Tag Archives: It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve

Dec30

December 29, 2023 – New Year’s Eve In Port Charles, A Return, On Or No, Real Top, Dead Talk, He Can Dance, Eve TV, Something For Everyone, Zoo Baby, Pets (!) Of the Gram, 12 Quotes For 12 Months & Another

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the Port Charles Heliport, jump instructor Denice tells Gregory that they have to get going before the sun goes down. Otherwise, they’ll have to cancel the jump. Is she coming? People cancel all the time. Gregory says, she’ll be here, and a man says, they’re losing daylight, when Alexis comes running up. She says she’s here, and the man asks if they’re doing this. She says, yes. She’s a woman of her word. She’s doing it. Even if it kills her.

Spencer knocks on Trina’s dorm room door, and she answers wearing a robe. He says, she’s not dressed for a party, and she brings him in, kissing him. He says, good point. What party? She says, they’re going. She just needs two more minutes. He says, that’s a big ask, and she says she’s sure he’ll be fine. Entertain himself. He picks up a magazine and flips through it, then sees a letter that’s been opened. Trina asks if he can zip her up, and he says, of course (🍷). If he must. She turns around, and he says, she looks perfect. So who is writing her from the Sorbonne? She says, he wasn’t supposed to see that.

Esme waits in the visitor room at Pentenville (?). Heather – our New Year’s gift! – joins her and says she knew Esme would be back.

Sonny goes to Nina’s office, and says, the party’s about to start, but she says she has to get these end-of-the-year bonuses done. She’s so sorry. It’s just a magazine; business is very difficult. Their team managed to keep their numbers up with online revenue, and she needs to show them that she appreciates them. He says, they’re lucky to have a kind-hearted boss, and she says she thinks he’s a teensy bit biased in her favor. He says he’s finding out what it means to be married to a generous, thoughtful woman, even though he’s not sure what her priority is tonight.

On the phone at The Savoy, Carly tells Sam, it’s okay. The flu is going around. Just give her love to Scout, and she and Dante take care. And happy New Year. Michael joins her, apologizing for being late, but she says, that’s okay. Where’s Willow? He says, she got stuck covering at GH. There’s a lot of callouts. Carly says, it’s the flu. Sam just called. Scout has it, and she and Dante can’t make it. He says, that’s unfortunate. So… She says, it looks like it’s just the two of them.

Olivia comes in with Lois and Ned, and she asks if it reminds Lois… What’s that place in the city they used to sneak in… Lois says, Area on Barrett Street. She can see the resemblance. Ned tells them to get a table while he gets the drinks. What would they like? Olivia says she’s a Cosmo girl tonight, and Lois says, champagne for her.

Carly says, it’s already New Year’s in Australia, and Michael says, it’s a shame Drew’s trip got extended. She should be celebrating with Drew, not him. She says, what about him? Willow’s at work. He’s spending New Year’s with his mother. They’re a pathetic pair, huh? He asks if she wants more champagne, and she says, yes, so he leaves to get it. She gets up and calls, make it a prosecco, please, when Ned passes by. She says she’s been waiting to talk to him, but he says he really doesn’t have time for this. She asks if he’s been busy since he got his memory back. Because ever since he pointed the SEC at her and Drew, and Drew went to prison, she’s been meaning to ask him a question. How would he like her to return the favor?

Nina says, Sonny is her priority – always. She promises she’ll hurry up and meet him way before midnight. He says, don’t worry about it. He was just being sentimental. She says, of course (🍷). It’s their first New Year’s Eve together as husband and wife. She wants to be with him too. She’ll leave this here and come in early tomorrow. He says, no. She’s going to wrap that up and she’s going to meet him at The Savoy. They’re going to have a midnight kiss… They’re going to have so many New Year’s Eves together. She says she likes the sound of that, and they kiss.

Heather says she knew Esme wouldn’t be able to stay away from her forever, but why is it today? Doesn’t she have plans for New Year’s Eve? Esme says, not really, and Heather says, there’s something different about her. Did she change her hair? Esme says, no, and Heather says, well, something’s different. Anyway, how’s her little grandbaby Ace? Baby’s first Christmas. She bets he got loaded up with presents from all those rich people, right? Esme says, probably. She doesn’t know. He spent the holidays with Spencer and Trina. Heather says, she’s always been cagey on the details when it comes to Ace. Now Esme is telling her that she let him spend his first Christmas without her? And that look just now on her face when she said Trina’s name. That’s not remorse. That was contempt… Oh, she remembers, doesn’t she?

Trina tells Spencer that one of her professors told her about this art program at the Sorbonne, and she just applied on a whim. She got waitlisted, then she got accepted. Let her just grab her bag. He says, wait a minute. This is a massive opportunity for her. She says she knows, but she can’t go. Not with Curtis about to start his treatment, and she’s really excited about her spring classes, and then there’s him. She’d miss him so much. He says, he’s going to miss her too (um… it’s not like he has a job; he could go), and she says she can travel when she graduates. Paris will always be there. She can wait. He says, this opportunity at the Sorbonne won’t be. She has to go. She has to do this.

Denice says, since this is a tandem dive, Gregory and Alexis will each share a harness with their instructor, and the instructor will release the parachute. Any questions so far? They need to get going. Alexis says she has a question. Did Gregory tell them about his recent stay in the hospital? Gregory says he did, and his doctor signed off on this. It was pure dehydration, that’s all. Alexis tells Denice that she’s done an extensive search on Denice’s safety records with this organization. Alexis knows pretty much all there is to know about her, but she doesn’t know much about the harness. Is it safe, and when was the plane last serviced? Denice promises to answer those questions on the way to the plane, but Alexis tells her that she just wants to say, the gentleman who showed her how to do everything seems very nice and very capable, and she thinks she’ll be safe enough with him. Denice says, that was Dan. He’s gone for the day. Alexis will be fine with Falcon. There he is. Falcon looks like the drummer in a rock band, and Alexis says, no. Gregory says, why don’t they switch? She’s already familiar with Denice. They’ll be fine. Alexis says, no. She’s sorry. Every molecule in her being is telling her not to jump out of that plane. Please forgive her. She said she could do it, but she can’t. She just can’t.

There’s a knock at Nina’s office door, and she says, come on, Sonny. She needs more time than that. She’s not a miracle worker. Cyrus walks in, and says, oh ye of little faith.

Olivia asks Lois, what was the name of that Russian place in Brighton Beach? Talk about dicey. Good vodka though. Hello? Is she talking to herself over here? Lois says, Olivia might have a problem, and Olivia tells her to forget about the secret and just have some fun, but Lois says, no. Look. They see Ned and Carly arguing.

Ned says, Carly wants to send him to prison? Take her best shot. Except he didn’t actually commit a crime, unlike her and Drew. She says, Drew was nearly beaten to death in prison, because of Ned. Ned has to live with that, but if he doesn’t care about that, maybe he cares about his precious company. Valentin Cassadine is MIA. Ned had amnesia, thinking he was some faded rock star. Maybe ELQ deserves a visit from the SEC. He says he doesn’t have to take this. She wants the truth? He’ll tell her exactly why Drew was sent to Pentenville. Michael arrives with the drinks.

Esme asks how Heather could tell just like that, and Heather says she’s been studying Esme since the first moment she laid eyes on her in Spring Ridge. She knows Esme’s face. She knows Esme’s mannerisms. Esme used to look so lost, but just now, she saw something in Esme’s eyes, a glint, a sense of purpose. It’s nice to meet the real Esme. She pats Esme’s hand, and Esme flinches. Heather says she didn’t mean to upset her. It’s a good thing. Esme says she’s just glad to be able to talk to someone about it, and Heather says, Esme has her. Trust her. Pour her heart out. Esme cries a little and says, it’s like she’s two different people. She doesn’t know what to do or what to think. Is she this horrible person who did these things to Spencer and Trina, or is she this mom who loves her son more than anything in the world? And she doesn’t know how she can be both. Heather says, everything’s going to be okay. Does Esme know how she knows? Because Esme did the right thing. She came to see her mother.

Spencer says, there’s so much for Trina to do in Paris when she’s not studying at the Sorbonne. It’s one of his all-time favorite cities, and the best part is that she’s in close proximity to so many other great cities. She’s next to Berlin, Copenhagen, Barcelona… It’s a train ride for her. She says, yeah, but she doesn’t have a command of the language, and he says, it’s not going to be a thing after the first semester. She’s going to be the toast of the town. Every guy is going to falling head over heels for her. Is she kidding him? As a matter of fact, why is he encouraging her to do this? Maybe she should stay. Never mind. Bad idea. She says, you know what could work? He could come with her.

Nina asks what Cyrus is doing here. Does he need something? He says, it’s not what he needs. He’s here to help her. She says she’s fine, and she’s very busy, so if he needs to talk to her for some reason, he should talk to her assistant, and she’ll set up… He picks up a magazine and says, isn’t it amazing how they distract themselves with the mundane in order not to ponder the great mysteries of life? Taking the magazine, Nina says, if they just sat around pondering that, they wouldn’t get anything done. So like she said, she’s busy. He says, very well. He’ll leave her to her work, but remember, she doesn’t walk alone. She flashes back to being in the confessional, and the priest saying, and remember, she doesn’t walk alone. God is always with her. Cyrus says, so, has she set herself free? and Nina looks like she might have a stroke.

Michael asks Ned, so what is the truth? Why exactly did he get himself involved, and more importantly, what exactly did he get out of it? Ned flashes back to Michael giving him the voting proxy on half of Michael’s ELQ shares for keeping his silence about Nina. At the table, Lois looks at Olivia, when Sonny walks in. Ned says, only the satisfaction of being a good citizen. He was looking out for the little guy. Carly says, come on. He was looking out for himself. He wanted power, and he didn’t care who he had to hurt to get it. Ned asks Carly, if he’s such a menace, why is she provoking him? and Michael says, watch it, but Carly says, don’t stop him. What is he going to do to her? Sonny walks up and asks if Ned doesn’t think he’s caused enough damage.

Lois says, great, now Sonny’s involved, and Olivia says, Lois told her that she wanted to stay out of the Quartermaine’s affairs, so why doesn’t she do that? Lois says, because she hates seeing Ned being called out in public for something he didn’t do, and Olivia says, it’s complicated. Lois doesn’t understand. Ned is doing what he thinks he has to do for the family. Could she please just accept that and move on?

Ned says, Sonny is going to lecture him about damage? The man who’s left a swath of broken lives and destruction in his wake? Michael says, this isn’t the time or place. They don’t want to make a scene. Can they all agree on that? Sonny says he’s good, and Michael suggests he and Ned talk in private. They leave, and Sonny asks if Carly is okay. She says she was. Now she’s not so sure.

Lois asks if that looks like positive momentum to Olivia? How is it that another war between the Corinthos and Quartermaine families better than the truth?

Gregory tells Alexis that he’s sorry. He thought this would be fun. She shouldn’t feel obligated to do something she doesn’t want to do. He tells the instructors, thanks. He appreciates the prep and the time, but he’s calling off the jump. Falcon says, it’s all right, but Alexis says, no, it’s not all right. Hold on. Don’t go anywhere. She tells Gregory that she’s all over the place. It’s not even just the jump. It’s the girls. She’s worried. She just has a lot on her mind. Does he think they could talk by themselves, just for a minute? Gregory asks if they can be given one more minute and gets the okay signal from Falcon. Gregory asks, what’s going on? and Alexis says, it’s the girls. She’s worried. There’s been a new development. Sam is savvy. If Alexis dies, she’ll be fine, but Kristina and Molly, no. They cannot exist without her. They need their mother. They need her to protect them. He says, so she wants to protect her kids and keep them from getting hurt if they jump, but they’re adults. And as adults, they can choose when and if they jump, and if they do, they’re going to have to pull their own ripcords. She says, did he just do a skydiving analogy? It was good. He says, letting their kids go is the ultimate test. He tried to shield Chase from his illness with disastrous results. Remember? But Chase forgave him. Their kids are full of surprises. They never know what they’ll become or what they’re capable of. He has to believe his kids are going to grow and learn and thrive and make mistakes, but survive. And that belief, that faith, gives him great comfort, and great courage. Alexis says, Denice, Marlon… Gregory says, Falcon, and she says, Falcon, let’s get a move on. Gregory asks if she’s sure, and Alexis says she’s sure… No, she’s not sure, but she said she was going to jump out of the damn plane, so she’s going to jump out of the damn plane. Damn it. They head to the damn plane.

Heather asks if anyone else knows about Esme’s memory coming back, and Esme says, not really. She tried telling… Heather says, but she didn’t, and Esme says, no, but… Heather says, absolutely not. Zip it and keep it zipped. Esme asks how she can go one pretending that she doesn’t remember anything, and Heather says, she inherited the familial talent for misdirection. Besides, she’s done it before. Esme says, but not like this. Pretending she’s sorry for all the bad things the old Esme did. Heather says, and she really doesn’t feel bad about it, and Esme says she did. When she didn’t remember any of it, it was horrifying. But now that she remembers why she did it and felt so justified, it’s because it was justified. Heather says, exactly. So just keep telling them exactly what they want to hear. She’s made a fresh start and now she’s a different person. Esme asks where that gets her. She’s still a single mom, Alexis Davis’s drudge, and a witness to Spencer and Trina’s insipid happily ever after. And she’s unable to do a thing about it. Heather smiles. (Just for the record, although I’m thrilled with the visit to Heather, I’m not loving Esme’s 180. Or is it really a 360?)

Trina says she knows Spencer can’t come with her, but when she opened it, she started daydreaming about how amazing it would be if they could be together. But she knows he can’t leave Ace, so just forget she said it. He says, she knows how much he loves her, and he’d never want her to think he’s prioritizing Ace over her. She says she doesn’t, and he says, but Esme’s moved out and she’s Ace’s primary caregiver. Maybe they can find a way. He can fly back on weekends as long as Esme will let him see Ace. She says, wait a minute. What is he saying? He tells her that he’s saying, when the woman you love invites you to go to Paris, you say yes. They kiss.

Nina says, Cyrus was at All Saints. That’s just so wrong. He’s not a priest. She doesn’t know what he thinks he heard… He says, more than enough. He and Drew Cain became friendly when they were Pentenville. Drew saved his life actually, and after Drew was attacked, he was able to return the favor. Drew had a very hard time inside. All he wanted to do was get back to the woman he loved, the woman he sacrificed his freedom for. Carly Spencer, formerly Carly Corinthos, her husband’s ex-wife, the mother of his children. She says, he’s a hypocrite. He listened to her confession? How could he be so dishonest? She thought she was talking to a man of God. He says, she was. Just as she is now. So how can he help her?

Sonny asks if Carly wants to tell him what that was all about, and Carly says she told Ned what she thought about him, for obvious reasons. Sonny says, good. Now it’s his turn. Carly stops him, and says, he’s not worth it. And she needs something stronger than this. She picks up her champagne glass and heads for the bar.

In the hallway, Ned tells Michael, it’s New Year’s Eve. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Sonny comes by and tells Ned, it’s not over between them, then disappears. Michael says, they had an agreement.

Lois tells Olivia, if Sonny thinks Ned harmed Carly, he’s not going to let it go. He’s going to finish it. Now what’s going on with those two? They look over to see Michael and Ned talking, and Olivia says, probably talking about ELQ. Lois says she thought Michael was trying to push Ned out, but Olivia says, quite the opposite. Ned has been taking on more responsibility. Michael’s even given him his proxy. It’s all good. Lois says, wait a second. Michael handed over his control of ELQ? Why would he do that? Olivia asks why she cares. She swears Lois always does this. She gets something in her head, and she can’t leave it alone. Like the time Lois’s mother was planning a surprise party for her for months and she ruined it. Lois says, okay. Let her think. Did Michael do this to keep Ned quiet? Because it must be something big… Ooh. Oh my God. Did Michael turn his own mother in to the SEC?

Sonny tells Carly that he’s sorry. He had to interfere. He just doesn’t like Ned treating her like that. He knows she can hold her own, but… She says, that’s okay. She needed the distraction. It stopped her from throwing her drink in Ned’s face. That would have been a perfect ending to a perfect year, right? He says, the night’s still young, and she says, not for her. She’s going to go. Will he tell Michael that she left and have a happy New Year? He says, she’s not going to stay for the countdown? Come on. She says, it’s going to make her miss Drew even more, so have a happy New Year. She leaves.

Olivia tells Lois, no. Michael did not turn his own mother in to the SEC. Lois says, then make it make sense. Why would Michael hand over control of ELQ to Ned? Does Tracy have something on Michael? Or are Ned and Tracy planning something? Olivia says, stop this. Stop overthinking it. Just let it go. Lois says she can’t, because it stinks to high heaven. But Olivia was right about one thing. She is overthinking this. She thinks the answer is right here in front of her face. And here’s what she thinks. She thinks Ned has something on Michael, and Michael is paying off Ned to keep him quiet. Is she right?

Nina asks what Cyrus wants. Money? He laughs and says, of course (🍷). No, he doesn’t need money. He has the riches of the kingdom of God. What he wants is for her to confess. Not to a priest in a cubicle, but to the people she hurt. She says, what good would that do? Drew is free, Carly is moving on, the Corinthos family is coming together. What good would it do dredging up the past? He says, did she or did she not send a good man to prison? Where he was beaten to a pulp. Did she or did she not try to separate a mother from her children and separate a man from his child, all out of spite and wickedness. She tells him, cut the sermon. Please. He’s more a man of the orange jumpsuit than a man of the cloth (ha-ha-ha!). He’s a criminal, a blackmailer, so what’s his angle? What is he planning to do with what he knows?

Basking in the afterglow, Spencer says, there’s a church over there that he and Trina should go to. It’s got a little walled-off garden next to it, then down the street, there’s this really quaint and cute restaurant. It makes the best crepes she’s ever had in her life. They’re simple, but they’re very delicious. He thinks she’ll like them. She says, sounds like heaven, but it’s one thing to daydream and another to live in reality. Maybe he should think about this. He says, no. They’re doing this. This is happening. He’s not letting them back out of this. She says, okay, and he says, because he was in Europe once and when he was, it was very, very lonely and depressing. So hopefully, this will give him a new opportunity or new chance to experience it with fresh eyes with someone he loves. So he doesn’t need any time to think about it. He knows exactly what he wants. He wants to be in Paris with her. She kisses him, and he says, fireworks. She says, he got that right… but he says, no, the real ones up there. They can make it if they hurry. He jumps out of bed.

Heather tells Esme, forget those twerps. She was always way too good for Spencer anyway. She won. She got Ace, and that’s everything. She’s still got the upper hand, so don’t blow it by admitting she got her memory back. She’s a really good mother to Ace, right? Esme says, yeah, she is, and Heather says, then just keep up the charade, for his sake. And be sure to practice a little self-care. Esme says, what? Like a spa day? Heather says, no. Like she’s young. She’s beautiful. Smart as a friggin’ whip. Go put on a party dress and get out there. Maybe she’ll meet somebody new. It’s New Year’s Eve. Meet somebody who’s worthy of her. Come and see her mother again. She’ll help Esme keep her head on straight. Keep her memories to herself. As much as she’d like to see more of Esme, she has way too bright of a future to squander it in this place. Esme takes Heather’s hands and says she will, and thanks her. Heather says, anytime. It was a pleasure to finally meet her daughter… all of her.

Ned says he and Michael may need to revisit the terms of their agreement if Carly’s going to start harassing him in public. Michael says, Ned is being well-compensated for his trouble. Michael’s proxy gives him controlling interest of ELQ. If that’s not good enough for him, he’ll go get Willow. Because she deserves to hear the truth about Nina before Ned announces it to the entire world. Ned says, you’re bluffing, and Michael says, try me.

Lois says, what on earth could Ned have on Michael that would make him give up control of ELQ? and Olivia shushes her and says, stop it. She calls over to Sonny, and he joins them. He says, you ladies look marvelous, and Lois thanks him. They hug, and Sonny kisses Olivia on the cheek. She says, he’s looking handsome as always. Where’s Nina this evening? He says, she’s working. She said she’ll be here by midnight. Lois says, no. He has to get her here, because the person you kiss at midnight is the person you’ll be with for the rest of the year.😱 He says, in that case, he should call and see what’s going on. He excuses himself, and leaves. Lois says, ho-ho. Like she said. Right in front of her face. It was never about Drew getting in trouble with the Feds. The intended target was always Carly. Olivia says, Lois… Lois says, Carly, who acted on inside information. So whoever tipped off the SEC had to believe that Carly would be the one who would wind up in prison. And who had the incentive of getting rid of Carly. How about the person who is currently married to her ex-husband? Nina. Nina’s the one who tipped off the SEC. Olivia looks worn-out, but Lois breathes a sigh of relief and drinks some champagne.

Out in the middle of somewhere, Alexis tells Falcon that her heart is still beating outside her chest. Will it stop? Will it be regulated? Or did she live so that she can die now? He says, probably. Pretty rad, huh? They do a fancy handshake, and Falcon starts to walk away. She asks, where’s Gregory? Did he jump? Is he dead? Falcon leaves, and Alexis calls to Gregory. Gregory says he’s here. Sorry he’s late. Traffic. She hugs him, and he says, easy does it. She says she loved it, and he laughs. She says, it was amazing. Soaring through the sky and the perspective that she saw of the world looking down. It was so beautiful. It was amazing. It was extraordinary. It was transformative. It was probably the most transformative moment of her… He kisses her. Then she kisses him.

Carly walks into Sonny’s old kitchen and throws her bag on the counter, knowing she’s never alone when the moss bowl🎍is there. She goes to the sink and is startled by an air horn. She moves toward the door, when Drew comes in. He says, happy New Year, and she runs into his arms. She says, it is now, and they kiss.

Nina asks what Cyrus is planning to do with this information, but he says, nothing. She says, so he doesn’t want anything in exchange for him keeping quiet, and he says he’ll settle for her redemption. She asks if he knows that Carly and Drew aren’t the only injured parties here. She almost lost the only daughter she had left before she even knew she was her daughter. He tells her, look at what a tangled web she’s woven. Did she really think it would never unravel? The guilt is already weighing on her and pulling her down closer to the gates of hell. Hell is a state of mind. It robs you of your peace and your chance to experience real joy. All this bartering and deal making to avoid telling the truth. She asks why he’s here. He doesn’t know her. He doesn’t give a damn about her. He says he’s been her. He’s justified his lies, and it only makes for more lies and moving further away from everything that matters. That’s why he tries only to tell the truth now. She tells him, so this is his way of saying, if she doesn’t confess, he will, and he says, karma, fate, providence, they all point to the same thing. That is, your actions determine your life’s destiny. Just think of all the hurt she can undo with just a few simple words. All the clarity she can give to Carly and Drew and her husband, Sonny Corinthos. Nina’s phone rings and she sees it’s Sonny. She picks up the phone, looking pained.

Olivia says she’s begging Lois, please do not say a word about this to anyone. Lois says, how could she not have told Sonny this? Nina, his wife, called the cops on Carly and Drew. Why hasn’t Ned said anything? Olivia says, because he knows how many people would be hurt if he did. Sonny is happy with Nina. Nina and Carly have a truce off sorts. Drew is out of prison and his life is back to normal. What good could it possibly do to dredge all this up again? Ned comes back and asks if Olivia is ready to go. Olivia says, they’re in the middle of a conversation here, and Ned says, let’s take that conversation on their way to the docks. They’ve got fireworks. Lois says she’ll meet them out there. She’s going to powder her nose. Ned says, see her over there, and steers Olivia out. Sonny comes over to Lois and says, he left a message for Nina. She’s going to meet them. Does Lois want to walk with him over to the docks? She say she’s sorry, but he’s going to miss the fireworks this year.

Drew and Carly kiss their way into the bedroom as the fireworks go off. The real ones, outside. They get busy.

Gregory and Alexis smile at each other and look up at the sky. She puts her head on his shoulder.

Spencer and Trina watch from the rooftop. He says he’d follow her anywhere. Esme watches from behind them, her hand balled into a fist.

Cyrus says, Nina didn’t answer her call, and she says she should have handed him the phone. It was Sonny. He says he won’t tell Sonny. He wouldn’t want to rob her for her chance at salvation. She has to confess; no one can do it for her. She says she didn’t want him to know. It’s going to hurt him. She prayed that he would never, never know. He says, try praying for the truth to set her free, and she says, if anyone should tell Sonny, it should be her. He says, that’s right. That’s good. That’s all he wanted to hear. New year, new beginnings. He says he has faith that she’ll do the right thing. Until then, he won’t be far.

Sonny asks if Lois has something on her mind, and she says, he has a right to know what’s going on. He says, get to the point, and she says, they’re lying to him. He says, who? and she says, his family. They’re all lying to him.

Next week, Carly says, this is gonna be a good year; Olivia tells Ned, get back there, now; Brook tells Chase, better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission; Willow asks for Nina’s help; and Lois tells Sonny that she knows who really ratted Carly and Drew out to the SEC.

🥜 Sometimes She Feels Like a Nut…

She’s back and brought her crazy with her.

Alley Mills Opens up About Her Return to GENERAL HOSPITAL

🧼 Who’s Ringing It In…

Spoiler: GH is not on.

Find Out if Your Favorite Soaps Are Airing on New Year’s Day

🎪 Matter Of Opinion…

And were there really any top moments?

#RHOA’s Divorce Drama, #RHOP’s Hotel Room Receipt Ruckus & The Other Wildest Reality TV Moments Of 2023

🪦 What’s Up With the Dead…

Coming in February.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/is-the-rick-michonne-series-the-walking-dead-the-ones-who-live-a-limited-series

It’s coming. They just don’t know when.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/12/10/walking-dead-city-season-2-whats-coming/

Sometime in 2024.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/12/18/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-season-2-premiere-2024/

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-wraps-season-2-cast-post-images

And the rest.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/the-walking-dead-universe-what-s-to-come-in-2024

🩰 Something Random…

You can’t blame her for taking a shot at relevance.

https://ew.com/dance-moms-abby-lee-miller-travis-kelce-better-dancer-taylor-swift-8418858

📺 Give Me the Remote…

Coming to a small screen near you on New Year’s Eve.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/29/entertainment/how-to-watch-the-ball-drop-on-new-years-eve-a-guide-to-all-the-tv-specials/

How To Watch The New Year’s Eve Specials On TV & The Times Square Ball Drop Live Online

🎊 All About Eve…

If you’re going to a party or giving one.

https://www.southernliving.com/holidays-occasions/new-years/new-years-eve-party-guest

https://bestlifeonline.com/new-years-eve-party-etiquette/

New Year’s Eve Party Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts for Hosts and Guests

For party goers or not.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/g42099986/things-to-do-new-years-eve/

But I’m not going around the block with an empty suitcase.

https://www.womansday.com/life/g34886062/things-to-do-on-new-years-eve/

https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/fun-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-at-home-48052534

If you’re spending it alone.

https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-cope-when-i-am-alone-on-new-years-eve-3024303

Keeping it stress free for the pets.

https://www.four-paws.org/our-stories/publications-guides/new-years-eve-minimising-your-pets-stress

https://barkio.com/en/blog/article/how-to-spend-a-stress-free-new-year-s-eve-celebration-with-your-pet

🦏 Born On Christmas Day…

Unbelievably cute. Those little ears!

https://people.com/zoo-atlanta-welcomes-first-white-rhino-calf-ever-on-christmas-eve-8420147

🐩 Slide Into Their DMs…

Pets are influencers too.

https://people.com/celebrity-pets-with-their-own-instagram-accounts-7567698

https://influencers.feedspot.com/pet_instagram_influencers/

🦜 Quotes of the Week

A good education is not so much one which prepares a man to succeed in the world, as one which enables him to sustain a failure. – Bernard Iddings Bell

You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. – Jim Stovall

If you don’t sleep, you go loco. – Max Salvador, Below Deck Mediterranean

In our world, old friendships are hereditary. – Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), The Gilded Age.

If you hear a voice within you say, you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. – Vincent Van Gogh

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. – Robert Brault

There’s not much to see actually. We’re inside a Chinese dragon. – Howard (Ryan O’Neal), What’s Up, Doc?

Maintain composure in times of heightened emotion, reacting only when thoughts are calm and clear. Being sensible will open doors for solutions and creativity. – Jaren L. Davis

You know how to stop this? Stop it. – Dr. Phil

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor. – Sholem Aleichem

I don’t want to be a man. I want my cereal – Jordan Thomkins (Jeremy Suarez), The Bernie Mac Show

Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly. – Jerry, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee

El Wray sez: Happy New Year!

🥂 Auld Lang Syne-ing Off…

Wishing you all good things in the New Year and no pressure on the Eve beforehand. Make a resolution, don’t make a resolution; party, don’t party. You do you. Join me for going back to the old soap grind after New Year’s Day. Dare I say it? See you next year. Until then, stay safe, stay following your own path, and stay remembering, your actions determine your life’s destiny.

Dec31

December 30, 2022 – The Clock Strikes Midnight In Port Charles, Preempt, Jersey Devil, Husband Talk, NYE Happenings, Drink It Up, About Those Pets (!), 2 X 3 = 5 Quotes For the New Year & Another

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Britt’s cake is brought out by a shirtless waiter, and Brad says, they all know how much Britt hates the birthday song. Maxie says, but there’s one tradition they must insist on, and they both say, make a wish. Britt looks at everyone around her, and Finn looks at Elizabeth, who jets out of sight.

On deck, Trina says, she and Spencer should get back inside. People will wonder where they are. He says, that’s the idea; to get people wondering about them, so word gets back to Esme. Someone watches from the shadows.

Willow picks up a pair of 2023 eyeglasses, and Michael comes downstairs. He tells Willow that Wiley is completely zonked out, and she says, poor little guy. He was determined to make it until midnight. Michael says, he did see midnight, in London, and she says, it was genius on his part, but Wiley really wanted to stay up and ring in the New Year in Port Charles. She puts the glasses on him, and he says, there’s always next year.

Dante asks why Sam wanted to come to Kelly’s instead of staying at the restaurant, and she says, because nothing on their menu looked as good to her as an ice cream sundae. She hopes he’s not disappointed, but he says, nothing with her could disappoint him. He’s glad it’s just the two of them.

Outside, Josslyn apologizes for making bodyguard Steve wait outside. She just needs some privacy to talk to Cam. He tells her to take as long as she needs, and she goes inside. She sees Sam and Dante, and they all say, happy New Year. Dante asks, what brings her to Kelly’s on New Year’s Eve?

Laura says she’s not just worried about Nikolas; she’s worried about Spencer. If he knows something, he should tell her. He says he can’t, and she says, why? Has Victor threatened him? He says, no one is at risk if they play Victor’s game, but if she insists on taking Victor down, he’ll go down with him. Leave him alone, or she’ll lose her son. She says she’s not going to let Victor do this to him. Victor can’t take Nikolas away from her. He says, don’t be so sure, and she asks if he’s fallen so far that Victor is his only way back.

Esme says, one day Ace will go to school, and she’ll teach them about the fire triangle, the three things you need to start a fire; oxygen, fuel, and heat. She takes the matchstick out of her cardigan pocket, and smiles.

Britt says, she wishes… but Maxie says, don’t. Brad says, her wish won’t come true, and Britt says, forgive her; it’s her first birthday party. In a low voice, Austin tells her, there’s still time. She can change her mind and stay. She blows out the candles, but only on one part of the cake. Maxie says she knows Britt’s new to this, but tradition is that she blow out all the candles. Nina blows out the rest because she can’t help herself, and everyone applauds. Brad picks up a knife, and asks if Britt will do the honor of performing surgery on her cake. Britt’s hand trembles slightly, and Terry says, she needs the practice for all those surgeries she’ll be picking up while Britt is on vacation. She takes the knife from Brad, and cuts the cake. Britt squeals, and everyone applauds. Terry puts a piece of cake on a plate, and Brad says, the birthday girl gets the first slice, giving it to Britt. Drag queen Alyssa says, besides cake, they have another special treat for the birthday girl. Mommy dearest, you’re on. Obrecht takes the stage, and says, this is a song she sang at the Nurses Ball, which brought the house down if she does say so herself. Everyone cheers.

Finn finds Elizabeth on deck, and says he knows it’s none of his business, but he’s still a doctor and still cares about her. Drinking this early in her pregnancy isn’t good for the baby. She tells him, there is no baby.

Spencer tells Trina, just a little longer. They want everyone to miss them, remember? She says, this is a very dangerous game, and he takes her hand, saying, it’s not all a game. The lurker starts to walk out to the deck.

The woman behind the counter tells Josslyn that Cameron isn’t there; he’s filling in for one of the catering crew. Josslyn asks when he’ll be back, but she says, not until after midnight. Josslyn guesses she’ll have to talk to him another time, and tells Sam and Dante, happy New Year. She starts to leave, and Sam makes a face at Dante. He gets up, and tells Josslyn, wait. What’s the rush? Does she want to join them?

Nikolas says he’s the only one to blame for the errors in his judgement, and won’t let Laura get involved. She says she is involved, and he says, it’s like he made it his life’s work to disappoint her. She tells him not to say that. There is nothing he could ever do to make her stop loving him. The Cassadines have been trying to take him away from her since the day he was born, and she’s not going to let them win. He says he loves her fighting for him, but it’s not just about him.

Esme looks at the fire alarm, and says, it’s a long shot. She may get trapped, instead of finding a way to escape, but it’s the only chance she’s got. No. The only chance they’ve got. Brace yourself. It won’t be long now.

Scotty says, Obrecht was wunderbar, and Nina says, a real star. Too bad we didn’t get to see it. Britt hugs Obrecht, and says she wishes there could be an encore. Obrecht tells her, there will be if she has anything to say about it.

Finn says, what does Elizabeth mean, there’s no baby? and she says she had a miscarriage.

Nina tells Sonny, it may be Britt’s first birthday party, but she did it right. Everyone’s enjoying it. He says he’s happy as long as Nina enjoys it.

Trina says, the other guests must be asking about them by now, and Spencer says, if they are, then good. It’ll get back to Esme. She says, they should get back, and he says, yeah. They hear something, and she says, what was that? He says he doesn’t know, but we see it’s The Hook who’s lurking. She says, it’s probably the people at the party.

Willow says, it’s fine if Michael opens a bottle of champagne. She won’t feel deprived. He tells her, don’t be so noble; he knows she loves champagne. She says she does, especially the kind he buys. Since they have a rack full of it, open one. He says, so he can have champagne while she goes without? No. She says she’s happy with her sparkling cider, and he says, so is he. They’ll have champagne next year. She says she thought they were celebrating with Wiley next year, but he says, they can do both. Champagne for them, and cider for Wiley. They can wake up the baby, and they can ring in the new year together. She says, nothing says happy New Year like a screaming baby, but he says, maybe their daughter will be a night owl, and she’ll like staying up until midnight. She says, then he can be the one to get her back to sleep, and he says, she has his solemn promise. She says, what if she’s not here next year?

Finn says he’s sorry for Elizabeth’s loss, and she thanks him. She says she wouldn’t blame him if he said it was some kind of poetic justice, but he tells her that he’d never say that. She and Nikolas could try again. She says, she and Nikolas were never going to last. Ava knows, but she never told the boys. Not that he owes her anything… He says, they won’t hear it from him; no one will. She thanks him, and he tells her, happy New Year. He goes back inside, passing Terry, who’s on her way out to the deck. Elizabeth says, Terry probably wants to know what that was all about, and Terry says, when Elizabeth is ready, she’ll tell her, or not. They hug.

Scotty takes the mic, and asks for everyone’s attention. Sonny says, Scotty’s not going to sing, is he? and Scotty says, he couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles. So if there’s no more hecklers, let’s get on with this. They had great music, and had a great cake, but there’s one thing missing. Britt says, presents? and everyone goes, wooo!

Josslyn gets a sundae, and says, Dante and Sam are super dressed up. Are they going somewhere fancy to watch the ball drop? Sam says, they did fancy. Now they’re just enjoying sundaes. Josslyn says, it’s a fun way to start the new year. She bets they’re excited. Dante says he’s excited for all the cool projects they have planned, and Sam says, their New Year’s resolution is a do-it-yourself remodel of the den. What about Josslyn? Any resolutions? Josslyn says, to become a doctor, and Dante asks, since when? She says, a lot of it has to do with when she found Ava after she’d been stabbed. She felt so helpless; she didn’t know what to do for her. Then she realized she can learn what to do, so she submitted her application to switch her major to pre-med. Dante says, she’s going to be an incredible doctor, and Sam says, good for Josslyn, to go through something terrible, and find a positive way to take action. Josslyn thanks her, and says she hopes the police find Esme, lock her up, and throw away the key. Dante says he wants to catch The Hook too, but they don’t know that it’s Esme for sure. She knows what happens when they jump to conclusions, right? Sam asks what she’s missing, and Dante says, for a while, Sonny thought Dex was behind the killings.  

Nikolas tells Laura that he should have never come back to Port Charles. He would have done everyone a favor if he’d stayed dead. She tells him, don’t ever say that. She was heartbroken when she thought she’d lost him, and that’s when Spencer began to spiral. Actually, she doesn’t think he ever recovered from it. They need Nikolas to fight for himself and fight for them. If he gives in to Victor now, Victor will never let go. He says, what if it’s too late? but she says, it is not too late. She’ll back him up with every possible resource she can muster. Everything, she promises. If he could have a clean slate – wipe it clean, and start over – would he do it? He asks if it’s possible, and she says, yes. It is. It’s never too late. It can start tonight. All he has to do is decide. Does he belong to Victor or does he belong to himself?

As The Hook raises her hook, Trina says she hopes Joss and Cam will join them before midnight, and Spencer says, they will, if Cam gets off in time. Maxie calls to them, and asks what they’re doing out here. They’re missing all the fun. The Hook shrinks back in the shadows, and Maxie says, there’s cake and birthday presents, and Spencer says, they were just getting a breath of fresh air. Maxie says, in the cold? and Trina says, they didn’t realize how long they were out there, handing Spencer back his coat. Spencer says, it didn’t feel that cold to him, and they all go inside, while The Hook goes back to lurking.

Esme takes an ornament off the tree, and says, something to remember their first Christmas by. She puts it in her cardigan pocket.

Taking the mic, Maxie says, after a slight delay to round up some stragglers, it’s time to get back to the business at hand. She tells Britt, some of her nearest and dearest worked together to give her a very special birthday present. Obrecht gives Britt a box, and Britt thanks everyone. She opens it, and says, a remote control. Brad says, bring it in, boys, and the waiters roll in a giant TV. Sonny asks if Nina has any idea what’s going on, but she says, just watch. Brad says, lights, camera, action, and tells Britt, press play. Obrecht says, Britta Westbourne, this is your life. A song presumably called I Am Here to Win plays, and pictures and videos of Britt’s life come on the screen – baby pictures, pictures of her growing up, her graduations, with Nathan, Nina, Obrecht, Finn, Terry, Epiphany <sniff>, Brad, Brad, Brad, Cody, Carly, Austin, and Spencer.

Josslyn says, if Dante is asking about what Sonny did to Dex, he already knows the answer. Dante says, Michael made some serious allegations, and Dex denied them, and Josslyn says, lucky him. Sam asks why Dante is lucky, and Josslyn says, because he doesn’t have to arrest his own father. Michael was worried, because he didn’t want Dante stuck in the middle, even though he is. Sonny put him there, and keeps putting him there. Dante says, Sonny has been who Sonny has been long before he came to town, and Josslyn says, there he goes, making excuses. Dante asks if that’s what he’s doing, and Josslyn says she can’t tell Dante how to feel. All she can tell him is how she feels, and she feels Sonny’s a fraud. All of that talk about honor and loyalty is just words; he doesn’t live it. Dante does. He’s a good cop. He puts his life on the line to protect and serve, while Sonny sits back and lets other people put their lives on the line. To what? Make him richer? Then when he almost kills someone, he expects them to lie and cover for him. Now Sonny is protecting her. Is she supposed to feel grateful? That’s not happening.

Britt’s Memory Lane ends with a video of her waving goodbye. Everyone applauds, and Brad says, speech. Britt thanks everyone, and says, that was… Brad says, fantastic? and Maxie says, terrific? Britt says, that was one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for her. She did prepare a speech, but being here now, and seeing their faces, faces she loves, she wants them to know how very, very much… She gets choked up, and Maxie says, blame Austin; it was his idea. Austin says, and in case she doesn’t want to haul a huge monitor around with her, they got her this cute digital frame. Maxie says, she, Brad, and Liesl have the password, so they can upload photos. That way, they can be with her, on vacation or where she goes. Britt hugs Austin, and thanks him.

Nikolas tells Laura, happy New Year, but she says she doesn’t think it’s midnight yet. He still has time to make a New Year’s resolution. He promises to think about what she said, and if there’s a way to disentangle himself from Victor… She says, they can manage on their own. Throw him out, change the locks, then stand back and dare him to do his worst. Because Nikolas isn’t just a Cassadine, he’s her son, and he’s Spencer’s father, and as long as they stick together, they’ll be just fine. She tells him that she loves him, and they hug

Esme tells Ace, no matter what happens, no matter how scary it gets, remember mommy is with you. Womb to tomb. She looks at the smoke alarm, and lights the match.

Nina and Sonny come out on deck, and she asks why he’s taking her away from the party. He says, don’t worry. He’ll have her back before the ball drops. She asks if he’ll have her back before she freezes to death, and he puts his arm around her, asking if she’s warm now. She says she’s getting there, and he asks if she remembers last New Year’s Eve. She says, when he was at Charlie’s, and he says he was at a tough point in his life. Dante grabbed his keys and wouldn’t let him go home, then Nina came along. She says she took him home, and thought that would be the end of them. That he’d sober up the next day, and go back to Carly. He says, here they are a year later. Is she sorry about how it ended? She puts her arms around him, and tells him, who said it was ending? They’ve only just begun. He tells her to kiss him, and she does.

Nikolas pours a drink, when the fire alarm goes off. He runs upstairs. In her now smoke filled room, the tree ablaze, Esme says, maybe this wasn’t such a brilliant plan after all. She watches the door.

Britt thanks Spencer for coming, and he says he woudn’t miss it for the world. She asks where his plus one is, and he calls Trina over. He says, there’s someone he’d like her to meet, and Trina wishes Britt a happy birthday. Spencer says he was telling Trina how much Britt means to him and how alike they are. Britt says she hopes not, and tells Trina, if she’s truly Spencer’s friend, make sure he doesn’t end up like her. He says he’d be proud to be like her, they hug, and Britt mouths he’s the best to Trina. Brad tells them, break it up. It’s the last dance before the year ends. He pulls Britt away, and Spencer asks what Britt said over his shoulder. Trina says she’ll never tell, and leads him onto the dance floor.

Josslyn tells Dante that she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to go off like that. It’s not the best way to ring in the new year. Sam says, Dante started it, and Dante says, he kinda did. Josslyn tells him, all she’s trying to say is that she thinks he’s awesome, and she’s sorry he’s stuck in this position. He thanks her, but says, don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a lucky guy for many reasons. Sam says, and don’t you forget it. She asks if she can make an observation, and Josslyn says, please; she has it coming. Sam says she thinks Josslyn is smart and strong, especially since she realizes she wants to become a doctor. Focus on that. Being hung up on Sonny is a waste. She has better things to do with her time. Josslyn thanks her, and says she’ll try to remember that. Dante says, it’s almost midnight. Times Square might have the crowds, but Port Charles has the fireworks. It’s a pretty good view. He asks if Josslyn wants to join them, and she thanks him for the invitation, but she wants to try and make Britt’s birthday party. They all wish each other a happy New Year, and Josslyn leaves. Outside, Josslyn tells Steve that she’s going to head home and change, then go to the party at the Haunted Star. Sonny will be there; he doesn’t have to worry. He follows her out of the gate.

Willow tells Michael, sorry. They were having such a nice time, and she… She was going to say killed the mood, but that sounds morbid. He says, she can be morbid, scared, or angry. She doesn’t have to put up a front for him. Wiley is a child and has to feel secure, so she has to pretend with him, but she doesn’t have to pretend with him. She says she’s not pretending. That’s the crazy part. As scared as she is that she’s going to die, this is the happiest time of her life. She loves him, she loves Wiley, she loves their daughter, she loves where they live, with his squabbling relative right up the driveway. There was a long time when she was alone, and now her life is so rich, and so full, beyond anything she could have imagined. Most of it came from him. He thinks her, but says he thinks he got the better half of the bargain. She changed his life. It wasn’t a bad life before. He’s been blessed with a lot, and knows he’s lucky, but with her, he has a connection he’s never felt with anyone. He loves the trust and compatibility. He know he sounds unromantic… She says, not to her. She feels compatible with him too. He says, hold that thought.

Nikolas unlocks Esme’s room, and goes in with a fire extinguisher. As he sprays it and calls her name, she runs out.  

Michael shows Willow a ring, and says, remember this? She says, it’s his great-grandmother’s ring, and he says, to him, it’s Willow’s ring. It has been since she accepted it the first time. She says she gave it back when they had their marriage annulled, and he says he hated signing those papers. She says, so did she, and he says, it’s a family heirloom. He could have put it back with his great grandmother’s jewelry, but he held on to it, hoping she’d accept it again – but this time forever. He gets down on one knee, and asks her to marry him.

Esme runs out on the parapet, coughing. She says, let mommy catch her breath. Then they’re out of here. She hears a door close, and Nikolas is on the parapet with her.

Sonny and Nina come back inside, and Spencer says, nice up there, huh? Nina says, it’s beautiful, and Spencer says, they thought so too, putting his arm around Trina. Alyssa says, okay, party people. It’s that time. Out with the old year, and in with the new. So chill the champagne, grab someone you love, or at least you don’t hate, and get ready for the countdown. Finn looks at Elizabeth.

Nikolas tells Esme, she took her best shot. The fire is out, and there’s only one way out, which is down. Or did she forget last time? She says she hasn’t forgotten, and he says he knows she cares about the baby. Once they get to Cassadine Island, she’ll have everything she needs or wants until the baby is born. He promises her. Just take his hand. She hoists herself up, and stands on the wall. She looks down.

Everyone gets coupled up, and Finn starts to leave. Austin asks where he’s going, and Finn says, the emcee said you should be with someone you love, so he’s going home to bring in the new year with his daughter. He leaves, and Britt hugs Austin, thanking him for the gift. Being quiet about where she’s going has given everyone she loves something to remember her by. Alyssa begins the countdown, 10…9… 8…

Willow says, yes, with all her heart she’ll marry Michael. He puts the ring on her, and says, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. She says, as long as they both shall live, and they kiss.

7…6…

Dante wonders if he should have driven Josslyn, but Sam says, she has Sonny’s bodyguard. She’s probably having fun at the party right now. Truth? He says, of course (🍷), and she says she didn’t really want to share him tonight, and they kiss.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1! Happy New Year! Horns blow and noisemakers make noise, and Austin watches Britt slip out. Scotty kisses Obrecht, and Sonny kisses Nina. Spencer and Trina get close enough to kiss, but he blows a noisemaker instead. Elizabeth hugs Terry, and Terry says, it’s going to be a better year for Elizabeth; she promises. Elizabeth says, it has to be. For Terry as well. Terry says she’ll drink to that, and they clink glasses. Maxie asks if Austin has seen Britt, and Brad says, she’s missing the best part of the party. Austin tells them, say what you will about Britt, that woman knows how to make an exit. Happy New Year. The three of them clink glasses

Nikolas asks what Esme is doing, and tells her, get down. She says she’s survived the drop once before, and she’ll do it again. He watches as she falls backward.

All dressed up, Josslyn waits at the docks. So does The Hook, who comes out of the shadows.  

Next week, Dante asks Sam what justice looks like when it’s applied to his father; Britt says, ten minutes before she says goodbye to Port Charles; Nikolas tells Elizabeth, no one is going to know; and The Hook comes for Josslyn.

Just a thought, but what the hell was Steve thinking, letting Josslyn wait on the docks all by herself? I knew she said Sonny was going to be at the party, but the party was not on the docks. He should have made sure she got on the boat safely. He’s fired.

🏈 No Soap Monday…

But if you like college football, you’re the lucky one.

GENERAL HOSPITAL Is Preempted on Monday

👠 Real Nightmare of New Jersey…

Did she bother watching her own contribution to the mess?

Teresa Giudice Says Watching Real Housewives Of New Jersey For The First Time Felt Like A “Knife Right Through My Heart”

It wouldn’t surprise me.

https://pagesix.com/2022/12/29/luis-ruelas-accused-of-giving-teresa-giudices-daughters-fake-cartier/

It never occurs to them that they might be asked to leave.

Teresa Giudice Slams Rumors That She’s Leaving Real Housewives Of New Jersey; Says “I’m The One That Started The Show”

🥾 Having Their Say…

How come there hasn’t been a Real Househusbands series yet?

Top Memorable Quotes From A Real Housewives Husband

🎊 Here It Comes…

All about kicking 2022 to the curb, and ringing in 2023. Mostly if you don’t have something better to do, like actually going out. We’ve decided we’ve done it all, and did it when it was safer and less expensive.

https://www.hola.com/us/celebrities/20221229340929/5-new-year-eve-tv-specials/

How To Watch Tonight’s New Year’s Eve Specials On TV & The Ball Drop In Times Square Live Online
https://nypost.com/2022/12/30/what-to-watch-and-stream-on-new-years-2022/

This actually sounds really cool.

https://blockster.com/where-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-in-the-metaverse

🥂 Agreed…

The Mayor de Blasio comment was the best.

https://www.gawker.com/celebrity/cnn-andy-cohen-drunk-new-years-eve

🐕 Because I Have To…

Ending 2022 with something interesting about what I like to call God’s best invention.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/6-fascinating-things-we-learned-about-pet-dogs-and-cats-in-2022/

🦜 Quotes of the Week

If your goal is to enjoy some genuine joie de vivre this holiday season, keep in mind that the simplest acts of generosity, connection, and self-care can offer the biggest rewards. – 11 Ways to Experience Holiday Joy

Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly. – Jerry, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee

If you hear a voice within you say, you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. – Vincent Van Gogh

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. – Robert Brault

At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent. – Barbara Bush (Or your pets!)

🍾 Auld Lang Syning Off…

There’s no GH on Monday, and although there’s a new Deck, I’m postponing it a day, since I have a deadline on Tuesday. New Year’s Day isn’t exactly an ideal workday, so… Enjoy your journey into the new year, whether you celebrate or not. And don’t feel pressured to, or let anyone tell you how to feel about it. So until next year, stay safe, stay being true to yourself, and stay finding a positive way to take action when you go through something terrible.

🎉Happy New Year!🎉

Dec31

December 30, 2021 – New Year’s Eve In Port Charles, What’s On, Who’s Gone, Backlash Defense, Lala’s World, Bad Idea, Celebrations, Traditions, 22 Quotes for ’22, Eve Talk & Another One

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Today’s drinking game will include extra words because, New Year’s Eve (🍷).

Portia comes into The Savoy, and Curtis says she looks stunning. She tells him that he cleans up pretty nicely himself. He says, it’s a big occasion, and she says, happy New Year (🍷). He says, not just New Year (🍷); new beginnings. Right here with her, where it all started. He kisses her. Martin comes in with Lucy, and says, good evening and happy New Year (🍷), to Nika, who’s playing hostess. He asks if Valentin has a reservation this evening, and Lucy wonders why he needs to know.

At Kelly’s, Valentin sees Anna, and asks if the seat across from her is taken. He sits, and she asks if this is when he asks her about the conversation with his purported father. He says he couldn’t care less about anything Victor says or does, and she says, her either, but she thought he’d want to hear what was said. He says, not really. He and Anna have been tiptoeing around each other for far too long. He’s over it, and thinks she is too. So why doesn’t she let him take her out tonight? They can kick this wretched year to the curb, and start 2022 (🍷) fresh, the best way he can think of starting it – with each other.

Holding a gift bag, Drew knocks on Sam’s door, and when she answers, he says, surprise.

On the phone, Josslyn says she was really looking forward to them having her dad’s house to themselves, and Cameron asks if she’s sure she can’t get away. She says, unfortunately, something major happened with her mom, and she’s sorry, but she can’t leave. She’s really going to miss being with him tonight. He says, him too; she has no idea. She says she thinks she does. She’ll call him at midnight.

Michael tells Willow that Dante just texted him. He found Sonny. Willow hopes he’s okay, and Michael says, he’ll be fine, but he thinks it’s best if Sonny keeps his distance for a little while after he hurt mom. She says she’s so sorry. She can’t believe the mess she made. He says, she did nothing wrong. She told the truth about his father, which is something his father should have done a long time ago.

Carly takes down Sonny’s stocking from the fireplace, and looks at it. Then she looks at a picture of the two of them. Michael comes in, and says, mom? Carly says, excuse her, but he says, just talk to them. Willow says she’s so sorry about what happened in court, and Carly says, when Willow testified that she’d known for weeks about Sonny and Nina, did it ever occur to Willow to let her know her husband had fallen in love with someone else?

Maxie and Nina sit down at the Savoy, and Maxie asks, what’s wrong with Nina?. She gets to ring in 2022 (🍷) free as a bird; she should be celebrating. Nina says she should, but she’s not exactly in the mood. Scotty’s legal maneuvering kept her out of jail, but he blew up her life. And possibly Sonny and Carly’s.

Sonny knocks back drinks at Charlie’s, a stack of crumpled bills on the bar, when Dante walks in. Sonny asks what he’s doing there, and Dante says, Michael called him. He was looking for Sonny. Sonny says, congratulations. Dante found him. Dante says he can see that. Michael also told him about the hearing, that Willow took the stand and testified that Sonny and Nina fell in love in Nixon Falls. Sonny says he did not fall in love with Nina. That was Mike. He didn’t know who the hell he was, but he can’t get Carly to see that. She kicked him out. What if he never gets her to understand? What if he’s lost her forever? He slugs back another drink.

Drew apologizes for not calling first, and tells Sam, he promised Scout that he’d drop by with something special for New Year’s Eve (🍷). She says, it’s fine. Scout will be happy to see him. He says, here’s hoping, and she says, enough with the false modesty. Their daughter adores him.

Martin says, Valentin is his most lucrative client, and Lucy says, so the more the merrier. He says, no, far from it. As a matter-of-fact, Valentin made it clear that his and Lucy’s association is a bit of a conflict of interest. So much so, he issued an ultimatum; either his business or her. She says, obviously he chose her, but he says he doesn’t see why he should have to make a choice at all. He’s not here, and he’s not going to be here. The way Martin sees it, if they don’t make a scene, he can have his hummingbird cake and eat it too. How does that sound?

Maxie says, so Willow said Nina and Sonny fell in love. In court. On the stand. Nina says, yep, and Maxie says, wow. That is so dramatic. How did she even know? Nina says, Willow overheard her and Sonny talking in private, and she convinced Willow to keep it a secret, but Scotty pried it out of Willow. Maxie asks how Scotty found out, and Nina says she has no idea. Obrecht joins them, telling them, happy New Year (🍷). She sees Nina’s face, and says, what?

Scotty gives Cameron and Aiden what look like cassette tapes, and says he’s sorry he didn’t get these to them before Christmas. He tells Elizabeth that he has one for Jake too, but she says, he’s at a sleepover. She’ll make sure he gets it. He says he didn’t know Violet was going to be there, but Finn says, it’s okay. Scotty says, who doesn’t need five bucks? and Cameron says, Franco used to say that. Finn says, okay, and Violet takes the money, thanking Scotty. Scotty says he bets Franco did; he was always bumming five bucks from him. Aiden wonders what the gift is, and Cameron says, they’re old school tapes of sorts. Scotty says, it’s Franco’s music. He thought they could listen to it and keep Franco’s memory alive on New Year’s (🍷). Franco always liked this really crazy music. What do they think? Elizabeth looks sad.

Michael says, Willow came to apologize, and Willow says she’s so sorry. She never wanted to say what she had to at that hearing, but she had no choice. Carly says, she had a choice before. She chose to keep it to herself. Willow says, was she supposed to tell Carly that she overheard Sonny and Nina talking about how he fell in love in Nixon Falls, when he didn’t know who he was? It was over. Sonny is back, and Carly is the one he loves, not Nina. She didn’t want to hurt their marriage. She didn’t want to hurt Carly. Carly whirls around and says, but you did, Blanche! Oh wait, wrong drama. Carly asks if Willow didn’t want to hurt her, or did Nina ask her not to?

Dante says, Sonny has to give Carly some time. She’s got to remember that Sonny is Sonny. He’s not that guy who fell for Nina in Nixon Falls. Mike is gone; he doesn’t exist. Sonny says he told her, and it doesn’t matter, but Dante says, eventually, it will. How many times have they broken up? Sooner or later – hopefully sooner – Carly will come around and realize there’s nothing left between him and Nina. That’s right, isn’t it? There’s nothing left? Sonny asks if Dante shouldn’t be with Sam, but Dante says he’s got to get Sonny squared away first. Sonny says he just wants to be with his wife. There’s nothing Dante can do about that. Dante says, just like there’s nothing Sonny can do about falling for Nina when he thought he was someone else. That’s love. It’s like chemical stuff. There’s nothing you can do to control that. Nina is the guilty party here. Sonny didn’t do anything wrong, and Carly’s going to see that. Sonny says, that’s not the problem; not the whole problem anyway. He should have told Carly what happened in Nixon Falls before it came out in that courtroom. Dante asks why he didn’t.

Michael tells Carly, attacking Willow isn’t going to make this any better, and Josslyn says, Michael’s right. The blame is not on Willow; it’s on Nina. She’s the one who let Sonny keep thinking he was Mike. Michael says, and when they fell in love, Nina kept this whole sorry charade going. Carly asks Willow if Nina asked her to keep her and Sonny’s secret, and Willow says, yes, she did. Carly asks if Michael knew, but he says, no, not until the hearing. She says, and he’s okay with that; that Willow chose Nina over him. Over the family who welcomed her with open arms.

Nina says, it was Obrecht who told Scotty about her and Sonny, and Obrecht says, gerne geschehen (you’re welcome). Nina says, Scotty figured out that Willow knew something. How could she? Obrecht says Nina is free; that’s all that matters. Nina says, at what cost? She and Scotty might have wrecked Carly and Sonny’s marriage. Obrecht says, pity, and calls for more champagne. She asks why they’re not drinking yet, and Nina says, and destroyed her life. Obrecht says, all the more reason she should be drinking, and she didn’t destroy Nina’s life. On the contrary. She saved it.

Curtis tells Portia, he’s allowed this club and his father to monopolize his attention when he should have been giving her his time and energy. She thanks him, but says, all the time and energy he’s put into this club has been totally worth it. The Savoy is a success. And so is he. He thanks her, and says he didn’t think he needed to hear that, but he did. She says, as far as his father goes… He says, he doesn’t really want to talk about that man when he’s trying to have a special evening with his lady. She says, that’s always nice to hear, and he says, in fact, he’d like for them to be closer. She says, what a coincidence, because she wants that too, and he kisses her.

Scotty says, they’ve got to remember all the times with Franco, but they’ve also got to live their lives; he would want that. He tells Elizabeth that he’s sorry, and asks if he stuck his foot in it again. She says, no. Cameron just said something to her like that, and Scotty tells Finn that he’s got to watch his step. This is his family. They’re his heart. Finn says, his too, and Scotty says, but don’t tell anybody he has a heart. Finn asks who’d believe him? and Scotty says, nobody. He tells them, happy New Year (🍷), and leaves, and Finn asks if Elizabeth is okay. She says she’s just glad he’s here to help her bring in a brand new year.

In the kitchen, Elizabeth tells Aiden to bring the cake in, and she’ll clean up in here. Finn says, he’ll do it, and she says, she’ll wash; he’ll dry? He says, deal, and she puts her wedding ring on the shelf above the sink.

Sam brings Scout downstairs, and Drew says she looks adorable. Does she remember he said he’d bring something special by for New Year’s Eve (🍷)? She nods, and he says he hopes she likes them. He takes a pair of gold 2022 (🍷) sunglasses out of the bag, and asks if he can put them on her. She says, yes, and he does. He and Sam rave about how she looks, and Drew says, 2022 (🍷) coming. He has noisemakers too, and Sam tells Scout not to make too much noise for mommy, but Drew suggests she make noise all night. He thought Sam would look good in a pair of them too, and gives her a silver pair. She says he knows she loves a good pair of sunglasses, and Scout asks if Drew will stay until midnight.

Willow says she saw that Carly and Sonny were happy together. Why change that? Carly says, because Willow knew Sonny was in love with someone else. Michael says, he’s not defending dad, far from it, but Sonny doesn’t love Nina, and Mike from Nixon Falls doesn’t even exist anymore. Carly says, last night, she asked Sonny point blank if he still had feelings for Nina, and he couldn’t answer her. Josslyn asks if Sonny’s been cheating on Carly, and Carly tells her, he says not. Josslyn asks if Carly believes him, but Carly says she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know what to believe. Sonny says he still loves her, but she doesn’t know how he could, when a part of him is still in Nixon Falls with Nina. She says she doesn’t know what the hell to believe, and storms out.

Sonny tells Dante, when he got his memories back, when he knew who he was, he lashed out at Nina, like she was a stranger and enemy. Dante says, when it came to filing charges, it was Michael’s call, not Sonny’s; why? Sonny says, he wanted it to be over. He didn’t want to relive it in a courtroom. He was going to tell Carly privately, then Jason died. They were grieving, then Sasha and Brando’s baby died, and he thought it would be cruel to tell Carly then. He wanted some distance from all the loss, and he waited too long. He asks for another drink, and Dante says, so when it came to Sonny’s testimony, he said what Nina did to him was not a crime, right? Sonny says, she lashed out. She was hurt. That’s what people do when they’re hurt. Dante says, so is he saying he feels sorry for Nina, after she kept him from the people who love him? Sonny tells him, he didn’t say he felt sorry for her, and Dante says, but he felt something? Sonny says, yeah, and Dante asks if he still feels something. Sonny says, yeah, and Dante wonders what that something could be. Sonny says, here’s the problem. It’s like Mike is still in him. He didn’t leave all of Mike behind in Nixon Falls. He still carries a small piece of Mike’s heart, and God help him, that small piece of Mike’s heart belongs in some way to Nina.

Carly goes out on the terrace, and says, Jason, where are you? Why aren’t you here?

The kids bring their dishes into the kitchen, and Violet tells Aiden, that cake was super delicious. Cameron says he agrees, and says, it was top-notch. Aiden says he can’t take all the credit; it was Franco’s idea. Cameron says, Aiden baked it, and Elizabeth says, the fireworks are about to start. She tells them to get ready, and they go upstairs. Elizabeth tells Finn, she’s sorry if Franco’s presence… They just really miss him. He says, it’s okay. It’s nice they can share their memories. Franco obviously did a lot of good for the family, and her. She feels around the shelf, and looks around the sink, and says, her ring; it’s gone. It must have fallen down the drain.

Drew says, he’d absolutely love to stay, but something tells him, midnight past Scout’s bedtime. Sam asks Scout if she remembers that she wanted to wait until her brother got home to celebrate, but Scout says, that was before they got these glasses. Drew says he has to get home, but how about if he gives her an airplane ride all the way upstairs and tucks her in? Sam says, sounds like fun, and Drew says, one… two… takeoff! He picks Scout up and spins her around, then takes her upstairs.  

Dante says, he doesn’t entirely understand what Sonny went through, but Sonny can’t just forget what happened while he was Mike. Those feelings and experiences were real. It’s a real part of him; it doesn’t just vanish. Sonny says, a shadow, an echo; Mike is still in here. Don’t get him wrong, it’s not like the feelings he has for Nina have anything to do with the love he feels for Carly. Nina’s like an ex. He laughs, and says, she’s just going to fade away. Dante says, it might not happen while Sonny is drinking himself into oblivion though, and Sonny says, it needs to start fading tomorrow. Tomorrow is New Year’s Day (🍷). It’s a good time to hit the… Dante says, reset? True enough. Sonny laughs, and says, the last thing he wants is to have Dante sitting with him at a bar, when he could be ringing in the New Year with Sam. Dante says, okay, he’ll go, and asks Sonny where he’s staying; he’ll drop Sonny off. Sonny says, he’s fine, and Dante asks if he’s is sure he’s okay? Sonny says he’s a big boy; he can take care of himself. They hug, and Sonny thanks Dante for being him, and a great son. Dante slips Sonny’s keys in his pocket, and says he wants Sonny to know that everything he said stays between them. Sonny thanks him, and Dante tells him, be good, and leaves.

Josslyn says she can’t believe Sonny did this, and Michael says he gets that Sonny was protecting Carly by keeping it a secret, but that doesn’t excuse it or make it right. Josslyn says, what’s that saying? It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up. Willow says, sometimes the worst things happen when we try to shield our loved ones from knowing the truth, when Carly comes back in. She says she’s sorry. She knows they’re here for her, and she loves them for that. All of them. She takes Willow’s hand.

Scotty walks over to Obrecht’s table, and asks, where’s the champagne? Life’s a ball, and we’ve got a lot of living to do here. Obrecht says she’s afraid Nina doesn’t see it that way, and Scotty asks if Nina is still upset. Nina says, the last thing she wanted was for her and Sonny’s feelings for each other in Nixon Falls to be used as a weapon. He says, funny. He didn’t think she’d want to rot in a prison in Pennsylvania. If he  blindsided Willow, he had to; they would have lost. Nina says, she would have taken the risk. Now, Sonny and Carly are hurt; the whole family is devastated. He says he didn’t know the Corinthos family morale was of such importance to her. Maybe Nina should have told them Sonny was alive a year ago instead of keeping it a little secret. Nina says she’s so sorry. She can’t stay here. She tells Maxie that she’s sorry; happy New Year (🍷); she loves her. She’s mad at Obrecht, but happy New Year (🍷). She leaves, and Maxie says, unbelievable. Scotty is as tactless as he is rumpled. She follows Nina, and Scotty asks, what’s this rumpled business? Obrecht just looks at him, and he asks what he did. She tells him that he said too much that wasn’t necessary, and he says, he got the charges dropped. She says, he didn’t have to rub Nina’s nose in her mistake, and he asks if they’re having a little love spat.

Martin says, as much as he loves showing Lucy off for this crowd, how would she feel about coming back to his place? She says she kind of knows exactly what he’s doing, and kisses him. She says, okay, and they get up. He sees Valentin come in with Anna, and leads Lucy out the back door. He says, this is not an exit, and she says, it’s kind of like they’re hiding out. He wonders how they’re going to get out of there, and she says, it would be very simple if he’d just fire Valentin as a client and pick her.

Curtis says he’s been thinking about the first time he and Portia were together. It was so wrong, but so much was so right, because it brought him here tonight, making memories with a caring, kind, intelligent, beautiful woman. Portia asks if he’s saying he’s feeling her, and he says he’s feeling her. He’s fallen for her.

Valentin tells Anna, oh look, Martin’s here. That means Lucy Coe can’t be far behind. She asks why that matters, when Martin approaches their table. He says, if it isn’t his favorite client, and his favorite operative. Happy New Year (🍷). He tells Anna that she looks exquisite. As a matter-of-fact, they’re a matched set. Come to think of it, it’s kind of sad. Valentin asks, what’s sad? and Martin says, he looks as good as they do, but he has no one to dance with. He’s alone; bereft of company, on the busiest date night of the year.

In the back, Lucy puts on a New Year’s hat and glasses. She sees Maxie, and says she needs Maxie’s help desperately. If she doesn’t get out of here without Valentin seeing her, Martin is going to lose his most lucrative client. Please, please, please. Maxie relents, and Lucy thanks her. They go inside, and Maxie says, stick with me. She’s got Lucy’s back.

Finn messes around under the sink, and Elizabeth asks if he’s sure he knows what he’s doing under there. He doesn’t strike her as the handy type. He says, really? He’ll have her know, he put himself through two years of medical school working at a plumbing company. She says, really? and he says, really. He drops the wrench, and we hear water splash. He comes out, and she asks if he’s okay, handing him a towel. He wipes his face, and stands up, saying, refreshing. He holds out her ring on his pinkie, and she thanks him. She starts to put it on, but stops, and looks at Finn.

Sam lets Dante in, and he says, nice sunglasses. She says, Drew got them for her and Scout. It was a surprise. Drew comes downstairs, thanking Sam for letting him tuck Scout in. He sees Dante, and Dante holds out his hand, saying, happy New Year (🍷). They shake hands, and Drew says, happy 2022 (🍷) to the both of them. Have a good night; he’ll see them around. He starts to leave, but Sam says, Drew. He turns around, and she hugs him, saying, any time, while Dante pretends to look at something on the desk. Drew leaves, and Sam says, he only stopped by to see Scout. He says she doesn’t have to explain anything to him. He gets it. Sam says, okay, and he says, it’s all good. He takes her hand, leading her to the couch, and says, the countdown’s about to begin. In the hallway, Drew puts on his coat, and leaves for real.

Carly makes a beeline for the door, and Josslyn asks where she’s going. Carly says she needs to get out of the house and unthink. Michael asks if she’s okay to drive, and she says she is. It’s a lot to take in. She needs to deal with her thoughts. He tells her, just be careful, and she says she will. She leaves, and Josslyn says, she’s going to be okay, right? Michael says she knows mom. When things are tough, she puts her guard up. That’s how she deals. Josslyn says she’s going out for a bit, and Willow asks if she’s going to follow her mom. Josslyn says, no. The way she drives, she’s halfway to wherever she’s going by now. Josslyn leaves, and Michael says, it must be almost midnight, and Willow says, pretty close. He says he’s not in the mood to celebrate, and Willow says, yeah. He takes her hand, and pulls her into a hug.  

The guests at The Savoy count down, and yell, happy New Year (🍷)! Maxie brings Lucy through the club. Scotty and Obrecht kiss. Valentin and Anna kiss. Martin slips out after Lucy and Maxie, and he and Lucy leave together, Maxie giving them a thumbs up. Curtis and Portia kiss, and there’s lots of horn blowing, but no confetti. I’m guessing Curtis doesn’t want to clean that mess up.

Sonny looks around, and sees Nina come into Charlie’s.

Curtis and Portia go back to one of their places – a bedroom with a lot of lit candles – and get busy, while a female vocal of Auld Lang Syne plays. Fireworks go off, both figuratively and literally. The song continues to play in the background for the rest of the show.

Anna and Valentin kiss some more. He says, they should do this more often. I concur.

Nina tells Sonny, she just stopped by to say hello to Phyllis, but he says, Phyllis isn’t there. He has to go. She says she doesn’t think he should drive, but he says he’s fine. He wonders where his keys are, and she says if he needs a ride, she’ll drive him home. He says he’s not going home, and she says, then she’ll drive him wherever he wants to go. He grabs a glass of champagne going by on a tray, and drains it. he says, let’s go, and follows her out.

Carly goes to the footbridge, and watches the fireworks. She says, Jason.

Dante and Sam kiss, and Sam asks, what took him so long? He says he was with his dad, and Sam asks if Sonny is okay. Dante says, yeah. He’s going through some things right now, but he’ll be fine. At least he got his dad to open up to him; they talked a little. She says, if Dante feels like he needs to be with Sonny, she’s not kicking him out, but… He says, no. He offered, but… She asks if Sonny is drinking, and Dante says, he took Sonny’s keys. He needed some space, which evidently leaves them here alone. He kisses her.

Elizabeth looks at her ring, and puts it in the drawer of the kitchen island. She turns to Finn, and he holds her.

Cameron watches the fireworks with Avery and Aiden. Josslyn arrives, and he says, she’s here. She says, of course (🍷). She couldn’t let 2022 (🍷) start without this. She kisses him, and the little kids smile.

Willow looks out the window at the fireworks. Michael comes up behind her, and puts his arms around her.

Carly hears something on the footbridge, and turns to see Drew.   

Tomorrow, a rerum from February 24th. Next week, Britt says Victor certainly has a lot to celebrate, Drew asks if it’s possible that Carly blames herself, and Nina tells Sonny to sleep it off.  

🎉 And the Rest…

Which soaps will be on New Year’s Eve.

Find Out if Your Favorite Soaps Are Airing on New Year’s Day

🥀 Those Who Have Gone On…

The soap stars we lost in 2021. Farewell, sweet prince.

Remembering the Daytime Stars We Lost in 2021

⚖️ In Defense…

Tamra is the worst. I’ll just leave it there.

https://pagesix.com/2021/12/23/tamra-judge-defends-herself-after-shannon-beador-comment-backlash/

💋 Giving You Lala…

Like he can do better.

https://pagesix.com/2021/12/27/lala-kent-says-there-is-proof-of-randall-emmett-cheating/

Interesting how she never wanted Randall involved with her brand. No muss, no fuss now.

https://pagesix.com/2021/12/29/lala-kent-focusing-on-beauty-bran-after-randall-emmett-breakup/

This surprised me, since GG and Reza were at Lala’s party. And like GG hasn’t stuck with a few red flagged partners.

https://pagesix.com/2021/12/28/gg-gharachedaghi-defends-pal-randall-emmett-slams-lala-kent/

⚰️ Just No…

Unless Alan Ball is writing it, I say let Six Feet Under stay six feet under. It was the perfect ending. Let it go.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/six-feet-under-follow-up-in-the-works-at-hbo/

🍾 Auld Lang This Syne…

Enjoy some New Year’s Eve celebrations.

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/holidays/photos/new-years-eve-around-the-world

And some New Year traditions.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/g25360543/new-year-traditions/

🥠 Quotes of the Week

No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. – Buddha

Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start. – Nido Qubein

Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life. – Robin Sharma

Packaged inside of every mistake there lays a great lesson. And while I don’t want to take the mistake into the New Year, I most certainly want to take the lesson that’s packaged inside of it. – Craig D. Lounsbrough

You are never too old to reinvent yourself. – Steve Harvey

You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. – Martin Luther King

Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret or fear. – Unknown

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice. – T.S. Eliot

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C.S. Lewis

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. – Seneca

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. – William E. Vaughan

You do not find the happy life. You make it. – Camilla Eyring Kimball

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. – Benjamin Franklin

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou

Listen. I wish I could tell you it gets better. But, it doesn’t get better. You get better. – Joan Rivers

The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become. – W.E.B. Du Bois

Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on. – Hal Borland

It always seems impossible until it’s done. – Nelson Mandela

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

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. – J.P. Morgan

On New Year’s Eve the whole world celebrates the fact that a date changes. Let us celebrate the dates on which we change the world. – Akilnathan Logeswaran

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. – Albert Einstein

🗓 See You Next Year…

We’re back on Deck January 3rd of the New Year. A bit about that. If you’re a resolution maker, start early, and make one not to pressure yourself about resolutions. And resolutions or not, don’t pressure yourself about New Year’s Eve. It doesn’t matter who you spend it with, even if it’s only yourself. I’ve spent it more ways than I can count. On a cruise around Manhattan, in a lavish restaurant, a hot club, and a dive bar. I’ve seen Barry Manilow sing It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve at Radio City when the clock struck twelve, and I’ve stood in the middle of Madison Square Park watching the clock strike twelve. I’ve spent it with a lot of people, a handful of people, as part of a couple, and alone. The only thing I’ve never done (and never will) is Times Square. Back in my single days, my roommate went. She said someone spilled beer on her, somebody else peed on her, and when the crowd moved, you moved. It was a first and last for her, and a never for me. But my point is, one thing for sure, January 1st came and another year began, no matter what I did the night before. In the eloquent words of Bill Murray in Meatballs, it just doesn’t matter.

So no matter what New Year’s Eve path you choose, stay safe in all ways, stay being moderate in all things, and stay having a Happy New Year, no matter where you’re at. Or at least a Tolerable New Year.

Dec31

December 30, 2020 – Cyrus Has a Really Bad Day, Elizabeth Tells All, Salt Lake Snowmobiling, Soap Skinny, Celeb-rations, New Love, Leaving, Fan Of a Fan, an Update, a Look Back, Confetti, Happy New Year & Just Another One

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Why not? It’s the last post of the year. I missed the before credits action, but this is what happened. Jackie showed up at Anna’s, and asked how Finn was after his injury. Anna said he was with Gregory in Rice Plaza, watching the Polar Bear Dive. Finn came close to spilling everything to Gregory, but a drunk Alexis came by, wishing them a happy new year. Finn noticed she was bleeding, but she brushed it off, saying she’d broken a glass. Laura told Carly that she thought she was Cyrus’s weakness. Ned, Olivia, and Tracy had lunch in the MetroCourt, and Tracy said Ned was a lucky man to have Olivia. Olivia wondered, since when was Tracy her biggest fan? Jason met Cyrus at the pier, and then…

Jackie tells Anna, she still can’t believe Chase went swimming in the freezing cold. Anna says Jackie must not be a polar bear, and Jackie says, no. She says Anna has a lovely home, and Anna thanks her. Jackie says, it must be fun having a little girl running around, and Anna says, Violet brings the place to life. Jackie asks if Violet is home, but Anna says, she’s napping. She got up at the crack of dawn to play with the dollhouse Finn got for her. Can Jackie believe Finn is a father? Jackie says, yes and no.

Alexis tells Finn, she broke a glass and nicked herself. It’s not like she’s bleeding out. He says, it’s not big, but it’s deep; she’ll need stitches. Why don’t they go to GH, and he’ll stitch her up himself. She tells Gregory, his son is a wonderful friend. He’s just generally a wonderful person in general. Gregory says she gets no argument from him. She says they slept together, and Finn didn’t die. Imagine that? Finn says they should probably get going. Did she drive? She says, no. A, she wouldn’t, and B, her license was taken away because of Tracy. Didn’t he feel a shift in the cosmos? The bitch is back. He says she can tell him about it on the way. She says he can’t make her go, and he asks if she’s going to walk around to spite him. She says, maybe, and laughs, telling him, lead the way. She leans on him, and says, such a gentleman. He really is. They leave, and Gregory follows them.

Laura tells Carly, she and Cyrus have the same father, and Carly says, Rick Webber? Laura says, no. Rick is her adoptive father. Her biological father was Gordon Grey. Cyrus is her half-brother, along with Martin Grey. Carly asks how she found out, and Laura says she was doing the same thing Carly was, trying to find a way to stop Cyrus. She did some digging, and found that Cyrus was paying all the medical bills for a woman named Florence Grey. Obviously, she meant a lot to Cyrus, but Laura couldn’t figure out the connection. She started to wonder if Florence was the same one who was married to her father, so with a lot of help, she found the long-term care facility where Florence was, and managed to get in. Carly says, of course (🍷) she did, and Laura says she was only in Florence’s room a minute, when Martin came in, with Cyrus not far behind. It all just came out. Florence is their mother, and they share Gordon as a father. Carly says, wow, and Laura says, that’s the word. Carly says Cyrus went from being an island to having an entire family, and Laura says, an entire family she’s a part of. 

Cyrus says Jason strikes him as less inclined than Sonny to be influenced by pride and family concerns. He deals in facts, not emotions. That’s why Cyrus doesn’t hold it against him that Jason blew his warehouse to smithereens, and cost him a substantial amount of money. He was acting on Sonny’s orders, but now he has the opportunity to think for himself and make his own decisions. Imagine how much better his life would be, and the people in his circle. Instead of this tedious and costly stand-off, they can finally cooperate. Jason asks, how?

Finn tells Alexis, he’s giving her an antibiotic just in case. She says, thanks, buddy, and he says, got it, pal. She asks if she chased his dad away, but he says Gregory is getting coffee. He heard about Julian, and he’s sorry. She grabs him in a hug, and starts crying, saying, she wants to go home. He asks who he can call. Sam? Molly? She says she’ll take a taxi, and he says he’ll drive her. She insists on taking a taxi, and says, go, be with his dad. He says it will take him ten minutes, but she says she wants to go alone. He says he’s not letting her. Come up with somebody, or he’s her ride. It’s up to her. She tells him to call Ned.

Tracy says Olivia is right. She wasn’t always Tracy’s favorite, but she has to understand Tracy is extremely protective of her family. The Quartermaines have dealt with their fair share of gold-diggers in the past. Monica and Lucy come to mind. Olivia says, Monica is not a gold-digger, and Tracy says, not now. She grew into the role of a Quartermaine, but not in the beginning. Why does Olivia think Alan gave Monica the house? He wanted to buy her love. Olivia says she can’t speak for their history, but Monica loved Alan. Tracy says, when she wasn’t cheating on him, and Ned says Tracy is one to talk. Tracy says she was worried Ned would follow suit, and he did at first. That’s why all of his marriages failed. Olivia is different, and she’s finally opened her eyes to that. Instead of seeing Olivia’s Brooklyn accent, she sees a matriarch in the making, and she’s good for Ned and the Quartermaine family. Olivia fights for her own, like her. She lets Ned be who he needs to be, for himself and the family. Olivia completes him, the same way Luke completes her. Ned asks if Tracy is comparing her relationship with his an Olivia’s, and she says, laugh all he wants. Luke turned out to be the person she’s been looking for her whole life, and Olivia is that person for him. She was glad Ned found Olivia. Olivia says, her too.

Jackie says, Anna doesn’t like her, does she? and Anna asks if she’s giving that impression. Jackie says, just the opposite, but she thought because she’d been spending time with Robert… Anna says she wasn’t aware of it, and Jackie says Robert has been attentive since she’s been there. Anna says they have a history, and Jackie says, as does Anna with Robert. Anna says she loves Robert as a friend, but that’s all they are. Jackie says the times she spent with Robert were the most fun she ever had, and Anna laughs, saying, he is a lot of fun. Jackie says, meeting Anna explains a lot. Holly was great, and Robert loved her, but there was something else going on that he never said; a missing piece. It was Anna. Anna says, having a child bonds you like nothing else, and Jackie says, there they have it. She’s ready to get it out in the open. Anna isn’t sure what Jackie is referring to, and Jackie says Anna knows about her and Finn.

Laura tells Carly, it was eye-opening how desperate Cyrus is for his mother’s acceptance and forgiveness. She saw  a different side of him, and thinks he’s transferring his feelings onto her; the sister who finally accepts him when his mother rejected him. He’s been estranged from the family since he was a teenager, but she doesn’t think it bothers him as much as the rift with his mother. Clearly, he loves and misses her. Carly asks if she’s been in Port Charles all this time, but Laura says, no. She’s in Mountain Landing Long-Term Care in Vermont. Carly says, that’s random. Did they let Laura in as a visitor? Laura says, not exactly. She admitted herself as a patient.

Cyrus tells Jason, he’d like to do what he originally proposed to Sonny; it will be beneficial to both sides. Jason opens the pier so he can bring his product through, but Jason will have nothing to do with it. No distribution. No dirty hands. Although he’d appreciate security being provided to keep the competition out. He’ll give Jason 30% of he profit; gross not net. There will be no risk to him, while he’ll get a sizable return. As an added benefit, they won’t be at each other’s throats, so Jason could either maintain the import business, or focus on the legitimate coffee empire, while he collects the profits Cyrus will shower him with. Come on. Be smarter than Sonny.  

Carly says she can’t believe Laura had herself admitted, and Laura says, it was dicey for a minute, but Curtis was looking out for her. She needed answers. Carly asks if she thinks she got them, and Laura says, she thinks it’s a good start. Carly says, so she’s Cyrus’s soft spot, and Laura says, she’s not kidding herself. She’s not going to tell Cyrus to play nice, and he will, but she thinks it’s an opening. She can capitalize on his vulnerability, and point him in a better direction. If she does it right, she can neutralize Cyrus. Carly thanks her, and they hug. Carly thanks Laura for coming by, and says she appreciates Laura’s words; they mean everything. Laura says she’ll keep Sonny in her prayers, and leaves. Carly gets on the phone, and says, listen to her every word. This is so important.   

Anna tells Jackie, Finn confided a number of things, and Jackie says she appreciates Anna being discreet, but she knows Jackie slept with Finn. Anna says Jackie assured Finn that he wasn’t Chase’s father, and Jackie says she did. It was the best outcome for all concerned, but things were left conflicted. She takes full responsibility for what she chose to do, but what Finn chose afterward is on him. Anna says, no judgement on her part, and Jackie says, it was fine when Harry was a baby, but as he got older, he asked more questions about why his brother wasn’t in their lives. Now they’ve bonded, and those questions are more pressing than ever. Out of curiosity, what camp is Anna in? Should Chase be told or not? Anna says, it’s not her place. She can understand both sides. Resurrecting the issue might cause pain for Chase and Gregory, but doing nothing is causing Finn pain. He’s responsible for the predicament he’s in, but the secret has poisoned his relationship with his father, and now Violet. They deserve to have Gregory in their lives. What is Jackie going to do about it?

Olivia wonders if they should hug it out, and Tracy says, let’s not go overboard. Finn calls Ned, and says he’s with Alexis at the hospital, and she’s asking for him. Ned asks, what happened? and Finn says, she cut her arm on some broken glass, and he put in a few stitches. But they both know that’s not the problem. Ned asks if she’s been drinking, and Finn says, yeah. He doesn’t want to let her take a cab. Ned says he’s on his way. He tells Tracy and Olivia, Alexis hurt herself and needs a ride home. Tracy asks what that’s got to do with him, and he says she asked for him. Tracy tells him not to enable her, and he says he’s not showing up with a martini, just a ride. Tracy says, she’ll go, but Olivia says Alexis isn’t going to want to see Tracy. She’ll go with Ned. Ned says, no. They’re having a lovely time at lunch, which is rare in this family. So sit and enjoy this rare opportunity to have his mother’s approval. He leaves, and Olivia says, poor Alexis. She’s having a hard time. Tracy says, when someone self-destructs, there’s always collateral damage

Jason says Cyrus is making assumptions, but Cyrus says, Sonny’s not coming back. His sources at the Secaucus PD told him the bridge collapsed. Jason was there. No body was found and Sonny hasn’t been in touch. Clear indications that the man is dead. He admires Jason holding out hope, but the time has come for him to shift his perspective. Now all this is for his taking. Jason says, no deal. Cyrus isn’t moving his product through Port Charles ever. It’s Sonny’s territory – Cyrus says, was – and he’s going to run it the way Sonny will want to find it when he comes home. Cyrus says Jason disappoints him. Not just his foolishness in turning down the deal, but more so for convincing himself of something he knows isn’t true. So be it. If he can’t persuade Jason, he can’t. He thanks Jason for taking the time to meet him. Jason says if waiting he’s waiting for Walker to take him out from his sniper nest, he’s not there. Cyrus says he guesses he’ll have to do it himself, and draws his gun.

Cyrus shoots, and Jason ducks behind some crates. He tells Cyrus, drop the gun, or he’ll put one between his eyes. Brando comes in behind Jason, and says, drop it. Jason drops it, but two other guys come on the scene with Carly, who says, drop it or they’ll both be dead. Brando puts his gun down, and Jason tells him to get on the ground. Jason fires a shot missing Cyrus, and says he has one chance. He’s going to put the next one in Cyrus’s head. Cyrus puts his gun down, and gets on the ground. Jason tells the men to get Carly back to the car. She tries to argue, but he says, right now. He tells Cyrus, there will be no escalation. Come after him again, and he’s dead. Jason walks away, and Cyrus pounds the ground. Not his day.

Alexis is snoozing when Ned comes in. He asks, what happened? Does she even remember? She says she’s sorry she asked Finn to call, but he wouldn’t let up. He says she can always call him. Is she all right? She says, it was a small cut, but he says, big enough to require stitches. It’s only a matter of time before she truly hurts herself or someone else. She drove her car off the road, and now this. She says she broke a glass, and what Tracy said happened, didn’t happen. The coffee. He asks what she means, and she tells him, Tracy said she was searching for coffee. It’s right there on the counter, front and center. He says Tracy isn’t familiar with Alexis’s kitchen; she must have missed it. Alexis says, impossible, unless you’re blind. Tracy drove them off the road.

Anna tells Jackie, she has no plans to alter the status quo. What happens next is between Jackie and Finn. Jackie thanks her, and Anna says, but she’ll support Finn in whatever decision he makes to tell Chase the truth or not. Jackie feels the truth would be more harmful than good. They’ve stayed silent this long. Anna says, but it hinged on keeping their distance. That’s not the case anymore. Finn and Gregory walk in.

Ned says Alexis isn’t making sense. His mother drove them off the road? She says she knows it seems strange, and he says, it seems like she’s confused. Tracy drove Alexis home, and Alexis took the car off the road. She says she doesn’t think that’s what happened. He says Tracy and Chase found her, and she admitted she didn’t remember getting in the car. She says, it feels wrong. She doesn’t know how else to say it.

Olivia wonders what happened with Alexis, and tells Tracy, she should have gone with Ned. Tracy says, no, and Olivia asks, why? Tracy says, too many cooks in the kitchen. Alexis might feel overwhelmed or ganged up on. Olivia says, maybe if she was upset with Alexis, but they’re friends. She just wants to help Alexis get through this. Tracy says, trust her. It’s better this way.

Gregory tells Jackie that she looks well, and she says, so does he. Finn says he’s sorry they’re late; Alexis needed help. Anna asks if everything is all right, and Finn says he hopes so. Gregory says Finn’s bedside manner has improved. Anna has been good for him. Anna asks if Gregory wants tea, and Finn says he’ll help her.  

Gregory says Finn invited him to stay for dinner, and Jackie says Finn and Anna make a good couple. He says, they do, and asks if she’s met Violet yet. She says, no; Violet was napping. He says, she’s the most wonderful little girl; full of joy and curiosity, and excited about the wedding. He says, sorry, and she says, don’t be. He shouldn’t be. She might be there. Robert invited her as his date.

Cyrus tells Brando, Jason didn’t hit him because he didn’t want to. As for Brando, he doesn’t know whether he’s an ally or a hidden enemy. Brando says, Cyrus’s meeting was supposed to be done at 3:10, so he came to check. He saved Cyrus’s life. Cyrus asks why Brando didn’t shoot, and Brando says he didn’t know what was going on. Cyrus says, if he’d died, the first thing his lawyer would do is send what he knows about Dev’s identity being falsified straight to the Feds. He wanted to use it to nail Sonny, but there’s more than enough to incriminate all of them. It will be ironic if Jason has walked away from how many murders, including Walker’s, and ends up back in prison for forging Dev’s ID, and Brando will be in the cell next to him. He’ll think about that the next time he wonders where Brando’s loyalty lies. He didn’t shoot when he had the opportunity.

Jason tells someone on the phone, he wants no evidence of what happened, and zero evidence Carly was there. Make sure the guards are with who they’re assigned to. Carly says good thing she was there; she knew it was an ambush. He says, of course (🍷) it was an ambush. He took the guy out. He knew what he was doing. Carly says, apparently not. Brando had a gun on him. He says, next time, send the guards. Don’t get in the line of fire and leave her kids without a mother. She says she had protection, and he says, so what? If bullets start flying, there’s no guarantee. She says he was walking into a trap. What if he’d been hit? He says, then he would have survived like he has every other time. What he can’t survive is losing her. I think, why don’t they just do it already?

Gregory says, Robert Scorpio, Anna’s ex? and Jackie says, that’s the one. He says he’ll finally get to meet Robert. She’d told him about their adventures back in the day. She says, back in the day, before she settled down, and her dreams came true. He’s surprised Anna invited Robert to the wedding, and Jackie says he and Anna are friends., and Finn tolerates him for her sake. Finn and Anna have come back in, and Finn says, it’s a secret, but he likes Robert. Why are they talking about Robert? Jackie says she’s his plus one, but she’ll only say yes if it’s all right with Gregory. Gregory says, Chase would love to have his mom there, but it’s Finn’s day. Finn says, it’s okay with him. It’s going to be a real family affair. Anna pours the tea.  

Cyrus and Brando go to the MetroCourt, and Cyrus says he needs a drink. He tells Brando, wait over there, clearly still pissed. He orders scotch on the rocks, and sits. Laura comes in, and asks if he’s all right; he doesn’t look well. He says, it’s a business complication, and she hopes nobody died. He says it was touch and go, and she says she’s glad she ran into him. She’d like to talk to him about Sonny. He can’t see how that’s relevant, and she says, with Sonny’s disappearance, peace could be destroyed. She’d like to work with him to keep the streets safe and the violence down. He asks what that would entail, and she says, meeting regularly to discuss health and safety issues. She doesn’t believe biology alone bonds people, but as mayor, it’s her duty to keep the people safe. So meet her halfway. He says he appreciates her reaching out, and he’d be happy to work with her on this matter. She says, good. She looks forward to their first meeting. She’ll be in touch. She starts to go, and tells him, she’s really happy no one was hurt at his meeting, and smiles at him.  

Tracy stomps back to table, and finds Olivia gone. She says, dammit. Leave you alone for five minutes, and look what happens.

Ned tells Alexis that she needs to pull herself together. She asks if he’s afraid she’ll drag him down with her, and he says, that’s not what he meant. She says she’s sure he’s thinking it, and he asks if she blames him. She’s doing things she doesn’t remember, it’s not a stretch to think she might say things. She says she has no intention of hurting anyone else, and he says, just herself. Go back to AA. She promises to avoid Olivia at all costs, and Olivia comes out of the elevator. Ned tells her, he said he had this, and Olivia says she knows. she just thought Alexis could use a female friend. She tells Alexis that they love her and want help her through this. Alexis says, that’s sweet, but no help is needed. Olivia says she can’t mean that after what just happened. Alexis says, she’s fine. The only reason she called was because Finn wouldn’t get off her back. She tells them to have a lovely afternoon, and she’s going to do the same. She walks away.  

Carly says, she can’t die, but Jason can? He says he brought her in. She would have had nothing to do with business if not for him. She helped Sonny for his sake, and now she’s in power and doesn’t know how to handle it. She shouldn’t know. If she dies because of it, he couldn’t stand it. She says she’s not sorry, and she’d do it again; alone if she had to. He says they don’t know if Sonny is alive – she says, he is – and he doesn’t want to lose her too. She says she’ll always catch him. Always. He says she blew his shot. He would have killed Cyrus if she hadn’t shown up. She asks why he didn’t take it, and he says, because she was there. If there was a witness, or things went sideways, or she was an accessory… He can’t have it. He had to let Cyrus live, and now things are going to escalate. Cyrus isn’t stupid. Cyrus knows he didn’t kill him because of her, and it makes them more vulnerable. Her phone dings, and she looks at it. She says she thinks things aren’t going to escalate, and he asks, why? She says, things have been solved.  

On the phone at the bar, Cyrus says, what?… How?… When? He yells, son of a bitch! wiping all the glasses onto the floor. Brando runs over, and asks, what is it? He says, they have his mother.   

Next week, Portia needs to speak to Taggert, Jax wants to take Josslyn away, Laura needs leverage from Martin, and Carly says, now they have leverage. Tomorrow, ABC will air a rerun from September 17th, 2020, and on Friday, college football.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

When Braunwyn and Elizbeth took a walk, Elizabeth ended up having a panic attack. Braunwyn asked her to name five things she could see, two she could smell, and one she could feel, and I’ll be damned if she didn’t calm down after those activities. In her interview, Elizabeth said, from 0 to 13 she was raised in a religious environment. Her grandma was the head of the church, and her father one of the main preachers. They couldn’t wear or eat what they wanted, or leave the compound. They knew how to control everyone. Elizabeth told Braunwyn that she didn’t know how to move on, but Braunwyn said she was doing it right now. In Elizabeth’s interview, she said she needed to hide the sadness, and found laughter attracted people to her. It was easier to live in a fantasy of happiness than her reality of depression. She was worried if she started talking about it, everything she’d built would disappear. She said she’d carried the burden of feeling she’d done something wrong, but Braunwyn said she was free now. Elizabeth asked if Braunwyn thought less of her, but Braunwyn said it was the opposite. Now she had context. In Braunwyn’s interview, she admitted she hadn’t been a good friend, and regretted the petty stuff, and would have to make amends. The group went catch and release fishing, and Gina’s first catch of the day was herself.  

John told Shannon that he thought he should stay at the house, because it was inevitable he’d have covid. In Shannon’s interview, she said she’d tested negative when the girls were positive, and had quarantined with John. She had strict rules, but they weren’t necessarily followed.

Shane was still in the hospital, and FaceTimed with Emily and the kids. In Emily’s interview, she said the kids knew he was sick, but didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. It was hard, since she couldn’t imagine a time she and Shane hadn’t been together during something difficult.

Shannon said, on the positive side, she was coming home to take care of the kids. Two seconds in the door, she started bitching about all the laundry, dog sh*t, and dishes in the sink. She said the girls were healthy enough to lay in lounge chairs getting sun, so they were healthy enough to wash a dish. Her WOTD was un-flippin’-believable.

Gina said it was hard to get to know Elizabeth. She didn’t understand her. Elizabeth said she was embarrassed about who she is. She’d told a neighbor what was happening, and the FBI shut down the church. She was vague, but it sounded like there had been sexual abuse going on. She told Gina and Kelly while they were at the lake, and Gina said it was horrifying. Elizabeth told them that when the FBI came, her dad said she’d lost a father. This is why she wants to live for herself now. Gina wondered why they were all so f***ed up.

Elizabeth said had been a trip for cleansing, but she didn’t know it was going to happen for real. In her interview, she said, opening up opened her mind to having real friends, and it was a wonderful feeling. Gina asked if it bothered Braunwyn for them to drink around her, but Braunwyn said it didn’t. Kelly made enchiladas, and in her interview, called her father for a breakdown of their Mexican heritage, then spaced out while he was talking. Shannon called to say she was positive, and John was still negative, so they had to separate. It added another layer to the whole thing, since they were always together. She wondered if it would go to her lungs, and Kelly told her, just get it over with. Gina said this is why she took it seriously, and people who were compromised should be careful. Both Braunwyn and Kelly were concerned, since they’d seen Shannon recently. Braunwyn had been in the house, and called Sean to let him know. He told her it had been seven days since they’d been there, and she said she was feeling dizzy. He told her that wasn’t a symptom. She had him google the symptoms, and go through them, but she didn’t have any. Kelly thought it was crazy that she hadn’t gotten it, since she’d been asking for it by going out. She told the women, a group of Marines told her that type O blood was bulletproof, but in Gina’s interview, she said she didn’t think that’s how it worked. I wondered where Kelly ran into a group of Marines that she discussed her blood type with. Kelly was glad Shannon hadn’t come. Gina said Shane had tested negative, and woke up with a 105 fever. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she thought she’d take a break, and escape from reality, and now she was scared for her kids and herself. She didn’t want to be in the woods if she got it.

Kelly said there were a lot of roadblocks to her getting married on 10-10-2020, but she wasn’t letting anything get in the way. By hook or by crook, she was going to make it happen. She called Rick, who said they had planning to do, and they talked about a trip to Napa. Elizabeth said she’d slept like a rock, which was no surprise. Gina told Braunwyn, they had to take the virus more seriously; she knew Braunwyn had been going out. Braunwyn talked about her friend Shari, who she calls her wife since they quarantined together. In Gina’s interview, she said when she and Braunwyn first met, Braunwyn told her that she preferred women sexually. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she and Shari kept each other sane. They traded off. The women called Shannon before they left, and she told them that Sophie came home sick. Kelly remembered John meeting her at the door maskless, and in her interview, she said it was killing her vibe. Maybe she shouldn’t go to Napa.

Kelly spoke with Lisa, the covid test nurse, who told her she might been in contact with someone who had the virus. In Kelly’s interview, she said she had been laisse faire about the virus, but it was hitting close to home, and making her think this was a real thing now. She was getting worried. The nurse suggested Kelly isolate for 14 days in her home away from others. Kelly said, no Napa now.

Emily’s kids made cards and a welcome home sign for Shane. Emily said it had been a long eight days. In her interview, she said she’d actually thought what she would do if he didn’t come home. As a mom, she had to allow her mind to go there. She never wanted to be in that situation again, thinking about taking care of the kids on her own. She appreciated Shane more than she ever had before. She picked Shane up from the hospital, and he said he just wanted to shower and lie down. In Emily’s interview, she said she was looking forward to a normal family life with him back home. It sounded simple, but when you go through the depths of despair, you don’t wish for more than that. It’s all you need.

Gina called Emily, who said Shane had been back a week, and seemed normal now. To verify, she asked Shane how he was feeling, and he said she was annoying him. She told Gina, she had to get in a headspace to enjoy his commentary. Braunwyn called Elizabeth, and said what she’d done was awesome. Braunwyn was happy Elizabeth was taking her power back. She did nothing wrong. Kelly told Shannon that Braunwyn claimed Shannon had brought the information about Elizabeth to her on a silver platter. We flashed back to Braunwyn saying that, but Shannon denied it. In Shannon’s interview, she said Braunwyn could be nice, but she was also a big effing liar. Just tell the truth, people.

In Kelly’s interview, she said dealing with a teen was the hardest. She had zero patience as is. Jolie, who is a young woman now, went over the courses she had to take remotely with Kelly and Rick. In her interview, she said she and Rick got along well; they were really similar. She didn’t like or know Kelly’s past boyfriends, but Rick was a normal person, and if her mom was happy, she was happy. In Kelly’s interview, she said, living in the ‘burbs was the right decision. She’d seen a change in Jolie. It was a great family atmosphere, but as soon as Jolie was out of high school, she was going straight back to the beach.

Elizabeth told jimmy that Arrowhead was crazy. Braunwyn got her open up, and was cool about it. In her interview, she said she took the time to talk to Jimmy about what she’d gone through. He understood her more now, and didn’t shun her. He just loved her. It was the first time she’d been accepted for her weakness. She told him that she was having a hard time. She’d spent her life hiding from the shame, and creating a façade. Jimmy wondered if she was healed now enough to move forward, and put the pieces together. It was important that she show people it’s not the end of the road. In Elizabeth’s interview, she said she’d never had this kind of support.

Emily visited Braunwyn, who told her that she looked good, and Emily said she had that covid glow. She told Braunwyn that she’d lost her sense of taste and smell, but once she got it back, she’d gotten someone else’s. In her interview, she said she still loved tacos, but healthy tacos. She told Braunwyn that she was lucky her symptoms had been manageable, so she could take care of the kids. Shane was at about 80% and looked healthy. She gave Shannon credit, telling Braunwyn that Shannon reached out every day. It gave her the opportunity to get to know Shannon better. Braunwyn said it had been a heavy trip. She thought she’d be getting a break from everything that was going on, but she felt lucky that she was staying at a hotel. She wasn’t there yet. Emily suggested a sober companion, and Braunwyn said Shari was living with her and Sean now. Emily asked how Sean felt about that, and Braunwyn said he got jealous because she spent more time with Shari, and went to her about the hard stuff. Emily suggested if Sean didn’t like it, maybe she shouldn’t do it. She didn’t want Braunwyn to put herself in a situation where she had more than she could handle. Braunwyn said when she and Sean had gone away, it looked like a romantic getaway on her Instagram, but they were deciding whether they should stay married or not. Her not drinking changed the dynamics. Emily said she had questioned what it was Braunwyn was trying to suppress and push down, so it didn’t come up. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she’d created this perfect life, but she wasn’t feeling it. When she had a fantasy, Sean didn’t have a starring role.  

Next time, Elizabeth’s divorce is finalized, Shannon wants no toxicity in her household, Elizabeth talks to her brother about their childhood, and Kelly tells Shannon that Gina is concerned about her.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Mary spoke with Robert Jr., and called him out for buying his girlfriend a Prada purse with her credit card. She said the purse would outlast the relationship, and not to buy something expensive like that again unless he’s going to marry her.

Heather met with contractor Travis, who was working on expanding Beauty Lab & Laser. In Heather’s interview, she said her personal life wasn’t so great, but she was killing it at Beauty Lab. She’d had side gigs when she was married, but her husband said it wasn’t worth it because they had limitless money. She said it wasn’t about that. It was about her skills and fulfillment. It was like the full circle of redemption. It reminded her of who she was, and how she felt about herself before she was married. She wasn’t all the way there, but it was a huge step forward.

Meredith was on the phone with Brooks when Seth came back. Brooks thanked Seth for missing his show. The runway walk of one athletic ensemble. In Meredith’s interview, she said she felt guilty and responsible, since she was the one who asked for space. Seth said he was sorry he missed, and couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again, but he’d try. He told Meredith he thought it was a good idea for him to come back and try to repair the damage, and Meredith said Brooks was disappointed he wasn’t there, but she knew why. Seth told her, not knowing what direction their relationship was going in would have overshadowed Brooks’s big day. Their relationship shouldn’t impact the one with their kids. He’d realized he was so focused on his career, he hadn’t grown emotionally as a husband. He asked her to give him another chance. The last weeks were brutal, and if she would put in the work, he’d put in 10 times the amount, He couldn’t stand being without her. Meredith said it had probably been positive for them not to communicate, but she missed him. She wished they could have shared Brooks’s show, and she got a taste of what life would be like without him. She was willing to put the work in. In her interview, she said it was an incredible relief that they’d come to the same realization. They needed to be together. It wasn’t going to be smooth sailing, but they were on a positive path. She told him that she wanted to make it work.

Lisa met John for dinner, and in her interview, she said one of the perks of owning a liquor brand was that she knew every restaurant, bar, and club owner in the state. It was easy for her to get a reservation anywhere. They continued their discussion about working too much, and Lisa said she wasn’t giving up anything, and if a killer opportunity that fit in their portfolio came along, she didn’t want to pass it up. He thought they needed to work at not working. If an email came in at 11 pm, it could wait until the morning. In Lisa’s interview, she said she could get things done while still engaging. While she was messing with her phone, a producer asked if she had a nice dinner with John, and she was like, what did you say? totally disproving her statement. John wondered what it was all for. It was work first, then the kids, then them, with enjoying themselves at the bottom. Lisa suggested they include the kids more in what they were building. In her interview, she said she heard him, and there wasn’t one night where she didn’t go to bed wondering if the kids felt loved. There was guilt.

Whitney and Justin headed to the sober living facility, where they were going to mediation with Steve. Justin said Whitney’s dad thought he’d been there long enough, but they had a different opinion. In Whitney’s interview, she said she’d received an SOS text from Steve, saying he was going to be receiving a roommate, and he was freaking out. She needed to get there before he packed and ran away. She wondered what the real issue was, and said Steve wanted her to make it better, so he wasn’t being 100% accountable and responsible. She understood that he was older and didn’t want a roommate, but thought it was just an easy excuse to leave the program. He thought he was on vacation at the Four Seasons, but he was in sober living. He was there to work at getting better, not acting entitled. Justin told Whitney she had this.

They met with Steve and counselor Elsie. Steve said he felt anxious, and had been clear about not wanting anyone else in the same room. He said he wanted to get back in the game and be productive; pick up his career. Whitney asked if he’d looked for job. Where was he going to get money? The plan she was hearing required someone helping him. In Whitney’s interview, she said the first time her father went to rehab, he wanted her to pay for it. He’d made a list of everything he’d paid for in her life. Since he chose to have her as a child, now she owed him $30K for rehab. She was like, f*** you, but she still paid. She told him that they didn’t want him thinking they didn’t want to help, but he couldn’t expect her to take care of him, whether it was giving him money, a place to live, or a car. She wanted to get away from that pressure and burden; it made her resent him and close herself off to him. She wanted to help him because she wanted to, not because he felt entitled since she’s his daughter. Steve claimed nobody wanted to be as self-reliant as he did, and Whitney said being there was helping him. Their goal was for him to do it on his own, not because it was given to him. She said he should figure out a way get money while he was in there, so he had something to start with. Steve said they’d saved his life, and admitted they had been a security blanket, but he wanted to do it for himself and on his own. Elsie told everyone, good work.

The entire group met for snowmobiling, and in Jen’s interview, she said she didn’t know what was going on. Seth missed the fashion show, but showed up for snowmobiling. Lisa wanted to portray a perfect family, but no one was perfect. The guide said they’d be going 21 miles up a mountain, and having lunch at the top. In Heather’s interview, she said she didn’t mind being a single rider. It was like sex; more fulfilling if you do it on your own. This looked like fun, but I like the snow and cold. I don’t think I could live in the mountains though. It looks pretty, but makes me feel claustrophobic or something. In Whitney’s interview, she said she was confused. Meredith and Seth were being lovey-dovey, but Jen said Meredith was possibly seeing someone else. It didn’t add up.

During lunch, everyone chit-chatted, and in Jen’s interview, she said she was happy when Sharrieff could be there, especially when they were with their friends. She wished she had what the others did. Their significant others were with them all the time. Sharrieff told a story about Jen’s whole family going on their first date with them. In Lisa’s interview, she said Jen and Sharrieff were like yin and yang. Sharrieff talked about how sweet Jen was, and in Whitney’s interview, she said, do you know your wife? and we flashed back to the many tirades Jen’s had within a few episodes.  

Whitney told Heather that Jen claimed she’d heard something about Meredith and Seth, but if Whitney wanted to know anything, she’d have to ask Meredith. Heather said Jen had mentioned it to her, but she wasn’t interested. In Heather’s interview, she said, Jen clearly didn’t keep her word. She’d shown Heather a picture of Meredith with another man, not Seth. It looked like they were in a relationship, and Jen acted like it was a secret they’d never speak of again. Realizing she was getting nowhere, Whitney said if Meredith and Seth had some kind of arrangement, she supposed it wasn’t for them to judge. Heather didn’t take the bait, and said it wasn’t for them to say, judge, or even ask. If it didn’t come from Meredith, she wasn’t interested.

After snowmobiling, Meredith, Seth, Lisa, and John went to Jen and Sharrieff’s place. The guys compared the Mormon and Muslim religions, which are both pretty strict. Sharrieff said they were allowed multiple wives, but Jen said, oh no he wasn’t, and in her interview, she said one Jen Shah equaled 45 wives. In Lisa’s interview, she said she and John weren’t cultural Mormons. People focus on the cultural side, and forget what’s important – a relationship with God. She didn’t think God cared if she owned a tequila company. TBH, me neither. In Jen’s interview, she said what Lisa was following wasn’t the Mormon church. It’s the church of Lisa Barlow.

Jen, Lisa, and Meredith got in the hot tub, while the guys played foosball. Jen said she was lonely when Sharrieff wasn’t there, and was concerned about Omar going to college. Inside, John said he thought he could set goals personally just fine, but doing it together was a different story. The guys discussed their various marriages, and Sharrieff said Jen was super reactionary, which was an understatement.

Jen kept prodding at Meredith to spill something, but in her interview, Meredith said she was feeling confident and positive about her marriage, but she didn’t need to tell anyone. What if it went wrong? She’d let them know when the time was right. She told Jen and Lisa that she and Seth were committed to their marriage, and they were headed in a positive direction. In Jen’s interview, she said Meredith was acting like her life was perfect.

Next time, penguins! Mary isn’t invited to Jen’s party, and Jen pitches a fit at the party.

📺 Is This Thing On…?

A holiday schedule for the soaps.

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

🎄 Just Like Us…

The soap stars celebrate the holidays too.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-your-favorite-soap-stars-celebrated-christmas

And so do other celebrities.

https://www.essence.com/celebrity/celebrity-holiday-photos-2020/

👫🏻 The Second Time Around…

Teresa gets a new man for Christmas.

https://pagesix.com/2020/12/25/teresa-giudice-spends-christmas-eve-with-new-boyfriend-family/

Not to be outdone, Juicy Joe’s new main squeeze.

https://pagesix.com/2020/12/24/joe-giudice-reveals-new-girlfriend/

👠 Gone Girl…

Monique is no longer having it. Scroll down for Robyn calling Michael a creep.

https://people.com/tv/monique-samuels-not-returning-to-rhop/

https://www.thewrap.com/monique-samuels-quits-real-housewives-of-potomac-im-over-it/

Karen has hope for Candiace though.

https://pagesix.com/2020/12/27/rhops-karen-huger-hopes-candiace-will-learn-and-grow/

🏵 Kudos For Karen…

I have to admit, this is pretty interesting.

https://pagesix.com/2020/08/06/rihanna-says-shes-proud-of-rhop-star-karen-huger-during-instagram-live/

💎 I Can’t Keep Track…

Looks like Tom might have really cheated.

https://pagesix.com/2020/12/19/erika-jayne-reveals-california-judge-is-tom-girardis-alleged-mistress/

Looks like Erika is done. With the jewelry anyway.

https://pagesix.com/2020/12/22/erika-jayne-photographed-without-wedding-band/

🗽 Memories…

A stroll through Times Square Memory Lane.

Vintage Photos: The Evolution of Times Square from 1898 to Today

🎊 Something For Next Year…

Did you know the confetti used in Times Square on New Year’s Eve is made up of wishes? Me neither. You, too, can be a part of the celebration. It’s too late for this year, but why not get a head start for 2022?  No one will be there this year anyway.

https://www.timessquarenyc.org/whats-happening/nye-wishing-wall#.VoNmw5MrKgQ

Happy New Year!

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect. – Alan Cohen

🍾🥂🥡  See You Next Year…

It’s finally time to say goodbye to the year that looked so promising. To the year we thought would be ours. To the number we thought looked so cute. While the light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel, don’t be disappointed if you wake up on 1/1/2021 and it’s not just a bad dream. It’s going to take a while, but you’re still here. We made it this far, and one day it will seem like it was just a bad dream. Enjoy the New Year weekend however you can, but remember to stay safe, stay smart, especially with your alcohol intake, and stay knowing that there will be an end to this madness before long.

Dec31

December 30, 2019 – Sam Gets an Invitation, Kate Decides To Return, an Opinion, a New Season, an Addition, the Captain Speaks & Another One

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Carly joins Jax at the pier, apologizing for being late. She asks Jax to fill her in. Now that the codicil is gone, what’s the plan? Jax tells her that Nikolas is gone.

Ava sees Curtis at the MetroCourt, and he says she seems chipper for someone who just lost out on a major art deal. She says, everything can change in an instant, and he says, or burst in flames. She says, whichever. There’s no point in looking back. Onward and upward. Curtis tells her, if she says so, and she says she’s convinced 2020 is going to be her year. I tell her, me too! She steps away to call Nina. She says, the wedding is just hours away. Is the bride ready for her moment in the spotlight? Nina says, it’s all set, but Ava says she doesn’t sound exited. Nina says she’s not, and Ava says, she ought to be. Valentin is about to get what he deserves. Nina says she’ll be leaving behind a lot of collateral damage. Charlotte brings in Nina’s bouquet, telling her, the flowers are there and they’re so pretty. Valentin tells Charlotte that Nina is on the phone, and Ava says she senses hesitation. Don’t back out on her now. Nina smiles at Charlotte and Valentin.

Sonny asks Gio how the special assignment is going, and Gio says he put the tracker on Carly’s car. She’s on Front Street, near Pier 17. Sonny says, she has no good reason to be there. What else did he see? Jason comes in, and asks if there are problems at the warehouse.

Sam goes to Turning Woods, and sees Willow. Willow says she was happy to hear Sam got released, and in time for Christmas. The kids must be thrilled. Sam says they’re pretty much over the moon, and Willow says Sam upstaged Santa. Now if Lucas wakes up, things can go back to normal. Sam says she heard Willow has been there a lot, and Willow says, kind of. Sam asks if she was on her way out, and Willow says she thought she’d stop and see if Julian needs anything. He’s been by Lucas’s side as much as Brad. Julian walks in, and says it’s good to see Sam.

Ava looks at her phone, saying, Nina hung up on her. She literally bumps into Laura, and says, sorry. Laura says, no harm done, but she wishes she could say the same about Helena’s portrait. Ava says, the auction took a bit of an unexpected turn, and asks how Charlotte is. Laura says, fully recovered; no signs of hypothermia. Ava asks, what happened? and Laura says, Charlotte took an unexpected dunk in the harbor. Luckily Lulu and Dustin were there to fish her out. Ava says Laura must be relieved, and Laura says she is. She asks why Ava burned Helena’s portrait.

Sonny tells Jason that Gio is examining something, and tells Gio to let him know what he finds. Gio leaves, and Jason asks if he can help. Sonny tells him, no, and says he’s glad to hear Sam is home. Jason says, things worked out for once, and asks where Carly is. Sonny says she’s running errands, and Jason says, maybe Gio knows. Sonny asks what Jason means, and Jason says, the job Gio is doing involves Carly, doesn’t it?

Carly asks if Nikolas left town, but Jax doesn’t know. After the painting was destroyed, he dissolved their partnership. Carly doesn’t get Nikolas’s motive. He knows his family is grieving, and he should fix it. Jax says, Nikolas has changed a lot since he’s been gone. He’s always angry, and the codicil is all about revenge. Nikolas could go bankrupt tomorrow, and Jax doesn’t think he’d care. He wants to destroy Valentin. Carly asks what about Valentin’s reversal of fortune that Jax predicted? With Nikolas gone, will it still happen?

Willow jets, and Julian wonders if she got scared away. Sam says, not by her, and asks how Lucas is. He says, there’s been no change, and she asks what the doctors say. He tells her, the doctors say Lucas might never wake up. Sam refuses to believe it. Lucas has too much waiting for him; he’s going to fight his way back. Julian says, Lucas shouldn’t have been in the car in the first place. He was supposed to be at work, but went home to see Brad. Now he’s unresponsive in a hospital bed. Brad walks in with Willow, telling her about what he did on Christmas. He knows Wiley misses Lucas, and it kills him how much Wiley has gone through when he’s not even two years old. Willow says she feels terrible about almost letting Nelle hold him. Julian says, what?

Ava tells Laura, she had nothing to do with it. Laura asks if they could please get past the point of denial. The painting was in Ava’s facility, and her staff was taking care of it. Now it’s a pile of ashes. Why would Ava help Valentin? Ava says she didn’t, and never will. She’s sorry Laura didn’t get the pleasure of denying Valentin something he wanted, but she tells Laura, don’t worry. People like him always get what’s coming to them. Laura asks what she means.

Valentin asks if they’re interrupting, but Nina says it’s just the art department; if it’s not one thing, it’s another. She looks at the bouquet and says it’s gorgeous, and exactly what she wanted. Charlotte thinks they’ll look pretty with her dress. Charlotte asks when they’re getting ready, but Nina says not for a few hours. Charlotte asks if they can go for a ride; she’s tired of resting. Nina tells her, it’s going to be a long night, but Charlotte says she feels fine. Please? Nina says, maybe tomorrow, and Charlotte asks if Nina can help her look for Electra, her stuffed horse. Nina thinks Electra is in the stables; Charlotte had been playing there yesterday. Charlotte goes to get her coat, and Nina says Valentin has a very resilient daughter. He says it helps that she has something to look forward to. All the setbacks and trials are behind them, and they’ll officially be a family in a couple of hours.

Valentin asks Nina, what’s wrong? She says she’s just worried about Charlotte. It’s easy to say things will be good, and they’ll be a happy family, but it’s still fraught with Lulu. He says after the first of the year, he’s going to discuss his petition to the court for full custody. Nina asks if he’s sure. Charlotte is comfortable with the arrangement, and while Lulu isn’t her favorite person, she is Charlotte’s mother. Valentin says she knows how hard he’s tried with the joint custody, but Lulu despises him too much. He’ll be generous with visitation, but Charlotte is going to be living with them. Besides, in a matter of hours, Nina will be her stepmother and have her for always.

Laura asks why Ava thinks Valentin is going to get what’s coming to him, and Ava says, doesn’t Laura? Laura says, of course (🍷), but she doesn’t know how or when. Does Ava? Ava thinks Valentin’s day of reckoning is coming soon. Curtis asks if he’s interrupting, and Laura says, no. She and Ava were just having a conversation about karma. Curtis says, what about it? and Ava says, how she always delivers. She’ll see them at Valentin’s wedding. Curtis asks if she’s going, and Ava says she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Sonny tells Jason, Gio is tailing Carly, and Jason asks if it’s that bad. Sonny says, it’s not great. They had peace at Christmas, for the kids’ sakes. Jason asks if Sonny thinks following her is going to make things better, and Sonny says, at least he can protect her from herself. Jason says they’re under a ton of stress, and Sonny says Carly told him herself that she’s keeping something with Jax. Jason says if things get calmer, they can talk. Sonny wonders when his life has ever been calm, and says he knows what he’s doing.

Jax tells Carly that he’s reasonably certain Valentin is going to fall. She asks if he’s going to be the one to push Valentin, but he says he’s an interested party. He’s going to wait and see what happens, and step in. Carly asks if he’s going to tell Nikolas’s family that Nikolas is alive. Jax says, no. He doesn’t think it’s fair if he tells them, when they might not find him. He’s hoping Nikolas does the right thing, and comes forward on his own. Carly supposes a few more days won’t hurt. She can’t wait until it’s over. Sonny is suspicious. It’s getting tense at home, and the situation is getting worse. Gio listens in. Jax asks if Carly has been sleeping, and she says Donna had a bad night, and Lucas is in Turning Woods. There’s Josslyn and Dev, and now a surprise distant cousin is staying with them. It’s just a lot right now. Jax hugs her, and Gio watches. Jax tells her, if it’s too much, he’s always there for her.

Willow tells Julian that she had no idea; Nelle seemed so nice. Sam says, that’s her M.O. It’s all underneath. Willow says Nelle told her that she missed her baby, and she almost let her hold Wiley. Thank God Michael showed up in time. Julian asks where Brad was, and Brad says by his husband’s hospital bed. He had no way of knowing Nelle was at the hospital. Sam says she thought he and Nelle were friends. He doesn’t think she would have done something to Wiley, does he? He says, no. He knows how Lucas feels about Nelle. Sam asks if Brad can blame him, and he says, no. If they’re done hounding him, he’d like to get back to Lucas. Julian says Brad needs some rest. He should go for a walk, and get some air. They start to leave, but a nurse tells Julian that he needs to fill out some paperwork on his son’s behalf. He tells Brad, go to the pier. Brad says they can talk tomorrow, but Julian says he’ll be right behind Brad; it won’t take long. Brad leaves, and Sam tells Willow not to blame herself. She didn’t know who Nelle was, and Nelle has fooled plenty of people.

Nina hopes taking Lulu back to family court doesn’t work against him. Valentin asks, how could it? Lulu was supposed to be watching Charlotte, and she ended up in the harbor. Nina says, after Cassandra kidnapped Charlotte, Lulu can argue that Charlotte isn’t safe with him. Valentin says he could argue that too. She says, forget court for a minute, and legal technicalities. Remember the night Cassandra took Charlotte? He was so worried that his past was coming back to haunt him. Does he really think that’s over? Does he really think it’s behind him? He admits he has no shortage of enemies, but he can’t change the past. He can change his actions moving forward though, and make sure Nina and Charlotte are safe. That’s all he wants. No… The love they give him is all he wants. Charlotte comes in with a big stuffed horse, and says Electra was in the stable. She’s glad she found Electra, since she was worried the horse would disappear like her bodyguard.

Curtis says there’s no love lost between Ava, and Valentin and Nina. He’s curious as to who sent her the invitation; the bride or groom? Ava tells him, who said she was invited? Save her a seat. Laura says she’s not going. She has no idea why she was invited. Maybe for Charlotte’s sake. Ava is sure there are reasons, and hopes to see them both there. She leaves, and Curtis says, she is so up to something, and wanted to make sure they knew it. Laura says Ava really wants them to go to the wedding.

Carly thanks Jax for his support, and he says, of course (🍷). She says she may take him up on it, and he says she should. Brad comes along, and Jax asks if he’s okay. Carly asks if something happened, but Brad says, there’s been no change. He just needed some air. Jax says he has to go, and Carly asks him to keep her posted. She asks Brad if he’s slept at all, and he says, Wiley has been difficult. She says if he needs a break, he can leave Wiley with them. He says, no one is taking Wiley from him, but she says she didn’t mean it like that. What he’s going through is hell, but he doesn’t have to go it alone. He says he’s just pissed that Nelle almost held Wiley, and Carly says, she’s evil. He says he’s seeing that more clearly. If not for Nelle, he wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. Carly asks how Nelle is responsible, while Gio continues to listen.

Sonny says he feels like Jason is siding with Carly, but Jason says, no sides. He just wants Sonny to consider that what he’s doing could backfire. If Carly figures it out, she’s going to push back, and make the situation worse. Sonny should just sit back, and let things happen. Sonny says he doesn’t let things happen; he acts. Jason asks if Sonny thinks maybe he’s taking action with this because he can’t with Mike. Sonny does admit it was difficult not having his dad there at Christmas, and Jason asks, what happened? Sonny says the doctors recommended Mike stay at Turning Woods. They thought he might become disoriented because of what happened on Thanksgiving, and Sonny agreed. Jason asks if he saw Mike on Christmas, and Sonny says he went there in the late afternoon, but Mike gets worse at night. Jason says he’s meeting Sam there; she’s visiting Lucas. He’ll check in on Mike, and let Sonny know how he’s doing. Sonny thanks him, and Jason tells him, try to remember, whatever Carly is doing, she’s not working against him. Instead of following her, maybe they could talk it out.

Willow says Michael talked about Nelle, but she always pictured Nelle differently; more openly menacing. Sam says, faces can be deceiving, and Willow says, anyone who knows Shiloh knows that. Both of their phones ding, and it’s an invitation. Willow asks if Sam just got the same chain text, and she says she did. They’re cordially invited to celebrate the life of Shiloh. Willow asks, who would want to celebrate Shiloh’s life? Harmony walks in, and says, hello.  I’m wondering why she would be there.

Nina suggests Charlotte sit and talk with them. Valentin tells Charlotte that he takes her safety seriously, but he didn’t hire a bodyguard. Charlotte says maybe her mommy did, and that’s why his picture is on her phone. She showed her grandma, and her grandma looked surprised. Valentin wants to get it straight. Charlotte’s mother has his photo on her phone? Charlotte says she saw when she looking through photos, and showed her grandma. Valentin asks if her grandma recognized him, and Charlotte says she thought so. She wants to go play, and show Electra the pretty flowers before the wedding. Valentin tells her, go do that. When she’s gone, Nina says, it sounds like Lulu and Laura are withholding information. Valentin says he’ll talk to Laura, unless Nina doesn’t want him to. She tells him, do what he needs to, but don’t be late.

Jax sees Laura and Curtis at a MetroCourt table, and says he didn’t realize Laura would be joining them. Laura says she didn’t realize it either, and Curtis says he wants to tell them something. Curtis says Jax retained his services on a new project that he thinks will be interesting to Laura. It might be useful in helping if Valentin takes Lulu back to court. Jax says he didn’t want to get her hopes up; Curtis is just doing some digging. She says, it’s too late for that. Fill her in. Jax asks if she remembers their conversation about Claudette. He has reason to believe Claudette is alive, and he wants Curtis to find her.

Carly says, Nelle is behind bars, and asks Brad how she could be involved in the accident. Julian joins them, and reading my mind, Carly says, there’s a lot of traffic on the pier. Julian says he and Brad decided to take a walk, get some fresh air, and talk things out. Carly says she’ll leave them to it, and tells Brad, don’t hesitate to call. There are plenty of people to pitch in with Wiley. After she leaves, Julian tells Brad, stay away from Carly. He doesn’t want Sonny to get wind of anything. Brad says, Nelle is back in Pentenville already. He talked to her by himself in her room. No one saw except the guard, who thought he was working. Julian tells him, stay away, or Nelle won’t be Brad’s biggest threat; he will. Gio keeps listening.

Jax tells Laura, he has it on good authority that Claudette was alive after her supposed suicide. She asks if he can tell her his source, and he says, of course (🍷) not, but he can tell her that he trusts them. They have no reason to lie. Curtis says Claudette could have possibly faked her death to get away from Valentin, and Laura says, or Valentin forced her to disappear, relocate, and change her name. Jax says, either way, Claudette has information that Valentin wanted buried.

Willow asks what Harmony is doing there, and Harmony says she has a job interview. One of the conditions of her parole is that she find employment. She asks Willow, what’s wrong? Is Wiley okay? Willow says, Wiley is fine. She’s upset because she got an invite to a memorial for Shiloh. Did Harmony arrange it? Harmony says, no, and her phone dings. She looks, and says, here it is. Whoever did this should have their head examined. As far as she’s concerned, the sooner Shiloh is forgotten, the better. The only good he did in the world was Wiley. Sam asks who she thinks is behind it, and Harmony says she guesses it could be Daisy, and a few others. They built their lives around Shiloh, and without him, they have nothing left. Sam wonders why invite them? She killed Shiloh. Why would they want her to attend? Harmony says, maybe they want to confront her and make her feel guilty, or maybe they want to forgive her; it’s impossible to say. They’re sick, sad people with their own agendas.

Willow says, as creepy as it is to know someone wanted a memorial for Shiloh, she’s glad Harmony isn’t involved. Harmony says, never again. She lost too much. Now, she just wants to do better for Willow. Willow says Harmony can do anything she sets her mind to, and Harmony says she doesn’t know about that, but she nailed the interview. She starts tomorrow. She asks why Willow is there, and Willow says she has a friend in long term care. Harmony says she’s sorry, and asks if it’s someone Sam knows too. Sam says it’s her brother. Jason comes in, and asks if it’s Harmony or Lorraine. Harmony says, a little of both. She goes by Harmony Miller now. She was fortunate to get early parole, and she’s glad Sam was too. She says it’s good see him. She wants to thank him for convincing her to do the right thing. She didn’t realize the power she had until he reminded her. Jason says she’s got a second chance; make it count. She says she intends to. She has to go, and says it’s good to see Willow. She leaves, and Sam asks Jason if he got the invitation too. Someone wants to have a memorial service for Shiloh. Willow says, and it’s not her mother. Sam says, Shiloh may be dead, but someone doesn’t want him forgotten.

Gio reports back to Sonny, who asks why Carly was on the pier. Gio says she was there to meet Jax, but seemed torn up about Sonny. Sonny says, she should be, and asks if they said anything about a secret. Gio says he got the feeling Carly thinks it will be over soon. Sonny says, maybe; maybe not. Gio says, there’s something else. After they left, Julian showed up, and was vilifying Brad. Sonny asks, what about? and Gio says, he mentioned something about Sonny and Michael. Sonny asks what he said, and Gio says he doesn’t know what he meant, but Julian warned Brad about going against Michael. Apparently, Brad’s kid ran into Nelle.

On the phone, Nina asks if it’s ready, and a lab tech at the hospital tells her, the DNA results are in. Nina asks her to send them over, but the tech says, they can’t be released without a signature. Nina says she’ll make a special trip, but please have them waiting. She has big plans tonight.

Jax tells Laura, ideally, Claudette has leverage they can use against Valentin. They know Claudette is receptive to financial inducement, but they have to find her first. Julian meets Ava at the bar, and Jax wonders what’s up. Curtis says Ava looks happy, and Laura says, she doesn’t look like someone who just burned a painting that would have put half a million dollars in her pocket. Curtis says, maybe she’s excited about the wedding. Jax asks what he means, and Laura says Ava told them that she’s crashing the wedding tonight.

Ava and Julian sit at a table, and Ava asks how he’s holding up. He says he’s keeping it together, but it’s been awful seeing his son like that. And Brad is driving him up a wall. It should have been Brad. Ava says, it shouldn’t have been either of them. They both could have been killed, and then what happens to Wiley? He says he doesn’t know, and she says, he really doesn’t? Who’s named as guardian in their wills? Julian isn’t sure, and she tells him to find out. And make sure he sees the most recent version of their wills. Trust her. He doesn’t want a codicil showing up and ruining everything. Valentin watches them talking.

Laura says they need more information before she can mention a word to Lulu. Curtis guesses it’s back to Canada for him, and Laura says it looks like she’s going with him. He’s not thinking about leaving tonight? Curtis says he has no intention of leaving his wife on New Year’s Eve. Jax asks if she and Doc have plans, and she says she thinks they do. At Windymere. She’s starting to think they should go to the wedding.

Omg. They’re showing the outside of the hospital, which rarely happens. Nina waits for the technician, and Jax calls. She says she can’t talk, but he says he wanted to give her a heads up. Ava is planning on crashing her wedding. She says Ava is the least of her worries. She’ll see him tonight. She hangs up on him, and the tech meets her. She signs for the envelope, saying, perfect timing.

Valentin sits at the bar, and tries to listen in on Julian and Ava’s conversation. Ava asks if Julian’s will is up to date, and he says he had it amended after Wiley was adopted. What makes her so interested all of a sudden? She says she recently had a crash course in codicils, and tells him to make sure his final wishes are spelled out clearly. Otherwise, it can cause a boatload of trouble.

Jason tells Sam that Shiloh has no family they know of, and Sam says they think it might be Daisy or someone like her. Willow says, even after everything that came out, Shiloh still has followers. It’s no less strange for them to invite her. She hated Shiloh, and testified against him. Sam says, it doesn’t make sense. Why would someone want Shiloh’s enemies at his memorial? Jason says, possibly someone is looking for revenge. I’ve decided Sam must have gone brain dead in the past year.

Sonny asks why Julian would care about Nelle, and Gio says he’s not sure, but he seemed pissed. Carly walks in, and says she never sees Gio away from the warehouse. What’s going on? Gio says he was on his way out, and leaves. Carly asks, what’s up? and Sonny asks where she was just now. She asks if it’s another interrogation, but he doesn’t know. Unless she wants to confess. She says she confesses that she’s sick of her husband treating her like the enemy. He says he wouldn’t if she just told the truth. She says he’s right. It’s time to tell him exactly what’s going on.

No preview, but it’s the time of year they show all of the credits, while a jazzy version of Jingle Bells plays. New Year’s Eve’s GH is a rerun encore episode, and New Year’s Day, it’s preempted for football.

Below Deck

Rhylee asks if Kate wants to talk to Captain Lee, but Kate says, no. Kate tells the camera people not to follow her, and walks off. The cameraman says, Kate is gone. Ashton tells Tanner that Kate said something about his family, and he crumbled. Family is everything. Don’t bring that sh*t up. Tanner tucks Kevin in. Rhylee says, Kate made it clear; she left. In Rhylee’s interview, she doesn’t know what Ashton did, but he was drunk out of his mind, and completely wrong. They have thirty hours until another charter, and without a chief stew, they’re screwed. Tanner asks, what’s going on? and Ashton says, a lot of emotional sh*t.

The sun rises. Rhylee wakes, and calls to Kate, but she’s not there. Everyone wakes up and gets their sober bearings. Simone wonders where Kate is, and Rhylee says Kate and Ashton got into it last night. Kate didn’t appreciate it, and walked away. Courtney says, no. The less people, the more work. They’re screwed. Ashton says Kate made a comment about his family, and it ticked him off. He doesn’t remember what it was though. In his interview, Ashton says he’s putting together pieces. We flash back to Smashton coming out. He says, it’s vague. There was too much alcohol, and things that needed to be dealt with. Kate came at him in the wrong way at the wrong time. We flash back to him screaming that she thinks she’s better than everyone else, but she’s not. He says he’s not proud of it.

Captain Lee checks the weather. Ashton calls the deck crew together, and asks where Kate is. Rhylee says, she left last night. She texted Kate, but didn’t hear back. Ashton says, sh*t. Someone needs to fill in the blanks. Tanner says Ashton kept saying something about defending his family; he was ticked off and it got heated. Tanner and Kevin argue over who calmed Ashton down, until Kevin says they both did. The captain radios for Kate, and Tanner says, sh*t. Ashton wonders if there’s anything he can do, and Kevin tells him, don’t stress out. In Ashton’s interview, he says he’s going to have to tell the captain. He radios Captain Lee, and asks to see him.

Simone tells Courtney, they have to iron, but Courtney says she’s not emotionally ready. In Courtney’s interview, she says you can use your worst nightmare to describe any unfortunate situation, but Kate being gone is truly her worst nightmare. She’s not happy. Ashton goes to the bridge, and the captain asks if he has sunglasses on so he doesn’t bleed to death. Ashton says there’s probably something the captain should know, and Captain Lee tells him, spit it out. Ashton says he and Kate had words. His family was brought up, but he doesn’t remember exactly what was said. It became heated between them, and Kate walked off the boat. The captain says, but she’s here now, right? and Ashton says they haven’t seen her. In his interview, Captain Lee says, Ashton has every reason to have fear and panic on his face. He asks, what happened? and Ashton says he doesn’t like to get angry or upset, and the captain asks, at what point in the evening was it? Ashton says they were on their way back, and the captain says, so it was late. In the captain’s interview, he says Thailand isn’t the place to be wandering around for a single female at three or four in the morning. They’re in the middle of a charter in Thailand, and it’s unacceptable. Ashton says he’ll do what he can, and Captain Lee says, please do.

Brian tells Courtney to have fun hiding. Kevin makes some kind of casserole. In Kevin’s interview, he says it’s not really a surprise that Kate left. She doesn’t give a flying about anyone, or the charter season. Good riddance. They have less than 24 hours, and the show must go on. The boat is readied for the guests. Courtney tells Simone the iron isn’t doing anything, and Simone says the iron knows Courtney doesn’t like ironing. Ashton tells the deckhands about talking to the captain, and says he shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. Rhylee says, Kate feels alienated, and Ashton says, she alienated herself. Tanner says Ashton got it off his chest, and Rhylee says he got everything off his chest. Kate being who she is, she’s not going to take it lightly, and she has the ability to make everyone’s life hell. The captain tries to call Kate, but it goes to voicemail. He says, dammit to hell. In Simone’s interview, she hopes if Kate doesn’t come back, that Captain Lee gets someone who will teach her something. That would be great. She wonders what she’s doing with her life.

Kate finally wanders back. She radios to all crew that she’s there; back on the boat. Captain Lee radios Kate, and Kevin remarks that she’s wearing last night’s outfit. In her interview, Kate says she’s not a quitter. Why should the a-holes stay on the boat, and not her? But she doesn’t have to be nice anymore. She doesn’t give f***. Kate tells Rhylee that she’ll own her part, but she didn’t do anything to warrant what happened. The captain waits on the bridge, saying, it better be good. Rhylee says Kate brought up Ashton’s family, and Kate says he wanted to kill her. Then Tanner kissed her. It’s the most ridiculous situation she’s ever been in.

Kate goes to the bridge, and Captain Lee says, WTF? Kate tells him that she’s sorry for any worry. He says the last thing he wants to do is have to try and find her. Kate apologizes, but says, in the moment, it was the best thing for her to do. He tells her, don’t do that again. In his interview, he says he’s disappointed and pissed. Kate is like family to him; she’s like a daughter. This sh*t is unacceptable. Screw everyone, and leaving. He doesn’t think so. He tells her that he has no idea what transpired, and Ashton has no recollection. Kate says it was a total overreaction on Ashton’s part, and the captain says she and Ashton need to rise above. He needs it to go away. Kate doesn’t think it will happen again, and he says he hopes not. In her interview, Kate says she doesn’t feel guilty about leaving. It was an intense situation. She doesn’t owe anyone anything. Perhaps she should have left a note for the captain, since he worried, but she came back. You’re welcome.

Tanner asks Simone how she’s doing. In Simone’s interview, she says she’s doing everything in her power to keep her head down and do her job. She’s not giving away her power. Kate says she would never leave Courtney. Ashton radios Kate, asking if she has a moment to chat. In Ashton’s interview, he says when he was younger, he had a bit of a temper. I’ll agree if by younger, he means last night. He says he comes from a broken home. His parents divorced, and he felt the need to defend his family. He still needs to take control of his own emotions. He doesn’t expect Kate to apologize, but he’s going to be the better man. They sit in one of the lounges, and he says he knows it got heated. I don’t know why everyone keeps saying this, since Ashton was the only one who got what you could call heated. He says he doesn’t remember what made him upset, but he doesn’t think his behavior was okay, so he apologizes. Kate says she completely accepts and appreciates it, and they hug it out. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s not okay if you’re a maniac who needs help. She’s forgiving him out of pity. It’s good they work in different departments. She worked with Kevin all season; she can handle Ashton.

Time for the preference sheet meeting. Captain Lee says, they’re all good, right? and everyone agrees. He says, let’s get on with it, and tells them the primaries are Nicole, a behavior analyst, and Zak, an attorney. Nicole is bringing friend Lauren, also an attorney, and Justine, who’s a private chef. Nicole’s cousin Jamie is also coming. It’s both Zak and Jamie’s birthday, and they want a black and gold masquerade theme party, as well as fishing in the morning on the second day. In Kate’s interview, she says the guests seem high maintenance, but with Ashton’s antics lately, at least one is a behavior analyst and another an attorney. They can either help her figure Ashton out, or file a restraining order.

Rhylee asks Kate how she feels, and Kate says, it’s been an emotionally exhausting 24 hours. She doesn’t want to talk about, think about, or do this anymore. In her interview, she says, it’s been a horrible charter season. She’s deeply insulted to be on a boat with so many people who dislike her. No amount of money can make her tolerate disrespect from children and psychopaths. She’s starting to question what’s next, because she doesn’t need this sh*t. The provisions come in. Rhylee tells Tanner that Kate said he kissed her, but he says he didn’t. He knows he’d remember it. I guess not. In Tanner’s interview, he says he feels Rhylee taking the whisk to stir the bullsh*t. Then again, he doesn’t know. Maybe after all this time on the boat, he’s looking pretty good. Rhylee tells him that she’s disappointed. Courtney says she hates working and she’s grumpy. The captain calls ten minutes.

The guests are greeted with champagne. Justin tells Kevin that she’s a chef, so she’s watching him. The captain welcomes the guests, tells them Kate will give them the tour, and they’ll get this party started. Simone says, what an ass, referring to the chef. Cousin Jamie gripes about having to share a bed, and says she was told she’d have an actual room. In Kate’s interview, she says they’d all like their own room, but this is how many room they have. Her potential roommate Lauren says she’ll be odd man out, and Kate says she’ll make the Sky Lounge nice. Where’s Dorinda when we need her? In Kate’s interview, she says it’s because of guests like Jamie, she’s over it. They ship out. Kate makes up the lounge, and shows Lauren. Jamie gripes to cousin Nicole and Zak that there’s a room situation. She can’t share a full size bed with another adult woman. Zak says they’ll have to throw someone overboard, and calls her a trooper (for what, I’m not sure, since Lauren is the one with no room), and in another room, the other guests call Jamie an a-hole.

In Kevin’s interview, he can’t believe Justin said she’d be watching him. Just let him do his thing. He says their food preferences are across the board, so he’s making pizza. The water toys are put out, and the female guests discuss who’s hottest among the crew. Jamie drinks, saying, when in Rome… or Thailand. Nicole asks if there’s any pizza without cheese, pointing out that it was put on the preference sheet. Kate shows Kevin that one says, can’t have cheese, and Kevin says, fudge. But he doesn’t really say fudge. In Kate’s interview, she says, as a chef, if someone says they can’t eat dairy, pizza is not the first thing that comes to mind. In Kevin’s interview, he says, they have so many preferences, it’s bullsh*t.

Zak gets excited about the trampoline, and the guests put on their suits. The captain laughs watching some of the girls jump off the boat, and Ashton showering them off when they come back. In Ashton’s interview, he says Molly (who was never mentioned during the preference sheet meeting) is the type of girl he’d talk to in a bar; approachable and fun. She’s perfectly put together, but bosuns can’t hook up with charter guests. Be a good boy, Ashton. The other guests use the slide. Ha-ha! Zak slips and falls back into the water when he tries to get back on. Kevin makes matzoh ball soup, and the toys are brought back in.

Ashton tells Rhylee that he wants her to take the lead on the fishing trip. In her interview, Rhylee says, after last season, and Chandler not letting her go on the fishing trip, she’s excited AF to show off her skill set. Kate does up the table in black and gold, with coins, masks, and netting; and puts out gold chargers for the place settings. In her interview, she says she loves a theme party, but masquerades are a little creepy. Like they’re for swingers. Sure enough, one of the guests tells Zak he looks like he’s from Eyes Wide Shut. (FYI, I could not keep my eyes wide open during that movie.) The soup is served, and Jamie says only her cousin would go to Thailand and want matza ball soup. In Tanner’s interview, he says he thinks the flirtation is picking up with Kate, because he’s extremely delusional. He asks Ashton and Brian if he kissed her. In Brian’s interview, he says Tanner had better be careful with Kate. She’s a praying mantis, and will probably eat him after sex. Kate tells Kevin, the guests love the meal. They’ve been sipping on the boat.

Tanner puts on a mask, and says, I’m Batman. Kevin tells him, STFU. Kevin makes up plates with a serving of rainbow cookie, and a scoop of ice cream sitting on top of a short glass. Kate worries that they’re going to fall in during transport. Kevin tells the guests, it’s his first time making it. Jamie says, rainbow cookies are Nicole’s favorite. The cookie is declared delicious, and Jamie asks if they’re not getting a birthday cake. Overhearing, Kate says, oh fudge. But she doesn’t say fudge. In her interview, she says, they’re not friends on Facebook. How is she supposed to remember their birthdays? She tells Kevin, birthday, and he says, who’s birthday? She says, it’s supposed to be a celebration for the guests. He’d said he was putting candles in the cookie cake. He says he forgot, and she says so did she, but that’s because she was concerned with the balls falling. He knows how she gets when balls drop. He says he doesn’t even have candles, which you’d think would be a smart staple on a luxury yacht. Kate says they’re in trouble.

In Kevin’s interview, it’s no surprise that he doesn’t take responsibility. He says, since Kate quit, she’s been in Lalaland. They would do better without her. He makes up some kind of green shots, and gets a blowtorch ready. The crew sings Happy Birthday, and he lights the shots on fire. Jamie says she thought they forgot. Zak asks, who wants to fish? and Nicole makes sure they’re going to eat what’s caught, so it will be ethical. Agreed. Nicole goes to bed, and Tanner tells Kevin, nice job. Kevin says, if they’re lucky, they’ll get $1100. Jamie says, happy birthday to her. On the stairs, Lauren and Molly discuss Jamie, and Molly says she wants Jamie out. Kate tells the other crew members, they all hate Jamie. Ooh , this could be good. Like the one with the guest in the shame cocoon.

Ashton says he’ll listen to Rhylee’s instruction on the fishing trip. The guests load into the tender. He asks if Jamie is coming, and Nicole thinks she’s still n bed. In Ashton’s interview, he says Rhylee is the professional, so he’s giving her the responsibility. It’s her time to shine. Lauran asks to talk to Captain Lee, and he meets with her in one of the lounges. She says she doesn’t want to be a diva, but she didn’t know the dynamics of the room situation, and she’s been off put by someone not willing to share. She’s on a couch with no shower or bathroom. In the captain’s interview, he says he’s pissed. She’s sleeping in the Sky Lounge, and has no privacy or bathroom. That’s her luxury vacation. Jamie is being a selfish, insignificant little twit. He tells Lauren to go fishing, and he’ll see to it that she has her own room. When Lauren leaves, he tells Simone to strip his room. It’s the only room available. She has an hour and a half. He’s going to make sure Lauren has her own room.

On the boat, Lauren asks Rhylee what they’re fishing for, and she says, your guess is as good as mine. In his interview, Ashton says, something isn’t feeling right about the area. He doesn’t see any other boats. He calls the harbor master to find out if they can fish there. He tells us, sure enough, it’s not zoned for fishing. On the boat, the captain helps Simone to get all of his stuff out of the room. Simone asks if this is about the guest who wouldn’t share, and he says, doesn’t play well with others. Meanwhile, Jamie sips coffee, alone, on deck. Kate tells Simone that Lauren was being sweet, and had said it was fine, but it’s not fine. So now the captain is sleeping in the Sky Lounge.

Ashton brings the boat back, although why they couldn’t have just moved to another location is a mystery to me. Kate asks if they caught anything. When they say, no, she says, then breakfast is ready for them instead. The captain tells Lauren that she’ll be staying in the captain’s quarters, and Simone will give her the tour. Ashton gripes to Tanner and Brian that Rhylee looked to him to find a fishing spot, when it was her trip. One guest says they didn’t even touch a fishing rod. Ashton says they didn’t have supplies, and Rhylee should have had everything they needed. In his interview, he says, it’s one trip he thought would go smooth, since Rhylee is a professional Alaskan fisherman. So I guess she should have known about fishing zones in Thailand? He’s trying to keep his cool, but he’s fuming inside. He tells Brian that he’s going to have to speak to her, but Brian says, she’s not going to listen. She’s one of those peeps.

The guests order breakfast. Justine, and some quiet guy whose name I never caught, want to test the chef’s creativity, and leave their eggs up to him. Kate tells them, the chef is going to love this. In her interview, Kate says, Kevin is going to hate this. Sorry, not sorry. Kevin says it’s the worst breakfast order since he started. Lauren brags about being in the captain’s quarters. Kevin asks Courtney to find whatever she can that would be nice for an omelet. Justine and quiet dude think the omelets are salty, and Zak says his egg sandwich was too.

Ashton goes to the bridge, where Kate is doing some work. He tells he captain that they had a bit of trouble with the rangers. They were fishing in place you’re not allowed to fish. In his interview, Ashton says if there’s an issue where the guests might be unhappy, he likes to tell the captain as soon as possible. He’ll be pissed if a guest approaches him about it. He tells Captain Lee that the professionals on board should do more research. Kate says fishing isn’t exactly one of their main activities, and Ashton says he’s unhappy with some of the preparation, but he hears her. In Kate’s interview, she says, Ashton is making Rhylee look bad, and himself look better. It’s not cool. In Ashton’s interview, he says he doesn’t tell Kate how to run the interior. He wants to focus on his own team, and she should focus on her department. Zak tells Courtney about the over-salted omelets and his sandwich, and she apologizes, saying she’ll tell the chef. Justine says, chefs shouldn’t serve what they haven’t tasted, but it’s a common mistake. That’s one mistake I would never make. If I was a chef, I’d weigh a ton. Justine decides to talk to Kevin herself, and tells him that she wants to have a bit of an uncomfortable conversation with him, but it’s chef to chef. She thinks he should go more upscale. Everyone is talking about his cooking behind his back. Nicole is happy, but everyone else is like, we’re having pizza and matzoh ball soup? She’s just looking out for him. He tells her that he doesn’t need to be looked out for.

Next time, Simone decides she needs to train herself, Ashton takes the guests on an excursion, Tanner wants to make a move on Kate, and the captain tells Rhylee they have a situation.

📣 My two cents. I’m starting not to like Ashton. He has some major insecurities that end up affecting other people, and he cannot drink. The combination of those things is completely toxic. He totally overreacted to what Kate said, and he has picked incessantly on Rhylee. While he might have been right to go to the captain before one of the guests did, it was the way he presented it. What Kate said. We didn’t see the conversation about how the spot was chosen, but I also would have thought it was the bosun’s responsibility to know the rules and regs. She suddenly flew in from wherever to help them out. On the other hand, while I don’t like Kevin much either, what’s happening to him this charter is unfair, and terrible behavior on the Justine’s part. I compare it to an actor going backstage before another actor’s play, and saying they’re basically watching to see if there’s a screw up. It’s creepy. And Justine isn’t looking out for him; she’s deliberately trying to unnerve him. It’s creepy and mean.

🏊 Summer House is back for another season. Why? Who knows, but it starts Wednesday, February 5th. The promo promises that relationships sink to new lows, and it looks like Shep (Southern Charm) pays a visit. Why? Again, who knows? Slumming maybe. Here’s a first look.

https://www.bravotv.com/summer-house

⛵ Is the Van Down By the River…?

More on the new Deck in the franchise. Hint: Chef Adam lives in a van.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-sailing-yacht-spoilers-bravo-exec?cid=soc_tw_Bravo_BelowDeckSailing_Dish

⚓ Straight From the Captain’s Mouth…

When Captain Lee found out what really happened.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/kate-chastain-ashton-pienaar-van-fight-captain-lee-rosbach-reacts

HappyNewYearVintage

🎉 Call Me Sentimental…

That’s the last GH of the year, so I’ll see you on Wednesday. I’ve done it all, from the sublime to the ridiculous, but whatever you decide to do on New Year’s Eve, be safe. Wishing you health, wealth, and all good things in 2020. This will always be one of my favorite New Year’s Eve songs. Like there are so many.