What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Elizabeth leaves a message for Betsy that she got the card. She has some news, and wonders if Betsy can come to town so she can give it to her in person. Even if she can’t come to town, Elizabeth would like to see her. She’s working today, but give her a call. Scotty comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks what brings him by. He says, a client; a little slip and fall case. So Peter August finally got what he deserved. Of course (🍷) Scotty wanted him to go to trial and face being charged with Franco’s murder. He doesn’t want anybody to ever forget that. Elizabeth says, her either, and asks if he has a minute. He says, sure, and she asks if he’s ever sensed that Jake or Aiden resented her dating Finn. He says, Aiden, no; Jake, most definitely.

Diane visits Alexis’s office, and says, looking very good behind that desk. Alexis says, not too shabby, huh? and Diane says, not at all. She’s sorry she’s been remiss in not coming by to see Alexis’s new digs. Alexis says, that’s okay. Diane has a law practice with clients, and Diane says, that’s true, but she should always have time for Alexis. Congratulations on her second act. Alexis thanks her, and asks her to sit. She’s glad Diane is there, because she wants to pick Diane’s brain about something, and Diane says, goodie; what’s the subject? Alexis says, the legal question she asked Diane about before, and Diane says, the hypothetical situation where a woman forges a birth certificate for an abandoned child that she never legally adopted. Alexis says, that’s the one, and Diane says, let’s cut to the chase. The woman in question is Alexis’s newfound friend Harmony.

At Charlie’s, Harmony tells Shawn that she’s just on her way out, and he says, she likes the macaroni and cheese balls, doesn’t she? Whenever he tries to rope his son TJ into meeting him, he invites TJ there. She says, they’re a weakness of hers too. She was just having lunch with a friend. He asks if she still hangs with criminals.

Finn comes by the beach house, and says he wanted to see how Chase is doing, and Chase says, now that Bailey’s back with Maxie, her real mother? The way it was always intended to be? Finn says, it still has to hurt, and Chase says, big time. Finn asks if Chase is packed, and Chase says he’s working on it. There’s no point in staying here. Finn asks if Brook feels the same way, but Chase says he wouldn’t know. Brook is gone.

At the penthouse, Carly asks Frank if Sonny is inside, and Frank nods. She’s about to knock, when Sonny opens the door, and asks what she and Drew are doing here. Carly says she guesses she doesn’t have to ask Sonny and Nina that question. Um… It’s his apartment and they’re getting a divorce that she wanted. Why does she think she gets to have an opinion on what he does now?

Chase says, about an hour after Maxie picked Bailey, up, Brook came down with a suitcase. She claimed she was going to Bensonhurst to visit her mother. Finn asks if Lois knows the whole story, but Chase says, just the basics. Brook said she wanted to explain everything face-to-face, but he thinks she just wanted to get away. Finn says he guesses the house seems pretty empty without Bailey in it, and Chase is moving out, Chase says, there’s no point in him staying here now that the whole charade is over, and Finn says he saw Chase and Brook in action together when Bailey went missing. They’re pretty good together. They were there for each other and held each other up. He thought they’d lean on each other again to get through this. Chase says, but then he kissed her and she ran.

Elizabeth says, the boys told her they like Finn, and Scotty says, Aiden likes him okay, but Jake complains about him a lot. Elizabeth is surprised, and he says, Jake’s a teenager. He’s lucky he can get Jake to talk at all; they really just want to text. Jake complains about his brother, about Finn, about no good action movies… She says she’s been worried about him since Jason died, and asks if Scotty thinks he could be acting out. He asks why she says that, and she says, a lot of weird things have been happening recently. Like her wedding ring. She decided to take it off. Scotty says he noticed, and he thinks it’s good. It means she’s decided to move on. She says, but the night she and Finn decided to have their first official date, she found her wedding ring in her locker at GH, like it was some kind of reminder of Franco before she went out on her date. He asks if she thinks Jake did that; he thinks it’s a bit of a stretch. She agrees, but says, who else could it be? How did her ring get from her house to her locker? She asked the kids and they denied it, and seemed sincere, Jake included, but after what he just said, she doesn’t know. Does he think Jake could be trying to tell her something?

Alexis gives Diane some coffee, and says, she of all people knows the value of deniability. She wasn’t hired, therefore isn’t protected by attorney/client privilege. Diane says, if Harmony admits to the forgery, which she hopes wasn’t used in the commission of a crime, it doesn’t matter what she knows. Alexis says, speculation, counselor. She hopes that the person in question is going to do the right thing, and she’s speaking hypothetically because she has to protect her sources. Diane says, that’s right, because Alexis is in journalism now. Hypothetically speaking, she hopes the person in question is trustworthy, and Alexis’s trust is well-placed. With regard to Harmony, she did come through in the end with her testimony against Shiloh, but the woman has a long history of manipulation, and she’d hate to see Alexis taken advantage of. Alexis asks if this is Diane’s way of saying she doesn’t trust her judgement.

Harmony says, criminal? She’s not sure who Shawn is referring to. Shawn says he’s referring to Bucky. He and Shawn go way back to some of Shawn’s more nefarious days. He’s an artist. No one can craft a fake ID like Bucky. Driver’s licenses, fake passports, you name it. She says she had no idea, and he says he thought Harmony said Bucky was her friend. She says, more of a drinking buddy. He plays a mean game of darts, but thanks for his concern. She’s a big girl. She starts to leave, but he steps in front of her, and says he really doesn’t care what she does with her life, but he cares how it affects Alexis. She says she doesn’t see how an occasional game of darts would affect Alexis, and he says, Alexis has a lot of friends in Port Charles who care about her, none of whom would let Harmony drag her into something shady. She says, Alexis is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and he says, that she is, but Harmony is missing his point. Alexis no longer has to take care of herself. She isn’t isolated in Spring Ridge. She has real friends and loved ones around her. Harmony would do well to watch her step around Alexis.

Sonny asks Carly not to start, and she says they need to talk. He says, she already told him that they have nothing to say, and Nina says she’s going to go, but Sonny tells her to stay. Nina says she was going anyway, and Sonny tells Carly and Drew to go inside; he’ll be there in a second. He walks Nina out to the hall, and thanks her for last night. He wasn’t thinking straight, and she stopped him from making a huge mistake. Nina says, their lives are already too complicated, and he says she’s a good friend. She tells him goodbye and leaves, and Sonny goes back inside. He asks if this is about Donna, but Carly says, it’s about Jason.

Harmony tells Shawn that she’s glad Alexis has a strong support system. It’s a challenge reentering society, which they both know. Nina comes in and goes to the bar, and Harmony says she really has to go, and leaves.

Finn tells Chase, let him get this straight. Chase kissed Brook, and she left town. Chase says he knows how bad that sounds, and Finn says, it sounds like Chase needs to check his ego. Brook just had to give up the child she’s raised as her own since birth, and Chase thinks it’s his disgusting kiss that sent her running? Chase thanks him for stopping by, and says, if he’d please leave now, that’d be great. Finn says, he’s kidding. He only knows because he’s been there. Talk to him. Chase says he wouldn’t know where to start, and Finn says, start with the truth. Up until now, when Chase has talked about his feelings for Brook, it was shaded by the pretense that he was Bailey’s father. Now’s his chance to be honest. Chase says he’s sorry about lying about Bailey, and Finn says, it’s done. Peter’s dead, and Bailey is back with Maxie. The only unfinished business is between Chase and Brook. So he’s curious how Chase really feels about her.

Scotty asks if Elizabeth thinks Jake is doing some weird things to break her up with Finn, but she says she doesn’t know. He has struggled in the past, and now with what Scotty is saying about him… Scotty says, that was because of Helena Cassadine, and that was a long time ago. Jake is mentally stable, but he is a teenage boy, and with that, comes a lot of angst and a lot of trouble. She says she knows, and she’s hoping that’s all it is. They sit, and Scotty says, but planting her ring in her locker sends a message. It could be a little more sinister as well. He doesn’t think Jake would ever do that, but somebody did, and that is harassment. She says, there have been some other odd occurrences, and he says, anything dangerous? She says, no, they might not even be related, and he says, if anything goes on that seems fishy or sketchy, she should get ahold of him. There are a lot of criminals out there, so promise him that. She promises, and he says he’ll catch her later. He leaves, and Elizabeth walks toward the elevators, where she sees Betsy. Betsy says, there she is. They said Elizabeth was on this floor, but she began to wonder. Elizabeth asks what she’s doing here, and Betsy says, she got Elizabeth’s message. Elizabeth said she was at work, so here she is. Elizabeth says, but she just called, and Betsy says, she was already in town to visit Bobby. Elizabeth says, she came to visit Franco?

Carly says, she thought Sonny would want to know Maxie is safe, and Peter August is dead. Sonny says, it’s about damn time, and thanks her for making the trip over here. Dante was here earlier. And Drew is here because…? Drew says he was in Switzerland, and can give Sonny the details if he wants, but Sonny says he knows all he needs to know. He died like the dog he was. Drew says, he can attest to that, and tells Carly that she said what she came to say. He can give her a ride back if she wants. She says, no thank you. She’s not done yet. She and Sonny need to get a few things straight.

Elizabeth says she didn’t know Betsy was in Port Charles, and Betsy says, she was at Bobby’s grave when Elizabeth called. She can’t believe it’s already been a year since they lost him. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about her sweet boy. She knows Elizabeth understands; she loved him too. Elizabeth says, she did, very much. She called because she wanted Betsy to know, Peter August, the man who killed Franco, is dead. Betsy says, she’s glad. After the hard life Bobby had, he finally found happiness with Elizabeth and her boys. They should have had more time together. Peter robbed them of all the years they should have had with Bobby. Elizabeth says, Franco will always be in her heart, and Betsy says, he’s very present for her too. Sometimes she can even pretend he’s still here. Elizabeth says, he would want Betsy to be happy, and to keep living her life, but Betsy tells her, easier said than done. Elizabeth says she’s had a hard time with it too, but she’s slowly starting to find life after Franco. She’s seeing someone. Betsy says she knows all about it.

Chase tells Finn, his relationship with Brook is complicated, but first of all, they’re friends. That’s why, when he figured out what was going on between her and Maxie, and saw Valentin was about to blow everything up, he stepped in to help cover for her. It was intense, acting like Bailey’s father and assuming those responsibilities, but he saw how relieved Brook was when she had someone to talk to. She could tell him because he knew the truth. She was carrying it all by herself, and she was taking hits from her family, because she was terrified Peter would find out and do exactly what he did, kidnap Bailey. Finn tells him, he never thought he’d say this, but let’s get to the kissing. Chase says, he and Brook were friends, and they had this huge secret between them. Sometimes they’d look at each other, and he thought maybe… but then the moment didn’t last very long, and nothing ever happened between them until they found out the news that Maxie was safe and Peter was dead, and everything was over. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and he couldn’t pull away – not that he wanted to – and he kissed her. Finn says, and? and Chase says, afterward, she dodged the moment. He could tell Brook wasn’t into it, so he let it go. Finn says, he just let it go? It sounds like this kiss wasn’t a spur of the moment thing for Chase, which begs the question, does Chase have feelings for Brook?

TJ hugs Shawn and says, sorry he’s late; he was in surgery. Shawn says, no problem, and hopes the surgery was a success. TJ says, get this. It started as a simple breast reduction. The patient was experiencing some back problems, so she opted to have a reduction mammoplasty. While she was on the table, they discovered a tumor. Shawn says, as in breast cancer? and TJ says, right. This was a young woman with no family history, no symptoms, and no indication of breast cancer. They were able to remove the entire tumor during the reduction procedure. They don’t know if it’s invasive yet, but his guess is, they caught it early, and women who are diagnosed during reduction have a statistically better chance at survival than the general population. So he’s optimistic. He thinks they might have saved this woman’s life, not just her back. Shawn says, this is definitely worth waiting for, and they have another reason to celebrate. TJ asks, what’s the first one? and Shawn says he wants TJ to know how great these past few months have been, getting the chance to hang out with TJ and get to know him. TJ says, for him as well, but asks why Shawn is talking like it’s over. Shawn says, never, but he does have some news. He found this interesting business opportunity, but he’s going to have to move to San Francisco.  

Drew walks into Charlie’s and sees Nina. She says, guess what? There’s no need to track her down. That collision at Sonny’s penthouse was an unfortunate accident; she didn’t want to run into Carly either. She really tries to avoid Carly altogether. He says he just came in to get something to eat, and she says she’s sorry. It’s just that her friend Phyllis manages this place, and she was hoping to talk to her. He says, no harm done, but since he ran into her, he might as well say thank you.

Alexis asks if she’s fallen so low in Diane’s eyes, that Diane shockingly thinks she doesn’t know when someone is manipulating her? Diane says, that’s the whole point of manipulation, that the person being targeted is never aware they’re being manipulated. That being said, she believes in Alexis. Alexis says, does she, because she’s not feeling it. Diane says, Alexis forged a relationship with Harmony at Spring Ridge. Harmony was the only person Alexis could talk to at a time when she was uncharacteristically vulnerable. Alexis says, when she was vulnerable? and Diane asks how else she would describe incarceration. It was minimum security, but a far cry from the life Alexis was used to. She doubts Alexis’s fellow inmates were good at scintillating conversation. Harmony was the closest thing she had to a contemporary – while she was at Spring Ridge. But now she’s out, and Diane is worried Harmony’s motives are less than pure, and is Alexis sure Harmony is someone who deserves her support? There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, come in. It’s Harmony, who asks if she’s interrupting something. Alexis says, Diane was just leaving, and Diane gives Alexis a look, but says, yes, she was just leaving. She has things to do. Nice to see Alexis behind a desk again. She’ll call her next week and they’ll arrange lunch. Good luck with her little project. She leaves, and Harmony says, sorry. She really didn’t mean… Alexis says, stop. She wants to know everything. How did Willow take it when Harmony told her that she wasn’t Willow’s birth mother?

Sonny asks what’s on Carly’s mind, and Carly says, she doesn’t have a say about Avery, but she doesn’t want Nina staying over when Donna is there. It’s going to be a confusing enough situation for Donna. Unless Nina is going to be a permanent fixture. Sonny says, it’s not like that. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Donny or Avery, and she should know that. She says, there’s a lot she thought she knew about him, and he proved her wrong, so she doesn’t take anything for granted. He asks if she really doesn’t think he’d put Donna and Avery first, and she says she knows he’s a good father, so she trusts he’ll act in the girls’ best interest. He looks at the bottle of scotch, and flashes back to Nina saying he was on a bender, and alcohol can dull the affects of his medication. He could still be emotionally vulnerable until the meds kick in. Carly says she’d like to bring Donna over on Saturday. It will be her first night staying with him, so she’d like to make the transition as easy as possible. She’d also like to be there when he shows Donna her new bedroom, and she’d like to bring some toys over, so Donna feels comfortable. He says, we’re not going to do that.  

Chase says, Finn sure knows how to ask loaded questions, and Finn says he’s welcome. Chase says he doesn’t know how to feel about Brook, and Finn says, on the surface, they’re not an obvious match. Chase says, tell him about it. In the beginning, he couldn’t stand Brook. He thought she was so selfish and self-centered, but that was just a front. Finn says, really? and Chase says, mostly. The more he got to know Brook, the more he was impressed by her strength and courage. She’s gorgeous and makes him laugh, and she’s so loyal; fiercely loyal. She’s a trip, but underneath all that attitude, she’s got a big heart. Finn says, as does Chase. For what it’s worth (🍷), he says Chase should go for it when she gets back. Chase says he doesn’t know when she’s getting back, and she has so much to process. She just gave up Bailey after being her mother for months. He can imagine the emotional roller coaster. He doesn’t want to wreck their friendship pushing for a relationship when he doesn’t know if she’s ready, or if she even wants to be with him. Finn asks, how will he know until he tries?

Elizabeth says, Betsy knows about Finn? and Betsy says she’s seen photos of them together on social media. Elizabeth says she hopes Betsy’s not bothered by their relationship, when Scotty comes along, and says, Betsy Frank. What the hell is she doing here? Betsy says she’s visiting her daughter-in-law. They’re still family. He asks if she’s kidnapped any kids lately, and Betsy thanks Elizabeth for calling her and telling her about Bobby’s killer. She’ll be in touch. She leaves, and Scotty waves his hand dismissively, and says, Elizabeth called her? Elizabeth says, yeah, to tell her about Peter. She didn’t know Betsy was in Port Charles. He asks if Betsy contacts her a lot, and Elizabeth says, no… except for this. She hands him the card, and he asks, what the Sam Hill is this? She wonders if Betsy could be behind all these strange occurrences, and he says, strange is Betsy’s M.O. That makes her suspect number one.

Harmony tells Alexis, she was right there, face-to-face with Willow, and couldn’t say the words. How does she tell the daughter she loves so much that she’s not her biological mother? She’s let Willow down over and over again, and it’s just because of Willow’s big heart that they even have a relationship. And now that they’re talking, Willow is letting her get to know he grandson Wiley. She can’t lose either of them. Alexis says, she understands it’s difficult, but what is Harmony doing? She’s just avoiding the inevitable. Willow needs her birth certificate, and Harmony doesn’t have one. How is she going to explain that? Harmony doesn’t say anything, and Alexis says, she didn’t. Harmony says, Willow needs a birth certificate, so she made sure Willow is going to get one.

Nina asks why Drew is thanking her, and he says, Maxie told him that Nina knew Bailey was really Louise, and she kept it a secret. He thanks her for stepping up and saving that little girl from Peter. She says, Maxie is her family. She should be thanking him for bringing her home, and ending this nightmare. She can hardly wait until Maxie holds Louise, and finally tells Louise that she’s her mother. He says, it will be a beautiful sight, and she apologizes for being defensive. She assumed he thought she was a horrible person after listening to Carly badmouth her. He says, they’re not going to talk about Carly.

Carly says, she’s not trying to step on Sonny’s time with Donna. It’s her first night in a strange place, and Carly wants to be there to help her. He says, it’s not that. He thinks they should postpone Donna staying over. She asks, why? and he says, because he had some problems with his medication, and he’s not feeling 100%. She asks if he thinks it’s a problem with the dosage; does he think it needs to be adjusted? He says, it’s not that. He actually went off his medication for a bit. She asks, for how long? and he says, a few days, but he’s back on and just wants to make sure his levels are up before Donna stays the night. Carly flashes back to Nina saying Sonny wants to be with Carly and needs her, and Carly saying she’s not going to argue with Nina on the subject of her marriage and has nothing left to say. She says, Nina knew Sonny was off his meds, didn’t she?

Elizabeth tells Scotty, if Betsy is pretending Franco’s not dead, maybe Betsy thinks she’s cheating on him with Finn. Scotty says, that woman is out of her gourd. He wants to find her and see what’s going on, but Elizabeth says, there’s no proof that she’s doing anything other than grieving the man she thought was her son. He says, that man was his son, and that crazy woman chiseled him out of a lot of years with Franco. Her grip on reality is tenuous at best. Elizabeth says, it’s only been a year, and she knows Betsy is struggling, but she doesn’t think Betsy is dangerous.

TJ says, Shawn Butler, media mogul. He’s spreading his empire quickly. Shawn says, he has a lot of time to make up for. He can’t be sitting around. TJ says, not much chance of that. He’s proud of Shawn. He lifts his glass, and says, to all the success he’s sure Shawn will have, and Shawn says, back at him. He has no doubt his son is destined for greatness. They clink glasses, and TJ says, he’ll feel a lot more impressive when he and Molly move out of her mom’s house. With their work schedules, it’s taken a lot longer to find a place, but they did. Well, Molly really did. It’s a real nice building at the edge of the Charles Street district. Molly fell in love with it, but there were no vacancies, and every other place they considered, Molly would find a flaw in it, and bring up that building. She finally dragged him over there, and said, knock on doors and leave their card, in case someone is thinking of moving. What do you know, the ground floor tenants were moving out, and they put in an application the same day. Shawn says, sounds like they found the perfect space, but they’re still going to see Alexis, right? TJ says, of course (🍷). Why does he ask? Shawn says he’s worried, and TJ says, he and Molly were too when she got out of Spring Ridge, but ever since Shawn made her editor-in-chief of The Invader, she’s active and engaged. All seems right in Alexis’s world. Shawn says, actually, it’s her affiliation with Harmony he’s worried about.  

Alexis asks how Harmony explained suddenly finding the birth certificate, when Willow and Michael have been looking for weeks, and Harmony tells her that she said Clairborne County was rural and underpopulated, with an antiquated recordkeeping system, which is true. She told Willow that she did a lot of coaxing and called in a few favors, and they unearthed her birth certificate. Alexis asks if Harmony thinks Willow believed that, and Harmony says she thinks Willow was just so relieved at the thought of getting her actual birth certificate… Alexis says, but she isn’t, and Harmony says she knows. She bought another fake, and she knows it’s against the law. Alexis says, you know who else knows? Me. At least it’s a victimless crime. It’s not like she stole a baby; the mother abandoned the baby… right? Harmony just looks at her, and Alexis says, Harmony has a legal problem, but she has a bigger emotional one, because she can’t have an honest relationship with Willow when there’s a huge lie in the middle of it, but it’s not too late to tell the truth. Harmony says she can’t. She’s not strong like Alexis.

Drew says, his opinion of Nina isn’t shaped by what he’s been told. It’s based on what she’s done. What she did to Sonny and his family is so appalling; it’s selfish beyond belief. Let’s be honest. Sonny is not just a simple coffee importer. His absence created a power vacuum, which in turn made it dangerous for his widow. Carly could have died trying to keep his company together. Nina says, she’s sorry she doesn’t know the inner workings of the mob. She goes to pick up her coat, and he says, she didn’t know the details, but she was aware of the general circumstances. The bottom line is, she was a liar, and those lies created a world of damage. Let him be honest. Carly is his friend, and he’s not going to sit around and let her get hurt.

Sonny says he didn’t tell Nina that he was off his medication; she figured it out. Carly says, right, and Nina made a point of telling her that Sonny needed her. At the time, she thought it was manipulation, but it was classic Nina. Trying to clear her conscience so she could tell herself she tried, when really, Nina should have told her was that he was off his bipolar medication. He says he didn’t want her to know. He didn’t want to cause her any more trouble. He didn’t want to worry her, and didn’t want her to come back to him out of pity. She asks, how many times has she gotten him through a breakdown? and he says, many times. That’s why he didn’t want to ask her for help yet again, because of what was going on between them. She says, yet again, he can’t trust her enough to tell her the truth. It just goes to show how apart they’ve grown. It breaks her heart.

TJ says, Shawn doesn’t have to worry, and Shawn says, he feels better knowing that. Alexis is fierce, but she has a weakness for underdogs. TJ says, so does Molly, but it doesn’t extend to someone taking advantage of her mom. Shawn says he’s just sorry he can’t be here to keep Alexis from getting involved in whatever shady business Harmony is involved in.

Alexis says that she thinks Harmony should tell Willow the truth. She thinks Willow deserves the truth, but it’s Harmony’s life and her decision. Harmony says, so Alexis isn’t going to write her off? and Alexis says, Harmony doesn’t make this easy, but Harmony stuck by her, and she didn’t make it easy for Harmony. So she’s afraid Harmony’s stuck with her.

Carly thanks Sonny for being honest about his meds, and she appreciates him putting Donna first. He says, always. He still wants to see Donna, just not overnight. She says, that’s fine with her, and is about to go out the door, but she turns, and tells him, take care of yourself. He says, you too, and she leaves. He looks at the divorce papers sitting on the table.

Nina tells Drew that she has no intention of hurting Carly again. Despite what people may think, she doesn’t live her life with Carly in mind. He says, she certainly wasn’t thinking about Carly when she kept Sonny in Nixon Falls, and she tells him, think of something original to say. What she did was horrible, but she can’t change it now. He says, that’s so convenient. She can’t change what she did, but gets a free pass? She actually reserves the right to feel sorry for herself when someone is calling her out. She says, what about him? Is this some kind of sick game he’s playing? Setting her up by saying he wants to thank her, when he obviously despises her. He says, she approached him, and when he thanked her for what she did for Maxie, she brought up Carly. She slipped in there that Carly was badmouthing her. Nina says, he’s right. That was her mistake, because she doesn’t care what Carly thinks about her. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her anymore. She just wants to move on with her life. He says, with Sonny, and she says she cares about Sonny, but they are not together. Drew asks if Sonny knows that.

Sonny picks up the divorce papers, and signs them. In the hallway, Carly takes the papers out of her bag, and signs them, holding them against the wall. This looks kind of stupid, and I think, she couldn’t wait to get to a flat, level surface?

Chase tells Finn that he doesn’t want to complicate things for Brook right now. What he thinks she needs most is a friend, so that’s what he’s going to be. Finn says, at the end of the day, Chase is a good man. Chase thanks him, and Finn says, he’ll let Chase get back to his packing. He has to run a few errands before he heads to Elizabeth’s. Chase says he’s sorry. They just talked about him the whole time. Finn says, that’s the way he likes it. He doesn’t want to talk about his feelings. Chase asks if things are okay with Finn and Elizabeth, and Finn says, things between him and Elizabeth are okay. Although there are some strange things happening that have her a little on edge.  

Elizabeth comes home. She sees something, and drops the mail in her hands. She says, oh God, and we see Franco’s painting of her, propped up in the living room.

Tomorrow, Drew feels the same way, Stella asks if someone is out of their damn mind, Curtis wants to know what’s going on with Nina and Sonny, and Willow says, now’s the time.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

When we last left, Gabriela told primary McCordia to go to bed after he asked her what two women did together. In her interview, she said, with her experience in bartending, she learned how to talk to drunk people, and how to tell people to f*** off politely. She wondered what she’d done to deserve this. Chris mopped the deck, and in his interview, he said he had to turn things around with less talk and more walk.  

Daisy explained to Chef Marcos that they serve as the guests get up, and in Marcos’s interview, he said the guests had big appetites. We flashed back to them still being hungry after a substantial dinner, and he said he planned on making a lot of food until they told him to stop. Daisy told him that two guests were awake, and wanted to start eating. Gabriela told Daisy and Ashley about McCordia’s drunk talk, and Daisy said that’s why she couldn’t give up drinking. She’d have to listen to drunk people sober. It was beach picnic day, and Gary suggested getting to the beach as soon as possible. Captain Glenn told him to grab some chairs and stake a claim. When McCordia got up, he said he hoped he hadn’t offended Gabriela, but she said he hadn’t. She’d worked the bar in a strip club in Miami, and he was nothing in comparison.

Gabriela taught Ashley about hospital corners on the beds, which seemed to annoy Ashley. Daisy said Gabriela would go to the beach for setting up, and she’d send Ashley with the food later. In Gabriela’s interview, she said she wanted Daisy to be able to depend on her as second stew, but she’d only done two beach picnics. Still, she had this; no big deal. The wind was against Gabriela trying to set up on the beach, and she told Kelsie that it wasn’t the guests or the work, but the f***ing elements that made yachting difficult. Everything kept falling over, and in her interview, Gabriela said that the picnic was a f***ing mess. The joke was on her. She was going to look like an a-hole.

The guests arrived at the beach, and in Gabriela’s interview, she said she was going to distract them from the mess with more champagne. She made mimosas and guest Ailaya toasted to a great lunch, a beautiful island, and her 43^rd birthday. The food was served, and Gabriela reminded Ashley to serve from the left, which seemed to piss Ashley off. Marcos told Colin that he was going to knock their socks off tonight, and had a birthday cake to bake. They talked about being in the yachting business, and Colin said he’d been doing it for five years. Marcos said he’d been in yachting for twenty years, and had been all over the world. The only place he couldn’t go was Venezuela. In his interview, he got emotional while saying, he used to cook for the dictator president, and whoever quit become a target. He left because he realized he’d die at some point. He told Colin that a lot of them couldn’t make it because they got killed. His family had tried to get back together, and he missed them. Whenever he had issues or problems, he remembered that. Gary called for the guests to be picked up, and Tom told Ashley that she needed to learn to drink. In his interview, he said, Ashley thought his personality wasn’t mature. She wanted him to be boring. Gabriela wondered why Ashley wouldn’t date out of the older age group if a guy was cool and she liked him.

The guests came back to the boat, and asked for a snack. Glenn thought they’d do some sailing, and Gary said the wind was only at 7½ knots, so they shouldn’t be heeling too hard. Marcos made shish-ka-bobs, and in his interview, he told us, the one thing you’d never hear him say was that he can’t do that. He wasn’t happy, but had to keep it moving. Shortly after the ka-bobs were served, everything tilted. Balancing the cake, Marcos said it was the most important. The table of food fell, and everything crashed to the deck. In Daisy’s interview, she said, Gary didn’t think it would heel this hard. Come on, Gary. She made sure no one was hurt, and in Glenn’s interview, he said, it happens. Deal with it. They can always make more drinks. The stews cleaned up the mess, and Glenn let Kelsie take the wheel. Marcos prayed for strength, and Daisy asked Gary if he was trying to piss her off. In his interview, he said she had a nice ass, and she told him that the whole table was smashed, and there was glass everywhere. I still do not get what the attraction to Gary is. He isn’t particularly brilliant or funny, he’s average looking, he seems like a jerk, and to top it off, he wears a man bun. The only two people in my book who get to wear a man bun are Sensei Guillermo Gomez and Roger Howarth.

Glenn dropped the sails and the anchor. Daisy told the other stews that she was thinking a fancy dinner, black and gold, and afterward, they’d have the hip-hop PJ party. Ashley was asked to help set the table, and in her interview, she said she wasn’t the most artistic person, but if it wasn’t laundry or being bossed around by Gabriela, she’d take it. The guests sat down for dinner, and Daisy took a photo. In Marcos’s interview, he said, normally, the portions of a tasting menu were small, but these guests couldn’t stop eating. He was going make sure there was a lot of food on their plates. They were going to beg him to stop. McCordia licked his plate for the second course, and I thought, Marcos must be living in a dream world. Daisy told the guests that the PJ party would be at 11:15, and they requested the deckhands go shirtless. I cringed. In Tom’s interview, he said he was from the north, and they needed a layer of fat to keep warm. He took off his shirt, and asked if someone called for a dad bod. And yes, it is.

The guests gathered on deck, and Tom brought out the cake. Ailaya said it was amazing, and thanked everyone so much. Glenn came out wearing a bucket hat and pants with a crotch down to the knees. Tom put icing on his nipples, and Gary and McCordia licked it off. There was lots of screeching, and I was beyond cringing. Gabriela did the robot, and several of the crew made an attempt at break dancing. The guests went to bed at a reasonable 2 am.  

On the final day, Marcos said it was the last meal and he needed to smash it. He was making brunch, and going to put so much food on the table, there was no way the guests would leave hungry. Ashley said she couldn’t wait to go out and have a shot of tequila, and Gary said she was naughty. Ugh. In Glenn’s interview, he said, Daisy and Gary were working better together this season, and we flashed back to last season. He said they were both quite stubborn, but good at their jobs. He wanted them to keep it going. Colin asked if Gary had been flirting with Ashley, but Gary said Ashley had been flirting with him. Colin told him to hurry up since he wanted to live vicariously. The guests started to get up, and Daisy told Marcos that she was going to bring the food up slowly. Anchor was raised, and the guests packed.

In his interview, Gary told us the fundamentals of docking, to which I paid zero attention. In Tom’s interview, he said he didn’t know what anything was called because the slang was different. He was afraid he was going to look stupid. He was getting no direction, and just guessing, and it was pissing him off. Lots of pissed off people in this episode. He told Colin that he needed one person talking; he couldn’t listen to nine people. Where he got that number from, I have no idea. Glenn coached him through, and afterwards, Tom said he didn’t enjoy it at all. He told Gary that he’d just been guessing, but Gary said he did fine.

The guests said goodbye, and there were lots of hugs for Marcos. Guest Arnita said the service was amazing, and thanked Tom for the party. She said she couldn’t tell them how much the food was appreciated. When the food was right, everything was right. She gave Glenn the tip envelope, and Glenn told the crew to keep waving, while he went back inside the boat, and tooted the horn. He told the crew, well done, and asked them to meet in the saloon for the tip meeting.

They gathered on the huge semicircle couch, and Glenn told them, fantastic charter. That Marcos warranted a mention said a lot about his culinary skills. The interior kept the drinks flowing, and he liked the way the department heads were working together. In Gary’s interview, he said, if it kept Daisy off his back, he’d put on his stew face. The tip was $17, 800, or $1955 each, and Ashley said, that’s what they were here for. Glenn said, Tom had a little issue the other night, but the next morning was no worse for the wear. That’s what he needed, but they should pace themselves. They had a long time to go. The crew got ready to go out.

Gary flirted with Daisy, and Ashley said he was testing the waters. He said he didn’t know what she was talking about, even though I’m sure he did. They went to a restaurant, and toasted to nothing in particular. Tom drank beer, saying, he was better on beer than mixers, and Ashley hoped she didn’t turn out like Tom tonight. In Tom’s interview, he said, he wasn’t a complete twat or a child. Gabriela said she hated small talk, and Ashley told Colin that just because she was third stew didn’t mean she was sh*t. It was hard to be fake.

Gabriela called for going in the jacuzzi when they got back to the boat. Back on board, Ashley chugged from a bottle, and Gabriela said she was an animal. In Ashley’s interview, she said, if it was up to her, she’d spend the rest of the night in the guest cabin with Gary. She didn’t want to cause trouble, but she knew how good she looked with her boobies hanging out of her bathing suit. In Gabriela’s interview, she said she liked defiant drunk Daisy. Daisy was a little intimidating, and she loved it. The crew got in the hot tub, and Gary licked Daisy’s toes, for which there was no cringe big enough. Glenn wisely slept in his cabin with his headphones on, and Gary went down to the bar. Ashley followed, and in Tom’s interview, he said he had no chance. Nothing happened though, and everyone went to bed in their respective bunks. Ashley, Tom, and Colin hung out for a while in the crew mess, eating, and Ashley told Tom that no girls would go for him because of his age. At least not sober. She felt she was more mature than he was. He stomped off, saying, he was not immature. She said, he threw up on the first night, and he turned back, saying, she was basing her opinion around one mistake. In his interview, he said, if she liked maturity, jump on the Gary wagon. He told her, f*** off, and went to bed.

Next time, disrespectful and exhausting guests, Gabriela thinks Ashley is trying to make her look bad, and the primary complains he’s had better food at the ballpark, which I find extremely difficult to believe.

🏖 On Summer House, which I watched peripherally because I’m sick in the head, they had some kind of B&D/S&M party, and looked like a bunch of kids playing weird dress-up. Looking somewhat out-of-place was Kyle in a state trooper outfit, chugging from a bottle. Paige called Craig to tell him about the group’s drunken make-out game, and he asked if she kissed anyone. She told him that she made out with Adrian for a second, and he got pissed off. He probably shouldn’t have asked, but apparently they weren’t exclusive at that point, so it’s not like she shouldn’t have fun. That is, if playing elevated spin-the-bottle at her age is fun. Kyle said, everyone seemed to have opinions, questions, and doubts about his and Amanda’s relationship, but until they lived with their significant others, planned three wedding dates, and tried to keep the excitement alive, they could keep it to themselves. He needed rallying, not questioning. Lindsay wondered WTF she missed, and I wondered why I keep watching this trash. I’m going with the can’t turn away from a trainwreck theory.

🏆 To Round Out the Month…

The winners and the fashion.

https://www.etonline.com/53rd-naacp-image-awards-the-complete-winners-list-179572

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/sag-awards-2022-full-winners-list/

📅 Calling It a Month…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and a New Jersey showdown. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your feet on the ground, and stay knowing that if you have to tell everyone how mature you are and how good you look, you’re probably not and you probably don’t.