What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Someone bangs on Ava’s door. Not-Doc says he doesn’t suppose ignoring it is an option. She tells him the world has a way of intruding when it’s least convenient. He says, let them wait, and kisses her. She opens the door to find Griff.
Anna tells Britt to keep Obrecht on the phone as long as possible. She needs to trace the call. Britt is surprised that with technology like caller ID, you still have to keep someone on the phone. Anna thinks once Obrecht starts talking, she won’t shut up. Britt is miserable and says Finn literally made her sick. She asks if this is really that important. Anna says Obrecht helped Faison keep her daughter prisoner for years, and tortured and nearly killed her son. It’s that important. Britt says, even if means killing her?
Maxie thanks Peter for bringing her home. He says whoever killed Kiki is still out there, and asks if she’s sure she wants to be alone.
Alexis comes into Charlie’s. She tells Julian that she knows they’re closed, but she can get it to go. He says she’s there for the pumpkin cheesecake, right? She asks if there’s any left, and he tells her. have a seat.
Carly tells Sonny that Josslyn is asleep. After the bomb that dropped, she thought Josslyn would be up all night. She wishes she could take the pain away. She got Avery into her PJs, and she was out like a light. Sonny says, Ava never called to cancel, and wonders what she was thinking. Carly says, like always, about herself. Ava doesn’t deserve the two daughters she has.
Jordan tells Curtis the killer moved the body. She’s hoping they can catch a break. Curtis asks if there are any leads, and she says, Chase found something in Griff’s apartment that they need to talk to him about.
Ava tells Griff that Kiki already approached her about the Sasha situation, but he tells her that she needs to listen. She says Kiki wrote her off, and she surrenders. When her happily ever after crashes down, Ava will be there ready to be her mother. Griff says something horrible happened. Kiki is gone. She asks what he means. She dumped him? She finally came to her senses. He tells her, Kiki is dead.
Jordan says Griff isn’t at his or Kiki’s apartment. Curtis says, so he ran. Jordan thinks if he’s not in either of those places, he might be right.
Ava asks what Griff said, and he says he’s so sorry. She smacks him, saying, all the lies. He wishes it wasn’t true. She says, it can’t be true. Not-Doc asks what happened. Was there an accident? Griff says, not an accident. Ava says, that’s the only explanation. Griff says, she was murdered. Ava says, not her daughter, and tells not-Doc that since he’s a psychiatrist, he can tell when someone is lying. Not-Doc tells her, sorry, but he thinks Griff believes he’s telling the truth. She says, then he’s wrong too. He asks where she is, and Griff says her body was found on the Haunted Star.
Alexis eats, and says, so good. It looks good. She asks Julian to help her. She doesn’t want to finish by herself. He says, twist his arm, and sits. She asks how his first Quartermaine Thanksgiving was. A disaster? He says, mishap maybe. He wouldn’t call it a disaster. He knew she had something up her sleeve with Oscar, but she says her efforts paled in comparison to young love. Josslyn had more to do with it than she did.
Britt says she thought Finn infected her with the common cold. Finn says, with enhancements. She feels like she’s going to die, and he says everyone who gets it feels like that, but she won’t. She might even end up being stronger. Britt coughs, and Anna tells her, stop complaining. It’s a small price to pay. Britt doesn’t know if she can do it, and Anna says, fine. Then the whole deal is off the table, and she goes back to Pentonville. Finn tells her that he won’t be able to treat her there, but the virus should run its course in six months. She says, it’s blackmail, and asks Anna, what’s next? Anna says she’s already put out a media story. She might have exaggerated, saying Britt was on the brink of death. Britt is sure Obrecht has seen the story. She has an alert on Britt’s name. Finn says, that’s a thing? and Britt tells him, it’s not even a new thing. Britt asks how long the story has been out, and Anna says since yesterday. Britt wonders why Obrecht hasn’t she called yet, and Anna says maybe she overestimated Obrecht’s maternal instincts. Britt hates to say it, but that’s entirely possible. The bright side is, if she doesn’t call, Britt doesn’t have to worry about helping turn her in. Anna says, but if she does, Britt is one step closer to freedom. If she warns Obrecht, she’ll be back in the laundry room. Britt coughs some more.
At the nurses’ station, Finn looks at his phone. Anna asks if he’s setting up an alert for himself. He doesn’t say anything, and she asks if he got a text from Hayden about where to meet in Rome? He puts his phone in his pocket. She says he doesn’t have to hide anything, and she asks again if Hayden texted him. He admits she did. Anna asks if it’s about meeting at the Spanish Steps, and he tells her they were paid for by the French. Anna asks when she wants meet, and he says, the day after tomorrow. How does she feel about throwing coins in the Trevi fountain with him?
Julian tells Alexis that it was great spending time with Leo. She asks about the downside, and he says Kim asked him to do something. He said he would, and she found out he didn’t mean it. Alexis is feeling some déjà vu, but he says he disappointed Kim in the opposite way he disappointed her. All the times she asked him to leave the mob and he didn’t… He asks if she’s his lawyer now. She tells him, for the sake of this conversation, and he says Kim asked him to do something outside the boundaries of the law. As much as he wanted to make her happy, he knew it would make things worse between her and Oscar. Alexis asks if Kim is mad at him, and he says the one time he does the right thing. Alexis is proud of him. He asks how her Thanksgiving rated, and she says it was the best of the last three. She was only fired by an adolescent. Julian says, victory comes in all shapes and sizes. She says last year she got blowback from the girls about the press conference, and two years ago, she got drunk and ran Julian over with her car. He says, good times… He gets a call from Griff, and says, say that again.
Chase tells Jordan that the teams checked Kiki and Griff’s apartments. They found the broken vase, and at first glance, it was the only sign of a struggle. Ava storms in, and asks, what the hell is going on? Griff made an insane claim that she knows isn’t true. Not-Doc hides the cuff of his sleeve; it has blood on it. Ava wants to see her daughter. Kiki’s body is brought out in a bag on a gurney.
Anna says Finn is asking her to go to Rome when she’s on a manhunt, and he says, Rome waits for no one. She’s not abandoning looking for Obrecht, unless he wants three of them throwing coins in the fountain. He says he has no plans and no expectations, but would feel better If she was with him. The phone in Britt’s room rings. Anna dashes in, and puts on headphones. Britt answers. On a terrace, in what we assume is a foreign country, a dude says he’s looking for Dr. Westbourne, and Britt says that’s her. He asks when she last saw her mother, and she thinks it was when she told Patrick the truth about Ben. He puts Obrecht on the phone. Obrecht asks Britt to forgive her. She didn’t want anyone there to identify her. She asks if Britt is colluding with Anna to trap her, and if her own daughter is setting her up.
Peter tells Maxie, when he was growing up, family was an abstract concept that happened to other people. Now he knows who his mother is, and understands why she gave him up. Maxie asks if he forgives her, and he says he doesn’t think he hates her. Maxie says, baby steps. He has so much regret about not getting to know Nathan. Maxie says Faison killed Nathan, not him. He’s a decent guy. If Obrecht had succeeded in killing him, he wouldn’t be there to make sure she got home safe. She wins.
Alexis asks Julian what Griff wanted. Julian tells her that he said Kiki is dead. She was murdered. His niece was stabbed to death. Alexis says, oh my God; who would do that to her? Julian says Griff didn’t tell, and he didn’t ask. He says, Ava, and Alexis tells him to go; Ava needs him. He doesn’t know if he can do this right now, and she says he doesn’t have to do it alone.
Ava says that’s not her daughter; she’ll show them. She unzips the bag, saying, not her daughter. Not-Doc watches dispassionately. She sees Kiki, and tells her, wake up. Griff looks sick. Ava tells Kiki to listen to her mother. She knows Kiki wanted to teach her a lesson. She got it. She learned it. She tells Kiki to get up; open her eyes and sit up. She starts to cry, and wails, no! She weeps over the body.
Maxie wants to make a toast. Peter says, to today. Maxie says it’s all they have; live it for what it’s worth. She tells Peter find something to make him smile each day. If he succeeds, find two more things. Otherwise, he’ll live with regret, and no memories to cherish. He leans in for a kiss. She does too.
Britt tells Obrecht that Anna is there. She’s tracing the call and recording it. Obrecht asks how Britt could betray her, and Britt says, Anna is standing next to James Bond, Jason Borne, and Perry Mason. Did Obrecht think she’s cooperate after what they’ve done to her? And she’s one of three people who actually cares about Britt. Obrecht says she can’t be too careful. Anna is relentless. Britt wonders why Obrecht hasn’t asked how she is, and Obrecht says she knows Britt isn’t ill. If she’s not cooperating, she must be running her own scam. Britt says she’s sick, and starts hacking. Obrecht says she does sound terrible. Britt tells Obrecht that she’s in prison. It’s not a super-healthy environment. Obrecht asks, what’s wrong? and Britt says, they don’t know. Obrecht says they’re incompetent, and Britt says she’s in pain, and they enjoy watching it. Obrecht asks who her doctor is, and Britt says, Finn. Obrecht calls him a schweinhund, and says he has it out for her. Britt begs her to come.
Outside, Hayden texts Finn, asking him to please come. She’s made so many mistakes, and one of them was leaving him.
Not-Doc leads Ava away. He tells her to sit. She’s in shock, but needs to breathe. The body bag is zipped back up. Chase needs to ask Griff some questions. Griff says he spoke to the commissioner, but Jordan says they have to talk again. She asks when he last saw Kiki alive, and he says at the apartment. They spent the morning together. They were supposed to go to the wedding, but got a late start because she was so beautiful. They kissed, and one thing led to another. He got a call from Monica that a decision had been reached about his suspension, and there was a letter at the hospital for him.
Julian comes in, asking, what happened? Not-Doc tells him that Griff showed up at Ava’s with the news. Beyond that, they know nothing. Carly calls, and not-Doc answers. She asks if she called his number, but he says she dialed Ava. Carly asks if she’s there, and not-Doc says she is, but can’t speak. Carly asks if he can give her a message. She’s three hours late, and Avery is asleep. She’ll have to wait until morning. Not-Doc says Ava is late because her other daughter is dead. She was murdered. He ends the call.
Griff says he told them everything. Chase asks him to tell the commissioner how this ended up in his apartment. He takes out a plastic bag with a bloody knife in it.
Sonny asks if Carly reached Ava. She says she tried; Doc answered. Sonny asks, why? and she says, Kiki’s dead. She was murdered. Sonny wonders, who would do that to her? It doesn’t make any sense. While murder often doesn’t make sense, I’m wondering why they’re all jumping to the conclusion that it’s personal instead of something random.
Ava watches Griff. Griff ask Chase what that is. Chase says, a knife from his butcher block. Griff’s prints will no doubt be on it; will anyone else’s? Chase is waiting on the lab report, and tells Griff, it was wrapped in a towel, and tucked away in a closet. Ava suddenly goes nuts, calling Griff a murderer and asking, why?
Peter and Maxie are about to kiss, when the baby cries. Maxie says she has to check on the baby. Peter says he’s sorry; he shouldn’t have. She says her either.
Britt tells Obrecht, please, she has to come. Obrecht tells her to calm herself. Britt says she doesn’t want die there – or in prison. Obrecht says, don’t tell anyone she said this, but Dr. Finn is an exceptional doctor. Britt says, he’s too by book. She needs a revolutionary thinker. She needs Obrecht to come. Obrecht says she would if she could, but Finn won’t fail her. Britt asks what if she dies, and doesn’t get the chance to see her Mutter again. Britt hears something that sounds like an explosion in the background, and Obrecht says it’s a local ritual they inflict on them every evening. She has to go. Someone could trace the call. Obrecht says, goodbye, and Britt asks Anna if she kept her on long enough. Anna says she was calling from a scrambled line anyway. It doesn’t matter. Anna knows where she is.
Finn asks Anna if she had any luck. She says she couldn’t trace the call, but knows where Obrecht is; Havana. If she tries to arrest Obrecht, it could cause an international incident. Finn asks, when do they go? and Anna says, they don’t.
Julian says he’ll take Ava home, but Ava asks not-Doc to take her. He tells Julian that he’ll take good care of her. Julian asks Alexis, what the hell was that? and she says Julian can trust him. She’s truly sorry about Kiki. Julian says, him too. Sorrier than he can say. She was a great kid.
Jordan asks if Griff is okay. He guesses he is. Chase wants to get back to the knife. Chase’s phone rings, and he steps away. Griff says they were together all morning, until Monica called about the ruling on his suspension. Jordan asks if anyone saw them, and he says, no. She says, so there’s no one who can verify they were together. Alexis appears, and says he’s under no obligation to talk. He says he doesn’t know how the knife got there. All he knows is that he didn’t do it – or kill Kiki. Chase says the lab tests came back. The blood on the knife is Kiki’s blood.
Anna says she’s heading to Cuba, and Finn is going to Rome. He says, so much for being a team. Fighting bad guys and getting kidnapped was kind of their thing. She thinks it’s an excuse not to deal with Hayden. The longer he keeps avoiding her, the longer it will feel like an unresolved situation for the both of them. He doesn’t know what there is to resolve. She tells him, go to Rome. Settle things. She’ll go to Cuba, and figure out how to keep Obrecht away from her son.
Maxie tells Peter that James is fine. He says, what about them? and she tells him, pretend it never happened. He thinks he should get going, and she thinks that’s a good idea. He asks if she’s sure. The killer is still out there. She says she’ll sleep with her cell phone next to her. He’s sorry for what never happened. He leaves. She closes the door, and they stand on opposite sides with their backs to the wall. Peter sits down in the hallway.
Carly remembers seeing Kiki at Morgan’s memorial service. They were letting the lanterns go, and Kiki was watching. She looked so beautiful, and Carly remembers thinking how much Morgan loved her, and how happy he’d be that she was in med school. She had so much to look forward to. Sonny says, two beautiful people with bright futures, now gone.
Not-Doc gives Ava a drink. She leans on him.
Julian asks Alexis why she’s intervening. Alexis says, Griff has rights, and he’s too distraught to know what he’s saying. Julian says, or faking. He could be the murderer. Alexis thinks if Julian puts aside his dislike for Griff, he won’t believe it. Either way, he has the right to a competent defense. Julian says, he’s going to need it. Chase arrests Griff. Curtis watches as Chase reads Griff his rights.
Tomorrow, Terry asks if Oscar is ready for the trial, Anna says it’s not a random act, and Scotty tells Franco about Kiki.
The Shahs of Sunset – The Reunion, Part Two
GG has a smoke in the parking lot. She goes back inside.
Tommy didn’t want to tell Vida like this. He wanted to tell her the other night when they were out for her birthday. He shows her a video the sonogram. She congratulates them. They listen to the heartbeat. Vida says, soon MJ will be a mommy and she’ll be a grandma. Tommy says they haven’t told anyone. She doesn’t think they should say anything today. With so much going on, their news will be secondary. MJ wants to do it when everyone is together, and Vida suggests inviting them over. MJ wants to do it now, and Vida says she never agrees with anything. The break is over.
Andy goes to see GG. She says she doesn’t know how to fight back like that anymore. He says they’re concerned she’s smoking too much pot. She says Shalom was involved, and he asks if she feels like they’re conspiring against her with Shalom. She says it hurts her to react, and they see Lochnessa is still there. He thinks she should get dressed and come back, but leaves it with her.
MJ says it’s about courage – balls and courage – and vulnerability is a courage not everyone has. Nema says GG chose to villainize him, and got nasty on group chats. She said she was going to screw him in the ass with his sister’s hand. Yep. We see it, and she said that. He says he was talking with Mike, and she just chimed in. God bless them doing this for seven years, but you don’t talk about his family.
GG comes back out, and wants to sit where she has space. Mike moves over. Andy asks if there’s anything specific she wants to say, or does she just want to ease back in. She wants to ease. Andy says she expressed that she thinks the others believe they’ll win if they push and poke her, and she reacts. Reza says they want her to be open and honest. He doesn’t want her to physically attack anyone. He just wants her to use her words. Her stories don’t add up, and there’s always a legal excuse for why she can’t open up.
Andy says Destiney is a professional party planner, and the Shahs’ voice of reason. A viewer noticed that this season, Destiney’s friendships strengthened, especially with MJ and Reza. She says she feels closest to them. She starts getting choked up, saying she’s grateful for her connection with Reza. No one has ever seen a father that’s tangible for her, and it made them form the deepest connection. She thanks Reza. She can tell MJ things like a sister. How GG reacted to her earlier though, was on another level, nd has her questioning what they had. She was checking up on GG, and gets that she felt uncomfortable like she was being cornered. We flash back to that. Destiney says she thanks God that she’s a nice person and cares about people. GG thanks Go for anger management, and that seh doesn’t punch people. Destiney can’t.
A viewer thinks Destiney is too picky, and asks what she has against uncircumcised penises. She says they’re prettier. MJ asks for a show of hands. Andy says, it depends, and Reza agrees, saying it can go either way. Andy asks if Destiney is dating anyone, and she’s dating three guys, one of them Persian. Andy asks Mike if he outted Destiney on Jeff Lewis’s radio show. He said think maybe Destiney likes women, and that’s why she’s so hard on men. Oh. He’s one of those people who think that must be the only reason you don’t want what they think you should. Andy says they have the clip, so we see that. In the clip, Mike claims he has good gaydar, and says Destiney touches him inappropriately, but she needs to be true to herself. If he was a woman, he’d be a lesbian. Destiney says if she’s not giving him attention, she’s a lesbian; but if she does touch him, it’s inappropriate. Reza says Mike told him to help her, like he’s the closet attendant. He thinks Mike is delusional. If a woman doesn’t like him, she’s crazy, married, or a lesbian. Mike says he loves the gay community, and helps gay Persian youth with their families. He was just trying to help. Destiney tells him he’s crazy in Farsi.
Andy says the most important relationship in Destiney’s life was the one that’s missing. We flash back to her meeting with PI Monique. Andy asks if there’s any update, and she says, no; it’s sad, and cries. Andy says her father could end up seeing the show, and asks what she’d want to say to him. She just wants to know he’s okay. She never dealt with this pain, and kept it inside. Andy asks how her mom and sisters feel, and she says it’s painful and hard.
Moving on. Before MJ walked down the aisle in white, wanted to blackout at her bachelorette party in Vegas. Andy says, every little girl dreams of Vegas for her bachelorette party. He tells MJ that her outfits elicited extreme reaction. He reads some comments from people mostly saying she should put more clothes on. He asks if she’s surprised, and she says, no, but their advice would be like Vida advice. A viewer asks if they don’t realize it’s inevitable after all that drinking, they’ll get in a fight. Andy asks if it ever doesn’t happen. GG says if they weren’t real friends, they could party like that, but things become personal and they get passionate.
Andy asks Mike about Morgan. He says he wanted her to come to Vegas, then he didn’t. It was the last straw for her. She thought he wasn’t taking her seriously, and ended things. MJ says she thought she was in a serious relationship. Mike says it’s not that they weren’t, just because she hadn’t met his parents – yet. MJ tells him, don’t waste a good woman’s time. He says he wasn’t wasting her time. She’s young, and they had an understanding. Whatever that means. Andy asks why MJ attacked Mike. MJ says when she’s pressed, the truth oozes out. We flash back to her asking if Morgan knows he’s not marrying her, and that she didn’t marry someone and cheat on them. Andy asks if they’re able to forgive, and Mike apologizes. He didn’t want to slut shame her, and doesn’t think she’s a slut. Andy asks if Mike thought Reza really wouldn’t tell anyone. We see the clip where Reza told Shervin about Mike and Morgan breaking up. Mike says 80% of the time, he’ll keep a secret. A viewer asks if Reza is afraid he’ll lose the friendship. Reza says it didn’t involve shade, and he didn’t tell everyone. He felt unappreciated, and that’s when Mike got up. We flash back to Mike saying he’ll never trust Reza again, and Reza saying he was carrying the friendship. Reza says he was talking about how he was feeling. MJ asks if Mike’s break-up was CIA information, and Mike says he’d just gotten divorced from Jessica. She tells him, stop living in Jessicaland. GG thinks they need to learn boundaries. MJ says it’s not a big betrayal, and Mike was blowing it up. Reza says, if he wanted to be shady, he’d be honest about it. In that moment, he was literally looking out for Mike’s ass. Andy asks how Mike feels now about trusting Reza. Mike says he takes it to heart, but it’s fine now. They fight over dumb sh*t. Reza says the two most important people, the ones that make him happiest outside of Adam and his family, are Mike and MJ. He talks to them every day. They bust each other’s balls, but he loves them. Mike puts his arm around Reza. He says Reza helps fix him. He can be Mike’s best friend, or a snake whose venom kills with one bite. It would take a lot more to break up the friendship.
Andy introduces the newest member of the cast – Nema. He asks why Nema wanted to be on the show. Nema says the opportunity came up, and he was starting to relate to his culture as an adult. Andy says some viewers think he’s deep and unbothered, but others think he’s pursuing GG to get a spot on TV. Nema thinks GG thinks so. GG says she didn’t at first. He says it doesn’t faze him. He was interested, and why shouldn’t he pursue someone he’s interested in. Reza says he had a girlfriend at home. Nema says the relationship was ending, and Mike says it wasn’t over yet. Nema admits he went about it the wrong way. He says GG’s reputation preceeds her, but his judgement was based on their interaction. It wasn’t until after filming, she came at him on social media and group chats. Andy asks if he still pursued her when the cameras were off, and GG says he thought she felt the same way. She played with him a lot. She asks what his fight with her is. She never denied flirting with him. He says he has no fight with her, and that’s fine. A viewer asks about the shade Reza threw at Nema about his white Lexus. Reza explains that an older Asian lady neighbor, Mrs. Chang, drives the same car, but a better version. It’s like he borrowed Mrs. Chang’s daughter’s car. Nema says they love to take shots at his Persianity, and it’s frustrating. He’s not the norm for an orthodox Persian. Neither is Reza. He should be the first person to understand breaking stereotypes. Reza says if he talks about Nema’s Lexus, and he can’t handle it, they can’t be friends. With the sh*t that really matters, he has Nema’s back. Andy asks if Nema is overly sensitive because it’s a side he’s reclaiming. Reza apologizes. He says now that he knows it’s a hot button, ti won’t happen. Destiney says, just communicate.
Andy tells us that GG came in with new beginnings, but one heavy relationship still weighing on her finger. He asks what’s the status, and GG says Shalom won’t sign the divorce papers. They were only married seven weeks, and Andy wonders what the hold up is. GG says he wants the ring back. We flash back to the appraisal, where GG is told it’s worth $165K. Andy asks if she’s wearing it. She’s not, but she’s not giving it back or selling it either. Andy asks if she still loves him, and she says, no. He asks how the cannabis company is doing, and she says, really well. One viewer thought she was sampling too much product when she did the presentation. Andy asks how high she was, and she says she’s the same, all day, every day. Andy asks if the other Shahs think GG has a problem, and MJ says, lately, she smokes so much, she’s not allowing herself to feel life. Andy hears genuine concern, but GG isn’t having it. She says she’s not causing problems, she doesn’t meddle, she’s not fighting, and she’s getting along with everyone. Andy asks what if she wants to get pregnant? She says she talked to the doctor already, because its going to be soon. She’s doing it on her own, and will degrade the right way.
The most popular question was about MJ starting a family. Andy asks what the hardest part has been, and MJ says being on hormones, and having a lot of emotional roller coasters while trying to implant embryos. He asks where they are in the process. MJ says on August 23rd, Shervin’s birthday, they had a successful transfer. She’s pregnant. Mike hugs her. GG tells Andy that MJ wasn’t drinking or around smoke, so she suspected. Reza knew already, and Destiney says she had a dream that she was pregnant and knew it meant something. MJ says she’s sharing it early on; she isn’t nine weeks yet. We find out she’s due on Mother’s Day. Mike ask if Vida knows, and MJ says they just told her, and we flash back to less than an hour ago. Tommy and Vida join the group.
Vida is excited and happy. Andy asks Vida if MJ will be a great mom, and Vida says they’ll have to see. GG says she and MJ might have a lot of issues, but thinks she’ll be an amazing mom. Andy tells us, to say there were high highs and low lows this season is an understatement. He’s sorry about MJ’s dad passing. It was clear how much he meant to her. A viewer asks how difficult it was to film the show during that time. Tommy thought it was cathartic. It made MJ go out. Otherwise, she could have retreated into depression. MJ agrees. She says for so many years, she was in so much pain, knowing the quality of life he was living. Andy asks Tommy about Shams, and Tommy says he was an exceptional human being. He did a lot for a lot of people. He loved MJ and Vida, and made him promise they’d stay in each other’s good graces, and get along. Andy asks Reza what about MJ reminds him most of her dad, and Reza says he was always in a good mood, and super generous. He’ll be eternally grateful to Shams. Vida thanks him for his kind words. Reza says they went to Las Vegas all the time, and MJ and Vida would come. He wondered, who takes his daughter and ex-wife to Caesar’s Palace? Reza says after a while, he wasn’t looking so well, and looked like he was suffering, and MJ would be smiling, stroking his hair, and joking with him. He found a new level of love and respect for her. He doesn’t have that experience with his own dad, and it melted his heart to see her taking care of him. Andy asks how MJ is honoring her dad, and she says she tries to embody him, and point out things he would say. Reza says she killed it in Vegas. She played his numbers, and literally couldn’t lose.
Andy says MJ refocused on her upcoming nuptials, and in the midst of Palm Springs partying, had a nice moment with Vida. We flash back to Vida says she’s sure Shams is looking at them. Andy asks Vida if she consciously lightened up because MJ needed her more. She says, of course. She feels closer to MJ, and when she’s not feeling it, she’s down and depressed. When they get together, it goes away. Andy says, when she looks back, does she think she was too hard on MJ? Vida says, everybody makes mistakes. They all applaud. MJ says what makes life sweeter is knowing the fun relationship she can have with her mom. She’s looking forward to a new chapter, and sharing motherhood with her.
Andy moves on to the love story no one saw coming, and MJ’s wedding. MJ says she wanted to be cooler than the other side of the pillow. Andy asks what stressed her the most, and she says when she came out and saw everyone who flew out to see them. We see a clip of her coming down the aisle, greeting everyone like she’s a politician before an election. She says she was out of control, and it was lucky she didn’t fall over. Tommy says, she did, and we flash back to that. Andy asks if she regrets not writing her vows in advance, and MJ says, it’s a huge regret. Reza says she ran it by him, and he thought he put the kibosh on it. He asks Tommy if his I do was planned. He says, no, and we see a clip of him saying, abso-effing-lutely, and the rabbi telling him, elegantly put. He says he uses that phrase a lot. Vida says, that’s very bad. Andy says it’s no surprise Vida had strong opinions, and asks Vida what her makeup and dress issues were. Vida didn’t like MJ’s dark makeup, one shade lighter than black. We never hear about the dress because Reza brings up his favorite moment, when Vida wished Tommy would finish already with the vows. Reza says he cried for five minutes; it was so funny. Andy says he couldn’t have enjoyed watching it more, and tells them, congratulations on the baby. We say goodbye to Vida and Tommy.
In keeping with the theme of celebration, they’re going to burn esfand, a traditional Persian ritual to clear the air, burn away the bad energy, and bring in the good. Andy asks the Shahs to share one good thing and something they want gone. They pass the incense burner as they answer. Reza wants the negativity out, and to keep his friends as close as he possibly can, because he loves them. Mike wants to keep away the haters. He says even though his friends might not always think his life is on the track they’d like it to be, he loves them, and knows they have his best interests at heart. GG wants to learn patience and understanding, and continue in good health, and have good relationships. Nema wants to get rid of the boundary issues that are a problem with the group, and wishes wealth and success for all of them. He wants to see them all take over the world. Destiney wants positivity and love, and for her friends to be healthy, wealthy, and have lots of sex. MJ wants the love to flow, and her family to grow. She wishes prosperity, success, and strength for all of them.
Andy concludes with saying, together they’ve shared the most beautiful and heartbreaking moments of their lives. At the end of the day, they’re family. He says, you are all close friends of mine, in Farsi. GG says he sounded Japanese.
I’ll miss the Shahs. MJ was right. It was a real roller coaster this season.
👓 And In Closing…
Food for thought. But hopefully not that spider.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 