What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
🤫 I found it elsewhere. Shhh…
General Hospital
Everyone gets ready for Sonny’s funeral while sad music plays. Carly puts on her wedding ring set, and we see a picture of them together.
Lenny asks how Sonny is doing, and he says he’s fine. He’s getting used to the pills Phyllis gave him. Lenny says Sonny misses Phyllis almost as much as he does. Sonny smiles, and the phone rings. Sonny answers, and it’s Phyllis, who asks how he’s doing. He says he thinks there’s an echo in there, since he just had the same conversation with Lenny. He’s fine, but can she hurry up and get home? Lenny is driving him nuts without her. She laughs, and says she’ll do her best. Nina comes out, and Phyllis says she has to go. Tell Lenny she’ll talk to him later, and she wants the two of them to behave. Sonny says they’ll do their best, and hangs up. Lenny asks if he’s chopped liver, and Sonny tells him, relax. Phyllis is calling him back. Trooper Finchley comes in, and Sonny says they’re closed. Finchley tells Lenny he’s there on business, and Lenny says, what’s the trouble? Finchley says, him, meaning Sonny.
Alexis’s daughters arrive at her house, and she answers the door wearing her bathrobe. Sam tells her to get dressed. Sonny’s service is in an hour and they don’t want to be late. Alexis thinks it’s better if they go without her, but Sam says, no; they’re going as a family. Alexis thinks they’d be better received without her, but Kristina says she doesn’t care how they’re received. She’s saying goodbye to her dad, and wants Alexis with her.
Jax finds Josslyn, and she says she’s really glad he’s there. They hug, and he asks how she’s holding up. She says she’s really sad that Sonny is gone. He says, of course (🍷) she is, and she says, it made her realize how lucky she is to have her dad. They hug again.
Olivia hugs Dante, and says she couldn’t get through this day without him. She tells him, it’s strange. Someone with an imprint as big as Sonny’s is just… gone. Dante says, he’ll be missed, and she says she’s sorry he didn’t get more time with his father. He says, him too. She says she means now too, but she was talking about when he was a kid. Growing up without a dad. It didn’t have to be that way, but it was, and that’s on her.
Michael comes downstairs with two ties in his hands, and Willow asks if Sonny didn’t love blue. Go with that one.
Carly can’t get her necklace clasped, and says, dammit! There’s a knock at her door, and it’s Jason. She says she doesn’t think she can do this, but he says, yes, she can.
Dante tells Olivia, maybe he and Sonny were meant to meet later in life. If they’d met earlier, maybe they wouldn’t have been as close as they were. He never wants to hear her questioning the decisions she made again. She and Sonny are his parents, and he’s forever grateful. She says she’s the grateful one. She wishes she could go back in time and tell that terrified fifteen-year-old that everything is going to be okay, that her biggest mistake would be the greatest thing that ever happened to her. He scares her half to death, being a hero, and taking syringes meant for someone else. What was Alexis thinking? He says, she wasn’t, and Olivia says, Alexis could have killed him. He says, but she didn’t. She even came to the hospital to apologize. Olivia says, knowing him, he forgave her, but she has to be honest. Him, and God, and everyone else can forgive Alexis, but she won’t.
Michael says he thought Willow had class today, but she says she told her advisor there was a death in the family. That’s what they still are, right? She wouldn’t be anywhere else. He says he’s glad she’s there, and asks if she thought any more about his proposal. She says, moving into the gatehouse? He says she’d have her own space and still be close to Wiley. She says she thinks it’s a great idea; the perfect solution. She thanks him for the offer, and he says she’s amazing. She says he is too… for an ex-husband. He says, she played the ex card, and she says he gave her the opening. He says he did, and laughs.
Finchley asks if Phyllis is around, and Lenny says, she’s out of town, but they haven’t had any trouble with Mike (Sonny) since Finchley picked him up outside the hardware store. He was off his meds, but everything is fine now. Finchley asks if Lenny is sure about that. Lenny asks, what’s going on? and Finchley says someone robbed the hardware store. Fred had to close down. It’s not the only store that was hit, and it made him wonder if Phyllis’s stray is responsible.
Nina thanks Phyllis for coming on such short notice, and Phyllis says, Mike convinced her; the man Nina spoke with on the phone. She’s glad she came. It warms her heart to see Nina so successful and happy. Nina says she’s one of those things, and Phyllis says she thought Nina would be over the moon, now that she found her daughter. Nina hands her the picture of young Nelle, and Phyllis says, adorable. She’s even wearing the necklace. She must be grown-up by now. If Nina wants confirmation that she’s her daughter, why not just ask her? Nina says she would if she could, but that girl is dead.
Josslyn tells Jax, when he or her mom leave a room, there’s a part of her that wants to yell out, don’t go, because, what if something terrible happens? She’s so used to not being that person; the one who’s always afraid and anticipates the worst. He says she should never be that person. People say Josslyn is a lot like her mother, but she’s a lot like him too. She understands in ways her mother never has, how to play the odds. It’s true the world is full of horrible things that could happen, but they probably won’t. She says, so the odds are in her favor, and he says they are. If that’s not enough comfort, maybe this will be. All the people she’s lost, wanted her to live life to the fullest. Life isn’t like money; you can’t save it up to use at a later date. You have to use it while you have it, which is why we say, live in the moment. She can grieve and feel the fear, it’s healthy and normal, but never give into it. That’s a waste of a life.
Carly says she has this part of her that, even when life is horrible, she can find it inside, and it helps her push through. This morning, she made coffee and played with Donna, then she came up to take a shower. When she got out, she looked in the mirror, and thought about the day. She thought about the funeral, and the gravesite, and the service with no body. Yet she has to say goodbye. Acknowledge that Sonny is gone, and put an empty casket next to her son who’s gone, and Sonny’s father who’s also gone, and she couldn’t find it. She couldn’t see herself standing there doing that. This part of her isn’t there, and she needs it to be. It’s the only way she knows how to move forward. She’s got nothing, not even a plan, so she sure as hell hopes he does. He says, if she has nothing, why is she dressed and ready to go?
Phyllis says, the daughter Nina has been trying to find is dead? and Nina says she didn’t want to tell Phyllis over the phone. She’s not even 100% sure that Nelle, the girl in the picture, was hers. That’s why she needs Phyllis to confirm it. Phyllis asks how she died, and Nina says, it was a terrible accident. She was running from the police, and fell off a cliff. Phyllis says, oh my God, and sits down. She says, when she thinks of all she did for Nina’s mother… giving that baby away to protect her mother… It was hard enough to learn it was all a lie, but now to hear the kind of life she had and where it led her… Nina says, it’s not Phyllis’s fault, and there’s a slight chance her baby didn’t grow up to be Nelle. Phyllis says she’d do anything to ease Nina’s mind, and hers. Nina says, maybe she can.
Alexis says she knows better than to argue with the three of them, so she’ll put on something appropriate. Molly asks if she needs help, but Alexis says she can manage. Alexis goes upstairs, and Molly wonders if she could be any more obvious. She might as well have said she didn’t trust Alexis not to sneak a drink. Kristina says, well, she doesn’t, does she? Molly says, no. She stopped by last night to make sure there were no more vodka bottles in the house. She hated doing it. Sam says, it was for her own good, and Kristina asks what the future lawyer thinks the chances are of Alexis snagging a sympathetic judge or jury. Sam says, her honest opinion, and Molly says, given her history of alcohol abuse, and her attack on a decorated ex-cop, not good.
Lenny says Finchley has the wrong man. No way Mike could have pulled those robberies. Finchley says Lenny has known Mike less than a month, and he’s willing to vouch for him? He doesn’t know who he is or where he comes from. Lenny says he knows Phyllis, and she believes in Mike. Sonny says he doesn’t need anyone speaking for him, but Lenny says, take it easy. He tells Finchley, Phyllis said he’s still adjusting to the meds. Finchley asks Sonny if the meds are supposed to keep him from doing things he’s not supposed to be doing, and Sonny tells him, Phyllis says he needs them. Ask her. Finchley says he’s asking Sonny. Where was he at 11:45 last night when Harper’s Hardware was robbed?
Jason says, the piece Carly is talking about is the first thing he saw in her. He guesses you could call it being a survivor, but it’s more than that. It’s the absolute refusal to quit. Of course (🍷) she’s feeling empty right now. She lost a man who loved her when he didn’t want to, and she didn’t want to love him back. She says Jason knows who Sonny was at his core; what made him wonderful, and infuriating, and unique. She knows you’re supposed to say nice things about the dead, especially at their funeral, but Sonny was complicated, and not always in a good way. Often not in a good way. She just can’t see her life without him. Jason says he knows. He thinks they’re going to be walking around with huge holes in them; holes they can’t expect to be filled. Not right away, and maybe never. But she’s dressed, and she’s standing, and she’s ready. She’s going to get through this, because there is no other option. This is the life they made, and she has to come through for the people who love her, because that is her. She never fails people. She says she’s been standing beside, and pushing against, and arguing, and falling back in love with Sonny for so long, she doesn’t know who she’ll be without him. He tells her, let’s just get through the next few hours. Get through that, and don’t bite anybody’s head off who says something about Sonny, because they’re just trying to be kind. She says she’s just going to picture Sonny standing there with that smug look on his face. He loved being the center of attention. Jason takes her hand, and says, one more thing. Sonny wouldn’t have lasted this long, or had this family, if it wasn’t for her. She made his life whole. He thanks her, and she hugs him. They go downstairs.
Lenny asks if Finchley is trying to turn Mike into some kind of criminal mastermind. Maybe he’s got a whole mob working under him. Sonny and I laugh, and Sonny says, anything is possible. Finchley says, so, last night? and Sonny says, he worked late locked up after Lenny and Phyllis left, then went to bed. It was nice. Finchley asks about the pills Sonny is taking, and Sonny says Finchley can look at the bottle and see how many he’s taken, and check the prescription. Or Finchley can take him to jail, and let the real perp keep ripping people off. It’s up to him.
Josslyn asks if Carly is okay, and Carly says she is. Josslyn says she was having a little bit of a rough time, then her dad showed up, and Carly knows how it goes. Carly says her father is pretty incredible.
Nina tells Phyllis, she’s the only person who can identify the man who raised her daughter. Does she think she could recognize him? Phyllis says she doesn’t know; he’s probably changed a lot since then. Nina says, no. Would she recognize him at the time she gave him and his wife her baby? Phyllis says, without a doubt, and Nina hands her the picture, saying, his name is Frank Benson. Phyllis wishes she could tell Nina different, but he’s the one who drove up in that big black car. She handed the baby to his wife, and they left. She’s sorry. Nina says, don’t be. She knew in her gut. Phyllis just removed that last shred of doubt. Nelle really was her daughter and they lived in the same town for years. Phyllis says, she lived in Port Charles? and Nina says, yes. She was a very troubled woman, and did a lot of terrible things, but what if she wasn’t like that because she was intrinsically evil? What if she was like that because she didn’t have anyone who loved her? Nina tears up, and says, she didn’t have a mom who loved her. Nina wishes she would have known. It might sound irrational, but when Nelle died she was haunted by the idea that Nelle must have been a good person at one time. Like there must have been a chance that was missed. She holds up the photo, and says, this girl. If there was someone who was just there for her. It should have been her. Phyllis asks if she can call someone for Nina. That handsome man of hers, Mr. Jax? Nina says, no. Jax won’t help her. Phyllis asks if she’s sure. He struck her as a very capable man. Nina says, he’s very, very capable, but he suspected Nelle was her daughter and chose to keep it a secret.
Josslyn asks Carly if there’s going to be any trouble because it’s Sonny’s funeral, and Carly asks, what kind of trouble? Josslyn says she doesn’t know. People who might take advantage of the fact they’re all distracted? Carly says, Jason has it handled, but she has to get to the church, and go over the reading they decided on. She asks Jax to give her a ride, and says Josslyn can go with Jason later. Jax leaves to warm up the car, and Carly says she forgot her necklace. Josslyn offers to get it, and when she’s gone, Carly says she needs Jason to do her a favor. She needs him to reassure Josslyn. Don’t lie to her, but tell her everything is going to be okay. He says, sure, of course (🍷). Josslyn brings down the necklace. They hug and Carly says she’ll see Josslyn in a while. Josslyn says she loves Carly, and Carly says she loves Josslyn too, so much.
Kristina asks Molly how they can improve Alexis’s chances, and Molly says, first and foremost, they can help her stay sober. If her attorney can demonstrate diminished responsibility, and the judge sees true remorse, it could lessen her charges, or lead to a suspended sentence. But if the judge has an inkling that Alexis’s sobriety is just a stunt and she has no intention of giving up drinking… Sam says, then any claim of remorse would seem bogus, and they’ll throw the book at her. Alexis listens from the stairs, and Kristina says, so basically, it’s all on mom. Molly says, pretty much. Which is a real problem, since they haven’t been able to rely on her for months.
Lenny tells Sonny, no one is accusing him of anything, but Finchley says, sure sounds that way. Sonny tells him, take him in, or get off his case. Lenny tells Finchley, give him a break. Phyllis says he’s still adjusting. Finchley says he has a gut feeling, and his gut’s never wrong, but Lenny says Finchley can’t arrest Mike based on a feeling. Finchley says he should have gotten prints when he had Mike the first time. Then they might have a clue as to who he is.
Josslyn tells Jason that she wants to be okay for her mom and dad. They sit, and Jason says they want her to be okay for her, because they understand what she’s going through. She says her mom asked him to stay and talk with her, didn’t she? and he says, if it makes her feel better, he can take her though all the security measures he’s put in place. She thanks him, but says she doesn’t need to know. If anyone can keep them safe, she knows it’s him. It’s not about one particular thing; it’s about the big thing. The fact we can’t control life. He says, that’s true. There are no guarantees nothing bad will happen, or that you’ll never lose someone. It’s just not possible It’s life. What is possible is to live, and not shut down. And be open to whatever comes next, knowing you can’t control the outcome. If you can accept that, you can find a lot of freedom. She says he’s obviously accepted that, and he says he thinks her mom and dad have too.
Jax tells Carly, now would be a good time to tell him why she wanted Josslyn to stay behind with Jason. She says, because Josslyn is terrified. She thinks bad things are going to happen because she’s lost so many people. It’s just not right. He says he and Josslyn talked about it. He tried to convince her bad things probably weren’t going to happen, and thinks he got through to her. He’s still worried about her. It’s more than anyone should have to go through, especially at her age. Losing Dev to a random, violent crime, and a few weeks later, Sonny, who was like a father to her. Carly tells him, go ahead; he’s more than earned it. He says, what? and she says, it’s everything he didn’t want for their daughter. Everything he warned her about. The cost of Sonny’s life, and she dragged Josslyn right into it, so he has every right to unload on her. He says he’s not going to do that. He and Sonny had their differences, but Carly loved him, and he’ll always respect that.
Nelle tells Phyllis, for the record, Jax didn’t know Nelle was her daughter until well after she died, so she can’t blame him for any time they missed out on, but what hurts is that he kept it from her. He didn’t give her the credit that she’d want to know[ that she needed to know. Phyllis asks why she thinks that is, and Nina tells her that Jax said he didn’t want to hurt her. He didn’t want her to beat herself up for the person Nelle turned out to be. Basically, that adds up to him thinking she wasn’t strong enough to take it, but what really gets her is, she has a grandson. Phyllis gets excited, and Nina says, he’s the most beautiful little boy. His name is Wiley. Phyllis says, that’s wonderful news, and Nina says they have a chance to connect; a little piece of her daughter. She can still make an impact. Phyllis says, that’s a beautiful grace to come out of all this, and Nina says, it is, but Jax didn’t see it that way. The man she loves, the man she opened herself up to, didn’t consider that in keeping this secret, he was keeping her from her own flesh and blood. Phyllis asks if it was a conscious decision, and Nina says, no. He was just caught up in everything else, but it should have occurred to him. Phyllis says, absolutely. Jax made a terrible mistake, but it doesn’t seem like it was calculated or made out of malice. She wonders if, given time… Nina says, he would have realized about Wiley and told her? He would have. Because that’s the kind of man Jax is. Just because he made that choice now, doesn’t mean he’d make it forever. Phyllis says, Nina said she loved him, and Nina says she does. Phyllis says, then don’t give up on him.
Michael and Dante toast to their dad, and Dante asks if Michael is okay. Michael says he is, and Dante? Dante says their father was far from perfect, but he cared. Michael says they’re lucky Sonny gave them each other, and they hug. Olivia comes in with Willow, and starts to cry. She says, it would make Sonny so happy to see them together, bonding. Dante tells her, easy on the tears. There’s going to be plenty of time for tears. Michael wants everyone’s vote on his tie, and they all agree with Willow on the blue.
Alexis joins her daughters, and asks how she did. Molly says, love the dress, love the shoes, and love the woman who’s wearing them. Alexis says, not as much as she loves the three of them. She asks how Kristina is holding up, and Kristina says, she’ll be okay as long as she has them. Sam says they’re here for Kristina, and Molly says, just try to get rid of them. Alexis says she left her phone upstairs, and suggests they wait in the car; she’ll be right there. As soon as they’re out the door, she changes course, takes a nip of vodka out of the bookcase, and chugs it. She turns around to see Molly.
Willow asks if Michael is okay, and he says he was just remembering it was his dad who taught him to tie his first tie. He was struggling, and wanted a mirror, but his dad said, a mirror wouldn’t always be around, and he had to learn to do it without one. She says, good advice, and he says, his dad’s usually was. She says, it looks perfect… almost, and straightens it. He says, now it’s perfect. He takes her hand, and they leave.
Jason tells Josslyn, her mom and dad want to promise nothing will ever happen to them, and he wants to do that too, for the people he loves, but he can’t. The only thing he can promise is to do his best, and live his life to the fullest. It’s the only promise they can keep. Josslyn says, her dad said it different, but it was pretty much the same message. Stepping outside of the house is still scary. He says, it is, and most people wouldn’t be brave enough to do it, but she is.
Lenny tells Finchley, Phyllis trusts Mike and so does he. Finchley asks where Sonny got the coffee he’s drinking, and Sonny says he’ll make a fresh pot. Lenny says he has some work to do, and goes to the back. When he’s alone, Finchley takes the mug Sonny was using, and switches the coffee to another one.
Jax tells Carly, there were many times he wished Sonny gone, but that was never a solution. Their lives were too intertwined. Carly loved Sonny, and their daughter loved him. Right now he just wants to be there to help them through this. Carly says she’s so grateful, and he says he’s grateful Josslyn is still with him, and he can be her dad. Carly says, it makes such a difference to have both parents in your life, and he says, it makes a big difference to have your kids in your life too.
Nina comes into the church, looking for Jax, and a woman tells her, he’s in the waiting room. Jax tells Carly, when he thinks about her losing Morgan, and Nina losing Nelle, he’s grateful he’s not going through that. She asks if he was able to talk to Nina, and he says, no. She still won’t hear it. He doesn’t blame her. Carly says, she felt horrible. She wanted to come up with a plan to get them back together, but she didn’t have it in her. He says, one step at a time; her focus is on Sonny. Carly says she’s not going to think about Nelle, or what happened that night on the cliff – Nina listens from outside the door – because Nelle is dead. Let that night die with her.
There was no preview. I’m not sure if this will be on tomorrow; it will be preempted, but I’ll still be able to watch online; or it’s going to be like the first time around, and we’ll be out a few days. You’ll know when I do.
🤷🏽 Could They Be More Vague…?
The soaps could be preempted. Maybe. But they’re not sure when.
👠 More On Mrs. Merrick…
What you need to know about Alex.
💥 Pandemic Handling…
The powers that be are pleased.
😢 Gone Guy…
Another loss to the soap world.
🏡 Wondering…
I can’t imagine this not being good.
⚰️ The Filming Dead…
Andrew Lincoln tells all he knows.
Same news, in a different way.
🌎 Go For the Globe…
It says the awards will be shown virtually or in some fashion. In what fashion would that be?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/03/entertainment/golden-globe-nominations/index.html
📌 That’s a Fact…
Chicago native and national treasure, Ella Jenkins, has been called The First Lady of Children’s Music and no wonder – her music is delightful! Many of her songs feature call and response, chants, and are very interactive. Start your morning with You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song, and set a sweet tone for your day.
Other ways to celebrate Black History Month with your little ones:
🌃 Closing Out the Day…
For once, I’m getting to bed early, dammit. Which actually means before 3 am for me. No matter what early is for you, stay safe, stay respectful of one another, and stay being open to what happens next, but knowing you can’t control the outcome.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 