What I Watched Today

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

 

Not preempted after all.

General Hospital

Finn tells Hayden that he guesses they’ve earned the right to be honest with one another. Hayden says co-parenting is the number one priority, but she can’t guarantee the only way she’ll see him is as Violet’s father. Anna comes in, calling out that she’s home. She walks into the living room, and sees Finn and Hayden (wearing just Finn’s shirt) sitting on the couch. Finn gets up, and says, welcome home. Anna says, before anyone tells her it’s not the way it looks, she’s had a long night. Finn says he told Anna that Hayden was in town, and Anna says, but she didn’t expect to find Hayden in her house. Her nerves are frayed.

Elizabeth brings Cameron to Sonny’s place. Sonny says he’s glad she brought Cameron by. She says she has to run to the hospital, but she’ll be back to pick him up. Sonny says, it won’t take long, and she leaves. Sonny says Cameron is growing up. He was Cameron’s age when he left home. He tells Cameron, it’s time they had a talk, man to man.

At Alexis’s house, TJ and Neil are putting on rubber gloves. TJ says, Molly went through the house once to check the cleaning supplies, and asks what they’re looking for. Neil says foreign substances. Something innocuous. They might not seem toxic, but acting together, some elements can be dangerous. He tells TJ, grab whatever he’s not sure about.

Alexis lies in a hospital bed. Julian comes in, and starts to leave, but Alexis tells him not to. She could use the distraction. He says he shouldn’t be there; he’s not good company. She asks when that’s stopped him before. What’s wrong now? He says it’s not a matter of life and death, but she says let her be the judge of that. Julian thinks it’s time to do something about Olivia’s rats.

Kim sees Monica at the hospital, and says she was hoping to see her. She came to say her goodbyes, but the nurses aren’t speaking to her. They’re very loyal to Elizabeth. Monica says it’s an impossible situation, but she’s glad Kim caught her before she and Drew move. She wishes they could find a way to stay. Kim say she’s sorry, but Monica says she does understand. Port Charles has too many memories for her, and not enough for Drew. Monica agrees that what they’re doing is a better plan. Just promise after all they’ve gone through, that they have happy lives.

Franco comes out on the pier, and Jason asks if he can help with something, like he works there. Franco says he wants to be by the water. He was a SEAL. Did Jason know that he was? Jason says he noticed the uniform at the hearing. Franco says his lawyer suggested it for optics. It reminded people of his heroic actions. Jason says, people don’t get medals for nothing. Franco says, he and Franco knew each other when they were kids. They lived in the same house. The only reason he grew up to be a hero is because Franco already was one.

Scotty asks Elizabeth if she’s heard anything from Franco. She says she hasn’t heard anything since he said he was leaving with Kim. Scotty says he thought told he could change what’s left of Franco’s mind. She asks what he said, and he says he told Franco about his childhood; Andy and Bobby, Jim and the stairway. She says Franco didn’t want anyone else to know about that, and he says he violated Franco’s trust, but he’s fighting for Franco’s life. If Franco is mad, he can tell Scotty himself.

Franco says, according to Scotty, Jim is dead. Franco felt like he got his old brother back – that would be him. Jason says he never understood the friendship between Franco and Drew, but he guesses that explains it. Franco says, now he has that life, and it belongs to the guy who saved him. He should step up like Franco did, and give it back.

Alexis says she’ll definitely have to do something about Olivia and her rats. Is Olivia commanding them with music, or instructing them telepathically? Julian says they both know Olivia isn’t happy with him. Alexis says Julian kept her deposit. He says, legally. Someone please enlighten me on how that’s possible when he backed out of the deal. Even if the sale had been contingent on him getting the bar in Manhattan, he’d still have to give it back. It’s making me nuts. He says she tried taking him down, starting with the flyers. Alexis says he doesn’t know that was Olivia. Doesn’t he think it’s going too far to believe she sent an army of rodents against him? He says the alley behind Charlie’s is filled with dead rats. She says he should be more concerned about the proximity of the restaurant. He says he uses a humane exterminator, the city doesn’t use poison, and his neighbors don’t have the same issue. The rats have been put there deliberately. Alexis says, absolutely. Olivia is littering his alley with dead vermin. It sounds more like a prank. Why doesn’t he just refund the money? She can’t believe they’re even having this conversation. Julian says, Olivia may be a Quartermaine, but deep down, she’s a street fighter.

Finn asks Anna, what happened? She said it had been a long night. Anna says, it doesn’t appear to be over yet. Finn says, Hayden is there because… Violet comes out, and Anna asks what her name is. She says, Violet Barnes, and asks if Anna is a friend of her daddy’s. Finn picks her up, and says, yes; a very good friend. She’s traveled a long way to see him, and he’s happy to see her. Anna says she’s happy to see him too. She asks Violet if this handsome man is her father. Did she decide to keep him? Hayden says, Violet is keeping her daddy, but no one is keeping anyone else. Anna says, Violet is a lucky little girl. Hayden welcomes Anna home, and takes Violet upstairs. Finn says, what happened was… and Anna says, no, not yet.

Sonny takes his jacket off, and sits in the living room with Cameron. He asks how Cameron’s hands are, and Cameron says, feeling better. Sonny asks if he iced them, and Cameron nods. He thanks Sonny for allowing him to use the gym. Sonny says, life is tough. If Cameron wants to punch something, punch the bag. Did it help? Cameron says, yeah. He thinks it did. Sonny says, it’s the kind of anger that tears you up. Cameron has every right to be angry. Oscar died, and he had that stuff with Franco. Cameron says, it’s hard, and Sonny says, we don’t get to choose what life throws at us, we can only choose how we react. Those are the decisions that define you. Does he want to be the guy who gets his friend drunk at a school party?

Neil and TJ load up a couple of boxes with bottles and boxes of household products. TJ asks what Neil thinks, and Neil says they collected enough to rule things out. TJ says he’ll drop them off at the lab. Maybe they can find out what’s making Alexis sick. Neil says, here’s hoping. TJ hopes the answer is there waiting. Neil asks if there’s something on TJ’s mind. It seems extra urgent. Neil adds he’s professionally trained to see changes in behavior. Does TJ want to talk? TJ asks if it will stay between them, even though he’s not Neil’s patient. Neil says, honor among colleagues. TJ says he’s come to a decision about him and Molly. He wants to propose. Neil says, great, congratulations, and shakes TJ’s hand. TJ says he was planning on doing it old school, and asking for Alexis’s blessing. Neil says, and if they don’t find out what the problem is, he won’t have the chance. TJ wonders if it’s a terrible thing to be thinking about, but Neil says maybe he should ask now. As bad as things are, good news is always good medicine.

Kim wants Monica to know that she’ll never forget what Monica and the Quartermaines did for Oscar. Raising him as one of the family enabled him to be something larger than himself. Monica says, the both of them. She hopes Kim felt embraced as well. Kim says, how could she not? Monica says, the Quartermaines aren’t exactly big when it comes to affection, and Kim says, before Oscar was embraced by the Quartermaines, he never thought of leaving a legacy. Now, there are going to be kids climbing Kilimanjaro because of the bequest he left them. It was important for him to be able to do that before the end. It means the world to her. So many will carry on his memory. Monica says, it’s a wonderful gift; family. It was the greatest gift Kim could give her. Kim says it was her pleasure – for as long as it lasted. Monica says, Oscar will not be forgotten. Kim tells Monica that it’s a horrible club they belong to; mothers who have survived their children. Monica says they have to endure for those still there. They have to do for them as well. Kim thinks that’s one reason she fought so hard for Drew. She didn’t want Monica to lose another child. I call BS on that one.

Scotty tells Elizabeth, Franco is gone, and has Drew’s memories. He should know the guy whose life he’s living. So that’s what he did. She asks how Franco reacted, and Scotty says he wasn’t unmoved, but he doesn’t think Franco was swayed. Elizabeth says, they’ve literally tried everything, and he says, short of kidnapping him, and forcing him to go through the procedure. Don’t think he didn’t think that through, but kidnapping, false imprisonment, and assault; none of them is good. They did fight for Franco. She says, with everything they had, and he says, yet here they are. It’s cold comfort.

Finn asks Anna how the trip was. Hayden comes back down with Violet, and tells them goodbye, saying it’s nice to see Anna again. Finn tells Violet that he’ll see her soon, and hugs her. They leave, and Finn says he doesn’t want Anna to think something happened when it didn’t. Anna thinks she knows him well enough to know that if he was going to betray her, it wouldn’t be in their bed. It surprised her though. Why didn’t he tell her? He says it’s all he’s wanted to do since he found out. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t blindsided. She asks when he found out, and he says, a few days ago. Violet was sick, and Hayden brought her to the hospital. He found out that she had her daughter was the same age as their child would have been, and she came clean. He thought it should be a face-to-face conversation. She says what if she hadn’t come back? and he says he doesn’t know. He didn’t expect her to be gone this long. He’s sure she didn’t either. She says, no; she didn’t. Finn says they can talk on the phone, but it’s not the same as sharing their lives. She nods in agreement.

Kim tells Monica that she knows she’ll never get Oscar back, or the Drew who helped make him, but if Monica had the chance to get back the person she loved most and lost, she’d take it, right? Monica says, of course (🍷). Kim promises to do everything to persuade Drew to stay in touch, and Monica says Kim doesn’t know who much that means to her. She can make it easier. Drew doesn’t have to come back. She can come to them. Just tell her where they landed, and she’ll come to see them. Kim says, it’s a deal.

Alexis tells Julian, he was right the first time. It’s not about life and death. Julian says, unless you’re a rat or a small business owner. Alexis says she’ll have someone alert Olivia about his concerns. In the meantime, he should call his exterminator, pronto. He says he shouldn’t have bothered her; sorry. She says, it’s not about rats. His best laid plans with Kim are dissolving, he doesn’t know what’s going on with Lucas, since it keeps changing, and his daughter isn’t speaking to him. He has plenty to be upset about without using rats as an excuse. Julian says the last thing he needs is her making fun of his stupid problems. She says, they’re not stupid. The next time an army of beavers chews up the bar, they’ll know Olivia is commanding them. Julian says, if that happens, he’ll take pictures. He tells her to focus on getting better, and she says she’ll get right on it.

Jason says, according to the court, Franco can make his own decisions. He can legally live this life with these memories. Franco says, so his advice is to do nothing? Jason says it’s not nothing. Whatever he chooses, someone he cares about loses. Franco looks at the water, and says, the thing about water is, it’s dangerous. The temperature plummets; you get disoriented in the dark. You can’t beat water. You have to join it; surrender to it. That’s been his training. He knows how far he can swim with gear on, and how deep he can go before he passes out. He knows how to manage hypothermia. He and water have an agreement. He obeys when he’s surrounded by water, and in return, it releases him when it’s done with him. It allows him to go to the surface with light and air; to go on to another day. Water was always in on the agreement. It’s allowed him to live his life, but that was before.

Neil goes to Alexis’s room, and she says, any luck ransacking her home and office? Neil doesn’t think so. He and TJ went through her cleaning, laundry, and lawn supplies. She says, she has cleaning, laundry, and lawn supplies? He says he thought they might find the cause of her illness, and took everything to the lab, but it doesn’t look promising. She says, just great, and he says, it’s understandable for her to be scared. She says she doesn’t want to be. She wants to find out what happened.

Julian sees Kim near the hospital elevators, and she jets in the other direction. She doesn’t want to talk to him. He asks her to wait. He doesn’t want to leave things like this.

Cameron tells Sonny that he’s sorry about what happened with Josslyn. He shouldn’t have had the liquor in the first place, much less shared it with her. Sonny’s not sure Cameron knows how stupid it was. Cameron says, he does. They could have fallen out of the boat, or passed out. Sonny says, a lot of things can happen when you’re drunk. Some are dangerous, and none of them are good. Why should Sonny believe Cameron won’t do it again, and get in a car? Cameron says, that’s not going to happen. Sonny wants to believe that, but what if there’s a party, and a couple of friends have some liquor? What if Cameron thinks he’s not that drunk, and gets behind the wheel of a car? Cameron promises he’ll never drink and drive. He gives Sonny his word. Sonny tells Cameron to listen to him, because there will be a lot more dances and parties. Cameron is going to want to forget about life for a while, and he’s got to make the smart choice. Maybe it’s not the popular choice, or it’s the boring choice. Maybe it’s not exciting, but he’s got to know what the safe choice is. That’s what Cameron’s word means. Cameron says, yes, sir.

Hayden drops off Violet to her doctor’s appointment, and finds Elizabeth. Elizabeth asks why Hayden didn’t phone. She was worried when Hayden didn’t come home. Hayden asks if Elizabeth didn’t get her text. Elizabeth asks if Hayden sent it, and Hayden says, yeah. She looks at her phone and says, no, but she wrote it. She shows Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says, she was with Finn? Hayden says, it was completely innocent. He invited them to stay over – in the guest room. She told him that he’s Violet’s daddy. Elizabeth asks how he took it, and Hayden says, Violent thinks Finn is amazing, and he comes with a reptile. She thinks Roxie is her sister. Finn was sweet with her; it was magical. Then, Anna came home.

Franco tells Jason, his mind thinks he’s Drew, and thinks he could jump in and swim. His muscle memory in his body says something is off, and the water would spit him back out or worse; let him know this was not what they agreed on. It’s not his body, and not his life. This life belongs to Franco. Uh-oh, feeling tears coming.

TJ tells Neil that he dropped everything off at the lab. He wishes he could do more to help. Alexis says Molly has him to lean on. That’s a help in and of itself. He says he’s doing his best. He’ll swing back with the test results. Neil says he has patients to see, and looks pointedly at TJ. Alexis says they’re abandoning her in her hour of need, like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

Julian tells Kim, after all they’ve been through, he’d hate if they couldn’t part on better terms. She asks, whose fault is that? She made a mistake, but he utterly betrayed her. He hopes she recognizes one day that he acted out of love. She says, how dare he say that? When she lost Oscar, she was at the lowest point of her life. She was in so much pain, she couldn’t see straight. She didn’t know black from white, or right from wrong. Her moment of desperation is now a matter of public record, thanks to him. He says he’s so sorry, but she asks what he expected would happen. He told Elizabeth’s lawyer. Julian says he just wants to part… She says, as friends?  He says, with no ill will between them. She says he’s used to getting away with murder – literally – and he wants her to absolve him. He tells her that he wants to say one last thing. Loving her, and being her Charlie, made him a better man. The man he knew he could be. She says, compared to what? He was never her Charlie. That man never existed. It was him pretending to be someone he could never be. The good news is, he doesn’t have to pretend anymore. She says, goodbye, Julian.

Hayden tells Elizabeth that she and Finn were looking like deer in headlights. Before they could manage a coherent response, Violet asked if Anna was her daddy’s friend. Elizabeth says, poor Anna. Hayden says, poor Anna? She was the one in Finn’s shirt. Elizabeth asks what she did, and Hayden says, grabbed Violet, and got the hell out of Dodge. Elizabeth tells Hayden that she’s coming from a place of love. She watched Finn put his life back together, piece by piece, when Hayden left; it took a long time. Anna makes him happy. Hayden says she’d never come between them, and Elizabeth says, whatever happens, she wants them to be happy. Hayden knows, but Violet is his child. Elizabeth tells Hayden to be careful with whatever she’s up to. She’s playing with Violet’s family.

Finn tells Anna, sorry. He knows it’s upsetting for him to have a daughter suddenly. Anna says, that’s not what’s upsetting. She’s happy to know his daughter is alive and well. She doesn’t love the way she found out. He understands, and he’s sorry for that. She says, it’s not his fault; it’s no one’s fault. Just bad timing. It will take a few days to adjust for both her and him. She thinks he’ll be a wonderful father. He hopes she’s right, and she says, she is. She thinks Hayden thinks so too. Finn says, there it is. I wish he’d said, whoomp first.

TJ goes back to Alexis’s room, and she asks if he has news. He says, not exactly. About what she said; rats fleeing a sinking ship… She tells him, don’t take it personally, but he tells her that he’s glad she said it. It got him to thinking. That’s what could be making her sick. Rat poison.

Elizabeth goes to pick up Cameron. She thanks Sonny, and asks if Cameron is ready to go. Sonny asks Cameron to do him a favor, and get a jar of sauce from the kitchen for his family. Cameron says, yes, sir, and Elizabeth says she loves hearing him call Sonny sir. She asks how it went, and Sonny says, he’s a good kid. He’ll think twice next time. She thanks him again, and says she does the best she can, but this time she thought a man Cameron respects should talk to him. Sonny says he’s there if she needs him, but seeing her with the boys, he thinks she’s doing a great job. Cameron comes back, and Sonny says it was good talking to him, Cameron says, him too, and Sonny tells him, if Cameron needs to hit the bag, let him know. It’s all good. Cameron thanks him, and Sonny tells Elizabeth, she’s got this.

Hayden tells Violet, it’s wonderful news. Violet says she’s all better, and Hayden says, daddy will be happy to hear it.

Finn tells Anna that she doesn’t have to worry about Hayden. Anna says Hayden clearly still has feelings for him. He says he told Hayden that his life is with Anna, and no one else. She says she loves that. Hayden’s intentions might be genuine, but her instincts might not. She has powerful leverage with Violet. Finn says Violet will change their lives, but he’d like to think they’re as solid as ever. She says he’s just beginning to know what it’s like to be a father. It could change his perspective. His phone rings, and he says he should get that. He answers, then says he’s on his way. Anna says, duty calls? He says he doesn’t want to be away from her another minute… and she says, but his patients come first. Finn says he’ll be back as soon as possible. She says she’ll be there, and he kisses her. I think it’s less passionate than she expected though. Hmm…

Monica sees Jason walk into the hospital, and asks what he’s doing there. Doesn’t Sam’s trial start tomorrow? He says he wanted to see how she was doing. She says checking up on her is okay, and hugs him.

Kim puts Oscar’s stuffed bear in her bag, and looks around at the empty apartment. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Franco, and she says, right on time. He doesn’t say anything, and she says, Drew?

On Monday, Lucas tells Brad that he made sure Julian won’t interfere in their marriage anymore, Diane tells the court that Sam has a clear-cut case of self-defense, and Kim asks if Franco is ready to start their life in San Diego.

🎥 A Witchy Redux…

I’m not sure how this got to be a classic, but since it is, why fix what ain’t broke?

https://hellogiggles.com/reviews-coverage/movies/hocus-pocus-reboot-casting/

🔮 I’ve been watching His Dark Materials. A bunch of CGI animals that talk, and James McAvoy? I am so in. But I’ve grown to hate the monkey.

🎤 Quotes of the Week

The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you. – Bette Midler

Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. – Coco Chanel

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. – Henry Thomas Buckle

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. – Jane Goodall

The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. – Cassandra Clare

All knowledge is worth having. – Jacqueline Carey (I might add, but not for everybody.)

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do your thing and don’t care if they like it. – Tina Fey

Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others. – Groucho Marx

🎡 Because Before You Know It, It’s Gone…

So turn up and turn it up. See you when Negan gets his goddam skin suit. Or not.