Tag Archives: Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars

Aug2

August 1, 2024 – Kristina Confronts Ava, First Look, Milestone, Teed Off In the OC, VanderItems, Perfection, New Dance, Instagrammable & First

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

At the pool, Lois tells Brook that it was very generous of Sonny to bankroll a new label for Blaze and put Brook in charge. Has she spoken to him about how many employees he’s willing to pay for? Brook says she’s sure he’ll be open to whatever. It just happened and it will all come together. She’s just grateful for the amazing opportunity to prove herself and for Blaze to make the music she believes in. Lois says, true, but managing a label is like night and day from managing an artist. Is Brook 100% sure she’s willing to take this on?

Ava goes over gallery stuff with Trina in her room, when John walks out wearing nothing but a towel. (You’d think he’d have learned from the last time.)

Jordan finds TJ at the hospital, and says, her favorite son. He says he’s her only son, and she says, a minor detail. She’s sorry she had to cancel dinner the other night, but she has the feeling something is bothering him and thought she’d check in. He says, the situation with Kristina has gone from bad to worse.

On the phone with DeWitt, Alexis tells him that Kristina made her statement. If she sees any inflammatory words about her daughter in print, he’ll answer to her.

Molly meets Sam at the Port Charles Surf Lodge and says she’s guessing Sam is as shocked as she is about the interview. Sam says, it was unexpected, and Molly says, it was a sucker punch. Everyone is buying that Kristina claims the baby is hers and Blaze’s.

On the phone with Brick, Sonny says he wants to know what Ava and Jagger are doing and who else Ava is seeing. 24-hour surveillance with photos. Kristina comes in and says, he won’t believe what happened. He asks if she’s okay, but she says, no. She was served with a subpoena by Ava. She’s being forced to testify. He says he knew Ava fought dirty, but didn’t know she was that dirty, and Kristina says, Molly told her that if she doesn’t show up, she’ll be held in contempt. He says, she can’t ignore it, and she says she’s afraid if they question her, she’ll have to tell them about him beating Dex at the wedding. He’s going to lose custody of Avery and get arrested. He says, she doesn’t have to worry. It won’t get that far.

Brook says she knows she’s got a lot to learn, but she’s excited. She thinks it’s a great move for her, but Lois doesn’t seem convinced. Is she worried Brook can’t do it? Lois says, absolutely not. Her daughter can do anything she puts her mind to. Brook says she thinks they’re getting ahead of themselves. She hasn’t told Blaze yet, and if Blaze doesn’t want to take this leap of faith with her, they’re dead in the water. Lois says, it’s a great opportunity. What artist would turn down this kind of comeback after being dropped by their label? Brook says, Blaze has been through a lot, and this could rebuild her career and take her to the next level, and Lois says she’s always rooting for Brook. That being said, she has some questions about Sonny’s involvement. Brook says, other than the money, she doesn’t think he wants to be involved. She’ll make all the decision. It’s perfect, right?

Trina says she’s so sorry, and Ava says, John was just using her shower. The place he’s staying at has terrible water pressure, and he needs to be shipshape for important FBI business. Trina says, showers are important. She has to go to work. She’ll see Ava at the gallery. She leaves, and Ava says, discreet goes a long way, so heads up, but he says he didn’t realize she had a visitor. If she doesn’t want him to get caught, tell him someone is here. She says she didn’t expect him to come out undressed, and he says she didn’t mind him staying undressed last night. (Thank God I didn’t have to see that.) She says, they had fun, but he can’t stay here. She’s going through a custody battle. If it had been anybody other than Trina, it would have made her look bad.

Sonny tells Kristina, don’t worry. She won’t have to testify. It’s going to be over before the court date. She says she hopes so, and he tells her to sit down and relax. Tell him what else is going on. Scotty walks in and says, the court ruled against Sonny’s attempt to block Ava’s visitation. She’s spending the weekend with her kid. He shows Sonny a paper, and Sonny says, we’ll see. Scotty says, it’s not up for negotiation. The court has spoken, and when he’s through, the only way Sonny will see his kid is through binoculars. Sonny asks if Scotty is threatening him, and Kristina says, Scotty is riling him up. It’s not worth it. Sonny tells him, get out, and Scotty says he’ll see Kristina tomorrow at 10 am on the nose. She says she doesn’t have an appointment with him, but he says, she hasn’t read the subpoena very well.

Sam asks if Molly thinks it’s possible that she misinterpreted Kristina, and Molly says, it sounds like Sam talked to Kristina. Is that why she wanted to meet? Sam says she hasn’t seen Kristina, and they haven’t talked, but maybe Kristina didn’t mean to imply the baby was hers and Blaze’s. Molly says, obviously, they interpreted it the same way. Saying it was private implied they’re going to be new parents, and social media is thinking the same thing. Sam tells her, stop scrolling, and Molly says she talked to Kristina. She said that she was protecting Molly and TJ’s privacy. Sam says, that’s plausible. Does Molly believe her? Molly says she doesn’t know. She wants to trust Kristina will honor her promise, but in trying to force her hand, she might have pushed Kristina to do the opposite.  

TJ says, it sounded like Kristina was going back on her word and was going to keep the baby, and Jordan asks what Molly thinks. TJ says, she thought the same thing and took documents to Kristina to sign. She refused, and now he’s even more worried. She always knew she’d have to sign them. It’s the only way Molly can adopt the baby and legally become its mother. What message is Kristina sending? Jordan says she’s sorry to hear that. This should be a happy and exciting time for them. He says he doesn’t know where to go from here, and she says, at least the law recognizes him as the baby’s biological father. That gives him a lot of rights. He says, but what about Molly’s rights? Kristina is the egg donor and the biological mother. What if she refuses to sign? She says she wishes she had an answer, but she’s not knowledgeable on the subject. Maybe it’s time they consulted a lawyer. He says, that’s what he was afraid of. He doesn’t want the baby to start life in the middle of a custody battle and he’s worried that’s where they’re headed.

Brook says she’s grateful that Sonny displayed how much he believes in her, but it’s a lot of pressure. She doesn’t want to let him down. Lois says, that will never happen, and Brook says she thinks something else is going on besides supporting Blaze. Lois says she sees how much Sonny loves Kristina, and it’s clear he wants to provide support. Just put her head down and do her work. Blaze comes in, and Lois says she’ll leave them to it. She hugs Blaze and leaves. Blaze says, Brook sounded excited. Don’t keep her in suspense. Brook says, she’s about to take Blaze to the next level. She knows Blaze has been up in the air since her label dropped her, but now she’s not tied down. She’s free to use this moment as an opportunity to take herself independent and release an album on her own label. This could be the biggest move of her career. All she has to do is say yes.

Sonny says, get to the point, and Scotty says, Kristina has to give a deposition. She can’t lie or it will be perjury. Talk to her mother about that, since she’s familiar with it. Kristina asks why he’s doing this, and he says he’s doing his job. If Kristina has to testify, so be it. Kristina says, go to hell, and he says he thinks she’s just nervous. She knows what’s going to happen. Ava is going to win, so Sonny should probably get used to saying adios to Avery. Sonny says, don’t be too sure, Scotty, and Scotty laughs. He leaves, and Sonny crumples up the paper.

At the pool, Trina says, Josslyn will never guess what she saw that she wasn’t supposed to see. Josslyn says, something criminal? and Trina says, criminally embarrassing. She’ll never believe it. John Cates came out half-naked from the bedroom in Ava’s suite. Josslyn says she doesn’t know if she wants to know, and Trina says, he definitely spent the night. She doesn’t know what Ava was thinking. Josslyn says, Ava never does anything without an agenda. She thinks Cates must be helpful somehow.

Ava says, good. John put on pants. If only he’d thought to do that before Trina got there. He says, she acts like he wants to get caught. She’s beautiful and intelligent, but he’s not looking to parade her around town. She says, he could do worse, and he says he’s already in hot water. His bosses don’t need to find out he’s getting to know a member of the Jerome crime family, former, alleged, or whatever. She asks if he’s worried that she’ll tarnish his stellar reputation. He managed to do that without her help.  She thinks it’s time for him to go and take his bags with him, but he says he’s going to work and can’t be dragging his bags with him. What would people think? He’ll come grab them tonight and they can see each other again. He gives her a smarmy look and leaves. (When did he turn into such a creeper? I’m so disappointed in this character.)

Jordan says, it must be hard on Molly. Not only is Kristina her sister, she has no biological or legal rights. She must feel like she has no control. How is she doing? TJ says, she’s all over the place. At first, after they saw the interview, she was as worried as him, but now she’s backing off and giving Kristina space. Jordan says, that’s smart. Molly has good instincts and knows her sister. TJ says he thinks she’s blinded be her love for Kristina and not seeing clear. She wants to trust Kristina, but he doesn’t think they can. Jordan asks if that’s put them at odds, and he says he feels like they’re pulling in opposite directions. That scares him most of all. She says she knows the situation seems unfixable, but everyone involved is a good person and she thinks they’ll come to a compromise. But if it comes down to going to court to fight for his rights, she’ll be right there, fighting beside him.  

Molly says, it was the wrong move and of course (🍷) it didn’t go well, and Sam says, Kristina defines contrary. When someone forces her to do something, she digs in her heels and does the opposite just to prove them wrong. Molly says she knew that and did it anyway. They got in a fight, and it got ugly. She said things she regrets, and Kristina said terrible things too. Kristina said she and TJ could break up, and it would be better for her to keep the baby. It would be a more stable home. Sam says, that’s very harsh, and Molly says she doesn’t know if Kristina believes they’re going to break up – which they aren’t – or she’s using it as an excuse to keep the baby.

Brook says she thinks this is an amazing opportunity, but if Blaze isn’t on board, they won’t move forward. Blaze says she thinks it’s amazing, and Brook says, the offer was presented to her before the interview. Blaze asks why Brook didn’t tell her then, and Brook says, Blaze was reintroducing herself to the public on her own terms and was answering for what her mom said. It was a lot of pressure, and she didn’t want to add to it. Blaze says, it was the right call, and Brook says she thinks it’s the perfect moment for Blaze to reintroduce her music. Blaze says she’s impressed. She knew Brook was great, but her putting so much effort into Blaze’s career is making her feel good just when she can use it.  Brook says she believes in Blaze 100%. She’s one of the most talented people Brook has worked with. It was her mother’s idea. She knows Natalia feels terrible about what her words have done to Blaze’s career and believes Natalia thinks this one way she can make almonds amends. Obviously, she wants to be involved in Blaze’s success, but if Blaze doesn’t want to continue working with her, it’s up to her. Blaze says she needs to think about it, and Brook says, Natalia is coming to discuss the new label with them, but if Blaze isn’t ready, she can cancel. Natalia approaches their table and says, it looks like they’re in a serious conversation. What did she miss?

Alexis finds TJ at the reception desk and asks if they can talk a minute. He says, sure, and she says she’s not going to pretend it’s not awkward, but she’ll just start from a place of honesty. She knows things are tense between him, Molly, and Kristina. He says, that’s an understatement, and she says, he knows she loves her girls, but she loves him too. He’s an important part of the family. It’s her sincere hope that they can put their differences aside and love each other again like they did prior to all this. He says he wants that too, as long as Kristina follows through with her word and gives them the baby, and Alexis says she knows Molly brought Kristina the termination papers and Kristina refused to sign. Then Molly backed off to make things calmer. TJ says, Kristina threatened to keep the baby. He doesn’t know about calm. She says, just give it time and do what he can to keep the peace, and he asks if that applies to Kristina, or is she just warning him and Molly?

Molly says, this is the last thing she wants, to think the worst of Kristina. She’s always trusted Kristina, but this time… Sam says, she’s not sure what to believe, and Molly says she’s the only one not biologically related to the baby and has no legal standpoint. She can’t control it and is at the mercy of everyone else. Even the implication that Kristina was going to back out triggered her into being geared up for a fight. Kristina talked to mom and mom talked to her. She said Molly has to be the one to keep the peace and give Kristina the space to calm down. So she apologized to Kristina for bringing the papers. Sam says she’s proud of her and admires Molly’s ability to be the bigger person, and Molly says, good thing she was there. Ava subpoenaed Kristina to testify at Avery’s custody hearing. Kristina was upset and confused on how it worked, and she helped her with the best way to handle it. Sam says, that’s insane. She’s glad Molly was there to advise Kristina. Molly says she’s glad they can be on the same side of something again. As crazy as Kristina makes her, Kristina is her sister and not the enemy. The reason Kristina is pregnant in the first place is, she’s carrying Molly’s baby.  

Natalia says she’s sorry. She assumed she was expected. She’ll let them finish. Brook says, she was expected. She told Blaze about their plans and how it was Natalia’s idea. Natalia says, a lesser woman would have taken credit, but Brook says, that’s not how she does business. Maybe Natalia can share the details of her inspired idea. She’ll give them a minute. She leaves the table and goes over to the bar.  

Brook tells Gio that she’s having a great day. How should she celebrate? He suggests the guac trio, but she says, it’s not lunchtime yet. He says he knows people and can hook her up, and she says she knows he loves working here, but would he be interested in local session work? He says, absolutely, and she says she may have a new label that has use for his talents.

On the phone, Sonny says he wants Ava’s visitation blocked. He doesn’t want her anywhere near his daughter. Lois comes to the door and asks if she’s interrupting, but he says, never. They hug and she says she misses his face. How has he been? He says, busy. He saw Gio at the pool and he seems to be settling in well. She says, Gio is a charmer, and he asks how the Quartermaines are treating him. She says, they all love him. Even Tracy is cordial. It’s going well. She’d love to chitchat, but this actually isn’t a social call. She wants to talk to him about the record company he generously offered to fund for her daughter. He says, it’s not just for Brook. He’s investing in Blaze and Kristina, and Brook will be running the label. He had this discussion with Brook. She says she’d like him to have this discussion with her, especially regarding the financing.

Natalia tells Blaze that she can’t say how genuinely sorry she is. She never wanted to cause Blaze any hurt. They may not see eye to eye on everything, but Blaze is her baby, and she doesn’t ever want to cause her pain. Blaze says she appreciates that, and Natalia says she’s especially sorry for the things she said that caused Blaze to be dropped from her label. What the hell were they thinking letting go of her talent? Blaze says she assumes they were scared of the bad publicity, and Natalia says she wants Blaze to know how deeply she regrets the things she said that cost Blaze her hard-earned success. It never should have happened. She’s proud of the artist Blaze is and thinks the world should know and hear her talent. The new label is her way of trying to make things right. It’s an opportunity for Blaze to take back control of her career and put out the music she loves. Sonny is backing it financially and Brook will run it. She’d love to be involved, but it’s Blaze’s call. She’ll respect whatever Blaze decides.

Sonny asks if Lois is accusing him or needs to ask him something, and she says, speaking her mind has never been an issue. Funding a recording company feels like déjà vu, but this time it’s not L&B and she’s not involved. It’s her daughter. He says, she sounds like she’s worried, and she says, should she be? He says he’d never do anything to hurt Brook. He doesn’t know why she’d think that. She says she knows that and don’t try to guilt trip her about looking out for her kid. He says, she doesn’t have to defend her daughter with him, but she says, if anyone else swooped in out of nowhere and made the same offer, she’d say, walk away. She loves him and Brook loves her Uncle Dimples. It’s an amazing opportunity for her and Lois wants to trust him. He asks, why not? and she says, because she knows one thing. History will repeat itself if ignored. That’s why she’s here. She’s asking him to tell the truth. Is the record label going to be clean or not?

TJ says, everyone is coddling Kristina and walking on eggshells, while she’s giving an interview on a major platform, implying that the baby is hers and Blaze’s. Alexis says she doesn’t know if that’s fair, but TJ says, none of this is fair. Alexis keeps defending Kristina, which raises a question. He knows she loves her daughters. She says, fiercely and equally, and he says, what happens if Kristina tries to keep this baby?

There’s a knock at Ava’s door, and Kristina strides in. She tells Ava to withdraw the subpoena, but Ava says she’ll do no such thing. Kristina asks why she’s doing this, and Ava says she’s a concerned mother protecting her child. She’d think Kristina would understand. The maternal instincts must have kicked in by now. Kristina says, she and Ava have nothing in common. Not now or ever. Scotty is supposed to take her deposition tomorrow, but she won’t be there, and she won’t show up to testify at the hearing. Ava says, do what she wants. She’s a grown-up. She’s sure Kristina’s lawyer explained that she’ll be cited for contempt, and it will only bolster Ava’s case. What exactly is she hiding that’s making her afraid to testify?

Natalia says, Blaze hasn’t answered if it’s okay for her to be involved with the new label, and Blaze says she’s grateful for everything Natalia has done for her career. Natalia always supported her and pushed her to success. She doesn’t know where she’d have been without her. She couldn’t have been lucky enough to accomplish a fraction of what she has. But she’s moving into a new, authentic phase of her career and her personal life and she can’t see Natalia’s involvement in either based on Natalia not accepting who she is and has always been. Natalia says she knows she hasn’t been on board with Blaze’s lifestyle, but Blaze says, it’s not a lifestyle. It’s her. Natalia can’t accept who she is or who she’s in a relationship with. Kristina is amazing. She knows it bothers Natalia that she’s in a relationship with another woman, but if she can’t accept how much she loves Kristina and embrace it and them, she doesn’t know where they go from here.

Lois says she doesn’t know the inner workings of Sonny’s business, so she’s asking. She’ll be damned if she lets anyone – old friends included – stop her from protecting her daughter. If the situations were reversed, Sonny would do anything to protect his children, and she wouldn’t want to be the person he found using them. She’s trying to protect her little girl and the career she’s worked so hard for. Sonny says, it’s one thing for Ava to turn on him. Now his great friend of all time is turning on him. Everybody is turning on him. That’s just the way it is. She can leave. She folds her arms and doesn’t move.

Sam says, it’s been nice catching up, and Molly thanks her for hanging out and talking. She feels better. Hopeful even. Sam says she’s glad she hasn’t lost her touch, and Molly says, it’s a bumpy ride, but they’re at the homestretch. When the baby comes and they’re all looking at its cute, little face, everything will work out.

Kristina says, Ava isn’t going to like what happens next, and Ava asks if that was a threat. Kristina says, take it how she likes, and Ava says, Kristina is her father’s daughter. Kristina says, better than being like Ava with no moral compass, and Ava asks if she’s going to perjure herself like her mother. Kristina saw what that got her. Or is she going to tell the truth, that she witnessed her father brutally beating Dex and threatening to kill him. Kristina says she feels sorry for Avery being stuck with Ava as a mother. She deserves better. Ava says, and Kristina hit the parent lottery? Her mother is a pathetic, lying drunk, who destroys the men she claims to love. Her father is a volatile headcase who’s going to prison. Someone takes pictures through the window, and Kristina says, if she testifies, she’s going to tell the court that Ava is the reason Morgan died. That she messed with his meds and caused a mental breakdown. She’s going to tell them how Ava murdered Connie Falconari too. If she’s forced to tell the truth about her father, she’s going to tell the truth about Ava too. Ava reaches for her, and Kristina says, don’t touch me, stepping back. She trips over one of John’s bags and stumbles backward, crashing through the window and down into the pool. We all stare, open-mouthed, as she floats in the pool motionless, blood on her face.

Holy! That was some fall. Wow, wow, wow.

Tomorrow, TJ asks Alexis what she’s going to do when Kristina tries to take their baby; Chase says he doesn’t want anyone leaving without his okay; and Ava tells someone that she needs them like she’s never needed them before.

🎿 Maybe He Was Polishing His Skis…

Kind of weird how Ric never had a real exit.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/rick-hearst-shares-a-first-look-at-his-gh-return

📸 She’s Got Cred…

This kid makes me want kids. She’s such a bundle of cute.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/scarlett-spears-reaches-a-general-hospital-milestone

🍊 Situation Heather…

I just can’t imagine being their age and exhibiting what amounts to frat boy behavior. Heather mistakenly tagging Katie in an Instagram post – or what Gina called this Heather situation – was completely plausible. Also that she wouldn’t be doing her own posting. Anyone who’s dealt with the annoying autocorrect knows a word can be missed. Usually to the amusement of the recipient. Same with clicking the wrong suggestion that Google comes up with. So, yeah, I can see her assistant clicking on the first thing she saw – Katie’s name. But these women have nothing better to do than speculate as to why/if/how Heather is being shady and lying to them. When my friends and I hang out, we do not spend hours on topics like this, and if we could afford the good times these girls can, I guarantee we wouldn’t even care if Heather was lying her ass off. I just don’t get it, and it’s what puts me off these Housewives shows. Although the worst is the toddler-like behavior they sometimes exhibit, physically assaulting one another. Let me think… Nope. Not once have any of my friends had a fistfight or thrown anything at each other. However, I can’t confirm or deny that a drink has never been thrown in a man’s face. The best thing about this episode was a golf game Katie had set up. Emily won, but unfortunately, Tamra made sure the topic was Katie claiming Heather called the paparazzi on herself. Déjà vu, anyone?

The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 Episode 4 Recap: Drinking and Driving

About the Tres Amigas going Dos.

https://people.com/rhoc-recap-vicki-gunvalson-says-tamra-judge-has-black-heart-after-ditching-tres-amigas-8687807

She has receipts! Proof! Timelines! Screenshots!

https://www.etonline.com/rhocs-katie-ginella-responds-to-heather-dubrows-noella-15-dig-amid-paparazzi-feud-exclusive-229943

🍸 It’s a VanderWorld…

It’s about time, but will he really follow through? Maybe a drug rehab would be a good idea first. I don’t have receipts, proof, timelines, or screenshots, but he acts like he’s on something.

Jax Taylor Enters Rehab For ‘Mental Health Struggles’ Rep Confirms
Why Jax Taylor Seeking Mental Health Treatment Is for the Best

And in a crossover no one saw coming.

Katie Maloney Spotted Out for Dinner With Love Island USA’s Connor Newsum

👠 How Could She Not Be…

I never had any doubts. Even if I had, seeing them together on Watch What Happens Live would have squelched them.

Lisa Vanderpump Was the Perfect Addition to Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Here’s Why

🩰 Dancing Like Everyone’s Watching…

Meet the new cast.

https://ew.com/meet-the-cast-of-dance-moms-a-new-era-8682610

I don’t think Abby Lee invented everyone’s replaceable.

JoJo Siwa on Abby Lee Miller Being Replaced in Dance Moms Reboot: ‘Sick to My Stomach’

🐾 All Ears and Smiles…

I would love to have this kitty.

https://people.com/abandoned-kitten-born-with-4-ears-at-tennessee-rescue-8687715

This is one happy pup!

https://people.com/smiley-dog-hikes-across-the-county-in-rv-adventure-with-family-8680913

☀️ Feeling the Heat…

Before starting your weekend, boomerang back tomorrow for soap and both trash and treasure. Until then, stay safe, stay going for your personal gold, and stay accepting who people are and who they’re in a relationship with.

Jul27

July 26, 2024 – John Gives Jason a Proposition, Warden, Wives For the Date, Star Winner, Just Us Girls, Game Of Game, They’re Here, Video Video, Critic Blast, It’s Snowing, First Look, A Half Dozen Quotes & Hot

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Madison says, Nina’s lunch date is confirmed, the ad copy is on her desk, and her 9 am appointment with Enchantment has been canceled. Nina says, why? You don’t just cancel an appointment with Erica Kane. That woman is notoriously difficult. Erica made her last assistant wear burlap for an entire year just because she booked her a layover on her flight to Beirut. Madison says she didn’t know you could fly direct to Beirut, and Nina says, you can’t. That’s the point. Madison has left her in a difficult position. Why would she cancel a meeting with Erica Kane and risk her wrath? They walk into Nina’s office, and Michael is sitting in her chair. Startled, Madison drops everything in her hands, and he says, because your boss needed to talk to you.

There’s a knock at Kristina’s door and she opens it to Molly. Kristina asks if they had plans and she forgot, but Molly says, no. She just wanted to stop by. Kristina says, perfect timing, because she’s been dying to talk to Molly about the Perez Hilton interview. It’s been great to see how everyone’s been responding with such support. There’s this lesbian influencer who’s super powerful on Instagram, and she said this: Kristina and Blaze clearly love and support each other and are a great example of how to remain true to yourself while negotiating a difficult family situation. Isn’t that so empowering? Molly says, yeah, and Kristina says, so she saw the interview obviously. Wasn’t it great?

Anna opens the PCPD folder on Jack Brennan, and it’s empty. Dante comes in and asks if it’s a bad time, but Anna says, it’s fine. What’s up? He says, Sonny’s downstairs. Did she want to see him? She says she doesn’t have anything to charge him with, so no, and he says, fair enough. He starts to leave, but she calls him back. She tells him to shut the door. She has an update on Jack Brennan. He says, the guy they arrested at Bobbie’s last year, and she says, oh good. She wasn’t imagining him then. He asks what that’s supposed to mean, and she says, he’s disappeared from Pentenville. It’s as if he was never there.

Jason thanks Diane for coming, and she says, of course (🍷). She assumes this is about Carly. She’s doing as well as can be expected. He says he knows her arraignment is in a few hours. She’s pleading not-guilty, right? Diane says, she is, and he says he can help with her defense. She says, fantastic. How does she exonerate Carly? He says, by giving him up in her place.

Carly is brought to the interrogation room where Sonny is waiting. He tells the officer to take the cuffs off. She’s not violent and she’s not going anywhere. The officer says, those were the FBI’s orders. The prisoner is just with the PCPD until she’s transferred to federal holding, so they’ll be put on as soon as they’re done talking. He leaves, and Sonny says, Jagger has gone too far. He’s going to do everything he can to get her off. She says, no. Don’t do anything. Let Diane handle it. Please. How’s Donna? He says, Donna doesn’t know anything yet, and Pilar is there to make sure she doesn’t get upset. Carly says, good, and he asks, what’s going on? He saw her get arrested by Jagger. He wanted to jump in, but Diane said, don’t even think about it. She says, what’s going on? He died and she took his place.

Jason tells Diane that he’ll take responsibility for everything that happened at that meeting. He’ll say he fed Carly every word, that she was just a figurehead, and he was the one making all the decisions. Diane says, it’s a novel idea… and a complete waste of time.

Nina helps Madison pick everything up, and Michael says, sorry to spring this meeting on her at the last minute, but Nina says, it’s fine. As he clearly stated, he’s her boss and she’s at his disposal. He thanks her for being so accommodating, and she says, he did put her in a bit of a bind. When the subject of this sudden cancelation comes up, and it will, she’s going to forward Erica Kane’s calls to him. He says, that’s fair. He’s happy to handle it. She thanks Madison and asks her to hold her calls. And don’t go far. She may need a witness. Madison says she’ll be right outside. She leaves, and Michael says, it’s interesting that she warned her assistant when they struck a truce, and Nina says, they did, but if she’s learned anything, it’s that when they have a meeting together, it could go sideways very quickly. He says he can’t disagree. So he’ll get straight to the point. He needs her help.

Kristina says, Molly isn’t saying anything. Does that mean she disagrees? She doesn’t think it went well? Molly says, no. From what she’s heard, the response has been really good. She’s sure a lot of people found Kristina to be very sympathetic. Kristina says, huh. Interesting choice of words. People, but not her. Molly says, TJ had some thoughts about the interview, and Kristina says, about which part? And why isn’t he the one here talking to her about this? What’s TJ’s problem now? Molly says she’s not going to speak for TJ, but they talked about it last night, and in order to settle his concerns – she takes out a folder – she agreed to bring by these papers for Kristina to sign. Kristina asks what this is about, and Molly says, her giving up her parental rights.

Molly says, Kristina is functioning as a surrogate for her and TJ, but she’s also the egg donor. And as their mother so eloquently pointed out, according to the laws of the State of New York, she’s legally the baby’s mother until she relinquishes her parental rights. Kristina looks through the papers, and says, not relinquish – terminate. That’s what these papers say over and over and over again. Terminate. Molly wants her to terminate her parental rights? Something relinquished can be taken back. Something terminated can’t. That’s a pretty big difference, doesn’t she think? Molly says, in order for her to legally be the baby’s mother, Kristina has to terminate her rights. This is what they agreed to in the beginning. Kristina says, let her get this straight. Molly and TJ saw the interview she did where she poured her heart out to the entire world, and this is their response? Molly says she doesn’t understand what the issue is here. Kristina is about to give birth. She’s going to have to sign these papers at that time to give her and TJ the baby. Why not just sign them now, when things are calm and there’s time? What possible reason could she have not to?

Dante says, when Anna tells him that Brennan disappeared, she means he escaped Pentenville? How? She says, that’s a good question. How do you escape from somewhere when you weren’t there to begin with? He asks what she’s talking about. They arrested this guy. They put him in a car and watched him get taken to Pentenville. She says, and she visited him there more than once. According to Pentenville’s records, Brennan was never in their custody. There’s no digital record of him, no paper trail, no video surveillance. He was never in intake, and he was never assigned a cell. It’s like Brennan’s association with Pentenville has completely vanished. Dante says, there have to be witnesses there who saw him and spoke to him, and she says, you’d think. Maybe she can rustle up a CO or two, an inmate maybe that can place him there. But at the end of the day, it’s not proof. It’s just hearsay. She says she’ll show him the best part, and hands him Brennan’s folder. The PCPD’s records have been purged also, both physically and digitally. He sees the folder is empty, and he says, this is crazy. Who has the power to erase the records of an inmate’s entire existence and buy the silence of that many people?

Michael says he understands Nina has a long-standing connection with Congressman McConkey, and she says, he went to Princeton with her father. She’s known him for her entire life, but Michael’s family also goes way back with him. He says, Tracy and his grandmother do, but he doesn’t want to get Tracy involved in this because she has a tendency to stick her nose into things that are none of her business. And his grandmother isn’t doing well, so he’d rather not ask her. But from what it sounds, Nina’s connection with McConkey is closer. She says, that’s probably true, but he still hasn’t told her what he wants, and he says, an introduction. She asks if he didn’t meet McConkey at the 4th of July party, but he says, it was very brief. All they really did was exchange small talk. What he needs is some face time. She asks, why is that? and he tells her that he’d rather not say. She says, he’s asking her to exploit a decades long family friendship with the congressman for his mysterious purposes? She’s sorry, but she’s going to need a lot more information before she puts McConkey on the spot. He says he needs to ask McConkey for a favor, and she says, is this for ELQ? Is ELQ in trouble? Is it Aurora? Should she be worried about Crimson? He says, no, don’t. They’re both fine. She says, then if it’s not a business matter, it’s personal, and he says he needs McConkey to help his mother.

Carly says, while Nina was keeping Sonny all to herself in Nixon Falls, the rest of them thought he was dead. And the Five Families (spaghetti sauce) were circling, ready to take over his territory. With him gone, they were racing for the opportunity. He says, anyone who would stake a claim on his business would be a target, and she says, that’s right. So she and Jason had to make a show of strength to prove to them that the territory was in safe hands. But Jason was hurt, and he couldn’t make it to the meeting with the Five Families (calzones), so she was the only option. He says he already knows all that. What he wants to know is how the FBI charged her with RICO violations. She says, someone at the meeting was wearing a wire. The FBI has a recording of her announcing that she was taking control of his entire organization. He says, that was a long time ago. Why are they digging in now? She says, because they have another use for the recording. They used it as leverage over Jason. The FBI played the recording for Jason and told him that they would charge her with everything they could unless he worked for them. That’s what Jason’s been doing, keeping her out of jail while working undercover for John Cates. (We see Sonny is starting to track.)

Diane says she was hoping Jason was going to give her documents or witnesses or, best case scenario, proof that the FBI’s recording had been improperly procured. Something she could actually use. He says, just use him, but she says, that’s a non-starter. The FBI’s evidence against Carly is hard. That recording is damning. He tells her, not if he says he coached her, and she says, that’s only going to tack on another conspiracy charge. It’s Carly’s voice on that tape. Carly was at the meeting. There’s no getting around that. He knows taking responsibility is only going to implicate him right alongside her. Who’s that going to benefit? He says, all he’s got to do is convince one juror there’s reasonable doubt and the whole thing’s worth it, and she says she promises that is not how this is going to work out. He won’t save Carly; he’ll condemn himself and strengthen the prosecution’s case against her. She knows he has the best of intentions, and actually, she could use his help in another aspect of this case. He says, what? and she says, her defense strategy will be to spin the story. She’s going to present Carly as a sympathetic defendant. Convince the jury that she lied at that meeting to saved herself and her children from a group of vicious mob bosses suspected in a wide range of crimes, including several brutal murders. That she feared for the lives of her children and herself, and that she literally bluffed to save her life, lying to these people to push them away. Jurors love stories like that. He says, Carly told him that Diane said her chance of acquittal is what? 30%? She says, they can do better than that… not much better.

Nina says, Carly was arrested? and Michael says, his mom was very publicly handcuffed down in the lobby. He thought the news would be all over the building by now. She says, her former MetroCourt employees don’t really have a reason to gossip with her anymore. What was Carly arrested for? He says, the charges don’t really matter. This whole thing is the work of this rogue FBI agent who has a vendetta against Jason and his mother and probably Sonny too. This agent needs to know he’s not above the law himself. She says, which McConkey can give him through congress, and Michael says, yes, exactly. McConkey is on the House selection committee for Intelligence. He could buy influence on his committee, but he feels a personal touch from Nina would be more subtle. She says, and safer. No money trail. It’s all very Watergate sounding, and they all know how that turned out. He says, according to the law, it’s only illegal if money actually changes hands, and she says, and they both know he’d do anything to save Carly. He would hand over that money in a heartbeat. So he’s asking her to potentially commit a crime to cover up Carly’s crime. Now is he ready to be labeled co-conspirator with her?

Sonny says, so Carly was arrested. Things must have broken down between Jagger and Jason. Carly says, Jason was supposed to do one more specific job for Cates, and then Cates was going to cut him loose. Jason kept up his end of the bargain, then Cates double-crossed Jason. He said he was going to send Jason to some prison somewhere to go undercover. He says, lying bastard, and Carly says, she and Jason got in a big fight. He said he’d rather keep working for Cates than see her tried and charged. He says, let him guess. Jason won. She says, he made her promise not to turn herself in, so she agreed, and he says, she lied to him, but she says she didn’t lie to him. She didn’t want to turn herself in, but when she saw Cates there in the MetroCourt, and he made a jab about Jason, she lost it. She couldn’t help it. He says he was there. He saw. She basically dared him to arrest her. She says, right. So here they are. He asks how she found out about this, and she says she found out about the recording about a month ago, and he asks if Diane knows about this. She says, Diane has to know because she has to work on a defense, and he asks what Diane says her chances are. She says, the odds are not in her favor, and he slams his hand down on the table.

Jason says he knows Diane will do her best and her best is better than anybody else’s. He just doesn’t see how Carly’s going to beat this. She says she’s sorry, but short of getting that FBI recording destroyed or having it deemed inadmissible as evidence, Carly will be arraigned and charged this afternoon. With any luck, she’ll be granted bail, and a trial date will be set. Then they prepare to go to war. He asks what she wants him to do, and she says she wants him to slap on a suit and tie and show up every day to that courtroom. Let Carly see him in her corner. He’s calm and he’s steady. Because the prosecution could clinch its case against her by provoking a courtroom meltdown out of her. They don’t want that. Are they clear? He says, they are, and she says, excellent. Now if he’ll excuse her, she has to go over her notes. He says, one more thing. Can they undercut Carly’s case by tarnishing Cates? She says, it could work. It’s worked before. But Cates’s testimony is going to carry a tremendous amount of weight simply because he’s FBI. There’s a presumption of authority and integrity. (Really? In 2024?) They’d have to come up with something substantial in order to make a jury doubt Cates. He says, it may be possible. He knows someone who can get them information on Cates. And she owes him.

Anna says, Brennan’s disappearance has the WSB written all over it, and Dante says he can see that, but to what end? Doesn’t this guy out of a prison cell open up a whole can of worms for the WSB? She says she thought that too, but then she’s wondering if freeing him solves more problems than it creates. He says he guesses so. But if they want to shut him up, he knows something they don’t want him to, why not just put him in a hole in Steinmaur and throw away the hole? She says, it’s possible. The only way of figuring this out is cornering the WSB with proof of their involvement. He says, Brennan was admitted to GH for a stabbing that happened in Pentenville, right? and she says, yeah. He says, the hospital has to have records of him being there, unless the WSB wiped those too, and she says, if he could check on that, that would be awesome. He says he’ll take care of it right now, and she thanks him. He says, this guy is the WSB’s problem, isn’t he? Why does the PCPD care what happens to Brennan?

Kristina says she’s kind of flying blind here, so can Molly just tell her what she said that upset her and TJ so much and gotten them so worried? Wait. This wasn’t because Perez asked her about the baby and she said it was private, was it? Molly says, it’s just common sense. You can’t sit down for an interview with Perez Hilton, be visibly pregnant, and when he asks about it, say, sorry, it’s private. (Um… yes, you can.) Kristina says, the interview wasn’t about the baby. It was about Allie and her and Allie’s mother. It wasn’t about the baby at all. Molly says, don’t act like she didn’t see those questions coming. She can’t be that naïve. Kristina says she’s not naïve. She was trying to protect Molly and TJ. She didn’t want to drag them or this baby into a mess that was really about Allie and her personal private life, and it’s now all over the news. Molly says, she made it seem like this baby was hers and Allie’s, but Kristina says, no, she didn’t. Molly says, there was a simple explanation that would have avoided all confusion. She only had to say that she was acting as a surrogate for her sister and left it at that. Instead, every lesbian on the internet is so excited about her and Blaze being parents, they’re all posting about which onesie they should buy them. Kristina says, that’s insane. That is not what’s happening. She’s shocked. She can’t believe Molly would misinterpret something she said this badly. Molly asks what she’s misinterpreting. It’s what they all heard. Kristina says, fine. Why doesn’t she call Kelly Ripa and tell her that she has an exclusive? Molly, her sister, has endometriosis and she was devastated to find out she can’t bear children, so she’s helping her sister and her partner by helping them become parents. Is that what she wants? Would she have preferred that? Would that make her happy? Because actually, she was just trying to take the attention off of Molly, but hey, if she really wants to become the public face of endometriosis, have at it. Molly says, she’s being ridiculous, and Kristina says, is she? Molly says, all she and TJ wanted was for Kristina to be clear about whose baby she’s carrying. Kristina says, then that’s what Molly should have told her before she did the interview. She’s sorry if anything she said was taken the wrong way, but this wasn’t her intention. This wasn’t her fault. Molly says, of course (🍷) not. Nothing ever is. Kristina didn’t even tell her that she was doing this interview, but they’re talking in circles, and she needs to get to the office. So can Kristina just sign these papers so she can go… Sign the damn papers. Kristina throws them down on the table and says, no.

Molly says, they have an agreement. Kristina has to sign these papers. Kristina asks if they can just talk about this for a minute, and they sit down. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea for her to sign the papers right now. Molly says, yes, it is. Kristina is about to give birth and she can’t legally adopt her baby until Kristina terminates her rights. Kristina says, there’s issues in play right now that weren’t happening when they agreed to this, and Molly says, what issues? Kristina says, her and TJ, and Molly says, what about them? Kristina says, what if they break up? and Kristina says she and TJ aren’t breaking up. That’s not even a question here. Kristina says, maybe Molly is too close to it and doesn’t want to see it, but things have been really rocky lately. Molly says, that’s so condescending of Kristina to think she can tell her about her own relationship, and Kristina says, maybe Molly doesn’t want to see it and she’s sorry to say this, but it’s true. She can’t deny there’s been so much tension between them lately. They can’t stop fighting. Molly says, all they fight about is her. So according to her, now she and TJ are going to break up because they fight? That’s what couples do. They fight and they make up and they wind up stronger for it. But Kristina wouldn’t know anything about that because she has never, not one single time, been able to keep anybody around long enough to form a real relationship. All she has is a string of embarrassingly misguided attempts with men, a crush that drove her teacher out of town, and a messed-up infatuation with a woman who was so ashamed of being gay that she was still in the closet until her mother caused a national uproar by publicly outing her. Look in the mirror. She’s not equipped to be a mother. She can barely take care of herself. (Needless to say, this doesn’t make me like Molly any more than I don’t already.)

Nina says, if this is found out, how does she know Michael won’t shift the blame entirely on her? and he says, nobody’s going to believe Nina cares enough about his mother to do something illegal to help her. Nina says she can’t argue with him there, and he says his mom is facing RICO charges because of the actions she did to protect her family when his father was in Nixon Falls. And that only happened because of Nina. His mother wouldn’t even be in this position if Sonny had been in Port Charles conducting business as usual. She says, so she owes him one? and he says, she owes his family. She can make this right with one phone call. All she has to do is get him a meeting with McConkey, and he’ll persuade McConkey into opening up an official inquiry into this FBI agent’s twisted vendetta against his family. She says, if she agrees to this, are they finally square? and he says he’ll give her something that’s even more important to her. When his mom goes free, he’ll make sure Willow knows all the credit goes to her.

Anna tells Dante that Brennan is also connected to this other case that’s unfolding right now, which is Carly’s. Agent Cates used evidence of Carly’s involvement in Sonny’s business to force Jason to work for the FBI. Dante says, okay. He knew Jason was an informant, and knew Jason was working for the FBI and they got him to flip. He just didn’t know how. It surprised him, but Carly explains it. She says, Agent Cates kind of showed interest in Brennan and implied at one point Brennan might have leverage over him. (I must have missed that, but they do have a tendency to make it up as they go along.) Dante says, and she wants to figure out what that leverage is? and she says, yeah. Either Brennan has committed such terrible crimes that the WSB just doesn’t want him to see daylight ever again, or he means something else to the Bureau entirely, and she wants to know which it is.

Sonny tells Carly that Jagger always had a chip on his shoulder because he took care of his brother Stone when he was dying of AIDS, and Jagger couldn’t show up. Jagger has been trying to take him down for 30 years. And you know why he can’t? Because he doesn’t know how. Now Jagger thinks he’s going to come at him through Carly and Jason? She says, he’s right. Cates is after him. But Sonny isn’t the only reason he’s here. He came to Port Charles for another job, something to do with Pikeman. Sonny says, that was his official reason, but Jagger will never pass up a chance to take him down. Does she know the way he does it? Jagger builds himself up by tearing him down. He started with nothing, he has nothing, and he’s going to die with nothing. He swipes a load of Styrofoam cups off the counter and says, no way in hell is Jagger sending his little girl’s mother to prison.

Kristina says, wow. Is that what Molly really thinks of her? Molly says she would feel infinitely better if Kristina would just sign the papers, but Kristina says, no. She can’t sign those papers right now. There’s too much uncertainty. If Molly and TJ break up, then she and TJ are the only ones with legal claim to this child. She has to be sure they’re going to make it before she signs those. Molly asks when that’s going to be. What’s the test? What criteria of commitment do she and TJ need to meet for her? Kristina says she doesn’t know, and Molly says she thinks when they do, Kristina is just going to come up with another reason not to sign the papers. This isn’t about her and TJ. This is about Kristina. She’s been lying to them this entire time and the truth is now coming out. She wants to keep this baby, doesn’t she? Kristina says she does wonder sometimes if maybe she and Allie would make better parents for this baby right now. Maybe they would be able to provide a more stable home than her and TJ. That’s all. Molly laughs, when there’s a knock at the door. Kristina says, let her get rid of them, but Molly says, don’t bother. This is going nowhere, and she needs to get to work. Kristina opens the door to Natalia, who asks if this is a bad time. She should have called first. Molly says, don’t worry. She was just leaving. Kristina says, wait. She thinks Molly forgot something. She indicates the papers, but Molly walks out without them.

Nina says, Michael sure knows how to sweeten a deal, and he asks if that’s a yes. She says, everyone knows that she’ll do just about anything to make sure her relationship with Willow is on track for good, but if she agrees to do this, it has to include peace with him as well. She’s sick of the ugliness between them. They have to put it behind them, in the past. He says, her getting him a meeting with McConkey will be a good start, and she says, if this is found out, it may or may not be bad for them. She doesn’t know, but does he know who it’s going to be bad for? Drew. Can he imagine the uproar if the media finds out that the nephew of McConkey’s handpicked successor leaned on him to tip the scales in his mother’s favor? It would be the end of McConkey’s legacy and the end of Drew’s campaign. He says, all he’s doing is bringing the acts of a rogue agent to McConkey’s attention. He’s sure he’ll be able to avoid even the slightest hint of impropriety. Drew will be fine. She says, he sounds confident about that, and he says, it’s just a conversation. One that will work to all of their benefit. So what does she say? Do they have a deal?

Kristina folds the papers and asks what she can do for Natalia. Natalia asks if Allison is here, but Kristina says, no. She’s out with Brook. Natalia says, that’s unfortunate. She was hoping to talk to them both together, but she can come back another time. Kristina says, no, don’t. She’s already here, and Kristina would rather they just have it out now. What is this about? Natalia says she came by because she wanted to… Saying thank you falls very short.

Carly says she knows Sonny is angry, but he can’t get arrested too. The officer comes in and asks, what’s going on here? Sonny says, Jagger is going to regret ever messing with him, and walks out. Carly tries to follow, but the officer says, she’s not going anywhere. It’s time to get her back to her cell. She says, not yet. He’s got to call Dante Falconari and have him come down here. She needs to talk to him.

Jason opens the door to John and says, he made a big mistake coming here. John says, what is he going to do? Beat him up? Jason says he was thinking more along the lines of reporting him for witness tampering, but John says, he still doesn’t get it. Jason is his witness. And when Carly’s trial starts, the US Attorney is going to put him on the stand, and they’ll produce a piece of paper with Jason’s signature on it, showing that they made a deal. Then the attorney will ask Jason why he agreed to work with the FBI. He can stonewall all he wants, but eventually, they’re going to get him to admit the truth, that he did it for Carly because he knows she’s guilty. Carly dug her own grave, but Jason is going to be the one who buries her in it. (I don’t see how this is going to make the FBI look any kind of good.) But there is still one way he can stop that from happening.

Natalia says she saw the interview Kristina and Allie did with Perez Hilton, and they were both very, very generous towards her. They were much more generous than she deserved. Kristina says she doesn’t really believe it’s right to police people’s speech or their perspectives, and Natalia says, that’s very big of her. Kristina says, don’t get her wrong. If someone refused to hire her or rent her an apartment just because she’s gay, she’d be livid, and honestly consider suing because that’s discrimination and that’s not okay. But someone just not approving of her or not agreeing with her lifestyle, she just doesn’t let it affect her because everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Natalia says she honestly doesn’t know what she believes anymore from one hour to the next, and it’s pretty disconcerting. But she has to say, Kristina’s live and let live attitude is a value she holds dear. She just needs to do better at living it. She’s just glad they can talk, and they can be honest with each other. Kristina says, okay, yeah. Just to be clear, she believes Natalia is entitled to her own thoughts and opinions, but she doesn’t have to like them, and she doesn’t. Natalia says, fair, and to be clear on her end, she admires Kristina’s principles and respects what she said.

Michael says he has McConkey’s office number pulled up. Do he and Nina have a deal? Nina says, he’s going about this the wrong way, and he asks if she’s turning him down. She asks if she said that. If Michael calls McConkey’s office, he’ll have to get through his bulldog of an assistant. He should call McConkey’s cell. Deal with him personally. She takes out her phone and calls McConkey. She says she’s calling because she’s going to be in DC next week and she thought they could go to that Italian place they both love… No. She insists that this time she’s paying… Okay, great. And she’s going to bring a friend. He’s a great guy, very interesting, very influential. You’re going to love him.

Dante says, Carly wanted to see him? and she says, Sonny’s lost it. He’s out of control. He asks what she’s talking about. What happened? She says, there isn’t time. He’s got to find Sonny. He says, where did he go? and she says she doesn’t know. But if Dante finds John Cates, he’s going to find Sonny. Sonny went after Cates, and God knows what will happen if Sonny finds him.

In his office on the phone, Sonny tells Brick to get him a location on Jagger Cates now… No. He’s not at the MetroCourt anymore. Carly kicked him out. He opens a locked box with a gun inside, and says, yeah, he’s sure. He loads the gun and says, do whatever you have to do. Find Cates for him. He practice aims the gun.

John says he has a proposition for Jason, but Jason says, no. John failed to honor their deal. He’s not taking any new assignment from him. John says, he doesn’t have to go undercover. He doesn’t even have to leave Port Charles. And in the end, he can run back to his beloved Carly, who will be out from under the threat of prosecution for good. All Jason has to do is deliver Sonny to him.

On Monday, Kristina tells Alexis that if she’s going to make a move, it has to be now; Ava says she needs to know that she can trust someone; Carly says, there’s something important she needs Michael to do; and Sonny tells Dante, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. (Truth!)

🔐 Going Dutch…

I’ll have to look for him the next time I watch The Devil Wears Prada.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/thats-dutch-johnson-playing-warden-hayes-on-general-hospital

👠 Another Kind Of Scary Island…

This just sounds embarrassing. Hopefully they don’t keep the title Love Hotel. That just makes it sound worse.

Real Housewives Dating Show Headed to Peacock, Featuring Shannon Beador, Luann de Lesseps, and Ashley Darby

🥂 For the Food Win…

I didn’t really keep up with this, although there’s always Hulu. An extra congrats to LVP.

Why Jess Druey Was Destined To Win Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars

🍸 Speaking Of…

Maybe having kids knocks the voice of reason into your head. She and Lala have made more sense than anyone else lately.

Scheana Shay Says She ‘Doesn’t See How We Can Continue’ Vanderpump Rules ‘With Everyone’

👑 Back In the Game…

Maybe he knows a little something by now. The ad is really cute.

https://people.com/kit-harington-ad-for-game-of-thrones-mobile-game-8684224

🦸🏻‍♂️ At a Theater Near You…

It’s here and apparently doesn’t disappoint. I probably won’t go this weekend, but I’m not letting this one wait for streaming.

https://www.thedowneypatriot.com/articles/review-deadpool-amp-wolverine-is-exactly-that-and-its-awesome

Getting in the pool.

https://ew.com/chris-evans-deadpool-and-wolverine-johnny-storm-interview-exclusive-8684326

Missing the boat.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-and-wolverine-bts-photo-reveals-one-cameo-that-didnt-make-the-cut—spoilers-a212334

The soundtracks have all been good. Since popular music isn’t often included on a soundtrack album, probably because of royalties, it’s great that we can just make our own now. Even better that someone compiled the titles.

https://www.thewrap.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-soundtrack-all-the-songs/

And last, but not least for the producers, the climbing box office.

https://deadline.com/2024/07/box-office-deadpool-wolverine-1236022761/

💥 From Gamer Screen To Big Screen…

Apparently, we’ve run out of original plot ideas, and are once again turning to video games. I haven’t hated it so far though, and this looks like another winner.

https://ew.com/borderlands-movie-adaptation-comic-con-2024-cover-story-8676778

https://ew.com/borderlands-cast-nothing-meaner-than-unhappy-gamer-comic-con-2024-exclusive-8684739

https://www.cbr.com/borderlands-final-trailer/

Just the facts, Jack.

https://www.space.com/borderlands-movie-release-date-plot-cast

🎬 Hardest Working Man In Hollywood…

I’d fight someone who put Tyler Perry down. I love his films, but nobody writes nighttime soap like he does. And he’s an angel to those who work for him.

https://ew.com/tyler-perry-blasts-highbrow-critics-of-his-movies-8683311

🦛 And You Get a Snow Day…

It’s kind of like a Christmas in July sale.

https://people.com/arizona-zoo-holds-summer-snow-day-for-animals-8682491

Pekingese In Snow

🐶 As It Should Be…

This is too precious. His wife is a definite keeper.

https://people.com/groom-surprised-by-dog-during-first-look-ahead-of-wedding-8680685

📢 Quotes of the Week

My past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me; it has only strengthened me. – Steve Maraboli

Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable – and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God. – Henry Emerson Fosdick

Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one’s potential. – Bruce Lee

For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail – it’s just the opposite – we aim too low and succeed. – Sir Ken Robinson

I did come for the flying squirrel, but I want to stay for something more. – Whitney Thore, My Big Fat Fabulous Life

There is only one question to ask yourself: What would you do if you were not afraid? – Unknown

🚶🏽‍♀️ On the Beaten Path…

Enjoy your weekend, whether in the sun or in the air con, then join me on Monday for soap and a cringeworthy Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay using sunscreen (yeah, I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again), and stay not policing people’s speech or perspectives, but fighting against discrimination.

Jul11

July 10, 2024 – Cody Makes a Promise To Sasha, Dubai In the House, New Listings, What’s Cookin’, For the Senior Pets (!) & America

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

In the nook, Sasha gives Drew some coffee, and flashes back to seeing him kiss Willow. She tells him that his speech was inspiring, and he says he’s given other speeches before, but this one was different. She says, last night was full of surprises, when Willow walks in. She asks if Willow wants coffee or a beignet, and Willow says, yes, to both. Sasha says she doesn’t want to brag, but Wiley says these are his new favorites, and Willow says, he calls them bayonets. Sasha tells them to help themselves, and she leaves to see Cody at the stables. Willow and Drew look at each other.

Felicia says she always felt there was a connection between Mac and Cody, and Maxie says, Felicia’s Spidey senses have always been borderline terrifying. She asks if something could have happened to the DNA sample Felicia sent in, but Felicia says, the lab is the best. Even if the sample was contaminated, it would only add to the sample, not take away from it. Maxie says, they’ve all spent a lot of time with Cody, and he’s been wonderful, and Felicia says, that’s why she doesn’t want Maxie to be mad when she says this. He’s lied before, so why should they believe him now?

Scotty goes to Ava’s hotel room, and she checks the hall for a certain FBI agent who’s having her followed because she’s spent time with Sonny. He asks if she means John Cates, and she says, that’s the one. He says he’s known John since high school. He’s a good guy. She asks what Scotty is doing here and is he billing her for it, and he says, oh yeah. He has Diane’s countersuit. Sonny wants sole custody of Avery. He hands her the papers.

Sonny visits his old kitchen and the moss bowl🎍, and Carly says, Avery and Donna are doing crafts with Pilar. Don’t be surprised if they’re covered in glitter. He asks if she doesn’t think Donna is growing up too fast, and she says, that’s why they have to enjoy these glitter filled days. He says, now that Ava’s moved out, would Carly reconsider having Donna spend the night? He and Avery would love it. Jason walks in, as he’s another member of the moss bowl🎍fan club and can’t stay away.

Willow says she wasn’t looking for Drew, but she’s glad she ran into him. She loves Michael with all her heart, and it was wrong of them to kiss. It never should have happened. Drew says, it was an accident. (Yep. He accidentally fell into her lips.) The result of too many drinks and too many fireworks. He loves Michael too and would never hurt him. They did something impulsive and stupid, but one kiss doesn’t have to change anything for anybody.

Maxie says she doesn’t think Cody is lying, but Felicia says she saw the DNA result with her own two eyes. Maxie says, those were the results from the top secret don’t-tell-anyone test. Cody claims the results from the original test prove he’s Mac’s son. Felicia asks if Cody could be working an angle, but Maxie wonders where the big payout would come from. When she talked to Cody last night, she could tell he wanted to bolt. She knows the look of someone wanting to run from the mistakes they’ve made. He was trying to say goodbye without actually saying it. She practically had to threaten him into staying. He can’t leave town after telling Mac that he’s his son.

Sasha goes to the stable and tells Cody that she was going to keep this to herself, but last night… He says, last night he told Mac that he’s his son. He kept thinking about what she’d said. He hated lying to Mac and it just came out. He should have kept his mouth shut. It was worse than he thought. Mac’s furious with him. He said, Cody had plenty of chances to tell him the truth, but he didn’t. He also told Mac about the whole Taub/WSB stuff with Scotty. She asks if Mac understood, and Cody says, what Mac understood is that he betrayed Mac’s family. She says, it was a lot to take in for both of them, and He says, Mac stormed out, so it seems he took in enough. The only person he was madder at than Cody was himself. For believing Cody could be anything but a grifter. She says, that’s harsh and wrong, but give him time. He’s probably in shock. For what it’s worth (🍷), she’s proud of him. He must feel better having that secret off his chest. He says he feels like garbage, and there’s still a weight on his chest. It’s just for a different reason. She asks what he wants to do now, and he says he wants to get the hell out of town.

Ava says, it’s no surprise Sonny is suing for sole custody, and Scotty says, after reading Diane’s filings, he thinks Ava’s expectations should be lower. He doesn’t like the facts of this case. She says, Avery’s father is a dangerous man working in a dangerous business with other dangerous people. What other facts does he need? He says, she was living with Sonny with Avery, but she says she was living there to keep Avery safe and be a loving touchstone for her in a stressful time. He says, judges like stability and don’t like seeing kids ping-ponged around, and she says, that’s why she wants Avery with her full-time, but he says, she’s in a hotel. At Sonny’s, Avery has a routine, and she likes living with her father. Does Ava think a judge will want to take her away from that? She asks if he didn’t tell her that if Sonny had a public meltdown… He says, all bets would be off, but he doubts that’s going to happen during a custody hearing. Sonny’s not that stupid.

Sonny tells Jason that he and Carly are talking on a private matter, and Carly says she and Sonny are discussing the kids. She tells Sonny that Avery is welcome to be there with Donna any day, and Sonny says he has to take care of something, showing her the papers. Ava thinks she deserves to have sole custody of Avery. Carly says she’s happy she doesn’t have to wade into this mess, but he tells her that she might be called to testify because they share custody of Avery’s sister. He needs to know what she’s going to tell the judge about his suitability as a parent.

Sonny says he knows he and Carly have had their problems. He wants to know she’s not going to say he’s a terrible father. She says, it’s no secret they’ve had their issues – he says he’s sorry – but if she’s going to walk in a courtroom and trash anyone, it’s going to be Ava. He says, that’s not what he wanted to hear, but he’ll take it. He heads for the door, but then asks if Jason and his FBI buddy found anything on him.

Sasha asks if Cody is leaving, but he says he told her that he wanted to leave. It would be easier to just disappear, but no. Maxie made him promise he wouldn’t leave, but she’s not the reason he’s not leaving. Sasha is. At least for now. He moves closer, but she stops him and says, he has to stop doing this. He wants a connection with someone, but every time he gets close, he thinks of a reason to bolt. They’re building something. She kisses him and says, he can’t go. If he does, he’ll have a lot more than Maxie to worry about. She’ll hide Tracy’s secret cash box and say he took it. Tracy will have anyone with eyes and a badge looking for him. He says, Tracy has a secret cash box? and she says, not a very well-kept secret. Promise her he won’t go. He hesitates, and she says, how about this. He talks to her first if he decides to go. He says he can do that, and she says she should get back to the house, and leaves.

Ava goes to see Clemont the pharmacist, and he says he has a staff meeting in 15 minutes. He’s going to have to ask her to leave. She says she can sit in. She’s sure his staff will find it fascinating the way he refills Sonny’s bipolar medication. He says he knows she’s not Sonny’s wife. He doesn’t even have a wife. She says, give him time, but it doesn’t matter. She knows he’s been filling Sonny’s prescription with less than a quarter dose and thinks that’s frowned upon in his profession. She’s sure he has his reasons and doesn’t care what they are, but she cares about Sonny’s dosage. He says he’ll change it back to the proper dosage, but she says, he’ll change it to zero. He says, she wants him to give Sonny placebos? and she says she does. Unless he wants Sonny to know what he’s been doing, he’ll do what she wants. He says, it’s dangerous, but she says she’s willing to take that risk.

Drew (who now looks like a creeper) says, they kissed and regretted it and agreed it won’t happen again, and Willow says, absolutely not. He says, the worst thing they can do is dwell on it and let it interfere with their friendship and working together. She tells him that she doesn’t want to compromise her and Michael’s happiness for any reason, and he suggests they put it behind them. It won’t feel as big of a deal in the future. They probably won’t remember it in a year. Michael comes in and says he knew he smelled beignets.

Michael wants to talk to Drew about the wellness division, particularly the budget for Curtis. Willow says, the conversation sounds too exciting for her, and goes out on the patio.

Felicia says, maybe Cody is just mistaken about the DNA results, but Maxie says, they’re pretty conclusive. There’s no real room for interpretation. Felicia says her results were zero, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Sasha, who asks if it’s a bad time, but Maxie says, no. Sasha says she’s sorry to come by without calling, but this is important. She knows Cody is Mac’s son. If they’re mad at Cody, they should be mad at her too. Cody told her the results months ago.

Clemont says he understands, and he’ll take care of it, and Ava says she knew she could count on him. She asks if anyone’s been asking about her, but he says, no. She says, if anyone does, tell them she was here for a consultation. Make it believable. She hopes he doesn’t do anything to make her come back. She leaves and Clemont looks pretty nervous.

Jason says he’s not working against Sonny, and Sonny says he hopes it stays that way. He’ll be back to pick up Avery. He leaves, and Carly says, he’s not wrong. Jason is working with Cates. Jason says, it’s not to take Sonny down, and Carly suggests he tell Sonny that the only reason he’s working with Cates is to protect her.

Michael and Drew go over the budget, and Michael says he assumes Drew is going to be campaigning to take advantage of the momentum. Drew says he was thinking about that, and Michael says, before he starts shaking hands and kissing babies, did Willow seem off to him?

Willow goes to the stable and asks if Cody is good with her being here. She was wondering how the horses were doing after the fireworks. Cody says, they’re fine. He kept the lights on and gave them extra hay. Some people say you should play classical music to soothe them, but these guys are metalheads. She flashes back to kissing Drew, and says, fireworks are beautiful, but kind of disorienting. You get so distracted, you kind of lose your bearings. (Okay. If you say so, Willow.)

Sasha says she knew Cody lied about the DNA test and that Mac was Cody’s biological father, but it didn’t feel like her secret to tell. Felicia asks how Sasha can be so sure. Her tests results came back negative, and Sasha was there when she told Cody. Sasha says she was also there at the Home & Heart set, when Felicia ordered the DNA test. She saw Felicia take hair from Cody’s brush and she replaced it with her own.

Carly asks why Jason can’t tell Sonny the truth, and Jason says, if Sonny finds out Cates is threatening him, who knows what he’ll do? She agrees, especially with how volatile Sonny’s been, and he asks about the meds. Carly says she checked. He’s taking them. Despite all his faults, he’s always been disciplined with his medication. Jason says, something is off, and she says she agrees, but just now, Sonny seemed like his old self. It was a relief. It seemed like the old Sonny was still in there. Jason says, until he walked in, and she says, that’s when the Sonny she doesn’t recognize showed up. He says he can’t tell Sonny the truth. Not yet. What if he goes after Cates again and kills him?

Holding an ice bucket, Ava opens her door, and Sonny is there. He asks what this garbage is. Is she alleging he’s emotionally unstable? She says she’s not talking to him like this and asks if she should call security. He says he took a page out of her book, and puts his phone on record. Just in case something is misinterpreted later on. Don’t do it.

Willow and Cody have coffee, and she says, he should have come up to the house last night, but he says he wanted to make sure the horses were okay. Did he miss a good time? She says, he was in better company, but people are upbeat about Drew running for congress. Even Tracy is on board. He asks if Willow is going to campaign for him, but she says she’s not a savvy campaigner. He says, she was a teacher, and she says she taught children, not town meetings full of would-be voters. He says, children are people too. If Drew is running as a Quartermaine, it might help if the Quartermaines supported him. Get the family involved. Aside from the kids, Willow is one of the more appealing family members.

Sasha tells Felicia and Maxie, Cody has been wrestling with this decision to tell Mac. She thought, if he had more time, he would get there, so she switched the samples to buy him more time, but she hated lying to them. Please believe that. Felicia says she does, and Maxie says she doesn’t understand. Mac’s a great guy. Sasha says, Cody knows that, but has an issue with not being good enough. He’ll have to tell them the rest. She owed them an explanation and apology. Maxie says she accepts and so does her mom. Felicia says, they appreciate her honesty, and Sasha asks, what happens next? Felicia says, it could turn out to be a good thing for Cody and Mac, and Sasha agrees, but says, Cody told her Mac was really angry and hurt. Felicia says, he was, and it will take time for him to trust Cody again. Sasha says she was trying to help, but by delaying the inevitable, she just made things worse.  

Sonny says, no wonder Scotty is the only lawyer Ava could get, and she says, it’s the strength of the case that matters, not the strength of the lawyers. He asks if that’s what her slip-and-fall guy told her, and she says, defenseless mothers seem to do well in family court. He asks if she’s going to have a stand-in, because that’s something she’s not, and she says, he’ll look good in court unless somebody says something he doesn’t like or looks at him funny. Then all bets are off. He says, Diane can find 20 witnesses to say she’s an unfit mother, and she asks if he thinks his reputation is off limits. What judge is going to give custody of an innocent child to a notorious mobster who used to run a strip club?

Maxie tells Sasha not to be so hard on herself, and Sasha says she doesn’t know what to do. Cody is devastated and talking about leaving Port Charles. Maxie says she made him promise he wouldn’t, and Sasha says, so did she. Maxie says, Cody’s promise to Sasha carries more weight, although she threatened him and she’s more dangerous. Sasha says, not really, and Maxie says, Sasha is so sweet, Sasha could be related to her mom. For all they know, maybe she is. Felicia says she would know. Mac is devastated too, but neither one of them is going to approach the other. It seems like they share the same stubborn gene. Maxie asks what they’re going to do about it.

Cody tells Willow that he likes all the Quartermaines, but some of them are more approachable than others. Can she picture Tracy on the campaign trail? Willow says, not so much, and he says, all kidding aside, he thinks Drew should run as part of a family, because that’s the dream. To be surrounded by people that love and care for you and want the best for you. Sometimes when you don’t deserve it. She says, he’s right about being part of a family. The Quartermaines have done that for her, especially Michael. He’s given her everything.

Drew asks what Michael means by Willow being off. Did she say she wasn’t feeling well, because she seemed fine to him. Michael says, nothing like that, but Willow doesn’t always tell him. She just muscles through. Maybe he’s being oversensitive, but whenever she comes down with something, he gets worried that the cancer came back. Drew says, that’s a normal human reaction. Michael witnessed the person he loves going through a terrible disease and has to give himself a break. Michael says, last night, she was tossing and turning, and he doubts she got an hour’s sleep. Drew says, maybe she just had a tough time winding down, and Michael says, he’s right. It was a big day. If Drew says she seems fine, he’ll stop worrying. It’s probably nothing. He leaves.

Jason asks, what happens to Donna and Avery if Sonny’s in prison for killing a federal agent? and Carly says, especially since there’s a possibility of her going to prison, but he says, that’s not going to happen. He’s not going to let it happen. She says she knows he believes that, and if anyone could stop it from happening, it’s him, but it may not be up to him. Or the moss bowl🎍.

Ava says she’s glad Sonny is recording this. Keep talking. Howl at the moon for all she cares. Then go home and listen to himself and judge how suitable he sounds as a parent. He says he’s not going anywhere, when Cates is suddenly at the door, and asks, is there a problem here?

Tomorrow, Ava proposes a deal with John; Heather makes a plea to Laura; and Portia tells Jordan her plan.

🐪 Better Camel Than Never…

I’m on Taleen’s team about the dog. Even if I hate you, I’ll send you condolences on the passing of your pet. It’s a sadness that’s universal and transcends beef.

Real Housewives of Dubai Season 2, Episode 6 Recap: Shut Up and Burn

🌆 LA Is Back…

As usual, there were fabulous houses with views to die for that all our combined incomes could never afford. The market in LA wasn’t great, and the Joshes were at odds over a co-listing, while Tracy tried to bridge the gap with them. JoshA listed a 7200 square foot house at 9000 square feet to get more eyeballs on it, since it had been on the market for 18 months. He played fast and loose with the definition of living space, saying the extra footage was a concrete area that could be a living space. It seemed shady to me, but so do a lot of things in real estate. JoshA appeared on Days of Our Lives as an aggressive businessman with an affinity for cocaine. They thought he resembled his character in real life – an arrogant a-hole – and he was asked back. I tried watching Days for a while, but I just don’t have the time for another soap. They showed clips though, and I’m hoping they have his scenes on YouTube.

Next time, the Heather and Terry Dubrow, and JoshF dresses up as a shark.

Tonight’s full recap here:

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Season 15, Episode 1 Recap: Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All…

🍳 Leaving the Stove On…

I watched this tonight and really enjoyed it. I think Lisa and Gordon are a great fit, and it’s a little different from the usual cooking competition.

Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Which Team’s Demonstration Backfired?

Also saw this, and ditto on the enjoyment factor. The new generations spin on it keeps it fresh.

‘MasterChef’ season 14 episode 6 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘Age is Just a Number’? [LIVE BLOG]

🐯 No Judgement…

I don’t think the word furries means what they think it means, but even if it did, more power to them. Senior pets need extra love. My oldest Peke just turned 17½ right now, June 11th.

https://people.com/furries-raise-over-100k-for-homeless-senior-pets-at-pittsburgh-convention-8676313

🪭 It’s Getting Hot in Here…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a peek at the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping anything breakable away from pools and pool decks, and stay not delaying the inevitable. It just makes things worse.

May23

May 22, 2024 – Neil’s Brother Opposes Alexis’s Reinstatement, Goodbye Gregory, Fergus, Sonny’s Crisis, This Week In Chefs, New Stars, Just Sad, Nixed Awards, A Better Gala & Party

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn picks up Gregory’s cane and remembers the argument they had where Gregory told Finn, by all means lecture him on proper wedding etiquette. Violet comes in, and Finn asks what she’s doing home so early. She says, they had a half day, and Finn hugs her. A woman knocks at the door and says she was making sure Violet got in okay. Gretchen’s in the car so she’s got to run. She’ll see them tomorrow. She leaves, and Violet picks up the bouquet. She says, maybe they can take her bouquet out for a walk. Flowers love fresh air. And they can tell grandpa to come too, if they don’t go too far. (The knife dives deeper into my heart.) He says, they can go for a walk, but he needs to talk to her about something. She asks if she shouldn’t tell grandpa to get ready, but Finn says, grandpa isn’t here. She asks if he’s at the doctor, but Finn says, no. Grandpa isn’t with us anymore. Grandpa passed away last night.

Dex says he hasn’t turned Sonny in, and Michael says, because he doesn’t intend to, or because he hasn’t had time? Dex says he hasn’t decided yet. Why? Michael says, because he and Kristina don’t want Dex to report it.

Sonny asks, what the hell is going on with Dante? He doesn’t have a history here. Michael and Dex conspired to take him down. He didn’t take the proper steps to contain it. He let it go. Dante asks if he wants a medal for not killing someone, and Sonny says, that’s not what he’s saying. He left Dex alone and look what happened. Even more betrayal. He’s hiding behind a badge in the office with Anna, talking about Sonny’s business or whatever he’s talking about. Dex is still trying to take him down, and Dante refuses to see it. Dante says, the only thing he can see really clearly right now is Sonny, and Sonny asks what that means. Dante says, this isn’t some isolated incident. Sonny has a pattern, a history with violence. He’s not talking about Cyrus. This goes back – they both know – for a long time. Sonny asks what Dante is accusing him of.

Alexis says, Diane is right. Whether the robes buy this or not, she wants to stand in front of them and make her argument. Diane raises her hand and says, testify, and Alexis gives her a high-five. Welcome back. Alexis says, there’s a reason Diane wins all her cases. She’s not just pretty; she’s very persuasive. Diane tells her not to forget either of those things. Let’s go win this. Alexis says she has to grab something first, and picks up Gregory’s medal. Diane asks, what’s this hoodoo? and Alexis says, something from Gregory to bring her luck. Let’s hope it works.

Lois tells Ned, good news. She spoke to Monica, and she is all for it. Ned says he’s not surprised. They have plenty of room. Has Lois warned him about his mother? She says, about her irrational bias against those of us who were blessed to grow up in Bensonhurst? No, not yet. Ned says, Lois knows his mother loves her, right? and Lois says she does. She also knows Tracy loves to complain about her and Olivia, and she’s sure Tracy is going to complain about him too. But she and Olivia are adults and he’s just a kid. Ned says, she told him that he was 21, and she says, 21 is still just a kid to her. He says, maybe he’ll win Tracy over. She loves music, as long as it’s not Eddie Maine who’s playing it.

Brook asks if she can get Chase anything. Does he want some water? He says he’s not thirsty, and they hear, this is the final boarding call for flight #384 to Rome, on the loudspeaker. He says, dad was so happy yesterday. He was so full of life. He thought they would have so much more time. She says she did too, (me too), and Chase says, there were so many things he wanted to say to him, and now he’s just never going to know. Brook says she promises he knew, and the loudspeaker announces, boarding for flight 384 to Rome is now closed. Chase cries and Brook comforts him.

Dante says, this isn’t just about Sonny. It’s about him. He’s looked the other way so many times for so long. It’s embarrassing really. Not admitting who Sonny is and who he’s always been. He’s not going to do that anymore. Too many people are getting hurt. And if Sonny doesn’t do something to fix that, it’s just going to get worse.

Dex asks if Josslyn thinks he should turn Sonny in, but she says she thinks it’s up to him. He was attacked. It’s his decision. He says, and she has no opinion on it. That’s a first. She says she’s tired of telling people what they should or shouldn’t do and giving them ultimatums. It hasn’t exactly worked out for her in the past. Michael says he knows he has no right to ask anything else of Dex, and Dex says, but Michael is asking him. But it’s not like when he worked for Sonny. He’s a police cadet now. He has direct knowledge of a crime. What if somebody else gets hurt and him turning in Sonny could have stopped it? Michael says he knows. He’s not asking Dex to do this to protect Sonny, believe him. Sonny deserves to pay for what he did to Dex. He’s asking Dex for Kristina’s sake. If he accuses Sonny, she’ll have to be a witness. She’ll have to testify against her own father. She’s already an emotional wreck from all of this. And she’s pregnant. He’s just worried it’s too much for her. Dex says, when is it too much for him?

Blaze says she’s not denying that what Kristina’s dad did last night scares her, and Kristina says she knows. It scares her too. Blaze says, but she’s not as afraid of Sonny than she is about what all this is doing to Kristina. She’s the one Blaze cares about here. She hates seeing Kristina in so much pain. Besides, she’s the last one who should be throwing stones at anyone’s parents. Her mother gave Kristina every reason to run from their relationship, but she didn’t, so Blaze won’t either. She takes Kristina’s hands and says, Kristina’s not her father. No more than she’s her mother. Kristina says she doesn’t even know who he is anymore. She saw him attacking Dex, and after hearing him scream those threats, it’s like he’s a completely different person.

Finn tells Violet, grandpa wasn’t in any pain. He just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. She says, that can happen? and he says, not to him and her. Grandpa was real sick. She says, it was the ALS? and he says, yeah, that’s probably what it was. They said his heart just stopped beating. She says, but his heart was fine yesterday, and Finn says he knows. Sometimes when people are sick inside, they just don’t know. But he wants her to think about how amazing grandpa was yesterday, how much fun he had. Think about how lucky they are to have spent all this time with him. Violet starts to cry and says, no. She wants grandpa to still be here. She runs out of the room, calling, grandpa!

Finn goes into Gregory’s bedroom to find Violet looking at the bed. She asks, where is he? and Finn takes her hands. He says, the paramedics took grandpa away, and she says she didn’t get to say goodbye. Finn says he knows. If grandpa had known it was going to be the last time he’d see her, he would have hugged her so tight. He hugs her and she cries. She flashes back to being with Gregory at Bobbie’s, and Gregory telling her that she takes after her dad. When he was a boy, he always had his nose in some book. She says, he’s funny. Everyone knows you can’t draw with your nose. Gregory says, she’s so much smarter than he is. The wisdom of youth. She asks, what’s youth? and he says, it’s everything she is, and everything old guys like him long to be. She and Finn cry, and Finn says, life is so beautiful, but sometimes it’s cruel and it’s not fair. Life is so beautiful, it hurts sometimes. She says she loves him, and he says he loves her too. They hug and cry some more.

Chase and Brook walk into the Quartermaine mansion, and Brook asks if he’s okay. He says, not really. He just wishes he could have gone straight from the airport to Finn’s place. She says, her too, but Finn wanted some time to tell Violet about Gregory, just the two of them. He says he doesn’t blame Finn… She says she knows and hugs him. She says, they’re going to have to tell them everything at some point, so they might as well get it over with. Ready for this? He says he’s not sure he’ll ever be ready, but waiting isn’t going to make it easier.

Lois says, poor Ned. She bets Tracy would support his musical side had Brook not followed in their mutual footsteps. He says, if Brook had toed the line and lived her life the way his mother wanted, his mother would never respect her. She says, and Brook would be miserable, and he says, that too. His mother would never admit it, but she loves the way Brook stands up to her. Lois says she loves it too, and Brook and Chase walk in. Lois asks what they’re doing here. Aren’t they supposed to be on a plane, sipping champagne, watching another little plane on the screen in front of them getting closer and closer to Rome? Ned asks, what’s the matter? Was their flight canceled? Brook looks at Chase.

In the courtroom, Alexis flips the medal around, making a clanking sound. Diane puts her hand over it and says, now that Alexis has rubbed Gregory’s good luck charm to shreds, does she feel its good luck coursing through her veins? Alexis says, not unless luck and anxiety feel the same way, and Diane says, then put it away. Take a deep breath, because she doesn’t need luck. She has a brilliant attorney pleading her case. Perhaps she knows her name. Alexis Davis? A man walks in and sits at the other table, and Diane says, who does Alexis think is their esteemed colleague? Alexis says she has no idea. Something about him looks familiar. The bailiff says, all rise, and three judges take their places. Alexis quietly flips the good luck charm.

Finn carries Violet out to the living room and looks at the bottle of bourbon. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, is he? He says he’s very sad. He puts her on the sofa and says he knows it had to be hard for her to go to grandpa’s room just now. It was for him. She says, he was supposed to be in there, and Finn says he knows. She says, but if grandpa isn’t here with them, where is he? What happens to grandpa now?

Dante tells Sonny not to go anywhere near Dex, because if something happens to him, everyone is going to know it was Sonny. Sonny says, that’s how Dante is helping him? By telling him to hide from someone? Keep his mouth shut like some little coward? Dante says, it’s not about being a coward. It’s about being smart. Sonny better hope this kid doesn’t press charges, because if he does, Sonny can’t make amends to his family from behind bars. His freedom now rests on the shoulders, the decision, that a guy’s going to make that Sonny threatened to kill. Sonny says his own son is forsaking him, and Dante says, if he was forsaking Sonny, he’d be taking him down to jail in cuffs. He’s trying to save Sonny. Sonny says, yeah, and Dante says he is. He thinks the problem Sonny is having is that he’s reached his limit with him. He’s done protecting Sonny. He committed a crime and now he has to face the consequences of that crime. Okay? Sonny walks out without saying anything, closing the door behind him. In the hallway, Sonny holds his head for a moment, then keeps walking.

Kristina says she asked Michael to fix things with Dex. That was so unfair of her. Blaze says, it’s pretty clear Kristina’s brother loves her and will do whatever he can to help her, and Kristina says she knows. She loves Michael too, but you’d never be able to tell by the position she just put him in. Blaze says she’s being too hard on herself, and Kristina says she wishes. She hates it, but there’s really only one way for Michael to fix things and that’s by convincing Dex not to press charges against her dad.

Dex says he came to Port Charles because Michael asked him to take Sonny down. What happened last night is further proof that his first instinct was right. Sonny’s not just a danger to his enemies. He’s a danger to his loved ones too. And they’re never going to get a better chance to stop him than right now. Michael says, maybe, but like he told Dex… Josslyn says, there’s no maybe. Michael is right. Sonny absolutely deserves to be punished for what he’s done. The question is, does Kristina, and does her baby? Dex says he guesses she’s not afraid to share her opinion after all, and she says she’s thinking about him too. Because if he presses charges, and Kristina’s a witness, and they interview her, is the stress going to be too much for her and the baby? She knows Dex, and he’s going to feel terrible if it is. She’s not interested in telling him what to do. She can only ask, please don’t file charges against Sonny.

Sonny walks into the penthouse, and Ava says, there you are. She was worried. He barely said two words last night, and he was gone by the time Avery left for school. She missed her dad this morning. He starts to head for the back, and she says, please. Don’t shut her out. She’s here. He says, Kristina saw something, got the wrong idea. She’s one of the last people who believed in him, and now he lost her.

At the café, Michael asks Josslyn if she saw Sonny at the wedding, and she says, yes. She did her best to ignore him. He says, Sonny iced him out at the church. Not that he was expecting anything different. He was watching Sonny at the reception with Brook’s family, and they were all over him. They adored him. He was charming; he was flashing his dimples. He was smiling and flirting with the ladies and making jokes with the guys. He was watching Sonny and he was thinking, there he is. I know that guy. That’s my father. Josslyn says she remembers feeling that way about him. Thinking that he was so kind and empathetic. Thinking how lucky she was to have him as a stepfather. He says, it’s not like he’s lying. All that charm, the dimples, all that stuff, it’s real. So was the ugliness, the brutality, the rage. He used to be better at hiding it, controlling it… That’s why he and mom wanted Dex to stay around him, to keep an eye on him, to protect him from himself. She says, well, now Dex needs protection from Sonny, and he says, speaking of Dex. He saw them. They were dancing at the reception. He knows she waited for Dex afterwards, and actually, the whole night didn’t go as planned, but are they back together?

Finn takes Violet’s hand and says, in a few days, there will be something called a funeral. That’s where all of grandpa’s family and friends will get together to say goodbye to him. She says, but how do they say goodbye if he’s not here? and he tells her, they say it in their thoughts and they say it in their prayers. Or if she wants, she can say it out loud. It’s different for everyone. It’s whatever feels best for her. She says, but when they say goodbye, does grandpa go to heaven? Is he with the angels? Finn says, yeah. Grandpa’s with the angels. There’s a knock at the door, and Violet answers. Elizabeth is there and she hugs Violet. She tells Finn that Chase called her. She’s so sorry. Violet says, her dad’s sad too. She thinks he needs a hug. Elizabeth says she’s sure, and hugs Finn. Violet closes the door, and Elizabeth sees the glass with bourbon in it. She looks at Finn, looks at the bottle, then back at Finn again.

Diane says, on behalf of her client, Alexis Davis, and herself, she would like to thank the court for hearing their petition today. They come before the court to appeal Miss Davis’s disbarment and ask that she be allowed to return to the Bar and practice law in New York State again. And should they accept her appeal, the state and the people in it will only be the better for it. She thanks them and sits down. The man at the adjacent table stands up and says, with all due respect to his esteemed colleague, Miss Miller, the State of New York and its citizenry will be better off without Miss Davis, a proven liar, abusing their trust again. One of the judges asks, and what is the name of the party opposing Miss Davis’s appeal? and the man says, Fergus Byrne. He’s opposing her appeal. His brother Neil was a casualty of Miss Davis’s utter and complete disregard for the law. (Is this allowed? It’s not a parole hearing.)

Sonny tells Ava, the church, the music, everything was just beautiful. People were there from the old neighborhood who he grew up with, like the Cerullos and the Falconaris mostly. The church was packed. He looks over and he sees Dex. Ava says, what? and Sonny says, he had no right to be there. He knew it. Dex looks over at him with his little smirk like he knew he was getting away with it. Ava says, why would he do that? and Sonny says, because he’s a punk kid, with no respect for anyone or anything. She asks what Sonny did, and he says he punched Dex a few times, more than a few times, but he deserved it. Then Jason stopped him from doing something really bad that he was really going to regret. She says she’s sure Dex got the message, but he says, guys like Dex never get the message.

Blaze says, if Michael is willing to ask Dex to drop the charges, maybe it’s a good thing, and Kristina asks if Blaze is on her dad’s side. She’d have lost that bet. Blaze says she’s on Kristina’s side, first and always, but if she’s honest, she’s worried about what the effects of Sonny’s possible arrest and prosecution would have on Kristina. She’s very pregnant and already under a lot of pressure. Kristina says she knows. Seeing her dad attack Dex that way didn’t make it any better. Blaze says, it would be worse if Kristina had to go up in court and testify against him, and Kristina says she didn’t even think about that part of it. She was so focused on what would happen to her dad, she didn’t even… That’s why Michael agreed to talk to Dex. It wasn’t for her dad’s sake; it was for her. Blaze says, Michael already knows she has a lot to think about with the baby. On top of the already complicated history she has with her dad. She’s guessing Michael is putting himself out there because he wants to spare Kristina. That’s really a pretty amazing brother thing to do. Kristina says she knows. She just feels so bad. Michael’s going out on a limb, and she loves her dad. Blaze says, no one’s asking her to stop loving Sonny. It’s not like she’s turning off a faucet. Kristina says she knows, but he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with attacking people and threatening to kill them just because she loves her dad. Blaze says she doesn’t think he should either, and Kristina picks up her phone. Blaze asks what she’s doing, and Kristina says, what she has to do. She makes a call and says, hey, it’s Kristina. I’m at the MetroCourt. How soon can you be here?

Josslyn says, no, she and Dex aren’t back together, and Michael says, sorry he asked. She says, why wouldn’t he ask? She’s been asking herself the same question. She’s the one who broke up with Dex, even though she was still in love with him. He just did something she couldn’t accept, and she thought that was the end of it. He says, but it’s not? and she says she just hates couples that keep breaking up and getting back together. It’s like they’re terminally indecisive or they’re just addicted to the drama of it all. It just reminds her of mom and Sonny’s relationship. Every time she got rid of him, she’d go running back. She’s not saying Dex and Sonny are the same. They could not be more different. Her point is, it’s just not the kind of relationship that she wanted. When she broke up with Dex, she really meant it. Then he radically changed his life. He’s going to become a cop. At first, she thought it was to make amends with her. She knows she sounds like an egomaniac. He asks if she’s saying that Dex didn’t apply to the police academy to impress her. Because that seems like the obvious explanation.

Elizabeth wonders if she can ask Violet for a favor, and Violet says, sure. Elizabeth says, Aiden has been begging her for a friendship bracelet. Can she make him one? Violet says, definitely, and Elizabeth thanks her. Violet goes to her room, and Elizabeth makes sure that she can’t hear. She tells Finn that she can’t imagine how he’s feeling, but it’s obvious he’s been drinking. So she’s going to take Violet home with her, and he can get himself to a meeting, okay? He says, no, not okay. Violet’s staying with him. And he doesn’t need to get himself to a meeting. She says, this isn’t just about him, and he says his father is dead. She says, he must be in so much pain, and he says he stood right over there and watched two strangers wheel out his dead dad. She says, please, let her help him, but he laughs and says, nothing can help the way he’s feeling. Nothing.

Sonny tells Ava that Dex is taunting him. Dex isn’t even saying anything, but is still taunting him. Jason grabbed him and then Kristina showed up. He doesn’t know what she heard, and then she took off without… He wasn’t able to explain anything to her. Ava says she’s so sorry, and he says, Kristina was the only one who really, really believed in him. Every time she would look up at him, she would smile. By the time he finally caught up with her, his little girl was afraid of him. Ava looks like she might cry.

Blaze opens the door and tells Dex, come on in. It looks bad. He says he’s had worse. Never at a wedding though. Kristina says she doesn’t know what to say. She’s sorry doesn’t even begin to cut it. She thanks him for even agreeing to come here. Blaze asks if she can get him anything. Aspirin? Ice? He says, no thank you. Josslyn stayed with him at the ER while he got stitched up. Kristina says, Josslyn was right about her dad. She can say I told you so for… well, the rest of my life now. Dex says, it’s the last thing she wants to do. There’s no victory lap when it comes to being right about Sonny. Kristina says, he’s right. She’s sorry. She didn’t mean to be flippant about it. She had blinders on when it came to her dad. Everyone saw that but her. She wanted to think of him as the man she knew him to be, not who he was, not in his entirety. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), when he worked for Sonny, he also saw what he wanted to see, and he was just as wrong. She says she knows her brother asked him not to press charges. Michael did that because of her, because she asked him to, but she shouldn’t have. He asks, why not? and she says, because Dex is entitled to justice, and if he chooses to pursue it, she wants him to know that she’ll testify on his behalf against her father.

Josslyn tells Michael, Dex really believes in what he’s doing. He wants to be a cop. He wants to wear that uniform, to protect and serve. And she thinks he’s going to make a really good cop, like Dante. He’s going to help people. And she thinks that he would really like it if they got back together, but if for some reason they don’t, Dex is going to be fine. He respects himself… and some other girl would get him, and she’d be kicking herself. Michael says, there’s an easy solution to this. She can just tell Dex that she wants to try again. She says she doesn’t know if she’s ready for that yet. What she does know is that she’s done changing her mind. Dex deserves better. Michael says he’s going to guess though, that Dex would tell her that there is nobody better than her. She says, he’s her big brother. He has to say nice things to her. He says, that doesn’t make them any less true, and hugs her.

Diane says, Mr. Byrne just admitted to being the brother of the late Dr. Neil Byrne, who was a factor in her client’s disbarment. Fergus gets up and says, his brother was much more than a factor in her case. Although he shouldn’t be surprised that she reduced him to such. His brother, Neil Byrne, would be alive today if it weren’t for Alexis Davis. Diane starts to protest that it’s a conflict of interest, when Alexis gets up. She says she has no problem with Mr. Byrne’s role here today. In fact, she welcomes it. She’s never pleaded her own case in court before, but she intends to do so today, so it seems fitting, maybe even necessary, that Mr. Byrne have a front row seat to it.

Lois says she’s so sorry and hugs Chase. His father was a wonderful man, and he was a wonderful father. Chase is proof of that. Every moment she spent in Gregory’s company was pure joy. Chase thanks her, and she asks if Brook is okay, and hugs her. Ned tells Chase that he’s so sorry, and Brook asks, where’s her grandmother? Ned says, she went down to the stables. She was going out for a ride. Chase says he’ll go down there and see if she’s left yet, and Ned says he’ll walk Chase down. They leave, and Lois says she can’t believe he’s gone. She knew it was going to happen someday, but… Brook says she knows. Someday wasn’t supposed to be now. Lois leads Brook to the sofa and says, sometimes God has a plan for us. She guesses it would just be nice sometimes to get a little heads up. Because of Brook and Chase and that beautiful wedding, Gregory died the happiest, right? Brook says, he was also the bravest, and holding back tears, Lois says, yeah, he was. And the way he officiated their wedding, it was with so much courage and determination. Brook says, he had so much strength, and he used so much of it to get through that ceremony. It’s like he just didn’t have any left. She starts to cry, and Lois sits next to her, putting her arm around Brook. Brook says, Chase just wanted a little more time with his dad, and Lois says, but Brook is here to hold Chase now and let him know he’s not alone. Brook puts her head on Lois’s shoulder, and they cry.

Finn says, does Elizabeth want to know what eased the pain for a few minutes? One drink. He thinks he has the right to do whatever it takes to get him through this day. She says, if that’s how he chooses to treat his pain, she can’t stop him, but she will not let him get drunk in front of that little girl in this apartment.

Tomorrow, Finn says, those are the two choices, you decide; Alexis demands to know the name of her accuser; Kristina tells Blaze that in her own way, she’s just as guilty; and Carly asks what Sonny is going to do when he runs out of traitors.

👨🏻‍💻 A Professor To Remember…

I’m so sorry to see him go. I saw Gregory Harrison years ago on Broadway in a revival of my favorite musical, Follies. He was actually substituting for the original actor, and I was skeptical at first, but he was absolutely amazing. It’s a shame they couldn’t have made it a misdiagnosis or at least let him play it out. Although kudos for such a beautiful ending.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/gregory-harrison-ends-his-run-on-general-hospital

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/gh-stars-say-goodbye-to-gregory-harrison

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/why-james-patrick-stuart-was-happy-gregory-harrison-joined-gh

⚖️ Enter Fergus…

Apparently, he and Alexis (or at least her portrayer) are no strangers.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/lane-davies-opens-up-about-his-general-hospital-return

💊 The Real Deal…

It’s unbelievable people were telling him that Sonny’s reaction to the low dosage of his meds is unrealistic or that it’s just for the next Emmy. He ought to know about being bipolar and he deserves another Emmy for this one.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-maurice-benard-on-sonnys-mental-health-crisis

🔪 The Latest On Top…

My takeaways from this week. Tom said to put your own spin on a classic, you have to understand the dish first. Even though the microwave is my best friend in the kitchen, I get this. The teacher I studied musical comedy with said, learn how the song is sung first, then make it your own. Same thing. The judges were also on Watch What Happens Live afterward, and Kristen said she finds foam to be useless 99% of the time. So my suspicions about foam were right.

‘Top Chef’ season 21 episode 10 recap: A little blood and a lot of fire on the beach in ‘Door County Fish Boil’

🍲 In Other Chefs…

Serving up the next Food Stars.

https://thedirect.com/article/gordon-ramsays-food-stars-2024-cast-season-2-contestants-hosts-photos

Gordon Ramsay vs Lisa Vanderpump: Who Will Win Food Stars Season 2?
Lisa Vanderpump Knew How to ‘Handle’ Gordon Ramsay Going Into ‘Food Stars’

🪞 Don’t Try This At Home…

I’m including this because it’s just so sad. And they’re not the only women in the industry who think they’re huge at a size 0. I have a theory that the people in media and advertising want women to disappear, since they just keep encouraging us to be smaller.

https://people.com/christina-applegate-anorexia-married-with-children-messy-podcast-8647913

🍿 No Awards For You…

They don’t quite say what the problem was. I actually thought it was the only awards show worth watching.

https://ew.com/mtv-movie-and-tv-awards-wont-happen-this-year-will-return-in-2025-8647917

🐕 The Warm and Fuzzy Side Of the Met…

I swear, next year I’m going to this.

https://people.com/dogs-dress-in-canine-copies-of-2024-met-gala-looks-for-pet-gala-8651847

🪣 There’s a Hole In My Bucket List…

Join me tomorrow for soap and throwing stones at Summer Houses. Until then, stay safe, stay sending postcards when you travel, and stay saying goodbye however feels best for you. It’s different for everyone.

May9

May 8, 2024 – Carly Visits Jack In Pentenville, Lotsa Suds, VanderThoughts, What’s Cooking, Post Met Looks, Together At Last, Motel Drag, Pet (!) Gala Fashion & Maggie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna answers the door to Jason, who says, Agent Cates came to see him about Pikeman. She says, he’d better come in.

Sam sits on the bed, waking up Dante, and says she wanted to be here when he got home from work, but don’t leave her in suspense. How did Anna take it when he told her that he was quitting the force? Did she want him to give a notice or something?  Like a month? That seems kind of fair. He says he didn’t resign.

At the MetroCourt, Doc says, they should do this more often, and Laura says she agrees. He says, barely eating and barely talking. What’s up? She says she’s sorry. She knows they’re supposed to be out for a nice meal, but she’s a million miles away. He says, this has to do with her visit with Heather. He takes it that it didn’t go well. She says, just the opposite. It went really well, and that’s why she’s troubled.

Chase goes to Finn’s office, and Finn asks what brings him by. Chase says he just wanted to say hi, unless this is a bad time, but Finn says, it’s actually a perfect time. He’s in between patients right now. He’s surprised Chase has any free time at all, considering it’s almost his wedding day. Chase says, they’re really in the homestretch, and Finn asks how he’s feeling. Chase says he’s excited. He can’t wait for Brook to walk down the aisle. There’s just one big problem. Finn says, only one? and Chase says he really doesn’t want their dad flying to Coney Island for the rehearsal dinner. The last thing he wants is for Gregory to be tired and wear himself out before the wedding. But how does he tell that to Gregory when he knows how much their dad is looking forward to it? Finn says, he doesn’t.

Walking into Bobbie’s, Brook thanks Lois for helping her pick out the gifts for the rehearsal dinner. She hopes everyone likes them. Lois says, Chase’s family is so gracious, they’re going to love what they bought them. And even if they don’t like it, they’re never going to say anything. Now Tracy on the other hand… Brook says, oh please. She thinks Tracy is secretly looking forward to going to Coney Island. She just won’t admit it to herself. They sit down, and Brook looks at a table near the window and says, no way. Lois says, what way? and Brook tells her not to be obvious, but that guy over there is that dirtbag FBI agent who tried to question Danny without Sam present. Lois looks over to see John and says, oh my God. That’s Jagger Cates.

Jack walks into the Pentenville visiting room and sees Carly. He says, well, well, well. This day just got 100% better.

Lois says she hasn’t seen Jagger in years. Brook said he’s with the FBI? Brook says she can’t believe Lois knows that jerk, and Lois says, that jerk happens to be a very nice man. Come on. Let’s go say hi. She grabs Brook’s hand, and Brook says, ma, no, but has no choice but to follow. Lois says, Jagger, hi, and John gets up and hugs her. He says, Lois Cerullo. He can’t believe how long it’s been. It’s so good to see her. She hasn’t changed. (Truth!) She says she doesn’t even care if he’s being nice. She’s going to take that compliment. Brook asks if she doesn’t care about what this guy did to Danny, and Lois says, she knows John knows her daughter, Brook Lynn. He says, they’ve met. Unfortunately, not under the best of circumstances. Brook says, that’s putting it mildly, and he says, actually, he’s been meaning to find her. She asks why he’d want to see her again. Does he want to interrogate her too? John says, not at all. He owes her an apology, and his thanks.

Laura tells Doc, Heather was so much more rational this time. She was more clear-headed than Laura’s seen her in years. It’s like she had a glimpse of the old Heather from way back when. He says, that makes sense now that she’s getting the medical attention she needs, and Laura says she gave Heather a picture of Ace. She was so grateful. It clearly meant so much to her. She loves that little boy. He says, of course (🍷) she does, but honestly, who wouldn’t? and she says, then they talked about Esme. He asks if Heather happened to say anything upsetting, maybe about Spencer? and she says, she did mention Spencer, but it was actually in the context of her regrets. She just realized in talking to Heather, that despite all the crimes she’s committed and her crazy outlook on life, she’s really just another grieving mother who’s missing her child. He says, of course (🍷) she can empathize with that, and she says she does. Can he see why she’s distracted? She’s empathizing with a serial killer.

Dante tells Sam that he went to Anna’s office to talk to her and put his resignation letter on her desk, and she refused to accept it. Sam asks, what exactly did Anna say? and he tells her, Anna said resigning from the force is not going to solve this conflict he’s having, that it was going to open the door to further overtures from Sonny, but the boundaries would be gone. Without his badge, Sonny would see no reason to have distance between Dante and his business. She basically said, to get out of Sonny’s orbit, he’d have to leave Port Charles. He’s not going to do that. He got to thinking, and realized he was running away from his duty. He’s a cop. It’s what he loves to do and kind of what he’s good at. It just means he can’t be on a case that Sonny’s a part of. Like right now, he’s involved in a criminal investigation… Can she say something? She’s quiet. She gets up and says she just doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, but he says, she can’t say the wrong thing. He wants to work through this with her, so just say whatever she wants to say. She says she should have known better than to get her hopes up.

Anna asks what Cates said about Pikeman, and Jason says, he asked a lot of questions about the ties between Pikeman and Sonny, and they talked about that guy up in Pentenville. Anna says, Jack Brennan, and shows him a file box labeled J. Brennan. He says, John talked about how Brennan was director of the WSB, and the alleged head of Pikeman. The funny thing is, he didn’t even mention Valentin. He doesn’t think Cates or the FBI are aware Valentin’s involved. She says, that’s interesting. Did he mention Valentin to Cates? He says, no. His deal with the FBI is to take Pikeman down. He doesn’t trust Cates. He’s not going to give him any more information than he has to. She says she can’t fault him there. If they’re going to do this, she feels that they should have full transparency. She needs to know what it is the FBI is holding over him and what evidence they have against Carly.

Jack says he certainly never expected Carly to show up, and she says she’s been thinking about him. (She’s wearing an orange top and I wonder she’s being ironic.) He says, that’s encouraging, and she says she’s been thinking he lied to her about who he is and he tried to abduct her from her own restaurant. He says he never had any intention of abducting her, and she says, he had zip ties. He says, yes, he did. He apologizes if she got the wrong impression, but the zip ties are… were standard in his profession, so he always carries them. He never had any intention of harming her in any way with zip ties. She says, they just happened to be in his pocket, and he says, and sadly she jumped to the wrong conclusion and nearly took off his head with that tray – she laughs – but no hard feelings over here. She says, just chalk it up to miscommunication, and he says, that works. She says she also remembers the night that Anna and Dante came in with their guns drawn and they arrested him. It’s still a little blurry, but she thinks Anna said something about him being involved with a company or organization named Pikeman. He says, Anna’s said a lot of things about him, but not all of them are true.

Sam says, while Dante was talking, she was running through all of these options in her head, and she has to tell him, there are no easy answers. He’s right. They can’t leave Port Charles because it’s their home. Their families are here. They’re happy here. He says, they are, and she says, and that thing about him being a cop, yes, if he gave up his badge, he’d probably get dragged in deeper into Sonny’s business. He says, they don’t know that, but they don’t really want that, and she says, when he told her that he wanted to give up his badge, she had this huge wave of relief come over her. It was like she could finally breathe for a second, because there was this tiny little glimpse into what their future could look like if she didn’t have to worry every time he went to work and walked out that door.

Finn tells Chase that he doesn’t think it’s safe for their dad to be flying right now either (what is it? a half hour flight?). He’ll go to him, and from a medical standpoint, he’ll break the news to him. Chase says he can’t let Finn do that. It’s going to be hard, but he owes it to their dad to have this conversation with him, especially after the huge effort he made to be a part of the wedding. Although telling him that he can’t be part of the fun the night before is a hell of a way of saying thank you. Finn says, just be honest with him. Just remind him that by staying home from the rehearsal dinner and resting, it ensures that he’ll be well enough to be there and enjoy Chase’s actual wedding day. Chase says, that’s true, but he doesn’t know if their dad is going to see it that way. Finn says, their dad wouldn’t want Chase to spend the most important day of his life worrying about him. And he’ll know it will put Chase’s mind at ease. He’ll understand because Chase has always been the devoted son. Chase says, Finn is a good son too, but Finn says, they both know that’s not true.

Brennan tells Carly that his arrest was purely political. He made a lot of enemies on his rise to director of the WSB. His rivals framed him just to get him out of the way. She says, he was locked up because people were jealous of him? and he says, mm-hmm. And there were also allegations – completely untrue, by the way – that he was secretly head of Pikeman. As if one could secretly head up a major arms manufacturer. So here he sits, a prisoner of his own ambition, one might say, framed for crimes he didn’t commit, so someone else can run the WSB. She says, that’s a sad story, and he says, it is sad. That’s why he tries not to dwell on it, so he suggests they talk about something else. Distract him from his misery. Tell him all about her.

Brook says, John wants to thank her? and he says he was wrong to question Danny without a parent present. It may have been technically legal, but he shouldn’t have done it. And she had every right to call him out, and he’s grateful she stopped him from doing something he would have regretted. Brook tells him, that’s very nice of him to say, if he really means it, and he says, once he walked away, he realized how furious he would have been if somebody had questioned his son when he was Danny’s age. She made him see that. Lois says, he has a son? and he says he does. His son is the best thing that ever happened to him. His name is Stone. Lois says, he named his son after his brother? What a beautiful way to honor his memory. John thanks her. He just wishes they could have met. Brook says, this is the perfect timing. She has to go meet Chase down at the station, so they can catch up. Lois says, whoa, whoa, whoa. She thought they were having coffee. Brook never said anything about meeting Chase earlier. Brook says she’s so sorry. She completely forgot. John says, if her daughter has to leave, please join him. Coffee’s on him. Lois says she would love that, and Brook thanks Lois for helping her shop. Lois says, she’s welcome, and they hug. Brook says goodbye to John and leaves. Lois says, they have so much to catch up on. (Yes. Lois and John. Let’s do this.)

Jason says he needs Anna’s word that she won’t use anything. That whatever he says stays between them. She says, of course (🍷). This is the FBI’s case; it’s not hers. She’s under no obligation to act on any information he might give her. Not that she would anyway. Whatever he tells her is between them. He has her word. He says, okay, and sighs. The FBI has a recording of Carly at a meeting with other heads of organized crime families, saying that she’s in charge of the Corinthos organization, and saying she controls all the business that goes through the Corinthos territory. Anna says she had no idea Carly was involved with the mob so deeply, but Jason says, she wasn’t. It’s when they thought Sonny was dead. His business was completely under siege. They were doing everything they could to hold it together and make it look as strong as possible. He was supposed to be at that meeting, but he’d been shot, so Carly went instead. She says, against his wishes she’s sure, and he says, yeah. He didn’t want her to go, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to protect herself; she had to protect her kids. She knew that any sign of weakness, somebody would try to eliminate her and target her kids. Anna says, so Carly’s best defense was to present herself as part of the mob, and he says, and the FBI has it all on tape.

Sam tells Dante that she can’t deny a part of her will always want that, but a cop is who he is. It’s who he was when she fell in love with him. She knew what she was getting herself into and she can’t try to ask him to change or be something he’s not. She can’t ask him to be another man. The only thing she can control is her response to his choices. He says, so will she stay with him if he’s still a cop?

Doc tells Laura, metallosis, cobalt poisoning, manifests differently in different patients. In Heather’s case, it seems to have tipped her from transgressive behaviors to a pathology that led to rampage. Laura says, okay. Then what’s next? Is it right to just leave Heather in prison for the rest of her life to pay for crimes that were actually brought on by the metallosis? On the other hand, what about all the victims and all of their loved ones? Their loss, their pain is still very real. Would it ever be appropriate to show Heather leniency?

Finn says, Chase is the reason he has a relationship with their dad today. Chase was tireless when he was trying to reconcile the two of them. He wanted nothing to do with their dad, and Chase refused to accept that. Chase says he knew Finn would regret it later, and Finn says he does. He hurt Gregory. He was so stubborn and self-righteous at the time. Chase says he knows Finn still feels guilty, but that was a long time ago. He and their dad are good now. Doesn’t he think it’s time to leave it in the past? Finn says he lost so much precious time with him because of his pride and his anger. Time he’ll never get back. Chase says, Finn’s got to stop beating himself up. Their dad has always loved Finn and he always will.

Anna asks why Jason doesn’t call the FBI’s bluff. Let them proceed against Carly. She has an excellent lawyer. She may well beat the charges. He says, but no guarantee. He couldn’t take that risk. At first, he thought it would just be three months, six months, but now he’s three years in. He’s in too deep. He doesn’t want Carly to know all of this was just to protect her. She says, why not? She’s a strong woman. She thinks Carly deserves to know what the FBI has on her. He says, because if she ever finds out, he knows exactly what her reaction is going to be. She’s going to try and save him. She’s going to do something crazy and wind up sending herself to prison.

Jack says, before things went sideways, he really looked forward to talking to Carly. He suggests they pretend he’s in her restaurant. He’s just ordered a coffee and some eggs, sunny side up. How’s the world been treating her? She says her daughter just had her first dance recital, and he says, soccer girl. She says, that’s the one. And she nailed her solo, so she’s a proud mom. He says, that must be a good feeling, and she says, it is. She recently went through a break-up. That’s been tough, but she’s getting through it, mostly because her best friend is back. He was missing for two years and now Jason is back in Port Charles, and all is right in her world. He says, Jason Morgan has gotten a lot of news coverage. At first, he was a fugitive, then he was exonerated, or at least the charges were dropped. She says, you can’t believe everything the news says, right? Jason didn’t do any of the things he was accused of. And enough talk about her. Let’s get back to him. He says, that’s right. She came here because she wanted to know about Pikeman, and she says, right. Is he sure he’s not involved with them? He says, if he was, he’d have their fleet of lawyers to secure his freedom instead of him paying his own little attorney out of his own little pocket. She says, so it would mean nothing to him if the FBI is investigating Pikeman.

Anna says, it was such a hard choice Jason had to make. Carly’s safety versus him having to allow the people he loves think that he was dead. He says he just weighed what he had to lose against what Carly had to lose. It just came down to her kids. He knew Jake and Danny would be okay. They have great moms and stable homes. But Donna is just a kid. She needs her mom. Anna says, that’s very admirable of him, and he says, there’s another reason. He chose to work for Sonny. He chose to come back into this life knowing the potential consequences. Carly never chose that. He and Sonny pulled her in. When Carly went to that meeting, she had no criminal intent. She was just going to try and protect her family. She says, he got Carly into this, and he says, it’s on him to get her out.

Brennan says he just doesn’t see Carly being tight with law enforcement. How would she know who the FBI is investigating? She says, because she’s friends with an agent, John Cates. He comes into Bobbie’s to eat sometimes. He says, and they struck up an acquaintance? and she says, they have people in common. John is originally from Port Charles and recently moved back. He asks, why? To work a case against Pikeman? She says, why the interest? Does he have a problem with John Cates being in town? He says, should he have a problem?

Lois says she’s been talking John’s ear off. Enough about her. Tell her about him. How did he wind up at the FBI? He says, after his first marriage to Karen broke up, he was kind of reeling, and that’s when he joined the Bureau. She puts her hand on his and says she was really sorry to hear about Karen’s death. He thanks her and says, it took him a while to make his peace with losing her. She tells him, they say that the ones we love never really leave us, but enough about that. Let’s talk about something happy. She wants to hear about his son. He says, talk about time flying, he’s 21 now. Stone’s on the spectrum, so he lives in a group home outside of Quantico. It’s the perfect place for him and he’s really happy there. She says, it’s got to be so hard for John though, being so far away, and he says, it is. He wishes he could see Stone more, but this is the way it has to be for now, so there’s a lot of texts and videochats. She says, thank God for cellphones, and he says, what about her? How’s it been coming back to Port Charles? So much has changed. She says she knows. All of their old hangouts are all gone, except for this place, but it used to be Kelly’s. He says, places aren’t the only thing that’s changed. They have too. He guesses he should only speak for himself, but he knows he’s changed. All the dreams he had when he was young turned out to either be wrong for him or slip through his fingers.

Doc says he does believe Heather’s metallosis was a major factor in her crimes, but it’s impossible to say if that was the only cause, and Laura asks if there couldn’t be some middle ground, at least from a legal point of view. He says, philosophically speaking, he believes that Heather should have a shot at building a better life, but not with absolving her of everything she’s done. His phone rings and he says, it’s the hospital. He needs to take this. She tells him, go ahead, and he leaves. Valentin approaches the table and says he hopes she doesn’t mind if he imposes. She says, that depends. What is it about?

Finn tells Chase, it’s settled then, right? He’ll go to dad and talk to him about staying home and resting during the rehearsal dinner, and Chase can just focus on getting married and having the best day of his life. Chase thanks Finn and hugs him, saying, he doesn’t know what he’d do without him. Finn tells him to remember that and be forgiving when he stumbles through his best man speech. Chase says, okay, and leaves.

Sam says, the only thing she knows for sure is that she loves Dante, and they have a family and a life together. Is something like this worth breaking up for? She’d have to tell him and Rocco to leave. What would be the point? To separate their children when they would be miserable apart while they’re still missing each other? He says, so she doesn’t want him to leave? and she says, it’s not like she would love him any less or be any less afraid for his safety if they weren’t together. All she would lose is him. So she’ll just have to learn to live with the fear. He says he’s sorry. He’s sorry for making her feel that way. He hates it, and if he could take that fear away from her, he would. She says she knows, and he says he’s really sorry he gave her this false hope that he was going to resign. She says she can’t pretend she’s not disappointed. She’s going to have to feel these emotions and learn to work through it. He says, whatever she needs, however he can help her, and she says, probably just a little time so she can process it all. He says, whatever she needs. He promises he’ll never take her for granted and what she’s sacrificing. He loves her. She says she loves him too, and they kiss.

Brook comes into the squad room, and Chase asks what she’s doing here. He thought she was going to spend the day with her mom. She says, her mom ran into a friend, so she came here to distract him from his very important work. He says he only just got here. He actually went to speak to Finn and he agreed to talk to their dad about not coming to the rehearsal dinner. She says, that was nice of him. She’s really sad that Gregory’s not going to be there, but she really thinks it’s what’s best. And now he’ll be well-rested for the actual wedding day. He says, that’s the idea, and she says she thought her mom was crazy for wanting to have the rehearsal dinner in Coney Island, but now that it’s here, she’s actually really excited. She can’t wait to show him all her favorite places and have cotton candy with him on the boardwalk and to ride all the rides together. He says, they’re going to be so busy, they won’t have time for any pre-wedding jitters, which everyone keeps warning him about. He keeps waiting for them to happen, but so far, nothing. She says, really? Because she’s a total wreck.

Lois says she totally gets what John is going through because she feels it too. Being back in Port Charles is harder than she thought it would be. He asks, what’s that saying? You can never really go home again. She says, ain’t that the truth? But don’t get her wrong. The last few months she’s spent here with her daughter, before she gets married and starts a family and doesn’t have as much time for her ma, has been amazing. It’s a gift she’s always going to treasure. But it’s like he said, being back here is a constant reminder of what her life was, what she thought it would be, and how it actually turned out. But different is not necessarily bad.

Valentin says he thought Laura might like to hear how Charlotte’s doing in Switzerland, and she says, that would be lovely. She always loves to hear about her granddaughter. He sits down and says, she’s busying herself with school, and she’s checking in with him once or twice a week by text or phone. They actually videochatted the other day and he saw her room, so she’s thriving. Laura says she didn’t realize how much she needed to hear that. That’s so great. Charlotte sent her a couple of emails, but not on a regular basis. He says, she’s a teenager. They take what they can get. She says, that’s true. She did talk quite a bit about how much she missed that school of hers, so she’s glad Charlotte is happy to be back there, but does he think now that she’s in Switzerland, she’ll be able to put everything that happened in Port Charles behind her?

Anna tells Jason, say this all goes according to plan, and he’s able to deliver to John whatever the hell it is he wants on Pikeman. Does he think the FBI is going to hold up their side of the deal? With her experience with intelligence agencies, she’d say it’s very hard to believe they would ever destroy that evidence. They might bury it for a time, but they’ll always have it to use against him and Carly. He says he plans to honor his part of the deal and help the FBI take Pikeman down, but after that, that’s it. He’s done. He has no intention of taking orders from John Cates or the FBI for the rest of his life.

Sam says she feels so lucky to have Dante, and he says he doesn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost her. They kiss and I’d bet the farm they’re about to get busy.

Finn pushes whatever is in front of him off his desk. He gets up, picks up his phone, and sits on the floor. He hits AA meeting near me on Spyder-Finder.

Brook says she knows they put so much work into planning this wedding, but there’s still so much that could go wrong. What if the flowers aren’t what they wanted? What if her dress gets ruined? He says, that’s not going to happen, but she says, don’t be so sure. She read this post about this custom designer gown. The bride was about to put it on, and somebody had left a black felt pen open, and there was a big, black blob in the middle of the dress. He says, no. Did they postpone the wedding? She tells him, the girl didn’t say, and he says, if that happens – she says, God forbid – then she can get married in blue jeans. She can get married in a bathrobe. She can wear the dress, ink stains and all. He doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter to him. She tells him, that’s so sweet of him to say. But that’s impossible because their wedding day has to be perfect. But there is one thing she’s not nervous about, and that’s marrying him. She can’t wait to be his wife. He says he can’t wait to be her husband, and she says she shouldn’t kiss him in the squad room. He backs up and says, no, she shouldn’t. It would be a bad idea. He takes her hand, brings her into the interrogation room, and closes the door. Inside, they kiss.

Anna says, the FBI made a deal with Jason, and they need to stick to it. If they don’t and they continue to abuse their power, frankly, in her book, they’re no better than Pikeman. He says, but they have to take Pikeman down first. She looks at the flowers from Valentin, and says, it seems to her that the FBI are not onto Valentin at all, but she still thinks he’s a key player in Pikeman. And luckily, he invited her out to dinner, and she accepted. She thinks it will be an opportunity for her to work him. He asks if she thinks Valentin will give anything up, and she says, the date on the photo Dex gave him proves Valentin was in Port Charles when there was the shooting at the MetroCourt, but he doesn’t know he was caught in the lie, so he has no reason to have his guard up. She thinks if she plays it right, he could lead them to whoever is in charge of Pikeman.

Laura tells Valentin that she’s delighted Charlotte is happy back at school, but she can’t help wondering if it might be too soon for her to be so far from Port Charles and all of her family. He says he was worried about that too, but as it happens, he has a new business venture that will be taking him to Switzerland quite often. He can keep an eye on her. That should ease both of their minds. She says, it does actually. So what’s the new venture? Is it something for ELQ? He says, something for ELQ.

Lois says she thinks John is looking at this all wrong. He’s achieved so much. Becoming an FBI agent, it’s so impressive. Does he like the work? He says, for the most part, yeah, and even when he doesn’t, he can tell himself that he’s accomplishing good things by enforcing the law. (Since when is blackmail enforcing the law?) His phone dings, and he says, speaking of his job, he’s so sorry, but he has to make a phone call. She says, absolutely. You go save the world. She gets up and says, it was so great running into him and catching up. They hug, and she says, don’t be a stranger. He says, her neither, and she leaves. He makes a call and says, Brennan’s got a visitor?… What is Carly Spencer doing there?

Brennan tells Carly that the only problem he has with this Agent Cates is, he still has his badge, his freedom, and most importantly, he gets to enjoy the pleasure of her company. The guard tells Brennan, time’s up, and Carly says, that’s her cue. Brennan says, time flies when a beautiful woman comes to see him, and Carly gets up. She says she’s sure he could have done a lot worse to her that day than some zip ties. For whatever reason, he didn’t. Thank you. He says, her visit really brightened up his day. Maybe she could come back sometime. She says, we’ll see, and he says he’ll live in hope. She leaves, and he says, watch your back, Valentin.

Tomorrow, Blaze thinks it’s going to be her best one yet; Sam asks Jason to promise her someone won’t be walking into something dangerous; Ava asks Sonny, how dare someone throw her daughter’s murder in her face; and Gregory tells Finn, by all means, lecture him on proper wedding etiquette.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

It’s so ridiculous that this poor woman has to worry about how she looks during a tough time. Have they ever seen a British soap? They actually look like real people. As for weight, I met the so-called fat girl from One Life To Live when she was on Broadway. I was at my fighting weight and felt like a giant next to her.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kirsten-storms-opens-up-about-maxies-appearance-on-gh

Yeah. He ditched her too.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/tabyana-ali-addresses-nicholas-chavez-exit-from-gh

Events in soap.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/up-close-and-personal-with-the-ladies-of-general-hospital

I’m not sure how you can have an anniversary of something that was canceled decades ago, but more power to them.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/nbc/inside-the-another-world-60th-anniversary-reunion

You, too, can vote.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/daytime-emmys/daytime-emmys-2024-vote-for-the-winners

🍸 Post Rules Chatter…

There was a lot to unpack from the Vanderpump Rules finale last night, but it was late, and I needed to process. TBH, I’m not so sure this show is going to come back, at least with Ariana. It could just be the continuing recovery from Scandoval, but this finale seemed a little too final. And the Reunion probably isn’t going to help anyone. Reunions might be cathartic, but I wouldn’t call them healing.

For whatever reason, it left me feeling sad. Maybe because Lala was right when she said – and I’m really more rephrasing than paraphrasing – what happened to Ariana was horrible, but now she thinks she’s a demi-god, dictating how everyone must behave. Other than Sandoval himself, I don’t think anyone in the cast would argue that what happened to her was horrible. But I can honestly say, if that happened to me and I was suddenly given the consolation prize of Dancing with the Stars, Chicago, hosting Love Island, and just about every other media possibility, I’d be laughing my ass off at Sandoval who could barely sell a ticket to his concerts. I would never tell someone else how to feel. Only you know what’s best for you. But somehow, I don’t think this anger is helping her. Even when she grey rocks him, the hate is coming off her in waves. Seriously, I would pat him on his stupid head and rub his nose in it every chance I got. They say living well is the best revenge, and she was handed that on a platter. We were all thrilled to see the karma unfold before us. I’m now holding my breath, wondering if it’s going to backfire since she can’t contain her visible anger, even in public, probably feeling that since the world backed her during this tragedy, they’ll back her no matter what. Au contraire. The public is fickle, and this isn’t a good look. As Lala said – again rephrasing – no one died.

Yeah, he probably does just want to apologize for show, and if she doesn’t want to hear it, that’s fine. But, as several of the cast members pointed out, they’re on a reality show, like it or not, he’s in the friend group, and if you can never film with him, that makes it difficult for everyone. No one is saying she has to be friends with him or even forgive him, just reel it in for the group events. And expecting the others not to be friends with him – even when she’s not around – is unreasonable. They’re not five years old and all of the original cast members have a history with him. Katie was always a little free with her sarcasm, but the hate is now slopping onto her and she’s taking it out on people like Jo, whose only sin was to act on her feelings for Schwartz after he and Katie separated. And Katie wanted out. It’s painful to watch. I also think Jo could do better. That guy has always been commitment shy. That’s why he needs Sandoval to tell him things like what socks to wear.

On the plus side, one of the reasons I’ve stuck with this show – besides she who can do no wrong, LVP – is that it’s interesting to see how people grow over the years. That’s why I didn’t think they should have fired Stassi and Kristen. While I think Kristen has less growth potential, I would have liked to see how Stassi matured. In the early years, they were all kids. I read a review where someone said they wanted to cry when they showed the early clips. Same. After all these years, it’s like we know them. Some we might want to hang out with all the time; others are like those cousins you tolerate at family gatherings. (Hint for Ariana if she wants to continue with the show.) Apparently, Brock has been very grounding for Scheana, who had a revolving door of losers she fell in love with. She found her Prince Charming and is nearly living her best life. Kudos. She does still need some help with that anxiety, but I think she’ll get there. Whatever James is doing is working for him, and I hope he gets his dream of a family with Ally. We’ve seen him go from an unreasonable, nasty drunk to a man with a plan. Honors to him for staying California sober. IMO, Lala was the MVP of both last night and the show in general. She went from being a mean girl, calling out people for not working on their summer bodies, to being a wise and maternal woman.  Confetti parade for her. Color me impressed.

Here’s hoping the Reunion isn’t the final nail in the VPR coffin. But if it is and VanderWorld breaks up, I’d love to see Lala and Scheana move to The Valley. God knows that show could use a VanderBoost.

🔪 Tonight In Chefs…

Let Restaurant Wars commence.

‘Top Chef’ 21 episode 8 recap: Kitchen mix-ups, long wait times and confused concepts – must be ‘Restaurant Wars’

Apparently, I haven’t been paying attention, but I saw a commercial for this today. Two of my favorites joining forces, sort of. It begins May 22nd.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1396174/lisa-vanderpump-is-joining-gordon-ramsay-for-season-2-of-food-stars

👘 After the Gala’s Over…

Afterparty fashion.

https://people.com/met-gala-2024-afterparty-photos-8644453

https://www.etonline.com/gallery/2024-met-gala-after-parties-224939

🦸🏻‍♂️ And It Feels So Good…

The trailer is here, and I can’t wait. In theaters July 26th.

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-hugh-jackman-involvement-radically-changed-film-8640282

A Meta joke.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-new-footage-features-a-meta-paul-rudd-joke-and-tension-between-wade-wilson-and-logan-a210815

🩱 All Pink All the Time…

Is there anything this drag queen doesn’t do?

https://ew.com/trixie-motel-season-2-drag-me-home-first-look-photos-exclusive-8643832

🐾 The Real Gala…

You didn’t think I’d forget the pets, did you?

https://people.com/pet-gala-will-recreate-met-ball-2024-looks-for-dogs-8644929

🎳 Will Bowl For Food…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a jab at those awful Summer people. Until then, stay safe, stay pushing in your chair when you leave the table, and if your life turned out differently than what you thought it would be, stay remembering, different is not necessarily bad.