Tag Archives: BravoTV

December 4, 2023 – Two Romantic Resolutions In Port Charles, Captain Sandy Isn’t Happy On Deck & Nights

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Lois looks over Ned’s shoulder while he’s on the computer and says, three million, four hundred and fifty-nine thousand. He says he didn’t hear her come in, and she says, that’s because he was focused on the numbers. He says, these are figures on a deal Michael closed with an Australian company, RCD. Michael and Drew insist it’s a good deal, but he’s not so sure. She says, that’s because his numbers are off by eight hundred and twelve thousand.

In the nook, Chase asks Brook what she’d say are three most important moments in her life, and she says, when she scored Jonas Brothers tickets in 2010, but he says he’s being serious. She says, heavy question. Okay. The last time she ever saw her great-grandfather Edward, the first time she wrote a song, and… when she gained a little brother in Leo. He says he wants this moment right now to be on that list, and she asks what he’s talking about. He gets down on one knee and says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine, will you marry me? She says, he really doesn’t have to do this.

Going into Molly’s apartment, Kristina tells her to sit down and let her get Molly a drink. What would she like? Another glass of wine? A pot of coffee? Molly says, Kristina doesn’t have to baby her like this, and there’s silence for a moment. Kristina says, it just got really awkward, and Molly asks if she’s sure she wants to be the surrogate for her and TJ.

Kelly’s is closed, but Josslyn walks in, and Carly asks what she’s doing here. Is everything okay? Josslyn says she got Carly’s text that she was covering for Amber, and she knows Amber usually closes, so she came to see if she could help with anything. Carly says, she’s thoughtful, and her timing is great, and Josslyn asks what she can help with. Carly says, a lot, but clean-up can wait. She has an update on Josslyn’s grandmother.

Nina asks Sonny if Ava was right. Is Cyrus after him? Is his life in danger? Sonny says, they’ve gone over this how many times? Threats exist in his business, and he’s going to take care of it like he always does. He just doesn’t want her to worry. She says, if his life is in danger, of course (🍷) she’s going to worry. They’re married. They’re in this together. And yes, she realizes there’s a certain amount of danger in his business, but this ruthless man just got released from prison, and he still might be after Sonny? And Sonny doesn’t want to discuss it with her?

Carly gives Josslyn a bowl of ice cream, and Josslyn asks if she’s softening bad news with it or are they celebrating good news with dessert? Carly says, they’re burying frustrations with a treat, and Josslyn asks, what’s going on with grandma? Carly says, she called from Amsterdam. Josslyn knows how her grandmother is always happy and upbeat. She is drowning in red tape. Surprise, surprise, Luke didn’t have his papers in order. Josslyn says, shocking, and Carly says, that man never met a form he wanted to fill out or a tax document he wanted to file. (To be fair, have any of us?) Josslyn says, so he left her with this mess? and Carly says, oh yeah. She said she’ll probably have to stay away longer. Josslyn asks if Tracy didn’t go over there to help her, and Carly says, Tracy’s there full of opinions and insisting that she knew what Luke would have wanted. She’s basically driving Carly’s mother crazy. Josslyn says, Tracy can be tough, but her money’s on grandma, and Carly says, hers too.

Sonny says, he’s been very clear from the beginning. There are things in his business that he can’t tell Nina. She says, he can’t discuss it with her because he doesn’t want her to be implicated if whatever he’s involved in gets investigated by the police, and he says, it’s for her own protection. Look what happened to Carly even after they were divorced. Nina asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the SEC investigation? It wasn’t about insider trading. They were trying to squeeze Carly to get her to give up information on him. Nina flashes back to telling Martin to go out all and expose Drew and Carly for insider trading, and to make sure to keep her name out of it. She tells Sonny that she wants to make one thing clear. Her situation is nothing like Carly’s.

Molly says, Dr. Navarro reminded her that there’s always a chance of miscarriage. What if it happens to Kristina? Kristina says, then they’ll survive it, and Molly says, there are possibilities of other complications too. Kristina will be taking a chance with her own health. Kristina tells her, take a breath. There are no guarantees of course (🍷) with an easy, successful pregnancy or a delivery, but the odds are in her favor. It’s the right timing and she’s in good healthy mostly, and she really wants to do this. TJ comes in and says he didn’t expect to see Kristina here, but welcome. Kristina says she’s heading out, but she’ll see them later. She leaves, and in the hallway, she gets a text from Blaze: R u around? Kristina texts back: Just leaving my sister’s, and Blaze asks: Can I see u? Kristina texts: Meet me at my place. 27 S. Patton, apt 3B.

TJ says he’s been thinking a lot about their last conversation, and Molly says, her too. She wants him to hear her out first.

Ned tells Lois that he was hoping to find some discrepancy in the numbers, but he’ll have to find another way to blow up this deal. She asks why he’d want to do that, and he says he was right in the middle of his own negotiations with RCD when he took that damn fall at the MetroCourt pool. She says, and woke up as Eddie Maine, a dedicated musician whose only interest was in performing and didn’t want anything to do with ELQ. He says, which gave Michael the exact opening to swoop in and renegotiate the deal for completely different terms than he’d been working on. And to top it all off, Michael closed the deal without even checking with him. She asks how Michael could check with him. He was Eddie Maine. What does he think Eddie would have said if Michael tried to talk to him about a business deal? He says, it doesn’t matter. Michael wasn’t even working for ELQ. He’s a shareholder, nothing more. He had no right to go behind Ned’s back and close that deal. Lois says, that makes no sense.

Chase tells Brook, he doesn’t have to do this? That’s so not the answer he was hoping for. She asks him to stand up, and says, he’s the sweetest man she’s ever known, and she loves him like crazy, but he doesn’t have to ask her to get married just because her mom and grandma are stuck on the subject. He says, that’s not why he asked her to marry him.

Molly tells TJ that she ran into Dr. Navarro leaving the hospital. She’d heard about Andrea’s miscarriage, and her reaction was that miscarriages aren’t uncommon, and she reminded Molly of all the people who’ve had children through surrogacy that wouldn’t have otherwise. It really resonated with her. So she ended up taking that meeting with Claire Brown, the matching professional, and Claire presented her with new potential surrogate candidates for them. But then she ran into her mom, and her advice was, whatever they choose to do, it has to be a mutual decision. And she knows her mom was right, so she only wants to explore new surrogates – if he’s totally open to it too.

Kristina says, sorry to keep Blaze waiting, but Blaze says she just got here. Kristina opens the apartment door and says, welcome to her humble home. Blaze says, nice and cozy, and Kristina says she’s glad Blaze likes it. She likes it too. Beautiful building and view, but the thing she likes best about it is, she pays her rent all by herself. Blaze says she can tell that really means something to Kristina, and Kristina says, it does. Both of her parents are super successful, and she spent plenty of time running around as a trust fund kid, which was fun in the short term, but she didn’t like the person she’d become. She knows managing Charlie’s isn’t very glamorous, but it’s where she got her head screwed on straight. It’s good, honest work, and she’s really proud of herself for standing on her own two feet. She really likes this version of herself better. Blaze says she can’t speak to who Kristina was in the past, but she likes this version of Kristina now a lot. So what does Kristina think? She takes a bottle of champagne out of her bag and says, time to celebrate?

Brook tells Chase that she knows her mom and grandma can be a lot. They have the subtlety of a freight train. He says he thought they were great, but she says, come on. Can he honestly say that the idea of marrying her ever came into his mind before her grandma’s lecture on marriage? Then her mom has to pile on top of it with her Chase-you-make-my-kid-happy speech. He says, so what her mom said wasn’t true? He doesn’t make her happy? She says, he makes her incredibly happy. Happy with their life together in his apartment. Happy that he accepts her for exactly who she is. Happy that he has a really great sense of humor about her family, both sides. But don’t let them pressure him into asking her to marry him. They can just take that topic off the table and forget it was even brought up. Okay? He says, nope, it’s not okay. It’s too late to take marriage off the table. He takes out a ring box and shows her a gorgeous round diamond ring that no doubt someone helped him pick out. Maybe his ring guy. She asks what he’s doing.

Josslyn asks if she told Carly about Adam, the kid that lives down the hall from her, but Carly says, nope. Josslyn says, he’s in her Organic Chem class, so they study together sometimes. Like ten minutes into this test, he starts freaking out. He starts hyperventilating and looking like he’s going to faint, so the TA had to stop the exam. Carly asks if he had a panic attack, and Josslyn says, that’s what it looked like, so she volunteered to take him to GH. Carly says, poor guy, and Josslyn says, he told her that he took some sort of medication to help him focus and he took an extra dose before this test. That’s why he thinks he had a panic attack. Carly asks what Josslyn thinks.

Nina tells Sonny, Carly did commit insider trading. When she bought that Aurora stock, she did so because she had privileged information that ELQ and Aurora were going to merge. That is why Carly and Drew got into trouble. It’s just unfortunate that the FBI and SEC were trying to use that as leverage to get Carly to flip on Sonny. He says, she’s missing the point. The FBI knew Carly had information because when he was in Nixon Falls, Carly was running his business. Nina says, and she kept him from his life in Port Charles. Is that what he’s saying?

Blaze says she thinks Kristina is going to like this champagne; definitely worthy of a special occasion. She pours them both a glass, and Kristina asks what they’re celebrating. Blaze says, the remix of her latest single just went number on the dance charts, and Kristina says, congratulations. Blaze thanks her and they clink glasses. Blaze says, let’s toast, and Kristina says, Blaze is her stage name. What’s her real name? (This is so weird, because I was just wondering about that.) Blaze says, Allison Rogers Ramerez, and Kristina says, to Allison. They clink glasses again.

TJ says he wants a family with Molly. They love each other. They’re committed to each other, and part of that commitment is listening and respecting each other’s needs and feelings, and that’s something he neglected to do this morning. She says, it’s okay, but he says, it’s not. He was so wrapped up in his own feelings and in his fears, he didn’t make enough room for her and what she’s going through. For that, he’s so sorry. She says, he was being honest, and she needs him to be honest. She wants him to know that she has every intention of being honest with him too. She never would have gone further than an initial meeting with Claire without talking to him. He says he believes her. So she was meeting to look at other potential surrogates. Did she find anybody she liked or thinks they might connect to? She says, yes… and no.

Brook says, it’s beyond beautiful, and Chase says he bought this ring weeks ago, way before her mom and grandmother came to town. His original plan was to propose on Christmas. All Lois and her grandmother did was just speed up the timetable a little bit. She asks, why? and he says, why did he buy the ring or why did he move up the proposal? Because he loves her and he wants to spend the rest of their lives, short or long, together. His dad’s diagnosis made him realize all over again that life can be random, and nothing is entirely promised. He doesn’t want to waste today waiting for a tomorrow that might never come. They need to do what matters now, while they still can. And what matters most to him is her. It’s her. Well? She says, well what? and he says he didn’t technically get an answer. She tells him that she said what she said before because she thought he was just following her grandma’s instructions. Ask her again. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine – he gets down on one knee again – the love of his life, would she do him the greatest honor in marrying him?

Lois says, the deal hadn’t closed when Ned hit his head and woke up as Eddie Maine. Correct? Ned says, yeah. So? She says, standard business practice would be to put the deal on hold if one of the parties, mainly him, was not in his right mind. And if ELQ hadn’t sent someone to close the deal, then the Australian company would have had to assume that there was no deal to be had, right? He tells her that he couldn’t really say, but she says, be honest with her. If Michael hadn’t gone and negotiated the deal, there would be no deal, right? He says, that’s not the point, but she says, the point is, Michael closed the deal and he didn’t. Isn’t that what this is really all about?

Josslyn tells Carly that she’s sure the meds contributed to Adam’s panic attack, but she thinks it would have happened regardless. Carly asks, why? and Josslyn says, because he has this relentless pressure put on him by his parents. Then he puts more pressure on himself. He thinks 92% is failing. Carly says, that’s not good, and Josslyn agrees. She says, he spends all of his time studying. He has no friends. When she and Trina got back from Thanksgiving, he had been in the dorm the whole time. Carly says, he wasn’t with his family for Thanksgiving? and Josslyn says, no. His parents were in St. Bart’s. He literally stayed on campus and studied. Carly says she wishes she would have known that. Josslyn could have brought him home for Thanksgiving. Drew comes in and says, they’re closed, huh? but Carly says, not for him. What would he like, ice cream or chili? He says he was hoping to take her out for dinner. One last night out before he heads to Australia. Carly says, what?

Sonny says, whether anybody believes it or not, he and Nina know the most important thing that happened in Nixon Falls was that they fell in love. Nina says, he’s right, and he says, the only reason he brought up Carly was to make an example of it. What if the FBI thinks Nina has information to implicate him? Then they’ll come after her. That’s why he can’t tell her everything. She says she knows that. She’s made peace with what he does, with his life choice, and she does understand why sometimes he can’t tell her everything. It’s not like she wants to be involved in allegedly illicit activities. He says, good. That means they’re on the same page. She asks if they really are. Because if her husband is in danger, she’ll do whatever she can to make sure he comes home. And if there’s a chance her husband she loves won’t come home, doesn’t he think she has the right to know that?

Brook says, yes. With all her heart, she’ll marry Chase. He takes her hand and puts the ring on it. She says, look at that. It’s a perfect fit. Just like her and him. He says he knows that diamond might be a little small by Quartermaine standards… She says, stop it. She loves it. She loves that she chose it. She loves that she gets to wear it for the rest of her life, and she promises she’ll love him for as long as they both shall live. They kiss.

Ned tells Lois that he turned ELQ over to Michael, a decision he’s come to bitterly regret. He was too young to be named CEO… even if he did turn out to be surprisingly effective at the job. Lois asks, so what’s the problem? and Ned says, the problem is, once Michael got a taste of that power, he was never willing to let it go. When Michael was pushed out by him and Valentin, he went to work for Drew at Aurora. But he knew Michael was just lying in wait. When he had that fall at the pool, it was just the chance Michael needed. Michael jumping in and finishing that Australian deal was just the beginning. If Ned doesn’t find a way to stop him, Michael will push him out. Lois says, all these years after Edward’s death, all the Qs are still fighting with each other. Ned’s grandfather – may he rest – he would be so proud of that. That makes her so sad.

TJ says, Molly did find a surrogate possibility, or she didn’t? and Molly says, after her conversation with her mom, she had a million thoughts turning through her brain. She went for a walk in the park to get some air, and she ran into Willow and Baby Amelia. He asks if it felt like torture, and she says, in a way, but torture of the sweetest kind. She got to hold the baby and it almost knocked her over with longing to have a baby of their own. She got so overwhelmed with the fear that it might never happen, she went to an isolated park bench and broke down into a million pieces. It’s okay. She just had this flood of emotions that needed to come out. She just sat there and sobbed. He says he was so wrong. He’s so sorry. She says, it’s okay. While she was crying, Kristina found her.

Kristina says, Allison Rogers Ramerez. She’s so curious how that morphed into Blaze. Blaze says she just though her name was to generic to win over a big audience, and Kristina asks if she just woke up one day and said, call me Blaze? Blaze laughs and says, no. She was in high school at this open mic night, and even though this is everything she ever wanted, she was so shy back then. Kristina says she finds that hard to believe, but Blaze says, it’s true. She knew she could sing, so she signed up, but then she got hit with this massive wave of stage fright. She went up to the DJ who was announcing the singers and begged him to withdraw her name. All she wanted to do is run away and hide. Kristina asks, what happened? and Blaze says, the DJ challenged her. He said, do you really want to scurry away like some scared little mouse, or would you rather go out in a blaze of glory? So she went out on that stage and sang her heart out. She got a standing ovation and from that night on, she was Blaze. Kristina says, that is amazing. She loves that story. Blaze says, Kristina’s turn. What was she like in high school?

Drew says he’s flying to Australia for business, and Carly asks, for how long? He says, for a week, and Josslyn tells Carly that she can clean up if they want to head out, but Carly says, Drew’s going to help her clean up. Then they can talk. Josslyn says, then she’s going to go. Have a great night. She’s going to text Drew a list of her favorite places to go when she’s in Australia with her dad. Drew thanks her and says he’d love to check out a couple. Josslyn says, goodnight, and leaves. Carly asks when Drew’s going, and he says, tomorrow. She says, that’s not a lot of notice, and he says he realizes that. He’s sorry, but it just came together so quickly. He just got back and now he’s leaving again, right before Christmas. She asks why he’s going.

Sonny tells Nina that he has to be extremely careful. That’s why he has bodyguards and Brick screens everything. She says, he hasn’t given her a straightforward answer about Cyrus. Is he still after Sonny? Sonny says, he was. Ava was right about that part. When Cyrus was in Pentenville, he used Austin and Mason to set him up to get busted by the Feds. She says, so Cyrus Renault is responsible for him getting arrested, but he says, it didn’t work because there was no proof. The charges didn’t stick. He’s a free man. She says, but so is Cyrus. He just got released from Pentenville. What if he decides to go after Sonny again?

Blaze asks if she just asked the wrong question, but Kristina says, no. She was in an abusive relationship in high school. Blaze says she’s so sorry. Please don’t feel obligated to tell her about it, but Kristina says, it’s okay. She wants to tell Blaze about it because it’s a big part of her and a big part of who she is. She genuinely thought her boyfriend Kiefer had a really sweet side to him. And she did love him, but he was also wildly insecure, and he had a bad temper. Once when they were arguing, he slapped her. She remembers it like it was yesterday because her reaction to it was so messed up. Blaze asks what she means, and Kristina says she was embarrassed. She blamed herself. She was sure she’d said or done something to trigger that reaction from him. The one thing she didn’t do was blame him. She certainly didn’t break up with him. The slapping eventually turned to hitting, and it took her a really long time to ask for help. Blaze says she’s so sorry Kristina went through that, and Kristina thanks her. She says, her next boyfriend Trey was not much better. Not that he was abusive, but her parents didn’t like him and she was in her rebellious phase, so she married him for what felt like five minutes. Then when that failed, she thought she’d try college, and when she was in college, she had an affair with her professor. Blaze asks, how old was he? and Kristina says, she was in her mid-thirties.

TJ asks what it was like when Kristina found Molly crying, and Molly says, she was actually really wonderful. Kristina calmed her down and got her out of the park. Kristina took her back to her place and listened while she opened up a vein. And then, Kristina offered to be their surrogate again.

Lois says, Ned knows she loved his grandfather, and in many ways, Edward was a wonderful man, and she cherishes his memory. He says he feels the same way, and she says, and he loved keeping them all in an endless competition; everyone always jockeying for power. He loved playing them all against each other. Ned versus his mother; Ned versus AJ. All the while, belittling poor Alan, who only wanted nothing to do with the family business. She remembers when Edward exiled Tracy. Then he let her come home and exiled her all over again. Ned says, his mother is hardly an innocent, and Lois agrees. She says, maybe that made for a very successful business, but it made them all miserable. Edward is gone. Does Ned really want to carry on his legacy? Ned at Michael’s throat; Michael at his. He says, that’s just how the Quartermaines are, and she says, really? She looks at a photo of Edward and Lila, and says, what about Lila?

Drew asks Carly if she remembers him telling her that when Ned was out of commission, Michael closed a deal between ELQ and an Australian firm. He’s going to finalize the paperwork and probably oversee a few other acquisitions while he’s there. She says, that’s ELQ, not Aurora. She still doesn’t get why he has to go. He says, Michael was going to go, but he was reluctant to leave Willow and the kids so soon after her leukemia. She says she thinks it’s really wonderful of him to offer to go so Michael could stay home. She just wishes he would have told her, so she could have planned and processed it. He says, it really did come together last night, and she says she’s going to miss him. He says he’s going to miss her too, and kisses her.

Brook says, Chase started this by asking about the most important moments of her life. This is definitely one of them. She’s so surprised she’s not even nervous at all. He says, it just feels right, and she agrees. She says, even if they can’t predict the future, at least they know they have each other. He asks if she remembers when they first met. She clocked him over the head with a bottle. When he tells people about that day, he’ll say it was one of the most important days of his life because it was the day he met his wife. They kiss.

Lois tells Ned, Lila was sweet, angelic, loving, but she was nobody’s pushover. She saw through every one of them, including her husband, and she loved them all anyway. He says, grandmother was one of a kind, and Lois says she asked Lila one time what her secret was. Lila told her, I always look for the good in everyone, and I almost always find it. She was a Quartermaine. Ned could try her way for a change. Look for the good, right? He was incapacitated. He wasn’t able to finish the deal, so Michael stepped in, and he made the deal for Ned. If it was good for ELQ, it was good for everyone in the company, including Ned. So instead of trying to blow up the deal, why doesn’t he thank Michael for making the deal, and next time a deal comes around, Ned can ask Michael to collaborate with him. They can work together instead of against each other. Maybe the results will surprise him. He says, she really channeled his grandmother right there. He hopes she knows how proud of her Lila would be.

Outside Kelly’s, Carly asks where they’re going, and Drew says he was thinking Café Cheri, a bottle of wine, maybe two. She says, sounds like a perfect farewell dinner, and he laughs. He says he realizes he’s letting her down, but it’s only a week. She says she knows, and she knows it’s important to him. If it weren’t, she’d tell him to send Ned. He says he wouldn’t trust Ned to close this deal. The man can’t see past his own ego for the good of the company. She says, Drew sounds like Michael, and he says, Michael is right. She should have seen Ned when he found out Michael closed the deal. He turned into a little four-year-old. He told Michael that he wasn’t authorized when he should have been thanking him. She says she gets it. That sounds like Ned, but Drew is usually the one to let things go and move forward. He says, one trip to Pentenville is enough for him. Ned isn’t going to stab him in the back again. She says she understands that, but please don’t let Ned change who he is. He says he can’t undo what he’s been through, and she says she knows, but we can choose to fill our minds with better things to dwell on, like our dinner and our wine and us. He says, and us, and they kiss.

Sonny tells Nina, Cyrus is mopping floors at the PC Grill. He has his guys on Cyrus 24/7. Yes, Cyrus was a threat, but those days are over. Mason Gatlin is on his way to Pentenville, Austin’s dead and Cyrus’s allies and connections don’t want to work with a broken old man. She laughs and thanks him for sharing that with her. He says he didn’t tell her about Cyrus because he didn’t want her to be worried, but she says, he doesn’t have to shield her like that. She’s tougher than she looks. He says he has no doubt, and kisses her.

TJ says he doesn’t understand. The last time Kristina offered to be their surrogate, Molly wanted nothing to do with it. She says, they talked about that, and Kristina admitted that when she initially offered, she hadn’t really thought it through. It was just an impulsive idea. And Molly admitted she overreacted. She was just hurt because her sister can carry a child and she can’t, but Kristina’s being really sincere about doing it. She’s in perfect health and she’s kind of a perfect candidate, but only if it’s something TJ wants too. He says, if this is something Molly wants, he thinks they should accept Kristina’s offer, and she asks if he’s sure. He says, as sure as he is of his love for her, and they kiss. He says, let’s have a baby.

Kristina tells Blaze that her name was Parker. It started off as a crush, but it developed into something much deeper. And that was her first and only relationship with a woman. Blaze asks how it ended, and Kristina says, Parker dumped her for her ex, and Blaze says, ouch. Kristina says, honestly, she doesn’t fault Parker for that, because if not for Parker, she would have kept on denying that part of herself for God knows how long. Blaze says she certainly knows what that’s like, sets down her glass, and kisses Kristina.

Tomorrow, Cyrus tells Ava that he has an alibi, and asks if she does; Anna tells Felicia that she could really use a friend; and Sonny asks what Curtis wants from him.

Below Deck Mediterranean

I grit my teeth and hold my nose and dive into this floating pile of garbage. I’m not quite getting it with the online backlash against Kyle. He’s a gossip and drama queen for sure, but I honestly think he doesn’t compare to Natalya, who just seems like a straight-up bad person.

Genoa, Italy. In Jack’s interview, he says, when he sees Kyle, he sees drama. He was supportive of Natalya, but now he wishes he’d been more supportive of her, based on what he’s seen. At the restaurant, Kyle leaves the table to take a wee, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, Kyle is a stick of dynamite that doesn’t need a match. Can they just behave? On the boat, Captain Sandy wanders around, looking disgruntled. Max hits on Jessika, and outside the restaurant, they race each other to nowhere. Everyone gets in the taxis. The captain continues to wander around, and seeing the mess in the mess, she says, this place is disgusting. It’s like babysitting. In her interview, she says, when she goes downstairs, she doesn’t want to see a disaster. It’s not a frat house. The crew goes to a bar/club, and Max orders one shot for everyone to add fuel to the fire. In Max’s interview, he says, Lily is a new adventure. He and Peter Pan will never be serious, and he likes her vibe. In Jessika’s interview, she says, Luka is cute and you’re stupid if you don’t think so. I guess I’m good then. Kyle broods, and Lily asks Jack, what happened? Jack tells her about being friends with Natalya and that Kyle caused trouble, but Kyle suggests she reserve her opinion. Jack’s been against the interior since the beginning. He’ll separate her from the rest of them. She should have her own opinion. Lily says she doesn’t care about any of it, and Jack tells her not to respond. Kyle says, some people have growing up to do, and some people need to level up. In Lily’s interview, she says, Kyle is making her feel like if she’s not on his side, she’s out to sea, and she tells them, we’re ending the conversation. Lily tells Tumi that she doesn’t want to get involved in the gossip. She’s ignoring Kyle and Jack, and it’s feeling uncomfortable. In Tumi’s interview, she says she feels like a preschool teacher getting the kids together. Natalya is gone, so she thought the drama was gone. She has no time to babysit. We flash back to the tornado that was Natalya, and Tumi says she and Kyle need to have a conversation – without alcohol involved. In the taxi, Kyle says he thinks Lily is being influenced by Jack, but Tumi says she doesn’t think so. In taxi #2, Max flirts with Lily, while in taxi #1, Luka kisses Jessika. Lily wants Max to carry her, and in Max’s interview, he says, oui, oui, oui a thousand times. Jessika gets in Luka’s bunk, and Max gets in Lily’s bunk. Lily hits her head on the bunk above them and I laugh. In the Jessika/Luka bunk, there’s a lot of movement under that blankie and I don’t want to know. Max and Lily both slide off the bunk and onto the floor.

In the morning, Lily says she’s hungover as sh*t, while Tumi tries cleaning up. Lily says she’s dying, and Max and Luke fist bump. In Max’s interview, he says, Lily is pretty with emerald eyes. It feels like Christmas in July. Tumi asks Jack, what happened? and Jack says, Lily wanted to know what went on. Kyle butted in and told her to have her own opinion. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Kyle is paranoid, and we flash back to Kyle thinking Jessika was against him, then telling Jack that Natalya will throw him under the bus. Tumi says, it’s her job to keep Kyle under control. Lily is horrible at laundry, and she needs him. In Luka’s interview, he says, in the past, he didn’t have to do paperwork. He’s glad he can rely on Lara. She’ll just push through.

Captain Sandy calls Luka to the bridge, and tells him, the way the crew mess was left was not okay. There was food and booze, the garbage was overflowing, and plates were stacked up in the sink. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Luka knows her expectations. The job’s not just about throwing lines. It’s about making sure the schedule is working and the crew mess is clean. She doesn’t want him to get complacent. She tells him to kick some ass, as Lily repeatedly throws up in the cabin bathroom. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s in a scary place, knowing her feelings for Luka are showing. He’s a Scorpio, and Scorpio men are known to be promiscuous. She tells Tumi that Lily is throwing up, and Tumi checks on her. Lily says she’s dying, and Tumi tells her to take an hour. Clearly more in practice with drinking, Jessika says she wants a burger. Tumi tells Kyle that the chef and his new friend felt Kyle was overstepping yesterday. Kyle revises history, and Tumi says, what happened was clearly triggering. Kyle says he didn’t tell anything to anyone. Jack wants to cause atomic bombs. Tumi says she’d rather Kyle and Lily communicate with her, and in her interview, she says she doesn’t know how to handle these people. She can’t be handling men in their 30s. Sorry. The captain calls Luka, Jack, and Tumi for the preference sheet meeting.

The primary is Michael, the CEO of a dental implant company. He’s bringing his wife and several friends. Luka reads that they want to go diving at Christ of the Abyss, and Tumi reads that they want a 007 Casino Royale party. Jack reads, late night snacks are welcome, and there’s something about singing Happy Birthday as an aria. Kyle tells Jessika, the laundry is a sh*tshow, and Jessika says, Lily can’t be sleeping all day. Kyle tells her that anything he says is taken to the next level, so he’s not saying anything anymore. Max brings Lily some water, and Tumi tells Captain Sandy that Lily is hung over. The captain says she’ll wake Lily up, and tells Lily, it’s your captain. She needs Lily on deck. This is a real job. Lily says she needs 20 minutes, and the captain says, holy cannoli, as she walks away. In the captain’s interview, she says, if it happens again, they’ll need to have a serious conversation. Maybe don’t drink as much next time. Tumi calls to find some entertainment for the 007 party, and the provider says they have a mentalist. In Tumi’s interview, she says, what the f*** is a mentalist? That has nothing to do with the theme, but her options are limited. It sounds like a bougie way of saying psychic . Jessika relegates Lily to scrubbing toilets, which is not just poetic justice, but a good idea since she’s not done throwing up. She looks absolutely miserable. In Lily’s interview, she say she thinks she drank a bit too much. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s a lot to manage Lily. She’s not retaining information. Tumi knows she can do it, but she’s trying to figure out how. In the crew mess, Lara is encouraged to be the singer for the guests, and in her interview, she says, her love of opera started young. She listened to Phantom of the Opera all the time, and that love is still with her. She sings in the crew mess, and I give it a 6 out of 10. Luka says, the guests will love her, and in Lara’s interview, she says she believes she’s destined to be an opera singer. Then she laughs. Lily hits her head on the top bunk again. Man, she is not bright at all. In Lily’s interview, she says, the Brit is back.

True story. My first day at my very first job in NYC, I was hung over since I’d gone out with a group from school the night before. Adding to my misery, it was Donut Day or something and the donuts that particular day had green and orange frosting on them. To my credit, I made it through the day without going all Lily.

Luka tells Haleigh that she’s going on the dive with the guests, and Tumi meets with the interior in the crew mess. She tells Lily, the biggest thing is having initiative, and tells Jessika to guide her. Captain Sandy radios the interior and asks that her clothes be brought up. She has no clean shirts. Jessika goes to the laundry room, and Tumi says, they need to speed things up with the laundry. Jessika sees the captain’s shirts aren’t ironed, so she finishes the job on one and delivers it to Captain Sandy. Tumi calls Lily to the laundry and points out what hasn’t been done. She says, it’s her pet peeve. When someone says something is done, she assumes it’s done. Lily makes excuses in her interview, and says, it feels like the interior is breaking down and she’s the one breaking it. She has little experience in laundry. There’s no winning here, only failure. No positivity.

The guests arrive, and primary Michael says he’s so excited, he’s jacked. Let’s get this party rolling. The group seems pretty boisterous and pay little to no attention to the tour. In Kyle’s interview, he says, these dentists are having the best time of their life. Where were they when he was getting his teeth extracted. We flash back to Kyle’s dental woe last season, and the boat heads out. Guest Amish noses around the galley. Kyle and Jack are still silent with each other, and Amish lies down for a nap. Lunch is served, and in his interview, Kyle says he doesn’t owe Jack anything. He’s going to focus work on his work. It’s not the place to become chums. In Luka’s interview, he says, if he’s not in a relationship, he’s doing a fling. He’s not usually in trouble, but if he is, it has something to do with the ladies. The guests are happy with lunch, and Captain Sandy radios for someone to take out the garbage. Max goes to help, the water toys are put out, and the guests use the slide. In Lara’s interview, she says she’s lead deckhand and is there to help where needed, but Luka has to adjust the schedule for sleeping. Haliegh and Max leave with Michael and his wife for the dive, Lara driving the tender. Lily sits on deck for a smoke with Jack, and Jack tells her that Kyle is overthinking things. He wants to speak to Kyle, but thinks Kyle should instigate it. A sign of real maturity.

They go to Christ of the Abyss, and in Haleigh’s interview, she says, diving started her out on her ocean career. She’s not super familiar with yachting, but she’s super familiar with diving. She doesn’t have to talk underwater. They dive, and on the boat, Luka texts Natalya. Jessika and Lily do cabins, and Jessika shows Lily the ropes. In Jessika’s interview, she says she doesn’t like to train. Tumi is the chief stew though, and she has to do what she’s told. She doesn’t like teaching people things. She’s a sponge; Lily can be a sponge too. Lara radios Luka and says, Max is having more fun than the guests. Tumi instructs Lily in napkin folding, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s important for her to show Lily how to do stuff. She wants to cover her tracks. If Lily can’t do it, she can say she showed her already. But if she comes out on top, she can say she trained Lily and it was a pleasure. Michael tells Lara that he can tell Haleigh knows her stuff, and they head back to the boat. Even though Lara wants a break, she tells Max to go, and in her interview, she says, a higher up should never a take break before their teammates. She should have been given a break earlier, but she’s not throwing a tantrum like Max. We flash back to Max being a baby, and she says she’ll just deal with it. The mentalist shows up at the dock, and Tumi tells Luka that he needs to be picked up. Luka is annoyed that he’s already put the tender away, and in her interview, Lara says, there should have been better communication on both their parts, but Luka could have asked if interior needed to launch the tender later. The chief bosun should communicate with the chief stew. What did they do the whole day on the boat, have a tea party?

Luka picks up the mentalist, and Tumi says she hears he has magic powers. In her interview, she says, if the guests are happy, she’s happy. She didn’t f*** up. The guests are dressed like characters in a James Bond film, and Tumi directs them to some entertainment before dinner. The man (who’s either nameless or I didn’t catch it) asks who knows what a mentalist is, and Amish says he has no idea what the f*** is going on. The mentalist asks one of the guests to think of a famous place they’ve never been before and would want to visit in the future. He writes something down and asks her to tell him what it is. She says, Australia, and he reveals he’s written Australia on the board. He does some more mind reading tricks, and he’s pretty impressive. Lily says she feels like Tumi and Kyle don’t like her, but Jessika says, if they see she’s working hard and always doing something, they’ll respect her. Kyle radios for someone in the deck crew to help with service, but gets no response. Captain Sandy wonders where the deck crew is, and gets on the radio herself. Luka is in the tender, but she radios him, asking where the deckhands are. Luka says, Lara and Max are sleeping, and the captain says, he’s the only one on deck? That’s not okay. They always need at least two. Captain Sandy pokes her head in Lara’s cabin, and says, they need someone on deck. Lara says she’s on from 10:30 to 3, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s important to have at least two of the deck crew on deck in case of an emergency. It’s not just about safety; it’s about service. The deck team supports the interior, and there are no water sports at night. She needs two. She tells Luka that she’s not happy. The priority right now is food, and this is the kind of stuff that makes her mad. He has to figure out the schedule, and when she radios, someone needs to answer.

Next time, Jessika complains about Lily; Tumi says her patience is gone; Captain Sandy says she’ll give Lily one more chance: Lily says she can’t win; Haleigh needs to see a doctor; drunk guest Amish looks for the hot tub and wakes the crew; and Captain Sandy tells primary Michael to get Amish off the boat.

🍦 Whipping It Good…

Join me tomorrow for soap and tidbits of tea and such from the interwebs. Until then, stay safe, stay being realistic about how much you can do during the holiday season – let yourself say no; and stay not wasting today waiting for a tomorrow that might never come. Do what matters now while you still can. Life can be random, and it’s not entirely promised.

November 30, 2023 – Dante Questions Ava, Charleston Invades Jamaica, A Thought, All the Salt, I Can’t Look & Last

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia goes into the breakroom and sees TJ staring into space. She says, it looks like he’s got a lot on his mind, and he says he was lost in his thoughts. He asks if she’s on a break or just getting off work, and she says, he doesn’t have to do that with her. She can tell something’s wrong. Does he want to talk to her about it? He says he might have made a huge mistake with Molly.

Molly walks into the park and sees Willow playing with Amelia on a picnic blanket.

Maxie says, it’s generous of Felicia and Mac to offer to bail her out of credit card debt, and Felicia says, she’s their daughter. Of course (🍷) they want to help. She and Mac are confident that Maxie will be on her financial feet in no time. The Deceptor will be flying off the shelves and Deception will make an historic comeback. Maxie says, maybe she can hang on until it does. Or she could take out a partial loan. They don’t have to completely bail her out. She looks at the unmade desk and says, if someone would just assemble this desk, she’d be eternally grateful. Felicia asks if Maxie wants her to ask Mac to come put it together for her, when James runs in and says, guess what? He saddled his own pony today. Felicia says, by himself? and James says, Cody helped. Cody is the coolest. Cody walks in.

Sam and Kristina go to Sam’s place after shopping, and Kristina says, watching Sam move around with maximum efficiency… She knew exactly what she wanted and exactly where to get it. Sam says, when she feels like wandering, she goes to the farmers’ market, but for staples, she is in and out. Kristina asks if Sam is telling her all this is only going to last her three days. Teenage boys. Sam says, and Scout. Scout can hold her own. Trust her. Kristina picks up a brochure and says, Westwood. That’s where she went. She loved Westwood Academy. Are they thinking of sending Scout there? Sam says, Drew is pushing it, and Scout really wants to please her dad.

Michael sees Nina at the MetroCourt and asks if she knows where Sonny is. She says she hasn’t seen Sonny since he left the penthouse this morning. Are Willow and the kids all right? He says, they’re fine. Sonny asked him to meet there. Nina says she’s sure he’ll be along soon. If he wants to sit at a table, he’s more than welcome to. Sonny comes in and says, good. They’re both here. There are a few things they need to settle.

Giles welcomes Ava home and tells her that all her mail is on the desk. He asks if he can make her a martini, but she says she’s surprisingly not in the mood. He says he’ll be down the hall if she needs him, and she thanks him. She goes into the living room and pours herself some (I think) water. She remembers Sonny telling her that Austin is dead, and that if she killed Austin, she needs to tell him now. The doorbell rings, and Ava hears Dante say he’s here to see her.

Maxie tells Cody that James said he saddled his own pony today, and Cody says, he did. He aced all of his riding lessons too. James tells Maxie that Cody said he was a natural with the horses, and Cody says he sure did. James has come a long way since he took his first riding lesson. James says his riding lessons are his favorite part of the week. He looks forward to them more than recess. Felicia says she knew Cody was a jack of all trades, but he’s gone from riding instructor to handman. She looks at the tool bag in his hand, and James says, Cody fixed Comet’s stable door really fast. He told Cody that Georgie’s desk went back in the box because they didn’t know how to put it together. Maxie says, what? and tells Cody that she’s sorry James put him on the spot like that. He doesn’t need to assemble Georgie’s desk, but thank you. James tells them, Cody said he’s going to help him put it together, but Maxie says, no, he’s not. She tells Cody that she’s going to send the desk back, and he asks if she’s sure. Because he always likes an opportunity to show off his handyman skills.

Kristina asks if that’s the blender she heard, and Sam comes in with two smoothies, saying, she thought they should try the new protein powder she bought. She gives one to Kristina, who tastes it and says, it’s really good. The other place that has really good smoothies is the snack bar at Westwood Academy. Funny. She doesn’t know if Sam remembers, but she really enjoyed her time there. She thinks in hindsight, it might have been better to stay there through 12th grade, rather than transferring to Madison. Sam says, she used to talk about Westwood a lot, and Kristina says, it was a lot of fun, and she still keeps in touch with a lot of the girls from there. It’s a great school, and the teachers there are invested; they really care. Why does Sam think it might not be a good fit for Scout? Sam says, because she’s thriving where she is right now, and Kristina says, what if she thrives even more at Westwood? All girls. They have a great swim team. Sam says she knows. Drew told her about all that, but she doesn’t think he realizes Scout had a really tough time when he was in prison. She would ask Sam every single day if he was going to be okay, and school is a bright spot for Scout. She likes her teachers and her friends, and Sam doesn’t want to take her away from all that, especially in the middle of the year. Drew wants her to start at Westwood in January, and it can be tough on a kid. It’s not fair. Kristina says, just say no then, but Sam says she’s not sure she should.

Giles brings Dante in and tells Ava that Detective Falconari is here to see her. She says she can see that and thanks him. Giles leaves, and Ava says she assumes Dante is here on official business. Best to keep her wits about her. What can she do for him? He says, answer some questions? and she says, go for it. He asks, when’s the last time she saw Austin Gatlin-Holt?

Willow sees Molly and says, come. Hang out. She pats the blanket, and Molly walks over. She says she doesn’t want to intrude, but Willow says, it’s no intrusion at all. The more, the merrier. What brings her out this afternoon? Molly says, this gorgeous autumn day. How many more of these do they have before it gets cold? Willow says, winter is right around the corner. And with the lake effect winds, it will be cold before they realize. She asks Molly to have a seat, and Molly kneels down on the blanket. She tells Willow that Amelia is so precious, and Willow says, they were just enjoying some mother/daughter bonding.

TJ says, the service that matched them with Andrea contacted Molly about other potential surrogates, and Portia asks how he feels about that. He says, it’s too soon. He’s still processing the miscarriage. He can’t imagine investing in the prospect of another baby this quicky. She says, how about Molly? How does she feel? He says, Molly is ready to meet with the matching professional and other possible surrogates, and she asks if he’s told Molly how he’s feeling about the whole thing. He says he sort of put it on hold for now. It’s such a time consuming and complicated process, does Portia think trying again so soon would be rushing it? She says, actually, she doesn’t.

Sonny says, Christmas is around the corner and Michael is probably busy with a lot of family obligations. Is he right? Michael says, between mom and Josslyn and bringing the kids to the Quartermaines, he just has enough time for him, Willow, and the kids. They’re fully booked. Sonny says, that’s what he thought. They have a busy schedule too. He was thinking maybe Michael, Willow, and the kids could spend time with him and Nina as a family.

Ava wonders why Dante is asking her about Austin, and he says, because Austin’s dead. She says she’s so sorry to hear about the doctor’s passing, but he says, she doesn’t seem that sorry or surprised to hear about it. Did she already know? She says, so what are these questions he came all the way out here to ask her? She’d like to get on with her afternoon. He says, she shows a remarkable lack of curiosity, and she says, curiosity killed the cat. He asks if she doesn’t want to know how Austin died, but she says she imagines he’s going to tell her. He says he imagines she already knows.

Michael says he’ll have to talk to Willow, and Sonny says he figured that. That’s what he’s approaching Michael now. Do they have any plans for Christmas yet? Michael says, nothing definitive yet. Wiley’s really excited about Santa Claus. Willow wants to make Christmas morning really special for him. Sonny says he knows Carly is going to want to carry over the tradition of Michael coming over for Christmas breakfast and the Qs are going to do their traditional gathering on Christmas Day. So he was thinking maybe they could come over on Christmas Eve. Everybody can see them. They’ll make everybody happy. Nina says, that’s a great compromise, and Sonny says, the kids will open up their Christmas presents from grandma and grandpa. They can make up their own traditions. He’ll even cook. Egg salad… ravioli… like the one Michael used to love. Nina asks if it’s Sonny’s own recipe, but Sonny says, no. It’s Mrs. Cerullo’s, but Lois doesn’t even know the recipe. But if Michael comes early and brings Wiley, they can come in the kitchen, and help cook like they used to.

Portia tells TJ, if she’s learned anything in her life, from keeping Trina’s paternity a secret for as long as she did to Curtis’s shooting, it’s that life is too short. Don’t postpone your joy; don’t postpone happiness. And you can’t sit around and wait for somebody to come knocking on your door to make your dreams come true. They want to have a baby, right? There is never ever going to be the perfect time that you’re guaranteed everything is going to work out the way you want it to. It just doesn’t work like that. You’ve got to take a leap of faith. He says, they’re both still in mourning, and she says she gets that. They’re going to have to find another surrogate. They’re going to have to go through the whole process again and it’s going to take time, maybe even months. He says, so why subject themselves to that kind of stress? and she says, he’s always going to have stress. He’s got stress now being a doctor. And she knows Molly’s got all kinds of stress being an ADA. But time? Time waits for no one, and it plays by its own rules. Rules that you can’t, and honestly you won’t, change.

Willow tells Molly, since she went back to work at GH and Michael’s been running Aurora, Amelia’s been spending a lot of time in the Q’s nursery. And Wiley’s in school full-time now. If she’s not careful, she’ll blink, and it will be Amelia’s turn. So they thought they’d take full advantage of her day off and hang out in the park while they had the chance. Molly says, and here she is intruding on their special day together, but Willow says, not at all. She wanted Molly to join them. She and Michael were talking this morning about how fast Amelia’s growing. She’s loved watching every stage of Wiley growing up, but there is something about this time when they’re still babies. She wants to take in every moment, every smile, every laugh. Molly says, she’s a sweet little angel, and Willow asks if Molly would like to hold her.

Felicia says, James has really taken to Cody, and Maxie says, yeah. Don’t tell Cody she said this, but he’s kind of terrific. James runs out and tells Maxie, come on. He and Cody put Georgie’s desk together. Maxie goes with James, and Cody comes out. Felicia says, it sounds like he impressed James with his handiwork, but Cody says, James did it all himself. Felicia says, sure he did. She’s impressed too. He says, it was no big deal, really, and she says she wasn’t just referring to the desk, although it was really lovely for him to put that together for Maxie. What she meant was, all the attention he’s been giving to James. Teaching him how to ride and tie knots, and now assembling a desk. He says he really likes James a lot; he’s a great kid. And he does have a way with horses. He doesn’t just want to ride them; he wants to get to know them. He has a real understanding of them that’s going to lead to a great connection. He’s going to be an awesome rider someday. Felicia says she’s quite the horsewoman herself. She grew up on a hacienda in Texas that she and her grandmother ran. They had some really wonderful horses, so it runs in her family. Maxie comes back with James, and says, wow, she’s impressed. She tried for two hours to assemble that thing and got nowhere. Georgie’s going to love it. She thanks Cody, and James says, he and Cody did an awesome job. They high-five.

Kristina asks if Sam is going to tell Drew how she really feels about Westwood Academy, and Sam says she’s really torn over it. Kristina says, Scout is Sam’s daughter. She can and should do whatever’s best for her. She knows Drew is a good dad, but mother’s intuition knows best, right? If she doesn’t think this is a good fit for Scout, then just say so. Sam says she wants to parent with Drew amicably and wants to respect what he thinks is best for Scout. If that’s going to Westwood Academy, then maybe she should just agree. After all, he’s been through so much. (Then let him go to Westwood.) Kristina asks how he’s doing physically from the assault, and Sam says, it seems like he’s recovering, but she can tell he’s in a lot of pain. She keeps finding him trying to hide it from her or trying to cover it up. She just doesn’t want Drew to feel more shut out from Scout’s life than he already has. She adores her dad. She would do anything for him. Kristina says, even if she doesn’t want to go? and Sam says, she doesn’t. Scout already told her. Kristina says, then there you go, and Sam says she knows Scout deserves to have her opinion considered, but she’s way too young to be choosing what school she needs to go to. In the end, it’s between her and Drew, but what unsettles her is the way he just decided this for her. There was no discussion, no debate. It literally went just like that. Kristina says, let’s face it. There are a lot of gaps in Scout’s childhood where her father was missing. She thinks now he’s trying to make up for that time. Sam says she doesn’t know. There’s something different about Drew. She didn’t see it at first, and she can’t quite put her finger on it, but something about him has changed.

Molly thanks Willow for letting her hold Amelia. She’s so amazing, such a blessing. Willow says, she really is a miracle, considering everything she went through to get here. Molly asks how many weeks pregnant Willow was when she had to have a C-section, and Willow says, thirty-six. She heard from TJ that their surrogate miscarried. She’s so sorry. There are support groups at GH who specialize in this kind of loss if Molly ever needs Willow to point her in the direction of one. Or Molly can talk to her. Anytime. Molly thanks Willow for being so understanding, and for being so open and generous with Amelia. Willow says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, Willow could have easily scurried away the second she saw Molly, thinking the sight of a baby would upset her too much, but she didn’t. Willow says she thinks it depends on the person, but when she learned her son had died, she found tremendous comfort in holding Wiley. It helped her on her road to healing and she thought it might help Molly to hold Amelia. Molly says, it does, and wonders if she can ask Willow a personal question. Willow says, no subject is off the table between them, and Molly says, after what happened with her first child, did she ever think that maybe she didn’t want to try again?

Nina, Michael, and Sonny sit at a table, and Nina says, having the whole family gathered at their place on Christmas Eve sounds too good to be true. She wants to hear about these fabled ravioli and why she hasn’t had them. Sonny says he only makes them on Christmas because they’re very special, and Nina says she can’t wait. Is it totally 100% homemade or is he secretly buying the dough premade? Sonny says, all authentic made from scratch. Does she know those big raviolis? You got to cut them with a water glass? Put ricotta cheese in there and some secret ingredients. He asked Gloria for the recipe for years and she wouldn’t give it to him. Finally, she gave him the recipe, but he can’t make it as good as hers. He excuses himself and says he’ll be right back. When he’s gone, Michael asks what Nina is trying to pull, using Sonny to get around him. Michael officially becomes insufferable.

In the hallway, Dex says he thought Sonny would want to know right away. They heard from Pikeman.

James says he has their next job, and Cody asks, what is it? James says, the cabinet in the kitchen is loose. Let’s go take a look at it. Cody says, all right, boss, and follows James, but Maxie says, that’s enough. Cody’s already done plenty for them. Cody says, no big deal. He’s sure he and Big James can fix it. James says, they can. And when they’re done, they can take a look at the garage door and the front door; they both squeak. And can Cody build him a treehouse? There’s a huge tree in that backyard, and that would be perfect. (He sounds like me talking to my husband on the weekend.) Maxie tells James, if Cody does everything on his list, he’s going to be here all night, and James says, that would be so cool if he did spend the night. Can he? Cody can sleep in his room. He has two sleeping bags and they’re both Star Wars. Grandma bought them for him. Felicia says, and grandpa, and Maxie says, Cody has a job he has to go do. He needs to go back to the Quartermaine stables to take care of Comet and the other horses. James says, this isn’t fair. Grandpa’s at work and if Cody leaves, that means he’s the only boy. He wishes Cody was his brother.

Ava says, Dante came all the way out here to Spoon Island to inform her of Austin’s death. He’s done his civic duty. He can go now. He says he can’t. He’s here on behalf of the Pautuck PD. They have questions for her. She asks, why Pautuck? and he says, that’s where Austin died… or was murdered. Two shots to the chest, close range. Whoever did it wasn’t messing around. But because he lived and worked in Port Charles, the Pautuck PD thinks the killer is here. She says, there’s a whole big city of people out there, and yet, he’s questioning her. He says, no one knew Austin quite as well as she did, but she says, Austin had a lot of associates. Has he spoken with the Quartermaines? How about Maxie Jones? How about all the people he worked with at the hospital? Dante says, none of those people were kidnapped by Austin’s cousin Mason, but she was.

Kristina tells Sam, of course (🍷) he’s changed. Sam did when she was in Pentenville and Michael was a shell of himself at first. Maybe Drew wanting Scout to go to Westwood is his way of proving to himself that he can provide better opportunities for his daughter. You never really know. Sam says, she could be right. That’s why she doesn’t know if she should fight Drew on this. Kristina says, then don’t. Maybe Scout will be as happy as she was at Westwood. Sam says, or maybe she won’t be. She doesn’t know what’s best for her.

Dex says, Hume came in person to the restaurant and asked to see Sonny, and Sonny asks what Dex told him. Dex says he sent him away pretty quicky, but before he left, he told Dex to give Sonny this message. He needs to see Sonny and he’ll meet Sonny wherever he wants.

Nina says she didn’t put Sonny up to anything. Michael should know his father well enough to understand he’s not easily manipulated. Wiley and Amelia are his grandchildren, so of course (🍷) he wants to see his grandchildren at Christmas. Can’t Michael see that his whole plan to police her access to her daughter and grandchildren isn’t going to work? They’re family. Their lives intersect on too many levels for him to continue this vendetta against her. He says, his mom is family too, and her life intersects with his and Willow’s on just as many levels, but that didn’t stop Nina from turning her in to the SEC. She says she’s done everything he’s wanted her to do. She offered to sell her half of the hotel back to Carly and Carly refused. What more does he want? He says, what he wants is to expose her in front of the whole world for the liar she really is. The only reason he’s not doing that is because he knows how much it will hurt his father and Willow. So he’s keeping silent for them. For them, not her, but she benefits, so it’s going to cost her. She says, what if she’s not willing to pay? when Sonny comes back. He asks if they want to tell him what he just missed.

Willow says she always knew she wanted more children, and Molly asks where she found the courage after losing her first. Willow says, it’s different for everyone. Molly may feel the same way she did, or it may take her a while to decide. But when Willow realized she was pregnant with Amelia and was diagnosed with leukemia, she was advised to terminate her pregnancy so she could start chemo right away. Molly says, but despite the health risks involved, she kept the pregnancy, and Willow says, in her mind, there was no alternative. She even went so far as keeping her diagnosis a secret from Michael. Something she’ll always regret. She should have shared everything with him. It’s not fair to shut the person you love out of a life altering decision.

Maxie tells James that she always wanted a brother, but even though Cody would make an excellent brother, they’re going to settle for him being their friend, okay? James says, Cody would be an awesome brother. They could play video games until midnight every night. Felicia says, but not on school nights, and Cody says, that should do it; no more squeaking. James says, now he can sneak candy without his mom hearing the door open, and Maxie wonders if that’s why he wanted the cabinet door fixed. James wants to move on to the garage door, but Cody says he’s really got to get back to the stables and bed down the horses. James asks if he can’t stay for dinner, and Cody says, James wouldn’t want Comet to be uncomfortable in his bed tonight, would he? James says, no, and Cody says he’s sorry. He really does have to go. James says he’ll walk Cody out and asks Maxie to come with them. Felicia thanks Cody and he says he’ll see her later. She flashes back to Cody saying he’s not Mac’s son, and Mac telling her that looking at the paper isn’t going to change that.

Dante asks, when was the last time Ava saw or spoke to Austin, and she says, two days before Thanksgiving. He asks, where? and she says, he came by her gallery to see her. They spoke. He left. Dante asks if she has proof, and she says, yes. They have security cameras. He’ll be able to see Austin leaving through the front entrance. He asks what time she left the gallery, and she says she was working late. It had to be some time after midnight. He asks if the security footage will back up the time that she says she left, but she says, unfortunately, no. She locked the front door after Austin left, went in the backroom to do inventory, and left out the back. He says, there’s no security cameras at the back door? and she says, they’ve been having trouble with those cameras. They’ve been shut off for weeks. They’re in the process of upgrading them now. He says, so basically, she’s saying she can’t prove she was at the gallery past midnight. He thanks her for her time, and says he imagines the Pautuck PD will have more questions for her at a later date. She says she’ll be sure to have her lawyer with her, and he says, that would be a good idea, and leaves.

Sonny says he’s trying to take the temperature down between Nina and Michael. The reason he wanted to have this discussion today was to make plans for Christmas. He leaves for five minutes and there’s tension? Nina says, no. There’s no tension. She was just quizzing Michael about what he’s going to get Wiley for Christmas. She just doesn’t want to duplicate gifts. Sonny says, speaking of which, he wants to get Wiley a ticket to the Yankee game next summer. Michael, him, and Wiley sitting behind Homeplate. They’ll take the jet. What does he think? Michael says he thinks it’s a great idea. He never thought about giving Wiley Yankee tickets, so yeah, feel free to. Sonny says he just wants to create family memories with Michael and Wiley, and Michael says he’ll have to talk it over with Willow, but he hopes he sees Sonny at Christmas. He leaves, and Sonny asks if Nina is okay.

Portia offers to take care of TJ’s patients for the rest of the day, but he says he thinks being at work actually helps. He thanks Portia for her time and advice. She always knows what to say. She says she should take her own advice, and he says, they’re their own worst critics. She’s doing fine. She tells him, good luck, whatever he and Molly decide.

Molly says, obviously, Willow and Michael got past all that. She’s never seen two people more in love. Willow says, they’re very lucky, and Molly says, she’s in remission, she and Michael have two beautiful children, and Willow even has her birth mother in her life as a bonus. How are things with her and Nina now? Willow says she and Nina are getting along better than she ever dreamed possible, and Molly says, that’s great to hear. Willow says, the kids adore Nina. She brought over gifts on Thanksgiving and gave Wiley this robot that he still can’t put down and a stuffed kitty for Amelia. Molly says, if she knows Michael, he’s still holding a grudge against Nina, and Willow says, he can’t seem to let go of his anger at her. Molly says, when Michael makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it, and Willow says, don’t get her wrong. She respects Michael’s feelings, but she wishes he’d see Nina for who she is now, instead of focusing on what she’s done in the past.

Ava goes through her mail and comes to a handwritten envelope. She opens it, and a folded note says, you’re welcome. She unfolds the paper, and inside is a picture of Austin’s dead body.

Sam looks at the Westwood brochure, when Dante comes in. He says he really hates going out to Windymere. Between the cold, foggy boat ride to Spoon Island, and its inhabitants, not a good time. Is she okay? She says she’s just got a lot on her mind, and he asks, what’s going on? She says she thinks she and Drew may have hit their first co-parenting snag, and she doesn’t know what to do about it.

Michael goes to the park, and says, here’s his two favorite girls. He sits on the blanket and takes Amelia. He asks how Amelia is liking the park, and Willow says, she loves it. She was pointing out a few squirrels to Amelia and she was smiling. He just missed Molly. She hung out with them for a bit. He asks how she’s doing, and Willow says, she’s still dealing with her surrogate’s miscarriage. It helped her to see Amelia though. She understands what Molly is going through right now. Hopefully, she and TJ will figure out how they want to proceed. Where has he been? She tried to reach him at his office, but his assistant said he was out. he wasn’t picking up his cell. That’s why she sent him a couple text messages. He says he had a meeting outside of work, something that needed to be straightened out.

Nina says she’s okay, and kisses Sonny on the cheek. She’s better than okay. He says he just worries about her, and she says, why? The prospect of having the whole family over at their place for Christmas Eve, having this legendary ravioli, and a beautiful set table… and Christmas carols. The family she always wanted. It’s perfect. He says he knows things with Michael are still tense, and he’s sorry about it, but she says, he doesn’t have anything to apologize to her for when it comes to Michael. Sonny says, yes, he does, because Michael is his son and he knows Michael doesn’t make it easy. It’s taken Michael a long time to get right with him and he still feels like the relationship is tense. He wants her to know he appreciates her being patient.

Molly sits on a bench in the park and looks through the pictures of the surrogates. She flashes back to Willow saying she should have shared her diagnosis with Michael and it’s not fair to shut out the person you love from a life altering decision. She starts to cry, and the folder falls to the ground. Kristina comes into the park and runs to Molly. She takes Molly in her arms and holds her as she sobs.

Tomorrow, Lois tells Brook and Chase, if you’re in love, put a ring on it; Finn tells Elizabeth that GH plans to sacrifice him; Dex thinks a mistake has been made; and Nina tells Sonny that the person she should hear it from is him.

Southern Charm

Craig tells Austen that he invited the whole crew to Jamaica so Paige can get to know everyone better. JT says, Rod that has to come on the trip. He needs his wingman. Venita calls Madison and tells her that Manny can’t come because he’s in Utah, and Madison says, Brett had to go back to work after only three days. Paige will make it better. They can have a pina colada and laugh at everyone else. Craig paints one nail blue and I wonder, what’s up with that? He calls Paige and says he was thinking about taking a trip together. He asks if she’s ever been to Jamaica, and she says, no. He says, he found this last-minute deal to go next week for three days. If she came, all the crazy cats in Charleston would get to know her better. She says she thinks it would be a heck of a time, but workwise, it would be irresponsible of her. She wants to hang out, but she can’t right now. In Craig’s interview, he says he’s more of a big picture guy. He should have checked with Paige before scheduling the get to know Paige trip and inviting all his friends. Well, yeah.

Craig and JT meet to shop for beach stuff, and in Shep’s interview, he says, the last time he was in Jamaica was when he was in college. He had a lot of fun. He was partaking in extracurricular activities. He tells JT that after the guys’ dinner, Taylor tried to make him jealous. She texted asking where he was and if he wanted to hook up. He said he didn’t think it was a good idea, and she said, fine. She’d stay with Austen. In his interview, Shep says, the text shocked him to say the least. He doesn’t know what Taylor is trying to do. JT says he thinks she needs closure and she’s having a hard time with it. Shep says, maybe it’s his fault. Maybe??? In JT’s interview, he says, Shep cares about Taylor, but he thinks Shep’s presence is causing complications. Shep says he should leave her alone, and JT says, after their dream trip to Jamaica.

Austen goes to his therapist Kristen and tells her that he feels his routine is good; he’s keeping busy. He’s going to Jamaica, and Taylor is going. He told Kristen about the entanglement at the guys’ dinner. Taylor texted him and Shep. She met them there and proceeded to attempt to make Shep jealous via him. In Austen’s interview, he says he wonders what he got himself into. It was already tense with Shep. She didn’t have to use him for that. He tells Kristen that he thought it would be fine to hang out with other people, in a group setting, but he should have boundaries. Kristen tells him to listen to his intuition, his gut feeling. In his interview, a producer asks if Austen thinks he had good intuition, but he says, no, he doesn’t. Kristen tells him to listen to himself instead of getting caught up in everyone else. In his interview, he says he doesn’t want to piss off people. He’s a people pleaser and his first instinct absolutely gets him in trouble. Kristen says, he can’t make everyone happy, and Austen says he’s realized how much his life is consumed by a pretty girl. He’s not seeking out somebody or dating. That’s not what he’s looking for. He and Olivia now have a working friendship. We flash back to their last conversation, and Kristen says, be clear that his intentions aren’t romantic. Listen to his intuition.

Madison calls Brett on the way to her OB appointment. In Madison’s interview, she says she couldn’t imagine having another child, but she met Brett and thought she’d be crazy not to. He’ll make an amazing father, and he’s amazing already as a stepfather. She tells him that she’ll treat this trip as her last hurrah, since she’ll be getting pregnant when he comes home. He tells her to have fun, and says he hates that he can’t be there. In her interview, Madison says she just got this body, and now she’s going to ruin it, but it’s totally worth it. She tells Dr. Pound that she’s had an IUD for five years, and wanted to know if she needs to do anything beforehand. She’s also having PTSD about being pregnant because she had a pelvic fracture during delivery. In Madison’s interview, she says she was on bed rest for three months after the baby was born. She had a Baby Bjorn and a walker. Being pregnant scares her, but she’s doing it again. Dr. Pound recommends a C-section, but just to avoid fracture. She’s not high risk. When she’s ready, they’ll take out the IUD, and as soon as it comes out, she’ll be immediately fertile.

Taylor visits Leva at the restaurant, and says she has a lot of emotions right now. She knows Shep and she’s comfortable with him. This past weekend, she texted him, and asked what he was doing after the guys’ dinner. She supposes it was a booty call. In Taylor’s interview, she says she’s not sorry about calling. She’s in love with Shep, and it wasn’t a mistake. She tried and it didn’t work out. She tells Leva that Shep said he was headed home, so she said she’d stay with Austen. She was being petty. Leva says she’d love to see them untethered, and in Leva’s interview, she says she’s not sure this is the person she knew, but she thinks Taylor is just having bad breakup. Guys act out of pocket all the time after a breakup, but as women, they’re seen by different standards. She tells Taylor that Shep doesn’t bring out the best in her. She needs to find new boys to hang out with.

Olivia packs while she talks to her mom Robin. Robin asks if Olivia is going to talk to Taylor, but Olivia says, no more conversations. Taylor doesn’t understand the level of betrayal. So she’s taking some space and wants to shelve this in Jamaica. She wants to have fun. Robin says, Rob is sweet, but Olivia says, they agreed it’s better for them to pump the breaks. We flash back to her putting Rob in the friendzone, and Olivia tells Robin, thinking about the different dynamics of uncomfortableness is overwhelming. Austen is saying he still loves her. Robin says she knows it’s confusing at times, and in Olivia’s interview, she says she’s annoyed at herself for back questioning her feelings. She tells Robin that she’s looking forward to the trip and having vacation time.

Craig and Austen work out, and Craig says, Paige isn’t able to make it. They’re more fortunate than most to be able to go at the drop of a hat. He probably should have checked with her earlier. Again, I say, well, yeah, and Austen says, classic Craig. Craig says he can’t get mad, and in Austen’s interview, he says, Craig puts on a façade that it’s all good, but deep down, he’s fretting. He’s not saying there’s trouble in paradise, but Craig can talk to him. He tells Craig that Olivia calls him and they just chat. He has to figure out how to move forward as friends. Craig asks if Austen thinks it’s a steppingstone back to romance, but Austen says he has no agenda. Craig wonders if a friendship can continue. She’s a gal pal, but they used to have chemistry and history. In Craig’s interview, he says, that’s why you shouldn’t hang out with your ex. You just remember the good, but the bad and the reason you broke up is still there, and will rear it’s ugly face sooner or later. Austen is trying to compartmentalize.

They all meet at airport, and fly to Montego Bay, going straight to the Shot Bar. Craig explains the dynamics of the group to the bartender, who I’m sure couldn’t care less. In Craig’s interview, he says, all the exes are hanging out together without closure. He doesn’t know what he was thinking. A bus comes to take them to the hotel, and Craig says, everyone has an oceanfront room. In Austen’s interview, he says, when he and Olivia are getting along, they’re like two peas in a pod. They have to make sure to stay in the friendzone. It takes forever for everyone to check in, Whitney wondering if he got the presidential suite. In his interview, Craig says, checking into a hotel is not that hard. It’s like they never did it before. Taylor suggests someone is trying to get her drunk, and Shep is all for it. In JT’s interview, he says, he and Shep just talked about not giving mixed signals and they just got here. Whitney says his room is not presidential. Not at all.

Dinner is outside, and Madison, Olivia, and Venita show up first. Madison says she wants a conversation with Taylor, but it’s not the time or place. There’s a bunch of mess about seating, and Shep says, the last time he was in Jamaica was 22 years ago. Venita says she’s 29, and Shep looks uncomfortable. Craig thanks everyone for joining him, and says, no matter what’s happening, they can still enjoy a meal, share a smile, and poke non-malicious fun. He tells them that Paige couldn’t make it, and friends sub in when a couple in a long-distance relationship can’t be together. Shep asks if Craig has a girlfriend, and says, that changes everything. In JT’s interview, he says, it’s hard feeling bad for Craig. He’s kind of perfect. (Huh?) But he feels bad that they’re in a beautiful place and Craig must be bummed she’s not here. He’s doing a good job of not showing it. After Shep makes a dig at Taylor for not being more well-traveled, in her interview, she says, Shep acts like he has more life experience, but he’s 40. In his interview, JT says, Shep is being patronizing and disrespectful to Taylor. Let the fish off the line. (Ugh. He acts like he’s so respectful, and consistently likens women to some kind of prey.) Craig tells everyone, it’s an adventure chic aspect tomorrow, but wear a bathing suit underneath. They drink, balancing the glasses on their biceps, and Shep wanders out to the beach, rolling up his pants, and putting his feet in the water. Austen says, they’re all on vacation together, and in Madison’s interview, she says, Austen is like a big kid and drives her crazy, but deep down, she thinks he’s a good person. She sits with him away from the table and asks how he is. She’s seen his face and demeanor, and feels like he loves Taylor.

Austen laughs, but she tells him, don’t laugh. He says, it’s not what he was expecting her to say. She says she’d hate for him not to pursue something because of other people. That motherf***er (i.e. Shep) is the is most selfish person in the entire world. Deep down, she knows Austen has a good heart. She doesn’t want either of them hurt, but at the same time, she wants to be happy for him. The others hang by the bar and discuss Madison talking to Austen. Austen says, at one point, they thought there might be something and Taylor made a move, but now she won’t admit there was a moment. She said it was a two-and-a-half-hour thing, but it was a four or five-day thing when they were thinking about it. He wants the romcom ending. Madison says, he’s a dork, but it’s his niche. That’s what draws people to him. Austen says, this is not his romcom ending. It wasn’t Taylor. They were confused and thought there were vibes, but it was because they were hurting. He was hurting for Olivia.

Olivia tells Craig that Austen talks negative things about Madison. He’s so f***ing fake. Craig says he knows she’s not able to shake him, but she can do better than that. Olivia says, maybe she has unresolved feelings, and Craig asks if she had closure. Olivia says, no. Logically, she knows Austen’s not the person for her. In Olivia’s interview, she says, the problem with Austen is, you don’t know what you’re going to get with him. He’s confusing and can be manipulative. It reminds her of why she didn’t want him in her life in the first place. Craig says, there must be things she can never forgive, and Olivia says, it bothers her that she’s so bothered.

Austen tells Madison, it’s not about Taylor; it’s about Olivia. He loves her. It was always about her. He went to therapy for her and should have ended up with her. Madison asks why he still can’t. He says he doesn’t know why. If he can’t be happy with the person who’s perfect, what’s he going to do?

Next time, waterfalls; Page Six writes about Austen and Taylor hooking up; and Shep and Craig butt heads.

💭 This episode was fairly innocuous. Probably because we need a break now and then. It looks like next week will make up for it.

🧂 Rubbing Salt In the Wound…

I’m watching this peripherally, but it just seems to be circling the same drain. It’s sad that the first season seemed promising and at this point, women who were genuine friends at the start are now at each other’s throats. Jen’s life in prison is probably more peaceful.

🎿 Schwartz Skates Out…

The show I literally can’t watch anymore, but no judgement.

🍤 Requesting the Secret Menu…

Start your weekend off tomorrow with soap and a sleigh full of internet joy. Until then, stay safe, stay not giving to receive, and stay not postponing your joy or happiness, or waiting for somebody to come knocking on your door to make your dreams come true.

November 29, 2023 – Petrov Pays a Visit to Port Charles, More Gloria, Kyle Is the Least Empathetic Human Ever & Strangers

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Gloria tells Lois that she thinks everything is going to be okay. Probably. Yuri said he could fix this, right? Lois says she hopes so. These are not good people to make angry. Gloria says, it’s not her fault. She just spoke her mind and now they’re threatening Ziti, and if they don’t fix this misunderstanding, they’re going to kill him. (Well, I feel stupid. Ziti is a dog. I thought maybe they were threatening to steal her secret recipe or something.) Yuri comes in and says, no one kills Ziti. He’ll handle it. He makes a call.

Felicia tells Maxie that she’s sorry she’s late. Is James ready to go? Maxie tells her, don’t worry about it. Cody came and picked him up, and he’s going to drop him off, so she doesn’t have to go to the Quartermaines. Felicia says, that’s thoughtful, and Maxie says, isn’t it? Even though it’s not as long of a drive as it would have been from their old place. Felicia says, this place is definitely a better fit for Maxie and the kids all the way around. She looks at the living room, sees a box, and says, more new furniture? Maxie says, don’t even get her started, and Felicia says, bad purchase? Maxie says, the worst. Just another tragic example of her trying to save money and it ending up costing her more. Felicia asks what she means, and Maxie says, so she got Georgie a desk and it’s 20% off. It came unassembled, so she figured she could put it together herself. Felicia says she sees where this is going, and Maxie says, the only person who could put this thing together is a professional carpenter. She wanted to send it back, but it was on sale. Felicia says, so it’s probably not returnable, and Maxie says, just another example of a stupid financial decision she’s made.

Alexis goes into the PC Grill and tells the maître d’ that she was here earlier, and he says he remembers. She was having lunch with Mayor Collins. She says she can’t find her phone and she’s hoping she left it here, and he says, she’s in luck. One was turned in at the bar. She can ask them about it. She thanks him and heads for the bar, where she sees Molly at a table nearby.

Finn thanks Martin for coming on such short notice, and Martin says, of course (🍷). It sounded urgent. What can he do for Finn? Finn says he understands his father and Alexis told Martin about him being sued for malpractice, and Martin says, they did. Just a broad outline, but he thinks he has a basic understanding of the case. Finn says, on their recommendation, he’d like Martin to represent him, and Martin says he thought that’s what this might be about. Finn asks if he’ll take the case, and Martin says, before he agrees, he wants to be fully transparent. This case, Finn’s case, is going to be a tough one to win. Finn says he appreciates Martin’s honesty and to be honest with him right now, he thinks he might have just made things worse.

Brook says, Chase’s truck drives really well, and he says he could tell how much she liked driving it by how fast she took that last turn. They walk into the station, and she says, he can unclench his jaw now. She got them here safe and sound, didn’t she? And don’t worry. She’ll take good care of his baby. He tells her, just remember, the parking sticker goes on after it’s detailed. She says, a deal’s a deal. She’s going to get his truck detailed, and he’s going to come by the house to say goodbye to Grandma Gloria after he breaks this big case he’s working on.

Dante introduces himself to Detective Brisco, saying, they spoke earlier. Brisco says, good to meet him in person, and Dante says, likewise. They shake hands, and Brisco says he’s requesting interdepartmental cooperation to investigate the murder of Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt. Dante asks what he needs, and Brisco says he needs to know Dante doesn’t have a conflict of interest. Two months ago, Dante shot the victim’s cousin in his jurisdiction.

Ava meets Sonny in a private lounge at the MetroCourt, and he says, she made it here quickly. She says, it sounded urgent. Something tells her that she’s about to get some bad news. He says, that depends, and she says, on what? He says, her perspective. Some people might consider it good news. Austin Gatlin-Holt is dead.

Finn says, DeeDee Clark, the attorney representing the hospital in the malpractice suit, came here earlier to interview him, and Martin says he’s going to stop Finn right here. The first thing Finn has to understand is that he and the hospital are not on the same side of this thing. That’s why they have separate attorneys. Finn says he’s learning. Martin is the tenth person who’s told him that this week. Martin says, good, because there’s a process here; it’s a strategy. The hospital’s got the deep pockets, not Finn. That’s why the hospital is the one the Muldoons want the judgement against, but to do that, they have to present that not only was Finn negligent, but the hospital allowed and/or contributed to that negligence themselves. Finn says he understands, and Martin says he hopes so. Because at this point General Hospital’s first and probably only defense is that Finn and Finn alone is responsible for the malpractice that led to Mr. Muldoon’s death.

Alexis thanks the bartender for her phone and orders a club soda. At a nearby table, the matching professional tells Molly, this was a good start. She’s sorry none of the surrogates she and TJ interviewed were available, but she hopes Molly will agree there are several other amazing candidates in here. She gives Molly a folder, and Molly thanks her and says, it’s encouraging to know other options are waiting for them. She and TJ will discuss them all and get back to her. The matching professional says, take your time. It’s a big decision. When they’re ready, she’ll be here. She leaves, and Alexis asks if she can join Molly.

Felicia says she doesn’t understand. Why does Maxie owe so much money? Maxie says, because she’s run up a lot of credit card debt, and Felicia asks how that happened. Maxie says, in the beginning, Deception was doing great and she was able to pay off every balance every month on every card, no problem. Then the lawsuit happened and The Deceptor was taken off the market, and she could only afford the minimum payment. Felicia says, that’s how they get you, and Maxie says she knows, but she didn’t have a choice. And she thought all this would get resolved faster, so she was just making the minimum payments and she was still having to charge things every month. (Ugh. I feel her pain.) Now they’re living in this bigger, more expensive place, but the kids love it, so she can’t bring herself to regret it. She just feels like she’s dug herself into a hole she won’t be able to get out of.

Yuri asks if Lois and Gloria both know the plan, and they say, yes, when Brook walks in. She says, that’s never a good question to walk in on. What plan? What’s going on? Lois says, Brook’s grandma is in trouble, and Brook asks, what kind of trouble? Gloria says, it’s a just a misunderstanding, and Lois says, she had a difference of opinion with a woman who has close ties to the Russian mob. Brook asks what Gloria was thinking and says, they have to call Uncle Sonny.

Ava asks how certain Sonny is that Austin is dead, and he says, very certain. She asks how he died, and he says, maybe she should tell him. She asks what he’s implying. How the hell would she know? Sonny says, she’d know if she was there, and she says she didn’t even know he was dead until Sonny told her just now. He says, listen to him. If she killed Austin, she needs to tell him, now.

Brisco says, if Dante had reason to suspect a kidnapping victim was being held in Pautuck, they should have been his first call, but Dante says he didn’t have reason to believe anything. He acted on a civilian tip. By the time he got there, the perp was about to throw another man down a cliff. So he didn’t have time to call anyone. Brisco says, Dante’s been cleared by his department. He has no problem with that. He does have a problem with some defense attorney claiming Dante had a conflict of interest and getting any evidence he uncovers suppressed. Dante asks if Brisco wants him to recuse himself, but Brisco says, not at this time. That may change once they get a suspect and start building a case. In the meantime, he needs Dante’s help questioning the associates of the victim here in Port Charles. Chase comes in, and Dante says, good timing. He introduces Chase and Brisco, and Brisco says, let him fill them in on what they have so far. The property is rural, but the house is visible from the road. The neighbors saw the front door wide open, so they went to investigate. They saw the body and immediately called the Pautuck PD. Dante asks if they have an estimated time of death, and Brisco says, the preliminary report is 24 to 48 hours prior to Thanksgiving. Chase asks, how’d he die? and Brisco says, it was pretty brutal. Two shots to the chest, close range.

Ava says she told Sonny, she didn’t kill Austin. Why would she? She has no reason. He says, they both know that’s not true, and she says, then tell her. Why would she want to get rid of him? He says, Austin played her, strung her along, pretended to be in love with her, lied to her, when all the while taking orders from Cyrus. She says, wouldn’t that make it much more likely Cyrus killed him? Why doesn’t Sonny question him? Sonny says he doesn’t give a damn about Cyrus. She’s the mother of his child. She’s no good to Avery in prison. So if she killed Austin, she has to let him know because the police have his body. And every second they waste makes it harder for him to cover her tracks.

Brisco says he was just telling Dante that he needs help putting together a list of the victim’s known associates. Dante says, Austin’s cousin Mason is currently in the hospital at GH, but he’s also been arrested for attempted murder and kidnapping. Chase says, as soon as he’s well enough, he’s going to be transferred to Pentenville, and Brisco says, he’s injured and handcuffed to the bed and there’s a guard outside his door. Seems unlikely he’d be able to sneak out and murder his cousin. But he’d like confirmation on Mason Gatlin’s whereabouts on the night in question, just in case.

Yuri says, they’re all family. Problem go away. Brook asks if he’s sure about that, when the doorbell rings. Yuri says, Mr. Petrov is here, and Lois asks how he knows. He tells her, just stick to plan, and goes to the door. He opens the door and thanks Mr. Petrov for coming in Russian. Also in Russian, Petrov says he hopes it’s worth the trip, and Yuri brings him to the living room where Brook, Lois, and Gloria are lined up. Yuri says, this is Brook Lynn Quartermaine, and Lois and Gloria Cerullo. All good women. Brook says, hello, and Lois says, hi. Gloria nods, and Petrov says, you. She’s the one who upset his Petra. Gloria starts to move forward, but Lois pulls her back. Petrov and Gloria stare at each other.

Molly says she didn’t expect to see Alexis today, and Alexis says she was here earlier having lunch with Laura and left her phone here. She came back to retrieve it, and it looked like Molly was having an intense conversation. Molly says she was, and Alexis says she also noticed that when Molly saw her, she shut that folder really quickly. So she’s assuming whatever it is, Molly would like to keep it private. She just wants Molly to know that she loves her and she’s here for her if she needs to talk about anything. Molly says she does actually. She started looking for a new surrogate. She hands Alexis the folder.

Finn tells Martin, it’s absurd. There was no negligence, not by him, not by the hospital. Mr. Muldoon had a tapeworm like the tests showed. The only way to know he had cancer is if he got follow-up tests and Mr. Muldoon refused to do that. Martin says, listen to him. It’s one thing to be upset, but never ever tell a grieving family, people who’ve lost a husband or father, that their need for redress is absurd. The jury will hate him. Finn says, that’s not what he meant. The last thing he wants to do is downplay their pain. He grieved for this man when he died, but the GH lawyer implied that he should have been able to tell immediately that Muldoon had cancer in addition to the tapeworm. There’s a knock at the door, and Clark comes in. She says, good. Finn’s still here. She’s assuming this is his lawyer. Martin introduces himself, and Clark says, as long as he’s here, she still has a few more questions for his client.

Yuri says, let’s all take seat, and takes Petrov’s coat. They all sit, and Yuri thanks Petrov for coming. He’s sure there’s a way they can all get past this… misunderstanding. Petrov says, he come here only because his beloved nephew take trombone lessons from Yuri (Yuri plays trombone?). He plays beautiful, no? Lois says, that is so generous of him. She knows her mother is very sorry for upsetting his wife, and she’s very passionate about Bingo, but she knows she went a little overboard. Gloria says, overboard? All she asked her to do was lower her voice. Yuri says, what Gloria means is that she apologize, and Gloria says, why should she apologize? She’s done nothing wrong. Petrov says, a wasted trip. He’s leaving. He gets up, but Brook says, he can’t go.

Felicia tells Maxie, what’s done is done. She has a lot of debt to pay off. What about Deception? Now that the lawsuit has been settled and The Deceptor is a big success, won’t she be bringing a lot of money in from that? Maxie says, eventually, but during the lawsuit, Deception went into debt too. It’ll be months, maybe even years, before they’re not operating at a deficit and she’ll be making what she was. Felicia says, she’ll get back there, and Maxie says she thinks so. But in the meantime, her kids are growing and getting older and more expensive. It’s not their fault, but now they have after school clubs and sports and tutors and braces soon. That’s not even mentioning the stuff she needs. Felicia says, like what? and Maxie says, anything, everything. She’s never been good at sticking to a budget or being frugal. Now it’s coming back to bite her in a big way. She thinks she’s in over her head and she doesn’t know what to do.

Martin apologizes to Clark, but they have to decline her offer. His client won’t be answering any other questions until his deposition. Clark says, that is his right, but before Dr. Finn puts anything on the record, they need to be crystal clear about what led to Mr. Muldoon’s death. Martin suggests they save the obfuscation for the courtroom. They’re all well aware it’s her job to shield the hospital from liability and try to place it solely on his client. She says, that’s a bold accusation, but he says, not at all. He’s suggesting she change her tactic. If General Hospital hired her to stab the good doctor in the back, he can and will shift all the blame to General Hospital.

Brisco thanks Dante and Chase for the information and the copy of the coroner’s report, and Dante says, they’ll get him the list of associates. Brisco says, that reminds him. He understands the victim had family other than Mason in Port Charles. Chase says, Austin’s father, Jimmy Lee Holt, was the illegitimate son of the late Edward Quartermaine, and Brisco says he’s familiar with the name. The Quartermaines are a very influential family. People of their stature may not be happy with an illegitimate grandson showing up. How’d they feel about the victim? Chase says, as far as he knows, they didn’t associate with him much, and Brisco asks, then who did Austin associate with? Who was he close to? Dante says, the kidnapping victim, Ava Jerome.

Ava says she appreciates Sonny’s willingness to cover up a murder he thinks she committed, but she had nothing to do with Austin’s death. She still doesn’t know how the man died. Sonny says, his body was found by a neighbor in a house in Pautuck. He was shot twice at close range. Ava wonders what he was doing in Pautuck. He always told her that he was so happy to leave that place behind. She doesn’t know why he’d ever go back. Sonny says, maybe the killer lured him there. (Ooh, could it be Nikolas?)

Brook says she still wants to hear about how well Petrov’s nephew plays the trombone, and Petrov asks, why? She shows him her card and says, because she’s a music manager. One of her artists is about to go on tour, and they’re putting together a brass section of talented musicians, and they still need a trombonist. Petrov asks, who is this artist? and Brook says, Luke West and the Stacked Seven. Petrov chuckles and says he loves Luke West and the Stacked Seven, and Brook says, they’re amazing. And she can guarantee his nephew a spot on tour if he can just find it in his heart to let go of this whole misunderstanding. Petrov says, is no misunderstand, but his nephew’s the most important. He will make her cry with his beautiful music. Fine. No more Bingo for her and we forget this ever happened. Brook hands him her card and says, thank you so much. Yuri says, is good, huh? and Lois says, very good. So what does Gloria say?

Alexis tells Molly that she’s impressed with this agency. They seem to know what they’re doing. All of these women look like they’d be very good candidates for their surrogate. Molly agrees, and says, it was a very positive meeting. Alexis says, but she’s still worried, and Molly asks if it’s that obvious. Alexis says, not to other people, but she’s Molly’s mother. It’s her job to know these things. She takes Molly’s hands and says, she’s been through a lot, and she really respects Molly’s resolve to keep fighting to get what she wants. She knows Molly and TJ will look at these women and find the perfect surrogate. Molly says, that’s the problem. TJ has no idea she’s doing this.

Felicia takes out her checkbook, but Maxie says, absolutely not. She’s not taking Felicia’s money. Felicia says, Maxie needs the money and this is just a little something to tide her over for now. After she leaves, she wants Maxie to go through all her accounts and add up all her debt. When Maxie has that, she and Mac will go through their retirement portfolio and see what they can liquidate to get her the rest of the money. Maxie says, that’s really generous of her, but what part of absolutely not does she not understand? Felicia says she’s not taking no for an answer. Maxie needs the money and she’s not giving her a choice. Maxie snatches the checkbook and says she’s a grown woman. She got herself into this; it’s her responsibility to get herself out. Felicia says, not at 25% interest she can’t.

Sonny tells Ava, Pautuck is a small town. A lot of farms; a lot of isolated homes. Ava asks what he’s getting at, and he says, if somebody wanted to off Austin, that would be the place to do it. A lot less chance of somebody being a witness there than in Port Charles. Maybe more private than Spoon Island. She says she already told him, she didn’t kill Austin, but he says he’s not the one she needs to worry about. How is she going to convince the cops that she’s innocent? She asks if she’ll need to convince the cops. There won’t be any evidence that she did it because she didn’t do it. He says, really? She and Austin were associates. A lot of people saw them together. It’s not a stretch that they could be lovers. How many times did she visit him at the hospital? People don’t forget that. What about the gallery? How many times… What? What happened at the gallery? She says she didn’t kill him there if that’s what Sonny is implying. But Austin did come to see her at the gallery a couple of days before Thanksgiving and that’s the last time she saw him. And he was very much alive.

Dante goes to Mason’s room at the hospital and tells the guard that he needs to speak with the patient. He goes in, and Mason says, get out. Dante asks what he’s yelling about, and Mason asks what Dante thinks. He’s the cop who shot him. And for no good reason. Dante says, no good reason? Mason almost killed two people. Mason says, that’s not how he remembers it. He doesn’t want to be alone with Dante. Dante might try to hurt him again. He yells, help! Police brutality! The guard pretty much ignores him, and Dante says he doesn’t know if he wants to be alone with Mason either. He asks the guard and a nurse to come in and be witnesses, and tells Mason that he wanted to inform him that his cousin Austin Gatlin-Holt has been murdered.

Clark tells Martin that she thinks they’re losing sight of the bigger picture here. The goal is to fight the Muldoons, not each other. Martin says, good. Then he’s sure she’ll agree there’s only one possible position for the hospital to take – the truth. That Dr. Finn treated his patient in good faith, in accordance with all professional and medical standards. She starts to interrupt, but he says, let him finish. And that the hospital also complied with those same standards. Mr. Muldoon’s death was a tragedy, but an unforeseen one. One that couldn’t have been prevented by either Dr. Finn or the hospital. Clark says she’s not at liberty to reveal the hospital’s position, but she can say she’s looking forward to getting all her questions answered when Dr. Finn sits for his deposition. Finn says he can’t wait, and Clark says she’ll see them later and leaves. Finn says, now he knows why Alexis speaks so highly of Martin, and thanks him, but Martin says, it’s way too soon to start thanking him. You, sir, are in a pickle.

Mason says, Austin’s dead? How? Dante says, took two in the chest, close range. Whoever did it wanted to make sure. Mason asks when this happened, and Dante says, just before Thanksgiving, in Pautuck. Mason asks if they have any suspects, and Dante says, that’s what he’s here to talk to Mason about. Does he know anyone who would want to kill his cousin? Mason says he doesn’t know everyone Austin was associated with, but Dante says, he knows most of them. He and Austin spent a lot of time together. Maybe he has information that’s important and just doesn’t know what it is. Mason says, and Dante wants him to tell him, but Dante says, that’s up to him. Mason gives him info that helps them catch and convict Austin’s killer, that works out well for him. Mason asks, how so? Dante says, Mason is looking at spending a lot of time in prison. Does he want to make a deal or no?

Gloria says she doesn’t like to be told where and when she can Bingo, and Lois laughs. She says, but Gloria will stay clear of Mrs. Petrov and St. Nicholas Church. Then she can play anywhere, anytime. Okay? Gloria gets up and says, fine. She’ll never set foot in that place again, not even for a funeral. Lois says, great, and thanks her. Yuri says, good now? and Petrov says, yes. Good. He tells Brook, now you call Luke West for nephew, and she says, consider it done. Yuri says, all is well that ends well. He’ll show Petrov out. Yuri and Petrov leave, and Lois tells Brook, that was amazing. How did she know how to handle him? Brook says, music industry execs and Russian mobsters aren’t so different really, and Lois says, her baby. Gloria looks at Brook lovingly.

Molly tells Alexis that TJ wants to wait before trying a new surrogate. He just isn’t ready to try again. He’s worried they’re just setting themselves up for more heartbreak. Alexis asks how Molly feels, and Molly says she was devastated by the loss of their baby too, and it’s not like she doesn’t get TJ’s point. The thought of going through that again scares her too. Alexis says, but? and Molly says, but then she ran into Dr. Navarro, and when she told her about the miscarriage, she was sympathetic, but she also made Molly hopeful. She said, there’s always a chance of miscarriage, but surrogacy actually has a high success rate and there are tons of loving people out there who longed to be parents and wouldn’t have the children they have today if it weren’t for surrogacy. Alexis says, it’s a wonderful, selfless thing to do, and Molly says, it is. It’s an amazing gift they’d be getting from their surrogate. And since the matching professional agreed to meet, she thought it was the least she could do was speak with her again. Alexis says, without telling TJ.

Lois puts her arm around Gloria and says, there are plenty of Bingo places in Brooklyn, and if she finds herself within three blocks of St. Nikolas Church, she wants Gloria to think of Ziti and turn the other way. The doorbell rings, and Brook opens the door to Chase. She says, look at him. Right on time. They kiss, and he says he tries. Does he even want to know who that sketchy guy he saw leaving was? Gloria says, delivery guy, and Chase addresses her as Mrs. Cerullo, but she says, Gloria. She thought they settled that. He says he just wanted to stop by and tell her what a pleasure it was to meet her. Gloria thanks him, but says, the pleasure was all hers. Now that she has him here, there’s a few things she’d like to say to him about her granddaughter.

Gloria says, Chase seems like a very nice young man, and he thanks her. She says she raised four sons, and she’s learned from experience that a lot of young men find a nice young woman and they think she’s going to wait for them forever, but sometimes that’s not the case. Brook twirls Gloria around, hugging her, and says, that’s something to think about. She loves Gloria and wishes she could stay longer, but she knows Gloria has to get back. She gestures to Lois, and Lois agrees. She says, Brook is right. She’d better hurry or she’ll miss her bus. Gloria says, and she’s got a Bingo tournament to get to… Kidding, kidding, kidding. Chase offers to take her bag, but Yuri comes back. Brook says her grandma’s ready to go, and Yuri is going to drive her to the bus station and wait with her until she gets on the bus, and Yuri says he would never leave Miss Gloria until he knows she’s safely on her way home. Brook hugs Gloria again and says she loves her. She tells Gloria to have a safe trip home, and Gloria says she will. Chase says, it was a pleasure to meet her, and Gloria hugs Lois. She’s almost out the door, but she turns around and says she’ll have to plan her trip back, so she has one question for Brook. When are she and Chase getting married?

Felicia says she knows Maxie feels bad about this, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to a lot of people. Credit card debt is everywhere, and it’s insidious. (Preach!) The balance just keeps sneaking up on you. Maxie says, the balance sneaks up on you really fast, and Felicia says, that’s why they have to stop it now before it gets any worse. Maxie says, no. That money is for Felicia and Mac. She doesn’t want to use it. Does Felicia know how many times Mac told her to put the max in her 401k once a month? Felicia and Mac did that and they saved a lot, so they could travel and enjoy themselves. Felicia says, they can do both. They can do all those things they planned, and they can help Maxie now. Maxie will be able to pay off her credit card debt and stop her interest from compounding, and when Deception starts making money again, they can work out some kind of payment plan for her. Maxie says she thinks they should take some time and think about if this is the best solution. She doesn’t want to bail herself out at the expense of Felicia and Mac.

Molly says she only took the meeting because she wanted to see if there were more eligible surrogate candidates available. She didn’t expect for there to be so many. Alexis says, which makes it even harder, and Molly says, now she can see a path forward. Andrea wasn’t their only option. There might even be a better one out there for them, but she doesn’t know if she can convince TJ. Alexis says, Molly knows she only wants what’s best for her, and Molly says, just talking about it helps. Alexis says, that’s what she’s here for, but Molly really needs to talk to TJ about this. And if she wants to go forward with this surrogate, and have this baby, it has to be something they both want.

Martin says, since Finn is legally required to take part in this deposition, he needs to prep Finn carefully beforehand. Finn says, of course (🍷), and Martin says, it’s vitally important that no matter what they ask him, he limits his answers solely on that question. He doesn’t want Finn expanding answers, trying to defend himself, or offering up extra information that might implicate him somehow. Finn says he’ll do what Martin asks. Clearly, he’s the expert here. Martin says, if his deposition makes him look vulnerable in any way possible, the hospital might try to offer the Muldoon family a separate settlement. In other words, if they can buy their way out at a discount, they won’t hesitate to throw Finn under the bus.

Dante asks if Mason has any idea who might have killed Austin, and Mason says, Ava Jerome. Dante says, why her? and Mason says, because they were involved in not too legal activities. They were sleeping together and… Dante knows his cousin. He was high strung, and he had a big mouth. Austin never met a secret he couldn’t keep. Maybe he said the wrong thing to the wrong somebody and Ava had to shut him up permanently. Dante says he guesses they’re going with that, and Mason says, tell them he helped, okay? Dante says, he’ll get right on that, and goes to the door. He stops and says he forgot to mention, he just got word that Mason is being transferred to Pentenville tonight. You have a safe trip. He leaves, the nurse and guard following him, and the guard closes the door.

Sonny asks if Ava is telling him that nothing happened the last time she saw Austin at the gallery, and she says, well… He says, she’s hiding something. Tell him what happened. She says she was angry with Austin, livid actually, for leaving her to die at the hands of his demented cousin. That was his fault. And they fought about it. Sonny says, now they’re getting somewhere, and Ava says, Austin kept giving her excuses and his reasons for not being responsible, but she wasn’t having it, because like Sonny said, he was playing her all along. He probably knew that Nikolas wasn’t dead, and he was just using that to manipulate her to do what he wanted. Sonny asks if she knows what that sounds like to him. A motive for murder. Austin had no reason to keep that secret for her. How does she know he didn’t go tell somebody in order to get something out of it? She says she guesses she doesn’t, and he says, that’s right. For all she knows, he could have told everybody, including the cops. So whether she killed Austin or not, she could end up being a prime suspect.

Tomorrow, TJ says he might have made a huge mistake; Kristina asks Sam why she thinks it might not be a good fit for Scout; Dante asks, when was the last time Ava saw Austin; and Michael asks what Nina is trying to pull.

🍝 With Ziti On the Side…

The Gloria wiki.

https://general-hospital.fandom.com/wiki/Gloria_Cerullo_(Ellen_Travolta)

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Dorit meets Crystal and they go to Kyle’s house. Kyle has a bigger stack of unread mail than I do, and says she needs someone to help her organize. In Dorit’s interview, she says, their business manager tells her to stop shopping, but she doesn’t listen. Crystal says, when she and Garcelle came back last night, things looked good. We flash back to Dorit apologizing to Garcelle, and Dorit says, it was the right thing to do. She apologized for making Garcelle feel bad. It takes time. Kyle says she cares about Sutton, but she seemed off a couple times. The other night, Sutton insisted the elevator door opening in Vegas was planned. Dorit says, impossible, although I’m not sure why it would be. Kyle imitates Sutton imitating Erika, but doesn’t do a good job. This is why she never made it past the Halloween movies. Kyle says she told Sutton that it wasn’t planned, but Sutton said she was just defending her friend. She was so aggressive. It was mean. Dorit says she’s been there. Sutton goes from 0 to 60 quick. Dorit says, Sutton is a drinker. She wouldn’t be surprised if Sutton put vodka in her coffee. In Crystal’s interview, she says, this, from the woman who drinks a three carcass cocktail everyone knows about. Kyle says, vodka makes some people mean, and in her interview, Crystal says, Kyle stopped drinking yesterday. That doesn’t mean she can make judgments. Maybe she’s jealous that Sutton can hold them down. Dorit asks what Kyle wants to do and Kyle says she wants to repair it. Crystal wonders if it might not be different if the environment was calmer.

Garcelle meets Sutton for dinner, and Sutton says she’s having a drink, since she didn’t drink at Garcelle’s thing. Garcelle says she drank too much at her thing, and they order food. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she doesn’t think Sutton is a vegetarian. She eats bacon all the time. She tells Sutton that she couldn’t be happier with the turnout, and asks who Sutton was surprised to see. Sutton says, Jerry O’Connell, and we see a clip. They agree he’s cute, and Garcelle asks how things are with Sutton and Erika. Sutton says, they don’t have anything to talk about, and Garcelle says, it was wild. There they were and the elevator doors opened. Sutton says she told Kyle that it was a set-up, but Kyle defended Erika and got upset. It’s about Sutton and Erika, and has nothing to do with Kyle and Sutton. She thinks Kyle feels the need to insert herself when it comes to her, and it was a bit hurtful. We flash back to that, and Sutton says she told Kyle that a lot of the time when you exercise excessively and lose weight, something else is going on. Garcelle suggests Sutton hit a nerve, and Sutton says she noticed the sapphire and diamond ring Kyle is wearing is brand new. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she doesn’t know how Sutton noticed. She never pays attention to things like that. The only time she noticed jewelry was after the robbery; Dorit still had hers. She takes a sip of her drink. Sutton wonders if the ring is a make-up gift. The tabloids say there are problems in their marriage. In Sutton’s interview, she says, the news is, Mauricio may be having an affair. It’s all over the internet. She has zero interest in Kyle’s marriage, but she cares about Kyle. She though they were close enough that Kyle could come to her, but it’s hard to be close if you think someone’s hiding something. Garcelle says, just be honest and clear the air, but Kyle has to do that with Sutton too.

Erika goes to talent manager Alexis’s house, and in Erika’s interview, she says, Alexis is a talent manager with a background in publicity. Erika wants to talk strategy going forward. She’s rejuvenated her team. She and Jack decided not to work together. We flash back to the discussion on who leaked the Kathy Hilton stuff, and Erika being told it was someone who works for her. Erika says, they’re still friends, but they’re not in business together. Alexis says, Erika was at a pivotal point. She was essentially on top of the world. She was doing Broadway and had everything going for her. Obviously, she got stopped in her tracks. We flash back to all that, and Alexis says, it created uncertainty about her name and her brand. Erika says, Tom’s indictment didn’t help. Even though she didn’t get indicted, it translated into people not wanting to work with her. In her interview, Erika says, these were the worst years of her life. Her reputation was in the toilet, she was getting no offers, and defending herself was expensive. She’d always had help and now she doesn’t. Alexis says, Erika needs to take accountability, and Erika says she’s come back with a better sense of herself, because she had no choice but to face herself. We flash back to her group apology and crocodile tears, and Alexis says she imagines Erika wants to perform again. Erika says she wants to be back on stage and have a relationship with the audience. Alexis says, she’ll make some calls and see if anyone will take a meeting. They won’t know if they don’t ask.

Jax and Garcelle go to dinner, and Garcelle tells him, at his age, she couldn’t have a conversation with her mom and dad like they do. She’s from a different generation, where they didn’t talk like that. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s hard parenting twins. As they get older, they have separate, different needs. Jax wants to talk things through and she’s learning to be patient with his conversation. She needs to hear him out more. She tells him that he said something that hurt her on the beach, and we flash back to Jax saying they could have used more parenting when they were younger. She says, he thought she should have kept the family together, but Jax says he knows damn well it was his dad’s fault. He’s known since he was 8. He was curious and looked it up. She asks, why not say something? and he says he’s known forever. In her interview, Garcelle says she found out about Mike’s infidelity when she borrowed his phone. She saw a text that said, I love you, and it wasn’t from her or the kids; it was from a different number. She asked him, who is it? and he said, it’s nothing, it’s nobody. They were in the car, Jax and Jaid in their car seats, and Jax said, tell mommy what? That shut them both up. Jax says he’d never hold it against his dad, even though he knows it’s his fault. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it was all about shielding them. Hearing Jax say he’s known all this time, she’ll never be okay with that. Jax says, almost half of all marriages end in divorce, and Garcelle says she doesn’t even know who he is. In her interview, she says she realizes she needs to see the smart, brilliant, outspoken child he is. She tells Jax that she’s proud of him for being who he is. He’s helping her grow and she loves him. He says he loves her too, and she tells the waiter, he’s paying.

Kyle visits tattoo artist Stephan and says she didn’t tell Mauricio. It’s not a secret; she just didn’t tell him. Morgan Wade joins her, and Kyle introduces her to Stephan and says, she’s all covered. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Morgan is a very close friend. They talk every day. People are confused by their friendship. Stephan asks how they met, and Morgan says, Kyle stalked her. Kyle says she heard Morgan’s music and wondered, who’s the girl with the voice and these lyrics? In her interview, Kyle says, Morgan is 100% herself, no excuses. We see pictures of them together, and Kyle says, no apologies. There’s something freeing about it. She’s always worried about being together and perfect, and she was taken by that. She tells Morgan that she’s hosting a CBD/THC dinner party. Herbal chef Chris is amazing, and it will be a culinary experience even if the guests don’t participate. She sometimes feels that the women are pushing at her about not drinking. If she doesn’t do edibles, they’ll get annoyed. Morgan tells her, never feel pressured. When she got sober, she lost friends. Go and if she wants to try it, try it. If she decides no, then don’t. But don’t make a big deal about it. In her interview, Kyle says, Morgan’s been sober six years. It’s nice to have friends with things in common. They both like to work out and not drink. It’s nice to surround herself with like-minded people. Morgan holds Kyle’s hand as Stephan tattoos her hip. Morgan tells Kyle, it’s a penis, and Stephan says, maybe he did. Stephan finishes the tattoo, a little planet Saturn surrounded by stars, and Kyle and Morgan agree it’s cute. Morgan says she’ll post a picture. They need more rumors started.

When Kyle gets home, she sees Mauricio, and there’s this whole boring exchange about some book he wants her to read. Mauricio says he has to leave super early, and she says, it looks like there’s a body in his bag. (It does!) He says, it’s golf clubs, and Kyle says she would fit in there. She tells him that she got a small tattoo, and he asks if it was his name, calling her lovebean. I think that’s why Kyle is unhappy. She’s tired of that stupid nickname. She shows him, and he says he hopes he gets to see it. She says, he’s seeing it now, but he says he means often.

Sutton’s #2 assistant Zach and Avi fuss over things, when matchmaker Alessandra arrives. She wonders if Sutton’s dog Waylon will help pick a match, and Sutton says she invited Dorit, who knows more about her than Alessandra and her service is free. Dorit claims she’s figured out why no one wants date Sutton. We flash back to Dorit telling Sutton that she’s doing it all wrong, and Dorit walks in. In Sutton’s interview, she says, Dorit is the perfect person to help her pick a date. If Dorit fell in love with PK, maybe she needs to be not so picky. Alessandra says she selected three candidates for Sutton to choose from, and Dorit asks what Alessandra’s take is on it. Alessandra say she did a lot of figuring out. Sutton is very resistant, but there were so many aha moments. She believes Sutton isn’t looking for a billionaire, but Sutton tells her that she didn’t say that. Alessandra says, Sutton wouldn’t turn one down, but she thinks Sutton is self-aware. She asks Dorit’s take, and Dorit says she thinks Sutton’s lack of self-awareness is her biggest downfall. She gets snippy and is impossible to comfort her. Dorit says, Sutton needs to give the benefit of the doubt, relax, and be herself. Confidence is sexy. Sutton says she is confident, and Dorit says she’s reiterating it to her. The first candidate loves kids and travel, and the second is the CEO of an entertainment firm. Sutton says she’s swiping left. She doesn’t like a black shirt with a black tux. In Dorit’s interview, she says, like it’s the worst thing ever. It’s called the monochromatic look. Alessandra says, imagine if someone judged Sutton on what she wore, and we flash back to her kitty sweater. In Dorit’s interview, she says she’s not sure Sutton should be the judge on fashion taste, The last candidate likes classic films and a good bottle of wine, but the first candidate is the chosen one. Alessandra tells Sutton to get out of her head and into her body. Give him a hug when they meet. Sutton say she’s not hugging him.

Kyle videochats with Morgan, and they discuss the tattoo Morgan let Kyle ink on her. We see a clip, and I wonder if Morgan is nuts. Kyle does some kind of circle thing that, in the grand scheme of Morgan’s tattoos, is probably not noticeable. Still. Morgan says, no one else can say they’re tattooed by Kyle, and Kyle says, what’s one extra circle?

Everyone gets ready for the CBD/THC dinner, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, the ladies are giving her a hard time about not drinking. She’s getting peer pressure. She can drink margaritas, do the splits, say something she regrets, then wake up with a headache, or eat or smoke weed. That should shut them up. The morally corrupt Faye Resnick is there, as well as friends Annemarie and Justin. In her interview, Kyle says, Annemarie is a new friend. She’s married to ex-NFL player Marcellus Wiley. They met at a party and found out they live on the same street. Kyle asks how much Annemarie works out, and she says, six or seven days a week. Kyle tells her that Sutton said she works out too much. In Crystal’s interview, she says she doesn’t know Annemarie, but they have mutual friends. She talks a lot and asks a lot of questions. That bitch is nosy. We flash back to the Dinner Party from Hell, and drunk psychic Allison saying Mauricio will never emotionally fulfill Kyle.  Camille and Denise arrive together, and Denise suggests they get an In-N-Out Burger and go home. They’re both nervous.

In Garcelle’s interview, she says she’s somewhat of a newbie, but even she knows what went on at the Dinner Party from Hell. We flash back to Camille talking about the morally corrupt Faye Resnick, and Garcelle says, they don’t like each other. She knows that. Edibles are discussed, and I’m with Garcelle who doesn’t like them, since you never know when they’ll kick in or turn off. I tried them once. It did not sit well with me. Faye gives Camille a fake hug, and they end up seated across from each other. Kyle’s idea of a joke or is it just her stupidity? Faye changes seats, and Sutton and Kyle sit in another room for a private conversation. Sutton says, it got heated which she hated because it’s not like them. Kyle asks why Sutton said she wasn’t being herself, and Sutton says, because she wasn’t. She was with ex-husband Christian over the weekend. He got a big promotion, and he’s moving to London. He wanted her and James to move with him. Kyle says, tell him f*** off.  He doesn’t have the right to tell her what to do. Sutton says she didn’t know, and in her interview, she says, when she went through the divorce, he had a bigger team and could fight harder. It was like Princess Leia against Darth Vader and all the Stormtroopers. Christian is powerful globally. She asks Kyle if he can take James, but Kyle says, no. Sutton says she didn’t know if James would want to go, and it was weighing on her. She overreacted because her brain was somewhere else, but it’s fine. She and James aren’t going and she’s going to have James full-time, so her support will have to be increased. Kyle asks why this is a problem because she lacks any empathy whatsoever, and Sutton says she has to deal with it legally. In Kyle’s interview, she says, let her get this straight. She’s supposed to have sympathy for a move that’s not happening and Sutton getting more money and having her son all the time. Help her connect the dots. What I said about empathy. Kyle asks what was going on at Sutton’s house. She was aggressive and seemed off. Why? Because of her ex moving to London and getting extra money? Sutton wonders why Kyle can’t be sympathetic. It’s a big deal, the end of an era. Kyle asks if she’s that out of touch, and Sutton says, he’s leaving indefinitely, and she loved him. Kyle says she can fly there and back. She thinks it’s just an excuse, because Sutton makes excuses when she behaves like this. Sutton asks, what’s Kyle’s excuse? She’s not being a friend. Crystal comes in and says, everyone is waiting, and Sutton says, if Kyle can’t be honest, they can just sit. Kyle says, maybe Sutton wasn’t being a friend. She was weird and off. She wondered if it was Sutton’s medicine or if she’d had a couple of drinks. Something’s not right. Sutton leaves, and Kyle yells, if she has something to say, f***ing say it. In the kitchen, Chris wonders if he should serve dinner if they’re yelling at each other. Maybe serve the CBD first? Crystal tells Kyle that she thinks Kyle and Sutton are doing the same things to each other, and Sutton goes to the table. Erika wonders where their hostess is, and Sutton says, in denial about something.

Kyle says, Sutton is acting like she’s concerned about something she should be sharing, and Crystal reminds her again that everyone is waiting. They go to the table, and Chris explains that he’ll be serving a five-course tasting menu that will be optionally injected with cannabis, then he’ll gently bring them down with a CBD dessert. They’ll choose their own dosage, and it’s never overwhelming. His assistant Jack takes dosage orders, and Garcelle and Denise opt out. Crystal says she thinks they need to clear the air, and Kyle says she doesn’t like to feel like a friend is making a veiled threat. Sutton says, no threat, and Kyle says, if Sutton is going to ask her to be honest, have the balls to tell her what to be honest about. Sutton says she shared something personal, and Kyle made fun of her. Kyle tries gaslighting Sutton by saying she told Sutton that she understood, and it was sad, but she thought it was just an excuse for Sutton’s behavior. Sutton says, Kyle is deflecting, but Kyle says she’s explaining herself. Sutton says she was talking to Kyle, sharing with her and being honest and real. She’s asking Kyle to do the same and she’s not doing it. Kyle says she’s being honest, and Sutton says, then she’s perfect. Kyle tells her that she didn’t say that. If Sutton is going to put it out there, have the balls to say what she’s trying to insinuate. Sutton says, Kyle’s been overly working out and eating differently, and Kyle says, she has the guts to say that when Sutton doesn’t eat. In her interview, Kyle says, Sutton is making comments about her working out and not drinking, when she pushes her food around like Kyle’s kids do. Annemarie wonders if she’s the only one in the dark. Friends can say things, but they’re not saying anything right now. Be blunt, say it, and move past it. Sutton says, something is going on in Kyle’s personal life that she’s not sharing, and someone says, with what? Garcelle says, her marriage. She has a new wedding band. Sutton says, Kyle hasn’t been wearing her ring, and Kyle says, it’s in the bank. Sutton says, things add up, and Kyle says she’s been wearing a different ring that she bought herself. Garcelle says she thought it was a make-up band. Like when your husband messes up and you get a gift. Camille says she used to get cars, and Kyle says, it’s not a gift. She bought it herself. Faye says, it seems inappropriate, asking these questions at the table, even though Kyle was the one going on about having balls. Denise says she doesn’t know what this is about, and Kyle tells Garcelle, it’s a weird thing to say. Where did Garcelle get her necklace? Garcelle says, Zara, and in Erika’s interview, she says she’s glad it’s not her this time. She’s enjoying watching this show.

Sutton says, then it’s been cleared up, and Kyle asks if Sutton is saying her husband cheated. Crickets are heard, and Sutton asks if she said that. Annemarie asks if Sutton is saying Kyle can’t get new jewelry or an outfit, and Kyle says, she told them on the retreat that it hadn’t been the best year of their marriage. She shared at the retreat that they were having a hard time, and it feels like a low blow. Does Sutton want her husband to have cheated? Sutton says, no, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Kyle doesn’t want to address the elephant in the room. Something is going on in her marriage. The question is not, who bought the ring? Sutton says she’s content with all of Kyle’s answers, and Faye thinks it’s weird of her to say that. Kyle says, everyone is wondering what’s going on if she’s not drinking, but if she does, she feels down and depressed. And she can’t afford to feel depressed right now.

Dun dun duuun!

To be continued…

🖥 Cybering Through…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and suspect Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay making sure to take care of yourself in all the holiday chaos, and stay not letting your credit card balance sneak up on you. Credit card debt is insidious.

November 27, 2023 – Nina Comes To the Thanksgiving Dinner Rescue, Chef Jack Opens a Book Of Worms On Deck & Gave

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

As the smoke alarm goes off, Yuri, Ned, and Chase run to the kitchen. Lois asks Gloria, what did you do?

Nina leaves a gift basket outside the gatehouse. She says, they couldn’t be together, but she could leave her little ones a bit of her love.

In the MetroCourt elevator, Anna tells Emma, just what she needs, Thanksgiving with the three of them. As the elevator stops, Robert says, the four of them. They get out, and Diane is waiting. Robert says, there she is.

Drew plays a board game with Josslyn, Scout, and Avery, when the doorbell rings. Carly opens the door to Sonny, Dex, and Donna. Donna hugs her and says, happy Thanksgiving.

Marshall tells Curtis, all quiet on the Western Front. There’s not much for him to do around here. Curtis says, Portia is on-call at the hospital and Aunt Stella is off globe-trotting again. Marshall says, and Miss Trina is off doing her own thing, but Curtis says, it’s just as well. He looks at a floorplan on his tablet, and Marshall asks, what’s all this? Is he considering becoming an architect? Curtis says, this is the floorplan of the 11th floor of the MetroCourt hotel, and Marshall asks why he’s looking at it. Curtis says, because someone took a shot at him there and left him in this wheelchair. And he wants to find out who it was.

Portia leaves a message for Trina and says she’s just checking in. She knows Trina wanted to have a marathon study day, but she was calling to say hi. It’s pretty slow here at work. She’s sorry things aren’t working out with Spencer. She knows it has to be difficult, so she just wanted to say she’s here and she loves Trina. She hangs up and says, hopefully, that will be the last of Spencer Cassadine.

Hardly. In bed, Trina tells Spencer, happy Thanksgiving, and asks what he’s thankful for. He touches her and says, these arms… these hands… these lips, and he kisses her. Trina says, her mom – she’s like Wonder Woman without the hot pants – and then her granddad – he is gold – and she has two amazing fathers. She thinks that’s it. He says, not even an honorable mention? and she says, oh yeah. She’s thankful for him too. She kisses him.

Curtis tells Marshall that he has to admit there’s a lot to be thankful for; a beautiful house, a beautiful family, and now he has a purpose. Marshall says, solving this case is his purpose, and Curtis says, it is now.

Gloria looks at some texts on her phone. We warned you not apologizing would be very regrettable for you. Your silence on this matter is quite upsetting. We are owed an apology. Time’s running out. Lois says, she looks a million miles away. What’s up? Chase, Ned, and a sopping wet Yuri come back, and Yuri says, onions burning in pan set off sprinklers activated by smoke. Turkey’s wet. No good. Olivia says, oh my God, the turkey, and runs out. Ned runs after her, and Chase says, there’s no saving it. Brook says, wanna bet? and he says, unless you like soup. Yuri leaves to change, and Brook says she’d better call Cody and tell him that he, Sasha, and Leo don’t have to rush up here. She leaves with Chase, and Lois asks if Gloria knows the first thing she taught Lois about cooking. You never leave anything on the stove unless it’s on simmer. So what’s going on?

Robert says, this delightful young lady is their granddaughter Emma Drake, and Diane says, of course (🍷). So lovely to see her again. Emma thanks her and says, grandfather didn’t mention they’d have her with them. How wonderful. Anna says, absolutely, and Robert says he’s taken the liberty of ordering them turkey. Anna and Emma go to the table, and Diane says, Robert’s outdone himself this time. He says, all in a day’s work, Killer, when Nina comes in. She and Anna exchange glances.

Michael brings in the basket, and tells Wiley, it’s all his. Go for it. He unwraps it, and Willow asks what he’s got. He says, candy and a cool robot and a kitty for Amelia, and Michael looks at the card. Willow says, that’s so sweet. Who’s it from? Michael hands her the card and says, who else? She reads: To Wiley and Amelia, Happy Thanksgiving. So sorry I can’t be with you, but I left you some treats. Love, Grandma Nina. That is so thoughtful. Wiley asks why Grandma Nina isn’t coming for dinner at the big house, and Willow says, she’s working today, but they’ll see her soon. Wiley says he hopes so. He loves her. He goes to play with his robot, and Willow says she gets Michael’s not thrilled about the gift, but could he try for Wiley’s sake?

Sonny says he brought pecan pie, and Carly says she’s sure it’s going to be delicious. She suggests Donna go into the living room where they’re playing Monkey, and Donna runs off. Carly tells Sonny that Donna loves that game, and Dex says he’s going to leave, but Sonny asks if he wants to say hi to Josslyn. Dex says he would and tells Carly, happy Thanksgiving. Sonny tells him, don’t say I never do anything for you, and Dex goes into the living room.

Josslyn tells Dex that it’s unexpected to see him, and he says, she has Sonny to thank for that. She says she just might have to, and kisses him.

There’s a knock at the door, and Carly opens it to Ava. Ava says, happy Thanksgiving, handing Carly a bag, and Carly smiles at Sonny.

Olivia says, Gloria’s feast is drenched, and Brook says, Tony’s is closed for renovations. Olivia says, Tony’s is never closed. And they can’t use their pizza oven because the kitchen is ruined. Lois says, it’s not ruined. It’s just extremely wet. Olivia tells them that she hates to say I told you so, but Thanksgiving never works at the Quartermaines. The place is cursed. Lois says, stop it. Olivia owns a hotel with a gourmet restaurant. She’s just going to make a phone call and she’ll get turkey for the Quartermaines if it’s the last thing she does.

Nina answers the phone at the MetroCourt, and Lois asks, who’s this? Nina says, it’s Nina Reeves. May I help you? Lois says, it’s Lois Cerullo calling from the Quartermaines. She would like to order some turkey. Gloria tells Olivia that she’s so sorry, but Olivia says, it’s not her fault. Thanksgiving never works out. She doesn’t know if it’s the house or the family, but they haven’t had a turkey on Thanksgiving since the 90s. Lois says, ha-ha-ha! The problem is solved. They are back on track with the turkey. Olivia says, she’s kidding, but Lois says, nope. Nina Reeves is on her way over with a feat for 15; turkey, nibbles, deserts, the whole shebang. Olivia says, Lois is a genius, and asks Brook to come help her set up. Gloria says, Lois sure rode in to the rescue, and Lois says, although she wouldn’t have had to if Gloria had remembered she had onions on the stove. Gloria says, my bad, and Lois asks, what’s going on? First, she cancels her plans in Canarsie, then she ruins Thanksgiving in Port Charles. Gloria says, she heard Olivia, it’s the Quartermaine curse, but Lois says, no. She can tell something’s going on, and the more Gloria deflects, the more she’s going to worry. Gloria says, all right. A couple of weeks ago, she was playing Bingo at St. Nicholas Church, the Russian Orthodox up on North Street. She was playing her boards, minding her own business. She can do 15 at the same time… Lois asks if there’s a point to this, and Gloria says, yeah. Along comes this broad. She sits down next to Gloriaa and starts talking Russian on her phone at the top of her lungs. Gloria very nicely looked at her and said, could she turn it down a notch? and She swore at Gloria in Russian. Lois asks how Gloria knows what she said; she doesn’t speak Russian. Gloria says she played cribbage up in Brighton Beach (my old beach!) – Yuri comes back and stands outside the door – and she picked up a few words. Lois asks, then what happened? and Gloria says she tried to ignore it and keep things calm, but she kept pushing and pushing. So. Gloria finally swore at her… in English. Lois says, ma, and Gloria says, everyone has their limit, and she was not going to let that obnoxious woman bully her and she told her that. Lois asks how she took it, and Gloria says, she screamed and screamed, and they kicked Gloria out of the church. And she’s not allowed to play Bingo anymore until she apologizes to her, and she didn’t apologize. Lois says, fine. So she goes somewhere else to play Bingo. Gloria says, that’s what she’s planning on, and Lois says, so what’s the problem? Chase comes in and wonders where everybody went. Outside the door, Yuri looks troubled.

Willow suggests Wiley be a good big brother and see if Amelia woke up. If she did, he can surprise her with that adorable kitty cat. Wiley goes upstairs, and Michael asks if Willow isn’t finding this the least bit manipulative; sorry I can’t be with you today. She says, Nina’s a part of their family. Wiley really bonded with her at the wedding. Michael says, she’s going to take advantage like she did the last time, and Willow says, Nina’s made mistakes, but she’s trying. Why is he so intent on rekindling bad memories? He says, she’s right. He’s sorry. He’s just being protective, especially when it comes to her. She says, don’t be. Nina has been nothing but kind and wonderful. He says he’ll try to do better, especially around the kids, and she thanks him. Wiley comes back and tells Willow that Amelia’s awake. Can they go to the big house now? He wants to show Leo the cool toy from Grandma Nina. Michael says he’ll get Amelia ready, and goes upstairs.

Nina tells Trish that she just got off the phone with the Quartermaines. They need a turkey dinner for 15. Trish says, they have a 200 headcount tonight and a big party in the ballroom. Their turkeys are taken.  

Diane asks how long Emma’s in town, and Emma says, just for the weekend. She has to get back to the lab. Robert explains that she has an internship at Berkely, and everyone starts to chat. Anna sees Nina, excuses herself, and follows Nina out to the hallway. She says, Nina is avoiding her, and Nina asks what she wants. Anna says she just thinks it’s time they had a chat.

Spencer says he knows he can be a jerk sometimes, but who isn’t, right? and Trina says, let her see… Her mom, Curtis, Spencer’s grandmother, Doc… He says, okay, she’s right, and she asks if it isn’t easier to agree with her from the start. He says, yes, ma’am. He’s glad she’s able to forgive him. She talked him down from the ledge and he’s sorry it took so long. She says, he usually comes around, and he says he just doesn’t want his little brother to feel abandoned like he did, and she helped him see it’s not 100% one way or the other, that Esme wanting to take Ace and be independent doesn’t make her the villain. She says she knows it’s hard, but you can’t always get what you want, and he says he knows, but this one isn’t going to be easy. She says, good things never come easy. You have to work for them.

Curtis tells Marshall that he spoke with Jordan about getting all the preliminary police records. He just can’t sit around and wait for the PCPD to solve this. He’s got to be involved in his own investigation. Marshall asks if he really thinks that’s a good idea, and Curtis says he was a cop and a P.I. He knows his way around a good investigation. Marshall says, of course (🍷) he does, but he thought Curtis wanted to move on, and Curtis says he has to be proactive. It’s like being the passenger when he’s supposed to be the driver in his own car. Marhsall asks if he thinks getting involved in this investigation is going to make a difference, and Curtis says, at least he’ll be doing something. He’s learned in life that it’s not always about getting; it’s about giving and the experiences you get along the way. They fist bump.

Ava thanks Carly for inviting her, and Carly says she knows Avery would really want Ava here, especially after everything their family’s been through. They’re playing games in the living room. Ava says, hopefully nothing to do with water, mimicking a squirt gun, and Carly says, nothing with water, she promises.

Josslyn and Dex greet Ava, Dex calling her Miss Jerome, and Ava says, after everything that’s gone down, she’d prefer he call her Ava. Avery runs over to Ava, who picks her up and says she loves her.

Sonny asks if Carly is all right with Ava being here, and she says, actually, Josslyn suggested it. After the kidnapping, she thought it would be nice for Avery to be with her mother. Sonny says, but Carly agrees, and she says, yeah, because they do what’s best for their kids. He says, they always will.

Anna asks if Nina has any idea how her actions escalated an already volatile situation. By deleting that security footage and keeping quiet about it, Nina basically enabled Charlotte, which led directly to her being shot. Doesn’t Nina think she and Valentin had a duty to come clean about it? Nina says she thinks this is between Anna and Valentin. She was just doing a favor for a friend. Anna asks if she thinks Sonny will see it that way.

Sonny says, nice to see Drew out of that jumpsuit, and Drew says, nice to be seen. Sonny and Drew chat, and Dex tells Josslyn that it’s nice she got all the kids together. Sonny asks if Dex has the keys, and Dex asks if he needs something from the car, but Sonny says he has to get going. He thought maybe Dex would want to stay. Dex asks if he’s sure, and Sonny says, happy Thanksgiving. He says goodbye to the girls and leaves. Dex stops him at the door and says, happy Thanksgiving. Sonny says, him too, and leaves.

At the Quartermaines, Michael tells Willow, it looks like turkey’s off the menu. The kitchen sprinklers ran amuck. Brook says, there will be turkey, but Nina will bring it from the MetroCourt. Chase says, that’s Wiley’s grandma, saving the day, and Michael asks if there’s anything she can’t do.

The doorbell rings and Ned opens it to find Nina there with trays of food. She says, Ned, and he says, remember me? He remembers her, very clearly, but don’t worry. He’s not going to make any trouble. At least not today. Olivia comes in and says, let her take those. A guy comes in behind Nina with pizza boxes, and Olivia says she thought Nina was bringing turkey. Nina says, she told Lois she was bringing turkey, but then she found out their turkey was spoken for, so she had Fernando fire up their new pizza oven. Lucky for them, they started testing it last week. Ned asks if his grandfather can hear that. The curse continues. He takes the pizza boxes, and Brook comes in, saying, here she is to save the day… with pizza. Olivia says, don’t ask, and Wiley runs in. He hugs Nina and tells her, it’s the best robot ever. He thanks her and she hugs him, saying, he is so welcome.

Sonny says he didn’t know Emma was in town. Is her mother here? Emma says, no. She was grandpa’s surprise for grandma. He sits with them, and Diane suggests they toast to this lovely young woman’s visit, and to brighter holidays for all of them. They clink glasses.

Terry calls Portia at the hospital, and Portia asks, how’s the conference?… She’s not missing anything here really. It’s like a ghost town.

Trina and Spencer go to Trina’s house, bearing flowers and dessert, and Spencer produces a bottle of champagne. Marshall asks if it’s the good stuff, and Spencer says he wanted to make sure they had a happy Thanksgiving. Marshall looks at the bottle and says, no argument here. He and Spencer go to the kitchen, and Curtis says, this is a nice surprise. He thought since her mom was working, they agreed to do their own thing this year. Trina says, that was the plan, but then she realized this would be their first Thanksgiving since they found out he’s her father, and she didn’t want to miss that.

Olivia thanks Nina and asks her to join them. Wiley asks her to stay, but Nina glances at Michael and says she would love to, but she’s meeting his Grandpa Sonny at the MetroCourt. Olivia asks Brook and Chase to help her set up and tells Nina that she’s a life saver. Somehow, Michael and Nina end up alone, and he says, this isn’t the deal they made, but she says she didn’t plan for this. She can’t control fate at the Quartermaines. He says, she’d better figure out how to control it, and walks out. What a jerk.

Ava thanks Josslyn for everything she did to help Dex and Dante find her, and Josslyn says, they’re just glad Ava’s okay. Ava says she’s putting it behind her. And she’s so glad that’s what Trina’s finally done with Spencer. Josslyn says she’s happy they made up, and Ava thanks Carly for making room for one more. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Drew says, Carly told him that Ava is selling Windymere. Carly asks how it’s going, and Ava says, Lucy’s got a serious buyer, but she has no idea who it is. Drew says, let’s hope it’s some benevolent billionaire and not somebody who’s going to bring bad karma to Port Charles, and Ava says, too late for that. Windymere’s got nothing but bad karma. She’ll just be glad to forget all the bad memories.

Portia hugs Trina, and says she thought Trina was studying all day. Trina says she thought Portia was working, and Portia says, it was so slow at the hospital, she decided to just go ahead and… She sees Spencer come in with flowers in a vase and says she could have sworn Trina told her that she and Spencer were on the outs. Trina says, it was just a misunderstanding. They worked it out. Spencer wishes Portia a happy Thanksgiving, and she thanks him. Curtis says, look at this. He thought they weren’t going to have anyone for Thanksgiving, and now they have a houseful.

Emma asks how long Robert and Diane have been dating, and Robert chokes on his drink. Emma says, if she can handle grandma’s entanglement, she can handle his, and Diane laughs. Robert says, to answer her question, they’ve been dating a month. Standing to the side, Sonny says, it’s nice to see Emma in town, and Anna says, much needed relief. Just what the doctor ordered. He says, that bad? and she asks if he’s talked to Dante. He says, no, should he have? and she says she just wondered if Dante mentioned a certain dead man who showed up here. She’s been doing these deep dives in her past and found something that could conceivably tie in to the shooting at the pool, but the supporting evidence all disappeared in the chaos on Halloween night. And the man this information pertains to turned up dead here in Port Charles. What are the odds? Sonny says, looks like someone stacked the deck.

Anna says, even with all the setbacks, she feels like she’s inching toward the truth, and Sonny says, whoever’s behind this isn’t messing around. Again, if she needs protection, he’s here… She says, that was really all about Charlotte, and he says, and Valentin. She says, lesson learned. She won’t be fooled by him again. Nina comes back, and Sonny says, finally. He heard she had a crisis or something. She says she just got back from the Quartermaines. Lois’s mother set off the sprinklers in the kitchen. He says, Gloria? and she says, yeah. She tells Anna, hello, and Anna says, Nina. She tells them that she has to get back to her family, and leaves. Sonny looks at Nina.

Lois asks to talk to Gloria in the foyer, and asks, what is the problem? Gloria says, that broad, her husband is kind of a big shot. They call him Uncle Pete. Lois says, Pete Petrov? and Gloria says, yeah. His wife’s name is Petra. A lot of Ps. Yuri listens in, and Lois says, Uncle Pete Petrov is in deep with the Brighton mafia. They’re as crooked as they get. Gloria’s got to apologize and fast. Gloria says, it’s too late. They’re after her ziti. That’s why she didn’t go to Canarsie. They’re hiding ziti for her. Lois says, please tell her that they’re just trying to be intimidating, when Yuri steps out. He says, they have a problem with Russians? He’ll help.

Marshall says he’s so thrilled. This has turned into one perfect Thanksgiving. Portia says, and everyone under the same roof, but Marshall says, almost everyone. Stella is still galivanting around London. She’s taken a real shine to her new cousin Wanda. Trina toasts, to new family connections, and Marshall says he’s really happy they’re all here. And lucky them, he’s got a vat of turkey gumbo ready to go. Curtis says, Marshall always makes enough for a small army, and Trina says, if they run out, they have all that dessert Spencer insisted on bringing. Spencer says, it’s always good to have options, and Marshall says, the Lord always provides, but we just never know what that’s going to look like.

Carly says, dinner is served, and everyone dashes for the table. Drew says he just wanted to steal a moment and tell her that he’s so grateful to be spending Thanksgiving with her. She says, it’s so normal, isn’t it? She can’t believe it after everything they went through. She almost lost him. He kisses her and says, let’s stay right here and forget about the past. She says, it’s just so fragile. They take love for granted and she doesn’t know why, since they can’t guarantee it’s always going to be there. He says, that’s why they have to savor moments like this. They have to be grateful because there’s no guarantee there’s going to be anything like it in the future. Ava comes in and overhears, and Drew kisses Carly.

Sonny says, something seems off between Nina and Anna. What’s going on? She says, it’s nothing. It’s a Valentin and Charlotte thing. Anna knows how close she is with Charlotte. Can they just forget about that for right now? They’re finally in the same room and this is their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. They hug, and she asks if he misses the girls, but he says, no. They’re having a great time. Plus, his life is full of blessings. He and Nina are married. Cyrus is exposed and in his sights. Drew’s out of prison. Michael is in their lives again, and basically, their family is together. But does she know what makes him happy? It’s that she and Willow are getting along. She says, they have so much to be grateful for.

Gloria tells Yuri, no offense, but they don’t need any Russian translation, and Lois says, she’s right. These are dangerous people and a nice boy like him doesn’t want to get involved with Uncle Pete. He says he knows he looks like nice boy, but he’s not always nice. He can handle these people. Brook says, come on in, guys. Let’s get Thanksgiving started.

Olivia says, Cody is bringing Sasha and Leo up from the stables, and Ned says, that’s just the time they need. Everyone here knows the drill. Wiley? Wiley says, first we sing… and everyone says, then we eat. Ned plays his guitar as they sing, We Gather Together.

Marshall says, since Stella isn’t here, he’ll lead the prayer, but Curtis says he’d like to do it this year. Marshall says, go ahead, and Curtis asks them to join hands. Dear God… I’m covering for Aunt Stella. Usually, I talk to You in private, so if I lose my way, take the wheel. There have been a lot of ups and downs this year for a lot of us, and for those of us going through it, we’re reminded that there is a Higher Power that keeps tabs and guides us to our next step. And so we’re gathered here with good people and a table full of good food and we’re reminded just how blessed we are. Perhaps more than most. So God, we ask that You keep a watchful eye out for those less fortunate than us, because life does throw us curveballs. So we’re going to hit those curveballs out of the park, learn a lesson or two, and still find a reason to crack a smile at the end of the day.

We see everyone at their Thanksgiving tables, and Curtis says, Aunt Stella would probably say something poetic about butterflies or rebirth, but God, I’m going to keep it simple. As we prepare to enjoy this meal, we thank You for being better to us than we are to ourselves. We thank You for yesterday, today, and the promise of tomorrow. And God, I know You’re listening. This goes out to You. Amen.

Scout and Donna jump on Drew and Carly, and Avery gets into Ava’s lap. Josslyn and Dex gaze at each other. On the terrace, Curtis looks up at the sky, and Portia puts her hands on his shoulders from behind. Trina and Spencer see them and kiss. Marshall comes out, and they go back to the table for pie.

In Loving Memory of Tyler Christopher.

Tomorrow, TJ says, Molly told someone yes without asking him; Finn asks Elizabeth, what’s that supposed to accomplish; Alexis asks Laura if this is a social meeting or about business; and Dante says, Sonny could save them a lot of effort if he’d tell them who he suspects.

Below Deck Mediterranean

When we left last week, Kyle was getting reamed out by Captain Sandy, who told him that he was the common denominator in all the toxic situations on the boat. She says, he wants to be chief stew, but he won’t be because he can’t control his emotions. If he doesn’t change, she’ll put him on the dock in a heartbeat. She’s not putting up with his bullying, screaming, and lack of respect for people in the workplace. If one crew member comes to her about him, he’s off the boat. Luka wonders, WTF is going on? and tells Haleigh that Max is leaving because he needs to follow his heart. Haleigh says, the vibe is off today, and Luka says, it’s crazy how much things can change in a day. Kyle tells Tumi that he’s resigning. He’s never seen the captain so angry. He tells her about the captain saying he’s the common denominator, and she says she can understand why he’s upset. People got angry, but it was resolved. She tells him not to let it affect him. She wanted them to end together. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s starting to see how Kyle is the common denominator. You can’t always be the victim. She can’t force him to focus on work, but they’re screwed if he doesn’t. Lara asks Max not to leave, and he promises not to let her down. She asks if he’s spoken to Captain Sandy, and he says he’s scared to. In Lara’s interview, she says she and Max got off to a rocky start, but slowly and surely, he’s growing on her. She wonders if she needs to take him in like a little dog and nurture him. She doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t want him to leave. The captain talks to Norma on the phone, and says, great. She calls Luka, Tumi, and Jack for a preference sheet meeting.  

The captain says, it’s going to be a short cruise, and in Luka’s interview, he says, with a short cruise, everything is amplified, and they have to be perfect. Captain Sandy says, the primary is Tonia, who is the founder and editor of P.O.W.E.R. magazine. She’s bringing some likeminded women to celebrate her birthday and celebrate women’s empowerment. Jack reads that they want some healthy salads, and the primary doesn’t eat eggs outdoors. In his interview, he says, that’s next level weird, and wonders how they found that out. Tumi says, they want an all-white party, and Luka reads that they want to explore Portofino. The captain says, it’s a tight dock and she has to back in. It’s going to be a challenge. They’re going to talk her through a ton of little boats and make sure she doesn’t hit anything. She tells Tumi that she’ll be getting a new stew tomorrow, and in Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle is a f***ing rat. He’d cause drama in an empty room with a mop bucket. Luka thinks more people should quit. The tip will be massive.

Max tells Captain Sandy that, even though it’s a super crew, he might want to leave. Shocked, she tells him that they only have two and a half more weeks, and he’ll leave them shorthanded for the rest of the season. He says he’ll think about it, and she says she doesn’t want to lose him; he’s an asset to the boat. She’ll even let him drive when they anchor. In Max’s interview, he says, so much ugliness is affecting him. He’s not getting his Eiffel Tower, and the body is the master. If he receives the call for one more charter, he’s not wasting his time and energy in a bad environment. The captain promises it will be a good charter. Jessika says she’s afraid of who’s coming next, when Tumi is called to the bridge. Captain Sandy shows her the CV of the new stew, who’s only worked on small boats. In the captain’s interview, she says, at this point, it’s not easy to find someone. Tumi has to be clear on her direction. A few boats is better than no boats, and she doesn’t have much choice. New stew Lily arrives, and in his interview, Max says his Eiffel Tower is back, and sings I love you. In Lily’s interview, she says she’s a quick learner. She grew up in Windsor and worked key events like the Royal Ascot and Wimbledon. Her last boat was catamaran, and she’s never worked on a boat this big. She’s sh*tting herself. Max tells Luka about the new stew. He can’t remember her name, but her eyes are blue. Kyle obsesses over what the captain said, and in his interview, he says, this is killing him, all that’s happening and has happened. He needs to fix this. He doesn’t want Captain Sandy to have this perception of him. Jack tells Lara that she’s got a good vibe. In Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle won’t look him in the eyes. He’s the one who got rid of Natalya who only gave him positive vibes. Kyle goes to the captain and says he’s truly apologetic for what he’s done and the way he allowed himself to react. He let his emotions get the best of him. We flash back to him trying to make nice with Natalya, and Captain Sandy says she appreciates someone who admits they’re wrong and wants to change. Sometimes it means you have to remove yourself from the situation. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, what Kyle did was not okay, but she’s giving him the opportunity to change what he needs to.

The guests arrive, and Captain Sandy says, we got this, adding that the guests are going to tease the boys. She gives the guests the usual spiel and the usual tour happens. The guests toast, to power women, and guest Marcie asks for her underwear to be ironed. The pilot comes on board for the check-out, and they depart. The captain tells the crew, nice work. Stay this sharp in Portofino. Kyle shows Lily the laundry, and in her interview, she says, she’s had to be a fast learner her whole life. She’s a rare breed of sushi. Kyle tells Tumi that it’s Lily’s first-time steaming, and she doesn’t know how.

Kyle is still getting silence from Jack, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, Jack blames him for being the sole person who pushed Natalya off the boat. Normally, silence is deafening, but Jack’s silence speaks a multitude of words. Tumi shows Lily the laundry system, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s tough doing training while on service, especially on a busy boat. She needs Lily to succeed ASAP. She misses Natalya. Not for her mouth, but for her skills. Captain Sandy shows Max how to turn the boat, and in Max’s interview, he says, it’s like pressing a button and moving all the cosmos. He has goosebumps all over his body. We see his Eiffel Tower meter is on 7. The water toys are put out, but the guests don’t seem too interested, and just want to chill. In Lara’s interview, she says, usually the guests can’t wait to swim. They’re a 55-meter yacht water taxi. In the captain’s interview, she says, a big part of Luka’s job is selling the toys to the guests. That’s why they buy this stuff. He needs a gentle reminder to be that energy. Captain Sandy tells the guests how fun it is and plays it up. Luka tells Max, show the ladies how it’s done, and Max goes down the slide. Jack accidentally sprays himself with the dishwasher nozzle, and I can identify. In Luka’s interview, he says, the guests are happy, smiling, and enjoying themselves. Captain Sandy motivated him, and it was exactly what they needed. Lily talks with Max, and in her interview, she says she’s never been anywhere longer than 6 months. She’s lived in America 4 months out of the year since she was young. She demonstrates an impressive American accent for us.

Portofino. In her interview, Captain Sandy says, docking in Portofino is difficult. It’s narrow and she has to spin around on a dime, then back down a narrow area to get to a piece of dock this big. She holds her fingers like two inches apart, and says, boats are coming out, oblivious to them. Every ounce of her trust is in her deck team. That’s the only way she can pull this off. In Luka’s interview, he says, there are million-dollar boats everywhere and they have only inches on each side.

Since there are no ground lines, they have to do this thing where they drop two anchors, while a hundred people watch and take pictures. In the captain’s interview, she says, they’ve never done this before, and they killed it. Everyone deserves an ice cream. That was some scary sh*t. She takes the crew to shore for ice cream, and in Max’s interview, he says, he wanted to leave, but he sees that people like him. It’s like a family here. Lily came and brought her energy. He has a new goal. We see his Eiffel Tower meter is now at 9. So apparently all he needed was a new woman? The guests wander around Portofino, and Marcie says she’s living her best life. Back on the boat, Captain Sandy wonders about her underwear. No one is in the laundry, and she radios Kyle, telling him to make sure her underwear and socks get back to her cabin. Don’t lose her laundry. In Jack’s interview, he says, Kyle made them lose their goddess of f***ing laundry. There are lots of bleeps from Lily, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he doesn’t know what shade of green she is. Lily apologizes to the captain, and the guests get back to the boat. Jack is still giving Kyle the silent treatment, and in his interview, Kyle says he feels like he’s in high school, and wonders what’s being said behind his back. It’s time for the all-white party, and the guests get dressed. Jack says he’s tried to put as much white in the menu as possible. Jessika and Lily do the cabins, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, with Lily’s lack of experience, she can’t do anything on her own, and it takes Jessika away from her. She needs to find out what Lily does well and focus on that. Tonia tells Tumi that they need to turn it up, and the guests ask for the guys to strip. Tumi tells the deckhands that she needs a little Chippendales, and Luka tries to run. Max tells Luka that it’s a guest request. He was a deckhand when he came on the boat, and now he’s a stripper. Jack pretty much volunteers and I yell, put it on!

The guys dance around with feather boas, and in Jack’s interview, he says if he takes his clothes off, it might hurt the tip. Agreed. There’s a lot of dancing around, and the guys disrobe somewhat. In Jessika’s interview, she says, Luka is a very attractive man. After everyone goes to bed, Jessika gets in Luka’s bunk. Max walks in and says, no way. In Luka’s interview, he says he thinks Jessika is easy going like him. She’s not in an open relationship, so that’s a good sign. He just wants to cuddle. After a while, Jessika slips back out. In Max’s interview, he says his Eiffel tower is back, and imitates a snake charmer. Tonia explains that she can’t taste eggs out in the air; it gives them a foul taste. Wouldn’t that be a fowl taste? BA-DUM-CHH! In Tumi’s interview, she says, that’s prima donna stuff. On her last boat, a guest asked for raspberries every night, and they were everywhere… and coconut oil. It’s time to take the boat back out, and in Haleigh’s interview, she says, it’s like Frogger. She tells Luka, these people are ruthless, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s like NYC taxis. It can be a huge distraction, but all she sees is navigation. In Lily’s interview, she says, in her old boat, they didn’t even have a laundry room, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, he assumed laundry was a safe spot. He wonders if it’s basically luggage compartment at this point.

They dock, and Max is all happy now. They get ready to say goodbye to the guests, and Tonia says, the whole team was incredible. It was a beautiful day with beautiful people. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests leave. Captain Sandy tells the crew, well done. They assemble for the tip meeting, and Kyle says, it wasn’t much work. Jack tells him to speak for himself, and in Jack’s interview, he says, it’s going to go off tonight. He can feel it in the air. The captain praises the deck team’s docking skills, and says, the tip is $18K, or 1252 euros per person. She tells them, don’t spend it all in one place, and the crew heads for shore. In the taxi, Kyle says he’s putting $100 on Lily getting wasted tonight. At the table, Jack tries to flirt with Lily and gripes about how Natalya had to deal with negative stuff. Lily asks Kyle, what happened? and Kyle says he has to take a wee. He leaves, and in his interview, he says, he knows the game Jack is playing. He’s influencing Lily. He can see it and hear it. Nothing is going to bring Jack’s princess back, and now he’s opened a book of worms.

This season, a big gay breakfast; underwater statues; Jessika likes Luka more than she should; Katie Flood (isn’t she from that horrific Winter House?) texts Luka; Tumi says, Lily isn’t getting it; Captain Sandy tells Lily that she’s got one more chance or she may have to make a change; Tumi tells Kyle that he’s overstepping boundaries; and Natalya aka Jack’s princes surprises everyone by showing up at the bar, but surprises no one by causing trouble.

🌚 Harvest Mooning…

Hoping you enjoyed a long weekend, whether you gathered together or not. Stop in tomorrow for a helping of soap and a pot of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay giving yourself a break if you overdid it, and stay hitting those curveballs out of the park, learning a lesson or two, and still finding a reason to crack a smile at the end of the day.

November 22, 2023 – Curtis’s Independent Investigation Begins, Garcelle Screens Her New Film, Salty Talk, Most Awfulest House & Restaurant

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sasha looks at the photo of her and Brando that she left in the kitchen drawer, when there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to Sonny.

Gregory asks if he can bother Alexis for a moment, and she asks when he started using the cane. He says, it’s been by his side for a couple of days now. Dr. Cramer says he’ll need it until… She says, until he may need a wheelchair, and he says, yes, before the inevitable presents itself. He actually feels secure with it because Dr. Cramer says it can keep him from damaging himself if he falls… He guesses he should say, when he falls. She says she’s in favor of him staying on his feet as long as possible, and he says, this, from the woman who always keeps him on his toes. She asks if he just came by to show her the cool cane, or can she do something for him. He says, she has to help his son.

Curtis wheels himself into the MetroCourt, and Nina runs over to hug him. She says, it’s so nice to see him out and about, and he says he’s been to the club, he’s been to the gym a few times, and he figured whether he’s in this chair or not, life goes on. What’s he going to do? He can’t sit at home every day, right? She says, that is a great attitude. She owes him an apology. She should have gotten in touch much sooner, but she’s glad he called her to meet. He says she may not be so happy after she hears what he has to say. He has a pretty big ask.

Martin thanks Laura for sorting out the building permits for him. He knew he could count on his baby sister. They fist bump, and Laura says, he’s welcome, but let’s be perfectly clear about something. Everything was above board. It wasn’t a family favor. She simply presented it for a vote and zoning approved it. He says he just appreciates the fact she did it so quickly, and so does his client. She starts to say something, and he says, and no. It isn’t Valentin Cassadine. He does have less controversial clients. It just so happens Mr. Phelps is one of the biggest real estate developers in Port Charles, and now he is thrilled with Martin’s work. She made her brother look good, and he’s grateful. He kisses her hand, and she says, speaking of brothers, what are they going to do about theirs?

In the morgue, Dante asks the coroner what they’ve got, and he says, cause of death was catastrophic internal bleeding and blunt force trauma. There were injuries to his neck and vertebrae. Fractured jaw and extensive damage to the skull. There was bleeding on the brain as well as some other medical stuff. Chase says, in English, please, and the coroner says, hemorrhaging around the heart. Dante wonders what can cause that, a fall or an attack? But the coroner says, the injuries were consistent with the pedestrian hit at a high rate of speed by a large vehicle, like a truck or an SUV. Chase asks if the deceased was impaired in any way, but the coroner says, the preliminary autopsy says no contributing factors. There was no alcohol in his system and he wasn’t under the influence of drugs. Dante says, what about any medical conditions? and the coroner says, he suffered from no maladies or illness. There wasn’t any indication in the bloodwork that he was on medication, so he can’t think of any reason a relatively healthy man would step in front of a speeding vehicle. Dante says, maybe the vehicle was aiming for him.

Anna lurks around Charlotte’s hospital room, and when she sees Elizabeth leave, she sneaks in. She tells Charlotte, shhh, but Charlotte freaks and says, no! Go away! She’s not supposed to be here. Anna says she just wants to talk. She needs to explain what happened. Please let her. Charlotte says, no, no, no.

Chase says, according to CSI, there were no tire tracks or skid marks. So if he was hit by a car, there’s nothing to indicate the driver swerved or hit the break. Dante asks, what about traffic cameras? but Chase says, unfortunately, it was at a stretch not covered by cameras. Dante says, there’s got to be a building or gas station, somewhere with a camera, and Chase says, they’re already on it. But there was something interesting. Get this. The guy had three IDs on him. Dante asks if he checked them out, and Chase says, yeah, and they’re all legit.

Charlotte says, there’s nothing to explain. Anna shot her. Anna says, it was a horrible accident, and Charlotte asks how it was an accident. Anna pointed a gun right at her. Anna says she didn’t know it was her. She didn’t expect to find Charlotte in her apartment, but she now understands why Charlotte was there. She wanted to do something to scare Anna, to drive her away, but she needs to know nothing Victor told he is true. Nothing.

Valentin asks how Charlotte is doing, and Elizabeth says, she’s had some progress, which is encouraging. They hear Charlotte yell for help, and run to her room. They find Anna there with a hysterical Charlotte.

Nina says, just name it, but Curtis says he’s not sure she’s going to feel that way when he asks. It requires they ignore the instructions of the PCPD. Nina says she’s completely confused. What’s going on? Curtis says, the shooting happened months ago, and the PCPD is no closer to finding out who shot him. She says, they still don’t have any leads? and he says, nothing credible. This is completely stalled. It’s only a matter of time before they box up his evidence to some warehouse for cold cases. She says, he can’t let that happen, and he says he’s not. He’s going to find out who put him in this wheelchair and see that they’re brought to justice. Nina says she doesn’t see where she comes in, and he says he’s starting his own investigation, and since the shooting happened at her hotel, he was hoping she’d give him complete access.

Martin says, one wonders why Laura doesn’t use her position as mayor, and banish Cyrus from the kingdom of Port Charles, and Laura laughs. She asks if he watched Robin Hood last night. He says, the original? It’s a classic. She says, this isn’t Sherwood Forest, and even if she could banish Cyrus, she doesn’t know if she’d do that. He says, she’s a highly intelligent woman. Does she expect him to believe she thinks Cyrus is reformed? She says she wouldn’t go that far. She’s been suspicious of this born-again persona ever since the beginning. He could be giving the performance of a lifetime; he could be playing all of them. Martin says he did tell her that Cyrus had him give away all his money to end recidivism. That’s another thing he was suspicious about. The Cyrus he grew up with didn’t have an altruistic bone in his body. Laura says, a judge signed off on his release, but Martin says, that doesn’t mean anything. Cyrus used to line his pockets with important people. The judge could be on his payroll, expecting some sort of a kickback. Laura says, the bottom line is, Cyrus is free, and he is their brother, so don’t they have some sort of responsibility here to acknowledge him as a sibling, to see the best in him, and support him in his effort to become a productive member of society? Martin says he can’t think of one thing Cyrus can contribute to Port Charles, but he does have to admit, part of him wants to believe Cyrus. Which is saying a lot, considering his track record. Look at the damage he’s done. There’s a knock at the door, and Jordan says she’s sorry to interrupt, but she needs to discuss something with Laura.

Gregory tells Alexis, Diane can’t represent Finn because she’s representing the plaintiff. She says, the Muldoon family hired her? and he says, yes. He met Finn at the MetroCourt as Diane was leaving. Finn seemed dejected, and when he pressed Finn, he said, she couldn’t take the case. Alexis says, that doesn’t make any sense, and Gregory says, it seems she got a phone call just before the meeting from the father-in-law of the deceased, who just happens to be a long-term client of hers. Alexis says, she’s already on retainer with the Muldoon family? This is a disaster. She’s sorry. He says, it’s not all that dire. Diane explained she couldn’t represent him, and left, no hard feelings. She says, he doesn’t understand. Diane is the disaster. She is that good. She never loses.

Sonny looks at the photos of Sasha from the photoshoot and asks how it feels to be back at work after being gone a few months. She says she was so fragile when she got out of Ferncliff, she was worried it was going to awkward going back to Deception, but it’s going really well. They did this photoshoot, and she just finished a segment on Home & Heart. He asks if that’s the show where they sell stuff, and she laughs and says, yes. She reintroduced their most popular product, The Deceptor. He says, what is that? and she says, Nina will know what it is. Anyway, it sold out in record time. He says, that’s great. Dang. She says she was so relieved. She really needs the company to do well. They lost so much money, and their stock was frozen during the lawsuit. He says, that’s what he wanted to talk to her about. He wanted to discuss her financial situation.

Nina tells Curtis, this is the master keycard, and slides it over to him. It will give him access to all the areas around the pool and the hotel room above the pool as well. He asks if there’s anyone staying in the room now, but she says, no. The PCPD requested they keep that room vacant for a while. They didn’t even want housekeeping in there. She thinks they were planning on doing another sweep of the room, so maybe they could get additional evidence, but she’s not complying. He says, this is good, but it’s not enough. Can she get him security footage of the day of the shooting? Maybe even a few days prior. She says she’s not sure about that. The police officers were all over the security system. That was the first thing they went to. And they had a warrant. But the original footage could be accessible by the MetroCourt mainframe. He says, and she knows her boy’s pretty tech savvy. He knows his way around a server. Can he use her password to log in?

Laura tells Jordan that she and Martin were just discussing the very delicate subject of their brother Cyrus, and what, if anything, to do about him. Jordan says she knows Cyrus is Laura’s family, so it’s not her place to say, but there’s nothing to be done about Cyrus for now. All signs show he’s behaving. They all know it’s just a matter of time before he breaks the law again. Then Laura and Martin won’t have to make any decisions about him. The courts will make it for them. Laura says she’s afraid Jordan’s right. It’s just a matter of time then, isn’t it? Well, Jordan didn’t come here to listen to their family problems. What can Laura do for her? Jordan says she needs Laura to look into something, but it has to be off the record.

Gregory says he’s aware of Diane’s reputation, but she’s not Clarence Darrow, and Alexis says, her nickname is Killer Miller, because she goes for the jugular. Not only is she ridiculously prepared in court, she can improvise. So she can think on her feet. He says he guesses Alexis isn’t overreacting, and she says, the hardest cases she’s ever tried have been the ones against Diane. She once had a case where Diane’s client was accused of a felony, and she was representing the plaintiff. Alexis was so on this case. She had two dozen depositions; she had witnesses like crazy. It was an irrefutable case. It was a slam dunk. And you know what happened? Diane won. She was victorious. He asks if she thinks Finn has a chance to win this, and she says, look at this case. A loving family that lost a husband and a father to an arrogant doctor that was negligent. He says his son isn’t arrogant and he’s certainly not negligent, and she says, maybe arrogant is too strong of a word, but sometimes Finn is not that personable. He comes off as overly confident, and Diane is going to convince a jury of that. He asks if she’s saying Finn is doomed, but she says, not yet. She’s going to make a call.

Valentin runs to Charlotte, who says, Anna wants to kill her. Anna says she doesn’t, as Valentin comforts Charlotte, and Elizabeth tells Anna that she has to leave. She hustles Anna out, and Valentin says, Charlotte is safe. No one is going to hurt her. In the hallway, Elizabeth tells Anna that it was very clear. She’s not allowed anywhere near Charlotte’s room. Anna says she wanted to explain what happened. She needs Charlotte to know she never wanted to harm her. She didn’t want to. Elizabeth says, she’s done just the opposite.

Chase tells Dante, this guy had three valid pieces of ID on him. One from the US, one Canadian, and one from the United Kingdom. Dante asks if they’re aliases or all the same name, and Chase says, all the same name, which makes it even more confusing. Dante says, especially since you can’t be a resident of three different countries, and Chase says, CSI is going to his hotel room. He was staying at the Metropolitan and registered under the Canadian ID. Dante says, run his DNA and check his fingerprints. Be sure to run it by intelligence services too. Chase leaves.

Anna says, the shooting was an accident. If Elizabeth believes nothing else, believe that. Elizabeth says she knows it was an accident and Anna would never want to hurt Charlotte, but deliberately walking into her room when she’s been asked to stay away is unthinkable. Valentin asks if Elizabeth will sit with Charlotte for a second, and she says, of course (🍷). She leaves, and Valentin asks what the hell Anna is doing. She says she’s just trying to undo the damage he and his father caused.

Dante asks what else the coroner can tell him about the condition of the body, and the coroner says, like he told Dante, there were multiple injuries, but there was one thing that stood out. He had a significant bruise on the left heel. Dante asks if that’s unusual, and the coroner says, actually, yes. It was starting to callous. Dante asks what that tells him, and the coroner says, it indicates it wasn’t a fresh bruise and it certainly didn’t come from the impact of the vehicle striking him. He found that odd, so they looked into his left shoe, and they found this under the lining. He holds up a key with a tag that says 18. Dante asks if the coroner will bag that, and don’t mention this to anyone. The coroner leaves, and Dante puts the bag in his pocket. Chase comes back and says, they got a hit. The fingerprints match up with the UK ID, Jameson Forsythe.

Jordan tells Laura that she really wants to do this for Curtis. Not only does he deserve to know who put him in a wheelchair, she thinks it will be good stimulation for him to put his energy into an investigation. Laura says she didn’t know him way back when he was a police detective, but she has a lot of respect for him as an investigator. Beyond that, they’re friends. Jordan says, they went through some intense experiences in Greenland, and Laura says, did they ever. Victor Cassadine was on the rampage and Curtis was pivotal in bringing him down. Jordan asks if she’s got Laura’s blessing to pursue this, and Laura says, yes, absolutely. She’s behind Jordan 100%. Jordan says, it could cut into her hours here. She may not be available for all of her duties. Laura says, it’s absolutely all right. She’s back home again, and besides that, it is vitally important to the people of Port Charles to find out who opened fire at the MetroCourt pool.

Nina gives Curtis her ID and password, and he says he knows she’s going out on a limb for him and wants her to know he appreciates it. She says she trusts him implicitly, and if this helps him, she’s happy to do it. She knows why this is so important to him and wants him to know it’s important to her as well. He says, it means a lot, and she says she heard the police don’t think he was the intended target. He says, they definitely believe the bullet was intended for Anna… or Sonny, and she says, if someone tried to kill Sonny, the man she loves, they could try again. And she wants to do everything she can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Sasha says she knew Sonny was a coffee importer, but is he an accountant? He says, no. He just wants to help her. He came here to get permission to audit her accounts. He wants to know exactly how much Gladys stole from her. She says she doesn’t see the point. The money is gone, and so is Gladys, thanks to him. She never got a chance to acknowledge what he did to get Gladys out of town. She thanks him, but he says, no thanks necessary. She says, he could have sent Gladys to prison, but he didn’t, and she’s grateful for that. Despite all the awful things Gladys did to her, she was Brando’s mother and Liam’s grandmother, and Sonny was merciful in sending her back to Connecticut. He says, now she doesn’t have to see Gladys or even think about her, and she says, now she can move forward. Focus on the future. He says, she deserves more than that. She deserves to get her money back.

Alexis introduces Martin and Gregory, and Martin says, so Gregory was a professor over at PCU. Gregory says, yes, and before that, he was at Berkeley. Alexis says, Hamilton Finn is also Gregory’s son and he’s in need of representation. While she hasn’t had the privilege of going up against Martin in the courtroom, he has quite an impressive record. Martin says he understands she was quite the attorney, and she thanks him. She says she was also very impressed that Valentin Cassadine has him on retainer. Martin says, someone’s done her homework, but he’s not sure how that’s relevant. Gregory says he doesn’t understand either. What does that have to do with Finn’s case? Alexis says, Finn is in need of a lawyer who has experienced defending a client that may come off as somewhat indelicate, and Greogry asks if she’s putting Finn in the same category as Valentin. She’s related to him, and even she admits he’s done some reprehensible things. Martin asks how disparaging his client starts the conversation, and Alexis says, they’re both highly intelligent, but they’re missing the point. If Martin can make someone like Valentin come off as sympathetic, he should be able to do the same thing for Finn.

Curtis thanks Nina and says he’ll do his best to keep things under the radar. What if her staff starts asking questions about why he’s hanging around so much? She says, they’re not going to say anything, and if they do, just tell them that he’s helping her with a special project. Which happens to be true. He’s giving her feedback on the handicap accessible areas and telling her where she can make improvements. He says, you’re good. Maybe she should be part of this investigation. She says she thinks she already is. This has so much to do with him, but it also has to do with Sonny. And she’ll do anything she has to do to keep him safe. He says, she’s fierce about protecting her man, and she says, her husband. He says, excuse me, Mrs. Corinthos, and she says she’s happier than she’s ever been in her entire life. She’s married to the man of her dreams and she’s closer to Willow and her grandchildren. And she’s scared to death. He says, scared of what? It seems she has everything. She says she does, and that means she has a lot more to lose.

Sonny says, Gladys was his dad’s cousin, so he feels responsible for what happened, but Sasha says, none of this was his fault. Gladys lied to him as well. He says, but he pretty much knew Gladys was not a good person from the start. All she wanted was a quick buck. He should have sent her back to Bridgeport, but because she was family, he couldn’t see what was right in front of him and gave her the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t deserve it, and that part is on him. Sasha tells him not to beat himself up over this, but he says he never should have let Gladys be her guardian. That was his mistake, compounded by the fact that he didn’t keep an eye on her to make sure she did the right thing. That’s on him and he wants to pay her back for that. He wants to reimburse every dime Sasha lost.

Charlotte tells Elizabeth, Anna wasn’t allowed in here. Anna came to hurt her. Elizabeth promises that Anna won’t be back.

Anna asks if Valentin doesn’t think he kept enough from her and Charlotte. His actions have caused this whole mess. He says his actions? and she says, yes. Charlotte needs to know the truth, that Victor lied to her, that he planted seeds in her head that Anna is dangerous and wants to hurt her. She was just trying to explain. He says, let’s get some things straight. His daughter is convinced Anna tried to kill her intentionally. Does she think she can explain that to a child, his child, in her hospital bed? He doesn’t know how many years of therapy she has ahead of her to get through all this, but if Anna really wants to help, stay away. She says, my God. He blames her for this. He says, no, he blames himself, and leaves.

Anna’s phone rings, and Dante asks where she is. She says she’s at GH; why? He asks if she can meet him at the morgue. There’s something here she’s got to see.

Gregory says, while he appreciates the suggestion, it’s not his place to hire a lawyer for his son, and Alexis says she doesn’t want to rush him. But right now, Diane is preparing a case against his son, so the sooner he puts a lawyer on retainer, the better. Gregory says he guesses she’s right. He wants to give Finn the option, so is Martin interested? Martin says, Gregory is going to have for forgive him. It’s a little too cart before the horse for his taste. Normally, he likes a little information about the case before he signs on anything. Alexis says, it’s a malpractice suit, and Gregory says, his son is an infectious disease specialist. A patient named Mr. Muldoon came to see him, concerned he might have contracted something in his travels; apparently, his work sent him out to remote locations. He thought he might have picked up a parasite. His son ran some tests and confirmed he had a tapeworm. He thought it would be an easy fix, but then about two months later, Mr. Muldoon came back. That was when Finn discovered he had Stage IV cancer. Martin says, so his son missed something important and now a man is dead as a result, but Gregory says, absolutely not. And he takes offense at Martin assuming his son made a mistake. He is not responsible for that man’s death. Martin asks Alexis if this is how Dr. Finn reacts when someone questions his expertise, and she says, worse. Much worse.

Laura says, there are a lot of files to go through. This has been an ongoing investigation. Have Jordan and Curtis figured out where they want to begin? Jordan says she thinks it’s best to start with a clean slate. It’s not that she won’t consider the information the police have compiled, but this case needs fresh eyes. Laura says, okay. Hopefully, she and Curtis will find something they overlooked. Jordan says, the first thing she needs to do is request the evidence the PCPD has gathered. She doesn’t anticipate any roadblocks, but should she hit some red tape… Laura says, she won’t hit any red tape. The mayor’s office will be backing her completely. Jordan thanks her and says she knew she could count on Laura. And this is exactly what Curtis needs.

Curtis assures Nina that Sonny can take care of himself. He heard Sonny’s been a target for decades, yet he’s still standing. So he doesn’t think there’s a reason that’s going to change. She says she guesses he’s right. She should stop worrying so much. It takes her away from enjoying the here and now. He says, exactly. When he was in rehab, Aunt Stella came to visit him. She told him, Curtis, stop focusing on the negative. Take advantage of the good moments right in front of him now. She asks if he was able to do that, and he says, it took a while to sink in, but he got it eventually. She says, things are good for her right now. She just doesn’t want it to change. She doesn’t want anybody to take her family away. He asks why he has the feeling they’re not talking about Sonny anymore. Something’s bothering her. What is it?

Dante thanks Anna for coming, and she says, dead body? He says, yeah. A jogger found the body by the side of the road this morning. Multiple injuries. Looks like a hit and run. At the scene, they couldn’t find any evidence that the driver avoided hitting the deceased, and the injuries are consistent with a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. She says, murder, and he says, looking that way. She asks what that has to do with her, and Dante says, the guy had three IDs on him from three different countries. She asks if they were legit, and he says, yeah. Dante was thinking maybe he worked for the WSB. it’s a long shot, but does she want to take a look and see if she recognizes him?

Martin says, while he completely respects Gregory’s need to protect his son, he’s got to understand what goes into a malpractice suit. When dealing with accusations of wrongful death, often the facts of the case are far less important than how the jury feels about the plaintiff versus how they feel about the defendant. Gregory says he’s been teaching for decades and he always makes sure his students are presented with all the facts before he asks them for an opinion. Martin says, with all due respect, there are times when perception is reality, and Alexis says, especially in a courtroom. Martin says, where he sees a doctor doing his job to the best of his ability, they’re going to see a grieving widow. And if this man had young children – Alexis says, he didthat could be the nail in Finn’s coffin. If he overreacts, if he gets defensive on that stand, says he did nothing wrong, he’s going to lose. Greogry says, but if Finn admits he may have overlooked signs of cancer, which he didn’t, he’s going to lose anyway. His hands are tied, so what is Martin suggesting they do? Martin says, the best approach is to present his son as an exceptional doctor, who did everything he could to save his patient, by the book. A talented, dedicated physician who’s already saved many lives, who has the potential to save countless more. He has to make the jury see that finding him liable will do more harm than good. Alexis says, if she were trying this case, that’s the angle she’d go with, and Gregory thanks her. He says he thinks they found a lawyer for Finn.

Sasha tells Sonny, it’s not that she doesn’t appreciate the gesture. She really does, but she can’t let him do this. He says, yeah, she can. All she has to do is accept the offer and move on. She says she’s touched he would do this for her, but honestly, she doesn’t need the money back. If this ordeal had taught her anything, it’s that she’s resilient. She’s stronger than anyone thought, including herself.  And she’s excited for the challenge to continue being Deception’s spokesmodel. He says he believes she can do it and he’s happy for her. She says she’s drug free and she’s enjoying herself for the first time in ages. She really feels like there was a weird silver lining in all this. Because now she sees every day as a gift. She looks at herself in the mirror and sees a survivor who can stand on her own. He says, she is, but he thought he still owed her and he’s somebody who likes to pay off his debts. She says, this isn’t his debt. She has an idea. Take the money and give it to a charity, something that supports mental health. Make the donation in Brando and Liam’s name, and they can call it even. What does he say? He holds out his hand, and they shake. He says, deal.

Nina says, it’s nothing really. Just a little edginess in the family. Curtis says he thought things were solid between her and Sonny, but she says, it doesn’t have anything to do with Sonny. It’s Michael. Not that they’ve ever gotten along. They’re making an effort now, for the sake of Willow and the children, but they’ve definitely hit a rough patch. Curtis says he sees Michael at the gym from time to time. He doesn’t want to get in her business, but he could talk to Michael, try to smooth things over. She says she knows he means well, but she has to handle this on her own. She thinks if she brings him in, it will just add to the friction. He says he knows his friend and he knows when she’s not telling him everything, but that’s okay. He won’t push, because she’s done him a huge favor here today. He just wants her to know if she needs help with Michael or anything, he’s here. No questions asked. She thanks him and says, and if she needs extra love and support, he’ll be the first person she calls.

Jordan wishes Laura could have seen Curtis’s face when he told her about the investigation. It was the first time since the shooting that he wasn’t only alert and engaged, but he was enthusiastic. He got his old drive back. There was a light in his eyes again. Laura says she’s glad to hear that. She went to visit him a few days ago and it was really sad to see him in that wheelchair, but she thinks he was happy she came over. Jordan says she can’t even begin to understand what he’s going through or know what it’s like to face life with such a daunting disability, but to see him focus on what he can do instead of what he can’t, is incredible. Laura says, he’s really lucky to have someone like Jordan helping him, and Jordan says, but this was his idea and that’s what makes this investigation so important. Curtis is taking action. Laura says, both of them have her full support, and Jordan says she appreciates it, especially since Laura has so much on her plate.

Elizabeth tells Valentin that she’s sorry, but he says she doesn’t have to apologize. This is on Anna and no one else. Elizabeth says, what was she thinking? and he says he’s starting to believe Anna doesn’t like anyone thinking she’s wrong. He goes into Charlotte’s room and says he’s going to stay with her for the rest of the day to make sure she feels safe. She says she’s still afraid of Anna. What if Anna tries to hurt her again? He says, they have some things to talk about, but they can wait until she feels stronger. Just know this. She’s in no danger from Anna Devane. Charlotte says she knows he believes that, but he’s wrong.

Dante lifts the sheet and Anna looks at the body. The coroner slides it back in the vault, and Anna asks Dante if one of the IDs was Jameson Forsythe. He says, it was, actually. She knows him? She says, that was his name. At least it was when they worked back in the WSB. She hasn’t seen him for 30 years or more. He asks, so what was the deal? Was she working a case? She says, yeah. That was the op. The one that went bad. That’s the guy she found all the evidence on; the paperwork and files that show there was some really shady stuff that went on back then. He asks if that’s what went missing the night Charlotte was shot, and she says, right. He asks if she thinks this guy got into her apartment, and she says, he must have. Dante says, of course (🍷) he’d want to destroy the files, and Anna says, the question is, who killed him? And where is that evidence now?

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving; Charlotte asks how someone could think that of her; and a surprise arrives.

About that. I’ll be taking the whole day off tomorrow, but on Friday, we’ll have a quickie.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

When we left, it was in the middle of Sutton telling Kyle, name ‘em, and Kyle says, be quiet and she will. She names ‘em while we flash back to ‘em. It suddenly dawns on me that Kyle acts like she’s Sutton’s big sister, and it’s probably the way she wants to act toward Kathy. In Kyle’s interview, she says, this isn’t kooky, It’s flat out bizarre. Apparently, her bizarre bar is pretty low. She asks what’s going on with Sutton, and Sutton asks what’s going on with her. In Sutton’s interview, she wonders what’s going on in Kyle’s life, since she never talks about herself. Her life is perfect. Kyle says, bring it on. She’s happy to answer questions. Sutton says she’s not bringing it on, and Kyle says, they’ll talk another time and jets. In Kyle’s interview, she says she needs to get out before she hits the point of no return. Sutton says she’ll walk Kyle out, but Kyle says, she’s good. I have no words. I didn’t like Kyle much to begin with and now she’s insufferable.

Erika’s mom Renee is visiting, and in Erika’s interview, she says she and her mother have had good times and bad times, and there were times Erika didn’t want to talk to her. She visits Erika in Los Angeles once a year for a couple of days. After that, they get on each other’s nerves. She says, they’re very close… in age. A lot of times, her mom felt like a sibling, instead of a parent. She had a good time going clubbing with her mom and her mom’s friends. She was living like she was 20 at 15. At the old place, her mom could be on the other side of the house when she visited. Now they’re sleeping in the same bed. She doesn’t want to do this. She’s grown.

In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Jaid can be a like her boyfriend; he’s very protective. He doesn’t like drama, and it’s easier with him. He doesn’t challenge her as much as Jax does. They have a lot of fun. We flash back to Jax at the beach, and Garcelle says she feels that she wants them to express themselves because she couldn’t with her mother. She doesn’t just want to be a parent; she wants to have a relationship with her kids. She asks if Jaid wants more freedom, and he says he wants Ashlyn to sleep over, but Garcelle says, Ashlyn’s mom wouldn’t allow her to and neither would Garcelle. She couldn’t even date at his age. In her interview, she says she wasn’t allowed to talk to boys, so she had to sneak around. One night she told her parents that she was at Debbie’s, and then Debbie’s mom called looking for Debbie. She was in her mom’s car with a guy, and her dad followed her. She got to a light where he couldn’t catch up, and kicked the guy out of the car. When her dad caught up to her, he said, follow me home. It wasn’t pretty. She’s so excited about Black Girl Missing, because she’s executive producer and has the say-so. We flash back to a to meeting with Lifetime where Garcelle introduces director Delmar Washington. She tells Jaid that all the ladies will be at the screening, and he asks which ones she likes at the moment.

Crystal and Rob send the kids off to watch a movie while they linger over dinner. In Crystal’s interview, she says, her brother Jeff and Rob are close and often travel together. Rob needed to check on their house in China, and Jeff went along. It was hard on him because it was his first time seeing his ex-fiancé. Rob says, Jeff has not moved on, and in her interview, Crystal says, Rob was engaged and in China when the pandemic happened. She and her mom were desperate to get him home, and forced him into coming back to the US. Vivi couldn’t come, and the distance was the reason they broke up. Rob says, Jeff is at war with himself; he’s conflicted. He should have said no, but he was more worried about what his family thought than Vivi. Crystal says, it’s the Chinese way, and Rob says, he gets that, but for Jeff to start his own family, he has to break away. He thinks Crystal is competitive with Vivi about who has the more primary relationship with Jeff. Crystal says, who asked for his f***ing opinion? but he just laughs. In Crystal’s interview, she says, Rob doesn’t know what he’s talking about. She’s not competitive. She just knows what’s best for her brother. Rob calls Jeff and gives Crystal the phone. He says he encourages her to tell Rob how she feels, and tells Jeff that Crystal is feeling some regret. Crystal says she feels bad, and Jeff says he needs to talk to Vivi. He doesn’t want to cry, so he ends the call, and Rob says, one step at a time.

Jennifer Tilly and Sutton go to the stables to meet Sutton’s new horse, Santos. In Sutton’s interview, she says, her mani/pedi lady has a horse, and she thought she wanted one too. She saw Santos online and it was a perfect match, so she hit buy. We see a picture of Santos, who is gorgeous, brown with white markings, and also cost $47K. She says, her father was from Texas. From 8 years old, she was on a horse, and she would snap green beans with her mom. That’s who she is. She’s Southern. Sutton meets the trainer and feeds Santos carrots which he promptly throws up. Sutton and Jennifer have lunch, and Jennifer says, Sutton travels so much, she’s glad to have her happy Sutton time. Sutton says she wishes others felt that way. Kyle was incensed and it escalated. Kyle said something was going on with Sutton, but Sutton said no, something was going on with Kyle. And she doesn’t think it’s just her. Kyle has gotten very thin. When they were in Las Vegas on vacation, Kyle was going gym for three hours. She’s eating differently and not drinking, and Sutton hasn’t seen her wedding band. In her interview, Sutton says, Kyle’s acting in a way she’s never seen, and there’s been a rumor in the tabloids about Mauricio cheating. She feels like all of these numbers add up to something wrong. Jennifer thinks maybe Kyle is going through something extreme. When people make extreme changes like with self-improvement or cutting their hair, they’re moving on to a new phase or trying to regain control of their lives.

Erika gets on her mom for not washing the dishes, reminding her that Belle only comes in once a week; it’s all Erika can afford. In Erika’s interview, she says, they’re only good for 24 hours, and Renee needs to start packing. We see it’s been 31 hours so far. They talk about changes in NYC, and Erika says, it’s sad. (Agreed.) Renee says she’s glad she saw Erika’s show, and Erika says, it was somewhat of an ambush. In her interview, Erika says, her mom just showed up after they hadn’t been talking for a year. They argue about why they argued, and Renee says, Erika didn’t like a question she asked about Tom, and in Erika’s interview, she says, her mom didn’t know things were so bad. She was just trying to get through the shows and back in L.A., Tom was MIA. She was trying to sing and dance, and there was Renee waiting to f*** it up for her. Erika tells Renee, it’s like cutting open old wounds, and Renee says, at some point, she has to let it go. Erika says she’s happy it’s behind her, and in her interview, she says she loves seeing her mom being grateful and supportive, but she’s grateful her mom is leaving. She’s reached her limit. See you at Christmas.

Everyone gets ready for Garcelle’s screening. On the phone, Sutton tells Garcelle that Kyle’s visit didn’t end well. Kyle is on the phone with Dorit, and says, Sutton thinks Erika set her up. I do too. Kyle acts out Sutton acting out Erika, but Sutton did it better. She tells Dorit about Sutton asking her, what’s going on? and makes insane animated faces when she talks. Dorit says, it feels like a threat, and Kyle says, Sutton is talking about the rumors. How they can get all that from someone asking, what’s going on? is beyond me. Dorit says she’s riding with Sutton tonight, and Kyle says, have fun with that.

In Sutton’s interview, she says she’s learning that social media is the venue for sales and exposure, and her store needs that constantly. So she’s bringing Dimitri in to take good pictures. Sutton gets her picture taken a thousand times, while Dorit is parked outside whining about Sutton’s tardiness. When Sutton gets in the limo, Dorit scolds her.

The screening is at a gorgeous theater, and Garcelle says she’s excited but nervous. Kyle arrives looking like she’s dressed for a safari, and carrying a $16K Hermès bag. In Kyle’s interview, she says she appreciates how difficult it is to get a project sold and made. Garcelle’s not just producing, she’s starring in it, and the story is an important message. Sutton tells Dorit that Garcelle invited 100 people. That’s herding cats. In Dorit’s interview, she says she was under the impression it was an intimate screening. She needs to prepare mentally and emotionally. At the venue, Dorit says, she gets jumpy around a lot of people, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she had no idea Dorit’s PTSD was this bad. They’re just watching a movie… about a girl who gets kidnapped and goes missing. Other than that, it’s going to be fun. Dorit tells Garcelle that she’s having a hard time, and Jax tells Crystal that he’s nervous Erika is here, but he might as well talk to her. He asks if Crystal wants to come, and in Crystal’s interview, she says she’s proud that Jax wants to approach Erika. We flash back to Erika being a drunken a-hole to Jax, and Crystal says, in Vegas, Erika showed them a side that was more open, and she wants to make an effort to help other people see her in a better light. Jax says, Crystal can be his back-up.

Hors d’oeuvres food porn! Jax goes over to Erika and says he wanted to let her know that everything is okay between them. Erika says she apologizes from the bottom of her heart. She was totally out of line. (I do believe she’s actually sorry for this) She says she spoke to his mom, but she’s glad he can hear it from her. He says he accepts her apology, and in Erika’s interview, she says, he’s a class act to walk up to her and say, no hard feelings. Garcelle did a beautiful job. Garcelle asks everyone to take their seats for the movie, and Jax tells her about approaching Erika. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she wishes Erika had approached Jax, since she’s the adult and was in the wrong, but she’s glad Jax was confident enough to approach her. She thanks everyone for taking the time to come out, not just to support her, but the idea of when Black and Brown people go missing, it’s important they be seen and heard and supported. In her interview, she says, the subject is important to her. So many times, Black and Brown women are overlooked – getting jobs, getting paid, going missing. They want the same passion and compassion when they go missing. We see pieces of the film and the audience reaction. It looks good (it’s on Amazon). Denise arrives, and she and Garcelle hugs. She thanks Garcelle for inviting her, and they watch from the back. The film ends with applause, and in her interview, Dorit says she’s excited that Garcelle gets to see her dream coming to life. There are lots of hugs and congrats, and Denise says hi to Dorit and Crystal. She says, it feels like forever, and in  Dorit’s interview, she says she hasn’t seen Denise in years. We flash back to Denise walking off the Zoom Reunion, and Dorit says, their contact became less and less. Sutton sits down near Kyle and says, they’ve got to talk. Kyle raced out of her house. Kyle says, Sutton got so aggressive and not nice, and Sutton says, Kyle is doing that now. Kyle asks if Sutton wants to hear the truth or a lie, and Sutton says, she was being calm. Garcelle brings Denise over to Erika, and there’s hugs and catching up. Kyle tells Sutton that she seemed off, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, Kyle is supposed to be her friend, but she’s using words she knows cut to the core… and take your safari hat off. Kyle says, Sutton is full of sh*t. For the billionth time, is it me? Kyle is sooo nasty. Even her face is all twisted up. She’s creeping me out.

Sutton tells Kyle that there sometimes seems to be a lack of respect. Kyle treats her like a little sister. (That thud is me fainting, since I said that in beginning. Kyle says, don’t flatter yourself, and Sutton says, these are her feelings. She doesn’t know if Kyle is mad about the Kathy thing. Kyle says, that hasn’t even registered to her. She doesn’t care. In her interview, Sutton says, she’s lying. If someone was friends with her sister and not with her, she would care. Kyle says, that’s between her and her sister, and in Sutton’s interview, she says, if Kyle admits she’s upset, it will mean she doesn’t like Kathy.  It’s love triangle gone awry.  Garcelle asks to talk to Dorit, and tells Dorit that she felt when she shared how she was feeling, Dorit took it on the defensive and wasn’t hearing her. We flash back to Dorit saying, that’s hurtful. Garcelle says, in the moment, she knows Erika was drunk, but she didn’t feel Dorit reprimanded her in the moment. Dorit says, their relationship moved slower then backward, and Garcelle says, they had a great time in Cannes, but she feels like her kids are disregarded. All she did was share her feelings. Dorit also asked her why she wasn’t over it. We flash back to that, and Dorit says she takes it back. Garcelle says she would never tell that to Dorit. It was insensitive. Dorit says she’s sorry. She wants Garcelle to share her genuine feelings. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she likes Dorit. She doesn’t think Dorit is malicious or mean, but she gets in her own head. She just wants Dorit to hear her. They hug it out.

Kyle says, Sutton was obviously talking about the rumors. She could tell by the look in Sutton’s eye. Sutton says she wonders who Kyle is now, but Kyle says, the change is just physical. Sutton says, it’s more than that. Kyle is very different from last year. In Sutton’s interview, she says she’s not sure why Kyle can’t confide in her. Friends confide in one another. This friendship is a farce. Kyle says, she had a rough year, and Sutton says she thinks that’s fair. Maybe Kyle can say Sutton could be right about this.

Next time, Kyle goes country; Garcelle talks to Jax one on one; Denise and Camille join a dinner; Sutton and Garcelle confront Kyle about her marriage; and Kyle says she can’t afford to be depressed.

🧂 Passing the Salt…

The latest on RHOSLC.

🏂 Awful In Winter…

The preview alone creeped me out. I had to change the channel.

Happy Thanksgiving!

🦃 Grateful For You…

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, no matter how you spend it. I’ve spent it nearly every way possible – with family, with friends, with strangers, volunteering at a soup kitchen, and one year with my cat, who stole a turkey leg when I wasn’t looking. I’ll drop in for a note on Thanksgiving in Port Charles, but come by on Monday really Tuesday for the full soap treatment and a Deck possibly without Kyle. Until then, stay safe; stay being grateful for what you have, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day; and stay not worrying so much. It takes you away from the here and now.

November 21, 2023 – Charlotte Makes a Confession, Sniff, Seeya Eddie, Legacy, What’s On, Bravo’s Con, To the Curb, Truth, Heritage, The Parade, Adorable Pilgrims & Love

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Cody goes to Maxie’s office and asks why she’s blowing up his phone. What does she need? Ferdinand for another shoot? She says, no, she needs him, and drags him over to a table littered with photographs of him and Sasha. She tells him to feast his eyes. Aren’t they gorgeous? He says, gorgeous, focusing on one with only Sasha in it.

At the MetroCourt, Finn thanks Diane for meeting him. He knows she’s juggling a lot of clients, and he can’t tell her how grateful he is that she agreed to take his case. She tries to interrupt, but he keeps going, wanting to show her what he has with him, but she says, nope. She doesn’t want to see it. Can’t see it. He says he thinks these notes are crucial to his defense, and she says she’s sure they are, but let’s cut to the chase. She can’t possibly represent him.

Curtis thanks Jordan for coming by, and she says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? He asks if she’s thirsty, but she says she’s sure he didn’t invite her over here for a tea party. So tell her, why is she here? He says, because she’s the only one who can understand what he’s discovered.

Carly looks in Kelly’s window from the courtyard, and Drew asks if she’s spying on her employees. She kisses him, and he asks what that was for. She says, just celebrating.

In a private area of the MetroCourt, Valentin thanks Anna for coming and she gives the standard answer, of course (🍷). They sit down, and Valentin asks what she’d like to drink, but she says she’s fine. He says, is she? and she says she’s just trying to find her footing. How’s Charlotte? He says, she’s healing, getting stronger every day. He’s hoping to have her home by Thanksgiving. She says, thank God, and he says he now knows why she was targeting Anna.

Nina goes into Charlotte’s hospital room, and gives her a giftbox, saying, it’s a little special something for a very special lady. Charlotte says, Nina didn’t have to do that. Her being here is gift enough. Nina says, it’s nothing. Just an excuse to see her really. Charlotte opens the box and says, riding gloves. They’re so soft. She loves them. Nina says, they’ll go riding again soon. It seems like it’s been forever since their last adventure. Charlotte says she’d love that. Nina is always so good to her. Some people are just nice because of papa, but she thinks Nina really cares about her. Just her being her. Nina says, by some people, does she mean Anna?

Cyrus scrubs the floor at the PC Grill, when Sonny walks in.

Drew and Carly sit at a table, and Drew asks if the celebration has anything to do with her buying back her half of the MetroCourt, but she says, no. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t do it. She turned down the offer. He says, so she decided to come to her restaurant to do a little people watching? but she says she was just appreciating what she has. She went to the MetroCourt today to turn down Nina’s offer and when she stepped off the elevator, she had a sense of déjà vu. She found herself staring into the dining area, watching the activity of the day, and then she saw Nina. It was hard watching her stand where Carly used to stand, like she owned the place. And she knows Nina does, but it was hard watching her live the life Carly used to live. She knows it must sound awful to him. He says, it doesn’t sound awful. It sounds human.

Valentin says, read this, it explains everything, and hands Anna Victor’s letter to Charlotte. She says, it’s from Victor? What’s he doing writing to Charlotte? Valentin says, it’s all in there, and Anna reads: It is with a heavy heart I must write to you and share my concern about our family’s future… Anna has completely manipulated your father. She’s taken advantage of his infatuation with her… She’s used [her charms] to control your father. Her extensive training in espionage has afforded her the ability to mask who she really is. I tell you this, Anna Devane is not who she seems. Do not trust her. Not for a minute.

Charlotte says, Anna pretends to be nice, but it’s just a way to get closer to papa, and Nina says, her grandmother Laura told her and Charlotte’s papa that Victor warned her about Anna, that he said she was dangerous. Charlotte says, because she is. She tricked him. He can’t tell that she’s using him.

Cyrus says he’s sorry to disappoint Sonny, but they don’t open until 5, and Sonny says, that’s all right because he already ate lunch. Cyrus can keep working while they talk. Cyrus says, they’re going to talk? but Sonny says, he’s going to talk; Cyrus is going to listen. He thinks he’s so slick. Father Teresa. Mr. Clean. It doesn’t matter what part he plays, they both know who he is. Get used to that mop because it’s the last job he’s going to have in Port Charles, and Sonny’s going to make sure of that. Cyrus says, then he guesses he’d better get back to it, and Sonny says, stay focused. Because if he gets a glimpse or hears a whisper that Cyrus is back to his old tricks, he will shut Cyrus down permanently.

Jordan asks, what’s this new discovery? and Curtis says, meditation. She says, TJ’s been trying to get her to try it, and he says, it’s a great way to quiet the noise in your head and to slow down your thoughts and just be still. She says, it sounds profound, and he says, she’d be surprised what comes from stillness. He got this memory of a case they worked on in Baltimore. He doesn’t remember the details, only how he felt. Following the lead, putting the clues together, connecting the dots… that spark, and the answer comes.

Finn asks, why the sudden reluctance? and Diane says, it’s very complicated. Under other circumstances, she’d be all in to represent him, especially since she doesn’t want to disappoint Alexis. He asks, what’s holding her up? and she says, when Alexis called her this morning, she was running around. She didn’t quite understand all of the details, and after they hung up, she got a call from the Muldoons, the family that’s suing him.

Maxie tells Cody, every shot is a masterpiece. She can’t stop thinking about their next Deception campaign. Sasha is about to come in, but stops and listens from outside. Maxie says, Salvadore’s people are already on board, and Cody asks if she’s sure about him. She says, he can’t stop talking about how much camera chemistry Cody and Sasha have. Cody says, listen, he just… She says, picture this for the next Deception campaign. Think, sophistication meets untamed allure. He says, untamed allure? and she says, yeah. Him, in a tux, with a twist. Shirt slightly undone, showcasing rugged charm. Then there’s Sasha opposite him, looking exquisite in a radiant ballgown. Think, cowboy meets elegance. Sasha continues to listen, and Maxie says she can see it now. Stark desert landscape. The sunset painting the sky. He says, at least it will be a short shoot, and she says, they’ll spend the holiday setting up for that moment. He says, good luck. He’s sure it’s going to be great, whoever they get to stand next to Sasha by that sunset is going to look… Maxie says, come on. It screams Cody. He says, sorry. No can do. He’s out.

Anna continues reading: She will use your father and lead him into danger. She will lead him to his death. My dear Charlotte, you are the only one who can protect your father from Anna Devane. She puts the letter down and asks Valentin, what did he do? He put so much fear into a young person’s mind like that. Charlotte was just trying to protect him from her. He says, Laura finally got Charlotte to open up. Victor didn’t just write a letter. He visited her in boarding school. He filled her head with stories that Anna was a threat, that her motive was to ruin him and put him in prison or worse. Anna says, so all of her actions were just a young girl desperately trying to save her father, and he says, yeah. She thought by getting Anna out of Port Charles, she was keeping him out of harm’s way. Anna asks if she admitted to everything. Burning her house or…

Nina asks why Charlotte didn’t tell anyone about Victor’s letter, and Charlotte says she didn’t think anyone would believe her. Nina says, that’s a lot for her to carry, isn’t it? She thought Anna was a threat, so what did she do? Charlotte says, Nina already knows, doesn’t she? Grandmother must have told her. Nina says, Laura told her that she wanted Anna to leave Port Charles. Will Charlotte tell her? What did she do to make Anna want to go?

Curtis says, that memory of him and Jordan working on that case. It was not just nostalgia; it was a wake-up call. Jordan says, from what? but he says, not from, to. It reminded him of who he is deep down. He thought he left the P.I. world behind him. She says, he was finding a new path, and he says he just didn’t want to get pigeonholed. And he’s still doing that work, badge or no badge. Helping Drew figure out where Victor Cassadine took Trina and Ace was a huge part of him. That’s who he is at the core. He wants to live to uncover the truth, to seek justice. She asks if he thinks he lost that part of himself, and he says, not lost. Just sidetracked, especially after the shooting. The PCPD hasn’t made any progress, and he can’t just sit here waiting for something to happen. He’s got to dig in. He’s got to take matters into his own hands and figure out who put him in this wheelchair. But to do that, he needs access to the police investigation. She says, and that’s where she comes in.

Finn says, Diane is going to represent the family that’s suing him and General Hospital for malpractice? and she says, yes, she is. The deceased, Dennis Muldoon, she and his father-in-law go way, way back. He was her client before she was even truly established. The Muldoons have her on retainer. Finn says, oh, that’s nice, and she says, so they should probably cut this chat a little short, considering they will soon be on adversarial sides in a courtroom. However, she does have some unsolicited advice for him. He says, by all means, and she says, he may trust the higher ups at General Hospital, but trust her, when push comes to shove, the GH lawyer will focus solely on the hospital’s reputation, not his. He’ll be an afterthought. He tells her, Alexis said the same thing, and she says, Alexis was right. Gregory comes in, using a cane, and Diane says she does wish him the very best of luck. She gets up, and Gregory says, don’t let him interrupt. If they need more time, he can wait at the bar. She says, not at all. Her business with Dr. Finn is done, for now. She leaves, and Finn says, yeah, that went well.

Maxie says, come on. She doesn’t understand why Cody is being so obstinate. She will pay him. In fact, she has his last paycheck around here somewhere. She digs it out, and says, see? handing it to him. He says he appreciates… Oh wow. That is a hefty sum. She says, it’ll be heftier when he signs on as the male Face of Deception, but he says, sorry. This face has seen its last paycheck. He appreciates it, but he can’t do this. Sasha looks worried, and Maxie says, fine. She’ll give him a sign-on bonus, double what’s on that check. He says, it’s not the money. It’s Sasha.

Cyrus says he doesn’t imagine Sonny will believe it, but this is him trying to start fresh. Every move he’s made since his release has been by the book. This job is a genuine attempt to go straight. His past issues with Sonny, water under the bridge. Sonny says, that’s hard to believe after everything Cyrus did to set him up, and Cyrus says he has no idea what Sonny is talking about. Sonny says, maybe there’s too much bleach in his brain. Let him refresh Cyrus’s memory. His boys Austin and Mason blackmailed Ava Jerome to put a mole in his house, his daughter’s nanny, Betty. She did a perfect job. She did what she had to do. She got to the computer, grabbed the information, brought the information to Austin, and Austin brought it to Cyrus at Pentenville. Then Cyrus gave it to the Feds because he thought it would take Sonny down. Cyrus says, that’s a hell of a story, and Sonny says, here’s the punchline. All the information Betty stole was a lie. It was all a trap. And guess what? Cyrus walked right into it.

Carly tells Drew that she’s not going to keep dwelling on everything Nina did. She’s moving on from the past. He says, that sounds very healthy, and she says, look at everything she has. Him. He’s back from Pentenville, and this amazing business her mother gave her with a major connection to her family history. Her kids are healthy and happy, she has an amazing moss bowl🎍home. She has so many blessings. He says, and she’s so resilient and strong. He’s got to be honest here. Her optimism inspires him. She says she gets that from him. He always teaches her to see the bright side, to move forward. He says, moving forward doesn’t mean she pushes Carly down, and it especially doesn’t mean she lets the people that hurt her have another shot.

Curtis tells Jordan that he knows it’s a grey area. He’s not asking for a free pass to the evidence locker. He’s just asking if she can bend the rules, just a little bit. She says, it’s a thin line, but given he was the victim, the one who got affected, it seems to her he has the right to know what’s happening with the investigation. She’ll get him access to the statements, evidence, leads, the works, but… He says, thank you, but she says, hold on. Don’t go getting all grateful just yet. There is a catch.

Finn says he sees Gregory brought a friend. How’s that working out? Gregory says, these things really do make you feel older, but it does provide a grounding and he’s more steady on his feet. Finn says, stability is everything, and Gregory says, not to pry, but did something happen with Diane? Finn says, that? Just some legal nonsense. Of greater importance, Violet had her first school debate. She and her team defended humans against robots as better helpers. Violet pointed out that although robots might be better at following instructions, humans have intuition. That we are better able to sense when something’s off. We can adapt and provide comfort. And more important, no batteries required. Gregory says, sounds like Violet is talking about the difference between Finn and Elizabeth, and Finn says, ha-ha-ha. That’s a good one. Gregory says, as much as he enjoys talking about his intuitive granddaughter, it doesn’t take intuition to see something’s bothering Finn. Was it the meeting with Diane? Finn says, yeah. It didn’t go the way he’d hoped.

Charlotte tells Nina that she never did anything to hurt Anna. She was just trying to scare her. Nina says, by doing what? Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. She’s done some foolish things when she was upset. Charlotte asks if Nina remembers the article coming out about Anna being a double-agent, and Nina says she does. Charlotte says, one night, after she saw that article, she went to Anna’s house and painted the word murderer on her door. Nina says, and? and Charlotte says, and after the fire at her house, she got another idea and went to Anna’s hotel. She snuck in with a keycard she borrowed from papa and messed up Anna’s stuff. She even wrote on Anna’s bathroom mirror with lipstick. Then on Halloween, she was going to spray paint another message in her apartment, but then Anna found her, and she had a gun. Anna shot her. Charlotte starts to cry.

Valentin tells Anna that he hasn’t discussed it with Charlotte. He just knows she told Laura that she was trying to drive Anna away. Anna says, Charlotte tried to terrorize her… He says, she needs professional help, and Anna says she thinks Charlotte needs intensive deprogramming, doesn’t he? He says, but everything she did was to protect him. She wasn’t acting out of malice. Anna says, it’s powerful conditioning, and he says, it can be fixed. Have faith. As soon as Charlotte is on the road to healing, then the three of them can move forward together. She says she’s really not sure how that’s going to happen.

Cody says he doesn’t know if Maxie heard, but Sasha said she doesn’t want to work with him anymore. She was crystal clear. Maxie says, once she understands… Cody says, no way. He’s not going to let Maxie force Sasha into doing something she’s uncomfortable with. Maxie says she wouldn’t do that to Sasha. This is just business. He says, well, it’s personal to Sasha. She’s been through hell. She was being used by Gladys for months and controlled by Montague. She’s just now getting her life in order. She deserves to have her wishes respected. He’s not going to interfere with anything like that. He already told her, he’s out. He heads for the door, when Sasha appears and says, maybe not.

Finn tells Gregory, there’s a situation at the hospital that he’d rather not discuss. It’s nothing to worry about, especially with everything else on his plate. Gregory asks if Finn means his ALS. While he can’t alter his condition, he can alter how he chooses to deal with it. Like this cane. Speaking of which, Finn should have seen Violet’s face. She doesn’t think less of him because of it. In fact, she said she thought it makes him look like a dapper snowman. Finn laughs and says, classic Violet. Greogry says, if Finn is grappling with something, share it. He may not be able to provide an answer, but maybe it will give him a break from his own troubles. Finn says, okay. Gregory asked for it. Yesterday, he got some unsettling news. Gregory says, he’s not sick, is he? but Finn says, nothing like that. It’s work. He was informed that he, along with GH, are being sued by the family of a former patient for malpractice.

Carly asks Drew, so what’s going on? He’s usually the one telling her to let things go. He tells her that he’s just saying to be aware and stand on guard. She never told him what that kiss was celebrating. She says, the fact that he’s free to show up out of the blue, that means she can kiss him whenever she wants. Compared to a month ago, her life is so much better. He says his too, and she says, then what was that comment about, not letting people hurt you again. He says, Ned. Ned’s pushed him one step too far.

Sonny says, Cyrus must have seen the headlines about his arrest. Corinthos in Hot Water; FBI Brews Trouble for Coffee Kingpin. It was basically a comedy of errors. Cyrus handed them watered down espresso for that bogus data. Cyrus says, Sonny gives him too much credit, and Sonny says he was actually in shock at how much credit they gave Cyrus, but he got his release, right? Cyrus says, because of his poor health, nothing else, and Sonny tells him to make sure he takes good care of that precious health. Because it’s going to get a lot worse if Cyrus crosses him.

Valentin tells Anna that they can get through this. Charlotte wasn’t acting in her right mind. It wasn’t truly her. Anna says she doesn’t have a problem with Charlotte. But he’s known since the night her hotel suite was ransacked that his daughter was the one threatening her, and he said nothing. He tells her that he was hoping… She says, hoping what? That he could manage it from behind the scenes? Like they did when they were agents in the field? He decided not to tell the woman he claims to love that instead of fearing professional assassins, she was merely facing a misguided teenager. He says he didn’t know how to handle it, and she says, because he has no faith in her. If he’d told her the truth from the start, then they could have talked about it. They could have handled it themselves. And she would have never pulled a weapon that night. It’s all because he doesn’t believe in her. Does he know why he doesn’t trust anyone? Because he himself cannot be trusted.

Nina says, other than the spray paint and the hotel, did Charlotte do anything else to try and frighten Anna away? Charlotte says, no, she promises, and Nina says, okay. Anna’s house. It was just the spray paint? Charlotte says, yes, and Nina takes her hand. She says, this is her that Charlotte is talking to. There is nothing she could ever say or do to get Nina to stop loving her. She will never stop loving Charlotte, but in order for them to make this right, Charlotte has to be honest with her. Did she have anything to do with the fire in Anna’s house?

Drew tells Carly, let’s just say, Ned is back to his old self, as arrogant as ever, and she says, wow. What did he do? Drew says, he stopped by Aurora, and everything seemed fine at first, until he found out Michael had salvaged a deal for ELQ. And he kind of freaked out. Instead of being grateful for it, he said Michael had no authority to broker that deal. She says, even though he wasn’t around to do it himself? and Drew says, exactly. Instead of thanking Michael, Ned told him to keep his nose out of ELQ business. She says, it’s unbelievable, but it sounds just like Ned, and he says, it does. Proving once again, Ned puts his pride, puts his ego ahead of what’s best for the company. Carly asks what he’s going to do about it.

Jordan says, she and Curtis are both investigators at heart. She wants to be right there in the trenches with him. He asks if she isn’t Deputy Mayor, because digging could ruffle some feathers and cause embarrassment to the whole city, which could make her life very difficult. She says, difficult is relative. She can handle the heat. And she’s happy to ruffle any feathers if it means putting the person who shot him behind bars for twenty to life.

Gregory says, so Alexis arranged for Diane to represent Finn, only to discover Diane is representing the family suing him? Finn says, yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it. Gregory says, Finn’s always been an outstanding doctor. This is his first brush with a lawsuit, right? Finn says, yes, and Gregory asks if he believes the suit has merit. Finn says, no, but sometimes in cases like this, grieving families have sway with the jury. Gregory asks if he has his bases covered with malpractice insurance (FYI, if he didn’t, it’s doubtful the hospital would have him on staff), and Finn says, of course (🍷). If for some reason the jury favors the Muldoons, the insurance will pay out a settlement. Gregory says, that’s a silver lining at least. Finn won’t be staring down the barrel of financial ruin. Finn says he doesn’t know. If the insurance company has to pay out because of this case, they’ll find a reason to drop him. Without malpractice insurance… Gregory says, he won’t be able to practice medicine, and Finn says, this lawsuit could be the end of his career.

Sasha says she really appreciates Cody’s willingness to step away from Deception because of her feelings, but if Maxie asked him to work with any other model, would he say yes? Cody says, he… and Sasha says, they’ve been pretty honest with each other so far, so don’t stop now. Cody says, yeah. If it was another model, he’d take the job. Sasha asks Maxie if having Cody as the male Face of Deception is important to their brand, and Maxie says, only if they want to be successful. Their chemistry was off the charts. It jumped through the screen at Home & Heart. These pictures capture it perfectly. Cody looks at her, and she says, but Cody is right. Sasha’s wishes and comfort come first. Sometimes she gets a little excited. Sasha says, no. You know what? She needs to trust and pay attention to that excitement. If Maxie thinks this is for the best, then she wants to do it… for the company. Cody asks if she’s sure, and Maxie jets over to her and says, really? Sasha says she’s sure, and Maxie says, oh my God, this is so amazing. She promises it won’t be awkward. No blind gossip pieces about their pairing. This is just business. Strictly professional. Sasha and Cody look at each other and we see a photo of them with Ferdinand.

Gregory says, Finn dedicated his life, he poured his heart and soul into medicine. He can’t let them take away his calling. If GH’s lawyers won’t stand up for him, he’ll have to stand up for himself. He says, that’s what he’s trying to do, and Gregory says, someone doesn’t get Stage IV cancer out of the blue. There had to have been signs, symptoms. He knows from personal experience. When he was diagnosed with ALS, there were countless warnings. He was too stubborn to see them. Finn says he knows that… and Gregory says, listen to him. If that patient was Stage IV, then there had to have been indicators that were overlooked or ignored. Finn thanks him, and Gregory says, for what? Finn puts his hand on Gregory’s and says, for believing in him. For always feeling the weight on his shoulders and trying to lighten the load. Gregory puts his hand on Finn’s and says, always, son. Always.

Charlotte tells Nina that she never set fire to Anna’s house. She was just trying to get Anna to leave town. She had to keep papa safe. Nina has to believe her. Nina says she does, and hugs Charlotte, saying, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.

Valentin says, Anna’s right. He is at his core untrustworthy. When he learned about Charlotte, his first instinct was to hide the truth. She says, it’s called lying, and he says, to protect his daughter. But also maybe to protect their love. He’s dreamed of a life with her forever. He just doesn’t have the faith. He was afraid she’d leave him when she found out. Maybe he’s afraid she doesn’t love him the way he loves her. She says she thinks he always doubted them, and he says he thinks she’s right. She sighs and wipes tears from her eyes. She says, it’s never been about how much she loves him. It’s just been this persistent mistrust that’s created this chasm. Except that now the lies and secrecy ended up with her shooting an innocent kid. He says, Charlotte will recover, and she asks what that even means. She picks up a napkin and dabs at her eyes and asks if that makes it okay. It doesn’t absolve her. Charlotte is never going to get over this trauma, ever. No matter how much deprogramming, it will never erase it. Every time Charlotte sees her, she’ll be reminded of that night. And Anna is afraid every time she sees Valentin, she’ll be forced to relive it. So she thinks if she’s going to have any peace in her life, she needs to see him as little as possible. She’s sorry. She leaves, and Valentin hangs his head.

Curtis tells Jordan that all he wanted was access to the police files. He can handle the rest alone. Besides, if he comes up empty, it will only be his time he wasted. Jordan says, it was that memory of them investigating in Baltimore that gave him this idea to begin with. That should be a clue that she’s right. They made a great team. He says, they were a force, and she says, and closed a lot of tough cases, cases that stumped everyone else. They were unstoppable because they complimented each other’s strengths. He says he remembers, and she says, so they team up. They can get to the bottom of this faster together. What does he say? He says, there’s no point in fighting her, and she says, because he knows she’s right. He says, true that. Let’s get started.

Carly says, okay. With Ned back to throwing his weight around, what’s Drew’s next move? He says he’ll tell her what he’s not going to do. He’s not going to make any more rash decisions, giving Ned more power for his pals at the SEC, so they can maneuver him back behind bars. She says, so he does think Ned was the one who tipped them off, not the FBI? He says, the theory that they were targeting Carly to get to Sonny makes sense, but sometimes things just are what they are. There’s no grand conspiracy. Ned was even going to tell him something about the SEC right before he started freaking out about Michael and ELQ. She says, with everything he just told her, Ned hasn’t changed one bit. He says, exactly. People act on raw emotions, like anger and spite, and given Ned’s ego and his obvious resentment toward him, it fits. Ned saw an opportunity for revenge, and he took it.

Sonny says, let him make himself clear. Cyrus is to stay away from him, his family, his business. And when he says his family, they’re all under his protection. Sasha Gilmore, Ava Jerome, his ex-wife. Cyrus crosses paths with them, he crosses paths with Sonny. Cyrus says, anything else? and Sonny says, yeah. Keep working on that mop. He moves closer and whispers that he’s got his eyes on Cyrus. Every hour of every day. Cyrus steps over the line, Sonny’s going to make sure no one ever sees him again. Sonny heads for the door, and Cyrus says he understands. Sonny comes back and says, one more thing. Lay off Laura. Don’t show up at the city hall. It embarrasses her. Or at her house. It’s Laura’s choice if she wants to see him, but don’t just go there uninvited. Are they clear? Cyrus says, oh yeah, and Sonny says he’s glad they understand each other. Now get back to work. Sonny leaves, and Cyrus looks like he’s barely keeping a lid on it.

Tomorrow, Curtis says, Nina may not be happy after she hears what he has to say; Gregory asks what Martin suggests they do; and Valentin tells Anna, stay away.

😢 Say It Ain’t So…

I’m so bummed! I wasn’t totally crazy about the Austin character, but Roger Howarth made it his own. IMO, he’s one of the greatest actors in daytime, if not the greatest.

👔 Different Kind Of Goodbye…

Now he has to put suits on again.

🎓 In Memory Of Billy…

His death was such a shock. I’m sure he’d be proud of the memorial scholarship.

Billy Miller’s Family Creates Memorial Scholarship in His Honor

🦃 This Thursday…

In an odd twist, GH decided to air a new episode on Thanksgiving, even though they haven’t in years. Don’t expect a recap on Thanksgiving. I’ll be busy letting out my waistband.

🎰 What Happens At BravoCon…

Maybe there was a reason Sutton ignored her.

No surprise here.

In related news.

💎 Gets My Vote…

I’ll say it again, I don’t see any new Erika. What I see is the old Erika waiting for the right moment to pounce. We got a taste of it when the elevator randomly stopped on their floor, and Erika’s Magic Mike friend just happened to be riding in it, along with her… whatever he is, Mikey.

☔️ Not To Rain On the Thanksgiving Parade…

Time to rewrite history right.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/

🌻 Something To Celebrate…

The resolution.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/us-senate-passes-resolution-recognizing-november-2023-at-national-native-american-heritage-month

The facts.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a38083079/native-american-heritage-month-facts/

Ideas for celebrating.

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-native-american-heritage-month

🥁 Before It Passes By…

About the parade.

https://www.macys.com/s/parade/

The new balloons. Scroll down for the gallery.

Macy’s Parade Eve. I knew someone who used to do this every year. Nope. That’s why God invented TV sets.

https://abc7ny.com/nyc-thanksgiving-parade-balloon-inflation-upper-west-side-macys-balloons-american-museum-of-natural-history/14088735/

🐾 Good Pilgrims…

A gallery of adorable pilgrims. I just can’t.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/25-pets-in-pilgrim-costumes-photos_n_2160020

🍼 At The Kids’ Table…

Stop by tomorrow for pre-Thanksgiving soap and picking a bone with Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay taking advantage of seasonal items while you can (maple everything!), and stay knowing that sometimes things just are what they are. There’s no grand conspiracy.

November 20, 2023 – Finn Goes To Alexis For Help, Kyle Is the Common Denominator On Deck & Almost

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina walks past the gazillion bouquets and opens the door to leave her dorm room. Spencer falls in and says, good morning.

Josslyn brings Adam into the hospital, and parks him on a bench. She tells Elizabeth that this is her friend Adam Wright. She just brought him in from PCU. He was nauseous, hyperventilating, sweating. She thinks he needs to see a doctor right away. Adam jumps up and says, no!

Finn knocks at Alexis’s office door, and she says, right on time. He thanks her for seeing him, and she says, of course (🍷). Is he okay? He didn’t say what this is about. He seems a little… He says, edgy? and she says, mm-hmm. He says, yeah, and she says, have a seat and tell her what’s going on, but he says, no seat. He needs to find an attorney, and he was hoping she’d point him in the right direction. She says, okay, but he’ll have to narrow this down a little bit. What kind of attorney? He says, one that can save his career from being destroyed.

Blaze says she doesn’t know how Brook did this. She’s doing a guest vocal on Magnum’s new track. Brook says she told Blaze, they’re going to take her career to the next level, and Blaze says, she delivered. Brook says, but they’re on a tight schedule. They have to deliver these tracks today. Blaze says she’s ready to get in the recording booth, and Brook asks if she needs any support. Kristina walks in, and Blaze says, actually, her support just arrived.

Drew says, now that Ned is back to being Ned, they have to come up with a new game plan for ELQ, and Michael says he hasn’t changed his mind. They’re moving forward. Drew says, of course (🍷) they are, but it might be easier said than done, and Michael says, they have to do what’s best for the company. ELQ has been unstable for almost a year, between Valentin’s absence and Ned’s erratic behavior, they’re still on shaky ground. Drew says, their whole plan was predicated on Ned remaining Eddie. That’s not the case anymore, so they need to come up with a new strategy. Michael’s phone rings, and he says, send him up. He tells Drew, Ned’s here. Showtime.

At the MetroCourt, Carly watches as Trish seats a customer, and Nina is on the phone about a king crab order. Nina leaves to get a bartender for a customer, and Trish says hi to Carly. She says, there’s a rumor going around that Carly might be back. Is it true?

Alexis says, Finn isn’t prone to hyperbole. This clearly sounds serious. He says, it is, and she tells him, take a breath. Have a seat. They sit down and Alexis asks for some specifics. He says he’s facing a malpractice lawsuit, and she says, that could be significant. It could also be frivolous. It could be a disgruntled patient that’s looking for a payout. Finn says, it isn’t frivolous. The patient in question, Dennis Muldoon, died. Now his family is suing the hospital and himself. Money isn’t an object for these people and he doesn’t think they’re looking for a quick payout. She says, let’s start at the beginning. When was the first time he saw Mr. Muldoon? He says, it was in April of this year. Muldoon traveled extensively for work, mostly in remote locations, and he came to see Finn because he thought he might have contracted something along the lines of a tapeworm. Finn ran extensive bloodwork and cultures, and confirmed he had a tapeworm. Finn sent him home with a plan of treatment, and he called a few days later, saying that he felt much better. Finn also asked him to come in for further testing, including a colonoscopy just to be sure, but he was off on another business trip and didn’t come back for two months. At that time, Finn increased the scope of the bloodwork and any additional testing, including the colonoscopy. It revealed he had Stage IV cancer. At that point, there was nothing he or oncology could do to save him. Now his family is filing a lawsuit against the hospital and himself. So what does she think? She says, the first thing she’s going to advise him is to stay clear of the General Hospital attorneys. She has the utmost respect for the place, but do not associate with these attorneys. Because they have one goal, and that goal is to protect the hospital. He says, meaning? and she says, they will throw you under the bus.

Blaze does vocal exercises in the sound booth, while Brook gives the sound engineer some instructions. The engineer says she thinks she knows what Brook is looking for, and Blaze asks for less reverb. Kristina says, this is so cool. It’s much more fun to mix music than mix drinks. Brook says she forgot how great the energy is.

Elizabeth brings out a wheelchair, but Adam says he doesn’t need to see a doctor. He thought he did, which is why he agreed to let Joss bring him here, but he’s fine. He just wants to go back to his dorm. Josslyn says, he’s not fine, because they were in class, and he started to have trouble breathing. They had to stop the exam. They wanted to call him an ambulance, but the only reason they didn’t was because she agreed to bring him here. Adam says, oh my God, the test. They’re missing it. What are they going to do? Josslyn says, it’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. Getting loud, Adam says, it’s not going to be okay. What if he fails the class? Elizabeth suggests he sit down for a minute, and helps him into the chair. Josslyn says, he’s not going to fail the class. Please just try to stay calm. Elizabeth says she’s going to take Adam to an exam room and have a doctor check him out. As he’s wheeled away, Adam begs Josslyn not to leave him.

Spencer gets up from the floor, and Trina says, please tell her that he didn’t sleep outside her dorm room all night. He says he sure did, and she says, he could have gotten her in trouble with the RA. Is he crazy? He says, crazy in love with her, and she says she’s serious. He says, so is he, and she says, so this is how he chooses to get her attention? He says he tried everything short of skywriting. She wouldn’t return his calls or texts. She asks if he didn’t think maybe she didn’t want to talk to him. It never occurred to him to respect her wishes apparently. She goes inside, and he follows her in and closes the door. He says he’s really sorry. He knows he screwed up. It was one of those moments that the words were coming out of his mouth and he wanted them to stop, but it was already too late. He can’t un-ring the bell. She says she doesn’t even know what that means, and he asks if she even read the cards he sent her. She says, no, and he says, they all say the same thing, taking one of them from a bouquet. She says, then she’s glad she didn’t bother reading them, and he tells her, they all say he’s sorry and he was wrong. She says, and exactly what does he think he’s wrong about?

Carly tells Trish, you never know what the future holds. Maybe someday, but now she’s focused on Kelly’s. How’s it going here? Trish says she can’t complain. It’s all good, but Carly is definitely missed. Carly says she misses them too, and Trish says, Mr. Cain was here last week. He looked really great. Carly must be out of her mind that he was in prison. Carly says, he never should have been there in the first place, but she’s really happy he’s home. Nina hears them from the hostess podium and goes over to them. She asks if there’s any chance Carly is here to discuss her offer.

Ned joins Drew and Michael, and Michael says he’s not sure which greeting is appropriate. Is it a welcome back situation or… Ned says he doesn’t know if there’s any rule book for this one, and tells Drew that he’s sorry to hear about Drew’s ordeal in Pentenville. He was relieved to hear Drew was released early. Drew says, nobody was more relieved than him. He couldn’t wait to get out of that place. Ned flashes back to confronting Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC, and says he promised he’d sit on this information for a while, but it can’t wait. There’s something Drew needs to know about the SEC charges.

Kristina tells Blaze that she wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is great. Blaze tells her that she says that now, but it’s not all glamorous. There’s a lot of sitting around between takes and it helps to have company. Brook says, hello? and Blaze says, she’s there in a professional capacity. Kristina and Blaze sit down, and Blaze thanks Kristina for distracting her; keeping her mind off the butterflies in her stomach. Kristina says, Blaze is a pro, cool and confident, but Blaze says, it’s just smoke and mirrors. This is a huge opportunity. There’s a lot riding on this. She’s been dying to work with Magnum, but what if she blows it and the song tanks? Kristina says, what if she doesn’t? What if it’s a hit?

Elizabeth sees Terry in the hallway and gives her some figures she’d asked for. Terry is in a hurry to get back to work, but Elizabeth asks if she has any updates on the malpractice suit. Terry says, Elizabeth knows she can’t talk about this, especially to her, given her relationship with Finn. She’s not at liberty to disclose anything about the case. Elizabeth says she’s not asking for details. She just hoped Terry could give her a sense of what’s going on. Terry says she’s sorry. She knows Elizabeth is in a difficult position, but hospital policy is clear, and as Co-Chief of Staff, she has to be in full compliance. There can be no sign of any impropriety. Good luck in protecting Finn. Elizabeth asks if that isn’t what Terry should be doing. He’s not only her co-worker, he’s her friend. Terry says, that’s the problem. Personally, does she want Finn to win? Of course (🍷), but professionally, she has to keep her distance and follow the rules to the letter. Does Elizabeth understand?

Finn tells Alexis, Terry and Portia are not only Co-Chiefs of Staff, but he’d like to think they’re his friends and wouldn’t throw him under the bus. She says, regardless of his personal relationships, this is not about friends. This is business to General Hospital. He came to her for advice. She really needs him to listen to her. She used to be pretty good at this, and she knows her way around a courtroom and knows these kinds of attorneys. She knows their only objective when it comes to a malpractice suit is to win at all costs. They will not do the noble thing, and if he ends up being collateral damage, so be it. He says, and here he thought she was going to put his mind at ease. He gets up and she follows. She says she’s just trying to get him to understand this case and see what they could do. They’re going to present this in the most simple narrative. This is a wealthy family who lost a son, father, husband – in his prime – and they’re grieving, and they want someone to pay. What does he think the jury will believe? He says, hopefully, the truth, that he had nothing to do with this man’s death.

Trish says she’s going to get back to work and leaves. Nina asks if Carly wants to sit down, and Carly says, sure. They sit at a table, and Carly says she’s just curious. Why? Why did Nina offer to sell her back her half of the hotel? She knows Nina has a lot on her plate, but she could ask Olivia to take on more work. Nina says, Olivia is stretched pretty thin as it is, and Carly says, then hire a manager. Or promote from within. There are many ways for Nina to retain her half of the hotel. Is she having financial… Nina says her financial situation is on solid ground, and Carly says, great. Then why is she doing this? Is it because of Willow?

Ned says, this was before the fall at the pool, and Drew says he was there with Tracy. Ned came rushing in, calling his name, like he wanted to tell him something important, and that’s when he hit his head. Ned says, the details were a little fuzzy at first, but he remembers everything now. He remembers what he came to tell Drew. Michael’s office phone rings, and he says, hang on a second. He picks up the phone and says, put her through. He says he has the figures for them and will see them in Sydney next month. They’ll celebrate breaking ground. He hangs up, and Ned asks if that was Angela Trance from RCD in Australia? Michael says, yes. Is that a problem? Ned says, yes. He doesn’t see why Aurora, a media company, would be making a deal with RCD. Michael says, the deal was for ELQ.

Blaze asks if Kristina really thinks it could be a hit, and Kristina says, Blaze is talented. Why not? And from what she knows about Brook, that woman is unstoppable. Blaze says, but the market is so saturated these days. Everyone is posting their music online. The competition is fierce. Kristina says, this is when she roars. Show them what she’s got. Blaze says, even if the song does take off, the real money’s in touring, and Kristina says, then tour. She’s got enough material. What could be better than singing to a sold-out crowd? Blaze says, being with someone. Touring is lonely. To be honest, she’s tired of being alone.

Alexis tells Finn, it’s not going to take much to convince a jury that an overworked doctor had a patient who believed he had a tapeworm. And this doctor took the patient at face value and missed the clue that the real ailment was cancer. Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist who went looking for a parasite and he found one, but Alexis says, when the jury hears the word cancer, it will trigger them, because at least one of them, if not all of them, have lost a loved one to cancer. That’s a compelling story, doesn’t he think? He says he doesn’t know what to think anymore, and she says she’s telling him that he needs to find the right attorney. Because if he doesn’t, his career will be over.

Spencer says, it was wrong of him to give Trina an ultimatum, and he’d do anything to take it back. Trina says, obviously, it’s too late for that now, and even though she doesn’t like the way he said it, he did bring up a good point. What are his priorities? Who comes first for him? She’d like to think it’s her and their relationship, but maybe it’s Ace and Esme. He says he doesn’t care about Esme, but Trina says, sometimes she’s not sure about that. He says, his little brother needs him and he’s not going to turn his back on Ace, but she says she’s not asking him to do that. The fact that it’s hard for him to accept Esme moving out as a normal progression tells her all she needs to know. He asks what that means, and she says, clearly, they have different ideas about what their relationship is and where it’s going.

Elizabeth says, Adam is cleared to go home, and Josslyn thanks her. She says she was so worried. She’s never seen anyone in the middle of a panic attack. It’s scary. Elizabeth says, Josslyn did the right thing by bringing him here, and Josslyn asks if he’s going to be okay. Elizabeth says, all she can tell Josslyn is, he’s been cleared to go home and that’s a good sign. Does she know what else is a good sign? Josslyn’s future as a doctor. Josslyn asks what she means, and Elizabeth says, the fact that she brought him here and looked after him shows what kind of doctor she’s going to be. She has high hopes for Josslyn. Josslyn thanks her, and Elizabeth says she’ll see if Adam’s paperwork is ready. Josslyn goes into the exam room and asks how Adam is. He says he’s fine. He’s really sorry, but it’s all good now. She says, no, it’s not.

Alexis says, they have to find the right fit for Finn. She so wishes she could do this for him. She wishes she could fight for him, but she can’t. He says, there must be somebody who’ll take this on, and she says, the person she would recommend would be Diane, but she knows Diane is swamped. She’s overwhelmed right now and probably won’t be able to take the case. So why doesn’t he give his pal Tracy a call? He says, she’d be tough in the courtroom, but last time he checked, she doesn’t have a law degree. Alexis says, she has the last name Quartermaine, and anyone with the last name Quartermaine has access to top notch lawyers on retainer. He says he knows, but it’s the wrong time to ask Tracy for a favor. She says, Tracy would be happy to help him, and he says he knows she would, but she’s in Amsterdam. She’s meeting Bobbie Spencer. Something about settling Luke’s affairs. She says, who else? and he says, Elizabeth offered to talk to Scott Baldwin. He’s not sure Scotty is the best choice, but Scotty says he’s good at his job. She says, Scotty can be brash and he’s a little odd, but he’s actually smart. He’s also not the right attorney for Finn. He doesn’t need brash; he needs subtle. He says, that’s probably not Scotty, and she says she just told him Diane is probably too busy, and she probably is, but she’s going to call anyway.

Kristina asks how Blaze can possibly be lonely with thousands of fans chanting her name. She wishes the staff at Charlie’s would do that for her when she walked in. And the pub goes wild. They laugh, and Brook asks what they’re laughing about. Blaze says, it was getting too serious and Kristina’s trying to make her smile. Brook says, it seems like she’s succeeding, and Blaze says she was just telling Kristina that touring isn’t as cool as it looks. It’s hard work. Sound checks, dance rehearsals, promotors… Never mind. She’s being ridiculous. Kristina says, Blaze is right. It does sound lonely. Blaze says she has the feeling Kristina knows something about loneliness. The engineer asks if they’re ready to do this.

Ned says, Michael did what? and Michael says he made a deal with RCD. Actually, they closed in July, but there were a few terms they had to iron out first. Drew says, this is what’s best for the company, but Ned says, last time he checked, he’s President of this company. Drew says, they had no idea when Ned was going to recover, and Ned says, Drew makes it sound like he was in rehab. He was in Port Charles the whole time. Drew says, for all intents and purposes, Ned wasn’t here. It was Eddie. Michael says, the deal is done, and Ned asks, what are the terms? Michael says, ELQ has all the paperwork. Feel free to look it over, but he’ll see Michael got RCD to agree to more favorable terms. He’s going to oversee the first stage of construction, but Ned says he has no authority to do that.

Nina asks why Carly thinks Willow had anything to do with this. She just found out about it when they were discussing it at Kelly’s. Carly says she just wondered if Willow was the real incentive for Nina to sell. It makes sense. Nina wants a closer relationship with Willow and her grandson, and what better way to get that than to make peace with her? Is she right?

Ned says, while he appreciates Michael taking this on, he had no authority to act on ELQ’s behalf. Michael suggests he look over the deal before criticizing it, and Ned says, whether it’s a sound deal or not is irrelevant. Michael knows it wasn’t his place to take this on. Drew says, Ned should have been the one dealing with this, but they couldn’t count on him, because he proclaimed to the world that he was Eddie Maine. All he cared about was his music. And Valentin’s been AWOL for months, dealing with the fallout from his lunatic father. And he was in prison, so what did Ned expect Michael to do? He was the only one qualified to engage with RCD. If it wasn’t for him, there would be no deal, so Drew thinks the appropriate response should be thank you.

Nina says, of course (🍷) she wants a closer relationship with Willow, and she thought Carly getting her hotel back would go a long way in repairing the family rift. Carly tells her, that’s what Willow said. She gets it that things won’t feel right until she gets her hotel back, and Nina says, great. She’ll come over with the paperwork… Carly says she appreciates the offer, but she’s going to pass.

Trina says she’s been supportive to Spencer and his situation. He says he appreciates that, and she says, and she’s been respectful to his love toward Ace and his sense of responsibility to him. But that somehow translates to her standing on the sidelines; she’s not on the field. She’s watched him put all his focus and energy into Ace, and by extension, Esme, and she’s not okay with that. He asks what she’s saying, and she says she doesn’t want to be around Esme anymore. This is the woman who tried to destroy her life. He says, but that was the old Esme; she has no memory of that. Trina says she understands that, and she’s accepted it, but she still has to live with the memory. Esme still looks like the same person and that is difficult for her. She doesn’t want to be around her. Spencer says, okay, but Esme and Ace are a package deal. What does she want him to do? Trina says, he wants her not to make him choose, but he never asked her what her choice would be. He says, okay, what is it? and she says she chooses to put herself first. Not to go along with this dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up. If he’s going to stay with Esme and Ace, he’s going to do it without her.  

Adam says, don’t make it into something it’s not, but Josslyn says she’s not overreacting. The second the exam started, he was freaking out. He was dizzy and hyperventilating, and even in the car on the way over, he told her that his heart was racing. He says, that was just the stuff he took to help him study, and she says, what stuff would that be? He says, it’s a supplement, a pill. Some big, long name, dextro something. It’s supposed to help you focus. A ton of people take it and he took too much this morning. It’s no big deal. She says, it is a big deal because that’s an amphetamine, that’s speed. He says he didn’t score some street drug. He has a prescription for it. He’ll be more careful next time. It won’t happen again. She says, and if it does happen again? and he says, now she’s the one who needs to calm down. She asks why he’s doing this to himself. He’s miserable. If pre-med is torture for him, then he needs to switch majors, something with less pressure. He says, there is nothing else. Does she understand? This is all he’s ever wanted ever since he was a kid. It’s been his dream. She asks if it’s his dream or his parents’.

On the phone, Alexis says, Diane has to trust her on this. This is a David versus Goliath type case… Finn paces and nods, and Alexis says, no. She wouldn’t pitch this to Diane if she didn’t think Diane wouldn’t have a huge victory if she took this… She will? Yes. Thank you. You’re the best.

Blaze sings in the booth, and Brook tells Kristina, originally, they got a huge artist who shall remain nameless… Kristina says, Beyonce, and Brook says she’s not at liberty to say. But the artist’s reps wanted extra singing on the song. Then there were rumors flying around that negotiations were at an impasse. That’s when she swooped in and picked Blaze up. Kristina says, very impressive. She’s lucky to have Brook. Brook says, if there’s one thing she’s learned in the music biz, it’s that timing is everything. She has a really good feeling about this song. She really thinks it could become a hit, take Blaze’s career to the next level. Kristina’s phone chimes, and she tells Brook that she’s got to go. There’s something going on with her family, but good luck. She leaves.

Spencer tells Trina that he knows what he has to do now. He has to let go. He needs to stop trying to be Ace’s father and needs to realize he’s Ace’s older brother and nothing more. She says, he can still be supportive of Ace. There just has to be clear boundaries. He says, she was right the whole time. He’s sorry. He just couldn’t see it. He needs to stop trying to control Esme and Ace. It’s not his place. So they’re going to move into their own place, and he thinks that’s probably what’s best for everyone. Trina asks if he’s just saying that to put her mind at ease or does he really believed that? He says he’s trying to, but it might take him a little while to get there. But it will. And he knows one thing for certain. He doesn’t want her to become secondary to anyone. From now on, he’s going to make her his one and only priority. She’s her own person and has every right to be who she wants to be, and to make the choices she wants to make, live the life she wants to live. But he really hopes there’s a place in it for him.

Back at the dorm, Josslyn asks if Adam is okay. He barely spoke in the car. He says he’s sorry for snapping at her. He messed up everything. She didn’t even get to take the test. She says, here’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to take the make-up test and even if it doesn’t go well, it only counts for a fraction of their final grade. So just try and give himself a break. He says, okay. He’ll try.

Finn brings Elizabeth some coffee, and she thanks him. She says, he seems to be in better spirits than he was this morning, and he says, maybe. She says, and the reason is… He says he just thinks it’s going to be a beautiful day, and she says, he’s not talking about the weather. He says, no, and she says, this morning he’d been distracted by the possible malpractice suit. Is it dropped?

Blaze wonders where Kristina is, and Brook says, she had to leave. She got a text, something about her family, and she took off. Brook texted her that they’ll be here a few hours, so maybe she’ll be back. Blaze says she just hopes everything’s okay with Kristina’s family.

Kristina walks into Alexis’s office and says, guess where she just was? Alexis asks if Kristina is going to make her guess, but Kristina says, fine. She’ll tell her. She was at a recording studio with Brook and Blaze. Blaze was laying a guest track for a major artist. She can’t say who, but it’s going to be huge. Alexis says, that’s great, and asks if Kristina has heard from Sam. Sam said she was going to call her. Kristina says, Sam’s been leaving her messages and texting her, asking Kristina to call her, but she called her and it went straight to voicemail. So she came here, thinking maybe Alexis knew what was going on.

Adam tells Josslyn, okay. He’ll let himself off the hook. Like she said, this doesn’t count for much of the grade. She asks if he’s going to be okay, and he says he’ll be fine. He thanks her for everything, and goes back to his room. Josslyn goes into hers and sees Trina and Spencer kissing. She says, it looks like they made up. Trina says, yes, they did, because somebody realized he was wrong. Spencer says he had some help getting there, and Josslyn says, at least something worked out this morning. Trina asks if that means her Organic Chem test didn’t go well, and Josslyn says her test didn’t go at all. She has to take a make-up test. Trina asks, what happened? She studied so hard. Josslyn says, Adam had a panic attack and she had to take him to the hospital. Trina asks if he’s okay, but Josslyn says, actually, she doesn’t think so. She’s really worried about him.

Carly says, it’s not like she doesn’t want her half of the hotel back. She does, but she’s just not in the financial situation to do it. Nina says she assumed Michael would… but Carly says she’s not going to take money from her son. She got herself into this situation and she’ll get herself out on her own. Her phone chimes, and Nina flashes back to Michael giving her terms, one of which was to sell Carly her half of the MetroCourt back. Nina asks if Carly is sure she won’t reconsider. Why doesn’t she take the deal for the good of the family? Carly says, don’t worry. Willow knows she’s not accepting, and she understands. Nina made points by offering to sell to begin with. Take the win. Nina gets to keep her hotel and she’s even closer to Willow. Enjoy. She walks off.

Ned tells Drew, don’t pretend Michael is some kind of hero. He’s a shark. Michael was just waiting until he and Valentin were out of the picture; then he made his move. Michael says, don’t be so dramatic. He made a deal, plain and simple. Drew says, and it works for ELQ. Ned couldn’t have negotiated such favorable terms. Maybe that’s why he’s throwing such a tantrum. It’s killing him that Michael did a better job than Ned could have done. Ned says, Michael had his moment of glory, but from now on, stay the hell out of ELQ. He’s not a corporate officer; he’s only a shareholder. And let’s keep it that way. He walks out, and Drew says, that’s proof Ned is unfit to run ELQ. He’s a loose cannon and they have to move forward with this takeover while there’s still a company to save.

Finn tells Elizabeth, the malpractice suit has not been dropped, but at least Alexis has agreed to help him. Elizabeth says she’s confused. Alexis hasn’t been able to practice law for years. He says, but she still has contacts. He was just at her office and asked her if she could help him find a good lawyer. She set up a lunch with Diane Miller. Elizabeth says, that’s great. She can’t tell him how many times Diane represented Jason in court. And she always won. She’s the best. He says, that’s what he’s counting on.

Blaze sings again in the booth. Brook and the engineer look pleased. Brook says, they’ve got it.

Alexis says, Sam was going to tell Kristina, and Kristina says, Alexis is scaring her. Did something happen? Alexis says, the surrogate had a miscarriage. Molly and TJ lost the baby. We hear Blaze sing, I’ll be right by your side, as Alexis hugs Kristina.

Tomorrow, Carly asks what Drew is going to do about it; Cody says he’s out, but Sasha says, maybe not; Curtis says, Jordan is the only one who’ll understand what he discovered; Nina questions Charlotte; and Sonny says he’ll shut Cyrus down permanently.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle says, Natalya can disappear. Get away from him. She says he doesn’t tell her what to do or how to talk, and they snipe at each other. Kyle says, Natalya will never control him, and she’s been a fake-ass bitch from day one. Natalya says, he started it, and Kyle says, don’t test him. Lara suggests they chill, and Kyle says, instead of giving her opinion about everyone else’s life, focus on her own f***ed up life. Tumi tells them that they’re going to sleep in separate rooms and asks if Natalya would like the master. She would, and Tumi says, Kyle will stay in the crew mess until she goes in there. On her way out the door, Natalya calls Kyle a horrible human. In her interview, she says, Kyle’s not the lovely, yes queen person he says he is. What’s the point in arguing with Satan? Jessika wonders what’s happening, and Kyle says he’s done arguing with a bunch of imbeciles. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya constantly inserts herself into things not relevant to her. He’s sick of her gossiping and talking behind people’s backs. Who does she think she is? Lara keeps Natalya company, and Natalya says, Kyle’s behavior is not right. Lara says, it seemed all of a sudden, and in Lara’s interview, she says she’s upset because they’re both her friends. It’s not good of Natalya to mix in things, but Kyle going off is completely unacceptable. He goes from one person to another, loving then hating them. She can’t keep up with who he likes. Luka tells Jess, it’s over with Natalya, and she asks if it’s been there, not done that. He says, it’s been there, too much begging. Kyle and Max make some sort of drunken truce and high-five. Kyle says, Max isn’t the problem he’s upset about. Natalya was shutting his voice up. In Max’s interview, he says he didn’t understand allies, but he learned tonight and now he can be one. If they want him to be a Teletubby, he’s a Tellytubby. Tumi asks if Natalya is okay. What was said was horrible. She asks if Natalya is okay to sleep on the boat, and Natalya says she feels safe. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it wasn’t Natalya’s battle, but she’s not an a-hole and realizes Kyle’s behavior was inexcusable. She’s going to let them breathe. Then they need to have a conversation and resolve it. There’s only so much she can do. Luka gets in Jessika’s bunk, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, he’s a Scorpio. He’ll eat anything that comes his way that he wants.

2 days until charter. Kyle says he’s hung over as balls, and Lara says, all crew, wake the f*** up. They need to be there at 11.  In Tumi’s interview, she says, she never wants Natalya to feel uncomfortable, regardless of how she feels personally about her. Tumi tells Natalya that she wants her to feel safe, but Natalya says she feels the boat is the easy part. In Natalya’s interview, she says Kyle was fake and she thought he was a good friend. She doesn’t want to be on a team where she’s not valued or appreciated. In Luka’s interview, he says, when he woke up, he said he was never drinking again, then cracks open a beer. Natalya tells Tumi that she’s waiting for Kyle to leave. Maybe she’ll join them later. Jack needs someone to shave his back and Lara bravely volunteers. In Jack’s interview, he says he has a big baby face, but his back looks like King Kong. There’s going to be women at the beach club. In Lara’s interview, she says, this is exactly why she’s gay. Max wants to sleep, and in his interview, he says Kyle wanted to make his drama Max’s and they had a fight. When there’s toxic energy, he wants to explode everything. He’ll be fake later, but not now. Natalya tells Max that she’s quitting because Kyle is an a-hole. She’s never speaking to him again. She’s out tomorrow. In her interview, she says she doesn’t like giving up. She came on confused about her relationship, butted heads with Tumi, then vile Kyle. She’s ready to throw in the napkin. She tells Max, let’s enjoy the sunshine. The others get to the beach club, which is absolutely stunning, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s so beautiful. This couldn’t have come at a better time. They need to get over last night. If they can’t get over it, they have a problem. The drinking commences in the taxi and continues at the beach club. On the boat, Natalya thinks Max should take the day and chill. Sleep on it and see how he’s feeling. Captain Sandy wanders around eating a bag of chips, and Max and Natalya go to meet the others. Kyle says he doesn’t want to be here and jets. In her interview, Tumi says, they need a miracle for the interior. She follows Kyle, who says he can’t do it for any more days. F*** the money. He can’t be near her. Tumi says, they can’t talk tomorrow, and he says he’s just keeping his distance. Tumi goes back to the table, mumbling that she wants to get drunk. In Natalya’s interview, she says she doesn’t understand what’s happening. Luka didn’t stand up for her and didn’t check in on her this morning. She expected more support. She hates how everyone is so calm about what happened. Jessika chats with Max about positivity, when Natalya stomps over to them. She says she hates how Jessika promotes good vibes, yet hasn’t spoken to her or checked in on her. Jessika says she didn’t know stuff went down, and Natalya says, that shows lot about her. In her interview, Natalya says, she’s had Jessika’s back since day one, and Jessika didn’t even check on her. We flash back to Natalya stirring the pot with Jessika on several occasions, which I guess is how she defines having someone’s back. Natalya tells us that it says a lot about Jessika. She needs to be told she’s a bitch. Natalya – judge and jury for the world when she can’t get her own sh*t straight. Natalya tells Jessika, don’t preach good energy when she was in a bad place and Jessika didn’t even check in on her. Jessika wisely just keeps saying, you’re right, since reasoning with Natalya is like reasoning with a three-year-old. Or a drunk.

Jessika tells Luka that she’s not perfect, but it was crazy. She was talking to Max about her life and suddenly her life become something else. In Jessika’s interview, she says she feels bad for Natalya. She’s had exchanges with Luka, Tumi, and Kyle, but she put herself in those situations, and now she’s taking it out on everyone else. She tells Max, this is why she doesn’t put herself in other people’s drama. Natalya calls AJ and says she’s not well. F***ing Kyle is a f***ing a-hole. There are good people, but it doesn’t feel good. She’s stressed and her anxiety is through the roof. Now she’s stuck at this beach club. She shouldn’t have come. She wants off the boat and isn’t spending another night on it. In Jack’s interview, he says he can feel the divide. He feels no one cares how Natalya was treated. Jessika says, Natalya literally yelled at her that she couldn’t believe Jessika was talking good energy. She was right not to get involved in the issue. She just had one and doesn’t want another. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya is 100% a short-fused martyr. He regrets how he acted, but the emotions come back when he sees Natalya. Natalya goes back to the boat, while the others freshen up for dinner. On the boat, snoring comes from Captain Sandy’s cabin. Natalya packs, and at dinner, Tumi tells the server, just pour. In Natalya’s interview, she says she wants nothing to do with Kyle. She’ll have a conversation with Captain Sandy in the morning. She wants to sleep on it and make sure she wants to go through with this. She texts Lara to ask Luka if he’ll help carry her suitcases. Is it me? I have little to no sympathy for Natalya because of the immature, mean girl way she demands attention. She not only thinks everyone not involved should be a mind reader, she’s not even going to let them have dinner in peace without screaming, look at me! Lara tells Luka that Natalya is leaving, and Kyle says, they handled it with three people before. In Tumi’s interview, she says, if Natalya feels she wants to go, she’s not holding her back, and tells Kyle that she thinks they’ll be fine with three. In Jack’s interview, he says, that everyone is okay with Natalya leaving doesn’t sit right with him. They leave the restaurant, and Jack tells Max that he feels Natalya is being pushed out.

On the way to a club, there’s twerking and nipple flashing on one taxi, and sad looking Max and Jack in the other. When they get to the club, Max decides to stay in the taxi. Tumi asks Jessika if she wants something to happen with Luka, but Jessika says she gets attached. Tumi says, Luka’s not that guy, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s a relationship girl. The longest she’s been single is maybe four months. Her first relationship was at 16, and they were together two years. There was a brief relationship with a guy in Vegas, but her advice is, don’t date Vegas guys. Her latest relationship lasted six years. She gives it her all. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s worried tonight isn’t going to end well. Luka and Jessika sort of kiss, but are mostly goofing around. Jack accosts Haleigh about Natalya, and Haleigh says she doesn’t blame Natalya for going. Jack says, no one else is bothered, and Haleigh says, let’s get drinks, which seems like as good an answer as any to the problem. Jack says his phone is dead, so he wants a drink. Kyle says he’s feeling more liberated. He’s never felt more free as himself. Hmm… Sounds like drunk talk to me. Haleigh and Lara get on either side of Jack to help him to the taxi. Kyle says he’s going to help Natalya pack, and in Luka’s interview, he says, Kyle’s being a mean girl. It’s awkward. He doesn’t want to stand up for Natalya too much. He’ll get his head bit off. When they get back to the boat, Haleigh says she’s going to sleep, and Lara says, let’s make some noodles, bitches. In Lara’s interview, she says she can’t keep up with this sh*t. At least she’s not the center of the drama. Ugly drama. She scarfs some, no doubt cold pasta out of a huge bowl, and Tumi checks on Natalya, who says she’s leaving in the morning. Tumi tells the rest in the crew mess that Natalya is done, then asks for some noodles. She says she doesn’t want to be a bitch, but can someone help with Natalya’s bags tomorrow. Kyle says, maybe he can try to talk to her, and Tumi says she has no time for this again. He goes to the door of the master, and in her interview, Tumi says she’s holding her breath. Kyle opens the door and asks, can he… Natalya says, no.  

Natalya tells Kyle that she’s so tired. He says he doesn’t want to make it worse. He just wants her to know it hurts his heart what happened to them. He apologizes and isn’t blaming it on anything. He said what he said. In Natalya’s interview, she says, she can accept his apology – even that’s fake – but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Kyle says, this is an indefinite goodbye. It wasn’t a normal fight. She says, it’s heartbreaking is what it is, and he says, if she ever wants to rechart, she knows where he is. He leaves and tells Tumi that he said apology words, but there was no forgiveness. She may never reach out. He wasn’t there to ask her to stay. Tumi says she wishes Natalya well, and in her interview, she says, Kyle thinks he’s the victim. Maybe the boat will be better, maybe not. Luka and Jessika roll around in the bottom bunk, when Tumi comes in. She says, they’re going to make the best babies, and gets in the top bunk. Luka makes his exit.

29 hours before charter. In Max’s interview, he says he wasn’t sleeping last night. When his Eifel Tower is down in the morning, it’s an indicator that he’s not in a good environment. Good to know. Natalya asks to meet Captain Sandy on the bridge. She tells the captain, besides personal stuff at home, Kyle is fighting with everyone. She misrepresents what happened in Kyle’s fight with Max, which was basically a stupid drunk fight, and tells the captain that she thought Kyle was her best friend. He had Jessika crying because he screamed at her. We flash back to the green stew debacle, and Captain Sandy says she’s going to speak to Kyle. It’s not okay for him to be bullying. Natalya says she needs to get off the boat. She feels safe, but she just doesn’t feel good. The captain says she won’t find anyone as excellent as Natalya. She wants Natalya to stay, but if she wants to leave, nothing is worth her mental health. They hug, and in the captain’s interview, she says, she can’t make Natalya stay nor would she want her to. She wants Natalya to feel supported, but at the same time, she’s pissed about losing Natalya. It’s going to be hard on the interior, and they’re in trouble with their next charter. She’s not condoning Kyle’s behavior. The way Natalya described it, it’s unacceptable, and she’s pissed.

Natalya hugs Jack, who’s all bummed. In Luka’s interview, he says he can’t believe she’s leaving. It will be amazing for her to go home and sort out her stuff and find out what she wants to do. In Natalya’s interview, she says she’s happy that she stuck it out as long as she could, but at a point, she needs to say, sayonara. She needs to have a hard conversation with her partner. Luka should have encouraged her to stay, but he was too focused on vagina. If not for Kyle, she could have had a good relationship. This was the last straw. She’s done. She’s unfollowing him. That makes it official.

Captain Sandy texts Norma asking for a new stew. She calls Jack to the bridge, and in her interview, she says she’s not sure what happened, but she’s not happy. She wants to know the full story, so she’s getting other people’s feedback. Jack says he doesn’t remember what the argument was about (I’m not surprised with the amount of alcohol in him), but Kyle was mad. He stuck up for Max, but Kyle was out of order. It all came out when he was drunk. Everyone seemed happy Natalya was leaving, but he thinks they’re insecure. She’s the best stew they’ve had. The captain says she’ll deal with it, and when he leaves, she says she didn’t expect that. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s not sure how this sh*t is going to pan out. She feels relieved, but what’s happening is confusing. It’s stressful thinking about it. The captain calls Tumi to the bridge and asks if Tumi remembers they talked about respect in the workplace. She asks about the issue with Kyle. What happened with Max? Tumi says, it got heated, but she didn’t understand the story. Captain Sandy asks if she witnessed Kyle and Natalya’s altercation, and Tumi says, it caught her off-guard and it was also heated. The captain says, even when they’re off the boat, they still represent the boat. Tumi says she respects Kyle as a co-worker and loves him, but the way he reacts when he’s emotionally triggered is incorrect. Captain Sandy says, it’s not okay, and asks Tumi to get Kyle. Max is starting to look smart at this point.  

Max compares the yacht to a casino, and he wants to cash out. He wants to go out after one more charter, but Luka says, they have four to go. In Luka’s interview, he says, his team was making progress. They were doing great. He’ll tell Max and maybe that will change his mind. In the crew mess, Tumi tells Jessika about talking to the captain, and on the bridge, Captain Sandy tells Kyle, have a seat. It’s not a good morning for her. She has ears and eyes, and in every situation on the boat, he’s the common denominator. He had screaming matches with Max, Jessika, and Natalya, and he’s the person always in screaming matches. She’d never bring him back as chief stew because he can’t control his emotions. This is a professional setting, and he’s bullying and screaming. She doesn’t want a person like him on board. Does he understand? He says, yes, captain.

To be continued…

🚙 Gathering Together…

Start working off your future Thanksgiving dinner by running here tomorrow for soap and a mixture of side dishes. Until then, stay safe, stay not being the unexpected early guest, and stay never going along with a dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up.

November 16, 2023 – Anna Tells Sonny About Charlotte Stalking Her, A Not-So Elevated Or Charming Guy’s Dinner & Autumn

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Austin comes into the gallery and sees Ava. He says he calls her, and she doesn’t call him back. He texts her, and she doesn’t text him back. So here he is in person. She says, good. This is long overdue.

Josslyn goes into her dorm room, and Adam comes to the door. He says he’s glad she’s back, and she asks, what’s up? He asks to study for next week’s Organic Chem exam. He really needs her to quiz him. She says she can’t study tonight; she’s so tired. He says, she knows he needs to Ace this. If he doesn’t, his parents will kill him. She says she knows, but she’s sorry. She can’t. He says he doesn’t think she understands. There’s a lot riding on this next exam. She says, he got a 92 at the beginning of the semester. That’s better than pretty much everyone else in their class. Trust her. He’s got this. He grabs her arm and says, just give him an hour… but Dex comes along and tells him, back off, coming between them.

Dante comes home, and Sam says she’s been working on the colors for the den renovations for hours (I know what it’s like looking at every color in the world) and he’s just in time to help. He asks if the kids are around, and she says, Danny and Rocco are at a friend’s and Scout’s with Drew at the Quartermaines. Why? What’s going on? He says he got an update on Charlotte and didn’t want them to hear about it.

Anna knocks at Sonny’s office door, and he tells her, come in. She says, Frank told her that he was free. Does he have a minute? He asks if he can get her a drink, and she says she could really use one. He says, Scotch? and she says, yeah. Thanks. He pours her a drink and asks if she wants to tell him what’s going on. She says she was right. He was the target of the shooting at the MetroCourt pool.

Sasha tells Maxie that she can’t work with Cody anymore, and Maxie says, why not? Sasha says, isn’t it obvious? She has feelings for him. Cody listens in, and Maxie says, it’s okay if she has feelings for Cody. He has feelings for her too. Cody pops out and says, what?

Molly comes in, and asks TJ, what’s going on? He asks her to sit down, but she says she doesn’t want to sit down. She wants him to tell her what’s happening. Something happened. She can feel it. He says, Andrea had a miscarriage. She lost their baby.

Cody says, sorry. He knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping. He was just passing by and heard his name. Sasha says she’s sorry. She should have picked a better time and place to talk about this with Maxie. Maxie says she’s got to go talk to Haven about something. She’s going to let them work this out amongst themselves. She starts to leave, but comes back and tells them, she will say one thing. For what it’s worth (🍷), it would be a mistake to talk themselves out of something they’re clearly feeling. She leaves, and Cody says, what Maxie told Sasha about him having feelings for her… She’s right. He does.

Ava asks Austin, how’s that cousin of his doing? Is he still managing to hang on? Austin says, yeah. He’s recovering really well, and Ava says, oh good. He says, they’re going to move him to recovery in Pentenville, and word on the street is, they’re working on a plea deal with him. And that’s good, because that way she doesn’t have to relive the trauma of the kidnapping in a trial situation. She says she’d love nothing more than to testify against that creep. Does Austin know the terms of his deal? Has Mason agreed to give up his boss, Cyrus Renault?

Adam tells Dex that he’s sorry. He’s really stressed about their exam next week. Dex says, that’s still not an excuse to grab Joss, and Adam says, he’s right; it’s not. But Dex isn’t a student, so he doesn’t understand the stress of being pre-med and the kind of pressure they’re under right now. Josslyn says, let’s all calm down. She tells Adam that she thinks he needs to find someone else to study with. His schedule and how often he needs to study doesn’t really mesh with hers. Besides, she studies better alone. She’s really sorry. Adam says, please don’t do that. He really needs her.

Sonny says, that’s what Anna’s been telling him, but why is she so sure now? She says she says, up to this point, there’s always been the possibility the shooting was linked to the other incidents; her house burning down and the break-in at the hotel suite. He says, that’s not a possibility now? and she says, no. Because the person responsible for those things could never have taken a shot at her or Sonny. He says, because the person responsible for the break-in and the arson was Charlotte?

Sam says, they’re missing something here, and Dante asks what she means. She says she accepts the fact Charlotte vandalized Anna’s hotel suite. She can even get behind the idea Charlotte burned Anna’s house down, if she had a reason. But Charlotte lived with them for over a month, and she’s been conned enough times to know when she’s being played. She just never got the feeling from Charlotte that she was playing them. He says, neither did he. It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t buy the fact that she would go to these extremes because she didn’t want Anna dating her father. Sam says she agrees. Could this have anything to do with Anna’s past with the WSB?

Molly asks when TJ found out, and he says, today. Andrea came to see him. She asks when Andrea lost her baby, and he says, she miscarried late last night. She was asleep at home, and she started cramping and she was bleeding. There wasn’t even time for her to get to the ER. She went to Mercy this morning, and the doctor there confirmed the miscarriage. Molly cries and asks why Andrea didn’t tell her herself, and he says, she couldn’t. She knew how much Molly wanted this baby and how devastated she’d be. She could barely even face him. Fortunately, Andrea is all right. She says, fortunate? What’s fortunate about them losing their baby? He says he didn’t mean it like that. He’s sorry. He’s hurting just as much as she is. She says she knows. She didn’t mean to snap at him like that. She’s relieved Andrea’s okay, but their baby’s gone. He says he’s so sorry, and holds her. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, it’s mom. Molly left her tablet at the restaurant, and she has it. Molly opens the door, and falls into Alexis’s arms, sobbing.

Austin says he’s not sure what the terms are of Mason’s deal, and Ava says, why is she not surprised? He says he’s not even sure there’s a deal at all. It’s just a rumor at this point. She says she didn’t hear him deny it, and he says, deny what? She says, that Mason is working for Cyrus Renault. Which means Austin is working for Cyrus Renault. All that time she was being blackmailed with threats and she thought, if she just does what they want, then the body of her husband will be returned to her. Turns out though, he isn’t even dead. Austin says, but that’s great though, right? and she says, all the pressure he put on her to do things she didn’t want to do. To spy on Sonny and hire that con artist Betty to spend time with her daughter. All the sleepless nights believing she had killed Nikolas, thinking she’d go to prison for it. And all of this because of his boss or bosses who were too dangerous to cross. Does any of this ring a bell to him? How many times did he refer to these people? Well, it turns out there was just one person, right? Cyrus Renault. And he could have told her that months ago. He could have told her that Nikolas was alive. Why didn’t he tell her?

Alexis says she’s so sorry. She can’t even fathom how upset Molly and TJ must be right now. Molly says she still doesn’t understand how this happened. They were so careful. They reviewed all of Andrea’s medical records. She had no trouble with her first pregnancy. There was no reason to believe she couldn’t carry their baby to term. Alexis says, it’s traumatic for both of them. There aren’t any words, but she’s here for them, whatever they need. Molly says she knows, and TJ thanks her. Molly says she was looking forward to putting her hand on Andrea’s belly, feeling their baby kick. They were almost to the point of ultrasounds and imaging, and knowing if they were having a boy or a girl. Now their baby’s gone. Alexis puts her arm around Molly, and Molly leans on her shoulder.

Josslyn says she’s really sorry, but obviously Adam needs someone with more availability than her. She’s helping her mom out at Kelly’s. She has volleyball practice, volleyball games, and a heavy courseload. She’s barely skating through. Adam says, she helped him pass the last exam, but she says she didn’t. That was all him. He’s so smart. There’s like 100 kids in their Organic Chem class, and 90% of them fail their first time around. That means he could probably find someone who’s taking it for a second time to help him, but that’s just not her. He says, she already helped him. Remember her handwritten notes? He’s started doing that. She’s helped him a lot in ways she doesn’t even know. She says she’s really sorry, and he says, no worries. It’s cool. He’ll see her later. He leaves, and Josslyn and Dex go into her room. Dex says, that was a lot, and she says she feels really bad. Dex asks, what’s the deal with him? and she says, he thinks he’s going to fail this class, but he’s not going to. He’s so smart. He understands the material. Dex says, so what’s his problem? and she says, his parents, from what he’s told her. The last time they were studying together, he said they were putting immense pressure on him. She thinks the pressure is crushing him. She doesn’t know how much more he can take.

Dante asks where Sam is headed with this, and she says she’s just throwing it out there, but think about it. Anna and Valentin first met in the WSB, and Charlotte’s first act of vandalism was to paint murderer on Anna’s front door after she was exposed in the media for being a traitor. He says, right, and Valentin had at least one brush with prosecution for the crimes he committed, right? She says, yes, and Charlotte would remember that. She’s a smart kid. He says, so maybe she thinks it’s unfair that Anna got to walk free, and Sam says, exactly. If Charlotte believes Anna is guilty, she probably thinks Anna should be punished for her past crimes.

Anna says, there’s no evidence that Charlotte tried to burn her house, and Sonny asks if anyone’s tried to find any, but she says, no. Charlotte’s not an official suspect. She’s not even a person of interest for the PCPD. And if Anna has any say in the matter, she won’t be. She needs help, not prosecution. She’s just a kid. He says he understands, and she says, there is video footage of Charlotte breaking into her hotel suite. Valentin managed to get rid of it. He says, so Valentin knew? and she says, yeah. He’s known for the past month his daughter was stalking her. He chose not to tell her. And because of that, she had absolutely no reason to even imagine that the intruder in her apartment was a child. He said he was keeping silent to protect them, but she thinks him keeping silent has just destroyed them. Sonny asks if Valentin knows that.

Haven says, they want Deception to commit to another appearance by Sasha and Cody, and Maxie says, that’s interesting, because two hours ago, Haven didn’t even want Cody on her stage. Haven says she’s a businesswoman first and foremost. Selling is her middle name. You have to connect to an audience, and you have to have a special kind of chemistry, and Sasha and Cody have that in spades.

Cody says, in the beginning, when he found out what Gladys was doing to Sasha and he tried to stop it, it wasn’t about her. Sasha asks what it was about, and he says, obviously, it was about her, but it was about more than that. It was about justice and helping someone in trouble. But then he started caring about that someone.

Austin says, everything he did was to try and protect Ava. He knows how this might sound, but he thought, the less she knew about what was happening, the better. She says, the better for him. The less she knew, the easier it was for him to manipulate her. The less she knew, the easier it was for him to pretend to be her ally, pretend to be her rescuer, pretend to be her friend. He says he didn’t pretend, but she says, the whole time, he was just playing her. He was following orders from Cyrus, and he lied to her face. He says, this has nothing to do with Cyrus. He didn’t get close to her because Cyrus told him to. He got close to her because he really likes the way it feels to be close to her. And he doesn’t like the way it feels to not be close to her. The feelings he has for her are very real. They’re very powerful. He’s not going to stand here and deny that. Everything he did, he did because he wanted to save her.

Dante says, Sam might just be onto something. Everyone close to Anna knows there were extenuating circumstances around the things she did in her past, but over the years, she’s worked really hard to overcome and redeem herself. Sam says, but Charlotte is just a kid, and she sees things in black and white. And she tends to take things to the extreme. He says, in her mind, maybe she was doing things she thought would help her father, and Sam asks if he’s sure it was Charlotte that burned Anna’s house down. Is there any physical evidence? He says, at this point, it’s just a theory, and it’s going to stay that way, because Anna doesn’t want Charlotte looked at as a person of interest in this investigation.

Anna says she hasn’t spoken to Valentin since he said his daughter was stalking her, and Sonny asks if he’s reached out to her. She says, no. His focus is on Charlotte, as obviously it should be. If this had happened to Robin or Emma, their well-being would be her priority too. He says, him too, if it was any of his kids, and she says she has other things that concern her, just trying to piece them together. He says, like what? and she says, Charlotte thinks she shot her on purpose. A child actually believes she intentionally tried to kill them. He says, Charlotte won’t always believe that. Eventually, she’s going to know the truth. Anna says she doesn’t even know what the truth is anymore. She swears she doesn’t.

Molly says, Alexis couldn’t have shown up at a better time, and Alexis says she’s glad she did. She’s just a phone call away if either of them needs her. Molly thanks her and asks if TJ has told his family. He says he was in a bit of shock after Andrea told him. His head was spinning, so he went to see Portia. He needed someone to talk to and he knows she’ll keep his confidence; she won’t tell anyone. After he talked to Portia, he called Molly and asked her to come home. Molly says she knew something was wrong. She could hear it in his voice. She just never imagined it was this. They’ll have to tell their families. Alexis tells them to do that when they’re ready. They’ve both suffered a big loss here. So just take their time. Molly says she wants to get it over with. Will Alexis tell Sam and Kris? She doesn’t think she can tell them. Alexis says she’ll take care of it for Molly if Molly wants her to, and Molly says she does. TJ says he should tell his mom himself, but everyone else… Alexis says she’ll take care of it, as long as they take care of each other. They don’t have to worry about anything. Molly thanks her and says she doesn’t think she can face anybody right now. Not even her sisters. Alexis hugs her.

Josslyn tells Dex that she guesses Adam is doing the best he can, considering all of the pressure his parents are putting him under. She would probably crack. Dex, on the other hand, does well under pressure, maybe even thrives off of it, but not everybody’s wired like that. He says he thinks they all have different levels of stress they can deal with. It’s about learning how to deal with it and not letting it consume you. She says, that’s probably where his military training kicks in. She knows Adam doesn’t know how to handle it. He actually equates a 92% with failure. It sounds funny, but it’s actually really sad. He can’t enjoy what he’s learning, he can celebrate his accomplishments. He has these tough parents. He’s stressed out all the time. He’s probably been that way since he’s a kid. Dex says, that’s really too bad. It explains a lot about him though. That’s what’s so special about her. She’s always sticking up for people. She says, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s in Adam’s corner, but Dex says, he has her. If there’s anyone who can help him, it’s her. He kisses her.

On the phone, Adam tells his dad that he’s studying… He is… He has a great group of friends he studies with… Yes. Mom told him how important this semester is. He knows… Yes, he agrees. It’s… He’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing… No. He promises he’s not doing that anymore… He’s fine. Really.

Austin says he’s going to tell Ava the truth, and she asks if he’s capable of that. He says, as it turns out, yes, he is. Many years ago, Cyrus showed up in Pautuck. He set up an operation to import merchandise and went into business with Austin’s family. He was a legit… He seemed like a legitimate businessman. He gave Mason a job. She says, as the local kidnapper? and Austin says, as a distributor… Well, okay, he was a trucker. And Cyrus paid for Austin’s medical school, and that’s where things started to get a little dicey. Because in Cyrus’s mind, he was in business with Austin’s family and foot the bill for Austin’s medical education, so he owned Austin. So when the opportunity came up for him to get an early release from Pentenville, he wanted Austin to testify on his behalf. Ava says, and he jumped at the chance, right? So his big boss could be free. He says, of course (🍷) not. Cyrus forced him to. He had to do what Cyrus wanted him to do because he got Mason to kidnap her. Cyrus knew he would do whatever he asked, because Cyrus knew he cared about her. His feelings for Ava were Cyrus’s leverage. So he told the judge what Cyrus wanted him to, because the deal was, if he did that, Mason would let her go. Mason wasn’t supposed to kill her. Everything he did, he did because he wanted to save her. Please. She has to believe him.

Haven tells Maxie, Sasha did great today, but she didn’t do it alone. And she doubts Sasha would have done half as well without that hunky cowboy.

Cody tells Sasha, the night they spent hiding out at the cabin together, it changed, the way he felt about her. Obviously, he liked her before, ever since they shared biscotti at the Quartermaine’s, and he was furious about what Gladys was doing to her. But at the cabin, he got to see what a strong, powerful, wonderful woman she is, and the time they’ve been spending together is fun, but there’s more than that. Every time he sees her, he just keeps thinking, when is he going to see her again? She says, please. He has to stop.

Sonny says he knows if Anna had any idea Charlotte was in the apartment, she wouldn’t have pulled out her gun and shot a child. Anna says, of course (🍷) not. God no. But she was ready to shoot the person that she did think was inside there. He asks why she was so convinced the person at her apartment was a lethal threat, and she says, evidence she found. Evidence that could be really damaging to someone high up in intelligence circles. This person did not want his past screw-ups to see the light of day, and she worked with him back at the WSB. And she documented everything, and she kept it. He asks, where is this documented evidence, and does she still think he’s a threat?

Haven tells Maxie that she’s been on with Sasha three times now, and the difference between Sasha alone and Sasha with Cody is night and day.

Sasha tells Cody, everything he just said was so sweet and so reassuring. She appreciates everything he’s done for her so much. She knows she’d still be at Ferncliff if it wasn’t for him. He says, but, and she says, but she’s still mourning Liam and Brando. She’s rushed past her grief before, and she realized that was a mistake. She can’t make that mistake again. She has to be a whole person again before she can be with someone else.

Ava says she was deeply disappointed in herself for falling for Austin’s lies. Now she sees maybe he’s fallen for them himself. Does he really think he did everything he could to save her because he testified on behalf of Cyrus? Did he ever think about maybe going to Sonny? Maybe he could have even gone to the cops. He could have come clean. He could have told them that Cyrus was running the show and Mason was following his orders. He says, no, he couldn’t do that, but she says, he could. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t risk going against Cyrus because he cares far too much about saving his own skin than he did about saving her.

Josslyn says, he needs to stop blowing up her phone, and Dex says, Adam? She says, no. Spencer. Dex asks if it’s about Trina, and she says, yes. She won’t respond to any of his calls or texts. So now he’s asking her to mediate, but she doesn’t want to break Trina’s confidence. She also doesn’t want to lie to him. Dex asks if she thinks she should get in the middle of it, and she says she’ll try, but they’re both her friends. She cares about them both. She just hates to see them like this.

Adam takes a prescription bottle out of his desk drawer and shakes a couple of pills into his hand. He takes them and chugs some water. He sits down and puts his head in his hands for a moment, then opens his book.

Anna goes to her apartment and opens the door carefully. She sees the bloodstain on the carpet and flashes back to shooting Charlotte. She goes to the trunk and flips through the folders, tossing stuff aside. She looks stunned.

Dante tells Sam, Anna has made it clear she doesn’t want Charlotte investigated. Even though Charlotte possibly burned down her house, nothing justifies Anna shooting her. Sam agrees, and says, there’s no justification for the shooting. It was a tragic accident. (New drinking game perhaps?) He says, but it’s conflated for Anna. She wants to protect Charlotte and make sure no more harm comes to her. He doesn’t blame her for that. Sam agrees, and Dante’s phone rings. He says, it’s Anna, and asks, what’s going on? Is she all right? She says, no. Can he meet her at Maxie’s apartment? It’s important.

Austin says he was trying to save Ava. He was really just trying to help. She asks if he wants to know what saved her. It wasn’t him. Josslyn Jax, Dante Falconari and Sonny’s guy Dex Heller realized she was missing when she didn’t pick up Avery, and they tracked her down. If it had been left up to him, she’d be down at the bottom of a ravine. He’s no hero. He’s a skulking coward (with a great haircut – told you there would be more than Finn), following orders he knew were wrong, all the while complaining it wasn’t his fault. He says he did what Cyrus asked him to do because he knows firsthand what will happen if Cyrus doesn’t get his way. She says she hates him, and he says he knows. He’s sorry. He’s truly sorry he dragged her into all of this. He really cares about her. She tells him, get out, then screams, get out! Get out! Get out! He gets out.

Cody says, just to clarify, is that a no, never or no for now? and Sasha says, it’s a no for now. But she doesn’t know how long that will last, and it isn’t fair for her to ask him to wait for something that may never happen. He deserves better than that. He says, she’s not asking him to wait; he’s offering. She says, no, but he says, it’s his decision to make. He made it. If nothing ends up happening, that’s okay too. He doesn’t consider himself a hopeful person, but she’s given him hope that better things are coming for him. The next time Maxie calls him for a modeling gig, he won’t pick up the phone. Okay? He leaves.

Maxie tells Haven, Deception stands firmly behind the renewal of Sasha’s contract. She has no doubt Sasha can handle her spokesmodel duties alone, but Haven is right about one thing. Haven asks, what’s that? and Maxie says, Sasha and Cody do make a great team and Deception has big plans for them.

Alexis knocks at Sam’s door, and Sam asks, what’s wrong? Come inside. Alexis says she just came from Molly and TJ’s. Andrea, their surrogate, had a miscarriage. They lost their baby. Sam hugs her and says she’s so sorry.

TJ says, Molly hasn’t put her tablet down since her mom left, and Molly says she’s deleting all evidence of websites where she looked at baby clothes, baby furniture, and about early childhood development. There’s no need to keep websites about decorating a nursery. She should have just listened to her instincts, but she got so excited, she couldn’t help getting caught up in the fantasy. Now she’s awake. She’s not going to look at one website, order one stick of furniture, or so much as a onesie until the baby is born and in her arms. He says, if there’s a next time, it will be without Andrea, and she asks if he’s blaming Andrea for the miscarriage. He says, of course (🍷) not. He knows it wasn’t her fault. But he saw her. She was devastated to lose their baby, and she told him that she can’t go through this again. So if they want to have a child, they have to look for another surrogate.

On the phone, Sonny says he needs Brick to do a deep dive into this guy Jameson Forsythe. He worked for the WSB years ago with Anna Devane.

Dante meets Anna at the apartment, and she thanks him for coming. She points to the trunk and says, all of these reports and documents are from her years with the WSB. As he can see, she recorded everything, including incriminating information on a man who was pretty high up in the Bureau. He ran the intelligence circle. So she made this initial discovery on Halloween. She found an incriminating memo, then an entry in one of her personal notebooks that backed up this memo. She wanted Robert to see it, so she took it over to show him. Then she thought she should come back to see if there are any additional documents, documents she knew were in this trunk when she went to Robert. Obviously, she couldn’t look through it that night because of Charlotte. So she came back right now and thought she’d look through these reports… He says, and now they’re gone? She says, all the documents she took over to show Robert, and any other information she might have had on this man is gone.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks if he can offer Trina some parental advice; Josslyn tells Spencer that he needs to see this for himself; and Michael asks Carly to tell him about this offer.

Southern Charm

Paige tells Craig that she likes to hear the birds in the morning. NYC only has pigeons. Craig asks if the pigeons talk, but after a long pause, she says she doesn’t know. I just included this because it’s a good question. I don’t know either.

Patricia moves a pillow a quarter inch because no doubt its placement is bothering her. She tells Whitney that the next time he’s out of town, she’s burning his shirt. He accuses her of throwing out his comic book collection, but she promises him, it’s upstairs in big plastic tubs. Shep comes over, and says, Avon calling, which is incredibly dated. Whitney says, Randy is off, so he’ll make martinis. They hear him cursing as he crushes the ice. He brings the drinks out, and Patricia says, too much vermouth. Bleh. I know that taste, and I will send a martini back for that. In Patricia’s interview, she says, Whitney doesn’t know how to make cocktails. He has other charms, but making drinks is not one of them. Shep tells them about waking up next to Taylor, and Whitney says, Shep can’t be leading her on. Shep says, they just kissed. He thinks Taylor wanted more, but they’ve been good about not backsliding. He doesn’t want it to happen again. Patricia says, there are a zillion attractive young people in Charleston. Why does this group sleep with each other? In her interview, she says, it’s beyond her. It’s incestuous, and she doesn’t get it. She reminds Shep about the guy’s dinner she has every year, and we flash back to those, and Patricia saying, they will have Peter Pan Syndrome in perpetuity. She says she’s thinking of maybe trying to elevate it, and Shep says, good luck. She says she’s getting a chef who does menus for British royalty, and Shep asks if British food isn’t famously bad, but she says, it’s what’s served for royal dining at Buckingham Palace. She shows him a handwritten menu from one of the dinners, and in her interview, she says she thought the aspect of royalty would make the guys feel like British aristocrats and inspire them to behave themselves. Ha-ha-ha! Good luck with that. She hands Whitney a decorative tin, and he reads, The Prince of Whales and the Duchess of Cornwall. She says, it’s a piece of Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding cake. They sent it to her, and it’s been in the freezer since 2005. Shep says, let’s have it, but Patricia says, no. True story. We saved the top of ours because you’re supposed to eat it on your first anniversary. Our freezer wasn’t very big, so my MIL kept it in hers. Literally the night before our anniversary, my BIL ate it, not realizing what it was. I can’t imagine it tasted that great, but still.

In the car, Craig whines that Paige has to go back tomorrow, and Paige whines that the weather in New York is 40 and raining. They go to lunch, and Craig asks how she feels the house is coming along. She says she loves it, and Craig says, it’s becoming put together and organized like a real house. He wanted Paige to have somewhere she felt at home. Paige says she was wondering, what if she was with child? (her words) and she got nervous. Her first thought was that she’d have to move to Charleston. Craig says he always wanted a family, and Paige asks if he’s trying to marry her. He says, one day. He fantasizes about it. She says, it’s the biggest decision of your f***ing life. They’ve only been together a year and a half, and she still feels that they’re young. In Craig’s interview, he says, they’ve faced a lot of obstacles, many of them put there by Paige, but not unfairly. They’re living in different places. He says he knows she’s concerned about having a social circle in Charleston, and she says she wants to be able to hang out, but to be honest, girls are the worst and making friends in your 30s is different. She likes Madison. (Why?) Craig asks if she’d hang out with Madison, and Paige says, Madison would be in her friend group. I’m not sure exactly what that means. Like, no one-on-ones? Craig says, all he needs to do is get her pregnant, and like Patricia with the cake, she says, no.

Rod meets Leva at a bar – maybe her bar, I wasn’t paying attention – and they have espresso martinis. She says, when people get messy, she and Rod don’t do that. They were always more scared of their parents than jail. In Rod’s interview, he says he’s known Leva for 14 years. There aren’t a lot of Persians in Charleston. Leva says, everyone comes to her when they meet someone new because she knows everyone. She told Olivia that Rod was solid. In Leva’s interview, she says, Rod is a party guy, but she thinks he’s serious about settling down. Not like the Lost Boys in Charleston. He’s a good catch. Rod says he thought he and Olivia had momentum, but he felt something was off. Olivia pulls away and gravitates to Austen. We flash back to Olivia telling Rod that he’s the perfect guy, but she has hesitation about getting into a relationship. Leva says, Olivia feels the safety in the devil she knows. In her mind, she thought Austen was great, and she’s not capable of being broken right now. Now she’s vulnerable, and Austen slithered in and leaned in. I don’t know if Austen’s smart enough to make that calculated of a move. I actually think he does these things because he’s the weak link and not too bright.

JT – who I consistently want to call RJ or TJ – brings a picnic basket to the park, and Taylor meets him. He’s brought charcuterie and champagne which is okay in my book. In JT’s interview, he says, Taylor is very social, and they went to Europe together. She’s a good woman and they clicked. He feels like he’s known twenty years, even though it’s only been one or two. They toast to surviving, and he says, the Shep thing was hard to watch, but he had her back. But after watching that unfold, Taylor and Shep woke up together. Taylor says, the kissing was more like an apology. They’ve slept in the same room plenty of times. JT says, familiarity, and Taylor says, the second they broke up, she should have gotten a therapist. JT says, she got burned, and now she has a flamethrower and she’s burning everyone. She burned Shep with Austen, and then Olivia. She’s a queen, but don’t abuse the power. Taylor says she thinks she caught Austen off-guard; she initiated it and takes full responsibility. JT says, that’s a bombshell, and in Taylor’s interview, she says, it’s not the first time it’s happened where a couple breaks up, and the best friend and boyfriend come together. There could have been a connection, but there wasn’t. She tells JT that she didn’t want to hurt Olivia; she wanted to hurt Shep. It sucks and she doesn’t know if it will get better.

Whitney sits outside and calls Shep. He says, they’re having the guy’s dinner, and Shep say he can’t wait. Whitney says, his mom f***ed up her back and she’s laid up. We see a clip of Whitney bringing Patricia coffee in bed, and her telling him that you’d think he’d know how his own mother likes her coffee after 82,000 years. In Patricia’s interview, she says, it’s a cautionary tale. She got out of bed and ended up flat on her back on the floor in excruciating pain. The result was a compression fracture. It takes months to heal if you’re younger, and she’s no spring chicken. Whitney tells Shep that the attire is smoking jackets. Which seems odd for a formal British dinner, but what do I know?

Madison meets Venita for lunch, and Venita says she’s dressing for the mood she wants to be in. She just got back from Fashion Week, which was ten times busier this year. Madison says she couldn’t keep up with Venita’s Instagram, and in Madison’s interview, she says, Venita is like a supermodel. That’s why she likes her. Madison asks what’s going on with Manny, and we see a clip of her telling Manny that it’s their anniversary tomorrow. It’s unclear between them exactly how many months, but it’s close to a year. Go, Venita and Manny! Venita asks what it’s like to be married long distance, and Madison says she has joint custody with her ex, so if she can be separated from her child for short periods, she can be separated from her husband. Although the dynamics might change since they’re talking about having a baby. This time, she wants it planned, and wants them to take their time. They literally fall asleep holding hands. Venita says, look at them with a husband and a boyfriend. Who would have thought?

Craig meets Austen for drinks and says he’d be happy living on an island bartending. Austen says he got two texts from Olivia, and Craig says, there are unresolved feelings. Olivia wants to like him, but then she remembers he did something nefarious. Austen says, that’s why he’s not jumbling up her mind any further, and Craig says he doesn’t want to be preachy with Austen, but what about his theory on spending time with an ex? Austen insists he can compartmentalize. He’s being a friend. In Craig’s interview, he says he thinks Austen fell in that hole trying to figure out how to do the right thing. In Austen’s interview, he says, Shep seemingly forgave him, but he knows it’s not the last he’s heard of it. Austen tells Craig that Shep had just said he had fun cheating on Taylor, and she ended up in his bed. He won’t be there to pick up the pieces next time. In his interview, Austen says he wants Taylor to respect herself and demand respect from others, but she’s not listening. You can lead a horse to water… You know the rest. Austen says he’s not talking to either one of them. There’s no point anymore.  

At Patricia’s house, the chef (whose name I don’t catch, or it wasn’t there) tells Whitney that the guests should be in their seats and ready for the Beef Wellington at 6:40. In Whitney’s interview, he says, if it was up to him, he wouldn’t do a royal dinner patterned after an anachronistic monarch. Sorry, Chuck. The chef tells the servers how to do proper service and says, they’re just penguins for the night. Whitney doesn’t know where anything is, and in his interview, he says he’s been to a lot of formal dinners, but he’s not usually the host. He calls Patricia upstairs and asks if the centerpieces should be on the table. (Really?) She says, they can’t have a nude table. Whitney says, it’s like something from the 1790s, and she tells him, that’s her era. Don’t give her a hard time. Go with the flow and enjoy it. Shep arrives first, followed by Rodrigo. Craig and Austen take a golf cart, and Patricia tells Whitney to put a weewee pad on the white sofa for Craig. We flash back to Craig spilling wine on the sofa, and Rodrigo says, Craig was talking marriage with Paige and she kind of got cold feet. Shep says, she might have a different plan than a picket fence and a pool, when Craig and Austen come in. Craig says, we’re here, bitches, which is super British royalty classy. Shep toasts to Patricia, saying, may she be in better health soon. Shep asks, what’s up, since he hasn’t seen them in a hot minute. He tells Austen that Taylor’s dog Penny and her car are at his house. They had lunch today. I want to wipe the smirk off his face.

Crickets chirp for a moment, and Shep says, they didn’t. Craig asks if they did it in the mountains, but Shep says, they made out, then he passed out. He asks why Austen is so quiet, and Austen says he’s reveling in their company. Craig says he’s been a hermit recently, and he doesn’t hate it. Shep says he’d love to kick it with Paige more. He thinks she doesn’t know what Charleston is all about or doesn’t like Charleston, and Craig says, he’s not wrong, but right now, they want to be by themselves. Austen says, Paige likes that, and Shep says, he should drag her out. They never see her. Craig says she was talking about being 30, and Shep says, he’s 43, which makes him even worse than I thought. He thinks travel is the answer, and Craig says, it sounds crazy, but he and Paige had planned to go to Jamaica. They should all go as friends.

Dinner is served, and Whitney says, game on. They’re ready to rumble. He hits a gong and the dogs bark. Austen gripes that his name is spelled wrong on his place card, but I counter that maybe he spells his name wrong. The chef says, Patricia had this meal at Buckingham Palace in 1974, and Shep says, good food, good meat, good God, let’s eat. Since he’s 43 going on 10. Craig says, usually Beef Wellington is served as hors d’oeuvres because no one wants to take the time to make it. He says, Whitney missed the party in the mountains, and the theatrics. What did he hear about it? Whitney says, not much. There was a ping-pong match. Austen says, Shep drank whiskey and went on a rampage, and Shep says, Austen doesn’t have a big moral leg to stand on in this one. Austen crossed him and he chose to be a gentleman. Craig suggests Shep doesn’t know how to deal with the face his best friend hooked up with his ex. He thinks Shep is a lot angrier than he’s letting on. Austen says he wishes they’d had a conversation, and Shep says he meant everything he said. Craig says he has serious sh*t against what Austen did, but Shep is burying it. Austen says he feels bad and he’s trying to atone. Shep says he should be mad, but he’s been defending Austen inside his head. In the kitchen, the Baked Alaska is charred, and it looks amazing. Craig asks why Shep doesn’t say Austen doesn’t know how to be a friend. If one of them hooked up with Paige, he’d be livid. Shep says he’s a fairly happy human, and everything is going well. The Baked Alaska is brought out, and the chef points out the layers of chocolate and vanilla that Patricia wanted. I guess that’s in case Whitney reports back to her. Craig says, boys don’t know how to deal with their feelings, but Shep says he doesn’t care. Craig says, Shep’s not a superhero, and Rodrigo, who’s probably continually sorry he got involved with this group, says he’s going to hang out with the waiters. Shep gets up and says, I think we’re done here. Like it’s a business meeting gone bad. Whitney says, thanks for a compelling evening, and Shep heads for the door. Craig tells Shep that he’s showing he’s not bothered, but Craig knows he’s just boiling. Shep tells him that he said everything he needed to say, and Craig says he thinks it hurts too much for Shep to broach the subject. Rodrigo wisely chooses to make an exit, and Austen tells Whitney that Shep is doubling down on acting like there’s nothing wrong. Yoda Craig says, Shep’s decisions will eventually make him an angry person.

Craig says, Shep is better than this. He doesn’t want to lose friends because he’s an angry person. Shep says he’s got to run, and in Shep’s interview, he says he could tell Austen was shook. He lashed out and said things that needed to be said. It was an accumulation of things; Austen stringing Olivia along and stepping in on Taylor. At Patricia’s house, Whitney passes out cigars, and Craig suggests they smoke on the porch, so Whitney’s mom doesn’t get mad. Whitney asks where Shep is, and Craig says, he left. They go outside, where the cushions for the patio furniture have already been put in storage, so they lounge around the railing. Austen pees over the side, proving what a royally classy guy he is. Craig asks Whitney, if he was a betting man and the house was on the line, did Taylor and Austen do more than kiss? Austen says, they didn’t sleep together, and Whitney asks how the decision came about. Austen says, it takes two to tango. Taylor made a move on him. Whitney asks if they were watching TV or having drinks, and Austen says, they were jamming to music. Craig wants a reenactment and tells Austen to be Taylor, with Whitney being Austen. Austen poses Whitney looking away from him, comes up behind Whitney, and tells him, turn around. When he does, Austen makes a move as if to kiss him. Craig asks if Austen grabbed her boobs <sigh>, but Austen says, no. Whitney asks if there was tongue involved <heavier sigh>, and Craig says, there was sexual tension at the Commodore. Austen said, if Shep didn’t take Taylor home, he would have. Austen says, when Shep left, he and Taylor were talking about how fun it was to make out. They thought they could go for it, but didn’t. Craig says, so Austen waited until Taylor dated his buddy to make out with her. He has a last question. What did they think in the moment? Austen says he felt not bad. It was a brief moment with someone close. In Austen’s interview, he says, they didn’t end up dating. They talked about it and decided they’d be better off as friends. they thought they could bury it and keep it a secret. He tells Craig that the next day, they said, thank God they didn’t sleep together. Craig asks where it was, and Austen says, in his kitchen. Craig says, he thought it was in New York, and in his interview, he says he thought Taylor said it was in New York. We flash back to her saying it was after New York, and Craig says, regardless, the sleepovers happened recently. They kissed in New York and had a sleepover already. They’d already kissed and at a private sleepover, they wouldn’t just be making out. Craig is not bothered by pesky facts. Austen says, they kissed once, deal with it, and Craig says, Austen really f***ed up.

This is really the most ridiculous argument ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but close.

Next time… I wasn’t paying attention, but that trip to Jamaica is down the road.

🪇 Gourd Times…

Join me tomorrow for soap, and a cornucopia’s worth of nonsense and wisdom. Until then, stay safe, stay helping clean up after being a guest at dinner (and not just Thanksgiving dinner), and stay learning how to deal with stress and not letting it consume you.

November 15, 2023 – Austin Discovers He’s Not Free From Cyrus, Erika Is a Lying Mean Girl, Summing Up the Salt, Awful People In Winter & Praises

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maxie and Lucy, accompanied by Scotty, go to Home & Heart, where Morgan Fairchild Haven welcomes back the ladies of Deception, now that those issues with The Deceptor are behind them. Rumor has it, there was a problem with intellectual property theft. They can trust her with insider 411. Was that the real issue? Lucy says, everything is super dandy with Deception. There’s absolutely really no issue. Haven says, that’s great, but where is their spokesmodel? And please don’t tell her that she’s in the bathroom powdering her nose. Which is actually kind of funny, but Lucy says, Haven can take her not-so-clever innuendo and shove it up her nose, which is even funnier. Sasha is fine and wonderful and back to her glorious, gorgeous self. Does Lucy have to remind Haven that Home & Heart called begging them to come and do another sales shoot for The Deceptor? Haven says, they may have called Lucy’s office once or twice, and Lucy laughs. She says, just to let Haven know, they’ve brought their lawyer in case she pulls any of her ridiculous shenanigans.

Meeting Austin in a stairwell, Cyrus says, Austin is positively radiating stress. This is not a healthy way to live his life. Austin says, he’s late, and Cyrus says, trust him. The Lord is the way to inner peace. Austin says he doesn’t understand why they had to meet at all, or why they had to meet in public. Cyrus says, calm down. He brings Austin tidings of great joy.

Curtis is sitting in the ohm position, when Marshall comes in. Marshall says, sorry to interrupt. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Curtis was meditating. Curtis says, trying to, and Marshall says, since when? Curtis says he’s just trying things out, and Marshall asks if it’s helping.

At the MetroCourt with Alexis, Diane says she’ll have an Arnold Palmer, and spike it with some bourbon. She asks if Alexis is okay with that, and Alexis says, spike away. Diane says, it’s been a grueling couple of days, and Alexis says she’ll also have an Arnold Palmer, hold the spike. The server leaves, and Alexis says she’s also had a grueling couple of days. So who needs to go first in talking about their misery? Diane says, rock-paper-scissors? and Alexis agrees. Alexis stares at something, and Diane says she’s lost Alexis already. They both watch Molly greeting Kristina, and Diane says, will you look at that. Alexis says she is looking at that, and to see her girls reconnect makes her week a little less bleak.

Andrea sees TJ at the hospital and says she’s glad he’s here. He asks how she’s feeling, and she asks if there’s somewhere they can talk privately. He suggests they go in one of the exam rooms, and she says she’s sorry to bother him at work. He says, it’s not a problem, and she says she knows how busy he is. She should have called. He says, it’s fine, really, and they go into the exam room. He says, tell him what’s going on. She seems a little upset. She says she is. It’s about the baby.

Diane says, so Molly and Kristina have mended fences? and Alexis says, finally. Now she gets to stop refereeing and be mom again. Diane says, don’t keep her in suspense; how did it happen? Alexis says she thinks the biggest thing is that Molly’s surrogate Andrea is almost through her first trimester. Diane says, that’s wonderful, and a great reason to broker a truce. Alexis says, at least for now. Those two have always been a little scratchy with each other on occasion, and she’s not sure this will be the last one, but Diane knows how sisters are.

Molly says she took a look at the contract, and put some notes on Post-Its, but she’s going to email Kristina more details. Kristina thanks her so much. She’s been doing some research online, but it’s so nice to have an actual attorney double-check everything. Molly says she’s happy to help. What are sisters for?

TJ says he’ll call Molly. If Andrea has an update about the baby, she should be part of this. Andrea says she’s so sorry. She lost the baby. She woke up from a sound sleep last night with cramping. It was so sudden, she knew something was wrong, but she didn’t even have time to get to the ER. He asks if she’s sure. Maybe it was just bad cramps. She says she was bleeding heavily. She went to the nearest hospital this morning. The doctor did bloodwork and an ultrasound, and they confirmed it. She miscarried. She lost the baby.

Marshall asks if it’s helping, but Curtis doesn’t know if he can answer that accurately because meditation is still so new to him. But from everything he’s read, they call it a practice for a reason because you really have to commit to it. And you have to stay consistent, and you have to calm your mind so you can let things go. Marshall tells him, easier said than done, and Curtis says he’s struggling to quiet his mind. He has to stop making everything so important, the day-to-day stuff he thought mattered. It’s counterintuitive for him because he’s a man who makes goals and achieves them, but with meditation he’s learned the more you push, the further away you are from achieving your inner silence or detachment. Marshall says, but he’s sticking with it, because it must be helping him somehow or he thinks it will. Curtis says, there are times he thinks he’s got it. He feels a sense of focus and calmness where he feels tied in. Marshall says, it sounds like the way he feels when he’s playing with his band and gets to improvise a solo on his clarinet. Diddlee-de-bop, shu-bop shebang. Right? You’re not focusing, you’re feeling. Curtis tells him, that’s it exactly. But he must say… don’t worry. He’s not going to ask Marshall to join meditation with him. He wouldn’t do that to Marshall. Marshall says he’s been meditating for years. Yeah, I tried and failed with that. Emptying my mind is not an option.

Cyrus says he thought Austin would be interested to know that his cousin Mason will be making a plea deal soon. Austin says, Mason already told him. He’s going to tell the cops it was Austin’s idea to kidnap Ava. Cyrus says, oh ye of little faith. His plan is to admit to being the only person responsible for the kidnapping of Ava Jerome. Of course (🍷) he intends to claim he had no intention of killing her. Austin says, he had every intention of killing Ava, and Cyrus says, still, Mason’s attorney firmly believes that he’ll be sentenced to no more than twenty years, with the possibility of parole after ten. Austin says, ten years is a long time. He thinks it would be a lot easier for Mason to turn him in, doesn’t Cyrus think? but Cyrus says he guesses his faith in God gives him more belief in people, because Mason has sworn to him that he won’t mention Austin’s name, and he trusts him. Which means Austin will be in the clear. Austin says, good, because Detective Falconari’s been asking a lot of questions, and he needs Cyrus to get Dante off his back. This is great. Thanks for the update. He starts to leave, but Cyrus asks if he said they were done.

Lucy pushes Scotty toward Haven, and he says he’s a big fan. Maybe he can get an autograph later, but they need to talk about that dirty trick she played on Sasha Gilmore, trying to get her to have a meltdown on her show to goose up those ratings. They can’t let that happen again. No kids untethered, no babies yelling, none of that stuff. Otherwise, he will slap a lawsuit on her that will make her head spin. Does she understand that? Haven says, oh yes. But she has to tell him that she can’t be held responsible for the bad behavior of a previous producer who went rogue on her. He says, but producers take their cue from the fifth floor, which is her, and she says, that producer is gone. They worked alone and they’ve since been fired. Right, Julie? Julie (who was there) says, yes, Miss DeHavilland, and Haven thanks her. Lucy makes hand gestures at Scotty, and he says, so anyway, no funny business. Otherwise, he’ll have to slap a lawsuit on her, and he’ll argue emotional damage. Lucy says, and by the way, Mr. Baldwin here is known throughout courthouses everywhere for being king of punitive damages. Haven says, what happened when Sasha was here for her last appearance was a minor glitch, which they’re obviously trying to grossly exaggerate. But it is a glitch that won’t be repeated. Of course (🍷) this is all a moot point if their spokesmodel doesn’t show up. Lucy asks Maxie to please let Sasha know they’re ready for her, but Maxie is transfixed by her phone. Lucy asks again, and Maxie says, right. Just one second. She sends a text, and Lucy asks, what’s wrong with her? Maxie says, just a minor hiccup. She’s handling it.

Curtis asks how he’s just learning about this now. How come Marshall never told him that he meditates? Marshall says he guesses it just never came up, and Curtis asks how he started meditating. Marshall says, a fellow musician told him it’s a great way to promote focus and creativity, so he tried it. He really hoped it would help keep him grounded; hold off another schizophrenic episode. Of course (🍷) now he knows he was misdiagnosed. He was never at risk for schizophrenia, but all that being said, he can’t tell Curtis how grateful he is for what meditation has brought into his life. So much in life is just clutter. Thinking things are important when they really aren’t. So he found it can be great to be in the moment. Bizzy-be-bop-boop, all of that. In the moment can be okay, but so can just stepping back and listening to the quiet. Curtis asks why Marshall never recommended it before, and Marshall says he figured after Curtis was shot… after he was injured, he was being inundated with advice from all sides. Marshall didn’t think Curtis needed another voice from him thrown into the mix. And besides, he’d always hoped Curtis would find meditation on his own, and he’s so glad Curtis did.

Diane’s scissors cut Alexis’s paper, and Alexis says, all right. Diane goes first. What was so grueling that she had to spike her Arnold Palmer? Diane says, grueling isn’t the right word; it’s a little overdramatic. It’s not about work. It’s personal. Alexis says, it’s about DA Scorpio, is it? What’s the problem? Diane says, it just seems like every time she and Robert are cruising down the highway, a blast from his past comes to run them off the road.

TJ says he’s sure Andrea didn’t do anything wrong. There could be a number of causes for the miscarriage. Did she tell Molly yet? Andrea says, no. She just couldn’t. TJ says, that’s okay. He should probably be the one to tell her. Just concentrate on healing. She’s been through a traumatic experience. He’s so sorry. Talk to her OB/GYN. They’ll wait for her to fully recover before they try again. Andrea says she’s sorry. She can’t. She can’t go through this again.

Kristina says, once this round of paperwork has been filed, renovations can actually begin, and Molly says, that’s great. Does she have a target date for the center to open? Kristina says, if everything stays on schedule, June of 2024. That’s what she’s pushing for. Molly says, by June, she and TJ will be able to bring their baby to her dedication ceremony.

Maxie says, here is their spokesmodel, and Sasha comes out, saying hi to everyone. Haven says, it’s so good to have her back at the Home & Heart studio again, and Sasha says, just so they’re clear, she’s here to promote Deception’s product. She’s not here to have her past exploited. Haven says, they’ve been all over that, and she can assure Sasha there will be no glitches or technical difficulties today. Sasha says she sure hopes not. And while Lucy and Scotty are representing the company, she speaks on her own behalf, and she promises she’ll be professional as long as Haven does the same. Otherwise, she will walk off the set.

On the phone backstage, Maxie says, do you ever answer your phone? She’s been sending text messages for hours… Never mind. She doesn’t care. Listen to what she’s about to tell them. These instructions are very important.

Cyrus says, it is only because of his goodwill that Austin is free, but Austin says he had nothing to do with Ava’s kidnapping and Cyrus knows it. He’s the victim here, and Cyrus knows that too. Cyrus knows it, and he can only hope to God that Mason knows it. Cyrus asks if Austin really sees himself as a victim, and Austin says, Mason grabbed Ava and Cyrus forced him to testify on his behalf to get his early release from Pentenville, and he did that. The only reason he did that was to save Ava. Cyrus says, Austin really disappoints him. After everything he’s done for Austin, he expected more gratitude. Cyrus walks away from Austin.

Finished with makeup, Haven says, let her walk Sasha through the show, and they go to the set. Scotty tosses an apple in the air, and Lucy grabs it. He says he hopes there are some shenanigans, because this lawsuit would file itself. This is what we call easy money. She shushes him, and says, bite his tongue. For Sasha’s sake and the sake of Deception, they have to hope this whole relaunch of The Deceptor goes off without a hitch.

Cody comes to the studio and asks Maxie, what’s the big emergency? He was just in the middle of having a horse shod. She says, a horse what? and he says, shod. Fitting a horse for shoes. How does she, of all people, not know what that means? She tells him, focus. They’re in the middle of relaunching The Deceptor. He asks if she means that funky wand thing you wave in your face, and she just looks at him.

Haven asks if Sasha is ready, but Maxie says, not yet, bringing Cody onto the set. She says, Sasha will be relaunching The Deceptor with the new male Face of Deception. Haven and Sasha both say, what?

Alexis asks if Holly Sutton is back in town, but Diane says, not Holly. Another one of Robert’s exes, Anna Devane. Alexis asks if Diane read the article in The Invader, and Diane says she did. She knows all about the shooting of a 15-year-old girl. Even though there were no names mentioned, she knows Anna Devane shot Charlotte Cassadine. Of course (🍷) all her concern and sympathy is with Charlotte. How is she doing by the way? Alexis says, from what she understands, Charlotte is on track to make a full recovery, and Diane says, excellent. She has tremendous compassion also for Anna. She thought she was shooting an intruder in her home, and the intruder turns out to be a 15-year-old girl. She can’t even imagine what Anna is going through. So she absolutely understands why Robert wants to support her during this very difficult time. Alexis says, but once again, Robert is focused on some woman from his past and not Diane, and that hurts her feelings.

Kristina tells Molly, June of 2024 is less than a year away. She’ll be running her center and Molly will have a baby. Those are huge life changes. Molly says she knows, and honestly, she can’t wait. Can she tell Kristina a secret? She’s even started thinking about leaving her job at the DA’s office. Kristina says, wait, she loves her job, and Molly says she knows, but it’s so demanding. It just makes sense. She can’t be working an 80-hour week with a newborn. She’ll need to find a less demanding job to spend time with the baby. Kristina says, those are words she never thought she’d hear coming out of Molly’s mouth.

Curtis asks if Marshall has ever received an answer from his meditation, clarity on something he’s struggling with? Marshall says, as a matter of fact, he has. Curtis says, do tell, and Marshall says, all the years he was away from the family, he never stopped missing them. So one day when he was meditating, this certain image dropped into his head. It was Curtis and his brother Tommy, playing in that park across the street from the old house. He knows just his brain went there, but it was clear. It was so clear, he could feel the sun shining on him. He could smell the grass. And Curtis and his brother – he tears up – were laughing and having a good old time. He knew at that moment he’d seen his family again, and that’s what brought him back to Port Charles. That’s what brought him back to Curtis, and Stella, and TJ, and now Trina. Curtis says he doesn’t know whether to thank meditation for giving Marshall that memory or thank Marshall for having the courage to come back to his family. But either way, he’s so glad Marshall is back.

TJ knocks at Portia’s office door and asks if she has a minute. She asks if everything is all right, but he says, no, everything is not all right. She tells him, have a seat, and they sit down. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, Andrea… She says, their surrogate, and he says, she miscarried. Portia says, no, and he says, she told him it happened last night. She started cramping and was bleeding. She went to Mercy, and they told her that she lost their baby. She lost his and Molly’s baby. Andrea was so upset, she said she couldn’t face Molly, and now it’s on him to tell her, but he doesn’t know how to do that. Molly was so upset when she found out she couldn’t carry a child herself, and when they found Andrea, they had so much hope. With tears in his voice, he asks her to tell him how he’s supposed to tell Molly. How is he supposed to tell her their child is gone?

Haven says, he is the male Face of Deception? and laughs. Absolutely not. This guy threatened to drop trou and streak on a live broadcast. Maxie says, first of all, Cody didn’t actually streak on her show; and second, isn’t The Deceptor the most popular product Home & Heart ever carried? Haven says, Maxie would have to verify that with her sales department, but Maxie says she already has. She can show Haven a copy of her sales report any time she wants. The reality is, The Deceptor has been unavailable for months, and now that it’s back, people are clamoring to get it. So Haven can either do her broadcast the way she and Lucy want, or they’re taking their bestselling product to another shopping channel.

On the air, Sasha says, in the past, The Deceptor has been marketed specifically as a product for women, but we did more thorough research and it turns out that men are just as interested in a product that will freshen up their face. Haven says, so all you men out there watching, this segment is for you, and Sasha says, yes. And she’s going to demonstrate on her good friend and former stuntman Cody Bell. She asks Cody to tell them about some of the stunts he’s done in his career, and he says he’d be happy to. He’s crashed cars, he’s jumped out of airplanes, he’s crashed motorcycles. Basically, if there was anything to break, he’s done it. Sasha says, wow. It sounds like his body really takes a beating. She bets his skin does too, and that’s where The Deceptor comes in. Because even for men who have never used a moisturizer a single day in their lives, this product will help smooth out your skin and get rid of all those fine little lines. Cody says, well, if The Deceptor can help with this beat up mug, it truly is a miracle worker. Sasha suggests they put it to the test, and Cody says, let’s do it. He sits down, and Sasha uses the red-light wand on him.

Cyrus says he guesses it’s time for them to take a trip down Memory Lane, but Austin says, that’s not necessary. Cyrus says, Austin seems to have forgotten he paid for him to go to medical school – Austin says, no – and how he continued to support Austin during his residency. Austin says he hasn’t forgotten, and Cyrus says he’s invested in Austin, and now he expects a return on that investment. Austin says, as long as they’re remembering things, this is how he remembers it. He’s spent years paying Cyrus back, doing him favors. The way he remembers it, when he lied for Cyrus at his parole hearing, Cyrus told him that he was free. Cyrus says, and so he is. Free to live his life. Free to practice medicine. Unless and until he needs Austin’s services.

TJ tells Portia, in the beginning, he had misgivings about the whole surrogacy situation. It’s a lot to process, and he felt like they rushed into the whole thing. They found out Molly couldn’t carry a child and jumped on the first solution. Then Andrea got pregnant, and that baby felt so real to him. All of his misgivings went away, all of them. He was so invested in his child. He imagined himself just holding his baby. Portia says she knows that Molly imagined the same thing, so she’s going to be just as devastated as he is. And he’s got to be the one she hears it from. She knows how difficult this thing is, but she knows he and Molly can get through it because they have each other. Take it from her. Don’t let this loss build a wall between him and Molly.

Molly tells Kristina that she knows she’s always been laser focused on her career. For as long as she can remember, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Kristina says, because mom was a lawyer, and Molly says, that was the original inspiration. As she got older, the more she learned, the more the law challenged her. It inspired her. But now with Andrea pregnant with their baby, things are different. It’s all about trade-offs. If she were to give herself fully to the law, she’d be neglecting TJ and the baby. She’s not willing to do that. Kristina asks what she’s going to do.

Diane tells Alexis that she hears herself saying all of this, and realizes it’s an ironic conundrum. Alexis asks how she means, and Diane says, if Robert Scorpio were the kind of man who could distance himself from the kind of troubles Anna Devane is going through – even though admittedly, the shooting is her problem to solve – then he wouldn’t be the kind of man Diane is attracted to. It’s precisely because he’s so loyal and principled and ridiculously stubborn that she finds him so compelling.

Portia comes home and gives Curtis a kiss. She asks, how was his day? and he says he just had the most enlightening and interesting conversation with his dad. As it turns out, they’re both into meditation. Portia says, really? She guesses that does fit in to Marshall’s laid-back personality, but is Curtis finding it helpful? He says he is, very much. When he starts thinking negative thoughts, it helps him stay calm and centered. She says she’s glad to hear that, and sits down. He asks if everything is okay, and she says she got some news today. He says, judging from her expression, it must not have been good news, and she says, sometimes when something bad happens, it makes you think of all the good things that are going on in your life. He asks if something happened with one of her patients, but she says, no. She just wanted to thank him for their daughter. They made that beautiful little girl together and they’re so lucky. She’s just grateful for every day they’ve spent with her.

Molly tells Kristina that she never realized how much she wanted children until she was told she wasn’t physically able to have them. It just put everything in perspective. So when Andrea told them she was pregnant, she knew her daughter or son would become her first priority and work would have to come second. Kristina says, Molly’s son or daughter is going to be the luckiest to have her as a mom, and Molly thanks her. She says, but the baby’s not coming for months, and she has to turn in a motion by Friday, so she’d better take off. They both gather up their stuff and leave.

Alexis asks what Diane is going to do about all this. Alexis knows her. When she identifies a problem, she always finds a solution. Diane says she’s doing it. She’s sitting here working it out with her best friend. Yes, what’s happening to Anna is very serious. So of course (🍷) she’s going to be understanding that Robert wants to be there for her. She also has to remember a lot has happened. Things have changed since she and Robert had their blow-up last summer. Alexis asks, how so? and Diane says, Holly and Anna are in the past and she knows Robert is making her a priority. So that of course (🍷) gives them tremendous potential for the future. It’s difficult what’s going on with Anna, but it is just a detour on the highway of love, and it is not a dead end. Alexis says she’s going to have to stop Diane right here. What is with all the driving metaphors?

Haven asks how Cody’s face feels, and he says, it actually feels great. But he’s not so sure he could do this at home by himself. Sasha makes it look so easy. Sasha promises him, anyone can do this, because The Deceptor is doing all the work. And she has to say, it’s really making his skin look fresh. Lucy says, Cody and Sasha together are golden. You can’t force that kind of chemistry. People want to feel that it’s real, and when it happens, that’s money. Deception is going to make so much money.

Austin says he doesn’t understand. He thought Cyrus was a reformed man. He thought Cyrus was a man of God. Cyrus says, that, he is, and Austin says, then why not live up to his end of the bargain, because they had a deal. He did what Cyrus said. He did what Cyrus told him to do. Cyrus said he needed someone to testify on his behalf at his parole hearing to tell the judge he wasn’t a risk, that he couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. And that’s what he did. He lied to a judge under oath, and he did that so Cyrus could walk around a free man. Here Cyrus is. And he doesn’t know what Cyrus wants from him. Cyrus shrugs and says, life is full of unexpected consequences. One never knows when one may need the services of a doctor, and how fortunate for him to have Austin in his corner. Austin says, Cyrus doesn’t own him. He’s going to pay Cyrus back every penny he laid out for him to go to med school. Cyrus says he doesn’t want Austin’s money, and Austin asks, what does Cyrus want from him? Cyrus says he gave Austin the very life he’s living. He wants Austin’s gratitude and his loyalty. And if he can’t supply those, he can deal with his cousin Mason by himself. Be very careful. It’s only his intervention that’s preventing Mason from naming Austin as the mastermind behind Ava Jerome’s kidnapping. Austin tells him that he already said that, and Cyrus says, as well as a number of other crimes that happened around the hospital last summer. Like the death of Gordon Stevens. Austin says he didn’t kill Gordon Stevens, but Cyrus says he doesn’t know. The police might come into possession of some evidence that indicates otherwise. That all depends on Austin and whether or not he fully understands the concept of gratitude. Austin says, okay. He’ll do it. Cyrus says, he’ll do what? and Austin says, whatever it is Cyrus wants him to do, he’ll do it. Cyrus says, that is so generous of him, thanks him, and goes down the stairs.

Curtis says, despite all the obstacles he and Portia made for each other and the years apart, they came back together as a family. She says she couldn’t agree more, and he asks if she wants to tell him what prompted this philosophical discussion. She says she just had a shift in perspective, and she realizes how different… no. She’s realized how empty her life would be if she didn’t have Trina in it. But they did, and for that she’s just so grateful. He says, that makes two of them, and she kisses him, snuggling in his arms.

Diane signs for the check, and Alexis thanks her for dinner. Diane thanks Alexis for lending a sympathetic ear, and Alexis says, Diane has listened to her a gazillion times. That’s what besties do. Diane says she knows, but it’s been a while since she’s had a romantic problem to solve. Alexis asks if she now has an answer, and Diane says she does, and thanks Alexis. Her phone rings, and she says, speak of the devil. Alexis says, take it because she’s got to get back to work. She leaves, and Diane asks if Robert’s ears were on fire. She was just talking about him.

Alexis heads for the elevator, but when she sees the server clearing Molly and Kristina’s table, she says, excuse me. Her daughters were having lunch here and one of them left a tablet. She’d be happy to return it. The server gives it to her and she leaves.

Molly’s phone rings while she’s working in her office, and she says, TJ. Bad news. He says, what’s wrong? and she says she met up with Kristina earlier at the MetroCourt to give her some advice on a contract, so she thinks she’s going to have to stay a little late at the office tonight. She guesses she won’t be able to do that next year when the baby’s here. He says, they need to talk right away, but she says she’s only talking about working another hour or two. He says, please. It’s important. He needs her to meet him at home.

Lucy says she thinks the shoot went really well. Didn’t Haven? Haven says, that’s putting it mildly. She’s never seen a product sell out so fast. Scotty says, that’s because Lucy does know what she’s doing, and Lucy thanks him. Haven says, yes, and they’re very eager to have Cody and Sasha come back and make another appearance. Lucy asks if she’s actually admitting she was wrong about them, and Haven says, honey, the numbers don’t lie. The audience really seemed to love them. They can’t wait to have them back. Lucy says, oh honey, I just don’t know. I’ll have to check my calendar and I will get back to you.

Julie tells Cody that he did great, and he thanks her. She says she thinks he even impressed Haven, and that’s nearly impossible to do. He laughs.

Maxie tells Sasha, that was so fantastic. It was the best sales pitch she’s ever seen. She and Cody were so natural together. They were dynamite. Cody listens in, and Sasha thanks Maxie, but says she can’t do this. Maxie says, do what exactly? and Sasha says she can’t work with Cody anymore. Maxie says, why not? and Sasha says, isn’t it obvious? She has feelings for him. Cody almost smiles and looks confused.

Tomorrow, Anna tells Sonny that she thinks Valentin keeping silent just destroyed them; Dante says, Sam might be on to something; Adam says, Josslyn helped him a lot in ways she doesn’t even know; and Ava wants to know why someone didn’t tell her.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Dorit calls PK and shows him the pool. She says she and Kyle are having lunch, and she shows him his dream TV screen. She tells him about the Magic Mike debacle and says Sutton had an overreaction. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Magic Mike is a huge show. To have a friend cause a scene there is mortifying. She asks how dinner with Mauricio was, and PK says, they had a great dinner. We see a clip of that, and PK saying that nobody who’s married doesn’t go through sh*t. Mauricio says he has no interest in fighting. As far as he’s concerned, his wife is always right. PK tells Dorit that they enjoyed catching up. Kyle calls Mauricio and says she heard he had dinner with PK. How was it? Mauricio says, they had a good time, and she asks him to give her the girl version. He says, PK was talking about what’s going on with him and Dorit. The year’s been kind of hard. Sutton and Garcelle leave for lunch, and so do Erika and Crystal. Erika tells Crystal to do what she wants. They’re in Vegas and the rules don’t really apply. They go to a restaurant, and Crystal says, everyone was having a good time last night except for Sutton. Erika says she kept looking over and certain people were gone, and Crystal says, the way Sutton’s personality is, she goes off the deep end, and it’s hard to come back. Erika says she’s worked hard to be in a place of peace (I choke on my coffee) and nothing is going to disturb that. Garcelle says she has a surprise for Sutton and takes her to an indoor gondola. Luka is their gondolier, and he chitchats a little about their trip to Vegas. He concentrates on rowing, and Garcelle says, what she needed to tell the women wasn’t received the way she was hoping. We flash back to Garcelle telling them she didn’t feel safe talking about her family, and she and Sutton start to discuss it, but Luka suddenly starts singing in Italian – loudly. Kyle and Dorit go to lunch, and Dorit says she didn’t sleep. Then on top of it, there was the conversation with Garcelle. She has to be able to be honest, but Dorit feels, like wow. Kyle orders something non-alcoholic, and Dorit wonders if Kyle not drinking is linked to her recovering from the trauma of falling out with her sister (i.e. Kathy), but Kyle says she needed to be clear about everything. Dorit says, Kyle doesn’t have to justify her choices, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thinks Kyle’s choice not to drink has allowed her to have more control over everything. In Sutton’s interview, she says, it seems to her like a midlife crisis, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she thought Kyle was just taking a break. She misses the old Kyle. Not the splits, just Kyle. Dorit tells Kyle that she misses the silly things, but Kyle says she felt like she needed to drink to fit in, but doesn’t feel that way anymore. This is who she is, take it or leave it. Crystal asks if Erika misses her old life, and Erika says, parts of it. Like Christmastime; the warmth of the house, the lights, the trees, having fun. She doesn’t miss the fighting, the arguing, and the pressure. I’ll bet she doesn’t miss sleeping with him either. In Erika’s interview, she says, in the end, they fought about everything. We flash back to Tom telling her to shut up when he was telling LVP a story at dinner. Erika says, there was nothing harmonious and they were living separate lives. That’s when you know the marriage is over. She tells Crystal that she’s going through this shift inside, and she’s starting to have the feeling of normalcy again. Crystal asks if she’d go back to that life, but she says, no. I believe it if you do. Dorit tells Kyle that it wasn’t a good year for her own marriage, but Mauricio said the same thing to PK about them. Kyle says she expected more from Mauricio. He has a lot of business events she’s supposed to go to, and she doesn’t want to. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Mauricio is in sales, and a big part of that is being social. She’s in a place where she doesn’t want to do that. She’d rather be home reading, especially since she doesn’t drink anymore. Dorit asks if she ever worries about the future.

Dorit asks how you can sustain a marriage, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thinks Kyle isn’t happy. She’s working on herself inside, and it feels like Mauricio is focused on work. In that aspect, they’re kind of growing in different directions. Kyle tells Dorit that she likes doing the things she likes to do, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to wake up one day and wonder, who is he and what are they supposed to talk now? Dorit says, it’s work; it’s a struggle. Garcelle and Sutton get their makeup done before meeting Oliver for lunch. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Oliver was shown kissing Raquel, and we flash back to that. At the restaurant, Oliver says, unfortunately, he was being painted in a different light than he really is, but he doesn’t feel the need to explain himself to anybody. He’s good.

The women are going to Gilley’s after dinner, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she loves a honkytonk bar and line dancing. She loves country music and loves a good bull ride. Kyle shows Dorit her $6K cowboy hat from Kemo Sabe. She tells Dorit those are real diamonds adorning it, and Dorit says, no wonder it’s her favorite. The women go to dinner, and there are napkins embroidered with their names at each place setting. In Kyle’s interview, she says, everyone wants her to do the splits or do a helicopter with her ponytail. She’s fun no matter what. I’m on Kyle’s side for this one. Is she supposed to be getting drunk and doing the splits at 70? Garcelle and Dorit wonders how long Kyle’s dry phase is going to last. Garcelle says she has a game. No surprise, it involves questions on cards. Crystal gets the first one, and says, is monogamy natural for humans? Erika goes on and on about how female animals seek out a protector and provider who’s moving up in the pack. Female lionesses seek out strong, young males. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Erika married the oldest lion in the pack. BA-DUM-CHH! Garcelle says she has a question for the married ladies. If there’s infidelity one time, is it enough to let it go? I’m not sure if she means let the discretion go or the guy.

In Kyle’s interview, she says she and Mauricio have dealt with rumors for years that someone cheated. We flash back to the dinner party from hell and LVP telling her that there are rumors. She asks if she looks like a person who would say, just don’t let her find out. No, she’s not. Erika asks how Garcelle feels about that, and Garcelle says she thought she’d met the man of her dreams, and he was her last stop. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s been some time now, but she’d found out her husband had been cheating on her for five years with a chick in Chicago. So she sent an email to his friends her friends. It was not a good day in the household. Dorit says she’d go Lorena Bobbitt. Food porn! is brought out, and Dorit reads another card. She asks, at what point does money stop making people happy, and have you reached it? Erika and Sutton both say, no, and Dorit says she knows billionaires, and she wouldn’t trade places with them. Sutton says she wouldn’t mind it, and Dorit asks, when does it stop making you happier? Erika says, when you don’t fear the next bill. She’s not ashamed to downsize, but it makes her nervous. She doesn’t want to look at the bills. She’s anxious around money. In Erika’s interview, she says, being married to Tom was great because she didn’t sweat that stuff. Cut to now. She’s not doing sh*t except building her life back. What comes in goes out. Welcome to the way most of us live. Although one thing she said I agree with. When you stop worry about the money problems, you focus on your real problems, and that can make you unhappy. Erika says she misses not being able to buy whatever she wants, but when she buys something now, she knows she earned it. But it’s frightening to be out on her own with no safety net. Again, welcome to the real world. In her interview, she says, it’s soul crushing, and I play the world’s smallest violin. She thinks, how the hell is she going to get out of this and how can she get above water? She tells the women that she did get out of a sh*t marriage, so there’s freedom. When she was accused along with Tom, it was ugly. People wanted things to be true. Now she’s regained a sense of who she is, and it’s not what they said. If she gets into thinking about it too much, it becomes overwhelming, and she goes down the rabbit hole. A server in a sparkly outfit comes over with a cake, and Erika asks Crystal, is it her birthday again? In Crystal’s interview, she says her birthday weekend was incredible. Garcelle and Sutton crushed the trip. She could do this every night.

At Gilley’s, Sutton says, abort bull mission, as soon as she sees the mechanical bull. Kyle says she’ll go, and bull operator Robert literally picks her up and puts her on the bull. She asks him to make her look good. It does some bucking, but it’s not all that fast, and more like one of those vibrating beds you find in motel rooms. I’ve never ridden a real bull, but I don’t think they vibrate like that. Sutton tells Robert to be nice to her. She’s not going over his shoulder. Go slow. He says he’s got her, and she’s on for 14 seconds before the ride is over. I missed Kyle’s time. In Erika’s interview, she says, if Sutton’s bull riding is anything like her d*ck riding, no wonder she doesn’t get a second date. She laughs like a Disney villain, and I wonder why she has to be such a mean girl at her age.

They get ready leave and as luck would have it, the elevator stops and Mikey is there, along with Erika’s old dancing partner Davis. Erika makes a big show of it, and announces, it’s Sutton’s chance to apologize. Apologize to her friend for saying the show was over the top and sh*tty. 😒Sutton says, don’t put words in her mouth. She said the dancers were amazing. It was just the one spread eagle thing. Davis encourages her to come again and see the whole thing because it’s more artful, blah-blah-blah. Davis and Mikey finally leave, and Sutton tells Erika that she never said the show was sh*tty. Erika says – wait for it – it doesn’t matter. Sutton tells her not to lie. Yes, Erika, she’s calling you a liar because you lied. In Erika’s interview, she says, her promise for Lent is still in effect, and we flash back to Erika saying, as a good Catholic <cough-cough>, she’s given up fighting with them for Lent. She tells us, God gave her a path to Sutton. After Sutton treated her like sh*t, God said, there’s your moment. She thanks God and says she’s taking it. Um… I don’t think that’s how God works. What an a-hole she is.

They go to the bus, and Garcelle says, the fact that the doors opened, and there they were, she can’t. Me neither. Dorit asks if Sutton is okay, and Sutton says, Erika deliberately embarrassing her was mean. Erika says, they were having a great time at Magic Mike (a name I’m hoping never to hear again after this, but I know I will) and she heard Sutton wasn’t. We flash back to that, and Sutton says, just because she didn’t stay, doesn’t mean they couldn’t. They’re the ones who turned it into a big deal. We flash back to her talking to Kyle and Garcelle, and Kyle calling her a bitch. There’s barely a soul around, so I’m even wondering how they could call this a scene. Erika says, Sutton took it to the point of getting heated in the lobby (after Kyle acted like someone who had a clue, but didn’t, then called her a bitch), and Sutton says, Erika has been heated so many times. Dorit says, if Sutton could do it over again, would she do it different? and Sutton says she can’t answer that. Kyle says, she seemed unhinged, and I honestly don’t get how they don’t see they’re the ones making a big deal out of something that really wasn’t. Sutton says, don’t call her unhinged, and Kyle says she had an over-the-top reaction. Sutton says she’s not talking about this ad nauseum, and Erika asks if she feels backed into a corner. She literally is, and Sutton asks if she means again. She’s sorry she ruined it and feels terribly for the dancers. Seriously, WTF? It’s not like she actually did create a scene. I’ve seen a scene, and that wasn’t it. And as for feeling bad for the dancers, if four audience members were crucial to their show, it’s not as great as everyone is saying. Sutton gets teary, and Dorit tries to sympathize. Garcelle says she wishes Dorit had gone after Sutton. She feels like it’s always her. Dorit says, Garcelle should have told Sutton that she was overreacting, and Garcelle says, Dorit wasn’t there. Dorit doesn’t know what she said, and she did say that. Acting like Garcelle is Sutton’s mom, Dorit asks why Garcelle couldn’t take Sutton from a 10 to a 2, and Garcelle says she’s not Sutton’s therapist. Sutton (who’s still there – hello?) says she’s not apologizing again. She’s sorry she was unhinged and uncomfortable, and she’s done with this conversation. Dorit asks if she feels like she’s said everything, and Sutton tells her, sometimes silence is golden. We hear crickets, and I say, how about those Mets?

Back in Los Angeles, Garcelle meets Erika for lunch, and says she’s tired from Vegas. She had a roommate. We flash back to Sutton keeping her up, and Erika says, Kyle and Dorit slept in the same bed. She’s too old for that. And Kyle said, Dorit talks in her sleep. Garcelle says she likes Dorit, but thinks they don’t understand each other. Dorit talks a lot, but doesn’t listen. Erika says she’s learned to speak Dorit. She zones out, then comes back. Garcelle says, the biggest problem she thinks she had was when she shared her feelings, and Dorit got defensive. We flash back to Dorit sternly telling Garcelle, it’s been almost a year, and Erika says she thinks they’ll come around. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s shocking for her to be at lunch with Erika. She didn’t think they’d get to place where they could do a one-on-one. Erika seems to be more open and less guarded. She thinks she’s seeing a new Erika. I’m not. Garcelle says she does have a bone to pick with Erika after Vegas. She thought Erika was going to go after Sutton, but then when she did later… Erika says, they were going to Magic Mike (♫ la-la-la ♫), and Sutton had a stack of singles. Then it flipped. It’s not okay. Don’t drag everyone in. Sutton was hijacking the moment. They were having a good time, and then they were worried about her. Oh come on. I can see one person checking on her, but they all didn’t have to get on the bandwagon, and they didn’t. Erika and Crystal even stayed afterward to talk to the dancers. In her interview, Garcelle says she doesn’t know why she feels she has to defend Sutton. (Maybe because someone has to?) Maybe she should let Sutton fight her own battles. Erika says, let’s not clutch the pearls too hard.

Kyle visits Sutton, wearing the Hunter boots Sutton gifted everyone with. Avi waits on them, serving them tea, and Kyle asks how Sutton is feeling after Vegas. Sutton says, it wasn’t her favorite departure. Erika specifically and intentionally embarrassed her. Cue the elevator door. What the hell? Kyle tries to interrupt, but Sutton says she’s not done. Kyle snarks, let her know when she’s done, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she and Kyle made a promise to have each other’s backs. We flash to Sutton saying Kyle needs to have her back more, and Kyle says, they’ll do better moving forward. Sutton says she had a revelation. Kyle is not her friend, does not have her back, and never will. Sutton tells Kyle to defend her friend, and Kyle says she is Sutton’s friend. That’s why she’s sitting here gracing Sutton with her presence. Just because she sees another perspective, that doesn’t mean she’s not Sutton’s friend. Sutton says she came into the conversation when she hadn’t heard the story. Kyle says, Sutton told her that she had a habit of inserting herself. Sutton has a habit of losing her sh*t in ridiculous circumstances. Sutton says, name ‘em, and every time Kyle tries to go down a tributary, Sutton says it again. Kyle yells at Sutton to let her talk.

Sutton says, name ‘em, and Kyle asks if she’s okay. Stop doing that. She’s being incredibly rude. Sutton asks, how? and Kyle says, if she doesn’t see it… Which is what people say when they can’t answer the question. Sutton says she doesn’t understand rude, and Kyle asks if she wants a dictionary. Sutton says, name ‘em, and Kyle says, be quiet and she will. There were the ugly leather pants – we flash back to that – there was Lake Tahoe – we flash back to Sutton using her face roller because it calms her – and at the show in Vegas. Kyle says, Sutton didn’t seem okay in Vegas and doesn’t seem okay now. Funny thing is, Kyle looks insane as she’s saying this.  

To be continued…

🧂Too Much Salt…

Best line from Heather’s interview: Mary’s decor is exactly like Mary’s personality. You never quite know what you’re gonna get. Green carpet, Chanel pillows, Dr. Seuss chairs from Whoville.

House Of Mess…

Every time I think it can’t get more awful, it does.

🥧 Eyes On The Pies…

Join me tomorrow for soap and dubious Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay bringing a hostess gift even if they say the old just bring yourself, and stay thinking of all the good things going on in your life when something bad happens.

November 13, 2023 – Martin Tells Nina To Call Michael’s Bluff, A Meet-Up With the Charter Off Deck & Pumpkin Pie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia watches Ned sleep, no doubt after having gotten busy. He says, good morning, and she says, Ned? He says, it’s me.

Lois thanks Yuri for bringing her coffee, and tells him, stop with the Miss and just call her Lois. Brook comes in carrying several folders and asks if there’s any fresh coffee. He says he just brewed some for her mother, and Brook says she’d love a cup. He goes to get it, and Lois says, somebody’s full of energy this morning. Brook says she needs to be, and so does Lois. Lois is going to help her strategize for Blaze.

Willow hurries Wiley along with his cereal and says, they can’t be late this morning. Michael comes in, and tells her that Amelia is happily playing in the nursery in the main house. Willow asks where Wiley’s math workbook is, and he says he left it upstairs last night after she helped him. Michael says he’ll get it, but Willow says, Wiley has to get it, after he’s finished with his breakfast. Wiley asks if they can see Grandma Nina after school. Please.

Nina comes into Kelly’s and asks for a yogurt parfait and an extra-large coffee with a shot of espresso to go. Carly asks if Nina was at the hospital last night, and Nina says, she heard. Carly says she can’t believe what happened to Charlotte, and Nina says, it was terrible, terrible accident. Anna mistook Charlotte for an intruder and shot her.

Charlotte asks Elizabeth if her papa is here, and Elizabeth says, he was at her side all night long, but an hour ago, they were able to convince him to go home and get some rest now that she’s out of the ICU. Charlotte asks if Anna’s been here.

Jordan goes into the interrogation room and asks Dante if he knows why Anna wanted to meet them here this morning. He says he doesn’t, but he can’t imagine it’s anything good. An officer tells them that Anna is here to see them both, and Dante opens the door to her.

Carly asks when Charlotte woke up from her surgery, and Nina says, last night. She and Valentin were both there, and they’ve since moved her out of ICU, thank God. The doctor expects her to have a full recovery. Carly says, that’s incredible. Please tell her if she needs anything, Carly is here for her. They’re family, and she’d like to help out any way she can. Nina thanks her and says she’ll pass that along. She appreciates it and she’s sure Valentin will too. Carly goes to get Nina’s order, and Nina sits down at the counter. Martin walks in, sees Nina, and turns around, but she follows him out to the courtyard. He says, good morning, and she says, give her one reason she shouldn’t have him disbarred for violating attorney/client privilege.

Wiley says, Grandma Nina told him that he could come to her office any time he wanted. She’ll help with his homework. Willow says, that’s very generous of Grandma Nina. Maybe they’ll take her up on the offer, but not today. He has T-ball today, remember? He asks if they can see Grandma Nina after, and she says, maybe, and tells him to go upstairs and grab his math workbook. Wiley leaves, and she says, Michael hates this, doesn’t he?

Olivia falls back on the pillow and says, he’s Ned all right, and Ned says he’s back. She says, that he is, and they kiss. He says he wishes he could spend the rest of the day in bed with her, and she says, don’t tempt her. He says, she’s tempting him, and kisses her some more, but she pushes him away and says she has so much work at the MetroCourt today. He says he has work to do too. ELQ has been neglected for months, and he’s sure he has a lot of paperwork to comb through. A lot of meetings to catch him up. She says she has a meeting with Nina today about the renovations on the rooftop, and Ned flashes back to hearing Martin talking to Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC. Olivia asks, what’s wrong? Please tell her that he’s still Ned. He says he is, and she blesses herself, saying, thank God. What happened? He says he just remembered something very important.

Lois asks what Brook needs her help with, and Brook says, Linc had Blaze pigeonholed as a popstar. Don’t get her wrong. She’s a great popstar, but she wants to explore other musical styles. That’s where Lois comes in. Lois says, the old tricky transition. That’s not going to be so easy. You’ve got to let your musical talent follow their own inspirations, but you’ve got to manage their expectations. You’ve got to monitor and mentor them, because you want to make sure they don’t reject the new material and run back to what they’re familiar with. All the while, you’ve got to keep an eye on their audience. Brook says, Lois will have to remind her of all that later, and takes out a folder. She says, here is some of the stuff that Blaze is considering. She hands the folder to Lois, who looks through it. Lois says, it’s interesting that her artist Blaze is a popstar. This stuff looks folky and country. Brook says, it is, and Yuri says, the country market is really hot right now. They could – how you say? – lean into this?

Gregory and Chase go to the hospital reception desk, and Gregory says he has an appointment with his specialist Dr. Cramer. The nurse says she’ll check him in, and Gregory thanks Chase for the ride, but says, Chase doesn’t have to wait for him. He’ll get a Ride Share home. Chase says, Gregory’s not getting rid of him that easy, and Gregory says, go to Kelly’s, grab a breakfast, enjoy this fall morning. Chase says he’s not leaving. He’ll be right here when Gregory gets out.

Anna thanks Dante and Jordan for meeting her, but Jordan says, no need to thank them. Anna says, despite being here, it’s not official; none of it. Everything she says is off the record, and she asked to meet with both of them because they’re her friends, and Dante needs to know this because she’s Charlotte’s daughter and she’s family. He says, off the record, 100%, and Jordan says, off the record. What does she have? Anna isn’t sure where to start. What she’s going to say doesn’t justify what happened; nothing can justify that. Jordan says, they’re all friends here. They said they’d keep it off the record. Just tell them what she has to say. Anna says, apparently, Charlotte has been stalking her for months.

Carly comes out with Nina’s order and sees her in the courtyard talking to Martin. Before she can go out, Drew calls her name. He gives her a kiss, and says, it’s his first day back at Aurora, and he thought he’d dress up a little. She approves, and he asks, what are the chances they can have a little bit of breakfast first? I’m not sure if that’s a euphemism, or he means bacon and eggs.

Nina says she’s been trying to get ahold of Martin for weeks. He hasn’t answered her calls; he’s not returning her texts or emails. Is he avoiding her? He says, perish the thought. The simple fact is, he’s a very busy attorney. He has a lot of cases to attend to, not just her. And of course (🍷) there’s Lucy and what she’s been going through at Deception. She has need of his shoulder. Nina says she needs him to shut his mouth. She heard that recording of him accusing her of turning Carly and Drew in to the SEC. He says, that tape wasn’t an accusation; it was an admission. And they both know she was the one who wanted the SEC to investigate Drew and Carly. She says, and he was her attorney. He was her go-between. He was her insurance to make sure she was protected. He promised her that she would be protected, and then he gave her up? She could lose everything. He says, she’s already lost.

Michael says, his opinion of Nina hasn’t changed, but he tries not to make it obvious in front of Wiley, and Willow says she thinks he’s done a great job. She doesn’t think Wiley realizes how he really feels about Nina. At least not now. He says, so he’ll just go on pretending he likes Nina, but she says she doesn’t want him to pretend. That wouldn’t be fair to Wiley. They should always be truthful with him. He says, even when it comes down to the kind of woman Nina really is, but she says, what she hopes is for the possibility Nina has really learned her lesson and changed. He says he knows she wants to believe that, but she’s wrong, and she asks, wrong how?

Ned says, it was Nina, and Olivia says, what was Nina? He says, it was Nina who pointed the SEC at Drew and Carly. Olivia says, what? and he says he overheard her talking to her lawyer Martin Grey at the MetroCourt. She had Martin alert the SEC about Drew and Carly. Olivia says she can’t believe this, and he says, after Martin walked away, he confronted her, and she wanted him to continue taking the fall for her. And eventually, all the people who thought the most of him, wouldn’t believe he was the one who turned them in. Of course (🍷) he refused. She says, low life, and he says, that’s when the hostess came out, interrupted them, and said something about Drew and Tracy at the pool. That’s when he was on his way to tell Drew everything and exonerate himself, and he slipped and fell. He needs to tell Drew and Carly the truth. He starts to get out of bed, but Olivia says, wait. He can’t. He asks what she means, and she says, Sonny and Nina just got married. Sonny is happier than she’s ever seen him before, and Drew is home from Pentenville; he’s safe. Nina and Carly are getting along for once for the sake of the families. Is there any chance he can forget that he remembered? He asks how she can say that. Nina’s the one who turned them in, and Olivia wants her to get away with it? Olivia says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want Nina to get away with it. She’s just saying, maybe letting her get away with it is better than open warfare. He says, that sounds great in theory. How about clearing his name?

Lois asks what Yuri considers great music. Good vocals or something that gives him a good vibe? Yuri says he’s been enjoying the country music, and Lois says, okay, why country? He says, the emotion is right there. It’s immediate. It’s at the surface. It’s raw and unaffected. Brook tells Lois, really good points, and asks Yuri, any particular songs? He says, there’s one song. It’s really about parents and children growing up and moving along, but the lyrics are basically a love song to an adult. But also love songs to a truck and so many love songs to whiskey. The inanimate objects are metaphors for life’s deepest emotions. Lois says, all right. Any songs about boats and trucks in here? She and Brook thumb through the folders.

Chase asks Gregory how his appointment went, then sees a brace on Gregory’s wrist. He asks, what’s up with the brace? and Gregory says he took a fall at The Invader yesterday. He reached out to brace himself and jammed his wrist up. Chase asks why Gregory didn’t tell him, and Gregory says, because it was nothing serious, and nothing to bother Chase about. Besides, it’s fine; it doesn’t even hurt. Chase asks what the specialist said, and Gregory tells him, it’s fine. Let’s get out of here. Chase asks what Dr. Cramer said, and Gregory tells him, the doctor said he should be using a cane. Chase says, then why isn’t he?

Elizabeth walks in the hallway with Charlotte and asks how she feels. Charlotte says, okay, just a little weak, and Elizabeth says, that’s to be expected after surgery. Jake comes out of the elevator with a bouquet of white roses, and Charlotte smiles at him.

Anna says, Valentin told her last night that Charlotte has been stalking her for months, and he found out when Charlotte vandalized her suite at the MetroCourt. Dante asks, what makes him so sure it’s Charlotte? and she says, security footage showing her entering the suite during the window of time that it was trashed, and she was carrying a backpack. Jordan asks, where’s the footage now? and Anna says, he convinced Nina to delete it from the server. Jordan says, why? Why not tell Anna what was going on? Dante says, because Valentin thinks Charlotte is the arsonist who burned down Anna’s house. Right?

Ned says, his life was turned into a living hell, and Olivia wants him to give Nina a free pass just because everyone’s happy. She says, he’s back. She has him back and that’s all she cares about. It’s all that matters. He asks if she’s forgetting that everyone, including her, accused him of making that call to the SEC. Even his own mother thought he did it. Although, she actually applauded the move. Does she know what it feels like to be wrongly accused? She says she can’t even imagine, and I say, oh yeah? What about when Ned accused her of cheating with Robert? She says she’s so sorry she didn’t believe him, and he says, people think he’s responsible for sending Drew to prison, where he almost got killed, so no, he’s not going to drop this. But what he will do is hold off – for now. Trust him. He’s only doing this for her. She wants peace, he’ll give her peace. At least for a little while. But when everything settles down, at some point, he’s going to clear his name and expose Nina.

Carly gives Drew the coffee, saying, it was for Nina, but she’d rather give it to him. He takes a sip and says, it’s so good, but she says, it’s just coffee. He says, it’s so much better than whatever it was they were serving at Pentenville. But breakfast wasn’t the real reason he stopped by. She asks why he did, and he says, just to spend time with her… What’s going on? She says she’s sorry. She just can’t stop thinking about Charlotte and the fact Anna shot her.

Nina starts to go back into Kelly’s, and Martin says, just so she knows. The tape that Michael has wasn’t him giving her up. She says, really? Then what was it? He says, a reluctant admission of something Michael already knows. The man’s got a source, probably someone at the SEC; he doesn’t know. But whoever it is was absolutely sure it was her. What he can say with certainty, however, is Michael Corinthos is a very formidable enemy, and he’s painted a bullseye on Nina’s back.

Michael tells Willow, Nina is never content with what she has. He doesn’t think that’s ever going to change. She’s going to keep pushing for more and more. She’s all nice and light and sweet when she gets what she wants. When she doesn’t get what she wants, she turns into something completely different. Like when she lashed out at them at the visitation hearing. Willow agrees that Nina can be ugly and vindictive, but that was more than a year ago. She’s watched Nina and really thinks Nina has learned from her mistakes, and they’d be setting a bad example for Wiley if they can’t forgive somebody… Wiley comes downstairs and says he found his math workbook, and guess what else he found? She says, his favorite eraser? but he says, no. Grandma Carly’s T-ball hat. He shows her a cap, and Willow says, that’s a very important hat. It’s what Grandma Carly wears to support his team. He asks if Willow can give it back to her, and she says she has a very busy day today, but she can try. Does he have everything he needs? He says, yes, and asks if daddy is taking him to school, but she says, no. She’s going to drop him off. Daddy has to get to the office. She tells Michael that she loves him and leaves with Wiley.

Lois says she doesn’t see any trucks, and Brook says she doesn’t see any boats or dolls, and she doesn’t see any whiskey… Hang on. This one has whiskey. It’s about loving someone and not being able to tell them. Lois says she likes that, and Brook hands it to her. Lois asks, who wrote it? and Brook says, Blaze did actually, which is unusual, since she’s not a songwriter. She’s always gravitated more toward other people’s material. Lois says, from what it looks like, somebody is in Blaze’s heart, but she cannot confess her love. Ned and Olivia come in, and Ned says, morning all. Brook says, Yuri made coffee, and Yuri says, you’re not Eddie. Lois says, Ned? and Brook says, dad, is it really you? Ned says, it’s me. I’m back.

Brook hugs Ned and says she missed him so much. He says he missed her too. She says, wait until Leo hears he’s back, which is hard to say since he’s been here the whole time. Lois asks if it’s really him, and he says it is. She hugs him and says, it better be, because Eddie wouldn’t be standing here in a $2000 suit. Olivia says, doesn’t he look sharp? Conquering ELQ, huh? Ned says he wants to apologize for everything he put everyone through. He loves Brook and he’s so proud to call her his daughter. Brook hugs him, and Lois says, they did a good job with this one, didn’t they? He says, they sure did, and Lois asks, how is it he’s standing here in front of them with his full faculties. What happened? Did Olivia knock him over the head with her lasagna casserole? Olivia promises she didn’t, although she was tempted about a million times, and Brook asks, what happened? How is he better? He says he had a near death experience. He went to the boathouse and followed Lois’s advice. He dove in and almost drowned.

Chase says he knows that this is happening to Gregory, but it’s also affecting him and Finn, because he’s their dad and they both love him very much. It hurts them to see him suffering. They don’t want to take away his independence, but they do want to support him. Gregory says, that’s a fine line, and Chase says he knows it is, but in order for them to help and support him, they have to know what’s going on. So please, don’t be leaving them out like this. Gregory leads Chase over to a bench, and they sit. He says he keeps telling himself that he doesn’t want to worry Chase or his brother – and that’s the truth – but it’s also true that he’s clinging to denial. In spite of the symptoms – the cramping hands, the balance issues, the falls – there’s a part of him that still doesn’t believe he has ALS. He just can’t allow himself to accept the fact that this is happening to him.

Drew says, Charlotte is extremely lucky that she’s going to make a full recovery, and Carly says, Nina told her Charlotte is out of ICU and she’s doing much better. He says, that’s great. He wonders how Anna’s doing through all of this. He should probably stop by and check in on her, see if she needs anything. She hugs him and asks, what’s going on? He says, it just kind of hit him again, and she says, that he’s a free man? He says, how lucky they are, and kisses her.

Nina says, Michael is blackmailing her, and Martin says he’s not surprised. She’d probably do the same thing in a similar situation. She says, no. Actually, she wouldn’t. Now he’s trying to control access to her daughter and her grandchildren, and if she refuses, he’s going to use that recording of Martin’s to tell everyone that she tipped off the SEC. Martin says, call his bluff. Like his mama used to say, everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway. So admit the truth. Tell everyone it was her. Throw herself on Carly and Drew’s mercy. She says she’s not worried about Carly and Drew. She’s worried about Sonny and her daughter… her family. This might be the last straw. They might never want to see her again, and that would destroy her. He says, then he’s afraid she’s stuck with whatever agreement she and Michael have come to. Since she can’t turn him in for violating attorney/client privilege without exposing herself in the process, he’d strive for a more cordial tone. We need friends. Don’t go adding to her list of enemies. He leaves, and she turns to go back into Kelly’s, when Carly comes out with her order.

Jake says, the flowers are for Charlotte, handing them to her, and she thanks him. She says, they’re beautiful. How did he know roses are her favorite? He says he didn’t actually. He told the lady at the flower shop that his friend was in the hospital, and he wanted to give her something pretty to make her feel better. She says she loves them and thanks him again. Elizabeth says, they’re really beautiful, and suggests Jake hang on to them for right now. Does he want to go for a walk with them? He says, yeah, and asks how Charlotte is feeling. Charlotte says, better, now that he’s here.

Dante says, Charlotte was at camp when Anna’s house burned down. He’s driven her to that camp; it’s about an hour away from Anna’s house. She’s relatively tech savvy and has money. She could have easily taken a Ride Share back to Port Charles. Jordan says she’s sure Charlotte is very familiar with the layout of Anna’s house, and Anna says, she is. That’s what Valentin said last night. Dante says, so she spray paints murderer on Anna’s front door, burns down her house, vandalizes her hotel room, and most recently, steals the key to the apartment and shows up there on Halloween with a backpack full of the same spray paint. Jordan says, there’s one thing Charlotte definitely didn’t do. She didn’t take a shot at Anna at the MetroCourt pool.

Gregory tells Chase that he, too, was an athlete. He didn’t have to struggle to stay in shape. He enjoyed exercising and pushing his body, the satisfaction of a good, hard workout. He sees Chase and his effortless grace and balance and remembers when he was like that. It never once occurred to him that he would lose that. He knew he’d grow older, but he took care of himself. He stayed fit. He never drank excessively, he never smoked, so how did this happen? How could his body betray him to the point that he needs a cane to walk? Pretty soon, he won’t even be able to walk at all. Chase says, when he was a kid, he thought Gregory was the tallest man in the world. He remembers sitting on the living room floor, looking up at Gregory and thinking his dad was the strongest, bravest, smartest man he knew. No one could be a better dad than his dad. And guess what? That little kid was right. No one comes close. Any time he was scared of something, Gregory would take his hand and say, I’ve got you, son. And it didn’t matter what it was, he knew everything was going to be okay. Does he remember that? Gregory says he does, and Chase takes his hand and says, I’ve got you, dad.

Anna says, it confirms what she believed, that Sonny was the intended target for the shooting at the MetroCourt, and Jordan says, there are obviously two forces at work here. Dante says, meaning Anna was just an innocent bystander like the rest of them? And the only person who’s been after her this whole time has been Charlotte. Anna says, she convinced herself it was some ruthless killer from her past at the WSB, and all this time she was just being harassed by a teenager.

Carly hands Nina her order and says, it’s the second cup of coffee she made. Drew drank the first one. Nina thanks her and says, Drew’s here? Carly says, he stopped in to see her, and Nina asks if he’s still inside, but Carly says, he went to his office at Aurora. Nina says, Sonny told her that Alexis secured his early release. She’s happy for him, happy for both of them. Carly thanks her and says she’s going to get back to the customers, but Nina asks her to wait. She says, what she and Martin were discussing out here actually concerns Carly.

At the office, Michael tells Drew, welcome back, and they bro hug. Drew says, it’s good to be back, and Michael says he could have come back Monday, but Drew says, is he kidding? He had plenty of time off when he was in Pentenville. He needed this. He needed to get back to work. Michael suggests they start by revealing how Aurora stands amongst their major divisions. It’s in the red. Drew says he looked at the material Michael emailed last night and he was really impressed. Michael’s stewardship of the company has been extraordinary. Michael says he appreciates that. He guesses he’s got a little more Quartermaine in him than he’d like to admit. So where does Drew want to start? Drew says, let’s start with taking over ELQ.

Lois tells Ned that she meant to dive in metaphorically. She was trying to tell Eddie to immerse himself in the music, not to immerse himself in a frozen lake. Ned says, at the time, it was the only way he could finish the song, so he dove in, and it was when he was underwater that he realized, the siren was Olivia. It was her calling to him. Olivia says, literally. Every time she brought her head up for air out of the freezing water. Brook says, she dove in and saved him? and Olivia says she did. And she would do it all over again. Ned says, when he woke up on shore with Olivia kneeling beside him, he literally woke up. Completely. He knew who he was.

Dante says, it’s so much worse than harassing. If it was Charlotte who did this… Anna says, this is why it has to be off the record. Because she doesn’t want Charlotte investigated, let alone charged. And whatever Charlotte was thinking of doing on Halloween certainly didn’t deserve the deadly force she used against her. Jordan says, had Anna known Charlotte was her stalker, she would have never pulled her gun, and Anna says, of course (🍷) not. But Valentin chose to keep that from her, and she trusted him. She won’t make that mistake again. Dante says he’s sorry, and Anna says she needs to talk to Charlotte. She needs to understand why Charlotte was after her. But she has the feeling that’s not going to be easy.

Elizabeth says she’ll get a vase for these beautiful flowers while Charlotte and Jake visit. She leaves, and Charlotte says she’s sorry. Jake says, for what? and she says, for wrecking his Halloween. She’s sorry she snuck off on him. He asks why she did, and she says she had to protect her father. He says, from who? and she says, Anna. She’s not the nice person she pretends to be. Her Grandfather Victor was right. He says, right about what? and she says, he told her to watch out for Anna, and he was right. Anna came in the door, and as soon as Anna saw her, she… He says, she shot Charlotte. Why? Charlotte says she doesn’t know. Maybe the cops will come up with an answer. I think they will, but not the one she’s hoping for.

Yuri asks if anyone wants more fresh coffee, but Ned says he has a busy day. He has a lot to catch up on. He asks if Olivia has any idea where his briefcase is, and she says, Michael has it. There was some crisis at ELQ when Valentin was busy, and he was Eddie Maine. So Michael decided to step in and help out. He asks if she knows what this crisis was, but she says, no idea. He was looking for some deal notes and thought they might be in Ned’s briefcase, so she gave it to him. He says, all the more reason to get back in the office. So he can run ELQ again and Michael can turn his focus back on Aurora. He kisses her and leaves.

Drew says, if the ELQ/Aurora merger had succeeded, then he would have controlling interest in ELQ and he could have pushed Valentin out, but Ned switched sides and the whole thing failed. Michael says, right now, Ned thinks he’s Eddie Maine and his only motivation is his guitar. Drew says, exactly. So the gates are wide open for this takeover. Ned can keep doing whatever he’s doing and strum his guitar, but they’ve got to figure out a way to take ELQ back. Michael says, except last time there was an attempted murder and Drew got sent away for insider trading, but Drew says, this time, there’s going to be no insider trading because this time the only two people who are going to know about this are him and Michael.

Carly asks what Nina and Martin were discussing that has to do with her, and Nina says, even before Charlotte was injured, she knew that she was spreading herself really thin. Running Crimson is a full-time job, and co-owning the MetroCourt is too, so she knows that something needs to go. Carly asks what she’s getting at, and Nina says she’s really enjoyed her time at the MetroCourt and Olivia’s been a really great business partner, but her first love is Crimson. So she was wondering if there was a possibility of them exploring the idea of Carly buying back her half of the hotel. Willow comes by and tells Carly that Wiley accidentally took this home after his last game. She gives Carly the cap and says, he insisted she bring it back to Carly. Carly says, that’s so sweet of him, and Willow says, speaking of Wiley, he really wants to make a date with Nina to help him with his homework. She’s so sorry. They were in the middle of a conversation, and she just interrupted. Carly says, that’s okay. Nina just offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt. Willow says, that’s terrific news, and Carly says, they were just in the discussion stage. Willow says, they should talk to Michael about this. She’s sure he’d be happy to help make it happen.

Tomorrow, Dante tells Austin to come up with the name of Mason’s boss and he might have a chance to save himself; Esme says she and Ace need to get away from Spencer; and Carly wonders why Nina is offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle is mad at Jessika for inferring he made her feel like a green stew. She wonders how he’s projecting this little thing on her when they have bigger issues. She’s confused. Kyle whines to Tumi that Jessika hurt him. You would have thought he’d attacked her. Tumi says, going forward, whatever regards a person, they’ll speak directly to them, and Kyle says he doesn’t trust a single person on this boat. In Luka’s interview, he says he hopes the captain’s wrist is just bruised. Captain Sandy is the heart of the ship, and he feels like it’s his fault. He hopes she’s okay. Primary Amanda asks if they can have a booze cruise on the tender, and Tumi says she’ll ask about it. Natalya tells Luka that she needs therapy, and in her interview, she says, knowing her partner put his hoo-ha in another woman is very heartbreaking. We flash back to AJ and Natalya having that conversation, and she says, it’s adding more anxiety and stress on her. Kyle texts Zach that it’s stressful, and Amanda and guest Sonali invade the galley, Amanda hugging Jack when she finds out he’s making tortellini and chocolate mousse. In Jack’s interview, he says, it’s a bit overboard, like Beatlemania. He is from Liverpool. She asks if Jack can hang out with them, when Max joins them. They ask where Max eats, and he tells them, the crew mess. They want to see it, and in Max’s interview, he says he doesn’t know if they’re supposed to be here, but why not? C’est la vie! They look in his cabin, and Sonali sees that he’s reading a sex book and highlighting things. She asks him to read it in English, and in his interview, Max says, it’s a Taoist sex book by some monk who specialized in sex energy 2000 years ago. He has to careful around the sexy, blondie, smiley girls. Take a bite of the apple. Luka finds a radio and asks around. No surprise, it turns out to be Max’s, and in Luka’s interview, he says he wants to smash Max, but can’t help laughing at him. He works off positive reinforcement and makes the crew happy. The guests ride the jet skis to shore, and on the boat, Jessika asks how Kyle is. He tells her to get out of his face and calls her malicious as hell. When she said he made her feel like a green stew, that meant he thought she was lower than she is and less than capable of doing her job. Jessika says she’s trying to communicate, and he’s taking it wrong, but Kyle says, they both speak English and have perfect communication. He’s saying things he doesn’t mean because he’s emotionally hurt. He thought she was here for him, since he’s been here for her since day one.

Jessika cries to Tumi, while Lara waits on the guests. Jessika tells Tumi that Kyle was snapping when he and Natalya were in the cabin; he was going off on the green stew thing. She tried to apologize and explain, and he said she was malicious. Tumi tells her, just breathe, and Lara says, when they’re done, a guest wants a lychee martini. No rush. Tumi tells Jessika to take a minute, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she doesn’t take men yelling at her well. She never had a father figure. Her mom was a single mom and had her at 16. She never met her biological dad, and she’s not used to having a strong male personality scream at her. Lara tells Haleigh that apparently Jessika complained that Kyle makes her feel like a green stew. She doesn’t know what happens up there. Haleigh says she feels like their team is falling apart, and in her interview, she says, the chaos and drama reminds her of middle school. Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! She’s thankful the biggest problem the deck team has is how many reps Max did with his pullups. Tumi figures out a way Kyle and Jessika can avoid each other until tomorrow, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she forgets how Kyle is like a toddler. He’s 30 going on 3. She needs Jessika to feel safe and needs Kyle to know that he can’t speak to her that way. It’s time to keep things together, and instead, she’s putting out fires. Natalya texts AJ that she misses him, but it’s hard when she knows he’s sleeping with other girls. Tumi tells Jessika that it was the wrong time to talk to Kyle when emotions are heightened. Jessika will do dinner service with her tonight, so they won’t mix. She tells Jessika that she’s proud of her, and they hug. In Lara’s interview, she says, Max is growing on her. He’s a good person and reads books. Who reads books? Seriously? Lots of people read books. Tumi looks for dress-up stuff for the casino thing, and Haleigh packs liquor for the booze cruise. Natalya passes out vests to the guys, and tells them, no shirts. The guests are ready to get on the tender, and Luka says, welcome to the booze cruise. They get in, and Max flirts. On the boat, Natalya tells Kyle that the theme is neon casino.

Captain Sandy returns, and Tumi asks if she’s okay. She says she has a fracture, and in her interview, she says she has a high tolerance for pain. She had the feeling she broke her wrist, since she’d broken the other one snowboarding. If it had been worse, she couldn’t drive and she’d have to be replaced as captain, but it’s not that bad. She can still drive the vessel. She thanks Nikola for holding down the fort. On the tender, the guests take pics and laugh. Natalya radios Luka and says she’ll need a heads up, since she wants to surprise the guests. He tells her, 10 minutes, and Natalya and Lara pour shots. Lara says, it smells like tomorrow night. Jack plates the… food porn! I dub it such before it even leaves the galley. The guests return, and Luka goes to see Captain Sandy. She tells him that she can still drive. It’s just a little fracture, but she’ll still have to wear the brace for 5 weeks. In Luka’s interview, he says, Captain Sandy’s wrist is broken, but she’s still got that attitude. You’re a boss. In Max’s interview, he says he thinks his reputation is getting better. He’s become the cherry on the cake, and it feels good. The captain stops by to see the guests, and explains that when she was launching the kayak, she backed up and fell on her bum, but she can still drive. Guest Carlie says, Captain Sandy’s crew is top notch. Kyle sees Natalya and says, they might as well fight, the day he’s having, and she asks, what happened? He says, Jessika is feeling a certain way, but Natalya says, he can’t harvest that negative energy. Kyle asks if he’s supposed to thank Jessika for talking sh*t behind his back. The drama is always revolving around the interior, and it’s exhausting.

In Jessika’s interview, she says, after the day she had with Kyle being a rude bitch, being on service reminds her that she’s a good stew, and makes her heart feel better. The table décor is Italian picnic surrounded by beautiful greenery, and the guests are seated. Amanda announces to no one in particular that the chef is having desert with them. Natalya and Luka hang up shiny streamers for the casino, while flirting, and Kyle says he’s drained. Jessika wants to know how she came into the conversation, and Tumi says, Kyle just heard green stew and flipped. Luka helps with service, and the guests cheer Jack when he comes up, thanking him for the best dinner. They ask where he’s from, and he tells them, Liverpool, and guest Sonali says she’s from London. Jack says he’s been there, and another guest says, she’s really from Maryland. They ask Tumi if it’s okay for Jack to have a shot, but Tumi says, it’s not her decision. Amanda asks, what if they demand it? and Jack says, then he’ll have to. They chant, shots! Shots! and Tumi serves them. Sonali says, Jack has to taste test the whole thing, and he throws it back. In Jack’s interview, he says he didn’t even want the shot. He feels possessed. And he can feel Tumi’s eyes on him. She knows he did wrong. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, but he is. Tumi tells Jessika that Jack’s not allowed do that. Cleaning the cabins, Kyle says, women are literally the messiest of all humankind. We will have to agree to disagree. Jack spends a half hour with the guests, then cleans the galley. At 11:15 pm, it’s casino time. Jack joins them, and Sonali bounces an inflatable die on her palm. Jack finally leaves, and tells Tumi that it’s a good crowd; sexy as hell. Tumi says, Jack has a crush, and took a sneaky shot. Captain Sandy is so strict on that, Jack has to tell her. He doesn’t want her finding out. He says, she won’t unless there’s a snitch, but she says, the captain will find out. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s giving Jack an opportunity. Captain Sandy will find out from one of the guests or a crew member. She hopes he does the right thing. Kyle says he doesn’t feel good; he’s dizzy. He sits down on the floor, and Tumi says she doesn’t know what to do and runs off to get help.  

Tumi call Lara and tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. Lara speaks to Kyle in Afrikaans, and asks, what’s going on? He says he doesn’t feel well, and Lara asks Tumi to get a cold towel. Kyle says he’s been drinking water, so he’s not dehydrated, and Lara asks if he’s eaten. He says, this morning, and she says, that’s probably why this is happening. Kyle cries that this stupid drama is getting to him. He’s tired. Lara says, a buildup of emotions can create anxiety, plus not eating. Natalya eats in the crew mess, and Lara tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. He’s crying and dizzy. She’s going to make him some noodles. Tumi tells Kyle that it could be an anxiety attack, and Kyle says, the older he gets, he doesn’t want to deal with this sh*t. No more with Natalya’s up and down relationship and feeling this and that. Tumi says, it’s okay, and Natalya says, they’re going to put him in bed so he can get comfy. Kyle says he’s overworked. It’s just everything. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s not a stranger to anxiety attacks. She thinks the pressure this season is getting to Kyle, and he’s internalizing it. Your body tells you when you need a break, and if you don’t stop, your body will. AJ calls Natalya and says he’s – wait for it – missing part of his soul. <gag> He’s never been this long without her. Lara tells Kyle not to overwork himself, and Kyle texts Zach that it’s been a tough day. He loves and misses Zach. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s overwhelmed. He’s been working long hours. He was similarly depressed on his first yacht. He was in a vehicle with the first officer and jumped out on I-95. He wanted physical hurt as opposed to feeling that way emotionally. But what is he supposed to do? Quit his job? Kyle thanks Lara and Tumi in a group chat, and says he reached his breaking point and can no longer obtain personal life matters from everyone anymore.

Nataly asks if Jessika has read the text, and says she thinks it’s a small dig saying he reached his breaking point. She thinks he means Jessika. In the crew mess Lara tells Haleigh that she wants to get laid. She doesn’t know what it feels like anymore. The breakfast special is smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and I wouldn’t throw that off my plate. Natalya asks Kyle, what’s going on? She thinks they should have an interior meeting when the guests are gone. He says, it’s for him and Jessika to sort out, and Natalya says, Jessika saw his dig at her, but he says he doesn’t care. Anchor is up, and Jessika asks if Tumi read the text. Jessika shows her, and Tumi says, it was just because of Kyle’s panic attack. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Jessika and Kyle’s last interaction was him attacking her, so naturally she’d think it was an insinuation against her. Tumi tells Jessika that Kyle said he can’t take on everyone’s issues. She doesn’t think Jessika was the target. It’s not meant to be a friendship group. Kyle tells Tumi that Natalya wants a meeting, but he’s just going to be sitting there. Tumi tells him that Jessika thought the message was targeting her because she didn’t know what happened, so she explained. In his interview, Kyle says, this is what Natalya’s about. She pokes her nose into other people’s business, and acts like she knows better. Stay in your lane. The guests pack.

The pilot boat comes, and Kyle suggests he and Jessika talk and come to a solution when the guests leave. Luka asks the interior to help with docking, telling them to take a fender each. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s a tight slip, but she trusts her crew. Luka is in work mode, and it’s incredible how far they’ve all come. In Luka’s interview, he says he’s proud of his team. They were focused when Captain Sandy was off the boat, and it made him look good. And when he looks good, the captain is happy. There are hugs and goodbyes from the guests, and Amanda tells Captain Sandy that everything was top notch. She doesn’t know how the crew handled them. It was so fun. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests leave. Captain Sandy tells them to turn the boat around, and then they’ll have a tip meeting. Jack tells Luka about the sneaky shot, and Luka thinks it would be a good idea to tell the captain. Jack meets Captain Sandy on the bridge, and he says that he f***ed up a little last night. He had a shot with the guests. The captain tells him, pack your sh*t, and before he has a heart attack, adds that she’s just kidding. Jack says he doesn’t even like shots, but they were encouraging him. She says, don’t do it again, and thanks him for telling her. She told them it would be a hard charter not to cross the line. He made a mistake, and he knows it. In the captain’s interview, she says she’s glad Jack admitted it, and they’re moving on. He knows better now. Kyle asks Jessika to do cabins with him, and in her interview, Jessika says, she wants to hear Kyle out and is ready to speak to him. He closes the cabin door and sits on the bed. She asks if she should go first.

Jessika tells Kyle, that when she said he made her feel like a green stew, she never meant it in a malicious way. After speaking to Tumi, she needs to think before she says something that will come off wrong. She’s sorry for not talking directly to him. He tells her, if it was Natalya running her mouth, he’d be like, that’s typical. Jessika will see things in her own time. Jessika tells him about Natalya bringing her attention to the text, and he says he understands what she’s saying. Jessika says she’s starting to see it, and in her interview, she says, after the conversation about being on service, she didn’t take it personally until Natalya questioned Tumi laughing. Then she questioned Tumi laughing. We flash back to that, and she says she wouldn’t have second guessed a text if Natalya didn’t make her think about it. Natalya is at the core of the drama. She knows the weak link and uses that to stir the pot. She tells Kyle that she’s sorry, and he apologizes for his approach. It brought him back to being picked on previously. Jessika says she’s truly sorry from her heart and they hug. He thanks her for chatting and being open. They’ve got this. He tells her to watch out, and she says she realizes. The captain calls everyone to the deck salon for the tip meeting.

Captain Sandy says, it was a bizarre charter for the crew, but when she was away, they maintained professionalism. She thanks them, and says, on the flip side, she said the guests would push them to cross the line. She asks, how many were tempted? and a few of the crew members raise their hands. She says, superyacht people don’t cross the line, no matter what. They maintained so well, she booked a charter for tomorrow, and there’s a 24-hour turnaround. This news goes over like a lead balloon, and the captain says, just kidding. Gee, she’s a real laugh riot. What’s with her today? She tells them that owners have arranged for a day off for them tomorrow. Go have fun and blow off steam. The tip is $20K or 1400 euros each. In Lara’s interview, she says she’s excited for a day off. Slick as sh*t. They clink glasses and Captain Sandy thanks them and tells them to have fun.

The crew finishes cleaning the boat and gets ready to go out. Haleigh suggests they get blackout wasted. They teleport to a restaurant, and when Luka orders tequila, water, and cucumber. Lara calls him a basic ass white girl. Food is served, and Kyle asks, what was their most challenging charter? Natalya says, the first one, and Kyle says, this last one was the worst in his history of yachting. Jessika says, it’s always a lot and suggests they be positive for the next one. Kyle takes her hand and says he’s glad they’re together again. To be honest, she looks happier. Tumi is a calm mediator. She knew they needed space from each other, and he needed to be away from the guests. Natalya watches them and if looks could kill. In her interview, she says, they have a trio of three best friends. Be positive. You’re so hot, babe. It does her head in. These are the most ungenuine people she’s ever met in her life. Wow. And she’s the most ungenuine, jealous, vindictive, screwed-up bitch I’ve had the pleasure to never meet in my life. AJ texts that he loves her because he senses potential fun, and she texts back that she loves him too. She tells the others that she’s going back to the boat for a minute, and she’ll meet them at the next bar. Kyle asks, what’s wrong? but she just leaves.

At the boat on the phone, Natalya tells AJ that it’s been a stressful week. It just built up. Everyone is out, but she’s on the boat. He says he’s at work, and she says she feels home sick. She doesn’t feel good and can’t deal with what’s going on.

At the restaurant, Jessika calls ex-primary Amanda, and says, they’re going to be in the bar next to the boat. Kyle says he can party, but he’s done with the girls. Natalya is so aggressive and sh*t stirring. He doesn’t want that toxicity around him. Lara says, it gave him an anxiety attack, and Kyle says he feels free now that Natalya walked off. At the next bar, the previous charter shows up, and Lara says, now the tables are turned. The girls have to buy them drinks. Natalya comes back, and one of the girls is sitting with Luka. Natalya says she could hear them a mile away, and Luka asks where she ran off to. She says she had business, and asks if he wants a shot, but he says, no. In Natalya’s interview, she says, Luka is super cold to her. She feels icy vibes toward him. Um… I think she means from him, but she is an idiot. Everyone dances, and kisses everyone else. Lara racks up 10 kisses overall. With different women. Max, who isn’t doing too badly himself with ex-guest Leni, puts Lara on his shoulders. Go, Lara! In Lara’s interview, she says, she’s got charm the straight ladies can’t resist. She’s a fun drunk. Luka goes into the bathroom with Jessika (!), and Tumi listens at the door. In Tumi’s interview, she says, this is going to end badly. Everyone says their goodbyes, and the crew goes back to the boat.

Lara says she hooked up with every woman who ever existed. Haleigh wisely goes to bed, and Kyle says he’s putting money on Max and Leni not working out. Max is 23, and Leni is a grown businesswoman. Kyle’s engaged, so he’s out. Max somehow thinks S for straight should be tacked on to LGBTQIA+, and Kyle says he must be crazy. He supports Max’s straightness and Max can show allyship, but he can’t be accepted as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Natalya says, maybe he’s bi-curious since he’d be with two girls. I think she’s joking, but again, she’s an idiot. Kyle tells her to take a back seat in this conversation, and she tells him not to talk to her like that. He says, she’ll never control him. Focus on her own f***ed up life. Jack tries to intervene, and Kyle says, she’ll throw him under the bus next. Natalya says she can’t believe what he’s saying. This speaks volumes about their friendship. He says, their friendship’s never been real. She’s been a fake ass bitch since day one.

I would cheer Kyle for telling Natalya what he really thinks, but they’ll probably be friends again by the end of next charter.

To be continued…

🌾Bringing In One Sheaf…

Come around tomorrow for soap and a cup or two of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not letting yourself be dragged into debate on Thanksgiving (change the subject), and stay admitting the truth. Everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway.