Tag Archives: CMT Awards

April 15, 2022 – Nina Has One Comment, Esme’s Daddy, Insane, Kathy’s Defense, Dating, New Boyfriend, Breaking, VanderValley, Dance Move, Max List, Country Time, Nine Of Quotes & Scenes

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase is taking a shower, when his phone rings. He gets out to answer it, and says, he knows, he knows. He’s on his way… Hey, he’s doing them a favor. Relax. He’s got this covered.

Outside Kelly’s, Aiden reads an article about Ouija boards on his phone, when Laura comes along. She asks what he’s looking at.

Elizabeth opens the door to Finn, and asks what he’s doing here. He says he was nowhere near her neighborhood, and thought he’d stop by and say hi. She tells him, get in here, and he goes inside. He says, to be honest with him, it didn’t sit well that she talked him into her staying alone here last night. She says, it’s sweet he’s worried, and he says he’s not sweet, but he is worried about her. She says she appreciates he’s concerned, but Jake and Aiden are safe at Laura’s, and nothing happened last night. He says she can’t possibly think that the threat is over, but she says, no. Somebody’s gone to an awful lot of trouble to get her attention, and it’s working. How can she ever feel at peace until they find out who’s behind this?

Sonny tells Frank, once people find out he’s not the owner, Charlie’s isn’t going to be targeted. Carly walks in, and Sonny says, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The most important thing is, Phyllis wasn’t here when it happened. Everything’s going to be okay, right? Carly says, it seems they agree on that. When was the last time that happened?

Nina goes to Alexis’s office, and Alexis thanks her for coming. Nina says, of course (🍷). It’s not every day that the editor-in-chief of the town’s hottest newspaper asks to speak to you in private. She’s assuming this is all off the record, and Alexis says, yes, as long as it goes in both directions. She invites Nina in, and says, Crimson has done a number of journalistic pieces over the years. Nina says, now she’s definitely intrigued. What’s this all about?

At the MetroCourt, Willow tells Smoltz that Nina completely omitted she’d been with Sonny. Smoltz says, been with him sexually, and Willow says, yeah, and the next time Nina approached her, she confronted Nina. Nina insisted she hadn’t done anything wrong, and she was upset when Willow told her that she couldn’t see Wiley. Michael says, and a few days later, Nina filed for visitation. Smoltz thanks them, and says, that’s all he needs for now. He’ll contact them if he has any follow-up questions. Michael says, it’s important that the first segment is published before the visitation hearing. Willow says, they understand judges are supposed to be impartial, and Michael adds, still, if this story is blowing up on people’s social media, it could get traction in the court of public opinion. Smoltz says, he’s on it, but just to be upfront, he has to reach out to Miss Reeves for her side of the story, so if there’s anything they haven’t told him yet, now would be the time. If there’s dirty laundry, he will find it.

On the phone in one of the private lounges, Harmony says she’s planning on meeting Brendon at 8 pm, but he says, change in plans. He’s leaving Port Charles earlier than anticipated. They need to meet now. She says, fine, and he says, that was easier than he thought. She tells him, what can she say? He has the upper hand, and they both know that. He says, get him the money, and she’ll never have to hear from him again. She says, that’s what she’s hoping for, and looks at the syringe in her bag.

Finn says he should have stayed with Elizabeth, but she says, they’ve already discussed that. He has to prioritize taking care of Violet. Besides if this person is motivated to do these things because they think she’s forgetting about Franco, having him there could make things worse. He says, she can’t keep going like this. When was the last time she had a full night’s sleep? She was probably looking over her shoulder the whole time. She says, Cameron was with her, but he says, Cameron’s in college. He has a girlfriend. He might not be here every night. So if she’s not going to leave, and she’s not going to let him stay with her, he was going to suggest a possible solution to keep her safe. He was thinking… The doorbell rings, and he says, that might be the possible solution right now. Elizabeth opens the door to Chase, who apologizes for being late.

Aiden tells Laura, this is just something stupid his friend sent him, and she asks if she can see. He shows her, and she says, the Ouija board, and laughs. He says, she knows what those are? and she says, when she was his age, they used to have slumber parties and hold a séance, and use a Ouija board to contact the dead. He says, she talked to dead people? but she says, no, not at all. It’s completely pretend. It’s a little game people would play. Clearly, one of her friends was pushing the pointer around the board to trick them into believing it was real, but it’s not. Why is he so interested in the Ouija board? He flashes back to telling Jake, what if it’s Franco? and tells her, it’s just something he saw on TV.

Willow says, their dirty laundry has already been made public, and Michael says, they have nothing to hide, but Nina does. Smoltz says, just to reiterate, they both signed over the exclusive rights to their story to him. They’re not allowed to discuss this with any other outlet; print, radio, TV, online, they’re all off the table. Unless of course (🍷) they want to hire another team of attorneys. Michael says, they understand the terms, and Smoltz says he’ll be in touch. He leaves, and Michael says, they actually pulled the trigger. He asks how Willow feels about this, and she says she doesn’t love it, but she feels like she’s doing what needs to be done. He says he feels the same, and Willow sees Harmony going to the elevator. She wonders what her mom is doing here, and walks over. She asks what brings Harmony to the MetroCourt, and where she’s going in such a hurry.

Alexis wonders if she can ask Nina about the nature of her relationship with Harmony, and Nina says, they don’t really have a relationship. She did recently talk to Harmony about speaking up for her with Willow because she was trying to avoid court proceedings to get visitation rights with Wiley, but that’s it. Alexis and Harmony are friends, right? Alexis says, they forged a friendship in Spring Ridge. Harmony confided in her that Nina used her to get Willow to back down. Nina says she didn’t use Harmony. She had a conversation with her, grandmother to grandmother. Alexis says she doesn’t want to get bogged down in the weeds about that. When Harmony talked to Carly, she said she went to bat for Nina; that she owes Nina something. Does Nina have any idea what Harmony feels she owes her? Nina says she has no idea what Harmony is talking about. She’s not holding anything over Harmony’s head, if that’s what Alexis is implying. She would think Harmony would have some sympathy for her situation because she’s also Wiley’s grandmother. Alexis says, true, but she thinks there’s more to it than that.

Sonny asks Frank to go outside and check on everything, and Frank leaves. Carly says she heard about the robbery last night, and just wanted to come by and make sure everything was okay. Sonny says, good thing Phyllis wasn’t here when it happened, and Carly says, what about Nina? She doesn’t want to get caught off-guard, so is there something she needs to worry about? He asks what she means, and she asks if it’s a sign his enemies are smelling blood in the water.

Elizabeth asks, what’s all this? and Chase says, Finn didn’t tell her? Finn says, Chase’s timing stinks. He was just about to when the doorbell rang. Chase says he knew this was a horrible idea, and starts to leave, but Elizabeth stops him, and says, what was a horrible idea? Finn says, he would have asked, but she’d just refuse, and she says, that is a horrible communication strategy. Chase says, his brother’s communication skills leave a lot to be desired, and Finn says, just as a reminder, he saved Chase’s life, so Chase owes him at least a year’s worth of slack. Chase says, he agreed to six months, so Finn’s coupon has expired. Elizabeth suggests they just let her know what’s going on, and Finn says, Chase is a cop, but he’s on suspension, so he needs to keep busy, and she needs security. So Finn thought Chase could stay here for a few days, just to keep an eye on things. She says, Dante and Jordan are sending patrol cars to check on the house, and no offense, but she doesn’t need a babysitter. Chase says, that’s not why he’d be here. He can try and find out who’s been trying to scare her family for months, and put a stop to it. I have to interject – WTH happened to Chase’s hair??? I think he’s been using Peter’s hairdresser.

Laura says she knows it’s a change in Aiden’s routine, but she promises they’ll have fun. She’s going to give him the run of the kitchen, and he can make Grandpa Kevin any dessert he wants, because he knows his grandpa has a sweet tooth. Lucy comes by, and says, that Doc, he hasn’t changed. Laura hugs her, and congratulates her on Deception’s IPO, and Lucy thanks her. She says she can’t get over it. She knew the company was good, and had high hopes, but she never thought the universe was going to grant her all of this. Laura says she bets Lucy is glad their plans to use the Deception brand as a day spa didn’t work out all those years ago. Lucy says, she appreciates Laura’s good will, but she did offer to set some stock aside for her, since Laura was a former partner in the early 2000s. Laura says she appreciates Lucy’s offer, but as mayor, she thinks it’s best she doesn’t have a vested interest in any of the local businesses, even one as successful as Lucy’s. Lucy says, it’s so crazy. She’s getting all these congratulatory bouquets from all the men in her life; Mac and Scotty and Martin… Not that Martin. She doesn’t talk to Martin. She talks too much, but she doesn’t talk to him right now. Laura says she knows Lucy is still dating her brother.

Carly says, what Nina did to Sonny is common knowledge. He didn’t retaliate and he didn’t punish her. Just the opposite. He protected her, and now he’s sleeping with her, so maybe it sent a message to the other families that he’s weak. He says, she’s overthinking it, and she asks what he’s talking about. Everyone knows he owns Charlie’s. Who would risk robbing the place? Was it one of the other families? Was it Selena Wu? He says, it’s not the Wu’s. He and Selena have an understanding. As far as the robbery, the Five Families mushroom risotto are down to two, so there’s going to be a lot of wannabes who want to make a name for themselves. She says, now that Jason’s gone… and he says, let him make her feel a little better about it. Brick is going to be taking over for Jason. She says she doesn’t want to know. She’s no longer his wife; she doesn’t want that responsibility. He asks what she does want, and she says, she wants his word that Donna and Avery are going to be safe; that they’re always going to be protected. He says, she knows he’s always going to protect his kids, and she asks if that’s equally true for his grandson.

Harmony says she guesses she has a couple of minutes, and Willow says she just wanted to give Harmony a heads up. Nina is petitioning for visitation with Wiley. There’s going to be a lot of media attention on their family. Michael joins them, and Willow says, she and Michael have had to make their peace with the press, but their interests may include their families. She’s sorry, but there’s a good chance the things Harmony has done in the past will be dredged up again. Harmony says she sees, and Willow says she just wants Harmony to know that whatever comes out, she doesn’t look at Harmony that way anymore. She made some horrible mistakes, but she was just as much a victim of Shiloh’s as Willow was. He manipulated her, but she found a way to break free, confessed to her crimes, and paid her debt to society. Michael says, that’s what makes her different from Nina, and Willow says, Harmony owned her mistakes and she’s become a better person for it; she’s grown. Harmony says that means more to her than Willow knows. She really has to go, but not before she does this. She hugs Willow, and says she always wants Willow to know that she’s the most important thing to her in this world. She loves Willow. She leaves, and Willow looks concerned.

Nina says she doesn’t know what this is to Alexis, and Alexis says, she just thinks something else is going on. Nina says, if there is, she’s just as much in the dark as Alexis is. She has no relationship with Harmony; no history with her. Except for… Smoltz walks in and says, hello, Chief. Alexis says, don’t ever call her that, and doesn’t he ever knock? He says he’s sorry for bursting in, but he has the feature of her dreams. He sees Nina, and says, talk about good timing. One of the major players in his feature is right here in front of him. He hopes Alexis isn’t poaching his leads again. Alexis asks if this is the feature he wants her to greenlight, and Nina says, what feature? Smoltz says, he was just interviewing Michael Corinthos and Willow Tate upstairs in the restaurant, about how Nina is dragging them to court, and how she’s spent the last year traumatizing their family. Any comments?

Lucy says, Laura knows she and Martin did have that one date, but then Valentin pointed out it could be a conflict of interest. So she and Martin discussed it, and decided not pursue things. Laura says, Martin is her brother; they talk. And actually, he’s very excited to see Lucy again after he comes home from visiting his mother next week. Lucy says, so when Laura talks to Martin, he mentions her? Laura says, yes. She and Martin haven’t been in each other’s lives for very long, but she can see a change in him. He’s lighter when he talks about Lucy, and Laura thinks his life is better with her in it. Lucy says, if she’s being honest, she’s quite fond of Martin. It’s been very hard, running around avoiding Valentin. It’s ridiculous. So she’s kind of been sending out this positive energy to the universe, asking the benevolent spirits if they’d help Valentin see that it’s okay that she and Martin could possibly be a couple. Of course (🍷), she’d never ask Martin to choose between his best friend, slash, most lucrative client ever. Laura says she can’t speak for her brother, but she doesn’t think it would be a hard choice for him. He’d choose Lucy hands down. Lucy thanks her, and says she thinks it’s just lovely to have Laura’s support. Laura says, of course (🍷), and tells Aiden that she’s going inside to get coffee. She asks if Lucy would mind waiting with him, and Lucy says she’d love it. Laura goes inside, and Lucy sits down. Aiden wonders if he can ask Lucy a question, and she tells him, yeah, shoot. What’s on his mind? He asks if she really believes in spirits.

Elizabeth says, she wishes Finn had run it by her first, and Finn says, she’d just turn him down. She says, yeah, because the whole point of her staying here was to show the intruder that their attempts aren’t working. He says, mm-hm, and she says, and this unknown mysterious person doesn’t get to dictate how she lives her life. He says, mm-hm, but that’s what they’re doing. She’s got Jake and Aiden staying at Laura’s. The only way to put an end to this is to expose who’s doing it. Chase says he respects everybody at the PD, but they can’t dedicate the time to this case. Somebody is still managing to sneak into her house undetected. She says, she knows. That’s the scariest part. She’s trying to convince herself this person doesn’t want to do harm to her and her boys; they’re just trying to send her a message – don’t forget me. Finn says he hopes she doesn’t mind he told Chase that her best guess is that it’s someone who doesn’t want her to move on from her husband. Chase says, but the woman who raised Franco has been cleared, as have her sons. He started thinking about other potential suspects, like Franco’s biological mom Heather Webber, but she’s still on D’Archam Island. She hasn’t even had any visitors since 2018. They can cross her off the list. Elizabeth says, whoever this is, they know intimate details of her marriage. It’s got to be someone close to her.

Nina tells Smoltz to get his phone out of her face. She gets up, and asks if Michael paid him to do a smear piece on her, but he says, no, nothing of the kind. This is a human interest story. Doesn’t she want her side of it on the record? Because Michael and Willow gave a very detailed account. These will be the first public statements made before the hearing is held. If he was her, he’d want to even the playing field, so to speak. She says she has something for him. Come close. She yells, go to hell! into his phone, and tells Alexis, great job cleaning up this sloppy tabloid. Nina storms out, and Smoltz says, when you get told go to hell often enough, it becomes meaningless. Alexis asks if Smoltz wants to explain himself, and he says he told her that he’d bring her a great feature, and here it is. Decent, upstanding young couple are being forced to defend their right to deny visitation with their child. He’s writing a legit story about the issues behind this legal battle. He thinks it will be a great read that will get him some real clout; same with The Invader. She says she has no intention of printing this piece, but he says he thinks she’ll change her mind once she reads it, which is the least she can do, since she screwed him over with his revenge porn story.

Harmony waits in a wooded area, and flashes back to Willow saying, Harmony owned her mistakes, and she’s a better person for it. She takes the syringe out of her bag, when Brendon shows up, and she keeps it out of sight. He tells her, what does she say? Is she ready to make all this go away?

Carly says she’s sure Sonny knows Nina’s filed a petition for visitation. Apparently, she’s running around town trying to collect character references. People who will say she’s a terrific person, and she’s deserving of time with Wiley. He says, Nina assured him that she wasn’t going to put him in a compromising position. She doesn’t want him to take her side, and he wasn’t planning to. She asks what that means, and he says, does he believe Nina should be in Wiley’s life? Yes, but if Michael doesn’t want it, he’ll do what he can to support Michael’s position. She says she’s glad he’s picking his family over Nina. She really wishes he’d done that from the beginning. Sonny rubs his head, since he forgot what a headache Carly is.

Willow asks if her mom seemed nervous to Michael, and he says, jittery is the word he’d use. She says she’d hate it if this public exposure is too much for Harmony, and he says, her mom has survived much worse. He’s come to realize that Harmony has Wiley’s best interest at heart. Willow says, unlike Nina, and he says, they didn’t want this. Nina forced their hand. They’ll get through this, and so will her mom. She says, as much as she’s dreading the hearing – it can’t come soon enough – she just wants this to be over. Nina strides over to their table, and asks if Little Miss Sunshine decided to get down and dirty with the rest of them.

Alexis says, for the last time, she didn’t steal Smoltz’s story. Yes, she took the lead, but their story was entirely different than the tabloid fodder he’d written. He says, fine. If she isn’t interested in balancing the scales, at least see what he’s trying to do here. He envisions this as something you’d find in The Atlantic or New York magazine; a five-part feature bringing heavy traffic to The Invader’s website. She says, okay, and he sits down. He says, this isn’t just about a family court matter. It’s about the gaps that exist in our legal system. Nina Reeves effectively kidnapped Sonny Corinthos. She traumatized the whole family, including the child in question, Wiley Corinthos, who was deprived of his grandfather for close to a year. Now she gets to traumatize the whole family all over again by petitioning for grandparent visitation. And get this. Visitation might be granted, because technically what she did wasn’t a crime. This series is going to put a human face on the legal system that doesn’t overlap with justice. Isn’t that the kind of story Alexis has been encouraging since she started? She says, true, and he says, be honest. If she didn’t know the parties involved, wouldn’t she jump at the chance to publish this story?

Brendon asks Harmony, what’s the hold up? Doesn’t she want him out of her life? Let’s get this over with. She puts the syringe back in her bag, and hands him some money, saying, here. He asks, what’s this? and she says, his money. He says, it’s barely a thousand dollars (I guess he counts fast), and she says, it’s all the savings she has. But she’s staying at Alexis’s for free, and doesn’t have the overhead of a motel anymore, so she can pay him in installments. It won’t be today; maybe not for a few months or maybe a year. He asks if he looks like a bank. He knew she didn’t have the money. She was supposed to get it from Alexis. He guesses that settles it then. If she can’t keep her end of the deal, why should he keep his? She says, he’d be foolish to tell anyone what he knows about her, and he asks, how does she figure? She says, right now she’s in his debt. She’s already made the first payment, and will keep finding ways to pay him. Hell, he can lord it over her for the rest of her life, but the minute he tells anyone, that’s over. He’ll have no one else left to pump for money. He asks if that’s really what she thinks, because he sees it differently. What if he was to tell Michael Corinthos that information? If Nina was to find out Willow was her biological daughter, oh boy, would that complicate their visitation case. Michael hates Nina. He bets Michael would be willing to keep him on his payroll indefinitely to keep that information quiet. The guy’s loaded. Maybe he should skip Harmony altogether, and go straight to him. She says, if he’s wrong, Michael’s first call will be to his brother, the police detective, who will have him arrested for blackmail. He says he’s willing to bet Michael would rather pay to keep him quiet. If the truth does come out, it will destroy Harmony’s relationship with her so-called daughter, which is what she deserves for trying to buy him off with pennies on the dollar. Keep her down payment. He throws the money at her, and says, he can do much better. He starts to walk off, but she stops him, and says, he can’t, but he pushes her to the ground. Her stuff falls out of her purse, and he sees the syringe. He says, what the hell?

Elizabeth says, what’s unsettling is, whoever’s doing this knows her, knows her family. It’s like a horror film when the call is coming from inside the house. Chase says, she doesn’t know for sure it’s someone in her life who’s doing this. It could be some random fan of Franco’s artwork. She says, who’s getting in and out of her house without breaking in? That is not exactly comforting. Chase says, in today’s world, there are all kinds of ways to get private information on someone; bank records, social media, ID theft. She says she’s just so angry at herself for taking something to help her sleep. Clearly she knew someone was in the house, which is why she made it part of the dream. If she’d just woken up… Finn says, so she could freak out the perpetrator, and they’d hurt her or the boys? She says, or maybe she’d find answers, and Chase says, that’s why he’s here. There’s another way to find out who’s doing this. He takes a small piece of equipment out of his bag, and says, they catch them on camera.

Lucy tells Aiden, does she believe in spirits is a very cool, adult question. Where’s that coming from? He says, a book report for school, and she says, it’s great for his school to be so open minded. She’s more than happy to share what she knows with a new age enthusiast. He asks what she means, and she says, she believes the universe is a great big complicated, intricate, loving system with many, many realms within it. He says, realms. Like where dead people go? Is that where ghosts come from? She says, some people call them ghosts. You could call them spirits or fates, an energy that keep us on the right path, and keep us from following our worst impulses. Everybody calls it a different thing.  He tells her, but she said she talks to the universe. Does that mean she can contact ghosts? She says, no. She doesn’t do that anymore. She learned her lesson. She doesn’t find herself so brazen to think she can talk to the dead. She leaves that to trusted, trained mediums. All this stuff can be tricky. For every loved one that just wants to fondly say hello, there are some really evil forces out there who are devious and will try to trick you, so it’s best to leave all that. Don’t even get involved. What she does, is put out positive vibes out into the universe and opens up her heart. That’s what she does instead. He says, right, and she says she hopes she didn’t confuse him too much. His grandma is coming back, so tell Laura that she had to go, but she enjoyed their chat. Ta! She leaves, and Aiden goes back to looking at the Ouija board article.

Sonny asks Carly if they have to rehash this again. He wanted to tell her about Nixon Falls. How many times has he said it. She says, then Jason died, then Sasha and Brando’s baby died; she knows. Phyllis comes out from the back, and says she found four empty cans of club soda in her office. How many is he going through a day? She and Carly say, hi, and Carly says, club soda, huh? Sonny says he told her, he cut back on drinking. Not entirely. The medication and the alcohol don’t work well together. She says she knows. She tried telling him for years, but he never listened. So what’s changed? Oh, let her guess.

Nina sits down, and tells Willow to admit she’s having a smear piece written about her. Michael says, it was a joint interview; he and Willow gave it together. Nina says, she’s come to expect dirty tricks from Michael, but now Willow’s joining in? And she’s still trying to act innocent? Willow says, she’s so fed up with Nina’s drama. There is no reasoning with her; no compromise. She wanted to go to court, so that’s where it will be decided. And if Nina has anything else to say to her, she can do it through Willow’s lawyer. Or she could always give her version of events to Smoltz. She’s sure Smoltz would love to talk to Nina. Nina says she’s in the media. She knows what they’re trying to do. They want to get it out in the press to try and influence a judge. Are these the kind of values Willow wants to instill in Wiley? Willow asks what kind of values Nina wants to teach him. How to lie to an entire family, and watch them grieve a dead man she knew was alive and well? Or maybe she could teach him how to break up a marriage, or sneak around people’s backs, like how Nina tried to use Willow’s mom  to work WIllow after she turned Nina down. That’s right. She’s not going to let Nina play the victim anymore. Willow is on to her, and so is her mom.

Brendon grabs the syringe, and asks what Harmony is doing with this needle. She says, it’s not his; give it back. He asks, what’s in it? Is it heroin, like Neil was using? Is she a user too? Did she hook him on this stuff? Oh my God. His family never understood how or why Neil was using heroin. It wasn’t like him at all. He never used drugs, not even when he was experimenting as a kid. But it wasn’t Neil. Neil never shot up. It was her. She killed his brother, didn’t she?

Elizabeth says, security cameras? and Chase says he plans on sleeping during the day, and keeping watch at night, but he can’t be everywhere in the house at once. These are motion sensory cameras, and the second they sense someone walking around, they’ll start recording. He’ll place them at key points in the house. She says, she knows he’s trying to help… and turns to Finn, saying, it seems a little invasive. He says he understands, but it’s only temporary; one, two days tops, until it’s over. Elizabeth says she’s not going to fight with them. She’s willing to sacrifice some privacy if she can get answers. Chase says, if something else happens, they’ll have evidence. No one is getting in this house undetected.

Laura comes out, and asks Aiden, where’s Lucy? He tells her, Lucy said she had to run. Ta. What does ta mean? She says, it’s just another way to say goodbye, and he asks if they can stop by Logan’s on the way home. There’s something he wants to make for Grandpa Kevin, and he needs an emulsion blender. She says she guesses it’s her prerogative to spoil him. Let’s do it. She walks ahead, and he buys a Ouija board online.

Alexis says, Smoltz is right, and he says, what now? She tells him not to make her say it again. It was painful enough the first time. It is an interesting pitch, and if it weren’t for the persons involved, she’d write it. He says, before she has any ideas to write it herself, Michael and Willow gave him the exclusive. She says, fine. He can write it. But only if he uses an even hand, the human element in a non-exploitive way, and he allows Nina to tell her side of the story. Only then will she sign a deal for exclusive rights to it. He says, awesome, and she says, if she finds out he’s been underhanded or messy in any way, she reserves the right to kill it, and she will kill it. Does he understand? He says he does, but trust him, she won’t be disappointed.

Willow says, every time she’s tried being diplomatic with Nina, Nina has punished her for it. She’s done making peace with Nina. Nina says, Michael must be thrilled, and Michael says, Willow was determined to find a compromise, but Nina made that impossible. She chose this every step of the way. Up to and including going to court. Nina says, fine by her. They want a battle, she’ll give them a battle. She leaves, and Michael says, looks like it’s on.

Sonny says, his drinking or not dinking isn’t entirely about Nina, and Carly says, right. He says, okay, and walks in the back. Carly says she’s tempted to drink herself, and Phyllis says, they do make terrific bloody Marys, but she figures she’s the last bartender Carly wants to serve her. They haven’t talked much since Carly found out Phyllis knew the truth about Sonny and Nina, while she was enjoying Carly’s hospitality. Carly says, that’s what Nina does. She puts the people who make the mistake of caring about her in compromising positions. Phyllis says she loves Nina, but can’t argue against any of that. So before Carly finds out in court, she’s going to clear the air. She did vouch for Nina’s character to Willow’s mother. Carly says she didn’t know Phyllis knew Harmony. Why would Phyllis have any sway with her? Phyllis says, back in the day, she and Harmony – or Lorraine as she was called then – used to work in the same building in New York.

Brendon says, it all makes sense. Neil knew the truth about Harmony, didn’t he? And what? Did Neil threaten to do something about it? Did she kill him? Make it look like Neil accidentally overdosed himself? Does she know how much his family has struggled with that? They blamed Alexis. Harmony is living with her now. Harmony pleads for him to please listen, but he says, the police will listen to everything he now knows. Today. She tries to stop him, and they struggle. She puts her hands around his throat, and his foot slips. She shoves him off the edge of the cliff they’re conveniently standing near.

On Monday, Brad wants Britt to just tell him if the answer is no; Laura tells Felicia, that’s a Cassadine move; and Willow asks if Harmony is going somewhere.

👧🏻 Who’s Your Daddy…?

I guess when you’re on a soap, you just roll with it. I remember Anders Hove (Faison) being surprised that he suddenly had children.

📣 Team Margaret…

I tend to agree here. I don’t know how healthy it is for the young ones to be involved in the drama. I don’t even know if it’s healthy to be watching it.

🥄 On the Defense…

Operative words, LisaR stirring the pot.

💎 Life After Diamonds…

I feel badly for this guy. It seemed like Braunwyn was pulling his strings. Good riddance.

💃🏾 Life Goes On…

Is it me, or does NeNe’s new main squeeze look like Peter?

🙁 Shah No…

This is just sad. It’s like finding out one of your relatives is a wife beater.

🍸 VanderSpin…

It’s not a bad idea. I mean, are these people going to be servers until they’re using walkers? Does anyone even still work at SUR?

👠 See You Next Channel…

For those who didn’t know, DWTS will be moving.

🎭 What’s New…

Original shows and movies coming to HBO Max this year. I can’t wait for the next season of The Flight Attendant.

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/hbo-max-2022-release-dates-for-original-shows-movies

🐎 Doffing My Cowboy Hat…

A list of CMT Awards winners and the pictures to go with it.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/12/entertainment/cmt-awards-2022-winners/index.html

https://ew.com/music/2022-cmt-awards-exclusive-photo-gallery/

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained. – Lao Tzu

I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive.Henry Miller

If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.Francis Bacon

It is almost always the cover-up rather than the event that causes trouble. — Howard Baker

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts. – Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you. – Henry Kissinger

This world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another.Ellen Page

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin. – Tony Robbins

You know, everybody dies. My parents died. Your father died. Everybody dies. I’m going to die too. So will you. The thing is, to have a life before we die. It can be a real adventure having a life. — Jenny Fields (Glenn Close),The World According to Garp (written by John Irving)

🌳 Birds Singing In the Sycamore Tree…

For those who celebrate, a very Happy Passover and Happy Easter! There’s no spring break for the Dead, so a new season of FWD begins Sunday. Until then, stay safe, stay not consuming too many macaroons or chocolate bunnies, and stay leaving talking to the dead to trusted, trained mediums. You don’t want to invite evil, devious tricksters in. Don’t even get involved.

June 13, 2021 – There’s No Stopping It, Dead Future, Victor Dissected, a Viewer’s Guide, AHS 10, About Those CMTs & Grave

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

When we last left, Teddy had set off the bomb, and Morgan let Teddy jet with Dakota. Morgan told Victor to get lost, and was alone in the control room of the submarine.

Seagulls fly overhead. We see a sign that says, Coastal Access – 3 miles, lying on its side. Rachel tries to take the tire off of her truck, as baby Morgan cries in the backseat, and bloodhound Rufus waits in the truck bed. She gets on a walkie talkie, and asks if anyone can hear her. She needs help. Anybody? She sees the missile go up, and hears Morgan say he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started. He’s not sure it’s possible. The missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and has multiple warheads. This could be all the time they have left. Use it. Make it mean something. Give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. Rachel says, this isn’t the end, and goes back to the tire. The jack falls a little, but she keeps trying, but the jack lets go completely, and the car falls on her leg. A title says: Promise me you’ll find someone. She’s not messing around, and duct tapes her broken leg, bone hanging out and all, to a makeshift splint. She takes out Baby Morgan – who I have to mention has an amazing head of hair – and hobbles down the road, Rufus running ahead. She falls, but the baby is okay, even if crying. She says she’s sorry. They can’t do this. She sees the missile divide, and kisses her baby. She says she just can’t, and takes out a knife. We think she’s going to kill the baby, but instead, she rigs up the backpack to put the baby on her back. She says, this is the end for me, but not for you. She ties a rope around her waist, tying the other end to Rufus, and telling him to find people. She puts a gag in her own mouth, and says she’s sorry. She stabs herself, and keels over, as Baby Morgan cries.

Daniel screws with the radio, and hears Morgan giving his speech about the end. A title says: Dame el Arma. Rollie squeals into the parking lot, and he, Wes, and Riley get out of the car. Rollie says Riley knows where a bunker is where they can ride things out. Funny what you can get out of a true believer when they’re pulled away from their leader. Daniel asks why they should believe Riley. He heard a voice on the radio giving coordinates to a safe place to go. Rollie asks if it was Morgan, and Daniel says, no. It was someone else, but he knows that voice. Rollie says he remembers the last time they took Daniel’s word for something, and Luci says they have no time for this. Is Daniel sure about what he’s telling them? He’s a little iffy, so she says they’ll go with what Riley said. It’s their only choice. They all get in the truck, and drive over some zombies loitering in the road. Sarah gets on the radio, and says, if Wen can hear her, stay where he is. Daniel asks Riley, why not remain silent, and die for his cause? Why would he tell them about a safe place when they’re so close to the end? The truck suddenly fishtails, and Rollie says, the brakes went out. Sarah asks Jacob if he’s fixed brakes before, and they get out. Rollie says, all hands on deck; they have company. A cluster of zombies approaches, and Jacob helps to keep the zombies at bay, while Sarah works to patch a hole in the accumulator. She tells Jacob that they may not make their way to the bunker, but he says they will. She asks, what comes next? and he says she and Wen will be together, one way or another. She does some welding.

Daniel asks Riley, if he’s all about destruction, why help them survive? Riley says he wants to see their faces when it all turns to ash. They said Teddy and his group were all insane, but it’s just the beginning. Sarah says, it worked, and Riley tells Daniel, the next will rise, or some kind of nonsense lik that. Sarah says it’s a patch job, but should get them there in one piece, and Rollie says they’ll make it out of this thing yet. Daniel talks to Luci in Spanish, asking her to give him the gun, and he shoots Rollie. Daniel says, he was one of them. That’s how Teddy found out they were at the sub. That’s why they were prepared. Riley is shot from behind, and we see Charlie holding the literal smoking gun. He’s not dead, and Luci asks Riley if it’s true. He tells her, they lost their faith and turned on each other behind the wall. Daniel has himself to thank. Otherwise they would have never been found out. Nobody is going anywhere. Warheads start to come down, and Daniel says, the coordinates. They can still make it. Luci says he knew truth about Riley. They’re putting their faith in him. They read out the coordinates.  

Dwight and Shari ride up the road, and stop. Dwight says, there’s no school there. Shari wonders if they took a wrong turn, and Dwight says, they’ll go back. There’s got to be something nearby. They gallop away, and they hear Morgan on the radio, saying, give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. They see a cabin, and Shari says, maybe there’s beer and pretzels in there. He asks if she’s serious, and she says, it’s the one thing they said they’d do when they found each other, and they haven’t done it yet. If this is the end, it’s how she wants to go out; just them. A title says: Enjoy the view, a-hole. They go to the cabin, and Dwight says, maybe it’s not just them. They go inside, and Dwight checks the kitchen, while Shari looks at a photo of a couple with a baby. She goes out to the backyard, and Dwight joins her. He says he couldn’t find pretzels, but he found these bad boys, handing her a beer. He says, they’re warm, but they’ll do the trick. They drink, and Shari wonders why they didn’t do this sooner. They  found each other, after everything. That doesn’t just happen, but she couldn’t get past the past. She wasted so much time being pissed off; trying to fight the bad guys, but the bad guys always win. They’ve seen that every time, and nothing she did was going to change that. She cries, and says, all it did was cost her time with him. He takes her beer, and puts it with his on the porch, and holds her. He says, everything she did, everything she’s done, she has nothing to be sorry for. He kisses her, and says they still have this life, even if it’s just for now. The woman and man from the photo come out, the man holding a gun, and Dwight says, they don’t want any trouble. They thought the cabin was empty. Shari says, they’ll get out if they know a place where they can hole up. The man says they had a place, but they took it. Dwight asks what he’s talking about, and the man says, a storm cellar. They were about to go down, when two jackasses showed up, and forced them up. Dwight asks who they were, and the woman says, they didn’t introduce themselves. They just ranted about, the end is the beginning. A little girl comes out, and we assume she’s the baby from the photo. The woman says, just give them their house back, and Dwight asks where the cellar is. He’ll get it back for them. The woman asks, how? and Dwight asks if they have any rope.  

Dwight ties one end of a rope to the horse, and the other to the cellar door handle. He slaps the horse’s flank to get it moving, and it runs, pulling the door off. Two guys come out shooting. Shari shoots one, killing him, and shoots the other, who falls, but gets up and runs. Dwight shoots him in the back, and he crawls. They all run over to him, and Dwight turns him over. The guy says, do it, and Dwight says he looks scared. A zombie is heading their way, and the guy says, please, but Dwight says, no. He doesn’t think so. He’s going to do for the guy what the guy tried to do for the family there. Give him a front row seat to the sh*t show they brought on them. Someone shoots the zombie, and Shari shoots the guy in the knee, calling him an a-hole. As they walk to the cellar, Dwight tells Shari, maybe they’re both right, and the bad guys don’t always win. They go to the cellar door, and see the missile divide. They rush inside.   

Driving with Dakota, Teddy hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started, but he’s not sure it’s possible. Dakota snaps the radio off, startling Teddy. She says she’s sorry she saved Morgan. She’s the only reason Morgan is alive. If he’d died at the gulch, there would have been no one stopping the missiles. Teddy says he’s glad it went the way it did. Otherwise, he never would have met her. Dakota asks if he means it, and he says she gets him. All those others, hanging on his every word, doing what he tells them, not a single one understood what he was doing the way she does.

A title says: You have nothing to be sorry about. Teddy and Dakota stand at a viewing station, and look out. He says, it’s almost time. Look at it. Here they are with a front row seat. Dakota says Teddy told her that she got him. He was the first person who didn’t look at her like she had something wrong with her, and try to make her change. He takes her hand, and says, imagine if they’d found each other sooner. John comes up behind them, and tells Teddy, step away from the girl. Teddy asks if John is spending his last moments before he turns to mulch, putting him down. John says he’s there for Dakota. He’s not fixing to hurt her; he just wants to say something. Dakota says, he’ll try to make her change her mind, and John says, she can still make her life mean something. She just has to believe people are better than she thinks they are. She says that’s how John Jr. ended up with a bullet in him, and John says, even though he walked out on his son, John Jr. still found it in himself to forgive him years later. She asks what he’s going to do with her, and he says, forgive her for killing John; for taking her son’s life. Teddy tells Dakota not to listen to him. She has nothing to be sorry about. She asks if he means that, and he says he does. John puts his gun down, and Teddy raises his, but it’s shot out of his hand. June walks up, saying, John didn’t come alone, and John says she’s a better shot than he is. Dakota asks why they’re there, and June says she forgives Dakota too. It’s not too late, even if Dakota believes it is. As long as you’re alive, it’s not too late. Dakota asks, if June believes that, why did she kill Virginia? and June says, when she lost John, she lost what she believed, but she found it again. So can Dakota. John steps on something hard, and says, what the hell is under there? He brushes aside the grass, and sees a camouflaged trap door. It opens to a ladder going down into a tunnel. He says he thought Teddy was the end. It looks like he plans on sticking around. His talk about the beginning was just hot air to get his lambs to march to slaughter. June says John isn’t lying to Dakota. Teddy is here to do what he believes. Dakota asks, what the hell is this? and Teddy tells her they’re going to shoot off the rest of the missiles. When he dust clears, he can finish what he started. Dakota says, he didn’t mean it about her understanding him, but Teddy insists he did. She says, then why didn’t he tell her? He says he couldn’t risk anyone else finding out. He wanted it to be about her and him. Why else would he bring her? John says, he needs two people to launch a missile; only one can’t turn both keys. He doesn’t care about Dakota. He just needs her. Dakota says, he’s her family, and doesn’t want her to be something she’s not. Teddy says, John abandoned his son, and June tells Dakota that she has a chance to survive; it’s a sign there are second chances. They see the missile divide, and John says, it’s starting soon. Dakota can die being who she is, or go with them. She says, and pretend to be someone she’s not. He says, it’s her choice. She points the gun, but seems unsure, and points it at Teddy.

Riding down the road on a horse, Victor hears Morgan over the radio, saying the missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and it has multiple warheads. A title says: Which man are you? He goes into a building fighting his way through zombies inside. He tries a door, but it’s locked. A zombie gets him up close and personal, but he stabs it in the head, and runs into a stairwell. He goes up to an empty floor, and asks if anybody is there. He sees dead people, but not like that kid in Sixth Sense. They lie all over on the floor. He looks out to the parking lot, and at the crowd of zombies wandering around. He yells at the top of his lungs, and sits on the floor. He hears something in the distance, and follows the sound. He opens a door and hears a recording of a man singing the blues. He walks into a humongous room where a lot of art is being stored. He hears a gun click behind him, and a man asks how he got past the dead he let in. Hand over his gun, and start talking. Victor turns around, and says, he didn’t see it? and the man says, it was hard to miss. Is it hitting there? Victor says, it’s hitting everywhere. The man asks how Victor knows, and Victor says, he was there. Unless the man has someplace to shelter, there’s nothing more he can do. The man says he guesses that’s the ballgame, puts his gun down, and asks if Victor likes bourbon. It’s from a distillery in Texas. It used to be in Texas anyway. He asks Victor to turn the record over. He says, it’s “Lemon Blind” Jefferson. He mostly played around Dallas in 1926 to ’29. Victor says he knows his history, and the man says he hopes so. He’s a historian, or he used to be. He was a teacher before the world did what it did. Victor puts the needle on the record, and asks if that’s where all of this came from. The man says, it came after. From museums, city halls… The flag is from the Alamo. He figured somebody should try to preserve history. Victor sees a medal around the man’s neck, and asks if he’s a religious man. He says, no; his wife was. She said it would protect him. So much for that. (I dunno about that; he’s still alive.) Victor says he gave one just like it to someone, a dear friend. The man asks what Victor was trying to protect them from, and Victor says, it’s complicated. The man says, now’s not the time to be cryptic, and asks Victor, who is he? What is he doing up there? What happened out there? Victor says they were trying to build a future, while the ones they were up against were trying to end it. He was trying to stop it. He should have stopped it. The man asks why he didn’t, and Victor says, it came down to two men. They had to give their lives to save everyone, and when push came to shove, one couldn’t. The man asks, why not? and Victor says, he wanted to survive. He wanted the tales of glory for himself, and consigned everyone to be destroyed trying to circumvent death. The man asks, which one was he? and Victor says, he was the one who ready to die. The man asks why he’s there. Why isn’t he with the rest of them? Victor says, something led him there, This must be the ending he deserved, or thought he did. They hear the warheads, and see one coming down in the distance. The man says he wishes they’d met sooner, and introduces himself as Howard. Victor says, he’s Morgan. Morgan Jones.   

Grace watches the missile, and hears Morgan on the radio, telling everyone to make it mean something, and give themselves the end they want. She throws the radio, and rages a little. A title says: I can hear her. She looks into the submarine, and says she knows the ending she wants. She goes down the ladder. Morgan is cursing his life at the controls, when she comes in. He tells her that he said he’d keep trying. He’s got to make it happen. She says he can’t make stop, but he says, it’s not over. She says, they don’t know where the missiles hit, but it’s close enough. Even if they survive, with the radiation and fallout, the won’t want to live in this world. She’s seen what it does. It will be worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dying from radiation is extremely long and painful, and there will be no escaping it. He takes her hand, and she says she’s not watching it happen again; not to someone else she loves. That’s the problem with her. Don’t tell her it’s not too late. Morgan kisses her, and tells he that he loves her. She says she knows, and puts her gun on the desk. She says, please don’t make her watch it again, and he says, he thought he’d die in the gulch, but there was a reason he kept breathing. It was her. He wanted to take care of her, to build something for Athena. She says, it’s not going to happen. She’s sorry, but neither one of them were meant to be there. He says he’s sorry; he truly is. He’s sorry for them, and for what could have been. He actually let himself believe he could have a family again, be a husband… be a father. She says he can be, just not there. When Athena was born Grace wished so long to hear her cry, but it never came. She needs to hear her baby cry. They hear something outside, and Grace says, it’s the warheads separating. He picks up the gun, and says he’s sorry it has to end this way, but she says, it’s for the best. They hug, and put their foreheads together. He puts the gun against the back of his own head. We hear a baby cry, and Grace says, I can hear her. Morgan says, he can too, and they realize it’s a real baby, not Athena in their heads.  

Outside, Rufus barks. He’s leading Rachel, who’s now a zombie. Morgan says, Rachel, and Grace grabs the dog. Morgan hesitates for a moment, but then stabs Rachel through the head with his pokey stick. He catches her as she falls, and takes Baby Morgan out of her backpack. I have literally never seen a head of hair like this on a baby this young; it’s amazing. Morgan laughs, and Grace hugs the dog. He says, it feels like a gift from Athena.

Wes and Sarah get out of the truck, followed by the others. Wes asks if Daniel is sure he had the right coordinates. Charlie says, there’s nobody here, and Daniel says he’s sorry. Sarah says, maybe Wen will be okay, and Riley says, he told them, there’s no escaping. Daniel grabs him, pulls him out of the truck, and throws him on the ground. He’s either knocked out or dead, and Wes goes through his pockets. Charlie looks up, and is the first to see the helicopter headed their way. Sarah says, sh*t in a sandbox, and Luci says, Daniel was right; she knew it. The helicopter lands, and they run to it. Sarah wonders who the hell it is, and the person on the passenger side says she’s glad they got the coordinates. Don’t ask the pilot any questions. The less they know, the better. She’s wearing a facemask, but we assume it’s Al. I also assume the pilot is Isabelle.

Dakota aims her gun at John again, and June says, please, but Dakota says she doesn’t have to change for anyone.  John asks if he ever told June about the St. Louis Barnraiser, and she nods. He shoots in the air, and Dakota shoots at him, getting him in the arm, as June shoots the gun out of her hand. June and John go down into the tunnel, leaving Dakota and Teddy behind. Dakota asks if Teddy ever really gave a sh*t, or did he just need her to turn the key? He doesn’t say anything, and she shoots him, saying, that’s what she thought. She shoots him again in the head, and tells him, he said she should never change, and she’s not. Now, he never gets to see his ending.

Victor and Howard go to the window, and watch the warheads come down.

Dakota looks out, everything goes white. She’s been burned to a crisp, and I laugh.   

John and June duck, and everything blows apart.

Dwight, Shari, and the family huddle together in the root cellar. They hear the door banging, but it suddenly stops.

Luci says, if they stick together, they’ll be fine. The helicopter takes off, and we see Wes has painted, This Isn’t The End on the road; the word End on Riley’s back. Riley gets up and walks away, as a mushroom cloud rises in the distance.   

Everything is blowing up everywhere. Grace sees a dust cloud coming , and Morgan says, go! They run, Morgan holding the baby, and Rufus gets in a truck. As usual, the dog is my main concern. Morgan and Grace go under a car with Baby Morgan, and it looks like that move The Day After.   

Victor grits his teeth and closes his eyes, but then it’s over. He and Howard they see mushroom cloud. Victor laughs, and Howard asks why he’s laughing. Victor says, because he’s alive. After everything he did, he’s still there. Howard says, everything he did? and Victor says he’s not the man he told Howard he was. He’s the other one. He’s not Morgan Jones; he’s Victor Strand. He’s a man who’s thrown other men to the wolves when it was necessary. He’s not afraid to the cut the cord when he’s had to. He’s a hustler and a backroom dealer, and he’s cheated if the opportunity presented itself. Howard asks, why? and Victor says, survival. He’s done it all his life. Despite the critics, he’s still there. He came from nothing, but he knows how to survive. He’s had to rebuild himself from the ground up, over and over again. They have a great future behind them. They can take that future and rebuild, with art, and books, and music, and good bourbon. It feels like the dawning of a new day to him. They look at the cloud, and Victor asks, how about Howard?  

Grace coughs, and she and Morgan come out with the baby. They see a zombie going by, the back of him smoking (dubbed Backdraft Zombie by Talking Dead). Morgan waits for it to approach, and stabs it in the throat. They hear some popping sounds, and Morgan looks at Grace, and then Baby Morgan.

No preview, since this was the finale.

⚰️ So I’m thinking about this episode as I’m editing and listening to Talking Dead, where they’re talking about FWD having a new reality for its characters due to the bombings. And I thought, but wait, doesn’t this mean they’ll have to do the same for Walking Dead, and whatever other shows are connected to it in the same timeline or after?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-6-finale-explosive-ending-impacts-walking-dead-universe-crm-helicopter/

💣 Victor’s Villainy…

I never thought of villains as necessarily being queer, but hey, why not?

https://ew.com/tv/colman-domingo-fear-the-walking-dead-zola-pride/

🧛🏼 Speaking Of Queer…

A wonderful list of horror films. This article also contains one of my favorite horror film titles of all time, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-a-Rama. I’ve never actually seen it, but I have seen Tammy and the T-Rex, also on the list. It was… interesting.

📽 It’s Coming…

The latest on American Horror Story.

🐎 Country Wins…

Everything you ever wanted to know about this year’s CMT Awards, including the fashions of course.

https://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards

Skating…

Finally, my dog saw the vet, after screaming, crying, and stamping my feet to get an appointment that wasn’t three weeks from now. Slight exaggeration, but I was persistent. His health issues were dealt with, so hopefully, I’m back on track now. Until we meet for soap and a sail, stay safe, stay resilient, and stay being a survivor, but without throwing anyone to the wolves like Victor.

October 22, 2020 – Nina Gives Nelle a Decent Burial, Remote Charm, New Season, NJ Lawsuit, NY Divorce, Dead News, Fashionable Country, Appreciate Bats & Some Cranberries

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly is resting, and Sonny asks, what’s up with Josslyn? She doesn’t look good, and said Nelle stole something from her. Carly says she’ll talk to Josslyn, and gets up. Sonny says, this is probably it. Nelle came back to get it. Carly sees what I’m guessing is a bloody kidney in his hands. She screams. And wakes up. She wonders why this is happening.

Chase tells Willow, she, Michael, and Wiley make a wonderful family. He’s glad she’s happy. She thanks him, and he says it’s all he ever wanted for her. He hopes Michael does better by her than he did. He starts to walk away, and she asks him to wait. She wants to tell him something about her and Michael, but he says whatever it is, it’s better if she doesn’t.

Jax asks if he can talk to Michael, and Michael says, if it’s something about Aurora, he doesn’t have much to contribute yet. Jax says they can talk about whatever he wants, but keep him distracted. He looks over at Nina talking to Valentin. Nina tells Valentin, it wasn’t easy to shut him out and start over, but he left her no choice. He says if she means that, she wouldn’t care who he sleeps with, but she obviously does. Maybe she’s not as over him as she thinks. She says if by over him he means indifferent, she never claimed to be, but she’s determined to move on. He says, then let him do the same. Or did she expect him to wait around indefinitely?

Carly finds Jason in the kitchen, and asks him to pour her a cup of coffee. She could use the caffeine. He asks, what happened? and she says she hasn’t been sleeping well, so she took a nap. Big mistake. She dreamed about Nelle – again. She can’t keep going like this.

Nikolas walks in, and Ava says, good; he’s home. She has something important to discuss. He closes the door, and says he does too. Something he should have told her a long time ago. She says she’s sure it can wait a little longer, but he tells her, for once in her life, lower her guard enough to listen. She asks what makes him think she’s interested in anything that comes out of his mouth. He thought she liked his mouth, and she says she’d like to slap it. So unless he’s about to confess… He says that’s exactly what he’s doing. He hasn’t been honest with her. About him, and about them.

Ava says, speak, and he says he’s been thinking for a while about how things are going. Not just with them; there’s the whole family to consider. She tells him, spit it out, and he says she’s not making it easy. She says clearly he hasn’t thought out what he needs to say, and he suggests she let him say it, instead of being smug, cynical, and ready with a cutting remark. She says he knew how she was when he married her, and he says, a conniving, treacherous opportunist. She says she can never live down her bad choices. She’s selfish and ruthless; never mind his history. He says he knows who he is, but he’s just starting to get to know the real Ava, the woman behind the façade. He’s realized that in their marriage of convenience, he has inconvenient feelings.

Nina says she doesn’t want Valentin to wait for her. There’s no chance for them. He says he doesn’t believe that. Jax is a rebound, and she’s his plus one; his companion, a trophy. She says Valentin knows nothing, and he says he knows she and Jax like each other. He knows they have certain things in common, and knows it’s a safe relationship, because both of their hearts are otherwise engaged. Jax loves Carly, and she loves… She says, no. She’s not threatened by Jax’s connection to Carly.

Jax tells Michael that Valentin wants Nina back. He can’t say he blames him; she’s an incredible woman. Michael says she seems happy with Jax, and Jax says he’s happy with her. But when you’ve been married to someone, you develop an understanding of each other that doesn’t go away just because the marriage ends. Michael hopes he’s right.

Chase tells Willow, he set all of this in motion. He did what he did, and she ended up with Wiley and Michael, and he’s truly happy for her, but he’s no longer a part of her life. Not the way he used to be. So whatever she was going to say… She flashes back to Michael saying there’s nothing selfish about being in love; it’s what he wants for her, but he considers their marriage a success. She tells him, she does too. She tells Chase, it’s not what he thinks, but he says, it doesn’t matter. Whatever she was going to say, it’s best she holds onto it. Michael walks up to them.

Jason asks if Carly wants to talk about it, and she says she keeps having nightmares. The details are different, but they’re horrible and all about Nelle. Even though she’s dead, she’s not. He says Carly just had to sit through a police interrogation about Nelle; it makes sense that she’d be dreaming about her. She says the interrogation was frustrating because the detective accused her of pushing Nelle. Jason says, but she didn’t, so there’s no case. She  tells him, that’s what Diane said, and he says he can see why she’s still worried. She says she is, but not because of the cops. It’s because Nina is giving Nelle a proper burial this afternoon at Woodlawn Cemetery. She says she’s doing it for Wiley, so he can visit his mother’s grave, but that’s BS. She’s doing it for herself.

Carly says, Nina had a breakdown a few years back. She kidnapped Avery, and wound up in Shadybrook, but she was able to get the help she needed, and turned her life around. But Nelle didn’t, and Nina can’t let it go. He asks if she thinks Nina feels guilty because she got saved and Nelle didn’t, but Carly doesn’t know. She doesn’t care about Nina’s motives. She cares that Nelle is going to be buried in the same cemetery as Morgan and Mike. She cares that Nelle is going to have a headstone in Port Charles, where she caused so much misery. If Nina wants to do something, pay to have her buried in Florida. I get distracted momentarily by the bowl of moss, and Jason says, who cares about Nina? Why does Nelle bother Carly so much? She says it doesn’t make any sense, but he says, tell him anyway. She says she knows Nelle’s dead, but it seems like Nelle isn’t done with her.

Nina tells Valentin that she admires the way Jax and Carly co-parent, and she’d like to think they could do that with Charlotte. Show her the best of them without the fallout from the relationship they both messed up. He admits he’s responsible for the lion’s share of the damage. He wants to be there for Charlotte, and wants Nina to stay in her life. She says it would make things easier if he’d stop needling her about Jax. He agrees, but wants her to extend the same courtesy to him. She says she doesn’t needle him, and he says she did when he walked in with Brook. She says, that wasn’t needling; she’s appalled. She’s not jealous, and he should know that. Brook isn’t in the right frame of mind to decide if she wants to sleep with him. She’s recovering from a brutal attack. He says he didn’t take advantage of Brook, and she says, Brook is traumatized. Jax asks if everything is okay, and Valentin calls him Jasper, saying, they were just talking about Nelle. Jax says he despises Nelle, but Nina wants to give her a proper burial. Valentin says, she what?

Michael apologizes for barging into the conversation, but Chase says, no big deal. It’s not like when Brook walked in with Valentin. His jaw was on the floor. Michael says, Brook was with Valentin? and Chase says he’s not gossiping. They were pretty open about it. Brook spent the night with Valentin. Michael wonders what she was thinking, and says, Ned isn’t going to like this. Good thing she isn’t living at the house. It’s going to be World War III. Chase asks if he should be looking forward to Brook sleeping on his couch for the foreseeable future. Michael asks if Brook would accept money from him, but Chase says, she’d rather walk on glass. Willow says its good Brook has Chase to help her. He says she means it’s good he’s a sucker, but she says he’s not, and Brook wouldn’t take advantage if he was. She’s not a user like… Chase says, like Janelle.

Ava asks Nikolas what that means exactly, inconvenient feelings? He says it’s not supposed to happen in a relationship like theirs, and she asks him to be more vague. He says he wishes he had done it differently. He wishes he’d returned to his family as soon as he got back. He wishes he’d contacted her without the subterfuge, and that they hadn’t started out at each other’s throats. Being with her is more good than bad. She says, Ava Jerome, more good than bad; that’s a phrase fit for an epitaph. He says he’s falling for her. No, it’s already happened. He’s fallen for her.

Carly tells Jason, maybe it’s PTSD. Nelle has been after her for so long, she can’t let her guard down. He asks why she’s doubting herself. If she thinks something is off, it probably is. She has great instincts. She says, not with Nelle. When Nelle first came to town, she fell for Nelle, hook, line, and sinker. She played right into Nelle’s hands. Jason says she was grateful about Josslyn, and she says, too grateful to see what was in front of her. She didn’t recognize the girl from Frank’s apartment. She couldn’t go back and fix Nelle’s life, which is what Nelle wanted. When she caught up to Nelle in the clearing, Nelle blamed her for everything; every choice, every horrible thing that happened to her. She begged Nelle to turn herself in for Wiley’s sake, but she refused. She was fighting to hold on, and Nelle was fighting for her life. Nelle came at her, scratching and clawing. She feels like there’s something she’s supposed to remember. Like how you can’t remember a name, but it’s on the tip of your tongue. He tells her, don’t push it. It will come to her. She says, or she could confront it.

Valentin asks why Nina is paying for Nelle’s burial. She says, not that it’s any of his business, but Nelle left a son behind. He might want to visit her grave. Valentin asks why he’d want to do that. If Michael is honest with him about the pain Nelle inflicted, why would he want anything to do with her? He’s glad he didn’t know Helena was his mother while she was alive. Nina says he can’t compare Nelle to Helena, and he says, how about the pain Madeline inflicted? Nina isn’t going to romanticize her mother; why romanticize Nelle? She says, it’s none of his business. She doesn’t want to be late for the graveside service that she paid for. She flounces out, and Valentin asks if Jax isn’t going with her.

Chase tells Michael, Janelle is being buried today, and Michael says Nina called and asked if they wanted to attend. When Wiley is an adult, and he wants to visit, that’s up to him, but he has no reason to. Willow says she feels the same way. Nelle was incredibly damaged, but she caused a lot of hurt, and she hurt Willow. All Willow wants to do is leave the past behind and focus on Wiley. Chase said he felt like that at first, but now he thinks he needs to face Janelle one last time.

Ava walks up to Nikolas, and says, so he’s fallen for her. He says, without meaning to. Against his will, and against good advice from people he respects. She says, so this isn’t the first time he’s spoken of these inconvenient feelings. He says he needed a sounding board. Someone to talk to about it, while he tried to talk himself out of it. She says, yet here he is. He says, here we are. They’ve come a long way since she burned his grandmother’s portrait and threatened to shoot him. She says he has no idea how close she came to pulling the trigger, and he says, why shoot him when she could blackmail him into marriage? She says, her sentiments exactly, and drains her martini. He says, it’s different for him, so he has to believe it’s different for her too. Is she in it with him? Yes or no? It’s not just him, is it? She feels it too? She flashes back to when she found the piece of check with his signature on it, and says she feels annoyed and insulted that he expects her to fall for his declaration. He says, it’s the truth, and she says his relationship with the truth is somewhat casual. He asks why he’d leave himself open to being vulnerable if it wasn’t true, and she says, to get her to lower her guard. He says telling her his feelings doesn’t get him closer to his inheritance; it gets him closer to her. She says he’s been working on her for months, trying to wear down her resistance. He asks if that’s what happened at the cabin. She says, yes, and makes a beeline for the door. He gets in front of her, and says, tell him that she didn’t want him as much as he wanted her that night. Tell him it wasn’t real for both of them. She asks if it’s as real as it is when he’s with Elizabeth.

Jax sits down and tells Valentin, it pains him to say this, but he agrees. It would be better for Wiley if Nelle was in an unmarked grave. Valentin assumes he pitched that argument to Nina and it fell on deaf ears. It’s all wrapped up in her head with the loss of her child. Speaking of which, he’s aware what Jax is doing, encouraging her to keep up the search. If he’s doing that, he’d better be damn sure there’s a child out there to find.

Michael asks if Willow is okay, then says, forget that. It wasn’t a question as much as a demand for reassurance. He wants her to tell him she’s okay, and obviously she’s not. She says she doesn’t know what she is. She hates Nelle and always will, and it’s beyond ironic that everything good in her life comes from something Nelle did. He says Willow had every reason to use her pain as an excuse to hurt others, but she didn’t. She says, maybe because at her darkest moments, she had people to support her, and Nelle didn’t. He asks if one of them was Chase, and she says, Chase was there for her, until he wasn’t.

A pastor says a prayer at Nelle’s gravesite. Fastest. Headstone. Placement. Ever. Chase arrives, as Nina says, amen.

Jax says he’s not like Valentin. He’s not hiring someone to pose as Nina’s child. He’s going to help her as much or as little as he wants. Valentin says, and when the search hits a dead end, and Nina is devastated, what then? Jax says, what’s the alternative? Is he supposed to shield her from disappointment? He’s not in charge of her life. Valentin says, aren’t we enlightened? Someone’s done a lot of work on themselves. He wonders if Jax would be so objective if it was Carly about to break her own heart.

Michael tells Willow, there was a moment where Chase was the same Chase he’d always been. She says she felt it too. Before Michael came over, Chase said he was glad she was going to adopt Wiley. She knows he was sincere and he really wants her to be happy. It’s like there are two Chases. The one who loves her, and the one who threw her away. Michael says he can see how much Chase regrets it, and how much he still loves her and wants her back.

Sonny comes home, and apologizes for keeping Jason waiting. His got held up. His dad had Diane draw up a will after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He didn’t have a lot, just some personal stuff, and this. He hands Jason a picture and says, a race horse. One quarter share of a thoroughbred, and now it’s his. They laugh, and Jason says, Mike never told him? Sonny says, Mike might have been concerned he’d think Mike was gambling again. Maybe he forgot. Another thing Alzheimer’s took from him. Jason says, Mike loved horses, and Sonny says, he doesn’t know if the horse ever won a race, or if Mike even cared. He didn’t buy it for an investment; he bought it for part of a dream.

Michael says he was being intrusive, but Willow says she’s not offended by what he said. She doesn’t think it matters if Chase wants her back or not.

Valentin asks Jax how far he would go to protect Carly. What boundaries would he cross, or rather what boundaries wouldn’t he cross? Jax asks how many times Valentin has had this conversation with Nina. That is the angle, isn’t it? Playing up his relationship with Carly, so Nina feels more insecure? Valentin says he’s not the only one who sees Jax’s relationship with Carly for what it really is.

Nina thanks the pastor, and tells Chase that she’s glad he changed his mind. He says, if he hadn’t met Janelle, he’d probably still be a cop in coastal Maine. He’s not grateful, and she never did him any good, but in the end, he benefitted. He’s there to acknowledge that, and put her behind him once and for all. Nina says, Nelle had so many gifts, she could have accomplished a lot if just one person was looking out for her. He says, if Nina really believes she could have been the one to save Janelle, then she fooled Nina in death like she fooled him in life. Nina asks if he doesn’t think Nelle’s life would have been different if someone had intervened, but he says, Janelle had plenty of chances to turn her life around. She had plenty of people willing to help. Carly, for one, and Michael. If she’d just put down her vendetta, and tried to become the person she pretended to be, they wouldn’t be standing there right now. But Janelle was broken. She couldn’t accept kindness or support, much less love. Nina says she can’t help but think about it differently. She has a history of making horrible, disastrous choices, and turned herself around, but she had the privilege of having friends and family who cared about her. Nelle didn’t have anyone. Not one person. Maybe he’s right. Nina thought she could save her, but in the end, all she could do is give her a decent burial, and hope that she rests in peace.

Jax says he and Carly have a child together, and Valentin says, it must be difficult to watch him build a life with another woman. Jax says, not as difficult as it is for Valentin to see him building a life with Nina. Valentin says, he’d be more comfortable with Nina’s choice if he believed Jax cared about her half as much as he does. It’s obvious Jax isn’t entirely over Carly, and Valentin doesn’t think he ever will be.

Willow tells Michael, it’s hard for her to imagine getting back together with Chase, and not seeing the betrayal every time she looks at him. She can imagine getting excited over a special dinner, but it wouldn’t be real; she’d just be playing a part. Pretending he never cheated. And pretending would hurt more than accepting they’re over.

Sonny tells Jason, he’s having Diane locate the other shareholders. He wants to buy them out. If the horse still wants to race, he’ll let him, but if not, he’ll find him a pretty pasture. Jason says, Mike would like that. Sonny says he thinks Mike would, but more than that, he keeps doing it over and over, wondering what Mike would want him to do. He’s gone. Sonny loves him and grieves, but has people there who need him. He has to let his dad go, and focus on the present.

Nikolas says, Elizabeth has nothing to do with this, and Ava says she’s seen how Nikolas looks at her; how he watches her. How he grovels for her attention, her approval, and God knows what else. Elizabeth has always been his ideal, hasn’t she? It was Elizabeth who he was hoping was waiting for him when he got back. He says, Elizabeth is his oldest friend. The romance they had was over years ago. She says, look her in the eye and tell her that he hasn’t dreamed of leaving her for Elizabeth.

Nikolas says, it’s true. He thought of starting over with Elizabeth. Ava says, then spare them more of this farce, but he says, it was just a fantasy. Elizabeth is his past. She says, and she’s his future. He says, that depends. Is he hers? Does she return his feelings? Yes or no? She says she refuses to play this game. He says, she doesn’t have to; he got his answer. She says, believe what he likes, and he says he’ll say it as many times as it takes. She tells him, save his breath. Actions speak louder than words. He asks what he can do to prove himself. Name it. She says if he wants to prove his feelings, divorce her.

Jax says he’s been clear on Carly’s place in his life, and Valentin says, he’s holding nothing back? There’s nothing in his history with Carly that Nina can’t know? Jax flashes back to being on the cliff with Carly when Nelle fell, and telling her that she can tell the truth or save herself/ He tells Valentin, if he ever feels the need to settle his conscience, he won’t be talking to Valentin about it. He leaves, and Valentin wonders what he’s hiding.

Michael says he doesn’t want to make Willow uncomfortable, so no is an acceptable answer to what he’s going to say. She says, okay… and he says he doesn’t know a lot about wine. As CEO, he’s going to have a lot of business dinners, and he needs to study up. While they’re still married, would she like to study with him? He could have a broker send over a selection, maybe once a week. Cook could make dinner. They could make it themselves, but Cook would never let them in the kitchen. He doesn’t want to do something too close to what she and Chase enjoyed, but she says she’s not going to give up wine for the rest of her life because she used to drink it with Chase. She’d love to study wine with him. It sounds like fun. They clink glasses, and she says he’s making the annulment more difficult. The more she’s around him, the more she realizes what to expect from a relationship; someone she can trust, solve problems with, and study wine with. She doesn’t want what she had with Chase. She wants this. While thy’re still married, she’s going to honor that for as long as it lasts. He says he is too. 

Sonny asks Jason if there’s any word on Brando. Jason says, Brando went to work for Cyrus this morning. He should be safe for a while. Cyrus won’t test him too soon. Sonny says, eventually, Cyrus is going to want Brando to prove his loyalty, and Jason says, then Brando knows what to expect. Sonny says, what if Cyrus orders Brando to kill Jason? and Jason says he thinks the motorcycle sabotaging was a one-off. He doesn’t have to try for a while. At lest not in public. Sonny asks if Jason thinks Cyrus would risk a war with what he’s got going on at the hospital, and Jason says, he got rid of the long time staffers. He cut Elizabeth’s hours, and put Epiphany on administrative duties. Sonny says, so no one would notice Cyrus is moving product through the hospital. Sonny asks what Jason thinks the end game is, and Jason says, if Cyrus controls the mayor’s office, the cops, and the hospital, he gets Sonny isolated. He takes out Sonny, and he owns Port Charles. Sonny asks if Jason thinks it’s that simple, and Jason says, no. You have to control a lot of people, and in an organization like that, you need secrecy and loyalty. Cyrus has neither. Sonny says, the more Cyrus wastes his time, the more Brando moves closer. Jason says, what if Cyrus openly breaks the truce? Sonny says, then they take him out. It could get messy, but they have too much to lose; too many people in the line of fire.

Nina kneels at Nelle’s grave, and says she doesn’t know what to say. Sorry seems inadequate, and anything more than that seems like a lie. The people Nelle hurt didn’t deserve it, but she didn’t deserve the kind of life she had. Nina wishes things could have been different for Nelle. She hears footsteps, and looks up. It’s Carly.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks Jax if it was his call to continue the search, Alexis asks if someone wants to join her, Cyrus says Julian will find his offer impossible to turn down, and Carly says she’s where she’s supposed to be.

👒 Tonight, Bravo gave us the gift that keeps on giving. Ashley from Southern Charm made an appearance to watch the season 5 finale, along with Kathryn. Well, not exactly with Kathryn. Since it was remote, we could see both of them, but they couldn’t see or hear each other. Believe me, it was better that way. Starting off, Ashley said she was terrified, and Kathryn said it was going to be funny. Kathryn said she was going to be watching all by herself… sort of, and Ashley said, what do you mean Kathryn will be watching? She seemed more amused than embarrassed, and said once you’re a villain, there’s nothing you can do to redeem self. Apparently, she forgot Kathryn, since that’s pretty much what happened with her. Ashley told us, the opening music got her heart rate up. It was a horrific time for her, and she could feel the anxiety; whereas Kathryn said it was a new beginning for her; she’d come full circle with her relationships.

We found out Kathryn never finished Patricia’s book, The Art of Southern Charm. I have to confess, I haven’t either, but I really just bought it for the pictures of Chauncy. Kathryn also informed us that Craig’s finger was permanently crooked from the butter knife incident. She said she and Craig both had houses that were a wreck, but at least she had the excuse of having children. Yep. I have pets is my excuse. Ashley said Craig was one of her favorites, but she was still waiting for her pillow. I’m guessing she’ll be waiting a long time. She said Shep had been the kindest to her, but made it clear that she loathed Naomie, saying she’d rather watch Kathryn, and hated Austen too. She made fun of the way Austen talked, which was extremely mature of her, made fun of the majority of the cast, called them bitches, and said she hated them. Kathryn’s attitude was just the opposite. She laughed at herself, and gave us various details that weren’t on camera.

The episode featured Patricia’s Christmas party, where Ashley called Kathryn an egg donor. In a completely Twilight Zone moment, Ashley said that Thomas had told her to wear a red dress, and Kathryn said she bet Thomas told Ashley to wear a red dress. ♫ Do-do-do-do do-do-do-do ♫ When Cameron said the party was like the Titanic, Ashley felt compelled to inform us that it sank. No surprise to me, Ashley said JD (bleh) was her favorite. She harped a lot on Naomie being a bitch, and how abusive she was to poor Craig. As Captain Lee would say, Craig wrote Naomie a check his ass couldn’t cash. Neither one of them communicated well, and I like Craig, but she had a reason to be unhappy.   

The takeaway point was  that Ashley is definitely still bitter, and still proving she’s a nurse, as she showed us her credentials. She also talked to herself in third person, like, run Ashley! She’s still clueless too. When, during the episode, she told Kathryn that she was living the life Kathryn wanted, she confirmed her original assessment, telling us that Kathryn still did. I find that highly doubtful. At the end, she insisted she wanted nothing but the best for Kathryn, even though she talked sh*t about her. On the other hand, Kathryn laughed her way through it, and said she was glad to say goodbye to that chapter. I don’t know what the hell was in her head with that monkey emoji, but sometimes decent people can be thoughtless. I like Kathryn, also want nothing but the best for her, but won’t be talking sh*t.

This was followed by How They Got Here 2020, which basically gave a quick review of seasons past. The new season begins next Thursday, October 29th.

🍹 Returning Charm…

A couple of newbies and the Covid affect.

⚖️ With Friends Like That…

I remember this woman zero. You’d think with a name like Elvira, she would have stayed in my head.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/17/rhonj-pal-accused-in-lawsuit-of-keeping-boys-bar-mitzvah-money/

🗽 It Was Bound To Happen…

They didn’t exactly seem happy.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/20/former-rhony-star-jules-wainsteins-divorce-from-michael-finalized/

⚰️ News Of the Dead…

Lennie James directed last Sunday’s episode of Fear the Walking Dead. Which explains why Morgan was only in it for two seconds.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/fear-the-walking-dead-lennie-james-directorial-debut-interview/

What goes on in World Beyond.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-set-visit/

👗 Award Winning Fashion…

The best looks at the CMT Awards. At least according to Parade.

🦇 Go Batty…

It’s Bat Appreciation Month. Show them you care.

https://www.discovery.com/nature/batty-for-bats-pictures

👼🏽 Say a Little Prayer…

I actually have to get up early tomorrow for an online seminar, and schedule changes aren’t high on my list of fun. So until we meet at GH and Tea, stay safe, stay self-possessed, and stay not expecting a pillow from Craig.