(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Dog! Daryl messes with his bike, and gets on. Carol comes by and picks up a map from the ground, and puts it in Daryl’s backpack. The engine isn’t turning over, and she asks if she ever told him about the pedal sewing machine her grandma had. She’d help when her grandma got tired. She said Carol had an especially strong right foot. He says, she followed him out there… She tells him, no one is following anyone, and he says, she wants to come, right? She says she wants to hunt what’s left to hunt, and he needs a spotter. The bike starts, and she gets on. He tells her that he didn’t say she could come, but he takes off, Dog running behind them as they bicker in fun.
They go through the woods. Carol gives Dog a snack, and Daryl says, five miles due south at the east gate. He tells her, stay close, and remember this spot in case she gets lost. She says she’s not going anywhere. Dog spies something, and they follow him to a dead deer. Carol says, the other deer are probably all gone by now. She suggests they find another spot, and Daryl says he’s thinking the river. She says, let’s do it, and they walk.
Carol stops, telling Daryl that she has a foot cramp. He hopes it’s not her very special strong right foot, and she says she’s fine; give her a minute. He thinks they should have gone the other way, but Carol says they should fish before noon. It’s worth a shot. He gives her a stick, and says, be his guest. He tells dog, watch this disaster, and Carol immediately gets a fish. He says, no way, and she shows him. He says, beginner’s luck. She guts and scales the fish, as he watches, and she tells him, say it. He doesn’t think she’s doing it right. He tells her, try closer to the bone, and she says she’s fileted fish before. Why doesn’t he do it himself? He says, it’s fine, but they should go. It’s going to be dark soon. They need to find a place to stay. Carol asks if he thinks their luck has run out, and he asks what she means. She says, Hilltop was hard for everyone to take, but at least they were there to fight for it. But losing Alexandria… He says, they didn’t, and she says, not yet. It feels different, like everything good in the world is not on their side anymore. He says, they’ll build and start over, and she says, until it happens again. They had a good long run; longer than most. He knows this world. The dead will catch up to them eventually. He says, if they let it. He’s not going to let it. He tells her, let’s go, when Dog takes off. Carol wonders if it’s another animal. He calls to Dog, and they follow.
They move faster, and Dog runs into a clearing, where there’s a cabin with a sun porch. Carol asks if Daryl is coming, and she and Dog go inside to investigate. Daryl sees a woman on the porch, petting Dog, but it’s just in his mind. He goes inside, and Carol is there with Dog. He looks around, and Dog acts all busy. Daryl looks out the window.
Five years ago. Daryl sits by the river. Dog as a puppy runs up to him, and he picks Dog up, kissing him, and wondering where he came from. Dog runs off, and Daryl follows. He finds a makeshift shelter, and takes out a map, putting it on the wall. He circles something, and keeps walking. He sees Carol across the river, and asks, what’s going on? She says, nothing, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it doesn’t matter. Things are just different. He asks, how? and she says, it’s harder to talk; harder to trade. Maggie left. She took Herschel, and went with Georgie. She’s on her own journey now, like him. He says she knows she’s got to do this, right? She says she knows, and he asks how the kids are. She says she doesn’t know. It’s been two years. How long does he plan on staying there? He says he doesn’t know. As long as it takes. She asks if anything has turned up, and he says there’s a spot up the river that he’s going to check out. She says she does understand. If not for Henry and Ezekiel, and things going on back at the Kingdom… Daryl says he gets it. She should go. There’s a storm coming. Carol tosses him a backpack, and he thanks her. She tells him, be careful, and he says he will.
Daryl sees a lone zombie, and looks near it through binoculars, seeing an overturned canoe near the river. He stabs the zombie in the head, and rights the canoe, seeing a body underneath it. It starts to move, and he smashes its head with his foot. That’s one way to get your aggression out.
Daryl sits in the shelter as it storms around him. He realizes his map is getting soaked and damaged. He grabs it, yelling at the sky. Some of the shelter topples, and he walks out into the storm.
One year later. Daryl sees a knife or something sticking out of a tree. Dog is bigger now, and runs to the cabin, Daryl running after him. He follows Dog into the cabin, and kills a zombie. A woman comes out of another room with a shogun, and asks who the hell he is. Daryl puts his hands up, and she says she asked him a question. He says he’s leaving, and she says, no, you’re not.
Dog digs at the floor, and Carol asks if he found something. She pulls up the floorboards, and Dog gets excited. He pulls out a cuttle bone, and runs off with it. Carol asks if she lived here, and Daryl says, it was a long time ago. He goes outside, where Dog is chewing his bone on the porch. He says he already told Carol everything, but she says, no, he didn’t. He asks what else she wants to know, and she says, whatever he wants to tell her.
It’s night, and the woman pulls the downed zombie outside using the rug. Daryl sits by a fire, his wrists bound. He asks if she’s going to kill him, and she says, should she? He doesn’t say anything, and she says, that’s what she thought. Something tells her that he wants to die. Not today. He says she doesn’t know him, and she says, he’s right; she doesn’t. So she’ll ask him again, who the hell is he? What’s he doing out there on her land? He says his name Daryl. He didn’t come looking for trouble. Her dog found him. He was just trying to help. She says he’s tied up in her cabin with a 12-gauge pointed at his head. What kind of help does he think she needs? She lowers the gun, and takes out a pocket knife. She cuts him loose, and he says, she’s letting him go? She tells him, get out, before she changes her mind. He puts on his backpack, and heads for the door. He asks if she’s going to tell him her name, but she says, no.
Six months later. Daryl is using a tree stump as a desk, when Dog runs up to him. They walk together, and the woman sees him heading toward the cabin. She thanks him for bringing Dog back. She says Dog likes Daryl, and Daryl says, he’s just a dog; he don’t know any better. If she won’t tell him her name, what about his? She says, Dog, and he says, just Dog? She asks if he’s got something better, and he says, no. At least he won’t forget what he is. She says, it’s not for everyone; living out in the wild and chasing the dead. He says, it catches up with all of them after a while, but she says, only if you let it. He says he’s going, and she tells him, be careful, and goes inside.
Eight months later. Daryl walks down the river in the water. In the forest, he gathers wood, and a bunch of zombies come out. He shoots one with his crossbow, and stabs another in the head. He hears a gunshot, and the woman motions for him to come. He follows her, and they hide behind a tree, as the zombies toddle past. They’re in pretty close proximity, and Daryl almost smiles. When the zombies are gone, he tells her that she needs to stay away from his camp, and keeps walking. She says, name’s Leah, as she walk in the other direction.
Three months later. Daryl heads for the cabin, and tosses a fish inside, but it’s quiet, and he leaves. While he warms his hands over a fire in the woods, a fish is flung at his head. Leah says she can catch her own damn fish, and he asks why she’s always throwing something at him. He was trying to be nice. She says she doesn’t need him to be nice. She doesn’t him to be need anything. She wants to be left the hell alone. He says he won’t bother her again, and she says, then she won’t come around again. He says, good, and she says, great; bye. He turns around, and says, she’s still there. He says he thought she was gone, and she says she is. He tells her that he gets it; being out there by herself. She asks if he’s been out there a long time too, and he says, he lost track a long time ago. She looks at his hands and asks if it’s frost nip. He says, no big deal; he’s had it before. She says, it’s not a big deal until you lose a couple fingers or a hand. Come on.
Daryl sleeps on the floor of the cabin, and wakes to Leah picking up pieces of glass from a frame. She says, it’s his birthday today, and he sees her looking at a picture of herself with a little boy. She says she didn’t have a family growing up. She knew she had to find her own way, her own family. She found it in her squad. They fought side by side for years, and when the world went to hell, they swore they’d stay together, fight together. They gave her hope, and she tried to give it to her son… Matthew was her son. She didn’t give birth to him, but he was hers. He was born of her sister; that’s what Leah called her anyway. Leah lost her when he was born. It doesn’t matter; he’s gone. She fiddles with her bracelet, and covers the floor hiding spot, smoothing the carpet over it. She walks past Daryl, brushing tears away, and looks out the window. She says she held Matthew tight, Dog’s mama next to her; she was pregnant. The dead came from all sides; there was so much screaming… so much blood. She cries, and says she was separated from her family, and she ran; it felt like she ran forever. She ended up there. Her boy was bit. She said goodbye to him the same day Dog was born, and hasn’t seen another soul since. She turns to him, and says, not until he came along. Who did he lose? He says, his brother, and she asks, how? He says, it was an accident.They never found the body. She asks if Daryl thinks he’s still out there, but he says he doesn’t know. He’s not stopping until he finds out. She says, always the hero, huh?
At the river, Leah shows Daryl the fish she caught. He says, lucky shot, and she gets another. He walks away, and Dog follows.
Daryl and Leah look at the moon, and she says, it’sbeautiful, huh? They lie together next to the fire, and she motions him closer.
Ten months later. Daryl and Leah eat in silence, and he says if she’s not going to talk to him. She gets up, and he says, it’s only going to be for a few days. She wonders where he belongs. Out there on the river, looking for his dead brother, day after day after day? Or does he belong to the family he left because it became too hard to face what happened? Or does he belong there with her? He says he doesn’t know, and she says he does. She tells him that he has to choose, and leaves.
Carol approaches Daryl, as he’s looking at his map. She says she’s happy to see him too, and he says he’s just busy. He asks, what’s up? and she says she was going to ask the same thing. Does that mean he’s coming back? He says, no, and she gives him a sweater. He says, tell him why she really came, and she asks if she can’t bring a friend a gift. She came because she wanted to tell him that it will be a while before she comes back. He says, okay, and she says, things are tough at the Kingdom, and Ezekiel needs her there. He wonders if she’s asking permission, and she says, no. He says she doesn’t need to ask him to move on with her life, and she says, it’s just… He says she wants him to move on with his? She says she wants him to find some peace. She doesn’t want to lose him because he can’t figure out when to stop. He says she ain’t gonna lose him. He’s just got stuff to do.
Daryl walks through the woods. And walks. And walks. He runs.
Daryl calls for Leah. He sees the broken, now empty, frame, and looks around the cabin, but Leah isn’t there. Dog runs up to him. He packs up some cans, and writes a note. I belong with you. Find me. He puts it under the floor, and leaves with Dog.
On the porch, Daryl tells Carol that he should have been there. He could have helped her. She asks if he thinks Leah is alive, but he says he doesn’t know. She says, it’s possible Leah just left, and he says, what? She says, it’s not an accusation. He says he walked away, and she says he didn’t. He thinks that every time he loses something, it’s because of him. He says he made mistakes, and she says, they all do. Losing Leah isn’t on him. Neither is Rick, or Connie. He says, no. Connie on her, because she never knows when to stop. Carol says she’s sorry for Connie, but not sorry for going after the horde, or making Alpha pay for killing Henry, because she was right. He says, and that’s all that matters; you being right. She says, it’s not just about Leah, or Connie, or anyone else. Why doesn’t he say what he wants, that she shouldn’t have gone. He says she wanted to help, but she says she wanted to run, so she ran. What the skins did to Alexandria, she just couldn’t deal with the guilt. He says, that’s not his problem, and she says, his only problem is that he thinks he can save everyone. She doesn’t need a savior. She doesn’t need a martyr. She needs a friend. He says, friends don’t have the damn same conversation over and over again, and she asks if that’s what’s happening. He says, that’s what’s been happening. He’s sick of it. She says he should have let her get back on the boat, and he says he should have stopped her from running. She’s a runner. Run. He knows where he’s supposed to be, and won’t stop her this time. She says she was right. Our luck has run out, you and me. She tells him, no one is around except them, and it’s going be dark soon.
Next time, Gabriel wonders if think things are ever going to go back to the way they were (as we all do), Gabriel and Aaron explore, Gabriel meets a stranger, and Aaron puts a gun to his own head.
⚰️ Sometime In the Future…
Sadly, Walking Dead will come to an end with season 11, but at least it will be stretched out due to the pandemic. There’s always an upside.
The Dead have come and gone, signaling the start of another workweek, or another stretch of seven days, depending on how pandemically affected you are. But regardless of the calendar you keep, stay safe, stay bouncing back from whatever life throws at you, and stay not having the same damn conversation over and over again with your friends.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Chase asks Jackie if Violet is okay, and Jackie says, she fell asleep watching a movie. He thanks her for getting Violet out of there, and she says she could tell things were about to go south. What ended up happening? He says, apparently, Anna knew Peter wasn’t her son, and didn’t tell Finn. He’s sure it was hard for her, so he’s trying not to judge, but how can you plan on marrying somebody, and keep something so major from them?
Finn is looking out the window, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Anna, who asks if she can come in. He steps aside, and she says she’s sure he has a lot of questions. He says, just one. What else is she lying about?
Maxie tells Peter, she’s getting nervous. Why hasn’t he answered her? He says because he can’t believe she still wants to marry him, and she says, of course (🍷) she does. Her love for him hasn’t changed just because his mother has. He asks if she’s sure; he doesn’t want her pity. She says, the one she pities is Obrecht. She was so determined to wreck their lives, she made enemies out of everyone. What Peter does have is her love, her respect, and her heart. She hopes she still has his. He says she does, and he will marry her. Obrecht tells Valentin, Peter isn’t who Maxie thinks he is. The pretense of morality and kindness is all a lie.He’s a manipulator who can’t be trusted. He mustn’t be allowed to go home to her grandson. She owes it to Nathan to keep James safe. She walks over to Dante, and takes out her pen. Britt asks what she’s doing, and Obrecht says, what must be done; Maxie and James must be protected. Valentin practically shouts, sorry, Maxie. He can’t allow this wedding to continue. Not until she knows who Peter truly is. Maxie makes an exasperated noise, and asks Peter what Valentin is talking about. Peter says he doesn’t know, and asks Valentin, what the hell is he talking about? Valentin says, this has gone on long enough. It’s time the truth was brought to light.
At the MetroCourt bar, Carly asks Jax if everything is all right. He says, yes… Nina’s not returning his calls. He thought he’d run into her downstairs, but she skipped out on Maxie’s wedding. Carly says, that’s one sacred ceremony she can’t desecrate, and he makes a face. She says she thinks she might know where Nina is, or rather who she’s with. He asks, who? and she says, Wiley.
Michael opens the door to Nina, and asks her to come in. She thanks him for inviting her over, and he says he’s glad she could make it on such short notice. She says, is he kidding? She would have jumped off an airplane mid-flight to be there. She’s grateful, and thanks him for giving her a chance to get to know her grandson and be in his life. It means the world to her.
On the phone, Franco leaves a message for Obrecht, saying, he checked himself into the MetroCourt, just for the night, until he can check himself into Shadybrook tomorrow. If she feels like breaking into a hotel, give him a call back. There’s a knock at the door, and Franco opens it to Elizabeth and Cameron. He asks what they’re doing there, and Elizabeth says he didn’t bring much stuff with him, so they brought a few things to make it feel like home. Franco says he would have managed, but Cameron says, it was his idea. He got upset, and stormed off. He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.
Valentin says Maxie needs to listen to him, and Peter says she doesn’t. She says, everyone needs to just stop. It doesn’t matter to her who Peter’s mother is. It doesn’t change her love for him. Valentin says it doesn’t change the way he feels either. He’s not condemning Peter because Alex is his mother. Peter condemned Peter through the actions he’s taken, and the choices he’s made. Peter is a liar. His redemption is a lie. You can’t have redemption if you lack the capacity to acknowledge who you really are. Peter clearly doesn’t have the courage to do that, so he’ll do it for him. Everyone waits…
Jax says, it was generous of Michael to allow Nina to have a relationship with Wiley, and Carly asks if he’s surprised. He says, of course (🍷) not. He’s sure Nina appreciates it. Carly says, she’s sure too, and he asks if she thinks Michael is wrong. She says she thinks Wiley should get to know his grandmother, but she’s still furious at Nina. Her behavior was out of line at Sonny’s grave, and she’d tell Nina to her face, but that’s between her and Nina, not Wiley. But she’s worried about Nina spending too much time with Wiley right now, not once things have settled down, and Nina has faced her new reality. It’s been one shock piled on another. Even before Nina found out Nelle was her daughter, she made excuses for Nelle, painting her as not as guilty as she was. Jax says, trying to redeem Nelle’s memory, and she says, if Nina allows that to bleed onto Wiley, what is that going to do to that little boy?
Willow sees Nina, and says, that was fast. Nina tells her, the name Wiley put some pep in her step. Can she see him? Willow says he’s playing with blocks, and brings Nina into the living room. She says, look who’s here to visit him, and Michael asks if he remembers Nina, his grandmother. Wiley nods, and I’m telling you, that kid is going places.
Franco tells Cameron, enough with the goodbye stuff, and Elizabeth says, it’s a temporary arrangement until the issue with the tumor is resolved. Cameron says, and if they aren’t? and Franco says, those are the only two options, but Terry says while the tumor isn’t shrinking, it’s not growing either. That’s good news. Elizabeth says, very good. It gives them time to figure things out. Franco takes a phone out of the suitcase, and says, what’s this?
Jackie tells Chase, she knows he’s protective of his brother, and he should be, but try not to be too hard on him. Relationships are more complicated than anyone outside of them knows. Chase says he’s figuring that out. He’s sorry for not realizing how strained things were between her and Gregory. He had such an amazing childhood, and so many fun memories. That’s all he knew. She says, it’s all he should know. As a kid, of course, you want your parents to be perfect, and want your world to be secure, and that’s what your parents want for you too. But the truth is, we’re all making it up as we go along, and none of us is perfect.We’re doing the best we can, and sometimes it’s enough, but sometimes it’s not.
Finn says, Anna knew since she got the lab results that Peter wasn’t her son? and she says, yeah. He says, and the plan was to never tell him? She says, there was no plan. When we found out the truth, we realized everything had to be contained. Finn says, we? and she says, her and Valentin. He says, so she trusted that little weasel more than she trusted him.
Peter says he doesn’t know why Valentin is doing this, but Valentin says, yeah, he does. Maxie asks if someone can get Valentin out of there, and Mac starts to move, but Robert stops him, and says he thinks Maxie should listen to Valentin. Peter says he thought Valentin cared about him all these years, and Valentin says he does. Peter is the man he is today because of the actions Valentin took. Don’t think that’s ever been lost on him. That’s why he promised to protect Peter from Jason, but he’s not going to allow Peter to hurt anyone else, definitely not Maxie.
Franco looks at the phone, and asks what phone it is; it’s three models ago. Cameron says Franco might want what’s on it. Franco said he was suffering some side effects of what Shiloh did. When he thought he was Drew, and they were about to do the procedure to bring him back, he asked for a phone to record something on. Elizabeth says, Drew left a video, the one Franco has put off watching for over a year. Cameron says he thought it might help Franco understand the voices he’s hearing, and Franco says, cool, thanks. Cameron says, he’s not going to listen? and Franco says he’d do anything to get Drew out of his head, and looks in the suitcase, wondering what else is in there.
Carly tells Jax, she’s worried Nina is going to tell Wiley her version of who Nelle was, and they know that version is a lie. He says, yes, but it’s not like they can have an open conversation about Nelle. She says, no kid that age should know their mother was insane and a killer, but he shouldn’t believe in a fantasy that’s only going to be shattered. What if when he gets old enough, he does research, and finds out on his own who Nelle was? Jax says, he’ll be devastated, and she says, that’s why she thinks, while he’s still young, they shouldn’t tell him much at all. When he asks, they’ll say Nelle was troubled and had problems; keep it vague. When he’s mature enough to understand, they can tell him that Nelle had a terrible and abusive childhood, and grew up to do terrible, abusive things. Jax says, and Carly doesn’t think Nina is in a place to understand and abide by that? and she says she knows Nina isn’t. But it’s Willow and Michael’s decision, and she has to honor that. She’s scared that their best intentions will turn out awful for Wiley.
Anna tells Finn, she knows how it looks. When everything happened with Jordan and Curtis, she was afraid they were headed down the same road. He says, it’s not the same. He knew what he was getting into when he fell in love with her. He knew certain parts of her life existed in the shadows, but he didn’t think she’d keep secrets from him, and confide in someone else. She says she’s sorry, but he says he doesn’t want an apology; he wants an explanation.
Maxie tells Valentin, this isn’t news to her. She’s aware Peter was coerced by Helena and Faison into kidnapping Drew. Valentin says, but Peter wasn’t an unwitting pawn. He was trying to double-cross his father with Helena’s help. Peter asks why Valentin is lying, and Valentin says, Helena wanted it done, and Peter orchestrated the whole thing, but it was a long time ago. The point is, Peter knew what he did was wrong, and in working to cover it up, he did something much worse in the process. Maxie says, like what? and Peter says, she knows Valentin is a liar. She says she needs to know what Valentin is accusing Peter of. What is this horrible act that was so much worse than anything else? Valentin says, Peter brought down Drew’s plane, and she asks if he’s saying Peter is responsible for murdering Drew. Valentin says, yes.
Sam heads toward Peter, but Robert holds her back. She says, you son of a bitch. She knew it. He killed Scout’s father. Maxie says, it can’t be true, and Obrecht says it’s why she was released. Peter framed her for his crimes. Robert says he suspected as much, and Maxie says, because Robert hates Peter. Peter says, this is absurd, and suggests he and Maxie get out of there, but Mac says he’s not taking Maxie anywhere. Valentin says, first, Drew’s plane went down, and looks at Sam and asks, then what happened? Sam says she was kidnapped by Shiloh, and Valentin says, Shiloh knew Peter was responsible for Drew’s kidnapping. That’s why Peter arranged Shiloh’s escape, and was on the pier with a bag of money. He wasn’t buying an apartment; he was paying Shiloh off. Covering up one crime by committing a worse one in the process.
Franco asks Cameron if he’s going to be buying sunscreen and visors to visit him in California, and Cameron says, no one wears visors. Franco says he loves a visor. Lots of people like them. Cameron isn’t answering his question. Cameron tells Franco, remember when he said he wanted less Drew inside his head? and Franco says, oh, he gets it. Cameron doesn’t want to be pestered about college. Cameron says he catches on fast; good for him. Franco says he’s super smart; everyone says so. Elizabeth’s phone dings, and she says, it’s the hospital. She has to go in. Cameron says he’ll hang out for a few minutes, and meet her back at home, but Franco says, it’s not safe for Cameron to stay there.
Jax says he knows Carly is in a different headspace where Nina is concerned, but he feels terrible. They made a huge mistake in not telling Nina that Nelle was her daughter, and a bigger mistake forgetting Wiley was her grandson. She says, not on purpose, and he says, that doesn’t make right. They don’t get to decide if Nina gets to have a relationship with Wiley. She says she agrees 100%, and he says, it’s actually a blessing… Hear him out. Nina gets to have a relationship with her grandson without Nelle around. Even though she might not realize it, it’s the best thing for Wiley. Carly says, amen to that, and he says he knows he doesn’t get a say, but Carly is right. He doesn’t think Nina is capable of seeing Nelle for who she was. Nina sees her as a victim. Carly says, that’s the picture Nina will paint, Nelle the way she wanted her to be, and Jax says, that’s okay now, but it would be sad if it was a pattern that got laid down. Without realizing it, Nina could inflict pain and grief on her grandson. I guess these two still haven’t learned not to make decisions for other people.
Wiley smashes whatever he was building with his monster truck, and Michael tells Nina, Wiley is in a phase where all the building part is just a means is total destruction. Nina says Nathan was like that. He’d have her spend hours constructing a huge tower, just to have him take it out like Godzilla. Michael looks at his phone, and says, stuff is going down at Aurora. He’ll be back. Willow asks Wiley if mommy can help him build.
Jackie tells Chase that she and Gregory were happy for a long time. She doesn’t want him thinking he grew up in a lie. For three decades she had the most wonderful family, including an amazing son. He says, go on, and she says she could, for hours. He still brings her that joy. She wouldn’t give up the years with him or his father for anything. There were times when she and his dad were on their own tracks; when tracking a story was too tempting not to go after. Maybe she shouldn’t have. Looking back, there are a thousand things she wishes she’d done differently, but it’s just… Chase says, life, and she says, yeah. Life.
Anan tells Finn that Valentin came to her, and told her that Peter was way more culpable in Jason and Drew’s kidnapping than he’d admitted, and he’d gone to great lengths to cover it up. Meaning, that he’d had Drew’s plane sabotaged, and arranged for the assassin to kill Andre and Franco. Finn asks when she found this out, and she says, a couple of days ago. She realized she could no longer be in denial about Peter’s guilt, and pretend his redemption was anything other than a show. They decided Peter couldn’t marry Maxie… Finn says, so they had Peter abducted on his wedding day. She says, yeah, but she did this with Valentin not because she trusts him more than Finn, but because he understands the complexities of her relationship with Peter. Finn says, and he doesn’t? and she says, Valentin had the same relationship with him. She didn’t want Finn anywhere near this. He’s such a good man, she just didn’t want him to be part of the whole tragic, sordid mess. He thanks her for making the decision for him, and she says she knows he’s angry. She doesn’t blame him, but she can assure him that she didn’t know any of this. She didn’t want to accept how bad Peter really was. She starts to cry, and says, it’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. He says, because of her, he allowed his daughter to be around a murderer, and she says she would never let Violet be in any danger. He says, because of her, the wedding Violet thought she was going to be a part of, was never actually going to happen, because she was too busy playing spy games with Valentin. She says, it happened so fast, there was no time to tell him. He asks if he was really that much of an afterthought.
Willow asks if Wiley thinks he can build the tallest skyscraper ever. Show mommy. Nina says, maybe he’ll grow up to be an architect, and Willow says, may be. It’s kind of wild for her and Nina to be part of the same family, playing games together. Nina says, they’ve come a long way, and Willow says, they’re both in a better place. She certainly is. Nothing can make up for losing a child, but it meant so much for Michael to say he wanted her to stay in Wiley’s life. Nina says, not just stay, but legally adopt. After all that heartache, she’s still Wiley’s mom. The doorbell rings, and Willow opens the door to Carly, who trots in. She says she was texting with Michael, and he said Nina was coming by. How’s it going? Willow says, great. She thinks it will be good for both Nina and Wiley. In the living room, Nina tells Wiley that she’s his grandma, like Grandma Carly, but she’s not his mommy’s mommy. That’s not how they’re related. Wiley laughs, probably because he has no clue what anyone is saying, but it’s fun to build and smash stuff.
Cameron tries to argue, but Elizabeth says she can’t get into it now; she has to get to work. Cameron says, go. He’ll be fine for a few minutes. Franco says his mom is right. He woke from a nightmare, and attacked Cameron. Cameron says, that’s such an exaggeration, and Franco says his head’s not right. Cameron says he can’t believe this. Fine. Is Elizabeth coming with him, or is it okay for her to be there alone with Franco? Elizabeth says she’ll be there in a minute; she’ll meet him in the lobby. Franco tells Cameron, wait, and thanks him for bringing the stuff. He’ll see Cameron in a little bit. Cameron leaves, and Franco tells Elizabeth that she shouldn’t be there. If he’s a potential threat to Cameron, he’s a potential threat to her.
Robert says he knows it’s painful, but it makes sense, and Maxie says, except for one thing. Anna knew all this? Valentin says, she did, and Maxie says, Anna would never do that to her. Anna loves her, and she knows Anna would never let that happen. If what Valentin is saying is true, Anna would have told her.
Anna tells Finn that she was wrong; she knows that. She just couldn’t see her way out, which makes her no different than Peter. She was selling him on a lie that she was sharing her life with him, and she wasn’t. She thought she was protecting him, but she was really just protecting herself, trying to avoid this moment. He phone rings, and Finn says, don’t answer. She says, it’s Robert. It’s going to be about Peter and Maxie. She asks Robert, what is it? and he tells her, get down here right now. All the information she and Valentin have been hiding is going to hit the fan. He doesn’t know how Peter is going to react if he’s pushed in a corner. She says she understands, and Finn asks if she needs to go. Anna says she wants to work this out, and he says, she has other properties. She says she’s so sorry; she really is. Finn says, so is he, and she leaves.
Jackie tells Chase, everything will be okay. He’s seen her and Gregory. It’s not like they can’t be in the same room; just the opposite. He says, it’s weirdly cordial, and she says they have too much mutual respect for it not to be. He says, it’s getting late. Does she think he should take Violet? She says, probably. She’d love for Violet to stay there, but she’s still practically a stranger. Violet will be more comfortable with him. He says he’ll get her, and she says she loves him. He says he loves her too.
Maxie tells Peter, she’s right, isn’t she? Everything Valentin is saying is a lie. Peter says, of course (🍷) it is. Valentin is the man who lied to Nina for years, and literally trades in secrets. He doesn’t know what game Valentin is playing – Valentin says, no game – but all that matters is he loves her. She has no reason to believe Valentin. Anna appears, and says Maxie has every reason to believe her though.
Willow brings Carly into the living room, and says, how lucky is Wiley? Two grandmothers in one night. Carly asks Wiley for a hug, and says, it’s so good to see him. Is he having fun with Nina? He says, yeah, and Willow suggests Wiley get in his PJs. Then he can come down and play afterward. She takes Wiley upstairs, and Nina asks if Carly is checking up on her. Carly says, no… Actually…Well… she wants to acknowledge that she may have been too blunt. Nina says, that doesn’t sound like an apology, and Carly says, it wasn’t. They both have good reason not to trust each other, but she assumes they both want what’s best for Wiley. Nina says, yes, and Carly suggests they just leave at that.
Franco says it’s not just that he’s being honest with Elizabeth, but he’s being honest with himself. There’s a realistic possibility that these violent outbursts – she says, just one – are going to get worse. She says he sounds like Jason, and he says, Jason’s not wrong. She says, yes he is when it comes to Franco. Jason doesn’t know him like she does; he doesn’t know them. She tells him that she’s scared, and he asks her to come over to him. She sits next to him on the bed, and he holds her. She says she wants to make things perfectly clear; she’ll never give up on him. It doesn’t matter how dark things get, or how dismal things are, she’ll always be his champion. Not just because of what he does for her, but because she loves him. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. He says, okay. Good enough. He hands Elizabeth her phone, and she says she’ll call him later. She leaves, and he looks at the phone Cameron brought.
Anna tells Maxie, everything Valentin said is true. Obrecht says, let her guess. Anna has known Peter was guilty the whole time, and allowed her to rot… Anna says, get this woman out of her face or she’ll lose her mind, and Obrecht says Anna’s mind isn’t the only thing she’s about to lose. Valentin drags Obrecht out, still talking, and Anna tells Maxie that she’s sorry. Maxie says, no, because if it was true Peter did those horrible things and Anna knew, Anna would have told her. Anna says she didn’t know until recently. She had her doubts, but she thought she was being paranoid. She thought Peter had changed, but he hadn’t. Maxie asks, when did she have doubts? For how long? Anna says, really too long. She’s sorry. Everyone looks like they’re either pissed off or going to cry. Or both.
Nina picks up her coat, and Michael asks if she’s heading out. Nina says, it’s getting crowd… late. She thanks him for inviting her. Willow comes back with Wiley, and Nina says, perfect timing. She picks Wiley up, and says it was wonderful spending time with him. Willow says, just ten more minutes, and then straight up to bed, and Nina thanks them for thinking of her. Carly asks if Willow is okay, and Willow tells her, Wiley just said she’s not his real mommy. Carly looks at Nina. Okay, my suspension of disbelief is lacking here. Wiley is cute and smart, but there’s no way he got that from what Nina said. I don’t even think he could form that kind of sentence yet.
There’s a knock at Jackie’s door, and she asks if Violet forget something, but it’s Finn.
Franco sits on the floor, and leans against the bed. He looks at the phone, and presses play. He appears on the screen, and says, hi, Franco; it’s Andy. He needs to tell Franco a few things.
At the MetroCourt bar, Valentin thanks Obrecht for interrupting the wedding. If she hadn’t, he would have had to. She says she’s shocked that he abandoned Peter at the end, but he says he didn’t have a choice. Anna was willing to go through with it, but if Maxie had married Peter, she would have never been able to live with herself. She says, his devotion to the scarecrow is annoying at best, but this time, it worked to her advantage. And Maxie’s. At least now, she’ll finally be free of Peter. He says, let’s hope so.
Anna tells Maxie, she knew last year Peter was closely associated with the company who sent the assassin, the man who made the attempt on Andre and Franco’s lives. Peter says he stopped the attack, and she says, amazing that he happened to be there at just that moment. He says, it was luck, and she tells him, just stop. He knew the assassin was there, because he hired the assassin to be there. She tells Maxie that she chose to cover up the connection because she didn’t believe it, for the same reason Maxie doesn’t believe it. She can’t bear the fact that Peter is guilty, but he is. He confessed everything to Valentin. Valentin told her, and she confronted Peter. Peter says they’re both lying. They’re in this together. Anna says, no. She confronted Peter, and gave him every opportunity to tell the truth, but he didn’t; he lied. It made her realize that he will always lie. She doesn’t think it’s his fault, but the man Maxie loves just never existed. Peter says, enough of this. He tells Maxie, let’s get out of here; he’ll explain everything. Mac says, the hell he will, calls Peter a son of a bitch, and punches him in the face.
Maxie sits down, breathing heavily, and Britt and Sam rush over to her. Maxie says, the baby, and Britt says, justbreathe. Maxie glares at Peter.
Tomorrow, Carly asks Nina if she thinks it’s a good idea, Jackie asks Finn if he can get past it, Peter asks if he’s being arrested, and Dante asks Sam if she’s going to tell Jason what happened.
🏖 Since I had the time, I actually paid attention to Summer House. Carl found out his brother had died from an overdose. I have to admit, although I don’t like these people (with the exception of Hannah, who I think is just young), Carl is the most mature of the bunch, and actually seems to be working on himself as a person. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, so all this has gotten him so far is being the designated watcher, since no one is driving anywhere. These are the last people I’d want to go through a tragedy with. Or a victory. Or anything for that matter. Amanda and Hannah compared notes on who attacked who first, and it was all, no, you. Hannah was the clear winner, since Amanda had thrown a glass at her. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but a wine glass could take an eye out. The guys scattered, while the girls all listened in. This was really nice too, considering Carl was trying to keep it together. Kyle tried to turn everyone against Hannah, saying she was out of control, but again, insulting someone vs throwing an object at them that’s not a pillow? The majority couldn’t give a flying, as long as they weren’t in the line of fire. No surprise, Carl couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
As I’m typing this, I realize nothing really ever happens on this show. And this season, they’re even working from home, but still nothing. Ciara still seems pretty sane, but give her time. She tried to explain to Luke that, relationship or not, he should have treated Hannah with more respect. Ergo, she wasn’t interested in more than friendship with him. For Lindsay’s birthday, Stephen got food from the restaurant where he’d asked her to be his girlfriend. He set up a fish and chips dinner outside, and I thought that was pretty romantic, but she told him that she had higher expectations than just going through the motions. I guess she wanted to be wined and dined in the middle of quarantine? They argued, and Stephen split in an Uber. I don’t know if I was missing something, but it seemed like Lindsay just wanted to start sh*t, and then was shocked when Stephen left. Hannah thought she should order some sage for the house, and Kyle said it was the worst day of all time.
Next time, Lindsay says there’s no coming back from it; Hannah says Kyle thinks he’s boss of the house, but he isn’t; and Kyle gets whacked in the balls with a croquet ball.
💍 Officially Moved On…
It no longer matters what zone she’s in with Luke.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Nowhere to be found today. I officially gave up somewhere around 9 pm. We’re two days ahead anyway, so pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back, and check out what’s happening in the world of entertainment.
💸 Not Buying It…
I don’t think Franco is going anywhere. I think somehow the radiation will work, or it’s not what they thought, or he’ll stay alive long enough for them to find a cure. Or maybe he’s really his psychopathic twin brother, escaped from Pentenville. Oh wait. That’s Doc.
It’s a nice theory, but the reason they’re throwing his name around is because Sonny is presumably dead, and being pseudo buried next to him. Mike’s name has come up just as often.
Was she drunk again? Or just that desperate for attention? I find it difficult to believe she used similar wording to his alleged abuse, and was ignorant of it.
It was in 1964 when the author James Baldwin reflected on the shortcomings of his education. “When I was going to school,” he said, “I began to be bugged by the teaching of American history because it seemed that that history had been taught without cognizance of my presence.”
Baldwin’s thoughts echoed those of many before and after him. Half a century earlier, when Carter G. Woodson had the same frustration, he set the foundation for what would become today’s national Black History Month, observed each February.
It is mental slavery to cling to things that have stopped serving their purpose in your life. – Chinonye J. Chidolue
Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. – Ann Landers
There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. – Ray Bradbury
My patience is getting so thin, it’s transparent. – Captain Lee Rosbach, Below Deck
That food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison. – Ann Wigmore
Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all. – Arthur C. Clarke
Today stretches ahead of you waiting to be shaped. You are the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to you. – Steve Maraboli
Us Americans are not loud. We just talk in stereo. – Robert Springs, 90 Day Fiancé: Pillow Talk
But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams, we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism. – Erin Wright
I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all. – Simone Biles
✍🏽 Signing Off…
Heading off to do some copywriting for an interview with Billy Vera. If you don’t know who he is, you should. He’s part of entertainment history in a million different ways. Watch for his upcoming interview at https://mupoentertainment.com. Here’s to having an entertaining weekend, no matter if you’ve been working, in your PJs, or working in your PJs. And don’t forget to stay safe, stay being surprised by life, and stay supporting at least one cause other than your own.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
🖥 All I have to say is, don’t buy an HP. I have no idea what happened last night, but I finally decided to shut the computer off and back on, and it seemed like the problem was that it wanted to do an update, but wasn’t telling me that. Everything just stopped working. This thing has been a pita from the jump, and every single computer nerd I’ve talked to since I got it has said they’re horrible. Too bad I hadn’t talked to them before I got it. Moving on…
General Hospital
Elizabeth tells Franco, don’t try to play dumb, but he says he has no idea what she’s talking about. He’s been lying to her since when? She says since he’s been having secret meetings with Jason.
Jason pops into Britt’s office, and sees her looking at an article about Peter. He asks if she’s doing research, and she asks if he’s always this nosy. She wants to know more about her brother. Growing up, she had no idea he even existed. He asks what she found out, but she says, nothing yet. She’d barely started before he barged in with his questions and concerns. First, he tells her that she’s a horrible person; now, it’s Peter. He says he never told her she was horrible, but he wants to warn her about Peter. Peter is dangerous, and could turn on her without giving it a second thought.
Dante meets Maxie at Kelly’s, and asks how she’s feeling. She says, aside from having to pee every 30 seconds, she’s okay. He asks what their mysterious meeting is about, and Maxie says she had news that couldn’t wait she wanted to share with him. Peter joins them, and asks if she shouldn’t say they have news.
At the MetroCourt, Finn says, can Anna believe it? Before they met, he never had a cup of tea. She says she believes it, and he says he was missing out. This is a damn fine cup of tea. She asks if he’s mocking her, and he says he’d never do that. Not while she’s sitting there anyway. He’d never mock tea. She says, not if he wants this to work, and her phone rings. He says, if it’s Maxie, tell her they eloped and they’re on their honeymoon. She says, if only, and he says they can still do that, but she says, it would break Maxie’s heart. She just wants to get away, and enjoy the evening, and he says, what a coincidence; he does too. Finn’s phone rings, and she says, if it’s Maxie, tell her they eloped. He says, it’s Alexis, and she tells him to take the call. Alexis asks if he can come over, and he says, now? She says she really needs to talk, and he says he’s on his way. Anna asks if Alexis is okay, but he says he doesn’t know. He hopes this means she’s going to get help, and she tells him, go help his friend. He asks if she wants to walk him out, but she says she’s drinking tea. He wonders what he was thinking, and says he’ll see her at home. She looks at her phone and sees a text from Valentin, saying, we need to talk about Dante.
Doc sits down with Anna, and says he was going to return her message tomorrow, but they’re both there now. Anna says she needs some insight.
Olivia says Ned accused her of cheating with Robert in Monte Carlo while Brook was recovering from having her throat slashed. He says he knows how wrong he was, and apologizes again for jumping to conclusions. Tracy says, it was a terrible time for everyone, and Olivia holds up her hand. She says Ned begged her multiple times to forgive him, but there was so much more to forgive, wasn’t there? She’s so stupid. She was sick with worry when he didn’t come home. She thought he was face down, dead in a ditch. Meanwhile… She says she’s going to ask him a question, and he’d better tell her the truth. What happened between him and Alexis?
Alexis thanks Finn for coming, and he says he’s glad she called. She says she doesn’t know where to start, and he says, a meeting might be a good place. Isn’t that why she asked him to come? He asks if it has nothing to do with her sobriety, and she says, it does and it doesn’t. Valentin just left. He got Martin to fight the DWI for her. Finn says, and? She says, and he’s going to argue that Tracy is to blame for her driving drunk. He says Tracy was trying to help her, but she says she’s not so sure about that.
Tracy says, Sam is there for Leo’s celebratory dinner; it’s not the time. Olivia says she’s glad Sam is there. After all, it’s her mother they’re talking about. She thinks Sam deserves to hear the truth. Tracy says, tonight is about family. She doesn’t think Leo should wait any longer, so she’ll go get him. Olivia says if Tracy takes one step toward her child, she’ll knock her out. Tracy asks what’s gotten into her, and Olivia says, don’t try to make her feel crazy when they’ve been lying to her. Tracy says, there’s no evidence of that, but Ned tells her, stop. This ends now.
Doc says he has to commend Anna. The last time she needed something from him, she broke into his office. Calling ahead and asking to talk is progress. She says she’s grateful for his help. This time she doesn’t need access to his research material, but she needs his expertise. She’s worried about Dante. Since he returned to Port Charles, he seems off. She tried to find out about his medical treatment from the WSB, but there was a complete blackout. She thinks the WSB is using him for their own ends, and disregarding his mental health. Doc asks what Dante says, and Anna says, he told her that he was fine. He’s trying to act like his old self, but something is missing.
Peter brings Maxie a hot chocolate, and she tells Dante she would have waited for him to order, but… He says, the baby wants what she wants when she wants it. Maxie says, she’s going to spoil the baby, and Peter says, so is he. Dante hears, complete the mission, in his head, and Maxie says, hello? He says he was thinking about the last time he had hot chocolate, and Maxie says, as he knows, they’re having a girl. He says he can see their both over the moon, and Peter says, most definitely. Maxie says they’re hoping it’s okay with him if they name the baby after Lulu.
Britt tells Jason, let’s do it, and he says, do what? She says she’s heard from her mother ad nauseum about how awful Peter is, but she doesn’t trust Obrecht, not even a little bit. So far, Jason seems honest, so do the honors, and tell her who her brother really is. Jason says, okay, and sits down. He says he’s going to do it in order, not the way he discovered it, and she says, whatever floats his boat. He says, Peter was under Faison’s orders to facilitate the memory transfer between him and Drew. The plan was that when it was finished, Peter was supposed to eliminate him, but Peter didn’t kill him. Peter put him in a Russian clinic, and drugged him out of his mind. Britt says, Peter saved his life, and Jason says, that’s what Peter claims, but he thinks Peter was keeping him on ice, waiting for the day he could point him toward Faison and have him take Faison out. And that’s what happened. Britt says she’s aware Jason delivered the fatal shot, and she doesn’t blame him. He says, Peter has a plausible excuse for everything, but there’s always another objective, an underlying motive. She says, so the time came when he would kill Faison, and Jason says, the next part happened five years later. He finally figured out how to escape, and made his way home. They came after him, wanting to take him down and bring him back, but if that wasn’t possible, kill him. They went so far as to kidnap Sam. She asks who they are, and he says, the doctors at the clinic, but underneath, Peter was pulling the strings. She says, it didn’t work; he’s still there. He says, the doctors took the fall, and Peter was in the clear. Sound familiar? That’s what happened to her mom.
Elizabeth asks why Franco went looking for Jason, and Franco says he wanted to tell him the tumor was back. Elizabeth says, Franco was keeping it a secret, and thought he’d tell Jason? and Franco says he thought Jason could help him take care of it. She asks what that means, and he says if he starts reverting to his old self, Jason could help him out. She says Jason hates him. He’s more likely to kill Franco than help… Oh my God; that’s it. He asked Jason to kill him.
Doc asks if Anna has seen any indication that Dante could lose control, and potentially be a threat to Rocco and Charlotte, but she says, it’s nothing like that. Although Valentin is concerned about Charlotte. That’s why she started looking into it. If Dante is still suffering from PTSD, it’s an undercover problem more than a domestic one. Doc asks if she got any information from the WSB, and she says, only Dante’s doctor’s name, Warren Kirk. Doc says Dr. Kirk’s death was a shock, and asks if she’s learned any more about it. Was he targeted or was it an act of random violence? She says, the police say the latter, but she doesn’t believe it for a second.
Britt tells Jason, so her brother is the evil mastermind, and got off scot free. Then what? He says Obrecht started acting strange, and he found out she had a son with Faison who she was desperate to protect and was searching for. She says, Nathan, and Jason says, but she called him Henrik. Peter planned on killing Anna at the pier, but he showed up. Peter played on his guilt once again, and everything went away. Whether he really had a good relationship with Anna or he was playing her, it was another restart. Britt says, enter Maxie, and Jason says, yes. She and Peter started dating, and Peter built a nice life, until Shiloh came along. He had a past connection with Drew and Peter, and obviously knew something. He got busted and went to prison, and mysteriously escaped, taking Sam and two other hostages. Guess who showed up at the pier with $50K? She says, her brother, and he says Peter claimed to be buying an apartment, but come on. Shiloh knew something, and Peter was desperate to cover it up. Drew knew too, and had a plane crash. Franco and Andre were almost murdered, and it was stopped by Peter, who killed the gunman before he could talk. Peter is responsible for everything, but her mother took the fall, and Maxie will end up paying the price.
Franco tells Elizabeth, if he deteriorates, Jason will take care of it if he gets crazy or dangerous. She says, and Jason gets to decide? He asked a man who despises him to kill him if he’s acting some way he doesn’t like? It’s suicidal. He says, it’s his choice, and she says, it breaks her heart that he doesn’t get it’s their choice.
Peter tells Dante, they’ll call her Lu for short, and Maxie asks what he thinks. Dante says, it’s beautiful. He thinks Lulu would have loved it. Maxie says, when she wakes up, she will love it. She asks if he’s really okay with it, and he says, more than. He’s happy for them. Maxie asks how he’s doing, and Dante says, pretty good. He thanks Peter for the job again, and Peter says he’s glad it’s working out. She asks how Rocco is, and Dante says, hanging in. He tells them that he’s going to grab a coffee, and goes to the counter. Peter flashes back to Franco saying Drew’s memories are coming back, and Maxie says, it’s not going well. Dante is refusing to open up. Peter says it’s probably because he’s there; he should go. She needs one-on-one time with Dante, and he has work to get done. She thanks him, and says she loves him, and he says he loves her too. He leaves, and Dante comes back. He asks, what happened to Peter? and she says, he had something to take care of. Dante says, too bad, but she says, now she gets him all to herself.
Ned tells Olivia, he’s so sorry. He and Alexis slept together. It was just one night. It was a stupid mistake. Olivia says, which he chose to keep lying to her face about. He says he wasn’t protecting himself; he knew it would never happen again. Olivia says, then, no biggie, but he says, it is a big deal. He can see how much he’s hurting her, and he hates that. She asks why he didn’t tell her, instead of keeping his dirty secret, and he says he didn’t want to hurt her. She asks if this is where she’s supposed to say thank you. What he did was awful, but not telling her was worse. He says he was in a terrible place. He’s not excusing himself, but telling her where his head was at. Brook heard she’d spent the night with Robert. Olivia says, that’s not true, and he says he knows that now. He jumped to the wrong conclusion, drank heavily, and it was a recipe for disaster. Sam says he was drinking with her mother, an alcoholic?
Finn says Tracy didn’t want Alexis behind the wheel. That’s why she drove. Alexis ask if that sounds like Tracy, and he says, she does have a heart. She says she knows Tracy is his friend, but she wasn’t driving drunk. He tells her, Tracy says otherwise, and she asks if he remembers the night she cut herself. Something was nagging at her. Tracy’s version of the events wasn’t the truth. He says, say she’s right. Why would Tracy lie? She says, exactly. That’s what she’s trying to find out. They were at the MetroCourt, and Tracy pulled her away from Olivia, saying she wanted to catch up. She flashes back to telling Tracy that Olivia should know about her and Ned, but she had no intention of breaking up their marriage. She remembers Tracy saying that she was drinking, which leads to loose lips, misjudgments, and blackouts. Can she say there’s ever been a time when she had no recollection of what happened? Alexis tells Finn, it makes sense, and he says, what? She says, Tracy pulled her away from Olivia because Tracy thought she was going to tell Olivia that she’d slept with Ned. Tracy didn’t want Olivia to find out. He says, so she forced Alexis to drive, and put her own life in danger? Alexis gets up, grabs her coat, and heads for the door. He asks where she’s going, and she says, to the Quartermaine’s. She needs a car. He says he’ll drive her, and she asks if he’s sure. The truth is there, and she’s going to find it.
Ned says he was far from sober, and Olivia asks if he thinks that makes it less horrible. They’ve been married for four years, and he still doesn’t trust her. He spent his life in this house, with these liars and cheaters, surrounded by infidelity. He’s incapable of trust. He apologizes, and asks if they can talk in private. Alexis and Finn walk in, and Alexis says, no one is going anywhere until she hears the truth.
Elizabeth says Franco has no regard for the people he’d be leaving behind, and he says, all he could think about was, if he did anything to hurt them… She says, they’re not there, and probably never will be. He says, then he’ll tell Jason to stand down, and get on with his life, and she says, what about their life? The tumor has been diagnosed as fatal, but regardless, he’s still there, and she wants to spend every moment with him. Don’t rob her of that. He deserves a family by his bedside, helping him through his final days, which she hopes isn’t for a long time. Why does he want to throw that away?
Doc tells Anna, Kirk’s assistant told him that there was space in Kirk’s schedule. He was referring his patients to other doctors. She wonders what was taking up his time, but Doc has no idea. She tells him, what say they find out, and smiles.
Maxie tells Dante, it was everywhere; on every surface that could absorb marker. Thank God they were washable markers, or she would have put up James for adoption. He says James sounds like Rocco at that age. It didn’t matter how angry he was, if Rocco started laughing, he’d be laughing with him. Rocco doesn’t laugh anymore; maybe once in a while. Maxie says, it will happen more as time goes on. They’re still playing catch-up. He says Rocco is like a whole new kid, but Maxie says Rocco is still his son. He asks if she thinks Rocco is angry because he left, and she asks, does he? He says he doesn’t know. He thinks Rocco is confused, and a little resentful, and Maxie says Dante didn’t walk out on his family. He left because he wanted to protect them. He asks how she does that, and she says, what? He says, see the good in people. and she says, it’s easy when it’s right in front of her.
Jason tells Britt, now Maxie is pregnant, and about to marry Peter. Meanwhile, her whole life is a lie. Peter is now pretending to be a good guy, while he’s covering up, but he can’t sustain it. There are loose ends, and it’s going to eventually implode, with Maxie having the most to lose. Britt says, so how much is genuine concern for Maxie, and how much is hate for the man who kept Jason locked up for five years? She doesn’t believe Jason is that altruistic and immune to revenge. He says he doesn’t want revenge; he wants Peter stopped. She asks, what about Anna?She saw Peter pull this stuff, and covered for him? He says, Anna sees what she wants, and part of him gets that; she’s his mom. The question is, is Britt going to see what she wants to see, or see the truth? Peter walks in.
Franco says he doesn’t want to die, and Elizabeth says, then fight. Don’t ask to be put down like an animal. He says he got hope from a doctor, and went to tell Jason about it. She asks if he thinks Jason understood, but he says he doesn’t know. By the time Jason showed up, he wasn’t feeling well, and she says Sam told her he had a bad headache. He says he’s feeling better, and Elizabeth grabs her coat. He asks where she’s going, and she says she’s going to put an end to this.
Dante tells Maxie, he hates seeing Lulu lifeless; it’s the opposite of what she was. Maxie says, is. Does he want to go to visit her together next time? He says, that would be great, and she says he still doesn’t like Peter, does he? Where is that coming from? She thinks it would be easier if Dante talked to Peter. When Peter was there, they barely spoke. Now he can’t shut up. That’s why Peter left, to give them time together. Peter is a good guy, and about to be her husband, and a father to little Lu. He tells her that he said he was happy for them, and he means it.
Peter says he can come back another time, but Britt says, Jason was just leaving. Jason goes, and Peter asks if he was bothering her. She says, nothing she can’t handle, and he says, the guy is a bully. If he’s harassing her, Peter wants to know. She asks if he’s being a protective big brother, and he says, better late than never. She says if she needs back-up, she’ll let him know. She asks if everything is okay with Maxie. What brings him by? He says he was looking for her. They haven’t had a chance to spend time together. She says she’d like to get to know him better. Should they fire off 20 questions? He says, it’s not the best way to start a relationship, but… She says, uh-oh, and he says he needs a favor.
Tracy says Alexis is drunk, but Alexis says she’s seeing quite clearly. Finn says, she’s sober, and Tracy asks what he’s doing there. Alexis says he gave her a ride, since she doesn’t have a license. Sam thinks it’s not the best time, but Alexis doesn’t care. Tracy set her up. Sam says she knows; she believes Alexis. Tracy says, that’s absurd, and Ned asks, what’s going on? What did she do? Alexis says, Tracy lied; like they did to protect his marriage. Sam says, Tracy framed Alexis so it would look like she was behind the wheel. Tracy asks if she’s going to take the word of a drunk over hers, but Sam says, it’s not just Alexis’s word. They have proof.
Ned asks for someone to explain, and Olivia says they gave his mother the benefit of the doubt. At the time, she thought Tracy was her friend, and just trying to help. Ned tells Alexis that Olivia knows everything, and Alexis says she’s so sorry. Olivia says she doesn’t want to hear it now. She tells them, Tracy said she took Alexis home, and was going to make coffee, and when she was in the kitchen, Alexis snuck out. The security system proved they never got back to the house. Sam says, they called the company, and the system was armed from the afternoon Alexis left to go to the MetroCourt, and disarmed the following day. Alexis says, when she got home after her night in jail. Sam says, which means Tracy’s story isn’t true. Tracy says, fine; she lied. She drove the car to the side of the road, and put Alexis behind the wheel – with great difficulty, she might add – and called the police. Ned says, what the hell? and Tracy says, no one was in any danger, and she thought Alexis would go to rehab and get help. Alexis says Tracy doesn’t give a rat’s ass about her well-being. Tracy didn’t want her around them.
Doc thanks someone on the phone, and Anna says, he got the file? He says, they know him there. He asked if they could email the records. His phone dings, and he says, and here they are. She says, that was fast, and he says, according to the file, Kirk had exactly four patients in the last six months. Anna says, he used to have more? and Doc says, over the years, he’s had at least two dozen. Anna says, it sounds like more than downsizing, and thinks he was working off the books, maybe with Dante. She asks if Dante’s file is in there, and Doc says, it should be there. He scrolls, and says, it is. Let’s see what’s in there.
Dante says it blows him away how strong and resilient Maxie is. It doesn’t matter how many times she’s knocked down; she gets up. He’s seen it again and again, especially after Nathan’s death. She says Peter was there for her, but he says, something in her hangs on to hope. He admires that, and wants to emulate it, but he’s not doing a good job. She says she thinks he’s doing a wonderful job. When he’s unsure, come to her, and she’ll remind him how utterly amazing he is. He says, his personal cheerleader, and she says she’ll even get pompoms.
Peter tells Britt, he needs information for an Invader article, and she asks what she can do. He says, log in and walk away. She says, that’s a big ask. He won’t even tell her what he’s looking for? He says, it’s better if she doesn’t know. It could help secure him a position as a major publisher of a newspaper. She says, okay. She’s trusting him not to get her in trouble. He promises, and she says she’ll be back in ten minutes. She logs in, and leaves. Peter sits down, and starts typing.
Dante tells Maxie, sorry if he’s standoffish. It’s hard to see Peter with her. It will take some time. She says, that’s okay, as long as he keeps trying. She can’t stand to lose him as a friend, and he says, she won’t. He’ll be there for her, Georgie, and James. That’s a promise.
Doc looks at Dante’s file, but it’s heavily redacted. He says he doesn’t think they’re going to get much, but Anna disagrees. She had a hunch, but now she knows for certain. Otherwise, why the secrecy? She asks if Kirk’s assistant said anything else, and he tells her, have at it, handing her the phone. She looks at it, and says, whoa. One of his other patients was Obrecht. She shows him the file.
Finn says he’ll give Alexis a ride home, and she thanks him, but thinks there’s more that needs to be said. Sam asks if she’s sure about this, and Alexis says she may not have driven drunk, but she has to face what she did do. Sam says she’ll get a motion going to have the charges dropped. She’s so sorry she doubted Alexis. Alexis says she hasn’t given Sam much reason not to lately. Sam leaves, and Alexis asks Olivia if they can talk. Ned says he and Olivia need to sort through some things first, but Olivia says she’d like to talk to Alexis right now. It’s way overdue. Alexis nods, and Ned leaves.
Tracy starts to go upstairs, but Ned says she’s not going anywhere.
Peter hears footsteps, and Britt comes back in. She says she changed her mind. She doesn’t care how harmless it is. She can’t let Peter dig around. He says he understands completely. He’s sorry to put her in that position. She says she’s sorry she couldn’t help him, but he says he’ll find what he needs another way. He says he’ll see her later, and leaves. In the hallway, we see he has a flashdrive in his hand. Sitting at the laptop, Britt says, he can erase the history, but let’s see if this works. Franco’s file comes up, and she wonders what Peter wants with Franco Baldwin’s medical records.
Franco hears Peter’s voice saying, please be Drew Cane. He wonders what’s happening to him.
Jason punches the heavy bag at the gym, when Elizabeth walks in. She asks if he’s having fun. She called the warehouse, and they said she could find him there. He says they could have met at the house, but she says she’d rather have this conversation alone. He asks if something is wrong. Is it Jake? She says, it’s him.
Tomorrow, Tracy says someone needs all the help they can get, Olivia says the joke is on her, Ned says it’s not about him, Franco asks Scotty to represent him, and Elizabeth asks Jason what his criteria is to kill her husband.
Southern Charm
When we last left, the guys were being given a clue about Kathryn’s remarks. Everyone was eating, drinking, and being merry, and saying things like, olives are great. Shep went canoeing with Taylor, and she rowed, while he slacked off behind her. Whitney showed up, and there were many elbow bumps. In Austen’s interview, he said Madison wanted to see what he would do and how he’d react, but he wasn’t taking the bait. Leva said John had felt it was three against one when the girls approached Kathryn, and Craig repeated what he’d been told about Kathryn to Shep. In his interview, Craig said he couldn’t bee friends with Kathryn in good faith if she runs away from this, or pretends it didn’t happen. Madison wanted to know if Austen was looking, as she posed on a float, but it was a no. Shep and Austen went up in the treehouse, and Madison told Craig that she’d gotten a text from a friend about Austen. They said they didn’t know if she and Austen were still a thing, or if she even cared, but Austen had slept with a girl at her friend’s house. Austen told Shep that he was a good friend. Craig wondered why it mattered to Madison who Austen was hooking up with, which is a really good question. Shep suggested Austen tell Madison that he thought they were in a spot where they could see other people, and also be supportive of one another. Craig joined them, and said he wasn’t trying to start sh*t, but Madison had gotten messages about Austen, and was fired up. Shep told Austen, play it cool or she’ll go nuclear. It’s sad what an a-hole Madison turned out to be, and even sadder that they let her get away with being so nasty. She broke up with Austen. It’s not like he did something to her. (Oh wow. As I was typing that, there was a promo for the reunion, and Austen said he thought it was sad. Twilight Zone music…)
Madison levitated up to the treehouse using black magic, and showed Austen her phone, calling him a beta bitch, and demanding to know who the girl was. Did he think people wouldn’t tell her? Craig and Shep said to let him go, and she told them, zip it. In Shep’s interview, he said Madison was scary. She was always going to keep Austen handy, like a lap dog. They should both do their own things now. Watching from the porch, Leva and Venita wondered if Madison needed reinforcements. Obviously, they don’t know her very well. Craig said their attitudes were bleeding into everyone’s lives. Austen told Madison to stop it, and she screeched that he was a beta, and she was an alpha. He asked what the hell she cared; it was over. She said he was an effing joke, and he said it seemed like she was. Madison finally got on her broom and flew off, and Shep said she was like a wolverine, insulting wolverines everywhere and also Hugh Jackman. He suggested they just walk away. In Austen’s interview, he said Madison wanted to control him, but what he did was his effing business. Shep said it was up to Austen to get out of the hole. Back at the porch, Whitney picked up his guitar. Luckily, both Leva and Venita weren’t about to climb up a ladder to the treehouse, so they stayed out of it. I love how they only consider it outnumbered if it’s the guys doing it.
John said he missed his kids for the millionth time. In his interview, he said he thought it was the right decision to come to Charleston. His kids had an incredible summer with dad, and it left him feeling like could do it, but also respectful of their mom. In Kathryn’s interview, she said it had been devastating, and asked if she should just accept this label. Friends didn’t abandon you when you made a mistake, but her friends weren’t there. There were fins in the water, and a huge debate over whether it was a shark eating a dolphin, or dolphins having sex. It turned out to be the latter. Leva, Madison and Danni grouped together, and Shep said he believed Kathryn was joining them for dinner. Leva said she thought Kathryn needed to be accountable, and not be coddled. In Madison’s interview, she said she thought Leva was doing a lot of poking, which was rich coming from her. Shep said everyone was invited into his world. As though on cue, Kathryn arrived, and in his interview, Shep said, what happened, happened, and it didn’t look good. Let someone make a mistake, and learn from it. They all needed redemption now and then. Craig told Kathryn that they’d been watching either an orgy or a feeding fest out on the water.
Everyone sat down for dinner, and Madison made a huge deal about not wanting to sit near Austen, calling him this and trash. Shep said Madison loved control, and was good at it. Craig said if Madison didn’t like him, why did she care? which is the question of the season. Kathryn sat down, and John pointed out that it got quiet. He made a toast, thanking everyone for joining him, hanging out, and being his friends. In Austen’s interview, he said Madison was making it easier to walk away. If John wanted to pursue her, go for it, and good luck. Several of the guests threw blackberries at each other, and Craig announced he’d found fireworks in the house – big ones. Madison told John that he needed a button-down shirt, and Austen, probably hoping to unload Madison faster, took him into the house to find one. Madison asked Kathryn about an article she’d seen about Kathryn and Chleb, saying Kathryn was trying to salvage her reputation by dating him. She said, he and Kathryn had known each other for years, and now they were dating suddenly? Why is this so weird to everyone? I’m not even saying it’s not contrived – I don’t know – but I was friends with my husband for years before we started dating, and think it’s actually a good idea. Kathryn said that was why she hadn’t told people. In Kathryn’s interview, she said she had no reason to shout it out to people who’d clearly proven they didn’t give a f***. Madison said Kathryn needed to address what was going on. This was all a shame, since the food looked fabulous, and I can’t imagine enjoying it in the midst of this drama. Except for Shep. Shep can tune out anything. Leva said the last time she’d seen Kathryn, Kathryn had walked off. She felt disrespected and it had triggered her. Austen asked what the issue was, and Leva said she’d been trying to help Kathryn work stuff out, when Austen called her a bully. In Austen’s interview, he said Leva was still upset, and clearly had insecurities about feeling like a bully. Leva said she found Austen disappointing, and Madison seconded that. Austen ignored Madison, and told Leva that he was sorry he’d said it, and asked if they could move past it. Venita, pulling my how-about-them-Mets? move, asked if they could talk about how good the shrimp and grits was; the cook had crushed it. Leva said all she wanted was for Kathryn to have a dialogue with them. Kathryn told Madison2 that she’d f***ed up, but she’d expected her friends to know her better. Madison2 said, that was the problem. Instead of showing up as the person she wanted to be, Kathryn expected them to understand. Kathryn said she’s made a mistake, but it didn’t define her. Venita suggested she and Madison2 go somewhere more private, where they didn’t feel like they had an audience, and Craig said the treehouse was a good spot.
Up in the treehouse, Kathryn told Madison2, she was confused about the right thing to do. Her intentions were never racist or political. Madison2 said she understood, but Kathryn specifically said the woman needed to stop using her minority claim. Kathryn had to think about what she did to people personally, as well as to the business. Gwynn’s was getting blown up, and people were saying Gwynn’s was racist supporting her. If Kathryn wanted to move forward, she had to acknowledge she effed up, and hurt people. Kathryn asked what more Madison2 wanted her to say. Danni told Craig that she was waiting for her apology, and Craig said when he was talking to Leva on the beach, he’d only heard Kathryn’s side, and that they’d made Kathryn cry. Danni said they needed to have a serious conversation, and Craig said, if he could do it over, it would be different. Kathryn told Madison2 that she’d hoped her friends would know her better, and Madison2 said she couldn’t make excuses for Kathryn anymore. Kathryn said she didn’t think it was necessary for Madison2 to defend her, but thought Madison2 would have had more to say than nothing. Madison2 said Kathryn had to take responsibility, and Kathryn said Madison2 didn’t know what was going on. Madison2 said there was always something going on, and Kathryn asked, then why had Madison2 been her friend if that’s how she felt? Madison said, what about Kathryn? She was playing the victim to the guys, and minimizing everyone else’s feelings. Kathryn said, if she was such a bad person, why be her friend anymore? She was over it. It was bullsh*t, and she wasn’t doing this. Madison2 said she wasn’t either. Shep and Taylor floated in the pool, blissfully ignoring all this.
Madison2 told the others, it went nowhere; they were just talking in circles. Danni wanted to walk on the dock, and asked if Kathryn wanted to walk. She and Kathryn walked out to the dock, and Venita said Kathryn knew everyone was talking about her. They sat down, and Danni asked how Kathryn was feeling. Kathryn said it was difficult to make progress, and Danni said Madison2’s feelings were hurt, but she’d always cared about Kathryn. Why had Kathryn reached out to Leva over the people who know her? Kathryn said she wasn’t overlooking them; she was in her own world, keeping her head above water. Back at the table, Venita said she thought Danni was enabling Kathryn, and Madison wanted to go bother them. Venita said she didn’t chase. If someone came to the table to discuss their wrongs, and own up to them, fine, but Kathryn wasn’t going to do that because she was a child. In Madison’s interview, she said she was sick of all talk and no action. Say it to her face and get it over with. On the dock, Kathryn agreed with Danni, but said she was having a hard time. She wondered how she could manage to pick up where they’d left off. Craig set off some fireworks, scaring the bejesus out of everyone. A little guy with a parachute floated down at the end, which was pretty cool.
Danni told Kathryn that she couldn’t brush off the conflict; it was hurtful. Madison said she’d tell Kathryn the other girls wanted to talk, and she’d bring her to the table to hash it out. Venita was concerned that Kathryn might feel ganged up on, and Craig and Shep were like, uh-oh, as Madison sashayed to the dock. Danni told Kathryn that she’d made some bad decisions, and couldn’t blame the others for being upset. Kathryn said she didn’t want to blame them, and Danni said it seemed like Kathryn felt she didn’t do anything wrong as far as hurting them went. She shrugged things off easily, but an apology went a long way. Here’s where Madison stuck her big nose into things, and asked if she could interrupt, plopping herself in between them. She said she thought it best for Kathryn to speak her mind to the girls, but Danni didn’t think it was a good idea. They were already upset, and it wasn’t going to help. It would just make it worse. Madison said she knew Danni stood with Kathryn. Kathryn was the best friend Danni was ever going to have. I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be an insult or Danni is just bad at forming a sentence. Danni said she was trying to be honest and diplomatic, and express what needed to be said. She didn’t want Kathryn to walk away, and it had to be done in a way Kathryn could hear it. Madison is such a moron, she said Kathryn shouldn’t be weak and needed to stand her ground, then told Danni it had nothing to do with her. Danni said she was about to smack Madison off the dock, and Madison said she’d like to see Danni try. Me too. I’d actually like to help her. Danni said Madison was a bully, and Madison called Danni a rat. WTF? Madison said all Danni did was s*ck Kathryn’s ass 24/7. Kathryn said that wasn’t true, and Madison said Kathryn needed to tell the girls she was innocent. She was sick of people talking. Kathryn and Danni just sat there, and Madison stomped back to the house, while it started to rain. In Madison’s interview, she said she didn’t kiss Kathryn’s ass; Danni did, and Kathryn walked on her. Danni let her because she had no backbone, and it was hard for her to respect a girl like that. Kathryn told Danni, she didn’t understand what that was, and Danni said she didn’t either. She said, that kind of behavior was what Kathryn didn’t want to be like.
On the porch, Danni sat on a swing, and Danni plunked herself on an adjacent one. She started squawking and pointing her finger at Danni, and Danni said she and Kathryn had been talking. Madison didn’t need to interject. Madison said she wanted to tell Danni why, but Danni said she didn’t care. Danni said a bunch of nonsense, ending with telling Danni to go s*ck Kathryn’s ass like a peasant. Danni wondered what Madison was talking about, and Leva said, that wasn’t supposed to happen. Danni said Madison was a stupid bitch, and Leva said she was just supposed to get them back to the table. Shep popped in and said he’d missed everything. Was everybody happy? Leva said, no, and Kathryn said she and Danni had been in the middle of a serious conversation. Danni said Madison went from 0 to 100, and Leva asked if they were able to finish talking, but Kathryn said, no. Leva said other people wanted a chance to speak with her. She wanted Kathryn to sit and have an honest, vulnerable conversation. John said they were pulling it again, but Kathryn said she didn’t feel bullied. She thought it was time to have the conversation, but didn’t know how. She didn’t know the right way to do a conversation like that. Venita said showing up was the first step, and Craig asked everyone to go inside. John said, let’s all have a moment, for no apparent reason, and Craig urged them to go upstairs. Kathryn asked Danni if she was okay. In Kathryn’s interview, she said she’d stayed quiet because she wanted to just listen, but now she thought she needed to clear her name.
Craig and the girls all sat at a table, and Madison got stupid about sitting at the same table as Danni. Venita said if she could sit there, they could sit down and shut up. She told Kathryn, most Black individuals wouldn’t have this conversation with her, take her by the hand, and walk her through it. Leva said, it wasn’t their responsibility, and Venita said they were tired. Craig said not many people could say they’d never done anything that wasn’t okay, and Leva suggested they start with the problem. Kathryn’s comments were deeply hurtful to her and people she loved. Kathryn said she understood, and didn’t want to offend anyone. Craig said she needed to show vulnerability, and Kathryn said she was sticking up for a cause. The girl was bullying her friend. Venita said there was nothing wrong with that, and Kathryn said she felt the need to defend her. Leva said Kathryn had made digs that were racially motivated, but Kathryn said she hadn’t known who she was talking too. Craig asked, then what did she mean by minority? and Kathryn said she wasn’t sure she used minority that way. Venita said there was no other way to use it, and Kathryn said she had no explanation. Leva said Kathryn had spent her life living in a bubble that’s called white privilege; things didn’t bother her because she wasn’t affected. It didn’t make her a bad person, but a person who lives on that side of the world. That could either wake her up, and she could make different choices, or do what they’d expect from her as a Calhoun. In Leva’s fairytale world, their sons would think it was cool what their moms did. One day they would say, thanks to the different conversations their moms had, they’re friends now. Venita said they could bring Kathryn to water, but she had to drink. Leva said no one owed this discussion to Kathryn, but they cared about her enough to be there. Kathryn said she understood, but wondered how to move forward, and Venita said Kathryn needed to take time to digest the conversation. If she commented on it tomorrow, it wouldn’t be authentic. Kathryn asked how she could show people that she wasn’t a racist, and Madison2 said, do the work. Craig said, the ball was in her court.
Six months later… We saw a picture of Kathryn and Chleb, and Kathryn came out of the bathroom holding a pregnancy test. She looked at it, and put her hand over her mouth.
Next week, the Reunion. Madison tells Austen to shut his Muppet mouth, and makes other equally delightful comments, Leva and Kathryn argue, and John tells Austen not to talk about his kids.
👌 To Their Credit…
Shep and Leva were guests on Watch What Happens Live tonight, and Shep made an excellent comment. He said when too many people hammered you on the head with a point, it might dull the message, and it wouldn’t get through. Leva also said she hadn’t known about the issues Kathryn had, like anxiety, and that running away and hiding was Kathryn’s defense mechanism. It shed a different light on things. Although I thought, on the flipside, she kind of expected Kathryn to be a mind reader, when clearly, they didn’t know each other all that well.
🐱 I Like It…
So when you’re watching GH, listen for, paging Dr. Hernandez.
Hopefully, no more glitches. I’ll have today’s GH and some tea for you later, but for now, stay safe, stay present, and stay not buying an HP computer. It’s true. You get what you pay for, and I did.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 