What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Paris, France. As they walk into a hotel suite, Anna tells Valentin, it’s so frustrating. Four days, and nothing. He says, it’s not nothing. They now know the building in question is Victor’s stronghold. She says, but they have no way in, and they don’t know if that’s exactly where Lucy is being held. The whole thing is just a damn waste of time. He tells her to look on the bright side. They’re in Paris, and they’re together. He kisses her.
Michael kisses Willow’s forehead, and says, that’s from Wiley. And also – he kisses her bump – that’s for his little sister. She asks how their little smoocher is doing, and he says, fine. He’s just worried about his mama. She says she hates that she collapsed in front of him. He must be so scared. Michael says, Wiley will feel better once he meets his little sister, and she asks if he told Wiley that the baby is coming early. He says, not yet, but he does think they should fill Wiley in. Make him part of bringing the baby home so he doesn’t feel left out. She says she agrees. They’ll do all of that once the baby comes. He says, which has to happen before she can receive the bone marrow transplant. So if Nina does turn out to be a match, she can be induced as soon as tomorrow. She says she could, except she’s not willing to do that, and he asks what she’s saying. She tells him that she doesn’t want to deliver early. She wants the baby to come when she’s ready. He says, even if it costs her life?
Heather slips into Ryan’s room, saying, good morning, Ritchie. She waves her hand in front of his face, and says, don’t worry. It’s just her. She promises they won’t be disturbed. She locks the door, and he comes up behind her, startling her. He says, alone at last.
Esme comes out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and sees the guard with handcuffs. She asks if she has to. She’s been handcuffed so long, her wrists are sore. He says, sorry, his instructions, and she asks if he can’t wait until her lawyer gets here. He can put them on her when the two of them escort her to her hearing. There’s a knock at the door, and the guard opens it to Victor. Victor tells Esme that she looks lovely, and it’s so nice to see her up and about. She asks if she knows him, and he says, right. She can call him Uncle Victor.
Chase says he can’t believe Willow’s been battling leukemia all this time, and didn’t tell anyone, but Sasha says she gets it. Illness is a deeply private thing. He says he gets it, but now they know, so they can be here for Willow and Michael, and she says, right.
Sonny comes into the penthouse, and sees Nina pacing on the phone. She says she needs to confirm she’s a bone marrow donor match with Willow Tate… She has no idea why it’s taking so long. It was a cheek swab for a preliminary screening… Can they put her on a priority list? She’s trying to save… If they could just call her when they get the results, she’d appreciate it. She thanks them, and Sonny hugs her. He asks what time she got to bed, and she says, 4:30-ish; she’s not sure. Her mind is just racing. She has a daughter… Willow is her daughter; Nelle had a twin. She has another chance at being a mother. He says, it’s great. He’s happy for her. She says, and her bone marrow is going to save Willow.
Valentin hands Anna a glass of wine, and says, he thinks this will help. She thanks him, and he asks what she’s hoping to learn by looking at the map again. She says she’s just looking for something they might have missed, and he suggests they go over it one more time. She says, the building is under constant surveillance, and he says, naturally. She says, and the shifts are staggered, which means no two posts change guards at the same time. He says, there’s always someone at watch, and she says, which means they can’t attach themselves to an arriving group and just slip inside. He pats his leg, and she puts her feet in his lap. He says, they haven’t exhausted all their options. There’s always a variable; a fatal flaw. So they’ll find the weaknesses in Victor’s defenses, and exploit them. She says, then they’ll look for Lucy, and he says, she’ll most likely be unharmed. Anna sits up, and says, that’s supposed to make her feel better, but it doesn’t, because she got Lucy involved in this. And if anything happens to her…
The guard tells Victor that he can’t be here, but Victor assures him that he has no ill intent. The guard says he’s going to have to ask Victor to leave, and Esme says she knows it’s against procedure or whatever, but as he knows, she has no memory of who she is or what she’s done, and this man may have some answers that could help her. So if he could just give them a few minutes, please. The guard says, two minutes, and the door stays open. She thanks him, and he goes out to the hallway. Victor says, well played, but Esme says she wasn’t playing him. She just told him what she wanted. He’s her uncle? No one told her that she had family. He says he guesses his introduction was a bit misleading. His name is Victor Cassadine, and she’s carrying the next Cassadine heir. She says, so he’s here for the baby, not her, and he says, right now, the two of them are more than a bit inseparable. She guesses she shouldn’t be surprised. Apparently, she’s not a very good person. He says, apparently. So her memory is still a blank.
Nina looks at her phone, and Sonny says, that’s not going to make it ring any faster. She says she can’t help it. She feels like this amazing gift has been dropped in her lap, and it can all go away just as quickly. She has a daughter. One she didn’t know about. She’s in the hospital, fighting for her life, a life she doesn’t want Nina to be a part of, but Nina’s bone marrow is going to save her. He says, Willow’s as stunned by the news as Nina is. Everyone is just trying to wrap their head around her being Willow’s mother. She says, except for Carly. She knew for months; almost a year. She didn’t tell them. She just sat and watched Nina and Willow tear into each other about Wiley, and didn’t say a word. She’ll never forget that.
Michael says, Dr. Randolph has been very clear that Willow has to deliver the baby before she receives the transplant, and she has to receive the transplant to live. Willow agrees that Terry has been clear, and he says, she’s eight months along. Having the baby now will pose minimal risk. She says, premature babies can have health problems that affect their entire lives. She’s stable right now. If they wait another week or two, it could make all the difference in the quality of their daughter’s life. He says, the longer she waits, the more the leukemia will progress, and the less likely the transplant will work. He doesn’t want to risk her life more than they already have. She says, more than she already has, but he says, it’s always we. He doesn’t want their children to grow up without a mother. He doesn’t even want to imagine life without her.
Heather says, someone’s feeling frisky this morning, and Ryan says, their daughter is still in police custody. She says she told him that she’d take care of that. What is he so nervous about? As soon as someone else gets hooked, while Esme’s still in custody, the cops will have to let her go. He says, yet no one has died since she’s been arrested. What’s the hold up? She says she may have had a little snag; just a teeny weeny bump in the road. Her favorite security guard Dietrich got fired for stealing. He says, she has to be kidding, and she says she knows. Good help is hard to find these days. The point is, she no longer has easy access in and out of Spring Ridge right now. Bummer. He says, yeah.
Esme tells Victor, the only reason she knows her own name is because someone told it to her, and now she can go to prison for something she doesn’t know if she did or not. He asks what her attorney has to say about her potential incarceration, and she tells him, Mr. Grey says if she can find out where she’s been the past few months, he might be able to prove she’s not the killer. But given everything everyone says she did, she’s starting to think it might be better if she never remembers who she used to be. Revenge porn? He says he’s not one to judge, but she says, that seems pretty judge-worthy. He says, as soon as she stops caring what other people think, the freer she and her conscience will be, and she says, right. She thinks their two minutes are up, so if there’s anything specific he wants to ask her… He says he’s only here because he’s worried about her, and she says, he means the baby. He says, her, the baby, the future. What are her plans after she leaves the hospital? She says, her immediate plans are going to court, and then, who knows? She’s just hoping she won’t end up in prison. Martin walks in, and says, Victor is here. He’ll have a talk with his sister, the mayor, about that. He asks if Victor is bothering Esme, but she says, not at all. Are they headed to the courthouse now? Martin says, not yet. They need to strategize before her arraignment. Victor wonders how much strategy is required to get a pregnant woman with amnesia off on bail, and Esme says, the police think she killed three people. Victor says, indeed they do, but they have no physical evidence tying her to those crimes. Martin asks to have a word in the hall alone with Victor, and tells Esme that he’ll be right back. Victor says he’ll be in touch, and they leave.
In the hallway, Martin asks what Victor wants, but Victor says he’s merely looking out for his family. Esme is the mother of his great niece or nephew, and he wants to do anything he can to help her. Martin says, if that’s the case, why doesn’t he stay away? The last thing his client needs right now is to be seen in the company of an unrepentant sociopath. Victor says, Martin is forgetting himself, and Martin says, Victor will have to forgive him. He might remember his manners better if he wasn’t worried sick about his poor Lucy. He’s concerned he might not be doing the best for his clients because he hasn’t been able to think straight since Lucy disappeared. Victor says, he means, since Anna Devane shot Lucy, but Martin says, that’s the thing. They never did find Lucy’s body. Just like Victor’s nephew – twice. Imagine that. And while hope remains alive, the uncertainty that he might never see Lucy again doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all his client. Victor suggests Martin speak plainly. How dos he think the fate of that unfortunate girl has anything to do with Esme Prince? Martin says he’s afraid if he can’t focus on the case, she’s going to end up having her baby behind bars… in Pentenville.
Nina tells Sonny that she knew Carly hated her, but even at her worst, she didn’t think Carly was capable of doing this to her again. That Carly could keep her from – not once, but twice – her children. First Nelle, then Willow. He says he’s mad as hell at Carly right now. He doesn’t care how Carly felt about Nina. She had no right to hide the fact that Nina is Willow’s mother. Nina says she’s beyond mad. She didn’t think anything would hurt as much as finding out Nelle was her daughter until after she was dead, but this… Knowingly keeping her from her living daughter. Nina cries, and says, Carly sat by and watched her and Willow turn their relationship into this toxic thing, and didn’t say anything. Then Nina heard Willow say, this doesn’t change anything between them. It just rips her heart out of her body. He tells her, sit down, and Nina tells him that Willow said she thinks so little of Nina, she wanted to know what Nina wanted in return for her bone marrow. She’d give Willow her life. Sonny says, Willow now has to figure out what going on, and Nina says, but things would been different if they’d known they were mother and daughter. If Carly had told her, she would have never acted that way. She wouldn’t have pushed so hard to get Wiley. What if by her trying so desperately to hold on to her grandson… What if that’s what makes her lose Wiley… and Willow… and the baby. He says, she’s going get through this, and holds her as she sobs.
The reception nurse asks how she can help Michael, and he asks if he can talk to Terry. The nurse says, she’s in a consultation right now, but she’ll tell Terry when she’s available. Chase and Sasha come in, and Chase asks how Michael is doing. Is he hanging in there? Michael says he’s trying, and Sasha asks if something happened to Willow. She’s worse? Michael says, no, she’s stable. The biggest danger Willow is facing right now is herself. He knows he shouldn’t be arguing with Willow right now. She needs to save her strength to fight this thing, but she’s not listening to reason. Chase suggests they take a walk and get some fresh air, and Sasha says she’ll sit with Willow, but Michael says he doesn’t want to leave. Chase says, then maybe just a lap around the floor, and Michael says he can do that. He asks Sasha to call him if anything happens, and she promises she will.
Willow tells the baby that her dad is worried about both of them, but she promises she’s going to protect the baby as long as she possibly can. And she’ll always put the baby first.
Martin tells Victor, sooner or later, everybody’s luck runs out. When he finds Lucy, he’ll know what happened. Victor says he’s sure Martin will… if he finds her. Martin says, here’s hoping, and asks Victor to excuse him. He must be getting to court. One thing he and Victor can agree on, it behooves them all to do what they can to see justice served.
Anna says she’s sorry Valentin wasn’t with Charlotte for Christmas, and he says, that hurt. They were able to get a message to Laura on Christmas Day, so Charlotte knows he’s all right. He’s grateful for that. Anna says she thinks Laura is changing her opinion about him, but he says he wouldn’t say that. He thinks she’s tolerating him for Charlotte’s sake. He considers that a victory, but Anna says she thinks it’s more than that. Laura’s giving him credit for good intentions. He says, let’s not go crazy, when there’s a knock at the door. She asks if he’s expecting someone, but he says he doesn’t know, and asks, who’s there? in French. A child’s voice, also in French, says, it’s me, Antoine, and Valentin opens the door, inviting a little boy in. He asks if Antoine was followed, but he says, no, sir. He was careful like Valentin told him to be. Valentin asks what intel Antoine has for him, and Antoine says, when his father came home today, he was complaining again about an American woman who never stops talking. When he’s finally able to get away from her, she always says, ciao and ta. Today he says, she tried brain him with a serving tray. Valentin and Anna look at each other, and say, Lucy.
Sasha asks if she can come in, and Willow says, yes. Sasha hugs her, and she asks if Sasha has seen Michael. Sasha says, he’s with Chase, and Willow says she’s glad he has someone to talk to. She assumes Sasha knows, and Sasha says she knows about the leukemia, and that Willow delayed treatment because of her pregnancy. She thinks it was a brave choice. She would have done anything to save Liam. Willow says she knew Sasha would understand, and Sasha says, but Michael doesn’t?
Michael says, Chase knows how Willow is always putting everyone else’s needs before her own. Now they have a potential donor. Chase says, that’s great, and Michael says, if it doesn’t fall through like the last one, and if Willow doesn’t delay treatment for too long.
Willow tells Sasha, you know how relatives are supposed to make the best donors? She’s been searching for her birth mother… Sasha says, oh my God. Willow found her? Willow says, they did. Here in Port Charles. Sasha asks how that’s not good news, and Willow says, according to a DNA test, her birth mother is Nina.
Sonny says he just wants Nina to know, it’s not as bad as it seems, and she says, optimism looks good on him. He says, the lab is going to call her and tell her that she’s a viable donor for Willow. The transplant’s going to save her life, and when she’s healthy, she’ll realize she deserves Nina for a mother. She says, he can’t promise that, but he says he can. She says, how? and he says he talked to Michael last night, and he opened up a little bit. Not like it used to be, but more than they’ve talked in a year. She says, that’s wonderful, and he says he saw the son he thought he’d lost forever. There’s something he realized. As long as there’s life, there’s always hope.
Willow tells Sasha, the most selfish, vindictive person she knows, the one she fought to keep from Wiley, that’s her mom. Sasha says she knows Willow and Nina don’t get along… and Willow says, that woman hated her from the moment they met. In fact, Nina hated her before she walked into Willow’s classroom. She was Charlotte’s teacher, and Nina was convinced she had it in for Charlotte because she woudn’t accept that Charlotte was acting out. Sasha says, Nina is very protective of the people she loves, but Willow says, Nina is toxic. It’s literally horrifying to think they’re related. She was better off with Harmony. Sasha asks if Willow is thinking of refusing the transplant if Nina is the donor.
Ryan says, Esme going to prison wasn’t part of his plan, and Heather says, good. That would be a terrible plan. He says he needs her free. His daughter – Heather says, their daughter – their daughter can’t move without surveillance? Then how is she supposed to help him reunite with Ava? Heather says, Ava? She doesn’t give a damn about Ava. She’s not doing this for Ava. She’s doing this for herself and her baby girl. Steven Lars was ripped out of her arms when he was a child. Franco had to grow up without her. Esme is her last chance. He says, then don’t blow it. Stab someone. Anyone. As long as Esme’s alibi is unshakable. And don’t forget to include details only the police would know. They don’t want the police to think it’s a copycat. She says, don’t tell her how to do her job. She’s waited her whole life to have a relationship with her daughter; with her Esme. He says, no she hasn’t, and she says, now she’s within touching distance of her, does he think she’s going to let the cops lock her away somewhere she won’t get a chance to see her. And what about her baby? Prison is no place for a child. That’s their grandchild. He says, it’s better to leave the baby on the doorstep of some convent, and she says she did the best she could. It’s not fair. He’s already gotten a chance to see her, and spend time with her. She’s never even had a chance to speak with her. Esme probably doesn’t even know her name. He says, she doesn’t, but Heather says, she will, and she will be a part of Esme’s life. He says, dream big or go home, and she says she’s lived this long without her daughter, wondering where she is, just waiting for a glimpse of her baby girl. He says, now they’re back in fantasyland, and she says, mark her words. She’s going to set her daughter free if it’s the last thing she does. He says, great. How? She says, the only way she can. By busting out of here.
Nina looks at a photo of Madeline, and tells Sonny that she hated her mother. She was convinced her mother was cruel and self-absorbed. He says, two for two, and she says she was just an extension of Madeline, and she has to ask herself, what if Willow describes her that way; cruel and self-absorbed. He says, she’d be wrong, and Nina says, maybe not. He says he didn’t know Nina’s mother, but obviously, she didn’t understand love and family. Nina says, she had a firm grasp of inheritance law, and he says, when her mother took her children away from her, it broke her, just like Deke broke him. They have a hole inside of them. Their souls were ripped out by people they thought they could trust. Nina’s hurt people, and he’s hurt people. That’s because they feel too much. They love too much, and fight too hard because they react quickly. They drive away the people they love. They’re too much. She says, he’s not too much for her, and he says, she’s not too much for him either.
Valentin thanks Antoine, and says he’s been a great help. He gives Antoine some cash, and Antoine says, his pleasure, especially for this much money. Valentin asks him to promise not to tell anyone he was asking questions, and Antoine says he’s never seen Valentin before in his life. Valentin thanks Antoine, and Antoine leaves. Valentin tells Anna that was the son of one of Victor’s bodyguards, and she says, could espionage be more adorable? Now they know Lucy is in the building. He says, she’s still fighting, and Anna says, as long as there’s breath in Lucy’s body, there’s two things she’ll never do; shut up or give up. He says, they’re certainly not giving up on Lucy. What do they do? She says, they can’t go in the front way because there’s too much foot traffic, and he says, and they can’t go in the back way because there are too many cameras and motions sensors. She says, so they… and he says, they parkour across the rooftops and rappel from above? She says, no, and he says, maybe they perform a reverse Shawshank, and pop up from the sewers. She says, not the sewers; the catacombs.
Willow says, Nina claims there are no strings attached, and Sasha says, Willow doesn’t believe her? Willow asks how she can. Let’s say it all works out, and Nina’s bone marrow saves her life. Sasha doesn’t think she’d try to leverage that into time with Wiley or her daughter? Sasha says, so even after all this, the kids will still be off limits to Nina? and Willow says, Nina’s still the same person she was when she dragged her and Michael into court for visitation with Wiley. The same person who badgered and manipulated, and tried to convince Michael that she was having an affair with TJ. Sasha says, she could also be Willow’s best chance at survival, and Willow says she won’t refuse the transplant because it’s Nina. She just wants to wait as long as possible to give her daughter the best chance at a healthy life. Sasha says she would expect nothing less.
Ryan says, Heather’s guard-slash-doorman got himself canned for stealing. How does she expect to get out without his help? She says, getting out is easy. It’s getting back in that’s the tricky part. He asks if she means she can leave here any time she wants, and she says, absolutely. He asks, how? and she says, this, showing him a file-like tool. He says, nice craftmanship, and she tells him, sometimes he says the sweetest things. She’s going to take a hostage and break out, and she’s going to hook that smug little Josslyn Jax once and for all, and Esme’s exonerated. And she, Esme and the baby can go on the run together. He says, what about him? and she says, he can come if he wants, but she’s leaving now. He says, today? and she says, why not? He says, they need a real plan, not just stab and run, and she says, unclench, will he? Loosen up. Improvise. Live in the moment. He says he doesn’t think she’s thought this through, and she says, fine. She’ll do the hard work; she’s used to it. Don’t worry. They’ll send him a postcard. She runs out.
Chase says, Nina is Willow’s mom? and Michael says, yeah. Chase says he sees how that could be a lot to deal with, and Michael says, Nina’s been a wrecking ball for Willow from the get-go. Chase says, but now that Nina’s lost her case about Wiley, things have calmed down, right? Michael says, Nina accused Willow of cheating on him with TJ, because in her eyes, comforting a friend who has cancer and cheating are too impossible to tell apart. Chase tells Michael that he doesn’t know what to say to that, and Michael says, Willow is the most generous, open-hearted person in the world, and she despises Nina. How bad do you have to be for Willow to hate you? Nina wants things, but she doesn’t want to earn them, so she has no idea what’s best for Wiley. Chase asks if Michael thinks Willow is willing to risk her own life for her daughter’s sake to prove she’s not like Nina, but Michael says he doesn’t think that’s it. Willow always puts everyone’s needs before her own. She was wiling to go to jail to protect Wiley from Shiloh. Her loyalty is one of the reasons he loves her, and that’s why her family needs her.
Anna tells Valentin, there’s another brilliant idea shot to hell. Because Victor’s stronghold isn’t accessible by the catacombs. He says, hold on. That might be the official data, but there are plenty of catacombs that are unmapped. There might be one or two that lead directly to where they want to go. She asks what they’re supposed to do. Find an underground passage that may or may not be structurally sound, and explore it blindly, hoping it ends up under Victor’s fancy Parisian fortress? He says, no. They don’t have to do it themselves. There are plenty of people that have already done so. She says, illegally, and he says, unofficially. As it happens, he just might know somebody. She asks why she’s not surprised, and he says, but she is impressed. Otherwise, why is he doing this? She says she is impressed; he’s amazing. She kisses him, and says, now let’s go get Lucy out of there.
At the hospital on the phone, Victor asks Gavin, how’s their guest? Any sign of trouble?… Good. Stay alert, and double security. He hasn’t been able to locate Anna or Valentin, and they just might be headed Gavin’s way.
Heather sneaks around Spring Ridge, and hears footsteps. She ducks around the corner, and a guard brings Esme past her.
Sasha says, when she came to town, she was pretending to be Nina’s daughter, which makes her Willow’s fake sister. They laugh, and Willow says, finally, good news. Michael comes in, and asks what they’re up to, and Sasha says she’ll let Willow fill him in. She tells Willow, any time Willow wants to talk, and Willow says, back at her. Sasha says, that goes for Michael too, and leaves. Willow asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s sorry for arguing with her, and she says she’s sorry too, for letting him think she’d abandon her family. She promises, she doesn’t want to die. He says he knows, but it’s ultimately up to her to decide to delay the birth. She thanks him for saying that, and says she thought about it, and if Dr. Randolph thinks it’s too risky to delay the transplant, they can bring their daughter into the world a little early. He says, thank God. He loves her. She says she loves him too. Of course (🍷) none of this matters if Nina’s not a match.
Nina says she’s a potential donor match, and Sonny says he told her that there was still hope. She throws her arms around him, and says, he couldn’t resist saying, I told you so. He says he likes to be right, and she tells him that she has to go to GH and get a blood test. She’s one step closer to saving her daughter’s life. Sonny asks if she wants him to go with her, and she says she wouldn’t have it any other way. She kisses him, and asks what she’d do without him. He says, she’s not going to have to find out, and kisses her.
Tomorrow, Spencer tells Ava that he can’t go up against his father alone; Michael says, call it what it is, it was revenge; and Nina says she has no intention of forgetting.
🦃 About Mr. Wattle…
It’s all fun and games until you have to clean up turkey poop.
👦🏻 Bonjour, Antoine…
He was actually quite good.
✈️ Expanding…
Sounds like a plan.
🥀 Another Finale…
This sounds awful to say, but at least he was 90. He did a lot of impressive stage work.
🏵 Celebrating Life…
I loved this show. I got to visit the set once, and both cast and crew were incredibly gracious. Bo winked at me.
🏆 Critically Choosing…
The Critics Choice winners.
The best moments, probably debatable.
https://www.etonline.com/2023-critics-choice-awards-best-moments-and-most-memorable-speeches-197439
The buzziest moments.
https://www.avclub.com/critics-choice-awards-best-moments-2022-1848648562
And of course, the fashion.
https://people.com/style/critics-choice-awards-2022-best-dressed-stars/
You can’t have the best without the worst.
🤸 Dancing On the Ceiling…
Take a return trip tomorrow for the usual soap and tea until there’s something better on. Until then, stay safe, stay engaged in a conversation and not staring at your phone, and stay dreaming big or going home.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 