What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
The pool has officially opened!!!
Natalia tried to get rid of Kristina, but that was a hard no. Blaze felt she’d do better with another take on her track, but Natalia said it was perfection. Engineer Marv was sent on a break, and Kristina asked Natalia if Blaze shouldn’t make her own decisions about her music, but Natalia said she was never wrong. Kristina said, Blaze was the artist, but Natalia said she was the mother and Blaze ended up agreeing with her assessment every time. Kristina said she knew she’d surprised Natalia by showing up, and that she’d only ever been a surprise to her.
Chase saw Finn knocking back shots, then spraying breath freshener into his mouth. Finn then saw Chase and Georgie in the doorway and looked like a deer in headlights. Chase didn’t say anything, and Georgie asked if Violet could go to the pool with the other kids. Finn said, okay, and Maxie invited Violet for a sleepover afterward.
Gio got a job already and was working at the pool, and Josslyn introduced herself. She said his family claimed he was a genius who played like angel. She said she wasn’t sure about the genius or angel, but she knew he was very good. She wondered what he was doing working as a pool attendant, and said they were both nepo hires, but Gio told her that Olivia made him sit for an interview and he was on probation for the first month. His family had faith in his music ability, but not so much in his hourly employment skills. Josslyn asked why he was slumming in Port Charles.
Brook offered to help Finn go through Gregory’s stuff, but Finn said he’d like to do it on his own. Maxie said she thought the same thing when her sister died, but couldn’t have done it without Spinelli. So maybe Finn should let people help him. Finn told Violet that the most important thing was for her to have fun, but Violet didn’t want to leave him alone.
Kristina said Natalia was as subtle as a brick, and Natalia said she wasn’t in the habit of repressing her feelings to make others comfortable. Everyone knew where they stood with her. Kristina said, honesty without tact equals cruelty, and was confused as to why Natalia just didn’t say she didn’t want her around Blaze. Natalia said Blaze was grown and made her own choices. She wasn’t going to pretend Kristina’s new role in Blaze’s life wasn’t a surprise, but she was adjusting to that reality. She’d come to realize how deeply Blaze cared for Kristina and was trusting her to put Blaze’s feelings before hers when the time came for them to part ways, which they inevitably would.
Violet asked if Finn was crying, but he told her they weren’t sad tears and to never worry about him. It was his job to worry about her. She said a daughter’s job was to make sure their dads weren’t lonely, and he said she was doing a good job and deserved a break. Finn told Chase that he wished Gregory had been there to see the memorial, and Chase suggested they spend some time together, but Finn wanted to start packing up Gregory’s stuff, so Violet didn’t see. He left, and Chase told Brook that the reason Finn wanted to be alone was so he could drink in peace.
Kristina asked why Natalia was implying she and Blaze would break up, and Natalia said, Blaze cared for Kristina, but was poised to jump to the next level in her career. She was so close to her lifelong dream, and she was going to be torn when she’d have to make the painful choice of following her dream or staying with Kristina. Kristina had the power to alleviate that pain if she could let Blaze go gracefully, which Natalia believed was the best decision for her daughter. Kristina said that Natalia didn’t know that because she couldn’t predict the future, but Natalia said the path Kristina and Blaze were going down would end in pain and disappointment. She was protecting her daughter and Kristina would learn soon enough, that’s what mothers do.
Gio told Josslyn that he was doing a Summer Stage concert in the park, and she said, tickets were hard to get. He said, unless she knew someone who had comps. She accidently knocked him into the pool, and as he was getting out, Trina showed up. Josslyn introduced him and told Trina about his violin skills. Gio said he’d be performing at PCU and was going to school there. He hoped they’d all be seeing more of each other.
The kids wanted Maxie to come in the pool with them, but she said she’d spent too much time on her hair and makeup to get wet. If she even got misted, there would be dire consequences. Spinelli told the kids they had the rest of the summer to make it happen, and their mom was powerless in the face of his considerable charm. Violet asked to sit with Maxie, and asked if Maxie thought her dad was okay.
Chase told Brook that Finn thought he was alone and downed two shots of tequila, then pulled out breath spray like he’d planned it. Brook said she was worried that would happen, but was hoping she was wrong. She thought Chase knew his brother better than she did, but Chase wondered if he knew Finn at all.
Finn packed up Gregory’s stuff and flashed back to helping him get dressed for the wedding. He picked up an AA pamphlet.
Blaze told Natalia that they were ultimately in agreement about the take she liked; it was great. Natalia said she was sure Brook would agree, and Blaze asked what she and Kristina were talking about. Natalia said, not much, and Kristina wasn’t here to see her. She went to listen to the track, and Kristina joined Blaze. Blaze said, after the way they left things, she was surprised to see Kristina, and Kristina said she couldn’t put this off any longer, giving us all a heart attack until she followed that with saying that she had to apologize to Blaze and asked for her forgiveness.
Kistina said she’d overreacted, but it wasn’t an excuse. She never should have yelled at Blaze and stormed out. She should have given Blaze the benefit of the doubt and they should have worked it out together. Blaze said she’d wanted to call, but wasn’t sure Kristina would pick up. She never meant to betray Kristina’s confidence or betray her in any way. Kristina said she’d like to blame the hormones, but she’d probably react the same way if she wasn’t pregnant. Her dad was a sensitive topic, and Molly admitted she’d had to pry it out of Blaze. Blaze said she felt cross examined, and Kristina said she should have been up front with everyone and not expected Blaze to keep her secret or gotten upset if she couldn’t. That’s what her dad did.
Chase told Brook that he’d thought it would be a mistake to confront Finn, but maybe he was wrong. Brook told him not to second guess himself, but he wondered how he couldn’t see it since he was a detective. He knew how their dad’s death was affecting Finn, but didn’t know he was lying. He should have seen through it, and he let himself be fooled. Brook said they were both in mourning and Finn had given Chase years of reasons to trust him. Now that they knew, they could move forward. Chase needed to talk to Finn and let him know they were here for him or have out if it came to that. Chase said he needed to hear why Finn was drinking again and lying.
Finn called about a meeting, asking if the church having it was still under construction. Then he picked up his car keys and left.
Gio told Josslyn and Trina that PCU had recruited him. He’d been invited to audition and been given a full ride, first chair, and Summer Stage. Josslyn offered him a word of caution, saying, scholarship students stayed in the worst dorm. The dorms were all bad though, so she and Trina were looking at apartments. Gio said he was staying at the Quartermaines, and Trina asked how well know he knew them. He said he knew they could be overwhelming, but the noise and togetherness made him feel like he was home. He’d been warned about Tracy, but knew she liked music and hoped to score some points with that. Trina said they were looking to hire musicians for a gallery exhibition, and Gio gave her his number.
Blaze said, Kristina was nothing like her father, but Kristina said, their number one rule was to be open and honest with each other. The second she saw it would result in discomfort with Molly, she threw out that rule. She shouldn’t have gotten upset. Blaze said she wasn’t angry and understood that Kristina was shielding the baby. She was thinking like a mother and Blaze forgave her. They hugged and Natalia bristled when she saw it.
Trina told Josslyn that Gio seemed cool, and Josslyn asked if Trina was okay. Trina said, when Spencer first died, she thought she saw him everywhere, but it hadn’t happened in a while. She thought her mind had accepted his death, but when Gio stepped out of pool… Josslyn said she knew and hugged her.
Spinelli promised the kids that they’d get Maxie into the pool. Maxie told Violet that her dad was just sad about his dad. You could be sad and okay at the same time. Violet said she thought Chase was like that, but there was something different with her dad. He hid it. Maxie said, parents didn’t want to worry their kids and grown-ups wanted to be by themselves sometimes. She offered to take Violet home, but said her dad was probably glad that she was getting out and having fun. If he was sad and wanted to be by himself, he didn’t want to make her sad too.
Instead of a meeting, Finn went to a bar and ordered tequila. Why is it always tequila? Blech.
Brook told Chase that he was trying to make sense of Finn’s drinking and not just attributing it to a hard day, but he wouldn’t know for sure if he didn’t talk to Finn. She offered to go with him, and he said he wanted her there. She thought his instincts were good. They knew Finn was drinking and lying, and they needed to see how Finn would respond and go from there. Chase said he needed to go in with a plan in case Finn wouldn’t listen, and Brook said she knew it was hard, but if Finn wanted to keep drinking, there might be nothing they could do. Chase said he felt helpless, and Brook said, they might be when it came to Finn, but not Violet. They needed to step up for Violet, especially if… He didn’t think Finn would do anything to put Violet in harm’s way, did he?
Tomorrow, Nina is on board for more peace; Chase wonders how it ends without Finn hating him; and Finn clinks glasses with someone at the bar, telling them that he’s taking care of business.
🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…
I love the actor and I loved his GH character. It’s a shame they didn’t let him play out the ALS storyline and the triangle with Tracy and Alexis, but he did have a beautiful passing.
Even though it brought back her heartbreak, I thought I saw some little hearts pop out of Trina’s eyes when she saw Gio.
She’s a Jackie of all trades. Mom, realtor, and a sidepiece for Finn.
https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/devon-ogden-cast-as-barb-on-general-hospital
It’s not the first time she’s had to field this topic.
https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/laura-wright-settles-rumors-shes-leaving-gh
I don’t remember her from GH, but still doff my cap in respect.
https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/daytime-alum-janis-paige-dead-at-101
🏆 All About That Daytime…
The Daytime Emmy presenters.
https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/daytime-emmys/2024-daytime-emmy-award-presenters-announced
Everything I voted for won. I still wouldn’t suggest taking me to the racetrack though.
https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/daytime-emmys/2024-daytime-emmys-see-who-you-voted-to-win
Summer House – Reunion Part 1
Andy said nothing was off limits, and the Reunion started briskly with Lindsay and Carl arguing over recent history. The main thing that seems to piss Lindsay off is that the break-up conversation happened during a time when they weren’t normally being filmed, and she was called to come film. So the only logical supposition is that Carl alerted production. As much as I dislike her, it was disgusting to watch her get blindsided. And I’m not saying he shouldn’t have broken up with her – I certainly would have – but it was the way it was done. Not cool. The topic of Lindsay nixing Kyle as a groomsman floated around for a minute. She insisted it had nothing to do with her opinion of him, and Kyle said his feelings had been hurt, but I’d rather be a flower boy than a groomsman. Everyone, including Carl, thought Carl was afraid of Lindsay, with the exception of Jesse, who made a comme ci, comme ça motion with his hand.
Just after a big conversation about the girls all getting along this season, Paige claimed that Danielle and Lindsay came for her on various occasions, and it started a big thing. I like Paige, but she never seems to consider anyone else’s feelings, attributing it to her NYC candor. I lived in the city a long time, and while Paige might have the wit of a New Yorker, it points back to what Kristina said in today’s GH – honesty without tact equals cruelty. Carl smirked a lot, which made me want to smack him. One more reason not to watch these things. It might just be a contributor to the violence quotient in the US.
Andy wondered if Lindsay expected Balloon Guy Joe’s presence to cause a stir among the women – which it had. She said, no, while I wondered how women could consider competing for someone called Balloon Guy Joe. I don’t care how hot he is. The romance between Ciara and West was discussed. After Ciara had stayed with his family a couple of times and gone to a wedding with him, it sealed the deal. Ciara felt he’d been with her for the show during the summer and then in December he said he couldn’t commit for show related reasons. Andy asked if West thought it was because he might get new opportunities (i.e. offers of sex) after the show aired, but West made the excuse that he’d be hit on at events and it wouldn’t be fair to Ciara. He also didn’t like that her name was basically bigger than his in the headlines – that is if we want to look at either of their names as big or internet nonsense as headlines. In other words, he wanted his own lane. Kyle said that West overthought the show and deprioritized the relationship, but Ciara hit the nail on the head when she said that he used it as an excuse. West told her that his parents said he was going to look like an a-hole. Well, congratulations, West. You did. Job well done. Ciara said she gave him an out after filming ended, but he’d said no.
Sounds like he’s a scaredy-cat. Paige said they lived their real lives on camera, but they didn’t live their lives for the camera. Snap!
🤽♂️ Same subject, different angle.
If you want to see the billboard campaign. Express is actually a good brand.
⚓️ Boat Daddy Can Do No Wrong…
There’s no doubt Carl was just being a big baby. Captain Lee isn’t the type to say, gotcha! on a podcast. He was also gracious enough not to air it when Carl threw a tantrum after realizing he answered questions during an interview he’d agreed to.
https://okmagazine.com/p/below-deck-captain-lee-carl-radke-accused-taking-advantage-podcast/
🐕 Lassie, Get Help…
One time, I was running around with my Golden Retriever, the misnamed Einstein, and I fell in a hole. He ran. Not to get help, but because he got scared.
https://people.com/dog-runs-4-miles-to-get-help-for-owner-after-crash-8659778
🐶 Best News Ever…
LVP is surely behind this. Here’s hoping the others involved in this sickening practice follow suit.
🎉 Had Me a Blast…
Swing by tomorrow for a soap blow-by-blow and the usual Friday free-for-all. Until then, stay safe, stay not raining on anyone’s parade, and stay tempering your honesty with tact and not being cruel.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 