Tag Archives: Lisa Vanderpump

Mar18

March 17, 2023 – Diane Makes Robert’s Day, Softball In Jersey, VanderAwful, Season 2 Buzz, Non-Reaction, Festival News, Pets (!), O’Quotes & Decide

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Valentin jumps several of Lucy’s men in checkers, and says, king me. She says she’d like to crown him. Fine. Here’s his king me crown. She slaps her checker on top of his, and he says he thinks they have Parchisi. Someone knocks at the door, and Lucy slips into the back. Laura says, it’s her, and he opens the door. Lucy runs out and hugs her, and Laura says, it’s good to see her. Lucy says, tell her there’s an end to this nightmare in sight. Please.

Eileen tells Robert, it’s too risky. She could end up dead. He says, that’s what happens when you bunk in with a Cassadine. There’s a knock on his office door, and Diane comes in. She says she knows she’s interrupting, but he’ll be glad she did. He asks why specifically he’s glad to see her, and she says, because she’s about to make his day.

Dr. I-Don’t-Know-His-Name brings Victor to an exam room, and says he can understand why Victor wants his issue resolved quickly. Victor says, any man would, and the doctor says he read Finn’s report. Unfortunately, he agrees with Finn’s assessment. Victor’s condition is likely irreversible. I laaaugh, and Victor flashes back to confronting Laura. She says, when his life falls apart – and it will – he’ll have more than her to blame, and he says, but she’ll the one who will pay most dearly. He tells the doctor, it means everything to him. He recently lost his son, and the rest of the family’s in crisis. He can’t afford to be distracted right now. He has to focus. He needs to ensure his family’s survival. Nothing can jeopardize that.

On the phone, Nina tells Maxie, of course (🍷). Crimson always supports the Nurses Ball. If she needs anything, just ask. She tells Maxie that she loves her and to give James a big hug from his Aunt Nina. She looks at a picture of her and Sonny, and flashes back to telling Sonny that she didn’t think she wanted to know about his business, but now she’s not so sure. There’s a knock at the door, and Nina opens it to Phyllis. Nina says, you’re back, and they hug.

Carly brings Donna to Sonny’s, and sees the guards outside. She asks Frank how it’s going, and he says, it’s going well. He lets her in, and Sonny says, look who it is. Donna runs to him, and he says he wasn’t expecting her. Carly asks, who was he expecting?

Laura says she does have an update, and Lucy says, please tell her it involves the word Victor and incarcerated, incapacitated, or dead. Laura asks, where’s Anna? and Valentin says, she’s in the bedroom trying to crack the Ice Princess codes. Does Laura want him to get her? Laura says, he can bring Anna up to speed later, and Lucy asks if this means she can go home, but Laura says, no; she’s sorry. Lucy says she really is grateful for being rescued and just being alive, but tick-tock, people, come on. Laura says, on the bright side, she thinks they’re starting to get to Victor, and Valentin asks, how? She says she ran into his father last night at the MetroCourt, and he was seething with rage. He said he knew what she’d done. Valentin asks if he got more specific, and she says, no, but he said she was stripping him of his power, and she was determined to rob him of his dignity in the process. Lucy says, it sounds like what they’re doing is working, so just keep doing what’s working, and Laura says, Victor is definitely fraying. He believes they’re all dead, and has no idea where Nikolas is. Spencer is actually defying him by going to live with his Uncle Sonny, so he’s lost control of his family, and it seems he’s having some kind of a medical issue. The kind that makes a man realize he’s not as powerful as he used to be. She doesn’t think it will be much longer before they bring Victor down for good, so Lucy doesn’t have to be patient much longer. Lucy says she doesn’t do patient, and the world right now needs Lucy Coe.

Robert asks how Diane is going to make his day, and she says, by offering this office the chance to save time and effort, and the chance to save the taxpayers of New York considerable expense. Eileen takes photos of a folder with her phone like there’s no way Diane would notice, and Diane says she knows Robert is intent on streamlining this office, so he’s going to want to hear her offer. Of course (🍷) if this is a bad time, she can come back… He says he and the Deputy Mayor are done, and Eileen agrees, adding, for now. She leaves, and in the hallway, she texts Victor: Need to meet. Urgent. She flashes back to offering Victor a copy of the unredacted file on Holly’s accident, and saying, it contains useful information on the necklace.

Carly tells Sonny that Donna’s ear drops are in her bag if she needs them, when Dex comes out. Donna asks, who are you? and Sonny says, he works for daddy, and introduces them. Dex shakes her tiny hand, and says hello to Carly. Donna asks if he lives here, but he says, no; he’s just visiting. Sonny says, they’re getting some work done, and Dex is going to be staying a couple of days. Dex says he was just going out to grab some things and he’ll be back soon. He leaves, and Sonny says he guesses Carly didn’t get his message. She says, no, she didn’t. What’s going on?

Lucy tells Laura, the Nurses Ball is always the event, but this year, it happens to coincide with General Hospital’s 60th anniversary. Laura says she knows, but it’s going to be televised this year, so Lucy can watch it, but Lucy says she doesn’t want to watch it. She is the Nurses Ball. She’s chaired every single Nurses Ball that ever was. Laura says, and every single one of them was magnificent, and Lucy thanks her, but says, she wants this one to be magnificent. It takes a certain type of expertise; there’s no substitute. Laura assures her that Maxie has everything under control, and Lucy says, define everything. Spare no details. Laura says she knows Maxie’s got financing from ELQ and Aurora, and Lucy says, super, but those are Quartermaine companies, and the family lives for the hospital, so really, they couldn’t refuse. Laura says, she’s meeting with more sponsors tonight, and Lucy says, super, but she might run into a snag because those sponsors can be pretty prickly. Valentin says, she can handle it. He hopes the sponsors do give her a hard time. She’ll squeeze them for every cent, and they’ll thank her for it. He just wishes he could be there to see it. Lucy says she needs to be there to see it, but Valentin says, no, she doesn’t. If she were, Victor would know what they were up to. He would make them all pay dearly, so what she needs to do is, settle down and accept the situation, because there’s nothing she can do about it. She blows a raspberry at him, and plops on the sofa. Laura says she knows how hard this must be for her, but fortunately, she has something that might make her feel better.

The doctor says, they can try to treat Victor’s symptoms, but it’s not guaranteed to work. Victor says, anything worth trying. He’s ready and willing to put up a fight. The doctor says, they’ll start with a prescription. He’ll get it from the hospital pharmacy himself. He leaves, and there’s a knock at the door. Victor lets Eileen in, and she thanks him for replying to her text. He asks, what couldn’t wait? and she says she has reason to believe Laura and Robert think she’s connected to him. He says, what better way of disabusing them of that notion than to come looking for him in a well-populated, brightly lit building with security cameras around every corner? She says she’s often at the hospital in the course of her official duties, and he says, good for her, but don’t contact him again unless she has something he can use against Laura… Unless that’s why she’s here. She says she doesn’t have anything about that, but she does have this. She shows him her phone.

Nina shows Phyllis a picture of Amelia, and Phyllis says, isn’t she a beauty. Nina says she loves Amelia already, even though she’s not allowed to be around her, and Phyllis asks if Willow is still keeping Nina at arm’s length. Nina says, not exactly. As it turns out, her Aunt Liesl is a viable bone marrow match to be a donor, and convinced Willow to keep Nina updated on her health issues. It’s a start. Every other subject is off-limits, including Wiley and Amelia. Phyllis says, if Willow sees Nina made an effort to respect her wishes, when she’s better – and Phyllis does mean when – she’ll let Nina in. She asks what Sonny’s take is on this, and Nina says, he told her pretty much the same thing, but she thinks Sonny is trying to convince himself too, because his son Michael doesn’t want to be around him. Their children have formed a united front against them. Phyllis says, it’s a shame when families shut each other out. In the meantime, it’s wonderful Nina can rely on Sonny… can’t she?

Sonny tells Carly that Donna’s in her room. The reason he called her was about Donna staying tonight. She says she’s sorry she missed his call. She was at the Quartermaines’ helping plan the Nurses Ball with Maxie, Willow, and Michael. He asks how Michael and Willow are holding up, and she says, worried, but they’re holding it together. What’s going on? Why does he have two bodyguards and Dex for protection? He says, Dex isn’t protecting him; he’s keeping an eye on Dex. She asks, why? and he flashes back to the shootout. He says, there was an incident.

At his apartment, Dex hears something and draws his gun, when Josslyn walks in. He says, she can’t just show up here without letting him know. He could have hurt her. She says she doesn’t know whether or not to text him; whether Sonny will see it or not. Why is he staying there? He says he was going to reach out, but hadn’t gotten the chance yet. She asks how he hurt himself. What the hell is going on?

Nina brings out some wine and charcuterie, and tells Phyllis, in regard to her relationship with Sonny, she’s reevaluating things. Phyllis says she thought things were good with Nina and Sonny, and Nina says, they are. It’s just that she thought she could separate Sonny’s livelihood from their relationship. Now she’s wondering if she was just fooling herself. Phyllis says, Nina knew who Sonny was when she encountered him in Nixon Falls. She knew before he did. Nina says she heard all the stories about Sonny Corinthos by reputation and in the news; that he was fearsome, and he was a violent man. Then she got to know Mike, and fell in love with Mike. Then when Sonny regained his memory, it seemed like he really changed. Phyllis says she doesn’t think Nina’s wrong about that, and Nina says, even when they went back to Port Charles, all the violence she was worried about and the reality of Sonny’s world seemed theoretical. So it was easy for her to move forward with Sonny. Phyllis asks, what’s changed? and Nina says, it turns out, peace was only temporary. And now that peace has broken.

Sonny says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Donna to stay here for a while, and Carly asks, how bad is it? He says, he and Dex went to the warehouse; they weren’t alone. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine. Dex got a little banged up. Nothing serious. He just wants to keep Dex close while he’s on the mend. She asks who it is this time, and he says, she’s out of this now. She says, really? Because she feels like she’s right back in it.

Diane tells Robert that she’s spoken to Trina about the criminal charges against Esme Prince, and he says, she can assure Trina that they’re doing their best to build an airtight case. She asks if he’s certain of a conviction, and he asks why he wouldn’t be. She says, Esme now presents as a very sympathetic defendant, and he laughs, saying, she’s about as sympathetic as an alligator chasing a pup. Diane says, not anymore. Now she’s a young mother who nearly died escaping captivity after literally being locked in a tower. Of course (🍷) she’s professing traumatic memory loss. Esme is something like six or seven fairytale princesses all rolled into one. Rapunzel… Snow White… Anyway, all she has left in the world is this innocent little baby. So now Esme is a traumatized, frightened young woman, and a caring mother. He asks what she suggests he do, and she says, drop the charges.

Lucy says, unless Laura has a time machine that can take her back to before she got involved with this, she doesn’t think there’s much Laura can do for her. Laura says, is that so? taking an envelope out of her bag. She says she guesses Lucy wouldn’t want this letter from Martin after all, and Lucy snatches it out of her hand, kissing it. She says she misses him so much, and Laura says she thinks the feeling is mutual. Lucy thanks Laura, and says she’s going to take her letter, run a very hot bath, grab her glass of wine, and read every single word a thousand times that her beloved wrote to her. Ta. She leaves, and Laura says she’s welcome. She asks how Valentin is, really, and he says he’s fine. Lucy’s alive, even when you’re not trapped in a confined space with her. He does have Anna, and he’d endure anything to get rid of Victor Cassadine. She says, it’s not going to be much longer. She can bring Charlotte for a visit… but he says, no. That’s the last thing he wants.

Victor wants to see what Eileen found, but she says she needs his assurance this will all be over before it blows back on her. He says, once again, she forgets how their arrangement works, and she says she found it in the DA’s office. Use it to achieve his goal quickly, so she can end her involvement before she pays for this alliance with her freedom – she hands him the phone – or with her life. He looks at it, and says, so the necklace made from the Ice Princess still exists, and Robert has it.

Valentin says, given his father’s current agitated state… Laura says, he doesn’t want to take the risk. He says, it was great when Felicia brought her by, but he’s sure Victor is watching her. It would do him a world of good to see her. Laura says, it would do them both good. Charlotte misses him terribly. He says he misses her right back, and asks Laura to make sure she tells Charlotte that. She says, of course (🍷) she will, and he says he’s grateful to her and Doc for everything they did to get Charlotte away from Victor. She says she’d do anything for Charlotte, and he says he knows she would, even if it means by extension helping him. She says, life is full of surprises.

Dex says he was with Sonny, when they were ambushed, and Josslyn says, he got shot? but he says, just creased. She says she can’t stand that word, and he says, it’s not like last time. It bled a lot, but he didn’t even need stitches. Sonny just wants Dex to stay with him until he’s healed up, but her mom and Donna came by, and he figured he’d give them some space. He just came by to grab some things. He’s sorry he didn’t tell her sooner… Please say something. She tells him to take off his shirt.

Sonny says he knows Carly is worried about the kids, and she says she’s worried about him too. He says, she saw security. He’s going to take care of it. She asks, how’s that? and he says he has a good team. She knows most of them. Dex is new, but he’s doing excellent work. Sonny is going to find out what’s going on, and he’s going to stop it. She says she’d loved to believe that, but they both know he can’t make that promise.

Nina tells Phyllis, all of a sudden, Sonny is on high alert. He assigned protection to all of his loved ones, including her. Phyllis asks if she feels safer with a bodyguard, but Nina says, oddly enough, no. She’s glad someone is there to protect her, but she’s constantly on guard that something’s going to happen. Phyllis says she can see why they would be unsettling; not just in the day to day, but in Nina’s relationship too. Nina says, to be fair to Sonny, he’s never lied or tried to hide the realities of his work, but if she didn’t know, it would be a buffer between their relationship and his… organization. Phyllis says, now Nina’s realizing there is no buffer, and Nina says, there are sides of Sonny she didn’t know that are starting to emerge. Phyllis says, now that Nina’s seeing these sides, she has to be honest with herself. Is this a relationship she can sustain?

Valentin says, Laura watching over Charlotte and taking care of her is everything to him. He couldn’t do any of this without her. He thanks her, and she says, Charlotte’s safety and future is one of the biggest reasons they have to stop Victor. He says, his father’s obsessed with his family; enriching it, controlling it. Has she heard from Nikolas? She says, no. He vanished without a trace, and she’s assuming it was intentional. She doesn’t really know, but Victor doesn’t seem to know. Valentin says he’s sorry. No matter how old they are, there’s no hell like worrying about your child. She thanks him, and says, what’s even more worrisome is that Victor seems to be focusing more on Spencer, and on Spencer’s baby brother. He says, they’ve got the name; they’re Cassadine heirs. That means they factor into Victor’s plans, whatever they are. Victor’s plans are kind of like Sonny’s mob boss job, or what the Chrisleys did for a living. If anything.

Victor says, so Robert managed to retrieve the necklace from the fire, and he’s been covering it up this whole time. Eileen says, he went through a lot of trouble to make sure no one knew it survived, and Victor says, it’s almost as if Robert knew he was looking for it. She says, that was her impression. Robert was convinced Victor needed something from the Ice Princess, and that’s why he was keeping its recovery a secret. Victor says, he and Holly were always thick as thieves. He wonders what else is in the file, but she says she doesn’t know. Robert was still in the room when she snapped the picture. She couldn’t sit there and read it in front of him, but she does know the necklace is being stored in a secure evidence locker in the PCPD. He says he has to commend her; excellent work. He hands back her phone, and she says she can’t wait to finally be done with all this, and he says, why on earth would she be done? She says, because he has everything he needs to send his men into the PCPD to retrieve the diamond, and he chuckles, saying, if only it were that simple. If he were to send his men in to storm the PCPD, it’d be a tip off. He’s afraid she’s going to have to retrieve the necklace for him. She asks how she’s supposed to get in the evidence locker, and he says, as Deputy Mayor, he’s sure she has connections who can find a graceful way to get in and retrieve the necklace. If she wants this to be done with, she’ll bring him the necklace. Don’t fail him. He opens the door, she says, understood, and leaves.

Robert asks Diane why they would they drop the charges against Esme Prince? They can prove everything they’re going after her for. She asks if the jury is going to care. Because if Martin Grey can work up enough sympathy for acquittal, Robert will lose his one and only chance to bring Esme to justice for her crimes. He asks why she’s bringing this to him now. What’s in it for her? She says she’s crushed… Okay. In addition to Trina, she also represents Spencer Cassadine. Esme is determined to keep her baby with her in prison, and Spencer doesn’t want that for his little brother; neither does Trina. He says he doesn’t give a damn what Spencer wants, and he respects Trina, but she isn’t even in the video. What does he tell Esme’s other victims? She says, Josslyn and Cameron both agree with Trina. Right now, they’re only thinking of the baby. Of course (🍷) they want justice, but some say, justice delayed is justice denied. The worst-case scenario would be to let Esme walk away Scot-Free, but justice delayed… Bring the charges, try her, when she can no longer claim traumatic memory loss. He says she might be right, but he’s not convinced, and she says, remember, she defended Trina. That young woman was dangerously close to going to prison because Esme Prince is a nasty piece of business. So as excited as she is to bring this proposal to him, it galls her to have to make it to him. Like she’s sure it galls him to have to consider it. He says, still, it might be best for all involved, and she says, he’s a smart man. He says, just because they put the charges aside doesn’t mean they take their eyes off little Esme for one second.

Dex takes off his shirt, hands it to Josslyn, and says, all yours. Does she want him to autograph it? She says, shut up. Let her see the wound. She looks under the bandage, and says, Sonny’s doctor did a much better job than she did. She gives him back his shirt, and he puts it on. He takes her hands, and says, Sonny’s doctor may have skills, but he doesn’t have her bedside manner. They kiss, and she says she should thank the doctor for bringing him back to her in one piece, but he says, the man she should thank is Sonny.

Nina says she loves Sonny, and Phyllis says she knows. Nina says, he’s been her rock. She doesn’t know if she could have gotten through this past year without him. Phyllis says she’s sure he feels the same about Nina, and Nina says, they’re good together. Phyllis says, she knows. Nina doesn’t have to convince her. She’s seen them together; both as Mike and Nina, and as Nina and Sonny. Nina says, there’s a huge part of her that thinks love is everything. She has a daughter now, and a granddaughter – grandchildren. It’s more than just her now. She’s not sure she can wrap her head around the idea of us being in constant danger. Phyllis takes her hand and says, not everyone was built for Sonny’s world, and everything that comes along with loving him. Nina says, like Carly was?

Sonny tells Carly that he doesn’t know what she wants him to say. She knows how his world is. She says she does, better than most, and he says, then she knows he’ll do everything he can to protect the family. She says, his family needs more than his protection; they need him. He says he’s not going anywhere, and she says, he doesn’t want to go anywhere. She remembers the last time she had to tell Donna and Avery that their daddy wasn’t coming home. She can’t go through that again.

Robert tells Diane, you win. As usual. She laughs, and he says he’ll drop the charges, as long as he can talk to all the victims and get them on board. She says she knows this isn’t an easy decision to make, and he says, she made a compelling argument. They can always refile the charges should evil Esme resurface. And he gets to keep his conviction record. She says, everybody wins. For what it’s worth (🍷), she has every faith that one day the justice system will hold Esme accountable. He says he hopes she’s right, and she says, in the meantime, she knows a way they can both work off their frustration. He asks what she has in mind, and she says, has he ever thrown a hatchet? He says, only in anger, and she says, why doesn’t he join her at the hatchet range? He can show her what he’s got, but she’s equally as lethal with an ax as she is with a brief. He says, Killer Miller strikes again, she laughs, and walks out.

On the phone at the MetroCourt bar, Victor tells someone that he needs them to check on Miss Sutton. He wants to know how far along she is on her road to recovery.

Robert says, back so soon? and Eileen says, not fast enough. He says, did Victor buy it? and she says, every word. He did have questions about the night Holly Sutton and the necklace supposedly went up in flames. He says he anticipated that, and notified the appropriate parties. Let’s move on to Phase Two.

Valentin tells Laura, there was a time not that long ago, if someone had told him that he and Laura would be having a conversation like this… She laughs, and says, united for a common cause. He says, if they can form an alliance… She says, then anything’s possible.  He says, Victor has no idea what he’s up against. He, Lucy, and Anna are alive and working against him, and he hopes Laura is right, and things are working against Victor. She says, now that Eileen is working for them, they finally have the upper hand, and he says, it won’t be long now.

Victor looks at his drink, sniffs it, and takes a sip. Lucy walks out of the elevator, looking like a frumpy librarian from the 1930s, and sees Victor at the bar.

Josslyn asks why she’d thank Sonny, when he’s the one who got Dex shot, and Dex says, they were checking the warehouse; getting ready for the Pikeman shipment. There was an ambush; a sniper. He saw movement before the shot was fired, and he got Sonny out of the way. She says, so he saved Sonny, and he says, they were pinned down, and Tony… She knows Tony. She says, he’s Sonny’s most experienced bodyguard, and Dex says, he gave covering fire from the entrance so Sonny could get away. Josslyn says, Sonny left him? and he says, Sonny was the target. Once he was gone, the shooter should have left. She says, obviously, he didn’t, and Dex says, the sniper took a shot at him, creased him, and he took cover, but he wasn’t going to last long with a handgun against a rifle. So he made a run for it, and that’s when Sonny came back and shot the sniper. Sonny probably saved his life… What? She says, nothing. It just almost sounds like Dex admires him.

Sonny says he knows it was hell for Carly, and for the girls, and she says, it was hell for everybody. He says he’s not going to put her through that again, and she says, a bridge went out from under him. He didn’t choose that; it just happened. Things happen. He can’t control everything. He says, he knows that. If he could control this, it wouldn’t be happening. The only thing he can do is take things as they come. As it is, he’s going to find out what’s going on and put a stop to it. She asks if there’s anything she can do, and he says, she can just stay out of it. He can deal with anything as long as she and the girls are safe. Okay? She says, okay, when Nina walks in.

On Monday, Valentin says, Anna screwed up and can’t own up to it; Josslyn says, Dex will be signing his own death warrant; and Sonny tells Nina, his children won’t be visiting him, and neither will she.

⚾️ Playing Ball…

Up close and personal at the RHONJ charity softball game.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/rhonj-charity-softball-game-behind-the-scenes-moments-pics-recap

🍸 #Scandoval…

Like Andy, I’m girding my loins for the Reunion.

LVP wouldn’t have to ask me to move in twice.

https://www.etonline.com/kristen-doute-says-tom-sandoval-still-refuses-to-leave-home-he-shares-with-ariana-madix-201104

Kelly Clarkson be damned.

https://www.etonline.com/ariana-madix-releases-first-statement-on-tom-sandoval-raquel-leviss-affair-what-doesnt-kill-me

I always appreciate a timeline.

https://www.etonline.com/tom-sandoval-and-raquel-leviss-a-timeline-of-the-vanderpump-rules-stars-cheating-scandal-200333

More proof Sandoval is an awful human being. If Jax shames you, you know it’s bad.

https://pagesix.com/2023/03/16/kristen-doute-tom-sandoval-dated-ariana-madix-out-of-convenience/

It’s even better than The Slap. Although TBH, I can’t imagine Scheana giving anyone a black eye. Not to mention, that’s a pretty odd-looking shiner. I agree with the opinion that it’s to remove herself from the Reunion.

https://pagesix.com/2023/03/08/lisa-vanderpump-addresses-whether-scheana-shay-hit-raquel-leviss/

https://www.etonline.com/scheana-shay-slams-raquel-leviss-restraining-order-filing-amid-vanderpump-rules-drama-200621

Scheana Is ‘Devastated’ Raquel Is Trying to ‘Shift the Blame,’ Lawyer Says

🐝 Don’t Get Stung…

I binged season one not long ago. I can’t wait.

https://mashable.com/article/yellowjackets-season-2-review-showtime

🐲 He Knows Nothing…

His reaction? He talks about everything but.

https://extratv.com/2023/03/15/kit-harington-reacts-to-possible-jon-snow-game-of-thrones-spin-off-series-exclusive/

🎸 If You Palooza…

The latest info on Lollapalooza. You can get tickets at a lot of websites. I’m not endorsing getting them through this one. They just had some good, basic intel.

https://www.songkick.com/festivals/1235-lollapalooza/id/40682629-lollapalooza-2023

🐕 Neverending Cuteness…

Adorable pets. Who cares who owns them?

Vanessa Hudgens and More Stars Share Cute Pics With Beloved Pets

🍻 Quotes of the Irish

This week, I’m taking the easy way out. Moving info, downloading programs, whatever needs to be done on a new device is a real pita. If it was the only thing I had to do, it wouldn’t be as much of a headache, but it’s not. And I keep going, oh yeah, that too. So rather than going quote hunting, I found a link that’s apropos for the week.

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/life-story/top-50-irish-proverbs-and-sayings-you-should-know-for-st-patricks-day

🍀May the wind always be at your back & may you be at the gates of heaven an hour 🍀🍀before the devil knows you’re dead.🍀

🩰 Riverdancing Away…

Make a return trip on Monday for soap and the St. David’s final charter. Until then, stay safe, stay challenging the status quo, and stay knowing things happen. You can’t control everything, but life is full of surprises.

Mar16

March 16, 2023 – Cameron Tells Josslyn To Stay Away From Dex, Charli Is an Evil Materialistic Human Being & Gang

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Josslyn calls Dex, and asks what happened to him last night. He flashes back to the shootout in the warehouse, and says he was working late. She says, pretty soon he won’t be working at all – at least not for Sonny. He hears something, and says he has to go; they’ll talk later. He draws his gun, but Sonny walks into the penthouse and tells him to take it easy. He was just talking to Frank; he got some bandages and antiseptic. Who was Dex talking to?

Trina meets Josslyn outside Kelly’s, and asks if she knows what this is about. Josslyn says she has no idea, but she’s glad Trina is with her. Trina says, likewise, and they go inside. Cameron says he’s glad they made it.

Elizabeth comes into the hospital, and says she hasn’t seen Portia since the wedding. Portia says, they have a lot to catch up on, and Elizabeth says she’s so sorry. Portia says, then Elizabeth has heard, and Elizabeth says she’s sure by now Portia has heard this could be her last day here. Portia tells her, not if she has anything to say about it.

Gregory meets Finn and Chase at the MetroCourt, and apologizes for keeping them waiting. Finn asks if he had something more important, but Gregory says, there’s nothing more important than his sons. Chase says he’s feeling like they come in second these days, and Gregory says, to what? but Finn says he thinks it’s more like to whom. Gregory sees Alexis sitting with Sam across the room.

Alexis says she’s changed her mind, and is no longer interested in breakfast. Sam says, five minutes ago, she was starving. What changed?

Laura and Doc walk into the rec room at Spring Ridge, and Doc asks if Laura is sure about this. She says, with Nikolas missing, they can’t abandon his child, and Spencer says he couldn’t agree more. She says, he can’t be here; she gave Esme her word. Spencer says he hates to make a liar out of her, but he’s not going anywhere. Esme comes in with Ace, and says, thank you so much for coming… She sees Spencer, and asks what he’s doing here.

Alexis says, like clockwork… and Sam says, she’s talking about Gregory. Alexis says she is, and Sam asks, what happened? Did he hit on her? Alexis says, worse. He lied to her. She glares at him.

Chase asks Gregory, what’s the deal? There’s obviously something going on between him and Alexis. Finn asks what she did; correct his grammar again? Chase asks if he can dish it, but not take it, and Gregory says, that woman needs to mind her own business. Chase asks, what happened? and Gregory says, Alexis treated him like he was under investigation instead of treating him like a friend.

Dex says, it was just a spam call, and Sonny says, he picked it up? Dex says he told them to stop calling, and asks if Sonny had any luck finding out who contracted the hit. Sonny says, it’s a work in progress, and Dex says he’s sure Brick is all over it. Sonny asks if Dex got any sleep, and Dex says he did. He thanks Sonny for getting him patched up, and letting him crash here, and Sonny says, it’s the least he could do, since Dex saved his life. Dex says he thinks they’re even since Sonny saved his, and Sonny asks if Spencer is here. He heard Spencer leave this morning, but figured he’d be back by now. Dex says, from where? but Sonny says he has no idea.

Esme says, Laura told her that she could trust her, and Laura says, she can. Esme says, not if she brought Spencer here, but Doc says, they didn’t bring him. Laura says, her grandson just came to check on his baby brother to see if he’s okay, and now he’s going to leave. Doc says, isn’t that right? but Spencer says, no. Laura says, he has to go, but he refuses, and she says, can’t he see that Esme wants nothing to do with him? He yells that he doesn’t care what Esme wants. His baby brother doesn’t belong in here. Laura whispers, this isn’t the way to get it done. She needs Esme to trust her. He needs Esme to trust her. In a normal tone, she says, Spencer must respect Esme’s wishes, and Doc says, he doesn’t want to upset his baby brother, does he? Spencer laughs, tells Esme, this is not over, and leaves. Laura tells Esme that she’s sorry, but Esme says she isn’t. Finally, someone who says what they mean. She thanks Laura.

Trina says, it seems like forever since she’s seen Cameron. How is he doing? He says, okay. Her? She says, it’s been interesting, and he says, she’ll have to fill him in. She says she will, but this is his show. He rang; they came. He says he wasn’t sure they would, and Trina tells him, he said it was important. What’s up? He asks if Spencer is with them, and Trina says, he didn’t mention anything. Cameron says he’s going to wait until Spencer gets here. He really doesn’t want to have this conversation more than once. Josslyn says, sounds big, and he says, it is.

Alexis tells Sam that she was trying to help Gregory get something he wanted. He wanted to work at PCU and have the freedom to served on the editorial board at The Invader. Sam says, but the university wouldn’t let him, and Alexis says, so he told her. Sam says, okay. Then what?

Gregory says, Alexis talks a big game about Mutual respect, keeping boundaries, letting people make their own choices… Finn says, Gregory doesn’t think she does that? and he says he knows she doesn’t. At the end of the day, she decided she knows more about his life than he does.

Alexis tells Sam, friends are supposed to be honest with each other, no matter how painful or how embarrassing. Agreed? Sam says, agreed, and Alexis says, apparently Gregory doesn’t.

Gregory says, Alexis crossed the line, and Finn wonders if there’s a point where he’ll tell them what that line is. Chase asks, what’s going on?

Sam asks what Gregory lied about. And why does he look so upset with Alexis? She thought Alexis tried to help him. Alexis says she kind of, sort of went over his head, but she can’t stress enough that she was trying to help him get something he wanted. Then she found out the truth.

Portia lets Elizabeth into her office, and says, she gave such a beautiful toast at the wedding (I will never hear the end of that – <sigh>). She just wishes there was a happily ever after part. Elizabeth says, Portia doesn’t owe her or anyone else an explanation. What happened between her and Curtis is her business, but when Portia is ready to talk about it, she’s here to listen. Portia says, Elizabeth has her own problems going on, and Elizabeth says, maybe they can help each other. Portia says she kept a secret; a big secret. Not just from Curtis, but from the person she loves most in the world. Elizabeth says, Trina, and Portia says she doesn’t know if they’re ever going to forgive her.

Cameron gossips with Trina and Josslyn, but then flashes back to seeing Dex in Josslyn’s dorm room. Spencer comes in, and asks what he missed.

Sonny says he knows there’s no love lost between Dex and Spencer, and he knows Spencer can be difficult, but Spencer is his nephew, so he expects them to co-exist. Dex says, understood, and don’t worry. He won’t overstay his welcome. Kristina comes in, and asks, what’s up with all the security? She sees Dex, and asks Sonny, how bad is it?

Esme says, the first day she woke up in the hospital, it was so confusing. She didn’t know who she was or where she was, let alone who she could trust. Laura says, it must have been terrifying, and Esme says she didn’t even want to talk to Doc, but didn’t know why until she met her father. Doc says, she looked at him and saw Ryan, but just didn’t realize it. Esme says she learned pretty quickly what kind of people her parents were. It was obvious they were trying to use her. Nikolas and Spencer were more subtle about it. Laura says, Esme has every right to be angry with her son and even her grandson, but know they love this little baby she’s holding. Esme says, do they though? Or is Ace just one more thing for them to control? Doc says he’s not sure that’s a fair assessment, but Esme says she’s not trying to be fair; she’s trying to be a good mother. Is that what Laura’s doing? Being a good mother to Nikolas and Spencer? Is this just another way of working her so she can take Ace away for them?

Elizabeth says, that’s a long time to keep a secret, and Portia tells her that she can say it. She kept life-altering information from the people she loves the most. Elizabeth says she absolutely won’t say it. She knows what it’s like to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. At least what feels right to you. Portia says she doesn’t think anything feels right to Curtis and Trina, and Elizabeth says, they’re hurting. Portia has to accept that. Portia says she does, and Elizabeth says, eventually, they’ll see she’s hurting too, and when Trina’s paternity is answered, they can all begin to heal… Unless they don’t want to know? Portia says, nothing will change the fact that Trina sees Marcus as her father, and she always will, and Elizabeth says, of course (🍷) not, but if she finds out they’re not biologically related, doesn’t Portia think she’ll have room in her heart for them both? Portia says, Elizabeth is being optimistic, but she hopes so, and Elizabeth says, optimistic for a woman who’s about to face the review board, she means? Portia says, Elizabeth should know by now she doesn’t listen to rumors, but Elizabeth says, she should. All of them are true.

Sam says, if Gregory isn’t teaching any more at PCU, what’s stopping him from working with Alexis? Alexis says, that’s exactly what she’d like to know, and Sam wonders if she asked him. Alexis says, hi, I’m Alexis Davis, your mother, and shakes Sam’s hand. Of course (🍷) she asked him. Sam says, and? and Alexis says, he said she was interfering and shut her down. Sam says, he’s not entirely wrong about the interfering part, and Alexis says, normally she’d say Sam was right, but she thinks there’s more to it than what Gregory’s telling her.

Gregory tells Finn and Chase, nothing’s going on; nothing earth shattering. He’s not teaching at PCU this semester, and for some reason, Alexis felt he was obligated to tell her. Finn asks if he’s taking a sabbatical, but Gregory says, just a break. Chase asks if he’s writing that novel he never had time for, and Gregory says he wishes he was that ambitious. He’s simply taking time for himself. Finn says, uh-huh, and he and Chase look at each other.

Sonny says, Dex is off the clock, and Kristina says, so it’s worse than she thought. He says, nothing he can’t handle. Dex drops the bag he’s holding, and a huge bandage roll falls out. Kristina asks if he cut himself shaving, as she puts them back in the bag, and Dex says, something like that. She tells him that he should try to be more careful next time, and he leaves the room. Kristina says, Sonny didn’t tell her that he had a new houseguest. She knows; ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies. He says, it’s all good, and they sit down. He asks what brings her by, and she says, guess. He says, she misses him? and she says, always, but she has a business proposition for him.

Laura says she doesn’t blame Esme for not trusting anyone, her included, and Doc says, especially after the way her parents manipulated her to help them escape. Laura says, not to mention using her as a wedge between Nikolas and Ava, and Doc says, it’s actually a healthy sign that her defense mechanisms are intact. Esme asks if he always talks like that, and Laura says, once a psychiatrist, always a psychiatrist. Doc says, guilty as charged, but he’s also family, without the Cassadine baggage. She’s his niece, and Ace is his grand-nephew. He hopes she can come to count on him as someone she can trust and not just see her father’s twin. She says she might not have Ace if it wasn’t for them, and Laura says, neither of them wants to take this baby from her, but does she really think prison is the best place for a baby?

Cameron asks where Spencer was, and he says he was visiting Esme at Spring Ridge, trying to appeal to her good side. Josslyn says, she doesn’t have a good side, and Trina asks if she’s still determined to keep the baby with her at Spring Ridge. Cameron says, it’s legal for her to have a baby in prison? and Josslyn asks what Spencer’s grandmother says. He tells her, that they need to play nice, and get Esme to trust them. She thinks once they do, Esme will come to her senses, and realize she has to offer the baby up because it’s the right thing to do. Cameron says, as if she knew the meaning of the words, and Josslyn says, for real. Trina looks at Cameron, and says, what? He says, it’s just, for a second, it felt like old times. Us against the common enemy. He’s going to miss that. Spencer asks why he’d have to, and Cameron says he doesn’t know how to put this delicately, so he’s just going to say it. He’s leaving Port Charles. This is harder than he thought it would be. Spencer says he doesn’t understand, and Trina asks if Cameron’s mom is moving to another hospital, but Cameron says his mom is staying here. He got an athletic scholarship to Stanford. They want him this spring quarter so he can start working out with the team. Josslyn says, that’s amazing. Stanford has one of the best programs in the country. Spencer says, Stanford University in California? and Cameron says, that’s the one. Trina says she’s glad, but he does know their mascot is a tree. Cameron says he thinks he can learn to live with that, but Spencer says he calls BS. Cameron loves playing soccer at PCU. His family’s here; his friends are here. What’s the real reason he’s leaving?

Esme says she knew it. Laura is no better than Spencer. She’s just better at hiding her true colors. Laura says she’s just thinking of the baby, but Esme says, a baby should be with its mother; the law agrees with her. Laura says, and they’ll respect whatever she decides, truly. She’s just asking Esme to think about it, that’s all. Think if this is the place she wants to raise her son, in this kind of environment. And God forbid she should be sent to Pentenville. Pentenville is going to make this place look like a spa in comparison. Esme says she hadn’t really thought about that, and Doc says, she could use this time. Figure things out; find herself. Come out stronger, self-sufficient, and ready to make a fresh start. Laura says, and it doesn’t have to be either/or, prison or the Cassadines. This baby has another option. Esme asks, what option? and Doc says, us. Laura says, two grandparents who would love to take care of him until she’s able to. All she has to do is ask.

Elizabeth tells Portia, she knows now helping Nikolas was the absolute wrong thing to do, but at the time, she convinced herself that harboring Esme was the lesser of evils. The time that really bothers her is between Officer Cabrera’s murder and Esme’s escape, when she knew Esme couldn’t be The Hook. She should have come forward and gone to the police then, but she didn’t. She convinced herself if she got arrested, her boys would suffer. Portia says she convinced herself Curtis and Trina were better off not knowing. That after 20 years, it would cause more of a mess in their lives. She doesn’t know why they do this to themselves. And they come up with these justifications. It makes no sense. Elizabeth agrees, and Portia says she’d offer to be a character witness for Elizabeth, but since she has her own character issues she’s trying to balance, she doesn’t know if she’d do any good. Elizabeth says, just knowing she has a friend in this place, always.

Kristina tells Sonny that she has the experience and expertise. All she needs is the seed money to get it off the ground. He says, her own restaurant, and she says, he doesn’t think she can do it? He says he thinks she can do it, and he’ll back her, but he’s just wondering where this is coming from. She loved being the manager at Charlie’s – she says, she does – and she got in that argument with her mom. Kristina says, Alexis implied she wasn’t ambitious enough, so she had to defend herself. He says, obviously, and she says she sees Molly and TJ mapping out their futures, and Sam and Dante doing the same thing. He says, she wants more? and she asks if it’s not okay to want more.

Alexis asks how things are with Sam and Dante. It seems like they’re in a good place. Sam says, they are, but not nearly as good as that attempt to deflect. I literally lol. Alexis says, darn, and Sam says, there is clearly unfinished business with her and Gregory. Why not just finish it? At least meet the guy halfway. Alexis looks over at Gregory.

Gregory says, so, how’s rockstar life, and doctor life? and Finn says, not nearly as entertaining as avoidance life. Again I laugh. Gregory says, like he should talk, and Finn says, fair enough. Chase says, Alexis is over there. Cant’s they just work out whatever’s between them? Finn says he’s sorry, but he has to get back to GH, and Chase says he has somewhere to be too. He tells Gregory, be an adult, and Gregory says he’ll try. Finn says, that’s the spirit, and he and Chase leave. Gregory and Alexis both get up, and meet in the middle like it’s the O.K. Corral.

Sonny says, there’s nothing wrong with wanting more, but this is not a competition, and Kristina says, even if her biological clock is ticking away and her kid sister is beating her to it? Dex eavesdrops, and Sonny says, she has all the time in the world for that. Let him ask her a question. Does she still love working at Charlie’s, managing? She says she loves dealing with customers and making them feel welcome, and she likes giving them what they want. He says, and it gives her time to volunteer at the youth center. Is that still important to her? She says, very, and he says, she’s not going to have that time if she’s launching a new business. She’ll have to be one-on-one with people, dealing with spreadsheets, paying the bills. He wants her to think about every angle. Even when you start a business, it’s a 24/7 endeavor. He thinks she can do it… Let him rephrase that. He knows she can do it, but is she going to be as happy as she is now. She says, probably not. Things are pretty great right now. She loves her life. Dex continues to listen, and Sonny says he guesses there’s her answer.

Spencer blames Esme, and Trina asks what Esme has to do with Cam transferring to Stanford. Spencer says, everything. Not only did Esme worm her way into his life to break up Ava and his father, she also had her mind set on breaking up this, their friendship. She hated that he had friends; people he relied on and trusted. Josslyn says, she can’t stand Esme either, but she doesn’t think Esme is to blame for Cam leaving. She’s not sure blame is the right word. Getting into Stanford is a huge achievement. Getting an athletic scholarship on top of it? It’s amazing; he’s amazing. Why is Spencer tarnishing this moment by bringing up Esme? Spencer says, because Esme set everything in motion. She used them. She lied to them. Now she gets some magic do-over because she claims to have lost her memory, and now it’s poor pitiful Esme. He’s sick of everyone defending her. If she gets custody of this kid and tries to raise him, she’s going to ruin his life, the same way she tried to ruin theirs. It’s enough. He gets up, banging on the counter. He strides out, yelling, it needs to stop!

Esme says, Ace would live with them? and Doc says, that’s right. Laura says, they’ve done it before. Her granddaughter Charlotte is living with them right now. She asks Doc if Charlotte wouldn’t love having a baby in the house, and Doc says, it would make her life. Laura says, and theirs too, but only until Esme has her life settled. Esme says, if she could trust Ace with anyone, it would be Laura, but it’s all just too complicated. Laura says, what is? and Esme says she looks at Doc and sees her father. She looks at Laura and sees Nikolas and Spencer. It’s really overwhelming, and frankly just feels wrong. So, she has to trust her instincts, which means her son is staying with her.

Sonny walks Kristina to the door, and says, she’s headed to Charlie’s? She says, somebody has to hang the open sign on the door, and he says, it’s been open for hours. Kristina says, Kurt, the first one in, always forgets, and Sonny says he’s proud of her. She says she knows, but sometimes she needs a reminder. He says she can like herself; he likes her too. She says she loves him, and he says he loves her too. They hug, and she thanks him for the pep talk. He says, anytime, and she leaves. Dex asks if everything’s all right with Kristina, and Sonny says, yeah. He loves that kid. Dex says he can tell, and Sonny says, out of all his kids, she’s like him. They get each other. Dex says, makes for a lucky daughter, but Sonny says he’s the lucky one. Feeling guilty yet, Dex? I hope so.

Cameron comes out from the back, and asks Josslyn, where’s Trina? She says, Trina asked her to tell him that she had to head out; something came up. He asks if that something’s name is Spencer, and she says, that would be her guess. Trina promised to say goodbye before he leaves town. He says, she’d better, and Josslyn says, they’re not going to be easy, are they? He says, the goodbyes? No. Some will be harder than others. She says she should head out, and he says he’s going to miss her. She says she’s going to miss him too.

Alexis says, it was nice to see Gregory with Finn and Chase, and he says, and her with Sam. He just told Finn and Chase that he wasn’t coming back to PCU. She says she’s glad he told them, and he tells her, that’s all he said. And that’s where it ends… unless she was telling her daughter something else. She says she just told Sam that she was concerned about him, and he says, don’t be; he’s just fine. She says, okay. It’s just that she cares about him, and doesn’t want their friendship to end over this. Does he? He says, no, and she says, good. So what do they do about it? He says he supposes this conversation is a start, and suddenly falls over, catching himself with a table.

Cameron says, he and Josslyn are done as a couple, but as she said, they’ve been friends all their lives. At the time, he didn’t think they could still be friends… She asks if he’s changed his mind, and he says, yeah. She breathes a sigh of relief, and says, that’s such good news. He says, as her friend, he needs her to listen to him. She says, sure. What? He says, stay away from Dex Heller.

Spencer comes into the apartment and sees Dex. They stare at each other and it’s another O.K. Corral moment.

Laura says, it seems like Esme’s made up her mind. She thinks they should be going. Esme says she appreciates them making the trip, and Laura says she’d do anything for her family. Esme says she can see that. She thinks it’s time they go back to their room. Laura touches Esme’s arm, and says, he’s asleep; she doesn’t want to wake him up. Esme quietly leaves, and Laura cries. Doc asks what she thinks, and she says, honestly, no matter what anybody says, that girl loves that baby. He says, yes, puts his arm around her, and they leave.

Alexis wipes up the drink Gregory spilled, and he says, don’t, but she says she’s got it. She asks if he’s all right, and he says, yeah. He lost his footing. Itsht no big deal. She asks if he’s been drinking.

Finn comes out of the hospital elevator as Elizabeth and Portia come out of Portia’s office. Elizabeth and Finn sort of smile at each other, and Portia tells Elizabeth, good luck. Elizabeth thanks her, and Portia moves on. Finn says, big day. How is she feeling? She says, nervous, but resolute. She’s hoping the board will see past her mistakes. He says, for what it’s worth (🍷), he’s here for her. As a friend; whatever she needs. She says, it’s worth a lot.

Josslyn says she can’t talk about Dex with Cameron, and he asks if she can’t just do this one thing. This isn’t throwing shade. She has to believe he only has her happiness in mind. He didn’t tell anyone about her and Dex in her dorm, did he? She says, no, and she’s so grateful, and he says he didn’t do it for Dex; he did it for her. She says she appreciates that, and he says he needs her to hear him out. She’s sneaking around with this guy. That isn’t her. She’s the most straightforward person he knows, and she shouldn’t have to change that about herself for Dex. She says she’s not changing herself, and he says, she hates Sonny and that life. Dex is a part of that. He has a gun, right? Of course (🍷) he has a gun. He’s going to get hurt; it’s inevitable. She flashes back to nursing Dex when his wound got infected, and Cameron says she’s going to end up living the life she hates. She has to know he’s right. She asks if he’s done, but he says, not even close.

Spencer asks if Dex isn’t supposed to be outside with the other bodyguards to keep people from coming in. How is he going to protect Uncle Sonny from in here? Dex says he’s off-duty, and Spencer asks what he’s doing here then. Sonny comes out, and says he invited Dex. Dex is going to be staying with them for a while.

Esme comes back to the rec room, and looks for Ace’s binkie. Trina says, looking for this? and holds it out to her.

Tomorrow, Alexis says, if he’s not drunk, why is Gregory slurring his words; Dex asks what Spencer thinks he’s lying to Sonny about; and Sonny tells Nina, there was an incident last night.

Vanderpump Rules

In Raquel’s interview, she says she hasn’t done many girls trips. Raquel now is wild, free, single, and fun. She’s focusing on herself. After their night out in Las Vegas, the girls go back to their suite, and Raquel is super drunk. She throws all the leftovers in a container, and puts them in the microwave. In Lala’s interview, she says, after seeing Raquel’s sloppiness, she doesn’t know if she’d trust Raquel after one too many drinks. Lala, Katie, and Kristina are lounging on a bed, and Kristina asks if Raquel made out with Oliver. Katie says, welcome to her world; there are a lot of comparisons. Raquel toddles into the room and sits on the bed with her food, and Kristina asks her about Oliver. Raquel says, it was Lala’s territory, but she gave the okay, and in Katie’s interview, she says she’s seeing a pattern. Raquel is only interested in guys her friends are married to or interested in. Big red flag. Lala says she punted Oliver to Raquel, but after seeing her drunk, she’d never trust Raquel around her man. Raquel says, thank God Lala doesn’t have a man around, and everyone is like, whaaat? Lala says she’s going to shut this down. Raquel has been drinking, it’s 3 am, and they’re going to bed. Raquel leaves, and Kristina asks if she’s tripping. Lala says she feels a Lala coming out that she doesn’t want. If Raquel wasn’t wasted, she’d put this bitch back in her grave. Lala tells Katie, give these ho’s an inch and they take a mile. She thinks the second it came out, Raquel wanted to retract. Kristina goes to get Katie’s toothbrush, and when she comes back, she says, Raquel is listening to music and has lights going from a projector. Lala wonders if she’s going to murder them tonight. They talk about hiding their boyfriends, and Raquel listens at the door. In her interview, she cries and says, the last thing she expected to be judged on was being drunk and having fun.

Kristina says, Andrew from the bar wanted to meet Katie, and Katie says, it would be a fun thing, but no. Lala says she likes Raquel without James, but she was appalled. In Lala’s interview, she says, she’s been that wasted person who says the most out-of-pocket things, and we flash back to some of her not-so-fine moments. She says she’s not judging, but their journeys are not in alignment. Raquel is a liability and unpredictable. Raquel brings Katie her makeup, and says she’s embarrassed. She thinks she said something offensive to Lala, and Lala says, it would be offensive to any woman. She tells Raquel what she’d said, and asks if Raquel really feels that way. If she does, Lala isn’t her audience. She respects relationships. It doesn’t feel great about having hooked up with Raquel’s ex-fiancé. In Raquel’s interview, she says, it’s weird, Lala schooling her about respecting relationships when she slept with Raquel’s boyfriend. It’s the textbook definition of hypocrite. They head for Lake Havasu.

Scheana goes over to Schwartz’s apartment where they meet with makeover stylist Sheera. In Scheana’s interview, she says, Schwartz needs to get his Schwartz back, and she’s going to personally do what she can to get him there. He tries on a bunch of stuff, and they purge his closet. If I hear it’s a vibe one more time, I’m smashing the TV. In the car on the way to Havasu, Kristina says she got the feeling Katie’s mother was hoping things would still work out with Katie and Schwarz. Katie says, they spent all the major holidays with her family, and Kristina says, it’s like someone is your whole life, then they’re gone. At Schwartz’s, Scheana asks if Schwartz should have things that remind him of his marriage, and Sheera suggests an archival box. Scheana tells Schwartz that Katie is celebrating their divorce, and thinks he should have a boys night; she’ll host. In Schwartz’s interview, he says he feels a sense of obligation to get sloppy and make out. He agrees, and Scheana says, he’s getting his Schwartz back.

In the car, Kristina asks if Raquel talked to James about breaking up or just left abruptly, and Raquel says, after James exploded at her dad on Thanksgiving, she made her decision. He was enraged on the car ride to the hotel. In her interview, Raquel says, James couldn’t stop with the low blows. He said her dad was miserable because he married a fat bitch, and he wasn’t a good dad. Raquel told him to shut up or she was going to strand him in the desert. She tells the girls that she was planning to leave when James went to London to visit his dad. She was going to pack her stuff, and leave the ring with a note. She’d felt so focused on James, she lost her identity. She doesn’t know who she is. Katie says, she has to figure that sh*t out, and Raquel starts crying. Kristina says, she’s been holding in her emotions, and Raquel says she’s good at that. Katie says she’s a pro, and Lala pulls over, saying, they need to eat. Raquel says she doesn’t feel good, and she’s having an anxiety attack.

The girls give Raquel some water, and Lala tells her to breathe in through her mouth and out her nose. Raquel says she doesn’t know how to do that, and they start laughing, realizing Lala has it backward. Lala says, Raquel is funny and cute, and enjoyed herself; they’re all good. Everything is fine. Katie says, she’s not alone, and Lala tells her to keep her head where her feet are. They arrive at the rental house, and in Katie’s interview, she says, it’s been an eventful 24 hours. She wants to relax, have fun, and talk to cute boys. Charli arrives, and meets Kristina for the first time. In Charli’s interview, she says, all she knows is, Kristina used to work at SUR, and now sells lip balm.

The Toms go to TomTom, and in Sandoval’s interview, he says, Greg is a great guy, but they don’t see eye to eye on things about getting the bar open. However, he’s consistent and reliable. Schwartz says he’s deliberating taking Lisa up on her offer. His head says, do it, but his heart says, not to do it. Tom says, what if they pull their money out, and Schwartz & Sandy’s flops? They’ll be left with nothing. Schwartz says, it’s a horrible thought, and Sandoval says, Greg knows the neighborhood, and they need him. Schwartz says he’s optimistic about the tasting consult. He’s going to check with who he discusses his most important financial decisions – the Magic 8 Ball. He brings it up on his phone, which is about as much fun as the electronic slot machines with no arm to pull, and asks if they should divest from TomTom. The 8 Ball says, yes, definitely, and Sandoval says, they’ll think about it. James comes in, and Schwartz says, they’re having a guys night. They’re going to Skybar and being hooligans. The only girl coming is Scheana because she’s one of the dudes. James says he likes it, and needs it. Ally wants him to separate himself from Raquel. It was cool in the beginning, but not anymore. In James’s interview, he says, Raquel never knew any of them before he introduced her. She needs to get her own life. Next, she’ll be DJing.  

The girls go out to a restaurant/bar. Lala says, tonight will be chill. They’ll just have dinner and go back to the house. Raquel says she’s glad Charli didn’t see her last night, and Lala says, when Raquel drinks, she’s a different person. Katie says, it was like the Hulk, and Kristina says, it wasn’t normal fun drunk. Lala says, a liability, and they tell Charli about Oliver. Raquel says she wants to go home, and Charli asks, what happened? Lala says, Raquel had lots of drinks and made out with Oliver on the dance floor at Discopussy. Charli wants to see his picture, and they show her. Lala says she had no intention of making out or smashing, so she gave Raquel permission. It was fine, but when they got back to the room, she’d said that if Raquel had one too many, she wouldn’t trust Raquel with her man. Then Raquel said, thank God she didn’t have a man. In Charli’s interview, she says, it sounds like Lala didn’t get chosen, and she’s bitter. She says she likes to see Raquel confident, but Lala says, as a woman, it was offensive and wrong on many levels; it was nothing to be proud of. In her interview, Charli says she doesn’t know who made Lala the spokesperson for women, but Lala doesn’t speak for her. She went from a mansion to an apartment. Lala says, it takes her back to high school, being a cheerleader and someone is trying to steal her man. In Raquel’s interview, she says, there was a moment in the car when she thought they could all be friends, but she’s not taking this sh*t. She tells Lala, if anyone should be on edge, it’s her, since Lala slept with James. Lala says, that was six years ago, and she was drinking. Raquel says, she was drinking too, and Charli says, it’s a valid point. Lala says, it was six years ago, and Raquel just tried to make out with Schwartz. Raquel says, it didn’t happen, and Lala says, Raquel is holding onto something from six years ago. She’s lived a billion lifetimes since then, and she’s learned. If Raquel can’t respect that, that’s her issue. Raquel says she needs to stand up for herself, but Lala says, that’s not the way to do it. Raquel calls her a hypocrite, since she slept with a married man. We flash back to the beginnings of Lala and Randall’s relationship, and Katie says, Raquel wanted to make out with Schwartz, and they’re still married. She’s trying to move past it and she’s been gracious, but she doesn’t have to be. She could light Raquel’s ass on fire for what she’s done. Raquel says, she didn’t make out with Schwartz, and Lala says, that’s not because Raquel is a stand-up chick; Schwartz denied her. Raquel doesn’t know sh*t about her situation. I recommend you disengage, bitch. In Lala’s interview, she says, the word mistress hits a nerve. Randall never had to defend himself. She’s had to wear that, and pay for someone else’s actions. She, Katie, and Kristina leave, and Charli laughs, saying, she loves when people shake. Note to self and the world: Charli is a complete and utter a-hole.

Lisa calls Ariana from her pet graveyard, and says she’s thinking of her. She’s where Giggy and Pink Dog and the others are buried. Ariana says she’d love to do that, but she’d never be able to leaved. Lisa says she told Ken that she’s burying him there as well.

Lala, Kristina, and Katie have coffee, and Kristina says she came down early, and Rachel had moved to Charli’s room. Lala says, this was supposed to be fun and about Katie, but it’s been about Raquel and her decisions for two nights. Raquel and Charli wake up, having slept in the same bed. I know a lot of the women/girls will share beds on these shows, but ugh. I just don’t want to share my sleeping space with a girlfriend. I barely want to share it with my man. We see a clip of them doing karaoke the night before, and Charli saying, any Kid Rock fans?… Just one? We don’t see them singing, but I’m guessing the song was Cocky, since it fits. Raquel says she feels not welcome [sic], and doesn’t want to stay. Charli says, it’s like some medieval shaming, and Raquel says, they were in a good place during the car ride. Hmm… The only thing added after that was Charli. I’m no Raquel fan, but Charli is a real piece of work. Although at least she’s openly a d-bag, while Raquel has a whole wide-eyed innocent act going on. Charli says, maybe it’s best to give them space, and Raquel says, Scheana is hosting a guys night for Schwartz. Charli suggests they crash it. Schwartz has more friends than these girls. In Raquel’s interview, she says she should have known she couldn’t trust them when she overheard them talking sh*t in Vegas. We flash back to yesterday, and she says she’d rather be in L.A. with her real friends who loved her for who she is. She and Charli go out on the terrace where the others are sitting, and Raquel says she doesn’t feel comfortable. It was a mistake for her come, so she’s leaving. They’re meeting Scheana and Schwartz. Kristina says, makes sense, and Charli says, Raquel’s not f***ing Tom. In Charli’s interview, she says she’s surprised Kristina could say anything with Katie’s d*ck in her mouth, and makes another crack about lip balm. Lala says she thinks it’s a good idea, and Raquel says, Lala gave her the green light, but Lala says, it’s not about Oliver. It’s about Raquel calling her a mistress – again. They’re done here. Safe travels. Raquel says, Lala is angry because Oliver chose her, and Lala laughs. Raquel says, if Oliver wanted to take Lala on the dance floor, he would have. Um… She can’t have it both ways – Lala giving her the green light and not being chosen. Raquel and Charli leave, Charli saying something about the lip balm girl with the dry-ass hair. Omg, she is still in high school. Kristina says, Charli has so much to do with it. Katie should rethink their friendship. Lala says, she gives bad advice. Those are two low vibration human beings. In the car, Raquel says, that was the funniest, most awkward thing. On the terrace, Kristina says, they’re going on a boat and having a bomb-ass day.

In Lala’s interview, she says, with Raquel out of the picture, they can get back to why they came; to show Katie a good time, and move on to a new chapter. They go to a dock where there’s floating cabanas and water toys. They find out the group of guys at the next cabana are having a bachelor party, and Lala tells them, homegirl is celebrating getting divorced. In her interview, Lala says, Lauren from Utah knows how to go to a lake party. She’ll show these bitches how it’s done.

The Toms meet Greg and his wife JoLane at Schwartz & Sandy’s for the food tasting. Sandoval brings Ariana with him, and in his interview, he says, it’s stressful. They don’t know which Greg they’ll get; the positive, happy one, or the everything sucks/what are you guys doing? one. Schwartz asks how Ariana is, and in Ariana’s interview, she says, when she left Vegas, they went to the vet and had to put Charlotte to sleep. She held Charlotte, telling her that she loved her. She’s been a wreck. I’m a wreck just hearing it, and she says she’s trying to put on a brave face and get out and do something nice. Just when I think I can’t despise Sandoval more, I do. Chef consultant Frankie brings them different dishes to try, and Greg says he doesn’t want things on the menu that people can get around the corner. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, they’re thinking only 18 items on the menu, so every one has to be a banger. Greg critiques the dishes, and says he wants to offer something that people would normally have to leave the neighborhood to get. In his interview, Sandoval says he hopes they can keep the momentum going so they don’t have to take money from TomTom.

Lala and Kristina surprise Katie on the terrace with a Schwartz piñata. Katie whacks it so hard, the head is severed from the body, and condoms and alcohol nips fall out, along with a vibrator. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s a dream come true. She’s always wanted to beat the sh*t out of him. She wants to save it as a voodoo doll. Lala asks what Katie thinks she wants when she’s ready for a relationship, and Katie says, someone who adores and supports her, and values her opinions and mind; a true teammate. Lala says, Katie seems cool, and asks if there’s anything she misses. Katie says, she misses a lot of things, and Kristina says, 12 years is a long time. Katie says, Schwartz was her best friend, but she needed something more, and Kristina says, losing a best friend is just as hard. Katie says, it’s not easy to tell people, just be supportive and not get involved. She doesn’t want to bring the trip down, but Lala says she’s proud of Katie. She’s handling herself well. Power to the p*ssy.

Guys night happens at Skybar, and Brock brings Scheana along. She tells the others that she wasn’t invited on the girls trip, but she’s used to it. In Scheana’s interview, she says, Katie has two girls on her divorced trip. This is a party; that’s a sad get-together. They toast to the Schwartzinator, and James says, Lala called and said she had to give it to his ex. In Jame’s interview, he says, it doesn’t surprise him that it was a disaster. Lala doesn’t like Raquel, and if Raquel does one thing, she’s overstepping the alpha cat. He makes screeching sounds, and tells the guys that Lala and Raquel are like balsamic vinegarette and olive oil. Um… Those go together. I think he means oil and water.

In Havasu, the girls go to Havana Bar, which has a cowboy vibe. In her interview, Lala says, they’re not in L.A., and Kristina says, it’s Coors Light, JD shots, and cowboy boots. Lala says, this is America, and Kristina asks if Katie sees any cute boys. We don’t. Kristina sees a couple of guys that she thinks are more Lala’s vibe, and in Lala’s interview, she says she’s tingling in all the right places. Her vagina is leading the pack and they’re approaching. She goes over to the guys and finds out they’re from L.A. She invites the guys to join them.

At Skybar, Tom says he’s soused, when Charli and Raquel walk in. James says, Ally’s going to kill him. Guys night means nothing.

To be continued…

😵‍💫 Hairing My Tear Out…

My old computer is on its last legs, and I’m navigating a new one, so I’ve been running late. Tomorrow is only for soap, so I’ll have time to pour a little tea. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering what you have to be grateful for, and stay knowing, there’s nothing wrong with wanting more, but it’s not a competition.

Mar11

March 10, 2023 – Drew Gives Ned a Proposal, Dear Diary, VanderMore, Southern Smarm, Awards Talk, Vegas Cat (!), Slightly More Than a Dozen Quotes & Lift

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Gladys says she doesn’t know why Sonny is so worked up, and he says he’s not, but he can be if she doesn’t give him an answer.

Nina sees Ava in the restaurant, and Ava says she was hoping to have lunch with one of the owners, and doesn’t mean Olivia. Does Nina have time for her? Nina says, they’re overdue for a proper catch-up, and she wants to hear about all the developments in Ava’s life. Ava tells her to be careful what she wishes for.

At the Quartermaines, Mac tells Michael, this form states that the PCPD has returned all the items taken from the boathouse when Ava was attacked. He just needs a signature, and he’ll be out of Michael’s hair. Another phrase they use a lot, but I never hear it IRL. Michael says he’s glad to have it behind them, and thanks Mac for catching the killer. Mac says, his sympathies for everything Michael’s family is going through, and the challenges still to come.

In the foyer, Maxie says, it’s perfect that Ned answered the door, and he invites her in. He asks, what brings her by? and she says, as a matter-of-fact, him.

Walking into what used to be Sonny’s kitchen, Carly says she and Drew made quite a mess last night. I guess she stepped over everything to get him that brownie. He says, it’s not every day they get the house to themselves. He feels they’re obligated to take advantage of that, and kisses her. She says, sooner or later, they have to clean this up, and he suggests later, kissing her again. I still don’t see the moss bowl🎍. What did she do with it???

Dex says he has to leave soon, and Josslyn says, right. His mystery boss needs evidence against Sonny. He flashes back to Michael saying, if Sonny is telling Dex about his past, he’s got nothing to worry about. He tells her that he can make a lot more than grilled cheese. He can make grilled salmon with grilled asparagus marinated in truffle oil. She says, so he can cook, and he’s just now telling her. Why was he holding out? He says, after what he ate when he was in the Marines, he promised himself he’d learn to cook when he got back to the states. The meals keep them fed, but they weren’t exactly fine dining. He’ll make her grilled asparagus sometime. He kisses her neck, and she says, it’s too cold to grill, having never heard of doing it indoors, and he says, this summer. She asks if he thinks they’ll still be together this summer, and he says, the job should be over by then, and he can spend every minute getting closer to her without worrying about Sonny. She says she can’t wait, and asks if she’ll see him later. He says, she can count on it, and kisses her again.

Mac says he’s so sorry about everything Willow is going through, especially so soon after the birth of that adorable baby. She says, hopefully, there might be some good news on the horizon. She might have a match with a bone marrow donor. He says he’ll pray everything works out, and she says she’ll take all the prayers she can get. She wants to spend as much time with her family as possible. Mac congratulates her on Amelia; she’s beautiful. Michael says he thinks so too, but he might be a little bias. Willow says, no. She’s gorgeous. Mac says, children are a blessing. Enjoy your time with them. It goes by really fast. Maxie walks in with Ned, and Mac says, case in point. He blinked, and Maxie’s all grown up. Maxie says, moral of the story; don’t blink. She asks what he’s doing here, and he says he had police business to finish up. Maxie says, good thing because she has a big announcement for all of them.

Cody says he ran into Sasha’s mother-in-law, and she asks if they’ve even met. How did he know it was her? He says, at some time in the conversation, it came out that her last name was Corbin. She was talking about selling a garage that belonged to her daughter-in-law, so it wasn’t hard to put together. Sasha says she’d been afraid Gladys would sell the garage without consulting her, but she thought she was just being paranoid. She can’t believe Gladys actually did it. Cody asks if there’s anything he can do, and she says, he can tell her who Gladys was selling the garage to.

Sonny says, Gladys was so eager to sell the garage, she wanted him to convince Sasha to get on board. How does he know she didn’t badger Sasha into taking the offer? She asks if that’s what he really thinks about her, and he says he knows how Miss Wu operates when she sets her sights on something, and if she’s pressuring Gladys, he can help her, but she has to tell him what’s going on.

Nina says she’s sorry she didn’t stick around last night, but Ava says she knows Nina wanted to see Willow. Nina says she spent the night with Sonny, but she’s glad Ava decided to stay at her place with all the drama happening at Windymere. Ava says, even with Ryan dead, she didn’t want to be on the island all by herself, and Nina says, anyone in their right mind would need a little break from Windymere for a while, and Ava says, Nina doesn’t even know the whole story. Nina says, Ava is welcome to stay with her for as long as she wants to. Sonny mentioned Nikolas threatened to take Avery. Ava says, it was a miscommunication really, and asks how things went with Willow. Nina says, better than she’d hoped. Willow opened up to her about the affects of her health issues. Liesl asked her to do it, and Willow’s grateful to Aunt Liesl, so she honored her request, but she doesn’t care. Maybe this little thaw is a step in the right direction. Ava asks, how are things with Sonny? and Nina says, they’re fine. Ava says, is there trouble in paradise? and Nina says, yes. Only it’s not her paradise. Ava asks, whose? and Nina says, Carly.

Gladys says, Sonny doesn’t have to worry about Selina Wu for her. He knows how much she loves her daughter-in-law, and she wants to do right by Brando. She always has Sasha’s best interests at heart. Dex comes in, and Sonny motions him over. Sonny tells Gladys that he has some business to take care of. She’d better know what she’s doing. Gladys smiles, and leaves.

Sasha asks, who owns the garage now? and Cody says he really doesn’t want to get anymore involved, but he doesn’t want to lie to her either. He just heard part of a conversation, and really thinks she needs to ask Gladys herself. Sasha says she intends to, and sends a text to Gladys. She says she knows he feels bad, but don’t. She appreciates him being honest with her. At least someone was.

Maxie holds up a binder, and says, the Nurses Ball is back. She wanted to commemorate GH’s 60th anniversary, and celebrate how much GH’s workers have meant to the community. She thought, what better way than the Nurses Ball. Mac says, that is a great idea, and Ned says, normally, he’d say the should skip it – the year of Lucy’s death – but 60 years of General Hospital is too big of an anniversary to ignore. Michael agrees, and Maxie says, since Lucy isn’t here to run things, she’s going to attempt to step into Lucy’s shoes and chair the event. As they can imagine, it’s a big undertaking financially, which is where Michael and Ned come in. Mac says he has some things to take care of, so he’ll leave them to it. He congratulates Willow and Michael again, and leaves. Ned says, whatever Maxie needs, she can count on ELQ and the entire Quartermaine family. She thanks him, and says she imagines things are pretty crazy at ELQ right now, with Valentin being gone also. Of course (🍷), Aurora Media will be at her service. He’s sure Drew will be on board too. She thanks them, and says, they really need sponsors for this event, not to mention musical acts. She looks at Ned, and he says he might be able to help with that, but he has to deal with this text. He leaves, and Willow asks, what about Michael? but he says his performance days are gone, so no thanks. Maxie says, that’s okay. She has a much better plan for him.

Carly thanks Drew for helping, even though he made the mess, and he says he put the mess on the floor. The mess was on the kitchen island from her. She says she doesn’t do a lot of baking or cooking, so she doesn’t see a lot of cleaning up the kitchen in their future. He says, their future; he likes the sound of that. She says, her too, and they kiss. He says he’s confident that his plan to get Charlotte’s ELQ shares and step away from the company is going to pacify Ned, and she says, Ned’s the only person they have to worry about turning them into the SEC, so they’re good.

Ava says, spill it, the dirt on Carly, and Nina says she hasn’t really been able to process it with everything that’s going on with Willow and her new grandchild… Ava says, just tell her. She could use the distraction. Nina says, remember when she told Ava about Drew and Carly hiding whatever’s going on with them? Ava says, vaguely, and Nina says she saw them hugging pretty intimately, and she heard them say they couldn’t show how they really feel about each other in public. Ava wonders why, and Nina says she’s sort of figuring it out, but it’s raising more questions than answers.

Cody sees the paper that dropped on the floor, and picks it up. He wonders if it’s the invoice he was looking for, but he sees it’s his paternity test, and wonders how it got here. He puts it in his pocket, and asks Comet if he’s pulling tricks again, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Mac.

Gladys asks bartender Jamie why she can’t book a spa appointment from the bar. She really needs a massage. Sasha asks, why is that? Is she stressed out about something? Like Deception?

Drew says, besides Ned, the only people who know he and Carly are romantically involved are people they trust; Sonny, Olivia, Michael, and Joss. The SEC isn’t going to have any reason to look into the timing of their relationship, unless Ned tips them off. Carly says she can’t believe Ned, and Drew says, she’s an investor in Aurora, but the merger never happened. She didn’t actually profit from any inside information, and it was like, six months ago. He thinks they’re good. She says she hears him, but she can’t wrap her head around them being seen as a couple out in public. She’s used to the hiding. The majority of the time they’ve spent together is stolen moments at her house. He says, they’ve been pretty great moments, and she says, amazing moments. She suggests they enjoy the last few moments of secrecy before the whole world finds out, and he says he plans on it, when Josslyn walks in. She apologizes for interrupting, but Drew says he was just getting ready to go. Josslyn tells him not to leave on her account. It looked like they were having a good time. He says he’s going to make sure they have plenty of good times, and leaves. 1) I don’t think the SEC would care if she profited or not, it’s still a crime, and 2) they’ve been together in public plenty. The only difference will be, they’ll be holding hands now.

Dex wonders why Sonny isn’t including him in the Pikeman deal, and Sonny says, if he doesn’t, he’ll have no reason to blame Dex if the deal goes sideways.

Gladys says she doesn’t know what Sasha is talking about; she has the day off work. Sasha says, please don’t tell her that she sold Brando’s garage, and Gladys asks how Sasha heard about that. Sasha says, so it’s true. She actually sold it. Gladys says she did, and Sasha says she can’t believe Gladys would sell her husband’s garage without asking her. Gladys didn’t even tell her. How could she do that? Gladys says, it was time, and Sasha says, Gladys told her that they were going to hold off until she was ready. Gladys tells Sasha that she doesn’t have the final say; the court put her in charge. Sasha says, forget about the damn court. They had an arrangement as family, and in the spirit of that arrangement, Gladys should have consulted with her. Gladys had no right to sell Brando’s garage behind her back. Gladys says she was just trying to do what’s best, and Sasha asks, how was that best for her? Gladys says, it’s not all about Sasha. She did it for herself.

Cody asks what brings Mac here, and Mac says he had some police business with the Quartermaines and thought he’d visit. Cody reached out a few times, and he feels bad for not responding. Cody says he thought Mac might want to talk after what he went through with Ryan Chamberlain. It’s dumb. Mac’s a cop, and obviously dealt with killing a criminal before, so he’s sorry if it seemed like he was hounding Mac. Mac says he should have called Cody back, but Cody says he’s not much of a talker either, especially when it comes to emotional stuff. When he has a lot of things on his mind, he tends to hop on the back of a horse and go for a ride. Did Mac ever try it? Mac says, in his younger days, he spent some time at a ranch in the Outback. Cody asks why he stopped riding, and Mac says he hasn’t had much of an opportunity since he left Australia. Cody says, there’s nothing like it, and Mac says, something tells him that he couldn’t get this old leg over the saddle. It’s not like riding a bike. Cody says, of course (🍷) it is. Horses are just like giant bikes with minds of their own. Mac says, those were the days. Riding out into the bush with his friends, and at the end of the day, go to the pub and put back a few Bludger pale ales. Cody says, Mac drinks Bludgers? and Mac says, Cody’s heard of them? Cody says he did a stunt gig with a guy from Australia, and that’s all he drank. Cody developed a taste for them. Mac says he didn’t think anyone in the United States drank them, and Cody says, don’t tell Mama Q, but he might have put a case of Bludgers on the grocery order. He still has a couple. Does Mac want one? Mac says he’s off the clock.

Michael says, Aurora Media will be at Maxie’s disposal for the Nurses Ball, and he’ll make a personal donation as well. She thanks him, and says, she’s not just here for the money. Don’t get her wrong; she’s taking the donation. But she was hoping he’d join the planning committee. He says, she’s kidding. What about Brook? She’s the one with entertainment experience. Maxie says, but he’s a respected figure in the community. He has tons of connections to local businesses because of his work at Aurora and ELQ. Not to mention, both sides of his family have close relationships with the hospital, so he’s just the person she needs for this committee. Willow says, it is a good cause, and he says, it’s a great cause. It’s just he can’t with everything that’s going on right now. Willow says, before he rules it out, she thinks he should consider it.

Drew comes in, and Ned says he should warn him. Maxie is in there hustling up support for the Nurses Ball. Drew says, hard to imagine without Lucy, but he’s sure Maxie will do a wonderful job. Ned agrees, and Drew says, the family managed to come together for Willow and Michael’s sake, but obviously ELQ is still the elephant in the room. He’s got a proposal to make all this tension a thing of the past.

Nina tells Ava, something’s wrong; Sasha’s not happy. Ava looks over at Sasha arguing with Gladys, and asks if Nina is going to go talk to her, but Nina says, not right now. Sasha knows she’s there for her. If Sasha needs her, she knows where to find her. Ava says, then back to Carly, and Nina says she’s never thrilled when Carly and Sonny have an interaction, but she’s come to terms with the fact that, unfortunately, Carly is always going to have a presence in their lives. And despite her feelings for Carly, she can’t really blame Sonny for wanting to protect her, especially from the Feds. She is his ex-wife. Ava says, so Ned has some kind of trouble that could get Carly and Drew in trouble with the SEC. She wonders what it could be, but Nina has no idea. Ava says, they’re smart; they’ll figure it out. She knows Carly and Drew woudn’t keep their relationship quiet to spare anyone’s feelings. There’s got to be a compelling reason that they’re not going public. Nina wonders if the legal consequences Sonny mentioned could involve jail time. She’s guessing fines woudn’t matter with the Quartermaine money, but what she doesn’t get is the secrecy. The reason Nina owns half this hotel is because Carly was trying to help out Drew and Michael during that whole Aurora/ELQ merger. Ava says, that’s it. She knows what Carly and Drew are so afraid of.

Sonny says he’s leaving Dex out of the Pikeman deal because he sees Dex has potential, and wants to bring him up in the business. He wants to make sure Dex does it well. Dex says he appreciates the faith, but he’d think if Sonny saw potential, Sonny would want to give him more responsibility, not leave him out. Sonny says he just needs to be careful how he brings Dex up, because if the deal goes south, he’ll know Dex had nothing to do with it. Dex says, makes sense, and Sonny says, that doesn’t mean Dex still can’t help him.

Michael agrees the Nurses Ball is a worthy cause, and under normal circumstances, he’d do it in a heartbeat. But Willow’s bone marrow transplant is coming up… Willow says, they can’t do anything about that except wait, and he says, what about the wedding? She says she has the wedding under control, along with help from his mom, his sister, Sasha, Brook, and Olivia. Michael says, what about their newborn baby? and Willow says, they’re lucky enough to have help. Maxie says, it sounds like he’s out of excuses, and Willow says, the community really needs this, and so does she. Do it for her?

Cody and Mac clink bottles, and Mac says, this brings him back. Cody says, him too. It reminds him of simpler times in his life. Mac wonders when things got so complicated, and Cody says he can only imagine how difficult it must be, having to take someone’s life in the line of duty. Mac says he’s been a cop for about 30 years. Killing Ryan, even though it’s not the first time he’s had to take a life while on the job, this was different. He and Ryan had a complicated history. This was a man who terrorized his family for decades because of his obsession with Felicia, but he was also the twin brother of Mac’s best friend, Doc. Even as twisted and downright evil as Ryan could be, it wasn’t that many years ago, Ryan actually managed to switch places with Doc. He had Doc locked up and drugged up in Ferncliff Asylum. Ryan pretended to be Doc. Cody says, this guy sounds degenerate, malevolent, nasty, and a real piece of work pretty messed up, and Mac says, he was, but he was also Doc’s brother. He doesn’t think Doc ever gave up hope that Ryan would change one day, but that day will never come because Mac killed him. Cody says, Mac did that to save Ava and himself, and Mac says he knows they’re all better off, and the shooting was justified, but he killed his best friend’s twin brother, and he knows in some small way, Doc still loved Ryan. He hates that he caused his friend any pain. Cody says, sometimes it’s easier to talk about heavy stuff with someone you barely know, and Mac says he’s glad they’re getting to know each other. They clink bottles again, and Cody says, him too.

Gladys says, the truth is, she had every right to sell the garage, not just as Sasha’s guardian, but as Brando’s mother who’s grieving him. Sasha says she’s grieving him too, and Gladys says she knows. She’s sorry for the tough time Sasha had, but the guardianship has protected her in way she doesn’t even know. She has no idea what it’s like trying to manage all these finances. Getting bills every single month, for the garage, each one with Brando’s name on it, and then there’s when Chamber of Commerce calls the office phone and asks for Mr. Corbin. She gets faced with daily reminders that Brando isn’t here with them anymore. Sasha says she had no idea. Why didn’t Gladys tell her any of this? Gladys says, because her job is to literally protect Sasha as her guardian. Sasha lost her husband; she lost her son. It’s been hard on her too. So she needed to get rid of the garage for many reasons; not the least of which is getting on with her life. She’s sorry if that makes Sasha hate her. It’s just a chance she had to take.

Drew tells Ned, Valentin’s death opens the possibility to get ELQ back in Quartermaine control. Ned says, technically, it’s in Quartermaine control now, and Drew says, Ned is CEO, but this is an opportunity for the family to regain majority ownership of the company. Valentin’s stock went to Charlotte, which means Laura controls it. He’s sure they can negotiate to reacquire the stock that Valentin poached from them. (I’m not so sure about that, but go on.) Ned says, so Drew and Michael can ice him out again? and Drew says, Valentin drove a wedge between them, but he’s gone. The way he sees it, it’s a chance for them to start over. So in the interest of putting the family back together, he’s willing to step away from ELQ entirely. Ned says he honestly wasn’t expecting that, and Drew says, he’ll run Aurora full time; he’s okay with that. The most important thing is making this family a united front again. Last summer, they were all at each other’s throats, then they came together for Willow, and it reminded him how right it feels for them to all be on the same team. He knows they’re Quartermaines, and they’re going to bicker and backstab, but at the end of the day, when it matters, they band together. They have to do whatever they have to in order to make this family whole again, and part of that is to get ELQ back. So what does Ned say?

Ava says, Carly invested in Aurora when the plan was to merge that company with ELQ, and Nina says, right, to get ELQ under the Quartermaines’ control. It was Drew and Michael’s plan and when Carly tried to help them, she invested heavily. When the merger didn’t happen, she lost it all. Ava says, but if Carly bought Aurora’s stock knowing there was a merger on the horizon, isn’t that insider trading? And she and Drew could be open to prosecution if anybody finds out. Nina says, that’s why they have to keep their relationship at a distance, because they don’t want anyone investigating to think they discuss these sensitive business matters. Otherwise, they’re facing jail time.

Dex says, anything Sonny needs, he’s good for it, and Sonny says he wants to take Dex to the warehouse where the Pikeman shipment is going to be stored. He’s not going to tell Dex when it’s going to land; the date’s been changed. Dex asks, why take him to the warehouse? and Sonny says he wants Dex’s assessment of the place. He wants to see how good Dex identifies vulnerabilities. Sonny says, think of it as training, and leaves, Dex following.

Josslyn says, sorry for crashing Carly’s time with Drew, but Carly says, this is Josslyn’s home. She’s always happy to see her. Josslyn says she knows, but Carly and Drew don’t get to spend a ton of time together since they have to keep things on the downlow. Carly says, that may be changing, and Josslyn says she’s so happy to hear that. Carly says, it’s still in the works, but she’s cautiously optimistic. Josslyn says she hopes it works out. Carly deserves to show the world how happy Drew makes her. Carly says, so does Josslyn. A secret relationship’s a lot of fun, but it comes with baggage. Josslyn says, and we’re back to Dex, and Carly says, she’s Josslyn’s mom, and she’s always going to want to protect Josslyn and stop her from getting hurt. Forget about what Sonny would do if he found out Josslyn has been seeing Dex behind his back, but Josslyn grew up in that world. She saw Carly deal with it every day. Is she sure she wants that for herself? Josslyn says, Dex is planning on getting out of Sonny’s organization, and Carly asks if Josslyn is going to hang her future on a vague promise. Josslyn flashes back to Dex saying, option three. He gets evidence on Sonny, turns it over to his real boss, who turns it over to the Feds. Sonny goes to prison; he’s in the clear. Josslyn says, option three it is, and he says, no matter what happens, he can’t walk away from her. Josslyn tells Carly, it’s not like that. Dex has a real plan. Carly says, like what?

Ned says, Drew brings up some good points, and Drew says, it’s a win-win for Ned. They regain Valentin’s stock and he extracts himself from ELQ. Ned says, Drew’s given him a lot to think about.

Willow says, if Michael helps plan the Nurses Ball, it will give them something to look forward to. They won’t be focusing on the transplant, and have something positive to pour their energy into. Something that benefits them, GH, and the entire city. He asks how he can say no to that, and Maxie says, awesome, and thanks him. Their first meeting is tomorrow, and she’ll call him tonight to go over the details. She jets, and Willow thanks Michael. He says, she’s his world. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. They kiss.

Mac asks if Cody is up for another one, and Cody says, no reason not to. He gets up, and Mac says he thinks Cody dropped something. He picks up the paternity test, and starts to unfold it. Like people do when it’s not their stuff.

Sasha says she doesn’t hate Gladys, and Gladys thanks her. Sasha says, but she doesn’t like that Gladys went behind her back, and Gladys says, understood. Sasha says she gets where Gladys was coming from, and she’s probably right. Left to her own devices, Sasha probably would never have parted ways with the garage. She couldn’t bear it. I guess running it as a profitable business wasn’t an option? Gladys says, just so Sasha knows, it wasn’t easy for her either, and Sasha says she guesses in maybe a not-so-good way, it worked out for the best. Instead of hanging over them, the garage is gone, and they’re forced to move forward. Gladys says she sees why her son fell for Sasha, and Sasha starts to cry. She says she misses him, and Gladys says she does too. They hug.

Nina says, Ava’s theory is good, but that’s all it is; a theory. Ava says, a theory that can turn the tables. Nina has important information about Carly, just like Carly had important information about her. The question is, what is she going to do with it?

Josslyn says, Carly and Drew are figuring out a way they can be together out in the open. She and Dex want that too, and she knows Dex is going to get out of the mob for good. Carly says she knows Josslyn believes that, and Dex probably believes he can leave that world, but take it from someone who has been very close to it most of her life, once you’re in, it’s really hard to leave. Josslyn says, but it is possible, and Carly says, it is, but the way out is usually death.

Sonny and Dex go into the warehouse, and Dex says, Sonny is going to have to put up cameras outside. Someone trains a gun on Dex, and Sonny says he’s got somebody on that, and Dex says, ports of entry? Dex realizes there’s a gun with a gun above them, and pushes Sonny down as the guy shoots.

On Monday, Victor says, he and Elizabeth are finished when he says they are; Cody says he’s the last person Mac should be helping; Josslyn tells Carly that Dex is willing to do what it takes; and Dex tells Sonny, the longer they stay here, the worse their chances.

⛓ Already Making Friends…

Special K? Really? By next year, she’ll be running the place, and have a Ponzi scheme involving the commissary.

https://people.com/tv/jen-shah-adjusting-to-life-in-prison-second-journal-entry/

🍸 And It’s Just the Beginning…

You’d think this was the biggest news since the moon landing. No kidding she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I can’t even fathom having an affair with a friend’s boyfriend, and looking them in the face every day.

Lisa Vanderpump Calls Raquel Leviss “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing”; Addresses Future Of Vanderpump Rules

If LVP says it, it must be true.

Lisa Vanderpump Believes Tom Schwartz Knew About Tom Sandoval And Raquel Leviss Affair

I forgot all about Miami Girl.

https://www.etonline.com/vanderpump-rules-star-tom-sandoval-threatens-to-stop-filming-after-scene-with-raquel-leviss-200441

🍹 Charming Taylor…

Does he have BDE? I just don’t get it. And this show is way too incestuous.

https://pagesix.com/2023/03/08/southern-charm-star-austen-kroll-hooked-up-with-taylor-ann-green/

🏆 About Uncle Oscar…

The nominees. I’m kind of surprised about Everything Everywhere All At Once. Don’t get me wrong. It was an amazing film, although a long way of basically telling me to be nice and find happiness in the small things. But it doesn’t seem like the kind of film that becomes so mainstream.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/entertainment/oscar-nominations-list-2023/index.html

How to watch. (Turn on TV or streaming service. Watch.)

https://people.com/movies/oscars-2023-how-to-watch-what-to-expect/

The carpet.

https://people.com/movies/oscars-2023-red-carpet-wont-be-red-this-year-details/

The gift bags. My God how I want one of these.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/10/2023-oscars-gift-bag-whats-inside.html

No Gaga. Hey, she’s a busy woman.

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/lady-gaga-perform-2023-oscars/story?id=97740301

Break points.

https://people.com/movies/oscars-2023-best-actors-nominees-big-breaks/

🐱 Viva Las Gato…

What are the odds the next guest would be a vet?

https://people.com/pets/lost-cat-found-in-las-vegas-hotel-room/

🥠 Quotes of the Week

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers. – Kahlil Gibran

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be road blocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. – Michael Jordan (Or kick it down.)

If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think. – T. Harv Eker

Apologizing does not always mean that you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego. – Unknown

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. – Dr. Seuss

In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. – Abraham Lincoln

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not. – Oscar Wilde

Life is a long lesson in humility. – James M. Barrie

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas A. Edison

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. – Robert Frost

I think you’re Mozart. – Amy Slaton, 1000-Lb. Sisters, referring to her son’s painting

💌 And the Award Goes To…

Make a return trip on Monday for some soap, what’s on Deck, and smack talk about the awful people on Summer House. Until then, stay safe, stay surrounding yourself with those who uplift you, and stay remembering, a secret relationship’s a lot of fun, but it comes with baggage.

Mar10

March 9, 2023 – Victor Has an Off Night, Her Other Boy, Reunited, Coming Back, Dead Again, Soap Jump, Deck Secrets, VanderScandal, One Of Us, Today & Barbie

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina asks MetroCourt bartender Jamie if he isn’t in business school, and he says, PCU’s graduate program. She asks why someone in a leadership position would be investigated by the SEC, and Sonny walks up wondering why she’d ask that.

On the phone, Ava leaves a message for Austin asking if they can discuss his charming cousin, and the not-so charming stranglehold he has on them. Call her as soon as he can. Trina comes in and says she received a notification that artwork came in, but Ava says, it’s not her job to track it anymore. Trina says she wanted to spare Ava from anything gallery related, especially after everything that’s happened to her lately. Ava says, thanks, but Trina doesn’t have to take care of her, and Trina says, to be honest, she wanted a reason to return to the gallery. This place is really important to her; like a second home. Now it’s more important than her first.

Curtis is in the elevator, when Selina joins him. She congratulates him on his nuptials, and asks if Brad delivered her gift at the rehearsal dinner. Curtis says, he did, and she says she’s surprised she didn’t hear from him. Did the gift not meet with his approval?

At the stables, Cody looks for a receipt in a file folder, and ends up dropping everything on the floor. He says, Mama Q didn’t hire him for his organizational skills, and Sasha comes in, saying, that much is obvious. He says he’s about ponies, not paperwork, and she says, he’s good with horses. He’s also good with people. Among them, her.

Lucy asks Anna if the coffee is dark roast; it tastes burnt. Bleh. I know what she means and I hate that. Lucy says she misses Kelly’s smooth coffee. She misses Kelly’s. She misses croissants. Couldn’t Anna just kill for a chocolate babka? Why does Felicia just bring yoghurt and granola? Valentin comes out, and Anna asks, how was his shower? but he says he didn’t actually take one. Somebody decided to use the last of the hot water again. Lucy says, that’s because the water here is so very hard, she has to rinse a lot to get the shampoo out of her hair. Lucy moves the blind to peek out, but Anna yells, stay away from the window! Lucy asks how long they have to keep hiding here. This is torture. Anna and Valentin look at each other.

Victor is putting on his tie as Eileen wakes up. She says, good morning, and he says, is it? She says, it’s the best sleep she’s had in weeks. She feels so rested. He says, that makes one of them, and she says, he’s not upset about last night, is he? He says he’ll thank her not to mention last night again.

Felicia, Bobbie, and Maxie have coffee at Charlie’s, and Bobbie says, they treaded very carefully with Jesse Brewer. She was a wonderful, generous woman, but she had zero tolerance for personal drama at work, so she really kept them on their toes. Maxie asks how long she’s worked at GH, and Bobbie says, 45 years. The hospital’s turning 60 this year, so she wasn’t here at its conception. Felicia says, 60 years is quite a milestone, and Maxie says, the hospital’s the center of so many peoples’ lives in Port Charles. How are they marking the occasion? Bobbie says, there aren’t any plans she’s aware of, and Felicia says, that’s a missed opportunity. Maxie says, it’s more than that. It’s a travesty. Somebody needs to do something about it.

Looking at her tablet, Lucy sighs, putting her feet up on the couch next to Valentin, and he says, problem? She says, the stock, and he says, took a hit? but she tells him, relax. He’s still getting a return on his investment. It’s just… It could be a whole heck of a lot better. He says, if she was there, and she says, yes. Anna comes out and tells Valentin, that was the last of the coffee, and he says he misses Paris. She says, her too, and he says, for a lot of reasons, but right now for the coffee. Anna snuggles in his lap, and Lucy says, stop. Marty can’t be here because he’s visiting his mom, so seeing the lovebirds is tough when she’s involuntarily celibate. Anna tells her, when this is over, Marty will be waiting for her, but Lucy says, don’t say the w word. Waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s all she does. She’s so sick of waiting. She just wants out of here.

Victor puts on his shoes, and Eileen says, they were both tired last night, and they’d both been drinking. Oooh. I get why he’s cranky. She says, neither of them were at their best, but now they’re both rejuvenated. He puts on his jacket, and she asks if it was something she did, but he says he has a busy day today. She says, anything to do with the next phase of his plan? He doesn’t have to go it alone. She’s with him all the way. She straightens his tie, and says, didn’t she prove that to him, when she helped take care of Anna Devane? She grabs his lapels, pulls him toward her, and says, let her in. Tell her what he needs; what he wants. She’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Cody says, if he knew Sasha was coming, he’d have cleaned the place up. She helps him pick up the papers, and asks if he found what he was looking for. He says he’s afraid not, but no worries; he’ll look later. He doesn’t notice, but one of the papers stays on the floor, and Sasha hands him a box. She says, it’s to thank him, and he says, for what? She says, for what he did when she confronted Heather Webber at the PCPD.

Ava says, trouble at home? but Trina says, Ava is the one who just went through hell. How is she? Ava says she’s getting there, and Trina says, and her friend Dr. Gatlin-Holt? Ava says, well enough to check himself out of the hospital. Trina’s mom treated him before he left GH. When are she and Curtis headed to Italy? Trina says, as far as she knows, that trip is canceled. They’re not in a great place right now. Ava says she’s so sorry to hear that. What happened? Trina says, I happened.

Curtis tells Selina that he had a few things on his mind. Sending out thank you cards wasn’t on his list. Selina says, it’s not like him to be ungrateful, so she’ll ignore his oversight. Newlywedded bliss can be all-consuming. Or so she’s been told. He asks her to excuse him, and walks off.

Gladys plays poker on her phone in a private area of the hotel, and says, you’re bluffing, sucker. Selina comes along, and says she never bluffs. Gladys thanks Selina for meeting her, and Selina asks why she didn’t want to meet at The Savoy. Gladys says she makes bad decisions when she’s at the club, and Selina asks if that’s what she thinks, indicating a manila envelope on the table. Gladys says, the deed to her son’s garage.

Nina tells Sonny that she’s always pestering Jamie with business questions; he’s in business school. She’s taking credit when he passes his course with flying colors. Sonny asks if she’s heard from Willow today, and she says, no. And she didn’t want to risk their somewhat shaky truce, bothering Willow with questions and calls. He says she’s taking it slow, that’s a good thing, and she says she’s just grateful she’s in the loop where her daughter’s health is concerned. He says he wishes he was in the loop where his daughter was concerned. Has she heard anything from Ava about Nikolas threatening to take Avery?

Bobbie says she agrees. It would be great to honor GH’s six decades of service to the community, but they’re still navigating Britt’s loss, so they’re just putting up a plaque. Maxie says, they need more than a plaque. Port Charles has seen so much loss and turmoil in sixty recent years. This town needs a celebration. Felicia agrees, and Bobbie says she supposes Maxie has something in mind. Maxie says, many somethings actually, but there is a clear winner to usher in the festivities. This town needs the biggest and best Nurses Ball GH has ever seen. There is no better way to mark GH’s sixtieth anniversary than the Nurses Ball. Felicia says, the anniversary is next month, but Bobbie says, there’s no way to get the Nurses Ball ready in time. It’s not an easy enterprise. Maxie says she’s done bigger events in less time. She just needs a choreographer, a fireworks team, a llama, and a truckload of bubbly. Plus a celebrity guest, teasers for the local news, and some corporate sponsors to foot the bill. Bobbie says, easy peasy, and Maxie says, we can do it. Felicia asks, who’s us? and Maxie says, the three of them.

Victor kisses Eileen’s hand, and says, she really wants to help? and she says, any way she can. He says, then only come when he calls. It wasn’t long ago she imagined she was being haunted. She says she was under a lot of pressure, and realizes now it was sleeping pills her doctor prescribed. She requested a copy of the file on Holly Sutton with her accident at the cabin; the original unredacted file. It contained useful information on the necklace. He says, she’s certain she can get her hands on this file? and she says she has strings she can pull. He says, then pull them now. In the hallway, she makes a call, and says, checking in… as demanded.

As Anna tries to talk to Eileen, Valentin tells Lucy, as far as safehouses go, this is fine. We’re all making sacrifices, so deal with it. Lucy asks why she should. He and Anna are the spies. She’s just a humble… Anna says she can’t talk right now. Eileen’s contact will meet her where she is. She tells Valentin and Lucy, they cannot go out the door, but Valentin says, this is their best chance to bring Victor down. Lucy says, this really seems like a you problem, pointing at both of them, and Valentin says he wishes he’d taken that attitude when they found her shackled in a Paris catacomb. Lucy says she really is grateful, but she woudn’t have needed rescuing if Anna hadn’t blackmailed here into spying in the first place. Anna says she just had Eileen on the phone, and she says she’ll get them everything they need to stop Victor. Lucy says, for their sakes and for hers, she hopes Eileen comes through – and soon. She walks out of the room, and Valentin says, if they don’t get out of here soon, he just might kill Lucy Coe himself.

Gladys picks up the envelope, and says, this will make her and Selina square, right? Selina says, more than amply, and holds out her hand. Gladys gives her the envelope, and Selina checks out the paperwork. She says, Gladys is more than covered. The remaining funds can be deposited into a business account, or used for a stake in the next game. Gladys says, no thank you. She’s done with all that. A deposit will suit her fine.

Cody says he was afraid Sasha would think he was butting in, but he knew Dante would look after her, and she says, Dante showed up because Cody sent him? Cody asks if that’s not why she’s thanking him, but she says, no. She’s thanking him for not giving her up to the desk sergeant when she claimed to be Heather’s lawyer. He looks in the box, and says, yum, biscotti, and she says, he enjoyed Olivia’s biscotti that night in the solarium. He thanks her, and says, she’s not mad? She says she pretended to be someone’s lawyer to get in to see the woman who killed her husband. He thought she was out for revenge, and tried to save her from herself. He says, turns out, she doesn’t need saving.

Ava says, none of this is Trina’s fault, but Trina says, if she hadn’t gone to see Aunt Stella the night of the wedding, none of this would have happened. Ava says, most secrets come to light. What’s important is how Trina is doing. Trina says she’s all over the place. She’s angry at her mom… Ava says, but Trina misses her, and Trina says she wants to stay close to her dad, but she’s starting to feel distant from him. And she likes Curtis, but she resents him. Ava asks what she can do. What does Trina need? Trina says, a solution, but Ava says she doesn’t think she can help with that.

Nina says, Nikolas threatened to take Avery? and Sonny says, Ava told him it was an empty threat, but there’s no empty threat when it comes to his child. Curtis approaches, and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but can he and Nina talk for a moment? Nina says, of course (🍷). Isn’t he supposed to be in Tuscany? He thanks Nina for comping the room for them, but he can’t accept. He gives her an envelope, and she says, he’s reimbursing her for the room? Sonny says, it was a gift for Curtis and his wife, and Curtis says, that’s just it. Portia may not be his wife for much longer. Nina says she’s so sorry; what happened? Sonny wisely gets up, and says he’ll let them have a discussion. He has something he’s got to do. Curtis suggests he and Nina have a seat at his table.

Selina says, just the man she wanted to see, and Sonny asks what he can do for her. She asks why her shipment was rerouted from Pier 55 yesterday, and he says, a minor inconvenience. She says, if he’s concerned she might attempt to join his Pikeman deal… Gladys almost walks in the room, but stops, and Sonny says, they had an arrangement. She operates on his docks at his discretion. And he wants her to keep it that way. She walks off, and Sonny sees Gladys. She says, hi cuz, but he tells her, don’t hi cuz him. What was she doing with Miss Wu?

Ava says she’s always here for Trina, but there’s no quick fix for this particular situation. She knows Trina is probably sick of hearing things like this, but with maturity comes the understanding that nothing is absolute. There are almost always shades of grey. Trina says, what her mom did was wrong. No amount of age or perspective will make her see that differently. Ava says she agrees Trina’s mother was wrong, but if Trina is looking for her to validate her righteous indignation, Ava thinks Trina is going to be disappointed. She knows from personal experience, there’s no telling what a mother might do when she’s afraid she’ll lose her child.

Sasha tells Cody, it wasn’t easy listening to the woman who murdered her husband; every word coming out of Heather’s mouth infuriated her. He says, and Sasha didn’t go for her throat. He admires her restraint. Sasha says, it would have felt so satisfying to claw her face off, but she thought about what Brando would want; to get justice for him without compromising her future. He says she definitely seems lighter or something, and she tells him that she wouldn’t say it was closure, but a burden has been lifted. How about him? How does he feel? He says he’s not really liking himself much lately. He seems to be in the habit of letting down anyone who cares about him. She says, all any of them can do is forgive themselves, and he says, if he can’t, what then?

Maxie tells Bobbie, Corinthos Coffee, ELQ, Aurora Media, and they can get Ned to come up with the rest. Bobbie says, hold on there, hotfoot. They haven’t even pitched this to the Board. Maxie says, when they hear she lined up donors, and she’s offering her services free of charge, how could they object? Bobbie says, Maxie needs a reliable committee, but Maxie says, no problem. She can already think of half a dozen go-getters, and she already has a co-chair. Bobbie says, Maxie’s mother didn’t agree to that, but Maxie tells her, who said she’s talking about her mom?

Felicia comes bearing coffee to the safehouse, and Valentin says, they heard about what happened with Ryan Chamberlain. Is she all right? She says she’s getting there. The whole thing was a traumatic experience, but she thinks it’s worth it, because Ryan is now gone. How is everything here? Valentin says, it would be nice to believe they’re making progress. Despite his reservations, Anna said Felicia was the most convincing corpse she’d ever seen. Felicia admits she liked seeing the look on Eileen’s face when Eileen realized she’d been had. Valentin doubts she liked being played. Let’s hope she hasn’t gone rogue. Felicia says, if Eileen wants to take them down, she’s going down first, but Anna says she has the feeling Eileen is too self-serving for that.

Eileen waits in the Bistro, when Laura walks in. Laura says, Eileen was expecting someone else, and Eileen says she thought maybe Felicia, but she should have known it would be Laura. Laura asks, why is that? and Eileen says, Anna is clearly enjoying her fall from grace. What better way to stick it to her than send Laura? Laura says she volunteered, and Eileen says, not surprising. Laura was the first to tell her that Anna was dead, then sent her to the morgue. Laura’s been playing her since Lucy Coe was shot. Laura says, they were on to her long before that. They were biding their time until she could prove to be useful to them.

Lucy begs Felicia not to go, and asks if she can’t stay and be a buffer between them. Felicia says she’s sure there’s not friction; they’re all on the same side. Lucy says, they’re all going a little stir crazy. She knows that saying, two’s company… Valentin says, three’s a necessary evil in order to survive, and Felicia promises she’ll be back. And she’ll bring Lucy an update on what Maxie is planning for the Nurses Ball. Anna gestures for Felicia to shush, but Lucy says, oh my God, the Nurses Ball. They set a date? When is it? Anna is like, eh! but Felicia says, in a few weeks. Lucy says, there can be no Nurses Ball without her.

Maxie says, Bobbie makes the most sense as a co-chair. She loves the hospital. She knows its history. She’s played a role in the health and happiness of so many who’ve walked through the doors, the least of whom is her. She has to do it. Nobody else can fill Lucy’s shoes. Maxie needs her… She has until the end of breakfast to decide. Now, musical acts… Maxie consults her phone.

Sasha tells Cody that she’s had a lot of time to think, usually at night when it’s quiet. One of the things she couldn’t let go of is how Brando spent so much time taking care of her before he died. They lost a lot of valuable time together when she was spiraling. Cody says, she went through a lot. It’s not her fault she was a hot mess express. She laughs, and says, don’t be shy. Tell her what he really thinks. He says he’s sorry. He suffers from foot in mouth disease. She tells him not to apologize. She told him before, she appreciates he doesn’t feel the need to treat her with kid gloves. He says he could still stand to have more grace, and she says he could stand extending some grace to himself. Once she managed to do that, her regrets stopped keeping her up at night. He says, sounds easier said than done, and she says, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Comet snorts, and Cody says, Comet agrees. Sasha tells Cody that he’s outnumbered.

Trina tells Ava, she doesn’t know what to say to her mom, or Curtis, or even her dad. Should she take the DNA test? Ava says, that depends. Does she want to know who her biological father is? Trina says she’s not sure, and Ava says, maybe the better question is, would knowing change anything for her? Trina says she won’t let it. Marcus Taggert is her father. He raised her, he loves her, and that will never change. Ava says, if that’s the case, some would say, there’s no reason to find out. But at the end of the day, Ava likes looking in the mirror and knowing who she is, exactly where she came from. It might not change her habits or behavior, but at least there are no lingering existential questions. Trina asks if Ava is saying she should get the test, and Ava tells her, she’s saying, why not know for sure?

Nina tells Curtis, she’s so sorry; she doesn’t know what to say. Curtis says he doesn’t either, and she asks how she can help. He says, she can take his check, but she says, they both know she’s not doing that. He’s not really telling her that his marriage is over, is he? He says, Porta lied to him. When they met again after all those years of being apart, she made a point of telling him that Trina couldn’t possibly be his daughter. She says she’s not defending Portia, but to be honest, she can’t condemn her either. Curtis says, Portia didn’t admit Trina could be his daughter until her secret came out and she had no choice. Nina says, because Portia was afraid she was going to lose him, and she can understand that. She withheld information for the exact same reason.

Sonny asks what business Gladys could possibly be doing with Miss Wu, and she says she was just following his advice. He discouraged her from selling the garage to a low bidder. She rejected that offer, and sold it to someone who knows its worth. Selina Wu is the proud new owner of Brando’s garage.

Victor goes to the bar, and Selina says, whatever Mr. Cassadine is having, put it on her tab. Victor says, it’s kind of her, but unnecessary, and she says, she insists. He looks like he needs a pick-me-up. He asks what she knows about it.

Sasha pets Comet and sweettalks him, and Cody asks if she grew up around horses. She says, lately, she’s more familiar with the horsepower of muscle cars, but he says, she’s not afraid. The last woman he had there would rather be caught dead than… She says she loves riding; it’s just been a while. He suggests she ride there, and she asks what he charges. He says, she’d be doing him a favor. It exercises the horses, and Mama Q will stop worrying whether he has friends or not. She asks Comet if that sounds fair, and listens. Cody asks what Comet said, and she says, that Cody does have friends.

Laura asks what Eileen found out, and Eileen says she and Victor shared a room last night. They used to… Laura says, Anna told her. The less she hears about that, the better. Eileen says, Laura doesn’t have to. She’d hoped reigniting their physical relationship would loosen Victor’s lips, but it didn’t work. Laura asks, why not? and Eileen says, Victor hasn’t been himself… He had an off night in the bedroom.

Selina asks Victor to disregard her intrusion. Enjoy his coffee in good health. Perhaps it will restore his customary courtliness. She takes out her phone, and turns her back to him.

Nina says, not telling Sonny’s family he was in Nixon Falls is a mistake she’s still living down, but at the time, she thought she was justified. Curtis asks if she’s saying Portia did too, and she says, yes, but that being said, she’s always on his team, especially with this issue. She knows how painful it is being denied your own children. He says, finding out Trina might be his daughter, is nothing in comparison with what Carly did to Nina with Willow, and she says she’s trying to focus on rebuilding her relationship with Willow, but she’s so angry. Curtis says, so is he, and she says, he has every right to be, but she wants him to remember the circumstances aren’t the same. Portia is his wife, and she’s Trina’s mother. Has he spoken to Trina? He says he went to see her. The whole time he spoke with her, he just kept looking into those big, beautiful brown eyes, and wondering if they were his mother’s eyes. He’s got to know. She says, he’s got to have answers, right? But does Trina want to know? He says, she’s considering it, and Nina says, take it from her, don’t push. She’s learning to live with what she’s given. Whether it’s a DNA test or a relationship, let Trina decide.

Ava says she and Trina share no DNA. Nature didn’t forge the connection they have; they did that. It’s one of the most meaningful bonds she has. She doesn’t know if that’s an argument for or not getting the test; only Trina knows. But whatever she decides, Ava will be beside her, holding her hand. They hug.

Maxie tells Bobbie, time’s up. What’s it gonna be? Bobbie says, all right. She’ll co-chair the Nurses Ball Planning Committee. Maxie says, Bobbie is the best. She won’t be sorry. She promises the Nurses Ball will be the best way to celebrate the sixtieth festivities of the hospital. She’s going to text her mom. Bobbie says, she and Lucy might not have always seen eye to eye, but she’s going to do Lucy proud. Maxie says, Lucy worked really hard every year to make sure the Nurses Ball was a huge success, and Bobbie says, Lucy made it sound like it was the biggest undertaking in modern times, but she intends to do just as well, without breaking half the sweat or losing her clothes. I wonder if that’s how Lucy is going to make her reentry.

Felicia looks at her phone, and says, it’s largely because of Lucy that Maxie thinks the show should go on. She wants to honor what she thinks is Lucy’s legacy as the heart and soul of the Nurses Ball. Lucy says, that’s lovely and she’s grateful, but it’s really no small feat organizing an entire Nurses Ball, and in just a few weeks? She doesn’t think Maxie is capable of doing it. Felicia tells her not to worry. Maxie has plenty of people to help her. The text she just received? Bobbie is going to co-chair. Lucy says, Bobbie Spencer? Anna opens the door, and Felicia says, sounds like it’s all in hand. Stay safe. She jets, and Lucy asks if they actually heard that. Bobbie Spencer, no. No, no, no, no, no. Bobbie Spencer is not going to take what is hers… again.

Nina says, whatever Trina decides, no matter the results, Curtis is still going to be part of her life because of his relationship with her mother. He says he’s not sure where he and Portia stand, and Nina says, so if Trina’s not his daughter, both Portia and Trina will be out of his life?

Trina says she doesn’t know what she’d do without Ava, and Ava says she’ll always be here for Trina. But she only has one mother. Trina says, maybe, but unlike her mother, Ava has never been dishonest with her. When it comes to Ava Jerome, what she sees is what she gets.

Cody thanks Sasha for the biscotti, and she says, probably not as good as Mama Q’s, but he says, if they are, he won’t tell her. She says she thinks she’ll take him up on his offer. She would love to get back into riding. He says, excellent, and she says she wishes she could give him something more in return. Like free color matching at Deception, or free tune-ups at the garage. He says he’s already found his perfect foundation shade, thanks, and he doesn’t have a car; which works out, since she no longer has a garage. Sasha asks what he means; she still has Brando’s garage. Cody flashes back to hearing Gladys says she’d sign the garage over to Selina, and says, he’s sorry. He must have heard wrong. Sasha says, from who?

Sonny says, it sounds like Gladys selling Brando’s garage to Miss Wu is a savvy business deal. He’s good with it as long as Sasha is. Gladys says she’s glad he’s on board. See ya. She tries to jet, but he calls her back, and asks, is Sasha good or not?

Valentin sips his coffee, and says, now that’s a cup of joe. Anna says she knows living with Lucy is a temporary – he says, insanity? – thing, but it’s all going to work out in the end. If they can prove Victor killed Luke, and framed her for killing Lucy… He says, providing Eileen does everything they as her to do.

Victor tells Selina that he should apologize. He hasn’t been feeling himself lately. She says, oh? and flashes back to him raising the martini she put something in, which I’d forgotten about. She says, that’s a terrible shame, smiles at him, and leaves. So she gave him something to make him impotent? I guess killing his ego is the next best thing to killing him.

Laura asks if that’s unusual for Victor, and Eileen says, until now, he’s actually been rather… robust. But they haven’t been together in months. Maybe last night explains why. Laura says, clearly, Eileen isn’t going to be able to get information from him seducing him, so they have to come up with another way to engage his interest.

On the phone, Selina says, Miss Sutton, it’s Selina Wu. She’ll be interested to know that something has disconcerted their mutual acquaintance, Mr. Cassadine. Perhaps that something has to do with the substance Holly paid her to slip him? She gets in the elevator, as she watches Victor at the bar.

Eileen tells Laura, despite Victor’s frustration and embarrassment earlier, his interest was piqued when she mentioned getting the unredacted report of Holly Sutton’s accident and the necklace she stole. Laura says she thinks they just might have to give Victor exactly what he wants.

Tomorrow, Drew has a proposal for Ned; Sasha wants to know who Cody heard discussing selling Brando’s garage; and Sonny says, Gladys better know what she’s doing.

🍼 Forgotten Son…

I have some vague recollection of him, but God knows we heard his name enough from Heather.

What Happened to Steven Webber on GENERAL HOSPITAL

👫 Besties Across the Pond…

It’s so cool how they’re friends IRL.

GH’s Kelly Thiebaud and Parry Shen Reunite!

🎤 Returning Again…

Important dates to remember; March 29th, the tribute to Sonja Eddy, and April 3rd, the Nurses Ball.

Chandra Wilson Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

⚰️ He’s a Multiple…

I don’t see why he couldn’t come back. I fully expect Faison to show up again, even though his brain is in a jar, or that his good twin will show up. Maybe Doc and Ryan were triplets. Or maybe Ryan figured out a way to seem dead, since he had a lot of time on his hand (ha-ha), and Heather will come dig him up.

Is Ryan Really Dead on GENERAL HOSPITAL? — Jon Lindstrom Speaks Out!

🧼 When He Switched…

This was eons ago, and he’s just talking about it now?

Jason Thompson Opens up About Leaving GH for Y&R

🛥 Don’t Tell…

I don’t know how secret any of this is, but it’s interesting. It kind of sounds like (June, June) Hannah will be back in the franchise too. Although obviously not working for Captain Sandy.

What Happens on the Superyacht, Stays on the Superyacht! See Below Deck’s Behind-the-Scenes Secrets

🍸 Let’s Get To It…

While it was hard to choose among the many, many, many articles on the top – including those on CNN and the New York Times, because this is such important news – we’ll start with these. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that Reunion. Unless Ariana is carrying a flyswatter.

https://pagesix.com/2023/03/09/tom-sandoval-subtly-supports-raquel-leviss-amid-cheating-scandal/

The Queen herself weighs in.

https://people.com/tv/lisa-vanderpump-addresses-tom-sandoval-ariana-madix-breakup-raquel-leviss-drama/

You might want to take notes.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/entertainment/raquel-leviss-ariana-madix-tom-sandoval/index.html

Like this is a surprise.

Tom Sandoval and Raquel Are ‘Losing a Lot of Friends’ Amid Cheating Backlash

🖥 Beyond the Game…

This is a great show. Nice that they were able to incorporate an actor from the game into the series. I’ve never really played video games except for when I babysat. I’m too afraid I’ll get sucked in and never come up for air. And I don’t have a grandmother whose basement I can live in.

https://ew.com/tv/the-last-of-us-troy-baker-james-interview/

👗 It Happened March 9th…

I still love Barbie. But it’s really all about the clothes. And the tiny shoes that always get lost. And all the accessories. And maybe the teeny dog that comes with her.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/9-video

👠 In a Barbie World…

Join me for the free-for-all that is Friday’s post, when there will be soap, tea, insightful words, and captivating music. Until then, stay safe, stay being the calm in the storm, and stay remembering, with maturity comes the understanding that nothing is absolute. There are almost always shades of grey.

Mar2

March 1, 2023 – Dante Makes a Discovery In the Tack Room, James Has To Be Escorted Out & Survive

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny goes into Pozzulo’s and tells Dex that he can take the night off, but Dex says, there’s something he wanted to ask Sonny.

There’s a knock at the gatehouse door, and Michael asks if Willow is sure she’s up for this, but she says she’s the one who invited them over. He opens the door to Carly and Josslyn, and Carly says, Willow told them it was important. Willow says, very important. It’s about their future.

Scotty says, everybody take it easy and breathe, and Elizabeth says she knows Obrecht has questions… and Obrecht smacks her across the face.

Dante works at the tack closet lock, when Bennett comes in. He asks if Dante needs a hand, but Dante says he’s got it.

Sonny asks if there’s a problem, but Dex says, everything’s fine. He was there by himself for a while, and got to poking around the kitchen. He found some recipe cards… Sonny says, they’re his, and Dex says he knew Sonny liked to cook, but there’s some legit recipes in there. He decided to try his hand at one. Sonny asks, which one? Dex says, chicken piccata, and Sonny says, good choice. Dex asks if Sonny would like to try some, and Sonny says, why not?

Michael goes upstairs, and Willow says she hopes she didn’t worry them, but Josslyn says, they’re curious. Willow says, their wedding day is going to be here before they know it, and there’s so much to do. They have to start moving on plans. Carly says, between them and the Quartermaines, every last detail is going to be perfect, and Josslyn says, anything Willow wants for her day, it’s hers. Willow thanks them, and says, what she’s wishing for is much bigger than flower arrangements or entrée choices. She knows what she’s facing. She knows her marriage to Michael will be much shorter than either of them envisioned, but she doesn’t want the fact that they’re running out of time to be the focus of the wedding. Josslyn says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t, and Willow says she wants the day to be a celebration of everything they have; their love for each other, their son and daughter, the life they’ve managed to build together. It should be a happy day. Carly says, it should and it will be. They promise. Willow says, good. Now let’s plan a wedding.

Finn runs over and says, that’s out of line, but Elizabeth says, it’s okay. He asks if she’s all right, and Nina suggests she and Obrecht go someplace they can talk. Obrecht says she knows what Elizabeth did; how she aided and abetted Nikolas in keeping Esme Prince a prisoner. She knew, yet she didn’t come forward. She let the police continue their search, and now Obrecht’s daughter is dead because of her. She remained silent. Elizabeth says she’s sorry. If she could go back… Obrecht says she wouldn’t wish this on anyone, not even Elizabeth. You reap what you sow. Nina takes her arm, and leads her away.

Dante gets the door open, and looks around with a flashlight. He tells Bennett, you see what I see? and Ava braces herself. He asks if Bennet is seeing what he’s seeing, and Bennett says, sure do. Dante says, Nikolas was definitely here, picking up a watch. There are his initials. Bennett asks if Ava recognizes the watch, and Dante says, NMSC. Ava says, Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine, and Bennett says, that’s a serious name. She says she gave it to Nikolas for their first anniversary, and Dante asks if he was wearing it the last time Ava saw him, but she doesn’t know. He tells Bennett, look at that, showing him the watch, and Bennett says, that’s interesting.

Scotty tells Elizabeth that he’s sorry. He thought he could calm Obrecht down before she went off like that. Elizabeth says, that’s okay; she got what she deserved. Finn says, Obrecht shouldn’t have hit her, but Elizbeth says, she lost her son once. She knows what it’s like. Obrecht lost her daughter, and Obrecht’s right; she did play a role in that. Scotty says he loves them both, and doesn’t want this rift going on, and Elizabeth suggests Scotty check on Obrecht.

Obrecht tells Nina, Nikolas she understands; that man is a schwein. But Elizabeth is supposed to be virtuous. She had the power to stop those horrible attacks, and she did nothing. Nina says she knows Obrecht wants someone to blame… Obrecht says, someone? Elizabeth is the reason Britta is gone, but Nina says, Heather Webber is the reason. Obrecht says, Heather Webber could have been caught if the police had focused on someone else. Whose fault is that? She demands justice for her daughter. Yes, her killer was apprehended, but her enabler walks free. Scotty joins them, and Obrecht says, and some have decided to take her side.

Michael comes back downstairs, says, don’t mind him, and they don’t. Carly says, Olivia’s going to want to handle all the food, and Willow says she’d like Wiley and Amelia to be part of the ceremony. Carly says, having her kids be part of the ceremony is going to be so beautiful, and Willow asks Josslyn to be one of her bridesmaids. Josslyn says, of course (🍷); she would love that. Willow asks how Carly would feel about matron of honor duty, and Carly says she kept the truth from Willow about Nina being her mother, but Willow says, Carly is such an important part of her life. Carly’s become like a mother to her. Carly hugs her, and says, yes. She’d be honored. Josslyn says she hopes so; it’s in the title. Carly thanks Willow, and Willow says, but of course (🍷) the most important detail is their dresses. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Willow says she has some options on her tablet. She gets up, and is suddenly dizzy, but Michael rushes to her side and says he’s got her. Is she okay?

Dex sets a plate in front of Sonny, and says, moment of truth. Sonny takes a bite, and says, it’s good. There’s something missing. Dex wonders if it’s the sauce, or too many capers, but Sonny says, the sauce is great. He gets a tiny bowl of something, and says, parsley. Dex says, curly or fresh? but Sonny says, it doesn’t matter, and sprinkles some on. He takes another bite, and says, that’s more like it. He asks Dex to join him, and Dex goes to make a plate for himself.

Dante says, the watch and the band are both broken, and asks when Ava last saw Nikolas wearing it. She says, the evening of February 13th, and Dante asks, what time? She says, 7, 7:30, and he says, the watch stopped on February 13th at 8:07 pm. The watch is a clue Nikolas came down here for some reason. Bennett suggests Nikolas stashed some gold there in case he had to make a quick getaway, and Dante puts the watch in an evidence bag, saying, they’ll have CSU do a sweep of the area. Nikolas Cassadine was definitely in this room before he disappeared. Bennet says, now they just have to figure out where the trail goes from here.

Scotty says he knows it was a big blow to hear about Nikolas and Elizabeth, but he wishes Obrecht had some time to process it before confronting her. She asks, why is that? Because he can’t stand anyone confronting his precious Elizabeth? He tells her, that’s not what he’s saying, when TJ comes by, and asks if Obrecht isn’t waiting for Terry. Obrecht says, for some test results, and TJ says, she got pulled into an urgent meeting and won’t be available for a while. Obrecht looks at Scotty, and says, of course (🍷) she won’t. She no longer has a Co-Chief of Staff to share responsibilities with. TJ says, Terry did give him permission to go over the results with her, and Nina asks if they’re in. He suggests they discuss it in his office, and they follow him, walking past Scotty, who then follows them.

Finn says, Elizabeth has to stop beating herself up, but she says, people are finding out what she did, and coming to the same conclusion. He says, not people; one, sort of person. She says, because of her, Heather Webber was able to kill more people, and he tells her to be careful. Obrecht’s crazy and she’s going to want to avenge Britt, and there’s no telling how she’s going to go about doing that. Elizabeth and the boys may want to… He says he’s not doing that again. She probably needs space, and he’s going to leave her to it. He starts to leave, but she says she doesn’t need space from him.

Willow says she’s fine, and asks Josslyn to grab her tablet. Carly says, they can do this another time, but Willow vehemently insists she’s fine. She just did it too fast. Josslyn gives her the tablet, and Michael suggests she take a nap. They start whispering like she’s already asleep, and I see why she didn’t want to tell anyone she was sick. These people are annoying. She says she wanted to show them the dresses, but Carly says, she and Josslyn aren’t going anywhere. They can pick this up after she takes her nap. Michael says, think how good she’ll feel, and Willow says, a quick nap. He says, the quickest. He’ll help her upstairs. Michael and Willow go upstairs, and Josslyn says, with Willow home, it’s almost like everything’s okay, but it’s not even close to okay. Carly says, there’s still hope. Michael’s not giving up; neither should  they. Josslyn wishes there was something she could do to help, but Carly says, she’s helping. She’s here, giving them every ounce of love and support she has, and when Josslyn can’t handle it, call her. Josslyn says, careful. She has unlimited calls, but Carly says she pays the bills. They’re going to get through this. Some way, somehow. She hugs Josslyn.

Dex asks if Sonny learned cooking from his mom, but Sonny says his mom wasn’t that big of a cook. If you wanted to learn to cook, you went to Gloria’s house; Gloria Cirillo. Dex says he’s heard of her; that’s Michael’s cousin. Sonny says, Gloria was her grandmother, an amazing Italian woman from Bensonhurst. When he closes his eyes, he can smell that house; it was warm and inviting. If you were a kid who didn’t have a great home, that was the place to go. Dex assumes Sonny was one of those kids, and Sonny says, anybody was welcome at Gloria’s house, and she taught him what a strong, happily married wife looked like. It was an honor for him to be a member of the family in a sense; it was good for him. She could cook. The recipe cards are in her handwriting. Dex says he saw one for a marinara sauce that looked killer, and Sonny says, she used to tell him, the secret ingredient is celery. Everybody would ask what she meant; celery has no taste. They wanted something fancy, but if you eat that without celery, you will notice a difference. I believe this. One of my SILs makes amazing macaroni salad. I asked what was different from other macaroni salads, and she said, celery salt. Celery is amazing, and it does too have a taste, Sonny.

TJ tells Obrecht and Nina to have a seat, and Scotty follows them in. Nina asks if Obrecht is a match for Willow, and TJ says, Terry’s cheek swab showed at least six HLA markers for Willow, making her a potential donor candidate. They had some bloodwork done to ensure her bone marrow would be compatible with Willow’s. Dr. Obrecht is a confirmed match for Willow. Nina gets super excited, and says her daughter is going to live, hugging Obrecht, who barely responds.

Sonny asks what Dex’s story is; who turned him on to cooking? Dex says, it was less a who then a what. The food was terrible in the army. He promised himself that he’d learn to cook. He’s getting there. Online tutorials help, and recipes. Sonny says, it’s relaxing, and Dex says, his work, the day in, the day out, takes its toll. Cooking is a way to relieve some of that stress.

Michael comes downstairs, and Carly asks how Willow is. He says, she’s sleeping, and said she’s sorry, but Carly says she assumed Willow was okay; she should have checked with him first. He says he gets it. Willow doesn’t want to spend the time she has resting. Carly says, of course (🍷) not. She wants to feel every moment. She tells Michael that he can say anything to them, and Josslyn says, if anybody knows how he feels… He says, it’s her, and she tells him that she’s not saying it’s the same thing. She and Oscar were nowhere near his and Willow’s level. They didn’t have kids. He says, but she knows what it’s like to watch somebody she loves… There’s a knock at the door, and Michael lets a woman with a clipboard in, telling her to go upstairs. He tells Carly and Josslyn, it’s the hospice nurse, and Carly hugs him, saying, she’s so sorry. He says he just wants to give Willow the world. All she’s asking for is more time with her family. Josslyn says, and time is the one thing he can’t give her.

Nina asks, what’s the next step? and TJ says, Dr. Obrecht will go through a physical, a bunch of medical stuff, and other various tests. They have to rule out any possible medical issues that could cause problems for her or Willow. Nina asks how likely that is to happen, and he says, the probability increases with age. Obrecht has been staring into space, and Scotty says, Liesl. She says she’s sorry; it’s all a bit overwhelming. TJ says, they know she’s a doctor, but they’ll be here to walk her through every step of the way, and he’s here to answer any questions she might have. Obrecht says, and this will work? Willow’s life will be saved? TJ says, there’s never 100% certainty, but he’s optimistic, and Nina says, how lucky are we? Obrecht says, lucky indeed.

Finn says, he and Elizabeth are still friends, right? He wants to be there to support her, but only if it’s what she wants. She says, look at him, respecting boundaries, and he says he’s trying to. She says she does need his support, more than he knows. She should be facing the consequences of her actions, and would have, if she didn’t have the boys to think about. Finn says, having Scotty broker a deal was a good move; her boys need her. She says she knows. She just feels awful about the pain she caused, especially for Obrecht. Regardless of what she’s done in the past, she’s still a mom grieving over her child. Elizabeth played a role in her daughter’s death. The least she can do is face Obrecht and take the hit. He says, literally, and she says, there’s going to be more because of what she and Nikolas did. He says, because of what Nikolas did, and she says, there’s going to be a ripple effect. If he stands by her, he’s going to get caught in the crossfire.

Ava leads everyone back into Windymere, and Dante says, just to go over this again, the last time she saw Nikolas was the night of February 13th. He shows up, they argue, he takes off around 7:30. Bennett says, he then goes to the tack room to pick something up before skipping town, and Dante asks if Ava knows what Nikolas was looking for. She says, no. She never uses that room. Dante says, Nikolas gave her the impression he was leaving Port Charles? and she says, yes. Bennett says, then it stands to reason that whatever he retrieved, it was necessary for him to get out of Dodge. Dante says, he’d moved out all of his stuff. Why would he be looking for anything here? Why not go to the place where he was staying? This is kind of stupid, since the Cassadines could have gold ingots or something buried all over the island. Ava asks if Dante is sure he didn’t, but Dante says, they have this as his last known location. Bennett suggests Nikolas met up with someone who helped him get off the island, and Dante says, Victor, and asks Ava if she knows where Victor is, but Ava says, no. Bennett asks if Nikolas told her how he was leaving or said where he was going, and Ava says, they had an argument. He said something about being done with her and being done with Port Charles. He didn’t say anything about a destination, and as to how, Nikolas had resources she knew nothing about. Dante says he doesn’t believe that for a second, but Ava says, it’s true. There was a time she and Nikolas shared everything, but once their marriage deteriorated, he kept her out of the loop. Clearly. Dante asks if Bennett has any more questions, but Bennett says, not at the moment. Dante thanks Ava for her time, and she says she’ll walk them out. In the foyer, Bennett’s phone rings, and he says, it’s the station. He’ll meet Dante outside. He leaves, and Dante tells Ava, actually, he doesn’t think they’re quite through here. She says she told him everything, but he says, they both know that’s not true. He knows she’s trying to hide it, but facing Ryan Chamberlain would have rattled anyone, even her. She says she’s certainly had better nights, and he says he’s not just talking about last night. Ryan’s had his sites on her for years, and put her through hell. It sticks with a person. She says, his point? and he says, nobody would blame her if she wanted to get some help. She tells him to be careful. He’s starting to sound like he gives a damn. He says, she’s his sister’s mother, and she went above and beyond to help them with The Hook investigation. She says, they were on the right track; they just couldn’t put the pieces together. Heather Webber? He says he’s glad she got out of there unscathed, and she says, physically. He says, that’s what he’s talking about. There’s people who have been through what she’s been through. He has resources, and can put her in touch. She thanks him, and says, it’s kind of him to look out for her, but he says he doubts she’s going to take him up on it. She says she’ll keep it in mind, and he says, fair enough. The upside is that she doesn’t have to go around looking over her shoulder anymore. The darkness is dead and buried. He leaves, and she quickly shuts the door.

Finn says, it won’t be as bad as Elizabeth thinks. Just because Obrecht reacted one way doesn’t mean everybody will be as unforgiving. She says she’s just trying to be realistic. People are going to have some strong, negative feelings toward her. He says, that’s just because they don’t know the whole story, and she says, he’d be smart to keep his distance. He says, since when has he been smart? and she says she doesn’t want him ending up as collateral damage for the things she’s done. He says, she should know by now that he doesn’t care what people think about him. She stuck by him through the whole Peter August ordeal. It’s his turn to stick by her.

Scotty tries to take Obrecht’s hand, but she shakes him off and asks, how soon can she get the physical? TJ says he’ll make the arrangements now, and Nina thanks him. He says he’s just doing his job, and she says, he knows what she means; given their history. He tells her, let’s just get Willow well, and leaves. Nina asks how she can ever thank Obrecht, and Obrecht says, she won’t; Willow’s family. Nina says, the way Obrecht is stepping up for them is the definition of selflessness. She’s so grateful. Obrecht says she’d do anything for Nina and theirs, and they hug. Obrecht tells her, go on. She knows what comes next. Nina runs out, and Scotty says, Britt would be so happy that Obrecht is going to save Willow, but Obrecht says, don’t dare talk to her about her daughter. He helped Elizabeth get away with murder. As far as she’s concerned, Britta’s blood is now on his hands as well.

Michael says, they should be sending out birth announcements, or preparing for kindergarten orientation. They should be looking forward to their life, not the end of it. Carly says she’s so sorry, but he still has some time with Willow. It may not look like he pictured, but it can still be rich and full of love. He says, it has to be, and Josslyn says, it already is. She sees how he is with Willow, Wiley, and Amelia; he’s amazing. He says he wishes he could do more… There is something he could do for Willow. Josslyn says, don’t leave them in suspense, when his phone rings, and he says, it’s Nina.

Dex asks if he can take a picture of some of the recipe cards, and Sonny says, Gloria would be thrilled to know people are still making her food. She used to tell him, food is to be shared. Forget that top secret recipe nonsense. Dex says, Sonny was lucky to have someone like her in his life, and Sonny says, doesn’t he know it. Frank comes in, and says, Sonny wanted to see him? Sonny says he has an update on Pikeman.

Scotty says, Obrecht is making this more complicated than it actually is, and she says, did he or did he not strike a deal so Elizabeth wouldn’t face charges for her role in Britta’s death? He says, Elizabeth got caught up in a big mess, and Obrecht says, at which point, she should have gone to the authorities. If Elizabeth had, her daughter wouldn’t be… He says, if she had, there was no evidence to lead the cops to Heather Webber. He hates to say this, but there was no way to save Britt. Obrecht says, Elizabeth isn’t his daughter, but he says, she kinda is. She says, Britta was hers, and now she’s dead. Elizabeth could have stopped it, but she walks free because of him. He says, Liesl… but she says she doesn’t want to hear excuses. Leave her alone. She turns her back to him, and he leaves.

Willow comes downstairs, and sees Michael, Carly, and Josslyn in a huddle. She asks, what’s wrong? and Michael says, nothing. For the first time in a very, very long time, everything is right. She has a match; confirmed from a cheek swab and a blood test. She says, oh my God. I have a match? He says, you have a match, and they hug.

Sonny tells Frank, let’s go into my office. He tells Dex, thanks for dinner. He can clean up, and then go. Dex says, but Sonny told him that he had an update on Pikeman, and Sonny says, he does. Dex says he thought he was in on it, and Sonny says, he was. He goes into his office with Frank, and tells Frank, close the door. Dex looks confused and a little panicked.

Austin says, what the hell was that? Ava told him that Nikolas was dead. She says, he was dead, and he asks if she took his pulse. She says, of course (🍷) she took his pulse, and he says, one time, they told him in medical school that a dead body doesn’t just get up and walk away. She says she’s sure she was in shock, but she can tell him one thing for certain – Nikolas’s heart was not beating. She’s sure of it. Austin says, then where the hell is he?

We see hospital machines, and on the phone, Mason says, it’s him. Do they want an update?… He’s stable. On life support. We see Nikolas in a hospital bed, hooked up to the machines, and Mason says, Sleeping Beauty’s got everything he needs right here.

Tomorrow, Gregory congratulates Alexis on the scoop of the year; Robert tells Diane, it’s an expression of his gratitude; and Chase says he wants to be the one to take him down.

Vanderpump Rules

Scheana made Katie’s pain about her, and Katie bitched to Ariana about Scheana telling Schwartz her business. In Katie’s interview, she said she’d been careful not to dip into the friend group for flirting or hooking up. A producer asked why, and she said, because she’s not an a-hole. She and Schwartz had been a package deal for so long, she was worried people would draw lines and choose sides, and they’d choose Schwartz. DJ James told everyone at the Canyon Club – which I thought looked more like a food court than a club – to make some noise. Raquel and Ally went outside, and Raquel said James had told her about hooking up with Lala when they’d been together. Ally said she knew about it, and it made her sick. Raquel asked if Ally was okay with James having kept it secret and that he was still friends with Lala, and Ally said when James told that he was drinking again, she got worried. In Ally’s interview, she said she thought Raquel was just looking out for her, but how many talks were they going to have about James? They talked about James’s charm, another guy where I just don’t see it. Sandoval was about to go on with the Most Extras, and in his interview, he said, the adrenaline was spiking. Just f***ing do it. I was not feeling the first number at all, then James called Ally Bubba, and I got confused. Ally said, Raquel told her to be careful, and James said it pissed him off. It wasn’t okay, and he was going to warn Raquel’s next boyfriend that she didn’t s*ck d*ck. Ally was like, let’s not talk about it and just dance. Sandoval then did a rendition of Jesse’s Girl, changing it to Schwartz’s Mom, and it was actually pretty funny. He also kept flashing a 1982 picture of Schwartz’s mom that he’d stolen and taken on tour. Schwartz said it was a dubious honor, and Sandoval had a good heart, but there were some sexual overtones. During her interview, Raquel was shown doing nothing but drinking heavily, and I wasn’t sure what that was about, but then at the bar in the club, Raquel asked Schwartz to make out, so maybe that was a real time sequence.  

In Schwartz’s interview, he said he was flattered, since Raquel was hot, and part of him wanted to get into a tongue-locked embrace with her, since he is single. But he was like, no thank you, and Raquel said she liked Katie, but it wasn’t like they were close. He told her that Katie would be upset, since apparently, she’d forgotten that Schwartz and Katie were very close five minutes ago.

Sandoval visited Schwartz, and said his brothers were in town. They’d planned a party at Schwartz & Sandy’s, thinking it would be open by then. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, it would be smart to save the money by not having the party, but his parents had invested a quarter million in the bar, so they were doing it. Scheana came by to see if Schwartz had made any progress with his new place. She’d sent him some links, and said he needed to tidy up. Sandoval said, Schwartz needed to get his mojo back, like he ever had any. They make a list of what he needed, and in his interview, Schwartz said he knew he was still in there, but he was down to a pilot light and wanted to be a roaring fire. I don’t see that as ever happening. He told Sandoval and Scheana that he and Katie had an agreement not to date friends. He wasn’t even supposed to be hanging out with them. Scheana again managed to make it about herself and got all weepy over Katie calling her a troll, like she hasn’t been called worse things. She said if there was picking sides, she’d pick sides. Meanwhile at SUR, Charli was back from the Hamptons. I guess she’s too young and/or sane to be on Summer House. She added that she’d spent $400 on dessert when she was super drunk, so I’m going with too young. Unless the dessert involved an entire bottle of a one-of-a-kind vintage bourbon. Raquel told Charli about Sandoval’s concert, and said, at the end of the night, James had an argument with Ally and had to be escorted out. We saw a clip, but it was kind of vague, and Raquel said she was sure it had something to do with the conversation she’d had with Ally. Charli told Raquel that it wasn’t her place to discuss Lala with Ally, and the needle started going back to sane. Because she couldn’t let it go and we’re 15, Raquel asked Charli’s thoughts on her making out with Schwartz. Charli said, it would probably be weird, and in Raquel’s interview, she said she thought she had a crush on Schwartz. He was always happy to see her. Charli asked how Raquel would feel if she made out with James, and Raquel said, weird, but you do you. In her interview, Raquel said, Scheana had put the idea in her head, but it had grown on her like a fungus. Charli said, people would call her a homewrecker, but Raquel said, there was no home to wreck.

The Toms met with Greg, and Sandoval told him that they were having a friends and family party tonight. Manager Matt had been let go for drinking on the job, and Greg said, his people knew not to drink on the job. When they’d had the Daily Mail event, it seemed like the atmosphere of a party for everybody, but he chose not to have some of them come back. They needed to make sure they were focused on actually opening. Schwartz said they’d been thinking August 26th, a month from now, and Greg suggested they give him a heads up when they form an idea and not tell him later. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, everything they’d suggested about opening in the past few months, Greg had vetoed. They were paying $25K a month in rent. Greg said, they weren’t finished. They had a long lease, and a lot of money to pay back. They had to do what it took to make it work, and he had no time for bullsh*t. Lisa met James at a tea shop, where they had – no surprise – a pot of tea. Lisa said she’d been hearing things, and we saw a clip of Raquel telling Lisa that James had to be escorted out after Sandoval’s concert. James said, it was interesting bringing alcohol back into his life, which I guess is one word for it. Lisa wondered why he did, since he’d been doing so well, and in James’s interview, he said he wanted to get back out there, but hadn’t been on a date in years. He felt like an older, more mature guy now. He told Lisa that he was in love with Ally, and Lisa reminded him that just yesterday, he’d said Raquel was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Now he was saying the same thing about Ally. James said he’d always been emotional, like we didn’t know that, and Lisa said he’d been heartbroken and devastated after the break-up. We flashed back to James weeping at the Reunion, and James started to cry in the tea shop, saying, it’s a lot. In Lisa’s interview, she said she didn’t think James wanted anyone to know how badly he’d been hurt by Raquel dumping him. He wanted to be the dumper, not the dumpee. James said he loved his life, and Lisa asked, but can he manage it?

Before the party, the Toms took a breath together. These two could give the Extreme Sisters a run for their money. Sandoval said, Schwartz & Sandy’s, night two; let’s go! The family and friends were all impressed, as Peruvian tuna ceviche was served. Katie brought friend Kristina Kelly as her plus one, and in Katie’s interview, she said, they’d just traveled to Rome for their friend’s wedding. In Ariana’s interview, she said, Katie bringing Kristina felt obvious. Sandoval’s mom said, it was unbelievable, and in his interview, Sandoval said, she was a retired firefighter. It was important for him to show her that he could follow through with what he planned. Most of the VanderGroup showed, except for Lala, who was sick, and James, who had a See You Next Tuesday gig. Kristina said, Scheana was making Katie’s divorce messy, and Katie said, if Schwartz wanted to hook up with one of the friend group, she would run a train through his restaurant. Ariana laughed like this was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Katie suggested a girls trip to Vegas, and driving to Havasu afterward and renting a house on the lake, but she wasn’t inviting Scheana.

Schwartz told Katie that Sandoval’s family was all there, but she was his only family in L.A. Katie said she was upset about Scheana’s meddling, but Schwartz said, Katie was setting boundaries that didn’t exist. Katie said, him being with Raquel would make her uncomfortable. People kept interrupting to congratulate Schwartz, causing him to lose focus in the conversation. Katie said she was going home, and Schwartz said he’d prefer it if she left. In his interview, he said, Katie had forced him to choose a lot during the relationship, but they weren’t married anymore, so it wasn’t his problem anymore.

Ariana met Raquel and Katie for wine and cheese, and Katie said she thought they should rage responsibly in Vegas, and she wasn’t inviting Scheana. Raquel said she had a confession to make, and told Katie about asking Schwartz if he wanted to make out. In Raquel’s interview, she said, Katie was going to find out eventually, and she’d rather Katie hear it for her before the girls trip. She said, Schwartz was respecting Katie’s boundaries, but Katie said, Raquel wasn’t. Raquel said she was sorry, and Ariana said she didn’t know Raquel had it in her. Raquel said she didn’t know who she was anymore, and flipping the script to her liking, Katie asked how much the Schwartz thing had been motivated by Scheana. Raquel said, Scheana put he idea in her head, and Katie said, that’s why Scheana was dead to her. In Katie’s interview, she said, Raquel wasn’t smart enough to think up something that diabolical. She was the human equivalent of cotton candy. Raquel used the excuse that she’d been drinking, and Katie said, it was too much. Her house was about to be sold in three weeks, and it was a lot. She was on the verge of crying, and kept repeating that she just wanted to have fun.

Lisa brought the Toms to the Rose Garden at SUR, and said, the party had been a success, why weren’t they opening? She told them that Greg seemed peeved, and we flashed back to Greg telling Lisa that the Toms know nothing about the business. Sandoval admitted they might have misled Greg about their level of experience, and she asked, who was paying the rent? Sandoval said they were, and she said, but Greg owned the lease. They should have come to her, and she would have told them not to sign it. In Lisa’s interview, she said, Greg had no urgency to open if he wasn’t paying the rent. She thought Greg was an experienced restauranteur, but the boys had more pressure to get the doors open or they’d be in trouble. Sandoval said he wasn’t sleeping, and pacing no his lawn at night, and Schwartz said he was already a cautionary tale with his marriage. He didn’t want to be one with his business. Lisa said maybe they could think of a way to open where Greg wasn’t involved.

Next time, The girls trip; a Schwartz piñata; Ken suggests buying Greg out; James’s mom asks if it’s wise that he’s drinking again; Raquel meets Garcelle’s son Oliver; and Lala says it would be no contest between her and Raquel.

🧊 Picking It Up Like It’s Cold…

Time for tea tomorrow, along with the usual soap, and some awards talk. Until then, stay safe, stay never mistaking kindness for weakness, and stay forgetting that top secret recipe nonsense. Food is to be shared.

Feb23

February 22, 2023 – Everything Comes To Light, Scheana Is an Evil Little Troll, Walk It Like It’s Hot & Peng

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Mac assures Laura that the island is sealed off and Ryan won’t get away, and Doc says, if Esme is Ryan’s daughter, he sees her as a possession; someone who belongs to him, like an extension of himself. They know he’s obsessed with Ava and will do anything to hold her. Laura says she can’t wait and do nothing while Ryan does his worst. They’ve got to make some kind of move. Esme stumbles through the front door, and collapses in Laura’s arms, sobbing. Jordan tells Esme to put her hands where she can see them, and Laura asks if she’s hurt. Esme says she’s in labor.

On the phone, Portia tells Zeke that she’d appreciate him not saying anything to mommy and daddy just yet. She’d like things to calm down a little bit first… No, she doesn’t want him to come back. She promises she’s fine, and thanks him for not judging her… She loves him too, and she’ll give Trina his love when she sees her. There’s a knock at the door, and she says, that might be Curtis. She hangs up, and answers the door, but it’s Taggert.

Elizabeth thanks Finn for the coffee and the ride home, and he says, it’s quiet without the boys. Does she want company? She says he doesn’t have to stick so close. She knows he’s afraid if she’s alone, she’ll think too much, and maybe turn herself in… tonight.

At the hospital, Austin asks Felicia if there’s any word, but she says, nothing so far. The team is searching the island for Ryan, and Ava’s still out there. He says, she has a gun. He’s a little afraid the cops are going to mistake her for a threat and shoot her. Felicia tells him not to assume the worst. Mac will make sure Ava’s safe.

Trina says she thought Esme’s parents were dead, and Spencer says, her adoptive parents are. Her nanny implied her biological parents were alive, which explains why she was so eager to volunteer at Spring Ridge, and why she was so fascinated with Ryan Chamberlain. Alexis says, she’s known Ryan was her father the whole time, but Spencer says, she couldn’t have known Heather was her mother. One thing he’s sure of is, Esme didn’t fake her desperation to find her mother.

Heather says, the baby is coming, and Jordan says she’s calling for paramedics. Bennett comes back, and says, there have been reports of shots fired on the northwest corner of Spoon Island, and Laura says, Ava and Ryan. Mac says, maybe, and heads out the door. Jordan tells Bennett to take custody of the prisoner. Heather Webber is The Hook, and she needs to know Heather isn’t going anywhere. And call the paramedics. She leaves, and Bennett radios that he needs medical transport dispatched immediately to Spoon Island, the main house; a woman is in labor. Laura asks Doc, what’s happening? as Esme yowls. Doc says he thinks it’s best to focus on the contractions.

Ava says, Ryan’s got one thing right. His life is in her hands. He says, til death do us part, and she repeats, til death do us part. She pulls the trigger, but the gun just clicks. She tries again, and a third time, but nothing. He says, she’s not done with him yet.

Finn says he is worried about Elizabeth. She seemed to be enjoying the wedding, but her toast… She says, he didn’t like it? and he says, it was beautiful, but it sounded wistful. Her celebration of Curtis’s and Portia’s beginning sounded like an ending for her. The doorbell rings, and it’s Scotty. Elizabeth asks what he’s doing here, and he says, they have unfinished business, wouldn’t she say?

Portia is wearing a sweatshirt that says Just Married on the back, and Taggert says, nice sweatshirt. She says, it was a gift from Trina. She gave one to Curtis too, and said they could wear them on the plane to their honeymoon. He says, Trina’s thoughtful that way, and she tells him that he can go ahead and say it. He asks, what? and she says, that Trina is generous, giving, and loving, and she doesn’t deserve Trina. Don’t worry. She feels exactly the same way.

Spencer tells Alexis that when Trina was on trial, he dangled the possibility of finding Esme’s mother in front of her, and she genuinely considered it. She wouldn’t have done that had she known her mother was a few miles away at D’Archam. Trina says, that must have been some bluff, and he says he was doing whatever he could to help her. Alexis wonders what Esme thinks of Heather seeking retribution in her name… Oh, they don’t know. Heather isn’t just Esme’s mother; she’s The Hook killer.

Heather begs Doc to help Esme, and Doc asks if she feels pain here, touching her bump, but she says, it’s more like pressure. Here it comes again. Doc tells Laura, they can’t wait for the paramedics, and Laura asks if Esme can make it to the launch. They have to get her to General Hospital right away. Heather tells Esme, it’s a trap. They’ll take her baby and lock her up. Bennett says, the only one headed for lock-up is Heather, and Laura says, Esme’s health and welfare is her only priority. Doc gets behind Esme, and says, they don’t have time. This baby is coming now.

Felicia says she’s sure they’ll get word any minute that Ava is safe, and Austin asks if she’s always this optimistic. She says she hopes for good outcomes. He had one himself tonight. They’re saying he’s stable and in good condition. He says, someone’s been sneaking around asking the nursing staff questions, and she says she’s glad he’s okay. He was really lucky. He tells her to remind him to get a lottery ticket, and she says, his sense of humor is still intact. He says, thank God, and he’s still got his teeth, so there’s that. She says she thinks he’s got more than that, and he says he’s lucky to have friends like her and Ava. She says, Ava was frantic when she saw he was hurt. She didn’t realize they were so well-acquainted. He says he treated her when she was attacked. Now he knows how she feels. Felicia says, she survived The Hook attack; she’ll survive tonight. He says, she’d better.

Ryan approaches Ava, and says, a little shoulder wound can’t come between them. He forgave her for that knife in the back. She’s passionate, and he understands those carnal impulses. He’s never given up on her. He’s never lost hope, even when she married that imbecile. They’re alike. They belong together. She’ll see. He reaches for her, and she says, get away from me, pushing him back. He growls at her, and is about to rush her, when a shot is fired. He drops to the ground. Ava turns to see Mac behind her.

Scotty says he thought he and Elizabeth would finish their conversation, unless she doesn’t want his help anymore. Finn says, she’s not going to wait until morning? when his phone rings. He says, it’s the hospital, and steps away to take the call. Scotty says he guesses Finn knows about the crimes Elizabeth committed, but she says she doesn’t want him involved. He’s just being a friend. Scotty says, accessory after the fact, and Finn comes back, saying, he has to get to the hospital. There’s been another Hook attack. He asks Elizabeth not to make any rash decisions tonight, and she thanks him for the ride home. He tells her, tomorrow’s a new day; things may look differently. He leaves, and Elizabeth tells Scotty that she’s made her decision.

Keeping the gun on Ryan, Mac goes over to him. Ryan looks up, and says, it had to be you. His head drops back down, and Ava says, she tried to… Mac says he knows, and Jordan arrives. She radios that the suspect is down, and to call for a second unit. She asks if anyone else is hurt, but Mac says he’s fine, and Ava is okay, more or less. Ava says, he woudn’t give up. He was never going to give up. Jordan checks Ryan’s pulse, and says, he’s dead. Mac tells Ava, he’s gone; it’s over. Ava asks if he’s sure, and he says he’s positive. Jordan asks, what happened here? and Ava says she shot him. Mac says, Ava got off a shot; it hit him in the shoulder. Chamberlain kept approaching, and Mac stopped him. Jordan says, sounds justified. She’ll need Ava’s statement later, but first, she wants Ava to get checked out at GH. She doesn’t suppose Mac will go with her, and Mac says, no chance. Other officers join them, and Jordan goes to talk with them. Ava says she needs to tell Jordan… but Mac says, a lot has happened tonight. In the days to come, there’s going to be questions and determinations, but what’s most important is, he’ll take no more victims. Ryan Chamberlain’s reign of terror has come to an end.

Alexis says, it all fits perfectly. Heather orchestrating her transfer to Spring Ridge, and the letter saying she only struck those who wronged me and mine. Trina says, so it wasn’t Esme coming after her. It was her crazy mother avenging her enemies. Alexis says, Spencer and Trina were probably at the top of the list, and Spencer says, Esme finally found her mother. Trina says, they’re having some warped version of a family reunion, and they have Ava with them. Spencer says, and his baby brother or sister.

Laura brings pillows and blankets, and Doc tells Esme that he has to wash up so he can attend to her properly. He leaves, and Esme says, she’s delivering here, now? Laura tells her, it’s going to be okay. Doc will take good care of her. Esme asks if she’s sure, and Laura says, he’s a doctor. Is there something she can do? Esme says she doesn’t want Heather here, but Heather says, she doesn’t mean that. Laura tells Bennett to take the prisoner back to the mainland, and Heather says, the prisoner has a name. Bennett says he’s sorry, but the launch is engaged. They’re waiting for it to return. Laura says, then wait in the other room, and Bennett tells Heather, let’s go. Heather says, a small town politician doesn’t have jurisdiction over the laws of nature. She deserves to be here as much as Laura does. Esme says, she’s the baby’s grandmother, and Heather says, so is she. She’s the baby’s grandmother too. She’s Esme’s mother. Esme cries out, both in pain and frustration.

Taggert says, Portia has never given him much credit. Like when she was trying to hide her affair with Curtis. She says, that’s because when he came back from his undercover assignment, they were trying to work on their marriage. She didn’t want to jeopardize that. He asks if she knows why he was trying so hard. Because he found out. He knew she was unhappy, but didn’t blame it all on her; he knew he was part of it. She says she had no idea he’d be this understanding, and he says, in his heart, he’d already forgiven her for the affair. Does she really think he’d have loved Trina any less if she wasn’t his? She says she was just afraid to test it, and as the years went on, the fear got worse. She was worried it would change the way he and Trina saw each other, and she loved the father he was to Trina. And she was always such a daddy’s girl. How could she take that away from the two of them? He says, she’d never have had to worry about that if she’d told him from the start… but she didn’t.

Ava gets to Pier 55, and Trina hugs her. She says she’s okay, and Trina says she was so worried. She heard Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber were at Windymere. Ava says, there’s no danger; Ryan is dead. Spencer asks, what about Esme? and an officer says, sorry, folks. Orders are to get Miss Jerome to GH immediately. Ava leaves with the officer, and Spencer says, if Trina wants to go with them, and make sure Ava’s okay… Trina says, what about him? She knows he’s worried about Esme and the baby. He says he’ll call if he hears anything, but she says she can’t just leave him. Alexis says, he’ll be fine; she’ll look out for him. Spencer says, go, and Trina asks him to promise if he needs anything… He says he’ll call, and Trina leaves. Alexis says, it’s nice to see that he and Trina have a friendship again.

Austin says, of all the nights to be on Spoon Island, and Felicia says, ironically, she was there about Ryan. Why was he? He says he told her; he treated Ava. She says, last year. A little late to do a follow-up house call. He flashes back to Ava telling him, they have to move Nikolas before Elizabeth’s guilty conscience sends the cops to Spoon Island, and he tells Felicia, the island must be crawling with cops. She says, that’s a good thing, right? The more, the better. Finn comes in, and says he understands Austin had a run-in with The Hook killer. Austin says he sure did, but he’s here to tell the tale, so he’s guessing no poison was involved. Finn says, his bloodwork confirmed it. He’s just here to take Austin’s vitals. Felicia says she’ll step out, and Austin thanks her for looking out for him. She says she’s glad he’s okay.

Ryan’s body bag is zipped up, and Jordan says, this town has had a long history with Ryan; he posed a clear and constant threat. Mac says he knows he should be breathing easy, but all he feels is a knot in his chest, and she says, to take a man’s life, even someone like Chamberlain, is a hard thing for a police officer, especially a good one like him. He says he did what he had to do, and she says she has to admit, what bothers her most is the mountain of paperwork waiting. Mac says he’ll do the paperwork. Chamberlain made Felicia’s life hell. He would have killed her tonight; Felicia and Ava both. Jordan says, it’s a big win for the community. She’s sure Heather will never see the light of day again, but there’s still Esme Prince, and what role, if any, she played in what went down tonight. He says, and whether she’ll spend the night in a cell, or a maternity ward.

Heather says, she and Esme have been reunited. They’ll never be parted again. Laura says, this isn’t the time for this, but Esme asks if it’s true. Is this woman really her mother? Laura says, evidence suggests that Heather Webber gave birth to her, and Heather says she’d do anything for Esme. Esme says, like commit mass murder? and Heather says she did all of it for Esme. Can’t she see? It was to protect her. Don’t let these rich, small-minded people get into her head. Esme says, Heather isn’t going to see this baby today or any day. Get out! Heather says, Esme doesn’t mean that. She’s Esme’s mother. Bennett pulls her away, and she says she’ll always be Esme’s mother. She’d give up her life for her. Esme will always be hers. Esme cries in Laura’s arms.

On the floor now, Doc tells Esme that she’s doing great, and Laura tells her to breathe. A paramedic comes in, and asks, how far along? and Doc says, second stage; the cervix is dilated and the contractions are regular. Esme says she can’t, but Laura says, it’s okay. So many mothers feel that way. She gets behind Esme, and tells Esme to lean against her. Doc says, here we go. Deep breath and push. Bear down.

Taggert says, if Portia had told him in the beginning that Trina might not be his daughter, he would have been mad, he would have been angry, he would have been screaming and yelling. But he would have stopped long enough to hear what she had to say. She asks why he’s not screaming and yelling. He has every right to. He says, because he’d like to think he’s grown in that time, that he can put himself in her shoes; that he could understand what she did and why she did it. But understanding doesn’t make it hurt any less. Damn it! He wishes she would have given him the chance to show her that his bond with Trina is more than DNA. That Trina was his daughter in every way that counts because Portia was dishonest? Trina is now questioning that. Portia says, that’s what she was trying to avoid, but she just made it worse. Tell her, how is Trina doing? He says, she’s in pain; she’s confused. Portia asks if she wants to know who her real father is; whether it’s him or Curtis. He says, it didn’t come up and he didn’t want to push it, but let’s get one thing perfectly clear. He is Trina’s dad. Point blank. Period.

Finn asks, what happened tonight? but Austin says, he’s not really sure. The cops will sort it out. He was unconscious for most of the time. It’s not over, and he’s really worried about a friend. Finn says he knows the feeling.

Felicia asks the reception nurse if there’s a phone she could use, when Trina and Ava walk in. She tells the nurse, never mind, and goes over to them. Ava asks, how’s Austin? and Felicia says, he’s doing okay. They ruled out the poison, and the wound isn’t what they feared. How is Ava? Ava says she’s fine physically, but Jordan and Mac wanted her to get checked out. Felicia asks if Ryan got away, and Ava says, he was coming at her, and it was Mac who stopped him. Ryan is dead. Felicia says, thank God, and they hug.

Elizabeth asks Scotty if she should be nervous. He’s never speechless. He says, let him understand. She and Nikolas held Esme captive without medical attention. She says, that’s where she came in. She gave the medical attention. He says, and obstruction of justice; a police investigation was going on about Esme. She says she knows it was bad, but when he says it like that, it sounds worse. Can he broker some sort of deal for her? He says he needs to know if she’s lost her mind.

On the phone, Alexis says, Ryan Chamberlain is dead, and Esme Prince’s whereabouts are still unknown. She’ll give them details later. She wonders if Laura will tell her anything more about Esme, and Spencer says, grandmother is on the island? Alexis says, she and Doc headed over there. Don’t worry. Mac and Jordan aren’t going to let anything happen to them. He says he thinks Alexis would be doing everyone better if she wasn’t here with him. He’ll tell her if he hears anything. She leaves, and he starts to write a text, when he hears Heather saying, no. Her daughter needs her; she’s in labor. Spencer says, Esme’s in labor? and Heather tells Jordan, she needs her mother. They’ll be hearing from her lawyer. Bennett drags her away, and when they pass Spencer, Heather says, you were next. Jordan says, get her to the station, and Heather is hauled away. Spencer says, Esme is having the baby right now? and Jordan says, last she heard. He says he realizes Windymere is a crime scene, but he needs to be on that island immediately.

Esme says she’s sorry, and Laura says, of course (🍷) she is. She’s been through so much, but she’s safe and supported. Doc says, and she’s almost there. One more push should do it. Esme says she needs a few minutes, but Doc says, the baby needs to come now. Laura says, it’s time. She can do this. Summon all the strength she can, and give the baby one big push. When she’s ready, take a deep breath. Esme pushes, and Laura says, she can do it. We hear a baby cry. That was fast. I think it came out crying. Although after the day it’s had…

Portia says, of course (🍷) Taggert is Trina’s dad. He raised that girl. He’s always been there for her. He says, not always. He let her think he was dead. He let her know later that he was protecting her, but the deception hurt her. Everyone makes mistakes. They both screwed up, thinking they were doing the right thing at the right time. She says, Trina’s the most important thing to both of them, and he says, she’s got that right. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him, but Portia just kept stripping away at her defenses, encouraging her to hear him out. Portia was a big reason Trina gave him another chance and forgave him. He’s never going to forget that. She tells him, like she said, he’s good father, and he says, she’s a good mother, who made a terrible mistake. He can’t guarantee things will be different, but he, Portia, and Trina are a family, and nothing or no one is going to change that.

Trina brings a clipboard to Ava, saying, the nurse told her that it shouldn’t be too much longer. Ava just has to fill this out, and put down an emergency contact. She asks if Ava is okay, and Ava says she’s just thinking about the events of the day. Trina says, don’t feel guilty if she’s glad Ryan’s dead. He and his daughter made Ava’s life a living hell. Ava flashes back to telling Ryan that he’ll keep taking unless someone stops him. She says, Ryan left an awful lot of carnage in his wake, and Trina says she knows Ava’s divorce has been rough, but if Ava wants, she’ll try to find Nikolas. Ava says, thanks, but there’s nothing Nikolas can do for her anymore.

Laura tells the paramedic that Esme will be in police custody while in the hospital, but she will not be separated from her child. Spencer walks in, and asks if Laura is okay. She says she is, and tells him that he has a new little brother. He sees Esme, holding the baby and smiling.

Mac finds Doc outside, and asks if everything is okay here. Doc says, mother and baby are doing just fine. How’s his team? Mac says, safe and accounted for, and Doc says, and Ryan? Mac says, come with him, but Doc says, just tell him. Mac says he had no choice, and Doc says, Ryan’s dead. Mac says, it could have been Felicia. It could have been Ava, or anyone. Ryan wouldn’t have stopped. Doc puts his hand on Mac’s shoulder, and says, show him.

Portia says, Taggert is right about one thing; she does underestimate him. She thanks him for coming here and being so generous with her. He says he doesn’t like what she did, but they share a child. She says, they always will, and he says, if she’s worried about Trina, he can always find her. She says, good. They’re daughter needs him, especially now. He says, their daughter is unbelievably forgiving, and she says she wishes she shared his hope. Their daughter is also strong-willed, and she’s been putting up boundaries and setting limits. He says, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? but she says, what if this is all too much to forgive? She starts to cry, and says, he didn’t see the way Trina was when confronting her, and the things Trina said to her. She’s worried she might have lost Trina forever.

Trina asks if Ava wants anything from the cafeteria, but Ava says she’s fine. It’s late; Trina should get home… What’s the matter? Trina says, the long day just caught up, and it occurred to her, The Hook has been caught. For the first time in a long time, she doesn’t have to worry about who’s hiding in the shadows. Seems like today, everything just came to light. Ava hugs her.

Alexis sees Finn, and asks how Austin is. He says he has to write an order for his patient… who will recover. He keeps walking, and Alexis says, and he walks away from her, which usually means he’s troubled about something. She’s assuming it’s about that friend who could be an accessory to a felony. He says he’s still concerned, and he thinks his friend made a decision. She says, and he’s worried that decision is going to ruin his friend’s life? but he says, at this point, it’s out of his hands.

Scotty says he can’t believe Elizabeth let Nikolas talk her into that cockamamie plan. Where’s he now? He’s off somewhere, and left her holding the bag? She says, if he can’t help her, she understands, but she can’t live with this guilt, thinking of the damage to the boys. He says, she’s got to be there for the boys, and she says she knows. The only stability they have in their lives is Cameron, and he’s too young to shoulder this responsibility. He asks how going to prison is going to help them, and she says, that’s what she was hoping he could prevent. He says, no problem. Walk in the park for him. She says she knows it’s a lot, but he’s practically the boys’ grandfather, and the closest thing she has to a dad. He says he’ll do everything in his power to get her out of this mess, and she says, that’s good enough for her.

Mac takes Doc to Ryan’s body, and Doc kneels down beside it. He says, I knew it. I could feel it. It’s real this time. He unzips the top of the bag, revealing Ryan’s face. Felicia runs to Mac, and hugs him. Mac says he’s fine, and she’s safe now. She asks if Ryan is really gone, and Mac steps aside. She goes over to the body, and kneels down beside Doc, putting her arm around him. He says, at least it’s the end of a long nightmare for her, and she cries, saying, but he was still Doc’s brother. Doc says, I hope you can find the peace you could never find in this life… brother.

Spencer walks over to Esme and she says, he’s beautiful, isn’t he? He says, he looks like a Cassadine, and she says, Nikolas told her the truth. Spencer’s not the father of the baby; Nikolas is. Spencer says he just thought since they used to be… She says, the person she used to be sounds pretty messy; no wonder she didn’t know who the father was. She’s not that person anymore; she promises him. She loves his little brother, and would do anything for him. Laura says she’ll come and check in on Esme when she’s settled in at the hospital, and Esme thanks her. As she’s being wheeled out, Esme asks if Spencer can tell his father about the baby. She doesn’t know how to reach him. He says, that makes two of us, and Laura gives him a long look.

Ava tells the nurse that she needs to talk to Austin, but the nurse says, he needs his rest, closes the door, and draws the blind.

Tomorrow, Drew says someone has no one else to blame but themselves; Nina can’t believe someone would be okay with that; and Sonny wonders if Brook can help him.

Vanderpump Rules

I’m fully aware that this show is somewhat boring, but I live for glimpses of her VanderHighness, the menagerie, Puffy (!), and the glory that is Villa Rosa. Again I say, bring back Overserved.

Raquel took Graham to the emergency vet, and it turned out to be an infected puncture wound on his neck. I don’t know about Graham, but if one of my dogs doesn’t eat, there’s definitely something wrong. Lisa approached Raquel about dating Peter, and Raquel asked if Lisa was telling her that she couldn’t make out with Peter in front of customers anymore. She actually had Lisa going for a moment, and I was surprised Raquel has a sense of humor. Lisa said Raquel had lost a bit of direction since breaking off the engagement, and we flashed back to Raquel giving James the ring back at the Reunion. Raquel said she was hurt that James had found someone to replace her so easily, and admitted she still loved him. Ariana and Katie looked at a potential space for their sandwich shop, and in Ariana’s interview, she said, the main thing she learned from the Toms’ experience was, don’t jump in. Have everything laid out and prepared ahead of time. That, and don’t use your own money. She thanked the guys for being guinea pigs.

Scheana went to Schwartz’s new apartment for her podcast, and started with the getting old game of Marry-F***-Kill, using Lisa, Lala, and Raquel. Schwartz said he’d marry Raquel, bang Lisa (but of course), and would have killed Lala before last night. Since she sent him a sweet text about the Daily Mail party, now he was struggling. Scheana asked if he thought Schwartz & Sandy’s ultimately led to divorce, and although he thought it was too soon to address, he couldn’t blame the bar. She said, there were rumors that he’d made out with Raquel at Coachella, but it turned out he hadn’t even been there. She asked if he could make the rumor true, and he said, maybe after a couple of tequila shots. Ugh. This show is almost painful to watch.

James and Ally went for lunch at SUR, and Lisa asked about Graham. James said he hadn’t known Graham wasn’t well, and Lisa said she was keeping out of it. Then she warned Raquel, saying, she thought James knew. In James’s interview, he said he missed Graham more than Raquel, and I totally understand. The worst part of a break-up is breaking up with the ex’s family, friends, and pet. And sometimes, their apartment. James confronted Raquel, who said she hadn’t wanted to worry him. He asked how Graham got the neck wound, and she said when she’d boarded him, he escaped, digging a hole under a fence. No doubt the fence had poked him. James started crying because when does he not? Not that I blame him in this instance, but just pointing out it’s a pattern. Raquel said, Graham was fine, but James wanted to see for himself. Raquel said she’d think about it, and in his interview, James said, she didn’t have the decency to call or throw him a text, and it was f***ed up.

The Toms met with Schwartz & Sandy’s general manager Brett. Schwartz was worried about the opening, and Sandoval said, they’d have to move mountains. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, because of the optics, people thought the bar was open. Now there was pressure to live up to the hype. They still had to finalize the food and the cocktails, and back of the house staffing was hard to find. Proving his point, some people wandered in, wondering if they were open.

Katie, Raquel, and Lala went out for girls night, and in Lala’s interview, she said she and Katie were both on new paths. There was something sweet and inspiring about leaving everything you were used to behind, and not knowing what the future held, but knowing you’d be okay. They toasted to the single life and dodging bullets. In her interview, Lala said that Raquel had seemed vacant when she’d been with James, but she seemed to have come into her own. Pointing to her head, she said she was seeing things happening up here. Katie said Schwarz had done Scheana’s podcast, and Scheana was pushing him to date Raquel. Raquel confirmed that Scheana kept saying she and Schwartz should make out, but even though she liked Schwartz a lot, she’d never date him seriously. What was that Lala said about vapid? In Katie’s interview, she said, Scheana was one of her bridesmaids, and she had supported Scheana through her divorce. Scheana would have been living if Katie had hooked Shay up with one of her girlfriends. Lala said, this is where she was stepping in to defend her friend. She got all kinds of messy, but wouldn’t do that sh*t. She said, Katie’s feelings would be hurt, and told Katie not to pretend they woudn’t be. Katie said she wasn’t ready to see that or be there yet. Raquel tried to deflect, saying, she’d been loyal to James, but now she was hearing about him having been with other girls when they were together. Lala said, while they were on the subject, she’d hooked up with James when he and Raquel had been together. It was when their relationship was new, as well as hers with Randall. In Raquel’s interview, she said, Lala was judging her for hypothetically making out with Schwartz, yet she’d slept with James when he and Raquel were together. She was an effing hypocrite. Lala said, she and James had both been drinking then, and Raquel said she cared more about James falling in love with Ally a month after they broke up.

Sandoval’s band, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras, had a show coming up, and we saw a bit of rehearsal. I thought it was more like Tom Sandoval and the Most Adequate. In James’s interview, he said he thought it was Sandoval’s way of spending money and having fun, but he should work on opening the bar. James talked about meeting Ally being the most magical night of his life, and a bunch of bullsh*t I didn’t listen to. Scheana suggested Raquel do a Hot Girl Walk (see below), which is a silly name for what are basically positive affirmations while walking. She told Raquel that she and Brock were pre-gaming at Schwartz’s before Sandoval’s show, and invited Raquel to join them. Raquel said Katie didn’t like that Scheana was pushing Schwartz on her, but Scheana said she’d been in Vegas with Katie when the rumors had been going around, and Katie said she’d embrace it. Raquel was like, no, Katie said it wouldn’t be okay, and in Scheana’s interview, she said her friendship with Katie was a roller coaster where they struggled to find the good in each other. She was over apologizing for things she wasn’t sorry for. When you’re divorced, you move on and deal with it. Raquel told Scheana about Lala hooking up with James, and Scheana looked all kinds of shocked.

Lala wanted to get together with Tai, who she’d met at the TomTom party. She thought he was good for dipping her toe back into the pond, but she hadn’t wanted to go alone. She asked Logan to find a dude for Katie, and they met with Tai and Mel, who said people called him Melrose. After they had lunch, Lala invited Katie to the bathroom with her, and said she felt the need to abort the mission. In Lala’s interview, she said she wasn’t connecting with Tai. He needed to date a 23 year old, not a 31 year old mother. To prove her point, even though she’d told them she was sober twice, they asked if the girls were going out drinking tonight. James met Raquel at a park to have a visit with Graham, and in his interview, James said, Graham remembered him (of course he did; he’s a dog), and we saw a puppy picture of Graham that made me squee. Raquel questioned James about hooking up with Lala, and he said they were both drunk – alcohol was to blame – and Lala wouldn’t let him leave the room, taking absolutely on accountability. He then questioned Raquel about Peter, but she said he was deflecting. He’d made her feel like she had nothing to worry about with Lala. James said it was a good thing they didn’t get married. Why Raquel still cares is beyond me.

Katie listened to Scheana’s podcast, where Scheana said she’d be Schwartz’s cheerleader, wingwoman, and best friend. Lala called Katie, and Katie said Scheana was an evil little troll, bringing Schwartz on her podcase when he was in a vulnerable state, and coercing him to say sh*t. Karma was going to come, and she’d watch while Scheana’s world burned and smile. Wow. Ariana told Sandoval, the pre-gaming sounded like a double-date, and in Schwartz’s interview, he said, Raquel was drop dead gorgeous, funny, and cool, but he and Katie weren’t hooking up with each other’s friends. Scheana told Schwartz that Katie had been getting laid, and in Schwarz’s interview, he said, it stung a little. Raquel thought Katie was overreacting, and Brock wondered when Schwartz was going to grow balls. Scheana asked why Schwartz couldn’t flirt, but Katie could f***.

Schwarz said, make outs are like pizza; even sh*tty ones are good. Um… no. Everyone got ready to see Sandoval’s band, and in Katie’s interview, she said she was ready to drag a ho. At the bar, she acknowledged everyone but Scheana, who insisted she’d just invited Raquel so she didn’t have to come alone. Katie said she heard about Scheana’s plan, and Scheana said, Katie seemed to think it was okay when they were in Vegas. Katie said she didn’t mean it, and Scheana asked how she was supposed to know that. While she has a point there, apparently, she has zero insight and empathy. Katie said it was disrespectful, none of Scheana’s business, and there was no room for Scheana in this. She called Scheana a little troll, and in Scheana’s interview, she said, Katie was mad at herself and Schwartz, and the problem had nothing to do with her. Get back under your bridge, bitch. Ugh. More awful people. Bravo is rife with them. Katie said she was done with Scheana.

In James’s interview, he said Scheana had Raquel on her podcast two weeks after they broke up to get her while it was fresh. She’d tried to get him on the podcast and talk about it, but that was a no. Ariana said Scheana got left holding the bag, while Schwartz was the nice guy, and in her interview, Ariana said it pissed her off how people were always mad at the other person, and not Schwartz. Katie told Schwartz that Scheana was a snake, and she was done with her. I swear, Schwartz was literally ducking as Katie talked, and I’m with Brock. I don’t think he should go out with Raquel, but he needs to grow a pair. Schwartz said Katie was quick to undermine his friendships, but she said he wasn’t losing anything with Scheana. James called Scheana pumpkin pie – sweet on the outside, but it goes bad quickly, and the whipped cream on it just hides the truth. Did he make that up? Ally didn’t seem to happy with any of it.

To be continued…

👠 Hot Walking…

Again, stupidest thing ever. Not that it’s a bad thing to pump yourself up, but it’s not that deep.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/hot-girl-walk-can-this-tiktok-trend-really-boost-your-mood-and-fitness

🍦 Bringing My Milkshake Back In the House…

Join me tomorrow for soap and some mismatched cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not hiding your light under a bushel basket, and stay making sure Ryan is dead. I still don’t trust it.

Feb16

February 15, 2023 – Trina Confronts Stella, Celebrating Not Being Open, Anniversary Preview, Possible Not Probable, Après Bowl Plus Puppy (!) & Girl

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Heather asks why Ryan wants to make a stop; he’s jonesing for a Slurpie? He says, hardly, and she says, this is about his precious Ava. He says, the heart wants what it wants, but she doesn’t think it’s his heart calling the shots. Get his head back in the game. The longer he dilly-dallies, the closer Detective Falconari and his girlfriend come to blowing them up.

Sam and Dante go back to their room, and Sam says, the barmaid knows more about Maggie than she’s letting on. They could be closer to finding Esme’s parents than they thought. He agrees, but thinks they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves. They have a hunch, but no proof. Sam thinks he should go to the pub and push the barmaid for more answers. He asks if she’s still feeling jet-lagged, and kisses her.

Maggie flips through Esme’s letters, and shoves them all in her bag. A man named Cyril comes in and asks for his usual lager, but she says, they’re closed. He says he’ll see her in the morning then, and she asks, when’s the next train to London? He says, the express leaves on the quarter hour, and asks if she’s going on holiday. She says, something like that.

Drew says, to the best of the best. Congratulations! The guests all raise their glasses, and say, to the best of the best. Curtis and Portia thank and hug Drew, and he says he meant every word. He announces, it’s the maid of honor’s turn next, and tells Trina to show herself, but Trina’s nowhere to be seen. Portia says she knows Trina was excited to give her toast, and wonders where she could be. Curtis suggests she didn’t know the toasts would be so soon, and says, she can give hers later. Portia says, every wedding has their hiccups, right? She guesses this is theirs. He asks if their hiccup wasn’t Aunt Stella taking a sick day, but she says, that was a hitch. He suggests they go with the flow, and she says, it is their day after all. Molly clinks her glass, and yells, kiss! and they oblige.

Stella asks if everything is all right, and Trina says, it’s fine. The wedding was beautiful, and everyone’s at the reception. She was really worried about Stella, and thought she must really be sick to miss the wedding. They come in, and Spencer asks if she’s feeling better. Trina says, nothing from room service, no boxes of tissues, no cough drops? and Stella says she may have exaggerated the state of her health somewhat. She just needed a quiet evening. Trina says, instead of a major family celebration? She doesn’t understand what would keep Stella from her mom and Curtis’s wedding.

Curtis says, they’ll pick up the speeches later. In the meantime, he encourages them to eat, drink, and be merry. Elizabeth asks to give a toast, and he gives her the mic, conceding to the lovely lady.

Sam asks if Dante is trying to distract her, but he says he’s just trying to collect his thoughts. Sam just told him to go back and hold the barmaid’s feet to the fire. She says she didn’t mean Dante should interrogate her. She only said, the barmaid knows more about Esme’s nanny than she’s letting on, and Dante says, it’s something they can do in the morning. Sam says, and give her time to warn the nanny? By that time, Maggie Fitzgerald could be off in the wind.

Maggie walks Cyril to the door, and tells him, get home safe. She turns the sign to closed, and looks out the window. She looks at her phone, and says, an hour before the train. She makes a call to pub owner Archie, and says she’s coming down with something terrible. Can he open up for her in the morning?… She can’t reschedule because she’s not going to be here. She slams the phone onto the bar.

Heather says she’s trying to save their little family from ruin, and Ryan is planning a rendezvous with that harlot? She grabs her Valentine, and says she’s taking this back. He says, her jealousy of Ava is getting old, and asks if she’s thought of deep breathing. She says, he wants her to meditate while those two nosybodies are on the hunt for Esme’s nanny? He says, they wouldn’t be on the hunt if she wasn’t so willing to talk to Dante, but she says, Dante gave her no choice. She was protecting Esme. While he sits lounging all day long, she’s doing all the work. He says he’s looking for his violin, and she asks, who broke out of prison? Who’s the one seeking retribution for everyone who wronged Esme? Who broke back into prison? He’s never once thanked her for all her hard work. She even let that perky, wannabe princess, Felicia, cozy up to her. He says, you what?

Elizabeth tells everyone to raise a glass to the happy couple, and they all say, to Portia and Curtis! Portia tells Marshall, what a wonderful speech that was (oops, I think I missed something), and he says, all these people express love and admiration for them both. Curtis says, they are blessed.

Josslyn tells Ava that she’s recording wedding messages for Portia and Curtis. Is there anything she wants to add? Ava says, get everything in writing, as she eats the olive from her martini. Josslyn says, what was that? and Ava says, may the road rise up to meet you. Josslyn moves on, and Sonny and Nina walk over. Nina says, at the risk of complementing her own hotel, everything is spectacular, and Ava says, to Nina and her classy hotel. Nina says, half the hotel, and says she’ll go get Sonny some more food. She leaves, and Ava says, she’s overcompensating, but Sonny says, she’s just worried for Willow, and doesn’t want to spoil the wedding. Ava says, it must be tough putting on a brave face. She’s proud of Nina. Sonny says, him too. He asks Ava to keep Nina distracted, and Ava says, will do. He says he appreciates her being such a good friend to Nina, and Nina brings back a plate for him. She asks if Elizabeth’s toast wasn’t sweet, and Ava says, sweet… saccharine, but nice. Sonny goes to see Laura, and Nina asks what Ava thought of Drew’s speech.

Sonny asks if he can sit with Laura, and she says, of course (🍷). It was a nice ceremony, right? He says, the officiant was top-rate, and she says, not too last minute? He says he doesn’t think anyone would know she didn’t have time to prepare, and she thanks him. She feels sorry for Stella; to come down ill in the eleventh hour? He asks if Laura thinks she’s all right, and Laura says she hopes so.

Molly says, will Portia look at that cake just dying to be eaten? and TJ says she’s been eyeing the cake since they got here. Marshall says, she’s not the only one, and Curtis guesses this is their cue.

Stella tells Trina, there was a good reason she wasn’t at the wedding; a reason her mother would understand. Trina says, but Stella didn’t tell her the reason. She said she was sick. Stella says she hated lying, but she didn’t want to make Portia’s day about her, and Trina says, her mom is worried about Stella. Why would she understand Stella’s absence? Did they talk about something when they picked up their dresses? Otherwise, she doesn’t understand. Stella says, it’s not for her to understand, then apologizes, saying, that didn’t come out right. She just didn’t want to complicate things. She knows how difficult it is planning a wedding. That’s why she asked Laura to take her place. One less thing for Curtis and Portia to worry about. Trina says, that still doesn’t explain why Stella wouldn’t perform the ceremony. What is Stella not telling her? Spencer says, in his experience, the longer secrets are kept, the more damage they do, and Stella says, with all due respect to his experience, this is a family matter, and the last time she checked, he’s not family. He says, she’s right, and apologizes. Trina says, but she’s family now, right? and Stella says she is. She wanted to be there, but simply couldn’t in good conscience.

Curtis and Portia cut the cake, and everyone applauds. She tells him if he smears cake in her face, he’ll live to regret it, but he says he wouldn’t dream of it. He feeds her a tiny piece, and asks if she still wants to be his wife. She says, that’s all she wants. Marshall steps away, and TJ asks if everything is okay with him. Marshall says he wishes he could do more to show how much he loves them. TJ says, Uncle Curtis knows, and being here is the best possible gift. Josslyn asks to borrow TJ, and TJ tells Marshall, try not to worry so much. Promise. Marshall says, hell to the no, and TJ says he loves Marshall. They hug, and Marshall says he loves TJ more. TJ leaves, and Marshall takes a clarinet reed out of his pocket.

Josslyn films, and TJ says, welcome to the family, Portia. Molly tells him not to forget about Trina, and he says, Trina, you have always felt like family; now it’s just official. Step-cousin doesn’t do it justice; he sees her as a sister. Molly tears up, and he tells her, this is a happy occasion. She says she is happy.

Ava says she thought the speech was very nice, but Nina says, Ava doesn’t want to hear what she thinks of Drew. Ava says, now she does, and Nina says, he and Carly are involved, and they’re trying to hide it for some reason. Since Carly doesn’t do anything without an agenda, she’s sure the reasons are less than legitimate.

Sonny asks if Laura saw the smile on Spencer’s face when he saw Trina; like the weight of the world was off his shoulders. Laura says, she brings out the best in him. He needs that now more than ever. Sonny says, little chance he’s going to get that from Nikolas, and Laura looks over at Ava.

Ava tells Nina, who knows why Carly and Drew are keeping things quiet? Their reasons might not make sense to anybody but the two of them, but she’s clearly no expert in relationships.

Ryan says, you idiot. Heather knows better than to play games with Felicia Scorpio. She asks if he just called her an idiot, and he says, if the shoe fits. She says, he was with her when Felicia came here with her hubby, threatening to send them both back to D’Archam. It’s not like they were having tea and crumpets. He says, and Heather hasn’t seen her since? and she says, no. The brothers Scorpio ganged up on her when she had her physical at GH, again threatening to send her back to D’Archam. But since of course (🍷) she’d prefer Spring Ridge as her base of operations, she told them that she’d get some useful tidbits about Ryan’s relationship with Esme, which would prove of course (🍷) she’s the one who killed their boy in blue, Officer Cabrera. He asks what she told them, and she says, nothing useful. She was just stringing them along, and protecting him in the meantime. He’s welcome. He says he doesn’t need protection. She knows what he’s capable of. She says, maybe back in the day, but he’s not exactly in practice. He’s not much more than a piece of furniture. He laughs, then grabs her by the hair and slams her against the wall. He puts the knife to her throat, and says, think again. She says, he’s back, ladies and gentlemen. The Ryan Chamberlain we all know and love. The Ryan Chamberlain we need. Just get himself ready to act. She feels it in her bones; the hour is nigh. She opens the door, and says, just in case he feels like exercising his legs tonight… She puts her piece of gum in the door frame to prevent it locking, says, feel free, and closes the door.

Esme reads about bedtime routines for the baby, and says, spend time in the rocking chair. She puts the book down and gets up. Heather tells her not to sweat it. Baby books are for suckers. You know more than you think you do; Dr. Spock. He was the foremost pediatrician of the twentieth century, and a very wise man. Esme says, that may be, but she’s in prison. There aren’t exactly any rocking chairs in here. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen to them. Heather tells her that she doesn’t have to worry about a thing. Everything’s going to be taken care of. Esme asks what that means.

Dante says, Sam might have a point. Who is that barmaid anyway? She says, exactly. They just happened upon the pub and thought she was someone local, but what if she knows more about Maggie than she’s letting on? Dante says, Sam’s not going to let this go, and she says, not a chance.

Maggie pours herself a drink, looks at her phone, and says, come on. She drains the glass, and takes some cash from the register, saying, sorry, Archie. She stuffs it into her bag.

Finn tells Elizabeth that her toast was beautiful, and she says she meant every word. When she was speaking, it suddenly hit her; what if this was her last chance to tell everybody how she feels?

Josslyn asks if Marshall wants to say anything for the wedding video, and he says he’ll try. It’s been his pleasure… no. It’s been his honor to… He’s sorry. He’s not good at speeches. Drew comes along, and says, Marshall will say something later with the band backing him up. Marshall says, right.

Laura says, it means the world to her that Spencer still has Sonny in his life, and he says, Spencer’s all he’s got left of his sister. He loves that kid. Laura wishes Spencer could have that kind of closeness with his father.

Nina says she’s sorry. Here they are at a wedding, and Ava just finalized her divorce. Ava says, Nikolas should have never come back to Port Charles. They’d all be better off.

Portia tells Curtis that Trina isn’t responding to her calls or texts. She’s officially getting worried. Where is she? He says he’ll go look, but she says she’s probably just overreacting. Besides, he’s the man of the hour. He can’t just disappear too. Josslyn comes by, and Portia asks if she’s seen Trina. Josslyn says, Trina texted earlier that she and Spencer needed some air. She’s sorry. She should have told Portia that before. She moves along, and Curtis says, see? She’s fine.

Trina says, good conscience? What does her mom marrying Curtis have to do with Stella’s conscience? Stella says, Trina may be too young to understand this, but as you get older, there are some things you just don’t say. You equivocate, because you want everybody to get along. Most important, you don’t want to hurt anyone. And all that stuff you didn’t say, catches up with you. Trina wonders what Stella hasn’t said, and asks if she’s upset that Portia had an affair with Curtis. That was twenty years ago. Or does she think because Portia cheated on her dad, she’ll cheat on Curtis? Come on, Trina, do the math.

Drew asks if Marshall is ready, and Marshall says, Drew should tell everyone that he’s a little rusty and they shouldn’t expect anything. Drew says he’s going to introduce Marshall, Marshall is going to walk out on stage, and he’s going to play because he’s a pro. He’s got this. Marshall says, right, and Drew says, all right, everybody. He asks if the band doesn’t sound fantastic, and everyone applauds. He asks if they’ve ever wondered where Curtis gets him impeccable style, rhythm, and charm. It’s his great pleasure to introduce the father of the groom. Put their hands together for Marshall Ashford. Marshall comes out to applause, hoots, and whistles, and Curtis wonders if Portia knew about this, but she says she’s just as surprised as he is. Marshall thanks everyone, and says he wants to dedicate this song to his son and his lovely wife. He plays as the band backs him up. If that’s not him really playing, he’s doing a good imitation. I used to play sax; same thing.

Dante asks if Sam doesn’t want to go back to the pub with him, but she thinks the barmaid would be more willing to talk without her there. She’s going to be busy cyber-sleuthing the local school areas. Maybe Maggie was a third grade teacher or something. He says he respects her and her doing this, and kisses her. She tells him, cheerio, and he says, cheerio, my lady, and leaves.

Esme asks what Heather means by it will all be taken care of, and Heather says, she needs to relax. The baby hormones are driving her a little crazy, aren’t they? She just meant, it will all work out, and Esme asks how she knows that. Heather says, her baby daddy is very rich. He’s not going to let her languish in here, or his baby. The guard tells them, five minutes to lights out. Time to get back to their cellblocks. Heather says she’ll take Esme back to her room. She’ll even show her a shortcut.

Marshall finishes playing, and everyone applauds. Curtis says, wow, with tears in his eyes.

Stella says, it’s not about Portia’s affair with Curtis, and Trina says, but that’s part of it. Stella says she’s sure Trina knows she kept a secret from Curtis, and it almost ruined their relationship. Curtis spent 40 years without a father, and her silence was part of the reason. That experience changed her, and she won’t keep a secret like that ever again. Spencer thinks he should leave, but Trina asks him to stay. She’s kind of freaking out. Is there something her mom doesn’t know about Curtis?

Portia thanks Sterling and Zeke for coming, and Sterling says, thank her groom. Zeke says, Curtis made all the arrangements, and Curtis says, they still had to show up. Sterling says, they wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It’s wonderful to see Portia so happy. Zeke is sorry he didn’t get to see more of his niece; it’s so weird. Portia says, she’s off with a friend, and Zeke says, instead of with her mother on her wedding day? but Sterling tells him to go easy on his granddaughter. You’re only young once. They hug Portia and Curtis, and leave.

Stella says, there’s something Portia needs to tell Curtis, and needs to tell Trina too. Trina deserves to know the truth. Trina asks why Stella can’t tell her, and Stella says, even though she’s family now, it’s not her place. The truth is going to be hard for Trina to hear, but she believes Trina will be better off for it, and she trusts Spencer will look after his friend. He says, yes, ma’am, and she hugs Trina, saying, she’s a strong, young woman. She believes Trina is going to make it through. Trina and Spencer leave, and in the hallway, he asks, what was that about? She says she has no idea, but she’s going to find out.

Sam looks at her tablet, and says, come on, Maggie Fitzgerald. What happened? Did you marry? Did you change your name? What am I looking… There’s a knock at the door, and it’s the B&B manager, Miss Buxley. She asks if she can come in, and Sam says, of course (🍷). Miss Buxley says she forgot to ask at check-in if they preferred coffee or tea at breakfast, and Sam says, coffee… Is there something else? Miss Buxley says she noticed Dante went out again. It’s none of her business, but the village closes early, and he’ll be disappointed if he went sightseeing. Sam says, Dante likes to take long walks at night; it helps him sleep. Miss Buxley starts to leave, and Sam asks if she’s been in this village long. Miss Buxley says, her entire life, and Sam says she’s sure Miss Buxley knows practically everyone. Miss Buxley says, indeed she does, and Sam says, and she doesn’t miss much. Miss Buxley says she supposes she’s more observant than most, and Sam wonders if she’d mind if she asks a few questions.

Esme asks where Heather is taking her, and Heather says, she’ll see. A guard comes out, and asks what they’re doing here. Esme asks what Heather has gotten her into.

Stella asks the Lord if she did the right thing. Please tell her that she didn’t destroy her family.

Miss Buxley says she’ll help if she can, and Sam thanks her. Sam says, she and her partner are looking for a Maggie Fitzgerald, but Miss Buxley says she’s sorry. She is observant, but not terribly good with names. Sam asks if she knows of a woman in the village who may have worked as a nanny or possibly a schoolteacher, and Miss Buxley thinks a moment, then says she believes the barmaid at the pub once worked with children. Sam asks if she’s talking about the tall woman with curly red hair, and Miss Buxley says, that’s her. She worked as a nanny in America. Her name’s Margaret. Is that the one Sam’s looking for?

Dressed to go out, Maggie wheels her suitcase through the pub. She turns out the lights, and opens the door. Dante is there.

Josslyn offers to look for Trina, but Portia suggests she throw the bouquet. She doesn’t want Trina to catch it anyway. Josslyn announces that the bride is ready to throw her bouquet, and tells the women to get on the floor and take their chances. Sonny sees Ava putting on her coat, and he says, she’s not going for the bouquet? She says she’d rather crawl over broken glass, and he says, she’s not the only one leaving early. They see Laura go out the door, and Sonny says, Nikolas isn’t taking her calls, and she’s worried. The way he feels, he wouldn’t care for one second if he never saw Nikolas again.

Heather apologizes to the guard, and says, they just got turned around. Esme says, Heather told her this was a shortcut to her cell, and the guard says he’s escorting Heather back. He grabs her arm, and a set of keys falls to the ground. He asks where she got them, and she says she found them in the dayroom. Are they important? He says, don’t move, when Ryan puts a knife in his back. He says, hi, Esme. Road trip?

Terry tells Portia to toss the bouquet already. She’s not getting any younger. Portia turns around, and there’s a drumroll. She throws the bouquet, and it goes over everyone, landing on the floor in front of Trina, who’s just walked in with Spencer. Portia says, they’ve been trying to find Trina, and Trina says, and she’s been trying to find answers. Curtis looks at Portia.

Tomorrow, Sonny asks, who’s buying what Pikeman is selling; Ava says, no more putting this off; and Trina asks what Portia is keeping from her.

Vanderpump Rules

It was two days before Schwartz & Sandy’s Daily Mail party to promote the restaurant, and the Toms’ partner Greg was concerned since they had no chef or staff. As usual, the boys were on top of the important stuff. They interviewed servers, and while Sandoval wanted those who could handle stress and had experience, Schwartz said he’d take personality over experience. Sandoval said they had yet to impress Greg, who was a hard-ass. Translation: Greg actually wants them to work and get sh*t done. Raquel went out with Peter for lunch, and in her interview, she said, some part of her was still holding on to the relationship with James. She didn’t know if she was into Peter, but said, your tastebuds change every five years. Maybe your taste in men does too. Um… I don’t think it works that way. She told Peter she’d been on an all-carb diet since after the Miss California pageant. We saw clips from that, and she said she placed in the top 15. It was heartbreaking, since it was her last pageant, as the top age to compete was 27, and it had sent her into a deep depression. She started crying at the table, and it reminded me of when I went on a class trip to Russia in high school. One of the girls was bawling because she hadn’t been prom queen. Like anyone cares about this stuff 15 minutes afterward. I felt bad for her, but only because I couldn’t fathom something like that being important enough to cry over while on an amazing trip. In Raquel’s interview, she said she hadn’t broken free of the relationship, and was figuring out who she was. She told Peter that she’d used James as a crutch, and was now on her own. She loved it, but it was expensive. Katie and Lala went for a spray tan, and Lala said she wasn’t in a place to practice compassion and forgiveness. She wanted to feel safe again, and it had to be enough not to drink. In Lala’s interview, she said, when she found out about Randall, she went into fight mode. Just existing and not picking up a drink had to be good enough. She needed any extra energy for her kid.

In Ariana’s interview, she said her love language was quality time. These days, the quality time she and Sandoval had was collapsing in bed and passing out. Lala visited Lisa at Villa Rosa, and said she felt happy, but also felt the weight of the custody battle. It was more disturbing with every person who talked to her about Randall. Lisa wondered why Lala hadn’t seen red flags early on, and in Lisa’s interview, she said she thought Lala had been blind, and she’d persuaded herself that the relationship was what she wanted it to be. Someone waving a red flag was doing you a favor. In Lala’s interview, she said she should have listened to what people were telling her, but if she had, she woudn’t have Ocean, who was the only reason she wasn’t banging her head against a wall. Lisa said, Randall had wanted to see her, but she nixed that idea, and Lala said, the girlfriend Randall took up with when she was pregnant had moved in two days after she left. Ugh. That guy is such a troll, inside and out. I can’t imagine anyone’s wallet being that attractive. And that’s not a euphemism. I can’t think of any other reason anyone would want to be with him.

Raquel’s dog Graham did not want cheese, and I wasn’t surprised when she said he didn’t feel good, since cheese is the universal love language in the animal world. In Raquel’s interview, she said she’d recently learned, to make a clean break, boundaries were needed. That meant James could no longer see Graham. I’m no James fan, but that seems like cruel and unusual punishment. Scheana and Ariana came over to see Raquel’s new and fabulous apartment, and Ariana mentioned that Raquel had been making out with Peter when she was drunk. Raquel said she didn’t remember, and Ariana said she thought Peter had feelings for Raquel. In Ariana’s interview, she said, Raquel was free now, and should run like Forrest Gump. In Sandoval’s interview, he said he understood the strain of opening a venue, and was grateful that Ariana had stayed by his side. We flashed back to Greg saying that opening a business could destroy a marriage, and Sandoval said he hoped if they made things look good enough at Schwartz & Sandy’s, no one would notice they were held together by duct tape and hope. James and Ally went out to lunch, and James said he’d felt weird about Raquel seeing Peter. He’d been pissed, but he was over it, and had no anger. He was in a good place. In Ally’s interview, she said she thought the relationship got serious a little quick. He ate food from her mouth which totally grossed me out.

Katie said she was trying to be excited for Schwartz, but had a complicated history with the bar. James arrived early to the party, saying, he brought the funk, and the Toms gave him cases of toilet paper to sit on for nostalgia purposes. We flashed back to his first DJ gig in 2018. In Lala’s interview, she said, Schwartz was on her sh*tlist, but she liked Sandoval, and appreciated hard work. She wasn’t shocked that it looked amazing, but was aware that it was a party to celebrate that they’re not open yet. Lisa came with Ken and Puffy (!), and in her interview, she said, a lot of good music had been created on mushrooms. Apparently restaurants could be too. She asked how James felt about Raquel dating Peter, but Ally said, Raquel just made out with Peter when she was drunk. Peter went to get Raquel a drink, and Raquel told Scheana that it was awkward, and she knew it wasn’t going anywhere. Scheana said she was going to make herself scarce, and Raquel needed to tell Peter how she felt. I actually think Peter is the only promising guy in this bunch, but he’s a bit mature for someone who’s weeping over losing a pageant.

Lisa told Peter that it wasn’t 2012, and he couldn’t be shagging employees. In Lisa’s interview, she said, in the enlightened time of metoo, an employee underneath a manager could no longer literally be underneath a manager. It would be like her shagging Andy, which was a really poor example. Even a producer said, that wouldn’t be happening for other reasons. Raquel asked to have some real talk with Peter, and told him that she didn’t see a future between them. She wanted to break things off now before it became complicated. Peter flashed back to what Lisa told him, and agreed. In Raquel’s interview, she said she was under the impression Peter was more into her, and her feelings were hurt. Apparently, there’s no pleasing some people. She told Peter that he’d consolidated [sic] her when times were tough, and he said, she meant consoled. Yeah, maybe Lala was right the first time, and she is stupid. Scheana asked Schwartz to be on her podcast, and in her interview, she said, all of her friends had been on, but she’d never interviewed Schwartz solo. She told him that he had to get himself out there again, but he said, the thought of going on a date still felt like cheating. Sandoval passed out shots in chocolate shot glasses, and I yawned, since I used those a million years ago at parties. Lisa talked to Greg, who said, trying to get everyone on the same page was exhausting. It wasn’t about bullsh*t. Lisa told him, that’s where the Toms’ strength lies, and he said he didn’t realize how big of a learning curve they needed. They knew nothing about business. Again, why am I not on TV and making millions?

Greg told Lisa, every day they didn’t open, they lost $1000, and we flashed back to Sandoval and his many, many, many ideas for the bar. Lisa said she was happy Greg had adopted her children, and he asked if he could give them back. Katie told Schwartz that the place had good vibes; he’d worked hard. Schwartz said, no amount of success could replace not being there for his family and Katie. He’d been sucked into a parallel universe. Katie said, it broke them, and he said he didn’t want her to think he’d chosen the place over her, but she said he never chose her. Even when she had his back, he never took her side of any argument or conflict. In Katie’s interview, she said, the other woman in their marriage had been the bar, and now she was standing inside her. She told Schwartz that she’d chosen to ignore or try to live with what wasn’t okay. Schwartz said he was trying not to beat himself up about it, but he was self-aware. Ha-ha! Doubtful. He’s not even not-self aware. In Schwartz’s interview, tears streaked his face as he talked about watching The Notebook, and Ryan Gosling saying, it’s still not over. He thought, maybe he should have had more of that, and sometimes asked himself if it was worth it.

Next time, Lala goes on a double-date with Katie; Raquel asks James how many times he had sex with Lala when they were together; Scheana grills Schwartz about making out with Raquel at Coachella; and Ariana tells Katie that she’s left holding the bag while Schwartz looks like the nice guy.

🚑 Sneaky Peek…

Hard to believe it’s been on 60 years. When they talk about the longest running TV show, it’s always about prime time. GH should be given a medal for outlasting, outwitting, and outplaying when most of the other soaps were getting the ax.

A Sneak Peak at GENERAL HOSPITAL’s 60th Anniversary Cast Photo!

💎 VanderReturn…

I wish, but I think it’s doubtful. And why should she waste her time? They should bring back Overserved. That was the best.

https://extratv.com/2023/02/09/lisa-vanderpump-on-rhobh-return-rumors-and-lisa-rinna-s-exit-exclusive/

🏈 After the Bowl Is Over…

The commercials. The good, the bad, and the WTF?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-bowl-2023-commercials-best-and-worst/

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/best-and-worst-super-bowl-commercials-2023-1234678821/

Rihanna’s bump.

https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/parenting/rihanna-performance-pregnancy/

The movie trailers.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/super-bowl-2023-new-trailers-movie-tv-marvel-dc

The National Anthem.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/babyface-america-the-beautiful-2023-super-bowl-1235252492/

And while this article technically came out before the Bowl, I could not resist including this little nugget of a pup.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2023/02/12/puppy-bowl-2023-joey-two-legged-dog/11236954002/

🎈 Love Has Left the Air…

Come set a spell tomorrow for soap and tea with a dash of a tune. Until then, stay safe, (which has so many more meanings now), stay straight up, so you’ll never have to keep your story straight, and in the same vein, stay not keeping big secrets. The longer secrets are kept, the more damage they do.

Feb9

February 8, 2023 – Elizabeth Asks Scotty For Help, VanderBack, Sequel Role, Incident Statement, Please Don’t Leave & Everything

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Ava dreams that Nikolas is in the bed with her, but she says, this isn’t real; he’s dead. He says, she bludgeoned him, and she says, it was an accident. He says, an accident of passion. It’s always been like that with them, and always will be. She tells him to go away, but he says he’s not going anywhere. What’s between them is forever. She wakes, and sees blood on her hand. She pulls back the covers, and the sheets are bloody. She screams, then really wakes up. Her bedroom door opens.

Carly finds Michael in Willow’s room, and asks if he needs anything, but he just wants to see Willow’s face when she meets the baby. She’s been sleeping since the C-section. Carly suggests he take a break, but he says he can’t leave until Willow opens her eyes.

Elizabeth looks at a picture of her boys, and flashes back to Finn telling her to sleep on it before she turns herself in. There’s a knock at the door, and it’s Laura, who asks if she’s heard from Nikolas.

Finn goes to Alexis’s office, and she asks, what’s going on? He says he needs some hypothetical legal advice, but she says she’s not even a hypothetical lawyer. He says, how about some advice about the law from someone who’s good at it? and she asks, what’s up? He asks, what kind of charges someone would be facing if they were an accessory to a felony? He’s asking for a friend.

Nina looks at the baby through the window, and Obrecht joins her. Obrecht says she remembers when Britta was born; she was vocal and disapproving from the start. And as beautiful as Nina’s granddaughter. Nina says, it’s good to see Obrecht here, and Obrecht says, of course (🍷) she’s here; she had to see her grandniece. She asks how Willow is, and Nina says she thinks Willow is sleeping. Willow doesn’t really want anything to do with her. If Willow wants to see her, she’ll be there in a second, but she made a promise to herself not to upset her daughter.

Willow wakes up, and Michael asks if she wants to meet her daughter. She can’t wait to meet Willow. Welcome back. He says he loves her so much, and kisses her forehead. Carly slips out of the room, and in the hallway, she tells Sonny that Willow’s awake. Michael tells Willow that their baby is perfect, and wants to meet her mom. Willow says she needs to see her now, and asks Michael to bring her their baby.

Scotty joins Obrecht and Nina, and asks how the newest member of the family is doing. Obrecht asks if that’s why he’s here, or is he checking up on her? He says, the kid may need a lawyer. It’s never too soon to start suing people. The hardest thing for him about memorials is, people say nice things, then go back to their lives. She says, her Britta’s gone, but her heart rejoices for Nina, and she can’t wait to meet her grandniece. Nina gets a text from Sonny that says, Willow’s awake.

Sonny says, their son has a daughter, and Carly says, now that she’s here, Willow can get the stem cell transplant she needs, and this nightmare will finally be over. He says, babies are miracles. Can she believe their granddaughter is going to save Willow’s life? It’s amazing.

Willow says she remembers them showing her and Michael their baby. Then they took her away. He says, Willow asked him to go with her, and she says, then she remembers… not exactly. Did something happen? He says, from what he was told, Willow started hemorrhaging, and her heart stopped on the operating table. She says, Michael was there, but he says he was in the NICU with their daughter. She says, then he came back, but he tells her that they wouldn’t let him back in. She says she heard his voice, as clear as she’s hearing it now. He told her to come home and live. He tells her that he did say that, but he was in the waiting area, praying as hard as he could for her to come back. She says, and she did.

Finn tells Alexis, someone he knows made a really big mistake, but it’s over. He’s worried confessing will ruin their life without making anything better. She says, so this crime is not ongoing? He says, no, and she says, murder? He says, no, and she says, accidental death? He says, no one got hurt, not really, and she asks if the friend was part of planning the crime. He says, they got roped into helping the person, and chose to protect them rather than going to the police, and she says, so this person might be an accessory to the crime after the fact, which would be a misdemeanor at worst. He says, that doesn’t sound so bad, and she says, or a felony, depending on the details of the crime.

Elizabeth says she hasn’t spoken to Nikolas since they argued at the hospital, and Laura says, it was obvious they were both shaken by it. Is she okay? Elizabeth says, no. She thinks her friendship with Nikolas is over. Laura says, after everything they’ve been through all these years? Doesn’t Elizabeth think it’s possible they just need a little time? She knows it’s not her business, but does Elizabeth know what happened between Spencer and Nikolas? Elizabeth asks her to narrow it down, and Laura says, Spencer wants to sue for custody of Nikolas and Esme’s baby. Elizabeth looks shocked, and Laura says, Spencer said he knew something about Nikolas; something he thinks is unforgivable. Elizabeth asks if Spencer said what it was, but Laura says, he told her it was best she didn’t know, but he insists Nikolas should not be allowed to raise the baby. Elizabeth asks how Nikolas reacted, and Laura says she’s never seen him so devastated. It’s like he really lost everything.

Austin asks if Ava is okay. Does she want to focus on some breathing? She takes some deep breaths, and says, Nikolas, he’s dead. Austin says, he is, and she says, he was going to take Avery. She just wanted to stop him, and she hit him with a statue and he fell. Austin says, he did, and she asks what he’s doing here. He says, she asked him to spend the night and keep an eye on her, and she says, he scared her, walking into her room like that. He says he heard her scream, and was worried about her, and she tells him, get out. He goes to the door, and says, at some point, they’ll have to talk about what happens next. She says, what happens next is, he leaves and forgets he was ever here, and they never speak of this again. He says that works for him, but what is she going to say when people notice Nikolas is missing? She tells him, she’ll say, Nikolas was here and they argued about Windymere. He regretted giving her Spoon Island and wanted it back, but she wouldn’t give it to him, so he stormed off. She doesn’t know what happened to him after that. He says, that’s good. A good lie manages to stay as close as possible to the truth. She asks where he learned that, and he says, his family. She thanks him for not turning her in, but says she meant what she said. He should go and never look back. As far as she’s concerned, he was never here. He says, if only it were that easy, and she asks, what’s hard about it? He says, his cousin Mason. Mason is the reason he stopped by last night. He’s after Ava. She says, Mason’s a thug. Does Austin think she’d let him in her house? Austin says, he came here just in case, and she says, if Mason had shown up instead of him… He says, if Mason had glimpsed her hiding Nikolas’s body, he would have had her for life. She says she’s glad it was him, and he’s right; she’s going to keep it really simple. Nikolas was here, he left, and she doesn’t know anything else. They don’t want the cops focusing on Spoon Island. He asks if Nikolas’s kid is going to be a problem, but she says, Spencer won’t be a problem. Elizabeth might be.

Elizabeth tells Laura, after she ran into Nikolas, Finn came to see her. Laura asks how that went, but Elizabeth says, not well. Laura asks if Elizabeth was angry before she ran into Nikolas, and Elizabeth says, she told Nikolas what her parents had done to her as a teenager, how they hurt and betrayed her. He knew she was struggling because of it. Laura asks what he did, and Elizabeth says, he just made it about himself. He made it seem like he was inconvenienced by her pain. Laura says she’s sorry Nikolas let Elizabeth down, but she also feels sorry for Nikolas because Elizabeth has been such a positive influence in his life. Elizabeth says, not always. She’s not as perfect as Laura thinks she is.

Finn says he’s worried his friend’s life is going to be torn apart because they thought they were doing the right thing, but Alexis says, they weren’t. Clearly, there’s a victim here. Was the victim aware of Elizabeth’s involvement? He says he doesn’t think so. Not yet, unless they figure it out. She says, if there’s a chance it can be figured out, his friend needs to get ahead of it, and come forward voluntarily, and he asks if they’ll still go to prison. She says, probably. Here’s a thought. Would his friend consider testifying against the person who committed the crime in the first place?

Carly and Sonny fawn over the baby, as she’s wheeled past to see Willow. The nurse takes the baby into Willow’s room, and Carly says, she’s so beautiful, and she’s smart. She, Bobbie, and Josslyn went to the NICU to see her. They were blowing kisses and waving, and Carly swears the baby was looking right at her.

Willow holds the baby, and Michael says, she’s so beautiful and awfully big for a preemie.

Laura says, Elizabeth has something more on her mind than just Nikolas. Whatever it is, she’s here for her. Elizabeth says she knows, but she’s come to realize her friendship with Nikolas is bad for both of them. She’s sorry. Laura says she’s sorry it’s come to that, but Elizabeth has to do what’s best for her. Nikolas is spiraling, and she’s worried about him, but saving Nikolas from himself isn’t Elizabeth’s responsibility. Elizabeth says, it’s not Laura’s either, but Laura says she’s his mother. She’ll never give up on him.

Finn isn’t sure if his friend would testify, and Alexis thinks he should try to convince them. Cooperating with the prosecution can go a long way. It could reduce his friend’s sentence. He says, reduced, as in no jail time? but she says she doesn’t know the details of this case; she doesn’t want to know. He thanks her for the advice, and she suggests his friend call Diane or Martin, someone they can give the details to, because his friend is on a slippery slope. He says, that’s what he was afraid of, when there’s a knock at the door. Gregory comes in, and Finn says he’s on his way out. He jets, and Gregory asks if he interrupted something important.

Sonny says, Carly knows she’s dying to go in, but Carly says, Michael and Willow deserve a little time with their daughter before she busts in the room. He says, it reminds him of the first time they saw Donna, and she says, her too. They thought spina bifida was going to limit Donna’s life somehow; that she was going to grow up with extra struggles. He says, but she’s perfect, and Carly says, she is. They’re so lucky. He says, they are.

Michael films Willow with the baby, and she says, Wiley is going to be so excited. He says, no pressure, but he thinks before they introduce their kids, their daughter needs a name. They have to give their daughter a name that’s not Annabelle III or Ashoka. She says, actually, she knew the baby’s name the moment she saw her.

Carly tells Sonny that she’s happy for Michael; he was denied this chance with Wiley. He says he hates to think of the pain Michael went through, and she says, because of Nelle, Nina’s daughter. He says, who Nina never knew (try saying that 3 times real fast).

Scotty steps away to take a call, and Obrecht says she knows every cell in Nina’s body is aching to go to her daughter. Nina says, it’s torture, but it’s what Willow wants, and Obrecht says, for now. Perhaps someday, and soon. It’s not right that Carly gets to share in this moment with Michael and Willow. Carly is no better than they are, but she gets to share in this moment while they’re shunned. She’s forgiven her transgressions, while Nina is considered the transgressor. That is unacceptable. How she’d love to dig Carly’s skeletons out of the closet and into the light. Nina says, come to think of it, there is something Carly’s trying desperately to hide. Obrecht says, tell her more.

Austin says, so Nikolas was holding Esme Prince captive, in a tower no less, and Elizabeth was helping him? He didn’t know she had it in her. Ava says, still waters with that one, but he doesn’t get how Elizabeth is a threat. If she was helping Nikolas, wouldn’t it be in her best interest to keep quiet? She says, of course (🍷) it is, but Elizabeth’s conscience tends to flair up at the most inopportune moments. If her guilt sends her to the cops, Spoon Island will be swarming with police, and they could find the body. He says, we need a plan, but she says, not we; just her. This is her problem. He says, the second he saw her hiding the dead body, her problems became his problems, and she says, that’s noble of him, but nobody would have any idea they had a relationship beyond doctor and patient. No one will ever know he was here. The doorbell rings.

Ava answers the door to find Laura on the porch, and says, Laura wasn’t the person she expected. She invites Laura in, and Laura asks if Ava was expecting her son, but Ava says, definitely not. Laura asks Ava to tell her what happened with Nikolas last night.

Gregory says, it’s not like Finn to rush out like that, and Alexis says, he had a lot on his mind. He says, a nice way of telling him to butt out, and she says she likes his shorthand. He asks how her day is going, and she admits the editorial meeting was a little rough. He asks if there are any new developments in The Hook case, and she says, no, which is why they have to keep the pressure on the PCPD, so they find the lunatic. He asks how she’s going to do that, but she says she’s not sure. He suggests an early lunch and a little brainstorming, but she asks if he doesn’t have classes this morning.

Nina tells Obrecht that she saw Drew hugging Carly, comforting her, and wouldn’t have thought anything about it, but it was clear they were trying to keep their relationship a secret. Obrecht wonders what there is to hide. Even she knows they have a history of friendship. No one would be surprised if it evolved into more, so why would it matter if it had? Nina says she has no idea, and Obrecht suggests she find out.

Ava asks why Laura thinks she saw Nikolas last night, and Laura says, he and Spencer had a horrible argument. Nikolas seems to think Ava sided with Spencer against him. He stormed out, and she assumed he would come here. Ava says, he did. He barged in like he still owned the place. He went on and on about how it  belongs in the family. Austin slips out, and Ava says, in the end, they both said things they can never take back, so it’s just as well they’re divorcing. She wants him out of her life. Laura doesn’t see how that’s possible. Not if Ava is helping Spencer to blackmail him.

Carly asks if she can come in, and Michael says, 14 minutes and 20 seconds; Willow owes him twenty bucks. Carly asks how Willow is feeling, and Willow says, never happier, now that Amelia is here.  Michael says, let’s make it official, and introduces Amelia Grace Corinthos to Carly. Carly says, it’s perfect.

Nina asks if Sonny got to hold the baby, and he says, no, but he saw her on the way in. She says, Willow and Michael must be thrilled, and Sonny’s phone dings. He says, Willow is sending a text from Michael’s phone, and asks if Nina is ready,. He shows her a picture of the baby, and says, their new granddaughter has a name; Amelia. Nina says, Amelia Grace, and hugs Sonny.

Gregory says he doesn’t have a class today, and Alexis says, it’s hard to tell. He asks what she’s getting at, and she says, he never talks about his classes much. He says, of course (🍷) he does… doesn’t he? She says, most professors love talking about their classes; the interesting conversations, the offbeat questions, their students and how they inspire them. He says, here’s an offbeat question for her; what’s her point? She says, maybe he’s not as invested in teaching as he used to be, and he says, because he doesn’t tell her about his classes? She says, it’s possible he’s just over it, and ready for a change.

Ava says, Laura, of all people, can’t condone what Nikolas did, and Laura says she probably wouldn’t if she knew what it was, but Ava and Spencer are holding it over his head, aren’t they? She knows Nikolas treated Ava badly, but does Ava think it’s a good strategy to respond in kind? If they keep tearing into each other, how will that end? Ava flashes back to the argument with Nikolas and whacking him in the head, and tells Laura that she didn’t want this. Laura says, of course (🍷) Ava didn’t, but she’s worried about her son. He’s lost Ava, and apparently had a terrible falling out with Elizabeth. She’s afraid Spencer’s threat to take away his child is going to be the last straw. Whatever secret Ava shares with Spencer, Spencer lorded it over his father last night. Nikolas felt so betrayed, and was so angry. She feels like something horrible is going to happen now and she’s going to lose her son for good.

Finn offers his condolences to Obrecht about Britt, and she thanks him… for his absence at Britta’s memorial. At least he’s not a hypocrite like so many others at this hospital; giving Britta her due only after she’s gone. Since he’s feeling so generous today, perhaps he can do something about his friend Elizabeth.

Elizabeth thanks Scotty for coming over, and he says, she calls, he comes, they are family. She says she’s glad he’s part of the boys’ lives, and he says he’s going to cut to the chase. She sounded funny on the phone, and said she wanted to see him in a professional capacity. Now she’s telling him that she’s happy he’s part of the boys’ lives. What gives? She says she’s in trouble.

Laura says, there’s nothing to stop Nikolas from throwing in with Victor now, and Ava says, Nikolas hates what’s become of his life. He doesn’t think there’s anything for him here in Port Charles. But for what it’s worth (🍷), she doesn’t think he’ll throw in with Victor. Laura hopes Ava is right, but wishes he’d return her calls. She supposes she’ll hear from him eventually. He probably just needs a little time to lick his wounds. She’s probably overreacting. Ava says, she’s reacting as any mother would.

Nina thinks it’s a good sign that Willow sent Sonny the photo, but he says, it’s not the real thing. She says, he’s right, and hugs him.

Carly holds Amelia and says, she’s beautiful. Michael says he thinks some peace and quiet might do the baby some good, and Willow says she knows what he’s trying to do, but she doesn’t want to take her eyes off Amelia. Carly says, Willow has the rest of her life to look at Amelia; she can rest. Willow says, when she puts it that way… and closes her eyes.

Alexis asks if there’s a chance Gregory is no longer interested in teaching, and he says, they already talked about him becoming a journalist. She says, this time, she’s not just talking. She’s offering him a job.

Laura says, if Ava hears from her son, text her, and Ava says, absolutely, but Nikolas made it clear that he never wants to see her again. It’s probably for the best. All they seem to do these days is hurt each other. Laura says she wishes it could have gone differently, and Ava says, so does she, more than anything. Laura leaves, and Ava leans against the door.

Finn asks what Obrecht thinks he needs to do about Elizabeth, and she says she just lost her daughter, but is her Scotty here with her? Obviously, he’s not, because Elizabeth called with yet another life crisis she’s ill-equipped to handle. Since her Scotty is both blessed and cursed with an excessively kind heart, he ran to her aid. Why? What does Elizabeth want with Scotty?

Scotty says, what kind of trouble? but Elizabeth says she’s not exactly sure. He says, she needs a lawyer, but doesn’t know why? and she says she knows what she did. She just doesn’t know how bad it is legally speaking. He says he’ll help her any way possible, so spit it out, and she says she committed a crime. Actually, several crimes.

The nurse wheels Amelia out of Willow’s room, and Michael comes out. Sonny starts to say something, but Michael sees Austin, and runs after him. He asks if there’s any news about the stem cells, and Austin says, Dr. Randolph should be on her way. Michael asks if they can wait for Terry in Willow’s room, Austin says, sure, and follows Michael in. Nina says, it sounds like they harvested the stem cells. Willow is going to get the transplant, right? This whole ordeal is going to be over. Sonny says, she’s going to live a long and happy life, and Nina says, hopefully, she’ll be part of that life.

Carly asks Austin if there’s any news, and he says, there is, but they should wait. Willow says she’s awake, and asks if Austin has met Amelia. He says he has, but wasn’t aware they’d named her. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Willow says she misses Amelia already, and Michael suggests she get some shuteye. They’ll wake her when Terry gets here. She says, or they can cut to the chase. Have the stem cells been harvested? She’s ready to move forward right away. She wants to get treated, and get out of this hospital as soon as possible. Her children need her. Austin doesn’t say anything, and Michael asks if there’s something wrong.

Tomorrow, Willow says, whatever it is, she can handle it; Elizabeth says she’s decided to turn herself in; and Nina asks what Sonny is thinking, and he says, she’ll see.

Vanderpump Rules

This was pretty much the same old, just with the players moved around. Lala talked about Randall’s mess of a life, and the LA Times article. Among the many sins of Randall listed were, his casting couch, sending assistants to run drugs, and $25 million in lawsuits. In Lala’s interview, she said, the LA Times confirmed what 50 Cent had said; Randall was a little Harvey Weinstein with less money and power. James had a new girlfriend, Ally, who’d already moved in. Raquel told us that James had found her replacement in three weeks. She was surprised when James called Ally the love of his life, since five minutes ago, he’d said the same thing about her. James was also drinking again after over two years of being sober. It was the old I just like a glass of wine with dinner justification, and I wonder how long before he’s the old James again. I’m pretty sure the old James has been lurking just beneath the surface this whole time.

Scheana and Raquel went to some spa to be wrapped in infrared blankets, which the manager said was the same as a cardio workout. If it was, we’d all be doing it. Raquel was going out with Peter, sort of. She told Scheana that she wasn’t trying to date Peter. She just wanted to under James’s skin. She could do worse. He’s certainly the most mature of the bunch. No surprise, James made a comment about Peter’s belly, even though Peter isn’t fat. Why does this twit continually call people fat to insult them? It’s wrong on so many levels, especially in 2023. In Raquel’s interview, she said she thought Ally was in for a rude awakening, and she couldn’t believe what she’d tolerated when she was with James.

Schwartz and Katie were divorced, and Schwartz thought they had a good friendship. It had been a healthy divorce, although he thought divorce was a dramatic word. You should just say, I want to start a happy new beginning… without you. Schwartz had also played pickleball with Randall, and was on Lala’s sh*t list. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, it seemed insane that Lala hadn’t seen what was coming, and we flashed back to some red flags. The girls made plans to go to Hotel Ziggy where James was going to be DJ’ing, and Raquel said she thought it was going to be stressful with Ally plus James plus Peter.

It was Lala’s first time being single and sober, and it freaked her out. Rachel decided to rip the Band-Aid off and get to know Ally. They talked on a couch in the bar lounge, and it was all rainbows and unicorns. Until some weird guy, wearing only a towel, came by, and said it was his couch. His face was blurred, so I’m guessing he thought better of his decision making when sober. But seriously, WTF? Schwartz tried to talk to Lala, and said he couldn’t believe she cut him from her life for hanging out with her ex seven months after the fact. Lala said, if he didn’t want to be on her team, that was fine, but then he wasn’t going to be in her orbit. He said he hadn’t been being malicious, and she sent him a malicious text, making a derogatory comment about his marriage. In Schwartz’s interview, he wondered who the f*** Lala thought she was. He’d been at the lowest point in his life, and Lala hurt his feelings. Cry me a river. I don’t blame her for being pissed. Lala apologized for her timing, and in her interview, she said, it was the year of burning bridges. Either you were with her, or out of her life.

This season, twerking: a girls trip; Vanderpump Paris opens; a Schwartz piñata; Garcelle (!); delays in Schwartz & Sandy’s opening; and Schwartz calls Lala a bootleg Housewife.

🃏 No Joke…

So that’s where Morgan has been all this time.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/bryan-craig-teases-his-role-in-the-joker-sequel

🏋️‍♂️ Dropping the Bar…

It’s not even low anymore. It’s on the ground.

https://people.com/tv/peacock-shares-statement-after-brandi-glanville-caroline-manzo-rhugt-incident/

😭 Say It Ain’t So…

My dream vacation was to cruise on a yacht with Captain Lee driving and Kate as chief stew. Alas, it looks like it will never be. Like I’d have a year’s salary to spend for a few days on a boat. Still, the show won’t be the same. It’s suffered from Kate leaving. This will be the final nail unless they pull one huge rabbit out of a hat.

Why Is Captain Lee Rosbach Leaving Below Deck? Details on the Bravo Star’s Departure After 10 Seasons
https://pagesix.com/2022/12/13/captain-lee-rosbach-leaving-below-deck-over-health-issues/

💃🏽 Whiskey Tango Foxtrotting Out…

Check in tomorrow to find out what’s happening in Port Charles and have some tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not crossing a bridge until you come to it, and stay not believing an infrared blanket is the same as a cardio workout.

Jan28

January 27, 2023 – Terry Gives Willow Another Option, She’s Fine, Paris Meeting, Messy On Deck, Last Return, Early Roll Call, AniPug, Quotes Of Ten & Borderline

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly wakes up and asks why Drew is smiling. He  tells her that when she sleeps her nose wrinkles.

On the phone at the MetroCourt, Victor says, give him the latest. Have  they determined the cause of the flooding? A man with a French accent says, the water main under the building burst, and Victor says he’s aware the pipes are old, but it’s inconceivable that they should happen to burst on the very night Valentin and Anna come to retrieve his guest. Have they found  his son? The man says, not yet. Or Miss Devane or Miss Coe. Victor says that’s not the answer he was looking for, and asks, what’s the hold-up? The man says, the adjoining catacombs collapsed; it’s too unstable. Victor says he doesn’t care how dangerous it is. He wants a team down there right now looking for his son.

Martin goes into the elevator, and flashes back to the first time he met Lucy when he was dressed as Santa, and their subsequent romantic encounter. He looks at a photo of her on his phone, and says, my dear sweet Lucy, where are you? The elevator stops, and the door opens. He sees someone there, and says, they’ve been ignoring his calls, which he doesn’t appreciate. Now what the hell… He’s grabbed by the lapels and pulled out.

Victor says he’ll pay triple the rate. His son might be trapped in those catacombs; he could be injured. He sees Alexis sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant. He says, just find him, when Alexis comes over. He asks if she’s having breakfast with her daughters; he’d love to see them. She says, he never gives up, and he says, family is worth every effort. She says she’s sorry to disappoint him, but she’s here to see the mayor, not her children. Victor says, that’s a pity, and excuses himself, going over to the bar. Alexis follows him, and asks how everything is going with Nikolas. He says he assumes she’s referring to his utter and total disappointment in his nephew. Fathering Esme’s child is just… She says, so unseemly. She guesses things are a little tense at Windymere, and he says, they would be. He’s taken a suite here at the MetroCourt. Not that it has anything to do with the conflict with his nephew. She asks, then why? and he says he thought Nikolas would have told her. He’s handed Spoon Island over to Ava as part of the divorce settlement.

Ava is looking at the settlement papers, when Nina comes out. Ava says, Britt’s memorial is today, isn’t it? At General Hospital? Nina says, they’re honoring her work as Co-Chief of Staff. She thinks Britt would really like it. Practicing medicine was important to her. Ava asks how Nina is holding up, and Nina says she’s fine. Her job right now is to be strong for Aunt Liesl, and that’s what she’s going to do. Ava says she was referring to the Willow situation. They haven’t had a chance to talk about that yet. Ava can’t believe it. Willow is Nina’s daughter? Nina says, a fact she wouldn’t know if that bitch Carly had her way.

Michael tells Willow, good morning, and she says, is it morning? It’s always so hard to tell in here. Did he get any sleep? He says, a few hours, and takes her hand. She asks him to promise he won’t let go, and he says he promises.

Ava says, what Carly did was unconscionable, and Nina says, first with Nelle; now it’s Willow. Ava says, to be fair, Carly didn’t know Nelle was Nina’s daughter until after Nelle died. Nina says, and that makes it okay? but Ava says, of course (🍷) not. She’s not defending Carly. Nina says she hopes not, since there is no defense. Of Course (🍷) St. Carly will be forgiven, because she was protecting Willow from evil Nina, who no one would ever want as a mother. And now that she’s not a bone marrow match, there’s no foul, no harm. She knows that’s what Carly is going to say, and people will buy it. She doesn’t care if the whole world forgives Carly; she’s not – ever. She’s not going to rest until that woman pays for what she did to her.

Drew says, it’s so incredible being alone with Carly. Does she have any idea how hard it is pretending to be just friends? She says, really? She thought it was easy. She’d see him across the room, and think, there’s Drew. Whatever. She’s kidding. When she would see him across the room, like at the Quartermaines’ on Christmas, he has no idea how bad she wanted to come across the room and kiss him. He says, if she’s feeling the urge… and kisses her. Wake me when this is over. She thanks him for sticking with her. He had every reason to bail. She’s really glad he didn’t. He says he is too, and she says, any regrets? He says, except for the fact they can’t go public? and she says, it’s so frustrating because the Aurora/ELQ merger didn’t even happen. She doesn’t know why there’s this issue with insider trading. He says he guesses it helps on some level, but someone could still report it to the SEC, and she asks if they can talk about something else. He says, please, and she tells him to start. He says he loves waking up with her, and she says she loves waking up with him. Is there anything else he likes doing with her? He says he can think of a few things, and she says, tell her more. He says he’d rather show her, and they get busy. Zzzzz….

Terry comes into Willow’s room, and asks how she’s doing. Michael says, she’s in some pain, and suggests upping her medication, but Willow says she doesn’t want that. If she gets more medication, she’ll just sleep, and she refuses to waste… She asks if Terry is here to discuss treatment since Nina isn’t a viable bone marrow match, and Terry says, the donor registry could still come through. Michael says, they can’t count on that though, and Terry says she woudn’t advise it. Michael says, so what now? and Terry says, there is another option. As they know, when bone marrow is taken from a donor, stem cells are harvested, and Willow’s body can use those healthy stem cells to fight leukemia. But bone marrow isn’t the only source. They can also find stem cells in cord blood from the umbilical cord and placenta. Willow says, if Terry is talking about taking something away from the baby to help her, the answer is no, and I wonder how she passed nursing school. Michael says, if there’s an option that can save both Willow and their daughter, they need to hear the doctor out.

Alexis finds it hard to believe Nikolas would give up Windymere, and Victor says, perhaps he felt he owed it to Ava for sleeping with his son’s ex-girlfriend. She says, when he puts it that way… It still seems out of character for her nephew. Laura joins them, and says she hopes Victor is happy. Victor says he doesn’t know; is he? She says he’s gone too far this time, and he asks what on earth she’s talking about. She says she was just contacted by the Paris authorities. Valentin is dead. Alexis says, Valentin is dead? and Laura says she’s sorry. A portion of the Paris catacombs collapsed last night. Alexis says, how? Why? Laura says, it flooded when the water main broke. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but they’ve already recovered three bodies. One of them has been identified as Valentin. Alexis says, what about Anna? Wasn’t she traveling with him? Laura says, Martin told her that he saw them leave Ireland together, so yes, and Alexis asks, what about the other body? Laura says, a woman, but she hasn’t been identified yet. Alexis says she can’t believe Valentin is gone, and Laura says, it’s just horrible. All she can think about is Charlotte. She’s going to be completely devastated. Alexis says, and Robin, but Laura says, they don’t know about that yet. As bleak as it may look, there’s always the possibility that Anna survived somehow.

Martin walks through the woods, blindfolded, and asks if it’s necessary. Clearly, he’s cooperating. Robert and Felicia are with him, and Felicia says, it’s best for all of them, him included, if he doesn’t know where they are. Martin says, mission accomplished, and Felicia knocks on the door of a small house. Anna opens the door, and tells them to get inside. She and Felicia hug, and Felicia says, it’s good to see her safe. Anna says, and breathing, and Felicia says, well, there’s that. Robert says, good to see her, and Martin asks if he can please take this thing off. Robert says, so sorry, and undoes the blindfold. Lucy runs out, saying, Marty, Marty, Marty, and throws herself into his arms. He tells her that she’s a sight for weary eyes, and she says, take it all in, and then kiss her this instant. He says, if she insists, and he does. He says, the nightmare is over, but Valentin comes out, and says, not quite. There’s the small matter of his death.

Basking in the afterglow with Drew, Carly says she wants to stay right here forever. Is that too much to ask? He says he’s got to admit, hiding out sounds pretty damn perfect right now, and she says she doesn’t want to go back to the real world. It’s where Willow has cancer, Wiley might lose his mom, and Michael… She sits up, and grabs her phone, saying, she promised Michael that she would take Wiley to visit Willow. Drew says, Michael asking her to bring Wiley is promising that things are going to be okay between them, and she says she’s lucky Michael has a big heart. Her phone rings, and she says, it’s Sonny. It’s probably news about Nina. She says, hello?… No… Are they sure?… Okay. Thanks for calling. Drew says, Nina’s not a match? and she says, no. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, Willow is so sick. What if they don’t find a donor in time? She leans back in his arms.

Nina tells Ava that she could strangle Carly for trying to keep her daughter away from her. Who does she think she is? Ava tells her, stop it, and Nina asks if Ava is saying she doesn’t have the right to hate Carly. Ava says, of course (🍷) she does, but Carly isn’t what’s important right now, and Nina says she’s not going to let it go. She can’t let it go. Ava says she knows. Because it’s easier to be angry with Carly that facing the pain and fear of losing another child. Willow is Nina’s daughter, and she’s very sick. Nina says, she can’t save her. She can’t.

Willow says she won’t do anything to jeopardize the baby’s health, and Terry says she understands, but the baby won’t be affected in any way, other than being delivered by C-section a few weeks early. Willow says she knows she agreed to have the baby early to prepare for the marrow transplant, but she was never comfortable; she’s still not. Their daughter will be born when she’s ready. Terry says she’s consulted with Dr. Navarro, and she’s confirmed that this late in the pregnancy, the risks to the baby are minimal. 99% of babies born at this stage not only survive, but thrive, and after the birth, the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer serving a purpose. It’s possible to harvest stem cells from the blood. Michael asks, what’s the success rate of this type of transplant? and Terry says, nothing’s 100%, but it’s the best chance they have. Because the stem cells are coming from Willow’s baby, they only need about half the HLA markers to match, which is less than bone marrow stem cells. Michael says, that’s incredible, and we finally agree on something. It is pretty amazing. Terry says, in her medical opinion, this is by far Willow’s best option. Will she give it a shot?

Robert asks if there’s any reason they needed to bring Martin here, and Valentin says, it was vital. Anna says, otherwise, Lucy would have driven them crazy. Felicia says, when Anna called this morning, saying they brought Lucy back, she doesn’t remember the last time she was so relieved. And Anna’s life as a fugitive is over. Robert asks if they’re forgetting the fact that the PCPD has a videotape of someone looking a lot like Anna putting a bullet in Lucy point blank, and Felicia says, Lucy will just say the shooter wasn’t Anna. Charges dropped, right? Anna says she doesn’t know as she’s ready to reveal herself just yet; not since they’ve gone to the trouble of convincing Victor that Valentin is dead. Robert says, any plan that puts Valentin six feet under is fine with him, and Felicia says, they really need to think about this. There are people other than Victor who will be very upset. Are they willing to have that on their conscience?

Victor asks, who contacted Laura, and why did they call her and not him? Laura says, because Charlotte is Valentin’s next of kin, and Alexis says, poor Charlotte. Victor asks how they know the body is Valentin’s, and Laura tells him not to pretend he cares. He says, of course (🍷) he cares; Valentin is his son. Laura says, who he tried to control by threatening Valentin’s little girl, and Victor says, Charlotte was never in any danger, but Laura says, face it. Victor only values family when it works to his advantage. He says he needs to make some calls, and leaves.

Nina tells Ava that she’s filled with regret; what they missed out on and what could have been. Ava says, stop talking in the past tense. Willow is not gone. There’s still hope. Nina says she was Willow’s hope. She was supposed to be the game changer. Her bone marrow was supposed to save Willow’s life, and then Willow would forgive her and love her, but Willow doesn’t want to be her daughter. She doesn’t want anything to do with Nina. Ava says she’s been there, and knows how much it hurts, and Nina says she can’t breathe. She just feels the pain going through her body with every heartbeat. Now she has to go to the hospital, and say goodbye to her cousin when she knows her daughter is there fighting for her life, and there’s not a damn thing she can do about it. She won’t survive losing Willow. Ava hugs her.

Michael asks what Willow thinks, when Carly peeks in, and asks if it’s a good time. Michael says, of course (🍷). Bring him in. Terry says she’ll give them some time to consider their options, and leaves as Wiley runs in. Michael lifts Wiley onto the bed, telling him to be careful, but Willow says she wants the biggest, strongest hug she can get. She hugs him, and says she’s missed him so much, and he says he’s missed her too.

On the phone, Victor says he wants to know exactly what the Paris police know, down to the last detail. This is unacceptable. His son was never supposed to be harmed. He wants answers and he wants them immediately.

Alexis and Laura sit at a table, and Alexis says, Victor seemed really shaken up. Laura says, did he ever, and Alexis says, well done, Madame Mayor; she was very convincing. Laura says, you this better work.

Anna says, Laura and Alexis know the truth. They brought them in on it. Felicia says, what about Charlotte? Valentin can’t be okay with letting her believe he’s dead. Valentin says, there’s a plan in place. Laura knows exactly what to say to Charlotte. Anna says, and if everything has gone according to plan, Laura should have broken the news to Victor right about now. Robert is sure their illustrious mayor is right on schedule. He laughs, and says, sometimes he just can’t believe that little Laura, on the run from Frank Smith, holding the Cassadines at bay with a machine gun. Now here they are, the epitome of law and order. Felicia says, look who’s talking, Mr. District Attorney, and he says, my, how the mighty have fallen.

In the bedroom, Martin asks Lucy to swear to him she’s all right, and she says she’s fine. He says, they didn’t hurt her or touch her in any way? and she slips off his jacket, asking if she doesn’t feel all right. He says she feels incredible, and kisses her. He says, still, it had to be awful being Victor’s prisoner, and she says she did spend every minute of every hour of every day praying to get out of there, and did manage to concoct a few escape plans. He says, that’s his girl, and she says, surprisingly, physically they treated her okay… except for the part where she was chained in the basement. Literally. She thinks it was all part of the plan to get Anna and Valentin… He says he could just kill that smug son of a bitch, and she says, the worst part, she actually had to swim through the catacombs, and it was disgusting and icky. Okay. Deep breath. She breathes, and says, that is all in the past, and she’s back and home safe with him. He kisses her, and says, yes, she is. He  thanks God for that, but watching her get shot, that drone footage… She says she knows, and rubber bullets are really not rubbery, but they hurt. He says, it’s not funny. It was one of the worst moments of his life. She says, her poor baby. She’s so sorry he had to go through all of this. He asks if it’s just him, or does this not feel real? She says, it’s real, and she knows just how to convince him. They get busy.

Ava says, Nina has to hold on to hope, and Nina asks if there is any. Ava says, of course (🍷) there is. As long as Willow is alive, there’s always a chance to reconcile, but Nina says, if she beats this cancer, the possibilities of that are remote. Ava says, look at it this way. Nina’s feelings changed the second she learned Willow was her daughter. She immediately saw Willow in a different light. Nina says, but that wasn’t the case for Willow. She’s made that abundantly clear. Ava says, still early days, and Nina says, she tried to remember the first time she saw Willow – it may have been the park or the classroom – when she was only Miss Tate, and giving Charlotte a hard time. She couldn’t stand Willow. Ava says, because Nina thought Willow was picking on her kid, and Nina says, turns out Willow was her kid too. It makes sense that they didn’t get along; Willow is a lot like her, never running from a fight. Willow’s always been really strong. Ava says, now it’s Nina’s turn. Don’t let Willow push her away. Nina asks what Ava wants her to do. Should she force herself into Willow’s hospital room? Ava says, that might be going a little too far, and Nina says, Ava is a really good friend. Ava says, don’t give up, and Nina says, no giving up. Ava says, that’s more like it, and they shake pinkies.

Willow talks bagels with Wiley, and he asks when she’s coming home. She says she’s not exactly sure, but the second the doctors say she can, she’s running straight to the gatehouse. He says, in a hospital gown? and she says, if she has too. Carly says she’d like to see that, and Michael says, him too. Carly takes a handmade card out of her purse, and tells Wiley to give mommy the card he made her. Willow opens it, and it says Get Well Mommy on the inside. She says, he didn’t make this, but he says he did. She says, these pictures are amazing. They must have been drawn by a professional artist. He says he’s the artist, and she says she loves it. Michael and Carly slip out of the room, and Willow says she’s putting the card next to her pillow, so it’s the first thing she sees when she wakes up. In the hallway, Michael thanks Carly for bringing Wiley, and she says, seeing Willow’s face light up when she saw him was everything. He says, it means the world to Willow, and she says, it meant the world to her that he asked. She hopes this means they’re okay. He says, they are… At least they will be eventually. She asks what Terry had to say, and he tells her, it was actually good news. There may be a way to save Willow.

Alexis says she was relieved to get Laura’s call this morning; she was starting to lose hope. Laura says she was too, but it’s true. Anna, Valentin, and Lucy are safe, and back in the U.S. Alexis says, good, and asks if she thinks Valentin’s supposed death will hold up under Victor’s scrutiny. Laura says, she thinks so; at least in the short term. She thanks Alexis for her help, and Alexis says, The Invader will print an official story that the French authorities say Valentin was caught in an underground flood in Paris. He’s been declared dead. Laura says, excellent. She has to get going. Britt Westbourne’s memorial is going to start very soon. Alexis says she’s so sorry. What happened to Britt is tragic. Laura says, she did die a hero, and Alexis says, if only all of them could say the same thing. Laura says, they’re good? and Alexis says she’s got it from here. Laura thanks her, and leaves.

Lucy comes up for air, and says she has to tell Martin something.  You know how they say when you’re about to die, your life flashes before your eyes? He says, it must have taken a while, and she smacks his arm. He says, that’s not what he meant; she’s the definition of ageless beauty. He was thinking his Lucy is a woman who’s lived one heck of a life. Lucy says she sure has, and he says he loves that about her. She lives each day to the fullest and then some. She says, her last conscious thought before she hit the water was that she didn’t want it to be over, and he has a lot to do with that. There’s so much she still wants to do, and there’s so much life left to live. She’d kind of like it if he’d do it with her, and be by her side. He kisses her, and thanks her for coming back to him. She says, any time, and he says he means it. He doesn’t know what he would have done if she hadn’t. She says, he knows she would never, ever let Victor Cassadine get the best of her. Never. He kisses her.

Anna asks if Robert has heard from Holly, and he says, no, but he doesn’t expect to. At least not until she finds Ethan. She asks, what about those pieces of the Ice Princess that Victor was looking for? and he says, Victor thinks that was destroyed in the explosion. She says, they’re getting closer and closer to Victor paying for what he’s done to Luke.

Felicia says, it’s good to have the gang back together, isn’t it? and Valentin asks if he’s part of the gang. She says, he did okay in Paris. He managed not to slow Anna down. He says, that’s high praise, and she says, how about this? As long as Anna trusts him, she’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But the second he steps out of line… He says, message received.

Carly tells Michael, this is incredible. It’s the answer they’ve been looking for. He tells her not to get too excited; Willow hasn’t agreed to it yet. Carly asks, why woudn’t she? and he says, Carly has seen how protective Willow is over the baby; she’s going to say no. Carly says, that’s insane. They have to convince her to do this. He says he’ll do his best, but ultimately, it’s Willow’s decision. They go back into Willow’s room, and Wiley is saying, okay, baby, it’s time to come out. We’re ready for you. Willow says, Wiley’s right; it’s time. They’d better call Dr. Navarro. They’re having a baby. He kisses her, and says he loves her. She says she loves him too, and he asks if Wiley is excited.

Victor looks at his phone, and Alexis says she’s sorry to intrude. Has he been able to find out anything? He says, not yet, and she sits down. She says, it’s absolutely unfathomable that Valentin is gone. They got off to a rocky start, but they ended up in a good place. She so sorry for his loss. He says, don’t be. Screw these reports. He refuses to believe his son is dead.

On the phone, Valentin thanks Laura, and says he’ll pass along that update. He tells the others, Victor bought it, and Anna says, that’s great. Felicia says, they finally have him off-balance, and Robert asks, what’s the next part of the plan? Anna says, they exploit Victor’s guilt. Maybe he’ll admit to something in his grief stricken state. Robert says, ramp up the pressure, and Valentin says, big time. Anna says, ideas? and Felicia says, don’t worry. She’s got plenty.

Carly cries in the hallway, and Drew sees her. He asks if Willow had a setback, but she says, just the opposite. She thinks Willow’s going to be okay. He says, that’s incredible, and they hug. Nina walks out, sees them, and moonwalks back out of sight.

On the phone, Ava tells Demetrius that she wants Nikolas out of Windymere by tomorrow… No, this is not a negotiation. The house is hers; she wants him out… Good… No. She doesn’t plan on moving in right away. She’s staying here for the time being.

A nurse tells Michael that she’ll have Terry paged right away, and Wiley asks if she has any apple juice, confusing the nurse with a waitress. Michael says, sorry about that, but the nurse says, no problem, and tells Wiley that she thinks they can scrounge up some juice. He asks what scrounge means, and she says, let’s find out. They leave, and Michael says, Willow means it? She’s going through with the cord blood transplant? She says, yes. She’s going to trust the doctors that their daughter won’t be hurt. He says, she won’t. She’s strong just like her mother. Willow says she can’t wait to meet her, and he says, neither can he, and someday they can tell her how she saved her mother’s life.

On Monday, Curtis says, this is great news, and Marshall says, but what if it isn’t; Stella has a surprise for the bride-to-be; and Nina says, aren’t you two cozy.

🗽 Sure She Is…

The more she keeps saying how happy she is, the less I think that’s the case.

Ramona Singer Dishes On Retirement From The Real Housewives Of New York City; Says She’s “Never Been Happier”

💎 Allez les Filles…

Maybe they were celebrating LisaR making her exit.

Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Star Sutton Stracke Hangs Out With Lisa Vanderpump In Paris

⚓️ Out Like a Lamb…

I’m with Captain Lee on this one. All she had to do was give him a quick call, which she apparently had time to do after the fact.

Below Deck’s Captain Lee Calls Out Captain Sandy for Not Informing Him of Camille’s Firing, Suggests She Lacks “Respect” as Fans React

Passive aggressive much?

Captain Sandy Yawn Seemingly Responds to Captain Lee Criticizing Her For “Lack of Procedure and Respect” Following Camille Lamb Firing

While we’re at it, none of these people are a prize.

The Below Deck Mid-Season Trailer Is Here!

🤯 Already…

They didn’t waste any time. I’m not surprised. It’s very engaging, and the creatures are pretty cool.

The Last of Us Renewed for Season 2

🥀 Dropping Like Flies…

Already the roll call is forming.

https://www.distractify.com/p/lance-kerwin-cause-of-death

https://ew.com/celebrity/stars-we-lost-in-2023-celebrity-deaths/

🐶 Double the Doug…

If anyone deserves it, Doug does.

https://people.com/pets/doug-the-pug-working-on-animated-show/

🎬 Quotes of the Week

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. – Albert Einstein

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Indian Proverb

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. – Oscar Wilde

Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. – John Kenneth Galbraith

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. – Henry Ford

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. – Vince Lombardi

Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity… successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results. – DuPree Jordan, Jr. (Getting out my tiara…)

Sometimes you have to do what you don’t want to do to maintain the life you’ve created. – Judge Lynn Toler, explaining to a man why he has to work to feed his children (sigh)

Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve. – Erich Fromm

It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not. – Andre Gide

☁️ In the Cloud…

If you’re still hanging in with me, hang out on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s happening on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay resilient, and stay not sleeping with your son’s ex-girlfriend. It’s unseemly.

Jan26

January 25, 2023 – Renee Reveals Her True Intentions, Behind the Cataphile, Why She Left, Crystal Reads the Room, New Pump, WeHo Friends, TikTok Emu & Snow

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer and Trina see Laura coming out of Kelly’s, and Laura says, it’s nice to see them. She thinks Cameron needs friends tonight, and Spencer says, they’ll look after him and make sure he’s okay. Laura leaves, and Trina asks if he knows what going on with Cam. He says, Joss stabbed him in the back.

In her dorm room, Josslyn flashes back to Cameron saying he’ll keep her secret, but not to thank him for being a better person than she is. Unlike her, he doesn’t betray the people he cares about. There’s a knock at the door, and Josslyn opens it to Carly, who says she got Josslyn’s message. What’s wrong? Josslyn says she screwed up, and grabs Carly in a hug.

Drew is arm wrestling with Wiley, and asks if Wiley’s been lifting weights. Wiley says, no, and Drew lets him win, saying, then he’s definitely been eating spinach. Look what just happened. Wiley says he’s strong, and Drew says he demands a do-over. Wiley wants to tell grandma, and Drew flashes back to being on the beach with Carly and kissing her.

On the phone in a private area of the MetroCourt, Victor says he’s perfectly aware the accommodations aren’t as luxurious as their guests would wish, but they’ll have to do for the time being. Keep him apprised of any developments. She might just be his best hope of bringing his son back to him.

Anna asks if Lucy can hear them, and says, it’s her and Valentin. Valentin tells her, nod her head yes or no; is she hurt? Lucy yells a bunch of stuff, but she’s not understandable through the gag. We see she’s handcuffed to a pipe, and Anna says, they’re going to get her.

Drew says, Wiley can tell grandma about his epic win later. Right now, it’s time for bed. There’s a knock at the gatehouse door, and Drew opens it to Olivia, who has a foil covered platter in her hands. Wiley says, hi, Mama Q, and Olivia says she told him, it’s Auntie Olivia. He tells her, Cody said, it’s Mama Q, and asks if Annabelle is with her. Olivia says, Annabelle is sleeping because she’s tired out from playing with him, and Drew tells Wiley, it’s PJ time; time for bed. Olivia says, that’s why she’s here. Wiley is officially invited to a slumber party up at the main house. Drew asks how that sounds, and Wiley says, yay! Olivia tells him to pick out his favorite PJs and two toys, and Wiley runs upstairs. Olivia says, cutest kid ever… other than Leo of course (🍷). Drew says, of course (🍷), and it’s sweet of her to invite him up to the main house. She says she figured they could use a break. He’s doing a good job of hiding his feelings, but she can tell Drew is worried about Willow. He says, aren’t they all? He’s definitely gotten closer to Willow and Michael over this past year. She’s such an incredible woman, it kills him that she’s going through this right now. She says, at least now there’s hope for a donor. She assumes he knows that Nina is Willow’s mother, and he says he guesses news travels fast. She says, whatever her feelings are for Nina, she just hopes Nina is a good match, and Willow’s going to be okay. Drew says, Willow could be okay already. She could already have her bone marrow transplant, and on her way to recovery if… Olivia says, if what? What isn’t he telling her, and why does she get the distinct impression it has something to do with Carly?

Carly asks, what happened? and Josslyn asks, how’s Willow? Carly says, she’s the same, waiting to see if Nina’s a bone marrow match, and Josslyn says she should have stayed. Carly asks, what’s going on? Josslyn didn’t leave a lot of detail in her message. Josslyn says she hurt Cam all over again. She lost him as a friend. They’ve known each other forever, and she blew it. Carly asks why she says that, and Josslyn says, Cam came over here tonight, and she wasn’t alone.

Walking into Kelly’s, Trina says, Spencer has to explain it to her. What does he mean by Joss stabbed Cam in the back? Cameron looks up from the counter, and Spencer says he can’t believe Trina’s best friend didn’t tell her. Trina says, tell her what? What’s going on? Cameron says, she really doesn’t know? and Spencer says he kept his mouth shut for once. Trina says, about what? If something’s gone wrong with Cameron and Joss, she needs to know. Spencer asks if Cameron wants to tell her, or should he.

Laura brings Charlotte into the MetroCourt restaurant, and they walk over to Martin at the bar. He wonders how he could be so lucky that the two most attractive ladies in the room are paying attention to him, and Laura says, Doc is working late. She and Charlotte decided to have a girls night out. Charlotte asks if he’d like to join them, and Martin says, it’s official. She’s as well-mannered as she is beautiful, but he’d never intrude on a girls night out. Laura suggests Charlotte wash up before dinner, and Charlotte asks Martin to think about having dinner with them. He looks like he could use a friend. She leaves, and he says, out of the mouths of babes. Laura says, she’s very observant, and she’s right. He should have dinner with them. If nothing else, they’ll provide a distraction.

Still on the phone, Victor says, he wants frequent updates and a speedy resolution, when he turns to see Charlotte on her way to the bathroom. He says, hold it right there, granddaughter.

Martin tells Laura to enjoy her girls night out. He has no reason to subject his brand new niece to a serious case of low spirits. She says, he’s got to have faith. She believes Anna and Valentin are going to find Lucy, and bring her home. He says, amen to that. Truth be told, he was sitting here stewing about how he could tip things in their favor. Speaking of, has she ever pondered what was said at Pentenville when they had that little tête-à-tête with their dear incarcerated brother? She asks if he means when Cyrus suggested they work together to bring Victor down. He’s not actually considering that, is he?

In the catacombs, Renee says, she knows the way, follow her, but Anna says, wait. There’s a door right there. Is that the only entrance? Renee says, oui, and Anna says, it’s going to be guarded obviously. Is Renee sure there’s no other point of entry? Valentin says he thinks they’re looking at one. These joints are so rusted, he thinks they can yank this grate right off. He and Anna pull at the grate.

Drew says, Carly has known Nina was Willow’s mother since Harmony died, and didn’t say anything. Olivia says, she what? and he says, she thought she was protecting Willow. As soon as she found out Willow was sick, she did tell the truth. Olivia says, but in the meantime, she kept that information from everyone, including Drew, and he says, but that wasn’t the only lie. Carly was so determined that the truth didn’t come out, she actively sabotaged his search for Willow’s birth family. Olivia asks how he found out about all of this, and he says, Carly confessed once he told her that Willow had leukemia. She says, he’s dealing with some really heavy stuff here, and he says, Willow collapsing and being rushed to the hospital is heavy stuff. They have to show up for her, and that’s all that matters right now. She says, of course (🍷) that’s what matters most, but his relationship with Carly matters too. Does he think their friendship can survive this?

Josslyn tells Carly that she talked to Michael a little bit, but he was totally focused on Willow of course (🍷). She was just sitting around the hospital, and didn’t want to run into Sonny or Nina. Dex showed up, and they  rode in the elevator together. She brought him back here, and it really helped to talk with him and be with him. They decided to order food, and Dex was only in his pants. She wasn’t in much more, and when they went to answer the door, it was Cam. She cries, and says, the look on his face… Carly sits next to her on the bed, kisses her forehead, and says she’s so sorry. Josslyn says, so is she. She’s not sorry she was with Dex, but she’s so sorry she hurt Cam like that.

Trina says, Joss broke up with Cameron on New Year’s, and she’s just hearing about this now? Why didn’t Josslyn tell her? Cameron says he doesn’t know; maybe she was embarrassed. Spencer says he’d be embarrassed to break up with Cam, and I laugh, while Cameron looks like he wants to. Trina asks why Josslyn broke up with him in the first place, and Cameron tells her, she said they grew apart. Spencer says, allegedly, and Trina says, he doesn’t believe her? He says he already told Cam that he thinks there’s more going on than Josslyn’s lame reason, and judging by the look on Cam’s face, he’s guessing he’s right.

Laura says, Martin knows as well as she does that Cyrus’s good intentions also come with an agenda. He says he guesses she’s right, but don’t worry. He’s not seriously considering working with Cyrus, but he did bump into Victor earlier when he was at the hospital. It was a harsh in-your-face reminder why he’s not sitting here having dinner with Lucy tonight. She says she believes Anna and Valentin are going to bring Lucy home; she promises him. He asks how she’s in a position to promise him that, and she says, Valentin sent her a message on Christmas. He asks why she didn’t tell him sooner. Did he say anything about Lucy? She says, he didn’t, but he did say things were going well, and they’re making headway. He asks what the hell that means. They both know, the longer it takes to find Lucy, the less her chances for survival. He’s sick and tired of sitting around, putting all of his eggs in alternate baskets. He’s going to find another way to get to Mr. Victor Cassadine. She says, by representing Esme Prince?

Victor says, Charlotte, how lovely. He’s been meaning to visit her for ages now, but her grandmother has other ideas. He and Laura have their differences, but he was hoping they could put them aside where their shared family is concerned. Oh well. So how is she doing? Charlotte says she’d be a lot better if she knew where her father was.

Valentin and Anna get the grate off, and Anna runs inside. She removes Lucy’s gag, and asks if she’s all right. Lucy says, Anna saved her… after Anna tried to kill her. She doesn’t understand. What the hell is going on? Anna says, it was a set-up; she was framed. They don’t have time to explain. She works on Lucy’s handcuffs, when Renee takes out a gun and says she’s sorry, but Lucy’s not leaving, and neither are they.

Josslyn tells Carly that she asked Dex to leave. He didn’t want to, but he did, and the second she and Cam were alone, he asked her straight out if she’d slept with Dex before they broke up. She didn’t even need to say anything; he could see the truth on her face. Carly asks, what is the truth? and Josslyn says, she and Dex have been sleeping together since New Year’s. So now Cam thinks she’s a liar and a cheater, and she broke up with him for Dex, but she didn’t. Carly says, two things can be true. Her feelings for Cam could have changed at the same time she was starting to connect with Dex. Josslyn says she should have broken up with Cameron weeks ago, but she kept putting it off. Part of that is legit, because they had a lot going on. But another part of her didn’t want to hurt him, and she ended up hurting him even worse. It’s not even that he just walked in here. She had to ask him not to say anything about her and Dex. Sonny told Dex to stay away from her. If he finds out Dex disobeyed him, he could kill him. Carly says, she’s right. Dex is risking his life by being with her, but he’s also risking his life by working for Sonny. That doesn’t seem to bother Dex; does it bother her? Josslyn says she doesn’t know what Carly is asking, and Carly says she was about Josslyn’s age when she met Jason. He also didn’t have a problem with risking his life. In fact, she thinks he liked it, and she liked that he liked it; that he was dangerous, but made her feel safe. Jason would take these crazy chances, but she always knew he’d be there for her. Is that how Dex makes Josslyn feel? Josslyn says, yes, and Carly says, then she’s going down a really difficult road, and needs to be sure this is what she really wants.

Drew tells Olivia, Carly lied to him when she told him that Nina wasn’t Willow’s mother, but he had no reason to doubt her. He certainly didn’t think she’d go to such lengths to cover up the truth. Olivia says, he’s angry, and he says, she’s damn right he’s angry. On Willow’s behalf, knowing what she’s going through, and his; he trusted Carly. Olivia says she and Drew have a lot in common. They’re both straightforward people. They don’t like lies and secrets. They want everything out on the table so they can deal with it. It’s been a real challenge for her dealing with the Quartermaines, and it’s going to be a challenge for Drew dealing with Carly. She can understand why Drew is upset with her. He says, on some level, he gets why Carly lied to him. She found out about Willow’s DNA results during Wiley’s visitation hearing, and he remembers how hard it was on Willow, how furious she was at Nina. He stood up for Carly when her family was laying into her a little bit for telling the truth. Olivia says, clearly, he still cares a little bit about Carly, and he says, of course (🍷) he cares about her, but that doesn’t change the fact she lied to him.

Cameron says, Trina would have to ask Joss. He only knows what she told him. Trina says, they’re going through a rough patch (another phrase I’ve never heard anyone say IRL) right now, but they always seemed meant to be. She thinks they can work through it. Cameron tells her, drop it. He and Joss are done. He gets up, and Spencer says, go easy. Cameron asks what Spencer and Trina are even doing together right now. Esme’s been found; they can stop pretending. Isn’t there enough BS to go around already? He goes in the back, and Spencer says, wow. Sorry about that. Trina says, it’s fine. Cam’s just hurting, so maybe they should give him a break. It was nice of Spencer to stick up for her though. He says, anytime, and she asks if anyone is in his corner tomorrow for Dr. Westbourne’s memorial service. He says he can’t believe she’s gone. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to say goodbye. She asks if it would help if she tagged along, and he says, it would. She says, then it’s a lock, and he says, cool, and thanks her. He says, Cam’s right though, and she says, about what? He says, there’s no reason for them to keep pretending they’re closer than they really are.

Laura asks how Martin could take Esme’s case, and he says, number one, he didn’t have much of a choice. Number two, don’t you dare. If he had to wait around for her approval of all of his clients, he’d never work again. He seems to remember her having a really dim view of him representing Peter August, and look how that turned out. She says, Esme is no Peter August, but she did horrible things to Laura’s family – his family too. He says, which her son made abundantly clear to him when Nikolas had him assigned to this case pro bono. And just so she knows, he tried to remove himself, but Nikolas promised him triple his rate to remain her attorney. He’s been up all night. Even if Nikolas is hiding something up his sleeve, two can play at that game. Her boy and his beloved uncle have been thick as thieves lately. She says, please tell her that he’s not going to use a pregnant girl, who has traumatic memory loss as leverage, and he says, a little. He’s not a monster. They both know the information is power, and if something lands in his lap that will free Lucy, he’s damn well going to take advantage of it. She says she supposes she understands that, but consider this a warning. If he tries to out maneuver Victor, he’s only going to end up in trouble.

Victor asks Esme to join him for a bit. Can he get her a soda? She says, no, and he asks why she’d think he’d do anything to her father. She says she’s not naïve. Victor sent her to boarding school in Switzerland to keep her away from him. He says he thought she was enjoying her new school, but she says she didn’t enjoy not being able to leave or not seeing her papa. Now Victor has done something to get him out of Port Charles. Victor says, her father makes his own choices. He’s very sorry if those choices keep him away for too long, but he fully intends to bring them all back together again soon. Laura appears, and says, they’ll be skipping that reunion. She tells Charlotte, let’s go.

Renee tells Anna, step away from Lucy, and Anna backs away, holding up her hands. Renee says, Anna Devane, always looking escape plan, but there’s no escaping this. In French, she yells for Jean-Claude and Gavin to come here, and they come in. Gavin tells Valentin and Anna to kneel and put their hands behind their heads, and Valentin asks who paid Renee to sell him out. She says she needed the money; she had no choice. Valentin says, she had a choice. She just made the wrong one. Renee says, that depends on where you’re standing, or kneeling, as the case may be. Lucy says, you’re not going to kill us, are you?

Victor says, sorry for interrupting. He was just… Laura says, Charlotte, and steers Charlotte out. Victor’s phone rings, and he says, what? Gavin says, everything’s set. Would he like to speak to everyone? Victor says, put him on speaker, and asks Valentin and Anna how the reunion is going. He’s sorry it’ll be short lived.

Trina tells Spencer, the cops don’t think Esme’s the killer, which means the real Hook is out there, still attacking people who are connected to her. Which means keeping up this charade is their best bet for luring her out from whatever rock she’s hiding under. He says, so they’re agreed; they keep pretending to be a couple. She says, yes, even though her mom called her out for letting him back into her life. He says he can’t say he’s surprised. She had a strong reaction to them. Trina’s mother hates him, and he probably deserves it. She says, it doesn’t matter. She stood up to her mother; told her who she hangs out with is her business. He says, sorry to cause problems between her and her family, but she says she keeps telling them that they need to learn boundaries; that she can make her own choices. He says, her family just cares about her. A lot of people do.

Carly says she can’t tell Josslyn how to live her life. Josslyn is just like her. No one can tell her anything; she has to figure it out for herself. But Carly’s life can be divided by what happened before she met Jason, and everything that happened after. It’s going to be the same for Josslyn if she stays with Dex. That person who puts you in danger, and gets you out of it. That person who makes you want to take crazy chances. The person you want to lie for, even when he doesn’t want you to. As Josslyn’s mother, Carly doesn’t want that for her. Does Josslyn want that? Because it isn’t just some other guy. This will change her life. Josslyn says she can’t un-meet him, and she can’t un-care about him. What’s going to happen between her and Dex has already started, and she doesn’t want it to stop.

Olivia tells Drew, she understands that no one likes to be lied to, but Carly kept the truth from Willow because she was trying to protect her. Her motives could not have been further from selfish. He says, understanding Carly’s motives and trusting her are two different things, and Olivia says she’s willing to bet he was drawn to Carly for all of these traits he’s grappling with right now. Her open heart, and her determination to protect her family at all costs, even when she sometimes hurts the people closest to her. His eyes are open. There’s no pretense about who Carly is, about the things she’s done, and he chose her anyway.

Valentin asks if Victor is going to kill them while he’s half a world away. He never pegged Victor as a coward. Victor asks if Valentin thinks he could dispose of him that easily. He can’t make Charlotte an orphan. Besides, he still has hope for their relationship… Although it probably never stood a chance with her influence. Valentin asks, whose influence? and Victor says, just know that he’ll always be Victor’s son. He’ll never give up on Valentin. Gavin knows where to take Miss Coe and his son. Get rid of Miss Devane. Valentin jumps up, and says, he’ll kill Victor himself.

Drew says, Olivia is right. He wanted to be with Carly for everything she is. Olivia says she knows better than anybody that Carly sometimes goes about things in a backwards way, especially when she’s trying to protect her family. She and Carly have had some epic arguments about their sons, but Carly has also come through for her many times. He says he cares about Carly a lot, but he just doesn’t see kind of future they can have moving forward. Olivia asks if he thinks it was easy for Carly to lie about this. She and Carly have been friends a long time. Carly feels things very deeply, and she’s willing to bet Carly was at war with herself about this. Wanting to be honest with him, wanting to protect her family, not wanting to lay another secret on him. He says, she was so adamant she did right thing, and Olivia says, who knows? Maybe she did based on what she knew and didn’t know. Carly will protect the people she loves at all costs, and damn if that’s not the person she wants to have in her corner. He says, bottom line, they can’t be in relationship where lying is okay, and she says she gets that. Only Drew can decide what’s okay and not okay in his relationship. He’s got to make that decision for himself. She’s going to wrangle Wiley. She heads upstairs, asking him to lock up before he leaves.

Carly tells Josslyn that she said Dex is going to be the person Josslyn lies for, but don’t lie to her. She won’t always approve of what Josslyn’s doing or agree with everything, but she’ll always have Josslyn’s back, and needs to know Josslyn will always come to her when there’s something wrong. Josslyn says, Carly has her own problems and her own life, but Carly says, nothing is more important than being Josslyn’s mother. Josslyn says, okay, she’ll come to Carly, and Carly says, she better. Josslyn asks if Carly misses Jason, and Carly says, every day. Josslyn says, but Drew helps, and Carly says, he did. Josslyn asks if they broke up, and Carly says, not yet. Josslyn asks, what happened? and Carly says she found out Nina was Willow’s mother and didn’t say anything, and he feels betrayed. She kept things from him; she lied to him. Josslyn says, she’s just going to give up? and Carly says she’s holding onto hope they can work through this, but she does understand how he feels. Josslyn says she knows why Carly kept Nina and Willow’s relationship a secret. The same reason she kept her feelings for Dex a secret from Cam. Why inflict unnecessary hurt? Carly says, but Willow and Cam got hurt despite their best intentions, and Josslyn says, because they can’t control how other people feel. They can’t control other people’s reactions to their decisions. That’s why it’s better to tell the truth. It’s less painful than defending a lie. Carly wonders how Josslyn got so wise, but Josslyn says she’s not sure, and they hug.

Trina asks if Spencer has spoken to his father since… Spencer says, since his father got his ex-girlfriend pregnant? No. He’s tried to avoid his father as much as he possibly can, and plans to keep doing so. His father has hurt him again and again. He hates his father for it, and wants nothing to do with him. She says she gets the impulse, but it may not be feasible. Spencer’s about to have a new sibling. Is he really going to let his feelings for his father prevent him from having a relationship with his new baby sister or brother?

At a table with Martin and Laura, Charlotte asks if Laura knows where her papa is. Laura says, they know he’s safe because he sent them a message on Christmas, but Charlotte says, that’s not the same as knowing where he is, and what he’s doing. What if Grandfather Victor has done something to make him disappear, and they never see him again?  

Lucy is released, and Gavin says, let’s go. Renee wonders, what’s this? It was in Anna’s bag. She holds what looks like a tube of some kind, as Anna presses a button she’s had hidden in her sleeve. They hear an explosion, and Anna says, that would be the something-or-other she attached to the watermain. In about one minute, this whole chamber is going to be flooded. Valentin says, Anna was onto Renee from the very beginning, and Anna says, Renee changed her appearance when she left their hotel room, so she had to figure maybe Renee was more than just a cataphile. Valentin says, and he does everything Anna says. Anna and Valentin jump up, and Valentin takes care of Gavin and Jean-Claude. Anna punches Renee, knocking her out, and says she hopes Renee can swim or breathe under water.

Carly knocks at the gatehouse door, and Drew opens it.

Spencer tells Trina, of course (🍷) he’s not going to turn his back on his sibling, but his father is toxic, and he needs to make sure he doesn’t get the chance to hurt his sibling and treat them the way he treated Spencer. The best thing to do would be ensure his father doesn’t get to raise the child. She says, obviously that would be best, but Esme’s not much of an improvement. Besides, Esme’s facing criminal charges, and may be sent to prison. So his father may not be the best option, but he’s the only option. Spencer says, not necessarily. What about him?

Laura says, one thing she knows about Charlotte’s father is he would move heaven and earth to get back to her. Martin says, and the rest of them will be here for her until he does. Charlotte thanks them, and Laura says, it’s her turn to wash her hands. She’ll be right back.

Laura walks over to Victor, and says, leave Charlotte alone. He says, she can try to turn his family against him, but she won’t succeed. Charlotte will come around, if she ever wants to see her father again.

Valentin, Anna, and Lucy run out of the catacombs, coughing and gasping for air. Valentin says he doesn’t think Anna has ever been more beautiful than when she punched Renee in the mouth, and Anna says, he’s so romantic. She asks if Lucy is all right, but Lucy says she doesn’t know. Thank God for Anna, or she would have ended up like Renee and those guards. She’s not going to miss them, but seeing their dead bodies is not a sight she can get out of her mind. Anna says, it’s tragic, but it was Lucy or them. Valentin says, they’ve got to move, but Lucy says she doesn’t want to go yet. Do they have a phone that’s still working? She needs to call Marty. Anna says, she can’t, and Lucy asks, why not? Valentin says, because as far as the rest of the world knows, they’re all dead, and Anna says, and we have to stay that way.

Tomorrow, Sasha tells Nina to show up for Willow the way she showed up for her; Selina tells Gladys, it’s time to cover her debts; and Carly asks Drew where they stand.

🔦 C’est Une Cataphielle…

Two and a Half Men is my guilty (very guilty) pleasure, and although I don’t remember her, I assume she’s one of the girls Charlie dated.

Renee on GENERAL HOSPITAL — Everything You Need To Know

🏥 Real Reason…

This must have been hard for him to hear.

Alicia Leigh Willis Reveals the Real Reason She Left GENERAL HOSPITAL

💎 Casual Observer…

Crystal gets the Voice of Reason award for last season.

https://pagesix.com/2023/01/21/rhobh-star-crystal-kung-minkoff-on-lisa-rinna-drama/

🗣 Not the Real Reason…

Again, are we watching the same show?

https://pagesix.com/2023/01/23/harry-hamlin-spills-real-reason-why-lisa-rinna-left-rhobh/

🍸 Pump Your Tinis…

What’s Garcelle doing there? Starts February 8th.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/vanderpump-rules-season-10-cast-premiere-date-trailer

👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 About Those Friends…

If you missed the premiere, you can watch it on YouTube.

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/real-friends-of-weho-49055137

The drama before the drama.

https://www.distractify.com/p/todrick-hall-controversy

📲 New Emu In Town…

Looks like LiMu has some competition.

https://people.com/pets/emmanuel-tiktok-famous-emu/

🤺 Moving Like Jagger…

Come join me tomorrow for soap and a cornucopia of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not sitting on the fence, and stay telling the truth. It’s less painful than defending a lie.