What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Felicia meets Lucy, who’s wearing a skintight dress, at Le Brasserie, and says, nice dress. When did she have time to go shopping? Lucy says she packed it, and Felicia asks if she always packs dresses like that for a business trip. She says, her name is Lucy Coe, and she believes in always being prepared. Felicia wonders what Lucy is prepared for wearing that, and Lucy says, Felicia is the one who told her to bring grieving widow type garb, but Felicia says, the widow is done grieving, and maybe out for revenge on Martin.
Brook comes downstairs with Tracy, and they hear a noise in the living room. Brook wonders if someone is in there, and Tracy says, ghosts aren’t usually that loud, so yes. Brook tells her, wait, and grabs a cane from the umbrella stand. They open the doors, and Olivia is there, tossing things around. She says, damn you, Ned.
Gregory meets Chase at Rice Plaza, and says he thought they were having dinner. Why are they meeting here? Chase says, change of plans. How would Gregory like to go to a concert instead? Gregory says, here? He doesn’t think the Plaza is set up for that sort of thing. Ned begins to play his guitar.
Lucy says, revenge? Moi? Felicia says she thinks Lucy wants revenge against Martin for keeping secrets from her, and for not asking her to marry him. Lucy admits if one Jackson Montgomery – this tall, handsome, debonair fellow – wants to lavish attention on her, then yeah. It might make her feel a teeny, tiny bit triumphant. Felicia says she knew it, but Lucy says, more than that, she wants Felicia to prove that her Marty isn’t pulling some kind of scam on her. Then maybe she could actually, once and for all, live happily ever after, even if she doesn’t get to walk down the aisle. So thusly, this dress is her tool to give Felicia time to search his office. She thinks this dress could keep him occupied. Felicia says, if it doesn’t, it’s not for lack of trying, when Jack walks in. Lucy tells Felicia, show time.
Nina meets Ava at Beradino’s and apologizes for being late. Ava wouldn’t believe the day she’s had. She almost canceled. Ava pushes a martini across toward Nina, and says, she definitely needs that. Nina takes a sip, and Ava says she heard about Curtis getting shot. If Nina feels she needs to be at the hospital, Ava doesn’t mind. Nina says, Curtis is out of surgery, but he’s still unconscious. There’s nothing any of them can do but wait, and on top of all that, a major advertiser pulled out of this ad campaign and now Sasha’s in this weird legal trouble, so please tell her that Ava wanted a drink because she has good news to share. Ava says, no can do, and Nina asks, what happened? Ava says she had sex with Austin.
Anna tells Dante and Sonny, offering herself up as bait is the best way for them to find out who shot Curtis, and Dante says, except for the part where she puts herself in danger. She says, it’s not exactly new territory for her, but Sonny says, except whoever shot Curtis used a rifle stolen from the WSB arsenal. Anna says, something’s off about that. It doesn’t make sense that the Bureau would want her dead. Sonny asks if it’s possible someone within the organization went rogue, and she says, maybe. They’re going to have to set a good trap for them. Dante asks if she’s really going to do this, and she says she’s not going to live under a constant threat. He says he gets that, but there are other ways of handling this. This is a little dangerous, a little reckless. Sonny says he likes it.
Nina says, Ava had sex with Austin, and Ava says, surprise. Nina says, now she’s definitely glad she came tonight. She knows Ava went to the Nurses Ball with him, but she hasn’t talked about him since. Nina just figured nothing came of it. Ava says, quite the opposite actually; things have definitely escalated. Nina says, obviously. How long has this been going on? Ava says, they only just slept together for the first time, and Nina says she’s a little confused here. Ava is acting like sleeping with a hot doctor is a problem. Isn’t it a good thing? Austin comes over to the table, and says, there she is. He’s been looking all over for Ava. He kisses her cheek, says hi to Nina, and sits down. He says he missed Ava.
Gregory says, isn’t that Brook’s dad who hit his head and thinks he’s a rock star? and Chase says, he goes by Eddie Maine now. Brook’s Uncle Sonny has been keeping a close eye on him, but she’s on edge because of Curtis getting shot at the MetroCourt last night. He said he’d help watch him, and report anything alarming back to the doctors. Gregory asks if the PCPD is okay with this, but Chase says, strictly off-duty hours. Gregory says, giving up his free time is a big commitment, but Chase says he doesn’t mind. It’s for Brook. Gregory says, she means a lot to Chase, and Chase says, she means everything to him. So he hopes Gregory doesn’t mind hanging out here, instead of going to dinner. (Geez, did he at least pack Gregory a sandwich?) Gregory says, not at all. He’s proud of Chase for helping Brook out. He’s sure it’s a big relief to her; she seemed so tense last night. Chase says, that was all her grandmother Tracy’s doing, and Gregory asks, what’s that harpy done now?
Tracy says, Olivia, as Olivia tosses a box aside. Olivia says, they scared her, and Tracy asks what she’s doing throwing things around. Brook says, and yelling about dad, and Olivia says she’s looking for the supplies they need to set up the games for the General Hospital Fund Raiser Picnic, and she can’t find them, and Ned isn’t here to ask, and – she starts to cry – she can’t do this by herself. Brook says, it’s okay. They’ll help with the picnic. Olivia says, it’s not about the picnic. It’s a whole damn thing. It’s a whole life. Their entire life just stopped. Ned is supposed to be here beside her. She needs her husband. She misses him. Brook says she misses him too, when Cody comes in carrying Leo, and says, Mama Q, we have a situation here. They see Leo’s knee is bleeding.
Jack says Lucy looks absolutely ravishing in that dress, and Lucy thanks him, adding she didn’t even remember she had this old thing. Felicia says, hello, and Jack says, nice to see her again. She says, nice to see him too, calling him Mr. Montgomery, but he tells her that his friends call him Jack. Would she like to join them? Lucy says, no. Felicia was just keeping her company while she was waiting. Now she has all the company she needs. Felicia says she does have other plans, and Jack tells her to enjoy. She leaves, and Jack and Lucy sit down.
Dante says, Sonny’s not helping, but Anna says, they have to get out ahead of this. She doesn’t need anyone’s approval or permission to handle it how she sees fit. Dante tells her that he’s not saying she does, but does she want to make herself vulnerable to a rogue WSB agent? Sonny says, Dante’s right to be concerned. It is dangerous and reckless, but he thinks it’s the only way to nail this bastard. Dante says, it’s a crazy plan; it’s dangerous. Sonny says, Anna was a WSB agent for years. He trusts she knows what she’s doing. Dante says he’s not doubting her abilities… and Anna says she gets his concern, but this is her choice. Dante says, it’s just that when someone is trying to assassinate you, you don’t run to the bullets, you run away from the bullets. She says she’s done that. She was in a safe house, but it didn’t end up being very safe. She was shot there, and she’s done running. Sonny says, this plan gives Anna the advantage. She lets the enemy come to her on her terms, whenever she’s ready. Anna says, instead of just laying there waiting for someone to strike, you smoke them out. She’s run ops like this before. Dante says he’s sure she’s run many successful operations, but that was when she was with the WSB, when she had the resources. That’s not the case anymore. It’s all different now.
Chase asks if that’s not a little harsh, and Gregory says, after what that woman has done, he thinks harpy is very generous. Chase says, Gregory wasn’t this hostile toward her at dinner, and Gregory says, maybe because she attempted to be pleasant last night, as opposed to some of their recent interactions. She was almost civil. Does Chase think she was just pretending? Chase says he’s not sure. The only thing he knows is that Tracy Quartermaine does very few things that don’t serve her own agenda. Gregory says he agrees, but why is Chase saying that? Has she done something to him? Chase says, actually, she did something for him. Brook asked for her help after the CCRB first met and took away his badge, and Tracy used her connections to get him a second meeting. Gregory asks if Chase thinks she had an ulterior motive, when a street musician approaches and says, Chase is that singing detective, right? Chase says he is, and the guy says, arrest that man, pointing at Ned.
Olivia says, my God, what happened? as Cody puts Leo on the sofa. Cody says, he noticed that Comet wasn’t in the stable, so he went looking for him, and found Leo riding. He was going pretty fast, took a sharp turn, and he lost his balance. Olivia asks if Leo is all right, and Leo says he is, but it does hurt. Cody says he checked Leo out. There are obvious cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious. Olivia says, he could have been killed, and Tracy says, that horse is dangerous. Somebody ought to give a call to the good people at Elmer’s. Leo says, it’s not Comet’s fault, and Tracy says, he’s right, but he knows he’s not supposed to do that. Leo says, she can’t tell him what to do. She’s not his dad.
Jack asks if they should get all the standard boring questions out of the way, and Lucy says she has the feeling he’s never boring, but yes. Let’s go. He orders some wine, and she says, that’s a rare bottle, but he says he thinks she’s probably a rarer one. He handled the owner’s divorce a few years ago, and he felt so grateful, he kept some of the special stuff in stock just for him. She says she thought he was just a probate lawyer, but he says he actually considers himself a generalist, specializing in many things. She says, do tell. Sorry. Where were they? He says, they were at the point where he was asking as much as he could to find out about her. So where is she from? What does she do? She says, home is Port Charles, and she runs a very, very successful cosmetics company. He says she would still be beautiful without a stitch of makeup on. He’s spent some time in Port Charles, and still has a few friends there. She doesn’t happen to know Anna Devane, does she? Lucy says, she knows of her. She’s a big supporter of the Nurses Ball there. He says, Lucy’s maiden name wouldn’t happen to be Coe, would it? and she says, such a very specific guess, but he says, it’s a very educated guess. He knows exactly who she is and what she’s doing here.
Lucy says she doesn’t know what he means or what he’s even saying, but now she’s at a disadvantage. She doesn’t even know what his hobbies may be. How does he unwind? He says he likes to keep up to date on the business world. For instance, she says she’s from Port Charles and runs a very successful cosmetics business. That must be Deception, right? And that would make her the infamous Lucy Coe. She says, he’s quite the detective, but he says he just happens to know a little bit about that world. Her company has been doing very well lately. She says, thank you. That’s very true. She takes it he’s not one of those men who get easily intimidated by a very successful woman, right? He says, not so intimidated anymore, but he will give her a warning. He doesn’t like being used. She asks what that means, and he says he knows exactly why she’s here. His ex-wife Erica Kane ran Enchantment Cosmetics. She says, he was married to Erica Kane? and he tells her, don’t do that. That would explain why she’s here and not grieving her late husband. She should know, he and Erica were divorced years ago, and she divested herself from Enchantment a long, long time ago. She takes his hand and says, he couldn’t be more wrong about why she’s here. The reason she’s here has absolutely nothing to do with the cosmetic business.
Felicia sneaks into Jack’s office.
Chase asks why the guy wants Ned arrested, and the guy asks Ned, what’s up, Pete Townshend? Ned says his name’s Eddie Maine. Who the hell is he? The guy says he’s the musician who’s going to have Ned thrown in jail, and Chase says, everybody calm down. What’s going on? The guy says, his name’s Seth… Kruger? He’s here every day. Everyone in the busker’s circle knows this is his spot. You can’t just steal it, so go ahead; arrest him. Chase says, actually, he’s off-duty, and Seth asks if he loses his ability to protect the public when he’s off the clock. Chase says, no, but this is a public place. It’s not illegal for him to be standing in this space… unless Seth has a permit. Seth says, permits aren’t very rock and roll, and Ned says, preach! He’s sorry if he stole Ned’s territory. He’s new here, and just doing his thing. He wants to be heard and this is a great spot. Maybe they could share it. Play a couple of tunes together. Seth says, no way. He plays grunge. He doesn’t need his sounds ruined by Ned’s old man sound. Ned laughs and says, that’s good. Wait a minute. Isn’t grunge like, thirty years old? Seth says, 90s nostalgia is huge right now. Ned says he guesses there’s only one way to settle this; they’ll have to play for it.
Olivia thanks Cody for helping Leo, and Brook asks if Olivia wants her to take Leo to the doctor, but Olivia says, no. Nothing’s broken. All he needs is a little TLC from his mom. She tells Leo that she’ll get him all fixed up and feeling better, and leads him out. Brook thanks Cody for helping Leo. Who knows how much worse it could have been if he was by himself? Tracy says, that’s what they pay him for. Why didn’t Cody stop him? Brook says, it’s not Cody’s job to stick around Leo all the time. Besides, they both know what’s going on here. Leo is acting out because he misses dad. Tracy says, obviously. Her son is a fool, out God knows where, calling himself Eddie Maine, pretending to be a rock star while his whole family suffers. Brook says, actually, they do know where. Chase found him busking in Rice Plaza. Tracy says, busking? We’re Quartermaines; we don’t busk. Brook says, Eddie Maine does, and Cody says he’s sorry they’re going through this. Is there anything he can do to help? Tracy says, no, because as usual, there’s only one person who can put things to right – me. She walks out.
Austin asks what Ava and Nina are talking about, and Nina says, they were talking about him. Ava’s been holding out on her. He says, you know our girl. She knows when to keep her mouth shut. Ava says, yes, of course (🍷). She was waiting to tell Nina because she wanted to be sure this thing between them was real. He says, feels real to him. He thinks he and Ava have the potential for something really special. She flashes back to getting busy with Austin, and Nina says she’s going to the ladies room, but when she gets back, she wants to hear how all of this happened.
Anna tells Dante that she’s been an agent for most of her life. Her skills didn’t just evaporate because she was told she had to resign from the Bureau. He tells her that he didn’t say they did, and she says she may not have access to their assets anymore, but she doesn’t need them. Don’t forget, she worked outside of the WSB. She feels capable of bringing in whoever it is who’s after her without them. Dante says, so there’s no talking her out of this? and she says, no. Sonny says, so that’s the plan. He has to meet Nina, but his offer still stands. If she needs anything, let him know. She says she’ll keep him posted, and he says, for whatever it’s worth (🍷), his money is on Anna. He leaves, and Dante says, just so she knows, his money’s on her too. She asks why he’s fighting her so hard, and he says, because he cares about her and doesn’t want to see her hurt. She says, someone almost killed Curtis, and she feels responsible for that. And this is her life and she’s going to handle it her way. He says, okay. So if she insists on doing this, they’ll do it together.
Anna says, no one tells her how to run her operations, and Dante says, but she’s not with the WSB anymore, and she’s not a cop. But he is, and he’s done special ops too. He knows what she’s proposing isn’t a single-person operation. She needs two. Let him be her back-up. She says, the PCPD would never agree to that, and he says, the PCPD doesn’t know about it. She says she’s not going to put his job in jeopardy, but he says, it’s his life, his choice. He’s known her a long time. He’s been by her side with the WSB and the PCPD. Trust him to do it again.
Seth says he’s giving Ned one last chance to back off before he humiliates himself. Ned says, bold words from someone his age. He’s been playing rock and roll since Seth was in diapers. Seth says, he really wants to do this? Here’s how it’s going to go. They trade off songs. Then, the audience decides who gets to stay. Gregory asks Chase, what audience? and Ned says he’ll let Seth go first, since this will be the last time he actually plays on this spot. Seth starts to play, and Tracy strides across the plaza, saying, Edward Lawrence Quartermaine. Ned says his name is… She says she knows what his name is. She gave it to him after 24 hours of labor. Seth says, excuse me, lady, we’re in the middle of something… and Tracy says, please. Go embarrass his parents someplace else. She tells Ned, this has gone on long enough. She’s putting a stop to it right now.
Felicia looks at the safe and says, Lucy isn’t the only one who come prepared. She listens with a stethoscope, holding the flashlight in her mouth, and messes with the combination lock.
Jack pours the wine, and Lucy says she does love a man with a good… pour, and he says he has a fine, steady hand. Does she like a man who likes to pair his Margaux with oysters on the half shell? She says, oysters. Now he’s talking. His phone dings and he looks at it. He says, you’ve got to be kidding, and tells Lucy that he’s sorry, but he has to cut their evening short. He’s got a kind of issue he has to handle at the office. He’s so sorry to end their evening like this. She plays footsie with him, and says, it really would be such a shame to end this evening. This wine is absolutely delicious. It would be a shame to waste a beautiful night. She thinks his client will understand, and feels like something a little sweet would definitely be worth his while.
Ava asks what Austin is doing here. Please tell her that he’s not following her. He says he went to Windymere to look for her, and her very friendly housekeeper told him where he could find her. Ava says, she’s definitely fired, and he says, in her defense, she thought it was an emergency because he told her it was an emergency. So he heard from Mason. She says she’s not interested in anything that weasel has to say, and he says, Mason is very pleased at how they set up Avery’s nanny. She says, how Austin set her up, and Austin says, he’s not concerned with the details. He just wants somebody to work as a mole inside Sonny’s house. He wants this woman. He sends Ava something, her phone signals, and she looks at it. She asks if he knows this Betty Rutherford, and he says, no, but she’s the woman that Mason wants to spy on Sonny. Ava says she can’t do it. She told him, going against Sonny is risky enough. She draws a hard line at letting a stranger she knows nothing about into her daughter’s life. She can’t. Austin says, Mason thought she might respond this way, so Mason told him what to say if she did respond this way. He said to tell her that Ryan’s Bar is a wonderful place. He doesn’t know what that means, but Mason said she would. She says she does. He’s threatening her mother.
Ava tells Austin, Ryan’s Bar is where her mother Delia works. She has no idea how Mason could have found her. She gave Ava up for adoption. There aren’t even any public records tying them together. He says he’s sorry. It’s a real low blow. Mason and everyone he deals with play dirty. That’s why they don’t have a choice. They have to do what they say. She says she can’t stand this, and he says, it’s no picnic for him either. But they play along, and hopefully, it will be over soon. He’ll call as soon as she gives him the word. Sonny walks in, and Ava asks what he’s doing here. Sonny says, Nina asked him to meet her here, and Austin gets up, asking if Sonny wants to join them. Sonny doesn’t say anything, and Austin says, okay, sitting back down. Ava says she’s glad Sonny’s here because they really should talk about Pilar. He says, Pilar’s been with his family for years, and he had her take some time off. That way, when she comes back from vacation, she’ll be more focused. Ava says she thinks it’s going to take a lot more than a vacation to restore her faith in Pilar. Pilar obviously needs help. Especially now since she’s going back and forth between his place and Carly’s place. That’s why she’s decided she’s going to be hiring her own nanny to take care of Avery. He says, that’s not going to work for him.
Cody asks Olivia how Leo is doing, and she says, she bandaged his leg and got him set up with his books and cookies… Then he asked her when his dad was coming home. She didn’t know what to tell him. She can patch up his little body, but how is she supposed to fix his broken heart? Cody says, she’s helping more than she knows. She’s a good mom. She says she just wants this whole nightmare to be over. She wants her husband back home where he belongs.
Ned tells Tracy that he’s going to say this for the last time. He’s not her son and she’s not his mother. She tells him, Eddie Maine is not real. He doesn’t exist. It’s a fake name to go with a fake life. He is Ned Quartermaine, former mayor of Port Charles, CEO, loving son, husband, father. That’s real. He says he’s sorry if he’s hurting so many people, but even if what she’s saying is true, he doesn’t remember any of it. She says, then fake it. He says, what? and she says, he’s living a pretend life. She knows he can do it. So why doesn’t he just act like he cares about the people who care about him, and are heartbroken that he deserted them? He says, she’s asking him to be someone he’s not? and she says, he’s her son. Her annoying, stubborn, smart, beautiful boy. And if he doesn’t remember that, she can get him the help that he needs. Until then, allow her to fill in the gaps. He has a wife who loves him. He has a daughter who needs him. And he has a little boy who got hurt today because he was acting out because he misses Ned so much. He has a wonderful life… Look at her. He has a wonderful life. Just come back to it. Please come back to it. He says he’s sorry. He can’t. He picks up his guitar and walks off. Chase follows him.
Felicia gets the safe open, and finds some folders inside. She takes out the one that says Maquillage, and looks inside.
Jack says he thinks he can stay a little longer, and Lucy says she thinks that’s a good idea. And she really does feel like something very sweet. How about a souffle? He says, she knows how long those take to make, and she tells him, you don’t say. He says, she’s bad, and she looks at the menu and frowns. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, nothing. She just finds it so fascinating. They have hummingbird cake on the menu, which is actually extremely rare. He says he never noticed it. He’s not very fond of it. She says, he doesn’t like hummingbird cake? Is he kidding? It’s so sweet, and it’s reliable and dependable… most of the time. He says he didn’t know she was so passionate about it. He’s sorry. She says she’s not. It’s just that her Aunt Charlene loves hummingbird cake. In fact, she has her favorite secret recipe that she loves. He says he’s sure he’d love her Aunt Charlene’s cake, and she says, it’s amazing. It has toasted almonds, and she takes nutmeg, which kind of enhances the cinnamon, and this Tahitian vanilla. She doesn’t know what it does, but it brings out the tropical flavors. Then the best part – her favorite part – is when she puts in… He says, bourbon, and she asks how he knew.
Anna says she appreciates Dante’s offer of help, and he tells her, then say yes, but she says, no. He keeps pointing out how dangerous this is. He says, so the best chance she has of staying safe is for them to work together, but she says, he has a family. This isn’t just about physical safety. She saw how hard it was for him to overcome PTSD. He struggled with that for a long time, and she’d never forgive herself if she felt responsible for him going through anything like that again. He says he appreciates that, but he’s a grown man and takes responsibility for all his choices. He went through hell and back with everything and the PTSD. There were some days when he didn’t think he was going to make it, but he did. And everything he went through then and since then, showed him how strong he is and what he’s capable of. He’d be betraying the man he’s become if he let her put herself in harm’s way and he didn’t help her.
Sonny says, Ava doesn’t trust Pilar at the moment. He’s not thrilled with her right now for losing Avery. He can’t stop Ava from hiring who she wants to hire to look after Avery, but whoever she hires, he needs to approve who’s in his daughter’s life. Nina comes back and asks if everything is okay, and Sonny says, that’s up to Ava. Ava says, of course (🍷) everything is okay. She’ll contact Sonny before she interviews candidates. He says he’ll be expecting her call, and tells Nina, let’s go. Nina makes a call me sign and leaves with Sonny.
Outside, Sonny asks what Nina knows about Austin, and she says she knows he’s a doctor. She also knows he helped save Maxie and Bailey Lou, and wasn’t he the one who found Avery? Sonny says, yeah, he did, and Nina says, now he and Ava are dating. She always thought he was a good guy. Sonny asks when this relationship started, and she says, we went to the Nurses Ball together… Why? He says, if Austin is going to be around his daughter, he’s going to have to get to know him a little bit.
Anna says, it would be great having someone with Dante’s experience having her back, but she has too many reservations about him risking his life for her. He says, she can have as many reservations as she wants, just accept. He wants to do this, but either she goes along with them working together, or he goes to Robert and Mac, and tells them what she’s up to. She asks if he’s blackmailing her, and he says he totally is. But he’s also protecting her. They wouldn’t want her to do this on her own either. She says, that’s a nice move, and he says he likes his chess. So what does she say? Partners? She says, partners.
Olivia says she’s done with the pity party, and invites Cody to stay for dinner. He suggests he just order some pizza to give Olivia a break, and Brook says, but it’s not Thanksgiving. Olivia says, cooking soothes her, and walks into the foyer where Chase is coming in with Ned.
Seth starts to play, Tracy glares at him, and he moves on. Gregory clears his throat, and she says, show’s over; nothing to see here. And if he gloats about Ned… He says he wouldn’t dream of it. He knows all too well how easy it is for children to push their buttons. It doesn’t matter. They’d still do anything for them. She asks what he wants, and he says, a few words with her about how she meddled in Chase’s life.
Felicia reads the file, and hears something. A security guard says, freeze. Put her hands where he can see them. He holds a gun on Felicia, as Lucy and Jack stand behind him.
Tomorrow, Olivia says, if that’s the case, Ned can turn around and leave right now; Sam says it’s time to fill Dante in on what she’s been doing; Lucy knows exactly who they’re going to call; and Chase says he’s not doing that anymore.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht – The Reunion – Part 1
We find out the Parsifal is still up and running after a lot of work was done. Daisy is in Spain, as is Gary. Colin is in French Polynesia, and Mads is in Florida. She’s nervous, but wants to get through it. Lucy is in Wales and Alex is also in Florida, but not the same city as Mads. Chase is with dachshund Charlie in Miami. He says, Charlie is ready for the tea. Ileisha is in Australia where it’s nearly 3:30 am. We flash back to the crew having too much fun, including Lucy’s spectacular fall from her bunk. A viewer asks if Chase had the worst game of all time, and Mads says, Southern girls probably love him. Andy asks what Daisy’s sister’s take on the group was, but we never hear the answer, and he asks Alex which sister is the better kisser, but Alex isn’t going there. We see Chrissy Teigen’s posts, and Andy asks about celebrities sliding into the crew’s DMs. Daisy says, Christina Applegate is a huge fan. We flash back to Glenn picking on Daisy, and Daisy going out of her mind with busyness, and going to the bathroom to cry. Daisy says she needs either reinforcement or no comment. Negative feedback wasn’t productive. Andy asks how she recommends feedback being given, and Daisy says, starting with something positive, but she felt the feedback was personal and irrelevant. If they don’t want her to sleep, it’s fine.
Andy reminds us he’s the king of late-night fun. He asks if Glenn thinks he set unrealistic expectations for Daisy, and Glenn says his point was he didn’t want her working harder, but thought there was a way to make sure someone was always there. It didn’t mean he wasn’t happy overall, and he loves working with her. Andy asks how she didn’t hear Gary radioing her about the guest’s injury., and Daisy says, she thinks she turned down her radio during docking. Glenn says, communications are always difficult, but the guests should have been checked on periodically. Someone should have gone to Daisy if she didn’t hear the radio. Daisy says, Glenn is aware of what she does, but not what Gary doesn’t do. Glenn says, watching it back, there was a miscommunication, and he thinks they were both right. Daisy needs the stews on board, but the guests also need full service on the beach. Daisy wonders if there’s a rule book, and Gary says at the end of the day, it’s her department. Glenn thinks they’re going in the wrong direction. Andy says, Daisy was rankled when Colin sided with Glenn, and wonders if it played back as harshly as it felt at the time. She says, it was obvious she was affected, and she didn’t understand what it had to do with Colin. Andy asks if she overreacted, and Colin says he thought she took it too personally. Daisy says, to everyone else it might have just been a comment, but she was tired, exhausted, and feeling a lot of pressure at the time. Andy asks if Lucy is glad she stayed, and she said she never really wanted to quit, but everyone has bad days. A viewer asks why it was okay for Gary to go for a smoke when Daisy had asked for help during service, and Gary admits it was selfish. Andy asks if there’s anything Gary would change about his professional behavior, but Gary says he thought it was a good season. Daisy says she’s learned to accept it’s never going to change. Maybe she’s asking too much of the deck crew. Gary says, finally, she’s taking accountability.
Gary says he never watches the seasons back, and Andy wonders if he might change for the better or grow by watching his behavior and seeing how other people view him. Daisy says they have a unique opportunity to see themselves, reflect and grow, but Gary doesn’t take it. Gary says he’s just there for the drama, and Alex says, everything is perspective. The show is about nine people working together and seeing things in different ways. Perspective is the best way to grow; the most effective. Andy says, the Most Trouble award goes to Parsifal III’s engine, and we flash back to that. Andy says, a lot of fans were tweeting their admiration and awe about Colin saving the day. Colin says he thought it was game over after the first time. They couldn’t get parts, and the engine was full of salt water. It was a struggle, but they got there in the end. A viewer asks if the boat gets routine checks, and Glenn says, the boat recently crossed the Atlantic, and had just been serviced and tested. Colin says, luckily he’d been checking on it, so they had advance notice of a problem. Andy asks if Colin freaked out when the engine started smoking again, and Colin says, that time was a freak accident, and it took a long time to troubleshoot, but they had huge strokes of luck. It could have been season ending. Andy asks why Colin was annoyed when Gary barged into the engine room, and Colin says, that’s his department. He was monitoring the issue, and Gary came down in a panic, pushing a cameraman out of the way. He was being too frantic in Colin’s space. He doesn’t need anyone panicking. Gary insists he wasn’t panicking, even though we just flashed back to him panicking, and asks if Colin was just going to watch the boat burn. Colin says, there wasn’t a fire.
Andy says, Ileisha started with self-doubt and criticism from Glenn early on, but proved herself small but mighty. We flash back to some Ileisha moments, and Andy says, she’s the most even keeled yacht chef of all time, or at least in Below Deck history. Ileisha says she wasn’t okay on the inside, and doesn’t know how she seemed so relaxed. Maybe it was like how you can stay calm when you’re in emergency mode. Andy asks what her biggest challenge was, and she says, burning her thumb. Everything was tough after that. Andy says, Ileisha had timing issues in the beginning, and asks if she takes responsibility, or if she thinks it lies lay with the stews. Ileisha says, they were different situations. She wasn’t quick enough, not understanding how it worked when cameras were involved. Andy asks how much Chase was freaking out when he was eating the cake and then the guests wanted more, and did Daisy regret sharing it. Daisy says, it had been while since the guests were done, but it was her fault. Ileisha says, it was a joint f*** up. Andy asks if Ileisha is still with her boyfriend, but she says she’s single and ready to mingle. Andy asks if there’s hope for her and Chase, and we find out they got together after filming. She’d ended things with her boyfriend, and she and Chase were there for each other. He came to Australia, and she’s been to America, specifically Charleston. Alex looks like his mind is officially blown, and Chase says, they live on opposite sides of the world. Andy says, Gary arrived late, and the deck team never seemed to click, and we flash back to that. Andy says, it seemed like Gary came on board guns blazing. He asks what about Chase rubbed Gary the wrong way, but Gary says he doesn’t know.
Gary says he hasn’t met a deckhand before with such a strong personality. Chase is blunt, but good at his job. He thinks it was just a personality conflict, but that was in the beginning, and they ended on a high. It’s not how you start, but how you end, and he thinks it ended well. Chase says, some of his best friends hated him when they met. He’s an acquired taste, and so is Gary. Andy asks what Chase did that specifically made him cringe, and Chase says he cringed all the way through. Andy says he seemed hypnotized by large breasts, like that can’t be said for all the deckhands, and asks if Colin thinks Gary has a problem with management skills. I interpret this as Andy’s way of throwing Colin under the bus, and Colin says, Gary was bitching to him about Chase instead of telling Chase. Andy asks for Glenn’s overall take on the deck team, and Glenn says he was impressed. They weren’t perfect, but no team is. He thought it was a great season and he’s proud of them. Andy asks Gary what the biggest difference was between Chase and Alex’s work ethic, and Gary says, Chase gave 150% every minute he was awake. Alex was just happy to be there, and coming with the ride. Chase picked up the slack. Alex says, Chase has an incredible work ethic, but it was a lot of work for a two-man deck team. They have different styles. Chase is in your face, and he probably learned more from Chase than anybody. Alex says he works best when he has clear direction and constructive criticism, and he had neither. He was left to pick up the pieces, hoping it was what was expected. At every team meeting, Gary said it went well. He does an imitation of Gary that’s spot-on and they laugh. Andy asks why Gary lied to Alex about Chase being upset with the cleanliness of the boat, and Gary says he apologizes for that. Chase says, Gary does care that the season is a success, but it wasn’t collaborative. They should have talked as a group instead of playing one-on-one telephone.
Andy asks if Mads thinks Gary romantic entanglements affect his professionalism, and Mads says, you’re giving energy to something besides work. Don’t screw the crew. Andy asks Glenn what he loves about Gary as a chief officer, and Glenn says, his attitude and knowledge. He knows boats and sailing, and he’s a good leader with good qualities. He thinks it would benefit Gary to watch the season. He thinks Gary is the kind of guy who would learn from his mistakes and come back stronger. Andy says, Gary has had his fair share of love triangles, but may have met his match. Mads drove him mad, especially when she cozied up to Alex. We flash back to all that, and a viewer asks how Gary could say Mads led him on when she was clear about just having fun. Gary says, every night she tried to have sex with him, and that’s what puzzled him. He was definitely into her. Andy says, it’s interesting how confused he was about her intentions when the producers played the montage. It felt like Mads was the female Gary. Lucy says, Mads is very direct. She said from the start she was just having fun.
Next time – Part Two – who’s hooking up with who; Daisy, Gary, and Colin square off; and all the drama after the season.
🦹🏽♀️ Winding Up the Masquerade…
Join me tomorrow for soap and more Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not crying over spilled milk (unless it’s chocolate), and stay always being prepared.