Tag Archives: Bill Withers

February 16, 2023 – Ryan’s Road Trip Officially Starts, Tough Homecoming, I Know Him, Returning Quintet, Worse Than Teresa, Salty Ink, Raquel & Lean

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maggie tells Dante the pub is closed, and she’s on her way home, but he asks to speak to her a minute. She says, they already talked, and she doesn’t know what more he needs from her. He says he’s looking to get some answers about Esme Prince.

Seeing the guard with the knife sticking out of his back, Esme screams, and Heather puts her hand over Esme’s mouth. Heather says, it’s going to be all right. Trust her.

Ava comes in the door to Windymere, and gets a text from Austin: Ready when you are. She flashes back to locking Nikolas’s body in the tack closet, and turning around to see Austin. She texts back: It’s time.

Sonny tells Nina that the reception seemed a little tense at the end. Portia seemed nervous about Trina. Nina says, any complication Portia and Trina have can’t hold a candle to her and Willow’s. Willow doesn’t want her at the hospital. Sonny gets a call from Brick, and Nina says, business?

Terry says she was impressed that Elizabeth stepped in for Trina, and Drew says, at least Trina made it back for the bouquet, so it all worked out.

Elizabeth asks if everything is okay with Trina, and Portia says she’s sure Trina is just tired. She thanks Elizabeth and Finn for coming, and Elizabeth for her beautiful speech. Honestly, I either missed something big there or they’re wowed easily. Portia tells Curtis that she’s going to check on Trina.

Portia tells Trina that she has the bouquet, but don’t get any ideas, and Trina just looks at her. Portia asks if she’s okay.

Maggie says she told Dante before, she doesn’t know any Esme Prince. He says, Esme needs her help. She’s in prison, and she’s pregnant. Maggie says she can’t help him. Please leave. He says he traveled a long way. He can’t leave until he gets some answers. She tells him, have a seat then, and they go inside. She says she’s grabbing a pint, and asks if he’d like stout or ale. He tells her, stout, and sits down. She picks up a cricket bat from under the bar. She comes up behind Dante, raising the bat, but he jumps up and stops her, taking it. She tries to run out, but Sam is at the door, and says, Maggie Fitzgerald. They need to talk.

Sonny steps away to take the call, when Josslyn comes back in. She tells Drew that she was looking for Trina and Spencer, but doesn’t see them. She’s here by herself. He says he’s flying solo too, and she says, they both know he shouldn’t be.

At the MetroCourt restaurant, Mac tells Felicia that he has to cut their date night short. Things are busy at work. She tells him not to apologize; she doesn’t need grand romantic gestures. He says he loves her very much, and she says she loves him too, and they kiss. He says, she’s been pretty busy herself. He’s not too preoccupied to notice she’s been slipping out for hours at night on secret missions. Something to do with Anna? She says, if her missions are so secret, he knows she can’t give him the details, and he says, understood. Just be careful. She says, always, and asks, what about The Hook investigation? but he says, so far only dead ends. They’d hoped Heather would make good on her promise to get Ryan to open up. It was a long shot, but Heather was stalling. Her time’s up. She’s going back to D’Archam.

Ryan says, first, they have to dispose of this body, so he needs another hand (BA-DUM-CHH!). Heather struggles to keep Esme quiet, and tells him, they’ll need his clothes. Go ahead and strip.

Ava let’s Austin in, and says, shall we? but he says, nope, not yet. She says, he’s the one who insisted on moving Nikolas at night; it’s dark and rainy. No more putting this off. It’s time she rids herself of her husband for good, and bury the past.

Curtis asks if everything is all right, and Portia says, they’re fine. He tells Trina that her mother was concerned when she missed the toast. Where’d she go? Was Spencer with her? Trina says, she and Spencer were together, but this has nothing to do with him. It has everything to do with Portia. Portia says she doesn’t know what’s happening here, but Trina missed everything, and Trina says, Portia’s been hiding something important from her. Curtis suggests they take this down a notch. He’s sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Portia thinks they should take it elsewhere, but Trina says, Portia knows it doesn’t just have to do with her. Taggert tells Trina, this is no way to talk to her mother, but Trina says, he doesn’t know what’s going on. Portia tells Taggert that she’s fine, and asks Trina to come figure this out. She reaches out, but Trina steps back, and says, fine. Let’s go. Curtis says he’ll come with them, but Portia says, this might be a mother/daughter situation. She’ll talk to Trina alone. He says, she’s got this, and she follows Trina out.

Austin says he wants to make sure they have their heads on straight, since there’s no margin for error, and Ava says she knows that. They have to move Nikolas before Elizabeth’s guilty conscience brings the cops here. He says, Ava seems a little overwhelmed, and she says, maybe that’s because she’s just been to a wedding when her husband’s dead body is lying in the stables because of her. She had to face his mother, his son, and this whole town, and pretend to be fine. She’s not fine. She didn’t want her marriage to end in vengeance and death. She loved her husband. Austin says he’s sure she did; this is a horrible situation. Ava says, it is what it is. There’s only one thing to do now. He says, maybe not tonight when she’s all worked up, but she says she’s Ava Jerome. She knows how to handle herself in situations like this. The only reason she needs his help is because burying a body in Pine Barrens is a two-man job. She asks if he’s backing out, but he says he’s all in. He’s asking an honest question for two reasons. He doesn’t want larger emotions to kick in when they’re in the thick of things; he doesn’t want to get caught. The second reason is, he’s concerned and curious. Is she actually all right? She says, no, she’s not, and she doesn’t know if she ever will be again.

Finn says, Terry and Yuri were really tearing it up out there, and Yuri says he was a dancer in Belarus. Terry asks why Elizabeth wasn’t out there, and Elizabeth says she wasn’t up for it. Finn says, she kept him company on the sidelines, and Terry tells Yuri that she’d love a glass of water. Elizabeth says, the same actually, and Finn and Yuri go to the bar. Terry says, Finn and Elizabeth seem on better terms, and Elizabeth says, it was awkward after the break-up, but they’re committed to being friends for Violet’s sake. Terry says she’s seen the looks they’ve been giving. Maybe their feelings for each other aren’t completely gone.

On the phone, Sonny tells Brick, all he knows is how big the shipment is, and when it’s going to be delivered. He just needs Brick to work his contacts for security. He needs to know who’s buying what Pikeman is selling, especially without official record… Whatever he can find out. The sooner the better. He thanks Brick.

Mac tells Felicia that he should be heading to Spring Ridge, and make sure the transport is ready for Heather in the morning. She says she’s not thrilled about him being involved with another prison transport, but he says he has to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Most of them do, but since she got free on the last one, he can’t be too careful. He may be late; don’t wait up. She says, since things weren’t successful, where does that leave things with Ryan? and Mac says, he’s not giving up. He knows in his gut Ryan is involved in this. How the hell does his victim’s earring end up on Rory Cabrera; that’s not a coincidence. Felicia agrees, and says she thinks she has a way to get Ryan to give them some answers. Let her talk to him.

Heather continues to struggle with Esme, telling her to calm down; it’s bad for the baby. Esme almost slips Heather’s grip, but Heather grabs her back. She says she knows Esme is scared, but she has to do what Ryan says. He’s a dangerous lunatic, but Heather is going to take care of her, she promises. Just do what Ryan says, and they’ll be okay. Ryan comes back, and says, they don’t have much time before the guards realize they aren’t in their rooms. They’ve got to move. He looks at Esme, and says he wishes she could remember who she really is. Not some pathetic, trembling creature. You’re tough, you’re tenacious, you’re a genius. And you’re my daughter. Esme screams, nooo! and he says, they’ve got to go. Heather says, road trip’s started, and Ryan says, ladies first. Heather leads Esme away. He looks through the window into his cell, where the guard’s body sits in his chair, and follows.

Maggie says, don’t hurt her, but Sam says, they don’t want to hurt her. They just want to talk. She tells Dante, according to the woman at the B&B, this is Maggie. Dante asks why she lied to them, and Sam asks what she’s afraid of. Dante says, or is it who? Sam introduces herself, and says she’s a private investigator; and Dante introduces himself, showing Maggie his PCPD badge. Maggie says, forgive her. No one’s talked to her about Esme since she’s been here. Now they come up with that cockamamie story about her being pregnant and in prison. Dante says, it’s not a story; she’s pregnant and in prison. Maggie asks, what happened? Did her father lead her into trouble? Dante says, that’s complicated, but she’s been accused of some pretty serious crimes, that she didn’t commit, and unfortunately some that she did. Sam says, she had a pretty horrible accident, and lost her memory, andDante asks if Maggie and Esme have a close relationship. Maggie says, they did, and he says, she might be the only person who could exonerate Esme. Will she help them?

Mac says, absolutely not. He’s not subjecting Felicia to Ryan Chamberlain. She says, he asked Ava, but he says, Ava’s different. She says, because she’s not your wife? and he says, maybe. When he and Doc approached Ava, they wanted information on Esme; they didn’t suspect Chamberlain’s involvement. This is too dangerous. He may not be physically attacking his victims, but signs point to his involvement. He doesn’t want her in Ryan’s crosshairs. He couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her. They’ll get Ryan another way. She says she understands. She hopes he’s not too late coming back from Spring Ridge. It’s still Valentine’s Day after all. He says, all the more reason to get a move on, kisses her, and leaves. She makes a call, and leaves a messages for Anna, saying, she might be late getting to the house. There’s a stop she has to make.

Marshall says, whatever is going on, Trina and Portia will sort it out, and Taggert says, when Trina got back, something was definitely off. He knows his daughter. Curtis says he’s going to get answers, and heads in Spencer’s direction. Spencer sends Trina a text, asking if she’s okay, and looks up to see Curtis, Marshall, and Taggert. Curtis asks where he was with Trina, and what it has to do with her being mad at her mom.

In Portia’s room, she asks what all this is about, and Trina says, she went to see Stella. She was going to convince Stella to come to the wedding if she felt up to it. But it turns out, Stella wasn’t sick; she just didn’t want to be there. Judging by the look on Portia’s face, she knew that already. Portia says she suspected, and Trina says, she didn’t understand. Stella was so excited about the wedding, she flew back from England early. Then she missed the wedding. When Trina asked her, she said she couldn’t come in good conscience; that there’s something Portia is keeping from her and Curtis. When she pushed Stella, she said Trina had to ask Portia. So she’s asking the mom she’s looked up to her entire life, what is Portia keeping from her?

Ava tells Austin, the one thing that scares her to her core is the thought of losing her child. She can’t live through that again. She doesn’t know how she did the first time. So when Nikolas threatened to take Avery, she panicked. She couldn’t let him leave, and wanted to stop him. She didn’t want to kill him. She has a job to do before Elizabeth goes to the cops, because she will not be separated from her child. He says, let’s go do what we have to do, when the doorbell rings. Ava says she’ll get rid of whoever it is, and meet him in the stables. He leaves, and she opens the door to find Felicia on the porch.

Mac is driving, and sees something up ahead. He says, what the…?

Felicia apologizes for just stopping by and asks Ava if she can come in. Ava says, it’s not a good time, but Felicia says, it’s about Ryan Chamberlain.

Mac stops the car and gets out. Heather is walking with Esme in the road, and he asks if they need help. They turn around, and Mac is like, whaat?

Sonny comes back to the table, and Nina says she saw his face when Brick called. It was enough to make her concerned. He says he can handle himself, but she says, promise her that he’ll be extra careful. He says he promises.

Elizabeth tells Terry that Finn’s always been there for her, and she’s grateful that hasn’t changed. A part of her will always love him. Terry says, they’ve been through enough to test anyone, but the fact they can still remain friends… Maybe they’ll find their way back to each other? Elizabeth doesn’t think that’s in the cards, but wishes things could be different.

Yuri asks Finn why he and Elizabeth are no longer, and Finn says, things just got complicated. Yuri says, life is complicated. Love is not… with the right person. Finn says, if only that were true, and looks at Elizabeth.

Spencer says, Curtis will have to talk to Trina, but Taggert says, Trina’s not here; Spencer is. Spencer says, it’s really not his place, and Marshall says, there’s a time and a place for chivalry; this ain’t it. Curtis says, start talking, and Spencer says, he and Trina went to see Stella. Curtis asks, why?

Trina says, after she found out about Portia’s affair, they promised to be open. She’d thought it was a turning point. Portia says, it was. She felt awful that Trina didn’t trust her, and thought they worked through that. Trina asks, then why won’t Portia tell her what Stella’s talking about? Is it really bad? They sit on the bed, and Portia says, she told Trina that her dad’s work put a strain on their marriage, and how lonely and depressed she was, always feeling like she came in second to his job. That’s when Curtis came into her life. Trina says, Stella implied that Portia and Curtis’s relationship had something to do with what Portia’s keeping from her. Did something else happen? Portia says, Curtis found out she was married, and ended things. She was heartbroken, but went back to Trina’s father. She was determined to make things work. Trina asks if Portia stopped loving Taggert, and Portia says she just wanted to be a priority to him. She thinks he sensed she was struggling, because he started to put more of an effort into their marriage, and she felt like everything was going to work out. Weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. Trina gets up and says, oh my God, and Portia says, Trina doesn’t understand, but Trina says she does understand. Portia had an affair, and got pregnant. Is Portia saying Curtis is her father?

Maggie says she stopped being Esme’s nanny, but never stopped caring about her, and Sam wonders why Maggie thought they were setting a trap for her. Maggie says she hasn’t heard from Esme in some time, and when they turned up asking questions, she assumed the worst. She was afraid Esme’s father had taken her, and sent them to make sure she never said a word about him. Ever since Esme tracked him down, she’s been living in fear of him finding her. Sam says, she knows who Esme’s father is? and Dante says, they’d like to talk to him. He could be the key to proving Esme didn’t commit these crimes. Maggie asks what Esme is being accused of, and Sam says, there’s a serial killer terrorizing Port Charles, but Maggie says, it can’t be Esme. Dante says, that’s what they’re trying to prove, so if she could just tell them his name…

Heather says, thank God Mac found them, and Mac draws his gun, saying, on your knees, hands in the air. Esme begs him to help her, and he says, hands in the air where he can see them. Heather says, Mac doesn’t understand. He made them do this. Mac is about to make a call, when Ryan hits him with a crowbar, and he falls to the ground. Esme says, no, and Ryan says, now that felt good. Hello, Mac. What a delight to find you here. Esme cries.

Ava says, Felicia has her attention, and Felicia says, Ava was working with the PCPD to get information on Ryan about Esme. Is she interested in doing that again? Ava says, no, but Felicia says, the PCPD has reason to believe Ryan is involved with The Hook murders. An earring from one of Ryan’s victims was found on Rory Cabrera’s person, like a calling card. Ava asks how it would be possible for Ryan to attack her; he’s a vegetable. Felicia says, chances are, Ryan is the mastermind and using someone else to do the footwork. She and Ava know where his weak spots are, and can get him to give them something that might point to his accomplice. If they work together, they can get to him.

Heather pushes Esme into the backseat of Mac’s car, and Esme begs, please. She wants to go home. Heather says, it will be all right, and Esme asks, what’s happening? Heather gets in the driver’s seat, and blows the horn. Ryan stands over Mac with the crowbar, and says he has to make sure Mac can’t follow him, but Heather says, they’re stealing his car. She thinks they’re okay. Ryan says, it’s like kismet, him coming along, when an alarm goes off. Heather says, Spring Ridge knows they’re not in their rooms. Any minute, they’re going to find the guard, and find them. Move it. He says, all right, throws down the crowbar, and says, it’s no fun if you can’t see the life leave their eyes anyway. The alarm continues, and Heather says, let’s get this road trip started. Ryan says, after one more stop, and gets in.

Spencer says, Trina felt Stella should be at the wedding, and Curtis says, his Aunt Stella is sick. Spencer says, Trina thought she could convince Stella if she felt up to it, but they found out Stella was never sick. She just said that to get out of coming to the wedding. Curtis asks why she’d do that, but Spencer says he doesn’t know. Curtis says, Spencer is starting to work his nerves, but Spencer says, Curtis has to talk to Trina. This concerns very personal family information, to which he is not privy, so if they’ll excuse him… He leaves, and Curtis calls Stella, but she doesn’t pick up. Marshall says, Stella is avoiding Curtis’s calls? None of this makes any sense. Why would Stella lie to avoid Curtis’s wedding? Taggert thinks Portia and Trina have been gone long enough.

Trina tells Portia to be honest with her. Is Curtis her father? Portia says she’s sorry. She doesn’t know. Trina says, but he could be… He might be. Portia says, yes, and Trina starts to cry. Portia says, Trina’s dad had come home from work, and she’d just taken a pregnancy test. He was so happy and excited, and she was thrilled. Instantly, Trina was their whole world, and it was like a new beginning for them; a new family, and that’s all she ever really wanted. And Curtis was out of her life by his choice. She was back with her husband, and things were so much better. In their hearts, Trina was their child, and at the time, she didn’t see the point in finding out who was her biological father. Trina says, she’s a doctor. She didn’t see the point? Portia let her live her whole life as a lie. Portia says, no. Taggert is her father in every way; DNA doesn’t change that. Trina asks if her dad knows, but Portia says she never told him or Curtis. Trina says, Portia kept this to herself when this huge secret effects all of their lives. This is her identity, and Portia had no right to keep it from her. Portia says she didn’t want to upset Trina or her life. Maybe she was fooling herself, thinking this day would never come, but there’s still every chance Taggert is her father. True, she wanted to spare Trina the pain… Trina says, no. Portia wanted to spare herself. Portia says she’s sorry she kept this from Trina. She’s sorry about it all. She knows this is turning Trina’s life upside down, but she and Trina’s father love her so much. And every choice she’s made from the second she knew she was pregnant with Trina has been for Trina. Trina asks, how she can believe anything Portia says? How can Portia say she loves her, when Portia’s kept this from her for her entire life?

Nina meets Sonny at the elevator, and he asks if she changed her mind about going to GH. She says she doesn’t think her heart can take it, and asks if they can just go home. He says he’d do anything for her, and she says, that’s what gets her through all of this.

Terry and Yuri leave, and Finn guesses it’s time to call it a night. Elizabeth probably wants to get home to the boys. She says, all that’s waiting for her is an empty home; Jake and Aiden are with friends, and Cameron’s at his dorm. Finn suggests they go for a cup of coffee, and Elizabeth says, that sounds really nice.

Josslyn asks Spencer, what happened with him and Trina? She saw them leave, and when they came back, Trina seemed upset. Did he do something? He says, this time, he can guarantee he had nothing to do with it. She asks if Trina’s okay, but he says he has absolutely no idea.

Portia says she knows Trina can’t comprehend this right now, but at the time, she thought she was doing the best thing for all of them. Trina says, Portia was doing what was best for herself. Not for her, or her dad, or even Curtis. She thought it was bad enough Portia cheated on her dad – the man who will always be her dad, but may not be her father. It kills her that Portia hurt him again. She can’t do this. She has to get out of here. Portia tries to stop her, but Trina says she can’t even look at Portia right now. She doesn’t know who she is right now, and sure as hell doesn’t know who Portia is. She opens the door, and Curtis and Taggert are there. Soap looks all around.

Maggie tells Dante and Sam, her father is the devil incarnate. She tried to warn Esme. She told Esme that she’d be far better off without him, but she was always desperate to know her parents. Dante asks, who is he? They need a name. Sam says, please. They might be able to save her. Maggie says, his name is Chamberlain. Ryan Chamberlain.

Ava tells Felicia that she’s in, and Felicia says, she won’t regret it. Ava says, if Ryan is behind her attack, it will be her pleasure to take him down, but she can’t do it tonight. She has other priorities. Felicia says, so does she, and Ava walks her to the door. Ava says, they’ll talk about the details tomorrow, and Felicia tells her, have a good evening. Ava opens the door, and Ryan is there.

Tomorrow, Curtis says, Portia is actually justifying her lie; Anna says, they wait to hear from Valentin’s contact, then make their next move; and Ryan says, two for the price of one.

🏥 Sad Return…

Magic Milo comes back for Sonja Eddy’s tribute episode.

🤔 Big Duh To Me…

I thought I knew him from somewhere. He was Jeffrey on The Haves and The Have Nots. I guess I didn’t recognize him without all the angst.

🔙 Five Reappearing…

Throwing a bone to the Y&R fans.

🍹 Check Your Sources…

Highly doubtful Caroline A) drank four shots of tequila, and B) kissed back. The common denominator seems to be that Brandi thinks everyone wants her, and I demand a recount about Denise. Anyone who would slap LVP is capable of anything.

🧂 Prison Prep…

As one does before arriving at one’s cellblock.

That’s a big-ass tattoo.

👠 Celebrating Her Life…

What’s funny is, even though she’s been around my whole life, I haven’t seen many of her movies. I’ve always been a fan of Kansas City Bomber, but I might be the only one.

https://people.com/movies/raquel-welch-dead-life-in-photos/

⛺️ Singing Around the Campfire…

If you come back tomorrow, I promise you soap, a spot of tea, a blob of wisdom, and a splash of music to send you off to whatever the next few days hold for you. Until then, stay safe, stay paying attention to those otherwise invisible, and stay not taking any road trips with the devil incarnate.

May 3, 2021 – Cyrus Comes To Dinner, No One’s Problem & Two

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly asks if Brick is in position. Brick is in his car, and says, he’s all set. Are the garage cameras disabled? Sitting on Carly’s couch, Spinelli says he passed the GH firewall… with ease, he must admit. GH will see looped footage from two days ago. No one will see what’s going on in real time except them. No one will see, nor will there be video evidence of, Jason’s elopement from custody. Brick asks, what about inside? and Carly says, they’re good. Greg is inside as an orderly, and he’ll take care of the guard posted by Pentenville. Spinelli says he thought the guard was one of theirs, and Carly says, he was, and then he wasn’t. Brick says, all they have to do is wait for Jason to… oh, damn. Spinelli makes noises, and Carly says, what? Brick says, good evening, Commissioner, as Jordan approaches the car.

At the hospital, on the phone, Cameron says he needs Aiden to do him a big favor. Go in his room, put on some music, and close the door. Tell mom he’s in there… He’s not going to get into trouble. Cameron has to do something, and he’ll be home soon. He slips around the corner to avoid Elizabeth.

Greg tells the guard that he needs the patient uncuffed, and the guard asks where the patient is going. Greg says, tests, and the guard asks, what kind? but Greg says he’s just the delivery guy. He shows the guard the paperwork, and tells Jason, time to go.

A nurse apologizes for the delay, and tells Jax as soon as his antibiotics are ready, he can go. Jax asks Josslyn, where were we? and she says, getting on the road again. She’ll text Trina. He says, wait a minute, and points to her boot, asking how she got it. She says she’ll tell him when he explains his bullet wound, and he says, it’s quite simple really. Two guys tried to rob the charity at the local fire station and he got in the way. She says, they were stealing from a charity? She’s glad he stopped them. He says, it wasn’t just him. There was a local guy who took down the other robber.

Trina pushes away an empty bowl, and tells Phyllis, that was so good. Phyllis says she’s glad Trina enjoyed it, and Trina says, the sauce was incredible. She thanks Phyllis for taking pity on her, and Phyllis says she couldn’t let Trina go away hungry. Trina asks what she owes, but Phyllis says, nothing. The Tan-O is a bar not a restaurant. Pasta isn’t on the menu, so consider it small town hospitality. Trina says if they start serving pasta with that sauce, they’ll sell out every night. She asks if Phyllis made it, and Phyllis says she makes a mean sauce, but this one is their bartender’s secret recipe.

Nina calls Sonny, and he asks if she’s on the road. She asks where he is, and he says he’s in his room, but he was just going to give Phyllis a hand. She tells him, stay right there, and he asks, why? She says she’ll explain when she gets there, but promise her that he’ll stay in his room. He asks, what’s going on?

Trina says he really won’t give Phyllis the recipe? Nina is looking in the window, and tells Sonny, she’ll be right there. There’s just something she has to take care of really quickly. She runs into the Tan-O, and says Josslyn told her Trina was there. Trina says, oh, she sees, and Nina says, sees what? Trina says, why Josslyn’s dad wanted to come there; he was looking for Nina. Nina says, he found her, and now Trina has to go.

Britt goes through some folders on her desk, when there’s a knock at the door. Finn comes in, and says he needs her to sign off on some things, and needs Trudy to assist him in the lab. She says, whatever he needs, and gets on her computer. She tells him, done. Is he any closer to diagnosing Chase? He says, they have some leads, and she says he has the hospital’s full support. He says he appreciates it, and she says, now if he’ll excuse her. He says she’s not leaving, is she?

Nikolas says, this morning Ava was adamant that he stay away from Cyrus, and now she’s invited him to dinner? She says Cyrus wants something from them, and they have to find out what it is. It helps to have the homecourt advantage. He says, his mother really went along with this? She says, yeah. She, Laura, and Carly are working together. Strange alliance, she knows, but Cyrus calls for desperate measures.

Carly wonders what Jordan is doing there, and Jordan asks Brick, what brings him to GH? He says he’s waiting for his sister; he’s taking her to the Port Charles Grill. She asks why he’s waiting down there, and he says, peace and quiet. He’s listening to the radio. He asks if he’s doing something wrong; he can move the car. Spinelli says, please don’t move, please don’t move, but Jordan says, no. He’s fine where he is. Carly says, thank God, and Jordan starts to walk away. She stops, and turns back, saying, what about Jason? He says he tried to visit, but they said no dice. He’ll have to wait until Jason returns to Pentenville. She tells him, have a good night; stay out of trouble. He says he’ll do his best. She finally leaves, and Brick says, all clear. What about them? Spinelli says, in need of a strong beverage, or a warm muffin. Carly says she doesn’t like this. Why did Jordan choose tonight to show up at General Hospital?

Nikolas tells Ava, the guests have arrived, and lets Doc and Laura in. Ava says, welcome to our home, and Doc says, she does know they’ve been there before. She says she’s practicing for Cyrus and Martin. Was she convincing? Laura says, she bought it, and Ava asks if she’s ready for this. Laura says if Cyrus sees she’s being anything more than barely civil, he’ll be suspicious. So she’s just going to do what she does. Doc asks when they expect Cyrus, and if it’s too late to cancel, but Nikolas says, canceling is not an option. He tried. He doesn’t know what confuses him more, having dinner with Cyrus, or that they’re running interference for Carly. Doc says, Carly didn’t happen to explain why she needs Cyrus distracted, did she? but Laura says they agreed that the less they knew, the better. Nikolas says, they might need Plan B. What if Cyrus isn’t coming?

Phyllis says she didn’t realize Nina and Trina knew each other, and she certainly didn’t expect Nina would chase off a friend. Nina says, she’s sorry. It’s just that Josslyn and Jax are waiting at the clinic, and it’s a long ride to Port Charles. Trina agrees it is, and guesses she’d better go. Phyllis says she has something for Trina, and runs in the back. Trina tells Nina that she’s got to say she likes it in Nixon Falls. It’s seen better days, but it’s cute. How does Nina know Phyllis? Nina says, Phyllis is an old friend, and Trina says it surprises her that Nina likes staying there. She thought of Nina as more of a Paris person. It seems like she’d get bored in a small town. Nina says, it’s anything but boring in Nixon Falls.   

Britt tells Finn that she’s leaving. Does he need something else? He says, no, but she’s usually there late, until 11, and it’s barely 8. Does she have an emergency? She flashes back to Jason telling her to leave. If things go sideways, she needs deniability with the cops and Cyrus. Britt says, the day has taken a toll. She needs a break. So if he doesn’t mind… He says, no, and tells her to have a good evening. He leaves, and Britt mumbles that she has to get out of there before things go to hell. Mystery janitor comes by, and says he’s there to get the trash. Britt tells him, don’t bother. In fact, shouldn’t he be on 10? She knows he’s not going to be there much longer, but he’s got to keep a low profile. He says, he does? and she says, people are noticing, and asking questions. The last thing he wants is for Cyrus to get wind of strange new hires. The janitor says, right, and Britt looks puzzled.

Elizabeth gives Deanna some paperwork, and says, Dr. Finn wants a full panel; the lab knows it’s a rush, Deanna says she’s got it, and tells Elizabeth to go home and enjoy her night off. Elizabeth says she has one more thing to take care of. Cameron is lurking around the corner, and flashes back to telling Jason that Franco was his hero. He was an art therapist, not a killer like Jason. Cameron says, why won’t you say you did it, you coward?

Jason is put in a wheelchair, and Jordan asks where he’s going. Greg says, for tests, but Jordan says she understood he was going back to Pentenville. Is there a problem? Greg says he doesn’t know, and hands her Jason’s paperwork. He says, the doctors wanted him tested before he leaves. She says, the tests will have to wait. She has some questions.   

Nikolas asks if Laura has heard anything from Spencer, when Ava comes out and says, dinner is almost ready, and still no Cyrus. Does Laura think they should call Carly and warn her? Laura says, he’ll be there. He won’t pass up a chance to pretend they’re all family. The doorbell rings, and she says, see? Nikolas says he’ll get it, and Ava says they promised to keep Cyrus there as long as possible. Laura tells her, if Ava doesn’t set Cyrus’s ponytail on fire and send him screaming out into the night, she’ll do her best. Cyrus comes in with flowers, and Martin carries a bakery box. Cyrus says, for the hostess, and Martin says, for dessert. She thanks them, and tells Nikolas to get drinks for their guests. She’ll put the flowers in water, and give the dessert to chef. Martin tells Laura that he was surprised at the invitation, and Cyrus says, not nearly half as surprised as he was. Why exactly are they there? Doc says, to solve a murder… It’s not that kind of party. Oh well. Laura says she’d like to know why they’re there too, and Nikolas says he thinks they can all agree there’s been some tension. Martin says he can’t imagine why, and Nikolas says, particularly between Cyrus and his mother, and Laura says she can’t imagine why. Nikolas says they were hoping this would lead to a truce. They are family. He thanks them for coming, and Laura says she’d do anything for her kids. Nikolas says he looks forward to getting to know his uncles better. Cyrus raises his glass, and nods to Laura.  

On the side, Martin tells Nikolas, before they break bread, there’s something he should say. His mother was safe, sound, and happy, and away from his dear brother. Nikolas used him to find her, and now she’s not safe, nor sound, nor happy. Nikolas says he knows he did wrong by Martin and his mother. If he had it all to do again… Martin says, he’d do it differently? but Nikolas says he’d hope to find a different solution for all of them, especially Florence. He’s hoping against all hope, after everything that happened, he can win Martin over. Ava says, dinner is served; follow her. Cyrus asks for a word with Laura, adding that he doesn’t want to keep Doc from the table. Doc says he’s not leaving Cyrus alone with his wife, and Cyrus asks if it bothers Laura that her husband thinks she’s so frail that she’ll crumble without his protection. She tells him, whatever he has to say to her, she’ll tell Doc. The sooner Cyrus accepts that, the better. Cyrus says, very well. He wanted to say how happy he is that she agreed to this dinner. Doc says Cyrus needed him to leave the room for that? and Cyrus asks if this means that Laura is willing to give him… them, a chance. Laura says, they’re all there. Shall we?

Jordan tells Jason that she was concerned when she heard he was involved in a stabbing. Then she discovered the DNA was Shawn’s. He can understand why she’d be concerned, right? Why would Shawn of all people stab him? He says he’s not saying anything without his attorney, and she says, of course (🍷) he doesn’t. She says she thought she’d try. She’s still responsible for him until the trial, and wanted to make sure he was physically okay. He says he’s fine.  

Elizabeth asks Finn, what really happened in Chase’s hospital room the night he coded? Finn says, if this is about the substance she thinks she saw him injecting into Chase’s IV port, he already told her… She says she knows what she saw. She considers him a friend. His daughter is her niece. They’re family. He says, yes, they are, and she asks why he’s lying to her. Why is he gaslighting her, when it could cost her job?

Josslyn says Jax should get an ice pack for his shoulder, and he says she knows she can talk to him. She says she does, and he asks why she’s there instead of the championship. And what really happened to her ankle? She says she stepped in a pothole; how stupid is that? She didn’t go to the championship because she let her team down. She couldn’t face them, and he needed a ride, so she texted Trina to come along. He says, it’s not that he doesn’t like seeing her, and he appreciates her coming, but she’s being hard on herself. It’s why call it an accident. She says, it feels like everything is going wrong, and he hugs her, saying, be careful.

Sonny comes in with a tray of glassware, and sees Nina, and she says she was just headed up to see him. Why isn’t he in his room? He asks, what difference does it make? and she says she just wanted to talk to him, but it’s okay; they’re alone down there. He says he thought she was driving her friend back, but she says his daughter and her friend came to drive him. Sonny says, good thing she doesn’t have to drive with her ex, and she says, he’s right; it would have been awkward. Her ex did offer her a second chance. He says, so she’s going back to Port Charles after all?

On the phone, Carly says, stay on it. She tells Spinelli, Greg said they moved Jason away from his room. She asks Spinelli about the garage, and he says, all quiet on the concrete front. He asks how soon the meeting with the Five Families pesto sauce is, and Carly says, in a few hours. Jason has to be there to prove they’re still in control, even though they lost Sonny. Spinelli says, Sonny’s loss is deeply felt by all. He was respected by the Five Families refrigerated pasta, wasn’t he? She says she’s sure Cyrus is trying to change that. Spinelli says he has every confidence that Jason will convince them to remain loyal, and she says, if he makes it to the meeting. She looks at the computer screen, and says, where the hell is he?

On the phone, Cyrus asks why his dinner is being interrupted. Fake janitor says, something’s not right. Britt knows he’s not on staff, and thinks he’s working with someone. Cyrus says, for whom? but he doesn’t know. Something is going down. Cyrus tells him to get rid of Britt; make it look like an OD. And he wants all eyes on Jason now.  

Jason goes out to the stairway, and Greg says he’ll make sure no one follows. Jason says he won’t forget this.

Josslyn tells Jax, long story long, Dr. Robinson gave her the boot as a precaution. He says he understands she’s frustrated and disappointed, but injuries happen to all athletes. She’ll heal. She says she didn’t want to disappoint him and Carly, and he says they love her no matter what. She says she knows they love her, but she doesn’t want to disappoint them; there’s a difference. He says they’d never be disappointed in her. Trina is at the door, and says Nina told her they were waiting. She guesses that was wrong. Jax thanks her for coming with Josslyn, and says Trina is a good friend. Josslyn says they’re waiting for Jax’s antibiotics; then they can go. Jax says there’s something Josslyn better do first. Call her mother.

Finn asks how Elizabeth could lose her job. All he asked is that she be taken of Chase’s case. She says, when he complained, Britt claimed her grief is affecting her performance. He promises she won’t lose her job, and he’ll talk to Britt. She says she’s going to tell Britt what happened in Chase’s room, and he tells her not to do that. She asks him to just explain, and he says, Chase was poisoned by Peter August.  

Jordan comes out the elevator, and Cameron jets into it. She asks Deanna, which doctor ordered the tests for Jason. Deanna looks at the computer, and says Britt ordered the tests for Jason, but she doesn’t know why. She would have seen his discharge papers.

The pseudo janitor comes back to Britt’s office, and she says, she’s done her part. She’s out of there unless something went wrong. He says, not a thing, and another guy comes in. Not the janitor holds her, and other guy takes out a syringe.

Brick waits, and Jason flies out of the building, and runs to the car. Spinelli tells Carly, he made it to the car, and she says, it’s about damn time. Jason asks if Brick has seen Britt, but Brick says, no, and they don’t have time to find her either. They’ve got to get out. Jason doesn’t get in the car, and Carly asks, what’s he doing? Spinelli says, it looks like Jason just stopped. Brick says, let’s go, and Jason flashes back to Britt saying she’ll take herself to the MetroCourt for a very public drink while all hell is breaking loose here. Jason tells Brick, wait here, and Brick says, what? Spinelli says, no, no, no, no, and Carly asks, what the hell Jason is doing?

Martin tells Ava, as much as he was dreading this dinner, he has to admit it was outstanding. Her chef crushed it. Ava laughs, and says she’s happy to hear that. She asks if anyone would like an after dinner drink, and Cyrus says he can’t think of a better way to cap off this delightful evening, and Nikolas says he’s glad they enjoyed it. Martin asks when Nikolas and Ava are renewing their vows, but Ava says they haven’t settled on a date. Cyrus says he hopes his great nephew Spencer will be joining them, but Nikolas says, Spencer’s plans don’t include Port Charles in the near future. Cyrus says, that’s too bad. He sees some of himself in young Spencer. Doc says, that’s quite a trick, considering they haven’t met. Cyrus says, no, he hasn’t had the pleasure, but Spencer’s reputation is notorious, and by all reports and observations, he’s thriving in Europe. Nikolas says Cyrus has been observing his son? and Cyrus says he likes to keep close tabs on family, doesn’t Nikolas? Nikolas says, let him be clear, his son is outside Cyrus’s realm of observation. Cyrus asks how Nikolas can say that, when their newfound relationship could be to his advantage? Nikolas asks how he figures that, and Cyrus says, maybe if Great Uncle Cyrus made a personal appeal to young Spencer, he might be willing to come back for the wedding. Laura says Cyrus won’t be attending, and Cyrus says, of course (🍷) he will. Sure, they’ve had their differences… Laura says, that’s an understatement, and Cyrus says, but they can all agree nothing is more important than family. Laura says the word family sounds like an obscenity coming out of Cyrus’s mouth. Let’s get something clear; Cyrus is not their family.

Cameron goes to Jason’s room, and opens the door. He sees the guard on the floor, and no Jason.  

Nina tells Sonny, she is thinking of going back to Port Charles, but not because of her friend. He asks what that means, and she says her friend seems to think there’s a possibility she might be able to have a relationship with her grandson. He says, that’s nice; so she’s heading back? She says, no. She’s found a real peace there, and doesn’t know if she’s ready to risk that for a mere possibility. Does that make her a coward? He says he gets it. Sometimes, he can’t sleep, and he’s filled with questions about who he was. Maybe he should start searching, and not stop until he finds the answer.

Carly wonders, what the hell happened? Brick says Jason went back in for Britt, and Carly says, that wasn’t part of the plan. Brick says, tell him about it; the car is still there. She says, go find Jason, but Brick says, no. He’s got to stay there for when Jason comes back. Carly says she’s on her way, but Brick says, no, don’t. Spinelli asks where Carly is going, and she says she’s going to the hospital to make sure Jason is okay. He might need help. Spinelli tells her that he doesn’t think it’s advisable. Her phone rings, and it’s Josslyn. Carly asks if she’s okay, and Josslyn says she’s fine. Did anyone call her? Carly asks why someone would call her; did something happen at the tournament? Josslyn says, actually, she didn’t go, and Carly asks, where is she?    

Finn tells Elizabeth, Anna got the antidote from Peter. It’s what she saw him inject into Chase’s IV portal. He’s sorry he lied, but she can’t say anything. If Peter finds out anyone knows he’s poisoning Chase, he’ll withhold the antidote, and Chase will die. She doesn’t understand. Why would Peter do that? He says, Anna wants to send Peter to prison for all the things he’s done, including Franco’s murder.

Jordan goes into Jason’s room, and sees the guard. She yells that she needs help, and checks his pulse. She gets on the phone and asks for security to cover all access to the hospital. Jason has escaped.

Britt struggles with BS janitor and other guy, when Jason comes in. He grabs the other guy, and she kicks bogus janitor in the balls. Jason punches other guy one more time, and he’s down. Britt says, what the hell? but he says, let’s go, and pushes her out the door. Other guy gets up, and runs after them, but counterfeit janitor is having a hard time.  

Carly says Josslyn is rambling. She has no time for that; tell her where she is. Josslyn says, Pennsylvania, with dad. She didn’t think it would be a big deal. Carly tells her, put her father on the phone. Josslyn motions him over, and says, something is going on, handing him the phone. He says, Josslyn is fine, and Carly says, and apparently in Pennsylvania? He says he’ll tell her about it, and she says she wants him to, but can’t listen right now. She needs him to bring Josslyn back to Port Charles immediately, and don’t take his eyes off of her. He asks, what’s going on? and she says, promise he’ll bring her straight home. He says he will. Josslyn is safe with him. She says she’s counting on it.

Laura asks if Cyrus thinks this night was a success. Can he not see the contempt each and every one of them has for him? She tells Ava that she’s sorry. She thought she could do it. He says, do what exactly? and she says, spend the evening with him. Maybe she could have if he hadn’t kept pushing. He talks about family, but uses the word like a weapon. He says, if anyone is using family as a weapon right now, he thinks it’s her. She says he uses blackmail and fear to bond people to him because he’ll never have love, and that’s what scares him the most deep down inside. He knows he’ll always be pitiful and alone.

Nina asks if Sonny has started searching for his past, and he says, not yet. She says, why not? and he says he likes it there. It’s his new home, his new friends. She says, it seems to suit him, and he says, to risk all that for the unknown – he moves closer to her – it’s just kind of difficult to walk away. She says, yes.

Elizabeth asks Finn why Peter would kill Franco, and he says he guesses Peter knew Drew’s memories were coming back. He was afraid Franco might remember enough to incriminate him. She asks how he even knows all of this, and he says, Anna. And by telling her the truth, he’s putting Chase’s life in her hands. She says, Jason didn’t kill Franco… She told the police. She was wrong, and now Jason was stabbed in prison, and kept away from his family. Oh my God. Jason.

Jason drags Britt to the car, and other guy follows. Brick opens the door in slow motion, and Jason and Britt duck behind something. Other guy shoots, and Cameron comes onto the scene. Brick shoots, and Cameron dives behind a dumpster. Brick hits other guy, who falls. Cameron sees other guy’s gun, and Brick says, they’re clear.   

Jordan runs down the stairs on the phone, saying, consider him armed and dangerous. Lock down the hospital. Lock it down now.

Spinelli sees, access denied, and tells Carly, he’s been locked out. The system overrode him. She tells him, get back in, but he says, he can’t; the system is rebooting. Whatever happens in the garage, is being recorded for posterity.

Phyllis says Sonny just missed a fan. A friend of Nina’s who came all the way from Port Charles to drive Mr. Jax home. The poor thing was starving, so Phyllis made her some pasta with his sauce. How she raved about it. He says he’s glad she liked it, and Phyllis says, liked it, she loved it. Too bad he couldn’t have met her for himself.

The nurse asks Jax to follow her so he can sign for his prescription, and Jax tells Josslyn and Trina that he’ll be right back. Trina asks how mad Josslyn’s mom was, and Josslyn says, something is going on; her mom couldn’t talk. She’s not looking forward to the lecture when she gets home. Did Trina bring back food? She’s starving. Trina says not unless Josslyn wants to chug spaghetti sauce. Josslyn says they gave Trina spaghetti sauce with no spaghetti? and Trina says she had the best pasta she’s had in her entire life. The nice lady at the Tan-O gave her a jar of sauce to take home. Maybe they can pick up some breadsticks and dip it. Josslyn says, sounds lovely, but she thinks she’ll pass. She’s officially a couch potato, so no more carbs for her. Trina says, more for her. Josslyn doesn’t know what she’s missing. Jax comes back and says, ready to go, and they leave.

Cyrus says as his sister congratulates herself on her ambush tonight, consider one thing. Laura says, what’s that? and he says, how much she enjoyed attacking him. He leaves, and as soon as he’s outside, his phone rings. Not really a custodian tells him that Britt got away. Cyrus asks, how? and he says, Morgan. He grabbed her and ran. Other guy went after them.   

Martin tells Ava, as much as he’d like to stay for coffee and cake, he’s afraid Cyrus is his ride. He leaves, and Ava says, for Pete’s sake, couldn’t Laura hold it together until after a nightcap? Laura says she couldn’t take it, and Doc says he thought she was magnificent. Nikolas says, so did he. He wonders if they kept Cyrus long enough, and Laura says she doesn’t know, but hopes Carly had time enough to do what she needed to.

Carly says, the last Spinelli saw on the feed, Jason was okay? It didn’t look like Jason or Brick had been hit? He says, it didn’t look like Britt got hit either, and she says, so there’s still a chance they made it out, right? Spinelli nods.

Finn and Elizabeth hear an alarm, and Elizabeth sees an alert on her phone that says, an active shooter is on the premises. She tells Finn, and he locks the door, telling her to get away from it.

Brick says, let’s move, and Jason asks Britt how her ankle is. She says she rolled it; what about him? He says, not a problem; let’s go. He brings Britt to the car, as Cameron comes out, and Jason tells Brick that Britt hurt her ankle. Jason helps her into the car, as Cameron picks up the gun. Jason and Britt are both in the car, and Brick drives away. Jordan comes down the stairs, and tells Cameron, freeze. Cameron turns, and their guns are aimed at each other.   

Tomorrow, Finn tells someone not to say another word, Dante tells Mac that his situation is complicated, Cyrus has a tragedy to attend to, and Britt tells Jason that he’s going to bleed to death if he doesn’t get to a doctor.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

I might start calling this show, Why Bother?

Trogir, Croatia, last day of charter. JL tells Gary that he’s got the water, as we see the temperature is 91 where the guests are at the castle. Gary remarks that JL only has three of them, but takes them and runs. It’s been fifteen minutes since the water was ordered. Gary jogs up the million steps, and says he told Daisy he’d be quicker than JL.

Dani reminds Natasha that Glenn is having dinner with the guests, and Gary asks Daisy how the food is this charter. Daisy says, it’s 100 times better. The last charter, the first breakfast was amazing, then they had the worst one. It’s quite obvious she and Natasha don’t like each other. Dani does a centerpiece with those tiny white lights I love, putting them inside glasses. The guests get ready to go back, and Daisy radios the boat. Guest Rachel wonders if Gary and Daisy are dating. Overhearing, Gary makes a surprised face.

Glenn says the only reason he’s putting on long pants is because he’s eating with the guests. The guests are seated for dinner, which is also a movie murder mystery. In Dani’s interview, she says she loves it. She used to spend whole nights playing RPG games as a kid. Hashtag: can relate. Gary and Colin carry chairs down stairs I would barely be able to get myself down, they’re so steep. And there’s a million of them. Daisy and Natasha go over the menu, and Glenn joins the guests. Daisy tells them that they each have a card explaining their character. After a while, she’s going to drop dead, and everyone has a motive. It will turn into a scavenger hunt for clues, and when her spirit arrives, they’ll point to whoever they think did it. Glenn is going to be an observer. The first course is served; fishcakes with pineapple salsa. In Glenn’s interview, he says he never did a murder mystery, and has no idea what he’s seeing. Dani serves lobster next, and a guest says if Natasha opens a restaurant, they’re going. Alli yells, someone has died! and Daisy lies on the ground, but starts laughing. The guests find clues, and guest Maggie says, the murderer was an only child, and primary Frank says, they do not have a dog. Primary Sheka says, they do not like drinking tap water, and guest Matt says, they like to be in front of the camera. Daisy comes back, and says her spirit has arisen from the dead. Who is the murderer? The guests flip over the cards on lanyards around their necks, and discover it’s Frank.

Glenn asks Colin what he thinks about the anchor, and Gary says, he’s good. Dani asks JL why he likes older women, and he says they know what they want. She asks if he knows what he wants, and he says, no. He wants her. Alli texts Gary to meet her on the bow, and JL kisses Dani in the galley. In Dani’s interview, she says what’s going on with JL is nothing, just fun, but she likes the fun. Gary meets with Alli, and they snuggle under a blanket. Alli asks how often he calls his mum, and he says, every day. She’s alone, and his brother is in New Zealand. She asks about his dad, and he says he used to visit his dad until he was 13. His dad has been trying to reconnect, but he’s been absent from Gary’s life for so long, he doesn’t know. Alli says she always thinks if she doesn’t maintain contact, she’ll regret it on her death bed. Dani and Daisy peek at Gary and Dani, and everyone finally goes back to their cabins.

In the morning, Gary curses Colin while airing out the bathroom. Alli tells Daisy about Sydney telling her that interior doesn’t help the deck crew, and Daisy tells Sydney, if the deck crew has a problem with interior, they need to deal with it. In Daisy’s interview, she says she’s effing angry, and Sydney tells her, Gary is the one it’s coming from. The guests toddle out, and sit on deck. In the galley, Gary asks Daisy, what’s with the hostility? and she says she’ll talk with him, but needs to finish what she’s doing. Alli filles him in, and he tells her, it’s not Sydney’s place to say anything. The guests sit for breakfast. In the crew mess, Glenn drinks coffee out of a thermos. Natasha makes a Mediterranean breakfast, and one of the guests says they don’t even like pita bread, but this is so good. Sydney tells Gary that he’d complained the girls weren’t helping, but he says it’s not her place to go to anyone. She told the third stew, who went to the chief stew, and now Daisy is pissed at him. Maybe he shouldn’t joke around anymore. In Sydney’s interview, she says she thinks it’s a bit much. She’s getting yelled at, when she stood by him. She thought she was doing the right thing, but she guesses she wasn’t.

Gary tells Daisy that he talked to Sydney, and told her it wasn’t her place to complain. Daisy says Sydney didn’t say anything wrong; she’s just frustrated. In Gary’s interview, he says he feels like he’s in kindergarten. He says if he has a problem, he’ll come to Daisy, and they hug. The guests swing out over the water on a rope, and it looks like it’s a lot of fun. Glenn gets the sails up, and radios the crew. He says they could get lucky, and get a nice breeze. Frank tells the other guests, the sails are up, and guests Lizzy and Rachel notice dolphins on the bow. Everyone runs to see them, and Sydney says, this is not an everyday occurrence. The guests think it’s magical, and Sydney says, it’s a good luck omen. Colin says, it’s effing lovely, and Natasha hugs Dani. Glenn says he’s going to return to port, and puts the sails down, but the chain gets wrapped around the anchor. Ugh. This is a real pain in the ass dangerous thing.

Glenn asks, what’s happening? and Colin tells him, hold it there for a second. In Colin’s interview, he says, it’s a huge f*** up when the chain is wrapped around the anchor. It’s hard see which way it’s wrapped, so someone has to get down there in order for them to unwrap and release the anchor. The chain will drop 27 meters below, and can crush a hand or rip a finger off. JL gets in the tender, and Glenn tells him, when the chain lets go, it will be going straight down, and he’ll go with it. There’s only a minute of air to figure it out. If he can get it loose there, it will be a big win. JL gets the chain unwrapped without injury, and Glenn says, well done. The guests wonder if JL fell in, but one of them says, he’s dry. Glenn calls the crew to the dock.   

Frank thanks the crew, and says their expectations were exceeded, both the food and the experience. Sheka says, each of them made the experience special, and thanks them. Frank gives Glenn the tip envelope, and everyone changes. Gary calls his mom, and says he met a girl who makes him laugh. Alli tells Daisy that she’s grown a connection to Gary. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it put that way, and I’m reminded of the zombie tree in Fear the Walking Dead last night. Daisy tells Alli that if you like someone, you like them. You can’t not date them because they have a past. Gary’s mom tells him, take it slow. If they have a problem with him, tell them to call his mother. Glenn radios the crew for the tip meeting.

Glenn tells them, it was an almost perfect charter. They had a little problem at the end with the anchor, but JL did a fantastic job. In JL’s interview, he says he did save the day. He knows he deserves this tip. He’s happy. The tip is $15K, or $1660 each. Glenn says he has good news and bad news. The bad news is, there’s bad weather coming, so they’re going to leave at 8 am. But tomorrow, after the move, they have the entire day off. He hired their yacht neighbors to take them out to a nice beach where they can chill. It’s not a school night, and there’s a little bar nearby. He’d arranged for a table away from everyone where they can eat and drink.

We flash back to the last dinner, which didn’t go well. Daisy asks Sydney how she thinks it’s going to go, and Sydney can’t imagine it going worse. At the bar, the waiter leads them to a table by the water. Gary says, it’s like a one-day escape, and takes a selfie with Alli. In Sydney’s interview, she says she knew this was coming; the next stop on Gary’s train. It’s their thing now. She gives not one finger, but two. The food and drinks come, and Daisy tells Gary, be careful. He tells her, STFU, but don’t take it personally. Daisy says she doesn’t… She does. The older she gets, it gets worse. Natasha says they all think they’re flawed, but someone else might wish they had what that person perceives as a flaw. I ponder this… Alli and Gary hold hands, and Gary tells Alli that he doesn’t want to rush, and look like a d*ck. He obviously likes her. She says she likes him too, and in Alli’s interview, she says she doesn’t want Sydney to be upset, but at the same time, she’s more drawn to Gary every day. I gag on my coffee. Sydney is sitting a little too close, and asks if Colin minds switching seats with her. She sits next to Dani, who tells her, be awesome, look pretty, and have fun. Daisy wants to make a toast to Natasha, and says, to her best charter. She’s very impressed. They all raise their glasses to Natasha, and in Daisy’s interview, she says she still thinks Natasha is crazy, but since she decided to try to get on better with her, she sees a shift in Natasha’s attitude. Maybe Natasha thought if she couldn’t intimidate Daisy, now she has to impress her. Maybe. She laughs.

They go back to the boat, and Gary tells Alli, there will be animosity for a couple hours. Colin asks how Sydney feels, and she says, they can do what they want. Alli tells Gary that Sydney is effing pissed, and Gary pretends to care about everyone’s feelings. He tells Alli that he’s changing into his PJs. JL and Dani flirt, and Sydney tells Colin that she and Gary had a tryst (who uses that word???). She doesn’t know what changed, but whatever did, did. Dani tells Alli to join them, and Natasha, Daisy, and Colin sit with them too. Alli says she wants Dani’s advice about a situation, and they go inside. Alli says she thinks Sydney is being rude, but Dani says she doesn’t. What Sydney and Colin had was drunken sex, but Alli can’t expect Sydney to be 100% cool. She thinks Alli and Gary really like each other, and should enjoy it. Alli says she’ll let it go a little more, and they hug.

Dani comes back, and stands in the doorway. JL asks, how’d it go? and she asks how this is going to go, indicating her body. Gary and Alli go to the inside bar, and Gary says she can get the drinks; he’ll supervise. He tells her that he wants to be with her, and they kiss. No surprise, here comes Sydney, who says, it’s fine. Don’t be weird. She’s just getting a Heineken. The only weird thing is how she keeps popping in on them every time they’re alone. Weird and creepy. Like stalker creepy. In Alli’s interview, she says, this is awkward.

Alli heads for the bathroom, and Gary tells her to make sure she flushes, or Daisy will have a fit. Sydney tells Colin that she’s stressed, and Colin gives her a beer. Dani suggests Sydney join her and JL, but she says she doesn’t want to because Alli is coming back. She wants to avoid Alli as much as she can. Dani says Sydney is amazing, and Sydney says she and Gary f***ed. Dani says she knew that already, and in her interview, says that Sydney isn’t telling her because she wants it kept secret. She wants Dani to pass it on, but she’ll have to tell Alli herself if she wants Alli to know. Dani tells her, come on, and they join the others. Dani twerks, then Daisy tries, failing miserably. Colin goes to get drinks, and Alli tells Daisy that she and Gary kissed. Daisy says, it was bound to happen. JL bitches about having to clean the teak, and Dani says she has to clean up the bar, but it’s okay. Everyone is having fun. She tells him that he’s being a p*ssy. Gary comes back with the drinks, and Dani asks if JL is going to be angry. In her interview, she says she’s an emotional drunk, but a drunk JL is like a little flower that doesn’t have water.  

Dani and Alli start kissing, and Gary and Colin sit outside, smoking. Dani say she want to do a lot with JL, but JL is outside telling Colin and Gary that it turns him off the way Dani is acting. The girls are now all inside at the bar, and they screech. JL wonders, WTF is going on? Dani tells him she wants to talk, and pulls him up. Daisy says she’s going to bed. Alli says, JL has competition tonight, and Gary says, the chicks are looking to get laid. Natasha – who we almost forgot was there – says, it’s not just about sex. It’s about things like holding hands. Sydney says, good sex goes hand in hand with a great work ethic. Colin asks if the sex was good with Gary, but Sydney says, no. She’s had better drunk sex. Dani tells JL, she’s just trying to have sex. Alli tells Dani, let’s go, and in Gary’s interview, he wonders, who’s c*ck blocking who? Dani tells Alli, she doesn’t know how clearer she can be. JL tells Gary that he and Dani already hooked up, but if she’s starting to act like that, he doesn’t like that sh*t. Dani and Alli get in one of the beds, and start kissing. JL continues, saying he was bitching about the teak, and Dani told him that he was being a p*ssy. He was being practical. He knows he’ll have to clean it. Natasha says she’s not giving herself to anyone who’s not with it, but what it is, is unclear. JL complains some more, and Gary asks if he wants a drink or not. Dani and Alli close the bedroom door, and we hear… sounds. JL and Gary decide to go looking for them, and Gary says, imagine if they were naked. It would be epic. They stand outside the bedroom door and listen. SMH.

JL and Gary can’t believe it, and JL knocks, saying, open up. One of them says, no, and Gary says, it’s happening. Sydney and Natasha talk about how limited the options are on a boat. Alli finally opens the door, and the guys go into the suite. Colin says they’re a bunch of horny MF’ers. Gary asks what they were doing, and Alli says they were talking. Dani and JL walk off together, and go into another bedroom. Wow. Their rules are a lot different from motor yacht rules. Behind closed doors, Dani tells JL that she worked hard for this body, and she’s not doing it in the dark. He says, holy Mary Mother Josie [sic].

Natasha says she thinks Sydney needs to like something different. Gary and Alli sit on deck, and Gary kisses her. Colin asks Sydney, what’s going on with her, but Sydney says, now is not the time to speak her mind. Colin tells her that she should say what she thinks, and Alli says she thought Sydney said she had no secrets. Sydney says she doesn’t spill her guts to strangers, which is what Alli is. Alli is insulted, and says she thought they were friends. She stomps back to Gary, and Sydney says, they’re not friends; they’re just roommates. She hears Alli talking to Gary, and says, now Alli is bitching about her. Alli tells Gary that Sydney is passive/aggressive, and she doesn’t know why Sydney is pissed. Colin admits he’d be uncomfortable knowing he had something with someone who’d moved on, and Sydney says, it’s a weird situation. Colin and Sydney go to have a smoke, and now the stalker tables have turned, and Alli asks if Sydney is ready to hash it out. Sydney asks what Alli’s problem is, and Alli says she knows Sydney felt some kind of way when she and Gary were being affectionate. Sydney says Alli must feel guilty. It doesn’t make her uncomfortable. Alli asks why Sydney is cold toward her then, and Sydney asks why Alli is forcing the conversation? Alli say she cares about Sydney, but Sydney says, no she doesn’t. Colin tells Gary, they’re hashing it out, and Gary says no way two girls are fighting over him, and Gary says he doesn’t believe it either. That makes three of us. Alli demands Gary come over there, and says, this is not her problem. Gary says, it’s no one’s problem. He joins them, and says he’s sorry, but he doesn’t have the same feelings for Sydney that he does for Alli. Sydney tells them, do what they want, just leave her alone, and starts to cry.

Next time, a day off; Dani says, a lot of feelings are going on; something goes wrong with the engine, and the yacht hits the dock.

😴 Later Than Late…

So I’ll just say, stay safe, stay adaptable, and stay always having a Plan B, in case things go sideways.

November 15, 2020 – A Fire In Tank Town, Percy Creates the Louvre For Iris & Lovely

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A woman named Page runs through the woods. We hear horses following. She falls near a zombie downed by a tree. Ginny rides up with John and Ranger Hill. Ginny says it doesn’t have to be the end for her. Page asks what she did, and Ginny calls Hill over. He takes a can of spray paint out of her backpack, and Ginny says she’s been marking the trees. Page says she’s marking which ones to fell, and Ginny says, like this one? pointing to the one on top of the zombie. It says, The End Is The Beginning on it, and Ginny says they’ve found it a lot in the woods, and other places. What the hell does it mean? How long has Page been working with them? She tells Page, Jasper lost his way, and asks Hill if they didn’t bury Jasper around there. They’ve been chopping the lumber she’s using to build a future, and she’d do anything to protect it. Page smiles, but Ginny says she doesn’t recall saying anything worth smiling about. Page says Ginny is scared, and Ginny asks if she looks scared. Page says she does. Ginny asks Hill if Marcus is finished back at Lawton, so she can get the answer she needs. Page grabs Hill’s gun, and says, it’s not about them, but it’s about what Ginny is building. Their future. Ginny says, what about it? and Page shoots herself. Hill asks what they’re going to do with her. A zombie is already gnawing on Page’s arm, and Ginny says, see what she’s got. Cut her stomach open, and see what she ate. There may be a clue. Then bury her where Jasper’s leg is.

We hear voices on an unattended radio. June stands in the back of a truck, and motions two zombies toward her, stabbing them in the heads when they get close enough. She closes up the truck, and Sarah says June is good at making new friends. Malcolm is on a table, surrounded by medical equipment, and June asks when was the last time he ate. He says, a couple of days. June examines him, and tells Sarah her findings. Sarah looks something up, and says, ruptured appendix. He should have been there yesterday. June says, it has to come out, and he asks if she’s done this before. She says, there’s nothing to worry about, and gives Sarah some surgical gloves. June says she’s seen dozens of emergency appendectomies; he’ll be fine. He asks if Sarah is a nurse, and she says, truck driver; a marine before that. She was booted out of boot camp. She told them stick it sideways. He wants to wait for the doctor, but Sarah says, he’s not so good anymore; he’s dead. June gives him some booze, and he says, it’s terrible. Sarah says she’s working on it. June tells him that she’s giving him a shot to make him calm and sleepy. Everything is going to be okay. Sarah says, he’s stable, and June says, let’s do it. They hear a zombie outside, but June says she needs Sarah to stay there. June cuts into Malcolm’s side, and looks at the instructions Sarah is holding. The monitor begins beeping like crazy, and June says he’s going in shock from the infection. He flatlines, and June gets on top of him to begin CPR, telling Sarah to get the adrenaline. She says, come on, Malcolm, and continues, but Sarah says, it’s not her fault. It’s over. June won’t stop pumping on Malcolm’s chest, and Sarah unplugs the monitor. June still keeps going, and Malcolm turns and wakes, throwing her to the ground, him tumbling on top of her. He’s totally crazed, and Sarah stabs him in the head.

June buries Malcolm, and Sarah hands her a flask. June takes a swig, and coughs, saying, she’d hate to taste the bad stuff. Sarah says, it doesn’t matter. Like her brother always says, as long as it gets you to the same place at the end. They pass the flask back and forth. June asks where Wendell went, and Sarah says, wherever June was. June asks how long they’ve been away, and June says, 29 hours. They have to be at Paradise Ridge in three. June says they can’t keep this up, but Sarah says she’s got No-Doze. June says they’re stretched too thin, and there are too many people too far apart. They keep doing too little too late. Sarah says everything June is asking, to build a hospital, Ginny won’t go for it. She already asked, didn’t she? June says Ginny told her it was too dangerous for people to travel. Sarah says, too dangerous for Ginny. Speaking of which, where’s Terry; he’s late. John comes on the radio, and asks if they’re still near marker 68. Terry is sleeping one off, so he volunteered. He tells them, sit tight. He’ll be there in five. June can ride with him.

In the car, June tells John that she lost Malcolm. She told him it was going to be okay and she lost him. When Ginny put her in charge, she thought she’d actually be saving lives. John says they could leave. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the cabin is 100 miles from Paradise Ridge. If they’re careful, they can make it on the gas they’ve got, although they might have to hoof it for the last 10 to 14 miles. She says they can’t leave, but he says, Janis and Cameron had a whole plan before Cameron died. Janis tried to give it to him so he and June could escape, but he didn’t take it. She says she wants to save people and make a difference. How can she save anyone by running? John says she can save him. He can’t stay there. He has the feeling if he does, he’s not going to last long. June says, whatever happened, he doesn’t need to protect her. They could get as far away as possible, and Ginny will hunt them down. He says, not if she can’t find them. They’ll be there before she knows they’re gone. June says they can’t leave everyone behind, but he says he wants this for them. Wouldn’t she? Come with him. They hear someone on the radio say, get their asses to Tank Town. There’s been an accident. It’s bad. June tells John, no one will know they’re  gone if they don’t show up. He suggests they go, and put some cans of gas in the car. they can have gas to spare to look for supplies. I wonder why Ginny is so unoriginal with town names.   

They pull up, and see people blackened with soot, some still coming out from under the bridge. June tells Sarah to start assessing who needs help. She asks Luci, what happened? and Luci says, a well blew. They were digging a new one, and everyone got hurt who was working there. There are open flames near the tank. She says they have to go back in, and Sarah tells June, they have to get them out. June asks if they can walk, but Luci says, no. That’s why they’re still there. Another car comes, and Luci says, sh*t. Ginny gets out, and I say, sh*t. Luci says, workers are still in there, and June says she’ll do what she can. Luci tells Ginny, she’s not stopping them, but Ginny says, she wouldn’t dream of it. She came to make sure to keep everyone alive. Luci says, it was safe; they did everything by the book. Ginny tells a Ranger to question the people outside, and tells John to go up above. Make sure oil is the only thing raining down on them. John tells June that Ginny is only helping people for her own ends, but June says she’s going to help those people come out. Then they’ll go away together. They have a brief kiss, and she goes to the truck.

Sarah drives them in, and Luci tells her, be careful. The soil might be unstable. June asks, what happened? and Luci says they had to drill a new well. Sarah asks if she knows why, but Luci says, no. Oil spurts up and is pouring down everywhere. Luci says they don’t want get stuck in it. Keep their eyes on the wind. If it changes direction, they might have to get out. June says, don’t breath it in, and don’t look up. Sarah asks if she’s done this before, and June says, it’s kind of how they met.

They get out, and Ginny asks how long this could go on. Luci says, for months, actually years. Ginny wants them to stop the oil flow, but Luci says they’ll get the workers out first. Ginny looks up, and says, they’re resident philanthropist has been at work. We see a water tower with The End Is The Beginning written on it. Ginny says, it wasn’t there this morning. That’s not an accident; someone meant to do this. She’s not leaving until she finds out who. June says she won’t be finding out anything if they’re not alive, and yells for stretchers. She asks a guy lying on the ground if he’s okay, and Ginny asks his name. June says, he might have a perforated eardrum, and has someone move him. She sees Wes, and asks if he can walk, and Ginny asks where the bunks are. She has to narrow down the field somehow. June calls for bandages, and tells Wes he did great. There’s shrapnel in his stomach, and they have to stop the bleeding. A zombie toddles in, and June fights with it. Ginny shoots it, and looks at scratches on June’s arm, saying, it looks like she arm wrestled with a polecat. We see razor blades attached to the zombie’s fingers, and June says, someone put those on there. Ginny asks what Wes isn’t telling them. This is what she’s there to find out. June asks why she makes it so hard, but Ginny says, everything she does is to protect people. June gives a nearby woman a flask, and says, to take the edge off. The woman takes a swig, and says, it’s terrible. Ginny tells someone to get the woman in the truck, but she says she doesn’t know anything. She tells June, she’s not doing so hot, and June says, load her up. Luci tells the woman, she’ll be fine, and June tells Wes to do his best to stay still. Ginny says they need answers, but June says he’ll die if they move him. Luci says, Wes didn’t do it, and Ginny says, maybe; maybe not. She calls to one of the Rangers to show them what he found in Wes’s bunk. The Ranger dumps out some spray paint cans, and Ginny say she wants to know why he’s spreading destructive ideas around the community. She tells June and Luci that they’re going to help her figure it out.

Ginny asks how long he’s been doing this, and Wes says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She asks why he has paint, and he says he likes to paint. She says, here’s the deal. Tell her what she wants to know, and he’ll stop hurting. June says, he needs to be sedated; get him in the truck. Ginny asks why he likes paint, and Wes says he just does. She presses on his wound, and he cries out. She asks where his brother is, and he says, dead. She asks if his brother was with the rebels, but Wes says he doesn’t know. She pushes on his wound again, and he yells. Ginny says, come on. Answer the question. June sticks in the syringe, giving him the sedative. She tells Ginny that she’s going to kill him, and Ginny says, all right. Get him in the truck, but she’s not letting him out of her sight until he answers every question. Is that clear? Ginny looks unhinged, which we’ve never seen before.

June tells Ginny, don’t even look at him until he’s patched up. Ginny says she doesn’t let people die for no reason. They both want the same thing. June says she wants to help these people, and she can’t even help her husband. They open the truck to find everyone has turned into zombies. I guess June won’t be helping them either. June stabs their heads, and Ginny shoots. Sarah gets Wes into the truck, and June tries to lure the zombies away. Luci calls to June, and closes the truck. June says she’ll be right behind. Ginny continues to shoot at the zombies, and the tank that’s on fire blows up. It’s a domino effect, and everything blows and burns.  

Ginny lies unconscious. She opens her eyes, and a zombie next to her gets up. June wakes up near them, and the zombie is on top of Ginny. She smashes it’s head with something, but still gets bit on the hand. She says, no, no, no, and cries. Karma anybody? Couldn’t happen to a nicer person. I’d actually like to see zombie Ginny.

On the radio, Hill asks if Ginny is okay. Ginny says, no, and he says they’re trying to get entry. She tells him, try harder. Where the hell is he? He says, the whole place went up. It’s going to take time. She says she doesn’t have any more time, and smashes the radio. She takes off her belt and makes a tourniquet. She pours alcohol on the wound. June grabs an ax lying nearby, and Ginny says she can do it with that. June says, yeah, but she’s not going to. Ginny asks what she said, and June says, Ginny heard her. Those people died because of her. She made them wait while she asked questions. Ginny says she’ll do it herself. Give her the ax. June won’t give it to her, and Ginny goes all Joan Crawford, repeating, give me the ax. Ginny knocks June down, but June fights back. She sits on Ginny, and picks up the ax. Sarah radios, and Ginny asks June to help her. June says, some dogs you need to know when to put out to pasture. Sarah needs help with Wes, and June gives her instructions. Ginny says she was trying to save everyone from something effecting all of them. June thinks this rag tag group is going to help, but they don’t know what they’re doing. Page blew her own head off rather than answer some questions. They care more about themselves than their women. June may not like her, but they need her. She’s the only thing standing between them and what’s out there. June says Ginny is the problem; she always has been. Ginny asks what June wants. She’ll get it for her; anything. June says she wants to wake up and have her husband back. Sarah comes on the radio, and says they goddam did it. Wes is stable. Get her ass out there. Ginny says June helped people after all. One thing she’s begging June for… Dakota, her sister. June needs to make sure Dakota is all right and taken care of. Everything she’s done, she did because she wanted Dakota safe. That’s all she wanted. Maybe June will have better luck. She does love Dakota; she did love her. June has no idea what it’s like to care so much about someone, and not able to help. June says she does, and puts the grain alcohol on the ax. Ginny asks what she’s doing, and June says, something she may regret. Ginny yells, and we hear a chop.

Ginny comes to, and June tells her, don’t move. There are two things that can calm a rising wound; gun powder and hot metal. Today is Ginny’s lucky day. Ginny says, that’s not what it feels like. June asks what Ginny knows about these people. Who did this? Ginny says they should talk; they’ll talk. June says they will. Ginny was right. There is something she wants. Ginny asks, what is it? John comes through the wreckage, and he and June hug. He sees Ginny, and radios for a stretcher.

Ginny is in the car, and Hill asks what she wants him to tell her sister. She says she needs to talk to her. She needs to hear Dakota’s voice. He radios for someone to find Dakota. June asks Luci if Wes is okay, and Wes says he’s in one piece. Sarah says they can’t say the same for Captain Hook, and asks June, what happened? June says she saved Ginny’s life, and Wes asks why’d she do that? Luci says she was wondering the same thing, and Sarah says, that makes three of them. June says she’s giving them a hospital, but Luci says they can’t trust her. Good people died; their people. They have to matter. June says they have to make it matter. They can watch their backs. They’d be calling the shots, not Ginny. They get to choose where to put the hospital, and who works there. Sarah says they’re force isn’t exactly John Hopkins, and June says she made Ginny give them another medic. Or at least someone who should have been one. A car pulls up, and Wendall says, got room for him? Sarah runs out, and hugs him. I get a little teary.

John tells June, they’ll be clearing out soon, and June says they’re going to be given a hospital. She can’t leave. She doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t understand. Every time she’s run, it leads to something worse. She wants to lead; she doesn’t want to run. He says he can’t stay, and June says, they might need him too. Ginny goes past in her car, and John says Ginny pulled the wool over June’s eyes like she did with him. June says, it’s them, here, now; and John says, maybe she can do it.  Sarah tells June, they’re going scouting, and Wendall says they have no gas to burn anymore. June asks if John will follow behind, and he says, of course. She runs to the truck.

John follows the truck until they get to a fork in the road. He goes the other way.

Next time – the mid-season finale – Dakota tells Victor, now is the time to do something; Morgan says, it doesn’t have to go this way; Alicia gets into trouble; and Ginny asks Victor who’s side he’s on.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Huck had a weird ass acid trippy dream involving a bar with a jukebox. She woke up, cleaned her gun, and went out hunting for whatever she could find. She rifled through a zombie’s clothes, taking what was usable, and found a Marine pin, which she took as well. A truck came by, and she hid until she saw it was Felix. He took her back to where they were holed up, and she passed out clothes. Tony showed Elton some magic, and it was all good. For a minute.

Huck gifted Felix with a full bottle of Mountain Dew, and he said he would never stop missing it. He drank it like water back in the day. She told him, as long as they kept to the side streets, they should be good, but he said they didn’t have enough fuel to get to New York. Tony said he had a lead on where they could get some more, and showed them a military map. He said it looked to be useless, but looks were deceiving. He took out some sheets of plastic, and explained he’d used them in illusions. When they put the plastic on the map, and shined a light on it, it oil drops were revealed. Tony said, that’s where the hidden CRM fuel caches were. It was all gas they needed. Percy told them it was where the helicopters touched down to refuel. Tony asked Felix when they were going to drop him off, but Felix didn’t know yet. He told Tony that the girls’ father was in a secret research facility. 

We got some of Huck’s backstory when she flashed back to the same bar her dream took place in. She was there in a blindfold playing darts, and hit the target in the center. She flirted with a guy there, who said they had each other’s backs. Suddenly, there was breaking news on the TV that a 6th hospital was on lockdown.

Percy found Iris using the plastic sheets on another map, and asks if she found anything. She told him to get Hope, and said it was the map the colonel gave her. She pointed to something, saying, there it was; a double helix. Now they knew where their father was. Everyone was happy. For a minute.  

The kids found some liquor, and partied upstairs. Felix wanted to put a stop to that, but Tony told him, let them be teenagers. Huck excused herself, saying she was tired. Her trip had brought back memories. Tony and Felix shared a flask.  

Elton said the booze was like a warm sack of nails hugging his insides, and Hope said, let’s party. They pulled some couches over, and Percy suggested they play Truth or Dare. Elton didn’t know what that was, but he was in. Iris chose truth, and Percy asked, if she could do anything she wanted, what would it be. She said she’d hit the Louvre, and Percy said he’d been hoping for an answer with a less tranquilizing effect, but she said, a girl can dream. Percy made a toast to dreaming.  

Felix drank with Tony, and wondered if he was helping or putting everyone in more danger. Tony said they couldn’t predict the future. He was a man of many lives before he became Percy’s legal guardian. He got money from the state, and thought he’d hit pay dirt, but it wasn’t a day before he knew he’d give his life for Percy’s. Who knew? They heard the kids laughing, and Felix said, who knew?  

It was Hope’s turn, and she also chose truth. Percy asked what was the worst thing she’d ever done, and she said she locked the faculty bathroom after spiking the teachers’ coffee with laxatives. Percy didn’t think it was the truth, and said, you can’t con a con man. Silas told him to stop, but Hope said he was right. The worst thing she’d ever done was agree to play this stupid game. She left, and Elton followed her. He hugged her, and she told him that he was drunk, and she needed to be alone.

On the roof, Huck pondered the Marine pin, and remembered being back in the military, along with the guy from the bar. The sergeant told them they were being deployed to the city. They were to locate civilians, escort them to safety, and eliminate the hostile targets they encountered. Everyone yelled, kill! They shot a bunch of zombies, one of the Marines asking, what the hell were those things? Huck said they had been people, and a shot in the head shot seemed to take them down. Huck and her friend heard live people in a building, but it was dark, so they had to put on special goggles that made the live people show up in red. They shot the zombies, and Huck told the people they were safe.     

Hope found Huck on the roof, and Huck told her that she shouldn’t be up there drunk, or there at all. She asked what was eating at Hope. Something had been up since the blaze, and it wasn’t something small. Hope said she’d killed someone the night the sky fell. She didn’t know who the woman was, but the woman was scared Hope’s mom was going to take her truck, and freaked out. Hope started to cry, saying, it was all her fault. She told Huck, the woman dropped the gun, and she picked up, pointing it at her, and it went off. The woman was pregnant, and Hope killed her. She was Elton’s mom. Huck told Hope that she was just a kid, and the woman had killed her mom in front of her. Hope said Iris knew, but didn’t know it was Elton’s mom. Huck told her, she shouldn’t. They couldn’t change what was done, but they could carry the truth for others. They had the strength to do it. She said, welcome to the party, kid. The night managed to get darker, but she promised the light would come.

When they got to the fuel cache, Tony told them there was gas enough for whatever they wanted. Hope told Huck that she’d finished his mother’s book, and thought she was smart and kind. She thinks his mother just freaked out because of what was happening, and thought Elton would forgive what happened, but Huck told her to choose the finer thing. Hope said they’d be stuck living lie, but Huck said no one knew it was a lie. The others got to live, while the two of them would pay, but the others would live because of them.

Huck flashed back to getting orders from Central Command; Sunset Protocol. They were to kill all targets in the grid, and put down anything walking. Friendly or unfriendly; civilian or hostile; living or dead.

Still on the roof, Huck heard a noise, and thought it was Hope. She went inside to find a guy holding a gun to Hope’s head. Downstairs, Tony and Felix were checking the place out. Tony said his philosophy had been keep moving, keep conning, keep surviving. He’d been living on the streets, surviving on anything, when he met a girl who showed him there was more, but it’s different now. Felix said, maybe it didn’t have to be. They went into a room filled with pipes, and found the fuel. Tony said, jackpot.

The guy told Huck to stand back, and she said she was a statue. She saw a wound on his leg, and he said, they were the helicopters. He asked how many more there were, but Huck said she and Hope were just scavenging; they weren’t them. He said they had the same symbol on their jackets, and asked who they were. The place was belonged to his group, and they took it, so his group took it back. Huck said it wasn’t them, and he said he woke up, and his brother had turned. Huck told him that he wasn’t going to last much longer with that leg. She said their names were Hope and Huck, and they were just passing through. She asked his name, and he said, Walter. Huck told him that she could help him, but he had to let her friend go first. Then he could train the gun on her. Hope was just a kid; focus on her. Walter let Hope go, and he asked how she could save him. It was impossible. She said, trust her. They could do it. He let Hope go.

In Huck’s mind, her friend said a Central Command order was like a order from God. What if it was the only way they could stop it from spreading?

Walter said they shouldn’t be there. Maybe none of them should be. It wasn’t personal. Huck said if he shot her, he’d be taking his own life. She could help him. She’d seen people survive after the infection.

Huck remembered the sergeant saying he had verification on Sunset Protocol. He didn’t like it any more than they did, but it was absolutely necessary. Any Marine that failed to comply with orders would be taken into custody, and brought up on charges.

Walter said, it wasn’t supposed to go this way. Huck took his gun from him, and told him it was okay. Huck flashed back to seeing live people behind a fence, including children, frightened and crying. She kicked the light switch, and shot all of the Marines, including her friend. In the present, Huck shot Walter, and Hope said Huck told him that she could save him. Huck told her, sometimes, you have to forgive yourself. The others joined them, and Huck said she saved Hope. She suggested they get the hell out of there, and Tony looked at a CRM notebook Walter was carrying. He said it was something to work with.

Iris checked out the notebook, and said Hope was more bummed than she usually was. She felt like they were changing, and Hope said she felt like it was just a start. Tony announced that he and Felix talked it over, and he and Percy decided to extend the terms of their agreement. They were going to stick around and help find the girls’ dad. After that, who knows? Let the chips fall where they may. Felix said they were getting on the road at first light. Percy told Iris to come to the truck in an hour. She asked, for what? but he told her to just come. Silas kept an eye on all of this. Elton told Hope that he was sorry about what happened. It meant everything that she was still alive and with them. He did a disappearing card trick, and said he wouldn’t want lose her like the queen of hearts. Show someone the impossible, and suddenly everything seems possible. She thanked him for sharing his mother’s book, and said, she was an amazing woman. Elton said she was, and maybe she still is. Who knows? Everything is possible. Hope agreed.

Hope told Huck that she was right. If she’d told Elton, she would have just been doing it for herself. The truth would crush him. Huck said Hope was a good person, and Hope showed her a necklace, saying she took this from Elton’s mom. Did Huck still think she was a good person? Huck said she knew it, and the necklace proved it. It was a reminder, something she wore every day, to remember something bad she’d done. A reminder to keep living to do good. It was the only way to make the bad mean something.

Iris looked inside the truck, and Percy had made it like a room in the Louvre. At least as much as you can make a truck look like that. He had posters of artworks hanging up, and a larger reproduction of the Mona Lisa with a light on it. There were candles all around, and books on art. Iris fell asleep reading one, and when she woke, went back inside to find Percy. What she found instead was Tony with his face bashed in, and Silas’s wrench nearby. She called to Felix and Hope, and they saw a trail of blood leading to another body. Elsewhere, Silas was drunk and passed out.  

Next time, Felix says Silas was found passed out covered in blood, Iris says Tony and Percy must have had enemies, Elton tells Silas they’re going to leave him, and we see Silas tied to a tree while a zombie approaches.  

⛴ Until the Ship Sails…

I have to get up early, so that’s all, folks. I’ve tried that staying up all night stuff, but then I crash by noon. Until we meet on Deck, stay safe, stay unflinching, and stay living to do good, and making the bad mean something.