What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Carly leaves a message for Jax, saying he has to call her. They have to discuss how far they’re going to cover for his houseguest. What affects him, affects Josslyn. They have to be on the same page with this. Sonny walks in, and says, sounds important. More secrets she’s keeping from him?
Stella goes to visit Mike at Turning Woods, and says, it’s good to see him. She just got back in town. It’s been a while, and she thought she’d come by to see him. He says he’s great, and thanks her for asking. He tells her that he’ll have a scotch/rocks. She says, he wants to order a drink? He says that’s why he came to the track. Have a couple of drinks, and play the ponies. She’s going to be in for a big tip. She says she’ll get his scotch. He says, make it a double. He’s feeling lucky.
Finn calls Anna from the hospital, and says he got called in on an emergency. He’s going to be a little late. She’s at the MetroCourt, and asks if he wants to just meet at the house. He says, no; he’ll be there. Jason is with her, and Anna tells him, Finn got held up at the hospital, so she has more time than anticipated. He says, to do what? and she says she needs his help solving a mystery.
Jax says, Nina wants to destroy Valentin? She says, yes. At least that’s what she thought she wanted. Their big reconciliation was just an act. When Sasha confessed, she knew Valentin was behind it. It was too thorough; too perfectly executed. He lied to her about finding her daughter so she would forgive him. So the plan was, to give him a taste of his own medicine. See how he feels; to deceive him like he deceived her. Jax says he knew she was too smart to fall for Valentin’s lies.
Nikolas skulks around behind Valentin with a fireplace poker. The doorbell rings, and Nikolas is like, drat! and I laugh. Valentin answers the door to Hayden, and thanks her for coming on such short notice. He invites her in, but she says she doesn’t know why she came out there. She owes him nothing. She doesn’t work for him. He says, maybe they can find a way to change that.
Carly tells Sonny that she was leaving Jax a message. Sonny says he figured that. When she said they have to be a team, it was a giveaway. She says Jax called, but Jason was there. Did he hear about Sam? Sonny says, two years, but she could end up with community service. He’s been trying to call in favors. Carly says, Sam doesn’t belong in Pentenville. That’s why Jason was there. He doesn’t know what to tell the kids. Sonny isn’t surprised Jason was there, since he and Carly confide in each other. Did she tell Jason what she’s been keeping from him?
Anna tells Jason, there are still questions about Cassandra’s escape and probable death. And how he managed to turn up at the pier at the perfect time. He tells her that Cassandra and Sam were cellmates, and ended up on work detail with one another. Cassandra escaped, and he didn’t want Sam to be blamed. Cassandra is Valentin’s only known associate, and he thought Valentin would know where she’d run. Anna asks if Valentin seemed guilty, but he says, no. Nina was the one who got upset. Anna says, Charlotte had been abducted, and Jason says he assumes that was it. The only change in Valentin was when he got a phone call. He didn’t answer it, but it seemed like he wanted to. After that, Nina kicked him out. Anna wonders if it was Cassandra calling, and Jason says that’s what he was thinking. So he went to the pier to check, since it’s isolated. That’s where he ran into Charlotte, and Anna knows the rest. Anna says it’s no secret Cassandra was using Charlotte as leverage to negotiate with Valentin. Who else could supply a boat? And who else could wire the boat to explode?
Hayden asks if Valentin is offering her a job, but he says he’s offering to pay for information. She says, about what? and he says he’s caught her snooping around twice. Once when she was there with Jax for cocktails, and the nanny caught her. She says she got lost, and he says then Obrecht caught her going into the trophy room, where Helena’s portrait was. Hayden stammers, and Valentin says, tell the truth. Although he knows it’s a tough concept for her, she’ll earn a great deal of money if she does. What’s so important about the portrait?
Jax says Nina almost had him convinced she believed Valentin. She says, almost? He says when they sat together that night, when she ran out of the wedding, he saw how much pain she was in, and she was pretty convinced Valentin was behind it. Nina tells him that she doesn’t remember half the things she said; she was so upset. He was very sympathetic while listening to her; he deserves a medal. He says he was trying to be a friend. What troubled him was her falling for Valentin’s lies. He knew she wasn’t that gullible. She says, no, she’s not, but he’s the only one who shares that opinion. No one else had trouble believing Valentin snowed her again. He says, that was the idea, wasn’t it? She says, it was part of the set up. To pull the rug out from under Valentin, and watch him fall apart. Jax says, it’s a great plan, but completely wrong for the situation.
Valentin tells Hayden that Ava had a nervous breakdown, and submitter herself to Shadybrook. He just came from a visit. They had an enlightening conversation about the portrait, and how it came into her hands, despite the fact that he threw it away. Hayden asks if she still has it, and he says, not in Shadybrook. It’s difficult to say where, but she said Jax and Hayden were searching for it. That would explain why she was searching his home. She says, he puts a lot of faith in a nervous breakdown. Valentin says he’ll make it easy. He’ll pay her a quarter of a million dollars to tell him what’s so important about the painting. Nikolas listens in.
Nina says, it’s a good plan, but the wrong plan? and Jax says he knows it’s tempting to take revenge; make Valentin feel the heartbreak she felt. But it’s a lose-lose situation. She asks how? and he tells her take his word for it. Revenge doesn’t always give you the satisfaction you’d expect, and it can hurt more than the person you’re targeting. She tells him to offer her a different solution. He says, it might sound cliché, but living well is the best revenge. End things, cut your losses. Don’t press charges for fraud, and drag Valentin into court; it’s a waste of time. All those weeks won’t matter once she’s free. He tells her, don’t get tangled in revenge. Focus on the good things in your life that are in front of you. Nina says Valentin won’t let her go. He’ll come after her. He says she has to make Valentin think she’s moved on; found someone else. She could fake date him if she wanted. Nina says that’s because he wouldn’t date her in real life. He says he didn’t say that.
Jason tells Anna that Cassandra held Valentin’s daughter hostage. Why not retaliate? Anna says, that’s not how the law works, but he asks, what good is the law, when it puts the wrong person behind bars? Sam was convicted of manslaughter, and sent to Pentenville for two years. Anna says she’s sorry, and wouldn’t have asked him to meet her if she’d known. He says he needed something else to focus on. Something he understands. She asks if the children know. He says, not yet. He’s figuring out how tell them. He can’t wrap his head around it, and nothing is working. She asks if she can offer some advice. Be honest with them. Tell them as much as he thinks they’re old enough to process. The most important thing is to reassure them that he’ll be there for them. Jason thanks her, and she says he’s a bit unconventional for a father, but she thinks he’ll be brilliant. He hopes so.
Stella gives Mike a glass of water, and tells him, sorry, but they’re out of scotch at the bar. He says, it’s probably just as well. He has to work tonight. His boss is a jerk, and if he smells booze on Mike’s breath, he’ll make a big case of it. Stella says he doesn’t want that, and asks where he works. Mike says he won’t be there much longer. Just long enough to show his girl’s father that he can hold a steady job. She says he’s got a girl? He says, the most beautiful one in the world. Stella asks her name, and he says, Adela. She’s an angel. The only thing wrong is, her father doesn’t approve. She asks, how come? but Mike says he hasn’t asked him. He couldn’t care less, but being with her is world anything her old man puts him through. He just needs one good score, and he’ll have enough to make his own business. He’ll use what’s left over for a down payment on a house. It will make Adela happy; she wants to have kids, just like he does. Stella is sure he’ll be a wonderful father, and Mike says, his own childhood was hit or miss, but he’ll be different for his kids. He’s going to do it right. He’ll be home for dinner at six, Saturdays in the park, and mass on Sunday morning. Stella says, it sounds lovely, and he says as soon get he gets married, they won’t see him around there.
Carly tells Sonny that Jason was focused on Sam going to prison, and how he was going to break the news to the kids. She didn’t think it was the time to bring up a conversation about Jax. Sonny says Jax is lying about why he doesn’t want Josslyn to move in. He’d never chose a girlfriend over Josslyn. Carly says they have to get along, and Sonny says he’s trying. She tells him, try harder. He says he has no doubt Jax loves Josslyn, but also no doubt he’s using the situation to his advantage.
Jason goes to the Quartermaine mansion, and Monica says it’s good to see him. Scout was out by seven, but Danny is probably awake. She tells him, Robert called about the verdict. She’s so sorry. Jason says the lawyer is pushing for parole, but the kids need know Sam could be gone for a while. Scout is too young to understand, but he doesn’t want to risk Danny finding out some other way. Monica says what’s important is stability, consistency, and reassurance. He’s going to need help while Sam is away, and she wonders why they couldn’t live there.
Sonny tells Carly that Jax is going to push himself into their lives and family, judging everything Sonny does. Jax would love nothing more than to catch him doing something illegal. Carly says Jax already has. He knows Sonny is breaking all kinds of laws having Dev there, and said he’d keep the secret. Sonny says Jax wants to be Josslyn’s hero, but what if he finds something to use against Sonny that Josslyn isn’t involved in? Don’t think Jax won’t turn him over to the cops.
Jax tells Nina, what he’s saying is, she runs a successful magazine. Her boss thinks she’s wonderful. Nina says, does he? and Jax says, he does. Doesn’t she think it best she focus Crimson instead of destroying Valentin? Millions of people get heartbroken every day, but not many have her choices. She can wallow in hate and revenge, or choose to chase what makes her happy. She says he makes it sound easy. He says, ditch the revenge, detach herself from Valentin, start living her life. and the world is her oyster. She says, what if she doesn’t want that particular oyster? What if she wants to forgive Valentin? He asks why she’d want to do that.
Finn meets Anna at the MetroCourt, apologizing for being late. She says she met with Jason to go over the Cassandra incident. Did he know Sam was convicted of manslaughter? She’s been sentenced to two years in Pentenville. Finn says, it’s horrible, and she says, it’s terrible. Jason is grappling with how to tell the children. It made her think about how complicated life is, and how their circumstances impact their children. She tells him that she met with Hayden, and he asks how it went. She says, pleasant enough, and Finn says, but… She says she doesn’t think she trusts Hayden all that much. He says, sadly, that’s not a surprise.
Valentin says Hayden has experience in high finance. She can aggressively invest the money, and Make a princely sum. It would be all hers. She says she’d love to take his money, but she doesn’t know anything about the portrait. He says he’d prefer to pay her for the information, but he can exert influence in other ways. Once the money is off the table, it’s going to get unpleasant. He’s going to ask one more time. Do they have a deal? She says they do, and tells him to wire the money to an offshore account. He says he’ll need something up front, a gesture of good faith. She says, the reason Helena gave the portrait to Nikolas… Charlotte comes in, interrupting the conversation.
Nina tells Jax, she’s been planning her revenge since the day of the wedding. When she went back to work, she ran into Sasha, and she lied again, saying the scam was all her fault. She went to Windymere, hoping Valentin would tell the truth, but he didn’t. He lied again. It’s who he is, and who he’ll always be. Why let the truth stand between him and what he wants? So she decided to play his game, and she’s been playing him ever since, until Charlotte was abducted. Then, revenge seemed pointless. All she could think about was how much she loves Charlotte. She’d give anything for Charlotte to have a safe at home with the father she loves. She loves the three of them; they’re a family. It’s hard to give up, no matter what Valentin does or the crimes he’s committed. Jax says, please don’t say Valentin is a good father.
Sonny tells Carly that he just wants honesty from his wife. Admit Jax is out to get him. She says Sonny would already be feeling it if he was. He could be a threat to Sonny’s coffee business, which would leave his real business in serious trouble. Sonny should be grateful that Jax isn’t as vindictive as he is. What would he do if someone had him deported and kept away from his child? If all Jax does is annoy Sonny, he’s getting off easy. Sonny asks why it’s his fault. Carly put it in motion when she slept with Jax.
Jason tells Monica, he appreciates the offer, but he just doesn’t know. It’s hard enough the kids will be separated from Sam. He doesn’t know if he should take them out of their home. Monica says they spend a lot of time there anyway. It’s comfortable and familiar; they have their own rooms, and adore the nanny. They’ll have consistency and security, and won’t be confused about Sam’s absence when they come home from school. Jason says he’ll talk to Sam, and see if it’s okay. Monica says he doesn’t have to say anything, but Scout and Danny’s mother is in prison. Scout’s dad is dead, and Jason is the only parent they have. Please think before taking any chances that might get him killed or put in prison.
Charlotte says Valentin promised they’d read her book. She knows they were going to wait for Nina, but she wants to start tonight. Valentin suggests she go upstairs for a bit, but Hayden says she doesn’t want to intrude. She asks what the book is, and Charlotte says, Little Women. Hayden says it’s one of her favorites. She’ll see herself out. Valentin says he and Charlotte will show her out. He doesn’t want her wandering off somewhere she doesn’t want to be. Nikolas puts the poker back, and slips out the secret door. Valentin thanks Hayden for coming, and tells her to get the account number for him. She says, no problem about everything they discussed. When she’s gone, Charlotte wonders why Valentin didn’t introduce her, but he says, there was no need. He doubts they’ll see her again.
Jax tells Nina, Sonny is a good father too. That’s how Carly rationalized going back to him time and again. Now one of her kids is dead, and her life is in a mess. He doesn’t want that to happen to her. Nina says it’s not his decision to make. Jax says she’s right. He should know better. He can’t live someone else’s life. She has every right to choose Valentin. All he can do is give her a better alternative, and hope she’s smart enough to take it. She hands him the invitation, tells him, don’t forget to RSVP, and leaves. Geez, think he likes her?
Carly says she slept with Jax when she had reason to believe Sonny had sex with Nelle, and was covering it up. Does he think she forgot that he slept with her lawyer Martina, or flirted with Margaux right in front of her face? If he wants to compare lists, his is way longer. The house phone rings, and Sonny says, send her up. Carly asks, who’s there? and he says, Stella. He knows it’s not a good time, but Carly says, of course (🍷) Stella should come in. They need to finish this though. Sonny opens the door, and Stella says, hey, stranger. He asks how she is, and Carly says she’s here from across the pond. Stella says, just for a quick visit. She was just visiting Sonny’s father. Unfortunately, he had no idea who she was.
Finn tells Anna that Hayden is Violet’s mother, but he’s under no illusion that motherhood transformed her. As happy as he is to have Violet in his life, he’s not sure he can forgive Hayden for the time she’s taken from him. Anna says she’s sorry, and Finn says, this is where science does him a favor. He looks at the facts, and wonders if he and Hayden can find a way to co-parent that’s best for Violet. Anna says, for Hayden, the best way might mean the two of them getting back together.
Jax looks at the invitation, and Nikolas walks in. Jax asks where he was (déjà vu!), and Nikolas says, out. Jax asks if he was breaking more drug traffickers out of custody. Nikolas asks what Nina wanted, and Jax says to invite him to the wedding. She’s marrying Valentin at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Nikolas says, she’s a fool, but Jax says, she knows what she’s doing. She’s a good person, and too many people lied to her, including him. He’s done.
Nina walks into Windymere, and hears Valentin reading to Charlotte. She sees them on the couch, Charlotte’s head on Valentin’s shoulder. She watches them.
Jason tells Danny that he wants to talk about something that happened. He had to testify in court. Danny asks if it was for his mom’s trial, and Jason says it was. Danny ask if she’s okay, and Jason says what he’s about to tell Danny is complicated. He’s sure Danny will have a lot of questions, but he’ll explain everything. Danny’s mom was found guilty of something called manslaughter.
Stella tells Sonny, she’s not surprised. She and Mike met after he developed Alzheimer’s. He was so fully immersed in another time and place, with no sense of disorientation or uncertainty. It’s clear Mike’s Alzheimer’s is progressing. Carly asks, how long before he won’t remember them? but Stella says, it’s impossible to say. Sonny says, based on her experience, what’s her guess? Stella says, the day when Sonny’s father won’t remember him at all, is coming a lot sooner than they think.
Jason says Danny’s mom was protecting him, and as a result, Shiloh died. The judge found his mom partly responsible; that’s what manslaughter means. He asks if it makes sense, and Danny asks if Sam is going to prison. Jason says, yeah. The judge wants her to go for two years. Danny says, no, and Jason says the lawyers are trying to get her home sooner. Danny wonders what will happen with him and Scout, and Jason says he was talking to Grandma Monica. She thought they could stay there, and he doesn’t think it’s a bad idea. But if Danny wants to be home, they can do that. Whatever he wants. Danny thinks he wants to stay. If they’re at home, they’ll just miss their mom more. Jason says, it’s okay. Jason will need his help. If Scout sees Danny is okay, she’ll be okay. Danny says he can do that, and Jason says he knows Danny can. Jason promises to do everything to get their mom home, but whatever happens, Danny has him. He’s not going anywhere. They hug.
Hayden goes back to the MetroCourt, and sees Anna and Finn at the bar. Anna says now that Finn has had time to think, does he have any insights to share? He says, just one. He loves her. He would have never asked her to marry him if he’d had any doubts. She says she doesn’t have any either. He says, whatever happens, they’ll deal with it together, and she says, of course (🍷). Whatever it takes. She loves him. He says he loves her too, and kisses her. Hayden watches.
Nikolas asks what Jax means by done. Jax says if he can’t find the codicil by New Year’s Eve, he’s going to tell Nina everything; that Nikolas is alive, and about his involvement. Valentin will be focused on Nikolas, and he’ll rape Cassadine Industries, bankrupting Valentin. Nikolas says Jax will render the estate worthless, and Jax says that’s Nikolas’s problem. Nikolas asks, what about Spencer? and Jax says he can take care of Spencer, without further involvement in his family’s politics. Nikolas asks, what happened? and Jax says, his priorities have changed, and he wants to make sure Nina comes out unharmed.
Nina says she can’t believe they started without her. She would have rushed home. Charlotte says she loves it so far, and Nina says she knew Charlotte would. Charlotte says she can’t believe papa didn’t know the book, and Nina says it’s on them to keep him educated. She takes the book, and says, her turn. She reads, and Charlotte says, those poor girls. She doesn’t know what she‘d do without her papa. Valentin says she doesn’t have to worry about that.
Nikolas calls Hayden. He says he needs to see her tomorrow. Don’t say a word to Jax. This is between them. It’s urgent. Everything has changed.
On Monday, TJ tells Stella that he’s going to propose to Molly. Neil asks Alexis what she and Kendra work on, and Trina asks if Dev is Sonny’s cousin or not.
🔥 Oh Hell No…
I’d rather watch five of anyone else.
👑 Oh Hell Yes…
The queen can still do no wrong.
No surprise, she also wins most popular.
https://allaboutthetea.com/2019/11/20/lisa-vanderpump-bravocon
📢 Quotes of the Week
Because it’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood, some quotes from Fred Rogers – Mr. Rogers to you.
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.
Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.
How sad it is that we give up on people who are just like us.
I think of discipline as the continual everyday process of helping a child learn self-discipline.
Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go.
And because it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows.
Honey, her wig is desperate. – NeNe Leakes, Real Housewives of Atlanta
Nothing ruins a beach picnic like a fatality. – Kate Chastain, Below Deck
🌠 I Wish…
I’ll spare you the songs from Oliver! that are somehow stuck in my head. See you when Alexandria and Oceanside meet.
The Man In Black…
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 