Tag Archives: Fear the Walking Dead

September 6, 2024 – There For a Payday Not Romance, Last Dream, New Series, Fancy Move, For Lease, Heavy Edit, Mob Slam, WWDD Et Al, Be Quiet, Chinchilla Rock, Just Past 10 Quotes & Song

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Brook listens at the living room door and says, nothing. Olivia says, no rains in Spains falling down the plains or whatever? and Ned says, falling mainly on the plain. Olivia says she doesn’t care. This whole thing is ridiculous. Brook says she can’t believe granny would hire some elitist drill instructor to fix ma’s speech, and Olivia says she’s going to kick that fancy pants nutjob out on her butt. Ned says, Lois ultimately agreed to a lesson, and Olivia says, she was coerced. Tracy comes by and asks if they’ve been lurking here this whole time. She’s getting a speech lesson, not being debriefed after an alien abduction. Robin opens the door and says, they can hear them. Come in. They’re finished for today. Brook asks Lois, how’d it go?

Jordan asks a CSI guy what he thinks, and he says, she’s right. Something to do with that tattoo might identify their John Doe. She says, that’s great news. Can he forward the photos to her too? With Commissioner Devane’s permission of course (🍷). He says, will do, and leaves. She goes into Isaiah’s room, and Sidwell’s thug peeks out from around the corner.

Dante joins Jordan, and she tells him, the photographer was just here taking photos of the tattoo. Dante says he saw. Maybe that will get them something. Did she reach the WSB? She says she’s waiting to hear from Brennan. What’s he doing back here? Shouldn’t he be upstairs with Lulu? He says, if he sits around, he’s going to lose his mind. He knows she’d want him to keep her in the loop. She asks if that means he found something. Is he closer to identifying this man?

A guard brings Holly to where Lucky is, and Lucky says, Sidwell’s not here. Holly tells the guard that she’ll be fine with this one, and the guard leaves, closing the door. She asks if Lucky is all right. She heard he was stabbed. He says he’s fine. What is she doing here? She says, don’t worry. Jenz is out inspecting the mine. He won’t find them here together. He asks why she’s at this compound. Does she need help escaping? She says she’s perfectly safe, and he says, so she’s here with Sidwell? What the hell is she doing? She says she couldn’t resist. The heart wants what it wants.

Josslyn slams into her apartment, and two seconds later, Carly says, let her in. She bangs on the door and tells Josslyn to open it. Josslyn knows she’s not going to leave. Open this door now. She’s not going anywhere. Josslyn opens the door and asks if Carly spent the night with Sonny last night. Carly says, yes, and Josslyn tells her, then there’s nothing more to say. She starts to close the door, but Carly stops her. She says, don’t shut her out. She’s not going to let her.

Elizabeth takes Ric to her office and says, they’ll have some privacy in here. He tells her, there’s not much to say. When John Cates was shot and killed last night, they saw Alexis drop a gun off the bridge into the water off of Blackstone Canyon. She was obviously trying to destroy evidence. It’s pretty simple. They need to tell the police what they saw. She says, they don’t know what they saw because it was dark, and they were kind of far away. She’s not even sure it was a gun. Alexis said it was her phone. He says, she didn’t believe that then, and she doesn’t believe it now. She even said it was a gun. She says, because that was her first impression, but right now, she’s not so sure. He says he doesn’t believe it. He never thought he’d see the day when Elizabeth Webber refused to do the right thing.

Chase asks Dex how it feels to be part of Port Charles’s finest, and Dex says, pumped, proud, nervous. Chase says, he’s got this, and Dex says, during graduation, he thought about how good it felt to be a part of something bigger, something important. Just like it felt when he joined the service. Anna comes in and asks if it’s Dex’s first shift, and he says, yes, ma’am. He’ll leave them both to it. Anna says, why doesn’t he stick around? She might need him. Chase asks, what’s up? and she says, a development in the homicide of Agent Cates.

At the penthouse, Jason says, so Sonny is missing a gun, and Sonny asks if Jason took one of his 9 millimeters. Jason says, no. Who has the combination to the lockbox? Sonny says, no one that he knows of, and Jason asks, when was the last time it was opened? Sonny says, a couple of weeks ago. He was off his medication, and he was making sure the guns were safely locked. Jason asks why he opened it now, and Sonny says, because the door where he keeps the lockbox was ajar. That’s not a priority. This is. Sonny unwraps a gun in a bandana, and Jason says, he heard about Jagger. Sonny says, that bastard isn’t going to mess with his family again. This is the only thing tying him to the murder. Get rid of it.

Tracy says, would you repeat that please? and using standard American speech, Lois says, the lesson went very well. It was really quite enlightening. Robin says she’s never had such a diligent student, and tells Lois, it was a pleasure. Lois says, the pleasure was all mine, and Tracy says, amazing. Olivia says, put her back, and Robin says, I beg your pardon? Olivia tells her to wave her wand and do her little magic voodoo witchcraft and do whatever she does. This is not the Lois Cerullo that she loves. Change her back. Lois says she’s fine. Doesn’t she sound like everyone who’s on the news? She really didn’t think she could do it, but she must have a knack or something. Olivia tells Tracy, this time you‘ve gone too far.

Carly says she knows Josslyn is upset, and Josslyn says, upset doesn’t even begin to cover it. How can Carly be so stupid and clueless? What happened to her self-respect? Is she really that desperate? Carly says, knock it off. Josslyn gets to be angry and disappointed, but doesn’t get to disrespect her. Josslyn (who can’t buy a clue) says she has to respect Carly when Carly clearly doesn’t respect herself?  Maybe just go. Carly says she’s not going anywhere. She might remind Josslyn that she’s a grown woman and makes her own choices, like she’s allowed Josslyn to do. Josslyn says, right. Like Carly would have allowed her to go back and forth with an abusive, toxic man, and she’d just sit back and watch that happen. Carly says, she’s right, but they’d talk about it. Not yell, scream, and slam doors. Josslyn says she can see Carly yelling and slamming the door or ten. Carly says, maybe, but then she would hear Josslyn out. Is Josslyn going to let her do the same?

Elizabeth says, first of all, it’s Elizabeth Baldwin, not Webber, and Ric says, slip of the tongue. She says, no. Just a sign of how long it’s been since he actually lived in Port Charles. He thinks he knows her, but he doesn’t. He asks if she’s turned to a life of crime now, and she says she’s been through a lot. She made some questionable choices that she’s had to own. She’s also learned that everything is not black and white. She’s pretty sure Ric knows that too. He says he went into some areas of grey, and she says, maybe it’s just been too long for him to know her or Alexis. Maybe he’s making assumptions off of past grievances. Alexis would never kill anyone. That much she knows. So she can’t swear that Alexis was destroying evidence. He says, maybe she doesn’t know Alexis as well as she thinks she does or maybe he knows sides of Alexis that others don’t. She says, that’s exactly her point. He hasn’t seen sides of her or Alexis in over a decade. He says, they’ll agree to disagree, and she says, what about Molly? How’s Molly going to feel when her mother gets arrested based on something her father said? He says, Molly would want to know the truth, no matter what it was, and she says, agree to disagree. He says, bottom line, a federal agent is dead and he’s an officer of the court. And he’s obligated to report any pertinent information whatsoever in regard to any kind of murder… She laughs and says, give her a break.

Dante tells Jordan that he found a cellphone on the side of the road near the site of the hit and run. It was smashed up, but the fingerprints pulled match the John Doe. It leads him to believe it’s his phone. She asks if he thinks IT can access any of the phone’s data, but he says he doesn’t know. It was pretty smashed up, so he’s not holding out much hope. She says, it would be easier if this guy would just wake up and tell us who he is.

Lucky says, Holly expects him to believe she’s actually attracted to Sidwell, and she says, why not? She’s always had a thing for bad boys. As he well knows. He says his father never strip mined the resources of a war-torn country, and she says, true. Luke was never in the same league as the darling Mr. Sidwell. But his father was a scoundrel. One of a kind. Lucky was missed at the memorial Tracy held in Amsterdam. He says he was on his way, but help was needed in the Sudan… She says, he’s so like his father, and he says, and like him, he can smell a con a mile away. Dad always said she was the best con artist he ever knew. She says, such a flatterer, and he asks her to be straight with him. This is about a payday, not a romance. It must be a pretty big score, huh? She says, yes. So it would be a pity if he blew her cover before the goods were in her pocket.

Anna says she checked the firearms registry and there are 178 nine millimeters registered to Port Charles residents, and Chase says, that’s quite a list. and Dex says, that doesn’t include the unregistered ones, and Anna says, very good point, but one of those registered ones just so happens to belong to Sonny Corinthos. Chase asks if it’s enough for a search warrant, and Anna says she’s going to try and convince Judge Windsor that it is. Dex says, if she doesn’t mind him saying, the sooner she does that, the better. If Sonny hasn’t gotten rid of the gun already, it’s only a matter of time until he does.

Jason asks if it’s unregistered, and Sonny says, there’s no way to trace it back to him, but he wants it destroyed just in case. Jason puts the gun in the back of his waistband, and Sonny says, and these too, handing him the bullet casings. Jason says, consider it done, and puts them in his pocket. Any other problems he should be aware of? Is Sonny sure nobody saw him going to the boathouse? Sonny says, no one saw him going, but there was a witness. Michael. Right after he killed Jagger, Michael was there. He’s not going to say anything. Michael let Sonny get to the main house, then he found the body. Jason says, Michael covered for him. Okay, so what’s his alibi? Sonny says, Carly. She swore she was with him. Jason says, Carly, and Sonny says, yeah. Jason asks why they didn’t call him last night, and Sonny says, it was at the Quartermaines. They needed an alibi. She didn’t know why she needed it at the time. Jason says, he didn’t tell her about Cates? and Sonny says, there was a lot going on, but she gets it. Jason says, okay. So their immediate problem is the missing gun. Sonny says, fully registered, completely legit, waiting to implicate him if it’s in the wrong hands. They’ve go to find it and they’ve got to find it fast.

Elizabeth says, Ric’s feeble excuse and shocked expression doesn’t play with her, and he says, she hasn’t lost her directness. She says, the main reason for him doing his civic duty is to stick it to Alexis. And the only reason he needs her to back him is because his take on things is a little suspect, considering how toxic his relationship is with her. He says, she’s right. He doesn’t like Alexis. Maybe they even hate each other, but you know who else Alexis hated? John Cates. Elizabeth as a mother would do nearly anything to protect her child. She says, nearly. He’s accusing Alexis of murder. He says he’s merely suggesting they go to the police and tell them what they saw, and she says, they don’t know what they saw. He says, fine. Let’s say you’re right. Alexis didn’t kill Cates. What’s the harm in coming forward and putting it on the record? She says, maybe implicating an innocent woman in a crime she had nothing to do with? and he says, if she’s so positive Alexis is innocent, why doesn’t she put her money where her mouth is. Tell the truth and let that be that.

Carly asks what Josslyn was doing at Sonny’s this morning, and Josslyn says she’d just heard Carly and Sonny had sex in Tracy’s bed. And of course (🍷) she never believed that Carly… Anyway, Carly wasn’t answering her phone and Pilar said she didn’t come home last night. Carly says, so she’s done some checking around, and Josslyn says she went to Sonny’s to prove to herself that Carly wouldn’t be there. It was like a punch in the stomach when she saw Carly coming out of that apartment. After everything Sonny did to her and their family, and the horrible ways he treated Carly, how does she go back to him?

Jason says, let’s go over it again. It had to be somebody who has access to the penthouse. Who’s been in the penthouse lately? Sonny says, Dante, Lois, Brook Lynn… There was Natalia, Pilar with Avery, but they don’t know where the lockbox is, much less the combination. Jason says, what about Ava? and Sonny says, she might have seen him use the combination once when she was living with him. As a matter of fact, Diane told him that Ava recanted her statement that Kristina tried to kill her. Does Jason know anything about that? Jason says he’ll give Sonny the short version. He saved Ava’s life last night.

Lucky says, Isaiah’s returning with back-up, and he’d advise Holly not to be here when that happens. She thanks him and says, but she’s going to finish what she started. It’s just taking her a bit longer than she’d hoped to get the combination to Jenz’s safe. Lucky asks, what’s in it? and she says, nothing he needs to concern himself with. He says, doesn’t sound sketchy at all, and she says, her plans for tonight should give Jenz the incentive that he needs. He says, but the clock’s ticking. Isaiah has probably contacted the WSB by now.

Dante looks at his phone and says, nothing on the tattoo, and Jordan says, these are his clothes, right? She takes the bag of Isaiah’s things and says, what about the labels? Can they pin down where he got them? He says, look at this. Working together again, huh? Is she getting tired of sitting on the sidelines? She says, at first. Then she gets caught up in the projects. Right now, it just feels good to be able to help somebody. He says, with everything happening with Molly, TJ, Kristina, and now Lulu, he doesn’t feel like he’s doing a whole lot to help anybody. He feels especially helpless when he’s sitting with Lulu. She says, still no change? and he says, nope. It’s not looking good either. Laura is looking for Lucky. He’s the best chance they have at a donor match. She says, knowing Laura, she will move heaven and earth, and he says, but what she has to move is in Africa and she’s got to find Lucky fast or they’re not going to be able to save Lulu.

Olivia says, Robin broke her best friend, and Lois says she’s fine, but please continue. Olivia says, Lois lives in a house with this sanctimonious snob. She’s going to tell Monica to kick Tracy out on her bloomin’ arse. Tracy says she’ll triple Robin’s fee if she can fix that one too.

Holly asks, when was the last time Lucky was back in Port Charles and saw Laura and Aiden? and he says, it’s been a while. There’s no shortage of places that need the help. She says, and only he can solve their problems, and he asks if his mother sent her here to guilt trip him. She laughs, and says, no. She just figured it must be hard for him, being away from his family for so long. He says he’s sure they’re getting along just fine without him, when they hear footsteps. Holly says, someone’s coming.

Carly says, first of all, she’s not back with Sonny. Last night was a one-time thing and she’s annoyed with herself because she let it get as far as she did. But she and Sonny understand what it was and they’re able to move on because ultimately, they mutually respect and understand each other. Josslyn says, all Sonny has done is hurt Carly over and over again, and Carly says she knows that. She and Sonny have been through a lot. They’ve survived things she prays Josslyn never has to experience. They have children together. They’re a family. It’s an unbreakable bond. Josslyn says, so she’s getting back with him, but Carly says she’s not. She just told Josslyn. She’s not getting back together with Sonny. It was a one-time thing. And she’s trying to make Josslyn understand because she wants Josslyn to know that she knows what she’s doing. She’s not trying to justify her actions, and she certainly doesn’t need Josslyn’s approval here. (No, she doesn’t, and Josslyn needs to keep her opinion to herself.) Josslyn says, Carly knows who he is and what he does, and she was finally free of all of that. She doesn’t understand. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says, he’s a dangerous man. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says, with a dangerous lifestyle. He attacked Dex. He would have killed Dex if Jason hadn’t stopped it. And Jagger Cates was killed here last night at the boathouse. Carly says she’s aware, and Josslyn asks if she was there when it happened. Carly says, yes. She was with Sonny. Josslyn says, oh my God, and Carly says, whatever she’s thinking, stop. Josslyn asks, did she sleep with Sonny last night or did she give him an alibi for murder?

Jason says, so once they got Ava to the police station, she admitted that Cates forced her to sign a false statement against Kristina. Sonny says he warned her not to go with him, and Jason says, Boyle came clean too. She said that Cates blackmailed her and made a deal with her to kill Ava. Sonny says, slimy piece of work. Thank God Kristina is free of him. He tried to break her. He tried to end Sonny’s family. And he failed. I won. He thanks Jason for everything, and Jason nod and says he’ll get rid of the gun and casings. Then they’re done with Jagger. There’s a knock at the door, and Jason opens it. Anna is there with Dex and another officer, and Sonny asks what brings her by. She says, warrant to search the premises, and Sonny says, for what? She says, among other things, she needs to see Sonny’s weapons.

On the phone, Sidwell’s thug says, not yet… He’ll take care of Gannon. No problem… He just needs to wait until no one is in his room. (Well, yeah. You’d think that would be a given.)

Dante says, all right. They made the serial number of John Doe’s phone. That means if they can figure out where it was purchased, they can figure out where he comes from. Jordan says, or at least where he’s been.

Josslyn says, no. She doesn’t want to know. And she doesn’t know what’s worse. Carly falling for Sonny again, or her helping him get away with murder. Carly says, she has to know… but Josslyn says she doesn’t want to hear it. Because a week ago, Carly was telling her how horrible she felt facing prison because she made a terrible choice, and how that risky last-minute decision almost cost her kids, her job, her freedom. And if that evidence against her hadn’t miraculously disappeared… Carly says she knows, but Josslyn says, she doesn’t know. Because here she is again, a few weeks later, doing it again. So whatever this is, however she’s let Sonny back in her life, she’s back to risking everything for him.

Anna says, they’ll start with the main bedroom, then go to the office. She asks if Kristina or Avery are here, and Sonny asks if they can make sure not to mess up Avery’s room because she’s just a kid. Anna tells them, go easy on the kid’s room. She doubts Sonny would stash a smoking gun in her room. Sonny asks what smoking gun she’s talking about, and she says, the one used to kill Agent Cates. Sonny says, she’s wasting her time, and Anna asks why he doesn’t make it easier for everyone and produce his registered 9-millimeter gun. Just for laughs. He says, because he doesn’t want to make it easier, and Dex says he knows where Sonny keeps his lockbox. Sonny laughs, and Anna thanks Dex. Dex walks over to the credenza, and Sonny suggests Jason go. He doesn’t want to see this play out. They’ll keep in touch. Anna says, just a minute.

At the station, Ric introduces himself to Chase, and says, we were told you’re in charge of the John Cates murder investigation. Chase says, we? when Elizabeth joins Ric and says, hi. Chase asks what this is about, and Ric says, good. They know one another. He forgot what a small community Port Charles is. Chase asks if he has information regarding the Cates investigation, and Ric says, yes, but Elizabeth says, maybe. She’s not sure… Ric says he and Elizabeth were walking in Blackstone Canyon last night and they saw something suspicious. Elizabeth says, more like odd, and Ric says, semantics. Chase asks what they saw, and Ric says, when they got to the bridge, they noticed a woman at the railing, and she had a gun, and she dropped it into the water. Chase asks if they can describe the woman, and Ric looks at Elizabeth. She says, it was Alexis Davis.

Brook asks if Lois is really into this. Does she like the way she sounds? Lois says she’s still getting used to it. It’s fun. It’s like she’s pretending to be somebody else. Now she understands why Meryl Streep always picks the roles where she has to learn accents. Robin says, yes. Meryl Streep is a wonderful role model. Emulate her by all means. Brook says, they’re talking here, and tells Lois that she doesn’t want her to feel like this is something she has to do just because of some hateful comments on Home & Heart. Lois says, that’s not the only reason, and Brook says, there are a lot of idiots who hide behind the anonymity of social media and their presumed superiority. (Truth!) She loves Lois just the way she is, and so does everybody else. Lois thanks her and they hug. Tracy tells Robin that she’s stunned by Lois’s transformation after just one lesson. Does she have a magic wand or is she just that good? Robin says, the latter. Lois is an exceptional student. She has a virtuosic ear and an aptitude for linguistic convergence. She thanks Tracy for bringing Lois to her. Tracy says, what about the other one? Bensonhurst to the bone. Robin says, anyone can overcome their beginnings. Take Tracy for example. Tracy says, come again? and Robin says, she lived abroad for many years, did she not? In Amsterdam? Tracy says, amazing. She really knows her stuff. Robin says, Tracy’s upstate New York accent has almost been completely replaced by a mid-Atlantic or transatlantic one. She can still hear traces of… New Jersey. Hoboken perhaps. Tracy says, get out, and Robin says her work here is done. She tells Lois that they’ll be in touch, and flounces out.

Sidwell comes in and Holly says she was bored without him. He says, so she came here to amuse herself while he was away, and she says, he piqued her curiosity about this one’s poker skills, so she thought she’d test them out for herself. He says, and? and she says, lost every hand, which is worse than being bored, but now he’s back. She gets up and says she’s going to get ready for their special night. Is he coming? She might need some help with her zipper. He says he’ll be there soon. He and Lucky have yet to play a hand today. He has to win his rights to keep breathing.

As Chase records the statements, he says, so when they encountered Alexis Davis, she was out for a walk? Ric says, yes, at night, and Elizabeth says, so were they. Chase says, and she told them that she just dropped her phone, and Elizabeth tells him, she said her phone had been acting up. It wasn’t taking or receiving calls, and she got frustrated, so she just dropped it in the river. Ric says, as anyone would with a phone if they can’t make phone calls, and Chase says, but they believe it was a gun? Ric says, yes, most definitely, and Chase looks at Elizabeth. He asks if she’d like to speak somewhere privately, but she says, no. Last night, she got the impression that Alexis was holding a gun. But she’d like to go on record and say that she doesn’t believe for a second that Alexis had anything to do with the death of John Cates.

Carly sits next to Josslyn on the sofa and says she’s sorry to worry her. About what happened between her and Sonny, at the time, she wasn’t thinking about long term ramifications. She just truly thought she was doing what was best for her and Sonny. Josslyn says, no, she didn’t. She put Sonny ahead of herself, again, and ahead of everybody else. Carly says, what happened was consensual. Two consenting adults. Josslyn says, right, adults. Not two teens in the back of a movie theater. She knows Carly and knows what she’s doing. Carly says, and Josslyn knows there are people in her life that she won’t give up on. People she loves, and Sonny’s one of them. With that love comes loyalty. Josslyn says, nobody who truly loves Carly would ever ask her to sacrifice herself for them. Carly says she’s not sacrificing herself for Sonny, but Josslyn says, yes, she is. If she is his alibi and he did kill Jagger Cates, then she’s an accessory to murder. Murder. She can’t lose Carly. She’s scared. She just faced this. She can’t keep doing this with Carly. She can’t keep picturing living her life without her again. Carly says, she doesn’t have to do that. She’s going to be okay. She promises. She reaches to hug Josslyn, but Josslyn pulls away. She says, Carly can’t promise her that.

Anna says she assumes Jason’s presence here means he’s back working for Sonny, and he says he and Sonny are partners in Corinthos Coffee. That’s never changed. She says she enjoyed working with him. She can see that’s over now. He says he’s the same person he always was, and she says, he needs to stay out of her way from now on. She has a job to do. He says he was actually on his way out, and she says she would think as Sonny’s righthand man, he’d want to stay. Dex brings out the lockbox and puts it on the table. Anna thanks him and asks if Sonny wants to open this or give her the combination. He says he’ll open it, and she thanks him for his cooperation. He opens the box, and she says, he appears to be missing a gun.

Tracy says, that’s done. Good riddance. Lois says, good riddance, changing Tracy’s pronunciation. Riddance. Shall they decamp to the dining room? Brook says, excellent idea, and Olivia says, indubitably. They leave, and Ned and Tracy are left alone. Ned says, hoisted by her own petard springs to mind, and follows. (I love that phrase.)

Ric and Elizabeth sign their statements, and Chase says he appreciates them both for coming down. Elizabeth says she’s sure there’s a perfectly innocent explanation for Alexis’s actions, and Ric says, they’ve done their civic duty. Now whatever happens is up to the PCPD. They leave, and in the squad room, Ric says, that wasn’t too painful. She says, then why does she feel nauseous? and he says, sorry. He thinks he left his pen in the room. It’s expensive. She says she has to get back to the hospital, and he says he’ll catch up with her later. She leaves, and Chase comes out holding Ric’s pen. He says, looking for this? and Ric says, yes. Thank you. He takes the pen and says he just… never mind. Chase asks if there’s something he wants to add, and Ric says, it’s been bothering him. Alexis was so angry about Agent Cates trying to railroad Kristina. Chase says, and? and Ric says he knows Alexis would do anything to protect her daughters. Chase says, that’s right. He’s Molly’s father. Ric says he and Alexis go way back. That’s why this is so upsetting, considering that she’s killed before… He’s sorry. He thought Chase knew. It’s in her record. Chase asks if there’s anything else he’d like to add, and Ric says, no. It’s just such a shame, especially since she just put her life back together. She got her law license back. Chase says nothing, and Ric leaves. (Oh ho, so Ric is afraid of competition too. I’m wondering if Chase is already onto Ric really wanting to stick it to Alexis.)

Carly says her actions aren’t going to affect Josslyn. She’ll make sure of that. She promises. She needs Josslyn to trust her. Josslyn says, she’s making that very hard, and Carly says she knows. There’s one more thing. She would appreciate if Josslyn didn’t share this with Dex. The last thing they need is him getting the wrong idea and bringing Josslyn in for questioning. That would not be good for either one of them. Josslyn says she’s not going to tell Dex anything. She doesn’t want him involved. He just got on the force. Carly says, good. The bottom line is, it’s her personal choice. It’s not his business or anybody else’s. Josslyn says, the sleeping with Sonny part, and Carly says, yes. She loves Josslyn and she’s going to be okay. Josslyn says she loves Carly too. It’s Carly’s loyalty to Sonny that she doesn’t love. Carly says she knows, and Josslyn says she’s scared that one day Sonny is going to ask Carly for a favor and it’s going to cost her life. Carly says, that’s not going to happen, and Josslyn says, what if it already has happened? What if this is that favor?

Anna says, they understand Sonny has a registered 9-millimeter, and Sonny says, it should be right there. She says, he hasn’t reported it missing? and he says he didn’t know it was gone until right now. She says, that’s very interesting. Agent Cates was killed with a 9-millimeter last night. Sonny says, and now it’s missing. Should he call his lawyer? She says, it’s up to him really. Everyone knows he had reason to want Cates dead. He says, it’s a good thing he has an alibi, and she says she heard. Some kind of tryst with Carly. It’s really a coincidence that he’d reconnect with her just around the time of the murder even though she insisted the two of them were over. He says, she’s going to have to talk to Carly about that, and she asks if anyone other than his ex-wife saw him around the time Cates was killed, but he says he doesn’t think there was an audience. She says, that’s a shame, because unless he can produce this registered 9-millimeter of his and they can run tests on it, there’s no way to prove that it wasn’t involved in the homicide of Agent Cates.

Back at the station, Dante comes out with a folder, and Jordan says, anything? He says, IT traced the serial number of the damaged phone. It was purchased at the airport in Nairobi. She says, that’s where Laura and Doc went to look for Lucky, and he says, that’s correct. She says, this can’t be a coincidence, and he says he agrees. That’s why they have to figure out how their John Doe is connected to Lucky.  

Sidwell shuffles the cards and says, Holly is quite the woman, isn’t she? Lucky says, she is. A poker player, she ain’t. Sidwell says he’ll try and give Lucky a bit more of a challenge, and Lucky says, bring it. Sidwell says he knows Lucky has been biding his time, waiting for his friend to arrive with help. He hates to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s not going to happen.

Sidwell’s thug quietly goes into Isaiah’s room. He walks to the bed and takes a syringe out of his pocket.

On Monday, TJ tells Ric that if he lets his anger out at Kristina right now, he’s afraid of what he’s going to do; Curtis asks if Portia is sure she wants to put her life on hold for that woman; Jordan asks what someone is doing (probably Sidwell’s thug); and Anna tells Jason that he has to come with her.

💼 Gone But Hardly Forgotten…

Sounds like he had a tough last few days. I remember Ilene Kristen talking about what a pain out of sync filming is when I went to a soap workshop.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/adam-j-harrington-opens-up-about-his-last-days-at-gh

🎬 Living His Dream…

The best Nikolas of all the Nikolases has a new gig.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-adam-huss-to-begin-work-on-a-new-dream-series

🍊 Please Don’t Go…

I wouldn’t put it past Fancy Pants to have a house in both places just so she could do both shows. And I hate to admit it, but I’d be interested in seeing that.

💎 It’s Avi’s Fault…

If it’s by appointment, that means you can’t afford it.

🧂 Tuning Up…

She looks like she could be related to Beyoncé. Sign me up.

👠 Fuggedaboud Those Housewives…

No receipts, proof, timelines, or screenshots for Renee. Another confession, I loved Mob Wives.

⚰️ Dead and Company…

The latest on the Daryl Dixon front.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-season-3-changes-location-and-adds-new-cast-members-01j6yeyfw9yf

This time, the focus is not on GH’s ex-Spencer.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/walking-dead-s-dallas-roberts-jason-butler-harner-in-monsters-the-lyle-and-erik-menendez-story-01j6dn2xsgqt

The busiest man in Dead business.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/colman-domingo-shares-first-look-photos-of-his-new-series-the-madness-01j6kbadbrrf

🛸 Yeah, There Will Be Spoilers…

I watched this last weekend, and it wasn’t what I expected, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I love films that take place in NYC because it’s familiar territory, and you also get to see a lot of the creatures this time around. Definitely one to watch.

https://screenrant.com/a-quiet-place-day-one-leave-new-york-time/

🐹 Bringing Joy To the People…

Who doesn’t love a chinchilla wearing a crown?

https://people.com/hilarious-chinchillas-rock-tiktok-exclusive-8700508

🏹 Quotes of the Week

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. David Ogden Stiers

Aggressive is protecting your rights, but hurting others. Assertive is protecting your rights and not hurting others.Dr. Phil McGraw

That’s the trouble with your whole MTV, microwave dinner generation. You want it all now. You think you deserve it just because you want it? It doesn’t work like that. You have to earn it, you have to take it, you have to make it yours. but before you do that, Guy, you need to decide what it is you really want. – Buddy Ackerman (Kevin Spacey), Swimming with Sharks

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine

Hand me my bird. – Mina (Hannah Dargan), The Watchers

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. – Albert Einstein (The first guy to figure out Survivor.)

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest steppingstones to success. – Dale Carnegie

Don’t worry about being worried. You’re heading out on an adventure, and you can always change your mind along the way and try something else. – Tracy Kidder

Live your vision and demand your success. – Steve Maraboli

Our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if the other person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We must practice this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable. – Thich Nhat Hanh

When life gives you lemons, just say, f*** the lemons, and bail. – Chuck (Paul Rudd), Forgetting Sarah Marshall

🍁 Waiting For Fall To Fall…

Have a glorious, or at least above average weekend. Then circle back on Monday for soap and what’s stewing on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay using the strength of your feelings to change your situation, and stay not reading your mom the riot act if you don’t like her choice of a one-night stand.

December 1, 2023 – Ava Spills To Nina, Posing, Side Gig, Shade On, VanderUpdate, Parade Pics, Windows, Finale Of Fear, More Turkey, Holiday Pets (!), Just Over 8 Quotes & Philly

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook walks into the nook where Lois is chopping vegetables. Lois says, there’s her girl, and Brook says, okay, but Lios says she can do better than that. Where’s her main squeeze? Brook asks if she means Chase, and Lois says, no, her other main squeeze. Yes, Chase. Brook says, he’s probably halfway to Canada by now after grandma’s tirade on marriage.

Kristina shows Molly into her apartment and tells her to stay there while she secures the necessary provisions. She leaves and comes back with two glasses and a bottle of wine. Molly is still standing by the door, and Kristina says she didn’t expect her to still be in the same position. She leads Molly to the sofa and says, talk to her. What happened? Molly says she realized she’s never been here before.

Elizabeth and Finn are having dinner at the PC Grill (the restaurant of the moment), and Elizabeth wonders if they’re celebrating a special occasion. He says, that depends, and she says, on? He says, whether you deem the calm before the storm special.

A tall, impeccably groomed, well-dressed man walks up to the counter at Kelly’s and Carly welcomes him. She asks if she can get him something, and speaking with a British accent, he says he certainly hopes so.

Sonny and Dex walk into Pozzulo’s, and Dex says, Hume would have been waiting for Sonny if they’d have let him. Sonny asks if he was alone, and Dex says, just him and his briefcase, which he can only assume was full of cash like last time. Sonny says, okay, let’s hear what Pikeman has to say, and takes out his phone.

At Windymere, va opens the door to Nina, who says she’s completely freaked out. Ava sounded frantic. What’s going on? Ava says, this arrived in the mail today, handing her the note with the picture of dead Austin.

Elizabeth says she takes it that it didn’t go well with the hospital lawyer. What’s her name again? Finn says, Dede Clark. It went fine on the surface. She talked a lot about cooperation and implied they’re all in this together on the malpractice suit, and that he could do his part just by answering some questions. She says, but underneath? and he says, the more questions she asked, the more clear it became that GH’s plan is to sacrifice him and save themselves.

Kristina says, that can’t be true, but Molly says, it is. Think about it. Whenever they hang out, Kristina comes to her place, or they meet up at mom’s or Sam’s or a restaurant somewhere. Never here. Kristina says, Molly’s never been to her apartment (neither have we), and Molly says, no. Kristina says, that is weird. Well, welcome. Molly thanks her, and Kristina says, for the record, it’s not like she’s throwing parties or entertaining. Her kitchen is essentially a barren desert. It’s easier to go out. She pours the wine, and Molly says, Kristina doesn’t have to defend herself, but Kristina says, doesn’t she? Molly is her sister and hasn’t even seen her apartment. She hopes Molly knows it’s not intentional. She now has an open invitation, any time she wants to come here, day or night. Molly says, be careful. She just might take her up on that. Kristina says, she better, and they clink glasses.

Lois tells Brook, tirade is a bit of a stretch, and Canada is not that far away. Doesn’t she think she’s being a little overdramatic? Brook says, no. After some of the things grandma said to Chase, she can’t even go there. It was mortifying. Lois says, it’s a good thing to know, nobody ever died from embarrassment, and it didn’t seem to bother Chase all that much. Brook says, he was being polite, but Brook says, or maybe he was seeing Gloria for who she is, a meddling Italian grandmother whose views on modern relationships are stuck in the 1800s. Lois says, exactly, and Brook says, she and Chase have never even discussed marriage. They just moved in together. Lois says, indicating that marriage is probably the next step, but Brook says, they’re nowhere near that step and that’s okay by her. Lois says, good to know, and Brook says, it is good. Lois tells Brook that she just said that, and Brook says, she and Chase are perfectly happy the way things are. Chase walks in with a bottle of wine, and Lois says, he made it.  

The man tells Carly that he’s in Port Charles on business, and he has a craving for a burger. The concierge at his hotel recommended this place. Carly says, he must be staying at the MetroCourt, and he says, she knows it. She says she knows it well, and he says, if he were staying somewhere else, would they also recommend Kelly’s? She says, absolutely. Kelly’s is a Port Charles institution, and they have the best burgers in town, if she does say so herself. He says, wild guess. She works here. She says she owns the place, third generation. So how does he like his burger?

Nina looks at the photo and says, is this real? Ava says, as real as it gets. Austin is dead. Nina asks, how? and Ava says, he was shot to death in Pautuck. Look. She shows Nina the envelope and says, a Port Charles postmark. It could have been sent by anyone. Nina asks if it was just the picture, but Ava says, no. It came with this sweet little note. She gives Nina the paper that says, you’re welcome, and Nina says she doesn’t understand. Ava says, join the club, and Nina says, clearly, the killer wrote this. Oh my God. Would they just assume Ava would be grateful Austin’s dead? Ava says, that’s her guess, and Nina says, she has to take this to the police. Ava snatches them back and says, no. That’s the last thing she’s going to do.

Sonny says, before Hume gets here, how long did Dex tail Austin? Dex says, only when that nanny was working for Sonny. Betty? Sonny asks if anyone called Dex on it, and Dex says, a couple of times at the hospital, he was asked what he was doing there, but he always had a cover. Sonny asks if he roughed Austin up, and Dex says, when Ava disappeared, he questioned Austin. He stonewalled, Dex put him in a headlock and told him if Ava wasn’t back, he’d be back for him. Sonny says, that could be a problem. Austin was murdered and if anyone saw Dex threaten him, they could assume he did it.

Ava says, Dante has already been out here to question her, and Nina asks, why? Because of Austin? Ava pours drinks and says, there’s so much Nina doesn’t know. Nina says, then fill her in, and Ava asks if Nina remembers walking in on her and Sonny having an intense conversation a few months ago, and Nina says, yeah. She asked what was going on, and neither of them would tell her. Ava says she was being blackmailed, and Nina asks, for what? Ava says, when Nikolas went missing, she had every reason to believe he was dead, and Nina asks her to define every reason. Ava says she thought she’d killed him, and Nina says, oh my God. Ava says, he came here, and he was in a rage. He was threatening to disappear and take Avery with him. She had to do what she had to do to stop him, and she grabbed a statue and she hit him. She just wanted to stop him, that’s all, but he fell. He stopped moving and she panicked. She thought he was dead. Nina says, thank God she was wrong, and Ava says she was trying to hide his body when Austin found her. He told her that he’d help her cover it up. Then the body disappeared, and Austin’s cousin Mason claimed he had it. He said he would bring it to the police if she didn’t do everything he told her to do. Nina says, so Austin’s cousin Mason was blackmailing Ava because she killed Nikolas, but he wasn’t actually dead? and Ava says, but Mason wasn’t acting alone. It turned out, Austin was working with him.

Dex says, after questioning Austin about Ava, he never went near him again, and Sonny says, if the cops decide Dex is a suspect – and that’s a big if – tell them that he’s not talking to anybody without his attorney present, and that includes his son Dante. Dex says, understood, and Sonny says he takes care of his people. If Dex gets picked up, he has the best representation. Dex says he appreciates that, and Sonny says, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. The less attention the cops pay to Dex, the more valuable Dex is to him.

Carly presents the man with his burger and says, tell her what he thinks. Don’t spare her feelings. He takes a bite, and she says she wants to know the real deal. He makes happy food noises and says, talk about the real deal. She says, really? and he says, it’s delicious. It’s full of flavor, perfectly cooked. She tells him to enjoy his dinner. She looks at the door and says, not again, and they turn to see a homeless man hanging around the doorway. She goes outside.

Carly tells the man that he can’t be out here, and he asks her not to call the cops, but she says, that’s not what she means. It’s too cold. He needs to come inside.

Kristina asks if Molly wants to tell her what happened, and Molly says, shoot. She had a folder at the park. It’s filled with really personal information… Kristina says she’s got it. She picked it up from the ground when they were leaving. Molly thanks her and says, she’s a life saver. Kristina says, of course (🍷), and takes the folder out of her bag, giving it to Molly. What’s in it? She doesn’t have to share that. It’s 100% her right. Molly says, no, it’s fine. Open it. Kristina looks inside and says, surrogacy candidates. She doesn’t understand. Is there something wrong with them? Molly says, there’s something wrong with her, and Kristina says, watch it. That’s my sister you’re talking about. Molly says she has this whole folder of potential new surrogates and TJ has no clue she’s even looking at them.

Lois brings out glasses and thanks Chase for the wine. She says, it’s very thoughtful of him, and he asks if she wants him to open it. She says, is the Pope Catholic? and tells him to pour while she works. She goes back to the cutting board, and Chase asks if they have a corkscrew. Brook gets it for him, and he asks what they were talking about. Lois says, you, and Brook says, you and Blaze. And how you used to sing together and now she sings alone. Speaking of which, what does he think of her new song?… Hello? Chase says he’s sorry. He got distracted. It’s amazing how Lois can do all that with those nails. Lois says, there’s nothing she can’t do with these nails.

Elizabeth says, Finn has to separate the hospital from the hospital’s lawyers. Sure, it may be a good legal strategy to use him as a scapegoat, but Portia and Terry would never, and she’s sure the Board would follow suit. He says he doesn’t know anymore. If the Muldoons can prove that the hospital somehow knew he was negligent and turned a blind eye, it’s possible they’d be liable for damages. Martin thinks GH’s best plan is to say that he was negligent, but he acted without the knowledge of the hospital. She says, but he wasn’t negligent and he’s going to explain that to a jury when he testifies. They’ll have to be sympathetic to him. He says, really? Has she met him?

Finn says, his testimony alone could tank the case, and Elizabeth tells him, says who? He tells her, says his lawyer; he said it a bunch of times. She says, that’s ridiculous, and he says, really? She says, if Martin Grey doesn’t believe in Finn, fire him, and Finn says, Martin does believe in him, but he’s also a lawyer. Good lawyers point out the landmines. This case at the core is about a grieving family who are looking for answers, and really, can you blame them? She says, of course (🍷) not, and he says, then it’s possible a jury might feel that way too. She says, and it’s possible to have empathy for the family, and realize their loss wasn’t his fault. He says he doesn’t know. He just feels that when he gets on the stand, the jury’s sympathies are going to be with the Muldoons, and the only way he can win them over is to get them to… like him. She says, he did it with her and she’s a way tougher sell. A bunch of strangers? Cakewalk. He says he doesn’t know whether to take that as a pep talk, but all he heard was, she likes him. She says, very much so.

Chase asks if Lois is sure she doesn’t need any help, but she tells him, just sit back and relax and enjoy the wine, which is very good by the way. Brook says, it’s delicious, and Chase says he’s got a guy. Lois says, he’s got a wine guy? and Brook says, it’s true. His recommendations are always on point. Lois says, good to know, and she’s very glad the two of them can join her for dinner. Chase thanks her for the invite, and she says, it gives her a chance to get to know him better. And to apologize for all things Gloria. He says, get out of here, and she says, not really apologize, because God knows she loves her mother, but she does know she could be a bit much. Brook says, a bit? and Lois says, but she means well. Her mother is a romantic. She’s in love with love, and for a woman from her generation, if you’re in love, you put a ring on it. Brook chokes on her wine.

Molly tells Kristina that she was contacted by the matching professional about looking for a new surrogate, and she was excited about getting things going again. Kristina asks if TJ felt differently, and Molly says, when she told him, he said it was too soon. Kristina says, too soon for whom? and Molly says, for him. For them, she guesses. He’s not ready to get back on that roller coaster again. Kristina asks how Molly feels about that, and Molly says, deflated… frustrated. This whole thing is bad enough, but to not be on the same page as your partner. Anyway, she ran into Dr. Navarro when she was leaving the hospital, and she says so kind and steady, and she really put things in perspective. Kristina asks what the doctor said, and Molly tells her, basically, the risk of miscarriage is the chance that you take, no matter who’s carrying the child. But when you weigh that against the chance of actually having a baby, so many people have had success through surrogacy. She wants to be one of those people. Kristina takes her hand, and Molly says, she took the meeting alone. Kristina asks if it was productive, and Molly says, it was, until mom showed up.

The homeless man tells Carly that he’d rather stay outside. He doesn’t like being around too many people. She says, at least let her bring him something to eat, and he says, really? Carly says, of course (🍷), and he says, that’d be great. Thanks. She says she’ll be right back, and if he changes his mind, the door’s open. She runs inside and goes directly to the kitchen, as the man at the counter watches.

Nina says, she didn’t know Austin well, obviously, but he seemed to really care about Ava. Ava says she thought so too. She thought Austin was someone she could trust. When he tried to convince her that he was being coerced, that he didn’t want to help his cousin, that he was trying to get her out from under the blackmail, she believed him. But Nikolas wasn’t dead, and she’s convinced Austin knew all along. Nina says she just doesn’t get it. What was his endgame? Ava says, per usual, in this underworld at least, all roads lead back to Sonny.

Dex shows Hume into Sonny’s office, and Sonny says, well? Hume says, Pikeman needs him to facilitate another shipment, and Sonny says he thought he made himself clear. He doesn’t do anything for Pikeman unless they tell him who the shooter was at the MetroCourt. Hume says, they’re not the police or the WSB. Pikeman is a manufacturer. Sonny says, that exports merchandise through his channels, and Hume says, and they’re willing – he puts his briefcase on the table and opens it – to pay double this time. We see the briefcase is crammed with stacks of bills.

Kristina asks if Alexis is trying to discourage Kristina from trying again, but Molly says, no. It was just typical mom. She wants what Molly wants. But when Molly told her about taking the meeting without tell TJ… Kristina says, technically, she did consult TJ, but Molly says, Kristina knows what she means. Mom said whatever she and TJ choose to do, they have to make the decision together, but she just has this sinking feeling that TJ might never be ready. So she went to the park to clear her head and ran into Willow and Amelia. It was nice. Willow was really sweet, and she got to hold the baby. Kristina asks if it wasn’t hard for her, and Molly says, at first, but it was so amazing to hold this tiny little human in her arms. Once she left them, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she might never have the child of her own. She wants to be a mom so badly. She starts to cry, and Kristina says she knows Molly does.

Chase asks if Brook is okay, and Brook says she will be once her mom changes the subject. Lois says, in a sec. The biggest thing Chase can take away from all of this is that Gloria obviously likes him. That’s not an easy feat because that’s not a woman you can win over very easily. And for what it’s worth (🍷), Lois likes and approves of him too. Chase says, it’s worth more than she knows, and Lois says, he makes her daughter happy. She can see it in her face. She can hear it in her voice and in the way she moves. As a mother, that’s all she could ask for. Chase says, for the record, her daughter makes him very happy too, when Lois’s phone rings. She says she has to take this and asks Brook to finish up for her. She leaves and Brook asks if Chase brought his shovel for the hole he’s going to dig, where she’s going to hide for the remainder of her days. He asks if she doesn’t think she’s being a little dramatic, and she asks why everyone keeps saying that to her… Do not answer that. She’s so, so sorry. He says, why? He’s not.

Finn says, it’s too bad they can’t clone her and have a whole jury box full of Elizabeths. She says, that’s a terrifying thought, and I laugh at the mental picture. He says, not to him, and she says, truth? He says, sure, and she says, sometimes he can be a little… He says, abrasive… guarded… socially awkward, and she tells him that she was going to say standoffish. But once people get to know him, they see what she sees. He says, and what’s that? and she says, a man of the utmost integrity; a brilliant researcher; a dedicated physician; a loving, sometimes neurotic, father. He says, sometimes? and she says, a person who really cares and a doctor who never quits on his patients… and someone who needs a little work on their maple tapping skills. He says, a lot of work, and she says, he’s saved hundreds of lives, and he has the potential to save so many more. He says, not if he loses this malpractice suit.

Carly takes a to-go bag out the homeless man and says she hopes he likes goat cheese. There are fries in there, she threw in a piece of pie, and here’s a coffee. She hands him a cup, and he thanks her. He asks if it’s okay if he sits out here and eats, and she tells him, of course (🍷), and stay as long as he likes.

She goes back inside to the counter and asks the not-homeless man if he’d like anything else. He says he thought she was going to run that guy off. Instead, she fed him. How come?

Nina asks what Sonny has to do with any of this, and Ava says, Austin and Mason were working for Cyrus Renault. Nina asks if Sonny knows, and Ava says, he’s the one who told her. Nina wonders why he didn’t say something, and Ava says, he doesn’t want Nina involved. God knows she wishes she wasn’t involved. Nina says, so Cyrus is the one who had her kidnapped? and Ava says, yes. He wanted Austin to testify for him at that hearing in Pentenville. Nina says, his hardship release. So he had Mason take Ava hostage to guarantee Austin’s testimony. Ava says, helluva guy, huh? and Nina says, Austin did what Cyrus wanted and testified to save Ava. That means Ava did mean something to him. Ava says, something maybe, but not enough.

Sonny closes the briefcase and tells Hume to take it back to his superiors along with this message – he’s out. He’s not moving anything else for Pikeman for any price. Find another harbor. Hume says he’ll relay the message, and Sonny says, you do that. Hume leaves and Dex closes the office door. Sonny says, Dex is going to have an opinion on what he just did. So what does he think? Dex says he thinks Sonny made a mistake.

Finn tells Elizabeth that he thinks the biggest question is going to be why he didn’t screen Muldoon for more tests that would have indicated the presence of cancer. She says, Finn told her that he wanted to, and Muldoon didn’t want to have any more tests. Finn says, he knows, but they might say something like he didn’t explain it to him fully, or maybe he was open to the tests and Finn just didn’t bother. She says, and what? Finn told him he was fine and pushed him out of his office? Finn tells her that they might say he got busy with his research or other patients. She says, he would never do that, and he says he knows that, and she knows that, but what if the jury doesn’t know that?

Brook says, all this marriage talk has got to be wigging Chase out, and he says he’s not wigged out. And he’s pretty certain no one says that anymore. She says her family just really loves weddings, in an unhealthy co-dependent kind of way, and he asks if she’s been to a lot of them. She says, weddings? Oh yeah. Between the Cerullos and the Falconaris, there are too many to count. He asks what they’re like, and she says, big, loud, enough food to feed an army… and the people there fighting. And the dancing. Nobody dances the tarantella like her grandma. He says he’d love to see that someday, and she says, he will. Not at their wedding… She didn’t mean that. She meant at a wedding, probably one of her gajillion family members. Is it hot in here? She fans herself and he says, she needs to relax, but she says she feels terrible. Everyone’s all up in his grill. He says, nobody’s up in his anything, and she says her grandma has probably already reserved a church for them, but they can’t blame her. It’s all she knows. The moment you turn 18, every nona keeps asking when it’s going to be your turn. So she understands it from her grandma. Or at least she’s trying to. But from her mother? That’s a completely different story.

Counter man says, not to sound callous, but he can’t imagine it’s good for business to have a homeless man hanging around outside, and Carly says, probably not. She did tell him to come inside, but he didn’t want to, so she just brought him some food. He says, that was kind of her, and she says, they wrap up all the unused food and send it to the homeless shelters, so she would have been feeding him anyway. At least this time he’s getting a hot meal. The man says he’ll pay the check when she gets a chance, and can she give this to her friend outside. He hands her some cash, and she says, thanks.

Ava tells Nina that Austin came to see her at the gallery the night he died. When she found out he’d known she was held hostage… He could have gone to Sonny. He could have gone to the cops, but he did nothing. He was silent. She was furious. They fought about it. She told him to leave and he left. Nina says, and that was the last time she saw him? and Ava says, yeah. She just doesn’t have any way to prove it. Nina asks if there aren’t cameras at the gallery. Can’t they prove Ava was there at the time Austin was shot? Ava says, the cameras in the back aren’t working, and that’s where she was most of the night, and Nina says, well, that is going to be an issue. Ava says, even if the cameras were working, she doesn’t think it would help her. That’s why she can’t bring the note and picture to the cops. They’re just going to think she hired somebody to get rid of Austin. Even dead, that man is still making trouble for her.

Sonny says, Dex thinks he should have taken the deal? and Dex says he thinks it’s better to play along than make himself an obstacle that needs to be removed. When he was in Afghanistan, there were a lot of these private security groups there. Sonny says, including Pikeman, and Dex says, these are powerful people. They have connections to all the major security ops, the CIA, the WSB. If they come at Sonny, it may be at a level he hasn’t seen before. Sonny says he appreciates Dex’s insight. He’s already considered all that, and he realizes his best move right now is to get out. He doesn’t want Pikeman investing any more in him. He’s betting that they think he’s more trouble than he’s worth and move on.

Molly says, it’s like she’s lost all self-control, but Kristina says she thinks that’s a good thing. Molly says, that she’s a human walking waterworks? and Kristina says, yes actually. For the first time, Molly’s allowing herself to feel what she feels, without trying to edit it or control it. Being a mom is hugely important to her. Molly says, it’s like she won’t be her if she doesn’t, and Kristina says, that’s really beautiful. Molly says, not if TJ won’t consider these surrogates. And she won’t have a child without him. She won’t do that to him. Kristina takes her hands, and they sit down. She says, TJ will come around. She knows he will, and when he does, let Kristina help her. Let her carry a baby for them.

Chase says he doesn’t want Brook to be mad at her on his account. He thinks she’s awesome. She says, he does? and he says, Brook obviously comes by her beauty and her spark naturally. Brook thanks him for the compliment and for just being overall amazing. How’d she get so lucky? He says he asks himself that every day… about how he got lucky, not her. (Ha-ha!) She suggests they agree they’re both lucky, and he asks what she say were the three most important moments of her life. She says, when she scored Jonas Brothers tickets in 2010, and he says he’s being serious. Humor him. She says, all right. The last time she ever saw her great-grandfather Edward; that’s a big one. The first time she ever wrote a song, and when she gained a little brother in Leo. He says he wants this moment right now to be on that list, and she asks what he’s talking about. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine – he gets down on one knee, taking her hands – will you marry me?

Finn pulls his chair closer to Elizabeth and says, she called him caring. She says, because he is, and he says he thinks he knows that somewhere deep down. He also doesn’t like being questioned or doubted, and when he gets defensive, he gets awkward. These jurors aren’t medical professionals, and this medical jargon thing will go right over their heads, and the only thing that’s going to resonate with them is that this man is dead, and his family is grieving. And there’s this doctor on the stand saying he did everything right. She tries to interrupt, but he says, no. What if he would have pushed harder for Muldoon to get those tests? Made him. Demanded he get that colonoscopy. Would Muldoon still be alive? She says, no one can answer that question. But what she can tell him is, all they can do as medical professionals is their best, and he did that. She knows that. So they need to teach him how to project that inward kindness outward, so the jury will believe him and maybe even like him. He asks if that’s even possible and she says she thinks… Yeah. They’ve got their work cut out for him. They kiss.

Kristina takes Molly’s hand and says she knows Molly was originally against it when she offered to be their surrogate. And admittedly, she hadn’t really thought it through, not fully. Maybe there was a part of her that wanted to swoop in and be the hero. Molly tells her, when she said that before, that was her pain talking. She was disappointed and bitter that Kristina could carry a child and she couldn’t. But that was unfair and she’s sorry. Kristina says she’s sorry Molly is going through this at all, and she’s sorry Molly lost her first baby. Molly says, it’s not Kristina’s job to fix it for them, and Kristina says she doesn’t think it is. Not at all. That’s not the way she sees it. Bringing Molly’s child into this world is something she can and truly wants to give her. Not just for Molly, but for this baby who’s going to be in this family with the most incredible parents. Molly says, she’s absolutely positive? and Kristina says, 100%, no backsies. Molly says, now she knows Kristina means business, and Kristina says she does. Molly says she has to talk to TJ about it; they have to be together on this. Kristina says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, no matter what they decide it means everything that Kristina has offered. Molly thanks her, and Kristina says she loves Molly. They hug, and Molly says she loves Kristina too.

Ava looks at the photo of dead Austin, then picks up the note and puts them both in the fireplace. She watches them burn.

Dex says, so Sonny will end his association with Pikeman and hope they cut their losses, when there’s a knock at the door. Nina comes in and says, Frank told her that she could come in. Sonny asks, what’s wrong? and Nina says she just came from Ava’s. She knows about Austin and Ava said he was working with Cyrus. More importantly, she said Cyrus still may be after Sonny. Sonny says, damn. Ava has no business telling her that. Nina says, no, she doesn’t really. The person she should hear it from is him.

Carly thanks the man for coming by, calling him Mr. Brennan (I guess he used a credit card). She hopes they see him again at Kelly’s soon, and he says he can practically guarantee it. He gathers up his things and heads for the door, when Hume comes in. He tells Brennan, we have a problem. Corinthos refuses to move any more of our shipments.

On Monday, Brook says, let’s take the topic off the table and forget it ever came up; Ned says, if he doesn’t figure out how to stop him, Michael will push him out; Molly wants TJ to hear her out first; Blaze asks if Kristina wants to celebrate; and Nina tells Sonny that she’ll do whatever she can to make sure someone comes home.

📸 Meant For More…

I never knew this. That photo doesn’t even look like him.

💣 Happier Villainy…

I still haven’t seen this, but it looks like a fun show.

💎 Shades Of Mess…

While I don’t normally side with Erika, I thought this was weird too. Denise seemed drunk. Maybe she was. Maybe there’s something we don’t know. First world problems.

🍸 Take Two…

If anyone still cares.

🍂 Goodbye Autumn…

In case you didn’t see the parade.

🎁 Switching Gears…

Another thing better seen online. You would not believe how crowded this stuff gets. The tree lighting looked insane.

⚰️ Rehashing the Dead…

All about the Fear finale. The best part – if you haven’t seen it, major spoiler – Skidmark made it! Even better, when he showed up, secretly thanks to Alicia, Daniel just asked, where have you been? No, how the hell did you appear out of thin air after disappearing for years? Or even, what are the odds? It was a great moment. It was a great finale. Nothing left unsaid.

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-series-finale-kim-dickens-interview-8402455

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-colman-domingo-reacts-to-victor-strand-finale-ending-8403734

https://ew.com/fear-the-walking-dead-showrunners-explain-alycia-debnam-carey-finale-return-8404001

🦃 Twice the Thanks…

I saw Thanksgiving for my birthday. They were giving out swag and I got a poster.

While it was a good time, and Eli Roth is a great director, this news surprised me.

https://people.com/thanksgiving-slasher-film-getting-sequel-2025-director-eli-roth-8409658

🫏 Practice Run…

Warming up for pets dressed as Santa, Santa’s elves, the Grinch, and whatever other humiliating holiday costume their pet parent can find.

I have no clue who these people are, but their celebrities somewhere and they have cute pets.

https://push.abs-cbn.com/2022/12/24/celebrities-flex-their-pets-on-christmas-day-1413

🐳 Quotes of the Week

My songs will pass and be forgotten. What counts, however, is that I sang them. – Father Andrew Greeley

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.Lou Holtz

Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity. It is through compassion that a person achieves the highest peak and deepest reach in his or her search for self-fulfillment.Arthur Jersild

No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has. – Henry Ward Beecher

No matter who you are, we’re creatures of habit. The better your habits are, the better they will be in pressure situations. – Wayne Gretzky

The world needs a-holes. Otherwise, where would the sh*t go out? – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz), Downsizing

If you’re going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now. – Marie Osmond (Who knew she was such a philosopher?)

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.Ann Landers

Tomorrow I’m going to feel the pounds. – Andrei Castravet, 90 Day Fiancé, The Other Way: Pillow Talk

🐹 On the Holiday Hamster Wheel…

Take some time to stop and smell the pine needles this weekend, and join me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and that mess in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping realistic expectations of yourself and others, and stay allowing yourself to feel what you feel, without trying to edit it or control it.

November 19, 2023 – Part 2 – The Final Fear & Better

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Part 2 – The Road Ahead

Madison flashes back to Alicia as she looks for Tracy in the woods. She calls to Tracy and says, she doesn’t have to be afraid. Tracy hides in a hollow log, looking at her medal, and crying silently. Zombies start to come into view. Dwight pops out of the woods and kills one, and Tracy scootches further back into the log. June asks if they found Tracy, and Sherry says, not yet, but they found Troy’s righthand guy. He’s hurt bad, but he’ll make it. Daniel asks why they’re helping Russell, and Dwight says, the herd dispersed, and they want to keep him close to find out where they went. Daniel wants to get a car and get as far away as possible, but Luciana says, it’s over. Daniel says, not as long as the girl is out there. Troy still has his followers and they’re fanatics. They hurry Russell into the car, and Daniel asks Luciana how far the refinery is. She says, about a day’s drive, and he tells her get the car and he’ll get some supplies, and they leave. Tracy comes out, but so do a couple of wayward zombies. She knocks one down, but her pokey stick gets stuck in another, and it brings her down. She kicks at it, and Madison kills it. She says, Tracy is going to get herself killed, but Tracy says she doesn’t care. Madison killed her dad. Madison asks if she heard her mom was Madison’s daughter, but Tracy says, that’s not true. Her mom Serena died. Madison asks why Tracy’s father would tell her what he did, but Tracy says she doesn’t know. Madison insists Tracy come with her. It’s not safe; there are dead everywhere. Tracy says she’s not safe with Madison, but Madison says she did what she had to. She sees Tracy’s ankle is hurt. She says, what’s left of the herd is still out there, and she’s all Tracy’s got. She coughs and thinks of Alicia. Tracy asks where Madison is taking her, and Madison says, to find Tracy’s mother and her daughter, so her daughter can be put to rest. Tracy’s father was right about one thing. Pretending the world is different than it is gets people killed. The sooner Tracy figures that out, the better. It’s how she’ll survive. Madison figured it out too late to save her own kids and she’s not making the same mistake with Tracy.

Aww, the opening credits show everyone.

Luciana gases up a car and hotwires it. She radios Daniel to meet her, and Madison appears holding a gun on Luciana. Madison tells her, don’t say anything, and turn off the walkie. She asks if Luciana’s road network doesn’t include Fort Worth. They need Luciana to show them the way. Madison calls to Tracy, and Luciana says, she looks hurt. She asks why Madison is doing it this way, and Madison says she can’t run the risk of being taken back to the island and living the way Victor wants them to, thinking the world is different than it is. That will get them killed. Troy is out of the picture, so fix the car so they can get out. Madison takes some oxygen and remembers Alicia and Nick. Luciana says, maybe if Madison puts Alicia to rest it will help her see beyond her anger and show her there’s something more to fight for. She tells Madison that she needs to get a new fuel pump, and Madison makes her leave the walkie.

Madison tapes Tracy’s ankle, and Tracy says, pretending they’re family won’t change what Madison did. Madison says she knows it seems unforgiveable, but this way, Tracy will live long enough to understand why she did it. Tracy gives Madison the medal and tells Madison that her dad said he got it from her mom. If what he said is true, it belonged to Alicia. Madison asks, why give it to her? and Tracy says, it doesn’t work. It didn’t keep her dad safe. Madison says, apparently, it didn’t keep Alicia safe either, and Tracy grabs Madison’s gun, saying, back away. Madison says she’s not leaving Tracy, and takes the gun from her. She takes out the magazine and says, it’s not loaded. Does Tracy think she’d risk pointing it at her daughter’s kid? She puts the medal in the empty magazine and then into the breast pocket of her jacket, and Tracy asks why she’s keeping it. They both know it doesn’t work. Madison says, it’s all she has left of her daughter, besides Tracy. She can get a new chain for it. Victor shows up, and asks what they’re doing here. Madison says, Luciana told them? but Luciana says she gave Madison her walkie. Victor says he needs to take them back to PADRE, so Tracy can process what happened, and to help Madison process what Troy told her. Madison says, they can’t go back, but Victor says, it’s the safest place. Madison says, building what she and Alicia wanted will just get Tracy killed, but he asks what she’s talking about. She says, Alicia gave Troy a second chance, and he killed her and took her kid for it. Victor says he knows things seem scary, but Tracy can trust him, and holds out his hand. Madison shoots in the air and says, stay away. The shots alert the zombies heading their way, and they fight the zombies off. Daniel says he’s not letting Madison take Luciana away from him, and Madison says, nobody’s going to get hurt if they just let her and Tracy go. They’ll go on foot if they have to. The zombies are getting plentiful, but Daniel says, they don’t have enough bullets, and Victor suggests they get inside. They all go in the auto shop.

Zombies scrabble at the windows, and Madison asks if there’s another way out, but Luciana says, the back wall caved in. Victor says he’s getting help and radios Frank. He tells Frank that they’re pinned in an auto shop and need help, but Frank says, they’ve got their own problems with the dead. On the island, a barge full of zombies is headed for the dock. Dwight says, what the hell is this? and Russell says, they should have done more than disperse the herd. If Troy taught them one thing, it was how to herd the dead. They’re going to overrun this place, and there’s not a damn thing they can do. June says, they had a truce, but Russell says, then they killed Troy. Dwight grabs Russell and says, stop them, and Russell laughs and says, he can’t. Zombies begin to tumble into the water, and Dwight says, get everyone inside and close the gates now! The rain starts to pour, and the zombies start coming through the water and onto the shore. It’s pretty creepy looking.

Daniel says, there’s not enough firepower. They’ll wait them out. They’ll tire eventually. Victor says, it’s time they don’t have, and calls Frank. Frank asks if Victor is okay, and Victor says, they’re safe for now. What about Frank? Klaus tells Frank that they’re surrounded by zombies, but the walls are holding. He asks if Tracy is there, and Victor says, she is, why? Sherry sits Russell by the radio and Frank says, Troy’s man wants to talk to her. He says if they hand over Tracy, his men will draw the zombies away. Victor puts Tracy on, and Tracy asks if it’s really Russell. Russell says, it is. He promised Troy that he’d take care of her. Madison says, Troy asked her, and Russell says, after she gutted him. He wasn’t in his right mind. Madison says, Tracy is all she has left, but Russell says, that’s not necessarily true, and she asks what that means. Troy stabbed Alicia and left her for dead, but he didn’t see her die. Madison says, Troy told her that Alicia turned, but Russell says, that’s because it’s what he told Troy. Troy cut her up pretty good, but Alicia got him too. She nearly drove her arm clean through his stomach. Like mother, like daughter. He limped home with it still in his belly; that’s how he got her arm. He sent his men back to make sure the job was done, and they found a blood-soaked mattress, a bloody knife, and bloody footprints heading out the door. Victor says, that doesn’t mean she’s alive, and Madison says, he could be lying to get what he wants. Why did Russell tell Troy that she was dead? Russell says, Troy wasn’t in a forgiving mood. He told Troy what he wanted to hear. Give them Tracy, and she’ll find her daughter. Luciana tells Madison not to fall for it, but Madison tells Russell that she can’t do that. If Alicia is out there, she deserves to be with her daughter. Alicia wouldn’t want her turning Tracy over. Russell says he thought she might say that, so his men will take the island, but Dwight says, the dead can’t get in here. Russell says, they don’t have to get in. They just have to get the living out. There are some bomb blasts, and Victor says, he needs to get to the island. He’s doing it with or without them. He opens the door to the waiting zombies, and everyone scrambles. There’s slicing and dicing and whacking zombies in the head.  

Dwight asks how Russell blew off the grenades, and Russell says, they had launchers for a while, and waited for the right time to let them rip. Dwight knocks him down, and June says, they can’t stay much longer. Daniel was right; they should have left Russell to die. Dove brings June the set of pistols that belonged to John and asks what they are. June says, a little help from the past, and Dwight says, they have to leave. They’ll go through the woods. He tells Dove to take the prefects and fire as many flares as they can off the far walls. It will thin the herds and they can create their own path. Only kill zombies if they have to, and don’t stop until they get to the dock. They’re bringing Russell with them. Are they ready? Sherry says, for Finch, and Dwight says, open ‘em. Russell asks if they’re insane. They’ll be eaten alive. Dwight says, that’s why Russell is here, and uses him as a buffer in the front. Ha-ha-ha!

At the auto shop, Victor says, that’s the last of them. They have to get to the island now. Daniel says that’s the last time Victor and Madison put his family in danger to save theirs, but Victor says, Daniel would do the same thing if Luciana was on the island. Daniel says, Victor is pursuing this self-serving crusade to make himself feel better about the rotten things he’s done, and Victor says, the parts of him that Daniel hates are the things he doesn’t like about himself. Daniel asks if he’s a psychiatrist now. Every person he ever cared for, he lost because of Madison and Victor. Madison says, they’ve all lost people, and Daniel says he’s sorry he let Madison’s husband in his barbershop back in Los Angeles. He’s had bad luck since. She says she’s sorry she let Daniel into her home, and Victor says he’s sorry he let Daniel on his boat. Luciana says, they can make it to the refinery before sunrise, and Daniel says, wherever Alicia is, she’s better off without Madison. Victor says, that’s enough, and Luciana tells Madison that the car should get her where she wants to go. She hopes Madison can find peace. Daniel suggests Tracy run as far as she can from these people; Madison is losing her mind. And Victor is a selfish, pathological liar, and would have gotten them killed like every person he’s cared for. Victor radios Frank, and Frank says, there are too many. They can’t get to the dock. They’re pushing them back to the center, pushing at the fence. Victor asks why they’re not inside the fort, and Frank says, they’re fighting. They’ve got their hands full and the zombies are going to breach the net. Victor says, they need to move to the docks, but Madison says she’s not going. She has to find Alicia. Victor says, they will, after they save the island. She says, Tracy is in no shape to fight, and if she goes, she might not come back. Victor says he needs his friend to try and save his family, and she says, he is her friend, but she can’t. He doesn’t understand. She’s been seeing Alicia, Nick too. It’s like a dream, just their faces, before things went bad, back in L.A. If she has a chance to find Alicia, she has to try. Start over. Victor asks if she doesn’t think he wants that. He has his family dream; she’ll have hers too. Madison says, then he understands why she has to look for Alicia. She can’t go further with him. He says, so this is it. He came to save Tracy, to save Madison, so he could give her chance to get things right. Now Frank and Klaus might die because of it. He guesses Madison is teaching Tracy what she wants her to learn. This is how you survive. If she finds Alicia, tell her that he tried.

Tracy and Madison are in the car, and Madison looks at a map. Tracy says, if Madison is so sure the world is sh*t, why was it so important for Alicia to believe differently? Madison says she doesn’t know. She thinks parents just try to give their kids the things they didn’t have. Tracy asks if Madison had nothing to believe in when she was a kid, and Madison says, her daddy used to drink. When he drank, he hurt her mama. He hit her. He would apologize and claim he’d stop drinking, but he never did. She watched it happen for a long time, when she was around Tracy’s age. One day it went too far. She saw too much, like all those moments built up. She knew he was going to kill her mama eventually and she wanted it to stop. She wanted it to stop so bad, she shot him. Tracy puts her hand on Madison’s and says, she did it to protect her mom. She didn’t want Alicia to have to do anything like that. Madison says she thought she could build a place where Alicia wouldn’t have to, where she and Madison’s son could feel safe. But all she ever did was put them in danger. Tracy says, so Madison gets it. Why she has to do this. She shoots Madison in the side, and Madison falls out of the car. She laughs, and says, Tracy finally understands this is what happens when you try to build something better. You end up giving people hope and putting them in danger and getting them killed. Find Alicia and make sure she understands too. Tracy says, Alicia’s not her mom. She’s done listening to Madison. She runs away.

Victor and the others run to the island, and Victor radios for help. Luciana and Daniel hear him, but Luciana says, they can’t get there in time. They’ll have to fight on their own. Victor says, it can’t end like this. Nooo!

On the island, the dead are being burned in funeral pyres. Troy is now a zombie and stuck in a tree. Tracy sees him, and says she’s been looking for him all night. She shot Madison; she had to. She thinks everyone died on the island. She loves him. She aims the gun and shoots.

Tracy buries Troy, and says, he was all she had left. She looks at the gun, when Victor comes along. He tells her to put the gun down, but she says, leave her alone. He says, if that’s what she wants, but first he’d like to help clean her up, and there’s something he needs to tell her. Zombies are heading their way, and Victor picks up the gun and holds out his hand. He says he knows a place that’s safe.

Tracy asks what Victor wants. Why is he still here? He says, because she still has something left to fight for. She just doesn’t know it yet. She asks how he can say that. How is he even alive? He says, Madison saved him. She saved all of them. He promised he’d find Tracy and tell her what Madison did. Tracy says, no, no, no. She shot Madison. She killed her. We see Madison after Tracy shot her. She gasps and gets up. Victor says, she thought she was dying too. She thought it was all over. Tracy asks, what happened? Madison takes the magazine out of her pocket, and Victor says, something stopped the bullet, the St. Christopher’s medallion, Alicia’s medallion. Tracy says she doesn’t understand, and Victor says, after Tracy shot her and Madison realized Tracy wanted everything to end, she knew she was wrong. She knew she had to do something big, something monumental, if there was any hope in restoring Tracy’s faith in what’s worth fighting for. We see the fighting on the island and Dwight yelling, move! Victor says, for the people they love, for the people they have, for the things that are bigger than all of them. We see June tending wounds, and Victor says, for the things they’d give their up lives to protect. Tracy says, no way she saved them all with that many dead, but he says she did. The same way she did before. Like a repeat of the stadium. We see Madison drawing the zombies’ attention with a flare, and leading them away, and Victor says, she led the dead into PADRE’s walls so they could escape to the docks and live. Madison breaks open fire extinguishers, and Tracy asks why she did that for them, and he says, it wasn’t just for them. It was for her too, so she would know. She says, know what? and Victor says, that her dad and Madison were right. They knew fighting for something better could get you killed, but it also does something that just fighting to survive can’t. It can let you live forever. Madison sets fire to the horde and blows up everything. Tracy says she’s got no one left, but Victor says, she has him and all the others. Tracy says, Madison died for her and so did her father. She can’t. She pushes Victor and takes the gun. She says she can’t be here, and runs out into the dark woods.

Tracy picks a flower among the rubble and brings it to a sleeping Madison. She takes out the medal and tells Madison that she found a chain in the supplies. She wishes it still worked. She puts it in Madison’s hand, and Madison stirs. Tracy takes out the gun, and Madison wheezes, then coughs. She asks, where is she? and Tracy says, she’s awake. She’s thought Madison was going die and had to drag her up here on a stretcher. She got antibiotics. She thought Madison’s lungs were infected. Her dad trained her in all fields of medicine. Madison says, the fort collapsed, and Tracy says, it took her half a day to dig Madison out. If she hadn’t had this one mask, Madison would have suffocated. Madison sits up, and says, Tracy came back. Tracy says, Madison is the only family she has left. Victor told her what she did. Madison says she’s sorry about Tracy’s dad, and Tracy says she knows. She’s sorry she shot Madison. Madison says she doesn’t think she gave Tracy much choice and sits up. She did good. She did real good. A woman asks if anyone is there, and Tracy grabs the gun, telling her, stop. No closer. The woman says she’s not here to hurt anyone, and Tracy says, put your hands up and move slowly, but the woman says, she can put the gun down. She’s just here to bury her… We see it’s Alicia and she says, mom? They hug and cry.

Madison says she can’t believe it’s real, but Alicia promises it is. She asks if Madison is okay, and Madison says she will be. Meowing comes from Alicia’s duffel bag, and Tracy runs over, opening the bag and petting… Skidmark! I nearly burst into tears. I forgot all about him. Alicia says, it’s a very old friend she came across searching a warehouse for supplies. She’s trying to return him to his rightful owner. Madison asks how she found them, and Alicia says, a story woman about a woman who sacrificed herself here. The person who told her said her name was Madison. It didn’t make sense, and she didn’t know how Madison could possibly be alive, but she had to be sure. She saw the fort over there. How is Madison still here? Madison says, Alicia’s daughter came back and saved her, and Alicia asks what she’s talking about. Madison says, Tracy, the child Troy took, but Alicia says she never had a kid. Tracy says, Alicia’s not her mom? and Alicia says, no, but she knew Tracy’s mom when Tracy was a baby. Her name was Serena. She was a pretty amazing woman. Madison wonders why Troy lied; she doesn’t understand. Tracy says, Troy knew how hard Madison fought for her own kids and gave Madison a reason to for her. Madison asks who Alicia heard the story from.

On a bridge overlooking a highway, Alicia says she’d been picking up outside chatter on the road. She would have looked for Madison if she’d known she was alive. Madison says she would have looked for Alicia too; she would have never stopped looking. Alicia says, after Troy attacked her and she got back on her feet, she went to find the people she’d been saying with, and she saw something on the road; women dressed like her, using the weapons she was using, doing the things she was doing, helping people. Madison says she met some of them, and Alicia says, it was like the story of what she’d done was doing more good than she could do on her own. So she went somewhere else and used a different name so Troy couldn’t find her. If she hadn’t, maybe they’d have found each other. Madison says she made the right choice. She gave people something to believe in. Tracy runs over with binoculars, and they duck down. They see several trucks coming down the road, and Alicia says, the people who told her what Madison did had one of those containers. We see the trucks said PADRE, but now the P is changed to an M, and they say MADRE. Madison wonders if it’s because of her, and Alicia says, they don’t even know she’s alive.

The four trucks meet at a crossroads. Luciana asks if everyone has a mask and knows where to refuel, and June says, yes. Dove asks what direction June is going in, and June says, there’s a cabin in Texas she needs to visit, someone she hasn’t seen in a while. Dove asks if she wants company, and June says, it’s far, but Dove says it will give June time to teach her medicine. What June did for her when she was shot, she wants to learn to do the same for other people. June says, then she’s going to the right place. The cabin belonged to her husband. It’s where she met him. Where he taught her to shoot and survive and to live again. If he can do that for her there, maybe she can do the same for… Odessa. Ada says, the repeater stations will allow them to stay in touch, and Dwight says, they’ll be hearing from him. He’s going to be looking for the parents who are still out there. Sherry says, they found each other against all odds, they’d like to do the same for the kids. Odessa asks, after they find them, what then? and Sherry says, they’ll figure it out. Everyone disperses into their vehicles, and Sherry asks what Dwight is thinking. He says he’s thinking about the Sanctuary. They could take everybody there. She asks, why go back there? and he says, they know it’s defensible, and the streets are still intact. She says she lost him to that place before. She can’t lose him again. He says, she’s not going to. They’re a family. Maybe they can take the place and make it worthy of its name. Make Finch proud. Sherry nods, and says, okay. Let’s try. He says he loves her; she says she loves him too, and they kiss.

Daniel says he was thinking about what he told Victor, and he was wrong… in some parts. Victor did save him and his family when the world fell apart. Thanks for the Abigail. Victor says, don’t thank him for something people should do for one another. Daniel caught him on a good day. Daniel says, maybe Victor does remind him of the worst parts of himself. He doesn’t know if people like them can act differently. Maybe that’s why he has a problem with Victor. But for the sake of the others and their own sakes, he guesses they’ve got to try and change. Victor thinks he has, but whether Daniel has is up to him. In German, Daniel says, I’m tired of war. All the best. He puts his hand on Victor’s shoulder and moves on. Victor hugs Luciana and tells her to take good care of herself. She says, him too. Gracias. He kisses her hands, and goes to the truck. Daniel hears a cat, and Skidmark comes out from under the truck. He asks, where did you come from? and laughs, picking the cat up and hugging him.

Victor sees a freshly picked flower in the truck and asks if Klaus put this in here. Klaus says, no. Why? Victor says, nothing, and they get in. Frank says, he did all he could. If Tracy wants to be found, she will. They’ll comb the area a few more times. He gets in, and Victor looks out the window. He sees Madison, Alicia, and Tracy walking away through a yard, and Frank asks what he’s looking at. Victor says, nothing, and starts the truck. He asks, where to? and Klaus puts his finger randomly on the map. Victor says, onward. I wonder if Victor will tell them one day.

Madison and Alicia lean against the truck, and Tracy asks if Madison is sure she’s okay with this. Madison says, they don’t need her. They’re like the people who step in for Alicia. They’ll do better if they think she’s gone. Before she gives them a reason to stop believing. Alicia asks, where to? and Madison says she’s been having visions of Alicia and Nick, before everything went bad. Alicia asks, where? and Madison says, Los Angeles. Alicia says, they saw it get bombed, but Madison says, that was a long time ago. It’s probably still pretty rough there, and people could use their help. She puts her hand on the cannister holding Nick’s ashes and remembers the old days. She says, it will never be what it was, but that doesn’t mean they can’t start over. Alicia says, let’s go, and Madison asks if Tracy is in. Tracy says, yeah, let’s go, and they get in the truck.  

The song, Mama Tried plays as they drive away.  

There are thank yous for the cast to the fans. Thank You #WalkingDeadFamily.

🌊 See you later for soap and awful people on Deck.

November 19, 2023 – First Part of Fear Finale & Dog

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What I Watched Today

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

Disclaimer… or something. To do this amazing but very, very long finale justice in editing, I give you Part 1 right now and will post Part 2 tomorrow. Or later today. Or… I’m tired.

Fear the Walking Dead

Part 1 – Fighting Like You

Mississippi Queen plays, and we see a fire being set and bright lights coming on. The zombie horde is led out of the woods by Troy and company. He radios Russell who says, they’re in formation. He’ll see Troy at the rendezvous. Tracy asks how they’ll get to PADRE, since it’s an island. They can’t walk the zombies in. Troy asks, who said they were walking? Russell came through with the perfect way to get them there. They’ll finally have a home. Tracy says, her mom pulled loose, and zombie Serena scrabbles at the back window of the truck. Troy says, she won’t hurt them. She’s going to be the one to make Madison pay for everything she’s done. He asks Tracy, what’s wrong? and Tracy asks why her mom has to kill Madison. Troy says, Alicia’s mother put the thinking into people’s heads that got them killed, and they can’t let that happen to anyone else. Tracy says, Victor told her the St. Christpher medal belonged to Alicia, but Troy asks if she knows how many St. Christopher medals are out there. He was mistaken. Her mother gave it to him when she died and made him promise to give it to her and keep her safe. That’s what he’s been doing ever since. Tracy yells, look out! and the truck flips over an embankment.  

Tracy tells Troy, wake up, and he opens his eyes. She says, he’s been out for hours, and he asks, what happened? She says, they went over an embankment. She thinks he ran over a trap. Troy has been impaled with a tree branch, which is sticking out of his upper chest, and he says he’s pinned to the seat. He asks, where’s the gun? and she says, he lost it when they crashed. She can’t find it. He says, they have to catch up with Russell, and tries pulling the branch out, but he can’t. He says, Tracy has to go meet Russell. He’ll give her the coordinates. But she says she’s not leaving him. He says she has to. It’s everything they’ve fought for. If she doesn’t make it to PADRE, everything they’ve done won’t mean anything. Tracy says she’s going to find help. She doesn’t want to live there if she’s not with him. She gives him the medal to keep him safe like, and says she’ll come back for him. Then they’ll make PADRE their home together. She runs off, zigzagging through the zombies headed for the truck.  

A zombie is squashed by the MRAP tank, and Madison gets out. Victor radios, as Madison realizes the zombie horde is gone. He asks where she is, and she says she can’t help him. Enough people died because of her and she can’t put the rest at risk. He says, it’s just him and his newly found friends. She says she has the tank, ammo, and guns, and doesn’t need help. Unlike him, she has no one to disappoint. He should build PADRE into what Alicia wanted. Victor says, she thinks it’s one thing, then can’t stop. He learned the hard way at the Tower. There was always one more thing he had to do to keep it safe. Before he knew it, he was the thing people needed protection from. There’s another way. Madison opens the back door to the tank, and sees Tracy. She asks what Tracy is doing here. Where’s Troy? Tracy says, he’s hurt, and Madison says, bullsh*t, but Tracy says, he crashed the truck. Madison asks, why Russell didn’t help, and Tracy says, he couldn’t. He’s leading the rest of the herd. Madison asks, where? but Tracy says she doesn’t know. Madison asks, who does know? and Tracy says, her dad is going to die if she doesn’t help him. Madison asks why she’s here, and Tracy says she thought she could use the radio. Madison asks where the truck is, and Tracy hesitates, but Madison says, Tracy can’t use her radio and she’s running out of options. Tracy says, it’s down an embankment, about a mile east of here. Madison sits her down, and zip ties her wrist to the tank. She radios Victor and says, change of plans. She’s leaving the MRAP. Victor asks, where she’s going, and she says, to kill Troy. Tracy says, no! What happened to, no one’s gone until they’re gone? She told Victor to build what Alicia wanted. If Madison gave Victor a second chance, why not her dad? Madison says, he doesn’t deserve one, and Tracy says, that’s not what Alicia believed. Help her dad the way Alicia helped her. She gestures toward Alicia’s mechanical arm, displayed in the tank, and Madison leaves.  

Russell radios Troy and says he’s picking up stragglers. How is Troy in the same place? Troy says, by the looks of it, he’s not going anywhere. Promise him something. Russell says, anything, and Troy tells him whatever happens, find Tracy and make sure she gets there. Russell promises she’ll finally have a home. The zombies coming closer to Troy are whacked in the head, as Russel says, they’ll take the island. Madison says, no, they won’t, and neither will Troy. He pulls the branch out of the seat, but not his chest, and he launches himself at Madison. They tumble down, and he pushes her toward zombie Serena. Madison twists the stick, pulls it out, and shoves it in zombie Serena’s head. Troy says, she had no right. Madison picks up the hammer, and says she’ll bury him next to her, and he says, she thinks killing him will help build the island. She says, he killed her daughter. She has to do what she has to, to make sure Alicia’s memory didn’t die with her. People like them are no longer in this world, but Troy says, she can’t kill him. She wants to stop the herd, and he’s the only person who knows where they’re going. She says, her people will figure it out, but he says, not in time. She needs to do something for him. He needs to see his daughter. He needs to tell her something. Madison brings out the radio, and says, tell her now, but he says he needs to see her. She says, nice try, a-hole, and he says, let him bury his wife. Bring him to his daughter, and he’ll take her to Russell. She asks what he has to tell Tracy that’s so important, and he says, it just is. She asks how she knows he’ll hold up his end of the deal, and he says, she doesn’t. Just like he doesn’t know she won’t kill him. She says, okay. She takes him to Tracy, who asks, what happened to him? He says he was doing what it takes to protect PADRE and get to see his daughter one more time. Madison radios Victor and says she’s coming back. She’s bringing Troy and he’s going to lead them to the herd. And she’s bringing Tracy. She tells Troy, hold still, and pulls out the stick. He falls over.

Tracy watches one of Alicia’s video tapes, when Victor opens the tank. He asks what she’s doing here, and she says, waiting for her father. He agreed to tell them where the herd is heading. Victor says, whether he’s lying or not remains to be seen. Why would her father help when PADRE is everything to him? Why would he give it up? He supposes they’ll find out. Tracy says, he’s going to kill Madison when he gets what he wants. She thinks he doesn’t deserve a second chance. One of the Alicia clones asks, how many tapes has Tracy seen? If she watches more, she’ll see that Madison gave a lot of people second chances, whether they deserved them or not. Tracy says, like who? and Victor tells her that Madison never gave up on him, but Tracy says, Madison’s not her anymore. Madison radios Victor and says, they’ll be there shortly. Troy buries Serena, and she tells him, it must be nice to bury the person you love. He says, Alicia can rot on her feet forever, and she asks if he wants her to put the branch back in. Keep talking. He says, his wife is dead because of her, and she asks, why? Troy says, it’s not important, and Madison says, it was important enough for him to kill her daughter over it, and he says, Serena was pregnant, and they were still looking for a place live since Mexico. She got bit. Madison says, and that’s Alicia’s fault? but Troy says, nope. Alicia’s the one who saved her. Madison asks, how? and he says he put out an SOS on the radio. Alicia was the last person he thought would respond, but she did. Madison says, she helped him? and he says, that surprises her, especially after how they parted ways in Brokejaw. Serena was bitten on the arm like Alicia, so she knew where to cut and how to do it… Then, when Serena was out of the woods, Alicia got back in the MRAP and left to help more people. Madison says she’s having a hard time seeing how this led to him killing Alicia, and he says, Serena changed after that; Alicia changed her. She wanted to be just like Alicia. Madison asks if she was, and he says, yeah. She tried to help as many as she could. One day, they got a call, and SOS on the radio. A guy said he needed help, and when Serena showed up, he shot her and robbed her. He took everything she owned and left her for dead. When Troy went looking for her, he found her holed up in a strip mall, but it was too late to save her; she’d lost too much blood. He held while she died. He listened to her weep about how she’d never watch their daughter grow up. She allowed herself to get wrapped up in Alicia’s bullsh*t, and she made him promise to never let Tracy hurt the way she did. So he never let his daughter believe the same bullsh*t Alicia put in Serena’s head. Madison says, that’s why he killed Alicia? and he says, yep. He made a promise. An errant zombie tumbles down the hill toward them and Troy shoves Madison, who gets tangled with it. He runs, but trips on a wire and falls into a trap. Madison extracts herself and goes over to the pit. She says, today is not his day, and Crane comes up behind her. He says, it’s not hers either, and hits her in the back of the head.

Madison wakes up on a barge, tied to Troy. Crane says, welcome back. Does she like his new digs? It doesn’t measure up to what they have in PADRE, but it was handy to get supplies to the cargo ship when he ran out of gas. Troy asks, who the hell is he and what does he know about PADRE? Crane says, he is PADRE. Or he was. Him and his sister. Lark got his sister killed. Madison says, she got herself killed, and Crane says, and Blue Jay spared him. Madison asks what he wants, and he says he’s looking for a way to get paid back. Today he found it. He heard them on the radio, and he’s prepared to give Troy what he wants. Troy asks, what’s the catch? and Crane says, he can start by telling his friend to call off the dogs, and Troy laughs. He asks why he’d do that, and Crane says, he’ll let Troy and his daughter live in PADRE. Madison says, he’s lying, but Crane says, Troy has more of a chance with him than Madison. Do they have a deal? He holds out the radio, and Madison yells to Victor that they’re on a barge near the docks, but Crane knocks her in the face. She says she should have killed him when she had the chance, and Crane says, this is what happens when you show mercy. She says she was trying to save his people from him and his sister, and Crane says, change of plans. Troy is going to tell his friends to call off their army in person and take him to the herd. If either one of them tries anything, he’ll kill them both. He tells his men to get the truck ready.

They drive, and Victor comes on the radio, saying, they’re at the barge… Crane turns off the radio and asks, what changed? Madison risked her life to reunite Wren and Nightingale. Now she’s using a father against his daughter. What happened to, family is worth fighting for? She says, it still is. She’s just fighting his way. Zombie blood hits the windshield, and Daniel, Luci, et al come out. Crane tries to overpower them, but zombies start coming. Luci calls to Madison, who shoots at Crane’s guys, and a couple of zombies get Crane down.

Luciana leads them into a nearby building, and Madison tries to radio Victor, but Troy says, he can’t hear. They have to get to higher ground. Daniel says, he’s not going anywhere, and Luciana says, they’re here for a reason. To do to him what he did to them at her truck stop. Daniel says, and Ofelia and Charlie and anyone else he hurt. Madison says, he can’t be the only one who knows where the herd is, and Luciana says, they can find it without Troy. Madison says she needs to find the MRAP and meet Victor on the road. Daniel is about to cut the bond tying Troy to Madison, but Madison stops him. She says, they can’t have him getting away when this is over. She has to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. Daniel says, if she doesn’t, he will, and he and Luciana leave.

Troy and Madison walk, and Troy tells Madison that Crane isn’t going to take the herd. He sent Crane in the wrong direction. Madison asks, why? and he says he’s dealing with her, not them. Madison says, she’d kill him just as quick, but he says he doesn’t think so. He knows her, or maybe he knows what it is to believe in something so hard, you can’t let it go. They get to a footbridge that’s basically rope and boards, hanging over a lagoon where zombies are lurking. Troy wants to cross, but Madison says, something is pulling them down, probably quicksand. If the bridge breaks, they’re both dead. A shot fires, and Crane says he found them. They run to the bridge, which looks pretty shaky, and they start to go across. It breaks, and the zombies look up, ready for an easy lunch. Crane takes the trusty ax he just happens to have, and cuts one of the ropes. Madison and Troy fall in.

Crane tells Madison that he thought she needed to be paid back after what she did to his sister. It’s what she deserves. Troy asks what he’s talking about, and Crane says, she let Shrike get bit over and over. Her and Nightingale let it happen. Troy says he wants to get his daughter, and Crane says, that’s why the right people need to protect them from themselves, and especially from the kids. Why does Madison think they saved her at the stadium? They heard her on the radio; no one is gone til they’re gone. They found her in the water truck, gasping for air, surrounded by zombies. They didn’t hesitate to pull er out. If she was willing to die for them, they knew they could get her to do just about anything. She thought her beliefs would save her kids, but in the end, it’s what got them killed. Madison yells, come on! to the zombies toddling around in the woods, and Crane’s so busy being full of himself, they get him down and he’s out. Troy says he’s sorry, but Madison says, that’s not going to get them out. Troy says, they’re not that different, but she says she’s nothing like him. He says, the northwest corner is where he was leading them, to the swamp. He was hoping the current would sweep them to the island. She asks why he’s telling her this. Maybe she doesn’t deserve a second chance. Troy says, she does, but not if they’re not found in time. He didn’t want it to end like this. Madison says, the truth is, PADRE is better off without people like them, and they duck underwater.

Victor tells Madison, stay with them, and she coughs up water. She says, they found them and saved her, but he says, Daniel and Luciana found them. Luciana says, they’re not the ones who saved her. Tracy did. Troy says she grabbed a root and pulled them out. They used Crane’s ax to snap the cuffs. Troy says he wasn’t telling Madison the truth about what Serena said, that she regretted following Alicia. After Alicia helped Serena, Alicia gave Serena the medal and said it would bring them luck. Tracy says, he told her… He says, he knows: he lied. Serena made him promise to let Alicia believe she was alive, so she’d always know what she was fighting for. He broke that promise. Daniel says, he’s a liar, and Luciana asks why they should believe him. Troy says, he knew what it was to believe hard in something and not want to let it go. He saw it in Serena’s eyes. She never let go. She believed in it even though it got her killed. When she was going under, something in her eyes, the look of someone dying believing in nothing. He couldn’t let that happen, not for Tracy’s sake. He didn’t do what Serena asked and keep it alive. Maybe he could if he was given a second chance. Madison gets up and says, like Troy did for Alicia? He said he’d take them to the herd. It’s time for him to hold up his end of the deal.

The song Hair of the Dog plays, and Russell radios Troy. He says he’s here. He caught up to the herd. Troy should see it. Troy says he does, and Russell might want to get down. The MRAP barrels in, and the machine guns open up on the zombies. Russell says, it’s going to take more than that, and Madison says, they know. A truck caravan pulls by, with Dove in the last truck bed. The caravan leads the herd away, and big baby Russel whines, nooo.  

Madison takes some oxygen, and Victor asks how she is. June says she has fluid in her lungs, and they need to get back to the island. Dwight says, they broke up the herd, and June says, they have to get back to PADRE. Victor thinks they should give Troy the benefit of the doubt, but Luciana asks how they can trust him. Victor asks, what about second chances? He and Daniel are just as guilty for what they’ve done. Daniel asks if willing risk that. Troy tells Tracy that it worked. It kept him safe. He gives her back the medal. He did what he said and found them a home and kept her safe. He’s sorry he lied for so long. Madison says, they have to get ready to head out and help the others and tells Tracy that she wants to talk to her dad. Tracy goes to help, and Madison says she’s been thinking about Alicia and how she gave Troy a second chance despite everything. She shows him Alicia’s mechanical arm and says, it’s all she has left. Troy says, it doesn’t have to be. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure he’s worthy of a second to everyone on the island. Things have changed. She has to believe him. She says, that’s just it. She doesn’t. She stabs him with the arm, and Tracy yells, no! and runs off. Victor wonders about second chances, and Madison says, Troy was right. That’s what got Alicia killed. If she hadn’t done this, she’d be putting them at risk. It’s how they survive. As he’s dying, Troy tells Madison to fight for Tracy. She’s not his daughter. Serena died before the baby was born. Madison asks who her mother is, and he says, Alicia. He took her child to make up for what he lost. Madison yells, no! and Troy dies. She asks where Tracy has gone, and everyone looks confused or lost or both.

🐊 See You Later, Alligator…

Since this thing got away from me, come back again for Part 2. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering family is worth fighting for, and stay believing no one is gone until they’re gone.

November 12, 2023 – What Would Alicia Do & Monsters

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

At PADRE kids are doing obstacle courses, food is being served, math lessons are being taught. June marches in with Dwight, Sherry, Dove, et al. A couple stops them, and tells them that no one is coming in. June asks, under whose orders? when Victor walks out and says, his. June asks where Tracy is. They know he has Troy’s daughter. Victor suggests perhaps discussing this in a more civilized manner, but Dwight says, this seems pretty civilized. Victor tells Dwight, long time, and asks Frank to bring Klaus to their room. June asks why Victor brought the girl here, and he says, Troy wouldn’t attack if he knew his daughter was here. Dwight says, or it’s the perfect reason to attack, but Victor says, Troy doesn’t know they’re here. It’s not like she’s tagged for migratory purposes. June says, if Victor was doing more than playing father, he would know the lengths a parent would go for their child, but Victor says, they still don’t know him. June says she does. She watched him make bad decision after bad decision. People lost their lives because of what he did. John’s father lost his life because of what he did. She’s not making the same again. He says, many people lost their lives because of her. They’ve all done things to survive, and no one can throw stones. When Tracy went missing, he saw an opportunity. He had to make a call. June says, no one asked him to, and he says he’s not the man he used to be. She asks how she knows that, and he says, she’s not the woman she used to be. Right, Naomi? Frank says, Victor told him everything, and Dwight asks who he is. Victor says, this is his husband, and June says, show them if he’s changed. Dwight says, help them bring Tracy back to her father, and Victor asks if they think that would satisfy Troy. June says, it might, if they bring him the man who kidnapped her too, and Dwight says, start walking. Victor says, they don’t know Troy like he does. He lost the hotel, and it’s his last chance to do good on what he promised Alicia. Dwight says he wishes he believed Victor, and June says, if he wants to show them that he’s changed, now’s the time. Victor looks at Frank, who shakes his head, but Victor says, let’s walk. Dove goes to get Tracy, and Frank says he won’t let Victor do this. He saw what that man did at the hotel. He’ll kill Victor. Victor says, these people will kill him if he doesn’t go, and he doesn’t want Frank in the crossfire. Wait for him. He’ll come back. Frank says he’ll be waiting. Victor leaves with June and the others, looking back one last time.

On the water in a boat from PADRE, June radios Troy that they have his daughter. She’s safe and they’ll return her if they agree to terms. Tracy asks if the blindfold is necessary, and Victor laughs. He says, it’s not going to work. They’re not going to remove it. The reason the settlement has lasted so long is that no one knows where it is. Tracy tells him to stop trying to be friends with her. He’s the one who brought her in. June radios Troy again, saying, Tracy is safe and will be returned. Victor tells her, no matter what Troy says, Troy is going to kill him and hurt Tracy. Tracy says, her father would do anything to protect her, but Victor says, her father’s not the man she thinks he is. June says, Victor can change, but not Troy? and Victor says, Troy is a sociopath on a revenge tour. He has issues. There’s a difference. Why is he the only person looking after Tracy? Sherry says, the only person he’s looking after is himself, but he says, it’s not about that. It’s about building PADRE the way Alicia wanted him too. Troy radios, and asks, who is this? Who has his daughter? June says he doesn’t know her, but she freed Madison and Victor from the hotel. She asks Tracy to talk to Troy, and Tracy says, it’s okay. They’re bringing her back. June says, they will, provided he gives them assurance he won’t take PADRE. Troy says, they took his daughter, but June says, they didn’t. Victor did, and they’re bringing him back too. Troy says, there’s one problem. They need a place to live. June suggests they stay at the hotel. Madison is no longer at PADRE, and his beef with her isn’t a beef with them. Does he want his daughter or not? He says, they have a deal. Bring her and Victor to the hotel. Victor says, it’s a trick, but June says, they’ll be there. Victor says, don’t do this, but Dwight says, it’s too late. Victor looks scared and grabs the blindfold off of Tracy. He says, now she knows where PADRE is, and Tracy takes a dive over the side of the boat. Victor jumps up and runs to the bow, pulling out wires and plugs as he goes. He too jumps off the boat, and Sherry tells Dwight to turn around, but he says he can’t. There’s no power.  

On land, a zombie grabs Tracy and she falls, but she scuttles away. Four of them surround her, and Victor arrives, whacking them in their undead heads. He tells Tracy that he’s not going to hurt her, and she says she’s not worth anything dead. He holds out his hand and sees a St. Christopher medal around her neck. He asks where she got the necklace, and she asks, what’s it to him? June calls to him, and he says, they’ve got to go. He’s not taking her back. Tracy asks where he is taking her, and he says, to the one person who can help both of them. Dwight begins to call their names, and Victor helps Tracy up.  

Madison plays loud music on a boombox in a forest clearing, and as zombies come out, she sledgehammers them. Apparently, she’s found her calling. When all the zombies are down, Victor calls Madison’s name. He brings Tracy out, and Madison asks what he’s doing here. She told him that she couldn’t help him build PADRE. He says, they’ll have agree to disagree on that, but that’s not why he’s here. She turns the music off, and he says he heard she was looking for Alicia. She says, Alicia deserves to be at rest. She did it for Nick and wants to do it for Alicia. She asks, who’s his friend? but Tracy says she’s not Victor’s friend. Victor says, she’s Troy’s daughter. He found her wandering and saved her life. Tracy says, he kidnapped her, and Victor says, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle (as it almost always does). Madison asks, what’s her name? and she says, Tracy. Madison says, she has her father’s eyes, but don’t worry. She won’t make Tracy pay for his crimes. Tracy asks, what crimes? and Madison says, he killed her daughter on top of other sh*t he probably didn’t tell her about. Tracy says, he told her everything. How Madison killed his father and turned his brother against him. And how she left him for dead at the dam. She also killed Tracy’s mother. Madison says she doesn’t know what Troy told Tracy, but she didn’t know Tracy’s mother. She asks why Victor brought Tracy here, and he says, he took her to PADRE. It was the only play he had, but the peasants revolted, saying it was too risky to keep her there. Madison asks why he brought her here, and he says, it’s Madison’s best shot at finding Alicia. Tracy is wearing a medal that belonged to her. Madison asks how he knows, and he says, because he gave it to her. Madison asks, why? and he says, it doesn’t matter. What does, is that it may lead to Alicia. Madison asks if that’s true, and Tracy says, maybe. Madison says she’s not getting pulled in for a maybe, and Victor says, Tracy might be more forthcoming when she realizes they’re the only ones who can save her. Madison asks, from what? and he says, PADRE. June, Dwight, and Sherry want her because she knows where PADRE is. Madison asks why there was no blindfold, and Tracy says, Victor pulled it off. Victor says, they were going to send Tracy back to her father, and he had to make it impossible for them to turn her over. It’s what Alicia would have done. Tracy says, he did it because they going to hand him over too, and he brings her over to Madison. He says, Madison is the only person who knows the man he used to be. It’s not about saving his own skin; he’s saving Tracy’s too. Madison asks if she knows where to find Alicia, and Tracy says she doesn’t think she has a choice. Madison says, smart girl. All right. First, Tracy takes her to Alicia. Tracy asks, what happens after that? but Madison says she doesn’t know. But Victor’s right about one thing. She can’t go back to her father. They leave, and I envision a buddy series with Victor and Tracy. Kind of like The Last of Us or Arya and the Hound on Game of Thrones.

Madison hotwires a car with a full tank of gas at Luciana’s truck stop. Victor finds a gun in the glovebox, and says, thanks, Luci. Madison asks if he thinks Luciana will mind, and he tells her, the sign says, take what you need. They look at a map with Tracy, and hear Troy on the radio, but Victor says, he’s nowhere near them. He’s looking for June. They hear some people looking for Madison, and Madison wonders who they are. Victor asks if they’re Tracy’s father’s people, but Tracy says she doesn’t know who are. She says, they need a bigger map. Her dad’s fight with Alicia happened further than this. Victor looks in the car, and Tracy grabs the radio, trying to get Troy and shouting where she is. Madison snatches it back, and tells her, don’t do it again. Victor says, it’s okay. Troy’s people are by the hotel. They still have time. Tracy points at a spot on the map, and Victor asks if she’s sure.

A gas truck pulls in, followed by some other vehicles, and Daniel and Luciana get out. Luciana asks what they think they’re doing. She’s been monitoring radio chatter. Why did they bring Tracy here? Madison says, they’re just stopping by, and Luciana says she thought she made it clear she doesn’t want to get dragged into their fight. Daniel asks if Tracy is in their car, and Victor says, they’ll make sure Troy knows they had nothing to do with it. Luciana says, Troy won’t believe them, and Madison says, they need to pass through. Luci says, they’ve been put in danger already. She can’t let them travel this road. She has people who are still breathing that she needs to protect. They need to give Tracy back to Troy. Madison says, she knows where PADRE is, but Luciana says, that’s not her problem. Victor says, she knows what Troy is like, and she says, that’s why she’s giving Tracy back. Step away. Everyone draws their guns, but Daniel says, let them go. Even if they return Tracy, Troy will attack them; that’s his nature. They need to set a defensive perimeter. It’s easier to do now. On the side, Luciana says, what if they made a deal with Troy? but Daniel says, he needs to find out what’s going on. Luciana tells her men to lower their weapons, and Victor asks why they want to help. Daniel says he knows what it’s like losing a daughter. He wants to help Madison find Alicia and bury her. Daniel leaves with Madison, Victor, and Tracy.  

In the car, Tracy looks at the map and tells Victor to slow down. Daniel says, she’s been looking at the map for 15 minutes, and Victor says, she’s a child, not an atlas. Tracy says, he’s Daniel Salazar. Her dad told her about him. Daniel asks if her dad told her why he wants to kill him, and Victor asks him not to scare her. Daniel says, even children need to learn what we do and don’t do has consequences. They need to learn that no one gets a free pass. Tracy says, her dad said Daniel’s daughter died because she tried to poison a lot of people, but Daniel says, his daughter died because Tracy’s lunatic father led a herd of the dead to destroy his own settlement. She died defending that settlement. She died because of Tracy’s father. Victor asks why Daniel is here. He doesn’t give a sh*t about the girl. He wants Troy to feel what he feels. Madison says, there’s something fundamentally wrong with Daniel (touché!), and Victor stops the car, getting out his gun. He says, they’re leaving, and starts to get out. He asks why he’s the only one doing the right thing. They know how far he’ll go for what he believes is right. Daniel pushes the gun aside, and it goes off. The bullet hits the headrest, and Daniel tells Madison to go. She guns the engine, and Victor flies out into the road. Daniel asks if Madison wants to find Alicia or not, and Victor curses as zombies come toddling out. He says he’s really not in the mood today, and goes between tight trees. He gets to the road, but more come and he’s surrounded. One grabs him and then another, but he pushes them away. Yet another comes from behind, and we see it’s like a tent city for zombies along the road. I say, he can’t end this way, as he struggles with one, and a truck rattles down the road. Automatic weapons shoot from the top of the truck, and I wonder if it’s Al. Remember her? Victor is down, but the zombie on top of him is knifed in the head. A hand reaches down, and it looks like a mechanical arm, but it’s a metal sleeve on a normal arm. He asks who she is, and a young woman wonders if he thought she was Alicia Clark. She gets that a lot. She asks if he’s coming or not, and helps him up. He asks how many are with her, but she suggests they save the introductions for inside, and he gets in what’s essentially a tank.

Madison, Daniel, and Tracy get out of the car, and Madison asks if this is where they find Alicia. Tracy says, it’s what she said she wanted, but Daniel doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Madison says, it’s the only one she’s got, and they look down onto a bridge across a ravine where tons of zombies are standing around. Madison says, the herd is stuck. She’s seen that before. Daniel says, the ground is frozen, and Tracy says, Alicia is in the herd. Her father led it here before it got cold. The herd was following them, and he didn’t want it near the hotel. When the temperature dropped, he knew the mud froze. Madison says, Troy told her that he didn’t know where Alicia was, but Tracy says, he lied. He didn’t want her to find Alicia and bury her. Madison asks how she knows, and Tracy fingers the medal. She says, it doesn’t matter, and Madison says, let’s go.

The tank barrels along, and driver Della says, they’re a sitting duck until the guns are reloaded, but Troy doesn’t know they’re here. For now. Sitting in the back, Victor looks at his savior’s arm, and he says, the last time he was in here, he was with someone he never thought he’d see again. She says, Alicia told them before Troy killed her, and he asks if they knew her. She says, briefly. She passed through all their lives. He asks why they’re dressed like Alicia, and she says, it’s more than dressing like her. They’re keeping Alicia alive. They’re doing for others what Alicia did for them. The driver says, when they’re settlement was under siege, Alicia made their attackers regretted shaking them down. Passenger Sara says she had pneumonia, and Alicia found antibiotics for her. Victor says, what about the girl who saved him? and she says, he doesn’t remember her. They spoke when she was a kid. They were on a roof. Victor says, they were interviewed at the Tower, and she says she was with her dad. Victor turned them away. She thought they were going to die. They had no source for food and water that wasn’t contaminated. They had no shelter, and the air was bad. They heard a voice transmit a message. Alicia said, come to the Tower and we’ll build something better. When they got there, the fire was burning, and the Tower was destroyed. Not being able to help himself, Victor jokes that he should have left it in a better state than he found it, and she says, they weren’t the only ones who showed up. There were dozens of survivors, and they watched the Tower burn. She was thinking, this is where they’re going to die. Then a figure emerged on the horizon. Victor says, Alicia went back in the Tower after she put them on rafts, but she says, Alicia did more than that. She went in to get the fuel generator and drove them out of the wasteland and radiation. Her father died from exposure a few months after. Victor gets teary and says he’s so sorry. Her father died because of him. Why did she save him? She says, it’s what Alicia would have done, and he asks, how was she? Was she still sick from the bite? She says, the fever stopped, but Alicia didn’t spend much time with them after they were settled. Della says, Alicia never stayed in one place very long. She gave people hope, so they’re trying to do the same. Victor asks, what the girls name is, but she says, Alicia’s legacy will better continue if people believe she’s alive. Victor asks why they came here, and she says, they heard Madison’s message, and knew Troy wasn’t far behind. Victor asks why Troy killed Alicia, but she says, they don’t know. She wasn’t the only person Troy killed. Word spread. There used to be more of them. Victor tears up, and tries the radio. He says, it’s Victor, and asks Madison to please respond. They need to talk about Tracy. He says, they could be anywhere, and Alicia 2.0 says, they’re not going to find them driving blind. Troy comes on the radio and says, where is she? Madison better not have lost her. Victor says, he knows exactly where they’re going.  Where Troy hid Alicia. He can help, but Troy has to tell him where to go. Troy asks why he’d do that, and Victor says he could be Troy’s last chance. Troy says, Victor is the one who took her, and Victor says, and he’s the only one saving her. Troy will never catch up on foot. Troy says he won’t be on foot much longer.

At Luciana’s truck stop, she asks where Troy thinks he’s going. He says he remembers her, and in Spanish, he says, it’s a shame about Nick. She says she doesn’t want trouble. They can use the roads as long as none of her people get hurt. Troy asks if she’s going to help him, even though Nick chose the ranch over her? She says, her people are more important than her pride, and Troy says, then stand down. They’re outnumbered and outgunned. He tells his men, fan out and take what’s worth taking. Luciana says, don’t, and he says, it doesn’t end well. She says, for you, not us, and Dwight and the others come out. I’m thinking, now Troy is outnumbered, and Troy says, so this was all bullsh*t. Luciana says she needed to get close to him. Stand down. Troy says he’s trained all his men, and they’ll take out more of Luciana’s people than vice versa. Dwight suggests they test that theory, and Frank says, he’s looking to make room in the hotel again, Troy says he has no time for this. His daughter’s in danger. Luciana says, stand down, and June says, his daughter’s as good a reason as any to lower his weapons. Troy says, no, and reaches for something. Everyone gets tense (or more tense than they are already), but Troy says, it’s just a walkie. He radios for Victor, and says, fortunately for Victor, he’s the only person who can help him make sure his daughter is okay. Victor says, tell him where they are.

A cowboy walker gets kneecapped by Madison, and literally breaks off at the knees. She says, he’s a long way from home, and Daniel says, he’s not the only one. He asks Tracy how long the herd had been following them, but she says she doesn’t know. She didn’t know about it until they got here. Daniel says, something’s not right. It doesn’t make sense. Madison says, the zombies can’t hurt them, and asks where Alicia is. Tracy says, somewhere in here, and points. Daniel says, the man led a herd of dead against his own people, and Madison tells him, go back then. She’s got Tracy. Daniel says he’s not letting Tracy out of his sight, and they walk through the stuck zombies. Tracy says, there, and they walk through into the forest where the zombies were headed. Daniel asks if Madison wants help, and Madison says, give her a minute. She walks up to a zombie who looks like she could be Alicia from behind and says she’s so sorry. She would come if she’d known. Daniel draws his gun, and Madison says she would have stopped Troy from doing this. She pushes the zombie’s hair away from its face and thinks of Alicia. She gets a good look and says, it’s not her. Tracy pushes her into the zombie, who breaks off at the feet. They both fall, and Madison says she can’t believe she listened to Tracy. Where’s her daughter? Why lie? Tracy says, that’s her mother, and she wanted her to make Madison pay. Extracting herself, Madison says she’s never seen her before, and Tracy says, her mother saw Madison and Alicia, and believed what they believed. That’s why she’s dead. Madison asks what that means, and Tracy says, no one’s gone until they’re gone. It killed her, like it killed Madison’s kids. Madison takes in some oxygen, and Daniel says, they should leave, but Madison says she needs to figure out what to do. Daniel wonders if she’s going to use Tracy to make Troy pay for what he did to her daughter, and Madison says, she knows where PADRE is. There’s only one way to protect the island. Looking at her sledgehammer, Daniel asks if she’s got the stomach for that, and Madison says, Tracy just tried to use her own mother to kill her. Daniel ties Tracy’s wrists together, and Tracy says, no. They can’t do this. Madison says, she should have thought about that before she brought them out here, and God forgive me, I laugh. Tracy begs as Daniel ties her to a tree. She says she knows where her dad killed Alicia. The old mansion off Route 26 near Fort Worth. Madison says, she’s lying, but Tracy says, it’s the truth. Madison says, that doesn’t change the fact that she knows where the island is. Victor yells, stop! and Madison tells him, it’s a lie. Alicia’s not here. Coming out with the three girls, Victor says, Alicia’s body may not be here, but Alicia still is in the women carrying on her legacy. A zombie grabs Madison and they kill it, Tracy frees herself from the tree, and starts to sprint off. Victor says, wait, but she tells him, it’s just like her dad said. They’re going to kill her. She takes off, and Madison says, they have to go after her. The zombies are starting to pry themselves loose from the frigid ground, some of them breaking and falling, but some getting free. Alicia 2.0 says, they knew Madison’s daughter wouldn’t want her to die like this. Alicia would her to help and protect Madison. Madison says, let’s go, and they run.

At Luciana’s truck stop, there are small fires burning, and trucks pulling up. Luciana radios Daniel, who says he’s glad she’s alive. How bad was it? She says, Troy’s men had them surrounded. He and his men didn’t care if they lived or died. Victor looks at Frank, who’s tending to a gravely wounded older man, but Victor says, it’s too late. Frank says he can save him, and calls for more dressing, but the man has already turned zombie. Victor takes care of it and says he’s sorry. Frank says, we need to stop this man who did this to all our friends, and Victor says, we will. Madison asks, where’s Troy? and Luciana says, he’s not here. He stole a truck, but he’s lost most of his men. What matters is if he knows where PADRE is. Madison says, he’s going to do what he did to the ranch, and Daniel says, that’s what the dead were for, his army. Dwight says he’s taking a headcount, and Madison tells Luciana where Tracy said Alicia was. Luciana says she’ll take Madison there after this is over. Alicia 2.0 stares at Madison and says, Madison has no idea what this means. Until she heard the message, she thought Madison was dead. Madison asks how they know her, and Sara says, the interview tape. They listened to it so many times, they wore it out. Madison asks if Victor put them up to this, but he shakes his head. She tells the girls, none of it means anything, but Victor says, when he came to her in the library, he thought he needed her to face what was coming, but he didn’t. She needs him. She almost killed a little girl. Madison says, to protect everyone else. She doesn’t have anyone left to disappoint, so she can get her hands dirty. Victor says he pushed Alicia away, so she didn’t have to get her hands dirty. He gave her the medal, so she’d remember who she was, because he didn’t know if he’d be able to. He was wrong. He wasn’t protecting her. He was using it as an excuse not to be a better man, and he won’t let that happen to Madison. Madison gets in the back of the truck, and Victor says, let him come with her. Luciana says, she needs help, and Victor says, she’s got it. Daniel says, it doesn’t look like it. He hates Troy as much as she does. Use him. Madison says, he may end up dead. There’s only one way. She’s going to finish what she started ten years ago at the dam. She pulls away, as Victor yells her name. Daniel says, that’s not the way to end this.  

Next time, Madison says, killing Troy is how PADRE survives; Victor says, Madison never gave up on him; and Madison faces Troy with her sledgehammer.

☮️ Peace In Rest…

Boomerang back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and that mess on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay considering volunteering at your local soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, and stay remembering that what you do and don’t do has consequences, and no one gets a free pass.

November 5, 2023 – Dwight Tries To Make Something Good From Something Bad & Climbing

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A man goes inside an abandoned house, kicking garbage out of his way. He lights a lantern. We see it’s Dwight. He looks at a framed photo of Sherry and himself in better days, and flashes back to Daryl telling him, make it right. He tries to rest, but is unsuccessful, so he whittles. He hears something and checks the house. He hears a man coughing in one of rooms, slips into the room, and grabs the man in the dark. The man says he thought the place was empty, but Dwight says, it’s not. The man asks if Dwight lives here, but Dwight says, it doesn’t matter. The man tells Dwight that his name is Jay, and Dwight asks if he’s going to walk out, or does he want Dwight to drag him out? Jay says he got robbed, and he’ll die if he doesn’t get what they stole back. Dwight says, there’s nothing valuable anymore, but Jay says, there is if you’re a diabetic; he had insulin in his bag. Dwight says, he’s full of sh*t. There’s no insulin left. Jay says, there was in his group. They had a guy who could make it, and he believed in miracles until the thieves killed him. They took everything, and with what he had he would have made it through the week. Dwight asks if Jay is messing with him. Does Jay expect him to believe this is a coincidence? Who told him? Jay asks, who told him what? and Dwight gets him down on the floor. He asks, who told Jay about him? Jay said he had a week’s supply. What happens after? Jay says he doesn’t know, but a week in hell is better than being dead. Please. He lost everyone. He owes it to them to make things right, however much time he has left. Dwight asks if Jay knows where the thieves are at, and Jay says he does.

Outside the old Sanctuary, zombies growl, and Dwight asks Jay if the guys who took his medicine are in there. Jay says, yeah, and Dwight says, good luck. He’s going to ask one more time, who told Jay about him? Jay asks why Dwight thinks someone else is involved, and Dwight says, the last time he helped someone get insulin, he ended up here. Jay says, at the factory? and Dwight says, they didn’t call it that then. Jay asks what it was called, and Dwight flashes back to when he lived there under Negan’s oppression. Dwight says, the Sanctuary. His life has been sh*t since he set foot in there. He doesn’t know if it’s Jay or the universe playing a sick joke on him, but he’s not going in there for anyone. Jay says, they’re not that different. His wife was everything to him. They killed her and their son too. Dwight came back alone, and Jay thinks Dwight lost someone too. If they don’t help each other, what are they even doing here? Dwight thinks a moment, and says, all right. He’ll meet Jay back at the house. Dwight looks at the zombie chained to the perimeter fence, and walks around, checking out the lay of the land.

Dwight sneaks inside, and creeps around. He sees windowed double-doors, a light shining behind them, and flashes back to Sanctuary life again. He goes into the room and rifles through the bags. He finds the insulin and finds a picture of Jay with his wife and son. He runs to the exit and sees the symbol for infinity etched on the wall. He looks through the furnace door window at the flames inside and sees the iron hanging next to the furnace and remembers Negan burning his face with the iron. A gun cocks and a voice says, turn around, a-hole. Dwight turns and guard Phil asks what he has there. Dwight says, they took someone’s medicine, and he’s here to get it back. Phil says, somebody did a number on Dwight’s face, and Dwight says, he’ll walk out, and Phil will never have to see his face again. Phil says, Dwight stole from them, and needs to be made an example. They’ll start on the other side of his face. In a lightening swift move, Dwight grabs Phil and shoves – no, shoots – him into the blazing furnace. I’m in awe. A bullet grazes Dwight, and a man asks what the hell he thinks he’s doing. A bunch of men run in and their leader Marty says, they’ll find out. Dwight jets out of the building, and wonders where Jay is. He calls to Jay and zombie Jay comes out from behind the bushes. Dwight knifes him in the head, and says, Daryl should have killed him when he had the chance. He tried make it right. He guesses he couldn’t. Daryl should have killed him. Please come and do it now. He cries – aww – and yells, please! A car approaches and pulls up. Sherry gets out, and asks what Dwight is doing here. She came to find him. June gets out and says she needs him. He passes out.

Inside somewhere, Sherry stitches Dwight up, and he says, they need to get out. Sherry asks, what happened? Who did this? The guy outside? He says, no, and she says, then who? but he says, it doesn’t matter. If they’re seen, those guys will kill them. June says, they’re almost done, and tells Sherry, pinch, pierce, then pull. Dwight asks if June shouldn’t be doing this, but June says, it’s better this way. Dwight says, they need to go, but June says, they’re not leaving without him. Sherry says, a fight is coming, and Dwight asks, what kind of fight? June says, one they can’t win without him, and Sherry says, Troy has a score to settle. He wants to take PADRE from Madison. Dwight says, sounds like her fight, but Sherry says, Madison is MIA, and Victor is in charge. Dwight says, he’s still alive? and she says, a lot has happened since he’s been gone. He asks what it has to do with him, and Sherry says, he’s trained a lot of kids. June says, they trust him and will listen to him, but he says, nothing he does or says to them will help them do any better. He asks why Dove is here, and Dove says, PADRE is the only home she’s known. Without it, she’s got nothing. Dwight gets up, and says he can’t help save those kids. He couldn’t save his own son. June says, that’s not his fault, but he says, it doesn’t matter. Every time he tries to make something right, someone gets hurt. Sherry says, that’s not true, and Dwight says, the guy outside needed insulin, just like her sister. He asked Dwight for help, and he died. The best thing he can do for PADRE and the kids is leave here alone. Sherry asks if he thinks she wanted to come. She came for their son. He says, Finch is gone, but she says, PADRE isn’t. He says, that place is the reason Finch is dead. Why fight for it? She says, maybe something good can come from something bad, and he says, it won’t. She says, they have to try, and he asks, why? She says, Finch’s life needs to mean something. Making PADRE is how they can honor him. Dwight says he can’t go back. He’ll honor Finch in his own way. He gets up, and Sherry asks what he thinks Finch would say if his father walked away from kids who needed protection, and he says, it’s not because he doesn’t care. It’s because he does. He leaves, and June says, it’s fine, but Sherry follows him out.

The three of them go outside, and June radios Dove. Dwight asks, what’s wrong? and Sherry says, Dove has been missing since they woke up. June asks Dove to tell her where she is, when a truck pulls up with Dove driving. June says, she looks hurt, and Sherry runs to the cab. Dove is slumped against the steering wheel. Dove sits back, insisting she doesn’t need help, but June says, she looks wounded. Dove lifts her shirt and shows June a bullet wound, and June checks her out. June says, there’s no exit wound. They need to get the bullet out right away. Sherry asks, who did this? and Dove says, someone tried to steal the truck. They were looking for someone that burned their friend. Dwight says, they have to get her inside, and June says she needs anesthetics. They have to get the bullet out and the wound cleaned before Dove goes into septic shock. Dwight points out that she said we, and June says, they need medical supplies. Marty says he should have known Dove would be with them, and he and his guys come out of the woods. Marty says, sorry about the girl, but what after Dwight did to Phil, it feels like a beautiful karma. Sherry asks what he’s talking about, and Dove says, Dwight’s the one who burned their friend. Marty says, Dove doesn’t look so hot. Maybe they can help. They have top notch medical supplies, but of course Dwight already knows that, since he was inside. Sherry asks Dwight, where? and Dwight says, the Sanctuary. Marty says, tick-tock. What’s it going to be? June asks what he wants in exchange, and Marty says he wants the satisfaction Phil deserves in finishing what he started, and he intends to give it to him. If Dwight hands himself over, he’ll get the girl patched up. Dwight lowers his gun, and Sherry says, nice try, a-hole. There’s a shootout, and Sherry says, they’re going to the Sanctuary now. Dwight says, that psycho will follow them, but Sherry says, they’re on foot. The Sanctuary is 20 miles. They’ll be in and out before Marty knows it. Dwight says, another kid needs surgery. When does it end? June says, they have to help Dove, and Sherry says, they have to go now. Zombies begin toddling out of the woods, and Marty shoots at them. Dwight drives the truck out.

They bring Dove into the Sanctuary, and Dwight tells them, be careful; there could still be people here. Sherry flashes back to Negan, and Dove coughs. Shots ring out, and Dwight shoots back, but runs out of bullets. Zombie Phil scrabbles at the furnace window from inside the furnace, and June says, they need to move. She grabs supplies, and she and Sherry shove stuff in their bags, while Dwight checks the place out. He tells them, the place is clear, but they have to hurry. June says she needs lidocaine. The best they can do is inject anesthesia around the wound. Dwight and Sherry keep flashing back to their time at the Sanctuary, and June tells Sherry to clean the wound. She gives Sherry a syringe and tells her how to do the injection. Dwight says, June should do it, but June says she told him that she can’t. He wonders if it’s about what happened in the train car, but she says, it’s more than that. She tells him, as soon as it’s numb, start the extraction. Dove says she doesn’t want Dwight removing the bullet. He couldn’t save his own son, and he’s not doing the same with her. They feel a rumbling, and the building shakes. Dwight looks out at the tons of zombies who have gotten through the fence and are now pounding at the building. He says, the gunfire must have drawn them. The fence is broken, and they’re piling in. June says, it’s not going to work. The bullet is too close to one of Dove’s arteries. They might do more damage taking it out. Sherry says, the place is hanging on by a thread, and Dwight says, he’ll stay and hold them off for as long as he can. He runs out.

Sherry follows Dwight to the ammo room, and says she knows why he wants to stay and fight the zombies. He doesn’t plan on surviving. He says, maybe Dove is right, and they’re here because of him, but Sherry says, that’s defeatist bullsh*t, and Dwight says, it is what it is, honey. Dwight loads his gun, and she tells him that it doesn’t have to be this way. He says, the guy he tried to help lost more than insulin. He had a wife and kid. He shows her the photo of Jay with his family, and says, he’s about Finch’s age. He tried to help and landed them back in this hellhole. This is not a coincidence and it’s not defeatist mentality. She asks him to tell her what it is, and he points to an infinity symbol on the wall. He says he drew that when they were living here. He put them all over the place, where Negan couldn’t find them. It was them forever. It kept him going and made him feel like they could turn something bad into something good. Maybe they can, but not if he’s with them. He’s so tired of making people suffer for it. Sherry says, so he’s going to kill himself? and he says he’s going to clear the walkers. Maybe they can save Dove and honor Finch. She calls him a selfish a-hole and locks him in the room. She says, he doesn’t get to give up like this, and she leaves as he pounds on the door.

Outside, there’s a multitude of zombies, and June hears metal creaking. She says, they have to wait until the building is more stable and they need extra hands. Dove says, it’s not about June’s finger (the one Shrike removed) or what happened on the train. What’s the real reason? June says, it’s not important, but Dove says, June is a nurse. She’s got a bullet in her, and every minute they wait is a minute she’s closer to dying. June says, Dove isn’t dying. What happened to them isn’t going to happen to her. Dove asks, who’s them? and June says, Finch, Hannah, and her daughter Rose. Dove says, June has a kid? and June says, yeah. She would have been Dove’s age. Dove asks, what happened? and June says, she had pneumonia. June went out to look for medicine, came back and… it just was too late. She cries and says she couldn’t save her daughter, just like she couldn’t save Finch. Dove says, now she knows PADRE was right. June can’t protect her; none of them can. She can’t exactly say why she wanted to get away, but she didn’t come here for Red Kite. She wanted to get as far away from PADRE as she could. She was running away. June says, she told them it was the only home she’d ever known, and Dove says, was. It’s gone now, and people like June are in charge. They just let the kids down. That’s what people do who can’t get over their own sh*t. Metal bangs, and June radios Dwight and Sherry, asking, what’s happening? Do they copy? Outside battling zombies, Sherry says she’s working on it. She just locked Dwight in their old room. June asks, why? and Sherry says, PADRE needs him. The kids will follow him. They know he’s right. June says, what about her? and Sherry says she’ll keep the zombies at a distance, but June says, she can’t on her own. Sherry says, just do what she came to do; help Dove and get Dwight back to PADRE. The zombies have been pushing at the fence between them and Sherry, and it suddenly comes down, right on top of Sherry. Sherry’s gun and radio are just out of reach, and June keeps trying to get her.

Inside, Dwight tries to get out of their old room. He breaks a chair. The zombies are right on top of Sherry, along with the fence, their snapping faces just inches from hers. Dwight looks at the infinity symbol, while June keeps trying to radio Sherry. This is all very intense. Dwight hammers at the door, and the zombies keep piling on the fence. Sherry flashes back to memories of Finch. June gets into Dwight’s room and tells him that Sherry needs him. He runs out, and Sherry flashes back to burying Finch. Dwight is there, pulling the zombies off the fence, and slicing and dicing them.

Dove stands in the bathroom and groans. She’s broken a mirror and is about to take the bullet out herself with a shard. June – who’s having quite a busy episode – says, Dove will die. She needs help. Dove says she’s not getting it from them or June, and starts to cry. She’s about to cut herself, and June says, no! Stop! Dove drops the glass and falls to the floor.

Sherry asks how Dwight got out, and he says, June let him out. Sherry says she had it covered, but he tells her that she was lying to herself about honoring Finch and keeping him alive to fight for PADRE. It’s bullsh*t. She says, he’s wrong, and he says, is he? Or did she lock him up because she was planning on doing the same thing? Sherry asks if he thinks she wants to die, and he says he knows she did. She doesn’t really believe good can come from bad. She wants to, he does too, but she can’t. She says, if that’s true, she doesn’t know how she can go on living. Marty comes back and says he had the feeling he’d find them here. Sherry and Dwight run back in, and Marty goes in shooting.

The building is still shaking like crazy, and June checks Dove’s pulse. Dwight says, their friends are here. The door is locked, but it won’t hold. Sherry says, they have to go somewhere safer, and June grabs supplies. She gets on one side, Sherry on the other, and they help Dove up and out of the room. Everything starts to crumble, and zombies are coming in. June says, they’re surrounded, and Sherry shoots as many as she can. They see Marty coming, and June says, they’ve got to get out, but Dwight says, there’s nowhere to go. The zombies are getting the better of Marty and his friends, and I laugh. Light fixtures and beams start falling, and Sherry and Dwight nearly get creamed, but they jump aside at the last second. June stabs a zombie coming for her and Dove. Zombies continue to stream in, and Marty gets Dwight up against the furnace, Phil still scratching at the window. Marty says, remember how he told Dwight about giving his friend the satisfaction? He thinks he’s going to enjoy this more than Phil. He starts to open the furnace door, but Dwight grabs the iron and whacks him away with it, into a waiting zombie’s open arms. June says, they have nowhere to go, but Dwight says, the fire’s out. Let’s go inside. The building begins to collapse.

Inside the furnace, Dove asks, what happened? June says, the building is collapsing, and Dove says, it still hurts. This is never going to work. Sherry isn’t so sure this will help, but Dwight, keeping his lighter going so they can see, says, maybe it can. They hear metal clanging, and he says, the furnace is stable and will protect them from whatever is happening out there. June can do the surgery in here. June says she can’t, but he says, yes, she can. She asks how he knows, and he says, Sherry was right. Maybe something good can come from something bad. Maybe that’s the reason they wound up here. They needed each other to see it. Prepping Dove, June says she doesn’t want to hurt her, and Dove says, then don’t. Sherry says, June can do this. What happened to her, and them, doesn’t have to happen again. Maybe they just needed to work through the bad to get to the good. She half-smiles at Dwight, and June asks if Dove trusts her. Dove says, ask her again after the bullet is out, and June says, fair enough. She takes out her supplies, and Dwight keeps the lighter going.  

The oven opens and they come out. It’s practically the only thing left standing. There are a few errant zombies wandering around, and zombie Marty lies on the floor pinned there by another zombie. Dwight says, holy sh*t. It’s over. He asks how Dove is doing, and June says, she’s still resting. She’s going to be okay. Sherry looks up, and there’s a finch perched on what’s left of a wall. Are they trying to make me cry? June says, they should probably hit the road, and Dwight asks how she’s doing. June says, better, and he says he never should have left. Maybe they can turn the place into what it’s supposed to be, the way Finch wanted it to be. Sherry says she thinks they can.

Dwight says he made something for June, and gives her a finger he’s carved. He says, back in the train car, before it went the way it did, he asked her to be part of their family. He ran away, but he’s here now, so the offer still extends to her, and Dove as well. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the truck, Dove says, thank you, Red Kite, but Dwight says, she’s family. It’s Dwight. She says she’s Odessa, and he says he likes it. They should go. They have a lot of work to do. June and Sherry get into the truck, and Dwight looks around for a moment, then gets in. They pull away.

A song plays from a 45 on a turntable, something about sailing to Spain. Over the radio, we hear Russel say, nothing yet. Sorry. Troy says, his daughter is alive and well, and they will find her. We see it’s Victor’s turntable, and a little girl screams as she’s let down the hall by a man and a woman. She’s also blindfolded, and she says she hates this place. Where is she? Where’s her dad? They bring her to Victor, and in German, the man says, they found her for him. The woman asks, what does he want them to do? and Victor says, he’ll handle it. He tells the girl that he’s going to remove the blindfold. He does, and she asks, who is he? What does he want with her? He says, his name is Victor, and her eyes get huge. He says, it’s a good thing found her. She asks, why? and he says he’s going to help her. And she’s going to help him. She says, do what? and he says, save PADRE. He tries to touch her face, but she jerks away, and he smiles.

Next time, a stuck herd of zombies; Madison thinks she sees Alicia; Victor says, it’s not about him or her, but about PADRE; Troy wonders what makes them think he’ll make a deal; Victor gets attacked by zombies; Troy says, it doesn’t end well, and Luciana says, for you.

🕰 I’ve Fallen Back and I Can’t Get Up…        

Join me tomorrow for soap and yachting in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay working through the bad to get to the good, and stay not letting anyone down because you can’t get over your own sh*t.

October 31, 2023 – Halloween Begins In Port Charles, Celebrities In Costume, Vintage Creepy, The Best, Fear Explained, Dead Coming Up, The Cost Of Scary, Halloween Pets (!) & Double Feature

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina is in the gallery, when Cyrus walks in. She tells him stay away from her, but she turns and he’s there. He grabs her, and she tells him to let her go. Spencer walks in, and she asks him to help, but Cyrus says, no need to intervene. He needs a hostage. Spencer says, Trina’s his girlfriend, and Cyrus asks if he doesn’t love Esme. He drags Trina across the room, and Spencer says he’s sorry, but his uncle is right. Trina wakes up screaming. (Told you so.)

Esme cuddles Ace and tells him that he’s the cutest card in the deck. She says she has to take him to daycare and needs to find her purse, but there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to Cyrus and asks if she can help him. He says, nice to see her again. They met at Pentenville. He’s Laura’s brother, Cyrus. This must be little Ace. He moves forward, but she backs up.

At Pozzulo’s, Sonny says, Laura is always a good start to his morning, and she thanks him. She says, this way, she gets to congratulate him in person on his wedding, and he says, she already congratulated him on the phone. She says, this way, she gets the free coffee, and he says, she can have coffee anytime she wants. She says, to tell him the truth, there’s something she wanted to talk to him about, and he says he knows what it’s about, and wants her to know he’s sticking to the deal they made on the phone. He’s been keeping an eye on Cyrus, from a distance. He promised he wouldn’t take any action, and he’s not, but if Cyrus makes a move, he’s going to be all over him. She says she appreciates he has respect for her wishes, but it’s not what she wanted to talk about actually. It’s another family member. It’s Spencer.

Maxie runs into Kelly’s and says, to say she’s thrilled about Carly having a Halloween party is an understatement. Carly asks if she’s that excited about carving pumpkins, but Maxie says, not at all. It means she doesn’t have to go trick-or-treating. James is thrilled to come here, which means she doesn’t have to walk miles with him, since that kid insists on stopping at every single door. She’s not kidding. The kid spends ten minutes at every single house. She thinks he has a future as a traveling salesman.

Anna meets Felicia at Kelly’s, and says, caffeine now. Felicia says, good morning to her too, and Anna says she’s sorry. She’s very tired and not able to function right now. Felicia asks if she slept badly, but Anna says, that would imply she slept, which she didn’t. Not a wink. She’s still at the MetroCourt and has Sonny’s bodyguard, which should give her peace of mind, but it doesn’t. Felicia says, that break-in would rattle anyone. Maybe she would feel better someplace else. Anna says she’s been thinking about that, but the timing isn’t right for her to move in with Valentin. She thinks he and Charlotte need some space. She’s wondering if she should find a place of her own, and Felicia says she has a brilliant idea.

At the bistro, Charlotte tells Valentin that she’s old enough to go trick-or-treating on her own. She’s 15 (which is when most of us stop), and he’s still watching her. He says he knows she’s disappointed, and she says she’s not disappointed; she’s embarrassed. The next thing he’s going to tell her is that she has to wear a coat over her costume, so she doesn’t get cold. She’s not a baby. He says, she’s been through a lot lately and he’s not okay with her going out alone. End of story. She says she’s not going to be alone; she’ll be with her friends. He says, and with him. He’s joining the group. The more, the merrier, right?

Finn wakes up and sees Elizabeth painting at an easel. He says, there’s a sight worth waking up to, and she says, look at his cute little bedhead. He says he thought the haircut might fix that, but he guesses he was wrong. She asks how he slept, and he says, never better. Her? She says, so well, thank you, and he says, it must have been the maple syrup. (Seriously, what did they do with that?)

Esme asks what Cyrus wants, and he says he’s here to see his sister of course (🍷). He closes the door, but then Spencer comes in. Cyrus says, great to see him. He was just about to get acquainted with his other great-nephew. Spencer asks what he’s doing here, and Esme tells him, he says he’s here to see Spencer’s grandmother, but she was just about to tell him that Laura’s not here. Spencer says he’ll tell Laura that Cyrus dropped by, but Cyrus says, he came all this way. He might as well take the opportunity to get to know this little guy, and he and Spencer barely talked the other day. They should maybe catch up? Okay?

Josslyn asks if Trina is okay, and Trina says, sorry if she woke Josslyn. Josslyn tells her, don’t apologize, but what happened? and Trina says she just had the worst nightmare. Adam knocks at the door and asks if everything is all right, and Josslyn opens the door. He asks, what’s going on? and she says, nothing. Everything’s fine. Trina had a nightmare. He says he’s had his share of them, and Trina says, sorry if she woke him, but he says, that’s okay. He’s been up for hours studying for midterms. He was about to head out on a coffee run. Does Josslyn want anything from Perks? She says, no, she’s okay, and he says, maybe he’ll see her later? She says, yeah, bye, and closes the door. She asks Trina to tell her about this dream.

Sonny asks if Laura has proof Nikolas is alive, and she says, irrefutable. Not only has Nikolas been in Geneva, his banker said his employees saw Nikolas there and he showed her withdrawals for a significant amount of money that Nikolas has taken from his accounts. Sonny asks if she gave this information to Spencer, and she says, yeah. He didn’t react the way she thought he would. She thought it was just going to be more anger, but he was so sad and so disappointed. She thinks it was like a final confirmation that his father has abandoned his life here, and his two sons. She knows Spencer would probably never admit it, but she thinks he was holding out hope that his father wasn’t missing by his own choice. He says, just when you think Nikolas couldn’t sink any lower. He’s sorry. He knows Nikolas is Laura’s son. It’s just that he feels for Spencer. She says she does too, but as a mother, she feels there’s more to this story. There’s probably some extenuating circumstances they don’t know about, some real reason he had to leave. But she knows, at this point, he’s really forfeited his right to be a father to Ace, and she doesn’t think Spencer would even want him back. Sonny says, Nikolas doesn’t realize the damage he’s doing to Spencer. Sonny was abandoned as a kid, and he was bitter and resented his father for a long time. He knows what Spencer is going through. She says, that’s exactly why she’s here. Can he please help Spencer?

Elizabeth thanks Finn, and he says, for what? She says, for this trip. She feels so relaxed, like she’s a million miles away from Port Charles. He says, that was kind of the idea, right? Just getting away and leaving everything behind for a few days. She says, he needed this more than he realized. He’s been so consumed with his dad and his illness, he really needed to take a break and get out of his mind, even if it was just for a day or two. He says, she’s the one who told him to enjoy every moment in life. That’s what he’s doing. He looks at her painting and says, this is really good, and she says she hopes it’s okay she used paint she found in the closet. She couldn’t resist. He says, of course (🍷) it is. Maybe she should get back into painting when she gets home. She says she’d like that. It used to be such a passion of hers. Then kids and life took over… He says, she’s really talented – we see it’s a painting of a tree-lined path – and she says, waking up to the beauty that surrounds them inspired her. She wanted to capture it. It’ll remind her of what a special weekend this is. He says he loves it… He loves her. He has for the longest time.

Maxie says, Georgie is at the age where she wants to go trick-or-treating unsupervised, and Carly says, that’s a tough one. She remembers when she and Josslyn went through that. It was quite the battle. She’s just happy Donna has a few more years before she reaches that stage. (What’s up with these parents? We were going out by ourselves by 6th grade. Although no mob bosses lived in my neighborhood… I don’t think.) Maxie says she doesn’t want to smother Georgie. She remembers what it was like at that age, but she did get into a lot of trouble. You know what they say about the apple and the tree. Carly says she does, but listen to her gut. How many kids does she want to go with? Maxie says, three, and two of them are boys, so that’s a plus, and Carly says, or a minus, depending on how you look at it.

Felicia asks what Anna thinks of a sublet. It might be better until she figures out her long-term plans. Anna says, ideally, she would move in with Valentin and Charlotte, but the truth is, this person, whoever’s after her, she doesn’t know when they’re going to make their next move. She doesn’t want Charlotte anywhere near that. So she has to keep her distance. Felicia says, makes sense, but a furnished place would be convenient, right? and Anna says, of course (🍷). Felicia says, a furnished place in a nice neighborhood, a secure building with lots of families, but Anna says she doesn’t think a place like that exists. Felicia says, that’s where she’s wrong, and calls Maxie over.

Charlotte tells Valentin that she’ll be the only one with a chaperone. Jake, Danny, and Georgie are all going in a safe neighborhood. They’re going to Harbor Vista. He says he’s a highly trained agent. She won’t even know he’s there. She says, this isn’t funny. The whole point of the night is to be on their own. She doesn’t need him holding her hand like a little kid with a pumpkin flashlight. He says he’s not changing his mind and she asks if he doesn’t trust her.

Maxie says, so Anna wants to sublet her old place, and Anna says, it wasn’t her idea; it was Maxie’s mother’s brilliant idea. What does she think? Maxie says she thinks it’s a great idea. She tried to sublet it already, but the woman go transferred out of town at the last minute, so it’s just been sitting there empty. Not empty exactly; her old furniture’s still in there. She bought all new stuff for her house. Anna says she needs furniture; she doesn’t have any. Maxie says, okay. Then Felicia’s a genius. Felicia agrees that she is.

They go to Maxie’s old apartment, and Felicia tells Anna, welcome to her new home.

Trina says, the dream was definitely triggered by Cyrus showing up at the gallery yesterday, and Josslyn says, she must have been so shocked to see him there. Trina says, her mom warned her that Cyrus was released, but she didn’t expect him to track her down. Josslyn asks if Cyrus threatened her. She can talk to Sonny; he can handle it. Trina asks, what happened to her grudge against Sonny? A few weeks ago, Josslyn wanted nothing to do with him, and now she’s willing to reach out to him? Josslyn says she thinks Trina’s safety is more important than any issues she has with Sonny, and he’s well-equipped to handle Cyrus and he will. She just doesn’t want Trina to worry. Trina says she’d appreciates that, but Cyrus didn’t threaten her. It was the opposite. He apologized.

Esme thanks Spencer for getting diapers, and he says, not a problem. He thinks she should get to work. She knows how Alexis is when she’s late. Cyrus says, so she works for Miss Davis? and Esme says, Miss Davis was nice enough to offer her a job even though she has no experience. Cyrus says he doesn’t know her well, but she seems like a formidable woman. She runs that paper… Spencer says, The Invader, and if Esme doesn’t get going now, she’s not going to have that job very much longer. He walks Esme to the door and gives Ace to her. He closes the door and asks if Cyrus wants to tell him what he’s really doing here. What does he want?

Sonny says, Laura knows he’d do anything for her. It’s just that he’s had so many difficulties with Nikolas in the past, he can’t be neutral on this subject. Even if he talks to Spencer, he doesn’t really want to trash his father. That wouldn’t be healthy for them, and it wouldn’t be fair to her. She says, he doesn’t have to justify his feelings about Spencer’s dad. She just wants Sonny to be there for him in case he comes to her for advice. It would ease her mind. He says he’ll always be here for Spencer, and she thanks him. Spencer really admires and respects him, and he can get through to Spencer in a way she and Doc can’t. She has to be honest, she’s kind of worried about him right now. She’s afraid he might do something rash, something he might regret in the future. He says he’ll do whatever he can to make sure that doesn’t happen. She takes his hand and says, thank you.

Walking through the woods with Elizabeth, Finn says, this is the best apple he’s ever had. She says, it’s his second one. If he has any more, Aiden won’t have enough for his pies. (Highly unlikely, since they’re both carrying full baskets.) He says, Aiden’s got enough for ten pies, and she says she has to account for multiple attempts. He says, Aiden’s a wiz in the kitchen, and she says, he is, but baking is very precise. It’s a science. Finn says, it is, although he doesn’t remember seeing a single pie in organic chemistry class (what about a pie chart?), and she says, following the recipe is key. It’s not like any barbecue. He says, excuse me? and she says she’s not knocking his culinary skills. It’s just seeing him at the grill, there were spices and sauces flying everywhere. He says he guesses that’s a fair assessment. It still tastes pretty good, right? She says, it does. She guesses they should get back. She didn’t know how far this orchard was. He says, if they’re tired when they get back to the cabin, they can just take a nap.

Sonny asks how Spencer is doing with Ace, and she says she’s so proud of the way he’s stepped up. He’s really trying to be a surrogate father to that little boy. He even took parenting classes with Esme. Sonny says, that’s impressive, and she says, the only thing is, it causes a little bit of friction between him and Trina, and he’s very much in love with Trina. She’s worried his devotion to Ace and the time he spends with Esme could hurt his relationship. Sonny says, he’s in a tough spot, because if he backs away from Ace, he’s going to feel miserable, and if he doesn’t put Trina first, he could end up losing her. She says, exactly. It’s a lot for someone his age. He didn’t ask to be a father, but he’s doing his very best to fill the role. Anyway, she just wanted Sonny to know what’s going on in Spencer’s life in case Spencer does come to him for guidance. His phone chimes, and Sonny says he thinks she’d better get home. She has a visitor.

Cyrus asks if Spencer is implying that he has an ulterior motive, but Spencer says he’s not implying anything; he’s stating it outright. Cyrus must want something. Cyrus assures Spencer that his motives are purely altruistic. He wanted to see his dear sister and thought he’d save her the embarrassment of a newly released convict showing up at the mayor’s office. Spencer says, she’d be far more concerned knowing he came here where Esme and Ace were vulnerable, but Cyrus says he had no intention of intimidating Esme or Spencer’s brother. Quite the contrary. He was pleasantly surprised to find them home, and he enjoyed the little time he had with them. He meant them no harm. Spencer says, Esme may have met him before, but she has no idea how dangerous Cyrus truly is, and Cyrus says, like the Lord Himself, he comes in peace, and he’s very disheartened to find Spencer so unwelcoming. He thought they’d come to an understanding in Pentenville.

Josslyn says, she did not, but Trina says she sure did. Josslyn says, she screamed at Cyrus, told him to take his apology and shove it? and Trina says, yeah. Josslyn says, good for her, and Trina says she surprised herself. She wasn’t sure she had it in her. It was such a release to unload on him. She was terrified the night he held her and her mom hostage, and she’s not going to be a victim again. Josslyn says, clearly, she’s stronger than she thinks. Trina says, maybe, but Cyrus is free. If he sees her again, he might not apologize. Josslyn says, it’s no wonder she’s having nightmares, and Trina says she thinks the scariest part of the dream wasn’t Cyrus. It was Spencer. Renault was holding her, and she was screaming for Spencer to help her, but he just stood there. Josslyn says, let’s hope that never becomes a reality, but Trina says, it won’t because Spencer was so protective of her when Cyrus came to the gallery. He stood up to Cyrus and told him to leave, so it’s not a thing. Josslyn says, good. That makes her feel better. Trina says, just one thing though. Spencer told her that Cyrus protected him at Pentenville, and it’s unnerving to think he must be grateful to Cyrus.

Elizabeth rinses the apples, and telsl Finn that she didn’t know how much work went into all this. It was a long walk. The baskets were heavy, and they have to wash them all. Finn wonders if he can help, and stands behind her, washing the apples like they washed their hands together. I guess this is supposed to be reminiscent of Ghost? She says she doesn’t know about him, but all this washing has worn her out. He thinks they should take a nap, and she says, totally, and they kiss.

Valentin says he trusts Charlotte, but she says, it doesn’t seem like he does. He says, she’s been through a lot these past few years, her mother’s condition, boarding school. She says, but boarding school taught her to be independent. He’s the one who always says, independence is a good thing. He says, stability’s a good thing. She was on her own for a while. She came back and was bounced back and forth for a while between her grandma’s and Sam and Dante. She needs a stable home life. She says, but that’s not a problem anymore. They finally have a house of their own, just the two of them, the way it should be. He says he knows she loves the house, but it doesn’t change anything she’s been through. And he’s worried for her. He thinks she’s putting on a brave face because she thinks he’ll be disappointed if she’s unhappy. He wants her to tell him the truth, not what she thinks he wants to hear.

Maxie says, Anna doesn’t even need to buy a bed. Everything she needs is already here. All right. Full disclosure, there are a few quirks. The bedroom floor is a bit uneven, the doors in the kitchen kind of stick, and the oven… uh… the oven is broken. Anna says she barely cooks. The microwave works though, right? Maxie says, yes, and Felicia says, they should be pointing out the positive features. Maxie says, the microwave works, and Felicia says, the clawfoot tub is amazing, the hot water never runs out. The walls are fully insolated, so you can barely hear your neighbors… Anna says she’ll take it, and Maxie says, what? Anna says, this is really perfect, and Maxie says, Anna’s not just saying that so she can help Maxie out, but Anna says, Maxie is helping her out. This is exactly what she needs.

Trina walks into Kelly’s and Carly asks if Joss sent her over. Trina says, no, why? and Carly says, because she needed Josslyn to come help her decorate for the kids’ Halloween party, so she assumed she enlisted Trina for back-up. Trina says, no. Josslyn didn’t mention anything to her, but please put her to work. She needs the distraction. Carly asks, what’s going on? and Trina says she’s sure Carly heard Cyrus Renault was released. Carly says she was visiting Drew in the hospital, and he walked right into Drew’s room. She couldn’t believe it. Trina says she’s pretty freaked out that he’s back on the streets, and Carly says she doesn’t blame Trina, but she does know they’re watching him carefully, so hopefully, he doesn’t try anything.

Maxie hands Anna the keys and says, the place is all hers. Anna asks if she shouldn’t fill out some paperwork or something or give her a security deposit? but Maxie says, minor details. They’ll get to that at some point. Anna should just enjoy the apartment. Anna hugs her and thanks them both. She asks if she can move in right away, and Maxie says, whatever she wants. Felicia says she can help Anna pack up her things at the MetroCourt, but Anna says she doesn’t have anything really. It will just take her a second to move. Felicia says she’s really glad this worked out, and Anna says, this feels like the first positive thing that’s happened since her house burned down. It feels like a new beginning. Only good things from now on.

Charlotte says, Valentin wants to know how she really feels? She feels like she needs to go out with her friends tonight – no supervision. He says, okay. She wants to go out with her friends alone, then she has to do something for him. She says, anything, and he says he wants her to see Kevin Collins (who Lucy and I call Doc). He wants her to tell Doc everything she’s going through. She asks why she has to talk to Doc. She’s perfectly happy. He says he feels like there’s something going on; something she doesn’t want to tell him. She says she tells him everything… If he really wants her to do this, she will. He thanks her and says he’ll drive her and her friends, and he’ll drop them off and let them trick-or-treat alone. She says, thank you, and hugs him.

Spencer says, Cyrus looked out for him while he was in Pentenville and it would have been a lot tougher without his protection. Cyrus says, so Spencer sees his motives are only for the good of their family. And as he warned Spencer, the only person he needed protection from was Victor Cassadine and not him. No need to be so suspicious of his visit today. Spencer says, Cyrus turned out to be right about Victor, and he did turn out to be who Cyrus said he’d be; ruthless, sadistic… Cyrus says he’ll take that as a thank you, and Spencer says he knows he owes Cyrus for the way he was looked out for in Pentenville, but he still knows Cyrus is a very, very dangerous person. He held Trina Robinson and her mother at gunpoint. He shot Curtis Ashford, and he wants to know why Spencer is leery when he comes around? It’s because he’s a threat, and he doesn’t want Cyrus anywhere near his little brother. Cyrus says he’s not going to deny his past deeds were heinous, but those were acts of a desperate man, a caged animal, and that man no longer exists. He has seen the Light, and that Light is their Lord and Savior, and He has forgiven Cyrus’s sins, and his life is now devoted to helping others. Spencer asks if Cyrus expects him to believe he’s repentant because he can spout some rhetoric about finding God, and getting louder, Cyrus says, Spencer can believe whatever he wants – Spencer says, calm down – but don’t forget, people gave Spencer a second chance after he got out of prison. He’s only asking for the same courtesy. Laura comes in and asks if Spencer will give her a moment alone with her brother.

In bed, Elizabeth and Finn kiss, and she says she thought the purpose of a nap is to actually sleep. He says, she’s right. No more napping. She tells him that she was only making an observation that they’re not very good at it, and he says, they’ll just have to continue practicing until they get it right. They get busy.

Cyrus says he’s sorry, and Laura says, coming over here unannounced and uninvited, but he says, it wasn’t a calculated move. He was released a few days ago. He thought it would be nice to pay her a visit. She says she doesn’t appreciate it, and he says, then she’s certainly not going to appreciate that not only did he spend time with Spencer, he had the pleasure of meeting his great-nephew Ace. He and Esme crossed paths at Pentenville, but this is the first time he saw Ace. What a delightful baby. She says, he has no business being around children, and he says, but he does when they’re related to him. Like it or not, dear sister, they’re my family too.

Spencer goes to Kelly’s and asks Trina if everything is okay. She says, it will be once they start decorating, and he says, that’s what this is about? This is a decorating emergency? She says, yes. They have to decorate for the kids’ Halloween party. He says he thinks Ace still might be a little too young for it. He cried when he saw a jack-o-lantern. She says, the concept of Halloween doesn’t sink in until they understand they get free candy, and Carly says, that’s right. And Trina volunteered his help because they need someone tall. He says he’s happy to help. Where would she like him to start? She hands him a box and tells him to spread these in all the corners. Trina laughs.

Josslyn opens the door to Adam, and he asks if she wants to head over to the library or stay here. She says, stay here. She’s got to cut today short. She has to head over to Kelly’s and help her mom decorate for a Halloween party. He says he’ll just head over to the library, and she asks what he’s talking about. It’s Halloween. Isn’t he doing anything? There must be lots of parties on campus. He says, it’s the perfect time; the library will be empty. She says, he could study tomorrow, but he says he’s taking four extra credits this semester and it’s a lot. And he’s not really big on dressing up. She says he doesn’t have to dress up to decorate. Why doesn’t he come to Kelly’s with her?

Sonny’s phone rings, and he asks how Anna is holding up. She says, pretty good. First of all, she wants to say, congratulations on his wedding. Is he a happy groom? He says he is, and she says she can almost hear him smiling over the phone. She wants to wish him and Nina all the best. They really deserve it. He thanks her and says, it means a lot to him. So what can he do for her? She closes the door so the bodyguard can’t hear and says she’d like to return her gift. He asks if she bought him something for the wedding, but she says, he was kind enough to give her a bodyguard, and now she’s sending him back. He says he’s not sure that’s a good thing, but she says, her circumstances have changed. She says she feels like she has the key – she picks up the keys Maxie gave her – to a new beginning. She’s taken an apartment. Before he says anything, it’s very safe. It’s small, a doorman building, 24-hour security. It’s mostly families, and she doesn’t need a bodyguard. The biggest threat she’s facing is maybe being caught in the elevator door while trying to dodge all the strollers. He says, it sounds great, but she shouldn’t let her guard down. She should maybe keep Trey until everything is settled. She says she really appreciates his concern, but she doesn’t want a bodyguard. She needs her privacy. She feels like she just really wants to get her life back, and this is the first step.

Finn puts the book he’s reading down and watches Elizabeth paint. She asks if he isn’t supposed to be reading, but he says, she’s much more interesting. She says, this, coming from the man who wanted to listen to a dengue fever podcast on the way here. He says, to be fair, the doctor on the podcast has a very soothing voice – he goes over to her – but still, he’d rather watch her paint. She asks him to thank Dan for her, not just for the cabin, but for all of this. They have to send him something. He says, let’s do that, and she says, it’s so beautiful here. The view is amazing. He says, yes, it is, looking at her, and she says, he’s not even looking out the window. He says he knows.

On the phone, Carly asks if Willow is still bringing the kids to Kelly’s Halloween party… Okay. They’re starting early so the little ones don’t crash… Okay. She can’t wait to see Wiley and Amelia’s costumes… No. Don’t tell her what it is. She wants to be surprised. See her soon.

Trina says, Spencer still has a lot of webs, calling him Spiderman, and he says, he’s sorry, what? She asks if he’s all right, and he says, yeah. He was just thinking about Pentenville. She says, that’s a dark thought, but he says, not really. He was just thinking about the day he was released. They were so far apart then. Now they’re a lot closer and she loves him, and he feels like the luckiest guy in the world. She says, he is the luckiest guy in the world, and he kisses her.

Charlotte asks if she can get a scone, and Valentin says he loves her so much. She’s the most important person in the world to him. She knows that, right? She says she feels the same way about him. It was hard at boarding school. She missed him so much, he has no idea, but none of that matters now. She’s back where she belongs, with him, and nothing’s going to change that. he says he has so many regrets. He would change so much, but he’s going to fix everything. She just has to keep her end of the deal and meet with Doc, okay? She says she will, she promises. She leaves to get her scone, and he looks worried.

Cyrus says, like it or not, and it’s quite clear she doesn’t, he and Laura are siblings. She laughs and says, what’s that saying? You can’t choose your family. He says he prefers the words of the great Bishop Desmond Tutu. He said, you don’t choose your family; they’re God’s gift to you, as you are to them. She says, spare her the sermon, and he says, they are connected by blood, and he cares about her. just as he cares about Spencer and Ace. He treasures all of them. He used to be obsessed with money and power, but they pale in comparison. She says she’s just not buying that, and he asks how he can prove it to her. He protected Spencer when he was in Pentenville. he will continue to keep all of them out of harm’s way. She needs to give him a chance. Is she willing to do that? She says, if they’re going to do this, they’re going to do it with ground rules, and that means he’s going to respect her boundaries when he wants to see her and those boys. That means he doesn’t come here unless she calls him and invites him. Is that clear? He holds up his hands, and she says, this visit is over. She opens the door, and he says he’ll wait for her call, handing her his number, but he hopes it’s soon. She closes the door, and the phone rings. She asks Valentin if everything is okay, and he says he hopes so. Charlotte’s finally agreed to talk to Doc. He’d like to set something up for this afternoon. Could she talk to him? He thinks it’s probably better if it comes from her. She says, of course (🍷). She would do anything for her granddaughter. He says he’s very worried about Charlotte. He thinks she really needs help. Charlotte is on her way back and hears him.

Tomorrow, Lois tells Eddie/Ned, the same fire that got him there will also see him through; Tracy tells Brook, it would be foolish to think otherwise; Charlotte sees Anna; and Carly tells Cyrus that he’s not welcome at Kelly’s.

🦚 Celebrity Treats…

The celebrities turn it out.

https://ew.com/celebrity/best-celebrity-halloween-costumes-2023-photos/

The Queen of Halloween. The worm is actually 2022. Shame on them for getting that wrong.

https://ew.com/celebrity/heidi-klum-halloween-costume-2023/

https://people.com/heidi-klum-looks-back-at-her-iconic-halloween-costumes-exclusive-8348154

👽 It’s Not Halloween Without…

Seriously, what the blip?

🪦 Best Of All Hallows TV…

A matter of opinion, but still, a good list.

https://ew.com/gallery/best-halloween-episodes/

⚰️ About That Fear…

Spoilers if you haven’t seen it.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-showrunners-explain-shocking-death/

🎊 Next Up…

All about the Day of the Dead.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/dia-de-los-muertos-what-it-means-honors-dead-mexico-tradition-rcna122749

https://theconversation.com/day-of-the-dead-is-taking-on-halloween-traditions-but-the-sacred-holiday-is-far-more-than-a-mexican-halloween-212686

https://artsandculture.google.com/project/dia-de-muertos

💸 Halloween Ain’t Free…

What we spent this year.

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209521178/halloween-spending-candy-pet-costumes

🦄 Last But Never Least…

All the pets.

https://big1059.iheart.com/featured/doc-reno/content/2023-10-31-best-pet-halloween-costumes/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/celinadejesus/21-dogs-who-already-won-best-costume-for-halloween

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/celebrity-pets-best-halloween-costumes-over-the-years/ss-AA1jb9C6

Get ahead for next year.

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/pet-halloween-costumes-ideas

Hannah Barbie sez: Happy Halloween!

👻 Tricking and Treating…

Hang up your costume and join me tomorrow for soap and Beverly Hills talk. Until then, stay safe, stay being anything you want to be every day, not just on Halloween, and stay believing, only good things from now on.

October 29, 2023 – Two Finds Plus a Loss & The Night Wind

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

As Daniel’s boat comes in, a zombie is on the beach, caught in a fishing net with a starfish attached to its head. Daniel asks if Hawk has ever seen where the tankers came from, but Hawk says, no. Madison thinks this is a waste of time, but Daniel says, their fuel is low and they need to find out where PADRE gets their supply. She tells him that they’re giving Troy time to regroup, but Daniel says he lost a daughter too, and they’ll make Troy wish he’d died at the dam. The tanks are empty and zombies start coming out of the woods. Victor suggests they go inside the gas station. When they go in, they hear music playing, and Daniel says, whoever is in here, show yourself. He tells Hawk to shoot anything that moves, and goes to look around. It’s like a gas station/mini mart, and there’s a sign that says, take what you need. Madison asks what this place is, and Victor says, relics of a bygone era. Daniel comes back and says, they’re clear. Victor asks if Hawk is sure this is where the gas comes in, and he says he is. Madison sees a one-armed zombie and starts banging on the window, drawing the zombies to it. She tells Victor that there’s one missing a left arm, and takes Alicia’s mechanical arm out of her bag. Victor tells her that this isn’t healthy, and the agitated zombies scrabble at the window. It breaks and Madison falls back onto the floor, a zombie on top of her. Victor kills the zombie and helps her up, and the group takes off for the back of the building. They hear shooting outside, and the zombies fall. Daniel says, it’s not them, so who was it? Luciana walks in, and is shocked to see Madison. She says, Madison died a long time ago, and Madison says, she’s been getting that a lot. Luciana wonders why Victor is there, and Daniel asks if it’s really her. He’s been looking for her for a year. Luciana says, he found her.

Along with some men of Luciana’s, they clean up the zombie mess, and Victor asks if Madison is okay. She says, her baby was alive and she didn’t even try to look for her. She’s Alicia’s mother and should have never given up. Victor says, the last thing Alicia would want is for her to die in the process, but Madison says, if Troy was telling the truth and Alicia’s still out there, she needs to put her to rest. Victor says she will. If Alicia’s out there, they’ll find her. Madison tells Luciana that she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to trash her gas station. Luciana says, Daniel told her what Troy did to Alicia. Madison has nothing to apologize for. Madison hugs her, and Luciana says, so much has happened. There are fresh supplies in the back if they need them. Victor thanks her, and Daniel asks if Luciana’s been making gas. She says, PADRE brought her in years ago, and she didn’t have a choice. He asks who they used against her, and she says, him. She asked for his freedom in exchange. If she hadn’t, they would have killed him, since they considered him too old to be useful. He thanks her, and says he thought she was on the island, but she says they needed someone to refine fuel and she had to work in the shadows. Victor asks why she set up the gas station, since there are bad memories from the last time they holed up in one. Luciana says, if she was helping PADRE, she wanted to make sure she was helping others, and Madison asks what the place is. Luciana says, it’s a way station for travelers. There are 23 locations in the network throughout Arizona. As long as she delivers the fuel, they don’t ask questions. She can let them have gas as long as Troy doesn’t figure it out. She’ll send a tanker to the main road, and they can wait there for it. She needs to keep her operation safe. Daniel says, they haven’t talked in seven years, but she says she needs to protect the place. Daniel says, Troy didn’t follow them, when a truck pulls up. Luciana radios her people outside to tell Iron Tiger to wait. Madison asks who Iron Tiger is, and Lucina says, they should leave now. It’s safer for them to wait in the back. She goes outside, and Madison wonders if she’s telling the truth, but Daniel says, she wouldn’t lie to him. Victor says, she knew he was alive and didn’t look for him. She’s moved on. If it was a choice between them and her place, which does he think she’d choose? Daniel says he’s going to show them how mistaken they are, and he marches outside. He tells Luciana that the others think she’s up to something, and she says, he’s making this harder than it needs to be. The others have now followed him out, and Madison says, Luciana is making it harder. Who’s in the truck? Luciana says, it’s not him, and Victor asks what she’s worried about then. Madison walks closer to the truck, and Luciana’s people draw  their guns. Victor draws his gun, and the truck door opens. The driver steps down, facing away from them, and Madison says, turn around slowly. It’s Charlie, who’s surprised to see that Madison is still alive, and Daniel is surprised Charlie is still here. Daniel hugs her, and she says, June didn’t have what she needed at the Tower to treat the radiation poisoning, but PADRE did and Luciana gave it to her. Madison wonders why Charlie wouldn’t let them see her, and asks, what the hell is going on? Victor says, it’s complicated, but Charlie says, it’s not. She… shot Nick. She was scared and Ennis was dead. She pulled the trigger and she’s so sorry. Madison lunges for Charlie, but Victor holds her back and says, don’t do something she’ll regret. Luciana says, let her explain, but Madison says, there’s nothing to explain. Get the hell away from her, both of them. She flashes back to various times with Nick, and takes a sledgehammer to an old truck. She kills some zombies with it, and Victor brings her oxygen. She breathes some in, and she says, he knew? He says he thought Charlie was dead, so he didn’t think it mattered. She says, he didn’t? The girl she brought into the stadium killed her son. Victor says, she had no idea how it would play out. He should have told her. She hammers at an already downed zombie, and says, it’s not okay. If she hadn’t brought Charlie in, Nick might still be here. If she’d hit Troy harder, Alicia might still be here. If she’d done things differently, they might both be here. Victor holds her, and says, maybe he should take her back to the island. Daniel can handle getting the fuel. Madison asks how and why Charlie is still here. How was she let back in? Victor says, they gave her the same thing everyone else wants – a second chance. Madison asks if Alicia would want that, and he says, she’d be the first one to forgive Charlie. Madison doesn’t think she can forgive Charlie, but Victor says, no one is asking her to. Charlie wants talk to Madison, but Victor says, it’s not a good time. Madison says she wants to hear what Charlie has to say, and Charlie says she doesn’t blame Madison. She hated herself for a long time. She doesn’t expect Madison to forgive her, but she needed to say that since she doesn’t know when she’ll see Madison again. Madison says, Charlie just wants to feel better about herself, and Charlie says, she was 11, scared, and being used by  people older than she was. She’s so sorry she took Nick from the world, so she tried to turn her pain into something more. That’s why she’s doing what she’s doing, making things like this possible. As bad as Nick’s death was, something good came out of it. Just tell her if she can make Madison see the good. Victor says again, it’s not a good time, and Madison says, Charlie snuck into the stadium and fooled her, her son, and everyone. She wants Charlie to do the same with Troy. Charlie asks if Madison wants her to find out what he’s planning, and Madison says she wants something else. She wants Charlie to kill him. Victor says, don’t do this, but Madison says, Charlie took the stadium and her son. It’s the least she can do. Charlie says, Madison is right. She’ll do it.

Daniel says he thinks it’s too dangerous. They know what Troy is capable of. Let him do it. Madison says, Daniel won’t even get close to Troy. He doesn’t know Charlie and won’t see her coming. Daniel says, for years he thought Madison and Luciana were dead. He doesn’t want to risk Charlie. Madison says she knows what she’s doing; don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Charlie says, she’ll bring the fuel to Troy. He’ll be less suspicious if he gets something out of the deal. Luciana says, then what? and Charlie says, she’ll fix it for them. When she comes back, no one will have to worry about Troy anymore. She’ll also find out what happened to Alicia. Madison tells her not to pretend to care, but Charlie says, Alicia was her friend. She knows Madison doesn’t believe her, but she wishes she could take back shooting Nick. He was like a brother to her. Madison says, if he was, she wouldn’t have shot him, and Luciana gives Madison the keys to the tanker. There’s enough gas to last for months. Daniel asks if he can stay until Charlie returns, but Luciana thinks it’s best if he goes back to PADRE. She stays hidden to keep things like this from happening. Daniel says, maybe he shouldn’t have come, and she says she wanted to find him, but needed to protect everyone. He says he’s proud of her for that and her whole operation. Inside, Madison tells Victor not to look at her like that. She’s not letting that a-hole take the island. Victor asks, why, if it’s not what Alicia wanted? and she says, if Charlie is telling the truth, she’ll show them by killing Troy. Victor gets on the radio, and Madison finds a coffee can with a note on top of it that has her name. She says, this is her son, and Luciana says, they were clearing roads, and Charlie wanted to see where Nick was buried to tell him that she was sorry. Luciana didn’t realize how much she missed him until she saw his grave. Charlie said he deserved something better, so they cremated what was left of him and brought him here. He’d been buried in Field Hill country, so they could get to the weapon cache. Victor says, they were in a dark place, and Madison says, Charlie was right; Nick deserves better. Luciana says, they didn’t know where that might be, and Victor says, but Charlie thought Madison would. Madison asks if they can reach her, and Luciana radios for Iron Tiger. Charlie answers and Madison tells her to come back. She was right about Nick. He deserves better and Charlie should be there to say goodbye. Charlie says she can’t come back, but Madison says, Charlie doesn’t have to do what she asked. She was just a kid and doesn’t have to make up for Nick. Charlie says she means she literally can’t come back, and we see Troy’s men aiming their guns at the truck. Troy tells her, get out of the truck, and Madison ask, where is she? How did they find her? Charlie says, they were patrolling the road, when Troy opens the door, and hears Madison asking where she is. Charlie tries to make deal for the gas, but Troy asks why he should trust anyone talking to Madison. He tells her, get out of the truck. They have a lot to talk about. Luciana unplugs the radio and tells Madison that she can’t reveal where they are. Madison says she’s trying to do the right thing, and Daniel says, she wants to do the right thing now? They have to help rescue Charlie. Luciana says, they have to go, and Victor says, they’ve all suffered losses, but Daniel says, they have to try. Madison says, it looks like they’re going back to Troy.

Charlie’s wrists are tied to a chair in a room with shards of glass covering the floor. Troy is whacking the left arms off of zombies that are brought to him, and tells his men to bring in another when he’s finished. Charlie says, he doesn’t scare her, and he slices of her bonds with his sword. He says he finds it easier to talk when things are equitable. Don’t try to run. The last person messed up their feet so bad, they only got a half mile before the dead found them. She asks why he’s cutting their arms off, and he says he’s got to pass the time somehow. She says, he wants Madison to think they’re Alicia. Why did he kill her? He says, he’s the one asking questions. He’s not the only person who’s killed a Clark. Is what Madison said true? Did she kill Nick? Nick was a friend of his; he was like a brother. They were both better suited to this world than the last one. That’s what they thought anyway. Why was Madison trying to protect her? Charlie says, Madison was giving her a second chance, and he laughs. He says, if she believes Madison’s kumbaya bullsh*t, it’s going to get her killed. No one gave them a second chance. Charlie asks what he wants, and he says he wants to know where PADRE is. She asks why he cares, and he says he needs somewhere to set up shop, a place people like Madison can’t take from him. She asks, why not this place? and he says, they took it in one afternoon. They need someplace more secure that no one can take from them. Charlie says, someplace he can take from Madison, but he says, that’s just the icing on the cake. Charlie says she doesn’t know where PADRE is, and he puts his sword to her throat, saying, he doesn’t believe her. She says, she left the gas tankers for them to pick up, and tells him, drop the sword. He says he doesn’t believe her, so he guesses they’ll see how fast she can run with glass under her feet. He starts to unlock the gate keeping the zombies out, and she says, wait. There’s a map in the truck with a list of the drops. Maybe he can use it to figure out where PADRE is. He hears Russell on the radio asking for someone to check an explosion outside. The tanker just blew sky high. Troy says he wants a headcount now, and asks Charlie if it was on a timer. Is that why she wanted them to bring the tanker in? A man on the radio says, they need to get the fire out before it draws more dead, and Troy tells Charlie that she’s going to help him find PADRE whether she knows where it is or not.

Walking down the road, Madison and the others hear the explosion. They hear Russell on the radio asking how big the fire is. A man says, the whole thing went up and it’s spreading fast. Daniel says, it must have been the tanker, and Troy asks if Madison is there. She takes the radio, and asks, what the hell happened? He says, her tanker exploded, and she says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Daniel tells Madison that it must have been part of Charlie’s plan to be captured, and Troy says he has Charlie; she wasn’t in the truck when it blew. They must trust Charlie if they sent her in to kill him. He guesses they thought he’d be killed in the blast. Madison tells him not to hurt Charlie, and he wonders what Nick would think. She says, he’d get it. People do sh*tty things and come back from them. Troy says he’s glad she thinks so. She’s going to have to do something that will upset a lot of people. She says she wants Charlie back alive, and he says he wants to know where PADRE is. Victor says, they’ll hit him with everything they’ve got, and Daniel says, Troy doesn’t deserve PADRE. Troy says, the girl or PADRE? and Charlie says, don’t tell him. He kicks the chair over, and she lies in the glass. He puts the radio near her, and Daniel says he’s going to strangle Troy with his bare hands. They head back to their truck, and Troy asks if they hear that as Charlie gasps. He says he’ll kill her if they don’t tell him what it is he wants to know. Madison says, meet her in front of hotel, and she’ll tell him where PADRE is.

They drive close to the hotel, then walk. They see a burning zombie, and Madison says, it’s missing an arm. Where are they coming from?  Troy and his men meet them, and Troy tells them, hold it. There are a lot more of them inside. This better not be a trick. Madison says, no tricks; he has her word. He says he’s not sure that’s worth anything. He’ll hand Charlie over when she gives him PADRE’s location. Daniel says, if he hurts Charlie… and Troy says, let him guess. Daniel will take out his other eye. Daniel says, Troy will wish he did, and on the radio, Charlie says, don’t make a trade for her, but Madison says, Charlie is there because she asked her to be. She asks Troy how she knows he’ll hold up his end of the deal, and he says he’ll send his right-hand man to the location to find out if she’s bullsh*tting. He doesn’t care about Charlie. He just wants a safe place. Madison took everything from him, so he’s going to take everything from her. Madison asks if this is about Jeremiah, but Troy asks if she thinks he gives a sh*t about his old man. She says, then what did she take from him? but he says, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is PADRE. Victor says, there must be another way. They have people to consider like Frank and Klaus. They need assurance Troy won’t hurt the people there. Troy says, they’ll have ample time to leave. He doesn’t care about the people, just the settlement. Victor says he’ll drive, and Troy says, no weapons. Madison tells Charlie that they’re getting her out, and Charlie stabs one of the guards watching her. She says she just took out one guy, and she can take out another. Madison tells her, don’t do this, but Charlie says she’s not going to watch another place Madison built be taken away because of her. Madison says, it’s not her fault, and Troy asks why she’s doing this for Madison. Charlie says she’s not. It’s not what Alicia wanted, and Nick’s death has to mean something. Victor said Alicia’s last words to him when she thought she was dying was, make it mean something. Madison says, they’ll build something else, but Charlie says, he’ll just go after another place. They won’t kill her because it’s the only way for him to get what he wants. Daniel tells Troy, she’s right. If he kills Charlie, he’ll have no leverage and won’t know where PADRE is. Troy says, no one is shooting anyone. Put the gun down and they’ll work it out. Madison says, let Charlie go, and he can have PADRE, but Charlie says, don’t give him the location. Madison says, it’s not Charlie’s choice, but Charlie says, yes, it is. Madison won’t have to give him PADRE if he has nothing to trade. She flashes back to all the people she’s met and being with them, and Daniel says, no! Charlie calls up more memories, then shoots herself. Troy asks if the other guard can’t stop her, but he says, she’s dead. Daniel lunges for Troy, but Victor holds him back. He says, Troy is lying, but Troy says, Daniel heard the guard. Madison says she’s so sorry, and Daniel says he’s going to kill Troy for this. Troy says, this is not how he wanted this to go, but they can’t leave. He needs the map. A man radios that Tracy is missing, and Madison says, they have kids in there? Troy says, why did she think he wanted PADRE? The man says, Tracy said she’d never seen a truck running, and went to the tanker. Troy takes off running and calling for Tracy.

Troy goes to the burning tanker, continuing to yell, Tracy! He shoots zombies until he’s out of bullets, and pulls out his sword. A zombie gets him down, and Madison kills it. She asks what the hell he’s doing, and he says he’s not going to let another kid die after what happened. He opens the cab of the truck, and Madison says, whose kid? He says, she’s not in the cab, and a man tells him that there are dead everywhere, but Troy tells them to keep looking. Madison asks why he didn’t just tell her the truth, and he says, so she could take his daughter? Madison says she didn’t take anyone from him, but he says, that’s not true. His daughter’s mother is dead because of her, and he doesn’t have time for this. Madison follows him as he kills any zombie in his way. She says, he’s been cutting off their arms, making her think Alicia is everywhere she looks. They fight, and Madison gets him down. She asks who he thinks she took, and he says, the woman who rescued him at the dam. She gave him a second chance. He’s got to find his girl. Madison says, now he knows what it’s like wondering where your kid is, and Victor runs up. He says, they’ve got to get out of here, and drags her away.

On the road, Madison sits in the truck and watches Daniel on the truck bed looking despondent. Madison gets out, and we see he’s looking at Charlie’s hand sticking out from the tarp that’s been put over her body. Luciana tells Madison to use the fuel wisely; she won’t get more. They lost Charlie, and now Troy knows about her people. They’re at risk. She let herself get dragged into a fight that wasn’t hers. Daniel wants to go with Luciana, and tells Madison that they sent Charlie into a viper’s nest. There’s something fundamentally wrong with Madison. This is the second time someone dear to him died because of her. Madison says, they need him, but he says, they don’t. They need the army he’s assembled, if she can convince the parents of the children she stole that she’s changed. He tells Luciana that he wants to come and help take care of her like he’s wanted to for years, and she says, okay. He gets in the truck with her, and they drive away.

Victor tells Madison that what Daniel said isn’t true, but Madison says, it is. She sent Charlie to Troy to pay for what she did top Nick. It doesn’t matter that she changed her mind. Charlie is dead. Victor wonders why Troy thinks she killed the mother of his child, and she says she doesn’t know, but she can’t go back to PADRE with Victor. Daniel was right. She can’t ask anyone to follow her. He says, they’re not building it for her, but for Alicia, Nick, Frank, and Klaus. Madison says, if she stays it won’t happen. He has to keep the promise. He says he needs her; he can’t do it alone. She gives him the keys and says, he’s going to have to, and walks off alone.

Next time, Dwight confronts Troy, and Sherry is in big trouble.

🍭 Everyone Gets a Goodie Bag…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and what’s on Deck in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your black cat indoors on Halloween, and stay not making it harder than it already is.

October 27, 2023 – Mason’s Taking Austin Down With Him, Finn’s Cut, Spending 5 Nights, Dead Stuff, Witchy Sisters, Fearless In Fear, Ushering In a Scare, Pups Of Halloween, Quotes Numbering 9 & Spell

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brattleboro, Vermont. Elizabeth and Finn walk into the cabin, and Elizabeth says she’s impressed. Finn says he really loves it up here. He and Dan interned together. He’s a good guy. Make herself at home; put her stuff anywhere. She flops on the couch and says, this is comfy and perfect. Finn looks around and says, Dan said it would be here somewhere, he just didn’t say where, and she asks what he’s looking for. If he told her, she could help him look for it. He looks under the sink and says, found it, holding up a hammer. She says she never would have guessed that was what he was looking for. What are they doing, hunting vampires? Viewers who watched Port Charles are collectively laughing at the reference.

Esme asks if Alexis has time to talk to Mayor Collins. She’s here to see her. Alexis says she always has time for Laura; send her in. Laura thanks Esme and says, she’s really settled into her role as a receptionist. Alexis says, she’s actually doing a very good job. In fact, Esme caught a mistake she made and saved her a lot of trouble a few weeks ago. Esme says, it’s all part of her job. Let her know if they need anything. She leaves, and Alexis says, welcome home. She hugs Laura and says, it’s good to see her. Laura says, her too, and Alexis asks what she found out about Nikolas. Laura says, before she gets into all of that, she wants to thank Alexis for keeping an eye on Esme while she was out of town with Doc. Esme listens outside the door.

Austin watches as TJ goes into Mason’s room. TJ tells Mason that he needs to check his incision site to make sure it’s healing properly and there’s no sign of infection. He needs Mason to roll over on his side. Mason says, and he needs TJ to make himself useful. He needs some painkillers.

Josslyn calls Trina at the gallery and asks why she left so early this morning. She woke up and Trina was gone. Trina says she’s at the gallery covering for Ava. After everything that’s happened in the last couple days, she wanted to spend the morning with Avery. Josslyn says, that’s sweet of her, and Trina asks if Josslyn can do her a favor. Josslyn says, anything, and Trina says, somebody is supposed to drop off an art book at the dorm for her. Has it come yet? Josslyn says, it hasn’t, and she’s been at the dorm all morning, studying with Adam for Organic Chem. Trina asks if Josslyn can just leave it on her bed when it comes, and Josslyn says, of course (🍷). Trina thanks her and says, somebody’s here; she has to go. Cyrus walks in.

Elizabeth and Finn carry metal buckets through the woods, and she asks if he’s done this before. He says, once, but he has to warn her, it can get pretty messy, and she says she’s not the one who’s afraid to get messy.

Esme continues to listen in, and Laura says she can’t tell Alexis what a relief it was to her that Esme was here working with her and her baby was just down the hall in the daycare center. Alexis says she wasn’t kidding. Esme is actually doing a good job. Who’d-a thunk it? And she loves having that cute little boy down the hall; he’s darling. Has Laura seen how big he’s gotten? Laura says she has. She just wishes Nikolas could see him.

TJ says he’ll let Mason’s surgeon know he’s still in pain, but right now, he is receiving the correct dosage of pain medicine. Mason says he’s really hurting here and needs something stronger. Does TJ think he’s lying? TJ says he believes Mason is telling the truth, but according to his chart, he just received his pain meds. Just relax and let the medicine take effect. Mason tells him to get another doctor in here, but TJ says, any other doctor will come to the same conclusion. They can’t endanger his health by giving him additional pain medicine. Mason asks if TJ needs his ears checked, because obviously he does if he didn’t hear Mason the first time. He needs more drugs – now! TJ says he needs Mason to take a better tone, and Mason tells him to go now. TJ says he needs Mason to calm down, and Mason says, TJ’s ego is running his mouth. He can’t listen to TJ’s whining anymore. He can’t wait for this to be over so he never has to hear TJ speak again. He never used to shut up down there either. TJ says, wait. He knows who Mason is. Mason says, he’s TJ’s patient. Now get him more drugs. TJ says, Mason’s one of the men who was holding him when he was abducted. Mason kept him a prisoner for days. Mason says, then cry him a river. So is that it? The roles are reversed, and now he’s TJ’s prisoner?… He guesses he doesn’t know what he’s saying. He must really be stoned. TJ says, Mason knows what he did to him, doesn’t he? And you’re going to pay for it, you sick son of a bitch. He leaves, and Austin watches him stride down the hall.

Adam tells Josslyn, that’s so old school, handwritten notes. He doesn’t know how she can keep up with what the professor’s saying and write everything down fast enough. She says she doesn’t. She actually records the lecture and then later transcribes it in her own handwriting. Apparently, there’s a lot of research on this. If you actually (WOTD) write things down in your own handwriting, you remember them better instead of like, typing it. (I have actually found this to be true.) He says she’s full of surprises, and she suggests he try it sometime. He says, it seems like a waste of time, and she says she gets it. His grades are already perfect. But it helps a lot with memory retention. It’s the easiest way for her to remember all the details.

Cyrus tells Trina, what a nice surprise. Forgive him for startling her. She asks what he’s doing here, and he says, right down to business. He likes that. He’s not sure if she heard, but he was released from Pentenville. God bless our justice system. She asks what he wants, and he says he’s here to find some artwork for his new place. He thought Ava would be here. This is just a fortuitous accident finding Trina here. She says, there’s no such thing as an accident when it comes to him, and he says he stopped by General Hospital to apologize to Dr. Robinson, and she gave him a stern warning not to seek Trina out, and of course (🍷) he would abide by her mother’s wishes. She says, then leave, and he says, she’s right; he should go. But before he does, he’d like to apologize to her for his past actions, for what he put her and her mother through. She says, for what he put them through? She can’t believe this BS she’s hearing. He held them hostage at gunpoint, and he wants her to forgive him? He’s more of a psychopath than she thought he was. Now get out! Now! She points to the door, and Spencer says, what’s going on? He comes in and asks what Cyrus is doing here. Cyrus says, Spencer, my boy. He really would like Spencer to call him uncle.

Alexis gives Laura some coffee and says, lay it on her. What does she know about Nikolas? Laura says, everyone who told her Chechnya would be a dead end was right. Alexis says, he wasn’t there, and Laura says, right, and no sign that he’d ever been there. The same with Cassadine Island. There was no trace of him. So then she and Doc went to Italy to the Cassadine mansion on Lake Como. Alexis says she knows it well, and Laura says, that was also a dead end. Then she got this gut feeling that maybe she should check in with his banker in Geneva, because eventually he’s going to need money and that’s where his biggest holdings are. Alexis asks if he was there, and Laura says, no, but they just missed him. And she got confirmation that he had been there several times, and one time, he moved a very large sum of money. She couldn’t get the details on it, but the good news is, she walked away from there knowing her son is alive. Alexis says, great. Thank God, right? Laura says, yes, but the bad news is that he doesn’t want to be found.

TJ storms into Jordan’s office, and she asks, what’s wrong? He says he just found out who abducted him and held him prisoner. She says, what? Who? He says, Mason Gatlin, and she says, the man who abducted Ava Jerome? And he’s sure of this? He says he’s never been more certain of anything in his life. It is him.

Austin goes into Mason’s room, and Mason says, if it isn’t the doctor in the family. Austin tells him, says the felon in the family, and Mason asks if Austin missed him. Austin says, not at all, and Mason asks if Austin at least brought him better drugs. Austin says, he’s had enough drugs. What did he tell the cops? Mason asks what Austin thinks he told the cops, but Austin says he’s not messing around here. What did Mason tell them? Mason says he told them that he kidnapped Ava… for Austin.

Spencer says, Cyrus is out of prison, and Cyrus says he is. Miracles do happen if you believe. Trina says she thought Spencer knew he was released, but Spencer says, no. Trina says, he went to GH and harassed her mother yesterday. She called Trina yesterday and said she’s getting a restraining order so Cyrus stays away from them, but here he is, bothering her. Cyrus says he explained this to Trina already. He had no idea she would be here. He stopped in to patronize Ava’s gallery. Trina says, if Ava wants to sell him something, that’s on her, but she refuses to wait on him. He says he doesn’t blame her, and she stamps her foot and says, stop with this disgusting act. She doesn’t buy it. Cyrus says, she’s angry at him and he understands. He did a terrible thing to her and her mother – she says, he’s damn right – and he regrets it deeply. But since finding the Lord, he’s tried to make almonds amends. Spencer knows this; he witnessed it at Pentenville. He did everything he could to make sure no harm came to Spencer while he was there. He did everything to protect Spencer.

Finn says, they have to pick one carefully, and Elizabeth asks, why? He says, sometimes it doesn’t work. She asks if there’s a trick to hitting a vein, but he says, no. A little luck, a little skill. Usually, you don’t get one on the first try, but maybe they will. Let’s see. He checks out a tree and says, this one looks good. He helps her hold the spigot up to the tree and tells her to watch her fingers. She says she’s going to need to watch both their fingers. She’s got it. Let go. She raises the hammer.

Spencer says, Cyrus did look after him while he was in Pentenville. But what Cyrus did to Trina and Dr. Robinson and to his grandmother is unforgiveable. Someone could have been killed that night. Cyrus says he realizes that, and he’s trying to make amends with everyone he’s wronged, and Trina asks if Spencer is buying this. Cyrus sees her desk, and says, look at that, the turtle dove. He gave those to Spencer before Christmas last year in the hope he would share them with her, and he did. That warms his heart. Trina says, he doesn’t have a heart, and Cyrus says he hopes Spencer kept the other one. Spencer says he did, and Cyrus says, good. He reaches for it, saying, may I? but Trina snatches it off the desk and says, no. She’s not going to stand here and make pleasant conversation with somebody who held her and her mother at gunpoint.

Mason laughs and says, Austin should see his face. Oh no, I’m going to prison. He’s an idiot. If he’d given Austin up to the almighty PCPD, he’d be in custody, not walking the halls of a hospital. He’s a joke. Austin says, Mason is certifiably insane. What did he tell them? Mason says he came in with two bullet holes in his back. He didn’t really have time for a sit-down and chit chat. But worry not. He’ll do a tell all when the cops make him a deal. Austin says, they’re not going to offer Mason a deal, but Mason says, if he surrenders up enough details, he’s pretty sure they will. He plans to tell the police that it was him and Austin together in on the Ava kidnapping. Austin says, there’s no proof he had anything to do with it, and they are never going to believe a word out of Mason’s mouth. Mason says he thinks they will.

Jordan asks TJ to tell her why he thinks Mason Gatlin is the one who abducted him, and TJ says he kept running into Mason in his cousin’s office, Dr. Gatlin Holt. And he had this feeling he knew Mason from somewhere. He just couldn’t put his finger on how or where. Today… She tells him, take a deep breath, and he does. He says, today it finally clicked. He was treating Gatlin and it was something Gatlin said to him that made him recognize his voice. It was distinctive. He was the leader of those men who held him captive. It was him. She says, he was abducted to force her cooperation, and he says, now they can both get justice. They can make sure Mason Gatlin is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. She says, no, they can’t, and he asks, why not?

Alexis says she really feels bad for Nikolas, and Laura says, the decisions he’s been making now are affecting every single relationship in his life, and she just wishes she could get him to see that. But out of her three children, he’s the hardest to get through to. Alexis says, the brooding and the stubborn side of him, that’s Cassadine. The light and loving side of him is Laura. But the bottom line is, he did a lot of bad things. He made bad choices in the past year, and they just compounded to the point where he felt the only alternative was for him to run and hide, which is exactly what he did. Even if it meant leaving Spencer and Ace. Laura says, from a legal standpoint, if Nikolas were to come back to Port Charles today, how severe would the charges be against him for holding Esme hostage? Alexis says, Esme doesn’t remember being held hostage, so at the moment, that would work in his favor. As far as the rest of it, that’s up to Robert Scorpio the DA to decide whether he wants to prosecute or not. She knows the only thing they have right now is the statement from Elizabeth Baldwin. Laura says, she’s a very credible witness, but Alexis says, they still need corroborating evidence, and they need Esme’s testimony. Without that, she doesn’t think he’ll face criminal charges. Laura says she wishes Nikolas knew that, and Alexis says, the truth is, even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.

Elizabeth gets sap out of the tree, and Finn says, wow. She asks what he said about not getting it on the first time, and he says, beginner’s luck. She tastes it, and he asks how it is. She sticks her finger in the bucket, and says, see for himself. He puts her finger in his mouth to taste it and says, amazing, and they kiss.

Laura tells Alexis that she wishes there was a way for her to get ahold of Nikolas. Although she knows when he makes up his mind, there’s usually no changing it. Alexis says, Nikolas prides himself on being the good son, the good father, and he was all those things, until he wasn’t. He blew it and he knows that, which is why he ran. He doesn’t want to face the people he disappointed. Laura says, that’s why she feels it’s so important for her to reach out to him, to let him know she loves and supports him, even though he made some bad decisions. Alexis tells Laura that she’s sorry to say this, but Nikolas has resources the rest of them don’t have. And when a Cassadine wants to disappear without a trace, they do. She thinks the only choice they have is to let him figure this out and come back on his own time. Laura says, but he’s got a beautiful little boy he’s never even met, and he’s missing moments in the baby’s life he’ll never be able to get back again. She just wishes he’d come to his senses and come back. Alexis says she wishes that too, for Ace’s sake. Spencer believes he’s very independent, but he needs his father. Laura says, it’s so ironic that she can’t bring her son home, but her brother’s back, whether she wants him or not.

Josslyn asks Adam a question about alkanes, and he says, is that the best she can do? She moves his phone out of his hand with her foot, and says, no cheating. He answers her question with a bunch of science stuff (not my forte), and she says, it’s official; he’s a genius. That’s why he gets such great grades. He says he has to. The competition is fierce to get into any med school, let alone the ones his parents have on their approved list. ( I get confused for a moment, because Sonny is his father IRL.) She says, his parents have a list of medical schools? and he says, they want him to either go to Harvard, Stanford, or Johns Hopkins. He’s leaning toward Harvard. He really loves Boston. She says, Boston’s beautiful in the fall, and he says, what about her? What medical school is she leaning toward? She says she doesn’t know. She hasn’t really thought that far ahead. Her goal right now is to just do well in undergrad and then move on to the next thing; take it in manageable steps. He says, her parents are okay with that approach? and she says her parents are okay with anything as long as it’s reasonably productive and she’s happy doing it. He wonders what that’s like.

TJ asks what Jordan means that Gatlin can’t be prosecuted for what he did to him, and she says, yes, he was a victim of abduction. But let’s look at this the way DA Scorpio would. He was blindfolded, correct? He says, yes, and she says, disoriented? He says, yeah, and she says, his account of the situation and the details around it are unreliable at best. And they have no supporting evidence to corroborate his statement. They don’t even know where he was held. He says, this is ridiculous, and she says, he’s right. It is. But with her experience in law enforcement, this isn’t a case she’d ever bring to the prosecutors. TJ says, Mason did this to him. He knows this. He knows it was him. That voice. He has no doubt about this. She says she believes him, but it’s not up to her. She hates that this happened to him, but if there’s any consolation in this, it’s that Mason Gatlin is going to be charged with abduction and attempted murder for what he did to Ava Jerome. He says, that’s so great for Ava. He’s happy she’s getting her justice, but what about him? Where’s his justice? He throws up his hands and walks out.

Trina says she’s not going to allow Cyrus to waltz in here and pretend he didn’t hold her hostage at gunpoint. He threatened to shoot her if her mother didn’t tend to his gunshot wound. And if Laura hadn’t offered to take their places as his hostage, he would have killed them. Those words came out of his mouth. So he just wants her to forget all that? He says he never asked anyone to forget what he did. He asked them to forgive, like the Good Book says. She says, so let bygones be bygones? He expects her to accept his pathetic, meaningless apology just because he’s Spencer’s uncle? But guess what? She doesn’t forgive him. And she doesn’t care if he did protect Spencer in Pentenville. If he comes near her again, she’ll call the cops.

Mason says, come on, cuz. He and Austin have been seen together plenty of times in plenty of places by plenty of people, especially his co-workers here at General Hospital. Face it. When it comes to masterminding an abduction, who’s better at being the boss? Who’s better to play the henchman? He can play dumb. He’s going to tell the cops that he was just doing what his big, smart doctor cousin told him to do. Austin asks, why? Really. Why? Implicating him isn’t going to make Mason less guilty. He’s already going to go down for this, he knows that. Mason says, yeah, he knows, but he’s going to take Austin down with him. Austin’s been a pain in his ass for years. Always being so high and mighty, thinking he’s better than Mason because he has a piece of paper from a college? He wants to see how high and mighty Austin is when they’re sharing a prison cell. Austin says nothing and walks out.

Finn starts to tap another tree and asks Elizabeth, how many tries is this? She says, there was that time he hit his finger and then he hit the tree. And the other time… She doesn’t know what he was aiming for. He says, let’s just call it four times, and she says, good luck. He says, what? and she says, ten times is the charm. She watches him, and he says he thinks hunting vampires would have been easier. I get this, since sometimes I think a real zombie apocalypse would be easier. She says she has enough for both of them and takes down her bucket. He says, beginner’s luck, and she says, they can put this on their pancakes tomorrow morning. He says, speaking of which, is she hungry? She says, starving, and he says, let’s go make some dinner. They walk back hand in hand.

Back at the cabin, Elizabeth says, this was so much fun, and thanks Finn. He says, it’s nice to be out of the city. It’s nice to be out of the hospital. It’s nice to be out here in nature with her. She says she couldn’t agree more. Her fingers are so sticky. She runs the water and asks if there’s any soap. He finds some and puts a blob in her hand, and then in his own. He asks if she minds if he joins her, and she says, of course (🍷). He gets closer, and they wash each other’s hands. I guess that’s romantic, but it’s weirding me out a little. They gaze into each other’s eyes, and he kisses her. Better now.

Adam asks Josslyn for an example of a functional group, and she asks if she can use her notes. He says, no, she may not. By memory only. She says, a functional group is a specific structural arrangement of atoms or bonds that forms a… I give up at this point because now it’s getting too complicated, but she gives him the answer. It has something to do with molecules, and he says he knew she’d get it. She says she feels like she just ran a marathon – me too – and now she needs a break. They should maybe go down and get some food… There’s a knock at the door, and she says, that’s probably the art book getting delivered, but as we’ve all guessed, it’s Dex. She throws her arms around him and says, he’s just in time to save her. Adam looks disappointed. Aww.

Esme is still listening. Doesn’t she have work to do? Alexis says she wasn’t going to bring Cyrus up, but Laura says, that’s okay; she’s fine. Alexis says, it’s baffling to her that a miscarriage of justice, to that extent, could happen and Laura agrees. She says, leave it to Cyrus to finagle a hardship release. Alexis says, it’s really unbelievable. She doesn’t know how Laura deals with it. He is Laura’s brother, but still… Laura says she’s very, very conflicted. She does believe in rehabilitation, but that would mean restoring somebody to a normal state that’s acceptable to society. She doesn’t know that that’s possible with Cyrus, and after all the things that he’s done, does he even deserve that? Alexis says, the judge felt he did, and Laura sighs. She says, then she guesses she’ll do her best to believe that the judge is right, and Cyrus can become a productive member of society. But between her and Alexis, it’s going to be a really long time before she trusts her brother.

Cyrus says he can understand why Trina doesn’t trust in him, and Spencer puts his arm around Cyrus and says, it’s time for him to go. Now. Cyrus says, okay. Spencer follows him to the doorway, where Cyrus turns around and says he owes Trina a great debt. If she ever needs his help for any reason, she only needs to ask. She says she will never ask him for anything. Does he hear her? Never! Now get the hell out! Cyrus leaves, and when he’s gone, Spencer comes back to Trina. He tells her, it’s okay, he’s here, and holds her.

Elizabeth says, she and Finn should wash their hands together more often (please don’t), and he says, definitely. He’s filthy all the time. They kiss again, and he says, maybe dinner can wait, but she says she doesn’t know… He kisses her, and she says, okay. Dinner can definitely wait. There’s more kissing.

Dex asks what he’s saving Josslyn from, and she says, organic chem. She was just telling Adam that she was going stir crazy in here. Dex asks how long they’ve been studying, and she says, a few hours. Adam says, with their midterms coming up, they could probably use a few more hours, but Josslyn says, oh God no. She’s done. Adam says, they didn’t go over the identification of hydrocarbons though, and Dex says, if she needs to stay, he can come back, but she says she needs fresh air. He says, that he can do. He has to take Sonny’s speedboat upriver to drydock it for the winter if she wants to come. She says, okay, and gets her jacket. She tells Adam, it looks like hydrocarbon structures are going to have to wait, but if she aces this midterm, it’s thanks to him. He says, pick up later this evening? but she says she can’t. Thursday? Adam says, perfect. Their midterm is Friday. Josslyn says, cool, and Adam gets his stuff together. He says, what about Trina’s art book? Does she want him to stick around here and wait for it? She says, that’s really sweet of him, but it’s no big deal. She’s sure the delivery person will leave it outside the door. He says he doesn’t mind, but she says, it’s totally fine. He leaves, and Dex tells Josslyn, if there’s time after, they could get lunch at Kelly’s. He knows the owner. They leave, and Adam comes out from around the corner and watches them.

Alexis tells Laura, they say that trust is built over time. See if Cyrus can earn her trust. Does she believe his religious conversion is sincere? Laura says, to be perfectly honest, she’s not sure. She wants to sit down with her brother Martin and compare notes with him and get his take on it. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, come in. Esme says, sorry to interrupt, but Alexis has a video conference call in fifteen minutes. Does Alexis want her to reschedule it? Laura says, absolutely not, not on her account. She’s going to let Alexis get on with her business day. Alexis thanks Laura for coming by and catching her up, and they hug. Alexis says, before Laura goes, she has a question. Does Laura know Judge Kim, the judge that sentenced Drew Cain? Laura says she doesn’t know him. She’s sorry. Alexis says, thanks anyway. It’s good to see her. Laura says, her too, and says she’ll see Esme at home tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning they can all wake up and have family breakfast together? Esme says, okay, she’d like that, and Laura leaves. Esme says she knows Alexis has a video conference call to prep for, but she has a quick question if Alexis doesn’t mind. Alexis tells her, go ahead, and Esme says she doesn’t really know how to ask this. Alexis says, just ask, and Esme asks if she can have a raise. Alexis says, she wants a raise? and Esme says, yes. She wants to move out of Laura and Doc’s apartment. With them back, it’s just all so crowded. Alexis asks if that’s the real reason, and Esme says, yeah. Alexis says, Esme… and Esme says, okay. She’s starting to… have feelings for Spencer.

Spencer brings Trina some water, and she says she shouldn’t have given Cyrus that much power over her. Nobody should have that much power over anybody. She’s not going to let him make her a victim again. Spencer says, she did really good. She practically kicked him out all by herself. She asks if he can promise her something, and he says he’s never going to let Cyrus come near her, but she says, that’s not what she means. She knows Spencer would never let Cyrus do anything to her. She needs him to promise he’ll never tell anyone she lost it like that with Cyrus, especially her mom and Curtis. Because her mom is already angry and terrified that he’s been released. She doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Curtis is in a wheelchair and feels he can’t protect them from Cyrus. He says he promises. He’s not going to tell anyone. Clearly, she can take care of herself, but know if she ever needs back-up, he’s here. She says she knows he is, and hugs him.

Austin goes back into Mason’s room, closes the door, and shuts the blinds. Mason says, if Austin is here to beg and plead, save his breath. He’s going to take Austin down with him. Austin says he’s done begging for things in his life. Besides, how would he be begging? There’s no one in this shell of Mason that’s remotely human. He puts on surgical gloves, and says, there’s no reason. Mason wouldn’t help him, would he? Mason says, not on your life, and Austin says, then he guesses it’s time to help himself. He pats Mason’s shoulder, turns off the machine Mason is hooked up to, and takes a pillow from the chair. He slowly walks over to Mason, and Mason says, he doesn’t have the guts. Austin smiles.

TJ walks past Mason’s room, and peeks through the window. The slats are open enough that he sees Austin smothering Mason.

On Monday, Brook tells Kristina that she needs a clear head for what she’s about to do; Sasha says, count her in too; Lucy tells Martin that she needs to show Tracy exactly who she’s dealing with; and Eddie/Ned asks why Tracy can’t take no for an answer.

✂️ Feeling Trim…

I had the feeling it was a crew member. And if you notice, usually when one of the cast gets a new hairdo, many of them do. It’s like picture day in school.

🧸 Loves a Good Scare…

I’m actually looking forward to seeing this one.

⚰️ News Of the Dead…

The latest in Fear.

https://screenrant.com/madison-not-rick-grimes-fear-walking-dead-season-8/

What the live ones are about.

For those who prefer the game.

🧹 Hocus That Pocus…

About yet another Sanderson sequel.

https://people.com/hocus-pocus-3-writer-anythings-on-the-table-for-sequel-8383552

It was cool until it wasn’t.

https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-stars-stuck-in-air-flying-scenes/

👠 Ladies of Horror…

They could have spent a little more time on Kiki Palmer and Jurnee Smollett. And while more sci/fi than horror, Octavia Spencer was amazing in Snowpiercer.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/14-black-women-horror-movie-roles/

🔥 Falling For Usher…

If you haven’t seen this yet, stream, don’t wait. It’s incredible.

https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-review-netflix-mike-flanagan/

🐕 Uncanceled Pups…

Dogs and Halloween. There’s nothing better.

https://people.com/dogs-costumes-2023-nyc-halloween-dog-parade-photos-8374321

🐘 Quotes of the Week

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. – Dalai Lama

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu

To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone. A backbone. And a funny bone. – Reba McEntire

Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie: A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby. – George Herbert

The first to cry is the first to fry. – Omarosa, House of Villains

Happiness can exist only in acceptance. – George Orwell

Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults. – Benjamin Franklin

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. – Harvey Fierstein

A mask tells us more than a face. – Oscar Wilde

🎭 Masking My Mask…

Stop by on Sunday for a little Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay springing for the good candy, and stay forgiving, but not forgetting. Especially if they’ve held you hostage.

October 22, 2023 – Madison Reunites With Victor & Ballad

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Near a beautiful hotel on the beach, kids are playing soccer, farming is being done, and everything’s idyllic. It’s also in German. Victor comes from the balcony into a hotel apartment, but a man (Frank) and his son (Klaus) call him Anton. Frank kisses him, so I assume they’re a couple. A man knocks at the door and says, they have a new arrival. We see zombies clamoring outside, surrounding a tour bus at the entrance of the hotel. Frank, Klaus, and Victor find a man inside the bus, and Klaus asks if he needs help, Victor translating it to English. The man thinks his arm is infected, and Victor says he’s come to the right place. They take him inside, and the man asks where he is. Victor says, an oasis for the dispossessed, the desperate, the weary. They help people. The man asks why everyone is speaking German, and Frank says, they were tourists visiting this place; the bus was their tour bus. They didn’t make it home, so they made one here. This place is about second chances, and making sure everyone gets one. Victor says, everyone deserves a second chance.

The man gets antibiotics, and Victor takes him to get something to eat. It looks better than my dinner. As a matter of fact, it looks better than the last restaurant meal I had. Victor tells the man that schnitzel will do wonders for his strength, and the man says his infection is already starting to clear. Klaus tells Victor that a new guest was found half-conscious, and he put her in his room. Victor goes to see her, and it’s Madison, who says, Victor? It can’t be. Klaus wonders why she’s calling him Victor; his name is Anton. Victor tells Klaus to help his father and hustles him out. Madison, whose breathing is labored, asks what Victor is doing here, why was Klaus calling him Anton, and why is he speaking German? Victor flashes back to the tower and hugs her. She cries, and says she thought she lost him. He tears up, and she asks, what’s going on? Frank and Klaus come in with the oxygen, and Frank asks if everything is okay. Madison says, his name’s not Anton; it’s Victor Strand. Tell them his name. Victor says, Anton. He’s never heard of Victor Strand. She must be mistaken. Madison says, he’s not telling the truth, and Frank says, Anton/Victor doesn’t know her? Victor says he’s never seen her before, and Madison keels over. Frank hurries to set up the oxygen.

Victor sits at a table with Frank, Klaus, and several others. They discuss Madison, and Victor says he has no idea why she’s calling him Victor. Klaus says, she’s confused and scared, and a man asks if anyone asked her why. Klaus says, she had this in her bag, and shows them a walkie-talkie. He turns it on, and Daniel begins to speak. He’s trying to find Madison, and Victor tells Frank, turn it off, but Frank gives Daniel Madison’s description, and says, they want to help her. Daniel says, if they want to help her, give him her location. Victor grabs the radio, turning it off, and says he’s trying to protect them. She can’t stay. Frank says, she is staying, and asks if anyone disagrees. No one does, and Frank tells Klaus to take Madison some soup. Victor says he doesn’t want Klaus alone with Madison, and Frank asks, what is he so afraid of? Victor doesn’t answer, and Frank tells Klaus to make her feel at home.

Madison wears an oxygen mask, and her wrists are tied. She asks if Klaus would mind cutting her loose, but he tells her that his dad said it’s not safe. She asks what he thinks, and he asks why she thinks he’s this Victor Strand guy. She says, because he is, but he says he knows his dad wouldn’t lie. She says, he doesn’t know Victor, and Klaus asks why he would pretend to be somebody he’s not. Madison says she doesn’t know, but it’s pissing her off. Klaus feeds her some soup and sees her Nick and Alicia tattoos. He asks who they are, and she says, they were her kids. He says, were? He’s sorry. She sees a bird he’s rescued, and she says, her kids rescued a bird when they were around his age. He says, the birds get confused, and fly into the hotel windows. She asks if he always helps, and he says, everyone deserves a second chance. She asks, who taught him that? and he says, his dad, Anton. She asks where his mother is, and he says, his parents split up when he was little. His father brought him here on holiday before the world changed. They got stuck and they’ve been here ever since. He never saw his mother again. Madison says she’s sure his mother would be proud of him, and Klaus says, Madison seems cool too. She says she doesn’t think everyone would agree, and he says, they listened to her walkie. Why are they after her? She says she’s not sure. They were hit out of nowhere and their boats were stolen. He says, she must have done something, when Victor comes in, and she says she’s got to hand it to him. He made something here, even if it’s a lie. Klaus says, he’s not lying, and Madsion asks why Victor is hiding. Frank radios and says, they have new guests, but they’re not welcome ones.

On the bus, a man named Russell says, they’re looking for a woman that they heard is hiding out here. Victor says, that doesn’t narrow it down, and Russell says, her name’s Madison. Frank asks what they want with her, and Russell says, that’s their business. Frank says, sorry, they can’t help, and Russell asks if they have children here. Frank says, some, and Russell says, this woman was one of PADRE’s top collectors. She’s been broadcasting that she’s trying to rebuild PADRE. Frank says, that seems like a good thing, but Russell says, seems ain’t is. This particular leopard doesn’t change her spots. The head of their outfit knows her for who she really is. Daniel’s voice comes on the radio, and he says he knows they’re monitoring the channel. Russell cuts the radio off, and Frank says, she’s not here, but Russell thinks she is. He says, there’s two ways this can go. Hand her over, and they walk away. The voice they heard on the radio isn’t alone and he seems determined. If they have to fight to get her, they will. Do they want that fight on their doorstep? Victor flashes back to tossing people off the roof, and says, she’s here. Frank says, what the hell?

They find both Klaus and Madison are gone, and Russell says, she took him. Victor says he told them she seemed dangerous, and Russell says, if she gets him back to PADRE, they’ll never see their son again. Victor looks at a bulletin board and says, that’s not where they’re going. This is. He shows them a tour brochure, and says, Madison tore the map off before they left. Frank wonders why she’d take Klaus there, and Victor says, there’s only one way to find out.

They go to the shoreline, and Russell says, they came in two boats; she must have taken the other one. He asks Victor and Frank to hand over their weapons; they’ll get them back when they get where they’re going. Daniel comes on the walkie, asking if Madison is there, and Russell says, listen old man, you’re better off without her, but Daniel says, hurting her would be a grave mistake. Russell says, it’s not his call, but it will go better for her if they back off. Daniel says, too late for that, and Russell looks through binoculars to see Daniel and some others coming toward them in a boat. Russell says, he found them. If they leave now, they can still lose him. Victor looks conflicted, and flashes back to Daniel. He runs back up the beach stairs, and Frank follows him. Russell says, screw this, and the boat takes off. Frank and Victor run through the woods.

Frank asks, what the hell is wrong with him? and Victor says, it’s not their fight, but Frank says, Klaus needs them. Victor says, they’ll find another way, but Frank says, they took the only boat. Victor says he knows where there’s a raft. Zombies are toddling around in the woods, and Frank asks why Victor is so upset. Victor says, Madison has their son, but Frank says, before that. She called him someone else; is he? Victor wonders how he could ask, and Frank says he knows Victor hasn’t been fully honest with him; he’s always known Victor wasn’t truthful. Frank lived a lie, hiding who he was with Mia and Klaus. Whatever’s going on, Victor can tell him. Victor sees the raft, and says he used it years ago, before they found each other. Frank says, the years were not kind to it, and Victor says, let him do this alone. He goes through the stuff in the raft, while Frank kills a zombie coming toward them. He asks if Victor is the man Madison talked about, but a zombie blindsides him, getting him down. Victor stabs it through the back of the head with a sword, and Frank asks where that came from. Victor says, it’s what he was looking for. More zombies come, and Victor suggests they move now.

They walk in the dark, and Frank tells Victor, there was nothing they could have said to make Klaus stay. He thinks Madison reminds Klaus of his mother. He wasn’t there for her when the world changed. Maybe Madison made him feel like it was a second chance at helping her. Victor takes his Frank’s hand, and says, Frank never told him what happened after he told Mia his truth. Frank says, she was angry and confused. In the end, the truth set them free. He should have come clean sooner. Victor asks if she forgave him, and Frank says, of course, as he would Victor, if he’s Victor… Victor says, he’s not Victor, and Franks says, if he is Victor, whatever he did, he’s sure it’s forgivable. Victor says he’s not that man.

Victor sees the library from the tour map, and Frank says, they’re here. Inside, Klaus tells Madison to wake up. It’s going to be okay. Stay with him. Frank and Victor come in, and Klaus hugs Frank. Franks asks, what happened? and Klaus says, they ran out of oxygen on the boat, and he was trying to find more. They have to help her; she’ll die if they don’t. Frank says, finding oxygen here is going to be difficult, but Victor says he has an idea. He looks outside in a cooler and finds a tank, and Frank asks how Victor knew it would be here, but Victor says he didn’t. With this many rafts, he figured they carried supplies. Frank says, like he happened to find the sword, and Klaus says, there’s no time to argue. They see a boat out on the water, and Frank says, it’s them. Victor says, they need to go, but Klaus says, not without Madison. Victor says, there’s no time, and Klaus says, then he’s staying with her. He defended Victor to her, saying, his dad would never hand her over to people like that. Maybe Victor isn’t who he thought he was. Victor says he is and he’s going prove it. He tells Frank to take Klaus home. He’ll be behind them after he helps Madison. He takes the oxygen, but Frank says, he can’t do it alone. Victor says, Frank took a chance on him when they met. Frank saw the man he could be. Let him prove he can still be that man. Frank kisses Victor, and says, be careful. He and Klaus head out in the boat.

Victor gives Madison the oxygen and says, they need to go. She asks what he’s doing here, and where Frank and Klaus are. He says he sent them away, and she says, so he could throw her to the wolves again? Victor says, the wolves are circling and he came to help her. He promised his son that he would. She can either come with him and live, or stay here and die. They grab some supplies, and Victor says, they’ll take the zodiac. Madison asks, then what? and he says, they’ll talk about it when they get there. Madison says, she couldn’t protect her own settlement, calling him Victor, and he says, his name is Anton. She asks if he’s scared sh*tless that his family is going to find out who he really is, but he says, they already know. She says, he was ready to let her die to protect his secret, and he says he’s here, isn’t he? She asks if he’s cutting her throat with that sword, then going back and telling his kid those people did it, but he says, he’s not who she thinks he is, and she says she doesn’t know who the hell he is, taking a swing at him. They hear a gun cock, and Russell says he found them.

Madison says, don’t do this, and Victor says, whatever she did, they can work it out. Russell says, Victor has no idea how far back this goes. Madison says she doesn’t even know who he is, but Russell says he knows her. Victor says, whoever he thinks she is, that’s not her anymore, and Russell wonders why he should believe Victor after what he pulled on them; they’re the same, pretending to be something they’re not. He’s not fooled. Madison asks what he wants, and Russell says, PADRE. They’ve been looking for a place like it for a long time. She’s going to show him where it is. Zombies intrude on the conversation, and while Russell and his men are distracted, Madison grabs a gun and she and Victor take off. Russell and his men follow, shooting.

Victor says, the boat, but Madison says, they’re not going to make it. They have to go back. They kill some zombies and run back inside the library. Madison tries to shut the door, but some of the zombies are partway inside. She says, the door isn’t going to hold, and Victor says, the bookshelves. They tip the bookshelves over, blocking the zombies, but they’re still reaching over. Victor kills some of them, nearly gets pulled over when one grabs him, and loses his sword. They’re backed against a wall, and Madison runs out of bullets. Victor tries to radio Klaus and Frank, and says, they need help. He tells Madison that he’s sorry, and she asks if it’s him talking or Anton. He says, it’s him, and she asks why he’s pretending to be someone else. He says he had to. Whatever he was called, he had to leave that person behind. She asks what he did, and he says, what he had to. He created a thriving tower, a place where people could be safe. He was ruthless, even to Alicia; he betrayed her. When the tower fell, they washed up on these shores. Some of them were taken to PADRE. Others were struggling to survive. He tried to help them, but they wouldn’t let him; they couldn’t forgive him. He tried to help find food to make almonds amends, but when he came back, they were dead, just like the ones here. He hated being Victor, so he killed him. He died with everyone else. She asks what he became; who is he? He says, the last time he saw Alicia, she told him that she loved him. He didn’t think anyone could. When he met Frank and Klaus, he could be the person Alicia thought he was, but he could only do it as someone else, as Anton. Madison says she understands. Klaus is a good kid. He did all right. He takes her hand and thanks her. The zombies are agitated and reach for them, and he says, Alicia had the chance to watch him die and after everything he did, he deserved it; Alicia didn’t. Madison asks, why didn’t she? and he says, because her mother taught her that no one is gone until they’re gone. Everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what. She says, they’re not so different. They got rid of the people running PADRE. She got rid of them and promised the kids she took that she’d help find their parents. She sent out messages from the repeater station, hoping their parents would hear her. He asks if they did, and she says, some, but they weren’t the only ones listening. Those people heard and she drew them to her. Now she’s put everyone else in danger. He says she was just trying to help, and she says, that place and what she promised those kids is all she has left. Klaus comes on the radio and says, the soldiers are here. They got inside. Suddenly, the zombies are shot from behind with a machine gun by Russell and his men. Russell grabs Victor’s sword and starts shoving everything aside. On the radio, Klaus says, Victor has to get back, and Russell says, they’ll take him to them. He whacks Victor in the head with the sword and everything goes black.

When Victor and Madison wake up, and find they’re tied to chairs. Russell says, welcome back, and we see Klaus and Frank are also tied up. Russell says, he told them to hand Madison over. This could have been avoided. Victor says, if he hurts them… and Russell says, it’s not up to him. Madison asks who it’s up to, and he says he’ll let him tell her…  A man walks in, drops his duffel bag, and tells Madison, it’s been a while. She says, Troy, and he says he’s just as surprised as she is. He knew he’d find her when he heard her radio broadcast, but he didn’t think she’d be keeping the same company as she did in Mexico. Frank says, he’s making a mistake. This man isn’t who he thinks. Troy says, that isn’t Victor Strand? and Frank says, his name’s Anton. Troy is confused. Troy says he thinks Frank is the one that’s confused. About Victor, and certainly about Madison. He’ll tell Frank the truth about who she is. Even better, he’ll show him. He takes off his shades, and one of his eyes is messed up. He says, it’s not pretty to look at, but that can happen with a bad hit to the head from a hammer. We flash back to Madison whacking Troy, and he says, this is what she did to him before she left him for dead in Mexico. After she destroyed his family’s ranch and killed his brother and father. He lost them all because of her, and Victor helped. Madison asks what he wants, and Troy says, the same thing he’s wanted since she took it from him. The same thing he’s been helping these people find since he was pulled out of the rubble in Mexico – a home. She took his, and now he’s going take hers. She says, he’ll never find it, but he says she’s going to tell him – he takes out a hammer – or he’s going to do to Victor what she did to him. He grabs Victor and raises the hammer. Victor tells Madison, don’t do it. Hold onto that place. It’s what Alicia would want. Frank says, tell them what they want to know, and Troy asks, how many people is she prepared to hurt? Frank asks Victor to look at him, and Victor says his name is Victor Strand. He lied to Frank about so much, but what he felt for Frank was real. He says he loves them both in German, and as Troy is about to hammer Victor, Klaus says, no.

Daniel comes in, holding a knife to guard guy’s throat, and says, drop the hammer. The entire crew marches in, and June says, do it. Daniel says, drop the weapon, and Troy suggests Daniel follow his own advice, but Daniel knocks guard guy out, and someone knocks the hammer out of Troy’s hand. Madison gets free, and Daniel suggests, the next time, make sure they’re dead. June and the others keep their guns on Troy, and Troy asks what Daniel thinks he’s doing. Does he think he’s going to stop them? They know where this place is now, and they’ll keep coming back. Madison says, do that, and there won’t be anyone here for him to hurt. Her plan of building is about to expand. They took her in when she needed help, and she’s going to do the same. Troy says, she just told them what she did to him. What makes them think she won’t do the same to them? She says she did things she regrets, but the place she’s building isn’t about her. It’s about keeping something bigger alive. Daniel says, they have to get out of here, and Madison says, she’s building it for her kids, for Alicia. Troy says, she’s making a mistake. It’s the same thinking that got Alicia killed in the first place. She asks, how the hell would he know? and he says, because he killed her. She calls him a liar, and he says, she doesn’t believe him? He pushes his duffel bag toward her with his foot, and says, open it. Daniel tells her not to listen to him. Let’s get out of here. She takes out Alicia’s mechanical arm and asks, what is this? Troy says, she doesn’t recognize it? It belonged to Alicia. He took it off her corpse after he killed her. I yell, don’t believe him! at the TV, and Madison grabs the hammer, but Victor holds her back. He tells her not to let Troy get in her head. Troy says he would have put her down, but after all the wandering around he did in Mexico, he thought it was only right that he let Alicia wander too. Maybe Madison will find Alicia, or Alicia will find her and she can finish the job. She wants a fight? They’ll give her one, but the question is; what is it she’s even fighting for?  

This season, Madison says, someone’s got to stop him; Victor wants to go with Madsion; Madison says she has to put Alicia to rest and build PADRE into what she wanted; Daniel is going to strangle someone with his bare hands; and zombies, zombies, and more zombies.

👮🏽‍♀️ Busting Some Ghosts…

Join me tomorrow for soap and shenanigans in the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay dressing appropriately for that office Halloween party, and stay knowing, no one is gone until they’re gone.