Tag Archives: General Hospital

Nov22

November 21, 2023 – Charlotte Makes a Confession, Sniff, Seeya Eddie, Legacy, What’s On, Bravo’s Con, To the Curb, Truth, Heritage, The Parade, Adorable Pilgrims & Love

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Cody goes to Maxie’s office and asks why she’s blowing up his phone. What does she need? Ferdinand for another shoot? She says, no, she needs him, and drags him over to a table littered with photographs of him and Sasha. She tells him to feast his eyes. Aren’t they gorgeous? He says, gorgeous, focusing on one with only Sasha in it.

At the MetroCourt, Finn thanks Diane for meeting him. He knows she’s juggling a lot of clients, and he can’t tell her how grateful he is that she agreed to take his case. She tries to interrupt, but he keeps going, wanting to show her what he has with him, but she says, nope. She doesn’t want to see it. Can’t see it. He says he thinks these notes are crucial to his defense, and she says she’s sure they are, but let’s cut to the chase. She can’t possibly represent him.

Curtis thanks Jordan for coming by, and she says, of course (🍷). What’s going on? He asks if she’s thirsty, but she says she’s sure he didn’t invite her over here for a tea party. So tell her, why is she here? He says, because she’s the only one who can understand what he’s discovered.

Carly looks in Kelly’s window from the courtyard, and Drew asks if she’s spying on her employees. She kisses him, and he asks what that was for. She says, just celebrating.

In a private area of the MetroCourt, Valentin thanks Anna for coming and she gives the standard answer, of course (🍷). They sit down, and Valentin asks what she’d like to drink, but she says she’s fine. He says, is she? and she says she’s just trying to find her footing. How’s Charlotte? He says, she’s healing, getting stronger every day. He’s hoping to have her home by Thanksgiving. She says, thank God, and he says he now knows why she was targeting Anna.

Nina goes into Charlotte’s hospital room, and gives her a giftbox, saying, it’s a little special something for a very special lady. Charlotte says, Nina didn’t have to do that. Her being here is gift enough. Nina says, it’s nothing. Just an excuse to see her really. Charlotte opens the box and says, riding gloves. They’re so soft. She loves them. Nina says, they’ll go riding again soon. It seems like it’s been forever since their last adventure. Charlotte says she’d love that. Nina is always so good to her. Some people are just nice because of papa, but she thinks Nina really cares about her. Just her being her. Nina says, by some people, does she mean Anna?

Cyrus scrubs the floor at the PC Grill, when Sonny walks in.

Drew and Carly sit at a table, and Drew asks if the celebration has anything to do with her buying back her half of the MetroCourt, but she says, no. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t do it. She turned down the offer. He says, so she decided to come to her restaurant to do a little people watching? but she says she was just appreciating what she has. She went to the MetroCourt today to turn down Nina’s offer and when she stepped off the elevator, she had a sense of déjà vu. She found herself staring into the dining area, watching the activity of the day, and then she saw Nina. It was hard watching her stand where Carly used to stand, like she owned the place. And she knows Nina does, but it was hard watching her live the life Carly used to live. She knows it must sound awful to him. He says, it doesn’t sound awful. It sounds human.

Valentin says, read this, it explains everything, and hands Anna Victor’s letter to Charlotte. She says, it’s from Victor? What’s he doing writing to Charlotte? Valentin says, it’s all in there, and Anna reads: It is with a heavy heart I must write to you and share my concern about our family’s future… Anna has completely manipulated your father. She’s taken advantage of his infatuation with her… She’s used [her charms] to control your father. Her extensive training in espionage has afforded her the ability to mask who she really is. I tell you this, Anna Devane is not who she seems. Do not trust her. Not for a minute.

Charlotte says, Anna pretends to be nice, but it’s just a way to get closer to papa, and Nina says, her grandmother Laura told her and Charlotte’s papa that Victor warned her about Anna, that he said she was dangerous. Charlotte says, because she is. She tricked him. He can’t tell that she’s using him.

Cyrus says he’s sorry to disappoint Sonny, but they don’t open until 5, and Sonny says, that’s all right because he already ate lunch. Cyrus can keep working while they talk. Cyrus says, they’re going to talk? but Sonny says, he’s going to talk; Cyrus is going to listen. He thinks he’s so slick. Father Teresa. Mr. Clean. It doesn’t matter what part he plays, they both know who he is. Get used to that mop because it’s the last job he’s going to have in Port Charles, and Sonny’s going to make sure of that. Cyrus says, then he guesses he’d better get back to it, and Sonny says, stay focused. Because if he gets a glimpse or hears a whisper that Cyrus is back to his old tricks, he will shut Cyrus down permanently.

Jordan asks, what’s this new discovery? and Curtis says, meditation. She says, TJ’s been trying to get her to try it, and he says, it’s a great way to quiet the noise in your head and to slow down your thoughts and just be still. She says, it sounds profound, and he says, she’d be surprised what comes from stillness. He got this memory of a case they worked on in Baltimore. He doesn’t remember the details, only how he felt. Following the lead, putting the clues together, connecting the dots… that spark, and the answer comes.

Finn asks, why the sudden reluctance? and Diane says, it’s very complicated. Under other circumstances, she’d be all in to represent him, especially since she doesn’t want to disappoint Alexis. He asks, what’s holding her up? and she says, when Alexis called her this morning, she was running around. She didn’t quite understand all of the details, and after they hung up, she got a call from the Muldoons, the family that’s suing him.

Maxie tells Cody, every shot is a masterpiece. She can’t stop thinking about their next Deception campaign. Sasha is about to come in, but stops and listens from outside. Maxie says, Salvadore’s people are already on board, and Cody asks if she’s sure about him. She says, he can’t stop talking about how much camera chemistry Cody and Sasha have. Cody says, listen, he just… She says, picture this for the next Deception campaign. Think, sophistication meets untamed allure. He says, untamed allure? and she says, yeah. Him, in a tux, with a twist. Shirt slightly undone, showcasing rugged charm. Then there’s Sasha opposite him, looking exquisite in a radiant ballgown. Think, cowboy meets elegance. Sasha continues to listen, and Maxie says she can see it now. Stark desert landscape. The sunset painting the sky. He says, at least it will be a short shoot, and she says, they’ll spend the holiday setting up for that moment. He says, good luck. He’s sure it’s going to be great, whoever they get to stand next to Sasha by that sunset is going to look… Maxie says, come on. It screams Cody. He says, sorry. No can do. He’s out.

Anna continues reading: She will use your father and lead him into danger. She will lead him to his death. My dear Charlotte, you are the only one who can protect your father from Anna Devane. She puts the letter down and asks Valentin, what did he do? He put so much fear into a young person’s mind like that. Charlotte was just trying to protect him from her. He says, Laura finally got Charlotte to open up. Victor didn’t just write a letter. He visited her in boarding school. He filled her head with stories that Anna was a threat, that her motive was to ruin him and put him in prison or worse. Anna says, so all of her actions were just a young girl desperately trying to save her father, and he says, yeah. She thought by getting Anna out of Port Charles, she was keeping him out of harm’s way. Anna asks if she admitted to everything. Burning her house or…

Nina asks why Charlotte didn’t tell anyone about Victor’s letter, and Charlotte says she didn’t think anyone would believe her. Nina says, that’s a lot for her to carry, isn’t it? She thought Anna was a threat, so what did she do? Charlotte says, Nina already knows, doesn’t she? Grandmother must have told her. Nina says, Laura told her that she wanted Anna to leave Port Charles. Will Charlotte tell her? What did she do to make Anna want to go?

Curtis says, that memory of him and Jordan working on that case. It was not just nostalgia; it was a wake-up call. Jordan says, from what? but he says, not from, to. It reminded him of who he is deep down. He thought he left the P.I. world behind him. She says, he was finding a new path, and he says he just didn’t want to get pigeonholed. And he’s still doing that work, badge or no badge. Helping Drew figure out where Victor Cassadine took Trina and Ace was a huge part of him. That’s who he is at the core. He wants to live to uncover the truth, to seek justice. She asks if he thinks he lost that part of himself, and he says, not lost. Just sidetracked, especially after the shooting. The PCPD hasn’t made any progress, and he can’t just sit here waiting for something to happen. He’s got to dig in. He’s got to take matters into his own hands and figure out who put him in this wheelchair. But to do that, he needs access to the police investigation. She says, and that’s where she comes in.

Finn says, Diane is going to represent the family that’s suing him and General Hospital for malpractice? and she says, yes, she is. The deceased, Dennis Muldoon, she and his father-in-law go way, way back. He was her client before she was even truly established. The Muldoons have her on retainer. Finn says, oh, that’s nice, and she says, so they should probably cut this chat a little short, considering they will soon be on adversarial sides in a courtroom. However, she does have some unsolicited advice for him. He says, by all means, and she says, he may trust the higher ups at General Hospital, but trust her, when push comes to shove, the GH lawyer will focus solely on the hospital’s reputation, not his. He’ll be an afterthought. He tells her, Alexis said the same thing, and she says, Alexis was right. Gregory comes in, using a cane, and Diane says she does wish him the very best of luck. She gets up, and Gregory says, don’t let him interrupt. If they need more time, he can wait at the bar. She says, not at all. Her business with Dr. Finn is done, for now. She leaves, and Finn says, yeah, that went well.

Maxie says, come on. She doesn’t understand why Cody is being so obstinate. She will pay him. In fact, she has his last paycheck around here somewhere. She digs it out, and says, see? handing it to him. He says he appreciates… Oh wow. That is a hefty sum. She says, it’ll be heftier when he signs on as the male Face of Deception, but he says, sorry. This face has seen its last paycheck. He appreciates it, but he can’t do this. Sasha looks worried, and Maxie says, fine. She’ll give him a sign-on bonus, double what’s on that check. He says, it’s not the money. It’s Sasha.

Cyrus says he doesn’t imagine Sonny will believe it, but this is him trying to start fresh. Every move he’s made since his release has been by the book. This job is a genuine attempt to go straight. His past issues with Sonny, water under the bridge. Sonny says, that’s hard to believe after everything Cyrus did to set him up, and Cyrus says he has no idea what Sonny is talking about. Sonny says, maybe there’s too much bleach in his brain. Let him refresh Cyrus’s memory. His boys Austin and Mason blackmailed Ava Jerome to put a mole in his house, his daughter’s nanny, Betty. She did a perfect job. She did what she had to do. She got to the computer, grabbed the information, brought the information to Austin, and Austin brought it to Cyrus at Pentenville. Then Cyrus gave it to the Feds because he thought it would take Sonny down. Cyrus says, that’s a hell of a story, and Sonny says, here’s the punchline. All the information Betty stole was a lie. It was all a trap. And guess what? Cyrus walked right into it.

Carly tells Drew that she’s not going to keep dwelling on everything Nina did. She’s moving on from the past. He says, that sounds very healthy, and she says, look at everything she has. Him. He’s back from Pentenville, and this amazing business her mother gave her with a major connection to her family history. Her kids are healthy and happy, she has an amazing moss bowl🎍home. She has so many blessings. He says, and she’s so resilient and strong. He’s got to be honest here. Her optimism inspires him. She says she gets that from him. He always teaches her to see the bright side, to move forward. He says, moving forward doesn’t mean she pushes Carly down, and it especially doesn’t mean she lets the people that hurt her have another shot.

Curtis tells Jordan that he knows it’s a grey area. He’s not asking for a free pass to the evidence locker. He’s just asking if she can bend the rules, just a little bit. She says, it’s a thin line, but given he was the victim, the one who got affected, it seems to her he has the right to know what’s happening with the investigation. She’ll get him access to the statements, evidence, leads, the works, but… He says, thank you, but she says, hold on. Don’t go getting all grateful just yet. There is a catch.

Finn says he sees Gregory brought a friend. How’s that working out? Gregory says, these things really do make you feel older, but it does provide a grounding and he’s more steady on his feet. Finn says, stability is everything, and Gregory says, not to pry, but did something happen with Diane? Finn says, that? Just some legal nonsense. Of greater importance, Violet had her first school debate. She and her team defended humans against robots as better helpers. Violet pointed out that although robots might be better at following instructions, humans have intuition. That we are better able to sense when something’s off. We can adapt and provide comfort. And more important, no batteries required. Gregory says, sounds like Violet is talking about the difference between Finn and Elizabeth, and Finn says, ha-ha-ha. That’s a good one. Gregory says, as much as he enjoys talking about his intuitive granddaughter, it doesn’t take intuition to see something’s bothering Finn. Was it the meeting with Diane? Finn says, yeah. It didn’t go the way he’d hoped.

Charlotte tells Nina that she never did anything to hurt Anna. She was just trying to scare her. Nina says, by doing what? Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. She’s done some foolish things when she was upset. Charlotte asks if Nina remembers the article coming out about Anna being a double-agent, and Nina says she does. Charlotte says, one night, after she saw that article, she went to Anna’s house and painted the word murderer on her door. Nina says, and? and Charlotte says, and after the fire at her house, she got another idea and went to Anna’s hotel. She snuck in with a keycard she borrowed from papa and messed up Anna’s stuff. She even wrote on Anna’s bathroom mirror with lipstick. Then on Halloween, she was going to spray paint another message in her apartment, but then Anna found her, and she had a gun. Anna shot her. Charlotte starts to cry.

Valentin tells Anna that he hasn’t discussed it with Charlotte. He just knows she told Laura that she was trying to drive Anna away. Anna says, Charlotte tried to terrorize her… He says, she needs professional help, and Anna says she thinks Charlotte needs intensive deprogramming, doesn’t he? He says, but everything she did was to protect him. She wasn’t acting out of malice. Anna says, it’s powerful conditioning, and he says, it can be fixed. Have faith. As soon as Charlotte is on the road to healing, then the three of them can move forward together. She says she’s really not sure how that’s going to happen.

Cody says he doesn’t know if Maxie heard, but Sasha said she doesn’t want to work with him anymore. She was crystal clear. Maxie says, once she understands… Cody says, no way. He’s not going to let Maxie force Sasha into doing something she’s uncomfortable with. Maxie says she wouldn’t do that to Sasha. This is just business. He says, well, it’s personal to Sasha. She’s been through hell. She was being used by Gladys for months and controlled by Montague. She’s just now getting her life in order. She deserves to have her wishes respected. He’s not going to interfere with anything like that. He already told her, he’s out. He heads for the door, when Sasha appears and says, maybe not.

Finn tells Gregory, there’s a situation at the hospital that he’d rather not discuss. It’s nothing to worry about, especially with everything else on his plate. Gregory asks if Finn means his ALS. While he can’t alter his condition, he can alter how he chooses to deal with it. Like this cane. Speaking of which, Finn should have seen Violet’s face. She doesn’t think less of him because of it. In fact, she said she thought it makes him look like a dapper snowman. Finn laughs and says, classic Violet. Greogry says, if Finn is grappling with something, share it. He may not be able to provide an answer, but maybe it will give him a break from his own troubles. Finn says, okay. Gregory asked for it. Yesterday, he got some unsettling news. Gregory says, he’s not sick, is he? but Finn says, nothing like that. It’s work. He was informed that he, along with GH, are being sued by the family of a former patient for malpractice.

Carly asks Drew, so what’s going on? He’s usually the one telling her to let things go. He tells her that he’s just saying to be aware and stand on guard. She never told him what that kiss was celebrating. She says, the fact that he’s free to show up out of the blue, that means she can kiss him whenever she wants. Compared to a month ago, her life is so much better. He says his too, and she says, then what was that comment about, not letting people hurt you again. He says, Ned. Ned’s pushed him one step too far.

Sonny says, Cyrus must have seen the headlines about his arrest. Corinthos in Hot Water; FBI Brews Trouble for Coffee Kingpin. It was basically a comedy of errors. Cyrus handed them watered down espresso for that bogus data. Cyrus says, Sonny gives him too much credit, and Sonny says he was actually in shock at how much credit they gave Cyrus, but he got his release, right? Cyrus says, because of his poor health, nothing else, and Sonny tells him to make sure he takes good care of that precious health. Because it’s going to get a lot worse if Cyrus crosses him.

Valentin tells Anna that they can get through this. Charlotte wasn’t acting in her right mind. It wasn’t truly her. Anna says she doesn’t have a problem with Charlotte. But he’s known since the night her hotel suite was ransacked that his daughter was the one threatening her, and he said nothing. He tells her that he was hoping… She says, hoping what? That he could manage it from behind the scenes? Like they did when they were agents in the field? He decided not to tell the woman he claims to love that instead of fearing professional assassins, she was merely facing a misguided teenager. He says he didn’t know how to handle it, and she says, because he has no faith in her. If he’d told her the truth from the start, then they could have talked about it. They could have handled it themselves. And she would have never pulled a weapon that night. It’s all because he doesn’t believe in her. Does he know why he doesn’t trust anyone? Because he himself cannot be trusted.

Nina says, other than the spray paint and the hotel, did Charlotte do anything else to try and frighten Anna away? Charlotte says, no, she promises, and Nina says, okay. Anna’s house. It was just the spray paint? Charlotte says, yes, and Nina takes her hand. She says, this is her that Charlotte is talking to. There is nothing she could ever say or do to get Nina to stop loving her. She will never stop loving Charlotte, but in order for them to make this right, Charlotte has to be honest with her. Did she have anything to do with the fire in Anna’s house?

Drew tells Carly, let’s just say, Ned is back to his old self, as arrogant as ever, and she says, wow. What did he do? Drew says, he stopped by Aurora, and everything seemed fine at first, until he found out Michael had salvaged a deal for ELQ. And he kind of freaked out. Instead of being grateful for it, he said Michael had no authority to broker that deal. She says, even though he wasn’t around to do it himself? and Drew says, exactly. Instead of thanking Michael, Ned told him to keep his nose out of ELQ business. She says, it’s unbelievable, but it sounds just like Ned, and he says, it does. Proving once again, Ned puts his pride, puts his ego ahead of what’s best for the company. Carly asks what he’s going to do about it.

Jordan says, she and Curtis are both investigators at heart. She wants to be right there in the trenches with him. He asks if she isn’t Deputy Mayor, because digging could ruffle some feathers and cause embarrassment to the whole city, which could make her life very difficult. She says, difficult is relative. She can handle the heat. And she’s happy to ruffle any feathers if it means putting the person who shot him behind bars for twenty to life.

Gregory says, so Alexis arranged for Diane to represent Finn, only to discover Diane is representing the family suing him? Finn says, yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it. Gregory says, Finn’s always been an outstanding doctor. This is his first brush with a lawsuit, right? Finn says, yes, and Gregory asks if he believes the suit has merit. Finn says, no, but sometimes in cases like this, grieving families have sway with the jury. Gregory asks if he has his bases covered with malpractice insurance (FYI, if he didn’t, it’s doubtful the hospital would have him on staff), and Finn says, of course (🍷). If for some reason the jury favors the Muldoons, the insurance will pay out a settlement. Gregory says, that’s a silver lining at least. Finn won’t be staring down the barrel of financial ruin. Finn says he doesn’t know. If the insurance company has to pay out because of this case, they’ll find a reason to drop him. Without malpractice insurance… Gregory says, he won’t be able to practice medicine, and Finn says, this lawsuit could be the end of his career.

Sasha says she really appreciates Cody’s willingness to step away from Deception because of her feelings, but if Maxie asked him to work with any other model, would he say yes? Cody says, he… and Sasha says, they’ve been pretty honest with each other so far, so don’t stop now. Cody says, yeah. If it was another model, he’d take the job. Sasha asks Maxie if having Cody as the male Face of Deception is important to their brand, and Maxie says, only if they want to be successful. Their chemistry was off the charts. It jumped through the screen at Home & Heart. These pictures capture it perfectly. Cody looks at her, and she says, but Cody is right. Sasha’s wishes and comfort come first. Sometimes she gets a little excited. Sasha says, no. You know what? She needs to trust and pay attention to that excitement. If Maxie thinks this is for the best, then she wants to do it… for the company. Cody asks if she’s sure, and Maxie jets over to her and says, really? Sasha says she’s sure, and Maxie says, oh my God, this is so amazing. She promises it won’t be awkward. No blind gossip pieces about their pairing. This is just business. Strictly professional. Sasha and Cody look at each other and we see a photo of them with Ferdinand.

Gregory says, Finn dedicated his life, he poured his heart and soul into medicine. He can’t let them take away his calling. If GH’s lawyers won’t stand up for him, he’ll have to stand up for himself. He says, that’s what he’s trying to do, and Gregory says, someone doesn’t get Stage IV cancer out of the blue. There had to have been signs, symptoms. He knows from personal experience. When he was diagnosed with ALS, there were countless warnings. He was too stubborn to see them. Finn says he knows that… and Gregory says, listen to him. If that patient was Stage IV, then there had to have been indicators that were overlooked or ignored. Finn thanks him, and Gregory says, for what? Finn puts his hand on Gregory’s and says, for believing in him. For always feeling the weight on his shoulders and trying to lighten the load. Gregory puts his hand on Finn’s and says, always, son. Always.

Charlotte tells Nina that she never set fire to Anna’s house. She was just trying to get Anna to leave town. She had to keep papa safe. Nina has to believe her. Nina says she does, and hugs Charlotte, saying, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.

Valentin says, Anna’s right. He is at his core untrustworthy. When he learned about Charlotte, his first instinct was to hide the truth. She says, it’s called lying, and he says, to protect his daughter. But also maybe to protect their love. He’s dreamed of a life with her forever. He just doesn’t have the faith. He was afraid she’d leave him when she found out. Maybe he’s afraid she doesn’t love him the way he loves her. She says she thinks he always doubted them, and he says he thinks she’s right. She sighs and wipes tears from her eyes. She says, it’s never been about how much she loves him. It’s just been this persistent mistrust that’s created this chasm. Except that now the lies and secrecy ended up with her shooting an innocent kid. He says, Charlotte will recover, and she asks what that even means. She picks up a napkin and dabs at her eyes and asks if that makes it okay. It doesn’t absolve her. Charlotte is never going to get over this trauma, ever. No matter how much deprogramming, it will never erase it. Every time Charlotte sees her, she’ll be reminded of that night. And Anna is afraid every time she sees Valentin, she’ll be forced to relive it. So she thinks if she’s going to have any peace in her life, she needs to see him as little as possible. She’s sorry. She leaves, and Valentin hangs his head.

Curtis tells Jordan that all he wanted was access to the police files. He can handle the rest alone. Besides, if he comes up empty, it will only be his time he wasted. Jordan says, it was that memory of them investigating in Baltimore that gave him this idea to begin with. That should be a clue that she’s right. They made a great team. He says, they were a force, and she says, and closed a lot of tough cases, cases that stumped everyone else. They were unstoppable because they complimented each other’s strengths. He says he remembers, and she says, so they team up. They can get to the bottom of this faster together. What does he say? He says, there’s no point in fighting her, and she says, because he knows she’s right. He says, true that. Let’s get started.

Carly says, okay. With Ned back to throwing his weight around, what’s Drew’s next move? He says he’ll tell her what he’s not going to do. He’s not going to make any more rash decisions, giving Ned more power for his pals at the SEC, so they can maneuver him back behind bars. She says, so he does think Ned was the one who tipped them off, not the FBI? He says, the theory that they were targeting Carly to get to Sonny makes sense, but sometimes things just are what they are. There’s no grand conspiracy. Ned was even going to tell him something about the SEC right before he started freaking out about Michael and ELQ. She says, with everything he just told her, Ned hasn’t changed one bit. He says, exactly. People act on raw emotions, like anger and spite, and given Ned’s ego and his obvious resentment toward him, it fits. Ned saw an opportunity for revenge, and he took it.

Sonny says, let him make himself clear. Cyrus is to stay away from him, his family, his business. And when he says his family, they’re all under his protection. Sasha Gilmore, Ava Jerome, his ex-wife. Cyrus crosses paths with them, he crosses paths with Sonny. Cyrus says, anything else? and Sonny says, yeah. Keep working on that mop. He moves closer and whispers that he’s got his eyes on Cyrus. Every hour of every day. Cyrus steps over the line, Sonny’s going to make sure no one ever sees him again. Sonny heads for the door, and Cyrus says he understands. Sonny comes back and says, one more thing. Lay off Laura. Don’t show up at the city hall. It embarrasses her. Or at her house. It’s Laura’s choice if she wants to see him, but don’t just go there uninvited. Are they clear? Cyrus says, oh yeah, and Sonny says he’s glad they understand each other. Now get back to work. Sonny leaves, and Cyrus looks like he’s barely keeping a lid on it.

Tomorrow, Curtis says, Nina may not be happy after she hears what he has to say; Gregory asks what Martin suggests they do; and Valentin tells Anna, stay away.

😢 Say It Ain’t So…

I’m so bummed! I wasn’t totally crazy about the Austin character, but Roger Howarth made it his own. IMO, he’s one of the greatest actors in daytime, if not the greatest.

Roger Howarth Says Goodbye to GENERAL HOSPITAL
Roger Howarth Out at General Hospital — ‘I Had A Great Run’
Maura West Pays Tribute to Roger Howarth

👔 Different Kind Of Goodbye…

Now he has to put suits on again.

Wally Kurth Says Goodbye to Eddie Maine

🎓 In Memory Of Billy…

His death was such a shock. I’m sure he’d be proud of the memorial scholarship.

Billy Miller’s Family Creates Memorial Scholarship in His Honor

🦃 This Thursday…

In an odd twist, GH decided to air a new episode on Thanksgiving, even though they haven’t in years. Don’t expect a recap on Thanksgiving. I’ll be busy letting out my waistband.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/soap-opera-soaps-holiday-schedule

🎰 What Happens At BravoCon…

Maybe there was a reason Sutton ignored her.

Madison LeCroy Calls Out Sutton Stracke’s Behavior at BravoCon

No surprise here.

Lala Kent Reveals Shep Rose Annoyed a Real Housewives Star at BravoCon Las Vegas

In related news.

Tom Sandoval Shares Major Update on Living Situation With Ariana as He Gets “Cold Shoulder” From Pump Rules Cast at Event, Plus He Talks “Hardest Thing” About BravoCon, Ariana on DWTS, and If He’d Do a Dating Show

💎 Gets My Vote…

I’ll say it again, I don’t see any new Erika. What I see is the old Erika waiting for the right moment to pounce. We got a taste of it when the elevator randomly stopped on their floor, and Erika’s Magic Mike friend just happened to be riding in it, along with her… whatever he is, Mikey.

Why It’s Time To Kick Erika Jayne Off RHOBH

☔️ Not To Rain On the Thanksgiving Parade…

Time to rewrite history right.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/

🌻 Something To Celebrate…

The resolution.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/us-senate-passes-resolution-recognizing-november-2023-at-national-native-american-heritage-month

The facts.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a38083079/native-american-heritage-month-facts/

Ideas for celebrating.

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-native-american-heritage-month

🥁 Before It Passes By…

About the parade.

https://www.macys.com/s/parade/

The new balloons. Scroll down for the gallery.

https://www.macys.com/s/parade/lineup/?lineupoverlay=Balloon:luffy&lid=parade_topticker-luffy

Macy’s Parade Eve. I knew someone who used to do this every year. Nope. That’s why God invented TV sets.

https://abc7ny.com/nyc-thanksgiving-parade-balloon-inflation-upper-west-side-macys-balloons-american-museum-of-natural-history/14088735/

🐾 Good Pilgrims…

A gallery of adorable pilgrims. I just can’t.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/25-pets-in-pilgrim-costumes-photos_n_2160020

🍼 At The Kids’ Table…

Stop by tomorrow for pre-Thanksgiving soap and picking a bone with Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay taking advantage of seasonal items while you can (maple everything!), and stay knowing that sometimes things just are what they are. There’s no grand conspiracy.

Nov21

November 20, 2023 – Finn Goes To Alexis For Help, Kyle Is the Common Denominator On Deck & Almost

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina walks past the gazillion bouquets and opens the door to leave her dorm room. Spencer falls in and says, good morning.

Josslyn brings Adam into the hospital, and parks him on a bench. She tells Elizabeth that this is her friend Adam Wright. She just brought him in from PCU. He was nauseous, hyperventilating, sweating. She thinks he needs to see a doctor right away. Adam jumps up and says, no!

Finn knocks at Alexis’s office door, and she says, right on time. He thanks her for seeing him, and she says, of course (🍷). Is he okay? He didn’t say what this is about. He seems a little… He says, edgy? and she says, mm-hmm. He says, yeah, and she says, have a seat and tell her what’s going on, but he says, no seat. He needs to find an attorney, and he was hoping she’d point him in the right direction. She says, okay, but he’ll have to narrow this down a little bit. What kind of attorney? He says, one that can save his career from being destroyed.

Blaze says she doesn’t know how Brook did this. She’s doing a guest vocal on Magnum’s new track. Brook says she told Blaze, they’re going to take her career to the next level, and Blaze says, she delivered. Brook says, but they’re on a tight schedule. They have to deliver these tracks today. Blaze says she’s ready to get in the recording booth, and Brook asks if she needs any support. Kristina walks in, and Blaze says, actually, her support just arrived.

Drew says, now that Ned is back to being Ned, they have to come up with a new game plan for ELQ, and Michael says he hasn’t changed his mind. They’re moving forward. Drew says, of course (🍷) they are, but it might be easier said than done, and Michael says, they have to do what’s best for the company. ELQ has been unstable for almost a year, between Valentin’s absence and Ned’s erratic behavior, they’re still on shaky ground. Drew says, their whole plan was predicated on Ned remaining Eddie. That’s not the case anymore, so they need to come up with a new strategy. Michael’s phone rings, and he says, send him up. He tells Drew, Ned’s here. Showtime.

At the MetroCourt, Carly watches as Trish seats a customer, and Nina is on the phone about a king crab order. Nina leaves to get a bartender for a customer, and Trish says hi to Carly. She says, there’s a rumor going around that Carly might be back. Is it true?

Alexis says, Finn isn’t prone to hyperbole. This clearly sounds serious. He says, it is, and she tells him, take a breath. Have a seat. They sit down and Alexis asks for some specifics. He says he’s facing a malpractice lawsuit, and she says, that could be significant. It could also be frivolous. It could be a disgruntled patient that’s looking for a payout. Finn says, it isn’t frivolous. The patient in question, Dennis Muldoon, died. Now his family is suing the hospital and himself. Money isn’t an object for these people and he doesn’t think they’re looking for a quick payout. She says, let’s start at the beginning. When was the first time he saw Mr. Muldoon? He says, it was in April of this year. Muldoon traveled extensively for work, mostly in remote locations, and he came to see Finn because he thought he might have contracted something along the lines of a tapeworm. Finn ran extensive bloodwork and cultures, and confirmed he had a tapeworm. Finn sent him home with a plan of treatment, and he called a few days later, saying that he felt much better. Finn also asked him to come in for further testing, including a colonoscopy just to be sure, but he was off on another business trip and didn’t come back for two months. At that time, Finn increased the scope of the bloodwork and any additional testing, including the colonoscopy. It revealed he had Stage IV cancer. At that point, there was nothing he or oncology could do to save him. Now his family is filing a lawsuit against the hospital and himself. So what does she think? She says, the first thing she’s going to advise him is to stay clear of the General Hospital attorneys. She has the utmost respect for the place, but do not associate with these attorneys. Because they have one goal, and that goal is to protect the hospital. He says, meaning? and she says, they will throw you under the bus.

Blaze does vocal exercises in the sound booth, while Brook gives the sound engineer some instructions. The engineer says she thinks she knows what Brook is looking for, and Blaze asks for less reverb. Kristina says, this is so cool. It’s much more fun to mix music than mix drinks. Brook says she forgot how great the energy is.

Elizabeth brings out a wheelchair, but Adam says he doesn’t need to see a doctor. He thought he did, which is why he agreed to let Joss bring him here, but he’s fine. He just wants to go back to his dorm. Josslyn says, he’s not fine, because they were in class, and he started to have trouble breathing. They had to stop the exam. They wanted to call him an ambulance, but the only reason they didn’t was because she agreed to bring him here. Adam says, oh my God, the test. They’re missing it. What are they going to do? Josslyn says, it’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. Getting loud, Adam says, it’s not going to be okay. What if he fails the class? Elizabeth suggests he sit down for a minute, and helps him into the chair. Josslyn says, he’s not going to fail the class. Please just try to stay calm. Elizabeth says she’s going to take Adam to an exam room and have a doctor check him out. As he’s wheeled away, Adam begs Josslyn not to leave him.

Spencer gets up from the floor, and Trina says, please tell her that he didn’t sleep outside her dorm room all night. He says he sure did, and she says, he could have gotten her in trouble with the RA. Is he crazy? He says, crazy in love with her, and she says she’s serious. He says, so is he, and she says, so this is how he chooses to get her attention? He says he tried everything short of skywriting. She wouldn’t return his calls or texts. She asks if he didn’t think maybe she didn’t want to talk to him. It never occurred to him to respect her wishes apparently. She goes inside, and he follows her in and closes the door. He says he’s really sorry. He knows he screwed up. It was one of those moments that the words were coming out of his mouth and he wanted them to stop, but it was already too late. He can’t un-ring the bell. She says she doesn’t even know what that means, and he asks if she even read the cards he sent her. She says, no, and he says, they all say the same thing, taking one of them from a bouquet. She says, then she’s glad she didn’t bother reading them, and he tells her, they all say he’s sorry and he was wrong. She says, and exactly what does he think he’s wrong about?

Carly tells Trish, you never know what the future holds. Maybe someday, but now she’s focused on Kelly’s. How’s it going here? Trish says she can’t complain. It’s all good, but Carly is definitely missed. Carly says she misses them too, and Trish says, Mr. Cain was here last week. He looked really great. Carly must be out of her mind that he was in prison. Carly says, he never should have been there in the first place, but she’s really happy he’s home. Nina hears them from the hostess podium and goes over to them. She asks if there’s any chance Carly is here to discuss her offer.

Ned joins Drew and Michael, and Michael says he’s not sure which greeting is appropriate. Is it a welcome back situation or… Ned says he doesn’t know if there’s any rule book for this one, and tells Drew that he’s sorry to hear about Drew’s ordeal in Pentenville. He was relieved to hear Drew was released early. Drew says, nobody was more relieved than him. He couldn’t wait to get out of that place. Ned flashes back to confronting Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC, and says he promised he’d sit on this information for a while, but it can’t wait. There’s something Drew needs to know about the SEC charges.

Kristina tells Blaze that she wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is great. Blaze tells her that she says that now, but it’s not all glamorous. There’s a lot of sitting around between takes and it helps to have company. Brook says, hello? and Blaze says, she’s there in a professional capacity. Kristina and Blaze sit down, and Blaze thanks Kristina for distracting her; keeping her mind off the butterflies in her stomach. Kristina says, Blaze is a pro, cool and confident, but Blaze says, it’s just smoke and mirrors. This is a huge opportunity. There’s a lot riding on this. She’s been dying to work with Magnum, but what if she blows it and the song tanks? Kristina says, what if she doesn’t? What if it’s a hit?

Elizabeth sees Terry in the hallway and gives her some figures she’d asked for. Terry is in a hurry to get back to work, but Elizabeth asks if she has any updates on the malpractice suit. Terry says, Elizabeth knows she can’t talk about this, especially to her, given her relationship with Finn. She’s not at liberty to disclose anything about the case. Elizabeth says she’s not asking for details. She just hoped Terry could give her a sense of what’s going on. Terry says she’s sorry. She knows Elizabeth is in a difficult position, but hospital policy is clear, and as Co-Chief of Staff, she has to be in full compliance. There can be no sign of any impropriety. Good luck in protecting Finn. Elizabeth asks if that isn’t what Terry should be doing. He’s not only her co-worker, he’s her friend. Terry says, that’s the problem. Personally, does she want Finn to win? Of course (🍷), but professionally, she has to keep her distance and follow the rules to the letter. Does Elizabeth understand?

Finn tells Alexis, Terry and Portia are not only Co-Chiefs of Staff, but he’d like to think they’re his friends and wouldn’t throw him under the bus. She says, regardless of his personal relationships, this is not about friends. This is business to General Hospital. He came to her for advice. She really needs him to listen to her. She used to be pretty good at this, and she knows her way around a courtroom and knows these kinds of attorneys. She knows their only objective when it comes to a malpractice suit is to win at all costs. They will not do the noble thing, and if he ends up being collateral damage, so be it. He says, and here he thought she was going to put his mind at ease. He gets up and she follows. She says she’s just trying to get him to understand this case and see what they could do. They’re going to present this in the most simple narrative. This is a wealthy family who lost a son, father, husband – in his prime – and they’re grieving, and they want someone to pay. What does he think the jury will believe? He says, hopefully, the truth, that he had nothing to do with this man’s death.

Trish says she’s going to get back to work and leaves. Nina asks if Carly wants to sit down, and Carly says, sure. They sit at a table, and Carly says she’s just curious. Why? Why did Nina offer to sell her back her half of the hotel? She knows Nina has a lot on her plate, but she could ask Olivia to take on more work. Nina says, Olivia is stretched pretty thin as it is, and Carly says, then hire a manager. Or promote from within. There are many ways for Nina to retain her half of the hotel. Is she having financial… Nina says her financial situation is on solid ground, and Carly says, great. Then why is she doing this? Is it because of Willow?

Ned says, this was before the fall at the pool, and Drew says he was there with Tracy. Ned came rushing in, calling his name, like he wanted to tell him something important, and that’s when he hit his head. Ned says, the details were a little fuzzy at first, but he remembers everything now. He remembers what he came to tell Drew. Michael’s office phone rings, and he says, hang on a second. He picks up the phone and says, put her through. He says he has the figures for them and will see them in Sydney next month. They’ll celebrate breaking ground. He hangs up, and Ned asks if that was Angela Trance from RCD in Australia? Michael says, yes. Is that a problem? Ned says, yes. He doesn’t see why Aurora, a media company, would be making a deal with RCD. Michael says, the deal was for ELQ.

Blaze asks if Kristina really thinks it could be a hit, and Kristina says, Blaze is talented. Why not? And from what she knows about Brook, that woman is unstoppable. Blaze says, but the market is so saturated these days. Everyone is posting their music online. The competition is fierce. Kristina says, this is when she roars. Show them what she’s got. Blaze says, even if the song does take off, the real money’s in touring, and Kristina says, then tour. She’s got enough material. What could be better than singing to a sold-out crowd? Blaze says, being with someone. Touring is lonely. To be honest, she’s tired of being alone.

Alexis tells Finn, it’s not going to take much to convince a jury that an overworked doctor had a patient who believed he had a tapeworm. And this doctor took the patient at face value and missed the clue that the real ailment was cancer. Finn says he’s an infectious disease specialist who went looking for a parasite and he found one, but Alexis says, when the jury hears the word cancer, it will trigger them, because at least one of them, if not all of them, have lost a loved one to cancer. That’s a compelling story, doesn’t he think? He says he doesn’t know what to think anymore, and she says she’s telling him that he needs to find the right attorney. Because if he doesn’t, his career will be over.

Spencer says, it was wrong of him to give Trina an ultimatum, and he’d do anything to take it back. Trina says, obviously, it’s too late for that now, and even though she doesn’t like the way he said it, he did bring up a good point. What are his priorities? Who comes first for him? She’d like to think it’s her and their relationship, but maybe it’s Ace and Esme. He says he doesn’t care about Esme, but Trina says, sometimes she’s not sure about that. He says, his little brother needs him and he’s not going to turn his back on Ace, but she says she’s not asking him to do that. The fact that it’s hard for him to accept Esme moving out as a normal progression tells her all she needs to know. He asks what that means, and she says, clearly, they have different ideas about what their relationship is and where it’s going.

Elizabeth says, Adam is cleared to go home, and Josslyn thanks her. She says she was so worried. She’s never seen anyone in the middle of a panic attack. It’s scary. Elizabeth says, Josslyn did the right thing by bringing him here, and Josslyn asks if he’s going to be okay. Elizabeth says, all she can tell Josslyn is, he’s been cleared to go home and that’s a good sign. Does she know what else is a good sign? Josslyn’s future as a doctor. Josslyn asks what she means, and Elizabeth says, the fact that she brought him here and looked after him shows what kind of doctor she’s going to be. She has high hopes for Josslyn. Josslyn thanks her, and Elizabeth says she’ll see if Adam’s paperwork is ready. Josslyn goes into the exam room and asks how Adam is. He says he’s fine. He’s really sorry, but it’s all good now. She says, no, it’s not.

Alexis says, they have to find the right fit for Finn. She so wishes she could do this for him. She wishes she could fight for him, but she can’t. He says, there must be somebody who’ll take this on, and she says, the person she would recommend would be Diane, but she knows Diane is swamped. She’s overwhelmed right now and probably won’t be able to take the case. So why doesn’t he give his pal Tracy a call? He says, she’d be tough in the courtroom, but last time he checked, she doesn’t have a law degree. Alexis says, she has the last name Quartermaine, and anyone with the last name Quartermaine has access to top notch lawyers on retainer. He says he knows, but it’s the wrong time to ask Tracy for a favor. She says, Tracy would be happy to help him, and he says he knows she would, but she’s in Amsterdam. She’s meeting Bobbie Spencer. Something about settling Luke’s affairs. She says, who else? and he says, Elizabeth offered to talk to Scott Baldwin. He’s not sure Scotty is the best choice, but Scotty says he’s good at his job. She says, Scotty can be brash and he’s a little odd, but he’s actually smart. He’s also not the right attorney for Finn. He doesn’t need brash; he needs subtle. He says, that’s probably not Scotty, and she says she just told him Diane is probably too busy, and she probably is, but she’s going to call anyway.

Kristina asks how Blaze can possibly be lonely with thousands of fans chanting her name. She wishes the staff at Charlie’s would do that for her when she walked in. And the pub goes wild. They laugh, and Brook asks what they’re laughing about. Blaze says, it was getting too serious and Kristina’s trying to make her smile. Brook says, it seems like she’s succeeding, and Blaze says she was just telling Kristina that touring isn’t as cool as it looks. It’s hard work. Sound checks, dance rehearsals, promotors… Never mind. She’s being ridiculous. Kristina says, Blaze is right. It does sound lonely. Blaze says she has the feeling Kristina knows something about loneliness. The engineer asks if they’re ready to do this.

Ned says, Michael did what? and Michael says he made a deal with RCD. Actually, they closed in July, but there were a few terms they had to iron out first. Drew says, this is what’s best for the company, but Ned says, last time he checked, he’s President of this company. Drew says, they had no idea when Ned was going to recover, and Ned says, Drew makes it sound like he was in rehab. He was in Port Charles the whole time. Drew says, for all intents and purposes, Ned wasn’t here. It was Eddie. Michael says, the deal is done, and Ned asks, what are the terms? Michael says, ELQ has all the paperwork. Feel free to look it over, but he’ll see Michael got RCD to agree to more favorable terms. He’s going to oversee the first stage of construction, but Ned says he has no authority to do that.

Nina asks why Carly thinks Willow had anything to do with this. She just found out about it when they were discussing it at Kelly’s. Carly says she just wondered if Willow was the real incentive for Nina to sell. It makes sense. Nina wants a closer relationship with Willow and her grandson, and what better way to get that than to make peace with her? Is she right?

Ned says, while he appreciates Michael taking this on, he had no authority to act on ELQ’s behalf. Michael suggests he look over the deal before criticizing it, and Ned says, whether it’s a sound deal or not is irrelevant. Michael knows it wasn’t his place to take this on. Drew says, Ned should have been the one dealing with this, but they couldn’t count on him, because he proclaimed to the world that he was Eddie Maine. All he cared about was his music. And Valentin’s been AWOL for months, dealing with the fallout from his lunatic father. And he was in prison, so what did Ned expect Michael to do? He was the only one qualified to engage with RCD. If it wasn’t for him, there would be no deal, so Drew thinks the appropriate response should be thank you.

Nina says, of course (🍷) she wants a closer relationship with Willow, and she thought Carly getting her hotel back would go a long way in repairing the family rift. Carly tells her, that’s what Willow said. She gets it that things won’t feel right until she gets her hotel back, and Nina says, great. She’ll come over with the paperwork… Carly says she appreciates the offer, but she’s going to pass.

Trina says she’s been supportive to Spencer and his situation. He says he appreciates that, and she says, and she’s been respectful to his love toward Ace and his sense of responsibility to him. But that somehow translates to her standing on the sidelines; she’s not on the field. She’s watched him put all his focus and energy into Ace, and by extension, Esme, and she’s not okay with that. He asks what she’s saying, and she says she doesn’t want to be around Esme anymore. This is the woman who tried to destroy her life. He says, but that was the old Esme; she has no memory of that. Trina says she understands that, and she’s accepted it, but she still has to live with the memory. Esme still looks like the same person and that is difficult for her. She doesn’t want to be around her. Spencer says, okay, but Esme and Ace are a package deal. What does she want him to do? Trina says, he wants her not to make him choose, but he never asked her what her choice would be. He says, okay, what is it? and she says she chooses to put herself first. Not to go along with this dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up. If he’s going to stay with Esme and Ace, he’s going to do it without her.  

Adam says, don’t make it into something it’s not, but Josslyn says she’s not overreacting. The second the exam started, he was freaking out. He was dizzy and hyperventilating, and even in the car on the way over, he told her that his heart was racing. He says, that was just the stuff he took to help him study, and she says, what stuff would that be? He says, it’s a supplement, a pill. Some big, long name, dextro something. It’s supposed to help you focus. A ton of people take it and he took too much this morning. It’s no big deal. She says, it is a big deal because that’s an amphetamine, that’s speed. He says he didn’t score some street drug. He has a prescription for it. He’ll be more careful next time. It won’t happen again. She says, and if it does happen again? and he says, now she’s the one who needs to calm down. She asks why he’s doing this to himself. He’s miserable. If pre-med is torture for him, then he needs to switch majors, something with less pressure. He says, there is nothing else. Does she understand? This is all he’s ever wanted ever since he was a kid. It’s been his dream. She asks if it’s his dream or his parents’.

On the phone, Alexis says, Diane has to trust her on this. This is a David versus Goliath type case… Finn paces and nods, and Alexis says, no. She wouldn’t pitch this to Diane if she didn’t think Diane wouldn’t have a huge victory if she took this… She will? Yes. Thank you. You’re the best.

Blaze sings in the booth, and Brook tells Kristina, originally, they got a huge artist who shall remain nameless… Kristina says, Beyonce, and Brook says she’s not at liberty to say. But the artist’s reps wanted extra singing on the song. Then there were rumors flying around that negotiations were at an impasse. That’s when she swooped in and picked Blaze up. Kristina says, very impressive. She’s lucky to have Brook. Brook says, if there’s one thing she’s learned in the music biz, it’s that timing is everything. She has a really good feeling about this song. She really thinks it could become a hit, take Blaze’s career to the next level. Kristina’s phone chimes, and she tells Brook that she’s got to go. There’s something going on with her family, but good luck. She leaves.

Spencer tells Trina that he knows what he has to do now. He has to let go. He needs to stop trying to be Ace’s father and needs to realize he’s Ace’s older brother and nothing more. She says, he can still be supportive of Ace. There just has to be clear boundaries. He says, she was right the whole time. He’s sorry. He just couldn’t see it. He needs to stop trying to control Esme and Ace. It’s not his place. So they’re going to move into their own place, and he thinks that’s probably what’s best for everyone. Trina asks if he’s just saying that to put her mind at ease or does he really believed that? He says he’s trying to, but it might take him a little while to get there. But it will. And he knows one thing for certain. He doesn’t want her to become secondary to anyone. From now on, he’s going to make her his one and only priority. She’s her own person and has every right to be who she wants to be, and to make the choices she wants to make, live the life she wants to live. But he really hopes there’s a place in it for him.

Back at the dorm, Josslyn asks if Adam is okay. He barely spoke in the car. He says he’s sorry for snapping at her. He messed up everything. She didn’t even get to take the test. She says, here’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to take the make-up test and even if it doesn’t go well, it only counts for a fraction of their final grade. So just try and give himself a break. He says, okay. He’ll try.

Finn brings Elizabeth some coffee, and she thanks him. She says, he seems to be in better spirits than he was this morning, and he says, maybe. She says, and the reason is… He says he just thinks it’s going to be a beautiful day, and she says, he’s not talking about the weather. He says, no, and she says, this morning he’d been distracted by the possible malpractice suit. Is it dropped?

Blaze wonders where Kristina is, and Brook says, she had to leave. She got a text, something about her family, and she took off. Brook texted her that they’ll be here a few hours, so maybe she’ll be back. Blaze says she just hopes everything’s okay with Kristina’s family.

Kristina walks into Alexis’s office and says, guess where she just was? Alexis asks if Kristina is going to make her guess, but Kristina says, fine. She’ll tell her. She was at a recording studio with Brook and Blaze. Blaze was laying a guest track for a major artist. She can’t say who, but it’s going to be huge. Alexis says, that’s great, and asks if Kristina has heard from Sam. Sam said she was going to call her. Kristina says, Sam’s been leaving her messages and texting her, asking Kristina to call her, but she called her and it went straight to voicemail. So she came here, thinking maybe Alexis knew what was going on.

Adam tells Josslyn, okay. He’ll let himself off the hook. Like she said, this doesn’t count for much of the grade. She asks if he’s going to be okay, and he says he’ll be fine. He thanks her for everything, and goes back to his room. Josslyn goes into hers and sees Trina and Spencer kissing. She says, it looks like they made up. Trina says, yes, they did, because somebody realized he was wrong. Spencer says he had some help getting there, and Josslyn says, at least something worked out this morning. Trina asks if that means her Organic Chem test didn’t go well, and Josslyn says her test didn’t go at all. She has to take a make-up test. Trina asks, what happened? She studied so hard. Josslyn says, Adam had a panic attack and she had to take him to the hospital. Trina asks if he’s okay, but Josslyn says, actually, she doesn’t think so. She’s really worried about him.

Carly says, it’s not like she doesn’t want her half of the hotel back. She does, but she’s just not in the financial situation to do it. Nina says she assumed Michael would… but Carly says she’s not going to take money from her son. She got herself into this situation and she’ll get herself out on her own. Her phone chimes, and Nina flashes back to Michael giving her terms, one of which was to sell Carly her half of the MetroCourt back. Nina asks if Carly is sure she won’t reconsider. Why doesn’t she take the deal for the good of the family? Carly says, don’t worry. Willow knows she’s not accepting, and she understands. Nina made points by offering to sell to begin with. Take the win. Nina gets to keep her hotel and she’s even closer to Willow. Enjoy. She walks off.

Ned tells Drew, don’t pretend Michael is some kind of hero. He’s a shark. Michael was just waiting until he and Valentin were out of the picture; then he made his move. Michael says, don’t be so dramatic. He made a deal, plain and simple. Drew says, and it works for ELQ. Ned couldn’t have negotiated such favorable terms. Maybe that’s why he’s throwing such a tantrum. It’s killing him that Michael did a better job than Ned could have done. Ned says, Michael had his moment of glory, but from now on, stay the hell out of ELQ. He’s not a corporate officer; he’s only a shareholder. And let’s keep it that way. He walks out, and Drew says, that’s proof Ned is unfit to run ELQ. He’s a loose cannon and they have to move forward with this takeover while there’s still a company to save.

Finn tells Elizabeth, the malpractice suit has not been dropped, but at least Alexis has agreed to help him. Elizabeth says she’s confused. Alexis hasn’t been able to practice law for years. He says, but she still has contacts. He was just at her office and asked her if she could help him find a good lawyer. She set up a lunch with Diane Miller. Elizabeth says, that’s great. She can’t tell him how many times Diane represented Jason in court. And she always won. She’s the best. He says, that’s what he’s counting on.

Blaze sings again in the booth. Brook and the engineer look pleased. Brook says, they’ve got it.

Alexis says, Sam was going to tell Kristina, and Kristina says, Alexis is scaring her. Did something happen? Alexis says, the surrogate had a miscarriage. Molly and TJ lost the baby. We hear Blaze sing, I’ll be right by your side, as Alexis hugs Kristina.

Tomorrow, Carly asks what Drew is going to do about it; Cody says he’s out, but Sasha says, maybe not; Curtis says, Jordan is the only one who’ll understand what he discovered; Nina questions Charlotte; and Sonny says he’ll shut Cyrus down permanently.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle says, Natalya can disappear. Get away from him. She says he doesn’t tell her what to do or how to talk, and they snipe at each other. Kyle says, Natalya will never control him, and she’s been a fake-ass bitch from day one. Natalya says, he started it, and Kyle says, don’t test him. Lara suggests they chill, and Kyle says, instead of giving her opinion about everyone else’s life, focus on her own f***ed up life. Tumi tells them that they’re going to sleep in separate rooms and asks if Natalya would like the master. She would, and Tumi says, Kyle will stay in the crew mess until she goes in there. On her way out the door, Natalya calls Kyle a horrible human. In her interview, she says, Kyle’s not the lovely, yes queen person he says he is. What’s the point in arguing with Satan? Jessika wonders what’s happening, and Kyle says he’s done arguing with a bunch of imbeciles. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya constantly inserts herself into things not relevant to her. He’s sick of her gossiping and talking behind people’s backs. Who does she think she is? Lara keeps Natalya company, and Natalya says, Kyle’s behavior is not right. Lara says, it seemed all of a sudden, and in Lara’s interview, she says she’s upset because they’re both her friends. It’s not good of Natalya to mix in things, but Kyle going off is completely unacceptable. He goes from one person to another, loving then hating them. She can’t keep up with who he likes. Luka tells Jess, it’s over with Natalya, and she asks if it’s been there, not done that. He says, it’s been there, too much begging. Kyle and Max make some sort of drunken truce and high-five. Kyle says, Max isn’t the problem he’s upset about. Natalya was shutting his voice up. In Max’s interview, he says he didn’t understand allies, but he learned tonight and now he can be one. If they want him to be a Teletubby, he’s a Tellytubby. Tumi asks if Natalya is okay. What was said was horrible. She asks if Natalya is okay to sleep on the boat, and Natalya says she feels safe. In Tumi’s interview, she says, it wasn’t Natalya’s battle, but she’s not an a-hole and realizes Kyle’s behavior was inexcusable. She’s going to let them breathe. Then they need to have a conversation and resolve it. There’s only so much she can do. Luka gets in Jessika’s bunk, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, he’s a Scorpio. He’ll eat anything that comes his way that he wants.

2 days until charter. Kyle says he’s hung over as balls, and Lara says, all crew, wake the f*** up. They need to be there at 11.  In Tumi’s interview, she says, she never wants Natalya to feel uncomfortable, regardless of how she feels personally about her. Tumi tells Natalya that she wants her to feel safe, but Natalya says she feels the boat is the easy part. In Natalya’s interview, she says Kyle was fake and she thought he was a good friend. She doesn’t want to be on a team where she’s not valued or appreciated. In Luka’s interview, he says, when he woke up, he said he was never drinking again, then cracks open a beer. Natalya tells Tumi that she’s waiting for Kyle to leave. Maybe she’ll join them later. Jack needs someone to shave his back and Lara bravely volunteers. In Jack’s interview, he says he has a big baby face, but his back looks like King Kong. There’s going to be women at the beach club. In Lara’s interview, she says, this is exactly why she’s gay. Max wants to sleep, and in his interview, he says Kyle wanted to make his drama Max’s and they had a fight. When there’s toxic energy, he wants to explode everything. He’ll be fake later, but not now. Natalya tells Max that she’s quitting because Kyle is an a-hole. She’s never speaking to him again. She’s out tomorrow. In her interview, she says she doesn’t like giving up. She came on confused about her relationship, butted heads with Tumi, then vile Kyle. She’s ready to throw in the napkin. She tells Max, let’s enjoy the sunshine. The others get to the beach club, which is absolutely stunning, and in Tumi’s interview, she says, it’s so beautiful. This couldn’t have come at a better time. They need to get over last night. If they can’t get over it, they have a problem. The drinking commences in the taxi and continues at the beach club. On the boat, Natalya thinks Max should take the day and chill. Sleep on it and see how he’s feeling. Captain Sandy wanders around eating a bag of chips, and Max and Natalya go to meet the others. Kyle says he doesn’t want to be here and jets. In her interview, Tumi says, they need a miracle for the interior. She follows Kyle, who says he can’t do it for any more days. F*** the money. He can’t be near her. Tumi says, they can’t talk tomorrow, and he says he’s just keeping his distance. Tumi goes back to the table, mumbling that she wants to get drunk. In Natalya’s interview, she says she doesn’t understand what’s happening. Luka didn’t stand up for her and didn’t check in on her this morning. She expected more support. She hates how everyone is so calm about what happened. Jessika chats with Max about positivity, when Natalya stomps over to them. She says she hates how Jessika promotes good vibes, yet hasn’t spoken to her or checked in on her. Jessika says she didn’t know stuff went down, and Natalya says, that shows lot about her. In her interview, Natalya says, she’s had Jessika’s back since day one, and Jessika didn’t even check on her. We flash back to Natalya stirring the pot with Jessika on several occasions, which I guess is how she defines having someone’s back. Natalya tells us that it says a lot about Jessika. She needs to be told she’s a bitch. Natalya – judge and jury for the world when she can’t get her own sh*t straight. Natalya tells Jessika, don’t preach good energy when she was in a bad place and Jessika didn’t even check in on her. Jessika wisely just keeps saying, you’re right, since reasoning with Natalya is like reasoning with a three-year-old. Or a drunk.

Jessika tells Luka that she’s not perfect, but it was crazy. She was talking to Max about her life and suddenly her life become something else. In Jessika’s interview, she says she feels bad for Natalya. She’s had exchanges with Luka, Tumi, and Kyle, but she put herself in those situations, and now she’s taking it out on everyone else. She tells Max, this is why she doesn’t put herself in other people’s drama. Natalya calls AJ and says she’s not well. F***ing Kyle is a f***ing a-hole. There are good people, but it doesn’t feel good. She’s stressed and her anxiety is through the roof. Now she’s stuck at this beach club. She shouldn’t have come. She wants off the boat and isn’t spending another night on it. In Jack’s interview, he says he can feel the divide. He feels no one cares how Natalya was treated. Jessika says, Natalya literally yelled at her that she couldn’t believe Jessika was talking good energy. She was right not to get involved in the issue. She just had one and doesn’t want another. In Kyle’s interview, he says, Natalya is 100% a short-fused martyr. He regrets how he acted, but the emotions come back when he sees Natalya. Natalya goes back to the boat, while the others freshen up for dinner. On the boat, snoring comes from Captain Sandy’s cabin. Natalya packs, and at dinner, Tumi tells the server, just pour. In Natalya’s interview, she says she wants nothing to do with Kyle. She’ll have a conversation with Captain Sandy in the morning. She wants to sleep on it and make sure she wants to go through with this. She texts Lara to ask Luka if he’ll help carry her suitcases. Is it me? I have little to no sympathy for Natalya because of the immature, mean girl way she demands attention. She not only thinks everyone not involved should be a mind reader, she’s not even going to let them have dinner in peace without screaming, look at me! Lara tells Luka that Natalya is leaving, and Kyle says, they handled it with three people before. In Tumi’s interview, she says, if Natalya feels she wants to go, she’s not holding her back, and tells Kyle that she thinks they’ll be fine with three. In Jack’s interview, he says, that everyone is okay with Natalya leaving doesn’t sit right with him. They leave the restaurant, and Jack tells Max that he feels Natalya is being pushed out.

On the way to a club, there’s twerking and nipple flashing on one taxi, and sad looking Max and Jack in the other. When they get to the club, Max decides to stay in the taxi. Tumi asks Jessika if she wants something to happen with Luka, but Jessika says she gets attached. Tumi says, Luka’s not that guy, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she’s a relationship girl. The longest she’s been single is maybe four months. Her first relationship was at 16, and they were together two years. There was a brief relationship with a guy in Vegas, but her advice is, don’t date Vegas guys. Her latest relationship lasted six years. She gives it her all. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s worried tonight isn’t going to end well. Luka and Jessika sort of kiss, but are mostly goofing around. Jack accosts Haleigh about Natalya, and Haleigh says she doesn’t blame Natalya for going. Jack says, no one else is bothered, and Haleigh says, let’s get drinks, which seems like as good an answer as any to the problem. Jack says his phone is dead, so he wants a drink. Kyle says he’s feeling more liberated. He’s never felt more free as himself. Hmm… Sounds like drunk talk to me. Haleigh and Lara get on either side of Jack to help him to the taxi. Kyle says he’s going to help Natalya pack, and in Luka’s interview, he says, Kyle’s being a mean girl. It’s awkward. He doesn’t want to stand up for Natalya too much. He’ll get his head bit off. When they get back to the boat, Haleigh says she’s going to sleep, and Lara says, let’s make some noodles, bitches. In Lara’s interview, she says she can’t keep up with this sh*t. At least she’s not the center of the drama. Ugly drama. She scarfs some, no doubt cold pasta out of a huge bowl, and Tumi checks on Natalya, who says she’s leaving in the morning. Tumi tells the rest in the crew mess that Natalya is done, then asks for some noodles. She says she doesn’t want to be a bitch, but can someone help with Natalya’s bags tomorrow. Kyle says, maybe he can try to talk to her, and Tumi says she has no time for this again. He goes to the door of the master, and in her interview, Tumi says she’s holding her breath. Kyle opens the door and asks, can he… Natalya says, no.  

Natalya tells Kyle that she’s so tired. He says he doesn’t want to make it worse. He just wants her to know it hurts his heart what happened to them. He apologizes and isn’t blaming it on anything. He said what he said. In Natalya’s interview, she says, she can accept his apology – even that’s fake – but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Kyle says, this is an indefinite goodbye. It wasn’t a normal fight. She says, it’s heartbreaking is what it is, and he says, if she ever wants to rechart, she knows where he is. He leaves and tells Tumi that he said apology words, but there was no forgiveness. She may never reach out. He wasn’t there to ask her to stay. Tumi says she wishes Natalya well, and in her interview, she says, Kyle thinks he’s the victim. Maybe the boat will be better, maybe not. Luka and Jessika roll around in the bottom bunk, when Tumi comes in. She says, they’re going to make the best babies, and gets in the top bunk. Luka makes his exit.

29 hours before charter. In Max’s interview, he says he wasn’t sleeping last night. When his Eifel Tower is down in the morning, it’s an indicator that he’s not in a good environment. Good to know. Natalya asks to meet Captain Sandy on the bridge. She tells the captain, besides personal stuff at home, Kyle is fighting with everyone. She misrepresents what happened in Kyle’s fight with Max, which was basically a stupid drunk fight, and tells the captain that she thought Kyle was her best friend. He had Jessika crying because he screamed at her. We flash back to the green stew debacle, and Captain Sandy says she’s going to speak to Kyle. It’s not okay for him to be bullying. Natalya says she needs to get off the boat. She feels safe, but she just doesn’t feel good. The captain says she won’t find anyone as excellent as Natalya. She wants Natalya to stay, but if she wants to leave, nothing is worth her mental health. They hug, and in the captain’s interview, she says, she can’t make Natalya stay nor would she want her to. She wants Natalya to feel supported, but at the same time, she’s pissed about losing Natalya. It’s going to be hard on the interior, and they’re in trouble with their next charter. She’s not condoning Kyle’s behavior. The way Natalya described it, it’s unacceptable, and she’s pissed.

Natalya hugs Jack, who’s all bummed. In Luka’s interview, he says he can’t believe she’s leaving. It will be amazing for her to go home and sort out her stuff and find out what she wants to do. In Natalya’s interview, she says she’s happy that she stuck it out as long as she could, but at a point, she needs to say, sayonara. She needs to have a hard conversation with her partner. Luka should have encouraged her to stay, but he was too focused on vagina. If not for Kyle, she could have had a good relationship. This was the last straw. She’s done. She’s unfollowing him. That makes it official.

Captain Sandy texts Norma asking for a new stew. She calls Jack to the bridge, and in her interview, she says she’s not sure what happened, but she’s not happy. She wants to know the full story, so she’s getting other people’s feedback. Jack says he doesn’t remember what the argument was about (I’m not surprised with the amount of alcohol in him), but Kyle was mad. He stuck up for Max, but Kyle was out of order. It all came out when he was drunk. Everyone seemed happy Natalya was leaving, but he thinks they’re insecure. She’s the best stew they’ve had. The captain says she’ll deal with it, and when he leaves, she says she didn’t expect that. In Jessika’s interview, she says she’s not sure how this sh*t is going to pan out. She feels relieved, but what’s happening is confusing. It’s stressful thinking about it. The captain calls Tumi to the bridge and asks if Tumi remembers they talked about respect in the workplace. She asks about the issue with Kyle. What happened with Max? Tumi says, it got heated, but she didn’t understand the story. Captain Sandy asks if she witnessed Kyle and Natalya’s altercation, and Tumi says, it caught her off-guard and it was also heated. The captain says, even when they’re off the boat, they still represent the boat. Tumi says she respects Kyle as a co-worker and loves him, but the way he reacts when he’s emotionally triggered is incorrect. Captain Sandy says, it’s not okay, and asks Tumi to get Kyle. Max is starting to look smart at this point.  

Max compares the yacht to a casino, and he wants to cash out. He wants to go out after one more charter, but Luka says, they have four to go. In Luka’s interview, he says, his team was making progress. They were doing great. He’ll tell Max and maybe that will change his mind. In the crew mess, Tumi tells Jessika about talking to the captain, and on the bridge, Captain Sandy tells Kyle, have a seat. It’s not a good morning for her. She has ears and eyes, and in every situation on the boat, he’s the common denominator. He had screaming matches with Max, Jessika, and Natalya, and he’s the person always in screaming matches. She’d never bring him back as chief stew because he can’t control his emotions. This is a professional setting, and he’s bullying and screaming. She doesn’t want a person like him on board. Does he understand? He says, yes, captain.

To be continued…

🚙 Gathering Together…

Start working off your future Thanksgiving dinner by running here tomorrow for soap and a mixture of side dishes. Until then, stay safe, stay not being the unexpected early guest, and stay never going along with a dysfunctional situation that’s bound to blow up.

Nov18

November 17, 2023 – Austin Offers Dante What He Wants, Departing, Her Fans, Wedding Bliss, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, Net Worth, Coming Up, Went By, Furry Thanksgiving, Not Quite 8 Quotes & Parade

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jordan goes to Laura’s office and asks if she’s burning the midnight oil. Laura invites her in and says, they have so much to catch up on. She thanks Jordan for attending the town hall meeting of the dockworkers for her, and Jordan says, it was her pleasure. They’re very hard-working citizens that deserve to be heard. She forwarded Laura some emails about things that needed to be approved. Laura says she saw that and thanks her, and Jordan says, there are a few issues that came up while she was gone that they need to discuss. Laura says, before they get into that, she has a question for Jordan. Would she like her position as Deputy Mayor to be a permanent one?

At the hospital, Felicia tells Mr. Williams that his MRI was just approved by his insurance company, and he thanks her. She sees Robert wave to her, and she asks if Mac sent him to spy on her. He says he’s here on his own, and she says, perfect timing. She’s due for a break. What brings him by? He says he needs her help.

Spencer knocks on Josslyn’s dorm room door, and she says she’s glad he’s here. Come in. He needs to see this for himself. There’s like a wall of floral bouquets, and Spencer says he might have gone overboard. Josslyn says, he’s lucky she doesn’t have allergies. Don’t get her wrong, they’re beautiful, but unfortunately, Trina isn’t here to see them.

Curtis is lifting hand weights when Marshall comes in from the kitchen. Curtis says, he’s got dinner smelling good, and Marshall says, it’ll be ready in about a half hour. Curtis says, good, because he’s worked up quite an appetite, and Marshall says, Curtis has increased his reps. He’s not pushing himself too hard, is he? Trina comes in the front door and is obviously aggravated. Marshall asks if Curtis wants to take this one, and Trina says, where’s mom? Curtis says, she’s taking her Chief of Staff job seriously, so she’s working late, and Marshall says, dinner’s almost ready. Give him a half-hour and he’ll have the table set. Trina says, dinner smells great, but she’s not hungry. She’s going to her room. She starts to leave, but Curtis calls her back and asks if she wants to tell him what’s going on. She says, no.

Michael says, they didn’t have to come to Kelly’s to see his mom, but Willow says, just come inside. Carly greets them and asks what they want. Chili, burgers… Michael says, Willow insisted they come by to see her. Does she have something to tell him? Carly says, Nina offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt.

Nina tells Trish that they have a large party coming in tomorrow night and asks if she can make sure they have two bottles of their best red wine, and Trish says, will do. Nina thanks her, and Sonny walks in. Nina says, it’s great that Sonny could break away and have dinner with her and asks Trish to bring them two menus. He says he thought he’d come while she’s still co-owner. Why did she decide to sell her half of the MetroCourt back to Carly?

On the phone in the interrogation room, Dante says he wants everything from the Charlotte Cassadine shooting. An officer knocks at the door and says, there’s a guy out here demanding to see Dante, Dr. Gatlin-Holt. Dante says, send him in, and Austin says he’s here to give Dante what he wants.

Laura thanks Jordan for helping her, and thanks her for her service to the city of Port Charles. She did an excellent job while Laura was off looking for her son, and since she’s been back too. She feels bad that Jordan had to step in for her. Jordan says, Laura had some crazy circumstances thrown at her. Her granddaughter was shot and her son was missing. Jordan would have done the same thing. How is Charlotte? Laura says, physically, she’s one the mend, but emotionally, she thinks it’s going to take a little while to figure out what’s going on with her. Which is why Laura wanted to ask if Jordan wanted to stay on as Deputy Mayor. There’s no one she trusts more. Jordan says she appreciates the vote of confidence, but this isn’t an easy decision to make. As Laura knows, she spent her life in law enforcement, and she feels that there’s still a lot of good she can do for the community. There’s a knock at the door, and Laura tells Jordan that she’s so sorry. She says, come in, and Cyrus walks in. He asks if the mayor has a moment for her brother.

Dante tells Austin, have a seat. He expected to see him here. Austin says, really? He’s completely shocked to be here. But now that he is, maybe they can get this over with as quickly as possible. That’d be great. He sits down, and Dante asks if he’s ready to name the person he’s working for and testify against him. Austin tells Dante that he didn’t say anything about testifying. Dante needs to keep his name out of this. He needs complete anonymity. Dante says he doesn’t know what Austin thinks this is, but he’s not The Invader and he’s not a journalist for The Invader. Austin is already being looked at as an accomplice in the kidnapping of Ava Jerome, and now he’s the one they’re looking at as possibly having killed Gordon Stevens. Austin says he didn’t kill Gordon Stevens, but Dante says, if this keeps going the way it’s going, he’s going to be considered an official suspect. So if he wants to produce something in exchange for leniency, now is the time. Dante switches on the recorder.

Felicia asks what Robert needs her help with. Is it Anna? He says, pretty as well as smart. Yeah. Has Felicia heard from her? She says, they spoke briefly on the phone, and she’s been sending Anna texts to check in, and she always responds. But they haven’t actually talked since Anna shot Charlotte Cassadine. He says, she’s had more contact than he has. Anna hasn’t responded to any of his calls. He got a text that says, reach out when I can. He shows Felicia his phone and says, if he didn’t know better, he’d say Anna’s hiding from him. Felicia says she’s pretty sure Anna is.

Trina says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to be rude. Curtis tells her, that’s okay, but if there’s something bothering her, they just want to help… if they can. She says she knows that, and Marshall says, come on. Sit down. Whatever it is, maybe he and her father can help iron it out. She says she appreciates that, but she knows how they both feel about Spencer, so she’s just going to deal with it herself. Curtis says he’ll stay open-minded, and looks at Marshall, who says, me too.

Nina says, it was Sonny. He’s the one who advised her against hanging on to her half of the hotel. He says, but that was months ago. Since then, he’s seen her tackle every obstacle and challenge that’s been thrown her way. And now the MetroCourt is doing good. Business is booming. She says she’d like to think she helped with that, and he says, and she and Olivia are doing great. In the beginning, Olivia was tough, but Nina won her over, and that’s not easy in his experience. So she’s enjoying running the day-to-day at the hotel. Carly’s settled in at Kelly’s, right? She says, mm-hmm, and he says, so they’re all getting along, co-existing. So why would she want to rock the boat by selling her half to Carly?

Willow says, isn’t it exciting? and Michael flashes back to telling Nina that he’s not going to take away his father’s happiness. He’s sure Sonny will be happy until he finds out the kind of woman Nina really is. But he’s not risking his family. She’ll only see them when he says it’s okay, and he wants her to sell her mother her half of the MetroCourt back. Michael asks Carly when Nina decided to sell her back her half of the hotel, and Carly says, she stopped by on her way to work this morning.  That’s when she made the offer. Michael says, tell me about this offer.

Spencer says, it smells like a flower shop or a funeral. He’s not sure which. Josslyn says, really? She doesn’t think so. He should probably take some of these and donate them at GH. He says, on a scale of 1 to 10, how mad is Trina? and Josslyn says, 11. Speaking for herself, if Dex threw down with her, and told her not to ask him to choose between her and someone else because she wouldn’t like the answer? She hates to break it to him, but seems like a red flag. Possibly a relationship ender.

Marshall says, how dare Spencer give Trina an ultimatum? He’s sorry. He promised to remain neutral. She says, but now he sees why she’s so frustrated with him. Her phone chimes a few times, and she says, not to mention, he’s blowing up her phone with text messages and phone calls. She knows she needs to respond; she just doesn’t know what to say. She looks at her phone and says, stop texting me, Spencer. Curtis says he’s never seen her this upset at Spencer. He knows he hasn’t been her dad for that long, but may he offer her some unsolicited parental advice? She says, as long as it’s not telling her to talk to Spencer again. Curtis says, but that’s exactly what she’ll need to do. But first, she needs to figure out for herself what she needs to discuss with him. He believes in any romantic relationship; you have to be very clear about what you want and what you’re willing to put up with. So if she’s willing to do the hard work with her feelings, he and Marshall could help her figure some things out.

Austin shuts the recorder off and sets it aside. He says he will give Dante the name of Mason’s boss. As soon as there’s a deal in place. Dante asks, what kind of deal is he talking about? and Austin says, a deal that guarantees his freedom. Immunity from prosecution and he’s not going to set foot in a courtroom and testify against anybody. Dante says he’s not in a position to negotiate right now. So he guesses this conversation is over. Austin can see himself out. Austin says, Dante doesn’t understand the risk in coming here. If his boss finds out he’s here before Dante has a chance to bring him into custody, he’s a dead man.

Cyrus says, Deputy Mayor Ashford, it’s good to see you. You’re looking well. Jordan says, congratulations on his hardship release from prison. Not many people who’ve done what he has are given yet another chance to become a productive citizen. He says, and he’s grateful for the opportunity. He came by this evening because he wanted to share some news with his sister. Laura says, about what? and he says he found gainful employment. She says, really? Doing what? He says, washing dishes at the Port Charles Grill.

Robert asks Felicia, why would Anna be hiding from him? She can’t possibly be thinking he’s going to prosecute her for the Cassadine shooting. Felicia says she thinks the opposite. Anna probably feels he might come under scrutiny if he doesn’t prosecute her. Everyone knows the history they share. He says, it’s a hell of a time to be thinking about his reputation, and she says, maybe it’s simpler. Maybe Anna knows she got herself into this situation. It’s on her and her alone to get herself out.

Trina doesn’t know what she wants, and Marhsall says, maybe she should start by ruling out a few things first. Does she want to break up with Spencer? She says, no. Of course (🍷) not. Marshall says, there it is. Sometimes we figure out what we want by figuring out what we don’t want. Curtis says, and from what she’s told them, she doesn’t want Spencer, Esme, and Ace living together either. Trina says, it’s at least better now that Laura and Doc are back in town, but yes, in a perfect world, Spencer would not share a home with Esme and Ace. Curtis asks, why is that? and she says, because Spencer is Ace’s brother. He’s not his dad. Curtis says he spoke with Laura when she came back from Europe, and she received confirmation that Nikolas is alive. And by his own free will, choosing to stay away from Port Charles and be an active father in Spencer and Ace’s lives. So can she blame Spencer for wanting to play a role in his brother’s life? She says, yes. This whole thing is just so messy. Esme is Spencer’s ex-girlfriend, and she knows Esme doesn’t remember that part of her life, but Trina does, and there’s still that history of them being a couple together. And now they’re taking parenting classes together, they’re living together, and she’s just not comfortable with it. She’s been patient and she’s been understanding, and she’s reached her limit. She’s done. Curtis looks at Marshall, and Marshall says, there’s something she’s going to have to tell Spencer.

Spencer says he knows he blew it. He lost his temper. Josslyn says, he has a tendency to do that, and he says he knows. He put out an ultimatum and he doesn’t want to have to carry that out. She says, he’s raised an important question. If he had to choose, would he rather be with Trina or live with Esme and Ace? He says he doesn’t know. He guesses he was fooling himself, thinking that this scenario could continue on like this for forever.

Marshall says he has another question for Trina, but since he got a late start at being her granddad, let him give her a brief history on himself. Her grandmother Irene wasn’t his first girlfriend, but she was his first love. In fact, that buttermilk cornbread baking in that oven is her secret recipe. He’ll teach it to her sometime. Curtis says he doesn’t even know how to make the cornbread, and Marshall says he loved Irene. He loved her with all his heart and soul for the longest time. He thought she would be his only romantic love. That is, until he met Epiphany Johnson, may she rest in peace. Trina says she’s sorry he lost Epiphany, and he thanks her. He asks if Spencer is the first boy she’s been in love with, and she says, yeah. For the most part. Curtis says, whoa, wheeling himself over. Those answers don’t seem to go together. Can she explain what she means? Trina says, Joss has been her best friend since junior high. When Josslyn got involved with Oscar, their friend group solidified around Joss and Oscar and her and Cameron. And when Oscar got diagnosed with cancer, and eventually died, things got really intense and emotional. Marshall says he’s sorry she lost her friend to cancer, and she says, it was hard, but she and Cameron spent a lot of time being Joss’s support system, helping her deal with the loss of Oscar. And if she’s being honest, she had really strong feelings for Cam. Marshall says, she did? and she says, yeah, but that was a long time ago, and what she felt for Cam is nothing like what she feels for Spencer. He’s the real deal and she thought he was going to be her future, but… Curtis says, but what? and she says, but she thinks she might have been wrong.

Josselyn says, Spencer’s situation with Trina, Esme, and Ace can’t continue. It’s obvious. He says he loves Trina so much. The more time they spend together, the deeper the connection he feels with her. She is so smart. She’s so passionate. She’s so real. She’s a beautiful person and he’d never want to hurt her, and he’d never want to give her up. Josslyn says, then maybe that’s his answer, and he says, but she’s also an adult. She is responsible and she is capable. She survived his Uncle Victor and all the crazy that happened in Greenland when they were together. But Ace is a baby. His father abandoned him, and he knows what that feels like. And while he doesn’t think Esme is a bad person… anymore, he doesn’t think Esme can give Ace what he needs on her own. Like the support Ace is going to need growing up. She says, that’s fair, and he says he just knows in his heart that his little brother needs him. And isn’t what a baby needs more important?

Carly says, so while she was getting Nina’s to-go order ready, she saw Nina was having a very intense conversation with Martin Grey out front. But then Drew came in and surprised her and she got a little distracted. Willow says, it’s so good having him home, and Carly says, it is. It feels so good knowing he’s not in danger anymore and he’s back home where he belongs. It just makes her so happy. Drew left and she brought Nina’s order to her, and that’s when Nina offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt. Michael asks if Carly thinks Nina selling her back her half of the MetroCourt is what she was talking about with Martin, and Carly says, Nina did say that what she was discussing with Martin concerned her. That’s when she presented the offer and that’s when Willow arrived. Willow says she knew the second she heard about it that it was the perfect way to heal their family.

Nina tells Sonny that she got some really good advice recently. Instead of making enemies, she should start making more friends. (Wow. That must have been tough to come up with.) He says, she thought she would start with Carly? but Nina says, no. It’s not like she’s deceiving herself into thinking she and Carly will ever be friends. It’s just that they have a lot of people in common. People that they love, and they should stop clawing at each other and continuing this armed truce. Gritting their teeth and waiting to take the other one down. He says he couldn’t agree more, and Nina says she does think it’s better for everyone if they left the past in the past, right? And the best way she can do that is to sell Carly back her half of the hotel.

Felicia says, Robert knows how independent Anna is, and he says, to a fault. She says, as much as he wants to fix this for Anna, she’s the one who shot Charlotte. She needs to find her own way to deal with this and move past it. He says he hopes she’s not avoiding him because of Valentin Cassadine. He never trusted the guy. Any Cassadine. He told her over and over this relationship she had with him would end in disaster and here we are. Mind you, nobody could have predicted a disaster quite like this one. He just hopes she doesn’t think he’s going to say, I told you so. Felicia takes his hand and says, Anna knows him better than that.

Dante says, there isn’t going to be a deal until Austin gives them his boss’s name. If he doesn’t want to testify, fine, but he has to give them other evidence. Documents, records, something they can use to get Mason to flip on this guy, or something they can use in court to prove his guilt. Austin says he can do that, and Dante says, great. And he can talk to the DA about a deal. Austin looks sick and says he knows Dante doesn’t like him. He gets it. He can see why. But he’s not a bad guy. He’s just a guy who’s been coerced into doing things that he knew weren’t the right thing to do. So he thanks Dante for giving him the opportunity to do the right thing. He leaves.

Cyrus says, something Laura doesn’t know about him is, he worked as a cook back in his youth. And he believes with a little hard work and determination, he should be able to move his way up at the Port Charles Grill. Laura asks how he got the job, and he says, the manager is part of a network of businesses that work with a charity to end recidivism. They give formerly incarcerated people such as himself a chance at employment. She tells him, congratulations, but as he can see, she and Jordan were in the middle of a meeting. He’s going to have to… He says, of course (🍷). He stopped by unannounced. It’s great to see her. He nods to Jordan and leaves. Jordan says she doesn’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Does Laura?  

Curtis says he thinks Trina needs to talk to Spencer about priorities, because family is important and a priority. She says she gets that, but family can’t be more significant than the primary relationship, right? Curtis says, right. For example, take her grandfather. He’s very important to Curtis, and so is Aunt Stella. And Trina, she’s a huge priority for him, but her mom is his wife. She is his primary relationship, first and foremost. He’s not suggesting she go off and get married, or that she’s even ready for it, but he doesn’t know how important her relationship is with Spencer. She says, it is, and Curtis says, but is he her first priority?

Josslyn says she totally gets that Spencer just wants to take care of his little brother, and he asks if it’s so difficult for people to understand. She says, it’s not difficult for people to understand, but has he thought about what that looks like? Does that look like him, Esme, and Ace living together, while at the same time, he and Trina are a couple. They’re going on trips together, spending time together, but every night, he goes home to Esme and Ace. He asks if that would be so impossible, and she says, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it wouldn’t be fair to anyone, including him.

Willow says, Carly shouldn’t have lost her half of the MetroCourt to begin with, any more than Drew should have gone to prison for what he did. None of it was fair to either of them. The whole insider trading indictment was wrong. Michael says, but it’s over now, and Willow says, and Drew’s free, where he belongs, rebuilding his life. And when you think about it, all that’s left now to balance the scales is for Carly to get her hotel back. Carly says, if only it were that simple. She can’t just accept Nina’s offer. She has to figure out how she’s going to pay for it. Willow says, that’s where Michael comes in.

Nina says she’s assuming Sonny found out about this offer because Carly wanted to talk it over with him, and he asks why Nina didn’t tell him. She says, he has a relationship with Carly. She’s always going to respect that. She’s not going to run to him in advance to get him on her side, so he views her actions from her perspective. She’s a businesswoman. This is a business transaction between her and Carly. It really has nothing to do with him at all. He says, Nina’s not that naïve.

Michael says he can give Carly the money to buy back her half of the MetroCourt and she can return it any time she wants. She can take it as a gift if she wants. Willow tells Carly to let Michael do this for her, and Michael says he wants to, but Carly says, absolutely not. When everything was falling apart, Josslyn offered to give Carly half her trust, but she turned Josslyn down. Just like she’s turning him down. She loves him. She can’t take his money. He says, hear him out for a minute. He’s been very fortunate financially. He runs Aurora, he has the second largest amount of voting stock in ELQ, and Jason set him up with a substantial trust fund when he was a baby. What he’s trying to say is, he’s benefited greatly from the generosity of his family his entire life and he’d like to give something back to her. If anyone deserves it, it’s her. He wants to do this for her.

Sonny says, Nina just told him that offering Carly her half of the hotel was a peacemaking gesture, and she says, it’s the best one she could think of. He says, so it wasn’t just a simple business transaction. It was more than that, right? He appreciates her leaving him out of it, but he’s already involved because she’s his wife and Carly is the mother of his children. They’re going to be tied for life, so this affects their entire family. She says, he’s right. If that’s the case, did he advise Carly to take her offer?

Laura says she honestly doesn’t know what to make of Cyrus anymore, and Jordan says, Laura has to trust her instincts. Laura says she knows how dangerous he can be, but she also knows how close to death he came with this heart attack, so maybe this new perspective of his is real. He’s an older man and he’s in poor health. Maybe now he just wants a simple life as a dishwasher. Jordan says she doesn’t believe that, and she doesn’t trust him. She knows Cyrus lives for one thing and one thing only – power. And that will never change.

Robert goes into the interrogation room, and tells Dante, it’s been a long day. This better be good. Dante says he wouldn’t have called Robert here if it wasn’t, and Robert asks what he’s got. Dante says he’s been squeezing Austin Gatlin-Holt to see if he can get him to give up his cousin and the guy they work for, the guy they think is responsible for kidnapping Ava Jerome. Robert says, maybe he should squeeze a bit harder, and Dante says, he’s willing to give up his boss’s name and corroborating evidence, but he wants a deal.

Austin goes into his house and turns on the light. He sees someone and asks what they’re doing here. We hear gunshots.

Josslyn says, the longer Spencer stays in this pseudo family with Esme and Ace, the more it’s going to hurt when it blows up, and it will. He knows it will. Esme’s going to meet someone, she’s going to want a life of her own, and Trina deserves better than him fitting her in when he’s not out with them. He says, okay, so what’s the alternative? Bowing out? He just lets Esme take Ace, and they move into their little apartment, and he gets to visit on weekends? Josslyn says, yes, but he says, nope. He’s not going to do that, and he refuses to accept that as a reality. He’s not going to let Esme take his little brother away from him. Josslyn says, this is exactly how he would operate when they were children. He wanted what he wanted, and he never stopped to consider who could get hurt in the process and what it would cost. He’s an adult now. He has to slow down and realize he’s not going to get everything he wants. This time he really does have to choose.

Trina repeats Curtis’s question, is Spencer her priority? She doesn’t like the sound of that. She wanted a career and because of that, she feels her education should be her first priority. Marhsall says he doesn’t think her dad was suggesting she prioritize a man over her invaluable education, and Curtis says, absolutely not. He knows he had nothing to do with her decision to go to college or for her choosing art as her major, but he’s very proud of her for pursuing her dreams. Let him think… How can he simplify this? Who is the first person she texts in the morning and the last person she texts at night? Is it her mom? Is it Josslyn? She says, no, it’s Spencer, first and last, and Curtis says, there you go. Now she has her answer, and she has her question for Spencer. Because is it the same for him?

Sonny says he knows better than to offer Carly advice, but he hopes she takes Nina’s offer, and Nina asks, why? He says, because once Carly is running things at the MetroCourt again, they can stop rehashing the past and move forward. Nina says, that would be nice, but he says he doesn’t think Carly sees it the way he does. She just told him that she’s happy to be working at Kelly’s and that she appreciates Bobbie let her have the diner as a safety net, so she wants to stay there. But he wants to say, even if Carly doesn’t accept her offer, he appreciates what she did. She thanks him, and he says, because she is the bigger person and she’s the one trying to make peace with their family.

Carly thanks Michael and Willow so much for caring, and Michael says, that’s what family does. She says she has to admit, she was thrown a little bit off her game when Nina presented the offer. Willow says she thinks they all were, and Carly says she’s been thinking a lot about it, and she appreciates that Nina made the offer. And she believes Nina did it for Willow and the kids because she wants to mend fences and she wants to make peace. Willow says, so Carly’s going to accept the money from Michael? but Carly says she can’t. She can’t accept Nina’s offer. Michael protests, but Carly says, as badly as she wants her hotel back, it won’t feel like hers if she doesn’t get it back on her own.

Laura says, Jordan would be in a better position to keep an eye on Cyrus as Police Commissioner, and if he violates the terms of his release, she can bust him. She won’t be able to do that as Deputy Mayor, so whatever decision Jordan makes, Laura will respect. Jordan says she refuses to make Cyrus her obsession, to become Captain Ahab, chasing him down to her own detriment. He’s not worth that. Before he came in, she was about to accept the position of Deputy Mayor permanently, and she sees no reason to change her mind. Laura says she sees no reason to either, and thanks Jordan. She really believes that together, they’ll be an effective team. And together they’ll be able to do some really good things for the people of Port Charles. They shake hands, and Jordan says she’s counting on it.

Mr. Williams gets Felicia’s attention, and she asks how it went. He says, everything went smoothly. She says, that’s great. She checked, and the hospital received the approval from the insurance company, and he says he wouldn’t have been able to get his MRI if it wasn’t for her. He thanks her, and she says she was just doing her job.

Robert asks where Dante left the good Dr. Gatlin-Holt, and Dante tells him, Austin says he’s got evidence against Mason and his still nameless boss. He’s gone to retrieve it apparently, and he will hand it over if they make a deal with him and give him immunity. Robert asks what Dante thinks about this Austin. Is he on the up and up? Dante says he thinks at this point Austin is just scrambling, trying to save his own skin. But he is motivated to put his boss away before his boss turns on him. He says they should give him the deal. Robert says, the DA’s office could never make a case against Austin for abetting in the Ava Jerome kidnapping. So if he gets a name and evidence of guilt, Austin can have immunity.

We see a man leave Austin’s house. Austin lies on the floor, shot in the chest, unconscious and bleeding.

On Monday, Josslyn asks why Adam is doing this to himself; Trina says, that tells her all she needs to know; Ned says, there’s something Michael and Drew need to know about the SEC charges; and Carly asks Nina why she’s doing this.

🍭 Bye, Bye, Cuz…

Everyone says the same thing; GH is the best job they’ve ever had.

Nathanyael Grey Exits GENERAL HOSPITAL
Nathanyael Grey Says Goodbye to GENERAL HOSPITAL

👠 Love The Look…

She’s one of my favorites too. I like a female mob boss.

Lydia Look Opens up About Her GENERAL HOSPITAL Fans

👰🏻‍♀️ Relive The Moment…

Take a stroll down Luke and Laura Memory Lane, when Helena was Elizabeth Taylor.

Luke and Laura’s Wedding on GENERAL HOSPITAL: Relive That Unforgettable Day!

What else happened on November 17th.

Five Things That Happened On November 17 In Soap History

💎 The Missed And The Unmissed…

It was horrible what happened to her. I hate that mean girl stuff. Unless I’m watching Mean Girls. That movie never gets old.

Denise Richards Reflects on Her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Experience

One mean girl gone. But I disagree that Erika is blossoming without her. It’s more like Erika is just becoming a more subtle mean girl and sliding into LisaR’s position.

Lisa Rinna Isn’t Missed On RHOBH Season 13, Here’s Why

🍸 Belle Of The Bank…

I wonder if she’d like to adopt an older child. That house is big. She’ll never notice I’m there. And what’s a few extra dogs?

How Much Is Patricia Altschul From Southern Charm Worth?

🏆 Awards Starting With G…

Grammy nominations. Great music, but predictable.

https://ew.com/awards/grammys/2024-grammy-awards-nominations/

When the Golden Globes will air.

https://ew.com/golden-globes-2024-will-air-on-cbs-8404310

🐎 Belated Congrats…

CMA Winners.

https://people.com/cma-awards-2023-complete-winners-list-8391737

And more important, CMA fashion.

https://people.com/2023-cma-awards-best-dressed-stars-8399491

🦃 Thanksgiving Is For Pets…

All the info on celebrating with the furbabies, including what foods they can’t have.

https://be.chewy.com/thanksgiving-with-pets/

And you thought Halloween was the only time to dress them up. Including the cutest pilgrim in the world.

http://www.hipstercrite.com/2012/11/21/13-pictures-of-dogs-and-cats-dressed-up-for-thanksgiving/

A few repeats, but more cute pilgrims.

https://en.paperblog.com/the-most-adorable-dogs-dressed-in-thanksgiving-costumes-731831/

And should you get the notion to DIY. I don’t know if these costumes are still available, but there are great ideas here.

https://www.dailypaws.com/gear-apparel/dog-supplies/dog-clothing-accessories/dog-thanksgiving-outfits

🐚 Quotes of the Week…

Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. – W. Clement Stone

Death floods the mind with memory, but there’s always new ones to make. – Carl (Steve Coulter), Insidious: The Red Door

My belief is that personal freedom cannot grow beyond personal responsibility. The more people that learn to be fully accountable for their lives, the more freedom each of us can enjoy and the more fulfilling all of our lives will be. – Ross Parmenter

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. – Thomas Jefferson

As to wishing it had not happened, one can’t help momentary wishes: guilt begins only when one embraces them. You can’t help their knocking at the door, but one mustn’t ask them in to lunch. – C.S. Lewis, from The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III

I do believe that when we face challenges in life that are far beyond our own power, it’s an opportunity to build on our faith, inner strength, and courage. I’ve learned that how we face challenges plays a big role in the outcome of them.  – Sasha Azevedo

I don’t think you can shock an audience anymore [today]. If I cut my arm off and ate it, OK, that would be shocking. But you can only do it twice. – Alice Cooper                                   

🧮 Counting My Blessings…

Stop by on Sunday for a finale of Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay telling your Thanksgiving host about any allergies or dietary restrictions before Thanksgiving, and stay figuring out what you don’t want, when you can’t figure out what you do want.

Nov17

November 16, 2023 – Anna Tells Sonny About Charlotte Stalking Her, A Not-So Elevated Or Charming Guy’s Dinner & Autumn

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Austin comes into the gallery and sees Ava. He says he calls her, and she doesn’t call him back. He texts her, and she doesn’t text him back. So here he is in person. She says, good. This is long overdue.

Josslyn goes into her dorm room, and Adam comes to the door. He says he’s glad she’s back, and she asks, what’s up? He asks to study for next week’s Organic Chem exam. He really needs her to quiz him. She says she can’t study tonight; she’s so tired. He says, she knows he needs to Ace this. If he doesn’t, his parents will kill him. She says she knows, but she’s sorry. She can’t. He says he doesn’t think she understands. There’s a lot riding on this next exam. She says, he got a 92 at the beginning of the semester. That’s better than pretty much everyone else in their class. Trust her. He’s got this. He grabs her arm and says, just give him an hour… but Dex comes along and tells him, back off, coming between them.

Dante comes home, and Sam says she’s been working on the colors for the den renovations for hours (I know what it’s like looking at every color in the world) and he’s just in time to help. He asks if the kids are around, and she says, Danny and Rocco are at a friend’s and Scout’s with Drew at the Quartermaines. Why? What’s going on? He says he got an update on Charlotte and didn’t want them to hear about it.

Anna knocks at Sonny’s office door, and he tells her, come in. She says, Frank told her that he was free. Does he have a minute? He asks if he can get her a drink, and she says she could really use one. He says, Scotch? and she says, yeah. Thanks. He pours her a drink and asks if she wants to tell him what’s going on. She says she was right. He was the target of the shooting at the MetroCourt pool.

Sasha tells Maxie that she can’t work with Cody anymore, and Maxie says, why not? Sasha says, isn’t it obvious? She has feelings for him. Cody listens in, and Maxie says, it’s okay if she has feelings for Cody. He has feelings for her too. Cody pops out and says, what?

Molly comes in, and asks TJ, what’s going on? He asks her to sit down, but she says she doesn’t want to sit down. She wants him to tell her what’s happening. Something happened. She can feel it. He says, Andrea had a miscarriage. She lost their baby.

Cody says, sorry. He knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping. He was just passing by and heard his name. Sasha says she’s sorry. She should have picked a better time and place to talk about this with Maxie. Maxie says she’s got to go talk to Haven about something. She’s going to let them work this out amongst themselves. She starts to leave, but comes back and tells them, she will say one thing. For what it’s worth (🍷), it would be a mistake to talk themselves out of something they’re clearly feeling. She leaves, and Cody says, what Maxie told Sasha about him having feelings for her… She’s right. He does.

Ava asks Austin, how’s that cousin of his doing? Is he still managing to hang on? Austin says, yeah. He’s recovering really well, and Ava says, oh good. He says, they’re going to move him to recovery in Pentenville, and word on the street is, they’re working on a plea deal with him. And that’s good, because that way she doesn’t have to relive the trauma of the kidnapping in a trial situation. She says she’d love nothing more than to testify against that creep. Does Austin know the terms of his deal? Has Mason agreed to give up his boss, Cyrus Renault?

Adam tells Dex that he’s sorry. He’s really stressed about their exam next week. Dex says, that’s still not an excuse to grab Joss, and Adam says, he’s right; it’s not. But Dex isn’t a student, so he doesn’t understand the stress of being pre-med and the kind of pressure they’re under right now. Josslyn says, let’s all calm down. She tells Adam that she thinks he needs to find someone else to study with. His schedule and how often he needs to study doesn’t really mesh with hers. Besides, she studies better alone. She’s really sorry. Adam says, please don’t do that. He really needs her.

Sonny says, that’s what Anna’s been telling him, but why is she so sure now? She says she says, up to this point, there’s always been the possibility the shooting was linked to the other incidents; her house burning down and the break-in at the hotel suite. He says, that’s not a possibility now? and she says, no. Because the person responsible for those things could never have taken a shot at her or Sonny. He says, because the person responsible for the break-in and the arson was Charlotte?

Sam says, they’re missing something here, and Dante asks what she means. She says she accepts the fact Charlotte vandalized Anna’s hotel suite. She can even get behind the idea Charlotte burned Anna’s house down, if she had a reason. But Charlotte lived with them for over a month, and she’s been conned enough times to know when she’s being played. She just never got the feeling from Charlotte that she was playing them. He says, neither did he. It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t buy the fact that she would go to these extremes because she didn’t want Anna dating her father. Sam says she agrees. Could this have anything to do with Anna’s past with the WSB?

Molly asks when TJ found out, and he says, today. Andrea came to see him. She asks when Andrea lost her baby, and he says, she miscarried late last night. She was asleep at home, and she started cramping and she was bleeding. There wasn’t even time for her to get to the ER. She went to Mercy this morning, and the doctor there confirmed the miscarriage. Molly cries and asks why Andrea didn’t tell her herself, and he says, she couldn’t. She knew how much Molly wanted this baby and how devastated she’d be. She could barely even face him. Fortunately, Andrea is all right. She says, fortunate? What’s fortunate about them losing their baby? He says he didn’t mean it like that. He’s sorry. He’s hurting just as much as she is. She says she knows. She didn’t mean to snap at him like that. She’s relieved Andrea’s okay, but their baby’s gone. He says he’s so sorry, and holds her. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, it’s mom. Molly left her tablet at the restaurant, and she has it. Molly opens the door, and falls into Alexis’s arms, sobbing.

Austin says he’s not sure what the terms are of Mason’s deal, and Ava says, why is she not surprised? He says he’s not even sure there’s a deal at all. It’s just a rumor at this point. She says she didn’t hear him deny it, and he says, deny what? She says, that Mason is working for Cyrus Renault. Which means Austin is working for Cyrus Renault. All that time she was being blackmailed with threats and she thought, if she just does what they want, then the body of her husband will be returned to her. Turns out though, he isn’t even dead. Austin says, but that’s great though, right? and she says, all the pressure he put on her to do things she didn’t want to do. To spy on Sonny and hire that con artist Betty to spend time with her daughter. All the sleepless nights believing she had killed Nikolas, thinking she’d go to prison for it. And all of this because of his boss or bosses who were too dangerous to cross. Does any of this ring a bell to him? How many times did he refer to these people? Well, it turns out there was just one person, right? Cyrus Renault. And he could have told her that months ago. He could have told her that Nikolas was alive. Why didn’t he tell her?

Alexis says she’s so sorry. She can’t even fathom how upset Molly and TJ must be right now. Molly says she still doesn’t understand how this happened. They were so careful. They reviewed all of Andrea’s medical records. She had no trouble with her first pregnancy. There was no reason to believe she couldn’t carry their baby to term. Alexis says, it’s traumatic for both of them. There aren’t any words, but she’s here for them, whatever they need. Molly says she knows, and TJ thanks her. Molly says she was looking forward to putting her hand on Andrea’s belly, feeling their baby kick. They were almost to the point of ultrasounds and imaging, and knowing if they were having a boy or a girl. Now their baby’s gone. Alexis puts her arm around Molly, and Molly leans on her shoulder.

Josslyn says she’s really sorry, but obviously Adam needs someone with more availability than her. She’s helping her mom out at Kelly’s. She has volleyball practice, volleyball games, and a heavy courseload. She’s barely skating through. Adam says, she helped him pass the last exam, but she says she didn’t. That was all him. He’s so smart. There’s like 100 kids in their Organic Chem class, and 90% of them fail their first time around. That means he could probably find someone who’s taking it for a second time to help him, but that’s just not her. He says, she already helped him. Remember her handwritten notes? He’s started doing that. She’s helped him a lot in ways she doesn’t even know. She says she’s really sorry, and he says, no worries. It’s cool. He’ll see her later. He leaves, and Josslyn and Dex go into her room. Dex says, that was a lot, and she says she feels really bad. Dex asks, what’s the deal with him? and she says, he thinks he’s going to fail this class, but he’s not going to. He’s so smart. He understands the material. Dex says, so what’s his problem? and she says, his parents, from what he’s told her. The last time they were studying together, he said they were putting immense pressure on him. She thinks the pressure is crushing him. She doesn’t know how much more he can take.

Dante asks where Sam is headed with this, and she says she’s just throwing it out there, but think about it. Anna and Valentin first met in the WSB, and Charlotte’s first act of vandalism was to paint murderer on Anna’s front door after she was exposed in the media for being a traitor. He says, right, and Valentin had at least one brush with prosecution for the crimes he committed, right? She says, yes, and Charlotte would remember that. She’s a smart kid. He says, so maybe she thinks it’s unfair that Anna got to walk free, and Sam says, exactly. If Charlotte believes Anna is guilty, she probably thinks Anna should be punished for her past crimes.

Anna says, there’s no evidence that Charlotte tried to burn her house, and Sonny asks if anyone’s tried to find any, but she says, no. Charlotte’s not an official suspect. She’s not even a person of interest for the PCPD. And if Anna has any say in the matter, she won’t be. She needs help, not prosecution. She’s just a kid. He says he understands, and she says, there is video footage of Charlotte breaking into her hotel suite. Valentin managed to get rid of it. He says, so Valentin knew? and she says, yeah. He’s known for the past month his daughter was stalking her. He chose not to tell her. And because of that, she had absolutely no reason to even imagine that the intruder in her apartment was a child. He said he was keeping silent to protect them, but she thinks him keeping silent has just destroyed them. Sonny asks if Valentin knows that.

Haven says, they want Deception to commit to another appearance by Sasha and Cody, and Maxie says, that’s interesting, because two hours ago, Haven didn’t even want Cody on her stage. Haven says she’s a businesswoman first and foremost. Selling is her middle name. You have to connect to an audience, and you have to have a special kind of chemistry, and Sasha and Cody have that in spades.

Cody says, in the beginning, when he found out what Gladys was doing to Sasha and he tried to stop it, it wasn’t about her. Sasha asks what it was about, and he says, obviously, it was about her, but it was about more than that. It was about justice and helping someone in trouble. But then he started caring about that someone.

Austin says, everything he did was to try and protect Ava. He knows how this might sound, but he thought, the less she knew about what was happening, the better. She says, the better for him. The less she knew, the easier it was for him to manipulate her. The less she knew, the easier it was for him to pretend to be her ally, pretend to be her rescuer, pretend to be her friend. He says he didn’t pretend, but she says, the whole time, he was just playing her. He was following orders from Cyrus, and he lied to her face. He says, this has nothing to do with Cyrus. He didn’t get close to her because Cyrus told him to. He got close to her because he really likes the way it feels to be close to her. And he doesn’t like the way it feels to not be close to her. The feelings he has for her are very real. They’re very powerful. He’s not going to stand here and deny that. Everything he did, he did because he wanted to save her.

Dante says, Sam might just be onto something. Everyone close to Anna knows there were extenuating circumstances around the things she did in her past, but over the years, she’s worked really hard to overcome and redeem herself. Sam says, but Charlotte is just a kid, and she sees things in black and white. And she tends to take things to the extreme. He says, in her mind, maybe she was doing things she thought would help her father, and Sam asks if he’s sure it was Charlotte that burned Anna’s house down. Is there any physical evidence? He says, at this point, it’s just a theory, and it’s going to stay that way, because Anna doesn’t want Charlotte looked at as a person of interest in this investigation.

Anna says she hasn’t spoken to Valentin since he said his daughter was stalking her, and Sonny asks if he’s reached out to her. She says, no. His focus is on Charlotte, as obviously it should be. If this had happened to Robin or Emma, their well-being would be her priority too. He says, him too, if it was any of his kids, and she says she has other things that concern her, just trying to piece them together. He says, like what? and she says, Charlotte thinks she shot her on purpose. A child actually believes she intentionally tried to kill them. He says, Charlotte won’t always believe that. Eventually, she’s going to know the truth. Anna says she doesn’t even know what the truth is anymore. She swears she doesn’t.

Molly says, Alexis couldn’t have shown up at a better time, and Alexis says she’s glad she did. She’s just a phone call away if either of them needs her. Molly thanks her and asks if TJ has told his family. He says he was in a bit of shock after Andrea told him. His head was spinning, so he went to see Portia. He needed someone to talk to and he knows she’ll keep his confidence; she won’t tell anyone. After he talked to Portia, he called Molly and asked her to come home. Molly says she knew something was wrong. She could hear it in his voice. She just never imagined it was this. They’ll have to tell their families. Alexis tells them to do that when they’re ready. They’ve both suffered a big loss here. So just take their time. Molly says she wants to get it over with. Will Alexis tell Sam and Kris? She doesn’t think she can tell them. Alexis says she’ll take care of it for Molly if Molly wants her to, and Molly says she does. TJ says he should tell his mom himself, but everyone else… Alexis says she’ll take care of it, as long as they take care of each other. They don’t have to worry about anything. Molly thanks her and says she doesn’t think she can face anybody right now. Not even her sisters. Alexis hugs her.

Josslyn tells Dex that she guesses Adam is doing the best he can, considering all of the pressure his parents are putting him under. She would probably crack. Dex, on the other hand, does well under pressure, maybe even thrives off of it, but not everybody’s wired like that. He says he thinks they all have different levels of stress they can deal with. It’s about learning how to deal with it and not letting it consume you. She says, that’s probably where his military training kicks in. She knows Adam doesn’t know how to handle it. He actually equates a 92% with failure. It sounds funny, but it’s actually really sad. He can’t enjoy what he’s learning, he can celebrate his accomplishments. He has these tough parents. He’s stressed out all the time. He’s probably been that way since he’s a kid. Dex says, that’s really too bad. It explains a lot about him though. That’s what’s so special about her. She’s always sticking up for people. She says, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s in Adam’s corner, but Dex says, he has her. If there’s anyone who can help him, it’s her. He kisses her.

On the phone, Adam tells his dad that he’s studying… He is… He has a great group of friends he studies with… Yes. Mom told him how important this semester is. He knows… Yes, he agrees. It’s… He’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing… No. He promises he’s not doing that anymore… He’s fine. Really.

Austin says he’s going to tell Ava the truth, and she asks if he’s capable of that. He says, as it turns out, yes, he is. Many years ago, Cyrus showed up in Pautuck. He set up an operation to import merchandise and went into business with Austin’s family. He was a legit… He seemed like a legitimate businessman. He gave Mason a job. She says, as the local kidnapper? and Austin says, as a distributor… Well, okay, he was a trucker. And Cyrus paid for Austin’s medical school, and that’s where things started to get a little dicey. Because in Cyrus’s mind, he was in business with Austin’s family and foot the bill for Austin’s medical education, so he owned Austin. So when the opportunity came up for him to get an early release from Pentenville, he wanted Austin to testify on his behalf. Ava says, and he jumped at the chance, right? So his big boss could be free. He says, of course (🍷) not. Cyrus forced him to. He had to do what Cyrus wanted him to do because he got Mason to kidnap her. Cyrus knew he would do whatever he asked, because Cyrus knew he cared about her. His feelings for Ava were Cyrus’s leverage. So he told the judge what Cyrus wanted him to, because the deal was, if he did that, Mason would let her go. Mason wasn’t supposed to kill her. Everything he did, he did because he wanted to save her. Please. She has to believe him.

Haven tells Maxie, Sasha did great today, but she didn’t do it alone. And she doubts Sasha would have done half as well without that hunky cowboy.

Cody tells Sasha, the night they spent hiding out at the cabin together, it changed, the way he felt about her. Obviously, he liked her before, ever since they shared biscotti at the Quartermaine’s, and he was furious about what Gladys was doing to her. But at the cabin, he got to see what a strong, powerful, wonderful woman she is, and the time they’ve been spending together is fun, but there’s more than that. Every time he sees her, he just keeps thinking, when is he going to see her again? She says, please. He has to stop.

Sonny says he knows if Anna had any idea Charlotte was in the apartment, she wouldn’t have pulled out her gun and shot a child. Anna says, of course (🍷) not. God no. But she was ready to shoot the person that she did think was inside there. He asks why she was so convinced the person at her apartment was a lethal threat, and she says, evidence she found. Evidence that could be really damaging to someone high up in intelligence circles. This person did not want his past screw-ups to see the light of day, and she worked with him back at the WSB. And she documented everything, and she kept it. He asks, where is this documented evidence, and does she still think he’s a threat?

Haven tells Maxie that she’s been on with Sasha three times now, and the difference between Sasha alone and Sasha with Cody is night and day.

Sasha tells Cody, everything he just said was so sweet and so reassuring. She appreciates everything he’s done for her so much. She knows she’d still be at Ferncliff if it wasn’t for him. He says, but, and she says, but she’s still mourning Liam and Brando. She’s rushed past her grief before, and she realized that was a mistake. She can’t make that mistake again. She has to be a whole person again before she can be with someone else.

Ava says she was deeply disappointed in herself for falling for Austin’s lies. Now she sees maybe he’s fallen for them himself. Does he really think he did everything he could to save her because he testified on behalf of Cyrus? Did he ever think about maybe going to Sonny? Maybe he could have even gone to the cops. He could have come clean. He could have told them that Cyrus was running the show and Mason was following his orders. He says, no, he couldn’t do that, but she says, he could. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t risk going against Cyrus because he cares far too much about saving his own skin than he did about saving her.

Josslyn says, he needs to stop blowing up her phone, and Dex says, Adam? She says, no. Spencer. Dex asks if it’s about Trina, and she says, yes. She won’t respond to any of his calls or texts. So now he’s asking her to mediate, but she doesn’t want to break Trina’s confidence. She also doesn’t want to lie to him. Dex asks if she thinks she should get in the middle of it, and she says she’ll try, but they’re both her friends. She cares about them both. She just hates to see them like this.

Adam takes a prescription bottle out of his desk drawer and shakes a couple of pills into his hand. He takes them and chugs some water. He sits down and puts his head in his hands for a moment, then opens his book.

Anna goes to her apartment and opens the door carefully. She sees the bloodstain on the carpet and flashes back to shooting Charlotte. She goes to the trunk and flips through the folders, tossing stuff aside. She looks stunned.

Dante tells Sam, Anna has made it clear she doesn’t want Charlotte investigated. Even though Charlotte possibly burned down her house, nothing justifies Anna shooting her. Sam agrees, and says, there’s no justification for the shooting. It was a tragic accident. (New drinking game perhaps?) He says, but it’s conflated for Anna. She wants to protect Charlotte and make sure no more harm comes to her. He doesn’t blame her for that. Sam agrees, and Dante’s phone rings. He says, it’s Anna, and asks, what’s going on? Is she all right? She says, no. Can he meet her at Maxie’s apartment? It’s important.

Austin says he was trying to save Ava. He was really just trying to help. She asks if he wants to know what saved her. It wasn’t him. Josslyn Jax, Dante Falconari and Sonny’s guy Dex Heller realized she was missing when she didn’t pick up Avery, and they tracked her down. If it had been left up to him, she’d be down at the bottom of a ravine. He’s no hero. He’s a skulking coward (with a great haircut – told you there would be more than Finn), following orders he knew were wrong, all the while complaining it wasn’t his fault. He says he did what Cyrus asked him to do because he knows firsthand what will happen if Cyrus doesn’t get his way. She says she hates him, and he says he knows. He’s sorry. He’s truly sorry he dragged her into all of this. He really cares about her. She tells him, get out, then screams, get out! Get out! Get out! He gets out.

Cody says, just to clarify, is that a no, never or no for now? and Sasha says, it’s a no for now. But she doesn’t know how long that will last, and it isn’t fair for her to ask him to wait for something that may never happen. He deserves better than that. He says, she’s not asking him to wait; he’s offering. She says, no, but he says, it’s his decision to make. He made it. If nothing ends up happening, that’s okay too. He doesn’t consider himself a hopeful person, but she’s given him hope that better things are coming for him. The next time Maxie calls him for a modeling gig, he won’t pick up the phone. Okay? He leaves.

Maxie tells Haven, Deception stands firmly behind the renewal of Sasha’s contract. She has no doubt Sasha can handle her spokesmodel duties alone, but Haven is right about one thing. Haven asks, what’s that? and Maxie says, Sasha and Cody do make a great team and Deception has big plans for them.

Alexis knocks at Sam’s door, and Sam asks, what’s wrong? Come inside. Alexis says she just came from Molly and TJ’s. Andrea, their surrogate, had a miscarriage. They lost their baby. Sam hugs her and says she’s so sorry.

TJ says, Molly hasn’t put her tablet down since her mom left, and Molly says she’s deleting all evidence of websites where she looked at baby clothes, baby furniture, and about early childhood development. There’s no need to keep websites about decorating a nursery. She should have just listened to her instincts, but she got so excited, she couldn’t help getting caught up in the fantasy. Now she’s awake. She’s not going to look at one website, order one stick of furniture, or so much as a onesie until the baby is born and in her arms. He says, if there’s a next time, it will be without Andrea, and she asks if he’s blaming Andrea for the miscarriage. He says, of course (🍷) not. He knows it wasn’t her fault. But he saw her. She was devastated to lose their baby, and she told him that she can’t go through this again. So if they want to have a child, they have to look for another surrogate.

On the phone, Sonny says he needs Brick to do a deep dive into this guy Jameson Forsythe. He worked for the WSB years ago with Anna Devane.

Dante meets Anna at the apartment, and she thanks him for coming. She points to the trunk and says, all of these reports and documents are from her years with the WSB. As he can see, she recorded everything, including incriminating information on a man who was pretty high up in the Bureau. He ran the intelligence circle. So she made this initial discovery on Halloween. She found an incriminating memo, then an entry in one of her personal notebooks that backed up this memo. She wanted Robert to see it, so she took it over to show him. Then she thought she should come back to see if there are any additional documents, documents she knew were in this trunk when she went to Robert. Obviously, she couldn’t look through it that night because of Charlotte. So she came back right now and thought she’d look through these reports… He says, and now they’re gone? She says, all the documents she took over to show Robert, and any other information she might have had on this man is gone.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks if he can offer Trina some parental advice; Josslyn tells Spencer that he needs to see this for himself; and Michael asks Carly to tell him about this offer.

Southern Charm

Paige tells Craig that she likes to hear the birds in the morning. NYC only has pigeons. Craig asks if the pigeons talk, but after a long pause, she says she doesn’t know. I just included this because it’s a good question. I don’t know either.

Patricia moves a pillow a quarter inch because no doubt its placement is bothering her. She tells Whitney that the next time he’s out of town, she’s burning his shirt. He accuses her of throwing out his comic book collection, but she promises him, it’s upstairs in big plastic tubs. Shep comes over, and says, Avon calling, which is incredibly dated. Whitney says, Randy is off, so he’ll make martinis. They hear him cursing as he crushes the ice. He brings the drinks out, and Patricia says, too much vermouth. Bleh. I know that taste, and I will send a martini back for that. In Patricia’s interview, she says, Whitney doesn’t know how to make cocktails. He has other charms, but making drinks is not one of them. Shep tells them about waking up next to Taylor, and Whitney says, Shep can’t be leading her on. Shep says, they just kissed. He thinks Taylor wanted more, but they’ve been good about not backsliding. He doesn’t want it to happen again. Patricia says, there are a zillion attractive young people in Charleston. Why does this group sleep with each other? In her interview, she says, it’s beyond her. It’s incestuous, and she doesn’t get it. She reminds Shep about the guy’s dinner she has every year, and we flash back to those, and Patricia saying, they will have Peter Pan Syndrome in perpetuity. She says she’s thinking of maybe trying to elevate it, and Shep says, good luck. She says she’s getting a chef who does menus for British royalty, and Shep asks if British food isn’t famously bad, but she says, it’s what’s served for royal dining at Buckingham Palace. She shows him a handwritten menu from one of the dinners, and in her interview, she says she thought the aspect of royalty would make the guys feel like British aristocrats and inspire them to behave themselves. Ha-ha-ha! Good luck with that. She hands Whitney a decorative tin, and he reads, The Prince of Whales and the Duchess of Cornwall. She says, it’s a piece of Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding cake. They sent it to her, and it’s been in the freezer since 2005. Shep says, let’s have it, but Patricia says, no. True story. We saved the top of ours because you’re supposed to eat it on your first anniversary. Our freezer wasn’t very big, so my MIL kept it in hers. Literally the night before our anniversary, my BIL ate it, not realizing what it was. I can’t imagine it tasted that great, but still.

In the car, Craig whines that Paige has to go back tomorrow, and Paige whines that the weather in New York is 40 and raining. They go to lunch, and Craig asks how she feels the house is coming along. She says she loves it, and Craig says, it’s becoming put together and organized like a real house. He wanted Paige to have somewhere she felt at home. Paige says she was wondering, what if she was with child? (her words) and she got nervous. Her first thought was that she’d have to move to Charleston. Craig says he always wanted a family, and Paige asks if he’s trying to marry her. He says, one day. He fantasizes about it. She says, it’s the biggest decision of your f***ing life. They’ve only been together a year and a half, and she still feels that they’re young. In Craig’s interview, he says, they’ve faced a lot of obstacles, many of them put there by Paige, but not unfairly. They’re living in different places. He says he knows she’s concerned about having a social circle in Charleston, and she says she wants to be able to hang out, but to be honest, girls are the worst and making friends in your 30s is different. She likes Madison. (Why?) Craig asks if she’d hang out with Madison, and Paige says, Madison would be in her friend group. I’m not sure exactly what that means. Like, no one-on-ones? Craig says, all he needs to do is get her pregnant, and like Patricia with the cake, she says, no.

Rod meets Leva at a bar – maybe her bar, I wasn’t paying attention – and they have espresso martinis. She says, when people get messy, she and Rod don’t do that. They were always more scared of their parents than jail. In Rod’s interview, he says he’s known Leva for 14 years. There aren’t a lot of Persians in Charleston. Leva says, everyone comes to her when they meet someone new because she knows everyone. She told Olivia that Rod was solid. In Leva’s interview, she says, Rod is a party guy, but she thinks he’s serious about settling down. Not like the Lost Boys in Charleston. He’s a good catch. Rod says he thought he and Olivia had momentum, but he felt something was off. Olivia pulls away and gravitates to Austen. We flash back to Olivia telling Rod that he’s the perfect guy, but she has hesitation about getting into a relationship. Leva says, Olivia feels the safety in the devil she knows. In her mind, she thought Austen was great, and she’s not capable of being broken right now. Now she’s vulnerable, and Austen slithered in and leaned in. I don’t know if Austen’s smart enough to make that calculated of a move. I actually think he does these things because he’s the weak link and not too bright.

JT – who I consistently want to call RJ or TJ – brings a picnic basket to the park, and Taylor meets him. He’s brought charcuterie and champagne which is okay in my book. In JT’s interview, he says, Taylor is very social, and they went to Europe together. She’s a good woman and they clicked. He feels like he’s known twenty years, even though it’s only been one or two. They toast to surviving, and he says, the Shep thing was hard to watch, but he had her back. But after watching that unfold, Taylor and Shep woke up together. Taylor says, the kissing was more like an apology. They’ve slept in the same room plenty of times. JT says, familiarity, and Taylor says, the second they broke up, she should have gotten a therapist. JT says, she got burned, and now she has a flamethrower and she’s burning everyone. She burned Shep with Austen, and then Olivia. She’s a queen, but don’t abuse the power. Taylor says she thinks she caught Austen off-guard; she initiated it and takes full responsibility. JT says, that’s a bombshell, and in Taylor’s interview, she says, it’s not the first time it’s happened where a couple breaks up, and the best friend and boyfriend come together. There could have been a connection, but there wasn’t. She tells JT that she didn’t want to hurt Olivia; she wanted to hurt Shep. It sucks and she doesn’t know if it will get better.

Whitney sits outside and calls Shep. He says, they’re having the guy’s dinner, and Shep say he can’t wait. Whitney says, his mom f***ed up her back and she’s laid up. We see a clip of Whitney bringing Patricia coffee in bed, and her telling him that you’d think he’d know how his own mother likes her coffee after 82,000 years. In Patricia’s interview, she says, it’s a cautionary tale. She got out of bed and ended up flat on her back on the floor in excruciating pain. The result was a compression fracture. It takes months to heal if you’re younger, and she’s no spring chicken. Whitney tells Shep that the attire is smoking jackets. Which seems odd for a formal British dinner, but what do I know?

Madison meets Venita for lunch, and Venita says she’s dressing for the mood she wants to be in. She just got back from Fashion Week, which was ten times busier this year. Madison says she couldn’t keep up with Venita’s Instagram, and in Madison’s interview, she says, Venita is like a supermodel. That’s why she likes her. Madison asks what’s going on with Manny, and we see a clip of her telling Manny that it’s their anniversary tomorrow. It’s unclear between them exactly how many months, but it’s close to a year. Go, Venita and Manny! Venita asks what it’s like to be married long distance, and Madison says she has joint custody with her ex, so if she can be separated from her child for short periods, she can be separated from her husband. Although the dynamics might change since they’re talking about having a baby. This time, she wants it planned, and wants them to take their time. They literally fall asleep holding hands. Venita says, look at them with a husband and a boyfriend. Who would have thought?

Craig meets Austen for drinks and says he’d be happy living on an island bartending. Austen says he got two texts from Olivia, and Craig says, there are unresolved feelings. Olivia wants to like him, but then she remembers he did something nefarious. Austen says, that’s why he’s not jumbling up her mind any further, and Craig says he doesn’t want to be preachy with Austen, but what about his theory on spending time with an ex? Austen insists he can compartmentalize. He’s being a friend. In Craig’s interview, he says he thinks Austen fell in that hole trying to figure out how to do the right thing. In Austen’s interview, he says, Shep seemingly forgave him, but he knows it’s not the last he’s heard of it. Austen tells Craig that Shep had just said he had fun cheating on Taylor, and she ended up in his bed. He won’t be there to pick up the pieces next time. In his interview, Austen says he wants Taylor to respect herself and demand respect from others, but she’s not listening. You can lead a horse to water… You know the rest. Austen says he’s not talking to either one of them. There’s no point anymore.  

At Patricia’s house, the chef (whose name I don’t catch, or it wasn’t there) tells Whitney that the guests should be in their seats and ready for the Beef Wellington at 6:40. In Whitney’s interview, he says, if it was up to him, he wouldn’t do a royal dinner patterned after an anachronistic monarch. Sorry, Chuck. The chef tells the servers how to do proper service and says, they’re just penguins for the night. Whitney doesn’t know where anything is, and in his interview, he says he’s been to a lot of formal dinners, but he’s not usually the host. He calls Patricia upstairs and asks if the centerpieces should be on the table. (Really?) She says, they can’t have a nude table. Whitney says, it’s like something from the 1790s, and she tells him, that’s her era. Don’t give her a hard time. Go with the flow and enjoy it. Shep arrives first, followed by Rodrigo. Craig and Austen take a golf cart, and Patricia tells Whitney to put a weewee pad on the white sofa for Craig. We flash back to Craig spilling wine on the sofa, and Rodrigo says, Craig was talking marriage with Paige and she kind of got cold feet. Shep says, she might have a different plan than a picket fence and a pool, when Craig and Austen come in. Craig says, we’re here, bitches, which is super British royalty classy. Shep toasts to Patricia, saying, may she be in better health soon. Shep asks, what’s up, since he hasn’t seen them in a hot minute. He tells Austen that Taylor’s dog Penny and her car are at his house. They had lunch today. I want to wipe the smirk off his face.

Crickets chirp for a moment, and Shep says, they didn’t. Craig asks if they did it in the mountains, but Shep says, they made out, then he passed out. He asks why Austen is so quiet, and Austen says he’s reveling in their company. Craig says he’s been a hermit recently, and he doesn’t hate it. Shep says he’d love to kick it with Paige more. He thinks she doesn’t know what Charleston is all about or doesn’t like Charleston, and Craig says, he’s not wrong, but right now, they want to be by themselves. Austen says, Paige likes that, and Shep says, he should drag her out. They never see her. Craig says she was talking about being 30, and Shep says, he’s 43, which makes him even worse than I thought. He thinks travel is the answer, and Craig says, it sounds crazy, but he and Paige had planned to go to Jamaica. They should all go as friends.

Dinner is served, and Whitney says, game on. They’re ready to rumble. He hits a gong and the dogs bark. Austen gripes that his name is spelled wrong on his place card, but I counter that maybe he spells his name wrong. The chef says, Patricia had this meal at Buckingham Palace in 1974, and Shep says, good food, good meat, good God, let’s eat. Since he’s 43 going on 10. Craig says, usually Beef Wellington is served as hors d’oeuvres because no one wants to take the time to make it. He says, Whitney missed the party in the mountains, and the theatrics. What did he hear about it? Whitney says, not much. There was a ping-pong match. Austen says, Shep drank whiskey and went on a rampage, and Shep says, Austen doesn’t have a big moral leg to stand on in this one. Austen crossed him and he chose to be a gentleman. Craig suggests Shep doesn’t know how to deal with the face his best friend hooked up with his ex. He thinks Shep is a lot angrier than he’s letting on. Austen says he wishes they’d had a conversation, and Shep says he meant everything he said. Craig says he has serious sh*t against what Austen did, but Shep is burying it. Austen says he feels bad and he’s trying to atone. Shep says he should be mad, but he’s been defending Austen inside his head. In the kitchen, the Baked Alaska is charred, and it looks amazing. Craig asks why Shep doesn’t say Austen doesn’t know how to be a friend. If one of them hooked up with Paige, he’d be livid. Shep says he’s a fairly happy human, and everything is going well. The Baked Alaska is brought out, and the chef points out the layers of chocolate and vanilla that Patricia wanted. I guess that’s in case Whitney reports back to her. Craig says, boys don’t know how to deal with their feelings, but Shep says he doesn’t care. Craig says, Shep’s not a superhero, and Rodrigo, who’s probably continually sorry he got involved with this group, says he’s going to hang out with the waiters. Shep gets up and says, I think we’re done here. Like it’s a business meeting gone bad. Whitney says, thanks for a compelling evening, and Shep heads for the door. Craig tells Shep that he’s showing he’s not bothered, but Craig knows he’s just boiling. Shep tells him that he said everything he needed to say, and Craig says he thinks it hurts too much for Shep to broach the subject. Rodrigo wisely chooses to make an exit, and Austen tells Whitney that Shep is doubling down on acting like there’s nothing wrong. Yoda Craig says, Shep’s decisions will eventually make him an angry person.

Craig says, Shep is better than this. He doesn’t want to lose friends because he’s an angry person. Shep says he’s got to run, and in Shep’s interview, he says he could tell Austen was shook. He lashed out and said things that needed to be said. It was an accumulation of things; Austen stringing Olivia along and stepping in on Taylor. At Patricia’s house, Whitney passes out cigars, and Craig suggests they smoke on the porch, so Whitney’s mom doesn’t get mad. Whitney asks where Shep is, and Craig says, he left. They go outside, where the cushions for the patio furniture have already been put in storage, so they lounge around the railing. Austen pees over the side, proving what a royally classy guy he is. Craig asks Whitney, if he was a betting man and the house was on the line, did Taylor and Austen do more than kiss? Austen says, they didn’t sleep together, and Whitney asks how the decision came about. Austen says, it takes two to tango. Taylor made a move on him. Whitney asks if they were watching TV or having drinks, and Austen says, they were jamming to music. Craig wants a reenactment and tells Austen to be Taylor, with Whitney being Austen. Austen poses Whitney looking away from him, comes up behind Whitney, and tells him, turn around. When he does, Austen makes a move as if to kiss him. Craig asks if Austen grabbed her boobs <sigh>, but Austen says, no. Whitney asks if there was tongue involved <heavier sigh>, and Craig says, there was sexual tension at the Commodore. Austen said, if Shep didn’t take Taylor home, he would have. Austen says, when Shep left, he and Taylor were talking about how fun it was to make out. They thought they could go for it, but didn’t. Craig says, so Austen waited until Taylor dated his buddy to make out with her. He has a last question. What did they think in the moment? Austen says he felt not bad. It was a brief moment with someone close. In Austen’s interview, he says, they didn’t end up dating. They talked about it and decided they’d be better off as friends. they thought they could bury it and keep it a secret. He tells Craig that the next day, they said, thank God they didn’t sleep together. Craig asks where it was, and Austen says, in his kitchen. Craig says, he thought it was in New York, and in his interview, he says he thought Taylor said it was in New York. We flash back to her saying it was after New York, and Craig says, regardless, the sleepovers happened recently. They kissed in New York and had a sleepover already. They’d already kissed and at a private sleepover, they wouldn’t just be making out. Craig is not bothered by pesky facts. Austen says, they kissed once, deal with it, and Craig says, Austen really f***ed up.

This is really the most ridiculous argument ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but close.

Next time… I wasn’t paying attention, but that trip to Jamaica is down the road.

🪇 Gourd Times…

Join me tomorrow for soap, and a cornucopia’s worth of nonsense and wisdom. Until then, stay safe, stay helping clean up after being a guest at dinner (and not just Thanksgiving dinner), and stay learning how to deal with stress and not letting it consume you.

Nov16

November 15, 2023 – Austin Discovers He’s Not Free From Cyrus, Erika Is a Lying Mean Girl, Summing Up the Salt, Awful People In Winter & Praises

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maxie and Lucy, accompanied by Scotty, go to Home & Heart, where Morgan Fairchild Haven welcomes back the ladies of Deception, now that those issues with The Deceptor are behind them. Rumor has it, there was a problem with intellectual property theft. They can trust her with insider 411. Was that the real issue? Lucy says, everything is super dandy with Deception. There’s absolutely really no issue. Haven says, that’s great, but where is their spokesmodel? And please don’t tell her that she’s in the bathroom powdering her nose. Which is actually kind of funny, but Lucy says, Haven can take her not-so-clever innuendo and shove it up her nose, which is even funnier. Sasha is fine and wonderful and back to her glorious, gorgeous self. Does Lucy have to remind Haven that Home & Heart called begging them to come and do another sales shoot for The Deceptor? Haven says, they may have called Lucy’s office once or twice, and Lucy laughs. She says, just to let Haven know, they’ve brought their lawyer in case she pulls any of her ridiculous shenanigans.

Meeting Austin in a stairwell, Cyrus says, Austin is positively radiating stress. This is not a healthy way to live his life. Austin says, he’s late, and Cyrus says, trust him. The Lord is the way to inner peace. Austin says he doesn’t understand why they had to meet at all, or why they had to meet in public. Cyrus says, calm down. He brings Austin tidings of great joy.

Curtis is sitting in the ohm position, when Marshall comes in. Marshall says, sorry to interrupt. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Curtis was meditating. Curtis says, trying to, and Marshall says, since when? Curtis says he’s just trying things out, and Marshall asks if it’s helping.

At the MetroCourt with Alexis, Diane says she’ll have an Arnold Palmer, and spike it with some bourbon. She asks if Alexis is okay with that, and Alexis says, spike away. Diane says, it’s been a grueling couple of days, and Alexis says she’ll also have an Arnold Palmer, hold the spike. The server leaves, and Alexis says she’s also had a grueling couple of days. So who needs to go first in talking about their misery? Diane says, rock-paper-scissors? and Alexis agrees. Alexis stares at something, and Diane says she’s lost Alexis already. They both watch Molly greeting Kristina, and Diane says, will you look at that. Alexis says she is looking at that, and to see her girls reconnect makes her week a little less bleak.

Andrea sees TJ at the hospital and says she’s glad he’s here. He asks how she’s feeling, and she asks if there’s somewhere they can talk privately. He suggests they go in one of the exam rooms, and she says she’s sorry to bother him at work. He says, it’s not a problem, and she says she knows how busy he is. She should have called. He says, it’s fine, really, and they go into the exam room. He says, tell him what’s going on. She seems a little upset. She says she is. It’s about the baby.

Diane says, so Molly and Kristina have mended fences? and Alexis says, finally. Now she gets to stop refereeing and be mom again. Diane says, don’t keep her in suspense; how did it happen? Alexis says she thinks the biggest thing is that Molly’s surrogate Andrea is almost through her first trimester. Diane says, that’s wonderful, and a great reason to broker a truce. Alexis says, at least for now. Those two have always been a little scratchy with each other on occasion, and she’s not sure this will be the last one, but Diane knows how sisters are.

Molly says she took a look at the contract, and put some notes on Post-Its, but she’s going to email Kristina more details. Kristina thanks her so much. She’s been doing some research online, but it’s so nice to have an actual attorney double-check everything. Molly says she’s happy to help. What are sisters for?

TJ says he’ll call Molly. If Andrea has an update about the baby, she should be part of this. Andrea says she’s so sorry. She lost the baby. She woke up from a sound sleep last night with cramping. It was so sudden, she knew something was wrong, but she didn’t even have time to get to the ER. He asks if she’s sure. Maybe it was just bad cramps. She says she was bleeding heavily. She went to the nearest hospital this morning. The doctor did bloodwork and an ultrasound, and they confirmed it. She miscarried. She lost the baby.

Marshall asks if it’s helping, but Curtis doesn’t know if he can answer that accurately because meditation is still so new to him. But from everything he’s read, they call it a practice for a reason because you really have to commit to it. And you have to stay consistent, and you have to calm your mind so you can let things go. Marshall tells him, easier said than done, and Curtis says he’s struggling to quiet his mind. He has to stop making everything so important, the day-to-day stuff he thought mattered. It’s counterintuitive for him because he’s a man who makes goals and achieves them, but with meditation he’s learned the more you push, the further away you are from achieving your inner silence or detachment. Marshall says, but he’s sticking with it, because it must be helping him somehow or he thinks it will. Curtis says, there are times he thinks he’s got it. He feels a sense of focus and calmness where he feels tied in. Marshall says, it sounds like the way he feels when he’s playing with his band and gets to improvise a solo on his clarinet. Diddlee-de-bop, shu-bop shebang. Right? You’re not focusing, you’re feeling. Curtis tells him, that’s it exactly. But he must say… don’t worry. He’s not going to ask Marshall to join meditation with him. He wouldn’t do that to Marshall. Marshall says he’s been meditating for years. Yeah, I tried and failed with that. Emptying my mind is not an option.

Cyrus says he thought Austin would be interested to know that his cousin Mason will be making a plea deal soon. Austin says, Mason already told him. He’s going to tell the cops it was Austin’s idea to kidnap Ava. Cyrus says, oh ye of little faith. His plan is to admit to being the only person responsible for the kidnapping of Ava Jerome. Of course (🍷) he intends to claim he had no intention of killing her. Austin says, he had every intention of killing Ava, and Cyrus says, still, Mason’s attorney firmly believes that he’ll be sentenced to no more than twenty years, with the possibility of parole after ten. Austin says, ten years is a long time. He thinks it would be a lot easier for Mason to turn him in, doesn’t Cyrus think? but Cyrus says he guesses his faith in God gives him more belief in people, because Mason has sworn to him that he won’t mention Austin’s name, and he trusts him. Which means Austin will be in the clear. Austin says, good, because Detective Falconari’s been asking a lot of questions, and he needs Cyrus to get Dante off his back. This is great. Thanks for the update. He starts to leave, but Cyrus asks if he said they were done.

Lucy pushes Scotty toward Haven, and he says he’s a big fan. Maybe he can get an autograph later, but they need to talk about that dirty trick she played on Sasha Gilmore, trying to get her to have a meltdown on her show to goose up those ratings. They can’t let that happen again. No kids untethered, no babies yelling, none of that stuff. Otherwise, he will slap a lawsuit on her that will make her head spin. Does she understand that? Haven says, oh yes. But she has to tell him that she can’t be held responsible for the bad behavior of a previous producer who went rogue on her. He says, but producers take their cue from the fifth floor, which is her, and she says, that producer is gone. They worked alone and they’ve since been fired. Right, Julie? Julie (who was there) says, yes, Miss DeHavilland, and Haven thanks her. Lucy makes hand gestures at Scotty, and he says, so anyway, no funny business. Otherwise, he’ll have to slap a lawsuit on her, and he’ll argue emotional damage. Lucy says, and by the way, Mr. Baldwin here is known throughout courthouses everywhere for being king of punitive damages. Haven says, what happened when Sasha was here for her last appearance was a minor glitch, which they’re obviously trying to grossly exaggerate. But it is a glitch that won’t be repeated. Of course (🍷) this is all a moot point if their spokesmodel doesn’t show up. Lucy asks Maxie to please let Sasha know they’re ready for her, but Maxie is transfixed by her phone. Lucy asks again, and Maxie says, right. Just one second. She sends a text, and Lucy asks, what’s wrong with her? Maxie says, just a minor hiccup. She’s handling it.

Curtis asks how he’s just learning about this now. How come Marshall never told him that he meditates? Marshall says he guesses it just never came up, and Curtis asks how he started meditating. Marshall says, a fellow musician told him it’s a great way to promote focus and creativity, so he tried it. He really hoped it would help keep him grounded; hold off another schizophrenic episode. Of course (🍷) now he knows he was misdiagnosed. He was never at risk for schizophrenia, but all that being said, he can’t tell Curtis how grateful he is for what meditation has brought into his life. So much in life is just clutter. Thinking things are important when they really aren’t. So he found it can be great to be in the moment. Bizzy-be-bop-boop, all of that. In the moment can be okay, but so can just stepping back and listening to the quiet. Curtis asks why Marshall never recommended it before, and Marshall says he figured after Curtis was shot… after he was injured, he was being inundated with advice from all sides. Marshall didn’t think Curtis needed another voice from him thrown into the mix. And besides, he’d always hoped Curtis would find meditation on his own, and he’s so glad Curtis did.

Diane’s scissors cut Alexis’s paper, and Alexis says, all right. Diane goes first. What was so grueling that she had to spike her Arnold Palmer? Diane says, grueling isn’t the right word; it’s a little overdramatic. It’s not about work. It’s personal. Alexis says, it’s about DA Scorpio, is it? What’s the problem? Diane says, it just seems like every time she and Robert are cruising down the highway, a blast from his past comes to run them off the road.

TJ says he’s sure Andrea didn’t do anything wrong. There could be a number of causes for the miscarriage. Did she tell Molly yet? Andrea says, no. She just couldn’t. TJ says, that’s okay. He should probably be the one to tell her. Just concentrate on healing. She’s been through a traumatic experience. He’s so sorry. Talk to her OB/GYN. They’ll wait for her to fully recover before they try again. Andrea says she’s sorry. She can’t. She can’t go through this again.

Kristina says, once this round of paperwork has been filed, renovations can actually begin, and Molly says, that’s great. Does she have a target date for the center to open? Kristina says, if everything stays on schedule, June of 2024. That’s what she’s pushing for. Molly says, by June, she and TJ will be able to bring their baby to her dedication ceremony.

Maxie says, here is their spokesmodel, and Sasha comes out, saying hi to everyone. Haven says, it’s so good to have her back at the Home & Heart studio again, and Sasha says, just so they’re clear, she’s here to promote Deception’s product. She’s not here to have her past exploited. Haven says, they’ve been all over that, and she can assure Sasha there will be no glitches or technical difficulties today. Sasha says she sure hopes not. And while Lucy and Scotty are representing the company, she speaks on her own behalf, and she promises she’ll be professional as long as Haven does the same. Otherwise, she will walk off the set.

On the phone backstage, Maxie says, do you ever answer your phone? She’s been sending text messages for hours… Never mind. She doesn’t care. Listen to what she’s about to tell them. These instructions are very important.

Cyrus says, it is only because of his goodwill that Austin is free, but Austin says he had nothing to do with Ava’s kidnapping and Cyrus knows it. He’s the victim here, and Cyrus knows that too. Cyrus knows it, and he can only hope to God that Mason knows it. Cyrus asks if Austin really sees himself as a victim, and Austin says, Mason grabbed Ava and Cyrus forced him to testify on his behalf to get his early release from Pentenville, and he did that. The only reason he did that was to save Ava. Cyrus says, Austin really disappoints him. After everything he’s done for Austin, he expected more gratitude. Cyrus walks away from Austin.

Finished with makeup, Haven says, let her walk Sasha through the show, and they go to the set. Scotty tosses an apple in the air, and Lucy grabs it. He says he hopes there are some shenanigans, because this lawsuit would file itself. This is what we call easy money. She shushes him, and says, bite his tongue. For Sasha’s sake and the sake of Deception, they have to hope this whole relaunch of The Deceptor goes off without a hitch.

Cody comes to the studio and asks Maxie, what’s the big emergency? He was just in the middle of having a horse shod. She says, a horse what? and he says, shod. Fitting a horse for shoes. How does she, of all people, not know what that means? She tells him, focus. They’re in the middle of relaunching The Deceptor. He asks if she means that funky wand thing you wave in your face, and she just looks at him.

Haven asks if Sasha is ready, but Maxie says, not yet, bringing Cody onto the set. She says, Sasha will be relaunching The Deceptor with the new male Face of Deception. Haven and Sasha both say, what?

Alexis asks if Holly Sutton is back in town, but Diane says, not Holly. Another one of Robert’s exes, Anna Devane. Alexis asks if Diane read the article in The Invader, and Diane says she did. She knows all about the shooting of a 15-year-old girl. Even though there were no names mentioned, she knows Anna Devane shot Charlotte Cassadine. Of course (🍷) all her concern and sympathy is with Charlotte. How is she doing by the way? Alexis says, from what she understands, Charlotte is on track to make a full recovery, and Diane says, excellent. She has tremendous compassion also for Anna. She thought she was shooting an intruder in her home, and the intruder turns out to be a 15-year-old girl. She can’t even imagine what Anna is going through. So she absolutely understands why Robert wants to support her during this very difficult time. Alexis says, but once again, Robert is focused on some woman from his past and not Diane, and that hurts her feelings.

Kristina tells Molly, June of 2024 is less than a year away. She’ll be running her center and Molly will have a baby. Those are huge life changes. Molly says she knows, and honestly, she can’t wait. Can she tell Kristina a secret? She’s even started thinking about leaving her job at the DA’s office. Kristina says, wait, she loves her job, and Molly says she knows, but it’s so demanding. It just makes sense. She can’t be working an 80-hour week with a newborn. She’ll need to find a less demanding job to spend time with the baby. Kristina says, those are words she never thought she’d hear coming out of Molly’s mouth.

Curtis asks if Marshall has ever received an answer from his meditation, clarity on something he’s struggling with? Marshall says, as a matter of fact, he has. Curtis says, do tell, and Marshall says, all the years he was away from the family, he never stopped missing them. So one day when he was meditating, this certain image dropped into his head. It was Curtis and his brother Tommy, playing in that park across the street from the old house. He knows just his brain went there, but it was clear. It was so clear, he could feel the sun shining on him. He could smell the grass. And Curtis and his brother – he tears up – were laughing and having a good old time. He knew at that moment he’d seen his family again, and that’s what brought him back to Port Charles. That’s what brought him back to Curtis, and Stella, and TJ, and now Trina. Curtis says he doesn’t know whether to thank meditation for giving Marshall that memory or thank Marshall for having the courage to come back to his family. But either way, he’s so glad Marshall is back.

TJ knocks at Portia’s office door and asks if she has a minute. She asks if everything is all right, but he says, no, everything is not all right. She tells him, have a seat, and they sit down. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, Andrea… She says, their surrogate, and he says, she miscarried. Portia says, no, and he says, she told him it happened last night. She started cramping and was bleeding. She went to Mercy, and they told her that she lost their baby. She lost his and Molly’s baby. Andrea was so upset, she said she couldn’t face Molly, and now it’s on him to tell her, but he doesn’t know how to do that. Molly was so upset when she found out she couldn’t carry a child herself, and when they found Andrea, they had so much hope. With tears in his voice, he asks her to tell him how he’s supposed to tell Molly. How is he supposed to tell her their child is gone?

Haven says, he is the male Face of Deception? and laughs. Absolutely not. This guy threatened to drop trou and streak on a live broadcast. Maxie says, first of all, Cody didn’t actually streak on her show; and second, isn’t The Deceptor the most popular product Home & Heart ever carried? Haven says, Maxie would have to verify that with her sales department, but Maxie says she already has. She can show Haven a copy of her sales report any time she wants. The reality is, The Deceptor has been unavailable for months, and now that it’s back, people are clamoring to get it. So Haven can either do her broadcast the way she and Lucy want, or they’re taking their bestselling product to another shopping channel.

On the air, Sasha says, in the past, The Deceptor has been marketed specifically as a product for women, but we did more thorough research and it turns out that men are just as interested in a product that will freshen up their face. Haven says, so all you men out there watching, this segment is for you, and Sasha says, yes. And she’s going to demonstrate on her good friend and former stuntman Cody Bell. She asks Cody to tell them about some of the stunts he’s done in his career, and he says he’d be happy to. He’s crashed cars, he’s jumped out of airplanes, he’s crashed motorcycles. Basically, if there was anything to break, he’s done it. Sasha says, wow. It sounds like his body really takes a beating. She bets his skin does too, and that’s where The Deceptor comes in. Because even for men who have never used a moisturizer a single day in their lives, this product will help smooth out your skin and get rid of all those fine little lines. Cody says, well, if The Deceptor can help with this beat up mug, it truly is a miracle worker. Sasha suggests they put it to the test, and Cody says, let’s do it. He sits down, and Sasha uses the red-light wand on him.

Cyrus says he guesses it’s time for them to take a trip down Memory Lane, but Austin says, that’s not necessary. Cyrus says, Austin seems to have forgotten he paid for him to go to medical school – Austin says, no – and how he continued to support Austin during his residency. Austin says he hasn’t forgotten, and Cyrus says he’s invested in Austin, and now he expects a return on that investment. Austin says, as long as they’re remembering things, this is how he remembers it. He’s spent years paying Cyrus back, doing him favors. The way he remembers it, when he lied for Cyrus at his parole hearing, Cyrus told him that he was free. Cyrus says, and so he is. Free to live his life. Free to practice medicine. Unless and until he needs Austin’s services.

TJ tells Portia, in the beginning, he had misgivings about the whole surrogacy situation. It’s a lot to process, and he felt like they rushed into the whole thing. They found out Molly couldn’t carry a child and jumped on the first solution. Then Andrea got pregnant, and that baby felt so real to him. All of his misgivings went away, all of them. He was so invested in his child. He imagined himself just holding his baby. Portia says she knows that Molly imagined the same thing, so she’s going to be just as devastated as he is. And he’s got to be the one she hears it from. She knows how difficult this thing is, but she knows he and Molly can get through it because they have each other. Take it from her. Don’t let this loss build a wall between him and Molly.

Molly tells Kristina that she knows she’s always been laser focused on her career. For as long as she can remember, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Kristina says, because mom was a lawyer, and Molly says, that was the original inspiration. As she got older, the more she learned, the more the law challenged her. It inspired her. But now with Andrea pregnant with their baby, things are different. It’s all about trade-offs. If she were to give herself fully to the law, she’d be neglecting TJ and the baby. She’s not willing to do that. Kristina asks what she’s going to do.

Diane tells Alexis that she hears herself saying all of this, and realizes it’s an ironic conundrum. Alexis asks how she means, and Diane says, if Robert Scorpio were the kind of man who could distance himself from the kind of troubles Anna Devane is going through – even though admittedly, the shooting is her problem to solve – then he wouldn’t be the kind of man Diane is attracted to. It’s precisely because he’s so loyal and principled and ridiculously stubborn that she finds him so compelling.

Portia comes home and gives Curtis a kiss. She asks, how was his day? and he says he just had the most enlightening and interesting conversation with his dad. As it turns out, they’re both into meditation. Portia says, really? She guesses that does fit in to Marshall’s laid-back personality, but is Curtis finding it helpful? He says he is, very much. When he starts thinking negative thoughts, it helps him stay calm and centered. She says she’s glad to hear that, and sits down. He asks if everything is okay, and she says she got some news today. He says, judging from her expression, it must not have been good news, and she says, sometimes when something bad happens, it makes you think of all the good things that are going on in your life. He asks if something happened with one of her patients, but she says, no. She just wanted to thank him for their daughter. They made that beautiful little girl together and they’re so lucky. She’s just grateful for every day they’ve spent with her.

Molly tells Kristina that she never realized how much she wanted children until she was told she wasn’t physically able to have them. It just put everything in perspective. So when Andrea told them she was pregnant, she knew her daughter or son would become her first priority and work would have to come second. Kristina says, Molly’s son or daughter is going to be the luckiest to have her as a mom, and Molly thanks her. She says, but the baby’s not coming for months, and she has to turn in a motion by Friday, so she’d better take off. They both gather up their stuff and leave.

Alexis asks what Diane is going to do about all this. Alexis knows her. When she identifies a problem, she always finds a solution. Diane says she’s doing it. She’s sitting here working it out with her best friend. Yes, what’s happening to Anna is very serious. So of course (🍷) she’s going to be understanding that Robert wants to be there for her. She also has to remember a lot has happened. Things have changed since she and Robert had their blow-up last summer. Alexis asks, how so? and Diane says, Holly and Anna are in the past and she knows Robert is making her a priority. So that of course (🍷) gives them tremendous potential for the future. It’s difficult what’s going on with Anna, but it is just a detour on the highway of love, and it is not a dead end. Alexis says she’s going to have to stop Diane right here. What is with all the driving metaphors?

Haven asks how Cody’s face feels, and he says, it actually feels great. But he’s not so sure he could do this at home by himself. Sasha makes it look so easy. Sasha promises him, anyone can do this, because The Deceptor is doing all the work. And she has to say, it’s really making his skin look fresh. Lucy says, Cody and Sasha together are golden. You can’t force that kind of chemistry. People want to feel that it’s real, and when it happens, that’s money. Deception is going to make so much money.

Austin says he doesn’t understand. He thought Cyrus was a reformed man. He thought Cyrus was a man of God. Cyrus says, that, he is, and Austin says, then why not live up to his end of the bargain, because they had a deal. He did what Cyrus said. He did what Cyrus told him to do. Cyrus said he needed someone to testify on his behalf at his parole hearing to tell the judge he wasn’t a risk, that he couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. And that’s what he did. He lied to a judge under oath, and he did that so Cyrus could walk around a free man. Here Cyrus is. And he doesn’t know what Cyrus wants from him. Cyrus shrugs and says, life is full of unexpected consequences. One never knows when one may need the services of a doctor, and how fortunate for him to have Austin in his corner. Austin says, Cyrus doesn’t own him. He’s going to pay Cyrus back every penny he laid out for him to go to med school. Cyrus says he doesn’t want Austin’s money, and Austin asks, what does Cyrus want from him? Cyrus says he gave Austin the very life he’s living. He wants Austin’s gratitude and his loyalty. And if he can’t supply those, he can deal with his cousin Mason by himself. Be very careful. It’s only his intervention that’s preventing Mason from naming Austin as the mastermind behind Ava Jerome’s kidnapping. Austin tells him that he already said that, and Cyrus says, as well as a number of other crimes that happened around the hospital last summer. Like the death of Gordon Stevens. Austin says he didn’t kill Gordon Stevens, but Cyrus says he doesn’t know. The police might come into possession of some evidence that indicates otherwise. That all depends on Austin and whether or not he fully understands the concept of gratitude. Austin says, okay. He’ll do it. Cyrus says, he’ll do what? and Austin says, whatever it is Cyrus wants him to do, he’ll do it. Cyrus says, that is so generous of him, thanks him, and goes down the stairs.

Curtis says, despite all the obstacles he and Portia made for each other and the years apart, they came back together as a family. She says she couldn’t agree more, and he asks if she wants to tell him what prompted this philosophical discussion. She says she just had a shift in perspective, and she realizes how different… no. She’s realized how empty her life would be if she didn’t have Trina in it. But they did, and for that she’s just so grateful. He says, that makes two of them, and she kisses him, snuggling in his arms.

Diane signs for the check, and Alexis thanks her for dinner. Diane thanks Alexis for lending a sympathetic ear, and Alexis says, Diane has listened to her a gazillion times. That’s what besties do. Diane says she knows, but it’s been a while since she’s had a romantic problem to solve. Alexis asks if she now has an answer, and Diane says she does, and thanks Alexis. Her phone rings, and she says, speak of the devil. Alexis says, take it because she’s got to get back to work. She leaves, and Diane asks if Robert’s ears were on fire. She was just talking about him.

Alexis heads for the elevator, but when she sees the server clearing Molly and Kristina’s table, she says, excuse me. Her daughters were having lunch here and one of them left a tablet. She’d be happy to return it. The server gives it to her and she leaves.

Molly’s phone rings while she’s working in her office, and she says, TJ. Bad news. He says, what’s wrong? and she says she met up with Kristina earlier at the MetroCourt to give her some advice on a contract, so she thinks she’s going to have to stay a little late at the office tonight. She guesses she won’t be able to do that next year when the baby’s here. He says, they need to talk right away, but she says she’s only talking about working another hour or two. He says, please. It’s important. He needs her to meet him at home.

Lucy says she thinks the shoot went really well. Didn’t Haven? Haven says, that’s putting it mildly. She’s never seen a product sell out so fast. Scotty says, that’s because Lucy does know what she’s doing, and Lucy thanks him. Haven says, yes, and they’re very eager to have Cody and Sasha come back and make another appearance. Lucy asks if she’s actually admitting she was wrong about them, and Haven says, honey, the numbers don’t lie. The audience really seemed to love them. They can’t wait to have them back. Lucy says, oh honey, I just don’t know. I’ll have to check my calendar and I will get back to you.

Julie tells Cody that he did great, and he thanks her. She says she thinks he even impressed Haven, and that’s nearly impossible to do. He laughs.

Maxie tells Sasha, that was so fantastic. It was the best sales pitch she’s ever seen. She and Cody were so natural together. They were dynamite. Cody listens in, and Sasha thanks Maxie, but says she can’t do this. Maxie says, do what exactly? and Sasha says she can’t work with Cody anymore. Maxie says, why not? and Sasha says, isn’t it obvious? She has feelings for him. Cody almost smiles and looks confused.

Tomorrow, Anna tells Sonny that she thinks Valentin keeping silent just destroyed them; Dante says, Sam might be on to something; Adam says, Josslyn helped him a lot in ways she doesn’t even know; and Ava wants to know why someone didn’t tell her.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Dorit calls PK and shows him the pool. She says she and Kyle are having lunch, and she shows him his dream TV screen. She tells him about the Magic Mike debacle and says Sutton had an overreaction. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Magic Mike is a huge show. To have a friend cause a scene there is mortifying. She asks how dinner with Mauricio was, and PK says, they had a great dinner. We see a clip of that, and PK saying that nobody who’s married doesn’t go through sh*t. Mauricio says he has no interest in fighting. As far as he’s concerned, his wife is always right. PK tells Dorit that they enjoyed catching up. Kyle calls Mauricio and says she heard he had dinner with PK. How was it? Mauricio says, they had a good time, and she asks him to give her the girl version. He says, PK was talking about what’s going on with him and Dorit. The year’s been kind of hard. Sutton and Garcelle leave for lunch, and so do Erika and Crystal. Erika tells Crystal to do what she wants. They’re in Vegas and the rules don’t really apply. They go to a restaurant, and Crystal says, everyone was having a good time last night except for Sutton. Erika says she kept looking over and certain people were gone, and Crystal says, the way Sutton’s personality is, she goes off the deep end, and it’s hard to come back. Erika says she’s worked hard to be in a place of peace (I choke on my coffee) and nothing is going to disturb that. Garcelle says she has a surprise for Sutton and takes her to an indoor gondola. Luka is their gondolier, and he chitchats a little about their trip to Vegas. He concentrates on rowing, and Garcelle says, what she needed to tell the women wasn’t received the way she was hoping. We flash back to Garcelle telling them she didn’t feel safe talking about her family, and she and Sutton start to discuss it, but Luka suddenly starts singing in Italian – loudly. Kyle and Dorit go to lunch, and Dorit says she didn’t sleep. Then on top of it, there was the conversation with Garcelle. She has to be able to be honest, but Dorit feels, like wow. Kyle orders something non-alcoholic, and Dorit wonders if Kyle not drinking is linked to her recovering from the trauma of falling out with her sister (i.e. Kathy), but Kyle says she needed to be clear about everything. Dorit says, Kyle doesn’t have to justify her choices, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thinks Kyle’s choice not to drink has allowed her to have more control over everything. In Sutton’s interview, she says, it seems to her like a midlife crisis, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says she thought Kyle was just taking a break. She misses the old Kyle. Not the splits, just Kyle. Dorit tells Kyle that she misses the silly things, but Kyle says she felt like she needed to drink to fit in, but doesn’t feel that way anymore. This is who she is, take it or leave it. Crystal asks if Erika misses her old life, and Erika says, parts of it. Like Christmastime; the warmth of the house, the lights, the trees, having fun. She doesn’t miss the fighting, the arguing, and the pressure. I’ll bet she doesn’t miss sleeping with him either. In Erika’s interview, she says, in the end, they fought about everything. We flash back to Tom telling her to shut up when he was telling LVP a story at dinner. Erika says, there was nothing harmonious and they were living separate lives. That’s when you know the marriage is over. She tells Crystal that she’s going through this shift inside, and she’s starting to have the feeling of normalcy again. Crystal asks if she’d go back to that life, but she says, no. I believe it if you do. Dorit tells Kyle that it wasn’t a good year for her own marriage, but Mauricio said the same thing to PK about them. Kyle says she expected more from Mauricio. He has a lot of business events she’s supposed to go to, and she doesn’t want to. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Mauricio is in sales, and a big part of that is being social. She’s in a place where she doesn’t want to do that. She’d rather be home reading, especially since she doesn’t drink anymore. Dorit asks if she ever worries about the future.

Dorit asks how you can sustain a marriage, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thinks Kyle isn’t happy. She’s working on herself inside, and it feels like Mauricio is focused on work. In that aspect, they’re kind of growing in different directions. Kyle tells Dorit that she likes doing the things she likes to do, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she doesn’t want to wake up one day and wonder, who is he and what are they supposed to talk now? Dorit says, it’s work; it’s a struggle. Garcelle and Sutton get their makeup done before meeting Oliver for lunch. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Oliver was shown kissing Raquel, and we flash back to that. At the restaurant, Oliver says, unfortunately, he was being painted in a different light than he really is, but he doesn’t feel the need to explain himself to anybody. He’s good.

The women are going to Gilley’s after dinner, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she loves a honkytonk bar and line dancing. She loves country music and loves a good bull ride. Kyle shows Dorit her $6K cowboy hat from Kemo Sabe. She tells Dorit those are real diamonds adorning it, and Dorit says, no wonder it’s her favorite. The women go to dinner, and there are napkins embroidered with their names at each place setting. In Kyle’s interview, she says, everyone wants her to do the splits or do a helicopter with her ponytail. She’s fun no matter what. I’m on Kyle’s side for this one. Is she supposed to be getting drunk and doing the splits at 70? Garcelle and Dorit wonders how long Kyle’s dry phase is going to last. Garcelle says she has a game. No surprise, it involves questions on cards. Crystal gets the first one, and says, is monogamy natural for humans? Erika goes on and on about how female animals seek out a protector and provider who’s moving up in the pack. Female lionesses seek out strong, young males. In Dorit’s interview, she says, Erika married the oldest lion in the pack. BA-DUM-CHH! Garcelle says she has a question for the married ladies. If there’s infidelity one time, is it enough to let it go? I’m not sure if she means let the discretion go or the guy.

In Kyle’s interview, she says she and Mauricio have dealt with rumors for years that someone cheated. We flash back to the dinner party from hell and LVP telling her that there are rumors. She asks if she looks like a person who would say, just don’t let her find out. No, she’s not. Erika asks how Garcelle feels about that, and Garcelle says she thought she’d met the man of her dreams, and he was her last stop. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s been some time now, but she’d found out her husband had been cheating on her for five years with a chick in Chicago. So she sent an email to his friends her friends. It was not a good day in the household. Dorit says she’d go Lorena Bobbitt. Food porn! is brought out, and Dorit reads another card. She asks, at what point does money stop making people happy, and have you reached it? Erika and Sutton both say, no, and Dorit says she knows billionaires, and she wouldn’t trade places with them. Sutton says she wouldn’t mind it, and Dorit asks, when does it stop making you happier? Erika says, when you don’t fear the next bill. She’s not ashamed to downsize, but it makes her nervous. She doesn’t want to look at the bills. She’s anxious around money. In Erika’s interview, she says, being married to Tom was great because she didn’t sweat that stuff. Cut to now. She’s not doing sh*t except building her life back. What comes in goes out. Welcome to the way most of us live. Although one thing she said I agree with. When you stop worry about the money problems, you focus on your real problems, and that can make you unhappy. Erika says she misses not being able to buy whatever she wants, but when she buys something now, she knows she earned it. But it’s frightening to be out on her own with no safety net. Again, welcome to the real world. In her interview, she says, it’s soul crushing, and I play the world’s smallest violin. She thinks, how the hell is she going to get out of this and how can she get above water? She tells the women that she did get out of a sh*t marriage, so there’s freedom. When she was accused along with Tom, it was ugly. People wanted things to be true. Now she’s regained a sense of who she is, and it’s not what they said. If she gets into thinking about it too much, it becomes overwhelming, and she goes down the rabbit hole. A server in a sparkly outfit comes over with a cake, and Erika asks Crystal, is it her birthday again? In Crystal’s interview, she says her birthday weekend was incredible. Garcelle and Sutton crushed the trip. She could do this every night.

At Gilley’s, Sutton says, abort bull mission, as soon as she sees the mechanical bull. Kyle says she’ll go, and bull operator Robert literally picks her up and puts her on the bull. She asks him to make her look good. It does some bucking, but it’s not all that fast, and more like one of those vibrating beds you find in motel rooms. I’ve never ridden a real bull, but I don’t think they vibrate like that. Sutton tells Robert to be nice to her. She’s not going over his shoulder. Go slow. He says he’s got her, and she’s on for 14 seconds before the ride is over. I missed Kyle’s time. In Erika’s interview, she says, if Sutton’s bull riding is anything like her d*ck riding, no wonder she doesn’t get a second date. She laughs like a Disney villain, and I wonder why she has to be such a mean girl at her age.

They get ready leave and as luck would have it, the elevator stops and Mikey is there, along with Erika’s old dancing partner Davis. Erika makes a big show of it, and announces, it’s Sutton’s chance to apologize. Apologize to her friend for saying the show was over the top and sh*tty. 😒Sutton says, don’t put words in her mouth. She said the dancers were amazing. It was just the one spread eagle thing. Davis encourages her to come again and see the whole thing because it’s more artful, blah-blah-blah. Davis and Mikey finally leave, and Sutton tells Erika that she never said the show was sh*tty. Erika says – wait for it – it doesn’t matter. Sutton tells her not to lie. Yes, Erika, she’s calling you a liar because you lied. In Erika’s interview, she says, her promise for Lent is still in effect, and we flash back to Erika saying, as a good Catholic <cough-cough>, she’s given up fighting with them for Lent. She tells us, God gave her a path to Sutton. After Sutton treated her like sh*t, God said, there’s your moment. She thanks God and says she’s taking it. Um… I don’t think that’s how God works. What an a-hole she is.

They go to the bus, and Garcelle says, the fact that the doors opened, and there they were, she can’t. Me neither. Dorit asks if Sutton is okay, and Sutton says, Erika deliberately embarrassing her was mean. Erika says, they were having a great time at Magic Mike (a name I’m hoping never to hear again after this, but I know I will) and she heard Sutton wasn’t. We flash back to that, and Sutton says, just because she didn’t stay, doesn’t mean they couldn’t. They’re the ones who turned it into a big deal. We flash back to her talking to Kyle and Garcelle, and Kyle calling her a bitch. There’s barely a soul around, so I’m even wondering how they could call this a scene. Erika says, Sutton took it to the point of getting heated in the lobby (after Kyle acted like someone who had a clue, but didn’t, then called her a bitch), and Sutton says, Erika has been heated so many times. Dorit says, if Sutton could do it over again, would she do it different? and Sutton says she can’t answer that. Kyle says, she seemed unhinged, and I honestly don’t get how they don’t see they’re the ones making a big deal out of something that really wasn’t. Sutton says, don’t call her unhinged, and Kyle says she had an over-the-top reaction. Sutton says she’s not talking about this ad nauseum, and Erika asks if she feels backed into a corner. She literally is, and Sutton asks if she means again. She’s sorry she ruined it and feels terribly for the dancers. Seriously, WTF? It’s not like she actually did create a scene. I’ve seen a scene, and that wasn’t it. And as for feeling bad for the dancers, if four audience members were crucial to their show, it’s not as great as everyone is saying. Sutton gets teary, and Dorit tries to sympathize. Garcelle says she wishes Dorit had gone after Sutton. She feels like it’s always her. Dorit says, Garcelle should have told Sutton that she was overreacting, and Garcelle says, Dorit wasn’t there. Dorit doesn’t know what she said, and she did say that. Acting like Garcelle is Sutton’s mom, Dorit asks why Garcelle couldn’t take Sutton from a 10 to a 2, and Garcelle says she’s not Sutton’s therapist. Sutton (who’s still there – hello?) says she’s not apologizing again. She’s sorry she was unhinged and uncomfortable, and she’s done with this conversation. Dorit asks if she feels like she’s said everything, and Sutton tells her, sometimes silence is golden. We hear crickets, and I say, how about those Mets?

Back in Los Angeles, Garcelle meets Erika for lunch, and says she’s tired from Vegas. She had a roommate. We flash back to Sutton keeping her up, and Erika says, Kyle and Dorit slept in the same bed. She’s too old for that. And Kyle said, Dorit talks in her sleep. Garcelle says she likes Dorit, but thinks they don’t understand each other. Dorit talks a lot, but doesn’t listen. Erika says she’s learned to speak Dorit. She zones out, then comes back. Garcelle says, the biggest problem she thinks she had was when she shared her feelings, and Dorit got defensive. We flash back to Dorit sternly telling Garcelle, it’s been almost a year, and Erika says she thinks they’ll come around. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, it’s shocking for her to be at lunch with Erika. She didn’t think they’d get to place where they could do a one-on-one. Erika seems to be more open and less guarded. She thinks she’s seeing a new Erika. I’m not. Garcelle says she does have a bone to pick with Erika after Vegas. She thought Erika was going to go after Sutton, but then when she did later… Erika says, they were going to Magic Mike (♫ la-la-la ♫), and Sutton had a stack of singles. Then it flipped. It’s not okay. Don’t drag everyone in. Sutton was hijacking the moment. They were having a good time, and then they were worried about her. Oh come on. I can see one person checking on her, but they all didn’t have to get on the bandwagon, and they didn’t. Erika and Crystal even stayed afterward to talk to the dancers. In her interview, Garcelle says she doesn’t know why she feels she has to defend Sutton. (Maybe because someone has to?) Maybe she should let Sutton fight her own battles. Erika says, let’s not clutch the pearls too hard.

Kyle visits Sutton, wearing the Hunter boots Sutton gifted everyone with. Avi waits on them, serving them tea, and Kyle asks how Sutton is feeling after Vegas. Sutton says, it wasn’t her favorite departure. Erika specifically and intentionally embarrassed her. Cue the elevator door. What the hell? Kyle tries to interrupt, but Sutton says she’s not done. Kyle snarks, let her know when she’s done, and in Sutton’s interview, she says she and Kyle made a promise to have each other’s backs. We flash to Sutton saying Kyle needs to have her back more, and Kyle says, they’ll do better moving forward. Sutton says she had a revelation. Kyle is not her friend, does not have her back, and never will. Sutton tells Kyle to defend her friend, and Kyle says she is Sutton’s friend. That’s why she’s sitting here gracing Sutton with her presence. Just because she sees another perspective, that doesn’t mean she’s not Sutton’s friend. Sutton says she came into the conversation when she hadn’t heard the story. Kyle says, Sutton told her that she had a habit of inserting herself. Sutton has a habit of losing her sh*t in ridiculous circumstances. Sutton says, name ‘em, and every time Kyle tries to go down a tributary, Sutton says it again. Kyle yells at Sutton to let her talk.

Sutton says, name ‘em, and Kyle asks if she’s okay. Stop doing that. She’s being incredibly rude. Sutton asks, how? and Kyle says, if she doesn’t see it… Which is what people say when they can’t answer the question. Sutton says she doesn’t understand rude, and Kyle asks if she wants a dictionary. Sutton says, name ‘em, and Kyle says, be quiet and she will. There were the ugly leather pants – we flash back to that – there was Lake Tahoe – we flash back to Sutton using her face roller because it calms her – and at the show in Vegas. Kyle says, Sutton didn’t seem okay in Vegas and doesn’t seem okay now. Funny thing is, Kyle looks insane as she’s saying this.  

To be continued…

🧂Too Much Salt…

Best line from Heather’s interview: Mary’s decor is exactly like Mary’s personality. You never quite know what you’re gonna get. Green carpet, Chanel pillows, Dr. Seuss chairs from Whoville.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4, Episode 10 Recap: Walking on Eggshells

⛷ House Of Mess…

Every time I think it can’t get more awful, it does.

Winter House Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Schwartzy and Floody Make Their Move

🥧 Eyes On The Pies…

Join me tomorrow for soap and dubious Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay bringing a hostess gift even if they say the old just bring yourself, and stay thinking of all the good things going on in your life when something bad happens.

Nov15

November 14, 2023 – Charlotte Wants Anna Arrested, Deep Dive, Going Country, Salty Talk, Winter Mess, Vegas Fail, Kyle’s Rant, Way To Go, Random Pups (!), Don’t Bother & Who Says

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn and Elizabeth get in the elevator, and he asks, what’s with all the paperwork? She says, the hospital is facing budget adjustments, and she has to get it in by the end of the year. He says, budget adjustments such as staff cuts and supply shortages? and she says, hopefully, it’s not as bad as last year, but they’ll get through it. He says, they always do. When they come out, Portia says she needs to speak with Finn, calling him. Dr. Finn. He says, that’s very formal, and she says, actually she and Dr. Randolph need to meet with him. He says, of course (🍷), and she says, Dr. Randolph is waiting in her office. She leaves and he follows her.

Carly comes to the penthouse and Sonny asks if everything is okay. She says, you tell me, and he says, everything is okay with him. She says, really? Then why is Nina offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt? He says he doesn’t know. It’s the first he’s hearing about it.

Valentin thanks Nina for coming over and says, Laura will be here any minute. Nina asks if something happened with Charlotte, and he says, she’s recovering. She seems to think Anna shot her intentionally. Nina says, no. Charlotte told him that? He says, no. She told Laura that last night. Nina wonders why Charlotte would think that, but he says he doesn’t know. He didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Laura before she was called away on official business. When Charlotte was removed from ICU, the nurses convinced him to go home and get some sleep. He’s going back to the hospital as soon as Laura tells them what happened. There’s a knock at the door, and Valentin opens it to Laura. She says she wasn’t expecting Nina to be here.

Spencer walks into Alexis’s office and finds Esme there. She says, his Aunt Alexis isn’t here, but he says he came here to see her.

Trina walks into the gallery, and Ava says she thought Trina had classes today. Trina says, she did, but she came straight from her last one. Ava says, she’s not on the schedule, and Trina says she just didn’t want to go back to the dorms. Ava asks if everything is okay, but Trina says, no. She got into a big fight with Spencer yesterday. Ava says she’s sorry. It seems like a pretty serious fight. Trina says, it was. He gave her an old tomato ultimatum. Ava asks what she did, and Trina says she got up and walked out on him. She’s been avoiding him ever since.

Dante goes to Austin’s office and says he wants to ask Austin a few questions about his cousin Mason. Austin says he already spoke to Chase about this, and another detective, and Dante says, and he told them to speak to his lawyer. Austin says, exactly. So he doesn’t have anything else to say to Dante. Dante says, that’s cool. Maybe he can listen. He closes the door.

The guard lets Cyrus into Mason’s room, and Cyrus says, nice talking with him. He says, hello, to Mason, and tells him, the Lord instructs us to comfort the sick and the prisoner, and in Mason, he has both. Mason asks if that’s how Cyrus convinced the cop to let him in, and Cyrus says, he’s a man of faith. Mason asks what he’s doing here, and Cyrus says he’s here to show Mason the path to his redemption.

Terry thanks Finn for giving them some time, and he asks if he had a choice. She asks him to have a seat, and he says, this must be serious. Terry says, very serious. He’s going to need to hire an attorney. He and GH are being sued for malpractice.

Esme asks if this is about Ace, but Spencer says, he’s having a ball right now in daycare; he just saw him. She says, in that case, she’s working, so if there’s anything he needs to talk about, they can talk about it at dinner… at his grandmother’s apartment. He tells her that she was going to say dinner at home, and she says she was, but she didn’t. She and Ace are currently staying with his grandmother and Doc. Home will be the apartment they move into.

Ava says she’s surprised Spencer doesn’t know Trina isn’t the kind of woman who would take kindly to ultimatums, and Trina says, who would? Ava says, right on. So why does she think he did it? Trina says, they were talking about his relationship with Esme and Ace, and how it feels like there’s no room in his life for their relationship. So she spoke up and told him how she felt. Ava says, good for her.

Dante says, it sounds like Mason’s been hanging around Austin’s office and the ER for the past year. He sits down, and Austin says, please have a seat. His cousin Mason suffers from the misconception that they’re close. Dante asks if that’s why Mason has been bringing third parties into the ER for treatment, but Austin says he has no memory of anything like that. Dante knows how busy and crazy the ER can get. Dante says, right, and it helps if you’re not keeping a record of treating your cousins, friends, and co-workers. Maybe even treating them for injuries they sustained during criminal activities. But that would make him an accessory after the fact.

Cyrus says, all he has to do is confess his sins, and Mason says, that’s a long list. Cyrus says he’s talking about Mason’s very specific, very recent sins. Abducting Ava Jerome, intending to hold her for ransom, and reconsidering that option. Ava was in Mason’s car as he tried to decide his next move. He was confronted by Dex Heller. During the struggle, he was shot by Detective Dante Falconari. Mason will still be on the hook for the kidnapping charge, but the attempted murder charges will be dropped. All Mason has to do is admit he acted alone. Mason says, but he didn’t.

Laura says she thinks Valentin might prefer this conversation be private, but he says, Nina is fully involved. She took an enormous risk, deleting the security footage of Charlotte breaking into Anna’s room at the MetroCourt. She loves Charlotte. Nina promises Laura that her only concern is for Charlotte, and Valentin says he’s already told her that Charlotte thinks Anna shot her intentionally. Laura says, so she guesses he hasn’t spoken to Charlotte yet today, and Valentin says, no. He wanted to hear what Charlotte told her last night first. Laura says, she admitted to trying to push Anna out of Port Charles and away from Valentin, and he says, why? Did Charlotte tell her? Laura says, yes. It is exactly as they suspected. He says, Victor, and she nods.

Carly says, so Nina didn’t tell Sonny that she was selling her half of the MetroCourt, and he says, no. They don’t talk much about business, but it surprised him, since she loves running the place. Now she’s better friends with Olivia, so he doesn’t know. Carly says, something’s changed, and he asks if Nina told Carly why she wanted to sell it back. Carly tells him, Nina said that she was busy, but it was really strange, so she’s not buying it. Sonny says, they’ve got a lot going on, and Carly says, Nina’s got something going on. And she’s going to find out what it is.

Valentin says, so Charlotte confirmed to Laura that Victor convinced her to go after Anna? and Laura says, she said that her grandfather had written to her, and that he came to visit her at the boarding school. She got the impression they’d had some really long conversations. Valentin says, and Victor did most of the talking, and Laura says, she seems overly obsessed with protecting Valentin… from Anna. Nina says, so Victor convinced Charlotte that Anna was a threat to him. Charlotte did everything that she did because she thought she was protecting him.

Sonny tells Carly, let’s not jump to conclusions. He and Nina just got married. She has a relationship with Willow now. Maybe she just wants to spend more time with Amelia and Wiley. Maybe it’s that simple. She says, nothing is ever that simple with Nina. Ever. He says, like it is with her? (touché!) and she says, at least with her, you get full disclosure and transparency, whether you like it or not. He says, that’s true enough, and she thanks him. She says, is Crimson losing money? and he says, not that he knows of, but even if it was, why would Nina want to sell her half of the MetroCourt? Carly says, maybe she needs money to shore up the magazine, and he says, money’s not an issue for Nina. But let’s say Carly accepted her offer. Where would she get the money?

Finn asks if Terry can tell him the name of the patient who’s suing him and what the complaint is, and Terry nods to Portia. Portia says, the patient in question has died. His wife is the one filing the suit. Terry gives Finn the patient’s file, and he says, Dennis Muldoon. Terry says, they’ll need all the notes he has on the patient, and also everyone on staff who worked on the case with him. He says, of course (🍷). Does this mean he’s suspended? Portia says, he’ll still be able to practice, and Terry says, with some restrictions. He asks what they are, and she says, the hospital’s policy in a case like this is to allow the staff member to practice, but if it’s a potentially fatal case, he’ll need to request a second opinion before he can offer treatment or prescribe medication. Portia says, and because of his history of substance abuse, he’ll be required to do drug testing on a weekly basis. He says he sees. And he understands. That will be the easiest part of this process for him. Terry says, good, and Finn walks to the door. He asks how much time he has to find an attorney, and Terry says, he should start looking immediately. Finn leaves.

Ava puts two chairs near each other, and tells Trina, sit down. She says, Trina’s been a saint when it comes to Spencer spending time with Esme and Ace. She couldn’t stay quiet that long. No way. Sure, she has a history with Esme and this amnesia thing of hers is hard for her to swallow, but that aside, Trina’s in love with Spencer. And here he is, spending so much time with his ex and her baby, a baby that happens to be his brother. Trina says she does understand why he’s being so protective of Ace though, and Ava says, so does she. God knows where Nikolas is, so he’s no help at all. And he made a lot of mistakes with Spencer. She’s sure Spencer just wants to make sure Ace isn’t shortchanged the way he was. Trina said that herself. Trina says, she’s tried to justify all the time he spends with Esme and Ace, and Ava says, she’s been very patient, very understanding. Trina says she has, hasn’t she? and Ava says, she has, so what changed?

Spencer says, he doesn’t want Esme and Ace to move out, and Esme says, he’s made that perfectly clear, but it’s not up to him. He says he just doesn’t understand why she’s leaving all of a sudden, and she says, it’s not all of a sudden. It’s what’s best for her and Ace. He says, how? Right now, Ace has everything that he needs. He doesn’t understand how her taking him and moving in to a different apartment is going to be better for him. If she does that, she’ll have to take care of him all of the time. The only time she won’t have to take care of him is when he’s here at daycare. She says, that’s what mothers do, and he says, when they’re on their own. But she doesn’t have to be. He’s more than willing to step up and help her take care of him. His grandmother and Doc love spending time with Ace, so they’ll have a back-up if they need it. She says she can still drop Ace off to Doc and Laura whenever they’re available and he can help take care of Ace. He says, okay, so what would be the point in her leaving? She says, because she and Ace need to get away from him.

Austin says, Dante asked him to listen, and he did, but Dante says he’s not quite finished. Austin says, Dante doesn’t have anything. If he did have any proof of what he’s talking about, he wouldn’t be here fishing. Dante says he’s not fishing. Security footage is proof. Sworn affidavits from GH staffers who saw Austin and Mason and his friends is proof. And now they have his cousin handcuffed to a bed upstairs, and the more they get to know about his criminal activities, the easier it’s going to be to prove Austin was working with Mason in the kidnapping and attempted murder of Ava Jerome. Austin says he’s the one who saved her.

Mason says, Cyrus ordered him to abduct Ava, and Austin would be forced to testify at Cyrus’s medical hearing so he could get himself out of Pentenville. But the moment he’s on the hook, and Ava can ID him to the cops, Cyrus tells him to let her go. With all due respect, he couldn’t take that chance. He had to get rid of her. Cyrus says, these heavy drugs they have Mason on must have addled his brain to come up with such wild and false allegations, but he understands. Mason must be frightened, but tell him, did those drugs make Mason forget his last visit and how he explained to Mason exactly how it could end for him? Mason flashes back to Cyrus telling him, the pain you felt when you were shot, any pain you’ve felt during your entire life will pale in comparison to the pain you will feel during your long, excruciating journey into death, if you ever betray me again. Cyrus says he believes Mason remembers now.

Terry says, Finn is a good doctor, and Portia says, he’s a good friend. She hated seeing that look on his face. Terry says, her too. It’s hard enough losing a patient, but then to be accused of malpractice? Portia says she’s sure he took copious notes, and Terry says she hopes Portia is right. They need Dr. Finn and GH to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Elizabeth sees Finn at the reception desk and asks, what happened? What did Terry and Portia want to talk to him about? He says, every doctor’s nightmare. I worked for a medical clinic for a while, and I can vouch for the fact malpractice insurance is astronomical.

Carly says she doesn’t know if she wants to buy back the MetroCourt, and Sonny says, Carly loves that place. She says, but she loves Kelly’s. She’s made some great changes, and in some ways, she thinks Kelly’s is a better fit for her than the MetroCourt. He says he doesn’t see it, and she says she knows the MetroCourt seems like it was better for her, but she loves both. She knows she can’t run both and own them, so she’s going to have to make a choice. He says, seems like an easy choice to him, and she says, but it’s not. Her mom gave her Kelly’s when she was in a really bad place. It was really generous of her. He asks if Bobbie is still away, and she says, yeah. She’s in Amsterdam, taking care of Luke’s affairs, and the last thing she needs is for Carly to abandon Kelly’s. Sonny says, Carly could always find somebody dependable to run the place, and she says, but if she decides to buy back the MetroCourt, she has to find someone to finance it. He says, I can – she says, no – help – she says, do not offer – you.

Laura says, when Charlotte first woke up after the surgery, she asked where Valentin was, and she told Charlotte that he’d gone on a walk with Anna. Charlotte seemed to be genuinely frightened for his safety. He says, and that’s when Charlotte told her what she did, and Laura says, yes. She admitted to trying to push Anna out of town and away from Valentin to protect him. He says, they know she trashed Anna’s hotel suite. Did she admit to anything else? Laura says, she didn’t get into any specifics, and after what she’d been through, Laura didn’t think it was a good time to question her. Valentin says, of course (🍷), and Nina says, when Charlotte is a bit stronger, maybe Doc can talk to her again. It seems like she opens up to him. Laura says, he’s already agreed to come and visit her whenever they decide she’s ready for it, and Valentin says, good. Nina says, this whole thing is awful, but at least they know Charlotte wasn’t acting on her own. She was motivated by Victor’s hatred of Anna. Laura says, and he knew she was at a very impressionable age. He arranged to get her far away from home and all alone. Valentin says he should have never let her go to that damn place, but Laura says, he thought he was doing something good for her. And they all did at that time. Valentin says, Charlotte told her that he wrote a letter? and Laura says, yes. He says, excuse him, and goes to Charlotte’s bedroom.

Valentin looks around the room, touching nothing yet. His eyes light on Charlotte’s journal, but he keeps looking.

Elizabeth says she remembers finding Finn on the roof the night Mr. Muldoon died. He was devastated. And now his family is suing the hospital and Finn? Why? Finn says, they believe he was negligent in not diagnosing his cancer in time, and she asks if his symptoms indicated cancer. Finn says, he had a tapeworm he picked up traveling abroad. He traveled for work extensively, mostly in third world countries. So he ordered bloodwork, and the results came back with anomalies. Anomalies consistent with a lot of causes, tapeworm among them. G.I. distress, fatigue, weight loss. So he sent Muldoon home with a plan of treatment and a request for further testing. He called a few days later and said he was feeling much better. He went on another trip, and Finn had requested further testing, including a colonoscopy. He didn’t come in for two months, and that’s when Finn expanded the scope of treatment in order to get more testing. Elizabeth says, that’s when he found the cancer, and Finn says, yeah. He didn’t see it coming. Muldoon thought he’d be here for a couple of hours and then Finn had to tell him that he had cancer, and it was too late to start any treatment. He never left this hospital again. She says, Finn didn’t do anything wrong, and Finn says he believes he didn’t, but that may not matter.

Valentin checks under the mattress, and we see he’s rifled through the drawers. He spies a pile of books and takes down the top one. He opens it and sees it’s hollowed out. The tarot cards are inside, along with the letter, which he opens and reads. He says, Victor.

Spencer says, Esme is going to take Ace and leave because she doesn’t want him growing up thinking the three of them are a family? She says, that’s right. Because the longer the three of them live together, the harder that’s going to be on Ace when it ends, and it’s going to end. Spencer asks, what makes her say that?😐and she says, because it has to. He wants his own life, and she really understands that. He wants to travel when he wants to travel. He wants to spend time with the people he wants to spend time with. And sooner or later, he’s going to want to spend all of his time with someone. He can’t have that life and Ace. He asks, why not? They don’t have to be in a romantic relationship for him to commit to Ace. Or her.

Trina tells Ava, what changed was, she said one word. And Spencer lost it. Ava says, there’s got to be more to it than that, and Trina says, when Laura and Doc came back from their trip, Esme thought it was too crowded. So she decided to rent a place for her and Ace. Ava says, so far, so good, and Trina says, that’s what she thought. And Laura supported the idea. She even offered to co-sign the lease. Ava says, go, Laura, and Trina says, but when Spencer told her that Esme was moving out, she just said exactly how she felt. She said, finally. Ava tells Trina, that sounds perfect to her, but Trina says, it didn’t sound good to Spencer.

Mason tells Cyrus that he can cut a deal if he gives up Austin. He’s the dumb henchman, and Austin’s the smart doctor who planned everything. There’s plenty evidence to back it up too. Lots of people have seen them together, and Austin slept with Ava. He can tell the cops that Austin seduced Ava to get to her money, and when that blew up in his face, he asked Mason to take her. Cyrus’s name will never be mentioned. Cyrus smiles.

Dante says, Austin saved Ava? and Austin says, what he means is, he would never hurt Ava. Dante tells him, that’s not what he said. Austin said he saved her. Austin says he did save her that night at Windymere. Ryan Chamberlain was running around like a lunatic, Heather Webber’s got a great big hook… He’s sure all of this is in Dante’s files. Go read his files. Dante says he’s read the files. The thing he can’t figure out is what Austin was doing at Windymere in the first place. What’s the nature of his relationship to Ava Jerome?

Valentin comes out with the letter, and says, it’s all Victor. There’s no question; it’s his father’s handwriting. He hands it to Laura, and she says, oh my God. She reads: My dearest Charlotte, It is with a heavy heart that I must write to you and share my concerns about our family’s future. A family I cherish and would give my life for. I’m afraid your father has gotten weak, Charlotte. I had so much hope for him, but he’s forgotten how truly important family is since he’s fallen in love with Anna Devane. Anna has completely manipulated your father… Her extensive training in espionage has afforded her the ability to mask who she really is. Nina says, no wonder Charlotte was confused, and Valentin says, he weaponized her. Laura continues: Anna Devane is not who she seems; do not trust her. Not for a minute. And it is imperative you never forget… You must use any weapon you can to defeat Anna, because your father clearly will do whatever she asks. And she will use his feelings, she will use your father, and lead him into danger. She will lead him to his death. Nina says, oh my God, and Laura reads: My dear Charlotte, you are the only one who can protect your father from Anna Devane. You, his most cherished possession, must save him. To guide you, I’m giving you these very special tarot cards. They’re powerful tools, Charlotte. You’ll find them helpful. Use them wisely. Use them to protect and save your father, a man we both love dearly. Your ally and loving grandfather, Victor Cassadine. Nina says, sick bastard, and Valentin says, Victor found the perfect revenge.

Sonny asks when Carly said Nina made her the offer, and Carly says, this morning at Kelly’s. Nina said she’d been at the hospital all night with Charlotte. He says, that was a tragic accident. Anna’s torn apart by it; so is Nina. Charlotte is like a daughter to her. Maybe it hit Nina a lot harder than he thought. Carly says, maybe, but would he think that’s the reason she wants to sell the MetroCourt?

Trina asks if it’s bad for her to think Spencer is too attached to his little brother, but Ava says she thinks this is more about Esme than it is about Ace. What was Spencer’s ultimatum? Trina says, he warned her that if she made him choose between her and Ace, she wouldn’t like the choice, and Ava says, ouch. Trina says, they were closer than ever in New York, but it never seems to fail. Something like this will happen, then they’re further apart. It’s like they’re doomed to fail.

Cyrus says, Mason is a lot smarter than he thought Mason was. That’s a very creative solution. Mason says, it’ll work, but Cyrus says, not for him. He doesn’t want Austin tainted by Mason’s crime. He’s a respected doctor and Cyrus needs to avail himself of Austin’s services and support if necessary. Mason says, so he gets to rot in prison while college boy gets everything he wants, and Cyrus says, don’t be so resentful. College boy will get everything he deserves in good time. Meanwhile, Mason will be well-protected in Pentenville and lead a very comfortable life. And who knows? He might be eligible for release sooner than he thinks, provided he does exactly as he’s told.

Austin says, he and Ava are very close, and Dante asks if she’ll corroborate that. Austin says, what relationship doesn’t have its ups and downs? and Dante says, he’s looking at a lot of downs. They have a laundry list of charges they could file against Austin. Collusion, kidnapping, attempted murder… Austin says, come on. Dante said himself, he’s got Mason handcuffed to a bed upstairs. Dante caught him red-handed. Dante shot him. Dante says he did. Does Austin think it was Mason’s idea to kidnap Ava? Austin says he doesn’t know. Ask Mason. Dante says, come on, doc. He’s not the brains behind this thing; he was the muscle. He was following someone’s orders. Maybe Austin’s. Austin says, no, but Dante says, he’s the smart guy. Come up with the name of Mason’s boss. Maybe he’ll have a chance to save himself. He walks out of Austin’s office.

Sonny tells Carly, maybe Charlotte getting shot made Nina rethink her priorities. Maybe she wants to spend less time working and more time with the people she loves. Carly says, when she heard about Charlotte, all she could think about was Josslyn and Donna. If something happened to them, it would kill her. He says, nothing’s going to happen to the kids. They’re settled, and he’s got everything under control. Carly asks if he’s sure about that. Because Cyrus is walking around scot-free, and Sonny doesn’t have Jason watching his back anymore. He says he thinks about Jason every day, but he has eyes all over town, including Dex and Brick. She says she knows how important Brick is to him, and he says, Dex actually stepped up. If it wasn’t for him and Dante, Ava would be dead. So he doesn’t want her to worry. She’s got Drew back, so just enjoy each other. She thanks him and says, maybe he’s right about Nina. He says, she should think real hard about taking Nina’s offer, and she says she will. She tells him, watch your back, and goes to the door. He says he always does, and she leaves.

Laura gives the letter back to Valentin, who says, Victor turned his daughter into a weapon. He’s weaponized Laura’s granddaughter. He convinced Charlotte to target the woman he loves. How can he fight back against a child? Nina says, Victor’s dead, and now that they have proof he was behind all of this, they can just talk to Charlotte. They tell her that Victor was wrong about Anna, that nothing in that letter was true. Laura says, yes, but they have to look at this from Charlotte’s point of view for a moment. Her grandfather told her that Anna was dangerous, that she was a threat, and now in Charlotte’s mind, Anna has proven that by shooting her. Nina says, but it was an accident, and Laura says, yes, of course (🍷), and they all know that, but because of Victor, Charlotte actually believes that Anna shot her intentionally. She believes Anna wanted to kill her, and she wants Anna arrested for it.

Esme asks exactly what kind of commitment Spencer is willing to make, and Spencer says he has money. He can see to it she’s financially taken care of. She can quit this job if she so chooses, and he can share in the childcare responsibilities with her. He just wants to make sure his little brother is happy. Does she really think moving Ace out of his grandmother’s home is what’s best for him right now? No. They’re a team. They’re just not a romantic one. She says, that all sounds great, so let’s go for it. Why don’t they get a nice little house somewhere for the four of them? He says, for the four of them? and she says, her, him, Ace, and Trina. She bets Trina will think this is a wise plan. He says, come on, but she says, no, you come on. The longer she lives in that apartment with him and his grandmother, the longer she’s putting her life on hold, and that’s not fair to her and it’s not fair to Ace. He isn’t the only one who deserves to have someone special in his life. He says, so this isn’t really about Ace at all. He didn’t realize she’s so desperate to find someone new. She says she’s desperate to start her life again. She doesn’t have to defend herself to him or anyone else. She’s going to do what’s right for Ace, and yes, what’s right for her. If he’ll excuse her, she has work to do. She picks up some files and leaves the office. He makes a call and leaves a message. Please call him. He needs them. Things have gone from bad to worse.

Portia tells Terry that she’s never been in any malpractice lawsuit situation before. What’s the next step? Does the hospital have the same lawyer Dr. Finn does? Terry says, in her experience, hospitals are advised to have a separate lawyer. Dr. Finn will need to prove he didn’t do anything negligent, whereas they’ll have to prove it was a good decision to employ Finn. And they’ll have to prove they have a solid system of checks and balances, and that they don’t have a history of malpractice suits. Portia says she wouldn’t want to be in Finn’s shoes right now. A case like this could ruin your whole career. Terry says, and lawsuits like this have taken down bigger hospitals than GH. Let’s hope that’s not the case this time.

Elizabeth tells Finn, once we find you an attorney, they’ll tell you what you’re up against and how we need to proceed. He says, we? and she says, yeah. She’s going to help him with this. She was with him the night Mr. Muldoon died. She can testify to his state of mind, and the fact that he never said anything that would indicate he might have made a mistake with his diagnosis and treatment. He says, she doesn’t have to… but she says, please don’t argue with her. She’s going to help him do everything he can to clear his name. He says he doesn’t want her risking her position, but she says she’s not risking anything. And as Head Nurse, she wants the truth to come out. So moving forward, she suggest they get back to work, and tonight, they’ll start going over his notes. He thanks her and says, maybe they can start tomorrow. He needs a day to process this. His career’s in jeopardy… She takes his hand and says, we’re not going to let anything happen to you. He says he’s lucky to have her, and she says, yeah, he is. It goes both ways. She leaves.

Trina asks what she should do, and Ava says, it’s not like she’s talking to an expert in relationships here. She’s had her share, and none of them have gone the distance. Not that she’s giving up. She still believes happy endings are possible. Trina’s just at the beginning. Trina’s phone dings, and Ava asks if she thinks that’s the same person who just tried to call her. She thinks she can guess who it was. Trina says, Spencer. She doesn’t want to talk to him right now. Ava asks how long she plans to avoid him, but Trina says she doesn’t have a plan. She just doesn’t want to argue anymore, and she’s not giving in to his ultimatum. Ava asks if Trina has told him how she feels, the way Trina just told her, and Trina says she guesses not. Ava asks if she still loves him, and Trina says, yes. Ava says, sit down with him. Talk to him and keep cool and don’t point fingers. Just tell him how she feels and why she feels that way. Then listen to him and be respectful of how he feels. Trina says, okay, and thanks Ava, hugging her. She says she knows Ava would tell her the right thing, even if it was hard for her to hear. Ava says, what are friends for? Maybe Trina should reply to Spencer’s text. Trina picks up her phone.

As Austin goes by the reception desk, Elizabeth gives him a message left for him. He opens it, and it says: DON’T BE FOOLISH. IT CAN BE DEADLY. He crumples it up, and then sees Cyrus across the hall. He continues to watch as Cyrus waits for the elevator. When it comes, Cyrus winks at him before getting in.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Curtis that she got some news today; TJ needs to talk to someone right away; Sasha says she’ll walk off the set; and Cyrus brings Austin tidings of great joy.

🧜‍♀️ Finding His Siren…

Can’t say I pictured it as a tank. Impressive.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/behind-the-scenes-of-general-hospitals-water-stunt

🚜 Literally Buying The Farm…

Looks idyllic.

Josh Swickard’s Family Moves to the Country!

🧂 A Pinch Of Salt…

Since the recap isn’t out yet, here’s a few tidbits.

Why Monica Garcia and Heather Gay May Be the Next Big Real Housewives Feud

https://www.eonline.com/news/1389773/rhoslcs-monica-garcia-fiercely-confronts-mom-linda-for-kidnapping-her-car

RHOSLC Star Monica Garcia Shares Where She Stands With Mom Linda Amid Feud, and If She Regrets Bringing Her on Show, Plus She Talks Finalizing Divorce From Ex-Husband Mike, & Dating, & Live Viewing Thread

🏂 Apology Tour Already…

No recap yet for this awful mess either.

Watch Winter House’s Kory Keefer Learn Casey Craig Called Sam Feher ‘Trash’

https://www.distractify.com/p/casey-craig-apology-winter-house

https://stylecaster.com/lists/tom-schwartz-katie-flood-still-together-winter-house/

💎 Magic Mike Meltdown…

Fact correction: It was Crystal and Erika on the stage (Kyle came later and Sutton was nonplussed), and really Erika that she freaked about.

RHOBH’s Sutton Stracke Shares New Details on What Caused Meltdown at Magic Mike, & Fires Back at Erika Jayne for Saying She’s the “Worst Lay Ever”

🤺 Rehashing The Deck Fight…

I can’t say I mind a repeat of Kyle insulting Natalya. She’s such a piece of work. Max is just clueless.

Below Deck Med’s Kyle Puts ‘Straight’ Max on Blast for Using LGBTQIA+ Label

👰🏼‍♀️ She Finally Did It…

Kudos to Tinsley for finally making it to the married lady status she’s always wanted. But was he Dale approved?

https://people.com/real-housewives-new-york-city-tinsley-mortimer-marries-robert-bovard-8363397

RHONY Alum Tinsley Mortimer Marries Robert Bovard in Palm Beach Ceremony, See Pics of Couple Arriving With Wedding Attire

🐶 A Tale Of Two Pups, Really Three…

I’d want this dog too.

https://people.com/kaley-cuoco-adopts-adorable-new-dog-8400793

The two that got away. Yes, I know Halloween is over.

https://people.com/kim-kardashian-dresses-dogs-sushi-sake-as-actual-sushi-for-halloween-8384168

🪧 Should Have Stayed Closed…

I watched The Open House on Netflix last weekend. Most of it wasn’t bad, but nothing stellar. Kind of like a Lifetime thriller with a bigger budget. I would have been fine with that, except the ending was like a big F-U in exchange for the time I spent watching it. Before the credits, it said the film was in loving memory of someone, and I wondered if it was the guy who was supposed to write the ending.

🦃 Tofurkey Trotting…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and snipes at Beverly Hills. Until then, stay safe, stay asking the host before bringing plus ones or more to Thanksgiving dinner, and stay not being foolish. It can be deadly.

Nov14

November 13, 2023 – Martin Tells Nina To Call Michael’s Bluff, A Meet-Up With the Charter Off Deck & Pumpkin Pie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia watches Ned sleep, no doubt after having gotten busy. He says, good morning, and she says, Ned? He says, it’s me.

Lois thanks Yuri for bringing her coffee, and tells him, stop with the Miss and just call her Lois. Brook comes in carrying several folders and asks if there’s any fresh coffee. He says he just brewed some for her mother, and Brook says she’d love a cup. He goes to get it, and Lois says, somebody’s full of energy this morning. Brook says she needs to be, and so does Lois. Lois is going to help her strategize for Blaze.

Willow hurries Wiley along with his cereal and says, they can’t be late this morning. Michael comes in, and tells her that Amelia is happily playing in the nursery in the main house. Willow asks where Wiley’s math workbook is, and he says he left it upstairs last night after she helped him. Michael says he’ll get it, but Willow says, Wiley has to get it, after he’s finished with his breakfast. Wiley asks if they can see Grandma Nina after school. Please.

Nina comes into Kelly’s and asks for a yogurt parfait and an extra-large coffee with a shot of espresso to go. Carly asks if Nina was at the hospital last night, and Nina says, she heard. Carly says she can’t believe what happened to Charlotte, and Nina says, it was terrible, terrible accident. Anna mistook Charlotte for an intruder and shot her.

Charlotte asks Elizabeth if her papa is here, and Elizabeth says, he was at her side all night long, but an hour ago, they were able to convince him to go home and get some rest now that she’s out of the ICU. Charlotte asks if Anna’s been here.

Jordan goes into the interrogation room and asks Dante if he knows why Anna wanted to meet them here this morning. He says he doesn’t, but he can’t imagine it’s anything good. An officer tells them that Anna is here to see them both, and Dante opens the door to her.

Carly asks when Charlotte woke up from her surgery, and Nina says, last night. She and Valentin were both there, and they’ve since moved her out of ICU, thank God. The doctor expects her to have a full recovery. Carly says, that’s incredible. Please tell her if she needs anything, Carly is here for her. They’re family, and she’d like to help out any way she can. Nina thanks her and says she’ll pass that along. She appreciates it and she’s sure Valentin will too. Carly goes to get Nina’s order, and Nina sits down at the counter. Martin walks in, sees Nina, and turns around, but she follows him out to the courtyard. He says, good morning, and she says, give her one reason she shouldn’t have him disbarred for violating attorney/client privilege.

Wiley says, Grandma Nina told him that he could come to her office any time he wanted. She’ll help with his homework. Willow says, that’s very generous of Grandma Nina. Maybe they’ll take her up on the offer, but not today. He has T-ball today, remember? He asks if they can see Grandma Nina after, and she says, maybe, and tells him to go upstairs and grab his math workbook. Wiley leaves, and she says, Michael hates this, doesn’t he?

Olivia falls back on the pillow and says, he’s Ned all right, and Ned says he’s back. She says, that he is, and they kiss. He says he wishes he could spend the rest of the day in bed with her, and she says, don’t tempt her. He says, she’s tempting him, and kisses her some more, but she pushes him away and says she has so much work at the MetroCourt today. He says he has work to do too. ELQ has been neglected for months, and he’s sure he has a lot of paperwork to comb through. A lot of meetings to catch him up. She says she has a meeting with Nina today about the renovations on the rooftop, and Ned flashes back to hearing Martin talking to Nina about turning Drew and Carly in to the SEC. Olivia asks, what’s wrong? Please tell her that he’s still Ned. He says he is, and she blesses herself, saying, thank God. What happened? He says he just remembered something very important.

Lois asks what Brook needs her help with, and Brook says, Linc had Blaze pigeonholed as a popstar. Don’t get her wrong. She’s a great popstar, but she wants to explore other musical styles. That’s where Lois comes in. Lois says, the old tricky transition. That’s not going to be so easy. You’ve got to let your musical talent follow their own inspirations, but you’ve got to manage their expectations. You’ve got to monitor and mentor them, because you want to make sure they don’t reject the new material and run back to what they’re familiar with. All the while, you’ve got to keep an eye on their audience. Brook says, Lois will have to remind her of all that later, and takes out a folder. She says, here is some of the stuff that Blaze is considering. She hands the folder to Lois, who looks through it. Lois says, it’s interesting that her artist Blaze is a popstar. This stuff looks folky and country. Brook says, it is, and Yuri says, the country market is really hot right now. They could – how you say? – lean into this?

Gregory and Chase go to the hospital reception desk, and Gregory says he has an appointment with his specialist Dr. Cramer. The nurse says she’ll check him in, and Gregory thanks Chase for the ride, but says, Chase doesn’t have to wait for him. He’ll get a Ride Share home. Chase says, Gregory’s not getting rid of him that easy, and Gregory says, go to Kelly’s, grab a breakfast, enjoy this fall morning. Chase says he’s not leaving. He’ll be right here when Gregory gets out.

Anna thanks Dante and Jordan for meeting her, but Jordan says, no need to thank them. Anna says, despite being here, it’s not official; none of it. Everything she says is off the record, and she asked to meet with both of them because they’re her friends, and Dante needs to know this because she’s Charlotte’s daughter and she’s family. He says, off the record, 100%, and Jordan says, off the record. What does she have? Anna isn’t sure where to start. What she’s going to say doesn’t justify what happened; nothing can justify that. Jordan says, they’re all friends here. They said they’d keep it off the record. Just tell them what she has to say. Anna says, apparently, Charlotte has been stalking her for months.

Carly comes out with Nina’s order and sees her in the courtyard talking to Martin. Before she can go out, Drew calls her name. He gives her a kiss, and says, it’s his first day back at Aurora, and he thought he’d dress up a little. She approves, and he asks, what are the chances they can have a little bit of breakfast first? I’m not sure if that’s a euphemism, or he means bacon and eggs.

Nina says she’s been trying to get ahold of Martin for weeks. He hasn’t answered her calls; he’s not returning her texts or emails. Is he avoiding her? He says, perish the thought. The simple fact is, he’s a very busy attorney. He has a lot of cases to attend to, not just her. And of course (🍷) there’s Lucy and what she’s been going through at Deception. She has need of his shoulder. Nina says she needs him to shut his mouth. She heard that recording of him accusing her of turning Carly and Drew in to the SEC. He says, that tape wasn’t an accusation; it was an admission. And they both know she was the one who wanted the SEC to investigate Drew and Carly. She says, and he was her attorney. He was her go-between. He was her insurance to make sure she was protected. He promised her that she would be protected, and then he gave her up? She could lose everything. He says, she’s already lost.

Michael says, his opinion of Nina hasn’t changed, but he tries not to make it obvious in front of Wiley, and Willow says she thinks he’s done a great job. She doesn’t think Wiley realizes how he really feels about Nina. At least not now. He says, so he’ll just go on pretending he likes Nina, but she says she doesn’t want him to pretend. That wouldn’t be fair to Wiley. They should always be truthful with him. He says, even when it comes down to the kind of woman Nina really is, but she says, what she hopes is for the possibility Nina has really learned her lesson and changed. He says he knows she wants to believe that, but she’s wrong, and she asks, wrong how?

Ned says, it was Nina, and Olivia says, what was Nina? He says, it was Nina who pointed the SEC at Drew and Carly. Olivia says, what? and he says he overheard her talking to her lawyer Martin Grey at the MetroCourt. She had Martin alert the SEC about Drew and Carly. Olivia says she can’t believe this, and he says, after Martin walked away, he confronted her, and she wanted him to continue taking the fall for her. And eventually, all the people who thought the most of him, wouldn’t believe he was the one who turned them in. Of course (🍷) he refused. She says, low life, and he says, that’s when the hostess came out, interrupted them, and said something about Drew and Tracy at the pool. That’s when he was on his way to tell Drew everything and exonerate himself, and he slipped and fell. He needs to tell Drew and Carly the truth. He starts to get out of bed, but Olivia says, wait. He can’t. He asks what she means, and she says, Sonny and Nina just got married. Sonny is happier than she’s ever seen him before, and Drew is home from Pentenville; he’s safe. Nina and Carly are getting along for once for the sake of the families. Is there any chance he can forget that he remembered? He asks how she can say that. Nina’s the one who turned them in, and Olivia wants her to get away with it? Olivia says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want Nina to get away with it. She’s just saying, maybe letting her get away with it is better than open warfare. He says, that sounds great in theory. How about clearing his name?

Lois asks what Yuri considers great music. Good vocals or something that gives him a good vibe? Yuri says he’s been enjoying the country music, and Lois says, okay, why country? He says, the emotion is right there. It’s immediate. It’s at the surface. It’s raw and unaffected. Brook tells Lois, really good points, and asks Yuri, any particular songs? He says, there’s one song. It’s really about parents and children growing up and moving along, but the lyrics are basically a love song to an adult. But also love songs to a truck and so many love songs to whiskey. The inanimate objects are metaphors for life’s deepest emotions. Lois says, all right. Any songs about boats and trucks in here? She and Brook thumb through the folders.

Chase asks Gregory how his appointment went, then sees a brace on Gregory’s wrist. He asks, what’s up with the brace? and Gregory says he took a fall at The Invader yesterday. He reached out to brace himself and jammed his wrist up. Chase asks why Gregory didn’t tell him, and Gregory says, because it was nothing serious, and nothing to bother Chase about. Besides, it’s fine; it doesn’t even hurt. Chase asks what the specialist said, and Gregory tells him, it’s fine. Let’s get out of here. Chase asks what Dr. Cramer said, and Gregory tells him, the doctor said he should be using a cane. Chase says, then why isn’t he?

Elizabeth walks in the hallway with Charlotte and asks how she feels. Charlotte says, okay, just a little weak, and Elizabeth says, that’s to be expected after surgery. Jake comes out of the elevator with a bouquet of white roses, and Charlotte smiles at him.

Anna says, Valentin told her last night that Charlotte has been stalking her for months, and he found out when Charlotte vandalized her suite at the MetroCourt. Dante asks, what makes him so sure it’s Charlotte? and she says, security footage showing her entering the suite during the window of time that it was trashed, and she was carrying a backpack. Jordan asks, where’s the footage now? and Anna says, he convinced Nina to delete it from the server. Jordan says, why? Why not tell Anna what was going on? Dante says, because Valentin thinks Charlotte is the arsonist who burned down Anna’s house. Right?

Ned says, his life was turned into a living hell, and Olivia wants him to give Nina a free pass just because everyone’s happy. She says, he’s back. She has him back and that’s all she cares about. It’s all that matters. He asks if she’s forgetting that everyone, including her, accused him of making that call to the SEC. Even his own mother thought he did it. Although, she actually applauded the move. Does she know what it feels like to be wrongly accused? She says she can’t even imagine, and I say, oh yeah? What about when Ned accused her of cheating with Robert? She says she’s so sorry she didn’t believe him, and he says, people think he’s responsible for sending Drew to prison, where he almost got killed, so no, he’s not going to drop this. But what he will do is hold off – for now. Trust him. He’s only doing this for her. She wants peace, he’ll give her peace. At least for a little while. But when everything settles down, at some point, he’s going to clear his name and expose Nina.

Carly gives Drew the coffee, saying, it was for Nina, but she’d rather give it to him. He takes a sip and says, it’s so good, but she says, it’s just coffee. He says, it’s so much better than whatever it was they were serving at Pentenville. But breakfast wasn’t the real reason he stopped by. She asks why he did, and he says, just to spend time with her… What’s going on? She says she’s sorry. She just can’t stop thinking about Charlotte and the fact Anna shot her.

Nina starts to go back into Kelly’s, and Martin says, just so she knows. The tape that Michael has wasn’t him giving her up. She says, really? Then what was it? He says, a reluctant admission of something Michael already knows. The man’s got a source, probably someone at the SEC; he doesn’t know. But whoever it is was absolutely sure it was her. What he can say with certainty, however, is Michael Corinthos is a very formidable enemy, and he’s painted a bullseye on Nina’s back.

Michael tells Willow, Nina is never content with what she has. He doesn’t think that’s ever going to change. She’s going to keep pushing for more and more. She’s all nice and light and sweet when she gets what she wants. When she doesn’t get what she wants, she turns into something completely different. Like when she lashed out at them at the visitation hearing. Willow agrees that Nina can be ugly and vindictive, but that was more than a year ago. She’s watched Nina and really thinks Nina has learned from her mistakes, and they’d be setting a bad example for Wiley if they can’t forgive somebody… Wiley comes downstairs and says he found his math workbook, and guess what else he found? She says, his favorite eraser? but he says, no. Grandma Carly’s T-ball hat. He shows her a cap, and Willow says, that’s a very important hat. It’s what Grandma Carly wears to support his team. He asks if Willow can give it back to her, and she says she has a very busy day today, but she can try. Does he have everything he needs? He says, yes, and asks if daddy is taking him to school, but she says, no. She’s going to drop him off. Daddy has to get to the office. She tells Michael that she loves him and leaves with Wiley.

Lois says she doesn’t see any trucks, and Brook says she doesn’t see any boats or dolls, and she doesn’t see any whiskey… Hang on. This one has whiskey. It’s about loving someone and not being able to tell them. Lois says she likes that, and Brook hands it to her. Lois asks, who wrote it? and Brook says, Blaze did actually, which is unusual, since she’s not a songwriter. She’s always gravitated more toward other people’s material. Lois says, from what it looks like, somebody is in Blaze’s heart, but she cannot confess her love. Ned and Olivia come in, and Ned says, morning all. Brook says, Yuri made coffee, and Yuri says, you’re not Eddie. Lois says, Ned? and Brook says, dad, is it really you? Ned says, it’s me. I’m back.

Brook hugs Ned and says she missed him so much. He says he missed her too. She says, wait until Leo hears he’s back, which is hard to say since he’s been here the whole time. Lois asks if it’s really him, and he says it is. She hugs him and says, it better be, because Eddie wouldn’t be standing here in a $2000 suit. Olivia says, doesn’t he look sharp? Conquering ELQ, huh? Ned says he wants to apologize for everything he put everyone through. He loves Brook and he’s so proud to call her his daughter. Brook hugs him, and Lois says, they did a good job with this one, didn’t they? He says, they sure did, and Lois asks, how is it he’s standing here in front of them with his full faculties. What happened? Did Olivia knock him over the head with her lasagna casserole? Olivia promises she didn’t, although she was tempted about a million times, and Brook asks, what happened? How is he better? He says he had a near death experience. He went to the boathouse and followed Lois’s advice. He dove in and almost drowned.

Chase says he knows that this is happening to Gregory, but it’s also affecting him and Finn, because he’s their dad and they both love him very much. It hurts them to see him suffering. They don’t want to take away his independence, but they do want to support him. Gregory says, that’s a fine line, and Chase says he knows it is, but in order for them to help and support him, they have to know what’s going on. So please, don’t be leaving them out like this. Gregory leads Chase over to a bench, and they sit. He says he keeps telling himself that he doesn’t want to worry Chase or his brother – and that’s the truth – but it’s also true that he’s clinging to denial. In spite of the symptoms – the cramping hands, the balance issues, the falls – there’s a part of him that still doesn’t believe he has ALS. He just can’t allow himself to accept the fact that this is happening to him.

Drew says, Charlotte is extremely lucky that she’s going to make a full recovery, and Carly says, Nina told her Charlotte is out of ICU and she’s doing much better. He says, that’s great. He wonders how Anna’s doing through all of this. He should probably stop by and check in on her, see if she needs anything. She hugs him and asks, what’s going on? He says, it just kind of hit him again, and she says, that he’s a free man? He says, how lucky they are, and kisses her.

Nina says, Michael is blackmailing her, and Martin says he’s not surprised. She’d probably do the same thing in a similar situation. She says, no. Actually, she wouldn’t. Now he’s trying to control access to her daughter and her grandchildren, and if she refuses, he’s going to use that recording of Martin’s to tell everyone that she tipped off the SEC. Martin says, call his bluff. Like his mama used to say, everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway. So admit the truth. Tell everyone it was her. Throw herself on Carly and Drew’s mercy. She says she’s not worried about Carly and Drew. She’s worried about Sonny and her daughter… her family. This might be the last straw. They might never want to see her again, and that would destroy her. He says, then he’s afraid she’s stuck with whatever agreement she and Michael have come to. Since she can’t turn him in for violating attorney/client privilege without exposing herself in the process, he’d strive for a more cordial tone. We need friends. Don’t go adding to her list of enemies. He leaves, and she turns to go back into Kelly’s, when Carly comes out with her order.

Jake says, the flowers are for Charlotte, handing them to her, and she thanks him. She says, they’re beautiful. How did he know roses are her favorite? He says he didn’t actually. He told the lady at the flower shop that his friend was in the hospital, and he wanted to give her something pretty to make her feel better. She says she loves them and thanks him again. Elizabeth says, they’re really beautiful, and suggests Jake hang on to them for right now. Does he want to go for a walk with them? He says, yeah, and asks how Charlotte is feeling. Charlotte says, better, now that he’s here.

Dante says, Charlotte was at camp when Anna’s house burned down. He’s driven her to that camp; it’s about an hour away from Anna’s house. She’s relatively tech savvy and has money. She could have easily taken a Ride Share back to Port Charles. Jordan says she’s sure Charlotte is very familiar with the layout of Anna’s house, and Anna says, she is. That’s what Valentin said last night. Dante says, so she spray paints murderer on Anna’s front door, burns down her house, vandalizes her hotel room, and most recently, steals the key to the apartment and shows up there on Halloween with a backpack full of the same spray paint. Jordan says, there’s one thing Charlotte definitely didn’t do. She didn’t take a shot at Anna at the MetroCourt pool.

Gregory tells Chase that he, too, was an athlete. He didn’t have to struggle to stay in shape. He enjoyed exercising and pushing his body, the satisfaction of a good, hard workout. He sees Chase and his effortless grace and balance and remembers when he was like that. It never once occurred to him that he would lose that. He knew he’d grow older, but he took care of himself. He stayed fit. He never drank excessively, he never smoked, so how did this happen? How could his body betray him to the point that he needs a cane to walk? Pretty soon, he won’t even be able to walk at all. Chase says, when he was a kid, he thought Gregory was the tallest man in the world. He remembers sitting on the living room floor, looking up at Gregory and thinking his dad was the strongest, bravest, smartest man he knew. No one could be a better dad than his dad. And guess what? That little kid was right. No one comes close. Any time he was scared of something, Gregory would take his hand and say, I’ve got you, son. And it didn’t matter what it was, he knew everything was going to be okay. Does he remember that? Gregory says he does, and Chase takes his hand and says, I’ve got you, dad.

Anna says, it confirms what she believed, that Sonny was the intended target for the shooting at the MetroCourt, and Jordan says, there are obviously two forces at work here. Dante says, meaning Anna was just an innocent bystander like the rest of them? And the only person who’s been after her this whole time has been Charlotte. Anna says, she convinced herself it was some ruthless killer from her past at the WSB, and all this time she was just being harassed by a teenager.

Carly hands Nina her order and says, it’s the second cup of coffee she made. Drew drank the first one. Nina thanks her and says, Drew’s here? Carly says, he stopped in to see her, and Nina asks if he’s still inside, but Carly says, he went to his office at Aurora. Nina says, Sonny told her that Alexis secured his early release. She’s happy for him, happy for both of them. Carly thanks her and says she’s going to get back to the customers, but Nina asks her to wait. She says, what she and Martin were discussing out here actually concerns Carly.

At the office, Michael tells Drew, welcome back, and they bro hug. Drew says, it’s good to be back, and Michael says he could have come back Monday, but Drew says, is he kidding? He had plenty of time off when he was in Pentenville. He needed this. He needed to get back to work. Michael suggests they start by revealing how Aurora stands amongst their major divisions. It’s in the red. Drew says he looked at the material Michael emailed last night and he was really impressed. Michael’s stewardship of the company has been extraordinary. Michael says he appreciates that. He guesses he’s got a little more Quartermaine in him than he’d like to admit. So where does Drew want to start? Drew says, let’s start with taking over ELQ.

Lois tells Ned that she meant to dive in metaphorically. She was trying to tell Eddie to immerse himself in the music, not to immerse himself in a frozen lake. Ned says, at the time, it was the only way he could finish the song, so he dove in, and it was when he was underwater that he realized, the siren was Olivia. It was her calling to him. Olivia says, literally. Every time she brought her head up for air out of the freezing water. Brook says, she dove in and saved him? and Olivia says she did. And she would do it all over again. Ned says, when he woke up on shore with Olivia kneeling beside him, he literally woke up. Completely. He knew who he was.

Dante says, it’s so much worse than harassing. If it was Charlotte who did this… Anna says, this is why it has to be off the record. Because she doesn’t want Charlotte investigated, let alone charged. And whatever Charlotte was thinking of doing on Halloween certainly didn’t deserve the deadly force she used against her. Jordan says, had Anna known Charlotte was her stalker, she would have never pulled her gun, and Anna says, of course (🍷) not. But Valentin chose to keep that from her, and she trusted him. She won’t make that mistake again. Dante says he’s sorry, and Anna says she needs to talk to Charlotte. She needs to understand why Charlotte was after her. But she has the feeling that’s not going to be easy.

Elizabeth says she’ll get a vase for these beautiful flowers while Charlotte and Jake visit. She leaves, and Charlotte says she’s sorry. Jake says, for what? and she says, for wrecking his Halloween. She’s sorry she snuck off on him. He asks why she did, and she says she had to protect her father. He says, from who? and she says, Anna. She’s not the nice person she pretends to be. Her Grandfather Victor was right. He says, right about what? and she says, he told her to watch out for Anna, and he was right. Anna came in the door, and as soon as Anna saw her, she… He says, she shot Charlotte. Why? Charlotte says she doesn’t know. Maybe the cops will come up with an answer. I think they will, but not the one she’s hoping for.

Yuri asks if anyone wants more fresh coffee, but Ned says he has a busy day. He has a lot to catch up on. He asks if Olivia has any idea where his briefcase is, and she says, Michael has it. There was some crisis at ELQ when Valentin was busy, and he was Eddie Maine. So Michael decided to step in and help out. He asks if she knows what this crisis was, but she says, no idea. He was looking for some deal notes and thought they might be in Ned’s briefcase, so she gave it to him. He says, all the more reason to get back in the office. So he can run ELQ again and Michael can turn his focus back on Aurora. He kisses her and leaves.

Drew says, if the ELQ/Aurora merger had succeeded, then he would have controlling interest in ELQ and he could have pushed Valentin out, but Ned switched sides and the whole thing failed. Michael says, right now, Ned thinks he’s Eddie Maine and his only motivation is his guitar. Drew says, exactly. So the gates are wide open for this takeover. Ned can keep doing whatever he’s doing and strum his guitar, but they’ve got to figure out a way to take ELQ back. Michael says, except last time there was an attempted murder and Drew got sent away for insider trading, but Drew says, this time, there’s going to be no insider trading because this time the only two people who are going to know about this are him and Michael.

Carly asks what Nina and Martin were discussing that has to do with her, and Nina says, even before Charlotte was injured, she knew that she was spreading herself really thin. Running Crimson is a full-time job, and co-owning the MetroCourt is too, so she knows that something needs to go. Carly asks what she’s getting at, and Nina says she’s really enjoyed her time at the MetroCourt and Olivia’s been a really great business partner, but her first love is Crimson. So she was wondering if there was a possibility of them exploring the idea of Carly buying back her half of the hotel. Willow comes by and tells Carly that Wiley accidentally took this home after his last game. She gives Carly the cap and says, he insisted she bring it back to Carly. Carly says, that’s so sweet of him, and Willow says, speaking of Wiley, he really wants to make a date with Nina to help him with his homework. She’s so sorry. They were in the middle of a conversation, and she just interrupted. Carly says, that’s okay. Nina just offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt. Willow says, that’s terrific news, and Carly says, they were just in the discussion stage. Willow says, they should talk to Michael about this. She’s sure he’d be happy to help make it happen.

Tomorrow, Dante tells Austin to come up with the name of Mason’s boss and he might have a chance to save himself; Esme says she and Ace need to get away from Spencer; and Carly wonders why Nina is offering to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle is mad at Jessika for inferring he made her feel like a green stew. She wonders how he’s projecting this little thing on her when they have bigger issues. She’s confused. Kyle whines to Tumi that Jessika hurt him. You would have thought he’d attacked her. Tumi says, going forward, whatever regards a person, they’ll speak directly to them, and Kyle says he doesn’t trust a single person on this boat. In Luka’s interview, he says he hopes the captain’s wrist is just bruised. Captain Sandy is the heart of the ship, and he feels like it’s his fault. He hopes she’s okay. Primary Amanda asks if they can have a booze cruise on the tender, and Tumi says she’ll ask about it. Natalya tells Luka that she needs therapy, and in her interview, she says, knowing her partner put his hoo-ha in another woman is very heartbreaking. We flash back to AJ and Natalya having that conversation, and she says, it’s adding more anxiety and stress on her. Kyle texts Zach that it’s stressful, and Amanda and guest Sonali invade the galley, Amanda hugging Jack when she finds out he’s making tortellini and chocolate mousse. In Jack’s interview, he says, it’s a bit overboard, like Beatlemania. He is from Liverpool. She asks if Jack can hang out with them, when Max joins them. They ask where Max eats, and he tells them, the crew mess. They want to see it, and in Max’s interview, he says he doesn’t know if they’re supposed to be here, but why not? C’est la vie! They look in his cabin, and Sonali sees that he’s reading a sex book and highlighting things. She asks him to read it in English, and in his interview, Max says, it’s a Taoist sex book by some monk who specialized in sex energy 2000 years ago. He has to careful around the sexy, blondie, smiley girls. Take a bite of the apple. Luka finds a radio and asks around. No surprise, it turns out to be Max’s, and in Luka’s interview, he says he wants to smash Max, but can’t help laughing at him. He works off positive reinforcement and makes the crew happy. The guests ride the jet skis to shore, and on the boat, Jessika asks how Kyle is. He tells her to get out of his face and calls her malicious as hell. When she said he made her feel like a green stew, that meant he thought she was lower than she is and less than capable of doing her job. Jessika says she’s trying to communicate, and he’s taking it wrong, but Kyle says, they both speak English and have perfect communication. He’s saying things he doesn’t mean because he’s emotionally hurt. He thought she was here for him, since he’s been here for her since day one.

Jessika cries to Tumi, while Lara waits on the guests. Jessika tells Tumi that Kyle was snapping when he and Natalya were in the cabin; he was going off on the green stew thing. She tried to apologize and explain, and he said she was malicious. Tumi tells her, just breathe, and Lara says, when they’re done, a guest wants a lychee martini. No rush. Tumi tells Jessika to take a minute, and in Jessika’s interview, she says she doesn’t take men yelling at her well. She never had a father figure. Her mom was a single mom and had her at 16. She never met her biological dad, and she’s not used to having a strong male personality scream at her. Lara tells Haleigh that apparently Jessika complained that Kyle makes her feel like a green stew. She doesn’t know what happens up there. Haleigh says she feels like their team is falling apart, and in her interview, she says, the chaos and drama reminds her of middle school. Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! She’s thankful the biggest problem the deck team has is how many reps Max did with his pullups. Tumi figures out a way Kyle and Jessika can avoid each other until tomorrow, and in Tumi’s interview, she says she forgets how Kyle is like a toddler. He’s 30 going on 3. She needs Jessika to feel safe and needs Kyle to know that he can’t speak to her that way. It’s time to keep things together, and instead, she’s putting out fires. Natalya texts AJ that she misses him, but it’s hard when she knows he’s sleeping with other girls. Tumi tells Jessika that it was the wrong time to talk to Kyle when emotions are heightened. Jessika will do dinner service with her tonight, so they won’t mix. She tells Jessika that she’s proud of her, and they hug. In Lara’s interview, she says, Max is growing on her. He’s a good person and reads books. Who reads books? Seriously? Lots of people read books. Tumi looks for dress-up stuff for the casino thing, and Haleigh packs liquor for the booze cruise. Natalya passes out vests to the guys, and tells them, no shirts. The guests are ready to get on the tender, and Luka says, welcome to the booze cruise. They get in, and Max flirts. On the boat, Natalya tells Kyle that the theme is neon casino.

Captain Sandy returns, and Tumi asks if she’s okay. She says she has a fracture, and in her interview, she says she has a high tolerance for pain. She had the feeling she broke her wrist, since she’d broken the other one snowboarding. If it had been worse, she couldn’t drive and she’d have to be replaced as captain, but it’s not that bad. She can still drive the vessel. She thanks Nikola for holding down the fort. On the tender, the guests take pics and laugh. Natalya radios Luka and says she’ll need a heads up, since she wants to surprise the guests. He tells her, 10 minutes, and Natalya and Lara pour shots. Lara says, it smells like tomorrow night. Jack plates the… food porn! I dub it such before it even leaves the galley. The guests return, and Luka goes to see Captain Sandy. She tells him that she can still drive. It’s just a little fracture, but she’ll still have to wear the brace for 5 weeks. In Luka’s interview, he says, Captain Sandy’s wrist is broken, but she’s still got that attitude. You’re a boss. In Max’s interview, he says he thinks his reputation is getting better. He’s become the cherry on the cake, and it feels good. The captain stops by to see the guests, and explains that when she was launching the kayak, she backed up and fell on her bum, but she can still drive. Guest Carlie says, Captain Sandy’s crew is top notch. Kyle sees Natalya and says, they might as well fight, the day he’s having, and she asks, what happened? He says, Jessika is feeling a certain way, but Natalya says, he can’t harvest that negative energy. Kyle asks if he’s supposed to thank Jessika for talking sh*t behind his back. The drama is always revolving around the interior, and it’s exhausting.

In Jessika’s interview, she says, after the day she had with Kyle being a rude bitch, being on service reminds her that she’s a good stew, and makes her heart feel better. The table décor is Italian picnic surrounded by beautiful greenery, and the guests are seated. Amanda announces to no one in particular that the chef is having desert with them. Natalya and Luka hang up shiny streamers for the casino, while flirting, and Kyle says he’s drained. Jessika wants to know how she came into the conversation, and Tumi says, Kyle just heard green stew and flipped. Luka helps with service, and the guests cheer Jack when he comes up, thanking him for the best dinner. They ask where he’s from, and he tells them, Liverpool, and guest Sonali says she’s from London. Jack says he’s been there, and another guest says, she’s really from Maryland. They ask Tumi if it’s okay for Jack to have a shot, but Tumi says, it’s not her decision. Amanda asks, what if they demand it? and Jack says, then he’ll have to. They chant, shots! Shots! and Tumi serves them. Sonali says, Jack has to taste test the whole thing, and he throws it back. In Jack’s interview, he says he didn’t even want the shot. He feels possessed. And he can feel Tumi’s eyes on him. She knows he did wrong. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this, but he is. Tumi tells Jessika that Jack’s not allowed do that. Cleaning the cabins, Kyle says, women are literally the messiest of all humankind. We will have to agree to disagree. Jack spends a half hour with the guests, then cleans the galley. At 11:15 pm, it’s casino time. Jack joins them, and Sonali bounces an inflatable die on her palm. Jack finally leaves, and tells Tumi that it’s a good crowd; sexy as hell. Tumi says, Jack has a crush, and took a sneaky shot. Captain Sandy is so strict on that, Jack has to tell her. He doesn’t want her finding out. He says, she won’t unless there’s a snitch, but she says, the captain will find out. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s giving Jack an opportunity. Captain Sandy will find out from one of the guests or a crew member. She hopes he does the right thing. Kyle says he doesn’t feel good; he’s dizzy. He sits down on the floor, and Tumi says she doesn’t know what to do and runs off to get help.  

Tumi call Lara and tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. Lara speaks to Kyle in Afrikaans, and asks, what’s going on? He says he doesn’t feel well, and Lara asks Tumi to get a cold towel. Kyle says he’s been drinking water, so he’s not dehydrated, and Lara asks if he’s eaten. He says, this morning, and she says, that’s probably why this is happening. Kyle cries that this stupid drama is getting to him. He’s tired. Lara says, a buildup of emotions can create anxiety, plus not eating. Natalya eats in the crew mess, and Lara tells her that Kyle is lying on the floor. He’s crying and dizzy. She’s going to make him some noodles. Tumi tells Kyle that it could be an anxiety attack, and Kyle says, the older he gets, he doesn’t want to deal with this sh*t. No more with Natalya’s up and down relationship and feeling this and that. Tumi says, it’s okay, and Natalya says, they’re going to put him in bed so he can get comfy. Kyle says he’s overworked. It’s just everything. In Tumi’s interview, she says she’s not a stranger to anxiety attacks. She thinks the pressure this season is getting to Kyle, and he’s internalizing it. Your body tells you when you need a break, and if you don’t stop, your body will. AJ calls Natalya and says he’s – wait for it – missing part of his soul. <gag> He’s never been this long without her. Lara tells Kyle not to overwork himself, and Kyle texts Zach that it’s been a tough day. He loves and misses Zach. In Kyle’s interview, he says he’s overwhelmed. He’s been working long hours. He was similarly depressed on his first yacht. He was in a vehicle with the first officer and jumped out on I-95. He wanted physical hurt as opposed to feeling that way emotionally. But what is he supposed to do? Quit his job? Kyle thanks Lara and Tumi in a group chat, and says he reached his breaking point and can no longer obtain personal life matters from everyone anymore.

Nataly asks if Jessika has read the text, and says she thinks it’s a small dig saying he reached his breaking point. She thinks he means Jessika. In the crew mess Lara tells Haleigh that she wants to get laid. She doesn’t know what it feels like anymore. The breakfast special is smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and I wouldn’t throw that off my plate. Natalya asks Kyle, what’s going on? She thinks they should have an interior meeting when the guests are gone. He says, it’s for him and Jessika to sort out, and Natalya says, Jessika saw his dig at her, but he says he doesn’t care. Anchor is up, and Jessika asks if Tumi read the text. Jessika shows her, and Tumi says, it was just because of Kyle’s panic attack. In Tumi’s interview, she says, Jessika and Kyle’s last interaction was him attacking her, so naturally she’d think it was an insinuation against her. Tumi tells Jessika that Kyle said he can’t take on everyone’s issues. She doesn’t think Jessika was the target. It’s not meant to be a friendship group. Kyle tells Tumi that Natalya wants a meeting, but he’s just going to be sitting there. Tumi tells him that Jessika thought the message was targeting her because she didn’t know what happened, so she explained. In his interview, Kyle says, this is what Natalya’s about. She pokes her nose into other people’s business, and acts like she knows better. Stay in your lane. The guests pack.

The pilot boat comes, and Kyle suggests he and Jessika talk and come to a solution when the guests leave. Luka asks the interior to help with docking, telling them to take a fender each. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, it’s a tight slip, but she trusts her crew. Luka is in work mode, and it’s incredible how far they’ve all come. In Luka’s interview, he says he’s proud of his team. They were focused when Captain Sandy was off the boat, and it made him look good. And when he looks good, the captain is happy. There are hugs and goodbyes from the guests, and Amanda tells Captain Sandy that everything was top notch. She doesn’t know how the crew handled them. It was so fun. She gives the captain the tip envelope, and the guests leave. Captain Sandy tells them to turn the boat around, and then they’ll have a tip meeting. Jack tells Luka about the sneaky shot, and Luka thinks it would be a good idea to tell the captain. Jack meets Captain Sandy on the bridge, and he says that he f***ed up a little last night. He had a shot with the guests. The captain tells him, pack your sh*t, and before he has a heart attack, adds that she’s just kidding. Jack says he doesn’t even like shots, but they were encouraging him. She says, don’t do it again, and thanks him for telling her. She told them it would be a hard charter not to cross the line. He made a mistake, and he knows it. In the captain’s interview, she says she’s glad Jack admitted it, and they’re moving on. He knows better now. Kyle asks Jessika to do cabins with him, and in her interview, Jessika says, she wants to hear Kyle out and is ready to speak to him. He closes the cabin door and sits on the bed. She asks if she should go first.

Jessika tells Kyle, that when she said he made her feel like a green stew, she never meant it in a malicious way. After speaking to Tumi, she needs to think before she says something that will come off wrong. She’s sorry for not talking directly to him. He tells her, if it was Natalya running her mouth, he’d be like, that’s typical. Jessika will see things in her own time. Jessika tells him about Natalya bringing her attention to the text, and he says he understands what she’s saying. Jessika says she’s starting to see it, and in her interview, she says, after the conversation about being on service, she didn’t take it personally until Natalya questioned Tumi laughing. Then she questioned Tumi laughing. We flash back to that, and she says she wouldn’t have second guessed a text if Natalya didn’t make her think about it. Natalya is at the core of the drama. She knows the weak link and uses that to stir the pot. She tells Kyle that she’s sorry, and he apologizes for his approach. It brought him back to being picked on previously. Jessika says she’s truly sorry from her heart and they hug. He thanks her for chatting and being open. They’ve got this. He tells her to watch out, and she says she realizes. The captain calls everyone to the deck salon for the tip meeting.

Captain Sandy says, it was a bizarre charter for the crew, but when she was away, they maintained professionalism. She thanks them, and says, on the flip side, she said the guests would push them to cross the line. She asks, how many were tempted? and a few of the crew members raise their hands. She says, superyacht people don’t cross the line, no matter what. They maintained so well, she booked a charter for tomorrow, and there’s a 24-hour turnaround. This news goes over like a lead balloon, and the captain says, just kidding. Gee, she’s a real laugh riot. What’s with her today? She tells them that owners have arranged for a day off for them tomorrow. Go have fun and blow off steam. The tip is $20K or 1400 euros each. In Lara’s interview, she says she’s excited for a day off. Slick as sh*t. They clink glasses and Captain Sandy thanks them and tells them to have fun.

The crew finishes cleaning the boat and gets ready to go out. Haleigh suggests they get blackout wasted. They teleport to a restaurant, and when Luka orders tequila, water, and cucumber. Lara calls him a basic ass white girl. Food is served, and Kyle asks, what was their most challenging charter? Natalya says, the first one, and Kyle says, this last one was the worst in his history of yachting. Jessika says, it’s always a lot and suggests they be positive for the next one. Kyle takes her hand and says he’s glad they’re together again. To be honest, she looks happier. Tumi is a calm mediator. She knew they needed space from each other, and he needed to be away from the guests. Natalya watches them and if looks could kill. In her interview, she says, they have a trio of three best friends. Be positive. You’re so hot, babe. It does her head in. These are the most ungenuine people she’s ever met in her life. Wow. And she’s the most ungenuine, jealous, vindictive, screwed-up bitch I’ve had the pleasure to never meet in my life. AJ texts that he loves her because he senses potential fun, and she texts back that she loves him too. She tells the others that she’s going back to the boat for a minute, and she’ll meet them at the next bar. Kyle asks, what’s wrong? but she just leaves.

At the boat on the phone, Natalya tells AJ that it’s been a stressful week. It just built up. Everyone is out, but she’s on the boat. He says he’s at work, and she says she feels home sick. She doesn’t feel good and can’t deal with what’s going on.

At the restaurant, Jessika calls ex-primary Amanda, and says, they’re going to be in the bar next to the boat. Kyle says he can party, but he’s done with the girls. Natalya is so aggressive and sh*t stirring. He doesn’t want that toxicity around him. Lara says, it gave him an anxiety attack, and Kyle says he feels free now that Natalya walked off. At the next bar, the previous charter shows up, and Lara says, now the tables are turned. The girls have to buy them drinks. Natalya comes back, and one of the girls is sitting with Luka. Natalya says she could hear them a mile away, and Luka asks where she ran off to. She says she had business, and asks if he wants a shot, but he says, no. In Natalya’s interview, she says, Luka is super cold to her. She feels icy vibes toward him. Um… I think she means from him, but she is an idiot. Everyone dances, and kisses everyone else. Lara racks up 10 kisses overall. With different women. Max, who isn’t doing too badly himself with ex-guest Leni, puts Lara on his shoulders. Go, Lara! In Lara’s interview, she says, she’s got charm the straight ladies can’t resist. She’s a fun drunk. Luka goes into the bathroom with Jessika (!), and Tumi listens at the door. In Tumi’s interview, she says, this is going to end badly. Everyone says their goodbyes, and the crew goes back to the boat.

Lara says she hooked up with every woman who ever existed. Haleigh wisely goes to bed, and Kyle says he’s putting money on Max and Leni not working out. Max is 23, and Leni is a grown businesswoman. Kyle’s engaged, so he’s out. Max somehow thinks S for straight should be tacked on to LGBTQIA+, and Kyle says he must be crazy. He supports Max’s straightness and Max can show allyship, but he can’t be accepted as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Natalya says, maybe he’s bi-curious since he’d be with two girls. I think she’s joking, but again, she’s an idiot. Kyle tells her to take a back seat in this conversation, and she tells him not to talk to her like that. He says, she’ll never control him. Focus on her own f***ed up life. Jack tries to intervene, and Kyle says, she’ll throw him under the bus next. Natalya says she can’t believe what he’s saying. This speaks volumes about their friendship. He says, their friendship’s never been real. She’s been a fake ass bitch since day one.

I would cheer Kyle for telling Natalya what he really thinks, but they’ll probably be friends again by the end of next charter.

To be continued…

🌾Bringing In One Sheaf…

Come around tomorrow for soap and a cup or two of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not letting yourself be dragged into debate on Thanksgiving (change the subject), and stay admitting the truth. Everything’s going to come out in the wash anyway.

Nov11

November 10, 2023 – Spencer Explodes At Trina, Lolly Lover, Not Gone, Soap Fun, Final Date, The Best, Resilient, VanderNo, Not Yet, Downhill, Dead Revival, Roommates, One More, Nonagon Of Quotes & Battle

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Olivia gets to Eddie/Ned just in time, and extracts him from the tangle of seaweed and netting he’s in. Although I wonder why he’s wearing shoes when he left them at the boathouse.

At the MetroCourt, Alexis says, another precious minute lost. Where are you, Kristina? Blaze comes by and introduces herself as a friend of Kristina’s. She says she was supposed to meet a friend, but it seems fate has other ideas today; they just cancelled. She was on her way out, saw Alexis, and thought she’d introduced herself. Alexis says, that’s nice… Not that Blaze’s friend cancelled, but that Blaze introduced herself. Would Blaze like to join her? Maybe it’s fate. Blaze says, maybe it is, and sits down.

Drew sees Curtis at another table, and says, it’s nice to see him. Curtis says, likewise, and they hug.

Carrying a takeout bag, Trina joins Spencer outside Dex’s apartment, followed by Josslyn and Dex. She says, sorry he had to wait, but they have extra crunchy prawn, and Josslyn says, there was a delay in ordering because someone – she looks at Dex – had to weigh out the whole Marvel movie to catalog Monica’s powers. He says, in the last edition… and she says, yes, she understands. Trina asks Spencer, what happened? and he says, Esme happened. And this time she has his grandmother on her side.

Anna sees Valentin outside of Charlotte’s room and asks, how is she? He says, sleeping. The doctors say she’s going to make a full recovery. She says, thank God. There’s something he needs to know. He asks, what is it? but she says, not here, and they go to the stairwell.

Olivia gets Eddie to the surface and struggles to bring him to shore. She tells him, don’t make this hard. He’s got to be okay. She pounds on him, trying to get him to cough up water, then does chest compression and mouth-to-mouth. He coughs and she asks if he’s all right. He’s alive. He sits up, and she says he’s alive. He says, it’s her. She saved him. She says, of course (🍷) she did. She’d do anything for him. He says he should have always known this, and she says, it’s okay, Eddie, hugging him. He says he’s not Eddie; he’s Ned.

Kristina walks into the MetroCourt and sees Blaze talking to Alexis. She goes to the table and says she didn’t know Blaze knew her mother. Sorry she’s late. Alexis says, only forty-five minutes, and Blaze says her plans were a no-show, and she saw Kristina’s mother. Alexis says, Blaze introduced herself. That was so 1990s. Blaze says, and a lot of fun. She tells Kristina to sit, and says she was grilling Alexis about her job. Alexis says, actually, Blaze was keeping her company while she waited for Kristina… and waited… and waited… Kristina says, okay. Sorry about that. She got caught up with some planning commission things at the youth center. Alexis says, she’s here now and Blaze is here, so why don’t they all have dinner together?

Curtis says, it must be strange, being about to get up and go to sleep when he wants to and turn off his own lights, and Drew says, absolutely. But there are a few things he can think of that he missed more than that. Curtis says he knows that must have been hard. He’s sorry he didn’t visit Drew. Drew says, Curtis had a few things going on. What he went through is nothing in comparison to what Curtis went through. Curtis protests, but Drew says he’s serious. Doesn’t he think it’s silly for either one of them to feel they need to apologize to each other? They’ve been through it. Curtis has been there for him more times than he can count. This friendship is forged in fire. It’s brotherhood born in battle. Curtis says, wow, and raises his glass. To the battle… and to freedom. Drew says, and to survival, and they clink glasses.

Josslyn says, Esme again, and Spencer asks if Josslyn and Dex can give him a minute. Josslyn says, gladly, and she and Dex go into his apartment, Josslyn touching Trina’s shoulder as she passes. Trina asks what Esme did, and Spencer says, it’s nothing that Esme did; it’s what she’s going to do. She’s going to take Ace and she’s going to move into another apartment. Trina says, finally.

Laura looks in the window to Charlotte’s room. Elizabeth is with Charlotte, sees Laura, and comes out. Laura says, she looks so fragile in that bed, and Elizabeth says she knows, but Charlotte’s just sleeping right now. It’s best to let her rest as long as possible because her system is still fighting. But her vitals are excellent. She’s on track to make a full recovery. Laura breathes a sigh of relief and says, that’s fantastic. Where’s Valentin? She can’t imagine he’d leave her alone. (Geez, the poor guy doesn’t even get a bathroom break?) Elizabeth says, no. He’s been here the entire time. In fact, she just saw him walking down the hall with Anna just a little bit ago. Laura asks how Jake is handling all of this. She knows they all went trick-or-treating together, and heard he was the first one back to Anna’s house right after it happened. Elizabeth says she’s never seen him like this. It’s like he’s caught in this loop of feeling upset and feeling guilty that he lost track of her. He promised Valentin they would stick together, and that’s why he went looking for her. And now he’s scared and confused and doesn’t understand how Anna could have shot Charlotte. And honestly, neither can she.

First of all, didn’t anyone notice Charlotte was wearing a huge, dark, hooded robe and the apartment was dark? And on another topic, Jake knows that Charlotte had the keys and what she’d said about them getting her everything she wanted. This hasn’t come up yet, but I’m thinking it might give him a clue she was up to no good.

On a landing in the stairwell, Valentin asks Anna what it is he needs to know. She says, he has to believe her when she tells him, what happened with Charlotte was an accident. She had no way of knowing Charlotte was in that apartment. He says he knows that. She says she’s not making an excuse, because she understands this is killing him, and he says, there’s nothing she could have done. She says, when she left the apartment, she locked it, and when she returned, it was unlocked. So she knew there was someone inside there, and she thought she was going to be ambushed. That’s why she pulled her gun, and that’s when she made a terrible mistake. And she wishes she could make it all go away. When she saw Charlotte lying on the ground like that, and his face when he came in… He says, it was an accident. It was a tragic accident. She says, yes… How did he know to come to the apartment?

Ned and Olivia are dripping wet and sitting on the ground. Olivia asks what Ned is saying. Her Ned? Is it really him? He says, it’s really him. He saw her. He doesn’t even know how it happened. His mind was rushing like a whirlwind. Literally. The next thing he knows, he’s in the water, and stuck. And there she was. And now they’re here. She says, Lois told her that he was depressed. She went to the boathouse and saw his guitar and his shoes(🤷🏽‍♀️), and she thought… She cries, and he takes her face in his hands and says, it’s okay. They made it. She made it. They’re going to be okay. She says she thought she lost him, and he says, but she didn’t. She found him. It was her all along. She says, what? and he says, in the song. He knows how it ends. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the siren song. He knows how to finish it. She says, Eddie… Ned, let’s not do this right now, and he says he’s not Eddie. He’s Ned. She says, if he’s not Eddie, how did he remember the song? He says he remembers everything, and they kiss. So is he going to kind of be like Sonny/Mike now?

Spencer says, finally? Trina didn’t really just say that. She says, yes, she did. She knows he’s going to miss living with Ace, but it’s way past time that Esme go live on her own. He yells, who cares about Esme? He’s talking about Ace. Ace is the one he’s worried about in this instance. Josslyn and Dex come out, and Josslyn asks, what the hell is going on out here?

Kristina asks if Alexis knows that Blaze just signed with BLQ Management, and Alexis says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine. Blaze says, makes a refreshing change from that sleaze Linc Brown, and Alexis says she remembers his public takedown at the Nurses Ball. To Catch a Predator anyone? Blaze says, oh, we caught him, and Alexis says, and then he disappeared, and as she recalls, the whole thing went radio silent. She’s curious. How long before the abuse started?

Curtis asks how it feels to be back in the real world, and Drew says, he has no idea. Although he has to say, some things are more challenging than he anticipated. Curtis says, Drew has been out of the mix for a while, but Drew says, compared to when he broke out of captivity in Greece, the life he came back to this time hasn’t changed nearly as drastically. But Curtis’s has. What about him?

Elizabeth tells Laura that she knows Anna would never intentionally hurt Charlotte. Obviously, it was just a terrible mistake. But what was she doing carrying a gun around on Halloween? With people in costumes and kids jumping out at each other, acting all crazy. Laura says, she’s right, and Elizabeth says, and you add a gun in that mix? It only increases the odds that something tragic is going to happen. Yes, Charlotte is going to recover physically, but what about her emotional scars? And Jake is going to have to deal with this as well.

Valentin says he was supposed to pick up Charlotte and the other kids after trick-or-treating. Apparently, Charlotte went off on her own, and according to Georgie and Danny, Jake went after Charlotte in the direction of Maxie’s place, so he thought she was heading there. Anna says, well, he was right. She couldn’t figure out why Charlotte would come to the apartment. The police found her backpack, and in it was the keychain she showed him to Maxie’s apartment. Remember the one that had the shoe on it? In there were also these two cans of spray paint that were the same color that was used to paint the word murderer on her door. He says, Charlotte told him about the keychain; she didn’t tell him about the paint. She says, that doesn’t matter. What she’s trying to tell him is, she’s figured out who’s after her. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, and it is the WSB. Former WSB. She figured out the connection, and it’s a man called Jameson Forsythe. Old guard Bureau. They crossed swords ages ago. He says, no. She doesn’t understand… but she says she does. She found evidence, and Forsythe is trying to discredit, destabilize her, and somehow he’s involved Charlotte. She doesn’t know how he’s done it, but he’s using Charlotte to get to her.

Olivia and Ned go into the boathouse, and Ned puts a towel around her shoulders, then takes one for himself. She says she’s a little behind the curve. He has to catch her up. He’s not Eddie Maine anymore. He says, no. He’s just plain old Ned, her husband. She says, they have to get back to the house. They have to get him to a doctor. He says, you know what? He doesn’t want to go to the house. He wants to stay right here with her because it’s been too long. He just wants to enjoy this moment with her, okay? She says, okay, and they sit down. She says she doesn’t understand. He remembers everything? He says, it’s a bit fuzzy, a little disjointed, but he was here the whole time, like he was on autopilot. Or like playing one of Leo’s video games. He’s Ned, but he’s a little fuzzy. She asks if he remembers his daughter, and Tracy, and Leo. He says, yeah. He remembers everyone. He’s a Quartermaine. They were married in 2017. It’s now 2022. She says, 2023, and he says, right. He told her that things were fuzzy. She says, that’s just the small stuff. The important thing is that he’s here. They hug, and she says she was praying so hard for this, and he came back to her. He says, but she was willing to let Eddie stay, wasn’t she?

Blaze tells Alexis, at first, she was starstruck around all the beautiful people, all the glitz and glamour of the industry. She was so lost in it. When Linc began to overstep, she thought, maybe that’s just the way this world works; maybe he’s that way with all his artists. She didn’t want to seem uptight, so she stayed quiet and avoided being alone with him. Alexis says, Blaze made it her problem, not his, and Blaze says, exactly. One more layer of pressure to being in the public eye. Backstage, where you’re supposed to let your guard down, she was constantly looking over her shoulder. Alexis says, so she’s spending her downtime dodging him, and Kristina says, no one should have to do that. Alexis says, women are conditioned to normalize that kind of behavior, and then that message gets passed down to other artists. Blaze says she gets that entirely. By keeping her mouth shut, she was basically endorsing him.

Curtis tells Drew that his life is upside down for sure. Simple things like walking, running, even standing up, he can’t take for granted anymore. Drew says, but he’s not alone in this. He has family, friends. Curtis says he does and he’s grateful for that, but everything has shifted. The dynamic is different. Hell, he’s different.

They all go into Dex’s apartment, and Josslyn says she gets it. Spencer’s upset. One thing she’s learned about living in the dorms is, you have to be considerate of your neighbors and your own business. The whole building doesn’t need to know what’s going on right now. Spencer asks if she really thinks he cares what the building thinks. He gets louder, and says, Esme just told him that she’s taking Ace and moving into a new apartment, and his grandmother is going to co-sign the lease because they think Ace shouldn’t be a part of his life anymore. And when he comes to Trina with this, saying he’s going to be losing his baby brother, all she can say is, finally.

Anna tells Valentin that this is her past catching up to her. And somehow, it’s caught up to Charlotte, and she never wanted that. Forsythe has gotten to her somehow. Valentin says, there is no Forsythe. At least not the way she’s thinking. She asks what he’s trying to say, and he says his daughter’s been stalking her for months. And he’s been covering for her.

Laura sits next to Charlotte’s bed and says she’s here. How does it feel? Charlotte says her stomach hurts, but not too bad, and Laura says, she’s such a brave girl. Charlotte asks, where’s papa? He promised to be here. Laura says, he’s been here the whole time. He just went for a walk with Anna. Charlotte gets agitated, and says, it’s dangerous. They can’t trust Anna. She’ll hurt him.

Olivia tells Ned, every waking moment, with every beat of her heart, she was fighting for him. He says, no… and she says, he’s got to hear this. He needed to find his way back to them. She couldn’t push him. He needed to choose to come back to them. If he thinks she preferred Eddie Maine… He tells her, stop. She misunderstands. He’s not accusing her of being disloyal. He knows she was supporting him, and he loves her all the more for it. She says, Eddie… and realizes her mistake. He laughs and hugs her. He says he needed that space. After the accident, when he woke up in the hospital, everything was so confusing and unfamiliar, he grabbed the first thing that made him feel safe and comfortable. She says, Eddie Maine, and he says, it was his escape to a time when life was less complicated, and he wasn’t feeling the weight of his family and business suffocating him. To a time when it was just him, on stage, playing his music, no restraints, no judgements, just freedom.

Blaze says she didn’t mean to open a vein here, but Alexis says she’s the one who pried. Old attorney habits die hard. Kristina says, Blaze doesn’t know her mother; this is like catnip for her. Alexis says she’s more than curious. She’s outraged. Her nerve endings are twitching thinking about the lawsuit Blaze could file. Blaze says she doesn’t know… and Alexis says she’s serious. Kristina says, if Blaze doesn’t want to go the legal route, how about collaborating together on a piece about sexual harassment in the music industry? What does Alexis think? A feature with Blaze as the focus? Alexis says she thinks it’s a great idea; shed light on a rampant issue. Is Blaze willing to go on the record? Blaze says, it’s no secret what happened what happened to her. Anyone who was at the Nurses Ball or who saw it on television knows about it, but she wants to move forward with her career. She doesn’t want to go backward. Kristina tells her, what about what she just said? What about all of the artists who could fall into the same trap? Here’s her chance to show that predators aren’t the only way to do business. This is an opportunity for her to break that cycle.

Curtis tells Drew that sometimes he actually feels fortunate. There’s this guy, Devon, his gym buddy. Devon has it way worse than him, but this guy always stays positive. He has the most amazing outlook on life. Drew says, that’s incredible. He’s so glad to hear that. Curtis says, but to be perfectly honest, there are moments, split seconds, where he forgets about his new reality and tries to do normal things like get out of bed and stand up. Then reality slams back, so he’s learning to adjust.

Trina tells Spencer that she never meant to say it was a good thing losing Ace. She just thinks that Esme moving out is healthy for her, and ultimately for him. He says, healthy for him, to be separated from Ace. He’s losing a member of his family, and he thought she would understand that. Josslyn says, it’s not like Esme’s moving to another planet. She’s still going to be in Port Charles and so will Ace. He can see them whenever he wants. Isn’t that a good thing? Dex says, but it won’t be the same thing, and Josslyn and Trina look at him, as I would. Thanks, Dex.

Valentin says, Charlotte’s the one who vandalized Anna’s hotel suite. Security footage showed her breaking into that room with a backpack. Anna says, what? and he says he had Nina delete the footage from the server. She asks why he would have Nina do that. Why would he hide that from her? He says, the moment he saw it, he knew she was the one who spray painted Anna’s front door, that she was the one who set Anna’s house on fire. Anna says, no, but Valentin says, she knew how to get in Anna’s house. Her camp was less than an hour away. She could have gotten there easily. Anna says, it’s not possible, but he says he doesn’t know what Charlotte is capable of anymore. She says, so he knew his daughter was terrorizing her and he just let Charlotte keep doing it? and he says he was protecting Charlotte because he failed her so many times as a father. And he thinks he was protecting himself… She says, what about protecting her? Didn’t she have a right to know?

Laura tells Charlotte, it’s okay. Her father isn’t in any danger from Anna. Charlotte says, she’s wrong. Grandfather Victor warned her about Anna. He told her to protect papa. Laura asks what Victor said about Anna, and Charlotte tells her, he said she was a double-agent, and everyone would know about it soon. He visited her at school and told her to stay there where she’d be safe from Anna. He even wrote her a letter. She grabs her side, and Laura tells her, try to be still. She doesn’t want to reopen the wound. Charlotte says, Laura doesn’t understand. Grandfather told her that Anna was going to use her and pretend to be nice to her so she could trick papa. Laura says, he told her all of this in a letter? and Charlotte says, yes. He said that papa was so in love with Anna, he wouldn’t realize she was using him. Anna’s done a lot of bad things in the past, and made papa take the blame. She’s going to do it again and this time, papa’s going to end up in prison forever. He’ll be killed if she doesn’t keep Anna away from him. Laura says, shhh. It’s okay.

Olivia says she can understand Ned getting nostalgic for the past, for simpler times. So she’s got to ask him. Does Lois figure into this equation? (I laugh because Lois likes math.) He asks why she would bring Lois up, and she says, Lois was the last one he talked to before he jumped in, and everything changed. Is Lois the reason he came back to them?

Kristina says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to put Blaze on the spot. Her mother can vouch that is something she does. Blaze says, don’t worry about it. She appreciates Kristina’s passion. Alexis says, there’s no pressure here at all. It was a just an idea. She sees Drew and Curtis, and says she sees two friends over there who she’d love to say hello to. She’ll be right back. She leaves, and Kristina tells Blaze, that was not her place. Here she is, lecturing Blaze about her story when she knows better than anyone it’s an intensely personal decision. Blaze says, Kristina’s fire, her commitment to justice is infectious. It’s okay to want to make a difference. The thing she’d hate is if Kristina started editing herself and only told her what she wanted to hear.

Curtis says, Drew told him the whole story. Alexis is one gutsy reporter. Threatening to expose that judge like that? He’s glad it all worked out. They really missed Drew and he’s glad Drew’s back. Drew says he appreciates that, and there are smiles all around.

Ned tells Olivia that he was talking to Lois before he came down here to the boathouse. She was giving him a pep talk about finishing the song. Olivia says she wanted him to finish the song too, and he says he guesses he needed Lois’s no-nonsense bullying, and Olivia laughs. He says, Lois told him to take a leap of faith and go find the siren. She says, the siren, and he says, maybe she knew that was the key to getting him back to his real self. Or maybe not. But Olivia. She’s the one who actually pulled him back. She cries and he kisses the top of her head, pulling her to him. He says, turns out, she’s the siren. Hers is the only voice that could have brought him back. Lois may have had the idea, but Olivia made it a reality.

Dex says he understands where Spencer is coming from. Up to now, he and Esme have been raising Ace together. Obviously, living apart changes that dynamic, like a divorce. Spencer says, yes, a divorce where, if he wants to spend time with his own brother, he’ll have to act like a visitor. And it’s not the same as living together. He tells Trina, it’s just not, and Dex asks, what if they could get shared custody? and Spencer says, Esme’s not going to do shared custody with him, not with grandmother on her side. Trina says, Esme doesn’t have to share custody. He’s Ace’s brother, not his father.

Laura says she needs Charlotte to help her understand. She’s trying to keep her father away from Anna to protect him? Charlotte says, yes. Maybe move to London or somewhere near her granddaughter Emma. Anywhere really, as long as she’s away from papa and papa is safe. Laura says, okay, but this is what Victor wanted her to do, right? Charlotte tells her, he said it was the only way. Anna must have figured out she knew about her. That’s why Anna shot her, so she wouldn’t ruin Anna’s plans. Laura says, no, that was a terrible accident, but Charlotte says, it wasn’t. Anna saw her in the apartment. She knew it was her. Anna shot her on purpose. Anna wanted to kill her. Just like she’ll do to papa.

Valentin says he loves Anna, but Charlotte is everything to him. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Charlotte was targeting her. She says, so he just lied to her over and over again, and he says he wanted to tell her the truth. She says, but he didn’t. What did he think? That he could fix this? That he would just stitch this whole mess together and they would live in separate worlds, and it would all work? He says he was hoping by moving her into the house and giving her a home with him, that for once it would end her destructive behavior. They met with Doc. She was willing to have… Anna slaps him in the face, then pushes him, and says, shut up. If she’d known Charlotte was the one after her, she never would have pulled a gun. She shot a child. His child. She has to live with that for the rest of her life. She’s never going to forgive him. She storms out, and he can’t believe how stupid he is.

Ned and Olivia leave the boathouse, and he picks up his guitar. He says he thinks he knows the way the song ends now. She says she can’t wait to hear it, and they look out over the water, his arm around her. He says, she saved his life – literally and figuratively. She says, they save each other. That’s what love is. They kiss.

Drew and Curtis’s food comes, and Alexis says, that’s her cue to leave. She has to get back to her dates over there. It was such a pleasure to see Curtis, and he says, good to see her too. Drew says it was good to see her, and she leaves. Curtis tells Drew, sometimes it is so hard to just have a conversation without everyone trying to help when they know good and well they can’t. So that’s why it’s good to just hang out with a good friend who gets it. Drew says, any time, and Curtis asks what he thinks of the Nets’ chances this year, but Drew says he’s not falling for that. Curtis got him last time. Although they do have some good games coming up. Curtis agrees, and says, Boston tomorrow. Drew says, Curtis’s couch, his beer? and Curtis says he’s in… Portia may have other ideas. Drew says, then he’ll have to bring some wine, and Curtis laughs.

Alexis sits down, and Blaze says she’s decided. Kristina says she doesn’t want Blaze to feel pressured, but Blaze says, she’s in. A complete interview; nothing off limits. Alexis says, really? and Blaze says, yes. Kristina brought up some really good points. She can’t complain about what happened to her on one hand and not do everything she can to change it on the other. This is something she can do to stand up for those coming after her. Her contribution to their art, and to their voices. Kristina says she didn’t put it nearly as poetically as that, and Blaze says, that’s what collaboration’s all about. Someone comes up with an idea, someone comes up with the words, put it together, you’ve got magic. She has to make a quick call, but they can talk details when she gets back. She excuses herself and leaves, and Kristina asks what Alexis thinks. Alexis says she thinks Blaze likes Kristina, and Kristina says she likes Blaze too; she’s cool. Alexis says, no. I mean she likes you likes you.

Spencer says, Trina… but Trina says, no. Let’s unpack this. The only way he gets to be Ace’s father is if he’s with Esme, in a relationship. If the two of them are a couple, then they get to raise him together. That is a sure-fire way to solve his problem. Is that what he wants? He says, no, of course (🍷) not. He doesn’t love Esme; he loves her. But he also really loves his little brother, and he knows in his heart that Ace needs to be in his life. Trina says, he will always be in Spencer’s life, just not in the house, but Spencer says, no, because that would be abandoning him, and she knows he’s not going to do that. She says, then he knows what the solution is for that, but where does that leave them? He tells her not to ask him to choose between her and Ace. She’s not going to like the answer. She says, don’t worry. She’ll save him the trouble. She grabs her bag and walks out.

Laura tells Charlotte, don’t worry. She’ll make sure Charlotte’s papa is safe. They’re going to figure all of this out. Charlotte says, Anna can tell that she knows she’s bad. That’s why Anna shot her. Papa can’t trust her. Laura has to tell him. Laura says, it’s going to be all right, she promises. Close her eyes and get some rest. It’s going to be okay. She kisses Charlotte’s forehead and leaves.

In the hallway, Anna says she really needs to talk to Charlotte, but Elizabeth says, it’s only family. Anna says, it will only take one minute, but Elizabeth says, it’s not possible. Laura comes out of Charlotte’s room and Elizabeth goes in. Valentin comes out of the stairwell, and Laura tells Anna that Charlotte’s just fallen back to sleep. Anna says, she doesn’t understand. It’s imperative that she speak with Charlotte right now. Laura says she really thinks Anna should wait… but Anna says, it can’t wait. She has to tell her… Laura says, Anna can’t go in there. Charlotte is terrified of her. She thinks Anna shot her on purpose. Anna cries and says she didn’t, and Valentin hangs his head, as he should.

On Monday… they show scenes from several days ago, so I’m not sure what that means. Either it’s a mistake, or we’re going to be forced to watch news-not-news.

💣 He’s Just Misunderstood…

They’ll have to dig deep to find some redeeming qualities.

Nathanyael Grey Insists GH’s Mason Isn’t All Bad

🍕 Didn’t Think So…

What would the Q mansion be without her? My money’s on her coming back for Thanksgiving pizza.

Jane Elliot Is Not Leaving GENERAL HOSPITAL!

👻 Fun And Games…

The kids always look like they’re having a good time off-camera.

Backstage at GH’s Halloween With Scarlett Fernandez

🏆 For Real This Time…

As predicted, the main event of the Daytime Emmys will be aired on December 15th.

The 2023 Daytime Emmys Ceremony Will be Held in December!

👖 It’s Not The Pants…

I knew there was a reason I liked Sutton so much. This is it.

Sutton Is The Best Housewife, Argue With The Wall

👠 Bouncing Back…

Hopefully, she can keep the momentum going. Talk about making (hard) lemonade out of lemons.

https://extratv.com/2023/11/08/ariana-madix-on-fan-support-at-bravocon-and-her-resiliency-exclusive/

🍸 Her Calendar Is Full…

Why would she come back? Just to be harassed by Erika and get offers of fake friendship from Kyle? It’s not like she has nothing to do.

Lisa Vanderpump Reveals if She Would Return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

And while we’re on the subject.

Everything We Know About Vanderpump Rules Season 11

🌁 Lasting Long Enough For Last…

2025? Really? Although I can hardly blame Pedro Pascal.

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

https://collider.com/gladiator-2-filming-start-pedro-pascal-last-of-us/

🛟 Like They’re On A Water Slide…

The short answer: yes. The golden years with Captain Lee and Kate are over, but we’ll always have Couch Talk.

Is Below Deck Going Downhill?

⚰️ A Diabolical Plot…

Of course, he’s not against reviving the original series. It’s got to be a billion dollar franchise by now. And brilliant idea to merge all the Deads into one big kumbaya Dead.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/11/09/the-walking-dead-boss-not-against-reviving-the-original-series/

🦥 This Guy…

I’m obsessed with 90 Day Fiancé and all its spin-offs. I don’t include it here because I already give it too much time. If this guy’s mother wasn’t living in the closet, it might be fun to live there. For about a week. I love the annoyed chihuahua.

https://people.com/90-day-fiance-clayton-introduces-5-roommates-including-two-guinea-pigs-exclusive-8386660

🐩 You Didn’t Think I Was Done…

Oh, come on, just one more.

https://www.homecrux.com/celebrity-pet-halloween-costumes/181675/

🍿 Quotes of the Week

Never trust humans just to let things be. – David (Mike Colter), Extinction

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. – Alexander the Great

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. – Ronald E. Osborn

It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. – Ursula K. Le Guin

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Many things—such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly—are done worst when we try hardest to do them. – C.S. Lewis, Studies in Medieval Literature, compiled in Words to Live By

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. – Thomas Edison

An idea is a fart your brain makes. But if you patent an idea, it’s an asset. – Rufus Griswold (Michael Trucco), Fall of the House of Usher

🍠 Keep Your Yams To Yourself…

On Sunday, stop the scaries by dropping in for some Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay considering going out for Thanksgiving dinner (nothing says Thanksgiving like Oysters Rockefeller!), and stay toasting to the battle, freedom, and survival.

Nov10

November 9, 2023 – Charlotte Tries To Plant Bad Seeds, Shep Becomes a Baby When He Loses At Ping-Pong & Rebellion

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Eddie/Ned looks out over the water and hears the siren’s song. He ditches his coat and shoes, and jumps into the water.

Brook asks what Tracy meant about Lois leaving, and Lois says, Brook knows her. She’s not one to overstay her welcome. Not that there’s much of a welcome with Tracy. Of course (🍷) she’s gone. Lois raises her glass of wine, and Brook says, Lois is going too? Lois says, the only reason she came was because of that awful tabloid story about Brook, but look at her now; she’s fine. In fact, she’s more than fine, and Lois thought she’d get out of Brook’s hair. Her work here is done. Brook says, her work here is never done, and she kind of likes having Lois in her hair. Lois takes Brook’s hand and says, always and forever, she’ll be here for her. If Brook needs her, she will drop everything. So just say the word, and she’ll stay exactly where she is.

Things are being set up for the photoshoot. Coming in with Salvadore, Maxie says she can’t believe they landed this session with him. Whoever gave up this slot… Salvadore says, they’re dead to him. (He looks just like someone I used to work with. I know it’s not, but it’s weird.) Miss a booking and poof! You’re history. Maxie says, their loss is our gain, and Salvadore agrees. He’s seen their troubles in the trades. This is just the sort of challenge Salvadore likes. Maxie says, with his genius steering their ship, they will be sailing straight out of stormy waters. Imagine Sasha immortalized by Salvadore. He says, Sasha-a, no. He won’t work with divas, dopers, or demorados. This girl has flair, no doubt, but will she smash his lamps? Will she listen to the voices in her mind? No drugs on his set. Do they hear that? Go outside for that. Maxie says, it’s not going to be a problem with Sasha, when Sasha walks in. He says, no? He’s got eyes and ears. He knows all about Sasha-a. If he’s to create an iconic image, he cannot have a fragile, unstable flower. Maxie says, Sasha is stronger than he thinks. She won’t let him down, Maxie promises. He turns around to see Sasha and says he prefers to hear that from Sasha herself.

Felicia sits in the Bistro, when Stella puts a cup in front of her – some chamomile to calm her down – and a piece of cake – and some sugar to pep her up. She sits down and says, Felicia has been jittery and distracted all afternoon. Come on, out with it. Felicia says she doesn’t know where to begin, and Stella suggests she begin at the beginning. She doesn’t have any place else to be except here with Felicia. Felicia says, it’s horrifying. Her best friend accidentally shot someone last night, a young girl, and it’s all her fault.

Spencer meets Laura at the MetroCourt and asks if she’s okay. She sounded really serious on the phone. Laura says, it is serious, and thanks him for meeting her. She wanted him to hear it from her before he heard it on the news. He says, what is it? and she says, his cousin Charlotte was shot last night. He says, what? Is she… Laura says, she’s alive, and Spencer asks, who shot her? She says, Anna Devane.

At the penthouse, Sonny asks where Anna is going, and she says she has to explain everything to Valentin, but he says, that’s the last thing she wants to do.

Nina says Charlotte’s name, and Valentin says, she’s waking up. He asks her to come back to them and she opens her eyes. He says, she’s awake. He speaks to her in French and says he was so worried about her.

Olivia calls to Eddie outside the boathouse and sees his guitar and shoes. She goes inside, but it’s empty, so she goes back out and finds his jacket on a chair. She wonders what he did and calls to him again. She asks if he can hear her, and wonders what to do. She takes off her jacket, says, please let him be okay, and jumps in. She swims under the water, looking for him.

Brook says, it’s weird to hear Lois say she’s fine. Even weirder to know she is. For once, she’s not in any crisis. Lois says, hear, hear, and Brook says, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need Lois any less. It’s been amazing having her here, and a little bit strange while dad is going through this Eddie Maine thing. Lois says, strange to Brook? and Brook says, growing up, she used to hear all these stories about Eddie Maine, the rock star, the rebel. But she never saw it for herself until he performed at The Savoy. It was like a childhood fairytale come to life. Lois says, Eddie Maine was, and is, a huge part of her father’s life, and a huge part of her life. She fell for him, hard, and he fell for her, until she discovered he was actually somebody else.

Stella asks what Felicia means, it was her fault? and Felicia says, Mac told her that Anna, her friend, came home to find someone in her apartment. The lights were off, and the intruder seemed to have a weapon. Anna thought she was in danger, so she fired. It turned out to be a 15-year-old girl. Stella says, good Lord, what was she doing at Anna’s? and Felicia says, they don’t know, but right now, she’s in the hospital fighting for her life. Stella still doesn’t see why Felicia thinks she’s responsible, and Felicia says, it was her idea Anna move in to her daughter’s old apartment. If she’d just had Anna stay with them, none of this would have happened. Stella says, she doesn’t know that.

As Sasha gets her makeup done, Maxie stands in a set adorned with flowers. She tells Salvadore, their spring line is all about renewal. Updated colors, a softer palate, a whisper of nature. Imagine Sasha in this Eden with a sweet baby animal by her side. He says, the garden is ready, but where is the baby animal? and she says, it will be here; she promises. Unfortunately, the lamb she booked got laryngitis, but she called in a favor for a backup. In the meantime, why doesn’t he shoot Sasha getting her groove on in this beautiful garden? He says he supposes they must. Come, Sasha. Is she ready?

Laura says, apparently, Anna mistook Charlotte for an intruder in her apartment, and Spencer asks how this is even possible. Laura says she doesn’t have all the details yet, but she knows Anna isn’t reckless, so she must have felt there was a genuine threat there. He asks why Charlotte was even in Anna’s apartment in the first place, but Laura says, they just don’t know yet. When she left the hospital this morning, Charlotte was out of surgery, but she hasn’t woken up yet. He says, but she will, and Laura says, yes. She’s supposed to make a full recovery. He says, thank God, and she says she’s going to go back over to the hospital later and visit her, but she wanted Spencer to hear it from her in person. Actually, there’s something else she needs to talk to him about. And it is important.

Charlotte says, Nina. They’re both here, together. Nina says she wanted to be here when Charlotte woke up, and Valentin asks how Charlotte is feeling. She says her stomach hurts and her mouth is dry. Nina gets a cup with a bendy straw and says, here’s some ice chips. Drink slowly. (I don’t know as she’ll be drinking ice chips, but okay.) Valentin asks if she can tell them what happened. Does she remember? Charlotte says she thinks so. It was Halloween. They were trick-or-treating, and then… Anna. Anna shot her.

Anna thanks Sonny for letting her stay here last night. She’s very grateful, but she can’t hide out here forever. She has to face Valentin, and she has to get him to understand. Sonny says he knows she wants to confront things, but now may not be the right time. He and Valentin are different people, but they’re both fathers. He doesn’t think he would be ready, if it was him, to accept her explanations at this point. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny opens it to Dante. Dante comes in, and Anna asks if he’s here to arrest her.

Eddie comes up for air, then goes back underwater, frog kicking away.

Brook says she can’t believe Lois jumped out of a cake, and Lois says, Kathryn Bell nearly jumped out of her skin. Surprise! Brook says, that’s got to be the best revenge she’s ever heard, and Lois says she figured they both deserved a swift kick in the pants. Brook says, but still, she’s sorry Lois had to go through all that, and Lois says, boo-hoo. That’s all in the rearview mirror. She likes to drive toward the future. Brook says, she’s amazing, and Lois says she likes to drive down the road. She never knows where it’s going to take her. Lots of funny places. Like here for example. And what did she get? Her beautiful, talented, feisty daughter, who’s now keeping the musical flame alive. See? It all comes full circle. Brook says, living the dream. At least trying to. Lois says, that’s all any of us can do. Unfortunately, Brook’s dream comes with a lot of potholes. So she’s just got to make sure those potholes don’t knock her off-course.

Stella tells Felicia to get one thing straight. No crystal ball in the world could have predicted that girl being in Anna’s apartment. Felicia says, she’s right, but recently, someone burned down Anna’s house. Anna’s been stalked and threatened, and Felicia should have seen the danger signs. Stella says, how? What happened at Anna’s place was a crime, but Felicia’s heart was in the right place, offering her a fresh start. Felicia says she just wanted to keep Anna safe. She never imagined this. Stella says, she’s been a good friend to Anna. The real culprit is out there. Pray that they’re soon behind bars.

Spencer says, if this is about his father, don’t bother. He realizes Laura wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, but Nikolas has been absent from his life for too long. Now he’s done the same thing to Ace. Spencer just doesn’t have it in him to forgive Nikolas anymore. Laura says, he’s not going to do himself any good by feeding this anger, and he says he knows, which is why he’s channeling all that energy into taking care of Ace. So he can be there for Ace, and make sure he feels safe and secure, and he doesn’t need a father because Ace has him. Esme runs in and says she’s so sorry to interrupt. She sits down and says, Doc told her they were both here. She has news that can’t wait.

Valentin says, it’s okay, and Charlotte says she didn’t know Anna would shoot her. Nina says, it was an accident, a terrible, terrible accident. Anna thought she was an intruder; she didn’t know it was Charlotte. Charlotte asks if that’s what she said, and Nina says she saw Anna this morning. She feels terrible, and she’s so worried about Charlotte. She thought someone was breaking in and she fired in self-defense. Charlotte asks what Anna told Valentin.

Dante says he’s not here for Anna’s arrest. He’s here as a friend and to let her know about some stuff from the PCPD. Anna says, don’t compromise himself for her, but he says, there’s nothing that would compromise himself; it’s the contents of Charlotte’s backpack. But first he wanted to know how Anna thinks Charlotte got into her apartment. She says she doesn’t know, and he asks if she thinks there’s a chance she didn’t lock her door. She asks what he thinks after everything she’s been through in the past few months, but he says he’s just trying to help her. She says she locked the door. That’s what tipped her off that there was an intruder, because when she got back from seeing Robert, the door was unlocked. And she thought that maybe this person who’d been terrorizing her was inside. That’s why she pulled her gun… and made the worst mistake of her life.

Sasha comes out in a pale orange Grecian style gown, and Salvadore tells her, relax and make friends with the cam-er-a. He’s here to capture the essence of her. Maxie tells her, but no pressure, and Salvadore begins taking pictures. He says, very nice… but what’s with those shoulders? Loosen those bones. They’re in paradise. What is there to worry about? She poses, and he says, beautiful, as he takes more photos. Yes, now she’s with them. Cody comes in and asks if anyone ordered a baby alpaca. He sees Sasha and he’s mesmerized.

Esme tells Laura that she found the perfect place. It’s on the ground floor. It’s right by the park. It’s a tad pricey, but it’s so safe, and if Laura’s still willing to chip in with her earnings from The Invader, she thinks it’s the perfect place for her and Ace. She has an appointment in 45 minutes. Spencer says, cancel it. She’s not taking Ace anywhere. She pops him in the nose. Not really, but it’s my fantasy.

Valentin says he hasn’t spoken to Anna. He hasn’t left Charlotte. He’s been too worried. He knows she left Jake and the others on Halloween night, and he knows she changed her Halloween costume. Why did she do that? Why did she go to Anna’s? How did she get into Anna’s apartment?  

Felicia says, voicemail, and Stella says, that’s all she can do for now. Felicia says she’s worried about Mac. He may be the one who has to arrest Anna. And her brother-in-law Robert. Will he be the one who has to prosecute her or recuse himself from the case? It’s all a big mess right now. Stella says, Felicia needs a breather. Why doesn’t she take tomorrow off? Felicia says, no dice. If she doesn’t stay busy, she’s going to spend the entire day worrying about Anna. Stella says, she’s right. Drink her tea.

Dante tells Anna, one of the items found in Charlotte’s backpack was a key with a keychain in the shape of a shoe. Does that ring any bells? Anna says, it sounds like the one Maxie gave her with the key to her apartment. Sonny asks if she lost it, and Anna says she did. She didn’t know she had until she was taking some things to the apartment, and she realized it was gone. The super gave her a duplicate. Dante asks when she last had the key, and she says she thinks she showed it to Valentin. Charlotte was there at his house. Sonny and Dante exchange looks, and she says, what?

Brook says, now Lois is confusing her. She feels like she’s getting mixed messages. Lois says, not at all. All she’s saying is, the music business is like… the roller derby. There’s a sweet jackpot, but it’s ruthless. You think you’re ahead, when all of a sudden, here comes Mary Choppins, and she’s got an elbow jab – boom! Brook knows her motto, no fight… Brook says, no win, and Lois says, there you go. So are she and Blaze ready to go into battle? Brook says she feels like they are. With Blaze’s chops and her songs, she feels like this is her chance to build something from the ground up. Lois says, yes, and that is a long way to go. And there is a much easier life. Her granny’s gift of Deception.

Eddie swims around underwater, looking for his siren. Olivia swims around underwater, looking for Eddie.

Salvadore continues to snap photos, and Maxie asks Cody to get the llama for the next set-up, but he’s transfixed, watching Sasha. Salvadore says, this is Eden, and Maxie says, Cody?

Esme tells Spencer that she’s going to look at the apartment, unless Laura has changed her mind about helping her with the rent. Laura says she hasn’t changed her mind. She’s looking forward to seeing it. Spencer says, what? and Laura says, just a minute. She tells Esme, and after she’s seen it, if she thinks it’s a safe place, she’ll co-sign the lease. Spencer says, they’ve been through this. Esme has thought about moving out before, and he thinks she came to her own realization that Ace is better off where he is. He’s happy, he’s in a safe home, and he’s surrounded by family. Esme says, a lot has changed since then. She’s more confident as a mother now, and she and Ace are ready to be on their own. He asks how she knows what Ace is ready for, and Esme says, she is his mother. She gets up and says, her job is to make decisions for him. She has to go. She picks up her stuff and leaves. Spencer asks Laura, how could you do this?

Valentin asks what Charlotte was hoping to find at Anna’s, and Nina says, Charlotte just woke up. She needs to rest. So maybe their questions can wait, and she can focus on getting better. Charlotte says, that’s okay. She wants to tell them what happened. Papa needs to know.

Sonny says, it’s pretty obvious Charlotte used that key to get into Anna’s apartment. He’s just trying to figure out how she got it. Did she find it? Did she take it? Anna wonders why she would take it. It doesn’t make any sense. Dante says, maybe some of the other items in her backpack can shed some light on it, and Anna asks, what items? Dante says, spray paint; same brand, same color that was used to write murderer on Anna’s front door.

Felicia thanks Stella for taking the time to sit with her. She knows there are a lot of people who count on Stella. How is Curtis doing? Stella says, Curtis is a fighter. Every time she looks at him, she sees the pain behind his eyes. He had such a zest for life – running, boxing, dancing. Like the sister said, he was the greatest dancer. Not anymore. Felicia says she’s sorry. Is that why Stella is staying in Port Charles and not going to London to be with her cousin? Stella says, yes… and no.

Brook asks if that was a subtle don’t quit your day job jab, because Lois doesn’t think she has what it takes to take Blaze over the top. Lois says, au contraire, honey bear. The song Brook and Chase played for her has the perfect hook. She just wants to make sure Brook understands what she’s setting herself up for. Brook asks, what happened to, do what you love, and the money will come? and Lois says, of course (🍷) it will come, but it’s a 24/7 job. No weekends, no holidays. Or Brook can have an easier life – Deception. Brook says, too many bad memories and lost friendships, and Lois says, why not just take the company back and hand it over to her friends? That would really spite Tracy. Not that she or Brook would ever do anything purely for spite. Brook says, who, us? and Lois asks what she says. Does she want to stick it to granny?

Eddie gets his ankle tangled in some seaweed and struggles to get out. He flashes back to Brook, Olivia, and Lois, and the times everyone has said he’s Ned Quartermaine. He remembers being with Olivia at The Savoy and playing for Brook. He starts to remember being Ned. Olivia surfaces and calls for Eddie. She goes back underwater.

Sonny says, there’s a lot of red spray paint in the world. Just because Charlotte had the same brand and the same color, doesn’t prove anything. It was Halloween. Kids are tagging everything at that point, right? Dante says, graffiti? and Sonny says, yeah. Dante says, that would explain the other costume she had in her backpack. Anna says, what if it’s worse than that? Because she thinks she’s identified the person who’s targeting her. He’s from her early years at the WSB, and this individual is ruthless enough to co-opt a child. What if he’s using Charlotte to get to her? Dante says, if that is the case… She says she has to talk to Valentin and heads out the door. Dante asks if Sonny is just going to let her go.

Charlotte tells Valentin that she switched her costume because she didn’t think he’d like her to go as a tarot card character. He doesn’t like when she does the cards. He tells her that he never said that, but she says she can tell. Whenever she asks to do a reading on him, he says no. He says, she still hasn’t said why she was at Anna’s, and she says she found Anna’s key. Anna showed it to them. It must have fallen out of her purse. She just wanted to give it back. She knocked on the door and no one answered, so she just let herself in. She was going to leave a note. That’s when Anna came in and shot her. Nina says, that’s enough. Charlotte needs to rest. Charlotte gets all teary and says she only wanted to help. Is he angry with her? Valentin says, no. He loves her. He’ll always love her no matter what. She says she only wanted to help, and he says, Nina’s right. She needs to rest. He kisses her on the forehead, and he and Nina leave.

In the hallway, Valentin says, she’s lying… about everything, and Nina says, she’s awake. She’s alive. All this other stuff, it can wait. He says, she’s right; that’s all that matters. He thanks her for being here for Charlotte, and she takes his hand. She says she’s just a phone call away. She’ll be back tomorrow. She leaves and Valentin looks sick.

Cody leads the alpaca to Sasha, and she asks what he’s doing here (Cody, not the alpaca). She says, who’s this little guy? and he says, meet Ferdinand, named after his favorite bull. But don’t tell Salvadore. He might throw him in a ring or something. Sasha promises she won’t, and says, he’s so cute (he is!), petting the alpaca. Cody says, he’s super gentle. Look at his eyelashes. She says, he does not need any makeup, and they pet the alpaca. Salvadore sees, and says, stay just like that. Perfection. He takes photos, but Maxie says, they have to get the alpaca wrangler out of the shot. Salvadore asks if she’s mad. This is what makes it so authentic. He takes more photos.

 Felicia tells Stella, that’s not fair. What’s the yes and what’s the no? Stella says, it’s nothing, but Felicia says, come on. She’s been pouring her heart out to Stella. Stella said part of their job is to listen, so consider this training, and let her listen to Stella. Stella says, Felicia is playing her own card against her, and Felicia says, uh-huh. Stella laughs and says, all right. While she was in London, visiting her cousin Wanda, she met someone special. Felicia says, who? and Stella says, George. Charming, sharp, and oh so very British, proper in every way. Felicia says, that’s exciting. Is he a friend of Wanda’s? Stella says, no. He was a regular at their favorite Italian spot. She noticed he was looking at her, and he was a bit of all right. They exchanged glances, and then one day she went to pay the bill, and they said, the gentleman who just left took care of it. Can she imagine? So she went right out, and there he was, looking at her, waiting. Felicia asks, what happened? and Stella says, what didn’t happen? He became her tour guide. They roamed the city together. Galleries, gardens, you name it. It was like something out of a movie. Magical. Felicia says, she fell head over heels, didn’t she? and Stella says, more than she could have ever imagined. Felicia says, but? and Stella says, George proposed. Felicia says, she turned him down, and Stella says she did. Felicia asks, why? and Stella says, because accepting would have meant London for life, and as much as she loves George, her family, her heart, her essence are all right here.

Brook tells Lois, that was Maxie. They borrowed the alpaca for a photo shoot. Ferdy’s such a cute alpaca… She knows Lois is just looking out for her, and so is Chase… Lois says, Brook never told her that Chase was on the same page as she was, and Brook says, he had the same idea that she should just walk in to Deception like a Trojan horse. Lois says she knew that guy was a keeper, but Brook says, there’s a catch. Tracy. She’s not stupid. She did as Brook predicted and made herself President of the Board and made it impossible to vote her out. Lois says, Tracy is not all that. With Brook’s smarts, and a little bit of cunning, she can make things right for her friends. Brook says she doesn’t know, and Lois says, the best way to get rid of the queen is from inside the castle, not from outside the gates. So she takes the job, then she lets destiny do its work. She looks at Brook’s hand and says, and always make sure she gets a fresh manicure every week. Except on Thursdays. Thursdays are bad luck.

Olivia sees Eddie, still stuck, and swims to him.

Anna sees Valentin outside Charlotte’s room.

Sonny tells Dante, Anna is whistling in the wind. It doesn’t make any sense to him that a WSB agent tells Charlotte to go to Anna’s apartment with a backpack full of spray paint. Dante says he doesn’t know what to think. When Charlotte was staying with them, she was quiet and reserved, but she was polite and gracious. Did she fit in 100% with the kids? Not really, but she hung out with Rocco a lot and went out of her way to hang out with Danny and Scout. She’s had a complicated life, right? She wasn’t always an angel. Sonny asks if Charlotte is capable of targeting Anna, and Dante says he doesn’t know, but the evidenced is pointing that way. Like Sonny said, it’s a farfetched idea to think there’s some mysterious person from Anna’s past that’s secretly pulling the strings. Sonny nods.

Spencer asks why Laura is helping Esme take Ace away from him, but Laura says, Esme isn’t taking Ace away from him. She’s creating a home for herself and for her son. He says, but Esme can’t take care of Ace alone. Ace needs him. She says she thinks Ace does need him, and he always will, as his big brother, not as a substitute father. He says, Ace doesn’t have a father, and she says she knows. It’s really unfortunate, but Spencer and Esme are not a couple, right? And he’s not ready to commit himself to Esme. So what’s best for Ace is that they make this change now before he’s old enough to remember things used to be different. He says, she’s wrong. Ace needs to stay with him. He storms out.

Taking more photos, Salvadore says, an ethereal vision of a baby alpaca with trust in its eyes. It’s a paradise reborn. Before the serpent. Maxie says, Cody is not a model, and Salvadore says, neither is the alpaca. He’s an alpaca and Cody’s a man. Did she not hire Salvadore? This is what he’s talking about. Salvadore’s vision of spring. Maxie asks if Cody is good, and Cody says, yeah, sure. Why not? Salvadore says, enough of this talk. Sasha-a, listen to the alpaca. She’s his mother. She is teaching it life. And you, trainer, never take your eyes off her. Cody says, not a problem. Salvadore takes pictures of Cody and Sasha, Sasha and the alpaca, and Cody, Sasha, and the alpaca. Maxie says, this is perfect.

Lois tells Brook that Tracy’s a snake. She’s a smart snake, but… Brook says she almost feels bad, talking about getting Tracy out of Deception when she’s going through something so personal. It feels wrong. Lois says, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Tracy would be the first one to say it. Family is one thing, and business is another, and with this business, you gotta be tough as nails. Brook says she guesses Lois is right, and like she said, Tracy is a snake. So how do they defang her? Lois says, that is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? She guesses she’ll have to stick around a little longer and help Brook figure it out. Brook says, works for her, and they join hands. Lois says, besides, she’s always had a thing for snakeskin boots, and they laugh.

Olivia gets to Eddie just in time, and untangles him. She beings to bring him up to the surface.

Tomorrow, Curtis and Drew toast to freedom and survival; Kristina says, this is an opportunity for Blaze to break that cycle; Charlotte tells Laura that Anna is dangerous and they can’t trust her; and Anna says, there’s something Valentin needs to know.

Southern Charm

Breakfast is served at Taylor’s family’s lake house, and they say grace. Penny begs at the table, and I don’t blame her. I love breakfast food. Taylor says, Olivia is coming in an hour, and mom Leslie says, it’s so soothing here. It’s been a rough couple weeks, and as one of Olivia’s closest friends, Taylor has to own whatever it was to come out on top. In Taylor’s interview, she says she’s excited, but nervous, and hopes to repair the friendship and move forward. Leslie is so right about it being soothing there. This is one gorgeous piece of property.

Olivia calls her mom and says she misses them. She’s heading to Taylor’s family’s mountain house. Her mom says, it will help, but Olivia says she’s hesitant to go. In Olivia’s interview, she says, between the sh*t with Taylor and what happened with her brother, she has unresolved things. Part of her thinks it might be good to get answers and clarity about what to do in regard to the friendship. Her mom says she has a right to be angry, and Olivia says she wants to see Taylor’s family. She’s looking forward to that. She knows it will be a good visit with Taylor’s parents, but doesn’t know how to navigate talking things out with Taylor. Her mom says, she has to clear it up.

Austen and Shep arise, and Shep drinks from milk from the container, then burps at Little Craig. He says, it’s a very different morning here, and Austen takes Little Craig out to play fetch. He can hear Rod snoring outside, and he and a producer laugh about it. In Austen’s interview, he says, last night was lovely. They had cocktails, the conversation was flowing, and there was male fellowship. We flash back, and he says, it was a pretty fun time. We flash back to the heated argument that ensued. Craig calls Paige and asks how her Valentine’s Day was. She reminds him that he said he’d buy her a bag. He says he is, and she says she’s picked it out. She asks how it is there, and he says, fun. He made a bomb-ass dinner. Rod joins JT in the sitting room, and JT says he went for a walk/run. He’s been up four hours, had three cups of coffee, and a hot chocolate. He asks how Rod is feeling, and Rod says he feels the same after sleeping on it. He’s stuck on the info he received from Austen. It was a slap in the face. Austen did what he always does at the first chance; throw Olivia under the bus. We flash back to Austen telling Rod about Olivia stopping by, and Rod says, he and Olivia aren’t together, but her ending up at another guy’s house the same day they had a date isn’t ideal. He’s hoping Austen is lying. JT says, fly fishing will take Rod’s mind off of it, and Shep comes in. JT wonders what to wear, and Shep says, they’ll get waders. Jeans are fine; it’s not complicated. JT asks if they serve alcohol, and Rod says, they’ll be working too hard to be drinking. Shep keeps coughing and says, nobody drink the milk. He took a swig and he’s been coughing like crazy. JT says, good news. He just poured milk in his coffee. He’ll be joining Shep in his misery.

They head out for fly fishing on the bus, and it’s beautiful out. They meet their guide Cole and are given waders. JT has a hard time getting into his. They hike to a beautiful waterfall and are given fishing instructions. Cole asks if there are any questions, but there aren’t any. I figure that’s probably because these guys have empty heads. In Shep’s interview, he says, fly fishing makes him happier than anything. He’s connected to nature and feels like a man. It’s so satisfying to share all this with friends. JT snags his line in a tree, and in Austen’s interview, he says he’s feeling very A River Runs Through It, Brad Pitt-y. JT ends up in the water, and says, it’s cold. In JT’s interview, he says, it’s supposed to be cathartic, therapeutic, and contemplative, but he’s contemplating why he’s wet and cold and has no fish. He wants out of the waders. Nobody has caught anything, when Austen gets one, but it unhooks. Craig catches a stick, and Rodrigo asks when Paige is coming back. Craig says, in a couple days, and Rodrigo asks when he sees it becoming permanent. Craig says he’s sitting here waiting for her decision on moving in. He doesn’t know the math. He says, Rodrigo has been with Tyler a long time, and we flash back to the pheasant dinner Tyler attended. Rodrigo says, it’s definitely work, but he thinks they’re past the seven-year itch. Craig says he and Paige have been together for a while. He’s thinking it’s time to sh*t or get off the pot. Rodrigo asks if he’s said to her, but Craig says, no. Rodrigo asks what Craig’s timeframe would be for getting married in an ideal world, and Craig says, if it was up to him, they’d be engaged by the end of the year. He’s 35, and his parents had him and his brother at 28 and 29. In Craig’s interview, he says, Paige is 30 and says she’ll want kids at 35, but he’ll be 40 then. His biological clock is ticking. He tells Rodrigo that he wants a white picket fence and wants him and Paige to trend in that direction. It comes down to, what does he want more? To be with Paige and be patient that he’ll have a family with her, or does he want a family so bad, he’ll have to leave the love of his life? Rodrigo asks if he wants a family without the love of his life, and Craig says, no, but he feels like they’re spinning in circles. Shep catches a fish, but then loses it when he yanks the line, and it flies behind him. Austen thinks it’s time to throw in the towel, and Rodrigo says he thinks JT caught some fish in his pants.

Olivia arrives at the lake house, and Leslie meets her outside. Leslie says, her hope and prayer is for Olivia to remember how much God loves her. He rescues the broken-hearted and she hopes He’ll rescue Olivia’s crushed spirit while she’s here. Olivia looks around at the great outdoors and says, wow. Leslie says, God’s creation; you can’t top that. Olivia hugs Rick and thanks them for having her. Rick says she’s welcome anytime, and in Olivia’s interview, she says, as awkward as things are with Taylor, she loves Taylor’s parents. It’s a weak spot for her. When their moms met, they hit it off and talked for the rest of the evening, not even touching their plates. They even had Christmas dinner together one time. Taylor tells her that she talked to Shep, and he invited them for dinner, but she said she’d let him know what time. She points to a mountain across the lake, and says, he’s right there. Penny hops around, and Olivia and Taylor sit outside. Taylor gives Olivia a bracelet from her and her mom for Olivia’s birthday and to remember Connor. In Taylor’s interview, she says, it’s not about her; it’s about Olivia. she has to make it right. Taylor tells Olivia that she’s been giving her time and space. She feels like a sh*tty friend; lying, doubling down, and betraying Olivia’s trust. She wants to earn Olivia’s trust back. That’s what’s important to her. Olivia says, what’s most hurtful and eats her up is not having the trust. She prioritized their friendship over everything in this and wants it to be okay, but she needs Taylor to be honest. Taylor says, it would be easier to say she and Austen hooked up or dated. They had a moment after New York. She and Shep weren’t speaking, and Olivia and Austen weren’t speaking. Olivia says, Taylor was the person she was confiding in all through this. Taylor was talking to Austen on her behalf, and Taylor was telling her that Austen loved her. We flash back to the Reunion, where Taylor said she thought Austen should beg Olivia for another chance. Olivia says, yet Taylor was contemplating her own feelings for Austen, and now she questions all of it. Taylor says, Olivia had gone to L.A., and Olivia says, when she left New York, she needed to clear her head. She could see Austen had checked out of the relationship. Taylor says, Olivia was in L.A. for a while, but Olivia says she was only gone a week. She believes Taylor and Austen had sex. Taylor says she and Austen didn’t hook up, and Olivia says, Taylor and Austen can both tell her that, but she no longer believes Taylor. They’re broken, and she’s not sure how much friendship there is to salvage. She loves Taylor’s family, but doesn’t feel comfortable. Taylor wants her to stay, but Olivia says she just needed a change of scenery for a second. Taylor thanks her for coming, and they go back inside. In Taylor’s interview, she says she’s disappointed. She didn’t think this is how the conversation would go, and that she wouldn’t be able to pull Olivia out of whatever she’s thinking. Olivia is who she is. Once the gears are going, it’s hard to retract. Olivia says goodbye to the family and leaves.

The guys stop at a winery on the way back from fly fishing, and rib JT, who has no clothes to change into. Shep says, at least his butt is clean. At the winery, they choose wines and sit outside. Shep sees that Olivia called and calls her back. She asks if it’s cool for her to come to the house, and he asks, what’s going on? She says, she and Taylor had a conversation, and she thinks they’re both going to take some space for a bit. She wants to spend the night at Shep’s, but doesn’t want to crash guy time. Shep tells her to meet them at the winery; it’s on the way from Taylor’s. The wine is brought out, and everyone gets something similar to a coffee mug tree, but with filled wine glasses. Quite a generous pour for a tasting. Shep texts the address to Taylor, and Austen says, it’s the turbulence of his actions. Craig says he’s sad for Olivia, and Shep says, he and Austen are built different because they’re dirtbags. He’s not wrong. Olivia arrives, and JT says he fell in the creek and got the rapids up his butthole. She thanks Shep for letting her crash, and he asks how she left it with Olivia. She says, it wasn’t easy to leave. They both want the same thing at the end of the day, but they need to figure out how to get there. Craig says, he took a multi-year break from his ex, and doesn’t want that for anyone else, but it can take a while. Shep says he invited Taylor to dinner, and we flash back to that. He says, she’s coming up later, and tells Olivia, sorry. In Olivia’s interview, she says, well, sh*t. She left Taylor’s house just to have dinner with her. She wants to leave, but it’s not an option, and they’re out in the middle of nowhere. Shep says, the chef has prepared some delectable treats. Let’s have an awesome dinner. They get back on the bus, Rod riding with Olivia. In Austen’s interview, he says, to be honest, he’s seen more chemistry in his 10th grade class than between Rod and Olivia. Wow. Not too many sour grapes. He tells the guys that Rod follows Olivia like a lost puppy dog. In the car, the silence is heavy. Rod asks what Olivia thinks it will be like with Taylor there. Will she just talk to other people or be superficial? Olivia says she doesn’t even know what to do. They get to the house, and Olivia is impressed. Chefs Davin and Sharon have a feast prepared, and Shron tells Shep, they’ve got it all together. Austen asks Olivia if she’s good, and Olivia says she’d like to go back home. It’s awkward here and she needs to process and decompress. She thinks he has an idea of what that consists of. Austen admits he was wrong and says, it’s going to be a fun night ahead.

When Taylor gets there, she sits outside with JT. They discuss the merits of a beach house versus a mountain house. JT says he’s glad she had the courage to come up, and if there’s anything they can do to help, even if it’s just listening, they will. He’s not specific as to who they are. Maybe that’s his pronoun. I have no idea. Taylor thanks him, and Olivia comes outside, but doesn’t know where to sit.

Taylor asks Rod how fly fishing was, since it was his first time, and he says, humbling and fun. They sit down to eat, and we find out that Rod has never had salad. Taylor says, that’s weird, and Rod says, it’s embarrassing. The food is simple yet fabulous. Craig says he’s going to start keeping notes on things he thinks are nightmares, and Shep gives Taylor a bee sticker he randomly got at the drugstore or something. In JT’s interview, he says, Shep is a good-hearted nihilist. His psychoanalysis for today. I think JT likes to use big words. Shep says, they’re making tinfoil hats and Craig is going to tell them about conspiracy theories, which actually sounds like fun. Craig says, the government can hear them, but not if they’re wearing the hats. In his interview, JT says, he can’t believe Craig thinks pandas are humans, and we flash back to that. In Craig’s interview, he says, if you have to ask what the tinfoil hats are for, you’re not ready to know. He tells them that aliens don’t respect bareheads. They see the hats and know these people are ready for reckoning. This is so silly, I’m deciding he’s just constantly goofing on everyone to break up the awfulness of the people who do sh*tty stuff because they are sh*tty people. Everyone’s hat is different, and they put them on and Shep says, come outside; it’s time. Even Little Craig has a hat on. Craig tells them, people say conspiracy theories are dangerous, but knowing the truth is never dangerous. Modern technology couldn’t build the Pyramids. They were laser cut and pinpoint magnetic beacons in the sky for the space people. He adds, aliens is derogatory. Someone asks if the moon landing is real, and Craig says, they haven’t been back since the 60s. In his interview, he says he thinks it’s real, but we’re prepared to fake it. Watch Transformers; that explains it. Shep and JT go to play ping pong, and Rod sits inside with Olivia. He says he’s glad she came. He wanted to bring something to her attention. She’s obviously going through some things. He launches into the story about his friend stopping by Austen’s and she says, who saw the pink bra? She took her bra off and tossed it. She was leaving and told Austen, just throw it away. Nothing happened. Rod says he went to bed thinking about it, and woke up thinking about it. He was distracted by fly fishing, then it was on his mind again. I’m thinking, Rod’s picture is next to cringeworthy in the dictionary, and I kind of feel sorry for him. Olivia apologizes, but I’m not sure why she thinks she should. Rod says he wants to be as direct as possible. He’s very interested and thinks they shouldn’t see other people and exclusively date. I have no words. Well, time and place come to mind.

JT wins at ping-pong, which infuriates Shep. Olivia says, Rod is literally the perfect guy (no, no he’s not) and she respects him too much to drag him along. She is seeing other people, but wants to keep that open with him. The stuff with Austen threw her, and she has hesitation about getting into another relationship right after that. She needs to figure out the situation in her mental space. Rod says he appreciates it, but it’s not what he wants. Did they even go on a second date? What’s with this guy? Shep goes outside, and Austen asks how drunk he is on a scale of one to ten. Shep says, five. JT tells Taylor that Shep is mad, and she says, he hates losing. She congratulates JT, which causes steam to come out of Shep’s ears, and he says, don’t f*** with him. Taylor says, he’s acting jealous and controlling, and Shep says, she enjoyed that he lost and rubbed it in his face. Taylor says she congratulated JT for winning and Shep’s mad because he doesn’t like losing. He says, she’s goddam right. Does she like poking the bear? She asks if he liked cheating on her, and he says, sometimes. It was fun. She wonders if she heard him right, and he affirms she did. She throws her drink on him, calling him a POS. She goes inside and says he wants out f***ing now. Olivia follows her in, and Shep tries to joke, but it goes over like a lead balloon. Taylor tells Olivia what Shep said, and says she wants out. Austen tells Shep to listen to himself, and Shep says, Austen’s been against him since day one. In Craig’s interview, he says, who knew ping-pong would literally spark the giant heap of baggage Shep has been carrying? This is what happens when you repress your feelings. There’s an explosion. He knew this would happen. Shep says, Austen f***s up privately, because God forbid he should be honest, real, and soul bearing. Um… Neither can Shep. His anger isn’t soul bearing. It’s a childish tantrum because he didn’t get his way. Shep says, Austen can’t be honest, and storms into the house. Olivia says, incoming, and Shep tells Taylor that he’s sorry, but she made him mad. She poked him, and that’s how he thinks. We flash back to him being a sore loser at the egg toss. Seriously? He’s 40? He says he can’t believe Taylor took JT’s side. Ha-ha-ha! It’s not like she’d been cheering JT on; he won. Taylor says, it’s not about the game more, it’s the underlying stuff Shep is upset about and has been bottling up. She’s always loved Austen and had a great friendship with him that Shep was supportive of. Shep whines, that’s because he trusted everyone. JT comes in and wonders if it’s a good time, and Shep says, she’s all his. Taylor tells him, stop doing that. Craig comes inside, and Taylor says she’s going to bed. Craig asks if Shep is good, and Shep says, yeah. He’s hanging out with his ex. Craig suggests picking at a scab is not the way to get it to heal, and Austen asks if they’re quarreling. In Craig’s interview, he says he knew Shep would lose it at some point, but he didn’t think over that. Shep says, funny how things manifest, and Austen asks if this is suppression, and Shep says, probably. In Shep’s interview, he says he bottles things up and he’s got to scream. Sometimes he can be dangerous when he pressurizes his anger and disappointment. Some people have therapists. Some people have a bottle of bourbon. Yep. Like a big three-year-old. I wonder why these people take this sh*t from Shep. Are trips to the mountains worth it?

While digging in her makeup bag, Olivia finds a polaroid of her and Austen, and she laughs. The guys make breakfast, and JT says he almost wants to have a beer to get over this pain. Olivia comes downstairs and sees Little Craig whining at one of the doors. She opens the door a crack, and Taylor and Shep are sleeping inside. Craig calls Paige, and Olivia runs in his and Austen’s room to tell Austen the news. Austen says, Shep and Taylor banged, and Craig relays the news to Paige. In Shep’s room, he asks if Taylor slept well, and she says, he disrupted her sleep with his coughing. Little Craig’s snoring doesn’t bother her. He says, so she came just for Craig, and she says she did. He asks if she got what she needed and calls her the kissing bandit. Rodrigo peeks in, and Shep says, they both slept in a bed with the dog they love. Rodrigo says, motherf***er, and Craig makes unsavory jokes. Olivia jumps on Austen’s bed and tells him to get up. Craig says, last night was insane. There were so many suppressed feelings. Taylor has done some sh*tty stuff recently, but she’s not a sh*tty person. If Taylor is backsliding with Shep, it’s not a path to her happiness. Olivia says she’s concerned Taylor is going backward, and in Olivia’s interview, she says she doesn’t know this Taylor. She tells Austen that she’s going downstairs to figure out coffee.

Olivia can’t wait to tell the Rods and JT about Taylor being in Shep’s bed. JT says he’s never seen a situation where a girl throws wine in a guy’s face, and then goes in the guy’s bed. There’s no coming back from that. Everyone gets ready to leave, and Rodrigo asks if Olivia left a bra upstairs. He tosses it to her, and she waves it like a flag, saying she took it off. Taylor asks if Shep is sad that they’re sleeping in the same bed, but not really. He says, no. She’s the one who said time and time again, he shouldn’t do that. She says she knows, and he says he thinks it’s time to get up.

Like Taylor, I’m just in it for the dog. Honestly, I’m not sure I could be friends with any of these people.

Next time, Whitney wants to eat the slice of wedding cake Patricia got from (at the time) Prince Charles and Camilla; Craig tells Paige that he wants a wife, children, and family; JT says, because Taylor got burned, she’s cooking everybody; and Shep says he meant every word he said.

🎨 Painting The Town Magenta…

Start your weekend with stopping by for some soap and more extras than you can fit in a clown car. Until then, stay safe, stay tolerating those relatives during the holiday season, and stay not getting a manicure on Thursday. According to Lois, it’s bad luck.

Nov9

November 8, 2023 – Eddie Deep Dives To Find His Siren, Beverly Hills Infects Las Vegas, A Tale Of Two Recaps, It’s Over & Rain

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Yuri says he’ll put Tracy’s bags in the car, calling her Miss Quartermaine. She tells him to call her Tracy, and he says, of course (🍷). He leaves with the bags, and Olivia asks if Tracy is planning an escape, but Tracy says she’s going to take care of something she should have done a while ago.

Eddie/Ned works on his song, when Lois walks in. He puts his guitar down and mumbles about moving the chords. Lois asks if anyone ever told him that if he keeps making that face, it will freeze like that. He says, what? and she says, he’s obsessed. He’s cooped up in here. He’s moping around, playing that damn song over and over again. Go take a break. Go get some air. Go hang with the kid. The song isn’t going anywhere. He says he can’t take a break. Not when he’s this close. He has to finish it. She rolls her eyes.

Brook knocks on Maxie’s office door and asks if she has a minute. Sasha is there, and Maxie says, they’re in the middle of a meeting. Brook says, Sasha is back, and Sasha says, in the flesh. Maxie says, yeah, Sasha’s back, but Brook’s not.

On the phone at Aurora, Michael says, they have to up their game. Their production values are mediocre at best. There’s got to be some hidden talent at ESPN or one of the networks, itching for a chance to shine. Just find it. He goes into his office, and Carly and Drew are there. He says, they’ll touch base later, and tells Drew that he can’t believe it, hugging him. Drew says, it’s good to see him too.

Chase sees Austin at the hospital, and says, just the person he was looking for. Austin says he was on his way out to run an errand, and Chase says he’s glad he caught him. He just needs a few minutes of Austin’s time. Austin asks, why? and Chase says he’d like to ask Austin a question about his cousin Mason Gatlin. Austin flashes back to trying to smother Mason in his hospital bed.

Ava shows up at Sonny’s penthouse, and he says, it’s not a good time. She says she understands that, but it’s her life they’re talking about here. Has there been any word from Brick about Nikolas? He says, forget Nikolas. He’s the least of her problems. She asks what that means, and he says, she’s in bed with the enemy. And the worst part about it? She doesn’t even know it.

Olivia says, whatever it is, Tracy is going to miss a very nice going-away party for Lois, and Tracy says she’s sorry she’s going to miss seeing the back of Lois, but she has more pressing matters to attend to. She seems distracted, almost sad, and Olivia says, now she’s just being mysterious. What’s up? Tracy says she’s going to Amsterdam. Bobbie is going to help her sort out Luke’s affairs.

Eddie says, this song is a brick wall, and Lois says, maybe it’s time to move on to some different material, but he says, no. He can’t do that. He’s got to finish this. She says, stubborn as ever. Classic Quartermaine. He looks at her, and she says she’s sorry. That’s right. He’s not a Quartermaine. There was this time he had to come up with a B-side last minute, Lay in My Arms. That’s the song they ended up playing on the radio. He says he doesn’t remember that. Did it get any airplay? She says, number seven, College Media Journal, and he smiles and says, oh. She says, see? He doesn’t mind taking a stroll down Memory Lane if it’s about a hit song. Isn’t he even curious about the rest? He asks what she means, and she says, that Ned Quartermaine isn’t just a name. That Leo and everyone else who loves him really loved Ned.

Brook says she had no intention of coming back to Deception. She just wanted to see Maxie, and running into Sasha is just a bonus. She tells Sasha that she looks great, and Sasha thanks her, but Maxie says, this is not a good time. Sasha says she and Maxie were just discussing a new Face of Deception campaign… Maxie says, remember their privacy policy, and Brook says, if she wanted information about the company, she could just go to Tracy. She is the majority owner. Maxie says, thanks to Brook betraying their trust and spying on them, and Brook says, because Tracy was blackmailing her. Maxie says, there’s always some excuse with her, and Brook says she’s already apologized and she’s happy to do it again, but Maxie says, forget it. Unless she has some sort of time machine. Brook says, and if she did, Maxie would come right along with her for the ride after all the crap… Maxie says, she’s talking about the very distant past, but Brook says, not so distant. Sasha says, stop it, both of them. All this fighting is pointless. Can’t they see that they both miss each other?

Ava assumes Sonny is talking about Austin, and Sonny asks how much her new boyfriend has told her about his boss. She says, Austin is not her boyfriend. Maybe they got a little closer, but they’re not romantically involved at all. He says, really? No feelings? Nothing? He thought maybe they had a thing going since she’s so blind to Austin’s new role in her abduction.

Leading Chase into his office, Austin says, whatever this is, could they get it over quickly, please, because he’s really a little pressed for time. Chase says, quick question. Does he have any idea why his cousin would want to abduct Ava Jerome? Austin says, no idea. Chase probably knows this, but he’s already been over this once with another detective. Chase says, right, but the only common factor between his cousin and Ava is Austin. He figured Austin would want to open up to him considering their past. He’s just trying to tie up a few loose ends around here. Austin says, he and his cousin aren’t really that close. The only reason he tolerates Mason at all is out of some misguided sense of family loyalty. Chase says, but he’s been here at the hospital with Austin several times, and Austin says, sure, but telling him his plans to kidnap Ava, their chats don’t run that deep. Their worlds don’t intersect at all. Austin is a medical professional and Mason… he’s a kidnapper apparently. He feels like they’re done here. He opens the door and says, if Chase has any other questions for him, he’ll ask that Chase goes through his lawyer.

Drew says, Scout told him that she wants to take crossbow lessons. She’s all about Katniss now, but blink and you miss it. Michael says, exactly. They have their whole lives mapped out until the next day when they’re on to the next thing. Carly says, Drew’s only one step away from Scout wanting to take archery classes, and Drew says, at least her tastes haven’t changed when they went for Kelly’s pancakes this morning. Then they stopped and said thanks to Alexis. Michael says, it’s so great to have Drew back with them. He knows Alexis played her part, but his mom is the force behind Drew’s release. Carly protests, but Michael says, she’s the one who got leverage over Judge Kim. She says she was just grasping at straws. They were all doing whatever they could. Drew says, that might be so, but one of the things that kept him going in Pentenville – sometimes, the only thing – was knowing that she was out here, and she was fighting for him. She says she’ll never stop fighting for him, and hugs him. She says she can’t believe he’s home. It’s almost unbelievable. He says, she’s got to believe it. Now they’re going to put everything else behind them. They’ve got a lot of time to make up for. She says, that’s easier said than done. Someone turned them in to the SEC. She wants to know exactly who and why. Michael bites his tongue.

Sasha says, there’s a big difference between a mistake and a bad choice, and a betrayal, and tells Brook, spying for Tracy wasn’t right. Maxie tells Brook that she couldn’t have said it better, and Sasha says, if Maxie is ever in trouble, Brook would have her back, no questions asked. Recently, she’s had to learn that real friends, people who may not be perfect, but who truly, genuinely care, are not the same as the ones who are too selfish or hurt to show genuine concern. Now that’s not either of them, is it? Honestly, it just makes her so sad to see them both toss away a friendship they both cherish and need. Brook says, when Sasha’s right, she’s right, and Maxie says, okay, fine. She misses Brook. Brook says she misses Maxie more, and Maxie says, she probably does. Brook laughs, and Maxie says, all right, so why is Brook here? Brook says she cares about Georgie and Charlotte, and Maxie says, she has no idea. Sam dropped Georgie off, and all they knew was that Charlotte was missing and Jake went after her. And there was a shooting at her old apartment. None of it makes any sense. Brook asks how Georgie is doing, and Maxie says, she’s understandably in shock. She feels guilty, like she could have done something. Brook says, poor baby, and Maxie says she and Spinelli spent the whole night with her. He found a grief counselor for her, which is where they are now. Sam and Elizabeth are doing the same thing with their kids. They have a group text going. Brook holds out her hand and Maxie takes it. Sasha smiles.

Olivia says she’s so glad Tracy will have Bobbie there with her, while the rest of us are a little uncomfortable since Jackie Zeman passed away in the spring. Tracy says, it will be a welcome distraction from mourning Luke alone, and Olivia says she’s sure Bobbie feels exactly the same way. With Tracy gone and Monica not in the house and Lois going back to Bensonhurst, this place is going to be really quiet. Tracy says, perfect. Maybe in all that silence, Olivia will find the will to restore some normalcy to this house. Olivia says, Tracy… but Tracy says, no. Ned’s little fantasy is wearing thin, really thin.

Lois says, Eddie’s been hanging around the Qs for a while now. Aside from Tracy, who never misses a chance to talk about having wants him committed, the family’s had his back. He agrees, and she says, so he can’t go the extra mile and help them out a little bit? No. Because he’s got writer’s block. He starts to disagree, and she says, come on. That’s writer’s block. It’s indulgence. He told her that Sonny is willing to put out his album. What album? He has half a song. Without songs, you’ve got no album. Without an album, you’ve got no tour. Without a tour, there is no Eddie Maine. So ditch the siren and move on. He says he can’t just do that. This is something he really needs to follow through. She says, okay. So when she was working on the Free Radicals second album, they hit a serious sophomore slump, and they decided to turn it into a logic puzzle. She loves logic; it’s math. Here’s the puzzle. Pinpoint the problem, figure out where you’re at, and decide where you want to go. So Eddie, where do you want to go?

Lois tells Eddie that he’s doing it all wrong. He’s working from the outside, in. Music comes from the inside, out. He asks what she means, and she says, his song. What’s the problem? With the song. He says, the problem is, he can’t finish the lyrics, and holds up a sheet of paper. She says, forget about the lyrics, crumpling the paper and throwing it in the fireplace. He says, whoa, wait a minute, but she says she doesn’t want to wait. He’s got to write what he knows. So what is he afraid of? What is his problem? He says he’s afraid he’ll never find the girl… the character in the song. He knows that she’s out there, but he can’t see her – the siren. She says, so he’s looking for something he can’t see… like the prince in Cinderella. Except he has the glass slipper. So what does Eddie have? He says, just a voice calling out from the distance, and she says, then it’s simple. He has to go find the voice. That’s the where-you’re-at part. Remember? Pinpoint the problem, figure out where you’re at, decide where you want to go. He says, so… where does he want to go? and Lois says, she’s a siren, right? So he’s got to go in the water. He’s got to dive right in. It’s the only way he’s going to find the girl with the voice. Anyone could tell him that.

Tracy tells Olivia, this is ridiculous. Eddie lounges around all day with his guitar, like he’s some college kid on summer break. It’s depressing, especially for Leo. And nobody’s running ELQ, Look, she knows Olivia doesn’t want to have him committed, but he has to talk to somebody. Olivia says, they’ve been over this and over this. She’s very sorry Tracy is about to take a very difficult trip, but this situation with Eddie isn’t as simple as she’s making it sound. She saw Tracy at Eddie’s concert. Tracy saw him up on that stage. He was completely in his element. Maybe Doc is right. They just have to let this whole thing unfold naturally. Tracy says, there is nothing natural about Ned living in his own private wonderland, waiting for cosmic messages from the Cheshire Cat. Word to the wise. Keep her eye on Lois. She doesn’t trust that woman. Olivia says, Tracy is living in the 1960s in some kind of Valley of the Dolls novel. Tracy says, try the 1560s; it’s the oldest story in the book. Olivia covers her ears and says she’s not hearing this. She’s going to look for Tracy’s son. Have a safe trip. Brook walks in, and Tracy tells Olivia to look in the lounge. He’s probably watching cartoons. Brook asks if she missed the memo about Tense Tuesday.

On the phone, Maxie thanks Spinelli for letting her know. Tell Georgie to call her if she wants to, but only if she wants to… Yeah. What’s fine with him is fine with her. Just keep her posted. She tells Sasha, Georgie wants to spend tonight with Spinelli. Maxie thinks she’s just avoiding James. Sasha says, Maxie is handling this so well. She’d be a wreck. Maxie says, what else can she do? She’s connecting with Spinelli on this. She could force the issue just to let Georgie know she’s here for her, but Georgie will tell Maxie about her boundaries. Sasha says, if Maxie wants to head out, she’ll completely understand, and Maxie says, maybe that’s a good idea. She’ll respect Georgie’s boundaries another time. Maxie’s phone rings, she looks at it, and says, really? She answers, Maxie Jones… Yes. Of course (🍷) we’re interested… He’s available right now? As in like, now now?

Ava tells Sonny, don’t be ridiculous. Austin is not responsible for what his cousin did. Mason was just following orders from his mysterious boss. Sonny says, his boss is Cyrus Renault, and she asks how that’s possible. He says, you’ve got to look at the timeline. Betty steals the information he planted, hands it to Austin, Austin goes to Pentenville and gives it to somebody – he doesn’t know who, but he’s got a lot of enemies in prison. She says, he told her that he thought maybe it was with that Novak cousin, and he says, it could have been, but here’s the thing. Austin shows up at Cyrus’s early release hearing, saying that in his professional opinion, Cyrus is too sick and weak to threaten anyone. Now does she think it’s a coincidence that at the same time Austin’s at that hearing, Mason is holding her hostage?

Chase goes into Mason’s room and says, he’s still under arrest with the right to remain silent, however, if Mason wishes to cooperate, he has a few questions. Mason says, what else is there to do? It’s not like he’s going anywhere. Ask away. Chase says he’ll try to make it brief, but Mason says he’s got all the time in the world. Chase asks why he kidnapped Ava Jerome.

In the hallway, Austin looks in the window of Mason’s room and sees Chase talking to him.

Drew tells Carly, it’s got to be Ned. There’s nobody out there with a grudge who would target them. Ned had the only obvious motive to turn them in to the SEC and get him away from ELQ. Michael looks like he’s going to turn inside out, and Carly says, but he can’t confirm or deny because he has no memory. Drew says, he still hasn’t recovered? and she says, no, and it’s been really hard on Olivia. Drew says, well, then he doesn’t want to add to her troubles by accusing Ned of something he can’t even remember doing. Especially since this is all behind them now, and he wants to move forward. Michael says, what if it wasn’t Ned?

Lois says, Eddie has to put himself in the character in the song. Then he has to dive right in. It’s the only way he’s going to find this siren chick. He’s got to take a leap of faith. He says, she might be on to something, and picks up his guitar. He says he’ll be at the boathouse, and jets, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Lois sighs and rolls her eyes.

Tracy says, Brook. Somebody sane at last. Brook asks, what’s with Yuri and the car? Is he packing Tracy’s stuff? Tracy says, yeah. She’s going out of town, and maybe while she’s gone, Brook can help pull this family out of its downward spiral. Brook says, she sees. Running away again and leaving them to hold the bag. What’s the occasion this time, a riverboat cruise? Or maybe jet-setting with pretend billionaires? Tracy says she’s going to Amsterdam to close out Luke’s affairs with Bobbie Spencer.

Sonny says, connect the dots, and Ava says, he’s implying that Cyrus Renault had Mason hold her hostage to force Austin to testify on his behalf. He says, that is the picture, and she says, well, then Austin was just doing it to protect her, right? He says, probably, but he put her in the crosshairs. Never told Ava to watch her back. Did he tell her that he was going to testify for Cyrus? She says, no, he didn’t, and Sonny asks if he told her anything about him and Mason being in Cyrus’s pocket. She says, no, he didn’t, and Sonny says he guesses Austin doesn’t trust her very much, does he? And whatever Austin claims to feel for her, his first loyalty is Cyrus Renault, and that trumps everything.

Chase says, the cards aren’t in Mason’s favor. The proof has Mason looking at two decades without parole. Mason’s only hope of reducing his sentence is to tell them who’s pulling the strings. Mason says he guesses they’d better cut him a deal then. The sooner he gets a deal, the sooner he walks free. And a whole lot sooner than that, maybe he opens up about who’s running things. Chase says, fine. He’ll see what he can do. He leaves, passing Austin who’s skulking around the corner.

On the phone with her mother, Lois says, some things never change with the Quartermaines. Tracy is still a piece of work. Ugh… No, Brook is amazing… Olivia walks in, and Lois says, wait until she meets him. He is such a hunk… No. Ned is just going through a thing… She sees Olivia and says she needs to go… No. She’ll call later. She has to go. She hangs up, and Olivia says, Gloria? Lois says, the one and only. She was just filling her in on the Quartermaine circus. Olivia says, three rings. Now with even more juggling, and Lois says, she just missed Ned. Olivia asks, how is her… She doesn’t know what to call him. Her husband? Lois says, whatever he is, he’s lost in that song. But she thinks deep down inside, Quartermaine is trying to come out. Olivia asks if she really thinks so, and Lois says she does. And she thinks Olivia is doing the right thing, giving him space. She thinks that’s what Eddie needs. Olivia says, there is such a thing as too much space. Like just enough space for someone else to slip right in.

Lois says, Tracy? and Olivia says, what? Lois asks how long they’ve known each other. Let her remind Olivia; Sister Monica’s third grade class. Olivia says, don’t remind her of the woman and her rulers, and Lois says she will remind Olivia how many times they sat in detention together. She’s not here to slip into anything with Olivia’s husband. Olivia says she knows, and Lois tells her that she will say, she thinks it’s all part of God’s plan that she got here when she did, because this place is a mess, and she thinks she’s here to set some things straight. Olivia says, Lois is starting to sound like Tracy, and Lois gasps. She tells Olivia, take that back, and Olivia says, Tracy is demanding she force him to go for therapy that he doesn’t want. Lois says she doesn’t know anything about that. All she does know is, he could probably use a friendly face. Olivia asks if something happened, and Lois says, he’s been spinning out all day about that stupid song. Olivia says she knows. It seems like he’s possessed or something. Lois says, maybe Olivia, his wife, can go lift his spirits. He’s writing in the boathouse. And don’t let Tracy in her head. She likes playing games. She kisses Olivia on the cheek, and leaves.

Brook says she didn’t realize, and Tracy says, apology accepted. And maybe while she’s gone, Brook will consider her offer. Brook says she thought they settled that, and Tracy tells Brook, she heard what Brook said, but she has no interest in taking away Brook’s agency. But she can have her cake and eat it too. Brook suggests they not get into it before Tracy takes off. She told Tracy that she wants to focus on her music and really give it a good go. It’s her passion, and besides, she doesn’t want to get involved with Tracy’s old vendetta against Lucy Coe. Lois almost walks in, but stops, and Tracy says, Lucy Coe is already taken care of, and Deception is wide open for Brook to run however she wants. It’s her gift to Brook. Brook says, running Deception is a hard no. Lois comes in and tells Brook not to be so quick to turn down her grandmother’s offer. Tracy says, will wonders never cease. Even someone damaged by years of nail polish fumes can recognize a good plan.

Maxie says, this is wrong on so many levels, but Sasha says she disagrees. It’s synchronicity. Maxie says she didn’t think it through. She shouldn’t have said yes. Sasha says, she didn’t have time to think. This has been on Maxie’s vision board for as long as Sasha’s known her. Maxie says, yeah, but the timing is bad, and Sasha asks, how? Georgie is with Spinelli. She specifically wanted time to herself to process what she’s been through. The timing couldn’t be better… Unless It’s not only Georgie Maxie is worried about. Maxie says, not at all. It’s just going to be too difficult to pull this together quickly. She let her excitement take over. Sasha says, a photographer like Salvador is busy around the clock. He only became available because another project fell through. He’s not going to wait for them to be ready. Maxie says, there are other photographers, and Sasha says she saw Maxie’s face when that call came through. Maxie has been wanting to book Salvador for as long as Sasha’s known her. Maxie says, yeah… and Sasha says, and she’s had an idea for the spring campaign since before the lawsuit. So the only reason not to do the shoot is if she doesn’t think Sasha is up to it.

Carly asks what Michael is talking about. He was the first one to accuse Ned. Michael says he was. They all jumped to that conclusion, right? They tried to fit the facts to their assumptions, but what if the leak had nothing to do with Drew’s ties to ELQ and Carly was the target, and Drew just ended up being collateral damage? Carly says, that was Diane’s theory. Diane thought the FBI was coming after her just to get to Sonny. Maybe Diane’s right. Unfortunately, she’s the one who gave them ammunition by trying to cut corners with the ELQ merger. Drew suggests they just press pause and leave it alone, and Carly asks what he’s talking about. After everything Drew went through and after what happened to him in Pentenville… Drew says, nothing is going to undo it. Let’s just leave it behind. Please, both of them. Stop trying to figure out who set this all in motion because it’s not going to help anyone. Carly says, okay. If that’s what he wants, that’s what they’ll do. She hugs him and he thanks her. Michael looks all kinds of disappointed.

Eddie goes to the boathouse and sits down to play. He sighs, and flashes back to Lois telling him that he has to dive right in. He’s got to take a leap of faith. He starts to play again and pauses, hearing the song of the siren.

Ava tells Sonny that she was desperate. She was struggling to hide Nikolas’s body, and suddenly, there was Austin. He told her that he would help her. She believed him. She trusted him. Then out of nowhere, Mason showed up. He said he had Nikolas’s body. How is that even possible? Right? But Austin told her that it would be okay. Everything would be okay if she just did what Mason told her to do. And he kept telling her over and over again that his boss isn’t somebody who should be crossed, but he never told her who that boss was. And now Laura’s come back with proof that Nikolas is alive. If that’s true – and she really hopes it is true – Mason’s been lying the whole time. Ava flashes back to asking if Austin knew Nikolas was alive and Austin saying he had no idea. That’s why he did everything Mason asked him to do, to protect her. He had no idea Nikolas was alive. She tells Sonny, then Austin’s probably been lying too. Sonny says, she’s smarter than this. It’s time to admit Austin’s been playing her from the start.

Austin goes into Mason’s room, and Mason asks if Austin brought his lollypop. Austin asks what Mason told Detective Chase, and Mason says, a doctor without lollypops. Austin says, tell him what he said to Detective Chase, and Mason says, Chase was really rough on him. Chase forced it out of him. He had to tell him everything. He told him that he did it all for Austin, so he’d better start running. Austin says, there’s no way Mason just incriminated him, and Mason says, not yet. He has to make sure he gets a deal first. Austin says, the only deal Mason should be making is the one where he gives up Cyrus, and Mason says, suicide? That might be Austin’s way out, but it’s not his. Go ahead. Austin can give up Cyrus if he wants to. Chase comes back and sees Austin talking to Mason through the door window.

The siren continues to call Eddie. He puts his guitar down and looks out over the water.

Brook says, not Lois too. She doesn’t want Tracy’s gift. Lois says, don’t be so hasty, and Tracy says she’s so sorry Lois isn’t going to be around to talk some sense into her daughter. She did hear Lois was leaving. And she’s also sorry that she won’t be able to join the angry villagers running her out of town. Lois says, yeah. It is a shame. It’s going to be quite a party. Of course (🍷) if Tracy was there, her broom might catch fire, and someone might try to be a hero and throw water on it and Tracy would melt.

Yuri comes in and tells Tracy, the car is ready and it seems time to go. Tracy thanks him, and Brook hugs her. She says she’ll be thinking of Tracy, and Tracy nods to Lois and leaves.

Eddie continues to hear the call of the siren. He takes off his jacket and shoes, and jumps into the water.

Maxie says, Sasha’s been through a hideous ordeal; something that would have broken most people. She’s still piecing her life together, and Maxie doesn’t want to throw her into the deep end before she’s had time to relax and float. Sasha says, the only way she’ll know if she can handle a photoshoot, or any challenge for that matter, is by doing it. So will Maxie trust her? Maxie says she definitely trusts Sasha, and Sasha thanks her, but Maxie says, no, thank you. She thanks Sasha for holding her hand this entire day; first with Brook, then with Georgie. Now with Salvador? She can’t believe it. Are they really doing this? Sasha says, they are, and Maxie says, they have to get things together. She dashes out the door.

Olivia looks for Eddie by the boathouse and calls his name. She sees his guitar leaning against the bench, and his shoes in front of it. She looks inside, but the boathouse is empty. She comes back out and finds his coat on one of the chairs. She looks out over the water, worried.

Tomorrow, Lois tells Brook, say the word, and she’ll stay exactly where she is; Spencer asks how Laura could do this; Charlotte wants to tell someone what happened; and Olivia asks if Eddie can hear her.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

We revisit the fabulous hotel that will no doubt be wasted on this bunch. They have a room service meal, but Garcelle says she doesn’t want to eat; she wants to meet men. And she wants to do an intervention on how they date. Everyone looks at Sutton. Sutton says, when Garcelle goes on a first date, she can talk about Sutton not getting a second date. After a particularly good date, she invited him to an ABT black tie gala, and didn’t hear from him again. In Sutton’s interview, she says, they had dinner, she invited him back to her house, they played backgammon and had a nice conversation, and she never heard from him again. Dorit suggests not following up with flying across the globe, and in her interview, she says, that’s not the right thing to do. How would she feel if a man invited… She realizes the only thing wrong is her, and says, if the roles were reversed and it was a man extending the invitation, it would be sexy. They laugh over Sutton showing off her triceps in a text, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Sutton’s got no game, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days 2, starring Sutton Stracke. Kyle FaceTimes the guy and hangs up. You know, like you do at sleepovers when you’re 13. In Sutton’s interview, she wonders why she gives her phone to Kyle. She’s dangerous. We flash back to them doing that another time, and Kyle says, Sutton is smart, beautiful, fun, and funny. If they don’t respond, tell them f*** off. It’s their loss. Garcelle suggests they take a break in their rooms, then get ready to meet for Magic Mike and dinner.

Sutton can’t find her white pants, and texts Avi. He comes in, and she says he must want to die today, but he immediately finds the pants so there’s no public hanging. In Garcelle’s interview, she says she hopes he gets paid a lot of money. Sutton says she prefers unpacking herself since she likes complete control. She tells Avi to save himself, and he runs. Dorit thinks she and Kyle are the only ones who didn’t bring a glam team, and Erika tells hers that they’re going to Magic Mike. They’re getting homegirl Crystal on stage. In Sutton’s interview, she says, when she goes out, she likes to carry Ocean Spray grapefruit juice. Beyonce carries hot sauce; she carries Ocean Spray. Southern girls know what they like. They get ready, and Garcelle wears the shortest dress ever. Trying to get everyone to move along, Sutton says, it’s like herding cats. They meet at the bar, and Sutton says she doesn’t like wearing pants. We flash back to the private jet and Erika telling them to wear pants if they want to be on stage. Sutton asks if anyone remembers dollar bills, flashing a stack of them, and Erika says, don’t let her touch any money or the IRS will say she owes it to them. Okay. That’s funny.

They walk through the Sahara and a VIP rep meets them. Erika says, they need drinks and men, and in her interview, she says, this is her contribution to Crystal’s birthday party. We see a clip of her telling assistant Mikey that she’d love for all the girls to get on stage. She says she knows most of the dancers, and Mikey’s partner is in the show. They sit in the front and in Erika’s interview, she says, Crystal needs to get out of her shell. It’s her f***ing birthday. They’re going to make this girl have some fun. There are stupid jokes about getting wet from the warm-up act, and the dudes come out, gyrating all over the place. Sutton wonders why she’s into this, and yells, we wore pants! The guys dance, and I critique in my head, since they’re not exactly in sync. There’s lots of cheering, so I guess synchronization doesn’t matter. One guy gets nakey, holding a cowboy hat over his junk. They make Crystal go up on stage, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, his body’s amazing, and so close to her. It feels good letting their hair down. Sutton shrinks into the corner, and Erika joins Crystal on stage. Sutton says she wore pants for nothing, and Erika and Crystal get lap dances. Erika shows off, doing some exotic dancing of her own, and in Crystal’s interview, she says, jumping on one of these hot guys, maybe she can turn 40 every year. Erika lies down on the stage and spreads her legs, the dancer putting his face between them. In Erika’s interview, a producer asks if Tom had moves like that, and Erika says, Tom had other moves that landed her in hot water, but not moves like this. In her interview, Garcelle thinks Sutton’s feelings are hurt because she wasn’t the cool girl who was chosen.  And she wore pants. Kyle tells Crystal that Sutton says she’s leaving, and Dorit says, that’s not okay. As Sutton goes to the lobby, she says she’s on the Board of the American Ballet Foundation and doesn’t do that sh*t.

The way Erika presented it, it did sound like everyone would get a chance to be on stage. And whether it was up to Erika or not, she should have insisted the others go up before she did. I’m also not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but geez. It wasn’t her show.

It’s all kind of stupid, and in Dorit’s interview, she says, here we go again. Sutton always has to make herself the center of attention. She can’t help herself. Garcelle follows Sutton out and finds her in the lady’s room. Sutton says she’s pissed. Kyle tells Erika that Sutton is upset, but she’s not sure why. Garcelle wonders what happened. They were having a good time at a fun show. Sutton says, until she saw her two friends with their legs wide open, and a man’s face in one’s crotch. She’s on the Board of the American Ballet Foundation, and doesn’t have friends who get onstage and have men’s faces in their crotches. On stage, a dude puts whipped cream on Kyle’s legs and licks it off. Blech. Sutton tells Garcelle that she lives by a different standard for herself. Kyle joins them and asks, what’s wrong? Sutton says she didn’t like it, and Kyle says, Sutton really wouldn’t have liked what just happened. She had whipped cream licked off her. We see a clip of the dancer now licking it off Kyle’s cleavage, and Sutton says, that’s fine. It’s silly and stupid, but spreading your legs isn’t. In her interview, Garcelle doesn’t see why Sutton is so wound up. Even for her, it’s extreme. Kyle thinks Sutton is upset because the attention wasn’t on her. She didn’t get to dance with a naked man. This is starting to sound like some Bizarro World kid’s birthday party. Sutton says, it has nothing to do with that and nothing to do with the pants. We flash back to Sutton bitching about her pants, and Kyle says she’s pretty sure it had something to do with the pants. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, this is not normal. They were having a great time, then Sutton’s freaking in the bathroom and yelling in the lobby. Hurricane Sutton is here. Sutton says, blah-blah-blah her brand, and Kyle says, Sutton did not just say that. Sutton says she’s not blaming the pants. She was uncomfortable about the whole thing. Call her a prude, but she wears a kitty sweater on the first date. That’s who she is. Kyle feels her reaction is a little excessive, and Sutton suggests Kyle not follow her. Kyle says she was actually just going to the bathroom (did she take a wrong turn?), and Sutton says, then shut up. Kyle says, don’t be a bitch, and Sutton tells her not to say her reaction is excessive. She just went to the bathroom. In Kyle’s interview, she says, Sutton brought money to put in their pants. She’s not buying it; sorry. She’s never seen a personality switch so fast. Sutton says she never made it a big deal, and Kyle texts Crystal, who might have been able to ignore the whole thing and just have fun.

The show has moved on to acrobatics, which Erika and Dorit watch with rapt attention. Crystal says she’s got to go, but Erika says she’s here to see her friend. Sutton says, all she did was go to the restroom. They didn’t have to make a big deal. Kyle says she thinks it’s the pants, but Garcelle says, it’s about integrity. Kyle points out that Sutton mentioned her brand, and Sutton says, Kyle is a bitch and hits low. Here we are again. Kyle walked in on a conversation she didn’t hear. (Touché.) Kyle says, Sutton’s a bitch, and Garcelle says, there’s not enough tequila for tonight. I consider giving it another try if I have to hear the word pants again. Sutton ends up apologizing to Kyle for calling her a bitch, even though Kyle called her one first. Erika and Dorit talk to the dancers, and Dorit says, they were so brilliant. On the sprinter, Sutton says she’s trying to explain, so it doesn’t blow up, but Garcelle says, too late. And Erika’s not even here. In her interview, Garcelle says, because of Erika and Sutton’s history, it’s going to be WWIII. Get your popcorn ready. Erika approaches the sprinter and says, Sutton is sitting in there like Judge Judy.

Erika gets on the sprinter and asks, what’s going on? Dorit says, Sutton is offended, and Sutton says, it was the spread-eagle head in crotch. Erika says, he was her oldest dance partner forever, but Sutton says, it was too much. Erika says, they’re all adults and it was a good show. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Erika is calm and collected, and doesn’t seem bothered at all. In Erika’s interview, she says she told them she gave up fighting with them for Lent. Dorit says, the dancers saw 80% of their group gone, and I think, isn’t that on them? In Dorit’s interview, she says, Sutton leaves in a huff and doesn’t come back. Miss Manners herself. Toughen up, buttercup. Hey, that kind of talk is reserved for Captain Lee. Sutton says she got upset seeing them, and Crystal asks how she feels at them not being upset. Dorit suggests their husbands wouldn’t care, and in Kyle’s interview, she says, Mau would never care. I just think, well…  Sutton says she’s sorry she had a visceral reaction, and in Garcelle’s interview, she wonders how Sutton got her children. Did Sutton have a stork? They walk to a restaurant, Uhu, where they have dinner. No, make that… food porn! Garcelle says, it took a turn, and Sutton says she gets very passionate. She apologizes to Erika, who says, it’s all good. In Dorit’s interview, she says she doesn’t know who this Erika is. It’s not the one they’re used to. In Kyle’s interview, she says she was not expecting this reaction. Garcelle asks, what’s the plan? then wonders why she’s asking, since it’s her trip. She tells them that she’s having lunch with Oliver tomorrow, and Sutton says, Garcelle has had a lot of moments with her boys that she’s handled so well. We flash back to the Reunion where Garcelle talked about Oliver’s addiction, and a conversation between her and Oliver. Garcelle says, she tries, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t cry at night. Dorit says she knows Garcelle will give him wise words, comfort, and love. In her interview, Garcelle says she’s not comfortable talking about her kids because of last year. We flash back to Mauricio saying it’s great Erika told Jax to f*** off, and Garcelle says, she doesn’t trust it. She feels like she’s not in a safe place. Sutton struggles to eat a fish ball with chopsticks, and Kyle says she’s beginning to understand why there’s no second date. She’s not wrong.

They play a game where they have to answer questions off of cards, and the first one is, what is your favorite song to f*** to? Sutton chooses a country song by Cody Jinks, and in Kyle’s interview, she says she was expecting Sutton to say The Nutcracker. All the questions are about sex, as they always are. While they talk nipples, a line of guys come out carrying sparklers and Happy Birthday signs and some giant ice cream concoction. After this birthday dessert extravaganza, they go back to their rooms and get ready for bed. Garcelle desperately wants to sleep, but Sutton has to get the drapes just right. She asks if it’s okay if she reads, and Garcelle says, no problem. Sutton says she’s reading a book on tantric sex and could read out loud, but Garcelle says she doesn’t want to hear anything.

Kyle works out at 6 am, and in her interview, she says, the old her would never be going to the gym in Las Vegas. She would have been exhausted, hung over, and looking for room service. She thinks the new Las Vegas Kyle is annoying. Dorit wonders how miserable you have to be on a girl’s trip to Las Vegas to be working out. Is Kyle deliberately trying to torture herself? Dorit tells Erika that Kyle is living in extremes. In Dorit’s interview, she says she’s not getting up at 5:30 am for anything or anyone except her children, and on vacation, hell no. They sit on the giant sectional sofa, and Garcelle says she wants to share. When she was talking about Oliver, she felt disingenuous. What she wanted to say was, she doesn’t know if she trusts them when it comes to her family. They’ve said nice things, but she’s still a little iffy about them laughing at Jax. In Garcelle’s interview, she says, Kyle and Erika apologized – we flash back to those – and she can accept their apology, but it doesn’t mean she forgives them. It’s not about holding on to it, but she’s still in a space that’s vulnerable when it comes to her family. She tells the women that she feels like she still wants to protect her family from the group, and in Dorit’s interview, she says she thought their issues were resolved. They seemed okay. Now for Garcelle to feel she can’t trust Dorit around her kids is hurtful and it makes her angry. Even though that’s not what Garcelle said. Garcelle tells them that she and Jax are going through stuff, and they’d feel the same way. Dorit says, it’s been over a year, which shocks me because of her PTSD issues. Garcelle says, you can’t put a time limit on it, and Dorit says, after two years, you know if someone is good people. Garcelle says, Dorit is taking it wrong. She’s not saying Dorit is a bad person. Sutton says, if you get hurt, it might take time, and in her interview, she says she understands 100%. When you watch your husband making fun of a child and don’t do anything, you’re just as responsible. We flash back to PK making fun of the Jax situation, and in Garcelle’s interview, she says, Dorit is making her feel like she needs to apologize, she’s so hurt by how Garcelle feels. Dorit says she’s just sharing her feelings, and Garcelle says she doesn’t understand why they can’t understand. It’s not about Dorit being a mom. In her interview, Garcelle says she doesn’t think Dorit listens. She makes things personal where she’s the victim. Garcelle always walks away feeling like, what just happened? Garcelle leaves to shower, when no doubt they’ll discuss why she shouldn’t feel the way she feels.

Next time, Sutton rides a mechanical bull and might have found her cowboy; Dorit asks Kyle about her marriage; Erika insists on Sutton apologizing to her friend (more middle school sh*t!); and Kyle and Sutton clash.

🧂 You Put Salt In My Winter…

What happened on RHOSLC.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4, Episode 9 Recap: Where’s Meredith Marks When I Need Her?

What happened on the wretched Winter House, where awful people from other shows have now been added to the awful people who were already there. Please note Kory in one of the worst outfits ever.

Winter House Season 3, Episode 3 Recap: Ski All Day, Cry All Night

🎉 This Is The End…

Finally, we can get The Last Of Us back.

https://www.avclub.com/hollywood-stars-react-to-end-of-sag-aftra-strike-with-j-1851006187

‘Deadpool 3’, ‘Gladiator 2’, ‘Beetlejuice 2’, ‘Juror No. 2’ & ‘Venom 3’ Among Film Productions To Restart ASAP As Hollywood Gets Back To Work Post-Strike

🫛 Hiding The Green Beans…

Join me tomorrow for soap and dubious Charm. Until then, stay safe, stay not making things personal where you’re the victim, and stay turning problems into logic puzzles; pinpointing the problem, figuring out where you’re at, and deciding where you want to go.