What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
On the phone, Sonny says, listen to him. Somebody tried to take him out on his own private island, and they haven’t found out who it is yet? There’s a knock at the door, and he says he’s going to give them 24 hours to find out who it is. If they don’t, he’s going to find a new head of security. Do they understand him? He opens the door to Dante and Sam, and Sam hugs him. She says she can’t believe Spencer is gone. He says he can’t either and invites them in. Dante says he’s sorry about Spencer. He was one of a kind, right? Sonny asks how Alexis is holding up, and Sam says, mom is doing what she does best and just diving into work.
Gregory tells Alexis that he just wanted her to know he’ll be unavailable for the next several hours. He’s taking Tracy to either a late lunch or early dinner. Whatever it is, it’s in the name of future in-law solidarity. Alexis says, good. Have fun. He asks if everything is okay, but she says, no. Everything is not okay. Her nephew Spencer is dead.
On a photoshoot set, Lucy tells the assistant that she needs better hay. This is wrong, so very wrong. It’s coarse, it’s brittle, and it’s icky. The assistant says, they tried the artificial hay, but it was reading fake, so she put it back on the truck. Lucy says she doesn’t care. They’re selling rustic romance, not barnyard reality. The assistant says she’ll get right on that, and Lucy asks if Martin happened to call for her at the office, but the assistant says, no. Lucy says she really needs to let him know where to find her, and the assistant says she left him a message about the photoshoot. Lucy says, great, did she leave him all the… and she says, time, location, and her number if for any reason he can’t reach Lucy. Lucy says, while she’s still standing there, she knows what they need. Giddyap. The assistant leaves, and Lucy looks at her phone. She says, not a text. Nothing. Fine. If he’s not going to call her, then she’ll call him – again, and again, and again. Scotty walks in and says, not to worry. He’s here. She says, great. She could really use some good news, so please tell her, how’d it go with Tracy and the flowers? He says he doesn’t know; he hasn’t talked to her. Lucy says, that’s not good news, is it? and he says he can’t get Tracy to just call him. Lucy suggests he call her, but he says, that would look desperate. She says, then he can call her in a non-desperate way, and he has to make it fast. Marty is so annoyed with her, and she can’t exactly tell him about their plans to revenge on Tracy. So could he please call Tracy, and fast? He tells her, take it easy, and takes out his phone.
At the MetroCourt Tracy’s phone rings with a call from Ambulance Chaser (ha-ha!). She says, he’s going to have to twist a little bit longer, when Martin walks in. She goes over to him at the bar and asks if he’s okay, but he says, actually, no. She’ll have to forgive him, but at present, he doesn’t have the will or the patience to entertain her constant insinuations about Lucy and Scotty. As he’s stated ad nauseum, Lucy’s past is none of his business. She asks if that isn’t the exact problem. Lucy never puts the past behind her, and when she gets involved with someone, Scotty starts sniffing around like he is now. Martin says, if she’s going to make the accusation, the least she can do is provide some evidence of it, and she says, he wants evidence? The other day when he and Lucy had their public dustup, Scotty bolted off, abandoned her, and went to comfort Lucy.
Jagger tells Anna and Jordan that O’Neal is in custody, and Anna says, good. She introduces Jordan to Jagger, and he says, John, please. He’s outgrown the old nickname. Jordan asks how they know each other, and Anna says, John is a friend of her daughter Robin’s. He says, tell her that she owes him an email, from six months ago (I suddenly feel guilty about several people), and Anna says she’ll mention it. Can he fill them in on this investigation? He says he’s the special agent in charge, and the two of them are interfering. His agents told Jordan to stay out of this. She should have listened.
Laura opens the door to find Nikolas holding Ace, and he says, hello, mother. She says, thank God he’s all right, and hugs him. He says he heard that Spencer… Is it true? She says, yes, Spencer’s gone, and he cries, asking, what happened? She invites him in and says, Spencer went overboard. He was on a ship on the Seine. The French authorities couldn’t find his body, but he couldn’t have survived that. He asks if it was Esme, and she says, yes. He says, which means Spencer’s dead because he took Ace. His son is dead because of him.
Tracy says, if Martin doesn’t mind her asking, what did he and Lucy fight about? but he says he does mind. That is personal, between Lucy and himself. She says, don’t tell her the two of them broke up, and he says, no, they did not. He’s so sorry to disappoint her. She says she’s sorry. She’s sorry to see what Lucy has done to him. Doesn’t he get it? Scotty and Lucy cannot stay away from each other, and worse yet, they don’t want to.
Scotty tells Lucy that he doesn’t know why Tracy cooled on him. He thought he was making progress with her. In fact, she even got a little jealous when she saw him paying attention to Lucy and her dandy of a boyfriend and their little squabble. She asks if he means when he abandoned Tracy in the middle of the MetroCourt, and he says he was worried about her. She asks, how is being worried about her endearing himself to Tracy? and he says, pardon him for thinking about her emotional well-being. She says her emotional well-being is just fine. It will be. She knows Marty is really angry, but she thinks she can convince him to work things out with her. He says, maybe she can, maybe she can’t, but she says she can, and she will. He asks if this guy is really worth it, and she says, of course (🍷) he is. They’re just hitting a rough patch. They’re really good together. He says, then he hopes they work things out, and she says, does he really? He says, no. He just wants her to be happy. He puts his hands on her shoulders, and she says she’s got to go right now. She’s got to find Marty now. Right this minute. She’s going to go look for him. He says, what about the Tracy business? and she says, don’t worry. She’ll take care of it. Stay put and she’ll be right back.
Sonny tells Dante and Sam that he briefly spoke to Trina. She’s broken up. She’s with Ava right now. Dante asks, what’s happening with that? How long is Ava staying here? Sonny says, it’s open-ended. She’s going through a lot right now, but at least they get to spend more time with Avery. Sam says she’s amazed the two of them have been able to co-exist this long, and Sonny says, Avery is happy with her mother and that’s all that matters. Dante asks, how was the family vacation on this island? and Sonny says, it had its moments. Sam says she’s got to get going, but Sonny says he wanted to offer her coffee. She says she’s good. She’s going to see her mom at The Invader. She tells Dante that she’ll see him at home, and they kiss. She says she loves him, and leaves. Dante asks if Sonny wants to tell him what’s really going on, and Sonny says, death is never easy, especially if you’re blindsided. He still can’t believe Spencer is gone. Dante says, it feels like something else is happening. Sonny’s got extra security. Was there some kind of threat? Sonny says, there was an incident on the island, and Dante asks what he means. Sonny says, somebody almost took him out.
Jordan tells John that Curtis Ashford is her ex-husband. He almost died in the shooting. John says he understands that, but neither of them are law enforcement, not anymore. They’re not even deputized. So he’s telling them, stop pursuing this. Jordan says, or he could deputize them, and Anna says, problem solved. He says, that’s not happening, and Anna asks if he doesn’t understand. She and Jordan were there when Curtis was shot. She doesn’t understand how he expects them to walk away. He says, because this is an FBI investigation, and Curtis’s shooting is only one part of something much, much bigger.
Alexis tells Gregory that they’d all have been much better off if Esme had just left town. Her nephew would be alive if she hadn’t offered Esme that job. He says, but she gave Esme a chance to prove herself, and she did. She proved to be a capable assistant, and proved to them all that she was a capable mother because of Alexis’s generosity of spirit. She says, no good deed, and he says he doesn’t believe reaching out to someone is ever a mistake, but she says, it clearly was a mistake, wasn’t it? And now they’re all well down that road to hell that she helped build. Nikolas is God knows where with Ace and Spencer is dead.
Nikolas sniffles on the couch, and Laura says, Ace is finally down for a nap. She didn’t want is son to see him so upset. He says, she means his one remaining son. He thanks her and says he wasn’t thinking. She says, they’re all in shock. She thanks God that he still has Ace. That is something to be really grateful for. It’s so good he came home. He needs to be with his family now. He says he was afraid she’d slam the door in his face, and she says she supposes she should have, after everything he’s put her through. He knows he should never have taken Ace, right? He says he knows. That’s what led to his Spencer’s death. She tells him, please sit down. This is important. She wants him to listen to her. He’s not responsible for Spencer’s death. He didn’t do that; Esme did it. Esme was trying to attack Trina, and Spencer tried to stop her. Nikolas says he knows, and Spencer lost his life in the process. He knows he didn’t put Spencer in the Seine, but his actions did put him in Esme’s crosshairs. He doesn’t even know how she could look at him right now. She says, he’s her son. She loves him. She’ll always loves him. She’ll always be here for him. Always. He thanks her and says he knows he doesn’t deserve her kindness, but she says, he does. He did the right thing by coming back here… He’s not going to stay, is he? He says he can’t. If he stays, he’ll go to prison. She says, he held a pregnant woman captive for months. Has it occurred to him maybe he belongs in prison? He says he knows it’s what he deserves, but he still has one son who needs him. He’s sorry, but he has to go. She asks if he’s kidding her. If that’s the kind of man he is, if that’s the kind of father he is, Ace would be better off without him.
Lucy goes over to Martin at the bar and says, his secretary told her where to find him. She supposes she should be glad he allowed his secretary to tell her. He says he needed a little space, and she says, does he still? He says, yeah, and she tears up and says, as he wishes. Before she goes, she just wants to say, he’s really hard to apologize to if he won’t answer her phone calls. He gets up and says he’s honestly not sure if there’s really much to say, and she says, for God’s sake, it was just a slip of the tongue. She said she loved him and she did; before that moment, during this moment, at this moment. She loves him. She doesn’t know what happened. She panicked. She made a mistake. He says, they both know how she meant it, but she says, no. Please just give her another chance. Tracy watches from her table.
Dante says he doesn’t understand. Sonny’s island is like a fortress. How did anyone get that close to him? Sonny says, they’re looking into it, and Dante asks what he means, but Sonny says he doesn’t want to talk right now. He doesn’t want any questions or anything. He’s not in the mood. Dante says he’s on Sonny’s side. Sonny knows that, right? Sonny says, really? Because it didn’t seem that way when he was being cuffed. Dante was reading him his rights. Dante says, they already talked about that. If he doesn’t want to be arrested, don’t beat people up in churches. Sonny says he’ll take that as good advice, and Dante says, Sonny’s his father, no matter what. He loves Sonny, no matter what. And he wants to help Sonny if he can. Sonny says, Dante’s right. He shouldn’t have snapped. It’s just that he doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Dante asks if he’s saying it was an inside job.
Nikolas says, Laura’s right. His taking Ace isn’t the only thing that led to Spencer’s death. The loneliness that led him to being vulnerable to Esme in the first place. Allowing him, and all of them, to believe he was dead. What kind of father does that to his little boy? Ace is better off without him. He’s going to leave Ace here with her and Doc where he belongs, and he’s going to disappear. Laura says, that’s not what she meant, and Nikolas says he’s agreeing with her. He wants Ace to have a good life. She says, yes, he deserves to have a good life – with his father. If Nikolas would just face the mistakes he’s made and take responsibility for them, it’s not too late for him to have a good life too.
Now seated at a table, Lucy tells Martin that she’s so sorry. She has been distracted and so worried about keeping eyes on Tracy and Scotty. But he has to believe her; it’s more about Tracy than Scotty. He says, this isn’t about Scotty, and she says, it isn’t? He says, it’s about her and him. It’s about them. Her moving away from him, little by little, inch by inch. It’s been quite a while now. Since Bobbie Spencer died, she’s wanted to be with someone else. With Scotty, not him. She says, it’s just because her, Bobbie, and Scotty have had a long and complicated, turbulent history, that’s all. He says, kind of a tired euphemism for a love triangle, isn’t it? It doesn’t really matter what the reason is. The simple fact is, now whenever she requires solace, her instinct is to turn to Scotty. That’s got to say something about him and Lucy, doesn’t it?
Gregory apologizes for keeping Tracy waiting, but she says, that’s okay. She’s been kept waiting longer. He sees her staring at Lucy and Martin, and says, at least she found something to keep her occupied. She laughs and says, those two? Who wouldn’t be curious? He says, given their expressions, he’d imagine they’re discussing the same subject that held him up. She asks, what would that be? and he says, she doesn’t know. He’s not sure how well she knew him, but Martin’s great nephew, Spencer Cassadine, was killed in Paris.
Alexis thanks Sam for coming, and Sam says, just tell her what she can do to help. Alexis says, it’s incumbent on her to write Spencer’s obituary, and she has no idea how to begin. Sam says, that’s a lot. She doesn’t know. He had a lot of flair. Alexis says, he did indeed, and if she has to talk about him in the past one more time, she’s going to lose it. Sam says she bets she could make Alexis smile with one word, but Alexis says she bets Sam can’t. Sam says, chupacabra, and Alexis half-smiles and says, chupacabra. She forgot about that. Sam says, and it turned out to be Heather Webber hiding in the stables, but all along they thought it was Spencer because he insisted.
Alexis asks if Sam remembers went all Phantom of the Opera at the Nurses Ball. Then there was the election tampering where he sent his chauffeur into the harbor to retrieve the stolen ballot box. Sam says she thinks that covers the big-ticket items from when he was 10. Spencer was a dramatic child. Alexis says, he never ceased to amaze her, and Sam says, damn right. Alexis says, he was brilliant kid, and he had a lot to offer. And now all they have are memories.
John says, out of professional respect for both Anna and Jordan, he’s going to bring them up to speed on a few things. If only to persuade them that they have this under control, so they can let it alone. Got it? Anna says, by all means, and John says, the weapon that was used to shoot Curtis Ashford is one of a number of unmarked weapons stolen from the WSB. Other weapons in the same cache have been used in a string of shootings throughout the US. He’s afraid that’s all he can tell them. Anna says, come on. Don’t be ridiculous. He says, she knows how much he respects her and he’s aware of Jordan’s exemplary record as Police Commissioner of Port Charles. Jordan thanks him, and he says, then again, neither of them are currently law enforcement. He can’t have them conducting their own investigation. Anna says, of course (🍷) he can’t, and he thanks her for understanding. She says, so bring them in. They can work together.
Nikolas tells Laura that it is too late for him. He made all the wrong choices, and in the process, he lost his son. She says, but Ace is still here. Instead of giving him up, do what it takes to deserve a place in his life. He says, by going to prison, and she says, he’s got to make this right. He has to fix what he can, and he has to atone for the rest of it. She’s sorry, but it’s the only way. It’s the only way for him to be the good man that he was. He says he doesn’t know if he can do that, but she says, he can try. For Ace’s sake, he’s got to. Please. They just lost Spencer. Don’t make her lose him again too.
Nikolas asks if Laura really still has faith in him, and she says, always. He says, even if he was to run away today? and she says, that would break her heart, but she would still hold out hope that he would one day find the strength to come back, to be a good father to the child he has left. He says he’s amazed she thinks he has any strength, and she cups his face in her hands, saying, she knows he does. Because she saw it in Spencer, and he got it from Nikolas. Nikolas cries and she hugs him.
On the phone, John says, thanks for letting him know, and Anna asks if his superiors need a little more convincing before bringing them in. He says, actually, he’s been informed that the two of them have blown his best lead, and Jordan says, how could they possibly… He says, Mr. O’Neal, the gun dealer they met tonight in their little citizen sting operation. He was supplying the unsub with weapons. He’s just lawyered up and he’s refusing to talk without the promise of full immunity, which his boss will not sign off on. So thanks so much for their help. Jordan says she’s sorry about that, but he says, her being sorry doesn’t do him much good right now. If they really want to help, tell him about the meeting with the dealer. Did they get anything useful from him?
Lucy admits that she’s been different since Bobbie died and tells Martin that Bobbie’s death affected her in ways she couldn’t imagine. He says, losing a loved one will do that to you, and she laughs. She says, that’s just it. They didn’t even like each other. She thinks sometimes hate is too strong of a word, but they certainly never got along. And it wasn’t just because of Scotty. There were so many other reasons. Martin says, in one way or another, Bobbie was important to her. Think about it. They saw each other at their best over the years. They got to know each other, intimately, at their worst. That forms some kind of bond. She says she guesses she never thought about it that way… Yes. He says, now you lose that person, that bond gets broken all of a sudden, you look at your life with a new sense that time really is short; that it’s precious. You get to realize the importance of letting go of something when it’s just not working anymore. She says, they’re not working?
Gregory says he’s sorry he had to be the one to tell Tracy. He didn’t realize she and Spencer were close. She says, they weren’t close. She hardly knew him. He says he doesn’t know all the details, but apparently, Esme Prince was involved. She’s also missing and presumed dead. She says, it’s all a tragedy. How’s Alexis? He says, grieving, and she says she’s sure. He says, and blaming herself, and Tracy says, for what? He says, for taking a chance on Esme. He believes Esme was making a sincere effort to be a better person. She was proving to be an excellent mother, he’s sure to everyone’s surprise. So he mourns the loss of the person she could have been if her father hadn’t manipulated her feelings, turning her into a bitter, angry young woman. Tracy looks at Lucy and Martin.
Sonny tells Dante that the shooter knew the layout and security so well, he got past the guards. He even knocked one guard out. Dante says, now he can see why Sonny thinks it’s someone from his organization, and Sonny asks if he has any ideas. Dante says, not yet, but he’ll see, and Sonny asks, what’s next, detective? Dante says, question suspects, and Sonny asks if Dante means the people closest to him, but Dante says he has to question everyone, no matter how much it hurts. Everyone is guilty until proven otherwise.
Alexis wonders how they distill the best of Spencer Cassadine in 450 words, and Sam says, just focus on the positive. Alexis says, so they leave out his teenage crime spree? and Sam says she thinks they focus on what made Spencer Spencer. His love for drama obviously. Alexis says, of all kinds, and Sam says, and his love of horseback riding. His quick quips. Alexis says, his quips and schemes. Spencer acting all shallow and spoiled, he was pretending. It wasn’t real. He was just guarded. He was fearful and he had every right to be. Then he grew up and he really opened up and allowed them to see who he really was, and he was a gift.
Martin says, now there’s this thing with Scotty, but Lucy swears it’s not what he thinks. He says, it’s something, and whatever it is tends to eclipse what they are. Or might have been. He’d be the first person to admit he hasn’t always been the most honorable man, but he loves her. How he loves her. More than any of the women he’s married. And that’s done something for him. He doesn’t want to spend too much time looking over his shoulder wondering what the hell is going on. He thinks he deserves better. She cries and says, but… He gets up and says, goodbye, Lucy. She runs to the elevator, crying, and gets in.
On the phone, Gregory says, thanks. He’ll call right now. He tells Tracy that he’s sorry. The doctor’s referring him to a specialist, and he has to get an appointment right away. She says, go ahead. Take his time. He thanks her and says he’s sorry. He didn’t realize Spencer’s death would affect her so much. She thanks him and says she’ll be fine. He leaves, and she watches Martin sitting alone.
Lucy finds Scotty sitting on a bale of hay, and he asks, for cryin’ out loud, what took her so long? He realizes she’s crying and says, uh-oh. What happened? She says, Marty broke up with her. He said… Scotty says, if he insulted Lucy, he’ll knock Martin’s teeth out and then he’ll slap a lawsuit on the dentist that fixes them. She says, no. He said he deserves better. Scotty holds her as she cries.
John says, so they did get something from their gunrunner friend, and Anna looks at Jordan, who nods. Anna says, yeah. They learned something about the unidentified subject. But rather than just give John that information… Jordan says, after which, he most certainly would discard them, and Anna says, she proposes that they have an exchange of information. Like they tell him everything they know about the dealer, and he tells them everything he knows about the unsub so far. Jordan says, everything for everything is a fair trade, and Anna says, for starters, obviously, they don’t believe Curtis was the intended target. They think it was Sonny Corinthos. He says, believe it or not, the FBI did consider the possibility that the crime boss might be a more logical target than the nightclub owner, and Anna says, there you go. And Sonny has reason to believe that whoever’s after him is still trying. So whatever he can tell them about the unsub will be incentive for Sonny to tell them what he knows. He says, they want him to provide them with intel they plan on sharing with Sonny Corinthos? The man should have been in prison decades ago. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Anna says, that’s the Sonny he remembers. That’s not the one she knows. He says, only because that’s the Sonny he shows her, and she says, perhaps, but she can keep him in line. He says, really? Because nobody’s ever been able to put a leash on Sonny Corinthos. She says, maybe she’ll be the first.
Sonny thanks Dante for coming through for him like this, and Dante says, of course (🍷). Sonny says, it hasn’t been easy with Michael and Nina… What he’s trying to say is, it’s hard to trust anyone, but he knows he can trust Dante. Dante says, Sonny’s damn right he can. And he promises this will stay between him. His phone rings and he says, it’s Laura. He asks, what’s going on? and Laura says she’s home. She needs him to come over as soon as possible. He asks if everything is okay, and she says she’s here with Nikolas. He’s ready to turn himself in.
Tracy approaches Martin’s table, and he says, stop. As he’s sure she’s observed by now, he’s not exactly in the mood for company, so he’d consider it a favor if she left him to his solitude. She says, this won’t take long, and sits down. She says she owes him the truth.
Lucy tells Scotty that she doesn’t know why, she meets a guy and he’s nice enough of a guy. Maybe the man of her dreams. And she just screws it up. She keeps screwing it up. He says, she’s being a little hard on herself, but she says, no. She thinks she’s being much too easy on herself. He says he’s not going to listen to her talk that way about herself. If Martin is too stupid to know how great she is, then to hell with him. She’s Lucy Coe, the best that there is. He kisses her.
On the phone, Sonny says, it’s him. He needs to see them right away.
John says, what about Jordan? Is she wiling to vouch for Sonny Corinthos? She says, Sonny’s been useful in the past. As for this, she trusts Anna. Anna says, it’s best for them to work together. What does he say? He says he hopes she has a good lawyer, because they’re both under arrest for obstructing a federal investigation.
Alexis reads, Spencer Cassadine is survived by his father Nikolas, his brother Ace, his grandmother, the Mayor Laura Collins, and an extended family who remember him dearly. His legacy will be the Spencer Cassadine Drama Fund, devoted to teaching theater, particularly the works of Shakespeare, to prison inmates, underserved communities, and children. To quote his favorite work of the Bard, now cracks a noble heart… She starts to cry, and Sam puts her hands on Alexis’s shoulders. Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Alexis breaks down sobbing, and Sam puts her arms around her.
Dante asks if Nikolas understands his rights as explained to him, and Nikolas says he does. Dante says, let’s go, and Nikolas asks if he may say goodbye to his son. Dante nods, and Nikolas turns to Laura holding Ace. He tells Ace that he loves him and kisses his head. Laura says, they’ll meet him at the station, and Nikolas thanks her… for everything. He wants her to know that he’s doing this for her and for Ace and Spencer. He wants to become someone they can all be proud of. Dante leads him out, and Laura watches from the doorway.
Tomorrow, Sonny says he needs people he can trust; Tracy says she’s the reason Martin and Lucy broke up; Dex says he’ll do everything in his power to keep them all safe; and John says, Robert is insisting they drop the charges.
Below Deck – The Next Generation
I’m less than thrilled that Captain Lee was retired involuntarily. I’m guessing it could be for insurance reasons, so now I really can’t wait for Teresa Giudice to cause Bravo a lawsuit. New Captain Kerry is from Below Deck Adventure, which I watched once upon a time. It was good, but I can only watch so much Deck.
This season’s port of call is Grenada. Fraser is chief stew, and a familiar face. Just not the one I want to see. In his interview, he says he’s not going to be as easy going this time around. This year, mommy is still here for her babies, but don’t bite the tit that feeds you. The bosun is Jared, who says in his interview, being bosun is f***ing horrible and hard, but what better way to travel then on someone else’s dime while making a nickel? Ben, another familiar face and more welcome, is lead deckhand. In Ben’s interview, he says, after being a bosun, coming back as lead deckhand is a kick in the gut. We flash back to his happier bosun times. In Chef Anthony’s (aka Frenchie) interview, he says he’s going blow our mind. Cooking brings people together. Fraser wonders who else is coming to destroy his life. Stews Barbie, Xandi, Cat, and Sunny arrive, and in Barbie’s interview, she says, people think she’s snobby. She comes from a good family, but her father taught her to work. Now she works hard so she can buy all the stupid sh*t she wants. Deckhand Kyle rounds out the crew.
At the crew meeting, Captain Kerry rolls out his resume, and we see clips of his previous adventures. He tells the crew that both their physical safety and mental health us important. He won’t pick on them for having a sulk, but don’t take his kindness for weakness. In his interview, he says he’s firm but fair. He gives a crew his respect, but if they disrespect him, they’re out of here. Hard work will be rewarded, but if you f*** around, you’re off the boat. He tells the crew that they’re going to bust it out. No baseball references for him. In Fraser’s interview, he says, last year was tough. He had two stews who didn’t get along and he gave too many chances. This year is going to be different.
Captain Kerry wants no surprises on the boat. The captain has to be aware of everything. Communication is key. We find out everyone is single, and in Ben’s interview, he says he and Camille met up after the season, but long story short, she cheated on him. He doesn’t want to get as involved again. He’s wounded, but wiser.
At the preference sheet meeting, Captain Kerry says, their first guests are Brian and Rebecca, newlyweds, both in finance. Coming along are their oldest and dearest friends. Anthony reads that they want a multi-course dinner, and in his interview, he says, it’s a lot of pressure. He grew up being the kid no girl wanted and needed to make an impression. (Hint: The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.) Jared reads that guest Leanne wants an 80s dance party for her birthday, and all guests except Michelle want to take kayaks to the mangroves. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says he loves eco-tourism. He especially loves kayaking and getting up close and personal with the mangroves. We see a clip of this, and it looks amazing. Sign me up. Jared says, the guests also want to go to the beach, and the captain says, they’re going to have their hands full. In Xandi’s interview, she says she loves housekeeping. She’d rather put her hand in a blender than make small talk. She was a chief stew for years and wants a break. Let someone else be chief bitch. In his interview, Captain Kerry says, he left working on multimillion dollar yachts to paint houses so he could be there for his kids and get himself better. I’m guessing he went back to those multimillion dollar yachts when those same kids needed to go to multimillion dollar college. In Jared’s interview, he says he has a 3½ year old daughter, but because of the distance, he only gets to do video calls. Cat places her amethyst (I think) rock on a shelf near her bunk and says, now she can feel rested. It’s early to bed for the crew.
In the morning, Fraser meets with the stews. He says, Barbie will be on service, Cat will be on the late shift, and Xandi will be on housekeeping and laundry. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says he can’t run the boat by himself. A good crew can make a bad captain look good, and a bad crew can make a good captain look bad. The guests arrive to background music that does not fit with them at all. Think middle-aged Florida tourists being accompanied by rap music. The captain welcomes them aboard the St. David, and in his interview, he says, Grenada is stunning, but challenging. The winds are terrible. As they leave the marina, Jared seems to have difficulty telling Captain Kerry how much room he has. In Jared’s interview, he says he works in feet and needs to transfer it to meters. Doing multiplication on the fly with stress could make this go tits up. Moving right along, Jared follows his feet/meters bumbling with not being sure of how much chain to let out while anchoring. Then blames Ben for not telling him. Not a good look. In the captain’s interview, he says, the anchor can be dislodged if there’s too much chain let out.
In Anthony’s interview, he says, first lunch, first impression. It has to be amazing. We are more than chefs; we are artists. M-m-m… Asian fusion… Bao buns…. In Fraser’s interview, he says, there’s a lot of sexual energy with the guests. He thinks he’ll have a good time, but not as good as the guests will have with each other. Ben thanks Jared for throwing him under the bus, and in Ben’s interview, he says, if there’s any question, Jared should check in with the bridge. He’s giving Jared the benefit of the doubt. It’s charter one and they need to get the cobwebs out. M-m-m… lobster pad Thai. In Fraser’s interview, he says, he’s impressed with Anthony’s cooking, but the galley looks like a bomb has gone off. He thinks Anthony will perfect that, but if not, they’re f***ed. The guests jump off the boat and lounge on the swim platform, while Captain Kerry checks out the interior of the yacht, which he seems to do constantly. He tells the stews to make paper folds on the toilet paper, but everything else is fantastic. In Barbie’s interview, she says, Cat is slow and it’s annoying, and in Cat’s interview, she says she’s helping everybody. Fraser finds Cat in the crew mess crying.
Cat whimpers that it’s a big boat and a big crew, and in Fraser’s interview, he says, they need thicker skin. Cat says she doesn’t want her work to go unnoticed, and Fraser hugs her. On his way up the stairs, he mumbles that she’s not going to last. In Sunny’s interview, she says, she’s all here for learning, but it’s hard because of Ben being eye candy. In Anthony’s interview, he says he took so much time prepping, he has two hours to make four courses. In Barbie’s interview, she says she suffers from OCD, and tried everything. Crystals and sage do the trick. Ben says, day one is not off to a good start. Jared is nervous and Ben thinks it’s because he’s been out of the game. He forgot what big boats were like. He’s got to perform, or he’ll find himself on the dock. He feels dumber already when he’s around Jared.
Anthony is running late on three courses and dessert. In his interview, he says, perfection is important. Like with a woman, he needs to take time if he wants to make them happy. It’s slow going with the entrée, and primary Rebecca asks Fraser to speed it up. Fraser asks Anthony to get the entrée out as soon as possible, and Anthony says he’ll do his best. In Captain Kerry’s interview, he says, the key to management is mutual respect. He doesn’t want to micromanage, but the bosun has made a few mistakes and the chef is behind. He’s getting to know everyone, but the jury is out. If they can’t do the job, he’ll change them out. Man, it’s a mess.
This season, meditation; angst in the crew; food porn; waterfalls; a guest wants their plate set down more quietly; a disgusting hot tub; Fraser gives someone a New Year’s kiss; a murder mystery party; Fraser tells Ben not to get involved in interior drama; and Captain Kerry says, it was a total disregard for his authority.
🤷🏽♀️ So far, eh.
🛟 Meet the Crew…
All the deets, including their star sign.
https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-season-11-meet-the-cast-captain
🏆 Who, What, and WTF…
The winners. Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift.
https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list
Best and worst moments.
https://people.com/2024-grammys-best-moments-8558642
https://ew.com/grammys-2024-best-and-worst-moments-8558533
Most important, the fashion.
https://www.eonline.com/photos/36824/grammys-2024-celebrity-red-carpet-fashion
After the show is over and before Denny’s.
And the worst dressed. Wow. There are some real head shakers here. My jury is out on Chrissy Teigen though. In the video, it actually looks kind of cute.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13044865/Grammys-2024-WORST-dressed-stars-revealed.html
🍕 Pizza My Heart…
Join me tomorrow for soap and the seemingly endless, awful season of RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay never pretending to be someone you are not, and stay realizing the importance of letting go of something when it’s just not working anymore.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 