What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Lulu and Dante are having some relaxing time. Rocco is asleep and the bills are paid. Laura walks in. So much for relaxing time.

Maxie begs Nathan to give her just a hint about her wedding present. Nina knocks at the door with some Crimson updates. She says sorry she’s late, but she was visiting a friend. Nathan is like, please, not Valentin.

Valentin tells Anna she already knows why he said “open your eyes” in Latin. She says he must know it’s the WSB training motto, and asks what his involvement might be.

Griff breaks up the fight between Franco and Tom. Tom says Franco is the crazy one, and Franco tells him if he goes near Elizabeth again, he’ll kill him. The second Griff lets Franco go, he goes after Tom again. Griff calls for help and a security guard comes running. Tom says he’s done his time and Elizabeth’s boyfriend just tried to murder him in front of her – which one is the monster?

Kiki tells Dillon about quitting her job. She says she hurt someone that Carly and Michael love.  They couldn’t get past it and neither could she. Dillon thinks she should take the chance to figure out what she really wants to do. He doesn’t think it’s waitressing.

Laura is like, sorry, and says she’s cramping Lulu and Dante’s style, but it’s temporary. She hands Lulu an envelope that has a honeymoon package for the MetroCourt, and asks if they feel better now. It sounds great and I am so ready to go. Oh wait, it’s not for me. She tells them to pack a bag and get going. She calls Doc.

Laura tells Doc she got his message. He says he’s just getting off work and has a pasta recipe he’d like to try. She explains that she’s babysitting and he offers to cook there. She’s not comfortable with that, and he says another time. He says he enjoys spending time with her and is glad she’s giving it another chance, but he feels like she’s pulling away. She says she’s not quite ready to go there just yet, and he tells her she’s worth the wait and he’ll call her tomorrow.

Monica sees Doc in the hospital corridor, and tells him that he’s the only person she can trust and she needs his help. Lulu and Dante take off for the MetroCourt.

Valentin asks if Anna would like a drink, but she’d rather have an answer. He tells her she’s over-thinking things. He says it was an invitation to look at him without prejudice. He’s not a threat to anyone, least of all her. She doesn’t believe it.

Dante and Lulu get busy in the honeymoon suite.

Tracy comes by Lulu and Dante’s place, and Laura explains where they are. She’s brought some wine and says it’s not a very creative gift when she sees the table overflowing with wine and flowers. She tells Laura that Lulu is a wonderful girl. Laura tells Tracy that she’s grateful to her for the support and guidance that she gave Lulu when she couldn’t be there. Tracy says they’ve never had a drink together, and no time like the present.

Doc tells Monica that it’s outside his area of expertise. Monica says she has to make tough decisions, and she doesn’t need the board to have one more excuse to turn the hospital into condos if she messes up. She gives him a file box and says they’re counting on him. I’m pretty certain this is going to turn out to be something goofy.

Dillon talks to Kiki about how he found his niche. He says he feels that waitressing is a way to put off chasing her dreams. Kiki says she’d need a dream to begin with, and she has no clue what she wants to do with her life.

Anna asks about Valentin’s childhood. He asks why the interest. She says his eyes and that they’ve met before. He says he’d remember her, calling her Agent Devaine, and then asks if he can call her Anna.

Nina tells Nathan and Maxie that Ava is a liar, and because she says Valentin is a killer, that gives her all the more reason to think that he’s a thoughtful, kind man. Maxie brings up the kidnapping, and Nina says he didn’t know anything about it and just wants to be with his daughter.

Elizabeth tells Tom that he provoked Franco. Tom asks if anyone buys the brain tumor thing. Franco says he and his brother better sleep in shifts. The first chance he gets, he’s coming after him. Griff says if they both don’t calm down, he’s calling the police. Monica asks what the blip they’re doing.

Tracy and Laura toast to Lulu and Dante. Tracy asks what’s happening with Laura and Doc. Laura says they’ve been seeing a lot of each other, but she slowed it down. She says she was worried about getting in too deep, and Tracy says she understands. Laura tells her she was glad to have the babysitting excuse tonight, and when he offered to come there, she turned him down. She says she’s been defined buy men all her life and doesn’t want to lose herself. Tracy asks if she’s over-thinking. Today’s theme. Laura says it’s exhausting, but it’s how she thinks. Tracy has an idea.

Doc says the hospital needs this and someone has to do it. It might as well be him.

Monica asks if Tom remembers her, or her daughter Emily, who he tried to extort. She tells him to get out or she’ll have him arrested for trespassing. He says they’ll hear from his lawyer and gets in the elevator. Monica says sorry, but GH has a zero tolerance policy for violence, and Franco is going to have to go too. Monica says she understands that he attacked Tom first, and at the least she can do is to suspend him for two days. Elizabeth tells Franco that maybe it’s best if he goes home. Franco says Tom was stalking her and scaring her. She says right now he’s scaring her. He says deep down he’ll always be the monster and walks away from her.

Laura tells Tracy that she’s having second thoughts, and Tracy tells her to come out. Laura is all made up and wearing a fur coat. Tracy says she looks great. Laura asks what if Lulu and Dante come home, and Tracy says she’s babysat for them before, and to loosen up. She pushes Laura out the door.

Dante has called room service for beer in a champagne bucket. He tells Lulu the story about when he saw her for the first time and fell in love with her.

Nina tells Nathan and Maxie that she’s taken an interest in Charlotte. She’s been through the wringer, having been introduced to three fathers within a month. Nina says it’s a lot for someone to take, let alone a small child, but she’s been reunited with her loving father. She says she enjoys Valentin’s company, and that he treats her like an adult, which is more she can say for them. She says she’s done a lot with her life, including saving a company. Nathan says he’s just worried about her, and she tells him that if she’s making a mistake, it’s hers to make, not his. After she’s gone, Nathan tells Maxie that he blew it. Maxie says badly, but she loves him anyway.

Valentin tells Anna that he chooses not to dwell on the past. His solitary study taught him a lot from books. He talks about what can be learned from Shakespeare. She asks if he sees himself as a Shakespearean character. He says he did when he was younger, and it steered him to who he wanted to be. She asks who he sees himself as, and he says not Richard III. He says the only reason Richard lost the battle at Bosworth was that he trusted the wrong person. Anna gets up, saying she obviously isn’t getting any answers. Valentin tells her that he thought they could be friends, and maybe were in another life. She smiles to herself on the porch, perplexing me.

Franco says the anger is returning and there’s no way for him to keep it in check, especially since the recipient is deserving. We see that he’s talking to Heather. He needs Heather’s advice because no one else knows where he’s coming from.

Laura knocks at Doc’s door. She opens the coat. She’s nakey underneath. Santa answers the door. He’s probably thinking, ho-ho-ho, but she screams.

Lulu tells Dante that she’s heard this story before, but he’s leaving out details, like her brothers kicking the spit out of him.

Dillon goes to Lulu and Dante’s place, and Tracy answers the door. He says he’ll add his gift to the pile. She’s glad he mended his relationship with Lulu. He says thanks for reminding him of their rift, but he and Lulu are friends now. Tracy asks if he’s going to let the same thing happen with Kiki.

Kiki is applying for a waitress job at Kelly’s and says maybe Dillon is right. She brings up a career aptitude test on her phone.

Franco says he knows Heather is upset with him. She says he ratted her out, and she can’t sneeze now without an intervention. Franco says he’s scared he’s going to lose Elizabeth if he does what he wants to do. He tells her about Tom and how he wants to watch him suffer. Heather says he came to the right place. He asks how to make it stop. She says his thoughts aren’t the problem, Elizabeth is.

Griff asks Elizabeth if she’s okay. She says she has to be, she has three kids. She says she knew this day was coming, and made a promise that Tom couldn’t control her when he got out of prison.

Anna sees Nina at Kelly’s and asks if she can join her. Nina says before she starts her inquisition, Claudette is a pathological liar, and nothing she says about Valentin is true. She tells Anna that she and Valentin are strangely alike, and they were both lonely kids. He was shipped off to school as a child and never even  went home for holidays. Anna asks what school he went to.

Valentin recites Shakespeare as he takes an old picture of Anna out of a wooden box.

Laura thinks she got the wrong house, but it’s Doc in a Santa suit. He explains that Monica put him on Santa duty. Laura says she doesn’t know what she was thinking, but he says he likes it. She says that she wanted to prove she could be spontaneous. He says he likes the way she is, and she doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone except herself. She asks if he’s inviting her in, and he asks if she’s sure. I guess Santa duty is going to have to wait.

Lulu and Dante toast to new beginnings.

Dillon tells Tracy that Kiki feels she would be betraying Morgan if they got together, and he has to respect that. Tracy appreciates that she raised him properly, but asks if he’s giving up without a fight.

Kiki looks at the phone and says her career weirdly makes sense.

Nathan leaves a message for Nina, apologizing. He tells Maxie that he pressed all the wrong buttons and practically shoved her back to Valentin. I gotta say, I’m into Valentin too, and nobody shoved me.

After a few tries at remembering, Nina tells Anna that Valentin’s school was Bedlington in England. Anna asks if she’s sure. (Maybe England is where she and Valentin know each other from?) Nina says she’s not sure about anything, least of all why she should cooperate with her, when Anna is after a man she considers a friend. Nina bids her good day.

Anna makes a call. She wants some information about the boarding school.

Valentin says Anna will have her answers when the time is right.

Franco tells Heather that Elizabeth isn’t the problem, Tom is. Heather says he’s a symptom; Elizabeth is the disease. She says a catalyst comes along, and Franco tries to be something he’s not. It’s like putting a pin in a balloon and he’s about to explode. She tells him everything is fine if there are no complications, but you can’t remove pinpricks from life. Franco says, watch him.

Elizabeth tells Griff that Franco is very protective of the people he cares about, and there’s no telling what he would do if one of them is threatened.

While leaving Kelly’s, Kiki drops her wallet. Tom picks it up and gives it back to her. He waits a few beats, and follows.

Tomorrow, Michael asks Nell out, Anna asks Alexis for dirt on Valentin, and Carly wants to get back with Sonny.

🍳 Random thought. I find myself nodding sagely as I watch Top Chef. Like I know the first thing about what they’re doing.

😸 Joke heard on Life in Pieces: Did you hear about the corduroy pillow? It’s making headlines. BA-DUM-CHH!