Tag Archives: Finola Hughes

March 23, 2023 – The Ethics Committee Makes Its Decision, Casey Landing, Big Leap, Retiring, Why, Sailing, Jax Speaks, Reunion Buzz, Next Last, Festival News & Army

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I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Terry tells Elizabeth that her part is finished; they’re making their decision now. Elizabeth wonders how long it’s going to take, and asks if it’s good or bad. Terry says she wishes she knew. What she does know is, Elizabeth is an excellent nurse, and she made that clear to the Board. Terry’s phone dings, and she says she’ll be right back. She leaves, and Elizabeth tells Finn, part of her wants this over, but the other part wants it to drag on forever because, what if these are her last minutes on staff? Either way, she needs to face it and deal with it. He says, and she will. He knows how important her independence is to her, and if she wants to face this alone, he understands. She says, her life might be about to change forever. There’s no one else she’d rather be by her side. Terry comes back, and says she just got a notification that they’ve reached their decision. Elizabeth says, here we go, and some grey-haired guy I don’t know approaches her. He tells her, after careful consideration, the Committee has decided not to take any disciplinary action against her.

Gregory goes to Alexis’s office, and she says she has his car keys. He says, she called Finn, after he specifically told her not to discuss what’s happening in his life with Finn or Chase. She asks how she can explain what’s happening in his life if she doesn’t know because he won’t tell her? She’s worried about him. He says, about what? She just said she doesn’t know anything, so let’s just leave it that way. She says she can’t. He’s her friend. She cares about him whether he likes it or not.

Maxie, Sasha, and Gladys sit at Kelly’s, and Maxie says she’s getting a whole new education about the elements of the Nurses Ball. They wouldn’t believe how important it is to have the right lighting package. Fortunately, the lighting designer Lucy always used is available, but he’s not cheap. Thankfully, the Nurses Ball is fully funded, so all the proceeds can go to AIDS/HIV research. Sasha says she’s so glad Deception’s able to donate 300,000, and match the donations, and Gladys says, that’s a lot of money. Maxie says, Lucy will be so excited… God rest her soul, when Cody comes by, and asks Sasha if Kelly’s makes biscotti. She says, not that she knows of, but the cupcakes are spectacular. She asks if he knows Gladys, and he says, sure do. They met at The Savoy. Right, Gladys? Maxie asks what Gladys was doing at The Savoy, and Cody asks if Gladys is going to tell them, or should he?

In the hospital elevator, Portia flashes back to asking Curtis if there’s hope for them, and if their love for one another is strong enough to get them through this; and him saying, he doesn’t think their love can fix this. She comes out, and sees Marshall. She asks if everything is okay, and he says he’s just coming out from his follow-up with Dr. Samuels. She asks how it went, and he asks if Curtis didn’t tell her. She says, Curtis said he’d tell her if he could, but the information is private. She thinks that says it all, doesn’t it?

Curtis goes to the bar at Charlie’s, and orders scotch, neat. Jordan comes out and goes over to him, and he says she doesn’t have to worry. This is his first drink, but he promises it’s not his last. It might get ugly, so she might want to get while the gettin’s good. She says she’ll have what he’s having, and sits down. Yuck. I hate the smell of scotch.

Trina stops by Laura’s, and tells Spencer that she was in the neighborhood. She wanted to see if the baby is settled in okay. He says, things didn’t exactly go the way he hoped they would, when Esme comes out with Ace, followed by Laura. Trina says, Esme’s here? and he nods. Esme says, they live here now. Laura is Ace’s grandmother. Just one big happy family. Laura says, it’s nice to see Trina, who is not receptive to a hug, and Trina says she’s sorry to just show up. Laura says, she’s always welcome, and Trina says she didn’t want to disturb the baby. Laura says, this is a very recent development. Everybody thought it would be best if Esme and Ace stayed with them. Spencer says, the alternative would be to get Esme a place above Kelly’s, but that’s no place for a baby, and Esme tells Ace, mommy came up with a compromise. Laura says, it seemed like a good idea, and Trina asks if Spencer is going back to Sonny’s place, but he says, his grandmother has been generous in letting him stay here. That way, he can be here if his little brother needs him.

Jordan asks why Curtis is at Charlie’s instead of his own nightclub, and he says, too many things to bother him at his nightclub. Tonight, he doesn’t want to be bothered. He will have another scotch though. He tells her to go ahead and ask him what’s wrong, but she says she figures if he wants to tell her, he will. If not, it’s decent scotch. He always did love a fine highland malt. He says, she remembered, and she says, cop’s curse. He says he ran into Trina tonight, and she says she’s guessing by his bar tab, things went badly. He says, actually, it was the opposite, and she says, Trina’s a good kid. He says, Trina’s the best, but she still doesn’t want to take a DNA test. There was a moment there he thought they could really have a relationship. There’s just one big if. She says, if she turns out to be his daughter. It sounds like they made a nice start. He says, it was… until her mom walked in.

Marshall says he hates that there’s still so much distance between Portia and Curtis, and Portia says she knows it’s her fault. But Curtis has so little trust in her, he wouldn’t want to share Marshall’s latest medical evaluation? She just hopes the information Marshall got from Dr. Samuels was good. She starts to leave, but he says, wait. Don’t go. Is there somewhere they can talk? She says she doesn’t want him to feel obligated to keep her in the loop, but he says, this isn’t obligation; this is gratitude. She’s the one who suggested he might have been misdiagnosed 40 years ago, so she should know what the specialist said. She suggests they go to the breakroom.

Gladys says, it’s still a free country, isn’t it? Can’t she stop in a club without it becoming the town gossip? Sasha tells her not to be upset. It’s just not like her to go to The Savoy by herself. Cody says he thinks he knows why Gladys was there. The same reason he was there; it was ladies night. Gladys says, he’s got her.

Gregory says, if Alexis was really his friend, she’d stop prying into his personal and professional lives, but she says, if she didn’t pry, she wouldn’t know he’d been lying to her for months. If she didn’t speak to the dean, she wouldn’t know he didn’t work there anymore. He says, which wasn’t her place, and she has absolutely no business pressuring Finn to dig up information on him. If he hadn’t been with Finn when she called, she was going to tell his son everything, wasn’t she? She says, she doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know what’s going on with him. She’s just trying to help. He says he doesn’t want any help. Is that clear enough for her?

Grey-haired guy says, the Committee has determined that Elizabeth cooperated with Nikolas Cassadine in the service of providing medical care to a pregnant woman. They believe she had reason to assume involving the authorities would cause Mr. Cassadine to run off with Miss Prince, or worse, cause her harm. Dr. Finn and Dr. Randolph convinced them that Elizabeth might have saved Esme and her baby’s life. As such, no further action will be taken against her. Elizabeth thanks him, and he says she has an outstanding record, and many supporters. It was clear to the Committee that she’s an asset to the hospital. He wishes her good luck, and leaves. Terry says she has to speak to the Committee on another matter, and follows. Elizabeth hugs Finn.

Alexis says, so Gregory thinks she overstepped, and he says, she did. He’s not the one with a drinking problem. So in the future, please, save her sympathies for the people in her meetings. She says she jumped to the conclusion that he had a drinking problem because he appeared drunk at 11 am; then he was belligerent. And then he lied to her about really important stuff for a long time. He lost his job and lied about it. What is she supposed to think? He says he was wrong about her. She’s not a journalist. She’s like a cop who pulled him over. What’s next? A breathalyzer? She says, you tell me. Would he pass or fail?

Elizabeth thanks Finn for standing by her side through this whole awful ordeal, and he says, anytime. Terry comes back, and says, the Committee was influenced by what Finn had to say, but Finn says, it wasn’t just him. There were a lot of people willing to vouch for Nurse Baldwin’s commitment to this hospital and nursing. Elizabeth says, and Epiphany, but Terry says, fortunately, the Committee didn’t need to hear directly from her supervisor since she’s out of town, and there are several testimonies from Epiphany already in her file. Her support for Elizabeth is well known around here. So no excuses. She expects to see Elizabeth here tomorrow in uniform for her first shift. Terry leaves, and Finn asks if Elizabeth wants to call the boys with the good news, but she says she wants to tell them face to face when she gets home. This is her home too, and she almost lost it. He says he hated the thought of doing his rounds without her here having his back, and she says he’s managed without her in the past. He says he didn’t know what he was missing.

Cody says, Gladys was there for the music and the dancing. He was there because when it’s ladies night, there’s bound to be a few unattached ladies. Maxie asks if he got lucky, and he says, she knows how it is. It comes and goes. Right, Gladys? Gladys coughs, and says, went down the wrong pipe. She sips some coffee, and Cody says, be careful. Maxie says she has an offer for Cody that will change his life, and drags him outside. Sasha says she knows Cody upset Gladys, and she knows why.

Curtis says, Jordan doesn’t have to worry. He tried drowning his sorrows in a bottle on his wedding night; didn’t work. Tonight he’s just blowing off some steam. She says she’s probably not the best person for him to be talking to about this. If she hadn’t opened up to Stella, Trina might never have confronted Portia. He says, she wasn’t trying to sabotage his wedding. She knows him, and knows the kind of lies that… She says, the kind that blew up their marriage. She didn’t want the same thing to happen to him and Portia. He says he believes her. He’s just afraid it’s too late to do anything about it now. She says, as long as he meant the vows he said when he married Portia, there is something he can do. He says, which is? and she says, do what he couldn’t do with her – forgive her.

Trina says she hopes Esme knows how lucky she is to have someone like Laura looking out for her and her baby, and Esme says she did have her doubts when Spencer suggested she move above Kelly’s while Ace stayed here. She won’t be separated from her son. Laura says she never wanted that, and Esme says she did have a hard time believing that part, and that Laura’s loyalty wasn’t to Nikolas and Spencer. When she suggested they both stay here, Laura was so kind and quick to say yes, it reassured her. Laura says, they all want what’s best for Ace. Don’t we, Spencer? He says, it’s the only thing that matters, and Trina says she hopes it all works out for them. She has to go. Spencer says he’ll walk her out. In the hallway, Trina says, there’s no need to walk her to her car, and Spencer says he’s sorry. He didn’t want to spring this on her. She says, he doesn’t owe her an explanation, and he says, he wants her to understand the only reason he’s going along with this… She says she gets it; she really understands. Spencer and Esme get to raise him together. He says, that’s the last thing he wants, but if Esme and the baby hadn’t moved in here, he would have lost his brother for good. It was a necessary evil. Esme has the law on her side, and the power to keep his brother away from him. She says, moving Esme into his grandmother’s house was the only way to keep him close; she understands.

Esme and Laura come back from putting Ace down for his nap, and Esme says, the way Laura sang to Ace was so pretty. Laura says, it was the same lullaby she used to sing to her children, and Esme says, somehow she can’t picture Heather, or Ryan, singing to her, even if they had the chance. Laura says, fortunately, her biological parents didn’t raise her. She’s sorry Esme doesn’t have more good childhood memories, but it’s not to late to make sure her son will.

Trina says, in other words, Spencer is counting on Esme being someone completely new; a totally different girl than the one who was trying to do her crazy father’s bidding, and harm as many people as possible. He says, she has no memory of that time, and Trina says, she doesn’t seem to. When she visited Esme in Spring Ridge, she didn’t get the feeling Esme was putting on an act. But just because she doesn’t remember doesn’t automatically make her a good person. What if the new Esme is even worse than the old one?

Curtis asks what that makes him, and Jordan says, a loving husband, but he says, no. It makes him a hypocrite. Their marriage ended because of lies Jordan had been telling him for barely a year. So how is she okay with Portia’s even bigger lie that she told for 20 years? She says, he’s forgetting it wasn’t her choice to end their marriage.

In the breakroom, Portia says, Dr. Samuels is sure Marshall doesn’t have any of the markers for the disease? He says, not a single one. Of course (🍷) that doesn’t prove he doesn’t have schizophrenia, according to the doctor. She says, it makes it less likely because he doesn’t have any of the genetic markers, and he says, exactly. She says, it also explains why, after his original diagnosis, he never experienced another episode, and he says he can’t say he’s not pleased, after walking around for 40 years being afraid of a ticking time bomb in his head. He doesn’t know what he has, or if there was even ever anything wrong with him at all. She says, it seems like you’re stumbling around in the dark, and he says, it sounds like she knows the feeling.

Gladys says she hopes it hasn’t made Sasha doubt her. She couldn’t love Sasha more if Sasha were her own daughter. Sasha says she loves Gladys too, and knows Gladys is grieving Brando as much as she is. She just hates Gladys going out alone when they could be together. She suggests they make the Nurses Ball their coming out party. They’ll get all glammed up, and wow them on the red carpet. Gladys says, Sasha will have to wow them without her. She’s seen the fancy gowns they all wear, and she doesn’t have anything like that. Sasha thinks it’s a good excuse to buy her one, and Gladys says, with what? Sasha says, her money. What’s the fun in having it if she can’t share it with her? (Truth. I had money for a hot minute, and looking back, the things that made me happiest were doing things for other people.)

Cody keeps looking inside at Gladys and Sasha, and Maxie says, hello. Cody. Woman right here, giving him a great idea. Is he even listening to her? He asks if she wants him to ride in on a horse at the Nurses Ball. Do some rope tricks; what? She says, when she told him that she needed a cowboy, she meant to dance with the others, and he says, what others? She says, Magic Milo and the Magic Wands. Great music, they get to do this choreographed dance, all the women in the audience are screaming for him, and his costume is… simple. He gets a shirt that he gets to wear for about a minute, and he has these breakaway pants. He says, so this is a strip show. She wants him to take off all his clothes. She says, of course (🍷) not. He gets to keep his boots on.

Gregory tells Alexis that he’s going to say this one more time. He doesn’t have a drinking problem. Yes, he stumbled at the MetroCourt. Everyone stumbles now and then, even her. She claims he was slurring his words, but maybe it’s a case of confirmation bias on her part. She wanted to believe he was drunk, so she saw and heard what she expected. What she didn’t see was him pouring vodka into that orange juice. She says, just because no one saw, doesn’t mean… He asks if she’s ever seen him over his limit or out of control. In all the time they’ve been together, has he ever been drunk in her company? She says, no. Will he please explain to her why he got fired… He says, he wasn’t fired (told ya); he quit. She asks why he’d do that. That doesn’t make any sense. He loves to teach and loves journalism, yet he walked away from both. She can see something is really wrong here. Will he please let her help him? He says, he’s sick, and she says, is she allowed to ask what’s wrong? but he says, no. He already told her more than he intended. Next, she’ll want to see his medical chart. She says, no. He has someone to help him. Finn will get him the best hospital or whatever care he needs. He says, Finn doesn’t know, and it’s going to stay that way. She says, that doesn’t make any sense. Finn is one of the best doctors in the country. Why wouldn’t Gregory tell him? Gregory asks if she really wants to help him, and she says, she does. He says, there’s one thing she can do for him, and she says, name it. He says, give him back his car keys, and holds out his hand.

Elizabeth sends a text to Epiphany: I have some good news. Can we talk? Finn comes out of the elevator with Violet, and says, look who just got dropped off. Violet and Elizabeth hug, and Violet says, they’re going to Beradino’s for spaghetti and meat balls. Does Elizabeth want to come?

Maxie says she knows what Cody is thinking. This will be cheesy and embarrassing, and they’re exploiting men, but it’s not like that at all. It’s good, clean fun, and everybody loves it. He’ll be shaking his bootie for a fabulous cause. He says, for her, he’ll do it, and she says, that’s it? He says, no worries. He’s been a body double on location shoots before. He’s even shot a whole scene naked, on horseback. Just him; the horse still had his saddle on. She says, he’s still amazing, and they hug. Her phone dings, and he looks inside again.

Gladys says, Sasha is so sweet, but she wouldn’t feel right using Sasha’s money on herself. Sasha says she’s been doing some research. Traditionally, the conservator of a guardianship gets paid a salary. Gladys has been managing her finances this whole time for free. It’s only fair she get paid for all her hard work. Gladys says, that’s nice of her, and Sasha says she knows how hard Gladys has been trying to honor Brando’s memory. He would want her to do this. Maxie comes back with Cody, and says, who’s ready for some great news? but Sasha says, her first. They’ve got some shopping to do. Guess who’s going to be the belle of the Nurses Ball? She puts her arms around Gladys.

Portia says, she’s fine, but this is about Marshall right now. She’s sure Dr. Samuels explained that they’d be weaning Marshall off his medication, and monitoring him in case he had any unusual reactions. Marshall says, or that he doesn’t have any more episodes. Blah-blah-blah. What does that even mean? Were they that careless 40 years ago when they diagnosed him? Or did they just call it schizophrenia when he might have had something else? She says, Dr. Samuels is the expert in this field; she isn’t. He says, but she’s family, and he trusts what she tells him. She says she appreciates that. What she can say is the understanding of diseases like schizophrenia has evolved greatly over the last four decades. But she doesn’t want to second guess his original doctors, or hypothesize a theory, until they know more. He says, seems to him, she already knows more than she’s saying. Haven’t they learned keeping things to yourself does more harm than good?

Curtis says, if Jordan didn’t want their marriage to end, why didn’t she fight harder for it? and she says she fought as hard as she could. In the end, his happiness meant more to her than her own, because… She sips her drink, and he says, because he pushed her away. He was furious at the secrets she kept, but what if he wasn’t so quick to judge her? What if he’d handled things differently? Would they still be together? She says, they would.

Spencer tells Trina, that’s another good reason for Esme to stay here with the baby. If she starts to show her true colors, he’ll be the first to know. She says, Esme fooled him in the beginning, but he says, that was a long time ago, before he knew Trina. It’s like imitation vanilla; imitation anything really. Like that buttery stuff they put on your popcorn. Imitation crab, like a California roll. She asks if he just compared her to a California roll, and they laugh. He says, it’s easy to settle for an imitation of something, but everything Esme gave him, or pretended to give him in their relationship – support, understanding, connection – it was all fake, and he bought it and believed in it. Until he experienced the real thing. Trina showed him real support and real understanding, and a real connection. She gave him something that Esme could never give him – honesty. He may not always like what she has to say to him, but he never has to question whether it’s the truth.

Esme tells Laura that she wants to do right by her son; give him all the things she never had. Heather… her mother warned her not to trust Spencer… or Laura. Laura says, Esme’s mom isn’t anyone she should be taking advice from. Ace cries, and Laura says she’ll get him.

Trina says, the baby’s crying; Spencer should go. He says he’s sure the baby has all the help he needs, and she says, so does he. He says, does he? and she says, he knows he does. They move toward each other for a kiss.

Esme has her hand on the doorknob, when Laura brings out Ace, and says, she thinks this sweet little boy just missed his mommy. She gives Ace to Esme, who says, he should be sleeping.  She doesn’t know what’s keeping his brother. Laura says she’ll go warm up a bottle, and Esme thanks her. Laura leaves, and Esme opens the door, seeing Spencer and Trina. She says she thought Trina left.

Jordan tells Curtis, there’s no point in reliving all this again. The past is the past. Curtis says, but they’re still here, and she says, and drinking, which always makes people sentimental. He says, she knows good and well, it ain’t the blues, and she says, it’s been a long time since they’ve talked like this. He says, too long.

Portia thanks Marshall for his concern, but she thinks she’s burned all her bridges. In fact, she’s torched them. He says, she and Curtis need to build new ones, but she says she thought they were talking about him. She thinks if he wants answers, he should contact the original medical team that diagnosed him way back then. He says, if any of them are still around, and she tells him, it’s like he said, if a bridge is burned, build another one. She leaves, and he takes out his phone.

Sasha says, this is so exciting. She and Gladys are walking the red carpet together. Gladys says, and Sasha insists on buying her a fancy dress. How lucky is she to have such a generous daughter-in-law? Cody says, she’s lucky all right, and Maxie says, actually, they’re all lucky here, because Cody has decided to join Magic Milo and the Magic Wands, and bare almost everything for charity. He says, it’s for a good cause, and Maxie says, exactly. Now that her work here is done – she takes Gladys’s hand – let’s figure out something for Gladys to wear. She leads Gladys to another table, and says, she wants to know what Gladys is thinking as far as designers.

Sasha and Cody sit down, and Sasha says, he really made Maxie’s day. He says, same as she did with Gladys. So things are okay between her and Gladys now? Sasha says, they’ve both been struggling with their grief. That doesn’t always make for the best communication, but they’re working through it. Their conversation was so good today, she decided to start paying Gladys a salary. He asks if she thinks that’s a good idea, and she says, why not?

Gregory says, he asked Alexis to leave his keys – which, by the way, she had no right to confiscate – with the concierge, but once again she decides she knows best. She says she took his car keys because she cares about him. Whatever this is, he doesn’t have to go through it alone. She promises he can trust her. She promises, whatever he says to her won’t leave this room. He takes his keys, says, he hopes she meant what she told him about it never leaving this room, and leaves.

Elizabeth tells Violet, spaghetti and meatballs are her favorite. How could she say no? Violet asks if Jake and Aiden can come too, and Finn says, of course (🍷). What about Cameron? Violet says, he’s still too sad about Josslyn, but Finn says, maybe a night out would cheer him up. Violet says, then he can come too, and Elizabeth says, all her favorite people. That’s what she calls a celebration. Finn and Elizabeth each take one of Violet’s hands, and they leave.

Cody says, if Sasha thinks she can trust Gladys, who is he to say otherwise? and Sasha says, there’s a but in there somewhere. And she doesn’t mean the one he’ll be showing off at the Nurses Ball. He tells her, all he’s saying is, if she’s going to put Gladys on the payroll, trust, but verify.

Maxie tells Gladys, the more she knows Cody, the better she likes him. Yes, she’s grateful he agreed to be a Magic Wand with minimum fuss, but she knows Cody has flaws; everyone does. Maybe it’s that he doesn’t pretend otherwise. He’s got that whole broke cowboy with a sweet side thing. They look over at Cody and Sasha laughing, and Maxie says she sees a lot to like in him. She thinks Sasha would understand what she means. Does Gladys think there’s something going on there? Gladys says she hopes not, and Maxie asks, why? Doesn’t she like Cody? Gladys’s phone dings, and she sees a text from Selina: Your favorite poker buddies are in town for tonight’s game. You in?

Portia asks Terry if the Committee has made a decision about Elizabeth yet, and Terry says, she’s been reinstated. Portia says, what a relief. Elizabeth must be so happy. Terry says, it’s about time we had some good news around here, right?

On the phone, Marshall tells Stella that he knows she’s been avoiding him… since the wedding. He needs a favor… Does she still have all of Irene’s papers?… Are his medical records among them?

Jordan and Curtis are about to kiss, when an officer tells Jordan that her car is outside. Curtis says he thinks he’s about reached his limit, and she says, her too. Scotch is a lot stronger than she remembered. Her driver is ready. He says, a very good thing, and Jordan tells the officer that she’ll be right out. Curtis says, the drinks are on him, and Jordan thanks him. She tells him to have a good night, and leaves.

Trina says, she and Spencer were just… Spencer says, Trina was telling him how PCU has daycare in case he wants to take classes during the summer. Spencer is starting to really irritate me, the way he acts like Esme doesn’t even exist in the equation. Esme says , that’s very kind of her, but he won’t need to take care of Ace. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of her son. She goes back inside, saying, isn’t that right, Ace? Mommy’s going to take care of you. Trina presses the elevator button, and Spencer thanks her for stopping by. They say goodnight, and she leaves.

Tomorrow, Anna says, none of them are free; Esme tells Laura that she gets a really bad feeling when Victor Cassadine is around; and Victor asks what Spencer wants to happen to Esme.

🛸 Craziest…

This was one of my all-time favorite storylines. It was also when Faison was introduced, although we didn’t know he was Faison. When he arrived in Port Charles, he was romance writer PK Sinclair.

📺 Whatta Tease…

As usual, not much info, but I watch so little on network TV, I didn’t even know they’d revived Quantum Leap.

👗 A Good Kind Of Goodbye…

I’m a big fan of the wardrobe on GH, and hope her retirement doesn’t mean things will go downhill. Hmm… Maybe they’re also fans of my wardrobe. I’ve seen sweaters I own on the show a few times.

🏖  Thought So…

Yeah, I didn’t think Melissa just told Gia no with no explanation. I don’t blame her for not wanting a bunch of kids there alone. If there’s excessive drinking and anyone gets in an accident, NJ law would hold the homeowner responsible.

⛵️ Next In the Deck…

Captain Glenn rocks, but if you want some truly awful people, set sail.

🤼  Awful Speaks On Awful…

Yep. It’s pretty bad when the most awful human being on earth calls you out for being awful.

Oh, I didn’t realize he was 40. It’s a midlife crisis thing. Menopause for men. Or Tomopause if you will.

🍸 Reunion Build Up…

LVP and Ariana get the coveted seats. Both deserving.

Let’s have a kiki.

The gladiators enter the arena.

I’d be willing to bet Raquel wrote them up herself.

🛣  About the Last…

What’s up with Season 2.

https://ew.com/tv/the-last-of-us-season-2-everything-we-know/

Fun, but useless, trivia from Season 1.

https://ew.com/tv/jason-ritter-clicker-wife-melanie-lynskey-the-last-of-us/

🎸 Lolla This…

The latest on Lollapalooza. I always think I’d love to go to one of these festivals, but then I think porta-potty, and don’t.

https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/2023-lollapalooza-festival-lineup-1235290621/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/lollapalooza-2023-lineup-headliners-chicago-full-lineup-red-hot-chili-peppers-billie-eilish-kendrick-lamar/3100043/

☔️ Making It Rain…

Double back tomorrow for a dose of soap, a dash of tea, a liberal sprinkling of quotes, and a dollop of music. Until then, stay safe, stay never body shaming anyone, including yourself, and stay not being imitation anything. You don’t want to be that buttery stuff they put on your popcorn, or the crab in a California roll.

February 23, 2023 – Dex Leaves Sonny’s Fate Up To Josslyn, Evil Twin, Vanna, Red Carpet Reunion, New Location, Have a Nice Trip, Life’s Not a Cabaret, Villains & Border

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sam and Dante arrive back home. She complains about the airplane air wreaking havoc on her skin, but he says she’s as beautiful as ever, and they kiss.

Cody counts out one hundred dollars to the desk sergeant, and says he thought if the parking meter was broken, it was free to park there. He looks at Heather as she’s steered through the room, and she says, got a problem? The desk sergeant tells him that Heather is a raving lunatic. He can’t wait until she’s transferred to Pentenville to await trial. Sasha walks in, and says she’s here to see Heather Webber.

Josslyn wakes up, and finds Dex looking at her. She asks what he’s thinking, and he says, how much he likes waking up next to her.

Brook says, Sonny has a new granddaughter. The whole family is raving about Baby Amelia. He says he’s only seen her through the window in the NICU and in pictures. That’s why he’s here. He’s wondering if she can help him.

Nina comes out of the hospital elevator, and hears Drew telling the reception nurse that he’s extended family. He was asked to fill out the paperwork now that Willow is gone. Nina asks what he means by Willow is gone.

Wiley welcomes Willow home, and Michael says, Wiley’s been a champ, helping get everything ready for his baby sister. Wiley says he can help Willow too, and opens the door for her. Carly is inside with the baby, and says, welcome home. Willow says, home, exactly where she wants to be.

Sonny says he and Michael are still fighting, and Brook says she’s sorry. He says, it doesn’t get any easier. There was a moment, before and after Amelia was born, when he thought he was getting through to Michael, but nothing’s changed. She says, it must be so awful for him, and he says he appreciates that, but he might have a lot of years to get through to Michael. Nina and Willow might only have a few weeks. So he needs to find a way to convince Willow to see her mother.

Wiley says, Amelia is really small, but Michael says, before he knows it, she’ll be sitting up, then crawling. Willow says, Amelia will need Wiley’s help, and he asks if he should show her how to crawl. Willow says, he could show her how it’s done, so she’ll have someone to copy. She didn’t have an older brother growing up. Amelia is lucky to have him. Michael thanks Carly for taking care of the kids, and she says, of course (🍷). Anything they need, she’s here for them. He says, what he needs is a miracle, but it doesn’t seem to be coming. Carly hugs him.

Drew says, Willow is gone, as in home to the Quartermaines, and Nina says she feared the worst. He says, she checked out this morning, and Michael took her home. He’s just there to finish up the paperwork. Nina asks if she won’t get better care and more aggressive treatment at GH, but he says, there’s nothing more the doctors can do without a bone marrow donor. She wanted to be home with Michael and the kids; enjoy them for as long as she can. She asks if Willow is giving up.

Josslyn thanks Dex for saying it first. Her feelings for him aren’t casual either; she’s never felt like this before. She says she doesn’t want it to stop, and they kiss.

Dante asks if Sam thinks it’s too early for champagne. Doesn’t she think they deserve it? They took the longest of longshots, and found out Ryan Chamberlain is Esme’s dad. She says, was. Thank God that freak is finally dead. He says, the Invader article made it sound like all hell broke loose on Spoon Island last night, and she says she thinks the best thing that came out of there is that Heather Webber is in police custody, and on her way back to where she belongs – D’Archam. Dante says he’s kicking himself a little for not picking up on things. They knew The Hook was a woman. Heather’s escaped from tons of facilities, and every time he’s talked to her, she was gloating like she knew something he didn’t. Sam says, don’t do that. That’s Heather’s M.O. She likes to torment people she thinks have wronged her. He says, no wonder they both ended up on Heather’s hit list, but Sam says she’s too tired for irony. She wants to shower off the past 48 hours. He asks if she wants company, and she says, now that he mentions it, there’s a spot on her back she can’t reach. He says he can, and they run upstairs.

The desk sergeant asks if Sasha is Heather’s lawyer, and she says, yes. She needs to confer with her client. He says he’ll have Heather brought up from the cells, and leaves. Cody asks if Sasha knows what she’s doing, and she says, absolutely. That murderer killed her husband, and Sasha is going to see Heather is brought to justice.

Carly says, Baby Amelia’s been fed, changed, and she’s fast asleep, and Wiley says, she sleeps a lot. Michael says, sleep is good for babies. It’s good for all kids, Wiley included; it helps you grow. Wiley asks if Willow is growing too, because she sleeps a lot, and Willow says she was very tired when Baby Amelia was in her tummy. Wiley says, Baby Amelia is born now, and asks if Willow will be able to play with him again.

Sonny says, Carly didn’t tell Nina that she and Willow were mother and daughter; they wasted months when they could have worked toward a reconciliation. Brook says, it must be tearing him up, watching Nina go through this, and he says, all Nina wants is to be a mother. Nina’s not perfect. Nobody’s perfect, but Nina wants the best for Willow. She even decided to donate her bone marrow for transplant. Brook says, that’s so generous and loving, but Sonny says, Willow doesn’t want to see her mother. Nina’s never even held her granddaughter, and he wants to fix that.

Drew says, Willow is terminal, and made a decision about how she wants to spend the time she’s got left, and Nina says she understands. But Willow has two small children who need her, and Willow grew up without her mother. So if there’s a chance to prolong her life at the hospital until they find another donor, Willow should take that chance. He says, she was aware that she had the option to stay at the hospital, and chose to go home, but by leaving, she’s not going against any medical advice. Nina asks if Willow and Michael got a second opinion, or a third opinion. What exactly did the specialist recommend? Drew says, there’s nothing else they can do, and Michael and Willow have accepted that together. She says, with Carly’s input no doubt.

There’s a knock at the door, and Sam runs down to answer. It’s Cody, who asks if Dante is there. He called, but Dante isn’t picking up. Dante comes down, and asks, what’s going on? Cody says, Sasha Corbin’s in trouble. He can’t help her, and he’s hoping Dante can.

Sasha waits in the interrogation room, fingering her wedding ring, when Bennett brings Heather in. Sasha says she’d like to confer with her client in private, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, the prisoner is in shackles, but she’ll yell if she needs his help. He pushes Heather into a chair, and says, good luck, but be sure to keep a taser handy. He leaves, and Heather says, Sasha’s her lawyer? She’s sorry, but she doesn’t remember hiring her. Was she court appointed? She could have easily forgotten. That happens sometimes. She finds herself in a prison cell with absolutely no idea how she got there. It’s really unsettling. She can forget days at a time.

Willow tells Wiley that she still has to take it easy for a while, and Michael says, they have to be extra careful of mom. Wiley says he’ll play quietly, so he can help her get well, but Michael says, he doesn’t have to be quiet all the time. He’ll take Wiley over to the house, because Olivia and Leo are making pizza, and Olivia loves when he helps roll out the dough. Wiley asks if Willow wants him to save some pizza for her, and she says, of course (🍷). She tells him that she loves him, and he says he loves her too, hugs her, and leaves with Michael. Willow starts to cry, saying, she didn’t know it would be this hard, and Carly puts her arm around Willow.

Nina tells Drew that Carly must love having Willow home on the Quartermaine estate, where Nina can’t have access to her own child. She can’t have a conversation with her, or even look at her. He says, Carly isn’t loving one aspect of this; nobody in the family is. She says, nobody else in his family went out of their way to keep her and Willow apart. Carly chose to lie and manipulate, and hide the fact she was Willow’s biological mother. Carly not only lied to her and Willow, she lied to Drew for months. She can’t believe he’d be okay with that.

Dex’s phone rings, and he says he has an update on the Pikeman shipment. The boss is doing family stuff, so he asked Dex to handle the prep. When the merchandise arrives at Pier 55, they need trucks ready to deliver it to the warehouse, store it for 48 hours, then deliver it to Pikeman’s buyers. This is heavy ordinance, so they’re going to need six trucks. Make sure they’re checked in advance. If anything breaks down, they’re all doing federal time. Josslyn comes into the room, and asks, what’s Pikeman, and how can it land him in federal prison?

Cody tells Dante that Sasha gained access by claiming to be her lawyer. He didn’t want to  bust her, and get her in any more trouble than she’s already been in. She’s a nice lady. She’s been through hell, and she’s just putting her life back together. From what he read about Heather, she’s going to run through Sasha like a buzzsaw running through tissue paper. Sam says, Heather Webber lives to play mind games. When she finds out Sasha is Brando’s widow, it could be brutal. Cody asks if there’s any way Dante could go to the station and run interference without exposing Sasha’s lie, and Dante says, yeah. He won’t be long. Sam tells him to take as long as he needs, and Dante leaves. Sam asks why Cody cares so much about Sasha, and he says he just doesn’t want her to be Heather Webber’s next casualty.

Sonny says he understands if Brook doesn’t want to be put in the middle, but she says she’s lost count of how much she owes him. She’d be happy to help any way she can. He says, she doesn’t owe him anything. He just knows Michael will listen to her, and if she could just tell Michael that he needs to talk to him… Michael walks in, and says, there’s no need. He’s already here. What did Sonny want to talk to him about?

Dex says, the less Josslyn knows about Pikeman, the better, but she says, it’s a little late for that. She already knows there’s a shipment at Pier 55 with heavy ordinance and six trucks. He says he should have been more careful, but she says she doesn’t want him to be careful around her. That’s how it was with her mom and Sonny. He went about his business, and she pretended not to know anything, when in reality, she knew quite a lot. He says, it must have been hard for her, and Josslyn says, it was; she did a lot of pretending. Josslyn doesn’t want to pretend with him. He said he’d be done working for Sonny in six months, but what’s the point if he’s arrested on federal charges? He says he won’t be. Sonny’s the one who’s going to be arrested on federal charges.

Willow tells Carly, when she was at the hospital, all she could  think about was getting home, and it’s so good to be here, but is it good for her kids, when she’s so weak and only getting weaker? Carly thinks the answer is written all over Wiley’s face; he’s thrilled to have her home. Willow says, but he thinks she’s going to get better. She and Michael are letting him think that, and it’s a lie. How much longer can they keep lying to their child?

Drew tells Nina that he’s not okay with what Carly did. He made that very clear to her, but they’re members of the same extended family; they’re both related to Michael and Willow. She says, they seem very close these days, and he says, the whole family is rallying around Willow right now. Nina says she’d like to rally around Willow too, but thanks to Carly, she can’t even be near Willow, or have any chance of a relationship with her child. Drew says he’s sorry Willow doesn’t want to see her right now. He can’t imagine how painful that is, but Nina has no one to blame but herself.

Sam tells Cody that the coffee is probably strong; she’s fighting off jet-lag. He thanks her for the warning and the coffee, and says he’s surprised she didn’t show him the door after Dante left. She says, a couple of months ago, she may have done that. After making an entrance by parachuting into the pool at the MetroCourt hotel, he was sort of running one con after another, never saying why he was in Port Charles in the first place. Then he blackmailed Spinelli to set him up with Britt through Society Set-Ups, and he does have sealed juvenile arrest record. But ever since Britt died, he’s shown that he obviously cared about Britt a lot, and she appreciates him showing concern for Sasha. What she’s trying to say is, maybe she misjudged him.

Heather tells Sasha that she has the vaguest memory of Ryan Chamberlain dragging her and her daughter away from Spring Ridge. Ryan is terrifying. Every time she was with him, she would lose time for hours afterwards. Sometimes she thinks he was trying to hypnotize her.

Dante asks Bennett if Heather is with her lawyer, and Bennett tells Dante that they’re in the interrogation room. The lawyer wanted privacy. If it’s any consolation, the prisoner is still in shackles. Dante says, that’s not going to stop her from getting in the lawyer’s head, and goes into the room. He asks how it’s going, and Sasha says, the prisoner just gave her a demonstration of how she plans to fake insanity for The Hook killings.

Willow tells Carly that she and Michael had the perfect opening just now. When Wiley brought up how much she sleeps, they could have told him that she was sick, and that she won’t get well; that she’s going to die soon. Carly says, it’s a really difficult conversation to have with anyone, especially a child; her child. She thinks Wiley is too young to understand the concept of death. It’s okay if Willow didn’t want to tell him on her first morning home. Willow says she’s been reading all the literature about it, and knows they have to explain this to him, but when she thinks of actually saying the words, her mind goes blank. How does she tell her little boy that she’s going to leave him forever, and it didn’t have to be that way?

Dex says he’s working on the Pikeman shipment in order to get evidence on Sonny, and Josslyn asks if he’s a cop, or an undercover Fed. He says, nothing like that. He’s not law enforcement, and doesn’t work for any official authority. She asks if anything he’s told her about himself is true, and he says, everything. He’s ex-military. He did a tour of Afghanistan; he joined right after high school. What he didn’t tell her is, after the military, he went to work for a private security contractor. That’s who set him up with his current employer.

Sasha gets up, and says, Heather is a kidnapper, a murderer, a vicious maniac. She should have never been given life without parole. Truthfully, she should have been given the death penalty 30 years ago, but she repeatedly exploits her mental illness. She gets herself committed rather than going to prison, then somehow gains her release, either by escape or by manipulating the legal system. Dante says, there are plenty of loopholes in the system, and Heather’s a master at working her way through them. Sasha says, this time will be different. This time, she’ll be a witness for the prosecution, and she’s going to take Heather down for good.

Willow says she had the option to get treatment as soon as she was diagnosed, and Carly asks if it was a real option. Willow says, not for her. She would have had to terminate the pregnancy because of the damage the chemo would do to the fetus. It was unthinkable. She convinced herself that she could wait; that she could have a healthy baby and still recover from leukemia. She was half right; Amelia is healthy. Now she’s going to die and leave Wiley, which means she put Amelia ahead of her little boy. Carly says, Willow made a choice that was right for her as a mother. She gave her daughter the best chance at life, and put her own life at risk to do that. She may be leaving Wiley, but she’s also leaving behind the gift of a baby sister. She did the best she could for both her children. She’s got to stop blaming herself. Willow says she’s afraid. She loves Michael and her children so much. She doesn’t want to leave them. She cries in Carly’s arms.

Drew says, Nina and Willow are estranged, not because of anything Carly did, but because of what Nina did. Nina alienated her for years. She sued Willow and Michael for visitation rights to Wiley. Nina asks if it’s a crime for her to want to see her grandson, and he says, it’s the way she went about it that hurt Willow. And if Willow doesn’t want to spend time with her, that’s her right. She says, that all changed when she found out Willow was her daughter, but Drew says, Nina changed; Willow didn’t change. Nina says, yes, but if they had known when they were supposed to know the truth, Willow would have come to her for a bone marrow donation a lot sooner, and they would have had all this time to work out their differences and reconcile. He says, yes. Carly should have told Willow that Nina was her mother, and left the decision up to Willow whether or not to tell her. Nina says, but instead, Carly chose to lie to both of them, and Drew says, it’s not the same thing. Carly owed Willow the truth; she didn’t owe Nina anything. She says, wow. Drew is as self-righteous and unfeeling as Carly. She sees it now. And when payback comes, he’ll be just as deserving. She walks away.

Sonny says, Nina went to the hospital to try and visit Willow, and Michael says he brought Willow home this morning. Sonny says, there’s no hope for treatment? and Michael says, they’re still waiting for a donor, but they’re running out of time. Sonny says, then it’s important for Nina and Willow to connect. Is there any way Michael can persuade Willow to see her mother? Michael says, he can’t do that, and Sonny says, or he won’t because Michael’s still holding a grudge against him and Nina? Michael says, this isn’t about Sonny or Nina; this is about Willow. She’s dying. She gets to spend her last days the way she wants, not trying to make Nina feel better. Sonny says he’s done everything to reach Michael; he’s done. If Michael can’t have any compassion for Nina, even when her child is dying, then what happens next is on his head. Sonny walks out.

Josslyn asks who Dex is working for, and she doesn’t mean the private contractor. Dex flashes back to Michael saying he wanted to take Sonny down, but not at the expense of his mom or sister. He’d rather blow this whole operation up than put his sister at risk, and Dex needs to find a way to keep Josslyn at a distance. Dex tells Josslyn that he’s sorry, but that’s the one thing he can’t tell her; not until it’s over. She asks when that will be. He was beaten and tortured. Isn’t that incriminating enough to finish the job? He says, the Pikeman shipment is on a whole other level; he’s talking federal charges, potential violations of the National Security Act. When he gets the proof, and turns it over to his employer, and his employer turns it over to the Feds, Sonny’s going away forever… Isn’t that what she wants? Hating Sonny and punishing him for the rest of his life are two different things. If she wants, he’ll tell his employer that he’s out, before the Pikeman shipment ever lands. She says, and Sonny will be in the clear? and he says, it’s up to her. Whatever she wants.

Sam asks if Cody has heard of the Ice Princess, and he says, only in reference to the necklace, but no specifics. Why? She says, at one time, it was the world’s largest uncut diamond, and it belonged to her grandfather Mikkos Cassadine. He says he heard she was related to the Cassadines somehow, and she says she’s never been a particularly suspicious person, but when she found out that the diamonds in Britt’s necklace were part of the Ice Princess, she saw all these flashing lights and there were chills up her spine. Nothing but misery has ever come out of that diamond. He says he wishes he could blame all his failures on some cursed diamond, but he only has himself to blame for his mistakes with Britt. He let his greed get the better of him. She says, that’s very big of him, and he says, shocker, but greed gets the best of him over and over. She says, greed caused her to make a lot of bad decisions, but she just stopped, and he asks, how? She says she guesses she just realized there were more valuable things to chase. If she could figure that out, he could too. He says, here’s hoping, and thanks her for the coffee. She says, of course (🍷), and he leaves. In the hallway, Cody looks at Mac’s number in his phone.

Heather wails that she hasn’t done anything. All she wants is to see her daughter. Her daughter was having a baby, and they ripped her away. Ryan Chamberlain was threatening her… Sasha says she’ll give it to Heather; that’s a compelling act. But she can be compelling too. She was with Brando at Charlie’s in his last moments, before he followed Josslyn into that alley, and Heather callously, brutally murdered him. Heather says she doesn’t even know anyone named Brando, but Sasha says, the jury will know him. She’ll tell them. She was eating pie when he left. Their last kiss tasted like cherries. She’ll testify to Brando’s frame of mind, his courage, his kindness. She’ll make the jury feel the terrible injustice of her husband’s murder. Heather’s poor pitiful lunatic act won’t stand a chance against her grieving widow. And she won’t stop in the courtroom. She’ll try Heather in the court of public opinion. She’ll go on podcasts, talk shows, anyone who will give her a platform, and she will crusade about the loopholes in the legal system that allowed a psychopath like Heather to rampage through Port Charles, when she should have been stopped decades ago. She’ll do whatever it takes to see Heather is guilty on all counts of multiple murders, with consecutive life sentences. Heather will spend the rest of her days in solitary in Pentenville where she belongs. Dante says, while he looks forward to Sasha’s testimony, this interview is over. Sasha leaves through the side door, and Heather says, just the two of us, huh? He says, yeah, and she says, good. She wants to confess.

Tomorrow, Scotty says he’s about to make Robert’s life a whole lot easier; Sonny tells Spencer that he can’t fix Esme; and Heather visits Esme in the hospital.

⚰️ Dead Again…

In case you didn’t know Ryan. He has a tendency to bounce back. I fully expect him to reappear down the road, and say the dead guy was his and Doc’s triplet.

💞 Conscious Coupling…

Everyone seems to be on board with these two. I’ve been hoping for this pairing since Anna was with Finn and they had zero chemistry.

👩‍👧 Mother and Daughter Reunion…

Life outside of Port Charles.

🦚 DOOL Move…

You’ll have to pay Peacock to see Days of Our Lives, but the plans are pretty cheap.

🤸‍♀️ Tumbling Marks…

I’m not quite sure what happened here, but it’s definitely amusing.

🗽 No Jovani For You…

Nobody likes a mean drunk. The poor Countess though. Not her week.

⚔️ Conflicted…

As much as Jax is the most awful human being on earth and I despise him, I might have to watch this.

🌷 Calling Doctor Spring…

Come dig into tomorrow’s cornucopia of soap, tea, citations, and February appropriate music. Until then, stay safe, stay cultivating common sense, and stay not being self-righteous and unfeeling, or when payback comes, you’ll be deserving.

January 24, 2023 – Josslyn Begs Cameron To Stay Silent About Dex, Kristina’s Pal, Opening Up, Anniversary Watch Party, No Snooki, Academy Picks & the City

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dex goes in to see Sonny, and says, sorry for interrupting. Sonny says, as long as Dex knows, it’s always family first, and Dex says he does. Sonny asks what Dex has to tell him, and Dex says, Sonny told him to stay away from Josslyn, but he couldn’t.

Josslyn asks Cameron not to tell anybody about her and Dex, and he says, excuse me? Josslyn dumps him for Dex, and expects him to keep his mouth shut? She says, please, it has to stay a secret, and he asks, why? Because she’s ashamed of what she did? She says, no, because she’s afraid of what Sonny could do if he finds out.

Sam meets Maxie at The Savoy, and apologizes for being late. Maxie says she’s just glad Sam is there. It’s important for them to make time for each other when they can. Sam says, Maxie’s thinking of Britt, and Maxie says, yeah, and all the times she wanted to text Britt to just hang out or go shopping. But Britt was really busy, so there were a lot of texts never sent. When Sam’s name came up in her phone, she thought she’d really like to see her friend. Sam says, it’s good to see Maxie too.

Laura says, tell her what’s going on, and Elizabeth says, her mother is in town. Laura asks, why? Does Elizabeth think she wants to make almonds amends? Elizabeth says, apparently, that’s just a bonus. She’s here to consult on a patient. Laura says, and Elizabeth doesn’t believe her, but Elizabeth says she doesn’t know. After everything her mom and her dad have done, can she risk trusting her? Laura asks if her mom deliberately tried to get in touch with her, and Elizabeth says she thinks Carolyn just ran into her by accident. When they talked, she seemed sincere about wanting to make up for all the harm she caused, the lost time… It’s just that… Laura says, it’s just that with their history, it’s hard for Elizabeth to trust her, and Elizabeth says, exactly. Laura says she’s sorry. Unfortunately, she’s starting to feel that way about Nikolas.

Carolyn says she came all the way from Monterey because Nikolas said her daughter was in trouble and needs her help. Nikolas says, it’s true. He trusts she hasn’t told anybody about her trip, especially Elizabeth, and she says she hadn’t, but she ran into her daughter at Kelly’s. He asks what Elizabeth said, and Carolyn says she did as he asked and didn’t tell Lizzie about his phone call; just that she was here to consult on a case. He says he knew he could count on her discretion, and asks if she’d like a drink. She tells him, no thank you, but he could answer her question. What’s going on with Lizzie? What kind of trouble is her daughter in?

Paris, France. Valentin and Anna go into a monastery, and a monk asks if he can help them. Anna apologizes for it being late, and says, they’ve been reading about this ancient monastery, and the history is fascinating. Anna tells the monk that they’re going to pray, and she and Valentin kneel down by the altar. The monk leaves, and Anna says, if Valentin’s friend Renee doesn’t show, they’ll have to pray for a miracle. They’re running out of time to find Lucy before it’s too late.

Elizabeth asks what Nikolas did this time, and Laura says, he wants her to side with him when he sues Esme for full custody of her baby. She asks if it’s hard for Elizabeth to hear this stuff when she was recently involved with him, but Elizabeth says, no. What happened was… It ended as quickly as it began. They’re back to being friends. Laura says she’s glad to hear that. Nikolas needs all the friends he can get right now. Elizabeth says she knows the feeling, and Laura says she’s glad Elizabeth reached out to her. Would Elizabeth like her to talk to Carolyn; find out why she showed up suddenly after all these years, especially after Elizabeth told her that she didn’t want anything to do with her or Jeff? Elizabeth thanks her, but says, her mom is an expert at mind games. She played them on Elizabeth as a teenager, and she’s still dealing with the consequences. Laura says, Elizabeth knows she’s a part of her family too, right? and Elizabeth says, Laura is the mom she always wished she had. Laura takes her hand, and Elizabeth says, her birth mom wants back into her life, and she keeps asking herself, should she give Carolyn another chance?

Nikolas tells Carolyn, Elizabeth’s troubles started long before she came to Port Charles. Or does he have to remind Carolyn how young her daughter was when she and Jeff cut her loose to save their marriage? She asks if that’s what Elizabeth told him, and he says, yes. He and Elizabeth have been good friends; they tell each other everything. Elizabeth told him all about her dad’s unfortunate affair when he was supposed to be serving humanity out there in the Pacific. She says, Jeff’s not perfect, and neither is she, and Nikolas says, Elizabeth also told him about the unintended consequences that led to the death of Hamilton Finn’s wife Reiko. And how Carolyn used her skills as a psychiatrist to suppress Elizabeth’s memory of the incident. If she really wants to help her daughter, she’ll stop asking him questions, and do exactly as he says.

Maxie tells Sam, everything is set for Britt’s memorial. She’s sure if it were up to Britt, it would be another bash like her birthday. Sam says she heard it was legendary, and Maxie says, beyond. The drag emcee and shirtless waiters were just the beginning. She realizes now that Britt meant for it to be a goodbye party. Britt was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. She knew she was terminal… She should have had more time, years more. Sam hopes it’s some consolation that Britt died saving someone’s life, but Maxie says, the only consolation will be when the police identify The Hook, and send them to jail for the rest of time. Which got her thinking, has Dante shared any details from the police investigation with Sam? Sam asks if Mac has shared any details of the investigation with Maxie, and Maxie says, Mac never shares any details of police investigations with her… but she’s sure he shares them with her mom, because they’re a couple and he trusts her. And with a high stress job like that, you need someone to confide in. Sam and Dante are a couple, which gets her thinking… Sam says, most of the time, Maxie would be wrong, and Maxie says, and this time? Sam says, Maxie’s right. She and Dante are working together.

Anna tells Valentin, they can’t wait any longer. If the entrance to the catacombs is somewhere here, they have to find it themselves. He says, they have to wait for Renee. She’s not that late; she’ll be here. She’s a cataphile. She knows the catacombs better than anyone he’s ever met. Anna asks, what is it about her? Is it her knowledge of the catacombs that fascinates him, or is it the history they share? He says he was another man; that was another life. He took huge risks, and made large amounts of money illegally for a lot of people, including Renee. He can’t say he regrets that time in his life because it was a lot better than the one he had previously. She says, and now he’s revisiting it, when Renee says, there they are. Have they brought everything they need? Anna says, everything they need is in that backpack, and in French, Renee asks Valentin if he has everything he needs. The monk comes back, and Renee says, they won’t be long; she promises. She takes Valentin’s arm, and says, they may have to find their way in the dark.

Sonny asks Dex to explain why he couldn’t stay away from Josslyn, and Dex says, on New Year’s Eve, he was crossing Pier 55, and heard the signs of a struggle. He went to check it out, and found Josslyn on the ground, and a woman who turned out to be Britt Westbourne struggling with The Hook. Sonny says, go on, and Dex says he took a shot. It was a bad angle, and he didn’t want to risk hitting Dr. Westbourne, but the attacker dropped her weapon and took off. He went to check on Josslyn; she was shaken up, but not injured. Dr. Westbourne said she was okay. She must not have realized she’d been hit. Sonny says, so this happened New Year’s Eve. Why is he just hearing about it now?

Josslyn tells Cameron that Sonny told Dex to keep his distance from her. If Sonny finds out they’ve been seeing each other… Sonny prides himself on having his own code. If you break that code, you pay with your life. Cameron asks if what she’s saying is, she wants him to keep his mouth shut to save the neck of her new boyfriend, but she says she’s asking him to save a life. It’s Dex’s life, and she understands, but she knows Cameron. He would never deliberately hurt somebody else just for the sake of payback. He says, maybe she doesn’t know him as well as she thinks.

Carolyn says she won’t allow Nikolas to question her motives. She came all the way across the country to help her daughter; nothing more, nothing less. She knew there was a chance that Lizzie wouldn’t even talk to her, but that’s between her daughter and her. He says, first of all, no one in Elizabeth’s life calls her Lizzie; no one. And second, Elizabeth’s fate and his are intertwined. They’ve played a pivotal role in each other’s lives for decades. Can Carolyn say that? She says she has the feeling if he and Elizabeth are having a problem, he’s the one to blame, not her daughter. He says he’s not going to deny that, because she’s right, but he and Elizabeth are well past the place of pointing fingers. They’re both in trouble. End of story. Unless Carolyn chooses to act, and she acts now. Or was she just lying when she said she wanted to help? She asks what he wants her to do, and he says, years ago, she went to great lengths to protect Elizabeth, or so she said. Use those same skills to save her daughter before it’s too late.

Elizabeth tells Laura that Carolyn seems to genuinely regret the choices she made. It’s not like Elizabeth has never crossed a line or done something she’s regretted. Laura says, welcome to the club. It’s called being human. The important thing is, you just can’t let your past mistakes determine your future. Elizabeth asks if that same standard shouldn’t apply to her mom, and Laura says, yeah. Let’s start by assuming her mother is sincere and just wants a fresh start with her. Does Elizabeth think she could meet her halfway, and begin the healing process? Elizabeth says she’s always dreamed of her boys knowing their grandparents, and Laura asks, what stops her? Elizabeth says, at what point can she let go of the past, and actually forgive her parents?

Josslyn tells Cameron that she understands. She didn’t handle this situation the right way. She’s given him every reason to hate her, but she can’t believe he’d stand around and let Sonny blame it all on Dex. He says, she is so selfish. She totally broke his heart, but he thought, at least she’s being honest with him. It turns out, she was lying. It wasn’t because they grew apart. She dumped him because she found a new guy, and she wants him to help Dex? The answer is no. He’s not doing a favor for her and her new boyfriend. She says, don’t call him that, and he says, he is, isn’t he? But what goes around, comes around. She got with Dex by cheating on him, and he’s looking forward to the day Dex cheats on her, because that’s what she deserves. She got Dex, but at a cost, which is their friendship, now dead and buried. Let him be perfectly clear, it was her who ended it, not him. She says, absolutely. She gets it. She waited to long to tell him how she felt, so blame her, don’t blame Dex. He says, she made her choices. He has his too, and he’ll be damned if he keeps Dex’s secret for him.

Dex says, right after New Year’s, Miss Reeves found out her daughter has leukemia, and Sonny’s been focused on that. That’s why he came here today. He’d already left it too long, and knew Sonny needed to know. Sonny says, so he took a shot at The Hook, The Hook ran off, then what? Dex says, Dr. Westbourne wanted to call the police, but he knew if he was there, they would confiscate the gun, and trace it. Since he didn’t know where Sonny got it, he didn’t want to risk the scrutiny, but he didn’t want to leave Josslyn alone; she was pretty shaken up. Sonny says, so Dex took Josslyn with him, and Dex says, he explained to her why he couldn’t stick around for the cops, and gave her a choice. She chose to come with him. Sonny says, he just left Britt there, and Dex says, she agreed to cover for them. None of them saw The Hook’s face; she was wearing some kind of mask. None of them had any other information to offer. There was nothing to be gained by him or Josslyn talking to the cops; it would have only caused complications. Sonny says, so Dex and Josslyn left the pier. Where did they go? Dex says, back to his apartment, and Sonny says, Dex took Josslyn back to his place. Dex says, she didn’t want to go to her mom’s, and didn’t feel safe at her place. She was still shaken up, and he didn’t feel she should be alone. Sonny asks how long Josslyn stayed with him, and Dex flashes back to them getting busy. He says, a couple hours. Then she asked to go to Kelly’s, and he took her back to her mom’s. Sonny says, Carly knows? and Dex says, yes, sir. Sonny says, but Dex waited until now to tell him? and Dex says, only because of Miss Reeves. She needed Sonny, and Sonny was focused on her. He figured that was more important. Sonny says he appreciates the gesture, but it doesn’t let Dex off the hook, no pun intended.

Josslyn says, Cameron is right. He doesn’t owe Dex anything, but she’s not asking for his sake. She’s asking for the sake of what they’ve meant to each other. He says, what is that exactly? It’s clear to him that she didn’t give a crap about him. She says, that’s not true. She does care about him. She’s talking about before they broke up. He says, before she slept with Dex, and she says she hates seeing him this hurt; that’s on her, she knows.  She knew what her feelings were, and didn’t say anything. She was trying to shield him, and made everything worse. She’s sorry. He’s a good guy. They’ve been friends forever, so she’s asking for the sake of those two friends who shared everything, the good and the bad. He asks if Dex means that much and him so little that she’s willing to compromise herself, and expect him to do the same.

Sam says, the reason she was late is that she just got back from Spring Ridge, and Maxie asks who she was visiting. Sam says, Esme Prince, and Maxie says, ugh. Because? Sam says, there’s a connection between Esme and the victims of The Hook attacks, and Maxie says she read all about it in The Invader. Sam’s mom’s coverage is must read journalism. Sam says, her mom is actually the reason she went to Spring Ridge. She wants Sam to track down Esme’s nanny. Maxie says, that’s not random or anything, and Sam says, it’s kind of a convoluted story, and the details are part of the investigation and privileged, so she can’t share them. But she can share that the nanny raised Esme after Esme’s adoptive parents died. The nanny Maggie Fitzgerald could potentially have information about a suspect in The Hook attacks. Maxie says, that’s a lot of mights and potentials, and Sam says she knows it’s a long shot. Maxie asks where Dante fits in, and Sam says, the police are on a parallel track. She and Dante are going to London to track down the last known address…  Maxie asks when Sam was going to tell her about this, and Sam says she was just telling her. Maxie says she knows. They’re going to track down the nanny who might have information, blah-blah-blah, but Sam and the man she loves are going to England. It’s exciting. Sam says, yes, actually. It’s really exciting.

Laura says she’s not suggesting Elizabeth give her mother a free pass, but she thinks Elizabeth might regret it if she doesn’t at least try to work things out with her mom. Ultimately, it’s Elizabeth’s decision, and she’s here for Elizabeth, no matter what she decides. Elizabeth says, Laura doesn’t play fair, all this appealing to her better angels. She’ll do her best. Laura says, it’s all any of them can do.

Nikolas says, there’s a young woman currently being held in a minimum security prison known as Spring Ridge, and Carolyn says, it’s where Ryan Chamberlain is being held, correct? He says, yes. He’s the most infamous inmate, but the young girl he mentioned is fascinating in her own way. Carolyn asks, how so? and he says, before she was sent to Spring Ridge, she showed up at GH very pregnant, with no clue how she got that way. She asks if he’s saying the girl has memory loss, and he says, so it seems; she’s a total blank slate. But more important, she has to stay that way. She says, important to who? Him? He says, and Elizabeth, and she asks, what exactly doesn’t he want this poor young woman to remember? He says, it’s better if she doesn’t know, and it’s better for her daughter if this poor young woman never gets her memory back.

The monk closes the doors, and Valentin says, the coast is clear. Where’s the entrance to the catacombs? Renee asks if he can feel it too, and he says, feel what? She says, the thrill, the rush, just like it used to be it. It can be that way again, and he says, she knows him; first, they finish the job. She says, and then? Anna joins them with the backpack, and asks what they’re waiting for. They go inside the catacombs.  

Carolyn says, Nikolas is asking her to medically manipulate an already damaged young woman to serve his needs? He says he’s asking her to use her expertise for the greater good, while serving Elizabeth’s needs. She says, if her daughter agreed to that, Elizabeth would have asked herself, and he says, Elizabeth has a good heart; that’s partly why she’s in this mess. She needs her mom to help her out, using her skills and training to suppress Esme’s painful memories like she once did for Elizabeth. She says, when did that procedure on Lizzie, she was thinking about her emotional well-being, but Nikolas says he doesn’t think Elizabeth thought it was in her best interest. They both know how much she’s suffered since then. Isn’t that what lured Carolyn back here, the opportunity to make it right? Carolyn says, and Nikolas calls himself a friend, and he says he’s a better friend than she is a parent, but she has the chance to atone for that. He’s offering her one last chance.

Josslyn says, their friendship is something she cherished, and Cameron says, stop pretending she has any respect for him. All this crap about how they couldn’t make it as a couple didn’t mean anything because she didn’t want to make it work; she found someone else. And now she wants him to keep her dirty little secret. She says, Dex works for Sonny; that complicates things. What she did hurt Cameron, and she hates that. If their friendship has to take a time out because of that, that’s fine; she understands. But she wants their friendship to have a future, somehow somewhere down the road. She wants him to want that too. He says, what if he doesn’t want that? What if he can’t ever find it in himself to forgive her? What then? She says, then she has to tell Dex before this gets back to Sonny.

Dex tells Sonny that he picked up the casing, so there’s nothing to tie the gun to what happened on New Year’s. He puts the casing and gun on the table, and says he understands if Sonny doesn’t trust him with it anymore. Sonny says, keep it, but he wants Dex to spend more time at the shooting range, because he doesn’t want Dex to miss next time. As long as Dex can look him in the eyes and swear he’s telling him everything.

Valentin says, the smell brings back memories, and Renee says, the smell in the catacombs is very memorable. He says, and not in a good way. They’ve been walking for a while now; how far have they gone? She says, they’ve gone at least one mile underground, and he asks if they’re getting closer to the compound where Victor is holding Lucy. She says, it can’t be far now, and he calls to Anna. He says, Anna was right behind them, and Renee says, it’s easy for people to get lost, especially when it’s their first time. He says, they have to go back and look for her, and Renee says, or they could celebrate that it’s just the two of them now.

Dex says he’s told Sonny everything. He can ask Josslyn. Sonny says he plans to, but he does appreciate Dex showing him respect, especially with what’s going on with Michael and Willow; they’re going through a tough time. Dex says, if Sonny doesn’t mind him asking, how are they doing? and Sonny says, they’re waiting to see if Nina’s a match so she can be a marrow donor for Willow. Dex says he hopes everything works out, and Sonny thanks him for looking out for Josslyn that night. He’s not officially her stepfather anymore. She wants nothing to do with him and he has no say, but she’s still important to him. Dex says, it goes with the job, right? Protecting everyone who’s important to Sonny. Sonny says, that’s the same thing he used to say when he was young, and had to prove himself. Dex is doing good. The sky’s the limit for him.

Cameron tells Josslyn, all this talk about cherishing their friendship is just BS. She just wants to  butter him up so he’ll stay quiet about her wannabe mobster boy toy. She says she hurt Cameron, and now he wants to hurt her; maybe she deserves that. But that doesn’t change the fact that if Sonny finds out she slept with Dex, he could turn on Dex. He might even have Dex killed. Does Cameron get that? He tells her, don’t dare try to make this his fault. She screwed him over, and he doesn’t owe her a damn thing. He walks to the door, and she asks where he’s going. He says, to Kelly’s, to go to his normal, boring, non-mafia job, and she asks what he’s going to do. He says, what does she think? Does she really believe he’s going to go on the internet and tell everyone his girlfriend left him for some stupid criminal? Her secret is safe with him. She thanks him, but he says, don’t dare thank him for being a better person than she is. Unlike her, he doesn’t betray the people he cares about. He leaves.

Laura says, it’s pretty clear there’s something else weighing on Elizabeth. Does she want to talk about it? Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to involve Laura in any more of her troubles. As much as she’d love to blame her parents, she’s not that 15 year old girl they shipped off. She’s a grown woman with three kids of her own. At some point, she needs to take responsibility for her own decisions. Laura says, that’s something they all need to do, but if what Elizabeth is struggling with involves Nikolas, she’s already involved. He’s her son, and she loves him. She always will, but she knows how persuasive he can be. Nikolas can make a bad idea seem reasonable. Elizabeth says she knows, and Laura asks if he’s imposed on their friendship. Elizabeth says, he talks a good game, but the choices she’s made are the choices she’s made, and she has to live with them. Laura says, she can always change her mind. Whatever it is, Elizabeth can tell her.

Maxie says she’s happy Sam found love again. To have been hurt so badly and grieve, then risk her heart again? She really admires Sam. Sam says, falling in love with Dante wasn’t some courageous act. It was actually the easiest most natural thing she’s ever done. They were friends, and she liked him; then she was like, wow, I love him. He told her that he loved her, and it just felt right. Don’t get her wrong. There have been plenty of bumps in the road along the way. Maybe she could have taken the pressure off with the whole moving in situation. Maxie says, because it was so important, she might screw it up? Like moving in together might be the beginning of the end? Sam says, pretty much, but moving in together wound up being wonderful. They fit really well together as a family. Maxie says, that’s awesome… and dangerous.

Nikolas says, what does Carolyn say? Does she want to put her psychiatric skills to use to help her daughter? She says, go to hell. All those years ago, when she used her skills so Elizabeth could forget that traumatic experience, she told herself that she was doing what was best for her daughter, but that wasn’t true. She was taking the easy way out for her and her husband, and she’s spent a lifetime wishing she could undo that mistake. The one and only reason she came to Port Charles was to make it right with Elizabeth. She’s not going to compound her mistake at the expense of another poor, young, innocent woman. Nikolas says, the woman in question is hardly innocent, and Carolyn says, the trouble is, she doesn’t trust him. And she absolutely will not use her knowledge of the human mind to play God with someone else’s life. She made that mistake decades ago, and it’s a mistake she’ll always regret. She picks up her stuff, and walks to the door. Nikolas says, maybe this time, Elizabeth will regret it, and Carolyn stops, turning around.

Valentin says, Renee is right. It is just her and him, and that’s a problem for him. They have to turn around and find Anna. Renee asks, what’s the rush? If Anna is as resourceful as he’s been telling her, doesn’t he think she’ll catch up… eventually, that is. She knows he can feel the heat between them. Those old feelings don’t just evaporate. She can still remember those wild times they had. She doesn’t think it’s possible to forget them. It can be like that again – she moves closer, about to kiss him – only better, if you play your cards right. A flashlight shines toward them, and Anna says, there they are. She took a wrong turn and thought she lost them… Did something happen while she was gone?

Carolyn says she can’t believe Nikolas calls himself her daughter’s friend, and he says, when Elizabeth graduated high school, he was there. Where was she? When Elizabeth graduated nursing school, he was there. Where was she? When the three boys were born, when Franco died, for all those times, he was there to hold Elizabeth’s hand, to wipe her tears away, to celebrate her victories. He was there for all of it. She was there for none of it, so don’t take that sanctimonious tone with him, because that flag won’t fly. She says, what she and Jeff did to Elizabeth all those years ago, broke their hearts, but at least they were able to tell themselves that Elizabeth had her grandmother to look out for her when they couldn’t. And her friends. Or so they thought. Now she sees how wrong they were. He says, they can agree on one thing, Audrey was a saint. She took great care of Elizabeth, and so did her friends, including him. If Elizabeth needs anything, day or night, all she has to do is call, and he’ll be there. Carolyn says, please. He’s just out to save himself. He says, she’s partially right. He does want to save himself, but he wants to save Elizabeth  too. Can Carolyn say that? She walks out.

Elizabeth tells Laura, it started off simply. She just wanted to repay a friend. Nikolas was there when her life went sideways when Franco got killed, and the more she got involved in his plan… Cameron walks in, and says, it’s great to see Laura. He hugs Laura, and says he didn’t think Elizabeth would still be here. She wasn’t waiting for him, was she? Elizabeth says, no. Laura came to meet her and they got to talking. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine; never better. In fact, he’s so fine, he wants to treat them to a special dessert. Elizabeth says, he doesn’t have to, but he says he wants to. It’s on him; on the house. He goes in the back, and Elizabeth asks if he’s trying too hard. Laura says, in a word, yes.

Maxie says, Sam and Dante really are the picture of domestic bliss. Two jobs, four kids; all they need is a dog. But all that domesticity can get in the way of romance. Tell her if this sounds familiar. Between Sam’s job and Dante’s job, making dinner, helping kids with their homework, by the time they’re alone together, they’re already in bed. It’s inevitable one of them is asleep before they turn out the light. Sam says, occasionally that happens, and Maxie says, but in London, Sam and Dante will be alone together, away from their daily lives. Yes, they’ll be investigating, but maybe they’ll have time to take a stroll through Kensington Gardens, or have a candlelit dinner, or room service in bed. Sam says she hopes they get the chance, but even if they don’t, Maxie’s right. She and Dante are going to be alone together, and this is going to be their first trip as a couple. She’s really excited about it. Maxie says she bets Dante is too. Cheers to Sam and Dante in London. Sam says, cheerio, and they clink glasses.

Sonny says he’s glad they had this talk, and Dex says, goodnight, boss. In the hallway, Dex’s phone rings, and he says, what’s up? Sitting on her dorm room floor, Josslyn says she just had a horrible conversation with Cam. He said some pretty harsh things about her. Dex says, she doesn’t sound good, and she says, she just lost her oldest friend. He asks if they’re in trouble, but she says she doesn’t think so. Cam said he wouldn’t say anything. Dex says he just told Sonny about the night Dr. Westbourne was killed, and he took Josslyn back to his place. She asks how much he told Sonny, and he says, he believes nothing happened between them. They’re all good.

On the phone, Sonny says he needs someone (probably Brick) to check on Dex Heller.

Valentin says, thank God Anna’s okay. He was afraid she’d gotten lost. They were about to circle back for her. Weren’t they? In French, Renee says, Valentin was beside himself with worry, and Anna answers in French, I understand. So what do they have here? It looks like a dead end. Valentin says he’s not so sure, and they walk over to some iron bars. He says, hang on, and they look inside with flashlights. He says, oh my God, and we see Lucy, bound and gagged.  

Tomorrow, Laura says, Martin isn’t actually considering that, is he; Olivia asks Drew why she gets the impression it has something to do with Carly; Carly says, Josslyn needs to be sure this is what she really wants; and Lucy’s rescue mission proceeds.

👯‍♂️ That’s What Friends Are For…

Not sure where I’d be without mine. Dogs help too.

🔥 Blazing Her Trail…

But what happens when he goes back to being a cop?

🔦 Look Into the Light…

If you’re a Guiding Light fan, this is Wednesday, January 25th, like five minutes from now.

👎🏽 No, Just No…

Ugh. I can’t believe these people are middle aged and still drinking until they get tossed out of a restaurant. The Jersey Housewives don’t need any help being idiots.

🏆 The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For…

The Oscar noms.

https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023

🛒 Getting In the Express Lane…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and whatever I can dig up. FYI, the RHOSLC Reunion starts tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay optimistic, but practical, and stay not letting your past mistakes determine your future.

December 2, 2022 – Victor Meets Cyrus, Absent, Jackie’s 45th, Remembrance, Cover Boy, Rudest, Sailed, Amends, That Cake, Only a Donor, Daryl’s Spin, Holiday Horror, First List, New TV, a Handful of Quotes & 1963

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dante walks into Pozzulo’s and knocks on Sonny’s office door. On the phone, Sonny tells Brick to let him know what he comes up with. He asks Dante, what’s up? and Dante thanks him again for Thanksgiving. They had a great time seeing everybody, and he thinks it must have meant a lot to Gladys and Sasha to be included. Sonny says, his commitment is always to his family, no matter what Michael thinks, and Dante says, that’s the real reason he’s here. They both know Michael was right about Sonny.

Drew goes into Sonny’s ex-kitchen to visit the moss bowl🎍, and sees Michael. He thanks Michael for meeting him, and Michael says, it sounded urgent. He asks why Drew asked to meet at his mom’s house, and Drew says, this conversation has to be completely confidential, and there’s too many potential eavesdroppers at the Quartermaines, and probably at Aurora too. Michael asks, what’s going on? and Drew says, they have to be prepared, because he and Carly could be facing criminal charges.

Josslyn checks out a shirtless Dex (another possible drinking game!), and says, his wound is almost healed. Dex says he told her he was fine; nothing to worry about. She says, that sounds so familiar. That’s what he said when he was bleeding and fighting a 104 fever in her dorm room, so excuse her for checking it out herself. He says, so she just came to provide medical attention? and she asks what else she’d come here for. He says he thought maybe she wanted to see him.

Sam struggles to put up a wreath, and Sasha helps her. Sam says, Sasha’s timing is impeccable; good reach. Sasha says she appreciates Sam helping, and Sam says, Dante texted her, and said she was helping with the community decorations. Sasha says, it was Nina’s idea. Nina thought she might be at loose ends as the holiday approached. Sam says, good for Nina, and good for Sasha too, and Sasha says, Nina really deserves all the credit. Not only is she a good person, she’s thoughtful and generous too.

Willow tells Nina, Sasha was just the latest excuse for Nina to get closer to her, and scheme her way back into Wiley’s orbit. Which after the lies Nina spread, is just ludicrous. Nina says she didn’t spread any lies, and Willow says, so Nina didn’t tell Michael that she and TJ were having an affair, when nothing could be further from the truth? Nina says, she made that one mistake. Can Willow calm down? And when she apologized, Willow told her to drop dead. Willow says, that’s because nothing else gets through to her. She doesn’t listen. She doesn’t stop; she just keeps pushing and pushing. Go away, and leave her family the hell alone. Carly walks in, and Willow drops to the floor. Carly and Nina run to her, and Nina says, she’ll call 9-1-1, but Carly says, no. Help her with Willow first.

On the phone in the hallway at Pentenville, Victor says he needs to know what happened to that necklace. If it burned up in the cabin, sift through the ashes. He must have those diamonds. They’re pivotal to his next step. He goes into the visitor’s room, and Nikolas is there. Nikolas says he thinks this is a bad idea; his son doesn’t want to see him. Victor says, Nikolas is Spencer’s father. Spencer misses him, even if he’s angry. The guard lets Spencer in, but Spencer says he wishes to return to his cell. Victor asks if that’s any way to treat family. No matter how many times they might disagree, Cassadines always come together in the end. Nikolas says he’s glad to see Spencer, even if Spencer doesn’t feel the same.

Sonny tells Dante that he can’t believe he’s hearing this. They both know Michael’s anger is out of control. He keeps trying to reconcile, but Michael doesn’t bend. Dante says he’s not condoning the way Michael is treating Sonny – he doesn’t like it – but Michael was telling the truth when he said Sonny abducted Dex Heller and had him beaten. He saw some of Dex’s injuries, and the only reason he didn’t arrest Sonny is because Dex lied and covered for him. Sonny says, that was after Brando’s funeral, months ago. Why is Dante bringing it up now? Dante says, because he looked the other way. Sonny committed a felony, and now he’s doing it again. He does know what Sonny does for a living, right?

Josslyn tells Dex that he can put his shirt on now, and he says he didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable, but she says she’s not uncomfortable. He says, true, she’s seen him in less, and she says, he slept in her bed. He says, too bad all he did was sleep, and she says, wow. He really went there. He says he can’t help it. Of all the rotten luck to be lying in her bed, too feverish to do anything but sleep. She says, there’s always next time.

Sasha says, Sam must be on decoration overload. She’s helping get Rice Plaza ready for Christmas, and also has her own house to decorate. Sam says she does have three elves to help with that; she hopes anyway. Scout’s down to help, but she doesn’t know if Danny and Rocco will think they’re too old for decoration. Sasha says, too bad if they are. At least Scout is on board. Christmas is magic at any age, but especially for the little ones. She used to… How about adding some ribbon to this? Sam says, Sasha doesn’t have to edit herself with her. Whatever she was going to say, whatever she’s feeling, she can say it.

Drew tells Michael, he spoke to his legal team, and they think there might be a case against him and Carly for insider trading; even though Carly didn’t make any money, and the merger between ELQ and Aurora didn’t happen. Michael asks if Drew really thinks Ned would go to the SEC, and Drew says he doesn’t think Ned would go that far, but he can’t afford for it to happen. They shared pizza together at Thanksgiving, but he can’t assume that peace offering is going to make Ned forgive and forget. Michael says, the Quartermaines are famous for holding a grudge, and Drew says, exactly. That’s why he has to back way off. He can’t afford to provoke Ned more than he already has. Michael says, given Ned’s anger at feeling they abandoned him, he doesn’t blame Drew, and Drew says, in addition to Leo’s sweet desire for family peace, it’s in their best interest for him and Carly to mend fences with Ned. Michael says he will too, and Drew thanks him. Michael asks what else Drew and Carly can do to protect themselves, and Drew says, they could stop seeing each other.

Nina brings in a cold towel, while Carly props up Willow’s feet, and tells Willow to open her eyes. Willow opens her eyes, and Carly tells her to take it easy. Nina says she’s going to call 9-1-1, but Willow sits up and says, no.

Victor says, Nikolas is Spencer’s father, and Spencer is going to need his father’s support when he’s released, but Spencer says, not if Victor fulfills his end of the bargain. Nikolas says, what bargain? and Spencer says, Victor didn’t tell him? Victor says, he didn’t see the need, and Spencer says, if he agreed to keep his mouth shut about Nikolas sleeping with Esme, Victor promised Spencer would get his birthright ahead of schedule. So he doesn’t need Nikolas anymore; he’s obsolete. Uncle Victor made sure of it. Nikolas says he can’t say he blames Spencer. He hasn’t been a good father, and doesn’t deserve Spencer’s forgiveness, despite his mistakes. Spencer is a better man than he is, and he envies how Spencer gives his whole heart. He hates that he broke it. Spencer says he’s used to it, and Nikolas says he hates that too. Spencer has no reason to trust him, but if Spencer lets him in his life, he gives Spencer his word that he’ll never hurt him again. Spencer says he’d settle for not having to listen to another of these disingenuous speeches, and Nikolas says he told Victor this was a bad idea. He leaves, and Victor tells Spencer, sit down. Spencer sits, and Victor says he’s so disappointed in Spencer. Spencer says, Victor and his father both disrespected his wishes, but Victor says he’d do it again, even though Spencer squandered the time he bought, so Spencer could realign with his father. Spencer says, Victor may be all powerful on the outside, but he has competition in here. Cyrus walks in.

Michael says he didn’t know Drew and his mother were seeing each other. Although the looked cozy at the Quartermaine picnic, and Drew did go to Florida to help his mom with her adoptive mother’s grave, which was above and beyond. Drew says, to be honest, he’s had a thing for Carly for a while now, and Michael says, since they came back from Jacksonville, he just got a friendship vibe. Drew says, the point is, if he and Carly are going to openly be a couple (or perhaps a throuple with the moss bowl🎍), it could strengthen the SEC’s case that he gave her privileged business information. So they’ve got to be casual in public, and probably in private too. How uncomfortable is this conversation making Michael right now? Michael says he knows Drew and his mom are adults, and he’s got to admit, since his mom came back from Florida, this is the happiest he’s seen her in a long time. Drew says, Carly makes him happy too. Unfortunately, this relationship may be short-lived. Michael asks if it has to go that far, and Drew says he thought they could meet in private, but it isn’t fair. They can’t meet at the Quartermaines because he lives there, and there’s always someone popping in and unexpected moments in that house. Like when Olivia walked in on Chase in Brook’s bedroom, for example. Michael says, he heard about that? It was a moment. Drew says, if they meet here in Carly’s house, they have to time their visits to when Donna and Joss aren’t here. It seems dishonest. Maybe he has to accept the timing isn’t right. Michael asks, what if this is the only time they’re going to get?

Tucked in on the couch, Willow says she’s fine. Please don’t call an ambulance. Carly feels Willow’s forehead, and asks if she still feels dizzy. She going to check Willow’s temperature. Willow says she’s not dizzy, and she’s not running a fever, but Nina says, at least let them take her to the hospital, so she can notify her OB. Willow asks, what part of I’m fine doesn’t Nina understand? She’s not in pain; she just needs to rest. Carly gives her some water, and says she needs to stay hydrated. She asks Nina if they can chat outside.

Sonny says he thought things were good with him and Dante, and Dante says, maybe they’re too good. They spend holidays together; they’re neighbors. It seems like the further apart Sonny and Michael get, the closer they get. Sonny asks, what’s wrong with it? and Dante says, there’s been this boundary that he’s always had to keep, between his love for Sonny as a son, and his duty as a cop. And that line is starting to blur. Sonny asks, how so? and Dante says, if this was anyone else, he would pursue the case into Dex’s abduction. He’d get more evidence, and talk to witnesses. He’d build a case, bring it back to Dex, and try and get him to cooperate. And instead, he called Michael a liar. He did that for Sonny’s benefit. He wanted Sonny to know he knew what Sonny had done, and had to tell him to his face that he knows Sonny is behind what happened to Dex. Sonny says he’s never asked Dante to cover for him, and never would, and Dante says, that’s good. Maybe Sonny can tell him about Anna’s escape then.

Josslyn tells Dex to take it easy, and limit all activity for one more week. He says, no offense, but how does she know? Did she consult a medical professional about him? She says she’s been doing some research online, and he asks, where? BulletWounds.com? She says, GH’s website. She went through all this trouble to take care of him, so it woudn’t make sense to bail before he’s healed. He says, that’s exactly what she needs to do – bail.

Cyrus wonders when Spencer is coming back to their chess game, and Spencer tells Victor that he’s improving his game in here. Victor says he’s glad Spencer’s not without friends, but Cyrus says, they’re not just friends; they’re family. Victor says he’s Spencer’s actual family, and Cyrus says he knows who Victor is. Victor says, and he is? and Cyrus says, Cyrus Renault. He’s sure Victor’s heard of him. Victor says, so he’s the famous Cyrus Renault, and Cyrus says, same name, different man, but the Bible says, the memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.

Dante says, less than an hour before he found out about Anna’s escape, he heard Sonny on the phone, asking someone how it went with Anna. Sonny says, he told Dante, he provided her help when she reached Pentenville. He walks out into the restaurant, and Dante follows, saying, the guy who was supposed to be driving the van was found in the parking lot, tied up with a bag over his head; he was unharmed. Sonny says he’s happy to hear that, and Dante says he’s sure Sonny is. Because whoever conducted Anna’s escape, clearly didn’t want to hurt anyone else. All they wanted was for Anna to get out of there. Sonny sips his espresso, and Dante asks, what happened to Anna? Where is she? Who else has a whole bunch of safe houses in the area? Sonny doesn’t say anything, and Dante says, see what he’s talking about here? It all adds up. Sonny broke Anna out of police custody, and he’s not doing a damn thing about it.

Michael tells Drew that he doesn’t want to be too involved in his mom’s personal life, but he knows from experience, you have less time than you think. He’s sure Drew would like to believe he has years and decades to spend with the person he loves, to do what he dreamed  of. He hopes Drew gets that time, but it’s not guaranteed. Drew asks if this is about the tension between Michael and his father. Is he worried Sonny is going to retaliate?

Josslyn says she’s sorry if her medical skills don’t meet Dex’s high standards, but he says she knows better. If she’d taken him to a hospital, the ER doctor would have had to report the bullet wound, and he’d be behind bars. He owes her. She says, he’s welcome, and he says, she asked him before how he got shot, and she says, and he didn’t tell her. He says, she doesn’t need to know the details to know it was something illegal, and she says, he works for Sonny. Of course (🍷) it’s something illegal (ha-ha!). Dex flashes back to Michael telling him, none of this is fine, and that Dex needs to find a way to keep Josslyn at arm’s length. He tells Josslyn, that’s why he needs her to leave now, and never come back.

Sasha tells Sam, it’s not easy for her to acknowledge her feelings. It’s something she’s working on in therapy; taking time to process her emotions, instead of bottling them up until the overwhelm her in a public and messy explosion. Sam says, it can be really scary, admitting to yourself how you really feel; revisiting dreams for someone whose gone that you know aren’t going to come true. She’s learned, the more time passes, the more she’s able to accept those dreams, and even smile a little. Sasha asks what Sam dreams about, and Sam says, her first child, a daughter, was stillborn. Sasha says she had no idea. She’s so sorry. Sam says she thinks about her all the time, and Sasha says, Liam would have been about a year; he was born near Christmas. He’d have been too young to understand who Santa was, but she thinks she and Brando would have still taken him to see Santa. It never happened, but the thought of it still makes her smile.

They walk outside, and Nina tells Carly that she doesn’t need another lecture. She didn’t come here to pick a fight with Willow. She didn’t come here to orchestrate a run-in with Wiley. She just came her to reach out to Willow on Sasha’s behalf. Carly says she believes Nina.

Willow says she’s sorry to the baby. She should have been more careful. She didn’t mean to get so upset. She’s afraid they’re in for a bumpy ride, but they’re going to make it. She’s their mommy, and she’s going to bring them safely into this world. She promises.

Spencer says he may not have a father he can count on, but he’s lucky to have uncles that look out for him; Cyrus and Victor, and of course (🍷) Uncles Sonny and Martin. Cyrus says, Victor knows his brother Martin, and Victor says, Martin is his son’s attorney, but Cyrus says, they both know Martin is much more than that. Victor gets up, saying, he doesn’t want to interrupt Spencer’s game, but he hopes Spencer reconsiders mending fences with his father. Cyrus says, Victor Cassadine mediator? and Spencer says, Uncle Victor wants peace for their family. Cyrus asks if that’s why Victor tried to kill his. Victor caused his brother great harm. Victor says, the implication that he had anything to do with Lucy Coe’s disappearance is unfounded, and frankly insulting, but Cyrus says he’s not talking about Ms. Coe. He’s referring to the attempt on his brother’s life, and that of their sister Laura.

Carly says, she and Nina aren’t friends, but she doesn’t think Nina came here with the intention of upsetting Willow so much, she fainted. But she has to stay away and accept the fact that seeing her upsets Willow so much, and they both know that’s not good for the baby. Nina says she’d never hurt that baby, and Carly says she believes Nina. Nina says, all right, she’ll go. If Carly will just tell… don’t tell her anything. Nina leaves, and Carly goes back inside. She tells Willow, Nina’s gone, and Willow thanks her. Carly says, but she’s not wrong. Willow needs to see her doctor. Let Carly take her to GH.

Sonny says he doesn’t need Dante’s protection. He can investigate and act on whatever he wants. Dante says, he’ll do that. He just hopes Sonny covered his tracks this time. Because next time – and there will be a next time, and a time after that – he might not have an employee who lies to take a beating. Sonny might slip up, and then Dante will have to do something he doesn’t want to do. Sonny says, so Dante feels the same way Michael does; that he should lose his family, that he should have everything he loves taken from him? Dante says he’s not Michael. He’s not out to get Sonny. He loves Sonny, but he took an oath to uphold the law, and he’s going to keep that oath. Sonny says he doesn’t expect anything less, and if it gets worse, and Dante is forced to arrest him one day, he won’t love Dante any less. Dante says he woudn’t blame Sonny if he did, but Sonny says, it’s not going to happen… ever, and they hug.  

Sam says she can cover if Sasha wants to take a break, but Sasha says she’s having fun. It feels good to be doing something useful and positive. Not that putting up Christmas decorations is going to change the world. Sam says, maybe not, but people seem to take extra care of each other this time of year. She sees a lot of smiles at the decorations and the trees lit up. Sasha says she’s grateful to be part of it, even if in a small way. It turns out what people have been telling her is true. Helping others is a great way to help yourself.

Michael tells Drew that he doesn’t believe he’s in any physical danger from his father, and the emotional damage has already been done. But this whole rift with his father has made him value his family even more. He spent the first year and a half of Wiley’s life believing Wiley was dead. Now he has Wiley… he has Willow and a baby on the way. Every day is precious to him. He wants to freeze time, and live in this place of joy with Willow and the kids. Drew says, if only they could, and Michael says, life has a way of messing up your plans. When it happens, all he can do is deal with it the best he can. Drew says he can’t argue with that, and Michael says, what he won’t do is waste any more time, or overlook the little things. Like the look of wonder on Willow’s face when she feels the baby kick. Or Wiley insisting he read Willow’s baby bump a bedtime story. Drew says, which of course (🍷) he does, and Michael says, those things only come around once. You don’t get do-overs. So if Drew and his mom feel the need to hide, then hide, but don’t pass up the chance of something really good. Now he’s going to go home to Willow.

Spencer asks if Cyrus is talking about the attack on his grandmother and Uncle Martin at the safe house last year. His Uncle Victor had nothing to do with it. Cyrus says, his sources don’t lie, nor do his instincts. Victor tells him, says the man who held Trina Robinson and her mother at gunpoint, and tried to kill Spencer’s friend Britt Westbourne. Or does the attack on Dr. Westbourne not count because Cyrus sent his minions to do his dirty work? Cyrus says he doesn’t hear Victor denying what he did to Laura and Martin, but Victor says he doesn’t answer to Cyrus. Cyrus says, Victor will if he goes near Cyrus’s family again, and that includes Spencer. Victor says, Cyrus doesn’t want him as an enemy, and Cyrus says, or he’ll go on Victor’s hit list too? Victor tells Spencer, don’t let this man manipulate him, but Spencer says he doesn’t get manipulated, and he won’t again. If there’s nothing else Victor has to say… He points toward the door, and Victor tells Spencer, like he said, he doesn’t want to interrupt his game. But remember, your pawns need to be guarded, and you won’t always have a knight to ride to your rescue. He leaves, and Spencer tells Cyrus, could he be more obvious? Cyrus says, instantly, there dropped from his eyes what seemed to be scales, and he could see once more. He’s sorry Spencer had to learn about Victor this way. Spencer says he’s not in the mood to play chess. He’s going back to his cell.

Willow thanks Carly for hooking her to the portable fetal monitor and checking for herself. Carly says, the baby’s heartbeat looks fine, and Willow’s blood pressure is good, but she’s no OB. She’s not going to insist Willow go to GH, but she wants Willow to promise to see her doctor in the next couple of days. Michael walks in, and asks, what happened? but Willow says, it’s nothing. Michael asks why she needs to see her doctor then, and Carly says, because she fainted. Willow says, she’s fine. Once again, she forgot to eat. Carly says, Willow didn’t want to call an ambulance, but she thinks Willow should see her OB. Willow needs to rest, and needs some TLC. Michael says he’ll make sure of it, and Carly leaves. Michael takes out his phone, and says he’s going to call Terry. She needs to know Willow fainted.

Nina goes to Rice Plaza, and Sasha asks what she thinks of the progress so far. Nina says, it’s great; everyone is doing a fantastic job. Sasha says, Nina doesn’t have to pretend with her. Did something happen? Nina says, sometimes she’s afraid that she’s really as awful as Willow thinks she is.

Dante tells Sam that she’d better pace herself; she has a penthouse to decorate. She says she was just telling Sasha that Scout will definitely want to help decorate, but does he think the boys will think they’re above it all? He says, Rocco seems like he’s going through something right now, but Danny will step up for Scout’s sake. The minute the ornaments and candy canes come out, they’ll get into it. Their boys aren’t as old as they think they are, thank God. Sam wonders where that came from, and he says he loves his father, but their relationship has always been a bit of a minefield. He’s hoping he and Rocco don’t turn into that when he’s an adult.

Josslyn says, Dex is out of bandages and antibiotic ointment, so she’s going out to get some. He tells her not to bother. He can order that stuff online. He doesn’t need her to come back. She says, skip it. It’s not going to work. He says, what? and she says, the big speech. He tries to warn her about how dangerous he is, and tries to push her away for her own good. She knows he’s dangerous. He was beating up some guy under Sonny’s orders the night they met. He can do so much better than Sonny. He’s resourceful; he keeps his head in a crisis. He’s loyal, and doesn’t complain even when he’s hurt. He says, Dex Heller, hero, and she tells him, stop it. She found him bleeding. She nursed him through a fever. She sat up with him all night to make sure he was still breathing. So she’s not going to walk out and pretend what they went through doesn’t mean something.

Sam says, most of the tension between Dante and Sonny is because Dante’s a cop, and Sonny is… Sonny. As long as Rocco doesn’t want to grow up like his grandfather, she doesn’t think Dante has anything to worry about. He says, fathers and sons butt heads about stuff, and she asks if she looks worried. She sees him and Rocco interact every day, and she sees love. Not only Dante’s love for Rocco, but Rocco’s love for him. You know what that tells her? He says, that they’re love is so strong it can survive anything, and she hugs him, saying, don’t make fun of her. He’s so smart. He says he just gets it through osmosis living with her. He thanks her for making him look forward to Christmas, and for their blended family. For the traditions they’re going to make. He’s already got his Christmas presents. She says, her too, and they kiss.

Nina says, too bad she doesn’t have a flask of brandy to go with this hot chocolate, and Sasha says, that bad? Nina says, it’s her fault Willow fainted. She never should have gone over to Willow’s place. For a smart women, she does a lot of stupid things. If something happens to Willow and that baby, she’ll never forgive herself. Sasha says, Nina made a mistake. Welcome to the club. The important thing here is to take a breath, figure out how it happened, and how to avoid it happening again. Nina says, she knows the answer, and oddly enough, got it from Carly. Sasha says, Carly’s a smart lady, and Nina says, even though it galls her to admit this, Carly helped her to see that the only thing she can do for Willow is stay away from her.

Willow thanks Michael for the soup, and says she’s feeling much better. Staring at his phone isn’t going to make Terry call back any faster. Michael says, maybe they should go to GH. If the chemo is causing her to faint… She says, it’s not the chemo. It was Nina, or rather her response to Nina. He says, Nina was here? and Willow says, Nina volunteered Sasha to oversee the decorations in Rice Plaza, and showed up to ask her to help. When she tried to decline, Nina said she was selfish. Things went downhill from there. She snapped and started screaming at Nina, and next thing she knew, it was lights out. He says he’ll make sure Nina never comes here again, but she says she doesn’t think that will be a problem. She thinks her fainting scared Nina more than it scared her. Michael says he doubts Nina would have gotten in an argument with Willow if she’d known Willow just had chemo. They need to find Willow a bone marrow donor, and need for people like Nina to treat her with consideration. They need to tell people Willow has leukemia.

Drew surprises Carly with a kiss as she walks into the kitchen. She says not that she’s complaining, but what’s going on? He says he has it on good advice that they should take full advantage of their time together while they’re lucky enough to have it. She says she’s not arguing with that, but she thought they were staying away from each other. He says he can’t stay away from her. And they’re lucky enough to have this big house on acres of grounds, with secluded nooks and crannies, and the moss bowl🎍. They kiss, and his phone chimes. She insists he get it, and he says, good news. They have a lead on Willow’s birth parents.

Josslyn tells Dex, she won’t hang around where she’s not wanted, but she’s not going to deny what’s standing in front of her, and neither can he. It’s like this wall went up between them, and Dex remembered he had to protect little old her from big bad him. She calls BS on that. She makes her own decisions, and knows the risks she’s taking. If he doesn’t want her, just say that. He says he’s trying to do the right thing here, and she suggests he try being honest instead. He says, she wants honest? and kisses her. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny says, open up.

On Monday, Cody tells Britt, it’s more than that and she knows it; Willow tells Michael that she needs to do this on her terms; and Valentin says, if Mac has evidence, he’d like to hear it.

🤷🏻 Where In the World…

God forbid she gets some free time.

🏥 Happy Anniversary…

More pictures would have been nice.

🌱 A Mother’s Memories…

This is still just the saddest thing.

🧼 Wait, What…

I never knew he was on the cover of Playgirl, but then again, it was never on my list of publications to buy.

👠 Love Bubble My Foot…

No surprise whatsoever. I love how Andy says she must have been provoked. Yeah, they said her name.

🍹 Ahoy…

Leva dishes on Southern reality.

💞 Aww…

I’m sure it won’t last for long.

👰🏾 Speaking Of Which…

The cake is ridiculous, but I love the traditional theme.

https://people.com/food/porsha-williams-husband-simon-guobadia-wedding-cake-sword/

🍼 No Chances…

Can’t say I blame her. Randall wasn’t much of a step up from James. As a matter-of-fact, aside from the money, he was a step down.

⚰️ Resetting Daryl…

More on viva le Daryl.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-norman-reedus-reset/

🎄 Sub-Genre…

I never thought of The Thing as a Christmas movie, but why not? I have my own cinematic quirks.

https://ew.com/movies/best-christmas-horror-movies/

🥀 Early Roll Call…

Those we’ve lost.

https://ew.com/celebrity/stars-we-lost-in-2022/

📺 Rushing the TV Season…

What’s coming up next year.

https://ew.com/tv/2023-tv-premiere-dates/

📬 Quotes of the Week

Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided. – Paracelsus

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. – Sholem Aleichem

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

You get to decide where your time goes. You can either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you. – Tony Morgan

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

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.Aristotle

I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste. – Marcel Duchamp

If a zombie bear isn’t the problem, what is? – Doc (Russell Hodgkinson), Z Nation

🕰 Time Keeps On Tickin’…

Boomerang back on Monday really Tuesday for soap and my favorite Boat Daddy. Until then, stay safe, stay never settling for less than, and stay helping others. It’s a great way to help yourself.

Nina Runs Into Peter, Catching Up, Getting Out, Adieu, Returning, Staying, Christmas Quad, a Parade, Not So Shamazing, For Sale, a Feud, Not Funny, Up For Grabs, Brainless, Not Twelve Quotes & Boudoir

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

In the elevator, Carly says Sonny is going to have to help her keep it together. She doesn’t want to cry in front of Sasha and Brando. He says, they have to help Sasha and Brando. He doesn’t want them to feel alone, and he doesn’t want her to feel alone. They get out of the elevator just as Nina turns around at the reception desk. She asks if they’re here to see Sasha and Brando; there aren’t any other visitors. Carly says, they don’t need an update, and they keep walking. Nina says, it’s just that they’re trying to tough it out, but they’re pretty fragile, so please be gentle. Carly glares at her.

Brando tucks Sasha in, and asks if she’s worried about the news about their baby, but she says she’s not worried. Is he? He says, of course (🍷) not. In fact, when the three of them get home, he’s going to buy their son his first baseball mitt. She wonders if he’s a little young to be playing catch, but Brando says, not with a name like Liam Mike. He’s strong willed, and like Mike Corbin, he’ll be able to defy the odds and live his life to the fullest. She asks if he knows what the name Brando means, but he says he doesn’t, and she says, sword or fiery torch. He says he will fight for their family with a sword or fiery torch, and she says she knows he will. He says, one day, they’ll tell their grandchildren about their heroic dad who was strong willed and defied the odds, and she says, they’re going to say they were worried for nothing and laugh at them.

Brook tells Chase, Maxie is emotionally exhausted. Not that she blames Maxie, but second guessing isn’t going to get them anywhere. They’re in this thing now; they’ve got to see it through. He says he doesn’t know. Maxie made some strong points. Brook says, she did, but they’re committed, which means they have to deal with it, especially now that Valentin is furious with her. With them, and there’s no telling what else Valentin might do. The doorbell rings, and Brook opens the door to see Valentin on the porch. Chase says, they had enough trouble the last time Valentin was there, so turn around and walk away. Anna joins Valentin, and says, no one wants any trouble. Brook asks, then what does he want?

Drew is getting some coffee at the Quartermaine’s when Maxie walks in, saying, sorry. She just wanted to get a glass of water. He turns around, and says, hi, Maxie; long time no see. She says, Drew, and he says, in the flesh. He’s not a hologram or a figment of her imagination. She says she heard he was alive. She just hadn’t processed it yet. He says, until now, and she hugs him, saying, it’s so processed.

In the hospital, Peter says he’s fine, despite Jason Morgan’s best attempt to kill him, and Austin says, he’s a lucky man. It’s good he was only shot in the arm. He might have some nerve damage, but nothing serious. Peter says, not like getting shot in the chest, right? and Austin says, no. If he was shot in the chest, he’d be in the ICU. Peter takes it Austin doesn’t believe the rumors, and Austin says he hears a lot of rumors. Which one is Peter talking about? Peter tells him, the ones that say he doesn’t have a heart, and Austin says, don’t be silly. If he didn’t have heart, he wouldn’t be alive. Peter says, how clinical of him – he looks at Austin’s ID tag – Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt. Now where does he recognize that name… Of course (🍷). Austin delivered his daughter.

Valentin says he’s not there to hurl accusations or make threats, and Brook says, why not? He did plenty of that before he moved out. Don’t tell her that he lost steam. Chase says, or maybe Valentin found out he was suspended from the force for throwing a punch at him, and came there to gloat. Valentin says he regrets that happened, and Brook asks if he regrets feeding Thanksgiving dinner to the family dog. Valentin says, not really, and Anna says, she understands that passions were running high. It was Thanksgiving; that’s what happens on family occasions. Valentin says, he’s not family, and Chase says he knows this doesn’t help, but when he started putting things together, he was totally blindsided to find out he was Bailey’s father. Valentin says, Brook used both of them, and Brook says, she had her reasons. Anna suggests they not rehash that; it’s not why they’re here. Brook asks if Valentin is there to talk ELQ business with her dad, now that he’s solidified his position as CEO, but Valentin says, no. He’s just there because he wants to say goodbye to his… to Bailey.

Maxie says, Anna told her that Drew was back, but the story was too incredible to be true. Peter faked a plane crash, and then held him captive for over two years? Drew says he wouldn’t have believed it himself if he hadn’t lived through it. Unfortunately, others weren’t so lucky. She says she still hasn’t wrapped her mind around Jason’s death. If only she could go back in time, before Peter was in their lives, when Nathan was still alive. He asks how she’d change the past. Could she stop Nathan from being killed? She says she would if she could, but she guesses at best, she would go back to before she met Peter and fell in love with him. He says, but they can’t go back in time, no matter how much they’d like to. When he was in prison, he just kept focusing on the future, holding on to that, when he’d see Scout again. She says, and Sam… Oh wow. She should just keep her big mouth shut. He says, it’s okay. He went to see them first thing, both of them. She says, Scout and Sam? How did that go? He says, Dante was with them, and she says, it’s been sort of a slow process with them. They kind of got together trying to find him. James is going to be excited to see him. He says he can’t wait, and asks how James is doing. She says, great, and he says she doesn’t have to protect his feelings. He and Sam were done long before Peter abducted him. She asks if he’s saying he’s okay with Sam and Dante, and he says he’s trying to be. It’s not like he has another choice. She says, it must have been great to see Scout, and he says, it made everything he had to do to get home absolutely worthwhile. She says she knows what he means. If she could go back in time, she doesn’t think she would, because then, she wouldn’t have Louise. He says, she found her daughter? Is Louise finally home?

Peter asks Austin to tell him about the circumstances surrounding Louise’s birth. It kills him that he wasn’t there to welcome his daughter into this world. Austin says he certainly was not. He was too busy running from the police to make it to the cabin; Austin’s cabin. And the nurse he hired to kidnap Maxie tried to induce birth. Peter put Maxie, and his own child, at great risk. Peter asks, who’s been feeding Austin all of this? and Austin says, he was there. Peter knows that. Thank God he was hiking in the woods. When he found Maxie, she was already in labor. Peter says, then Austin may have been the last person to see his daughter before she was abducted, and Austin says, it’s a possibility. Peter says, then Austin was in the right place at the right time. Austin knows what became of his daughter.

Sonny wonders if they should take turns visiting Sasha so she’s not overwhelmed, but Nina tells them, go ahead. She just got done visiting Sasha. Carly asks why Nina is still there, and Sonny says, Carly… but Nina says, it’s fine. She knows Carly is upset over the loss of Jason. Carly says, don’t say his name. Nina knows nothing about her and Jason. Carly tells Sonny that she can’t. She’s going to go see Monica. Sonny says, let him come with her, but Carly says she’s just going to go, and walks away. Sonny circles back to Nina, and says, baby’s fine? Nina says, yeah. Sasha should hear an update soon. He says, all right, and walks in toward Sasha’s room.

Sasha says, how can anything possibly be wrong with their baby; look at him. He’s adorable. It’s just that… Brando says he knows. All those tubes are hooked up to Liam, but she has to remind herself, those are making their little boy healthy. She says, yeah, like the cooling blanket, and he says, exactly, and the love of his mommy and daddy. What else does the little guy need? Britt comes in, and says she wants to introduce them to Dr. Fleming, their baby’s neonatologist. Sasha tells the doctor, she’d say it’s nice to meet her, but… Dr. Fleming says she understands, and Brando says, they were told she has news about their baby.

Anna promises Valentin isn’t there to make a scene, and Brook asks if Anna is there to vouch for him. Valentin says, Anna is his friend. This isn’t easy for him. Chase says, of course (🍷) this isn’t easy. None of this is easy. Anna says, especially for Valentin. Brook allowed him, in fact encouraged him, to fall in love with her little girl, knowing he wasn’t her father. Does she expect him to just throw a switch and not love her any longer? Chase says, nobody’s thinking that, but first, Valentin showed up mad as hell, lashing out at Brook in the most hurtful way imaginable, and now he’s here asking for her understanding? What does he want her to believe? Brook feels guilty enough. How much longer is he going to pile it on? Valentin says, he’s not there to pile on any more guilt. That’s not why he’s there. Chase asks if he wants closure with Bailey, but Valentin says he doesn’t believe in closure. Do they think just because he says goodbye, he’ll stop loving her? Chase asks, then why is he here? and Anna says it’s her fault. She insisted he needed to do this. Valentin says, no. Nobody makes him do anything he doesn’t want to do. Bailey is far too young to understand any of this. He hasn’t told Charlotte that she doesn’t have a sister, and he isn’t going to be able to do that until he says goodbye to Bailey. Brook stomps off, and Chase follows her. Valentin tells Anna, he knew this was how she was going to react. She’s not going to let him see Bailey.

Maxie tells Drew, Louise isn’t back yet. She’s just holding out hope that she will be. He asks if there are any breaks in the case, and she says she’s just hoping now that Peter is in custody, whoever has taken Louise will feel it’s safe to bring her back. He says, so she thinks someone took Louise to protect her from Peter? and she says, he thinks she’s deluding herself, doesn’t he? He says, no. He thinks she wants her little girl back more than anything in the world, and if he could make that happen, he would. She thanks him, and says, but she knows in her heart that Louise will be home one day, and it will make all of this worth it. He says, all of what? and she says, things she had to do because of Peter. Things she never thought she’d be forced to do. He says he knows what she means.

Austin says, even if he did know where Louise was – and he doesn’t – Peter is the last person he would tell. Make a fist. That way he can draw blood. This won’t hurt a bit. He plunges the syringe into Peter’s arm, Peter jumps, and I laaaugh. Austin says, oh, goodness me. He’s so sorry; he seems to have missed the vein. He’ll just try that one more time. He does it again, Peter jumps again, and Austin says, oh yeah, there we go. Success. Sorry about that. Normally, he’s not so clumsy. I officially love Austin. Peter says, he’s enjoying this, isn’t he? and Austin says, absolutely. He loves his job, always. Peter says, and that Hippocratic Oath he took to be a doctor? and Austin says, yeah, right, do no harm. It’s sticky though. That’s the question; who gets harmed and who does not? Peter says he supposes it’s the patients who aren’t to be harmed, but he couldn’t tell by the way Austin just stuck him. Austin says, that’s his point. Maxie is also his patient, so do no harm should apply to her as well. Peter asks, and what is Maxie to Austin?

On the phone, Carly says, she went by Monica’s office, but she wasn’t there. She wanted to talk to Monica in person, but it’s probably better it’s on voicemail; she can just hang up if she wants. Carly really hopes she doesn’t. She’s so sorry about Jason. She’s so sorry Monica has to grieve him all over again. He was Carly’s best friend, but he was Monica’s son, and Carly knows what that kind of pain feels like. In all the years of squabbling and fighting, she doesn’t know if she ever thanked Monica for Jason, for the incredible human being he was. He loved Monica so much. Carly knows Monica knows that, but she thought Monica might want to hear it. That’s all. She hangs up, and we see Nina sitting alone on a bench elsewhere at GH.

Sasha asks Dr. Fleming if it’s about Liam’s hypothermia therapy. Is it working? Brando asks if Liam can come home soon, and the doctor’s phone beeps. She says she’s sorry; there’s an emergency in the NICU. Not their baby. Britt says, it’s okay; she’s got this. Dr. Fleming leaves, and Britt says, getting back to their question, hypothermia therapy can take up to 72 hours, as they know. They still need to give the baby’s brain time to cool. What Dr. Fleming wanted to tell them was, the EEG has been scheduled. Sasha says, then what happens? but Britt says they won’t know until they get the results. But they have an entire team dedicated to caring for Liam, and she’ll be the liaison between them and Brando and Sasha. Brando asks what they can do to help, and Britt says, just keep doing what they’re doing, sending a lot of love to that beautiful baby boy, and let the team at GH give him the best possible care. Sasha says, the waiting is so excruciating, and Britt says she knows, but they have to take it a day at a time. Let the therapy run its course. In the meantime, their baby needs them to take care of themselves. Brando tells Sasha, Liam’s strong, but they have to be stronger, and she says, they will be.

Maxie says she knows this is going to sound ridiculous, but she kind of envies Drew. He’s not sure why, and she says, he got the chance to confront Peter. Drew let Peter take his best shot, and he survived. He actually came out on top. He says, at the cost of Jason’s life, and she says she knows. She hates that part, but at least Peter doesn’t have power over Drew anymore. She’d give anything to take away Peter’s power to frighten her. Drew says, when Scout and Danny would have a bad dream, he’d tell them, look under the bed, look in the closet, and when you see nothing but dustballs and clothes, you’ll know that the boogie man has no power over you anymore.

Peter says, do tell. Just how friendly is Austin with the mother of his child? Austin says, Maxie has a lot of friends. He’d be happy to be one of them. Peter says, but he’s not? He suggests Austin keep it that way. Austin asks if that’s a threat, but Peter lifts his hands, showing he’s cuffed to the bed, and says he’s clearly in no position to threaten anyone. But he is a born romantic, and does believe the fates will conspire to reunite his family. Austin says he doesn’t believe in fate, but Peter says he does. Sometimes fate needs a helping hand. Austin smiles, and starts to walk out, and Peter says, bye-bye. Such fun meeting him today.

Carly is looking at a picture of her and Jason on her phone, when Britt comes by. Carly calls her over, and says, Sonny is around here somewhere. They just came to see Sasha. Britt says she just came from Sasha’s room, and Carly asks how she is. Britt says, she’s good; strong. She’s sure Sasha would love to see Carly. Carly says, maybe in a few minutes, heaves a sigh, and sits. Britt is about to go to the desk, but turns back, and sits next to Carly, asking her how she is. Carly says, she just went to say fine, and kind of laughs. She says she came here to support Sasha and Brando, but it’s not like there’s anything she can do for them. Just like she can’t do anything for Jason. How is she? She’s sad, and scared. She doesn’t know what the rest of her life looks like without him. Britt says Carly will figure it out. Know how she knows? Jason told her. He had complete faith in Carly, and she knows Jason doesn’t say things just to be nice. He said it because he believed it; that Carly is strong enough to get through anything. Carly says, she was, when she had Jason to back her up. She didn’t have to be good enough or strong enough for Jason. She could just be her. That’s an amazing feeling, to have someone you can count on no matter what. Jason gave her that feeling. Now he’s gone. She knows how grief works, and the only way out is through. Then someday, when she says she’s fine, she’ll mean it. Britt says, right now, Carly can’t even imagine that day, and Carly says, no. Britt says, her neither; it sounds ridiculous. Carly says, it doesn’t; not to her. She tells Britt to take care of herself, and gets up to go to Sasha’s room.

Chase comes back, and tells Valentin, he’s sorry. Brook wanted to be alone. Valentin says he did warn Chase that honor is in short supply in this house, and so is compassion. If he were Chase, he’d take that beautiful daughter and go far, far away before Brook turns her into a Quartermaine. He tells Anna, let’s go, but Brook says, not yet, walking in with Bailey. Someone misses him very much. She gives Bailey to Valentin, and both Valentin and the baby smile. Chase thinks maybe they should give Valentin some privacy, but Valentin says, that’s not necessary. He and Bailey have no secrets, unlike others in this house. He tells Bailey that she’s a beautiful girl. He has to go, and they may never see one another again. At least not for a long, long time. But he wanted to say goodbye, and he doesn’t know how to find the strength to do that. So what shall they call this? He kisses Bailey’s head.

Carly sees Sonny in the hallway, and asks if he’s been in to see Sasha, but he says he was waiting for her. She thanks him, and says she’s ready. He says, let’s do this, and takes her hand. Brando asks if he can get Sasha anything, but she says, the only thing she needs is for their baby to get healthy, and she knows he will. No child made by a sword and defender of man can be otherwise. He says, Sasha means defender of man? and she says she looked it up when she looked up Brando. He says, strong willed son, daddy is a sword, and mommy defends them both. They’re quite the family. She says, family. She can’t tell him how good that sounds. Family, people she can lean on. Brando says, when she’s scared, and vulnerable, and she says, she’s not the Face of Deception. He says, he’s her family, she’s his family, and Liam’s their family. She says, small… and he says, but plenty big in heart. There’s a knock at the door, and Carly and Sonny come in. Carly says, rumor has it they’re up for visitors, and Sasha says, the more, the merrier. Carly hugs her, and Sonny hugs Brando. Sonny tells Brando, they have his and Sasha’s back. If they need anything, just ask.

Austin sees Britt, and says he just met her brother. She says, he’s not a brother to her; they share a father. Austin says Peter is his patient now, and Britt asks if he wants to be taken off the case, but he says, not at all. He wants to keep on it.

Peter is wheeled down the hall, accompanied by two officers, and he says, how about if he passes on that CT scan? He’s been feeling claustrophobic since that tunnel fell on him. No? All right. In that case, he’ll take a very large muscle relaxant. At the other end of the hall, the elevator doors open, and Nina comes out on the phone. She says she’s running late, and probably won’t make it to the office. She turns to get back in the elevator, but the doors have just closed. Peter is being wheeled toward her, and says, Nina Reeves. Look at her. Still alive and well. It looks like they’re both extra hard to kill.

Valentin shows Bailey a tiny stuffed bear, and says, this is the oldest thing he has. It was his, and got him through some tough nights. He wants her to have it. Drew and Maxie stand quietly just outside the door, and Valentin says, and one day, Bailey will ask her mommy and  daddy where it came from, and they’ll have to tell her it came from someone that loved her so much.

Carly says, they came to cheer Sasha and Brando up, not make them emotional. Brando tells her, they were just saying how important it is to have family to lean on, and Carly says, it is, and Sasha and Brando have them. And they have each other. She and Sonny know how terrifying it is waiting to hear about your baby’s health. Sasha says, Brando told her that Donna had spina bifida. They must have been scared out of their minds. Sonny says, that’s an understatement, and Brando asks how they got through it. Sonny says, they leaned heavily on each other, and Carly says, when she was scared, Sonny let her be scared. He really was strong for her. Sonny says, and she was for him. Carly says, frightening as it was, it brought them closer together, and Sonny says, he’s sure it’s doing the same for them, right? Sasha says she’s sorry they missed Thanksgiving. It must have been wonderful having everyone together. Sonny says, next year, all three of them are coming, and Brando says, they look forward to it. Carly asks if they’ve named their son yet, and Brando says, Liam Mike, short for Michael, after the man who was so good to him when he was growing up. Sonny says his dad would have been very honored, and Brando asks if Sonny wants to see him. Sonny says he’s been waiting for Brando to ask, and they leave. Sasha says, Brando wants to be so strong for her, and Carly takes her hand.

Maxie jets, and Drew follows. Chase tells Brook, he knows Valentin said otherwise, but let’s give him some privacy. Valentin asks Anna not to go, and she stay’s behind. She tells Bailey, it’s quite a little gift Valentin is giving her, and tells Valentin, so beautiful. Outside, Drew asks Maxie, what’s wrong? and she says, it upsets her to see someone separated from a child they love. Brook says, it couldn’t be helped, and Chase tells Drew, Valentin thought he was Bailey’s father, and Drew says, and Chase is; Monica told him. He knows Valentin and the Quartermaines have had their issues, but he might not be there if not for Valentin, Anna, and his brother Jason, may he rest in peace. Maxie quickly walks away.  

Britt asks if Austin feels this loyalty to all the mothers of the babies he’s delivered, and he says, given the circumstances of Louise’s birth, and her bizarre disappearance, can she blame him? She says, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep an eye on Peter, and he says, right. Your enemy’s enemy and all that. She says he has a peculiar habit of being around when things go wrong, whether it’s Maxie giving birth in the woods, or Peter showing up at GH, and he says, and when she loses a dear friend? He doesn’t think things could get much worse, so let’s hope they get better soon.

Nina asks why Peter is here. Why isn’t he locked up in Pentenville? Peter says, she didn’t hear about Jason nearly killing. Because of Jason, he requires medical attention. Nina says, what a shame. Too bad his aim wasn’t better. Peter tells the officers that he and Nina are practically family, and they know how family squabbles can get. Tell him, did her friend Mike finally fly to her rescue, or what? She gets down so they’re face to face, and says, you son of a bitch. There’s a place in hell reserved just for you. He says, people keep telling him that, but he ventures to think she’ll beat him there.

Sasha tells Carly, she made a vow; no more waterworks. Her baby and Brando need her. Carly says, Liam and Brando need her to be healthy, which means she needs to rest. And like it or not, it means doing what the nurses tell her. Sasha says, Epiphany and Elizabeth are having great fun bossing her around, and Carly laughs, saying, she bets. She knows it’s not the experience Sasha looked for, but it sounds like she’ll be able to go home soon. Sasha says, and they’re taking Liam Mike with them. Carly says she likes the name. She kisses Sasha’s forehead, and says she’s going to go, and let Sasha rest. Sasha thanks Carly for being a good friend to her, and Carly says, her pleasure. She’s always here for Sasha. Always. She leaves, and Sasha picks up her and looks at Liam’s picture. She says, you hear that, Liam. You will be coming home with us.

Brando tells Sonny, the tubes feed Liam, and he has a special blanket to cool him down, to help his brain recover from the lack of oxygen. Sonny says, it sounds backwards, and Brando laughs, saying, you’d think it was to keep him warm, but it’s the opposite. Sonny says, you’re never more raw and vulnerable as when you become a father, and Brando asks how Sonny does it. How does he handle the constant fear? Sonny says, you just don’t let it dominate your life. He always pictures Donna’s smile, Avery’s laugh. Kristina, Michael, and Dante are all grown up, but he still worries about them. He’s not Josslyn’s biological father, but he considers her his daughter; he’s her dad. One thing he’s learned about raising kids is, you have absolutely no control. Brando says, that’s a lesson that’s tough for him to learn, but Sonny says, Brando did a great job. He gave his son a great name; Liam Mike. A little Irish charm; his dad’s fighting spirit. Brando asks what makes Sonny sure Liam’s got it, and Sonny says, what makes him think Liam’s not a quitter? Because it runs in the family.

Britt says she has the feeling Austin doesn’t want to keep tabs on Peter out of some professional interest. Austin says he is concerned about Maxie’s physical and emotional well-being, especially now that he’s met the father of her child. Britt says, no one is underestimating the harm Peter is capable of causing, but he’s under guard 24/7, and once he’s released from the hospital, he’ll be locked away for the rest of his unnatural life. Austin says, maybe, but after spending even just a little time with him, he doesn’t sound like a guy who’s giving up on getting his family back. He sounds like a high stakes poker player who’s very pleased with himself because he still has an ace up his sleeve.

Valentin walks into the foyer with Bailey, and tells her, in France, they say, au revoir, mon cheri, which means, until we meet again. Au revoir, mon cheri. He tries not to cry, and gives Bailey to Brook. He and Anna leave, and Brook sighs. Outside, Valentin cries, and Anna holds him. She asks, it’s done. Is he okay? She takes his face in her hands, and says, ready to go? He nods.

Maxie grabs her coat and bag, and says, too many lies, too many hearts broken and lives destroyed. This has to stop. She walks out.

Nina asks the guards if she and Peter could have a second. He’s not going to go anywhere; please? Peter tells them, he’ll be fine. They can go. They leave (highly unlikely IRL), and Nina leans down again, and asks what Peter is intending. He says, me? and she says, yeah, you. He says he doesn’t have to lift a finger. She sealed her own fate in beautiful Nixon Falls when she fell in love with another woman’s husband, and not just any woman, the feisty Carly Corinthos. Frankly, he’s surprised to see Nina in town. He would have thought Carly had run her out of town on a rail by now, right after tarring and feathering her first of course (🍷)… or doesn’t she know. Nina gets up to see Carly standing behind Peter. Rut-roh.

On Monday, Chase says there’s something someone needs to know, Laura wants out of the safe house now, Sonny sees why Britt was special to Jason, and Peter tells Nina to let Carly be the judge of that.

🩰 She Knows Him…

I did know she had a dance background, but didn’t know about Cats.

🏚 She Wants Out Now…

Laura returns to the Port Charles canvas.

🥀 What a Dahl…

Another farewell. I’d forgotten she was Lorenzo Lamas’s mom.

https://people.com/movies/arlene-dahl-actress-turned-beauty-mogul-dead-at-96/

👸🏼 The Princess Returns…

Mac’s better half is home for the holidays.

⚖️ Oh No She Isn’t…

I hadn’t heard this rumor, but I’m glad it’s not true.

📽 Four’s Not a Crowd…

It must have been like old GH home week on this set.

🥁 Soaping the Season…

A good time for a worthy cause.

🏔 She’s Too Good…

Ugh. This woman. She’s like the fly in the Salt Lake ointment.

📿 Housewife Side Hustle…

Garcelle sells her glitzy wares.

🧨 Already It Starts…

And one of them isn’t even on the show.

🃏 I Resemble That…

Eboni did not find it a laughing matter.

😭 Boo-Hoo-Hoo…

Attention ladies, Juicy Joe is once again available.

📺 Sadly, She’s Right…

I’m sure I lose many braincells every time I watch reality TV. Actually, it’s surprising I have a brain at all at this point.

📡 Quotes of the Week

It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. – Mahatma Gandhi

A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it. – George Moore

Rather, ten times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore. – Florence Nightingale

To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power. – Jane Fonda

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. – Paulo Coelho

Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast. – William Shakespeare

Success is a collection of problems solved. – I. M. Pei

With no positivity, there is no hope; with no negativity, there is no improvement. – Criss Jami

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. – Mark Twain

Is your secret job in a red flag factory?Kalani Faagata, 90 Day Fiancé

People will always have opinions about your decision because they’re not courageous enough to take action on their opinion. – Steve Maraboli

🗼 Au Revoir, Not Goodbye…

Enjoy your next two days off, or on, or whatever your status. See you at the finale of the Dead. Until then, stay safe, stay living without regret, and stay knowing that when you see only dustballs and clothes, the boogie man has no power over you.

September 11, 2020 – Josslyn Says Goodbye To Mike, Chief Britt, All About Alex, Returning Morgan, Kris Cross, Goodbye Mrs. Peel, Another Stand, Upcoming Story, So Ratched, It’s Over, Quotes Of Ten & Trixie’s Malibu

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

The doctor tells Sonny, Carly, and Josslyn, he’s seen a lot of patients in hospice. The oxygen should keep him comfortable, and they’ll monitor him for any discomfort or pain. Josslyn asks if they can see him, and the doctor says, absolutely. He encourages it

Ava and Franco kiss. Someone takes a picture. Ava says she’s sorry, and he says he’s sorry. They can’t do that. They did do that, but they shouldn’t. Ava says it brought her back to their time in the city, before their lives went haywire. He says, before they were married to other people, and she says, yeah, before that.

Nikolas kisses Elizabeth. Someone takes a picture. Elizabeth backs up, and he says he forgot how good this felt; how they just fit. Does she remember? She say she can’t do this to Franco, and he says, why not? She just told him that she thinks Franco is interested in Ava. She deserves better, and she knows it. She says she doesn’t know anything for sure, and he says he doesn’t believe that. He thinks she’s looking for a way out of her marriage.

Trina comes to the hospital, and Portia asks, to what does she owe this surprise visit? Trina says she wants to thank Portia for clearing the air with Ava, and also letting her work the extra hours. She’s excited. Portia says if it makes Trina happy, she’s all in.

Dev asks if Cameron’s problem is that he can’t choose between Josslyn and Trina? Cameron says he doesn’t know how he got in this mess, and Dev says, come on. He doesn’t want to pump Cameron’s ego, but Cameron is an athlete, he’s popular, and he’s kind of smart. He’s not surprised girls are into him. Cameron says he doesn’t know if Josslyn and Trina are into him. Maybe they just want to stay friends. Either way, the whole thing is a mess.

Sonny, Carly, and Josslyn go in to see Mike. Sonny says, all right, dad. The doctor says he’s ready to leave, so they just want him to know they’re here for him; all of them. He’s not doing this alone. Sonny smiles at his father.

Elizabeth tells Nikolas, she’s not looking for a way out of her marriage. She loves Franco. She’s trying to save her relationship, not ruin it. He tells her, explain the kiss, and she says, it was a mistake. She was feeling insecure, and it was stupid and impulsive. It shouldn’t have happened. She apologizes if she gave him the wrong idea, and he says he’s sorry for giving in to temptation. He’s missed human contact. She’s right; it can’t happen. She asks if he’s being noble, and he says he wishes. She’s not the only one with a lot to lose. She says don’t tell her that he’s comparing their marriages. There’s no contest.

Ava tells Franco, she misses that kind closeness. If anyone finds out… Franco asks why she cares. Her marriage is a  sham, right? She says, true, but his isn’t. Despite their recent closeness, she knows he loves Elizabeth and the boys, and knows he would never want that for Elizabeth. She would never want that for Elizabeth. He asks if this is her version of altruism; her effort to preserve his marriage. She shrugs, and he asks if she has feelings for Nikolas.

Portia asks if going to homecoming as a group is a thing, and Trina says, it’s their thing. Portia asks if it’s like they’re each other’s dates, and Trina says, they’re each other’s friends, without the drama of who’s into who. Portia asks if she’s good with that, and Trina says, why not? Portia says Cameron took her last time, but Trina says, as a friend. Portia asks, if Cameron ends up with Josslyn at the end of the night, will she be okay with that?

Cameron tells Dev, the three of them, and now Dev, are a package deal. He doesn’t want to do anything to mess that up. They’re better off if it’s left the way things are. Dev tells Cameron, he said himself, it’s a confusing mess. Dev thinks it’s best if Cameron makes up his mind. Pick one, go for it, and set the other free. Cameron says, it’s that easy? and Dev says, kind of. Cameron asks what Dev would know, since he’s asexual.

Sonny tells Mike, they don’t know how long it will be – that’s between him and God – but Sonny will be right there with him. Carly says, her too, and Josslyn says, and her. Carly says they love him so much. She’s going to let Michael know, and promises she’ll be right back. Sonny asks if Josslyn is okay, and she says she should be asking him that. Sonny says she went through the same thing with Oscar, and she says now she sees how lucky she was. She was able to say everything she wanted to. Sonny says, it is lucky, and she says, if it’s all right with him, she’d like to be able to do that with Mike. He says, of course (🍷), and steps aside. He asks her to do him a favor, and let him know if anything changes. She says she will. She’ll be quick. He tells her, take her time, and he leaves. She says, hey, grandpa. First off, she wants to thank him for always treating her like his own. Technically she’s not, but he’s the only grandfather she’s ever known. She can’t picture a future without him, and doesn’t want to.

Epiphany asks Trina how she is, and Trina says, it’s still hard, but she’s moving forward day by day. Epiphany says she’s glad Trina has direction. She tells Portia the new Chief of Staff will be there today, and Portia says, Cyrus’s right hand. Trina looks at her phone, and says, Josslyn’s grandfather is in hospice, and it’s not looking too good.

Carly sees Sonny in the hallway, and asks why he’s out there. He says Josslyn wanted time with Mike, and she thanks him for giving it to her. He’s says he’s grateful Mike had time to know her. Alzheimer’s is difficult for anybody, but especially for a teenager whose not blood related… Carly says, it didn’t seem to matter to Mike or Josslyn, and Sonny says, it’s just… The fact that she loved him and welcomed him…  Carly puts her head on his shoulder, and says, the best part is, it went both ways.

Josslyn says she’s so thankful for the time she got with Mike; real time. All of them living under the same roof. She finally got to know what it was like to have a grandfather, and she loved it. Does he know what else she loved? She laughs, and says it might sound weird, but the one time he thought she was his childhood friend Mary, and asked her to come play stickball with him. Of course (🍷) part of her was sad that he didn’t know who she was, but the other part thought it was so cool she got meet him when he was a kid, and got to be his friend. She starts to cry, and says, it felt special to her. How many people get to do that? Know the person someone was when they were younger. Him living with them made her think about her future in a different way, and now she’ll make sure all the milestones she has, he’s right there with her.

Josslyn walks into the living room, wearing a formal gown. Mike sees her and says he always knew she was a stunner, but wow. She should be declared homecoming queen right now. She thanks him, but says she decided not put her name in. There are other girls who want it more. He says she’s the queen for him, and tells her to look around. There’s something there for her somewhere. She goes to the bookcase, and says, a corsage. He says, of course (🍷). That’s what grandfathers do. She says, it’s gorgeous, and thanks him. He puts it on her wrist, and she says, how beautiful, and thanks him again. She says he’s always watching out for her, and he says, he always will be.

Josslyn tells Mike, she was going to have a good time at homecoming. She still will, because she knows that’s what he’d want her to do, but she’s going to miss him so much. He looks at her, and smiles a little.

Elizabeth tells Nikolas, there’s no comparison. She and Franco are in love. He says he and Ava are definitely not, and she says, the ridiculous post-nup trapped him in a marriage he doesn’t want to be in. All because he wants to hang on to his money. How can they be so mutually destructive? What’s wrong with him?

Ava tells Franco, she doesn’t have feelings for Nikolas. She despises the air he breathes. Franco says, so it’s a match made in heaven. She should find another outlet; somebody to take care of what she needs. She says, like a gigolo? and he says Nikolas would probably be grateful for something to keep her occupied. She says, he’d love it, but not because it kept her occupied. If she gets caught cheating, he gets everything; all the money, all the property, and she gets nothing. Franco asks how she signed off on something like that, and she says, it goes both ways. Whoever gets caught cheating loses it all. He tells her, that’s one crazy situation she got herself into, and she says, ain’t it though? He says so she can’t be with another human being; not at all? She says, until Nikolas screws up. Franco says, but what if he doesn’t?

Dev tells Cameron, what the hell’s with the asexual comment? and Cameron says Dev never talks about being interested in anyone. But now that they’re talking, is there a girl, or… someone he’s into? Dev says Cameron seems to have his hands pretty full with Josslyn and Trina. If he were Cameron, he’d stay focused on them. Dev walks away, and Cameron says he’s welcome for the soda. Dev yells back, thanks.

Finn asks if Epiphany is okay. He knows she’s tight with Sonny and his family. She says, Mike Corbin is a beautiful human being. Finn says he knows. It puts the fear of their new Chief of Staff in perspective. Britt appears, and says, she’s glad to hear it. Because she’s looking forward to working with him again.

Elizabeth says, wild guess, but she supposes Ava and Nikolas aren’t sleeping together. He says, God no, and she says, neither of them have had sex all this time? He asks if she thinks he wanted this. It was the only way to ensure Ava didn’t get his fortune. She says, it’s so twisted and dark. No sex or love until one of them cracks. She knows him, and he won’t be able to do it. He says he’s had practice. He was alone when he was recovering in Greece, and can do this. Ava will be first. She says, what if it doesn’t work? and he says, it has to. Do him a favor. Ava can never find out they kissed, and Elizabeth says Ava’s not going to hear it from her. She can’t risk Ava telling Franco. She says, Nikolas needs to fix this. He can’t keep living like this; he just can’t. She walks off, leaving him to ponder.

Ava tells Franco, she doesn’t know how she’s going to keep this up. Their kiss was a stark reminder of what she’s missing. She says, Nikolas can’t hear about it, and Franco says, Nikolas won’t hear it from him. She says, it will be their little secret, and Franco says she should reconsider the marriage. Find a way to fall in love with Nikolas, or make him fall in love with her. Franco leaves the gallery.

Carly tells Sonny how wonderful Josslyn has been with Mike, but it’s also been rewarding for her. To think back when Mike moved in, the man with the twinkle in his eye, and his amazing ability to enjoy life; Josslyn got to be around that. Even when Mike started to deteriorate. It was something else she had to go through with him, and learn from. Mike never disappointed Josslyn. She just got to enjoy and love him. Sonny says, what an incredible gift.

Josslyn tells Mike, after Oscar died, she let her grades slip. Everybody told her it was normal and she shouldn’t worry, but he knows her; she was worried. She’s been working at every extra credit project, and she’s almost at the top of her class again. If she continues – which she will – she’ll graduate with honors. If only he could be there to see it.

Josslyn walks into the living room wearing a cap and gown. Mike says, there’s their valedictorian. Is her speech ready? She says, of course (🍷), and he asks how he got such brave and brilliant granddaughter. She says he got lucky, and he says he sure did. He says there’s something for her somewhere in the room, and she sees a jewelry box in a bowl on the coffee table. She takes out a watch, and says, it’s beautiful; she loves it. He says, it belonged to Sonny’s mother. She says, Adela? Maybe he should give it to Donna or Avery. He asks, why? She’s every bit as much his as any of the grandkids. He doesn’t want her to ever think she’s different. He puts the watch on her wrist, and says he wants her to wear it to remember how fast time flies, and make the best of it, always.

Josslyn tells Mike that she wants to make him proud. She takes his hand and promises she will. She doesn’t know yet what she wants to do when she’s older, but she thinks that’s a good  thing. It weirds her out when kids her age have their whole careers planned out, when they haven’t even left the house yet. She does know this. Whatever work she ends up doing, she’ll always make room for love in her life, just like he did, even toward the end.

Mike waits in a lounge area of the MetroCourt, when Josslyn comes out in a wedding dress. She says, the party is in the ballroom, but he says, it’s too crowded. He wanted to have her all to himself for a minute. She says he can have more than a minute. He says she’s the most beautiful bride ever, and she’s sure he says that to all the ladies. He says, not today. Today he only has eyes for her. He had a talk with that husband of hers. She looks a little panicked, and he says, nothing bad. He just let him know how important she is to him, and told him to take care of her heart for the precious cargo it is. She asks what she’d do without him, and he says she’d be fine. Fortunately, they don’t have to find out for a long time. Give him a twirl. She does, and he says, that’s my girl.

She tells Mike, whatever she does, however life turns out, she’ll always be his girl.

Carly tells Sonny, in the time since Mike came to live with them, he’s experienced love and joy, and given it right back. He’s got to know in his soul that he made his family’s life better just by being there.

Finn says Britt is the new Chief of Staff? and she says, yes, indeed. She congratulates Portia on being new Chief of Internal Medicine; she knew Portia had what it takes when they worked together. Epiphany says, when she ghosted the hospital a few months back? and Britt suggests Epiphany might want to rethink her attitude. Epiphany says Britt sounds like her mother, but Britt says, she’s nothing like her mother. The only thing they have in common is that she too, runs a tight ship. It’s a whole new day at General Hospital. Finn says, is it? Elizabeth joins them, and says she didn’t know Britt was back. Britt says, Dr. Westbourne to her. Epiphany tells Elizabeth that Britt was about to tell them about this new day she has planned for the hospital. Elizabeth says, she has plans? and Britt says, as the new Chief of Staff, it’s her job is to get the hospital whipped into shape.

Trina comes into the gallery, and Ava says she wasn’t scheduled, but Trina says she could use a distraction. She thought it was also a good time to start her extra hours, if it’s okay with Ava. Ava says, of course (🍷), and asks if Trina wants to tell her why she needs a distraction. Trina says homecoming is coming up, and it’s hard not to think about the last dance she went to. Ava says she knows it’s not going to happen again, right? and Trina says, it’s going to be different. All four of them are going – her, Josslyn, Cameron, and Dev – as friends. Ava says, so she and Cameron never kissed again? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Franco sees Nikolas sitting on a bench in the park, and says it looks like he had a rough day. Nikolas says he could say that. What’s up with Franco? Franco says, not much. He was supposed to meet Elizabeth for lunch. Has Nikolas seen her?

Britt says, everyone seems shocked that she’s the new Chief of Staff. She’s almost offended. Epiphany says, let her guess. Cyrus appointed her. Britt says, yes. He reached out to her in person. Elizabeth says, Britt knows he’s an accused drug lord, right? and Britt says she does. She kept up with the news, and remembers reading that he was framed by the Commissioner’s former colleague. Some cop named… Portia says, Taggert, and Britt says, Cyrus lost years of his life, and now he’s trying to do good. Finn says, tell them how she’s going to whip GH into shape, and she says she’s been studying the state of affairs there, and was horrified at how mismanaged the hospital has been since she’s been gone. As a former employee, she takes it personally. Finn says their reputation was good until Cyrus bulldozed his way in. Britt says, the way she sees it, the unethical actions of Monica and Bobbie put the hospital at risk. Elizabeth says, the surgery was successful, and Finn says, not to mention necessary. Britt asks if they’re both willing to go on record to condone the circumventing of law and parental rights. Epiphany tells Britt to let them know when she’s ready. She and Elizabeth have patients to attend to. She tells Elizabeth, they should go before they say something they’ll regret, and Britt says they might want to check their schedules. There’s been some reassignment, and Epiphany says, by whom? Britt says, the new head nurse.

Elizabeth tells Britt, Epiphany has been head nurse since 2006, and Finn says, the hospital won’t last eight minutes without her. Portia says she’s really new there, but Epiphany is the heart of the hospital. Britt says she has no intention of stripping Epiphany of her unofficial title, and Epiphany says, just her official one. Britt says, the Chairman thought it was time to make some changes. Elizabeth wonders if it has anything to do with Britt’s past history with Epiphany, but Britt says she’s not as petty as some people. The Chairman makes the decisions. It’s not her place to intervene, unless she disagrees, which she doesn’t. Finn says he has a long history of substance abuse, and asks if it’s going to be a problem with the Chairman. Britt says she’s not interested in personal issues; she’s interested in how he runs his department. She’d like to set up a meeting, but he says he’s booked solid. She tells him to make an appointment, and come prepared. Portia asks if her job is on the line too. Epiphany and Elizabeth look at the bulletin board, and Elizabeth says Epiphany has been bumped to an administrative position. Epiphany says, no patients? and Elizabeth says, just paperwork. Epiphany says, not for long. She’ll fight it. Elizabeth says, she’s no longer full time. She’s on the satellite crew, and has a whopping two shifts a week.

Nikolas tells Franco, he hasn’t seen Elizabeth. Franco says they were supposed to have lunch. Weird, since Elizabeth texted him that she ran into Nikolas. Nikolas says, strange, and Franco says, it is. Nikolas suggests Franco call her and sort it out, and Franco says he’s embarrassed to say it, but it’s his bad. It’s later than he thought. They probably just missed each other. The time does seem to get away when he’s hanging out with Ava.

Trina tells Ava that she doesn’t want to mess up her friendship with Cameron, and Josslyn needs them now. Her grandfather is in hospice, and probably won’t be with them much longer. Ava asks if Trina can hold down the fort. There’s something she needs to do. Call if she needs anything. Ava runs out.

Carly tells Sonny, she knows it doesn’t feel like it right now, but all the memories they’ve made with Mike are there with him. Sonny says he knows. She says, his dad is thinking how lucky he is he got be a part of the family, and Sonny gave that to him. He says, they did it together, and they hug.

Josslyn says she knows it sounds silly, but she wanted Mike there for all of it.

Mike and Josslyn play checkers, and she says he should really take it easy on someone in her condition. He says, you don’t mean… and she says she had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Guess who’s going to be a great-grandfather again? He hugs her, and says she’s having a baby. Boy or girl? She says they don’t know yet. She doesn’t think they’re going to find out. He says, it’s the best surprise there is. He can’t wait. She says she can’t wait for Mike to meet him or her. He tells her, congratulations. She’s going to be a great mom. What a blessing. Josslyn says, it really is.

Josslyn tells Mike, he’s the blessing.

Portia asks Britt, so what’s her fate? Britt says she has no ill will toward Portia. She doesn’t believe Portia was involved in the Monica and Bobbie shenanigans. She has every faith that Portia will do right by General Hospital. So does Cyrus. Elizabeth tells Finn, she’s been demoted, and Epiphany says, two whole shifts a week. He says, that’s insane. Why? Elizabeth says Britt is carrying out Cyrus’s orders. He’s trying to marginalize anyone who’s been there a long time. Finn says, anyone who knows the history of the hospital. Epiphany says, what that indicates to her, is that Cyrus is going to be messing with stuff he shouldn’t be messing with, and putting everyone, especially their patients, at risk.

Nikolas says Franco is going to be late because he was hanging out with Ava? Franco says they had a little disagreement about the portrait, but they sorted it out. Franco starts to leave, and Nikolas says, good luck. Franco asks why he would need luck, and Nikolas says he just means he hopes Franco finds Elizabeth. Franco says he’ll find her.

Trina flashes back to telling Cameron that she researched PTSD, and that’s what happened. Things got scrambled. It’s fine, but what’s not fine is making the kiss something it’s not. Nothing has changed between them. She sits down.

Sonny tells Carly, he couldn’t have done it without her, and she says he’s always got her. She’s going to grab coffee, and asks if she can get him anything. He says he’s fine. She says she loves him, and he says he loves her too. She leaves, and Ava comes along. She says she hopes she’s not intruding, and Sonny asks what she wants. She says she heard about Mike. Sonny wipes tears away, and she asks if there’s anything she can do to help.

Josslyn asks Mike if he wants to know a secret. She’s super competitive. She tells him, okay, it’s the opposite of a secret. It’s the challenge of making mistakes and trying to make up for them, like him trying to make up for leaving Sonny and his mom. She hopes she never has to do that, but if she does, she prays she can deal with it the way he showed her, and learn from the lessons he taught her. More than anything, she hopes he can hear her right now. She says, thank you, grandpa, for everything. I love you so much. His hands move, and he gives Josslyn two thumbs up.

We all cry like babies.

On Monday, Britt asks if she gets no welcome back from Felix, Olivia tells Robert that she’s going with him, Ava asks Sonny to trust her, and Jason says someone has his word.

🩺 Hail To the Chief…

The Britch is back in a big way.

https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/recaps/577812/britt-westbourne-named-chief-of-staff-general-hospital/

👭🏻 Two Times the Spy…

All about Anna’s twin.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/general-hospital-alex-devane-128961

🧩 If There’s No Body…

I never thought he was dead anyway.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/bryan-craig-is-ready-to-return

👠 From Momager To Wife…

It remains to be seen if RHOBH will inherit a Kardashian.

https://extratv.com/2020/09/09/would-kris-jenner-ever-join-rhobh-andy-cohen-weighs-in/

🥀 Farewell Queen Of Thorns…

And the best Avenger ever.

https://extratv.com/2020/09/10/diana-rigg-of-the-avengers-game-of-thrones-dead-at-82/

🎡 Standing Again…

I wasn’t sure if we needed another one, but this looks like a great cast.

https://www.ihorror.com/premiere-date-is-set-for-the-stand-on-cbs-all-access/

https://www.ihorror.com/the-stand-receives-first-teaser-trailer/

🩸 New Horror Coming…

I don’t know if anything will top 1984 for me though.

https://www.ihorror.com/american-horror-story-shares-a-tease-and-begins-filming-season-10/

💉 Ratch This…

Speaking of Sarah Paulson.

https://www.ihorror.com/watch-final-lobotomy-filled-trailer-for-netflixs-ratched-is-epic/

📍 It’s Official…

And it was only a matter of time.

https://pagesix.com/2020/09/02/teresa-and-joe-giudice-finalize-divorce-after-20-years-of-marriage/

📝 Quotes of the Week

What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming. – Muhammad Ali

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. – e.e. cummings

He got distracted by a clapping ass; it happens. – Cynthia Decker, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé

I’m gonna give you a prostate exam with this foot. – Medea (Tyler Perry), Boo! A Medea Halloween

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well. – Mark Twain

A room without books is like a body without a soul. – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.Mahatma Gandhi

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. – Steve Martin

Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You…Be Free…Share.Steve Maraboli

Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11. – Barack Obama

🗑 There Goes Another One…

Crossing another week off the calendar, and hoping we’re closer to a pandemical solution. Or even just some bars opening. Regardless, venture out into the world, but stay safe, stay observant, and stay making room for love in your life.