What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina puts flowers on Nelle’s grave, and says, hello, daughter of mine. It’s been a long time since she visited and she’s so sorry. She just needed a little breather from this town and these people. From life, she guesses, but never from Nelle. She hopes that much is clear. Clear hasn’t been her forte these past few months. She doesn’t know what she’s doing anymore. She flashes back to dancing with Sonny at the Tan-O, and says, she’s been on this mission to find herself for months, and instead, she found someone else. Michael rudely interrupts her.

Willow goes to Chase’s room, and sees Chase and Finn looking grim. She asks, what’s wrong? and Chase says, it’s his legs. He can’t walk. She says she doesn’t understand, and Finn says Chase’s legs had atrophied from being in bed these post few weeks. She says, that’s to be expected, right? and he says, yes, but the toxin may have caused some nerve damage. Coupled with the atrophy, Chase is unable to move his legs. She asks what this means, and Chase says, right now, he can’t feel anything below his waist. Willow asks if Chase is paralyzed.

Alexis tells Shawn, she’s worried if they go public with what they’ve learned, there could be retaliation. He says if Carson wants to come at him, bring it, but she says, it’s not just them, but their loved ones on the outside. They just need to be prepared. He says they’re talking about a bunch of state employees, and bureaucratic red tape; how serious of a break does she think this could be?

A woman comes by Molly and TJ’s table at Kelly’s, and stops. She asks if Molly is Alexis’s daughter, and Molly says the woman is the judge who presided over her mother’s case. Judge… The woman says, Carson, and Molly introduces TJ, her partner and an intern at General Hospital. Carson says, impressive. Nice to meet him. She understands Molly is going to be working as an ADA at Robert’s office. She guesses they’ll be bumping into each other more often.

The hospital employees gather in the breakroom, and Elizabeth sees Terry. She says, it’s been forever, and Terry says, it’s been two days. Elizabeth tells her, like she said, forever. Oncology must be keeping Terry busy. Terry says there’s a position open there, and they’ve been pressuring her to make it official. Elizabeth says, that’s fantastic… isn’t it? Terry says, normally yes. She loves it in Port Charles, but the hospital’s future is still in question. And face it, she doesn’t exactly get along with the Chief of Staff. Elizabeth says she’s not exactly alone, although does Elizabeth have a story for her. Portia joins them, and Elizabeth tells her a meeting was called with all the department heads; it’s got to be about Cyrus’s replacement. Portia asks if they have any idea who it is, and they both say, no. Terry tells Portia that she has an idea of who might, when Laura walks in.

Britt asks if Jason remembers what a good time is, and he says, vaguely. She says, top down, the wind in her hair… and he says, it’s a convertible? She says, obviously. Maybe she’ll take him for a ride if he’s not too scared. He says, speed doesn’t scare him, and she says, even with her behind the wheel? He tells her, he said she was an awful driver; he never said she wasn’t safe. She says she’s definitely unsafe, and they almost kiss, when annoying Carly walks in, and says she and Jason have to talk about the Novak situation. She looks at them a moment, and says she’ll be at the MetroCourt. She’ll take care of it. She starts to walk out, but Jason says, wait. Is it important? Is it time sensitive? Carly looks at Britt, and Britt says, message received. This is clearly not something they can talk about in front of her.

Chase asks Finn if he doesn’t have that meeting, but Finn says he can skip it. Chase gives him a look, and Finn says, but he shouldn’t. He tells Chase to text if he needs him. He leaves, and Willow sits next to Chase’s bed. She says, talk to her, and he says, the nerve damage should repair itself over time. she says, so it’s not permanent, and he says, hopefully not, but time is of the essence apparently. She asks what that means, and he says if he has any shot of walking again, he has to relearn how to do it in the next few months.

Finn walks down the hall, and flashes back to his argument with Peter on the roof, and Peter launching the antidote over the side. He remembers throwing Peter down the stairs, and Elizabeth confirming Peter was dead. He gets in the elevator, hearing Gregory say that he’s the only one who can save Chase’s life.

Michael tells Nina that he’s sorry to interrupt – hint: if you think you’ll be sorry, don’t interrupt – but he saw her in the parking lot when he came in. She says, he’s here to visit… and he says, his dad. She thanks him for the visit with Wiley, and says she had a really good time. He says, Wiley did too, and she says she was surprised at his sudden about-face. He says they’d talked about it, and she says she knows, but she also spoke with Jax, and knows he’s been an advocate of her having more access to Wiley. But exactly how hard did Jax push Michael?

Carly tells Jason, there’s a time element in play, yes, and Britt says, it just so happens that she has a meeting at the hospital, so they’re in luck. But for future reference, she’d rather be told, you can’t hear this, than be talked around. She thanks Jason for the boxing lesson, and says she’ll let him know when the car comes in. She leaves, and Carly says, for future reference?

Elizabeth says she’s going to talk to Laura. Heading for Laura, she nearly collides with Finn. She says she didn’t think he was coming there, and he says, neither did he. Terry says they would have saved him a spot, and he thanks her, but says he’s more comfortable in the back of the room. No one will call on him there. There’s obviously a subtext going on, and he tells Elizabeth that he’ll see her around. When he’s gone, Terry asks Elizabeth, what was that all about? and Elizabeth says, Finn’s brother is still recovering… Terry says, everyone at the hospital knows what’s going on with that. She means, what’s going on between Elizabeth and Dr. Finn?

Portia, who’s beat Elizabeth to Laura, asks if Laura has any intel on who will be Cyrus’s replacement, and Laura says she does. Her mother gave her the scoop. Portia asks if she’s popping champagne or updating her resumé, and Laura tells her, let’s just say, it’s going to be interesting.

TJ asks Carson if she wants to sit, but she says she’s just grabbing some coffee. She asks if Molly took the bar in February, but Molly says she’s scheduled for July. She just finished law school. TJ says, talk about impressive. A job with the DA before she even graduated. If Molly won’t brag about it, he will. Carson says she commends Molly for taking a job at the DA’s office even after her mother was sent to prison. No one would have blamed her if she’d lost faith in the system.

Shawn tells Alexis, they’re not talking about gun-toting mobsters, and she says, they’re talking about people in power. He says, who want to stay in power, and she says, by any means necessary. There was an incident she heard of where a judge was being called into question by a defense attorney. The next thing you know, the defense attorney’s family is being harassed by local authorities, friends and family were denied permits, and that’s the least of it. So she thinks they should just alert Molly and TJ to all of this. What does he think? Quiet route or loud route? He says, neither. They just let his whole thing drop. If there’s any chance someone could get to TJ, they don’t do anything at all. She says please tell her he’s joking, and he asks if he looks like he’s joking. Even if they backchannel this, they can’t keep Carson from finding out. She’s well-respected and well-connected, right? Alexis says, right, but… He says, why give TJ another reason to be harassed? He can maintain in there. He only has a few years left on his sentence. She says, a sentence he shouldn’t be serving, for a crime he didn’t commit, and he asks if she thinks it’s the first time this happened to someone who looks like him. No. And it won’t be the last.

Carson says she’ll leave TJ and Molly to their coffee; it was nice to meet them. She tells TJ, good luck at the hospital, and Molly, good luck with the bar. If Molly ever has any questions or needs any pointers on case law, look her up. She’ll be happy to help. Molly thanks her, and says, it’s very generous.  Carson goes to the counter, and TJ says, wow. A judge offering to take Molly under her wing; it’s awesome. Molly says, is it?

Elizabeth says, it was really intense helping Finn save Chase, and Terry says, intense how? Elizabeth says, they had disagreements, and Finn requested she be taken off the case… Terry says, that obviously didn’t last long, and Elizabeth says, no, and they ended up making a pretty good team. Terry says, that kind of experience must have really bonded them, and Elizabeth flashes back to Finn touching her face. She says, yeah, you could say that, and looks across the room at Finn, who’s obliviously drinking his coffee.

Willow says, it’s like one setback after another, and Chase says, easy. He’s the one who should be worrying, not her, and he’s not. Because he’s got this. He’s going to walk again. For her.

Michael says, Jax definitely advocated for Nina seeing Wiley, but there were other factors that went into that decision. The main one being, he and Willow chose to trust her. Trust that she’d follow the guidelines and the rules when it came to Wiley. The reason he approached her is that they need to talk about Nelle. He knows they did a little, but there’s more to say. She says, of course (🍷). By all means. He says she knows what Nelle did to him, Willow, Wiley, his mom, and Brook; the list goes on. How Nina chooses to feel about Nelle, and make sense of the things she did, that’s up to Nina to figure out in her own time, but he can’t have her putting any of that on Wiley. Nina asks if she can be so bold as to ask him to do the same.

Carly says she doesn’t want to pry into Jason’s personal business, and he says, great; he appreciates that. (Like he’s going to get off that easy.) He gets out of the ring, and she says this isn’t her first rodeo. She gets it. He saved Britt’s life, he got shot, Britt saved his life… He says she saved his life, and she says he knows what she means; she’s not blind. Something’s going on. He says they’ve been over this, but if she needs to hear it again, yes. Something is going on with him and Britt, and it has nothing to do with her. Carly suddenly turns into her true form, a fire-breathing dragon, and burns the gym to a crisp. Not really. She says she’s sorry, but she disagrees. Anything that affects him, affects her.

TJ says, Carson is nice, isn’t she? and Molly says, yeah. She meant what she said. It was extremely generous of her to offer her guidance. He asks what the problem is, and she says, it feels kind of weird, considering she’s the judge who sentenced her mom. She knows her mom pled guilty, and she should consider herself lucky her mom got only three years… He says, it was a lenient sentence, and she says, still, her mother is in prison because of Judge Carson. Isn’t that a conflict of interest?

Shawn says, a man of color falsely convicted for a crime against a white woman. This isn’t new. Alexis says, which is why she wants to help, and he asks if she can single-handedly fix centuries of institutional racism. She says, no, but she can try, and he asks where all this righteous indignation was before she was in there with him, and before it affected someone she knew? He’s telling her to back off because he doesn’t think the risk is worth it for his son, or her daughter by the way, but she refuses. Does she even care what he wants? Or is this just all a savior complex? She says, that’s not what this is. She can help him. She’s a lawyer, for God’s sake. He says she’s not. She’s an inmate, just like him.

Nina says she’s hoping Michael and Willow will extend her the same courtesy, and not speak ill of Nelle to Wiley, and he says, Wiley doesn’t need to know who Nelle is. She says, eventually, he will, and Michael says she’s right. They’re preparing for that. It’s going to be a long and careful process to do it in a way that Wiley understands who his biological mother was, a troubled woman who did some terrible things, and not take it on himself. They’ve actually been meeting with Doc. He helped them find a child psychologist, someone they have lined up. The goal is to do this in the best, gentlest way possible, so it’s not some horrible secret that devastates Wiley when it comes out, and he won’t carry the burden of what Nelle did. Nina says she doesn’t want that for him either. She just hopes one day, at some point, she gets a chance to tell Wiley who she thought Nelle could have been. He says, when Wiley is 22 years old (kind of random, but okay), and his psychiatrist tells him it’s okay, he’ll be fine with that. Right now, Wiley is too young to understand anything other than Willow is his mom and he loves her. That’s where he is, and that’s where he’s going to stay until they collectively decide otherwise. She says she agrees 100%. She’s not there to rock the boat; just the opposite. He’s glad they’re on the same page. He tells her, take care, and leaves. Nina turns back to Nelle’s grave.

Chase asks if Willow remembers the rock climbing wall they never got to, and she says, the rock climbing wall he was going to drag her to, kicking and screaming? He says, they’re going as soon as he’s back on his feet. When Finn gets out of that meeting, he’ll have Finn set up physical therapy sessions. It’s going to take a while, so he wants to get started right away. She says he’s still recovering from the nerve damage. He needs to be careful of pushing himself too hard too fast. He says he’s going to push himself just right. Anything to get near his goal. She says, rock climbing? and he says, marrying her again, in the Quartermaine rose garden, with a ceremony and reception, in front of all the people who care about them. And he’s not going to be wheeling himself down the aisle. No way. They’re going to be walking hand in hand.

Carly says, whether or not it was the right move to force Jason to escape, she did it because they’re in this together. She knows they’ve always been in this together, but since Sonny died, things are different. Is she wrong? He says, no, and she says, and this isn’t a normal business. Hell, it’s not even a business; it’s a family, and everything that means. The protection, the planning, the danger. She had no idea how hard that was, but they’re in this together. So can he see how concerning it might be when he comes back from being on the run with Britt… He says he came back because she called him for help, which is exactly what she should have done. He said he would handle it, and he handled it. She says, he did. He came in guns a-blazing on the pier, and saved them like always. Except this time, he’s connected to someone she barely knows, and she really seems important to him. Is she? He says, yes, she is.

Britt dashes into the breakroom, and Terry tells Elizabeth, she made it. For a second, she thought maybe they would be the ones who got to write her up. Elizabeth says, believe her, she has a laundry list of complaints about Britt, but Britt believed in Jason when Elizabeth didn’t. She stood by Jake’s father when Elizabeth didn’t. So what is she supposed to do with that? Terry says she thinks it’s impressive the way Britt stood by Jason, but Elizabeth can be grateful to Britt and still not like the way she runs the hospital. Two things can be true. A woman comes in, and tells them, good morning. She knows they’re all curious about what was decided by the Board this morning. The revelations about Mr. Renault were troubling, to say the least, and they took swift action in removing him and finding a replacement that will make this Board, this hospital, and this city proud. A potential candidate was suggested by none other than Lesley Webber, and it’s with great pride that she shares this candidate was elected unanimously. Someone who has a long tenured history with the hospital, who they know will embrace this role with gusto, not to mention professionalism and competency. Please welcome their new Chairperson of the Hospital Board, Monica Quartermaine. Everyone applauds, and Monica takes a little bow.

Laura tells Monica, congratulations; no one is more deserving. Monica thanks Laura, and thanks all of them for the warm reception. She can’t tell them how honored she is to be back working at General Hospital. She’s missed walking around these halls so much in the last few months. She wants them to know, as Chairperson, she’ll remain as dedicated and devoted as ever. She’ll spend every day proving to them that she’s worthy of taking General Hospital into the future by also honoring its past. Everyone applauds again. Only Britt doesn’t look thrilled.

Carly says, Britt is important to Jason how? What does that mean? He says, it means he can’t tell her any more than yes, and she says, she just went over all the reasons they need to be a team, and he says, they are a team. She says she needs to know what’s going on, and he says she asked if Britt was important to him, and he told her yes. He can’t tell her why or how; it’s something he can’t talk about. She says she gets privacy, and they can have all the privacy they want. She just needs to know what she’s dealing with here. She looks like she might cry, and Jason says, nothing is going to change between them. Like she said, they’re a team. No matter what, it’s going to stay that way. Good Lord. Carly is acting like a jealous high schooler.

Molly asks TJ something I can’t hear about taking the job with Robert, and he says she knows where he stands on that. She asks him to go through it with her again, and he says, first and foremost, he supports her, but does he think it will be hard changing the system from within? Yeah. She says, it has to be possible, right? and he says if anyone can do it, it’s her. She says, and his mother. She walks that line every day. He says, she tries to. Remember when he was accused of shoplifting? She says, wrongly accused, and he says, his mom had to navigate being both a mother and the Commissioner, and she’d be the first to tell Molly, she didn’t succeed at either. It wasn’t her cross to bear. Molly says, when you put yourself on the front lines, it ends up that way.

Alexis says she’s sorry, and Shawn says he is too. She says sometimes she gets so caught up in the rightness and wrongness of something, she forgets there are actual people involved. It’s a blind spot, and not the first time someone has pointed it out, but she’ll try to make it the last. And he’s right. In there, she’s not a lawyer. He apologizes for saying that, but she says, it’s true. As the person advising him, she has to respect his wishes. If he wants to hit the pause button for a while, they will. Two guards come in, and Guard #1 tells Shawn to get back to his cell. Shawn says he has permission to be there for a few more hours, but the guard says, not anymore. His library privileges have been revoked. Alexis asks, why? and the guard tells Shawn, say goodbye to Ms. Davis. They’re not going to be seeing each other much anymore.

Monica says she’s 100% committed to bringing General Hospital back to its former glory. Part of that is reversing some of the questionable decisions her predecessor made, so effective immediately, Bobbie and Epiphany are returning to their positions. There’s more applause, and Laura asks if Monica told Bobbie and Epiphany the good news. Monica says she did, and Bobbie has already gotten her clipboard out of storage. They all laugh, and Monica says, Epiphany accepted graciously, but she’s not about to cut her Cabo vacation short. She’ll be joining them when she gets back. That’s about it. Everybody get back to work. People congratulate Monica as they leave, and Finn says he really missed Monica. She says she missed him too. Now go tend to his brother. He says, yes, ma’am, and leaves. Portia says she knows she and Monica didn’t overlap for very long, but she’s heard nothing but wonderful things about Monica’s leadership. Laura says, they’re all in excellent hands. Monica is the best at what she does. Monica says now she’s on the business side, so watch their budget overruns. Britt says she guesses it’s time to face facts, and Monica asks, what facts are those? Britt says she was the one who replaced Monica when she was fired. She sacked Epiphany, per Cyrus’s request. Payback’s a bitch, right? She guesses Monica is going to replace her as Chief of Staff. Everyone gives each other soap looks.

Nina tells Nelle’s headstone, even though it stings, and she didn’t love everything Michael said, she does believe Michael is right. She’s so thankful. The way she’s been acting lately, not a lot of people would have given her a second chance, but he did. If feels good that Wiley has a father that is so devoted to him. Wiley feels loved and cared for and safe. This really delicate place of trust that they’re in, is going to be blown to hell if Michael ever finds out she knew Sonny was alive, and didn’t tell anyone for months. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do. She isn’t going to be able to see her grandson, who is the only piece she has left of Nelle, ever again.

Jason tells Carly, the situation with Britt is a reality. He’s not going to lie about it. He’s not going to say there might not be an overlap, and when Carly calls because she needs his help, he might not be with Britt. She says he’s allowed to have relationships, and he says he doesn’t know what this is; where it’s going or if it’s going. She says, but it’s something, and he says, yeah. It’s personal with Britt and it’s personal with him. She says, and he can’t talk to her about it, and he says he’s not trying to shut her out. He just can’t go there, but she knows him. He’ll honor his commitment to her, always. Nothing’s going to change on his end. He can’t speak for her… She says, what? How can he say that to her? Honestly, if she doesn’t calm down, she’s going to have a heart attack.

Willow tells Chase not to do it for her. He should focus on getting better for himself. He says, can’t it be both? She’s everything to him. Finn walks in, and says he really needs to work on his timing. Actually, there’s a meeting he can go to… Willow says, he has work to do. Chase is all his. She starts to leave, and Chase says he loves her. She says she loves him too, but hesitates for so long and makes so many faces, I’m surprised Chase doesn’t ask if she’s sick. Michael comes out of the elevator while she’s hyperventilating in the hallway, and she runs to him. He holds her, and she cries.

Molly guesses her assumption that she could just swoop in and make the justice system fair for everyone was a little naïve, but TJ says she won’t know until she tries. She thanks him for being her biggest champion, and he says, always. She says she’s his too; he knows that, right? He says, if this mug doesn’t say it all, he doesn’t know what does, and they kiss.

Shawn says he was granted permission to use the library weeks ago, and hasn’t had an incident since. Guard #1 says he doesn’t have to tell Shawn, but the orders came from the warden himself. Alexis asks, on what grounds were Shawn’s privileges revoked? and the guard says, the same as they were granted, at the discretion of the warden. Alexis tells Shawn that he needs a lawyer. She’ll get him one by the end of the day. Guard #1 gets close to Alexis and tells her that she’s walking a fine line. Shawn puts his hand on the guard, and the guard pushes him back. Alexis tries to intervene, and Guard #2 pulls her away. Alexis falls to the floor, as Shawn struggles to go to her.

Nina says, Sonny has embraced his life in Nixon Falls. She kneels down by Nelle’s grave, and says, she didn’t really know him well when he was in Port Charles, but you could tell that he was tortured. He was burdened by his power, and haunted by all these tragedies. But the Mike she knows doesn’t have any of those things. She knows from Carly and Michael’s perspective, what she’s doing is wrong, but when she looks in Mike’s eyes, he doesn’t have any of that pain. He’s happy, so maybe she’s not wrong. It’s not because she feels drawn to Sonny, or she likes this version better. It’s because this man has been through hell, and now all that is washed away. And he’s happy. He’s truly happy. She puts her hand on the gravestone and says, that’s something she never had a chance to give to Nelle.

Guard #1 tells a random guard to take Shawn to his cell, while Guard #2 helps Alexis up. Guard #1 tells Alexis that she just instigated an altercation with a guard from the Department of Corrections in New York. He hopes she enjoys solitary confinement. Guard #2 takes her away.

Britt tells Monica, don’t worry. She won’t hold it against her. Monica says she hasn’t made any decision about the Chief of Staff, but assures Britt that when she does, there won’t be any prejudice involved. It’s a personal decision, and her ability to get along with that person is paramount. Terry says, if the matter isn’t settled, consider her as well. She’s sorry, but she’d like to throw her hat in the ring for Chief of Staff. It annoys me that she felt the need to apologize. As women, we often feel the need to apologize when we shouldn’t.

Finn is surprised Chase’s spirits are high. He just got a pretty serious diagnosis. Chase says he’s staying strong for Willow. He can beat this. He has to.

Willow tells Michael, Chase said their wedding is the thing that will get him through this; that he’s going to walk for her. How is she supposed to tell Chase the truth about her and Michael now?

A building blows up on the pier. It looks pretty impressive.

Carly says nothing will ever change for her when it comes to Jason. She’s just tired of being the selfish one all the time. Hint #2: stop being selfish then. He asks what she’s talking about, and she says, people are always saying she’s the one who makes impossible demands on him; asking him to do everything. He asks why she cares about what the rest of the world thinks. She’s loved him, she’s supported him, she’s fought for him. She’s been there for him since the day they met, and they both know, it goes both ways. Yes, he does a lot for her, but he wouldn’t be standing there with the life that he has if it wasn’t for her. They’re both up against it right now for a lot of reasons, but they look weak, and if they don’t deal with it, it’s game over. So they’re going to deal with it because they’re in this together. She nods, saying, she really needed to hear that, and he hugs her. His phone rings, and he says,  yeah?… When?… He heaves the huge sigh he’s now become famous for, and says, he’ll let them know the next steps. Carly asks, what happened? and he says, the docks have been hit. Somebody is making a move against them.

Tomorrow, Valentin asks what Anna’s instincts tell her about Austin, Lucy tells someone they’ve got to leave, Sasha doesn’t know how she’s going to tell Nina that she’s pregnant, Nina doesn’t know where home is anymore, and Brick tells Carly and Jason, they’re running out of time to push back.

Million Dollar Listing New York

Tyler said he was busier than ever. He was meeting the owners of a 3000 square foot, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath apartment in Morningside Hts., located between parks and near Columbia, on 110^th Street in Harlem. (I used to go to a great pizza place up there. Good times…) Tyler had convinced the owners into sinking $30K on staging before he started showing the apartment, and prayed they loved the results. He told owner Jeannine that it was no longer a family home, but a product. He explained the concentration was on neutral colors, and low key furniture, so potential buyers would take in the amount of space. Jeannine said it no longer looked like a home where kids had been throwing footballs around. In Tyler’s interview, he said he could tell there was going to be an emotional connection to the lives that had been lived there, but he wanted to get it marketed because of the upcoming election. He said, whichever way it went, a pause would be put on real estate. Whether or not people came back to NYC would depend on how the virus was being handled. He was selling both memories and somebody else’s future.

KJ met with fitness instructor/guru Megan Roup at a park. They’d connected virtually, but it was the first time they were meeting in person. She told Megan about the 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment on 14^th Street that she was trying to sell. Seller and friend, Stephanie was moving to Miami, and not happy with how long it was taking. Since brokers weren’t having events in the conventional way, KJ thought she’d have a workout event in the outside space of the apartment, which had more square footage than the inside. Since it was a walk-up, the attendees could warm up by taking the stairs. Megan would teach a class, then KJ would take groups to see the apartment. We learned that KJ had been the National Champion in race walking, and she did a demonstration.  

Ryan said since he’d opened his brokerage, things were going really well, but before he built a new sales force, he had a handful of listings to take care of from Nest Seekers. He met team member Talia at the 84^th Street property to brainstorm about promoting it. Talia said people were coming back to NYC, and in Ryan’s interview, he said the city was slowly picking up. They discussed the neighborhood, and Ryan said one of the things he loved about NYC was that it was the most culturally and racially diverse city in the world. Talia said it was upsetting seeing what was happening in the world, but she felt a silver lining. It was opening up opportunities for people to talk about injustice. It was nice to see people coming together, and becoming more educated. They talked about real estate terms no longer used, like master bedroom. She said change was happening, and in his interview, Ryan said he couldn’t experience what Talia did, but he could listen, hear, and help as much as possible. Talia said the problem with showing the apartment was that people didn’t want to travel there, with public transport still being iffy. Ryan said since they weren’t spending money on events, they could put it into transportation.   

KJ set up with the workout/showing with her assistant, putting out tons of juices, water, and eco-friendly glass straws, and completely opening the NanaWall. In KJ’s interview, she said it took some thinking outside the box, but she knew people were missing in-person exercise classes. So she’d invited brokers to work out with a celebrity fitness guru. Her hope was, they’d be so sore, they’d remember the apartment.

Tyler was having a brokers showing for the apartment on 110^th Street, and told Kemba to play up the fact it was near three major parks, one of them being Central Park. People were looking for outdoor space. He’d invited Alana, an intuitive psychic, to do an entrepreneur workshop, at Jeannine’s suggestion, and his life coach Vivace, who would coach female entrepreneurs and businesswomen to feel inspired about future. He felt people were losing confidence, and they could be socially distant while getting affirmation and career advice. In Tyler’s interview, he said, usually, it was about the agents getting excited about the property, but this one would be all about the agents. He told the brokers that the apartment was his anti-suburb listing, for people who wanted space, but didn’t want to leave the city. In his interview, he said it was hard to be an agent right now, and it felt good to have an event that empowered other agents. They had to keep their heads in the game. The pandemic wasn’t going to last forever.

Steve talked to Cornelia Guest, owner of the 456-acre Artemis Farm. He told her people were interested in having their own space, but being within driving distance of the city. He thought upstate New York was a hidden gem, more discreet than the Hamptons. He thought a price tag of $3.995 million felt good, and she said she trusted him, and knew he had her best interest at heart. Steve said he loved the city, his life there, and his job, but selling upstate was a damn good way to spend a Saturday. The farm felt like a country manor; modern, but not too modern. It was the perfect combination of shabby and chic. Before he went full throttle, he wanted to do pre-showings with people he thought could help get it sold. His secret weapon was Dorinda Medley (Real Housewives of New York City), who was Berkshires royalty. Bluestone Manor was famous, and he thought she was the perfect person to spread the word. Among others, he’d also invited publicist Greg, who was also a marketing guru, hoping that this showing would get a lot of people interested. He kept property manager Tim on hand to answer any questions, and in Steve’s interview, he said, a good broker knows where their expertise ends and someone else’s begins. The land was protected so that no one could build on it, but the upside was, no taxes had to be paid on it, and it could be rented out for events. Steve said one event could pay for the mortgage.  It really is a gorgeous, magical property, and if I had a spare $5 million, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Dorinda said it would be a safe purchase in the long term, and Steve suggested selling Bluestone Manor for her. Dorinda said he might as well sell her soul; she was Queen of the Manor. Steve said the best way to show a large property was to show how much fun you could have with the space, and took his guests all around the place in an ATV. When they left, he wanted them to tell their friends what a joyride the property was.  

In Ryan’s interview, he told us that he was now the most followed real estate company in world. For the showing on 84^th Street, he got what he called his covid-19mobile, a Lamborghini SUV with all the trimmings, including Plexiglas between the passengers, air filters, and Yuri in a Hazmat suit. He said a mixture of people were coming for the showings; some had reached out to him, some were his personal clientele, and there were even people he’d talked to on the street. He decided he could talk to them about the neighborhood, and 5200 square foot, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath property, during the drive. He presented Yuri as fully protected and sanitized, and in his interview, he said, from crisis comes opportunity. This is why he’s so successful.

Once again I laughed at KJ trying to work and take care of her kids, who were like, mommy! mommy! mommy! She said she had a fabulous nanny, who was also student, and there was no back up childcare right now. KJ admitted she was not a WFH person, but her team had stepped up, and were doing showings at 14^th Street, and doing a great job. Stephanie was in the process of moving, and putting pressure on her. The asking price was $2.625 million, and KJ got an offer of $2.3 million. In her interview, she said the covid discount seemed to go from 10-15% to 30%. There was nothing worse than getting a seller to drop aggressively, then getting a lowball bid. Stephanie was surprisingly understanding, saying, given the times, it wasn’t horrible. Everyone agreed $2.375 was a pretty fair number, but the buyer wanted to some of the furniture thrown in for that price. Stephanie said that hadn’t even been in the conversation, and when KJ could get her to budge by reminding her that she wouldn’t have to move it, KJ offered to lower her commission by $10K for the furniture gap. It was deal, but I didn’t cry for KJ, whose commission was still $61,250. In KJ’s interview, she said it felt like a win considering the uncertainty in the market.

Next time, Fredrik deals with an unhappy seller, KJ looks at property in her home town, and Ryan takes on the most luxurious development project in Brooklyn.  

Ryan’s Renovation

At the end of the last episode, Ryan and Emelia faced another delay, and it would be another three months before they could move in. They weren’t going to be in by Christmas as planned, and were a million dollars over budget. The goal was now Greek Easter.

In March, they had the completion reveal. It had been almost two years, and Ryan said it had been like Build-A-Bear. He and Emelia met with the interior designers. In April, they moved in some personal items, but were starting fresh with the design team working at the house. Emelia said it was exciting to be packing, but bittersweet. Ryan said their Soho apartment had seemed extravagant when they moved in. It was hard to believe how far they’d come. When they met, he’d just started in the business, and Emelia had just gotten out of law school. We flashed back to their wedding, and he said they’d expanded in all ways. They even had a tiny human they made together, and had outgrown the home that seemed perfect for them. The movers came, and Ryan had to go to work, leaving Emelia and her mom to deal with Zena. When move-in day arrived, Ryan said he couldn’t believe they were actually moving into the house, and that it was done and furnished. He wasn’t ready. He told Emelia, after everything they’d been through, he thought this moment would never come. The designers met them at the door.

Emelia thought their styles had been married well – hers being moody and dark, and his light and airy. Ryan said it was completely insane. They’d designed it on paper, and now it was real. We saw some before and after photos, and the whole place was beyond fabulous. Ryan said they’d do the landscaping when Emelia was in Greece during the summer. Emelia’s mom liked her downstairs suite, but said it was too far; the issue being the reception of the baby monitor. I suddenly wondered why they didn’t get a TV monitor like you’d have for your front door. I’m sure it’s expensive, but they just spent a skabillion dollars, so what’s a couple hundred more? Ryan said the closet was 250 square feet, the same as his first apartment. Emelia said she felt very blessed, but humbling as it was, she was proud that after so many years, they were there.  

In an amusing moment, Ryan showed Zena Andy Cohen’s picture on his phone. She wasn’t impressed. Zena was deposited with Emelia’s brother Stratos, while Ryan had a virtual meeting with his team. A bunch of family members came over for champagne and tons of food. Ryan thanked them for coming and breaking the house in, and said they were welcome forever. We flashed back over the renovation, and Emelia said, in spite of the ups and downs, it was worth it. It feels like home. Ryan said he never thought he’d say it, but all their hard work paid off. Alone on the terrace, they toasted to a happy Easter, Ryan adding, and to never doing it again. Emelia said, except maybe in Greece.

I really enjoyed this show. I like Ryan and Emelia. They seem like genuinely nice people, who worked hard to get where they are, and deserve what they’ve worked for. Although I’m sure Ryan isn’t going to slow down any.

🕍 Renovation Of a Lifetime…

There aren’t many after photos, but take it from me, it’s one amazing house. With a lot of stairs. I thought the elevator installation was very wise.  

https://www.bravotv.com/million-dollar-listing-new-york/style-living/see-inside-ryan-serhants-new-brooklyn-townhouse

https://people.com/home/see-ryan-serhants-expensive-renovation-in-sneak-peek-of-the-million-dollar-listing-spin-off/

🦘 G’Night, Mate…

Oh wow, it’s not daylight out yet. Join me tomorrow for soap, tea, and many a quote. Until then, stay safe, stay ignoring the haters, and stay finding opportunity in crisis.