What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Paris, France. Valentin and Anna are making out on the couch when there’s a knock at the door. She says, it must be his contact, draws her gun, and opens the door. A beautiful blonde woman breezes past her, saying, Valentin, mon amour, and kisses him.
At Spring Ridge, Esme says, there must be a mistake. She tried to explain to the judge… The guard says, someone will be here shortly to escort her to her room, and Esme sits down, putting her head in her hands. Heather smooths Esme’s hair, and says, it’ll be all right, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be all right now.
A phone with an alert from The Invader says: NEWS: Judge Holloway ordered Esme Prince to be remanded to Spring Ridge Minimum Security Prison until her trial is concluded. Ms. Prince faces… Spencer looks up from his table at Kelly’s, and thanks Ava for coming. He says he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d blown off his request to meet. She says she considered it, and he asks why she came. She says, he knows what killed the cat, doesn’t he? She saw the news about Esme going to Spring Ridge. Does he want to throw a party? He says he wants something else, and she asks, what’s that? He says, someone he can trust.
Nina checks in at the hospital reception desk, telling the nurse that she’s here for a follow-up test to see if she’s a suitable match for bone marrow. How long does it take for her to find out she’s a match for Willow Tate, and where do they want her? The nurse says she’ll be right with her, and steps away. Sonny says he knows Nina is amped up, and she has every right to be, but she needs to slow it down, because she’s still processing the fact she’s Willow’s mother. Nina says, a fact Carly kept from her, and he says, but there is a possibility Nina will give Willow what she wants, and save her life. Nina just has a lot going on right now. She says she can handle it, and she can handle a lot more. She still can’t wrap her head around it. Yesterday, Willow was not her friend, and now she’s the daughter Nina didn’t know… She just can’t lose her.
Willow tells TJ that she let Dr. Navarro know she’s ready to have the baby. Whether that means inducing labor or having a C-section, she’s ready to move forward. TJ says, that’s such a relief, but Willow says she’s still worried about potential risks to the baby by having her prematurely. He asks, what changed her mind? and she says she doesn’t want to just give birth to this baby; she wants to raise her. She looks at Michael, and says, giving birth so she can get a bone marrow transplant increases the chance she’ll survive, so that’s what she wants to do. TJ says he’s not questioning her decision, but he doesn’t want them to get ahead of themselves. Willow says she knows. They still need to get confirmation that the woman who’s her biological… that Nina is a match, and they can go ahead with the transplant. TJ’s phone beeps, and he says, Nina just arrived for her follow-up test. Keep the faith. He’ll do everything else. Willow thanks him, and he leaves. She tells Michael that she still can’t believe it. After all the friction with Nina in her life, their whole family may depend on her. He says he can’t help thinking if they’d known sooner, this whole thing would have been over. Carly looks into the room window.
Valentin says he thinks some introductions are in order, and introduces Anna to Renee Levesque. Anna says, Valentin didn’t do her justice. She was expecting a little sewer rat. In French, Renee says, Valentin called her a rat? and he says, certainly not. He said she was a cataphile. He tells Anna that there’s a way Renee can help them find Lucy.
Heather says, she’s Esme’s m… mate, as in friend. Consider her an ally; Esme’s one woman support group. They’re all in this together at Spring Ridge. All of them are alike… misunderstood, lonely, lost… locked up. Esme says, unfortunately, that’s her, lost and locked up. She thought maybe Heather knew who she was, and why she’s locked up in this place, and Heather says she wishes she could tell Esme. She really has no memory at all of her past? Esme says, not one, and Heather says, that would explain it. Esme says, explain what? and Heather suggests they begin with introductions. She’s Heather. She shakes Esme’s hand, and Esme says she’s been told her name is Esme. Heather says, that’s a pretty name, from the French. It means beloved, loved. Esme says, Heather knows more than she does, and Heather says, she knows whoever gave Esme that special name must have loved her very much. Esme says, if they loved her so much, where are they now when she really needs them? and Heather says, who knows? Maybe they’re closer than she thinks. Esme says, they certainly weren’t there in the courthouse when the judge called her a menace to society, and sent her to come here. Heather says she sees Esme’s pregnant. Does she know how far along she is? Heather would guess her third trimester. She knows this isn’t a great prison, but it sure beats being sent to Pentenville, or the D’Archam nuthouse. Esme tells her, if you say so, and Heather invites her to sit down. Get to know each other better. They have all the time in the world.
Ava says she assumes Spencer wanted to meet to discuss the future of his family estate, and he says, Windymere. What about it? She says she thought his father or Uncle Victor would have told him. She plans to make Windymere the grand prize when she divorces Nikolas. He says, really? and she says, that wasn’t the reaction she anticipated. He says he admits there was a time when the family estate mattered a great deal to him, but now it’s more of a reminder of… She says, a reminder of what? Esme? He says, it isn’t Esme that he cares about; it’s the baby she’s carrying. Ava knows the baby is his father’s, and he knows the baby is his father’s, but Esme does not. She says, his father knows, and Spencer says, which is exactly why they have to make sure he never has the opportunity to ruin another life the way he ruined theirs.
Sonny says he refuses to believe Nina discovered she has a daughter, and she’s going to lose her. And he’s going to move heaven and earth to make sure Willow and that baby make it through this. She says she knows he can do anything he puts his mind to, but this is all on her, and whether or not she matches with Willow. TJ comes out, and asks if Nina is ready to have her blood drawn. She says she is, and asks if he’s doing it, but he says, the nurse will do the honors, but he wants to be there as Willow’s friend to supervise. Does she have a problem with that? Nina says, no, she doesn’t… Does he have a problem with it? She just wants to say again that she’s sorry… He says, someone’s life is at stake; his friend’s life. That’s all that matters. Nina agrees, and he asks her to follow him.
Michael asks what Carly is doing here, and she says she got all the way home, and realized she was taking the coward’s way out, so she came back. He says, not now. Nina is waiting for a test to confirm if she’s a bone marrow transplant match. She says, thank God, and he says, the point is, he doesn’t want anything upsetting Willow right now. Carly says, and the last thing Willow needs is her. She understands. Willow says, wait. She tells Carly, they’ve learned the hard way that keeping silent does the most harm, and Carly says, that’s why she’s back; to tell Willow that she’s really, really sorry. If she could go back to the night she found out Nina was Willow’s birth mother. If she knew then what she knows now… Michael says, so it’s Willow’s fault for keeping her condition a secret? but Carly says, no. She’s not second guessing or blaming. If she was in Willow’s shoes, she would have done the same thing. She would have done whatever it took to save her baby. Willow says, it’s the hardest decision she ever had to make, and Carly says she’s in awe of Willow’s courage, but if she’d known what Willow was facing, Willow has to believe she never would have kept secret who Willow’s birth mother was. Willow says, even if it was Nina? The woman who took everything from Carly?
In an exam room, Nina asks TJ why they have to do another test? Didn’t the cheek swab confirm she was a match? He says, the cheek swab was only an indicator she might be a match. Once they take her blood sample, they can compare it with Willow’s, and that will definitively tell them if she’s a match. Nina says, and then Willow will get a bone marrow transplant, and she’ll start to heal, and she’ll be able to have the baby. Sonny says he knows she’s excited, but they have to let TJ and the nurse do their job first. He asks TJ to give them a second, and TJ leaves with the nurse. Sonny tells Nina that Donna always gets a lollipop before she gets a shot. Is there anything he can do for her to take care of her? She says she doesn’t need a lollipop, but she does need him to do something. He says, name it, and she says, be happy for her.
Ava says, there was a time she had faith in Spencer’s father, and Spencer says, look where that faith has gotten her. He cheated on her with Spencer’s ex-girlfriend. She says, not that she believes in their marriage now, but there was a time she did. If that makes her a fool for love, so be it. At least she was happy for a time. Some people never even get that. He says, when he came back to town, he thought she was the root of all evil, and she says she knows; he was quite vocal on the subject. He says he knows now it was wrong. He thought, if only he could break up Ava and his father’s marriage, everything with him and his father would fall into place. Now he realizes the problem was never Ava; it was his father. She says, there’s no question Nikolas wronged them both, but he didn’t do all that damage on his own. He had a little help, from Esme.
Heather takes some yarn from a basket, and tells Esme, this is what we call occupational therapy. We make friendship bracelets. She pushes the basket toward Esme, saying, try it, but Esme pushes the basket away. Esme says, according to the cops and the staff at General Hospital, she has no friends. Heather says, that’s okay. Esme can have the one she’s making when she’s done with it. A gift from one new friend to another. Esme says, ever since she woke up in that hospital bed, she’s been treated like a criminal, or like this baby inside of her is some ticking time bomb, but Heather says, not anymore. She’s not going to let that happen. Esme says she doesn’t understand. They just met. Why does Heather care what happens to her?
Anna says, cataphile, that’s impressive. Did Renee go to school for that; the history and layout of prison catacombs? Renee says, but of course (🍷). She went to the school of hard knocks. She and Valentin learned together – she takes his arm – combing the catacombs at night. They’d pop up and have their pick of the finest jewelry shops in Paris. Anna asks what they did during the day, and Renee says, what the Parisians do better than anyone, and laughs. Valentin extracts himself, and says, as nice as it is to see Renee again, a woman’s life is at stake, and every second counts. He hands her a folder, and Renee says, they’ll keep it about business. Anna says, they need access to the compound. They need to gain entry, so they can get in and extract their prisoner, and then they need to get out. They’ll need to make a getaway. Valentin asks if Renee thinks it can be done, but she says, sadly, no… except by the greatest cataphile of them all – moi. Anna asks if that means she’s willing to help them, and Renee says, for Valentin, she’ll do anything. She knows exactly which branch of the mines will afford them access to the compound. Anna says, Renee called them mines? and Renee says, it’s a common mistake to call them catacombs. The truth is, it’s a network of 15th century subterranean mines connected by large galleries. For their purposes, all that matters is she gets them where they want to go without detection. Valentin asks where she’s going, and she says, to make arrangements. Don’t worry. She’ll be back. She kisses him on both cheeks, leaving red lipstick prints. She leaves, and Anna says she’ll just clean him up a little bit, and wipes the lipstick off.
Heather says, Esme is right not to trust just anyone. Shows she has good breeding. She must come from good people. Esme tells her, if you say so. Then again, why should she trust Heather? Heather says, that’s my girl, and Esme asks what that means. Heather says she just meant, If they stick together, they can help each other. Most Ridgeans are harmless enough, but every place gets their share of riff-raff. Esme says, like who? and Heather says, like Ryan Chamberlain. She needs to avoid him at all costs. Esme tells her, Dr. Collins said he had a twin named Ryan, and he couldn’t hurt a fly, and Heather says, Ryan appears to be suffering from a physical condition that’s left him a bit declawed. But trust her. Stay away from him. He’s as sick as they come. Esme says, what about Heather? What did she do to end up in here? Heather says she loved too much. First, it was about her sons. One of them is in the slammer, and the other is six feet under. Esme says she’s sorry to hear that. Is there anyone else? Heather says, yes, a daughter; her one and only.
Spencer tells Ava, Esme is anything but an innocent victim. And even if it’s proven she’s not a killer, she’s no more fit to raise a child than his father is. That’s why he’s hoping to hire Diane Miller to sue for custody. She says, he wants custody, even though the child isn’t his? and he says, yes. It may not be his child, but it will be his half-sibling; his flesh and blood. That baby will be the only innocent person in this family, and if there’s any hope of salvaging something good out of all the pain and lies his father has inflicted on them, it lies with that baby. She asks, what was Diane’s reaction? and he says, Diane told him it’s a long shot, but she would consider going to war for him. Ava says, Diane’s no fool. If she thinks there’s a chance… She asks if he’s told his father his intentions, but Spencer says, he’ll know when the time is right. She asks what Trina thinks of his plan, but he doesn’t answer. She says, he hasn’t told Trina either, has he?
Carly tells Willow that Nina didn’t take anything from her. Sonny made his choices, and the MetroCourt is just real estate. She has her family, and Willow and her baby are a part of that family. She’d never knowingly put Willow at risk. Michael says, but she did by keeping the truth from Willow, and Carly says she was just trying to protect Willow. She was so worried about the harm Nina would cause, and she knew if Nina wormed her way into Willow’s life, she wouldn’t stop there. Michael says, just call it what it is. It was revenge. Carly says, it was not, and Willow says she needs to talk to Carly alone. Michael says, anything for her, and leaves. Carly sits down, and says, it’s just them. Say what she needs to say; don’t hold back. Willow says, don’t worry. She won’t.
Sonny says he’s happy for Nina. He just starts thinking about Carly and how she kept that secret from Nina and Willow, when it could have been life and death. Nina says, let her make this clear. She has no intentions of forgiving and forgetting what Carly did to her, but right now it’s about saving her daughter. Her whole life, she wanted a child. She thought she had a chance with Sasha, but that was just a cruel lie. Then she found out Nelle was her daughter after she was dead. It’s like this incredible gift was given to her; she gets to be a mother. And no matter how Willow feels about her, no matter their history, Willow needs her. Sonny says, Willow is lucky to have her, but Nina says she’s lucky to have Willow even more. She needs Willow just as much. TJ and the nurse come back, and TJ asks if they’re good to go. Sonny says, they’re good, and leaves. Nina says, let’s do this, and hops onto the examining table.
Willow says, for not one minute does she believe Carly would deliberately hurt her, but it wasn’t Carly’s decision to make. Once Carly found out who her mother was, Carly owed it to Willow to tell her; to trust her to be able to handle it. She’s not made of glass. She lost a child and thought she’d die with him, but she didn’t. She found the strength to go on. And if it’s not too late, she prays she has the strength to live for Michael, Wiley, and their new baby. Carly says, Willow is right. She did the very thing she’d hate if it were done to her. She didn’t trust Willow to stand up for herself. She asks if Willow can find it in her heart to forgive her, and Willow says she’s forgiven Carly already. (Pfft!) Carly thanks her, and says she’s so sorry. She’s so grateful for Willow, and loves Willow as if she was her own daughter. She’s going to let Willow get some rest. If there’s anything she needs… Willow asks if Carly will stop by the house, and give Wiley a hug. Carly says she can do that. She truly prays that Nina comes through for Willow and the baby. Willow says, so does she.
Valentin gives Anna a glass of wine, and tells her, before she says anything, there’s nothing going on between him and Renee. Anna says she knows. Not now, but in the past. He says, remember the smash and grab robberies he told her about that he engineered in Prague, Berlin, Milan, Paris of course (🍷)? Renee was a key part of the operation because of her understanding about the catacombs. He thinks it was for the thrill; she enjoyed being a rule breaker. She says, and him? and he says, it was an opportunity to make a large sum of money by separating some very rich people from their baubles. He’s never claimed to be a choir boy. However, he’s made some very generous donations to charity, and the high end jewelry stores were heavily insured. She says, so it’s a victimless crime, but he tells her, he wouldn’t say that. But there are far uglier ways to make money. She says, and Renee? and he tells her, like he said, she was in it for the thrill, but there was never a real connection; not like he has with her. She says she just wonders if they can trust her. It’s not jealousy, but he’s climbed out of the catacombs into the light, and she wonders if Renee is in it for an easy score or to break some more rules. He says, Lucy’s life is at stake. There’s no time to find anyone else, at least not with Renee’s skills. So how does she want to play this?
Outside, somewhere in Paris, Gavin says, they took their sweet time getting there. It’s freezing. We see he’s meeting Renee, and she hands him some cash. She asks if this will keep him warm. There’s more where this came from. Does he still work for Victor Cassadine? He says, who? and she says, askMonsieur Cassadine what it’s worth to him to have his son and Anna served up en brochette.
Heather tells Esme that her little girl was taken from her when she was just a baby. Esme says she wishes someone would take hers, but Heather tells her, don’t ever say that. Getting her little girl back, and keeping her safe and happy is all she lives for. She grabs Esme’s hand, and says, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do… Esme says, Heather is hurting her, and Heather says she’s sorry. Esme asks the guard if her room is ready, but Heather says, don’t leave yet. They’ve just begun to get acquainted.
There’s a knock at Willow’s door, and Sonny says he got her message that she wanted to see him. She says she can’t believe she’s saying this, but how’s Nina?
Michael goes to the chapel, and kneels down, then gets hit by a lightning bolt. He says he’s not asking for him. He’s asking for Wiley and the baby and Willow. He knows there’s going to be a lot of baggage dealing with Nina as Willow’s mother in the future, but that’s next week’s problem. For today, please let them be a match. Just… give Willow a chance. That’s all he’s asking. He hears the door open, and Carly is there.
In French, Renee tells Valentin, it’s all been arranged. She’ll lead them tomorrow through the underground network. Through the twists and turns until they reach the compound. From there, they can find the prisoner and set her free. He says he knew he could count on her. What did he tell Anna? She’s one of a kind. Anna tells him, she’s everything he said she’d be, and more so. Renee says, just like old times. N’c’est pas, mon amour? She touches his face, and asks Anna if they’re in this together.
Spencer tells Ava, looping Trina in would only complicate her life, which is something he’s done plenty of already. She says, he can’t have it both ways. He can’t try to renew his friendship with Trina, and keep her in the dark about such a big move. Or hasn’t he learned anything from the last time, when he came back to town with Esme? He asks if Ava really thinks he should tell Trina, and she says she does. Tell her, and let her make the choice if she wants to be involved. He says, she’s right, but he didn’t ask her here to get advice. She says, then what? She knows Diane is expensive, but he certainly doesn’t need her money or approval. He says, if he’s going to go up against his father, he can’t do it alone.
Heather follows Esme to the other side of the room, and says she’s sorry if she came on too strong. Seeing Esme in the family way pushed her buttons. Does she know if it’s a boy or a girl? Has she picked any names? Esme says she just met Heather, and what she decides to do with this baby is strictly her business. Does Heather understand? Heather says she understands completely. That baby isn’t just an inconvenience to Esme, no matter how she tries to pretend. Esme cares about her child. Almost as much as Heather cares about hers.
Carly says she’ll keep her distance, but Michael says, Willow needs all of their prayers. She tells him that he keeps saying what Willow needs; what about him? Does he have room in his heart for her?
Valentin tells Anna, they have to move quickly before Victor learns of their plan and moves Lucy to another location. It’s now or never. Anna looks at Renee, and says, then it’s now.
Michael says he knows what Carly wants to hear, but he can’t deal with her right now. All that matters is Willow, and he needs to be with her. He walks out.
Willow says she doesn’t know if there will be a happy ending for her, but Sonny tells her, don’t say that. She’s going have beautiful baby, and get much better. Trust him. She says, even he can’t guarantee that. So if it turns out she’s not here for her family, she needs him and Michael to stop being enemies; become father and son again. She’s not saying it will be easy. Sonny will have to earn it, but please do whatever he can to win Michael’s forgiveness. Because she knows Michael needs him, and Sonny needs Michael. He takes her hand, and says he’s going to do what he can. Take care of his grandchild, understand him? She nods, and Sonny leaves.
Ava says, Diane already warned Spencer that he’s in for a fight. She knows Nikolas, and he won’t hesitate to play dirty when it comes to the custody of his child. Spencer says he’s ready. After all, his father taught him all those same dirty tricks. She says she admires his initiative, but he’s right. He’s going to need all the help he can get. He’s going to have to count on somebody who’s willing to get down and dirty too. Spencer asks if she has anyone in mind, and she points to herself.
The guard says, Esme’s room is ready, and Esme jets. Heather says she knows it’s just Esme’s hormones talking. She understands what Esme is going through. The guard escorts Esme down the hall, and Heather yells that she’ll be here when Esme needs her. She goes back to the table, and yells, wait. Esme forgot her bracelet. She clutches the bracelet to her chest.
TJ comes back to the exam room, and says he thought Nina would be long gone by now. He personally made sure the lab has her bloodwork, so there’s nothing more she can do until they get the results. She says she just wanted to know what’s next. She knows she’s going to be a match. Does he know how soon Willow can get her transplant? He says, nothing can happen until Willow gives birth. After that, she’ll go through another round of chemotherapy to kill the diseased cells. After that, they take stem cells from Nina, and inject them in Willow’s bloodstream. Nina says, okay, and then? and he says, if all goes well, Willow will produce healthy new blood cells. Nina says, all has to go well.
Michael goes back to Willow’s room, and asks if there’s any news. Is Nina a match? She says, nothing yet, and he tells her that he said a prayer for her and the baby. She says she needs all the prayers she can get, and he says, that’s what he told his mom. Willow might be able to forgive her, but he’s not sure he can. They hug.
Carly is in the chapel when Sonny walks in.
Tomorrow, Curtis says they’d like Marshall’s help with the ceremony; Josslyn says she’d never make Spencer choose sides, but clearly he already has; Dex says, the sooner this is over for him, the better; and Sonny says, Carly might be able to lie to herself, but not to him.
😵 Wow…
There are no words. It’s scary that some people can’t separate reality from fiction.
💋 Overstaying Her Welcome Now…
Andy hopes she comes back. I don’t.
Yet one more weighs in.
🧂 Kind Of Late…
If they’re worried about her mental health, it’s probably not a good idea to wait six and a half years.
☠️ Most Toxic…
Another matter of opinion. While Jax is definitely the worst human being on earth, why weren’t Teresa and Melissa on this list? Or Teresa and Joe #2? Or Teresa and that Solo cup?
👰🏾 Look Who’s Officiating Now…
And doing the Electric Slide.
https://people.com/movies/anika-noni-rose-marries-jason-dirden-colman-domin/
🦔 Besides the Usual…
A capybara and a fennec fox please.
https://www.journiest.com/bizarre-pets-around-the-world-2547432805.html
🍩 Time To Make the Donuts…
Come for a visit tomorrow, where there will be soap and a selection of fine tea. Until then, stay safe, stay disagreeing respectfully, and stay not doing the very thing you’d hate if it were done to you.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 