Tag Archives: Bette Midler

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

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎉 It’s Their Day Off Too…

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

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

🍸 Just a Little Thirsty…

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

⚖️ Make Good Choices…

Maybe she and Rachel Raquel can get together.

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

🪝 Don’t Want To Know…

This might be a little too surreal.

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

⚰️ All Kinds Of Dead…

The longest interview ever. Centuries in the making.

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

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

Like we didn’t know.

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

Directing the Dead.

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

In case you missed him.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/exclusive-andrew-lincoln-talks-the-ones-who-live-uk-release-in-this-exclusive-interview-01hyxhmh47by

Not sure why this is being rehashed. It’s a little late. Like years.

https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/amc/the-walking-dead/the-walking-dead-star-andrew-lincoln-reveals-the-moment-he-thinks-zombie-series-over-egged-the-omelette-a211820

🧹 You Can’t Keep a Good Witch Down…

I want Binx back.

https://ew.com/hocus-pocus-3-bette-midler-teases-return-winifred-8670794

👟 Get Off His Jackson…

You know what they say about opinions.

https://www.etonline.com/colman-domingo-responds-to-michael-jackson-biopic-criticism-exclusive-228383

🦸🏼‍♂️ It Won’t Be Long Now…

This looks like it’s definitely going to be the best one.

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cover-story-cameos-future-marvel-mutants-ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-8672079

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cameos-shawn-levy-a-lot-of-characters-8672625

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-star-ryan-reynolds-teases-taylor-swift-cameo-with-new-social-media-post-a211803

🐕 Finding Them…

What to do if, God forbid, your pet got or gets lost.

* Check animal shelters not just in your direct area. Pets can travel far when scared.

* Check Craigslist in case someone found them and is looking for you or are trying to sell them.

* Put posters up ASAP all over the place with a good pic of pet and a good description with your contact info.

🐢 Bring Your Pet To Vote Day…

I think I recognize that tortoise.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2503exwrwlo

🦜 Quotes of the Week

Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary. – Uta Hagen

Whatever you are, try to be a good one. – William Makepeace Thackeray

Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen. – Amy Winehouse

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.Stephen Hawking

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.Les Brown

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. – Marie Curie

Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music. – Jimi Hendrix

We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, love with full sincerity, believe with true faith, and hope with all of your might. Better to have lived in truth and discovered life, than to have lived half-heartedly and died long before you ever ceased breathing.  – Cristina Marrero

Why is my bowl full of non-football related foods on Superbowl Sunday? – Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill), Modern Family

🍔 Life Liberty and the Pursuit Of Barbecue…

Follow your happiness this weekend and join me on Monday for soap and messiness on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay never leaving a pet in a hot car, and stay not expecting someone you love to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of.

April 4, 2024 – Doc Sees a Striking Change In Heather, Bette’s FOMO, She’s the Worst, This Week’s Top, Two Awful Houses, For the Win & Pieces

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Tracy comes into an exam room, and Terry says, it’s her birthday. Tracy says, it is. A fact that only the two of them noticed. Terry says, well, happy birthday, and Tracy thanks her. Terry asks if she has any big plans, and Tracy says, just her, her couch, and the remote. Terry says, sounds blissful, to be honest. In other good news, she sees no cause for concern in Tracy’s bloodwork. Tracy asks if she’s surprised, and Terry says, no, but Tracy looks a little pale, enough so that she wondered if anemia was in play, but her hemoglobin looks good. Tracy says, if she’s pale, it’s because they’ve just slogged through winter, and like everybody else, she hasn’t been outside much. Terry says, fair enough, and Tracy says, if she has any complaints at all, it’s cold hands and feet, but she assumes it’s because of her age. (Is that why there are so many migrations to Florida after retirement?) And she has been a little lethargic lately. Is that an indication something is going on? Is she sick? Terry tells Tracy that she’s not qualified to say, but Tracy says, she’s Co-Chief of Staff. Who’s more qualified than her? Terry says, a psychiatrist? and Tracy laughs. Terry says she can refer Tracy to Dr. Collins if she likes, and Tracy asks, what possible diagnosis could be going on in here? Terry says, depression?

Cody’s phone rings at the stable, and Sasha tells Olivia that he stepped outside for a second. Should she go get him? Olivia says, no. She just wanted to give him the good news. Dante is being discharged. Sasha says, that’s fantastic, and Olivia says she’s pretty sure Cody would want to be filled in. Sasha says, absolutely. He’ll be thrilled to know Dante is coming home. Olivia says, while she has Sasha on the phone, is she at the house? Sasha says she’s at the stables. Why? Olivia says she was making mashed potatoes and chicken parm for Tracy’s birthday, but now with Dante and the kids coming home, Sam’s not going to have time to cook. She was thinking maybe she’d bring dinner for them instead and grab a cake to celebrate with Tracy. Sasha says, good idea, and Olivia says she could use Sasha’s help. She chopped up the veggies and peeled the potatoes, but the chicken still hasn’t been made. Does Sasha think she could get it started if Olivia talks her through it? Sasha says she could try.

Portia takes Heather’s vitals and asks, what happened to her restraints? Heather says she thinks maybe she lost some weight after the surgery or something. Her hands just slipped out.

Josslyn introduces Felicia to Bobbie’s new manager, Hunter Cruise, and Felicia says, this place is a favorite of hers, so expect to be seeing her a lot. Hunter says, looking forward to it, and Josslyn says, Felicia is one of their regulars. Felicia says she used to work here when she was Josslyn’s age, and Josslyn says, they get a lot of customers from the hospital because it’s a short walk. Curtis comes in with Trina, who tells him to remember he has back-up, and he says, slow and steady. Josslyn starts applauding and everyone else follows suit.

Kristina comes out of the hospital elevator and Blaze is there. Blaze asks, how’s her brother? and Kristina says, he’s good. Actually, he gets to come home today. Blaze says, that’s fantastic. She must be so relieved. Kristina says she is. Every day he’s awake and moving around, she feels a little bit better. Blaze says she bets. She was wondering if Kristina might have a minute. Kristina says, okay, and Blaze says she didn’t mean for Kristina to find out about the whole Deception/Crimson thing like that. She hopes Kristina didn’t think she was keeping it from her. Kristina says she really didn’t know what to think. She still doesn’t.

Cody puts Comet in his stall, when Sasha comes in. He says, Comet must have spring fever. He gave them both a workout. Where did she disappear to? She says she was up at the house. He left his phone on the table, and she answered a call from Olivia. He asks what she said, and Sasha tells him, Dante’s being released from the hospital today. He whoops and hugs her, lifting her in the air.

Tracy says she’s not depressed and doesn’t need a shrink, and Terry tells her, if you say so. Tracy says she leads a full life. She’s the head of a company. If she’s being honest, she’s the majority shareholder in a company that she wants to give to her granddaughter someday, but it keeps her very busy. Terry says she’s sure it does, and Tracy says, if she’s a little down or at loose ends sometimes, it’s because she lost her husband a little over two years ago and it’s grief, and it takes as long as it takes. Terry says, absolutely. There’s no buzzer that will ring and say, that’s it, you’re done. Tracy says, if there was, she’d ignore it. She’s doing this her way, and she doesn’t care what anybody else thinks. Terry says she knows Tracy’s family well enough to know her husband hasn’t been her only loss. Both her parents, her brother Alan – a legend here at GH – a nephew and a niece. Tracy says, that’s not unusual at her stage of life, but Terry says, that doesn’t make it easy. Her general health is good. All the numbers are in range. Maybe she needs to get out more, be a little more active. Tennis club, a women’s golf league… Tracy says, oh no. There will be no popping of my collar, thank you very much. Terry says, then something else, anything, to keep her body moving and get her interacting with people of similar interests. Tracy says she’ll keep it in mind. How’s that? Terry says she’ll take it, and leaves.

Portia tells the guard outside Heather’s room that she needs him inside, and he asks if there’s a problem. She says, the patient’s restraints are loose, and she needs to be supervised at all times. She calls Nurse Erin to come in and help tighten the patient’s restraints, and Erin does. Heather says, there you go – she shows Portia the restraints are on – and she’s not going to say thank you. Though these are more comfortable than handcuffs. (They also seem to be Velcro, so…)

Felicia says, it’s so good to see Curtis. Not only up and about, but on his feet. That must be a record. Trina says, he’s been working at it non-stop, and Felicia says, it shows. Curtis thanks her so much. He didn’t think going out for a bite to eat would call for a hero’s welcome. Trina says, a lot of people were worried about him. They’re allowed to be happy about his recovery. He says, on the road to recovery, and Felicia says, in the fast lane it looks like. Curtis says he’ll accept he applause and the encouragement, and Trina says, thank you. Felicia says she’s got to get back to the hospital, and tells Curtis, keep up the good, and what she’s sure is very hard, work. He thanks her, and Felicia leaves. He says, not exactly lowkey, and Trina says, there’s nothing lowkey about this. He didn’t just beat the odds; he defied them. She’s so proud of him.

Cody says, sorry about the sweat, and Sasha says, no problem. He says, Dante is coming home. That guy. They all thought he wasn’t going to make it, and he probably set a record for getting released from the hospital the fastest. She says, he’s pretty amazing, and Cody asks if Olivia said anything else. Sasha says, she did actually. She wanted to bring some food over to Dante’s because Sam won’t have time to cook. Olivia asked her to get her chicken parm started, but unfortunately, the chicken is spoiled. He asks if she’s sure, and she says, trust her. It won’t be much of a welcome home if Dante, Sam, and the kids all get food poisoning. (Been there, done that, did not like the T-shirt.) She’s going to go back to the house and look in the fridge. She’s sure she can figure something out. He says, she’s a good friend, and she says, it’s the least she can do since Dante helped him rescue her from Ferncliff. He says, she has every right to appreciate it, but he was actually talking about himself. Dante’s his best friend. She’s doing this for Dante, and he appreciates it. He appreciates her. She says she appreciates him too.

Terry goes into her office and says, sorry to keep them waiting. Alexis says, don’t apologize, and Laura says, they know how busy she is. Terry says, unlike Laura, who gets to relax all day, every day, and Laura says, relax? What’s that? Terry says, Portia is doing rounds, so she’s all Laura is going to get. Laura says, which is fine, since she only needs one Chief of Staff to sign off. She hands Terry a manila envelope and Terry takes out some paperwork. She asks what she’s looking at here, and Laura says, it’s a contract that would put city employees on GH’s health plan. Terry says, that’s great, and Laura says she thinks so. Alexis says, what their illustrious mayor is leaving out is that this was a culmination of her efforts. Terry asks how she pulled this off, and Laura says, there was a little bit of arm twisting involved, but she happens to believe city employees deserve access to the best possible health care. After all, they’re the ones who keep the city running, so they deserve it. Terry says, not every politician would make that a priority.

Doc goes in to see Heather, and she says, you again. He says he can come back if she’s not up to talking, but she says, it’s all right. She’s just not really sure where all these conversations are leading, except back to a prison cell. He says, all right. Does she know where she is? She says, he needs new material. She’s in the hospital. He says he means specifically, and she says, General Hospital, in good old Port Charles, New York. He asks if she knows what day it is, and she says she wishes. This place is like a casino. No clocks, the lights are on all the time… It’s like she’s a slot machine and he’s a five-card stud. See what she did there? He says, very clever, and she says she knows everybody thinks she’s dumb, but it’s not true. All the horrible things she did weren’t because of stupidity. It was more like… She doesn’t really know how to describe it. He says, try, and she says, it was like her blood was on fire, and the only way to put out that fire was to do something crazy. He says, or highly illegal, and she says, that too. She’s glad her hip’s better. He says, she must be in much less pain, and she says, it’s not just that. Now when they throw her back in the slammer, at least she’ll be able to pace the yard. It’s the small things, doc.

Josslyn says, PCU keeps bugging her about finding a new roommate, but she’s holding out hope, and Trina says she still doesn’t know what she’s going to do about the fall. The Sorbonne is holding a spot for her, but she can’t even think about going back to Paris. She’s not sure if she wants to go back to PCU either. Curtis says, luckily, she still has time to decide, and Josslyn says she can hold out on housing for as long as necessary. Trina thanks her, and Josslyn says, of course (🍷). Anything for her. Curtis says, that’s a real friend, when Dex walks in and sits at a table.

Curtis takes off his shirt (the new Nathan) and tells Comet, let’s get dry. He begins wiping Comet down, when Tracy comes in. She clears her throat, and he says, Matriarch Quartermaine. She says, hard note of that taken, and he says, okey-dokey. What should he call her now? She says she told him, Tracy. Can she have a word? He says, sure, and she says, clothed? He says, sorry about that, and puts on another shirt. He asks how he can help her, and she says she was speaking with someone earlier today and was reminded that she really enjoyed riding. So now that spring has sprung… He says, she really wants to get back up on that horse, and she says she hasn’t actually ridden any of the horses they have now, so she wants one with a sweet temper and an easy gait. He says, don’t we all? and she says, why doesn’t he make himself useful and help her make a selection. He says, follow him, and they go in the back to the stalls.

Trina asks if Josslyn is going to go talk to Dex, but Josslyn says, no, and she doesn’t intend to wait on him either. Curtis says he’s been out of the PI game for a minute and he’s guessing she and Dex aren’t together anymore. Trina says, very astute, and he asks what Josslyn thinks her grandmother would say. Josslyn says, about her relationship status? and Curtis says, Kelly’s, now Bobbie’s, has always been a place where everyone felt welcome. Does she think Bobbie would want a customer ignored? Josslyn says, that’s not fair, but Trina says, he’s not wrong. Curtis says, it is the hospitality business, right? and Josslyn says she’ll ask Hunter to wait on him. She’s the new manager.

Blaze and Kristina sit on a bench and Blaze says she’s sorry the first Kristina heard of her deal with Deception was in an office with Maxie and Nina. Kristina says, it caught her off-guard. She assumed if Blaze had something that big coming up, she would have told her. Blaze says she would have. She should have. But the first time she was approached by the Deception team, nothing came of it. So she didn’t say anything because she thought nothing was going to happen this time either. Then all of a sudden, it was done before she even had time to wrap her head around it. She swears she wasn’t keeping it a secret from Kristina. Kristina says she gets it. The whole thing just blindsided her, but this is very cool for Blaze. She thinks it’s great. It’s really going to broaden Blaze’s demographic. Blaze says she just hopes raising her profile will help her music career, and Kristina says, why wouldn’t it? Blaze says she doesn’t know. It’s a bumpy ride getting there, but the music world, she understands. The fashion and beauty world is a big unknown. Kristina says, fortunately, Blaze has Maxie. There is no one better than her. She’s savvy and she’s chic. She’s also so human. Blaze says, Maxie’s great. What she’s not so sure of is herself. She’s not sure she’ll fit in with what people consider hot or pretty or trendy. Kristina says, she’s beautiful, she’s hot, and she’s trendy. But who cares? That could change in the morning. Blaze says she guesses she’ll find out. But for now, her mom thinks it’s smart to keep her private life private. Is that going to be a problem for them?

Terry signs the document and says, it’s official. She tells Laura, congratulations, and thanks her. Laura says, it’s her pleasure, and Alexis says, since she’s covering this for The Invader, does Terry have any comments? Terry says, public relations isn’t really her strong suit. Can Alexis make something up? Alexis says, funny Terry should ask, because she’s already drafted something up. She takes a paper out of her bag, and says, concise and to the point, handing it to Terry. Terry looks it over, and says, on second thought, maybe she should have their public relations office come up with something.

Doc tells Heather, let’s pretend the restraints don’t exist, and she says, you mean these guys? holding up her hands. He says, and the doctors and the warden have told her that she’s free to go wherever she wants, do whatever she wants. What would that look like? She says she thinks about that all the time, but it’s not what he’d expect. He says, try him, and she says, okay. The first thing she’d do is put flowers on her daughter’s grave. Then she’d remember her daughter’s not in it. So she’d go and take those same flowers to the woman whose husband she killed, the one who’s really beautiful. He says, Sasha Corbin, and she says, yeah. And she’d give them to her instead. And then, if his brother had a will and left her something in it, which – spoiler alert – he didn’t… Doc says, let’s say he did, and she says, then she’d buy a tiny, little house with a yard where her grandson could play. She’d even get one of those playgrounds, the simple kind with the swing and slide and monkey bars. She cries and says, but what good is it to torture herself with things that are impossible? She sinks back down into the bed and says she’s sorry, but he says, no. That’s enough for today. He’ll be back.

Josslyn says, what do you want? and Dex asks if that’s how she talks to all the customers, or is he just lucky? She says, what would you like today, sir? and he says, a lot of things he knows he can’t have, so he’ll settle for a coffee and a grilled cheese, please. She says, coming right up.

Doc tells Portia that he was just in with Heather Webber, and she says, her apologies for that. He says he sees a change in her since her surgery. The difference is, to be honest, quite striking. She says, a difference in Heather? Maybe he should try telling someone who didn’t just almost lose their daughter to that madwoman.

Tracy says, so she plans on riding a few times a week, and Cody says, she won’t regret it. She says, her thighs might, but he says, she’ll be in riding shape in no time. She says, that’s it? He’s not going to try and discourage her? Tell her that she’s too old or fragile; she might break a hip? He says he’s been around long enough to know Tracy Quartermaine’s a lot of things, but fragile ain’t one of them. She says she’s glad he’s paying attention, when Sasha comes back. She says she’s not used to seeing Tracy at the stables, and Cody says, she’d better get used to it. Tracy says, Sasha has to listen to the man. She plans on getting back in the saddle. Pun intended. Sasha says, good for her, and Tracy asks if this is where she’s been spending her time. Sasha says she likes horses, so she asked Cody to put her to work, and Tracy says she’d rather be here too. She’s sorry things didn’t work out between Sasha and Deception. Sasha thanks her and says she really appreciates Tracy going to bat for her. She hopes she didn’t seem ungrateful. She just realized that she didn’t want to spend her days getting her picture taken. Tracy says, that’s definitely Sasha’s prerogative and she gives Sasha credit for making that decision and not going along with what everybody else wants. She tells Cody, see him soon, and he says, adios. Tracy leaves, and he says, that Tracy, all bark, no bite. Sasha gives him a look, and he says, plenty of bite, but she does have her moments. Sasha says, that, she does.

Curtis tells Trina, when he was sitting in that wheelchair, he felt so hopeless. He knew he wasn’t the man he was before, and society didn’t help either. Trina asks what he means, and he says he got to know what it’s like to be disabled in this world. Even if it was unintentional, you get the elbows to the face. You get drinks spilled in your lap, even at his own club. The disrespect was real. She says she’s so sorry he had to go through all that, but he says he’s not. It was a wake-up call. It made him realize that he’s always going to be him. Always, no matter whether he’s seated or he’s standing or somewhere in between. And no one should be made to feel small. No one.

Doc sees Laura with Alexis and says, wife. She says, husband, taking his hands, and he asks what this dynamic duo is up to. Alexis says, he’ll read about it tomorrow in The Invader. Or possibly the next day, depending on how fast the hospital’s PR department can draft an appropriate comment. Laura laughs, and he says, so the contracts are signed. Laura says, they’re signed, sealed, and delivered. From now on, the city employees will have access to GH’s health plan. He tells her, congratulations. He knows the work she put in to make this happen. She says she has to admit, it feels really good, and he asks if she’s headed home or back to city hall. She says, actually, she thought since she’s at the hospital, she should visit Heather. Sort of fulfill her Webber family duties. He says, she’s too good, and she says, she is, isn’t she? He suggests she meet him after, and she says she will. She heads for Heather’s room, and Alexis says, have a good one, but Doc asks if she has a moment. He was wondering if he could run something by her just to get a legal opinion. She says, he knows that she can’t advise him legally. However, she can speak to him as a friend who’s read a few books. He says, fair enough. So hypothetically, let’s say someone has been convicted of horrible, heinous crimes, but we’ve since learned there were mitigating circumstances. Something that wasn’t known during the trial. Not because someone hid it, but because no one knew it existed. She says, he’s talking about Heather Webber, and Portia watches from the reception desk.

Josslyn refills Dex’s coffee and he thanks her. She asks if he’s looking at an employment packet and he says he is. She says she didn’t realize they had employment agencies for bodyguards, and he says he’s trying out a new line of work. She picks up the top page and looks at it. She says, he’s working for the Port Charles Police Department?

Cody finds Sasha with Comet and says he was just reminded of their first photo shoot. Remember? She says, how could she forget? She had the most handsome co-model… the alpaca of course (🍷). Cody says, yeah, he was adorable, when Olivia comes in with a tray of food. Cody says, Mama Q, what’s good? and she asks, what is this? Sasha says, it’s shepherd’s pie; the chicken was bad. Olivia says she knows what it is, but who made it? Where did it come from?

Josslyn says, sorry, it’s just… Dex says, Josslyn Jax, at a loss for words, and she says, this is crazy. He’s going to go from working for Sonny to working for the police? He says, quite a leap, and she says, it’s reckless and stupid. He says, she’s assuming they’ll turn him down, but Anna actually invited him to apply. They’ll accept his military service in place of a college degree. All he has to do is take the test, but who knows? Maybe he’ll fail it. She says, he’s not going to fail the test. He can’t possibly think this is a good idea. He says, why not? and she says, because it makes him even more of a target for Sonny. He says, we can’t all be doctors… What’s that look? Something wrong at school?

Trina picks at her food, and Curtis says, not hungry? She says her appetite’s been pretty weak these days. Besides, it’s this place as well. He says he thought she liked the food here, and she says she does. The food’s amazing. She just doesn’t come here as much, since… He says, right. She and Spencer used to come here a lot. She says, it does sound ridiculous. She can’t even have lunch with her own dad like a normal person. He says, she doesn’t sound ridiculous. She sounds like someone whose heart’s been broken.

Kristina says, as long as she and Blaze can be their authentic selves, be who they are with their friends and family, that’s enough for her. Blaze asks if she’s sure. All she’s done so far with Deception is sign a contract. She can pull out of the deal. Kristina says, Blaze would blow up this deal for her? and Blaze says, that’s the least of what she’d do for Kristina, but Kristina says, no. This could be huge for her career. Blaze says, don’t get her wrong. She wants to be successful, but she also wants to be happy. And Kristina makes her happy.

Laura says she’s sorry she hasn’t come to visit more often, and Heather asks, why would she? Laura’s the mayor; she’s a convict. Laura’s got a city to run and she… doesn’t. Laura says, technically, they’re family. They’re connected through their grandson. Heather says, speaking of. Is he going to be calling Laura mom or grandma, now that she and Doc have adopted him? Laura says she hasn’t really thought about that one yet, but she thinks she has a little bit of time before she crosses that bridge. Heather wonders what his first words will be. She used to wonder that about Esme too. Laura says, Heather is looking really well. How is she feeling? Heather says she’s not in nearly as much pain, and Laura says, good. Heather says, from her hip anyway, and Laura asks if something else is bothering her. Heather says, not physically. But she can’t stop thinking about the disaster that is her life. What has she done? Laura takes her hand.

Alexis says, cobalt poisoning from and artificial hip, and Doc says he knows it sounds like fiction, but it’s real. The official name is metallosis. She says, there is legal recourse. It’s called post-conviction relief. Some say it can be abused, and she knows the governor has tightened up some loopholes over the year. So, in the event of, say, a forced confession, or a coerced guilty plea, suppressed evidence, or evidence that hasn’t been discovered until after the fact, yes, the case can be reopened. He says, so it’s a possibility, and she says, a real one. Eavesdropping from afar, Portia flies down from the desk, and says, please, please tell her they’re not considering letting Heather Webber skate.

Trina says she misses Spencer all the time, but it’s worse in places they used to be together, especially here. And it seems normal. Like in an instant – a literal split second – she’ll forget, and the door will open. She’ll look up, thinking he’s going to be there. Then he’s not. Curtis says he knows their situations are different, but she knows how he had to learn to walk again? She’s going to have to do something similar. She says, how? and he says, it’s going to take patience, grace… It’s definitely going to take time, but broken hearts, like broken bones, do mend themselves together again. Maybe not as strong as they once were in some ways, but miraculously stronger in others. She says she so wants to believe him, and he says, that’s all right. He has enough faith for both of them. She will love again, and she will be loved again, and he can say that with utmost certainty. She tells him that he has to say that, he’s her dad, but he says, no. Because there’s no one on this planet more deserving of love than her.

Josslyn tells Dex, it’s fine. She’s just not sure pre-med is for her anymore. He says, since when? and she says she’s been rethinking a lot of her decisions lately. He says, she told him she wanted to be a healer, that’s all, and she says, you can heal the world in plenty of other ways. Look at what pre-med did to Adam. He says, she’s not Adam, and she says she also sees how hard Trina’s mom works. And the patients aren’t always grateful or even good people. He says, patients like Cyrus Renault? and she picks up the coffee pot and leaves.

Sasha says she used the vegetables and potatoes Olivia had already prepped and found some ground beef in the fridge. She hopes that was okay. Olivia says, okay? and Cody says he can’t tell. Did that mean okay or not okay? Olivia says, it’s amazing, and Cody says, it meant okay. Sasha says, really? and Olivia says, absolutely. It’s delicious. Sam, Dante, and the kids are going to be so psyched. A, to have a homecooked meal, and B, it’s not one of her standard recipes, which she’s sure they’re sick of. Cody says, it does smell good, and Sasha says, Brando always liked it. (So do I. Stop talking about it.) Olivia says, how could he not? and thanks Sasha. Sasha says she’s glad to help, and Olivia says she’ll deliver this and make sure Sasha gets the credit. She’ll see them later. She leaves, and Cody says, wow. Sasha is just racking up the hidden talents. She has selling beauty products, ax throwing, shoveling horse manure. Now she has chef extraordinaire. What’s next? Sasha says she’s no slouch at curling or ice fishing either. He says, this he’s got to see, and she says, stick around and he just might.

Tracy walks into the nook and sees a paper bag on the counter. She slides out a birthday cake that says Birthday girl on it, and says, oh good Lord. She leaves the cake on the counter and walks out.

Trina asks if Curtis is ready, and he says, let’s do this. She helps him walk to the door, and says, he’s cool. He says he’s got this.

Josslyn plops Dex’s grilled cheese and fries on the table. The sandwich is burned and looks like there’s not much cheese in it. She probably spit in the fries. She says, anything else? and he says, nope. Looks great. He picks up the sandwich and takes a bite. (I laugh at how he’s just ignoring it.)

Portia says, this is insane. Doc has to know this. Laura approaches, and Doc says, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Just listen… Portia says she’s listening to everything they’re saying. It makes no sense. Laura wonders what she’s interrupting and asks if everything is okay. Doc says, everything is fine. Really. How was her visit with Heather? Laura says, actually it was surprisingly calm and uneventful. Has Portia noticed a change in Heather? She would love to get her thoughts about Heather’s progress. Portia says, Laura wants her thoughts on Heather Webber? Let her see. Don’t try to sell her on this. Poor, misunderstood Heather Webber? That woman is a murderer. She pulled one over on everyone and they’re going to let her do it again? Alexis says, of course (🍷) this is very personal to Portia… and Portia says, of course (🍷) it’s personal for her. Alexis says, Doc was just asking her if there was any legitimate legal reason… Portia says, no, no, no. She doesn’t want to hear it. She doesn’t want to hear any of that, especially from Alexis, considering she doesn’t practice law anymore. And after this, she thinks she’s seeing why. Alexis says, don’t hold back, and Portia says she won’t. She doesn’t care how nice or how changed or how victimized Heather seems to be to them. How much time has Laura actually spent with her? How much time has she actually spent with that woman? A moment here, a moment there? Why doesn’t Laura try being her or a member of her staff who actually had to deal with her unhinged madness 24/7? And just so they know, this doesn’t even touch on the pain she’s caused Portia’s family and countless other families. So if they want to bring her case in front of a judge and jury, she wants them to do it. Because she’ll fight it. She’ll fight them with every breath that is in her body.

Tomorrow, Carly tells Josslyn that only she knows the answer to that; Anna says she’ll consider it if Brennan gives her something in return; John says, Drew can be sent back to Pentenville; Dante asks if Sam thinks she might have made a mistake; and Sonny wonders if he can ask Natalia something she may not like.

💎 Not So Divine…

Maybe she better watch the show first.

What if she does it for scale?

🛟 Primary In Her Own Mind…

About that freeloader Jill.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13265725/rhony-jill-zarin-deck-worst-guest.html

Cry me a river.

🔪 No Croquettes For You…

The latest in Chefs.

https://people.com/top-chef-recap-episode-3-buddha-lo-calls-out-chefs-for-all-making-croquettes-8624513

🚣‍♂️ Don’t Go In the House…

I thought Kyle got rid of the mullet. It looks like it’s creeping back in. I actually didn’t watch much of this because A, I just can’t, and B, there was a great documentary on VICE about the early Real World shows. When it was an actual show and not just drunken hot tub sex.

https://people.com/summer-house-recap-lindsay-hubbard-didnt-want-kyle-cooke-as-a-groomsman-wedding-to-carl-radke-8624898

What I really don’t get are the spin-off people. Didn’t they see the show before signing up? Do they really want to be playing beer pong into middle age?

🦝 Will Work For Scraps…

It would have been nice to hear how these people came to have a raccoon as a pet. My chihuahua El Wray would be a shoo-in if he didn’t growl at everything bigger than him. Which is most of the world.

https://people.com/florida-rescue-raccoon-louie-wins-cadburys-annual-easter-photo-contest-8621406

🐈 Nervous As a Cat In a Room Full Of Big Dog Breeds…

Slide into my blog tomorrow for soap and mix of amusing diversions. Until then, stay safe; stay minding your CC’s and BCC’s, and don’t always reply to all; and stay remembering that no one should be made to feel small. No one.

March 21, 2023 – Valentin Recruits Drew To Help Take Down Victor, Melissa Has a Luau Party At the Shore, Awful People Fail At Communication & Shiver

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny asks, what brings Dante by? and Dante says he was checking on Sonny.

Michael tells Dex, open up. They need to talk. Throwing on his clothes, Dex says, it’s not a good time, but Michael says, make time; it’s important. Josslyn gets dressed, and Dex opens the door. Michael asks if he can come in, and when he does, he sees Josslyn. She says, it all makes sense now. Michael is Dex’s mystery boss?

Willow says, Brook still loves Chase, doesn’t she? but Brook says, it doesn’t matter. They’re over… which really hurts, because yes, she’s still in love with Chase. She keeps telling herself she’ll get over it, that the feelings will fade and disappear, but every time she sees him… Willow says, her heart starts to race, and Brook says, and butterflies kick in. It’s all she can do not to grab him and tell him how much she wants him back. The doorbell rings, and Brook says, literally saved by the bell. She opens the door, and Chase is there with a bouquet of daffodils.

Anna asks if this is mousy librarian, and Lucy asks if she likes it, but Anna says, no. It’s not altogether original. Let’s go. She grabs Lucy’s arm, but Lucy doesn’t budge, and says, where? Anna says, they’re going to the safehouse, but Lucy says, no. The Nurses Ball can’t survive without her. Maxie says, hello? She’s standing right here. Anna says, if Victor realizes Lucy is alive, this whole operation goes up in smoke. Not to mention, people’s lives are at risk. Does she understand that? Does Lucy want that on her head?

Drew says he’s guessing Laura refused to sell Charlotte’s ELQ shares because she knew Valentin was still alive. No more games. What is going on? Valentin says, a group of them, including Laura, are working secretly against Victor Cassadine, and Drew asks, who else is in the group? Valentin says, Anna, Felicia, Robert Scorpio, and Lucy Coe. Drew says, not exactly a combat worthy bunch. If Victor uses the same firepower he did in Crete, they’ll need somebody with a military background. Valentin asks if he has anybody in mind, and Drew says, me.

Lucy says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want people to die. She didn’t want Luke to die; he was a very special friend to her. She remembers his Nurses Ball performances, and the disco he did. Nothing else was so important to him, and he’d want her… Anna says, stop talking. She understands Lucy is disappointed that she can’t participate in this year’s Nurses Ball, but Victor is planning something big, potentially catastrophic, and it’s up to them to end it. Lucy says, at the expense of the Nurses Ball? Come on. Anna knows everything the Nurses Ball did for Robin. Anna says, don’t play the Robin card, and Lucy tells her, she’s just saying, the Nurses Ball is very, very important. Anna says, if anybody knows that, it’s her, and Lucy says, that’s her point… Maxie says, all right. Enough. She can’t believe she’s about to say this, but they already have a solution. Lucy came up with it.

Valentin asks if Drew is volunteering, but Drew says, that depends. He needs to hear the plan first. Valentin says, Victor has some long-term plan; some grand design that has to be stopped. He doesn’t have details, but he knows it involves a necklace containing diamonds cut from the Ice Princess. Drew wonders why the necklace is so important, and if it has anything to do with Operation Demeter, but Valentin says he doesn’t know why Victor would go to such great lengths to interrogate Drew over Operation Demeter. He wants the necklace because it has a code or a formula engraved on one of the stones.

Brook says, those are beautiful, and Chase asks if Willow is here. She says, Willow’s in the living room, and he goes in. He sees Willow and asks how she’s feeling. She says, pretty much the same, and he says, it’s not worse, so that’s good. He gives her the daffodils, and she says, he remembered. He says, of course (🍷) he remembered she’s obsessed with daffodils, and she thanks him. Brook says she’ll leave them to visit, and leaves. Willow says it’s good to see Chase, and he says, it’s good to see her too. He asks, what’s the latest? and she says, they decided to reschedule the wedding for after the bone marrow transplant. He says, so there’s more to celebrate, and she says, exactly. He asks if she has a date for the transplant, but she says, not yet. Her Great-Aunt Liesl was on medication, and it has to be completely out of her system before she can donate. So in the meantime, she’s keeping herself busy planning a summer wedding in the rose garden. Everyone’s pitching in to pull it off. Brook has been a huge help. In the foyer, Brook tells herself not to eavesdrop, and get it together. Chase says he’s not surprised Brook is stepping up. Willow brings out the best in everyone. Michael’s a lucky guy.

Michael says he thought he made it clear that he didn’t want Josslyn anywhere near this, and Dex agreed. Dex says, that’s right, but the situation has changed, and Michael says, apparently. Josslyn has to go. They’ll talk about this later, but right now, he has to talk to Dex. Josslyn says, it doesn’t matter. There’s no point. She already knows Dex is collecting evidence against Sonny, and she knows about Pikeman. What she didn’t know was who Dex was working for, and now she does. Michael tells Dex, the job’s over. Dex is leaving Port Charles tonight.

Dante tells Sonny that Rocco said he saw Nina in the lobby looking upset. For his self-absorbed teenager to notice, she must have been upset about Willow. Sonny says, everything’s the same on that front. They’re waiting for Liesl to be cleared for the transplant. Dante says, Sonny’s relationship with Nina is his business. He doesn’t want to pry, but if Sonny wants to talk, he knows where to find Dante – down the hall. Sonny says, Rocco’s right. Nina is upset and it’s his fault.

Dex says, as his employer, Michael can fire him, but Michael can’t force him to leave Port Charles. Josslyn says, he can’t leave. Sonny will think he’s a traitor, and then what happens? Michael says, Sonny will track him down and have him killed, and Dex says, there’s something more important. She says, more important than his life? He says, Joss, and she goes to his side. Michael says, it sounds like they already talked about this, and Josslyn says, they have. The best option is for Dex to finish the job Michael hired him to do, so Michael can turn Sonny into the Feds. Michael says, this is why he didn’t want Josslyn involved in this, and she says, why not? He knows how she feels about Sonny. Let her help take him down. Michael says, then what happens after that? and she says, Sonny goes to prison where he belongs. Michael says, and Avery and Donna are devastated. Not to mention Dante and Kristina. He’s prepared to take on the fallout from that, to take on their anger and blame, but he doesn’t want any of that to fall on her.

Sonny gives Dante a beer, and says, it’s not like he and Nina are breaking up; at least he hopes not. He loves her as much as ever. Dante says, so what happened? and Sonny says, she’s experiencing what he calls the realities of his world. It’s a lot to process. Dante asks if that’s why Sonny has guards all over the building, and Sonny says he had a security issue. Dante says, they haven’t heard anything about shots fired or a missing person, so he assumes Sonny hasn’t told the police, but Sonny says he has reason to believe the focus was solely on him. The reason he has guards on his kids and Nina is… Dante says, a precaution? and Sonny says he told Carly that he doesn’t want Donna or Avery anywhere near him. Dante says he’s guessing Sonny told Nina the same thing, and Sonny says he’s just hoping when this is over, Nina comes back to him.

Lucy asks, what solution? and Maxie says, wasn’t the point of this rude ambush… Lucy says, it might have been an ambush, but not rude, and Maxie asks if the whole point wasn’t to get her to be Lucy’s eyes and ears of the Nurses Ball. Lucy says, yes, but Maxie seemed less than enthusiastic, and Maxie says she’s sorry. Didn’t she have the reaction Lucy wanted? Lucy asks if Maxie needed time to adjust, and Maxie says, yes. She happens to be an amazing even planner. She has her own ideas and vision, as Lucy calls it. She’s happy to collaborate, but she won’t just be taking Lucy’s orders. Lucy says, they don’t have time for collaboration. The Nurses Ball is syncing up with the 60th anniversary of the hospital, which means it’s like they’re right in front of a speeding freight train that’s bearing down on them. She’s the only one who can pull this off, and… Anna says she agrees, and Maxie says, what was that? Anna says, 100%. Maxie should do everything Lucy tells her to just the way Lucy tells her to do it. She’s sure Maxie is an excellent event planner, but she’s sure Maxie is more than capable of following Lucy’s lead – especially when it’s for the greater good. Maxie says, fine, and tells Lucy, anything you want, just the way you want it. Lucy says she really thinks this could work.

Willow congratulates Chase on his latest duet. She loves it. It’s a beautiful ballad. He thanks her, and says, the majority of the props should go to Blaze; her vocals were off the charts. Willow wonders if a girl could get an autograph, and he says he never pegged her as a groupie, but her wish is his command. He signs a napkin, and she laughs.

 Brook sits at the piano, and tells herself that she’s a grown-up and is not going to listen in on the conversation. Besides, she doesn’t want to know what Chase thinks of her now anyway. She flashes back to him saying, Brook’s also kind, passionate, and incredibly sexy. He’s fallen for her, and even if she doesn’t feel the same way, he had to tell her because we miss 100% of the shots we don’t take. She remembers them kissing, and spending the night together. Then she flashes back to him finding out she was supposed to write a letter to the Civilian Complaint Review Board to help get his badge back, but didn’t, and saying, she lied to him. She kept him from the thing he’s most passionate about, and there’s nothing to work out. It’s over. She tells herself that she blew it. Maybe she should write a song about that.

Willow looks at the autograph, and reads, to one of the bravest, strongest, and best people I know. Back at him. She asks what it’s like being an honest to God rockstar, and he says, it’s cool. He guesses he’s going to miss it. She asks why he would, and he says, hopefully, when the Review Board meets in the spring, they’ll reinstate him. If it all works out. He enjoys singing, but the only reason he agreed to performing is so he could stick close to Blaze’s sleazy manager. Willow says, Brook’s ex-manager, right? and he says, Linc Brown. He’s the worst. Sexual harassment, shady business practices; you name it. Willow asks if the plan is finding something to charge him with, and Chase says, hopefully soon. He won’t feel right going back to the force if it means leaving Blaze and Brook to deal with that sleaze. Willow says, aha! This is really about helping Brook.

Michael says, when Sonny was holding Dex because he suspected Dex of being The Hook, Josslyn came to him for help. How could he not see it? He should have known right then that she was too close, and pulled the plug. She says, no he shouldn’t have. Dex saved her life when Heather attacked her on New Year’s. Michael says, Britt Westbourne saved her life, and Josslyn says, she fought Heather off, of course (🍷), but she was losing that battle until Dex showed up. He’s the one who fired the shot that drove off Heather. Michael says he’s just hearing about this now, and Dex says he works for Michael. Anything related to that is fair game, but what he has with Josslyn is personal. Steam comes out of Michael’s ears.

Dante asks Sonny why Nina wouldn’t come back. She’s obviously crazy about him. She’d have to be, given the grief they endured getting together. Why would she leave after going through that? Sonny wonders how to explain this. He was a different man in Nixon Falls. Kinder, simpler… Dante says he noticed a lot of that followed Sonny back here. There was a peaceful time in his business. Sonny says he was free to focus on his family, and Dante says, and Nina? Sonny says, Nina made him better in a lot of ways, and Dante says, Sonny cut back on his drinking. Sonny says, that was the least of it. He thinks he misrepresented his life. Not that Nina didn’t know it was dangerous, or what he does for a living is allegedly – Dante thanks him for that – illegal. Dante says, but now she’s getting an up close and personal view of it for the first time. Sonny asks, what if she doesn’t want to be in his life? and Dante says, what about Sonny? If Nina’s not in it, is it still the life he wants?

Valentin says, they haven’t been able to crack the code, but they know it’s pivotal to the success of his father’s plan, and Drew asks how he knows that. Valentin says, because he’s still looking for the necklace, with the help of his operative Eileen Ashby. Carly (remember her?) says, Deputy Mayor Eileen Ashby? and Valentin says, that’s the one. Carly says, she’s working for Victor, and he says, she was. Now she’s working for them. They’re having her deliver a duplicate necklace to Victor. Drew says, with a false code engraved on it, and Valentin says, that’s right. They’re hoping once he has what he says he needs, Victor will make a move. Drew says, so they tricked Victor into making his final play, but didn’t give him the means to get what he’s after, and Valentin says, and in the process, he incriminates himself. And that’s how they’re finally going to bring down his father.

Anna brings Lucy back to the safehouse, Lucy furiously texting. Anna makes sure the safehouse is really safe, while Lucy continues to text. Anna says, all clear, and Lucy says, it’s impossible to text with the glasses on. Removing the glasses, she mumbles to herself as she texts, and Anna says, will she just stop? taking the phone from her. Lucy asks, what is the problem? as Anna puts the phone in her back pocket, and Anna says, Lucy almost got them all killed.

Valentin says, this whole plan hinges on complete secrecy, and Carly says, with him and Lucy faking their deaths, and Anna playing fugitive? Valentin says, Victor thinks Anna’s dead as well, and thinks he has a straight shot at the necklace. So what does Drew say? Will he help them? Drew says, if secrecy is key, what is Valentin out in the open like this? and Valentin says, Lucy Coe has gone rogue. Carly says, of course (🍷) she has, and Valentin says, she wants to take control of the Nurses Ball. Anna’s gone after her. Drew says, so Anna’s risking discovery too. Maybe it’s a good thing they showed up. Valentin tells Drew, like he said, they’re not exactly combat ready. They could use Drew. Drew says, they’ve got him.

Chase tells Willow, yeah, the only reason he got into the music business was to help Brook, and in the beginning, it was great. Until he found out there was a bunch of stuff she wasn’t telling him. Willow says she’s sorry. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Not by Brook or her. He says he wasn’t trying… and she says she knows he wasn’t, but that doesn’t make it any less true. She married Chase when she was already in love with Michael. He says, because she thought he was dying; they all did. She says she told herself she was doing the right thing, giving him one final gift to make him happy. He says, she doesn’t believe that anymore? and she says she does. Her intentions weren’t the problem, but now that she’s faced with dying herself… He says, she’s not there yet, and she says, faced with the possibility. She realizes life isn’t just too short, it’s too precious, to waste any time on lies.

Michael says he’s grateful Dex saved Josslyn’s life. He doesn’t even want to imagine what would have happened had Dex not been there. But the bottom line is, they had a deal. Dex says, they did, and in the beginning, when Michael told him to stay away from Josslyn, he had every intention of doing just that, but it became impossible. Michael says, so he lied, and Dex says, about his personal situation. He’s never lied about anything related to Pikeman or Sonny. Speaking of, there’s something Michael should know. Someone tried to kill Sonny in an ambush the other night. Michael asks, where? and Dex says, in one of his warehouses. Michael’s father wasn’t hurt, but he was grazed. Michael asks if he’s okay, and Dex says he’s fine, but the good news is, Sonny trusts him now more than ever. Michael says he can’t have Josslyn near this. God forbid something happens to her. She asks why anything would happen to her. She’s not in the line of fire, Dex is. Michael says, because it’s his job. He hired Dex because he wanted somebody who understood the danger. Josslyn says she gets that Michael hired Dex to perform a service, but Dex is so much more than that to her now. She cares less about bringing Sonny to justice than she does Dex surviving this. Michael says, that’s going to require some sacrifices. If she wants Dex to see this through, Sonny is going to have to trust him. She asks if he didn’t hear the part where Sonny saved Dex’s life, and Michael says, it won’t matter if he finds out Josslyn and Dex are together; which means he can’t. Dex asks if Michael is ordering him to stay away from Joss, but Michael says, he tried that before; it didn’t work. Even if Dex was willing, clearly Josslyn isn’t. This isn’t about policing their relationship. This is about taking Sonny down. And until that happens, Sonny can’t have any reason to suspect Dex. If Josslyn wants Dex to live through this, make sure Sonny doesn’t find out the two of them are together.

Sonny says, it’s a little too late for Dante to ask him if this is the life he wants. It’s the life he’s got. Dante says, he chose it when he didn’t know any better, and Sonny says, Dante knows how it works. If he wants to leave the business, he’d have to leave the country. He’d have to leave his family, and he doesn’t want to do that. Dante says, maybe there were some things Sonny liked about Mike from Nixon Falls. There were some things Dante liked about Mike from Nixon Falls. Sonny was less reactive, calmer. He seemed like he was prioritizing his family over the business. He has the feeling that’s about to change. Sonny says, it has to. It’s just harder than he thought.

Willow says she wasn’t honest with Chase when they were married, but she’s learned her lesson, and she’s going to be honest with him now. He says, this sounds serious, and she says, it could be, and swears she’s not trying to meddle. He tells her, says every person before they dive into meddling, and she says, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Brook earlier. He says, what? and she says, it’s true. He lights up when he’s around Brook. She would know. Once upon a time, he lit up like that when he was around her. He says he thinks she’s seeing things that aren’t there, and she says, is she? He says, all right. He still has feelings for Brook, because what they had was real. She says, what they had was love, and he says, he can’t just flip a switch and turn that off, because Brook really hurt him. She says she’s not saying Brook didn’t, or even that he was wrong to end things between them, but what if Brook is his person? Is being right really worth being without her?

Valentin having slipped back into the night, Drew says, Carly is being uncharacteristically quiet, and she says, from the minute Drew showed up, she knew Valentin would want him involved. It was his choice to make, and she didn’t want to influence his decision. He says, now that he’s made his decision? and she says, first, tell her why he said yes. He says, Victor stole two years of his life. He can’t let Victor get away with it. She says, that’s not all of it. It’s not about revenge for him. He says, it’s about Victor’s lust for power and control, and this has been going on for decades. He infiltrated the WSB, always moving toward some mysterious goal that no one knows what it’s about. But he doesn’t need to know to know it’s a serious threat. The man has to be stopped, and he thinks Valentin and the others need his help to do it. So now tell him what she thinks. She says she thinks he’s doing the right thing, and he says, but she has reservations. She says, doesn’t he? and he says he has many. She says, Jason died on Cassadine Island. Now Drew is going after Victor. She doesn’t want to lose him too.

Anna says, the only reason Lucy wasn’t shot with a real bullet, the only reason she’s breathing today, is because Victor thought he had use for her. But if he’d seen her tonight, he would have killed her in a heartbeat. Lucy swears she gets it, and apologizes. She says she would have never had the intention of jeopardizing them or the whole plan with Victor. It’s just her. Sometimes she gets carried away. Anna says, she’s the poster child for getting carried away, and Lucy says, well good news. She’s 99.9% sure Victor didn’t see her in the restaurant. Anna says, great… What restaurant? She was in the MetroCourt with Victor? Lucy says, one minute… two minutes tops, and they see Valentin standing in the doorway. Anna says, he’s right. Lucy’s blown the entire operation.

Dante asks if Sonny is all right, and Sonny says he just hopes his family and Nina stick with him. Dante says he’s not going anywhere, and Sonny says he appreciates that, especially coming from Dante’s profession. Dante says, because he’s a cop and Sonny is an alleged – Sonny laughs, and says, thank you for that – gangster? Dante says, it isn’t about that. It’s about being father and son. They hug.

Josslyn says she doesn’t want to leave Dex, but he says, the sooner he gets evidence against Sonny, the sooner this will be over. Until then, he can’t risk alienating Sonny or making him suspicious. Josslyn says, which means he can’t risk being seen with her. Michael was very clear about that. She doesn’t like it, but she gets it. Dex says he’ll be staying at Sonny’s for at least another day. After that, maybe they can figure out a way to meet. In the meantime, she can’t come here, and if she sees him for some reason… She says, act like she doesn’t know him? and he says, that would be suspicious. She can say hi, just don’t… She says, act like she cares. She’ll try, but she does care. They kiss, and Josslyn heads for the door. He says, any regrets? and she smiles at him. He says, him neither, and she leaves.

Chase says, when Willow meddles, she doesn’t mess around. She just goes right for that jugular. She says she has less patience for wasted anything these days, but especially for wasted time, when Michael walks in. Chase says he hasn’t seen Michael since the news broke. Congratulations on his upcoming wedding. Michael thanks him, and they bro hug. Chase says he’s sure he doesn’t have to tell Michael this, but he’s about to marry a very wise and perceptive woman. If they’ll excuse him, he has somewhere he needs to be. He leaves, and Willow asks where Michael disappeared to. He says he was near the end of a project and was tempted to cut his losses, but he realized the best way forward was to see it through, and the sooner the better. She says he sounds like he has it all figured out, and he says he wants to focus on what really matters, her and the kids. She says she likes the way he thinks, and he says, coming from such a wise and perceptive woman, he’s honored. What was all that with Chase? She says, it was driving her crazy, watching him and Brook dance around each other, so she may have stuck her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Let’s hope it works.

Chase finds Brook at the piano, and asks if she’s working on a new song. She says, so far, she has about three verses she regrets. It’s garbage. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine does not create garbage, and she says, he’s just being nice. He says he’s being honest. He loves her songs. He loves a lot of things when it comes to her. Talking with her, spending time with her… He misses that. He misses them.

Carly says she’s being ridiculous, and starts to walk off, but Drew grabs her, and says, she’s not being ridiculous. If their positions were reversed, he’d be scared for her too. She says she’s tempted to go to keep an eye on him, but he says, she can’t go anywhere. She says she knows. Willow is sick, and her kids and grandkids need her. He says he’s actually kind of happy that she’s going to stay and be safe, and she says, he has to stay safe. He says, if it makes her feel any better, he has had training and experience in this sort of thing. He can handle himself. She says she’s counting on it, and she knows he has to go for the reasons he said, but if and when he goes, promise her that he’ll come home. He says he promises, and kisses her.

Lucy tells Valentin, she was totally unrecognizable. She’s dressed as a librarian. She asks Anna to tell him, and Anna says, she’s dressed as a librarian. Lucy puts on the glasses, and says, see? And she promises, the second she saw Victor, she turned her back. Valentin says he supposes this near-miss underscores the need for them to stay indoors until this is all over, and Lucy says she gets it. From this moment on, she’s going to be the essence of cooperation. He says he hopes she means it because he really needs her to, and she swears she does. Maxie’s going to be her eyes and ears at the Ball, and Maxie’s going to follow all her instructions to a T, so that’s good too. She’s going to be really good, so could she please have her burner phone back? Anna hands her the phone, and Lucy keeps saying she’s sorry as she walks to the bedroom. She’s sorry for any trouble she may have caused. Anna looks at Valentin and says, may have caused.

On her office phone, Maxie tells Bobbie that she’s calling from the landline. Her cellphone repeatedly dings, and she says, something is going on with her cellphone. She wanted Bobbie to know she had some new ideas for the Nurses Ball. She looks at the phone, and there are a bazillion texts from Lucy. She says, lots and lots of new ideas.

Valentin and Anna right the coffee table he knocked over, and Anna says she would have thought he’d be more upset. He says, if he was he’d be a hypocrite, and she says, how come? He says he couldn’t leave without her, so he went for a walk, and ran into Carly and Drew Cain. She says, a regular party, and he says, long story short, they’ve been briefed, and Drew Cain is on board to help them out. She says, that’s actually very good news, and he says he hopes it is. She says she’s sorry, and he says, he’s sorry. She says she kind of attacked him, and he says he really overreacted. She says, but when she came in here, and saw the table overturned, she thought he’d taken her at her word and gone to Europe. Which she would have deserved, but she would have missed him. He holds out his arms, and she goes to him. He says, if Victor knew she was alive, he’d kill her, and Valentin has loved her always. If he were to lose her now, he couldn’t take it. They touch foreheads, and she says, let’s not lose each other through all this. Let’s bury Victor instead.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth doesn’t see how she has a chance; Finn tells Gregory, it’s too early to determine the results; and Laura tells Esme that she and Doc have wonderful news.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Danielle meets Rachel to shop for a luau. We see a clip of Melissa saying that she has a party at the shore every year, and this year, it’s a luau party. In Rachel’s interview, she says, this is a group of women like nothing she’s ever seen before. It’s nice not to be alone in the boat, and Danielle makes her laugh. They also both have young children. We flash back to some moments with them, and Rachel says, Danielle is no bullsh*t and shoots it straight. It’s refreshing. Danielle says she hasn’t gone to the shore since she was 25, and Rachel says she avoids it at all costs. In Danielle’s interview, she talks about her shore life back in the day, and we see pictures. Rachel says, Danielle talked to Joe #2 at the softball game for more than five weeks, and Danielle says, it was an emotional conversation. We see a clip of them talking about their brother/sister issues, and Danielle says, he told her, don’t ever give up, and she’s not, but she has to protect herself. She has hope for Joe and Teresa, but thinks her situation is a lost cause. In her interview, Rachel says, if her brother blocked her on social media, she’d call him, and if he wasn’t receptive, she’d call their parents, and every other relative to figure out what was going on. Danielle says she talked to Marge, and would like to figure out the Marge/Jennifer situation. Rachel says, Marge doesn’t like the sh*t Jennifer is talking about her, and Danielle says she thinks Marge is too judgmental with Jennifer. And she drops bombs on everybody. Laura said that Marge has an arsenal of stuff, and Rachel wonders if they really know that Marge is locked and loaded, and ready to fire. In Rachel’s interview, she says, it doesn’t make sense to her. Why is Danielle reading so much into it? There’s only two people Marge allegedly dropped a bomb on, and Teresa and Jennifer’s words are their bonds? That’s not how it works.

Teresa goes jewelry store to get gifts for her bridesmaids, and Jennifer meets her there. The owner Benny is her husband’s cousin. Teresa says she thought she’d keep her earrings simple, but Jennifer says, it’s the day when she gets to be extra-extra, so Teresa gets a new, gaudier pair. Teresa says she wants everything to be good. It would have been nice for her brother and Melissa to make things better by asking her and Louie to stay at their house. Teresa says she’s only been there once, and when Gia asked to stay, Melissa said no. I can’t believe there’s not more to it than that, but Jennifer is gullible, and says she can’t imagine her brother not staying at her house when he came to the shore. In Teresa’s interview, she says, Melissa and Joe are upset that she didn’t invite Melissa’s family to her wedding, so why didn’t they invite her and Louie to their shore house? Like this is the same thing. Is she really this stupid at this point? Or is it an act? Jennifer says, Melissa and Joe are always Team Marge, and suggests Marge knows too much about them. Teresa says, keep your enemy closer, and I think, this bullsh*t just gets more unbelievable.

Melissa says she’s got cigar rollers and hula girls for the party. Paulie tells Dolores that he’d be there, but he’s still sore after surgery. Dolores says, normally she’d stay at Frank’s house, but she’s staying with Rachel. Paulie says, she’s doing things differently now, and she says, Frank is emotional, but she’s not worried about it. Jennifer asks Bill what he thinks about Dr. Judy, and Bill says, she was insightful. She says, he was silent, and feels a lot was left unsaid. They keep pretending everything is okay, when it’s not. Bill says, life is complicated, and it’s not about who’s right or wrong, but how they feel. In Jennifer’s interview, she says, when Bill actually starts talking, it drives her nuts. This is Bill’s way of not saying anything. Put your f***ing Confucius out the window and be supportive of your wife. Bill says, small steps.

Rachel and John also have a shore house that’s actually on a shore, and in Jennifer’s interview, she says she’s excited that she now has a shore house to call her own. They literally moved in last week. They bought it with all the contents, and she even took the bed sheets. There’s no reason to dump any money into it. This we can agree on, since I’m sure the house was staged when it went on the market. It’s not like anyone just slept on those sheets. Jackie, Evan, Marge, and Joe #3 are staying at Melissa and Joe #2’s house. Jen and Jeff, and Dolores are staying with Rachel and John, and Danielle and Nate go to Jennifer’s house, along with Teresa and Louie. This house is right on the boardwalk, which is pretty busy, so it seems there’s no shore and too shore, with Rachel’s house being just right. Marge says, Marge Sr. got herself invited to Teresa’s wedding, and Melissa says, her mother isn’t invited. Joe #2 says he talked to Danielle, but he’s skeptical that her beef with her brother is only about Instagram. In Melissa’s interview, she says, Joe and Teresa have had endless fights over the years, and we flash back to several of those, including the classic Juicy Joe versus Joe #3 knock down drag out. Melissa says, they’ve always been able to find a way to bring themselves back together. She doesn’t think it’s the whole story. Jackie says, Danielle must have done something that made her look bad.

Everyone gets ready for Melissa’s party, and Teresa tells Louie that she’s all about love, love, love. Bill suggests he and Jennifer make sure they don’t get kicked out, and far as Marge goes, they would carry themselves with class. The luau looks really cool, with tiny pineapples everywhere and fabulous food. Jennifer toasts to a great night, and says, let’s get sloppy drunk. I can’t say I’ve never been sloppy, but I can say, that’s never been my aim. Frank arrives with Brittany, and Marge asks Rachel if Teresa really warned Danielle that she made a better friend than an enemy. Rachel tells her about discussing it with Danielle in the store, and says, Danielle claimed Marge had information on everyone and was judgmental. Marge says, she’d like to think she was opinionated, and in her interview, she says, bougie mama has some nerve talking about her when she doesn’t know her. There’s lots of eating and drinking, and Marge tells Melissa that Danielle claimed she had an arsenal. Melissa thinks arsenal means book, and Marge explains it’s where weapons are kept. In her interview, Marge says, maybe Melissa and Teresa are a lot more alike than they think. As many of the partygoers drink shots straight from the bottle like they’re on spring break, Marge asks Teresa about what Rachel told her. Teresa says she doesn’t remember saying anything negative about Marge, and asks if Rachel is trying to start trouble by twisting her words. In Rachel’s interview, she says she’s straight up. If you ask her if you look fat, she’ll tell you. There shouldn’t be a problem with her repeating what someone said. If there is, they shouldn’t have said it. Teresa says, this is like high school, and Danielle tells her, it’s exactly what she said.

In her interview, Teresa says she’s just getting to know Rachel, but it doesn’t sit well with Rachel running to Marge and twisting what she said. We flash back to what Teresa said, and that was exactly what she said. Teresa says it shows her what kind of person Rachel is. Um… honest? Teresa moonwalks back, telling Marge, what she said was, if you get on Marge’s bad side, she has no problem taking you down, and admits to being ruthless herself. Marge says, Teresa was undermining her character, and they hear the guys chanting Fuda! Marge says, when she and Teresa made up, she told everyone they were good, and Teresa insists it was genuine. If anyone pushed the wrong button on any of them, they would fight back. Marge says, historically, she’s never done anything bad to anyone. Jennifer lights a cigar, and says, it tastes like sh*t. Bill gets the equivalent of eight shots poured down his throat, and Jennifer tells him, spit it out. Melissa says, now that they’re nice and toasty, they’re going to watch a hula show. In her interview, Marge says, of course Bill drinks. How else could he stand being around Jennifer? Everyone watches the dancers, and some of them dance around. Frank tells Dolores that he’s got a kit to wax John Fuda as an initiation, and she says, he’s got a nice group of guys. Frank whines that he and Paulie are never in the same place, and Dolores says, he would be here except for his health situation. Frank wants her to push Paulie to spend time with him, but Dolores says, it has to be organic. Brittany joins them, and Frank says, it’s the first time Dolores isn’t at his house. Brittany says, they miss her, and in Dolores’s interview, she says, Frank is feeling sorry for himself. The last she checked, he had a hot blonde running with him. He’s good. Jackie tells Jennifer, Bill is so wasted, and we see him crawl on all fours under a limbo pole that’s about five feet up. Dolores tells Jackie, Paulie is the first guy who doesn’t want to sleep with Frank, and Jackie asks if Frank reached out to Paulie. Frank says he reached out to Dolores, and Dolores says, this is when Frank gets in a stupid place. Frank wails for her to fix it, but she says, there’s nothing to fix.

Louie and Teresa talk about the upcoming wedding, and Jen says, it must have been an oversight that Teresa didn’t invite Melissa’s mom. Teresa says, it’s not. They have an history, and she’s leaving it at that. In her interview, she says, to be honest, ten years ago, she got busy, and they got jealous. Melissa’s mom and sisters posted stuff about her on social media, something her mother never did. After that, she kept her distance. She forgives, but never forgets. Jen asks if it won’t put a bigger wedge between Teresa and Joe #2, and Louie says he apologized to Melissa’s mom. We see a clip of that, and he says, he’s not part of her and Teresa’s history. In Teresa’s interview, she says she wishes he’d discussed it with her, but she loves him and knows he’s being a peacemaker. She wishes her brother had come to her, but he loves a spectacle. Louie asks if Teresa would be mad if he invited Melissa’s mom, and she asks why she’d be mad. Everyone cheers, and Louie runs off to find her. In Marge’s interview, she says, thank God Louie has some sense. Joe #2 announces that they’re heating the wax for John’s initiation. They put wax strips on John’s chest, and he barely flinches when they’re pulled off. In Jen’s interview, she says she doesn’t care if she’s bush woman; Joe’s not coming near her with hot wax. The guys do shots for the new brother, and Jennifer wanders around aimlessly. Jackie asks if she’s okay, and says she wants Jennifer and Marge to make up. Marge felt like they had, but didn’t like that Jennifer was still trying to hurt her. Jennifer says, it didn’t mean they were going to be besties. Marge did something hurtful to her children, and her youngest daughter suffered severe trauma; it had the domino effect. In Jackie’s interview, she says she knows firsthand the ramifications of saying someone’s father cheated on their mother. When there were unfounded rumors about Evan, their daughter was scared they were thinking about divorce. Jennifer tells Jackie that she and Bill are going to therapy. Bill is into scholastics with the children, and almost blames her, asking if she wants her kids to be average and have an average life. She told him, don’t call her kids average. Jackie says, that’s a lot of hurt, and they hug.

Jennifer starks talking about sticking fingers in butts, and I tune out in self-defense. Jackie thinks a piece of Danielle is not so nice, and Danielle’s radar goes up hearing her name. Dolores says that Marge is upset about what Danielle repeated, and in Danielle’s interview, she says she was just stating what she heard. There’s was no sh*t talking. But instead talking to her like grown-ass women, they’re bringing her back to her childhood when she was bullied. The only difference now is, she can throw a right hook. Danielle tells Dolores that it irks her to hear her name, and whines to Nate about everyone’s conversation involving her. Marge says she’s calling BS on Danielle’s story about her brother, and in her interview, she says she thinks they’re not getting the whole story. Teresa says, they each have a side, and Italians hold grudges. Marge thinks it’s not the full story, and maybe Danielle is hiding stuff. In Melissa’s interview, she says, regardless of how Danielle and her brother got there, she feels bad. She finds Danielle and says, Danielle looks annoyed, and Danielle says she’s hearing her name. Melissa says she just heard it once about the situation with Danielle’s brother. Melissa says, with her and Teresa, there’s their sides and the truth, and Danielle says she’s pissed. In her interview, she says, everything in her wants to run up and unleash on them. What happened with her brother is her truth. She opened up and now they’re questioning her character. She’s done. If any of them approach her, she doesn’t know what will come out of her mouth. They’re lucky she’s leaving. She gathers Jennifer and Teresa, who says, they came together, so they’ll leave together. Danielle bitches about hearing her name all the way out and during the car ride. Teresa says, Jackie started it, and in Danielle’s interview, she says, Jackie was poking and trying to make her look like an ass. They come from the same place, but she’s a better version of a Staten Island girl, but only if we were still in Staten Island. She tells the others in the car, the one person you don’t want to have as an enemy is her.

Next time, Louie talks to Joe #2; Teresa says, Joe #2 needs therapy, and tells Jackie to STFU; and Marge says, Danielle spreading bullsh*t is f***ed up.

🏖 On what I’d hoped was the finale of Summer House, but wasn’t, the housemates decorated for Gabby’s Studio Fifty Forest party. For a bunch of influencers or whatever, their decorating skills left a lot to be desired. Carl hadn’t spoken to Kyle, and was worried their friendship was in serious jeopardy. He wanted to tell Kyle not to talk to Lindsay the way he had, but communication is no one’s skill on this series. Kyle and Amanda brought their wiener dog mixes for the weekend, which would be points in their favor if they had any other redeeming qualities, but instead, we’ll just give the dogs those points. No surprise, all the girls squeed over these cute little nuggets. The dogs I mean. In Amanda’s interview, she said, they’d decided to come back because she wasn’t allowing anyone to dictate her life. Tomorrow was her 12th 31st birthday, and she wanted the majority of the housemates to celebrate with her. Everyone put on their disco outfits – lots of wigs and sparkles – and in Lindsay’s interview, she said she had zero interest in having conversation. She just wanted to have a good f***ing time. Amanda had sent a text, but she hadn’t responded. Like the newly mature person she is.

Anxiety and liquor being the mainstays of the house, in Kyle’s interview, he said he was anxious about what to say to his best friend. Carl was right across the hall, and they were getting ready to party, but there was tension in the air, and he felt like a fish out of water. Life is tough when you haven’t been able to form a full sentence by the time you’re 40. I’m not joking. Kyle is 40. Can you say, no hope? Ciara dressed up in a huge afro, sparkly dress, and heels, and said she was Karma Brown, and she’d come to bless this house. Bam! I don’t think the Pope himself is capable of that, but good try. She said she wasn’t involved in the drama, and was going to have a good time. I’m liking Ciara this season… for now. Chris tried to help decorate, but was just as inept as the girls. Mya’s boyfriend Oliver arrived, and Sam got a text from Tim, who said he couldn’t make the party, but he invited her to Montauk for a party there. In her interview, she said she had the biggest crush going on, a word I haven’t used since high school, so no surprise here. Karma wondered where the champagne tower was. They were supposed to be popping bottles, and the task was given to a rookie.

Since Kyle has the courage of a really scared Chihuahua, Carl had to initiate a talk, and they told the others that they were going to catch up before the party started, like no one knew what happened last week. On second thought, considering their attention spans, maybe they didn’t. Carl said, last Saturday night had been hard, and master of understatement Kyle said he’d kinda snapped. Carl said he’d never seen Kyle that angry, and we flashed back to Kyle’s tantrum. Carl said he appreciated Kyle’s text, but didn’t appreciate how he’d talked to Lindsay. Did Kyle even like them? Kyle said, Carl had changed and was spending more time with Lindsay, clearly not understanding what being a couple meant, even though he’s married, and Carly said he wanted to marry Lindsay. Kyle claimed the tension stemmed from the tension between Lindsay and Amanda. Carl said Lindsay felt hurt because when she’d told Amanda that they were looking at houses, she’d said it was too soon. Lindsay thought Amanda was being negative about her relationship with Carl. It seemed like there was deeper sh*t going on. Everyone else kept pointing out that Carl and Kyle were talking, but stopped short of eavesdropping. Kyle said he and Amanda felt like they had to walk on eggshells with Lindsay, but Carl felt it was the other way around. He admitted Lindsay could be polarizing and complicated, but she was trying. Kyle said, in a perfect world, they’d be going on double dates, and Carl said he and Lindsay cared about the friendship. He wished they could talk, regardless of what happened with Loverboy in the future, and Kyle swore that, no matter what, he wouldn’t get in the middle, and wouldn’t let Amanda and Lindsay’s issues drive a wedge between them. It wasn’t simple working with a best friend, but he promised they’d figure out a way to put that sh*t behind them and work on the friendship. In Kyle’s interview, he said he was going to put the Lindsay stuff behind him, and get back to what it was about; spending the summer with his best friend.

Amanda told the other girls that Lindsay weaponized their friendship against her. She could apologize for how Lindsay felt, but wasn’t in a place to apologize for anything else. She couldn’t care anymore. Karma said she thought Kyle was crying, but that’s okay; a man can cry. A confetti balloon exploded, and there was dancing and more confetti. Paige texted Craig, who asked how the party was, and she said, it was off to slow start until Karma Brown showed up. I’m sure there was a huge question mark over Craig’s head. Chris told random girls a bunch of BS about himself, and in his interview, he said he loved messing with girls. If they give him sh*t back, he knows they’re a keeper.

Lindsay told Carl that he looked like a washed up rock star, and asked how the conversation with Kyle went. Carl said he felt better, but not good. Kyle’s reaction to Lindsay was the result of something that happened between her and Amanda. Since she’s a narcissist, Lindsay asked if the whole thing was about her, but Carl said, and Amanda. He thought she and Amanda should have a conversation, and Lindsay said, if she had her way, they’d talk all the time. She was a direct communicator when she was coherent and not spinning bullsh*t, but she wasn’t begging for an apology. Carl said he was dealing with his own sh*t, and Lindsay told him not to come at her. He said he wasn’t, and she’d know when he did.

Carl told Lindsay that he wished the four of them were closer, but Lindsay said, how? When Amanda said sh*t, it hurt, and she didn’t need to beg for an apology. Ciara said, Karma Brown can’t comment on this, and Chris said, if Kyle wasn’t in the right state of mind, they all felt it, which again made me question everyone’s sanity, since they keep bunking together every summer. Carl told Lindsay that Amanda had apologized over text, and Danielle said, it looked like Carl and Lindsay were arguing. Lindsay said she was led to believe there would be a bigger conversation in person, but it didn’t happen. She wanted to fix things quick. Carl said, perfect. Let’s play beer pong, which is always the answer to everything. Danielle wondered how they could have a heated conversation, then play beer pong, and Sam asked if anyone was going to Montauk; she wanted to get some d*ck. One of the dogs caught a ping pong ball, which was pretty impressive, and Danielle asked Carl about what looked like his heated chat with Lindsay. Carl said, communication was hard when Lindsay was drunk, and Lindsay told Paige that communicating was hard when you’re in middle school. Paige suggested she just talk to Amanda, like no one had thought of that, and Carl told Danielle that Lindsay wasn’t receptive, so he just walked away. Danielle said, they were the two most outspoken of the group, yet internalized a lot. Lindsay griped to Paige that Amanda felt she and Carl were moving in together too soon, and Paige told her Danielle had said that too. She said it felt like Lindsay and Carl were living in a fairytale. Danielle told Carl that things couldn’t always be great. She had fights with Robert about him always working. They hardly saw each other, and it was hard. In Danielle’s interview, she said things aren’t always perfect. She wanted Carl and Lindsay to talk about the hard stuff. Paige said she was under the impression Lindsay knew how Danielle felt. Wasn’t Danielle her best friend? She thought they should talk, and when Danielle came by, she wisely got the hell out of there. Danielle asked Lindsay what she and Paige had been talking about, and Lindsay said, her. Danielle said, good or bad stuff? and Lindsay said she heard Danielle was concerned about her and Carl’s relationship. She’d thought it was too soon for them to move in. Danielle said she thought they were moving hella fast, and Lindsay said, they’d known each other six years. Danielle said, but they weren’t in a relationship, and in that sense, it was fast. Lindsay whined that she wanted to have babies with Carl, and Danielle said, Lindsay was getting so defensive, it was annoying. Truth!

Lindsay wanted to know what fairytale she was living, and Danielle said they had no fights or talks about the heavy stuff. Lindsay said, Carl didn’t like the hard conversations, and Danielle said she was surprised Lindsay didn’t ask why Carl didn’t stick up for her during Kyle’s tirade. Lindsay said she was pissed off, but Danielle said she didn’t show it. She didn’t want to lose her two best friends. Lindsay said she wouldn’t, but Danielle said, sometimes she felt that Lindsay and Carl’s relationship was off-limits. Lindsay said, at least tell her first before Danielle talked sh*t, and Danielle said she wanted to see them going at the real stuff, and not keep it bottled up. Pizza was ordered and the outside friends were kicked out. Ciara said, Karma Brown’s got to go. Nice knowing you. Danielle rated the party a 6.5, since there was no music. Seriously? No one had a phone with a playlist on it? Gabby said, 65 out of 100 was a fail. Bad decorating, no music, fair to middling food, and Kyle? Yeah, I’d say it was a fail

Kyle said he feared raising children. What if the kid didn’t like him? I’d say that’s highly likely, and I also fear him raising children, but not for that reason. Sam said his energy effected the house, and she thought it was a good quality, clearly forgetting about the previous weekend. Kyle said he wanted everyone to have as much fun as possible, and Sam said, as a friend, she wanted him to be happy, and have fun. Cool positive energy brought the house up. In Chris’s interview, he said, after he graduated, he went into the marines. This summer he wants to talk to and meet girls. If he’s learned anything, it’s that you can’t force things to work. Danielle said her boobs were pointing east; she was going to the party in Montauk. Amanda said she couldn’t go. She was a (dog) mom now. Lindsay said she was part of a couple now, and wasn’t leaving Carl. In Danielle’s interview, she said, in the past, if she’d said party in Montauk, Lindsay would have asked how much time she had to get ready. She hated seeing Lindsay holding back.  I thought if I heard going to Montauk one more time, I might scream. Kyle was surprised the dogs were the first ones to poop on the lawn.

Gabby, Danielle, and Sam finally went to Montauk, and we saw a bit of Danielle’s phone cam party. In Sam’s interview, she said, Tim ghosted her. He put her in an Uber and sent her on her way. She’d said she didn’t want a hit and run situation, and he said he’d never do that. She laughed, and said, she felt stupid saying it now. She was having a crush crisis. She’d come out of an abusive relationship, and this brought back her insecurity. Danielle told her that she had a right to be herself. F*** what anybody thought. Her real friends valued who she was.

Paige said, Amanda deserved a beautiful birthday lunch, and got up at 7 am because she loved Amanda. She and Mya cleaned up, made breakfast, and talked about Lindsay trying to act better for Carl at her own expense. They thought it was going to lead to resentment. In Mya’s interview, she said she’d been in relationships where they wanted different things, and it worked out. Oliver was outgoing, and had 400 friends, while she had maybe 5. Everyone put on birthday hats, and sang Happy Birthday when Amanda came down. Danielle said, the party was fun until Sam laid on a pool table or something. Maybe there was more to putting Sam in that Uber than she thought. Paige said she already put in a full day, and Kyle said, Amanda’s last birthday was a big one – 30. They’d been caught up in wedding planning, and he wanted to make up for it.

He brought out a giant package, and Amanda said he did listen; it was definitely artwork. She unveiled a piece of modern art that said, fruit therapy. It was actually pretty cool. Amanda said, Kyle got married and was a new man, and Kyle toasted to Amanda’s 31st. Amanda thanked everyone for the special breakfast, and said it was how she preferred to celebrate, low key. Lindsay asked if Amanda wanted to get together, and in Amanda’s interview, she said, she and Lindsay hadn’t had a one-on-one and hung out in years.

Next time, we’re tortured with a party bus; Carl wants Chris to have a proper initiation; Danielle talks to Robert about their relationship, or lack thereof; and Paige wants Lindsay to talk about the real sh*t.

🪄 Dreaming I’m Awake…

Hook up with me again tomorrow (no, not that way) for soap and the VanderPlot thickening. Until then, stay safe, stay childlike, but not childish, and stay not wasting any time on lies. Life isn’t just too short, it’s too precious for that.

March 15, 2022 – Sonny Tries To Lower the Temperature, Subbing, Missing Deck, Marge Hosts a Spa Day Minus Jennifer & Friends

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Ava and Nina walk into Beradino’s, and Ava says she’s glad they’re doing this. It’s been ages since they had lunch anywhere but the MetroCourt. They’re seated, and Nina says, it’s nice to be away from the office. Ava says, and it’s much less likely they’ll run into Carly here. She heard from Nikolas that Nina didn’t follow up with Martin Grey about visitation, and Nina says she’s hoping she won’t need Martin to have a place in her grandson’s life. She put the whole scorched earth tactics in reserve. Ava says, Nina’s not naïve enough to think the Corinthos family will do the right thing, but Nina assures Ava that she’s not naïve. She has someone else advocating for her now.

Willow joins Michael in the nook, and holds something up. He asks if it’s what he thinks it is, and she says, one shiny new passport in all its glory. She’s so glad he got it expedited, and now that exams are over, she has a break. He says, Paris, here we come, and kisses her. Sonny walks in, and says, sorry to interrupt. Michael asks, what’s going on? and Sonny says, they need to get on the same page about Nina.

At the hospital, temp Monica (see below) says she’s glad she ran into Finn. He says, it’s always a pleasure, and she says, it’s been so long since she had the department heads at her house for dinner. She’s going to set something up this week, and she’ll let him know about it. They can all let off some steam and get to know each other outside of the hospital. And of course (🍷) significant others are welcome, so he can bring Elizabeth. He thanks her for the invitation, but says he’ll be attending solo. He and Elizabeth have decided to hit pause in their relationship.

Elizabeth bangs on the vending machine, and Drew says, easy there. She says she’s so frustrated. She put her money in, and it’s just stuck. He bangs on it, and the bag falls down. He tells her, Navy SEAL training, and asks if she wants to talk about it. She says, after all the pain and misery they’ve been going through because of Peter, it finally caught up to her family.

Victor tells Yohan, good news. It seems Drew Cain might be able to give them access to what they’ve been searching for after all. Yohan asks how that’s possible, and Victor holds up the Three of Cups tarot card and says, this was amongst the items found on Peter’s dead body. In life, Peter managed to prevent him from gaining access to Drew’s memories, but in death, he’s graciously given Victor a way to get everything he so badly needs.

Outside Kelly’s, Eileen sees Laura, and says, her official calendar said she had a meeting with the heads of State Commerce. Laura says, it got rescheduled. She’s just grabbing a quick lunch. She’ll see Eileen back at city hall. Eileen flashes back to telling Victor, they have a problem; Sam McCall, Robert Scorpio, and Laura Collins are getting too close.

Laura sits with Sam, Dante, and Robert, and says, she just ran into her deputy mayor out there. She hopes she didn’t keep anybody waiting, but Dante says he and Sam just got here. Robert says, thus their group is all assembled, the group that’s going to take out Victor Cassadine.

Innsbruck, Austria. Felicia asks Anna if all this subterfuge is really necessary, and Anna says, they have to be careful none of Victor’s associates are keeping watch on this place. Thankfully, when she spoke to Frisco, he didn’t ask too many questions. Felicia says, he never did, and Anna says, on the books, it just says they’re spending the next few hours being debriefed by the Bureau about the circumstances surrounding Peter’s death. Felicia says, the transportation office looks like it’s going to be closing for the night soon, and Anna says she’s right. They can’t waste a moment. They really need to find proof Luke didn’t die in a random accident. He was murdered.

A clerk walks into the transportation office, and the man behind the desk says, it’s not like him to be late. His shift is over. He’ll see the clerk in the morning. (We find out later the first guy’s name is Kirk, or sounds like Kirk.) Kirk leaves, and Anna (in fake glasses) comes in with Felicia weeping into a handkerchief. The clerk says they’re going to be closing soon, and Anna says she’s so sorry it’s last minute, but she was wondering if he could help with an important matter.

Yohan asks if that’s the card that will access Drew’s old memories, and Victor says, there’s only one way to find out. They’ll have to lure Drew to some secluded location and activate the conditioning. Yohan says, Victor tried that before and it didn’t work out, and Victor says, that’s because he was misled by Peter with the wrong tarot card. Yohan says, Drew knew what Victor was doing. Victor denied it once, and If he tries again, there will be no denying it. Victor says he makes an excellent point. It will be a terrible waste, but if conditioning doesn’t work this time, Drew will have to be eliminated.

Drew says he’s sorry Elizabeth’s family is suffering. Does she want to talk? She says he doesn’t want her to unload her baggage. He has enough going on in his own life. Peter took two years from him that he can’t get back. He says, he’s always here for her and her family, and she says, all right. They walk, and she says, some really strange things have been happening lately, and they all relate to Franco. At first, she thought it was his mom, but she was hospitalized at the time, and now, as much as she doesn’t want to admit it, all signs are starting to point to Jake.

Monica say she’s sorry to hear about Finn and Elizabeth. She always liked them as a couple. He says, so did he. Maybe someday, but now is not the time pursue something. Monica says, it’s none of her business, but please know, she always rooted for both of them. She’s fond of him, and has a soft spot for Elizabeth in her heart. She’s known Elizabeth since she was a teenager. She was Monica’s daughter Emily’s best friend, and she’s the mother of Monica’s grandson Jake. Her connection to Elizabeth’s family goes back even further, because back in the day, she was married to Elizabeth’s father. He says, she was married to Jeff Webber? and she says, yes. It seems like a lifetime ago. It didn’t work out; neither of them was faithful. Jeff lived a life of service as a doctor to the underserved, but it still breaks her heart that he has no relationship with Elizabeth or his grandson. She always wondered what happened there, but guesses you never know what goes on in families. He says, judging from his own difficult family history, no you don’t. The elevator doors open, and Jake is there.  

Michael tells Sonny that he and Willow are on the same page regarding Nina, and Willow says she assumes this is about Wiley. Sonny says he knows Willow and Nina got into it the other day, and Willow asks if that’s how Nina described it. Nina thought she didn’t know what happened between the two of them, and tried to exploit her ignorance to get a visit with Wiley. Willow made it clear that’s not going to happen. Sonny says they’ve got to keep his private life out of this, and Michael says, it isn’t about Sonny; it’s about Nina. She lied to them over and over again, and they don’t trust her. Sonny asks if he has to remind Michael that grandparents have rights in the state of New York, and Wiley and Nina are blood family. Michael says, Nina has the right to go before a judge and petition to see Wiley, but that’s no guarantee the petition will work, especially since he and Willow have the right to argue against visitation. Then it’s up to a judge to decide. Sonny asks, what if he can get Nina to back off and not file that motion in court? and Michael asks why she’d do that. Sonny says, because he believes he can convince Nina not do that, then they all get what they want.

Ava asks if Nina fired Martin and hired a different lawyer, and Nina says her current plan is to try to avoid going to court. Ava asks, how? and Nina says, Sonny offered to talk to Michael and Willow to see the wisdom in lowering the temperature. Get them to see they’re better off in not having a court ruling in this matter. Ava says she sees, and Nina asks what that means. Ava says, nothing. She just doesn’t want Nina to have false hope. Nina says, Sonny is convinced it will work, and Ava says, Sonny was convinced a lot of his recent plans would work. Nina says, it’s not his fault Carly is combative and unreasonable, and Ava says, Carly is always combative and unreasonable. It’s a little late for Sonny to complain about that now. But that doesn’t even matter, does it, because they’re divorced, and Sonny is going to bat for her. Nina says, Sonny is just trying to find an equitable solution. Ava says, Sonny is trying to impress Nina. She’s known Sonny a long time, and that man cannot be without a woman. He’s one of those. And now that Carly is out of the way, and now Nina has her opening and can get in there and get what she wants. Correct her if she’s wrong, but Nina does want Sonny doesn’t she?

Felicia wails, and Anna asks if the clerk speaks English, because her German is a bit rubbish. He says he’ll try his best, and she says she’s an attorney representing the Randolph Forsythe estate. Felicia weeps loudly, and Anna says, this is his widow, and Felicia has been led to believe her late husband was a passenger on that cable car that had that tragic accident back in December. Unfortunately, the investigators weren’t able to find evidence to prove Randolph was on board, and as he can imagine, it’s left the estate in flux. Felicia continues to wail, and Anna says, so what she was hoping was that maybe they could look at the evidence, so they could find some actual proof that he was indeed a passenger. The clerk says he’s not authorized to let anyone see the records, unless they’re government officials. Felicia jumps up, and says she told  Anna this would be a waste of time. This situation will never end. She throws an arm across her forehead, and leans on the wall, crying some more. In German, Anna tells the clerk, Mr. Forsythe told her client he was in Austria, but she has reason to believe he’s alive and well, and ran off with his mistress instead. If her client sees proof her husband wasn’t onboard, she can move on with her life. Felicia sobs loudly, and Anna asks the clerk, please help me give her some closure. He says he can’t allow her access to the computer, but he can let her see the hard copies. Felicia turns around and says, yes! That will work. Thank you, kind sir. A thousand thank yous, yes. Anna turns to Felicia and makes a cutting motion across her throat, and Felicia gets quiet, dabbing at her eyes.

Laura says, so Victor took the bait. He thinks he has the tarot card that will activate Drew’s conditioning. Sam says, he thinks Peter had it on him when he died, and Dante says, he thinks he’s got the key. He’s going to reach out to Drew. He thinks it’s going to work. Laura asks if anyone is concerned Victor might actually be able to activate Drew, and Dante says, not with that card. He and Sam will be monitoring the situation in real time, and Drew’s aware; he’s in the loop, and knows what’s going on. Hopefully, they get something incriminating on Victor. Robert says, this is insanely convoluted, and Laura says she still can’t fully understand how these things are connected. If Luke was killed for the Ice Princess diamond, what does it have to do with Drew’s past? Eileen watches through the window.

Nina says, it’s not as simple as wanting Sonny or not, and Ava says she hopes Nina isn’t worried about the fallout from Sonny’s family. That ship has certainly sailed. Nina says she knows that. It’s not about that. Ava asks, then what is she waiting for? and Nina says, the man she fell in love with in Nixon Falls is very much the man Sonny is now, but recently she’s been confronted with a side of Sonny she doesn’t really know. She went to his penthouse the other night, and sometimes she just doesn’t recognize him. And it makes her wonder if she isn’t just repeating her self-destructive patterns.

Sonny says he doesn’t think Nina will file a legal motion if they allow her to see Wiley from time to time, but Michael says, they don’t want that. Sonny asks if he didn’t say Nina and Wiley are blood related. If they get the court involved, the court could rule against them, and dictate Nina’s visitation time. All they’ve got to do is let Nina see Wiley from time to time, and they dictate the terms. Michael says, he and Willow don’t think it’s healthy for Nina to be in Wiley’s life. What do they gain be playing along? Willow says, she knows Sonny has feelings for Nina, but to be perfectly honest, Willow doesn’t trust her. Even if they agree to a compromise, there’s a strong chance Nina will still file a legal claim. Sonny says he trusts Nina, and Michael says, that’s the problem. Sonny shouldn’t trust Nina.

Drew asks if Elizabeth really thinks Jake is behind the incidents, and she says she doesn’t want to think that, but he was there when Jake came home after he’d been kidnapped by Helena. There was this darkness about him. And does he remember when they left Jake alone? Sam was trapped in the basement. Drew says, that was an accident and they proved it. Jake was able to recover from what happened on Cassadine Island because he had Elizabeth to help him. He had a family he could count on, right? So is Jake is struggling, he knows she has the strength to help him through that again.

Monica asks Jake, what’s going on? and Finn asks if he doesn’t have an appointment. Does his mother know where he is? Monica says, talk to her. He knows he can tell her anything. Finn asks if Monica minds if they have a moment alone, and she says, he’s her grandson. Finn says he realizes that, but there might be some things you don’t want to disclose to your grandmother, and Monica tells Jake, they’ll swap spots. Jake comes out of the elevator, Monica gets in, and the doors close, Finn asks where Jake’s mom is. Does she know where Jake is? Jake says, no, and Finn can’t make him go back there.

Finn takes Jake to his office, so they can have some privacy, and asks, what’s going on? If Jake doesn’t want to talk to him, that’s fine. He can page Jake’s mom, and she can sort this out. Jake says, fine. He’ll talk to Finn. He told Dr. Massey that he had to go to the bathroom, and made a run for it. Finn laughs, and asks why Jake took off. Jake says, whatever, forget it, but Finn says he can’t. They have rules here. If Jake doesn’t go back to Dr. Massey’s office soon, she’s going to call hospital security. There’s a whole procedure for when a child is missing. Jake says he’s not a child, and Finn says he realizes that. He meant when a minor goes missing. He could get fired if he doesn’t call this in, unless Jake gives him a good reason for not going back. Jake says he’s not going back there. He’s tired of being accused of setting Franco’s studio on fire.

Elizabeth thanks Drew for his support; she needed to hear that. Monica comes by, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but she just saw Jake on the first floor. It seems like he skipped out on his doctor’s appointment. Elizabeth gets up, and says she needs to go find him, but Monica says, it’s okay; he’s with Finn. They wanted to have their privacy. Maybe Jake will open up to Finn, but can she ask Elizabeth something? What is going on with her grandson? Elizabeth says she made an appointment with Dr. Massey. Jake is going through something. Monica says, of course (🍷). It’s understandable. He’s lost his stepfather and his father in the same year. Elizabeth says she thinks they might be dealing with some behavioral issues, and Monica says she’s sorry to hear that. Losing Franco, and then Jason, is too much.

Michael says, Sonny can’t let go of his feelings for Nina. That’s why he trusts her; not because she’s trustworthy. She lied to Sonny’s wife and kids for almost a year about him being alive. This should be a major red flag, and he doesn’t understand why it’s not. Sonny says, what Michael doesn’t understand is, he already confronted that issue. He’s just trying to take down the temperature here. Willow says, she appreciates his intentions, but they’re past the point where turning down the temperature will do any good. Sonny says, it was a mistake to come here, and goes to the door. Michael says, he’s right, it was, because once again, Sonny is choosing Nina’s interests over his family. Sonny turns around.

Ava says she thought they already addressed this, or is Nina slipping back into poor me territory? Nina says, no, and Ava says, she wanted Sonny and she took him. Is she going to have a crisis of conscience about it now? Nina says, it’s not about that. Sonny is dealing with some issues right now, and she thinks it’s wise for her to stay away from him until it’s settled. Ava says, but it’s okay if he goes to bat for her. What are these issues Nina is talking about? Victor walks in, and says, Ava, looking ravishing as always, and kisses her hand. She tells him that he’s too kind, and asks if he knows her friend Nina Reeves. He says, his wayward son’s ex-wife. It’s a shame she and Valentin couldn’t make things work. Nina says, sadly, she couldn’t trust him. She sees now where he’s inherited that trait.

The clerk is out for a smoke break and Kirk comes by, asking if he left his phone in the office. The clerk says, there are two women in the office; an American and a Brit. He knows they’re not authorized, but one of them had family in December’s accident. Kirks tells him to describe them; what did they look like? In the office, Felicia listens in the hallway, and tells Anna, the record keeper is still gone. What exactly are they looking for? Anna says she doesn’t know really. Some kind of inconsistency that can lead them somewhere. She says Felicia was really hamming it up with the whole grieving widow thing, and Felicia says she’s sorry. She was so nervous. She’s out of practice with the undercover stuff. Was it too much? Anna says she’s just grateful Felicia was playing an American. God knows what she’d do with an accent. Anna looks through a folder, and Felicia says, since The Floating Rib is gone, maybe she can get back in the P.I. game. What does Anna think? Anna doesn’t say anything, and Felicia says, that enthusiastic, huh? Anna says, no. She might have found something that proves the cable car crash was no accident.

Elizabeth says, maybe Jake wasn’t ready for her to start dating again, and Monica says, the circumstances surrounding Jason’s death didn’t help. Drew says, which means they’re all kind of in a state of flux. Monica asks if Elizabeth needs her to stick around, but Elizabeth says she’s okay. Drew says he’ll see Monica at home, and Monica leaves. Elizabeth says Drew doesn’t need to stick around either, but he says, that’s what families are for.

Finn asks why Jake thinks Dr. Massey believes he burned down Franco’s art studio, and Jake says, Finn believes it too. So does his mom. That’s why he had to talk to Dr. Massey. He already knows the drill; he’s been in and out of therapy since he was eight years old. After what happened to him, he doesn’t want anyone to believe he’s crazy. Finn says, no one believes that, and Jake says his mom and Dr. Massey believe he’s still disturbed like he was when he was a kid. That’s why she asks him all these leading questions like, was he really at a friend’s house the night the studio burned? Why was he at the library when a picture of his mom showed up at the house? Finn says, maybe there’s another way to look at this. People are acknowledging Jake has been through a lot in the past year. He was close with Franco, and not only did he lose Franco, he lost his dad as well. Jake says, his mom lost Franco too. Why would he want to torture her like that? He wants her to be happy. Finn says, even if it means she’s maybe moving on from Franco?

Dante asks if they might not be complicating this. The Ice Princess is worth the GDP of a small country, maybe Victor is literally just after the money. Sam says, it certainly motivates a lot of people, but… Robert says, they dealt with Victor back in day; the guy’s a playboy. Laura says, he was that. He liked the finer things in life, and mostly motivated by lust and greed. Although lately she’s noticed he seems to like to play God. The Ice Princess diamond, Luke’s death, and there’s something Drew is supposed to remember; they all add up to something. Eileen walks in, and asks Laura if there’s something she should know about.

Ava says, Nina is talking to a member of her family, but Victor says, that’s all right. He supposes there’s no escaping his less than reputable past, which is why he intends to make amends in the future, giving back to the world. Nina says, with what? Charity? He says, something like that, and she says, for Valentin’s sake, she hopes it’s the truth. Victor’s phone rings, and he says he has to take it, and tells Ava that he’ll see her soon. He leaves, and Nina asks, what the hell was all that about?  

Felicia asks what Anna found, and Anna shows her the cable car schedule the day of the accident. The cable car in question was supposed to leave the dock at 9:15 am, but it didn’t actually leave until 9:47 am. Felicia says, that’s not unusual. Delays happen all the time with public transportation. Subways usually have a schedule, but everyone knows they bear little resemblance to reality. Anna says, but this is Austria, and that’s a twelve minute delay, and it should be noted in the records, but it isn’t. There’s nothing here; there’s no engine trouble, no weather issues, no staffing issues. Felicia says, maybe the car was deliberately held back until Luke arrived to assure he was on it. Anna says, that’s what she’s thinking, and as they both know, Luke Spencer was never punctual a day in his life. So it’s as good a theory as any.

Victor asks Kirk what he wants, and Kirk says, they have a situation. There are two women in the records room, looking for information about the crash. Victor says, by any chance is one an America blonde, and the other a British brunette? Kirk says, that’s exactly how his colleague described them. Does Victor know who they are? Victor says he’s afraid he does. The Brit is a senior WSB agent. He knew she was in the area, he just didn’t know she was there to investigate the crash. Kirk says, she’s in the records room right now. He was working in inspection the day of the crash. She could uncover the truth. Victor says, but she won’t, will she? Because Kirk will handle it. Kirk asks, how? and Victor says, by any means necessary.

Anna says she’s going to review these records, starting with whoever was inspecting the cable cars that morning. Then she’s going to photograph the pertinent ones, and have a look at them when she gets back home. Felicia says, sounds like it’s going to take some time. They need to make sure that nice man doesn’t come back any time soon. Maybe she can charm him into going on a coffee run. Anna thanks her, and tells her, just take it easy with the handkerchief thing. Felicia leaves, and Kirk watches.

Laura says she’s just catching up with her friends, and Eileen says, a senior detective on the PCPD and the District Attorney? Dante says, Laura was his mother-in-law, and he still considers her family, and Robert says, he and Laura go back decades. Eileen tells them, they can say whatever they want, but the mayor’s official duties and calendar are a matter of public record. Frankly, this isn’t the first time she’s caught Laura in a white lie like this. Laura says she thinks there’s been a misunderstanding. Surely she’s entitled to a social life, right? To spend time with her friends? Eileen says she still has some more questions and don’t call her Shirley, and Laura asks if she has to remind Eileen that Eileen works for her, not the other way around. Eileen says she knows Laura’s her boss, but the Government Oversight Committee has been breathing down their office’s neck every since former Mayor Lomax resigned in disgrace. If there’s any discrepancy on Laura’s public schedule, she needs to correct it. Let her constituents know that she’s meeting with other public officials, personal or not. Laura says she can’t do that, and Eileen asks, why not? I don’t think that’s how any of that works, but letting it pass.

Sonny tells Michael, that’s not what’s happening here. He’s never chosen Nina over his family. Michael asks, then why not just tell them the truth about what happened in Nixon Falls? Or why didn’t Sonny warn him that he wasn’t going to testify against Nina, and wanted to protect her from the consequences of what she did? (Hmm… Sonny might remind Michael that no one knew ahead of time he’d end up on the stand.) Sonny says he’ll give it to Michael straight because he likes to hear one side. When he came home from Nixon Falls, he found out his wife had married his best friend, and he had to wrap his head around that. Then his best friend Jason dies, just like Michael thought he’d lost Sonny. He was trying to keep his family together, and not make a bad situation worse. Yes, it didn’t work out like he’d hoped. He wanted to tell the whole family the truth on his terms; didn’t happen. But Michael has to remember something. Sonny is his father. He’s always going to do what’s best for Michael, and that’s what he’s trying to do right now. Don’t ever forget that.

Elizabeth says she really does appreciate Drew looking out for her and her family, but she can handle whatever’s going on with Jake. He says he has no doubt about that, but maybe while she’s taking care of the boys, he can look out for her. She says she just wishes she’d caught on to Jake’s behavior sooner. She was so focused on figuring out if she was ready to date, she doesn’t think she paid enough attention to her boys’ feelings. He says he knows her, and knows she always puts her boys first. He’s sure she came to a decision that was well-informed that the  boys were ready. She says he might be giving her too much credit, but he says, not possible. She says she’s just as susceptible to tunnel vision as anyone else, and only see what she wants. He’s a perfect example. She believed he was Jason and didn’t tell anyone. He says, that was ancient history. Elizabeth was in a bad emotional place, but she came out the other side, which is why he knows she has the strength to help Jake with whatever’s going on. She says, if that’s what’s really happening.

Jake asks if Finn thinks he was doing all those things because he didn’t like Finn dating his mom. He told Finn that he was okay with that. As long as Finn is good to his mom, they have no problems. Finn says he believes Jake – he really does – but the police told his mom that whoever put the painting in the living room didn’t break in. They had access to the brownstone, and no one saw Jake in the library that morning. Unless there’s some other reason Jake doesn’t want to tell anyone what he was doing that day.

Ava says she has no idea what Nina is talking about, and Nina says, is she kidding? That charm offense Ava was giving Valentin’s father; what was going on there? And don’t tell her, nothing, because Nina knows Ava has something up her sleeve. Ava says, it’s just that the Cassadines are a complicated bunch. It’s best for everybody if they get along. Nina asks if that’s Ava’s polite way of saying, just butt out, and Ava says, emphasis on polite. Just like Ava will butt out of Nina’s relationship with Sonny. But not before telling Nina that she knows Sonny is advocating for her with Willow and Michael because he was in love with her. Nina says she’s not sure she wants that on her conscience.

Michael says, Sonny wants to do what’s best for him? Then respect the decision he and Willow made about their son. Sonny asks, why use his son to punish Nina? and Willow says, this isn’t about punishing Nina. It’s about what’s appropriate for Wiley. Sonny is an adult. If Nina lies to him or twists the facts, he can handle it, or not, but Wiley is a child. Nina already confused him enough. Monica comes in, and says, Sonny. This is certainly a surprise. Sonny says he was just leaving, but Monica says, since he’s here, there’s something he should know; all three of them. She was doing some serious thinking on her way home, about the ambiguity surrounding Jason’s death. It’s not good for his children to be living inside this limbo. She’s going to petition the court to have Jason declared legally dead.

Jake says, he’d better get back to Dr. Massey. He doesn’t want to get Finn in trouble. Finn says, don’t worry about him, this is about Jake. Can someone corroborate where Jake was that morning? Jake says, forget it, but Finn says he can’t. Tell him the truth. Jake says he can’t, and Finn asks, why? Jake says, if his mom finds out what he did, she’ll never forgive him.

Elizabeth thanks Drew for the pep talk, and he says his shoulder is at her service whenever she needs it. They hug, and Elizabeth leaves. Drew’s phone rings, and he sees it’s Victor. He says, show time.

Eileen says she’s liable for seeing Laura. She can’t pretend she didn’t. Laura says she’s sorry. She didn’t realize she might be putting Eileen in a difficult position. She can’t tell Eileen everything, but Eileen is her deputy, so she guesses Eileen deserves to know something about what’s going on with her. Robert asks if she’s sure, and Laura says, it’ll be all right. She tells Eileen that she has reason to believe her ex-husband Luke Spencer may have been murdered. She’s working on this on her own time. This is her lunch hour. Now she’s just taken a big step in trusting Eileen, so she’s asking Eileen to do the same for her. Can Eileen give her the space she needs wo work on this situation? Because it needs to be kept separate from their office. Can she do that? Eileen says, yes, understood. They can touch base later. Laura thanks her, and Eileen leaves. Laura goes back to the table, and says, now where were we?

Drew asks what Victor wants, and Victor says, he’s sorry; they seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. Drew says, two years in a cell is a bad start, and Victor says, Peter was responsible; Peter’s dead. He’s calling about a different matter entirely, and it’s important they meet in person.

Anna looks at more files, when Kirk suddenly comes in behind her with his gun drawn. She takes more pictures.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Trina that she has exciting news; Esme asks Spencer, who else could have possibly done this; Carly says, there’s no proof, but there will be; and Kirk’s gun goes off.

🩺 Sliding Into GH Like…

All about temporary Monica.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/monica-temporarily-recast-on-general-hospital/amp

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Co-primary Charles bitches to Captain Glenn that McDonald’s is better than this. You don’t put sweet sauce on a steak. He feels like he’s losing money eating this disgusting food. Daisy warns Marcos about Charles ranting, and Marcos says, Charles wouldn’t know a good meal if it smacked him in the face. Daisy says Charles is being aggressive and mean, and in Marcos’s interview, he says if Charles said that to his face, he wouldn’t be sitting here. Glenn asks Charles how the food was last night, and Charles deflects. He tells Charles that they’ll find a solution, and tonight’s dinner will be fantastic. Gary asks Daisy about the beach picnic, and she explains the procedure they’re going to follow.

Erica says her mom was happy with the food, but she wasn’t, and Glenn tells Marcos about Charles not being happy with his eggs. He doesn’t get it. It looked delicious, but humor them. He suggests Marcos hear from them what they want. In Glenn’s interview, he says he’ll hear a legitimate complaint, but who comes on a luxury yacht, and says it’s not as good as McDonald’s? Show some class. Colin says, Charles is going to complain because it doesn’t taste like a Happy Meal. Gabriela brings Charles coffee in his cabin, and he whines, where’s his stuff? Guest Janelle tells husband guest Rhett that Charles complains about everything. Some of the crew set up on the beach, while on the boat Charles demands to know where the alcohol is he sees people drinking. Gary arrives at the beach, and asks how it’s going, and Tom says, not well. He’s trying to set up a tent for the guests, and having the usual issues people do with tents. Marcos tells Colin, by tomorrow, he’ll be drinking; the guy is f***ing crazy. Colin says, he has the taste buds of a Billy goat. Tom wonders how to make the tent less ugly, and in his interview, he admits he came in too cocky and confident. We flash back to some of his mistakes, and he says, but he knows how to do better now, and wants to show Gary that he’s not a complete f***ing idiot.

Cindi gets self-tanner all over a white couch, and in Glenn’s interview, he says, accidents happen, but it was a dumb thing to do. The couch cost $50K; it’s just stupid. Tom continues to mess with the tent, and Gabriela wonders who puts on body makeup, then sits on a white couch on a superyacht? The guests are brought to the beach, and Erica tells Daisy, the whole reason Charles came this time was the food. In Daisy’s interview, she says, it’s been a sh*t show all morning. She needs the picnic to go as planned. Charles deigns to try the lox, and in her interview, Daisy says, just eat the food and STFU. Charles says, great food. He thinks he might be grouchy in the morning. Rhett says he’s an a-hole, and Charles says, if he was in New York, it would be okay to be a d-bag. (Um… no.) Rhett says he’d get punched in the face, and Charles says, if people don’t like the way he acts, he doesn’t need to be around them. In Daisy’s interview, she says, they’ve got to be kidding. It had just been good for a hot minute. Charles stomps over to Erica, who was enjoying putting her toes in the surf, and tells her, Janelle said he’d get ass kicked in New York. Erica says, if Janelle wasn’t her hairdresser, she’d let him be a bitch, but she doesn’t want to find a new one. Rhett asks if Charles called his wife a bitch. He’ll f*** Charles’s world up. Daisy says, this is getting bad.

Janelle goes over to Erika, and tells her that Charles had said, if you’re in New York and you bitch, they’ll give you what you want. (I don’t know what planet the NYC they’re talking about is on.) Janelle says Rhett told Charles that he’d get hit in the face, and Charles got pissed and walked off. Erica’s husband likes having trouble with people. In Daisy’s interview, she says, she’d rather have them arguing with each other than complaining about the food. She won’t be surprised if Rhett kicks the sh*t out of him. Erica says she doesn’t control Charles. Back at the boat, Glenn tells Ashley to try carpet cleaner on the couch. She does, and Glenn says, it’s not doing anything, and tells her to try the K2R. Daisy radios that the guests are ready to be picked up. Cindi gives Daisy a necklace that has huge flowers on it, and in her interview, Daisy says she’s never seen anything like it. Cindi asks Gary to put it on her, and Tom grumbles that everything happens, and he misses all of it. Kelsie says, that makes two of them, and they bring the guests back to the boat.

The guests wonder what happened to the couch, and everyone is all, not me, including Cindi. Daisy goes to Charles and Erica’s room, and asks if they want to speak to the chef; Cindi is already there. Erica comes out, and says she’ll be speaking for Charles. On the phone, Rhett tells someone that Charles’s hobby is going to hotels, and bitching about the food to get a room freebie. He’s the biggest d-bag. Erica tells Marcos what Charles likes to eat, emphasis on spaghetti with marina sauce. In Marcos’s interview, he says, it’s the most nasty meal combination he’s ever made in his life. Charles asks Glenn to have dinner with them, and Erica wants Gary to join them too. Daisy reminds them that it’s a decades theme party. Erica complains about the other guests, and Gabriella does chores while Ashley disappears. Glenn asks if the guests want to sail. In Tom’s interview, he says, Ashley is not interested in him. She’s only interested in talking to Gary. Some girls like the Tarzan thing. Glenn puts the sails up, and I pray for Gary to fall out of the top bunk where he’s sleeping. Sailing music happens, doors open, and things slide around. Charles says, it’s an overrated experience, and Erica says, the last time, it was majestic. He says their cat is majestic, and Erica says, he is cute. Marcos whacks his head coming out of the refrigerator doorway. Daisy gets Colin to help, saying, she doesn’t know what to do. Marcos sits in the crew mess, bleeding from his head, and Colin examines his wound. Colin says, it looks nasty. Marcos took some of his scalp off. I literally gasp, seeing a piece of it in his hand.

Colin goes to get Glenn, and Daisy worries about Marcos being in shock.  Colin tells Glenn, Marcos scalped himself inside the fridge. Glenn takes a look, and tells Marcos to keep pressure on it. He’s going to have to see someone. In Glenn’s interview, he says, his first thought was, that’s the end of the season; it’s that serious. He tells Marcos that they’ll figure something out. They’re heading back. Marcos says, he’ll get his head bandaged up, but he still has to make dinner happen. Glenn calls Dr. Tea, and says Marcos scalped a piece off his head, but he’s not sure what type of wound it is. She says she’ll come to the boat. Marcos puts on a hat, and looks for broccoli. They drop anchor, and Charles tells the other guests that when he and Erica first met, he sniffed her butt like a dog. Erika tells Charles that they need to have sex once on the boat, and in a TMI moment, of which there are many, he says give them ten minutes. She says, it should take five, and they go to their cabin. The table is set for dinner, and Dr. Tea arrives.

She examines Marcos, and says, it’s a big piece, but very superficial. She puts a bandage around his head, like in those old-fashioned toothache patient pictures, and tells him that he can change it on his own. In his interview, Marcos says, the guests don’t care. He can’t stop cooking, Tom helps decorate, and Janelle tells Rhett that they have to survive another dinner. She doesn’t have the time or patience. She doesn’t like people like Charles. Keep the f*** away from her. Charles demands hairspray. Glenn tells Gary to stop eating, since they’re joining the guests, and in Gary’s interview, he says he gets good food, and it gets him out of helping in the galley. Score! Cindi comes out dressed like Marilyn Monroe, and Daisy says she looks fabulous. Outside of earshot, Gabriela says, wow, but not in a good way. Rhett face palms.

Tom asks if Marcos doesn’t wish they could go back in time an hour or so, and not do the thing they did. Marcos says he does wish that, and Gary and Glenn join the guests. There’s tons of different food, including spaghetti with marinara sauce In Marcos’s interview, a producer asks what restaurant the menu combination reminds him of, and he says, none. It’s a crazy buffet where a bunch of food is thrown at you. All you can eat until you die. Glenn says Erica and Charles make a nice couple (as my father would say, couple of what?) and Erica says, they’ve known each other since high school. Marcos tells Daisy that Charles probably doesn’t want to bitch in front of the captain, but Daisy says she’s not so sure he cares where he bitches. Janelle leaves the table, and goes to her cabin. Rhett is already there, and she says she can’t take it. Cindi tries to sing Happy Birthday to Glenn like Marilyn did to JFK, and fails miserably. In his interview, Gary dies laughing.

Glenn thanks them for a fantastic meal, and tells Marcos that it was delicious. The next morning, Gabriela hunts for fresh orange juice, but only finds some left over from the day before. Marcos asks if that isn’t the night stew’s responsibility. Gabriela says, it is, and he says they should have a meeting after the charter. Daisy comes by the galley, and asks how Marcos’s head is, and he says the blood passed through the gauze the night before. In his interview, he says, it’s painful but he’s not telling anybody. The couch is still messed up, and Janelle tells Daisy that Erica, Charles, and Cindi are messed up. Daisy says she and Janelle are the same; she’s never seen anything like it. The bags are packed, and Glenn docks the boat. Marcos tells Daisy he’s seen bitching between the two stews, and Daisy says, too many egos. She has to deal with so much bullsh*t. Glenn talks to Cindi about the couch, and she claims she wasn’t sitting there. In a flashback, we see that she clearly was. In Glenn’s interview, he says, the primaries on a charter boat are responsible for any damage. Having that conversation is never fun, but it has to be done. Cindi tells the others that they have to split the bill for the couch, and Janelle is like, no way; she and Rhett didn’t do that. Cindi insists she didn’t either.

The crew lines up, and there are hugs and handshakes. Erica gives a rose to the captain, and Cindi gives him the tip envelope and promises to take care of the problem. They leave, and in Colin’s interview, he says, please never come back. They gather for the tip meeting, and Glenn says, that was interesting. He tells Daisy that her team did a good job, and ran smoothly. It’s a testament to her leadership skills. She says, the stews did a great job, and reminds them, if there are issues, talk to her, and remember it’s a team, so be respectful of each other. Glenn says, Marcos accommodated the guests very well. He was hurt, and still pulled off dinner. They seemed to enjoy everything. He doesn’t feel the tip reflected the quality of service they gave the guests. They worked hard and pulled out all the stops to give them the best charter. The tip is $6500, or $720 each. Even I’m shocked. Bastards. In Daisy’s interview, she says, f*** my f***ing life. She wants to burst into tears. It’s not okay. Glenn says, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick, and in her interview, close to tears, Daisy says she doesn’t think people like that deserve nice things. As far as she’s concerned, they can take the tip and shove it. Glenn says, it’s not a reflection on them, and it was still a great start to the season. He tells them, tonight, have fun.

It’s time to chill, and Colin asks if Ashley and Gabriela aren’t getting along, and if titles are still a thing. She says, they are, so Gabriela is above her. He asks if they do different jobs, and she says they do the same thing; they just rotate times. They hashed it out, but she has to respect Gabriela. Geez. Is it that hard? Colin asks about siblings, and she says she has an older sister who she hasn’t talked to in a long time. Her sister screwed every guy Ashley liked in high school, and would brag to her about it. In Ashley’s interview, she says she has a trust thing. She has a few great girlfriends, and knows she comes off as standoffish. She knows she’s doing it, but it’s hard not to be the way she is. Girls are tricky sometimes. Colin says, everyone’s got a history, don’t they? The crew gets dressed to go out, and Glenn asks Daisy, if her best friend’s life depended on it, what would she use on the couch? She tells him, Vanish works miracles, so he uses some, and it comes right out. He begins to use a wet vac, and in her interview, Daisy says she loves Glenn, but do they have to do this now? She needs a f***ing drink. She asks if they can’t look after it tomorrow, and give the camera a look as she walks out.

In the cab, Kelsie says, Marcos’s cooking is fire. The guests were used to McNuggets. At the restaurant, Gary wants to toast to something they’re grateful for, and Marcos says, thank God that f***ing guy left the boat. He says, everyone is amazing, and he never felt like a family in such a short time. In his interview, he says, a chef in this industry can get lonely in the galley, but this crew is different. We drown together or we help. He loves it. They clink glasses.

They order, and Daisy tells the stews that they’re great, and she wants the team to be solid. Gabriela and Daisy go for a smoke, and Ashley tells Gary that he flirts with everyone, like he doesn’t know. He says, there’s always a problem when he flirts, and she says she wants to hook up with him, but he doesn’t seem to want to. In Gary’s interview, he says, Ashley wants two things; his undivided attention, and to get in his pants. He tells her that he doesn’t want to rush things, and in his interview, he says, he might want to sleep with her, but he doesn’t want the consequences. So instead, he hugs Daisy. Colin checks Marcos’s wound, Gabriela downs some wine, and outside, Gary kisses Daisy, but acts silly about it. They go back to the boat.

Daisy tells Marcos to stop touching his wound. Gary tells Colin that he doesn’t understand the girls. They work together and talk to each other, then throw themselves at you. In his interview, Gary says, it’s hard because he knows it won’t just be a few kisses. Ashley wants to get in the hot tub, and he kisses her. She does something we don’t see, but can guess at, because he says, it feels good; naughty-naughty. The only smart one is Glenn, who’s in bed with his headphones on, eating M&Ms. Colin puts plastic wrap around Marcos’s head so he’ll stop messing with it, and they determine Marcos is going to live. In Gary’s interview, he says, if he goes to bed, he’ll have no regrets, but if he stays up, he might. Why can’t little Gary behave?

Ashley asks if Gary is going swimming or going to bed. She gets in his bed with him, but he suddenly decides they should go in the hot tub. They join the others, and Daisy kisses Ashley, then sits on Gary’s lap. As much as you can sit on someone’s lap in the water. Gary tells her that she has beautiful arms, and Ashley starts drinking from the tequila bottle. In Ashley’s interview, she says, Gary’s not interested. Whatever. She’s drunk and horny, and she’s going to have a good time no matter what. She drains the bottle, making me feel sick because I hate tequila. Gary tells the guys that he’s going to do Daisy tonight; don’t tell her. Gabriela calls Gary a toad, and Tom gets confused, thinking she means him, but Ashley corrects that, and flirts with him. In Ashley’s interview, she says Gary blew her off, and it’s not worth the effort. She’s warming up to the idea of someone her age. Gary follows Daisy to the bar, while Ashely and Tom get in a huge lounge chair and take selfies. In Tom’s interview, he says he’d squashed the idea of getting with Ashley, but have we heard the story of the tortoise and the hare? He’s living proof the tortoise won the race. They kiss, and Gabriela takes pictures until she says she feels like a pervert photographer. Tom suggests he and Ashley go to the guest cabin, and they do.

Gary and Daisy roll around in the hot tub, and Ashley asks Tom if he wants her to get naked. Like that might be a no. Daisy kisses Gary, and Colin and Gabriela make themselves scarce.

To be continued… 

There was no preview.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Bill had jetted from guys night out, and Evan said Bill was an accomplice; he let it happen. Frank followed Bill to the parking lot, and asked him to come back, but Bill said he was done. There were lines that shouldn’t be crossed. At the table, Joe #2 said that Jennifer dug into everyone’s life. Bill told Frank that he wasn’t staying somewhere he wasn’t welcome, and left. Frank went back to the table, and said it hadn’t gone well. Bill felt it was a personal attack on his wife. Evan said Bill had to rein her in. In Frank’s interview, he said that the other guys would have defended their wives too. But man code was, drama for the ladies, fun for the men. They toasted to Bill, and Luis arrived. There were bro hugs all around, and Joe #2 filled him in on Bill storming out. He said he was shocked that Luis and Teresa had spent the night at Bill’s after the clash between Jennifer and Melissa. Luis said, sorry, and Teresa called with absolutely nothing important. Luis told the guys that Teresa could be wild and crazy, but she was amazing. They met at a time he least expected to meet someone.

Joe #2 said they’d seen some stuff on social media, and Luis said he’d had a couple of bad relationships, and he was sure some of the other guys’ exes would talk bad about them. Joe #3 said he thought what they read was 100% bullsh*t, but what should they say if asked. Tiki said he had one question; was there ever physical violence? Luis was adamant there hadn’t been, and said he had some angry exes who were thirsty for attention. Tiki said his wife had been asking him questions, and Luis said there was a rumor the girl who was talking about him had stabbed her husband with a butcher knife. Wouldn’t you hack someone with a butcher knife? Luis said he didn’t want to believe it, and in Frank’s interview, he said, man or woman, violence was never acceptable. But the least they could do was give Luis the benefit of the doubt unless proven otherwise. Luis said he’d finally found the one, and in Joe #2’s interview, he said Teresa had made up her mind she wanted Luis to stay in her life. He said, if Luis f***ed up, trust him, he would find out. They toasted to Luis.

Back in their respective corners of the world, Joe #3 told Marge the butcher knife story, and said he thought Luis was deflecting. Evan told Jackie that he thought Luis was a nice guy whose girlfriends hadn’t worked out, but Jackie said she didn’t like the vengeful ex excuse. Joe #2 told Melissa that it had been uncomfortable for him, and Melissa said, unless there was proof, she’d go with the exes lying. Joe guaranteed Teresa wasn’t going to be happy. Teresa told Luis that she didn’t even know Tracy, and now Tracy was using her husband to do detective work, Luis told her that no one said anything wrong, and she said she wanted to protect their love bubble. Marge asked if Bill showed up, and Joe #3 said he got mad and left after Evan said Jennifer was a bad person. Jackie told Evan that he had every right to say what he said, and Evan said he didn’t think Bill was a bad guy, but his wife was a disaster.

Jennifer asked how guys night went, noting that Bill came home fast. Bill said it got upsetting when they insulted his wife’s character. He got up and left; screw them. Jennifer was happy Bill stuck up for her. She knew he didn’t want to be confrontational, but his silence was frustrating. People didn’t think he had her back. Bill said everyone handled things differently, and Jennifer said Bill didn’t show emotion, and she needed him as a life raft. In her interview, she said old feelings of anger were resurfacing; feelings she’d been sitting on. Bill showed no emotion, and she wanted dialogue, emotions, and communication, and he was telling her that he was incapable of that. She felt alone already.

In Dolores’s interview, she said, Frank finally got his sh*t together, and finished the house enough for the kids to leave her townhouse. On the downside, it was pretty empty, and Frankie said, it would be nice to have furniture. Dolores was worried about her mom’s surgery, and in her interview, she said her mother taught her everything she knows. She was used to picking up the phone and calling her, and couldn’t imagine not being able to ask for her advice. She told the kids that she didn’t want to lose her mother, and Gabby said Dolores had been put under anesthesia more times than she told them. David was very involved with helping Valerie, and in her interview, Dolores said her mom had always nursed them back to health. She couldn’t nurse her mom, but David could. She just wanted her mom to be okay. She had to put her pride aside, and let David help.

Marge suggested she host a spa day for Dolores, and Dolores said she’d done so much alone, it was nice to have friends who would do that, but Marge didn’t have to. Marge told Dolores to accept something when people loved her. She said she wasn’t inviting Jennifer, since no one needed the stress or tension. Meanwhile, Teresa was getting ready for her anniversary date with Luis. Gia and Gabriella sat in her dressing room as she did her makeup, and Teresa reminded them that it was her and Luis’s one year anniversary. All she knew was, they were going to dinner. The girls helped her pick something to wear, and Teresa said Luis was an amazing guy. Marge questioned him, but she didn’t know Luis like Teresa did, or see how he treats her. He was the best guy ever, and she loved him. In Gia’s interview, she said her mom and family had been through a lot. We flashed back to Joe #1 saying Teresa was the c-word, Teresa going to jail, Joe going to jail, and Teresa losing her parents. Gia said, it was just so nice to see Teresa in love and happy after so much loss. Teresa said she’d asked her parents in heaven for their help, and that week she met Luis. She suggested if the girls ever needed something to ask them, and Gabriella said she wasn’t forty and single. Ha-ha!

Melissa tried to plan Antonia’s Sweet 16 party, and Antonia gave her a lot of eye rolling. In Melissa’s interview, she said she rolled her eyes at her mom when she was Antonia’s age, but she didn’t have a Sweet 16. Her dad had died in a car accident, and she felt sad and alone. Antonia was also pissed because they’d just moved, and said Melissa didn’t consider her feelings, but Melissa said, oh yes she did. She thought Antonia’s torn ACL had made things worse, since Antonia couldn’t cheer, and in her interview, Melissa said Antonia had been tumbling for years, but fell the wrong way and was injured. She told Antonia that she could do it again, and asked if she’d been trying. Antonia said she had, but wasn’t very convincing. She said she didn’t care, and didn’t want to do it anymore, but Melissa said that wasn’t an option. Melissa cried in her interview, and said it broke her heart. Antonia had gone through her injury, and it was time to get out of it now.

Luis sent a driver to pick up Teresa, and in her interview, she said he was full of romantic surprises. He was a planner, and she loved that. He set the bar high. The driver took Teresa to a pier, that had a rose petal path to a small yacht. Captain Michael welcomed her, and there was a saxophone player on board, along with Luis. They had a drink while the sax player played, and Teresa said she loved it; she played alto sax in elementary school. (Me too – twinsies!) In Teresa’s interview, she said it just went to show, Luis listened to her. He was pretty perfect. The chef came out and told them the menu, and champagne was poured. Luis toasted to Teresa, and the last twelve absolutely amazing months. Teresa gave him a bracelet that was masculine cool, and put it on him. Her card said that a year ago, when they met, her heart had been broken. It had been broken for so long, he was a blessing she didn’t take for granted, In the year they’d been together, she’d never been shown so much love. In her interview, she told us that he’d never said an unkind word to her. He was a dream come true. With the help of the sax player, Luis unfurled a huge scroll with twenty reasons he loved her. She was fierce, strong, and the ultimate badass. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.  

Marge did a check of the spa, where there was also a fabulous catered spread. Melissa arrived first, and champagne was popped. The other women trickled in, and Teresa told them about her date with Luis, and the scroll. She said Luis loved her honesty, and in Marge’s interview, she said, if he loved Teresa for her honesty, was he delusional? Marge brought up Luis’s exes, and Bill leaving guys night in a rage. Jackie thought he could acknowledge what Jennifer had done wrong and still defend her. Tracy said if Jennifer apologized, that would make it good. Teresa said she’d called Jennifer and mentioned the spa day before she realized Jennifer wasn’t on the invite. Marge said Jennifer had kicked them out, and Jackie didn’t get why Jennifer wanted to burn bridges, and Tracy said she thought Jennifer was unhappy in her marriage. Everyone got in robes, and Dolores arrived. She said she and her siblings were taking turns keeping watch on her mother. She couldn’t be left alone because she was in danger of a heart attack. David was going with her to appointments, and Dolores hadn’t spoken to him, but thought it was better that way. It was time for their treatments, and Teresa, Jackie, and Dolores went first, while Melissa, Marge, and Tracy talked smack about David by the pool. Melissa said David seemed to be there for eveyroen in Dolores’s family but Dolores. In Melissa’s interview, she said it was the old school way, You swore it was okay, even though it hurt so much, then exploded on everyone else. They stuck their feet in the pool, and Melissa said Antonia was stressing her out. Her injury had changed her, and she seemed lazy and depressed. Antonia had checked out of the building, and it was making her nervous. There had also been the move, but compared to Melissa’s childhood, Antonia had it easy. In her interview, Melissa said, after they moved to Florida, her dad died, and she was so depressed. She was a New Jersey fish out of water at her new school.

They switched groups treatments, and Teresa talked about Tracy being up in everyone’s business. She wondered why Tiki was questioning Luis for her. Nobody should pry into anyone’s business. She also thought that Jennifer was being picked on, and Jackie said Jennifer came at people hard. Teresa said Marge did too. By this time, the other women had joined them, and Marge said Jennifer took it to the next level. Marge said she wasn’t trying to hurt Jennifer, just point out that she was a hypocrite, but Dolores said Jennifer was very hurt by the affair, and had buried it, not wanting to face it again. She was a f***ing mess. Jennifer was a hypocrite, but they’d both been wrong.

Jennifer met her brother Steven for coffee, and in her interview, she said Steven had loved to sing when they were growing up. When she was feeling bad, he’d practice for her, and it instantly made her feel better. She said she’d told their mother about the affair, and Steven asked how she took it. Jennifer said she was cursing out marge, and wanted to get her back. As for Bill, some Mideast part of her thought, men do this sometimes. In Jennifer’s interview, she said since she’d told the children and her siblings, she thought she should tell her mother before someone else did, She told Steven that it was one thing living through it privately, but now it was out there, and she was forced to deal with it. He said so she was dealing now with what she should have then, and asked how she and Bill were doing, but she said she didn’t know. When Bill was uncomfortable, he didn’t talk. Steven asked if Bill would speak a therapist, and Jennifer said, Bill was afraid they’d open up a Pandora’s box they might not be able to close. Steven said Jennifer was still angry, and Jennifer said she told Bill that he had to show her he cared. She didn’t want to turn into her mother. In her interview, Jennifer said she didn’t think it was fair to stay in a relationship where you weren’t happy, but it was scary for her. Steven asked if she thought things could return to what they were before, but she didn’t know.

This season, line dancing, bro kisses, Teresa moves, a picnic, and a hugs Teresa and Marge fight.

🍯 Time To Jam…

See me tomorrow for soap and OC happenings. Until then, stay safe, stay taking care of your corner of the earth, and stay letting your shoulder be of service to friends who need it.

October 1, 2020 – Surprise! The Friends Head To Homecoming, Harika, RHONY Memory Lane, New Icon, a Promo, a Promise, an Accusation, She Was Pushed, a Sequel, Halloween Viewing, So It Starts & Amy Sings

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Well, this was a surprise. Both the soap sites and the digital guide claimed MLB would be on today. The iffy day was Friday. Ten minutes after 3, I said to myself, I should check, and GH was on. So I missed that ten minutes, but here are the takeaway points. Brando brought Dev to Jax’s for the pre-homecoming thing. Before Brando went inside, Cyrus called him, and said some of his men went rogue, and were the ones who beat Brando up. Nice try. Cyrus wanted to make it up to Brando, by getting him some new shop equipment, but Brando said no. Cyrus wanted Brando on his team (even mobsters use Zoomspeak now), and when Brando asked, which one? Cyrus said they’d talk, and went into Charlie’s. Sam was following Jason, who was following Cyrus. In the bar, Cyrus told Julian that if he needed help, just ask for it. Nina called Ava, who was at Windymere, wondering what was going on with the blackmailer thing. Ava acted like it was all good, but said she didn’t want to talk about it right then, and didn’t want to give Nikolas any ammunition. That’s about all you need to know. Here’s where I came in…

Nikolas goes through the mail, and pulls something out. Ava asks if something is wrong, and he asks how she could do this behind his back.

Jason and Sam look peek in the window at Charlie’s, and see Julian with Cyrus. Sam wonders why Cyrus is there, and Jason tells her that Julian had dabbled in drug trafficking long ago. Maybe Cyrus is trying to recruit him. Sam says, there’s one way to find out.  

At Jax’s place, Carly takes a ton of pictures of the kids, who are ready for homecoming. She says Sonny is going to love them. Jax asks how Carly is feeling, now that she knows Nelle was found. She says she’s relieved. She hated keeping it from Sonny, but she did it because of Mike. She’s not sure now was the time to tell Sonny, because Mike’s passing is so recent, but Jason made her realize she was robbing Sonny of the chance to be able to support her. They’ve had too many secrets between them. Jax says he hates keeping a secret from Nina; the last thing she needs is another Valentin. But if it comes out that he helped cover it up, he doesn’t want Nina being pulled in as an accessory. Carly says, that won’t happen; there’s no evidence to be found. He says Nina couldn’t help being sympathetic to Nelle, at least on the level of being a mom who wanted to be with her child. Nelle’s death hit her hard. Portia overhears, and asks how Nelle died. Carly says, her body was found on the Pennsylvania side of the river (🍷), but no cause death has been determined yet. Elizabeth says she’s glad they found Nelle. Everyone will have closure, including Wiley. Now Carly doesn’t have to look over her shoulder. Josslyn asks what they’re talking about, and Carly says, how beautiful she looks. Jax says homecoming is going to start soon, but Josslyn says he knows they can’t be the first ones there.  

Cameron asks how Trina is feeling. She asks if he means about going to the dance, since the last time, they were kidnapped and her dad was killed. He says, sorry. Sometimes he should just shut up. She says, sometimes he should, but not this time. It’s hard, but the only thing she needs to feel safe is him. Dev hears them, and tells Josslyn that she looks… some word that sounds like eureka. He says, too bad Mike isn’t there to see her. She says she’s hoping he can. She hopes Mike is looking down, and telling her to have fun. He says he didn’t mean to bring it up, but she says she’s glad to hear about Mike. She goes to join the others, and he looks after her longingly.

Ava tells Nikolas that she can explain, and he says, $10,000 for sheets and bedding? She says she has sensitive skin. Besides, they can afford it. He says not if she keeps throwing his money away on pointless extravagances. She says she expected a certain lifestyle when she moved there. He says cotton sheets were fine in Sonny’s cabin. She could have been sleeping on straw. She asks what that’s supposed to mean, and he says when they were having sex, the thread count was the last thing on her mind. She tells him, says you, and he says sex wasn’t part of the contract. She says she hasn’t forgotten that; she just hasn’t given it much thought. He asks if she regrets sleeping with him.

Sam and Jason go into Charlie’s, and Cyrus says, a pleasure, as always. Sam asks to talk to Julian privately, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷). He says he was sorry to hear about Mike. Family is precious. It’s terrible to lose someone you love.

Julian asks Sam to what he owes the pleasure, and she says she’ll cut to the chase. What’s the deal with Cyrus? He knows Cyrus is a drug trafficker and murderer. She doesn’t believe he just came in for a beer. He says, even kingpins get thirsty. He tells her, Cyrus expressed interest in buying Charlie’s, but he turned Cyrus down. Sam asks why Cyrus is still there, and he says hell if he knows. He’s in no position to turn away business, and doesn’t appreciate the sudden interest. He has to wonder why she’s wasting her time interrogating him, when she should be focusing on her mother. Cyrus tells Jason, his deepest sympathies about the ordeal everyone has gone through, especially Sonny. He must have been torn between his professional demands and his father’s last days. Did his business suffer? Cyrus answers his own question, saying, of course (🍷) not. Jason has Sonny’s back, but there has been trouble, hasn’t there? Jason says he doesn’t know what Cyrus is talking about, and Cyrus says he’s referring to the vicious attack on Brando. It was lucky Jason arrived before Brando was seriously hurt. Jason says Brando insists he can take care of himself, which is fine by him. Cyrus asks if Brando hasn’t been taken under the Corinthos wing.

Brando says he saw Dev talking to Josslyn. He’s no expert, but it looked like there was a connection. Dev asks if Brando really thinks so, and Brando tells him, relax and be himself. He’s got a big night ahead.   

Portia wonders if she’s doing the right thing, letting Trina go, and Elizabeth says she’s not going to lie. She’s spent some sleepless nights over it, but she thinks they’re ready. Portia says they are ready, but at least she and Elizabeth are chaperones; chaperones with benefits. Carly tells the kids that Tony is ready with the car, and Jax says, no drinking. Josslyn says she learned her lesson last time, and Cameron says he did too. Carly says, no leaving the dance without Tony, and Jax says, the same rule applies after the dance. Wherever they go to eat, Tony will be watching from a discreet distance. Josslyn suggests they include Tony in the photos, since he’s part of the night. Carly says she told Sonny that she’s going to capture every moment, but Josslyn says he hardly needs more photos. Carly says she doesn’t think so. She tells them to smile, and show how happy they are. The kids pose as she takes more pictures.

Ava asks if Nikolas regrets sleeping together, but he says he asked her first.  She says Nina thinks she’s crazy, and he says, she told Nina? Ava says, they’re friends now, and he says, if what they did was so unimportant, why confide in Nina? She says, unlike him, she happens to have friends who care about her life. He says he’s not surprised Nina thought she was crazy, bringing sex into an arranged marriage from hell. She says as she recalls, there were two of them, and he didn’t object. He says, point taken, and she asks what they do now. He says, go back to the way things were, and she says, just forget they ever had sex? Nikolas smiles.

Julian says he heard Alexis was with Neil when he died from an OD, yet Sam is focusing on him being at the pub with Cyrus. Sam says she thinks he’s up to no good. If he had anything to do with Nelle’s death, it will mean war with Sonny. He says she’s worried Jason would get caught in the crossfire. It’s a valid concern. The best way to take Sonny out would be to take Jason out first. She asks if he’s speaking about Cyrus, or his own experience. He says it’s not his battle. He’s washing his hands of any blood Sonny wants. He’s got his own problems. He excuses himself, and walks away.

Cyrus tells Jason, it sounds like Sonny and his cousin aren’t getting along, and Jason says he can think what he wants. Cyrus says he heard about Dr. Bern… Mr. Bern. He lost his license, then he died from a drug overdose. It’s a terrible shame. Sam says they were all shocked that Neil was using hard drugs. Cyrus wouldn’t happen to know where Neil would have gotten those, would he?

At The Haunted Star, Trina says Portia and Elizabeth aren’t walking in with them, are they? Portia tells her to go in; she and Elizabeth have some catching up to do. They won’t be long. On the way in, Cameron asks how Trina is holding up? She says she’s smiling, right? and he follows her in. Portia tells Elizabeth, it’s taking every ounce of restraint in her being to let Trina out of her sight. Elizabeth is glad she’s not the only one, and Portia suggests they talk about something other than the kids. Elizabeth says she did want talk someone; Britt. Portia says she’s so sorry Elizabeth’s hours were cut, but Elizabeth says she doesn’t have to apologize. Portia says she went to bat for Elizabeth and Epiphany, but she was overruled. Elizabeth says she and Britt have a history. She’s sure that’s one reason. Portia says she’s an excellent nurse. Britt must have an outside vendetta. What reason would she have to sideline them? Elizabeth flashes back to telling Jason what happened, and saying she thinks Britt is trying to get rid of the old guard; the people who know how the hospital is run. Jason says, that makes sense, and it’s no secret the both of them are close with him and Sonny. Cyrus wants them away from whatever he’s planning. Elizabeth tells Portia it’s got nothing to do with her. She’s glad Portia remained in her position at the hospital. They need doctors like her. Portia wonders if Britt knows what she’s getting into. Being Cyrus’s puppet sounds like a dangerous job to her.

Carly told Brando that Dev looked adorable, and Brando suggested Carly not say that to Dev’s face. Carly says it’s great that Brando is looking out for Dev, and he says, Dev is a likeable kid. Although he wears his heart on his sleeve. He thanks Carly for inviting him to the festivities. He had a better time than he thought he would. She says he’s family now. He’s going to get invited to come to events like this whether he wants to or not.  

Jax asks if Nina is okay, and she says she’s just being silly. He says, tell him, and she says she was wondering if her son or daughter had a night like this. He says he hopes so, and she says she does too. She hopes they’ve had a happy, normal life. She just wishes she could be a part of it.   

Josslyn and Dev walk out on deck, and Josslyn says she’s glad to have a social life after being stuck under house arrest for so long. Dev says, Sonny’s house and grounds are huge, but he still felt confined. She says she’s glad he was there with her, and he says she was glad for someone else to talk to other than her family and the guards. She says he made her laugh, and he tells her that he’s glad he was good for something. She says they’ve been through a lot together, and he tells her again that she looks eureka. She hopes that’s good, and he says, it means gorgeous, which she is even when she’s not dressed up. An aside here. I looked this up, and the word for gorgeous in Turkish is muhteşem, which doesn’t sound like eureka to me. (See more on this below.) Josslyn tells him, that’s what it means to be part of a family; you ignore the messy hair and bunny slippers. He says he knows they’re pretending to be cousins, but he doesn’t see her that way. Not anymore.

Dev says he wants to tell Josslyn… something. She says he might not be her cousin, but she’s happy being his friend. It’s a good thing they get along. She tells him that she said she’d catch up with Dena and Kelsey from volleyball, so she’s going over to say hi.  

Cyrus says he’s not sure why Sam would think he knows the drug habits of her mother’s late beau. Sam says maybe he should think harder, and he asks, what’s her point? He reminds her that the charges were dropped that the late DEA agent Taggert and his associates trumped up. He says, this is his cue to leave, but do give her mother his condolences. Sam laughs, and tells him, mention her mother again, and they’ll have a problem. He says he sees, and leaves. Sam tells Jason that she doesn’t like what’s happening here. Apparently, Cyrus tried to buy the bar. His mentioning her mother made her feel like he was taunting her. Jason says, he was definitely pushing the boundaries of the agreement. She asks if Sonny knows, and Jason says, he will.

Trina sits alone, and Cameron brings her some punch. He says, talk to him; what’s up? She says, it turns out homecoming was a big mistake, and he says he gets it. Her dad passed away, and she feels guilty. She suggests he set up a booth in the corner, and he says her dad would want her to live her life and be happy. It’s okay to miss him when she’s hanging out with friends. She says she wishes that night… She’s got to go. He asks her not to leave, but she says she needs a minute, and says, promise she’ll be back. She does, and hands him her drink before she runs out.

Elizabeth says, having Cyrus as Chairman of the Board is bad, right? and Portia says, it’s worse than she can possibly imagine. Elizabeth says she knows Cyrus killed Portia’s ex, and kidnapped her daughter… Portia says, and Elizabeth’s son. Elizabeth says they’re supposed to say allegedly. She can’t imagine what it’s like dealing with him. Portia says Elizabeth has no idea, and thanks her for checking in and caring. Elizabeth says, the good guys have to stick together, and watch each other’s backs. Is she in? Portia says, does Elizabeth have to ask? They go onto the boat.

Cameron asks if Dev has seen Josslyn, and Dev says, she was talking to her friends from volleyball. Cameron says he was talking to Trina, but she ran off. He needs to find her.  

Ava tells Nikolas, their marriage is a business arrangement, so sex ought to be off the table. He asks if that’s what she wants, and she asks what he wants. They’re about to kiss, when there’s a knock at the door. Nikolas answers, and it’s Julian. Julian asks if his sister is there, and Ava asks, what’s wrong? He says he needs to talk in private, and slams the living room door in Nikolas’s face. He tells Ava that he’s in trouble, and needs her help.

Brando asks Carly if Jason is with Sonny, but she says she doesn’t think so; why? He says there’s something he wants to talk to Jason about, but it’s not important. Jax asks if anyone wants something else to drink, and Brando says he should be heading out. He thanks Jax for hosting, and Jax thanks him for coming, and says he’ll walk Brando to his car. Nina says she’ll understand if Carly cried, and Carly says if she had, Josslyn would have ignored her for a month. Nina says, the kids probably won’t realize what this night means for years; it’s a watershed moment, even though they think it’s a night out with friends having a good time. She can picture her own child with them, although she knows they’re not the same age. Carly says she missed that moment, but Charlotte will be in high school soon and have her own homecoming. Nina says, that’s unacceptable. Charlotte has to remain a little girl forever. Carly says, damn kids. They grow up anyway. Nina says she’ll be happy to see her child grown up. Thanks to Jax, she’s a little closer. Carly says, tell her about it, and Nina says, there was a nurse named Phyllis Caulfield. She was kind and caring, and seemed like she cared about Nina as a person. She and Jax went to New York and found the jeweler who divided her pendant, and he had an order from 1991 under the name of Phyllis Caulfield. Carly says, the woman who took care of Nina when she was in a coma? and Nina says, her theory and hope is that Phyllis had the pendant divided, one for her and one for her child. If that’s the case, Phyllis may know where her child is now.

Cameron finds Josslyn, and asks if she’s seen Trina. Josslyn says, no; why? and he says, she kind of ran off. They were talking, and she said she’d be back, but she seemed upset. He feels like she shouldn’t be alone. Does Josslyn think he’s overreacting? Josslyn says, no. He’s being a great friend. He thanks her, and says, it’s tough figuring out the right thing to do. She says, tell her about it. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be honest with yourself and the people around you, and follow your heart. He asks if that’s another way of saying, don’t second-guess yourself, and she supposes it is. He asks what she’s doing out there. Dev said she was talking to friends. She says she was, but she needed some fresh air. He asks, what’s up? and she says she’s just tired of letting people down. He asks, when has that ever happened? and she says she can’t always be what people expect. He asks why she’d want to; she’s amazing the way she is. He asks if she remembers when they were counselor’s for Lila’s Kids. There was a kid who was getting bullied. She says, Bijou, and he says Josslyn took Bijou under her wing, and made her feel like she was Josslyn’s best friend. Josslyn says, she was a sweet kid, and he says, Josslyn was the coolest counselor. By the end of the summer, everyone wanted to be friends with Bijou because of her. Has anyone else done the same? He says, at the risk of sounding incredibly dorky, he’s glad she’s always been in his life. She says, it’s not dorky. She’s glad he’s in her life too. He says, just so she knows, she could never let him down. She asks if he means that, and he says, absolutely.

On the phone with Sonny, Jason says there’s been an update in regard to Cyrus. Can Sonny meet with him?  

Jax asks what he missed, and Nina says she was bringing Carly up to speed on her search for her daughter, and how he’s helping. She knows it’s a long shot. What are the odds Phyllis would know her child’s whereabouts after all these years? Carly says she and Bobbie found each other years after she’d given up. Nina says they had a rough start, and Carly says look at them now. She can’t imagine life without her mom. Nina says, what if she chases her dream, and instead of a pot of gold, she finds nothing? Jax says, if she stops looking, she’ll never know. Carly says she doesn’t know if Nina’s child had a good or bad life, but she knows Nina has to find them – for their sake. They need to know who their mother is, and how they want be in her life, whatever way works for them. They need to know where they came from. Where they got their eyes; where they got their nose; where they got their crazy hair. Why they’re a terrific dancer. Carly takes Nina’s hand, and says Nina deserves to be a mother.

Dev finds Trina and asks where she went; Cameron was looking for her. She says she tried to rally, but she’s not going to make it. It’s too hard. Her stomach hurts, and she’s going home. He says she should tell Josslyn and Cameron she’s leaving. I’m adding, and her mother. She asks if he has any idea where they are.

Josslyn says they should head back, and Cameron says they should. He moves in for a kiss, confusing the hell out of me.

Ava says Julian came barging in like his hair was on fire; he’s not very subtle. He says it’s about Nelle. She never gave Martin the letter. Someone else has the proof that he was in on the plot to keep Sonny’s grandson from him. She asks, who? and he says, it could be Nelle’s manicurist for all he knows. Nikolas walks in, and Ava says, it’s a private conversation. He says, too bad. This is his living room. Ava says it’s her living room too. There are fifty other rooms in the house, and he has to be there now? Nikolas says, clearly they don’t want him knowing what’s going on. Well, yeah. FYI, Nikolas, that’s why it’s called a private conversation.

Ava gets a call from an unknown number. She answers, and an operator says she has a collect call from Pentenville from Ryan Chamberlain. Will she accept the charges?

Just for the record, it would have said Pentenville, not Unknown. I know. I once got a call from someone in the slammer. Not for anything huge.   

There was no preview. Your guess is as good as mine whether it’s on tomorrow, but I’ll be prepared. It wasn’t supposed to be on today, so they are playing with us. Stay strong.

📑 About that word. It wasn’t eureka; it was harika. While I was rooting around, trying to find out what happened in the first ten minutes without actually having to watch it, some diligent recapper surprised me by including it. However, it still doesn’t mean gorgeous, as Dev said. According to Google’s Turkish to English translator, It means great. I know. I’m hopeless, and such a nerd.

🗽 Tonight’s Bravo offering was The Real Housewives of New York City: Secrets Revealed. They’ve started to get a little better with these shows, experimenting with format, although there’s never anything particularly shocking or revealing. Leah talked about her rookie season being a roller coaster ride of emotions. We saw Ramona melting down over men, Dorinda being angry, and a lot of eating. Personally, now that the seasons of RHONY and RHOBH are over, I’m trying to stay away from the vanilla wafers. Dorinda and LuAnn had an egg-off, where LuAnn’s eggsà la Française competed against Dorinda’s scrambled then poached eggs. She explained how she makes this fluffiest-of-all egg concoctions, but she lost me halfway through. It was declared a tie, and Sonja informed us, nobody loses because everyone gets eggs. I could agree with that, although in her interview, Leah said she didn’t like either one, and preferred her own. She gave no recipe though. They did a segment with never before seen footage, and a multiple choice Guess What Happens Next? Nothing very telling or exciting, although it was interesting to see Sonja and Ramona – two grown women – hide under a restaurant table in Newport when they wanted to extract themselves from a conversation. We watched how the women keep in shape, and Leah and Sonja went to a workout that uses electroshock. I’ve seen this technique before, and I’m not so sure I’d do it. Sonja tried to sneak out, and it reminded me of the time I took a dance class with a friend who suddenly hurt their ankle – <making an I don’t think so face> – and left me to fumble along fend for myself. There were outtakes from interviews; interruptions, words mispronounced, and made up words. The women talked about their interview outfits throughout the seasons, and how their styles had changed. There were dating tips, but no advice you’d actually want to take.

Andy and Ramona walked through the set from the last reunion, and Andy pointed out artifacts from reunions past. We also saw clips from the moments he mentioned, like when Ramona walked off after Alex’s nude photos were brought up during the first reunion. Tinsley said the only redeeming factor of the reunion was getting to wear a big glamorous dress. She claimed she wouldn’t want to have an argument in jeans and a T-shirt, but she could do it in a ballgown. I laughed at the waiter at one of their lunches desperately trying to find out if they wanted still or sparkling water, while Dorinda prattled on about Ramona eating too many oysters, and saying Ramona was going to turn into a huge vagina. We saw other innocent bystanders as well, including Martini Mike, who apparently became an instant icon (see below). Dorinda told us, when they were in the groove, it didn’t matter what was going on around them.

All in all, the show wasn’t a bad thing to watch, but nothing new to see here. Except Martini Mike.

🏥 And Away We Go…

A new promo from your favorite hospital.

🏍 The Man In Black Stays…

Jason never breaks a promise.

👠 Not Having It…

The ball is now back in NeNe’s court.

https://pagesix.com/2020/09/30/madina-milana-accuses-nene-leakes-of-cheating-on-husband-with-french-montana/

🛣 Pick a Lane…

Now she says she was pushed out. Please pick a reason you left, and stick with it.

https://extratv.com/2020/10/01/nene-leakes-opens-up-about-rhoa-exit-says-she-was-pushed-out/

🧹 Double the Fun…

Bette’s excited to fly again.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/hocus-pocus-sequel-bette-midler-return-confirmed-talks-excitement/

🎃 Halloween Hijinks…

Seasonal fare for free from Peacock.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/peacock-halloween-movies-streaming-best-highlights-october/

And not so free from Disney Plus.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/disney-plus-halloween-streaming-movies-tv-shows/

👺 It’s Never Too Early…

October is here, so as far as I’m concerned, Halloween is too. I love these weird vintage Halloween costumes. If I saw anything like this coming down the street, I’d pee myself and run for my life. Yet I can’t look away.

🌆 Calling It a Day…

We still call them days, right? Until the new normal becomes an old memory, stay safe, stay making new plans, and stay double-checking the TV guide.

October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations about them once again. – Hal Borland

October 16, 2019 – Nina Stands Firm, Girls and Gays Bachelorette, Big Wedding, Another Loss, LuAnn Redo, New Black & a Spell

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

On the phone, Chase asks Jordan if she’s sure about that, and says he can do it.

Alexis sits at Charlie’s bar, and tells Julian that her life coach is trying to kill her. She thinks it’s a conspiracy far and wide, since all the trainers at the gym are part of the cabal. He asks what he can get her, and she says it’s her cheat day. She orders a breakfast the size of what The Rock eats on his cheat day. Julian says before he gets it, did she get Olivia to back off? Alexis adds some more food to her order. Julian says, this is Olivia’s latest masterpiece, and shows her a flyer. Last year a dead body; this year, who knows? Alexis says, Olivia isn’t behind it. Does he have any enemies that want revenge. He says not that he knows of.

Brad goes to Nelle’s parole hearing. She says he came, and he says she didn’t give him much choice. She says, it’s going to be the best parole hearing ever. Michael shows up, and wonders why Brad is there. Nelle says they have a big surprise. Brad says, don’t, but she says now that she’s getting out of prison, it’s time Michael knows the truth about his son. Jonah didn’t die; he’s alive. She gave him to Brad and Lucas. Michael says, Wiley is his son? He gets angry, and Nelle thanks Brad for looking after their son. Now that she’s getting out, she and Michael can finally be a family with their son. Michael says, over his dead body, and pushes Brad. He walks toward the door, and Brad asks where he’s going. Michael says, to get his son. Brad wakes up, yelling, don’t go! and Lucas asks, who’s Michael, and why doesn’t Brad want him to go?

Sasha and Michael go to Kelly’s. She wonders if it bothers him to be seen with her in public, and he says he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, but compared to the scandals in his family, hers hardly rates. Lulu is there with Maxie, and asks, what is Michael thinking? He knew Sasha was an imposter, and didn’t say anything. Maxie says, he’s non-judgmental. Maybe because he’s both a Corinthos and a Quartermaine. Michael tells Sasha, not implicating Valentin was a noble gesture. She says she couldn’t do that to Charlotte, or cause Nina any more pain. Michael says, Valentin was the mastermind, but Sasha tells him, she said yes. Michael says, so did Valentin. It’s not fair that he should skate with zero consequences. Lulu asks if Maxie has seen Nina since the wedding, and Maxie says she did. Nina was on the fence about… correction was on the fence. It looks like she climbed over, and jumped in. Nina and Valentin walk in holding hands.

Martin asks if Nelle read the notes he gave her. Nelle says she did, and thanks him, but she doesn’t need them. He asks if she thinks she can handle her first parole hearing on her own. Nelle says, first and last. Trust her; she’s got this. She’s going to be out of Pentenville by tonight.

Lucas says, Brad sounded freaked out that someone named Michael was leaving. What was he dreaming about? Brad says he doesn’t remember. Lucas says, it seemed intense, and Brad says he feels that, but as far as details, he can’t tell Lucas any more than that. Lucas says he’s been restless at night, and Brad says, sorry. Lucas says, don’t be. Just talk to him. Shiloh is dead, and Wiley is safe. No one is coming after Wiley, but Brad seems more stressed than ever. Brad says he’s trying an anti-anxiety medication, and shows Lucas the bottle. Lucas wonders why Brad didn’t tell him that he was seeing a therapist. Wiley cries, and Lucas goes to check on him. Brad calls Julian.

Julian ignores Brads call. He tells Alexis, if it’s not Olivia, he can’t think anyone else who would want to run him out of business. She tells him, think harder. Kendra walks in, and Alexis says, there she is. The woman who’s making her a better person. Julian says, even if it kills her? Alexis tells Kendra, she just had a workout, and is going to have a whole grain bowl. She leaves out the entire pig of bacon and six dozen eggs she just ordered. Kendra asks if she’s keeping up with her supplement, and Alexis says, about that. She was skeptical, so she had her GPA look at the ingredients. Kendra asks what her doctor said.

Martin didn’t think he’d have to remind Nelle that she pleaded nolo contendere to murder, attempted murder, and a host of other crimes. Even having a hearing this early is tantamount to a miracle. She asks if she should change her plea, but he says, it’s too late for that. Nelle says, it was clearly entrapment, but he says, it wasn’t. Legal terms don’t change because she wants them to. She says she was about to give birth, and was trapped. He says he has two expert’s statements on hormone disorder, as well as an OB/GYN statement on the effect of pregnancy on behavior. It’s doubtless that’s what led to her confession. He says she admitted she was the cause of her ex-fiancé’s death, and conspired to murder. She asks if he submitted it to the parole board, and he says, of course (🍷) not. All they care about is that she’s taking responsibility for her crimes. She says she pleaded nolo contendere, she’s had success in rehab, and has an impeccable record there. If that’s all that matters, she’s walking. He says, there’s no guarantee. Even if the board is inclined to rule in her favor, it can take weeks, sometime months, to get released.

Lulu says, don’t tell her Valentin and Nina are back together, and Maxie says she didn’t think it would be this fast. Lulu says, she thought they would? and Maxie tells her, Obrecht said Sasha acted alone. Sasha confirmed it, and apparently, Nina believes it. Lulu says, Obrecht was in on it, and possibly Valentin too, but Nina won’t listen to her. She tells Maxie to go to Nina, but  Maxie says, no. Lulu says Maxie knows as well as she does that Valentin is behind this. Maxie says, all she knows is, Lulu made huge mess of things.

Sasha tells Michael, she knows it must seem hypocritical to tell a lie to repair the damage, but she couldn’t bear to see Nina left alone. Michael says Valentin knows what he knows. Sasha says she doesn’t expect a thank you, but she might get Valentin to convince Nina to forgive her. He says he wouldn’t hold his breath.

Nina tells Valentin about a play she wants to take Charlotte to, and says he’s staring. He says she’s too damn beautiful. It was the greatest night of his life when she showed up. Better than when she showed up with Jax. She says she’s not with Jax. She didn’t come back so he could be a jealous idiot. He’s just glad she did. Nina says, even if the reason she left is sitting there? Lulu is there too; they’re surrounded. Valentin tells her, forget them, and focus on us. He suggests they go to city hall, and she can marry him right now. Chase walks in, and Michael says he thought he was meeting Chase at Pentenville. Chase says, the plans have changed. He asks Sasha to get up, and Michael asks, what’s going on? Nina tells Valentin that she knows what Chase is about to do; his job. Chase says Sasha is being charged with identity theft, and burglary in the second degree He reads her rights, and she looks panicked.

Alexis tells Kendra that she got the all clear from her doctor. Kendra asks if it’s helping her sleep, and Alexis says, it’s a miracle. She falls asleep, and stays asleep, and she has more energy. She’s going to need a refill. Kendra says, next time they meet. Alexis’s phone dings, and she says she’s got to go. Kendra says, so much for lightening the work load, but Alexis says it’s a family issue, and leaves.

Valentin tells Nina that Jordan wasn’t going to take action unless Nina wanted to. He wishes she hadn’t, and Nina asks why he doesn’t want to see Sasha punished.

Maxie can’t believe Chase is arresting Sasha, and Lulu says, it makes no sense to be putting Sasha in handcuffs while Valentin is in the clear. Maxie says it’s all about Valentin for Lulu. She hates him because he murdered her brother. What better way to pay him back? Lulu says she’d rather him go to prison than just have a bad wedding day, but what it’s really about is Charlotte and Rocco. How can she teach them to be honest if she’s not honest herself? Maxie says, however ethical, all Lulu did was kill Nina’s dreams and have Sasha arrested.

At the station, Michael asks Chase, what’s happening? Chase says, Nina made a statement, and Jordan witnessed Sasha’s confession at the wedding. Michael says, Sasha’s grandmother was sick, and Chase asks if he knows how many times they’ve heard that, and the grandmother is fine. Michael says he checked, and Sasha’s story is true. Chase says he’ll share the information, but Sasha told Nina that she acted alone. Michael says Chase doesn’t believe that, does he? Chase says, the complaint was made, and charges have been filed. He has to do his job. Michael asks, what about Nelle’s parole hearing? and Chase says he’ll take care of it. He tells Michael to stay there. If all goes well, he’ll keep Sasha out of prison, and Chase will do his best to see that Nelle stays behind bars.

Brad texts Julian that Nelle’s parole hearing is today. Michael will be there. What if she tells him? Lucas comes in, and asks Brad to tell him more about therapy. Brad says Neil wants to see the both of them. He’ll just tell him no. Lucas says he’d be happy to go. He wants Brad to feel better, and to stop calling another man’s name in his sleep.

Nelle says Martin has been nothing but negative, and wonders why she bothered hiring him. He says she didn’t. He took the case pro bono. She asks why take it if he thinks she’s going to lose? but he says he doesn’t. He only cautioned her that she may not win today. She asks what she’s supposed to do, and he says the Nelle he met was charming and sweet. Be that Nelle today, not the one she is now.

Lulu admits it wasn’t the outcome she expected, but her conscience is clear. Maxie says, good. Sasha is on her way to jail, and Nina is with Valentin, but Lulu can sleep at night. Lulu suggests Maxie get off her high horse. She had an illegal DNA test done. Maxie says she wanted to keep Nina from being exploited, but she stopped wanting to be right. She saw how Nina would light up when Sasha was in the room. Lulu says, Nina sat by Sasha’s bedside when she was sick. She was terrified to lose a daughter that wasn’t hers in the first place. Maxie says Lulu should have left well enough alone. Lulu says Nina is James’s aunt. If this had fallen in her lap, don’t say she wouldn’t have told the truth.

Nina tells Valentin, Sasha committed fraud, and broke her heart. She doesn’t understand why he’d want to let her go. Valentin thinks holding onto anger and chasing revenge might send Nina into a negative spiral. She asks, who is he? Next, he’ll be telling her to trust karma. Valentin says Sasha hurt her, and he wants her to be whole, and choose to heal, so she can be happy with him and Charlotte. He wonders if that’s enough for her.

In the interrogation room, Michael tells Sasha that he was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. She says, her too, but Nina wants justice, and she should have it. He asks if she’s thinking of pleading guilty, and she says, maybe, but she’s just saying she doesn’t blame Nina. Michael says before Alexis gets there, she should consider making a deal. Sasha doesn’t know what she’d have to offer, and Michael says, tell her that Valentin masterminded the scheme. He had three DNA tests falsified, and is a bigger fish than she is. Robert will jump at the opportunity, so would Laura and the rest of Nikolas’s family. Alexis comes in, and says she has a copy of the charges. Sasha perpetrated fraud and pretended to be Nina’s daughter? Sasha says, it’s true, and Michael asks if Alexis can help her.

Julian tears up the flyer. Lucas comes in, and Julian asks if everything is okay. Lucas says he was hoping Julian would talk him down. Shiloh is dead, and there’s no more threat to Wiley, but Brad is still tense and anxious. He’s was talking in his sleep. He kept saying, Michael.

Chase comes into the parole hearing room, and Nelle asks where Michael is. Chase says, he had a family emergency. Lucky her, right? The board comes in and sits down. A woman says they have an initial application for parole. She thanks Chase for being there, and says they’ve read impact statements from Michael, Carly, and other members of the Corinthos family. Nelle has requested an attorney be present, which isn’t necessary, but allowed. She says they’ll hear from Chase first, and then Nelle.

Julian asks if Lucas thinks Brad is cheating. Lucas says, of course (🍷) not, but since Wiley has been in their lives, he’s been different. He’s hard to read. Lucas wishes he knew what was going on in Brad’s head. Julian doesn’t think that’s going to happen, but Lucas says, it might. Brad’s therapist wants to see them both. He’s glad Brad found a safe space to talk about what’s bothering him.

Martin says Nelle has been a model prisoner. The warden said – and he quotes – he’s never seen a prisoner turn their life around as thoroughly as Nelle, and thinks she would be an asset to the world outside these walls. The woman asks if Nelle has taken responsibility for her crimes, and Nelle says, she has now. Although her hormones were raging because of her sweet little Jonah, she can’t blame her crimes on what was going on inside her. She takes full responsibility for the heinous actions that hurt so many. When she realized what she’d done, she had a breakdown, and was sent to Ferncliff. When she returned, she had the drive and determination to make amends to so many people she’s hurt. No matter what, she’ll never stop trying.

Alexis says, Sasha entered Nina’s home with the intent to commit fraud, but Sasha says that’s not why she went to Windymere, but okay. Alexis says there’s criminal impersonation in the second degree. She pretended to be Nina’s daughter in order to benefit herself or harm someone else. Sasha says she never meant any harm, but it was about money in the beginning. Alexis says, that’s a class A demeanor, and knocks out second degree burglary. She says she needs Michael to leave now; it will compromise the case if he stays. Does he want that? He says, of course (🍷) not. He’ll see what he can do on his end. Sasha asks what he means, but he tells her, good luck, kisses her head, and jets. Alexis says now she wants the whole truth. What part did Valentin play in this?

Nina can’t see why Valentin wouldn’t want Sasha to pay, but he says, of course (🍷) he would. He’s worried about the toll it’s going to take on Nina. She’s going to have to rehash this over and over in court. Nina says, that makes it less appealing, and Valentin says she should focus on what makes her happy, like Charlotte. She says, and him. Valentin says he loves making her happy. Nina starts to say, it’s a consolation, but then says he’s so much more than that. She can’t wait to see where this unexpected new beginning takes them. Valentin says, how about city hall? They can get married today. Her phone dings, and she says, it’s Jax with his own marriage proposal. She laughs, and says she thought it was funny. Alexis is representing Sasha, and needs to speak with her. Valentin says he’ll go with her, but she says, no; stay here. It’s something she needs to take care of on her own.

Maxie tells Lulu when she sees how much the truth hurt Nina and caused her to spiral, no. She wouldn’t have dashed Nina’s hopes. Lulu says, that’s not the question. If she’d known Sasha was lying, but didn’t know how it would play out, would she have told the truth? Maxie says, no. She thinks it would be better to keep the secret. Lulu says, like Maxie did when she was her surrogate? Maxie says, oh my God. I say, I’m not surprised she brought that up. I think Lulu is kidding herself all over the place.

Nelle tells the board, because of her good behavior, she got the privilege of training a support dog, and her sweet mutt Scrapple is going to a loving person. It breaks her heart, but knowing he’s going to a good home makes it less painful to say goodbye. Nothing will ever be as painful as letting go of the child she lost. Beautiful Jonah’s lifeless body was in her arms as she was saying goodbye. The only way for her to heal is to do good for others. She’s also been working at the hospice center, helping ease their pain. As hard as it will be to let them go as well, giving them comfort gives her comfort. If the board sees fit to release her, she intends to work in a hospice. Chase says, give him a break. It sounds pretty loud, but I assume the board doesn’t hear. She says she intends to be a productive member of society, and correct her mistakes. Being in prison gave her the opportunity to fix herself, and she thinks she’s a better person. She thanks them for hearing her case, and dabs at her eyes, looking at Brad. The woman says the board is ready to make a decision.

We see flowers on a grave. Kendra says, nine and a half years, his death went unpunished. We see it’s Kiefer’s grave, and she says, everything has changed. Shiloh told her that Kristina confessed that her mother ran him down. Alexis murdered him. Now it’s time to pay her back.

Alexis tells Sasha that she spoke to Robert. He’s willing to reduce the charges, and there will be no prison time. Sasha asks, what’s the catch? and Alexis says, no doubt Valentin had something to do with the fake DNA tests. Sasha says, she has a friend, but Alexis thinks it’s more than that. She thinks Sasha is covering for him. She asks if he’s threatening her, or if she’s doing this for Nina. Sasha says she never meant to hurt Nina, even though Nina wants to hurt her now. Nina comes in, and says, Alexis wanted to speak to her. Alexis says she has a proposal, and Nina says she’s not interested. Alexis says, hear her out. She’s not undermining Nina’s pain, but doesn’t think putting Sasha in prison will lighten the load. Nina asks if Alexis wants her to drop it, but Alexis says, not at all. She can sue Sasha in civil court. Nina says, Sasha has no money, but Alexis says they can hammer it out. Sasha is prepared to pay back every penny Nina spent; whatever she thinks is appropriate. What does Nina say?

Lulu says Maxie didn’t tell them that the child was hers and Spinelli’s, not Lulu and Dante’s. Maxie can’t believe Lulu is throwing that in her face. She thought they were past that. Lulu says, they are. She’s making a point. By the time the truth came out, she and Dante were deliriously in love with Connie, but it wasn’t Connie; it was Georgie. Maxie says the truth hurt everyone, and Lulu asks if she regrets telling the truth. Maxie says, of course (🍷) not. Lulu knows the truth can tear your guts out, but sooner or later every lie comes to light. The longer you wait, the deeper the pain. Does Maxie get it?

Valentin leaves Kelly’s, and Michael is waiting. He blocks Valentin, telling him, shut up and listen. He doesn’t know if Valentin had a hand in Sasha’s arrest, but he cares about Sasha. She did the noble thing by not implicating him. Valentin says that’s because he had nothing to do with it. Michael says they both know that’s not true, and he’s a lot less charitable than Sasha is.

The board tells Nelle that they can’t recommend parole at this time. Nelle says they can’t be serious.

Brad texts Lucas about Nelle’s parole hearing, and Julian asks if she made parole. Lucas says, she’s still safe behind bars. Julian says, at least until her next hearing.

Brad tells Nelle that he’s sorry. Martin says they only need two votes. She should be disappointed, but not defeated. For the next two years, she needs to keep her eyes on the prize. Nelle balks at two years, but he says it could be sooner. She says she’s trying, but she misses Wiley. Brad says he’ll send her pictures, and she says that will ease the pain until she’s finally free.

Michael says he knows everything Valentin did. Sasha told him everything. Valentin says then she’ll be hearing from his attorney; that’s slander. Michael says, time’s up, and Valentin says, just hers. She was hoping to save herself. Michael says if Sasha doesn’t tell the DA, he will.

Alexis asks if Nina thinks it’s possible to keep this out of criminal court, but Nina says, no. Sasha knew what she was doing was wrong. She could have come clean at any time. Instead, she lied to Nina’s face. Nina mothered her. Sasha allowed Nina to love her, and all that time, Sasha pretended to love her back. Sasha says she does love Nina. Nina says if that’s how she loves someone, God help her enemies. Take her love and take her deal, and the both of them can go to hell. She leaves, and Sasha says she didn’t expect Nina to agree. Alexis says neither did she, but it was worth a try. Sasha asks, what happens next?

Kendra tells Kiefer that she’ll always miss him, but justice for his death will lighten the load. She takes a container of the supplement out of her backpack, and says, Alexis said she needs a refill. She puts something into it, and says she’ll make sure Alexis gets it.

Lulu tells Maxie, Michael better be careful. Valentin is dangerous. Maxie says, Michael has Sonny and Jason. Valentin can’t touch Michael, and they both know that.

Valentin tells Michael to do himself a favor, and stay out of it. Sasha is playing him like she did Valentin. She lied to everyone. Michael says she did lie because she didn’t implicate Valentin. She was willing to save Valentin, but if Valentin doesn’t get Nina to back off, and Sasha goes to prison, he’ll make sure Valentin goes down with her. He walks away.

Tomorrow, Lucas asks Brad what else he’s hiding, Doc says he has to determine if Franco is in his right mind, and Jason visits someone in prison.

The Real Housewives of Dallas

Brandi brings Brooklyn to cheerleading practice. In Brandi’s interview, she says when she was Brooklyn’s age, she wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy’s cheerleader, but she never pushed it on her girls. When Brooklyn came to her, she was secretly glad. Everything is a struggle in their relationship, and she has high hopes this might be a bonding experience. Brooklyn tells Brandi that her form is terrible, and Brandi says it’s been twenty years. Brandi stands at the top of a pyramid. She tells Brooklyn that she didn’t have the proper training, and it was hard. In her interview, she says, growing up, her parents couldn’t afford private lessons. She just taught herself. She tells Brooklyn, it’s all about her core.

Kameron meets Stephanie at a coffee shop. She asks how Stephanie’s weekend is going, and Stephanie says, good. She tells Kameron that they had their differences at LeeAnne’s shower, but she’d love to close that chapter and figure it out. She feels like they’re past it. She knows Kameron hasn’t felt accepted in the past, and they’ve both felt judged. She’s sorry. Kameron says she felt like their issues began when she and Brandi tangled. Brandi was screaming in her face, and saying the eff word, and Stephanie just sat there not saying anything. When someone is attacked, it’s appropriate to stick up for them. Stephanie says she’s not Jesus, but Kameron thinks Stephanie feels afraid about what Brandi will think. Stephanie says she’ll defend someone when she sees a clear-cut right and wrong. In Stephanie’s interview, she says if Kameron had just walked away, she would have stepped in, but what Kameron did was ten times worse. Kameron says, a good friend would say, sit down and don’t yell in people’s faces. Stephanie says she was having a hard time during the trip, and Kameron says Stephanie talked to Kary, who she just met, when Kameron has known her for two years. Stephanie says she didn’t feel that Kameron was the person she wanted to go to in that moment. She’d love to have the kind of relationship where they can lean on one another, and be more than surface friends. She doesn’t tell Kameron deep things. Kameron says she thought they had the kind of friendship where they could call one another about anything, and Stephanie thinks Kameron is minimizing what she’s saying. Kameron says Stephanie is telling her the friendship is just surface level. In Kameron’s interview, she says she put effort in to being friends with Stephanie. She reached out, and thought she’d worked it out with her. Now she’s saying Kameron is a surface friend? What the eff?  Kameron tells Stephanie, she can’t. She was attacked, and thought her friend would be there. Now Stephanie is telling her that she’s a bad friend, when she should have been defending her friend about getting attacked. In Stephanie’s interview, she says when she’s fighting with Kameron, she feels like a hamster in a wheel. When it’s over, you feel like you got the sh*t kicked out of you. Kameron says she’s all about being a good person, and apologizes if Stephanie felt it wasn’t there. Stephanie understands that Kameron felt alone, and she’s trying honor those feelings and move on. Kameron wants to move on too. She wants Stephanie to feel comfortable, and she’s glad they talked. In her interview, Stephanie says it’s the most exhausting day of her life. She feels like she’s given birth to a six-foot blonde baby. She tells Kameron that they’ll work together to work it out, and thanks Kameron for meeting her.

Brandi and Stephanie meet for lunch. Brandi tells Stephanie that she knows Brandi is open to the spiritual realm, and thinks it would be fun if they did a haunted house. Stephanie thinks they should get a medium too. In Brandi’s interview, she says she always wanted to go to a haunted house she’s been hearing about for years. They can exorcise their demons. Stephanie tells her about meeting Kameron for coffee. It took a long time, but she thinks Kameron got it. In Stephanie’s interview, she says it’s hard for her. She’s been working with a coach on her self-esteem. She told Kameron how she felt and didn’t die doing it. It’s one small She tells Brandi that she never says how she feels. She doesn’t want to feel fake when she sees Kameron. Brandi says she wasn’t invited to LeeAnne’s bachelorette party, so she’s having a cheer party. Stephanie doesn’t think D’Andra was invited to anything, Brandi doesn’t think she was either, and Stephanie says, LeeAnne is celebrating every moment; there’s a ton of events. Everyone says what they’re invited to in their interviews, ending with D’Andra saying she didn’t get invited to anything, like Charlie Brown getting a bag of rocks. Stephanie says, LeeAnne might as well go all the way.

The bachelorette party is packed with guests. When LeeAnne arrives, everyone cheers. Steve puts a crown with a veil on her head. The veil has Rich’s face all over it. She tells the women that she got her hands filled (meaning, with fillers, not that she has stuff in her hands). She says they’re still swollen, and she slept with ice packs. In her interview, she says, they go between the knuckles with the needle. Ouch. In Kameron’s interview, she says they all know LeeAnne’s hands are not knives. LeeAnne finishes, they’re just hands. Kameron says it’s LeeAnne’s night to do whatever she wants. In her interview, Kameron says, LeeAnne is a true Texas woman, and it’s a total Texas thing to celebrate many, many times before your wedding. They all love it. Cary asks Stephanie if she and Kameron are good, and Stephanie says, peace above everything. Cary tells Kameron that she heard she and Stephanie had a good conversation, and Kameron says they’re good. Cary says she feels like Kameron is lying, and Kameron says she feels like some people are faking something. Cary tells her, go with her gut. In Kameron’s interview, she says she thinks Stephanie belittled her friendship. Kameron agreed to move forward, but she’s not moving any further forward. Steve welcomes the guests to Girls and Gays; LeeAnne’s bachelorette party. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says a tremendous amount of her friends are gay men. Drag queen Jenni P. dances for LeeAnne. In her interview, LeeAnne says she’s a drag queen trapped in an old white bitch’s body. In Kameron’s interview, she says, drag queens are better than strippers. Strippers are all sweaty, and they grab you, but you don’t know who they touched. LeeAnne gets a lap dance. The cake is brought out, and Steve says, it’s LeeAnne riding a wiener – i.e. a dark haired Barbie sitting on a penis cake. LeeAnne thanks them for coming, and there’s lots of hugging. In Kary’s interview, she says she feels guilty that D’Andra isn’t there. D’Andra introduced her to everyone, and they should both be there. She tells LeeAnne that she wasn’t invited to the wedding, and LeeAnne says she was. Her invitation must have gotten lost in the mail; 30% of mail gets lost. In Kary’s interview, she wonders why the credit card bills are always there, and jury duty notices never get lost. She asks LeeAnne why D’Andra isn’t there. Like it’s her freaking business. True story. When I was getting married, a good friend called, saying they hadn’t gotten an invitation. I sent another one, and both arrived on the same day.

LeeAnne says she’s waiting for D’Andra to reach out, and Kary says D’Andra already apologized. LeeAnne asks what if she told Kary that Eduardo was screwing other women, and she should own up to it because she owes LeeAnne that. Kary says she can’t keep bringing it up if she’s over it. LeeAnne says D’Andra committed the sin, but she should be the one that rises higher? Kary says she should be the bigger person, and LeeAnne says she always has been with D’Andra. D’Andra has the courage to talk sh*t about Rich when he’s faithful. She has the courage to trash Rich’s name, and destroy his reputation. Kary says, that’s not moving forward, and LeeAnne says Kary isn’t letting her finish. The one thing D’Andra has no courage for, is to come to her and say she misses LeeAnne as a friend. Kary says D’Andra invited LeeAnne to her party, and LeeAnne said she forgave D’Andra and wanted to move forward. We flash back to LeeAnne announcing that all she cared about was her and D’Andra taking steps to move forward. LeeAnne tells Kary, D’Andra hasn’t taken any steps to do that, and asks if Kary wants to see her phone. Actions speak louder than words. In Kary’s interview, she thinks LeeAnne is a hypocrite when she says she wants to move forward. LeeAnne says she reached out to D’Andra; now it’s D’Andra’s turn to step up and grow up. Everyone else gets it. Kary says she’ll ask them. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says Kary told her that she was the negative one, and now Kary comes to her bachelorette party and acts negative. Kary asks Kameron and Stephanie if they think it’s weird that D’Andra wasn’t invited. Kameron doesn’t think D’Andra is really making an effort, and Stephanie thinks LeeAnne and D’Andra should mend things one-on-one. Kary says, D’Andra apologized, but LeeAnne says, so did she. She’s waited 51 years to get married. She’s screwed a lot of frogs. Kary says, that’s not the point, but LeeAnne says, it is. It’s about her; it’s her wedding, and is only happening once in her life. Kary says, D’Andra’s 50th birthday was important, but LeeAnne says, so is a wedding for a woman who’s waited this long to get married. In Kameron’s interview, she says, this isn’t cool. It’s LeeAnne’s time to have fun. LeeAnne asks if Kary thinks she should invite D’Andra even though she talked sh*t about Rich. Kary says she thought LeeAnne was forgiving D’Andra, and LeeAnne says, Rich hasn’t. We flash back to him saying forgiving is the Christian thing to do. D’oh! LeeAnne says she’s not making her party about someone who’s not there. These are the people who love and want to celebrate her. Kary says, D’Andra is that person, but LeeAnne says, she’s not. Kameron says D’Andra hasn’t come to LeeAnne, and Kary says, D’Andra apologized. LeeAnne says, that’s different. In Stephanie’s interview, she thinks LeeAnne and D’Andra should just move forward, or leave each other alone. LeeAnne is sorry Kary doesn’t understand. The people there have shown her via their actions how much they love her. So when D’Andra gives her action, she’ll get an invite. Until then, she can stand in the vasectomy line. Cary is like, what? and LeeAnne says, it sounds good. LeeAnne goes to Steve, and says she’s getting flack because the great almighty fat cow isn’t there to be worshiped. Meow!

Brandi checks out the haunted house. Hill House Manor owner Linda thanks her for coming. In Brandi’s interview, she says the house is outside Dallas. You can rent it and go ghost hunting. Linda says it was purchased as an investment property, but they couldn’t keep it rented because of the tenants having experiences. She personally had a conversation with someone on the other side of the shower curtain. She thought it was her husband. She tells Brandi, they have ghost hunters there frequently, and they have all kinds of events. In her interview, Brandi says she’s been able to see into the spiritual realm since she was little. As a child, she saw her grandmother. It’s hard to open up about it without looking like she’s crazy. Linda says Brandi has her number, and if there are any problems, text her.

Kary has everyone meet at her place. D’Andra asks Kary if she’s ready. Kary says she’s just going along for the ride. She’s had no personal experiences, but she’s open to it. She explains Mexico’s Day of the Dead. (I love a sugar skull!) She asks if D’Andra has heard from LeeAnne. We see a clip of D’Andra telling Kary that she’ll send a text, but that’s it. D’Andra says LeeAnne texted back, thanking her for reaching out, and saying she thought D’Andra was upset about something that happened in Mexico, and it made her sad. She added that all weddings should be elopements, because it’s too much work. Kary asks if something happened in Mexico, but D’Andra says nothing happened. In her interview, she says she and LeeAnne got along fantastically. LeeAnne doesn’t want to see or include her, and is putting it on her. It’s complete bullsh*t. Kameron joins them, and Kary asks if she’s ready for ghosts. Kameron says she’s afraid.

Stephanie meets Brandi at the house. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she’s never encountered a ghost, but how bad could a ghost be? She thinks Southern ghosts would display good hospitality. She tells Brandi that she’s scared she’ll need an exorcism. Brandi suggests they pray, and asks God, if it’s His will, to open their eyes to things they don’t know. She asks if they should pray for the others, but Stephanie says, they can pray for themselves. Brandi says she’s so bad. I guess we’ll let it slide that this is contrary to any Christian belief.

Kary thinks some people see ghosts. D’Andra says they lived in a haunted house, but her dad always had the ghost visits. Kary asks if LeeAnne believes in ghosts, and LeeAnne says she prays there’s an afterlife. Kary tells her, Brandi says she can see ghosts. In LeeAnne’s interview, she’s not happy with Kary, so she’s ghosting her.

As they pull up to the house, Brandi flashes the lights from inside, and the women get all weird. Brandi tells them to hurry in; she saw something. Kameron says, that’s not funny, and Brandi leads them to the murder room. Kameron screams, and something moves. Kary calls Brandi a stinker, and Brandi suggests they have drinks. Kameron says she needs a lot of drinks, and LeeAnne wonders if ghosts have bars. In her interview, LeeAnne says she thinks ghosts are bullsh*t. Mostly because she grew up in a carnival, where they convinced people to believe that bullsh*t, and took their money. She had a deeply religious upbringing, and was told it was witchery. It’s anti-religious, and against Christian beliefs. What I said, but longer. Brandi says, a medium is coming, and boo! there’s a knock at the door. Medium Lisa introduces herself. Kameron says she’s not a fan. A friend once got in contact with Kameron’s dog using a Ouija board. She felt her dog’s tail brush against her, and freaked out. It’s scary for her. Lisa says on any property, there’s some sort of spirit or ghost activity. She gives each of them a pendulum, and says, it can only answer yes or no questions.  

They go to a room that has toys in it, and Lisa thinks it’s a home for kids who have passed, and come back to play. Kary wants to sit on the floor, and Lisa tells her to roll the ball and see if they’ll play. Stephanie rolls the ball, and says she’d love to play, but nothing happens. Brandi says, they don’t want to play with the ball anymore, and it’s sad. The ball rolls back, and they freak out. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, you know what balls do? They roll. Unless they’re attached to a scrotum. They go back downstairs, and Kary asks if Lisa does readings. Lisa says she’d rather do that in private, and they go out on the porch. In Kary’s interview, she says she knows mediums are intuitive, and if Lisa is the real deal and can give her insight, why not take advantage of that? Lisa tells Kary that she had a rough start in life, but good things have happened over the years. Kary may have felt… Kary says, it’s not fair. Lisa says Kary made her way through, and is stronger. Kary asks about her husband, and Lisa says, it’s a good relationship. She sees nothing wrong. They hug. Most. Boring. Reading. Ever. And nothing I didn’t know, so I assume nothing Kary didn’t know either.

D’Andra asks the pendulum if she should have more tequila, and answers, yes. Kary comes back in, and LeeAnne asks if Lisa saw ghosts around her. Kary says Lisa told her that she had a rough start, but she’s been lucky. LeeAnne asks what was difficult about Kary’s childhood, and Kary says her parents were alcoholics. Her dad said he couldn’t live with her mom, but he was keeping Kary. Her mom had to kidnap her, and took her to Mexico, where she grew up. Since her mom was an alcoholic, she had to parent herself. LeeAnne asks how young she was when she started going to clubs, and Kary says, fourteen. LeeAnne says she was thirteen when she started having sex. Kary says she was nineteen, and LeeAnne says, people who have been sexually abused, use sex. I Kary’s interview, she says, LeeAnne thinks she’s the only one who had a tough life, and her childhood experiences are more important, but it’s not a competition. Wow. She got all that from one sentence? Kary thinks she could have made excuses, but chose to be positive and enjoy life. LeeAnne asks if that was directed at her, but Kary says, no. I say, yeah, right, and LeeAnne says people have said she uses her childhood as an excuse. Kary says, does she?

LeeAnne says she doesn’t think so, but it can be a catalyst for how she behaves. Kary says maybe people say that because she talks about it a lot. Brandi and D’Andra decide to check out the murder room. In Brandi’s interview, she says she’d rather hang out with a ghost, or the wall, than hear LeeAnne talk about this bullsh*t again. Kameron thinks it’s an explanation for some of LeeAnne’s actions. Kary says they all grew up a certain way, but that doesn’t excuse how they act. LeeAnne says how they live doesn’t have to be the same. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says comparing their childhoods is a joke. Kary needs to reserve her condescending judgement. Kary doesn’t think LeeAnne has gotten over it, and LeeAnne says she doesn’t think you ever do. Kary says, you have to forgive. When she did, she felt lucky to have what does now. There are screams from upstairs, and LeeAnne is 100% sure they’re scaring the sh*t out of each other. Kameron asks if they should get going, and LeeAnne says, she’s convinced nothing good happens after eleven.

D’Andra and Brandi come back downstairs, and D’Andra says they were trying to talk to the people in the rooms. She asks LeeAnne if she wants to go somewhere to talk, but LeeAnne says she’s fine with right there. Kameron looks like she wants to disappear. D’Andra says she sent LeeAnne a text because she was thinking about her. She doesn’t know what happened n Mexico; she thought they were fine. LeeAnne says he did too, but when she didn’t her from D’Andra, she thought maybe she said or did something. D’Andra says she knows weddings are crazy, and didn’t want to invade LeeAnne’s space. LeeAnne says she was trying to start a dialogue. In D’Andra’s interview, she says whatever LeeAnne wants from her, apparently she’s not giving it. LeeAnne is making it difficult to communicate, but maybe LeeAnne feels the same way about her. Kary says she told D’Andra about their talk, and thought she should send a text. She felt guilty about D’Andra not being at the bachelorette party. D’Andra wonders why invite Kary, who LeeAnne barely knows, and LeeAnne isn’t sure she did. Kary says Steve did, and reads his text and invite. LeeAnne says she didn’t give him Kary’s contact information, but thinks he knew she was on the list. In Kary’s interview, she says LeeAnne is trying to pretend she didn’t know Kary was invited, but she made up the list. Brandy asks if everyone is ready for night-night, because she’s used to talking to toddlers. She says, it’s been a spooktacular evening.

Next time, bunny Playboy Bun-Bun Redmond’s funeral, D’Andra thinks about taking out a loan, and Kameron suggests crashing Kary’s happy hour.

🐮 Doin’ It Big In Dallas…

Some snippets of LeeAnne’s wedding. Hint: it’s fabulous.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-dallas/home-design/leeanne-locken-rich-emberlin-wedding-decor-entertainment-details

✨ Another Star Goes To the Sky…

He was Cherry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/robert-forster-oscar-nominated-actor-in-jackie-brown-dies-at-78/2019/10/13/dde37bf8-edc3-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html

At least Tarantino didn’t cut him out.

https://www.cbr.com/breaking-bad-el-camino-deleted-scene-robert-forster/

🎤 But Does He Love Cabaret…?

LuAnn rebounds in more ways than one.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/07/luann-de-lesseps-and-ex-rich-super-appear-to-be-back-together/

💡 A Thought…

Black is the new black.

🔮 It’s Not Halloween Without It…

A classic from a classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwpaA5HGo9k