Tag Archives: BravoTV

Feb1

January 31, 2024 – Esme Tells Spencer Her Evil Plan, Sutton’s Friend Brings The Erudites To Dinner & Wake Up

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly invites, Maxie, Sasha and Brook into her Crimson office, thanking them for seeing her on such short… well, no notice. She knows some of them are close with Nina, so she wanted to reach out first. She gets it. She knows everyone is a little blindsided by her presence here. She knows how they feel. If someone would have told her even 24 hours ago that she’d be in this position, she would have said they were crazy. But here she is, and here they all are, so why don’t they just focus on the business at hand? She wanted to do this in person. Leave the lawyers out of it, at least for now. Deception’s advertising contract with Crimson is up for renewal, and she’s eager to maintain this relationship, and hopefully see how it will evolve.

A woman walks into Nina’s MetroCourt office, and Nina asks how she can help her. The woman says she’s here to help Nina. She’s Gemma Somebody-Or-Other and she writes… Nina says, To the Nines column in the City Gazette. She shakes Gemma’s hand and Gemma says she’s flattered. Nina says she loves Gemma’s takes on fashion, and Gemma says, even when she disagrees with Nina? Nina says, especially when Gemma disagrees with her. How does Gemma want to help her? Gemma says she thought Nina might want to set the record straight. Why was the woman who saved Crimson from financial ruin just shown the door?

Lois approaches Olivia at the MetroCourt and asks if she’s got a few. Olivia says she’s actually kind of busy. It’ll have to wait. Lois says, can it? Because she gets the feeling if she leaves it up to Olivia, they may never speak again. Is that what she wants?

Paris On The Seine. On the French Haunted Star, Spencer comes out and sees a trail of the captain’s blood smeared across the deck, along with the fire extinguisher Esme used to knock him out. He follows the trail.

Trina asks what Esme is doing here, and Esme says, with Ace gone, she’s been all by herself. She missed Trina and Spencer so much, where else would she be? She walks toward Trina.

Dex yells for Sonny and Ava to get down, and they duck under a table. Shots are fired.

Nina says, it was her decision to leave Crimson, and Gemma says, is that right? Did she have any input on hiring her successor, Carly Spencer? Nina says she’s sorry to disappoint Gemma, but she promises, there is no story here. Gemma says, and if anyone would know, it’s Nina Reeves, the woman who revolutionized fashion guerrillaism, and Nina says, that’s very flattering, strategically so. Gemma says, it’s still true. Under Nina’s guiding hand, Crimson was a setter of trends. She also did in-depth exposés on botched plastic surgery and how fashion affects body image in both women and men. And now the magazine she brought back from bankruptcy has been given to her husband’s ex-wife. She’s sorry she’s barreling on, but this must be difficult. Nina says, Gemma isn’t telling her anything she doesn’t already know, and she’s still not throwing Carly under the bus. Gemma says, so there is a bus, and Nina says, Gemma wants a statement, she’ll give her a statement. She’s certain Carly Spencer will provide a fresh, new take on fashion and take the magazine in bold, new directions. There, that’s it. Gemma says, about a year ago, Nina – Crimson that is – celebrated how working women could be fashionable and stylish on any income on a busy schedule. And why every woman, every person, should do that for themselves. She adored that piece. Nina says she remembers that, and Gemma says she must confess she’s a little outraged about Nina’s departure, which is why she’s stumped. Even if it was Nina’s decision to leave, how could Drew Cain even consider letting her go? Nina says he’s very proud of her tenure at Crimson and will always remember it fondly. That’s all she has to say… on the record. Off the record, and in her own personal opinion, Drew Cain is no businessman. When it comes to running Aurora or Crimson, he’s listening more to his… heart than he is his head. (Agreed.)

Carly asks if anyone has any questions, and Maxie says, so many, she doesn’t even know where to start. Carly says she acknowledges Nina played a crucial part in forming the partnership between Deception and Crimson, one that’s been profitable for both parties. So if they think she’s going to come in here and change everything solely to do things differently than Nina, that’s not going to happen. In fact, the only changes she wants to make are the ones that maximize both of their successes. Sasha says she’s so sorry. She’s been trying to think of a way to ask this that doesn’t sound… Brook says, snarky? and Maxie asks who she thinks she’s in the room with. Carly says, Sasha can say anything to her, and Sasha says, it’s just that running the MetroCourt and the diner require a very different skillset than running a magazine. Brook says, they want to know how they can trust Carly in running this very new, untested version of Crimson, and Carly says, that’s fair. Maxie might know this, but she doubts Brook and Sasha do. Back in the 90s, she was part owner of the original Deception fragrance company. She has a history with Deception and an affection for it. That’s why she wants to do right by it and them. (Which is great, but doesn’t answer the question.) Maxie says, they’re listening, and Carly says, they’re in the process of closing out their April issue, and as they know, it’s one of the biggest issues of the year. Maxie says, second only to September, and Carly says, that’s right. How about if she increases Deception’s page count at a favorable rate? Maxie asks, how favorable are they talking? when Tracy comes in. She says, don’t sign anything. Oh wait. She’s the only one who can do that. Thank God. So what did she miss? Anything good? Like the part where Carly explains how a rank amateur can avoid running Crimson right into the ground?

Olivia says, it’s highly inappropriate, Lois coming in here like this, and Lois says, it’s a public place. Olivia says, it is a restaurant and it’s her place of business. It’s very important to her that she keep her personal life and professional life very separate. Lois says, what personal life is she talking about? Lately she’s been spending all her time in this place, which begs the question, is Olivia avoiding her? Olivia says she’s not avoiding Lois and she’ll prove it to her by talking to her – at home, but Lois says she doesn’t believe Olivia. Because on the off chance they even bump into each other at the Q’s, Olivia ducks out. Then when Lois chases after her, she disappears. Are there secret passages or something she’s not aware of? Olivia says, if Lois hasn’t noticed, she’s the working mother of a young child who happens to have special needs, and Lois says, Olivia is a wonderful mother to Leo, which doesn’t change the fact that Olivia is avoiding her. And this is the only place she’s able to get a face-to-face with Olivia, so here she is. Olivia says, fine, and stomps off, Lois following her. She sits in one of the private areas and says, make it quick. Sitting across from her, Lois says, make what quick? and Olivia says, her apology.

Spencer runs into the stateroom and yells for Trina. He says, the captain’s been attacked. Someone’s on board the vessel. He turns around, and Esme says, hello, Spence. He grabs her by the throat and slams her against the wall, saying, where is she?

Dex peeks in to where Sonny and Ava are, and says, the gunfire’s coming from the other side of the hotel. They think it’s a single shooter and they’re closing in on his location. Can Sonny and Ava make it inside? Sonny nods, and Dex covers them while they dash inside.

Esme tells Spencer to let go of her neck. That could be bad for his little girl. He says he radioed for help when he found the captain. They’ll be here any second. She says, they’re headed for the English Channel, and she’s already smashed the satellite tracking. They’ll be long gone before the police arrive. Spencer says he’s not going anywhere with her. He’ll kill her first. She says, go ahead. Then he’ll never find Trina in time, and he’ll have killed them both.

Esme asks Spencer how it feels not knowing where Trina is and not knowing if she’s safe. Every second of separation is agony, isn’t it? Well, his little pangs are nothing compared to the torture that Spencer and his father have put her through. He took away her child. Ace is a part of her and now he’s gone, so go ahead, squeeze the life out of her. Kill her and Trina both. Do it. He says he’s not going to kill her because he wants her to live a very long life, living with the pain she just described to him, because she’s never, ever going to see her son again. He lets go, and she says, she is Ace’s mother. Spencer pretended to love him, and he gave Ace away, and she’ll do anything to get her son back. He says, and he’ll do anything to stop her. She unzips her backpack, and says, oh really? So he’d let Trina die. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if he doesn’t do exactly as she says. Now give her his hands. She will kill Trina. He knows she will. Now turn around and give her his hands. He does asks she asks, and she binds his wrists together.

Bound and gagged in the wheelhouse, Trina struggles to get out. She scoots across the floor.

Tracy says, what she’s dying to know is how an innkeeper is qualified to run a fashion magazine, and how to explain fashion to Carly. Carly says she guesses she’ll look it up online. As she was explaining to Tracy’s partners – Tracy says, junior partners – she’s run several businesses, learning from the ground up. Nothing is going to change with Crimson except the name on the masthead. Tracy says, so they’re swapping out the current Mrs. Corinthos for the previous gun moll, which just doesn’t sound like progress to her. Brook says, come on. At least hear what she has to say. Maxie says, Carly is offering Deception substantial concessions, and Sasha says, exactly at a time they can use them. They’re pushing a new fragrance and they’re launching their men’s line with Cody as their spokesmodel. Tracy says, so all of them are perfectly content to risk Deception’s brand on a dilettante? and Carly says, Nina was a baby stealing lunatic when she took over the magazine, and it was only given to her so she could run it into the ground. Maxie says she really wants to object to that characterization, but that’s exactly what happened, and Carly says, and look at it now. Julian took a gamble on Nina, and it paid off. Not in the way he wanted it to. Drew is taking a much smaller gamble with her, and she’s just asking Tracy to do the same. A small gamble. She thinks it’s an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.

Lois says she was out of line throwing what happened between Sonny and Dante in Olivia’s face, and Olivia says, when Sonny shot Dante, he didn’t know they were father and son because she kept quiet about it? Lois says she’s sorry. It was a lousy thing to say. Her mouth ran away with her, and she wishes she could take that back, but she’s not going to apologize for telling Sonny that Ned wasn’t the one responsible for turning Carly and Drew in to SEC, because that was the right thing to do. Olivia says, according to her, Lois Cerullo, the world expert on who gets to know what, but Lois asks how she was supposed to look Sonny in the face and not tell him? Olivia says, because she begged Lois not to. Because when she told Lois, she told her in confidence and Lois broke that confidence in like, two seconds. A lifetime of trust she threw away. What Olivia wanted, what mattered to her, didn’t mean a damn thing. Lois just ran off and blabbed. Lois asks what she was supposed to do, and Olivia says, not that. And that’s exactly her point. Lois says, after everything they’ve been through in their lives, don’t they owe it to each other to work out their differences? and Olivia says, to be honest with her, she’s not sure they can at this point. This goes a lot deeper then just Lois betraying her trust. Lois says, that is a little extreme, and Olivia asks if this relationship means something to her. Lois says, of course (🍷). It means everything to her, and Olivia says she used to believe that. What are they supposed to mean to each other when Lois’s relationship with Sonny trumps theirs every single time?

In the living room, still ducking down, Sonny asks if Ava is okay, and she says, they need to check on Avery. He says, she’s with the bodyguard. She’s in her room safe. Ava insists she has to check on Avery, and Sonny takes out his phone. He says, this is a live feed, and shows her. He says, the bodyguard’s with her right there, but Ava says she needs to see it for herself. It gets quiet, and Sonny says, once they get the all-clear, she can go. Dex comes in and says, they’re all clear, and notices Ava’s hand is bleeding. Sonny asks if she was hit.

Tracy says she’s deeply disinclined to put Deception’s money on Carly until she has something to show for her tenure. They wait a few months… Maxie jumps up and says, a few months? Crimson is closing their April issue now. Sasha says, what if everything turns out just fine? They’ll have missed April ad space in Crimson. Brook says, and September is a long way away. By then, their competition will have overtaken them in ads and sales. Maxie says, they need this opportunity, and Carly says, and it’s not going to come around again. Tracy says, okay, and Brook asks, what exactly does she mean by okay? Tracy says she means okay. They’ll take Carly up on her offer. Carly says, she will not regret this decision, and Tracy says, but no contract. Brook says, and there she is, and Carly says, they’re not doing anything without a contract. Tracy says, no contract. Not until they see real data about her circulation numbers. She needs to know if Crimson under Carly works. What has she got planned for September? Carly says, today is the first day of this job for her. September is four issues away. Tracy says she doesn’t think that would bother the good people at Vogue, Elle… Brook asks if she’s trying to tank this, but Carly says, that’s okay. She knows that Tracy is the decision maker… currently. All right. She’ll give them April as discussed, and if in three months she hasn’t hit the agreed upon circulation numbers, they can walk. Maxie says, that seems totally fair, and Tracy says, three month out, 8% off ad rate.

While there’s so much wrong with this scenario, there’s not enough time to list it, wouldn’t a magazine like Crimson already have their advertisements locked down if the issue is ready to roll? And how could Carly offer them extra pages at this point? Just asking.

Dex bandages Ava’s hand, while on the phone, Sonny says, lock down the perimeter. Get men to the docks and the airstrip. No one leaves the island. Is he understood? He hangs up, and Ava asks if they have the all-clear or not. She really needs to see their daughter. Sonny tells a guard to take Ava and do not leave her side. He closes the door after them, and Dex says, the residence is secured. Sonny says, someone took a shot at him and his child, in his building. He wants Dex and Alario to find the shooter and bring the shooter to him.

Trina is still struggling, and Esme secures Spencer’s feet while he’s seated in a comfortable chair. She’s not totally heartless. She thanks him for his cooperation and says, here’s what’s going to happen. He asks if this is the part where the villain tells him her evil plan, and she asks how she’s the villain here. Her son was taken from her, literally by an evil billionaire and his lapdog son. She’s crossed an ocean in pursuit of justice. Nothing matters to her but Ace. And until she has Ace safe in her arms, she wants everyone who took him to suffer. Now sit tight while she gets their itinerary. He asks where she’s taking him, and she says, someplace where his grandmother won’t find them. He says, tell him where Trina is right now, and she says, Trina happens to be vital to her so-called evil plan. She left instructions for Trina to all Laura when she’s free and that’ll take a minute. By then, they’ll be long gone, and Trina will tell Laura to produce Ace at a time and place of her choosing. He says his grandmother does not know where Ace is, but Esme says, Laura is a resourceful woman. She’s sure Laura will get word to Nikolas somehow. Anyway, she’ll be plenty motivated, because the only way Spencer survives is if she gets Ace. He says his father isn’t going to give Ace up, and she says she’s sure his father would prefer two living sons, even if Spencer is the one he’s stuck with (ha-ha!). Spencer says she doesn’t get it. He made his father promise that he’s not going to put Ace in any danger, and he knows Spencer would sacrifice his own life to save his brother. She says, wow. He’s so noble. Quick question. Is he willing to sacrifice Trina? Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if he doesn’t do his part. He says, even if his father gives up Ace, which he won’t, but even if he does, how does she think this goes down. She goes riding off into the sunset with Ace? She lives happily ever after? After assault and kidnapping, her best bet is to give up now. She says she will not give up on her son, and he says, just know he’s going to fight her every step of the way. She says, that’ll be difficult in his condition. She has on her hands… let’s just call it some special medicine. Just the right amount will make him completely obedient. A little too much, and he’ll turn into a drooling imbecile. More than that, he’ll just stop breathing. He says, the more she talks, the more he thinks he was probably right to give Ace to his father, and she says she’s tired of listening to him. Why don’t they give that medicine a try? She digs in her backpack, when Trina storms in and says, stay away from him.

Esme says, Trina came to save her boyfriend? Think fast. She chucks the backpack at Trina and runs over to Spencer with the syringe. Since the backpack wasn’t much of a distraction, Esme and Trina struggle over the syringe, while Spencer struggles to free himself. The syringe falls to the floor, and Esme and Trina fall on the bed, continuing their fight. Esme gets Trina down.

Gemma thanks Nina for her time and for her insight on the upheaval at Crimson. Nina says, let her confirm. This is all background, correct? Gemma tells her, sources say, and Nina says she looks forward to reading Gemma’s column. Gemma says she looks forward to writing it, and leaves.

Carly says, 8%? Is that a joke? Tracy says she never jokes about money, and Brook says she can vouch for that. Tracy says, as the majority stakeholder in Deception, she thinks it’s time they cut ties with Crimson and align themselves with a much more reputable fashion magazine. Carly asks if Tracy thinks another magazine is going to make room in their April issue for Deception. Does she think they’re going to alienate Fusion or Enchantment by offering Deception as low of an ad rate as she’s offering? Maxie says, she hasn’t mentioned a rate yet, and Carly says, 3% off.

Lois follows Olivia into her office, asking, how can she say that? She’s been… Olivia asks what Nina is doing in her office, and Nina says, Olivia said she could use it since hers is being repainted. Olivia says, she’s redecorating again? and Nina says she’s sure she mentioned it, but Olivia says she’s sure she didn’t. And Lois, her true-blue friend. Why is it when she and Sonny don’t see eye to eye on something, Lois can’t wait to fall in line behind him, every single time? Lois says, not every time, but Olivia says, every single time. Name one time she didn’t… Exactly. She told Lois, all she wanted was to keep the peace. That it would spare so many people so much heartache, Sonny included, if Ned just took the fall, but no. What she wanted took a backseat to Lois scoring points with Sonny. Nina keeps glancing over as she works, and Lois says she does not need to score points with Sonny. Olivia asks, then why did she go to him, way beyond, and say, look at me, Sonny. No one’s got your back like I do, Sonny. And now because of her, the man’s life is a dumpster fire. Nina asks if they can just go back a little bit. Did something happen with Sonny? Lois tells her, stay out of this, but Nina says, that man is her husband and if they have information about him or her marriage, she wants to know about it. Lois says, what marriage? And where is her husband? Where is he? Nowhere near her, that’s for sure. Nina says, thanks to Lois. What right did Lois have to interfere in her life and her marriage? Lois says she doesn’t let people lie to her friends, especially upper east side princesses, and Nina says, that’s classy. She guesses she’s supposed to respond with a crack about Brooklyn. Any decent person would have come to her first. Lois asks, who is she to talk to anybody about decency? Nina says she was going to go to Sonny herself, and Lois says, of course (🍷) she was. That’s what liars say when they get caught. Nina says, she barged into a situation that had nothing to do with her. Lois blew up her life, she blew up Sonny’s life, and she blew up their marriage. Lois says, your life deserved to be blown up, you lying, dime dropping, family wrecking slob, and Olivia says, that’s enough. Nina thanks her, but Olivia says, if Nina is trying to blame Lois for the sorry state of her marriage, Nina is further gone than she thought.

Esme and Trina continue to struggle, and Trina gets the best of Esme, but Esme kicks her off the bed. Esme flies down after her, grabbing the syringe. As she tries to inject Trina, Trina reaches around on the floor and picks up a giant wrench, whacking Esme in the head with it. Esme is out, and Trina runs to Spencer. He says, his hero, and she takes a look at the ties on his ankles. She says she’ll be right back, and leaves.

Sonny tells Ava, the shooter’s gone. They’re going to find him. How’s Avery? Ava says, she’s fine. Avery asked what all the noise was, so Ava said it was fireworks. She’s happy. She’s watching Frozen again. He says, good. How’s Ava’s hand? She says she’ll survive, and he says, she always does. She says she doesn’t want to talk about scrapes and bruises. Who did this? He asks if she has anybody in mind, and she says, how about the same person who killed Austin? He says, it’s too soon to speculate, and she says, when would be a good time then? She just had bullets whizzing past her head, and their daughter was just out here showing them seashells. He says, nothing is going to happen to Avery. Nothing is going to happen to his family.

Trina comes back with a knife and frees Spencer. She says, they’ve got to get out of here, and he says, what about Esme? Trina says, let her wait, and they leave, Spencer closing the door behind them. Yeah, don’t make sure she can’t get out.

Olivia says, Nina went to the SEC because she wanted Carly to go to prison. She wanted Carly away from Willow and Wiley and Amelia. And oh yeah, Nina wanted her away from Sonny. She didn’t give a damn about Carly or her kids, even little Donna who she claims to love so much. Nina says, let her remind Olivia that insider trading is illegal. Carly was guilty. Olivia says, illegal. You want to know who else does illegal things? Let her see… Who could it be? Nina’s husband, which she knew when she married him. So please spare them all her newfound position as queen of law and order. Now she wants to blame Lois for squealing on her to Sonny, instead of blaming herself for lying to Sonny in the first place. Nina says she thought Olivia was one of the few people in this town who didn’t actually hate her, and Olivia says she doesn’t hate Nina. But she has to say, Nina makes it very difficult to like someone who goes around blaming everyone for her own mistakes. There’s a little something called humility. She might want to try it sometime. She walks out, and Lois follows, giving Nina the I’m-watching-you sign before she goes.

Tracy asks Carly, was that so difficult? Carly is talking her language. Carly says, then she accepts? and Tracy says, absolutely not. 3% is paltry. Seven. Carly says, four, and Tracy says, six. Carly says, five, but Crimson gets an exclusive for Deception’s launch of the new contour palette. Tracy wonders how she knew about that, and Carly says, final offer, and holds out a paper. Do they have a deal? Tracy asks if the terms of the offer they just discussed in this contract, and Carly says, down to the decimal. Tracy says, wow. Well played. Give her a pen. Carly hands her a pen and she signs, saying, they have a deal. For now. She walks out.

Going back to the bar, Lois asks how often Nina uses Olivia’s office, and Olivia says, Lois heard her; she’s redecorating. Which she seems to do a lot. Like she thinks a new coat of paint will give her a miraculous redo on her horrifying relationships. Lois thanks her for what she said, but Olivia says she was long overdue to tell Nina off. Lois says she’s been coming to Port Charles for a really long time and since she’s been back with Olivia and everyone, she got to see what she’s been missing. She got to see all the family stuff and all the memories they share. The Thanksgiving pizzas… Olivia says, the singing and eating, and Lois says, all that stuff. The relationship Olivia has with Sonny, it’s not just a connection. They’ve got Dante and they’ve got a history that goes way back. Everyone in Port Charles has been really welcoming to her, aside from Tracy. She’s the one who left a long time ago, and even though she was part of Olivia and Sonny’s lives back in the day, they’ve gone on without her. She guesses what she’s trying to say is, she sees Olivia’s point about her going overboard to get Sonny’s approval. She’s really sorry that she let that come between them. She’s really sorry that she betrayed Olivia’s confidence. She really wishes she could take that back. Okay, she’s going to let Olivia go back to work. She turns to go, but Olivia says, wait.

Dex tells Sonny that they found the shooter’s set-up, shell casings, camouflage… Sonny says, and the shooter? Dex says, gone. No trace, no trail, nothing. Sonny asks how they got past security, and Dex says, Alario is working on that now. Sonny says he wants to know what Dex thinks, and Dex says he found a guard unconscious by the gate. They usually work in pairs, right? Sonny says, always, and Dex says, his partner got called to a disturbance in the east wing. The shooter must have set it up. This guy planted himself in the exact place to get a clear shot at the terrace. He knew the right elevation of the rifle. He had the sun at his back and was positioned perfectly for a quick escape. They knew exactly what they were doing. Sonny says, they knew more than that.

Trina and Spencer run out on deck and wave their arms, trying to signal a nearby boat. Spencer suddenly slumps down, Esme behind him holding the syringe.

Olivia tells Lois that she couldn’t imagine how to tell Sonny. He was so happy. They were newlyweds, for God’s sake. All she ever wants is for the people she loves to be happy. Lois says, that’s all she wants too. And she never should have said anything about Dante to Olivia. Olivia says, no, she should not have, and Lois says, Olivia’s a wonderful mother. Olivia says, water under the Verrazano, and they hug. Lois says, now that all the cats are out of the bag, maybe everybody’s just going to be better off, but Olivia says she thinks the jury is going to be out on that for a while. A lot of hearts got broken here. Lois says, but Sonny’s going to put his back together. He always does. What matters most is her and Olivia. Because Olivia is one of her best friends in this entire world, and she always will be. They hug again.

Nina picks up an issue of Crimson, looks at her name on the masthead, and tosses it onto the desk.

Carly says she knows this change puts Sasha in the middle. Please let her know if there’s anything she can do to make it easier. Sasha says, as long as she and Nina don’t ask her to pick a side, but Carly says she’d never do that, no matter how much she wants to. She tells Maxie that she knows Nina is James’s aunt, and Maxie says, she is and she loves Nina, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay with what Nina did to Carly and Drew. Fortunately, in this office, it’s all business. Besides, she liked how Carly handled Tracy. Brook says she thinks even granny had to respect the way Carly played that negotiation. She didn’t like it, but she respected it. Maxie says, they look forward to further developing the partnership… once Tracy settles down. Carly says she’ll have the lawyer send over the contracts this afternoon, Maxie says, sounds good, and they leave. Carly sits at her desk like she’s had a full day, when Gemma knocks at the door. Carly says, yes? and Gemma introduces herself. Carly invites her in and asks what she can do for her. Gemma says she hopes Carly can provide a comment on the story she’s writing. Carly says, of course (🍷), but she thinks she has to clear everything through the Crimson communication team. Gemma says, of course (🍷), and they can direct her to the proper Aurora rep, right? She’d like to get a comment from Drew Cain as well. Carly asks what she’s reporting on, and Gemma says she’s looking at why Mr. Cain fired Nina Reeves and hired Carly, a woman with no publishing experience and his romantic partner, to replace her.

Sonny tells Dex that they’ll need a complete overhaul of security. Whoever did this, knows their system from the inside out, procedures, operations…

Trina asks what Esme did, and Esme tells her not to worry. She only gave him enough to keep him loopy. There’s enough left for her. She comes after Trina, and Trina says, get away from her. As they fight, Spencer drags himself up and pries Esme off of Trina. He and Esme stumbled backward and through the railing, going overboard. Trina screams for Spencer.

Tomorrow, Felicia tells Adam that it’s up to him; Brook says, they were counting on Tracy to say no; Laura asks Dante, where’s Spencer?

The Real Long Season Of Housewives of Beverly Hills

Crystal says she feels dizzy, and her hands are tingly. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal’s hands are swollen, and her veins are raised. What if something is truly wrong?🫣In Annemarie’s interview, she says, this isn’t a lay down, have a ginger ale, and walk it off situation. Given how Crystal was insulting and degrading her profession, the irony is shocking. Oh, like someone else couldn’t have deduced 9-1-1 needed to be called. I see she’s going to want a medal for something most average people could have done. The ambulancia comes, and the EMT says, Crystal’s blood pressure is high, and they need to take her to the hospital. The women send Gavin with her, whoever he is, then light candles in the chapel. In her interview, Erika reminds us that she had a chapel in her old house, and we flash back. The women pretend to pray and be concerned. In Sutton’s interview, she says, being closer to God means being closer to her father. She thinks he’s with God despite the Catholic beliefs she grew up with. In Erika’s interview, she says her intentions are to pick up, rebuild, move forward. She’s glad the earring judgement went in her favor, but she’s annoyed that no one bowed down to her about it. Sutton tells Kyle that a friend had a dream about her dad. He said, Sutton was right. He was tired. In her interview, Sutton says, rebuilding her and Kyle’s friendship means everything, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she was hurt by Sutton’s questions, but she’s happier with their friendship being in a good place. The women head to Barcelona.

Crystal calls and tells the group that they gave her anti-nausea medication. She’s getting a drip and waiting on a prescription. The women tour the old town. I love how other countries/cultures have kept so much old architecture. The US doesn’t value it as much, and it makes me feel sad every time they tear down something in NYC that’s been around for a million years. They check out something built for the 1929 World’s Fair and go down a street with lines of umbrella tops hanging over it (see below, since I stink at description). Kyle wants to know where Hermes is, and in her interview, she explains that it’s the center of town for her and what she uses to guide herself, her compass. They stop for lunch, and Annemarie says she knows they’re all thinking about Crystal. She toasts to health, and Kyle says, it’s an interesting after what happened yesterday. Annemarie says she takes her profession seriously; it’s part of her. The comments about fake doctor and not a doctor were true hurtful. Erika doesn’t think Crystal will say it again. A twist of fate. It’s how life works. What a Confucious she is. If that’s the case, she’d better duck and run, since she has a few twists coming. Garcelle says, she and Dorit had more than a hiccup in their relationship.

Garcelle tells the women that Dorit had triggered her on Taco Tuesday, and they had a discussion about it. Dorit says, Garcelle called her a Karen, and we flash back to Garcelle saying she thought Dorit was exhibiting unconscious Karen behavior. Garcelle says she doesn’t think anyone here is racist, but certain things make her feel a certain way. In her opinion, Dorit had led a sheltered life and doesn’t understand her walk. Dorit says she appreciates Garcelle saying that, but her bubble might be different than Garcelle assumes. Her father was Israeli, and when they moved, they’d been the only Jews in the neighborhood. She remembers people making anti-Semitic remarks. In Dorit’s interview, she says, one of her early childhood memories was being teased for being Jewish and being asked why she didn’t have horns. She tells Garcelle that she’s not comparing their issues, but she felt it wasn’t a fair characterization of her. If she triggers Garcelle, tell her, and she won’t do it again. Garcelle says she believes that. This is the stuff that really bonds them. You don’t know where someone has been. In her interview, Dorit says, this has allowed them to go deeper and have a better, stronger, deeper friendship. In Sutton’s interview, she says, tonight, her old friend Trevor will be joining them. They both started in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He’s bringing his architect friends, and she wants the ladies to know a different side of her. Dorit says, Sutton should be ashamed for not letting them shop, and in her interview, Sutton says she’s shopped with Kyle and Dorit before. We flash back to that, and Sutton says, if she doesn’t put a time limit on it, they’ll be here for week. In Dorit’s interview, she says, who doesn’t need a hand painted antique fan? She needs seven.

Crystal arrives back and they all climb in bed with her. This would be my recovery nightmare, but she seems to be taking it well. Crystal tells them that it was just high blood pressure, and in her interview, she says, there’s a history of high blood pressure in her family. It’s something she’s struggled with, but she didn’t know it could get to this point. She says she’s super lethargic, and Annemarie says, her body went through a lot, fishing for a worship moment from Crystal. Crystal thanks all of them for being supportive, and everybody pats her like she’s a Golden Retriever. She hugs Annemarie, and in Crystal’s interview, she says her dad told her the signs of a stroke. She was never faced with her own mortality. How could she leave her young family at 40? She appreciates Annemarie for being there and just wants to be okay for her family. She tells them that she’s not having alcohol and Kyle says, join the club. Seriously though, Annemarie doing what any halfway decent person would – which was to basically say that Crystal was in bad shape and needed more professional help than her – doesn’t discount her unacceptable behavior for several episodes. And she’s not a doctor, which many of them called her out on, on social media. I didn’t even see her taking Crystal’s pulse. I guess she could have turned her back or said Crystal would be okay, but then how would that look? Come on. It’s not all that special.

Tonight is paella night (I love paella!), and Sutton talks about Mercury being in retrograde to her glam squad. Crystal talks to Rob, and Kyle calls Mauricio, but the call goes in and out. Erika tells her squad that she’s drunk and now has to pretend to be a paella making master. Sutton described Trevor’s friends as erudite, so they are dubbed The Erudites in the descriptive text. In Suttons interview, she says she and Trevor got in trouble together. She learned words like fakakta from him and what teabagging meant. A producer asks what she thinks about teabagging, and she says she’s not opposed to it. That Sutton, always full of surprises. Erika and Trevor have a no, after you moment, where neither wants to go first.

In Dorit’s interview, she says, Erika is lathered. Chef Storm says, they’re ready, and the women go in the back, where Storm’s father is the chief paella chef. Crystal tells Garcelle that she’s going for the dad, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she can see herself moving to Spain, learning the language, and being stepmother to Storm. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Garcelle will probably win. Her bosoms are bigger. Crystal asks Garcelle about talking to Dorit, and Erika praises Annemarie for letting her professional side ride over her personal sh*t. Annemarie says, she would always do that. In Crystal’s interview, she says she’d like to move forward. She saw Annemarie’s kind, generous side, and it makes her want to start fresh. Storm’s dad does a paella demonstration, and everyone sits down to eat. Dorit wants Trevor to divulge every single dirty detail about Sutton, and Trevor says, she was mean to him. She liked to act like she was in charge even if when she wasn’t. He says, Sutton was in Brooklyn, and Erika says, what a dump. In her interview, Sutton says she was poor and bought five-dollar dresses, but she was truly independent, and she loved it. Trevor says, Sutton arranged parties for the studio, and Sutton says, she was dating Christian at the time. Erika says she knows they love Merce, but he was in a Ziploc bag. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Erika is very intoxicated. That’s not a good sign.

In Dorit’s interview, she says she has to agree that Merce should not be in a Ziploc bag. In Sutton’s interview, she says, that’s how people carry ashes, in a bag like a goldish. I was wondering, how else would you transport them? You couldn’t count on any kind of container not opening. When you receive pet ashes, they’re not in a Ziploc per se, but they’re in a bag inside the container. In Kyle’s interview, she says she guesses she’s seen too many movies where ashes are knocked over or vacuumed up, so her mother is in the guest bathroom. It’s a beautiful bathroom. The architect friends introduce themselves, and in Erika’s interview, she says, she’s used to dining and socializing with erudites due to Tom. Provided they’re not stuck up, erudites are cool. In Crystal’s interview, she says she doesn’t know what happens to Erika, but when she’s drunk, she suddenly becomes the world circle. Sutton picks up Merce, now in a svelte container, and Erika says, Merce is in her purse, causing everyone to barely contain their laughter. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she could watch this all night. Sutton suggests a toast, they say, viva España, and everyone toddles off. Kyle raids the chocolate stash, and Garcelle asks how Erika knows so much stuff. Erika says, when Tom had guests, she asked a lot of questions. Outside, Trevor tells Sutton that she was a goody two shoes. She wasn’t as comfortable in her own skin as she is now. She’s come into her own and she’s where she’s supposed to be. Sutton says, so is Merce.

In the morning, Erika says her head hurts, which is no surprise to anyone, and Kyle says, she was so funny. Crystal says she feels good, but low, and Garcelle says, it’s probably because of the medication. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Crystal just needs to calm down. Garcelle has high blood pressure in her family too. She tells Crystal that it’s still high, but it’s not going down overnight. Crystal asks about dinner, and Garcelle says, Erika was funny. Crystal says, and Sutton was not happy. Sutton gives everyone leis made out of carnations, the flower of Spain. She says, when they release them, they release what’s inside that they want to let go of and send it off. In Sutton’s interview, she says, when she releases the ashes, she wants them to think about something internalized that they need to release. They all have an opportunity to share something and bring them closer together. In Dorit’s interview, she says, PK is traveling, and her mom is with the kids. She doesn’t travel that much and wonders why PK couldn’t stay home.

Kyle finds Sutton crying, and Sutton says she’s losing it. She doesn’t want to open the ashes. Kyle hugs her, and Sutton says, a lot of her dad is wrapped up in this. When she lost her dad, they each got a Ziploc bag of his ashes, but she lost it since she’d moved so much. Kyle says, he’s watching over her and not thinking about that. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Merce’s ashes are symbolic of her father’s ashes. Merce was one of the first to call her when her dad died, with Trevor. She tells Kyle that she’s also scattering her marriage ashes. She was angry for so long. Divorce consumes you. In her interview, Sutton says she thought it would be a good idea to separate and go to couple’s therapy while they worked on their marriage. As soon as Christian moved out, he filed. The emoji of an exploding brain was her getting the call telling her to get an attorney.🤯Her marriage, her dad’s death, and Merce’s death; the three most important men in her life. She has to let them go. She’s 52, and needs to be that 24-year-old girl who moved to NYC again. Kyle says, being alone can be lonely, but it can be incredible too, and they hug.

Next time, the ashes are spread, and blow back; Kyle wants Mauricio to say yes to more things; and Kyle says, if Mauricio can’t make an effort, they might not end up together. I admit I didn’t totally pay attention here because I was wondering when the finale is of this season that’s gone on for at least a year now.

🩶 Heart Of Platinum…

Let’s reunite tomorrow for soap, a spot of tea, and points of entertainment interest. Until then, stay safe, stay taking a mint if someone offers you one, and stay not listening more to your… heart when running a business.

Jan31

January 30, 2024 – Esme In Paris, Life After Scandoval, Thoughts & Jazz

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Puerto Rico. Sonny tells Dex that he’s glad they’re away from Port Charles. The environment is easier to control in Puerto Rico, and there’s a lot more things that Avery can do to keep her occupied. Dex says, per Sonny’s request, security was added before they came, so it’s more secure than normal. He’s going to go over all of it himself to make sure. Ava comes in and says, Sonny has gone above and beyond. She doesn’t remember this kind of security the last time she was here. Sonny says, times change. So do threats.

In the visiting room at Pentenville, Jordan says, Anna has a complicated history with the man. She can question him alone if Anna likes. Anna asks if Jordan is worried that he’s going to get under her skin, but Jordan says, on the contrary. She’s worried Anna will wring his neck. Anna says she’s not going to do anything. He’s playing games. She wants to find out why. John Brennan walks his suave self in and sits down. He says, Anna Devane. How lovely to see you. She tells him to spare her the polite chit-chat, and he tells Jordan, she’s in a mood. His compliments to Jordan for figuring out he was the one who contacted her. He wasn’t sure she would put it all together. She says, happy to exceed his expectations. He told her that he had information on the rifle that shot Curtis Ashford. He said he’d be in touch, then went silent. Why? He says, first, let’s talk about what you’re going to do for me.

Martin tells Finn that he needs a decision. What are they doing? Are they going forward as planned or going with this new theory, the malpractice suit is fraudulent? Finn says, Mrs. Muldoon and her kids are a grieving family. He can’t go after them. Drop it. Martin asks if he’s sure. They’ve got the records to prove Dennis Muldoon was financially strapped before he met with Finn, and they’re about to get proof that he was either seen or being treated by an oncologist before he ever set foot in Finn’s office. Whatever his wife’s involvement was, it’s obvious Finn was never going to get the chance to diagnose that cancer. It’s a solid way out. Is he sure he wants to pass it up? The bailiff says, all rise, and Judge Arnold takes the bench. Finn says he can’t put the mother of four at risk for prosecution.

In the hallway, Mrs. Muldoon (who has no first name) says she’s not interested in anything Tracy has to say, and Tracy says, few people are. But she never lets that get in the way, especially when a crime is being committed on a good friend of hers. Mrs. Muldoon says, if she’s referring to Dr. Finn, he’s the one that committed the crime. He allowed her husband to leave, undiagnosed and untreated. Tracy says, Mrs. Muldoon doesn’t know the first thing about Dr. Finn, or her for that matter, but she’s about to get an education on both.

At the hospital, Portia says she knew Curtis was going to push himself hard during his physical therapy session. So honestly, how his he feeling? Curtis says, a little sore, but that is to be expected. He knows it’s going to take a lot of work for him to regain his mobility, but he’s here for it. Marshall joins them and says, that’s his boy, always rising to meet a challenge. Curtis says he knows all this hard work is going to pay off as soon as he’s back on his feet, and Portia says, and he will be. Marshall says, and in no time, he gets to be courtside in what promises to be a fierce game of basketball. Curtis says he knows Portia has her mind on Trina. Is she going to be okay by herself? Portia says she’ll be fine. She has plenty of work to do. And besides, she’ll just wait for Trina to call and tell her what a wonderful time she’s having in Paris.

Paris on the Banks of the Seine. Spencer leads a blindfolded Trina along the deck of the Haunted Star a yacht, and tells her, one more step. He takes off the blindfold and says, welcome aboard. She looks out over the water and says, what is all this? He says he arranged a private getaway for her. He thought she should have a chance to see the countryside before she has to start hitting the books. She says she can’t believe he did this, and he says, they’re going to go on a private cruise. They’re going to travel down the Seine to Normandy. He had the hotel bring their things after dinner and tomorrow morning she’s going to wake up to the most beautiful coast she’s ever seen. She says, it’s hard to imagine anything more spectacular than this, and he says he’s sure they’ll figure out a way.

On shore, Esme says, he can’t steal Ace away from her so easy. She looks in her bag and takes out a capped syringe.

Mrs. Muldoon says she’s already learned all she needs to about Dr. Finn, but Treacy says, she’s wrong. She claims she brought this lawsuit for her family. Dr. Finn has a family. They adore him, especially his young daughter. As a doctor, there is none better. In fact, he’s the reason she’s able to stand here and talk to Mrs. Muldoon. When he came to Port Charles, she was very sick. She’d run out of options, and he saved her life. She’s not the only person who can say that. Dr. Finn is a kind, caring, generous, good man, and Port Charles is so much better for having him here. Mrs. Muldoon says, Tracy is obviously very passionate about her friend Dr. Finn, but for all of his supposed brilliance, his negligence led directly to her husband’s death. She starts to walk away, and Tracy says she was hoping to break through Mrs. Muldoon’s grief to appeal to her sense of fairness, but clearly, she’s going to have to appeal to something else. So how about her sense of self-preservation?

Brennan says he’s offering a trade. His help in exchange for his freedom. Anna says, after he tried to kill her? and he says, if someone tried to kill her, he wasn’t present. Nor can she prove he gave the order. Since their time together is limited, they should spend it on all the valuable information he possesses. Jordan says, neither of them has the power to grant immunity, but he says, Anna has ties to the DA. She even married him – twice. Tell Scorpio that he wants immunity and all charges dropped. Anna says, never going to happen, and he says, then he’s sorry. He just can’t help her. Good luck with the investigation. He nods to the guard, but Anna says, no, and holds up her hand. What if she was to give him an even better offer? He asks, what’s better than his freedom? and she says, his life.

Dex says he’s going to walk the perimeter, and he’ll check back in with Sonny later. He leaves, and Sonny says, it looks like Ava is about to jump out of her skin. She says she could use something to calm her nerves, preferably something with a little umbrella in it. She was on board when he said he wanted to come down here. She thought it would give them more room to breathe instead of being cooped up in the penthouse. But now that she’s here, she feels so exposed. He says he’s making it as secure as he can, and she says, Avery doesn’t seem at all concerned, does she? She practically sprinted from the tarmac to the beach. He says, Avery loves the ocean, and she’s secure with the guards they have and the nanny. No one’s going to get near her. Ava says, okay. That makes her feel a little better. He says, she’s got to stop making herself crazy. All Avery knows is, she’s in Puerto Rico having fun with her parents. Ava says, she’s not such a little girl anymore though. She notices more than he may think. It won’t be long before he’ll have to be having some pretty difficult discussions with her.

Portia tells Curtis not to worry about her and have fun at the game with Marshall, and Curtis says, they definitely will. Laura comes by and says she was just on her way to Portia’s office to look for her. It’s good that everyone’s here because they should all know this. Curtis asks, what’s wrong? and she says, Esme’s not in Toronto. She’s in Paris.

Diane tells the judge, during the recess, Mr. Grey informed her that he’d be adding a witness. She moves to adjourn so that she may prepare for that testimony. Mrs. Muldoon comes in and taps Diane on the shoulder, and the judge asks if Martin has any objections. Martin says he’s afraid he owes the judge and opposing counsel an apology. There’s been a change of plans. He had intended to add a new witness – Tracy comes back – but on further reflection, that will no longer be necessary. So with all due respect, he’d just like to proceed with the witness list he presented to the court. The judge tells him to proceed, and Diane says, if she may. Martin says, this is a first. He hasn’t even started yet, and already Ms. Miller is objecting. Diane says, if her esteemed counsel will just give her a moment, she’s been informed by her client that she wishes to drop the lawsuit. Soap looks all around.

Judge Arnold says, order, even though there’s no reason to, and asks Diane and Martin to join him in his chambers. The bailiff says, all rise, and Diane and Martin go with the judge. Finn says, what the hell just happened?

Sonny says, discussing his business is off-limits to his kids, just like it’s off-limits to Ava. It’s just safer that way. She hasn’t been discussing anything with Avery, right? She says, of course (🍷) not. She’s too young to understand anything about that. She’s talking about the other radioactive subject they’ve all been avoiding… Nina. She knows he thinks he’s been hiding it, but it’s all over his face. She can tell the situation has him all tied up in knots, and being here doesn’t help any. This is where he and Nina were married. She’s sure it’s bringing up all kinds of feelings. He says he’s fine, and she says, is he though? Because she saw him when they ran into Nina and Valentin, and he didn’t seem fine. He looked like somebody punched him in the gut. He says, discussing Nina is off-limits, and she says, all right. Fine. She’s just bringing it up because their daughter is smart. And if she can tell something’s off with him, then so can Avery. He says, Donna and Avery are just kids. He’s done his best to shield them from anything that’s happened with Nina, and he thinks he’s done a good job because Avery hasn’t asked him about it. Ava says, Avery’s asked her.

 The captain says, good evening, to Spencer and Trina, and welcomes them aboard. Their suitcases arrived in their state room. Please make themselves comfortable. They’ll be leaving shortly. Spencer thanks him and he leaves. Trina thanks Spencer, and he says, of course (🍷). She says, since being with him, she’s gotten to experience the most amazing things. Not just this trip and all of the amazing things they’ve done in Paris and all the fantastic things he planned in New York to show how well he knows her. But the entire feeling of being with him and loving him and being loved by him in return is the most amazing thing. And it’s all because of him and the incredible person he is. He says, she’s done that for him a thousand times over, but she knows that, right? Before her, all he could see is pain and she opened his eyes to a whole new world. He showed her that there’s much more to feel, and she taught him that he’s a person who’s worthy of love. Being with her has made it so much better; every day is better than the last. She’s everything he’s always wanted, but never believed he could have, and he wants to love her for the rest of his life. They kiss.

Laura says, after laying a false trail in Toronto, Esme used The Invader’s corporate credit card to buy herself a ticket to Paris, and Curtis says, there’s absolutely no reason Esme would have for going to Paris unless she’s going after Spencer. Or worse, Spencer and Trina. Either way, their daughter is in serious trouble. Marshall says, maybe there’s another explanation. Esme had to know the credit card charge would be found. Maybe this is just another attempt by Esme to throw everybody off her trail. They don’t know for a face that she’s even in Paris. Portia says, Marshall is right. She wouldn’t put anything past this girl. Maybe this is just her version of toying with them. Curtis says, or just simply ruining Spencer and Trina’s trip, but Laura says, no. The PCPD has some security footage of Esme getting on a plane to Paris, so she’s definitely there. Portia says, they have to warn Trina, and takes out her phone.

Spencer holds out his arm, and offers to escort Trina to her stateroom, and they leave the deck. Esme watches from the top of the stairs, then walks down.

Finn asks Martin, what’s going on? Why did the judge want to talk to him? The bailiff says, court is now in session, and Judge Arnold says, the case against Hamilton Finn and General Hospital has been dropped. This case is dismissed. He bangs his gavel, and Elizabeth runs over to Finn. She hugs him and says, it’s over. Congratulations. He says he didn’t do anything. Did Martin? Martin says, no, he didn’t. He knows what Finn is thinking, and he swears, no pressure was applied. Mrs. Muldoon just had a change of heart. Gregory says he’s thrilled for Finn. This case was a lie from the start. Nothing that happened to Muldoon was Finn’s fault. Elizabeth says she completely agrees, but that doesn’t explain why Mrs. Muldoon dropped the lawsuit. Tracy says, who cares? Justice prevailed. That’s all that matters. She hugs Finn.

Brennan asks if his life is at stake, and Anna says, you tell me. He claims he can give them information to help them find the person who shot Curtis Ashford. He says he can, and she says, they’ve come to believe the intended target was Sonny Corinthos. She’s sure he’s well-acquainted with Sonny’s reputation. She just wonders, if Sonny were to find out he was withholding this information, how long Brennan would last in Pentenville. That’s not a rhetorical question. He either deals with them or Sonny. Take his pick. He says, how the mighty have fallen. Anna Devane, reformed double agent, zealous defender of law and order, and this is all she’s got, her only leverage is to go tattling to a thug. She asks if that’s a yes or no, and he says, Cesar Faison would be so disappointed in his protégé. She says, you son of a bitch.

Sonny wonders if Avery doesn’t think she can talk to him, but Ava says she doesn’t think it’s that at all. She just thinks, Nina was gone suddenly. Avery can tell he’s upset, and she doesn’t want to make anything worse. She’s done her best to deflect Avery’s questions, but she thinks Sonny has to talk to her. However he wants to do it; she’ll follow his lead. Avery comes in with a basket and shows them the seashells she found. She gives Sonny one that she picked out just for him, and he thanks her. He says he needs to talk to her about something, and they sit down. Ava says she’ll go get settled in her room, but Sonny asks her to stay. He tells Avery that he’s sure she’s noticed Nina isn’t staying at the penthouse. He’s sure she’s a little confused about that. So he wanted to let her know that he and Nina are going to be living apart for a while. She asks, why? and he says, with adults, things get complicated and they kind of have to stay away and figure things out. But he wants her to know everything’s fine with him. She says, okay, and he says he just wants everything to be fine with her too. So how does she feel about Nina living apart somewhere else? She says she guesses it’s okay, but she misses Nina. Nina was really nice to her. Is she ever going to see Nina again?

Martin tells Diane that he’s afraid his curiosity has gotten the best of him. Why did she drop the suit? She says, because her client instructed her to, and he says, as thrilled as he is with today’s outcome, he wishes he’d gotten the chance to best her, fair and square. They shake hands, and she says, he may get that chance – she adds a Southern accent – when hell freezes over. She leaves, chuckling.

Tracy says, this calls for a celebration. Champagne at the MetroCourt, her treat. Finn says, that’s very generous of her, and glances at Elizabeth, who nods. He says he thinks they’ll take her up on it, and Gregory says, count him in too. Mrs. Muldoon walks over and asks if she can speak with Dr. Finn.

On the phone, Spencer says, Laura is cutting in and out… She’s cutting in and out… Hello? Trina asks if the call dropped, and he says, it was super staticky, then it went silent. She says her service is bad too, but he says he wouldn’t worry about it. It will probably get better when they’re off the river.

Portia leaves a message for Trina, telling her to stay safe and call her as soon as she gets this. She loves her. She tells Curtis that she doesn’t get this. Why didn’t she pick up the phone? Laura comes back and says she was able to get Spencer on the phone for just a few seconds before the cell dropped. It wasn’t long enough to warn them about Esme, but he sounded normal, like everything was just fine. Portia says, but when she called Trina, it went straight to voicemail. She never, ever has her phone off. What if Esme’s already gotten to her? Curtis says, don’t do that, and Marshall says, Curtis is right. Don’t panic until they know something for sure. Portia says, they do know something. They know that crazy girl, that psychotic girl is after Trina again, and Trina is halfway around the world from Portia and in danger. And it all comes back to who? Spencer Cassadine.

The captain sees Esme on deck and says something to her in French, but she says she’s sorry. She’s lost. Is this the river tour? He says, this is a private vessel. She’s a stowaway. She’s coming with him. She takes off, but he grabs her. She elbows him, and he doubles over. She grabs the fire extinguisher and whacks him in the head with it. He drops to the floor.

Ava says, even if Nina isn’t living with Avery’s dad, Nina still loves her just the same. That’s not going to change. Avery says, good, and asks if she can go put her seashells back in the ocean. Sonny says, yeah, but hurry up because they’re going to have lunch. Avery says, then candy? and he says, what? Candy? She hugs him and runs off. Ava says, she’s got him wrapped around her little finger and she knows it, and he says he’d do anything for that little girl. He just wants to let Ava know that he appreciates her telling him that Avery was confused about Nina and helping him with her questions. She says, he’s welcome. She thinks he handled it perfectly, although he didn’t really answer her question about Nina. Is that because he doesn’t know? He wonders if she’s asking for herself or for her best friend Nina.

Finn meets Mrs. Muldoon in the hallway, and she says she doesn’t really know how to say this. She owes him an apology. She just learned that Dennis went to see an oncologist before he saw Finn for the first time. He must have known more about his diagnosis than she was aware of. Finn says he sees, and she says she’s so sorry. He may not believe her, but Dennis was a really good man. He loved them. He must have felt so desperate. Finn says, people will go to great lengths for their family to make sure they’re taken care of, and she says, he’s being so understanding after what she put him through. She can’t help but wonder why. Elizabeth watches from a distance, and Finn says, perhaps because he’s a single father to a little girl. He knows how hard it is to be the only person responsible for your family’s well-being. Her family just suffered a terrible loss. He wanted to spare her and her children from any more pain. She says, his kindness won’t be forgotten. His daughter is really lucky to have a man like him for a father. She leaves.

Portia says, Trina should be enjoying her time in Paris and studying. Instead, she’s a sitting duck, because some psycho girl wants revenge? Is that what she wants? Laura says she’s so sorry that Trina has been drown into yet another conflict because of her family, and Portia says she knows Laura is worried about Spencer too. There’s going to be time for them to figure out the why – why this is happening. Right now, the only thing that matters is finding Trina and Spencer, and stopping whatever Esme has planned for them. Laura says she’s on her way to the airport right now. Ned has allowed her to use the ELQ jet, so she’ll get to Paris as quickly as possible. Portia thanks her, but Curtis says, wait. Is she going by herself? Laura says, just on the flight. Dante’s already gone on ahead of her and the Paris authorities have been notified. Curtis says he hopes the ELQ jet has room for one more because he’s coming along.

Esme runs over to the captain and says she’s so, so sorry. She was just trying to find her son and get him back to her. She checks his pulse, and says, thank God. Just keep breathing, okay? She’s in trouble already. She drags him off the deck by his feet.

In their stateroom, Trina says, look at this place. It’s incredible. How does he keep on topping himself? (I’m not impressed. Not only does it look suspiciously like the room Trina was in on the Haunted Star, it has no window.) He says he doesn’t know. He guesses she’s worth it. This is a nice room, isn’t it? He thinks he prefers the New York hotel room though because of what happened there. She says, something happened there? She can’t quite remember what. He says, maybe he should refresh her memory. He’s about to kiss her, when she yawns, trying to hide it. He asks, what was that? They just got on board. She says she’s jetlagged, but she’s guessing he has another surprise for her. He says, no, not tonight, but tomorrow is going to be very special. She says, now she’s really intrigued, but she guesses tomorrow is soon enough. He says, they had a very long day today, so if she is sleepy, they can just go to bed if she wants. They kiss, and she says she wants him – today, tomorrow, and forever. They fall onto the bed.

Gregory says he’s just curious. Was Tracy aware that Mrs. Muldoon has a fundraising page on My Face? He just found out about it a few days ago. A friend helped her set it up to cover expenses after her husband died. Tracy says, Mrs. Muldoon is fortunate to have such caring friends. What does that have to do with her? He says he just checked, and it seems someone made a very generous donation right around the time Mrs. Muldoon dropped her lawsuit. Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t she say?

Elizabeth asks Finn if everything is okay, and he says, yeah. Mrs. Muldoon just wanted to apologize for everything she put them through. She says she’s surprised. She’s glad. Is he relieved that the case was dismissed? He says, of course (🍷). He also feels kind of bad. She says, why? and he says, the Muldoons have lost a husband and a father. They’ll never be the same. Winning that case would have made a big difference for them. Elizabeth asks if he knows how amazing he is. Dennis Muldoon set him up to be falsely accused of malpractice, possibly destroying his entire career, and yet here he is having compassion for the man’s family. He says, that’s very kind, but he doesn’t deserve her praise. He’s no hero.

Laura tells Curtis that she’s sure there’s enough room. She’ll let Ned know right now. She leaves, and Marshall asks if Curtis is sure. Is it a good idea for him to go to Paris. Curtis says his recovery is right on schedule. He’s fine, and even if he weren’t, his daughter needs him, and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. Marshall says he understands that. He’s worried about Trina, too, but he’s also concerned about Curtis. Curtis tells Marshall not to worry about him. He’s gotten pretty good at wheeling around in this chair. He’s not going to let it stop him. Marshall says he knows Curtis won’t. Being in that chair doesn’t change who Curti is, and that’s a loving father who’s determined to protect his family – at all costs. Curtis says, damn right, and Marshall says, that’s why he’s concerned about what Curtis will do to Esme Prince if he gets within ten feet of that girl. Portia says, he can double that concern because she’s going to Paris too.

In bed, Spencer touches Trina’s hand and whispers, how did I get so lucky? She says she’s not sleeping. He says, she’s just resting her eyes? That’s okay. Keep them closed. He’ll be right back. She asks where he’s going, and he says he doesn’t know about her, but he’s starving. He’s going to go get a snack. She says, hurry back, and he promises he will. He kisses her and leaves.

Jordan asks if Brennan wants to make a deal, or should she call Sonny? Brennan apologizes and says he and Anna have a history that tends to intrude in the present. She was saying? Jordan says, how did a rifle seized by the WSB end up shooting Curtis Ashford? He tells her, in 2019, the WSB conducted a raid where a cache of mixed weapons, all unmarked, was confiscated. They were given serial numbers and stored in a locker at the Bureau’s Berlin station. The whole shipment disappeared while en route to WSB headquarters in London. Jordan asks if he knows who took them, and he says he only figured out who was likely responsible shortly before he was arrested, so he didn’t have time to act on the information. Anna says, so he sat on it, and he says he thought it might be a useful bargaining chip. And here they are. And since his life hangs in the balance… Anna says she can see he’s terrified, and he says, a bargain’s a bargain, and he said he’d tell them all he knows. Someone’s been selling the weapons at a high price. Find them, and they’ll be lead to the shooter.

Ava tells Sonny, forget she said anything. Just know that Avery isn’t the only person around here concerned about him. Sonny’s phone rings, and Laura says she thought he should know, they found out where Esme went. He says, that’s great news, and tells Ava that Laura found Esme. He says he’s going to put Laura on speaker. Ava’s here. Ava says, please tell her that awful girl is on her way to a jail cell. Laura says, unfortunately, no. She’s in Paris. Ava asks if she’s after Trina, but Laura says, they don’t know exactly. She and Dante are going there to meet with the authorities. Sonny asks if there’s anything he can do, but she says, they’ve got it covered. She’ll update him after they’ve landed. Ava says, please do, and Sonny tells Laura, listen. Esme has nothing to lose, so that’s going to make her unpredictable. So she needs to be careful. He hangs up and tells Ava that he knows she’s concerned about Trina. He’s concerned about Spencer, but Laura and Dante are going to have it all covered. They’ll make sure they’re safe. And that means one less threat to Ava. Ava says, for the moment.

Dex goes out the front gate and calls to guard Adam. He sees Adam lying on the ground and runs over to him.

Tracy tells Gregory, maybe when Mrs. Muldoon posted that she dropped the lawsuit, and someone felt bad and made a donation. He asks if Tracy didn’t speak to her, and she says, they may have exchanged a few words. She may have imparted what a good doctor Finn is. He says, that’s it? Tracy didn’t use her financial powers of persuasion to make it worth her while to drop the lawsuit? She says, if she was to ever conceive of doing such a thing, so what? and he says, it would be unethical for one thing. And she might be in a heap of trouble if the District Attorney constitutes it’s a bribe. She says, lucky they’re just speaking in hypotheticals, and he says, hypothetically, if it were true, he would be extremely grateful that Finn has a friend who’s willing to put herself on the line for him. and he would owe that friend quite a debt. She says, good to know, but she doubts that friend would ever collect.

Elizabeth takes Finn’s hand and says, he was willing to risk everything he’s accomplished in his life for the Muldoon family. She thinks that’s the very definition of a hero. He says he wasn’t risking everything. There was a time when he thought being a doctor was the very essence of his being, that it defined who he was. Then with this case, he realized he has people in his life that he really loves and somehow, they love him back. If he couldn’t practice medicine anymore, he’d still have Violet and his family and her. As much as he loves being a doctor, they’re the ones he couldn’t live without. His true purpose is all of them. As long as he has that, he’ll always be okay.

Jordan says, before they leave, is there any other pertinent information Brennan has for them? but he says he’s told them everything he knows. Anna says, somehow she doubts that, and motions for the guard. She tells Brennan, enjoy the rest of his stay, and he says he looks forward to seeing her again soon. The guard leads him away.

Curtis asks if Portia got someone to cover for her, but she says she’ll do it from the plane. Trina’s in danger. The only thing that matters right now is getting to her. Marshall says, it’s great to see them working as a team, even under these circumstances. Esme’s going to be sorry she ever messed with their girl. Portia says, he’s got that right, when Laura comes back. She says, time to go. Curtis is still coming with her, right? Curtis says, both of them are, and Laura says she’s not surprised. As a mother, she’d want to be there too. Marshall tells Curtis to bring his granddaughter home, safe, and Curtis says, he’s got it. They’re going to get to Trina and Spencer before Esme does.

As Spencer heads for the galley, he sees the door to the deck is open. He steps out and sees the streak of the captain’s blood going across the deck, along with the fire extinguisher.

As she’s getting dressed, Trina hears the door open. She says she hopes those snacks include a baguette. The bread here’s incredible. She turns around and sees Esme.

Dex hears something, and grabs Adam’s gun and his radio.

Sonny says he won’t let anything happen to Ava or Avery, when Dex radios for them to get down. Sonny and Ava duck under the table, and shots ring out.

Tomorrow, Carly tells Tracy that it’s an opportunity she can’t afford to miss; Lois says, if she leaves it up to Olivia, they may never speak again; and Nina tells someone that it’s all she has to say on the record.

Vanderpump Rules

Ariana has a cinnamon pen. I’ve never seen that before. Is that from Brookstone or something? We see what everyone is up to. None of it very exciting. Katie says, everything is falling into place with Something About Her, but as far as I know, it still hasn’t opened. In Ariana’s interview, she explains that she and Sandoval live under the same roof, but they communicate through assistant Ann. Tom and Raquel/Rachel/ whatever are still sending love notes to one another. James and Ally now have a house, albeit too close to the airport, with a pool. In James’s interview, he says he’s seen Sandoval’s cuckoo performances, yelling about Raquel and Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and thinks he’s out of his mind. Scheana tells Brock that Sandoval blocked her, Shenanigans, her sister, and Summer Moon. They talk about Raquel, and Brock says, that one is a whole bag of mixed worms. Best quote of the night.

Lala’s mom lives with her, which is probably the best roommate she could ask for at this point, a built-in support system. The custody battle with Randall is still going on, and Lala says she has a lot of trauma to work through. She thought everything was perfect, then ended up fixated with a custody battle before she could deal with her heartbreak. In order for her to be a good role model for Ocean, she has to work through her emotions. She trusts no one. Her mom says, she’ll work through it.

James meets Schwartz, who comes bearing housewarming gifts. He’s probably glad anyone in the friend circle wants to talk to him. Scwartz is wearing a Schwartz & Sandy’s hat, and says he was worried he’d get booed. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, the bar became a casualty of Scandoval and it was toxic. He had enough problems in his life and didn’t need this. It was the radioactive cherry on the sh*t sundae that was his year. James says, Schwartz is his best Tom when he’s alone, but not so much when he’s TomTom. James is now California sober because Ally gave him an old tomato ultimatum. He’s only drinking Red Bull and Fiji Water, but weed just makes his day better. James is playing at TomTom, and Schwartz asks for advice about approaching Ariana if she shows.

Ariana and Scheana go for a spa day. They talk about Scheana’s kid and Ariana’s new boyfriend Dan. In Scheana’s interview, she says she doesn’t think Ariana has processed the Tom trauma, but if Dan doesn’t sleep with one of her best friends, it will still be a step up. She tells us that she was diagnosed with OCD, and just when she was managing it, the affair took her OCD and mixed it with her anxiety. Scheana asks Ariana about Schwartz, and Ariana says she was on the fence until Schwartz was on Watch What Happens Live and suggested everyone hug Sandoval. Scheana says she doesn’t need Ozempic. She’s got Scandoval.

Ariana hasn’t been back at TomTom since the discovery of Sandoval’s infidelity. In her interview, she says she doesn’t want to make her life smaller because of that idiot. There’s a Lisa sighting, and Ariana decides to ice Schwartz out. In his interview, he calls her the patron saint of scorned women. If she’s not friends with him, it gives him no hope with the other women. In Ariana’s interview, she says, being there is bringing back all her old Sandoval memories, and we flash back to a bunch of those. I always thought he was kind of a d*ck, so not much has changed for me emotionally there. A little more scorn perhaps.

The ladies toast to a Bad Bitch Summer. Lala tells Lisa that she’s feeling a lot of different ways about the Raquel situation. She knows the feeling of thinking there’s only one person on your side. In Lala’s interview, she says she knows what it’s like to have someone paint a beautiful picture and see a future with them, while ignoring what everyone else is telling you. Lisa is glad Lala isn’t being rigid in her position, and in Lisa’s interview, she says, Lala was the last person she expected to have forgiveness. If Lala can come around, she wonders if the others can. Lisa wisely leaves before things get messy. It looks like a good time, but too crowded. I can’t imagine how long it takes to get a drink in that place. Scheana apologizes to Katie, and in her interview, Scheana says she was about to write off their friendship, especially after years of walking on eggshells, but they put their differences aside for Ariana and bonded over not one, but two, common enemies. In Lala’s interview, she says, everything Raquel did was stupid, but as someone who knows what it’s like to see comments about being a mistress, she doesn’t want Raquel to wear that forever. She leaves Raquel a text, and after seeing that Raquel viewed it, she says she’s going to throw up and sh*t her pants.

In Katie’s interview, she says, after 12 years together, she’s happy to say Schwartz isn’t her problem anymore. After the way he spoke about her, he has no access to her life other than joint custody of the dogs. It’s the switching of the dogs day, and when Katie drops them off, she makes the mistake of sitting down. Schwartz says he wants to get on Ariana’s good side, and hints around at Katie helping him, but she’s like, no thanks. That night, Katie has drinks with the girls and tells them about Schwartz’s pet bugs. Against her better judgement, she asks to play devil’s advocate for Schwartz, but in Ariana’s interview, she says, the devil doesn’t need any more advocates. Lala feels like she’s a dog in everyone’s fight, but still has to fend for herself. In Lala’s interview, she says she doesn’t know how to have a friendship when someone shuts her out like Ariana does. She explains her train of Raquel thought to Ariana and admits to sending Raquel a message. (On WWHL, Lala said, Raquel never responded.)

In Ariana’s interview, she compares Lala reaching out to Raquel with Lala having said, no one who communicates with Randall will be in her friend circle, which is apples and oranges. Randall is a creeper, and Raquel is a dumbass. Lala tells Ariana that she can relate to the feeling, and in Scheana’s interview, she says, the temporary restraining order changed everything, referring to the one Raquel took out on her. Ariana says, as far as Raquel getting a foot in the door, there’s not a foot to be had. In a few minutes though, all is well, and everybody loves everybody.

Sandoval comes home to an empty house from wherever the hell he was. I wasn’t paying attention.

This season, same sh*t, different season. A few highlights: Lisa calls Jax a f***ing hypocrite; Schwartz goes blonde; Schwartz says he made out with Scheana in Vegas; lots of arguing between Ariana and Sandoval over the house.

💭 Thoughts: While I’m pretty much over the Housewives – I can’t take one more season of 14-year-old mean girls in middle aged, sequined gowned bodies – for now I’m sticking with the Rules. For one, there are always Lisa/Villa Rosa/various pet sightings. And unlike those women who are outmaneuvering each other for screen time and circle the same drains, we actually see growth in the cast members. Lala is the MVP of this show – so far. That’s why I think it’s a shame they fired Stassi, et. al. Aren’t people supposed to grow and learn from their screw-ups? Kathryn Dennis is another example. Keeping them on by no means condones what they’ve done, but these are reality shows and those people exist. And it’s doubtful ostracizing someone forever teaches them anything. Scandoval aside, watching the VPR cast go from practically children to adults with houses and children and businesses of their own is what reality is about. That and a few ponies, swans, and a pink puppy or two.

🐓 Duck, Duck, Bantam Rooster…

Join me tomorrow for soap and holding my nose before I plunge into RHOBH. Is it me, or has this been an extra-long season? Until then, stay safe, stay never ordering the most expensive menu item if someone else is paying (unless it’s with an expense account), and stay not letting your work define you. Let your true purpose be the people in your life that you really love and somehow love you back.

Jan30

January 29, 2024 – Esme Fakes Out the PCPD, Talk to Nik, Returning Soon, A Loss, Chef Slam, She Sipped, VanderSoon, Live Reading, New Captain, Dolly’s Gala & Gloom

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Paris, France. Trina and Spencer are seated at a restaurant that looks suspiciously similar to the PC Grill. Trina says, Spencer said thank you, and the waitress said… something right away. He says, very good. She said she’ll be back right away. She says, this place is incredible. This is one of his favorite spots? He says, actually, he’s never been in this restaurant before. He wanted to go to a place that’s new to both of them to start their new beginning together. She says she loves that. She loves everything about Paris so far… except, tonight, considering he’s left her completely in the dark about what he has in store for them. So let’s hear it. He says, and spoil the surprise? No.

Portia and Laura go into Doc’s hospital room, and Laura says, he’s asleep again. She should have been here when he woke up. Portia asks, how are his vitals? and the nurse says, the same. He’s been in and out. Portia suggests Laura speak to him and let him know she’s here. Laura sits by the bed and says, it’s her. She’s here. She doesn’t know if he can hear her, but she really needs him to wake up. Can he do that? Can he open his eyes for her? He does, and she thanks him for coming back to her.

Toronto, Canada. Dante and Chase approach an apartment where a Canadian officer stands guard. Dante introduces himself and Chase, and the officer says, they were told the detectives were coming. Chase says, any updates? and the officer says, they’ve been monitoring the apartment for 24 hours. No one matching the nanny’s or Esme Prince’s description have exited. Dante says, so the apartment’s still occupied? and the officer nods. Dante thanks him for holding off and waiting for them. This could be trouble. Dante and Chase put their hands on their weapons, and the officer knocks at the door. He says, police. Open up.

PT therapist Ben asks if Curtis felt that as he squeezes Curtis’s leg. Curtis says he felt a pinch, and Ben says, so far, so good. The surgery confirmed Curtis’s body is capable of healing from his injury. To what extent, they’ll find out. Curtis says, yes, they will. He’s guessing physical therapy is going to change now that he has feeling in his legs. Ben says, yes, but keep in mind, they still have a long road ahead, and Curtis asks, how long exactly? Ben says, each patient is different, so it’s hard to say, and Curtis says, fair enough. Stella walks in behind Curtis, and Curtis suggests they see if he can stand, but buttinsky Stella says, oh no he won’t.

Tracy walks into the courtroom, and says she gathers court is in recess. Finn says, the prosecution just rested their case, and Tracy says, then he’s up next, but Finn says, Diane already called him as a witness. His time on the stand is done. Alexis comes in and says she’s sorry she’s late. How did it go? Tracy says, Finn just told them that he was called as a witness for the plaintiff, and Alexis says, and? Finn says, eh, and she says, that good. Elizabeth says, it was bumpy, but Sam may have saved the day, and Alexis says, Sam? Where is she? Martin says, chasing down more information, and Alexis says, pertaining to? Finn says, Muldoon saw an oncologist weeks before Muldoon came to see him, and Alexis asks how an oncologist could miss late-stage cancer. Gregory says, he didn’t.

Martin tells Alexis, the theory is, after losing his shirt in the market and cashing in a life insurance policy, Muldoon finds out he has late-stage cancer, not much time left. Rather than bankrupting his family with medical bills, he goes after Finn for malpractice. Tracy says, total con job, and Finn asks what Alexis thinks. She says, the reasoning is sound. What kind of circumstantial evidence did Sam uncover? Elizabeth says proof that Muldoon went to the medical pavilion where he saw an oncologist before he ever went to see Finn, but there are other medical offices in that building. Alexis says, so it’s far from conclusive. And even if Muldoon did set Finn up, they don’t know if the wife had knowledge of it. Elizabeth asks if it isn’t enough for the judge to throw out the case, and Tracy says, correct her if she’s wrong. If they don’t have hard evidence of Muldoon’s cancer diagnosis, they’ve got nothing. So put her back on the stand. Make her crack. Make the attempted fraud public record.

Stella says she’s sorry to interrupt like this, and Ben says, as she can see, they’re in the middle of a therapy session. Curtis asks what she’s doing here, and she says, just peeping in since she was here at the hospital. Is this his first session since the surgery? Curtis says, she knows good and well it is. She doesn’t have to check on him. He’s got this. She says, that’s what he’s been saying since he was a little boy, always getting ahead of himself, and Ben says he’s got to get some more towels, wisely making himself scarce. Curtis says, she doesn’t need to check on him and she doesn’t need to worry, but she says, it’s too late for that. She’s been doing that all his life. Does he remember when he insisted that he could play basketball with the neighborhood teenagers? He was eight years old. He says he knows Tommy made those kids let him play, and she asks, does he remember how many times he limped home with a skinned knee or a bloody nose when an elbow went awry? (Oh, like all kids?) He says, yeah, and she always patched him up and he lived through it. He didn’t give up then and he’s not going to give up now. He just wants to assess how the surgery went. She says, he needs to do that today? and he asks if that isn’t the point of physical therapy, to get him walking again. She says, and they call her stubborn. She calls to Ben, asking if he’s got enough towels yet, and he comes back. She says she can’t tell her nephew what to do, but please… Curtis says, that would be a first, and she says, hush. Please tell them, isn’t it dangerous for Curtis to try and push himself to stand too quickly?

Trina says, coq au vin is a classic. She thinks she’ll try that. What kind of vin does he think they should drink with it? Rouge or blanc?… Monsieur Cassadine? He says he’s sorry, and she asks, what’s on his mind? He says, they have black caviar here. When he was younger and a little bit more… She says, cute? and he tells her that he was going to say pretentious. He once went to a restaurant with his father, and they had black caviar and he asked if they could get it. His father said, no, so he asked if they could have it at home. He asked and asked and asked, and eventually his father gave in and had it served. And he loved it. Trina asks how old he was, and he says, young enough to be served black beans and believe it was caviar. (True story. For my sister’s 18th birthday, she was having a dinner party at home and had caviar. I was still in elementary school, but insisted on trying it and promptly spit it into the sink as she said, what are you doing? That’s stuff’s expensive! My tastes have, however, changed since then.) He says he hopes Ace grows up a bit more grounded than he did, and she says she’s sure his father has learned a lot since him. Maybe even from him. He says, they don’t have to talk about that. He doesn’t want to ruin their night. She says, he’s not ruining her night by telling her his feelings. She wants to hear his stories, share his troubles. That’s what couples do. He takes her hand and says he guesses he’s still getting used to being in a healthy relationship. She’ll have to be patient with him. She says, of course (🍷). She loves him. He kisses her hand and says he loves her too.

Portia asks if Doc can tell them where they are, and he says, General Hospital. He assumes on the 10th floor. She says, that’s correct. What about what year it is? He says, 1912? and Laura laughs. He says, 2023… No, 24. Sorry. He’s still getting used to saying it. Laura asks, who did this to him? and he says, it was Esme.

Maggie opens the door with the chain lock still on it, and the officer says, Miss Fitzgerald? She asks what he wants, and he says, these are American law enforcement officers. They have questions for her. She says she doesn’t have to answer them, but the officer says he’d cooperate if he was her. She’s an Irish Nationalist, not a Canadian citizen. American law enforcement is looking for her. She recognizes Dante, and he asks if they can come in and talk with her a minute. She lets them in and asks, how’s Dante’s lovely lady friend? Dante says, Sam is doing great. Thanks for asking. She says she’s doing great too. Shortly after they came to see her in Devon, she started a new position here with a family in Toronto. Things have been quiet for her. She’d like to keep them that way. He says, they’ll make this quick. They’re not looking to cause her any trouble. They’re just looking for Esme Prince.

Laura says, when they found Doc on the floor of Alexis’s office, they assumed it was Esme, and he asks if she’s in custody. She says, no. Esme is gone, but Dante and Chase got a lead that Esme traveled to Toronto. She has an old nanny there that she was going to see. They’re looking for her now. Does he have any idea why Esme attacked him? He says he found her in the office. They were talking. He thought he was getting through to her. They were seated, and she started pacing when she was talking about her hopes for Ace’s future. Then the world went black. Laura says, that’s probably enough for right now. He should probably get his rest. She looks to Portia for confirmation, and he says, actually, he’s kind of hungry. Portia says, that’s a good sign. She’ll let the nurse know. Laura’s right though; get some rest. He says, what else is he going to do in here? and Portia leaves. He tells Laura not to look so worried, but she says, it was so scary finding him on the floor like that, unconscious. And she couldn’t wake him. He says he didn’t survive Ryan all these years just to be done in by his daughter, but all that concern isn’t just for him, is it? She says she’s really upset about Esme. She believed in Esme. She really believed Esme’s love for her baby Ace was going to be the thing that gave her the strength to turn her life around. And it did. She was doing so well. She was a good mom, and then she got her memory back. She thinks Esme didn’t have a chance to reconcile her two identities before Nikolas came back and took her son. Ace is a grounding force for Esme, and she thinks Esme losing her son pushed her over the edge. He says, love is a powerful motivator… both for good and ill. (That Doc is a real philosopher.) She asks if he’s in pain, but he says, no, but he’s bothered by the assumption that Esme went to Toronto to see her nanny. He thinks she’d go after Nikolas. Laura says, her too, but she thinks Esme doesn’t have anything to go on. She has no resources and Toronto isn’t very far and wouldn’t put too much strain on Esme’s credit card to travel there. He says, Esme’s credit card? and she says she forgot to tell him. The PCPD found out Esme charged a bus ticket to Toronto. He says, something’s off. It’s like something happened in Alexis’s office that he can’t quite remember.

Maggie says, Dante is telling her that he doesn’t want to cause trouble, but there are three police officers from two countries in her apartment. Chase and the Canadian officer go into another room, and she asks what those two are doing. Dante says, like he told her; they’re not here for her. They’re looking for Esme. She says, they’re looking in the wrong place. She hears a noise and yells, don’t go throwing things about! Dante tells her, if she’s saying Esme isn’t here, then she’s got to come clean. She’s got to tell them where she is. She asks how she would know that, and he says, they have reason to believe Esme came her to see her. She says, that’s pure rubbish. She hasn’t seen Esme in years.

Trina says she thinks shell try every coq au vin to see which is the best one in Paris, and Spencer says, that’s a good idea. Considering the fact he doesn’t know how to cook, he thinks they’ll be doing a fair amount of dining out. But if she only has coq au vin, won’t she miss out on a lot of other fantastic French food? She says she thinks she’ll have plenty of opportunities to try other tasty dishes, and he says, there’ll be a lot more to this trip than just food. She says, like what? Studying? He says, very important, and she says, dancing? He says he’s sure they’ll wander into a club or two, and she says, starting tonight? Is he going to tell her what he has planned? He says, she’ll certainly be getting the VIP treatment, and she says, he’s enjoying this secrecy a little too much. he says, maybe… Okay, fine. He doesn’t want to drag it out if she really wants to know. She says, and ruin the surprise? How dare he? He says, she certainly keeps him on his toes.

Curtis tells Stella, it won’t be dangerous. Ben is right here. Ben says he supposes there’s no harm in trying. He’ll be with Curtis, and Curtis will have the parallel bars to stabilize him. Curtis says, let’s do it.

Curtis hoists himself out of the chair, grabbing onto the parallel bars. Ben tells him to align his hands above his hips and use his arms to push his way up. Three, two, one. Curtis stands for a moment, then falls back into the chair. Ben says, good work. Curtis wanted a gauge and now they know. Curtis wheels himself away from the bars, and Ben asks if he wants to get to work, but Curtis says, no. that’ll be it for today. Ben asks if he’s sure. There’s still twenty minutes to their session. Stella asks if they can have a moment, and Ben leaves. Curtis says, she was right. It was a mistake to try and stand so soon. She asks if he made a slam dunk on the first try. No. So why did he think this was going to work on the first try?

Martin says, Alexis is right. At this point, their first step should be to compel the oncologist to expose that Muldoon had a cancer diagnosis prior to his visit with Finn. That would establish intent for Muldoon, but to accuse his wife of complicity with circumstantial evidence, that’s risky. They have no way of proving she had prior knowledge of his condition. To point a finger at her and start ranting about fraud would be a complete Hail Mary on their part. Tracy asks if that’s not what lawyers are supposed to do, throw out alternative possibilities. At least if the accusation is out there, the GH lawyers can run with it, especially if she has anything to say about it. Elizabeth asks what Finn thinks, and Finn asks, what will happen to Mrs. Muldoon if they accuse her of fraud? Tracy says, who cares? and Gregory says he could use some water. He asks Tracy to come with him, and she says, if he insists. They leave, and Martin says, in answer to Finn’s question, she’d be charged with fraud. If those charges are proven, she’d be looking at jail time. Elizabeth says, if she knew her husband was lying. That’s the question, but how do they know if Mrs. Muldoon was in on the fraud or not? Martin looks over at Diane and says he’s got one idea.

Trina says, Tuesday will be non-stop, but she thinks she can meet Spencer for a quick dinner, and he says he’d love to spend every single day with her here if he could. But he understands that she’s here first and foremost for school. So if she needs to prioritize her classes, that’s okay. She doesn’t have to worry about him. He’ll keep himself busy. She asks, how? and he says he’s been giving it a lot of thought. She’s so passionate about art, the way she talks about it and lives her life for it. He’d like to figure out what that is for him, what his passion is. Maybe he’ll figure that out in Paris. She says, there’s always Le Cordon Bleu, but he says he doesn’t think even they could help him with his cooking skills. Maybe it’s a good option, but he thinks there are a lot of things here for him to explore. So they’ll have to see. He just hates that he wasted so much time when he was here… before. Being angry with his father and planning to get back at Ava… She says, he had help. Esme stoked his anger and did everything she could to manipulate him. He says, first Esme, then Uncle Victor, but he’s just very glad they can finally put that all behind them. He’s very sorry he dragged her into all that. She didn’t deserve it. She says, neither did he, and he asks how she does that. She’s so supportive and so sweet. And she’s so hot. She makes him want to be better. She says she thinks he’s pretty amazing (ugh), and he thanks her, but he thinks there’s still plenty of room for improvement. (Agreed.) She says, he’ll get there.

Dante says, Esme hasn’t reached out to Maggie? Called her, texted her, mailed her a letter? Maggie says she wrote Esme with her address here in Toronto, but that was months ago. Esme never wrote back. She hasn’t heard from her. He says, they’ve got a letter that Maggie wrote to Esme, inviting Esme here to see her, and she asks if he had the handwriting analyzed, because she never extended any such invitation. The family she works for now are very private, very security conscious. Esme’s a troubled girl with a criminal record. She feels terrible for Esme, but she doesn’t want to jeopardize her current employment. Writing letters is one thing. Seeing Esme face to face, she’d never do it. Chase and the officer come back out, and Chase says, there’s no sign of Esme, nothing to suggest she’s ever been here.

Stella says she knows Curtis is disappointed, but he’s got to be patient with himself. He says he’s been nothing but patient. He feels like he’s been beating back this feeling of powerlessness forever, doing everything he can to make things better. He was at that point of acceptance, but this procedure has renewed his hope. Now that it has, he wants to move forward. She says, but he is moving forward. Just slower than he’d like. He says, so slow, he’s standing still. Oh, his bad. He can’t even stand. She says, now he’s feeling sorry for himself, and that’s not like him. Listen to her. He’s going to keep at it and he’s going to get this one effort at a time. What’s the alternative? Giving up? He asks if she wasn’t the one saying pushing it was a bad idea, and she says she’s always offering her two cents where it’s not needed, but the last thing she wanted was to undermine his belief in himself. He says, that wasn’t her; his legs did. She says, he’s always exceeded people’s expectations. Wasn’t he the only freshman who made varsity basketball in high school? He says, the coach didn’t even want him to try out, and she says, but he proved the coach wrong, didn’t he? She guesses all those skinned knees playing street ball eventually paid off. He proved everybody wrong. He says, what if his streak is over? but she says, it’s not. He just needs to pace himself. He’ll get there. She believes that, and she believes in him. Portia comes in and says she’s glad Stella is here too. Doc is awake and he’s doing better. Stella says, praise be, and Curtis says, good news. Portia asks, where’s Ben? Is his physical therapy session over? Stella looks at Curtis and says, is it?

Back in the courtroom, Gregory sips some water and says he needed this. He thanks Tracy, and she says, anything for a friend. He asks if that’s what they are, and she says she only allows friends and family to manipulate her, so she guesses so. He says he really did need the water, but she has to admit, she wasn’t exactly helping. She says, yes, she was. This is no time for Finn to be noble or selfless. He’s losing patients because of this groundless lawsuit, and he’s such a good doctor. Gregory says, no argument here. He’s just glad Finn has her on his side.

Mrs. Muldoon tells Diane, her children not only lost a father, Dr. Finn has jeopardized their future. Without Dennis, how is she going to pay for their schools, their college? Diane says she’s doing everything she can to get a settlement that will meet the needs of her children, when Martin asks if he can have a word. Diane says, of course (🍷), and tells Mrs. Muldoon that she’s going to confer with Martin. She’ll be right back. Take this moment for herself. Do some deep breathing. It sounds trite, but it does help. And whatever she does, do not engage with the defendant.

Finn asks Alexis what she thinks. Should he let Martin accuse Mrs. Muldoon of fraud? Elizabeth says, heads up. She’s coming. Instead of listening to her high-priced lawyer, Mrs. Muldoon makes a beeline for Finn. She says, if he had any shred of decency, he would change his plea to guilty and end this right now. Alexis says, they shouldn’t be speaking, but Finn says, it’s okay. He wants to hear what she has to say. Go ahead. Let’s talk about decency.

Curtis says he’s just on a break and asks Stella to find Ben and tell him they still have work to do. Stella says she’d be happy to, and leaves. Portia asks what she missed, and Curtis says he messed around and pushed too hard, but nothing was hurt except his ego. He’s really glad Doc is okay. Has she heard anything about Esme? She says, nothing yet. She’s hoping Dante and Chase find her in Toronto, apprehend her, and put her in prison where she belongs. She’s absolutely done with Esme and never wants to worry about Esme Prince again.

Dante tells Chase that it looks like Esme played them. She gave them a false lead. Chase says, if Esme didn’t come looking for Maggie, where did she go? Dante tells Maggie that he’s not sure if she knows, but Esme’s regained her memory. She just assaulted a man and put him in the hospital, nearly killed him. So any insights into Esme would be greatly appreciated. Places she would go, people she’d want to see. Maggie says she doesn’t know. She did her best by Esme. She tried to steer her right, but nothing would sway her. She was dead set on reuniting with her family. Dante says, her family. Maybe that’s the key.

Detective Bennet asks, what happened when Doc arrived on the scene? and Doc says he came into Alexis Davis’s office, and Esme was already there. She was seated, she had her laptop open, and she startled when she realized he was there. It was like she thought he caught her doing something. He flashes back to that, and says, Laura told him that Esme used her credit card to purchase travel to Toronto. Her own credit card? Laura says, yeah, and he says, then what was she doing with The Invader’s corporate card? She had it in her hand. He saw it when he came into the room. Laura says, they’d better call Alexis, and takes out her phone.

Spencer says, they should get the check. He doesn’t want them to be late. Trina says, late for what? and he says, she’ll see.

Martin says he’d like to add someone to the witness list, and Diane says, it’s a little late in the game. He agrees, it is and apologizes for the short notice, but some new information has suddenly come to light. She asks, who’s the witness? and he says, Dr. Powell. Doesn’t ring a bell? She says, no. Should it? He says he guesses they’ll find out, and walks off.

Mrs. Muldoon whines to Finn that they’ll have to sell their home, when Alexis gets a text from Laura: Call me, 911. She tells Elizabeth, and Mrs. Muldoon says, their futures were all planned. Her husband went to Finn and now he’s dead. (Um… Apparently, they didn’t plan that well. Sounds like they played fast and loose with the kids’ college fund.) She asks if he was just another faceless patient to Finn, but Finn says, none of his patients are faceless, not ever. He’s very sorry for her loss, but he did tell her husband that he needed follow-up testing and he failed to do that. She says, that’s not Dennis. He’s wrong. Dennis would have taken proper steps if he’d understood something was seriously wrong. He never would have left her and the children. Even at the very end, all he could think about was the kids. That’s why he told her to sue, so he could make sure his family was taken care of. Finn says, so the malpractice suit was her husband’s idea, and she says, that’s how much he loved them. And when he was in terrible pain, he didn’t worry about himself; he was worried about his family. It’s not right a man that loving should die so young. Finn says, no, it isn’t.

Diane comes running in, saying, no, no, no, no, no. She thought she asked Mrs. Muldoon not to talk to Dr. Finn. What did Finn say? Finn says, not much. Her client, however, said plenty. Diane leads Mrs. Muldoon to the other side of the courtroom, and Gregory asks what she said to Finn. Martin says he’d like to hear the answer to that question himself, and Elizabeth says, she made a lot of accusations, but Finn says, it doesn’t matter. She’s in pain. How did it go with Diane? Martin says, Diane has the best poker face he’s ever seen, but he honestly thinks she doesn’t know why he’s calling a late witness. He mentioned the oncologist’s name and there was nothing. No indication of recognition whatsoever. Tracy asks if Martin mentioned he was an oncologist, and he asks if he looks like an idiot. She says, well… and Gregory clears his throat. Elizabeth says she doesn’t think Diane would be an accessory to fraud, and Finn says, probably Mrs. Muldoon isn’t either. He didn’t get the feeling she knew. Elizabeth says neither did she, and Tracy says, that is for her lawyer to prove. Finn says, if Mrs. Muldoon goes to prison, what will happen to her kids? and Tracy says she thinks the question he should be asking is, if he doesn’t win this case, what will happen to his kid?

Dante asks Maggie to excuse them for a minute, and steps into the hallway with Chase. He says, they have to explore the family aspect, and Chase asks, what family? Esme’s mother is in Pentenville, and since Esme attacked Doc, that rules out any support she’d get from him and Laura. Who else is left? Dante says, her son, and takes out his phone. He looks at Laura’s number.

Laura says, Alexis should be here any moment now, when her phone rings. She says, this is Dante, and tells Dante that she’s here with Doc and Detective Bennet and he’s on speaker. Dante asks how Doc is doing, and Doc says, his head hurts. Otherwise, he’s okay. Dante says, good to hear, and Laura asks if they’ve found anything in Toronto, but Dante says, it’s a dead end. He thinks Esme was just trying to buy some time. He was wondering if she heard from Nikolas. Laura says, the last person to speak to him was Spencer. Why? He says, they were thinking Esme might track down Nikolas to reclaim Ace before she goes into hiding, and Laura says she’s sure that’s what Esme would like to do, but she has no means of tracking down Nikolas. However, they might have a new lead on their end. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, actually, Alexis just walked in right now. She tells Alexis that she has Chase and Dante on speaker phone from Canada. Did she find anything? Alexis says she had her assistant email every charge on the corporate credit card in the last 72 hours, and Bennet asks if she was aware the credit card was stolen. She says, no, but Esme, as her assistant, had the authority to use the card and she continually used it. She looks at her phone and says, here’s the email right now… Whoa. What is this here?

Spencer says, shall we go? and he and Trina get up. She asks where they’re off to, and he says, the rest of their lives. He kisses her hand.

Elizabeth tells Finn, as much as she hates to say it, Tracy has a point. if he doesn’t push this fraud angle, he could lose this case and his position at GH. He says he could always go back to research, and she says, really? Here in Port Charles? Or would he and Violet have to move away from everyone who loves them? Is that really what he wants to do? He says, no, of course (🍷) not. But he doesn’t want to see Mrs. Muldoon go to prison for fraud. Those kids already lost their father. She’s all they have. Believe it or not, he can almost understand the desperation Dennis Muldoon was feeling. He was in an impossible situation and made the only choice he thought he could to take care of his family. She says she gets that he was in an impossible situation and just trying to take care of his family, but for Mr. Muldoon to use Finn as a scapegoat, someone who was only trying to help him, and make Finn pay for his misfortune? He asks if it’s any better to throw a grieving widow under the bus. It seems like no matter what, someone’s going to get hurt.

Ben tells Curtis, good work today, and Curtis thanks him for letting the session run over, especially since they ran him in and out of there for an hour. Ben says he’s glad they got it all in. See him next Thursday? Curtis says, you bet, they fist bump, and Ben leaves. Portia says, it looks like Curtis had a pretty good workout, and he says he sure did. Stella says, his first step to a first step, and Curtis says he sees what she did there. He will be walking when Trina comes home from Paris.

The bailiff says, court will reconvene in five minutes, and Mrs. Muldoon says she’s going to splash some water on her face. Diane asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know a Dr. Powell, but she says, no, and leaves.

Martin tells Finn that his assistant is drawing up a subpoena to have the oncologist testify. He got the motion to add a late witness. Finn says, already? and Martin says, if they’re going to do this, they’ve got to get the ball rolling. They’ve got less than five minutes here. How would Finn like him to proceed? Gregory says he’ll support whatever decision Finn makes, and Finn says he doesn’t want to risk Mrs. Muldoon going to prison. Martin says, he may have to, to clear his name.

In the hallway, Tracy tells Mrs. Muldoon that she needs a word, but Mrs. Muldoon says her attorney advised her not to speak to Dr. Finn or any of his supporters. (Like she listened before.) Tracy says, that’s okay. She’ll do all the talking.

The bailiff asks everyone to take their seats, and Gregory asks Elizabeth, where did Tracy go? Martin tells Finn, all right, doc. It’s go time. What are we doing?

Alexis says, there’s an airline charge on the corporate credit card, and Esme’s name is on the ticket. Dante says, ticket to where? and Doc says, Paris. She was booking a flight to Paris. (Okay, so Esme didn’t save Alexis money.) Alexis says, he’s right. Esme’s ticket was to Paris. Laura says, oh my God. She’s going after Spencer and Trina.

Spencer and Trina leave the French PC Grill restaurant, and Trina says, he’s too cute. He tells her that she’s beautiful. Take it all in. It’s all for them. She says she can’t believe this is all happening, and he says, she’s too cute. (All right already with cute.) Is she ready for her next surprise? She says she doesn’t need a surprise. She’s got him. That’s all she could ever need. He kisses her and they continue walking. Apparently, Trina needs some Spidey-sense too, since Esme steps out of the shadows and follows them.

Tomorrow, Martin tells Finn, they go with what they planned, or go with this new theory; Anna tells Jordan that someone is playing games, and she wants to find out why; and Sonny tells Ava, things have changed and so have the threats.

🍼 Ask Where Ace Is…

IMO, the best Nikolas of them all. Wednesday, January 31, 3 pm.

Chat Live With GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Adam Huss!

🚑 She’ll Be Back…

OG Josslyn is getting there.

Eden McCoy’s GH Return Date Revealed!

🥀 Way Too Soon…

It doesn’t give details, but regardless, so sad.

Erika Slezak Mourns the Death of Her Daughter Amanda

🛸 Bring On the Space Cake….

I’m not saying anyone is wrong here. Maybe Denise is owning what’s hers; maybe she’s a big a-hole. It’s hard to tell judge everything that’s going on in two minutes of film out of an entire evening. But in regard to her saying she might have been slipped something, until this chef went apesh*t, I didn’t think for once she meant him. I thought she was inferring it might have been one of the other cast members. Which, considering past behavior, isn’t a stretch.

Kyle Richards’ Weed Chef Slams ‘Absolutely Obliterated’ Denise Richards

💎 She Knows Nothing…

I’ve been leaning this way too. Only because the whole thing looks so awkward. Mauricio is so high all the time, it doesn’t seem like he gives a flying what’s going on, and Kyle seems like a bad actress in a script she wrote herself.

Sutton Stracke Won’t Answer if She Thinks Kyle Richards’ Marital Struggles Are for ‘Clicks’

🍸 Latest Rules…

But is it still the best time of our life?

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/something-about-her-in-vanderpump-rules-season-11-intro-details

🎬 Très Amusant…

Because sitting through the reality of it wasn’t enough.

https://ew.com/all-star-live-reading-of-vanderpump-rules-scandoval-8551139

⛴ New Boat Daddy…

Sorry, Captain Kerry, I will forever miss Stud of the Sea, Captain Lee. It’s nice to see Ben again though.

Below Deck’s Ben Willoughby Discusses ‘Fresh Breeze’ With Captain Kerry Titheradge

🐩 Furbaby Fête…

Spoiler: They’re all cute.

“Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala” to Air February 21 on CBS

🍳 Putting All My Eggs In One Frying Pan…

IKR? Early today. Come back tomorrow for soap and VanderTalk. Until then, stay safe, stay not being that person in the express checkout lane, and stay always exceeding people’s expectations.

Jan26

January 25, 2024 – Jordan Requests Brick’s Help, Hand It Over, Early Star, Nina’s Message, Bad Choice Of Words, A Goodbye, Feline Travelers, Happy Birthday & Space

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At The Savoy, Robert puts a bouquet on one of the tables and asks N’neka what she thinks. She says, elegant, but not fussy, and he says, that’s exactly what he wanted. There’s already been one celebration here tonight. This’ll be just one more. About that other thing he wanted… She says, that’ll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes, and he says, perfect. He slips her some cash, and she says, wow. The woman of his dreams must be pretty special. He says, she is. Very special… indeed. Diane walks in followed by Sonny and Alexis.

On the phone, Finn tells Violet that he won’t be home to tuck her in tonight… Because he’s at work… Working… Okay, he’ll do his best. Be good for the babysitter… He loves her too. He loves her so much. Elizabeth asks if Violet is okay, and he says, she told him to save a lot of lives. Depending on how this trial goes, he may not be able to save lives anymore.

Jordan opens the door to Brick and thanks him for coming. He says he had to, to mark this unprecedented occasion.

Kristina tells Molly, counting 40 days from the day of conception, her niece – or nephew – is going to be a Libra, which means they’re going to be intelligent and curious, just like Molly and TJ. There’s a knock at the door, and Molly opens it to TJ. He says, she called at a good time. His last two patients rescheduled. What’s going on? Is Kristina okay? Molly says, Kristina’s pregnant, and he says, it worked? Molly says, it worked. They’re going to be parents. He hugs her.

Walking into the station, Chase asks if Dante is sure there are only 24 hours in the day, because he’s pretty sure that defense attorney had them on the stand longer than that. (I feel his pain. Not about being on the stand, but a day that must be more than 24 hours.) Dante says he’s never been cross-examined to that degree, and Chase says, it would have been faster if they’d reenacted the entire crime and investigation for the jury. (Ha-ha!) Dante says, but then the defense attorney couldn’t have asked him the same question like, 29 times. Chase says he’d almost rather Diane Miller cross-examine him… Dante gives him a look, and Chase tells him that he said, almost. Dante says he has to bring in Esme Prince and ask her for a statement, when Laura comes in and says, they’ll have to do more than that if they’re going to keep Port Charles safe.

Laura says, Heather Webber told her that she wants Esme to go to prison, and Dante says, wow. He never thought he’d agree with Heather Webber on anything. Laura says, she wants her daughter close to her so she can look after her, and Dante says, she’s not going to be looking after her if she’s in prison. The state will. Laura says, according to Heather, Esme came to visit her as soon as Ace was taken. Heather tried to convince her to run away before they could reinstate the charges against her, and Esme said, no. She said it was because of Ace, but Heather thinks it’s because she wants revenge. Chase says, it takes a psycho to know a psycho, and Dante says, so Spencer was right. Esme remembers everything. Laura says, Heather confirmed it, but Chase says, she’s not the most reliable though. Heather Webber has zero credibility. She has to be working an angle. Laura says, agreed. She’s not to be trusted, but she thinks, in Heather’s own crazy way, she seems to genuinely care about her daughter. She seems determined to save her. Chase says, great. Esme almost hurt a lot of people, and that was before she wanted payback. Laura says, now she’s desperate and she has nothing to lose. They’ve got to arrest her before she does something terrible. (Um… The mayor has no concept of the law?) Dante says, he’s sorry, but they can’t do that.

Brick says, the Deputy Mayor was the last person he expected to call asking him for information, but Jordan says she reached out as a private citizen. He says, a private citizen who used to be the Police Commissioner, and she says, let it go, for the purposes of this conversation at least. He says, okay. So why is he here? She says she’s been working on a project – off the books – and asks him to have a seat. She tells him that she was looking for someone with detective prowess who could also keep a secret. She thought he’d be the perfect man for the job. He says, perfect man… prowess… So much flattery packed into a couple of sentences. Not that he minds. She asks if they can talk about this, and he says, okay. He wonders why she thinks she can’t talk to the PCPD about this project, but she says she can’t involve the PCPD. It could put them in a bad spot. He says, but she doesn’t mind dragging him into this? and she says, he is the bad spot. He laughs and says he appreciates her directness, but maybe they should lean towards the flattery again. She says, he’s a known associate of Sonny Corinthos. She’s aware of his skillset and knows he can be discreet. He says, she seems to know a lot about him, and she says, they have a file. He says he appreciates her going through the trouble. What’s in the file? She says, that’s classified, and he says, the good stuff usually is. So what’s the mission, should he choose to accept it?

Robert says he sees Diane brought back-up, and she says, Sonny and Alexis? She ran into them outside. But considering how their last date went, back-up might have been a good idea. He says he’s hoping they can put all that behind them tonight, and she says she hopes so too. He says, she looks especially beautiful this evening, and she says, he’s off to a rousing start. She sees the flowers, along with a bottle of champagne and glasses, and says, this is lovely. He says he wanted to show her just how much she means to him, and she listens to the music for a moment. She says she loves this song. Was that his doing too? He says, it was. Would she care to dance? She says, no, and he says, no? He thought all women loved guys who danced. She says, that certainly depends on the woman. She does, but then again, she’s a fabulous dancer, despite her penchant for leading. (Same.) But she doesn’t want a dance partner tonight. He says, whatever she’s looking for, tell him and it’s hers, and she says, okay. An apology.

At the bar, Alexis tells Sonny that she was at a convention out of town. It started early and ran late. She got a Ride Share and he dropped her two blocks from here and she didn’t want to miss Spencer, so she ran all the way here, for nothing. What about him? He says he had some business to take care of. He missed the party, but he said his goodbyes outside. She thanks him for keeping her company. She really wasn’t looking forward to going home anyway. She goes home and thinks about all the things she has to do and then she worries about everything. She doesn’t think he was in much of a rush to get home either, was he? He says he’s going to go there after he leaves here. He saw Kristina. He takes it they haven’t spoken lately. She says she’s just respecting some boundaries, taking a step back. She thinks she overstepped. He says, her? Overstep? She says, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it? and he says he thinks it’s good she’s taking a step back. She says, it’s not like she has a choice, and he says, whatever the reason, it’s a good thing. She says she hopes so, because it’s killing her.

TJ says he can’t stop smiling, and Molly says, her neither. He says, they’re going to have a baby. He thanks Kristina and hugs her. She says she’s honored to be a part of it, and he says, she’s so much more. She made the most wonderful thing happen for them and they’ll never be able to thank her enough. Kristina says, the look on their faces right now is all the thanks she needs. He says, she might feel differently during labor. How is she feeling? Don’t hesitate to tell her OB if she’s feeling… Kristina tells him that he doesn’t have to be a doctor right now. Just be a dad. It’s okay. TJ says he’s going to be a dad, and Molly says she can’t wait to hold the baby and smell that little baby smell. He says, and play airplane while they feed their baby mashed bananas and smile like idiots while they wipe the mashed bananas off their baby’s face… Molly says, and our hair… Kristina says, and the floor and the chair… TJ stops smiling, and Molly asks, what’s wrong? He says he can’t help but think they got excited like this before. They talked about this before and it didn’t work out.

Elizabeth says, Violet will love Finn no matter what job he has. She thinks he hung the moon, and she happens to think Violet is right. And she’s convinced he’s going to win this lawsuit. He says he’s grateful for her conviction. He wishes he shared it. Tomorrow the trial starts, and his future will be in the hands of twelve people in the jury box. Twelve people who never practiced medicine, who apparently only care if he’s nice or likeable. How does he defend himself without coming across as defensive? How does he share his medical expertise without being arrogant? She says, he’s passionate about his job. He cares deeply about his patients. That will come through, and in the end, those twelve people will wish he was their doctor. He asks how she can be so confident, and she says, because she’s inspired by him every day. He says, that might be the nicest thing she’s ever said to him, and hugs her. He can’t imagine going through this without her. Martin knocks at the door and says, apologies, including for the late arrival. He’s afraid it was unavoidable. Now why did Finn need to see him?

Molly tells TJ that they’re using a new surrogate now. What are the odds of that happening to them twice? He says he thinks it happens to anyone. The first trimester is so delicate. Kristina makes them sit and tells them that they’re not spiraling down this rabbit hole. They have to have a little faith and just take a breath. TJ says, she’s right, and Kristina says, none of them knows what the future holds, but if the worst-case scenario does happen, then they’re going to handle it, the three of them, together. And if and when they’re ready, they can try again. Most importantly, they’re a team now. TJ tells her, if he hasn’t said it before, she’s a rock star, and she says she knows. Her sister is just like her, but better.

Alexis tells Sonny, it’s not like she doesn’t talk to the girls at all. She just keeps the conversation light and superficial. She wants to be careful not to alienate them. He says she shouldn’t worry so much, and she says, why? Does he know something she doesn’t know? Has he spoken to Kristina? He says he’s not going to break any confidences here, but he believes she knows Alexis’s heart was in the right place. She says, good. She appreciates that, but she thinks they would prefer she keep her distance and she wants to respect that. He says, no matter how badly she wants to? and she says, Molly is going to be a mom and Kristina’s going to carry her baby. What could go wrong? So she’s just going to bring joy into their lives and enjoy their journey. He says, she has to keep following their lead. Look what happened to him. He lost his family because of the pain he caused them. She doesn’t want that in her life. She says she just wants to reiterate this one thing again. The laws regarding fertility and reproduction are like the wild west, specifically… He says, does she know how many times she’s said this to him already? and she says, he thinks she’s neurotic, doesn’t he, and he just wants her to shut up and be a grandma. He says, she’s already said her concerns about the girls. Just move on. She says she’s trying, when both of their phones ring. She says, Molly, and he says, Kristina.

Jordan says she knows she asked Brick here, but she has to go. He says, too bad. They were just getting to know each other’s files. She says, they’re not going to talk about her and she’s already familiar with his file. He asks if she ever wonders about stuff that’s not in the files, and she says she can live with the mystery. He says, really? He would have expected the opposite. She says she’s been defying expectations her whole life, and he says he’d like to hear more about that. She says she’s been in touch with a contact. They were supposed to provide her with some information and reach out with a location, but she hasn’t heard back. He says, and she’d like him to track her contact down, and she says, they may have broken off contact because of certain… complications. He says, what kind? and she says, the federal kind. He says, what exactly is the nature of this project? and she says she can’t tell him. He says he sees. Let him get this straight. She wants him to put his neck on the line, with certain agencies he might add, but she doesn’t want to tell him why. She says, it’s better for everyone if she doesn’t, and he says he recalls her using words like discreet and knows how to keep a secret just a minute ago. She says she did, and she meant it. He says, good, because he knows how to keep all secrets – past, present, and future. She says she doesn’t doubt that, but she needs to keep the circle of trust small. For now. If he does this for her, she’ll owe him a favor as Deputy Mayor, no questions asked. He says he does love being owed, but he wants inside that small circle soon. She says, one step at a time, and he says, okay. He’ll start by triangulating her contact’s whereabouts. She says she’s not giving him her phone, but he says he doesn’t need her phone, just her number. He hands her his phone and she puts the number in. She says, don’t abuse it, and he says he wouldn’t dream of it. He leaves, and in the hallway, he puts his phone in his pocket and says, yeah. Gotcha now. I guess there’s my answer about where Zeke is. He’s been replaced.

Dante says, if the DA can reinstate some or all of the charges, then they’ll get a warrant for Esme’s arrest, and Laura says she’s already talked to Robert about it. He’s got one of his ADAs make one up right now. He’s hoping to get a judge to sign off on it tonight. He says, that’s great. They wait for them, then make a move. She asks if there isn’t anything they could do in the meantime. Heather really made it seem like Esme was primed to do something drastic. He says he could bring her in on some false pretense and see if he can get her to spill about the stuff she did with Cameron and Joss and Trina. Maybe that would be long enough to hold her for 24 hours, or at least long enough for Robert to reestablish the charges again. Chase joins them and says, 24 hours is better than nothing, and Dante says, but the problem is, Esme hasn’t been charged with a crime. Visiting her mother’s not illegal. Nikolas on the other hand, is a fugitive. He held Esme prisoner for months and is facing charges of kidnapping and assault. He’s got Esme’s child. In the eyes of the law, Esme is going to be looked at as the victim here. Laura says, then they should tell her that. She doesn’t want Esme to be badgered or bullied in any way. She just wants her contained so she’s safe from herself and they can get all of this other stuff sorted out. Chase says he’ll go with Dante as back-up, and Laura says, her too. She really thinks she can talk Esme off the ledge. Dante says, let’s just hope she hasn’t already disappeared.

Martin says he knows Finn is nervous, but his trial starts tomorrow. His advice is that Finn do something he enjoys, as long as it has nothing to do with the lawsuit or medicine. Cook a good meal. Watch a game. Maybe parcheesi. Listen to music. The fact is, he’s as prepared as he’s ever going to be, and worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is counterproductive. Finn says, as much as he’d like to take Martin’s advice, they’ve found something that might help with his defense. Martin says, and he’s just hearing about it now? and Elizabeth says, they weren’t sure it would do any good. They’re still not. Martin suggests they let him be the judge, and Finn says, Dennis Muldoon saw another doctor in Beechers Corners months before Muldoon ever approached him.

Robert says he’s sorry if he’s upsetting Diane. Shall we dance? He holds out his hand, and she says, he’s sorry for what exactly? He says, for… upsetting you of course (🍷), and she says, yes, of course (🍷). Absolutely. Because? He says he has no idea what he did, and she says, not a clue? Not an inkling? He says he’s not a mind reader, and she says, this time we have the DNA evidence to connect Corinthos to a crime and finally put the bastard away. Your guy’s going down… love, and there’s not a thing you can do about it. He tells her that when she says it that way, it sounds aggressive, and she says she’s sorry. Was there a more lighthearted, festive version he wanted to relay? He says he’s confused. They enjoy sparring with one another. She says she loves sparring with him. That wasn’t sparring. That crossed a line. Forget crossed, it blew right past it. He says he’s still confused, and she says she’s confused as to why. He says, none of that was about her. He was talking about Sonny. He was talking about taking down a defendant in court. Frankly, he’s not sorry about any of that.

Kristina says, Alexis and Sonny have great timing, and Alexis says, they were together when she called. They ran into each other at The Savoy. Kristina says, they were hanging out at The Savoy? and Alexis says, they don’t typically hang out, but when she’s with Kristina’s dad, he is… Sonny says, amazing. They were saying goodbye to Spencer again. Kristina says, that’s right. He and Trina are off to Paris. There’s a knock at the door, and TJ says, that’s probably his mom. He lets Jordan in, and they hug. Molly says, it looks like the gang’s all here, and Kristina thanks Jordan for coming. She knows this was a spur of the moment thing, but they have some news they wanted to share, and they didn’t want to wait. The procedure worked, and she’s pregnant with Molly and TJ’s baby. Obviously, they’re going to confirm it with a blood test, but… Sonny says, congratulations to all of them, and TJ tells Jordan, congratulations mee-maw. (I say, Jordan is not a mee-maw.) Jordan says, don’t ruin this.

Finn says, the doctor could only speak in hypotheticals, but she said if she did see a patient similar to Muldoon, she would have referred him to an oncologist, but they don’t know if Muldoon ever followed up on that referral. Martin says, they waited until the eleventh hour to tell him because this Dr. Sawyer isn’t willing to go on the record? and Elizabeth says, she skirted the line, but she definitely said enough to confirm it. Finn says, they don’t even know the name of the oncologist Muldoon was supposed to see, and Elizabeth says, right now, it just seems like a dead end. Martin says, not necessarily. There is one avenue they can explore.

Diane says, so Robert didn’t actually mean his apology? and he says he’s sorry for being unnecessarily harsh, but it’s his job to put men like Sonny away. She says, not just men like Sonny – Sonny. It has become abundantly obvious that he has a personal, and she might add highly unprofessional, vendetta against her client. He says, does he enjoy watching a known racketeer hide behind family and friends, hell, even the mayor? No, he doesn’t. Unlike Sonny, he works within the law. He can’t prosecute unless he has evidence. This time he has evidence. She says, and he couldn’t wait to use it. Here’s the crux of her problem – he gloated. He says, tell him something. Is she offended by the fact he might win or that Sonny might lose?

Alexis says she’s so happy that this is finally happening for Molly, and Molly says, is she though? Tell her the truth. Is she actually happy this is happening?

At The Invader offices, Dante says, no sign of Esme. He checked the breakroom and the lunchroom. He’s running out of rooms. Laura says, maybe she’s gone for the day, and Chase says, maybe Alexis knows where she is. They walk into Alexis’s office and see Doc on the floor, unconscious. Laura runs to him, and Chase says he’s going to call dispatch. Dante says, he’s still breathing, and Laura says, he has a pulse. They’ve got to get him to the hospital. Can he hear her? Please wake up. She taps his face lightly and says, what happened? Tell her.

Martin says he knows several private investigators that can help them out, including Sam McCall. One way or another, he’s going to get somebody looking for this unspecified oncologist tonight. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, if there’s a chance Muldoon had an inkling he had cancer, it will blow Finn’s cased wide open. Finn says, even if they do find this oncologist, they don’t know if they can provide anything that will help the case, but Martin says, leave that to him. What about the things Finn can control? Namely his testimony. For God’s sake, remember, only answer the question asked. Martin doesn’t want him to elaborate or help out. No information is offered unless explicitly asked about. Got it? Finn says he’s got it. Martin and Alexis have been abundantly clear. Martin says, good, because Finn’s testimony is either going to save him or damn him.

Alexis says she’s always and forever on Kristina’s side and TJ’s side and Molly’s side. She’s thrilled for both of them. She hugs them, and Molly asks Jordan if she can believe this, and hugs her. Alexis tells TJ, congratulations. He has to know how happy she is that her daughter found the perfect partner. He says he got pretty lucky too, and she says, they’re going to be great parents. She hugs him, and Jordan says, yes, they are. TJ says he has to add that at this early stage of their pregnancy, they’re not telling anyone who’s not in this room that they’re pregnant. Alexis’s phone rings, and she steps away. TJ says, they’ll make a big announcement after the first trimester, and Sonny says, nobody is going to know anything until they say so. TJ thanks him, and Kristina says she bought a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne just for this occasion. Jordan says, that sounds good, but Alexis says she’ll have to take a raincheck. Sonny asks, what’s going on? and she says, just an incident at work. Molly asks if everything is okay, and Alexis says, everything will be fine. It’s a beautiful night. Don’t let this ruin it. She tells Molly and Kristina that she loves them, and dashes out.

Diane says, Robert has lost her. She doesn’t understand the distinction, because no attorney likes to lose. He says, there’s an impartial nature here between the attorney/client relationship, and she asks where he went to law school. That is absolutely not true. She’s extremely partisan. She’s her client’s advocate. He says, come on. She’s gotten the better of him in court more than once. She’s smart as a whip. Too smart to believe that someone like Sonny is innocent of all the charges he’s faced over the years. She says, it doesn’t matter what she believes or what she knows or what she understands. It is her duty, it is her obligation as a defense attorney to provide the best, the most vigorous defense possible. One that is rooted in logic and evidence, for her clients. Anything less, and she’s derelict of her duty. He says, this is a whole lot more than a client just getting a vigorous defense, and she asks why she feels like he wants her to say something. He says he just wants her honesty, and she says, okay. He says, is Sonny her client, or is that murdering bastard her friend? She says, Sonny Corinthos is one of her best friends. Now does that change the way he looks at her?

Chase asks Alexis if Esme Prince was in this morning, and she says she saw Esme when she came in. She seemed fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although she doesn’t think Esme would have clocked in until after she left. Chase asks if Esme has access to her office, and Alexis says, she does. So does the cleaning staff. Why is Esme his focus? An officer tells Chase that they found something, and hands him a paper inside an evidence bag.

Elizabeth says, your testimony could damn you? What happened to, Finn having a relaxing evening? Martin says, forgive him. He doesn’t mean to sound alarmist. As discussed, it’s almost certain Miss Miller is going to raise questions about Finn’s substance abuse. Elizabeth says, Finn’s been sober for years. His past addiction can’t be used against him now, can it? Martin says, if it is, he’ll object on the grounds of medical privacy, but there’s a chance he’ll be overruled, and the judge will allow Miss Miller to ask Finn questions about his drug use. Finn says, so not only does he have to defend himself as a doctor, he has to defend his sobriety as well, and Martin says, forewarned is forearmed. Those questions get asked, just answer truthfully and forcefully. The fact is, they only have his word that he was sober when he treated Muldoon. In the end, that’s all this trial is really about. Just make sure when he gets on that stand, the jury meets the man Martin knows him to be, and he’ll win.

Robert says he sees Diane as a sharp, passionate woman, and she says, they have that in common at least. He says he admires her desire to go that extra distance for her clients. That will never change. She says, but he doesn’t approve of her friendship with Sonny, and he says, she knows what Sonny’s done. He guesses he can’t understand how she looks past that. She says she would think it’s similar to how he can look past all the blood on Anna’s hands, and he says, that’s different. She asks, how is that different? and he says, she’s the mother of his child. Diane says, Sonny also has children, but she guesses that doesn’t give him a special dispensation as far as Robert is concerned. What about Holly? He says, what about her? and she says, as far as she knows, Holly didn’t bear any of his children, yet he can look past her alleged crimes? He says he can’t be responsible for everyone he went out with, and she says, no one’s asking him to. She’s also not judging him. Because she knows there’s more to both Anna and Holly than meets the eye. Just as there is more to Sonny. So can he accept she’s friends with Sonny without holding it against her? He asks if she can accept it’s his mission to put people like Sonny away, and she says, and if she can’t?

Sonny says he wants to make a toast. Having a child can be difficult at times, but it’s one of the most incredible experiences a person can have. He just wants to say he’s so happy they’re going to be able to share in the joy of watching their child grow up. Just like he did. Jordan says, to all of them and to her new grandchild, and they all clink glasses and say, cheers!

A doctor comes out of the room where Doc is, and Laura asks, how’s her husband? The doctor says, he’s stable. He’s sending Doc for tests now. She asks if she can see him first, and he says, just for a minute. On the verge of tears, she goes in and goes to Doc’s bedside. She smooths his hair and asks him to come back to her. Please. She takes his hand and says she needs him to tell her what she already knows in her bones, that it was Esme who did this. She promises she’ll bring Esme to justice. There are still so many things she and Doc want to do together, and she doesn’t want to do one more minute of this life without him.

In the hallway on the phone, Dante asks if Chase found anything, and Chase says, a letter to Esme from a woman named Maggie. Dante says, Maggie Fitzgerald? That was Esme’s old nanny. Chase tells him, she said she took a position with another family, and she wants Esme to come visit. (Wait. What? Wasn’t she involved with the whole Ryan thing? Why would she be inviting Esme over?) Dante asks, where? and Chase says, Toronto.

Martin says, if they’ll forgive him, he’s going to track down Sam, get her looking for that mystery oncologist. He points at Finn and says, deep breath. He leaves, and Finn says, deep breath. He takes one and says, so much for relaxing. Elizabeth says, it’s not over yet. There’s still time. He asks what she suggests, and she says her boys are having a sleepover, which means her house is empty. She can cook him dinner, they can listen to music… or he could listen to the game… He says, always music. Maybe some from that playlist she made when they were driving to Vermont. She says, after that, who knows? She puts her arms around him and asks if he’s good at parcheesi. He says he’s excellent at parcheesi… and a lot of things, and kisses her.

Robert says he guesses they’ve reached an impasse, and Diane says she would never ask him to apologize for who he is and what he does. He says, and he doesn’t want her to apologize for caring about Sonny. She says, what happens if they can never fully see eye to eye on this issue? and he asks, where does that leave them? He knows he’s not always good at expressing himself with these things, but he really does care about her. She says she feels the same way, and she’s not going to give up on what they’re building. He says, there’s really only one solution, and she says, let’s hear it. He says, they leave Sonny and the clients in the courtroom, and she says she totally accepts those terms. They sit back down, and Robert says, they can do this. She laughs and says, yes, they can.

Jordan hugs TJ and says, he knows she’s going to spoil this baby like crazy, right? and he says he won’t even try to stop her. Sonny says he’s very proud of Kristina. She gave TJ and Molly an incredible gift. She says, Molly is her sister and she’d do anything for her, and he says, any parent would pray to have that bond she and her sister have. He knows she’s happy right now, but just know the road is never going to be without challenges. Anything she needs – anything – she can always come to her dad. They hug.

Chase asks if Alexis recognizes this, showing her the sculpture Doc got whacked with, and she says she keeps it on her credenza. He asks if anything else looked disturbed to her, but she tells him, it’s hard to say if she can’t go through everything. Does he really think Esme attacked Doc? He says, she’s their primary suspect, and he has a bad feeling she’s not going to stop with Doc.

Still in the room with Doc, Laura calls Spencer and leaves a message. She says she knows he’s on his way to Paris, but she needs him to call her back as soon as he gets this. It’s about Esme. She leaves the room, and Dante asks if Doc is awake yet, but she says, not yet. She can’t help thinking about how long he might have been lying there. Dante says, he’s going to be fine. He has the best doctors here. They’re going to take care of him. She says she wants all that to be true, and he says, it is. She says, any word about Esme? and he says, they tracked the credit card she used to get a one-way bus ticket to Toronto. (Well, at least she’s being thrifty with Alexis’s money.) Laura says, any idea who she knows up there?

Tomorrow, Chase tells Jordan that they need the address for where to find Esme; Trina asks if Spencer is going to teach her; Laura says, Anna is the next, most qualified candidate; and Valentin asks Nina, what’s the plan for taking back what’s hers?

🏆 Worth Fighting For…

Oh for Pete’s sake, just give it to them already.

Sonya Eddy’s Family Fighting To Get Her Daytime Emmy Award

👶🏻 Career Baby…

She was already a vet by the time she got to GH.

Check Out Baby Cosette Abinante Starring With Zendaya!

👠 Haters Gonna Hate…

Nina just needs to make better choices. Maybe not the choices a middle school girl would make.

Cynthia Watros Shares a Message With Nina’s Fans — and Haters!

💎 She Did Not Say That…

Check and mate.

RHOBH Season 13: Dorit Kemsley Calls Crystal Kung Minkoff a ‘Child Bride’
Crystal Kung Minkoff Shades Dorit Kemsley’s Marriage After ‘Child Bride’ Comment

👽 Trekking On…

While I didn’t watch his Star Trek stint, I loved Alien Nation.

https://people.com/star-trek-enterprise-actor-gary-graham-dead-at-73-8548168

https://www.startrek.com/news/remembering-gary-graham

🐈 Adventuresome Kittehs…

Who doesn’t love a cat in a beret?

https://people.com/couple-trained-cats-to-travel-to-europe-exclusive-8546602

🦛 No Baby Anymore…

Hippos are the cutest things – those tiny ears!

https://people.com/fiona-the-hippo-turns-7-cincinnati-zoo-shares-birthday-tribute-8549355

🌏 No Man Is a Peninsula…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the Friday free-for-all. Until then, stay safe; stay not ghosting, but if you do, stay gone forever; and stay leaving the clients in the courtroom if you’re a defense attorney dating the DA.

Jan25

January 24, 2024 – Laura Visits Heather In Pentenville, Barcelona Is Inflicted With Beverly Hills & Merengue

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Esme rifles through a drawer in Alexis’s desk and takes out a credit card. She gets on the laptop and starts to book a flight, when Doc walks in, startling her.

The Savoy is decorated for a major party, and Trina says she can’t believe Curtis arranged all this when he just got out of the hospital yesterday. I can’t believe he got out of the hospital already. He says he has a daughter that is smart enough to be accepted into the Sorbonne for a semester abroad in Paris. He’s going to make sure her sendoff is special, so they’re going to send her off in style. Trina says, her present is seeing that his procedure seemed to work, and there’s a possibility he’ll be walking by the time she gets home. She feels much better about leaving now. He says he and her mother will be expecting a lot of messages from her. Portia says, they want to hear about all of her experiences, when Spencer runs in. He asks Trina if he’s late to the party, and she says, not at all, but she thought he was coming with his grandmother and Doc. He says he’s sure they’ll be on their way.

Kristina lets Molly into her apartment and says, this is a rare sight. Molly asks what she means, and Kristina says, it’s not often she sees her sister out of the courthouse while the sun is still shining. Molly says, the afternoon hearing got pushed to tomorrow, and then her favorite organic food store just called to tell her about a new shipment of fruits and vegetables that just came in, so she went grocery shopping for Kristina. She knows how much Kristina would rather have a burger and fries from Charlie’s, but since she already had the implantation, she thought… She’s being pushy, isn’t she? Kristina says, Molly is a Davis, so she’d expect nothing less, and Molly says, if it’s too much, just tell her. She’ll back off. Kristina says she’s fine. She appreciates Molly asking. Molly says, one of the bags needs to be refrigerated, and Kristina says she’s pretty well stocked, so they might have some trouble fitting it in. Molly says, when she and TJ moved in together, there was never enough room for their stuff until she watched this amazing how to organize your fridge video. It changed everything. Come on. She’ll show Kristina. I want to see this too. What site is that on?

James says he can’t find his firetruck, and Maxie asks if he checked under his bed. He says he did and it’s not there, and Maxie says, check his toybox and his closet. He says, okay, and runs off. Maxie tells Felicia, he’s not going to find it, and follows. Spinelli comes out, and Felicia asks how it’s going living with Maxie. He says, it’s most agreeable. He’s loving all the family time after dinner. He’s reminded about how great a mom Maxie is. All that’s a bonus. Living with his daughter fulltime is tremendous. It was a very sound financial strategy, pretending he has nowhere to live. The rent he’s paying Maxie should be helping her make ends meet. Felicia says she has to agree. Maxie seems much less stressed. Maxie comes back and asks what they’re talking about. Felicia says, good coffee, and Spinelli says, very good. There’s a knock at the door, and Spinelli answers. It’s Cody, and Spinelli says, sorry. They don’t need any cookies. He tries to close the door, but Cody walks past him, saying, that’s good, because he’s not selling any. He says hello to Maxie and Felicia.

In the visiting room at Pentenville, Heather calls to Laura and waves her arm. Laura goes over, and Heather thanks her so much for coming. This is an honor. A visit from the mayor. It’s going to give her bragging rights around here. She also wants to offer her sincere condolences about Barbara Jean Spencer’s passing. She knows Laura and Bobbie had their share of disagreements, but she’s sure… Laura says, the only reason she’s here is because Heather claims to have information on her grandson Ace. Heather says, their grandson she means? Yeah, she does. She knows Nikolas took off with him. Laura asks, how on earth could she know that? and Heather says, Esme told her when she came to visit.

Maxie says she got Cody’s text earlier, but why is he stopping by? and he says, it’s just something that happened at James’s last riding lesson. She asks if something went wrong, but he says, no. That kid’s a natural. James runs in and asks what Cody is doing here, and Cody says he got James a present. James opens the box and says, cool. New boots. Cody says, the ones James has now are a little tight for him, and James says, they pinch his toes. Maxie says, when Aunt Nina gave him those boots for Christmas, he said they fit him, and he says, they did. Now they don’t. Cody says he guesses James’s feet grow fast, and Maxie says she knew the boots were a bit on the small side, but he was so excited about them. James says, these boots are awesome. Mom said he was going to have to wait until his birthday to get new ones. James walks off, and Maxie tells Cody, those boots are too expensive, but Cody says he’s making great money at Deception now. He’s got to spend it on something. It’s no big deal. He’s just happy to see James so enthusiastic about horses. He loves it when someone takes to riding so quickly. Felicia says, it’s a very thoughtful gesture, but Spinelli says, it’s something he should have asked Maxie about first. James says he wants to try them on.

Esme asks if Doc is spying on her, and he says he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to sneak up on her. She was just so focused on her work. She says she didn’t mean to snap at him. He startled her, and she’s been a little on edge since Nikolas stole her son. He says, actually, that’s why he’s here. He’s surprised she came into work at all. She says she can’t just sit home and worry about Ace. She has to find a way to move forward, no matter how impossible that might seem. What other choice does she have? He says, you tell me, and she says she’s been through this nightmare before, but when Victor Cassadine took Ace away from her, at least she knew Spencer was with him. Ace has no idea who Nikolas is, and he’s going to be very scared and he’s going to be very confused. Doc says, personally, he believes that Nikolas will take good care of Ace, but of course (🍷) she’s going to worry. She says she can’t do anything but worry. Did he come here just to check in on her? He asks why that’s so difficult to believe. He thought they all got along quite well when she was living with him and Laura. She says, sure, but that was because of Ace. He says, because of Ace, and her. She is his niece after all. She says she knows. It just feels strange. He says he understands. May he ask her a question? Why didn’t she tell anyone that Nikolas had taken Ace? Not even the police.

Molly says she’s surprised to see how well-stocked Kristina is. She’s normally more of a take-out gal. Kristina says, that was before she agreed to be Molly’s surrogate, and Molly says, she’s really taking this seriously, isn’t she? Kristina says, of course (🍷). She’s all in. She’s going to eat healthy until her niece – or nephew – arrives. Molly asks if that means she’s already pregnant.

Ava asks how Portia is holding up, and Portia says she’s putting on a brave face, so Trina doesn’t realize how nervous she actually is. Trina lives in the dorms, but she’s a local girl. She’s never been more than 50 miles outside of the city for more than two weeks. Now she’s going to Paris, halfway around the world, for four months. Ava says, look at it this way. It’s one hell of an excuse to plan a trip to Paris. Portia says, that’s a good idea, and Ava says she’s going to miss Trina a lot too. It’s going to be tough with her half a world away. Why don’t they lean on each other then? Portia says she thinks that’s a good idea.

Marshall says, Portia told him that Trina’s going to be living in a dorm. Where will Spencer be staying? Spencer says he actually found this really quaint pied-da-terre in the Latin Quarter near Trina’s dorm, and Stella asks how he plans on occupying his time while Trina’s in school. He says he’s actually been to Paris quite a few times. There’s always something to do. Trina joins them and says she thinks they’ve been interrogating Spencer long enough, but Marshall says, who’s interrogating? He’s just showing an interest in Spencer’s plan. Stella says, Spencer can take care of himself, can’t he? and Spencer says, yes, ma’am. Trina suggests they talk to Joss, and she and Spencer go to the bar.

Trina asks if Josslyn has seen Laura and Doc, but she says she hasn’t. Spencer says he’s sure it’s nothing to worry about. He thinks they’re just running late. At least that’s what Laura texted him. Josslyn asks if he thinks Laura actually lied to him, but he tells her that he’s not saying that. He’s just saying he doesn’t think it’s the worst thing that there’s going to be an ocean between the two of them. Trina says she knows Laura loves him, and Spencer agrees, but says he just doesn’t think she likes him all that much right now. Trina says she just thinks something important must have kept her away, but Spencer says he thinks he may have lost her support.

Laura asks when Esme visited Heather, and why? and Heather says, sometimes a girl just needs her mother. Speaking of which, how the hell is Leslie? Do they still talk or… Laura says, let’s stay focused on Esme, all right? Because last she heard, Esme was terrified of Heather after she saw Heather attack Dr. Gatlin-Holt at Windymere. Why would Esme visit her? Heather says, because she was distraught over Laura’s son kidnapping her child. Laura says she has talked to the police about that, and because her son is the child’s father, they don’t consider that kidnapping. Heather says, there you go. That’s exactly why Esme came to see her. Esme realized she’s the only person she can trust. Laura says she doesn’t believe Heather. Actually, she and Esme have become very close ever since she gave birth to Ace. Heather says, that was before she remembered all the horrible things Laura’s family did to her.

Kristina tells Molly that she meant she’s going to eat healthy for as long as it takes, not that she’s pregnant. It’s been less than a week since the implantation. (Ha-ha! Sounds like a field of crops.) Molly says, of course (🍷). She doesn’t know what she was thinking. Kristina says she didn’t want to get Molly’s hopes up, but Molly says, no. It’s silly of her to jump right to that. Kristina says, the plan is, she’s going to wait a couple of days and take a home pregnancy test. That way, they can avoid a false negative. Molly says, that’s a very logical thing to do, and Kristina wonders where her phone is. She’s been losing things like crazy lately. Speaking of which, the craziest thing happened at Charlie’s. This woman came in and she was furious. She was insisting she left her phone right here on the bar. She was waving her hands around and kept saying how it was such an expensive upgraded phone. Meanwhile, she had her phone right in her hand the entire time. Isn’t that crazy? Molly says, that’s crazy… or they could just take a test now. She pulls out a pregnancy test.

Cody puts the boots on James and says, whoops. He guesses he’s new to buying kids’ boots. James says he thinks they’re perfect, and stumbles around. Cody says he got them from a real saddlery, so he can just exchange them. Let him call the guy. He steps outside, and Spinelli follows. He says he knows what Cody is doing, but it’s not going to work. Cody says, okay. What is he doing again? Spinelli says, he’s taking advantage of Maxie’s generous nature, and Cody tells him, says the guy who’s living in Maxie’s house?

Josslyn says she wants updates and pictures of everything. All the beautiful places Trina and Spencer go to. Trina says she wishes Josslyn could just come with them, and Josslyn says she has her classes at PCU, but she was thinking she could come to Paris for spring break. Trina says she’d love that, and Spencer says he feels as her boyfriend, he should get a say in that, but Trina and Josslyn both say, no. Trina says, then it’s settled, and they laugh. Spencer says he has to check on something real quick, and takes out his phone. Trina asks if there’s any news about his dad. She still can’t believe his dad took Ace like that. Spencer says he let his father take Ace, and he even delayed telling Esme so he could give Nikolas a bigger head start. Josslyn asks why he would do that. She’s no friend of Esme’s, but to take her kid like that? That’s pretty harsh, especially when he does nothing but talk about what a lousy dad Nikolas was. Does he think Nikolas is going to be any better for Ace? Spencer says, the situation has changed, and Trina asks, how? He says he’s pretty sure Esme has her memories back.

Portia tells Stella, it’s really been an emotional past few days, right? There’s been some highs, like Curtis coming home and possibly being able to walk again. But then there’s the lows, like Trina leaving for four months and being halfway around the world. Stella asks, is Trina’s leaving troubling her or the fact that Spencer is going to be with her? and Portia says she thinks she’s learned to accept the fact that Trina needs to make her own decisions in her life. She’s a young lady and she’s decided that Spencer is part of that life. Okay, fine, but Portia can’t stop thinking about all the turmoil that follows Spencer wherever he goes. Wouldn’t it be better for her to go to Paris without him?

Laura says, Esme got her memories back? When did that happen? Heather says, the night of Christmas Eve. She went back to Windymere where Laura’s horrible, criminal son held her prisoner for months and months. She guesses it brought it back for her. Laura asks why Esme wouldn’t mention that to her, and Heather says, she didn’t want to go to prison. Duh. Come on. They both know the charges related to that stupid sex tape are still hanging over Esme’s head. Laura asks why Heather would put her own daughter at risk by revealing her secret. Heather knows she’s the mayor. She doesn’t think Laura is going to go straight to the PCPD? Heather says she knows Laura will. Then they’ll put Esme here in Pentenville where she belongs… with her mother.

Marshall asks how Curtis is doing, and Curtis says, glad to be out of the hospital. He knows everybody is just doing their job, but the constant check-ins and nurses and all the noise from the machines, it’s kind of hard to sleep in the hospital. Last night he got about seven hours. It felt pretty good. Marshall says he can imagine, but he knows Curtis. Something’s got him on edge. Curtis says he’s fine, but Marshall says, no, he’s covering, which is his right. But if there’s any way he can help, even just by listening, he wants to. Curtis says, the thing is, for the first time he has real hope that he might walk again. They both know hope is no guarantee, but in some ways, the uncertainty is harder than just accepting he’ll be in this wheelchair for the rest of his life. That’s not a fun reality. It’s a harsh fact that he can wrap his brain around though. Marshall says, as opposed to having a glimmer of hope that might never be realized, and Curtis says, exactly. If he tells himself that he can walk again and he never does, it will be like being paralyzed all over again. Marshall says he hears Curtis. Hope takes courage. Fortunately, Curtis is the most courageous man he’s ever known.

Maxie says, they can’t get these boots scuffed up or Cody won’t be able to exchange them for boots that actually fit James’s feet. James asks if the store is going to take them back, and Felicia says, he heard Cody. He said he’s going to take care of it. James says he can ride a horse in the too small boots, but Felicia says, he just told them that they pinch his toes. James says, or he could ride in snow boots or sneakers. They could get the money back for them instead. Then he’ll give it to Maxie to help pay the bills.

On the phone, Cody says, awesome. Thank you very much. Spinelli says he’s Georgie’s father and he’s paying Maxie rent. And the only reason he’s living here is because his apartment is flooded and completely uninhabitable, which is a completely different situation than Cody trying to suck up to James with expensive gifts. Cody says, lighten up. They’re just boots. Spinelli says, maybe to Cody they are, but James has had more than one father figure come in and out of his life. Unfortunately for James, his real father Nathan tragically died before he was born, and thank God for Grandpa Mac, but every time Maxie gets involved with someone, the kids can’t help but get attached. First it was the atrocious Peter August, then Austin, who wasn’t nearly as reprehensible as Peter, but still, they came into his life and out of his life, and that’s really, really hard for kids to understand. Cody says, slow down. He’s just giving James riding lessons. He’s not trying to romance Maxie. Spinelli says, oh please. He knows Cody. He’s all too aware that Cody is just a scheming blackmailer hiding behind the veneer of rugged cowboy charm. Cody says he had no idea. Spinelli thinks he’s charming.

Kristina says she just told Molly, it’s too soon to take a test, and Molly says she knows it makes sense to wait. But the waiting is literally driving her crazy. Kristina says she sees that and feels the same way, but it’s just too early. Molly says, actually, this particular test says it can detect HGT hormones five days earlier than any other test on the market. Kristina says, what if it’s negative? and Molly says, they already know they might get a false negative. Then they’ll take another test in a few days like Kristina said. If it’s positive, then the waiting’s over and they’ll know the IUI procedure worked and she’s pregnant.

Spencer tells Trina and Josslyn that Esme called him Spence, which she hasn’t called him since this past New Year’s when she washed up on the deck of the Haunted Star. And it’s just her attitude. She’s different. The things she’s saying are a lot sharper. Josslyn asks why he didn’t tell them sooner, and he says he’s telling them right now. Everything has happened very quickly. After Ava pressed charges against Esme for breaking and entering into Windymere he thought that was going to be the solution to their problems, that Esme would go to prison. But she got six months probation, which means Ace can still be living with her. There are a million reasons for him to hate his father, but he knows that Nikolas is going to do everything in his power to protect Ace. If Esme does have her memories back, there’s no telling how she’ll use his little brother as a pawn. They all know what the old Esme is capable of. Trina says she just wishes he’d said something the second he suspected it, and Josslyn asks what they’re supposed to do now. Do they talk to the DA and ask him to prosecute Esme on the original charges? Trina says, the reason he dropped the charges on drugging her and making that awful revenge porn of Josslyn and Cam was because Esme claimed not to remember, and it would be too difficult of a conviction. But if she has her memory back now… Spencer says, there’s no way for them to know for certain. And she’s not going to admit to it. They do need proof, because if this goes to trial and Esme is somehow able to convince a jury she’s innocent, then that’s it. They get one shot at this. Josslyn says she’s been waiting for the real Esme to show herself. She’ll get them proof. The two of them just need to focus on going to Paris. Do not let Esme take that away from them. Spencer says, but what if this goes to trial? and she says, then they both fly back. Trina thanks her, and Spencer says, please be careful. Because Esme’s not going to give up Ace lying down. She’s planning something. Josslyn says, like what? and he says he doesn’t know, but nothing good.

Esme tells Doc, going to the PCPD would be useless. Despite the fact Nikolas had never met Ace before he took him, it doesn’t matter. he’s still Ace’s father. Spencer has made that perfectly clear. She’s powerless. Doc says, she’s right. There may not be much the authorities can do, but that doesn’t mean she’s alone. He and Laura have done everything they can to support her. Why not come to them? She says, Nikolas is Laura’s son and Spencer is her grandson. Why would Laura side with her over them, and even if she did, would it really make a difference? Nikolas disappeared on her for months. She couldn’t track him down then, and she can’t track him down now. He says he wouldn’t underestimate what Laura is willing to do for her family.

Laura says, so Heather wants Esme to go to prison, and Heather says, it’s the only way she can look out for her little girl. She tried to get Esme to leave town, but she completely refused. She said it was about Ace, but she can tell Esme is hellbent on revenge. Laura says, revenge against who? and Heather says, take her pick. Any number of people who have wronged her, but if she was to speculate, she’s pretty certain Spencer and Trina are at the top of Esme’s hit list.

Kristina says, she’s usually the one with impulse control issues, and Molly says she knows. She’s being pushy and totally out of control. Kristina says, it’s okay. She knows where this comes from. Molly really wants to be a mom. Molly says, and see TJ be a dad. Has she thanked Kristina enough for doing this? Kristina says, she has. She’s beyond happy. Her phone dings, and Kristina says, there it is. One sec. This might be work. She sees a text from Blaze: Thinking of you. Hope you’re having a great day! Kristina texts back: It just got a lot better. Call u later? She sees Molly looking at her and says, what? Molly asks who the text is from.

Maxie says, that’s a very generous offer, but Cody gave James these boots as a gift. They’re his. James says he’s heard her talk about money. Sometimes she doesn’t think he’s listening, but he is. Maxie says, he shouldn’t be listening in on her conversations, and Felicia says, money is a grownup problem. He has better things to think about. He says, like horses? and Maxie says, yes, like horses, hugging him.

Spinelli says, Maxie is too trusting. She has this bad habit of always seeing the best in people, whether they merit it or not. Then she ends up getting hurt. She deserves better. Cody asks if he’s jealous. Is that what this is about? He likes Maxie, yes. The same way he likes Mac and Felicia. The same way he likes Georgie or James or little Bailey Lou. They’re almost like family to him, but he’s not Spinelli’s competition. If Spinelli wants to date Maxie, he’s not standing in Spinelli’s way.

Curtis says he’s got to brag just a little bit more. Trina getting into the Sorbonne is a huge accomplishment. Trina thanks him, and he says, she’s a remarkable young woman and she deserves to be celebrated. She hugs him.

Heather says she knows Esme better than anybody, but Laura says, Heather has known Esme less than a year, right? And during that time, Esme didn’t even remember who she was. Heather says, but she does now. It’s a miracle really. She’s seen the real Esme and Esme is just like her. But unfortunately, she’s just like her father too. Sometimes, she is too stubborn for her own good. Esme refused to take her advice about this. Since she’s locked up in here, she needs Laura. Please, for the sake of their shared grandson, will Laura help her?

Trina hugs Ava and thanks her so much for everything. The list of the small art galleries in Paris, she’s honestly going to try and see every single last one. She just hopes they’ll put up with her communication through the translator app. Ava says, a lot of people in Paris speak English. Don’t assume though. Try to say a few words in French and they’ll be much more receptive. Trina says she’ll remember that, and Ava says she just wants Trina to have the most fabulous time. Trina says she wouldn’t have gotten into the Sorbonne if it wasn’t for her internship at Ava’s gallery, but Ava says she thinks having The Chuck on Trina’s resumé made it more impressive. Trina says she’s not talking about prestige. She’s talking about the encouragement and support Ava gave her. Ava taught her to trust her instinct regarding art and to be more confident about speaking her mind. Ava says, Trina is giving her too much credit, and Trina says, then they can agree to disagree.

Spencer thanks Portia for including him in the party, but she says, the party was actually Curtis’s idea. He says he wants her to know how important Trina’s happiness is to him, and she says she doesn’t really doubt his feelings for Trina. It’s just that he’s no stranger to trouble and she doesn’t want trouble finding Trina, here or in Paris.

Esme tells Doc that coming to work wasn’t her best idea. She can’t really focus, and she doesn’t want to break down here, so… Doc says he doesn’t think Alexis would mind if they borrowed her office for a few minutes. Please sit down with him. Esme sits, and he asks what he has to do to convince her that there are people here who want to help her. She says she doesn’t think anyone wants to help Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber’s daughter, and that’s always who she’ll be. He says, yes, but she’s also Ace’s mother, and she says, what if she never sees her son again? He says he and Laura will do everything in their power to bring him back to her. She’s a good mother. She says, who’s done terrible things, or so she’s told, and he says, we can’t change our past, but we can try to do better going forward. She says, what if we don’t know how? and he says, we ask for help. She says she doesn’t think it’s that easy, and he says, granted, letting people in, showing who you really are, is never easy, but it can change your life. Would she like to change?

Spinelli says, his romantic feelings for Maxie ended years ago, and Cody says, really? Because the look on his face whenever she’s in the room says otherwise. Is he worried it’s been too long to get her back? If his romance game is a little off, Cody can give him some pointers. Spinelli says, never, and Cody says, if Spinelli changes his mind, let him know. Some people say he’s charming. James runs out and asks if Cody called the store. Cody says, sure did. It’s all taken care of. They’re going to swap out those boots for ones that fit. James asks if Cody can stay a while, and Cody says, sure. Why not? James says, come to his room and pick out a game they can play, grabbing Cody’s hand and dragging him inside.

Cody runs through the living room with James, and says, they’re going to get a game. Maxie tells Felicia that she’s upset that James knows she’s worried about money. What kind of parent is she that her kid thinks he has to take care of her? Felicia says she thinks James’s generosity is a beautiful thing. He gets it from his mom. Spinelli comes back in and asks if everything is okay. Maxie says she just needs a minute and leaves the room. Felicia asks if Spinelli is done giving Cody a hard time, and he says he thought she didn’t trust him either. She says she had her doubts, but she was wrong about Cody. He should give Cody a chance.

Kristina says, it was the weekend bartender at Charlie’s. Juggling schedules is one of her many jobs there. Molly says, the way she was smiling, she thought the text was from someone Kristina liked. She says she does like him, but not like that. He’s a great guy. He’s solid and kind and has a really great work ethic. He’s only working at Charlie’s part-time because he has another fulltime job. He’s in training; he’s a competitive athlete. She was smiling because he’s covering a shift for her this weekend. Molly says, she’s close with the staff at Charlie’s, isn’t she? and Kristina says she is. They all share in the same insanity there. Five of them went out last weekend and they had such a great time. Molly says, being pregnant is going to cause such a huge disruption to Kristina’s life. She knew that already and it’s hitting her all over again. Kristina says, hopefully not that huge. Not until the second trimester, right? The sooner they know, the sooner they can plan things and figure it out. Molly says, does that mean… and Kristina suggests they find out if she’s pregnant.

Portia says she’s busted, she knows, and wipes her eyes. Trina says, no tears. If Portia cries, she’s going to cry. Portia says she’s sorry. She really can’t help it. Her little girl is growing up. She’s headed to Paris. Trina says, it’s only going to be four months, and Portia says she knows and she’s going to be okay. She wants Trina to have so much fun and all the experiences she can possibly have. She’s in awe of Trina. She’s in awe of Trina’s strength, her beauty, her wisdom… She’s going to miss Trina. Trina says she loves Portia, and they hug. Portia says she loves Trina too.

James and Cody play Connect Four and Cody says, James is too good at this. He thinks he’s been hustled. James asks what that means, and Cody says, like when you ask someone to play a game when you already know you’re going to win. James says, but he hasn’t won yet, and Cody says, that’s a very good point. He still has a shot. Felicia tells James to show Cody how it’s done, and tells Spinelli that Cody is really good with James, doesn’t he think?

Molly and Kristina sit on the sofa, waiting, when a timer goes off. Kristina asks if Molly is ready, and Molly says, is she? Kristina says, as she’ll ever be. Should they… Molly says she can’t look. Can Kristina do it? Kristina picks up the test, and Molly says, Kristina was right. It’s too early. They’ll take another test next week. Kristina says, they don’t need to take another test, and Molly says, she means… Kristina says she’s pregnant, and they hug.

Laura asks what Heather wants her to do, and Heather says she’s really worried that Esme is going to get herself in much worse trouble if she goes after Spencer and Trina. She needs to save her daughter from herself. Please, find Esme. Find her daughter and stop her before she does something horrible.

Esme tells Doc that she does want to change. Will he help her? He says, all she had to do was ask, and she gets up. She paces as she talks and says, all she wants to do is be a good mother to Ace and raise him in peace, instead of having to constantly explain the past and apologize. She realizes people find her responsible for people getting hurt, but she has to focus on the future, on her son and getting him back and doing whatever it takes – she picks up a sculpture from the bookcase – to keep him with her. She whacks Doc over the head with the sculpture, and he falls out of the chair onto the floor. She says, oh, Uncle Kevin, I’m not falling for that. You can save your pity for Spencer and Trina.

Curtis says, before the meal is served, he’d like to propose a toast. To Trina and Spencer, much love and best wishes on your exciting new adventure. Everyone raises their glasses and toasts to Trina and Spencer. Spencer tells Trina that he’s very excited to put the past behind them. And he’s really, really looking forward to their future. He kisses her.

Tomorrow, Robert asks if Diane is offended that he might win; Brick asks, what’s the mission, should he choose to accept; Laura says, Dante and Chase have to arrest Esme before she does something terrible; and Alexis asks if Sonny knows something she doesn’t know.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

I literally force myself to put on Bravo. Another beautiful vacation wasted on (for the most part) women who don’t appreciate or deserve it.

Everyone packs for Barcelona. Sutton wonders if she should take a separate suitcase for shoes and handbags. She tells Avi that she’ll do her underpinnings and she’s done. I only include that because I’ve never heard anyone use the word underpinnings before. She tells Avi that she’s taking Merce with her. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Merce Cunningham Studio is the best in the dance world. She went there when she first came to NYC. She tells Avi that she has to pack Merce’s ashes, and Avi says, this is against his religion. In her interview, she says she’s had his ashes for 12 years. She wanted to release them in a significant way and make the trip meaningful. Avi tells her to make sure they don’t blow back in her face, and I’m reminded of Sonja Morgan’s dog on OG RHONY.

The women meet at the airport, and in Crystal’s interview, she says she thinks Spain is a good restart. There’s something about sangria. In Erika’s interview, she says, the trip is starting on a good note. No one is killing each other at LAX. So far, so good. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s never been Spain, but always wanted to go. She’s looking forward to the food, the culture, the men, and the life. On the plane, Dorit puts on Chanel PJs and Crystal says, they cost more than her wedding dress. The text says that Crystal’s PJs were $8.99. Good for her. The women bring a million pieces of luggage, but no judgement here. I’m the worst. I go away for a weekend, and it looks like I’m going for a month. But on this Kyle and I agree – you don’t know what you’re going to need until you get there. Suddenly, we’re in Barcelona and on a luxury bus. Sutton says, they’re going to draw for rooms. Good thing Ramona isn’t there. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Sitges (a town nearby) is where the Merce Cunningham Dance Company first performed in Europe. How amazing is that? She tells the group that they’re going to play a game and there’s a prize for the winner. The game is called All of a Sutton. Crystal says, we’ll play a game about me and call it me, and Sutton asks, what is the name of one of her cats? Erika says, Prints, which is correct. Sutton asks, what was her first job in NYC? and Kyle says, stripper, but Garcelle says, that’s Erika. Erika says, nothing has changed, and Sutton says she was a nanny. She asks what her father’s name is, and Crystal says, Mr. Sutton. Kyle says, John, and there are questions about her kids and her cars. Erika is the winner, and in her interview, Garcelle says she’s Sutton’s bestie, but she can’t know everything. In Erika’s interview, she says she knew every answer. Who’s Sutton’s best friend? Sutton presents Erika with a tiara from her store.

No big shock, the house is beyond amazing. They’re welcomed with Sangria and host Zoë tells them that the house was built in the 14th century by one of the most famous wine producing families in Spain. She warns them that it’s haunted, and Erika says she knew it. She felt it. In Erika’s interview, she says she has the ability to smell different spirits. Dorit goes, waaah! and in Annemarie’s interview, she says, they all know who goes first in the horror movies. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, since it’s between her and Annemarie, she hopes it’s Annemarie. Okay, that’s actually pretty funny. Zoë says, the ghosts are little people and super friendly. In Kyle’s interview, she wonders what Zoë is talking about. Aliens? Erika wonders if it’s garden gnomes, and tells the women, just embrace it. Zoë says, they’ll be serving cocktails and tapas, and Garcelle says she wants the least haunted room. Another no surprise, all of the rooms are gorgeous and they’re more like suites. In her interview, Erika says she doesn’t need ghosts or little people in her life. She’s on medication and trying hard to remain stable. Erika messes with the ceiling access to the attic, and in her interview, Kyle says, don’t open vents and don’t go to the attic or basement. Everyone knows that. A camera guy drops something and scares the hell out of Dorit. In her interview, Garcelle says she’s never traveled with glam before. She’s got to keep up with these bitches. The bar in Dorit’s closet falls, probably because it’s not used to 1000 pounds hanging from it, and in her interview, she says, Chanel does not belong on the floor. As Kyle unpacks, Dorit critiques her wardrobe, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she doesn’t know this Kyle. She gets that Kyle wants to show off her body, but what was she thinking when she was packing? Is she looking for her next husband in Spain?

There’s a self-serve bar outside, and live music. In Annemarie’s interview, she says, there are doors in the house that look like they shouldn’t be opened, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she doesn’t play with that sh*t. She’s Haitian, and where she’s from, there’s voodoo and witchcraft. She’s heard stories like a body turning into a goat at an open casket funeral and doesn’t want any part of it. We see that Erika’s new tiara says C’est moi on it, and she wears it to dinner. Chef Storm introduces himself, and in her interview, Garcelle says, Chef Storm can feel free to rain all over her. She tells Erika that they can tag team him, and Erika says she doesn’t even mind being second. In Erika’s interview, she says, things instantly got better in the place, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, he can cook, he has an accent, we’re in Spain. Olé.

They go inside to a table set with beautiful rustic décor, and Sutton says she brought a special guest. She wants to introduce Merce Cunningham, world renowned choreographer. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, he meant so much and he’s in a Ziploc bag. Put her in a Berkin, not a Ziploc. Sutton says, Twyla Tharp (one of my favorites) studied under him, and in Erika’s interview, she says, Merce Cunningham was a legend. She felt like a loser not knowing who he was. She got checked by Mikey asking what’s wrong with her. Sutton says, they had a special relationship, and in her interview, she says, they had a real bond. She worked for him as a studio manager, and he liked her as a dancer and he liked her work ethic. We see photos of Sutton as a dancer and it’s a surprise to me. She says, he was such a unique person, and didn’t mind her quirkiness. He was one of the most important men in her life. She tells the women, when her father died, he was the first one to call her. They got super close. The tapas begins, and they check to see if the chef is wearing a wedding ring. In Crystal’s interview, she says, all the women are like, pay attention to me! I like your food! There are foodgasms all around, but since we’re not allowed to have fun, Annemarie says, there’s an elephant in the room and she needs to get something off her chest. Last weekend a lot of things were said and she apologizes for her part. She talked to Sutton and hopes their in a better place. Sutton says she was fine with the esophagus stuff. (At this point, Sutton’s small esophagus is right up there with Munchausen, Pantygate, and Puppygate.) What she has a problem with is Annemarie saying she’s lonely and insecure. We flash back to Annemarie saying she’ll wake up to her amazing husband, amazing kids, and amazing life. Thank God she’s not lonely and insecure. Sutton says, there are three divorcees at the table, and she was lonelier during her marriage. Either he was traveling or asleep because he worked so much. Annemarie shouldn’t use the word lonely. Annemarie says, she owns that, which has become meaningless since circa LisaR. Several of them were angry, things were said, and she’s sorry for anybody else her words affected. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, so if you’re single, you’re lonely and insecure? She’s single too. Is Annemarie implying that you’re lonely and desperate if you don’t have a man? If Annemarie has an apology for her, don’t apologize.

Crystal asks if Annemarie is calling her insecure, and Annemarie says, they’re getting to her. She wants to talk about the Crystal situation and tells the women that she and Crystal met at a holiday party prior to her being on the show. The first thing Crystal said about the women is that they weren’t intelligent, nobody was educated, and they were shallow. Crystal says, that’s ridiculous, and Garcelle says, they’re all educated. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Crystal is nowhere near as educated as they are. When she was a child bride, busy getting married at 12, they were busy graduating college, building businesses, and doing things to educate themselves. Crystal tells them that she wouldn’t say that stuff to someone she just met, and she doesn’t feel that way. We flash back to Crystal’s interview where she said, the women are savvy, but clearly not educated. She tells them that she didn’t say that, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Crystal has a history of thinking they’re less smart than she is. We flash back to a whole bunch of stupid stuff, including the violated debacle, and Garcelle says, she thinks Crystal believes that some of them are not as astute as she is. Astute. There’s a word for her. Annemarie says, Crystal told her that they were fake socialites, and she was the only true socialite in the group. In Erika’s interview, she wonders if this is a Northeast/Southeast thing and are they doing cotillion. In Dorit’s interview, she says she feels Crystal could have said that. It’s her excuse for not being interesting; because my intellect is too high. No, you’re boring. Crystal tells them that she never said she was a socialite. She did say she was very social. In Annemarie’s interview, she says, when she and Crystal first met, she thought Crystal was crazy telling her this information. Now that she’s getting to know Crystal better, she’d say it’s on brand.  She says, Crystal needs to think she’s better than the rest of them, and Crystal says, they’ve met six times. Give her an example of how she thinks she’s better. Annemarie says, right now because she’s not being honest. In Kyle’s interview, she says, obviously, something about Annemarie provokes Crystal. Crystal is usually reserved with her thoughts and feelings. She’s never seen Crystal respond like this, and thinks Annemarie and Crystal need to talk alone, so she doesn’t have to hear it. In Crystal’s interview, she says, Annemarie said she wants to bring lightness and fun, but she’s antagonistic, combative, and dismissive. Annemarie tells Crystal that she’s acting like a hormonal teenager. She wants to thank Crystal for giving Crystal something to talk about and making Crystal’s ass relevant. (That makes zero sense, but go on.) In Annemarie’s interview, she says she’s sorry she triggers Crystal, and that Crystal finds her life interesting. Crystal has nothing to talk about except her. Dorit suddenly becomes the voice of reason and says, they’ve been up a long time, and she thinks they should put a pin in it. Annemarie says, don’t take her kindness for weakness, and Crystal says, she’s not kind. Annemarie says she’s always kind, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, it was perfection. Now let’s ruin it by saying Crystal hates them because they’re stupid and vapid. That’s not how she thought this was going to work. They go to bed, and Garcelle asks, what the hell happened?

Just a couple of things. I think what Annemarie does is give them a grain of truth, but then she embellishes. IMO to the point where she goes from believable to not so believable. Like maybe Crystal did say that about them being uneducated, although I don’t think she was necessarily talking about book learning. She probably meant ignorant. But then Annemarie has to add that thing about being a socialite. Nope. Not buying that one. Crystal has never said she was a socialite, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of the others say they were either. No doubt Sutton was, but I don’t remember her even talking about it. And Crystal has nothing to talk about? She’s married to the Brave Little Toaster guy and her brother is a huge pop star in China. And that’s just two things. I think Annemarie is trying to make her own ass relevant. And kind? Far, far from it. She’s a bully who’s moved on from Sutton to Crystal. So far, Annemarie’s track record shows she’s the uneducated one who embellishes the truth. And don’t even get me started on what Dorit said in her interview about Crystal. It’s already all over the place online.  

In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s 1 am and she’s scared to go to Sutton’s room, but she’s going anyway. She knows there’s a room with a crib and she doesn’t want to see it. She doesn’t know who’s in the crib and she doesn’t want to. She tells Sutton that she doesn’t want to sleep with ashes staring her in the face, but she wants snacks. In her interview, Garcelle says, after Sutton talking all night in Vegas, here she is, sleeping with her again. In the morning, Sutton visits Crystal and asks how she’s feeling. Crystal says, Annemarie is a lot. She doesn’t think Annemarie listens. Sutton says, Annemarie called her a liar to the whole group, but Crystal says she doesn’t think anyone believes her. Erika asks if Dorit thinks Crystal called them shallow, and Dorit says she doesn’t think Annemarie is flat out making it up. In Erika’s interview, she says she thinks there’s a ring of truth. She doesn’t think Annemarie pulled it out of nowhere. She tells Dorit, if they’re so uneducated and shallow, why be here? Sutton asks why Crystal is letting Annemarie off the hook, but Crystal says Sutton needs someone to tell her that it wasn’t said to feel better. She doesn’t. In Sutton’s interview, she says, she and Crystal have had some challenging times, and we flash back to that. She thinks with some friendships, you have to take a deep dive to come up fresh. They’ve both come into a fresh air spot where they like each other’s company. She wants Annemarie and Crystal to nip this in the bud and build a better friendship. Sutton tells Crystal to stick up for herself, but Crystal says she’s treading lightly. Sutton says, Crystal needs to tell her.

Erika says she has happy news to share. Two decisions have been handed down by the district court of appeal regarding the earrings. The court wants the trustee to prove the earrings were paid for with client money. Remember when she said the story isn’t over? What she said was going to happen is happening. Don’t rush to judgment. They still have a fight, but a win is a win, and the court said, hold on. In Kyle’s interview, she says she thinks Erika feels vindicated. So many doubted her, and Erika told them, give her a minute. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she wishes Erika would let the earrings go and give back to the victims, even though she’s not guilty. You need good karma. Sutton suggests that maybe when Erika is so loud, they can’t hear, and in Erika’s interview, she says she can’t control people’s reactions, but she expected more. She doesn’t need to have them throw their arms around her, but she needs acknowledgment that what she said would happen is happening. They leave for a trek to an old church in Sitges, and Sutton says, it’s like herding cats here. In her interview, Erika says she’s disappointed at the lack of passion for her favorable ruling, when they were so passionate last year. Therapy, therapy, therapy. They take two cars on a long, scary, winding road, and suddenly Crystal says she needs to get out of the car. She’s going to be carsick. They stop and she gets out. Crystal shows them her hands; they’re swollen, and her veins are popping out. Garcelle runs over to Annemarie and asks what it means. Annemarie looks at Crystal’s hands and says, they are big. Holy crap. Is she sure she’s even a nurse? In Kyle’s interview, she says, the universe works in mysterious ways. Yesterday, Crystal and Annemarie were at each other’s throats. Now Crystal is at Annemarie’s mercy. Kyle tells them that she’s calling 9-1-1.

Next time, lots of shopping; Sutton apologizes to Kyle; Sutton says she’s sorry she wasn’t a better friend to Kyle; Garcelle tries to clear the air with Dorit; and Sutton breaks down about her dad.

☔️ Baby, the Rain Must Fall…

Make a return trip tomorrow for soap, tea, and tidbits, since Southern Charm is thankfully over. Until then, stay safe, stay using your inside voice on public transport, and stay trying to do better going forward since you can’t change the past.

Jan24

January 23, 2024 – Curtis Is Tested After Surgery, New Ones, Last Bow, Salty Talk, No Surprise, Farewell, The Big One, Halftime, Puppy (!) Bowl & Do It

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the ax throwing place, Chase asks how Brook got so good at this, and she says, visualization. He asks what exactly she’s visualizing, and she says, not what, who. Lucy Coe. Brook nearly gets a bullseye.

At the hospital, Finn says, maybe this was a bad idea, but Elizabeth asks, since when is going to a meeting a bad idea? He says, maybe his time would be better spent going over his defense with his attorney, but she says, honestly, until they get more information about what Muldoon was up to before seeing Finn, she doesn’t think he and Martin have a lot to talk about. He says, maybe she’s right, and she says, something told him he needed this meeting today. She thinks he should trust his instincts. He says, who needs instincts when he’s got her?

Jesse pops the cork on a bottle of champagne, and Tracy asks if there’s ever been a more satisfying sound. Scotty says, if there is, he hasn’t heard it. Gregory comes over to the table and asks, what’s the occasion? but Scotty says he doesn’t think they need an occasion. Does Tracy? She says, they definitely don’t.

Lucy tells Martin that there’s nothing going on with her and Scotty. Look at the guy. He is clearly otherwise engaged. He asks, then why does she keep looking over there? What is so captivating about Scott Baldwin?

At the hospital, Portia tells Stella and Trina, so good of them to come, and Stella asks, where else would they be? Trina says, Curtis needs them, and Stella says, whatever happens today, good or bad – Portia says, please let it be good – Curtis will know he still has his family behind him. Portia asks if Trina is okay, and Trina says, she just wants this to work. Portia says, they all do. Trina asks if they should go in, and Stella says, Curtis shouldn’t be alone right now, but Portia says, don’t worry. He’s not alone.

Marshall says, the doctor should have been here by now, but Curtis says, Dr. Martel got pulled into emergency surgery. He’ll be here as soon as he can. Marshall says, isn’t that fitting, and Curtis says, what? Marshall says, Curtis reassuring him, on today of all days, and Curtis says, it beats the alternative. Marshall says, which is? and Curtis says, this endless loop going on in his head. Did the surgery work or didn’t it? Marshall says, a question only the doctor can answer.

Anna goes to the hospital reception desk, and TJ asks how he can help her. She says she was supposed to meet his mother for drinks last night, but she never showed up at the restaurant. He says, it’s not like his mother to be a no-show, and she says she knows. It’s not like her to leave messages unanswered either. So she wondered if TJ knew where she was or if he’s heard from her. He says, no, but he wonders… She says, what? and he comes around the desk. He says, she’s been conducting her own investigation into his uncle’s shooting, and Anna says, of course (🍷) she has. He says he was with her yesterday when she got her first lead, her first solid one anyway. He asked her if she would be safe, and she said she would be. She says, but now he’s concerned. So is she. He asks if Anna thinks his mom is in trouble.

Anna tells TJ that his mom knows better than to go it alone. The nature of the lead suggested back-up was warranted. He says, maybe under normal circumstances, and she says, these are anything but? He says his mom is tracing the gun that shot Uncle Curtis. What if she took a calculated risk and got in over her head? Anna says, it’s possible, and he says he’s calling the PCPD, when Jordan walks in. Anna says, there she is. They were getting worried. TJ asks if she’s okay, and Jordan says, yeah. She’s fine. He says, she’s wearing the same clothes as she did last night. Where has she been all this time? (Speaking of which, whatever happened to Zeke?)

The meeting leader recites the Serenity Prayer and asks if anyone would like to share. Finn raises his hand and says he’s Hamilton. He’s an addict. And he’s also a doctor.

Marshall says, Curtis has to stay positive, and Curtis says, he’s being positive, but he’s also being realistic. He wants with every fiber in him for this procedure to be a success, but if it weren’t… Marshall says, then they’ll deal with that. They’ll deal with that together. Curtis thanks him, and Marshall says, better late than never, right? He spent most of his life running away, and left Irene to raise Curtis and his brother. He was so terrified he’d hurt them. Curtis says, that’s most of his life. He’s here now. Marshall says, that’s because of Curtis. Curtis taught him to overcome that fear. Curtis says he has no fear of a setback. If those doctors walked in right now and said, we’ve done all that we can do. We’ve gone as far as we can and this is as good as it gets, he could handle that. But when he thinks about having to look Portia in the face, and Trina, and Aunt Stella, he sees that disappointment in their eyes. That would gut him. Marshall says, but it won’t break him.

Stella says she thinks she’ll go to the chapel and light a candle, and Portia says, it couldn’t hurt. Trina says, light one for her, and Stella says, she’s got it. She leaves, and Portia says, now Trina can talk to her. Trina says, how can she fly to Paris when they don’t know what’s happening with Curtis? Portia says, she’s going. She and Trina’s father both want her to go. Trina says, even if it’s with Spencer? and Portia says, is he her first choice for a travel companion? No. Trina knows he’s not, but he makes her happy. She can see that. And if Trina ever has children, she’ll realize that all you ever want for them is just to be happy. When she thinks about herself in Paris does it make her feel all warm, kind of good inside? Trina says, yeah, and Portia says, Curtis wouldn’t want to deprive her of that feeling. So she’s going to go, and she’s going to experience life, and it’s going to be amazing. She’s going to live, laugh, love, all the things. And what she’s going to do for sure is send Portia pictures and text her constantly. Trina laughs and says, okay, when her phone rings. Portia asks if that’s Spencer, and Trina says, she’s going to call him later, but Portia says she thinks Trina should take it. They need all the support they can get today, right? Trina leaves to take the call, and Elizabeth sits down. She asks if Portia needs a shoulder and puts her arm around Portia. She says she’s got two of them, but Portia says, one should suffice.

Lucy says, there’s really no reason for Martin to be jealous, and Martin says, except for her seeming inability to take her eyes off the man. Lucy says, did she and Scotty have a moment once upon a time? Yeah, but it was a long, long time ago. She barely remembers it. Why dwell on it? He says, because from what he understands, that moment has a habit of reoccurring. But if her history with Scotty is just that – she says, it is – why does the prospect of discussing it get her all scrunched up? She says she’s not scrunched up, but he says he sees scrunches. She says, then she sees insecurity…ness, and it’s not a good look. She gets up and he asks where she’s going. She says she’s sorry. Does she need his permission to go to the ladies room? He says, no. By all means. She thanks him and stomps off.

Tracy asks if Gregory would care to join them, and he thanks her, but says he’s well-aware three is a crowd. She says, no. The more, the merrier. Right, Scott? Scotty says, huh? and she asks if she’s keeping him.

Lucy slams her purse onto the vanity and looks in the mirror. She says she’s not scrunched. She’s not scrunched up at all. Scotty better not be laying it on too thick with Tracy. She digs in her bag for a nail file, and hears someone come in. She asks if they’d happen to have an emery board. She snagged her nail. Martin says he’s fresh out, and glances under the stalls. He asks if the coast is clear, and she says she’s in here by herself. What is he doing in here? He says, Scott Baldwin. He wants the truth, the whole truth, and he wants it now.

Chase asks when Brook turned on Lucy, and she says she was never a huge fan of hers. She’s a lot. He says, no question. Did he ever tell her about the time Lucy came into the PCPD locker room when he was coming out of the shower? She checked him out, then demanded he sing at the Nurses Ball. She says she remembers hearing something about that. She tried to block it out, but now that he reminded her, it’s just another reason to visualize. She throws the ax, still not quite getting a bullseye, and he says he doesn’t buy it. She’s been co-existing with Lucy for years, at work and outside of it. They’re not personal friends, but they’ve always been cordial with each other. What changed? Brook says, Lucy crossed the line with her grandmother.

Lucy says, this is inappropriate. Martin is in the lady’s room. He says, when another lady shows up, he’ll make himself scarce. Dammit. He thought she was different. She says she is different… and he says, she knows all about his history with women, his exes. One emotional bloodbath after another, and she said she understood, that she loved him for him. She says she did… She does, present tense. He walks to the door, and she says she loves him now, but he walks out. She looks in the mirror and says, that went well.

Scotty tells Tracy that there’s no place he’d rather be and no one he’d rather be with. He sees Martin come out and says, but he does have to use the little boy’s room. He asks if Gregory would mind keeping his lovely companion company while he’s gone, and Tracy says, take his time. They’ll pick up right where they left off when he gets back. He leaves, and Tracy tells Gregory, don’t. He says he didn’t say anything, and she says, he doesn’t have to say a thing. Just believe her when she tells him, it’s not what it appears. He says, she doesn’t owe him an explanation, and rubs his chest. She asks, what’s the matter? and he says, heartburn. You’d think he would have learned by now; citrus is not his friend. She says, they call it antacids for a reason, and he says, touché. He should probably get going. Does she think Scotty will forgive him if he leaves his lovely companion unattended? She says, uh-huh. Backgammon rematch, soon. He says, she’s on, and walks to the elevator.

Portia asks Elizabeth, how’s Finn? And her? She knows that malpractice lawsuit can’t be easy on Elizabeth either. Elizabeth says she came by to support Portia, remember? but Portia says, Elizabeth taking her mind off of all of this is helping. Elizabeth says, between his dad and the lawsuit, it’s a lot. Too much sometimes. Portia says, thank goodness Finn has her to lean on, and Elizabeth says she just hates seeing him struggle like this. He just wants to prove to everyone that GH and his patients are right for putting their trust in him. Portia says, Elizabeth knows she’ll testify to that at his trial, and Elizabeth says she knows. Elizabeth thanks her and says she really appreciates that, and so will he. Portia’s turn. Portia says, that’s all the distraction she gets? and Elizabeth asks, how’s Curtis? Portia says, he’s walking a fine line, no pun intended. They all are. Positive, but still realistic. Hopeful, but not too hopeful. Elizabeth says, sounds impossible, and Portia says, it is, but Curtis is determined to face whatever comes his way. Elizabeth says, and her? and Portia says she’s determined too, but life isn’t fair, and they’re not guaranteed a happy ending. Elizabeth says, but she’d really like one, and Portia says she keeps having this dream. She and Curtis are at the rehearsal dinner and they’re dancing. And she gets the feeling she had that night. Curtis’s arms are around her and they’re moving together so beautifully. And Curtis is so strong. He’s so graceful, it’s like they’re floating. That moment must be imprinted in her heart and on her body. It feels so real. Then she wakes up and Curtis is lying next to her. And she realizes they’re never going to dance again. Not like that. She cries a little and says, but now maybe they can. She just can’t stop herself from hoping. Elizabeth says, her too.

Jordan says, look at TJ, being all observant about his mother’s clothes, and he says, she didn’t answer. She says she’s been going non-stop since she saw him. She hasn’t had a chance to go home and change. He says, so she hasn’t slept, and she says she plans on going to bed very early tonight. He says, it’s about Curtis’s shooting, isn’t it? and Anna says she got concerned when Jordan didn’t turn up for that drink and went radio silent. She just thought she’d ask TJ if he’d heard from her, that’s all. Jordan says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean for anyone to worry. As they can see, she’s fine. TJ says she has to check on Uncle Curtis, and Jordan asks him to tell Curtis that she’s thinking about him. TJ says he will. Stay safe. Please. Jordan says, that’s the plan, and TJ leaves. Jordan asks if Anna thinks he bought that, and Anna says she thinks he’s just happy she’s in one piece. Does Jordan want to tell her what happened when she followed that lead? Jordan says she never got that far. Somebody stopped her.

Jordan tells Anna that she’d just gotten her first break in the case, a possible clue to the origin of the rifle that shot Curtis. Anna says, that’s great, and thanks Jordan for cluing her in and calling for back-up instead of going it alone. Jordan says, like she’s never done the same, and Anna says, that’s fair. So what happened? She was stopped? Jordan says, more like intercepted, by two men. Anna asks if they hurt her, and Jordan says, no, but they were all business. One minute, she’s outside, trying to arrange a meeting; the next, she’s on the wrong side of a two-way mirror, across from these strangers staring at her. Jordan flashes back to what looks like an interrogation room. She sits at a table, opposite two men in suits, standing. She says, they’re FBI? Why all the subterfuge then? If they’re investigating the shooting of Curtis Ashford, they’re on the same side. Anna asks what they wanted, her cooperation? but Jordan says, nope. They wanted her to back off.

Marshall comes out of Curtis’s room, and Stella asks, how’s their boy doing? He says, it’s Curtis. Holding it together for everyone else’s sake. She says, and him? and he says he’s never been one to believe in miracles, but he does believe in his son. She says, shame on him. Miracles happen every day. Just look at how they’ve managed to remain friends. He says, she means in spite of what happened between them on Christmas Eve? and she says, it was just too much eggnog. He says he hates eggnog (me too), and she says, all those memories of Irene. He says, maybe, but he felt something, and he’s got a sneaking suspicion she did too. She says, something that should never, ever be.

Portia asks Curtis how it’s going, and he says, it’s going. She asks if there’s anything she can do or get him, and he asks her to get the rest of the family. Tell them that he wants to see them.

On the phone, Lucy leaves a message for Martin. She asks him to just listen to her. He has it wrong about Scotty. She doesn’t care about Scotty… Of course (🍷) she cares about him, he’s her friend, but it’s not the same way she cares about Martin. Would he just call her please. Call her back, or better yet, come see her. He’s absolutely right. She’s different from his exes. Give her a chance to prove it. Please, please, please. She flashes back to telling Martin that she feels she has so much more life to live and asking him to do it by her side. She remembers him kissing her and thanking her for coming back to him. She says, dammit, Martin. He’s made her mascara run. A hanky suddenly appears in front of her, and she takes it, saying, she knew Martin would come back. But she turns to see that it’s Scotty.

Tracy sees Gregory leaning against a sofa and asks what he’s doing here. She thought he left. He says he can’t move.

Brook tells Chase that she gets to Maxie’s office and there’s Lucy telling her grandmother that Luke may have been the love of her life, but that Laura was the love of his. And then she goes on to say that the reason her grandmother is alone is, she’s unlovable. Have a little compassion, a little sympathy. If that’s too much to ask, a little basic tact? But no, not Lucy. She basically told Brook’s grandmother that she was grieving a man who never loved her, and that’s completely untrue. Chase says, and Tracy knows that. He doubts what Lucy said hit Tracy anywhere near as hard as it hit Brook, but Brook says she disagrees. Her grandmother comes off tough, uncaring, even abrasive, but underneath it all, she’s got a really soft heart. She’s trying to protect it. Does he want to know the worst part? He says, there’s worse? and she says, the whole thing was a con. Lucy deliberately said those hurtful things to shine a spotlight on her grandmother’s loneliness so that Scott Baldwin, of all people, could swoop in and romance her. He says, but to what end? and Brook says, if she had to guess, it was to trick her grandmother into marriage, so she’d have to pay him off with her Deception shares to get rid of him. He says, and Scotty would turn the shares back over to Lucy. Brook says, despicable, right? Not that it would have ever worked. Her grandmother saw through those two right from the start. But no one gets to do that to her without paying a price. He says, except her, but she says, it’s a totally different concept. Lucy does not deserve Deception; Maxie does. Besides, she’s only scheming within the family. The same thing her grandmother would do to her.

Tracy says she’s calling an ambulance, but Gregory says, no. She says, he just told her he couldn’t move, but he says, no ambulance. Please. They’ll just have to admit him, and it will be impossible to get him out of it. She says, he’s not going to die on her watch, and he says he’s not dying. Not today anyway. She asks if he can sit, and he says, yeah. She helps him to the sofa and asks if there’s any medication he can take that would help. They sit, and Tracy asks, what happened? He says he felt a twinge in his chest in the restaurant. He got short of breath and thought a little fresh air might help. She can see how far he got. She says she’s so sorry, and he says he needs to stay strong, at least until the wedding. She says, yes, he does. It’s a can’t miss event. She understands from Brook that he’s been tapped to officiate. He says he tried to decline, but Chase and Brook wouldn’t take no for an answer. She says, good. That’s settled. Now they just have to tank Olivia’s idea of a wedding cake. Wait until she tells him what Lois thinks… He says, Tracy. Don’t do this.

Finn says, besides being a father, being a doctor is what defines him most. Being a healer. And if his ability to practice medicine gets taken away, it becomes really scary because, what is he? They have this saying, recovery is a journey, not a destination. Never has that been more true than it is today. There’s no finish line for them; they’re never done. They just keep on going and try not to mess up too much along the way. It isn’t easy, is it? He thinks he’s doing it, and he’s proud of himself for that.

Curtis says, okay, fam, listen up, and Stella says, somebody means business. Curtis says he does. No more fake smiles and forced positivity. Portia says, they’re just trying to… and he says he knows. He knows what they’re trying to do and he appreciates it, but it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be terrified that the procedure didn’t work. God knows he is. But whatever happens today, good or otherwise, they just have to agree right now to accept it and move forward, whatever that looks like. Because he knows one thing. No hospital or wheelchair can keep him down. Are they good? Marshall says, they are clear, and Stella says, crystal. Trina says she’s never been prouder of Curtis and hugs him. He says, that’s how he feels when he looks at her, when TJ comes in. He asks if everything is okay, and Portia says, everything is great. TJ says, Dr. Martel wanted him to let them know he’s on his way, and the examination will begin. Curtis says, bring it on.

Anna says, Feds are notorious at guarding their own turf, but Jordan says, this was more than that. She flashes back to saying she’s told them everything she knows. Now it’s time for them to return the favor. Suit #1 says, they can’t risk her compromising the investigation, and she says, listen to her. Her ex-husband, and one of the best men they’ll ever meet, almost died. He’s literally fighting to get back on his feet. She can help them find out who’s responsible if they’re not too proud or territorial to let her. There’s a knock at the door, and Suit #2 answers. Jordan tells Anna that she doesn’t know who was on the other side of that door, but whoever it was, put the fear of God into those agents. Anna asks what she was thinking at this point, and Jordan says, truthfully, she was wondering just how far they were willing to go to keep her quiet.

Anna asks, what was the resolution? How did Jordan get out of there? Jordan says, whoever the agents spoke to, must have been calling the shots, and Anna asks, what makes her say that? Jordan says, because as soon as that door was closed again, everything changed. Suit #2 closes the door and whispers something to Suit #1. Suit #1 tells Jordan, we’re done here, and she says, she can go? Suit #2 says, they apologize for the inconvenience. There’s a car waiting right outside for her. Jordan asks, who was at the door? and Suit #1 says he’s afraid they can’t answer that. She says, what the hell is going on? and Suit #2 says, trust us. It’s better for all involved if you stay out of it. Jordan tells Anna, then that was it. She was walked to a town car and advised to stick to her desk at city hall. Anna says, which of course (🍷) she won’t, and Jordan says, after that, not a chance.

Dr. Martel says he sees the gang’s all here, and Curtis says he couldn’t have done it without them. Portia says, and he’ll never have to, and Marshall says, when he gets out of that chair, they’ll be standing right beside him, cheering him on. Stella tells TJ, don’t even think about kicking them out, and TJ says he wouldn’t dare. Dr. Martel says, that support is going to be a plus, and Trina says, good, because that’s how this family rolls. The doctor says he’s ready when Curtis is, and Curtis says, go ahead. Bring it on.

Finn comes out of the meeting and Elizabeth is waiting for him. He asks if she’s been here the whole time, but she says she hasn’t. As much as she loves him, she still has a job. She just knew the meeting was breaking up, so she wanted to wait for him. If that sounds like pressure, it’ll never happen again. He says he’s really glad she’s here. He’s grateful for her.

Lucy asks what Scotty is doing in here. Tracy can’t see them. Get walking before she sees them together. He says he’d like to know what’s going on with her and Martin, and she says, that’s funny. That’s the same question Martin asked her about him. He says, that’s the million-dollar question, so what’s the answer? and she says she told him that Scotty was old. That he was old news. Specifically, that they were old news. He says, old news, huh? Old hat. Is that how she sees him? She says, down, boy. Those baby blue bedroom eyes are wasted on her. He says he remembers how she used to like these blue eyes… in her boudoir. (I’m dying.) She says, don’t do that, and he says, do what? She says, he has a job to finish, and that’s what he’s going to do. She grabs his arm and steers him to the door, saying, now get out there and finish it. Go. He leaves and she follows him.

Gregory says, whatever’s going on with Tracy and Scott Balwin – she says she told him – is none of his business. But Chase and Brook are his business, and their wedding needs to be perfect. It needs to be a joyous occasion that they can look back on and celebrate long after other things are forgotten. She says, forgetting will be impossible, and he says, so no more petty fighting with Lois and Olivia about the reception. Go argue with Ned about anything. All that matters is those two beautiful souls belong together and they all do everything they can to make that happen. Do they understand each other? She says, they do. How’s the breathing? He says, better actually. So is his energy. Which is why she attempted to rile him up. She says, attempted? She thinks she succeeded.

Brook gets a bullseye, and tells Chase, now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. It pays to visualize. Chase wants to think about their super, and Brook asks what the super ever did to him. Chase says, he still hasn’t fixed the radiator, and Brook says, that’s a little inconvenient… He says, inconvenient? They used to walk around their apartment in next to nothing. Now Brook is constantly wearing sweats. Talk about frustrating. She says, poor baby, handing him the ax. Maybe there’s something she can do to change that. He says, she’s going to ditch the sweats? and she says, no. And risk hypothermia? They can go to bed earlier, spend more time there together, generate body heat. He says, let’s do that, starting now. He kisses her, and throws the ax behind her, getting a bullseye.

Tracy says, Yuri will be waiting for them outside, and Gregory says, Yuri doesn’t have to do that, but Tracy says, yes, he does. She pays him. Well, Monica pays him, and she’s been assured that if he’s not driving for Monica, he’s available to her. Gregory says he can call a Ride Share, and she says, congratulations on mastering the technology necessary to call a complete stranger with unknown driving ability to pick you up in their car and take you to a destination their GPS may or may not be able to find. He’s coming with her. She helps him stand up and asks, how did that feel? He says, surprisingly okay. He’s sorry if he interrupted her time. She says, he interrupted nothing, and he says, really? It sure seemed like she was on a D-A-T-E. She says, just goes to show you, appearances can be deceiving, and they leave.

Scotty and Lucy come out, and seeing the empty table, Lucy says, this is just great. He tells her, just take it easy, will ya? and asks Jesse if Tracy is still here. Jesse says, she told him to tell Scotty that something came up, and he clears the table. Lucy says, wow. This is a record, even for Scotty. The champagne is barely uncorked, and he ran Tracy off already. He says, that’s because he was focused on her, and she says, fortunately, she thinks they can still do some damage control. She takes out her phone and tells him to give her his credit card. He says, I beg your pardon? and through clenched teeth, she says, give me your credit card. He takes it out, and she says she’d like to order a dozen… make that two-dozen beautiful white roses. They’re going to the Quartermaine mansion… You do? Of course (🍷) you know the address. On the card, please say, until next time. X-O-X-O Scott. Thank you… Hold on. She snaps her fingers, then snatches the card from Scotty. She says she’s got it.

Finn thanks Elizabeth for not letting him talk himself out of that meeting. He realized he needed to be with people who are in the same fight he is. He hopes his story gave them a little bit of encouragement because they encourage him every day. She asks if he knows what she loves most about him, and he says, it can’t be just one thing. She says, one of the things she loves most about him – he says, go on – is his generosity. She’s sure he helped all of those people at the meeting just like he helps all his patients. In one way or another, we’re going to prove that. He says, we? and she says, he’s stuck with her. They kiss.

Jordan tells Anna, the agents who nabbed her were clearly just messengers. Someone’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. Anna says, taking on the Feds is no small feat. She’s going to need back-up. Jordan says, there’s no telling where this is going to lead, and Anna says, that’s precisely her point. Jordan has to admit she’s going to need a second pair of eyes. Jordan says, if Anna is offering up hers, she’d be a fool to say no. She thanks Anna, and Anna says, Jordan would do the same for her. Jordan says, in a heartbeat, and they leave together.

Curtis takes Trina and Portia’s hands, and Dr. Martel says, the surgery could not have gone better, but as with any procedure…  Curtis says he knows. The doctor didn’t want to get his hopes up. Dr. Martel says, it doesn’t necessarily mean the spinal cord damage was repaired, and Curtis says he’s ready to find out. Dr. Martel takes a big safety pin from TJ, and pokes Curtis’s left heel. He asks if Curtis feels anything, but Curtis says, no. The doctor pokes him closer to the toes, and says, how about that? Curtis says he feels that, and everyone gets all excited. Dr. Martel says, this is great news. It’s no guarantee he’ll walk again… Curtis says, but it’s a start. It’s a good start. Everyone hugs and laughs.

Tomorrow, Portia asks Stella if it wouldn’t be better for Trina to go to Paris without Spencer; Spinelli says he knows what Cody is doing and it’s not going to work; Molly tells Kristina, if it’s too much, tell her and she’ll back off; and Laura asks how on earth Heather knows this.

📖 Twice the Fun…

The man who plays two characters also has two careers now. TODAY – January 24, 3 pm ET.

Chat Live With Soap Star-Turned-Author Jon Lindstrom!

🩺 Hospital Changes…

Is this what’s responsible for the awful storyline of Carly taking over Crimson?

GENERAL HOSPITAL Names New Headwriters

🥀 Dimming the Lights…

Another soap star leaves the stage.

https://people.com/david-gail-actor-dead-beverly-hills-90210-port-charles-8546901

🧂 Double Portion Of Salt…

Ugh. This was awful. And I don’t care what Andy says. Either production knew Monica was involved with Reality von Tease or they’re really bad at their jobs, since I assume they vet the Housewives.

https://ew.com/the-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-reunion-part-3-recap-8548300

Doubtful she’ll be back. If the others won’t film with her, there’s no point.

Andy Cohen on Monica Garcia’s Future With The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

🗽 Our Girl’s Boy…

This is probably no surprise to anyone. The legend continues.

Ramona Singer’s New Boyfriend Accused of Being ‘Obnoxious’ on NYC Night Out


☄️ Doffing My Cap…

The original Dawn of the Dead is one of my all-time favorites. The remake is actually excellent, but it didn’t have the subtext about consumerism like the first one did.

https://ew.com/david-emge-died-dawn-of-the-dead-8547146

🏆 Anyone’s Guess…

It looks like some stiff competition, but it stinks that they snubbed Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. Seriously, WTF?

https://people.com/oscars-2024-nominations-full-list-8547089

🏈 During the Break…

The most important part of the Super Bowl.

https://ew.com/super-bowl-2024-performers-usher-halftime-reba-mcentire-national-anthem-8546391

🐶 Bowling For Pups…

Hear all about it.

Yes, I know I’m obsessed.

https://www.greenmatters.com/pets/puppy-bowl-2024-lineup

🤹‍♀️ 100% Chance Of Absurdity…

Join me tomorrow for soap and Sutton’s small esophagus. Until then, stay safe, stay listening before speaking, and stay being positive, but realistic.

Jan23

January 22, 2024 – Esme Asks Another Poor Choice For Advice, Final Crew Night Out Plus One & Ice

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

So, it wasn’t a dream. Just the stupidest plan ever.

Drew tells Nina to meet the new Editor-in-Chief of Crimson, and Carly walks in. Carly thanks him for this amazing opportunity, and Drew says he can’t wait to see how her fresh, new perspective is going to benefit Crimson. Nina applauds slowly and says, well played.

On the phone in her office, Lucy says she doesn’t understand the hold-up. When is he going to give her an update on their little operation? At the MetroCourt, Scotty says he’s just trying to get his ducks in a row with Tracy, but the good news is, he’s meeting her at the MetroCourt this morning. She asks how he made that happen, and he says he told her the truth. Lucy says, which truth? and he says, the truth about her. Lucy asks what that even means. She’s coming there right now. He says, she’s going to cramp his style, and she says, what style? She heads for the door, telling him that he’s going to explain every word he’s said to Tracy or she’s going to pull every hair… Martin says, there she is, and kisses her. He asks where she’s running off to in such a hurry.

Tracy comes into the restaurant, and Scotty says he’s glad she could make it. She says, against her better judgement. He said he had something to tell her. He says, the service is kind of slow in here. Why don’t they go someplace else? He takes her coat, but she grabs it back, saying, I don’t think so. Never let them take you to a second location. (Ha-ha-ha! The one thing I learned from Bo Diedl.) He asks if that isn’t what they tell potential crime victims, and she says she’s here against her will, isn’t she?

Chase and Brook come in and find Gregory at a table. He says, Brook’s grandmother is here. Should they ask her to join them? Book says, look who she’s here with. She hardly wants to get involved with whatever Tracy has going on with Scotty. Chase says, Brook is right. Besides, they want to have a personal conversation with him. It’s about the wedding. Brook says, and his part in it.

At the hospital, Spencer tells Laura, it’s getting late. Maybe she can talk with Dante alone. He has a lot to do before his trip to Paris. She asks if he doesn’t think he’s done enough, and he says he knows she disagrees with him about his decision to give Ace to his father, but it’s very difficult for him. She says, doing the right thing is rarely easy, which is why he’s going to stay right here and tell the PCPD everything he knows about Ace’s kidnapping.

Sitting at a table, Esme tells someone that they’re right. She should have been more careful. They warned her and she didn’t listen. Now this has happened and they’re the only person she can turn to. Heather says, tell your mother everything.

Gregory says he’ll help in any way he can, and Chase says, good. He was hoping Gregory would say that. Would he officiate their ceremony?

Scotty says he’s known Tracy a long time, and he’s never seen her do anything against her will. She says, true, and for the life of her, she doesn’t know why she agreed to meet him today. He says he thinks she has him wrong. He knows she sees him as shallow as a mud puddle, but he believes in truth, justice, and the American way. Justice is why he became a lawyer, and justice is why they’re here today. Lucy has it in for her. She says, do tell.

Lucy says she didn’t even know Martin was back. He didn’t call her. He says, because he didn’t want to spoil that adorable look of surprise on her face when he walked in the door. She says she’s definitely surprised, and he says he’s sorry he wasn’t here to support her during Bobbie Spencer’s funeral, but he thought he could start making it up to her with two all-day passes to the MetroCourt spa. Say the word, and her facial awaits. She says, that’s so sweet. Sweet and special. She loves their facials, and their body scrubs are divine, but is it okay if she takes a raincheck? He says, sure, but he has to admit he was looking forward to spending some time with her. He hasn’t seen her in days. She says she knows, and she’s missed him so, so much, but she has meetings booked through lunch. She was just going to grab a bite to eat at the MetroCourt. He says, by herself? and she says, he knows how she loves their pancakes. He says he does. He recalls that on the first morning they spent together. He kisses her, and she says, what she recalls from that morning is how sexy he looked in that Santa suit. He says his sartorial choices have changed since then, but his companionship is still as charming as ever. Will she allow him to escort her to the MetroCourt? He holds out his arm and says, she knows she wants it. She takes his arm, and they leave.

Dante asks when Laura realized Ace was missing and who does she think is responsible? She says, the situation is rather complicated, and Spencer says, his brother is with their father. Dante says, Nikolas is back in town? and Laura says, he was. She didn’t see him though. Dante says, so what happened? He just walked in and took Ace? Nobody noticed? She says, not exactly, and Dante says he doesn’t think he understands. Spencer says he let his father take Ace.

Heather says, Nikolas took Ace? How dare he? Eame says, he thinks he’s untouchable. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. Heather says, of course (🍷) he does. What’s his mother have to say about her precious son kidnapping her grandchild? Esme says she hasn’t actually told Laura yet. She would have too many questions; number one being, why hasn’t Esme contacted the police yet? Heather says, of course (🍷) she can’t. Not without Spencer shooting his mouth off about the old Esme being back. Esme says, which is why she went to see Spencer’s Great Uncle Cyrus. Heather says, Cyrus Renault? Do not buy into that guy’s evangelizing. The gospel truth is, he cannot be trusted. Esme says, he proved that to her himself. She was desperate and he didn’t even offer any help. Heather says, surprise, surprise, and Esme says, which is why she’s here. She was hoping Heather would have an idea about what her next step might be. Heather says, run. And when she thinks she’s far away enough from Port Charles, run some more.

Nina says, that seems worthy of the Port Charles Players, and Drew says he’s really glad she enjoyed it. Now get out. Carly says, before she goes, who tipped her off to the insider trading in the first place? and Nina says, Carly should really ask her good friend Olivia. If Olivia wasn’t running her mouth so indiscreetly, she wouldn’t have overheard. Her voice does carry. Carly says, eavesdropping. Shocker. Drew says, now go, and Nina says, with pleasure. Before she leaves, she just has one question. Now that the two of them have humbled her, are they finally even?

Gregory says, they want him to officiate their wedding? and Chase says, they want someone to lead them through their vows who knows them personally. Brook says, someone they love, and Chase says, there is nobody who can put into words the significance of the commitment they’re about to make to each other more eloquently than Gregory. Gregory says, it would be a privilege, and Brook says she’s sensing a but here.

Spencer says he’s very, very sorry to have wasted Dante’s time, but as he can see, the police aren’t necessary in this situation. His baby brother wasn’t kidnapped. Dante says, technically, by New York State law, he’s correct, and Laura says, she told him it was a complicated situation. That’s why she didn’t report that Ace was… abducted. Dante says, it would have been considered kidnapping had Esme had a legal custody order. Otherwise, the statute, the default, is that both parents get custody. There are extreme situations where it could be considered kidnapping when one parent takes the child without the other’s permission. Spencer says, this isn’t an extreme situation. His father just wanted to spend some time with his son. Dante says, right, without Ace’s mother knowing, who’s been raising him up until this point. What’s Esme have to say about all this? Laura says she’s sure Esme is going out of her mind. Hasn’t she made a report? Dante says, no, and Spencer says, this proves what he was saying. Esme doesn’t want to go to the police right now, not given the stakes. Dante asks, what stakes are higher than a missing child?

Esme says she thinks Heather is right about her leaving Port Charles. As soon as she finds Ace, no one in this town is ever going to see her again. Heather says, she can’t wait that long. She has to leave now. Esme says, without her son? No, never. Heather says, she doesn’t have a choice. Esme has no allies or anybody to help her. Except her. And she’s a little preoccupied – she waves to the guard – at the moment. It’s going to come out that Esme got her memory back, no matter what Spencer does or doesn’t do. Esme says, Heather doesn’t know that, but Heather tells her, think. What is she going to do, keep pretending that Ace is in the next room? Esme told her that Laura and Doc come to visit him all the time. They’re going to figure out real quick that something’s up. And what is she going to do when she can’t produce Ace? Esme says she hadn’t thought that far ahead, and Heather says, they’re going to figure it all out, and then they’re going to drag Esme back to court, stand her on trial for everything she did. Unless she wants to spend the rest of her life in prison, she’s got to make a break for it. Now, before it’s too late. Esme says, but what about Ace? Is she just supposed to abandon her child the way Heather abandoned her?

Drew says, Nina had to know there would be a certain reckoning. Her actions caused a lot of pain to a lot of people and nearly destroyed lives. These are the kinds of things that can’t go unanswered. Nina asks if they don’t think she’s suffered enough. She lost her husband, she lost her daughter, and now apparently, her job. For something she did that was completely legal, informing the SEC that insider trading had occurred. Carly says, well, Drew’s the boss, and it’s completely legal for him to fire her. Nina says, Carly’s loving this, isn’t she? Kicking her when she’s completely down. Nina starts to walk to the door, and says, before she goes, now that she’s the condemned woman, may she ask when they’re going to put her out of her misery? Carly says, that’s up to her, and Drew asks if the pity party is almost over. They have a magazine to run, and she’s not entitled to their time any more than she’s entitled to a job here. Nina tells Carly that they have two things in common. They’ll do anything for their family and they both know how to settle a score. Drew says, enough. Just get out or he’ll throw her out. Nina and Carly lock eyes.

Nina says, no use staying when your moment is over. Drew got to see her face when he told her that she was fired. Was it everything he was hoping for? He says, just leave, and she says, but now the fun is over, because now they actually have to run a magazine. She puts on her sunglasses, says, good luck, and leaves. Drew closes the door, and Carly looks like she’s pouting. He says, what’s wrong? She says she doesn’t know squat about running a magazine.

Laura tells Dante that Spencer is convinced Esme hasn’t made a report about Ace being missing because she’s afraid the DA’s office is going to reinstate the charges against her. Dante asks, why she would be afraid of that all of a sudden? Trina agreed to drop the charges because DA Scorpio said the charges wouldn’t stick and the jury wouldn’t convict because Esme couldn’t remember the crimes she committed. Spencer says, she couldn’t then, but she can now, and Dante asks if he’s saying Esme has her memory back. Spencer tells him, that’s exactly what he’s saying. And he’s also saying, Dante should go and arrest her instead of his father.

Heather says she didn’t abandon Esme. She gave Esme up because it was what was best for her at the time. Esme says, running off without her son is not what’s best for him, and Heather says she understands. Of course (🍷) it’s not, but temporarily relinquishing custody of Ace will ensure her liberty. They both know Nikolas is a feckless dilettante with an overactive libido (even the lowlifes are well-read in Port Charles), but he’s not going to hurt Ace. Go find a place to hide where she can regroup. And then someday soon – she lowers her voice – she’s busting out of this joint, and they’ll join forces and find Ace together. The same way she found Esme. Esme says, look how well that turned out, and Heather says she may be behind bars, but she’s got her daughter back in her life. And that is worth every second in this hellhole. Esme says, they missed out on a lot of time together, and she can’t fathom being separated from her child for even a fraction of that. She wouldn’t know if he was eating. She wouldn’t know if he was sleeping. And it would kill her. Heather says she understands. It’s hard, but Nikolas has Ace, and they don’t have the resources right now to track him down. Esme has to play the long game here. Esme asks if she’s just supposed to hide out all alone while Spencer and Trina sail off into the sunset, and Heather asks if she’s speaking as a mother right now, or as a jealous ex.

Tracy says, Scotty and Lucy are thick as thieves. Why betray her? He says, because he thinks it’s wrong that Lucy is gunning for her, and Tracy asks if Lucy has a specific plan to get even with her. He says, she knows Lucy and her half-baked schemes. She’s always got something going on in that crazy head of hers. She says, and whatever Lucy is cooking up, he deemed bad enough to warrant warning her. Why? He says, that’s simple. He’s seen Lucy’s wrath, and he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. She says, that’s very gallant, but isn’t that exactly what he’s risking, becoming Lucy’s target? He says he can handle anything Lucy throws at him. And now that he’s tipped Tracy off, so can she.

Martin says he thinks their reunion calls for some champagne. What would Lucy say to some mimosas? She says she’d love it, but she told him, she has all those meetings later. She really needs to stay sharp. She looks over and watches Scotty talking to Tracy.

Gregory says he’s so touched by their offer, but officiating at their wedding isn’t as simple as just leading them through their vows. Brook says, she and Chase thought he might have some concerns, so they went ahead and did some research. Actually, the process is super simple. It won’t take him any time at all to get licensed online. Gregory says, they’re a step ahead of him. He doesn’t know what to say. Chase tells him, say yes. It would mean the world to them. Gregory says he wants them to know how honored he is, but he’s sorry. He’s going to have to decline.

Lucy continues watching Scotty and Tracy, and Martin says, it’s been a hell of a year for them, and he doesn’t want to risk losing Lucy again. She says, he doesn’t have to. She really wants to focus on the future now, their future. He says he’s really glad to hear her say that. This might sound childish, but he just thinks they’ve felt off lately. As a matter of fact, he was beginning to wonder if her feelings about him had changed.

Gregory says, their wedding day is going to be a celebration of their love, and after everything Brook and Chase have gone through to get to that moment, he wants everything to be perfect. Chase says, that’s what they want to, which is why they want him to be a part of it. Gregory says, and he will be. He’ll be the beaming father, watching it all happen, and it will fill him with joy to witness it. But he can’t promise any more than that. He may not be at his best. Brook says, they know ALS is unpredictable, so Chase has already worked with the venue to address every possible accessibility and accommodation. So he doesn’t have to worry about a thing if he needs any extra help. Gregory says, she’s so sweet, and he appreciates them both going above and beyond for him to make this happen. But it isn’t just the mobility issue. Chase says, then what is it? and Gregory says he knows they’ve both done their research on ALS. They’re aware this disease can affect his ability to speak. Actually, it already has. He’s had some issues lately. He would hate to preside over such a momentous day and not be able to make himself understood.

Drew says he thought they were on the same page about firing Nina, and Carly says, they are. She deserved to go. Up until she crossed that threshold, it was all about sticking it to them. He says he’s getting her out of his life, out of his business, all of it, and she says, yes, and the win is going to be for nothing if Crimson tanks and goes out of business. He says, that’s not going to happen. Crimson’s in great shape. She says, okay. This is his business. This is his area of expertise. He knows what he’s doing. So she’ll stay on as Crimson’s Editor-in-Chief and she’ll keep that seat warm for the moment, but he’s going to have to find someone with more experience to take over, and soon. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she says, they were both sure about that. He tells her that the knows they said she would take this job temporarily, but why does it have to be that way? Why couldn’t Carly love it and want to do it forever?

Nina goes into the bathroom and sees Olivia, who says, it’s been a while. Nina says she hasn’t seen Olivia since it came out that she was the SEC informant, and Olivia says, and her husband wasn’t.

Dante says he understands that Esme put Spencer and his friends through hell, and he wants her to pay for his crimes just as much as Spencer does. Spencer says, good news. He’s a cop. He can make that happen. Laura says, it’s not that simple, and Dante says, unfortunately, Esme’s slip of the tongue and Spencer’s gut feeling that she’s got her memory back isn’t enough for the police to arrest somebody, or even detain somebody who is, in the eyes of the law, an innocent person. Spencer says, innocent? This is Esme Prince they’re talking about. Dante says, they’re also talking about him. Maybe he should be arresting Spencer instead.

Laura says, Dante wouldn’t actually arrest Spencer, and Spencer says, and charge him with what? He didn’t break any laws when he handed Ace over to his father. Dante says, no? How about aiding and abetting a fugitive? Did he forget his father is a wanted man? Did he forget he had an obligation to report seeing him? Spencer says, it’s interesting because he’d think Dante, of all people, would understand what it’s like to love a complicated father. Hasn’t Dante been struggling with whether or not to report Sonny for his many crimes over the years? He believes Sonny once shot Dante over that. Laura asks what Spencer is doing and tells Dante that she’s sorry about this. She doesn’t know what’s gotten into her grandson. It’s been a very emotional day. Dante says, it’s okay, and tells Spencer, don’t worry. He’s not going to arrest him. It’s not going to help them find Ace. But he will issue a bulletin for Nikolas now that they know he as in town last night. Spencer says he wasn’t trying to knock Dante’s old man or Dante’s love for him. He was simply trying to point out the lengths family will go to for one another. Dante says, let him give Spencer a piece of advice. When you love family, you know they don’t always make the best and most legal decisions. Spencer says, point taken. His only goal was to protect his little brother, and given what he knows about Esme, he believes he did the right thing by letting his father take him. Dante says, the problem is, Esme might have something to say about that. He’s got to get her statement. Time to bring Esme in.

Esme tells Heather, this isn’t about jealousy. This is about vengeance. She wants every single one of them to pay. Heather says, that’s my girl, and Esme says, Nikolas, Spencer, Trina, Ave, they’re all going to get what they deserve. Heather says, of course (🍷) they are, and they’re going to make it happen. Does Esme think she’d really allow those ingrates a single moment of peace in their miserable lives after they conspired to kidnap her grandson? Esme says, but what can Heather do from behind bars? and Heather laughs. She says, incarceration has never been an impediment to justice for her. Just leave it all to mommy. Esme asks if this form of justice has ever involved locating a millionaire fugitive before, and Heather says she knows that face. Esme’s father used to make it all the time. Esme doesn’t believe she can do this. Esme says she doesn’t exactly know what to believe anymore, and Heather promises they’ll find Ace, but Esme just can’t go off on her own trying to do this by herself. Remember what she told Esme last time. She’s in the best possible position. Ryan is gone. Cold in the ground or six feet under, whichever way she wants to think about it, and the cops have nothing on her. Fly free, little birdie. Esme says she remembers something Heather told her last time – Ace is everything. Without her son, she has nothing. Heather says, if Esme has never trusted anyone in her life, trust her. Nobody loves her like her mom. She’s going to have everything she wants, but she’s got to play it smart.

Carly says, Drew wants her to stay on as Editor-in-Chief of Crimson magazine. That wasn’t the plan. He says, plans change. Think about it. Nina didn’t know anything about running a magazine when she started here. She learned as she went. Carly isn’t that familiar with publishing, but she knows how to run a company. Carly says she does, but that’s not the issue. She let him make her Editor-in-Chief of Crimson so she could see Nina’s face when she took something Nina loved. He says, and they accomplished that. Did she see the way Nina slunk out of here? (Just for the record, there was no slinking, but I’ve already determined Drew is delusional with this whole thing.) Carly says, it was very rewarding, but it can end there. She doesn’t want to make a decision this big for the wrong reason. He says, her taking this job doesn’t have to just be about sticking it to Nina. It can be about so much more. Think about it. They keep everything that’s working, obviously, but they can get rid of things they don’t agree with and make it their own. (In other words, it ain’t broke, but they’re going to fix it.) He asks if she has any idea how rewarding that would be, and she says, what about Bobbie’s?

Olivia says, why pile on somebody who’s already in a bad place? Not even Nina. Nina wipes tears from her eyes, and Olivia asks, what happened? Nina says, Drew fired her from Crimson, and Olivia says, what? Nina says, and he hired Carly as Editor-in-Chief, and Olivia says, Mary, Mother of God. She’s got to say, she did not see that coming. Nina says she seconds that, and Olivia says she knows Nina put a lot of herself into Crimson. This has got to hurt. Nina says she doesn’t get Olivia. She’s Carly’s best friend, yet she offered to help Nina plan her wedding. she made Olivia’s husband her fall guy and she found out Nina was the one who blew the whistle on Carly and Drew, and she said nothing. Why? Olivia says, to keep the peace. Nina and Sonny were newly married, and Nina and Carly were co-existing, and Drew was out of prison. What good would it do to bring up all the things Nina’s done? It’s not going to give Carly and Drew any of the time back they lost. It was just going to hurt Sonny. So she kept quiet. She convinced Ned to do the same… She tells Nina, don’t feel like she has to thank her or anything.

Scotty says he’s not saying anything to Tracy that he hasn’t already said to Lucy. He told her to stop doing anything to Tracy, especially after everything she’s been through. Tracy asks what that’s supposed to mean, and he says, she lost Luke not that long ago. She says, irrelevant, and he says, is it? He thinks he can relate. He thinks when you’re lonely you can recognize it in someone else. He didn’t just ask her here to tell her about Lucy. He wanted to see how she was. He wanted to check on her. He’d like to be her friend.

Lucy asks why Martin would question her feelings for him, and he says, it’s kind of embarrassing. The fact is, he let someone get inside his head. He notices her watching Tracy and Scotty, and flashes back to Tracy telling him that Scotty has stood by Lucy through every despicable act. He gets up, and Lucy asks, where is he going? He says, she’s going to have to forgive him. Suddenly, he’s lost his appetite.

Chase says, if accepting this role makes Gregory feel uncomfortable, or he hates the idea of all eyes being on him, that’s one thing. But if he thinks they’re going to be disappointed because his words don’t come out perfectly when he’s marrying them, then he’s wrong. What matters is what he says, not how he says it. Gregory says he appreciates that, but it’s Brook’s day too, and Chase can’t speak for her. Brook asks if he’s met her. She has no problem giving her opinion. He says, true. That’s one of the things he likes about her. She thanks him and says, please listen to her. She’s telling him how they both feel. if he wants their wedding day to be perfect, there’s no way it’s going to be perfect unless he marries them.

Dante asks if either of them have seen Esme, but Laura says she hasn’t seen her yet today. Esme’s also not returning any of her calls or texts. Spencer says he doesn’t know where she is either, and Dante says he’ll see what he can turn up. If Spencer sees his father again… Spencer says he won’t, but Dante says, if he does, call the police. It’s in both their best interests. Laura thanks him for looking into this, and asks him to call her with any updates, no matter how small. Dante says, will do, and leaves. Spencer says he’s sorry. He knows Laura is angry with him for letting his father take Ace. She says she’s not as angry as she is worried. if he’s right about Esme and she’s reverted to her old ways, they should not underestimate her. There’s no telling what she could do now.

Esme says she used to be terrified of Heather, and she knows she’s said some unkind things to her. Heather says, who hasn’t? and Esme says, but now that she’s become a mother, she sees things differently. She can appreciate how Heather always knew how she was and what she was doing. Heather stopped at nothing to protect her. That’s the kind of mother she wants to be. Heather says, and she will be, someday soon. Remember what she said. Right now, Esme’s just got to bide her time. Esme gets up and says, thank you, Heather… mother, for everything you’ve done for me, but taking it slow doesn’t work for me. I’m out of time. Heather says, whatever she’s thinking of doing, don’t, and Esme walks out. Heather gets up and calls after her, saying, don’t do it. She’s about to follow, but a guard holds her back.

Gregory says, the two of them seem to be in complete agreement about this, so who is he to argue with the bride and groom about what they want on their wedding day. So he’d love to officiate the ceremony. Chase says he’s so glad, and Brook says, he’s made them so happy. Gregory says he does have one request though, and Brook says, anything. He asks if they could have a back-up officiant just in case, and Chase says, sure, if it would make him feel more comfortable, but they’re not going to need it.

Scotty says he thinks he and Tracy had fun today. He thinks they should do this again real soon. What does she think? She says she’s not saying no, and he asks bartender Jesse for a bottle of their finest champagne. They’re celebrating. He gives Tracy a thumbs up and she smiles.

Lucy asks, what’s gotten into Martin? and he says, what’s gotten into her? After a while, her repeated inattention starts to stick in his throat. She says she’s sorry. He’s right. She’s been very, very distracted. He knows Tracy Quartermaine has made her life a living hell recently. He can’t really blame her for wanting to keep an eye on Tracy. Come on. She promises he’ll have her full, undivided attention. She’ll stop. Please. Just stay. He says, on one condition, and she watches Jesse pour the champagne. She says, anything, and he says, tell him what the hell is going on with her and Scotty.

Carly tells Drew that being hands on at Bobbie’s is so important to her. It’s a part of her mom that she gets to hold onto now that she’s gone. She doesn’t want to let that go. He says he doesn’t want to either. He would never ask her to sacrifice something that means so much to her. He doesn’t know what it is. He guesses seeing her here like this, her as Editor-in-Chief at Crimson could be so incredible, so meaningful to both of them, but they don’t need Crimson for that. They can be that to each other. She says she thinks what they have is special, and he says, she’s right. She says, but they’re talking. Her mom did double duty at the diner and at GH. He says, she’s every bit as capable and hard working as Bobbie was, and Carly says, Bobbie set the bar pretty high, but she hopes she can make her mother proud. He says, she is making her proud, and Carly says she doesn’t know. What if they try this and it doesn’t work, and something has to give? He says, then she decides which job she wants to step away from and he’ll support her no matter what, whatever decision she makes. But he hopes she can take a second and picture how incredible she’d be running Crimson. The more the thinks about it, the more the thinks she’d be amazing. She says, we would be amazing. Let’s do it. Let’s be partners, personally and professionally. He says, deal, and they kiss. She says, they’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Is he sure he’s not going to get sick of her? He says, never, and she says, good answer. They kiss again.

Olivia says she’s not okay with the things Nina did. She caused a lot of pain for the people Olivia cares about most. Call her crazy. She still believes that peace is possible. Nina is suffering a lot of losses right now, but they don’t have to be permanent. She looks at Nina’s photo of Willow and the kids, and says, the best thing for Nina to do right now is to move on, gracefully, for everyone’s sake. She hands Nina the photo, and Nina says, she’s probably right. Olivia leaves, and Nina goes over to the mirror. She says, but if Carly and Drew want a war, they’ve got one.

Drew takes Nina’s nameplate off the desk and gives it to Carly. Carly throws it in the wastebasket and says, under new management.

Tomorrow, TJ asks if Anna thinks his mom is in trouble; Stella tells Marshall, shame on him; Finn tells Elizabeth that he knew this was a bad idea; and Martin wants the whole truth from Lucy.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Natalya texts Jack not to tell anyone she there that she plans on joining them later. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, because they’re stuck, Tumi is under the most pressure. She’s organized an excursion, a theme dinner, and a party. The guests need to feel taken care of even if they’re stuck. The guests deem breakfast excellent, and Tumi calls the provisioner to reserve a pool for a foam pool party. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s a test on her. These are difficult guests in a difficult situation. She wants to prove to herself that she’s a great chief stew and she wants to come out a great chief stew. The captain tells the guests to enjoy their foam pool party, and one of the guests whines that they’re not being not challenging, but it looks so nice out. Kyle says, they’re ready to go to Portofino, and asks if Max wants to come. Tumi tells Jack to shoot for nine with dinner, and he says he’s doing a surf and turf. Tumi tells Jessika that the dinner set up is on her and the guests leave. The captain sighs looking at the weather, and in Luka’s interview, he says, this season has been a massive learning curve. The most difficult thing was managing difficult personalities. There’s no one more random than Max. A producer asks how Max challenged him, and Luka says, with f***ing everything.

In Portofino, guest Stephanie complains that she can’t get anything on her phone, and they go shopping. Kyle says, shoes, girls, shoes. Back on the boat, Luka tells Jessika to do the laundry later, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s been single for 7 months. She’s not scared to jump back into a relationship, but it will take the right guy. If she and Luka had that conversation and wanted to date, she would consider it. The guests have lunch at a restaurant, and Tumi tries to radio Jessika. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s like the conductor of an orchestra. She likes to make sure everything is done. She has faith in Jessika, Lily, and Max, but not Lily and Max together. They’re not the most desirable team. She wants to teleport back to the boat. Guests Jeff and Stephanie snipe at each other, and everyone heads for the pool foam party. Max and Lily arrive at the pool with supplies, and they can barely get the stuff there because they’re so inept at carrying it. Jeff and Stephanie continue to argue on the way there, and in her interview, Tumi says, their arguing makes her never want to get married. They’re a marriage contradictive poll. Kyle tells Jessika about the fighting in the van, and dinner is set up, along with the red-carpet photo thing. Lily puts floaties in the pool, but the foam machine isn’t working well. The guests arrive at the beach club, Tumi putting on her tutu for the occasion. In Max’s interview, he says, the pool foam looks like five days old cheesecake. It’s a disaster. No music. No foam. The guests wonder what’s up, and he explains the machine isn’t working. The guests whine.

Guest Erik says, it’s a foamless foam party, and in Luka’s interview, he says, Max might as well have used a bubble wand. Kyle says, it’s going to be the best foam party ever, and Lily serves the guests shots. In Tumi’s interview, she says, disaster is an understatement. She’s the head of the department, so it falls on her. She’s at a loss and feels nothing. On the yacht, Jessika tells Haleigh that the theme is Hollywood glam, and they decorate. Haleigh asks what Jessika is doing during her hiatus, and Jessika says, she and Luka were looking at hotels. She thinks she likes Luka more than she should. She plans to be drunk the entire time. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Max and Lily spent hours organizing the foam party and there’s no foam and no party. He needs to collect his thoughts and reorganize. Lily makes up a racing game with the floaties, then they play chicken in the pool. In the galley, Jack tells Jessika that he’s making a feast for kings, and in Jack’s interview, he says he wants to send the guests out with a bang. He wants them to ask for take home boxes. There’s going to be food everywhere. Kyle tells Max that this machine is the saddest thing and suggests putting in more packets. Foam finally starts pumping out, and the guests all scream. In his interview, Kyle says, look at the instructions. He wonders how Max missed one and two; insert soap, turn on water. He brought the party to number five where it says, enjoy.  In her interview, Tumi says, thank God for Kyle, and Stephanie says, it was a satisfying foam party.

Captain Sandy compliments Jessika on the table décor, and Jessika welcomes the guests back. The captain tells Jessika that she rocked it, and Jessika says, fake it til you make it. In Jessika’s interview, she says, it feels good to have everyone acknowledge her decorating. Her confidence has grown exponentially. A producer asks if she wants to be more of a leader than a follower now, but she says, no. Kyle tells Jessika that it’s been the hardest charter season. One more week and he’d have to check in a psyche ward. Food porn is served, and Stephanie bitches that they live in an apartment. Jeff has no suits and goes to rummage sales. Jack comes out, and the guests applaud, telling him that it was awesome tonight. Natalya texts Luka that she just landed in Genoa, and in Luka’s interview he says he doesn’t know what’s going on Natalya’s boyfriend or her intentions. He has no expectations. He didn’t invite her and he’s going to act like he had no idea she was here. He asks if she’s coming to crew night, and she asks if he wants her to. He says, yeah, and she says, it will be wild.

The captain calls Lara, who says she’s feeling better. She’s ready to come back. Captain Sandy says, they’ll see her after the guests depart. Katie texts Luka to FaceTime her, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he sees Luka texting and smiling, and he’s not texting Jessika. He knows Katie through stew Courtney, and notes Luka is giddy. Not like ha-ha, but ooh lala.

Kyle tells Tumi about Katie, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s exactly what she thought. She tells Kyle, that sh*t is going to come out, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, part of him wants to tell Jessika, but part of him says he’s out. But will he stop gossiping? No. It’s who he is at his core. Max says he and Lily make a great team. Naked friendship. It’s time for the guests to say goodbye, and primary Victor says, they did a fantastic job, even though the weather was out of their control. He thanks them for everything and gives Captain Sandy the tip envelope. They leave, and the captain says, it’s the final countdown. She tells everyone to get in their reds and gather for the tip meeting. Everyone is all excited, and Jack texts Natalya that they just finished. She texts back, shhh, and texts Luka to dress sexy. Lara arrives, and in her interview, she says she’s happy to be reunited with the crew and she’s ready for a last crew night out. They’re going to tear the f***ing city up. Kyle tells Lara about Luka texting Katie, and she asks if it looked like he was flirting. Kyle says, yes, and Lara wonders where it would go after this. Kyle says, nowhere, and Lara says, maybe leave it. Jessika walks in and wonders what they’re talking about. Lara asks why she was outside the door, and she says she heard her name and the majority of what they said. Kyle says he saw Luka smiling at his phone and thought it was her. In Jessika’s interview, she says, what the f***, again? Kyle says she didn’t want to ruin her night, but she says, it’s not ruined. Why would she want to go to Cannes? Luka can go get his d*ck wet somewhere else. If he wants to play games, she’ll play games. The captain radios the crew for their final meeting.

Captain Sandy says, it’s their final time together. They got through the season with almost everyone. It’s been an absolute joy working with them. The final charter was challenging. She praises Tumi’s character, saying even though she was exhausted, she still brought a smile and maintained her composure. That’s leadership. She’s a rock star. Jack’s enthusiasm in the galley is a rarity for a chef, and Luka belongs on the bridge, not the engine room. She tells them all, nice work. The tip is $15K or $1,153 each. The captain says, the total they made for the season was $182K or $14,200 each. They each made almost $15K. Kyle says, holy crap, and in Lara’s interview, she says she’s thinking of the Gucci boots and all the bitches she can take on holiday. Captain Sandy says she’s going to dinner with them, and they all get ready. Natalya texts Luka that he can tell his girlfriend he won’t need her services, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s absolutely over it. Tonight is her revenge on Luka.

Wearing a silver jacket with black pants, Captain Sandy joins the crew in the mess, and they leave. Haleigh says, cheers to no drama tonight, and Lara says, welcome to the fun van, bitches. They get to the restaurant, and the captain says, it’s absolutely beautiful. She’s not wrong, and we find out it was a private palace in the 15th century. Captain Sandy tells them that if she says the f-word, that means she’s pissed, and in Lara’s interview, she says, Captain Sandy is a great mentor. She never had a captain speak that way to her, and it’s changed her career for the better. And it will only get better from now on. Natalya texts Luka that she can’t wait to see him, and Jessika tells him to stop talking to his other girlfriends. She says, Luka is a f***boy, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s one thing to be wasted in front of the captain. It’s another to be wasted in front of one who doesn’t drink. The captain says she has to get back and call her girl. She’ll wake them up at 9… just kidding. She says, it was a pleasure to have dinner with them on their last night and tells them to have fun. Kyle hugs her and she leaves. Haleigh says, now she can take her t*ts out, and Jessika tells Luka that he’s a ho. In Luka’s interview, he says, Jessika is trying to start drama, but he’s not taking the bait. They’re not in a relationship. It’s f***ing ridiculous. Lara says, Jessika is playing the same game Luka is, and Luka says, he’s got back-ups. In his interview, he says he doesn’t know what to do. Natalya is going to show up soon. He has too many things to deal with and he’s more busy on a night out than at work. Kyle tells Max that Natalya is going to be at the club, and Max asks if they’ve talked, but Kyle says, she’s blocked him. In Kyle’s interview, he says, some of them knew Natalya was coming, but no one thought to tell him. He feels betrayed in this moment. He and Lara talk in Afrikaans, and he says he’s not stupid. She says, Natalya told them not to tell anyone, and he says he thought of her as a sister. Kyle goes to the bar, and Tumi joins him. she wonders what just happened, and Kyle tells her that Natalya is coming. His anxiety is sky high. He cries and says his anxiety is pouring through his eyes. Tumi says, she will never be on their level, and Kyle says he was just being him again, and on the final day she reminds him the devil is here. Tumi says, the devil will always be here. They have to learn to navigate around the devil. The crew moves on to the club.

In Kyle’s interview, he says he didn’t want to tell Jessika about Luka. That’s probably why no one told him about Natalya. He doesn’t want to see her tonight. Ugh. Here she comes, in a bra and boring slacks. She hugs Jack and Luka, and Kyle looks sick. I feel sick for him, and in his interview, Kyle says, the Lord is testing him today. Kyle hugs Natalya, and Tumi asks if she wants a drink. In Tumi’s interview, she says, at this point, she doesn’t give a sh*t. The season is done. Get her drunk and get her the hell out of here. Jessika says, if they can, why can’t she, and she chats with a couple of guys, then kisses one. Luka tells Natalya that Jessika is trying to make him jealous and kisses her. In Max’s interview, he says, Luka has power over women. With great power comes great responsibility. He’s losing his respect for Luka. Being an equal opportunity kissing bandit, Jessika comes on to Lara. In Lara’s interview, she says, Jessika is trying to make Luka jealous. She acts like she doesn’t care, but clearly, she does. She’s hurt and that’s why she’s acting that way. Lily falls on the beach and Max laughs. Natalya goes over to Kyle and says, she’s not sleeping. She was up at 4 am and anxious. He says he understands and has something to say to her. He realizes in her getting involved in the conversation with Max (remember when Max wanted to be included in LGBTQIA+?), she was trying to defuse the situation. He took his anger out on her, and what he did was wrong. He’s been through a lot and what he says is from the heart. He’s genuinely sorry, and when she’s ready, he hopes they can be friends. They hug, and I just shake my head. In Kyle’s interview, he says, with his final apology, he’s seeking closure. This is the end for him, and he has a sense of relief. Jessika tells Natalya, bitch, what’s up? Don’t look at her boyfriend. Natalya says, that’s for them to sort out. She’s not getting involved in that sh*t. Jessika runs off, and in Luka’s interview, he says, he wasn’t expecting it to be like that, for Natalya to come in that hot, but he’s glad she did. Haleigh says he needs to be honest with Jessika, and in Jack’s interview, he says, what’s going on with this boat? Lily is pretty messy at this point, and Max tells Jessika that he has no respect for Luka. In Max’s interview, he says he wants to show Jessika that she’s not alone. He kisses her, and Max tells her that she kisses well. Lily is like, what the f***? and Jessika says, sorry, Lil. He’s a good kisser. She runs off.

Max tells Lily, it was for revenge, as Jessika stumbles to her cabin. Luka follows, and Kyle says he’s not involving himself in this sh*t. Luka suggests Jessika get in her cozy clothes. In the hallway, Lily says she’s hurt her leg, and no one cares. Jessika says she’s second place, and Luka says he saw her at the club. How was it? Jessika says, great, and Luka pulls a shirt on her. In Lara’s interview, she says, Jessika still has feelings for Luka. It’s sad to see her throw herself at a guy who doesn’t want her. Lara tells Jessika that she’s 26 and still doing this. She has no respect for herself. Is she okay? Maybe she needs a mental check. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Jessika is aware Luka has multiple women he’s speaking to, but she still wants to be with him. That’s her business. Live her best life. Jessika says she’s not looking for a relationship and goes with Luka to his cabin. Lily tells Max that she hurt her leg, and Jessika tells Luka that he’s a whore. He asks what she is, and she says, she’s just living. Then they get busy. Because they’re both idiots.

In Lily’s interview, she says she woke up with a UDI, an unidentified drinking injury. It’s a great start to the day. Everyone stumbles around, and Tumi bangs some pans, saying, it’s time to wake up. In her interview, Lily says she’s disappointed in Jessika and Max. She doesn’t care. It was a great fling. Fun times… In Tumi’s interview, she says, Lily looks like a bloody trainwreck, and the captain tells everyone, good morning. Rise and shine. Lily says she can’t straighten her leg, and Captain Sandy says, that’s not good. Lily says, it’s fine, but the captain says, no, it’s not, and calls for a doctor. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s the last day, but a crew member is injured, and she needs to follow protocol. Get her off the boat and to see a doctor. The crew packs, and Jessika wonders if they can get drunk again. She wants to find the boy she kissed. In Luka’s interview, he says he has big regrets. BDL – Bad Decision Luka – came out last night. He’s spotless with work, but the ladies get him in trouble. It never works out. Lily says, f*** her life, and the captain says, Lily is still signed on to the boat, so she has to get her to a doctor. This is her goodbye. In Lily’s interview, she says she wants to live her life with no regrets. Everything you do, you learn from. She could be chief stew. Max says, all good things must come to an end, and tells the captain, goodbye. Everyone says their goodbyes, and Max says he has a helicopter on the sundeck waiting for him. In Max’s interview, he says, freedom, liberty, finally, and sings La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. In Jessika’s interview, she says she learned a big lesson with Luka and needs a lot of time to get over the entire thing. She hopes to never have to relive another f***boy era. Lara says, if she could marry Luka, she would.

Tumi tells Kyle that she loves him so much and asks if he and Natalya have made up. He says he’ll see when he gets off the boat. He goes to the bridge to say goodbye to the captain, and she says, another journey. He sniffles and tells her, only happy tears. He went through a very dark season and can’t thank her enough for the extra chance and opportunity. She’s not only his captain, but a good friend. He respects who she is, and she’s amazing at what she does. They hug, and Captain Sandy says, he’s a good person. In Kyle’s interview, he says, if the captain hadn’t given him a second chance, he has no idea where he would have been going. It was the catapult he needed internally to learn how to control his emotions. He’d be able to navigate being a chief stew now and he’s immensely thankful. All he has to say is, you bitches, goodbye.

Captain Sandy tells Luka that everything about him is a leader, and in Luka’s interview, he says he doesn’t want to say goodbye. He and the captain have built a strong relationship. He started as a deckhand, and she put him in the bosun position. He’s now comfortable going the captain route. Tumi goes to the bridge, and Captain Sandy calls her The Tuminator. She asks how Tumi’s first job as chief stew was, and Tumi says, rough. They laugh, and Tumi says, her whole career has been rough, but that’s how you grow. The captain says, that’s leadership, and in her interview, she says, Tumi came in late, but she turned it around and continued to move forward, an excellent chief stew trait. Tumi says she’s learning to navigate curveballs, and in her interview, she says she needs a vacation ASAP. And a therapist.

In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she loves being a captain. It’s in her blood. She’ll be a captain until the day they put her in the ground… or set her on fire. She laughs.

And with that, this awful season with these awful people is blessedly over.

👽 Not Luke Skywalker’s Father…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and whatever interesting tidbits the internet coughs up. Until then, stay safe, stay not posting someone else’s picture or info without asking, and stay living your life with no regrets and learning from everything you do.

Jan20

January 19, 2024 – Drew Makes a Replacement, A Thought, Custom Made, Side Work, Joke’s On Her, Reaction, VanderSpin, Dragon 2, Late Return, Which Ones, He’s Back, Best Bowl, One Dozen Quotes & Winter

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura says, Cyrus’s health must be improving. He looks better. Cyrus thanks her and says, dropping the charges against Sonny Corinthos has revitalized his spirit. His soul is unburdened, so his body can heal. She asks, what led to this unburdening? and he says, accountability. He acknowledged his role in the attack. How he provoked Sonny at the wrong time instead of giving him grace. If he’d simply turned around and walked away, the beating would never have happened. Once he realized that, he was able to let his anger go, and he found peace. She asks if that’s why he called her last night and wanted her here first thing in the morning, to share this epiphany? He says he called her because there’s a lost soul in need of her help. Spencer walks in and Cyrus says, welcome, nephew. You’re right on time.

Ava hears someone come into the gallery, and says she told Trina to take the day off. She turns around and sees it’s Esme. She asks what the hell Esme wants. She’s not welcome here. Esme says, please don’t kick her out. She needs Ava’s help.

Willow says hi to Adam, and he asks where he is. She says, he’s at General Hospital, and he asks, why? She says, because his friend saved his life.

Carly finishes with an interview for a Kelly’s Bobbie’s manager, when Sam walks in. She says, Carly looks underwhelmed, and Carly says, she’s perceptive. She guesses that’s what makes Sam such a great P.I. If she’s looking for something new, perhaps Carly can interest her in the exciting world of shift management.

Nina goes to her office, where movers are removing everything. She asks what they’re doing here, and one of them says, moving. She says, they must be on the wrong floor, but he says, they’re on the right floor. She says, they can’t be because this is her office. They have to leave immediately and tell that guy to bring her stuff back or she’s calling security. He says, they’re just doing their job, and she says, what job? Who ordered this? Drew walks in and says he did. He tells the guys, good work, and suggests they take a break, giving them money for coffee (which I notice he says like caffee) and muffins. They leave, and Nina says, what the hell? He can’t just order her out of her own office. It’s trespassing. He says, no, it’s business. He owns Aurora; Aurora owns Crimson. He knows she’s the Editor-in-Chief of Crimson, but he’s still her boss. Until now. She’s fired. (Okay. I won’t get into how many shades of wrong this would be in the real world, and the lawsuit that would happen. I’ll just keep telling myself, it’s only a soap…)

In the chapel, Josslyn asks how Dex found her, and he says, when she didn’t answer his calls, he went by her dorm. He ran into her RA Kylie, and she told him what happened. He came here and looked around until he found her. She says, her phone died. She’s sorry she didn’t pick up his call. So much was going on. He says, obviously. Why didn’t she call him when she got here? She says she didn’t want to bother him. She knows how he feels about Adam and figured he had enough. He says, if she’s going through something, he wants to know and help if he can. That’s how this works. Got it? She says, got it. She suggests they check on Adam, see if he’s awake. She needs to apologize to him. He asks what she needs to apologize for, and she says, he freaked out because she told the RA that he was in trouble, but Dex says, she has nothing to apologize for. The people who need to be apologizing are Adam’s parents.

Willow asks if Adam remembers anything from last night, but he says, not really. He’d had too much to drink at a frat party. She says, Josslyn Jax found him alone in Rice Park, and he says, sometimes when he drinks, he wanders. It’s a bad habit. She says, he also ingested a lot of pills, and he says, for a cold. She says she’ll let the doctor fill him in, but he says he’d really like to get back to his dorm. She says, he’ll have to be cleared by the attending before he can be released, and he asks when that will be. She says, he had to have his stomach pumped last night. She doesn’t want to alarm him, but he’s lucky to be alive. He says, lucky me.

Carly tells Sam, business is going great, really great. That’s why she has to hire more staff. It’s a really good problem to have, but she just wants Bobbie’s to live up to its namesake. Sam asks what she’s talking about. Bobbie’s is thriving because of her. Onward and upward. Carly thanks her and says she needed to hear that. What can she get Sam? Sam says she’s going to wait to order until Drew gets here, and Carly says, she’s meeting him now? Sam says, actually, five minutes ago. He’s running late. Carly says she hates to break it to Sam, but she’s going to be waiting a long time for Drew.

Nina says, Drew is making a big mistake, and he says, maybe, but it’s his mistake to make. She asks if he honestly thought she’d just roll over and accept this. What about Michael? Drew might own Aurora, but Michael runs it. What does he think Michael will have to say about this? Drew says, hooray?

Cyrus says he’s grateful Spencer came, and Spencer says he didn’t know Laura would be here. She says, nor I, you, and asks Cyrus, what’s going on? He says he thought they should both know he had a visitor here late last night. Somebody who needed his help, who was desperate and alone, who felt everything had been taken from her. Spencer says, Esme, and Laura asks why Esme would come here. Cyrus asks if Spencer wants to explain the rest or should he do it for him? and Laura says, enough with the mystery. Somebody better tell her something. Spencer says he saw his father last night.

Ava says, one too many knocks to the head? and Esme says, does Ava think she wants to be here asking for her help? Ava says, at least she didn’t have to break in. Now leave or she’s going to call the cops. Esme asks if she hasn’t already done that. Ava tried to send her to prison. Ava says, funny. That’s where she thinks criminals belong. Esme says, Ava’s right. She shouldn’t have broken into Windymere, and what Ava did is entirely justified. Ava asks what she wants. Spit it out. Esme says, has she seen Nikolas? and Ava says, why? Has she? Esme says, no, and Ava wonders why she asks. Esme says, because he’s kidnapped her son.

Laura says, Nikolas came back to Port Charles? Where is he? Spencer says, he was here last night. He’s already gone. Laura says, her son came and went without her even knowing. At least Spencer got to see him. It must have been quite a shock though. Did he say why he risked coming back to Port Charles? Spencer says, he came here to take Ace with him… and I let him.

Dex says, Josslyn told him about the pressure Adam’s parents put him under. No wonder he cracked. She says she just can’t believe he’s this messed up about his grades. They’re better than hers, and hers are pretty good. Dex says, it’s not about his GPA. He feels shame for letting his parents down. He wants them to be proud of him. She says, but he acts like he can’t stand them, and Dex says, just the opposite. Adam loves his parents and feels like a failure because he can’t live up to their expectations. She asks if that’s how it was for him, and he says, not exactly. If there was any part of him that wanted to please his parents, it got burned out pretty quickly. He only found peace with his family when he walked away. He just hopes Adam doesn’t have to make the same choice. She says, he really needs help, doesn’t he? and Dex says, he’s going to need a good friend, and that’s what she’s been. She says, let’s go see how he’s doing.

Adam apologizes to Willow for being edgy. He just wants to get out of here. She says she bets, but they need to have the attending check him out first, okay? Portia comes in and says, he’s up. How is he feeling? He asks if she’s the attending, and she says she’s Dr. Robinson. She’s the Co-Chief of Staff here. He says, wow. Then she can definitely sign him out. When can he leave? Willow says she’ll check on the attending and see if Dr. Wallace is available. She leaves, and Adam says he’s really sorry, but last night was just a complete, huge misunderstanding. He’s sorry if he caused trouble, but his friend Josslyn just overreacted. So if she could sign him out, that would be great. She says she happens to know Josslyn Jax, and she doesn’t overreact much. Neither does the staff here at the hospital. She thinks it’s pretty clear what happened here, and anyway, he’s going to have to be cleared by a psychiatrist before he can be discharged. It’s hospital policy. He says, Dr. Robinson… Is she Trina’s mom? She says she is, and he says, Trina’s told him a lot about her. She says, he’s friends with Trina, so she has to take especially good care of him, right? He says, cool. So let him out. She says, if after his evaluation, they all agree that what happened last night is just an unfortunate accident, then he can be discharged. If not, then they’ll have to take the next steps. He asks what that even means. Are they going to keep him here or something? Doesn’t he have rights? What if he doesn’t consent to it? She says, of course (🍷) he has rights. Absolutely, but some of those rights are determined by his diagnosis. They want the absolute best outcome for him, and if they determine he’s a threat to himself or anyone else, they can’t let him leave. It’s hospital policy and standard practice. The on-call psychiatric attending should be here soon, and his parents… He says, they can’t know, and she tells him calm down. He says, please. They can’t know.

Ava asks when Nikolas took Ace, and Esme says, during the hearing. Spencer was supposed to bring Ace to the courthouse, but he never showed up. Nikolas came to the apartment and convinced Spencer to give him her baby. Ava says, that’s unbelievable. And she never saw Nicholas in Port Charles? Esme says, no. He hid from her like the coward that he is, but Spencer let Nikolas take Ace. She can’t believe Spencer would betray her like that. She thought they were getting along. She thought Spencer hated his father… Ava says, like father, like son, self-serving, duplicitous, and Esme says, Ace doesn’t even know Nikolas. He’s going to be so scared and so confused. Nikolas doesn’t know what Ace likes. He needs his mother. She can’t be without her son. She cries and says, he’s all that she’s got. Ava says, it’s a terrible thing to be separated from your child, and Esme says, so she understands. Ava says, unfortunately, she does, but why come to her? and Esme says she thought Nikolas might not be able to stay away from her. Ava says, unfortunately, and Esme says, so she’s right, isn’t she? Nikolas came to see her. Ava says, Nikolas was here, and Esme says, thank God, but Ava says, he’s gone now, and Esme’s never going to find him.

Laura says, Spencer let Nikolas take Ace? How could he do such a thing? He says he had no choice. His little brother wasn’t safe with Esme. She says, come on. She’s proven herself to be a good mother and he knows it. Does Esme know Nikolas took her baby? Cyrus says, that’s why she came to see him last night. She wanted his help tracking Nikolas down. Laura asks why Esme thought he could help her, and Cyrus says, she thinks he has powerful contacts and thought he’d be amenable because Nikolas and Ace are his relatives. Of course (🍷) he’s related to them through Laura, so he knew he had to do the right thing and inform her. He asked Spencer here so he could be the one to explain. Spencer says, Cyrus is all about his soul, right? And confession being good for it? Cyrus says he’d hope so. Spencer is the one who took a child from his mother. Spencer says he did not take Ace, and Laura says, no. He just handed Ace over like he was returning a package. How could he do such a thing? She can only imagine how Esme is feeling right now. How could Spencer take a baby from the only family he ever knew? Spencer says, because he loves his brother, and he’s not going to allow him to be raised by some psychopath, but Laura says, he goes back to that whenever it’s convenient for him. Esme’s worked hard to overcome her past. Spencer says, Laura doesn’t understand. He knows the truth now. Esme’s been lying. She remembers everything.

Portia says, they had to call Adam’s parents because according to his PCU medical records, they’re his emergency contact. Adam asks what she told his parents, and she says she told them he was here and that he’d had a medical emergency. He asks if she told them about the pills, that he tried to hurt himself, and she asks if that’s what happened. He says, no. It was just an accident. She says, okay. Here’s the deal. He’s over 18, so he’s considered to be an adult. As far as they’re concerned, they can’t share any of his information without his permission. He thanks her, and she says, but his parents are still going to have questions. And whether or not last night was an accident, he’s still going to need a support system in place. So she’s imploring him to please be honest with the doctor who’s going to evaluate him. Be honest with his parents, and most importantly, be honest with himself.

Portia leaves and asks if there’s any word on the psyche attending. Is it Dr. Wallace? Willow says, he’s still doing rounds in the west wing. He’ll be down in a second. How’s Adam? She feels so bad for him. Josslyn said he’s under a lot of pressure at school. She just hopes if Wiley or Amelia ever feel pressured at school, they come to her. Portia says she doesn’t get it. Kids these days have so much pressure on them. The bullying, the isolation, school shootings, everything that’s going on in the world. Depression and anxiety are an epidemic for this generation, and it breaks her heart. Josslyn and Dex come by, and Josslyn asks Portia if Adam is awake yet. Portia says she didn’t know Josslyn was here. Did she sleep here last night? Josslyn says she just wants to make sure Adam is okay, and Portia says, he’s awake. He cannot have any visitors right now. That’s really all she can tell Josslyn. A man goes to the reception desk and says he’s here to see Adam Wright. He was brought in last night. He wants to see his son.

Carly says, Drew mentioned he had a meeting at Aurora this morning, and Sam says, they’ve had this on the books for a week. Carly says she’s sure it was last minute. He must have forgotten. Drew would never leave her hanging. Sam says, so she thought. Never say never, she guesses. Carly asks what that means, and Sam says she and Drew have been out of step lately. That’s why she scheduled this meeting, to see if they could iron some things out. Carly asks if this is about the situation with Scout’s school. She doesn’t believe Drew meant to undercut Sam. Sam says, actually, they’ve resolved that issue, but things are still really tense, and they have been since he got home from Pentenville. Maybe it’s just her… Never mind. Carly says, don’t do that. Talk to her. What’s going on? Sam says, Carly probably spends the most time with Drew. Since he’s been back, hasn’t she noticed that he’s changed?

Drew says, as Nina pointed out, Michael just runs Aurora. He happens to own it, so he gets the final say. Nina says she gets it. Either Micahel disagrees with him about firing her and running Crimson into the ground or he doesn’t know. Michael may have Sonny’s last name and he may hate her, but he’s a Quartermaine through and through. He doesn’t let his personal feelings interfere with the balance sheet. Drew says, don’t forget he’s a Quartermaine too, and she says, maybe he should take a page out of his nephew’s book. She has run a tight, profitable ship for years. She saved Crimson from bankruptcy when Julian Jerome tried to run it in the ground and use it as a tax write-off. Now Crimson is one of the top fashion magazines in the country. It is Aurora’s flagship title and it’s her baby. Speaking of, what kind of father tanks his company and destroys his child’s legacy? Isn’t Scout a major shareholder? He gets in Nina’s face and tells her, don’t you dare bring my daughter into this. (I say, or what? You gonna hit me? which is what Nina should say.)

Carly tells Sam, Drew had a horrific experience in Pentenville, and he’s struggling. She thinks that’s to be expected after 3 years in a dungeon in Crete first that affected him not at all. Just when he was getting his bearings, they found out Nina was the one who called the SEC on them. And that very same night, they found out her mother died. She thinks Drew’s angry. She’s angry. Sam says she understands that, but Drew is angry at the world. Carly is directing her anger toward Nina, and rightly so. Carly says, her instincts are telling her to strike back, but she wants to be more like her mom. She wants to focus on what’s important, and right now, keeping her legacy alive and honoring her is so important. She hopes she’s succeeding, but she doesn’t know. Sam says, Bobbie would be really proud of her right now. Carly thanks her and says, but Bobbie also gave people second chances. Maybe that’s what they need to do for Drew. Give him some grace and double down on their support. Sam says she hears Carly, and don’t get her wrong, she’d do anything to support Drew, aside from the issue with Scout and the school. If there’s any way she can help him… Does Carly have any idea how she can do that? She’s listening.

Drew asks what he ever did to Nina. Did he harm her in some way? She says, it wasn’t about him. It was always about Carly. He says, two people were reported to the SEC. Did she just forget about him? She didn’t care that he was collateral damage? She didn’t care that he just got back into his daughter’s life, and he was ripped away again? Right after he helped save Nina’s daughter’s life, so she just cares about her daughter, not his? She says she’s sorry, and she was very grateful. She didn’t know he’d be the one to go to prison. He says, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t care. She was just so hellbent on destroying Carly. He thinks it’s insecurity. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, Wiley and Amelia love Carly. They’re so much closer to Carly than they are to her. Willow too, for that matter. And Sonny and Carly. Their bond is dysfunctional, but it’s also unbreakable, and he doesn’t think she can stand that, so she wanted to get Carly out of the picture. Nina wanted her out by any means possible. Nina asks if he can just stop talking. Yes. She did what she did, and she won’t deny it, but she thinks this is a perfect opportunity for him to acknowledge his part. He is responsible for putting himself at risk. He says, Carly’s investment was a well-intentioned act of support, with no nefarious motive whatsoever. Nina, on the other hand, just wanted to take Carly out. And now he wants to take Nina out. Nina says she wants to give him fair warning. Don’t use all these feelings to influence his business decisions. Talk to legal. He can’t just fire her. She may not own the company, but without her, there is no magazine. He says, she’s not telling him anything he doesn’t know, and she asks if he’s telling her that he would shutter Crimson just to get rid of her. He says he’s telling her that he would do anything to make her pay for what she’s done.

Portia introduces herself to Adam’s father, and he asks, where’s Adam? Is he okay? She says, he’s resting and he still needs to be seen by an attending. He says, Adam drank too much and made a fool of himself. Does that really require further consultation? She says, it requires them to be as thorough as possible, and he says he doesn’t want her running up their bill with all kinds of extra charges. Adam’s already squandered the money they’ve invested in his education with this foolishness, which is exactly what they were afraid of. Now when can he take his son home? Portia says she’ll go check his status, and walks away. Josslyn follows her and says, Adam can’t go. He needs to stay here and get help. He absolutely cannot go home. Wright says, and why is that? What does she know about his son that he doesn’t? (Hint: Probably everything.)

Esme asks if Ava helped Nikolas kidnap her son, but Ava says she would never do anything like that. Esme says, then why was he here? Why did he come looking for Ava? Did he want Ava to help him get her out of the way? Is that why Ava pressed charges against her? Ava says, that’s ridiculous. She didn’t know Esme had broken into Windymere. She didn’t know Laura was going to convince her to confess to it. Esme says, just tell her how to find Nikolas, please, but Ava says she can’t. He’s a Cassadine. He’s got money, he’s got resources, he’s got the private islands. If Laura couldn’t find him, does Esme really think she’ll be able to? Esme says she’s not giving up on her son. She has resources too. Ava says, Esme has no idea what she’s getting herself into, and her resources can’t possibly compete or compare. Esme asks if she looks helpless. She’ll do whatever it takes to find her son. Maybe she has a dangerous ally of her own. Ava says, oh really? Like who? Esme says, Cyrus Renault.

Cyrus says, Esme told him that Spencer threatened to have the old charges reinstated against her. When he questioned her, she wouldn’t say how this might be possible. Spencer says, because she doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s regained her memory, and Cyrus asks how he knows that. Spencer says, because of the little things she was saying. He was with her before her arraignment at the PCPD. She kept going back to how everyone hated her and how she was the one being persecuted. Then he pointed out to her that these are things that sound like the old Esme. As soon as he said that, she backed off. Laura says, how would he expect her to react? She confessed and she expressed true remorse over what was really a Class-A misdemeanor, and still Ava had to press charges. Spencer says, she told him that Ava wanted her to pay for what she supposedly did to Trina, as though Ava and Trina are the ones overreacting, and she’s the one being persecuted in this situation. Laura says she’s sorry. She doesn’t see this as proof that Esme regained her memory. Spencer says, she called him Spence. That’s what she used to call him, back when they were together. She hasn’t used that name for him since she lost her memory. Laura says, so she called him by his nickname, and he says, when he told her that his father had taken Ace, she told him that she was going to the police and was going to report the kidnapping. He threatened her and said, if she does that, he’s going to tell the police that she has her memory back and they’re going to reopen the investigation. As soon as she heard that, she seemed like she couldn’t risk it. Laura says, maybe she couldn’t risk being thought of as a suspect when she’s so desperate to get her son back. He gave Ace away based on a suspicion, not based on something he knew, and certainly nothing he could prove. Spencer says he does know that Esme has regained her memory, and Cyrus says he’s sorry to interrupt, but memory or not, Esme is still going after her son. She came to him asking for his help. Who else is she going to go to? And if Esme is successful, what will she do when she finds Nikolas?

Carly tells Sam that she thinks the best thing they can do for Drew is, just be honest with each other and keep talking, and to give him some time. She’s going to do everything she can on her end. Sam says, just so she knows, she’s not alone in this. There are plenty of people who care about Drew. Carly says, but what happened to Drew is on her. She’s the one who bought the Aurora stock because she had to inflate the price, even after Drew told her not to, over and over again. And he took the fall just to protect her. Sam says, he insisted on doing that, but Carly says, he wouldn’t have been faced with that choice if it weren’t for her to begin with. So she’s going to do everything in her power to make up for it. Sam says, as long as helping him doesn’t come at her own expense, because that’s the last thing he would want.

Nina asks Drew, what about the staff? They’re hard-working, they’re loyal, some of the best in the business. He’s willing to lay off all of those people just to get back at her. He says, that’s on her. He takes out an envelope and says, she signs this termination agreement or Crimson, with all its staff, is going out of business. One of the movers asks if they should start loading the boxes on the freight elevator, and Drew says he’ll have a look. He tells Nina that he’ll give her a moment to think about it. He leaves, and Nina tosses the papers in a box. She pauses and takes out a photo of Willow with Wiley and Amelia. Drew comes back and says, time’s up. Is she going to sign, or is she taking Crimson down with her? (I’m starting to think this is a dream or he’s really gone bonkers. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, even for a soap.)

Portia says, Josslyn found Adam in the park yesterday, and called emergency services. Wright says, she found him, or she was out drinking with him? and Dex says, Josslyn wasn’t drinking. She went to look for Adam because she was concerned for him. Josslyn says, Adam was alone and nearly passed out, and Wright says, they’ve been concerned about his behavior for quite a while. Josslyn says, really? and Wright says, this incident proves Adam is just not mature enough to live on his own. Josslyn says, it’s not a question about maturity. Adam needs help. He says he appreciates her concern and he’s grateful she called for help when she did, but he’ll take it from here. Josslyn says, he doesn’t understand. Adam has been hiding everything from him because Adam is afraid of what he’ll do. Wright asks why he would be afraid. He and his mother only want the best for Adam. Josslyn says, he just feels so much pressure, and Wright says, Adam has a very promising career ahead of him. He had the test scores to get into PCU. He’s maintained a 4.0 up until now. If he stays on track, he’ll be admitted to a top tier medical school. But now Adam is drinking and partying and squandering everything that he and his mother have worked hard to give him. She says, Adam isn’t partying. He’s self-medicating, having panic attacks. Portia thanks Josslyn and says she thinks she can take it from here. Why doesn’t Josslyn go home and get some rest? Wright asks who he has to speak to, to remove his son, and Dex tells Josslyn, let’s just let the hospital handle this, okay? Wright says, yeah. She’s done her part. Now please leave. This doesn’t concern her. Josslyn says, it should concern him that his son tried to kill himself last night.

Laura says she’s got to alert the police, but Spencer says, if she does that, the FBI could get involved, and who knows who else. Plus, if his father is captured, then Ace is going to get returned to Esme. (He really doesn’t get it, does he?) Laura says, they don’t even know if she’s regained her memory, and if she has, she still might do the right thing by her son. Cyrus says he agrees with Laura. He believes in the power of redemption. Spencer says, well, he doesn’t. Esme’s redemption is fake, and why is Laura still believing her? Is she really choosing Esme’s well-being over Ace’s? Laura says she’s being realistic, and the reality is that Ace would be safer if he was with them. He should have stopped his father. She just doesn’t understand why he didn’t come to her with his suspicions. She would have listened to him. They could have gone to the police together and made Esme face the things she’s done. Spencer says, what about his father, who up until ten minutes ago was the biggest asshat in the world? Should he have reported him as well? Laura says she would have never asked him to turn his own father in, but she knows Ace should be with them while all of the other stuff is getting sorted out. Spencer says, and what if it got sorted out in Esme’s favor? As far as he’s concerned, his father just saved Ace’s life. Laura says, don’t get her wrong. She’s glad that he’s starting to realize his father isn’t the heartless man Spencer’s made him out to be, but he has demonstrated some spectacularly bad judgement here and so has Spencer. His father is on the run. He’s being pursued by the authorities. This little baby has never been in more danger.

Portia tells Josslyn, that’s enough, and Dex says, let’s just go, but Josslyn says, Adam took a pack of antihistamines and washed it down with vodka. He knew what he was doing. Adam is so afraid of his father, he’d rather not live than face him. Wright says, she’s lying, and Josslyn says, doesn’t he even care? He pushed and he pushed until Adam reached his breaking point. Wright says he wants her gone – now! And if this girl comes within 50 feet of Adam, he’ll sue. (Um… we’ve already established Adam is over 18. I don’t think he can. Why is everyone being weird today?) Portia says, that’s unnecessary. She’s tired, she hasn’t slept all night, and she’s leaving right now. Why don’t they go to her office, and she can explain everything that’s going on with Adam, and they can wait for the attending there. Wright leaves with Portia, and Willow goes over to Josslyn and Dex. She says, Dr. Robinson won’t let anything happen to Adam, and Dex tells Josslyn, anything she says will just antagonize Adam’s father. She says, because he refuses to see the truth, and Dex says, Wright isn’t going to listen to her, but if she’s not here, he might listen to Dr. Robinson. Josslyn asks Willow to promise to keep an eye on Adam, and Willow promises. Josslyn says, okay then, and walks to the elevator with Dex, but then she quickly walks off.

Ava says, Esme is joking, but Esme says, Cyrus is going to help her find her son. Ava says, why? and Esme says, because he cares about his family. Ava says, Esme’s not his family. Ace may be a part of his family, but she is not. Esme says, but he promised, and Ava says, promised what exactly? Esme says, nothing. He promised her nothing. She starts to cry again, and says, her son is kidnapped. No one will help her and she’s all alone. She heads for the door, and Ava says, wait, but Esme says, stay away from me, and leaves.

Laura thanks Cyrus for coming to her, to them, about Esme, and he says, they’re family. Where else would he go? She leaves, and in the hallway, Spencer asks if she sees now. Esme went to Cyrus for help. Isn’t that proof she can’t be trusted? Laura says, it’s proof she’s desperate and will do anything to get her baby back, and he says, fine. Both can be true. She takes out her phone and calls the PCPD, asking for Dante. Spencer tries to take the phone, but she says, stop it. She has to do it. She tells them, it’s urgent… Dante answers, and she says, it’s Laura. My grandson Ace has been taken.

Josslyn looks in on Adam through the door window. Dex comes up behind her and gently guides her back to the elevator.

Nina signs the papers, and hands them to Drew. He says he’s surprised she gave in so quickly. She tells him, like she said, Crimson is her baby, and she’ll do anything to save her. (Besides this whole scene being in a parallel universe, is there some weird parallel with Ace here?) She’ll do anything for the employees, even if it means giving up everything she cares about. He asks if she thinks he’d really sabotage Aurora’s flagship title for her. Crimson was always going to be just fine. She says, so this was his plan all along, manipulate her sense of duty to her employees. He says, or maybe she just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play martyr. She says, her employees are going to lose their jobs eventually anyway, and he says, former employees. She says, this magazine is nothing without her. Does he really think he’s going to get the photographers, the designers, the advertisers? The editorial staff will quit immediately. She made this magazine. This is her magazine. She’s irreplaceable. He says, and yet, he’s already replaced her. Carly walks in, and he says, meet Crimson’s new Editor-in-Chief.

On Monday, Nina says, they’re finally even; Martin asks where Lucy thinks she’s running off to in such a hurry; Esme says, you’re the only person I can turn to (Heather maybe?); and Dante says, maybe he should be arresting Spencer instead.

💭 I dunno about this. I’m guessing the closest Carly has come to editing a magazine is reading one, and wasn’t she just talking to Sam? Hard to believe Nina would say she’s irreplaceable along with all the other big talk, and this would also hardly be moving on for Carly after her speech on letting go. The whole thing was just weird.

🪆 Her Toy Story…

I keep forgetting she was in Five Nights at Freddy’s. I still haven’t seen it.

Jophielle Love Gets Turned Into a Toy!

🪂 On Their Off Time…

Writing mission completed.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/jon-lindstrom-shows-off-his-first-novel

This sounds like a real headache. She took an amazing passport photo though.

GH’s Cassandra James Achieves a Major Milestone!


🤡 Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha and Then Some…

Apparently, the board-certified medical professional was called out by bigger board-certified medical professionals.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists Calls Out Annemarie Wiley

😘 She Doesn’t Care…

Sleeping with him was punishment enough.

Kathryn Dennis Reacts to Olivia Flowers, Thomas Ravenel Hookup Reveal

🍸 After the Rules…

It was bound to happen.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-spinoff-the-valley-starring-jax-taylor-brittany-cartwright-kristen-doute-premiere-spring-2024-8431186

The Vanderpump Rules Spin-Off The Valley Looks Terrible

🐉 Dragon Is Coming…

What’s up with Season 2.

https://winteriscoming.net/posts/hbo-responds-to-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-release-date-rumors

🐝 Fly Back To Us Soon…

Hopefully, we’re all still alive in 2025.

https://screenrant.com/yellowjackets-season-3-cast-story-everything-we-know/

https://www.etonline.com/yellowjackets-cast-teases-season-3-without-juliette-lewis-exclusive-217957

🏈 In Between Bowl…

The trailers anticipated during the upcoming Super Bowl.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/super-bowl-2024-what-trailers-commercials-deadpool-3-movies-tv/

🦸🏽 You’re Welcome, Canada…

Deadpool is the best.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-3/deadpool-3-set-photos-reveal-multiple-variants-of-spoiler-in-upcoming-mcu-threequel-a208960

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12984525/deadpool-3-ryan-reynolds-sports-long-hair-marvel-hugh-jackman.html

🐾 Fluffy For the Win…

More on Puppy Bowl XX.

https://wagwalking.com/daily/puppy-bowl-2024

https://ew.com/meet-the-starting-lineup-of-the-2024-puppy-bowl-8425601

👸🏽 Quotes of the Week

Things just tend to accumulate after Labor Day. What can I tell you? – Little Edie Beale, Grey Gardens

Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think that you’ve lost time. There is no short cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time. – Asha Tyson

Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. – James Langston Hughes

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. – Henry Ward Beecher

At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. – Barbara Bush (Or your pets.)

Comparison is the death of true self-contentment – John Powell

You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter. – Nicholas Sparks

It’s almost nostalgic for a time that never existed. – Ruth Washington (Myha’la Herrold) referring to the TV series Friends, Leave the World Behind

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. – Henry van Dyke Jr.

Don’t stop until you see the whites of his pockets. – Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Mad Men

Your greatness is measured by your kindness; your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices, and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others. – William J.H. Boetcker

It’s going to be a long learning curb. – Amy Slaton, 1000-Lb. Sisters

⛸ Skating On Thin Ice…

Bounce back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and turbulent seas on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay using your turn signals (you learned that in driver’s ed, right?), and stay focusing on what’s important, even when your instincts are telling you to strike back.

Jan18

January 17, 2024 – Esme Discovers Nikolas Took Ace, Homeless Not Toothless Strikes Again & Child

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly lights a candle in the hospital chapel and says, miss you, mom, so much. Drew comes in and sits next to her, and they hug.

At work, Willow gets a call from Michael, who’s at the Quartermaines. She flashes back to yelling at him on the pier about blackmailing Nina and not letting her make up her own mind. She answers and he tells her that Wiley is putting on a puppet show for Amelia. It’s an epic saga about a family of four who adopts all the puppies at a local shelter. According to Wiley, especially the senior puppies because they deserve homes too. She says, that’s their boy, and he says he was hired to film it for her, so if she receives a mystery video, be prepared for some fine cinema. She says she looks forward to it, and he says, the kids are good, but they were wondering when she’s going to get home. So is he. He misses her.

Finn and Elizabeth go into his office, and he tells her that he appreciates the support, all of it. She says, he’d better, and he says he was thinking maybe it would best if she’s not here when the doctor shows up. He’s breaking a few rules, and it might get dicey. He doesn’t want her associated with any of it. She says, diceyness? and he thanks her for understanding. She says she thinks it’s cute how he wants to protect her, and he says, she’s not going anywhere, is she? She says, they’re in this together, and if this doctor has the information they need to win this lawsuit… There’s a knock at the door, and Finn and Dr. Sawyer introduce themselves. He thanks her for coming, and she says she’s actually here on another case, so the timing is perfect. He introduces Elizabeth and says she’ll be sitting in with them. The doctor asks how she can help. He needs a consult on a patient? He says he does. In fact, her input might be life altering.

Spencer asks how it went in court, and Esme says, he’d know if he’d been there like he promised. Now if he’ll excuse her, she’d like to take her son home. He says he thinks they should talk first, but she says she has nothing to say to him. She starts to go to Ace’s room, but he circumvents her. She says she doesn’t know what’s going on, but she wants her son, and she wants him now. He says, Ace is asleep. He sees no point in waking him up right now. Besides, he thought they should check in. She asks what he wants to know, and he says, why they let her go for starters. She says she’s sure he hoped she’d get sent up the river for the rest of her life, but he says, these days, he has mixed feelings about things like that. She says she doesn’t believe him. If any part of him cared about her, he would have brought Ace to her arraignment like she asked him to. He says, so she could play on the judge’s sympathies? but she says, so if worse came to worse, she could kiss her baby goodbye before they carted her away. But if it softened up the judge, sure, that would have been a nice bonus. He says, there she is, and she asks if he wouldn’t have done the same thing, like anyone would, but he says, it doesn’t matter now. She’s free, but she still hasn’t told him how. Did Ava drop the charges? She says, please. Ava would have brought her own electric chair if she could have gotten it past security. What does he want her to say? She pled guilty. He says he knows, and she asks if he’s surprised. He says, yes, and she tells him that she’s changed as a person. He says, either that or she brokered a deal, and she says, her lawyer and the DA’s office don’t want to clog up the system with a petty crime, and it’s not like she’s ever setting foot in Ava’s drafty castle again. So here she is and here she goes. She’s getting her son and taking him home. He steps in front of her and says, she can’t.

Dr. Sawyer asks to see the patient’s file, and Finn gives it to her, saying, he believes she’s familiar with the patient. Dennis Muldoon. She says she is. She was under the impression Mr. Muldoon had died. Finn says, he did, and she says, if there’s no patient, why does he need a consult? What’s this about? Finn says, Mr. Muldoon died shortly after coming to see him, and now Muldoon’s wife is suing him for malpractice. Dr. Sawyer says she’s sorry to hear that, and he thanks her. He says he was hoping her familiarity with the patient might shed some light, and she says, he’s hoping she can provide some information to assist with his defense? He says, yes, and she says she’s sorry. She can’t help him.

Carly asks how Drew knew where to find her, and he says he came by the house. Pilar told him that she came here to be with Josslyn. Is she all right? Carly says, physically, she’s fine, but she’s had a very emotional night. Josslyn’s been very worried about her friend Adam who has been going through a very difficult time. This afternoon he tried to kill himself. Drew asks if he’s all right, and she says, he’s stable. Apparently, his parents put him under a crazy amount of pressure to succeed. Good grades aren’t enough. If you don’t get 100%, you’re a failure. And apparently Adam snapped and… He says he doesn’t understand how parents can put their kids through that. (Hey, wait…) Obviously, he wants the best for Scout and he’s going to push her to succeed, but mistakes are such an important part of life; that’s what you learn from. She says, it’s the story of her life, and he says, exactly, and look how she turned out. She says she just always tries to strike a balance with her kids. She wants them to excel, but she also wants them to be true to who they are. Michael and Josslyn are achievers. If they see a challenge ahead of them, they’re going to run right for it. He says, they take after her, but she says she doesn’t know about that. Morgan dreamed bigger than his follow-through, and Donna is so young, she hopes she doesn’t mess that kid up. He says, if she screws that up, Donna will let her know, and Carly says, she’s not afraid to speak her opinions. He says, Donna has incredible role models – Josslyn, Michael… She says, Josslyn is an incredible young woman and Michael is her rock. She couldn’t ask for a better son. He says, and he couldn’t ask for a better friend. She hugs him.

Michael asks if he and Willow can talk tonight when she gets home, and Willow sees Nina come out of the elevator, and says, tonight won’t work; maybe tomorrow. Kiss the kids goodnight for her. Nina comes to the reception desk, and Willow says she’s at work. What does Nina want? Nina says, just a few minutes. They haven’t spoken since New Year’s Eve, and there’s still a lot that needs to be said. Willow asks if she’s supposed to thank Nina for stabbing Carly and Drew in the back or for striking a deal with her husband so he would keep quiet about it.

Michael tells Wiley that he’ll come up soon to tuck him in, and Wiley says, mommy too? Michael says, mommy will come up and give him a goodnight kiss when she gets home from work, even if he’s already asleep. He thanks the nanny, and she takes the kids upstairs. Tracy and Ned come in, and Tracy asks if Michael will be joining them for dinner. Leo is insisting they wait for him. Michael asks her to tell Leo that he’s sorry, but he can’t make it. He’s just heading out. She says she hopes Leo lectures him; he’s getting very good at it. Michael says he’s looking forward to it, and asks Ned to return the proxy he gave him. Tracy asks why he’d do that, and Michael says, because the proxy was conditional on no one finding out Nina turned Drew and his mom in to the SEC. Tracy says, but Ned lived up to his end of the bargain. He wasn’t the one who outed Nina. Michael says he may lose what he loves the most over all this. So at the very least, Ned should lose control of ELQ.

Nina says she’s not going to try and justify what she did, and Willow says, that’s a relief. Nina says, but she’d like to explain why she did it. She knows Willow is at work, but just give her a date and a time. There’s just so much they need to say to each other. (I see Nina is going for the ignore-it-and-it-will-go-away approach.) Willow says she has nothing to say to Nina, but Nina says she thinks Willow does. If she were Willow, she’d want to let her have it. They’ve both had a lifetime of pain. If they could just share that with each other and come to a new understanding, she thinks they should do that, even if it’s the last conversation they ever have. Coming down the hall with Drew, Carly says, hasn’t Nina done enough damage? Can’t she leave Willow alone?

Carly asks if Willow is okay, because she’s five, and Willow says she’s fine. Carly asks if she’s sure, and Nina says, she’s a grown woman. Willow has no trouble telling her to get lost. Carly says, but Nina never goes away, despite turning her and Drew in to the SEC. Nina says, for a crime they actually committed, and Carly says, really? Nina is married to Sonny Corinthos. Nina came at her out of spite and others had to suffer. Nina says, not Michael, and Drew asks what that’s supposed to mean. Nina says, Michael hasn’t got around to telling him. She’s sure he’s going to. It’s not like it’s a secret anymore. Drew asks what she’s talking about, and Nina says she did inform the SEC about him and Carly. Everybody knows that now, but the reason it was kept a secret for so long was because Michael knew and said nothing.

Ned says, the proxy will be on Michael’s desk first thing in the morning. Is that soon enough? Michael thanks him, and Ned says, don’t misinterpret his willingness to return it as a victory. Michael says, there’s nothing to interpret. The proxy is his. He leant it to Ned and he wants it back. It’s just a matter of business. Ned says, the real issue is why Michael needed his silence, and that isn’t business. Michael withheld the truth about Nina from Sonny, from Willow, and most importantly from his mother and Drew, the ones most affected by Nina. Why? Michael flashes back to telling Nina that he’s trying to protect his family from her. His father is happy and he’s not going to take that away from him. He’s sure Sonny will be happy until he finds out the kind of woman she really is. She’ll see his family only when he says it’s okay to see them and she’s going to sell his mother her half of the MetroCourt back. Michael tells Ned that he was protecting his family, and Ned says, he’s just like grandfather, at his worst. Tracy tells Michael to disregard his cousin. He has a noble streak, but it only shows up when he wants to take the moral high ground. Ned thanks her for her support, and she says, about this little deal Michael made, Quartermaine to Quartermaine. She has never been prouder.

Finn asks Dr. Sawyer to please just hear him out, but she says she’d rather hear from his attorney. She’d be more than happy to testify in court or by deposition, but without a court order, she can’t violate doctor/patient privilege, even when the patient is deceased, as she’s sure he knows. He says he’s absolutely aware. Perhaps he can provide some context. She says, have his lawyer reach out to her. Until then, she really should be on her way. Elizabeth says, before Dr. Sawyer goes, just hear her out.

Esme says, who is Spencer to tell her that she can’t do anything? Ace is her son and she’s taking him home now. He says he needs to tell her something first, but she says, actually, he doesn’t. Trina already broke the news about her studying at the Sorbonne, and lucky him, he gets to go along for the ride. Now she knows where his priorities lie… He says, she knows nothing about his priorities, and if he didn’t care about Ace… She says, he made his choice. Just own it. He says, she’s right. He has made his choice. She says, and so has she. She’s bringing her son home where he belongs. He says, Ace’s home is not with her. Not anymore.

Carly says, there really is no rock bottom with Nina. Blaming Michael for what she did. Nina says she’s simply just telling them what Michael did. Drew says, it doesn’t make any sense. What reason could Michael possibly have to protect her? Nina says, he wasn’t protecting her. He was holding what she did over her head, using his silence as leverage. He was blackmailing her, forcing her to keep her distance from her daughter. Carly laughs and says she doesn’t know why she bothers listening, because every word out of Nina’s mouth is a lie. Nina says, fine. If Carly doesn’t believe her, ask Michael. Carly says she will because she knows she’ll get the truth from him, and Drew asks Willow if she’s sure she’s okay. Willow says, no, but she will be, and Drew and Carly leave. Willow says, if Nina hadn’t lost her before, she has now.

Dr. Sawyer says, if she’s learned one thing in her career as a physician, it’s to always listen to the nurses, and tells Elizabeth to say what she has to say. Elizabeth thanks her and says she can see Dr. Sawyer wants to help, that she has something to say. She’s not wrong about that, is she? Before Dr. Sawyer makes any decisions, there are a few things she should know about Dr. Finn. Elizabeth is sure she’s aware that he developed a cure for Blackwood’s Disease, but what she can’t know is, the very first person he saved with that cure was Elizabeth’s sister. And when that cure was finalized, Dr. Finn handed over the patent to the hospital, saving it from financial ruin. If this lawsuit prevails, he won’t be able to practice medicine anymore. And there’s no worse feeling that you can save someone, and not being able to. So please, could the doctor just stay and hear what they have to say?

Esme says, where the hell does Spencer get off telling her where Ace’s home is? He is not Ace’s father. Spencer says, no, he’s not. He’s Ace’s brother and he loves him very much. She says, prove it. Don’t go to Paris. Stay here with him… Right. She didn’t think so. She turns to go, and he says, when he told her that Ace’s home wasn’t with her anymore, he didn’t mean it the way she thought. She asks how he meant it, and he says, Ace is gone. She says, gone where? and he says, with our father.

Willow takes Nina into an exam room and says, she wanted to get everything out in the open? Go. Nina says, turning in Carly and Drew was a stupid, impulsive decision, but she was really upset at the thought of losing Willow and she lashed out. Willow says, lashed out? She’s a wrecking ball. Nina says, Willow is right. She’s a lot, but Willow has to understand. She knows Willow knows this, but Carly has kept her from both of her daughters. First Nelle, and then of course (🍷), Willow. Willow says, Nelle was dead by the time Carly figured out she was Nina’s daughter, but Nina says she only has Carly’s word for that. (And that’s not true, right? I think she knew before. There was that whole thing about how she knew Nelle as a kid.) Willow says, well, Nina can take her word for this. Carly didn’t tell her that Nina was her mother because she didn’t want to know. Nina says, she doesn’t mean that, but Willow says she does. After the visitation hearing, she told Carly that she didn’t want to find her birth mother for fear she might turn out to be as awful as Nina was. The joke’s on her because here Nina is, her birth mother. Petty, vindictive, and selfish to the core.

Ned says, since when is Tracy proud of Michael? and Tracy says, since he showed his true colors. What he pulled is definitely worthy of her father. Underneath that mild-mannered baby face, beats the heart of a true Quartermaine. Michael says, if doing right by his family finally makes him a Quartermaine in her eyes, then so be it. But he gave Nina his silence for the sake of his children and Willow, because they are his priority above everything and anyone else. Carly and Drew walk in.

Tracy says she guesses they have a lot to discuss, so why doesn’t Ned join her in the kitchen? She’s suddenly famished. Ned says, yes, treachery always improves one’s appetite, and follows her out. Michael says, so, Nina told them, and Carly says, she did, and she called Nina a liar. But for the first time in Nina’s life, she’s telling the truth. Isn’t she?

Nina says she agrees she’s made mistakes, and Willow says, mistakes? Please. It was all deliberate. Nina thought it through with care. She needed to hurt Drew in order to hurt Carly, and she was proud of what she’d done. Just like she enjoyed causing a rift between Michael and Drew and his mom. Nina says she actually didn’t want to tell them anything, but Willow says she was standing right there. Nina couldn’t wait to throw it in Carly’s face that Michael knew. Nina says, Michael was blackmailing her. He told her the only way he would keep quiet was if she let him decide when she could see Willow and the kids. Nina cries and says she agreed to it because losing Willow a bit at a time was better than losing her all at once. That’s what’s happening now. Willow says, Carly was right. All Nina does is lie to everyone. And the person she’s lying to the most is herself.

Dr. Sawyer asks how they propose doing this without violating confidentiality, and Finn says, very carefully. Off the record, strictly hypotheticals. Elizabeth says, and if Dr. Sawyer says, stop, they stop. Dr. Sawyer says, okay, and they sit down. Finn says, hypothetically, a patient who dies from Stage IV colon cancer, usually has been exhibiting symptoms for quite some time, yes? Dr. Sawyer says, yes, and he says, hypothetically, this patient may have been exhibiting symptoms for two or three months prior. She says, it would be a certainty that a patient in this condition would be symptomatic, and he tells her, say this patient had a history of traveling to remote locations. They exhibit symptoms consistent with colon cancer or any other maladies, and they tested positive for one or more of those maladies. Dr. Sawyer says, personally, she would screen for any and all unknowns to rule them out, and he says, including cancer? She says, correct. And if testing came up positive for cancer, she would certainly refer that patient to an oncologist… hypothetically.

Esme says, Nikolas was here, and Spencer says, yes. That’s why he didn’t bring Ace to court. His father came back, and he wanted to take him and Ace with him. She says, take him where? Where did Nikolas take Ace? Spencer says, Ace is safe, and she says, Ace is safe with her. Did Spencer at least fight him off? Spencer doesn’t have a scratch on him. Did he at least call the police? They have to find out where Nikolas took Ace. He says he doesn’t know where his father took Ace. She needs to accept Ace is gone though. (Spencer is seriously creeping me out, the way he’s talking.) She says, the hell she does. She’s Ace’s mother and his legal guardian. She takes out her phone and says, Nikolas has no right to her son, the son he abandoned. She’s calling the police. He says, put the phone away, and she says, you don’t tell me what to do, Spencer, and he asks if she doesn’t mean Spence. That’s what she used to call him, back when she was busy manipulating people and destroying their property, ruining their lives. He flashes back to her calling him Spence in the interrogation room, and he says, the old Esme, the one who lived to do her father’s bidding.

Elizabeth says, may I? and Dr. Sawyer says, if she has another hypothetical. Elizabeth says, of course (🍷). This is actually more of a procedural question. The doctor says, go ahead, and Elizabeth says, when she refers a patient to an oncologist, or any specialist really, does her office know if that patient made and kept their appointment? Dr. Sawyer says, like most practices, once they make the referral, it’s up to the patient to let them know if they followed up, and Elizabeth says, right. So hypothetically… Dr. Sawyer says, some patients we never hear back from. Soap looks all around.

Esme says, she called him Spence? and Spencer says, she did. She says, so what? and he says he thinks they both know what that means. She says, it means nothing, especially now that her son has been kidnapped. He says, it means that she’s back, the old Esme, the one who destroyed his entire world. She says, that’s a little melodramatic, but he says, no, it isn’t. Look him in his eyes and tell him that she doesn’t remember. Tell him that she doesn’t remember swan diving off of that tower and his father keeping her prisoner up there for months. Tell him that she doesn’t remember tormenting Trina and setting Ava’s car on fire and using him to drive a wedge between Ava and his father. All because her father put her up to it because of his sick obsession with her. Esme says she’s heard those stories, and that is all they are to her, but he says, no, no, no (a million noes). She remembers. She’s the same Esme. She’s the same Esme that targeted him in school, who convinced him that she loved him when she didn’t. And the new Esme – whatever that façade was – became very close to being a decent person and a good mother, but that Esme is gone. She’s back to being a puppet for her psychotic father. That is the Esme Prince he’s talking to right now, isn’t it? She says, oh my God. Nikolas didn’t just take Ace. Spencer gave him away, didn’t he? He gave Nikolas her son. Spencer looks like dark Sonny all of a sudden.

Nina tells Willow, that night at the church was a turning point for her. She confessed her sins. She owned up to everything she was doing, and she realized she was blaming Carly for everything because Carly kept her daughters from her, but the important thing is, she’s going to stop blaming Carly. And she’s definitely going to stop beating herself up for her mistakes. Willow says, on the subject of beatings, Drew was almost beaten to death in prison, and Nina says she feels terrible about that. Willow says, that changes exactly nothing. Nina was desperate to hide what she did from Willow. That’s why she made her deal with Michael. Nina says, no. She agreed to Michael’s terms because, believe it or not, she wasn’t just thinking of herself; she was thinking about Michael. Willow says, oh please, and Nina says she knew that if Willow found out Michael was making a deal with her, that he was willing to blackmail her for the sake of Willow’s happiness, that Willow’s marriage, her family, might have to pay the price. She just wants Willow to be happy. She wants the kids to be happy. She loves Willow. Willow says, Nina may have convinced herself that she had these noble motives, but all she really ended up doing was hurting her and Michael and her children and their other grandmother and Drew, the man who saved her life. It’s enough. She wants nothing more to do with Nina.

Tracy scarfs down some snacks in the pantry and tells Ned that she doesn’t hear any yelling. She wishes she could be a fly on the wall. She comes out into the nook and asks Ned if he wants some carrots and hummus. He says, no. He does not want a carrot or hummus. Does she even care how Michael played fast and loose with her own son? She laughs and says she can’t believe it. After all these years, he still doesn’t get it. She doesn’t care about Michael. He asks if she’s sure, because a minute ago, Michael was the apple of her eye. She says she’s always pleased when a Quartermaine acts like a Quartermaine. And when Michael does it, it is a thing of beauty. The man knows what he wants, and he’s very practical about how he’s going to go and get it. Right now he’s a little distracted with the Nina thing, but at some point, he’s going to turn his attention back to the family business. Ned better be prepared.

Drew asks why Michael would stay silent and protect Nina, but Michael says he wasn’t protecting Nina. He was protecting his family from Nina. Carly asks when he found out, and he says, at the wedding. She says, he didn’t object? but he says, the ceremony was already over. They were already married, and Drew was already in prison. Drew says, that makes it okay not to tell them? and Michael says, the damage was already done. It wouldn’t have gotten Drew out of prison. The only thing exposing Nina would accomplish was hurting his dad and Willow. Drew says, maybe he could have told him and Carly, and they could have decided what needed to be done. Michael says he knows what kind of woman Nina is, the vindictiveness, the total disregard for other people. He had to limit his children’s exposure to them. He had to protect them. He had to protect Willow. Carly says, by keeping information from them, and Michael says he went to tell dad. When he went to Sonny, he was so happy, saying how much he appreciated them accepting Nina into the family, and he couldn’t go through with it. He couldn’t crush Sonny’s happiness. So he went to Nina and blackmailed her instead. Drew says, so Michael put Sonny’s happiness ahead of their friendship, but Michael says he doesn’t see it that way. Drew says, the way he sees it, they were partners, family. He trusted Michael. Michael’s mother trusted him and this is how Michael repays them?

After Dr. Sawyer leaves, Finn asks how Elizabeth did that. Never mind. He thanks her for getting Dr. Sawyer to stay. She really is much better with people than he is, obviously. What she said… that was very kind of her. She says, just calling it as she sees it, and he says he doesn’t think anyone’s ever spoken about him the way she did. She says, they do, just not in front of him, and he asks if they’re afraid it will go to his head. She says, he’d be insufferable, and he says, when she’s right, she’s right. She suggests he stick around and hear one or two more good things, and he says, only one or two? She says, don’t get greedy. She wonders why Mr. Muldoon never mentioned Dr. Sawyer, and Finn says, and the oncologist referral? And why he never followed up on any of the tests Finn recommended. She says she gets why Mrs. Muldoon didn’t say anything, and Finn says, maybe she didn’t know. She says, maybe, but that would mean he hid it from her as well, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Finn says, they have to find that oncologist, and she says, then that’s what they’ll do. He says, it’s right around the corner. The sooner, the better.

Esme says, Spencer is something else. He goes on and on about how rotten and selfish his father is, and it turns out he’s no better. He does what he wants, he takes what he wants, and to hell with everyone else. He says, it wasn’t easy, but she says she doesn’t care if it was easy for him or not; he did it. He says, yes, he did. Because he thinks Ace will have a happier life with his father than with the daughter of Ryan Chamberlain. She says, who cares whose daughter she is? Ace is her son, and he and his father are going back to prison where they belong. He says, speaking of prison, if she goes to the cops with this, he’ll tell them that she got her memory back, and they’ll hold her accountable for everything. She says, because she called him Spence, and he says, that’s right. After she broke into Windymere and revisited the scene of the crime. Definitely suspect behavior, doesn’t she think? Can she really afford to risk it? She leaves, slamming the door behind her.

Tracy says, Ned is all that she cares about, him and Dillon. Let’s face it. Dillon doesn’t really have a head for business. Then there’s Brook. She does have Quartermaine instincts, but she doesn’t have Quartermaine priorities. Tracy is working on her. Then there’s Leo. Ned says, what about Leo? and she says she doesn’t care whose blood he is. That boy is her grandson, and she adores him. He says, and the rest of us? and she says, you and yours, that’s all I care about. Above all else. Is she pleased Michael and Drew are at each other’s throats? Of course (🍷) she is. it strengthens their position. Because the only way you’ll come out on top is if you’re standing on everybody else. Right? He says, she’s got a point.

Willow says she and Nina have nothing more to say to each other – ever. She’s going to get back to work. Nina says she knows that she hurt Willow, but she’s never going to stop hoping Willow forgives her someday. Maybe they can start over as mother and daughter. Willow says, Nina can hope all she wants. She’s done. She opens the door, and Nina says she knows Willow means that now and maybe it’s the end of them, but she’ll always be here if Willow needs her. Always. Willow walks out without looking back.

Michael says, Drew has to understand. By the time he found out… Drew says he does understand. He understands Michael more than ever. He tells Carly, let’s go, but she says she needs to talk to her son. He says, okay, and leaves. Michael says, so, where do we go from here?

Tomorrow, Blaze wonders why it feels like Kristina started moving away; Cyrus asks what makes someone think they can trust him; Carly tells Michael, keeping things buried can have unintended consequences; and Drew tells Anna that he might be on to something.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

God help and forgive me. Help me get through this show and forgive my evil thoughts during it. And maybe for even watching it in the first place, at least after LVP left. I expect nasty from Erika, who gave up fighting with others for Lent in exchange for embarrassing them. Kyle and Dorit are both dimbulbs, although I have a margin of sympathy for Dorit’s PTSD and that dolt of a husband’s reaction to it. I’m honestly starting to wonder if the whole Kyle/Mauricio thing isn’t made up just to keep her relevant. He just seems stoned all the time and she looks like a bad actress. The cherry on the Hills cake though is Annemarie. WTF? over and over. She’s practically incoherent in her arguments and apparently doesn’t have the knowledge google gave her. Vent over. Moving on.

Kyle visits Sutton and snoops in her refrigerator. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Sutton not eating much makes sense after seeing what’s in her refrigerator. In Sutton’s interview, she says, had she known Kyle was going to be nosing around her refrigerator, she would have put more food in there. They discuss the Celebration of Life event the night before, and Sutton asks where Mauricio was. Kyle says, he’s in Mexico City, and in her interview, Sutton says, she’s not accepting that excuse. Unless you’re in the hospital or dead, you show up for your wife and your wife’s dead best friend’s family. Kyle says, he’ll be at the Homeless Not Toothless gala, and we flash back to them all murdering the name. Kyle says she wants them to have a home and teeth, and Sutton wonders why they can’t remember the name. She tells Kyle how Garcelle told her that Annemarie was coming for her last night. She likes Annemarie. Why is Annmarie coming for her? Kyle says, Sutton let Annemarie lick her armpit (yuk), and we flash back to things you can’t unsee. Sutton says, Annemarie needs to shut up about her esophagus, and in her interview, Kyle says she’s seen Sutton get in fights over ridiculous things. We flash back to the ugly leather pants debacle, and Kyle says, maybe she’s met her match. Sutton shows Kyle a picture of the house near Barcelona where they’ll be staying, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, it’s been a tumultuous few months. She wants them to take this trip to have fun and remember they love each other. She tells Kyle that she doesn’t want to invite the nurse/doctor. Annemarie owes her an apology. Kyle says she can’t disinvite Annemarie, and Sutton says she won’t, but Annemarie owes her an apology.  

Crystal calls Garcelle and asks what she thought of Kyle’s event. Garcelle says she thought it was beautiful, and Crystal says she was moved. She texted Kyle and said her friend would be grateful. Garcelle says, it was celebratory without being somber, yet it wasn’t such a party you forgot why you came. Crystal says, Annemarie forgot what the event was about. She implied Sutton had an eating disorder. We flash back to that, and Crystal wonders what Annemarie’s end game is. To shame Sutton? In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Sutton isn’t Annemarie’s patient and Annemarie just met her. Leave Sutton and her esophagus alone. Now she’s the esophagus police. Crystal says, Annemarie said she was a doctor when they met, and in Crystal’s interview, she says, they met at a holiday party. She said she was an anesthesiologist, not a nurse anesthetist. She wonders what else Annemarie is lying about. She tells Garcelle that she googled narrow esophagus and it’s very much a thing. Garcelle says, even in medicine, you can’t say something is true 100% of the time. Crystal says, the first thing that came up was that it’s genetic. Sutton said it ran in her family, so that’s good enough for her. In her interview, Crystal says, Annemarie told them that she couldn’t find anything on it, and it took her a minute to google it. Maybe she’s a doctor.

Dorit and PK go to check out the Hilton where the event is being held. In Dorit’s interview, she says, last year, there was a covid surge, so they had to postpone the gala. We flash back to the previous Homeless Not Toothless gala, and Dorit talks to security. PK tells her to trust her people, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thinks the therapy session was beneficial. We flash back to Dorit telling PK what she needs from him, and in her interview, she says, he’s more present. He’s been listening more, and she feels more connected to him. She’s grateful for that. Dorit says, they’re expecting 400 people, and PK says, Paula Abdul and William H. Macy will be there, as well as a surprise they haven’t pulled off yet. He critiques the table décor, and says, it feels daytime. In her interview, Dorit says she loves that PK can say things she wouldn’t. Therapy didn’t solve all their problems, but it’s a good start. She’s hopeful that things are going to get better and better.

Crystal meets her brother Jeff for lunch and tells him about the trip to Ojai. She mentions Sutton licking Kyle’s toe, and Jeff wonders, what are they doing? He says, it was nice being back in Asia. He saw his ex, Vivi, and got some things off his chest. He’s wounded, but not mad. Vivi always felt like she wasn’t accepted by Crystal and their mom, and she’s not wrong. In Crystal’s interview, she says, Jeff’s girlfriends have always found her intimidating; she has a lot of strong opinions and expectations. She was trying to be protective, but realizes her approach was wrong. She tells Jeff that, being an only child, Vivi can’t understand, and Jeff says, true, but another woman in his life was always problematic for her and their mom. The woman in his life will have to accept they’re close, but so will Crystal and their mom. In her interview, Crystal says, she and her brother have always been close. When they were kids, people thought they were twins. When she met Rob, she was nervous that she would no longer be Jeff’s sister because she was a wife and mom, but things never changed. Jeff says he’s planning to spend more time in Asia. He’s going to spend half a year in Bangkok. He can do music or DJ. Crystal wonders if she pushed him too far, but he says he’s not trying to distance himself. He’s taking control of his life. In Crystal’s interview, she says she needs to accept her brother and what he wants, or it will create more of a wedge between them and she’ll lose him forever. Jeff says, their mom did a great job as a mom, and she did a great job as his sister. Their work is done. He makes his own decisions, and they need to trust they did a good job. Trust his judgement.

Everyone gets ready for the Homeless Not Toothless event, and the name is the gift that keeps on giving, since everyone is having lots of laughs over it. Rob is going to an event for The Brave Little Toaster, but he says he’ll meet Crystal later. On the way there, Mauricio asks Kyle about the Celebration of Life event, and she says, she wanted everyone to enjoy themselves, but still address the topic. In Kyle’s interview, she says, it would have meant something for Mauricio to show up, since he was close to Lorene also. We flash back to Lorene’s mother asking about him. She tells Mauricio that she’s going to be doing some traveling of her own. After the Barcelona trip, she’s going to Spain for work. In her interview, she says, he got a taste of his own medicine. She forgot tell him and he doesn’t get a heads up, so oops.

In Dorit’s interview, she says, everything is incredible. It’s exactly how she wanted, and she couldn’t have done it without PK. Erika runs into her dentist and he’s more flirtatious with her than I’d be comfortable with. In Kyle’s interview, she says, when she and Mauricio go to an event, there’s a lot of whispering and watching them. It feels strange. They’re analyzing every move and hand gesture. It’s very weird. Sutton arrives and tells the others that she has a magical esophagus. Don’t talk about her body behind her back. It’s not going to go well. They see Annemarie and call her over.

Annemarie introduces husband Marcellus, and when Sutton says, they’re talking now, she sends him to the bar. Sutton says, Annemarie picked the wrong person, but Annemarie won’t let her talk. Sutton says, excuse me, ma’am, and Annemarie tries to out ma’am her. In Erika’s interview, she says, you have to be careful. Where she’s from, this particular no ma’ am could get you slapped. Annemarie tells Sutton not to yell, when she’s not yelling, but when Sutton says she’s not, Annemarie calls her a liar. Annemarie tends to come in hot in a cartoonish way that’s very unattractive and awkward. She also keeps reminding everyone that she’s a board-certified nurse anesthetist. I’ve heard it four times in five seconds now. Sutton says she has a board-certified doctor, and knows what she has, even though Annemarie said she made it up. Annemarie says she didn’t, and Crystal says, she told them that Sutton lied. We flash back to Annemarie saying that, and Annemarie says she told them it was a potential lie. WTF is a potential lie? This woman is unreal. Everything she gets caught on, she changes around. She accuses Crystal of saying Sutton had an eating disorder, and Crystal asks if she’s out of her mind. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, they haven’t even gotten in the ballroom yet and they’re going at it. People are looking at them. It’s like they’re at the zoo looking at animals and they’re the animals. Sutton says, it was inappropriate to bring it up at Kyle’s event, and once again, Annemarie acts like she did no such thing. Crystal says, Annemarie literally talked two hours about it. She and Garcelle had to leave; it was so annoying. We flash back to the multiple times Annemarie discussed it with various groups of women, and Annemarie says, she was trained to be a critical thinker. Maybe Crystal would understand if she’d gone to med school. Crystal says, Annemarie didn’t go to med school, and Annemarie says, Crystal keeps downplaying her profession. Crystal says, she’s such a bitch, and in Annemarie’s interview, she says, Crystal said she wanted to go to med school – we flash back to that – but her husband wouldn’t have waited. She thinks Crystal resents her being in the medical profession. Crystal is taking out what she didn’t get to do on her. Annemarie says she apologizes for being concerned, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she appreciates Annemarie’s non-apology apology. She’ll take it because she doesn’t want to talk about her esophagus anymore.

Kyle tells Dorit that Annemarie and Sutton were arguing. It was heated, worked up, and elevated. Garcelle joins them, and Kyle says she never saw Crystal like that. She never knew Crystal had it in her. In Kyle’s interview, she says, they’ve wanted Crystal to find her voice, but screaming someone’s a bitch at a black-tie event wasn’t exactly what they were talking about. The women look at the stuff up for silent auction, and Dorit makes sure Sutton isn’t sitting by Annemarie. This teeny tiny old woman all in pink – who not surprisingly goes by the name of Pink Lady – says she appreciates Erika, who’s in Barbiecore, and they take photos. As they sit down at the table, Mauricio says he hears Sutton has an esophagus problem, and in her interview, Sutton says, if Mauricio can come to this, but not to the Celebration of Life event for his wife, that’s messed up. Dorit is introduced and she introduces Paula Abdul, who introduces Taylor Dayne. Taylor sings Tell It to My Heart, Erika sings along with her, and everyone acts stupid, getting up, waving, and hooting. This is really irritating since it’s a gala, not a concert. Afterwards, Sutton tells the women that they’ve got to stop this. Garcelle asks what they do, and Sutton says she likes Annemarie, but she didn’t like Annemarie going behind her back. Annemarie – who apparently cannot admit when she’s wrong – says she already explained. Dorit suggests they go home and take a deep breath. Kyle says, they want only positive energy when they go to Spain.

Everyone packs for Barcelona, and Kyle calls Sutton. She asks what the vibe is, and Sutton says, it’s an old city with cobblestone streets. Kyle says, it won’t stop the women from wearing high heels. Barcelona is not ready for them. Sutton says, there’s angst that needs to be worked out. Kyle’s mission is to tell Annemarie not to talk at them. In Kyle’s interview, she says, the fact that she has to mediate the fight about Sutton’s esophagus at this point is upsetting. But she feels like since she brought Annemarie into the group, she should fix things and play peacemaker. Annemarie calls Kyle and says she’s had time to think and reflect. She feels ridiculous and horrible. Kyle says, it was a lot, and for her to say it’s a lot says a lot. Crystal calls Erika, who says, ooh, Crystal called Annemarie a bitch. Crystal says, Annemarie was calling out Sutton for yelling when she was the one yelling. It didn’t make sense. Erika says, people communicate under stress in different ways. Thank God it wasn’t about her. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Annemarie wants to be right because it’s a medical thing. Kyle tells Annemarie, maybe Spain will be the magic touch, and in her interview, she says, if they can get past their issues, they can have a fun, bonding experience. She’s not holding her breath. Annemarie says, Crystal owes her an apology for mocking her profession, and in her interview, she says she’s proud to be a nurse anesthetist. It’s difficult and challenging. Erika says she’ll be the referee and bring a whistle, and Crystal says, Annemarie might not talk to her. That’s even better. In Erika’s interview, she says, therapy works. It’s expensive, but it works. Kyle tells Annemarie that they don’t want to have these conversations on the plane. They don’t want to be kicked off. Annemarie says she wants to go in happy, positive, and looking forward to the trip.

Annemarie calls Sutton and says she’s coming with her heart in her hands. She’s sorry for her part in everything that happened. Sutton says, her part? and in Sutton’s interview, she says, how about her part being the only part? No ma’am. Annemarie says she’s sorry she pried into something Sutton didn’t want to talk about, but Sutton says she’ll talk about her esophagus all day. Annemarie says she’s sorry she talked… Sutton says, behind her back. She wants Annemarie to come on the trip and she’s looking forward to working it out. Annemarie says she did lick Sutton’s armpit. How many friends can she say that about? (Jeff is right. What are they doing?)

24 hours later. Flashes into the future. Annemarie says, when she met Crystal, Crystal said the women were not intelligent and shallow… Annemarie tells Crystal to bring it down a notch, which doesn’t go over big… Annemarie tells Crystal, thanks for giving her something to talk about and making Crystal’s ass relevant… Sutton says, don’t make the little people come out.

I must admit I’m intrigued about that last one.

To be continued…

❄️ Savoring the Snowflakes…

Hop aboard tomorrow for soap and a Reunion lacking Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay replacing something you borrowed if you broke it or lost it, and stay remembering, therapy is expensive, but it works.

Jan12

January 11, 2024 – A Different Kind Of Memorial For Bobbie, When Charm Reunites & Just

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

If you didn’t need tissues yesterday, get ‘em out today. This is the real memorial.

Anna looks at the hospital memorial wall, when Robert comes along. He says he always thought Bobbie would outlive all of them. Anna says, and now her picture is next to Epiphany’s. This year they’ve had to say goodbye to people who were there for their daughter when they couldn’t be. It just doesn’t seem fair. He says, no, it doesn’t.

At the Koffie Hub in Amsterdam, Carly tells an employee that she’s visiting here from America. Her mom used to meet a colleague here, pretty frequently she thinks. She shows him a photo of her and Bobbie, and says, that’s her mom. Does he recognize her? He says, no, sorry. He can’t help her. Felicia brings some coffee to the table and says, they talked about this. The people who Bobbie worked for do everything they can to keep their sources anonymous because they’re working against some very dangerous people. Carly says, yes, but they’ve been here for hours. What are they supposed to do, just sit here until the mystery person shows up? Felicia says, Tracy followed Carly’s mom here to this café. She said Bobbie was here all hours of the day. The contact has to be here. Carly says, they don’t even know if the contact is a man or a woman, and Felicia says, sometimes in the P.I. business, it’s not about what the person looks like; it’s about knowing what to look for.

At Kelly’s, Maxie is looking at Angela’s business card, when Angela walks in. Maxie says, she’s here. Maxie hugs her and says she was beginning to think she dreamt Angela up. And she just hugged her, which is weird since they just met yesterday. Angela says she really enjoyed talking to Maxie and her mom about Bobbie, and she thinks after all the stories and tears, it’s okay they moved into hug territory. Maxie says, there are plenty of people with memories of Bobbie to share. They’re going to be coming here throughout the day to officially share them for Angela’s article. Angela says, that’s great. The more anecdotes she can get, the better the story will be. Maxie says she appreciates Angela letting her help with her profile on Bobbie. She feels like it’s something she can actually do, especially with her mom and Carly off to Amsterdam. Angela asks if Maxie thinks they’ll be able to find Bobbie’s contact at the rescue organization, and Maxie says she sure hopes so. She’s learned not to doubt either of them. And now they have each other so… argh!

Carly and Felicia sit at separate tables and talk on the phone. Carly says she knows her mom was doing really good work here, and important work, but she still can’t believe she chose to spend Christmas here. She really loved Christmas. Felicia says, Bobbie used to host the best Christmas parties at the brownstone. Even Tony was welcome after they split up. Those parties were so much fun. Carly says she never knew that, and Felicia says, it was a very different time. Carly wasn’t exactly on the invitation list then. Carly says she guesses she wasn’t, and Felicia says, don’t move. Carly asks, who’s here? and Felicia says, don’t turn around. She thinks they just might have found her mom’s contact. We see a woman talking with the employee.

We see Bobbie one last last time – in the credits.

Angela puts her phone on record and thanks Laura for joining them. It’s not every day she gets to sit with the mayor of a major metropolitan city. Laura says, Port Charles is hardly as cosmopolitan as Amsterdam, but she does think it’s a special place to call home. As far as Angela’s article on Bobbie Spencer, Laura doesn’t know how much more she can say that she didn’t already say in her eulogy. Angela tells her, everyone has said such beautiful things about Bobbie, and sometimes in death, people tend to deify a person, forgetting some of their rough spots. She wants to write about all of Bobbie. Laura says, okay, and laughs. They did have some rough spots, especially in the early years. Angela wonders if she can ask why, and Laura says, it’s really the oldest story in the world. They were fighting over a boy. We flash back to when we were all children, and Laura knocks at Scotty’s door, but Bobbie opens it. She says, Laura couldn’t go on treating Scotty like dirt forever. Unless she wanted him to turn to someone else for comfort. She’d invite Laura in, but considering what she and Scotty have in mind for tonight, three is definitely a crowd. Laura tells Angela, looking back on it now, she thinks she and Bobbie butted heads because she was brought up to believe politeness and manners and being sensitive to everyone else’s feelings was the most important thing in the world. Bobbie just said what was on her mind. Back then, it ruffled a few feathers, but now she really wishes they had more people like that. Angela asks if she can be more specific, and Laura says, someone who can listen with a sympathetic ear, but also provide you with a reality check. We flash back to Bobbie telling Laura that she gets how Nikolas came into being. Laura was stuck on that horrible island, married to Stavros, and Stephan was standing under some olive tree, looking at her with those eyes. Then Laura has to wait and see how long she can hold on before she tells Luke the truth. Then what does she say to him? Oh, by the way, I’ve got a kid who’s not yours. Why does she always wait until the house is burning down before she dials 9-1-1? Laura tells Angela that Bobbie was never afraid to be honest with her. She loved her for that.

When the woman and café guy are done talking, Carly says, excuse me. She shows the woman the photo of her and Bobbie and asks if she knows her mom. The woman says she’s sorry. She has to go. Carly says, it’s so important. Her mom passed away.

Sitting at a table with Felicia and Carly, the woman says she’s so sorry Bobbie died. Carly’s mother was a remarkable woman. Felicia says, Bobbie was her best friend. They go way back. Carly says she’s learning there was a whole side to her mother that she didn’t know anything about. How did she get involved with the organization? The woman says, Bobbie was a regular customer here. She’d see her from time to time. You can’t miss that red hair. One day, she was reading an article in the newspaper about a human trafficking sting. She opened up about her own past. She wanted to do more to help. Felicia asks what exactly she did for the organization, and the woman says she and her friends shelter young people escaping from being exploited. Bobbie opened up her home, one person at a time, as a refuge, until the paperwork came through. Carly says, a reporter her mom trusted told them that she was helping a young woman, and the woman says she’s very surprised Carly’s mother would have shared that information. Secrecy is key in their organization. Felicia asks if she knows anything about this young woman, and she says, yes. Her name was Cornelia. Bobbie brought clothes to her. They were concerned that the people she was running from would find her in Amsterdam. So Bobbie said she knew a place Cornelia could stay closer to America until her asylum paperwork came through. Carly asks where Cornelia is now, and the woman says she arranged for Cornelia to board a freighter to Canada, but that was weeks ago. She assumed that Bobbie had successfully gotten Cornelia to America. Carly says, Bobbie passed away here, in Amsterdam.

At Kelly’s, Lucas says, for someone who had a million nicknames in her family, his mom could barely tolerate them. No, scratch that. She hated them. He remembers at one point, his dad started calling him Champ. His mom put her foot down right away. She said, Tony, our son’s name is Lucas. Not Luke, not LL, and certainly not Champ. Of course (🍷) his older sister thought that was the funniest thing in the world. So just to needle their mom, BJ called him Champ until the day she… Anyway, he guesses what he’s trying to say is that his mom was a very principled and strong-willed person. She had no problem standing up for what she believed in, or her family. He flashes back to Bobbie telling Tracy that Lucas is her son. He’s a wonderful young man and she’s very proud of him. And if Tracy ever insults her son again, she’ll bitch slap Tracy all the way to the Canadian border. Tracy says, she’ll what? and Bobbie asks if Tracy would like her to demonstrate. They used to beat up rich girls like her in Florida for sport. It’s one of those street things you never forget, so lay off her kid or she’ll do more damage to Tracy than she ever dreamed of. Lucas tells Angela that he guesses that makes his mom the champ. She was always the one you wanted fighting in your corner.

The woman says, Bobbie told Cornelia to wait for her in a secure location in Canada, but if Bobbie never got the chance to meet up with her… Carly says, that means Cornelia’s been waiting for her mother this whole time, and Felicia says, and Bobbie never got the asylum paperwork to that poor girl seeking asylum into America. Felicia excuses herself and steps away.

Anna’s phone rings, and she tells Robert, it’s Felicia. She answers, saying she heard Felicia ran off to Amsterdam. Felicia says she’s sorry. She doesn’t have a whole lot of time. Does Anna have any contacts in the State Department that would help someone seeking asylum in America? Anna asks if this has to do with the human trafficking rescue, and Robert says, human trafficking? Anna tells Felicia, hold on. Robert’s with her and she’s putting Felicia on speaker. Go ahead. Robert asks, what’s happening? and Felicia says, it’s a long story, but there was someone Bobbie was in the middle of helping when she passed away. Anna says, most of her contacts at the Bureau got burnt when they took away her badge, and Felicia says, just like Frisco. Robert says he has a few contacts, and he’s probably in better standing than Anna right now. Let him make a few calls. Felicia says, that would be great, and thanks him.

Carly says she doesn’t understand. There’s no way to contact Cornelia? The woman says, no. For her safety, the only person who knew she would be waiting for her visa was Carly’s mother. They have no way of contacting her. Felicia comes back and says, Robert and Anna are going to pull some strings to get the asylum paperwork fast-tracked, but Carly says, it doesn’t matter if they can’t track Cornelia down. The woman says, that poor girl is probably freezing to death in some cabin in Canada just waiting for Bobbie to arrive, and Carly asks if she said cabin. The woman says, Carly’s mother once mentioned to her that the people she was helping would be safe in some cabin in the woods. Carly says, oh my God. She knows where Cornelia is.

At Kelly’s, Josslyn asks if Michael remembers when Bobbie went to his wedding to Nelle. Willow says, Nelle was a very unpopular person, and Josslyn says, Grandma Bobbie showed up in a black veil to protest. Michael says, that was one wedding Bobbie didn’t support, and Willow says, Bobbie was nothing but supportive at their wedding. Willow flashes back to saying, Bobbie always made her feel like a part of the family, and Bobbie showing her a beautiful bracelet. Bobbie says, her brother Luke gave this. Luke admired people who had lots of courage, and Willow has an abundance. She puts the bracelet on Willow, and Willow says, this means so much to her. Bobbie says, and Willow means so much to all of them. Willow tells Angela that she didn’t grow up in a big, extended family like Michael and Josslyn did, but with Bobbie, she made sure you knew you finally found one.

Robert says, that was an ordeal, and Anna asks if he had any success. He says he called in every favor he ever had. A friend of his at State is waiting for their call as soon as they hear from Felicia. Anna says, those human trafficking people are dangerous. She hopes Felicia and Carly aren’t in too much trouble.

In a car, presumably in Canada, Felicia asks if Tracy said how far from the border Luke’s cabin is, but Carly tells her, she said she’d never been. Felicia says she still doesn’t have cell service, so an ETA on the map is out, and Carly says, this is the most she’s traveled in 48 hours. How about Felicia? Felicia says she used to be married to Frisco Jones. A lot of traveling came with that deal. Carly says, at the very least, this is the most time they’ve spent together. Why does she think that is? It’s kind of crazy she hasn’t spent much time with her mom’s best friend. Unless it’s not that crazy to her. Felicia says, about what she said earlier… Carly says, look out! and the car swerves.

Out of the car, Felicia checks a cut on Carly’s forehead, but Carly says, a couple bandages will fix it up. She’s just glad they didn’t hit that deer. Felicia says, that wasn’t a deer they almost hit; that was a moose. (Seriously? Carly didn’t know the difference? Those moose are big.) Carly says, Felicia’s got to be kidding her, and Felicia says she’s just glad they’re in one piece. Has Carly ever changed a tire before? Carly says, more than she’d like to remember, but it’s been a while, and Felicia says, it’s like riding a bike. You never forget how.

Scotty says he’s sure everyone has told Angela how optimistic and upbeat Bobbie was, and she certainly was. She didn’t take any guff from anyone. Not her bosses, anyone who looked down on her, and she certainly didn’t take it from him. He flashes back to telling Bobbie that he can explain, but she says, there’s no explanation that would make her understand why he’d cause havoc at a hospital he represents. He says, there wasn’t any havoc, only a couple of disturbances. Nobody was hurt… She says, it was a hospital. There could have been a panic. People could have been killed. What’s the matter with him? So his precious Medic Tech can come in and take over? He says, she knows a lot about this stuff, huh? and she asks if he thought she was just some stupid roll in the hay. Don’t ever touch her again. He tells Angela, Bobbie did mellow over the years. She became the best damn nurse at General Hospital. However, she could still throw words around. Lucy says she can attest to that, and flashes back to saying, Bobbie doesn’t have Noah, so she’s going after Scotty again. Bobbie says, Lucy just had to head that off at the pass, didn’t she? She had to make a point to Scotty. She had to make a point to her. Just like when Lucy sicced Damien Smith on her. Lucy says, wait a minute. That is not what happened. Bobbie says, let her finish. So this, Lucy, is karma. Angela says, for someone who didn’t get along all that well with Bobbie, to keep showing up for her, it’s almost like they were the original frenemies. Lucy says, that sounds right. She guesses that is a good way to describe them. Angela asks why Lucy thinks that is, and Lucy says, Bobbie’s daughter BJ was very special to her. Angela asks if she can elaborate, and Lucy’s voice breaks as she tells Angela that she’s heard it said, if you want a true test of someone’s character, it’s not in taking stock of their friends. It’s taking stock of their rivals. So if she’s walked through this life with Bobbie Spencer as her worthy adversary, she guesses she’s one very lucky woman.

Felicia says, Carly was right, and Carly says, not that she doesn’t love hearing that, but about what? Felicia says, Carly is her best friend’s daughter, and it was no accident they never became close, because she was there when Carly first came to Port Charles. She destroyed Bobbie’s life and not for nothing, Tony was her family too, so Carly didn’t just break up a marriage. It was two people she considered to be her home base. Carly says she never thought of it like that, and Felicia says, but she does. Bobbie was so distraught about the affair Carly had with Tony; it was her shoulder Bobbie cried on. And it was really hard to watch her friend get her heart shattered. So she guesses she has a little bit of resentment. And as she says it out loud, it feels a little embarrassing because it was decades ago. She knows that Bobbie forgave Carly because Carly was her daughter, but it was hard for her to let go because she’s always had this protective streak for her best friend. And she’s so sorry. Carly says, don’t be. She gets it. And she’s not blameless in this distance between them. She’s close to Maxie. Felicia was gone a lot and she saw what that did to Maxie. Then she came back, and Maxie forgave her, and she judged Felicia. Felicia says she gets that too. Well, if Bobbie can forgive Carly and Maxie can forgive her, maybe it’s high time they forgive each other. Carly says she likes that idea, and Felicia says, who knows? Maybe this was part of Bobbie’s big plan to find a way to bring her daughter and her best friend a little bit closer. Carly says, it would be just like her, and Felicia says, she liked to meddle. They laugh, and Carly says she thinks maybe they should lean on each other. Few people were as close to Bobbie as they were. Felicia gives the nut one more turn and says, they have a new tire. Shall we, partner? She holds out her hand, and Carly takes it, saying, we shall.

Elizabeth tells Angela that she didn’t talk about it at the funeral because it wasn’t the time or place, but when she was a teenager and fairly new to Port Charles, she was sexually assaulted. And Bobbie came to her and took care of her, because that’s who she was. Kind and compassionate and always ready to offer her empathy. Oh, her sons don’t know about her attack. Does Angela think they could keep this in the spirit of Bobbie’s kindness and leave out the details of her past? Angela says, yes, of course (🍷). She totally understands. Elizabeth thanks her, and says, at the time of her assault, she was living with her grandmother, and she did not know how to deal with that. She flashes back to Bobbie saying, when a woman has been raped, she needs very special, very specific attention paid to her feelings because she’s been traumatized, and her body because she may have been hurt. That’s the most important thing. She came prepared for any eventuality because she promised her nephew that she’d take good care of Elizabeth. Elizabeth tells Angela that she was really confused, but Bobbie never made her feel ashamed. Angela says she’s glad Bobbie was there to help Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says, her too. Bobbie was the one who told her, even though she survived something traumatic, that she was the one in charge of how she let that define her. And Bobbie offered her love and support, and it inspired her to send that love back out in the world by helping others. When she was younger, she thought she was going to be a painter. She loved to paint – she still loves to paint – but her true passion became healing others, just like it was Bobbie’s. She never takes for granted walking across GH’s tenth floor, when she’s walking in Bobbie’s footsteps.

Walking on a path through the woods, Felicia says she finally has cellphone service, now that they don’t need GPS, and Carly says, this is definitely the right address. Felicia says, nothing to do now but knock on the door, and Carly says, let’s do this. They go onto the porch of a cabin, and Carly knocks on the door. She listens, and Felicia asks if there are any noises inside, but Carly says she doesn’t hear anything. Felicia says, knock again, and Carly does, calling, Cornelia! Cornelia, please open up. They’re here to help her. They’re friends. They door opens and a young woman peeks out. Carly asks if she’s Cornelia, and she says, who wants to know? Carly says, they’re friends and they’ve come to take her someplace safe. Cornelia comes out brandishing a shovel, and Carly and Felicia jet off the porch. Cornelia takes a swing, but misses.

Carly says, please don’t do that. She has picture on the phone in her pocket. She can prove that they’re friends. Cornelia says she doesn’t care who they claim to be, she’s not going back, but Carly says she promises it’s okay. Still holding up the shovel, Cornelia asks how they know her name. How did they know she was here? Carly says, because they were sent by a friend and they’re here to help her. She promises Cornelia is safe. Cornelia sees the B on Carly’s necklace and says, that’s Bobbie’s necklace. Why is she wearing it? Carly says, because Bobbie’s her mom. She has a picture of them together on her phone. Can she pull her phone out of her pocket? Cornelia says, yes… slowly, and Carly takes out her phone, showing Cornelia the picture. Cornelia cries and says she doesn’t understand. Bobbie was supposed to meet her here. Why didn’t she come? She lowers the shovel, and Carly says, Bobbie died. She’s so sorry her mom had Cornelia waiting here, but she wants Cornelia to know that they know her story and she’s safe now. Carly promises her that. Felicia says she can back up everything Carly just said because Bobbie is her best friend. She can trust Bobbie’s daughter just like she can trust Bobbie. Cornelia drops the shovel and falls into Carly’s arms. Carly hugs her tight.

Anna’s phone rings, and she tells Robert, it’s Felicia. Felicia says, know the favor she and Robert called in? She thinks they’re ready for it now. Behind her, Cornelia and Carly sit at the table in the cabin, talking.

As they walk out of Kelly’s, Angela says she can’t believe Maxie went to all that trouble to arrange that so she could speak to some people who loved Bobbie. Maxie says, it’s not like she had to twist anyone’s arm. The people Angela spoke with love Bobbie. They all miss her so much. Angela says, is Maxie kidding her? The hardest part now is going to be deciding which stories to include, there were so many. Maxie says, Angela is going to send her a copy when it’s done, right? and Angela says, of course (🍷). She just has to say, it’s been really great getting to know Maxie. Maxie says she hopes Angela is staying in town for a while. She was hoping they could hang out. She thinks they have a lot in common. Angela says she thinks so too, but her bosses said she could only stay in Port Charles for so long. Maxie says, those kind of bosses are the worst, and Angela says, but she promises that Maxie will be seeing her around. Maxie says, okay. Don’t forget to send her that article. Angela leaves, as Maxie’s phone rings, and she says, hang on. It’s her mom. But Angela is gone. She says, mom?…

Maxie runs into the hospital and sees Felicia and Carly. She runs to Felicia and says she’s so glad she’s okay. She hugs Felicia, and Elizabeth says, why doesn’t Carly let her check out that cut. Carly says, that would be great, and goes with her.

In an exam room, Elizabeth tends to Carly’s forehead and says, Robert and Anna told her what Carly’s been up to. It sounds like quite an adventure. They went out of their way to help a stranger. Carly says, yeah, but her mom was the one who helped Cornelia. She and Felicia just got her across the finish line. Elizabeth says, either way, she’s sure Carly’s mom is very proud of her. She puts a bandage on Carly and says, she’s good to go. Carly thanks her and says, Elizabeth offered to paint the new sign for Kelly’s. Elizabeth says, the offer still stands, but Carly says she has something else in mind.

At Maxie’s house, Felicia finds Maxie digging through her bag and asks, what’s going on? Maxie says she thought Felicia would have slept in after all the international travel she’s done in the last two days, and Felicia says she’s jetlagged for sure. Maxie didn’t have to let her sleep in her bed last night. Maxie says, after what she and Carly pulled off, completing Bobbie’s last rescue? They’re heroes to her. Giving up her bed was the least she could do. Felicia says she appreciates it. What is Maxie searching for? Maxie says, does she remember that journalist from Amsterdam, Angela Brighton? She gave Maxie her business card and Maxie wanted to email her, let her know that Felicia and Carly found the woman Bobbie was helping. She thought that would be a great ending for her article, but she can’t find Angela’s business card anywhere. (Are you thinking what I’m thinking?) Felicia asks if she possibly threw it out, but Maxie says, absolutely not. She remembers putting it in her wallet, but it’s not in there. She seriously can’t find it. She’s starting to think it disappeared. Felicia says, maybe she can track Angela down online. She knows Angela’s name and knows the organization she works for. Maxie says she did that already. There’s no mention of her online anywhere. Felicia says, maybe it’s a different spelling, and Maxie says she supposes she could have spelled it incorrectly. Felicia says, let her help. She’ll start tracking Brighton down. Maxie asks if she hasn’t done enough sleuthing for the week, but Felicia says, it’s just a phone call. Hardly life in the fast lane. She’ll see Maxie soon. She leaves, and Maxie gets on her laptop.

Carly looks at the sign along with Lucas and Laura, and Elizabeth says, well? What does everyone think? Laura says, it’s beautiful. She loves it. She thinks the people of Port Charles are going to love it. (Somehow, I think she means us.) Lucas says, it’s perfect, and Carly agrees. She says, it’s so perfect. This place has always been a comfort to everyone and a safe haven to anyone who needs it. Now that her mom’s gone, people need to know that’s still true.

On the phone, Felicia asks if this is the Associated Press in Amsterdam, and a woman says, yes, it is. How can she help Felicia? Felicia says she’s hoping to get a message to one of their reporters, Angela Brighton. The woman says, I’m sorry. Who? Felicia says, Angela Brighton. She was doing a profile on Felicia’s best friend Bobbie Spencer, who unfortunately passed away while she was visiting their city. The woman says she’s sorry. She’s been here for years and nobody by that name has ever worked here.

Lucas says he has to go catch his flight, and Carly says she hates that he has to leave. They hug, and she says, please don’t be a stranger. She loves him. He says he loves her too, and leaves. He sees Angela in the courtyard and says, people are looking for her. She saved the day. She says she’d love to celebrate with them, but she has to go back home. He thanks her and she says, anytime. He turns to leave, and she adds, Champ. He stops and turns around, but she’s gone.

Felicia looks stunned, and flashes back to BJ saying she wants her mommy and daddy and wants to go back home. She hugs BJ. In the present, she says, oh my God. That was Barbara Jean. She laugh/cries.

Maxie sees No Results for Angela Brighton on Spyder-Finder and says she doesn’t understand. Brighton is a journalist. How could she not have any online presence? She slams the laptop shut and gets up. She puts her hand to her chest and says, BJ’s heart. Felicia walks in and Maxie says, BJ? They hug.

Laura asks if Carly would like some company, but Carly says she thinks she’d like to spend some time by herself. She and Laura hug, and Laura leaves with Elizabeth. Alone, Carly says, oh, mom. You lived such an incredible life. You’re an amazing woman. I hope I brought you some peace – she touches her necklace – because that’s what you gave me, and everyone else. She flashes back to telling Bobbie that she’s really grateful for the relationship they have now and Bobbie saying, her too. Carly says, and you did it. A nursing degree – we see Bobbie as a young nurse, saying she graduated at the top of her class – a family – we see Bobbie with Lucas, and then with BJ on life support, saying BJ is the daughter she prayed for, except BJ went beyond her wildest expectations. We see Bobbie kissing BJ goodbye and saying she loves her, then BJ flatlining. We flash back to Bobbie telling Maxie, you want to forget the good times and the bad, because you think you can’t go on, but you can. I did. She reminds Maxie that BJ lives on in her and they hug. We flash back to Bobbie leaving a frantic message for Luke to call and Laura telling her, Luke is gone, and hugging her. We flash back to Carly introducing Bobbie at the Nurses Ball. This amazing, beautiful woman has been helping people for the past 45 years. We see Bobbie telling Carly that she’s here for her. We flash back to Scotty saying, they’ve had a number of flings over the years, and later asking Bobbie to marry him. She asks if he’s insane. We see them clinking spoons and sharing an ice cream cake; and Scotty saying, they’ve still got their friendship and he hopes she doesn’t forget that.

Carly goes outside, looks at the sign, and smiles. She gets on a stepladder and hangs it.

Felicia and Maxie hug, and Maxie puts her hand on her heart. Felicia puts her hand over it.

Carly looks up at the sign, smiles, and goes back inside. We see it says Bobbie’s, and we hear Carly say, you should be so proud of yourself. I’m extremely proud of you, mom. Bobbie says, thank you, honey, and we hear BJ’s heartbeat.

Tomorrow, Esme asks Spencer to do something for her; Robert tells Diane, it sounds like a threat; Ava tells Nina that when Sonny feels betrayed, he’s downright dangerous; and Stella wants to spread the good news.

Southern Charm – Reunion – Part 1

I always hate Reunions because inevitably, people all talk at once and you can’t understand what any of them are saying. And there’s usually yelling. A lot of it.

I hate JT already and we’re not even out of the dressing room. Shep gives the advice to never interfere with your opponent when he’s making mistakes. It’s rude.

Andy does the usual welcomes. We find out Paige heavily influenced Craig’s choice of wardrobe, but everyone looks great. JT says he’s performing the first f***boy exorcism on Austen, and Shep says, the power of JT compels you. Andy suggests JT scale it back; they’re just starting. Andy asks who thinks pandas are real, and Taylor says she’s questioning it now. We flash back to Craig broaching the subject and Craig says he thinks it’s people in suits, but the way he’s smiling, I think he’s just goofing around with this conspiracy theory stuff. Andy asks about Madison’s long-distance marriage, and they talk about Austen’s lack of enthusiasm for Brett, and Brett being a stepdad. Andy asks about the bully that picked on Hudson, and Madison says, the parents weren’t home, but she spoke in the Ring camera. The mother has taken care of the situation. Venita says, Madison has a grown woman aura now, and Andy asks if Shep is inspired to settle down. He says, he doesn’t know if that’s in the cards for him; he’s a restless person. Leva says some of the things she thought would be monotony are things she looks forward to now, and Shep says, being with Taylor was his happiest time, but Taylor says she’s good with them as friends. Andy asks about Austen calling Madison a bored housewife, and JT gives a side-eye so hard, his eyes are going to slide out of his head. JT says, blah-blah-blah, and Austen says, JT is Commonus [sic] (he means Commodus) of Gladiator. He suggests JT look at himself, but JT is too obsessed with Austen for that possibility.

JT babbles about Austen during the break. When they reconvene, Andy says, Craig did the impossible, being a man in Charleston who wanted to settle down. JT asks if Craig likes bondage, which isn’t anything I needed to know, but Craig says, light bondage, and there’s some spirited sex talk. Andy questions Shep’s ability to satisfy a woman, and Shep says, every girl’s finish line is finicky and crazy. In other words, he doesn’t want to put in any work. Taylor says she could count on one hand when she was satisfied. Shep… What difference does it make? Moving on. Andy asks about the pillow business, and Craig says he’s turned it into an eight-figure business, with 30 employees who have health insurance. Bravo, Craig! Andy asks who thinks Paige will ever move to Charleston, and Austen, Madison, and Olivia raise their hands. Madison says she doesn’t think full-time though. Shep says, it’s hard to have a relationship on camera and thinks Craig is strategic. Craig says, he’s not, but there have been times they didn’t want to deal with the group. They had experiences with Shep that weren’t great, and he doesn’t think their relationships are similar. Shep says he thinks he and Taylor would be married and he’d be a different person if it weren’t for the cameras. Taylor says she agrees, but thinks he’s right about it not being in the cards for him. Shep says she was right about a lot of things in her analysis of him, and he’s realized a lot of things they need to talk about. Ugh. Are they getting on that roller coaster again?

Andy says, Taylor was single, unfettered, and unfiltered this season. Was she finding her voice or losing her manners? He asks why Taylor was so emo around Shep, and she says, it was out of sight, out of mind, and when Shep came back from his travels, it was a rehash of emotions. She thought she’d moved forward, but she hadn’t. Her dildo gift to Madison is discussed, and Madison says, maybe Taylor needed it more. Taylor says she was trying to be funny, but Madison says it was Taylor’s first time meeting her husband. If it had been her bachelorette, bring on all the dildos you want. She’s not wrong. She suggests putting one in Shep’s mouth to shut him up. Hmm… I think I missed something. Andy brings up Taylor’s nakey photo, and says, why Whitney? Taylor says she asked herself that the next morning, but she’d heard he was hanging with Shep, and she was being petty. Andy doesn’t like that she was shamed for it, and Craig thinks it’s f***ed up that Whitney showed anyone. Venita says, they didn’t shame her for the photo, but that she sent it to someone in their friend circle. Madison says, Whitney’s girlfriend is the one who told Patricia, and Taylor says someone should tell her that Whitney hooks up with every girl in Charleston. Shep says he doesn’t want to see his girlfriends in that way, so I guess he’s that saint in the living room/whore in the bedroom type. JT can’t believe Shep doesn’t like getting nudes and can’t get girl to the finish line, and Shep offers to show him a list of satisfied customers. Taylor insists the photo wasn’t explicit, and Leva says she doesn’t want to throw Taylor under the bus, but she saw it. She saw the whole thread. I don’t know what it is about Leva. I liked her at first, but there’s a wicked look in her eye when she meddles. I think it’s less out of concern for others than for her own stirring the pot.

Leva tells Taylor that the text said, come eff me in Nashville, and Taylor asks, when was she in Nashville? She has no receipts because she deleted everything from Whitney, and Andy asks how Leva saw it. Leva said she’d asked Whitney why he showed all the guys, and he said he was embarrassed. Craig says, Whitney isn’t here to answer for it, when he’s the villain, but it’s weird Taylor was sexting a friend. JT says, grace needs to be given to people grieving, and Olivia says she’s tired of hearing it. Taylor says she made a mistake, but she’d never say it’s because of Shep. Andy says, Shep seems to have guilt over it, and Shep says he brought her into this. A viewer says, when Shep takes responsibility for what Taylor does, it robs her of her agency, but Shep says he takes pride in her development. Taylor says, he can’t be responsible for her, and Andy mentions Taylor’s new boyfriend Gaston, who’s from Republic, since these people can’t stop being incestuous. Shep says he met Gaston at BravoCon, and Leva thinks Shep sounds like a dad. Shep says, Gaston upset Taylor, but Taylor says, Gaston was upset because Shep greeted her by slapping her on the ass. Shep says, that’s not how he says hello, and Andy asks if he was drunk. Shep says he was, Andy asks how he knows then, and Shep admits he doesn’t. Andy says, Shep told him that he had something on his mind that he wanted to say to the group, and we see a clip of Shep telling Andy that he’d love to go on a ramble. Andy thinks this would be a great time to ramble, and Shep says he’s glad everyone is here. This is sort of a mea culpa. He’s at a crossroads and BravoCon was the impetus. He was out of control drunk in Las Vegas and doesn’t remember much. That scared the sh*t out of him. Andy asks him to explain what happened, but Shep says he can’t. He was blacked out. He was drinking margaritas and drank more when they did Watch What Happens Live. Andy says he saw Austen trying to take care of Shep and trying to make him presentable, but Shep didn’t even realize he was doing it. He was being a real friend. Austen says, it’s not the first time, and Craig says, that’s why he and Austen didn’t go to the meeting when Shep asked to talk to all his friends. It’s happened 17 times. The road Shep is on ends off a cliff, and he can’t be in that car anymore. After BravoCon, it was dark, and Craig realized he had to be okay with Shep ruining his life. They’ve been here before.

Shep says, they don’t owe him anything, and Austen says he’s been Shep’s best friend and been there for him. JT is like, WTF? forgetting that he just got here, and Shep says he’d love Austen’s support and help anytime. Andy says, it sounds like Austen and Craig have been doing that and they’re at the end of their rope. Craig says, Shep has to put some effort in, and Shep says he’s in a headspace to make major changes. He might start with not talking like he’s from the 1960s. He says, the other guys have a podcast and Craig has pillows, but he has nothing. How is he of value? Physiologically, he can’t do the same things he used to. His mind and body are telling him, no. He’s listening to his body and mind, and mixing it with fear, but he was Mr. Fun and has a reputation. Craig says he misses it, but doesn’t miss what Shep is feeling now. Andy wonders what Shep is doing about it. Has he quit drinking? Shep says he’s just drinking beer, and Andy is pretty certain they’ve heard that before too. Craig says he didn’t drink liquor for two years and now he doesn’t drink at all now. Watching Shep was a lesson. He was asked if anything could be done to salvage the friendship, and he said if Shep did one thing he’s be there, but Shep is too proud to turn off this road. Shep says he’s lost his pride, and Andy asks Taylor’s reaction. She says she’s happy because she knows the real Shep. He feels empty and overcompensates by acting like an idiot. Shep says that Taylor would tell him that he thought he was a rockstar and she was right. Andy asks for Venita’s reaction, since she also got here five minutes ago, and Venita says, it’s a lot to admit on a large stage. She knows he must have been thinking that way for a long time, and he has to cut the alcohol out completely for a true change. Leva says, Shep needs to want something more. Find the things he wants more, like marriage or a career. Shep says, stay tuned. He thinks he can do it. Andy says, he has a lot of support, and Shep thanks everyone for listening. Craig and Austen look like they don’t believe it. As they leave for a break, Shep thanks Andy for the platform and Andy tells him that he needs to relitigate his relationship with alcohol.

Still on break, Shep tells Taylor that he wanted to say those things to her privately, and she says she’s happy about it. He jokingly tells her to quit telling people he’s bad in bed. Back onstage, Andy says, Shep spent time with Austen in Australia, and Shep says, they had moments they could have talked. Andy asks how Shep would have reacted had Austen told him about Taylor, and Shep says he would have thanked Austen for being honest, then try to process it. Austen says he’s sorry. He thought it was a non-factor. Nothing came of it and it was going nowhere. Shep says, Austen told him that he wouldn’t have gotten with Taylor if he came along first, and it was arrogant, but Madison agrees with Austen. Olivia says, that’s probably how it should have went [sic] down. They should give shot since they made a mess of things anyway. Taylor says, Shep captivated her and she wasn’t interested, and Leva says, Taylor keeps thinking about the moment, but she lied to all of them for a long time. Taylor says she understands the severity of the betrayal, and Craig says, if they had the desire, they shouldn’t have even gotten close. Andy explains, it was the cover-up, not the crime, and Olivia says, Taylor acts like it’s their fault for not understanding. Taylor lied so many times, and Olivia didn’t hop on the forgiveness wagon. Taylor tells her that she never said that, and Olivia says, shut up. Taylor says, forgive as you want to be forgiven, and Olivia tells her, go ahead and say it. Andy says, Taylor seems to be implying Olivia did something, and Taylor says, to a friend and confident. Olivia outs herself by saying she slept with Thomas. She was fresh out of college, and it was a dumb choice on a drunken night. She wanted to take it to her grave. Who wouldn’t? I can agree with her there, but I don’t think I’d ever be that drunk. Olivia says, Madison mentioned it last year, and we flash back to the Reunion. Yes, she did. Olivia says, afterward, she thanked Taylor for sticking up for her, and told Taylor that something did happen. Taylor was the only person she told. Andy asks why Olivia needs to be forgiven, and Taylor says, Kathryn was her friend. It was after baby number two. Andy asks if she was with Thomas, but Olivia says she doesn’t think so. Taylor’s been chomping at the bit to use it, and not only is she a sh*t friend, she’s a sh*t human too. Andy says, we’ll leave it there.

While I’m not suggesting Olivia hop on the forgiveness wagon if she doesn’t want to, Madison is really the one who outed her if anyone was paying attention. And if no one was, Olivia is the one who brought it up and outed herself. So in saying it’s Taylor’s fault, Olivia is once again calling the kettle black.

Next time, Rod and Rodrigo make an appearance; Shep gets a call; JT wants Craig to hold Austen accountable; and Andy asks Olivia why Austen gets a pass and not Taylor.  

Happy 17th Birthday, Sir Marco of PeeWee, Last Born in the Line of Juliet!

🪱 Wiggling It Just a Little Bit…

Kiki with me tomorrow, when there will be soap, a little bit of this, and a little tea about that. Until then, stay safe, stay letting someone know when you’re proud of them, and stay being in charge of how you let your experiences define you.