Tag Archives: Lauren Cohan

July 31, 2026 – GH Weekdays, Drew Wants Justice, Soap Suds, This Week In Reality, Weekend Watching, Coming Soon, Latest In Dead, Crashing the Party, Animal Happenings, A Half Dozen Plus Two Quotes & First

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What I Watched Today

(Nada enchilada summer – condensed because life is short & summer should be fun)

General Hospital

Monday:

Nina pushed Drew’s wheelchair into the lake… with him in it.

Jack wanted to know how Valentin had the black box, and Valentin said, right place, right time. Jack flashed back to telling Nina that if Valentin found the box before they did, they were screwed. Jack asked what Valentin would want in return, and Valentin said, immediate access to all his accounts and his assets unfrozen.

When Britt saw Jason come into the hospital, she said he was home. He said he’d been let go, and she said she didn’t think she’d see him again. He asked if they could talk somewhere, and she cracked him across the face.

New Ethan met Ava at the pool for a drink, and she asked what he was after. He said the truth about her visit to Brook. Did she tell Brook anything about Phoebe’s father?

Gio sang to Phoebe, when Brook came into the solarium. He asked if things were good and she said everything was perfect.

Willow asked if she was under arrest, but Chase said the PCPD just wanted her to answer some questions. It was about her connection to Sidwell.

Nina freaked and grabbed her phone. She screamed Drew’s name and ran off.

Josslyn said Valentin had already been set free. Did he want to push it? He said he thought he was on a roll, and Jack said the box was stolen property and he didn’t have to negotiate. He just had to enforce the law. Valentin said, but then Jack and the WSB would have to explain how he’d gotten it. Could he imagine the fallout? A good time would not be had by all. Jack said he thought they could work something out.

Molly said she was subbing for Turner in questioning Willow, and Dante said he’d sent Chase to get her. He was trying to rebuild trust with Chase.

Willow said she barely knew Sidwell, and Chase said they were just being thorough and she’d had dealings with him as a congresswoman. She said she was in the middle of something important. Could he tell them that he couldn’t find her?

Brook thanked Gio for babysitting, and he said he loved it, and besides, Brook had set up a record contract for him. She said she’d just set up a meeting and Simon had agreed to a 90 day out in case he wanted to bail. He said that wouldn’t happen. He wasn’t changing his mind, but it meant a lot that she was looking out for him.

Britt brought Jason into an exam room, and he asked if there was a particular reason for the slap. She said, so she could treat him for an injury. He might have a concussion. He said, the slap wasn’t that hard, but she said it was the only way they could have privacy, since she was on probation at the hospital. She was in shock and sorry she’d slapped him. She’d been scared for him. He said it was nothing he couldn’t handle. The important thing was, he was home now for good. She hugged him.

Ava asked if Ethan was spying on her, but he said Tracy mentioned it when she’d invited him over for backgammon. The guy from the stables she normally played with wasn’t available. She’d said Ava dropped a gift by for Phoebe. Ava said she wasn’t entirely comfortable keeping Ethan’s secret and wanted to know more about Phoebe’s situation. He said it was for Phoebe’s protection. Her father was a really bad guy who couldn’t know she existed and the fewer people who knew, the better. She said she hadn’t said anything, but he said that didn’t mean she wouldn’t, right?

Gio told Brook that he wasn’t giving up the violin, but wanted to concentrate on playing guitar and singing. He had to pack since he was moving back in with Sonny tomorrow. She said he could stop by anytime, even to swim in the lake, and should grab one more swim before he left.

Valentin brought the box in, and Jack said he had to examine the contents, but in the meantime Josslyn would take him to start the process of unfreezing his accounts. Valentin left with Josslyn, and Jack opened the box.

Dante and Molly waited in the interrogation room, and Dante said he’d heard Molly was taking on Sidwell’s trials. Molly said Turner wanted her to focus on the Lucas Jones shooting first, and he said Boyle had been vague about the reason Sidwell and Willow were working together. She said if they could connect Sidwell’s illegal activities with a sitting congresswoman, it would strengthen her case. Turner believed Willow should be behind bars and maybe she was right.

Chase said he couldn’t lie for Willow, and she apologized. It wasn’t like she had anything to hide. He said she could say no, but it would raise suspicions, and she said they probably thought she was guilty. He said if he went back without her, they’d just send someone to her house later, and she left with him.

Jason told Britt that they’d pulled him out of his cell, cleaned him up, and put him on a plane back to Port Charles. He was only told the charges were dropped. She asked if he knew Cullum was dead, and he said Danny filled him in. He’d taken Danny on a road trip. She asked when he’d gotten back, and he said, about two weeks ago. She asked how long it took to send a text to her, but he said he wanted to do this in person. Was she mad? She said she’d let him know, and he asked how she was. She said it had been a nightmare, but some good came out of it. It turned out she wasn’t going to die. She didn’t have Huntington’s and never did. He hugged her.

Ethan asked why keeping his secret was hard for Ava, and she said because a baby was involved. She was afraid that Brook and Chase would lose Phoebe at some point. He said that wasn’t going to happen as long as Phoebe’s father stayed in the dark, and she said Brook was curious about the father and worried he’d come forward later and ask for money. Ethan said he was pretending to be the father, so that wouldn’t happen, but she said she didn’t think Brook was going to drop this. Brook asked if she knew who he was and she said she didn’t know, but she’d feel better if Ethan told her who the father was.

Dante thanked Chase for bringing Willow in, and Chase left. Molly said Boyle told them that Willow took multiple meetings with Sidwell and asked Willow to tell them about those.

Jack took out the folder about Drew, when his phone rang. He said, send her in, and Nina ran into his office. He told her that he just found the evidence against Drew, but she said it was too late. She’d just killed him.

Gio went to the boathouse, looked in the lake, and said, what the hell?

Jason asked if Britt had been misdiagnosed, but she said she’d just been manipulated for years. Cullum’s doctor told her and she believed it because of genetics. Then later, Cullum offered her a fake miracle drug to incentivize her working for him. Jason said she’d had a test when they were on the run, but she said Cullum had been keeping tabs on her, playing the long game, but she’d taken another test to be sure. She’d done a lot of terrible things to keep herself alive, and hurt a lot of people. Marco died trying to help her, then she found out it was all for nothing. What was she supposed to do with that?

Ethan said it was too dangerous to reveal the identity of Phoebe’s father, both for Phoebe and for Ava. Ava didn’t want to be on his radar. She wondered if he was really the father, but he said he and Delilah were just friends. She’d gotten involved with a scary guy and he helped her get away. She asked if the scary guy had known Delilah was pregnant, and Ethan said, yes, but once the adoption papers were signed, the adoption would be sealed and he’d never find her. It was what was best for Phoebe. Ava said she made up her mind.

Chase went home and told Brook that Anna was giving him a chance to make detective again. She wanted him and Dante to be partners as well, and they were both open to the idea. He also wanted Brook to know that Willow had been brought in for questioning, but it was unrelated to Jordan’s accident. He wanted to tell her because Dante gave him the opportunity to bring her in and he took it.

Molly said, according to Boyle, Willow and Sidwell met at each other’s homes, and Willow said they had busy schedules, so it was easier. Molly asked what the meetings were about, and Willow flashed back to telling Nina that Sidwell was providing the paralytic drug keeping Drew in check. She told Molly that it was mostly about how Sidwell’s company intersected with various public works in Port Charles. Molly asked if Sidwell ever tried to bribe her, but Willow said, of course (🍷) not. She hardly knew him. Had the councilman made a specific accusation against her? Molly said, no, and Willow told her that their time there was done.

Jack said, Nina pushed Drew’s wheelchair into the lake with him in it? and she said, of course (🍷) he was in it. Willow told her that Jack had given up on finding the black box and offered to get them out of the country. At the moment, she’d thought there was no hope and it was over and she snapped. They were on the dock and she’d released the chair brake. He spoke to her in that threateningly smug way he had, and she lost it. She regretted it as soon as it happened and was going to call 911, but he didn’t resurface. Jack said it wasn’t her fault, and she said he had to help her. Please.

Ava told Ethan it had been obvious Phoebe was where she belonged. In spite of her concerns, she’d stay silent. She believed he wanted the best for Phoebe. Their business was concluded and he’d never have to deal with her again. He told her, who said he wanted that?

Brook said she understood, but Chase said he realized he was involving himself in Willow’s life again and didn’t want to give her the wrong idea. Brook and Phoebe were his priority. She said she knew that and would never ask him not to be himself and help people, including Willow. He said, full disclosure. She should also know Willow had asked him to accompany her to DC for a conference on police reform, but he said he had to be there for her and Phoebe. Brook asked how Willow took it, and he said she understood and respected his decision.

Molly said they still had a few questions, and Willow said, then they’d have to schedule a meeting through her lawyer. She was there in good faith. It was too bad the same couldn’t be said for them. Turner had already falsely accused her of attempted murder and leaving the scene of an accident. Now they were trying to connect her to Sidwell, which was a huge reach. It was bordering on harassment. If they needed anything else, they could contact her through her lawyer. She left.

As they waited, Valentin said Jack must not know Josslyn’s part in his release, but Josslyn said he did. He hated Valentin, not her. He said her mother was worried about her, and she said she was worried about her mother. Being with him was a huge risk. He said he’d thought Josslyn was warming up to him and in part she’d had him released out of gratitude. After all, he had saved her life.

Jason said Britt had been lied to. None of what happened after that was her fault. She said she should have put the medication under a microscope. She would have seen it was only saline. He said she had no reason to believe the diagnosis wasn’t real, and she said he should hate her for dragging him into this mess. He was locked up in a hellhole and probably beaten up on the daily because of her. He said, because of Cullum, and she asked, why he didn’t tell her that he’d been protecting Rocco? He said, there wasn’t time and he’d had to keep it simple, and she thanked him for the sacrifice he’d made for Rocco. Rocco was pretty beaten up about it. He said he’d talked to Rocco and hoped his guilt had been eased a little, and she said Rocco came with her when she took off. He hadn’t wanted her to be alone. He said Rocco told him, and she said it was selfish of her to let him. She’d wanted to spend time with Rocco because she thought she was dying and wanted to protect him from Cullum. She guessed her motives were a little messy. He said she didn’t have to defend herself to him. She still wasn’t giving herself enough credit. She said he had a serious blind spot when it came to her, but he said he didn’t. He saw her for exactly who she was.

Ethan said he’d taken a bullet for Ava. The least she could do was have another drink with him. She said she’d waited on him hand and foot during his convalescence and had more than repaid her debt, and he said, then stay because he wanted her to and because she wanted to. She sat back down and said she supposed she could stay for one more drink.

Brook said Willow wasn’t the easiest subject, but Chase said, because Brook trusted him, it was. It was also necessary for their marriage. She said, and their family, and he said, both of which meant the world to him. She said her too, and they kissed.

Jason asked, what was the story with Britt’s brother? He heard her brother turned out to be Nathan’s twin. She said, he was Cassius… when a nurse came to the door and said a patient was waiting for delivery. Britt said it turned out Mr. Morgan didn’t need to be admitted and she’d be right there. The nurse left, and Britt told Jason, sorry. Babies had no respect for other people’s time. He asked her to text him when she was done, and she asked if he remembered what she said before the WSB whisked him away. He said she’d told him that she loved him, and she said she meant it. He said, that’s good. Because he loved her too. She smiled and left. (Collective sigh from the viewers.)

Josslyn said Valentin had saved her life. He’d managed to convince Z that Cullum was a double-agent. Z and his rescue team got to her just in time to get her to GH before she bled out on the loading dock. So yes, she was very grateful to him. But that didn’t mean her gratitude didn’t have limits, especially when it came to his relationship with her mother. Her phone chirped and she told him, congratulations. He was solvent again. His accounts were unfrozen and he was free to do whatever he was going to do next. She left.

Molly asked Dante for his take, and he said the fact that Willow stonewalled her raised more questions. Like, how often did they connect? When were they meeting? Molly said, and more importantly, what were they meeting about?

Jack and Nina ran down to the dock, and Jack said he’d get Drew’s body out of the water. He took off his jacket, and Nina pointed to where Drew went off, when Gio came running up. He asked if they were looking for Drew, and Nina said she’d gone to get some air and put him there, but when she came back, he was gone. Gio said he found Drew. He went for a swim and found Drew in the water. Nina said Drew couldn’t swim. He was paralyzed. Was Gio saying he was dead? Gio said, no, no, no. He was sorry. That wasn’t what he was saying at all. Drew was alive and he was okay.

Back home on the phone with Obrecht, Willow said she had to pick up the kids from camp and was going to do it herself, but she had an unexpected visit from the PCPD… Yes, again. If they questioned someone else, they might actually solve a crime… No. She hadn’t murdered anyone. Please tell Wiley and Amelia she’d be there soon. She thanked Obrecht and began to gather up her stuff, suddenly seeing a muddy footprint on the floor. She was about to examine it, when the door opened, and dripping wet Drew stood there.

Tuesday:

Drew said, hi, honey. I am home. (I’m so glad they didn’t miss the opportunity for him to say that.)

In his old kitchen, Sonny asked if Carly’s special friend was in the attic, but she said the moss bowl 🎍was right there she didn’t owe him an answer. Jason walked in, and Carly ran to hug him. Sonny told him, welcome home, and they hugged.

Isaiah held the baby, and Portia thanked him for being understanding at the hospital and giving Curtis his moment. Isaiah said he knew who Dez’s father was, and she said, Dez would know Isaiah and love him.

Josslyn saw Trina at the pool and suggested a cocktail, when Emma approached with drinks and asked if Josslyn wanted to join them.

Gio said Drew was struggling and he’d helped him get to shore. He was walking and talking. Jack asked where Drew was now.

Drew told Willow that this moment was all he’d been dreaming about for months.

Isaiah took photos of Portia with Desmond, and Portia left to change the baby. There was a knock at the door, and Isaiah assumed it was Curtis, but it was Marshall.

Carly asked why they’d let Jason go, but he said he had no idea. Nobody told him anything. Carly thought that was weird, but Sonny said he was just glad Jason was back. Jason said he was sorry he hadn’t checked in with them, but he’d needed to spend time with Danny. How’d Danny do while he was away? Carly said, he struggled. They all had. They had no information about him. Jason said he’d tried to answer Danny’s questions, but wasn’t sure how it went. Danny had a rough year because of the choices he’d made.

In the solarium, Charlotte welcomed Danny home, and he said he’d be living there with his dad now. Rocco came in and said he’d thought Danny and Scout left. Danny said they came back, and Scout said she’d be doing her swim training there and Danny would be living there again. Danny asked if Rocco was okay with that.

Josslyn told Emma that she had a job in an office. It was full-time, so no graduation for her. She was sorry she hadn’t been able to watch Trina do her thing, but Trina said it had been one more thing to stress about and she was glad it was done and over with. Emma asked where Josslyn was working, and Josslyn said, the WSB.

Gio told Jack that he’d wanted to call 911, but Drew kept saying he was fine. He offered to bring Drew to GH, but he said he had to see Willow, so he drove Drew to his house.

Willow asked how Drew got there… Where was her mother? What did he do to her? He said, nothing… yet. He wanted to come home and see his loving wife before he did anything else. Willow tried to talk, but he said he’d listened to her for so long and all he could do was sit there and blink like a desperate idiot. Now it was his turn, so blink all she wanted while she still could.

Jason said he thought he and Danny came to place of peace, but Danny was angry and had a right to be. Sonny said everyone knew what it cost Jason to be separated from his son, but Jason said Danny was a kid. He felt like his dad was always going to leave or put somebody else first. Sonny said, this time, the somebody was his grandson and he wouldn’t forget that. Carly said, you were protecting Rocco? and Jason said, Rocco shot Cullum.

Scout wondered what was going on, and Rocco explained that he and Danny had been fighting. Danny said he’d done something he shouldn’t have, especially to family, because he’d been freaked out about his dad. Rocco said he’d talked to Jason and it was over. He was good with Danny living there as long as Danny was cool with seeing him when he was there. Danny said he was cool, and Rocco asked, what about Charlotte? Charlotte said she just wanted them to stop being angry idiots and be friends again. She wasn’t mad at anybody. They should enjoy the rest of the summer. (Summer should be fun!)

Isaiah introduced himself, and Marshall said he was there to meet his grandson. He’d come straight from the airport. Portia came out and Marshall said she looked radiant and hugged her.

Willow took out her phone, and Drew told her to make sure she told 911 that she’d shot him in the back at close range twice. She asked if they could please talk, but he told her, put the phone down now. She set it on the table and said she had an explanation, but he said he’d listened to her try to justify her actions enough for a lifetime. He could understand why she’d snapped, but after he’d helped convince the jury she was innocent, she stabbed him in the neck, drugged him, and kept him a prisoner in his own body for months. Then today, her mother tried to drown him. She rolled his wheelchair off the dock after she got a phone call. Did she tell Nina to try and kill him? Willow’s phone rang, but he wouldn’t let her answer it. He saw it was Nina and said he’d like to tell her the good news that they were home alone together and he was so excited about what came next.

Jack asked, how long ago did Gio take Drew home? and Gio said, about an hour ago. Nina said Willow wasn’t picking up. They had to go. Jack told Gio, thanks, and he and Nina ran off.

Drew said, Nina didn’t even leave a message. Now where were they? Willow said, if he killed her, he’d be throwing the life away he just got back, and he said he knew, but he’d been imagining wrapping his hands around her neck and squeezing the life out of her for so long. But… no. He wasn’t going to kill her, but she was going to wish he did.

Drew said the hardest part for him had been not being able to tell Willow how stupid she sounded lying to herself and trying to justify her actions. (Now he knows how we all felt about him.) Did the woman he loved ever exist? She said he never loved her. He loved the person he was trying to mold her into. He said now he knew better. And the whole world would know what a conniving, heartless psychopath she was. He was going to tell Wiley and Amelia himself so they didn’t get confused. She said he didn’t need to hurt them to hurt her, but he said it would hurt so much more if he did. Could she imagine Michael’s reaction to her being in prison for life? He’d get full custody and make sure her kids didn’t remember they ever even had a mother.

Josslyn told Trina and Emma that she was no longer undercover and worked in the office. She thought she could do good as an agent, but sometimes the means to those ends were awful and she’d hated lying to them. She was on assignment when she’d stolen that internship from Emma. Emma said she didn’t care about that. Did Josslyn know what was happening with her grandmother? Josslyn said she was trying to find out what Director Cullum knew about Anna, and Emma asked if Josslyn was on Spoon Island when he died, but Josslyn told her that she wasn’t at liberty to say. Emma asked if her grandmother knew Josslyn was WSB.

Carly said she knew Jason was covering for someone, but would have never guessed it was Rocco. Jason said Rocco followed Britt to the pier and when he got there, Britt was on the ground unconscious and Cullum was about to kill her. He fought with Cullum and Cullum lost his gun. Cullum pulled out a steel baton and was about to crack his head open, when he heard the gunshot. Cullum fell to the ground and Rocco was there with Cullum’s gun in complete shock. There was no time, so he told Nathan, or Cassius, to get Rocco out of there now, and they got out. Not knowing how to handle a gun, Rocco had hurt himself, so he replicated the same injury on himself to cover up Rocco’s blood on the gun. Britt started to come to and Dante was almost there, so he told her to tell Dante that he was the one who shot Cullum. He thought him protecting Rocco was what hurt Danny the most.

Charlotte suggested going to see a DJ at Rice Plaza, and Rocco asked Scout about her swimming. Scout explained it was to raise money for breast cancer research, and Charlotte asked if that was why she’d swum to Egret Island. Scout said, it was, but she’d checked out the island another time. It didn’t seem like anyone went there and there was a lot of wildlife. Danny suggested taking the speedboat there and building a bonfire on the beach, but Rocco said it was a terrible idea.

Willow said she wasn’t losing her children again, but Drew said she’d done this to herself. He was going to give her everything and she tried to murder him. He swiped some things off the table, and Willow squealed. Drew said she didn’t stand a chance against him, but she said he’d had a lot of physical activity today. Was he sure he had the strength to fight her off? He said, let’s find out, Nina ran in with Jack, who had his gun drawn.

Marshall fussed over Desmond and said it took him back to when Curtis was a baby. He had that same frown. He’d missed a lot of Curtis’s life, but wasn’t going to do that with Desmond. He was going to watch him grow up into a fine man just like his dad.

Rocco said if they built a bonfire, someone would notice and call Harbor Patrol, but Charlotte said they could still go. Scout suggested they just hang out at the Qs tonight and go tomorrow, but Danny said he’d rather go now. Unless Rocco was going to tell on them. Rocco said telling on people was Danny’s thing, not his, and Charlotte and Danny left.

Jason told Carly and Sonny that he’d told Danny the truth. He couldn’t let the WSB take Rocco and he was glad he was the one in that cell. They’d done everything they could to keep him disoriented and off-balance, and he hadn’t even known where he was until he was released. He’d spent a lot of time in isolation. Carly hugged him and said they were just glad he was back where he belonged. They missed him. Sonny said, a lot happened, and Jason said he heard Sidwell was in jail. Charges gonna stick? Sonny said, definitely. He and Laura made sure of that.

Josslyn told Emma that Anna knew she was WSB, but couldn’t say anything because she was still undercover, and Emma said Josslyn was an idiot for joining the WSB. Her grandmother was the strongest person she’d ever met and the WSB almost broke her. She hadn’t been tethered to reality at all. The WSB took people, drained them of everything they had, and then dumped them. Why would Josslyn want that for herself? Josslyn said she got why Emma felt that way, and Emma asked if Trina would like to weigh in. Trina said she was worried about Josslyn, but loved and believed in her. It was her decision and her choice. Josslyn’s phone rang and she left to take the call. Emma said Trina couldn’t possibly be okay with this.

Willow ran to Nina, and Drew said Gio knew he didn’t drown, but Nina said no one would care how he died. They’d just be thrilled he was gone. She told Jack, shoot him, but Jack said it wasn’t necessary now that they had a way to control him. Drew said there was no way they were going to drug him again, but Jack said he had something better. Evidence that Drew misappropriated federal funds allocated to the McConkey Esplanade to fund his campaign, which was a federal offense. He also had proof Drew bribed a nurse at the German burn clinic to keep Willow from Michael. When her former in-laws found out, he bet they wouldn’t be pleased. And he had proof that Drew bribed the judge who later turned up dead. Drew said that wasn’t him, but Jack said he didn’t care and neither would anyone else once they heard all this. By the time Drew got out of prison, he’d be a pariah. Drew said turn him in. It would be worth it to take them all down with him.

Scout said it was a dumb idea to go to the island and Charlotte and Danny ganging up on Rocco was super annoying. She was about to show Rocco the route to the island, when he saw her list of sponsors and said Monica would be really proud of her. She said she was also doing it for her dad. He’d taught her how to swim. Being stuck in that chair had to be a nightmare for him. It was for her.

Jack said the evidence was airtight, but Drew said a white collar crime was nothing in comparison to what they’d be facing. He’d get a few years, while they’d be locked up for life. Jack said Drew should have read the congressional fine print a little more carefully. Each count could carry up to 20 years and there were several. Willow said Scout would grow up with Alexis and when she found out he was going to prison, the light in her eyes would just go out and her spirit would die. He’d probably see it when she visited him in prison until it and she faded away forever. Nina said, and this part was mostly a gift for her. Please let her see Tracy’s face when she found out he was going to prison. And Michael would have a field day. Willow said, but none of that had to happen. Scout didn’t need to lose her father. Wiley and Amelia could keep their mother and they didn’t have to destroy each other. They could decide right now to just walk away.

Sonny told Jason about how he’d saved Turner from Sidwell. The case against him was strong and Sidwell would go away for a long time. Jason said it seemed strange that Sidwell would grab Turner as a hostage, but Sonny said she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Carly said maybe the DA’s office would stop assuming he was behind all crime in Port Charles, and Sonny said it would be kind of nice to have a friend in the DA’s office.

Trina told Emma that she didn’t love Josslyn lying about the WSB, but she got why. Maybe now things would be better. Gio came in and said they weren’t going to believe this. Drew was talking and walking.

Drew asked what was on the table, and Jack said it was Willow’s show. Willow said, what happened before is forgotten and never spoken about again. He could announce his recovery however he wanted and they’d get an immediate divorce. Drew asked what it was going to cost him, but she said, nothing. He could keep his house and his money. All she wanted was him out of her life. Nina said, one more thing. He was to leave Willow’s political career alone and not run for office to get his seat back. His days in congress were done. Jack said he’d release the evidence at a moment’s notice, so Drew would do well to remember what was at stake. Willow asked if they had a deal.

Marshall asked if Isaiah was living there, but Portia said he was staying there to help out. He had a place of his own. She just wanted to warn him that things were a little bit tough between her and Curtis right now, but they were putting the animosity to the side for the sake of Dez. Marhsall said he hoped so. Dez deserved the best they had. Isaiah came back and said Dez was out like a light, and Marshall said he should push on. He and Portia hugged and she thanked him for coming. Isaiah said it was nice to meet him and he hoped they got to know each other better in the future. He held out his hand, and Marshall said let him be straight. His loyalty would always lie with his son, but he was willing to take Isaiah on his own terms. They shook hands, and Marshall said Isaiah made Portia happy which was good for his grandson. There could never be too much love in a child’s life. Maybe after the trial, they could all move on. Portia said she thought that would depend on the outcome of the trial.

At the boathouse, Danny said he and Charlotte had gotten back. No cops. No trouble. Charlotte said he had to admit, not building a bonfire was a good call on Rocco’s part, and Danny said Rocco was just mad at him for telling Brennan that he’d shot Cullum. He didn’t want to cause trouble between her and Rocco. She said Rocco was doing that, not him. Their dads were free, Cullum was gone, and the WSB never wanted to talk about any of this again. It was finally over and if Rocco was still mad, that was a Rocco problem.

Emma said Drew was incredibly lucky that Gio found him. He would have drowned otherwise. Gio said he didn’t know how much longer Drew could have held onto the dock. He was too weak to pull himself out of the water. Trina said, so he was walking around and talking? and Gio said it was amazing. Emma toasted, to Gio, who doesn’t know the meaning of the words off duty. Around the corner on the phone, Josslyn said she needed to make a secure phone call to the Berlin office.

Carly told Jason that Josslyn refused to leave the WSB, but at least she wasn’t undercover, and Jason said, small victories, right? Sonny said he didn’t know if Jason had heard, but Valentin was a free man. He and Carly were in front of GH talking. He pulled up and she beelined toward Valentin and started kissing him. They were kissing. Carly asked if they couldn’t save this fight for another night. Jason was home, they’d all been through hell, it was over, and the three of them were together. Jason said he was good with that, and Sonny said him too. (Everyone was all happy, but you now it won’t be for long.)

Drew said they had a deal, and Willow said her lawyer would deliver the divorce papers. She expected them to be signed and returned without delay. Drew said, fine. He didn’t want to be married to her one more second than he needed to be. She laughed and said the feeling was mutual, and he said the only way she was getting away with this was because she had the WSB on her side. He knew them and she had a double cross in her future. It was only a matter of time. Now all of them get out of his house. Jack and Nina left, but Willow stopped at the door, turned, took her ring off, and mic dropped it on the floor. She said, ah, the sound of freedom, and left. Drew said, enjoy it while it lasts, you treacherous bitch, and the cheese stood alone.

Wednesday:

Jason was back at the Quartermaines, and Olivia wanted to create a welcome home celebration. Ned told him that there had been significant damage to the hull in the speedboat, and Tracy said, here comes the prime suspect, when Danny walked in.

Ava woke up next to Ethan.

Nina went to see Jack and said she wasn’t sure if he’d see her after she’d almost made him an accessory to murder.

Trina met Kai at the pool, and he asked what was wrong. She said it was Drew. He was back on his feet again and she thought everything was about to change.

Alexis told Molly that they’d postpone her book launch party. Right now, she just wanted Molly to make an airtight case against Sidwell. Molly said she planned to, and Alexis said the system didn’t work unless people were held accountable and the guilty were brought to justice. She opened the door and Willow was there.

At the hospital, Felicia asked about Drew’s communication devices, and Elizabeth said she thought she’d finally convinced Willow that it would be good for Drew. Felicia said something told her that he wouldn’t need it anymore, and Drew walked in with Martin.

Ethan woke up, and Ava told him that he should get checked for sleep apnea… like now, today. He said he’d be more quiet this time.

Nina wondered what it said about her that she’d pushed a paralyzed man into a lake, and Jack told her that it said there really was nothing she wouldn’t do for her daughter.

Trina said Gio claimed Drew could walk and talk after he’d pulled Drew from the water, and Kai wondered how he got in the water in the first place. She said, he wouldn’t go to the hospital. He’d just wanted Gio to take him home so he could speak to his wife. Kai said, maybe because she was the one who tried to drown him.

Felicia was surprised Drew could walk, and Elizabeth asked how it was possible. Drew said he suddenly realized he could talk and he figured maybe he could stand. Elizabeth said it was miraculous, and Drew said he thought maybe a neurologist could give him some insights. Felicia said she’d take him and left with Drew. Elizabeth asked if Drew said anything else about what happened, but Martin said all he knew was he’d woken up to the sound of Drew’s voice on his phone. He ran over and found Drew in the doorway leaning on his cane. Elizabeth wondered where Willow was.

Alexis said Scout was at swim practice, but Willow said she needed a lawyer. She and Drew were getting a divorce. As of last night, Drew was no longer locked in.

Danny said he’d taken the boat out to Egret Island just for fun, and may have grazed a sandbar, but he didn’t think he’d done any damage. Tracy said the entire hull had to be repainted, and Jason said Danny would pay for it out of his wages. He was getting his job back at the pool, if it was okay with Olivia. Olivia said she’d garnish his wages herself, when Gio came in. He said it would liven things up having Danny back at the pool, but after the whole Drew thing, he’d had enough excitement. Michael asked, what happened with Drew? and Gio said he found Drew in the lake and had to pull him out of the water. Tracy asked if he was dead, but Gio said, no. He’d saved him. Tracy gave a disappointed, oh, but Ned said he’d done the right thing. Gio said, the craziest part was, Drew was walking and talking. It was like he was good as new.

Ethan ordered room service, when Ava took the phone from him. He said he was paying, but she said she didn’t have time for breakfast. He said he’d wanted to enjoy each other’s company a little longer, but he could see she couldn’t get away from him fast enough.

Michael took off, and Gio asked if they were upset that he’d saved Drew, but Olivia said, no. Jason asked how Drew ended up in the water, but Gio said he didn’t know. He wouldn’t say. He’d tried to get Drew to go to the hospital, but he just wanted to go home. Tracy said, at least Gio got Drew off the property. Now that he was mobile – and worse, audible – his lifetime ban from the property was back in effect.

Martin said he didn’t think Willow was at the house, and Elizabeth wondered if she knew what was going on. He said she definitely did. According to Drew, they had quite the reunion.

Nina said it wasn’t premeditated, and Jack said he believed her. She said Drew knew she was upset and chose that moment to reveal he could speak. She knew he was about to tear Willow’s life apart and she snapped. She was the only person between her daughter and Drew. She had to protect Willow, so she just pushed him off the dock. Jack said she was provoked, but she said Drew provoked everyone. She was just upset that she fell for it. He said if there was anyone to blame for this, it was him.

Molly wondered how Drew recovered so suddenly, and Willow said she didn’t think even Drew knew, but a small percentage of people did recover. They’d had their first real discussion in months and agreed they no longer wanted to be married. He could keep the house and she didn’t want alimony. She just wanted to make sure her interests were protected. Alexis said she couldn’t represent Willow. She’d represented her in the custody agreement under the proviso she’d have access to her granddaughter. Molly said, now Drew could speak for himself, and Alexis said they didn’t want to alienate him. Willow said she was sorry it couldn’t work out and left.

In the elevator, Felicia said she’d be in touch with Drew about occupational therapy, and he thanked her. She and the hospital staff had gone above and beyond. She said she was sure it was nothing compared to the help he got at home. Willow was the real hero. He said he was very aware of everything Willow had done. Now they just had to find the best way to thank her. They got out, and Drew told Martin that they had another stop to make. This time, Martin wouldn’t just be driving him. He’d explain on the way. They left, and Elizabeth said, Drew just made this miraculous recovery. Where was his wife?

Gio said he was still mad about what Drew did to Ned, but even so, he thought Tracy should consider giving Drew a second chance. Maybe being locked in had changed him. Olivia said, even Vegas wasn’t taking those odds, and Tracy said there was no force on earth that could change that man for the better. Jason said there used to be a good side to Drew, but after everything he’d done to the family, especially Michael… He wanted the kids to see each other, but Drew shouldn’t have unlimited access to the house. Keep him away, if only for the peace of the family. Tracy said Drew tried to steal this house, not just from her, but from all of them, mostly her. He’d tried to steal or destroy the very cornerstones of their lives and when it came to Michael’s marriage, he’d succeeded at both. Gio said he just felt bad for Scout, and Tracy said Scout was welcome there anytime. Gio said, but Drew was her dad. They were all about family and Drew was technically… They all said, no! in unison, and Ned said Gio was the kind of person they should all aspire to be. Tracy said, but they were who they were and Drew on this property wasn’t happening.

Elizabeth told Felicia that Willow definitely knew about Drew’s recovery. She was at her office calling divorce lawyers. Didn’t it seem a little sudden to Felicia? Felicia said, maybe, and Elizabeth said, they’d seemed so devoted to each other. Felicia said, maybe they were and now they weren’t, but Drew had come there as a patient. Maybe they should just let his personal life lie.

Trina told Kai that they didn’t know if Willow tried to drown Drew, but they did know she shot him. Kai said being around a body of water with no witnesses gave Willow the opportunity to finish what she’d started. But if she did push him in, why wouldn’t he go straight to the police? She said, when he could blackmail her? That was totally his M.O. If she did try to drown him, he’d hold it over her head forever. Kai wondered what Drew would want from her, but Trina said, who cares? Drew had recovered and they could finally put this whole twisted situation behind them.

Alexis said, for all they knew, Willow was planning on divorce, but waited until Drew recovered, and Molly said there would be less political blowback for her. A year ago, it would have seemed to mercenary for Willow, but she wasn’t shy about holding Scout over their heads. Alexis said if she had to deal with Drew or Willow, she’d pick Willow any day.

Michael walked into Willow’s office and said he’d heard Drew was mobile again. She said he was, and he said he was tearing apart their custody agreement and taking the kids full time. There was no way in hell he was letting his children near Drew. She said it wouldn’t be necessary. He’d been right about Drew. He had no business being near Wiley and Amelia. That was one of the many reasons they were ending their marriage. He said he was glad she’d finally come to her senses, and she said now that Drew was out of her life, she was sure he’d have no problem adjusting the terms of their custody agreement.

Ava said she didn’t know what she was getting with Ethan. On one hand, he’d taken a bullet for her and gone to extraordinary lengths to protect Phoebe. But at the same time, he was always looking for an angle he could take advantage of. He said, if it unsettled her, it was because she was the same, and she said that was why she was trying to figure out what he had to gain by sleeping with her.

Jack said he was the one who initially suggested Nina kill Drew. Perhaps she’d heard his voice in the back of her head. She said, as much as she’d like to blame someone else, this decision was hers. Even though Drew deserved it, she was grateful she hadn’t killed him. And she was grateful for Jack. He hadn’t shamed or interrogated her. His first instinct was to clean up her mess, no questions asked. He said the Bureau had protocols in place to dispose of an inconvenience, and she said, so it was just another day at the office. He said the job did have its perks, and she asked why he was helping her this much. He said he supposed he was helping her because of Willow.

Tracy said she made a decision for the people who lived on this property and Scout wasn’t one of them. She could still train there, just without Drew. She didn’t see why it was a problem. Gio said it could just be about supporting Scout, and Tracy asked what Danny had to say. She wanted to know what was bothering him. Danny said maybe it made him a bad Quartermaine, but he didn’t think she should ban Drew.

Alexis told Molly that it was lucky Jason came back and took Danny to live at the Quartermaines. Drew might be more amenable to Scout coming there. Molly said, maybe the experience had mellowed Drew out a little, when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to Drew and Martin, and Drew asked if Scout was there, but Alexis said she was at practice. Drew said he’d wait, and Alexis said he was more than welcome. They’d just been told about his recovery. It was miraculous. He asked who told them, and Molly said, Willow just stopped by. Drew said Martin was acting as his attorney in case they caused a fuss, and Alexis said, about what? He said, Scout obviously. He was taking her home today.

Felicia told Elizabeth that she was going to miss Maxie and the family, but she thought it was the right move after everything that happened with Nathan’s brother. Elizabeth said, for what it was worth (🍷), she knew what it was like to be a mom with a child traveling abroad, and Felicia asked how Jake was doing. Elizabeth said he was great, and Felicia asked if she had any advice. Elizabeth said, video calls are a godsend. Never underestimate the power of a good care package. And if distance becomes a problem, remember they wouldn’t have made this huge move unless they were certain it was going to make their lives better. Felicia thanked her and left.

Jack told Nina that Congresswoman Cain had helped secure millions in funding for the WSB. It would be in their best interest keep her happy. Nina said she never thought about it that way, and he said that was how he justified his actions to the higher ups. As for his personal motives, disclosing those wouldn’t be good for his career. She asked what those motives would be, and he said Nina had saved his life and he was a man who repaid his debts.

Trina told Kai that Drew was up and walking. He could do or say whatever he wanted, so now their obligation of protecting him from Willow was over and done with. Kai asked, what about what they knew? and she said the only person who knew what they knew was Alexis, and she couldn’t say anything. So write his letter of resignation, submit it to Willow’s office, and they could say peace out to this whole mess. He said he’d love to wash his hands of it, but there were two innocent kids stuck with those two terrible people. They had to be the ones to protect them.

Drew asked Martin to tell them, and Martin said when Willow allowed Scout to stay there, she did it against Drew’s explicit wishes and making it worse, was Danny being allowed to stay there. He was sorry, but it was in direct violation of the restraining order. Drew said every boundary that he’d set for Scout was broken by Alexis. As such, he was never letting her anywhere near Scout again. Alexis said the terms had been clear. If she got Willow acquitted, she and her daughters would have access to Scout, and she kept her end of the bargain. Drew said he and Willow were no longer together, so anything Alexis had done for his soon to be ex-wife no longer carried any weight with him. Alexis asked, what about what she’d done for his daughter?

Willow said she’d been thinking 50/50, but Michael said they’d agreed 60/40 and it wasn’t changing. Unless she wanted to take her chances in court. She said maybe she would. The judge would look at her and see a woman who stayed by her incapacitated husband… He said, and dropped him the second he could walk and talk again. It would probably raise a few questions. She said not about her fitness as a parent. And what had she done lately? He said, that depended. After she shot her husband or after she tried to drown him? She said she’d been ably representing her district and his in the House of Representatives. Then the judge would look at him. He said, a successful businessman that provided a stable home for his children, while their mother knowingly immersed herself an admittedly toxic marriage. She said, a spoiled guy born into money with a prior conviction for killing a defenseless woman. A criminally questionable father and a hooker for a girlfriend. She had to say, she really liked her chances.

Ava wondered if Ethan was making sure she’d keep her mouth shut about Phoebe, but he said if he didn’t trust her, last night wouldn’t have happened. She asked if Sonny didn’t have something to do with this, but he said Sonny didn’t know anything about this and he preferred it to stay that way. She said, then what was his angle? and he said he did have an ulterior motive, two actually. One, she was beautiful, and two, he liked her. She asked, why? She’d been consistently mean to him on purpose. He said he thought she was flirting. She could slap him or throw a drink in his face, and he’d survive, but not knowing would be tougher. Was she sure she wasn’t hungry? She said she guessed she was a little puckish. Eggs, soft scrambled, avocado toast, please. He said, coming right up.

Nina said, so Jack was willing to call in a clean up team to cover up the murder she’d just committed so they could be even, but he said, actually, the opposite. He wanted her to know that when he asked her to dinner, it wasn’t because he owed her. She wondered if he was asking her out on a date, and he said he was asking her to dinner. She said she didn’t know, and he asked if that was a no, but she told him that she hadn’t said that. He said if she wanted to accept his invitation, but didn’t want to admit it, he could always blackmail her into a yes, but she said she’d been blackmailed enough for one lifetime. This time, she’d rather be on equal footing. He pulled her to him, and they kissed.

Michael said Drew was obsessed with Willow. She’d left him at the altar and he still wouldn’t let her go. Now she was trying to tell him that the second Drew was out of that chair, he’d agreed to a divorce. She said, it was a mutual decision, and he said take him to court. He’d love to have Drew depose so he could explain exactly why he was so willing to walk away from their marriage. She said, 50/50 was the best he was going to get, and he said they’d see about that. He left, and she picked up a photo of the kids and said, you see that? Mommy won and there is not a thing your father can do about it.

Trina told Kai that she wanted to say Wiley and Amelia weren’t their concern, but Drew and Willow were so… Kai said, toxic, and she told him that she was going to say psychotic, but that worked too. He said it wouldn’t take much for those two to get into a tit for tat fight and he didn’t want the kids trapped between them, and she said, if Michael knew all the facts, maybe they could get the kids out of the situation. What if they told Michael for a fact that they knew Willow shot Drew?

Tracy said before Drew became indistinguishable from a piece of furniture, he went out of his way to keep Danny’s sister away from him and the rest of the family. She didn’t understand. Why was he taking Drew’s side? Danny said he wasn’t. He was taking Scout’s side. If he came between her and her dad, he was no better than Drew was. She said, he could burn down an orphanage and be better than Drew, and he said he just got his dad back. So did Scout. So for her sake, he thought they should at least try tolerating Drew. She said Danny wasn’t the one Drew framed on one of his little visits there, and he said maybe Drew would do something terrible again, but he wouldn’t let Scout come there without him. Jason said if it was up to him, he’d never see that guy again, and Tracy said he had that choice, but Jason said, not really. He couldn’t stop Drew from seeing Scout while she was there, then turn around and ask if Scout and Danny could see each other. She said, between Danny and Drew, there was a universe of difference, and Jason said he knew, but he had to make the first gesture as a father, not just a Quartermaine. Tracy said the problem with that gesture was that he was asking all of them to support it and it’s repercussions, and Jason said he knew. With difficulty, Tracy said, all right. What if Drew was welcome there only when he was with Scout and she kept him on a literal leash? (I’d pay to see that.) Ned said he didn’t know how Drew would feel about the leash part, but he liked it, and Danny said he thought it was great. He and Tracy hugged.

Alexis said, another man, a decent man, would be grateful to the people who loved and cared for his child when he couldn’t. But not Drew. He was as spiteful and arrogant as ever. Drew said she might want to watch her tone, but she told him to watch his damn tone. This was her house. He’d had all this time to think about what he could do with his life now and what kind of person he could be now. He said that was all he thought about, and she said, and this was the conclusion he came to? To use his own daughter as a weapon to hurt people who love and care about her. He hadn’t learned anything. Just like before, he was going to keep pushing and pushing until someone else took a shot at him. He asked if that was a threat, but she said it didn’t have to be her. It wouldn’t be her. She could just sit back and wait for somebody less patient to take a shot at him. And given his winning personality, it was just a matter of time. They’ll just keep trying until they finish the job, and they will. Scout walked in and ran to Drew, crying. They hugged, and she said, dad. Drew said he wanted her to know that they’d never be separated again.

Thursday:

Ava and Ethan lounged at the pool, when Chase and Brook came in. Ethan said, if it wasn’t for them, he and Ava wouldn’t be together. Chase asked if Brook didn’t want to meet Michael somewhere else, but she said they could discuss Deception business anywhere. Besides, she was following his lead in putting him and Phoebe first.

Stella had tea with Tracy at the mansion, and Tracy told her about Maxie moving to Australia. She’d sold her shares in Deception to Michael, who’d formed an alliance with Brook. She and Brook were supposed to be a team. She’d only gotten involved with Deception because of Brook. Torturing Lucy Coe was just a perk.

Felicia met Lucy at the MetroCourt Gardens and apologized for being late. She’d been on the phone with Maxie. Lucy said she was still upset with Maxie, but asked how she was, and Felicia said, good. It sounded like moving was the best decision they could make. Lucy said that was peachy keen lovely for Maxie. She was stuck there with a mess of Maxie’s making.

Isaiah told Tristan that he’d be gone for at least a week, but Stella would answer any questions he had. Tristan left, and Britt asked if Isaiah was going on vacation, but he said he was going to court to testify against Curtis Ashford.

Trina told Curtis that Portia was napping, and he said he wanted to spend as much time with his son and daughter as possible. She asked if he meant before the trial, and he said, in general, but yeah. The doorbell rang, and he said he was expecting his backup. Go see for herself. She answered to the door to Marshall and they hugged.

Peter asked how much evidence Anna needed. It was plain as day Cassius and Britt were responsible for what happened to her. She said she knew, but had to be certain, and he said she was. They were Faisons through and through. And like their father, they would never stop coming for her. There was a knock at the door and Anna opened it to Jason.

Felicia said she was sorry if Maxie put Lucy in a bind, but Lucy said she couldn’t stay mad at Maxie for very long. Besides, it must be hard on Felicia. Felicia said it was, but she and Mac were planning lots of visits. Lucy said that kind of made her feel worse about this. Felicia was missing her daughter, and something Lucy had dreamed about for so long was finally coming to fruition. Felicia asked what it was, and Lucy said she’d show Felicia instead of telling her. Ta-da! Serina came in and Lucy hugged her. Serina said she was glad to be home.

Stella said Tracy still held plenty of shares in Deception and Michael was family. It would be different if they’d sided against her with Lucy, but they didn’t. This way, the Quartermaines retained the upper hand. Tracy said she supposed so, but she didn’t invite Stella there to dump her problems on her. They were celebrating Stella’s promotion to hospital administrator and the birth of her beautiful grandnephew. She asked Stella what was wrong.

 Curtis held the baby, and Marshall said, hello, little man. (And he is little. I’m pretty sure he was born on set.) Marshall asked how Dez was doing, and Curtis said, excellent. Marshall said, eating? Sleeping? Curtis said, yes to the first. When he feels like it to the second. Which was why his mom was upstairs sleeping. Marshall asked if Trina had signed her deal yet, and Trina said she was officially a signed recording artist with Gio. Marshall congratulated her and said he was proud, and Curtis said so was he. Marshall said noise cancelling headphones were his number one tip for being on the road, but she said she wasn’t on tour yet. He said she would be. It was in their blood. It was their family gift. He played the clarinet; she had the voice. Curtis wondered what Dez’s gift would be.

Ava asked if Ethan wasn’t jumping the gun by saying they were together, and he said he wanted her to know last night wasn’t just a fling for him. He hated the word, but felt a real connection between them. He was willing to explore it if she was.

Michael met Brook and said he’d been with Willow, and Brook said, what now? He said Drew had recovered. He was walking, talking, and wasting no time. He and Willow were getting divorced.

Jason said it was good to see Anna, and she said him too. She invited him in and said she’d been lost in work. She was playing catch-up and imagined he was doing the same. He said, actually, he’d been focused on his family. He’d taken Danny away for a little while and hadn’t thought about much else. She said she was glad. He had a lot of time to make up, as did she. She’d just learned the WSB had him in custody and was sorry for what happened to him. He told her that he was about to say the same thing. It seemed like they’d both been through a lot.

Felicia hugged Serina, and Lucy said her beautiful baby was all grown up. Felicia said, last she heard, Serina was off changing the world with her environmental pursuits, and Serina said it never felt like enough. Felicia asked if saving the whales wasn’t her passion, and Serina said it was, but she’d learned it was more paperwork than actual saving. She was a little burnt out and needed a break, when her mom called and suggested a visit. So here she was. Lucy said she thought Port Charles was exactly what Serina needed.

Brook asked why Michael thought the divorce would take, and he said, trust him. They were done. That meant Willow was free to take a shot at Chase. Brook said her husband had free will. Willow didn’t call all the shots and would get her claws into Chase over her cold, dead body.

Ava told Ethan that she supposed a connection wouldn’t be so terrible, but she was surprised. The Ethan she’d met months ago didn’t seem very interested in a relationship. Ethan said he wasn’t, but that changed. She asked, what brought about this change? and he said she did.

Stella told Tracy that she loved her nephew, but Isaiah was her colleague. He was a brilliant surgeon and a compassionate physician. The man she knew bore no resemblance to the one Curtis was describing. Tracy said Curtis was resolute that Isaiah knew about his and Jordan’s accident and left the scene without helping. Did he have any evidence to back it up? Stella said he thought he did, but it was all flimsy to her and apparently to the PCPD and District Attorney as well. Portia was going to testify to Curtis assaulting Isaiah and her account could put Curtis in prison. It was a worry, and her instinct was for Curtis to cut his losses and take the plea deal, but he was determined to fight it out. Tracy said Stella would just have to support him, but Stella said she didn’t know if she could.

Isaiah told Britt that the last thing he and Portia should be looking at was a trial. They should be soaking up every newborn Desmond minute. Britt said she was surprised Curtis didn’t work out a plea, and Isaiah said, he was offered one. He turned it down. Now Portia had to suffer the witness stand – again. She asked how Isaiah was doing, and he said it was all starting to get to him. He was sick of walking on eggshells around that guy. That’s why it was his goal to nail Curtis to the wall in court. She said if he came off this aggressively in court, Curtis was going to walk.

Anna asked how bad it was, but Jason said nothing he couldn’t handle. He was in a cell. No communication, no way of knowing what time of day it was. She said, white torture, and he said at least he knew what was happening. He would focus on a clear line from one situation to the next. Britt, Sidwell, Cullum, the pier, Danny, the WSB taking him. He would do this with different times in his life and was able to not lose his sanity. He guessed that’s why he was able to hold onto it. Anna said she certainly didn’t.

Ava said Ethan made her sound powerful, inspiring change in him, and he said he could tell her the exact moment. When she’d decided to leave Phoebe with Brook and Chase. She could have used what she knew against him, but she didn’t. She only cared about the baby’s well-being. She said every child deserved a safe home and loving parents. She hadn’t always delivered on that, and he asked if she was saying she was flawed. She said there was flawed and there was her, and he said he loved that she was so honest about it. People who weren’t perfect, but did good when they were given a chance to were rare, and it spoke to him. She knew how he felt. Now it was her turn.

Brook went back to sit with Chase and Phoebe and said the company was fine, but Michael had some other news to impart. Apparently, Drew had recovered and he and Willow were getting a divorce. Chase said, I’m sorry. What? Brook said, it just happened and Drew was already up and walking around. Unfortunately, he was talking too. Chase said, he recovered just like that. It was unbelievable. He stood up like nothing happened and his first word in months was divorce? That couldn’t be right. Michael had to be wrong. She said Willow filled Michael in herself. She was shocked Willow hadn’t told Chase any of this first.

Stella told Tracy that her nephew was a good man, but he was a protector. That’s what got him into this mess. He was prideful and hugely stubborn, so he was never going to admit he’d made a mistake by assaulting Isaiah. She was afraid not taking the plea deal was another one. Tracy asked if she thought the trial would result in a worse outcome, and Stella said, far worse. She knew she should support Curtis, but had to be true to herself. She wanted to be a worthy role model for that beautiful baby and Trina. Tracy said she already was.

Marshall asked if Curtis was prepared to prove to a jury that Isaiah left him and Jordan on the road to die, but Curtis said his lawyer told him that all he had to prove was that his belief was reasonable. Marshall asked if he thought of reconsidering the plea deal, and Curtis asked if Marshall thought he couldn’t win. Marshall said he thought 8 months in prison would be hard, but years would be harder, and Curtis said he didn’t plan on going to prison at all. Marshall said, but that was the point. It wasn’t up to him. Curtis said he couldn’t just let Isaiah move in with Portia and raise his son, and Marshall said Isaiah was there yesterday when he came. Curtis said, of course (🍷) he was. The guy had no concept or respect for boundaries. He’d even told Curtis that he’d be a better father to his child than he could ever be. So there was no way he was going to let that happen.

Isaiah said he wasn’t talking to Britt the way he’d talk in court. He was talking to her as a friend. She said she guessed she had so few, she didn’t pick up on that. Her bad. Jack approached the desk, and Britt asked what he wanted from her. She was holding onto her job by a thread. The last thing she needed was attention from the WSB. Jack said it was a good thing he wasn’t there to see her then.

Anna told Jason that the doctors said anything she had experienced or thought she had wasn’t real. It was a delusion. Jason said he was sorry for not looking into her disappearance. He should have found her. She said she understood why he didn’t. She was an unreliable source to anyone. He said he wasn’t anyone. He would have known if she was telling the truth, but he was helping Britt escape from Cullum and Sidwell. She said, they were carrying out Faison’s project, and he said, yes. She said she was still trying to figure out how they made her believe Faison was still alive, and he asked if she’d actually seen him. She said, something like him. Maybe like a deep fake or something. Jason said, they could replicate the voice pretty easily, but she said the things he knew about her could only be recreated by someone who knew him. Like his offspring.

Felicia asked what Serina’s dad was up to, and Serina said he was living his best life in Key West. Felicia said, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and now Scott Baldwin, but Serina said he wasn’t writing as much as kayaking and hunting for the best key lime pie. Lucy said they had key lime pie there too, and Felicia said Serina’s mom wasn’t the only one who would be glad to have her home. Cody too. Serina said she was excited to meet her brother, when Lucy gave Felicia an exit sign. Felicia said Serina’s mom was giving her very subtle hint that she wanted alone time with her. They hugged and Felicia left.

Marshall said he got where Curtis was coming from, but actions had consequences, and Curtis said he knew that, but he also knew he was provoked. Marshall said it might be better to sacrifice the 8 months so he didn’t lose time down the road, and Curtis said, for the greater good. Marshall said, for the whole family, but Curtis said he didn’t see how taking the plea deal helped anyone. Marshall said he didn’t see how a trial would either. A not guilty verdict wouldn’t remove Isaiah from Desmond’s life. That boy might wind up being Desmond’s stepfather, but Curtis would always be his father. He’d stayed away from Curtis and Tommy and Irene because all he could see was the worst case scenario. Do what he couldn’t. Find a middle ground and compromise. Don’t see the extremes. They never let anyone win.

Ava said she’d be open to seeing if there was anything there with Ethan. After all, he did spoil his derriere for her. It was the least she could do. He said he thought it bounced back pretty nicely, but she said she’d seen better. He said, liar, and was about to kiss her, when Trina walked in. She said it was official. Her timing was terrible. She was so sorry. Ethan said he was about to grab a drink anyway. Feel free to talk about him while he was gone.

Jason told Anna that he didn’t really know Cassius and couldn’t vouch for him, but he did the right thing in that moment. Anna said, and Britt? and he said, Cullum blackmailed her, made her believe that she had Huntington’s so she’d do what he wanted. She said she knew, but wasn’t convinced, and he said she knew what the WSB was capable of. Cullum was highly ranked and had the resources to study Faison to learn what he’d say and do. She said, all on his own, without any help from Faison’s children? and he said he didn’t know. Maybe Cassius was involved in what happened to her. He couldn’t say, but he knew Britt wasn’t.

Tristan opened an exam room door and saw Jack. He said he’d get another physician, but Jack said, no. Don’t worry. He wasn’t there for medical attention. He just wanted to see how Tristan was settling in. How was he liking Port Charles?

Tracy asked if there was a reason Michael ducked out of the family meeting, or was he just bored, and he said he went to see Willow. She asked why he’d do that voluntarily, and he said to tell her that he wouldn’t stand for Drew being around their kids. Turns out it was a wasted trip. Drew and Willow were getting a divorce. Tracy laughed and said Yuri owed her fifty bucks. They had a little bet about whether the marriage would last a year or not. He said, congratulations, and she thanked him. He said the problem was, he didn’t think it would play out as well for Brook as it had for her. Now that Willow was free, he guaranteed the first move she made was a beeline straight for Chase.

Chase said, at the end of the day, it was really none of their business, and Brook said she knew. She was just surprised Willow didn’t make it his business. He said, if it was true, he was happy for Willow. Now she could get on with the rest of her life and they could get on with theirs. She said she liked the sound of that, and he said he told her that his focus was on her and Phoebe. They meant the world to him. They kissed, when Ethan approached and asked how they were today. Brook said, as if he cared, and he said she was right. He only had eyes for Phoebe.

Lucy said she was thrilled Serina was there and doing so well, but Serina said, except she wasn’t doing that well. Lucy asked what was wrong, and Serina told her, let’s just say I’ve lost my trust fund. All of it. Lucy asked, what happened? and Serina said she’d made some bad choices, trusted people she shouldn’t have. She didn’t want to get into it right now, but thought Lucy should know. Lucy took her hand and said whenever Serina was ready and able to talk about it, she was there. Actually, it was excellent news. Serina said, yes. Her being destitute was just a joyous occasion. Lucy said, no. It just made what she was about to ask Serina exponentially easier. Serina said she knew Lucy summoned her there for a reason. What was she really doing in Port Charles?

Stella went to Portia’s house and hugged Marshall and Curtis. She went to Desmond’s bassinet and asked how he was doing, and Marshall said she was right. He had Irene’s eyes. He wished Irene was here to meet her grandson. Stella said, she was. She was in every one of them – she took their hands – especially him.

Isaiah said Britt’s interaction with Chief Brennan was kind of intense. Was she good? She said, just a little jumpy around the WSB after they made a total dumpster fire of her life. She was just aiming for simplicity these days. Keep her head down, do her probation time, get her life together. He said, a huge part of that life was being the equipment manager for the softball team, right? and she said an honor she’d never dreamed of. He said he couldn’t bat, obviously, but he’d be the best pinch runner GH had ever seen. Was she going to the game later? She asked if she had a choice, and he said it would be exactly what she needed. When she saw that ball coming at her, just picture Brennan’s face on it and swing for the fences.

Tristan said he was getting settled in and committed to building a career at GH. And FYI, visits from Jack weren’t helpful. He didn’t want Jack or anyone from the WSB showing up at the hospital. Jack said, and his reports? and Tristan said, would be reported when there was something to report. Until then, the Bureau left him alone. Jack said he’d certainly pass along that message, but he was afraid Tristan wasn’t the one who got to set those terms.

Jason said, Britt was a victim, just like Anna, but it was over now. Cullum and Cassius were dead. Sidwell wasn’t going to see the light of day again, so he guessed the only thing to do now was to move forward. Anna asked if that’s what he was doing, and he said he was trying to. She said she’d work to follow his lead then, and he told her that he just wanted to say he was there if she needed him. She thanked him, and he said he was glad she was back. She said she was glad they both were, and Jason left. Peter said, he was obviously lying about Britt. Not to mention everything else.

Stella said the trial had her nervous, and Marshall said she wasn’t alone there. She said she wanted Curtis to take a good, long look at what he had there. Three generations of Ashfords under one roof. Over the years, their family had endured a lot of loss. They may have bent under the weight, but they didn’t break. Marshall said, because they were strong, and Stella said she wanted Curtis to use that strength. Draw from it. Marshall said they were there for Curtis, and Curtis thanked them both. Stella took Marshall to the kitchen, and Curtis said Dez had his word. Nothing or no one would take him away from his son. Not ever.

Lucy said she called Serina because she loved her and missed her terribly, and Serina said her too. And? Lucy said, and she needed Serina’s help. There was a snake in the grass. Michael Corinthos filched a very significant chunk of Deception stock, stock that should have been hers. Before Maxie moved away, she sold the stock to Michael. Maxie should have sold it to her because it was her company. She founded it in the 90s. Serina said she knew and knew how important it was to Lucy, and Lucy said it was, but for far too long, she’d left it in the hands of the enemy. Serina said, the Quartermaines, and Lucy said they’d looked down on her so long and now they were more united than ever. Michael and Brook and Tracy. They fought like cats and dogs, but at the end of the day, they stuck together. Serina asked if Lucy thought they would force her out, and Lucy said she knew they would in a heartbeat. Except she wasn’t going to let that happen. Serina asked, what’s the move? and Lucy said she was going to take back her company and Serina was going to help her.

Tracy told Michael that there was a time she thought her granddaughter’s marriage was doomed, but she didn’t think that anymore. She thought Brook knew exactly what she was doing. Michael said Brook wasn’t the one he was worried about, and Tracy said she understood, but so far, Chase had followed through on his promise to prioritize Brook and the baby, and that baby was about to be theirs. Tomorrow, they were signing Phoebe’s adoption papers and would officially be a family. And Willow, whatever plan she was concocting, was too late. Michael said, doubtful. He knew her too well. She wouldn’t back off. She hated being alone. Tracy said, evidenced by her serial husband hopping, and he said Willow was the type who needed a man in her life and she’d do whatever she needed to secure one.

Chase said he’d believe it when they signed the paperwork tomorrow, and Ethan said the three of them just fit as a family. He told Phoebe that she was a lucky girl. She had Brook and Chase waiting for her. Good luck tomorrow. Chase said he had to take off and would see Brook at home, and he left.

Trina said there seemed to be a sizable spark between Ava and Ethan, and Ava said he’d like to pursue it. Trina asked what Ava would like, and Ava said she was a little apprehensive. With Ric and Jenz, it was all about opportunity, mutual interests. With Ethan, it was different. For the first time in a long time, she was simply enjoying the company of a man and it felt fantastic. Trina said anyone who could make Ava smile like that got her vote, and Ava said she was eager to see where it went. Trina said she’d give them some privacy and see Ava later, and she left. On his way back to Ava, Ethan saw a man telling an attendant that it was his first time at the MetroCourt, and Ethan didn’t look happy.

Tristan said he had a patient that he needed to consult with Britt on. He wouldn’t be there if there was another option, so he was hoping they could put their differences aside. She said they could have their differences anytime. Patients came first. He showed her the chart, when Jason came in and saw them together

Peter told Anna that Britt was his father’s daughter. Hell, she helped him flee the country, spent all that time with him, it was on the run. Of course (🍷) it was her and Cassius who held Anna prisoner. They broke her by torturing her, the same way Faison tortured her and Robin. For all they knew, Noah and Emma could be next. Anna said, no, no, no, no, and he said Cassius was dead, but the only way this cycle ended for sure was if Britt met the same fate. If she really wanted to protect her loved ones, she knew what needed to be done. Britt Westbourne must die.

🌞 Summer Friday…

At the park, Dante said he’d seen Fitzpatrick play for his old precinct. His scouting instincts said that Fitzpatrick was going to hit the cover off the ball, and that’s what they needed. Fitzpatrick said he’d try not to let them down.

Ric went to Sonny’s place dressed casually, and Sonny asked if he was going to the gym afterwards, but Ric said he was catching up with Elizabeth later on. She was playing softball for GH this afternoon.

Lucas hoped he didn’t embarrass himself too badly, but Elizabeth said it was just a softball game. Their team wasn’t usually a playoff contender anyway. He said, still, he should probably warm up and take a few practice swings. Did she have any idea where the bats were? She said that would be a question for Britt, but she didn’t see Britt anywhere. They certainly couldn’t practice without equipment.

At the hospital, Britt told Tristan that she’d like to meet with his patient before they discussed the next steps, and he said he’d let her know. He left, and Jason approached. She said her day just got a lot better, and Jason asked how much she knew about the doctor she was just talking to.

Carly met Valentin at the MetroCourt gardens, and seeing a table with champagne and hors d’oeuvres, she said it looked like he had a nice afternoon planned. She hoped she wasn’t interrupting. He said, not at all, but she was a little early. He wasn’t going to call her until the caviar showed up. She said her assistant manager told her that there were some significant charges made to his room, the one she was comping for him. He said he’d decided he was going to enjoy being a kept man.

At the pool, Ethan noticed a man telling an attendant that it was his first time using the pool, and Ethan looked concerned. (I assume this new guy is Hudson, but they haven’t confirmed yet.) Brook saw Drew walk in, as well as Danny coming in to work. Drew walked over to Ava, who said he looked a lot better than the last time she saw him. He said he felt a lot better too, and she said she guessed a miracle like this left a person refreshed. He said he didn’t know why his body did what it did, but the neurologists said everything checked out, so he was happy to call it a miracle. She said she was happy to see him like this, and he thanked her. He said he was guessing not many people were, so he appreciated it. Was she meeting Nina there by any chance? She said, no. She was with someone else. He was right over… She looked around and saw Ethan was gone.

Anna told Peter, shut up. She wasn’t going to kill Britt. She wasn’t a murderer. He said, yet she’d taken many, many lives as a WSB agent. They both knew no one in her family would be safe as long as a single Faison was left alive. Never.

Ava wondered where Ethan disappeared to, when Drew asked an attendant for an iced tea and flopped down on the chaise next to her. He asked if she minded. He was still getting his strength back. She said, okay, but he’d have to move when Ethan came back. Ethan Lovett? He was Lulu’s half-brother, the guy that Sidwell shot in her gallery. The stranger listened in, and she said Ethan was perfectly fine now. Drew said he guessed he missed out on a lot during his illness. He was very eager to get his life back. Ava said she was sure. Why was he looking for Nina? She wasn’t exactly his biggest fan. He said he was aware. She and Nina were very close. Was she in on it? Exactly how much did she know about what Nina and Willow did?

Elizabeth asked Lucas about various properties, but he had a reason for not liking any of them. She asked if what he was saying was that he’d like to spend the rest of his days living in Ava’s guest room, and he said he was used to having martinis with her every night. Besides, it was nice having someone else around. He couldn’t face going home to an empty place. She suggested a roommate, someone other than Ava Jerome, when they heard, heads up! and a ball came flying their way. Fitzpatrick said, sorry about that. Everyone okay?

Sonny asked what the story was with Sidwell’s legal situation, and Ric said he had two trials coming up and his assets had been frozen. The DA’s office had a strong case and Sidwell was going to see some time. The second he set foot on the bus to Pentenville, all of his assets would go up for auction. Sonny said, including Windymere and his piers.

Britt said she knew Tristan had just started there and could be completely annoying, and Jason said he also had ties to the WSB. Britt said that couldn’t be correct. He was a heart surgeon. Jason said, a heart surgeon he’d met while he was a prisoner in Jakarta. After they released him, the doctor was on a plane with him back to Port Charles. She said she knew she’d never be completely free of the WSB, but she didn’t think they’d go as far as planting someone on staff to spy on her, and he said they didn’t know that yet. He just wanted to tell her this guy was involved with the WSB. He had no idea what the doctor was doing in Port Charles. She said she did. He was there to keep eyes on her. It didn’t matter what she did. She was going to pay for being Faison’s daughter for the rest of her life.

Peter said Anna was still so fragile. His sister was dangerous. If she didn’t stop Britt, Britt would stop her. Anna said Britt wasn’t out to get her. Jason said Britt had nothing to do with her kidnapping and he didn’t lie. Peter said Jason would say anything to protect Britt. He was in love with her. She knew that. She said she needed to see Valentin, but he said, no. That would be a mistake. She couldn’t trust him. She said that wasn’t true. Valentin would help her. He understood her and would believe what she had to say. Emma came in and asked who Anna was talking to.

Valentin said he was glad Carly could join. He’d spared no expense. She said she could tell. He was going to treat her in her hotel where she paid the bill? He asked what she was implying. That he couldn’t pay? She said she knew he couldn’t pay, but he said she was going to have to keep up. Things changed pretty quickly in Port Charles. The WSB came through. His assets had been unfrozen. He wanted to give her what she deserved – he kissed her hand – because now he could.

Emma said she heard Anna talking. It kind of sounded like somebody was with her. Anna said she was just dictating case files. She was trying to get up to speed. Emma told her not to push herself too hard, but Anna said work was good. It focused her and gave her purpose. But she was grateful for Emma’s concern. She was grateful for Emma. Emma said she was glad Anna was home and that she got to see Maxie and her family before they left for Australia. Anna said she was going to miss them, but thought Maxie was right. It was probably good for James to have a fresh start after the whole Cassius debacle. Emma said she thought it was going to take them all a while to get over that, and Anna said he’d deceived a lot of people. Emma said it kind of seemed she’d been in the dark about a lot of things, like Josslyn being in the WSB, and Anna said, Josslyn told her? Emma said, mm-hmm. She kind of wished Anna had.

Carly told Valentin, congratulations. Jack had accepted his offer? Valentin said, without hesitation. Whatever was in the box, he wanted it very, very badly. She said he’d gotten his money back. So what happens now? He said, after he bought her something expensive? and she said, obscenely expensive. He said, after that, he keep a promise to Charlotte.

Elizabeth asked, who hit that? and Dante said he did. Sorry if he almost hit them. They remembered Joe, right? Lucas said, nice to see him again, and Fitzpatrick said, likewise. Elizabeth told Lucas, don’t talk to the enemy, and Fitzpatrick said he was new, but guessed what he’d heard was true. These games get pretty heated, huh? Elizabeth said, some of them took it more seriously than others, and Dante said he just didn’t want Corinthos Coffee to win again. This was law enforcement. She said she was glad she played for GH. Nobody cared that she was an outfielder that couldn’t catch… you know. Dante said, a fly ball? She just needed time on the field. Come on, lets’ go. She said he couldn’t help her. She was his enemy. He said, just don’t tell anyone, and they left. Fitzpatrick asked Lucas how long those two had been together.

Sonny told Ric that he was going to keep the Rochester Piers until he got Piers 55 and 56. Then he was going to expand his business. Rick said they should reacquire those piers discreetly. They didn’t need Boyle making it a political issue again. Sonny said he’d send a proxy over to the auction who could bid on his behalf, and Ric said, start with a high bid. A bidding war would only put more scrutiny on the winner. Sonny said he had a better way to keep the bidding to a minimum.

Jason said all he knew about Dr. Roberts was that he was the one who brought him back from Jakarta, and she asked if he thought the hospital board knew they’d hired someone with ties to the WSB. He said he had no idea, but he thought it best if she kept that information to herself. Just keep her eyes on him and see how he behaved. She said, on a brighter note, what brought him to GH? and he said, her. He thought maybe they could take the boat out and spend some time on the lake. Maybe get some dinner. She said she would have loved that, but she had to play softball, and he said, what? She said she was on probation and had to prove she wanted to work there, and he said, so she was going to do that by playing softball? She said, being the equipment manager will, and he said it sounded like a fun gig. Who didn’t love softball? She said, her, but he said she could change that if she learned how to play. He could give her some pointers. She asked if he wanted to come to the park with her and check on her form, when his phone rang. Sonny said he needed to see him, and Jason said he was on his way. He told Britt that he was sorry, but he had to go see Sonny. She said that was okay. Sonny spared her the humiliation of showing how uncoordinated she was. Could they get together later? He said he’d call her and left.

Danny brought Britt some ice water, and they both looked at Drew. She said it was going to take a minute to get used to Drew being up and around again. Scout must be thrilled. How was she doing? He said she was super happy, which was great, but she was back living with Drew and he didn’t think Drew was going to let them see each other anymore. She said she was sorry, and he said him too, but he was going to try hard to get along with Drew for Scout’s sake.

Ava told Drew that she knew Willow was determined to care for him at home and Nina did everything she could to help. Willow must be relieved to see him back on his feet. He said he thought she was going to faint the first time she saw him standing, and she said his condition was hard on everyone. Scout most of all. She was impressed with how Scout handled it. He should be proud of her. She knew Scout’s grandfather Julian would be. He said he was always proud of Scout and was thrilled to have her home with him. His only regret in divorcing Willow was yet another upheaval in Scout’s life. She said, he and Willow were getting divorced? Nina must be out celebrating. He said he wouldn’t miss Nina either, and Ava said this was so sudden. He was so devoted to Willow. Did he mind if she asked what happened? He said his long illness showed him that his marriage to Willow wasn’t exactly what he’d thought it was. She said, traumatic circumstances could expose the cracks in any relationship or make you think a good connection was there when it wasn’t.

Lulu came home to find Ethan coming down the stairs with his bag. She asked if Sonny was sending him on a last minute trip, but he said it wasn’t a trip. He was leaving – for good.

Lucas said Dante and Elizabeth had just been friends forever, and Fitzpatrick said, they seemed very friendly. Lucas said she was with someone else, but now that he thought about it, maybe Fitzpatrick had noticed something the rest of them had missed. Fitzpatrick said he was a cop. He was trained to observe and size people up, and Lucas said he hoped Fitzpatrick was right because Dante was a much better guy than the one she was seeing.

Elizabeth said, okay, go, and Dante threw the ball, but she held up her glove and it bounced off. She said, no, wait. She wasn’t ready. Sorry. He asked if she was open to a few pointers, but she said, GH always lost anyway. He asked if that’s what she taught her kids, and she said, actually, she taught her kids to always try their best, but she also taught them to have fun, which they did. She’d had fun at Cameron’s soccer games and watching Jake play T-ball. He said he used to love watching Rocco’s Little League games. Rocco would get so hyped up when they won. So would he. He guessed Rocco got it from him. She said, if winning was so important, why was he helping her? They were opposing teams. He said he always kept forgetting that.

Anna said she really regretted she was able to tell Emma anything about Josslyn, but Emma said it was okay. Josslyn told her that she was undercover at the time and Anna had to keep her secret. Anna said she did, but if Emma had ever been in any danger, she would have told her about Josslyn, no matter what the WSB wanted. Family came first and she was sorry if she’d ever given Emma the impression otherwise. Emma said Anna never had. She’d always known Anna loved her. Always. Anna said that would never change.

Tristan went into an exam room and found Britt there. She closed the door, and he said he was called for a consult. She said, that was a lie, just like his presence at GH. She knew the WSB sent him there to trick her into working with them again. So he could go back and ask his superiors to reassign him, because that was never going to happen. He said everyone had their limits, and she said he was giving her no choice but to turn him into the board and they’d fire him. He said Jason Morgan must have told her that they’d met, and she asked if he really thought Jason was going to keep his little secret. They were very close. He said, good for her. To start, he wasn’t a WSB agent. So telling the board wasn’t going to get him fired. They knew he’d worked at a WSB medical facility, and that wasn’t a secret. Lastly, get her facts straight before she opened her big mouth.

Ava said she’d noticed Brook talking to Ethan earlier. Did he mention where he was going? Brook said he’d just popped by to congratulate her and Chase for signing the paperwork to adopt Phoebe, and Ava said that was wonderful. She was so happy for them. Brook thanked her for helping Alexis make it possible, and Ava said, of course (🍷). Take care. She left, when Danny walked by with Drew’s iced tea, stumbled, and spilled it on him. He said he was so sorry. He was just trying to deliver Drew’s iced tea. Drew said Danny shouldn’t even be serving drinks. He was a pool boy. He jumped up and said, this right here was why he couldn’t trust Danny with Scout. He wasn’t even aware of his own surroundings. Brook said, that’s enough. Don’t you dare talk to Danny that way.

Lulu asked if Ethan was in trouble. Was one of Sonny’s enemies after him? He said, nothing like that, and she asked why he was leaving then. He said because an incredible opportunity just fell into his lap. It could put him on Easy Street for the rest of his life, but he had to leave right now. He couldn’t risk missing this flight. She said he couldn’t leave. He worked for Sonny now. People just don’t up and quit on Sonny Corinthos.

Jason arrived at Sonny’s, and Sonny thanked him for getting their so quick. Ric said, glad to have him back, and Sonny said he wanted to talk to Jason about buying his piers back from Sidwell. Ric said he was going to head to the park, but Sonny said, hold on. They had to have a discussion. It was obvious there was no love lost between Jason and Ric and they had their reasons why they didn’t like each other, but it had to end. They had to leave the past in the past. Ric was his brother and had proved himself. They were working together now. He told Ric that Jason was also his brother. They’d been working together and Jason was his righthand man. That wasn’t going to change, but he didn’t need them at each other’s throats. Jason said, that won’t be a problem.

Brook told Drew, calm down. He was causing a scene and disturbing other guests. Drew said he didn’t care. Either Danny was incredibly clumsy or did that on purpose. He knew which one he was betting on. Danny swore it was an accident, and Brook told him to go back to work. She’d handle this. She told Drew that he needed to relax. She’d hoped his illness would have given him some perspective, but he was still the same petty tyrant he’d always been. He said his recovery must have ruined the family’s day, but she said, it didn’t. What he went through must have been hell. He said she had no idea. Was she happy? She said, no. Because unlike him, she didn’t revel in other people’s misfortune. He said, Tracy did, and Brook said he’d be happy to hear that despite her grandmother’s feelings about him, everybody decided to tolerate his presence for Scout’s sake because she was part of the family. He said his family, and she said, but he wasn’t part of the Quartermaine family and he never would be.

On the phone, Ava said, where are you? She hoped Ethan had a good excuse for leaving without saying anything. If he wasn’t back in ten minutes, don’t bother coming back at all.

Lulu said Ethan used their father’s name to get Sonny to give him a chance. If he left now, Sonny wouldn’t give him a second one. He said it was a risk he’d have to take, but she said, no, he didn’t. Sonny was counting on him. Because of their dad, Sonny wouldn’t track him down like he would someone else who crossed him. Was he sure this opportunity was worth the risk? He said this was more than a job. He was keeping a promise.

Emma said she used to think it was cool that Anna was a WSB agent, but now she saw that the WSB wasn’t just this force for good that she always thought it was. The secrets Anna was forced to keep were like some barrier between them getting in the way. She hoped Anna was done with them. Anna promised she was going to do everything she could to put that all behind her.

Carly told Valentin that going after Windymere was going to be a legal nightmare. With Sidwell in jail, his assets had been seized. Was he sure it was worth it? He said whatever made his daughter happy was worth it. Charlotte loved Windymere. It was a beautiful place. She asked if he knew how many people had been murdered in that beautiful place, or kept prisoner in that beautiful place’s subterranean rooms, and he said, no house is perfect. She said, fine. You do you. But she meant what she’d said before. That place creeped her out. She wasn’t staying over at Windymere. He had to come to her. He said she knew he could work with that.

Britt said it wasn’t some random coincidence that Tristan landed on staff at the same hospital she worked at, and he said, with hundreds of other doctors. Was she always this hysterical? She asked if he was always this sexist. (Thank you.) She was done with the WSB playing God with her life. How could he work for people who made her believe she had Huntington’s, a terrifying disease, when she didn’t? He asked why they told her that, and she said, to get her to do what they wanted. He said that was unconscionable. It sounded like she’d been through a lot, and for that, he was very sorry, but his presence there had nothing to do with her. He was hired as a cardiologist, so he was going to get back to treating real patients. Had she ever considered therapy? It can work wonders… So can decaf. He left.

Dante said he really wasn’t like one of those winning means everything kind of guys, and Elizabeth said he did seem a little intense. He said, sorry. Maybe he was channeling his worry for Rocco. Rocco was still struggling a little bit, but he was doing good. She asked what was going on, and he said Rocco and Danny were having some problems. Danny was pissed off that his dad went to prison for Rocco, and now that Jason was back, he thought everything would be cool, but they were still having problems. She said she was sorry to hear that. How were things for him and Rocco? He said, good actually. He didn’t want to screw it up. He had the impulse to jump in and fix things with Rocco and Danny, but he wasn’t going to do that. He was probably taking the summer league thing a little too seriously when he was putting more pressure on his team than himself. She said she couldn’t speak about the way he handled his team, but his strategy for Rocco seemed solid. She thought it was wise to give Rocco some space, but if Dante ever needed someone to coach, she was all in.

Ric said he had no problem working with Jason. They were different, but valued many of the same things and the same people, like Sonny’s son. He held out his hand and said he was happy to put the past behind them. Jason shook Ric’s hand, Ric said he was going to the park, and left. Sonny said he knew it wasn’t easy and appreciated Jason making peace, but Jason said there would never be peace between him and Ric.

Ethan said he had to go, but please tell him that she understood, and Lulu said he’d always had her back. When she needed to leave town with her son, he’d come through, no questions asked. It was her turn to have his back. Did he need her to cover for him? He said, no. Just tell everyone he left town. She told him to be careful and keep in touch. He said, sure thing, and they hugged.

Anna told Emma that everything that had happened since October had been such a revelation. Before then, she would have said nothing could shock her, but she would have been wrong. Emma said she was sorry Anna had gone through so much, but Anna said it didn’t matter. She was back with her family now and was going to do everything she could to make sure they were never parted again. Emma asked if she really thought the WSB would leave her alone now, and Anna said she was going to talk to someone who was going to help her make sure of that.

Carly and Valentin clinked glasses, and she said, to you and getting the best of Jack. He said he just hoped he didn’t sell himself short, but she said he got what he wanted, right? His assets were unfrozen. He said, it was all too easy. Jack didn’t put up much of a fight. Whatever was in the box was obviously very valuable to him. Maybe somebody else. Maybe he should have talked to somebody else. Maybe he should have found another buyer. She asked if it wouldn’t have been treason if he’d sold the WSB secrets to the highest bidder, and he said, if it was a foreign government. He was talking about Nina. Remember when he and Charlotte went to Windymere? Nina and Jack were there. Carly said she thought Nina went with Jack because she felt guilty for sticking him with that paralytic drug, but Valentin said he thought it was more than that. He thought it was personal and that Nina would have paid for what was inside that box. She said he got his money back. Take the money. He said she was right and he was taking it, but he was just curious. What was inside that box that both Jack and Nina wanted? What did the two of them have in common?

Brook said she knew it was useless to appeal to Drew’s sense of decency since he had none, but she did hope for Scout’s sake that he kept his visits to their house few and far between. He said, don’t worry. He had no plans to spend time with anybody in that house, but he couldn’t say the same for Willow. He couldn’t talk and he couldn’t move, but he could sure listen. Willow wanted Chase back and from personal experience, she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Brook said it was ironic that it was her son who saved him from drowning, while he walked away from that same son’s father while he was having a heart attack. Her father could have died. He said, faking a heart attack came right out of the Quartermaine playbook. How was he supposed to know Ned really needed help? She said he was lucky Gio was a better man than him, but he said, no. He was lucky Gio wasn’t raised a Quartermaine and was nothing like the rest of them.

Lucas asked if Fitzpatrick ever played in a league, and Fitzpatrick asked if a movie fantasy league counted. They were surprisingly competitive. What about Lucas? Did he ever play softball? Lucas said, not in a while. So he was just hoping for a blowout either way because the last thing he wanted was to be up at the plate with the game on the line. Fitzpatrick’s phone chimed and he said he couldn’t believe it. He’d just made arrangements with a realtor to look at apartments today and forgot. He’d been blowing it off. Lucas said he knew what Fitzpatrick meant, and Fitzpatrick asked if he was looking for a place too. Lucas said, as Fitzpatrick knew, his living arrangements recently changed, but Elizabeth was determined to help him find the perfect place. She’d lived there practically her whole life and had a ton of ideas. If Fitzpatrick wanted, he could airdrop him the information she’d sent. (I smell either a budding romance or bromance here, and I like it.)

Elizabeth said she could never see the ball when it was in the air, and Dante said she had to use her glove in a way that blocked the sun, but not the ball. She said, then it would hit her in the head, but he said not if she did it right. He went around behind her to show her, lifting up her arm, when Ric saw them.

Fitzpatrick was about to leave and told Lucas that when he was up at the plate, choke up on the bat a little. It would add more control to his swing. At least that’s what Dante told him.

Ava told Danny that if Ethan showed up, throw a drink on him and tell him he blew it. The stranger made a call, and said he was calling from Express Shipping. He had a package for Mr. Ethan Lovett, but the address label appeared to be damaged. Is his address 247 Maple Street or 241 Maple Street? Lulu said, it was 247 Maple Street, but don’t bother delivering the package. Nathan Lovett doesn’t live here anymore. He asked if there was a forwarding address, but she said there wasn’t. He left the country. So it could be returned to the sender. The stranger looked annoyed.

Brook said Drew had been given a second chance, but he was just going to let petty grievances run his life. He said what had been taken from him was far from petty and he demanded justice. She said it sounded like revenge to her. Stay away from her family. He said, by the time he was done, the Quartermaines would be the ones who would lose everything, and she walked out.

Dante continued to coach Elizabeth while Ric watched from a distance. Britt arrived, struggling to carry all the equipment, and said, oh, help, as all the softballs tumbled from the bag. Elizabeth said Britt was late, but Britt said she was only one person. Elizabeth said they couldn’t play without the bases. Seriously, Britt needed to be on time so no one was waiting. It was rude to them and the other team. Dante said it was nice to see Britt was finally taking this seriously, while Ric continued to watch them.

Sonny said he got that Jason hated Ric, but he thought Jason understood that he needed them to work together. He thought that wouldn’t be a problem. Jason said it wouldn’t be… because he couldn’t work for Sonny anymore.

Valentin said he didn’t know what Nina and Jack were up to, and Carly said it was bad enough when they had to talk about Jack. She had absolutely no interest in anything Nina did. He said she and Nina had history, but she wasn’t jealous of Nina, and she said she would never be jealous of Nina. He said he wished he was as evolved as she was. He hated thinking that Sonny could talk her into dumping him for the sake of their daughter. She said no one told her who to be with. She took a huge chance at being with him and so far it had worked out. He said, so far. He took a huge chance too. She said it was a good thing they were right, and he said they had good instincts. They kissed, when Anna walked in.

On Monday, Dante tells Elizabeth that he used the power of office for personal gain; Josslyn tells Jack that he’s making himself vulnerable to a huge liability; Anna tells Valentin that he just got his freedom back and now was throwing it all away; and Jason tells Sonny that he’s going to prison if he’s lucky.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

What Scotty’s been up to and how Serina feels.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospital-finally-reveals-what-happened-to-scott-baldwin

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospitals-kelly-kruger-playing-serena-baldwin-feels-right-to-me

This startled me and I’m wondering why Soap Opera Digest didn’t have an article on it. Like, what happened? I liked that Ethan.

https://parade.com/news/general-hospital-ethan-role-recast-fans-reactions

Nope. Bring Vaughn back. It’s not like they haven’t worked around rules before.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/meet-general-hospitals-hudson-troy-lennon-appel-is-he-josslyns-new-love-interest

Geez. Give it a minute. I’m sure she’ll get what’s coming to her eventually. How about Drew? How long must we wait for his comeuppance?

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospital-fans-outraged-as-willow-escapes-consequences-for-drugging-drew

The ultimate soap hop.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/photos/13-general-hospital-stars-who-were-on-the-young-and-the-restless-first

I don’t remember him being with Kristen Alderson, but regardless, there’s some kind of irony or something here.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/chad-duells-exes-courtney-hope-and-kristen-alderson-collab-on-the-netflix-doc-trend

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck Mediterranean

Luke made the decision to leave the boat and Gen claimed she was going to be Zen Gen next charter. Joy was disappointed that Luke chose to leave, as she’d been hoping they could fix things throughout the rest of the season. He told her that they’d meet again, but she seemed pretty doubtful. In Luke’s final interview, he said, I hope I get to come on Captain Sandy’s boat again… You know what I mean. (BA-DUM-CHH!) Maybe he can get an interim gig as a stand-up comic. Suzanne found a match in Will, and apparently was pretty happy, since the crew got a $25K tip ($1900 each). In Cooper’s interview, he said part of him wanted to have fun being single, and when Eyebrows Joe asked how it was going with Kat, he said he wanted to take it slow. The crew night out was uneventful, except for Kat, who cornered Cooper in the rain on the restaurant terrace and dry begged for him to act like she was special. It seemed like he’d rather spend more time with random people than her, and she thought they’d been having fun. He must have said the right thing, since they cuddled on the boat later, but then again, it seems like these girls ultimately don’t care how the guys actually feel. They are on the same page, dammit! Being sleep deprived, Gael was having it rough and texted Nathan to get back to the Air BnB asap, and he left the group early. After a bad storm with very close lightning, in the morning, Nathan was late, not showing up until 10:30, but no one seemed to actually worry – like, maybe something happened to him in a foreign country or Gael murdered him – except for Captain Sandy. In the captain’s interview, she said, it’s very disrespectful, it’s unacceptable, and frankly, it’s out of character. She hoped everything was okay, but if he might have some explaining to do. Eyebrows Joe had a lot to say about Nathan in his interview – like it was bad behavior for a bosun and what kind of example was he setting – but sh*t sometimes happens and he’s the last dude who should judge anybody for anything. Starting to get nervous, since they were already a man down, Captain Sandy texted Nathan, who said he was on his way back. When Nathan arrived, he made a beeline to change and talk to the captain. My guess was that things did not go too well with Gael, the baby, or both, but to be continued…

In the City – Reunion Part 2

Andy asked if Danielle resented Lindsay for dating Carl after her, and Danielle said she’d rather have someone hate her to her face than behind her back, but she felt like Lindsay wasn’t done punishing her. I don’t remember Danielle dating Carl, but I have to admit I don’t always pay attention. Lindsay said she’d protected Danielle, but now that she had a kid, she had no time for this. Danielle had just popped up on the show. Danielle was like, there it is, and the topic of her dress for the wedding was brought up, the whole white/pink fiasco. Yvonne said Danielle had texted her a picture of the dress and she’d said it was fine, but Danielle had put her in an awkward position. This made no sense, since Danielle clearly asked if it was okay, giving Yvonne the option to say, no. And everyone knows the wedding is really for the bride and she gets whatever she wants. I had a friend who got married in Manhattan and the reception was at an upscale hotel. Black has also been considered a no when it comes to a wedding, but I’d wanted to wear a black cocktail dress. I asked first, she knew the dress, and said it was fine with her. I’m quite sure if it hadn’t been, she would have said so. No surprise, the topic of Amanda and West came up, and Danielle said Amanda had made a mistake. She never should have had a relationship with West when there was more sh*t to sort out with Kyle. Agreed, but I also think a good rule of thumb is to not date inside the friend group. This seems to cause nothing but problems. Amanda apologized for how she’d handled things and tried to justify shutting down at the Summer House Reunion. Eoin said no one asked about his divorce after the cameras were off, which is interesting since he was grilled about it at every opportunity during the season. We revisited Amanda moving out and rehashed that whole thing. The best thing – and perhaps worth watching for – was Kyle’s drinking being brought up and Andy saying he thought it was a problem. Thank you. I’ve been saying that since dinosaurs ruled the earth. Kyle tried to justify it, but Andy was not having it tonight. They ended with Kyle saying, summer should be fun.

The Valley

Brittany’s Victorian Vampire Masquerade Halloween party happened and the costumes were fabulous. So was the décor. Zack was called out for talking sh*t about Janet, and in Janet’s interview, she suggested Zack try being less full of sh*t and it won’t pop out unexpectedly. She thought he secretly liked her, but was struggling with it because Kristen and Nia didn’t want him to. Jesse was pissed that Janet introduced Isabella to a guy, but Janet said she’d brought Isabella to a real estate listing. When Lake called one of these interchangeable women, probably Michelle, a bitch, she said she was from New Jersey and they called everyone a bitch. I wasn’t born here, but I beg to differ. Maybe on the Jersey Shore show, which has a cast of people like I have never seen at the Shore. Nia said Zack was flip-floppy when it came to Janet, and Jason and Janet remarked on Danny’s drinking. Danny asked if Jason had never blacked out, and Janet said he’d never grabbed a woman’s ass while drunk. It escalated until Janet threw a cup at Danny, and Lala said she was just overshadowing his horrendous behavior. Brittany brought out a birthday cake for Janet, and Danny wondered why they were so obsessed with her. In Danny’s interview, he said he was a man of character and integrity. He didn’t want to be around people who brought out the worst in him. He was done. After I choked on my coffee, I thought, if you have to say you have character, you probably don’t. Here’s hoping Andy calls this one out too, come Reunion time.

Next Gen NYC

In Rowan’s interview, she said Charlie had a chokehold over the group. She could count on one hand the times they’d talked, but he was always talking about Emira. Shai tried to get Ava to model for his clothing line, but in Ava’s interview, she said she didn’t know if she had the capacity to put herself out there. Ariana said Shai told her that Rowan and Ava agreed he should tell Hudson about Liam, when – roll the video – they clearly hadn’t. In Brooks’s interview, he said he was seeing a side of Shai he hadn’t known existed. There was a spa day at Emira’s, and Ava said she and her boyfriend had broken up after she’d found out some info on him. She cried and the friends gathered around her. What did she expect from a guy named Hook. She was concerned since she’d never been financially responsible for herself. Alrighty then. Gio moved out, bringing her dog Bella with her. In Gia’s interview, she said she thought Bella had schizophrenia for dogs. She also talked about missing her dad. Ariana was meeting Liam’s parents, bringing along her roommate Austin and Brooks. It was also Liam’s birthday, but she felt it was too soon to bring a gift, so she brought a bottle of wine. Georgia went shopping with her brother Chuck, and in Georgia’s interview, she said he was a year and half older. They were Irish twins. Rowan met with her dad and showed him her script. He seems like a cool guy. Emira asked if Charlie said what Georgia said he did, that Kevin was a gay man, and Charlie said he didn’t remember, but might have. It depended on the context. What? Emira forgave him because she’s stupid. Seriously, all of them need to stop hanging around with this leach who is in the wrong age group anyway. He does nothing but cause trouble and spend other people’s money.

https://pagesix.com/video/next-gen-nyc-recap-arianas-hook-up-with-charlie-confirmed-gia-addresses-trump-backlash-more-vrt-unpacks-episode-6

Real Housewives Of London

This show makes me miss Ladies of London: The New Reign. It’s not the worst, but not high on the list either. I do like seeing all their fancy sh*t and the clothes… the clothes… Nessie was excited about the London Book Fair as she’d written a dinosaur cookbook for children. Juliet dressed up in dinosaur hoodie and surprised her. Panthea said she’d always wanted to be a fashion designer and was launching a line, and UK Juliet met Caroline Stanbury for some shopping. They mostly discussed their children going off to uni. Nessie met with Panthea for lunch, choosing a public space because, what’s the worst that could happen? Panthea said she saw through UK Juliet, but Nessie said everyone had been shocked by Panthea’s toxic behavior. Karen had a dinner party in a private room at upscale restaurant Isabel. Panthea wasted no time, questioning Amanda about her children and citing rumors. In Nessie’s interview, she said she thought Panthea got off on it, but at the end, Juliet and Panthea kinda sorta hugged it out.

Real Housewives Of Orange County

In Gina’s interview, she said you should follow your passion and she was passionate about making her and best friend look stupid on the internet. She and Emily were doing TikToks. Emily came over and Gina gave her birthday gifts of a double hoodie (for the two of them) and a candle called Smells Like My 40s Are Over. Emily told the Dior clutch tale, and Shannon and Fancy Pants Heather joined them. Fancy Pants said she’d needed to do an intervention with Shannon about her social media, and Gina suggested she do more TikToks. The group joined Tamra for her friend Fernanda’s class, the BBL workout. Afterward, Jenn talked about son’s delayed reaction to her divorce, and Fancy Pants said every situation and every kid was different. Vicki bemoaned her empty nest, with Michael in Spain and Breanna in Oklahoma. In new girl Carmella’s interview, she said, hustle was an understatement in the real estate game. It was a grind. The group went whale watching, sans Carmella, and Vicki told Fancy Pants to stop with her perfect self.  Shannon went early to Tamra’s taco party to help set up, and Fancy Pants told Emily that she thought Jenn was obsessed with Tamra. Again with this? Tamra had everyone decorate a box and anonymously put in each person’s box how they felt about them. This went out the window when they read the papers and everyone said which one was theirs. Although it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Not even close. Actually, surprisingly not insulting.

Random Reality Items

The most ironic restaurant name ever.

Stassi’s in the house.

https://www.justjared.com/2026/07/29/stassi-schroeder-addresses-issues-with-scheana-shay-on-vanderpump-rules-whether-shed-appear-on-new-show-house-of-stassi

https://www.glamour.com/story/stassi-schroeder-is-making-reality-tv-fun-again

All I need is $1,199,999 to go. Anyone want to kick in?

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

The Sheep Detectives. Amazon Prime. Cutest. Movie. Ever. Hugh Jackman is a shepherd named George who loves his sheep, even the winter lamb no one wants. He reads them mysteries as bedtime stories and when he turns up murdered, they decide to solve the crime, relying on what they’ve learned from the books. Using the hybrid live-action and CGI animation technique, the animals seem real, which alone makes this film fascinating. The story is clever and surprisingly lighthearted for a crime drama, although there are some poignant scenes, like when a sheep in his last moments sees George. The cast is perfection, and humor is sprinkled throughout. When the sheep have to cross the road – preceded by a chicken – it’s difficult since some of their feet have always touched grass. There are times when it’s even somewhat deep, like when they discover God is a shepherd and also a sheep. It’s a sweet film without being saccharine and I just loved it.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/fantasy-movies-july-2026-amazon-prime-video-the-sheep-detectives

https://omnivorous.substack.com/p/film-review-the-sheep-detectives

Willy’s Wonderland. Hulu. For this film, you need a lot of suspension of disbelief, but that doesn’t make it bad. Nicolas Cage has often chosen interesting vehicles (no Ghost Rider pun intended) and this is no exception. A drifter whose car has driven over a traffic spike strip, supposedly a teenage prank, gets his car fixed in a small town close by in exchange for clean-up duty at Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned amusement center much like Chuck E. Cheese. A place with a bad reputation and the scene of several murders, a group of teenagers is bound and determined to burn it down. In trying to get the drifter out first, they become trapped along with the him, and have to fight their way past the mechanical animals – and a fairy! – to get out. Not quite an hour and a half, it’s a quick and fun, albeit gory, free-for-all. I’ve always found both abandoned places and mechanical animals creepy, and this combines them nicely. And I now have the answer to my eternal question: Who’s gonna clean up this mess?

https://scholastic.nd.edu/issues/review-willys-wonderland

https://www.southernthing.com/where-was-willys-wonderland-filmed-2652634923.html

My Grandfather Charles Manson. Hulu. In this documentary, Sophia Maddox is on a quest to find out more about her bloodline as her father is Charles Manson’s son. There probably aren’t many facts we don’t know already, but there are plenty of interviews from people who were there back in the day to hold the viewer’s interest. I was always somewhat fascinated with The Family and Manson’s hold over many impressionable girls, and thought I’d heard everything there was to hear, but I was wrong. It also tugs at the heartstrings, as this poor girl is so sweet, yet so concerned she might be like her grandfather in some way. I don’t need to have a psyche degree to be able to tell her that she’ll be just fine.

https://stephensilver.substack.com/p/my-grandfather-charles-manson-is

https://www.tvinsider.com/1276613/my-grandfather-charles-manson-hulu-documentary-explained

https://people.com/la-woman-shocking-discovery-grandfather-charles-manson-exclusive-12020641

🔮 Watch Of the Future…

This sounds totally bizarre. I’m in.

https://ew.com/alexander-skarsgard-nipples-wicker-trailer-exclusive-12030562

⚰️ Bring Out Your Dead…

Some trickles of tea from The Walking Dead franchise.

https://ew.com/jeffrey-dean-morgan-lauren-cohan-respond-walking-dead-romance-rumors-12026816

https://ew.com/the-walking-dead-dead-city-massive-change-season-3-exclusive-11966287

https://ew.com/emily-kinney-walking-dead-return-as-beth-first-photos-footage-exclusive-12024893

🦹‍♂️ And Your Deadpool

Or in this case, Jeanpool.

https://ew.com/ryan-reynolds-crashes-avengers-doomsday-comic-con-panel-jean-pool-12027056

https://ew.com/ryan-reynolds-went-undercover-as-deadpool-to-walk-comic-con-floor-with-fans-12027702

🐶 Three Interesting Tales…

🐾 What better place to find your soulmate?

https://people.com/stars-who-adopted-animals-they-met-at-work-11948956

🦈 He was happy about Shark Week.

https://people.com/great-white-shark-leaps-behind-boogie-boarder-off-california-beach-12030476

🦔 And who doesn’t love a hedgehog?

https://people.com/firefighters-break-through-concrete-to-free-a-hedgehog-stuck-in-a-drain-12027752

🦚 Quotes of the Week

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. – Thomas Jefferson

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night. – Terri Guillemets

You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.Richard Bach (I’m not too sure about that past thing… Maybe a different viewpoint of the past.)

I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. – Vincent van Gogh

Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. – Theodore Vail

No eating the crime scene. – Lilly (Julia Louis Dreyfuss), The Sheep Detectives

🧗 Hanging At the Top Of Summer…

Until next time, stay safe; stay never leaving a pet in a car when it’s hot (or just never period); and stay finding a middle ground and compromise. Don’t see the extremes. They never let anyone win.

Video > The First Day In August

July 5, 2024 – Kristina Confronts Natalia, Celebration, VanderSuit, Woe Is Her, A Tease, Dead Talk, Possible Return, Responding, Almost Here, If They’re Lost, Pets (!) At the Polls, Close To 10 Quotes & Woman

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Drew sees Jordan at the pool, and says, she rarely leaves the Deputy Mayor’s office, so she must be undercover. She asks if she looks like she’s dressed for wearing a wire. Even her cell phone is in her locker. He says, she’s really just here to relax, and she says she is indeed. Laura asked her to take over one of the meetings for her. So many suits and so many horrible people wearing them. They were angry when they were done, but when the receptionist told them they don’t validate, she thought they were going to burst into flames. He bets she misses her old job, and she says, they do use nicer language, but after subbing for Laura at the mayor’s conference in DC and that dumpster fire of a meeting she just had, Laura told her to take the rest of the day off. For once, she took Laura up on it. What about him? He says he just took a chance to get some pool time in and take advantage of the last few days before he makes his announcement. Once he officially runs for Congress, he’s going to have to get his laps in at like 6 in the morning because the days are going to be crazy. She says, on the upside, at least he’ll probably have the pool to himself. And she’s thrilled for him, and for them when he wins. The campaign trail awaits.

Trina and Josslyn unpack at the new apartment, while Dex brings in boxes. He asks if Josslyn is sure all this came from the one dorm room, and she says, most of it, yes. That’s why it was so comfortable. He says, when he transferred units in the army, he had one backpack and one small bag, and she says she knows he’s making a point about packing light, but that just makes her sad for him. Trina says, it does. One cute pillow, and your tent becomes a home. He says, only if it’s really cute, and she says she was thinking about turning one of her bedroom walls into a gallery wall. He says, she has the space and the light, and she says, look at him, appreciating light. And her work is done. Josslyn says, there are some tools they might need in the garage. She and Dex can grab them. She and Dex leave, and Trina opens a box, taking out the Molyneaux art book that Spencer gave her. She looks at the inscription and closes it again. Gio walks in, and it falls off her lap onto the floor.

Maxie and Brook walk into Maxie’s office, and Maxie says she knows trolls live to be nasty, but some of these comments… Brook says, are over-the-top, even for a bunch of losers who don’t have lives. Maxie says, some of the lies they’re writing about Blaze and Deception… Brook says, make you want to track them down, and Maxie says, and teach them a lesson? She doesn’t know what’s worse. The homophobic trolls who are spamming them… Brook says, or the Deception customers that feel deceived and betrayed that Blaze wasn’t transparent. Because somehow, they’re entitled to know every single thing about her life, whether she wants them to or not. Maxie says, check this one out. Deception, it’s all in the name. She guesses they kind of walked into that one. Brook says, judging from all of the similar comments, she guesses they did. Trolls aren’t a particularly imaginative bunch, are they? Maxie says, no. This is a bona fide disaster. She hates that any Deception customers would think they want Blaze to hide who she really is. Brook says, or that Deception would be anything but supportive of the LGBTQ community, and Maxie says, it goes against who they are, personally and professionally, or as a brand. Brook says she feels so terrible for Blaze. Her mother knew the truth about her and still said those things. Maxie asks how much she thinks that had to hurt, and Brook says she can’t imagine. She talked to Blaze about being open with her fans, but she just wasn’t ready. Maxie says, and Brook respected that, but let’s be honest. She wasn’t ready because of her mom. And if it was up to Natalia, Blaze would never be ready. Brook says, probably not, but Blaze deserved to decide if and when she wanted to come out. She remembers a time when outing people was a thing. She hated it then and she hates it now. Maxie says she hated every single word that came out of Natalia’s mouth, but this is between Natalia and Blaze, and they deserve the space to navigate this privately. Someone took that away from them.

Kristina knocks at Natalia’s hotel room door, and Natalia lets her in. Kristina says, if Natalia wants to hate her, fine, she can. She doesn’t like Natalia much either right now, but she’ll survive. But what Natalia has just done to her daughter, to Allie, the person she loves, is unforgivable. Natalia says she didn’t know… and Kristina says, she didn’t know what? That she was being recorded? Of course (🍷) not. At the top of the list of the things she doesn’t know, she doesn’t even know her own daughter. Allie is amazing. She’s so special. How could she do this, reduce Allie to the things she said about her? Natalia is her mother. She’s supposed to protect her. What’s wrong with her?

Dante knocks at Sonny’s office door, and Sonny says, what can I do for you, officer? Dante says he just wanted to check in on Sonny; see how he’s doing. Sonny says, he checked in. He did his duty. He can tell the Commissioner he’s doing nothing. Dante says, so Natalia, huh? He knows Sonny liked her. He took her to the wedding, and it seemed like they were having a good time. Sonny says, that doesn’t mean he didn’t hate what she said on that recording, and Dante says, that makes two of them. Sonny says, but who he despises is Ava, because it was Ava’s fault, and he’s going to hurt her in ways she doesn’t even know.

Maxie says, to be honest, she’s said some things she wouldn’t want recorded and broadcast to the world, and Brook says, not her. She’s always been thoughtful and kind. Maxie says, she’s a real angel, and Brook says, even as a joke, it’s not believable. Maxie agrees and tells her, what Natalia said is out there on the internet forever and she can’t take that back, even if she wanted to. Brook says she doesn’t know how Natalia and Blaze move past this, try to repair their relationship, if they even can. Maxie says, they need to figure out how they can turn this around. Otherwise, Natalia’s comments are going to cancel Blaze and Deception. They need to shore up the company, figure out how to turn their public image around, and save their customer base. Otherwise… Brook says, otherwise, they lose everything, for everyone, including them and their careers. Maxie says, they’ll do whatever they can to support Blaze, and Brook says she’s sensing a but. Maxie says, but with everything going on, she senses that maybe they should take a break from Blaze being the Face of Deception.

Natalia asks if Kristina is done. Or does Kristina need her to order some room service so she can keep her energy up to keep yelling? Kristina asks if she’s actually making a joke right now, but Natalia says she’s taking this very seriously. Kristina says, but in her world, gay people aren’t serious about life. They’re not serious about it at all, right? That’s what she said. The alphabet soup that they call themselves? They’re very flighty? She will give Natalia this. She packed a hell of a lot of homophobia into one sentence. Natalia says, no. It was reckless and it was wrong of her to voice her private thoughts to somebody she barely knew. Kristina asks how she could even think them to begin with, and Natalia says she didn’t grow up the way Kristina did. She can’t change that and she’s not going to apologize for having grown up in a different way than Kristina did. Kristina says, part of her life she lived with her daughter. Allie is none of the things she said. She is the hardest working woman and she’s more serious about her career than anybody Kristina knows. And flighty? She doesn’t even know where Natalia got that. Natalia says, maybe she wasn’t referring to Allie.

Gio tells Trina, must be some book. It looked like she was far away from here. She says she was just caught up in a memory, and he says, a good one he hopes. She says, Spencer gave her this book. He was really into art and not the way people say they are. He really understood how important it was. Gio says, art was something they shared then, and she puts the book back in the box. She says, it really was, and they sit on the window seat. She says, Spencer traveled too. He’d actually been to places she’d dreamed of, and she used to imagine a future with him, and now none of it will ever happen. And even though she knows he’s gone, sometimes she looks up and expects to see him coming through the door. He says, it’s like you can still feel the person you lost. Sometimes you can only feel their absence.

Dante asks what Ava did now that’s got Sonny out for her blood, and Sonny says, Natalia showed up at his place to drop off something. She got to talking to Ava, and Ava recorded the conversation, and sent it to The Invader. Dante says, Ava’s behind that recording. He gets that she’s capable of worse, but why would she even bother doing this? Sonny says, because she’s jealous that he took Natalia to the wedding, and Dante says, so he was supposed to take Ava? So she’s going to completely wipe her memory of all sorts of things the Falconaris wouldn’t be forgetting about. Sonny says, he wasn’t going to offend Connie’s family by bringing Ava to the wedding. He told Ava that and made it very clear. But now that she’s gearing up for a custody battle, she’ll do anything to hurt him. Dante says, maybe he’s right about that, and Sonny says, you want to come after me, you’re an idiot. You want to come after my daughters, you’re a dead man. Dante says he gets that Sonny is furious right now. And what Ava’s done to Kristina definitely crosses the line. Sonny says he’ll take care of it. Dante can go ahead and go. Dante says he’s not going anywhere, and Sonny asks if he has a warrant. Dante asks, for what? and Sonny says, if he doesn’t have a warrant, then Dante needs to get out of his place. Does Dante want Sonny to make him leave? Dante says he’s just been shot again, and almost died again, so maybe they can save the threats and hating each other for never. Because that’s not what they do with each other. Sonny says, Dante told him a long time ago that a guy like him couldn’t live in his law-and-order life, so get out of his life, and Dante says he’s sorry, but no. Sonny says, who is Dante to come in here and say no to him? and Dante says, his son. And he loves Sonny, unfortunately, okay? So when Sonny hurts, he hurts. He knows Sonny is full of whatever it is right now – rage, aggression, he’s ready to pop. He feels like he needs to do something. He doesn’t. And the last thing Dante needs is to walk out that door and let Sonny do something that’s going to destroy him.

Jordan asks what Scout thinks about Drew’s campaign plan, but he says, she doesn’t know yet. She asks if he doesn’t think she’ll know when she turns on the TV and sees ads that say he’s running for office, and he says he just wants to make sure he’s got things lined up before he tells her. She says, it could be a challenge, and he says, Scout isn’t running for office. It’s really important that she just gets to be a regular kid. She says, this could be a pretty unique opportunity for the both of them. He could take Scout on the road with him, and she could see a political campaign in action. Hearts are going to melt when the voters see him and Scout together. She has no doubt Scout is going to be his secret weapon in this campaign. Curtis approaches them and says, Drew had his vote, even before he knew Scout was on the ticket, and Jordan says, what did she tell him? Curtis apologizes for being late. He was on the phone with the architect. But it’s nice to see that the Deputy Mayor got started without him. She says she’ll have him know she’s off the clock, and he says, she could never resist a good strawberry daiquiri. She says, why would she? They’re even delicious when they’re virgin. Drew suggests he and Curtis get in and start doing laps before they end up with margaritas in their hands, and Jordan says she’s going to soak up the sun, enjoy her drink, and maybe order some chips and guac. Curtis says, that’s just playing dirty, and he and Drew get ready to go in the pool.

Gio says he lost his mom when he was 10, and Trina says she’s so sorry. He thanks her and says, she was a musician, a violinist. She was his first violin teacher. She was great. She was a great mom too. She says, people always say that, but when he says it, she believes it. He says, it’s really true. He and his mother were like their own little family inside this big Cerullo clan. And then one day, she was gone. She says, then you’re stuck wondering how someone could just fill up your whole world and disappear all at once, and he says, that’s how it was with his mom. He didn’t mean to get them so off-track. She tells him not to apologize. She gets it. He says he knows she does, and gets up. It’s pretty hot outside, so he thinks he’s going to grab some waters from the house. She thanks him, and he leaves.

Kristina says, so she’s the flighty gay who’s not very serious? If Natalia thinks that about her, then Natalia knows less about her than she does her own daughter, which is saying a lot. Natalia says, that’s funny, because Kristina has a whole lot to say for someone who’s just seen a teeny tiny snapshot of a decades’ long relationship with her daughter. She carried her daughter in her body. She loved her before she was even born. Kristina says, then why can’t Natalia love her right now for exactly who she is? and Natalia says she does love her. She loves her very much. Kristina says, that’s not how it works. You don’t get to love somebody by picking and choosing pieces of them that you’re going to accept and expecting them to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of. Natalia says, it’s pretty easy for Kristina to stand here and lecture her about things she knows nothing about, and Kristina asks what she’s even talking about. Natalia says, let’s see where Kristina is at in about twenty years, when that baby she’s carrying is hurting, and she would do anything, even if it means them hating her, to spare them the tiniest bit of pain. She knows Kristina isn’t having this baby because she wants to be a mother. She just thinks Kristina is in for some pretty big surprises. Kristina says, Natalia doesn’t know anything about why she’s carrying this child. She’s doing this for her sister because she loves her, and she’s never been more serious about anything in her entire life.

Dante says, Sonny knows he has to stay calm and take the emotion out of it. Think while the other guy’s reacting. He wants to do something he might regret because of Ava? That’s not like him. Sonny says, it’s not like him to let Ava live under his roof, and the only reason he did it was because he needed somebody to talk to. Dante says, Sonny is going through something right now and she was there. So was Avery. Maybe it felt like Sonny had his little family. Sonny says, the Jeromes aren’t his family. His family is dead because of them. Connie was murdered… Morgan… Ava messed with his medication. And he still, for whatever reason, made sure she was safe. Dante says, it seems to be what Sonny does, and Sonny says, what Ava does is stab him in the back, again, and hurt the people closest to him.

Curtis and Drew come out of the pool, and Curtis says he knows it’s been a while since they swam laps together, but Drew is part dolphin. Drew says, Curtis used to swim laps just fine. He’s going to get it back. Curtis says, remember he said that. He’s swimming laps with Drew from now on. He’s going to get his strength back. He can’t have Drew flapping his pruney feet in his face. Drew says he loves it, but Curtis says, Drew might love it less when Curtis starts flapping him. Drew says he’ll deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, he wants to tell Curtis that his congressional campaign starts with the Quartermaines’ July 4th picnic. Curtis says, he’ll be there cheering Drew on, and Drew says he knows, and he appreciates that. He also wants Curtis to know that he appreciates all the work he’s been taking on with the wellness division rollout. It’s been pretty much all him. Curtis says, alone is fine. Fewer people to butt heads with. Drew says, whatever he’s doing is working. He locked in the flagship property and also narrowed the target markets for the rollout. Curtis asks, what can he say? He loves the work. He loves what he’s doing. But Drew needs to focus on that congressional seat. It does no good to run a great campaign only to come in second. Drew says he only plans on doing the first part of that, and Curtis says, good. Because the woman he’s running against, Chelsea Grimes, is a populist reactionary. He’s convinced she’s only running to gratify her ego and to gain a few followers. Drew says, so her idea of public service is using the public services to get more for her, and Curtis says, pretty much. So when Drew accepted that nomination, he took on the responsibility of taking that woman down, and he’s going to do everything in his power to make it happen. Drew thanks him.

Josslyn slips off a chair while taking down a smoke alarm, but Dex catches her. She thanks him, and he says, happy to help. What is she doing? She says she’s changing the battery, not the smoke alarm. This one lasts five years, so you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and turn it off a million times. He suggests getting a real ladder, but she says, no. She almost had it. He just has to spot her. He says he’s here to help, and she says, thank God. When she said she and Trina could do this themselves, she might have been a little bit over-confident. She still thinks they can do it. They just might need another week. He asks if he’s hearing she’s happy he’s helping, even though she’s too stubborn to ask for it, and she says, her? Stubborn? He sounds crazy. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Blaze comes to Maxie’s office, and Brook asks if she texted, but Blaze says, no. She just showed up. She hopes she’s not interrupting. Brook says, no. They were just talking… Through her tears, Blaze says she’ll keep this brief. She’s so sorry about the things her mother said, and she’s so sorry for her decision to stay closeted for so long. Brook takes her hand, and Blaze says, it’s pretty clear she’s a liability to Deception, and that’s the last thing she wants. So she resigns.

Natalia says, maybe Kristina is able to just have that baby and hand it off and move on with her life and be completely indifferent to it. But her babies were her life. They still are. There wasn’t a single day she wasn’t grateful for them, not a single day. Her children are the best part of her. She didn’t just stop loving them or caring about their happiness even though they no longer needed her for their literal survival. Kristina says, her love is limited, and she can’t love Allie for who she is, and Natalia says she’s struggling to accept something she wasn’t raised to believe in. Kristina says, that gay people existed? and Natalia says, no, that gay people were confused. She tears up and says, that there was something not right, that they chose to be the way they were. It was wrong. Kristina says, okay, but she has to know now that’s not true. There’s science and genetics. It’s proven. Natalia says, it takes time to reconcile a past with a present that’s so different from what’s ingrained. So she’s sorry she’s not doing that quickly enough for Kristina. Kristina says, it’s not that Natalia’s not doing it quick enough. It’s that she’s a bigot because she’s choosing to be a bigot. She can blame her upbringing all she wants, but the reason she’s a bigot is her. And while she’s working so hard to become a decent human being, her daughter is hurting and she is in pain, and Natalia is the reason for that.

Josslyn says she’s never going to admit she’s stubborn because she’s not, and Dex says, she wins. She’s a human willow tree. She says, let’s not go that far. She’s just saying that she can adjust her attitude to situations or new information as it presents itself. He says, good to know, and she says, no one knows everything and no one’s perfect. He says, she comes pretty close though, and moves closer to her. He’s crazy about her just the way she is. They kiss, and she says she doesn’t want to rush this. He says, him either. That’s not true. He does want to rush it, but he won’t risk messing it up. She kisses him, when Trina and Gio walk in.

Nina sees Drew talking to Curtis, and tells Jordan, good afternoon, Deputy Mayor. It’s nice to see her out of her office. Jordan says she has to admit, it’s nice seeing sunlight for a while, and Nina says she hopes Jordan is enjoying the amenities. She looks over at Drew and Curtis, and adds, the view, and Jordan says she would prefer a view with fewer ex-husbands in it, but she guesses she can’t complain. Nina says she hopes Jordan enjoys herself. She deserves it. Jordan thanks her and says she thinks so too.

Nina goes over to Drew, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but something’s come up and she wonders if they can speak. Drew asks, what’s going on? and Nina says, Blaze’s mother made some homophobic remarks and outed Blaze in the process. Clearly, the remarks were made in private, but The Invader got ahold of them and now they are everywhere. Social media has piled on from every conceivable corner. They are desperately trying to make this into a scandal. He asks what she wants to do, and she says, as publisher, she’s already done it. She held the Crimson print run, so she could give Deception time to pull the Blaze ad and replace it with a simple two-page statement – no one cancels love. He asks what kind of a delay in publication they’re talking about, and she says, twenty-four hours, give or take. So what does he think?

Dante says he hates what’s happened to Kristina, but he’s not worried about her because she’s a fighter. She’s a protector. He guesses he could say she got that from Sonny. Sonny says, all Kristina gets from him are mistakes, his mistakes. The first mistake was letting Ava back in his life. The second mistake was letting her live in his house. All that matters is Avery and he could have found a different way to keep her safe. Dante says, okay, but if he’s saying his different way would have been something happening to Ava, how does he think that would work out for Avery if something happened to her mom? Sonny says, it would have been the best thing for everyone. Avery’s mom is like the rest of the family, but everybody judges him. But he has a code. What does Dante want? Blood on the streets? Does he want drugs everywhere? That’s the Jeromes. Dante says, what’s sad is that the Jeromes aren’t around anymore, and Sonny says, Olivia Jerome’s bomb could have been the one that killed Morgan, but it doesn’t really matter because it was Ava who messed with his medication. Dante says, Olivia was a bona fide psychopath, and Sonny says, so is Ava. She just puts a face on it. That’s what makes her more dangerous. Dante says, now they know everything she’s capable of, okay? but Sonny says, they don’t know for sure. Look what she did to Connie. Look what she did to Morgan. How does he know she’s not going to do something to Avery? Dante says, she loves Avery. She’s not going to hurt her. Sonny says, Ava is what she is, the last of the Jeromes. And he’s going to take that last cycle down.

Natalia says, Kristina has every right to question the things she said. But don’t dare ever question her love for her daughter. Kristina asks, exactly where was that love in the things Natalia said about her? She has no idea what she lost. Allie is amazing, and unlike Natalia, Kristina appreciates and accepts her for the gift she is. Natalia says she thinks she’s seen and heard enough of Kristina for a lifetime, and honestly, the only reason she let Kristina go on this long is out of respect for her father. Kristina says, but not out of respect for her own daughter? That is consistent. Natalia is right. They are done. Natalia is a prisoner of her own prejudice and wouldn’t even free herself if someone was handing her the key. Natalia says, that’s enough. Come on. Kristina picks up her bag, and Natalia says, tell her daughter that she loves her, but Kristina says, nobody needs the kind of love Natalia has, and she’s going to make sure Allie doesn’t need Natalia again for anything. She walks out.

Maxie says, Blaze has nothing to be sorry for. They’re sorry she’s going through this. Her heart hurts for Blaze. Blaze says she appreciates that, and Maxie says, they were talking though. Given everything that’s going on, they think it might be a good strategy for Blaze to pause being the Face of Deception. Brook says, they’ll hit the ground running in the fall and let everything die down a little. Blaze says she doesn’t think… Brook’s phone chimes, and she says she’s sorry. She steps away, and Blaze tells Maxie that she appreciates them trying to keep her on, but she doesn’t think it’s the right move. Brook comes back and says she’s so sorry. The label just made an announcement. They’re dropping her. Blaze says, so that’s it then. There’s no reason for her to be the Face. Not anymore. Maxie says, that’s not true at all, and Brook says, absolutely not. They believe in her. They know what she has to offer. Blaze says, which is nothing without her music. They don’t want to say it, but they know it’s true. Maxie says, what she knows is, they’ve been counted down and out several times. And Lucy has come back a miraculous and upsetting number of times. Blaze is going to love when it happens. They live for payback. That’s not Deception’s official motto, but lowkey, it really is. Blaze thanks them both, and leaves. Brook and Maxie look at each other.

Drew tells Nina, this is really a tough situation. Not only for Deception, but also Crimson. He thinks she made the right call. She says she was concerned he be worried about the cost, and he says, normally, he would be, but in this case, he’s very impressed with the compassion she’s shown Blaze. And he thinks it’s a better business decision in the long run. It’s better to hold off for 24-hours and issue a statement of tolerance, than rush to meet the deadline and walk right into a firestorm. Nina thanks him, and he thanks her. Curtis says, Nina is real good with PR. It’s no small thing. This guy – he points to Drew – could use her help with his congressional campaign. She’d be a valuable asset. Jordan says, sorry to interrupt their meeting, but Drew’s phone is blowing up. She hands it to him, and says, he got five messages in the time it took her to walk over here. He looks at it, and Jordan asks if he’s okay. He says, yeah. It’s all good. Curtis says, he’s not really selling the all-good part, and Drew laughs. He says, it’s just that the name change is now legal and official. They’re now looking at Drew Quartermaine.

Trina sings as she and Gio put pillows on the couch. He stops to listen and she stops singing. He asks why she stopped. It was great. She has a fantastic voice. She says she doesn’t know about that. She loves to sing, but she usually saves it for her shower. He says, showers usually have good acoustics, and she says, the point of hers is that it has her alone in it. He says, she’s lucky. You can’t play the violin with the water running. She says, give her a break. When it comes to music, he’s like on a completely different level. He says he doesn’t think that at all. Trina’s voice is an instrument, and if an instrument gives you joy, that’s all that matters. She tells him that he has to say that because he’s her friend, but he tells her that he doesn’t say anything about music he doesn’t mean. She asks who he listens to, and he lists several musicians and says, and of course (🍷) Roman. She says, a legend, and he says, and her? Legend category. She says, Aretha, and he says, hard to imagine anyone giving her anything but R-E-S-P-E-C-T. They laugh.

Josslyn and Dex come back with a six-pack of beer, and says, it’s to christen the place. They each take a bottle, and Gio says, absolutely. Who wants to do it? Trina says she will. To good friends, independence, and new adventures. Josslyn says, cheers, and they clink bottles.

Brook says she can’t believe Blaze’s label dropped her. (Doesn’t Lois work for a music label?) They caved in to an anonymous mob. Maxie says, a mob who’s going to move on to somebody else’s mess in a few hours. She meant what she said. She’s not giving up on Blaze and neither will Deception. Brook says, but Blaze doesn’t want to be a model. She wants to be a singer. She is a singer. Maxie says she knows. It’s her passion. Brook says she may have lost her chance to sing, but there’s no way she’s letting Blaze lose hers.

Kristina comes home to find Blaze there and asks if something happened. She’s sorry. She means, did something else happen? Blaze starts to cry and says her label dropped her. It’s over. Everything she poured her heart and soul into for years. This was the thing her mother wanted for her more than anything else and now it’s gone. Kristina holds her as she cries.

Dante says, if Sonny goes after Ava, he’s going to cut his own throat. If he wants to beat her, he’s got to pull it together. Everyone needs him to pull it together.

On Monday, Laura says she’s putting all her faith in the experts’ opinions; Dante tells Sam that this might make it look like she’s got something to hide; Sasha says, this is about a thing that can only end in disaster; and Tracy wonders, who the hell invited her?

🎉 It’s Their Day Off Too…

I’m guessing we all celebrated pretty much the same way.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-the-stars-celebrated-independence-day

🍸 Just a Little Thirsty…

Normally, I’d never agree with Sandoval, but yeah, she’s just trying to extend her fame. If you want to call that fame.

⚖️ Make Good Choices…

Maybe she and Rachel Raquel can get together.

https://okmagazine.com/p/brandi-glanville-no-choice-sue-bravo-health-legal-issues/

🪝 Don’t Want To Know…

This might be a little too surreal.

https://www.etonline.com/surreal-life-villa-of-secrets-trailer-teases-kim-zolciak-and-chet-hanks-hookup-228311

⚰️ All Kinds Of Dead…

The longest interview ever. Centuries in the making.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/interview-with-the-vampire-season-2-finale-streaming-amc

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-rolin-jones-sam-reid-season-2-finale-season-3-preview-exclusive-8670980

Like we didn’t know.

https://ew.com/interview-with-the-vampire-cast-where-are-they-now-8671571

Directing the Dead.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/lauren-cohan-to-direct-episode-of-the-walking-dead-dead-city-season-2-01j17mb26vg0

In case you missed him.

https://undeadwalking.com/posts/exclusive-andrew-lincoln-talks-the-ones-who-live-uk-release-in-this-exclusive-interview-01hyxhmh47by

Not sure why this is being rehashed. It’s a little late. Like years.

https://comicbookmovie.com/tv/amc/the-walking-dead/the-walking-dead-star-andrew-lincoln-reveals-the-moment-he-thinks-zombie-series-over-egged-the-omelette-a211820

🧹 You Can’t Keep a Good Witch Down…

I want Binx back.

https://ew.com/hocus-pocus-3-bette-midler-teases-return-winifred-8670794

👟 Get Off His Jackson…

You know what they say about opinions.

https://www.etonline.com/colman-domingo-responds-to-michael-jackson-biopic-criticism-exclusive-228383

🦸🏼‍♂️ It Won’t Be Long Now…

This looks like it’s definitely going to be the best one.

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cover-story-cameos-future-marvel-mutants-ryan-reynolds-hugh-jackman-8672079

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-cameos-shawn-levy-a-lot-of-characters-8672625

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-star-ryan-reynolds-teases-taylor-swift-cameo-with-new-social-media-post-a211803

🐕 Finding Them…

What to do if, God forbid, your pet got or gets lost.

* Check animal shelters not just in your direct area. Pets can travel far when scared.

* Check Craigslist in case someone found them and is looking for you or are trying to sell them.

* Put posters up ASAP all over the place with a good pic of pet and a good description with your contact info.

🐢 Bring Your Pet To Vote Day…

I think I recognize that tortoise.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2503exwrwlo

🦜 Quotes of the Week

Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary. – Uta Hagen

Whatever you are, try to be a good one. – William Makepeace Thackeray

Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen. – Amy Winehouse

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.Stephen Hawking

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.Les Brown

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. – Marie Curie

Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music. – Jimi Hendrix

We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, love with full sincerity, believe with true faith, and hope with all of your might. Better to have lived in truth and discovered life, than to have lived half-heartedly and died long before you ever ceased breathing.  – Cristina Marrero

Why is my bowl full of non-football related foods on Superbowl Sunday? – Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill), Modern Family

🍔 Life Liberty and the Pursuit Of Barbecue…

Follow your happiness this weekend and join me on Monday for soap and messiness on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay never leaving a pet in a hot car, and stay not expecting someone you love to hide away the parts of themselves you don’t approve of.

April 18, 2022 – Valentin Returns From His Recovery, Emotionally Drained On Deck, Dead Talk, This Year’s Festivities & Blue

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brad brings a food tray over to an outside table, and Britt says, carbs, sugar, and sugar. He says, they need energy, and she asks if it isn’t a bit overboard. He says, it’s not every day he gets to help his bestie find the love of her life. Pull up those matches, and lets pull some in.

Anna thanks Laura for coming by on such short notice, and Laura says she’s happy to do it. It actually gives Jake and Aiden some guy time with Grandpa Kevin. They join Felicia and Robert in the living room, and Anna says, she and Felicia just got back, and they have some information they wanted to share. Felicia says, they have a lead on the Ice Princess, and Laura asks if they found the diamond. Anna says, they did, and they should both know, a suspect has been arrested in regard to Luke’s murder.

At the hospital, Elizabeth calls over to Portia, and says, they have a problem.

Harmony goes to Brendon’s hotel room, and flashes back on him saying that Neil kept her file in a lockbox that he got when Neil died. He had no idea Neil had incriminating information on Harmony, such as her daughter Willow not really being her daughter. A housekeeper comes by, and asks if she can help Harmony. Is she a guest?

As Finn stacks the chairs after an AA meeting, Alexis tells him that she’s sorry she didn’t get to say hi earlier. He says, that’s okay, and she says, his understanding is very moving. She would have been there on time, but she got held up at work. He says, trouble in the Fourth Estate? and she says, pushy freelancer. He asks if she’d care to share.

Curtis sits on the bench at Pier 54, the new hangout, and flips a chip in his hands. He flashes back to telling Selena that his last term is non-negotiable. There will be no games unless she gets him the information he asked for. She tells him, then they have a deal, and they shake hands. He gets up just as Jordan walks through.

Harmony tells the housekeeper, she just checked in and seems to have lost her key. She digs in Brendon’s bag, and says she found it. She shows the housekeeper the keycard, and the housekeeper tells her to enjoy her stay. She lets herself into the room.

Alexis tells Finn that she invited Harmony to live with her, and he asks how Kristina took that. She says, better than Sam, and he says, ow. She says, Harmony was a good friend to her at Spring Ridge, so she wanted to help her out. He says, being a friend is one thing; letting them move in is… She says, temporary. It’s just until Harmony finds a place of her own. It turns out that Harmony has more than a familiarity with her house. She’s apparently been there before, knew her way around… when she was trying to recruit Kristina, that whole Dawn of Day thing. After all the time she spent with Harmony at Spring Ridge, Alexis thought she knew her, and now that Harmony is living in her house, she doesn’t feel like she knows Harmony at all.

Robert asks, so who was it? and Anna says, they arrested Jennifer Smith. He says, Jennifer Smith killed Luke? and she asks him to please hear her out, because it is possible actually. Not only was the diamond found in her safe, the WSB has information connecting her to the cable car inspector who caused the accident that killed Luke. He asks why Jennifer would kill Luke, and Felicia says, it was no secret that Jennifer still carried a torch for Luke. They were thinking she stole the Ice Princess to lure him back to her, but unfortunately, her scheme went south and he was killed in the process. Robert asks if she’s working with Victor, but Anna says, as of now, there’s no evidence that she was. He says, so with all the evidence collected over all these months, do they really believe they’ve found justice for their friend?

Brad says, obviously, the duckpin bowler is out, and Britt says, obviously. Too bad though; he’s pretty. Brad says, yeah, but he’s way too proud of those pins. Swipe. Number two’s got a nice jawline. She says, but her mother says that’s a sign of weakness. He says, she showed these to her mother? and she says, her mother was overjoyed to help. Unfortunately, she has different criteria than Britt does. Brad says, obviously. He supposes one could do worse than Scotty, and she says, given her mother’s history, he’s a step up. He says, number three seems adventurous. Danger’s sexy, right? She says, why? Because he likes to go skydiving and mountain climbing. Those are all outdoor activities. He says, sorry. He thought Jason had opened her up to more adventurous things. She says, yeah, like crossing international borders with falsified documents, not whatever that is. She points to the tablet, and Brad says, it’s called spelunking. She says, it sounds like something private, and he asks if they should keep doing this. Everyone’s boring after a killer for hire. She says, Jason was not a hired killer, and he says, right. That was a steady job. How about if they do it like this. What is her selection criteria? She has six perfectly good matches here, and she isn’t into any of them. Does she even want to meet someone?

Elizabeth says she’s missing Portia’s notes from Mr. Clark’s exam yesterday, and Portia says she’s sorry. She didn’t get to do that before she left. The notes from the physical exam are in there, and everything else is the same as it was the day before. Elizabeth says she needs the notes from yesterday so she can properly fill out the discharge paperwork, and Portia says, she’ll do it later. Just do what she can with what she has. Elizabeth says she can’t, but Portia says, Mr. Clark isn’t critical. Obviously, that’s why he’s being discharged. Elizabeth has everything she needs, so maybe she could help Portia out a little bit here. Elizabeth says she has her own work to take care of, and her own patients she needs to see. It’s not the nurse’s job to make sure the doctors turn in their exam notes.

Jordan says, she and Curtis have to stop running into each other like this. How is he? He says he’s good, and her? She says she’s still here, so she can’t complain. How are things at home? He says, the damn reporters are hounding Trina, and she asks if they need the police to step in. He says, they’re handling it, and she says, let her know. She just came from Spoon Island. Spencer and Esme gave Officer Lopez their statements regarding Josslyn and Cam’s leaked sex tape. She thought she’d follow up in person. He says, both of them, or just one? and she says, Esme Prince’s name has come up numerous times throughout this investigation, but she’s just gathering more information to fill out the case. He asks how that went, and she says, unfortunately, the staff made it clear neither Esme nor Spencer would speak to her without a lawyer, so she’ll have to try some other time. He says, she’s the Police Commissioner. Couldn’t she get a detective to go out to Spoon Island? She says, he knows her. She likes to get elbow deep in a case now and then. It reminds her of why she became a cop. He says, making sure justice is served, and she says, if she’s learned anything from her past mistakes, it’s that justice can’t be served without the truth. He says, in that case, Port Charles is lucky to have her as their Commissioner.

Britt says she does want to meet someone, and Brad says, that was enthusiastic. She says, it’s very overwhelming. She goes from zero men to six? Why does she need that many matches? He says, she doesn’t have to date all of them at once, and she says, the point is, one man is enough trouble. He says he wishes he had that kind of trouble, and she says, then let’s get you a man. What is he doing tonight? He says, watching Scandinavian crime dramas without subtitles, and seeing if he can still follow the story and crime. Why? She says, they’re going to The Savoy. She’ll be his wingwoman. He says he’s not going out. His chances are better if he had a job. Speaking of which, has she heard from Terry about him working at GH? She says she hasn’t seen Terry much lately, and he says, they’re Co-Chiefs of Staff, and Britt says, she’s seen her, but they just had other matters to discuss. He says, more important than helping her bestie get a job? and she says she put in a good word for him. She got him the meeting. There’s nothing more she can do. He says, he knows. She’s right. She’d done more than he deserves, and he’s grateful. It’s just that he hasn’t heard anything. If the answer’s no, just tell him. She says, no news is no news, and Terry puts a lot of thought into things like this. He says, how complicated is hiring an orderly? and she says, except when the orderly is him. He says, is that really it? Or is there something she’s not telling him?

Finn says, about this Harmony business. Does Alexis want some advice, or does she just want him to listen? She says she really just wants him to listen, and he says he’s here if she needs him. She says, what about him? How are things with him and Elizabeth? He says, complicated. His very presence in her life is causing problems. She says, how so? and he says, speaking of an unwanted presence in one’s home…

Portia tells Elizabeth, very succinctly put. She’ll get on it right now. Is there anything else? Elizabeth asks Portia to go to a more private spot, and says she didn’t mean to come down on her, but Portia says, Elizabeth is right. She’s not doing her job properly. Elizabeth says, Portia’s got a lot going on. It’s not like anyone got hurt. Portia says, and she didn’t run out of time; she forgot. She’s been so preoccupied with everything’s that going on with Trina. It slipped her mind; she’s forgetting things. Elizabeth says she understands. Portia’s going through a lot. Portia says, Elizabeth is too. How is she holding up? Elizabeth says, it’s overwhelming, she’s exhausted, and on top of everything that’s going on at home, she’s working extra shifts. Portia says, when Elizabeth says, what’s going on at home, she means this mess with Joss, Cam, and the video? and Elizabeth says, among other things.

Finn tells Alexis, they’ve been trying to find out who’s stalking Elizabeth, but so far, no luck. Jake and Aiden are staying at Laura’s, PCPD patrol cars are watching the house, and all of this has taken its toll on Elizabeth. She says she can only imagine. How is he dealing with all of this? He says he feels helpless. It’s hard on her, it’s hard on him, and it’s hard on the relationship. He’s not going anywhere; he’s going to be there for her, even though she believes she can handle everything herself. He’s afraid he’s the reason things are getting worse. Feel free to disagree with him or make a suggestion at any time. She says, Kevin… He asks what that means. Collins? She says, psychiatrist. He helped her; he’s good. Maybe he can help Elizabeth clarify her perception of that moment.

Harmony comes out of the room with an accordion file, and looks through it. She closes it back up, holds it to her chest for a moment, and puts it in Brendon’s bag. She looks around, and leaves.

Robert says, it’s kind of ironic about Luke dying at the hands of a scorned woman, and Laura says, Jennifer had been obsessed with him for decades. Felicia says, not to mention, she had the nerve to show up at Luke’s memorial service, but Laura says, except when she talked to Jennifer that day, she seemed like she was genuinely grieving. Anna says, and she vehemently protested her innocence. She insisted she was framed. She says she never would have done this; she loved Luke. Laura says, it just doesn’t make any sense to her. If Jennifer wanted to get to Luke, why would she need the Ice Princess to do that? And then to rig a cable car accident that would kill a lot of innocent people? That’s just not in Jennifer Smith’s league. If you ask her, that’s a Cassadine move. Anna says, exactly. They had their doubts Jennifer could be behind Luke’s death. Laura says, it has to be Victor, and Anna says, agreed. Unfortunately, they can’t connect him at this time. Meanwhile, the WSB has evidence implicating Jennifer, and their theory, no matter how implausible, is still possible. Laura says, the thing to remember about the Cassadines is, if everything points to them except the evidence… Anna says, they’ve arranged for the evidence to point elsewhere, and Laura says, exactly. There’s something else she wants to tell them about. The other day, Victor gave her the hard sell about combining forces, to protect the family from some ominous threat in the future. Robert tells them not to forget, Victor has been after Drew, hoping to trade on that mind control rubbish of Helena’s, and Felicia says, here’s a thought. Is it possible that whatever Victor’s up to is completely unconnected to the Ice Princess? Anna says, no, because Victor comes to town. He’s planning to use Drew for some nefarious purpose. At the same exact time, Luke dies, and the Ice Princess is stolen. It’s not a coincidence. She doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence no matter what the WSB says. Felicia asks what they can do to prove Victor’s involvement, and Robert says, he can think of a sure fire way to find out if Victor is involved with this.

Alexis walks into her office, and Valentin is in her chair, the back facing her. He turns around to face her, and says, he’s always wanted to do that, but she says she has the feeling it’s not his first swivel. Now hug her. They hug, and he says, it’s always good to see her, and she says, it’s good to see him too. He says he sees the rumors are true, and she says he’ll have to narrow it down. He says, word on the street is, while he was away recovering, she was greatly improving her circumstances. Nice. He loves the quote. He picks up the placard, and she says, so does she, taking it out of his hand and putting it back on the desk. Harmony Miller gave it to her. He says, who? Shiloh’s fixer with the DoD? How did that happen? She thinks Harmony found it online, and asks how he is. He says, he’s fine. He’s back and better than ever. She says she’s sure he’s glad to be reunited with Charlotte, and he says, after the incident with Peter, he sent her away to boarding school. Alexis says, Peter’s dead. She doesn’t think he can kidnap Charlotte again. He says he wishes he had been the one who killed Peter, and she says, he’d have had to take a number. He says, speaking of numbers, hers are impressive. Circulation’s up, and her online presence is spectacular. She says, why is he being nice to her? What does he want? He says he’s had some time to think, and it occurs to him that a media company in the family could be very useful. She says, could it now? and he says, as it happens, his father agrees.

Harmony goes the MetroCourt bar, and asks for whiskey, neat. Make it a double. The bartender says, rough day? and she says he has no idea. She sits at the bar, and flashes back to Brendon threatening to go to the police, and her pushing him off the cliff. The bartender brings her drink, and she remembers telling Willow that she’s the most important thing to her in the world, and she loves her. Then she flashes back to Brendon saying, what if he tells Michael this information? If Nina finds out Willow is her biological daughter, oh boy, will that complicate the visitation case. She takes out the folder with her name on it, and puts it back in the bag. Willow says, mom?  

Portia asks if Elizabeth thinks it’s the same person who put the wedding ring in her locker, and Elizabeth says, it makes sense. Portia says, this is terrifying. She’s sorry Elizabeth is going through this. Elizabeth says she appreciates it, and Portia says she owes Elizabeth an apology. She’s been so preoccupied with Trina, she hasn’t checked in. Elizabeth says he hasn’t checked in with Portia either. They’re just stressed. Portia’s phone beeps, and she says she has to check on a patient. Elizabeth says, go. They’re okay, all right? Portia says, yeah.  

Britt says, the truth is, she did speak to Terry about Brad’s interview, and Brad says, he takes it that it was a hard pass, but Britt says, no. Terry hasn’t made a decision, but she didn’t shut it down either, so that’s a good sign, right? She thinks Terry is actually open to hiring him. He says, that’s amazing. So how can he move the needle? She knows how Terry thinks. How does he get an advantage? He really wants this job. Britt flashes back to Selena saying, imagine she has all the proof she needs to send Britt back to prison for good. She has plans for Brad, and changing bedpans isn’t part of them. Britt is to keep Brad on the right path. The challenge is, while Britt is pulling Brad’s strings, he’ll never know Selena is pulling hers. Britt tells Brad, do nothing, and he asks if she’s afraid he’ll embarrass himself again. She says, no. She’s wondering if he really wants to be an orderly. He says, Terry made it clear she wouldn’t consider him for anything else, and she says, then don’t work at GH. Hold off for something better.

Jordan says she told Curtis why she’s here; his turn. He says he’s just clearing his head, getting some fresh air, and she asks if there’s any chance he’s going all the way to Spoon Island to clear his head. He says, she knows him, and she says she’ll leave him to it. Are they good? He says, yeah. Why wouldn’t they be? She says she didn’t get Marshall’s sealed arrest records for him, but he says, no. He’s past that. They’re good. She says, in that case, if his thoughts do take him to Windymere, don’t let Esme and Spencer get under his skin. He has a new family now, and they need him. He thanks her for the advice, and she walks off. Selena comes out, and says she thought Jordan would never leave.

Robert says, all he’s suggesting is that Anna use her closeness with Valentin for the greater good. Laura says, it’s a lot to ask, and Robert says, if Valentin is on the side of the good guys, as he claims to be… Anna tells him, stop it. Don’t push it. Even if she did get Valentin to tell them something, he wouldn’t trust it. He says, maybe not, but all he’s suggesting is that she uses her relationship with Valentin for something bigger, and Felicia says, what relationship?  

Alexis asks, since when does Valentin care what Victor thinks? and Valentin says, he’s had some time to think, and despite his many faults, he thinks there’s something to said about Victor’s notion of family unity. She says, Cassadines take to family like sharks take to chum. If Victor wants to get close to Valentin, he’s not being paternal; he’s hungry. Valentin says, we have a rare opportunity; it’s unprecedented. She says, you tell Uncle Victor that we don’t have a family paper. It doesn’t belong to her, and even if it did, she’d never allow the Cassadines to use it as a mouthpiece. What does Valentin think he wants it for anyway? Valentin says, the greater good, and she tells him, said no Cassadine ever. He tells her not to turn her back on what’s left of the Cassadine family, but she says she has daughters – and him. He says she’ll always have him, and she says, not if Victor’s attached. He tells her, think about it, because he has. You can’t pick your family. She says, on the contrary, you have to, and he leaves.

Willow asks what brings Harmony back here, and Harmony says, just to unwind. Please join her. Unless Willow is here with Michael. She knows she’s just a third person. Willow says, Michael went to the gym. She was planning on going to GH to study, but she’s a little under the weather, so she decided to have some soup while she studies. Harmony asks if she needs to see a doctor, but Willow says, it’s probably a stress headache from Nina. She’s sorry. Harmony said she needed to unwind. She doesn’t need Willow dumping her stress on her. Harmony says, Willow can tell her anything anytime. She’ll be here for her as long as she can. Willow says, as long as she can? Is she going somewhere?

Finn comes out of the hospital elevator and sees Elizabeth. She says she’s glad to see him. Dante called. They couldn’t find any fingerprints on the defaced painting other than hers and Jake’s, and they couldn’t trace where the paint came from. It looks like they hit another dead end. He says, for now. Chase is a good detective. He’s at her place right now, and Finn knows he’s going to turn something up. She says she wishes she hadn’t taken that stupid sleeping pill that night. Maybe she could remember what the figure looked like. He says, there’s a way she could remember.  

Britt says, this is the perfect opportunity for Brad to start over. He can do anything he wants with his life. He says he wants the life he had before prison, but since that’s not possible… She says, that’s right; it’s not. So why settle for crumbs of what he used to have. Don’t limit yourself. Has he even considered other options? He asks if she doesn’t want him working at GH, and she says she wants him to have everything he’s dreamed of, and this is not that. This is a crappy version of it – literally. Don’t limit yourself. He says he’s not qualified to do much else outside of medical fields, and with his background, no hospital will hire him without someone there to vouch for him. Working at GH is best thing for him, even as an orderly. She tells him that she’s saying, just keep his options open. He says, his only other option he has is working for his aunt, and they both know, no good can come from that.

Curtis says, Selena’s messenger said she wanted to meet him there. He’s guessing she has information for him. She says, they had a deal. She gets him information on Marshall Ashford, and he lets her host poker games at his club. He asks if she was able to get the police report, and she says, yes and no. He says, either she’s got it or she doesn’t, and she says, her people were able to access Witness Protection files, but they came up empty handed on Marshall Ashford. Her people don’t fail; there is no file. Marshall Ashford was never in Witness Protection.

Felicia says she knew Anna was spending a lot of time with Valentin, but a relationship? Anna says, they’re getting off topic now. She agrees with Laura that there are too many loose ends, and that’s because all the missing pieces are being concealed by Victor. Felicia says, they still have one bit of evidence, and Anna says, Jennifer insists she had a man in her room, a French naval captain, and that he planted the diamond in her safe. Laura asks if this French captain has a name, and Felicia says, Françoise Olivier. Anna says, but they couldn’t locate him before they had to leave, and Robert says, maybe Jennifer invented him to save her own skin. Felicia says, no. She spoke with the bartender and he confirmed there was a man Jennifer was friendly with. Robert says, maybe she lured him to her room as a patsy, and Laura says, it wouldn’t be the first time. Anna says she doesn’t want to rule anything out; Jennifer’s guilt or Victor’s potential involvement.

Brad says, don’t work at GH? Why the change… Britt’s phone dings, and he says, something urgent? She says, yes, that, and takes the tablet. She got a notification from Society Set-Ups that she has matches to review. As if she forgot. He asks why she’s dragging her feet. She has a perfect selection of guys there. She says, so great they need a matchmaker? and he gives her a look. She says, she’s different. She’s using a matchmaker because she has a pushy mother. He hopes she didn’t put that in her profile, and she says, maybe this is hopeless. What kind of future can she hope for with any of these guys? He asks what she means by that.

Finn suggests making an appointment to see Doc, and Elizabeth says, she’s all for therapy, but she doesn’t see how talking about it will solve this particular problem. She doesn’t even know where she’d find the time, but he says, nothing long term. Doc specializes in therapies that recover memories, right? Perhaps if she worked with him to clarify what she saw, it could lead them to whoever’s harassing her. She says she doesn’t know, and he says, it would be up to her of course (🍷), but it’s worth a shot. She says, let her thinks about it, and he says, of course (🍷). Is she sure she’s okay? She says she was going to ask Epiphany for a personal day, and he says, good. Go home and rest. He’ll check on her later. She says, he’d better.

Jordan sees Portia at the hospital, and tells Portia that she ran into Curtis. He told her that reporters are giving Trina a hard time. She came to offer her help. Portia says, if she really wants to help, she can get the DA to dismiss the charges. Jordan says she wishes she could, and Portia says she wishes Jordan meant it. If she did, she wouldn’t have arrested Trina in the first place.

Curtis says, he’ll just take a copy of the sealed arrest records, assuming they exist, and Selena says, they’re in her possession, where they’ll remain for now. Curtis says, they had a deal, and she says she has every intention of upholding her end, but first, he has to uphold his. He asks how he knows she has the records, and she shows him the title page on her phone. She says, safely stored away. She’ll gladly give them to him, after he does what she asks. Have his club ready for her.

Harmony tells Willow, she just meant that soon Willow will be graduating nursing school, which is amazing. She’s so proud of Willow. Then Willow is going to be working full time, and her free time will be with Wiley and Michael, her family. Willow says, Harmony is her family too. She appreciates the effort Harmony has been making over the last few months to rebuild their relationship. She knows she hasn’t exactly made it easy. Harmony says, that’s understandable, all things considered, and Willow says she’s happy to keep working on it. Harmony chokes up, and says, that means so much. All the mistakes she made with Willow growing up, getting her involved in Dawn of Day.  There was a time she didn’t even hold out hope of a relationship or forgiveness. Willow says she was angry with Harmony for a long time. She didn’t know if she could trust Harmony again, but look at her now. Every time she sees Harmony, she’s bending over backwards to make up for her past. Harmony says, unfortunately, the past keeps hanging over us, but Willow says, it doesn’t have to. She’s forgiven Harmony. Harmony says, she has? It’s so much more than she deserves. No matter how hard she tries to do the right thing, trouble keeps following her, right up to Willow’s doorstep even. Willow asks if this has anything to do with that man who approached them yesterday. What was his name? Brendon Byrne.

Jordan tells Portia, this is her job; she had no choice. Portia says, of course (🍷) she has a choice. She’s seen Jordan go outside the law for her family time and time again. Jordan says, and it’s brought nothing but  trouble, which is why she has to play everything by the book. Portia says, of course (🍷) Jordan does, because it’s her daughter, which begs the question… Never mind. Jordan says, no. Clearly Portia has something to say, so say it. Portia says she wonders if Jordan is making this personal, and Curtis walks by, seeing them. He stops.

As Robert is leaving Anna’s, Valentin is about to knock, and Robert says, if it’s not the devil incarnate. He leaves, and Valentin asks Anna if that means they were speaking about him. She says, they were, and he says, okay, because he hasn’t stopped thinking about her. She smiles.

Britt says, with her job, where would a relationship even fit in? and Brad says, evenings and weekends? She says, she works those. The only reason she had time for her last relationship was because they were on the run from the law and assassins, and she couldn’t work remotely. He says, so she’s been burned a few times. That doesn’t mean she should give up. Mr. Right is out there. She says, no he isn’t, and Brad says, Mr. Sufficient might be. Go find him. She deserves to be happy. She thanks him, and says, you know who also deserves happiness? Him. He says, no, and she says, yes. He says, who is he to argue? Here’s the plan. Step one, she gets a man. Step two, he gets the job at GH, then he gets his own man. She asks if that isn’t steps two and three, but he says, step three is them living their best lives. It’s as simple as that. She says, Brad… and he says, she doesn’t like the plan? She says she loves the plan. There’s something she needs to tell him. Selena comes by, and tells them, good afternoon. She’s sure Brad has enjoyed his time with his friend. Now he must listen to her good news. She has a job for him. He says, she does? and she says, starting immediately. Come. They have much to discuss. Brad reluctantly goes with her.

Elizabeth answers the phone at the nurse’s station, and a man’s voice says, don’t forget me. She says, what? and he says, don’t forget me. I’m in room 1011, and I asked for a blanket. She tells him to hold on a minute, and quietly freaks out.

Harmony asks, what makes Willow think this about the guy from yesterday? and Willow says, the guy said something to Harmony when he was leaving, and it wasn’t excuse me. Harmony swears it was nothing. He knows Alexis, and she met him at Alexis’s office. Willow asks why she didn’t say anything, and Harmony says she didn’t think it mattered. There she goes again, making the wrong decision. Willow asks, what’s going on? Does she need help? Harmony says, no. That’s so sweet, but don’t worry about her, ever. She can look after herself, and she’s going to be here to look after Willow too. Willow thanks her, and Harmony says she knows she’s said this before, but she truly means it. No matter what she’s done, she’s done for Willow. Willow asks, what does Harmony mean, she did it for her? What has she done?

Alexis stands at Pier 54, and sees Brendon floating face down in the water. 

Tomorrow, Portia asks if Jordan can honestly be impartial; Josslyn asks Cameron whose side he’s on; and Britt asks if Spencer believes Trina filmed that video.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

What’s interesting is, Bravo has paired Summer House, a house of the most horrible people in reality TV – including Jersey Shore – with this show that’s fast breeding horrible people.

Gary smashes his finger in the door goes to the galley. Marcos asks if he wants ice, and Gary plunges his hand into some. He goes to his cabin, while Colin and Daisy secure the doors. Gary holds his hand and yells a lot of MF words, and guest Marni is a little freaked, hearing him. Daisy asks if Gary is okay, and Gary sings, Hey-O. Daisy looks at his finger, and in her interview, she says, you haven’t worked a sailboat unless you’ve smashed a finger or toe. It’s a common injury. Glenn asks, what’s going on? and Kelsie says, Gary hurt his finger. Glenn asks her to check on him, and Gary says he didn’t want to scream outside. Glenn asks Colin if everything’s okay, and Colin says, the belt on the doors snapped, but they’ve been secured. In Gabriela’s interview, she says she feels off her game, and we flash back to her dropping the tray of champagne. She says she’s been in hospitality for 15 years. Dropping a tray is not something that happens. She’s been distracted by her thoughts and problems, and needs to focus on her work and being a better team member. It’s bothering me to no end that Gabriela thinks she’s at fault in any way. Both Ashley and Marcos are narcissists with a nasty streak. Luckily, she’s not involved with Gary, who’s a narcissist with a stupid and thoughtless streak.

Gary asks Kelsie for help with a tangled captive wench, and gets really irritated that Kelsie can’t read his thoughts, and insists she’s not doing what she’s doing. On the brighter side, the guests see a dolphin with her baby, and primary Dawn says, they’re actually aliens… Ashley tries to set the table, and the centerpiece keeps falling over. If Gabriela does have a fault, it’s being nice to those two a-holes, and she foolishly confides in Marcos that she’s disappointed in her own behavior. She doesn’t want it to affect her job or send her home. Marcos says she has to sit down and think about who she wants to be. Advice he’s clearly gotten from Sesame Street or his second grade teacher. She says she wants to start fresh, and he says, take time, which I think translates to, it will take time. She tells him, good chat, and in her interview, she says, at this point, she feels like no one likes her. She wants to crawl in a hole and disappear. Why, Gabriela? Why?

The guests take selfies, and Glenn checks out Gary’s hand. He says, there’s blood under the nail, and suggests Gary poke it with a hot needle to let the blood out. It will relieve the pressure and pain. In Glenn’s interview, he says, he had a crew member reach into a locker, when the door came down, crushing his skull. He was in the hospital for weeks, and thatclose to dying. He tells Gary, it could have been way worse. Ashley serves lunch, and the guests tell Marcos that he’s the best, making his enormous head even bigger. A guest wonders how much weight has ever been gained on charter. In the galley, Ashley tells Marcos, Gary and Daisy need to f*** already and get it over with. Gary grabs Daisy from behind, and she says, that’s the closest he’s going to get to having sex with her. Gary pretend sobs, and Glenn comes downstairs. He tells Gary that he needs to use the needle to relieve the pressure, and just the thought of it makes me uncomfortable. Even though Quentin Tarantino and Korean horror are two of my favorite things in the world, I can’t watch. Glenn says, gently, and Gary yells.

Gary’s nail bleeds like crazy, and Glenn says, it will take a lot of the pain away. Gary jokes that he’s got to go back to work, and Glenn tells him, get his ass out there. The guests get in the hot tub, and guest Tim wants to get in the real water, but Glenn says, they can’t open the door with the swell. He suggests they take the tender out and he can jump in from there. In Glenn’s interview, he says, his first mate is his right arm, and we see Gary sleeping in the crew mess. Glenn says he’ll see what he can do. The guests are paying for an experience and don’t care how they get it. Some of the guests jump into the water from the deck, and Glenn takes the tender out with Tim.  

Ashley sets the table, and Gary dances around, singing, be positive. The guests get ready for dinner, even though it seems like they just had lunch. The table looks beautiful, laden with flowers and brightly-colored  tchotchkes. Marcos tells Gary, most people don’t know sh*t about making vegan food. No surprise, he knows everything, and shows Gary the squash he’s grilling. Gary says, Marcos has a few tricks up his sleeve. Dinner is served, and Dawn says, it’s the vegan food she’s always dreamed of. Marcos and Gary bark like dogs in the galley, and Daisy tells Ashley that if she’s finished early, ask if Gabriela needs help. Ashley groans, but when Daisy asks, what’s wrong? she says, nothing. Gabriela walks through, and tells Ashley, if she needs help, let her know. In Gabriela’s interview, she says, she’s not dumb. She can read a room. She doesn’t want to make it worse, so she’ll just suck it up. Ashley tells Daisy that it’s like Gabriela is trying to exert her authority, and it’s frustrating. I’m sure Daisy can read a room too, and is reading what a delusional bitch Ashley is. Daisy tells Gabriela that Ashley can turn in early, but if Gabriela needs her, keep her. Gary tells Kelsie that he’s sorry he got mad. He was just frustrated with himself. She says she knows, and she’s sorry she can’t read his mind. The guests go to bed, and in their cabin, Colin says, the guests are crazy for Gary. Marcos says, after three weeks, all the girls are in love with Gary, and Gary says, Daisy would be a good shag. As much as she denies it, she’s been flirting with him. Gabriela radios Ashley, who’s washing glasses. Gabriela comes down, and thanks her, saying, she was going to ask Ashley to do that. Ashley says, she didn’t have to, and you can hear the eyeroll in her voice. In Ashley’s interview, she says, you’ll know if she doesn’t like you. She won’t acknowledge you, and just shut you out. Very mature, our Ashley. I can’t wait to see how she does at a real job in the real world.

Glenn tells the guests that he’s thinking of going toward Port Mahon, where they’ll have protected water for paddleboarding and kayaking. Daisy tells Marcos, there are three people up who want breakfast. Anchor is hauled and home, and the guests pronounce breakfast delicious, fabulous, and insane. Glenn re-anchors in Port Mahon, and Daisy tells Gabriela that she’s in charge while Daisy is on break. Guest Marni asks if they can go somewhere for swimming, and Glenn asks if Gary can take them in the tender to the cove. Gabriela asks Marcos for a fruit platter to take to the beach, and drinks are packed. In Marcos’s interview, he says, in yachting, you should treat your co-workers the same when you party and drink as you do at work. We flash back to his conflict with Gabriela that the rest of us have forgotten about, but he apparently holds a grudge about. He says, when he has a situation, cooking is his therapy. He becomes a freaking animal. Gabriela asks Daisy if she can go to the beach with the guests, and Daisy says, fine. She gets up, and tells Ashley to go on break. The guests get into the tender, and head for the beach. Ashley texts Daisy that she wants to talk about Gabriela.

The guests go swimming, and on the boat, Daisy asks Ashley, what’s going on? Ashley says, the other day, Gabriela was whining about wanting to quit. She said she didn’t trust any of them, and didn’t want to drink with them. We flash back to Ashley promising she won’t tell Daisy, and Daisy tells Ashley that she thinks a lot goes on behind her back, and she gets that, but she doesn’t feel right talking to Ashley without talking to Gabriela. (Kudos to Daisy for that.) She hopes Ashley is telling her the truth. In Daisy’s interview, she says, she doesn’t understand Ashley’s competitiveness; with boys, the job, everything. We flash back to Ashley being an a-hole, and Daisy says, she’s not stupid. It’s about being number one. She tells Ashley, thanks for the chat. Gary radios that the guests are coming back. Gabriela tries to make small talk with Ashley in the laundry, but Ashley claims she’s tired. In Gabriela’s interview, she says, she’s really trying with Ashley, but she just can’t. She tells Ashley to let her know if she needs help, and Ashley makes fun of her as soon as she’s gone. Marcos is making tofu that looks like fried chicken, something he learned in West Hollywood. Colin tastes it, and approves, and Marcos says, tofu is good if you know how to make it. I’ve never made it myself, but I think it’s really weird how it can be made to taste like other things. In Colin’s interview, he says, Marcos is a magician. He doesn’t know how to describe it.

Kelsie hopes the new deckhand has a good personality, is a hard worker, and makes her laugh. And is hot, but that’s third on the list. Actually fourth, but who’s counting? Dawn says, this is the best food she’s had in her entire life, and Ashley tells Colin the exact same thing she told Daisy about Gabriela. The guests finish dinner, declare they’re boring, and go to bed. Gabriela radios Ashley that if she’s finished, she can go to bed. When everyone has turned in, Gabriela finds Kelsie, who’s the only crew member she’s comfortable with. She tells Kelsie that she’s tired and had a bad day. She had a couple of chats with Ashley, but there was something weird about it. She’s not respected in the way she respects other people. She doesn’t feel like she’s part of the team. She thinks when they got loose, it had a negative effect. She knows Ashley and Marcos don’t like her, but she can’t get a read on Daisy. Kelsie says, Gabriela knew they’d have to be coexisting before they got here, but it’s tough because they wear a lot of hats. She doesn’t think Gabriela is in the gutter, and tells her, don’t dwell on the negative. They hug, and Kelsie tells Gabriela not to cry. Gabriela says, Kelsie is a good sister.

Last day of charter. Gabriela says, she’s fine, everything’s fine, she can do this. Glenn says he’s thinking about sailing, and asks Daisy about breakfast. Daisy says she can’t give him a definitive answer about time; it depends on the guests. He wants to give the guests a sail, and Daisy tells Marcos, they’re going to keel hard. The guests want breakfast and she’s in a bad mood. In the cabins, the stews put everything on the floor. The guests say they’d prefer to sail, and in Daisy’s interview, she says, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Everyone eats fast, and Glenn bugs Daisy until she finally says, go ahead.  The boat tilts, and the guests hang onto the table. Dawn films, and things crash. Glenn tells Gary to help inside, and Daisy says, everything is going to f***ing break.

Marcos sings in Spanish, and Daisy says she wants to put herself in a better mood. Ashley suggests she needs a hug from Gary, but Daisy says, Gary gets enough hugs from her. Glenn says he’s seen steeper. but that was pretty steep. Good sailing. Dawn says she learned what not to pack for next time, and I think, yep, like shoes. Gabriela helps with the fenders. Kelsie tells her, they’re not heavy, but they’re awkward, and Glenn doesn’t want them dragged. They dock, but it’s nothing special. Dawn thanks them from the bottom of her heart. They had fun water with the water sports, and the morning sail was spectacular. She hands Glenn the tip envelope, and Marcos pouts because he didn’t get a mention. Glenn blows the horn, and everyone waves. Marcos pouts some more, and Glenn calls everyone to the saloon for the tip meeting.

He says, it was charter six; they’re more than halfway there. The crew’s done a great job, and they’ve been keeping the guests happy, despite being short some hands and a finger. The new deckhand should be coming before the next charter. The tip is $20K, or $2500 each. Everyone is thrilled, and I think, these were classy guests. They had fun, had reasonable requests, caused no trouble, and left a big tip. Glenn suggests the crew have a nice dinner, but make it low key. Tomorrow, they have the day off, and he’s rented a local villa for them to use for their deserved downtime and fun. Daisy thanks him for organizing it, and in Gabriela’s interview, she says, she needs to recharge and reset. She needs to get out of her head, and this is the way to do it.

Daisy asks to talk to Gabriela, and they sit in one of the guest cabins. Gabriela says she wants to start over. She wants to be an extension of Daisy, someone Daisy can trust and rely on. She feels like she’s lost some of that trust, and feels defeated. Daisy says, Gabriela is a great stew. The guests love her, and she’s excellent at service and décor. Daisy wants her here, and Glenn wants her here. She has incredible potential, but she has to want it. Gabriela says she feels dismissed with Ashley, and she didn’t come to Daisy initially with her concerns. She’s been trying to pull herself out of a spiral. Daisy says, Gabriela can talk to her anytime. Don’t let it consume her because… Gabriela says, this is the result. In Gabriela’s interview, she says, she’s just going to work on herself. She feels like a complete sh*t. She’s emotionally drained, and so burned out.

Next time, the crew goes to the villa, Gary smells trouble, Kelsie toasts to a fresh start, Marcos whines that Gabriela is picking on him, and Gabriela asks to talk to Glenn.

⚰️ Forgotten Dead…

Some articles I might have missed posting.

On Madison 2.0.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-kim-dickens-madison-return-showrunners/

Lauren’s take on Maggie.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-lauren-cohan-maggie-negan-acts-of-god/

Lance’s coin flip.

🧙🏾‍♀️ Festival Vibe…

The performances.

https://people.com/music/coachella-2022-weekend-one-celebrity-photos/

The fashion.

https://people.com/style/coachella-2022-best-fashion-outfit-photos/

🤖 Hasta la Vista, Baby…

Come join me tomorrow for soap and New Jersey drama. Until then, stay safe, stay adventuresome, and stay knowing justice can’t be served without the truth.

March 10, 2022 – Sonny Offers To Help Nina, Filling In, Explosion In A-Town, Joe #2 Talks Drama, Sad Split, Dead Isle & Bubblegum

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At The Savoy, Michael tells Willow that her exams are behind her and it’s time to celebrate. He’s barely seen her, and Wiley missed her goodnight story and kiss last night. He told Wiley that she was learning to save people’s lives like a real life superhero. She looks unhappy, and he tells her not to be upset; she’s definitely the cool parent. She says she’s not a superhero or even a cool parent. She messed up.

Sonny lets Nina into the penthouse, and she thanks him for seeing her. He says she told him it was important, and she asks how he’s feeling. He says, it’s the anniversary of his sister’s death. Don’t worry about it. He didn’t go on any benders. Is that why she’s here? Is she checking up on him? She says, they have to talk, and he says he’s not a fan of those four words. (I don’t think any man is.) She says, it’s about their grandson.

At The Savoy, Diane says, judging from her exterior only, she’s guessing all is right again in Alexis’s world. Alexis says, let’s not get excited. Everything’s fine. Surprisingly, she’s enjoying her job. Diane says, Alexis Davis, editor-in-chief, suits her, and Alexis says, better than her last career as a drunk with intent to murder. She’s gotten by with a lot of help from her friends, Diane and Harmony, who she invited to join them. Be nice.

Maxie comes into the hospital carrying the box of Peter’s belongings, and Austin says, she made it. She says she told him she’d be there, and he says she did, but he thought now that Bailey was back, Maxie would want to spend as much time with her as possible. Maxie says, lesson number one, she means what she says, and he says, good to know. Are there other lessons? She says he’ll find out, and he says he can’t wait. It’s nice to see her. She says, him too, and they almost kiss, but Mac clears his throat. Maxie turns around, and Mac is there with Felicia.

At the MetroCourt, Robert tells Anna, Mac just texted; he and Felicia are on their way. It gives them a chance to catch up. He hasn’t seen too much of her lately. She says she’s been busy, and he asks if that’s code for I’m trying to avoid you. Or is she simply getting used to living with Peter’s ghost.

On the phone, and pressing the elevator button repeatedly, Gladys says she knows Brando is getting married. Don’t do anything without talking to her first. The elevator opens, and Carly comes out. Gladys says, thank God, and Carly asks, what’s going on? Gladys says, Brando’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life, and Carly is going to help her stop it.

At Bliss Street Auto Repair, Brando tells Sasha, he’s been back there for a while. He doesn’t think the guy knows what he’s doing. She tells Brando, go check on him. He doesn’t have to babysit her. He says he’s not babysitting her; he’s keeping her company. She says, then let the man do his job. He says he will. All he’s saying is that the man should have fixed the car by now. She says, the chapel will still be there when they say the car is ready, and he says, then they get to say I do. He can’t wait. She says, neither can she, and they hug.

Gladys says, please tell her Carly got the jet in the divorce, and Carly asks, what’s going on with Brando? Is he okay? Gladys says, Brando’s the farthest thing from okay. He and Sasha are getting married. Carly says, that’s it? and Gladys says, what does she mean, that’s it? They’re eloping tonight. Carly says, Brando and Sasha went through something no parent should have to go through, and it’s not like they’re doing something dangerous. Gladys says, marriage is dangerous. Carly of all people should know that. If she won’t help, Gladys bets Sonny will. She turns and nearly runs over the hostess, and Carly says Gladys has been drinking. Gladys says she’s fine. She had one or two, maybe three. Carly says she’s not letting Gladys go anywhere like this. She’ll drive Gladys to Sonny’s herself. Let’s go. Gladys says, that’s cool, but she’s going to have to floor it. They get in the elevator.

Sonny says, what about Michael and Wiley? Everything all right? Nina says, Wiley is fine. She just thought Sonny deserved a heads up. She’s suing for visitation. He asks, why? and she says, she and Willow had a little chat, and Willow says she doesn’t see a path for her to have any access to Wiley, so she told Willow that she’s going to exercise her legal rights as Wiley’s grandmother. Michael hasn’t told Sonny that? Sonny says he hasn’t talked to Michael, and she says, which means Willow hasn’t told him yet, but Sonny says, Michael’s still not talking to him. She says she’s sorry to put him in this position, and he says he doesn’t blame her for doing what she feels she needs to for her family, but she can’t do that.

Diane says, yay, Harmony’s coming. When did that happen? Alexis says, Harmony just texted her. She’s having a hard time, so Alexis texted her back, and asked her to join them. Temp Harmony (see below) walks in, and thanks them for including her on their girls night out. She tells Alexis that she looks great, and Alexis asks if she had a tough day at Spring Ridge. Harmony says, tougher than usual, and Diane says they all have those, right? What is she drinking? The first round’s on her. Alexis tells Harmony to relax. She’s in a much better place than she was on New Year’s Eve. Harmony says, in that case, she’ll have one of those cocktails The Savoy is famous for. Diane says, two outrageous cocktails and one sparkling water coming right up. She goes to the bar, and Harmony says, there must be ice skating in hell. Alexis asks what that means, and Harmony says, that was one of the most positive interactions she’s had with any of Alexis’s friends. Alexis says, Diane is drama free. She looks at Michael and Willow, and says, speaking of drama free… Harmony supposes she should go say hi, and gets up.

Michael brings Willow a drink, and tells her, take a breath, take a sip of her drink, and tell him how she thinks she messed up. She says she knows she messed up, when Harmony approaches the table, and says what a nice surprise. She’s here with Diane and Alexis, and thought she’d say hi. Willow says she’s been meaning to call, and thanks Harmony again for dropping off her birth certificate. Harmony says, her pleasure. Now the two of them can enjoy that trip to Paris. Michael says, Willow definitely deserves a celebration and a break. She took exams yesterday. Harmony is sure Willow sailed through it.

Maxie asks how Mac’s check-up was, and Felicia says, couldn’t have gone better. Mac’s gunshot wound is healing perfectly, but Maxie isn’t getting off the hook that easily. She and Austin are an item now? Maxie says, it’s new, and Mac says, they look forward to getting to know him better. Felicia says, as much as they’d like to stay and chat, they have a prior engagement. Call her later. She hugs Maxie, and Maxie says, only if Felicia promises to behave herself, but Felicia says, no promises. She says it was a pleasure seeing Austin again, and Mac gruffly says he’s sure they’ll be seeing more of him. They leave, and Maxie laughs, saying, she’s so sorry about that. He says, no, it’s great. He guesses Maxie Jones lesson number two is that she’s really close to her family, and that might take some getting used to. She says, something like that, and he says, no problem. What’s in the box? She says, something she was hoping he could help her with. She needs to get rid of Peter.

In the elevator, Mac asks what they really think about that, and Felicia says, personally, she thinks it’s too soon for Maxie to be in a relationship with someone new. But she’s a grown woman, living her own life. Mac says, they’ll keep an eye on her, and him. If Dr. Gatlin-Holt gets out of line, he’ll smush him like a bug.

The mechanic comes out, and tells Brando, the car needs a new fuel pump, but he can’t get the pump in until tomorrow morning. Sasha says, so they’re stuck here all night, but Brando says, not necessarily. A busted fuel pump can be jerry-rigged; he’s done it a bunch of times in emergencies. The mechanic says he’s welcome to take a look, and Brando goes in the back with him. Sasha takes the pills out of her purse. She sees she doesn’t have much left, and gets out her phone, but there’s no service. She flashes back to Brando telling her that they’re on a back road that runs alongside the river, and if you listen hard, you can hear wedding bells. He says, those bells are ringing for another couple, and she says, soon, they’ll be ringing for them… and for Liam. His brief life will have meaning because he will know, and the whole world will know, he was born out of love. She takes another pill, and Brando says, Sasha?

Robert tells Anna, August bonded everyone by leaving no one unscathed. If she finds herself waking up at night with guilt problems, reach out. She has plenty of support system out there. Don’t ever forget, Peter and Peter alone did all the damage. She takes his hand and thanks him, and says, there’s someone else to blame other than Peter. The man who helped him escape; the man who may have murdered Luke. He says, Victor Cassadine, and she says, one nightmare ends, and another one begins.

Maxie tells Austin, Peter named Britt executor, and his personal effects were given to her, and Britt didn’t want them, so she offered to dispose of them. Does he think he can help her with that? He says, no problem, and she thanks him. He leans in for a kiss again, but Obrecht yanks him back, saying, how dare he come near her dear Maxie after everything he’s put her through? She puts her arm around Maxie, and says, don’t worry, liebchen. She promised Dr. Gatlin-Holt that he’d answer to her for betraying Maxie, and she always keeps her promises.

At the bar, Diane watches the room, and Harmony asks if Willow was able to get her passport. Willow says, not yet. She has an appointment.  They just want to see her birth certificate, and have her fill out an application. After that, they’ll expedite her passport. (It’s not quite like that, but okay.) Michael says he’s sure it will be fine. He and Willow aren’t anticipating any problems.

Diane sits back down, and Alexis says, let’s have a good time. She’s in the mood for some fun. Diane says, she’s in luck, because a very attractive man at the bar cannot take his eyes off her. Alexis says, what? No. The man approaches their table, and says he knows he’s being incredibly bold, but he could help noticing Alexis. He’d like to buy her a drink. Diane says, he may, but Alexis says she already has a drink. He says, maybe some other time, and Diane face palms. She says she just wants to shake Alexis. Alexis said she wanted some fun, now go get it.

Nina tells Sonny, she’s sorry, but the only way she’ll have access to Wiley is if she goes to court. He says, let him lower the temperature with Michael before she resorts to anything drastic. She says she really appreciates the offer, but she’s not sure how much luck he’s going to have. Even if he convinces Michael that she can see Wiley, there’s Carly. He says, Michael’s his own man and makes his own decisions, and she says, that may be true, but Carly’s influence carries a lot of weight. And once Carly finds out Sonny is helping her with Wiley, she’ll be on the warpath. He says, he and Carly are done. It was her choice. She cannot get mad at him for wanting to help his grandson. Nina asks if they’re talking about the same woman, because honestly, Nina is surprised Carly hasn’t come after her already. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny opens it to Carly and Gladys. Carly sees Nina, and smiles.

Austin says he doesn’t know how many times he has to apologize to Obrecht, but he’s sorry, he’s sorry, he’s sorry, he’s sorry. He should never have trusted Victor. Obrecht says, he was so obsessed with targeting Brook that he blabbed to that fiend in a tailored suit. Of course (🍷) he took the information straight to Peter, letting that schwein know Bailey was really his daughter Louise. He says he made his amends. She put the bug on Victor, and he had to listen to that guy talking for hours and hours and hours, trying to pinpoint where Peter had taken Maxie. Obrecht says, he was scrambling to correct his egregious mistake talking to Victor. He hurt Maxie and her baby, and for her, that’s personal. That requires a different kind of penance. Maxie says she really does appreciate Obrecht looking out for her… Obrecht says she’d do anything for Maxie, and Maxie takes Austin’s arm and says, then she wants Obrecht to forgive him.

Alexis tells Diane, her idea of fun does not include that man, nor does it include any man for that matter. Diane says, it’s been far too long since Alexis had any romance in her life. He seemed nice. Alexis says, so did Neil. So did Julian. One died in her bed, and the other one almost chopped her head off. Diane says, Julian never seemed nice. One of these days, Alexis will have to open herself up to love. The right guy is going to come along, and she’s never going to know it. Alexis says she’s not interested in a relationship, when Harmony comes back. She asks what she missed.

Willow says, after all her lectures about co-existing and keeping the peace… Michael says, so this is about Nina, and she says she ran into Nina at the hospital. He says he’s sure that was a laugh a minute, and she says, Nina asked if she could spend time with Wiley. He says, after his mother just caught her in bed with his father, and Willow says, that was pretty much her reaction. He asks how she thinks she messed up, and she says, Nina caught her off guard, especially since not five minutes before, they were talking about how Nina withholds information. Carly and Sonny are in the middle of a divorce, and Nina’s timing was terrible. She snapped. He says, to be honest, he would have loved to see her go off on Nina; it would have made his day, his week. She says, she pushed Nina too far. Nina told her that she’s going to exercise her legal right to visitation with Wiley. He tells her, don’t worry. They’ll shut her down. That woman isn’t getting anywhere near their son.

Gladys says she’s sorry for crashing their date, and Nina says, it’s not a date. Gladys says she needs Sonny’s help; Brando and Sasha are eloping. They’re on the Canada side of Niagara Falls. Please call his people and have them fire up the jet. They may already be too late. He says he knows she wants to be at her son’s wedding, but if Brando and Sasha are eloping, they probably want to do it alone. She says she doesn’t want to be at their wedding; she wants to stop the wedding. They’re in no state to make a decision like this. She needs to talk to Brando before he ruins his life. Carly says, it’s not her choice to make, and Gladys asks if none of them is worried the least little bit. Brando and Sasha are still grieving their baby. How do they figure they’re capable of entering into marriage? Nina says, Gladys has a point. They owe it to Brando and Sasha to make sure they’re getting married for the right reasons.

Sasha asks, what’s the verdict? and Brando tells her, it’s like Vern said; the pump is shot. She says she was thinking they could get a Ride Share and still make it to the chapel before it closes, but she has no cell service. Brando says, neither does he, and Vern says, the service can be spotty out here. They’re welcome to use the garage phone to call a cab. He’ll place the order for a new fuel pump. Brando tells Sasha, as much as they wanted to get married today, maybe it’s best if they do it in Port Charles, with all of their family and friends… She says, no, and he asks, what’s going on? Is there something she needs to tell him about? She says, it’s just that she has this feeling, if they don’t get married tonight, they never will, and she’ll lose him. He says she’ll never lose him, but she says, he can’t promise that. He says he can and will. He’ll marry her tomorrow in a courthouse or a treehouse, a swamp. Wherever there’s an ordained minister and a witness, that’s where he’ll say his I dos. Vern says, excuse him. He couldn’t help overhearing. He’s actually ordained. Brando says, he can marry them? and Sasha says, today? Vern says he’ll call his wife Lorna and she can be their witness. As long as they don’t mind getting married in a garage. Sasha and Brando look at each other, and say, it’s perfect.

Robert says, if Victor killed Luke, that can only mean one thing. Luke figured out what Victor was up to. Felica says, whatever that is, and Mac says, if the Cassadines and the Ice Princess are involved, that spells trouble for the rest of them. Anna says, somehow, Drew Cain is the key. Drew, Sam, and Dante are trying to trap Victor into exposing whatever it is he’s up to. Robert asks, what if they’re unsuccessful? and Felicia says she and Anna have a plan of their own.

Harmony suggests she go, so Diane and Alexis can work out whatever tension is between them, when Michael comes by and asks if he and Willow can talk to Diane for a minute. Diane says, absolutely, and goes back to his table with him. Harmony says, none of her business, but if Alexis need an ear, she’s happy to lend one. Alexis says, a very nice man offered to buy her a drink, and she said she wasn’t interested, and then Diane goes off and starts talking about her love life, or lack thereof. She does it all the time. Harmony says, let her guess. Alexis overreacted. Alexis makes a gesture meaning a little bit, and Harmony says she spent her life following people who thought they had the answers. The truth is, no one does. Alexis is the only one who knows what’s right for her. She’s sure Alexis has asked herself these questions about romance a hundred times, and came up with the answer based on her experience. She doesn’t want to date? Then that’s the answer, and it’s perfectly okay.

Carly says, Sasha is fragile since she lost the baby. She puts on a tough front, but she’s still struggling. Sonny says, Brando’s still raw, but even though he and Sasha are acting impulsively, they’re good for each other; they’re strong for each other. Carly agrees, and Gladys says she can’t believe she’s hearing this. Nina is close to Sasha. Tell her that she agrees they have to stop the wedding. Nina says, she’s sorry, but after listening to Sonny and Carly, she agrees with them. Carly rolls her eyes, and I want to smack her. Nina says, Sasha and Brando are adults; they make their own choices. And they have a strong relationship. They’re bonded by shared loss. Carly says, Brando and Sasha are grieving together, so they have to trust getting married was the right decision for them. Gladys says, if Sonny isn’t going to lend her the jet, she’ll just rent a helicopter, and Sonny says, wait. He knows her first instinct is to protect her son. Nina says, Gladys can’t make those choices for him, and Carly says, as parents, they have to sit back and let their kids live their lives. Gladys says, so that’s what they all would do in her shoes? and Carly says, yep, and Nina says, afraid so. Sonny says, it’s the hardest thing about being a parent, but it’s got to be done. Gladys says she guesses she’s just not like them. Doing nothing is not in her vocabulary. Nina says, she’s not doing nothing, and Carly says, Brando is always going to need her love and support. She can give him that by letting him do what he needs to do. Sonny says, you just got to be there for him, and whatever comes next.

Outside Bliss Street Auto Repair, Brando says, ready? and Sasha says, ready. Lorna puts on the Wedding March, and Sasha walks out in a super pretty white dress with red flowers on it, carrying a bouquet. Where she got it, who knows? Vern says, they’re gathered here today to join Brando and Sasha in holy matrimony. As they embark on their journey as partners through life, the vows they exchange are their sacred pledge to each other; a contract bound by love. Brando says, they actually didn’t have time to write their vows, and Sasha says, they just jumped in the car, and headed for the nearest chapel. Vern asks if they’d prefer the traditional vows, or would they like to speak from the heart? Sasha says, they’d like to… and Brando says, speak from the heart.

Robert says, don’t keep them in suspense; what’s the plan? Anna says, Victor can’t achieve his objective if he’s in prison, and Felicia says, which means they need to prove Victor murdered Luke. Anna says she’s going to Austria to get proof, and Mac asks where Felicia fits in. Felicia says, they have to make sure Victor doesn’t catch on. If Anna goes to Austria alone, he’ll be suspicious. Anna says, Felicia is coming as her cover, and Mac says, absolutely not. Felicia says, hey! He doesn’t get to tell her what she can and cannot do. He says he’s grateful she rescued Maxie, but he still has nightmares about Peter running her car off the road. She can’t take that risk again. Felicia says, Mac can’t go with Anna. His recovery is coming along nicely, but he’s not fully healed. Robert says, they know what Victor is capable of. Maxie brought home her daughter, and needs Felicia. Felicia’s granddaughter needs her. Felicia says she knows, and she loves being with them, but she and Anna decided that going together would draw the least amount of suspicion. Anna says, they’ll say they’re going to be debriefed about the circumstances surrounding Maxie’s escape, and Peter’s subsequent death. Felicia says, and  to draw the least amount of suspicion, they’ll rent a car and drive to Innsbruck. Anna says, she’ll start the investigation into the tram accident, and Felicia says, Anna is doing the investigation? She knows she’s Anna’s cover, but she can’t be expected to sit around in the hotel room while Anna does all the work. Mac says, he’s in awe of how Anna took down Peter, but Felicia isn’t trained as a field agent. Victor is ruthless. Anna says, they’re going to an office to look at transportation records. If anything even remotely suspicious happens, she’ll get them out of there ASAP. Robert says, they all know what Victor is capable of, but they owe it to Luke, his family, friends and community, to stop him.

Brando says, Sasha has the most kind and generous heart of anyone he’s ever known, all wrapped up into one fierce shell. He’s seen how she fights for those she loves, and he’s honored that she’s chosen to spend the rest of her life with him. He promises to spend the rest of his life loving her and being her partner, whatever may come. He loves her. She says she admits, at first she didn’t know what to think of him, but something undeniable drew her to him, and she learned how brave and selfless he is. He saved her life in so many ways. She was used to being on her own, and looking out for herself, but in him, she’s found the perfect complement to her life. He’s truly her partner, and she’s so thankful she found him.

Maxie says, Austin is in her life now, and it would be easier for all of them if Obrecht would just accept that. Obrecht says, for Maxie, she will agree to co-exist with Dr. Gatlin-Holt. If he makes another mistake, he won’t live to regret it. He says he thinks she means to say, he will live to regret it, but she says, no, she didn’t.  

Brando puts Sasha’s ring on her finger, and says, with this ring, I thee wed, and Sasha does the same with him. Vern says, by the power vested in him, he pronounces them husband and wife. Brando may kiss his bride. And he does. A lot.

Michael says, Nina insists under New York state law, she has the right to see Wiley, but Diane says, Nina is mistaken. The statute Nina is referring to stipulates that if one of the biological parents is dead – in this case, Nelle – the biological grandparent has standing to file for visitation. So Nina has the right to bring her petition in front of a judge, but all that guarantees her is a hearing. She still has to convince the judge to give her access to Wiley. Michael says, but they can argue against it, and Diane says, correct. He says, if she files, he wants Diane to shut her down. Diane says, nothing would give her more pleasure, and Willow says, she was in favor of compromise, but it’s not possible with Nina. She’s repeatedly asked to see Wiley under what amounts to false pretenses. They can’t trust her. Diane says, which is why they need to keep this out of court. The downside is simply too risky. Michael’s a strategist, so think strategically. He’ll have more options if he keeps this out of court. He says, if Nina does file, they should be prepared, and Diane says she’ll delve into case law. In the meantime, her best advice is, do not engage. She’ll call them tomorrow, but for tonight, here’s some unsolicited advice. Push Nina from their thoughts, and enjoy the rest of their evening. She leaves, and Willow says she’s sorry she started this, but Michael says, no, Nina started this, but they’re going to be the ones to finish it.

Sasha says, they did it, and Brando says, it’s real now. She says, speaking of reality, he should call his mother and give her the good news. Vern says they can use the landline inside, and they go in. Brando makes the call.

Sonny asks what Gladys says. Does she want to give her son a chance at his own life? Her phone rings, and it’s Brando. He says he’s in Canada. He and Sasha decided to elope. Gladys fights back tears, and asks him to put her on speaker. He does, and she says, Brando and Sasha, you have all my blessings for a happy life. They thank her, and she says, come home soon, so she can congratulate them in person. He says they will, and he loves her. She says she loves him too. Sonny tells her that she did right the thing, she touches his shoulder, and leaves. Carly thanks him for helping her with Gladys, and follows her.

Felicia asks if Mac is on board about her going to Austria with Anna, and he heaves a sigh. He says, she’s the one who found Maxie and took down Peter. He’d be crazy to think she couldn’t handle herself. Robert says, he and Mac will hold down the fort here, and hopefully keep Victor’s attention off the two of them. Felicia says she loves Mac, and gives him a kiss, telling him, don’t do anything to jeopardize his recovery. He says, aye-aye, captain. Be careful. Find out what Victor is up to, and put a stop to it. Anna asks if she’s ready to go to Austria, and Felicia says, you bet. She wants to see Victor in prison for helping Peter.

Austin says, they got the whole meet-my-family thing out of the way, and Maxie says, she’ll come around. He asks if she has any idea when, and she says, it’ll take a while, but don’t worry. Maxie’s opinion is the only one that matters. Now their real problem is, how do they get rid of Peter’s box? He says, well, this is a hospital, and hospitals are really good at disposing of toxic and hazardous waste. She says she knew he would have the answer, and he says, he does. Come on. It’s time she saw the morgue.

Diane sits back down, and Alexis says she’s sorry she snapped at her. She’ll buy the next round. Diane says, no need. She’s sorry she pushed. Alexis says, she meant well, and Diane says that Alexis is being so nice, and asks what Harmony said to her. Harmony says, she just supported Alexis’s decision, that’s all, and Alexis says, after Neil, she can’t, okay? Diane says she gets it. Alexis gave up her law license for him. Alexis says she thought he was more important than her law license, and he thought drugs were more important than her. Harmony says, that will leave a mark on you, and Alexis says, they all have marks. Let’s just lighten up. Debbie Downer has left the building. Harmony says, there may have been darkness in Alexis’s past, but now the light has returned, and she’s been given a new beginning. That’s something to celebrate. Alexis says, to the light, and Diane laughs. Alexis says she doesn’t know about them, but she’s going to dance.

Nina says, that could have been so much worse, and Sonny says, when someone’s right, Carly’s not afraid to admit it. She asks if Carly and Michael will admit that Wiley deserves to see his other grandmother, and he says, all he can do is try. She says she knows he can be very persuasive when he sets his mind on something, so she’ll put her legal action on hold if he thinks he can convince Michael to let her see Wiley. He thanks her, and says he thinks that works best for everybody. She says, what about Carly? Obviously she doesn’t know Nina threatened to go to court to see Wiley, but she will find out. He tells her to just lay low. He’ll see what he can do about Michael, and they’ll worry about everything else later. She says, he’s right. She’ll focus on the newlyweds.

Outside, Carly says, Gladys did good, and Gladys says, Carly should be nominated for sainthood. If she saw her ex with that woman, she’d rip her hair out and set it on fire. Carly says she’s not a saint. She’s just a woman movin’ on.

Sasha says, surprised? and Brando says, relieved. He asks if there’s a cab company he can call, and Vern says they’re pretty out of the way. It’ll take a while for a cab to pick them up. Lorna suggests Brando and Sasha stay with them tonight. They don’t have a spare room, but one of them can take the sofa, and the other a sleeping bag. (Ideal for a honeymoon!) Vern says, and he’ll be able to get the pump replaced early tomorrow. Sasha thanks them for their very generous offer, and says they accept. Vern asks Lorna to help him clean up, and give these honeymooners some privacy. They leave, and Sasha says, the first night of their honeymoon. She’ll flip him for the sofa. He says he’s truly sorry it didn’t turn out how they imagined, and she says, please don’t tell her that he already regrets marrying her. He says, no, never, but she deserves the world. He knows this wasn’t her fantasy elopement, but she says, it is her fantasy elopement. At the end of the day, he’s her husband. He says, and she’s his wife. She says, for the rest of their lives, and they kiss.  

Tomorrow, Brook asks Michael if Chase said he’s interested in her: Carly asks Josslyn to tell her what’s going on, and they’ll fix it; Esme says, show time; and Cameron tells Jake, don’t! as he’s about to do something on his phone.

👯 Interim BFF…

She was good, but I hope the original comes back soon.

🍑 Peach Pits…

I’m not a regular, but I drop in once in a while.

🤹 Calling Number Two…

Joe Gorga spills the appletini.

💔 Say It Ain’t So…

This made me sad. I really thought they made a great couple.

https://people.com/home/million-dollar-listing-star-josh-flagg-and-husband-bobby-boyd-divorcing-after-5-years-of-marriage/

⚰️ Dead Spin…

The news I’ve been waiting for. I’m not a huge fan of Maggie – she’s aight – but I love Negan, and think he deserves his own show.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-maggie-negan-spinoff-isle-of-the-dead-lauren-cohan-jeffrey-dean-morgan-amc/

🔌 Time To Recharge…

Hit me up tomorrow for some soap, tea galore, meaningful words and as always, a random track. Until then, stay safe, stay on your mettle, and stay knowing that ultimately, only you know what’s right for you.

February 20, 2022 – Maggie Makes a Decision, Dedication, Hwacha, Lauren On Maggie, When To Fear, Rival Potential, Star Furbabies & End

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

The rockets strike the zombies, and they explode. Maggie pushes her way through, and gets to what passes as safety. A Reaper slams her against the wall repeatedly, but she puts up a good fight and knocks him out. A human explodes nearby, and Maggie runs inside and up the stairs. She goes through a door from the stair well, closes it, and listens. She peeks around the corner, and sees Negan and Elijah. Elijah is hurt, and Maggie leads them to a supply closet with a secret door, picking up bandages and whatnot on the way. Negan asks, what now? and Elijah suggests they get some food and go. Negan says, as long as they get out, but Maggie says she’s not leaving Gabriel and the others. They hear Leah saying, just find them. Not one is getting out alive.

I love the tree with the stained glass panels hanging from it in the opening.

Meanwhile in Alexandria, Rosita and company are fighting off zombies. Dianne tells them to come, and they run upstairs. In the basement, where Judith and Gracie are, water is pouring in through the windows. Zombies are banging at the door, and Judith says, it isn’t going to hold. They walk up the stairs, the door opens a crack, and hands come through. Judith puts a pipe across it, to reenforce it, but a zombie sticks its head in, and they start to push through.

Jerry and Aaron run inside, and Aaron says, the rain isn’t helping. He tells Jerry that they should try something else, but Jerry doesn’t think there’s much else they can try. They see Carol, Connie, Kelly, and Magna, and motion them in. Connie and Kelly go with Magna to take care of the breach. Aaron says, if the windmill falls, they’re screwed, and they suddenly hear whistle. Aaron says, Gracie, it’s an emergency, and tells Carly and Jerry to take care of the fire.   

Daryl jumps sniper Austin in a classroom, and knocks the gun out of his hand. Austin produces a sword, and Daryl takes out his knife, but ends up headbutting Austin. They fight, and Daryl stabs Austin, but Austin takes off. Daryl follows, and gets him in a headlock in the hallway, while zombies scrabble at another classroom door. Daryl is between a rock and a hard place, when he hears Leah call for Austin. She tells her men to break down the door, and Daryl jets. Leah and a couple of her henchmen come in, and she runs to Austin. She says, no more, and they hunt for Daryl, but surprise! He was in the room the whole time, behind something. He slips out the other way.

Water continues to pour into the basement, and Judith suggests they try getting out the window. A zombie comes out of the water, and she stabs it in the head. Zombies are beginning to toddle down the stairs, and one grabs at them from under the water. Judith kicks it in the head, but another takes its place. She kicks that one too, and Aaron is at the window. He breaks it, and a zombie swims up. He tells the girls, stay there, lures the zombie closer, jumps in, and stabs it. As he wrestles with another one, he tells the girls to go. The zombie drags him under, and the girls press themselves against a wall near the window. Aaron is running out of air, and squishes the zombie’s head like a grape. The zombies continue to come down the stairs, and Aaron lifts Gracie up. She goes through the window, and Judith goes next. He tells them to go, and Judith says, they’ll get help. The stairs collapse, and the zombies disappear under the water. Aaron is like, where TF are they? and they begin to pop up out of the water.

Brandishing a knife, Gabriel runs up to a room decorated like a chapel, and finds the Reaper priest from the cemetery, who also has a knife. The priest tells Gabriel, far enough. He can’t let Gabriel harm anybody. Gabriel says he should worry about himself first, and the priest says, God will repel Gabriel’s hand like He did at the graves. Gabriel says the priest knew he was there? but the priest says, the Lord knew he was there. Gabriel asks if the Lord told the priest to defend these people. They’re monsters who slaughter entire towns and massacre children. How could he pray for them? The priest says, his role is not to question, and Gabriel says, he’s just following orders, and wonders where he’s heard that before. The priest says, they’re not privy to God’s will. All they can do is trust. Gabriel says he can’t allow the murder of his friends, and the priest says, neither can he. He puts his knife in his belt, and moves closer to Gabriel. He says, his flock is worth saving, and asks if Gabriel hears from God anymore. God is asking him to listen. Will he? Can he take the first steps for both of their flocks? He tells Gabriel, take his hand and allow himself to be saved. They hear an explosion outside, and Gabriel stabs the priest, saying, he doesn’t believe that. The priest falls.

Carver follows Maggie, who only comes upon locked doors, and becomes trapped in a dead end hallway. Carver says, oops, wrong turn, and Maggie hears a door open behind her. It’s Elijah, who says Carver killed his sister. Behind Carver, Negan comes out of another room with a pipe. Carver tells Maggie, thanks for this, and Negan tries to whack him with the pipe, but Carver uses some martial arts moves, and gets Negan down. Elijah, Maggie, and Negan fight the good fight, repeatedly getting knocked down, but getting up again. Carver kicks Elijah’s wounded leg, and knocks Maggie down. He’s about stomp on her, but Negan says, over here sh*thead. He has a big bell in his hand, which amuses Carver until he’s distracted by Elijah, and Negan whacks him in the face with it, saying, well, ding-ding. Negan tells Elijah, thanks, kid, and sits on the floor. Maggie is about to finish Carver off, when Daryl pops out, and says, no. He says he should have taken Carver out, but don’t kill him yet. We’ve got him, now let’s use him. They can get what they want and go home. Maggie says Daryl is doing this for Leah, but he says he’s doing it for them. Negan says he’s down with getting out alive, and Elijah is bummed that they’re just letting the Reapers walk away. Maggie says, they’ll get what’s coming to them. Maybe not today, but they will. Daryl radios Leah, and says they need to talk.

Rosita is still battling zombies on the stairs. Lydia opens the window on the landing, and climbs out.

Aaron climbs along on the pipes near the ceiling. Pipes that don’t sound very stable. Nope, they’re not, because they separate, and Aaron slides down one of them, dangling closer to the zombies reaching up for him. He somehow climbs back up and keeps going. Lydia comes to the window, and says she’ll be right back. We don’t see how it happens, but Lydia gets him out using a rope. He thanks her, and she says he’d do the same for her. He says he would, and asks about Gracie and Judith. She says, they’re safe. He asks about the others, and she says, Dianne is on it.

With Carver gagged and bound, Negan, Maggie, Daryl, and Elijah walk down the road. Elijah tells Maggie to leave him; just make sure Carver is dead. Maggie says, they’re not going anywhere without him, no matter what happens. Daryl asks if Maggie is all right, and she says, yeah. He gives her a gun, saying, just in case, and radios Leah. Leah puts a gun in her waistband, and says, we’re here. Daryl tells them, come out; weapons on the ground. Leah says she needs to see Carver first, and Daryl brings Carver out, holding a knife to his throat. Daryl says, weapons on the ground, and she asks what he’s offering. He tells her, lose the weapons, and let them leave. They’ll head north, but if he sees anyone, he’ll kill them. When they’re far out enough, they’ll let Carver go. She starts to argue, and he tells her, shut up. She asks if she’s supposed to trust him now, and he says, they’re doing this all wrong. They survived for what? Killing each other? She says, if that’s what it takes, and tells him to take the knife away from Carver’s throat. He says she has the chance to save what’s left of her family, and he can save what’s left of his, but Leah says, no more lies. She radios Jensen, and tells him to shoot. Some shots come close to them, and she says, it was a warning, but it’s the last one. Everybody out. Negan and Maggie come out, helping Elijah between them, and Leah tells Daryl again to take the knife away from Carver’s throat, but he doesn’t move. She says, Jensen, the woman, and Daryl says, fine, and lets Carver go. Carver blows a kiss to Elijah, who grabs a sickle. Leah says, no one move, but Elijah doesn’t listen. She says, one more step, and he dies, but he doesn’t have to worry about that, since he keels over. Carver kicks the sickle away, and is suddenly shot in the leg. Leah says, what the hell? and gets on the radio, calling Jensen. A voice says, no Jensen here. Call me Gabriel. Back off or you’re next. Maggie says, they had their chance, and would have picked them off one by one. Now she’s going to do the same thing to them. Leah says, maybe she’s right. Her friend has the rifle, but they’d take a couple of them down before all of them were taken out. They walk away, and Daryl saves his family, and she saves hers. Maggie says, Negan? and Negan says, she knows what he thinks. It’s her decision. Maggie tells Leah and her guys to drop their weapons, but leave Carver; they’ll help him. Leah tells her guys, do it, and tells Carver, she’ll see him soon. She and her men leave, and Maggie goes over to Elijah, who doesn’t look good. He tells her, for Josephine… for all of them. Daryl drags Carter up, and Maggie watches the Reapers leave. Suddenly, Maggie takes out her gun, and walks after them. Daryl drops Carter, and runs after her, saying, hey, no, but Maggie starts shooting. She gets Leah’s guys, but somehow misses Leah, so she continues to walk after her. She turns around, and finishes off one of the guys who was only wounded. She goes over to Carter, and pulls the trigger, but she’s out of bullets. Carter grabs a knife, but she grabs the sickle, and kicks the knife out of his hand. She swings the sickle down into his chest. Alrighty then.

Daryl follows Leah’s trail sees a pile of garbage that’s a makeshift shelter. He stops and says, she could have had a second chance. Both of them could have. Go before he changes his mind. Inside the shelter, holding a knife, Leah puts her head in her hands.

Negan et al load up the wagon with food. Daryl isn’t talking to Maggie, although it’s hard to tell with him, since he barely talks anyway. Maggie tells Gabriel that she’ll catch up with him and Lydia, and Gabriel tells her to be careful. Maggie tells Elijah, she’ll be back soon, she promises, and hugs him. She takes a bow and arrows, and leaves.

Maggie walks to the church in the woods where Alden was holed up.  She calls to him, and slowly opens the door. She looks inside, and a zombie hurtles toward her. She stabs it in the head, and calls to Alden again. She sees him, zombified and crawling across the floor. She kneels down, cradling his head as much as you can with a hungry zombie, and snaps his neck. She lays her body on his, and sobs.

Maggie buries Alden, when Negan comes along. He says, she’s always going to do what she did. He doesn’t blame her, but promise or not, it’s just a matter of time before she makes the same call. He’s not going to give her a chance to do that. She starts to reach behind her for the knife in her waistband, and he says, he’ll be going his own way, and walks off.

Daryl roasts a rabbit, as he, Elijah, and Gabriel sit around a fire. Gabriel says he heard what Daryl said, that they’re doing it wrong, and Daryl wonders if it even matters anymore. He asks if Gabriel has faith, and Gabriel says he supposes so. He’s trying. A random zombie ambles up, and is shot by an arrow. Maggie is back, and Gabriel says, Alden? She shakes her head and pets Dog, as we all would. Gabriel asks if she saw Negan, and she says, he left. Everyone settles down for the night.

Carol looks out from the wall at Alexandria. Jerry joins her, and says, all  is quiet.

Maggie drives the wagon into Alexandria, and Jerry asks, where is everyone else? We see the town looking pretty ragged, and a pile of bodies being burned. Judith runs to Daryl, and he picks her up. Herschel runs to Maggie, and they hug. Daryl hugs Carol and Lydia, who asks where Negan is. Daryl says, he left, and brings out a bushel basket of apples, telling the kids, just one. Gabriel looks at Rosita and Coco, and Daryl sees Connie, and drops the basket. He hugs her and Kelly, while Dog tries to eat an apple. Daryl says he has so many questions, and Gabriel hugs Aaron. Aaron says, Alden? but Gabriel says, he’s gone. So many didn’t make it. Aaron says they literally had nothing left, and thanks Gabriel.

Jerry looks out, and yells, we’ve got something coming. They grab their weapons, and Maggie and Daryl join Jerry. A group of Commonwealth stormtroopers and their caravan come toward Alexandria, stopping outside. Daryl yells, everyone get ready, and the stormtroopers draw their guns. Eugene runs out from caravan, and says, wait! They’re all friends. They’re here to help.

Eugene says, when they set out on their journey, they found hope and the proverbial jackpot, but he thinks they should hear it from the horse’s mouth. He introduces Lance Hornsby, the diplomatic representative from the Commonwealth. Lance introduces himself, and thanks the Alexandrians for allowing them in. He’s impressed with what they’ve built, and he’s heard of other places they’ve created. It’s clear they’ve fallen on hard times. The Commonwealth is more than willing to help them remain, providing labor and materials for them to build back what they’ve lost. However, if they’re interested, he has another potentially more interesting choice to offer them.

Six months later. Maggie stands on the wall at Alexandria, and says, it doesn’t have to be this way. In front of a group of stormtroopers below, Daryl takes off his trooper helmet, and says, it does.

In loving memory of Stephen Campbell.

Next time, the Commonwealth governor says, they’re putting the world back together the way it was; Maggie doesn’t trust them, and Daryl says he’s asking her to trust him; Lance tells Carol that they’re going to remake the world; and a carnival at the Commonwealth.

💝 Dedicated To Stephen…

The man in whose loving memory tonight’s TWD referred to.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11b-premiere-dedication-stephen-campbell-tribute-1109/

🧨 Ancient Launcher…

The device they used to launch the rockets has been around for a while.

https://www.history101.com/hwacha-ancient-korean-rocket-launcher/

💭 What Maggie Thinks…

Lauren Cohan’s take on Maggie’s decision making.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-maggie-lauren-cohan-no-other-way-interview/

⚰️ Fear In April…

Walking Dead’s body isn’t even cold yet, and we’re moving on.

⚔️ Strand Versus Daniel…

It wouldn’t be the first time Daniel was involved in a revolution.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-season-7-strand-daniel-rival/

🐕 Pampered Pets…

Something happy to start your week.

🐣 Goodbye To Say Hello…

Tomorrow begins a new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. By all means join me for that and some Hospital soap. Until then, stay safe, stay having a dream, and stay wary of those who have potentially more interesting choices to offer.