Tag Archives: Chuck Berry

February 7, 2023 – Felicia Plans a Vigorous Haunting, Same Old Jersey, Calendar Boys, Leaving Port Charles, Everything Grammy & Handsome

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Laura thanks Eileen for meeting her at Kelly’s. She needed the comfort and coziness of the diner tonight. She asks Eileen to step in for her tomorrow at the sanitation worker’s negotiation meeting. When she attended Britt Westbourne’s memorial, she found out a dear friend of hers died.

Anna says, Valentin and Charlotte had a nice visit, but he says it was too brief. Holding her in his arms made him realize what he was missing. His girl is growing up. Anna says, they have a tendency to do that, and he says, she and Charlotte seem to be getting along. She says, Charlotte is on to them, and she thinks Charlotte approves. Felicia comes in, and Anna asks how it went. Felicia says, as planned. Charlotte is home with Doc at Laura’s. She asks if there’s a problem, and Anna says, other than Victor, no.

Spencer finds Victor in the chapel, and Victor says he was hoping to give Obrecht his condolences, but he’s too late. Spencer says, Britt would have approved of the memorial, and Victor thinks Obrecht will be struck by the irony of the situation. They’re living in the same hell; the hell of losing one’s only child.

At The Savoy, Portia hugs Curtis, thanking him for making everything look so beautiful. Molly asks if TJ is ready for the big day tomorrow, and he says, absolutely. Portia and Curtis should be celebrated. She says, but she can’t help wondering how his mom feels.

Taggert and Jordan have dinner at Kelly’s, and she tells him that he was probably her most successful relationship. He says, he gets her, and tomorrow their exes are going to become partners for life.

Curtis says he knows Portia was disappointed that her mom’s condition prevents her from traveling, and she says, of course (🍷) she’d like to have her family here, but as long as she has him, she’ll be all right. He says he can’t have his beautiful bride disappointed, and turns her around. She sees her father and brother, and hugs them both, squealing with happiness. Marshall asks Trina if that’s her grandfather, and she says, and her Uncle Ezekiel. He asks if her uncle is a doctor too, but she says, Uncle Zeke went his own way.

Elizabeth stands at the doorway of The Savoy, and almost leaves, but Drew says, not so fast. Didn’t she just get here? He’s sorry for blocking her escape, but he’s also sorry for everything she’s going through. She looks at him blankly, and he says, her break-up with Finn. She says, it’s been a rough couple of weeks; for the boys as well. Cameron had a first love break-up, and it’s a unique type of pain. Drew says, he’ll get through it, and he’s sure Cameron knows she’s there for him. She says, but what if she can’t be?

Ava says she can’t let Nikolas take Avery, and he says, don’t worry. He’ll tell Avery that she said goodbye. He turns to leave, and she grabs a statue of a griffon, and whacks him in the back of the head. He drops to the floor, and she goes to him, asking him if he’s all right, and telling him to please answer her. She couldn’t let him take Avery. She just wanted to stop him, so she could reason with him. Please wake up.

Eileen says, Anna Devane is dead? and Laura says, along with her granddaughter’s father, Valentin Cassadine. Valentin tracked Anna to a Paris catacomb, and it collapsed. There were multiple fatalities. Whoever was behind this is responsible for a tremendous loss of life.

Jordan asks if Taggert invited her out to have a pity party, but he says, pity is not their style. Everyone is at The Savoy, celebrating the happy couple and toasting them, so he thought they could share a meal. She says, because she might feel lonely? Jealous? He says, left out, like him, and she says, they were invited. He says, but they declined because it wouldn’t be right, and she says, because he’s not over Portia. He says he’s been over Portia. Jordan isn’t over Curtis. She says she’s not over wanting to protect him, and Taggert asks what that means.

Curtis introduces him self to Portia’s father Sterling, and says he’s glad Sterling and Ezekiel could make it. Ezekiel tells him, it’s Zeke. No one calls him Ezekiel except his mom when she’s mad at him. Portia asks Zeke to tell her everything, and Zeke says, not only did Curtis arrange for their flights at the last minute, he hired a caretaker to look after their mom. Portia says, he’s a keeper.

TJ tells Molly that his mom thought it best to sit this one out, although he’s sure she wishes them well. Molly says, it must be hard to watch Curtis move on, and he says, if they ever split up and Molly committed to someone else he doesn’t know how he’d take it. She says, if they ever split up, she’s joining a nunnery, but he says, that, he can’t imagine. No relationship is infallible. She wonders why they’re talking about this at the rehearsal dinner, and says she’s sorry she mentioned it, but he says, they’re good. He just wants them to stay that way. She asks why they wouldn’t, and he says, because they have something in common with his mom and Taggert.

Trina asks Marshall where Epiphany is, and he says, she’s out of town. Now that she passed her MCATs, she’s checking out a few med schools. She asks if Epiphany is moving, and he says, hopefully not. Why is Trina hanging around him? Doesn’t she have a date tonight, or is he late? She says, Marshall is fun to hang around, and she knew better than to invite Spencer to a family event. He says, good call.

Spencer asks if something happened to Valentin, and Victor says, he died. He drowned in Paris. Spencer asks if Valentin was there on business, and Victor says, his son died putting others ahead of his family. Let that be a lesson to Spencer. Friends may have their appeal, women may have their uses, but in the final analysis, cleave only to his true family. Only a Cassadine can truly understand a Cassadine. Heed these words, lest Spencer suffer the same fate as his son.

Ava tells Nikolas, please wake up. She didn’t mean it. She just wanted to stop him from taking Avery. She wonders if he’s breathing, and listens for a heartbeat, when there’s a knock at the door. Ava hears, open up. It’s Austin.

Laura says, now Eileen knows why she asked her to step in. It’s so upsetting, the loss of innocent life. She believes Anna was innocent and thinks she was framed. Of course (🍷) now she’ll never have the chance to prove that. And Laura’s little granddaughter is just bereft over the loss of her father. She suggests they go over the sanitation workers’ contracts, but Eileen says she’s not feeling very well. Could they tackle this in the morning? She gets up, gathering her things, and Laura says, of course (🍷). Does Eileen think she’ll be up to it? Eileen says she’ll be fine. She’s sorry about Laura’s friends. She leaves, and Laura takes out her phone. She sends a text, and says, mission accomplished.

Taggert asks why Jordan still feels the need to protect Curtis, and she says, just because they divorced their exes doesn’t mean they don’t still care. He says he still cares about Portia, but protecting her is Curtis’s responsibility now. Trina’s a different story. He’s always going to care about his baby girl, no matter what. She says, protecting the people she cares about is second nature; that includes him. He says he doesn’t need protecting any more than Curtis does. Unless there’s something she’s not saying. She says, she and Taggert have always trusted each other, with their lives and with their secrets… Laura comes by, and says she was on her way to the rehearsal dinner,  and she guesses they’re not going. Jordan says she’s not really feeling the moment. Laura’s meeting with Eileen looked intense. Anything she should know about? Laura says, they were just going over contracts for tomorrow’s meeting, then Eileen felt sick, and left kind of suddenly. Jordan hopes she feels better soon, but Laura says she thinks things are likely to get worse for Eileen before they get better. She hopes Stella feels better soon. She heard Stella was too sick to officiate at the wedding.

Zeke says, their mom wanted to be here more than anything, and Portia says, she knows, and asks how she’s doing. Is she having any side affects from the new medication? He says, she’s doing okay. She made him promise not to talk about her health with Portia. Portia says, of course (🍷) she did, and Zeke says, she wants Portia to focus on her wedding. He takes out a jewelry box, and says, she wanted Portia to have this. She opens it to a beautiful rhinestone flower brooch, and says, it’s their great grandmother’s brooch. She can’t accept it; it’s far too valuable. He says, their mom knew Portia would say that, and also said nothing is more priceless than the happiness of her only daughter. And he’s not wearing it, so she’d better. He leaves, and Curtis comes along. Portia hugs him, and says, how can she thank him? It’s going to be perfect tomorrow… What’s wrong? He says, there’s been a slight hedge, but they have guests and can talk about it later. She says, if there’s going to be a problem, she wants to know.

Drew says, Elizabeth can tell him, and she says she’s just hyper-aware that time’s fleeting and tomorrow’s not promised.

Trina tells Marshall that she sees Spencer. He’s sensitive and kind. People just need to keep an open mind and give him a chance. Marshall says, it sounds like her friendship has been good for Spencer. Just make sure the reverse is true.

TJ tells Molly that Curtis and his mom started leading separate lives when they let their careers take their focus. He doesn’t want them to make the same mistake. She says she misses him, but still feels close to him, and he says he feels the same. He asks her to promise they’ll always be vigilant about this, and she promises. In fact, she can’t wait to get closer tonight. They kiss, and Trina says, sorry, but she needs to know, how close is the DA to nailing Esme Prince?

Victor asks Spencer to promise he’s committed to this family, and the future Victor is trying to build for the generations of Cassadines to come. Spencer says he is. He believes there is a better future for the Cassadine line. Victor says he knew he could count on Spencer to do what’s necessary, and Spencer says, he can. Starting with taking full custody of his little brother or sister.

Ava closes the sitting room doors, and opens the front door. She tells Austin that it isn’t a good time, but he says, it will only take a minute. She says, maybe tomorrow? She really wasn’t expecting company this evening. He says, it’s really important. Will she let him in? It’s really cold out here. She tells him to go to the sitting room, upstairs to the right. The staff has the night off, so he’ll have to find it on his own. He heads upstairs, and she goes back to Nikolas. She says, think, Ava. Think.

Jordan says she hadn’t heard about Stella being sick, but she was worried this might happen. Stella has a history of health issues, and was a little off when Jordan saw her earlier. Laura says, at least it’s nothing serious. She should get going. She hopes they have a wonderful evening. She leaves, and Curtis says, whatever it is, it must have really laid Stella out. He can’t imagine her missing her nephew’s big day. Jordan says, maybe she’ll check in on Stella, and he says, it’s good she’s kept up a relationship with Curtis’s family. She says, when there’s a divorce, it doesn’t just affect the two people in the marriage, and he says, he and Portia need to have a relationship for Trina’s sake. Now that Curtis is part of the equation… He’s a good guy. She says, he is, and so is Taggert. Portia is a good woman, but sometimes good people get caught up… He says, hold up. He knows why she feels she has to protect Curtis. It’s because of Portia’s lie.

Portia asks why Curtis didn’t tell her about Stella earlier, and he says, auntie didn’t want to ruin tonight. She feels awful about tomorrow. She says she knows how badly he wanted Stella to officiate, but he says, as long as he gets to marry her tomorrow, nothing else matters.

Marshall asks if Drew has his speech locked down, but Drew says he’s on the fence between funny and sentimental. Marshall says, as long as it’s from the heart, and Drew says he’ll do his best. The gift Curtis is most grateful for is Marshall being at the wedding. Marshall says he just wishes he could give Curtis the one thing he asked for.

Trina guesses she came in kind of hot, but Molly says, it’s totally understandable, given what Esme has put Trina through. But she’s afraid the defense might try to plead it out, argue for lesser penalties or even a dismissal of charges. Trina says, which means Esme will be free to live her life and raise her baby.

Spencer tells Victor that Diane agreed to be his counsel, and even Ava offered to help. He also has the support of his friends. Victor says, Spencer is making this move now, after what he just said about putting others ahead of family? Spencer says, his sibling is a Cassadine too, arguably the only one worth saving. This baby represents the future Victor is so passionate about. Shouldn’t they give the newest Cassadine heir the best chance in life? Can Victor honestly say that would be with his father or Esme? Victor says, Nikolas is desperate to raise this child, but Spencer says he doesn’t care what his father wants. Victor says, neither does he. He knew he was right to put his trust in Spencer. Well played. This custody move is a stroke of genius.

N’neka says, Curtis has an uninvited guest. She told him it was a private event, but he says he needs to have a word. Curtis says he’ll handle it, and goes outside to find Brad. Brad apologizes for intruding, but he told his aunt that he’d stop by. He holds out an envelope, and says, on the occasion of Curtis’s wedding, his aunt sends her warmest compliments.

Ava drags Nikolas to a closet in the stables, and says she’s so sorry. She really did love him. She padlocks the closet door on her way out, and sees Austin watching her.

Valentin says, the authorities confirmed their deaths, but how do they know Victor buys it? and Felicia says, after Victor was contacted by Laura, he verified it with his people. Valentin says, it’s neat, it’s clean; what’s next? Felicia says, as far as Victor knows, he and Anna are deceased. They’re ghosts. And what do ghosts do best? He says, they get three sheets to the wind. It’s not a dad joke; he got it from Charlotte. Felicia says, ghosts do love their boos. They also like to exorcise. Anna says, stop it please, and Felicia asks how ghosts exorcise. With a vigorous haunting.

Curtis asks Brad to tell his auntie that he appreciates the well wishes. He’s welcome to stay for a drink. Brad says, thanks, but he’s not in a celebrating mood, and Curtis says, sorry about his friend. Brad says, congratulations, and leaves. Laura arrives, and hugs Curtis. She asks if he can believe his big day is here already, and asks how he feels. He says, overwhelmed, but happy, when Portia joins them. She and Laura hug, and Curtis says, they have a big favor to ask Laura. Laura says she’d love to officiate their wedding, and he asks if she’s psychic, but she says, no. Stella called her. He says, that’s his auntie; always taking care of business. Portia thanks Laura for taking the weight off their shoulders, and Laura says, her pleasure. Stella wanted them to know how sorry she is. She didn’t sound that bad, but Jordan seemed to think it was coming on all day. Portia says, Jordan said Stella was sick? and Laura asks if something is wrong. Portia says, Stella seemed fine when she saw her last, but Laura says, those bugs can come on suddenly. Curtis suggests they get a drink, but Portia says she wants to take a second with her mother’s gift, and Curtis and Laura go inside.

Spencer says he’s surprised Victor approves of him seeking custody, but he’s glad Victor does. Victor says, he doesn’t just approve; he’s impressed. This is a masterful move, and could be the key to getting Spencer’s father to fall in line. Spencer says, this isn’t about getting his father to fall in line. It’s about getting him out of their lives. Isn’t Victor finished with Nikolas? Victor says, no one’s ever finished with family. This move is seamless. It builds on everything already in motion. It’ll take Nikolas losing everything, including his baby, to force him back into the fold.

Austin asks if Ava is going to explain what’s going on, and she asks if he’s going to the cops. He asks if there’s any reason he wouldn’t, and she says she and Nikolas were arguing, and he threatened to take her daughter. He would use his Uncle Victor’s resources, and she’d never see Avery again. She panicked, grabbing the first thing she could, and she hit him. She just wanted to stop him, but he fell and he wasn’t breathing. Austin says, so she put him in a closet? Can they talk about that? (Ha-ha! Roger Howarth’s delivery.) She says, people will think she killed her husband out of revenge, and he says, did she? She says, no. She just wanted to stop him and talk to him. He threatened to take her daughter. Austin says, she thinks that sounds like a defense, but it sounds like motive, and she says, despite everything, she loved him. Austin says, so Nikolas shows up here late at night, unannounced, uninvited, and threatened to take her daughter. He doesn’t know her track record with the truth, but it rings true. She says, he doesn’t understand. She loved Nikolas and she killed him. It doesn’t matter that she didn’t mean to or what any court may rule. She’ll be condemned and sentenced by Victor Cassadine.

Taggert says, Portia really hurt him, but he’s forgiven her, and Jordan says, but Trina… and he says, of course (🍷) it’s never easy learning your parents aren’t perfect. She was hurt, but understands his behavior was part of it. Jordan asks how any of this was his fault, and he says he was never home. When they were off doing undercover work, his wife was lonely; she felt neglected. He gets why Jordan feels she has to protect Curtis. She feels if Portia was unfaithful before, she could do it again. Jordan says, actually, she’s sure Portia loves Curtis, and would do absolutely anything not to lose him.

Portia leaves a voicemail for Stella, saying, she wanted to check in and see if Stella was okay. If she needs anything, let her know. They miss her. Zeke asks, what’s wrong? and she says, nothing, hopefully. Curtis’s aunt suddenly fell ill. He says, and she’s worried, but she says, not for the reason he might think.

Marshall tells Drew that Curtis asked him to perform at the ceremony, but he doesn’t want to screw up on Curtis’s big day. Drew says, that’s highly unlikely. As a wise man once told him, all that matters is that it comes from the heart.

Trina introduces her grandfather to TJ and Molly, and Sterling says, thank goodness for Molly. They’re a little doctor heavy in this family. Curtis tells Trina, they’re playing our jam, and takes her to the dance floor. TJ tells Molly that he’d like to continue their conversation about getting closer.

At the bar, Laura asks if Elizabeth is okay, and Elizabeth says she just has a lot on her mind. Laura asks if one of those things would be Nikolas. What was going on at the hospital earlier? What were they arguing about?

Felicia says, years ago, her, Sean, and Mac devised a plan to outwit outlast outplay Ryan Chamberlain. She was already dead, so Ryan thought, and she haunted him to get his confession on tape, and it worked. Valentin says, so she thinks since it worked on Ryan, it will be worth trying on Victor? and she says, they have way better technology now, but in a nutshell, the strategy is torment, guilt, compel. Anna asks if it isn’t worth a try. She already recorded a message from the Great Beyond earlier. He says, she knew of this plan? and she says she did. Just hear them out. He says, there’s one minor flaw. Felicia’s plan will never work on his father.

Spencer tells Victor, there’s enough manipulation in this family. This is a baby; this is not leverage. Victor says, everything’s leverage, if used in the right way, but Spencer says, him gaining custody serves a higher purpose; to save his little brother or sister from his father. Victor says, keep telling himself that, but from where he’s standing, he’s seeing a man tapping into his natural born instincts. Before he saw Spencer, he was really quite bereft. Now he has hope again.

Ava asks if there’s anything she can do to get Austin to walk away right now. He can have money. He can have this house. He can have the gallery. She knows they don’t know each other very well, but she thinks they understand some things, and hopes, despite her history, he knows this is not who she is. Not anymore. Just give her some time to leave with her daughter. He says he’s going to stop her right now. There’s nothing she can do to change his mind.

Sterling says, Portia looks way too serious for a blushing bride. It’s not too late to back out. She says, if there’s one thing she’s sure about, it’s Curtis, and Sterling says he likes Curtis. He’s not sure if Curtis deserves her, but he’ll do. She’s done nothing but make him proud. She’s every father’s dream; her and that little granddaughter of his. Everyone goes back to dancing, and Spencer watches Trina from the top of the steps.

Eileen meets Victor in the chapel, and says, since he wouldn’t take her call. Anna and Valentin are dead. He says, news travels fast. Yes, his son was killed. She says, Anna and his son were looking for Lucy Coe. Is she dead as well? He assured her nobody would die. She didn’t sign up for this. Obviously, she did no research before that sign-up. He says, she acts like she has some choice in the matter; she doesn’t. She works for him. She knew there were risks. She says she’s out. She’s no longer at his disposal. He says, that’s not her decision to make. If she crosses him, getting caught will be the least of her worries.

Valentin says, if they hope to get a confession from his father by playing on Victor’s guilt, they’re going to be disappointed. Anna supposes you can’t shame the shameless, and Felicia says, which is why she had to adjust the plan this time. He says, which part? The torment part, the guilt part, or the compel part? She says, that all stays the same. She’s talking target. It’s not Victor.

Eileen gets her really, really nice car, and the radio comes on. There’s nothing but static, and she tries to adjust the dial. She hears Anna’s voice saying, you’re next. You’re next, Eileen. You’re next. You’re next. YOU’RE NEXT!

Austin says he doesn’t believe Ava wanted Nikolas dead, and she asks if he’s saying he’ll wait to report this. He says he has no intention of reporting this at all, and she asks, why not? He says he’s not really clear on that, but it feels right, and she helped him out when she didn’t have to. They’ve talked about this; families are complicated. If Victor is going to kill her if he finds out, then the only solution is for him not to find out. She wonders how to keep it from Laura and Spencer, and he says he’ll help her.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth says she’s not as perfect as Laura thinks she is; Alexis supposes Gregory is over it; and Carly thinks the nightmare will finally be over

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Getting down to business, there are a couple of new wives, Rachel and Danielle (no, not that Danielle), as well as another Jennifer who’s a friend. We’ll call her Jen to avoid confusion. These Jennifers are getting like the Joes. Throw a rock, hit a Joe or Jennifer. Dolores has new man Paulie in her life, and it looks like Frank isn’t hanging around so much anymore. Although you’d think he wouldn’t want to, since he’s dating Brittany, and Dolores said she had dogs who were older than Brittany. I think she’s exaggerating, but if not, I want to know what she’s feeding them.

Teresa had a destination 50th birthday celebration, where Jennifer #1 broke her toe. In Jennifer’s interview, she said she had the evil eye on her, and her mother did something called a kurşun, which was supposed to remove it. Jennifer didn’t feel it worked, and thought the evil was coming from Dolores. Joe #2 was pissed about Melissa being frozen out of Teresa’s wedding, but Melissa texted Teresa that it was all good. She didn’t hear back, and two months later, Teresa invited Melissa to her birthday. As you can imagine, Melissa RSVP’d a big fat no. Teresa also celebrated her birthday at home with Louie’s family, and said, it was a dream, since apparently, she’d traded her own family for them. Louie’s mom is a therapist, so she must be having a field day. Teresa said it hurt that Joe and Melissa hadn’t come to her party, and thought it was coming from Melissa, and Joe was just following blindly. Louie said Joe was weak and immature, and Melissa was insecure. Teresa’s birthday wish was that the family not fight and love each other. I don’t see how that could fail, considering her fine example. And talk about a follower. Louie is like her bobblehead. Whatever she says, he just agrees.

To kick off Memorial Day weekend, Melissa had an 80s roller skating party, because the 80s was her jam. Everyone except Louie dressed up, and those who’d gone through the 80s (Rachel was born in 1991) had 80s flashbacks. Marge ended up breaking her wrist when she landed on her ass. Not that I’m judging. I’m terrible on skates. In Teresa’s interview, she said she’d been going to therapy, and was learning that she didn’t have to be so reactive, yelling and throwing things. I wonder how much that therapist is charging. I’ll tell her that for half of it. We also found out that her father had been volatile when angry, which makes complete sense. In Danielle’s interview, she said she was a combination of Staten Island and New Jersey. She got her cojones from Staten Island, but her sass from Jersey. Jennifer avoided Dolores like the plague, and Dolores wondered if they were in the schoolyard.

Dolores said, since the charity softball game for breast cancer research was such a success, they were doing a calendar of the husbands. Teresa invited Marge and Joe #3 to have lunch with her and Louie at their house. Marge said she was a little anxious, since last time they met, Teresa had dumped a whole table on her, and we flashed back to that. Teresa wanted to talk it out, and once they got going, Louie told her to stop interrupting Marge. That’s another thing he does, the gentle correction when they’re in public. I think it’s all for show. Teresa blamed Marge for her issues with Melissa, because Melissa didn’t stand up for Louie. Yeah. She’s a real logic queen, a regular Mr. Spock. Teresa said she’d also texted Melissa to tell them not to talk about Louie, and Melissa read the text to the group. Teresa said she was being raw as a cucumber, apologized to Marge, and invited her to the wedding. While I’d like to see Teresa shown the door, I would miss her little bon mots.

The guys gathered with the Wives at Dolores’s house for the calendar shoot. One new husband – I’m not sure which was which – was photographed watering plants (shirtless of course), and the other was a lumberjack. Joe #2 was a chef at the grill, and Joe #3 was on a motorcycle. Evan was a basketball player, and Bill, a sexy doctor. Louie did yoga poses, and Marge said, Teresa could be the fluffer. In Teresa’s interview, a producer asked if she knew what that was, and she thought it was a long stick with a feather at the end. If you don’t know, google it. In Melissa’s interview, she said, Joe #2 was going all Zoolander. Marge told Joe #2 and Melissa about Teresa’s apology, and that she’d said Melissa didn’t back Louie up. Paulie, who’d just gotten over covid, showed up last, and his character was a bartender. He’s not jacked like Frank is, but he seems sweet.

Jennifer babbled about Marge, but Rachel wasn’t having it. She talked to Dolores, who said she didn’t know what she’d done to Jennifer. She said Jennifer was telling everyone else how she felt, but not her. In Dolores’s interview, she said, now she was f***ing mad, and she hunted Jennifer down for a talk. She said Jennifer had been talking about her during the whole party. She’d tried talking to Jennifer at the roller rink, and she’d walked away. Jennifer whined that Dolores had told her, f*** you, the last time they’d talk, and said she didn’t have the decency to say what Marge did wrong. She said she and Jennifer didn’t agree on what a friend is, and Jennifer said she was nice, but Dolores wasn’t. She started yelling that Dolores was never her friend, and was two-faced. Bill steered her out, and she yelled that Dolores looks like an old f***ing handbag.

I don’t think there was a preview, but I imagine it will be more of the same yelling, screaming, and acting ignorant in general.

📅 About That Calendar…

Well, it is for charity, and face it, the husbands are the best part of the show.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/rhonj-see-the-pics-from-the-husbands-charity-calendar-photoshoot

🚢 Aντιο σας, Nikolas…

They probably just wanted someone new to own Windymere. Faison owned it when he first came to Port Charles. It’s about time it changed hands again.

🏆 For the Gram…my…

The basics. Who won, who didn’t.

https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammy-nominations-complete-winners-nominees-list

The performances.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/05/grammys-2023-brutally-honest-reviews-every-performance-ranked/11193018002/

https://people.com/music/grammys-2023-best-performances/

The fashion.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/35657/grammys-2023-red-carpet-fashion

https://people.com/style/2023-grammys-standout-style-moments/

https://www.grammy.com/news/lizzo-fashion-2023-grammys-red-carpet-pre-grammy-gala-performance-outfits

And a bunch of odd stuff. Like the untouched food.

https://www.popsugar.com/food/charcuterie-boards-grammys-2023-49079835

Madonna’s new face. I’m more concerned about what she’s wearing, the Pilgrim Wednesday Addams look.

I don’t think they were saying she looked old. Just weird.

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/madonna-responds-ageism-after-comments-appearance-grammys/story?id=96963896

Controversy! Although I’m sure he was referring to his social status or upbringing or something.

https://apnews.com/article/grammys-2023-harry-styles-album-of-the-year-harry-beyonce-68bfa38b02e797e3300b7c32f00d8b2c

I’m not even sure what to make of this.

🤓 Hello, I Must Be Going…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and what’s pumping in VanderLand. Until then, stay safe, stay celebrating your progress, no matter how small, and stay hyper-aware that time’s fleeting and tomorrow’s not promised.

July 2, 2021 – Trina Meets the Stalker, In Memory, Goodbye Joe, Baby It’s Real, What’s On, Best Dressed, Double Farewell, Garcelle Spills, a First Look, Another One, Many Short Quotes & Back

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Britt sits down in the prison visiting room, and picks up the phone. She says, lookin’ good, hot stuff, and Brad says, what’s with the red-rimmed eyes? Oh my God. Did they cancel Grey’s?

Michael says, for as long as he can remember, Jason and Carly have been friends. Friends doesn’t even cover the loyalty they have for each other. Even when they disagree, they’re still on each other’s side. He has no doubt they love each other, but he does doubt that’s the reason they have to get married. Jason says, it’s the best option they have right now under current circumstances, and Michael asks, what circumstances? Carly says, there are problems with the business.

Jax walks into Trina’s party, and sees Cameron and Josslyn. He says he heard Cameron is going to PCU. Maybe the two of them could keep each other out of trouble? Josslyn says, like Jax never got in trouble. Curtis says, Taggert made it, and Taggert says, he has so much to celebrate. He thanks Curtis for everything he’s doing for Trina, and Curtis says, no problem, but watch out. That daughter of his is going to keep him on his toes. Portia joins them, and says, she gets it from her mom, and Taggert says, that’s right.

Ava and Nina walk in, and Ava says, this is great. Maybe they could get Curtis to offer Nina’s boyfriend Mike a job there. Nina says, first of all, he’s not her boyfriend, and secondly, he’s not moving to Port Charles. Jax tells Josslyn he never got in trouble in college, and Nina asks if Ava can just drop it. Ava says her lips are sealed, and Nina walks over to Jax. Jordan arrives, and Ava tells her, congratulations. She heard Jordan took down Cyrus Renault. Too bad she couldn’t shoot to kill. Jordan thanks Ava, and tells her to enjoy her night. Ava says, highly unlikely, since she has a madman terrorizing her and her family. She wants Jordan to tell her what she’s doing about it.

At Charlie’s, Laura asks if Doc is ready to go. He looks at his phone, and says, yeah… and she asks, what’s wrong? He says he hasn’t been able to reach Nikolas. She says, he left without saying goodbye, and he was preoccupied when he was here. He’s not in a party mood; he has a stalker and a divorce looming. He says, Nikolas isn’t planning on a divorce. He’s determined to fight for his marriage at any cost.

Trina walks into the dark gallery, and literally bumps into someone. She sprays them with pepper spray, and we see it’s Nikolas, who throws up his hands and yells in pain.

Taggert wonders if Trina is going to make a grand entrance, and Portia says, Trina texted her, and she needed to make a stop before she came. Taggert says, that gives him time to practice his speech, but she says, no speeches. Don’t embarrass Trina. He tells her, speak for herself. There’s only three times a grown man gets to cry over his daughter; graduation, marriage, and childbirth. He will not be deprived. She says, so get ready for the waterworks. Ava tells Jordan that she believes she’s entitled to a thorough investigation; this has been going on for months. Taggert excuses himself, saying, his former partner needs rescuing. He picks up a couple of glasses of champagne, and goes over to Jordan. Portia tells Curtis, Taggert likes to seem tough, but he’s full of emotion when it comes to Trina. Curtis says he doesn’t doubt it. It seems Portia and Taggert are getting along well. It gives him hope with him and Jordan as exes. She says they keep it civil for Trina, but they both still have their moments. As a matter-of-fact, Taggert mentioned to her that he knew about her and Curtis’s prior relationship.

Britt tells Brad, they’d never cancel Grey’s, but there’s talk that the series might end soon. He says, no, and she says she can’t even go there right now, but she still has a DVD player, and they’re going to watch all the box sets she’s been keeping. As soon as he gets out, she’s going to take a couple of days off, and they’ll do the ultimate binge watch. He says, and Meredith hasn’t found true love, since Derek… She says, true love doesn’t even exist. The hot guys aren’t even what they used to be. He says, liar, and she says she just doesn’t want to make him feel bad. He says, in this Eden of teardrop tattoos and toilet wine? And she says, don’t tell her he drinks that. He says, it’s like 200 proof, and only on Sundays. She says he has no idea how much she missed him, and he says he might have some idea, She says, of course (🍷) he does. She’s sorry she hasn’t come by more, and he says, it’s okay. He knows she’s busy. She says he has no idea, and he asks, how’s Wiley? She says she hears he’s growing like a weed. They don’t travel in the same circles, but she’s sure Michael and Willow are taking good care of Wiley. Not as good as him of course (🍷).

Carly says, as Michael knows, when Jason was on the run and unavailable, she took Sonny’s seat at a meeting with the Five Families spaghetti sauce with mushrooms. She told them she was in charge, and then Jason came back. Jason says, the other families expect one of them to push the other out, and Carly says, specifically, they want Jason to push her out. Jason says, that hasn’t happened. One family in particular, the Novaks, sees an opening, and the Novaks have hit them a couple of times. Michael asks, how bad? and Jason says, they took out a warehouse. Michael asks if they retaliated, and Jason says, last night, the Novaks lost a building where their main offices are located. No one was hurt, but the building was burned to the ground. They also had 27 trucks stolen. Michael says, it’s impressive, and Jason says, it sends a message. Carly says, her and Jason’s engagement will send a message too.

Josslyn says hi to Nina, who says she hopes it’s okay that she crashed the party. Cameron says, it’s Trina’s party, and he’s sure Trina will be happy to have her. Nina congratulates Josslyn and Cameron, and gives Josslyn a gift. Josslyn thanks her, and says it’s great that she’s there. She’s sure Wiley will be glad to get to know her. Will they be seeing more of her? Nina says, maybe, and Jax smiles.

Ava tells Jordan, in the absence of a viable suspect, she’s had to upend her life. Taggert comes over, and hands Jordan a glass, saying, he thought she could use this. She thanks him, and tells him to grab a table while she and Ava finish up. He leaves, and Jordan suggests Ava come by her office, and they can talk.

Laura tells Doc, Nikolas isn’t answering her calls either. What else did he say? Doc says, that he’s not taking this stalker business lying down, and she says, that’s what she was afraid of. He mentioned something about setting a trap for the stalker. Doc says he has a bad feeling that trap might have been sprung.

Nikolas rubs at his eyes, and Trina says she’s so sorry. Don’t rub at your eyes! He asks, what the hell was that? and she says, pepper spray. Her dad gave it to her to fend off attackers. He says, congratulate him on a job well done, and she tells him, sit down. She helps him wash out his eyes with a bottle of water. He asks why she sprayed him, and she says she thought he was an intruder trying to snatch her. She didn’t know it was him. Why is he even there? He says he’s trying to save his family. The ninja peeks out, and sees them. Trina tells Nikolas, be still. Pepper spray is a thousand times hotter than if he wiped his eyes after handling a jalapeno. He says that’s not making him feel any better, and she says he needs to concentrate on something else. Psychologically, it might be better to have something to take his mind off the pain. He says the only thing he wants to think about is why he’s there; he’s looking for Ava’s stalker. She says, and they thought the stalker might be there? They might have told her. She’d like to know if someone is creeping around Ava’s place of business. He says he didn’t want to scare her; he thought he could catch the person responsible. Why is she there, and not at her party? She says she heard about the divorce, and she wanted to check on Ava. Maybe she should call Ava… He says, no, please. She’s not going to be happy. She needs to hear it from him. He suggests she go to her party, and says, her friends are waiting there. She says, no; she’s not leaving him like this. She’s getting him help whether he likes it or not. If it’s not Ava, who’s it going to be? He hands her his phone, and she asks if he has communication issues.

Laura says, Nikolas should have gotten back to them by now, and Doc says, maybe he’s giving his statement to the police. Her phone rings, and she says, there he is. Trina says, it’s her. She’s at the gallery, and Laura’s son needs her. Laura says she’ll be right there. Doc says, what? and she says she’ll tell him in the car.   

Curtis says, Taggert spoke to Portia too, and she says, Taggert told Curtis that he knew about them? He says, not in so many words, but he got his point across. Luckily with a shrug of his shoulders, and not a fist to Curtis’s chin. Portia says she’s glad Taggert didn’t make a huge deal about it, and Curtis says, him too. Did he with her? She says, no; he was pretty understanding. It’s all water under the bridge anyway, but she should have mentioned it to Curtis, and sort of warned him. He says, well, they haven’t been connecting lately. He’s beginning to think it’s intentional.

Cameron and Josslyn step outside, and Cameron wonders what happened to Trina. Josslyn says, maybe she wants to make an entrance, and Cameron suggests she open Nina’s present while they’re waiting. Josslyn says she doesn’t know. Things are still kind of weird between Nina and her dad, so she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He says, she’s worried it’s going to be what? Rolling papers? I wonder where that came from. She tells him, stop it, and he says, open it; let’s see what it is. She hands him the bow, and opens the box, because on soaps, there is never traditional wrapping paper. She says, it looks like a book, and he says, maybe it’s a hangover cookbook for college. Josslyn takes out a leather-bound volume, and says, it’s a journal. Wow. Is Cameron ready to party, or what? He seems to be down for some weed and wine.

Jax says, it’s sweet of Nina to give Josslyn a gift, and she says, it’s nothing really. He says she looks great. Has she been seeing Wiley? She says, yes. Michael and Willow, and Carly surprisingly enough, have been very gracious… especially given the circumstances surrounding the invitation. He says he doesn’t regret clearing the way, and she says, even if it means things are difficult with Carly? He says he thinks he’s the farthest thing from Carly’s mind, and she asks why he’s saying that. Did something happen? He says she’ll find out sooner or later, but Carly and Jason are getting married.

Jason tells Michael, the Novaks and the other families are watching for signs of a power struggle. If they see him and Carly fighting, they’ll up the pressure, hoping to rip this family and the organization apart, and they’re going to step in and help themselves to their territory. Michael says, but there is no power struggle? and Jason says, no. They know that, but the other families don’t. Carly says, their marriage will send a message that she and Jason are a united front. Michael says, but do they want to get married?

Britt holds her phone up to the glass, and Brad says, thanks; he’s good. She says she thought he’d want to see Wiley, and he says he does, but there’s only so much he can take before it goes from heartwarming to gut wrenching. Where did she get the pictures? She says, they were all around Bobbie’s office, and he says he thought Bobbie got the boot. She says, she did, but she and her stink-eye are back patrolling the halls, now that Cyrus is kicking rocks. He says he can’t keep up. He assumed she’d gotten the photos from Jason. She asks why he said that, and he says, please. He saw her slobbering after him on Valentine’s Day. She says, shut up; she did not. He says, whatever. He can almost see it. Jason has the looks, the body, the smarts; factor in the – he lowers his voice – contract killing and mob boss BFF, it’s a helluva catch. She says Brad doesn’t know what he’s talking about. There’s more to Jason than that. He asks, how would she know? Is she sleeping with him? She says, no… not anymore.

Doc examines Nikolas’s eyes, and Laura asks, what happened to calling the police? Nikolas says, for all he knows, the stalker could be in law enforcement. Obviously, they’re familiar with Ryan Chamberlain, and have enough technical knowledge to bypass the security at Windymere, and using Ryan’s voice in that toy bear. Trina asks how Nikolas is. Is there going to be permanent damage? Doc says, he’s going to be fine. She got him good though. Trina says she thinks she emptied her cannister, and Doc says, it was excellent aim given the pressure she was under. She says her dad taught her well. Laura asks if Doc thinks they should  take Nikolas to GH, and he says, he thinks they should, to be on the safe side. They get on either side of him, and Laura tells Nikolas to walk while they steer. She tells Trina, sorry. She hopes they didn’t ruin her big night, but Trina says, it’s okay. She’ll just be fashionably late. Laura says she’s such a good sport, and when they leave, Trina turns out the lights. The ninja comes back out.

Brad tells Britt, do not leave a single thing out; he’s deprived. The gossip in there centers around who got jumped, the menu, and how to score two-in-one shampoo. Start talking. Go. She says laughs and says, okay. Cyrus sent two thugs to kill her, and Jason saved her life. As they were escaping, in a jailbreak of sorts, Jason got shot. They went on the run, and she was taking care of him. They wound up in a lighthouse in Canada, and they got really close. He says, and? and she says, if he was hoping for a play-by-play, forget it. He says he’ll forego position for the sake of accuracy. Was Jason everything she’d hoped he’d be? She asks what he thinks, and he asks why she looks like that then. She said not anymore. Does she mean to tell him that she scored the city’s hottest gangster, and it was a one and done? And since when does she withhold details? She says, she and Jason experienced something extreme together, and now that’s over. No hearts, no flowers, no frou-frou romance. It was all circumstantial, and that was all it was every going to be. He says, holy crap. She really cares about the guy.

Carly says she wants to be married to Michael’s father, but that’s not possible. This is a business arrangement, but she wouldn’t do it with anyone else but Jason. Jason says, Carly’s right. This is for the business. The only reason it makes sense is because they understand each other, and they know it’s going to work. Michael says they’ve obviously thought this through, and know what they’re doing. Have they set a date?

Nina says, Carly and Jason are getting married? She never thought of them as anything other than just friends. Jax says, back day, they were much more. For the first few years of Michael’s life, everybody thought Jason was his father. Nina says, is this a reunion of sorts? and Jax says, or a return to disfunction. He knows Carly’s personal life is none of his business, he just doesn’t want to see her make the same mistakes over and over. Nina says, it is his business, because Carly is the mother of his child, and Jax loves her. He says, it might seem ridiculous, but he doesn’t want to see her get hurt, and she says, that’s his M.O., but try as you might, you can’t control someone else’s choices. Even if you can stave off the pain and stop the hurt, maybe you shouldn’t. He says, why? Because it’s not his place? She says, because sometimes hurt is necessary. They grow out of pain and find out how strong they are. They can rebuild their lives, and sometimes if they’re lucky, be happier than they were. He thanks her for her wise perspective. He’s missed that, and he missed her too. He touches her arm.

Josslyn says, Nina must have remembered that she journaled last year, and Cameron says, but she gave that up, right? He supposes she can start again, and Josslyn flashes back to Trina telling her that Dev showed her journal to Cameron. She says, why, so he can read it like the other one? and walks away.

Curtis says, ever since that kiss… and Portia says, they discussed this. He made it clear that wasn’t something he wanted. He says he remembers something different. He remembers being in the hospital, and it was just after surgery. She told him it had been a mistake. Portia says she was agreeing with him. Why are they revisiting this conversation if they’re of the same mind? Curtis says, maybe they aren’t.

Taggert bets Jordan is grateful he ran interference with Ava. What is her problem? Jordan says, she’s got a fan… super dedicated.

The ninja steals though gallery, and a light comes on. The ninja knocks a device off the desk, and Trina comes in. The ninja slips away, and Trina picks it up. She says, damn. She’s really late. Stop screwing around, Trina. The ninja touches Trina’s shoulder, and Trina turns around. The ninja puts a finger to their lips.

At the hospital where Nikolas lies with a mask on his eyes, Laura says she can understand Nikolas wanting to hold on to his marriage no matter what. Nikolas says, but it’s not worth it? and she says, on the contrary. She can see how much they love each other, but she also understands how terrified Ava must be right now, knowing how close the stalker came to Avery. Maybe down the line, things will be different, but right now he has to honor Ava’s wishes, and let her have her space so she feels safe. Doc says, not to alarm him, but his pushback could actually endanger Ava. Nikolas sits up, taking off the mask, and says, that’s exactly what the stalker wants them to think. He won’t stand by and be forced out of his marriage. He tells Laura, don’t worry. He’ll make sure nothing happens to Ava, and she doesn’t get hurt. Laura says, even if he’s right, what if something happens to someone else?   

Trina tries using her pepper spray, but she was right; she emptied the cannister. She asks the ninja, please don’t hurt her.

Josslyn runs through the club with Cameron on her heels, saying, wait. He follows her out the front door, and says, it’s not at all what she thinks. She says, so he did read her journal. He says he didn’t go hunting for it, and she says she knows; Dev showed it to him. He asks if Trina told her. How long has she known? She says, not long, but this isn’t about Trina; it’s about them. How can they be friends if he’s not honest? He asks where she gets off lecturing him about honesty, when the proof of everything she doesn’t say was in her journal? Like what she really thinks about him.

Curtis says he’s sorry if he put Portia on the spot, and she looks over at Jordan and Taggert. She says she knows he didn’t mean to, but nothing can come of it. He asks how she knows, and she says, because it wouldn’t be received well. She excuses herself and walks away.

Jax says he didn’t mean to overstep, and she says, it’s okay. She hopes she didn’t give him mixed signals, and he says she didn’t. He just thought that maybe… Forget it. He thought wrong. She says, it’s good to see him, and he says, it’s good to see her too, and she moves on.

Carly tells Michael, this all just happened. They haven’t planned a ceremony yet… She means she hasn’t planned a ceremony. Jason says, there are people they need to tell in person, and Michael says, like grandmother? Carly says she knows Monica is going to hate it, but she needs to hear it from them. Maybe Jason should handle it solo. Jason says he’ll figure it out, and Carly says, Josslyn doesn’t know, but she didn’t want to overshadow Josslyn’s graduation celebration. Michael says, a lot of people are going to be surprised, but once they have a chance to think about it, they won’t be surprised at all. Carly says she told Jason the same thing. Even people who don’t know the business part, she doesn’t think that many people will be surprised. Jason flashes back to Britt saying he told her that he wasn’t good at what ifs, and she really liked that about him. Don’t lose it now; just get out.

Britt asks Brad, how pathetic was she? What was she thinking? That they’d be a couple? That they would pick out furniture and move in together? When did she get so lame? He reminds her that she’s talking to a man behind bars, who conspired with a homicidal maniac to steal a baby from the child’s father. She says, they were running for their lives, and following the 10-hour rule. She let herself get caught up in dreaming of a future, when actually she doesn’t have one. Brad asks what’s stopping her, and she flashes back to Jason saying it could be thirty years. It’s her life and her choice, but for what it’s worth (🍷), he’d still like to know her six months from now. She says she wants to know him too. Britt tells Brad, with Jason, she means. Brad says she obviously likes him. He had no idea Jason was so smooth. She says, he was just kind to her and she ate it up like a hot fudge sundae. Poor Britt, starved for affection, took common decency for a love connection. He says he’d thank her not to make fun of his best friend. She’s smart, beautiful, funny as hell, and a doctor, which makes her fierce. He knocks on the glass, and asks if he’s getting through to her. She says, thanks; she’s a catch. Just not one you catch and keep. He says, that’s on Jason, and if he’s not smart enough to realize it, too bad for him. Britt says, there’s only room for one woman in Jason’s life, and it’s not her. He asks, who would that be? but she says she doesn’t want to get into it. She thinks she should see a doctor. She feels like a hippo is squatting on her chest, and someone is playing her stomach like a marimba. Brad says, she’s not sick, just heartbroken.

Doc says, the messages are a direct threat. This person has physically intruded into their lives, their home. Nikolas says, if the stalker wanted to hurt them, they’d have done it, or worse. They can get in and out of Windymere, and their room at the MetroCourt. Why’d they stop with the messages? Why not take the opportunity to do worse? They’re trying to scare him and Ava, and he thinks it’s time he calls their bluff.

Trina says, please, and the ninja reaches for the device. Trina runs across the room and throws it at them. It bounces off the ninja and onto the floor. They both look up.

Taggert tells Jordan that she’s not going to solve the case tonight while they’re celebrating Trina’s graduation. Portia approaches their table, and says she’s glad Jordan could make it. They make small talk, and Curtis watches.

Josslyn says she doesn’t know what Cameron is talking about. What exactly did he read? He says, nothing. Dev read it. He didn’t want to intrude on her privacy, but Dev insisted he hear it, and once he heard it, he couldn’t unhear it. So if she wants to be friends again, the radical honesty starts with her.

Jax walks out of the Savoy, telling himself that he’s such an idiot.

Brad tells Britt, the guard is giving him the wrap-it-up glare. He’s sorry if he said something that set her off, and she says she shouldn’t have come there and dumped this on him. He says, please. It’s the most normal he’s felt in a long time. She says she’s happy to oblige, and he says he’s sorry Jason hurt her, but it might be a blessing in disguise. Staying away from Jason will probably add years to her life expectancy. She says, of course (🍷) it does, and he says, do him a favor. Go do some self-care. She says, it’s too late for a massage, but he says he was thinking more like, get drunk and make a mess. She says, without her wingman? No way. They’ve got to get him out of there. He says he has a parole hearing coming up, and she says he’d better work it. The Nurses Ball is coming up this fall. He says, she’ll have the ice cream? and she says, and Sam’s red carpet whoopsie on loop. He laughs, and says he’s there. They fist bump through the glass.

Carly tells Michael, she and Jason are going what they need to do to protect Sonny’s legacy and their family. Michael says, for what it’s worth (🍷), he thinks dad would understand and approve. He realized, he never asked, but does Jason want to run the business? Jason says he never wanted to, but he knows how to run it, and to keep things stabilized for this family; it’s necessary. Carly says she appreciates Michael’s concern, but they’re going into this with eyes wide open. Michael says, then they know some people won’t like this at all. Jason says he knows.   

Carly walks Michael to the door, and thanks him for looking out for them. He says if Jax gives her any trouble, let him know; Jax owes him one now. She says, does he? and Michael says, it’s all good. Congratulations. He’s happy for the both of them. He leaves, and Jason asks, what was that about Jax? She says she’s 99% sure Jax blackmailed Michael into letting Nina see Wiley, and he says, blackmailing with what? She says, that’s the detail she doesn’t know, and Michael refuses to tell her, and she’s sure he’s doing it to keep the peace with Josslyn. Jason says, it makes sense. The last thing Josslyn or any kid wants is friction between their parents. She says, so Jax gets what he wants by taking advantage of Michael’s concern for his sister? He asks if she wants to pick a fight with Jax, and she says she wouldn’t be the one picking the fight. He asks again, and she says, no. Jax is really angry that they’re getting married. He asks what Jax said, but she says, he didn’t have to say anything. She could tell what he was thinking. Sonny tied her to the business, and all the risks that come with it. Jax was thinking, with Sonny gone, she was free, but now she’s marrying Jason, which ties her to the business again. He says, sorry, and she asks, why? He’s not forcing her to make this decision; they made this decision together. He’s not having second thoughts, is he? He says, no. They’ve looked at it from every angle possible. Getting married is the best way to stabilize the business, and more important, the best way to protect this family. She says she was just making sure, and he says, what about her? Is she having second thoughts? She says, no. She’s just not excited about the judgment that’s coming her way. Maybe if Jason had spent years trying to run off every man she wanted in her life… Although many could make the argument that he did. He asks, how’s that? and she says, because of all the times she turned to him and he was there, especially when her life was falling apart. It never bothered Sonny, but Jax hated it. So maybe he is just as responsible for them winding up together. He asks if that makes her happy, and she says, sure. A shared blame is better than taking the fall alone. She looks at her wedding set, and says she guesses it’s time; she has to take these off. Jason takes her hand, and says, only if she’s ready. She says she’s not, but it has to be done. She always loved them. They were just so flashy and so Sonny. He loved showing off. She cries, and says she misses him. Jason says he misses him too.

Jax is having a drink by himself. I don’t know where, but Britt walks in, and asks, is this seat taken? He shakes his head, and she sits down. She says, so. Did he get a save the date?

Laura tells Nikolas, baiting and taunting a stalker who wants to emulate Ryan is dangerous. Doc says, Laura is right. Let the police handle this. Nikolas says his family isn’t PCPD priority, but it’s his. So he’s going to do what they can’t. He’s going to string this bastard up by his toes before he can make another move. She says, and he could get killed in the process. He should be thankful that the only thing he encountered tonight was Trina and her pepper spray.  

Josslyn says, what hasn’t she been honest about? and Cameron asks why she couldn’t have said she just wanted to be friends. He might not have liked it, but he would have accepted it. She left him hanging. Instead of talking to him, she wrote in her journal that he was a bad kisser, that he was gross and clumsy and sloppy. She asks what he’s talking about. She doesn’t think he’s a bad kisser. He says, he read it in her journal. Is he not supposed to believe her own words? She grabs his lapel and says, believe this, and kisses him.   

Nina tells Curtis, nice soft launch, and he thanks her. She asks, what’s going on with the mother of the graduate? Any progress? He says, not really, but he thinks he’s figured it out. Portia didn’t back away from him on her own. She was pushed. He looks at Jordan and Taggert, talking to Ava. Ava asks Portia, any idea where their girl is? and Portia says, she should have been here by now. She was stopping at the gallery. Portia decides to text her, and Taggert says he doesn’t want to monitor Trina, but if she doesn’t show in the next ten minutes, he’s going to start texting her.   

Trina walks slowly into the room, and everyone looks horrified. Trina is covered in blood. She says, mom?  

Today’s theory. Whatever that is the ninja dropped set off something that broke the skylight.

Curtis tells Nina that someone warned Portia away from him, Cameron asks if he confirmed what was in Josslyn’s journal, Shawn has some bad news, and Trina says, it was a trap.

👑 Fit For a Prince…

An upcoming tribute to Stuart Damon is in the works.

Another Star Falls To the Sky…

Ray MacDonnell, aka Joe Martin from All My Children, has joined the ranks of heavenly soap stars.

🤰🏻 IRL…

Sasha’s baby bump is the real deal.

🎇 Holiday Schedule…

GH will be on. Not so some of the others.

👰🏽 Who Wore It Best…

I voted for Anna from GH. Right now, she’s coming in second.

🎞 More Than Soaps…

Another loss, for both the soap and anime world.

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/philece-sampler-dies-digimon-mimi-voice-actress-anime/

💎 But Would She Really…?

On Watch What Happens Live, Garcelle literally said that Denise would come back if someone left. When Andy suggested that someone might be LisaR, Garcelle laughed like a hyena, which said it all. I wish.

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-garcelle-beauvais-denise-richards-would-return-wwhl-video/

⚰️ Latest On Dead…

Fancy. The trailer looks like something Zack Snyder directed.

https://ew.com/tv/the-walking-dead-season-11-mercer-first-look/

🦈 It’s Getting Closer…

The newest of the new Suicide Squad trailers. It looks good. Love the shark guy.

https://www.dccomics.com/videos/the-suicide-squad-official-rain-trailer

🐓 Quotes of the Week

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw

Only the paranoid survive. – Andy Grove

Happiness is an inside job. – William Arthur Ward

To be inspired is great, but to inspire is an honor. – Stacey T. Hunt

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. – Elmer Davis

Deserve your dream. – Octavio Paz

The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do. – Andy Warhol

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. – Carl Sagan

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort. – Fred Rogers

It takes 30 seconds to make an impression that last 30 years. – Loren Brovarnik’s father, 90 Day Fiance: Pillow Talk

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!Audrey Hepburn

Liberty is the breath of life to nations. George Bernard Shaw

A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. – Elbert Hubbard

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

Without music, life would be a mistake. – Friedrich Nietzsche

I call her BF, which doesn’t stand for best friend. It stands for bitch face. – woman on Dr. Phil whose sister slept with her boyfriend

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. – William Faulkner

💥 Be a Firework…

July 4th is here once again, and whether you watch Hamilton or the kinder, gentler 1776, remember although the forefathers made mistakes, they also dumped the tea, and gave their all for today’s freedoms. While we still have miles to go, if not for them, you might be paying for Queen Elizabeth’s hats. Until we meet again, stay safe, stay keeping your pets safe from the fireworks, and stay making them go, oh! oh! oh! as you shoot across the sky (sky, sky).

December 16, 2020 – Julian Is Haunted, the OC At Arrowhead, Sundance Commences Along With Fashion Week & Reindeer Run

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brick meets Sonny and Jason at the Brooklyn bar. He says he heard about Dev’s passing, and gives Sonny his condolences. He remembers setting up a new identity for Dev when he came there from Turkey. He was a smart kid with a lot of potential. Did Sonny find out who was responsible? Sonny says he did, and he’s glad Brick happens to be in Brooklyn. They need his help tracking down Julian.

In Secaucus, New Jersey, Julian sits in a bus station with gunshot wound. He looks at a ticket to Montreal.

Nikolas watches Ryan in his hospital bed, when Britt comes by. She asks if she can help him?

Ava comes into the hospital, and hears Portia on the phone telling Trina to call back the second she gets the message. Ava asks if something is wrong, and Portia says, as a matter-of-fact there is, and she holds Ava personally responsible.

In the park, Trina says, dad? Jordan says, Trina? and Trina says she shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. They might have a heart condition. Jordan says she didn’t mean to scare Trina. She was thinking about Trina’s dad, and came to a place where she could remember him. Trina says she’ll leave Jordan to it, but Jordan says she’s welcome to stay. It would be nice to spend time with someone else who remembers Taggert. Taggert listens from behind the bushes.

Carly says, Cyrus told Trina her dad was alive? How was Trina anywhere near him? Josslyn says, some guy told Trina to hang around the bistro because someone had information about her dad. She did, and Cyrus showed up. Cyrus is obviously messing with Trina’s head… right? Cyrus walks into the MetroCourt.  

The nurse tells Curtis, there’s no need to worry about his patient’s transition there, but he says he’s not worried. He knows they’ll take good care of her. She says, the doctor sedates all the patients on their first night to make them more comfortable.  

Brandishing a pretty large needle, the doctor tells Laura, this won’t hurt one bit. Before she knows it, she’ll be fast asleep. Curtis bursts in, and says, stop!

Britt tells Nikolas, unless he’s next kin, he has no business in Ryan’s room. Nikolas says he wasn’t in the room; he was in the doorway. Britt says, if she hadn’t come along, he would have been at Ryan’s bedside. What’s the plan? And don’t patronize her with a lie. He says he heard Ryan could be coming out of his coma, and Britt says, and…? He says he’d thought he’d keep tabs on Ryan, and Britt asks if he was really keeping tabs, or was he going to take Ryan out himself?

Portia tells Ava, she called the school, and apparently, Trina has skipped the last two days. Trina said she was taking yesterday off, but then said she changed her mind and she was going. Ava says, but she didn’t? and Portia says, no, and Trina’s not returning her calls. Ava asks if she thinks Trina is at the gallery, and Portia says she would understand if Trina wanted to take a few days to cope with Dev’s death, but she needs to answer her calls. Ava tells her, Trina isn’t hiding out at the gallery. She hasn’t seen Trina since Dev was killed. Portia wonders, then where is she?

Jordan gets that Trina is still angry about her exposing Taggert, and Trina says, thanks to Jordan, Cyrus was released, and everyone thinks her dad is a lousy cop who broke the law. How can she call him a friend? Jordan says if there’s any way she could have protected Taggert’s reputation, she would have, and Trina says, she didn’t try. At least she’s doing something about it. She’s trying to prove his innocence. At least she was until… Jordan says, what? and Trina says, it doesn’t matter. She won’t let anyone think her dad is a bad cop. Jordan understands she wants to clear Taggert’s name, but Trina is setting herself up for disappointment. He did fabricate evidence against Cyrus.

Carly says she’s texting someone to pick Josslyn up, and it’s not up for discussion. On the phone, Cyrus tells someone to take care of it, and Carly approaches him. She tells him, stay the hell away from her daughter and her friends. He says he’s had no contact with Josslyn. Is there another friend Carly is talking about? Carly says, stay away from all of them. Stop poisoning their minds with lies. He asks what makes her think he has? and she  tells him, stay away, or he’s not going to like what happens next. He asks why she’s so worked up about something that hasn’t happened?

Brick says, setting a bomb doesn’t seem like Julian’s style, and Sonny says, he owed Cyrus a favor. Brick asks if they have proof, and Jason says Julian is their proof. That’s why they need to find him. Brick asks if he’s in Brooklyn, and Sonny says they tracked him to an old girlfriend’s apartment, but Cyrus’s men beat them there, and tried to kill Julian. He won’t be going back anytime soon, and it made it more difficult to find him. Brick says, there is one way.

Julian hears an announcement that his bus is delayed an hour. He talks to himself, saying he should have taken a plane. Who is he kidding? Airport security would have been all over him. Come on. One more hour. He changes benches, and a man puts his luggage down, and sits next to him, the man’s newspaper in front of his face. Julian tells him, there are other benches; take it somewhere else. The man lowers the paper, and it’s Duke. He says, no Julian. He’s exactly where he needs to be.

The doctor asks Curtis if something is wrong, and he says, the nurse told him about the injection the doctor gives to help the patients sleep through the night. His patient has a severe allergy to the medication. The doctor says, there was no mention about it in her file, and Curtis says, it was an oversight on Dr. Collins’s part. No doubt his grief over his wife’s slip back into psychosis distracted him. He’d like a moment with his patient. He can help her to relax, and get her to sleep through the night. The doctor and nurse leave, and Laura hugs Curtis, and thanks him.  

Nikolas asks what Britt is implying, and she says Ryan will probably never regain consciousness, but he’d like to make that permanent, right? He says, if Ryan dies, he won’t shed tears, but helping Ryan to his final destination in hell isn’t on his to-do list. Although it’s not a bad thing to wish for; one less serial killer in the world. Doesn’t she think so? She says she took an oath to do no harm. The minute she starts placing value judgements on her patients, she’s turning in her stethoscope. He asks how it feels, being on the high road, and she says, it feels really good. How does it feel being on the low road, so he can hold on to his fortune in a loveless marriage to Ava? He says, it feels right. Their relationship has changed.

Ava tells Portia, Trina is a smart, responsible young woman. It could be that she needed to take the time to grieve her friend. Portia says, but it’s Trina’s senior year. Her grades have been spectacular, and her extracurricular is solid. She doesn’t want Trina to ditch class, and blow her chances at a good college. Ava says, perhaps Trina is avoiding a lecture. While it might be justified, maybe Trina’s not picking up for Portia right now.

Carly tells Cyrus, her daughter and her friends are off limits. He and Sonny might have a truce, but Cyrus doesn’t want a war with her. He says he imagines not, and she walks away. He makes a call, and says, there appears to be truth in what Julian told him. Find Trina, and she’ll lead them to Taggert.

Trina says she knows her dad better than Jordan, but Jordan says, falsifying evidence doesn’t make him a bad man. Trina says, really? Tell the judge who released Cyrus from prison. Jordan says, according to the judge, and her, Trina’s dad broke the law. She thinks Trina needs to understand where her dad was coming from. For two years, they watched tons of people die from overdoses, and there was nothing they could do to stop it, even though they knew Cyrus was responsible. Trina says, if Cyrus was guilty, why did they have to make up evidence? Jordan says they couldn’t find concrete proof, so he couldn’t be convicted. Imagine how frustrating it was. Cyrus was free to sell drugs, and bore no responsibility to the rise in deaths. Trina says, they couldn’t find anything that would stand up in court? and Jordan says, exactly. Her dad, Mark, and Bob made a choice, Cyrus went to prison, and the bodies stopped piling up. Trina asks if she’s saying her dad believed the ends justified the means, and Jordan says, even if he knew it could come crashing down on him. He believed falsifying evidence meant saving lives, and he wouldn’t and couldn’t change a thing. Taggert continues to listen.

Brick asks if they’re familiar with facial recognition software, and Sonny says he’s used it in his business. Jason asks if the cops don’t use it, and Sonny tells Brick to enlighten them. Brick says it can be used to cross-reference photos from social media posts and online activity with active security footage. Sonny asks if it’s legal, and Brick says, it’s a grey area. Civil liberties concerns. They know how it goes. Sonny tells Brick to do what he’s got to do to find Julian.

Julian says, Lavery. No, it’s not possible. Duke says, after all this time, the least Julian can do is call him Duke. Julian says he’s not real. He’s dead. Duke asks if he’s a figment of Julian’s imagination, or is he delirious from blood loss? Call it what he likes, Duke is delighted to be there. Julian asks why he’s there, and Duke says, he’s got a front row seat to Julian’s bad deeds catching up with him. Julian has nowhere else to run. No more rocks to crawl under. No more reinventing himself. They all reach the end of road eventually, some sooner than others, and Julian’s time is finally… Julian drops to his knees.

Curtis says Laura was willing to get doped up to keep the operation going? She says she could use a good night’s sleep. Did he find out if Florence is a patient? He says, she is; room two, this floor. Laura says, perfect. She’ll wait until things quiet down, and slip out. She’ll pay Florence a visit, and find out what connection she has to Cyrus. Curtis has a better idea. He’ll sign her out, and they’ll find some other way in tomorrow morning. Laura says, absolutely not. Their plan worked. Curtis had her admitted, and got them to believe she has a mental illness, helped by Doc’s trumped up referral. She’s not leaving until they get what they need out of Florence.

Brick asks if Sonny has no idea who the shooter was outside the apartment, and Sonny says, Cyrus made sure there was no way to connect the shooter to him. Carly calls Sonny, and he asks if everything is okay. She says, Cyrus apparently told Trina that Taggert is alive. Sonny asks how Cyrus found out, and she tells him, Josslyn didn’t say, but she agreed to help Trina find out if it’s true. Sonny says she has to stop it, and she says she has Josslyn convinced that Taggert is dead, but it’s not good. Sonny says, the most important news is that Cyrus knows Taggert is alive, and he’s going to go after Taggert again.   

Jordan tells Trina, her father is dead, and according to law enforcement, he broke the law. He didn’t do it lightly, and knew it might come back to haunt him. Trina says, he knew it was wrong, but needed to make things right, and Jordan says, he was willing to accept whatever punishment he got. She knows it’s a lot to process, and appreciates Trina sticking around to hear her out. Trina says, it doesn’t cost anything to listen, and Jordan asks Trina to tell her what’s on her mind about her dad. Trina’s phone rings, and it’s Ava. Ava says she’s at the hospital with Trina’s mom. Her mom is concerned about Trina avoiding her calls. She’s worried about Trina, and Trina needs to drop what she’s doing and get to GH and see her right now. Trina says, about that… Okay. She’ll be right there. She tells Jordan, she’s got to go. Her mom is worried. Jordan asks if she can call a ride for Trina, and Trina says, like a cop car? Is she crazy? Trina thinks she’ll call a Ride Share. She thanks Jordan for what she said, and Jordan tells her, be safe. Trina leaves, and Jordan sighs. Taggert comes out, and Jordan asks if he’s happy now. He got to see Trina one last time. He thanks her, and she tells him to take her advice. Get out before Cyrus finds him, and tries to kill him again.

Britt says she should have bet on Nikolas falling in love with Ava. She could have bought a yacht. He says she loves being right, and she agrees. She asks if things have changed, and he says he and Ava are figuring it out. She wonders if he could be more vague, and what it means for the post-nup. Is it in the shredder, or is he being cautious, keeping it around just in case? He says, the road to true love isn’t smooth. Ava comes out of the elevator, and says she hopes she’s not interrupting. Britt says, it’s perfect timing. Nikolas told her there’s been an interesting development in their relationship. An alarm goes off in Ryan’s room, and Britt tells them, stay there. She goes in, and Ava looks at Nikolas.  

Julian tells Duke, he may have a one-way ticket to hell when his life is done, but sorry, he’s not dead yet. Duke says, denial won’t work this time. Right now, Julian is a scared little rat, scuttling away to find a hole to hide in. He doesn’t fight; he flees. Julian says, look who’s talking. Duke’s life wasn’t a bed of roses either. Duke was a gangster like him. Duke can blame Julian all he wants for his death, but Julian isn’t the one who killed him. Duke says Julian had someone else do his dirty work. Now he’s afraid. Duke looks at a woman who’s joined them, and asks if she wouldn’t agree.  

Laura tells Curtis, she can slip out, find Florence, and maybe question her, if she’s in a condition to talk. She knows Curtis doesn’t like this, but it’s the plan that makes the most sense. Pick her up tomorrow. She hopes Florence has the information they need to bring Cyrus down.

Taggert thanks Jordan for what she said to Trina, and Jordan says, dragging his reputation through the mud? He says, explaining why they created evidence to put Cyrus in prison, and helping Trina understand, in the kindest way, that he’s not perfect. Jordan says she meant every word. She also explained her own actions. He says he still thinks they did the right thing, and she says, despite the consequences? He says, breaking the law to protect their families, then worrying about the consequences later. She asks if she they had a choice, and wonders what’s so amusing. He says, they’re partners again. Working together to protect Trina. Jordan has his back like she did when they worked for the DEA. She says, and he has hers. They hug, and she tells him to take care of himself. She hears something, and tells him, get down. A gunman pops out, and Jordan draws her gun.

Josslyn says she saw Carly confront Cyrus; that’s what Trina was worried about. She didn’t want Josslyn to tell Carly, and make it worse between the families. Carly says, she also didn’t want an adult to discover what they were doing. Josslyn says, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Trina’s father fake his death? Carly says, Trina is vulnerable. It was a tragedy that Dev was killed, and it makes sense that Trina would want to believe something positive. Josslyn says she guesses. Trina is convinced her dad faked his death to protect her, but what kind of parent would do that, leave their kid to grieve? Carly says, when Josslyn is a parent, she’ll understand. You’ll do anything to protect your child.

Brick tells Sonny, Cyrus could be tracking Julian like he is, but Sonny says, he doesn’t have a Brick. Brick wonders what if the cops take Julian down themselves? and Sonny says he told Diane to reach out to the PCPD. Jason says there’s probably someone waiting to ambush Julian, and Sonny says, make sure they fail. Brick asks if they’re in the business of keeping Julian alive now, and Sonny says, only until he gives up Cyrus.  

Julian says, Connie Falconari? Is this a joke? He’s not responsible for her death. She says, yet here she is. What little conscience he does have, disagrees. He says Ava shot her. Ava is responsible for her death, not him. She says, Ava killed her to protect him. No one knew he was really the boss of the Jerome crime family. He says, it was Ava’s choice, but Duke says, Julian manipulated her. He made her think she had to act to save him. He convinced Ava that without him, she’d have no one. He doesn’t love Ava; she’s just a pawn. Julian says, that’s not true. He loves Ava, and he won’t be made to feel guilty about her choices. Alexis appears, and says, what about his choices? Has he ever owned up to the fact he took a knife to his wife’s throat? She hands him a knife.

Ava tells Nikolas she can’t help thinking what she’s thinking, and he says, either Ryan dies or goes back into a coma. Even if he makes a full recovery, it’s not the end of the world. She says he can’t threaten her with Julian any longer to get her to do his bidding, and Nikolas tells her, think positive, but she says that’s not really in her DNA. Mac shows up, and Nikolas asks what he’s doing there. Mac says he could ask the same thing, and Ava says they were there about another matter, when the alarm went off in Ryan’s room, so they came to check. Britt comes out, and Mac thanks her for notifying the PCPD about the change in Ryan’s condition. How is he? She says, he regained consciousness.

The gunman lies on the ground, and Jordan says he just took a shot at the Commissioner. He says he wasn’t after her. He was after the girl, hoping to draw Taggert out of hiding.  

Trina shows up at the hospital, and Portia says, thank God she’s okay. Trina says, of course (🍷) she is. Portia didn’t have to worry. Portia says, mothers always worry, and Trina says, sorry. Portia says she would have understood if Trina wanted to take a few days off to cope with dealing with Dev’s death. Why did she lie, and say she was going to classes? Trina says, it’s complicated, but Portia doesn’t have to worry. Portia says, rule number five in the Mother’s Handbook, when a child says, don’t worry, you worry more, but Trina says, if she’s wrong, it would only hurt Portia.

Taggert looks at the gunman, and tells Jordan, he’s gone. Jordan says, Cyrus knows Taggert is alive, and he asks, how? and she says, it doesn’t matter. His family isn’t safe if Cyrus knows he can get to Taggert through Trina. She’s going to take him to the one place she knows Cyrus can’t get to. He says, which is? and she says, trust her.

Ava tells Nikolas, of course (🍷) Ryan wouldn’t do them a favor and die. Britt says their presence isn’t necessary. She still needs to consult with the surgeon, but Ryan’s brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. Ava asks if he’s a vegetable, and Britt says she ran an initial test, and he might be in a vegetative state. Ava tells her, like she said. She’d like to see for herself. She heads for Ryan’s room, and Nikolas stops Britt from following her. Britt asks if she should let Ava go, so she can smother Ryan with a pillow. Nikolas says, the last thing Ava wants is to go to prison. Ryan tortured her for too many years for her to be denied the right to see his condition for herself. Ava looks at Ryan.  

The doctor leaves Laura’s room. She looks around, and slips out of bed. She tiptoes to the dresser, and pulls out some clothing. Geez, you’d think she’d wait a millisecond.

Julian tells Alexis, he didn’t mean to hurt her. He told her, his sister was threatening his family. Connie says, here we go again. It’s never his fault. It’s easier and more convenient to blame someone else. Duke says, Ava is the perfect scapegoat. She’s vengeful, but she doesn’t have mind control. How could she coerce him into trying to kill Alexis? Alexis says he wasn’t trying to kill her; he was trying to save her. Duke says, by dragging her to the pier with a dagger at her throat, while his sister was planting a bomb? Anything to make it more convincing. Alexis says she’s asked herself the same thing many times. Does he have an answer? Julian says she’s got to believe him. He was trying to save her. He loved her then, and still loves her. Duke says he’s not hearing violins, and Connie says, they’d only play the same old song. Julian loves his family. Julian would do anything for his family. Blah-blah-blah. Julian says if he could take it back the harm he caused, he would, but he can’t change the past. What else is there to do? Alexis says, he could balance the scale of justice, and die. She holds the knife to his throat.  

Laura slips out, and walks down the hallway to Florence’s room.

Ava tells Ryan, hello? Anybody home? She gets in his face, and sharply says, wake up! but gets no reaction. She says she wanted him dead. She should have pointed the gun directly at his heart and fired until she ran out of bullets for what he did to her; what he did to Kiki. But sometimes you don’t know the perfect gift until you receive it. He’s been given a fate worse than death. Hell for him is this purgatory of nothingness, and she hopes he suffers for a very long time. She puts her face close to his, and says, take one last look, you son of a bitch. It’s the last time he’s ever going see her. Nikolas asks if she’s ready, and she says she is. She’s released Ryan’s hold on her. They leave, and Ryan is motionless. Then just a hint of a smile happens. It’s so slight, we can’t be sure…

On the phone, Brick says he owes them one. He tells Sonny they checked Julian’s photo, and got a hit in the metro area. It shows Julian waiting for a bus to Canada. Jason asks where he is, and Brick says, Secaucus. Jason says, it’s right across the river. They can be there in no time. Sonny says, Julian isn’t getting away this time.   

Alexis tells Julian, he knows the only way to balance the scales is to just pay the debt he owes them. Connie says, release them from the pain, and Duke tells him, accept his fate. This is the end. Alexis says, just let go, and Julian slumps. It’s announced that his bus is leaving, and Julian’s ticket falls to the floor.   

Portia tells Trina, she doesn’t know what to think, and Trina says, please, no more rules from the handbook. Don’t tell her rule number 6 is, be strong enough to handle anything your kid throws at you. Portia says Trina read the handbook. And she’s going to read Trina the riot act if she doesn’t return to class. It’s not Trina’s job to protect her, and even when Portia is 106 in a nursing home, she’s going to be protecting Trina. Trina says she saw Cyrus at the bistro. That’s why she didn’t go to school. Portia says, she did what? What did he say to her? Trina says he told her that her dad is alive.

Mac finds Jordan in the park, and says, she’s barely out of the hospital. Now she’s taking out a perp? She says, it was self-defense. She killed him to protect someone else. Taggert comes out, and says, long time, Mac. Good to see him. No surprise, Mac is shocked.  

Josslyn asks if Carly thinks there’s any truth in what Cyrus told Trina. Could Taggert be alive? Carly says, just speaking from parental experience, a parent’s instinct is to protect their child, even at the risk of their own life… Carly’s phone rings, and she says Josslyn will be downstairs in the lobby. She tells Josslyn that her ride is there, and to call her the second she gets home. Josslyn says she will, but she thinks Cyrus left while ago. She doesn’t think Cyrus is going to approach her. Carly says, he’d better not, and Josslyn wonders where Carly thinks he went.   

Laura goes into Florence’s room, and I wonder if Cyrus is going to catch her. She approaches the bed, and looks at Florence. She’s about to touch Florence’s hand, when she hears someone coming. The door handle moves.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Trina that Cyrus is about to get what’s coming to him, Curtis tells Laura there’s trouble back in Port Charles, Michael says he’s not going to take away Chase’s choices like Chase did to him, and Jason asks Sonny how he wants to do this.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

On her home video, Emily said she couldn’t go to Lake Arrowhead because she tested positive. She had a headache and was tired, but nothing else. She felt like she did what she was supposed to do, and didn’t know where she got it. The kids were fine, but Shane didn’t feel well, and had a cough. In her interview, Emily said it was a lot mentally, and she was scared everyone in her household had it.  

In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she was nervous to be going on a trip with the women. They drink a lot, and her sobriety was new and fragile. She decided to take her own car, and stay nearby. She thought it would be weird, since Shannon and Emily couldn’t go, and told Sean to leave his phone on. If she called, it meant she was having a nervous breakdown.

Kelly arrived first at the Arrowhead villa. She said it was spectacular, and I agreed. In her interview, she said the view was beautiful, but it felt like Camp Crystal Lake. It had a Friday the 13th vibe.

Shannon was quarantined at John’s house, and said she was still achy. All three kids had tested positive, and she was concerned, even though her last test had been negative. Braunwyn stopped by, staying outside while they video chatted. In Shannon’s interview, she says she was worried about the girls being alone, but she couldn’t be in the same house with them. Braunwyn said she had a device that checked your oxygen intake, and asked if Shannon wanted to borrow it. Shannon said she did, and told Braunwyn that the kids didn’t understand how many people were getting this, and how it trickled down. She was getting fearful, thinking, what if she had it?    

Kelly made a video call to Rick, and showed him around the villa. It was his first day at his new job, and he said it was good so far. He knew a lot of people there. In Kelly’s interview, she said Rick’s had moved to Orange County, since his job moved to L.A. permanently. She thought she couldn’t find a better man or better match. He was her best friend and lover; everything she’d hoped and dreamed of. Elizabeth joined her, and said the view was amazing, and I agreed there too. Kelly brought out a whole reusable shopping bag full of supplements, and Elizabeth asked if she was turning into an old lady. Kelly told Elizabeth about Braunwyn pulling up Elizabeth’s financial information on the internet, and we flashed back to that. Gina arrived, and they sat down to chat. Kelly told them that Vegas was open, and she’d been on airplanes. They talked about Shannon, and in Gina’s interview, she said Shannon was over-dramatic, but if there was ever a time to be that way, it was now. Braunwyn pulled in while she was on the phone with Sean, and said she’d just entered bizzarro world. Kelly wanted to have a drink before Braunwyn got there, and said Braunwyn had been the one telling her not to go out, then Braunwyn went out. Elizabeth said a friend called and said she thought they were supposed to be in quarantine because of the trip. Elizabeth said  they were, and her freind sent her a video of Sean and Braunwyn at a pool party. Elizabeth showed them the video, and in Kelly’s interview, she said Braunwyn was a hypocrite. Pot, kettle. Kettle, black. Everyone is drinking by the time Braunwyn comes in.   

In her interview, Braunwyn said she’d been living in a safe bubble with her family, in an alcohol free home. Here, there were bottles everywhere, and triggers. She’d been there one second, and thinks she shouldn’t have come. Kelly told Braunwyn about the video Elizabeth got, and Braunwyn said it was before she knew she was supposed to quarantine. Kelly said Elizabeth got the video after Braunwyn had called and told her about quarantining. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said, Kelly took the truth, and skewed it. Gina said Shannon had called her up, hysterical, but she’d been allowing John and the kids to come in and out. Now the kids have it. Braunwyn got up, said she didn’t want to talk behind Shannon’s back, and went out on the deck. In Elizabeth’s interview, she said Braunwyn was hypocritical, since Braunwyn had talked behind her back.

In Shannon’s interview, she said she and John were taking supplements to keep their immunity high. She was creating a virus immunity wall. At Shannon’s house, Sophie was having a quarantine countdown, and they were having a great time. She said they missed mom, and smiled a smile that said, not really.

Outside, Gina asked Braunwyn what was going on, and Braunwyn said she didn’t feel okay about discussing someone who wasn’t there. Kelly said Braunwyn didn’t tell anyone to shut up when they were talking about her, and we flashed back to Vicki and the whole train thing. Kelly told her, stop being fake. Braunwyn told Gina, she didn’t know why Kelly was mad, and Gina said Elizabeth was mad at Braunwyn for digging up stuff on the internet. She shouldn’t have done that. Braunwyn said that wasn’t true, and Elizabeth told Kelly that she wanted to know real Braunwyn. Kelly said Braunwyn had a professional photographer there when she was in a protest march, and everything was about her image. Braunwyn was full of sh*t. In her interview, Kelly said, a professional photog defeated the purpose of the protest. Kelly gave Elizabeth a clown mask, and put on a pig mask. We flashed back to Vicki and the ongoing pig insult. Vicki: gone, but not forgotten. Elizabeth said she was Braunwyn, reverting to a middle schooler.

Shannon checked in with the kids, and John said they looked good for an infected scourge. Shannon ran through a list of what they should be taking, and asked how they thought they got it. John asked if they’d been kissing anyone. Shannon asked about their symptoms, but the kids were terrified to tell her. Shannon asked Sophie why she was smiling. What was so funny? In Sophie’s interview, she said, does her mom tend to overreact? Is she breathing oxygen? Yeah. Just a little.

Gina said Braunwyn seemed more hesitant, and asked if Braunwyn would be wondering what they were saying about her if she wasn’t there. It must be more challenging for her. Braunwyn said she was staying at a resort, since she’d have a hard time at 4 am, when everyone was up and partying. In her interview, Braunwyn described the arc of partying. So fun, this is great, I love you so much, waaah! She said she wanted to leave at a high point. Gina asked how Braunwyn’s marriage was doing, and Braunwyn said covid was bad for her marriage. They had no sex for a long time, and were passive/aggressive. It wasn’t pleasant. They went in not knowing if it would work, and came out deciding to put in whatever work they could. In Gina’s interview, she said she wasn’t surprised. The vow renewal seemed sterile. Gina said Sean had been there for Braunwyn, and Braunwyn said Sean almost took the kids and left, but he was afraid she would die.  

Emily did her mid-day checking in on Shane. In her interview, she said the irony was that she tested positive, but Shane’s test was negative, yet he felt sick. To his credit, he was keeping his sense of humor. She was taking care of the kids, her husband had covid and she was taking care of him, and she had covid and no energy. It was more than one person should have to deal with.   

The women went to the lake, and Gina said she’d rather camp with bears than find out what was at the bottom of the effing lake. Elizabeth said she found Braunwyn funnier when she was sober, and Kelly said Braunwyn was better when she was hammered. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said, anyone who would say that to someone in sobriety was messed up; Kelly was an a-hole. Elizabeth and Kelly did some paddle-boarding. Elizabeth called Kelly’s name, causing her to turn and fall off her board, and Elizabeth said she deserved it. Gina wanted to be brave and conquer this. Kelly called Shannon from the beach, and complained about Braunwyn, although she said she didn’t think Braunwyn had any ill will. Braunwyn walked past while Kelly was talking, and Kelly said she’d call Shannon later. Elizabeth tried to help Gina with paddle-boarding, but Gina ended up in the water. In her interview, Gina said it didn’t matter if it was a river, a lake, the ocean, or a pool, she thought the kraken was coming. This kind of thinking is foreign to me, since I live by the ocean and think there’s nothing better than swimming in it. I can be skittish about waves, but I’ve never once thought anything was going to rise from the deep, and devour me as a human sacrifice. A lake is even better. No waves.

Emily was crying and scared. Shane wasn’t getting better, and couldn’t breathe. In her interview, she said she was trying to do the best she could, but she didn’t know if she was making the best choices.  

Elizabeth said she was glad Kelly knew how to cook, and in her interview, Kelly wondered how three women could go through life not knowing how to cook. They wore face shields while cooking, and tried to sanitize while they went along, but they shouldn’t have bothered, since what they were doing didn’t seem very affective. Kelly wanted a drink. In her interview, Braunwyn said two months earlier, she’d had to clean out some wine she’d remembered was in the refrigerator. She thought it wouldn’t be bad to keep, but ended up getting rid of it. Social situations were different now. Alcohol was everywhere, and she was out of her comfort zone. It had seemed like a good idea, but it was too much. Braunwyn went on the deck to call Sean, and was pissed when one of the kids had to get him. She said it was the one thing she’d asked, and she shouldn’t have to track him down. She told him that she could feel drama and toxicity coming. She was the weird alcoholic in the room, and a buzzkill. She hadn’t realized how much drinking was a connector.

Emily took Shane to the hospital, but couldn’t go in with him. He’d texted that his oxygen levels were low, and they had him on an IV and medication, as well as oxygen. In Emily’s interview, she said what she heard was, Shane was going to die in the hospital alone. She called Shannon, and said Shane had been coughing up blood and throwing up. He had a gall bladder attack on top of the virus. He’d tested negative the first time, but they’d still been waiting on the second test results. In Shannon’s interview, she said she should be Shane, since she had lung issues, and it scared her. In Emily’s interview, she said Shannon had been a good friend. They were two women and mothers, comforting each other on their way through this. Shannon said there was so much uncertainty. Who it would touch, and who it would effect badly. None of it made sense, which was what made it frightening. She hit the nail on the head there.

Gina said it wasn’t the same without the others, and Kelly talked about Rick’s new show. The subject of taking down historical statues came up, since Rick is a newscaster, and Braunwyn said some of them were offensive to some people. Kelly said they couldn’t rewrite history. Were they going to tear down the Colosseum? In Braunwyn’s interview, she said marginalized people needed to be respected. She told Kelly, statues didn’t educate, and Elizabeth said they should be put in a museum. Kelly thought it should be put to a vote, but Braunwyn said, being nice hasn’t worked. In her interview, Braunwyn said Orange County was conservative, but she was done keeping her mouth shut. Kelly didn’t think Braunwyn was qualified to discuss minority issues, and Gina said, when she was arrested, she was scared of the consequences, but never scared of the cops. In Gina’s interview, she said the system worked for her, but would it have gone that way if she’d been a Black girl, or guy? Maybe or maybe not, but maybe not wasn’t even okay. In Elizabeth’s interview, she said she didn’t get all of it, but thought awareness was what they were striving for, so the cause was working. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said it was an uncomfortable conversation to have, but the only way to change was by having it until it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Elizabeth thought they should do something active and fun the next day, and suggested archery and go-cart driving. Kelly remarked that the alcohol she was drinking was 40%. On the side, Gina asked Braunwyn if they were talking about things. Braunwyn wondered, what things? and Gina said Elizabeth knew she’d been digging up stuff on the internet, and she agreed Braunwyn shouldn’t be doing it. In Gina’s interview, she said Braunwyn had to find a way to channel what she was going through in a more positive way. Kelly asked Elizabeth about confronting Braunwyn, but Elizabeth said she decided to do it tomorrow. Kelly said Braunwyn had two sides. She had a sweet, good side, and another side where she wanted to further her agenda. Gina joined them, and Elizabeth wondered how Sean was dealing with Braunwyn’s newfound sobriety. Gina said they were working through it. Braunwyn was about to call Sean, when she heard Gina freaking out. In Gina’s interview, she said she didn’t realize when she took the master suite, she’d need a full-on beekeeper suit. We saw one corner of the room covered in tons of… some kind of flying creature, but I don’t think it was bees. Elizabeth said there was a big-ass spider in there too.

In Emily’s interview, she said she just got an update from the hospital. Shane wasn’t responding to her texts, and she started to panic. The only information they would give her was that Shane was back in his room and sleeping. He had to give his permission for anything else. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, since she’s obviously a pretty close family member. She said she was worn out and worried, and didn’t know how long he was going to be there.

Emily finally got a text from Shane that said she couldn’t imagine what it felt like. It was worse than prison, and every hour was like a fight. Emily told him, please don’t say that, and to let her know he was okay. She loved him.

Next time, ax throwing, biking, Shannon is worried and pissed at her kids, Elizabeth confronts Braunwyn, and Braunwyn helps Elizabeth through a panic attack.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

It was Park City Fashion Week, and Brooks was going to be the youngest designer there. Jen roller skated from her office to her partner Stuart’s office, and told him, it was Fashion Week, so they were getting in party mode. He fanned her with a giant feather fan, while she hula hooped. I’m not making that up. In her interview, she said her cousin Tony Vainuku was a filmmaker, and debuting his documentary. She was going to be hosting the VIPs. She reminded Stuart about when he got drunk at one of the Sundance parties and thought he was a rapper by the name of Stu Chainz, which is actually pretty funny.

Lisa said her company Lux Marketing was at its most busy during Sundance. It was 10 days of non-stop events. Some people said she was the Queen of Sundance, but she thought she was just good at what she does. In her interview, she said she’d learned if she wanted more, she had to work harder. The LDS church promoted being in constant pursuit of being their best selves, and she loved setting standards for herself. In his interview, John said he and Lisa owned everything jointly, but Lisa was the boss. He didn’t mind, since they worked well together. The producer asked if Lisa had pressed him to do the interview, and he said he couldn’t confirm or deny.

Whitney told Justin about Mary’s luncheon, and Jen came over with Stuart. Jen and Whitney had a hot tub party, and discussed Justin’s birthday. In Whitney’s interview, she said his birthday always falls around the start of Sundance, so she goes all out. He’d sacrificed his standing in the church, and his relationship with his family to be with her, and she wants to show him how grateful she is. He deserved it. She said it wasn’t about choosing teams for her, and she liked Mary. Mary was crazy, but also her friend. Jen told Whitney that Mary had attacked her and called her a hoodlum. In Jen’s interview, she said that had been the last straw. Whitney said she wasn’t letting any drama go down at the party; it was about Justin.

Meredith asked Whitney to walk in the show, and said she was a part of history in the making. Jen said she wanted to be drama free at Justin’s party, and wanted no eye rolling from Mary. In Mary’s interview, she explained that housekeeper Charlinda was her grandma’s brother’s daughter. They weren’t close, but at the end of the day she was family. Heather was worried about Jen and Mary being at the same party, but in Mary’s interview, she said, in life, you weren’t going to like some people, but had to get along. Justin began his birthday by taking a body shot off of his wife, and then they got on a party bus. I’d be the party pooper on a party bus, since I’m a huge fan of seatbelts. In Heather’s interview, she said she loves Jason’s birthday parties. It was one of the reasons he married Whitney. She could turn it up. She was decades younger and sexier, and not afraid to show it. In Whitney’s interview, she said, after the bus, the party moves to her friend Kathryn’s house where they get the VIP treatment. In her interview, Heather said Kathryn was well-connected in Park City. She was the Queen of Sundance, but don’t tell Lisa. Whitney made a toast to Justin, saying he was the sexiest MF’er there. Jen wondered where Mary was, since she’s obviously obsessed. Mary said if she had to be around someone, she didn’t want to fight. She wanted to make sure they were good, and approached Jen.

Jen told Mary that she’d tried to explain where she was coming from, and obviously triggered something. Mary told Jen that her grandfather comment was out of line, but Jen claimed she never said that. Mary said Jen had been screaming things at her, and in her interview, Mary said, Jen was straight-up lying, had a twin, or was not in reality.  In Jen’s interview, she said she’d been drinking and didn’t remember what she’d said. She knows she didn’t say that to Mary’s face, but it was possible she’d said it to someone else. Mary suggested they move on, and said she was willing to do that, but in her interview, she said she was done with Jen.

In Meredith’s interview, she said Park City was the cultural hub of Utah. They had Sundance, but this year was the first ever Park City Fashion Week. She was walking, and would be wearing her own jewelry with McKell Maddox’s clothing. She said Brooks had always loved fashion, and had never let her pick out his clothes. She was proud of his ambition. He was debuting some of his track suits, but he was disappointed  that his dad wasn’t there to support him. Meredith said it made her sad that he couldn’t, and in her interview, said they weren’t getting along, and Seth was taking over a new company in Ohio; the combination made it impossible for him to be there for Brooks. Lisa said she was hosting the most amazing event she’d ever put together at Sundance. It was going to be open to the public, and they were giving away prizes. The walls were all peel-away game pieces. The Sundance Queen never disappoints. Sitter Dezi was with the boys, and suggested they call Lisa, but Lisa ignored the call. In her interview, Lisa said, working mothers have to compartmentalize. During Sundance, mommy is MIA. She doesn’t answer the phone unless it’s work related.

Whitney and Heather went to a bar, and Heather said her drink tasted like water. In her interview, she said Mormons aren’t supposed to drink alcohol. The legislature was made up mostly of Mormons, so they made rules to keep their patrons in line, like limiting alcohol access. The drinks are watered down, and you’re not allowed more than two drinks on a table. It made it hard for closet Mormons like her to get a buzz. Heather told Whitney that she wished she had a fairytale relationship like Whitney did. In Heather’s interview, she said she chose faith, religion, and lifestyle over love, and had deep regret over her choices. She didn’t regret her children, but had wanted the whole package. She told Whitney that she wanted to be seen for who she was, and still be loved. Whitney said she had to put herself out there, but Heather said when she showed who she was, she got her hand slapped. In Heather’s interview, she said she was a virgin when she got married, and felt deprived. She was never single, never dated, and never explored who she was and who she found attractive. Whitney said Heather wasn’t going to find it until she made steps toward it, and thought Heather was making excuses. Heather insisted, in their community she couldn’t find someone. In her interview, she said she needed to find someone who didn’t come from a Mormon perspective of what her role should be. She was divorced, drank, and had three kids. No one wanted to take her home to meet their parents for Sunday dinner. Whitney wanted Heather to have the fairytale, and knew Heather could get it.

Jen worked with event planner Mara on the VIP party, and Sharieff actually showed up. Jen was proud of her cousin, and how he was representing Polynesians and Tongans. Heather thought Sundance was a brush with the big life, fun, and fantasy. You could meet men from other areas and cultures. It was the gift of Sundance; no strings attached. In her interview, she says she was always looking for sex, but not for love. Then she said, that sounded horribly vulgar. Could they delete? Nope. Katie and Lala from Vanderpump Rules made an appearance. Crossover! Whitney said she knew Lala through a mutual friend, and had insisted Jen invite them. Tony showed the guests the documentary, which was about a local Utah rap group. In Jen’s interview, she said she the minorities in Utah were the underdogs, and it was important to see their successes. Katie explained she was from Park City, and Jen steered a cute guy in Heather’s direction. She was a bit aggressive IMO, but very funny. In her interview, she said she felt the vibe with Curtis, and wasn’t letting him find another cougar. She left with him, and in Whitney’s interview, she said she wanted to yell, remember who you are and return with honor. Something their Mormon parents had told them growing up.  

Brooks was running late for the show, since he had to do his facial mask. In Meredith’s interview, she said as a parent, it was hard to juggle making kids responsible with their stress level. Suddenly, the smoke alarm went off, and it was so loud, my husband asked me what was going on, and he was in another room. Meredith found a toilet had overflowed, which apparently had something to do with the alarm. To add to the fun, their dog barked incessantly the entire time. Meredith made a call to maintenance while Brooks freaked out, and discovered some dog poopy.

Fashion show coordinator greeted Whitney, who was walking in the show. Brooks ended up being 45 minutes late, and in his interview, he said when he was growing up, his mom made a big deal of Sundance. Now he was part of something he grew up idolizing. Meredith felt badly that Seth wasn’t there, but he’d left a video poem for Brooks. Meredith thought it was sweet, but Brooks said it wasn’t the same as having him there. In Meredith’s interview, she said she’d asked for space, and they needed it, but she wished they’d been more sensitive to what Brooks had going on. She’d tried hard to be a great mom. She teared up, and said it was hard on the kids to see their parents going through hard times. Her parents divorced had hurt her, and she didn’t protect them. She’d screwed up.

I’ve decided I like this show for the most part, but Jen, not so much. I didn’t love how she acted like her drinking was an excuse for supremely insulting Mary.

Next time, the runway shows, Brooks talks to Seth, Whitney’s dad is ready for the next step, and Jen gossips about Meredith.

🥃 Closing Time…

All I have to say is, thank God for Amazon. Without them, I might not have gotten any Christmas gifts. You’d think I’d have been more on top of things this year, but nooo (said in John Belushi voice). All I want for Christmas is a vaccine. Okay, and the annual Holiday Barbie. So whether you’re doing it online or venturing out, stay safe, stay within your budget, and stay out of denial, lest you be haunted later.