decide which one she wants to be.

Scotty tells Mac, if it was up to him, he’d slap this city with a huge civil lawsuit; a litany of charges. Cody would be singing his way to the bank. Mac says, Scotty would be singing his way to the bank, and Scotty admits he would. Doc says, assuming he’d win, how much of those damages would he collect? Scotty says, twenty or thirty percent, but his wallet is already fat. However, Cody has no interest, which seems a little weird. Mac says, why? Scotty said himself, Cody is a forgiving soul. Scotty says, but just a few months ago, Cody was willing to sue the WSB for all that stuff that went on in Greenland. He just wonders what happened.

Lois says, in Tracy’s twisted way, she thinks Tracy wants to do this for Brook. She’s afraid Brook isn’t going to be able to make a living as a music manager. She wants to make sure Brook can support herself in a way she deems acceptable. Brook says, Tracy won’t be happy regardless of what she does, but Lois says she doesn’t know. Honestly, Tracy seems to be really happy for Brook and Chase. She even claims to be the one who brought them back together in the first place. And in true Q fashion, she doesn’t want Brook living on a cop’s salary. Brook says, right. So Tracy’s solution to her financial problems is to blackmail her own granddaughter and rob Lucy and Maxie of their dream.

Lucy says, let her try and get this straight. She, Tracy Angelica Quartermaine, after deviously stealing their 51% of the company and taking her precious 1% of ELQ, expects them to believe she has compassion for Sasha. She expects them to believe she wants to give Sasha another chance. What’s in it for her? Tracy says, nothing, and Lucy says, oh poo. She’s not buying it. Tracy says, it’s the right thing to do, and Lucy tells Maxie, it’s freaky Friday. Maxie asks, if there’s nothing in it for Tracy, why is it so important Sasha get her job back? Tracy says, because they’re all businesswomen here, and should be lifting each other up, not tearing each other down, and Lucy says, what? Tracy tore them completely down.

Selina says her alliance with Sonny is vital to her interests, and he says, then explain to him what happened with his cousin Gladys. Selina says, when Gladys lost, she extended her line of credit. When the time came to pay, Gladys had lost more, and she didn’t have the money and couldn’t pay. She told Selina that she had access to Sasha Gilmore’s money through a guardianship, but she couldn’t withdraw too much at once. That’s when Gladys sold her Brando’s garage at below market value. Sonny says he’s surprised. Didn’t it ever occur to her to inform him, her ally in this situation? If he was the suspicious type, he would think maybe she was trying to get information or leverage on him. And if that were the case, they would have a big problem.

Cody tells Sam that he had the DNA test in his hand at GH, but instead of telling Mac the truth, he lied to Mac. Mac found the test on the floor at the Q stables, and he got it out of Mac’s hands before he knew what it was. That was his second chance to come clean, but instead, he lied again right to Mac’s face. Sam asks, why? and he says he doesn’t know. He told himself that he was going for the money, but he thinks Mac is too good of a guy to be saddled with a son like him. She says, it’s not too late to tell Mac that he’s his son, but he says he’s lied repeatedly to Mac’s face. Any chance or hope of him earning Mac’s trust is gone. Mac’s got a great wife and a happy life; Mac doesn’t need him as a son. She says she’s assuming Dante knows all this, and Cody says, he’s known for a while. He’s sorry. He never should have asked Dante to keep a secret like that. That’s why he’s telling her now. After everything she did for him and Sasha, she deserves to know the truth. She asks if anyone else knows he’s Mac’s son, and he says, one other person; Sasha knows.

Sasha says, maybe Dante is right. Maybe she’s running away, but honestly, can he really blame her for not wanting to live in a place where everywhere she turns there’s a constant reminder of what she’s lost or a mistake she’s made? Sometimes the pain is just too much. He says, to be clear, he doesn’t blame her for anything. Do what’s best for herself. He just wants her to know there are people here who love her and can help her heal from the trauma she’s suffered. Michael, Willow, Chase, Maxie, Nina. Plus, she’s got some new friends – him and Sam and Cody – who will really miss her.

Tracy says, Brook told her that Sasha’s been through hell, and Lucy says, she and Maxie are aware of everything Sasha’s been through. She doesn’t have to remind them. Tracy says, apparently, she does. Look at what’s been done to her. She deserves a break. Where is Lucys’ empathy? Lucy says, empathy. Does Tracy even know what that word means? Tracy says she does, and she demands they give Sasha a break. Lucy says, demand, and Tracy repeats, demand. Maxie tells Tracy that she’s right. A lot of terrible things have happened to Sasha because she trusted the wrong people. We know a little something about that, don’t we, Lucy? She loves Sasha and would hate it if she wasn’t there when Sasha needed her. Lucy says, they all agreed, but Tracy says, they have not all agreed. Lucy says, well, Sasha’s out of town. Gone. So case closed. Tracy says, that’s what phones are for. Pick it up. Call her. Tell her that Deception has decided to reinstate her contract. And do it today. She leaves, and Maxie keeps Lucy from following her.

Selina says she doesn’t seek leverage over Sonny. In retrospect, her actions were ill-advised, and she regrets that. She also regrets letting Gladys join her poker game, and having done so, she agrees with him. She owed it to him, her ally, to apprise him of the situation as it unfolded. Sonny glances at Dex and says he’s glad they’re on the same page. She says, he’s been a good business partner, and she wants to continue that relationship in the future. How can she make almonds amends? He says he’s sure she’s heard Cyrus is once again free, and she says she’s aware.

Dex walks Selina out of the restaurant.

Mac tells Scotty that Cody was arrested after he broke out of Ferncliff and allegedly kidnapped Sasha Gilmore. The charges were dropped, and the paperwork filed away. He’s guessing Cody doesn’t want to bring it back out into the light of day and Sasha to get involved. He’s very protective of her. Doc says, or Cody simply developed a conscience. He apologizes to Scotty. He knows that’s not a word he’s familiar with. Scotty says he’s got a conscience, and Cyrus says, excuse him, but he’d like to have a word with his attorney Mr. Baldwin.

Lois tells Brook, don’t think for one single minute she’s here defending Tracy. She doesn’t agree with anything Tracy’s done on any level. Brook says, good. For a second, she thought hell froze over. Lois says, hold on a second because hell might get a little chilly, because she does believe Tracy is sincere when she says she’s going to hand over her controlling interest in Deception to Brook. Brook says, Tracy can be as sincere as she wants, because there’s no way in hell she will ever accept that company.

Dante says, whatever it is, whatever decision Sasha makes, he wishes her only the best. He just didn’t want her leaving town without knowing how much she’s loved and how much she’ll be missed. She thanks him, and says, it means a lot. He heads for the door, then says, Brando was family, which makes them family. And if there’s one thing he learned from his mother and his father, it’s that family is everything. Take care, and if she needs anything, let him know. He leaves, and she sits down and sighs.

Sam says, it doesn’t surprise her at all that Cody would trust Sasha with the secret that he’s Mac’s son. They did form a close bond when he broke Sasha out of Ferncliff. He says, not that any of that matters anymore, and she asks why it doesn’t matter. He says, Sasha’s leaving Port Charles, and she says, since when? He says he stopped by her place yesterday and found her packing, and Sam asks if he tried to talk her out of it. He says he tried and he failed. Sasha said the movers were coming this morning, so she’s probably gone already.

Shoving gummies in her mouth, Lucy asks what Maxie thinks that was all about, but Maxie says, no clue. Lucy says, that woman is up to something, mark my words. She is always up to something, and the only thing she does anything for is to benefit her shady bank account. What could it be? Maxie says she really has no idea, but she has to be honest. She kind of liked what Tracy was saying. It would be nice to work with Sasha again. Lucy says, she might be right. Maybe Sasha could change her mind and not stay in Austin. After all, those fabulous winter coats she has that they love, she can’t wear those in Texas. Maxie says, they’re getting a little ahead of themselves. What if she doesn’t accept the offer? Maxie inhales sharply and says, what if she does? What are they going to tell Blaze?

Brook tells Lois that she’s committed to her music career, and she doesn’t care if Tracy doesn’t have faith she’ll succeed. She has faith in herself, and Lois is the one who always told her that’s all she needs. Lois says, that’s the Cerullo fire, and Brook says, even if she fails, she’d rather get a job waiting tables at Kelly’s then let granny give her a stolen company. She’s going to tell Tracy that right now. Lois says, hold her roll for a second. Because as much satisfaction as it would give Brook to throw that gift right back in Tracy’s face, she thinks she has a better way to handle it.

Scotty suggests he and Cyrus talk in private and steers him away from the main dining room. He thinks Cyrus might be a little confused; he’s not on retainer. Cyrus paid him a chunk of money to take care of him at the hearing, but that’s the end story. He makes a dusting off motion with his hands and says, case closed, but Cyrus says, their story isn’t finished yet. Scotty was remarkable at the hearing, and he might have use of Scotty’s brilliant legal mind again.

At the table, Doc says, so much for Scotty’s conscience, and Mac says he wishes Scotty had stuck to chasing ambulances and defending Cody. Helping Cyrus Renault won’t end well. He’s sure of it.

Sonny asks Dex, any updates on their people watching Cyrus? and Dex says, he paid a visit to GH today. He was spotted talking to Dr. Robinson. Sonny says, Trina’s mother? and Dex says, when he left GH, he went straight to the MetroCourt restaurant. Dex told their people not to take their eyes off him, and report back with any updates. Sonny says, Miss Wu has agreed to put eyes on Cyrus as well. So with her network and his, Cyrus is not going to make a move without him knowing. Dex says, so he’s under 24-hour surveillance, and Sonny says, she’s going to notify him as far as who Cyrus is interacting with, his associates or whatever. If he tries any overture to Selina, she’ll notify him immediately. Dex asks if they can trust her, but Sonny says, the only thing he trusts is that Selina will serve her own business interests. That’s why he has to keep her close.

Tomorrow, Brook tells Lois, if Tracy’s offer comes up, she’ll regret it; Curtis asks if Portia wants to tell him what’s going on; Laura needs to talk to Scotty now; and Martin says, there’s something Michael needs to know before he pulls the trigger.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Tumi is exhausted and Natalya chants, namaste, while doing laundry. The guests pack, and Captain Sandy tells Haleigh and Max to slow down and communicate. In Haleigh’s interview, she says, it’s only her second time docking. Max yapping while she’s trying figure it out is wasting time. The guests take last minute pictures, and Max tells Luka that he thinks Haleigh is playing a game of ego. The crew says goodbye to the guests, and there are lots of hugs. Primary Mecca says, they’re an amazing crew. They travel a lot, and this is one of their best trips. They had a few hiccups with Chef Jack, but he made the best jerk lobster she’s ever had, and she wants to take Tumi home for real. The crew applauds, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, as usual, the guests don’t know what went on behind the scenes. The fact that they didn’t pick up on the chaos is very good. The crew does some cleaning, while Max does push-ups using the banister. The captain calls the crew for the tip meeting, and tells them, when they first started, she told them that she has to earn their respect and trust, but they have to do it too. They need to respect the position and the workplace. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s a professional setting and she hired professionals. She expects them to be professional. The argument that happened can never happen again. If they don’t work it out, she’ll have to make a decision. The tip is a whopping $26K, $2000 per person. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it was a difficult charter, but the tip makes it hurt less. It’s not mo’ money mo’ problems. She’s not Biggie; she’s Tumi.  Kyle wants to have a good time tonight and asks Natalya how old her boyfriend is. She says, 31, and he says, that’s a good age, so why is she going for a 21-year-old? In Natalya’s interview, she says she might like Luka, but it makes her feel like she’s cheating. Her mind feels like a scrambled egg. No comment. Her boyfriend texts that she can do what she wants, but he hopes it doesn’t hurt him, and she texts back that she misses him too. In Lara’s interview, she says, Natalya has eyes for Luka, but he can’t give Natalya what she can. She wants to pull Natalya’s hair and smack her… She’s joking, but she’s not joking. I want to pull Natalya’s hair and smack her too, but not for the same reason. They go to a restaurant, and the women admire Luka’s tattoos. In his interview, Luka says, the monarch butterfly was his grandmother’s favorite, and the butterfly tattoos are a hit with the ladies. Max pours wine for the women, and says, in France, a woman never pours a drink. His mother would kill him if he let them. Jessika says, she’s three drinks in. Is she f***ed up? She thought it was going to be a low tip, and Tumi says, it can go two ways; you can be shocked by a low tip or a big one. In Kyle’s interview, he says, hold on. Did everyone start to get along? He’s traumatized. On the way out, Lara picks up Natalya, and Kyle yells, gay pride! They go to a club, drink some more, and dance. Jack says he’s like Michael Jackson reincarnated, which is doubtful. Everyone is spinning everyone around, and Natalya wonders if she’s in an open relationship. She asks Tumi if they can hit refresh, and Tumi agrees. Kyle says he’s done and dusted, and in Tumi’s interview, she says it’s not what she was expecting. She wants to trust and believe, but thinks it’s tequila.

Haleigh says she’s sorry that she told Max to shut up and they hug. Jessika says her tummy hurts, and they go back to the boat. Kyle says he’s voting for the drunkest, and it’s Jessika. Everyone gets into the hot tub except Jessika and Haleigh, and Lara kisses Luka. In Lara’s interview, she says she loves kissing. It’s drunk fun, but kissing Luka is like kissing her brother, and incest is not what she’s going for. Jessika says she wants to throw up and go to bed. She gets sick in the bathroom, and Haleigh helps her into bed. Tumi tells Natalya that she’d said they were alike and that might be the problem, and Natalya says, they’ve had a breakthrough. Luka follows Natalya to the cabins, and in her interview, she says she wants to kiss him, but doesn’t want to hurt her boyfriend’s feelings. They say goodnight, and Natalya says, chill out, bro.

At 7 am, Luka says, time to work, and Natalya gets a text from her boyfriend, who says he hopes she didn’t get too crazy. Jessika says she thinks she has an infection in her throat, and Natalya tells Kyle that they’ll do cabins and talk sh*t. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s glad Natalya and Tumi made up, and we flash back to their argument. He says, he’s not happy about Natalya using his name. Revealing Tumi’s message to her was an act of friendship, not to weaponize him against other people. There’s only room for one gossip, and it’s him, the Tea Queen. Luka tells Max not to dump the dirty mop water over the side of the boat, but he does it anyway, and Lara says, he doesn’t get it. Captain Sandy calls for a preference sheet meeting, and Lara tells Luka, the new deckhand is a f***ing idiot.

Captain Sandy asks if anybody knows who Roy Orbison is and sings a few bars of Pretty Woman. No one recognizes the name, but they all know the song. She says, his son is the primary, and it’s the family’s third charter with her. We flash back, and she says, he’s bringing his wife Asa, their sons and new baby Love, and his younger brother and sister-in-law. His brother was a crew member on Jackass. In Jack’s interview, he says he loves Jackass, which is no surprise. Tumi reads that they want a highchair and bassinette, and Jack says, they want vegetarian and Italian food. They’ve also requested the captain join them for an Italian dinner. Luka says, they want to do water sports, and the captain says, they like to have fun and the forecast is great. Afterward, Jack says he and Tumi have been to hell and back, and Tumi says she thinks they’re fine now. She’ll always have his back. In her interview, she says, it’s great that Jack is finally giving her a chance. In Luka’s interview, he says he’s thinking of making Lara lead deckhand. She deserves it. He’s also thinking Max is definitely his first managerial challenge. Hopefully, Lara shows Max what it should be like. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s thinking positive vibes. She wants to maintain peace and love this charter. Jessika tells the captain that she feels like sh*t. She’s been vomiting and her throat is sore. Captain Sandy says she’s backing away and asks if Jessika wants to see a doctor. Jessika says she does, and the captain says, there’s no doctor open on Sunday, but she can go to the ER. Jessika says she’d like to, and in the captain’s interview, she says, knowing Jessika is sick, you never know what it is. She doesn’t want the crew getting infected and needs to get her off the vessel to see a doctor. Jessika tells Haleigh that she’s going to the hospital, and Captain Sandy radios that she got Jessika car service. In her interview, Tumi wonders, does this get any easier? It’s good she’s getting along with Natalya because now she needs her.

Molo Vecchio Marina. Provisions come in, and Max does pushups on a railing. Luka tells him, if he bends those, they won’t be able to get them back. He tells Captain Sandy about wanting to make Lara lead deckhand. He thinks she’s earned it. In her interview, Captain Sandy says she’s glad Luka is thinking like a leader. He’s thinking about the advancement of his team, and she loves that he has that mentality. Luka radios Lara to come to the sun deck, and she asks, what’s wrong? Is she in trouble? He says he thinks so, then laughs and says, she’s smashing it. He wants to make her lead deckhand. She cries, and he says he thinks he’s f***ing smashing it. She hugs him, and in Lara’s interview, she says, wow. She was taken aback. It’s her dream. She has a goal board and that’s on it. She’s lived a rocky life and was the crazy horse. She can’t believe her dreams are literally coming true. She tells Luka that she’s his righthand man. There’s a pre-charter meeting, and the captain says, there are going to be a lot of kids, which she knows makes it harder for the deck crew, but they want to show the guests a good time. She tells the crew that they have news, and passes the ball to Luka, who congratulates Lara on her promotion. Everyone applauds, and Kyle says, it’s well-deserved. Captain Sandy congratulates Lara, and says, let’s kill it. Natalya says she can’t wait to hold a baby, and Lara says she can’t think of anything worse.

The guests arrive, and the captain says she’s happy they’ve come back. They’re going to make it an incredible trip. In Max’s interview, he says, Lara’s promotion is going to boost her ego, and he’s concerned Luka created a Frankenstein. Now that she has power, he hopes there’s a good person inside. I guess actually working isn’t an option. They move out, and Natalya takes the kids to the salon, where they chase around with Kyle. In Tumi’s interview, she says she loves seeing Natalya enjoying herself. She’s been an au pair and it’s not easy. They locked her in the garage, threw an iPad in her face while she was driving, and told her to go back to Africa. They were an African American family and she told them to take Africa out of it. All Black people aren’t from there. Anchor is dropped, and in Lara’s interview, she says she knows Luka would appreciate her getting Max to pull his weight. It would show she’s taking it seriously and wants to do a good job. Max swings on the crane for the slide, and the water toys are set up. In his interview, Max says he could never hold a job when he was younger because no one ever told him what to do. His parents said, take care of yourself, and it’s been the challenge of his life. There’s no news on Jessika yet, and Max tells Luka that he needs a break. Luka says, they’re f***ing busy, and in his interview, he says he doesn’t think Max realizes that some days you don’t get a break. He explains to Max that they might not get a break some days. When they can, they will. Man-child Max says, like December.

The captain joins the guests for dinner, as the deckhands put away the water toys. Captain Sandy wonders about guest Ehren’s stunt work, and he says he prepares himself to die six months before the job. He broke his neck twice on Jackass 2, and ruptured a testicle. This is real stuff. In Natalya’s interview, she says, they’re down a person, but the guests never knew it. All of them have chief stew experience, and as long as they’re not fighting, they’re living the dream. Dinner is served, and… food porn! Lara tells Max to bring in the jet ski, and it swings by the deck where the guests are having dinner. The captain tells Tumi, Jack’s flavors are incredible. Tumi relays the message to Jack and they high-five. The crane is swinging like crazy, and Captain Sandy tells the guests to keep back. In Luka’s interview, he says, the weather is getting rough, and they need the tender on board asap. The tender swings way too close to the yacht, and in Lara’s interview, she says, it’s a big f***ing tender. If it hits you, you will die.  

The captain tells the deckhands to tighten the lines, and they get the tender onboard. Captain Sandy tells them, it was too windy during dinner, and they have to check with her first. In her interview, she says, Luka is in work mode and not thinking about the client. This is where he needs to figure out a balance between being bosun and thinking about the guests. Let dinner finish, then bring on the tender. But she knows he’ll never do it again. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s extremely surprised the guests aren’t demanding. They have musicians and the guy from Jackass onboard. Where’s the chaos? She’s disappointed; she loves chaos. Her skills at problem solving bring order to chaos and she loves it, just like her men. The guests go to bed and it’s not even midnight. Ehren says he’s had 27 surgeries and is confused on the relaxation stuff. In his interview, Max says he wants more breaks because he’s working hard. Natalya flirts with Luka, and then calls her boyfriend, who has a bunch of people over. Natalya asks if they’re boys or girls, since no one has told her, at 31, we are not boys and girls. Her boyfriend says, Brody and five girls, and she tells him that she’ll call back. In her interview, she says, yesterday he told her that he didn’t want to influence her. Do what do want she wants, but don’t hurt him. It’s a mean world, so WTF, bro? She thinks he’s probably dipping his doodle in five bitches at once.

Sestri Levante. Natalya takes baby Love, and Lara helps with the slide. Ehren comes to breakfast in his colorful PJs. Max is late because he’s sleeping, and in Luka’s interview, he says he’s frustrated with Max. He’s given Max enough sleep. He’s a quiet person and quite calm, but when he does go off, he goes off, and he’s getting closer. Jessika texts the captain that she should be ready next charter, and Kyle says, Jessika is probably off living her best life. Breakfast is served along with… food porn! Lara tries to instruct Max about tying the lines, and in his interview, Max says, speak to him nicely with a violin. Don’t play with dynamite. If he if he explodes, it’s not good. Max asks how many years of experience Lara has, and she says, three and a half, but it doesn’t matter. Max says he knows sh*t, but he doesn’t. Max whines that last time, the communication was wrong, and in Lara’s interview, she wonders, what’s his goal? She tells him that his attitude stinks, and Max says he can already do knots. Captain Sandy wonders if they’re arguing, and Luka asks what they’re saying. In the captain’s interview, she says, communication has to be clear and concise; it’s a safety issue. She tells Max, arguing is not okay.  

Next time, a pirate game; Tumi says, if Kyle is talking sh*t about Natalya, he’s probably talking sh*t about her; and Luka can’t find Max.

☠️ Not Fearing the Reaper…

Come on by tomorrow for soap and snide comments about the awful people in Winter House. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering it’s the live ones you have to worry about, and stay never doing something rotten and horrible, and claiming you did it for altruistic reasons.

Oct17

October 16, 2023 – Michael Summons Martin To His Office, Natalya Is an Awful Person On Deck & Street

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Puerto Rico. Nina and Sonny have dinner with Kristina, and she says she has never seen a little girl so wholeheartedly embrace her duties to keep the groom away from the bride on the wedding day. Sonny says, Donna was so determined; did they see her face? Nina says, she was perfect; the whole day was perfect. She’s just sorry Michael, Willow, and Wiley had to leave so soon after the ceremony. Although she gets it. Michael had business back in Port Charles. Kristina says, that’s Michael. Always working on something, right?

Willow carries Amelia into the gatehouse and says, mommy and daddy missed her. Wiley says, Amelia missed the wedding since she’s still a baby, but it was fun. Now Grandma Nina is a grandma twice. Willow asks what he means, and he says, she was his grandma before the wedding; now she’s his grandma again because she married grandpa. Willow looks over at Michael, who’s busy on his phone.

Sam comes into Kelly’s and Carly hugs her, saying, this is such a nice surprise. Is she meeting Dante here for dinner? Sam says, he’s at work, and asks how Drew is doing. Carly says, he’s out of ICU. He’s doing good. Sam says, he doesn’t want Scout to visit him at the hospital, but she misses him. Carly says, he really wants to see her too, but not like this. It’s bad. She asks Sam to take a seat, but Sam says she’s actually not here for food; she’s here for Carly. She hasn’t seen Carly much in the past couple of weeks and wanted to see how she’s doing. She knows what’s going on. Carly asks what she means, and Sam says, Dante told her that Sonny and Nina eloped in Puerto Rico. Carly says, oh that, and Sam says, this can’t be easy on her. How is she doing? Is she okay? Carly says, no, she’s not. Somebody really needs to tell these people what the word elope means.

Lucy sits with Maxie and Blaze at the MetroCourt, and tells Blaze, this will give her whole new level of exposure with the relaunch of The Deceptor and a new line of their anti-aging gels. Maxie says, of course (🍷) not for Blaze; her skin is flawless. Lucy says, it’s absolutely perfect, just gorgeous, but they also have this new lipliner that is so lush that has vitamin C in it. Blaze could actually name the colors. And they have this wonderful new mascara in development, waterproof. You can actually swim in it. Maxie says, it’s a very exciting time at Deception, and Blaze says, and all products are cruelty-free? Lucy says, of course (🍷), cruelty-free, of course (🍷). She loves animals. She had a duck. Blaze says, really? and Lucy says, Sigmond. Maxie asks what she thinks, and Blaze tells them, she’d have to say she’s flattered, even if a bit surprised. Lucy says, so is that a yes? Of course (🍷) she doesn’t want to toot her own horn… Maxie says, watch out. Here comes some tooting. Lucy tells Blaze, all she’s saying is, her instincts are never ever wrong, and her instincts are yelling at the top of their lungs to say, Blaze is a perfect fit to be the New Face of Deception.

On the phone as she packs, Sasha says she understands. She’ll be ready. She lingers over a photo of her and Brando that she’s putting in bubble wrap, when there’s a knock at the door. She opens the door to Cody, who asks, what’s with all the boxes? Is she planning on leaving Port Charles? She says, yes, and he says he doesn’t understand. She just got her life back and she’s going to walk away from it?

Blaze says, the last Face of Deception generated a lot of negative publicity. She’s concerned about attaching herself to that legacy. Maxie says, Sasha does have a troubled past, but there were some extenuating circumstances, and Blaze says, of course (🍷) she’s sorry for what Sasha went through. Lucy says, of course (🍷). So are they, but just because they’re looking for the new Face of Deception, it doesn’t reflect on Sasha at all. Come to think of it, any classic cosmetics company, a lot of them change spokesmodels often. Maxie says, true, and Lucy says, look at Fusion. They change theirs more than RuPaul changes wigs. Maxie says, it’s time for Deception to go in a new direction, and Lucy says, they really do think Blaze is the perfect fit because she’s already a known brand through her music. Maxie says, she’d be working with a successful company in the cosmetics industry, and they’d get access to her celebrity and the millions of fans who love her music. Lucy asks, so what does she say? and Blaze says she thanks them both, and they’ve given her a lot to think about. Lucy says she doesn’t mean to be pushy, but they need to know by the end of the week, and Blaze says, not a problem. She’ll have her manager contact them by the end of the week. Now if they’ll excuse her, she’s got a plane to catch. She leaves, and Maxie says she thinks that went well, but doesn’t Lucy think they’re kind of putting the cart before the horse here? Lucy says, how so? and Maxie asks if she doesn’t think they should have given Sasha some warning before they offered her job to someone else.

Sasha invites Cody in, and says she’s really glad he stopped by. He says, really? Because it sure looks like she was planning on leaving town without saying goodbye to him. She says she’s sorry. She got caught up in packing after she decided to go. He asks why she’s leaving, and she says, because everywhere she turns in this town reminds her of the mistakes she’s made or a person she let take advantage of her. It’s too painful for her to live in Port Charles. She worried that if she stays here, she might get dragged back down again. She feels like she needs to start over someplace new. He asks where she’s going, and she says, Austin (I assume she means the city, not the guy), and he says, Austin, Texas? She nods, and he asks if she knows people there, friends or family? She says, no. She’ll meet people. She’ll make friends. He says, friends like Nina and Maxie? Michael and Willow? Friends like him?

Sam tells Carly that she’s sorry. She probably shouldn’t have brought up Sonny’s wedding. It must be a raw subject for her. Carly says she’s okay… and not okay. It doesn’t mean she hasn’t moved past Sonny, because she has. She’s with Drew and he makes her so happy, and her life is good, and it’s only going to get better when Drew gets out of prison. But she can’t say marrying Sonny doesn’t… It stings.

Sasha says she doesn’t think she’ll meet someone like Cody ever again, and he says, of course (🍷) not. So why is she leaving town? She says, because she’s lost. Ever since she came to Port Charles, it’s been one mistake after another. Starting with working with Valentin to convince Nina that she was her long-lost daughter. Then she got involved with Cyrus Renault who got her hooked on drugs. (Oh no. She got herself hooked on drugs before she met him.) Finally, she trusted Gladys, who took advantage of her when she was at her most vulnerable. She doesn’t know why she keeps making these epic mistakes; putting her trust in the wrong people. He says he thinks he might know.

Lucy tells Maxie, Sasha didn’t deserve any of those bad things that happened to her, they know that. But even if they replace her as the Face of Deception, she’s still going to be a shareholder. She’s still a partner in the company. It’s just that, for the good of Deception, they need a fresh face, one that the customers don’t associate with all those public meltdowns. And she thinks Blaze is perfect to take them in a completely new direction and ultimately, that is going to benefit Sasha too. Maxie says, from a business perspective, she totally gets where Lucy is coming from, but she wishes there was another way. Martin approaches the table and says, another way to what? He kisses Lucy and asks, what’s with the long faces? What’s going on? Maxie says, Deception business, when her phone dings. She says she got an SOS from her mom and her mom is watching her kids. She’ll be right back. She leaves, and Martin sits down, asking, what’s all that about? Lucy says, sometimes the beauty business is anything but glamorous.

Kristina says she knows it was Sonny’s idea to elope, but what was it? What wedding planning moment pushed him over the edge? Was it the thought of a huge 100 person plus wedding, or was it just that they didn’t want to wait a year to be husband and wife? Sonny says he always wanted Nina to have whatever wedding she wanted to have; whatever made her happy. Then he started thinking, why do they have to have a special event? Why can’t they just go to his island, because he loves his island and the staff will take care of everything. Kristina asks, what about Nina? How hard did her father have to persuade Nina to abandon the wedding she was planning, all the guests and everything, and elope? Nina says she caved in less than a minute, and they laugh.

Willow says she didn’t expect Amelia to fall asleep so fast. She thought Amelia would want to stay up with them since they’ve been gone. Michael says, Wiley is so content playing in his room. He loves that toy jet. She says she can’t believe he’s already asking to fly back to grandpa and grandma’s island tomorrow, and Michael says, they’ll see what happens when he finishes his business. She says, of course () she’s happy to be home and be with Amelia, but she’s sorry they had to leave Puerto Rico early; it’s just so peaceful and beautiful there. And she’s disappointed they couldn’t take Wiley to the ocean. She thinks he would have loved to walk on the beach. He promises they’ll go back soon again, and she says, maybe they can coordinate with Sonny and Nina, make it another family trip. But he says he’s too busy planning the ruin of everyone’s lives for that.

Nina says, when Kristina’s dad first pitched the idea of eloping, it took her a second, but she thought, why not? It seems very intimate. And then she said yes, and then she saw Kristina and Michael and Willow and Wiley and Donna, she was blindsided, but in the best possible way. Kristina says, this was an awesome surprise. Not just having her show up, but getting Carly’s permission to have Donna there, and Michael and Willow and Wiley. Sonny has some epic powers of persuasion. He says he does what he can, and she says, he never gave up on Michael, no matter how long Michael gave him the cold shoulder. He says, Michael had a lot of anger, but he let go of it and left the decision up to Willow whether they would come to the wedding. Nina says, and her daughter chose to come to the wedding, which is a turning point for her and Willow. And she owes it all to Sonny.

Michael promises Willow that she and the kids will go back to the island, and if Sonny and Nina want to join them, that’s great. He really wants to show her and Wiley around the island. He thinks Amelia is still a little too young to appreciate it. Willow says, it will still be nice to have her with them. She loves it when the family’s all together. He says, him too. He remembers going there when he was a kid, and those were the happiest times they had as a family while he was growing up. She says, now he wants to pass on that tradition to his own children, and he says he does. He kisses her hand and says he wishes he could stay, but he has to get to this meeting. She says she hopes he does. Otherwise, she and Wiley could be on a beach in Puerto Rico. He never did say who he needed to meet with. He says, some new information fell into his lap, and he just has to confirm it before he takes the next step. She says, sounds important, and he says, if it’s what he thinks it is, it could be a real game changer.

Lucy tells Martin that she feels it’s important for Deception to go in a different direction, especially since the horrible lawsuit has been settled. Time for a fresh start. He says, about that. He can’t tell her how sorry he is. He knows how much it pained her to give up 51% of her company, especially to a person like Tracy Quartermaine. She says, let’s not go with that negative aspect. She can’t help it. It’s a horrible thought and an awful bitter pill to swallow. She has to move on, but she can’t. She’s having a really hard time with this. She doesn’t know how. She just knows she will never ever, ever forgive or forget Tracy. She has to thank karma though, that one day Tracy will get what she deserves, and if she has a chance to push that happening through right away, that’s what she’s going to do. She’s just going to get karma to move Tracy right along. Martin suggests they move to his hotel suite to get a little R&R – room service and relaxation. His phone rings, and he says, perfect timing. Forgive him just a sec. He answers, and Michael says he needs to see Martin in his office right away. Martin says, really? It just so happens he’s in the middle of something. Michael says, it’s in Martin’s best interest. He recently discovered that Martin made a serious mistake, and he’s going to give Martin exactly one chance to make things right. It’s now or never.

Carly thanks Sam for checking on her, and says she really appreciates it, but Sam has so much on her plate. She heard what happened with Sasha. She can’t believe what Gladys did to her. She never trusted that woman ever. Sam says, Sasha is doing as well as can be expected, and Carly says, she’s been through hell. Carly has been in Ferncliff, and it’s your worst nightmare. Sam says she knows and Gladys taking advantage of Sasha’s guardianship is disgusting. She’s glad Sonny ran her out of town. Carly says, she’s lucky that’s all Sonny did, and Sam says she’s sure Sonny made it very clear that Gladys can never set foot in Port Charles again, let alone ever come near Sasha. Carly says, she’d better not. There’s no reason for Gladys Corbin to ever come back to Port Charles. Sam says, Sasha is finally free of Gladys. Thank God.

Cody says he really think Sasha is being too hard on herself. She’s human. Humans make mistakes; hundreds if not thousands a year. If they didn’t, life would be perfect, but it would also be completely boring. Trust him. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s pretty much the king of messing up. He’s made monumental, ginormous mistakes that were selfish and stupid. If there’s a mistake to be made, he’s made it, because he’s made them all. She says, name one, and he says, not going after Gladys sooner, but she says, that doesn’t count. He was protecting her. He says, how about him working for Selina Wu? Not exactly a smart decision. She says, he tried to make some money. Not the best person to get involved with, but still, he tried to do a job. He says, she’s just determined to see the best in him, isn’t she? and she says, that’s because she owes a lot to him. And she really wishes he’d see himself the way she does. Honestly, so far, he hasn’t mentioned any mistakes that were really all that bad. He says, okay then. Here’s a doozy. How about the fact that his biological dad is actually here in Port Charles, and he lied to him, convincing him that he’s not actually his son?

Sasha says, if Cody’s dad lives here in town, why would he lie about it? and Cody says, because he’s an idiot? She tells him not to say that, but he says he doesn’t know how else to describe his decision. When the DNA results came back at GH, he lied right to his dad’s face, when he was holding in his hand the test results that said Mac Scorpio is his biological father. She says, the Police Commissioner Mac Scorpio? and he says, yeah, that’s the one. She says, Maxie’s stepfather? and he says, same guy. She asks, how? and he says, it’s a long story, but essentially, Mac never knew that his mother was pregnant with him. She says, okay, but why not tell him now? and he says, Leopold Taub, his mother’s late husband… He thought if he could prove that he was Taub’s son, he could possibly get a lot of money. It’s not important now. It had something to do with the WSB destroying the Ice Princess necklace, which belonged to Taub. She says, so that’s it? He lied about Mac being his dad because of money? He says, no, that’s not the only reason, and she says, then why? She doesn’t know Mac all that well, but all Maxie ever does is talk about what a great guy he is, and how he’s always been a father figure to her even though he’s not her biological dad. Cody says he knows. That’s the thing. In what world does a grifter like him deserve to have a great dad? Mac is honest, he’s loyal, he’s hardworking, he’s selfless. Not to mention, he’s a cop. Why would he want a troublemaker like Cody as his son? The reality is, he doesn’t deserve to have Mac as a father.

Maxie comes back and asks, where’s Martin? and Lucy says, her Marty always has a full plate. He got an important business call and had to dash. Maxie suggests they get back to the Face of Deception, and Lucy says, okay, but she thought it was all settled. If Blaze gives them the thumbs up, then they do replace Sasha, but she still retains all her shares, which is a win-win for everybody. Maxie says, maybe not, and Lucy asks, what’s the problem? Maxie asks if she forgot about Tracy, and Lucy says, if only she could. Maxie says, whether they like it or not, Tracy owns the majority of Deception. This is kind of a big business decision, so she thinks they need to run it by her. Lucy says she’s not going to bow to that woman. Tracy certainly isn’t the boss of her. She may have 51% of their company, and 1% of Lucy’s precious ELQ, but that doesn’t mean she has to ask Tracy’s permission to make a sound business decision. She doesn’t. Because they need to take Deception into a new direction, starting with a fresh new face. Maxie says, Lucy is kind of acting like this is a done deal. Blaze has not signed a contract yet. She wants to think about it. Lucy says, so? She really does have a good feeling about this, but Maxie says, you know who’s not going to have a good feeling about this? Sasha. She thinks they should tell her. She’s not only their business partner; she’s their friend. Telling her is the right thing to do.

Kristina walks into the chapel with her champagne and looks out at the view. Blaze joins her, and says, fancy meeting you here. Kristina asks, what in the world is she doing here?

Wiley wonders why grandpa and grandma didn’t fly home with them, and Willow says, they had to come back early because his dad had a work emergency, but Grandma Nina and Grandpa Sonny stayed behind because they’re now on their honeymoon. Wiley asks, what’s that? and Willow says, it’s a vacation you take after you get married. He says he doesn’t get it. Why do you need a vacation after you get married? Does it make you that tired? No, kid, but marriage does.

Nina says, it’s beautiful here. She can see why Sonny loves it so much. It’s a perfect place to have a wedding and to spend their honeymoon. He says he loves it here. It’s always been his home away from home. She thanks him for sharing it with her, and he says, she’s his wife now. They share everything; the good, the bad, the happy, the sad. They’re going to share it all.

Martin walks into Michael’s office and says he does not enjoy being summoned. And he likes being threatened even less, so unless Michael knows something he doesn’t, he has no business here, with Michael or Aurora. Michael thanks him for coming and says he assures Martin that he didn’t imply any threat. He’s just telling Martin the truth. Martin says, about what? and Michael says, that Martin made a terrible mistake when he turned Michael’s mother and Drew Cain in to the SEC for insider trading.

Sasha can’t believe Cody would say something like that. Any man would be so proud to call Cody his son, including Mac Scorpio. Look at what he did for her, and that was after she stabbed him. He says, there were extenuating circumstances. She didn’t think she was stabbing him; she thought she was stabbing Cyrus Renault. And that’s just because Gladys and that unethical… Dr. Montague were drugging her. She says, it doesn’t matter. He sacrificed his freedom to help her. He wasn’t afraid to go after Dr. Montague. What he did was so incredibly brave. He says, no. She was the brave one. She went back in that hellhole where they were drugging her against her will. Montague was basically torturing her, and she did all that to stop him. She says, he calls it brave, she calls it desperate. Putting Montague behind bars and freeing herself from Gladys were just things she needed to do in order to get her life back if she was ever going to have one. Now that she does, she needs to start from scratch. He says, someplace else, and she says, yes.

Sonny says he was going to ask Nina about the turquoise bracelet. Is there some significance, because he’s never seen her wear it. She flashes back to Willow giving her the bracelet and telling her that Harmony gave it to her on her 16th birthday. According to Harmony, turquoise is supposed to bring peace, luck, and protection. Nina tells Sonny that he’s right. He hasn’t seen it because it’s brand new, and it’s incredibly significant because it’s a gift from her daughter.

Martin says he has no idea what Michael is talking about. And even if he did, this isn’t a courtroom and Michael certainly isn’t a judge. Forgive him, but he’s under zero obligation as to Michael’s allegation. Michael says, Martin can tap-dance around the issue, but he already knows Martin is the one who contacted the SEC and suggested they investigate Drew and his mom for insider trading. Martin says, regardless of who made the phone call, the simple fact is, Mr. Cain was found guilty. As to why Drew chose to be the fall guy for Michael’s mother, he has no idea. Let’s be honest. She was the real guilty party. If anyone should be in prison… Michael says, his mom made a mistake. She was just trying to help him and Drew, but the merger between ELQ and Aurora never happened. His mom didn’t make any money. Hell, she lost her half of the MetroCourt, so breaking the law didn’t count. In most cases similar to his mom’s, the SEC would have just walked away, but there’s someone behind this case, pushing it to go forward. He knows it wasn’t Martin’s idea to contact the SEC. He was just working on his client’s behalf. His client used him to put maximum damage on Michael’s family; to his mother, Drew’s daughter, Michael’s siblings, his uncle. Martin’s actions caused a lot of pain, a lot of devastation to a lot of people. That’s why he called Martin here, because he’s giving Martin a chance to save himself. He’s giving Martin a chance to make almonds amends.

Willow says, and for dessert, chocolate pudding, one of Wiley’s favorites. Wiley thanks her, and says, Grandpa Sonny and Grandma Nina should have had chocolate pudding at their wedding. Willow says she’s glad he had such a good time at the wedding, and he says, it was really fun. He loves Grandpa Sonny and Grandma Nina so much. She says she’s glad to hear that, and he says, she loves them too, right? She says she loves their whole family.

Kristina says, Blaze is here, right? She only had two glasses of champagne, three now, at her dad’s wedding, so she knows she’s not hallucinating. Blaze says, it’s her, and Kristina asks how she’s even in Puerto Rico. When they were texting earlier, all Blaze said was they should hang out when she was back in Port Charles. Blaze says, it turns out they didn’t have to wait that long to see each other again.

Carly says, when Sam sees Sasha, give Sasha her best, and tell her that if she needs anything, Carly is here for her. Sam says she’s going to see Sasha when she gets out of here, but she wanted to check in on her friend. Carly says she’s glad Sam did. She wants Sam to know, even though Sonny marrying Nina stings, she loves Drew; she adores him. And she’s never going to forget the sacrifice he made for her. It’s really important to her that Sam sees that. Sam says she does, and she knows. They hug, and Sam leaves.

Cody asks when Sasha is leaving, and she says, the movers will be here tomorrow morning. He says, wow. He totally understands her wanting to get a fresh start, but does it really have to be away from Port Charles? Is she absolutely sure about that? There’s a knock at the door, and it’s Maxie. She asks, what’s with the boxes? and Cody says, Sasha’s leaving town. Maxie says, she’s leaving Port Charles? and Sasha says she’s moving to Austin. Maxie asks, what’s in Texas? and Cody says, nothing. And no one. He leaves, and Maxie goes inside. Sasha says, the point is, she needs a fresh start, one that doesn’t hold painful memories. When she goes to GH, all she thinks about is losing her sweet Liam. Whenever she goes to Charlie’s Pub, she forces a smile. She might look happy, but she can’t erase the images in her head. Brando laying on the ground, the rain washing away the blood from his chest. She can still hear herself screaming. Maxie says her heart aches for Sasha because she knows exactly how Sasha feels. When Nathan died, she wanted to run away. She wanted to be anywhere but here. And then she realized what is here, her friends and family who love her. Sasha says, don’t try to talk her out of it. She’s made up her mind.

Maxie says she’s not trying to get Sasha to stay. She just wants Sasha to know she understands the impulse to leave. Sasha needs to do what’s best for herself. Sasha says, honestly, she doesn’t know what’s best for her. These past couple of months, she’s been just living outside of herself, looking down, seeing this broken person locked in a room curled up in a ball, unable to function because of the drugs that monster Montague forced on her. Maxie says, maybe she was trying to detach herself from the horrors of that place, and Sasha says, maybe. She can see clearly again, and all she knows is, she has to get away. Maxie says, of course (🍷) she’ll support Sasha’s decision no matter what that is. She does want Sasha to know Deception won’t be the same without her. Sasha really hopes this doesn’t make things difficult for Maxie and Lucy. She’s so sorry. The last thing she wants to do is… Maxie says, she has nothing to be sorry about, and Sasha thanks her. She’s so glad Maxie stopped by. Why did she stop by? Maxie says she just missed her friend.

Kristina says, Blaze didn’t come here just to see her, and Blaze says, no. Her abuela lives in Puerto Rico, that’s why she’s here. She hates to fly, so Blaze visits her a lot; they’re really close. Kristina says, that’s sweet, and Blaze says, she’s great. She actually used to work at the hotel. Kristina says, really? and Blaze says, Kristina’s dad owns the property, right? Kristina says, yeah. She’s staying here. That’s crazy. What a small world. How did Blaze wind up in the chapel? Blaze says she decided to light a candle for her abuelo and say a prayer. Then she walked in, and there Kristina was. Kristina says, here she is, and Blaze says, must be fate. Kristina says, could be.

Carly flips the sign to Closed at Kelly’s.

Nina says, a shooting star, and Sonny says, she knows what she’s supposed to do when she sees a shooting star, right? She’s supposed to make a wish. She asks how she’s supposed to make a wish when he’s given her everything she’s ever wanted. She’s his wife now; he’s her husband. She loves him so much. He says he loves her too, and she’s changed his life in ways he’s just beginning to understand. She says, happy wedding day, Mr. Corinthos, and he says, happy wedding day, Mrs. Corinthos.

Willow flashes back to congratulating Nina, and Nina telling her that it meant so much she was there.

Martin tells Michael that if he was acting on behalf of a client – and that’s’ a big if – his actions would be covered by attorney/client privilege, which means he couldn’t possibly discuss it. Michael says, of course (🍷). He understands. What kind of attorney would Martin be if he broke that trust? Martin says he’s glad they understand each other, but Michael says, of course (🍷) he’d then have to refer this issue to Sonny, and he’d handle it his way. Martin says he sees no reason to involve Mr. Corinthos. Even if Sonny came to him with the same question, the same privilege would still exist. Michael says, that’s where they disagree, because Martin’s client’s actions harmed Sonny’s family. His client lied to Sonny and continues to lie to him. He thinks Sonny needs to know that. Doesn’t Martin? Sonny doesn’t know Martin is involved and it can remain that way provided Martin tells him the name of who’s actually responsible. Martin says, if he does that, it could ruin his reputation as a lawyer, but Michael says he already knows she’s the one. He just needs Martin to confirm it. That, or he could tell Sonny under much less comfortable circumstances. Martin says, Nina Reeves (b*st*rd!). He called the SEC at Nina Reeves’s direction and suggested they investigate Drew Cain and Carly Spencer for insider trading. Michael thanks him and says he can go now, and Martin asks what he’s going to do. Michael says he appreciates Martin meeting with him, and Martin leaves. Michael messes with his phone, and hears a recording of what Martin just told him. He looks so satisfied, I wish I could smack him.

Tomorrow, Lois asks if Eddie/Ned is calling her a liar; Gregory says he came to settle a score; Cyrus tells Austin that they have some unfinished business; and Josslyn says she has to speak to Dante. It’s a matter of life and death.

Below Deck Mediterranean

The only upside of watching this season will be if Natalya gets the boot. I have no clue why anybody likes her. She belongs in the Awful People Hall of Fame.

Natalya tries to lecture Tumi, who says, goodbye and walks away. Captain Sandy says, they can finally leave the dock, and Natalya gripes to Jessika. In Max’s interview, he says he’s had four years’ yachting experience, but this is his first time with an English operation. The vibe in America and South Africa is go, go, go. You go to work, but you don’t know what’s happening. Natalya tells Jack that she hates Tumi because Tumi has an issue with her, and in Jack’s interview, he says, Tumi and Natalya are fighting, and they need to get it sorted out. If it continues through another charter, it could cause a divide in the crew. It will be like how the Titanic divided, and it didn’t end well for Jack. Luka says, lets smash this, which is probably a poor choice of words when coming or going into a marina. In his interview, Luka says he finally gets to see Max in action. They’re finally leaving the dock, so hopefully, it will be easier. The captain says, they did an excellent job, and primary Mecca shows Tumi how to make a proper mimosa by pouring only champagne into the glass. In her interview, Tumi says, that’s her kind of mimosa. Agreed. In Luka’s interview, he says he loves Lara’s enthusiasm. As a first time bosun, he doesn’t have to tell her what to do, and it makes his job easier. Breakfast orders are taken, and Captain Sandy asks Luka how the deck team is. He says, they’re doing really good, and Lara is great, and the captain tells him, you do you. They proceed to drop anchor in Santa Margharita, and Luka asks if Max is comfortable dealing with the anchor. Breakfast food porn! My favorite kind. Natalya tells Kyle that she’s done. Tumi isn’t listening to her, and she’s been disrespectful from day one. After hearing about her texting Kyle, she could easily come at Tumi. In Kyle’s interview, he says he lives for a good goss, but he’s realizing his involvement made the situation worse. He told Tumi about Natalya, and Tumi sent a text to him saying, even though he and Natalya were mates, Natalya needed to stay in her lane. We flash back to Tumi texting Kyle about Natalya having a diva moment, and Kyle says, he’s good at getting information, but not good at keeping it. He assures Natalya that she’s not going anywhere. The water toys are put out, and one of the guests says, it’s swimming time. Tumi tells Captain Sandy that she’s worried because of Natalya’s constant resistance, and the captain says, that’s not good.

Tumi says, it feels like Natalya didn’t like her when she walked in. She just wants to get the job done. Captain Sandy says, if Tumi needs her, call her, but she thinks it’s hard for people to adjust. She suggests if Tumi approaches with kindness, she’ll win. Tumi says she’s going to have a chat with Natalya, and the captain says, if it doesn’t change, come to her. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, when you’re second stew, everyone loves you, but when you’re chief stew, the love isn’t there. When you lead, you’re not always popular. There are growing pains, but they need figure out how to work together. If it becomes a bigger issue, she’ll have to step in. Natalya tells Jessika that she’s not sorry, and Max does chin-ups. In Max’s interview, he says he’s ADHD, but as a kid, he never took his pills. He made believe he did because when he took them, he was like a zombie. In Tumi’s interview, says, the primary wants to surprise her friends with lunch in a beautiful spot, and she got the Santa Margharita castle. It was built in the 1600s, and used to be the scene of epic miliary raids, but now it’s a great picnic spot. In Jack’s interview, he thinks having Natalya in his ear has colored his perspective. When he and Tumi talk one-on-one, they have a good vibe and could have a working relationship in the future, but it’s hard when people are in his ear, right or wrong. Natalya says, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah about Tumi to Jessika, and in Jessika’s interview, she says, every time she sees Natalya, she has an update on whatever Tumi did wrong. Natalya whines that Tumi never says thank you and came onto the boat with the worst attitude. Oh God, she doesn’t stop. In her interview, Jessika says, note to self, never get on Nat’s bad side. The guests use the water toys, and Luka tells Tumi that it’s time to take the supplies over. In Luka’s interview, he says, the castle overlooks the port and it’s so beautiful, but he wishes it wasn’t so f***ing high. Max is the laziest dude on earth, and watches as the girls carry supplies up a million stairs. Luka radios that he’s bringing the guests and is going to take a deckhand back. Max volunteers and in her interview, Lara says she wants to kick Max in the d*ck. In Max’s interview, he says, it’s the second day and he’s exhausted, and in Lara’s interview, she says, the dynamic on deck had been amazing, but now she’s worried. Laziness annoys the sh*t out of her. Yachting isn’t all fun and games. Work isn’t Max’s mentality, and she’s going to lose her sh*t.

The guests go to the castle, while back on the yacht, Max lies on a float. He says he’s tired. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s not excited to be taking a hike on day two, but the bright side is, on day three his ass will look fantastic. Served for lunch at the castle is… food porn! Luka calls for help packing, and Tumi sends Natalya. In Natalya’s interview, she says she just wants to get a break away from the Tuminator. In Tumi’s interview, she says, the cabins aren’t finished; there’s spots on the mirrors, and trash wasn’t removed. She wants Natalya to go out and not have to stay on the boat all the time, but if she’s not done, Tumi would appreciate her saying something. Don’t say she’s done when she’s not done. The guests are going shopping on their own, and Kyle says he’s getting too old for this sh*t. Back on the boat, Max works out. I guess he’s not too exhausted for that. Tumi tells Jessika that the biggest thing with her is the trash not being removed, and she can see the bathrooms aren’t wiped down. She doesn’t care about it not being done, but Natalya told her the cabins were done. If she’d said she wasn’t finished, it would have been perfectly fine. When Natalya comes back, she tells Jessika that she did the cabins, but Jessika says, Tumi was annoyed that the cabins weren’t done. Natalya says, they all have towels, like that’s all there is to it, and calls Tumi to meet her at the bar. She asks Tumi what the issue is this time. She did the cabins and made the beds. Tumi says, if the cabins were done, the showers would have been wiped, and Natalya just wants to argue. Jessika says she’s not dealing with this, and jets. Wise move. Tumi says she’s chief stew, and Natalya says, congratulations. I honestly don’t get why this kind of behavior is allowed. If anybody else said that to their boss, they’d be fired. Tumi says, Natalya’s had a problem with her from the beginning, and Natalya says, Tumi has been nitpicking from the jump. Kyle tells Captain Sandy that they’re fighting, and the captain goes to the bar. Tumi tells Natalya not to scream at her, and Captain Sandy tells them both to go to the bridge. On the bridge, Natalya says, Tumi is the only person she doesn’t get along with. The captain thanks Natalya for everything she’s done, but she’s not going to handle this. Natalya whines that Tumi texted Kyle and said she’d have no problem firing Natalya. Tumi laughs, and the captain tells her it’s not okay to make fun of people when you’re in a leadership role. She’s ready to put them both off the boat.

Natalya leaves, and Captain Sandy tells Tumi to rise above and figure it out. In her interview, the captain says, you have to respect each other in the workplace. This behavior doesn’t make anyone happy. She tells Tumi that she owes Natalya an apology for laughing, and in her interview, the captain says she diffused the situation. Now she needs to step away and let them handle it. If she’s the one who draws the line, they’ll never respect each other. If she hears Natalya screaming again and Tumi can’t diffuse the situation, she’ll have to make a decision. Natalya whines that she doesn’t need this sh*t in her life. Tumi talks to Kyle about the texts, and he says, Natalya twisted his words. She did this last season. When she’s in a corner, a rat will chew through. In Tumi’s interview, she says she doesn’t know where this is coming from – if it’s Natalya or Kyle – and it’s frustrating. In hindsight, it was unprofessional of her to text Kyle, and that’s on her. She’ll learn from her mistake and thinks they can have a constructive conversation. On shore, the guests are still shopping and eating ice cream, and the town is super cute. Tumi asks Natalya to talk, but Natalya says she has to chill. She’ll communicate to Tumi through Kyle, and vice versa. Kyle tells Tumi not to lower herself. Max jumps around on deck, while Lara puts stuff away. In Max’s interview, he says he thinks Lara is frustrated, and wonders if it’s him or is she just like this. Um… It’s you, Max. Kyle tells Jessika, positive vibes, and Jack goes over the menu with Tumi. In Jack’s interview, he says, it hasn’t been the perfect charter, so tonight, dinner has to go perfect. In the crew mess, Lara tells Luka that Max is lazy, and Max says, this boat is different. In Luka’s interview, he says, if he tells the girls to do something, they’ll just do it, but he has to tread carefully with Max to make sure he doesn’t f*** up the whole vibe on deck. Captain Sandy calls Tumi to the bridge, and the guests are picked up from shore. The captain tells Tumi that she knows walking in as chief stew was hard, but when Tumi feels pushback, talk it out. Tumi says, it’s hard to have a conversation with Natalya, and the captain asks if they didn’t have a chat, but Tumi says, Natalya didn’t want to talk to her. Captain Sandy says she needs the team to do their job respectfully, and Tumi says she’s shocked she’s responded this way. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s worked at keeping her emotions inside. When she was a kid, she had the lead role in her ballet concert, when her mom told her that her dad was killed in a shooting. She went on stage for a two-hour show, cried on breaks, then danced. She knows how to hide her emotions to do her job. Fighting people is unusual. The captain says, Tumi is doing an amazing job. Keep trying. I dunno. I think this is above Tumi’s paygrade and the captain should step in now. The guests return, and Mecca asks if the crew missed them. Luka says, of course, and Kyle greets them with warm towels. The guests rave about the town, and say it was amazing. Jessika tells Tumi that she’s not stirring things up. She was just reiterating what needs to be done. Tumi tells her, it’s okay, and hugs her. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s starting to feel bad for Tumi. Natalya didn’t want to hand over the role, so she’s being a mean girl. It reminds her of high school, and she doesn’t like it. YES! The self-proclaimed lazy follower is the voice of reason. There’s a charming tropical table setting, and the stews are wearing daisy crowns. Jessika tells Kyle that she thinks Natalya is being a mean girl, and he agrees. He says, it was the same last season, and Jessika asks if they want a mean girl. He says, no, but she’s one bitch you don’t want to cross paths with. If Jessika doesn’t want to die today, don’t go down there.

Max sings in French in his bunk, and in the galley, Captain Sandy says, it smells like the Caribbean in here. Natalya starts bitching to the captain, who tells her, communication is the key. She and Tumi need to chat in a non-threatening way. Natalya whines that Tumi nitpicked from the second she came in, but Captain Sandy says, she and Tumi need to have that conversation. They can figure it out. In the crew mess, Haleigh asks if they kicked the day’s d*ck, and Luka says, they did. Lara says, her d*ck was kicked. Max doesn’t know what yachting is really like. Caribbean food porn! Everyone is all happy, and one guest says, the bar is set. They’re Jamaicans. No surprise, vegan guest Adjua thinks her food is bland, and Mecca tells Tumi, it’s super important that her friends are happy, and Adjua isn’t loving her food. Adjua says she wants fried tofu; season it and fry it. She needs something greasy. Jessika tries to appeal to Natalya’s humanity, forgetting she has none, and says she thinks Tumi feels like they did first charter, but Natalya says, too bad. Tumi tells Jack that Adjua wants tofu fried in French fry grease. In Jack’s interview, he says he’s a lot of things, but vegan isn’t one of them. I must not even understand it, because wouldn’t French fry grease be cheating? Tumi brings Adjua the tofu, but it’s still not right. Mecca asks Tumi to get Jack, and on his way in, Tumi whispers to him that Adjua wanted it breaded and fried. Jack tells them that he wasn’t told fried, and not one to be toyed with, Mecca calls Tumi in. Tumi says she did so tell him friend, and for whatever reason, Jack understood it to mean pan seared, and deep fried is fried. In his interview, Jack says, they have to be specific. He’s a wizard in the kitchen, but he can’t read their minds. Well, I think he should understand what fried means to Americans, who are a large percentage of their clientele. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s emotionally exhausted. There’s tension in every single corner. She’d thought she was making headway with Jack, then he threw her under the bus. She asks how the tofu is, and Adjua says, much better. The guests go to bed, and in her interview, Tumi says she’s shocked that things are this bad. She just wants to hide, but she knows at this point she has to change something on her part and she has to do it now.

Max does push-ups, and Luka tells him to help Lara. Mecca says, they have 90 minutes in paradise left, breakfast is served, and anchor is home. Haleigh says she thinks the bow is hard with one person, and gets stuck with Max. In her interview, she says, knowing what she’s seen, it’s not going to go well. In the laundry, Natalya announces that she doesn’t need this sh*t in her life. I’m not sure if she means the general sh*t going on or something specific, since she’s constantly grumbling about everything. Tumi tells Jessika that she and Natalya need to have a conversation. In her interview, Tumi says, the situation has gone too far and needs to end. She’s willing to swallow her pride and take one for the team. She tells Natalya that she hates conflict in the interior. She respects Natalya’s enthusiasm (is that what we’re calling it?) and feels like they’re similar. Maybe too similar and that’s the problem. She’s worked with many different chief stews and took things she liked, then shaped them how she wanted to manage. Natalya gripes that she had to work with three stews, one of them a greenie, before Tumi got here. If Tumi had just acknowledged her, it would have been different. Tumi says she told Natalya thank you, but admits that Natalya pissed her off after the introduction. Natalya says, Tumi never gave her a fair go, but Tumi says, Natalya didn’t give her a fair go either. Natalya insists that Tumi wanted to show Natalya her place, but Tumi says she’s not like that. On deck, Max doesn’t listen to what Haleigh’s telling him while docking, and Luka wants to know, WTF is going on? Natalya whines that Tumi coddles Kyle, while she gets crickets. Tumi is supposed to be her boss (wow. I didn’t know she knew that), so she’ll do whatever Tumi wants, but doesn’t want to be her friend. She thinks it’s bullsh*t, but loves the work. She’ll do whatever, but doesn’t want a friendship. Max is babbling incessantly, and Haleigh tells him to shut up. The captain says, this is not good. In her interview, she says, hell no. With a full team, everything should be easier to operate. That’s clearly not the case. Natalya says she just wants a successful charter where they make big tips, and Tumi says, okay, cool. As soon as Tumi is out of earshot, Natalya says, little bitch.

To be continued…

💭 A thought: I’m not sure where Captain Sandy sees Natalya as being a good person. At best, she’s lazy. I think she likes the tips and the yachting, but not the work. She also caused a bunch of trouble last season. Can’t the captain see the common denominator here?  

👻 Friendly Ghosting You…

Pull up a chair tomorrow for some soap and a spot ‘o tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not dipping into your own candy until Halloween is over, and stay remembering humans make mistakes. If they didn’t, life would be perfect, but it would also be completely boring.

Oct10

October 9, 2023 – Lucy Makes a Decision About Deception, Service Queen Back On Deck & Ocean

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone in her office, Lucy says, no comment… No. She doesn’t have a comment on that either. She slams the phone down and asks Maxie why they’re so rude. Maxie asks why they won’t leave them alone, when Scotty walks in and says, there’s blood in the water. Lucy says, but they’re not dead yet. If they can just come up with a product as fantastic as The Deceptor, they’d be fine. Maxie says, that could take months, even years. Why won’t Lucy just take Tracy’s deal? Scotty says, bite your tongue. Lucy’s got a sliver of the ELQ pie; she’s got to hang on to that. Maxie says, oh, okay. She hopes that sliver of pie keeps Lucy fed when Deception goes under, because after years of breaking their backs and building this company from the ground up, she and Sasha will ultimately be left with nothing.

On the phone headed for her and Chase’s apartment, Brook says she can totally guarantee the venue is perfect. She guarantees the venue will be sold out, and can even throw in an opening act if they want. She goes inside to find Chase sitting in the dark and says, she’ll have to call them back.

Gregory walks into Alexis’s office and says, here’s everything Molly was able to dig up on Judge Kim. She says, here’s everything Diane was able to dig up. They have a lot of work ahead of them. He says, good. He’s ready. Let’s nail this bastard. She says, isn’t he all fired up, and he says he’s cultivated a go-for-it attitude, hoping it translates to skydiving. She says, researching papers to skydiving; that’s quite a leap. He says, really? when Finn walks in. He says he’s sorry to interrupt the fun, but he was hoping he could steal his dad away for a cup of coffee.

The guard brings Cyrus into an empty visitor’s room, and Cyrus asks, what’s going on?  Why is he being brought here outside of visiting hours? The guard says, he’ll find out soon enough, and the warden comes in. She thanks the guard for bringing down Mr. Renault. He can leave them alone now. Cyrus asks if he should be worried.

Sonny comes through the curtains to the seating area on his jet, and Nina says, there he is. She’s all set and ready to get this wedding going. What about him? He says, just about, and she asks if they’re waiting on something. He says, yes, they are. She says, something for the wedding? and he says, she’s got to be patient and wait a while longer. She says she is the bride, so shouldn’t she know what they’re waiting on? Besides, he said the staff in Puerto Rico was handling everything. He says, this is something he could only get in Port Charles, and the wedding wouldn’t be complete without it. She asks, what is going on? and he laughs. Kristina comes out from behind the curtains and says, perfect day for a wedding. Michael and Willow follow her out.

Alone with Lucy, Scotty says he doesn’t want her to worry. He’s seen her attorney in action, and besides, she’s like a gladiator. She’s got her sword out ready to conquer. She says, thank you… I think. But they could really lose this case. Or Deception could go under financially before they even get to court. Like he said, she’s a gladiator. She really will be fine. She can survive anything. It’s just Maxie. She’s raising three little kids without any support, just her, so if she did take Tracy’s deal, at least Maxie would have a job. He says, she can’t let Tracy put the screws to her because of Maxie, but she says she can’t do that to her very best friend in the world, to her daughter and her grandchildren. She can’t do that to Felicia. What is she saying? Maxie has become her very best friend in the whole world too, and if she lets Maxie down, she couldn’t live with herself. She doesn’t feel she could do it to Maxie either. He asks if she has her noggin screwed on straight. She can’t let go of the ELQ stock; it’s the tie-breaking vote. Maxie walks in.

Brook asks Chase, what happened? and he says he got some pretty bad news at the hospital today. She says, okay… and he says, it’s the last thing he would have expected or imagined. He’s just sitting here trying to make sense of it. He’s trying to figure out the little things he missed. His dad is dying.

Gregory tells Finn that he and Alexis are in the middle of something. Instead of coffee, can they maybe grab dinner later upstairs at the MetroCourt? Finn says he was really hoping they could go now, and Alexis says, they don’t need to do this now. Go with his son; Finn needs him. She can sort through it and organize it. Gregory says he feels bad about leaving her with all this drudgery, and she says, drudgery to him. Interesting to her, because she’s going to find the little nugget that will blow this story wide open. Go, go, go. Gregory says, coffee it is, and Finn mouths, thank you, to Alexis as they leave.

Nina says she’s in shock. She’s so thrilled. She can’t believe they could make it on such short notice. It wouldn’t have been the same if they all weren’t here with her and Sonny. Michael says, Wiley and Donna are settled in. Wiley’s got enough books and games to keep him occupied for the rest of the flight. Willow says, they loved the takeoff. Wiley was glued to the window the entire time. Nina asks if Avery wasn’t able to come, and Sonny says, Pilar called. Something is wrong with Avery’s stomach. She’s sick, so she can’t come. He’s disappointed, but… He shrugs, and Nina says, that’s so sad. She hopes Avery gets better soon. When did he arrange for everyone to come? He says he made the rounds this morning and extended some invitations, and she says she knew he was up to something when he left the penthouse. He says, Dante sends his best wishes and congratulations, and she says, they’ll miss him, and miss the family that couldn’t come, but she’s going to focus on the family that could. She’s thrilled they’re here. This is the best wedding present she could ever ask for.

Alexis looks at the papers all over her desk and says, it looks like Judge Kim doesn’t miss an opportunity for a high-profile case. Her phone rings, and she says, send her in. Carly walks in, and Alexis asks, what brings her here? Carly says, Sonny told her that he asked Alexis to look into the judge who gave Drew that ridiculous sentence, and Alexis says, that’s all here, indicating the paperwork. She’s been researching it for most of the day. Carly says, great. Full disclosure, she’s the one who asked Sonny to reach out to Alexis. She also asked Diane to share any information she’s discovered on Judge Kim with her. Alexis says she’s glad Carly did. She has a vested interest in Drew as well. He’s the father of her granddaughter and she’d like to see him to come home to Scout. Carly asks if she’s had any luck, and Alexis says, from what she can tell so far, there’s a strong possibility there’s been a miscarriage of justice.

Cyrus sits down with Warden Garten and says, this is a rare and special privilege, just the two of them in this spacious room. She says, it’s private. The cameras are off except during visiting hours. There’s no record of this meeting like there would be if he came to see her in her office. He asks why she requires such privacy. Just what is it she has in store for him?

The women sit together, and Kristina asks if Nina’s visited the island yet, but Nina says, no, but Sonny told her all about it. He put in for them to go to the island, but when Willow went through what she went through, she wanted to be with Willow. Willow says, even though Nina knew she didn’t want her there? and Nina says she knew where she had to be. Kristina says, both of them are going to love it; it’s gorgeous. Willow asks what it’s like, and Kristina says, there’s a hotel and a casino, but there’s a private wing just for the family, and the gardens are just breathtaking. Nina says, Sonny told her about the gardens, and Kristina says, the smell from the flowers is just everywhere. Willow says, it sounds like the perfect spot for a wedding.

Sonny says he wants to thank Michael for getting Willow to come to the wedding, but Michael says, actually, this was Willow’s decision.

Alexis tells Carly, Judge Kim’s judicial record is solid. He’s an intelligent and effective jurist. Carly says, that’s not the news she was looking for, and Alexis says, but he has a way of interpreting the law in a way that lines up ideologically with special interests, who happen to be the ones who influence who sits on what bench and who gets promoted. Carly says, so Judge Kim rules the way these influential people want and in turn, he moves up the career ladder, whether or not his ruling is right or not. Alexis says, very good. Carly gets it. However, she hasn’t been able to prove there’s been any quid pro quo of Judge Kim accepting any favors or being unduly influenced by special interests. Carly says she can help with that. She just found out there’s proof and she can get it for Alexis.

Warden Garten says she’s offended. She’s just doing her job, checking on Cyrus’s welfare. After all, he’s such a beacon of light to the other inmates. The spiritual ministry he delivers? She’s surprised they managed before without him. He says he does provide a valuable service, which reflects quite well on her legacy here at Pentenville, and she says, it does, doesn’t it? He asks if she knows how many inmates are engaged in self-improvement as a direct result of his guidance, and she says, spare her the campaign speech. They’re alone. He says, spare him the false concern for his welfare and get to the point. Why did she want to see him? She says, because, she’s out of here.

Maxie apologizes for her outburst, but Lucy says, Maxie doesn’t have anything to apologize for. Maxie says, okay, then let’s prepare for our staff meeting. They at least have to pretend they have a plan moving forward. Scotty says, on a happier note, Cody Bell’s out of custody and Sasha’s home recuperating from all her mental problems. Maxie says she got some of the details from Mac, and Lucy says, that is good news. Did Maxie get a chance to see Sasha? Maxie says, no. She’s been giving Sasha some space. She figured Sasha needed some quiet time. Lucy says, that’s a very good idea after this ugly situation, and Maxie says, yeah. She can’t seem to catch a break. Scotty says he hears Gladys hightailed it back to Westport… Bridgeport… some port that she’s from in Connecticut. (I have the feeling Kin Shriner made a mistake here and adlibbed.) He guesses they have work, so he’ll bid them adieu. He leaves, and Maxie says, they need to prepare an agenda for their meeting, but Lucy says, that can wait. Maxie says, for what? and Lucy closes the door. She tells Maxie that she really has something she needs to say.

Brook asks if Gregory is in the hospital, but Chase says, no. She asks where he is, and Chase says, honestly, he doesn’t know. She asks if she needs to call Finn. Does he know what’s going on? He says, Finn knows… So does her grandmother. She says, what? and he says he’s the only one who didn’t know his father was dying. They kept it from him like he was a child or didn’t know how to handle it. She asks, what’s Gregory’s diagnosis? He says, his father has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. There’s no cure. It’s going to kill him.

In the park, Gregory says, this isn’t Kelly’s. He thought he and Finn were going for coffee. Finn says, it’s the first thing that came into his head. He needed to talk to Gregory in private. They sit down, and Gregory says, all right. Finn has him. Just say it. Finn says, Chase knows.

Lucy says she’s been doing a lot of thinking today, and Maxie asks if she can go first. Lucy says, sure, and Maxie says, maybe they should just find a buyer for the 25% and call it a day. At least then they’d end up with something. Lucy tells her, hold that thought. They’re calling the staff together for a meeting and no agenda necessary.

Chase tells Brook, when he got home, he got his phone out to research ALS. He wanted to see how this disease was going to take over his father’s life. How it would progress. He wanted to know how much time left he had with his dad. She says, that’s understandable, and he says, then he started scrolling through all these photos on his phone and these great shots of his dad; us camping together, tea parties with Violet, hanging out in the stands at a Chuck game. And there are all these random shots of us, at dinner… just watching sports on the sofa. And he looks so great in all of them, so vital and young for his age. It’s like there was nothing wrong with him; like nothing could ever be wrong with him. And now all he can think about is that young, vital man, his hero – he starts to cry – his dad; he’s going to be in a wheelchair, and he’s not getting out of it.

Gregory says he should have told Chase. Learning he had ALS should have come from him. How did he find out? Finn says, it was by mistake, and Gregory asks how a mistake like that happens. Finn says, Chase was arresting someone and got pepper sprayed. He came by the hospital to get his eyes flushed out, and afterwards, he told Chase to wait in the lounge. His eyes were all sort of bloodshot and teary, and Tracy Quartermaine saw him. He thinks she kind of jumped to the wrong conclusion. Gregory says, Tracy told Chase? and Finn says he’s not sure what was said initially, but whatever it was, it made Chase suspicious. He saw them talking across the Hub, but by the time he knew what was going on, it was too late. Tracy had told Chase. Gregory says he can’t believe this. So obviously Chase knows he already told Finn. Finn nods.

Carly tells Alexis, there’s a regular that comes into Kelly’s and she’s been talking to him lately. He’s a pilot for a private jet that belongs to a billionaire named Ascher Alexander. The pilot told her, the downside of his job is, whenever Mr. Alexander wants to go on a trip, and for however long he wants to stay, the pilot must go with him. Alexis says, tough life, and Carly says, the last trip they went on was to the Caribbean. He took a group of guys down there to go deep sea fishing. Guess who one of the passengers was? Alexis says, Judge Albert Kim? and Carly says, that’s right.

Willow asks, what made Nina and Sonny decide to elope? and Nina says, it started with this whole big stack of wedding materials that Olivia delivered to her from the MetroCourt. It got a bit overwhelming, and she kept putting off going through them. Kristina says, thank you. She’s the queen of procrastination, so she finds it quite reassuring to find that super organized Nina also succumbs to procrastination sometimes too. How about Willow? Is she as organized as she seems, or is she a secret procrastinator like Nina?

Michael tells Sonny that he and Willow discussed whether they should attend the wedding or not, but ultimately, he left the decision up to her. Here they are. Sonny says, they both know it’s not that simple.

Cyrus asks if the warden is going on vacation, but she says, no. She’s out permanently. She gets up, and he follows her, saying, this seems sudden, but she says, there’s nothing sudden about it. She’s been working toward this for a while, and it’s finally happening. She can’t wait to see Port Charles and its Corinthosness, this whole infected place, in the rearview mirror. He asks where she’s headed, and she says, Texas, land of the free. He says, another prison? and she says, all of them. She’ll be overseeing all of the federal prisons in the state. He says, what about him? and she says, you’ll get yours.

The staff files in, and Maxie thanks everyone for coming. She knows this hasn’t been the easiest time for them. She and Lucy really appreciate the staff sticking by them and working hard. As soon as Lucy gets here, they have an important announcement to make about the future of Deception. A woman suggests Maxie save time and just give them the bad news, and Maxie checks her phone to see where Lucy is. She says, Lucy must be on her way, so they’ll just give her a few minutes. Scotty joins them, and Maxie asks what he’s doing here. He says, beats him. Lucy told him to come back. Maxie says, what? when Lucy walks in.

Alexis asks if Carly is sure the pilot said it was Judge Kim on the fishing trip, and Carly says she wanted to make sure, so she looked up Judge Kim’s picture on the court website and the pilot confirmed it. Unfortunately, the pilot signed a non-disclosure agreement, so he can’t say who flies with him on the record, but… Alexis says, non-disclosures are her specialty; there’s usually a way around them. What she wants to know is, did the pilot give Carly a date for this trip? Carly says, dates and times, handing Alexis a paper. Apparently, they all went down there to go fishing. Alexis says, the next thing they do is check Judge Kim’s calendar, see if the dates match, and see if he disclosed his destination.  

Gregory asks if Chase blames Finn for not telling him, and Finn says, everything happened so fast, but he was definitely upset when he left the hospital. He doesn’t blame Chase for being angry at him. He handled this all wrong. Gregory says he’s not going to let Finn blame himself for this. None of it. This was all on him. This is his disease and he’s Chase’s father. It was on him to tell his son. It wasn’t Finn’s responsibility. He was selfish and shouldn’t have waited so long and delayed the inevitable for as long as he did. Now, because of him, Chase is paying the price.

Chase tells Brook that he can’t help but think about the time he spent in a wheelchair. He hoped and prayed one day he would recover and walk again. That day he stood up for the first time was one of the sweetest moments in his life. But for his dad… he won’t get that recovery. Brook says, this has to be crushing Gregory. How much does Chase know about ALS? He says, very little. He did that ice bucket challenge a few years ago. At that time, he learned that it’s degenerative, that there’s no cure, there’s no stopping it. She says she’s going to help him find out everything they can, so they know exactly what they’re dealing with. He says he can’t, not right now. He can’t even imagine what he’s going to have to say to his dad the next time he sees him.

Willow says she’s always been one of those annoying organized people, and Kristina says, admit it. How often is she making to-do lists? Willow says, almost every night. She feels comfortable knowing what she has to do the next day and then being able to check it off as she does it. Which is why she and Michael are so perfect together. Kristina asks if she’s serious; Michael is the complete opposite. He’s a mess. Michael is a great businessman – he’s brilliant – but organization? Not his strong suit. Willow says, busted, and they laugh. Willow wonders why doesn’t she put her organizational skills to good use, and Nina asks, how? Willow says, by helping Nina with the wedding. What can she do?

Sonny says, it would have been simple enough to refuse his invitation when he asked Michael, but Michael says, the invitation was for both of them. He wasn’t going to speak for his wife. Sonny says, but Michael could have made it clear to Willow that she could go to the wedding, but he wasn’t going. Why didn’t he?

Warden Garten says, Cyrus always finds a way of making it all about him. He’ll be fine. Does he want to know why? Cyrus says he’s sure she’ll tell him, and she says, because she has great trust in his ingenuity. He’s like a cat; he always finds a way to land on his feet, but now she doesn’t have to clean up his messes. Her promotion came through, and she’ll be in Texas. He says, she’s welcome, and she says, he always takes credit for everything. He says, God helps those who help themselves, and she says, he definitely helps himself, doesn’t he? She starts to leave, and he says, there’s just one more thing before she goes.

Lucy tells the group that she and Maxie want to thank each and every one of them for their hard work. That hard work has made Deception the incredible company it is today. She’s sure they’ve all heard and been talking about how they’ve been hit with a very frivolous lawsuit, one that threatens the very future of Deception. In saying that, that means they have to make some very difficult decisions. Those decisions will affect everybody’s lives in this room. So on the table is a deal where they would completely relinquish control of Deception, and they would only be left with 25%. Obviously, that’s unacceptable. Look at them. They’ve worked so very hard and sacrificed so much to just give in to some corporate bully. So, in talking to several legal advisors, and at a fairly significant personal cost, there is another deal on the table, one where they’ll retain 49% of the company. What that means going forward is that Deception can go on in perpetuity, improving and growing and being amazing for decades to come. She tears up and tells them that she guesses what she’s trying to say is, she feels that Deception is a lot more than beauty. They’re sustainability and innovation and inspiration, but what they also are is family. They’re her family. One she’s grown to love and cherish, and she’s not going to let that get away from her. She’s keeping it forever. What she’s trying to say is, nobody is going to be allowed to take anything else away from them, because they are family – fierce, fantastic, and anybody who tries to battle them, they will fight them. And they won’t win if they all just stick together. Everyone applauds, and Lucy and Maxie hug.

Brook tells Chase that she’s so, so sorry. It’s terrible news. She loves Gregory. He’s so smart and funny, and he was so welcoming and accepting of her. The thing she loves most about his dad is how much he loves their family. He and Chase have such a sweet bond; they’re so close. Chase says, just not close enough for Gregory to have told him his diagnosis, but she says she’s sure he intended to. She has to apologize. He says, for what? and she says, Tracy. She inserted herself where she has absolutely no business. He says, if she hadn’t, he still wouldn’t know his dad has ALS. Although if he’s being honest, he kind of wishes he didn’t. She asks if it would be okay if she stepped out for a little while. There’s something she wants to take care of. He says, sure, and she asks what he’s going to do. He says he’ll probably just sit here, collect his thoughts, and maybe do a little research. She says, okay, kisses him, and tells him that she loves him. So, so much. He says he loves her too, and thanks her for listening. She kisses him again, and leaves. He picks up his phone.

Gregory says he feels like such a coward for not telling Chase that he has ALS, but Finn says, he’s not a coward. Don’t do that to himself. He’s going through a lot. Gregory says, it was bad enough admitting the truth to himself, then to Finn. He imagined sitting down and telling Chase, seeing the look of fear and pain on his face, watching that perpetual optimistic smile just fade away, and dreading it. Maybe he’s just been protecting himself, because as long as Chase didn’t know, then some little part of him could stay in denial. Finn says, there’s no right way to do this, but he does know one thing, Gregory is a hell of a father. He’s the best. And Finn knows he’ll do whatever Chase needs.

Alexis hangs up the phone and tells Carly, bingo. Turns out Judge Kim was on vacation the exact dates the pilot provided. Carly says, that’s great, and Alexis tells her, what it doesn’t say on the calendar was that he was on a fishing trip in the Caribbean or that he was with a politically influential billionaire. If she was a betting gal, she would say he didn’t put it on his tax returns; it was a gift. Carly asks if it’s enough to put pressure on Judge Kim to reduce Drew’s sentence, and Alexis says, depends on one thing. How it’s presented to him.

Nina thanks Willow for her offer to help, but Sonny insists all they have to do is show up. The staff in Puerto Rico is going to take care of everything. Kristina says, the staff is amazing. They’ll want for nothing, and the food? The chef has a Michelin star so they’re both in for some incredible meals and desserts. Nina says, and he is taking care of the wedding cake, and Kristina squeals. She says she can’t wait. If Nina needs any help on the actual day – needs someone to zip up her dress or the old-new-borrowed-blue thing… Nina says, that’s not needed here, but she’d like it if both of them would help her get ready. Kristina says, okay, and Willow says, it would be her pleasure to help.

Michael says, when he told Willow about Sonny’s invitation, he let her know that the choice to attend was completely up to her. Sonny says he sees, and Michael says, but she wanted to know how he felt. Sonny asks what he told her, and Michael says, that he wanted to come. He knows they’re family, and family should show up for big moments in life like getting married.

The warden tells Cyrus not to worry, and he says he’s not worried, but their business isn’t finished yet. She says, everything they discussed is still happening. He just needs to sit tight and be patient. He says he can trust her? but she says, trust doesn’t mean anything now. She’s erased all of their interactions, eliminated any trace. They’re done. He asks, who’s replacing her? and she says she doesn’t know and frankly, she doesn’t care. She’s done her part, and now he’s on his own.

Michael buckles in next to Willow and says, they’re almost there. She says she’s really looking forward to it and she thinks Wiley is going to have a great time on the island.

Sonny says, tomorrow, Nina is going to be Mrs. Sonny Corinthos. They’re going to start a new chapter in their life, and he can’t wait to see where it leads them. She says, her too, and takes his hand. She says, he’s made her the happiest woman on earth.

Cyrus says he’s actually sorry to see Warden Garten go, and she says she wishes she could say the same, but she can’t. She turns to go again, but he says he has one final question. She says, one more is all he gets, and he asks if there’s any word on his friend Drew Cain. She asks, why in the world would he care about Drew Cain? and he says, the man saved his life, like Daniel was saved in the lion’s den. She says, it’s a hard den out there, and not everybody is as lucky as Daniel. But rest assured, Drew Cain will be taken care of. And this time, for good. She leaves.

Carly thanks Alexis and says she really appreciates this and knows it’s going to mean a lot to Drew. Alexis says she’s happy to help and asks if Carly still has the contact information for the pilot. Carly says she does, and Alexis says, use it. See if she can find out anything more. Anything she can find out would be helpful. Carly asks if Alexis really thinks the judge is going to take the bait, and Alexis says, from what she knows about the judge so far, he’s going to have a real hard time not talking about himself and bragging about his accomplishments to the press. She needs to get him in here for an interview, get him talking, and hopefully he won’t stop. Carly says, just give him enough rope, and Alexis says, then they’ve got him.

Chase puts ALS into the Spyder-Finder search engine on his phone, but ends up looking at pictures instead. Pictures of Gregory with him, with Finn, with Violet. He cries, and there’s a knock at the door. He wipes his eyes and opens it. Gregory is there.

Maxie tells Lucy, that was a great speech, and Lucy says she knows. But seriously, she couldn’t let Maxie and everybody else sink because of horrible Tracy Quartermaine. Not on her watch. Maxie thanks her and says, she’s a great friend. Lucy asks if Maxie happened to see where Scotty went, when he walks in behind her. He says, this decision is crazy… but it’s his kind of crazy, so let’s celebrate. He holds up a bottle of champagne and glasses, and Lucy laughs.

A woman looks at The Sun headline: BLQ BOOTED – DECEPTION SCANDAL – PC PRINCESS FIRED. We see she has quite a manicure, and I’m guessing it’s Lois.

Tomorrow, Curtis says he doesn’t think he can tell his daughter what to do or who to be with; Portia says she had a change of heart; Gregory apologizes to Chase; and Tracy asks, what exactly does Brook think she did?

Below Deck Mediterranean

Genoa, Italy. Backtracking a little, Tumi tells Natalya, the organization’s a sh*tshow. Natalya’s part is impeccable, but the boat isn’t set up the way she’d like. It’s just her opinion. Natalya wants to continue giving her opinion, but Tumi says, that’s it. Natalya is offended by Tumi talking with her hands, and Tumi asks to see the laundry. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Natalya did a great job, but how would she like it if someone went off right at the beginning? Her mum told her to stand up for herself at a young age. When her mum cracks the whip, run. When Tumi was in high school, the boys made fun of her race, and she put them in their place. Be kind, but don’t let anyone walk on you. Tumi says she’ll ask if she needs Natalya, and Natalya tells Luka and Jessika, she’s a bitch. Luka says he loves the drama, and Jessika says, maybe Tumi is just trying to adapt, but Natalya says, she has no warmness. In Natalya’s interview, she says, the boat is in a good place, and the way to respectfully hand it over would be to come in with good energy, but Tumi didn’t. Tumi talks to Jack about Natalya, and Captain Sandy calls Jack, Tumi, and Luka to the crew mess for a preference sheet meeting. Natalya lingers around a beat too long, then jets.

The captain says, the primary is Mecca Mamore-Henson and is the publisher for Pink magazine. Husband Antoine will be with her, along with some successful friends who like to see their wealth by enjoying luxury vacations. One of the guests owns a plant-based wellness brand, and in Jack’s interview, he says he tried veganism. He thinks it was a Tuesday. It lasted two hours. Captain Sandy says, the weather is going to be bad, so they might have to stay on the dock. She’s hoping only one day. She reads, the vibe must be immaculate, and Tumi says, got it. She’s doing better than I am, since I don’t got it. Jack reads that the guests want a Diamonds Are Forever dinner, and Tumi says, they want a pajama party with late night snacks. She loves a pajama party. After the meeting, Tumi texts Kyle, saying that Natalya had a diva moment, and she’d have no problem firing her. We flash back to Natalya having diva moments with Kyle. Natalya calls her boyfriend, and in her interview, she says, an open relationship is new to her, and they’ve never discussed rules or guidelines. She doesn’t see staying with one person for the rest of her life, but it doesn’t seem right to sleep with someone else when you’re in a relationship. She suggests he at least meet her halfway, and he tells her to get some sleep. This seems to be the way all of their conversations go, and she’s a dummy if she stays in this situation.

Captain Sandy says, the storm is six miles big. Tumi thinks they should finish the cabins, then have a meeting. Jack tells Tumi that he’s doing a buffet style lunch, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she’s lucky to have had great relationships with the chefs she’s worked with. She gets them; they’re nutcases. She worked with Aesha, who was a first-time chief stew, and learned not to let people walk on her. We see a Down Under flashback, and Tumi says, one thing she knows, don’t piss off the chef. Natalya complains to Luka, and says she wants to be in laundry for the whole trip. Kyle arrives, and in his interview, he says, you thought you were done with me? I’m back. Yay. I like Kyle.

Kyle and Tumi are excited to see each other, and he hugs Captain Sandy. In Kyle’s interview, he says, it’s an honor to be working under Captain Sandy again. You’ve got to be special to be wanted back by her. We flash back to Kyle last season, and he says he’s wishing he was coming back as chief stew. He wants to reach the next level, and he’ll get there, but people will still look at him as the service queen. Kyle meets everyone, and Lara says, he smells like a dream. He says he feels like broken memories and I literally lol. He and Natalya greet each other enthusiastically, and in Natalya’s interview, she says, her relationship with Kyle was rocky last season. We flash back to that, and she says, Kyle is good at lightening up the situation. They had a lot of fun moments. We see another flash back, and Kyle tells Natalya that she’s gorgeous and skinny. She says, it’s called stress. In Haleigh’s interview, she says, it’s hard to hang out when she’s used to exciting parts on the ship. A yacht is like a floating hotel, and if they’re not moving, she has nothing to do other than hose the charter guests off. She wants to do cool boat sh*t. In Tumi’s interview, she says, her management style is relaxed. Before she got into yachting, she managed a restaurant and a club, and had to find models for the club. She knows there will be a learning curve, but she feels prepared. Tumi passes out the stew’s ranks, and says, Kyle will be her second. Obviously. In Natalya’s interview, she says, why obviously? Tumi says, Natalya is third, and will do breakfast, and Jessika is fourth. In Tumi’s interview, she says she based her decisions on their CVs. Kyle is good with people, and Natalya is very good at housekeeping and laundry. In Jessika’s interview, she says, it’s a relief to be at the bottom of the food chain. There’s less stress, and the drama at the top makes her uncomfortable. Natalya bitches to Jack, but he doesn’t want drama. Deckhand Max arrives, and he has a French accent that the others struggle to understand. In Max’s interview, he says he’s been fired from all the jobs he’s had since he was 18 because he’s misunderstood. Yachting is like a big casino. They only thing you need to know is when to get out. He meets Captain Sandy, and in his interview, he says he has four years’ experience. It’s a crazy environment. To survive the pressure, you need to be Godzilla. Fortunately, that’s who he is. The provisions come, and Captain Sandy says, teamwork makes the dream work. I can’t. The crew gets into their whites, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, how things are starting is good for no one, and he’s in the middle. Anyone who knows him, knows he prefers front or back. He tells Natalya that Tumi said she’d have no problem firing her, so she’d better watch herself. Tumi calls for a masseuse to come to the boat, and the guests arrive. Captain Sandy says she can see they’re not happy, and yep, they come out of the taxi whining. In her interview, Tumi says, the guests look pissed off. It’s not ideal.

Captain Sandy says, this is going to suck. They welcome the guests, and the captain says, she was hoping they’d bring sunshine. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to stay on the dock today. It’s rough offshore. Primary Mecca asks about tomorrow, and the captain says, we’ll see, like she’s their mom. The guests are given champagne, and Tumi does the tour. She promises, even if they don’t get off the dock, they’ll be spoiled. Jessika wonders how Natalya felt about stepping back, and Natalya relays what Kyle said about Tumi having no problem firing her. Jessika asks if she doesn’t think Kyle might have said something to spark that which is an excellent point. I love Kyle, but he’s not just the service queen; he’s the gossip queen. The guests reject the cheese board, saying, they want food. We don’t want no cheese. Mecca says she’s real hungry, and Tumi tells Jack. She says she tried offering them snacks, but they weren’t keen on that. He tells her, 30 minutes, and in his interview, Jack says, he doesn’t like to be rushed and throwing the food on the plate like a caveman. It will look better if he’s not rushed. Luka says he doesn’t know WTF Max is saying, confirming Max’s assessment of himself. In Tumi’s interview, she says she knows it sounds crazy, but her ideal charter guest is a chaotic guest. She grew up with six siblings and gets bored on small boats. She brings out fresh baked bread, and Kyle tells Natalya that Tumi doesn’t like the chef. Natalya says he’s amazing. That’s on Tumi. In Natalya’s interview, she says she can’t bite her tongue, and thinks it’s unfair. She once kicked the Bunsen burners off her science teacher’s desk when the teacher was rude to her. Tumi came in with a bone to pick and picked the wrong bone.She tells Kyle that she’s not assisting if Kyle is being told she’s getting fired.

In Jessika’s interview, she says, her responsibility has decreased a bit, but she’s going to keep conflict away from her at all costs. When she was in school, the bickering caused her anxiety. She did cheerleading in the ninth grade, and there was so much pressure, she lost confidence and quit. The guests complain about not eating, and lunch is finally served, along with a vegan alternative. They pronounce it delicious, and I pronounce it… food porn! Luka sees Natalya in the laundry, and says, she’s living the dream. In Natalya’s interview, she says, if she was in a monogamous (a word she can’t seem to pronounce) relationship, she wouldn’t flirt, but she’s not, so hello, Luka. But she’s still confused. Vegan guest Adjula gives her dish a six, and says, Jack’s got to be more creative. Mecca tells Tumi that she just wants more. She has high expectations, and they expect something grand. Tumi tells Jack, the vegan guest wants a 10, and he says he was a bit rushed. The masseuse arrives, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, when you’re stuck on the dock, this is the type of thing that distracts guests and makes them happy. She tells the captain that the guests are difficult, but she’s had worse. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Tumi is very approachable. There’s an energy about her that’s an expectation of perfection, and she likes it. The guests look at the menu and want it totally changed. Kyle asks if Tumi’s seen his boyfriend; he’s an American Italian. In Kyle’s interview, he says, after leaving the boat, he got a one-way ticket to meet Frank in NYC. We flash back to that, and Kyle says, they had no connection, so he went to a dating app. He found Zachary, Doctor of Love, and they’ve been dating ever since. He tells Tumi that they’re super in love. They’re going to South Africa, and he’d like get engaged with his family there. Natalya tells Jack, with Tumi in charge of everything, they’re f***ed. She repeats the now getting old story about Tumi messaging Kyle and saying she’d have no problem firing her.

Tumi says, this is not how she expected this to go, and guest Samantha says, it’s lovely to see a Black women in the industry. Tumi says she’s not here changing the world, but Samantha says, Tumi is changing her world. To every person who comes in and sees a fellow Black woman, it’s a big deal. In Tumi’s interview, she says, there’s massive lack of diversity in the industry. There are People of Color working in it, but they’re usually in positions that aren’t seen. They’re not given the opportunity, but if you fight hard, you can do it. Here I am, bitch. They guests get ready for dinner, and the table looks gorgeous and romantic. In Luka’s interview, he says he hopes they leave the dock. He’s recently out of a long-term relationship and has been given an amazing position. He can’t be distracted by girls. It’s affected his work environment. Natalya gets the pajama party ready, and Adjula gives her vegan dinner a 10. Tumi tells Jack, and says, seafood is key. Tumi radios Natalya to turn in, and when the radio is off, Natalya says, go bugger yourself. There’s a whole big deal over guest Bobbi getting the wrong starter or first course or something, and Tumi tells Jack, they’re drunk and misunderstood when they read the menu. In Jack’s interview, he says, if there’s anything wrong with the boat, it’s on the captain. Anything wrong with the food is on him. And anything wrong with service is on Tumi. Tumi tells him, if the guest is confused, it’s not their problem. In his interview, Jack says, it’s always the guest’s fault. Tumi needs to have accountability. His first impression of her is really bad. Tumi tells Kyle that Jack doesn’t respect her.  

Tumi tells Jack that she never wants him to fail; he’s phenomenal. But she’ll always be honest. He says, we’re good, although it doesn’t sound like it. Tumi says, he’s had someone in his ear, but she would like a fair chance. He says he makes up his own mind up, and she says she’s just making sure. The guests get into their PJs, and Luka asks if Kyle is excited to party with the guests, but Kyle says, it’s the last thing he wants. Jack makes little pizzas and some other tasty looking snacks, and Kyle makes drinks. Poor Antoine is the only dude, and I feel sorry for him. The ladies give Kyle a hat and chain, and he poses with Antoine. Mecca says, it looks like me and my Black friend, and we all laugh. The guests go to bed, and Kyle decides to clean up in the morning.

When Natalya gets up, she sees the mess, and isn’t happy. In her interview, she says, the morning person should just have to give a quick wipe down, not clean up from the night before. She asks Haleigh for help, and Captain Sandy says, they’re leaving the dock. Jack just describing the breakfast he’s going to make is… food porn! Natalya tells Tumi about the lack of clean up, and Tumi says she wants Kyle in bed by 3 am. It’s okay for him to leave the clean-up if it means he’ll be going to bed too late. No surprise, Natalya argues, and Tumi says, she’s fine with it. End of story. Natalya tells her to stop doing things with her hands, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it might be her first time as chief stew, but she knows what she’s doing, and Natalya has no respect for her. Natalya reminds her of a chihuahua. She’s territorial, combative, and talks all the time. I laugh because I have a chihuahua. He’s not like that, although he does tend to fear anything bigger than he is, which is most of the world. Natalya wants to have it out now, but Tumi says, they’ll speak another time, and tells Natalya, goodbye. Natalya yells, don’t talk to Kyle; talk to her, ending this show about the same as last week’s, except louder.

Didn’t like Natalya last season; don’t like her now.

Next time, Lara wants Max to work more; Tumi and Natalya butt heads; Captain Sandy calls Natalya and Tumi to the bridge and says she’s ready to put them both off the boat.

🙌🏽 Hip Hop Hooraying…

Come see me tomorrow for soap and whatever rabbits I can pull out of the internet. Until then, stay safe, stay not complaining about the cold when you complained about the heat five minutes ago, and stay not picking the wrong bone if you come in with a bone to pick.