What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sitting in her office, Carly looks at the Valentine’s Day card Donna and Avery made her. There’s a knock at the door, and Rebecca comes in. She says she reviewed Carly’s list for the divorce settlement; it’s a really short list. Carly says she just wants this divorce over and done with, but Rebecca says she has rights, and if Carly wants to fight for them, she’s here to get her everything she wants and deserves. Carly says she appreciates that, but like she told Rebecca, she and Sonny went through a divorce before, and it was brutal. She doesn’t want to repeat that experience, and wants it over as painlessly as possible. Rebecca says, it’s her call, but she hates to see Carly walk away from what could be a massive win. She has the leverage to get the lion’s share of the assets, and primary custody to boot. Carly says, that won’t be necessary, when Sonny walks in with his lawyer Malcolm. Carly sees he and Rebecca know each other, and Rebecca says she was hoping for someone less formidable, but she’s not surprised. Malcolm says, now that all parties are present, shall we begin negotiations?

Esme says, that’s why Trina was at Laura’s on Valentine’s Day. Laura gave her Spence’s gift, didn’t she? Trina says, it wasn’t a Valentine’s gift; the day was just a coincidence. No big deal. Esme says she knows. Spence told her that he got Trina something. Josslyn says, did he? and Esme says, of course (🍷). Spence tells her everything. Josslyn says, Spencer tells her everything? Is she sure? Or is that explanation as fake as the rest of her?

Yohan meets Victor at the Pier 55, the only pier in Port Charles. Victor is looking at his phone, and Yohan asks if the weather app says the heat wave is going to continue. Victor says, never mind that. Any news on their boy? Yohan says he’s not going to like it, and Victor says, what he doesn’t like are these pointless conversations. It’s too hot to play games; spit it out. Sam listens from around the corner. Hmm… I wonder if the weather thing has to do with the Ice Princess.

Laura comes out of the hospital elevator with assistant Eileen. Laura thanks her for taking care of this; she knows Eileen is swamped. Eileen says, it’s no problem, and besides, it gives her a chance to get out of her office. Laura sees Robert, and asks if he’s heard anything about the search for Peter and Maxie. He says, Anna, Drew, and Dante are still in Europe, following up on that clue Maxie left. However, there’s been a complication. Eileen listens in.

Drew, Anna, and Dante shoot at the house, but Dante says they can’t cover Drew from here. Anna tells them, stop, and yells that Peter can’t escape. The WSB has this location, and back-up is en route. Don’t make this any worse than it already is. Give yourself up.

Maxie runs to the road and waves her arms at an oncoming car, yelling for them to stop. Felicia jumps out (quell surprise!), and hugs Maxie.

Rebecca says, her client has no interest in prolonging these proceedings, nor does she wish to go to court. Once they have a final agreement, she’ll draw up documents for their review and signature. Listed here are the couples’ join assets, including bank accounts and insurance policies. She hands Malcolm some papers, and he says they need to review it, since they have their own lists of shared assets. She says she’s sure they do. She’s going to make this short and simple for them. Mrs. Corinthos waives all claims to anything she and Mr. Corinthos shared. Malcolm asks if she’s sure about that. She’s entitled to half of everything she shared with her husband. Carly says she’s sure. She has her own money; she doesn’t need Sonny’s. Rebecca says her client has one stipulation in regard to shared assets. She’d like to retain the main residence. Sonny says, that’s not happening. She abandoned him. He’s not going to let her take the house.

Esme says she came here, heart on her sleeve, ready to make up for any misunderstandings or hurt feelings between her and Trina, and Josslyn responds by attacking her? Josslyn says, Esme has apologized before. Made big speeches about wanting to start over, to get along, to bond with them because they’re Spencer’s friends, and he means everything to her. She says all the right things, but her follow-through is always lacking, so how is this time any different? Trina says, Joss… but Josslyn says, anyone can apologize, but it only counts when you mean it. Esme says Josslyn never misses a chance to attack her, and Josslyn says, oh please. Esme would know if she was attacking her. She’s simply stating facts. Everything Esme does is calculated to get what she wants. Like right now, playing the victim. Esme says she’s not playing the victim, and Josslyn says, if she’s sincere about her change of heart, then tell the truth for once in her life.

Victor tells Yohan that he’s received the latest message from their contact. He said he had a location for August; did he say exactly where? Yohan says, it was too vague. He’s supposed to get back to Yohan with more specifics. Victor says, he hasn’t, which probably means August has given him the slip. No more intermediaries. Yohan is going to have to find August, and he’ll have to deal with Peter personally. Sam films their conversation, and Victor says, Faison couldn’t be trusted, and neither can his son. Sam starts to leave, and makes a noise. She freezes.

Robert tells Laura that he got a text from Felicia. She’s in Switzerland. She got a commercial flight to Geneva at the same time Anna, Drew, and Dante left. Laura says she guesses Felicia has invited herself along on the search for her daughter. She’s sure it’s against WSB protocol, but doesn’t blame her. He says he’s known certain people to break the protocol rules on occasion, and she says, if someone she loves is in jeopardy, absolutely. He says he sympathizes with Felicia. He knows the compulsion to be hands-on, and step up for your child. No one was asking her to sit on her hands, and allow a bunch of faceless bureaucrats run the investigation. She knows Anna is the best in the business, and she’s also got Drew and Dante as back-up. Laura asks if he thinks Felicia should have stayed out of it entirely, and he says, there’s enough danger up there for everyone. The fact that she took off the way she did, his brother is now worried sick, when he should be concentrating on recovery.

Anna yells for Peter to send Maxie out; she knows he doesn’t want her harmed. Drew yells for them to cover him. Two… one… Dante and Anna shoot, while Drew runs toward the house. Dante asks, how long until the WSB back-up arrives? and Anna says, too long. They can’t wait. Peter’s going to be gone. They have to take the house.

Maxie says, they have to go; Peter is hunting her. She and Felicia get in the car, and Maxie tells her to follow this road. They can get to the Autobahn where they’ll be safe. Felicia suggests going back to the village, but Maxie says, no. They might run into Peter. They move forward.

Drew comes back, and says, in order to take down the house, he’s going to need Anna and Dante to fire at the building from opposite sides, but Anna says, they can’t risk shooting Maxie. Drew says he gets that. Just avoid the windows, fire as low as possible toward the ground. Dante says they’ll check the front door, and Anna starts to shoot. Drew goes around the other side of house to the door, and Dante joins him. They kick in the door.

Maxie asks how Felicia found her, and Felicia says, Anna received a call from a woman a rest stop who found Maxie’s earring, and the message Maxie left on the mirror. Anna, Drew, and Dante came out here to find her, and they’re coordinating with the WSB. Felicia wanted come, but Anna thought it would be too dangerous for her, so she flew separately. Maxie asks how Felicia found her, and Felicia says, she remembered what Peter said when she told him that she couldn’t come to the wedding. He said his favorite place on earth was a farm in Switzerland near a tiny village. It took her forever to remember the name of it, but then it came to her; versteckte Wiese. Maxie says she’s amazing, and asks if she told Anna. Felicia says, no. She didn’t want to distract Anna. She figured if she found Peter, she’d call it in, but she didn’t have the time. By the time she landed in Geneva, she rented this car, but the road is so windy and dark, she got lost. Maxie says, thank goodness she did. She’d just run away from Peter and found the road. She flagged down the first pair of lights she saw. She’s glad it was Felicia. If they make it to the Autobahn, they’ll be safe. They look behind them, and a car is following.

Yohan takes out his gun, and looks around, but finds nothing. He tells Victor, clear, and comes out. He says, maybe it was a cat; they live around here. Victor says, a very swift and silent kitty that certainly doesn’t belong here. Never mind. They have more important issues to deal with. Yohan knows what to do. Yohan says he’ll take care of everything. He leaves, and Victor looks around, seeing a small pile of garbage, empty soda bottles and chip bags.

Esme says, Spence told her that he got Trina a gift because she’s been a good friend to him, and Josslyn asks what he got her. Trina asks if they can let this go; the gift was nothing. Josslyn says, it was not nothing, and Esme knows it. Esme says she’s confused. How could she be lying about knowing Spence gave Trina a gift when she knows he gave her a gift? Why could she lie about it, and why would Josslyn care? Josslyn says she’d love not to care. She would love to ignore Esme’s existence, but she keeps popping up with some plan for a weekend getaway or some explanation that whatever happened was her fault, or some apology she doesn’t mean. It’s all an act, and it’s getting tired. Esme says, it’s not an act. She’s trying to make up for the hurtful things she did to Josslyn and Trina, and she’s trying to own up to them. She’s trying to build bridges between them. Can Josslyn say the same?

Sonny says he’s going to fight for what’s his. He’s not going to let Carly take his house. Rebecca says, Sonny has properties in Port Charles and elsewhere, including a private casino in Puerto Rico and a penthouse at the Harbor View Towers. Her client is seeking solely to retain the lakeside property. He asks why her should give up his house. That’s where Donna and Avery live. It’s their home. They’ve known the house forever. He tells Carly that she doesn’t want to do that to them, and Rebecca says, this is a sticking point. Carly says, there are no sticking points. He wants the house, he can have the house. Rebecca asks if she’s sure, and she says she is. Donna is going to have two separate homes anyway. Rebecca says, if that’s settled, let’s move on to the custody of Donna Corinthos.

Eileen tells Robert that they’re meeting with several hospital positions and staff about a public health initiative, and Robert says, there’s no need for them to be here. Clearly they’ve got a lot of work to do, and Eileen says, that’s what she wanted to tell Laura. It’s been delayed. Laura asks, until when? and Eileen tells her, the techs didn’t say. Laura asks her to get a definite time and she leaves.  

Rebecca says, her client is seeking joint custody of Donna, and requests Donna reside with her, but Sonny says, that’s not happening. Malcolm says, his client agrees to joint custody, but since his client is keeping the house, they believe the child’s primary residence should be with her father. Rebecca says, her client is willing to have a flexible visitation arrangement; however, given how little she’s asked with regard to the shared assets, surely his client can see it’s in the child’s best interest to make her mother’s home her primary residence. Sonny says, in the hotel? and Carly says, the hotel is temporary and he knows that. Rebecca says, Donna belongs with her mother, and Malcolm says, Mr. Corinthos does not want to keep his wife from their daughter. It’s a matter of the child’s welfare. Mr. Corinthos has another daughter, Avery Corinthos, who is not the biological daughter of Mrs. Corinthos. As such, Mr. Corinthos will retain custody of Avery Corinthos, along with her mother Ava Cassadine. Carly will no longer have any legal claim to her, if she ever did. If Donna remains with Carly, the sisters will be separated. With all the changes these children are going to go through, is it really in their best interest to keep the sisters apart? Mr. Corinthos informs him that they’re very close. Rebecca tells Carly that she’d said there were no sticking points. What does she want to do?

Josslyn says she doesn’t care about building bridges with Esme. They’re not friends and never will be, as long as Esme keeps manipulating the people Josslyn cares about, and that includes Spencer. Josslyn looks forward to the day when he finally sees through Esme. Until then, if Esme wants friends, try honesty. Esme says, Josslyn doesn’t believe her, that’s her problem. Trina accepted her apology, didn’t she? Trina says she did, and Esme says, that’s all she needs, and thanks Trina for being so understanding. Trina says, you’re welcome… I think, and Josslyn says, Trina only accepted Esme’s apology because she wants to be done with her. Esme says, or maybe, unlike Josslyn, Trina thinks it’s best for them to be friends because they’re all friends with Spence. Trina says she’s still here, and Josslyn says, Spencer is being a selfish ass. He insists Esme is his girlfriend, and he’s all about her, but that gift he got Trina was a book of workings by her favorite artist, Richard Molyneux. Trina mentioned he was her favorite artist to Spencer, and he remembered. Obviously, he cares what Trina thinks. Trina says, it’s not that deep, but Josslyn says, Spencer never told Esme that he got such a thoughtful gift for another woman. If Esme wants to build bridges, own up to how mad that makes her, and what this whole act of contrition is really about.

Sam comes into the hospital, and says, good. Laura’s here. Laura asks, what’s going on? and Sam says she was coming to see Robert, but she’s hoping Laura can help her too. Robert asks what she needs, and Sam says she’s working on a case, and needs some background information on a subject. Eileen eavesdrops, and Laura says, and Sam’s subject would be? Sam says, Victor Cassadine.  

Drew and Dante have a shootout in the house with Kreger and another guy. The other guy falls, and so does Kreger. Drew tells Kreger, hands up and drop the gun. Kreger puts the gun down, and Drew tells Dante to cover Kreger while he goes around back. He leaves, and Anna comes in. She says, Kreger? and Dante says, that’s him. She asks, where’s Peter? and Kreger says, he’s not here.

Felicia wonders if they should pull over and let the car pass, but Maxie says, no. They can’t risk it; it could be Peter. The car behind them begins to speed up, and Maxie tells Felicia, look out. Felicia swerves.

Carly shakes her head, and Sonny says, he and Carly need to speak in private without lawyers present. Rebecca advises against it, but Carly says she can talk to Sonny privately; she’s fine. Rebecca says they’ll be outside if they’re needed, and she and Malcolm leave. Carly says, she wants Donna to live with her, and Sonny says, so he doesn’t get to see his daughter? She says, he can see Donna as much as he wants and as often, but Donna belongs with her mother. Sonny says he can’t imagine living in their home without his daughter, and Carly says, she can’t imagine losing Avery. She loves Avery like her own. She raised Avery from birth. He says he thought they were going to do this divorce quicky, to spare the kids pain. He doesn’t want a custody fight. She says she doesn’t either. They can handle this like adults, but they have to be realistic. The girls are going to be hurt no matter how civilized they are He says, Avery is already losing Carly. he doesn’t want to separate the girls because of them. She says, not them. Him. This path was set in motion because he decided to sleep with Nina.

Esme says, hypothetically, someone finding out their boyfriend bought a nice gift for someone else, of course (🍷) it would make anyone mad. Josslyn asks if that’s an admission. Does it make Esme upset that Spencer has such a connection with Trina? Trina says Josslyn is exaggerating. She and Spencer don’t have a connection. Esme says, the only thing that makes her mad is Josslyn going at her, when all she wanted was to make things right. At least she can say she tried. She gets up and goes to the counter, and Trina says, what the hell? Josslyn says, she’s not going to let Esme and Spencer keep playing these mind games, and Trina says, fine, but next time, leave her name out of it. Esme flashes back to planting the camera to film Josslyn and Cameron in bed, and takes her phone out.   

Drew tells Anna, the back is clear. No sign of Maxie or Peter. Dante checks other guy’s pulse, and says, this guy is dead. He asks if he’s a friend of Kreger’s and Kreger says, he came to apprehend Peter August, and Anna says, he fired at them. Kreger says, they fired at him, so naturally, he returned fire. Anna asks if this friend of his is cleared for the WSB ops, and he says, he was a local freelancer who sometimes provided assistance. He groans in pain, and tells them call an ambulance. He needs medical assistance. Anna says, in a minute, and she picks up his gun. He says, this is ridiculous. He’s on their side. She says, save it. He’s either working for Peter, and stayed behind to delay them, or… Drew says, or someone else sent him after Peter. Kreger says, he was working in his capacity as a WSB agent. The gunfight was a tragic case of friendly fire. Anna says, she can’t waste more time with this. They have to go after Peter. Drew asks what she wants to do about Kreger, and she says, the WSB is en route. Dante says, he’ll make sure Kreger gets to them, and he’ll catch up. Anna tells him, take care, and leaves with Drew.  

Eileen listens as Robert says, the world would be a much nicer place if Victor had stayed dead. He asks what Sam needs, and Laura goes over to Eileen. She asks what Eileen found out about the meeting, and Eileen says, it’s been canceled; patient’s emergency. Laura asks her to reschedule it for tomorrow, and after that, she can go home. Eileen thanks her and leaves, and Laura asks Sam what Victor it up to now. Sam says, Anna asked her to look into him while she’s in Europe looking for Maxie and Peter. Laura says, Anna told her that she believes Victor helped Peter escape, and she’s inclined to agree. Sam shows Laura her phone, and says, she took this picture on the pier. Does she know the guy with Victor? Robert joins them, and says, that’s the bruiser who was with Victor the night of Luke’s memorial. Sam asks if Victor introduced him, and Laura says he did; Yohan. Robert says he’s going to get in touch with a friend at the WSB, send him a photograph, along with Yohan’s name, and they’ll put up a full identification kit. They’ll bring him in immediately and get to Victor. He steps away, and Laura asks if Sam was able to overhear any of the conversation. Sam says, Victor wanted to know about an associate of theirs who was looking for Peter, but the associate fell off the radar, and Victor was really mad about it. Laura says, it sounds like he and Peter are at odds again. She wonders how that will affect them.

The car has hit a pole (out in the middle of nowhere) and steam comes out of the crumpled hood. Felicia seems unconscious, and Maxie tells her not to move. She’ll lead Peter away from them. Felicia weakly says, no, but Maxie gets out of the car. She yells if Peter wants her, he’ll have to come and get her, and jets into the woods. Peter runs after her.

Sonny says Carly is right. He made mistakes. He hurt her, and it should have never happened. She says, not just her, their entire family. Their children, who think of each other as siblings, and now they’re being broken up into his kids and hers. Everything they had together is gone. He says, she’s the one giving up, not him, and she laughs. He says, maybe they can fix this. It will take some time… She says, it’s too late for that, but he says, they owe it to Donna and Avery to try. Carly says she thinks it’s a little late to worry about the girls being collateral damage because that’s already happened. As much as they wanted to be the couple they were before Nixon Falls, what Nina set in motion changed them. He says, what if there’s a way to keep Donna and Avery together and keep Avery in her life? and she tells him, she’d say that’s wishful thinking, but he says, just hear him out. Aside from what’s happened, she’s a great mom. She says, and she thinks he’s an amazing dad, and he says, so what if they stay together. They lose the romantic part of the marriage. They’re still Donna and Avery’s parents, and live under one roof for the kids. What does she say?

Josslyn asks if Trina is mad at her, and Trina says, what does she think? She cares more about getting over on Esme than she does about Trina or her feelings. Josslyn says, that’s not true, and Trina says she’s never judged Josslyn on how she feels about Esme. That’s between Josslyn and Esme, just like Trina’s relationship with Spencer is between her and him. Josslyn says, she gets it, but what about Spencer and Esme’s relationship? On one hand, Spencer is giving Trina this special gift, and on the other hand, he’s still calling Esme his girlfriend. Trina says she doesn’t care, and neither should Josslyn. So stay out of it. Trina’s phone dings, and Josslyn says, important? Trina says it’s a text from a guy in her European History study group, telling her the time changed, so she needs to get ready to go. Josslyn says she’s really sorry if she took things too far. She just wants what’s best for Trina. Trina says she has a really funny way of showing it. Josslyn just made things worse for her. Josslyn asks, how? and Trina says, she has to ask? Think hard; real hard. Trina leaves the table, and Josslyn’s phone rings. It’s Avery, and Josslyn asks, what’s wrong? She tells Avery, hold on; she can’t hear her. She goes outside, and Esme takes two phones out of her purse, switches the case from one to the other, and smiles.

Sam asks if Laura has heard from Anna, but Laura says, nothing yet; what about Dante? Sam says, no. It makes sense though. They’re out searching for Maxie. If there’s something to tell them, they’ll share it. Robert comes back, and says, his contact came through. Victor’s goon is Yohan Bower. Before he came to Port Charles, he was in Austria, specifically Innsbruck. Laura asks when he was there, and Robert says, just before Christmas. Laura says, he was in the same area where Luke’s accident was. Or his supposed accident.

Maxie comes to some stairs at some kind of industrial building, and hears a gunshot. She stops, and Peter comes out of the woods, gun drawn. He says, the choice is simple. Come back with him now or he’ll shoot her where she stands.

Carly says she wishes more than anything to avoid hurting Donna and Avery what proposing, them living under the same roof and pretending, it’s not possible. He asks, why not? and she says, because she wants Donna and Avery to see a loving healthy relationship between them, and that’s not what they are anymore, and he knows this. She wipes some tears away, and says, so the girls are going to get hurt. They’re resilient, and they’re going to get through it. Please… Sonny… He says, if that’s the way it has to be, that’s the way it has to be. Donna can live with her and she can have the house, and he’ll move into the penthouse. She thanks him, and he tells the lawyers to come back in. Rebecca asks if they settled everything, and Carly says, yes. She and Sonny have reached an agreement. She can draw up the divorce papers.

After playing musical phones, Esme puts a phone back in her purse. Trina comes back and sits down, and Esme smiles. Josslyn comes back in, and says, sorry; Avery was having a crisis. She lost one of her favorite pink markers, Josslyn told her to check in her toy box, and big sister Josslyn was right. Crisis passed with Avery. What about Trina? Trina says, the study group texted and she has to go, and Josslyn says she’s really sorry. Can Trina just tell her they’re good. Trina says, they’re fine. She’s got to go. She leaves, and Esme says, Trina left in a hurry. Is everything okay? Josslyn tells her, don’t pretend to care, and Esme says she knows Josslyn was just defending Trina. She hopes Trina appreciates it. Esme leaves, and when she gets outside, she looks at the video of Josslyn and Cameron. She looks around, and says, almost showtime.

Robert asks what Laura means by supposed accident, and Laura tells him, she had suspicions about the circumstances surrounding Luke’s death from the beginning, but she didn’t say anything because she didn’t have anything but a gut feeling. Robert says, her gut feeling hasn’t failed her in the past. She should have brought it to him. She says she is now, and Sam asks what Laura suspects. Laura says she doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Victor resurfaced around the same time Luke died, and the Ice Princess was stolen; it’s all connected. Luke’s death was not an accident, and Victor was behind it.

Victor wanders around the pier, and Eileen arrives. He says, well? and she says, they’ve got a problem. He says, tell him something he doesn’t know. What is it this time? She says, Sam McCall, Robert Scorpio, and Laura Collins are getting too close.

Dante pulls over the coffee table, and sits on the end. Kreger asks, how long before the ambulance comes? and Dante says he doesn’t know anything about an ambulance. Kreger whines that Dante shot him, and Dante says, Kreger shot at him first; that’s self-defense. Kreger says Dante overreacted with deadly force. He was only acting on his own initiative. Dante says, about that. Did he think he’d beat Anna and Drew here, and maybe it puts him in line for the next promotion for bringing in Peter August? Kreger says, that’s right, and Dante bets they’re going to find out Kreger sold himself to someone, and that employer didn’t want him to hurt Drew. Kreger says, not true, and Dante asks why he didn’t take a shot at Drew. Kreger and his boy both had a clear shot. They could have taken him out or immobilized him. At least they didn’t do that. Why?

Peter says he doesn’t have much time. Someone picked up his trail. Now climb back up here. Now. She tells him to hear her. She’d rather die than go one more step with him. So go ahead and pull the trigger, but when he does, that’s the end of telling himself there’s one shred of good in him, or that he can turn his life around. If he’s going to kill her because she doesn’t love him, admit he was a monster. He says, she was supposed to save him. Instead, she abandoned him. This is all her fault. He aims gun at Maxie, but Felicia comes up behind him, and knocks him in the head with something. He falls and tumbles down to where the bottom of the stairs are, the gun flying out of his hand. He’s out cold.

Tomorrow, Lucy wants to talk to Nina about Sasha; Austin says, all that matters is Maxie getting home safely; Mac says, that’s a good question; and Sonny says, it’s not good for anyone.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

When we last left Jackie’s keg party, Dolores was getting in Jackie’s face about being a good friend to Jennifer. In Frank’s interview, he said, when Dolores went into a rage, she needed to be separated from the other person or she’d do something she’d regret. Apparently, Dolores had been quite the scrapper back in the day, even biting through another girl’s finger. Dolores told Jennifer that if she didn’t think Dolores was being a friend, don’t talk to Jackie about it; talk to her. In Jackie’s interview, she said, the reason Dolores was coming for her was because she was the first one with the balls to call Dolores out on her bullsh*t. Dolores shouldn’t be pretending to be good friends with Jennifer when she wasn’t, and Jackie wasn’t scared of her. In Dolores’s interview, she said she was going through an emotional wringer, and everyone could go f*** themselves. She knew she backed every one of them. Marge said she didn’t want to have an issue with Jennifer, but it was Jennifer’s double-standard that irritated her. Jennifer had crucified Marge for having an affair, and called her slutty. Jennifer admitted she’d gone after Marge too much, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said she realized the way Marge had been boasting about the affair was a trigger for her. What if the girl Bill cheated on her with had been bragging about it? Dolores said Jackie had been questioning her friendship with Jackie, and if Jackie needed her, she’d be there, but she thought Jackie was going to be okay. In her interview, Jackie said Dolores brushed off everyone’s feelings. When Jackie had been going through the thing with the rumors, she wasn’t okay. She was going down a dangerous path with her eating disorder. A real friend didn’t assume you’d be fine. Jennifer said she’d just been protecting Bill, and wouldn’t be surprised if her in-laws thought she was a bad wife. In Marge’s interview, she said she and Jennifer were further apart than she’d realized. Jennifer had been brainwashed into believing women were to blame for men’s behavior. If he had an affair, the wife and other woman were to blame. Somehow it turned all good, and Melissa invited everyone down the shore. The guys and Traci syphoned beer out of the keg. Melissa said they’d continue the party at her shore house.

Jackie went to the Renfrew treatment center to get help for her eating disorder. A staff member asked her a bunch of questions, one of which was why she was seeking help now. She said her kids were getting older and noticing things. In her interview, Jackie said she’d been overweight in high school, and when she got to college, she wanted to be thin. When she got thin, people paid attention. She told the woman that she ate three regular meals a week, and mostly lettuce otherwise. She was worried about not getting enough nutrients. The woman said Jackie would have to see her doctor and have him run some tests before she could start treatment. They had to make sure her body was okay. Jackie was always cold and her heart rate was slow. They couldn’t rule out a heart issue until she was seen by her doctor. Jackie said she was scared now.

Dolores met Frank, Gabby, and Frank Jr. for dinner. The kids were going to be living with their dad full time for the first time, so she wanted to have a family meeting. Dolores told Frank, no sleepovers, which prompted Frank to talk inappropriately, teasing Dolores and grossing out Frank Jr. and Gabby. Frank said, family was the most important thing to him, and he wouldn’t let his life take priority. In his interview, he said he was getting older, and this was a temporary place. He knew it wasn’t going to be his last homestead. He and Dolores had divorced when Dolores was pregnant with Frank Jr. This was a great opportunity, since he’d never lived with both kids at the same time in the same house. Dolores said she just wanted to be alone and chill, and Frank asked what was going on with David. Dolores said they’d grown apart, and she’d had time alone to wonder what she wanted. It was the end of the road for them. There was a lack of communication, and he didn’t meet her halfway, not even a little of the way sometimes. There was nowhere else for them to go. Everybody felt bad, since David had gotten close with the family, but Dolores assured them that he’d still be around. In her interview, Dolores said she’d brought David into their lives, but she wasn’t taking him out just because they didn’t work out. Pretty soon she can open a home for old husbands and boyfriends.

Everyone packed for the shore, and I reminisced about doing that before I moved here. Their shore is Tom’s River, but to me, that’s inland. I don’t consider it the shore unless it’s along the ocean. Melissa told Joe #2 not to try and get everybody drunk. She didn’t want puking in the bathroom. Dolores and Frank went to their own place, and Marge was staying at Jennifer’s house. Jackie told Bill that she couldn’t wait to move forward with her recovery. When she thought about going to the shore, the first thing on her mind was what she was going to eat for lunch. Melissa told Joe that she thought they’d do a beach day, then go to Teresa’s house for a barbecue. Jennifer told Bill that she thought she and Marge had made progress. Jackie had said Dolores wasn’t her friend, and Dolores was yelling at her that she was. The proof showed otherwise. Dolores told Frank that Jackie had said she didn’t care; Bill shouldn’t have been sticking his d*ck where it didn’t belong. We see a clip, and yeah, those were some of the words, but it’s taken way out of context, and it’s still not quite what she said. The old Housewives telephone trick; it can be played alone. Frank thought that was nasty, and Dolores said she wasn’t there to prove her loyalty. Frank said she was at a vulnerable point, and made her promise to calm down. She told him to stay close.

Melissa and Joe #2 filled their water cooler with vodka, and Melissa greeted her guests with, welcome to Missy G’s. Jackie and Marge rode over together, and Marge said she wanted to like Luis, but the video was being talked about again. His past was a little bizarre, and he spent a lot of time trying to shut it down. When they got to Melissa and Joe’s, Joe #3 tricked Marge into thinking she was drinking water from the cooler, and she was like, WTF? Evan said he thought the water was good. Teresa arrived at Jennifer’s house, and we saw a clip of her telling Jennifer that it wasn’t going to be the relaxing weekend she thought, since there was going to be a crowd of kids at her house. Jennifer suggested Teresa stay with her. Teresa said Luis would be coming later, and in her interview, she said Luis had a good heart, and had wanted to go with her to see Adriana’s dance competition. Adriana had posted a picture of the three of them on social media, and it made her happy. She asked Jennifer what she’d missed, and Jennifer filled her in on the brouhaha at the party. She told Teresa that Dolores insisted she was supportive, yet didn’t think what Marge did was wrong. She said there was still tension, but they had to find a way to make it nice. Teresa suggested having the barbecue at Jennifer’s house, and Jennifer said, they’d just have to keep everyone away from the pool.

The group went to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant (see below), and had drinks at a tiki bar. In Dolores’s interview, she said Teresa had been a fist pumping, partying, doing it all kind of girl back in the day. Dolores’s dad was a cop, and when she went to the shore, she stayed sober, laying out at the beach. She asked how Jennifer felt, saying she knew Jennifer had been upset, but that was okay. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, thanks for acknowledging that it was okay for her to be upset. It was normal to be upset when your husband was cheating. Normal people had feelings. Teresa told everyone that the barbecue was going to be at Jennifer’s house, since her house was full of kids. The guys did shots, and talked about Luis. In Melissa’s interview, she said she and Joe #2 had been hearing stuff, but he was good to Teresa. He was with Teresa night and day, and wouldn’t have time to be cheating. Marge said, Luis was charming and good looking, but so was a used car salesman, and Joe #3 said, where there was smoke, there was usually fire. Dolores said she’d broken up with David the day of Jennifer’s party, and Jennifer said, now it made sense why Dolores was so out of control. Dolores said she was sorry Jennifer had been hurt, but what got her was Jackie saying she was Jennifer’s friend. Jennifer said Jackie knew what she was going through, and Dolores repeated her version of what Jackie said, that she didn’t care; Bill shouldn’t be sticking his d*ck anywhere it didn’t belong. Jennifer said that was disgusting, like she probably hadn’t thought that same thing herself, and Dolores said Jackie was playing Jennifer. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, that was cruel. She’d thought Jackie was her friend, or at least trying to be her friend. Dolores told Jennifer to open her eyes. Everyone hangs out by the pool, and Teresa says Luis is having traffic issues. Ugh. It gets very crowded here in the summer, and it can take forever to make a twenty minute trip. Marge thinks Luis probably doesn’t want deal with them.

Teresa told Jennifer that the chef was going to be there any minute to start the meal preparation. Melissa told the others that Teresa had texted, basically demanding they all back up her boyfriend. Marge thought that mean a freak out was coming, and in Melissa’s interview, she said, the translation was, Teresa knew they were talking about her boyfriend, and to shut up. There might be chaos.

A producer told Teresa that Luis was in the parking lot, and he was upset. He thought everyone was talking about him, and didn’t know why. In Teresa’s interview, she said, Luis didn’t sign up for this. She was the one in the public eye, not him. He was the love of her life, and she wanted to protect him. Teresa told the producer that she was leaving. The producer tried to get her to stay, but she got in her car, and pulled out and away.

To be continued…

🌅 Down On the Boardwalk…

Behold Jenkinson’s. I’ve never been, but I’d love to go.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Skipping Out To My Lou…

Join me tomorrow for soap and happenings in the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay on the right side of karma, and stay mending fences, not burning bridges.