Tag Archives: General Hospital

March 7, 2023 – Willow Has a Moment With Nina, Spitting Venom At Brunch In New Jersey & Your Mama

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia is looking at her wedding photo, when there’s a knock at her office door. Marshall asks if she’s got a minute, and she says, of course (🍷). He says, they’ve barely seen each other at the house, and she says, that’s on her. She’s been so busy with work. He says, of course (🍷). It’s perfectly understandable. He’s getting the results of his genetic screening, and she says, he must have so many questions. He says he does, but the only thing he’s going to ask her about is Curtis.

At the hospital, Alexis says hi to Curtis, but he doesn’t respond, so she calls to him again. He says he’s sorry; he didn’t hear her. She says, it must have been quite a meeting. She apologizes that her wedding present is going to be super late, but he tells her, save her money. Where he and Portia are headed, it’s probably going to get returned.

Nina comes out of the elevator, and sees Willow and Michael. She says she was looking for her Aunt Liesl, and Michael says, Nina just missed her. Nina starts to leave, but Willow says, wait, and asks Michael to give them a moment alone.

Sonny asks why Ava is willing to give her ex-husband a pass. If Nikolas has something over on her, he can help her. Austin approaches and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but he’d like to speak to Ava. Sonny says, they’re in the middle of something, but Ava says, it’s okay; she has things to discuss with Austin. Sonny asks, what about the situation with Nikolas? but she says, there is no situation. Nikolas was just trying to hurt her, and is absolutely no threat to their daughter. Forget she said anything, and chalk it up to a few martinis and a thousand bad decisions. She leaves with Austin, and Olivia asks what that was about, but Sonny says, Ava wouldn’t tell him.

Molly meets TJ at Charlie’s, and he asks if she took it. She says she did. He says, so… are they having a baby?

Drew kisses Carly in what used to be Sonny’s kitchen. She’s removed the moss bowl 🎍 so there are no witnesses, but its absence is keenly felt. She says, they have to wait until her brownies are done, and he says he can’t believe she’s baking. She says, these are for Willow. She hasn’t had much of an appetite lately, but she loves Carly’s brownies. It also looks like Liesl Obrecht is going to be a match for a donor, and they need to celebrate. What’s a celebration without brownies? He says he has something he wants to celebrate – them; openly, as a couple.

Molly tells TJ, no, they’re not having a baby; the test was negative. He says, it’s funny. He was just cruising along, not even thinking about having a baby; at least not yet. Then, all of a sudden, there could be a baby and it’s back to no baby in a couple of minutes. She asks how he feels about all of this, and he says, it’s not like they were planning on starting a family; not until he’s finished his residency. They would need a bigger place. They definitely haven’t saved for a baby, so… She says, so he’s relieved she’s not pregnant, right?

Curtis says, it’s a long story he doesn’t care to repeat, and Alexis says, no worries. He tells her, let’s just say he’ll be attending more meetings than usual, and she says, that’s what they’re there for. It must have been quite a blow. He says he’ll be fine, and she says she’s not one to preach, but for what it’s worth (🍷), that’s where prayer comes in handy sometimes. He says, it does. He doesn’t want to be the reason she misses her meeting, and she asks him to come with her. He hesitates, but she says, don’t be difficult, and he follows her.

Marshall says he’s deeply troubled about the rift between Portia and Curtis. Not only has he witnessed how devoted they were to each other, but he and Curtis wouldn’t have the relationship they do if not for her. She says she couldn’t even tell him why she didn’t tell Curtis that he could be Trina’s father, but he says, she doesn’t have to justify her actions to him.

Austin says, it looked like Ava was just about to tell Sonny that Nikolas is dead and the body is missing. Why would she do something like that? She says she needs help, and Sonny is Avery’s father. He’d do anything to protect Avery, and protecting Avery means protecting her; and if she’s protected, Austin is protected.

Olivia says, if Sonny want to stick his nose all up in Ava’s business, go right ahead, and he says, she’s Avery’s mother. After what she’s been through with Ryan Chamberlain, she has every right to be spooked. She says, Ava and Austin seem cozy at the moment. Why doesn’t Sonny let Austin be her emotional support animal? Sonny’s got enough going on in his life right now.

Michael parks Willow’s wheelchair near a bench, and asks if she’s sure about this. She says, if it becomes too much, she’ll send up a flare. He sees he has a text from Dex that says, GH roof, and tells her that he won’t be far. He leaves, and Willow tells Nina, they just had a meeting with Dr. Randolph and Aunt Liesl. They’re running more tests to make sure it’s safe for her to donate, but Dr. Randolph is hopeful. She wanted to talk to Nina about where things stand. Nina asks how Willow is. How are the kids? Is there anything she can do… Willow says she wanted to talk to Nina about her condition; the kids are off-limits. She’s not going to tell Nina anything about them, and Nina won’t ask. Are they clear? Bitch.

Waiting on the roof, Dex gets a text from Michael that says, On my way.

Portia tells Marshall that she doesn’t know if her actions can even be justified; not anymore anyway. He says, and at the time? and she says, Curtis was out of her life for good, with no expectations of him coming back. She was with Taggert, and he’d just come back from his assignment, and she found out she was pregnant. They were overjoyed, and Trina and Taggert have this bond that’s so sacred. She would do anything to protect it. He says, even at the expense of the bond she shares with his son, and she says, it made perfect sense at the time. She thought Marshall, of all people, would be able to understand this. He says, but he walked away from his family because he thought it was the right thing to do. Everyone wants to protect their loved ones from harm. It’s a natural instinct, and it shouldn’t be ignored, but maybe looking back on it all, that instinct shouldn’t be trusted.

TJ says he wouldn’t say that, but Molly says, he can tell her. He says he thinks they need to have a talk. Sit down and really… She says, he can tell her anything… except right now. Alexis walks in with Curtis, and they all say hi. Alexis says, happy anniversary, and Molly asks them to join her and TJ. Alexis says, they don’t want to interrupt, but TJ tells them to stay; he hasn’t seen Curtis since the wedding. Curtis says he’s going to order from the bar, and asks if he can talk to TJ for a second.

Dex takes the SIM card out of his phone, throws it down, and steps on it. Michael comes out on the roof and says he doesn’t have a lot of time. He wants to get Willow home. Dex says he wants to give Michael a heads up. He thinks Sonny is on to him.

Ava tells Austin that Nikolas is her responsibility. Don’t give anyone a reason to suspect him. Let her protect herself. He says, telling a guy like Sonny Corinthos isn’t going to help them. In fact, it could get them both killed. Mason watches from outside the doorway, and smiles.

Sonny says he has a lot on his plate, which is why he needs Olivia’s help, and she asks, in what way? He says, Nina… and she says, the answer’s no. He asks if she can’t hear him out. Nina’s climbing the walls about this whole Willow situation. Olivia lives at the Quartermaines. Can she just keep him posted on how Willow is?

Carly says, Drew wants to take their relationship public? What happened to the whole they might be accused of insider trading thing? He says, it’s a risk, and she says, call her crazy, but she’s not really excited about going to prison. And if she’s being honest, she finds this being in secret not so bad. He says, she’s enjoying the intrigue; having an elicit affair without actually betraying anyone. She says she finds it sexy and exciting, and he says he gets that, but enough time has passed since the stock purchase and the failed merger. It’s not as obvious to people that they were together when the stock was purchased. She says, he’s such a romantic, but he says he’s just being realistic. The longer they keep this a secret, it increases their chances of getting caught, which will make people question how long they’ve actually been together, which brings them back to insider trading. She says she thinks they’ve done a pretty good job of keeping this quiet. Only her kids and Sonny know they’re together. He says, and Olivia, and she says, none of them are going to say anything. No one is on to them.

Nina says she won’t ask about the kids, and Willow says, if she does, this conversation is over. What I said. Nina sits down, and asks Willow to go on, and Willow says, first, about the bone marrow transplant. While Nina’s aunt is a match, there are questions about her fitness as a bone marrow donor. Nina says, because of her age? and Willow says, bone marrow donors are ideally between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age, and Nina’s aunt is… Nina says, over 35, but she’s as strong as an ox. Willow says, it’s not so much her physical fitness as her medical history they have to consider, and they also have to determine if there are any underlying issues she may not know about. Nina says, Willow’s been talking about her Aunt Liesl. How are you?

Drew says, it’s kind of a miracle the secret has lasted as long as it has, and Carly says, Ned was the one who threatened to go to the FCC. Won’t them going public with their relationship cause him to react? Drew says, the only reason Ned threatened that was to keep him and Michael out of ELQ, and she says, what’s changed? He says, Ned was afraid they’d push him out, so he teamed up with Valentin. Valentin is now dead, and his shares were inherited by his daughter, but Laura is the one handling her affairs, so now is the perfect opportunity to get back Valentin’s shares. She says, but if they isolate Ned, won’t he pull the trigger with the FCC? and Drew says, not if he bows out.

Alexis says she feels like she interrupted something big, and Molly says, it was almost something big. Alexis asks if everything is okay, and Molly says, everything’s fine. It’s just that she and TJ thought she might be pregnant. I’m glad she did say we, because face it, only one of you carries and delivers the baby. Molly says, she’s not, and Alexis says, it’s something to talk about. Molly says, they weren’t planning on having kids yet, with both of them being so busy. If they add a baby to the mix… Alexis says, it’s exhausting, and Molly works. So when she’s at work, she’ll be thinking about the baby, and when she’s with the baby, she’ll be thinking about what she has to do at work. And with TJ’s schedule, she’ll be doing the night shift. Good luck with that. And the truth is, you’ve got to keep your eye on them 24 hours a day. As small as they are, you can’t imagine how they have such a long reach, and they’ll put anything in their mouth. Molly was a cross between an octopus and a Dustbuster. It makes you wonder how you’ll get through a whole day, let alone 18 years. She sees Molly’s face – which is a mix of horrified, panicked, and exhausted already – and says, on the other hand, it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you.

TJ says he knows something went down after he and Molly left the reception. He’s not asking Curtis for details. He just wants to know if there’s anything he can do. Curtis says he appreciates the offer. Right now, he just wants to focus on anything else. Like TJ. How are he and Molly? TJ says, actually, it’s crazy. He and Molly are talking about having a baby. Any thoughts on fatherhood?

Portia says, the reason she’s been burying herself in her work and avoiding Marshall is, she didn’t want to have this conversation. Now she’s thankful they had it. She thought she’d ruined everything. Not just between her and Curtis, but between her and Marshall as well. And now he’s saying he doesn’t hate her for what she’s done. It gives her hope. He says he could never hate her, not after everything she’s done for him. He wouldn’t have questioned his schizophrenia diagnosis if it wasn’t for her. That’s why he wanted to see her before he got his test results from the geneticist; to say thank you.

Nina can’t imagine how Willow must be feeling, and Willow says she doesn’t have a lot of energy, or an appetite. She has difficulty concentrating. Also – this is going to sound really shallow – her nails are really brittle. She always prefers it when they look nice. Nina asks to see, and Willow shows Nina her hand. Nina says, not long ago, Crimson did a feature on nail art, and a nail artist gave her a nail strengthening recommendation. She digs in her bag, and pulls out a bottle, saying, she’s been using it all the time. She hands it to Willow, who thanks her.

Michael says, if Sonny was on to Dex, he’d be dead, but Dex says, something’s changed. When Sonny agreed to the Pikeman deal, he said he wanted Dex involved, and last night he got an update and shut Dex out. He went into his office with one of his guys and shut the door. Michael says, that doesn’t mean he’s pushing Dex out, but Dex says, if Sonny trusted him, he would have been there. And this shipment is still Michael’s best chance of busting Sonny.

Olivia says she hates to break it to Sonny, but there’s absolutely nothing he can do for Michael and Willow right now. He says he knows that, but this distance is killing him, and she says, then go do something about it.

Mason peeks in from behind a door, and Ava tells Austin, if she lets Sonny know what she did and why, he’ll take care of things and make sure Avery doesn’t lose her mother. Austin says he thinks she’s making a huge mistake, and she asks what he wants her to do. Sit around and wait; do nothing. Mason pops out, and says, Austin’s ladyfriend has a point. If she’s begging Sonny Corinthos for help, they both must be in big trouble.

Drew says, if he leaves ELQ, Ned has no reason to turn them in. So if no one else finds out when their relationship actually started, they should be in the clear. She says, what about Michael? He has some serious differences with Ned about ELQ. Drew says, Michael has something more important on his mind than business. The people they care about, the people they love, that’s way more important. That’s become crystal clear to him. She says, that’s sweet, but she can’t let him do this.

Alexis says, Molly and TJ would make wonderful parents. They’re healthy, they’re smart, they’re successful, they have a great support system. Molly asks, what about work? and Alexis says she raised two babies while working as a lawyer and as a single mom. She thinks Molly can manage. Molly says, TJ works insane hours, and Alexis tells her, she didn’t say it was going to be easy. They’ll make it work. She thinks Molly would love being a mom. She did… she does. Are she and TJ on the same page about having a kid? Molly looks over at TJ.

Curtis says, sorry. TJ could ask him about literally anything else. TJ says he’s sorry; he didn’t realize. They thought Molly might be pregnant, but she’s not. He’s never had the feeling before, but having a baby with Molly would be amazing. Curtis says, that’s great news, but TJ says he’s not so sure. Molly’s freaked out. She has a five-year plan, and this isn’t in it. The last thing he wants to do is push her to have a baby if she doesn’t want to, and if she thinks he does, she won’t want to disappoint him. Maybe he should keep his feelings to himself.

Portia asks how Marshall is feeling about all of this, and he says, not only does he not know what to expect, he doesn’t know what to hope for. That he has schizophrenia, and he can congratulate himself for managing it so well for so long, or… Portia says, absolutely. Schizophrenia is a very difficult disease to manage, and he says, on the other hand, what if he’s healthy? Everything he gave up; his wife, his boys, a life with his family. All of his sacrifice; all for nothing. She says, he thought he was a threat to his family, and wanted to protect them. He’s wasted nothing. Now he just has to move forward. He says, but how does he move forward?

Willow tells Nina, aside from the state of her nails and her need to take a lot of naps, she’s better than okay. Michael is taking excellent care of her. Nina says she sees how much Michael loves Willow, and she’s glad they have each other. She’s thankful that Willow chose to tell her all of this, but Willow says, to be honest, she didn’t want to. Nina’s Aunt Liesl asked her to.

Michael asks how Sonny’s attitude been toward Dex overall, and Dex tells him that he would have said good. Michael asks, why? and Dex says he was waiting for Sonny at Pizzulo’s, and didn’t have anything to do. He started poking around the kitchen, and found this recipe for chicken piccata, so he decided to make it. When Sonny got there, he asked if Sonny wanted some, and he did, so they had dinner together. They talked; nothing about business. Sonny told him about who he’d gotten the recipe from; Gloria Cerullo. Michael says, forget about the Pikeman update. If Sonny is talking about his past, Dex has nothing to worry about.

Austin tells Mason, this is not a good time, but Ava says, Mason never shows up without a good reason. She doesn’t know what Mason thinks he’s heard… Mason asks if Austin wants to enlighten the lady, and Austin says, Mason has some concerns, but Mason says he’s not concerned. He’s not even bothered. Like he was telling Austin, Windymere has some very impressive stables. He can see no expense was spared for the horses. Something about being around animals is calming to a person. Particularly when that animal is left behind to rot.

Olivia says, always a pleasure, and Sonny says he’s got one more thing, and yes, it’s about Nina. Olivia sighs loudly, and Sonny says, just be nice to her. This whole thing with Willow is tearing her apart. She’s running Crimson, and trying to prove herself at the MetroCourt. Olivia says, fine. She’ll be nicer to Nina, but her first loyalty is to Carly, and it always will be. He says he wouldn’t expect anything less, and she says, not for nothing, Carly seems pretty happy these days. Sonny says he’s noticed, and she says, noticed what exactly?

Portia says, Marshall’s not alone. She’s going to be there for him. And she knows Curtis wants to be there for him. Curtis is going to Marshall’s appointment with him, isn’t he? Marshall says he thought he’d wait until he got the results. He doesn’t want to bother anyone; not now. She says, she and Curtis aren’t in the best of positions right now, but she knows he’d want to be there for his dad. He says he never thought he’d hear those words, but he’s hearing them in no small part now because of her. She says, Marshall and Curtis definitely started building that bridge themselves. She has to see some patients, but why doesn’t he stay there, make a phone call, and have some privacy? She leaves, and he takes out his phone, putting it on the arm of the chair and looking at it.

Molly tells Alexis that she and TJ have talked about having kids somewhere down the line, but sooner than that, she doesn’t know what he thinks. Alexis says, maybe that’s a conversation they should have, and Molly says, they’re trying to. Alexis says, that’s her cue to leave. She knows how Molly likes to plan things, but from one planner to another, plan to have her mind changed. Molly says, that’s good advice, and Alexis says, when you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you tend not to listen to your partner… or in her case, a friend.

Curtis’s phone rings, and he says, it’s TJ’s granddad. He says, hey pop, what’s up? and Marshall says he knows Curtis is busy, but he’d appreciate it if Curtis was here.

Michael says, he told Dex before that Sonny wants to be a mentor, a father figure. Making that dinner gave him that opportunity. Dex says, that’s not why he did it. He genuinely wanted to try the recipe. Michael says, it was spur of the moment; that’s why it worked. Sonny hasn’t lasted this long by being stupid or naïve. If Dex had forced it, Sonny would have noticed. So just keep doing what he’s doing. He’s closer than he thinks. Dex says, what about Pikeman? and Michael says, don’t push it. That will only make him suspicious. Let Sonny choose to trust him. He has to get back downstairs to Willow. Dex says he hopes she feels better, and Michael says, they’re working on it, and leaves.

Willow says, Aunt Liesl wanted her to give Nina a chance, and Nina says, Aunt Liesl didn’t… and Willow says, threaten to withhold her bone marrow if she didn’t make an effort with Nina? No. Nina breathes a sigh of relief, and Willow says, Liesl just explained how much her heath matters to Nina, and she wanted to respect that. Nina says, it does matter. More than she can say. Michael comes back, and asks if Willow is ready to go home. Willow says, sounds like heaven, and Nina says she has to get back to the hotel. It’s convention season. Michael says, they won’t keep her, like they just did lunch, and Nina presses the elevator button. After an awkward five seconds, Nina thanks Willow, and leaves, presumably choosing to take the stairs.

Mason asks if they’re having fun yet. He’s having fun. He thinks the three of them should socialize more together. How are they going to stay in contact?… He snaps his fingers, and says, they’ll exchange numbers. He asks to see Ava’s phone, and she suggests he just tell her the number and she’ll add him to her contacts, but he says, no. He wouldn’t want her to get the number wrong. He holds out his hand, but she says, Austin can give him her number, and he can text her. He says he’d rather take care of it here and now, and she says, fine, handing him her phone.

Sonny says, he and Olivia both know Carly and Drew have been spending time together. It’s too bad they have to be so discreet. She asks how he’d know about that.

Carly says, it’s too much. She can’t let Drew give up on ELQ because of her. He says his first priority is to protect them from the SEC, but giving Ned control of ELQ is a good strategy. She says, he has to work on that romance thing, and he says, she wants romance? He’ll do anything to prove his devotion. He’ll even do the dishes. He’ll clear the dishes right here. She says, he doesn’t have to, and he swipes all the dishes off the kitchen island. Luckily, they’re all plastic, and the moss bowl 🎍 wasn’t there. He kisses her, picks her up, and puts her on the counter.

Mason says he’s in Ava’s contacts, and he texted himself, so she has his number and he has hers. That way, when he calls, she’ll answer. He tells them to have a good evening, and leaves.

Marshall thanks Portia for letting him use her office, and for everything else. She says, their conversation was helpful to her, and she appreciates him letting her talk things out. She hopes his test results are everything he wants them to be. He tips his hat to her, and walks off, but she calls to him. She asks if he thinks there’s any hope for her and Curtis, and Curtis walks out of the elevator.

On the phone, Alexis leaves a message for Gregory, saying, she doesn’t like how they left things. Can they talk?

TJ tells Molly, having a baby is a big decision – the biggest – so he thinks they should sit down and talk about how they feel. Go over their finances… She says she wants to have a baby, and he says, him too.

In the elevator, Michael asks how it went with Nina, and Willow says, surprisingly well. She told Nina that the kids were off-limits, and she agreed. The questions she did ask were appropriate, and Willow got the sense Nina really heard her answers. He says he’s glad it went well, and she says, it did, but she’s not forgetting who Nina is, or what she’s done to their family.

Magically having teleported to Carly’s bed, Drew and Carly kiss. He says, soon, he’ll be able to spend any night she wants, and she tells him to be careful; she might take him up on that. He says, in the meantime, there is something she could do for him, and she says, anything. He says he’d really love a brownie… with a glass of milk. Oh yeah? Did anybody clean up that mess in the kitchen?

Sonny tells Olivia that he knows why Carly and Drew have to stay quiet. If certain people find out how long they’ve been together or what they’ve discussed, they’ll have to deal with the consequences. She says, only because her husband threatened to sic the SEC on them. Nina walks in, and Olivia says, how’s that for romantic? She pats Sonny on the shoulder and leaves, and Nina stares at the back of Sonny’s head.

Tomorrow, Portia asks if Trina has something to say to her; Victor thinks he feels better already; Elizabeth asks if someone thinks they can ever forgive her; and Esme says she’s done listening to someone’s lies.

Real Housewives of New Jersey

Danielle practiced with Valentina for her birthday party entrance. In her interview, she said, it was going to be a full-on production. When she throws a party, she throws a party. It’s what her babies will remember. Nate said, she wanted their kids to have her personality. Was she happy now? She’d invited Jennifer and Rachel, but they’d gotten into it at Teresa’s housewarming, and she hoped they didn’t get into it at Valentina’s party or she’d go off.

Rachel’s family came over, and in her interview, she talked about being a guidette back in the day. She said that her mother is a typical Jewish mother, and her type A personality and Italian attitude come from her father. Her grandmother doesn’t give a single sh*t, and uses the excuse that she’s old and can say whatever she wants. Rachel’s mom asked about Teresa’s housewarming, and Rachel told her about Jennifer calling her a f***ing idiot.

Melissa gave Antonia a driving lesson, and said, please don’t hit any humans. I guess squirrels, street signs, etc. are okay? When Melissa asked her to pull into a drive-through for coffee, Antonia made Melissa take the wheel. In Melissa’s interview, she said, she and Antonia had turned a corner. Antonia still gave her side-eye when she could, but it seemed more copacetic. Maybe because she wanted a car. Melissa told her, whatever went on between her father and Teresa had nothing to do with Antonia, and in Melissa’s interview, she said, she and Joe #2 had always vowed to never involve the kids. Antonia told her, the kids stay out of their stuff, and Melissa said, if you have no family you have nothing. Family is everything.

5 weeks to the wedding. Teresa, Gia, and Milania went to the city where Teresa tried on wedding dresses and veils. Apparently, these were fake wedding dresses by the same designer, since the real dress was being kept secret. In Teresa’s interview, she said, the theme of her first wedding was Shakespeare in Love, which I shocked the hell out of me, since I can’t imagine Teresa even knows who Shakespeare is. She said she’d been stressed putting everything together, but this time she was using a wedding planner, and it was so much easier. Well, duh. Designer Mark Zunino was there because Teresa wanted her veil to be special. She explained about wanting something about her parents incorporated into it, and got all teary, even though she just gave a slap in the face to her parents’ dear friends by not inviting them to the wedding. In her interview, she said, Milania took it the hardest when Joe #1 left – we flashed back to that – but now Milania was thriving. She asked the girls if Melissa had talked to them, but they said it was no more than hi and bye. In Gia’s interview, she said, they were at Melissa’s and Joe #2’s shore house all the time last year. Milania said, Joe #2 should be walking Teresa down the aisle, and Gia said Teresa was two seconds from asking him, and now it was questionable whether he was coming to the wedding. Milania said, if he didn’t, it was over.

Jennifer met Melissa for lunch, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said she and Melissa were finally good. She was excited to maybe start a friendship. We flashed back to Jennifer throwing things at Melissa. They talked babies, and Jennifer said, it was like Bill was her boss. She took care of the kids, and if something went wrong, it was her fault. She whined that Marge always had an issue with her, and Melissa admitted that Marge didn’t give Jennifer a pass like she did other people. Jennifer said, there was a pattern of Marge losing friends. She asked if Marge hadn’t encouraged Melissa to leave Joe #2, and in Melissa’s interview, she said, it was at a time when she and Joe were going through something, and we flashed back to them arguing. Melissa said, it was just a girlfriend trying flatter her, but Jennifer told her to be careful. Marge can be dangerous. Please.

Jen was having the women over for a comfortable brunch where she was serving southern comfort food. In her interview, she said she wasn’t domestic, but every party with these women seemed to be filled with venom. She hoped to get them to understand that parties were about eating, drinking, and laughing; not women looking for blood. She’d liked Jennifer before Jennifer called and trashed her friend, but since Jennifer hadn’t slept with her husband, Jen was willing to give her another chance. The women started to arrive, and Melissa said, Jennifer had told her to watch her back with Marge. Marge said, Jennifer always twisted the things she said, and in Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer was pathetic, obsessed, and embarrassing. They ate outside, which was probably wise, just in case things got thrown. Marge said Danielle wasn’t like her Instagram, and Melissa said, Danielle’s Instagram was extra. She thought it was one reason Danielle and her brother didn’t talk. Jackie showed up, and I thought, she might as well be a Housewife this season, since she’s getting as much screen time. Danielle explained that she and her brother hadn’t talked in two years. She’d blocked him on social media after he made fun of her, and he kicked her out of his wedding, Marge said, that was hardcore, but in Rachel’s interview, she said, it seemed sketchy that something so miniscule ripped the family apart. Danielle said, it was painful, but at a certain point, you had to block your heart. Melissa asked what terms Dolores was on with Jennifer, and Dolores said she didn’t know; she just wanted peace. Marge said, nothing was ever put to bed with Jennifer. She was a f***ing a-hole.

Jennifer arrived, and a hush fell over the group. Jen thanked everyone for coming, and they all clinked glasses. The topic of Jennifer’s house came up, and she said she didn’t brag; she just explained. She stated facts. Everyone received those facts differently, depending on if they liked her or not. Marge asked why Jennifer was trying to change people’s opinions of her. She’d told Melissa to watch her back. Why was Jennifer trash talking her? Jennifer said, that was her experience and she could talk about what she wanted. Marge said she thought she and Jennifer had moved forward, but it seemed they couldn’t. Jennifer insisted she was just giving the history, since history and facts are her new buzzwords. They began raising their voices, and in Rachel’s interview, she said she wasn’t understanding how it gets to this point. Grown-ass women were screaming like children over something stupid, Marge told Jennifer that you don’t win friendships by turning one friend against another, and Jennifer said she had a family; Marge would never know what that was like. Marge said she had a good marriage, and Jennifer would never know what that was like. In Melissa’s interview, she said, as many times as she’d seen them fight – we flashed back to several of them – she’s shook at what they’re saying. Jen finally got up, and yelled for them to stop.

It didn’t matter. Jennifer kept going, and Jen said, it’s not Teresa’s house; she has neighbors. They still continued on, now calling each other stupid, and in Danielle’s interview, she said, both of them were throwing dirty laundry in each other’s faces. She wasn’t telling these bitches nothing. There was a lot of no, you stuff, and Marge called Jennifer a disheveled drug addict. In Jen’s interview, she said she’d rather see them punch each other in the face. You know a party’s not fun if even she hasn’t eaten the fried chicken. Jen went inside, and Marge tried to leave, but Jen blocked her, saying, she wasn’t going anywhere. She told Marge to sit her ass down, and asked Jennifer to leave. They weren’t doing this. Teresa said, if Jennifer was going, she was going to leave too, which was no great loss. In front of the house, Jennifer told Teresa that Marge was jealous, and in her interview, she said it bothered Marge that she was living the f***ing dream. She doesn’t run at the first glimpse of unhappiness. Oh yeah, she definitely seems like she’s living the f***ing dream, gathering history and facts, and screaming the sh*t out of people with them. Marge said that Jennifer was a sick f***ing a-hole, and Jen said it was nice having everyone over, but they could leave now.  

Valentina’s birthday was over-the-top as promised. On the scale of a wedding reception, the theme seemed to be Barbiecore, with everything pink, as well as a real live Barbie, although a lot of the kids seemed too little to know what was going on. In Danielle’s interview, she said, there was nothing better than to be able to do for her kids. She thought she nailed it. Rachel told Danielle that the argument at Jen’s lunch was hard to watch, and Danielle said she liked Jennifer and Marge individually. She asked where she stood, and Rachel said she was annoyed when Jennifer screamed in her face that she was a f***ing idiot. They got off to a sh*tty start. Jennifer asked Rachel if she wanted to talk, and Rachel said she didn’t appreciate being called a f***ing idiot. Jennifer spent so much time talking about owning it, I don’t even know if she actually apologized. She told Rachel that when she talked about history, it didn’t mean she was still mad. The facts might be negative, but she wasn’t. In Rachel’s interview, she said, in Jennifer’s mind, Jennifer makes sense, but in Rachel’s mind, nothing makes sense. Jennifer said she was doing what she needed to in order to move forward. Valentina made her entrance, escorted by her brother, and did a cartwheel. Jennifer wailed to Louie that Marge was always coming for her and spitting out venom. Marijuana is not drugs. Um… She complained to Rachel about Marge telling Melissa to leave Joe, and Teresa said, she’d rather keep Marge as a friend than as an enemy. In Teresa’s interview, she said, they’d made up, but their history was no secret. Rachel said she had a mind of her own, and Teresa suggested she do her homework and pay attention.  

This is one of the reasons I think this franchise is over. They’re still rehashing fights from seasons ago. They need some new material. Or maybe, how about less screaming at each other and more fun stuff?

Next time, Teresa tells her therapist that Joe #2’s temper is out of control; Teresa’s therapist says, moving on is Teresa’s only option; Rachel tells Melissa what Jennifer said about Marge; the charity softball game happens; and Frank misses his and Dolores’s friendship.

👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 Celebrating Women Of All Nations…

Take a break with me tomorrow for soap and what’s up with the servers, ex-servers, and servers-to-be at SUR. After which, LVP will be on Watch What Happens Live. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering to spring ahead this weekend, and stay not always trusting the instinct to protect your loved ones from harm.

March 3, 2023 – Anna Threatens To Haunt Eileen Forever, For His 60th, Another Return, VanderScandal, Salty Stuff, Delays, Rescue Dress-Up, a Half Dozen Brief Quotes & Free It

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Kristina asks if Sam wants to talk, but they hear Dante’s key in the door, and she hides the pregnancy test behind her back. Dante comes in, and says, it’s over? Sam kisses Dante, and Kristina says, they’ve both been holding out. She holds up the pregnancy test.

Diane says, Alexis is going to do something ethically grey, but morally justifiable, isn’t she? and Alexis says, there’s nothing grey, but yes on the morally justifiable part. Diane says she knows how hard Alexis fights for those she feels have been wronged, but sometimes she’s in danger of overstepping. Alexis makes a call to Dean Jeffries in the journalism department at PCU, and Diane throws up her hands.

Gregory tells TJ, it’s a wonder he hasn’t caught the bug from one of his students… yet, when Chase comes along. Gregory asks if Chase is here to see his brother, but Chase says, Finn’s off this morning. He tweaked a muscle in this shoulder and he came to get it checked out. He asks what Gregory is doing here, but Gregory says, it’s nothing. He asks TJ to help Chase; he’ll find the exam room on his own. Chase asks if he’s sick.

Brook asks if Sasha thinks there’s tension between them because of Chase. She’s way off base. That has nothing to do with what’s going on here. Sasha says, then Brook admits there is something.

Spencer looks at a pamphlet along with the car seat in his lap, when Laura comes by, and says, confusing, isn’t it? He says, very, and she explains how to use it. He thanks her, and stands up holding it. He asks how he looks. She asks if she can be honest, and he says, sure. She says, like somebody who’s too young to be a parent.

Eileen backs away, saying, it isn’t real, and bumps into the drawer with the body on it. She screams, and ghostly Anna walks toward her, saying, you’re next. You’re next. You killed me. Eileen screams for help, but Anna says, there’s no one to help her. Eileen says, please. She’ll do anything. Anna says, confess. Confess to what you did to me. Confess or join me. Eileen looks at the body, then back at Anna.

Spencer tells Laura that he’s ready. At least as ready as he can be. Diane filed a petition with the court for him to take custody of his little brother, which is basically just a formality since Esme is going back to prison and his father is gone. Charlotte texted to let him know all the furniture has arrived and it’s been set up. He ordered diapers, formula, parenting books. He’s really trying. She says she knows she is, and couldn’t be more proud of him. It’s just that he’s not this baby’s parent; Spencer is his brother. He says, the baby’s father isn’t here, so it’s up to him to do right by his baby brother. His brother deserves something that ties him to his future instead of his past. She says, something that maybe severs all ties with his mother?

Sasha says, something’s been off between her and Brook. If it isn’t Chase, what is it? Brook suggests they drop it, but Maxie thinks talking things out could really help. Sasha says, Brook told Maxie, but didn’t tell her? They’re better than this. Brook says, nothing is wrong… per se. She might have mentioned to Maxie that Sasha and Chase have grown closer lately, and Sasha thinks it’s a conversation they should have in private. Maxie says, oh man, and gets up. She says she has errands she needs to run anyway, makes a call me gesture behind Sasha’s back, and leaves. Sasha says, let’s do this, and Brook asks if they have to. Sasha says, yes.

Gregory says he was just telling TJ how shocked he is that he hasn’t picked up this bug making the rounds. Now go get his shoulder treated. Chase asks if TJ can help with it, but TJ’s phone chirps. He says he has to see a patient, but tells Chase to check in at the nurse’s station and get set up. He leaves, and Chase asks if there’s a reason Gregory won’t tell him why he’s here.

Diane tells Alexis that she’s going to powder her nose and pretend she’s not hearing this. She leaves, and Alexis tells Dean Jeffries who she is, and that she’s the editor-in-chief at The Invader. She wanted to talk to him about Professor Gregory Chase; he works in the history and journalism department… Can he repeat that?… Is he sure?… No, nothing else. She thanks him for his time.

Kristina asks if Sam hasn’t told Dante yet. She’s so sorry. She shouldn’t have said anything. Dante says, someone should probably say something, and Molly comes downstairs, asking, what’s going on? Kristina says she found this, showing Molly the pregnancy test. She apologizes to Sam, and says she must have opened up the wrong bag. (And accidentally pulled out the test, looked it over, and decided to wave it around.) Dante asks if he and Sam need to talk, but Molly says, actually, it was her bag. The pregnancy test isn’t Sam’s… It’s hers.

Diane asks if it’s over, and Alexis says, yes. Diane says she sees Alexis gave Dean Jeffries a piece of her mind. So when does Gregory start at The Invader?… Is she okay? Alexis says, Gregory doesn’t work at PCU anymore. Dean Jeffries told her that Gregory hasn’t given a lecture or taught a class at PCU all semester. Diane says she doesn’t understand, and Alexis says, neither does she. His sons think he’s working at the university. It doesn’t make any sense; she knows him. Diane says, maybe not as well as she thought, and Alexis says, they’ve become very good friends. When Diane was stabbed, he wouldn’t leave the hospital, even when Alexis insisted he go. Diane says, that was very kind of him, but what kind of a friendship does Alexis think they’re building if he can’t even be honest with her? Alexis says, normally, she’d agree with Diane, but there’s something else at play here. Diane’s phone dings, and she says she has to go. Tread carefully with Gregory. No more investing in this friendship until she’s fully investigated the situation. She leaves, and Alexis says, she’s going to evaluate this all right.

Gregory explains to Chase that he thought he might run out of his migraine medication, and he needs an examination to refill the prescription. He asks about Chase’s shoulder, and Chase says he just worked too hard at the gym. He needs to lay off the heavy bag. Gregory says, Chase is usually good at pacing himself, and Chase says he has a lot going on. He’s trying to get his badge back, and there’s this thing with Brook. Gregory says he should have known. There’s only one person who gets Chase all worked up. Chase still hasn’t made peace with how he feels about her.

Brook says, they’re good, but Sasha says, obviously not. Brook says, if there are problems, they’re hers, and she’ll handle them herself, but Sasha says, it’s not healthy to bottle up your feelings. If anyone would know, it would be her. Brook says she doesn’t want to talk about this. Can’t Sasha respect that? Sasha says she can, but this is becoming a problem. Their friendship is important to her. Brook says, it’s important to her too, and Sasha says, and beyond that, they work together. At the very least, she wants to work it out so it doesn’t impact their professional relationship. Brook says, at least that’s one less thing to worry about. She’s quitting.

Spencer asks if Laura can blame him for wanting to keep his brother away from Esme. She is unfit to be a mother, and will use that baby the same way she used him. Laura says, he’s hurt, and has every right to be after the way Esme manipulated him. Remember, she was doing that on Ryan’s orders before she lost her memory. He says, so…? and Laura says, the Esme she’s witnessed in the past few days seems to genuinely care about that baby. And he knows what it’s like to grow up without a mother. Does he really want that for his baby brother? Spencer asks, what if she regains her memory? Does Laura remember what kind of person she was? Laura says she does. She’s on his side 100%, and the baby’s side, so she’s saying she doesn’t think it’s wise to completely alienate Esme. It would be better to get her to want his support. He tells Laura, say Esme never regains her memory. What kind of mother is she going to be without a past? He doesn’t want his baby brother anywhere near Esme. Period. Victor comes in, and asks, where is the newest Cassadine heir? He can’t wait to meet him.

Eileen says, what happened to Anna was an accident. It wasn’t supposed to go like that. Anna says, but it did. My death is on your hands. Eileen says she didn’t know. Please. Can Anna just leave her alone? Anna says, confess… or meet my fate. Or she’ll haunt Eileen forever. Eileen says, no, no, no, no, no. Please. Anna is right. It’s her fault, and she’ll tell Anna everything.

Kristina says, Molly’s pregnant, but Molly says she doesn’t know yet. That’s kinda what the test is for. Sam says, sorry for being weird, but she knew it wasn’t hers or Kristina’s, and figured Molly didn’t want anyone to know. Molly says, right on all fronts. Sam can’t imagine what Dante was thinking, and Dante says he’s thinking he should leave them to sort it out. He jets upstairs, and Molly thanks Kristina, but Kristina says, if Molly didn’t want anyone to find out, she shouldn’t have left it in the shopping bag. Molly says she was hiding it from TJ, and Sam tells her, she would have said it was hers, but Dante walked in. Kristina asks why Molly is hiding it from TJ, and Molly says she’s not sure how he’ll react.

Sasha says, Brook is quitting? and Brook says she didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but she did tell Sasha that she was exploring new horizons. Chase’s music career is really taking off, and she’s getting interest from a lot of new artists. Sasha says she just assumed Brook would continue to do both, but Brook says, the balancing act is a lot. If she’s going to take on new artists, she has to devote time to them. She wishes she could do both. She was going to tell Sasha and Maxie at work; give her notice. Don’t tell her yet. Sasha says she won’t, as long as Sasha is telling her the truth, and this has nothing to do with her and Chase.

Chase says, there’s no future for him and Brook, not after she lied, and Gregory says, yet he’s still working with her. Chase says, as he recalls, someone lectured him about doing the right thing on Christmas Eve. Doing the right thing is finishing what he started. Gregory says, but he still hasn’t forgiven Brook, and Chase asks, why should he? Gregory says he doesn’t want Chase to have regrets. To look back and think how much time he wasted holding onto his anger when he could maybe work things out with Brook. Chase asks if Gregory is telling him to let it go, and Gregory says, Chase was never a hothead, even as a kid. All of a sudden, he’s losing control at every turn, and it all comes back to Brook. Chase asks, what’s the point? and Gregory says, Chase is still in pain, and hasn’t resolved his feelings for her. Chase was happy with Brook. Chase says, she also drove him crazy, and Gregory says, because she challenged him. She’s different; they’re both different, but they compliment each other. Sometimes that can lead to harmony, sometimes discord. Whether the relationship is worth it is up to him. Gregory’s phone tweedles, and he says, it’s Alexis. He has to go. He’s not telling Chase what to do. He’s just suggesting Chase work out his feelings before he hurts himself again.

As he and Victor approach the nursery window, Spencer says, the baby will be discharged soon, and he’ll be taking him home. Victor says, that’s splendid news. No word from his father? Spencer shakes his head, and Victor says, he and Spencer will just have to fill that void, but Laura says, Victor’s services won’t be needed. She knows her son won’t abandon his child. Victor says he prays she’s right. In the meantime, the remaining Cassadines will step up. He’s taken the liberty of finding them a new home. Spencer can’t be expected to raise a child under Sonny Corinthos’s roof. Laura says, he’s not. Her grandsons are both staying with her. Victor says, that’s generous of her, but her plate is rather full at the moment with taking in Charlotte. She says, her grandchildren are her first priority, especially since they’re missing their fathers. Victor says, Spencer and his brother will want for nothing. He’ll arrange for round the clock care for the baby. Spencer says he appreciates it, but everything is already set up at grandmother’s house. If they’ll excuse him, he’s going to see what’s taking so long. He leaves, and Victor asks why Laura is so hellbent on keeping him from what’s left of his family. She says, her? Both Spencer and Charlotte have wisely chosen to stay away from him, and he has no one to blame for that buy himself.

Eileen says she knew Anna was being framed, and she helped. She was the one who arranged for the tourism drone to be at the waterfront at the right time. Without her, the footage of Holly Sutton shooting Lucy Coe would never have been captured. Anna never would have fled the country; she never would have been in Paris… or in that sewer. She’s so, so sorry. Please don’t hurt her. There are some electronic sounds, and Anna’s voice says, I think we’ve got enough, don’t you? The body sits up, and ghostly Anna disappears. Eileen looks like she might pass out, when Anna walks through the door. The body takes off her latex prosthetics, and Felicia says, this disguise is so convincing, it’s scary. Anna says, so scary.

Alexis flashes back to asking Gregory if he would have accepted the job had PCU not gotten in the way, and him saying, he’d have liked nothing more. There’s a knock at her office door, and Gregory says he came as soon as he could. What’s so urgent?

Maxie says, it’s so good to see Chase… unless he’s sick, but he says he just hurt his shoulder. He’s waiting for an MRI. She says, he must have been working out pretty hard to injure himself. Any specific reason why? He says, it just wasn’t his smartest moment, and she says, love does that to the best of us. He says, what? and she asks if that’s not why he’s throwing weights around; trying to impress the new woman in his life.

Brook says she would never let what’s going on between Sasha and Chase influence her professionally. She and Chase broke up. She just wants Chase and Sasha to be happy. If that’s together… yay. Sasha says, thank you, but there’s no her and Chase. They’re friends, and she’s still grieving Brando. Brook says, Sasha can still grieve and move on. She’s seen the way Chase and Sasha are together. Sasha says, what Brook’s seen is Chase being the awesome guy he is; supporting a friend in need. As for moving on, she hopes to one day. Brook says, but she’s not there yet, and Sasha says, the only romance she and Chase had was staged. He’s just being there for her as a friend. Brook says, for the record, there are more people there for Sasha than just Chase; her too.

Eileen says, this is a trick? What the hell is wrong with them? Anna says, Eileen wants to talk about tricks, after framing her for shooting Lucy? Thanks for the confession, by the way. It’s made their job a lot easier. She asks if Felicia got everything, and Felicia says, every last word, pulling a recorder out of the body bag. She plays back Eileen’s confession, and says, good thing New York is a one-party consent state. Anna says, which Eileen knows about, given her impressive political career. Eileen says she was coerced. It will never hold up in a court of law. Anna asks if she wants to take that chance. She might be right that this would be deemed inadmissible in court, but it can still be leaked to her constituents. Anna feels like the good citizens of this great city need to know what their public servants are up to. Felicia asks how long Anna thinks before Eileen is removed from office, and Anna says, not too long probably. Felicia says, Eileen can kiss her political aspirations goodbye, and Anna says, not to mention her freedom. Eileen says, there’s no need for that. She’ll see to it that Anna’s name is cleared. Anna says, thank you, but I want so much more than that.

Victor says, everything he’s ever done has been for the sake and benefit of his family, and Laura bursts out laughing. He asks what she finds funny, and she says, all of it maybe. He chased his own son away with all of his schemes, and now Charlotte is left without a father. Laura doesn’t think it’s to her benefit. Victor says, not a day goes by he doesn’t ache for his son. He’d do anything he could to bring Valentin back. She says, and Nikolas? and he says he won’t rest until he finds Nikolas and reunites him with his children. She asks if Victor didn’t help him sneak off, and he says, of course (🍷) he didn’t. She laughs again, and says, forgive her if she doesn’t believe him. He asks if she really thinks he’d keep Nikolas away from his newborn son, and she says she absolutely does. They both know the only person Victor cares about is himself. He says, that is simply not true. His family means everything in the world to him, and he’s almost lost all of them. She says, that’s because he puts his lust for power above all else, but don’t worry. His day is coming, sooner than he thinks maybe. And the fallout is going to be glorious. He asks what the hell she’s talking about, and she shrugs.

Kristina says she could be an aunt again; this is great. Sam says, is it? and Kristina says, of course (🍷) it is. She doesn’t know why Molly thinks TJ won’t react well. Molly tells her that she said she didn’t know how he’d react, not that he’d react badly. Kristina says, they’ve been together for ten years, and Sam says, maybe she’s just not ready to say anything to him yet. Kristina says, they’ve never talked about having kids? and Molly says, in the abstract maybe, but once they were established in their careers, and that day is not here yet. Kristina says, TJ won’t care; he’s going to freak. Molly says, if she’s pregnant, and honestly she doesn’t know. TJ wants to be a hands-on father. That’s going to be hard with the hours he works at the hospital, and it’s not like she’s any less busy. This is exactly why they wanted to wait. Sam says, everything is going to be okay, because they’re going to take this one step at a time. Don’t worry. Molly says, don’t say anything to anyone, and Kristina says, only mom… She’s kidding. Sam says, they won’t say anything to anyone. Right, Krissy? Kristina asks why she’s always looked at as the weak link. She’ll keep her mouth shut. Sam says, and she’ll make sure to tell Dante so they’re all on the same page. Dante comes back downstairs, and Kristina says, there’s no time like the present.

Alexis says she’s having an issue, and could use Gregory’s input. He says, all right, and sits down. She says, some of it’s clear; some of it’s obscure. She’s just having trouble sorting it out. He says, let’s hear it, and she says, actually, it might be better if he read it. She wants to turn it into an editorial, and it might be a bit one-sided. Take a look and tell her what he thinks. He says he lives for this, and starts to read.

Maxie tells Chase not to worry. He won’t get any awkwardness from her. She’s friends with Brook, but she’s also friends with Sasha, so… He says, she thinks he’s seeing Sasha? and she says, isn’t he? He says, no, and she says, now there is awkwardness, but he says he’s not dating anybody. What gave her the impression he was? She says, nothing. She just noticed he and Sasha were spending a lot of time together lately. He asks if Sasha said something, but Maxie says, no, but she was just at Kelly’s with Brook – he says, of course (🍷) – and she might have mentioned there was something between him and Sasha. Then Sasha showed up, and said there was tension between her and Brook. Clearly Maxie connected dots that shouldn’t have been connected. She’s sorry. She obviously stirred some things up. He says, it’s okay. Break-ups can be confusing. She says, doesn’t she know it, and he asks if that’s why she’s here; trying to find Austin? She says, she hasn’t spoken to him since The Hook attack, and she wanted to make sure he was okay. Chase says, but she’s debating whether or not it’s her place, and she says, wouldn’t it be great if, when relationships ended, all the feelings just went up in smoke? He says, yes, it would.

Sasha says she’s glad they talked this out, and Brook says, her too. Now she has to tell Maxie that she was right. She’s insufferable. Sasha says, maybe Maxie will surprise her… probably not. Even if she did have feelings for Chase, it woudn’t matter. It’s written all over his face how much Brook meant to him, and probably still does. She doesn’t think anyone is replacing Brook in Chase’s life anytime soon. Brook says, she’s got the past tense right, but Chase wants nothing to do with her, and honestly, it’s a relief. It took her a minute, but she’s completely over him.

Sam asks if Dante has recovered from the shock yet, and he says, almost. She says she told Molly they weren’t going to say anything to anyone, and he says, of course (🍷) not. Their secret is safe with him. She says, when he thought the pregnancy test was hers, how did it make him feel?

Laura says, sooner or later, Victor’s past is going to catch up with him, and she’s hoping it’s sooner. Spencer comes out with the baby, and says, meet the newest Cassadine. Victor asks if he has a name, and Spencer says he’s working on it, but in the Cassadine tradition, his middle name will be Niklosovich, like his. Victor says, may I? and Spencer says, of course (🍷), handing him the baby. Victor fusses over the baby, and says, technically, he’s the baby’s great, great Uncle Victor, but that’s quite a mouthful. Welcome to the family. As he’ll discover, they’re quite a formidable bunch, the Cassadines. Although he admits, in recent months, they rather lost their way. But the baby gives him hope again. Welcome to the family. Somehow, some day, his daddy is going to come back. And when he does, when they’re whole again, he’ll see how strong this family is when they come together. You, my little one, are our future, and I’m going to move heaven and earth to make sure it’s a bright and prosperous one for all of us. Spencer and Laura look at him like he’s Maleficent at Princess Aurora’s christening.

Anna says, of course (🍷) the mayor will ask for Eileen’s resignation, but she has a lot of sway with the DA. If Eileen does as they ask, and helps them to bring Victor down… Eileen asks if they’re crazy, and Anna says, help them bring him down. Working with him puts her in a unique position to get information that will help them put him away for good. Eileen says she can’t go against Victor. He’ll kill her if he finds out. Felicia says, yes, he will, because that’s the kind of monster he is, which is why they need her to get the goods on him. Anna says, they know Eileen sold her soul to Victor because of her political ambition, but she doesn’t believe Eileen is as bad as he is. Why doesn’t she do the right thing? Eileen says, it’s too risky, and Felicia says, suit herself, but once this recording goes public, how does she think Victor is going to react? Eileen says, there must be some other way, but Anna says, there isn’t. There are only two ways out of this. Either she’s with them, against Victor, or she faces the consequences of her own actions. What is it going to be?

Dante says, Sam’s definitely not pregnant, right? and she says, no, but can he just answer the question? He says, if she had been pregnant, he would have been super excited, over the moon, and she says, so would she. He says, but he looks at their life together and thinks, maybe no more kids. She says, no more kids, and he says, they’re two for two. He likes what they’ve built together. If it were to happen by accident, then bring it on, but why mess with perfection? She asks if he’s seen the playroom lately; it’s a disaster. He says, but that’s their mess, and she says, it is, kissing him.

Kristina tells Molly to stop thinking about all the reasons the timing might not be right. What does her heart say? Molly tells her, it says she really wants to have a baby with TJ, and Kristina says, her too. She means, she wants Molly to have a baby.

TJ goes into the exam room to treat Chase, but Chase isn’t there. TJ’s phone rings, and Molly asks if he has a minute. He says, for her, always, and Kristina gives Molly a thumbs up. Molly says, good, because there’s something she wants to tell him.

Outside Kelly’s, Brook tells Sasha that she was upset at first, but not only does she have zero romantic feelings for Chase, she realized not being in a relationship is the best thing that could have happened to her. Now she can focus all her energy on her management business without all the distractions. Sasha says, sounds like she’s in a good place, and Brook says she is. They leave, and Chase comes out from around the corner looking all sad.

Gregory says, Alexis’s assessment is spot-on, and she says, so it does read as one-sided. He says he made some notes as to where the argument needs to be rounded out, and where opposing viewpoints could have benefited. She thanks him for his input and for coming by at such short notice, and he says, not only does he enjoy the work, he’s her friend. She says she thinks he believes that, and he says he does. She says, then why is he lying to her?

Eileen says, fine. She’ll work with them against Victor. Anna thanks her for making the right choice, and Felicia asks if she understands the consequence of double-crossing them. Eileen says, her confession will be leaked to law enforcement and the people of Port Charles, and Felicia says, Victor included. Excellent. They’ll start tonight. Anna says, let’s nail Victor to the wall.

The nurse tells Spencer that they just need a couple of signatures, and he can take the baby home, but Diane suddenly shows up, and says, there’s been a change in plan. She’s sorry, but that baby’s not going anywhere.

On Monday, Elizabeth tells Esme that she couldn’t be more wrong if she thinks Elizabeth owes her an apology; Obrecht says she sees Willow differently; Mason pays Austin a visit; and Sonny says, that’s a lot to celebrate.

🎂 One Is Silver, the Other Gold…

And for his birthday, a blast from Sonny’s past.

🥏 Like a Boomerang…

Well, we’d better find out what the hell Mason is doing with him. I actually think this guy is a better Nikolas. He’s more believable for some reason.

🔥 Fuel For Reunion Fire…

Did not see this coming.

https://people.com/tv/vanderpump-rules-stars-slam-tom-sandoval-raquel-leviss-over-alleged-affair-causing-ariana-madix-split/

📼 That’s My Question…

And where’s the Kathy tirade footage? Is there going to be some grand lost footage special in the future?

In other Salt Lake news.

👵🏼 Because It’s Getting Old…

Honestly? I think the Real Housewives are over. Unless Andy has a magic wand that can revamp it, I think the franchise is done.

🐩 Highest Honor…

I love this.

https://people.com/pets/rescue-dogs-celebrate-jamie-lee-curtis-after-2023-sag-awards-win/

🦞 Quotes of the Week

When deeds speak, words are nothing. – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like. – Garrison Keillor

Tough times never last, but tough people do.Dr. Robert Schuller

A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t. – Jack Dempsey (Apparently, I’m a champion every morning.)

When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

I find your tranquility kind of irritating. – Gina Baxter (Hope Davis), Your Honor

🍒 With a Cherry On Top…

Get sidetracked on Monday really Tuesday with some soap and the right captain on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not getting distracted by the minutiae, and stay not investing in a friendship until you’ve fully investigated the situation.

March 2, 2023 – Laura Sends Eileen To the Morgue, Poem, Bill’s Band, Through the Years, Please Go, Fakey McFake, Monstrous Loss, Everything SAG & Good

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sasha puts a single rose on Brando’s grave, and says, it’s finally over. Heather Webber will never hurt anyone again. Soon they will lock her up. She hopes Heather suffers. He’s too kind to wish that on anyone, but he’s not here, so she gets to wish for what she wants. Of course (🍷) the one thing she wishes, she can’t have. Everybody talks about moving on and living her life. Easier said. She starts to cry, and says she misses him.

Maxie meets Brook at Kelly’s, and Brook asks, how’s her mom? Maxie says, hanging in there. Ryan really put her mom and Mac through the wringer. Brook says, look on the bright side. Ryan is dead, and Heather is being put away until she rots. Good riddance to the lunatics. Maxie says she’s still reeling though. Heather’s last victim was Austin. Brook asks if Maxie’s talked to him, and Maxie says she left a message, but didn’t want to push. Brook says, it’s hard to know where to draw that line with an ex, and Maxie says, now they’re talking about Brook and Chase. Is she right?

Dante comes into the steam room to find Chase rubbing his shoulder. Dante says he told Chase to take it easy. What did that punching bag ever do to him anyway? Chase says he was overcompensating. He’s sick of being in limbo. He wants to be a cop again.

Gregory reads out loud to Alexis, when the sounds of choppers faded from the air above Spoon Island, one notorious criminal was dead, another was in custody, and their legacies were cemented with the birth of their grandson and the trail of devastation each left in their wake. She takes it he has notes, but he says, just one; masterful. Congratulations. She’s nabbed the scoop of the year.

As they approach Sam’s apartment, TJ asks if Molly is up to this, but she says she’s fine. It’s probably just a touch of the bug that’s going around. She hasn’t seen her sisters in ages, and there’s no way she’s missing this brunch. Um… I guess she misses them so much, she wants them sick too? They knock at the door, and Sam tells Kristina, they’re here. Kristina comes out with a cake that has one candle on it, and Sam opens the door. They yell, happy anniversary!🎉

At the MetroCourt restaurant, Diane tells Robert, it’s so lovely, and he says, it’s been a long time coming. He really owes her, and she says, for wasting her time in court with a case that should never have been brought to trial? He says he was thinking more of a moment they shall call the elevator incident, and she says she was only doing what anyone would do when they figured out a colleague had been drugged and swindled. He says, regardless, this is an expression of his gratitude, and she asks if that’s all this is. He says, she’s got him. There was something else he wanted to talk to her about today.

Laura thanks Eileen for meeting her at the hospital, and Eileen says, of course (🍷). Laura says she’s been given a task that feels impossible to her, and she realized that Eileen is the best person to help her with it.

TJ says now he understands why Sam insisted he escort her to this so-called sister’s brunch, and Kristina says, they know TJ and Molly celebrated their anniversary at Curtis and Portia’s wedding. Sam says, the first year of domestic partnership deserves a celebration, and Kristina says, they’re borrowing from birthday tradition, lighting the candle. Sam says, make a wish, and Kristina tells them, then blow out the candle. They do, and everyone laughs.

Alexis says, right place, right time, and Gregory says, thanks to the tip from Smoltz. She says, when he’s right, it reminds her that he’d actually be good at his job if he had integrity. He says, Smoltz may have given her information, but it was her deductive reasoning that unmasked The Hook, and she says, a major get. He says, one she should be proud of, but she says, the glory isn’t all hers. She couldn’t have done it without him.

Dante says he knows Chase hates not being on the force, and Chase says, especially after an operation like the one on Spoon Island. They caught The Hook. Ryan Chamberlain is dead, Esme Prince has been recaptured, and where was he? Dante says he missed out too, but Chase says, because he was in England with Sam working on another case. Dante says, they were tracking down Esme’s nanny. She told them that Ryan was Esme’s biological father. Chase says, see? Dante’s proven his point. It was good work. Dante says, work Chase can do too when he gets reinstated. Chase says, if he gets reinstated, but Dante says he has every reason to believe the Board will reinstate Chase. Will he have some faith? Chase says he’ll try, but in the meantime, there’s another bad guy he can take down.

Brook tells Maxie, soon enough she and Chase won’t have a professional relationship, and Chase will be free of her completely. Maxie asks if he fired Brook as his manager, and Brook says, music was never Chase’s dream; it was hers. He loves police work, and he’s probably going to be reinstated in the next few months. Maxie asks how she feels about that, and Brook says, it makes him happy, and she’s happy for him. Maxie asks how she really feels, but Brook says she’s actually happy for him. He deserves to follow his passion. Maxie says, so does Brook, and Brook says she is. Aside from the ones he already sold, Linc gave her back her catalog. She can shop those around, build her slate of artists… Maxie asks why she still doesn’t seem happy, and Brook says, because she still doesn’t get what she wants.

Eileen says, whatever Laura needs, she’s at her service, and Laura says, she looks tired. Is she sick? Eileen says she hasn’t been sleeping well. Her alarm clock must have a short; it’s been waking her up at all hours. On top of which, the heat stopped working. Laura suggests she stay somewhere else until she can sort out the heat and the wiring, but Eileen says, that won’t help with the nightmares, and Laura says, what? but Eileen says, it’s nothing. Laura tells her, Anna Devane’s body has been recovered… or what the French authorities believe are her remains. Eileen says, her condolences, and Laura gets all teary and thanks her. Eileen says she hopes this gives Laura and Anna’s loved ones the closure they need. When will the body arrive? Laura says, it’s already here. Anna’s body is down in the morgue, and she’s the one who’s supposed to… identify it. She breaks down in tears.

Alexis tells Gregory, spitballing, bouncing theories off each other, that’s what led to her eureka moment with Heather. After that, it was just a matter of confirming her hunch. He says he might have helped get the wheels turning, but this was all her, and she says, take the win. Come on. They’re good together. Why bust it all up? He says he’s sensing a return to a conversation they put to bed, and she says she doesn’t understand why PCU won’t let him work at The Invader. He says he told her; a conflict of interest. (BTW, I think he’s lying to her; I don’t think he even asked.) She says she’s researched six publications, and all of them have professors working in their editorial department. So why does PCU set a different standard for their faculty specifically? He asks why she can’t let this go.

Chase tells Dante that he’s going to stop Linc Brown and his career as a music manager. Maybe get him charged just for good measure. Dante suggests Chase remember Linc was one of the reasons he was suspended in the first place. He adds harassment to assault, he’s not getting back on the force. Chase says, Brown gets handsy with his clients – he means, really handsy. He’s abusive, controlling, and manipulative, and that’s all they know about. There’s probably so much more. Dante says he knew the guy was a sleaze, but didn’t know he was doing that. That’s no good and he needs to be stopped. Why doesn’t he have a chat with Linc? Chase says, that won’t do any good, and Dante asks how working for him is going to change his behavior. Chase says, proximity gives him opportunity. Sooner or later, he’s going to slip up in a way that’s verifiable. Dante says, when he does, Chase better be far, far away from him.

Brook tells Maxie that she and Chase are over. He made that abundantly clear. In fact, she thinks he’s moved on. Maxie says, Chase is interested in someone else? Who? Brook says, Sasha, startling me, since I expected her to say Blaze. She’s not sure sure, but they’ve been spending a lot of time together lately. Maxie says, well, they’re friends, and she’s sure they’re just being supportive, and Brook says, how sure? grabbing Maxie’s hand. Maxie says, 98% sure, prying Brook’s hand off hers. She says, Brook needs to talk to Sasha, and Brook says, why? Whatever’s going on between them is none of her business. She and Chase are over. She doesn’t have him, but she does have her music back. Maxie says, she doesn’t seem that pleased, and Brook says, it came with strings. She had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. One of her main goals when she started was to nail Linc to the wall for sexual harassment, coercion, and all of the other sleazy stuff he does. Maxie says, and she persuaded Chase to help her? and Brook says she did, and he was totally into it. So when he finds out she signed an NDA and can no longer speak publicly about what Linc did to her, he could think she prioritized her career over doing what’s right. Maxie says she doesn’t think the NDA is going to be Brook’s problem. She should talk to a lawyer, but Brook needs to look into the Speak Out Act. An NDA can prevent you from talking about work product, like intellectual property… Brook says, lyrics, contracts, deals, and Maxi says, exactly, but a contract that restricts your talking about how you’ve been treated, misconduct in the workplace, or sexual harassment, those can’t be enforced anymore. Brook should look into it. Brook says she will, but that still doesn’t change what she did, and Maxie says, Chase is understanding. She’s sure he’ll forgive her. Sasha is suddenly there, and asks what Chase has to forgive Brook for. Um… none of your business?

Diane asks how offended she should be that the pleasure of her company wasn’t enough for her and Robert to meet, but he says, the pleasure of her company is reward enough, and she says, stop. He says he wanted to bring her up to speed on some recent events, and she says, he means Heather Webber being identified as the person who stabbed her with a hook. He says, she’s confessed, which means they’re removed from having to go through a trial, and Diane says, which means she doesn’t have to testify. She wasn’t looking forward to reliving that. She puts her clients on the stand every day, but it’s different… He says, when you’re the one being attacked. He gets it. She says, of course (🍷) he would. He was the victim of an attack recently.

Eileen says, shouldn’t one of Miss Devane’s relatives make the identification? but Laura says, her daughter lives all the way across the country. Eileen says, what about DA Scorpio? They were married. Laura says, they were, but the French authorities have made it clear that… the body… there’s been some decomposition. She’s sure Eileen understands why she wouldn’t want to expose one of Anna’s loved ones to a visual like that unless it was absolutely necessary. Eileen says, of course (🍷), and Laura says, unfortunately, it’s her job as city official to assist the gendarmerie, but she’s been here for hours, and she just can’t do it. Eileen says, Laura needs support, and Laura says she needs Eileen to do it.

Chase says he knows Dante isn’t telling him to look the other way while Linc manhandles his female clients, and Dante says, no, but he is telling Chase to maybe report him. He knows it’s difficult, but maybe Chase could convince some of these women to come forward. Chase says, Dante knows as well as he does, these types of allegations are hard to prove. Either everyone comes forward or no one does. Dante says he gets direct involvement, but for Chase, it’s a bad idea, and Chase says, why? These women endure this because they think if they don’t, Linc will end their music career. He doesn’t care if his music career ends; he can’t wait. He’s the perfect person to take Linc down. Dante says, Chase takes Linc down, Linc is liable to take Chase own with him. Then what happens? The CCRB gets wind of his little one-man operation, and there go his chances of reinstatement. Chase says he knows there are risks, but he doesn’t feel right leaving these women in Linc’s orbit to do this alone. Dante says, nor should he, but to be clear, are they talking women plural, or one woman in particular?

Sasha asks if everything is okay with Brook and Chase, and Brook says, nothing major; just music business stuff. Maxie stares at Brook, and Sasha sits down, saying, she admires Brook. She’s juggling two careers. Sasha crumbled under the pressure of just one. Maxie says, Sasha didn’t. What she went through wasn’t a reflection of her capabilities or professionalism. Don’t sell herself short. Maxie tells them that she left her phone in her coat pocket; talk amongst themselves. She stands behind Sasha and eavesdrops, as Sasha says she thinks it’s incredible what Brook has done with Chase’s music career. Is she taking on other clients? Brook says, actually, she thinks it’s time to explore new horizons.

Alexis asks why Gregory is willing to let this go, and he says he knows his limits. She says, the only limits he has are the ones PCU has shackled him with. He should just quit. He says, she finds journalism gratifying? and she says, certainly more than she thought. He says, when she was practicing law, if someone had told her to quit and run The Invader, or just be on the staff… She says she’d refuse, and he says, being an attorney was her first love, was it not? She admits it was, and says, and teaching is his. He says, this may sound flowery or pretentious, but he feels the knowledge he’s imparted is his bequest to a better world. If anyone should understand how hard it is to give up a career you’ve poured your heart and soul into… She says she gets it, and he says, besides, just because he’s not officially working here doesn’t mean they can’t continue to collaborate. She said herself, why bust up a good thing? He’s thinking, there must be a way to build on the momentum of this story, and his ideas are hers, free of charge.

Kristina asks, who’s ready for a toast? and Sam asks for sparkling water. She thinks she got a bit of food poisoning in England. TJ says, sparkling water for him too; he’s due at work. Kristina says, they’re both squares. Molly won’t let her drink alone, will she? Molly says, maybe just a small glass, and TJ says, his dad called to wish them a happy anniversary. Sam asks how Shawn is, and TJ says, great, and not at all surprised Alexis cracked The Hook case. Kristina hopes Heather’s capture brings Gladys and Sasha some peace, and Sam says, that’s why it’s so important for them to celebrate these milestones. To the people we love, and all of the milestones. Kristina says, to TJ and Molly, and they clink glasses.

Eileen says, Laura wants her to identify Anna Devane’s remains? and Laura says, there aren’t many people she could trust with this. Eileen says, forgive her, but she doesn’t have the impression Laura trusts her. Laura rarely calls on her for assistance, and Laura’s often dismissive of her efforts. Laura admits she was short with Eileen when Eileen talked with Warden Brewster about the Spring Ridge escapes. Eileen says, it wasn’t the first time Laura kept her out of the loop, and it was important she stay informed. Laura says, being informed isn’t necessarily being involved. Okay, she admits it. She’s been keeping Eileen at arm’s length. Eileen asks, why? and as they walk down the hallway, Laura says she owes Eileen an apology. She let her personal sensibilities cloud her judgement. They don’t have to be adversaries. Eileen is a strong administrator, and will be a great successor when Laura decides not to seek reelection, but she needs to know she can count on Eileen when it matters. Eileen says, understood. She’ll go to the morgue and make the identification. Laura presses the elevator button, and says she can’t tell Eileen how grateful she is for her stepping up in this way. It’s something she’ll never forget. Eileen gets in the elevator, the doors close, and Laura gets out her phone. She says, she’s on her way.

Diane apologizes for bringing up a sore subject, but Robert says, it’s public knowledge. Holly played him; he fell for it. Diane says she’s assuming Holly is still recovering from her burns in Europe, and he says, Holly has some challenges ahead of her. Regardless of what’s happened, he wishes her well. Diane says she may not know Holly well, but she knows this second chance meant a lot to him. She’s sorry. He asks, why? and she says, because he is. Deep as first love, and wild with all regret. He says, o death in life, the days that are no more, and she says, to Tennyson. They clink coffee cups, and she says, she was hoping Tennyson was getting him through during that time, and he says, not just Tennyson.

Sasha says she hopes Brook finds the perfect singer for every song, and make superstars out of all of them, and Brook says, that’s the dream. Sasha says, it’s hard to make many moves under this guardianship, but she’s starting to think about her future, and Brook asks if there’s anyone else in that future. Maxie jets back to her seat, babbling that her phone was in her purse the whole time, and Sasha wonders if Brook is asking her something specific. Maxie asks what she missed.

Dante says, Chase and Brook teamed up to take down Linc. Is Chase worried about his feelings for Brook coming back? Chase says, maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Either way, it’s worth it to see this through. Does Dante remember how aimless he felt when he was first suspended? For a guy who’s wanted to be a cop longer than he can remember, it didn’t feel good to lose his purpose. Dante asks, what about singing? but Chase says, that’s a paycheck, not a purpose. He wants to help people and if he can’t do it as a cop, he’ll do it this way.

Gregory says, Doc would add a good point of view to a think piece, and Alexis says, Doc is not only Ryan’s brother, he’s his twin, and his victim. Gregory says, to share your exact DNA with someone who’s both you physiological and moral opposite? It’s a great angle. She says she likes it, and he asks if Doc would be willing to talk about it. She says, there’s only one way to find out. She’d also like to interview Esme, even though she’s got some problems of her own right now. Gregory says he forgot. Congratulations are in order; Alexis is an aunt again. She says, that’s mean. She knows Nikolas is having another son, but she doesn’t know where he is. Gregory gets up, and says, it’s a good thing she’s good at solving mysteries, and she says, about the job. He says, just when they were having such a nice chat, and she says, humor her. If PCU hadn’t gotten in the way of taking the job, would he have accepted it? He says, he would have liked nothing more, and leaves.

TJ thanks Sam and Kristina for this very thoughtful surprise. Growing up, he never knew what he was missing, but through Molly, he has sisters. He thanks them for always making him feel like family, and Sam says, he is family. Kristina says, he’s trapped and there’s no escape, but it’s only because they love him. He says he loves them too, and Molly walks him to the door. He says he’ll see her tonight, and leaves. She goes back inside, and says, as they know, TJ is traditional and she’s not, but she appreciates them celebrating the commitment she and TJ made. Sam says, love should always be celebrated, and Molly says, right back at her and Dante. Kristina says, her sisters are happily in love. It almost gives a girl a complex. Sam says, when Kristina meets someone – and she will – they won’t know what hit them. Kristina says, because she’s a wrecking ball, but Sam says, she’s fantastic and smart and beautiful, and Molly says, face it, they’re magnificent. They deserve only the best, and that includes Kristina. Only good things for the Davis girls.

Robert says he’s grateful to have friends, old and new, and Diane says he’d better be calling her new. Alexis approaches the table, and says, if it isn’t her two favorite members of her former profession. Can she join them? Diane asks if it matters, and Robert says he has another appointment. My how time flies. Diane thanks him for breakfast, Alexis takes his seat, and he leaves. Alexis asks if it was business or discovery, and Diane says, it was breakfast. She thanks Alexis for alerting her before the identity of The Hook went to print, and Alexis says, it’s the least she could do. How is Diane feeling? Diane says, like she no longer has any excuses not to go out and live her life, and take a breath. And Alexis? Is she deciding what shelf to dust off for her Pulitzer? Alexis says, that’s a bit of a stretch, but Diane says, she’s on her way. Alexis says she’d be more on her way if PCU weren’t being obstructionist. The school’s administration won’t allow Gregory to join the editorial board. Conflict of interest. Diane asks, how? and Alexis says, exactly. Diane asks what Gregory has to say about this, and Alexis says, nothing. He doesn’t want to give up teaching, so he’s accepting it. Diane says she’s guessing Alexis isn’t, and Alexis says, no. Diane knows how she is.

TJ sees Laura, and says he didn’t get a chance to thank her for stepping in to officiate at his uncle’s wedding. She was incredible. She thanks him, and says, it was her honor. How’s his Aunt Stella doing? He says, on the mend. He asks what brings her by GH, and she says, closure.

Gregory asks the reception nurse to direct him to exam room 3, and she says she remembers him; he’s Dr. Finn’s dad. He says he hadn’t realized he was famous, when TJ comes by and says hello. Gregory says he’s looking for exam room 3, and TJ says he can show Gregory. Don’t tell him Gregory has caught this bug making the rounds. Gregory says, if only.

Eileen goes into the morgue. It’s empty, and she looks at the instruments on the table and shudders. She flashes back to hearing Anna say, you’re next, Eileen. You’re next. The attendant comes in, and she jumps a mile. He says he didn’t mean to startle her. Is she Deputy Mayor Ashby? She says, yes, and he says, he’s Moe (or maybe Mel); he’s been expecting her. He holds out his hand, but she doesn’t take it. She says she’s sorry; she’s just a little jumpy. He says, they get that a lot down here. Mayor Collins said she’d be identifying the Jane Doe from France. She says, that’s why she’s here, and he slides out a drawer holding a body in a body bag. He says he has to step out for a minute. Why doesn’t she take a look, and he’ll be back with the form she has to sign. He leaves, and I don’t think that’s how any of this works.

Dante says, it sounds like Chase is going to go after Linc no matter what, and Chase says, yeah. Dante says, promise if he gets into any trouble, Chase will call him, and Chase thanks him. He suggests Chase get his bum shoulder checked out, but Chase says, Dante knows how he feels about hospitals. Dante says, speaking of hospitals, he heard Willow was released, and Chase asks if that means she’s doing better. Dante says he doesn’t know, and suggests Chase stop by and see her. Chase says he has to meet little Amelia, and Dante says, his mother has fierce baby fever right now. She keeps hinting, and trying to find out if he and Sam are having kids. Chase asks if he wants them, but Dante says, they haven’t discussed it. I’m thinking either Sam, Molly, or both are pregnant.

Sam says she notices Molly switched to the sparkling water. Is everything okay? Molly says she just feels under the weather, and Kristina says she already opened the bottle. It’s a sin to let it go flat. Molly says she doesn’t want any more, but she could use something sweet. Is there any dessert? Didn’t they just have cake? Sam says, in the bag over there, and Kristina goes to get it. Molly says she wants to hear all about finding Esme’s nanny, and Sam says, it was insane. It was beautiful and rural, and they found her in this little place in Devon. She tells Molly about the crazy driving, when Kristina takes a pregnancy test out of the bag. Molly excuses herself, and Sam asks what’s taking Kristina so long. Kristina puts the test behind her back, and Sam says, she had one job. Kristina asks if there’s something Sam wants to tell her, and shows her the test. Dante comes in, and Kristina turns around, putting the test behind her back again. He asks if it’s over.

Diane says, do not meddle, and Alexis says she’s not meddling. She’s doing Gregory a favor. Diane wonders if he asked for this favor, and Alexis says, no. Diane says, then don’t do it, but Alexis says, he wants this job. Diane should have seen him. He just doesn’t want to give up teaching. Diane says, the professor is a big boy. If he wants it so badly, he’ll find a way to get it – on his own. Alexis says, not necessarily. He’s a cerebral guy. He doesn’t like to make waves. She does. She’s action oriented. Diane says, that’s Latin for meddling, and Alexis says, he wants the job, and she’s going to do something about it.

Brook says, sorry to bolt, but she has a full day, and Maxie says, stay. Sasha says, there’s been this really weird tension between them these last few weeks, but Brook says, no. Sasha says she’s sober, she’s calm, she thinks she’s rational. So she’ll be really disappointed if Brook tells her that she’s imagining this. Brook says, she brought out the big guns right away, and Sasha says, something has clearly changed between them, and she thinks it has to do with Chase.

TJ asks what Gregory means by if only, and Gregory says, nothing. It’s just a wonder he hasn’t picked it up from one of his students. Chase comes in, and Gregory asks if he’s there to see his brother, but Chase says, Finn’s off this morning. He tweaked a muscle in his shoulder, and he’s getting it checked out. What is Gregory doing here?

Robert sees Laura, and asks if Ashby went for the bait. She says, hook, line, and sinker, and he says, well done. She says, now let’s just hope it all goes according to plan.

Eileen hesitates, then remembers Laura saying how grateful she is, and it’s something she’ll never forget. She slowly goes over to the drawer, and zips open the bag enough to reveal Anna’s beat up, bluish face. The lights flicker, then go out, and Eileen says, hello? Is Moe (or Mel) there? The lights went out. Hello? The lights come back on, and she sees a ghostly Anna standing in front of her. She looks back at the table, where Anna’s body is still lying, and says, this isn’t real. This isn’t real. Anna floats toward her, looking like a demon.

Tomorrow, Chase asks if there’s a reason Gregory won’t tell him why he’s at the hospital; Kristina says she just found out Dante and Sam have been holding out on her; Laura says, Victor has no one to blame but himself; and Eileen says, please. I’ll do anything.

📜 Poets In Law…

If you want to read the whole poem.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45384/the-princess-tears-idle-tears

🎸 Rock On…

Good for him. I thought he did a wonderful job on GH, and certainly better than the Most Extras’ first song on Vanderpump Rules last night.

🎊 Another 50th

The Y&R Memory Lane. It’s comforting to know some of the soaps we grew up with are still there.

💎 Here’s Your Hat…

Isn’t she gone yet? Please, take Kyle with you.

Well, we agree on LisaR’s exit, but no Housewife is bigger than the franchise? I present Queen LVP. She’s still got it going on elsewhere, and the show began its slippery slope downhill after her departure.

🍊 Phonier Than a Three Dollar Bill…

I’m ambivalent to Kelly – although she does let fly some amusing bon mots – but I agree Tamra is fake. The worst thing was when she decided to become a Christian, made a big production out of it, then never gave a Christian hoot again. I cringe just thinking of it. The loudest wheel gets the screen time.

🦐 Farewell Creature…

He was my favorite monster as a kid. My sister went through a model building phase for a hot minute, and did several classic monsters. I loved him.

https://ew.com/movies/ricou-browning-monster-creature-from-black-lagoon-dies-93/

🏆 And the Not Loser Is…

The winners.

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/sag-awards-2023-winners-list/

The best moments. I would usually say, these are debatable, but they’re pretty spot-on.

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/best-moments-sag-awards-2023/

The fashion.

https://ew.com/sag-awards/sag-awards-2023-red-carpet-photos/

Afterwards.

https://ew.com/sag-awards/see-all-the-stars-at-the-2023-sag-awards-after-parties/

My personal favorite.

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/james-hong-2023-sag-awards-speech-producer-said-asians-not-good-enough/

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200…

Come to my window tomorrow for soap, tea spillage, what might pass as wisdom, and music celebrating women. Until then, stay safe, stay raising your own bar, and stay celebrating milestones, big and small.

March 1, 2023 – Dante Makes a Discovery In the Tack Room, James Has To Be Escorted Out & Survive

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny goes into Pozzulo’s and tells Dex that he can take the night off, but Dex says, there’s something he wanted to ask Sonny.

There’s a knock at the gatehouse door, and Michael asks if Willow is sure she’s up for this, but she says she’s the one who invited them over. He opens the door to Carly and Josslyn, and Carly says, Willow told them it was important. Willow says, very important. It’s about their future.

Scotty says, everybody take it easy and breathe, and Elizabeth says she knows Obrecht has questions… and Obrecht smacks her across the face.

Dante works at the tack closet lock, when Bennett comes in. He asks if Dante needs a hand, but Dante says he’s got it.

Sonny asks if there’s a problem, but Dex says, everything’s fine. He was there by himself for a while, and got to poking around the kitchen. He found some recipe cards… Sonny says, they’re his, and Dex says he knew Sonny liked to cook, but there’s some legit recipes in there. He decided to try his hand at one. Sonny asks, which one? Dex says, chicken piccata, and Sonny says, good choice. Dex asks if Sonny would like to try some, and Sonny says, why not?

Michael goes upstairs, and Willow says she hopes she didn’t worry them, but Josslyn says, they’re curious. Willow says, their wedding day is going to be here before they know it, and there’s so much to do. They have to start moving on plans. Carly says, between them and the Quartermaines, every last detail is going to be perfect, and Josslyn says, anything Willow wants for her day, it’s hers. Willow thanks them, and says, what she’s wishing for is much bigger than flower arrangements or entrée choices. She knows what she’s facing. She knows her marriage to Michael will be much shorter than either of them envisioned, but she doesn’t want the fact that they’re running out of time to be the focus of the wedding. Josslyn says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t, and Willow says she wants the day to be a celebration of everything they have; their love for each other, their son and daughter, the life they’ve managed to build together. It should be a happy day. Carly says, it should and it will be. They promise. Willow says, good. Now let’s plan a wedding.

Finn runs over and says, that’s out of line, but Elizabeth says, it’s okay. He asks if she’s all right, and Nina suggests she and Obrecht go someplace they can talk. Obrecht says she knows what Elizabeth did; how she aided and abetted Nikolas in keeping Esme Prince a prisoner. She knew, yet she didn’t come forward. She let the police continue their search, and now Obrecht’s daughter is dead because of her. She remained silent. Elizabeth says she’s sorry. If she could go back… Obrecht says she wouldn’t wish this on anyone, not even Elizabeth. You reap what you sow. Nina takes her arm, and leads her away.

Dante gets the door open, and looks around with a flashlight. He tells Bennett, you see what I see? and Ava braces herself. He asks if Bennet is seeing what he’s seeing, and Bennett says, sure do. Dante says, Nikolas was definitely here, picking up a watch. There are his initials. Bennett asks if Ava recognizes the watch, and Dante says, NMSC. Ava says, Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine, and Bennett says, that’s a serious name. She says she gave it to Nikolas for their first anniversary, and Dante asks if he was wearing it the last time Ava saw him, but she doesn’t know. He tells Bennett, look at that, showing him the watch, and Bennett says, that’s interesting.

Scotty tells Elizabeth that he’s sorry. He thought he could calm Obrecht down before she went off like that. Elizabeth says, that’s okay; she got what she deserved. Finn says, Obrecht shouldn’t have hit her, but Elizbeth says, she lost her son once. She knows what it’s like. Obrecht lost her daughter, and Obrecht’s right; she did play a role in that. Scotty says he loves them both, and doesn’t want this rift going on, and Elizabeth suggests Scotty check on Obrecht.

Obrecht tells Nina, Nikolas she understands; that man is a schwein. But Elizabeth is supposed to be virtuous. She had the power to stop those horrible attacks, and she did nothing. Nina says she knows Obrecht wants someone to blame… Obrecht says, someone? Elizabeth is the reason Britta is gone, but Nina says, Heather Webber is the reason. Obrecht says, Heather Webber could have been caught if the police had focused on someone else. Whose fault is that? She demands justice for her daughter. Yes, her killer was apprehended, but her enabler walks free. Scotty joins them, and Obrecht says, and some have decided to take her side.

Michael comes back downstairs, says, don’t mind him, and they don’t. Carly says, Olivia’s going to want to handle all the food, and Willow says she’d like Wiley and Amelia to be part of the ceremony. Carly says, having her kids be part of the ceremony is going to be so beautiful, and Willow asks Josslyn to be one of her bridesmaids. Josslyn says, of course (🍷); she would love that. Willow asks how Carly would feel about matron of honor duty, and Carly says she kept the truth from Willow about Nina being her mother, but Willow says, Carly is such an important part of her life. Carly’s become like a mother to her. Carly hugs her, and says, yes. She’d be honored. Josslyn says she hopes so; it’s in the title. Carly thanks Willow, and Willow says, but of course (🍷) the most important detail is their dresses. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Willow says she has some options on her tablet. She gets up, and is suddenly dizzy, but Michael rushes to her side and says he’s got her. Is she okay?

Dex sets a plate in front of Sonny, and says, moment of truth. Sonny takes a bite, and says, it’s good. There’s something missing. Dex wonders if it’s the sauce, or too many capers, but Sonny says, the sauce is great. He gets a tiny bowl of something, and says, parsley. Dex says, curly or fresh? but Sonny says, it doesn’t matter, and sprinkles some on. He takes another bite, and says, that’s more like it. He asks Dex to join him, and Dex goes to make a plate for himself.

Dante says, the watch and the band are both broken, and asks when Ava last saw Nikolas wearing it. She says, the evening of February 13th, and Dante asks, what time? She says, 7, 7:30, and he says, the watch stopped on February 13th at 8:07 pm. The watch is a clue Nikolas came down here for some reason. Bennett suggests Nikolas stashed some gold there in case he had to make a quick getaway, and Dante puts the watch in an evidence bag, saying, they’ll have CSU do a sweep of the area. Nikolas Cassadine was definitely in this room before he disappeared. Bennet says, now they just have to figure out where the trail goes from here.

Scotty says he knows it was a big blow to hear about Nikolas and Elizabeth, but he wishes Obrecht had some time to process it before confronting her. She asks, why is that? Because he can’t stand anyone confronting his precious Elizabeth? He tells her, that’s not what he’s saying, when TJ comes by, and asks if Obrecht isn’t waiting for Terry. Obrecht says, for some test results, and TJ says, she got pulled into an urgent meeting and won’t be available for a while. Obrecht looks at Scotty, and says, of course (🍷) she won’t. She no longer has a Co-Chief of Staff to share responsibilities with. TJ says, Terry did give him permission to go over the results with her, and Nina asks if they’re in. He suggests they discuss it in his office, and they follow him, walking past Scotty, who then follows them.

Finn says, Elizabeth has to stop beating herself up, but she says, people are finding out what she did, and coming to the same conclusion. He says, not people; one, sort of person. She says, because of her, Heather Webber was able to kill more people, and he tells her to be careful. Obrecht’s crazy and she’s going to want to avenge Britt, and there’s no telling how she’s going to go about doing that. Elizabeth and the boys may want to… He says he’s not doing that again. She probably needs space, and he’s going to leave her to it. He starts to leave, but she says she doesn’t need space from him.

Willow says she’s fine, and asks Josslyn to grab her tablet. Carly says, they can do this another time, but Willow vehemently insists she’s fine. She just did it too fast. Josslyn gives her the tablet, and Michael suggests she take a nap. They start whispering like she’s already asleep, and I see why she didn’t want to tell anyone she was sick. These people are annoying. She says she wanted to show them the dresses, but Carly says, she and Josslyn aren’t going anywhere. They can pick this up after she takes her nap. Michael says, think how good she’ll feel, and Willow says, a quick nap. He says, the quickest. He’ll help her upstairs. Michael and Willow go upstairs, and Josslyn says, with Willow home, it’s almost like everything’s okay, but it’s not even close to okay. Carly says, there’s still hope. Michael’s not giving up; neither should  they. Josslyn wishes there was something she could do to help, but Carly says, she’s helping. She’s here, giving them every ounce of love and support she has, and when Josslyn can’t handle it, call her. Josslyn says, careful. She has unlimited calls, but Carly says she pays the bills. They’re going to get through this. Some way, somehow. She hugs Josslyn.

Dex asks if Sonny learned cooking from his mom, but Sonny says his mom wasn’t that big of a cook. If you wanted to learn to cook, you went to Gloria’s house; Gloria Cirillo. Dex says he’s heard of her; that’s Michael’s cousin. Sonny says, Gloria was her grandmother, an amazing Italian woman from Bensonhurst. When he closes his eyes, he can smell that house; it was warm and inviting. If you were a kid who didn’t have a great home, that was the place to go. Dex assumes Sonny was one of those kids, and Sonny says, anybody was welcome at Gloria’s house, and she taught him what a strong, happily married wife looked like. It was an honor for him to be a member of the family in a sense; it was good for him. She could cook. The recipe cards are in her handwriting. Dex says he saw one for a marinara sauce that looked killer, and Sonny says, she used to tell him, the secret ingredient is celery. Everybody would ask what she meant; celery has no taste. They wanted something fancy, but if you eat that without celery, you will notice a difference. I believe this. One of my SILs makes amazing macaroni salad. I asked what was different from other macaroni salads, and she said, celery salt. Celery is amazing, and it does too have a taste, Sonny.

TJ tells Obrecht and Nina to have a seat, and Scotty follows them in. Nina asks if Obrecht is a match for Willow, and TJ says, Terry’s cheek swab showed at least six HLA markers for Willow, making her a potential donor candidate. They had some bloodwork done to ensure her bone marrow would be compatible with Willow’s. Dr. Obrecht is a confirmed match for Willow. Nina gets super excited, and says her daughter is going to live, hugging Obrecht, who barely responds.

Sonny asks what Dex’s story is; who turned him on to cooking? Dex says, it was less a who then a what. The food was terrible in the army. He promised himself that he’d learn to cook. He’s getting there. Online tutorials help, and recipes. Sonny says, it’s relaxing, and Dex says, his work, the day in, the day out, takes its toll. Cooking is a way to relieve some of that stress.

Michael comes downstairs, and Carly asks how Willow is. He says, she’s sleeping, and said she’s sorry, but Carly says she assumed Willow was okay; she should have checked with him first. He says he gets it. Willow doesn’t want to spend the time she has resting. Carly says, of course (🍷) not. She wants to feel every moment. She tells Michael that he can say anything to them, and Josslyn says, if anybody knows how he feels… He says, it’s her, and she tells him that she’s not saying it’s the same thing. She and Oscar were nowhere near his and Willow’s level. They didn’t have kids. He says, but she knows what it’s like to watch somebody she loves… There’s a knock at the door, and Michael lets a woman with a clipboard in, telling her to go upstairs. He tells Carly and Josslyn, it’s the hospice nurse, and Carly hugs him, saying, she’s so sorry. He says he just wants to give Willow the world. All she’s asking for is more time with her family. Josslyn says, and time is the one thing he can’t give her.

Nina asks, what’s the next step? and TJ says, Dr. Obrecht will go through a physical, a bunch of medical stuff, and other various tests. They have to rule out any possible medical issues that could cause problems for her or Willow. Nina asks how likely that is to happen, and he says, the probability increases with age. Obrecht has been staring into space, and Scotty says, Liesl. She says she’s sorry; it’s all a bit overwhelming. TJ says, they know she’s a doctor, but they’ll be here to walk her through every step of the way, and he’s here to answer any questions she might have. Obrecht says, and this will work? Willow’s life will be saved? TJ says, there’s never 100% certainty, but he’s optimistic, and Nina says, how lucky are we? Obrecht says, lucky indeed.

Finn says, he and Elizabeth are still friends, right? He wants to be there to support her, but only if it’s what she wants. She says, look at him, respecting boundaries, and he says he’s trying to. She says she does need his support, more than he knows. She should be facing the consequences of her actions, and would have, if she didn’t have the boys to think about. Finn says, having Scotty broker a deal was a good move; her boys need her. She says she knows. She just feels awful about the pain she caused, especially for Obrecht. Regardless of what she’s done in the past, she’s still a mom grieving over her child. Elizabeth played a role in her daughter’s death. The least she can do is face Obrecht and take the hit. He says, literally, and she says, there’s going to be more because of what she and Nikolas did. He says, because of what Nikolas did, and she says, there’s going to be a ripple effect. If he stands by her, he’s going to get caught in the crossfire.

Ava leads everyone back into Windymere, and Dante says, just to go over this again, the last time she saw Nikolas was the night of February 13th. He shows up, they argue, he takes off around 7:30. Bennett says, he then goes to the tack room to pick something up before skipping town, and Dante asks if Ava knows what Nikolas was looking for. She says, no. She never uses that room. Dante says, Nikolas gave her the impression he was leaving Port Charles? and she says, yes. Bennett says, then it stands to reason that whatever he retrieved, it was necessary for him to get out of Dodge. Dante says, he’d moved out all of his stuff. Why would he be looking for anything here? Why not go to the place where he was staying? This is kind of stupid, since the Cassadines could have gold ingots or something buried all over the island. Ava asks if Dante is sure he didn’t, but Dante says, they have this as his last known location. Bennett suggests Nikolas met up with someone who helped him get off the island, and Dante says, Victor, and asks Ava if she knows where Victor is, but Ava says, no. Bennett asks if Nikolas told her how he was leaving or said where he was going, and Ava says, they had an argument. He said something about being done with her and being done with Port Charles. He didn’t say anything about a destination, and as to how, Nikolas had resources she knew nothing about. Dante says he doesn’t believe that for a second, but Ava says, it’s true. There was a time she and Nikolas shared everything, but once their marriage deteriorated, he kept her out of the loop. Clearly. Dante asks if Bennett has any more questions, but Bennett says, not at the moment. Dante thanks Ava for her time, and she says she’ll walk them out. In the foyer, Bennett’s phone rings, and he says, it’s the station. He’ll meet Dante outside. He leaves, and Dante tells Ava, actually, he doesn’t think they’re quite through here. She says she told him everything, but he says, they both know that’s not true. He knows she’s trying to hide it, but facing Ryan Chamberlain would have rattled anyone, even her. She says she’s certainly had better nights, and he says he’s not just talking about last night. Ryan’s had his sites on her for years, and put her through hell. It sticks with a person. She says, his point? and he says, nobody would blame her if she wanted to get some help. She tells him to be careful. He’s starting to sound like he gives a damn. He says, she’s his sister’s mother, and she went above and beyond to help them with The Hook investigation. She says, they were on the right track; they just couldn’t put the pieces together. Heather Webber? He says he’s glad she got out of there unscathed, and she says, physically. He says, that’s what he’s talking about. There’s people who have been through what she’s been through. He has resources, and can put her in touch. She thanks him, and says, it’s kind of him to look out for her, but he says he doubts she’s going to take him up on it. She says she’ll keep it in mind, and he says, fair enough. The upside is that she doesn’t have to go around looking over her shoulder anymore. The darkness is dead and buried. He leaves, and she quickly shuts the door.

Finn says, it won’t be as bad as Elizabeth thinks. Just because Obrecht reacted one way doesn’t mean everybody will be as unforgiving. She says she’s just trying to be realistic. People are going to have some strong, negative feelings toward her. He says, that’s just because they don’t know the whole story, and she says, he’d be smart to keep his distance. He says, since when has he been smart? and she says she doesn’t want him ending up as collateral damage for the things she’s done. He says, she should know by now that he doesn’t care what people think about him. She stuck by him through the whole Peter August ordeal. It’s his turn to stick by her.

Scotty tries to take Obrecht’s hand, but she shakes him off and asks, how soon can she get the physical? TJ says he’ll make the arrangements now, and Nina thanks him. He says he’s just doing his job, and she says, he knows what she means; given their history. He tells her, let’s just get Willow well, and leaves. Nina asks how she can ever thank Obrecht, and Obrecht says, she won’t; Willow’s family. Nina says, the way Obrecht is stepping up for them is the definition of selflessness. She’s so grateful. Obrecht says she’d do anything for Nina and theirs, and they hug. Obrecht tells her, go on. She knows what comes next. Nina runs out, and Scotty says, Britt would be so happy that Obrecht is going to save Willow, but Obrecht says, don’t dare talk to her about her daughter. He helped Elizabeth get away with murder. As far as she’s concerned, Britta’s blood is now on his hands as well.

Michael says, they should be sending out birth announcements, or preparing for kindergarten orientation. They should be looking forward to their life, not the end of it. Carly says she’s so sorry, but he still has some time with Willow. It may not look like he pictured, but it can still be rich and full of love. He says, it has to be, and Josslyn says, it already is. She sees how he is with Willow, Wiley, and Amelia; he’s amazing. He says he wishes he could do more… There is something he could do for Willow. Josslyn says, don’t leave them in suspense, when his phone rings, and he says, it’s Nina.

Dex asks if he can take a picture of some of the recipe cards, and Sonny says, Gloria would be thrilled to know people are still making her food. She used to tell him, food is to be shared. Forget that top secret recipe nonsense. Dex says, Sonny was lucky to have someone like her in his life, and Sonny says, doesn’t he know it. Frank comes in, and says, Sonny wanted to see him? Sonny says he has an update on Pikeman.

Scotty says, Obrecht is making this more complicated than it actually is, and she says, did he or did he not strike a deal so Elizabeth wouldn’t face charges for her role in Britta’s death? He says, Elizabeth got caught up in a big mess, and Obrecht says, at which point, she should have gone to the authorities. If Elizabeth had, her daughter wouldn’t be… He says, if she had, there was no evidence to lead the cops to Heather Webber. He hates to say this, but there was no way to save Britt. Obrecht says, Elizabeth isn’t his daughter, but he says, she kinda is. She says, Britta was hers, and now she’s dead. Elizabeth could have stopped it, but she walks free because of him. He says, Liesl… but she says she doesn’t want to hear excuses. Leave her alone. She turns her back to him, and he leaves.

Willow comes downstairs, and sees Michael, Carly, and Josslyn in a huddle. She asks, what’s wrong? and Michael says, nothing. For the first time in a very, very long time, everything is right. She has a match; confirmed from a cheek swab and a blood test. She says, oh my God. I have a match? He says, you have a match, and they hug.

Sonny tells Frank, let’s go into my office. He tells Dex, thanks for dinner. He can clean up, and then go. Dex says, but Sonny told him that he had an update on Pikeman, and Sonny says, he does. Dex says he thought he was in on it, and Sonny says, he was. He goes into his office with Frank, and tells Frank, close the door. Dex looks confused and a little panicked.

Austin says, what the hell was that? Ava told him that Nikolas was dead. She says, he was dead, and he asks if she took his pulse. She says, of course (🍷) she took his pulse, and he says, one time, they told him in medical school that a dead body doesn’t just get up and walk away. She says she’s sure she was in shock, but she can tell him one thing for certain – Nikolas’s heart was not beating. She’s sure of it. Austin says, then where the hell is he?

We see hospital machines, and on the phone, Mason says, it’s him. Do they want an update?… He’s stable. On life support. We see Nikolas in a hospital bed, hooked up to the machines, and Mason says, Sleeping Beauty’s got everything he needs right here.

Tomorrow, Gregory congratulates Alexis on the scoop of the year; Robert tells Diane, it’s an expression of his gratitude; and Chase says he wants to be the one to take him down.

Vanderpump Rules

Scheana made Katie’s pain about her, and Katie bitched to Ariana about Scheana telling Schwartz her business. In Katie’s interview, she said she’d been careful not to dip into the friend group for flirting or hooking up. A producer asked why, and she said, because she’s not an a-hole. She and Schwartz had been a package deal for so long, she was worried people would draw lines and choose sides, and they’d choose Schwartz. DJ James told everyone at the Canyon Club – which I thought looked more like a food court than a club – to make some noise. Raquel and Ally went outside, and Raquel said James had told her about hooking up with Lala when they’d been together. Ally said she knew about it, and it made her sick. Raquel asked if Ally was okay with James having kept it secret and that he was still friends with Lala, and Ally said when James told that he was drinking again, she got worried. In Ally’s interview, she said she thought Raquel was just looking out for her, but how many talks were they going to have about James? They talked about James’s charm, another guy where I just don’t see it. Sandoval was about to go on with the Most Extras, and in his interview, he said, the adrenaline was spiking. Just f***ing do it. I was not feeling the first number at all, then James called Ally Bubba, and I got confused. Ally said, Raquel told her to be careful, and James said it pissed him off. It wasn’t okay, and he was going to warn Raquel’s next boyfriend that she didn’t s*ck d*ck. Ally was like, let’s not talk about it and just dance. Sandoval then did a rendition of Jesse’s Girl, changing it to Schwartz’s Mom, and it was actually pretty funny. He also kept flashing a 1982 picture of Schwartz’s mom that he’d stolen and taken on tour. Schwartz said it was a dubious honor, and Sandoval had a good heart, but there were some sexual overtones. During her interview, Raquel was shown doing nothing but drinking heavily, and I wasn’t sure what that was about, but then at the bar in the club, Raquel asked Schwartz to make out, so maybe that was a real time sequence.  

In Schwartz’s interview, he said he was flattered, since Raquel was hot, and part of him wanted to get into a tongue-locked embrace with her, since he is single. But he was like, no thank you, and Raquel said she liked Katie, but it wasn’t like they were close. He told her that Katie would be upset, since apparently, she’d forgotten that Schwartz and Katie were very close five minutes ago.

Sandoval visited Schwartz, and said his brothers were in town. They’d planned a party at Schwartz & Sandy’s, thinking it would be open by then. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, it would be smart to save the money by not having the party, but his parents had invested a quarter million in the bar, so they were doing it. Scheana came by to see if Schwartz had made any progress with his new place. She’d sent him some links, and said he needed to tidy up. Sandoval said, Schwartz needed to get his mojo back, like he ever had any. They make a list of what he needed, and in his interview, Schwartz said he knew he was still in there, but he was down to a pilot light and wanted to be a roaring fire. I don’t see that as ever happening. He told Sandoval and Scheana that he and Katie had an agreement not to date friends. He wasn’t even supposed to be hanging out with them. Scheana again managed to make it about herself and got all weepy over Katie calling her a troll, like she hasn’t been called worse things. She said if there was picking sides, she’d pick sides. Meanwhile at SUR, Charli was back from the Hamptons. I guess she’s too young and/or sane to be on Summer House. She added that she’d spent $400 on dessert when she was super drunk, so I’m going with too young. Unless the dessert involved an entire bottle of a one-of-a-kind vintage bourbon. Raquel told Charli about Sandoval’s concert, and said, at the end of the night, James had an argument with Ally and had to be escorted out. We saw a clip, but it was kind of vague, and Raquel said she was sure it had something to do with the conversation she’d had with Ally. Charli told Raquel that it wasn’t her place to discuss Lala with Ally, and the needle started going back to sane. Because she couldn’t let it go and we’re 15, Raquel asked Charli’s thoughts on her making out with Schwartz. Charli said, it would probably be weird, and in Raquel’s interview, she said she thought she had a crush on Schwartz. He was always happy to see her. Charli asked how Raquel would feel if she made out with James, and Raquel said, weird, but you do you. In her interview, Raquel said, Scheana had put the idea in her head, but it had grown on her like a fungus. Charli said, people would call her a homewrecker, but Raquel said, there was no home to wreck.

The Toms met with Greg, and Sandoval told him that they were having a friends and family party tonight. Manager Matt had been let go for drinking on the job, and Greg said, his people knew not to drink on the job. When they’d had the Daily Mail event, it seemed like the atmosphere of a party for everybody, but he chose not to have some of them come back. They needed to make sure they were focused on actually opening. Schwartz said they’d been thinking August 26th, a month from now, and Greg suggested they give him a heads up when they form an idea and not tell him later. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, everything they’d suggested about opening in the past few months, Greg had vetoed. They were paying $25K a month in rent. Greg said, they weren’t finished. They had a long lease, and a lot of money to pay back. They had to do what it took to make it work, and he had no time for bullsh*t. Lisa met James at a tea shop, where they had – no surprise – a pot of tea. Lisa said she’d been hearing things, and we saw a clip of Raquel telling Lisa that James had to be escorted out after Sandoval’s concert. James said, it was interesting bringing alcohol back into his life, which I guess is one word for it. Lisa wondered why he did, since he’d been doing so well, and in James’s interview, he said he wanted to get back out there, but hadn’t been on a date in years. He felt like an older, more mature guy now. He told Lisa that he was in love with Ally, and Lisa reminded him that just yesterday, he’d said Raquel was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Now he was saying the same thing about Ally. James said he’d always been emotional, like we didn’t know that, and Lisa said he’d been heartbroken and devastated after the break-up. We flashed back to James weeping at the Reunion, and James started to cry in the tea shop, saying, it’s a lot. In Lisa’s interview, she said she didn’t think James wanted anyone to know how badly he’d been hurt by Raquel dumping him. He wanted to be the dumper, not the dumpee. James said he loved his life, and Lisa asked, but can he manage it?

Before the party, the Toms took a breath together. These two could give the Extreme Sisters a run for their money. Sandoval said, Schwartz & Sandy’s, night two; let’s go! The family and friends were all impressed, as Peruvian tuna ceviche was served. Katie brought friend Kristina Kelly as her plus one, and in Katie’s interview, she said, they’d just traveled to Rome for their friend’s wedding. In Ariana’s interview, she said, Katie bringing Kristina felt obvious. Sandoval’s mom said, it was unbelievable, and in his interview, Sandoval said, she was a retired firefighter. It was important for him to show her that he could follow through with what he planned. Most of the VanderGroup showed, except for Lala, who was sick, and James, who had a See You Next Tuesday gig. Kristina said, Scheana was making Katie’s divorce messy, and Katie said, if Schwartz wanted to hook up with one of the friend group, she would run a train through his restaurant. Ariana laughed like this was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Katie suggested a girls trip to Vegas, and driving to Havasu afterward and renting a house on the lake, but she wasn’t inviting Scheana.

Schwartz told Katie that Sandoval’s family was all there, but she was his only family in L.A. Katie said she was upset about Scheana’s meddling, but Schwartz said, Katie was setting boundaries that didn’t exist. Katie said, him being with Raquel would make her uncomfortable. People kept interrupting to congratulate Schwartz, causing him to lose focus in the conversation. Katie said she was going home, and Schwartz said he’d prefer it if she left. In his interview, he said, Katie had forced him to choose a lot during the relationship, but they weren’t married anymore, so it wasn’t his problem anymore.

Ariana met Raquel and Katie for wine and cheese, and Katie said she thought they should rage responsibly in Vegas, and she wasn’t inviting Scheana. Raquel said she had a confession to make, and told Katie about asking Schwartz if he wanted to make out. In Raquel’s interview, she said, Katie was going to find out eventually, and she’d rather Katie hear it for her before the girls trip. She said, Schwartz was respecting Katie’s boundaries, but Katie said, Raquel wasn’t. Raquel said she was sorry, and Ariana said she didn’t know Raquel had it in her. Raquel said she didn’t know who she was anymore, and flipping the script to her liking, Katie asked how much the Schwartz thing had been motivated by Scheana. Raquel said, Scheana put he idea in her head, and Katie said, that’s why Scheana was dead to her. In Katie’s interview, she said, Raquel wasn’t smart enough to think up something that diabolical. She was the human equivalent of cotton candy. Raquel used the excuse that she’d been drinking, and Katie said, it was too much. Her house was about to be sold in three weeks, and it was a lot. She was on the verge of crying, and kept repeating that she just wanted to have fun.

Lisa brought the Toms to the Rose Garden at SUR, and said, the party had been a success, why weren’t they opening? She told them that Greg seemed peeved, and we flashed back to Greg telling Lisa that the Toms know nothing about the business. Sandoval admitted they might have misled Greg about their level of experience, and she asked, who was paying the rent? Sandoval said they were, and she said, but Greg owned the lease. They should have come to her, and she would have told them not to sign it. In Lisa’s interview, she said, Greg had no urgency to open if he wasn’t paying the rent. She thought Greg was an experienced restauranteur, but the boys had more pressure to get the doors open or they’d be in trouble. Sandoval said he wasn’t sleeping, and pacing no his lawn at night, and Schwartz said he was already a cautionary tale with his marriage. He didn’t want to be one with his business. Lisa said maybe they could think of a way to open where Greg wasn’t involved.

Next time, The girls trip; a Schwartz piñata; Ken suggests buying Greg out; James’s mom asks if it’s wise that he’s drinking again; Raquel meets Garcelle’s son Oliver; and Lala says it would be no contest between her and Raquel.

🧊 Picking It Up Like It’s Cold…

Time for tea tomorrow, along with the usual soap, and some awards talk. Until then, stay safe, stay never mistaking kindness for weakness, and stay forgetting that top secret recipe nonsense. Food is to be shared.

February 28, 2023 – The Police Descend On Spoon Island, Teresa’s Love Bubble Housewarming & Wake

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis apologizes to Trina for showing up unannounced, but he hasn’t seen her since the reception. She asks why he would; there’s nothing to say. He says he doesn’t think so. It’s not every day he finds out he might be a father, and it’s not every day she finds out she might have a father she never knew.

Jordan gives Dante a signed warrant that gives the PCPD the right to search every inch of Spoon Island. Dante says, if Nikolas is there, they’re going to find him, and Jordan says, and with Elizabeth’s testimony, he’ll be going away to prison for a very long time.

Scotty asks why Elizabeth isn’t smiling. They got a really good deal. She asks, what’s going to happen to Nikolas? and Scotty says, he’ll be charged with a boatload of crimes. She says, because she incriminated him, and Scotty asks if she’d rather Nikolas incriminate her. All she did was tell the truth. Nikolas sucked her in to this whole Esme thing; he thought she was the killer. When he found out she wasn’t, they were in over their heads, and he got the DA to make the deal for immunity. She didn’t know Esme was the killer for a long time. She says, tell that to the woman he loves – Britt’s mom.

At the hospital, Obrecht tells Finn that she can’t imagine what’s keeping Scotty. He looks away, and she asks what he knows that she doesn’t.

On the phone, Nina says, her daughter needs a bone marrow transplant, and all people have to do to help is register to be a donor. With Crimson’s demographics, they can reach under 35 year olds, people with more stem cells to offer. They need to launch an appeal. Every second counts.

Willow films herself, and says, by the time Michael sees this, their wedding will be just a memory. She hopes he doesn’t just remember the tears, but the flowers, the music, and the dancing. She hopes the photographer takes lots of pictures, and a video that he can show to Amelia when she’s old enough to understand how very much Willow loved her daddy. Michael comes downstairs, and asks what she’s doing.

Austin and Ava go into Windymere, and Austin says, it’s a little weird. She says, which part? and he says, the part where Heather sticks him with a hook and he falls to the floor, and there was this moment where he thought about all the things he didn’t get to do in his life. She says she’s glad she was able to stop the bleeding, and he says, him too. And he was glad she got to go after Ryan Chamberlain. She says, Mac fired the fatal shot. It’s ironic. If she’d killed Ryan, it would have been self-defense. Meanwhile, she has no defense at all for killing Nikolas. He says, it’s possible at this point, Elizabeth has given the cops a full statement, and she says, the cops are going to be here soon, looking for evidence to corroborate her story. He says, they’re going to be looking for corroborative evidence in the north tower, but she says, they’re going to be looking for Nikolas, which puts the whole island at play. He knows what they have to do.

Trina invites Curtis in, and he says, they have a lot to talk about, but she says, not really. Her mom lied to all of them. He says he’s not here to talk about her mom. He’s here to talk about them, and where they go from here.

Willow says she was just thinking about their wedding, and asks if Michael is getting cold feet, but he says, never. He wants it to be everything she ever dreamed of, and she says, as long as he’s beside her when they say I do, it will be. Wiley comes down, and says he was going to kiss his baby sister, but she spit up on him. Willow says, babies will do that, but she’s counting on him to look out for his baby sister; big brothers are important. Michael says, it’s time for Wiley to go to his playroom, and Wiley says he almost forgot. He found something. The half-heart necklace dangles from his hand.

Nina asks, what’s going on? and Obrecht says, that’s what she’s trying to find out. It seems Dr. Finn is keeping secrets. Nina says, about what? and Finn says, it’s hardly a secret. Scotty’s not here because he’s with a client. Obrecht says, of course (🍷). Scotty said something about helping Elizabeth with a legal matter. Nina wonders if Elizabeth is in trouble, but Obrecht says, it’s probably something mundane, like a parking ticket, while that maniac Heather Webber gets away with murder. Finn says, not exactly; she’s been returned to D’Archam. Obrecht says, to live out her days in a padded cell, when the police wasted precious time looking for Esme, and Heather was the killer all along. Finn says, a lot of people thought Esme was the killer. No one could have known otherwise. Obrecht says, someone must have known the killer wasn’t Esme and looked the other way, and because of them, her Britta is no more.

Elizabeth doesn’t know how she’ll ever face Obrecht again, and Scotty says, she’ll be very upset, but if he can convince the DA’s office, he can reason with Liesl. She wonders how you reason with someone who’s lost a child, and he says, when Peter August killed Franco, that’s a different story. What she and Nikolas did with Esme… that’s different. Elizabeth wonders why she didn’t come forward sooner, and he says, because she truly believed Esme was The Hook killer. It wasn’t until that rookie cop was killed that she knew it was someone else. She asks if he really thinks that will make a difference to Obrecht.

Dante tells Jordan, the search team is assembled, and the Coast Guard is going to take them to Spoon Island. Jordan says she’s going to GH to talk to Austin. She’s curious what he was doing at Windymere when all hell broke loose. He asks if she thinks Austin knows something about Nikolas, and she says, it’s worth a shot. He tells her, good luck with that, she says, back atcha, and leaves. Dante takes his gun out of his desk.

Trina says she has an exam to prep for, and her slide show for the post-Impressionist report on Friday, and Curtis says he gets it. When the whole world blows up, it’s nice to have work to focus on. (Agreed.) The other night, when he and her mother were going through it, he went straight to The Savoy, the one place he knew he was on solid ground and there was an endless supply of liquor. She asks if it helped, but he says, not exactly. All he wanted was a glass and a bottle to drown his woes, but fortunately N’neka knew it was a bad sign, and called his father. Marshall beelined it down to The Savoy, and gave him hell. Marshall reminded him booze is never the answer. Trina asks, what happened then? and he says, they talked about what he wanted to forget. He let Marshall know that Portia lied to them for twenty years, but he’s here to talk about him and Trina, and where they go from here.

At the hospital, Jordan walks out of the elevator and down the hall, and comes face-to-face with Portia.

Wiley asks if he did something wrong, but Willow says, not at all. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Sasha, who says she came to offer her help, and Michael takes Wiley upstairs to check on his sister. Sasha asks what she can do, and Willow says, she can start by getting rid of this necklace.

Nina suggests they go somewhere private, but Obrecht says, all she wants is the key to Heather’s padded cell. That, and five minutes alone with whoever hid Esme all that time. Finn asks what makes her think someone was hiding her, and she says, Esme was pregnant. She doesn’t think Esme is resourceful enough to manage on her own. Someone must have helped her. Nina suggests they go sit down, and leads Obrecht away. Finn calls Scotty, and asks if it’s over. How’s Elizabeth? Scotty and Elizabeth walk in, and Scotty tells him to turn around and see for himself. He did well. Finn is looking at an innocent woman. Elizabeth says, not guilty, but that doesn’t make her innocent.

Austin says, Ava does have options. She’s a wealthy woman. She could go anywhere in the world, and no one would ever find her. She says, if she were to run now, she’d have to run without her child. Ryan Chamberlain has already taken one daughter from her. She’ll die before she loses another. He says, it would probably make him really sad if she was dead, so whatever she’s got going on, count him in. She says, Nikolas is dead because of her. She won’t fault Austin if he goes back to GH, and forgets he was ever here. There’s a knock at the door (because this humongous house doesn’t have a doorbell), and Dante says, it’s the PCPD. Ava looks at Austin.

Curtis says he was a witness to the horrible year Trina had last year. Being accused of a crime she didn’t commit and it’s subsequent trial. Rory’s death, and the fear of knowing The Hook killer was targeting people she’s close to. But through it all, she had her family – her mom and her dad. Right now, it probably feels like her family is up for grabs. She’d only be human to resent his presence in her life. She says she doesn’t resent him. He’s always been wonderful to her. He might have been a little pushy at times, but that’s before they established boundaries. He says, those boundaries have a really big hole in them right now, and it’s only going to get wider until they answer one big question once and for all. She asks if he’s saying they need to see what their DNA says about them.

Portia says, if Jordan is there to see Austin, she just missed him. He checked himself out. Jordan asks if she approved that, but Portia says, absolutely not, but he’s a doctor, and they say we make the worst patients. Jordan says, since she’s here, she’ll pay a visit to Esme and see if giving birth jogged her memory. Portia asks if Esme can wait, and Jordan says, sure. Why? Portia says, Austin’s room is empty and they can talk in there without being disturbed. She thinks they need to have a conversation.

Sasha tells Willow, just to make it clear, she didn’t come here to lobby for Nina. She’s on Willow’s and Michael’s side because she understands two things can be true at the same time. (They love that one, so… 🍷) Nina’s been very good to her, but she’s aware that hasn’t been the case for everyone. Willow thanks her for understanding. So many people think they need to choose sides, and it’s just not necessary. She doesn’t want to waste the time she has thinking about Nina. She and Michael want to make this wedding as joyful and perfect for everyone, and she’s going to need all the help she can get. Sasha says, she’s got it, but she needs Willow to stop talking about the time she has left. Miracles can still happen. Willow says she’s not being a pessimist, just realistic. She’s run out of options. Sasha says, it’s so unfair. Willow has so much to live for, and so many people who need her. Willow tells her, nobody said life was fair; Sasha knows that better than anyone. Sasha says she went to visit Heather Webber at the PCPD, and Willow says, no, but Sasha says, it’s a good thing. She’s glad she did it. She got to put a face to Brando’s murderer, and it gave her a chance to release all the pent-up anger she’s been keeping it check. It also made her realize, when Liam died, she thought there could be nothing worse than death, but she was wrong. She loved Liam and loved Brando, and she loves Willow. She realized if someone goes through life without experiencing love and never having anything to lose, that would be the worst thing that could happen.

Nina says she understands Obrecht’s pain; she misses Britt too. But even if Obrecht could prove someone knew Esme wasn’t the killer, it’s not going to bring Britt back. Obrecht says, no, but it would give her great pleasure to give that person pain. She asks if her honesty upsets Nina, and Nina says, no; she’s used to it. Crimson is going to do a campaign for stem cell donors. She’s not fooling herself. She understands it might be too late, but if they can save other lives… Obrecht says, it might not be too late. She knows a possible donor. Nina says, who?

Finn says, Liesl was asking about Scotty. She’s here. Scotty thanks him for the heads up, and tells Elizabeth, if she needs anything, call him. He leaves to look for Obrecht, and Finn asks if Elizabeth is okay. She asks if he means, can she live with herself after throwing a lifelong friend under the bus, but Finn says he doesn’t know what kind of friend Nikolas is. He ran off and left her holding the ball. She says she may not be guilty of holding Esme hostage, but she fully enabled Nikolas. Finn says, but she took responsibility. What would Nik have done to Esme and the baby if she’d just walked away?

Ava hands the warrant back to Dante, and says, everything seems to be in order. He sends some officers to comb the main house, and others to comb the outlying buildings. Ava asks if this is really necessary. Heather’s in custody, and Ryan’s in the morgue. He says, it has nothing to do with what happened here last night. They got testimony that Esme Prince was being held here against her will after Ava moved out. So they can’t go anywhere until the find some proof, or at least a clue where Nikolas is hiding.

Trina says, she and Curtis will have to agree to disagree. She doesn’t need a DNA test. She already knows all she needs to know about her family; the good and the bad. He says he knows how she feels. When Marshall came back into his life, he shut the door in Marshall’s face. After 40 years, the last thing he needed was some dude coming into his life claiming to be his father. All those years without him, Curtis learned to be strong, almost unbreakable. Then he realized, who was he kidding? A piece of him was missing. He didn’t even realize it until he looked Marshall in the face and saw a part of him looking back. Trina says she’s glad for him and Marshall, but it’s not the same thing for her. He grew up without a dad; she grew up with a dad. A dad who was always there for her. He says he understands all of that. He bets she thinks even asking the question of asking who her biological father is, is betraying Taggert.

Portia tells Jordan, this isn’t easy for her to say, but there’s something Jordan needs to know. Jordan says, before Portia tells her anything, full disclosure. Curtis came to her earlier, and told her what happened at their wedding reception. Portia says, Jordan tried to warn her, and she wants Jordan to know she was right. She kept telling herself that she was trying to protect her daughter – protect her whole family – but in reality, the only one she was protecting was herself. She didn’t want to face the fact that Dr. Portia Robinson, at the top of her profession and respected by her peers, loved by the people who matter the most, is so very far from perfect. In fact, she’s a coward. Jordan says, that’s simply not true.

Michael says, Wiley decided to take a nap, and Willow suggests they take advantage of the quiet. Sasha says, they’re trying to decide between orchids and roses, and he says, why not both? Sasha says, that’s why he’s a CEO, and he says, he’s also a dad. Not that Amelia seems to care. Willow asks if their daughter is giving him a hard time, and he says, it’s that damn mobile above her bed. She’s fascinated with it and can’t stop staring at it. Sasha suggests removing it, but he says, she’ll just start crying, and Willow says, it sounds like she needs a dose of her mommy. She goes upstairs, and Michael tells Sasha not to let Willow limit herself. He wants the wedding to be everything she wants. Sasha says, it’s his wedding too; what does he want? He says he wants what he can’t have – more time.

Obrecht says, if Nina is looking for a donor, look no further, and Nina asks if she’s a match. Obrecht says she doesn’t want them to get ahead of themselves, but she’s been swabbed and had the bloodwork done, and she’s still waiting to hear if she’s a match. That’s why she’s here today. Nina thanks her, and they hug. Nina says, when she found out she wasn’t a match, she was so disappointed. She thought that’s why the universe threw her and Willow together; so she could help save Willow’s life. She felt so helpless. Obrecht says, that’s one of the reasons she volunteered, and Scotty joins them, asking Obrecht to tell Nina the other reason. Obrecht says, if it turns out that she’s a match and can save Willow’s life when Carly’s silence almost killed her, that will be sweet revenge. Scotty says, that’s my girl.

Ava says, that explains why Nikolas vanished into thin air. If he sensed Elizabeth was going to confess, she couldn’t do it without implicating him. He must have felt the walls were closing in and just run. Austin says he’s so sorry. It must be agonizing realizing the man she thought she knew inside and out was keeping that poor pregnant girl prisoner. She tells him, let’s not go overboard; Esme is no saint. But no one deserves to be locked in a tower. Dante asks, who said anything about a tower? and Ava says she just remembered that for the last few months, Nikolas said the north tower was off-limits, even to the staff, so it makes sense. Where else could he have been hiding Esme? Dante says, they checked the tower once already. It had been painted and cleaned, and it looked like Nikolas was trying to cover his tracks. His phone rings, and he tells them, don’t touch anything; he’ll be right there. Ava asks if something was found, but he says he doesn’t know yet, and leaves.

Trina tells Curtis that she’s not trying to be selfish. She’s sure it’s complicated for everyone and her dad has some questions of his own. Is it fair to him, wondering if or when the truth will eventually come out? Or say there’s some random medical emergency? Curtis says, is it fair to Taggert? and Trina says, the only thing that matters to her is, she loves her dad, and knows her dad loves her. He says he doesn’t want that to change. If there’s one thing this family has learned… Trina says she knows the end of the sentence; it’s the not knowing that will cause the real damage. He says he’s not going to lie. He wants to know the real truth, but he’s not going to push. It’s her call. So what does she want to do?

Portia says, Jordan has been warning her to come clean to Curtis for months, and now Jordan is defending her? Jordan tells her, she’s just saying Portia isn’t a coward. She had valid reasons for keeping her secret. She was protecting herself, but also protecting Trina and Taggert, even Curtis in a way. Portia’s a good person who puts her family first. Portia says, even though she chose to ignore Jordan’s warnings, but Jordan says, Portia had reasons to doubt her motives. She might have done the same in Portia’s place, but believe it or not, she was trying to spare Portia the kind of pain she’s dealing with now. Portia says she knows that, but what she doesn’t know is if there’s anything she can do to make the situation better.

Sasha says, if she could give Michael more time with Willow, she would do it in a heartbeat. She knows how he feels. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t wish she could hold Liam in her arms again, or get a glimpse of Brando and that epic smile when he’s changing a tire in his garage. Michael says he’s sorry for not checking in with her more often, but she says, don’t be. They all suffer their burdens, and most days she manages to put one foot in front of the other. It’s almost like she’s dancing with Brando. He says, Willow wants him to dance with her at the wedding, and she says, then that’s what he has to do. He says, even if it’s their last dance? when Willow comes back, saying, mission accomplished. Amelia’s asleep… What did she miss?

Nina wants to check with Terry and see if they can’t put a rush on the results, but Obrecht says, Terry knows she’s here. While they’re waiting, she suggests Scotty distract them with Elizabeth’s legal troubles, but he says, it’s no big deal really. The cops are questioning anybody and everybody about the whereabouts of Nikolas. Obrecht asks what angelic Elizabeth can tell the police about Nikolas’s nefarious dealings, and he says, they’re old friends… at least before. Obrecht says, before what? and Nina says, they have more important things to worry about, like the test results. Obrecht says she’s as anxious as Nina, and asks why Scotty won’t look at her. What legal trouble did he handle for Elizabeth?

Elizabeth tells Finn, of course (🍷) she’s grateful that Scotty cut a deal for her. She’s not going to prison and she’s not going to derail her boys’ lives. He asks what she’s worried about, and she says, the police can’t sit on the story forever, and when it comes out… He says, she’ll deal with it. The one positive that’s come out of this is how she’s handled the whole ordeal. There might have been a time she needed to lean on someone, but he didn’t do her justice.

Ava tells Austin, maybe she should take Avery and run. They practically gave her a medal for her part in taking Ryan down. When they find out what happened to Nikolas, they’ll reinstate the death penalty because Victor will make sure she’s dead. Her phone rings, and it’s Dante. He asks if she and the doctor could join him down here. She says, certainly, and asks where he is. He says, the tack room, and she looks at Austin. A lot of that going around today.

Trina says she loves her dad, and she’s come to love Curtis too; it’s just different. He says, okay. If she decides to take the test down the road, let him know. He opens the door, and she says she just wants to make one thing clear. No matter what the test says… He says, Taggert will always be her father, she nods, and he leaves.

Portia says she’s dreaded having this talk, but now that she and Jordan have had it… you know. Jordan says she feels the same. Don’t lose hope. The lies that cost Jordan her marriage, was her choosing to put her job before her family. Portia chose family over everything, and one day, Curtis and Trina will see that. She leaves.

Sasha says, Michael was just telling her that he didn’t want to step on Willow’s toes at the reception, so she told him to stop making excuses and take some dancing lessons. Willow says, so Sasha went for some tough love, and Sasha says, the best kind. She needs to get started on the arrangements they discussed. Michael thanks her, and she tells him, you take care of Willow, and I’ll take care of everything else. Michael fusses over Willow, and Sasha watches them for a moment. She looks at the necklace in her hand, and leaves.

Scotty says, Nina’s right. They should concern themselves with the test results. Obrecht says, agreed, but why does she sense he’s keeping something from her? What has Elizabeth done? He says, to be clear, it’s not Elizabeth, it’s Nikolas, and Nina says, what about those results? Obrecht asks, what did Nikolas do? and Scotty says, it’s going to come out sooner or later. Nikolas held Esme hostage in the tower at Windymere. He thought she was The Hook killer. She says, Nikolas isn’t his client. How does he know this? He says, Elizabeth helped him, even though they knew Esme was not The Hook killer.

Elizabeth says she’s grateful to Finn for everything he’s done for her, and respecting her choice to come forward. Even though she’s very nervous about the fallout to come, she knows she can face it. It’s a million times better than living in fear, waiting to be exposed. He says he respects the choice she made, and whatever comes, he’s with her all the way. She thanks him, and says she’s excited to get back to work. She starts to walk down the hall, but Obrecht storms up to her, followed by Scotty and Nina, and asks where Elizabeth thinks she’s going.

Ava and Austin arrive at the tack room, and Dante thanks them for coming like he’s hosting a party. He asks Ava if she knows what’s behind the padlocked door, but she says, no; she doesn’t spend a lot of time here. She thinks it’s just for storage. He says, Nikolas’s personal, effects, documents, stuff like that? but she says she thinks if Nikolas kept anything important in there, he would have removed it before she took possession of the house. Austin asks why they’re here. It seems like a waste of time. Dante says, the door has a padlock on it. Does she have a key? She says she’s sure there’s a key, but she doesn’t have it, and Dante asks an officer for the crowbar. Dante takes it, and walks to the door.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth says, if Finn stands by her, he’s going to be caught in the crossfire; TJ has important news; and Obrecht says, you reap what you sow.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

The guys get home from guys night pretty drunk. Louie told Teresa that he’d brought up what Joe #2 had said about them on social media, and it got heated. She said, Louie’s family was so wonderful to her, and hers was causing this circus. Teresa is a circus unto herself.

Melissa stopped by the new house Joe #2 is constructing, and asked about guys night. Joe said, Louie brought up the podcast, and Melissa said, they’d helped out when Teresa was in prison. Juicy Joe needed someone to film with, and they were there. We flash back to that, and in Melissa’s interview, she said, when the family was down, they stepped up. Now twist it, string it out, and throw it the wrong way. Joe #2 said, Teresa kicked out everything on their side.

Teresa told Louie that she was embarrassed that Joe #2 told him to go f*** himself. How dare he? Louie said, Joe was pissed about Melissa’s family not being invited, and Teresa said, if she hadn’t put Melissa in the wedding party, why would she invite them? To his credit, Louie said, Melissa’s parents had a relationship with her parents, but Teresa countered this with the nonsensical question of, then why didn’t Joe invite Louie’s family to Antonia’s 16th birthday party? In Joe #2’s interview, he said, since Teresa met Louie, he didn’t feel welcome in her new life, and it bothered him. Louie said he felt bad that Joe was in pain. He thought Joe missed his sister. Teresa whined that Joe was hurting her, and Louie suggested making peace. She said she’d call and ask if he was coming to their housewarming party. She wants to be in her love bubble. We saw a clip of her telling everyone that she’s having a love bubble housewarming, and she called Joe. Louie wrote something down and showed her, and she said she wanted to make peace. Joe said it was a done deal, and she asked if he wanted to talk about anything. He said he just wanted to move forward, and Teresa said, her therapist told her, it was no good to talk about the past. You don’t get anywhere. I guess it isn’t the kind of therapy where you blame everything on your parents. Louie pointed to the pad again, and she asked if Joe was coming to her party. He said he didn’t know, and afterward, Louie said, baby steps.

Dolores’s mom Valerie came over, and Dolores asked if Valerie was being careful with her diet, since she didn’t want heart surgery again. She asked what Valerie had for breakfast, and Valerie said, cake. In Dolores’s interview, she said, her mom was God fearing and set in her ways. So she’s not arguing anymore. She told Valerie that Paulie had met the guys, but Frank hadn’t been there since he was in the hospital. She said, everyone loved Paulie, and Frankie said, Paulie was protective. Valerie asked what was going on with Paulie and Frank, but Dolores said that Frank took it personally when Paulie said he was taking over as the man in her life. He didn’t want a relationship with her and Frank. They didn’t have to be friends, just get along. In her interview, Dolores said, family was always a priority, and it included Frank. She’d wanted them to be close, but now her family and relationship was with Paulie. Frank would get over it.

Bill and Jennifer went out to dinner. It was raining, and Bill said, summer in Jersey; you get whatever comes. Yep, he’s right, but it’s more like all year round. Whoever first said, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, lived here. Jennifer said she was getting Justin a party bus for prom, and Bill said, she created a monster. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, Bill thought she spoiled the kids, but they’d had a rough year because of what he’d done. If they want a bus, they get a bus. Jennifer said it was easy for Bill to use her as a scapegoat, and Bill said he tried to diffuse situations she was in. She asked why he could never see it from her side. She felt like he took her love for granted. She always forgives him, and instead of backing her up, he only says things in rebuttal to what she’s said, not her opponent. Bill asked if she only wanted things on her terms, and in her interview, she said she needed someone to support her and be there, and she didn’t always feel it. It wasn’t okay anymore.

Rachel met with Marge’s (and Housewives) friend Jen, and in Rachel’s interview, she said she felt like she knew Jen from another life; they’d immediately clicked. In Jen’s interview, she said she and Rachel were kindred spirits. Rachel was an old soul, and she was sucked in by Rachel’s sweetness. Rachel told Jen, it was constant drama with the women. RIP the mozzarella that wasn’t consumed. Jen said, she consumed it, and we flashed back to her stuffing her face with cheese. As I would. She said she saw Marge and Jennifer yelling at each other, and heard Jennifer talking about Rachel’s nose. Rachel said she wasn’t offended; she’s an open book. Jen said that Rachel was a better woman than her. She would have told Jennifer, f*** you. Rachel said, Jennifer had called her, and hoped she hadn’t offended her; she’d been unhappy with her own results. Then she segued into talking about Dolores. She didn’t think Jennifer realized they were friendly. She’d known Frank and Britt for ten years. She told Jennifer that she didn’t want any part of this, but Jennifer said she was just giving the history. Jen told Rachel that Jennifer had called her too. She claimed she wanted a marriage therapy referral, and then badmouthed Marge. She said, Marge was jealous. Rachel said, of what? but Jen didn’t know. In Jen’s interview, she said, Jennifer thought she had big balls. Like she was going to switch teams, and dump her bestie. She’d been friends with Marge for three years. In Rachel’s interview, she said she didn’t want to hear about it or participate. It brought her back to high school. Her mom always said, if someone is waving a red flag, a parade is coming, and Jennifer was waving a red flag.

Dolores met Marge to shop for a housewarming gift, and Dolores said, Frank told her what had happened on guys night. Joe #2 was upset because Teresa hadn’t invited Melissa’s parent to the wedding. They called Melissa, who said, her husband lost his sh*t. Teresa has known her mother and sisters forever. He didn’t want to come to the housewarming, but she wanted him to go, listen to what Teresa has to say, accept it for what it is, and move on. Dolores said, you never know, but she wasn’t specific about what we never know.

No surprise, the housewarming party was over-the-top, including a dancer inside a bubble in the pool, and lots of love bubble kitsch. Joe called Melissa, who was getting her makeup done, and said he couldn’t go. He’d already texted Teresa; he wasn’t ready to come. In his interview, he says, Teresa didn’t want him there, and it feels like a game. It was the worst feeling coming from his own family. He’d be uncomfortable and couldn’t fake it. Louie told Teresa that he felt sad, and she said she did too. Joe was missing milestones in their life, like the housewarming and her 50th birthday. In Teresa’s interview, she said, it was no after no, and told the girls about him canceling, adding that he’d brought up Melissa’s family not being invited to the wedding on guys night. Joe said he needed to get over it. He would never have what he thought he would. His sister does what makes her happy, and that means keeping the family away. He told Melissa to go and have a good time, but in her interview, Melissa’s said, it’s just the next thing for Teresa to hold over her head and make Joe the bad guy, but she wanted to keep the peace.

Danielle said she loved the vibe at the party. Evan and Jackie were there, and Marge said, Jennifer had been up Jen’s ass talking sh*t about her. We saw a clip of that, and Marge said, talking about therapy turned into talking about her. In Marge’s interview, she said, Jennifer was a professional victim. She wanted the attention she didn’t get at home. Did she think Jen wasn’t going to tell her? In Jennifer’s interview, she said, Melissa coming to the party without Joe was making a clear statement. He’s a drama queen. Teresa said, the girls hadn’t seen Joe in six months, and in Danielle’s interview, she said, you’d have to be blind, deaf and mute not to see the connection between her situation with her brother. Once too much time passes, that’s it. She hoped they didn’t make the same mistake. Rachel told Dolores that Frank missed her and the old dynamic, but Dolores said she was 52 years old and had taken care of everyone. It was time to worry about herself. Paulie didn’t want Frank to be the man in her life, and if that meant they had to be separate in some things, everyone needed to get over it. Gia said she missed Melissa’s kids, and in her interview, she said, every time Teresa and Joe had drama, the kids were separated. In Melissa’s interview, she said, it was sad. She loved them, and knew they had hate for her and Joe. She wouldn’t wish the situation on anybody. Dude, I would have moved on ages ago. Then again, I wasn’t born into a big Italian family. Although I do have an Italian family by marriage to my aunt.

Louie thanked everybody for coming. Not just friends and family, but those who gave them loving support. Teresa said, their chosen family. Everyone there was special and they loved them, and they wouldn’t want to be celebrating with anyone but them. In Melissa’s interview, she said she didn’t appreciate Teresa’s chosen family remark, especially with Joe not being there. But if she brought it up, Teresa would just say she didn’t mean it that way. Think before you speak. She knows it’s hard. Melissa said Joe wasn’t here, and Teresa was his only family member. She slipped out to have a cry, and in her interview, she said she tried to be strong for Joe, but she had her own breaking point. She didn’t get why the subtle digs, things like chosen family. What about the ones who had been there for years? It meant nothing to Teresa, and she knew Joe would be upset. The sprinklers went on, and the guys said, Louie had one job… Melissa said she wanted to be honest with Jackie – and you know when a Housewife says honest, it’s an excuse to gossip. She’d been talking to Danielle about the mozzarella party, and told Danielle that Jackie had insulted her shorts and said they looked like they’d come out of the hamper. Jackie said she didn’t care. Danielle was a horrible dresser, and she wore those shorts two weeks in a row. I guess Jackie doesn’t have a favorite anything? Geez. She should see what I wear on repeat. Danielle’s antennae went up, and she jetted over. Jackie insisted she never looked Danielle up and down, but we flashed back, and yeah, she did. In Danielle’s interview, she said, maybe Jackie didn’t realize how judgy she was. Her hands were going all over the place as she talked, and Jackie told Danielle to get her hands out of her face. Danielle said, Jackie was from Staten Island, and she would know if Danielle was coming for her. Jackie told Danielle to leave her hands out of her space. If I’m sorry can’t leave your mouth, then f*** off. Marge said she was offended be Jennifer calling Jen and bitching about her. Jennifer insisted she’d just called for a marriage counselor referral, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said, when they were on the call, Jen did not defend Marge. It’s called not engaging, Jennifer. You should try it sometime. Marge said, Jennifer had called her jealous, but Jennifer said she never said that. She’d told Jen that Marge was threatened by her. She’d wanted Jen to know the context of their history. No surprise, Marge called Jen over, and Jen told Jennifer that she hadn’t said Jennifer called specifically for that, but the conversation morphed. Marge wondered how she and Jennifer were supposed to move forward if Jennifer kept holding a grudge. Sounding like a character from Hamilton, Jennifer said she was allowed to state the facts of the matter. Rachel said, Jennifer did the same thing with her, and talked sh*t about Dolores. Jennifer stamped her foot and said she was giving Rachel context, but Rachel said, it wasn’t a history lesson. Jennifer called her a f***ing idiot, and Rachel told her to watch her mouth. Jennifer called Dolores an idiot too, and in Dolores’s interview, she wondered where this was coming from, and if Jennifer was out of her f***ing mind. Jennifer started winding up, and Jackie said, if she wanted to get her point across, she’d better calm down. Jennifer said she was sorry she spoke about Rachel’s nose job, but Dolores had offended her. Dolores said, Jennifer just left the house without talking about what happened, and Teresa said, Dolores was never going to take sides. Rachel said this was not what she wanted to be a part of, and Jennifer said, give her a medal. So much for apologies. In Rachel’s interview, she said she could give two sh*ts about what comes out of Jennifer’s mouth. It’s giving someone power, and Jennifer would never have that over her. Rachel said she was leaving, and Jennifer (even though it wasn’t her party) said, don’t let the door hit her on the way out. Rachel pointed out that there was no door, since they were outside. Jennifer had no f***ing class. Jennifer called Rachel a f***ing idiot again since she’d run out of words.

Next time, Valentina’s party; Teresa tries on her wedding dress; and Marge and Jennifer argue.

🙃 Yes, No, Maybe, I Don’t Know…

Tomorrow is VanderDay, so join me for some soap and Rules. Until then, stay safe, stay not being the first to arrive or the last to leave a party, and stay facing the fallout. It’s a million times better than living in fear, waiting to be exposed.

February 27, 2023 – The Hunt For Nikolas Begins, Cheap Beauty Queens Who Want Everything On Deck, Awful Kyle Storms Out But Won’t Stay Out & I Know

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Jordan says, he failed to mention he was attacked by The Hook killer last year… Curtis knocks at her office door, and she tells him to come in. She says, do a record search and see if Mr. Cassadine purchased a burner phone in the week before February 7th. It’s possible he’s been planning his disappearance for a while. She asks if Curtis shouldn’t be at the airport, but he says, there will be no honeymoon in Tuscany. At least not for him and Portia.

In her dorm room, Trina looks at a wedding photo of her, Taggert, and Curtis on her phone, when Josslyn comes in. She asks if Trina heard. Heather Webber is The Hook killer, and she’s Esme’s mom. And Ryan Chamberlain is her dad. If she hadn’t caused so much damage, she’d feel bad for Esme. No wonder she’s the way that she is. Trina says, yeah, right? and Josslyn asks if she’s not relieved it’s over. Trina says, sure. One horror story ends, and another horror story begins. She zeroes in on Curtis in the photo.

Dante wonders why Elizabeth didn’t come forward sooner, and Scotty says he advised her to be quiet. Dante says, he had her sit on information that could help them in a multiple homicide investigation? but Scotty says his job is to protect his client… at whatever cost.

On the phone, Elizabeth asks Finn if she made a mistake turning herself in, but he says, she did the right thing. He admits he had his reservations, but they offered her immunity. She says she’s afraid they’re going to take the deal back when they hear what she did.

Ava goes to Austin’s room, and he says, hey, how was your night?

Spencer tells Laura, Esme used him on Ryan Chamberlain’s orders. This was all one big manipulation. Where is his father? Why isn’t he here right now? Because Esme just gave birth to his child. She says she wishes she knew, but he says, she knows as well as he does that his father would be here were it not for him.

Heather asks if Esme isn’t going to say hello to her mother. The guard suggests Heather be escorted back to the PCPD, but Esme says, wait. She wants Heather to stay.

Trina tells Josslyn, last night after the reception, her mom told her that her dad might not be her dad. She’s been lying to Trina her entire existence. She keeps hoping it’s a nightmare she’ll wake up from, and everything will be back to normal. Josslyn says she’s so sorry. Did she tell Trina who her real dad is?

Jordan says she’s sorry the honeymoon is off, and Curtis says, the wedding was perfect. The reception, amazing, except for Trina disappeared for most of it. Jordan asks if Trina is okay, and Curtis says, she wanted to visit her new aunt by marriage. Trina was concerned that Aunt Stella was so sick she couldn’t officiate at the wedding, and asked Laura to officiate instead. So imagine her surprise when she realized Aunt Stella wasn’t sick. He doesn’t know what Stella said to her, but it drove Trina back to the reception hot as fish grease. He can tell none of this is a surprise to Jordan, so why doesn’t he skip to the end? Trina might be his daughter.

Scotty comes into the interrogation room, and Elizabeth asks if the DA changed his mind about the immunity deal, but he says, they’re good. The ADA is going to come take down the details of what happened with Nikolas and Esme. She asks if there’s anything that could make the deal fall through, and he says, yeah. If she doesn’t give them what they’re looking for.

Molly comes into the station, and Dante asks if she was assigned Elizabeth’s case. Molly says, she was, and Dante asks how she thinks Elizabeth got mixed up with Esme, and Molly says, hopefully, she’ll tell them. Dante says, it was her decision to come forward. Apparently she wants to tell them everything she knows.

Ava tells Austin, her night was the same old.  Dinner, dancing, death match with a serial killer. He says, at least they’re on the winning side, and she says, are they? He says, Heather Webber is in custody; that’s a win. No more Hook attacks; that’s a win. He gets the dubious honor of being the final victim. He feels like a winner. She asks how he’s doing, and he says he suffered a very deep laceration, but he’s been stitched and sutured and stapled. She says she can relate, and he says, you know what else we have in common? Heather didn’t put the venom on the hook. He’s super-psyched about that. And the winning icing on the win cake? Ryan Chamberlain’s not breathing. They’re still breathing, so they’re champs. She says she’s not feeling very victorious.

Laura asks Spencer not to blame himself. If she knew where his father was, she’d make damn sure he was here right now, because Spencer shouldn’t be shouldering this burden by himself. Spencer says he deserves it. He let Ryan Chamberlain use him. Laura says, he didn’t. He believed what everyone else believed; that Ryan was suffering from Locked-In Syndrome. He couldn’t walk and couldn’t talk. Judging by Spencer’s argument, they should all feel guilty. He says, it’s not the same thing. Ryan Chamberlain used him like a weapon against his own father, and he had no idea. Laura says, that’s her point. He had no idea; he’s not to blame. He yells, of course (🍷) I’m to blame! and immediately apologizes. He says, Ryan wanted Ava all to himself, but Ryan needed to ruin his father’s life for that to happen, and couldn’t do it all on his own. He needed someone close to father, who he could manipulate for his own selfish end, and here I am. I opened the door, and I let in Esme.

Heather says, Esme looks radiant, and asks, how’s the baby? Esme says, fine, showing no expression. Heather says, boy or girl? and Esme says, boy. Heather says, her first born was a boy; Steven Lars. He would be Esme’s older half-brother. He was a beautiful baby. Born blonde – she indicates her own blonde hair – just like Esme was. How about her grandson? Esme tells her, they say the color changes, and Heather says, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Esme and the baby are healthy and safe at last. That little baby can move beyond the tumult of his birth and on to brighter things, and meeting his grammy. Esme still shows no expression.

Ava tells Austin, Ryan manipulated everything, and was somehow able to manipulate her into killing Nikolas. It was an accident, but accident or not, it wouldn’t have happened if not for Ryan. Austin says, she’s giving the guy too much credit. He was a psychopath, but he wasn’t a psychic. She says she keeps thinking about something Ryan told her in the woods; he said they were the same. Austin says, that’s ridiculous, but she says, it’s why Ryan always felt so connected to her. And for the last two years, he was able to destroy her life from afar because of the connection he felt. Ryan was a master string puller, and was able to manipulate her, and Nikolas is dead because of it.

Laura says, Esme would have found his way to Spencer’s father whether Spencer helped or not, but Spencer says he did help. He came back to Port Charles determined to ruin his father’s life. Esme would whisper in his ear, and tell him that his anger was justified and noble. She says, his anger against his father is justified. When Nikolas came back, she was thrilled, but when she found out he deliberately stayed away for three years and let them believe he was dead, she was angry and felt betrayed. It took her a long time to get over that anger. He says he was angry too. That’s why he wanted to stay in Europe. He wanted to keep his distance, but Esme wanted to come to Port Charles. He starts to cry, and says, now he wonders if his and his dad’s relationship is broken or unsalvageable. He doesn’t know if he wanted to take revenge on Ava or not. Laura starts to cry too, and he says he’s so sorry. And now Ryan is dead, and Esme doesn’t remember, which is truly the worst part. Because it means he’ll never know. Laura hugs him.

Esme says, Heather won’t be around to meet her grandson, but Heather says, the cops will say anything to intimidate her. Don’t pay any attention. She has a beautiful little baby boy to think about now, and that’s plenty. She’s going to make mistakes because she’s a new parent. She’s still learning and it’s okay not to feel like a natural parent. For some women, that just comes later. Esme says she doesn’t know what she feels, but Heather says, that’s okay. Let the nurses do the night feeding so she can get some sleep. Don’t wish this time away, even if it’s hard; you won’t get it back. She and Esme didn’t get a lot of time together when she was a baby, and she’s always regretted that. She always kept an eye on Esme from afar. She had to. Ryan was Esme’s father.

Trina says, Marcus Taggert is her dad, and always will be her dad, and Josslyn says, she’s sorry; that came out wrong. Trina says she’s just so scared. What does this mean for her family? To her dad? He was trying to be so strong for her, but on the inside, she knows he has to be feeling as much of a mess as she is. And Curtis is supposed to be her stepdad. Who is he to her now?

Jordan says she knew Portia had concerns about Trina’s paternity. She’s more than willing to hash it all out with Curtis, but right now, she’s underwater dealing with last night’s events from Spring Ridge and Spoon Island. He says he figured as much. He really just dropped by to see if she’s sorry. She says, sorry for what? She kept herself out of matters that were none of her business. He says, that didn’t stop her from discussing it with Aunt Stella and Portia, but it stopped her from giving him a heads up. Unless she enjoyed knowing he was left in the dark again .

Molly says, the DA and Scotty have worked out a deal that grants Elizabeth full immunity. She’ll tell them everything she knows about Esme’s whereabouts during The Hook killings. She asks Elizabeth to read over the agreement with Scotty, and sign and date it. Scotty says he’s already looked at it; it looks good. Elizabeth signs and Molly sets up the recorder. Dante says he assumes Elizabeth knows where Esme was hiding, but Elizabeth says, she wasn’t hiding. Esme was imprisoned by Nikolas Cassadine.

Austin says he and Ava don’t know each other very well, but what he saw at the stables that night was a woman who had been pushed to the edge by people like Ryan Chamberlain and her ex-husband. She says, Ryan convinced Esme to work on Spencer, to gaslight her, to seduce her husband, to separate her from the people who love her. Ryan got exactly what he wanted, and she’ll pay the price for the rest of her life. He says, only if they find Nikolas’s body. What he hears her saying is, she’s done; so be done. Don’t let Ryan win. Don’t let herself be Ryan Chamberlain’s last victim.

Elizabeth says, it all started the night she ran into Esme on Pier 55, and Dante says, she called 9-1-1 and was found unconscious. Elizabeth says she was confused and disoriented, and Nikolas was standing over her, telling her to trust him. After that, she lost consciousness and woke up at GH. She didn’t tell Jordan that she’d seen Nikolas. Dante asks, why not? and she says, Nikolas was her friend and she didn’t want him to get in trouble, but later, she wondered why he put her in that position. When she went to confront him, Esme was there, pregnant with his child. At the time, they both thought Esme was The Hook killer, and Nikolas was terrified she was going to hurt his unborn child. He was keeping her there against her will to protect his baby, and to keep her from killing anybody else. Dante says, except that Esme wasn’t the one doing the killings.

Jordan says, Curtis came here looking for a fight, but he says, not a fight; answers. He’s entitled to that. He might be Trina’s father. Doesn’t she think that’s important for him to know? She says she doesn’t know if he is or not, and neither does Portia. She begged Portia to come clean, and reminded Portia of how her dishonesty broke up her and Curtis’s marriage, but she woudn’t budge. She said it was her business, not Jordan’s, so what was she supposed to do? Curtis asks, how long has she known Trina might be his daughter?

Josslyn says she can’t imagine how much it must hurt that Trina’s mother kept that secret from her, but she has to know that her mom loves her. Her dad loves her too. Josslyn knows Trina might not want to be around her mom right now, and she understands, but she is Trina’s family, for better or for worse. Trina says, right now, it feels incredibly for worse, and Josslyn says she’s sorry. She wishes there was something she could do to make things better. Trina says she does too, and Josslyn says she loves and supports Trina, and has her back. They hug, and Josslyn says she just wishes she was there when Trina found out, but Trina says she wasn’t alone. She was with Spencer. She doesn’t know what she would have done if she hadn’t been with him.

Spencer says he’s trying so hard; trying to take responsibility for his actions, trying to build a stable home for his baby brother; trying to be a better man than his father. (Well, that’s a pretty low bar.) The reason his father is gone is because he let himself be manipulated by a psychopath. Laura says, but he pulled himself back from the brink. He recognized that Esme framed Trina; then he broke up with her. He even managed to make some sort of peace with Ava. In her book, that makes him a good person. Maybe even one day, a great person. He doesn’t have to just stop blaming himself. He needs to stop feeling sorry for himself, because they can’t change what happened. The best they can do is learn from it. He wonders what he’ll learn from this, and she says, think before you act. Examine your motives. Take responsibility for what he did wrong, but also what he did right. Wisdom is acquired, and wisdom takes time. But right here, right now, there’s an innocent baby boy who desperately needs their help.

Heather says she can’t wait to hold her little grandson. To sing him songs, read him stories. Esme wonders how that’s going to happen, and Heather says, Esme and the baby will be transferred back to Spring Ridge, and in the State of New York, you can keep the baby up to 18 months; she checked. So she’ll get transferred back there too. Esme asks, how? and Heather says she’s pretty good at working the system. They’ll all be there together. Esme will protect her baby, and Heather will protect Esme. That’s what this whole thing was for; they’ll finally be together. Heather will be an excellent grandparent – her voice breaks – she promises Esme. Esme says, never. This is the last time Heather will see her, and she promises Heather will never, ever get anywhere near her baby.

Trina says, Spencer was there for her last night at her lowest time, and Josslyn says she still thinks Spencer is a jerk, but he has a way with words. Trina says, not just words, and Josslyn asks what that means. Trina says, she and Spencer kissed, and they giggle.

Curtis asks when it first crossed Jordan’s mind that he might be Trina’s father, and she says, about two years ago. It was the night she and Portia got trapped in that basement. She was semi-conscious from the leaking gas, and Portia thought she was passed out; Portia thought they were dying. She mentioned Trina’s father, and it sounded like she had a question about paternity. She asked Portia about it later, and Portia brushed her off. Then a few months ago, she overheard Portia on the phone ordering genetic tests for Trina, around the same time Curtis was being tested for schizophrenia markers. Again she asked Portia about it, Portia told her to back off, and she did. Curtis says, or did she give the information to Aunt Stella, hoping she’d use it to blow up his wedding? but Jordan says, Stella figured it out all on her own, and brought what she suspected to her. She had no choice but to confirm Stella’s suspicions. He says, of course (🍷) she did, and Jordan says, if she had any desire to interfere in his relationship, she could have done it months ago. He has every right to his anger and pain, but no right to say anybody set out to hurt him. Not Portia, and definitely not her.

Molly asks, what was Nikolas’s intention after Esme gave birth? and Elizabeth tells her, he said he was going to take care of the baby himself. Meanwhile, Esme was insisting she wasn’t The Hook killer, but Elizabeth didn’t believe her, especially after all the horrible things she’d already done. Scotty says, like recording Elizabeth’s son and his girlfriend having sex and posting it on a website; like framing Trina Robinson. Dante thanks him, and says, they know. He asks Elizabeth to continue, and she says, once Esme was locked in Windymere, the killing stopped… until… Dante says, Cabrera was slashed with a hook, and Molly says, Heather Webber killed the exotic animals dealer as well. Elizabeth says she told Nikolas that they had to let Esme go. Because of their actions, the police were focusing on Esme, not the real killer, but he insisted he just wanted to keep Esme until she gave birth. Then she started to fear Esme’s life was in danger, but before she could do anything, Esme jumped from the tower. It’s a miracle she and the baby survived. (Like it hasn’t happened before. More than once.)

Esme asks the officers to get Heather out, and Heather begs to stay. Whatever Esme wants, she’ll do it. Esme says, Heather has killed people; does she even understand that? Heather says, people who hurt Esme. She was only ever trying to protect her, like any good mother would. Esme says, Heather thinks a good mother is protective? She thinks Heather is right. She thinks a good mother protects her child, and she’s going to protect her child by keeping him the hell away from Heather. The officers start to drag Heather away, and she says, all she wanted was to be a mother to Esme. Esme says, her father is dead, and as far as she’s concerned, her mother is dead too.

Elizabeth says, she was convinced once Esme showed up in town, she and Nikolas would be caught, but then Uncle Victor swooped in to help Nikolas by destroying any evidence of Esme’s imprisonment in the north tower. Molly says, and she has no information on Nikolas’s current whereabouts? but Elizabeth says she’s sorry; she doesn’t. Molly gets up, and thanks her. She tells Dante that she’d like to speak to him in private, and Elizabeth says, that’s it? Molly says, they’ll let her know if they want to speak with her again, and Elizabeth asks, what about the immunity? Molly says, that’s the agreement, and Elizabeth says, even if she doesn’t deserve it? Scotty looks like he might have a heart attack.

Laura says, all Spencer can do right now is really take care of himself, so he can take care of that little baby until his father comes back. He thanks her, and says, she always gives good advice. She tells him that she’s going to say this as many times as she has to until he hears it. He’s not responsible for what Ryan Chamberlain did to this family. He says, his father would still be here if he hadn’t pushed him away, but she says, that’s not true. His father is a grown man who made his own choices. Unfortunately, some of those choices were bad. Spencer says, there’s still nothing he wouldn’t give to see him walk through that door right now. She tells him that she loves him, and he says he loves her too.

Ava tells Austin that she doesn’t want to be Ryan’s final victim, but her present situation is compromised. The police are already suspicious. They asked her what he was doing at Windymere last night, and she said she didn’t know. He says, Felicia asked him the same question. He had a really good answer for her. Ava says, care to share? but he says, no. He thinks it’s more believable if he doesn’t tell her. Glass half full; this is what’s going on. The police are busy looking for Heather Webber, he’ll get out of here soon, then they’ll go back to Windymere… She says, and move Nikolas’s body? and Austin says, that’s right. There’s a knock at the door, and she jumps. He tells her, relax, and calls, come in. Finn walks in, and Ava smiles at him.

Josslyn says she’s glad Spencer came through for Trina, and Trina says, the joy is just falling off her in waves. Josslyn says she’s happy that Trina’s happy. Just take things slow. Trina says, right now, she only has so much headspace for romance. Most of it is filled with what she’s going to say to her mom when Portia finally tracks her down. Knowing her, it’s going to be sooner rather than later.

Jordan asks if this is what Curtis really wants to be doing; fighting with his ex-wife about who knew what and when? Shouldn’t he be talking to Portia? He says he has. He doesn’t know what happened. They sit down, and he says, one minute, he was this happy newly married man; the next minute, he’s canceling his honeymoon and picking up the pieces of his life. She asks if he’s spoken to Trina, but he says, Trina does not want to talk to him. She’s already accused him of trying to replace her dad. Maybe she’s right. He’s grown to care for that young lady so much. He looked forward to her coming home from college; listening about her classes and art projects. Wanting to keep her safe when The Hook killer was still out there. Now she finds out he might be taking the place of the father she adores. Jordan asks if anyone’s brought up a DNA test. What if he is Trina’s biological father? Her phone dings, and she says, the ADA wants to talk to her. She has to go. He says he’ll see himself out, and she goes to the door. She tells him, regardless of what happened, Trina needs to know she can count on him, and she leaves.

Molly asks if Elizabeth has anything more to say, and Scotty says, she doesn’t. Elizabeth says she’s good, and Molly leaves. Dante says, Elizabeth came forward and owned up to some mistakes she made. Not everyone would do the same thing. He leaves, and finds Molly in the squad room, telling Jordan, according to Elizabeth, Nikolas committed a serious crime. Jordan asks, any reason to doubt her story? and Dante says, none at all. They didn’t even know she was involved. She could have stayed silent, but came forward out of sincere desire to do the right thing. Jordan asks if she has any idea where Nikolas is, but Dante says, no. He thinks with Nikolas’s wealth and connections, he could be anywhere.

Ava says she was just thanking Austin for last night, and Finn says, they’ve both been through an ordeal. No toxins were found in Austin’s bloodwork, so once his wound heals, he’ll be good to go. Austin thanks him, and Finn tells Ava that he’s sorry to hear Nik skipped town. Classy move, leaving your wife stranded on an island with a crazy person. Ava says, ex-wife. Who told him that Nikolas skipped town? Was it Elizabeth? He says, poor choice of words, and Ava asks, how is Elizabeth? She gave such a beautiful toast at Curtis and Portia’s wedding (they keep rubbing it in that I missed something). Is she working today? She would love to tell her in person. She asks if Elizabeth is working on another floor, but Finn says, he wouldn’t know. He has another patient to see, but if Austin has any questions, Austin knows where to find him. He jets, and Ava closes the door. Austin says, what? and she says, there goes our breathing room. We’re out of time.

Laura and spencer get to Esme’s room as Heather is being dragged out, yelling, you’re making a mistake. You need your mother. She sees Laura, and says, you. This is all your fault. They could have shared their grandson. They could have been grammies together, but no. Laura wanted that baby all to herself. That’s why Laura had her dragged out of Windymere, so Laura could fill her daughter’s head with lies about her. Laura says she wanted Esme to give birth in peace, without any added stress from Heather, and Spencer stealthily walks toward Esme’s door on the other side of the hallway. Laura says, Heather’s the same as she always has been. She’s selfish, unfeeling, and dangerous.

Spencer goes into Esme’s room, and Esme sits up. She asks, how’s Ace? How’s her baby boy?

Scotty says, Elizabeth did a great job, and she thanks him, but says she doesn’t feel completely unburdened. She doesn’t know how she’s going to live with herself for aiding and abetting Nikolas. He says, he’s probably in the Bahamas, soaking up the sun, but they’ll catch up with him eventually. She says, and when they do, they’re going to throw the book at him, aren’t they?

Molly tells Jordan that she’ll have to recuse herself from the case. Nikolas is her cousin, and he’s been accused of a serious crime. She’ll notify Robert and ask him to take over. Jordan asks her to tell Robert that they’re working with the state police to hunt down Mr. Cassadine, and Dante says, it keeps coming back to Nikolas. Molly suggests they start on Spoon Island. Victor may not have destroyed all the evidence that corroborates Elizabeth’s story. Dante says, they have to start that search immediately if they have any hope in finding what’s left to be found.

Ava finds Finn, and says, Elizabeth is at the PCPD, isn’t she? He says, good luck to her, and keeps walking. She runs back into Austin’s room, and tells him to unhook himself from all those machines, and get dressed. He asks, what’s going on? and she throws his clothes on the bed, saying, he’s checking himself out. He says, right now? Why? She says, because the entire Port Charles police department is about to descend upon Spoon Island. Only this time, they’re going to be looking for Nikolas.

There’s a knock at Trina’s dorm room door, and she says she doesn’t have time to deal with her mom. She ignores it, but it becomes more persistent, so she answers. It’s Curtis.

Esme asks if Spencer saw her baby, and he says, he’s amazing. She says, of course (🍷) he is, and he says, he and his grandmother are going to take very good care of him while she’s in prison. She says she thought she got to keep him, and he says, in prison? How’s that going to work? The arrangements have been made. No expense will be spared. She can trust her baby will be in good hands… while she’s in prison.

Heather says, Laura is stealing her daughter and her grandson, and has the audacity to call her selfish and unfeeling? Laura says, and dangerous, and Heather says she’s got that right. Laura is going to pay for this. Laura asks, how? Where Heather is going, she’ll never see the light of day again. Heather asks if she’s sure about that. The officers drag her into the elevator, and Heather says she’d watch out if she were Laura. Laura hasn’t seen the last of her yet. As the elevator doors close, Heather yells that Laura better be careful, and Laura all but rolls her eyes.

Tomorrow, Trina says she and Curtis will have to agree to disagree: Elizabeth asks if Scotty thinks it will really make a difference; and Sasha says, that would be the worst thing that could happen.

Below Deck

In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, Captain Lee is feeling better, and coming back. She’s not sharing it with the crew until he makes it back. Once he’s on the island, she’ll let them know. The dinner table is declared an explosion of beauty and fire. In Fraser’s interview, he says, they’re a stew down on a big boat. The guests are wonderful, but they’re a lot of work. He needs a new stew quick, and needs them to be good. Rachel’s dinner is American steakhouse themed. She feels it goes with 80s night, where the guests will be waving glowsticks and dressing in weird outfits. Captain Sandy is worried about docking the boat, since the wind is up to 35 knots. In her interview, she says, it kicks up the swell, and she gets concerned about an anchor drag. There’s danger of landing on the rocks, and she doesn’t sleep when the wind is like this. Hayley says, the cabins are an absolute sh*tshow, and Rachel says, it’s all annoying. In Rachel’s interview, she says, guest Laquish is getting her 24 karat gold steak. The gold has no taste, but visually, the presentation is fantastic. She’s also decided to give everyone gold dust on theirs. Hayley asks Tyler when he realized he was gay, and says she thought she was gay for a while. In her interview, she says she had a severe obsession with Geri Halliwell. If she’d known where Geri lived, she would have hidden in her garden. Her dad took her to see the Spice Girls when she was nine, and she dressed up like Geri in a Union Jack dress. She looked like a dwarf prostitute [sic]. We see a photo, and she says, her dad must have wondered why his daughter looked like a small sex worker. The guests change into their 80s outfits, and in Fraser’s interview, he says, 80s fashion was great  because it got left there, and can be appreciated from afar. Laquish yells, time to party like a rock star! and Tyler says, it’s been a long freaking day. But everyone still goes to bed earlier than anyone would have in the 80s.

It’s Hayley’s birthday, and she says, today is about her and only her. In Katie’s interview, she says she loves Tony. He has a great heart, but sometimes she has to encourage him to get things done. It’s frustrating because they’re a team, and should all work equally. In the captain’s interview, she says she’s witnessed a change in Fraser; he’s happy and engaged, and got himself out of the abyss. He’s showing action, and she’s proud of him. Tony gripes to Ben about Katie bossing him around, and in Ben’s interview, he says, Katie is very much her own woman, but Tony is a free-spirited island boy. She can’t tell him what to do; he’s going to explode. Captain Sandy sends Fraser an encouraging text, saying, she sees that he’s in it to win it, and his character is shining through. Fraser tells the captain that it means a lot, and she says, he’s learning and it’s an epic thing for him. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says the wind is down to 13 knots, and 13 to 18 is her window. Breakfast orders are taken, and in the galley, Rachel says, mother***ing ass bitch, about everyone’s different dietary restrictions. They head for Rodney Bay Marina, a thunderstorm beginning, and in her interview, the captain says, it’s never fun to dock during a storm; it can be dangerous. The wind can push them off the dock, and she has rocks portside. She needs the bow line, and it’s on Ben. Ben has to make a big-ass throw, and does it on the first try.

Breakfast is served, and the captain follows up with Norma about getting another stew. Laquish asks for a number of things, including a pear, and in Hayley’s interview, she says, here we effing go again. She’s asking for anything… In Fraser’s interview, he says, everything. Who wants a pear? Hayley says, I’ll pull it out of my ass for you, and Fraser says he’s going to put it on Laquish’s head. At the breakfast table, Laquish repeats, I don’t care, a million times, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, eat my cooter is how she feels. She’s done. On behalf of the Queens, primary Laura presents Captain Sandy with a cape to protect her future endeavors, a crown to show her status, and a scepter for disciplining bad behavior. They see the guests off, and Laura thanks them for the wonderful time, and thanks Rachel for keeping them thin. She looks forward to seeing them again, and everyone does the wave. Fraser says, thank God it’s over and done with, and Laquish wanders around the dock. In Hayley’s interview, she says, Laquish has no idea where she’s going; like a fart in the wind. Ben tells Ross about Katie bossing Tony around when they’re on the same level. The crew gathers for the tip meeting, and Captain Sandy asks how they think it went. Fraser says, it’s been his favorite so far, because there was harmony, and the captain says, the energy on the boat changed; it was a total reset – her favorite word this season. In her interview, she says, Fraser is killing it, and tells the crew that their potential is incredible. In his interview, Fraser says, the pat on the back makes them feel appreciated. Unfortunately, the tip doesn’t reflect as much appreciation, since it’s $18,300 or $1525 each. Rachel says, okay, cool, and everyone laughs. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s the lowest tip this season. After everything they did, it was a slap in the face. The captain says, they have a charter tomorrow, and to enjoy Hayley’s birthday celebration. Ross radios Katie to meet on the sundeck, and tells her that he knows she’s proactive and assertive, but they have to respect each other. She can be bossy, and needs to wind it back a little with Tony. He’s more delicate, and it’s winding him up. She says she’s not being mean, but she works harder, and Ross tells her that Tony didn’t say anything, but someone sees it happening. She’s stepping out of line.

Ross tells Katie that they need to respect each other in their positions; it upsets people to be bossed by a peer. In Ross’s interview, he says, he hates having to reprimand a deckhand, but he has to manage correctly. It’s tough to tell Katie, and he feels slightly guilty because he crossed the line when he became romantically intimate with her. There’s a saying, don’t screw the crew, and it’s because of things like this. It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Captain Sandy meets with Ross, Rachel (ha-ha! Ross and Rachel), and Fraser. She tells them, the primary is Jake, who’s in real estate, and is the president of a mortgage broker firm. He’s bringing along business associates, and would like a steel drummer when the guests sit down for their first meal. Okay… On day two, they want some high energy games on the beach, with the crew participating. They want the yacht to feel like a nightclub where there’s a DJ and drinking. The captain thinks they’ll be a challenge on every level, and she’s working on getting another stew. Hayley calls her boyfriend, and in Fraser’s interview, he says he ordered a cake. All he could think of for decorations were Hayley’s amazing hair and a foghorn; she has one of the loudest voices. She brings so much joy and light to the boat, he wants to make her feel special. Norma texts the captain that stew Leigh-Ann will be at the boat tomorrow. Fraser talks about trying to be with girls when he was younger, and says he thinks vaginas are the devil. Maybe you had to be there, but his delivery made me literally lol. This was actually a funny episode overall.

Hayley says, a nice birthday present would be sleep. She’s going to have a couple of drinks, but she needs eight hours, or she’ll wake up a horrible person. The cake arrives, and it has her face on it with wild red icing hair. The crew gathers, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, the cake is creepy AF. Hayley thanks them for making her birthday special, and they party, drinking and dancing and drinking some more. Hayley says she couldn’t ask for a better group to share her birthday with. Katie apologizes to Tony for bossing him, but he says, no worries. In Katie’s interview, she says she doesn’t want Tony to be upset. A lot of guys don’t like taking sh*t from girls, and she’s striving to be bigger and better. In Hayley’s interview, she says she absolutely loved today. It was better than last year, but her head is going to bloody kill tomorrow. Ben and Camille text. Katie tells Ross that she was born on Friday the 13th, and he says, things are starting to make sense. Captain Sandy calls Fraser to the bridge, and says she got the wheels in motion. She shows him Leigh-Ann’s resume, and he notices she’s had chief stew experience. In his interview, he says, there are two roads. One where she comes in and doubts his authority, or one where she knows what she’s doing. Put her anywhere and she’ll be happy to assist. He hopes it’s the latter. Hayley quickly cleans the cabin she’ll be sharing with Leigh-Ann, saying, she’ll be disgusted. Leigh-Ann comes up the dock, and Fraser goes out to meet her. Ben says he thinks he knows her; they both have nudes of each other on their phones. In Ben’s interview, he says he can’t believe he knows her. You can’t write this stuff.

Ben tells the deckhands that he and Leigh-Ann met on Tinder a year ago. They’ve never met in person, but they both have nudes on their phones. They’d decided to sext, and here she is. He says, small world, and Tony says he’s going to enjoy this. In Leigh-Ann’s interview, she says, her favorite part of yachting is boys. Joking-not-joking. She’s from Cape Town, and wants to work hard so she can get to the top as soon as she can. Fraser introduces her around, and in her interview, she says she’d be described as a bit of a tomboy. She likes speed and motor sports, and the adrenaline rush of jumping out of a plane. She tells the crew that she and Ben know each other through Instagram, and Fraser says, yachting is the smallest world. Captain Lee calls Captain Sandy, and says he’ll be there in an hour, and she calls the crew to the main salon for a meeting. She welcomes Leigh-Ann, and says, this meeting is bittersweet, as she’s grown fond of them. Captain Lee is coming back. Everyone gets all wistful, and she says, when you go through the ups and downs, and climb out on top, it forms an incredible bond. She tells them that they’re special, and in her interview, she says, it was like they were in the trenches, and she’s grateful for their hard work and dedication. She tells them that they’re pretty awesome, and she’s going to miss them, and there are hugs all around. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says he’s so goddam glad be back; back where he belongs. He comes on board using a cane with an arm brace, and tells Captain Sandy that it was sciatic nerve damage. In his interview, he says he did a lot of physical therapy, and it was tough. His doctors told him that he won’t do any more damage by working, so he came back. Captain Sandy tells him that Alissa is gone because of insubordination, and in his interview, Captain Lee says, she did the right thing. If they need to go, they need to go. Captain Sandy had to deal, and made the best decision for the boat. He thanks her for bailing him out, and she thanks him for coming back and bailing her out. She radios the crew, asking if anyone can give Captain Lee a hand with his luggage. Everyone says goodbye to Captain Sandy, and in her interview, she says she hopes they shine. They’ve shown how far they can come, and hopes they walk away knowing they’re better. She finished with an excellent crew. In Fraser’s interview, he says, he and Captain Sandy had their ups and downs, but he admires and respects her. She gave him another chance. Captain Lee thanks the crew, and tells them to get their asses back to work.

Next time, a bunch of idiot guests; Tony thinks the sexual tension is going boom; and Leigh-Ann says she’s the type who goes for what she wants.

🏖 On the nonsense that is Summer House, Kyle had gone on a tirade about Carl, and when Danielle called him on bitching about something that was over a year old, he stomped out. Amanda followed him, and back at the table, Danielle said, him bringing old news up, and saying Carl was lucky to work for him, didn’t work for her. Amanda made Kyle shake it off, literally, and smile. In Danielle’s interview, she said she was excited to meet Gabby. She’d dated Gabby’s ex, and already knew who she was. Gabby told Danielle that her ex had actively cheated with her, and Danielle said she’d had no idea they’d overlapped. Apparently, the ex had been with Danielle at Coachella on Gabby’s birthday, then ghosted Danielle afterward. Gabby said she’d gotten into her ex’s social media, pretending to be him, and said, I’m a liar and cheater. Gabby was the best thing that ever happened to him, he’d wasted her time, and it was a pattern of behavior for him. Gabby said he was lucky she didn’t do anything else. Danielle and Gabby hugged, since they were best friends now, and the housemates moved on to a club, but not before stuffing French fries into their bags for later. Classy as ever. After the club, the girls went to bed, but the guys got in the hot tub, and Kyle shoved chips into his mouth.

In Sam’s interview, she said her boxing trainer, Josh, was coming. She loves muscles and tattoos, and Josh is an ex-NFL player. Her ultimate goal was to clear her roster, and she knew she had to kiss a lot of frogs. The frog tally was racking up, but she was having fun. Danielle video chatted with Carl and Lindsay, telling them about Kyle’s tantrum. She said Kyle had claimed Carl was lucky he’d kept him on, and told Carl that he deserved better. Carl said his involvement in the company was important, and Danielle said she wouldn’t work for Kyle. In Gabby’s interview, she said her sister had moved to New Orleans. She’d been Gabby’s built-in best friend and plus one. She was used to her sister being there, and felt really alone. She didn’t blame Danielle for anything, since Danielle was as much a victim of her ex as she was. She was excited to have Danielle for a friend, and it would make her ex sh*t his pants; she thrived in that space. Plus, Danielle was an amazing girl; her ex has incredible taste.

Paige said she was making a tea party for the girls, while Kyle was taking whatever guys wanted to go to a brewery. In Kyle’s interview, he said the level of estrogen was suffocating (maybe he should quite contributing to it), and he needed to do something with a bro. Paige explained an important step in sandwich making, telling the girls to always put the cheese directly on the bread with no condiments between them. Her grandpa owned a deli, and he should know. I’ll have to keep this in mind. I can’t believe I gained actual knowledge from this show, however unimportant. Paige had hired a server, so the girls kicked back, letting him do the work. They picked cards out of a teapot, and had to answer whatever question was on the card. As usual, it was mostly sex questions, and I wonder why these people are so obsessed with anal when all of them claim they’d never do it. They talked about having kids, and Amanda said she’d gone off birth control after she and Kyle got married, but she hadn’t had a period for a while, even though she wasn’t pregnant. She never thought that it wouldn’t happen naturally, but the girls were less concerned about that than why Amanda hadn’t had a period. They encouraged her to see a doctor immediately, and in Amanda’s interview, she said she hadn’t told Kyle because she didn’t love telling people things that might cause fear and concern without having answers. She probably doesn’t love telling Kyle anything that’s not good news. Or even neutral news. She probably doesn’t love telling Kyle anything.

Danielle brought up the Carl discussion, and Amanda said, in the beginning, Carl had done a lot of things other companies would have fired him for. Danielle admitted she’d talked to Carl and Lindsay, and in Amanda’s interview, she said she wasn’t mad about it, but she wanted the drama resolved and squashed. Not more tension. The girls got drunk and went to meet the guys at an outdoor space of a restaurant that had a giant Connect Four game. Oliver showed up with his friend Robert, as well as trainer Josh. Sam asked Josh what he wanted to drink, and he said he stayed away from alcohol, which means he’s probably with the wrong crowd. Danielle was itching to talk to Kyle, but Chris told her that this night was about partying, not fixing things. Danielle agreed that they were too wasted to converse, and Kyle wailed that she’d been vomiting words about him all weekend. He dared her to call Carl, but she said she already had, and – you guessed it – Kyle stormed off. In Ciara’s interview, she said, Kyle wins most dramatic, and we flashed back to his theatrical exits over the seasons. Danielle wanted to resolve it, but Paige said she didn’t need to; it didn’t involve her. Danielle was ride or die for Lindsay and Carl, but Paige never felt like it was reciprocal. She didn’t think Carl would say anything if the shoe was on the other foot, and asked if Danielle thought they gave her the same friendship.

Back at the house, Danielle said she didn’t want to see Kyle for a million years, which sounded good to me. Sam danced on the counter, and Josh watched when he wasn’t messing with his phone. In Sam’s interview, she said she was looking for a guy to jump on the counter and dance with her, not watch. They slept in the same bed, but Sam told him, no funny business. Kyle woke up Amanda at 3 am, and asked her to scratch his back. If he’d woken me up, I’d scratch his eyes out. In her interview, Sam said, on paper, Josh had the things she was attracted to; good looking, ripped, and ambitious. But she needed someone as big, bright, and loud as she was. Ciara told Danielle that she and Kyle needed to talk, but Danielle said she didn’t want to after last night. She was out and over the whole thing.

The housemates had a pool day, once again showing us that all the wrong people get the perks, and Amanda asked Sam about Josh. Sam said he was a nice boy, but she wasn’t in love with him. He’s nice and easy to talk to, so she was glad he came out, but she was hoping to thin her roster. Amanda promised that this summer, Sam would find the man of her dreams. Danielle said she was going to matchmake Gabby, since she had an intimate knowledge of Gabby’s type. Josh continued to be on his phone most of the time, and barely noticed that he’d been put in the friendzone. Kyle asked to talk to Danielle, and said he didn’t want any unnecessary anxiety. Danielle said he was nasty to her. He’d been talking smack about Carl, and it hurt her to hear it, but she didn’t want their friendship to go south because of Carl and Lindsay. She cared about them, but admitted maybe she went too hard. It shouldn’t be her and Kyle arguing. Kyle said he was sorry. She’d walked into a sensitive subject that he’s not handling well as a friend or CEO. He’d texted Carl that he’s done. The last thing he thought was that he’d be having a conversation about work during a house weekend. He was struggling, and could make it easier and fire Carl, but it made him sad. Danielle suggested he have another hard conversation with Carl, but Kyle said he didn’t know what to do. Wow. He almost had a moment of clarity.

Next time, Andrea, Carl, and Lindsay arrive; the housemates play Stir the Pot; Amanda wants to go home; and Kyle says, f*** everybody for giving Lindsay so much power.

🕺🏻 Moving Like Jagger…

Park here for a while tomorrow, and see what’s happening in Port Charles and New Jersey. Until then, stay safe, stay stepping away from the screen now and then, checking out the real world, and stay thinking before you act and examining your motives.

February 24, 2023 – Heather Has One Condition, New Wife, All By Herself, Sharing, Trial Desire, Two Pairs, Shady Scheana, First World Problems, Edit Err, Pets (!), Teetering On 10 Quotes & Mountain

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Esme holds her baby, who looks suspiciously like Baby Amelia. She says she doesn’t remember much, but she knows she’s his mommy. They have each other and that’s all that matters. Heather comes in, wearing an orange jumpsuit, and says, there’s her baby girl and her new baby. Esme says, Heather shouldn’t be here, but Heather says she’s Esme’s mother; where else would she be? Esme picks up the nurse call button, but Heather stops her, and says, Esme doesn’t want to interrupt family time. She can’t wait to start spoiling her little grandson. In fact, she’s starting right now. She reaches for the baby, and Esme sits up with a start. The guard lets Laura in, and she asks if Esme is okay. Esme asks, where’s Heather? and Laura says, she’s in custody at the police station. Esme says, please don’t let her take my baby away.

Spencer points to a baby through the nursery window, and tells Sonny, that’s his baby brother. He’s handsome, isn’t he? Sonny asks if the little guy has a name, but Spencer says, not yet. Sonny asks if Spencer is still suing for custody, and Spencer says he may not have to now that his father has disappeared.

Dex tells Josslyn that he was hired to find evidence that would put Sonny away once and for all, but he’ll tell his employer that he’s out if that’s what she wants. She says, it’s not her decision to make, but he says, let’s not make this about Sonny; let’s make this about you and me. (Huh? It’s all about Sonny.) She hates that he’s working for Sonny. How does she feel about him working against Sonny? (What I said.)

Elizabeth looks at a photo of the boys, and remembers Scotty chastising her for letting Nikolas talk her into his cockamamie plan. Cameron comes in, and she says she wasn’t expecting him this morning. He asks if she’s as freaked out as he is about Esme.

Ava asks the reception nurse if Austin is allowed to have visitors, and Mac asks why she wants to see Austin. She says, why would she want to see the man who nearly bled to death on her living room floor? Does that really seem so strange? He says, that depends. Felicia said Ava encouraged her to leave Austin behind when Heather said they could go. She says, so they could get him help, and he says, but instead, she went after Ryan with a gun. (Really, Mac? Does any of that sound strange?) She says, Austin didn’t need both of them to get him help, and she needed to confront the man who made her life a living hell. Mac’s the one who ultimately killed Ryan. He says, the world’s a better place now that Ryan Chamberlain’s dead, and she says, they agree on something. Is Mac done? He says he has a few more questions. Why don’t they start with why Austin was on Spoon Island in the first place.

Robert congratulates Jordan on catching Heather. He can assure the public that their safe, that The Hook killer’s been caught, and that she’s going away for good. She says, her people have already made progress, when Dante walks out, and says, Heather is ready to make a statement. Scotty walks in, and says, hey, Mr. D.A., but Robert asks if it can wait. Scotty says he’s about to make Robert’s life a whole lot easier.

Jordan and Robert go into the interrogation room, and Jordan says, Dante told her that Heather wants to make a statement. Heather says she does. She’s done some very bad things that she’s ready to confess. Jordan says, Heather wants to confess to The Hook attacks without a lawyer present, and Heather says she only wants to unburden her soul. Dante sets up the recorder, and tells Heather, it’s her right to have an attorney present, but she says she doesn’t want an attorney. She just wants to tell the truth. Jordan tells her, start talking, but Heather says she does have one condition.

Scotty tells Robert that he has a client with information about The Hook attacks, and they want to make a deal.

Cameron asks how long Elizabeth thinks Esme has known Ryan and Heather are her parents, but she says she has no idea. He says, she realizes, if Heather is Esme’s mom, that makes her Franco’s half-sister. When Esme moved to Port Charles, he really tried to give her a chance because Spencer was so into her. Does Elizabeth think she was working with Ryan when she was interning at Spring Ridge? Elizabeth says, before she lost her memory? and he says, what if she’s been faking this whole time? He wonders if Joss knows about everything that’s happened.

Josslyn tells Dex, Sonny was in her life for a very long time. Not as a father – she had one obviously – but as a stepfather. They were a family. Dex says, he was good to her, and she says, he was, when she was little and didn’t know about his business. He says, Sonny still considers her family. It’s one of the reasons Sonny thinks he’s not good enough for her. She says, like he has the right to judge anyone after what he’s done? He had Dex beaten and tortured, and Sonny’s hurt so many people, she can’t even count. Where does he get off thinking he’s better than anyone else? The hypocrisy of it all. He asks if that means she wants him to see it through, and see that Sonny goes to prison.

Sonny asks what Spencer means, and Spencer says he doesn’t know what to think anymore. How can someone just walk out on their child? He doesn’t even mean himself at this point. How can someone walk out on an innocent baby? Sonny says, Spencer’s not responsible for his father’s actions. Spencer can’t fix his messes. Spencer says, someone has to. His baby brother has an absent father, and a mother who’s in police custody. That little guy must feel all alone in the world. Sonny says, they can fix that.

Laura tells the guard that he can leave them alone, and tells Esme that she had a nightmare. Esme wishes that’s all it was; that she hadn’t been forced to break out of Spring Ridge, and her parents weren’t serial killers. Laura says, unfortunately, that is true, but she told Esme, Heather is in custody, and can’t hurt her. Esme asks, where’s her baby? and Laura says, in the nursery. He got a perfect bill of health despite his impromptu entrance into the world. Esme says, thank God, and thank Laura and Dr. Collins for helping bring her baby into the world. Laura says she feels lucky that she could be there for her grandson’s birth, and Esme says she just realized, she has a son. Laura asks if Esme wants her to arrange for the baby to visit, but Esme says, no; he should stay away. Laura asks, why? and Esme says, it’s not safe. Her parents are killers. For all she knows, she could be a killer too.

Heather says, what she wants is pretty simple, and Dante says, if she cooperates fully, they’ll see about her request. She says, he knows that’s not how it works, but he says, she doesn’t know how anything works, and grabs the recorder. Jordan gets up, and says, waste of time, but Heather says, fine. What do they want to know? Dante puts the recorder back, and asks if she attacked Ava in August, and she says, yes. He asks if she attacked… She says, it’s going to take all day. She’s The Hook, okay? Anyone stabbed with a hook, it was her. Jordan says, they need details, and Heather says, Ava Jerome, with a hook, at the Quartermaines. Brando Corbin, behind Charlie’s with a hook, except that was a mistake; she was really after Josslyn Jax for making her daughter’s life so miserable. Diane Miller, in the garage. The bartender, Oz Haggerty, at the docks. Nikolas Cassadine, with a hook… Dante says, wait a second, and Jordan says, she attacked Nikolas Cassadine?

Ava tells Mac, that’s one of the reasons she’s here. She wants to ask Austin how he’s doing, and why he came to Windymere last night. Mac says he didn’t know they were friends, and she says, friendly perhaps. Austin treated her after Heather attacked her at the Quartermaine picnic, but she wouldn’t say they bonded over it. He thanks her for her time, and she says she just can’t wrap her head around the fact that Spencer’s girlfriend from boarding school is Ryan and Heather’s daughter. He says, quite a coincidence, but she says, it isn’t at all. Ryan told her that he sent Esme to that boarding school specifically to ensnare Spencer. Ryan was intent on splitting her and Nikolas up, and he succeeded. Mac says, maybe now that the truth has come out, she and Nikolas can find their way back to each other.

Dante asks when Heather attacked Nikolas, but she says she doesn’t know. In the fall? It was breezy. Jordan asks where it happened, and Heather says, at Windymere. It wasn’t her finest hour; he escaped without a scratch. He’s still breathing, unlike that doctor on New Year’s Eve. Dante asks if Britt was a target, but Heather says, no. She appeared out of nowhere, and decided to play hero, and again, Josslyn Jax escaped. Everyone stood between her and protecting her little girl. Jordan says, about Officer Cabrera. A keepsake from one of Ryan’s victims was found on Rory’s person. How did it get there?

Mac asks if Ava has heard from Ryan, but she says, no, and she doesn’t expect to. Things between them had gone too far, and she’s accepted that she’s lost Nikolas for good. Ryan’s destroyed her life, again. Mac says, at least it’s for the last time, and she says she has him to thank for that. She’s just sorry she didn’t kill the bastard herself. He says, after everything Ryan has put her through, killing him would be self-defense under any circumstances, and she says, he has no idea what Ryan has taken from her.

Obviously not having read The Invader, Scotty tells Robert that his client has information on the PCPD’s number one suspect, the one and only Esme Prince. Robert says, keep going, and Scotty says, his client knows Esme’s whereabouts before she showed up at the Haunted Star, soaking wet, with child and no memories. Robert says, so this client will only divulge said information if Scotty makes deal? and Scotty says, that’s why he’s here. Robert says, if this client knows what they know because they’re an accomplice to the crime, he should be telling them to turn themselves in, and he walks away.

Elizabeth asks if Cameron has spoken to Josslyn recently, but he says, no, and he doesn’t plan to. She says she knows the break-up really hurt him, but they’ve been friends their entire lives. He says he feels like that makes it worse, and she asks if he’s hoping they can be friends again someday, but he says, with what Josslyn did… She’s not the person he thought. Maybe she never was.

Josslyn says, it would be easier to figure out how she feels about this, if Dex would tell her who he’s working for, but he says he can’t. She asks, why not? and he tells her, all he can say is, he trusts his employer. She says, and this mystery person wants to take Sonny down, and he says, it’s the whole reason he’s here. She asks how close he is, and he says he doesn’t have any solid evidence yet, but Sonny’s about to get involved with some people in arms trafficking. The plan is for him to get some evidence and turn it over to his real boss, who will turn it over to the Feds. She says her first instinct is to tell him, do it. No one’s forcing Sonny to break the law, and he’d just be reporting what he saw. But if this goes wrong, and he gets caught, that’s on him, not his mystery boss. What happens if he calls the whole thing off? Does he have to work for Sonny for real? Sonny’s not going to let him just walk away.

Esme tells Laura that Heather and Ryan want her baby for themselves. They were talking about all of these plans… Laura says, Heather is locked up, but Esme says, Heather has a revolving door in and out of Spring Ridge, and Ryan… Laura says, Ryan is dead. She’s sorry. He died last night on Spoon Island. Esme says, good. He was a monster, and she’s glad he’s dead. She was terrified of that man. Laura says, what about Heather? and Esme says, Heather kept saying she wanted to protect her, but she’s so crazy. She’s the offspring of two monsters, so she must be a terrible person. Oh my God. She did all of those things she’s accused of; the revenge porn and trying to kill that man. Laura asks if she remembers doing those things.

In the nursery with the baby, Sonny tells Spencer that his family has every right to meet this baby. Spencer says, all he wants to do now is protect him from the world, and Sonny says, it’s the most amazing thing. Spencer asks if Sonny thinks his father felt like this when he was a baby, and Sonny says he guarantees it. Spencer says, that’s good. That means he has to come back now that his new son is here. How could he stay away knowing what he’s missing? Sonny asks if Spencer is changing his mind, and Ava peeks in the window.

Laura asks if Esme remembers her past, but Esme says, no, sorry. Her memory of before she showed up on the boat is still a blank. Laura asks why she said she was guilty, and Esme says, with parents like Heather and Ryan, how could she not be? Laura says, you’re not destined to be bad no matter who your parents are. Does she think her baby is bad? Esme says, no, he’s completely innocent. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen to him. If she’s found guilty, she’s going straight back to prison. Laura says she hasn’t stood trial yet; let’s not jump to conclusions. Esme asks, where’s Nikolas? Why isn’t her baby’s father here?

Heather says, when she discovered she was pregnant with Esme, she left Ryan. She took this chain of trophies he had as insurance, in case he ever decided to come after her. Dante says, that was twenty years ago. How does Cabrera end up with it? She says she wore the chain during The Hook attacks because she was getting justice for their daughter. She just thought it was fitting. Dante tells Jordan, that’s the sound Josslyn heard when Brando was attacked in the alley, and Jordan says, Brando heard it too. Heather says, Cabrera surprised her. They tussled a bit, and in the struggle, he managed to grab one of the trophies off the chain, but she didn’t realize it until she got back to Spring Ridge. Jordan says, so she’s confessing to murdering six people, and attacking four others? but Heather says, it was five, not six. Brando, Oz Haggerty, the venom guy, Rory Cabrera, and that doctor, whatever they said her name was. Dante says, what about Corrections Officer Williams, who was stabbed to death when she and Ryan escaped? but Heather says, she didn’t kill him; that was Ryan. He stabbed Williams. He planned the escape. He forced her and Esme to go with him. They can’t pin this on her.

Dex says he can’t just tell Sonny that he’s not cut out for this, not without him getting suspicious, and Josslyn says, if Sonny had any idea Dex was working against him… He says, Sonny would kill him, and she says, he’s right; Sonny can never know. He says, so either he keeps working for Sonny, or he has to leave Port Charles. She asks if Dex’s mystery boss would be okay with him quitting, and he says, not okay. He’s gone to a lot of trouble to set this up (what trouble; the occasional phone call to Dex?), and he’s close to getting what he wants. But if Dex tells him that he wants out, he’ll let Dex go. She says, but that doesn’t solve anything. He wouldn’t have to spy on Sonny anymore, but he’d still have to work for Sonny; smuggle arms and commit crimes, hustle coffee or whatever it is. And if he gets caught… Dex says, he goes to prison, and she says, as long as he stays in Port Charles, he’s trapped. I guess Dex can’t possibly get another job? Like a normal one?

Cameron tells Elizabeth that he couldn’t have predicted in a million years that Josslyn would hurt him the way she did. It makes him feel like he never knew her at all. She says, it always hurts when someone you love lets you down, but it doesn’t negate what the two of you had. People make mistakes all the time – big ones – but all you can do is come clean, and deal with the consequences. He asks if they’re still talking about him and Joss.

Scotty tells Robert, his client got involved in a crime that was already in progress, and they would like to make things right, and testify against the real perpetrator. Robert tells him, say more, but Scotty says he needs to hear the deal. Robert says he needs more information, and Scotty says, his client is a good person, not a criminal. They got mixed up in some bad business. So Robert can go after a person who made a mistake, or go after the real felon.

Spencer comes out, and says, Ava’s not here to see… He doesn’t mind if she is; he’s just surprised. She laughs, and says, actually, she’s here to see him. She saw him with the baby though. Cute. He’s a natural. He thanks her, and asks what she wanted to see him about. She takes it he knows Ryan was Esme’s father, and he says, yes, and Heather Webber was her mother. Odd how something can come as a perfect shock, yet make perfect sense. She says she thinks they all felt that way, and he says, is that it? but she says, not quite. Esme and Ryan knew who they were to each other. He says, since Esme came to Port Charles? and she says, since before he met her. Ryan sent Esme to that school in France to get close to him. He asks if she’s saying Ryan sent Esme to France to seduce him in some long game to break up her and Nikolas. That’s good. She says, think about it. Whose idea was it to come to Port Charles and stalk her? Was it his, or was it Esme’s?

On the phone, Mac tells Jordan that he spoke with Ava, and he’s about to question Esme Prince. Jordan says, check Esme’s answers against what Heather told them, and he says he thinks once he talks to Esme, they’ll have a clearer picture about what happened on Spoon Island.

Laura says she doesn’t know where her son is, and Esme says, he came to see her at Spring Ridge to try and get her to sign her rights to the baby over. Why isn’t he here now? Laura says she wishes she knew, when Mac walks in, and Esme says she remembers him from the roadside outside the prison. He stopped to help them, then Ryan hit him over the head. Is he okay? He says he’s fine, thanks. He’s Chief of Detectives Mac Scorpio, and he has some questions. Esme says, Heather and Ryan kidnapped her. They forced her to escape. Ryan even killed a guard right in front of her. He asks if Heather helped him, but she says, no. The guard was questioning her and Heather, and Ryan snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back; it was horrible. Then Heather told her that she had to do what Ryan said, or he’d hurt her. He asks if Heather seemed scared of Ryan, and she says, not really. He asks, what happened next? and she says, Heather let them out of the prison. Laura asks, whose idea was it to escape? and Esme says she’s not sure. She thinks Heather and Ryan were planning it together, but Heather was the one who knew her way out of Spring Ridge.

Dante says, they know Heather and Ryan were working together. They were planning this escape for months. Heather says, no, no, no, no. She didn’t even know Ryan could walk and talk until Esme showed up at Spring Ridge. He never even told her that he could. They’ve got to believe her. He showed her that he’d been faking his condition when Esme showed up just because he wanted her help with getting Esme out. Dante says, which she was more than happy to provide, but she says, Ryan terrified her. She had to do what he said. Jordan tells her, he isn’t saying anything; he’s dead.

Spencer says, Esme was always going on and on about how Ava pushed him out of his father’s life, and said he should push back. She encouraged him to get revenge. Ava wonders if he ever asked himself why Esme cared so much. She was no one to Esme, and they had the kind of life teenagers dream of. They had Europe at their fingertips. Wouldn’t living his best life have been the best revenge? He says, apparently not. Esme was determined to get him back here. Ava says, because Ryan ordered her to do all of that, and look what happened. She and Nikolas are divorced, and he and his father are more estranged than ever. It was Ryan. Ryan played them all. (Way to get Esme and Spencer off the hook. No pun intended.)

Heather says, thank God, and Dante tells her, give it a rest. She wanted Ryan gone so he can’t contradict her narrative. They know she gave Ava a gun, and sent Ava after Ryan. Heather says, Ava killed Ryan? and Jordan says, no, but she shot him in self-defense. Heather says, of course (🍷) it was self-defense. After everything he’d done to her; running her life, killing her daughter. Ryan was a cold-blooded murderer. Dante says, unlike her, and she says she was just a mother protecting her child. Jordan says, a child she abandoned, and Heather says, because she wanted to give her a better life. But she never stopped missing her. When Esme arrived in Port Charles, she was overjoyed. Then she saw what Esme’s life had become. She saw Trina Robinson’s attempts to humiliate and destroy her. What else could she do? She had to defend her family. Dante says he feels for her, and she says she’s told them everything she knows; she’s confessed to The Hook murders. Can’t they just grant the one little thing she asked them? Otherwise, she can always recant. Who’s going to trust the word of a crazy person anyway?

Laura asks what Sonny is doing at the hospital, and he says, looking after her grandsons, both of them. Congratulations, by the way. She thanks him, and he asks if she was with Esme. She says she was, but now Mac’s questioning her, and he asks if there’s anything he should know. She says she doesn’t think so; not yet. Is Spencer at the nursery? He says, yeah. Spencer’s been here all morning doing the big brother thing; he’s good at it. She says she doesn’t know if he heard, but Ryan died last night, and he says he heard the good news. He also heard Heather Webber killed his cousin Brando. She says, it would appear that way, and he says, that’s a mistake going after his family, but she says, let the justice system do what it does. He says, she knows him. He just protects the people he loves.

Dex tells Josslyn, option one. Say he disappears from Port Charles. Sonny might come looking for him, but he can cover his tracks. She says, if Sonny can’t find him, neither can she, and he says, not for a while anyway. She says she’s not liking option one, and he says, him neither. He says, option two. He tells his real boss that he’s out. He keeps working for Sonny, legitimately following his orders, but Sonny told him that he can’t go near Josslyn. They would have to hide that they’re together indefinitely. She says, marginally better than option one, but not by much. He says, option three. He sticks with the original plan, and gets evidence on Sonny. He turns it over to his real boss, who turns it over to the Feds, Sonny goes to prison, and he’s in the clear. She doubts it will be that easy, and he says, probably not, but it’s the only option that gives him what he really wants; a chance to stay here, a chance to be with her, free of Sonny. She says, option three it is, and he says, option three, kissing her. He says, no matter what happens, he can’t walk away from her, and she says she doesn’t want him to. Um… For all Josslyn’s talk on how she cares so much about her sisters, how come Donna and Avery, and the effect this might have on them, hasn’t been mentioned once?

Elizabeth’s phone rings, and she asks what he said… Yeah, she’s sure. She’ll be right there. She tells Cameron that she has to go, and he asks if everything is okay. She says she loves him, and jets.

Spencer admits he didn’t think Ava knew him so well, but she’s right. He didn’t want any of this to happen until he met Esme, and she used his resentment toward Ava to talk him into stalking her. He owns up to what he did, his part of it, but the escalation – putting the bear on Avery’s bed, setting Ava’s car on fire, putting Kiki’s hospital ID badge next to the wreckage – that was all Esme. He didn’t even know it was done until it happened. Ava says she believes him. All that misery because Ryan couldn’t stand her being with someone else. He says he can’t believe he was so blind, and she says, they all were. They were all blind, and used, and manipulated… He says, manipulated or not, he did Ryan’s dirty work for him. Spencer suddenly looks terrified, and says, he drove his father away, but Ava says, no, it wasn’t him. Nikolas would still be here if not for Ryan Chamberlain.

Mac asks, when was the last time Esme saw Ryan? and she says, he was in the woods with Ava Jerome; she had a gun on him. He was focused on Ava, so she made a break for it. Is she okay? He says, Ava’s fine, and she asks Mac to tell Ava thank you for helping her get away from Ryan. he says he’ll pass along that message. He thanks her for the information, and says, if he has anything more to ask… She lifts up her arm, showing she’s cuffed to the bed, and says, he knows where to find her. He congratulates her on the birth of her son, and she says, before he goes, maybe he could tell her what’s going to happen to her and Ace. He says, Ace? and she says, her baby. He says, she named her baby Ace? and she says, it just came out. Sounds right to her for some reason. Ace? Where did that come from?

Jordan asks if Dante believes Heather, and he says he does. Robert joins them, and says he may have additional answers on this hook business. Baldwin has a client who says she knows what Esme was doing at the time she went missing. Jordan asks, who? when Scotty walks in with Elizabeth, and says he thinks they all know his client.

Laura tells Sonny, she’s glad Spencer is spending time with his baby brother, because he really needs something positive to focus on right now. Sonny says he feels Spencer needs the baby as much as the baby needs him, and Laura’s phone dings. He asks if everything is okay, but she says, no. She’s got to go. She jets, and he follows her.

Josslyn tells Dex that she’s got to go back to her family, and needs to talk to Trina. It’s been a crazy couple of days. (Boy, does she have some news to catch up on.) He says, people need her, and she says, she needs him. So do whatever he has to do, but watch his back. Option three only works if he’s alive at the end of it. He promises to be careful, they kiss, and she leaves.

Laura and Sonny go to the nursery, and Laura asks Spencer, what’s wrong? He says he messed up, and she says, take a deep breath, and tell her what’s going on. He says, because of him, he and his baby brother no longer have a father. It seems even in death, Ryan Chamberlain wins. Laura says, they’ll find his father, and when they do, they’ll explain to him what took place here, and she’ll talk some sense into him. Until then, take a look around him. He’s not alone. Sonny’s here, she’s here… Sonny says, always, and she says, he and his brother are going to have more support than they know what to do with. Ava slips away.

Mac goes into Esme’s room, and asks if she’s sure about this. She nods, and the guard brings Heather in. Heather sort of smiles, but Esme just looks at her blankly.

On Monday, Dante tells Molly that they need to start that search immediately; Laura tells Spencer to think before he acts; and Curtis asks how long Jordan has known Trina might be his daughter.

👠 For Now…

She’s the only one I like at this point on RHONJ, but give it time.

https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/rachel-fuda-from-rhonj-husband-family-instagram-bio

👰🏻 All About the Love, But Alone…

Are you kidding me? She had the option of her brother walking her down the aisle, and decided to be the turd that she is. My father passed away before I got married too, and my sister walked me down the aisle. Teresa just wanted to give Joe #2 another slap in the face and get more attention for herself.

🧉 The Unending Grope…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Anyone who could slap LVP in the face could do anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if she drank the blood of virgins to help her face fillers last. Although I would be surprised if she could find one in L.A.

💎 What Victims…?

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip, but I’ll bet she has bags that cost more than my house. And being an entertainer with a 12th grade education doesn’t mean you don’t know how many zeros are on the check.

🏖  Summer Lovin’…

Paige might be close to one of the normal ones if she wasn’t attached to ticking time bomb Craig.

Great. The only genuinely normal one. Let’s hope Austen isn’t her rebound. Or anyone else who enters the house for that matter.

🍸 Passing the Shade…

She is clueless when it comes to Girl Code. And did she watch this week’s episode? She pushed.

🎰 Showing Her Cards…

Gambling has never been my jam. I went to Atlantic City once to see a show, and played the slots for a few hours first – back when they were actual slot machines and somewhat exciting. I’d gotten a certain amount of rolled coins from the bank, and decided that would be the only amount I’d play with. I came home a quarter shy. Yeah, it was cool on the spins when a bunch of money came out, but I didn’t feel the need to play any more when I had to get going. Or ever.

Geez. I take better pictures for eBay.

🛣  In Last Week’s Last…

I have to admit, I didn’t even notice.

https://people.com/tv/the-last-of-us-fans-point-out-hbo-editing-error/

My favorite reply.

🐈 Prosperous Pets…

I’ll bet they all still poop on the floor.

🎯 Quotes of the Week

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. – Chief Seattle (Once again, don’t step on any butterflies.)

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. – Oscar Wilde

What I did or said should never be more important than why I did it or said it.Andrea Kelly

There is only one way to avoid criticism: say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. – Elbert Hubbard

Just knowing you don’t have the answers is a recipe for humility, openness, acceptance, forgiveness, and an eagerness to learn – and those are all good things. – Dick Van Dyke

Each day we are given the opportunity to choose between that which is easy and fast and that which is more difficult and slow. The fast and easy track is attractive, but doesn’t bear fruit. The slow and hard track is intimidating, but has the most potential. – Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy. – Dean Koontz

Renew, release, let go. Yesterday’s gone. There’s nothing you can do to bring it back. You can’t “should’ve” done something. You can only DO something. Renew yourself. Release that attachment. Today is a new day!Steve Maraboli

There is no room for mediocrity in karaoke. – some obviously Drunk Kid I met there

🚶🏽‍♀️ Walking It Off…

Come back fresh on Monday really Tuesday for soap and the return of Captain Lee, which might offset the middle aged adolescents in that House. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your head in the clouds, but your feet on the ground, and stay letting living your best life be your best revenge.

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

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⚰️ Dead Again…

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

💞 Conscious Coupling…

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

👩‍👧 Mother and Daughter Reunion…

Life outside of Port Charles.

🦚 DOOL Move…

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

🤸‍♀️ Tumbling Marks…

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

🗽 No Jovani For You…

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

⚔️ Conflicted…

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

🌷 Calling Doctor Spring…

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

February 22, 2023 – Everything Comes To Light, Scheana Is an Evil Little Troll, Walk It Like It’s Hot & Peng

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Mac assures Laura that the island is sealed off and Ryan won’t get away, and Doc says, if Esme is Ryan’s daughter, he sees her as a possession; someone who belongs to him, like an extension of himself. They know he’s obsessed with Ava and will do anything to hold her. Laura says she can’t wait and do nothing while Ryan does his worst. They’ve got to make some kind of move. Esme stumbles through the front door, and collapses in Laura’s arms, sobbing. Jordan tells Esme to put her hands where she can see them, and Laura asks if she’s hurt. Esme says she’s in labor.

On the phone, Portia tells Zeke that she’d appreciate him not saying anything to mommy and daddy just yet. She’d like things to calm down a little bit first… No, she doesn’t want him to come back. She promises she’s fine, and thanks him for not judging her… She loves him too, and she’ll give Trina his love when she sees her. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, that might be Curtis. She hangs up, and answers the door, but it’s Taggert.

Elizabeth thanks Finn for the coffee and the ride home, and he says, it’s quiet without the boys. Does she want company? She says he doesn’t have to stick so close. She knows he’s afraid if she’s alone, she’ll think too much, and maybe turn herself in… tonight.

At the hospital, Austin asks Felicia if there’s any word, but she says, nothing so far. The team is searching the island for Ryan, and Ava’s still out there. He says, she has a gun. He’s a little afraid the cops are going to mistake her for a threat and shoot her. Felicia tells him not to assume the worst. Mac will make sure Ava’s safe.

Trina says she thought Esme’s parents were dead, and Spencer says, her adoptive parents are. Her nanny implied her biological parents were alive, which explains why she was so eager to volunteer at Spring Ridge, and why she was so fascinated with Ryan Chamberlain. Alexis says, she’s known Ryan was her father the whole time, but Spencer says, she couldn’t have known Heather was her mother. One thing he’s sure of is, Esme didn’t fake her desperation to find her mother.

Heather says, the baby is coming, and Jordan says she’s calling for paramedics. Bennett comes back, and says, there have been reports of shots fired on the northwest corner of Spoon Island, and Laura says, Ava and Ryan. Mac says, maybe, and heads out the door. Jordan tells Bennett to take custody of the prisoner. Heather Webber is The Hook, and she needs to know Heather isn’t going anywhere. And call the paramedics. She leaves, and Bennett radios that he needs medical transport dispatched immediately to Spoon Island, the main house; a woman is in labor. Laura asks Doc, what’s happening? as Esme yowls. Doc says he thinks it’s best to focus on the contractions.

Ava says, Ryan’s got one thing right. His life is in her hands. He says, til death do us part, and she repeats, til death do us part. She pulls the trigger, but the gun just clicks. She tries again, and a third time, but nothing. He says, she’s not done with him yet.

Finn says he is worried about Elizabeth. She seemed to be enjoying the wedding, but her toast… She says, he didn’t like it? and he says, it was beautiful, but it sounded wistful. Her celebration of Curtis’s and Portia’s beginning sounded like an ending for her. The doorbell rings, and it’s Scotty. Elizabeth asks what he’s doing here, and he says, they have unfinished business, wouldn’t she say?

Portia is wearing a sweatshirt that says Just Married on the back, and Taggert says, nice sweatshirt. She says, it was a gift from Trina. She gave one to Curtis too, and said they could wear them on the plane to their honeymoon. He says, Trina’s thoughtful that way, and she tells him that he can go ahead and say it. He asks, what? and she says, that Trina is generous, giving, and loving, and she doesn’t deserve Trina. Don’t worry. She feels exactly the same way.

Spencer tells Alexis that when Trina was on trial, he dangled the possibility of finding Esme’s mother in front of her, and she genuinely considered it. She wouldn’t have done that had she known her mother was a few miles away at D’Archam. Trina says, that must have been some bluff, and he says he was doing whatever he could to help her. Alexis wonders what Esme thinks of Heather seeking retribution in her name… Oh, they don’t know. Heather isn’t just Esme’s mother; she’s The Hook killer.

Heather begs Doc to help Esme, and Doc asks if she feels pain here, touching her bump, but she says, it’s more like pressure. Here it comes again. Doc tells Laura, they can’t wait for the paramedics, and Laura asks if Esme can make it to the launch. They have to get her to General Hospital right away. Heather tells Esme, it’s a trap. They’ll take her baby and lock her up. Bennett says, the only one headed for lock-up is Heather, and Laura says, Esme’s health and welfare is her only priority. Doc gets behind Esme, and says, they don’t have time. This baby is coming now.

Felicia says she’s sure they’ll get word any minute that Ava is safe, and Austin asks if she’s always this optimistic. She says she hopes for good outcomes. He had one himself tonight. They’re saying he’s stable and in good condition. He says, someone’s been sneaking around asking the nursing staff questions, and she says she’s glad he’s okay. He was really lucky. He tells her to remind him to get a lottery ticket, and she says, his sense of humor is still intact. He says, thank God, and he’s still got his teeth, so there’s that. She says she thinks he’s got more than that, and he says he’s lucky to have friends like her and Ava. She says, Ava was frantic when she saw he was hurt. She didn’t realize they were so well-acquainted. He says he treated her when she was attacked. Now he knows how she feels. Felicia says, she survived The Hook attack; she’ll survive tonight. He says, she’d better.

Ryan approaches Ava, and says, a little shoulder wound can’t come between them. He forgave her for that knife in the back. She’s passionate, and he understands those carnal impulses. He’s never given up on her. He’s never lost hope, even when she married that imbecile. They’re alike. They belong together. She’ll see. He reaches for her, and she says, get away from me, pushing him back. He growls at her, and is about to rush her, when a shot is fired. He drops to the ground. Ava turns to see Mac behind her.

Scotty says he thought he and Elizabeth would finish their conversation, unless she doesn’t want his help anymore. Finn says, she’s not going to wait until morning? when his phone rings. He says, it’s the hospital, and steps away to take the call. Scotty says he guesses Finn knows about the crimes Elizabeth committed, but she says she doesn’t want him involved. He’s just being a friend. Scotty says, accessory after the fact, and Finn comes back, saying, he has to get to the hospital. There’s been another Hook attack. He asks Elizabeth not to make any rash decisions tonight, and she thanks him for the ride home. He tells her, tomorrow’s a new day; things may look differently. He leaves, and Elizabeth tells Scotty that she’s made her decision.

Keeping the gun on Ryan, Mac goes over to him. Ryan looks up, and says, it had to be you. His head drops back down, and Ava says, she tried to… Mac says he knows, and Jordan arrives. She radios that the suspect is down, and to call for a second unit. She asks if anyone else is hurt, but Mac says he’s fine, and Ava is okay, more or less. Ava says, he woudn’t give up. He was never going to give up. Jordan checks Ryan’s pulse, and says, he’s dead. Mac tells Ava, he’s gone; it’s over. Ava asks if he’s sure, and he says he’s positive. Jordan asks, what happened here? and Ava says she shot him. Mac says, Ava got off a shot; it hit him in the shoulder. Chamberlain kept approaching, and Mac stopped him. Jordan says, sounds justified. She’ll need Ava’s statement later, but first, she wants Ava to get checked out at GH. She doesn’t suppose Mac will go with her, and Mac says, no chance. Other officers join them, and Jordan goes to talk with them. Ava says she needs to tell Jordan… but Mac says, a lot has happened tonight. In the days to come, there’s going to be questions and determinations, but what’s most important is, he’ll take no more victims. Ryan Chamberlain’s reign of terror has come to an end.

Alexis says, it all fits perfectly. Heather orchestrating her transfer to Spring Ridge, and the letter saying she only struck those who wronged me and mine. Trina says, so it wasn’t Esme coming after her. It was her crazy mother avenging her enemies. Alexis says, Spencer and Trina were probably at the top of the list, and Spencer says, Esme finally found her mother. Trina says, they’re having some warped version of a family reunion, and they have Ava with them. Spencer says, and his baby brother or sister.

Laura brings pillows and blankets, and Doc tells Esme that he has to wash up so he can attend to her properly. He leaves, and Esme says, she’s delivering here, now? Laura tells her, it’s going to be okay. Doc will take good care of her. Esme asks if she’s sure, and Laura says, he’s a doctor. Is there something she can do? Esme says she doesn’t want Heather here, but Heather says, she doesn’t mean that. Laura tells Bennett to take the prisoner back to the mainland, and Heather says, the prisoner has a name. Bennett says he’s sorry, but the launch is engaged. They’re waiting for it to return. Laura says, then wait in the other room, and Bennett tells Heather, let’s go. Heather says, a small town politician doesn’t have jurisdiction over the laws of nature. She deserves to be here as much as Laura does. Esme says, she’s the baby’s grandmother, and Heather says, so is she. She’s the baby’s grandmother too. She’s Esme’s mother. Esme cries out, both in pain and frustration.

Taggert says, Portia has never given him much credit. Like when she was trying to hide her affair with Curtis. She says, that’s because when he came back from his undercover assignment, they were trying to work on their marriage. She didn’t want to jeopardize that. He asks if she knows why he was trying so hard. Because he found out. He knew she was unhappy, but didn’t blame it all on her; he knew he was part of it. She says she had no idea he’d be this understanding, and he says, in his heart, he’d already forgiven her for the affair. Does she really think he’d have loved Trina any less if she wasn’t his? She says she was just afraid to test it, and as the years went on, the fear got worse. She was worried it would change the way he and Trina saw each other, and she loved the father he was to Trina. And she was always such a daddy’s girl. How could she take that away from the two of them? He says, she’d never have had to worry about that if she’d told him from the start… but she didn’t.

Ava gets to Pier 55, and Trina hugs her. She says she’s okay, and Trina says she was so worried. She heard Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber were at Windymere. Ava says, there’s no danger; Ryan is dead. Spencer asks, what about Esme? and an officer says, sorry, folks. Orders are to get Miss Jerome to GH immediately. Ava leaves with the officer, and Spencer says, if Trina wants to go with them, and make sure Ava’s okay… Trina says, what about him? She knows he’s worried about Esme and the baby. He says he’ll call if he hears anything, but she says she can’t just leave him. Alexis says, he’ll be fine; she’ll look out for him. Spencer says, go, and Trina asks him to promise if he needs anything… He says he’ll call, and Trina leaves. Alexis says, it’s nice to see that he and Trina have a friendship again.

Austin says, of all the nights to be on Spoon Island, and Felicia says, ironically, she was there about Ryan. Why was he? He says he told her; he treated Ava. She says, last year. A little late to do a follow-up house call. He flashes back to Ava telling him, they have to move Nikolas before Elizabeth’s guilty conscience sends the cops to Spoon Island, and he tells Felicia, the island must be crawling with cops. She says, that’s a good thing, right? The more, the better. Finn comes in, and says he understands Austin had a run-in with The Hook killer. Austin says he sure did, but he’s here to tell the tale, so he’s guessing no poison was involved. Finn says, his bloodwork confirmed it. He’s just here to take Austin’s vitals. Felicia says she’ll step out, and Austin thanks her for looking out for him. She says she’s glad he’s okay.

Ryan’s body bag is zipped up, and Jordan says, this town has had a long history with Ryan; he posed a clear and constant threat. Mac says he knows he should be breathing easy, but all he feels is a knot in his chest, and she says, to take a man’s life, even someone like Chamberlain, is a hard thing for a police officer, especially a good one like him. He says he did what he had to do, and she says she has to admit, what bothers her most is the mountain of paperwork waiting. Mac says he’ll do the paperwork. Chamberlain made Felicia’s life hell. He would have killed her tonight; Felicia and Ava both. Jordan says, it’s a big win for the community. She’s sure Heather will never see the light of day again, but there’s still Esme Prince, and what role, if any, she played in what went down tonight. He says, and whether she’ll spend the night in a cell, or a maternity ward.

Heather says, she and Esme have been reunited. They’ll never be parted again. Laura says, this isn’t the time for this, but Esme asks if it’s true. Is this woman really her mother? Laura says, evidence suggests that Heather Webber gave birth to her, and Heather says she’d do anything for Esme. Esme says, like commit mass murder? and Heather says she did all of it for Esme. Can’t she see? It was to protect her. Don’t let these rich, small-minded people get into her head. Esme says, Heather isn’t going to see this baby today or any day. Get out! Heather says, Esme doesn’t mean that. She’s Esme’s mother. Bennett pulls her away, and she says she’ll always be Esme’s mother. She’d give up her life for her. Esme will always be hers. Esme cries in Laura’s arms.

On the floor now, Doc tells Esme that she’s doing great, and Laura tells her to breathe. A paramedic comes in, and asks, how far along? and Doc says, second stage; the cervix is dilated and the contractions are regular. Esme says she can’t, but Laura says, it’s okay. So many mothers feel that way. She gets behind Esme, and tells Esme to lean against her. Doc says, here we go. Deep breath and push. Bear down.

Taggert says, if Portia had told him in the beginning that Trina might not be his daughter, he would have been mad, he would have been angry, he would have been screaming and yelling. But he would have stopped long enough to hear what she had to say. She asks why he’s not screaming and yelling. He has every right to. He says, because he’d like to think he’s grown in that time, that he can put himself in her shoes; that he could understand what she did and why she did it. But understanding doesn’t make it hurt any less. Damn it! He wishes she would have given him the chance to show her that his bond with Trina is more than DNA. That Trina was his daughter in every way that counts because Portia was dishonest? Trina is now questioning that. Portia says, that’s what she was trying to avoid, but she just made it worse. Tell her, how is Trina doing? He says, she’s in pain; she’s confused. Portia asks if she wants to know who her real father is; whether it’s him or Curtis. He says, it didn’t come up and he didn’t want to push it, but let’s get one thing perfectly clear. He is Trina’s dad. Point blank. Period.

Finn asks, what happened tonight? but Austin says, he’s not really sure. The cops will sort it out. He was unconscious for most of the time. It’s not over, and he’s really worried about a friend. Finn says he knows the feeling.

Felicia asks the reception nurse if there’s a phone she could use, when Trina and Ava walk in. She tells the nurse, never mind, and goes over to them. Ava asks, how’s Austin? and Felicia says, he’s doing okay. They ruled out the poison, and the wound isn’t what they feared. How is Ava? Ava says she’s fine physically, but Jordan and Mac wanted her to get checked out. Felicia asks if Ryan got away, and Ava says, he was coming at her, and it was Mac who stopped him. Ryan is dead. Felicia says, thank God, and they hug.

Elizabeth asks Scotty if she should be nervous. He’s never speechless. He says, let him understand. She and Nikolas held Esme captive without medical attention. She says, that’s where she came in. She gave the medical attention. He says, and obstruction of justice; a police investigation was going on about Esme. She says she knows it was bad, but when he says it like that, it sounds worse. Can he broker some sort of deal for her? He says he needs to know if she’s lost her mind.

On the phone, Alexis says, Ryan Chamberlain is dead, and Esme Prince’s whereabouts are still unknown. She’ll give them details later. She wonders if Laura will tell her anything more about Esme, and Spencer says, grandmother is on the island? Alexis says, she and Doc headed over there. Don’t worry. Mac and Jordan aren’t going to let anything happen to them. He says he thinks Alexis would be doing everyone better if she wasn’t here with him. He’ll tell her if he hears anything. She leaves, and he starts to write a text, when he hears Heather saying, no. Her daughter needs her; she’s in labor. Spencer says, Esme’s in labor? and Heather tells Jordan, she needs her mother. They’ll be hearing from her lawyer. Bennett drags her away, and when they pass Spencer, Heather says, you were next. Jordan says, get her to the station, and Heather is hauled away. Spencer says, Esme is having the baby right now? and Jordan says, last she heard. He says he realizes Windymere is a crime scene, but he needs to be on that island immediately.

Esme says she’s sorry, and Laura says, of course (🍷) she is. She’s been through so much, but she’s safe and supported. Doc says, and she’s almost there. One more push should do it. Esme says she needs a few minutes, but Doc says, the baby needs to come now. Laura says, it’s time. She can do this. Summon all the strength she can, and give the baby one big push. When she’s ready, take a deep breath. Esme pushes, and Laura says, she can do it. We hear a baby cry. That was fast. I think it came out crying. Although after the day it’s had…

Portia says, of course (🍷) Taggert is Trina’s dad. He raised that girl. He’s always been there for her. He says, not always. He let her think he was dead. He let her know later that he was protecting her, but the deception hurt her. Everyone makes mistakes. They both screwed up, thinking they were doing the right thing at the right time. She says, Trina’s the most important thing to both of them, and he says, she’s got that right. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him, but Portia just kept stripping away at her defenses, encouraging her to hear him out. Portia was a big reason Trina gave him another chance and forgave him. He’s never going to forget that. She tells him, like she said, he’s good father, and he says, she’s a good mother, who made a terrible mistake. He can’t guarantee things will be different, but he, Portia, and Trina are a family, and nothing or no one is going to change that.

Trina brings a clipboard to Ava, saying, the nurse told her that it shouldn’t be too much longer. Ava just has to fill this out, and put down an emergency contact. She asks if Ava is okay, and Ava says she’s just thinking about the events of the day. Trina says, don’t feel guilty if she’s glad Ryan’s dead. He and his daughter made Ava’s life a living hell. Ava flashes back to telling Ryan that he’ll keep taking unless someone stops him. She says, Ryan left an awful lot of carnage in his wake, and Trina says she knows Ava’s divorce has been rough, but if Ava wants, she’ll try to find Nikolas. Ava says, thanks, but there’s nothing Nikolas can do for her anymore.

Laura tells the paramedic that Esme will be in police custody while in the hospital, but she will not be separated from her child. Spencer walks in, and asks if Laura is okay. She says she is, and tells him that he has a new little brother. He sees Esme, holding the baby and smiling.

Mac finds Doc outside, and asks if everything is okay here. Doc says, mother and baby are doing just fine. How’s his team? Mac says, safe and accounted for, and Doc says, and Ryan? Mac says, come with him, but Doc says, just tell him. Mac says he had no choice, and Doc says, Ryan’s dead. Mac says, it could have been Felicia. It could have been Ava, or anyone. Ryan wouldn’t have stopped. Doc puts his hand on Mac’s shoulder, and says, show him.

Portia says, Taggert is right about one thing; she does underestimate him. She thanks him for coming here and being so generous with her. He says he doesn’t like what she did, but they share a child. She says, they always will, and he says, if she’s worried about Trina, he can always find her. She says, good. They’re daughter needs him, especially now. He says, their daughter is unbelievably forgiving, and she says she wishes she shared his hope. Their daughter is also strong-willed, and she’s been putting up boundaries and setting limits. He says, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? but she says, what if this is all too much to forgive? She starts to cry, and says, he didn’t see the way Trina was when confronting her, and the things Trina said to her. She’s worried she might have lost Trina forever.

Trina asks if Ava wants anything from the cafeteria, but Ava says she’s fine. It’s late; Trina should get home… What’s the matter? Trina says, the long day just caught up, and it occurred to her, The Hook has been caught. For the first time in a long time, she doesn’t have to worry about who’s hiding in the shadows. Seems like today, everything just came to light. Ava hugs her.

Alexis sees Finn, and asks how Austin is. He says he has to write an order for his patient… who will recover. He keeps walking, and Alexis says, and he walks away from her, which usually means he’s troubled about something. She’s assuming it’s about that friend who could be an accessory to a felony. He says he’s still concerned, and he thinks his friend made a decision. She says, and he’s worried that decision is going to ruin his friend’s life? but he says, at this point, it’s out of his hands.

Scotty says he can’t believe Elizabeth let Nikolas talk her into that cockamamie plan. Where’s he now? He’s off somewhere, and left her holding the bag? She says, if he can’t help her, she understands, but she can’t live with this guilt, thinking of the damage to the boys. He says, she’s got to be there for the boys, and she says she knows. The only stability they have in their lives is Cameron, and he’s too young to shoulder this responsibility. He asks how going to prison is going to help them, and she says, that’s what she was hoping he could prevent. He says, no problem. Walk in the park for him. She says she knows it’s a lot, but he’s practically the boys’ grandfather, and the closest thing she has to a dad. He says he’ll do everything in his power to get her out of this mess, and she says, that’s good enough for her.

Mac takes Doc to Ryan’s body, and Doc kneels down beside it. He says, I knew it. I could feel it. It’s real this time. He unzips the top of the bag, revealing Ryan’s face. Felicia runs to Mac, and hugs him. Mac says he’s fine, and she’s safe now. She asks if Ryan is really gone, and Mac steps aside. She goes over to the body, and kneels down beside Doc, putting her arm around him. He says, at least it’s the end of a long nightmare for her, and she cries, saying, but he was still Doc’s brother. Doc says, I hope you can find the peace you could never find in this life… brother.

Spencer walks over to Esme and she says, he’s beautiful, isn’t he? He says, he looks like a Cassadine, and she says, Nikolas told her the truth. Spencer’s not the father of the baby; Nikolas is. Spencer says he just thought since they used to be… She says, the person she used to be sounds pretty messy; no wonder she didn’t know who the father was. She’s not that person anymore; she promises him. She loves his little brother, and would do anything for him. Laura says she’ll come and check in on Esme when she’s settled in at the hospital, and Esme thanks her. As she’s being wheeled out, Esme asks if Spencer can tell his father about the baby. She doesn’t know how to reach him. He says, that makes two of us, and Laura gives him a long look.

Ava tells the nurse that she needs to talk to Austin, but the nurse says, he needs his rest, closes the door, and draws the blind.

Tomorrow, Drew says someone has no one else to blame but themselves; Nina can’t believe someone would be okay with that; and Sonny wonders if Brook can help him.

Vanderpump Rules

I’m fully aware that this show is somewhat boring, but I live for glimpses of her VanderHighness, the menagerie, Puffy (!), and the glory that is Villa Rosa. Again I say, bring back Overserved.

Raquel took Graham to the emergency vet, and it turned out to be an infected puncture wound on his neck. I don’t know about Graham, but if one of my dogs doesn’t eat, there’s definitely something wrong. Lisa approached Raquel about dating Peter, and Raquel asked if Lisa was telling her that she couldn’t make out with Peter in front of customers anymore. She actually had Lisa going for a moment, and I was surprised Raquel has a sense of humor. Lisa said Raquel had lost a bit of direction since breaking off the engagement, and we flashed back to Raquel giving James the ring back at the Reunion. Raquel said she was hurt that James had found someone to replace her so easily, and admitted she still loved him. Ariana and Katie looked at a potential space for their sandwich shop, and in Ariana’s interview, she said, the main thing she learned from the Toms’ experience was, don’t jump in. Have everything laid out and prepared ahead of time. That, and don’t use your own money. She thanked the guys for being guinea pigs.

Scheana went to Schwartz’s new apartment for her podcast, and started with the getting old game of Marry-F***-Kill, using Lisa, Lala, and Raquel. Schwartz said he’d marry Raquel, bang Lisa (but of course), and would have killed Lala before last night. Since she sent him a sweet text about the Daily Mail party, now he was struggling. Scheana asked if he thought Schwartz & Sandy’s ultimately led to divorce, and although he thought it was too soon to address, he couldn’t blame the bar. She said, there were rumors that he’d made out with Raquel at Coachella, but it turned out he hadn’t even been there. She asked if he could make the rumor true, and he said, maybe after a couple of tequila shots. Ugh. This show is almost painful to watch.

James and Ally went for lunch at SUR, and Lisa asked about Graham. James said he hadn’t known Graham wasn’t well, and Lisa said she was keeping out of it. Then she warned Raquel, saying, she thought James knew. In James’s interview, he said he missed Graham more than Raquel, and I totally understand. The worst part of a break-up is breaking up with the ex’s family, friends, and pet. And sometimes, their apartment. James confronted Raquel, who said she hadn’t wanted to worry him. He asked how Graham got the neck wound, and she said when she’d boarded him, he escaped, digging a hole under a fence. No doubt the fence had poked him. James started crying because when does he not? Not that I blame him in this instance, but just pointing out it’s a pattern. Raquel said, Graham was fine, but James wanted to see for himself. Raquel said she’d think about it, and in his interview, James said, she didn’t have the decency to call or throw him a text, and it was f***ed up.

The Toms met with Schwartz & Sandy’s general manager Brett. Schwartz was worried about the opening, and Sandoval said, they’d have to move mountains. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, because of the optics, people thought the bar was open. Now there was pressure to live up to the hype. They still had to finalize the food and the cocktails, and back of the house staffing was hard to find. Proving his point, some people wandered in, wondering if they were open.

Katie, Raquel, and Lala went out for girls night, and in Lala’s interview, she said she and Katie were both on new paths. There was something sweet and inspiring about leaving everything you were used to behind, and not knowing what the future held, but knowing you’d be okay. They toasted to the single life and dodging bullets. In her interview, Lala said that Raquel had seemed vacant when she’d been with James, but she seemed to have come into her own. Pointing to her head, she said she was seeing things happening up here. Katie said Schwarz had done Scheana’s podcast, and Scheana was pushing him to date Raquel. Raquel confirmed that Scheana kept saying she and Schwartz should make out, but even though she liked Schwartz a lot, she’d never date him seriously. What was that Lala said about vapid? In Katie’s interview, she said, Scheana was one of her bridesmaids, and she had supported Scheana through her divorce. Scheana would have been living if Katie had hooked Shay up with one of her girlfriends. Lala said, this is where she was stepping in to defend her friend. She got all kinds of messy, but wouldn’t do that sh*t. She said, Katie’s feelings would be hurt, and told Katie not to pretend they woudn’t be. Katie said she wasn’t ready to see that or be there yet. Raquel tried to deflect, saying, she’d been loyal to James, but now she was hearing about him having been with other girls when they were together. Lala said, while they were on the subject, she’d hooked up with James when he and Raquel had been together. It was when their relationship was new, as well as hers with Randall. In Raquel’s interview, she said, Lala was judging her for hypothetically making out with Schwartz, yet she’d slept with James when he and Raquel were together. She was an effing hypocrite. Lala said, she and James had both been drinking then, and Raquel said she cared more about James falling in love with Ally a month after they broke up.

Sandoval’s band, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras, had a show coming up, and we saw a bit of rehearsal. I thought it was more like Tom Sandoval and the Most Adequate. In James’s interview, he said he thought it was Sandoval’s way of spending money and having fun, but he should work on opening the bar. James talked about meeting Ally being the most magical night of his life, and a bunch of bullsh*t I didn’t listen to. Scheana suggested Raquel do a Hot Girl Walk (see below), which is a silly name for what are basically positive affirmations while walking. She told Raquel that she and Brock were pre-gaming at Schwartz’s before Sandoval’s show, and invited Raquel to join them. Raquel said Katie didn’t like that Scheana was pushing Schwartz on her, but Scheana said she’d been in Vegas with Katie when the rumors had been going around, and Katie said she’d embrace it. Raquel was like, no, Katie said it wouldn’t be okay, and in Scheana’s interview, she said her friendship with Katie was a roller coaster where they struggled to find the good in each other. She was over apologizing for things she wasn’t sorry for. When you’re divorced, you move on and deal with it. Raquel told Scheana about Lala hooking up with James, and Scheana looked all kinds of shocked.

Lala wanted to get together with Tai, who she’d met at the TomTom party. She thought he was good for dipping her toe back into the pond, but she hadn’t wanted to go alone. She asked Logan to find a dude for Katie, and they met with Tai and Mel, who said people called him Melrose. After they had lunch, Lala invited Katie to the bathroom with her, and said she felt the need to abort the mission. In Lala’s interview, she said she wasn’t connecting with Tai. He needed to date a 23 year old, not a 31 year old mother. To prove her point, even though she’d told them she was sober twice, they asked if the girls were going out drinking tonight. James met Raquel at a park to have a visit with Graham, and in his interview, James said, Graham remembered him (of course he did; he’s a dog), and we saw a puppy picture of Graham that made me squee. Raquel questioned James about hooking up with Lala, and he said they were both drunk – alcohol was to blame – and Lala wouldn’t let him leave the room, taking absolutely on accountability. He then questioned Raquel about Peter, but she said he was deflecting. He’d made her feel like she had nothing to worry about with Lala. James said it was a good thing they didn’t get married. Why Raquel still cares is beyond me.

Katie listened to Scheana’s podcast, where Scheana said she’d be Schwartz’s cheerleader, wingwoman, and best friend. Lala called Katie, and Katie said Scheana was an evil little troll, bringing Schwartz on her podcase when he was in a vulnerable state, and coercing him to say sh*t. Karma was going to come, and she’d watch while Scheana’s world burned and smile. Wow. Ariana told Sandoval, the pre-gaming sounded like a double-date, and in Schwartz’s interview, he said, Raquel was drop dead gorgeous, funny, and cool, but he and Katie weren’t hooking up with each other’s friends. Scheana told Schwartz that Katie had been getting laid, and in Schwarz’s interview, he said, it stung a little. Raquel thought Katie was overreacting, and Brock wondered when Schwartz was going to grow balls. Scheana asked why Schwartz couldn’t flirt, but Katie could f***.

Schwarz said, make outs are like pizza; even sh*tty ones are good. Um… no. Everyone got ready to see Sandoval’s band, and in Katie’s interview, she said she was ready to drag a ho. At the bar, she acknowledged everyone but Scheana, who insisted she’d just invited Raquel so she didn’t have to come alone. Katie said she heard about Scheana’s plan, and Scheana said, Katie seemed to think it was okay when they were in Vegas. Katie said she didn’t mean it, and Scheana asked how she was supposed to know that. While she has a point there, apparently, she has zero insight and empathy. Katie said it was disrespectful, none of Scheana’s business, and there was no room for Scheana in this. She called Scheana a little troll, and in Scheana’s interview, she said, Katie was mad at herself and Schwartz, and the problem had nothing to do with her. Get back under your bridge, bitch. Ugh. More awful people. Bravo is rife with them. Katie said she was done with Scheana.

In James’s interview, he said Scheana had Raquel on her podcast two weeks after they broke up to get her while it was fresh. She’d tried to get him on the podcast and talk about it, but that was a no. Ariana said Scheana got left holding the bag, while Schwartz was the nice guy, and in her interview, Ariana said it pissed her off how people were always mad at the other person, and not Schwartz. Katie told Schwartz that Scheana was a snake, and she was done with her. I swear, Schwartz was literally ducking as Katie talked, and I’m with Brock. I don’t think he should go out with Raquel, but he needs to grow a pair. Schwartz said Katie was quick to undermine his friendships, but she said he wasn’t losing anything with Scheana. James called Scheana pumpkin pie – sweet on the outside, but it goes bad quickly, and the whipped cream on it just hides the truth. Did he make that up? Ally didn’t seem to happy with any of it.

To be continued…

👠 Hot Walking…

Again, stupidest thing ever. Not that it’s a bad thing to pump yourself up, but it’s not that deep.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hot-girl-walk-can-this-tiktok-trend-really-boost-your-mood-and-fitness

🍦 Bringing My Milkshake Back In the House…

Join me tomorrow for soap and some mismatched cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not hiding your light under a bushel basket, and stay making sure Ryan is dead. I still don’t trust it.

February 21, 2023 – Ava Confronts Ryan, Teresa Doesn’t Invite More People To the Wedding & Gifted

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer and Trina kiss. She tells him, don’t stop.

Curtis strides through an empty Savoy, and goes behind the bar. N’neka says, it’s his wedding night. Why isn’t he…? He says he’ll explain another time, and tells her to head home; he’ll close up. He sits down at a table with a fifth of whiskey, and starts drinking shots. N’neka slips out, and makes a call in the back hallway. She says she doesn’t know what’s happening, but they need to get down here, like, now.

Laura tells Alexis that Jordan’s on her way to Windymere, and Alexis asks, what’s at Windymere? (Johnny in Airplane: Well, there’s an island with a big house, and…) Laura says, off the record, a hostage situation, and Alexis asks if it has anything to do with the escapees from Spring Ridge. Doc wonders why she’s asking, and Alexis says, all the victims are linked to Trina Robinson and Esme Prince. That list was compiled to avenge Esme Prince. Laura says, they suspected something like that, but didn’t have any concrete proof, and Doc asks if Alexis knows why The Hook would avenge Esme. Alexis says she doesn’t know why, but she knows who. She knows who The Hook is. It’s Heather Webber.

Ava tells Felicia, it’s best if they leave the island, and send help back for Austin, and Heather says, now that she thinks about it, Ava might want to hang back. Ava asks why she’d want to do that, and Heather says, to finally end this unholy obsession between her and Ryan once and for all. Ava says, that obsession is one-sided, thank you very much. She’ll let the authorities deal with Ryan – again. Heather asks if Ava isn’t the least bit curious to hear what Ryan did to try and get her back, but Ava says, not particularly. Heather says, how he’s responsible for destroying Ava’s life in the process? When she does, she’s going to want to take care of Ryan herself. Felicia says, let’s go, but Ava says she’s listening. How exactly did a man in prison destroy her life? Heather says, isn’t it obvious? Ryan had help.

Ryan runs through the forest looking for Esme, and finds her on the ground, leaning up against a large rock. He tells her, daddy’s here. She can’t be on the ground. It can’t be good for her or the baby. She says, and he is? and he says, right now he’s the best chance for both of them, so let him help. She says her water broke; the baby’s coming. He says, they have to get her back to the house, but he can’t carry her; she’ll have to lean on him. She cries, and tells him to get away from her. The baby’s coming.

Curtis continues to drink, and flashes back to Trina saying, they’re making progress. Marshall says, put that glass down, son.

Spencer asks if Trina knows how long he’s wanted this, and she says she wanted it too, even though everyone told her to stay away. He says, when everything exploded, and she said they couldn’t be friends anymore, he tried to stay away. He stops kissing her, and says he won’t. She means too much to him. She asks, why not?

Laura asks how Heather can be The Hook killer when she was locked up, and Alexis says, she just broke out. What makes Laura think she hasn’t broken out on a regular basis? Laura admits Heather has broken out of other facilities before, and Alexis reminds them about the letter the killer wrote. Doc says he remembers it saying she was avenging someone she cares about, and Alexis says, it was written on an old school typewriter with a very specific keystroke. She called D’Archam, and guess who had access to the exact same machine? Laura says, that explains why they all broke out together, and Doc says, it was a family affair. Alexis says, they clearly know something she doesn’t, so what is she missing?

Ryan puts his coat over Esme, and says, they broke out of prison. It’s the stress that sent her into labor. The good news is, the contractions are just beginning. There’s plenty of time before the baby comes. She asks why she should believe him, and he says, because he’s a doctor, and he’s also her dad. Which is why he couldn’t let her stay in jail. They’re a team, and a damn good one. Just ask Nikolas. She groans in pain, and he tells her, no need to panic. Everything is proceeding normally. She shakes his hand off, and says, this isn’t normal. She tries to get up, but he tells her, right now, he’s the only person who can help her and that precious cargo she’s carrying. Trust him. Daddy knows best.

Felicia thinks they don’t want to stand around while Heather plays mind games with Ava, and Austin struggles to get up. Ava helps him, and Heather says she’s glad he’s awake. Sorry about the hook, but he shouldn’t have used his phone. Ava asks her what she means that Ryan had help, and Heather says, she and Ryan were in Spring Ridge together, and he confided in her. Felicia says, Heather knew he was faking, and didn’t say anything, and Heather says, if only Ava knew how badly he played her. How he insinuated himself into her family, her marriage. She has to admit it was brilliant, but it was sick. Ava gets up, and says, what did Ryan do, and who did he do it with?

Curtis says, Marshall just happened to be in the neighborhood, and Marshall says, don’t blame N’neka. She’s just looking out for her boss, especially when that boss is supposed to be on his honeymoon. Curtis says, Marshall may as well sit down and have a drink with him, and Marshall says he’s not having a drink, but he’d like Curtis to put the cap back on that bottle, so they can deal with whatever happened at the reception. Curtis says he’s sorry Marshall came all the way down here, but the very last thing he wants to do is talk about it. Marshall says, he told Drew that he was done being a no-show when his family needs him. So tough luck – he pulls up a chair – he’s not leaving until they talk this out.

Alexis says, so Ryan is Esme’s father, and Doc says, according to Dante and Sam, who spoke to Esme’s old nanny. Alexis says, so if Ryan is Esme’s father… Doc says, her mother could see herself as an avenging angel, believing she’s protecting her daughter, even if she has to kill for her. Alexis says, Heather Webber is Esme’s mother and Ryan is her father? What a coincidence they all escaped Spring Ridge together. Laura says, now they’re all on the island together. They all look out over the water.

Ryan says, they have to get Esme back to the house, where it’s warm and dry, and she can give birth to his grandchild safely. Esme says she’s not going anywhere with him, but he says, that’s just the pain talking. He wishes she could remember how close they were before she lost her memory. She practically worshipped the ground he walked on. She went to great lengths to get an internship at Spring Ridge. They used to spend hours, planning and dreaming for when he’d be free, and all of them would be together; her, him, and Ava. She says, he’s crazy and delusional. She saw for herself that Ava despises him. He asks when she’s going to learn hate is just the other side of love.

Heather says, it’s not her story to tell; Ryan started it, but Ava has a chance to end it. She hands Ava the gun, and Felicia says, shoot her, but Heather says, shooting her won’t solve Ava’s problem. But Ryan? That’s a totally different story. Felicia says, no one understands being tormented by Ryan better than she does, but don’t make a bad situation worse. Forget Ryan; forget Heather. Let’s just get the hell out of here, and call 9-1-1 for Austin. Ava says, Heather may be psychotic, but she’s right about one thing. Ryan Chamberlain started this, and she’s going to finish it. She stalks out.

Curtis asks how much Marshall knows, and he says, not much, but he’s guessing whatever kept Stella from the wedding wasn’t contagious. Curtis says, that is correct. Portia has been lying to Trina, she’s been lying to Taggert, and she’s been lying to him. She’s been lying since Trina was born, and when he asked her, she lied to his face. She’s been lying since they said I do. Marshall says, the lie being? and Curtis says, Trina may be his daughter.

Spencer asks if Trina is sure this is what she wants, and she says, it is; doesn’t he? He says, of course (🍷) he does, but not like this, and she says, if it’s because it would be her first time… but he says, she just means too much to him to make this anything other than perfect. Just not in an empty art gallery. And she’s hurting right now, and might think if they sleep together the pain will subside, and maybe it would, but it would come back. Then he’d just be the guy who took advantage of her, and for once, he needs her to see him; he needs her to see the good in him, not the bad. She laughs, and says, she’s just not sure she likes him when he’s trying to be noble. He says he’s not sure he does either, but that’s the path he’s choosing. So let him take her home. She says she can’t go back there, and he says, that’s fine, but where should he take her?

Alexis asks if Doc thinks Esme was faking her memory loss this whole time, but he says he doesn’t think so. She may have no idea Heather and Ryan are her parents. Laura says, they got to know Esme when she and Spencer moved in with them. She didn’t like Esme’s sense of entitlement, and she had the elitism of a young woman who studied at a boarding school in France, but she thinks underneath that, was a very wounded little girl. Doc says, it would be just like his brother to use her for his own purposes. Now that Esme’s lost her memory, there’s no telling what he might have told her. She could be an innocent accessory in all this. She is nine months pregnant, after all. Alexis says, unwilling she can buy, but Esme Prince innocent? That’s hard to swallow.

Mac walks into Windymere, and Heather says, it’s good to see him again. She’s glad he’s okay. He hugs Felicia, saying, he’s glad she’s okay, and she says, the same to him. Jordan and Detective Bennett come in, and Felicia says, Ryan is somewhere on the island. Esme ran out, and he went after Esme, and Ava went after him. Mac says, Ava’s asking to be taken hostage, but Felicia says, Ava is armed; Heather gave her a gun. Mac says, what the hell? and an officer calls him over, showing him the hook. Mac tells him, take photos and bag it. Bennett tells Heather that she’s being arrested, and reads her rights. She says she’s heard all this before, but he delivers the Miranda with great panache. He asks if she understands her rights. They wouldn’t want anything she said to be thrown out on a technicality.

Jordan asks Austin what happened to him, and he says she got stabbed… with a hook, so hooked would be more accurate. She asks, who did this? and he says, the nice lady in the handcuffs over there. Heather smiles.

Mac calls for paramedics, and says, there’s been another Hook attack. The victim appears stable, but will need immediate transport. Heather says, if it’s any help, there’s no rush. The hook she used on the good doctor didn’t have any venom in it. Jordan tells Bennett to have the men search the island. Ryan is to be considered very dangerous, and Esme Prince, while technically a fugitive, is nine months pregnant. He says, there’s also a civilian in the mix. Miss Jerome is armed, and she’s been severely traumatized. They don’t want her firing on one of their own. He hands Heather to an officer, and leaves. Mac asks, what happened? and Felicia says, after Heather stabbed Austin, Esme freaked out and ran off, and Ryan ran after her. She wonders what Ryan would want with Esme, and Heather says, didn’t she mention? He’s her daddy.

Ryan tells Esme, be practical. It’s night; it’s February. She can’t give birth out here. She screams for someone to help her, but he says he’s the only help she needs. He’s right here. Ava shows up, and says, get away from her. Now. Or she’ll blow his head off.

Curtis tells Marshall that Stella found out, and that’s why she stayed away from the wedding. She knew. Jordan knew. In fact, the only people who didn’t know this little secret were the people most affected by it. Trina, Taggert… Marshall says, and you, and Curtis says, and me. And if Trina wouldn’t have went and found Stella, he never would have known. That young lady knew something was off. Aunt Stella was just being Aunt Stella. Marshall says he doesn’t believe for a minute that Aunt Stella would deliberately break Curtis’s heart or betray a confidence. Curtis says, nope, but she did hint that there was a problem and it wasn’t her story to tell. And Trina should hear that story from her mama. Marshall asks if that’s why Trina and Portia disappeared from the reception, and Curtis says, damn! How do you keep a secret that’s that important for twenty years? Marshall says he did it too. He did it for forty years. You put the secret in a box, you shove it to the back of the closet, and you forget about it; or at least you try to. Curtis asks if that’s what Marshall did with them. Out of sight out of mind? Marshall says, no, of course (🍷) not. It’s always there. Always. Then sooner or later, that closet door opens, and it all spills out.

Trina says, what about where Spencer’s staying? but he says, no; don’t tempt him. What about her dorm room? but she says, that’s the first place her mom will come looking for her. Besides, Joss is going through her own stuff. He says, what if he gets her a room at the MetroCourt? but she says, her mom and Curtis could still be in their room. He says, they’re kind of running out of options, and she says she just needs a place where she can slam doors, and scream at the top of her lungs without neighbors calling the cops, and then be alone with her thoughts. He says, of course (🍷). He can’t believe he didn’t think of it before. He takes her hand, says he knows just the place where she’ll be safe, and pulls her out the door.

Laura tells Alexis, Jordan and Mac have secured the house, and they have Heather in custody. Alexis says, anyone hurt? and Laura says, there was one final Hook stabbing; Austin Gatlin-Holt. Doc asks, how bad? and Laura says, according to Mac, there was no poison on the hook, so the injuries are not life-threatening. He says, what about Ryan? and she says, still a fugitive. Alexis asks, what about Esme? and Laura promises to get back to her with an update, but right now, she has to get to Spoon Island. Doc says, you mean, we are, and they go to the launch. Alexis makes a call, and says, they have breaking news, and there’s a lot of it. Put on the recorder. The Hook killer has been apprehended. The killer, who after months and months of terrorizing Port Charles, is in police custody. And that’s just the beginning of the story.

Heather says, Ryan Chamberlain is Esme Prince’s biological father, and Felicia asks how she knows. Heather says she must have one of those faces. People trust her with their deepest secrets. Mac asks the paramedics if they can take Felicia to the mainland, but Felicia says she’s going to stay with him. He says he needs to know she’s safe. Ryan is still on the loose. She’s been his obsession for so many years. She says, what if he comes after you? and Mac says, it will save him hunting Ryan down. Tonight, he either goes to Pentenville or maybe hell for that matter. Austin asks if Felicia could come with him. He could use the company. Felicia nods, and hugs Mac, saying, she doesn’t want to make him worry more than he has to. On their way out the door, Austin tells Jordan, please find Ava, and she says, they’ll find her before Ryan does. Heather says, it’s Ryan who should be worried.

Ryan asks how Ava got the gun away from Heather, and she says she has her ways. He says, the first thing she did was look for him. She missed him that much. She says, he’s irresistible, and Esme says, please help her. Her water broke. Ava says, she’s in labor, and Ryan says, they have to get her back to the house where she can have his grandchild safely. Ava says, Esme is his daughter? and he says, yes. This has all worked out even better than he planned. She says, it was him all along, and he says, of course (🍷) it was. How does she think Esme met Spencer? He got her into that snooty French school, where Spencer was walking around with a nice big target on his back. How does she think Esme learned to manipulate Spencer… and his father? He taught her everything she knows. He created her. And this is his crowning moment. Doesn’t she see? Esme has brought them all together. He walks over to Ava, and she says, one more step, and she’ll kill him.

Curtis says, forty years ago, Marshall made a decision, however misguided, to protect the people he loves. That same love inspired him to reunite with his family. What Portia did was only to protect herself. Marshall says he’s not going to let Curtis make him out to be a hero, and Portia to be a villain. He was scared of what he might become without the medication, and truly believes Portia was scared too. What if the truth cost her Trina’s love and respect? What if Curtis refuses to understand? Isn’t the way Curtis walked out on his wedding night proof that Portia had a right to be afraid? Curtis says he can’t excuse this. Some things are really unforgiveable. Curtis drinks another shot.

On the pier, Felicia says she knows Alexis is just trying to get the whole story, but Austin has to get to General Hospital. If she wants to meet them there, do it, but not until after the doctors treat him. Alexis says she understands, and asks if anything is happening at Windymere. Felicia tells her, all she can say is Mac and Jordan have everything under control, and Alexis says, in other words, Ryan Chamberlain is still on the loose. The paramedics start moving the stretcher, and Felicia says she’s sorry, she’s riding with Austin, and they leave.

Alexis sees Spencer and Trina, and tells the officer that they’re with her. Spencer tells her that he was taking Trina over to Windymere, so she could spend the night with Ava. What the hell is happening? Trina asks, what’s with all the police? and Alexis says she assumes they heard about the breakout at Spring Ridge. Spencer says, three prisoners escaped, including Esme. Is Alexis saying Esme is on Spoon Island right now? Alexis says, sadly, she is, and she’s not alone.

On the radio, Mac says, keep him updated. And remember, Ryan Chamberlain is considered very dangerous. He is searching for Esme Prince, who is nine months pregnant. A civilian, Ava Jerome, is unaccounted for. She’s armed. So identify yourself as police, and proceed with extreme caution. Laura says, if Jordan needs any resources, she’ll get them, and Doc says if they need any intel into his brother’s mind or whatever, just ask. Jordan thanks them, and says, this is a very messy situation. She hopes they can end it quickly with as little bloodshed as possible. Doc says he’d think Heather would be keen to help, and Laura asks how he figures that. He says he doesn’t think Heather would want to see any harm come to her daughter or grandchild, and Laura says, Esme is Heather’s daughter, isn’t she? Hers and Ryan’s. Heather says, how could you miss it? She’s got my smile.

Ryan says, once Ava calms down and gets a little perspective, she’ll see that every step he took was worth it. She says, worth it for who? How? He says, so they could be together. Be the family they were always meant to be. Behind him, Esme struggles to get up, and Ava says, he sent his own daughter to seduce Spencer; to convince him to stalk and torture her, and drive her away from Nikolas. Esme limps away into the woods, and Ava says, all the while, making him feel like it was his idea. He says, she convinced herself that she was in love with Nikolas. It required strong measures. She says, so after he got Spencer to destroy her marriage, he sent Esme to seduce her husband, and he says, husbands come and go. The two of them are forever. She says, of course (🍷) he took Kiki. He took her daughter, and then he took Nikolas, and he’ll keep taking until somebody stops him. He says he knows things are complicated, but they have plenty of time to work that out. Right now, Esme’s water broke, and they need to get… He sees Esme is gone, and calls out to her. He runs to the rock, and picks up his coat. Ava asks if he lost something. He says, yes, his daughter, and she asks him to tell her how it feels. How does it feel to lose the one thing you truly love?

Ryan says he’s going to find Esme, and starts walking, but Ava shoots him in his handless arm, and he drops to the ground. He gets to his knees, and says, she shot him. She asks if it hurts. Is he in pain? She can tell him something about real pain, the kind of pain that comes from losing a child, her daughter, her first born. Now his daughter’s gone; she ran from him. Ave starts to cry, and says, she needed Kiki. She needed Nikolas. And they’re both gone because of him. He gets to his feet, clutching his arm, and says, maybe killing Kiki was a mistake, but he didn’t hurt a hair on Nikolas’s stupid thick head. She says she did that. Because of him and Esme. They destroyed her marriage; they poisoned it. There was nothing else she could do. He says, then it was all worth it. She killed him. Now they can be together. There’s nothing that stands between them.

Curtis pushes the bottle away, and Marshall says he knows Curtis is hurting. He has every right, but Marshall hurt him too, and Curtis found it in his heart to forgive him. And because Curtis did, he found the family he’d thought he’d lost forever. In the eyes of God and the State of New York, Curtis has a wife, and he also might have a daughter. Don’t shut himself off from the woman he loves because she committed the unpardonable sin of being human. He puts his hand on Curtis’s shoulder, and tells him, go on and let it hurt, but then he has to let it heal. He’s going to figure this out, and Marshall will be right here for him. He loves Curtis, and he’ll always support him. Tears in his eyes, Curtis thanks Marshall, and they hug.

Trina asks if Spencer is okay. She knows he’s thinking about Esme’s baby. He says he’ll feel a lot better once he knows his little brother or sister isn’t in danger. When Alexis said Esme wasn’t alone, she meant Esme is on the island with crazy Heather Webber and psychopath Ryan Chamberlain, right? Is she a hostage? Alexis says, actually, she’s there with her biological parents.

Laura says, still nothing? but Jordan assures her that they’re doing everything they can, and Mac says, they have the island surrounded. Ryan won’t get away. Doc says, if Esme is Ryan’s daughter, he sees her as a possession; something that belongs to him. It’s like an extension of himself, and they know he’s obsessed with Ava. He’ll do anything to hold her. Laura says she can’t just sit here while Ryan does his worst. They’ve got to do something. Esme stumbles through the door, and collapses in Laura’s arms, sobbing.

Ryan says, with Nikolas out of the way, he and Ava are bound together forever. His life is in her hands, and hers in his. She tells him that he’s crazy, and he says he knows the wounds have to heal – the physical and emotional – but he promises they’ll find Esme, and they’ll take her and  the baby, and vanish to someplace no one will ever find them. And he promises her, she’ll thank him. She says, he’s right about one thing. His life is in her hands. He says, til death do us part, and she repeats, til death do us part, taking steady aim. He reaches out, and she slowly… pulls… the trigger.

Tomorrow, Scotty tells Elizabeth that they have unfinished business; Taggert tells Portia that he is Trina’s dad; Esme has her baby; and Ryan says, Ava isn’t done with him yet.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Carrying over the somewhat civilized argument Teresa and Melissa were having at the mozzarella party last week, Teresa asked Melissa if she wanted to be a bridesmaid, but Melissa said, not at this point. It would be like going back to an ex-boyfriend.

There was more rehash about the Dolores dynamic having changed for Frank, since Paulie’s got her now. Melissa met with Marge and Jackie for lunch, and said Danielle had complained about Jackie looking her up and down at the mozzarella party. Jackie admitted she had, and said, Danielle looked like a trainwreck, and she couldn’t look away. Her shorts looked like she’d just taken them out of the hamper. She added that Danielle could have been an adult about it, and come to her if she had a gripe, rather than telling Melissa. Pot apparently doesn’t recognize kettle, as it’s not too adult to 1) look someone up and down, and 2) comment to someone else about said trainwreck’s appearance – at their own party, no less. Melissa asked if she wanted to talk to Danielle, but she said, Danielle’s wardrobe was punishment enough. Marge said Jennifer was in a downward spiral, and she was like a festering wound that doesn’t heal. Geez. This bunch is slowly encroaching on Most Awful People territory. However, no one will ever top Jax Taylor for top spot.

It was Rachel’s daughter’s 2nd birthday, and there was a photo session. In Rachel’s interview, she said, everyone thinks they have the cutest kid, but she actually does have the cutest kid. She asked husband John if he wanted another baby, but he wanted to wait a year. In her interview, she said, after they got married, she’d gotten pregnant right away, and had a miscarriage, and never got pregnant again. I guess she did eventually, since they have several kids. She said, it was emotionally and physically draining, and wouldn’t wish it on anybody. It was the most challenging thing in her life. They have five embryos in the freezer, and the time is now. She’s the one who will have to do all the work.

For Teresa, it was all wedding, wedding, wedding, but it wasn’t long before she talked smack about Melissa, bringing Gia and Gabriella (who claims to want nothing to do with the drama, but that’s doubtful) into the conversation. On her podcast, Melissa had claimed she’d been there for the girls when Teresa was in prison, but Gia said, the only time they saw Melissa and Joe #2 was when the cameras were rolling. Louie said Melissa didn’t put one left foot in front of the other, and I wondered if Teresa’s mangling of the English language was catching. Or was Louie born with it and the stars aligned? Louie got all involved in the discussion because he wants more camera time.

In Danielle’s interview, she talked about her kids clothing line, Bougie Kidz, and said, Melissa was living the dream. She met Melissa for I’m not sure what, but it seemed like Melissa was teaching her how to be a stylist. Then, since no one can keep anything to themselves for more than five seconds, Melissa told Danielle about what Jackie had said. In her interview, Danielle said Jackie was a judgy bitch. Danielle said she was concerned about the Teresa/Joe #2 situation because she and her brother had been close, and hadn’t spoken in two years When covid hit, Danielle began filming herself for Instagram, and reviewing products. Her brother constantly made fun of her, so she blocked him, saying, he didn’t have to look. He then cut her out of his wedding, and in her interview, she said she’d thought it was a joke. Obviously not. Melissa felt like she was missing part of the story, and Danielle said some things had happened prior to the wedding. She’d tried not to put in her two cents about the wedding preparations, but she didn’t have a sister, and it was so exciting. She wanted to do things for her future SIL, and was told it wasn’t all about her. She sent a text to her brother, saying, see who she’s dealing with? and he kicked all of them out of the wedding. She thinks it’s the wife behind it, but Melissa said, Danielle’s brother was the one making fun of her. Playing devil’s advocate, she’s tried getting Joe #2 and Teresa together, but unless Joe wants to, she can’t force him. In Melissa’s interview, she said, it’s not always the sister-in-law’s fault. Joe is a grown man, and she can only try so many times.

At Jennifer’s house, there was discussion about teaching the kids more chores, and paying them to do them. In Jennifer’s interview, she said, she and Bill had different approaches to parenting. She told Bill that Marge had said she was sometimes disingenuous, and not self-reflective. She insisted she was the most self-reflective person ever, and Bill rolled his eyes. She asked if he didn’t think so, and he started giving a flowery speech about how people have different personalities. In her interview, Jennifer said she didn’t want to hear it. STFU. Bill said she had to acknowledge her part in things, and in her interview, she said she didn’t need him to validate the other person’s point-of-view. We flashed back to the times Bill was less than supportive.

Danielle said daughter Valentina had been robbed of her school art show because of covid, so she invited her parents over, and there was a private showing. In Danielle’s interview, she said her parents had separated when she was eight, and couldn’t tolerate being in the same room, but they came together when her son Dominic was born. Dominic introduced Valentina, who came out in a rainbow tutu. I’m not sure how old she is, maybe five? As her pieces were brought out, she told her audience what artist inspired them. I took college art courses in high school, and this kid knows more than I do. In her interview, Danielle said, it would kill her if her kids were separated like she and her brother. If her son marries a megabitch, she’ll poison her. Her mother also didn’t talk to her brother, and Danielle mentioned that it was the first time her brother wasn’t there for something with the kids. Her dad started crying, and in her interview, she said, all her dad wants it for the family to be together. This destroyed her whole family. We saw a clip from a home movie when they were kids, and Danielle’s father said, this too shall pass.

Melissa and Joe #2 went to what they call their shore house, but I beg to differ since it’s in Tom’s River. Melissa’s mother and sister came over, and Joe asked if they’d been invited to Teresa’s wedding. They said, no, and in Joe’s interview, he said Juicy Joe’s family had been at his wedding. Melissa’s family had been in their lives for 20 years. Teresa was making a statement that they mean nothing to her. Melissa’s family sat with their parents for 18 years – we see clips of that – and his dad’s last words were, love each other. After New York, he’d called Louie, and said he wanted things to be better. Teresa just had to admit she was wrong. Louie said, she was never going to do that. Louie has done nothing to help the situation, and only made it worse. Joe said, they were going to be having guys night soon, and Melissa’s sister said she could see his Gorga-ness coming out.

The guys met at a bar, and Frank started busting Joe #2’s balls immediately, saying the tables were too high for him. New (Danielle’s) husband Nate was joining the fold, and Frank said, Paulie had to work, then whined about the Dolores dynamic changing. He missed his relationship with Dolores. Joe said, they’d taken Louie in with open arms, and Melissa had treated him like royalty, yet Melissa’s family wasn’t invited to the wedding. Louie walked in just as Joe was saying, he’s garbage.

There was a toast to Louie – for what reason, I don’t know – and Joe #2 asked Louie, how many wedding guests? Louie said, 200, and Joe said he’d met Melissa’s family. Were they were good people? Louie said, they were great people, and Joe asked why they weren’t invited to the wedding. Everyone on his side was f***ed up. Frank asked if there was a reason, and Louie said, past bullsh*t. Joe said, Melissa’s family should be respected because they were close to his and Teresa’s parents. It was like a f*** you. There was some discussion about the hierarchy in Italian families, and Louie said, Joe’s wife was on social media saying Teresa’s kids wouldn’t have eaten if it wasn’t for them. Joe claimed that’s not what she said, and Louie said he was there. Joe said, Louie didn’t know sh*t, and should be embarrassed. Louie said, Joe was on the podcast talking about his sister, and Joe told him, f*** you, saying he wasn’t a man; he was a p*ssy. Louie said, Joe’s talk didn’t affect him, and to stop the theatrics. Joe said he was tired of the bullsh*t, and Louie always backpedals. Louie said, Teresa was his fiancé, and she was 50 years old. What did Joe think he could do? Joe suggested he tell Teresa that she’s out of line, and Louie said he did, but she stood her ground. Joe said he was hurt, and didn’t want to be hurt anymore, and Louie said, Teresa didn’t deserve to be hurt either. She and Joe should talk, and Joe should be vulnerable. What he’s feeling is justified, but they should hear what each other feels. In Joe’s interview, he says, Teresa will just bring up that he didn’t defend Louie. She doesn’t move forward. Louie said that Teresa loved Joe so much, but in his interview, Joe said in his heart, he knows how she feels, and he doesn’t want to waste his time. He told Louie that he’d think about it.

Next time, Bill’s feelings are hurt; Frank Jr. asks Dolores, what’s up with Paulie and his dad; Teresa calls Joe wanting to make peace, but he says he doesn’t know; and Jennifer says she can do what she f***ing wants.

🌊 Slouching Towards the Jersey Shore…

Have your late-night snack here tomorrow, along with some soap and VanderDoings. Until then, stay safe, stay going the extra mile in all you do, and stay not cutting yourself off from loved ones because they committed the unpardonable sin of being human.