Tag Archives: Lisa Vanderpump

January 13, 2023 – Carly Confesses All To Nina, Burdensome, True Story, a Farewell, New Ultimate, Maybe Moving, VanderNext, Dead Talk, Literary Dogs (!), Quote Octet & Glory

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Trina plays cards with Curtis and Portia, and Portia asks what Trina is doing on her phone. She’s been texting all night. What’s going on? Who is she texting? Curtis says, only if she feels like sharing, and she says, sorry. She didn’t mean to be rude. It’s Spencer; he needs her. We see her text to him: Hang in there. You’re not alone.

There’s a knock at Sonny’s penthouse door, and Spencer lets in Alexis, thanking her for coming. She says, he told her it was important. What’s up? He says, take her pick. Esme’s been found, his father’s sunk to a new low, and Britt is dead. She says she’s really sorry about Britt, and he says, it’s so wrong that she’s gone, and it scares him that there’s someone out there who may be even more dangerous and unhinged than Esme is.

At the station, Jordan says she understands the position Dante is in, but this investigation needs a break. The interview with Britt Westbourne was helpful. They now know the killer’s wearing a mask, but she’s still on the loose. If he’d feel more comfortable, she can take the lead. He says, no. It’s all good. They need to get to the bottom of what happened to Britt Westbourne that night. She says, that they do, and she’s hoping his connection with the witness pays off.

Michael asks if Drew knows where his mom is, and Drew says, she’s with Nina. Michael says, this night’s already bad enough. Why would she talk to Nina of all people? Drew says, there’s something Michael needs to know, but Michael says, if it has to do with Nina, he’s out. Drew says, he gets it. Nina has made life difficult for him and Willow. Michael says, she’s been hounding them for months. She took them to court over Wiley, and said Willow was cheating on him. Nina can’t stay out of their lives no matter what they do.

Outside Willow’s room, Josslyn asks if Sonny has seen Michael, and he says he hasn’t, but he’s sure Michael is close. She says, something’s come up and she has to go, but she told Michael she’d stay with Willow, and she feels really bad leaving her. Sonny says he’ll stay with Willow. Go ahead and go. He’ll explain it to Michael. She says, okay, and leaves. Sonny goes into Willow’s room.

Nina says, before Carly starts, if this is about her upsetting Willow again, she didn’t go over there for that. Carly says, that’s not what this is about. As Nina knows, Willow is sick. Nina says, that’s why she and Sonny were at the chapel; they were praying for Willow. Carly says, praying is good, but Nina can do more to save Willow, and Nina says, anything she can do. Carly says, good, because Nina may be the only person on earth who can save Willow.

Portia says, Spencer needs her? and Trina says, he needs a friend. Portia says she didn’t realize Trina still considered Spencer a friend, and Trina says, Esme resurfaced, and Spencer found out she was pregnant – by his father – and then he lost Britt who he was very close to. It’s been a lot on him. Portia says she doesn’t doubt it, especially the pregnancy part. She’s sure Spencer has a lot to unpack. What about Josslyn and Cameron? Can’t they help him? Curtis says, they know how amazingly compassionate Trina is, and Portia says, of course (🍷) they’re extremely proud of Trina’s instinct to help someone in need. But she has a very giving and forgiving heart, and she’s going through a lot right now herself. Curtis says, he and her mother want to make sure she’s supported. She has a lot to process, like, how does she feel about Esme being caught? Trina says, honestly, she’s conflicted. For months, she wanted Esme to face the consequences of filming that video and framing her. Esme made her life hell. Portia says, of course (🍷) she would want justice, and Trina says she did, but she wanted more than justice. She wanted revenge, and part of her still does.

Alexis says, so Spencer is living here now? and he says he is. She says, enough about that. She assumes he’s been told the PCPD is no longer considering Esme as a suspect, and he says, yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s innocent of anything else. He’s learned not to underestimate Esme. She says, hard won wisdom, and he says he did speak with her though. She asks what Esme said, and adds, she’s asking as his aunt, not as an editor. He says, that’s cool either way. She didn’t know who he was. Either she’s a very convincing fake, or she’s got amnesia. Alexis says, or maybe it’s possible she committed the crimes and doesn’t remember. She thinks it’s smart that the PCPD moved on to other suspects. He says he almost wishes she was guilty, so he could stop worrying that someone is targeting Trina and their other friends. She says, Britt was incredibly brave, and he says he almost wishes she wasn’t. She put her life on the line, but if she’d just run away like the person she was protecting, she might have lived to fight another day. He doesn’t know.

Dante thanks Josslyn for coming to the station so quickly, and she says, he told her it was important on the phone. He says, it is; it’s about The Hook killer. She asks if they found her, and he says, not yet, but he was hoping she could help them out with some questions. She says she wants to do whatever she can to help, but will it take long? and he says he doesn’t know. Does she have somewhere to be? She says, actually, yes. She was with Willow. They walk into the interrogation room, and Jordan and Robert are there. Josslyn asks, what is this? and Jordan asks her to have a seat.

Sonny says, Willow looks so fragile, but he knows she’s anything but. He’s seen her take on Shiloh and Nelle to protect Wiley. She’s been in a jail cell… She’s a fighter. That’s why he knows she’s going to fight this. She has the best medical care, and Michael’s going to do everything he can to take care of her. He just wishes he knew how to take care of them both.

Michael tells Drew, Nina actually came to their house tonight and accused him of jeopardizing Willow’s health. She confused Wiley; she upset Willow. If he has to get a restraining order, he’ll get one. He’ll do everything in his power to keep Nina away from Wiley. Drew says, he does not want to do that. He and Carly think Nina could be a bone marrow match for Willow. Michael knows he’s been searching for Willow’s birth family, right? Michael says, don’t tell him that Nina is some distant relative, and Drew says, not so distant.

Nina says she’s happy to get tested, just like everyone else, but Carly says, she’s not like everyone else. She needs to get tested now, and needs to rush the results. Nina says she understands the urgency – Willow’s having a medical crisis – but why did Carly have to come to her personally? Carly says, because a family member has the best chance of success, and Nina is the most likely match. Nina says she and Willow aren’t related, but Carly says, they are. Nina asks if Carly is all right. They’re only connected through Wiley, and that’s only because Nelle was her daughter. Carly says, Nelle isn’t Nina’s only daughter. Willow is too.

Dante says, Josslyn knows Britt Westbourne was murdered recently by The Hook? and Josslyn says she does. Jordan says, Dr. Westbourne was nicked trying to defend someone else, and Dante says, the intended victim, the person Britt rescued… They have security footage from the docks, and they think they have a lead. He slides his tablet over, and Josslyn looks at it. He asks if she recognizes anyone, but she says, it’s grainy. He says, that footage was captured on Pier 54, at 11:57 pm, the night of December 31st; fifteen minutes before Britt called in the attack on Pier 55. Josslyn slides the tablet back, and asks, what’s the question? Jordan says, was Josslyn the intended victim the night Britt died?

Curtis says, it’s perfectly natural that Trina would want Esme to pay for her crimes, and Trina says, but she’s not sure she does anymore… at least not like she used to. They should have seen Esme when she showed up on the deck of the Haunted Star. She looked pathetic, soaking wet, shivering, pregnant. She looked completely vulnerable. Portia says, that night maybe, but that doesn’t mean she’s still not a threat. Curtis says, Esme drugged Oz Haggerty to the point he had to be put in a medially induced coma, and she’s still a suspect in The Hook killings. Trina says, no doubt Esme’s done some horrible things, but that was the old Esme. Portia asks if Trina believes Esme doesn’t remember what she’s done, and Trina says, that’s what the doctors think, right? Is it possible amnesia changed Esme?

Sonny tells says, he’s lost so many people in his life. His son can’t lose Willow. For Michael, the sun rises and sets in her eyes. She’s the mother of his children, his best friend, his soulmate. He knows Willow’s encouraged Michael to communicate with him; to meet him halfway. She’s never lost hope that they’re going to be a father and son again. Everybody needs her. The family needs her; he needs her. Losing her would mean there’s no hope of the family getting back together again.

Michael says, Nina is Willow’s birth mother? The woman who’s been antagonizing Willow since she was a teacher? And Harmony knew the whole time? How could she… Drew says he knows it’s a lot to take in, but Willow needs Michael. She needs Michael’s support. Carly wanted to tell her, but because time is of the essence… Michael says, Drew’s right. She needs to hear it from him.

Nina asks what Carly is talking about. Willow is not her daughter. Carly says she understands this is a shock. She’ll be happy to give Nina an explanation, but later. Please come to the lab… Nina says she’s not going anywhere with Carly until Carly tells her… Carly says, there’s no time, and Nina says, then talk fast. Carly says, Nina had twins, and Nina says, impossible. Carly says, no. She was in a coma. Nina says she had medical attention. Phyllis was one of her nurses. She took Nelle to Florida, and gave Nelle to the Bensons. Carly says, that was the second baby, and she’s guessing that was by design, because Madeline had to make sure she separated the babies so she could get her hands on Nina’s inheritance. Nina says she doesn’t know why Carly is doing this, but she’ll play along. If Willow was Nelle’s twin, Carly is saying Madeline handed of Willow to… Carly says, Harmony. Nina’s mother gave the baby to Harmony.  

Dante says, the person in that footage looks a lot like Josslyn, and if it is her, that means she was in the vicinity of that attack. That means she could possibly help them ID the killer. Josslyn says she’d tell them if she thought she could help, and Robert says, no need to be cagey. She’s in no trouble. Jordan says, they believe Josslyn was the victim that night. It’s curious she didn’t say anything. Dante says, they think she was the intended target the night Brando was killed. If what they suspect is right, then the killer got a second shot at her on New Year’s Eve. Jordan says, if Britt hadn’t shown up, Josslyn’s family might be planning her funeral. Robert says, they can’t protect her unless she gives them all the information. Talk to them. Diane walks in, and says, not one word.

Curtis says, whether or not Esme has amnesia, Trina can’t let her guard down. Trina says she hears them. She fully believes Esme is a psycho, but not a serial killer. Portia says she’s not clear on the laws regarding memory loss, but she doesn’t think it gives Esme a free pass. She committed crimes; she’s a criminal. She needs to face the consequences of her actions. Trina tells them, that’s what Spencer said, and she doesn’t disagree. She’s not saying she’d trust Esme again, but she’s not using Esme as a means of closure. She wants to end that chapter of her life and move on. Portia asks how letting in Spencer helps her do that.

Alexis says, Spencer was closest to Esme. She didn’t have any family; is that true? He says, just adopted siblings. They’re not close, but in due time, Esme will give birth and contribute directly to her family tree. Alexis says, and ours.

Sonny says, they’re going to do everything they can to get Willow well, so she can get back to her kids and his son. Even if he’s not invited back into the fold, it doesn’t matter. He just wants them to be together and happy. Open her eyes. She can do this. Just… Michael walks in.

Nina tells Carly, who knows how Harmony got Willow? That woman was a pathological liar. Carly says, one that tried to kill her and Alexis just to keep this secret safe, and Nina says, if Harmony wanted to keep it safe, how did Carly find out? Carly says, Harmony told her the night she died, and Nina says, Carly suspected she was Willow’s mother the night Harmony died last year? Carly says, if she’d known Willow was sick, she would have said something a lot sooner, and Nina asks if she told Willow. Carly says, no, and Nina says, good, because there is no evidence beyond a troubled woman’s sick confession on her deathbed. This is irresponsible of Carly to go out and present this as truth. She kind of understands it because of what Willow is going through right now, but she’s going to do Carly a big favor. She’s going to pretend this conversation never took place. Carly says she knows for a fact Nina is Willow’s biological mother, and Nina asks, how? Carly says she has proof.

Sonny says, Josslyn was called away, and didn’t want Willow to be alone, and Michael says he appreciates Sonny being here. Sonny says, of course (🍷). He’ll leave them alone. He leaves, and Michael sits by Willow’s bedside. He says he can hear her voice in his head, telling him to go after Sonny. Life’s too short, and he’s trying. Please don’t tell him their life is going to be cut short. He needs her. She’s his conscience, the voice in his head. And he needs to hear it out loud, even if it’s scolding him. She opens her eyes, and says she’ll remind him that he said that.

Trina says, since Rory died, Spencer’s really been there for her, and Portia says, at what cost? She’ll always be grateful Spencer did the right thing in the end, but she can never forget he lied and took Esme’s side. Trina says, he was playing her, but Portia says, not the entire time. She doesn’t get how Trina can excuse that, and let him back in. How is that moving on with her life? Curtis’s phone rings, and he says he has to check in on the club. He leaves, and Trina says she understands Portia’s concerns, but her eyes are wide open. She sees how Spencer has matured this past year. Those months in Pentenville, and now losing people he loves. It’s changed him; given him purpose. He’s committed to doing better. Portia says she’s genuinely sorry for what Spencer’s going through. The way his father betrayed him is indefensible. Trina says, Spencer’s crushed. He was really tight with Britt. And his father – the only parent he has – keeps letting him down over and over again. Portia says, one of the other reasons she’s so uncomfortable with them reconnecting. The Cassadines are dangerous, even to themselves. Everyone who goes near them ends up being burned.

Alexis says she takes it Spencer isn’t thrilled with having a new sibling. Keep in mind, it’s not the baby’s fault; the baby’s innocent. He says he’s not going to hold a grudge against a baby, and she says she knows. He’s a good one. He has forgiveness and empathy. He thanks her, and says, here’s the issue. If Esme finds a way out of this, she’s going to take that baby as far away from Port Charles as possible. Alexis says, Esme’s got some serious legal trouble pending. Even if she finds a way to get over that, Spencer’s father is resolved. He wants full custody.

In the squad room, Dante says he should have known Josslyn was going to call Diane. She’s Carly’s daughter. She’d probably never talk to the police without a lawyer present. Jordan says, Diane looks to be in fighting form, and Robert says, killer Miller. Diane comes out of the interrogation room, asking if she hears her name. Her client is ready to give a statement. They all go back in, and Jordan says, she wanted to keep this informal. Diane asks if that’s why she had Josslyn’s stepbrother call her down her and ambush her, with the District Attorney and the Commissioner. They know the rules. They can’t compel a potential witness to say anything. Robert says, there’s no need to pull out the heavy artillery; they’re just talking. Diane says, her client is ready to make a statement. The moment this turns into an interrogation, she pulls the plug. Josslyn says she was on Pier 55 at midnight on New Year’s. Someone did come at her with a hook. She doesn’t know who; she was wearing a mask. She tried to get away, but she was in heels. She fell down, and The Hook was basically on top of her. She was going to stab Josslyn, then Britt came out of nowhere, swinging her bag. Britt told her to run, and she did. Jordan asks why Josslyn didn’t come forward when she heard Britt died, and Josslyn says, she only found out about Britt a couple hours ago; they had a family emergency. Robert says, if what she’s saying is the truth, why did she engage counsel? and Diane says, first of all, it’s her constitutional right. Robert says, if she was arrested, which she wasn’t, and Diane says, it’s only a sensible idea to retain counsel. Josslyn is following her mother’s example, and the example of her Uncle Jason, who, if Robert recalls, never sat down to a police interview without the benefit of counsel. Think about all the misunderstandings they’ve avoided over the years, and look at them now, avoiding another one. Robert says, there’s really no comparison, unless she’s accusing his office of persecuting victims of crime. Diane says, not at all. She trusts him to act in good faith; just as Josslyn trusts her to ensure he does. Does Josslyn have anything to add? Josslyn says she didn’t see anything that night that could help them. She wishes she had. Dante asks if she remembers if her attacker was pregnant, and she says she doesn’t really know. She wasn’t really paying attention. She was kind of focused on The Hook, and trying to get away. Diane says she knows exactly how Josslyn feels. If she has nothing more to add… Josslyn says, no, and Robert says he’ll walk Diane out. Dante asks if Josslyn has a minute, but Diane says, only if it’s a family matter and not police business. He says, it is a family matter, and Josslyn says, it’s fine. Diane, Robert, and Jordan leave, and Dante says he’s sorry about this. Josslyn asks if it was his idea, and he says, no, but he went along with it. She says if she knew anything that could help him, he wouldn’t have to ambush her. She would have come to him herself. He says he knows. Looks like she outmaneuvered them anyway by calling Diane. She says she learned from the best, and he says she did. What was the family emergency?

Nina asks what proof Carly has that Willow is her daughter, and Carly says she ran a DNA test on the two of them. After Harmony told her that Nina was Willow’s mother, she was skeptical. So she took a few strands of hair from Willow’s hairbrush, and a glass Nina had used at Charlie’s Pub. Nina says, Carly stole her DNA, then ran an illegal DNA test without her knowledge or consent? Carly says, the results were conclusive, with a probability of 99.9%. Nina and Willow are biologically mother and daughter.

Sonny says, it’s good Drew is here. Michael needs all the support he can get, and he doesn’t want it from Sonny. Drew tells Sonny that Josslyn said she filled him in about Willow, and Sonny asks if Drew’s known all along, but Drew says, no. Willow filled him in a couple of weeks ago. Sonny says, it kills him that she didn’t loop them in, and Drew says, it’s always better to have things out in the open. Sonny wonders if he can ask Drew a question, and Drew says, yeah. Sonny says, Carly’s in the chapel right now with Nina instead of Michael and Willow. Does he know anything about that?

Spencer says, his father wants the baby, and Alexis says, he plans to sue on the grounds that she’s unfit. He says, pot meet kettle, and she says she knows. She doesn’t know the details; she doesn’t want to. She just knows he’s serious. Spencer says, with his considerable resources and no one to vouch for Esme… She says, he stands a good chance. So if Esme isn’t the killer, who is? He says he wishes he could tell her. He really thought it was Esme. She asks if Trina has any enemies, but he says, everyone loves Trina. She says, what about Portia? What about Taggert? He says he doesn’t think so. Trina’s dad and Curtis were both in law enforcement, so maybe, but why would they go after Trina instead of going after them directly? Is she looking for a scoop? She says she’s looking for the truth. She’d like the killer caught. She has to go to work; she has a conference call. Don’t tell his father that she told him about his plans. Spencer says he won’t. It was good to see her. She says, as far as vouching for Esme, is there anyone important to her, aside from that sociopath Chamberlain? He says, yes. She’s very devoted to Esme. Maybe enough to kill for her?

Portia says she’s tried to be open minded about Trina’s connection to Spencer, but his father lost her when he terrorized the kids at Windymere because he was trying to teach Spencer a lesson. Now that same man cheated on his wife, with Spencer’s girlfriend, and got her pregnant. The same girl that terrorized Ava. And don’t get her started on Victor Cassadine because… Trina says she knows. She knows Spencer’s family is messed up. Portia says, amoral is a better word for it. She doesn’t want Trina anywhere near those people. Trina says, Spencer’s not his family; he’s his own man. Portia says, he’s a two-time convicted felon, and Trina says, growing up, Portia taught her never to judge people by their worst mistake. Portia says she knows, but you also have to look at the patterns people do. Trina says she gets that Portia is just looking out for her, but please trust her judgement. Portia says she does, and Trina says she hopes one day Portia sees Spencer the way she does, but ultimately, she doesn’t have to. Because he’s not Portia’s friend; he’s hers.  

Willow asks, what happened? and Michael says, she collapsed at home, but she’s stable now. She says, Nina was in the house with Wiley… He says, Wiley is with Brook and Chase; he’s fine. She asks if Wiley saw her pass out, and he says he’s afraid so. She says, he must be terrified, and Michael says, he knows she’s sick. He doesn’t the have details, but they can explain it to them together. She asks if she’ll make it home to do that, and he says, of course (🍷). Why would she ask that? She says, he has the strangest expression on his face. What is he not telling her? He says, it’s about Nina, and she says she never wants to hear that woman’s name again.

Drew tells Sonny that he knows why Carly wanted to speak to Nina, but it’s not his place to share. Sonny says, Carly’s not here, and he needs answers. If it involves his family, he needs to know, and he suggests Drew tell him.  

Nina says she wants to see those results, and Carly says she’ll get Nina a copy. Nina says, never mind. She doesn’t know if Carly used her samples or Willow’s. She’ll get her own test. Carly says, they don’t have time. Why would she lie? Nina says she doesn’t know why Carly does the things she does. Maybe because she’s a liar. Maybe because Carly hates her, or maybe this is some bizarre revenge because she fell in love with Sonny. Carly says, Willow is dying. She has Stage IV leukemia. She needs healthy blood forming cells from a relative, and she only has one. She has Nina. Nina flashes back to her interactions with Willow over the years, both friendly and antagonistic. Carly says she knows Nina hates her and the feeling is mutual, but it’s not about them. This is about Willow. Please go get tested. Please. Nina says, Carly is a monster. Carly made her feel like the scum of the earth. She said over and over how Nina was wrecking their family. What about Nina’s family? How could Carly keep her away from her child? Carly says, Nina can lash out at her all she wants after she gets tested, and Nina says, don’t tell her what to do. Go to hell, you selfish bitch. She’s going to go save her daughter. She slams out of the chapel.

Trina tells Portia, it’s been a long day. Tell Curtis thanks for dinner. She’s not in the mood for dessert. Goodnight. Trina goes upstairs, and Curtis walks in with a couple glasses of wine. He tells Portia that he heard most of it. Does she want to talk about it? She asks if it’s that obvious, and he says he knows her face. He’s literally memorized every expression. Call it a survival tactic. She says she thought Trina put Spencer in the rearview, but she seems determined to revive their friendship. He says he wondered about that when he saw them together, and hoped it wouldn’t become a habit, and Portia says, it won’t if she has anything to say about it. He says he’s not sure she does. Trina has made it clear that she values boundaries. Portia says she wants to respect that, but she’s not going to sit back and watch Spencer worm his way back into Trina’s heart again.

Spencer says, last Esme mentioned her, Maggie was living in London, but Sam could tell Alexis more. Alexis says, her Sam? and he says he asked Sam to find Maggie Fitzgerald when he thought she could be the key to getting Esme to confess she framed Trina. But then Trina was exonerated, and he never followed up. In a letter, Maggie warned Esme against having any contact with her birth father. Alexis says, he told her Esme had no family, and he says, none that she knew of, but Esme claims Maggie knew her biological parents, but never told her. Alexis thanks him for this. Let her know if he hears anything else. A reporter took a picture of him and Trina together after Rory’s funeral. He says, they’ve been spending time together, and she says, be careful. If Trina is a target, it could put him at risk. He says he knows how to protect his own, and she says, his own. He is growing up.

Drew tells Sonny, he’s not gatekeeping family business. It’s a personal matter that involves Nina. Sonny says, Nina’s his family, and Drew says he’s sure Nina will tell him. Carly comes along, and tells Sonny to back off. Sonny asks, what’s going on? Where’s Nina?

Willow says, every time she turns around, Nina is invading their space. Making wild accusations; trying to get close to their son. Nina is toxic. Michael tells her to calm down, and she tells him to make her a promise. If she loses this battle, promise her that Nina will never have access to Wiley ever again. Nina walks in, and Willow says, get out. Leave her alone. Michael says, not now, and Willow says, not ever. She wants Nina out of this room, and out of her life for good. Nina says she’s sorry, but Willow’s life may depend on her.

On Monday, Spencer says, this baby may not know either of its parents; Sonny asks what Carly has to feel guilty about; and Michael suggests Willow hear what Nina has to say.

🚑 Heavy Weighs the Soap Crown…

I don’t think I’ve ever watched the scene in question, but it sounds pretty awful. I remember Roger Howarth being uncomfortable about Todd having been a rapist on OLTL, then going on to be an antihero.

👩🏻‍⚕️ The Real Why…

I totally get it, and she certainly went out with a bang.

🥀 Another Goodbye…

I didn’t watch the soaps he was in, but the fact he wrote The Deer Hunter makes him worthy of a mention.

https://www.soapcentral.com/young-and-restless/news/2023/0110-oscar-nominated-quinn-redeker-a-days-and-yr-alum-has-passed-away.php

🏖 But Will They Survive…?

This actually sounds somewhat interesting. Ultimate underdogs.

🩺 Flipping the Script…

It’s stretching the married part, but then again the Housewives are rarely housewives.

🍸 A Full Trailer…

Something to look forward to. If you have no life. Yeah, I’ll be watching.

⚰️ Here’s Where It Gets Complicated…

You’ll need a daily planner if you want to keep up with all of these.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-to-end-season-8/

🐕 Dogs On the Page…

For the bookworm dog lover.

🐳 Quotes of the Week

I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday. – Eleanor Roosevelt

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

I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?John Lennon while doing mushrooms

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. – Benjamin Franklin

Happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. – Frederick Koenig (Well, duh, Frederick Koenig.)

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.William Feather

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. – Harry S. Truman

Happiness is for dogs and Americans. – Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), General Hospital

🥠 Netflix and Chinese…

When it’s at the point you have to dust them, it’s time to take the decorations down. After you’re finished with whatever the next two days hold for you, take time out on Monday-really-Tuesday for some soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not eating your feelings, and stay never judging people by their worst mistake.

January 6, 2023 – Josslyn Admits Being the Target, Sad Exit, Spotlight, Salty Sentence, Get Out, She’d Rather, Traitors Trailer, Cuteness, a Handful Of Quotes & Eighth

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina looks through the box in Britt’s office, and takes out a photograph. She says, Britt, look at you, so beautiful. She takes out a trophy, and says, Doctor of the Year for everything you did to help people. Everything you still could have done. It’s not fair.

Going into the stables, Wiley says he wanted to stay out with Thor, but Michael says, they can go back in a bit. Wiley asks if it’s because mommy’s tired, but Michael says, it’s cold outside. They just came in to warm up. They sit down, and Wiley insists he isn’t cold, but Michael says, it’s freezing. Wiley’s nose is about to fall off. Wiley says, it isn’t, but Michael says, what about this? doing the old I-got-your-nose thing, and Wiley says, it’s his thumb. Michael asks if he’s sure, and says he better check. Wiley touches his nose, and says, when his baby sister comes, she’s going to guard his nose and he’s going to guard hers. He can’t wait for her to be here. Michael says, neither can we.

On the phone, Drew says, he knows that Claiborne County Colorado is a rural area, but he doesn’t understand how, in this digital age, there can be three Josiahs out there they can’t find addresses for… That’s a great idea. Keep on it, and remember, a woman’s life could depend on it.

The moss bowl🎍! Bigger and badder in 2023. Josslyn shuffles into the kitchen, saying, she barely slept. She sees Dex with Carly,

Spencer walks into Kelly’s, and says, Cameron looks how he feels. Cameron says he worked late last night. He wasn’t supposed to come in this morning, but someone called in sick, so here he is. He’s on his break though, so coffee? Spencer says, double espresso… He’s just kidding. Coffee’s fine. He sits down, and Cameron pours him some coffee. He says, the good news is, Esme’s in custody. The bad news is, she’s pregnant. Cameron says he’s going to need Spencer to say that one more time. They found Esme, and she’s pregnant? Spencer says, yes, which brings him to his question. Does Cameron have any tips on being a good big brother?

Obrecht goes into Esme’s room, dressed in Britt’s lab coat, and Esme says she can’t sleep. Can she get something stronger? Obrecht closes the door, and says, yes. She can arrange that.

Nikolas asks if Elizabeth is sure the baby is okay, and she says she told him; the baby’s heart pattern looks good, no signs of distress. He says he still can’t believe Esme jumped. It’s a miracle, right? Elizabeth says, she’s one lucky girl, and he says he’s glad Marty decided to take her case, but he wishes he could get in there to talk to Esme. She says, that’s not going to happen.

Esme asks who Obrecht is, and Obrecht says she’s glad Esme asked. She’s a mother whose daughter has been taken from her. Esme asks what she wants, and Obrecht says, her pound of flesh.

Elizabeth says, Nikolas needs to stay as far away from Esme as possible, and he says, if Esme is faking, he’ll know. Elizabeth asks why she would. She has all the leverage if she remembers. He could bring back those memories. Does he want to risk that? He says, of course (🍷) not, but Elizabeth went in there, and Esme didn’t remember her. Elizabeth says she’s not the father of Esme’s baby, and she’s not the last face Esme saw before she chucked herself off the parapet. He says he wants to see Esme for himself, but she says, too bad. The longer it takes for Esme to remember, the better it is for them. He tells her, it’s going to be okay. As they speak, Demetrius is cleaning every piece of evidence that Esme was in the north tower. Once he’s done, it’s going to be Esme’s word against theirs. She tells him, in the meantime, stay away from her.

Drew goes into the stables, and says hello to Michael, Willow, and Wiley. He says he came by to see if he could take Carmen for a ride, and Wiley asks if he met Thor. Drew says he didn’t, and asks if Thor brought his hammer. Michael says, Thor is what Wiley named the new foal, and Drew says, of course (🍷). He saw Thor out there; he just didn’t know the foal had a name. Wiley asks if he can take Uncle Drew to meet Thor, and Willow says, Wiley is so excited about the new horse, they can’t keep up with him. Wiley says, mommy and daddy are too old, and Drew laughs, saying, he would love it if Wiley introduced him to the one and only Thor. Wiley says, yay! and he leaves with Drew. Willow says she just needs a minute, and Michael says, she’s got it.

Josslyn asks what Dex is doing here, and he says he needed to talk to her. Did she hear about Dr. Westbourne? Josslyn says, what about her? and Carly says, there was another hook attack last night. Josslyn says, that’s awful, and asks why The Hook would attack Britt. Carly says, the way she understands it, The Hook was after someone else, Britt intervened, and the intended victim got away. Josslyn says, that’s good. No one got hurt, right? They don’t say anything, and Josslyn says, Britt’s okay, isn’t she? Carly takes Josslyn’s hands, and says, no, she’s not. Britt died. Josslyn says, but Britt was fine, and Carly says, according to The Invader, she suffered a scratch. The hook had poison on it, and Britt collapsed about an hour later. Josslyn asks if she was alone, but Carly says, she was with her mom. She knows it’s terrible… and Josslyn says, this happened because of me.

Cameron and Spencer sit at a table, and Cameron asks if Spencer knew that Esme and his father… Spencer says he found out before he went to Pentenville. He knew his father slept with Esme, but didn’t know Esme was pregnant until last night. Cameron asks how long Spencer’s father has known, but Spencer says he has no idea. However, he definitely got the impression his father knew before last night. Cameron asks if Esme admitted to attacking people with a hook, and Spencer says, of course (🍷) not. Can he imagine Esme admitting to anything, ever? She said she can’t remember a thing.

Sonny comes by Britt’s office with Frank, and Nina thanks him for meeting her there. She tells him, there are reporters all around the MetroCourt, hoping to get a quote about Britt. She had security try to… What? He says, they’re vultures, and she says she hopes they don’t get ahold of Aunt Liesl, because that won’t be pretty. Sonny asks if it’s just the one box, and asks Frank to take it to Nina’s car. He asks how Nina is doing, and she says, not great. She’s worried about Aunt Liesl. She already talked to Scotty this morning, and she’s broken. He says, she’s grieving. She lost a child; there’s no greater pain. Nina says, she doesn’t handle grief well. Who does? She’s supposed to be here. She packed that box. Where does he think she is? He asks if Obrecht knows that Esme is in this hospital, and Nina says, no, and runs out the door.

Esme says, a pound of flesh? Is Obrecht talking about her? Obrecht says, yes. Perhaps she recognizes another quote, from a Scottish tragedy, in which a certain lady says, look like the innocent flower, but be a serpent under it. Esme feels around for the call button,  but Obrecht snatches it away. She takes out a syringe, and Esme says she doesn’t know what happened to Obrecht’s daughter, but whatever did, she doesn’t remember. Obrecht asks if that’s supposed invoke her mercy? Does Esme think the taking of her daughter’s life was forgettable? Esme says, whatever happened, she didn’t do it, and Obrecht says, how does she know if she doesn’t remember? She doesn’t deserve the peace Obrecht is about to bestow on her, but the world does. Esme owes her daughter an explanation, and she’d better think of one fast, because she’s about to see her. She shoves a washcloth in Esme’s mouth, as Esme screams and bites her hand. Obrecht says, schweingen. Another peep, and I will make this exquisitely painful. You scratched her with that infernal hook. She died in my arms. Now it’s your turn. Esme shakes her head, but Obrecht says, she needs to know that nothing she says now matters. The only thing that matters is Dr. Britta Westbourne. Her daughter, murdered, poisoned, taken by her. Obrecht notices Esme’s bump, and says, she’s pregnant? Esme nods.

Cameron asks if Spencer thinks Esme is faking her amnesia to avoid being charged as The Hook, and Spencer says, she’s capable of anything. On the other hand, she’s got a baby bump out to here. Her running around stabbing people seems unlikely. But if Esme isn’t The Hook, that means someone else is out there targeting them and Trina. Cameron asks, who else besides Esme would be targeting Trina? Spencer says he doesn’t know, but he thinks him, Cameron, Josslyn, and Trina should get together and figure out what happens next. Cameron says they might have to meet without him. Just let him know what they decide. Spencer asks why he’s acting so weird. Is this about their parents? Cameron asks what he means, and Spencer says, what’s going on? Cameron says, he and Joss broke up.

Carly says, this is not Josslyn’s fault, and Dex says, there’s only one person responsible for this, and it sure as hell isn’t her. Josslyn says, but if they’d stayed… Carly says, stayed where? What is she talking about? Josslyn says she was the intended victim. Britt interfered with her. She got away. Carly says, oh my God. Is she okay? Josslyn says, she’s fine, thanks to Britt and Dex, and Carly asks if it was Esme, but Josslyn says she doesn’t know. The attacker was wearing a mask; she didn’t see their face. All she saw was this hook swinging around. Carly asks why she didn’t wait for the police, and Josslyn says she was so freaked out, she just wanted to get out of there, and she didn’t have anything helpful to tell them. Carly says, she left Britt alone, and Josslyn tells her, Britt said it was okay. She said she was fine; she had it handled. Carly says, she spoke to Britt? and Josslyn says, yes. She wasn’t wounded; nothing was wrong. She doesn’t think Britt knew. Carly says, that’s not what she’s asking. Why did Britt tell the police that she didn’t know the identity of the person being attacked? Dex says, because of him.

Sonny and Nina get out of the elevator across from Esme’s room, where a guard is standing. Sonny says, everything seems fine, and Nina says she’s going to find Aunt Liesl. She leaves, and Sonny goes over to Elizabeth at the reception desk. He apologizes for interrupting, and asks if she’s seen Obrecht, but she says, not since last night. Her phone beeps, and she steps away. Nikolas walks over to Sonny, who asks what he wants. Nikolas asks if Sonny has spoken to Spencer, but Sonny says, not today; why? Nikolas says, he and Britt were pretty close. He’s concerned about how Spencer’s taking her death. Sonny suggests Nikolas try talking to him, but Nikolas says, Spencer’s not taking his calls or his texts. Sonny asks what he did now, and Nikolas says, Sonny will find out soon enough. As he probably heard, Esme’s in the hospital. Turns out she’s pregnant. Sonny asks if Nikolas is telling him Spencer is going to be a father, but Nikolas says, it’s not Spencer’s baby; it’s his. Sonny grabs the front of Nikolas’s shirt, pushes him against the desk, and punches him. Esme’s guard runs over.

Obrecht plunges the needle in Esme’s IV tube, and says, out, out brief candle. Esme whimpers, and Obrecht says, her end will be far more merciful than the one she gave her daughter. Nina comes in, and tells Obrecht, stop. What has she done? Esme’s eyes are closed.

Spencer says he can’t believe Joss and Cam broke up, and Cameron says, he thinks he can’t believe it. Spencer says, when he got out of Pentenville, Cameron had said they were good, and Cameron says he thought they were. He guesses he was wrong. Spencer says, so the break-up wasn’t mutual, and Cameron tells him, Joss said they’d grown apart. Spencer asks if this is because of that jerk Dex.

Carly says, Dex made her daughter leave the scene of a crime, and she wants to know why. Josslyn says, Dex didn’t make her do anything. It was a mutual decision, and Britt agreed. She said she could handle it. Carly asks, what if the attacker had followed Josslyn? Where did she go? Josslyn flashes back to getting busy with Dex, and Dex says, the reason she didn’t go to the police is because he was carrying. It’s a gun Sonny gave him for work. It isn’t registered to him. He doesn’t know where it came from, and doesn’t know what would come back if the police put a trace on it. Carly says, at least she knows why Josslyn felt safe going wherever, and Josslyn says, Dex should probably go, but Dex says, her mom has questions, and he’s happy to explain. Josslyn thanks him, but says she’ll fill Carly in. She walks him out past the glorious moss bowl🎍 that makes all right with the world, and on the patio, she tells Dex, it’s just better if her mom hears everything from her. He says, everything? and she says, God no. She just wants to make sure her mom understands he didn’t talk her into anything; that the decisions she made were hers. He says, any regrets? and she says, other than leaving Britt alone, not one. He says he feels like he should stay, but she says, this is between her and her mom. He says, then he won’t push anymore. She knows how to reach him. She says she does, and goes inside.

Willow says, let’s go visit Thor, but Michael asks if she’s sure she’s not doing too much. She says she’s barely doing anything, and he says he just doesn’t want her to push herself too much. She says, now that the first round of chemo is out of the way, she’s getting her strength back. This morning, she was actually hungry. He says he noticed she ate a whole piece of toast, and she says, and she picked it up all by herself. She says she’s going to get through this, and he says he’s counting on it, kissing her. Drew comes back, and tells them, don’t panic. Melanie lured Wiley back into the house for some hot chocolate. They seem like they’re doing better. Willow says, they’re hanging in there, and Drew asks if they’ve heard anything from the donor registry. Michael says, nothing yet, but hope springs eternal. Willow asks how the search is going for her birth family, and Drew says he’s sorry he doesn’t have any news, but his reporters are working on it. Michael says he hopes they find a lead soon, because obviously a relative is the best bet for a donor, and Drew says, they know the urgency here. He’s glad he ran into them, because he has a question. Michael says, fire away, and Drew asks Willow if Harmony or Doug stayed in touch with the leader of the commune in Colorado; specifically, did they ever mention a guy by the name of Josiah? She says, yes. Didn’t she tell him? Harmony took her to visit Josiah after they left.

Nina runs over to Esme, taking the washcloth out of her mouth. She asks if Obrecht killed her, but Obrecht says, not yet. It was just a sedative to keep her quiet. Nina says, okay, so Esme’s fine; the baby is fine. There’s no lasting injury. Obrecht says, not yet, and Nina says, not ever. She’s got to get Obrecht out of here. Obrecht says, just give her a moment, picking up a pillow, and Nina struggles with her over it, saying, give it to her. This is not what Britt would have wanted. Obrecht says, her Britta can’t want anything anymore. She’s dead because of her. Nina says, Obrecht would kill a mother and her baby? but Obrecht says, nein. She would not. Not the baby.

Drew asks what Willow remembers about her visit to Josiah, and Willow says, sorry. She doesn’t remember much of anything. She only remembers visiting because it was her first time in an airplane. She remembers looking out at the clouds, and Harmony giving her a piece of gum so her ears would pop. That’s about it. Drew asks if it’s the only time they visited, and Willow says, as far as she recalls. Shiloh made Harmony cut ties with Josiah when they joined Dawn of Day. Michael says, of course (🍷) he did. He had to cut off their escape route, and Willow says, why? Does Drew think Josiah knew her birth father? Drew says, his reporters are still searching for other members of the commune, but they do think probably Josiah would be their best bet. In the meantime, it’s important Willow stay positive. She says she is, and he says, good. And if he could ask, if she has the time and energy, give Carly a call. She’s concerned that with the stress of the pregnancy, any more bad news about the search for Willow’s biological family could be overwhelming. Michael says, his mom doesn’t know Willow’s sick, and Drew says, Willow asked him not to say anything, and he hasn’t, but Carly is just worried. To be honest, he’s worried too, that maybe Willow is losing hope, but Willow says she’s holding onto hope with both hands. She’s determined to see their daughter and Wiley grow up

Nina asks if Obrecht is saying she would take the baby, and Obrecht says, why not? Esme took her child; she owes Obrecht another. Nina says, Obrecht knows she’s done that, and she knows from experience that is a mistake. Obrecht says, her baby is gone, and this creature took her. She doesn’t deserve a child. Nina says she will not let Obrecht do this, and Obrecht asks how Nina plans to stop her. Nina says, she’ll call for help, and heads for the door. Obrecht tells her, do what she thinks she must, picking up the pillow again. Her Britta is owed justice, and who better to administer it? Nina flies over, grabbing the pillow, and says, this is not justice. She won’t let Obrecht do this. Obrecht says, why not? and Nina says, because it’s a mistake. Obrecht’s not thinking clearly. Does she want to spend the rest of her life in prison? Obrecht says she doesn’t care, and Nina says, but she cares. James, Maxie, and Scotty, they all care. Don’t throw her life away. Obrecht says, what about Britta’s life? How can she let Britt’s killer go merrily on her way and mother a child, when her child is dead at her hands? Nina says, can she prove that? Does Obrecht know that for sure? Because if she kills Esme before it’s proven she’s The Hook killer, she’ll make Esme the martyr, and she’ll be the villain – again. She takes Obrecht’s hand, and asks if she thinks that’s what Britt would have wanted for her.

The moss bowl🎍 hypnotizes me, as Josslyn tells Carly that she kept trying to get away, but she was in heels, and couldn’t kick them off. She thought about turning and running, but then she would have been stabbed in the back. Josslyn managed to shove The Hook… and Carly says, The Hook was close enough for Josslyn to shove her? Josslyn says she shoved her multiple times. She eventually got her to the ground, and Josslyn was going to make a break for it, but The Hook kneed her, and Josslyn totally lost her breath and fell. She looked up, and the killer was just over her, and the hook was in the air. Carly says, oh my God, and Josslyn says, then there was Britt, and she was incredible. She hit The Hook with her bag, and totally knocked her out of the way. Britt told her to run, but she couldn’t; she still couldn’t breathe. Then there was a gunshot, and Dex was there. Carly asks if he shot The Hook, but Josslyn says she doesn’t know. He either shot her, or scared her enough that she dropped the hook. She left, and that’s all Josslyn cared about. Carly hugs her, and says, thank God she’s alive. Josslyn says, Britt saved her life, and it cost Britt her own.

Cameron says, Josslyn didn’t say anything about Dex. Why would Spencer jump to that? Spencer says, his father slept with his girlfriend. Forgive him if he doesn’t have a lot of faith in relationships right now. Cameron says he’s surprised to hear Spencer say that, and Spencer says, why? Because he’s always such a sunny optimist? Cameron says, no. Because Spencer and Trina went to Britt’s party together. It’s obvious Trina is giving Spencer another chance. Spencer says, as friends, yeah. They were pretending to be closer than they actually are, so they could make Esme jealous and lure her out of hiding. Cameron says, they set themselves up as bait? and Spencer says, romantic, huh? Sonny comes in, and asks if Spencer’s got a second. Spencer says, for him, always, and Sonny tells Cameron that he might want to stay. He sits down, and Spencer asks, what’s going on? Is everything okay? Sonny says, there was another hook attack last night, and Spencer asks, what time was it? Esme showed up at the Haunted Star. Does Sonny know about his father and Esme? Sonny says he doesn’t want to get into that right now. Let’s just get to The Hook attack. Someone else died; someone they know. Spencer asks, who? and Sonny says, Britt Westbourne.

Nikolas tells the guard that he doesn’t want to press charges against Sonny. It was a private squabble in a public place.

Nina and Obrecht leave Esme’s room, and Nina asks if Obrecht is sure it was just a sedative. Obrecht says, Esme will wake unharmed, and her Britta will still be dead. Nina gently pushes her into the elevator.

Elizabeth asks Nikolas, what happened? and he says, Sonny punched him. She asks if it’s because Sonny found out Esme was having Nikolas’s baby, and Nikolas says he told Sonny. She asks if he has a death wish.

Josslyn tells Carly, Britt called the cops, and Dex didn’t want explain why he had the gun, and Britt said they could go. Carly says, go where? and Josslyn says, Dex’s apartment. She flashes back to her and Dex getting busy again, and says, he lives in the Charles Street district, so don’t worry; it was close. Carly says, she went to Dex’s apartment, then what? and Josslyn says she went to Kelly’s to talk to Cam. And then she came home. Carly says, she went to talk to Cam, and with tears in her eyes, Josslyn nods, and says, she broke up with him.

Spencer tells Sonny, no. It’s not possible. They got it wrong. Sonny says, they didn’t… and Spencer says he just saw her last night. She was having the time of her life. She was happy. She was dancing; Sonny saw her. Sonny nods, and Spencer says, she was alive. Cameron asks, when did this happen? and Sonny says, it was on the docks after midnight. The paper said Britt saw The Hook attacking someone, and tried to stop it. Very brave thing to do. Spencer says, Britt’s always been brave, and Sonny says he knows they were close… Spencer asks them to excuse him, and goes to the private stairs. He sits down on the steps.  

At Nina’s penthouse, Obrecht says she never finished cleaning Britt’s office, but Nina says, don’t worry. She doesn’t want Obrecht to worry about anything. She’ll go back and make sure Obrecht didn’t miss anything. Obrecht thanks her, but says she’s not worried. What’s to worry anymore? She’s just very tired.

Willow tells Drew, they do have some good news. She’s done with her first round of chemo. Drew says, that’s incredible. Congratulations. She says she’s glad it’s over. Now it just has to work. He says, now she gets some time to recover and enjoy life a little bit, and she says, three weeks. He says he’ll make sure he gets some answers before that, and  Michael thanks him. Drew says, absolutely; they’re family. He just wishes he was a match. Michael says he knows the feeling, but they have to believe the donor registry will come through. Willow’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Dr. Randolph. She asks if Terry got her results back. Is the chemo working?

Elizabeth sees Nikolas, and says she has an update for him, calling him Mr. Cassadine. She tells him to come with her, and leads him to a more private spot. Elizabeth asks if he’s trying to get caught, and he says, of course (🍷) not. She says, he’s standing outside Esme’s door having a staring contest with that cop. He says, if anyone questions him, he has the perfectly good excuse of being concerned about the mother of his baby. She says, as guilty as he looks right now, why don’t they just go to Jordan and confess? Why wait for Esme to remember what they did to her? He says, if they do that, they both go to prison, and she says, maybe that’s for the best. He says, she’d just leave her children? and she says she doesn’t want to, but the way he’s behaving, she has no choice in the matter. He says, if he goes to prison, there will be no one left to raise his kid, but she says, that’s not true. Nikolas knows how much his Uncle Victor loves molding Cassadine children in his own image. She’s sure he’ll jump at the chance. He says, that cannot happen, and she says, then they need to hold tight – together.  

Spencer comes back, and Cameron asks if he’s okay. Spencer says, no, when Dex comes in. He comes over to Sonny, but Sonny says, give him a minute, and Dex locks eyes with Cameron, then leaves. Cameron says he’s sorry, but he has to get back to work. He tells Spencer to let him know if he needs anything, and Sonny says, go ahead. He’ll take care of this. Cameron leaves, and Spencer says, was she alone when she died? Sonny says, no. She was with her mother. Spencer says, that’s good. He’s glad she wasn’t alone. Sonny says, Spencer doesn’t have to be alone, and Spencer says, these attacks have to stop. Sonny says, his guys are on it; the cops are on it. Spencer says, Britt’s still gone, when Dex walks back in. Spencer says he’s fine. Sonny can go ahead and deal, but Sonny says he doesn’t have to do anything; he’s good. Spencer says, he’s so tired. The last thing he wants to do is go back to Windymere and see his dad. Sonny says, he doesn’t have to. Listen to him. It’s an easy fix. Just come home with him. Cameron comes out behind the counter, looking at his phone. He sees Spencer and Sonny leave with Dex, he and Dex locking eyes again. When they’re gone, Cameron looks at a photo of him and Josslyn.

Josslyn tells Carly that she tried to talk to Cameron before Britt’s party. She went to Kelly’s; she had everything prepared. When she got there, he wasn’t there. He was on some catering job. Then the attack happened, and everything became clear. She knew she couldn’t stall anymore. She knows she owed him the truth, so she went back to Kelly’s. She talked to him and… He was so hurt. Carly takes her hand, and says, she’s had some night. Josslyn says she couldn’t sleep at all. All she could do was lie there and replay everything… the attack, and the break up and… what she would have done differently. Carly says, one thing Josslyn could have done is called her, and Josslyn says she knows Carly would have been there in a second, but she felt she had to figure things out for herself. Carly says she gets that when it comes to Cam, but she needs to know if Josslyn’s in danger. Always. Josslyn has to call her, and she’ll always have Josslyn’s back. Josslyn tells Carly that she loves her, and Carly hugs her, saying, she loves Josslyn too.

Elizabeth touches Esme, who shrinks back, saying, don’t hurt me. Elizabeth says she’s okay; she’s safe. Nobody is going to hurt her. Esme says, that doctor… She was… Elizabeth says, it sounds like she was having a bad dream. Try to go back to sleep. Esme closes her eyes.

Obrecht says she just wants to sleep, and Nina says, of course (🍷). Get some rest. She tells Obrecht to lie down in her bedroom. She’ll be right here if Obrecht needs her for anything. She goes to the box of Britt’s things, and takes out the photo and trophy. We see Willow’s chemotherapy report in the box, and Nina clutches the trophy to her chest.  

Still on the phone, Willow says, really? She thanks Terry, and says she’ll see her then. Michael asks if her numbers are better, but Willow says, her results aren’t back. That’s not why Terry was calling. She matched on the registry. She has a bone marrow donor. She’s going to live. He hugs her as she cries happy tears, and Drew smiles.

On Monday, Drew tells Jordan that he thinks they can eliminate Esme as a suspect; Elizabeth says she has to tell Finn something about Esme; and Willow isn’t sure she can go through with it.

😭 In Case You Need a Reminder…

This episode was so sad, it gave me a headache.

📑 Still Around…

Like a bad penny, he keeps showing up. Whatever that means. I’m not actually sure.

💸 Shahcarceration…

That’s what you get for coming old people.

💎 So Go Already…

I said it first.

Translation: Good riddance.

https://people.com/tv/andy-cohen-reacts-lisa-rinna-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-exit-an-iconic-run/

🍑 Me Too…

You couldn’t pay me enough to endure any of the Housewives in the franchise, especially on a trip the would undoubtedly ruin for me.

https://people.com/tv/kenya-moore-would-rather-do-military-drills-than-embark-on-rhoa-trip/

🕶 New Reality…

Sounds promising. Especially the buried alive part.

https://people.com/tv/reality-stars-buried-alive-peacock-show-the-traitors-first-trailer/

🦥 To Pets and Beyond…

Something precious to send you into the weekend.

https://paradepets.com/pet-news/cute-animals

🌐 Quotes of the Week

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. – Martin Luther

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.Kofi Annan

I always tell young people to hold on to their dreams. And sometimes you have to stand up for what you think is right even if you have to stand alone.Claudette Colvin

Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. – Edgar Allan Poe

Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence. – Leonardo da Vinci

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Isaiah 9:6, NLT

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. – Ann Landers

Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion. – Simon Sinek

If you don’t believe me, then google it. – Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), General Hospital

☄️ Catching a Falling Star…

Come on down on Monday really Tuesday for soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay setting boundaries, but not limits, for yourself, and stay telling the truth to whom it’s owed.  

November 30, 2022 – The Necklace Changes Hands, the Real Ka-Boom, Carly’s First Day, Where’s the Exit, Her Opinion, the Tree & Traditions

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the bullhorn, Jordan tells Holly that it’s her last chance and to give herself up. Inside the cabin, a woman grabs the briefcase, knocking the lantern over and starting a fire – we can’t see her face. Jordan says she doesn’t like this, and tells Mac to give the order to move, but Robert says, give her a chance to do the right thing. Jordan says, she’s had a chance, multiple ones. Time’s up. There’s an explosion inside the cabin, and debris blows everywhere. Robert says he has to get in there, but Mac holds him back.

Curtis and Portia struggle over a piece of pie, and Curtis says he promised N’neka, but Porta says, N’neka gets plenty of pies and other things from her Savoy suitors. This pie is for Terry. It’s praise-worthy pie. He says he knows; he baked it. She says, with her sweet potato pie recipe, and he says he’ll surrender that piece of pie in exchange for something just as sweet. They kiss, and Trina slips out the back door. On the patio, Marshall says, sneaking out?

Brook tells Chase that she’s starving, and Olivia will kill them if they hold things up. She starts to leave, but he says, look at him. Was she ever going to tell him about the CCRB letter she never wrote? She acts like she’s not sure what he’s talking about, and he says, the letter she told Dante that she’d write; the one that might give him a fighting chance to get his badge back.

Britt goes up to the bar at The Savoy, bumping Ava as she sits down. She orders a Cosmo, tells Ava, her bad, and asks how Ava’s Thanksgiving was. Ava says, it was great; she had Avery. Britt tells N’neka to put Ava’s drinks on her tab, and Ava says, not necessary, but very nice. She asks how Britt’s Thanksgiving was, and Britt says, amazing. It had highs, lows, my mother, cranberry from a can. It was very traditional. Now it’s time for her to get her groove on. Cody walks in, and Britt says, one more box to check. Ava says, which is? and Britt says, a little somethin’ somethin’, when Nikolas walks in, and catches Ava’s eye.

Also at The Savoy, Victor sits alone at a table, and Selina tells him, happy Thanksgiving. He says, and to her, and she asks if he enjoyed a family celebration earlier. He gestures for her to sit, and says, just with his nephew. Sadly, he couldn’t gather the other Cassadines for a celebration of turkey and conviviality. His phone dings, and Selina says she’s sorry, but he tells her not to shed any tears on his account. That’s all going to be changing going forward. He sees a text from Gavin (no doubt the guy I’ve been calling Johann): Have approx. location on Holly. En route. Victor texts back: Necklace top priority. Holly expendable. He tells Selina, he hopes soon to have the incentive he needs to bring his family together.

The woman in the cabin, now consumed by fire, runs out and flails around the yard before finally falling down. Robert screams, Holly! and breaks away from Mac, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over her. Mac runs over, and Robert looks under the blanket, and yells, no! I guess it must be her. Jordan tells an officer to cordon off the area. Canvas the cabin, and find out if anyone within a one-mile radius saw or heard anything. The paramedics tend to Holly, and Mac pulls Robert away. Robert says, she needs him, and one of the paramedics says, they need to move her, or she’s not going to make it.

Selina tells Victor, family can be so troublesome, and ungrateful. She’s been tempted to disavow herself of the whole lot. He laughs, and says, not so easily done. Biological imperative compels us to protect our clan, no matter how sorry a bunch they might be. She says, it seems they have much in common, and asks if she can call him Victor. He says, if he can call her Selina, and she says she’d like to continue their conversation. Perhaps they can compare notes. He raises his glass to her.

Ava tells Britt that she never associated Thanksgiving with trysts. Most people just want a nap. Britt says, when you’re in her position, you carpe diem and carpe dictum, and Ava asks, what position is that? Britt says, hard up. She’s been without since Jason, and before him, there was one forgettable wham-bam with Jax, then a fling thing with Ava’s brother. She hasn’t had relationship sex since… wow… 2014. Nikolas joins them, and Britt adds, with Ava’s husband.

Obrecht stomps over to Cody and says, you – with me, and he follows her out.

Curtis asks what Portia thinks about their first family Thanksgiving, and she says, definitely deserving of high marks. And the food was fantastic. She even overheard his father telling Stella that his son’s turkey was so good. It’s true; she’ll give him that. Curtis says, he’s just so grateful that he has a father to fuss with. Tommy never got that chance, and he intends to make the most of his, just in case this disease tries to take his father away again. What are the chances it rears back up? I’m guessing none, since I don’t think Marshall has schizophrenia.

Trina asks if Marshall pulled guard duty, and he says he’s just minding his own business, cleaning his clarinet. She wraps a blanket around herself, and asks if he isn’t cold. He says he’s wearing a sweater. Curtis busted his chops, and highly suggested he could keep Trina company. He figured boredom would drive her out here sooner or later. She says, here she thought she and Curtis were making progress, and Marshall says, he means well. She says she knows, but it’s not like she’s out here asking to be attacked by a freak with a hook. She just needs to breathe. She’s climbing the walls being shut up most of the time. He says he knows the feeling. Been there; done that.

Brook says, Dante told Chase about the letter? and he says, Dante assumed he knew; that Brook had looped him in. He figured she just hadn’t had the time to write it yet, what with making music and scamming Linc. She says, they’ve been crazy busy, right? Every day, all day, she’s hustling for every number Chase performs, setting up interviews and promos. She can barely breathe. He says, it’s a lot of work, and she’s thrown herself into it, and she says, letting all her responsibilities at Deception slide… He says, so maybe she wanted to and just didn’t find the  time. Maybe she thought she did tell him, or maybe she drafted the letter, and didn’t want to spring it on him until it was perfect. He’d understand anything; just tell him. When was she going to let him know Dante asked her to write a letter to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, recommending he get his badge back? She doesn’t say anything, and he says, never? She says she meant to tell him once they got Linc, but he says, that’s not a sure thing. She says, neither is her letter, but he says, Dante told him that her account of his run-ins with Valentin and Linc would go a long way in getting him right with the Board. She says, what’s to stop Linc from having his say? That liar could deny everything. Chase’s best shot at getting his badge back is after they beat Linc, and expose him for the skeeze that he is. She takes Chase’s hands, and says, once they prove Linc has no credibility, is when he can march into the CCRB with her letter, and prove he never gave up on law and order, just because law and order gave up on him. He says, that timetable doesn’t work; which he could have told her if she’d let him in on what was happening. But she didn’t. He can’t think of a single reason why she wouldn’t just tell him. She says, there is only one good reason; the only reason she needed. Us.

Trina says she didn’t mean compare being shut up with family with what Marshall went through when he was hospitalized, and Marshall says, let’s see. You can’t leave when you want to. Your mother and Curtis watch your every move. You can’t see the man in your life, Officer Cabrera. They share enough similarities to make them understand one another. She says she doesn’t think she could ever really understand what he went through, and he says he hopes she never does. She says, he doesn’t talk much about it… you know… He says, having schizophrenia. Why dwell on yesterday, when today’s so rich, and tomorrow’s so bright.

Portia says she can’t tell Curtis if Marshall is going to have another schizophrenic episode. She’s not a psychiatrist; she’s not even up on the latest science. He tells her, Marshall said he never had an episode, not since the arrest that institutionalized in the first place. Maybe Marshall caught a break, like he did, dodging his father’s genetic markers.

Ava and Nikolas gaze into each other’s eyes, and Britt says, they’re so cute. Look at them; coupled up, wedded bliss. Ava says, aren’t they though? and Nikolas says he saw Britt’s mother over there. Britt tells him, her mother says marriage is for the bourgeois. Britt thinks it would be nice if her significant other knew what toppings she likes on her hot dog, or took the wine glass out of her hand when she fell asleep on the couch. Someone who would throw her a birthday party and serve her favorite cake… or just say happy birthday. Ava says, Britt never had a birthday party? and Britt says, no birthday party, no husband. Nikolas says, she still has time, and Britt says, ain’t it the truth? She asks N’neka to get her and her friends another round.

Selina says, Victor’s nephew appears to be occupied with his wife, and Victor says, soon to be ex-wife. Selina says she’s sorry to hear that, but he says, don’t be. It was an imprudent match to begin with; harmful to both of them. It was never meant to last. Selina says, love never is, but that alone never stopped anyone from fighting for it.

Robert goes with Holly to the ambulance, saying, he loves her; hang in there. Mac stops a paramedic, and asks about Holly’s condition, and the paramedic tells him, on observation, it looks like she has burns over 75% of her body. GH is good, but she needs better, so they’re taking her to a burn unit. They’ve radioed for a medivac. Robert says he’s going with her, but Mac says, he’ll just get in the way of the paramedics. He’ll drive Robert to the airfield. Robert tells Mac to get out of his way before he belts him one, when Jordan interrupts, saying, this is a crime scene. She needs her Chief of Detectives. She tells Robert to move, and he leaves.

Portia says, Curtis and his father are lucky, no matter what the reason is. She hopes some of that luck rubs off on Trina. She can’t wait for Esme to be brought to justice. Speaking of Trina, where is she? They look outside, and see her on the patio with Marshall.

Trina says, Marshall has a way of putting things into perspective, and he says, everybody has their burdens. But no one carries it with grace such as hers. Curtis comes out, carrying the piece of pie, Portia behind him. He tells Marshall, the game is on, and Marshall gets up. He says he guesses Portia is going to watch the game with him, and she says she’ll definitely be watching. Enjoy the pie. Marshall asks if that’s the last piece of pie; he doesn’t believe this. He and Portia go inside, and Curtis puts down the pie near Trina, and sits down. She pushes it away, and he says, okay, her loss. He thought it would take the edge off after being caught in his net.

Chase says, Brook took away his best chance at getting his badge back for them? She says she’s never had this before. She’s been with other guys – she’s not exactly Snow White – but true intimacy? Not once. She was starting to think she wasn’t capable of a true connection, but then he came along. She realized, not only was intimacy possible, but it’s here, between them. Since they started working together, it’s only gotten deeper and stronger. If she never gets Linc, if she never gets her songs back, if she never exposes Linc for the creep that he is, she’d be okay. She’s be frustrated and disappointed, but she’d still be okay. Because the true gift is, every minute, she gets closer to him. She thought he felt the same way. He says he does, and she says, that’s why she didn’t tell him about the letter. She thought everything they were doing together was better than anything they’ve done alone. She thought, given enough time, he’d forget about the badge, and what he really wanted would be here with her. Just tell her she’s right.

Outside The Savoy, Cody says he thought he and Obrecht were getting along better. Is he still in the hole for punching Scotty? She says she was moved by his apology, as well as Britt’s endorsement of him. Her feelings are immaterial; only Britta’s matter. She’s a fundamentally lonely person, yearning for what she’s never had; someone to rely on. Now is no time to look for a substitute. Britt can’t do with a romantic distraction; she needs her mother. They both know Britt is headstrong, and behaves contrary to wisdom, and Cody is persistent. So… If it’s money he wants, then it’s money he shall have.

Britt asks Nikolas to be her wingman, and help scope out the sponge-worthy. She stumbles a little, and he asks if she’s okay. Ava suggests she sit down, when Selina comes over with Victor, and asks if there’s a problem. Britt says she just slipped, and Selina asks if she’s been overserved. Britt says she just had one drink, and Selina says, come with her. She tries to take Britt’s arm, but Britt throws Selina’s hand off, and almost falls again. Victor comes on the other side of her, putting her drink on the bar, and he and Selina head for a table with her.

The ambulance stops in the middle of nowhere, and the paramedics get out. Dressed as one of them, Felicia opens the back, and says, all clear. Holly sits up, and takes her head covering off. Robert asks if she’s all right, and she says, right as rain. She’s all fired up. Wow. I really thought it must be someone else, since we couldn’t see who she was. Well done.

Chase tells Brook, singing’s been a pleasant surprise. He had more fun than he thought he would. And it’s not just the performing or celebrity; it’s her. He would have never tried to be Chase the singer with anyone but her. She says, he’s got her, so there’s no problem, but he says, the problem is, he’s not Chase the singer. That’s just some face he was wearing that’s not his. She says, but it could be. She’s seen him when he gets up on stage; he comes alive. He’s so in the moment when he sings. He says, and right when he’s done, he’s checking his newsfeed. He has this fantasy that he’s the one who finds Brando’s killer; that he could still do some good at the PCPD. She says, he can. She never expected him to give up the cop forever; just put him on mute for a while. He says, until he forgets the sound of his voice altogether? Maybe she’s right. He can forget he’s a cop, and focus all his energy on singing, given enough time. But it has to be his choice. Does she get that? And she took that away from him.

Trina says she thought she and Curtis had an understanding after their discussion on boundaries, and he says he thought he’d given her a wide berth. She says, it doesn’t feel that way, and he says, they agreed he wouldn’t go behind her back and butt into her life. He did that. He even refrained from butting in from the front. He’s up for a Nobel Peace Prize. She says, which he’ll lose after assigning his father to guard her, but he says, all he did was set up a watch to keep eyes out for Esme Prince. A man is allowed to protect his castle, and all who reside in it.  

Marshall tells Portia, Trina’s not going anywhere. She’s just feeling hemmed in. She thanks him for talking to Trina, and helping her get some of that out, and asks if he’d mind possibly playing for them tonight. He says, sure, and she asks if his illness ever gets in the way of him playing. She’s sorry… He says, no, that’s okay. No one’s ever asked. The only way schizophrenia got between him and his music was when he had to go underground to protect his family from the stigma. She says, so it never inhibited his performance? and he says, just his ambitions. Why all the questions?

Mac asks Jordan if there’s any idea what caused the explosion, and she says, the theory is a faulty stove. She has to get her people inside. Hopefully there’s some evidence to explain Holly’s strange behavior. He hands her an evidence bag, and says, maybe this will help. The firefighters pulled it out. She asks what it is, and he says, the remains of Robert’s briefcase; the one he put the necklace in. She says, so where’s the necklace?

Holly thanks Felicia for the clothes, and Felicia says she’s happy she got the sizes right. She has Holly’s new passport and her international driver’s license. Does she feel better? Holly says, just a little singed around the edges. Robert joins them, and says, that was something. Holly says she’s just sorry he and Mac had to see it; she can’t imagine what it looked like. Felicia says, the danger was minimal. She and Holly worked it out to a tee. Holly tells her, thank you for that… We see Felicia meeting Holly, and Holly says, Felicia was waiting for me when I arrived at the cabin last night. They go inside, and Felicia gives Holly some things out of a duffel bag. Holly says, with fireproof garments, and fire retardant gel to make the ruse look real. Felicia tells her to put it on her face, and Holly says, we went over the instructions on how to rig the stove at the appointed time. Back at the ambulance, Felicia says, Holly flambé. She can’t believe Holly was able to work it out in time. Robert says, they had no choice, and Holly says, they were operating on Victor’s timetable. She couldn’t just hand over the necklace. Robert says, she couldn’t defy Victor either, and Holly says, or Ethan would have paid the price. She and Robert faked Robert’s drugging, so she’d have the opportunity to steal the necklace, and lay a trail to the cabin for the PCPD to find. Robert says, it only works if they have a credible witness to Holly’s injuries, and Holly says, because Ethan’s only chance of survival is if Victor believes she’s of no more use to him.

Cody says, Obrecht’s willing to pay him to stay away from Britt? and she says she’s prepared to give him six figures. He says he doesn’t want her money. He just wants what, by rights, should belong to him. She says, Dominique’s inheritance, and he says, yeah, and he wanted something else; not something, someone. She says, her daughter, and he says he thought he could have both. Boy, did he misjudge that situation. Now it looks like he can’t have either, but maybe all he wanted was Britt. Obrecht will be happy to know, he blew it big time. Her daughter wants nothing to do with him. She says, perhaps Britta’s learned some wisdom after all, and he says, she can tell Britt that he can take no for an answer, and he can take living hand to mouth. So Obrecht can keep her money, and not worry about him dogging Britt. He doesn’t want to go where he’s not wanted. Obrecht says she’ll make sure Britt knows, and he says he’s sure she will. One more thing. What’s wrong with Britt? Why is Obrecht willing to go broke just to keep him away from her? Obrecht says, sorry. Answers were never on offer.

Britt shakes off Victor and Selina as they get to the table, and Victor says he’s going to get her mother. Britt says, leave her mother out of this, and leave her alone. Selina says she’s getting Britt a cab, but Britt says, this is ridiculous. She had one drink. Victor says, not counting the drinks she had on the way over, and Britt says she can handle her liquor. Selina says, but she can’t even stand up straight unaided, and Victor says, wait. This isn’t alcohol, is it? Britt’s sick.

Ava says, Victor won’t be very pleased, seeing Nikolas consorting with the enemy, and Nikolas says he has no intention of divorcing her. She says she had no intention of becoming bait for the PCPD, but sometimes, one never knows what the day may bring. He asks what she’s talking about, and she says, Mac Scorpio thinks Ryan Chamberlain can lead them to Esme if she convinces him to.

Victor says, Faison’s legacy, and Britt says, shut up about that, when Obrecht flies in between them. She slaps Victor, and says, touch her daughter, and she’ll kill him. Selina says, everyone, calm down, and Cody hustles Victor off, suggesting they take a walk. Britt says, he’s going to tell people, but Obrecht says, he wouldn’t dare. There’s a special place in hell for men like that. Selina says, the Ninth Circle… I’ve heard it said.  

Robert gives Holly some keys, and says, the car’s untraceable. Drive it over the border to Canada, and with her new ID, she can disappear. She says, Victor will follow up, but he says, witnesses will recall there was a woman placed in a medivac. Felicia says, yours truly. She’ll be dropped off outside Port Charles, and flight plans will indicate Holly Sutton was transferred to a plane transporting her to a burn clinic halfway across the world. Robert says, very private, very secure, and Felicia says, reports will have her comatose with a long, difficult recovery. Robert says, and Victor will probably lose interest, leaving her free to rescue her son. Holly says she won’t squander their efforts, and Felicia says she knows that. Holly thanks them for everything they’ve done on her behalf and her son’s. She just wishes they didn’t have to leave Mac in the dark, but Felicia says, this way, Mac can’t lie to Jordan about Holly. Besides, he’d be the first to agree she’s worth it. Holly wonders how she can ever repay them, and Felicia hugs her, saying, get her son back, and get Victor. Holly says she’s working on it. She remembers…

Selina holds up a diamond, and says, interesting. Holly says, satisfied? and Selina says, she’d prefer the entire necklace, but Holly says, that’s all that’s available, and only in exchange for the guarantee that Victor Cassadine ingests this. She holds up a vial, and asks if it can be done. Selina says she sees Victor at The Savoy on occasion, but she can’t have the club associated with a death. Holly says, if she wanted Victor dead, he’d be dead. He’ll only feel the effects of this drug if the circumstances arise… or don’t. Selina asks, what did Victor do to earn Holly’s animosity? and Holly says, Victor fancies himself a family man, whilst he’s holding her son hostage. She’ll never get Ethan back if Victor is dead. In the meantime, a dose of this will pay him back in kind. Selina says, there’s a special place in hell for such men, and Holly says, the Ninth Circle. Will she do it? Selina says, Holly has her word, and takes the vial.

N’neka brings Victor another drink, and he raises his glass to Selina, who looks at the vial in her hand. She says, and my word is my bond.

Curtis says, Trina’s not a prisoner. He just wants to make sure she’s safe and sound while she’s here. If she doesn’t like his rules, they’re only temporary. But he does need her to respect them, just as he respects her boundaries. And while he hopes this doesn’t compromise the friendship they decided to try out, he’ll understand if it does. She says, two steps forward, one step back is still progress. Fork? He gives her the fork, and she snatches the pie away, telling him, don’t squander that progress. He says he made that pie, and she says, from her mom’s recipe. He throws up his hands in surrender.

Portia says she guesses she’s just curious that none of Marshall’s doctors ever suggested genetic counseling or screening like Curtis had. He says, things like that weren’t around back when he was in the hospital, but she says, those things are commonplace nowadays. Has he ever considered it? and he says, what’s the point? He already has a diagnosis. What would genetic counseling tell him that he doesn’t already know? Um… what I said before.

Chase tells Brook, the only way he’d want to become a singer is if he decides himself, but she never gave him that option. She says she thought he wanted it as much as she did, and he says, to take down Linc? Sure, but she knew how bad he wanted to return to the PCPD. So when Dante asked her to write the letter, she didn’t tell him because she knew he’d be all for it. She says she never thought of it like that, and he says he’s been where she is, making decisions for others, and personal experience showed him just how wrong it was. He did it with Willow. She says, so that’s it? He’s hanging up the mic? She gets it. He says, she doesn’t. It’s not just the mic; it’s us. His singing career is over, and so are they.

Nikolas tells Ava that she can’t be in Ryan’s presence; it’s too dangerous. She says, Ryan is a  turnip, and any danger would be worth it to protect Trina. Esme is out there killing people, and she has to do what she can to stop her, even if it means she pays the price for Esme going over the parapet… or he does.

Marshall asks, what would be the benefit after all these years, to get confirmation of what he already knows? when Trina and Curtis come back in. Portia says, somebody enjoyed the pie, and Curtis says, the pie that he barely got to taste. Is Marshall ready for some football? Marshall says, let’s do this, and puts on the TV.

Brook tells Chase to think about what he’s saying, and he says, she’s the most exciting person he’s ever met. She made him feel like the luckiest guy alive. She says, he made her feel the same way, and he says, but then they went in on this plan to expose Linc, and it muddied things up for the both of them. They should have set boundaries; either working together as singer and manager, or two people who can’t get enough of each other. But not both, because now they don’t work as anything. She tells him, don’t say that. That’s not true. They can work this out. He says, she lied to him. She kept him from the thing that makes him who he is. There’s nothing to work out. It’s over. He leaves, and she cries.

Britt tells Obrecht, everything was fine. She could swallow her drink, then suddenly, her feet fell out from under her. Obrecht says she’s so sorry. Let’s go home. Britt asks why Obrecht’s never thrown her a birthday party, and Obrecht says she must have some time, but Britt says, she didn’t. She’s going to throw herself a birthday party to end all parties. If she’s going down, she’s going down dancing, even if she’s dancing on her own. Obrecht helps Britt out of the club, as Cody watches.

Holly tells Robert, so this is goodbye. She’s sorry for everything. Most of all, she’s sorry for coming back to him only to leave again. If there was any other way… He says, there isn’t, and she says, this isn’t their moment. He says, it never is, but she says she recalls a certain… Goodbye, Robert. He asks if she isn’t forgetting something, and she kisses him, but he says he actually meant something else. She says, oh? and he says, the necklace.

Mac says, the firefighters didn’t see a necklace, and Jordan says, call CSU. They need to conduct their own search. They need to make sure nobody walked out with it. He says, it’s possible Holly ditched the necklace, or handed it off to Victor before holing up, and Jordan says, or she had it on her when she left with the paramedics. He says he’ll check with Robert. It’s possible it got destroyed in the fire. She says, a diamond necklace? and he says, a hot enough fire can turn diamond to ash. It might be gone for good. She says, the WSB is going to be pissed

Victor swirls his drink, and drains his glass. His phone dings, and a text from Gavin says: Holly disabled. Necklace missing. Victor shatters his glass on the table.

Holly tells Robert, oh, the necklace. She almost forgot. They laugh, and she takes it out of her pocket, giving it to him. She asks why Victor wanted it so badly. What’s so special about it? He says, it came from the Ice Princess itself. He thinks it has something to do with the diamonds. She says, the Ice Princess has a bad habit of destroying those who covet it. Be careful. He says he’s always careful, and she says, except with his heart, touching his chest. He says, be seeing you, and she slowly walks away. She turns, blows him a kiss, and walks into the mist.

Tomorrow, Sasha tells Chase, in her heart, Brook was doing it for them both; Nina says she hopes Willow can help out a friend; Carly asks Josslyn if Dex is a factor in her decision; and Sonny says, if something is too good to be true, it usually is.

🔥 Like a DVD Extra…

It was pretty impressive.

🚑 Entering the Hospital…

The final (TBD) Carly recalls her beginnings on GH.

🥱 More Old News…

Blah-blah-blah, Ramona, blah-blah-blah, Andy.

🚂 She Thinks They Can…

Why is Teddi weighing in on this? Is she a relationship coach now? Apparently, this site likes her, but still not a fan.

🎄 Light It Already…

Yeah, yeah. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are cute, but it was like, come on and flip the switch. Not as bad as waiting for the Best Picture Oscar though.

https://www.rockefellercenter.com/holidays/rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/

🤸‍♀️ Holly Jollying…

Tomorrow, soap and another episode of that horrifying House. And I’m not talking about The Watcher. Come suffer with me. Until then, stay safe, stay serene in a stormy world, and stay not dwelling on yesterday, when today’s so rich, and tomorrow’s so bright.

⚠️ Warning: Some words not for sensitive ears:

November 11, 2022 – Laura Visits With Two Inmates, Mostly Cut, Possible Pair, Soap Son, Days Return, Ho-Ho-Ho, Too Long, More Wives, VanderNew, Daryl’s Spin, CMAs, 11 Quotes For 11/11 & Balloons

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna kisses Valentin, and he asks if she slept well. She says, you’d think the adrenaline rush would have kept her awake, but no. How about him? There’s a knock at the door, and Valentin answers. It’s Sonny, who says, helluva night, right?

On the phone, Josslyn tells Carly that she was with friends, and got in late, but they walked her back to her room.. Yes, she’s being careful… No she won’t be alone. We see Dex sleeping in Josslyn’s dorm room, which has one fantastic view, and looks like no dorm room in the real world.

Trina goes into Kelly’s, where Cameron is looking at his phone. She says she’d like to speak to the manager. He’s supposed to be serving, not surfing. He says he is the manager, and he’s been trying to reach Joss all morning. She asks if he’s worried, and he says, kind of. She hasn’t responded to his texts. Has Trina seen her on campus? She says, today’s her late class, but she’s sure Josslyn’s fine. Does he want her to try? He says, he’s probably overreacting. He’s just a little on edge with all the attacks that have been going on. She says, they all are, especially given the latest news. He says, so she heard Esme’s back in town? and she says, not until now.

Laura hugs Spencer, and says she’s been waiting months to do this. She can’t believe he let her get away with it. He says, she is the mayor, and sits down with her. She says, he’s looking thin, but he says, it’s probably the ill-fitting clothes. She asks if he’s doing okay, and he says, things could be worse. He’s being looked after. She says, that’s good. Who’s doing the looking after?

Austin calls Spinelli, and leaves a message, saying, maybe Spinelli could give him a call, and let him know about the favor he asked Spinelli to do for him. At the vending machine, Britt drops her change, and says, dammit. Austin says, let him, and picks it up for her. She says, that’ll teach her to polish off a bottle of Beaujolais on a school night, and he says, the French government doesn’t release the new Beaujolais until the third week in November, so technically, it’s probably a bottle of old Beaujolais. He puts the change in the machine, and asks what she’d like. She says, club soda, and he gets it for her. She thanks him, and says she didn’t know he was a wine aficionado. He says, not at all; he dated a girl in college who was. She takes a sip, and coughs. She tells him, don’t worry, she’s okay, and he says, she could have fooled him.

On the phone, Jordan tells someone to come to her office. She needs to see them right away. A guy walks right in, followed by Officer Clark, and the officer says he tried to stop him. Jordan asks who the guy is, and he shows his badge, saying, Agent Whitten with the US Marshal Service. She thanks Officer Clark, and asks him to shut the door. He leaves, and Whitten says, he’s here to talk to her… She says, let’s get something straight. She doesn’t give a damn if he’s a marshal, CIA, or one of the Avengers. Don’t barge into her office like that. Now what does he want? He says, everything she has on the Anna Devane case. He’s assuming control of the investigation.

Trina asks Cameron, where? Do the cops know? He says, they know. His mom spotted her on the pier. When she was trying to dial 9-1-1, Esme tried to grab the phone, and his mom fell and hit her head. She asks if his mom is all right, and he says, thankfully, but Esme got away, and they don’t know where she is. She’s still out there. Trina says, Esme’s graduated from torching cars and making revenge porn, to trying to kill that bartender. She’s seriously unhinged. He says, they have no idea what she’s capable of, and Trina asks if Josslyn told him Commissioner Ashford’s theory. He says, about The Hook targeting people closely related to Trina and the trial; yes. She says, Esme as the maniac? She can’t wrap her head around it. He tells her, please watch her back, and she says, him too. Does Spencer know? He says, they didn’t tell Spencer because they didn’t know Esme was back in town. They also didn’t know about The Hook’s connection to her. She says, and they were busy telling him other things? He says, Trina’s name did come up, and she says, Joss told her, especially how Spencer’s feelings were hurt when he found out she knew he’d believed in her all along, and never acknowledged it to him. Cameron asks why she didn’t, and she says she tried before he was taken to Pentenville, but by the time she reached the PCPD, he was gone. Cameron says, she knows where to find him, and he wonders what’s holding her back.

Laura says she guesses it’s his Uncle Victor pulling the strings, and Spencer says he’s had support from all of his uncles; each are useful in their own way. She says, Sonny is usually great, and he says, Uncle Martin tried like hell to get his sentence reduced. She says, he told her. He said Spencer refused to give him the name of the accomplice who helped him get an unauthorized pass from Spring Ridge. He says, she disapproves, and she says she understands him wanting to visit his mother’s grave, and she guesses he’s taken full responsibility and accepted the consequences, but whoever helped him should also face some consequences, because what they did was wrong too. He says, it seems unfair to penalize others for his decision, and asks how his great-grandmother Lesley is doing. Laura says, she’s recovering. She’s doing well, but it was so sad. They lost everything. Bit by bit, their new place on Lake Como is starting to feel like home. He says he’s glad. It’s good she’s back. It’s nice to see her. She says, him too, but he says, she shouldn’t have come here though.

Jordan says, to the best of her knowledge, Anna hasn’t crossed state lines, which puts this case under the jurisdiction of the PCPD, but Whitten says, not any longer. The mayor’s office called him in. She says, Mayor Collins called him? but he says, no. Mayor Collins is out of the country. Deputy Mayor Ashby contacted his office. Jordan says, on what grounds? and he says, the Deputy Mayor feels that city and state resources are stretched too thin. She says, what law enforcement department isn’t? She has this under control. He says, not from what he sees. A failed prisoner transport – the second in less than a year – and now she has a potential serial killer on the loose. It appears her resources are severely overtaxed. She says she’ll need confirmation confirming his jurisdiction, and he hands her some paperwork, saying, he’s not here to step on her toes; he’s here to help. From his understanding, in addition to being a WSB agent, the fugitive was also once Police Commissioner? She says, his understanding is correct, and he says, look at it this way. Relinquishing control of this investigation will avoid any appearance of impropriety for both her and her department.

Sonny asks, what happened out there? and Anna asks if Dex didn’t tell him. He says, no, and she says, Heather Webber happened. She was added to the transport at the last minute, and Dex tried to change the route so they’d go to D’Archam first and drop her, then Pentenville. She guesses the guard got suspicious, there was a struggle up front, Dex lost control of the vehicle, and crashed. After that, she doesn’t remember. Sonny says he hears the guard is still alive, so he can give them a description, and Valentin asks where Dex would go if he wanted to keep a low profile. Sonny says he doesn’t know. Dex doesn’t have many connections, and without him, Dex could be anywhere.

Dex struggles to sit up, and Josslyn says, let her help. He asks if he’s in her dorm room, and she says, good guess. He popped a stitch, then she found him not far from the house. He wasn’t completely unconscious, so she was able to get him in her car. She couldn’t take him to a hospital, so she brought him back here. He says, that was risky, but she says, not really. He looked like a drunk frat guy. He says he can’t believe she did all this for him, and she says, neither can she.

Austin and Britt go to an exam room, and she asks if he’s forgotten who’s the Chief of Staff. She gives the orders. It was nothing; she swallowed too fast. He asks her to put her hand out, and not be a difficult patient. She does, and her hand is shaking slightly. He says, they need to run some tests, but she says, no need. Too much caffeine. He says, what about the dysphasia? A first year med student can see it’s hard for her to swallow. How long has it been going on? She doesn’t say anything, and he says, it’s probably nothing, but they’ll just run a scan. He doesn’t need to tell her, the symptoms she’s exhibiting might be part of a larger neurological muscular disorder. She says she doesn’t need a test because she knows what’s going on. She has Huntington’s Disease.

Sonny says, everyone at GH is being questioned, and Anna says, what about Heather? He says, she’s been apprehended, and Anna asks where they found her. He says, Kelly’s, of all places. His phone chirps, and he says, voicemail. It didn’t even ring. Valentin says, they’re pretty remote, and Anna says, there’s no reception here. Sonny steps away, and Anna says she feels terrible about Dex. That kid out there hiding; she just wanted this to be a clean operation. He says, extractions can get complicated. Sonny’s guy knew the risks going in. She says, now he’s paying the price because of her, but Valentin says, because of Victor. Victor made her take the fall for what he did to Lucy. Dear old dad. Sonny comes back, and says, Jordan wants to talk to him at the precinct. Anna says, she suspects he helped her, and Sonny says, could be, but she can’t prove it, so this will be the last time they can have any kind of contact. He and Anna hug, and he tells her to take care of herself. She thanks him, and he says, prove her innocence, and leaves.

Spencer says, Laura is wasting her time here. There’s too much happening in Port Charles right now. She says, it’s never a waste of her time to see him. Nothing is more important to her. She has some news for him. Apparently, Esme has been spotted again in Port Charles. He asks if she’s been arrested, and Laura says, no, but the authorities are looking out for her. He says he hopes they deploy dogs, and she says, he has every right to feel betrayed, but holding on to his rage and resentment will ultimately only hurt him. He says, this isn’t just about Esme, is it? and she says, his dad told her there had been another rift between them. He won’t be in here much longer. Does he think they can all work this out together? Maybe Sundays at her house? He says, obviously, his father didn’t tell her why they’re estranged, an she says, no, but he can. What happened? He tells her, ask her son, or when they find her, ask Esme.

Josslyn tells Dex, she used her keycard to nab some medical supplies from the gym, and the locker room had most of what she needed to clean and rebandage his wound. He asks if she has a roommate, but she says, it’s taken care of. He asks, who else has a key? but she says, nobody is going to come in here. He’s fine. He says he can’t stay here, and rolls out of bed. She tells him, don’t get up, and he nearly falls over on her. She helps him back to bed, and says, he’s heavier than he looks. He says, all muscle, and she looks at the bandage. She says, no blood, so that’s good. He could have popped another stitch pulling that stunt. She hopes it’s worth working for Sonny. How much is Sonny paying Dex to get shot for him? She doesn’t see Sonny risking his life. Dex says, no comment, and she says, he needs food and hydration. If she gets something from the dining hall, does he promise to be good and stay put? He says he doesn’t want her involved, but she says, it’s too late. Besides, he has nowhere else to go. He says he does. Grab his phone, and he’ll make arrangements. She says, he didn’t have a phone, and he asks if he can borrow hers, but she says, not if he’s going to use it to call Sonny.

Whitten asks if Jordan has any leads on the individual who commandeered the van, and she says, not at the scene. He says, did the security footage from the General Hospital parking garage turn up anything? but she says, their mystery man was shy with the cameras. One of her officers did make contact during transfer. He says he’ll need to talk to that officer, and she says, he was focused on the transfer, and never even saw the driver’s face. Should he remember any details, she’ll have him meet with their sketch artist and have a composite drawn. He says, jar that memory. An ID on that driver will lead them to whoever aided Anna Devane’s escape. She says, okay, Captain Obvious. There’s a knock at the door, and Jordan says, come in. Sonny walks in, and Whitten says, Mr. Corinthos. You just saved me a trip.

Trina tells Cameron, the last time she talked to Spencer, she told him that she didn’t want to be friends. She’s not sure she can take that back. She’s not sure she wants to. Cameron says he guesses that’s up to her. If she’s moved on, more power to her. He thinks ultimately, Spencer just wants her to be happy, even if it’s with Rory. The same goes for him. She thanks him, and says, Rory is a great guy. Cameron says, they seem at ease with one another, like him and Joss. She says, he and Joss have gone through a lot in the past few months, and they’re still together. He says he thinks it’s their friendship that keeps them grounded. Because of that bond, it’s easier to find their way back to one another. Trina says, she and Rory are friends too; he’s so supportive. Cameron says he’s glad. Maybe it’s for the best Spencer never gave her that letter.

Laura says, ask Esme? What does she have to do with the rift between Spencer and his dad? Spencer tells her, that’s not for him to say, and the guard says, time’s up. Spencer says, it’s great to see her, and she asks if there’s anything he needs. He says, she came to see him. He couldn’t ask for more. Before she left, he made her a promise, and he’s sorry he let her down. She says, he didn’t let her down. What he did for Trina is the epitome of protecting the people you love. She couldn’t be more proud of him. He thanks her, and she says she’ll see him soon. He leaves, and the guard tells Laura, before she goes, there’s someone else who would like to talk to her. She asks, who? and Cyrus says, her big brother. Hello, Laura.  

Josslyn says she can’t stop Dex from asking Sonny for help, but he’s not doing it from her phone. He says he gets that she hates the guy… and she says she’ll never shake the sight of Dex hanging from a meat hook. His face all bruised, shivering with cold, all these knives laid out in front of him. And this is the man he wants to go to for help. Is she supposed to be grateful while Sonny acts all concerned and protective? No. He says he can’t stay here forever, and his options are limited. She tells him, he can send Sonny an email, but he can’t do it from her account. He says, not exactly the most expedient form of communication. (Remember when it used to be?) Just give it to him please. She brings over her laptop, and says she’s going to grab some stuff. Stay here and be good. She’ll be back soon. She leaves, and he opens the laptop.

Trina asks if Cameron is talking about the letter Spencer almost gave her at the party, and her phone rings. It’s Josslyn, and Trina asks if everything is okay. Josslyn says, everything is totally fine, but Trina says she sounds weird. Josslyn says she doesn’t want to freak Trina out, but is she planning on swinging by the room today? Trina says she’s not sure. What’s up? Josslyn says, apparently, they’re spraying for bedbugs, and Trina says, gross. She tells Cameron, they’re spraying the room for bedbugs, and Josslyn asks if she’s with Cam. Trina asks if Josslyn wants to talk to him. He’s been trying to get ahold of her. Josslyn says, tell him she’ll call him back later. She has to clear some stuff out of the room so they can spray. Trina asks if she needs help, but Josslyn says, no; she’s got it covered. Trina says, keep her posted, and Cameron asks if Josslyn didn’t want to talk to him. Trina says, it sounded like she had a lot going on.

In Josslyn’s room, Dex sends an email. In the hallway, Adam asks Josslyn if they have bedbugs, and she says, that’s the rumor. Check his mattress. He says he woudn’t know the signs. Can she show him what to look for?

Cyrus says, it’s good to see Laura. Please sit with him. She says she can’t stay. She’s still the mayor, and has some important things to attend to; no thanks to him and those Friends of Port Charles. He says, she’s still angry about the recall effort, but he has no desire to hurt her, despite her belief to the contrary. She says she does know now it wasn’t him who was behind the attempt on her and Martin’s life at the safe house last June, and he says, good. He told her. She says he did. Forgive her if she doesn’t always take him at his word. He says he forgives her. Does she know who’s behind the attack? She says, if she told him, what would he do? and he says, just send a message. She says, ahh. So much for his conversion, but he says, safeguarding his family is in line with biblical principles. It’s good to see her; she’s looking well. She tells him that she doesn’t know how to say this without sounding mean, but she didn’t come here to talk to him. He says he knows, but maybe that can change. Maybe she and Martin could visit him together. He’d love to see his brother. How is he? Laura says, Cyrus should ask him, and he says he’d like to, but she’s here and he’s not. Has something happened? She doesn’t say anything, and he says, she’s afraid he’ll use personal information to hurt Martin. She has to believe him. He’s doing everything he can to make things right with his family. Starting with his  great-nephew Spencer.

Valentin says, if Deputy Mayor Ashby is on Victor’s payroll, who knows who else could be? and Anna says, but Ashby needs definitive proof to tie her to Victor. Valentin says, it’s time we stop focusing on Victor’s guilt, and focus on proving your innocence, and she says, we? He says, of course (🍷), but she says he has to go. He says, in due time, but she says, now, today. If they get caught, he’ll go to prison too. He asks if she thinks he doesn’t know that. She’s a survivor, but how is she going to hide out here, and conduct an investigation by herself? She says, carefully. He has to go. He asks if she has any idea how much she means to him, and they touch foreheads.

Britt tells Austin, her father had Huntington’s. When she found out, she chose not to get tested. She started having hand tremors, and it turned out it was just repetitive motions disorder, but she realized it wasn’t doing her any good to hide. The fear that she might have Huntington’s was ruining her life. So she talked it through with someone she respected, and decided she needed to know one way or the other. Now she knows. He says he’s sorry, and she says, there’s no wrist brace to stave off this disease. She lives every day knowing symptoms can present at any time. He asks what kind of timeline her treating physician gave her, but she says she doesn’t have one, and he says, doctor, you need a doctor. He’s no expert, but from what he remembers about this horrible disease, she’s in the early stages, and there are protocols that can help her manage her symptoms. She says she knows her disease progresses in stages. She knows it may be able to carry on with activities for years. There are meds that can help her deal with symptoms without assistance, yada-yada. He says, it’s not yada-yada. All of those things should comfort her. She says, cut the crap. Let’s be real. There’s a bomb in her brain, and the countdown has begun.

Whitten says he’s surprised to see Sonny Corinthos easily saunter into the Police Commissioner’s office, and Jordan says, at least he knocked. <snort> She’d requested his presence before Whitten barged in. Sonny says, Whitten seems to know him, but he doesn’t know Whitten, and Whitten says, Agent Whitten with the US Marshal’s Service. Sonny asks if he should have his lawyer present, but Whitten says, no; it’s just a friendly conversation. Sonny says, no such thing from the Feds, and Whitten says he’s been going through Anna Devane’s file, and it appears she and Sonny go way back. Sonny says, so what? and Whitten says, Miss Devane is a high value fugitive. The government is anxious to sit down with her. Jordan says, he’s hoping to make a deal, and Sonny says, maybe a trade in classified information. Whitten says, Sonny would be making a friend at the Attorney General’s office if he helps them, but Sonny says he doesn’t need a friend. And if Whitten thinks he’s going to coerce Anna into giving them state secrets, he doesn’t know her at all. Whitten says, Sonny does. Just let his friend know they can offer her safe haven… if Sonny is in contact with her. Sonny says he’s not, and Whitten says, that’s a shame. His bosses say, if they can’t bring her in bring, they have to bring her down. Jordan says, no need to get combative, but Whitten says he doesn’t see the need to waste time or mince words. She says, Anna Devane is no danger to the public at large, but he says, they don’t know that. He’ll take the file with him, and have any files related to this case uploaded to his office this afternoon. He gives Sonny his card, and says, in case there’s anything he needs to know. He leaves, and Jordan says she didn’t know he’d be here when she called Sonny. Sonny rips up the card, and says, he gathered. Ambushes aren’t her style. She says, that wasn’t a bluff, was it? and Sonny says, when he told them he’d take down Anna if he couldn’t bring her in? He thinks Whitten meant every damn word.

Anna says, the best thing Valentin could do for both of them is leave. Because she would feel devastated if something happened to him. He says, why doesn’t he stick around a few more days? and she says, because if Victor realizes they’re both missing… Valentin says he’s sure Victor knows by now. He’s sure Victor knows he helped with her escape. She says, but what if Victor takes advantage of his absence, and seizes Charlotte again? and he says, she’s safe with Laura. Anna says, he just got her back. He was in hell without her. He needs to be there for her. He has to keep her safe. She’s a big girl; she can manage. He says, okay, and takes off his ring. He says, this ring has a lot of complicated feelings for him. She says, the Cassadine ring, sure, and he says, and every time he tries to get rid of it, it finds its way back to him. Will she hold on to it until they’re together again? He puts the ring in her hand, closes her fingers around it, and kisses them.  

Britt tells Austin, obviously, she covers all the bases with her patients, but she reserves the right not to waste her own precious time. Maybe she’ll get her affairs in order instead. Austin says, okay, but he thinks the way it goes is, there are horses, and then there’s a cart. She says she’s had her fill of horse idioms, and he says, how’s Cody? Does he know? She says, only her mother and Scotty know. She hasn’t told anyone else who matters. They laugh, and he says he’s just kidding. She doesn’t have to manage his feelings. She says, the irony. It’s the first time in a long time things have started to go well. He says he’s sorry, but he doesn’t see it as the end of the line for her. She says she thinks that’s something he’d say to a patient, and he says he knows she’s not his patient, but they’re both physicians, so they know there are advancements in medicine every day. And they caught this early, so maybe they can take advantage of one of them. For what it’s worth (🍷), if he had to wager between her and Huntington’s, he’s all in on her.

Josslyn tells Adan, just google bedbugs. She thinks they’re tiny dark spots on your sheets and pillowcases. He says, don’t you have to throw everything out? He’ll check just in case. He’s glad Trina is back at PCU, and they can all move on from what happened. She says she appreciates that, and he says, she deserves a drama free year. He leaves, and she says, that’s not gonna happen.

Trina says, before Joss called, Cameron was going to say something about Spencer’s letter. Does he know what Spencer wrote? Cameron says, he just said he confessed everything; why he did what he did. Not that it matters now though, right? She says, what’s done is done, and he says he has to go back to work in the kitchen. Promise him she’ll stay vigilant. They all have to watch their backs now that Esme’s around. She says, 100%. One more thing. Was Spencer confessing to playing Esme, or something else? Cameron says, for that, she’ll have to ask Spencer herself.  

Laura asks why Cyrus is bringing up Spencer, and he says, they got acquainted here. He sees great things in Spencer; a lot of her energy. She says, no. Stay away from Spencer. Cyrus shouts that he’s been protecting Spencer… and she tells him not to raise his voice. Sit down. Cyrus says, ever since he became a ward of the state. In case she didn’t notice, it’s a little dangerous in here. She tells him, sit down, and they both sit. He says, ask Spencer. Did Spencer seem okay to her? She says, he did, and Cyrus says, he’s going to make sure Spencer stays that way. He can’t promise the same for her friend Anna Devane. If she’s captured, perhaps as mayor, Laura can pull strings to make sure she doesn’t come to Pentenville. Laura asks, why? What does he know? He asks if the name Olivia Jerome means anything to her, and Laura asks if Olivia has said something. He says, only that she can’t wait to roll out the Pentenville red carpet for Anna Devane. He knows Laura doesn’t trust him, but trust this. If Anna is on the run, it’s best she stays that way.

Jordan says, if Sonny know where Anna is, let them bring her in. It’s safer that way. He asks if she thinks Anna would really be safer in Pentenville within Victor’s reach. He’s the one who set her up. Anna is lucky she has friends, them included. She says, Anna is a dear friend, but she can’t break the law outright for her. Sonny says he gets it, but she can’t turn Anna over to that hotshot agent either. She says, hell no. He only wants to impress his bosses. They can’t let that happen at the expense of Anna. He says, so they’re on the same page here. Anna is safer on her own.

On the phone, Whitten says, they find the person most likely to have helped Anna escape. Then they lean on him until he breaks. He opens a folder, and looks at Valentin’s picture. Um… When I think of Valentin, I don’t think of someone who cracks easily.

Anna says, when Valentin is back in Port Charles, he’ll be able to keep an eye on his father, and he says, if she leaves here, how will he find her? She says she’ll find him, and he tells her, be careful. She tells him to be careful too, and they kiss. He says, je t’aime, and she says, à bientôt. He leaves, and she looks at the ring and cries.

Britt tells Austin, here’s a positive. She can blame her britchiness on Huntington’s. He says, there’s the indominable spirit that everyone around here respects so much, and she asks if he missed the part where she said britch. She’s not Miss Popularity. Austin says he doesn’t think people see her the way they used to, and she asks how he knows. He says he works here. She knows how doctors and nurses are; they all talk. She’s respected. For her deep, deep compassion, even though she tries every way she can to convince everyone she doesn’t have any. She’s got a lot in her life. She’s got Brad. She’s got her mom. Maxie and her kids. Britt says, thank God James and Bailey don’t have the marker, and he says, if they did, she’d be there to support them, right? She says, of course (🍷), and he says, so maybe let everybody support her now. There’s nothing you can’t share with someone that you love.

Kiley, Josslyn’s RA, bangs on her dorm room door. She asks if Josslyn is in there. She needs to talk to her; it’s important. The door handle rattles, and Dex quietly freaks out.

The guard leads Spencer to the visitor’s room, and Spencer says he thought his time with this grandmother was up. The guard lets him in, and Spencer sees Trina. He smooths back his hair, and they kind of smile at one another.

On Monday, Josslyn says she’s not hiding anything; Ava says, this particular matter can’t wait; and Carly blocks Elizabeth from closing her door, and says, she needs to make the time.

✂️ Better Than a Poke In the Eye…

At least he has an audience to share his pain and outtakes with. For the average Joe who got cut, no one cares except his family. Maybe.

Look for GH’s Michael Blake Kruse in ‘Wakanda Forever!’

⚖️ Strange Moment…

Yeah, what was that about in the elevator? It’s kind of out of the blue.

Diane and Robert on GH? — Carolyn Hennesy Speaks Out!

🧼 Next Soap Generation…

A soap torch being passed.

Joshua Benard Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🏕 Switching Camps…

Sonny’s right hand man has a new gig.

https://people.com/tv/steve-burton-returns-to-days-of-our-lives-reprising-harris-michaels-role/

🎄 It’s Beginning To Look…

Upcoming Christmas joy from handsome guys.

Join Ryan Paevey for a Special Christmas Event!

Cameron Mathison Stars in a Romantic New Holiday Movie!

💸 Sadly, No Surprise…

I figured they’d been at it a while. Apparently, all those complaints went in the circular file. Bureaucracy at its best.

✈️ Worldly Wives…

This is old news, but I’d never heard of them. It’s kind of sad that this junk I admittedly watch has infiltrated other countries.

🍸 New Rules…

The forgot to mention, LVP’s many pets.

⚰️ Vive le Mort…

This sounds pretty interesting, even if they stole the nightclub idea from Z Nation. (Checking… yes, still bitter about it’s cancelation.)

🐎 Take Me Home…

The CMA winners.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/entertainment/cma-awards-winners-list

And more important, the CMA fashion.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/35290/cma-awards-2022-red-carpet-fashion

👩🏽‍💻 Quotes of the Week

Short term decisions have long term consequences. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. – Anais Nin

We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. – Carlos Castaneda

We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in. – Arianna Huffington

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. – Gloria Steinem

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. – John Adams

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan

If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.Michele Ruiz

Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity. – W. Clement Stone

If I can’t eat it, bang it, or bet on it, it’s not in my phone. – Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), Two and a Half Men

It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

🌻 Pursuing Happiness…

Wrapping it up for now, but I’ll be back when the Dead are Walking. Until then, stay safe, stay thanking every veteran you meet, and stay letting people who love you support you in a crisis. There’s nothing you can’t share with someone that you love.

October 7, 2022 – No GH, New In Town, Thanks To Tony, Reporting In, Why, Soapy Rose, Meltdown Chat, Salty Talk, About the Rules, Surreal Again, Trail This, Pets (!), Four Quotes Twice & High Noon

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

There wasn’t any because, baseball.

🌴 No Wonder…

I’m guessing she’ll be one of Peyton or Virginia’s friends.

🏥 Thank You From Me Too…

Who knew Luke led to Obrecht’s tenure?

👩🏻‍💻 Not a Stretch…

An extra paycheck never hurt anyone.

🔧 Beating a Dead Mechanic…

Face it, he was a sacrificial lamb for the storyline.

🌹 No Rose For You…

This actually looks pretty good, and it’s on TubiTV, so it’s free. Todd Franco Austin Roger Howarth is in it.

💎 Still Shooking LisaR…

Even Andy didn’t know what a drama queen she was.

She Who Can Do No Wrong weighs in.

How it went down at the Reunion.

https://people.com/tv/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-season-12-reunion-trailer/

🧂 Worth Their Salt…

The latest on the ladies in the city of Salt Lake.

🍸 VanderSad…

Lala gives us the Season 10 scorecard.

👻 Ghosts From the Past…

It’s an odd mix, I don’t know half of them, and why are the bringing this back?

https://www.realitytitbit.com/usa-reality-tv/meet-the-surreal-life-2022-cast-on-instagram-including-stormy-daniels

🗽 Horror In the City…

A peek at the new AHS season.

🐶 Ending With a Squee…

Omg, Oscar.

https://www.yardbarker.com/lifestyle/articles/20_celebrity_pets_that_will_make_you_say_aw/s1__34563662#slide_1

🐣 Quotes of the Week

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy. – Albert Clarke

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. – Shari R. Barr

Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. – Hesiod

The really magical things are the ones that happen right in front of you. A lot of the time you keep looking for beauty, but it is already there. And if you look with a bit more intention, you see it. – Vik Muniz

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. – Dante Alighieri

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. – Marilyn Monroe (I was going to say, that’s genius, but…)

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

We rise by lifting others. – Robert G. Ingersoll

🥁 Turning the Beat Around…

It’s time again for the weekend, or the next two days if you’ve loud quit. I’ll be back when the Dead Walk, if you’d care to join me. Until then, stay safe, stay going the extra mile, and stay not having public meltdowns, especially if your last name is Hilton.

Halloween is on the horizon…

September 6, 2022 – An Anniversary Brings a Surprise, Backstage, Primetime Gig, Could Happen, a Message, Evil Woman, Filming, a Goodbye, Tales Talk, New Dragon & Gurls

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Marshall tells Sonny, this here is a celebration. They don’t want no trouble. Sonny says he doesn’t want any trouble either. He’s there to celebrate Trina, just like everyone else. He just wants to have a minute with Curtis. Curtis says, now is not a good time, and Marshall says, Sonny heard his son. He thinks it’s best Sonny leave now. Taggert tells Portia, nothing’s going to happen, and she asks if he’s sure about that. He says, 95% sure, and she says, he likes those odds? He says, whatever happens, Sonny and Curtis can work it out, and she says she hopes he’s right. She just wanted Trina to have a lovely party to celebrate, and… it looks like she’s got some drama of her own.

Trina says, the envelope has her name on it. Did Spencer find it somewhere? He says, no. Can she give it back please? She says, why should she? It’s hers. He says, no. Actually, it’s his. He was going to give it to her… She says, now she has it, so why does he want it back?

Willow wakes, and reaches for Michael, but he’s not there. She hears Wiley giggle, and Nelle’s voice says, say bye-bye, grandma; bye-bye, daddy. She goes downstairs and sees Carly and Michael lying dead in the living room. Nelle is there, holding Wiley’s hand, and she tells Willow, it’s no use. She’s too late. Willow says, give her her son, but Nelle says, she doesn’t have Willow’s son. Oh, Willow means her son. Willow says, Nelle is nothing to Wiley, and Nelle says, guess again. Now that the obstacles have been removed, she and her son can be together. Willow asks what she did to Michael and Carly, and Nelle says, she didn’t do anything; Willow did. Willow looks down to see her hands covered in blood, and says, no. Nelle says she’s so glad karma is finally paying Willow back for taking her son from her. Now there’s no more Michael, no more Carly… Thanks for that by the way. Willow says, no, no, no, and Nelle says, and when she disappears with her son, Willow won’t have anybody anymore. Say bye-bye. Wiley says, bye-bye, mommy, and Willow moves toward them, but they disappear. Willow looks at Michael and Carly, and screams. She wakes up, and sees Michael isn’t there. She says, oh my God, and jumps out of bed.

Downstairs, Carly thanks Temp Michael for letting her help put Wiley to bed. She’s going to miss that little guy when she’s on her trip. He says, Wiley loves spending time with her, and he appreciates the reinforcement, because Willow has been going to bed really early lately. Carly says, of course (🍷). She’s working and pregnant. He says he knows. He’s starting to realize how big a deal that is. Willow comes in, and says, thank God, throwing her arms around Michael. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, Nelle.

Spencer says, it doesn’t matter why he didn’t give Trina the letter. They’re his words, and he no longer wishes Trina to read them. Give it back. She says, no, and he says, please. That letter is his property. She says, possession is nine tenths of the law, so if he wants it back he’s going to have to do more than say please. Follow her. She leads him outside.

Sonny says, he means no disrespect, but this doesn’t involve Marshall. Curtis says, regardless, he decides who he wants to have a conversation with in his own club, and Nina comes by. She asks if Sonny minds if she steals him away for a second, and Sonny goes with her. Marshall says, he’s gone. Now tell him what the hell is going on. Curtis says, thanks. He knows what Marshall is doing, but he and Sonny go back aways. Whatever issues they have, they can resolve them on their own. Marshall says, he’s been in the music business a long time, and he’s seen Sonny’s type and how they behave in establishments like Curtis’s. Once they get their hooks in, there’s no getting them out. Curtis says, Marshall has warned him about this before. Trust him. He gets it. Marshall says, he’s not meddling, but Curtis has great back-up with Police Commissioner Ashford. All Curtis has to do is call it in, but hey, he’s not meddling.

Jordan tells TJ that she’s working on a case involving one of those genealogy companies, and it reminded her of when Stella took her test. She’d almost forgotten that’s how Stella found her cousin in London. TJ says, it was, and it’s been a whirlwind adventure ever since. She says, at the time, they all thought her long-lost relative was here in Port Charles, and he says, and they said it was a closer match than a cousin. She guesses they were wrong, but he says he doesn’t know. When she found her cousin, they let it go, but honestly, the whole thing never set right with him. They chalked it up to a technical glitch, but it seems unlikely a reputable company would make that mistake. Stella arrives, and tells TJ to give her a hug.

Josslyn asks if Cameron has some place else to be, but he says he has another surprise. She says, another secret, and he says, a surprise, not a secret. She says, close enough, and he says, she’s the one keeping all the secrets. HE didn’t know his girlfriend was a pro dumpster diver. Is she still mad at him? She asks, what for? and he says, not telling her about Spencer’s plan to save Trina. She says, no. Of course (🍷) she wasn’t thrilled, but she gets it. Spencer put him in an impossible situation.

Spencer says, until he gives it to Trina, the letter is his property, and he’s not giving it to her. This is totally unfair. She says, he’s really going to complain to her about what is and isn’t fair? She’ll give him the letter back – he says, thank you – but first she has to tell him why he’s being so weird about it… Fine. She’ll open it. He says, it’s not for her, but she says, it has her name on it. He says, that’s because it’s addressed to Trina his friend, and according to her, they’re not friends anymore.

Cameron tells Josslyn, in the interest of not keeping secrets, Spencer wrote Trina a letter. In it, he explains everything; how he always believed Trina, and was only pretending to back Esme. She says, wow. She’s almost proud of him. Does Cameron think that’s what they’re talking about? He says he hopes so. All these secrets haven’t been doing anyone any good. It’s time for everything to be out in the open.

Trina says she set a boundary, and Spencer says, he’s just trying to respect it. She says she didn’t mean to hurt him when she said they couldn’t be friends anymore, but he says, we Cassadines have ice in our veins. She didn’t hurt him, but thank you. He appreciates it, and knows she wasn’t trying to hurt him. She says, he has to admit, their relationship got pretty toxic, and he says, toxic or not, their relationship meant a lot to him, and it always will. She says, it’s meant a lot to her too, but their friendship wasn’t good for her. She felt like she kept compromising herself over and over again. She hopes he understands, and he says he does. And since they’re sharing, there’s something he’d like to tell her too.

Jordan and Stella hug, and Stella asks, where’s that nephew of hers? Jordan gestures to Marshall and Curtis talking, and Stella says, those two look like they could use a minute. Now what’s going on with TJ? Starting with how thin he’s getting. Is Molly feeding him enough?… She says she’s sorry. They’re a modern couple and they feed themselves. TJ says, between Molly’s schedule and his, they manage to grab the occasional meal, and he promises he’s taking care of himself. She says, okay. What’s going on with Jordan? She’s kind of quiet. Is everything all right? Portia runs up, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but it’s so good to see Stella. They hug, and Stella sees Portia’s ring. She says, wait a minute. What is this?

Curtis says he knows Marshall doesn’t like Sonny, but he’s got it covered. Marshall says, don’t get it twisted; this isn’t personal. He barely knows Sonny, but he knows Sonny’s type; the type that can cause trouble. Curtis sees Selina, and Marshall says, if Sonny is trying to rope Curtis or The Savoy into something shady, they got to deal with that. Curtis says he hears Marshall, but he and Sonny don’t have that kind of relationship.  

Willow says, Nelle had Wiley by the hand. She tried to take him from Nelle, and they disappeared. She was standing there with Michael and Carly, and they were both dead. Then she woke up. Michael says, it was just a dream, and Carly says, she got intense dreams when she was pregnant; she gets it. Willow says she hopes she doesn’t have them until she delivers. She’s tired enough as it is. She’s cutting back her hours at GH. Carly says, that’s smart, and she’s sure GH is understanding. Michael says, and she has him to take care of her, and Carly says, and her entire family. Willow says she appreciates that, and Michael promises there will be no stress during this pregnancy.

Nina goes to Nelle’s grave with a bouquet of flowers, and says she’s sorry she wasn’t here earlier. It’s been a long, exhausting day, but Nelle is never far from her thoughts. She can’t believe it’s been two years since she lost Nelle. It’s been an interesting two years. She never even visited last year. Nelle says, no big deal, and Nina looks up to see her. Nelle says, she’s literally living rent free in Nina’s head. Hi mom.

Selina says, always a pleasure, and Sonny says he didn’t expect to see her here tonight. She says, Curtis is a valued partner of hers. She came to express her congratulations for Trina’s good fortune. He says, that’s very generous, and she says, sit with her and have a drink. Unless he’s waiting on Miss Reeves. He says, Miss Reeves isn’t with him tonight. She says, then they’re both unescorted, since Curtis is occupied with family matters. They should have a chat. Sonny says, about what? and she says, there’s always business to discuss.

Spencer tells Trina that he’s sorry he made their friendship confusing. That’s all on him. He should have been upfront about Esme, and he should have told Esme about his feelings for her. Maybe if he’d done that, he could have saved them from the path of destruction they were on. She says, that would have been preferable, and he says, maybe they could have… The point is, everyone deserved better, and that’s essentially what he wrote in the letter. He just wanted an opportunity to come clean, and let her know he would have done everything differently. She says she appreciates that, and he says he understands why they can’t be friends anymore. He messed up her life, and he’ll always regret that.

Stella says, that looks like an engagement ring, and Portia says, Curtis proposed. They’re engaged.

Willow says, Wiley is safe and sound, sleeping like the angel he is, and Carly says, it doesn’t hurt to make sure. Michael says, she got dressed. Is she going out? Willow says she’s just getting some air, and he says he’ll go with her, but she says, one of them needs to stay with Wiley. He says, his mom can do that, or that can take Wiley to the main house. Willow says, Michael wants to wake Wiley so he can babysit her? and Carly says she actually needs to go over some things with Michael before her trip. Willow says she’ll be fine, and leaves. Michael asks what Carly wants to talk about, and she says, nothing. She gets that his heart is in the right place, but she thinks Willow needs time alone. He says he doesn’t want to hover, but Willow’s been acting so off lately, he can’t shake the feeling there’s something she’s not telling him.

Nelle says, normally, she’s not a fan of being forgotten, and Nina says, she didn’t forget Nelle. Nelle says she knows. Nina was doing the Lord’s work in Nixon Falls. Thanks for that, by the way. She knows Nina didn’t do it for her, but Nina did it because of her, so that’s good enough. Nina says she was upset with Carly. She let Nelle slip, and even after she knew what she did, she didn’t tell Nina that Nelle was her daughter. She just left Nelle out there alone. Nina cries, and says she didn’t mean to let things go as far as they did, but Nelle says, didn’t she? It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it paid off beautifully. Nina broke up Sonny and Carly, and kept Sonny for herself. Nina says she’s not going to apologize for her relationship with Sonny, but she did hurt a lot of people, including Wiley. Nelle says, Wiley’s a baby. He’s not going to remember any of it anyway. Nina says, Wiley’s not a baby anymore. He’s old enough to have things affect him. Nelle says, if Michael and Carly, and that baby-stealing insufferable Willow, want to tell him things about her or Nina that might be hurtful, that’s on them. They’re in the clear. Nina says she doesn’t want anyone to hurt Wiley, but Nelle says, he’ll get over it. It’s not like anyone’s stealing his kidney for cash, like Frank Benson. Nina says, her greatest regret is that she couldn’t protect Nelle growing up from that horrible, neglectful person. Nelle says, Nina’s mom did put her in a coma, and shrugs. Nina says, she would have been a good mother. Nelle’s life would have been so different. Nelle says, it would. Nina would have given her so much love, everything she ever wanted or needed. They hug, and Nelle says, she could have followed in Nina’s footsteps. Maybe become Editor-in-Chief of Crimson magazine. Nina says she wishes she could have given Nelle that life, and Nelle says, it’s a shame they didn’t know who they were to each other. She could have learned from the best. Together, they really could have made Michael and Carly suffer. They could have made sure Carly stayed in the nuthouse for the rest of her life. They could have hidden her son away from Michael. Working together, they really could have done a lot of damage.

Carly tells Michel, being pregnant is like being on a roller coaster. One minute, you’re glowing and happy, and the next minute, you’re just miserable. He says he knows he’s being over-protective, but how random is it that Willow dreamed about Nelle? She says, Nelle died two years ago today, and he says he didn’t realize. She says she tries not to think about it, but sometimes it just hits her. Reaching out, trying to grab Nelle and help her, and she just falls. It was awful. Then she felt relief. Nelle’s gone. Her friends and family are safe. Then she was terrified she was going to be blamed for Nelle’s death – and she was, once Nina found out the truth. Michael says he’s going to just call and check on Willow, and Carly says, it’s been five minutes; come on. He calls, but gets voicemail, and says, Carly doesn’t think she’d go to Nelle’s grave, does she? Carly says, he knows Willow best. What does he think? He says he thinks it’s a possibility, and since it’s the anniversary of Nelle’s death, he thinks there’s a chance she’ll run into Nina. Carly flashes back to finding out Nina is Willow’s mother, and he says, what happens if Willow runs into Nina? She says she thinks it will be unpleasant, but she doesn’t think Nina would hurt Willow. He says he’s going to check on her, and asks if Carly would mind watching Wiley. She says, yes, of course (🍷), when Wiley runs in, and asks where Michael is going. Michael says he’s going to pick up mommy, but Wiley hugs him, and says, no. Michael asks, what’s wrong? He loves Grandma Carly. Wiley says he had a bad dream, and doesn’t want Michael to go. Carly says, she’ll check on Willow, and Michael can stay with his son. She won’t let anything happen to Willow. He thanks her, and she leaves.

Nelle says, if Nina’s mother hadn’t pawned her off on Frank Benson, and Carly hadn’t let her plummet to her death, and if she and Nina had known who they were to each other, she could have had the most beautiful life. They could have punished them all. Nina says, that’s not what she wanted for Nelle. Everything she did, all the mistakes she made, were because she was in pain. Nelle is her baby, and Nina misses her, but she’s going to have to spend the rest of her life making up for her mistakes. Nelle says, what’s the point in whining about that? If Madeline hadn’t done what she did to Nina, and if Frank hadn’t done what he did to her, it’s the best get-out-of-jail-free card ever. Nina says, just because they got hurt doesn’t absolve them, and Nelle says, they got hurt, and hurt the world around them. Face it. They’re exactly the same. They had a connection, but Nina couldn’t let herself recognize that Nelle was her own flesh and blood. Not while Nelle was working for her, not while Nelle was standing in front of her, not when Nina testified against her, when they were trying to take her baby away from her. Nina had every opportunity to be the mother she always wanted to be, and she pushed Nelle away. Nina says she didn’t know, and cries, her face in her hands. When she looks up, Willow is there instead of Nelle.

Trina tells Spencer, she doesn’t know what to say, and he tells her, she doesn’t have to say anything. He just wanted her to know he’s sorry. She says she wishes things were different, and he says, him too. Rory comes out, and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but she’s been gone a while. He just wanted to make sure she was okay. Spencer says, he’s kept her from her party long enough. They’re done here anyway, aren’t they? She hands him the letter, and he leaves. Rory asks if she’s okay, and she says, yeah… She doesn’t know what just happened. He asks if she wants to get out of here, but she says, no. This is her party, and she wants to enjoy it with her date.

Sonny says, it’s a little late for business, and Selina says, friendship then. Let her buy him a drink. He says he doesn’t want to intrude any longer, and she says, it’s hardly intrusion. He’s welcome here. Or has he been made to feel otherwise?

Taggert asks if that thing Trina had to take care of had anything to do with Spencer, and she says, they just cleared the air. She told him they couldn’t be friends anymore. He says, smart decision. He knows it wasn’t easy, but that kid, he’s no good.

Portia says, they were going to tell Stella tonight. This is not how they wanted her to find out. She’s so sorry. Curtis comes over, and says, sorry for what? Stella says, it seems that he’s been keeping some things from her, and Portia says, she saw the ring, so… He says, they were going to tell her together in person tonight, and Stella says, oh, independent corroboration. Jordan says, she and TJ will give them some privacy, and they move on. Portia says she’s so sorry, but Stella says, Portia doesn’t owe her an apology; Curtis does. But first, allow her to welcome Portia to the family. They hug, and Portia thanks her. Stella says, Curtis finally takes her suggestion, and proposes, and she’s the last to know. He says, it wasn’t on purpose, and she asks if they’ve started making plans yet. Curtis says, slow down just a bit; they just got engaged. Stella says, like that’s an excuse, and Portia says, there is one thing they did, that they definitely agree on. Curtis says, that’s part of the reason they were waiting for tonight to tell her, and Stella says she’s dying to know. Curtis says, they’d like to know if she would marry them, and she says she’s never officiated at a wedding before. He says, it’s easy. You just go online, fill out some paperwork, and register with the clerk. Portia says, and you can just drop it in the mail, and Stella flashes back to never mailing the divorce papers. Portia asks if she would do them the honor, and Curtis takes Stella’s hand, saying, because there’s really no one better to marry them. She says, marrying the two of them would be the honor of her life, and Marshall says, and he’ll handle the music. Portia thanks them, and says, that’s one thing down. Now all they have to do is pick a date, a venue, the guest list, and apply for a marriage license. Stella says, for that, they have to supply proof of their divorces, and Curtis says, come to think of it, he doesn’t remember getting that. Stella says, he’d better look into it.

Willow asks who Nina was talking to, and Nina says she was talking to herself. Willow says, sorry for intruding. She knows how hard this day must be for her. Nina says, it is hard. She didn’t know Nelle was her daughter when she was alive, but she carried her. Nelle was her baby. Willow is probably wondering why she’s grieving when Nelle did such horrible things. Willow says, Nelle was still Nina’s child, and a mother’s love is unconditional. Feeling sadness over what could have been, that’s just human. Nina thanks her, and says she’s guessing Willow is here for Jonah, but Willow says she’s here for Nelle.

Selina asks if Curtis is giving Sonny any trouble, but Sonny says, it’s just a misunderstanding. He ran into a singer, Harrison Chase. Does she know of him? She says, the detective on suspension, and he says, he’s a good singer, and a good guy. He thought Chase would be a good fit for The Savoy. She says she appreciates Sonny making the connection. She’s sure Curtis will too.

Curtis asks if Jordan’s got a minute, and she says, what’s up? He says, this is going to sound strange, but did she ever receive notification that their divorce was finalized? She says, now that he mentions it, she’s not sure. She remembers filing the papers, but… He says, maybe it’s because he moved, his got lost in the mail, but she’s sure she got hers? She says she doesn’t remember seeing it, but she did get a lot of mail while she was away at the clinic. She could double-check; maybe she misplaced it. He says he hates to ask, but he needs it to apply for a marriage license. She says, of course (🍷). In order to get married again, you need to be divorced.

Stella congratulates Trina, and hugs her, saying, she had faith that Trina would be exonerated. Trina thanks her and thanks her for coming. Stella says, absolutely, and Curtis asks if he can steal Stella away for a minute. They leave, and Taggert tells Trina that he’s going to bounce. Have fun, stay late with her friends, and enjoy being young while she can. She says she supposes she can, as long as he promises to get lattes with her at the Haven Bistro soon. He says, twist his arm, and hugs Trina, saying, he has such a good daughter. He tells Jordan, see ya, and leaves. Jordan asks where Rory is, and Trina says, he went to get drinks. Jordan says she wanted to tell him about a break in a case, but shop talk can wait. Trina says, he’d love to hear about it. He loves his work. Jordan says, it’s pretty interesting. One of those DNA genealogy sites gave them some important evidence. Trina says, that’s so cool, and Jordan says, it make her glad those tests have become mainstream. Has Trina ever done one?

Willow tells Nina, Nelle was Wiley’s birth mother. She felt she should pay her respects, for Wiley’s sake. Nina says, Willow came out of respect for Nelle; that’s nice. She must be conflicted, since she and Michael are trying to erase Nelle from Wiley’s life. Willow says, they’re not trying to erase Nelle; they’re protecting Wiley. Even Nina admitted Nelle did terrible things. Nina says, and that’s what they want to do, lie to Wiley. Tell him people don’t have flaws. Willow says, Nelle was beyond flawed. If she’d had her way, Michael would have never known Wiley was his son, and Nina would have never known Wiley was her grandson. Every time she thinks she’s making headway with Nina, there’s no reasoning with her. She only sees what she wants to see. Nina tells Willow to get off her damn high horse. She’s sorry Nelle did horrible things, but it’s made Willow so self-righteous, she can’t acknowledge anyone’s pain but her own. Carly walks into the cemetery, and says, enough. If anyone needs perspective, it’s Nina. No matter how hard she tries to rewrite history, no matter how much she wishes Nelle had been redeemed, it doesn’t change the facts. Nelle was a kidnapper and a murderer, and the only reason they’re safe is because she’s dead.

Sonny says he can handle his business with Curtis, and Selina says, she and Sonny go back many years and many favors. Sonny agrees they do, and she says, anything she can do to strengthen their ties, don’t hesitate to ask. He says he’ll keep that in mind. She and Curtis have been doing business; how’s that working out? She says, splendidly. She found Curtis to be quite accommodating. Sonny says he’s going to let Curtis get back to his family, and thinks Selina should do the same. You know what they say about a good man. He whispers, they have their limits, and she whispers back, thank you for the advice. But she knows exactly where she and Curtis stand.

Trina tells Jordan that she took a DNA genealogy test for a project in high school. Why does she ask? Curtis gets on stage, and says, good evening. He thanks everyone for coming to The Savoy for Trina. Everyone yells, and he says, when he first met Trina, it’s safe to say she was profoundly unimpressed. But he on the other hand, immediately noticed what a strong, smart, resilient young lady she is. It’s impossible not to. So in honor of Trina, please help him welcome tonight’s entertainment, Cameron Webber. Cameron comes out with an electric guitar, and apparently has a band we never knew about. He asks how everyone is feeling tonight, and they whoop and holler. He says, his first song is dedicated to Trina. In fact, they’re all dedicated to Trina, since this is her party. This song is about a person they both know. She’ll get what it means. There’s a lot of da-da-da stuff, and something about someone being messed up in the head, but they don’t give a damn. I’m actually not positive, but I assume it’s about Esme? Cameron finishes the song to cheers and applause.  

Spencer sets the letter on fire, and watches it burn.  

Carly suggests Willow go home, and take care of herself and the baby. Michael and Wiley are waiting. Willow says, Carly’s right. It was a mistake to come here. She leaves, and Nina says, this is precious. She comes here to have a private moment with her daughter, the two of them show up, uninvited, and she’s the villain. Carly says, Nina and Nelle are alike. Nothing was ever Nelle’s fault, and nothing is ever Nina’s fault. Nina says, she’s taken responsibility for her actions, and she’s paid the consequences, and Carly says, but she doesn’t believe she deserves them. She and Nelle sing the same tune; that they’re a product of their circumstances, and that excuses their actions. Nina says, Carly of all people should sympathize. Not with her, but with Nelle. Because it was Carly’s adoptive father who neglected Nelle, abused her, and sold her for parts. Carly says she had compassion for Nelle, and in return, she was sent to Ferncliff for months, Michael was left to burn in a car, and Nelle switched Wiley for Willow’s dead baby. Does Nina get that? Nelle used someone’s dead infant as a prop. How proud Nina must be. Carly walks out, and Nina says, it didn’t have to be like this.

Tomorrow, Felicia tells Maxie, that would be a bad idea; Anna tells Robert, she doesn’t know whether to find that funny or disturbing; Victor tells Lucy, it will be their little secret; and Sonny wants to get something straight with Cody.

🍺 Behind the Bar…

That was a fun scene.

👮🏽‍♂️ Not So Invisible…

A lot of side gigs going on at GH.

🎼 Like Mother, Like Daughter…

This would be the perfect time for Lois to make an appearance.

📜 For the Fans…

This was just one of the saddest things ever.

😈 I’m With Her…

I’ll say it again. I think Sutton is clueless and can be inappropriate AF, but Diana is vindictive and creepy.

💗 Making Heart Sign…

A match made in Housewives heaven.

🥀 We Barely Knew Ye…

Even though I don’t think we ever saw him, Marge sure seemed to have a lot of respect for her ex. I know she must be devastated.

https://people.com/tv/real-housewives-of-new-jersey-margaret-josephs-ex-husband-jan-josephs-dead-at-75/

⚰️ Tales To Be Told…

Is it science or sentiment? What I like about this show is the different story each week.  

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/tales-of-the-walking-dead-season-1-episode-4-recap-amy-dr-everett-poppy-liu-anthony-edwards/

🐉 This Week’s Dragon…

What’s happening with the Targaryens.

https://ew.com/tv/recaps/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-episode-3/

👠 Walking My Own Red Carpet…

Speaking of evil, come by tomorrow for some soap and the Housewives who have the market on the devil’s work these days. Until then, stay safe, stay not shooting the messenger, and stay not crashing anyone’s private moments at the cemetery. No good can come of it.

August 5, 2022 – Deception Does Damage Control, Yesterday’s Charm, 2 Anniversaries, He’s Restless, Days Move, Kindness Please, Regrets, Sit Down, Med Captain, 50 Cent’s 2 Cents, Transformation, Who’s On, 5+5 = 10 Quotes & Here It Comes

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase lounges in a floatie donut in the pool. Dante comes by and says, this reminds him of a movie he saw once. Disillusioned guy spends the summer floating around in a pool so he can avoid his future. Chase says, The Graduate. It’s a good movie. The key difference is though, the main character had Simon and Garfunkel singing his confusion. Dante says, right, and Chase says, and didn’t have to pay for his pool chaise. Dante says, that’s true too. Don’t kid himself though. That guy was a lot younger than him. Chase says, thank you. Did Dante talk to his guy at the CCRB? Dante says, yeah, and Chase says, and? Is there a chance he’s getting back on the force? Dante says he’s sorry. He wishes he had better news to report.

Lucy comes into the Deception office, and tells Brook and Maxie that she’s sorry to keep them waiting. She was on the phone with Paris again and again, and she appreciates them coming to this meeting at such short notice. Maxie says she’s supposed to meet Britt for brunch, but if this is about what she thinks it’s about, Britt will forgive her. Lucy says, yeah, Sasha, and Brook says, it’s all over the news. It’s blowing up their social media. They need to release a statement. Lucy says, exactly, and Maxie says, one that protects Sasha’s privacy. Lucy says, that is a given, but they also have to consider Deception’s image and protect their company. Maxie says, more important, they help their friend, but Lucy says she’s not sure they can do both.

Martin gives Sasha some coffee, and says, it’s not Perks, but why doesn’t she try to drink it anyway; be as sharp as she can. She just stares ahead, and he says, Sasha? If she doesn’t have anything more to say, he guesses he’ll see what time transport is set for her arraignment. Outside in the squad room, Gladys arrives, and Brando hugs her. She says she brought Sasha fresh clothes. He looks like he hasn’t slept a wink. Where’s Sasha? He points to the interrogation room, and says, she’s int there conferring with her lawyer Martin Grey. She says, excellent. He’s Valentin Cassadine’s attorney; he’s high-powered. He’ll help their girl for sure. Martin comes out, and Brando asks, how’s Sasha? Martin says, she’s just great. Why shouldn’t she be? She’s only facing charges of reckless endangerment, disturbing the peace, willful destruction of property – both public and private – and oh yeah, attempted murder.

Gregory meets Alexis at some outside tables, and she says, he’s early. He says, only by a few minutes. He’s eager to hear the feedback on the op ed he wrote. She says, and so he shall. She promised to be honest. He tells her not to keep him in suspense. Who came out on top of their little wager? She says, you tell me, and hands him her tablet.

At the MetroCourt Gardens, Sam thanks Spinelli for meeting her. He says, of course (🍷). He’s always at her service. Cody walks in, and Spinelli says, unlike others, she’s entirely worthy of his time and efforts.

Cody sees Britt, and says, hello again. He sits next to her, and she says, and goodbye again, getting up. He says, come on. Don’t be like that. She doesn’t have to take off. She says, sorry. She has to go. He says, what? She needs something plugged in again? She needs to wash her hair? He knows she doesn’t need to see a guy about a horse because he’s that guy. She says, he’s right. She doesn’t need to make excuses. The simple truth is, she just doesn’t like him.

Chase says, so the Review Board is going to rule against him? and Dante says he doesn’t know about that. All he knows is, his guy on the inside, when he asked if Chase would get his badge back, he said the chances were slim. Chase asks if there’s anything he can do to derail this, and Dante says, the new member appointed by the public advocate is making a point of throwing the book at cops who step out of line, regardless of their exemplary record. Chase says, so that’s it, he’s no longer a cop, but Dante says, take it from him, you’re still a cop until you actually hand your badge in for good. There’s always hope until that happens. Chase says, hope doesn’t pay his late rent, and Dante says he’ll spot Chase rent money. Chase says he appreciates that, but he got himself into this, and he’ll get himself out. Dante says, even if it means taking a job outside the force? when Linc appears, and says, then it’s a good thing Chase has other options.

Brook scrolls on her tablet, and says, the comments are so rude. Poor Sasha. Maxie says, she kept insisting she was okay, but in retrospect, it’s clear she wasn’t. Lucy says, these media hounds are baying for blood. They’ve got to simply reset the narrative. They need to engender empathy for Sasha that maintains her position here, and hopefully placates the Board of Directors. Maxie says, they need to come up with a strategy that shields Deception from liability, while not abandoning one of their partners. Brook says, right. Where do they start? Maxie says, let’s get the ball rolling, and asks if Brook would mind taking notes. Brook says, of course (🍷) not, and Maxie says, Deception’s press release subject: Deception’s commitment on supporting health and mental well-being.

Gladys brings a garment bag in to Sasha, and asks how she’s holding up.

Alexis tells Gregory, this one says, Professor Chase’s opinion piece seems like a complaint in search of a cause, and he says, but if you scroll up, you’ll see Cronkite’s Ghost – he laughs – says his op-ed piece eloquently illuminates the necessity of objectivity. She laughs, and says, Cronkite’s Ghost. They say a handle says a lot about a person. She’s getting pompous blowhard. He asks if she’s ascribing that characterization to him, but she says, no, of course (🍷) not. Here’s one. Newshound86 thinks his op-ed piece is a dumpster fire. He says, how constructive… and poetic, and she says, this one just wants her to put the horoscopes back in. He says, he’d argue that astrology is subjective, so he marks that one in his favor. She says, by a slim margin, it appears the readers approve of his point-of-view. Cue the gloating. He says, him gloat? No. It’s enough he’s feeling validated that his so-called antiquated notions have merit. Thanks for following up. She says, a deal’s a deal, and he says, speaking of which, their deal was, if he won, she’d take more of his input on board. She wonders why the hairs on the back of her neck on end. Cue the smirk. He smiles.

Cody says, Britt hasn’t been shy about her disapproval, and she says, and yet, here he is. Haven’t they played this scene before? He says, yes, we have, but we keep screwing up the finale, and she asks what he means by we. He says, he can admit that he doesn’t always say the right things, and she asks if he expects her to say something to the contrary, but he says, no. He was just giving her the chance to admit that she’s unforgiving when it comes to human frailty. He takes a sip of his drink, and says he’ll wait. She says, by all means, help yourself.

Sam tells Spinelli that she thinks she hit a brick wall, but he’s busy staring at Britt and Cody. She says, then Felicia made a great suggestion to her. She said, think analog. He says, interesting, and she says, the documentation she needs is abroad. Is he available for a quick trip? He asks, where? and she says she was thinking Mars. She hears the planet is notorious for sloppy record keeping. He says, that’s just common knowledge, and she says, he’s not even listening to a word she’s saying, but he says, he is. Analog records… messy… Mars? She tells him, she said Mars, and the word she used is sloppy. What’s messy is him eavesdropping on Britt and Cody’s conversation. She wants him to tell her why, and no lame excuse or denial, because she’s not buying it.

Sasha comes out, and Brando her. He says he’s not going anywhere, and Gladys leads her away. Martin says he’s glad Brando’s mother brought fresh clothes; she needs to be as presentable as possible. Brando says, clothes aren’t going to do anything. Her eyes are vacant and she doesn’t look good. They need to get her out of here. Tell him, how are they going to beat these charges? Martin says, they can’t.

Cody tells Britt to look at it from his point-of-view. She tore into him about falling into the pool at the mixer. He was hired to jump, and she was standing smackdab in the middle of it. She helped him in the alley when he got beat up, but then she assumed he deserved it. He did not. Then she drenched him on their date because he went a little overboard trying to impress her. And she woudn’t even accept his apology. Then when she finally did accept his apology, she found some trivial reason to get angry at him again. It’s like she wants him to fail. He guesses if people don’t live up to her ridiculously high expectations she’s set for them, she gets to feel justified punishing them. She says, he’s right. He’s got her number. He says, he does?

Sam says, Spinelli is on good terms with Britt, so his beef must be with Cody. Why? He says, Mr. Bell is a scoundrel of ill-repute, and she asks if he realizes Cody and Dante are best friends from childhood. Leo loves the guy, as do the horses. He seems like a nice guy. What’s Spinelli’s issue with him? Spinelli says, he’s a man of many faces, and she says, meaning? He says he can read people well. Remember, he never liked Peter August. She says, nobody liked Peter August. Why doesn’t he save his incredible reading skills for the documentation they’ll be hunting down on their trip? She’d like to leave by the end of the week. He says he’s completely at her disposal stateside, but he’s too occupied with work to cross the International Dateline. She says, work. She’s so glad he brought that up. What is it he does these days?

Dante says he wasn’t talking to Linc. What does he want? Linc says, nothing to do with Dante. He has business with Dante’s friend here. Dante says, Chase is still a cop, so Chase is his partner, and Chase asks Dante to give them a second. Dante asks if Chase is kidding. This guy might be the reason he gets kicked off the force. What business could Chase possibly have with him? Linc says, standing right here, and Dante says, go stand over there. Chase tells Dante, he knows what he’s doing, and Dante says, all right. Just don’t let this punk bait him. He leaves, and Linc says, Chase gave him 30 days to show him what he can do. It hasn’t even been a week, and he’s booked Chase a gig at The Savoy. What has Brook done for him lately?

Maxie asks Brook to read that last part back, and Brook reads, together we pledge to stand up for the Deception family by breaking the stigma of mental health challenges, ensuring their partners and their families receive all the help they need. Therefore, Deception will make a one million dollar donation to help families with mental illness. Maxie says, sounds good. Just change the Deception family to our Deception family, and she thinks that’s their press release. Brook agrees, and says, Sasha’s arrest was definitely a cry for help. Hopefully, framing it this way will inspire compassion. Haters be damned. She’s going to make this change, email it to herself, and take it to PR. Maxie asks her to have legal put their eyes on it first. Then tell them to work with PR. She wants it posted on all their social media platforms as soon as possible. Brook says, she’ll make it happen, and leaves. Maxie asks if Lucy didn’t have anything she wanted to add, but Lucy says, no. Actually, everything Maxie and Brook said is fine. Lucy scarfs gummi bears as they talk, and Maxie says, she’s glad Martin is representing Sasha; he’s one of the best. And she’s not just saying that because… you know. Lucy says, my guy knows his stuff, and it’s good for Sasha’s sake, and for ours. Maxie says, ours? and Lucy says, it’s just that Martin sees the big picture, and understands how important it is to protect all of Sasha’s interests, which includes Deception. Which means they have some tough decisions to make. Maxie says, how tough? and Lucy says, Maxie’s not going to like what she has to say.

Martin tells Brando, he had a call into the DA’s office, and his contact just got back to him. Martin wanted to run something by him. Brando says, something about Sasha? and Martin says, Brando’s got to understand some things. Brando says, sounds serious, and Martin says, in the first place, he’s sorry he rattled off those charges at Brando like that. He wasn’t trying to be flippant. He’s a little punchy in the morning when he hasn’t slept, but he swears he’s taking this case seriously. He wants Brando to know, he’s looking at every possibility to help his wife; all of them. Brando thanks him, and asks if Martin was being punchy when he said they couldn’t beat some of these charges. Martin says, some of the charges he believe can be thrown out, or restitution can be made, but on some of the others, no way. They have to contend with a very damning video; a video where Sasha isn’t just out of control, she looks outright violent. All those assault charges are going to be tough to beat. Brando says, but he’ll try, right? They’ll do whatever he wants them to do. Martin says he believes Brando will, but can the same thing be said of his wife?  

Gladys wipes Sasha’s face, and Sasha pulls away. Gladys says, Sasha is still a little smudged. She’s just trying help. Sasha says, thanks, but nobody can help, and Gladys says, that’s not true. Sasha has a whole army behind her. Maxie’s been blowing up Gladys’s phone; she just hasn’t had a chance to get back to her. She’s sure Maxie and Lucy want to visit Sasha, but Sasha says she’s not. Not after what she did. Gladys asks why she did it, and Sasha says, she was standing up for herself, and she would do it again.

Gregory says, he heard Sasha Gilmore recently attacked the vehicle of one of Alexis’s reporters, and she says, Smoltz (who apparently has no first name) is a freelancer. He says, whatever Smoltz’s role at The Invader, he’s surprised there’s been no mention of it in her paper. Why is that? She says, because the story is still evolving, and they’ll cover it when they know more. Unless of course (🍷) he’d like her to report the salacious account of a spokesmodel having a nervous breakdown. He says, that’s a narrow way of looking at it, and she says, and his way? He says, the facts. A reporter – one affiliated with her paper – was attacked while doing his job.

Lucy says, maybe they should consider finding a new Face of Deception, and Maxie asks if she’s talking about pushing Sasha out, but Lucy says, no, absolutely not. Sasha is their partner, and always will be. She’s just thinking maybe Sasha should step aside as spokesperson, just for a while. Take a sabbatical or something. Maxie says, after everything Sasha has lost, Lucy wants to strip her of more, and Lucy says, it’s hard to say and hard to hear, but look at everything they’ve built; look at all this company means. All the money, everything, is tied up in its stock value. And if it goes belly-up, it’s Brokesville again; they’ll have nothing. She knows Sasha wouldn’t want that. Does Maxie? Sasha is their friend, always; this is just business. Maxie says, okay. Then as the head of this business, Lucy can tell her, and she walks out.

Gladys says, can’t the court just ask Sasha to pay for the damage to that reporter’s car? She’s good for it. Sasha says, Smoltz deserved it; so did Sienna. Pretending to be Sasha’s friend, when all along, Sienna wanted to ply her with more drugs so she could stab her in the back. She’s so sick of them. She’s tired of being exploited. Gladys says, of course (🍷) she is, but isn’t she also tired of feeling out of control?

Martin tells Brando, he doesn’t know what the hell’s going on or why, but they simply don’t have time to figure it out. For some reason, Brando’s wife has completely shut down. Every answer she gave him was model celeb, if she answered him at all. Brando says, Sasha’s in shock. Spending the night in jail didn’t help at all. Martin says, he’ll definitely ask the court to take that into consideration, but that’s not the only issue at play here, is it? He was up most of the night going over the evidence in this case, trying to wrap his head recent events, and he doesn’t have to tell Brando, it doesn’t look good. Sasha has blown up her sobriety, she’s spun out on national television… She caused a fatal car accident... Brando says, she didn’t cause that; Harmony ran out in front of her. Martin says, so what? His point is, with Sasha these days, it’s one thing after another. This is just something else in a long line of bad looks. Now, worst of all, she’s either in denial or she’s intentionally avoiding the help she so desperately needs.

Britt tells Cody, she is too hard on people; she always has been. He asks if she thinks she misses out on getting to know folks, and she says, probably. He says, it’s kind of worse that they end up missing out on knowing her, and she says, okay, this is sliding into the sappy zone. What he doesn’t understand is, she doesn’t really like people all that much, so it’s no great loss. He says he’s see how she and her buddy Brad get on, when she’s not scolding him, and she says, that weirdo? He says, besides, what’s a little sap between friends? Nothing wrong with that. Not to be presumptuous, but he has a sappy present for her. He knows they’re not friends or anything like that, but consider him a weirdo. He takes an envelope out of his pocket, and puts it on the table. He says, it’s just a little token to prove he’s not some conniving grifter, and she says, he just happened to be carrying it in case he bumped into her? Not conniving, eh? How did he know where to find her?

Spinelli assures Sam, his work is of the greatest importance. Not as important as hers of course (🍷). He has contacts all over the world who can be at her disposal. In fact, he’ll connect her with someone who can help aid in her investigation. She says, nice try. She’s not done interrogating him yet. He says, she’s an astute sleuth. Can’t she detect a dead end when she sees one? Speaking of sleuths, how are things with Detective Falconari? She says, well, he asked her to move in with him. Spinelli says, congratulations. Glad tidings… are they not?

Chase tells Linc, that’s great about The Savoy, but he’s sure Brook has some irons in the fire. Linc says, while she’s flailing around, he’s crushing it. How does a gig at The Mercury Lounge sound? Chase says, in New York City? Out of his league. That place is for the big acts. Linc says, it is, and it will be for Chase before he knows it, with Linc managing his career. It’s hard to have a serious conversation with a floatie between them. Chase gets out of the pool, and Linc hands him a towel. He says, it’s good to see Chase’s unemployment paid off with more gym time. When he’s through marketing Chase, their key demo is either going to want to be him, or want to be with him. Brook walks in, and says, Chase isn’t just a piece of meat; he’s an artist – a talented, beautiful artist. Chase gets dressed, and Brook says, he’s got talent, and smarts, and heart. Linc says, sure. He’s the total package, but he assures her, Chase’s fans will be more interested in his eyes than his IQ. His development department has put together a promotional plan for Chase. He’s also booked studio time for them to start laying down tracks with top writers and producers. After the gig at The Savoy, then they’ll focus on The Mercury Lounge. At both gigs, the concert goers will be able to stream and share his EP. They’ll be able to sell a ton of merch at The Mercury Lounge. Either way, it’s instant revenue for Chase. Chase says he could actually use the money, and Brook asks, how much is this studio time? What are they talking here? Chase says, it does sound expensive, and Linc says, you bet it is, but not for Chase; it’s part of the package. Like his styling, his wardrobe, and his voice lessons. Can Brook offer him the same? Dante watches them, and Brook says, no, but she can offer him something even better.

Britt asks if Cody is having her followed; paying people to let him know if she shows up here? He says, Maxie told him… Well, she mentioned something about brunch plans, and he took a chance. She says, it’s still invasive, and he says he hears her, but it’s still better than showing up at her hotel room or her office. He didn’t have any other options. Is she going to open it or what? She holds the envelope to her ear, and says, it’s not ticking. He says, no need. He’s blown up enough chances with her. She opens the passport and starts to read, and he says, she’s a hard woman to make arts and crafts for. He’ll totally understand if she hates it. She says she doesn’t hate it, and he says, does she think maybe they could add another stamp? Any night she’s available. She asks if there’s any way he’ll take no for an answer, and he says, statistically? Probably the same chances as her refraining from sarcasm. She says she calls the meal this time, and he says, deal.

Sam tells Spinelli, there’s so much to consider. She’s not sure about moving. She doesn’t want to uproot Scout and Danny; the penthouse is their home. He says, home is wherever she is. Doesn’t she want to live with Dante? She says she thinks things are really good the way they are. Why change it? He asks if there’s any other reason she’s hesitant to do this, when Maxie walks in, and says, hey guys. She’s having a morning. Is she interrupting if she sits? Sam says, not at all, and Spinelli says, have a seat. Britt says she never would have figured Cody for being the arts and crafts type, and Maxie says, it looks like Britt and Cody are getting along. She guesses she doesn’t have to apologize to Britt for missing their brunch. Looks like she gave true love an assist. Spinelli asks why she’s so certain Cody is right for Britt, and she says, because she trusts Society Set-Ups. And she’s spent some time with him; he’s a sweet guy. Sam says she happens to agree, but Spinelli says, they both couldn’t be more wrong, and storms out.

Alexis says, not everyone sees things through the lens of a journalism professor, and Gregory says, he’s also a citizen. It concerns him whenever freedom of the press is constrained by threats or violence. She says, she agrees, but he doesn’t know Smoltz. His tactics are less than savory, and she wouldn’t put it past him if he goaded Sasha into a reaction, hoping to provoke just what he got. So if she were him, she wouldn’t hang out the shingle of the First Amendment rights on this one. He says he’d like to invite her to one of his PCU lectures, and she says, he’s lecturing? He says, PCU wooed him out of retirement; convinced him to teach a course. He thinks she’d get a lot out of it. She says, really? She’s argued First Amendment rights in a court of law a lot more than he’s ever lectured about it in a classroom. He says, then she undoubtedly knows, the character of the victim doesn’t preclude the reporting of the crime. Mr. Smoltz may not be the kind of reporter she respects, but he was the target of violence, which makes it at least worthy of her attention, and in his learned opinion, most definitely newsworthy.

Sasha says, Gladys thinks she’s out of control? and Gladys says, doesn’t she? Lately, she’s not the Sasha that Gladys has come to know and love. Sasha says, love. Gladys didn’t even want her to marry her son. Gladys says, she didn’t. Not then. Not at the time, for a few reasons. It seemed like they were rushing, for one thing, and she didn’t like being excluded. But once she saw how much Sasha really loved Brando, and how happy she makes him, and how kind and smart she is, she’s been proud to call Sasha her daughter-in-law. And she’s done what she could to protect Sasha. She thought Sasha knew that.

Brando asks if Martin thinks he gives a damn about optics. He cares about Sasha. He cares about what Martin can do for her. Martin says, Brando needs to care about all of it. Just like he does. Sasha’s drawn the attention of the internet; she’s gone viral. Given the recent nature of political events involving their mayor, the DA’s office is doing everything to avoid the appearance of favoritism. Sasha’s a celebrity. Optics. Translation: don’t expect any kind of preferential treatment, because they’re in no position to give her a break. Brando asks what they do, and Martin says, he motivates his wife to take a more active part in her own defense. He agrees she needs help. She needs a psyche consult, but he doesn’t know if she’d be receptive to the idea. Most of all, she needs to demonstrate her commitment to intensive therapy and restitution. Brando says he doesn’t know if Sasha is ready to confront this, and Martin says, and that severely limits their options. He can only think of one other way to keep Brando’s wife out of prison.

Britt tells Cody, it’s official; she’s been stood up. She’s going to the pool. He says, he’d ask to join her, but she’d just say he’s pushing it, and she says, maybe he is getting to know her. Maxie and Sam join them, and Maxie says, they are getting along. Britt asks for a word with her, and they step aside. Britt asks, what happened to brunch; did Maxie forget? Maxie says, she got hung up at Deception, damage control, and Britt says, right. Sorry. How’s Sasha doing? Any word? Maxie says, nothing from her side; not happy things from theirs. Britt says, when she sees Sasha, tell her she has friends, and Maxie says, she will. It seems like Britt is all about friends these days. Looking pretty cozy over there. She asks, what’s that? indicating the envelope in Britt’s hand, and Britt says, just a silly gift Cody made her. Maxie says, oh… really, and Britt says she’ll overlook whatever part Maxie played in securing him a second date. Maxie gets excited, and says, they’re going on a second date? Britt says, calm down. It’s just a date. Don’t go pricing wedding venues.

Alexis tells Gregory, what Sasha did to Smoltz is news, regardless of extenuating circumstances, but is it newsworthy? He says, that sounds like leftover lawyer speak, and she says, it’s human speak, because she’s a human being. You know who else is a human being? Sasha Gilmore. Gregory says, one that she knows personally. Could that be precluding her view? She says, she barely knows Sasha. She’s looking at the big picture, and given the impact of social media, and various platforms, in contemporary journalism, that’s something that has to be taken very seriously. He says, by all means, put the truth out there, and she says, Cronkite said, in seeking the truth, you need to be able to look at both sides of the story. If they just tell the facts of what happened to Sasha, it’s a disservice to her and their readers. He says, don’t tell him she has alternative facts, and she says, she has context. In the span of a year, Sasha has overdosed, she’s gotten clean, she’s fallen in love, she’s lost a child, she’s been in a fatal car crash, she’s relapsed, and she’s still struggling with her mental health. So if they omit all that, and just print she attacked a car with a valet sign, that’s not showing respect to the Fourth Estate. It’s character assassination disguised as journalism.

Martin says he knows he can cut a deal with the DA’s office, predicated on the promise that Sasha stays out of trouble moving forward, but Brando says he doesn’t know if they can guarantee that. Martin says, in her current state? Brando had better guarantee it, because if he makes a deal, and she breaks her promise, she will be remanded to prison. Like he said, there might be one other way, if Brando’s prepared for it. Brando asks if it’s something that would get the DA to accept this deal, and Martin asks if he knows what guardianship is. Brando says, it’s like a conservatorship, right? and Martin says, exactly. In New York state, the guardianship is utilized when an adult is considered legally incapacitated. Brando says, Martin wants them to claim Sasha is incapable of taking care of herself? and Martin asks, what happened during her last therapy appointment? Brando says, she didn’t make it, and Martin asks if Brando would say her condition makes her less able to manage things, like her health and financial affairs. Brando says he doesn’t know about this, and Martin says, take it easy. They’re not talking about tossing Sasha into some 19th century house of hysteria; this is simply a strategy. It’s a way to keep her at home, and out of prison. Appoint someone, a guardian to watch out for her well-being, make sure she gets to appointments on time, safeguard her finances. It doesn’t have to be forever. Brando says, it seems extreme, and Martin says, it’s Brando’s call, but given Sasha’s state of mind, is she ready for a trial? He doesn’t think it would go well for her. Does Brando?

Sasha says she’s tired, and Gladys says she knows, but they’re all doing their best to help her. She can’t read Sasha’s mind, but she’ll tell Sasha what’s on hers. Sasha is her family now, and that means Gladys will do whatever it takes to look out for her.

Brook says, what she can offer Chase is unique, and Linc says, what is  this, a double-standard? Brook tells him, get his head out of the gutter, if it’s at all possible. Linc is only looking at Chase as a performer. She’s a songwriter and they’ve collaborated before. If they share songwriting credit, he’ll get a larger share of all songs produced and streamed. The money won’t be instant, but the residuals mean a lot more in the long run. Chase says, it’s very tempting, and she tells him, think about it, and leaves. She walks over to Dante, and he says he’d clap for her, but he doesn’t want to blow her cover. That was a great show. Is there anything she can’t do? She says she can’t understand what he’s saying right now. Why is he smiling? He says, it’s him. They go way back. The whole wanting to be Chase’s manager is a good angle, but he knows a con when he sees one.

Gregory tells Alexis, beautifully expressed. Miss Gilmore is lucky that Alexis is Editor-in-Chief. She says, he’s agreeing with her? and he asks if that’s so hard to believe. She says, given their interaction thus far? and he says, fair enough. He agrees this story can’t be told without including Miss Gilmore’s state of mind as a mitigating factor. It’s wise to take a more nuanced approach. Alexis says, she’s concerned about violating medical confidentiality. How does she inject nuance without compromising privacy? He says, it’s tricky, but there are ways, and she says, okay, professor. He’s offered a lesson. Okeydoke. She takes out her notebook, and says, school’s in session. He says he’s honored, but she says, don’t be. She’s doing it for Sasha.

Brando says, Martin is sure no plea deal can be made? and Martin says, not if Sasha doesn’t demonstrate some kind of cooperation. Brando asks if she wouldn’t have to agree to a guardianship, but Martin says, not necessarily, especially if she was incapable of making that decision. Brando says, she’s already accused him of trying to control her life. He doesn’t know if he’s comfortable with this. Gladys and Sasha join them, and Gladys says, comfortable with what? Are they talking a game plan, a strategy? Martin says, they have a couple options to consider, but for now they’re taking it one step at a time. He tells Sasha, this officer is going to escort her to the courthouse where she’s going to be arraigned. They’ll meet her there. Does she have any questions? Sasha shakes her head, and Brando takes her hands, and says, everything’s going to be okay. She says, promise? and he says, better than that, a vow. For better or worse, in sickness and in health. He’s got her.   

Maxie goes back to Cody and Sam, and says, Cody’s gift was a hit. Congrats. They high-five, and Cody thanks her for encouraging him to give it to Britt personally. Sam says, smooth move, Maxie, and he says, too bad all of Britt’s friends aren’t as supportive as they are. Sam says, if he’s referring to Spinelli, don’t worry about him; he’s been all over the place lately. Maxie says, she’s noticed that. What’s with him? Sam says she doesn’t know, aside from the fact he gave Cody a dirty look the entire time she was talking to him, and Maxie wonders why he’d be doing that. Does Cody have any idea? He says, not a clue.

Britt lies on a chaise, her eyes closed, when Spinelli clears his throat, startling her. He says, she’s about to make a mistake, and she says, his mistake was looming over her like a vampire. He almost got a swift kick. She gets up, and he says he’s serious. She can’t go out with Cody again.

Britt says she knows Dante wants his partner back, but whether he wants to believe it or not, Chase real future in music. Dante says he knows Chase is a talented guy, but he also happens to know, Chase is thinking things are pretty bleak right now, and he doesn’t want Chase to make a mistake. So please level with him. What the hell do the two of them have cooking up?

Chase tells Linc, that’s great. Tell the development team to send over the promotional package, and he’ll have his lawyers look at it. Linc says, he’s convincing, but not good enough for Linc, or himself. Chase says he’s not sure what Linc is getting at, and Linc says, don’t play a player. He knows Brook, and he knows what she’s really up to.

On Monday, Cody says, might as well put their cards on the table; Willow has the feeling Ava want something from her; Obrecht says, Nina needs to walk away now; and Dex says he just gave Michael the perfect opportunity to nail his old man.

Southern Charm

Austen joins Kathryn for a pedicure at a nail place, unoriginally called The Nail Place. He says he’s excited for girls day, and in his interview, he says he’s always had a soft spot for Kathryn. He did win Drama King in high school, and Kathryn can be dramatic as well. She asks if he’s getting a color, and he says he’s not Craig. Working at home, Craig tells himself, work smarter, not harder. Naomie calls, and he tells her that he’s working on his spring collection. She says she had a strange reaction at Olivia’s, and needs to pick his brain. She asks if he wants to get coffee, and we flash back to Paige saying, it’s inappropriate to hang out with one’s ex. Craig asks why she’s calling him about it, and Naomie says, it’s about Kathryn. She thought he’d be the best person to advise her. We flash back to Craig asking Paige, what about having lunch with an ex? and Paige saying, no. He says, it must be serious enough if she wants to talk in person. He’s going to be over by her later, and there’s a coffee shop nearby. In Craig’s interview, he says, it’s just coffee. He’ll get in and get out. They’re not getting their nails done together. Meanwhile at the nail salon, Austen says he loves Kathryn’s blond look, and she asks how things are going with him and Olivia. He says, they haven’t spoken since the party. It bothered him that after he’d talked to her about Madison, Olivia invited her to the party. He doesn’t want to pursue someone who wants to be friends with his ex. In Kathryn’s interview, she says, sometimes Austen can be a petty bitch.

Olivia and mom Robin discuss the party, and agree it was fun. Robin asks about Austen, and Olivia says, they didn’t end on the best note at the party. We flash back to Olivia telling Austen that she’s waiting for the day he doesn’t care about Madison, and she tells Robin about it. Robin says, he does seem more tense around Madison. She thinks it’s sensitive and sweet, and says, you usually don’t hear about a woman being… whatever [Madison] is. Olivia says, everyone has ex stuff, but she wants Austen to be right in that department. In Olivia’s interview, she says, a relationship with Austen is too much work. She’s not enough drama for him. He seems to like it; it’s what he’s used to. While they get a paraffin foot treatment, Austen says he’s happy Kathryn and Chleb are back together. Kathryn says, they’re trying, but in her gut, she feels like something is off. At the party, he was talking to Naomie a lot. It was weird super and disrespectful, and she felt hurt. We see a clip of Chleb telling Kathryn that Naomie was calling her names, and Kathryn saying, he should have shut it down immediately, not listen because he’s being a good guy. In Kathryn’s interview, she says she wishes he would be more aware of what he’s doing. Loyalty, hello? Austen tells her, if she thinks something off, then something is off.

Leva sees her trainer, and he does some kind of massage/stretching exercises for her muscles. In Leva’s interview, she says she wants to be present. She’s reading books about essentialism, so she doesn’t cook as much, lets the house be messy, and picks her battles at work. She’s consciously practicing to be a calmer person. But it’s not working. She loves Little Lamar, but he’s two and chaotic. We see some clips of Little in action, and she says, he’s so high energy from 6 am until his bedtime at 9 pm, which is her fault. Venita’s mom Vi visits her, and says she loves Venita’s big hair. When she was young, she had big hair. In Venita’s interview, she says, her mother didn’t tell her be perfect. She told Venita that perfect was however she chose to be. Venita tells Vi that she had a bad week. She didn’t get invited to Olivia’s party because Olivia didn’t want the garden party again. She guesses it’s embarrassing, and her feelings are hurt. Vi says, Venita’s got to talk about things, but when she’s rational; not in the heat of anger. Venita says she doesn’t know how to go about it, since she’s never seen it. Vi didn’t show her how to handle things, and hid any disagreements with her dad. Vi says she’s not talking about Venita’s dad, and in her interview, Venita says she was an only child. She was in high school when she came home one day, and her dad was gone. Her parents could have worked for the Secret Service. She had no idea it wasn’t working out. She tells Vi, all she knew was that she had two parents, and then one of them was gone, and Vi says, Venita still has two parents. In Venita’s interview, she says, her dad was probably living a double life since she was about 14. It took until her aunt called and said he was marrying someone else for her to understand her parents were done. Vi says, Venita’s dad was thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy, and it wasn’t something to discuss with her daughter. She didn’t want Venita to see her pain. Venita says she doesn’t have the insight her friends do, because they saw their parents argue, then figure it out. Vi says, it’s probably because she grew up in a house where they did argue, and Venita asks what it taught Vi. Vi says, not to do it, and in her interview, Venita says, teaching you how to avoid fighting doesn’t teach you how to deal with fighting. She’ll get overly upset at a simple confrontation, because she’s never seen anyone do that on a personal level. Vi says she tried to protect Venita from the pitfalls of life, which was not necessarily a good thing. Venita didn’t learn how to handle adversity, and Vi apologizes for what she didn’t do. Going forward, she’ll do her best. Books on parenting don’t work. You have to go through it to learn. She asks if that satisfied Venita, and Venita says, it’s more than she had yesterday.

Little Craig! Shep visits Whitney and Patricia, who’s gotten Little Craig a champagne bottle toy, which she says is unshreddable. Whitney says, Little Craig is like a piranha meets the Tasmanian Devil, and Shep says, his dad calls the dog a French terrorist. New guy Randy is doing the butlering, and Patricia says, nobody can take Michael’s place, but he’s good. Whitney says, Randy alleviates his duties, like official dog walker. In Patricia’s interview, she says, Randy is a lovely man. He’s a good server and fixes drinks so much better than Whitney. We flash back to Whitney bumbling through things, and see that Little Craig is already well on his way to totally destroying his new toy. Patricia says, speaking of incurring damage, Little Craig was involved in Peaches’ violation. Shep asks if they had a roll in the hay, and Whitney says, Little Craig is a feral mess. Done with his toy destruction, Little Craig runs to find Peaches, and Patricia says, let him; the damage has been done. In her interview, Patricia says, mounted is too strong a word. He sullied Peaches’ reputation. She tells Shep that Little Craig has to do the honorable thing. She’d like to have a wedding. (I can’t wait!) Shep asks if she wants Little Craig to make an honest doggy of Peaches, and Patricia says, he thinks she’s kidding. She doesn’t see anybody here doing anything in the near future. Shep says, so they’ll give her the wedding she richly deserves. She asks if Little Craig has a tux. She’s getting Peaches a wedding gown. In Shep’s interview, he says, if Whitney had his way, he’d be a bachelor for life. Still living in hope, Patricia says she doesn’t want to preempt any wedding bells, and asks Shep about Taylor. Shep says, Taylor’s not a pressure type of gal.

Taylor visits Marcie, and checks out the nursery, saying, it’s so pink; she loves it. Marcie says she’s glad she’s done. She’s due in 5 weeks. In Taylor’s interview, she says, in her perfect world she’d get married around 30, and have kids by 33. How old is she now? (I looked it up. She’s 27.) Marcie shows Taylor the outfit she’s taking the baby home in, and they move on to an entire closet full of clothes. In her interview, Taylor says she gets giddy looking at clothes and strollers. Shep’s clock isn’t ticking, but hers is. Shep tells Patricia that he thinks he’s in the clear, but Patricia says, don’t kid yourself. Whitney asks how long they’ve been going out, and Shep says, two years. Patricia says, if there was no proposal after four months, that’s it. In Patricia’s interview, she says, Taylor is making a mistake be acquiescing. She needs to give him an ultimatum. Patricia says, she’s amazed that any woman could put up with the two of them, and Shep says, they’re on the George Clooney/Warren Beatty track.

Naomie calls Craig, saying she’s at the coffee place, and they’re out of chai. She places both their orders, and when he gets there, she asks why he’s grumpy. He insists he’s not, and she asks if he had fun at Olivia’s party. He asks it was about Kathryn she wanted to discuss, and she says, during the party, Chleb came up and started going in about Kathryn. We flash back to that, and Naomie says, Chleb was saying not nice things. Craig says, like what? and we flash back to Chleb saying he could only listen so much to Kathryn, then he’d put on ESPN and tune out. Like practically every man doesn’t do this. She tells Craig, Chleb doesn’t seem happy. The one lesson she learned after her and Craig was, never air your dirty laundry to other people. She has regrets about talking bad about Craig, and she’s pretty sure Metul did the same thing to her. Karma is very real. She wonders what’s making Craig uncomfortable. He’s jittery, making no eye contact, and keeps looking over his shoulder. Who’s coming? She says, he’s acting like she’s part of a sting operation or something. She doesn’t know what’s going on, and wishes he’d just be straight and not act like a weirdo. In Craig’s interview, he wonders why they needed to have coffee for Naomie to tell him that Chleb was talking sh*t about Kathryn. Naomie says she feels bad for Kathryn. They’ll never be good friends, but she feels it’s the right thing to hand Craig the information. Maybe he could just talk to her. He says, maybe, but he’s got to be going. He’s picking up Paige from the airport. Naomie suggests they do a fun night out, and Craig says, one day, maybe. Naomie says she just wants to have fun, but Craig says, unfortunately, there are boundaries. He’s glad they can catch up and be friends, but at the end of the day, Naomie is his ex-girlfriend, and Paige doesn’t appreciate it. They can’t hang out just yet. Naomie says, they can’t forget the past, and in his interview, Craig says he thinks Paige is being understanding, even though she doesn’t understand the situation, since she lives in NYC, where you don’t run into your ex all the time or hang out with them. He doesn’t want to push or disrespect her any further. In Naomie’s interview, she says, if  she hadn’t thought she and Craig were on the same page, she wouldn’t have asked him for coffee. She’s not trying to get with him. She’s not the type who tries to get with a guy who has a girlfriend. If it feels awkward, that’s on them, not her. I can see it both ways, but I’ve never really wanted to hang out with an ex. Oh wait. I do hang out with my boyfriend from high school once in a while, but those feelings are long gone. If they were even real at that age. Now he’s someone I grew up with.

Olivia calls Naomie from the car, and says she’s meeting Venita. Naomie says, awesome; heal it up. They meet at a juice bar, and in Venita’s interview, she says, with her parents, all she’s seen is avoidance of fighting, confrontation, and issues. She wants to step up and resolve this, rather than letting it sit. Venita asks how the party was, and Olivia says, fun. They toast to this thing (i.e. their meeting), and Olivia says she appreciates Venita reaching out. Venita says, they had a rocky start, and she wants to be able to lay everything on the table. Olivia says she thinks Venita has a false perception of who she is, and she was thrown by Venita’s misconceptions. Insinuating something is not cool. Venita says, when Olivia walked away, it felt dismissive, and Olivia gets how it could be perceived, but it’s her way to cool off when she knows nothing is going to get resolved in that moment. Venita apologizes for coming at Olivia so hot. It wasn’t necessary, and it’s not who she is as an individual. She suggests they make it a clean slate. Now they just have to worry about everyone else. She says, with all that smoke and heat between Austen and Madison, why invite Madison to the party? Olivia says, she and Madison are fine, but she got an earful about it. We flash back to Austen acting stupid, and Venita asks if Olivia and Austen are dating. Olivia says, they only went out one-on-one once, and they’re in in that weird limbo. Venita wonders if Madison knows, and Olivia asks why it would matter. Venita says, Madison and Austen were so deeply involved, part of Madison feels entitled to know what’s going on. It’s not worth it.

Chleb goes to mom Debbie’s house, and she asks if he’s working hard. He says, seven days; he’s pretty damn tired. Debbie wonders if he didn’t take the tag off his shoes, but he says, it’s the style. She says, it seems awkward, but he says, it’s the drip these days. She asks how Kathryn is, and he says, they went through some stuff. There was a girl named Naomie at the party who Kathryn dislikes, and she and Chleb got to talking. We see a clip of Kathryn telling Chleb, it’s embarrassing. In Chleb’s interview, he says he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with someone he’s thinking negatively about. Debbie says, it takes work, and suggests he make a list of what he likes and dislikes about the relationship. She says, if you have more dislikes than likes, you ain’t gonna make it, baby.

Paige is at Craig’s, and he offers her every coffee flavor known to man. She says, yuck to maple, which is one of my favorites, but she also hates mint, and we’re in agreement there. My only exception is Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. She asks if he can imagine when they actually have a kitchen, and in Craig’s interview, he says, it’s hard to play house with no kitchen, and living out of boxes. The fact that Paige feels comfortable with things as is, is an incredible sign. Paige suggests sitting outside, and Craig wonders if they make an iced coffee maker. Paige is like, nooo, and says, he loves tea anyway. In his interview, he says, Paige loves how he is, and he loves that feeling. She’s his biggest fan. Aww. They’re not engaged yet, but he thinks he’s found his person. They sit in rockers on the porch, and he tells her that he’d like a big family, and wants to renovate the house with that vision.  

Event planner Erica goes to Patricia’s, and Patricia says she thinks it would be fun to have a dog wedding, so she needed a wedding planner. Erica asks how big it will be, and Patricia says, around 25 people. It might be the only wedding she throws. In Patricia’s interview, she says she has Whitney’s wedding planned. A medieval cathedral, a florist from Paris, Valentino for the mother-of-the-bride dress, but she doesn’t get to make those decisions. Erica asks, who is going to officiate? and Patricia says, Little Craig and Peaches go to the same vet. She thinks Dr. Berger will agree to officiate. They decide on having it in the garden, and Erica asks if Patricia wants the guests welcomed with champagne. Patricia says she does, but she wants it in coups, not flutes. Erica asks about cakes, and Patricia wants the ones featured in Steel Magnolias. The groom’s cake is an armadillo cake in red velvet. She tells Erica, the invitations have already gone out.  

To be continued…

Next time, Whitney and Shep talk human marriage; the dog wedding happens; Olivia brings a date that’s not Austen; Whitney plays guitar; and Craig tells Naomie that she left a loving relationship to be with a controlling a-hole. She won’t affect his life anymore.

🎉 Happy Anniversary…

Scotty celebrates his 45th.

💐 Another Congrats…

Not as long, but still. She took a small villainous part and turned it into being a major player.

🧼 Jumping Soap…

I vaguely remember him being Todd on OLTL for five minutes. Even they realized it was a bad idea. No one can replace Roger Howarth.

🦚 Goodbye and Hello…

Yep. They’re going to nickel and dime us to death. Or in this case, $4.99 us.

https://ew.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-moving-to-peacock/

💝 Sharing Is Caring…

NuTrina has a message for all of us.

🎡 Yeah, Yeah…

LisaR needs to get off the merry-go-round that’s her feelings. Next week, she’ll be back to the shading game.

💎 She’s Rocking the Boat…

Sheree can be on my fantasy spin-off too.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1340467/why-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-sheree-zampino-says-kyle-richards-should-sit-down

Cruising the Med…

Captain Sandy’s voyage to reality star.

🍸 Backing His Home Girl…

50 Cent is back to dogging Randall.

https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.72274/title.50-cent-randall-emmet-power-ex

⚰️ New Rick…

Daryl’s journey to leadership.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-daryl-rick-grimes-revolver/

🌜 On the Moon…

The VMA line-up.

📣 Quotes of the Week

A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts. – Joshua Reynolds

Happiness depends to some extent upon external conditions, but chiefly upon mental attitudes. – Paramahansa Yogananda

Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live. – Nora Roberts

The greatest source of unhappiness in the world comes from having unreasonable expectations about the behavior of other people. – Don Fehr

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

Sometimes you make the right decision, and sometimes you have to make the decision right. – Dr. Phil

Security is mostly a superstition… Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. – Helen Keller

Life is like a novel. It’s filled with suspense. You have no idea what is going to happen until you turn the page. – Sidney Sheldon (Well, let’s hope it’s not like a Sidney Sheldon novel.)

If there’s a world here in a hundred years, it’s going to be saved by tens of millions of little things. The powers-that-be can break up any big thing they want… but what are they going to do about 10 million little things? They break up two of them, and three more like them spring up!Pete Seeger

The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. – Gloria Steinem

🛣 On the Road Again…

It’s certainly been a week. If it’s been one for you too, or even if it hasn’t, you have my permission to take the next two days off. But be back on Monday for soap and a Mediterranean cruise. Until then, stay safe, stay away from overly processed foods, and stay never trying to play a player.

July 22, 2022 – Yesterday Once More, Real Hospital, Holiday Over, a Return, Midseason Hills, Shut Down, Eww, VanderNews, Dead Talk, Never Ending, Another Spin, Nope On the Best, XII Quotes & Finally

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

For today’s show, see yesterday:

👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 🍷 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼

🩺 Britt’s BFF…

This is a new medical one on me. Of course, now I’m worried I have the same condition.

🏝 Some Vacation…

At least it wasn’t at the beginning.

🧱 Hey La, Hey La, Brick Is Back…

Sadly, I guess he won’t be flirting with Carly anymore. Since I don’t watch sports, I had no idea his main gig was on ESPN.

💎 Cringeworthy Once Again…

In watching this, I understood what it is about Diana that I don’t like. She expects others to be empathetic of her without really knowing her, but she’s quick with judgements about people she doesn’t know. There was a poll on Twitter asking if she was soulless – which I think was just a dramatic word Sutton used, and not to be taken seriously – and I read she blocked people who said yes. Why? Is she afraid she might learn something about herself?

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-beverly-hills-midseason-trailer/

Kathy puts in her twelve million two cents.

https://extratv.com/2022/07/21/kathy-hilton-dishes-on-rhobh-drama-with-kyle-richards/

I don’t think anyone needs to be paid to spread negative stories about LisaR. She does well enough on her own.

📰 Exclusive…

Phaedra gives the skinny on landing back at Housewives.

https://www.etonline.com/phaedra-parks-shuts-down-rhoa-return-but-is-down-to-join-rhodubai-after-rhugt-experience-exclusive

☢️ Cross Reality Contamination…

Why? Not that he’s not good looking, but from Winter or Summer House? No, just no. <making cross with my index fingers>

🍸 The Queen Speaks…

https://extratv.com/2022/07/20/lisa-vanderpump-opens-up-about-tom-schwartz-and-katie-maloney-s-split/

And while we’re on the subject.

Oh and why not?

⚰️ Walking Closer…

The latest on TWD.

https://people.com/tv/the-walking-dead-final-episodes-trailer-san-diego-comic-con/

Buzz about the 47th spin-off. (Just kidding. I think it’s only the 10th.)

🎃 It Will Never End…

I’m sure somehow the cash cow that is Halloween will be milked well into the year 3000. Michael Meyers: Cryogenically Unfrozen.

https://ew.com/movies/halloween-ends-trailer-jamie-lee-curtis/

🐉 Spinning Off the Spin-Off…

House of the Dragon hasn’t even started yet, and already things are getting complicated.

https://ew.com/tv/steve-toussaint-game-of-thrones-sea-snake-prequel-series/

😱 But He’s Close…

I’m actually toying with the idea of going to the theater to see this. It looks so good.

https://ew.com/movies/jordan-peele-shuts-down-best-horror-director-praise-john-carpenter/

🦮 Quotes of the Week

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. – Dale Carnegie

Never try to outstubborn a cat. Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams, we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism. – Erin Wright

Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.Steve Maraboli

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. – Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. – Elbert Hubbard

I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace. – Thomas Paine

If you don’t like my shade, get out of my shadow. – Shereé (yes, that one) Whitfield, Real Housewives of Atlanta

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

I have more in common with a three-toed sloth or a one-eyed pterodactyl or a Kalamata olive than I have with Winston Churchill. – Boris Johnson (What?)

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

Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.- Annette Funicello

🦛 Taking My Hunky Dory and Going…

If all goes according to plan, we’ll all be filling the next two days with activities that are gratifying and/or productive. Or not, if that’s what you like. Then we’ll reconvene on Monday for soap and yachting on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay doing everything in moderation, but allowing for a splurge now and then, and stay trying to understand where others are coming from. You might not like them anyway, but you won’t hate them. Don’t be a Diana J.

June 3, 2022 – Sonny Won’t Let Nina Go, Why, Opening Up, Joining Salem, a Farewell, So She Claims, Reaction, VanderNews, Premieres, New Motel, Quotes of Eight & Somebody

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny picks up Nina’s necklace from in front of Nelle’s gravestone. I knew it!

In a cab, Nina tells the driver that she’s going to the airport; the international terminal. Her phone dings, but she brushes it aside.

On the phone, Sonny tells Phyllis not to worry. He’s going to find her.

Sam says, when Cody said, partners in crime, is he talking about Detective Falconari? Cody says he can’t wrap his head around the cop part. This guy’s mom sent him to summer camp to keep him out of trouble, and he got in a lot more while he was there. Dante says, that was because of Cody, and Cody says, right. He’s the one who led Dante astray; Dante’s the innocent one. Sam says, they’ve known each other that long? and Cody says, we were twelve? Thirteen? Dante says, twelve. He came home from school one day, and his mom had a bag packed. He was going to camp for the summer. Stay out of trouble and get into nature. Sam says, and Cody was the bad influence that corrupted Dante? Cody says he was a bad influence, but so was Dante back in the day.

Josslyn sees Cameron at the pool, putting out towels, and says, two shifts? Kelly’s, now here? He says, with everything going on with his mom, he figured he could use the extra work, and she asks if they can talk about what’s going on with them.

In front of her house, Trina says she can’t believe she and Rory stayed out so long, and he says he guesses that means they were having a good time. She says she guesses so, and thanks him for everything back at the pool, and for dinner, and for ice cream. She’ll pay him back for everything. He tells her not to worry about it, and thanks her for introducing him to that amazing food truck. She says, right? She only knew about it because it goes by PCU on certain days. He says, another testament to her incredible taste. Good art, good food. He can’t wait to see what else she introduces him to.

Spencer says he promises whatever Esme has to say, he’ll listen, but can he please go first? He’s had a lot of time to think about what she said to him; how he takes her for granted, and how Trina gets under his skin. But he evades every time she calls him out on it, and he realized she’s right. She deserves some answers.

Ava says, don’t tell her that he hired a divorce lawyer already, and Nikolas says, no, but he was ready to give up on their marriage. She says she was too. She drew a line in the sand, and she was ready to walk away. Thankfully, she realized it was the last thing she wanted. They can find their way back from this, can’t they?

Dante says, Cody didn’t corrupt him, but he definitely coerced Dante into going along with his more harebrained schemes. Cody says, like Dante didn’t have any suggestions, and Dante says, Cody knows it wasn’t his idea or choice to take a canoe out in the middle of the lake, and tip it over on purpose. Cody starts laughing and banging the table, and says, they pretended they were drowning, and yelled, help! help! until the prettiest CIT came over. Dante tells Sam, that’s Counselor-in-Training, and Cody says, she swam over. She – air quotes – rescued us – end air quotes – and boy she was mad. Dante says, they got banned from the beach for the rest of the summer, and Cody says, then Dante stole all the camp director’s cigarettes out of his cabin. Dante says, and why did he do that? and Cody says, because he dared Dante to. Dante says, they got busted because this guy smoked every cigarette in the pack, and started puking all over the place, and Cody says, nothing like a little adrenaline rush to let you know you’re alive. Sam says, it’s like jumping out of a plane and crash-landing on an unsuspecting woman, and Cody says, talk about mad… and pretty. She actually reminds him of that CIT. Still, if she hadn’t been there, it would have been a perfect landing. Dante says, instead of a potential negligence lawsuit, and Cody says, look at Dante, former renegade, embracing the straight and narrow path to a humdrum life. Dante says he doesn’t know if staring down the barrel of a loaded gun is as dangerous as jumping out of a plane, and Cody says he’s just messing with Dante. He’s going to get another round for that dinner Dante is going to buy him. He gets up, and puts his hand on his back. Sam asks if he’s okay, and Cody says, that tumble just fired up some old injuries. He’s good. A little pain just lets you know you’re alive. He goes to the bar, and Sam wonders why Dante never mentioned him before. Dante says he doesn’t know. They saw each other at summer camp, had a helluva time, but they lost touch after Dante stopped going. Sam says, that’s too bad. He seems like a good guy. Dante says, he is a good guy. Good at getting in trouble.

Josslyn says she feels like she and Cameron should be able to tell each other everything by now. Unless this is something bigger. Does he feel like they need time or something? He says, no. He doesn’t want that. Does she? She says she doesn’t know what else to do. Clearly, something is going on. Cameron flashes back to telling Spencer that he’s not going to lose Josslyn because Spencer can’t keep his head in the game. Make it happen, or he will. Cameron says, Josslyn is right. There’s something he has to tell her. She says, okay, when Adam walks in. Cameron says, isn’t that…? and she says, the creep who tried to hit on her when she thought they were just study buddies? Adam says he’s sorry to interrupt, but he really needs to talk to her.

Taggert tells Portia that he was hoping Trina would get home before he left, and she says, Trina is actually supposed to be back by now, but she has been working a lot. Dealing with everything hanging over her head, Portia doesn’t blame her. She wishes there was something she could do to make things better, and Taggert says, she will. He asks her to give Trina a big hug from her dad, and she says she sure will. Trina’s still a daddy’s girl; don’t worry. Taggert opens the door to find Rory and Trina standing there, and asks, sweetheart, who’s your friend?

Nikolas downs a drink, and Ava says, they had a fight; so do most couples. She just had to remember everything they’ve shared. How they’ve survived, despite everyone’s predictions to the contrary. Because they love each other. Because they understand each other. It’s going to take a helluva lot more than an argument to sever that bond. He flashes back to… I don’t want to talk about it, and says, to be fair, it was more than one argument. There are things between them that aren’t easy to resolve. She says, nothing between them has been easy, and it hasn’t stopped them yet, but he says, she walked away from him; from them. He thought it was over. She says she thought so too, but it’s because they’re both stubborn, passionate people. When they’re at odds, things can get really ugly, but when they’re together, they’re unbeatable. That’s the problem. They stopped working as a team. They started to let their own agendas drive them, and forgot to protect this life they’ve created together. That life is beautiful. It’s remarkable, and utterly their own. And she’s not going to let Spencer and Esme tear it down.

Spencer says he’s so sorry for how bad things have gotten between him and Esme. He’s so sorry for the way he treated her. He takes her hand, and asks if she’ll please forgive him.

On the phone, Sonny asks if Brick can track down Nina for him. She’s not returning his calls, his texting, or nothing… He’s just afraid she’s not in a great state of mind, and she might do something she’s going to regret.

Nina thanks the driver for making the stop; she left her passport in the office. She realizes her necklace is gone, and asks him to wait. They have to make another stop before he drives her to the airport.

Cody comes back with beers, and says, to Port Charles finest. That means Dante. Dante says, to unexpected reunions, and they clink bottles. Sam says, no wedding ring; he’s not married? He says, free as a bird, and she says, no kids? He says, no, and she asks if there’s anyone special in his life. He says, she asks a lot of questions, and Dante says, Sam is a private investigator; occupational hazard. Sam says, it’s like jumping out of a plane and landing on a roof. It’s sort of like skydiving. Is that what Cody does for a living, or is it his side hustle? Cody says, actually, for a long time, he was a stunt horseback rider, and Dante says, cool. Cody was always good with horses. Cody says he grew up around them, and when he moved out west, he worked on ranches. That’s where he learned stunt riding, but after too many tumbles, he had to hang up his saddle. Now he makes a living doing short term gigs. Sam asks if dropping out of the sky isn’t hard on his back, and he says, yeah. He’ll probably have to quit that too. So how long have Sam and Dante been together? Dante asks if Sam wants to take that one, and she says, they’re coming up on a year. Cody asks how they met, and Dante says, Sam has been a family friend for years. Sam says, her ex-husband was best friends with Dante’s father. Cody says, Dante found his father. He remembers Dante wanted to know who he was. Dante says he got to know his father a little over 10 years ago, and Cody says, that’s significant; tell him about him. Dante says, he’s a businessman in Port Charles, and Cody asks, what’s his business? Dante says, Corinthos Coffee, and Cody says, his dad is Sonny Corinthos?

Sonny tells Brick, talk to him… a plane ticket, where?… Dammit. Milan?… How soon?… All right. He’s on it. He starts to leave, but meets Nina, who’s coming into the cemetery.

Cameron says, if he was Adam, he’d get the hell out of here, but Josslyn says, it’s fine. Let’s hear what he has to say. Adam asks if they can talk in private, and Cameron says, he’s joking, but Josslyn says, it’s fine. He’s got a minute. Cameron steps away, and Josslyn says, one wrong word, and he’s in the pool, and she’s pretty good at it. He says he’s been afraid to talk to her at school, but he saw her come in there, and figured it’s now or never. She says, for what? and he says, an apology.

Nikolas tells Ava, as convenient as it would be to blame Spencer and Esme, they’ve struggled with trust and honesty from the beginning, and he takes his responsibility in that. Ava says she knows they have legitimate issues to work through, but despite that, there’s love here. There’s a kinship even, and there’s certainly no denying their attraction. Surely those things can see them through. What does he say? Is still in this with her? He says, don’t call him Shirley.

Esme says she appreciates Spencer’s acknowledgement that he’s treated her badly, but it’s not that simple. She removes her hand from his, and gets up. He follows and says, he knows he messed everything up. He’s trying to work it out. He wants to be the man she deserves, but in order to do that, he may need a second, third, or fourth chance, and he doesn’t even know which one he’s on now. Just believe he’s trying to do better by her. She says she needs more than trying, and from where she’s standing, it doesn’t look like he’s trying very hard, except to justify his behavior. She’s been willing to stand by him, no matter what, but she hasn’t gotten anything close to that from him. She deserves better. His father reminded her of that.

Nikolas says he’s with Ava, always and forever. She moves to kiss him, but he backs up a little. She says, forever lasted all of four seconds, and he says she just surprised him. She says, and his instinct was to recoil; that’s not very reassuring. He says he’s as in love with her as ever. He wanted to grab her in his arms so many times, and he had to restrain himself. They came so close to the edge of giving up. It might take time for him to feel normal. She says, there is still one giant thing between them. If they really want to move forward, they have to settle it once and for all.

Spencer says, Esme talked to his father about him? and Esme flashes back to – oh! My eyes! She says, among other things. Nikolas saw her suitcase, and she accidentally broke the news about Ava’s offer for them to move out of Windymere in exchange for an allowance from his trust fund. One thing led to another, and she told him they fought, and she was on the verge of walking out on him. Spencer asks what Nikolas said to make her stay, and she says, Nikolas cares about Spencer and doesn’t want to see him hurt, so he talked her down. He gave her a new perspective on relationships. It was a lot to take in, but it made her realize she has to be honest in what she needs from Spencer. He says he knows their relationship has been rocky. He’s been in a bad head space ever since he came back from Spring Ridge, but he’s ready to do whatever it takes to make this work between them. She asks if he really means that.

Portia asks if she can get Rory anything to drink, but he says he’s fine. Trina asks if Taggert wasn’t supposed to be leaving, and Portia thinks she remembers Rory. Wasn’t he at the courthouse at Trina’s arraignment? He says, yes. It was the first day he officially met Trina. Trina says, Rory got her a soda when she was in the interrogation room. Portia says, well, that’s an interesting story, and the three of them force a laugh. Taggert says, mm-hm, and Rory says he heard how Taggert and Commissioner Ashford took down Cyrus Renault. Great work. Taggert says, ya think? He broke the law. He had to convince his ex-wife and daughter that he was dead for nearly six months. Trina says, which she had a problem with at first, but then she realized he was just doing what he had to do. Rory says, it sounds like Taggert did what he needed to do to protect his family and community. He admires that. Taggert asks if Rory likes breaking the rules. Is that the real reason he’s hanging out with Taggert’s daughter?

Josslyn says, Adam wants to apologize? and he says he does. He’s sorry for being a total jerk. He had no right to say the things he said. She says, no, he didn’t; so why did he? He tells her, he’s ashamed to say it now, but all he saw was a hot girl in a video. He didn’t think about how it felt to have her privacy violated. Then he read her article in The Invader. Reading about what she went through, it was seriously messed up, and made him check himself. If someone did that to his sister, he would be furious. He’s really sorry, and sorry he made it worse for her. She thanks him, and says she accepts his apology. He asks if they should hug it out or something, and she says, remember the pool? Don’t push it.

Dante says he’s guessing Cody knows the name Sonny Corinthos, and Cody says, he knows Sonny roasts a mean bean. Can Dante hook him up with some free coffee? Dante says, some things never change; always looking for an angle. Cody says, it’s not what you know, and Dante says, it’s who you know. Cody asks what Dante is up to tonight. Does he want to raise a ruckus to honor the old times? Dante says he has an early morning, and Cody says, Dante has to keep those bad guys off the street. Dante says, and get his kid to school. Cody says, look at Dante. He’s a dad with a great job, and a cool girlfriend. He didn’t think Dante had it in him. Cody is happy for him. It looks like he grew up to have a full life. Dante thanks him, and says, it looks like Cody got the life he wanted too. Cody says, more or less. He’s glad they had this chance to catch up, even if it’s just one night. Sam says, they’re having dinner at her place tomorrow night. Why doesn’t Cody come by?

Sonny says he was worried about Nina. He called and texted, but she didn’t return his calls. She says she put her phone on silent; she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. He says he heard her petition to see Wiley was rejected. He’s sorry. She asks if he’s upset about how she let Scotty go after Michael, and he says he doesn’t like to see Michael in pain, but can’t he feel for her too? She says she won’t be hurting Michael or anyone anymore. She’s headed to the airport as soon as she finds… He says, this? holding up her necklace. He won’t give it to her, and she says, she’s running late; there’s a car waiting for her. He says, too bad. He’s not letting her go.

Ava says, her offer to Spencer wasn’t only to get him and Esme to move out; it was for her and Nikolas. Nikolas says, she wanted to give them space to work on their marriage, but it hurts that his son chose money over their relationship. Ava says she means no disrespect, but in Spencer’s eyes, Nikolas did the same thing. As a gesture of good faith and to show him she’s committed to their marriage, she won’t make Spencer choose. He says, if she reneges on their deal, Spencer will be furious, but she says, no. She’ll still give him the money, on the condition he remain here. Of course (🍷) she’ll still have to put up with Esme. He says, not necessarily. Esme and Spencer might be breaking up. Esme seems to think so. Ava says, maybe that’s why Spencer was looking for her. Maybe she’s gone already. This calls for a toast. Things are looking up already.

Spencer tells Esme, he means it with all his heart. He wants them to make it. Can she please accept his apology? She takes his hands and says she loves him. She wants to make this relationship work, so yes, she forgives him. She hopes this can be a new beginning for them. He says he wants that too. He’s ready for all this drama to be a thing of the past. She says, the best part is, she knows he means that.

Portia tells Taggert, this isn’t an interrogation, but Rory says, it’s a fair question. Actually, he’s a by-the-book guy. That’s why he looked it up, and there’s no rule he’s not allowed to be friends with Trina while she’s awaiting trial. Taggert says, he’s a rookie, right? There’s something Rory needs to understand about law enforcement; there’s written rules, and unwritten rules. Rory says, yes, sir. He takes that seriously. Just like he takes seriously their oath and motto, to protect and serve; that’s why he was drawn to the job. He’s not violating the oath or motto by hanging out with Trina. If someone has a problem with that, it’s on them, not him. Portia asks what Rory likes to do in his spare time, and he says, Trina is teaching him about art; she has a great eye. Trina says she keeps telling him, art is subjective, but she guesses she’s been around it more. Rory says, no false modesty; own it, lady. Trina says she guesses she’s pretty good at it, and Rory says he likes to keep active; play sports, swim, work out when he can. The job keeps him pretty busy, and the whole work/life balance is tough. Portia says, let her know when he’s got that figured out, and he says, right now, he’s trying to remind himself to make more time for the things he enjoys. He and Trina smile at each other.

Cody tells Sam, he appreciates the offer, but he’s got to hit the road tomorrow. She says, no way. He’s only there for the day? He says, life in the gig economy. His next job’s in the Finger Lakes area, but Port Charles seems like a nice town. Sam says, it is. Too bad he can’t stick around and get to know the place. Cody says he never gets too comfy in one place; got to pay the bills. Sam asks if he’s looking for something long term, and he says, since he quit riding, he just goes where the wind blows. He’s open to opportunities. Why does she ask? She says she might know of a job that’s a good fit, if of course (🍷) he’s interested.

Nina tells Sonny, she can’t stay here. She hates losing him, leaving him, but she can’t keep doing this. Her mistakes have cost him everything, and they’ve finally caught up with her. He says he meant what he said on the stand; he forgives her for what she did to him. She thanks him, and says, it means everything, but it doesn’t change the fact she lost Wiley, her grandson, her flesh and blood, the last link she’ll ever have to her daughter. He says, she doesn’t know that for sure, and she says, Michael and Willow won’t let her see Wiley after everything that happened in court today. He says, Michael and Willow can’t keep her from her grandson forever, but she says, they can. They won’t let that little boy see anything redeemable in her. Willow accused her of being exactly like Nelle. And Nina said terrible things. She has a habit of lashing out when she feels cornered. She missed her chance at getting what her mother stole from her. She won’t know Nelle, and now she won’t know Nelle’s son. The only thing she has left of them is that necklace. Please give to her so she can go. It hurts too much to stay here. He puts the necklace in her hand, and asks her to do him a favor. Before she leaves; let him ask her one thing. How does she think Wiley will feel when he finds out she gave up on him?

Sam tells Cody, her kids spend a lot of time at their grandmother’s. They have stables and horses. They just got a new horse, and they’re actually looking for another handler. Cody says, so old money? New? She says, does it matter? He said he worked on ranches. Does that mean he has experience in managing and grooming horses? He says, yeah. When he was a kid, his family tended to some horses that were on an estate near the camp. He helped out, and even took over for a couple years before he went out west. She says she can’t promise anything, but she and Dante can get him a foot in the door, but Dante says, he thinks it’s a good idea, but he doesn’t think it’s the right one for Cody. Never too comfy in one place, right?

Cameron gets a text from Spencer: All good. Plan on track. Josslyn comes back with Adam, and Cameron says, everything okay? She says, yeah, and Adam says, he was telling Josslyn that he read their article in The Invader, and how sorry he is everything went down the way it did. They’re really brave, and he appreciates them both. Cameron says, cool, thanks, and Adam leaves. Cameron asks if he’s legit, and Josslyn says, actually, yes. He apologized, and told her that when he read the article, he changed. They changed his perspective. It’s just more validation that they made the right decision in agreeing to do the article. He says he guesses they did. He’s glad she’s finally getting some closure. She tells him, she wouldn’t say that. She won’t get any closure on any of this until Esme gets what she deserves.

Spencer and Esme walk in, and Ava says she’s glad Spencer is here. She has some news. She’s decided to amend their agreement. Spencer says, she’s giving him full control of his trust fund? but she laughs, and says, no. She’s still giving him an allowance like they agreed, except Spencer won’t be moving out. He’ll stay, and work things out with his father. Spencer says, she wants him to stay here? and she says, yes, and it seems the timing has worked out perfectly. Nikolas told her what happened. Esme looks at Nikolas, who gives a small shake of his head, and Esme asks Ava, what was that exactly? Ava says she understands Esme and Spencer have been having some difficulties, and are looking to take a break. She’s not going to insult Esme’s intelligence by saying she’s sorry to hear that. She’s sure Esme will land on her feet; find some other family to terrorize, as long as it’s not hers. Esme says, that’s where Ava is wrong. She and Spencer worked everything out. He stays; she stays. Does that alter Ava’s terms? Ava looks at Nikolas.

Nina tells Sonny, she’s not giving up on Wiley; she’s fighting to stay in his life. Sonny says, until now. She had one setback, and she’s going to throw in the towel? She says she can’t sit on the sidelines and watch that little boy play out the rest of his life without her, knowing his family poisoned his mind against her. It just hurts too much. He says, if she runs away, Wiley is going to believe the lies. He’s going to grow up, and want to know his mother and her family. He’s going to seek Nina out, and maybe want a relationship with her when he finds out how great she is. She says she doesn’t see that happening, but he says, they don’t know the future, but he can tell her right now, she’s not going to have a relationship with Wiley if she’s not here. She says she just feels hopeless, and he says, so she’s going to run. That’s what she does; it’s her pattern. She has to break that pattern. Otherwise, Wiley is going to grow up believing all the lies people are telling him. She says, what if it’s too late? but he says, that’s her fear talking. Remember what she said to him? The only way she could make it up to Wiley is to prove how much she loves him. She believed that then, believe it now. She says she doesn’t know what she believes, and he says, stay here. She has a life here. She could have one with Wiley, but she’s never going to know if she runs away.

Cody thanks Sam for the offer, but says, it’s not the right gig for him. Dante says, ever since they were kids, Cody’s had adventure in his veins, and Cody tells Sam, he’s right. Dante’s always had his number.

Cameron says his break’s just about over, and Josslyn says, he was going to tell her something before Adam interrupted them. He says, it’s not really important; it can wait. She says, really? Because she can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something from her. He says, no. He’s sorry. He’s probably giving off weird vibes; he’s worried about his mom. She says, right. She’s sorry, but he knows he can tell her anything, right? He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too, and they hug.

Ava says, the most important thing is that Nikolas and Spencer work out their problems. If Esme and Nikolas are back track, it seems that Esme will be sticking around. Nikolas says, that is if Spencer decides to stay; the decision is his. And Nikolas supports whatever he decides. Esme says, seems like win-win to her, and Spencer says, how can he refuse such a generous offer? but the look on his face is skeptical. Ava says, then it’s settled. As a welcome home gift, she’ll wire his first payment. She jets, and Spencer says he’ll come too. He follows Ava out, and Esme tells Nikolas, she thought they’d never leave. In the hallway, Spencer asks if Ava is really okay with Esme staying here. She says she’s committed to her marriage, just like she’s committed to Spencer and his father moving forward. If that means putting up with Esme, Ava will do her best to tolerate her. She walks away, and inside the room, Esme says, so Nikolas didn’t tell Ava? She doesn’t suspect? Nikolas says, no, and what happened between them can never happen again. They’re back together with their partners, and have another shot at making it work. He thinks it’s best if Spencer and Ava never find out, and Esme says she totally agrees. Ava and Spence never have to find out. Nikolas leaves.  

Rory says, it’s nice meeting Portia and Taggert, but unfortunately, he has an early morning. Portia says, it was nice meeting him too, and Taggert says he was just leaving; he’ll walk Rory out. Rory says, see Trina soon, and leaves with Taggert. Trina laughs, and picks up her phone. Portia says, he was nice, and he was cute too. She picked up a little connection. Trina tells Portia, like she said, he’s a nice person, but she barely knows him, and Portia says, okay. Whatever Trina says. They both squeal.

Nina touches Nelle’s gravestone, and tells Sonny, okay. She’ll stay in Port Charles, for Wiley. He says, she’s making the right choice, and she says, she’ll watch that sweet little boy become a stranger to her, or worse, afraid of her because of what his family has said about her. She’s not sure how she’s going to handle that. He says, she’s not going to handle it alone. She has him, Phyllis, her family and friends. He takes her hand and says they’re here for her, and she says, that’s a good thing. He says, every step of the way, and she says, because she doesn’t know how she’s going to watch Wiley grow up without her, or how she’s going to live without him. Sonny holds her, and she cries

On Monday, Portia asks if Marshall gave Curtis a reason to trust him; Valentin tells Ned, everything has a price – what’s yours; Willow tells Carly that dealing with Nina helped her come to a big decision; and Elizabeth tells Finn that he’s hurting her more than he realizes.

⌨️ Why the Temp…

It was a little startling. The weird thing was, I kind of thought he made a better Michael than the regular Michael.

🏍 It’s All Good…

I’ll bet it was nothing in comparison to his wife having a baby with another dude.

🧼 Joining Beyond…

The latest actors to jump onto the Salem bandwagon.

🥀 Goodbye Too Soon…

I vaguely remember him from Melrose Place. It was sad to read he’s leaving behind a wife and 8 children.

https://people.com/movies/brad-johnson-always-and-melrose-place-actor-dead-at-62/

🍷 Have Some More…

So how many f***s do you think she gives now?

🚗 Smarter Than the Average Car…

I don’t get the attraction either.

🍸 At the Pump…

Is this the royal we, or is she having a change-of-life baby?

We’re not sure how Lisa can show a text that [neither PK nor Dorit] can show on their phone, so we don’t know, [Kyle] Richards, 53, told us last week.

Unhinged? More like the worst human on earth.

Aww! They’re all growed up.

📺 Coming Right Up…

TV premiere dates for 2022.

https://ew.com/tv/2022-tv-premiere-dates/

👠 In the Pink…

I can’t wait to see this show. I love Trixie.

https://www.queerty.com/trixie-motel-book-queer-5-reasons-tune-discovery-pride-season-20220602

🏓 Quotes of the Week

Trust is lost in buckets and gained in drops. – Judge Faith Jenkins

The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax. – Albert Einstein

If I were to search for logic, it wouldn’t be among the English upper class. – Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), Downton Abbey

I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles. – Audrey Hepburn

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

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them. – Orison Swett Marden (Or smack them out of the way.)

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.Nelson Mandela

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

🧍🏽‍♀️ Just Taking a Step To the Right…

Come hither again when the Dead are Feared. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your priorities straight, and stay not letting your pattern be running away. And if it is, break it.

May 24, 2022 – Nina’s Petition Hearing Begins, Final Bow, Maybe Leaving, Dubai Talk, Feuding Diamonds, VanderSilence, Lots Of Money, Halloween Already & Modern

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase tells Brook that he needs more context. He’s going to help her take back her life how? She says, Linc not only owns the rights to her songs, he’s turning them into trash; just imitations of what they were meant to be. He says, the hell with Linc. Write some new songs; better songs. She says, because it’s just that easy, and he says, she makes it look that way. She says she doesn’t want to start over from scratch. She wants her old songs. She poured her heart and soul into them, and she’s not giving up until she gets them back.

Outside the courtroom, Carly gets a text saying the DNA test results are ready, and she can pick them up at her earliest convenience. Inside, Nina tells Sonny that she’s grateful he’s here. He tells her that he said he’d be here, and she says she knows he did. It’s just the looks he’s getting from Michael and Willow, maybe it’s best he goes. If he takes her side today, he’s burning the last bridge that connects him with this son. He says, there’s too much at stake; he ain’t leaving. Carly comes in, and says, he’s right about the stakes. Everything else can wait.

At the park, Violet asks Gregory when they can see Aunt Elizabeth, and he says, when her daddy tells them it’s okay. In the meantime – he takes out a frisbee – have at it. He unpacks some food, and picks up a copy of The Invader. He looks at the cover, where there’s an article about the hearing, and Violet tells him to put that down and come play with her. Seriously, what is she going to do with a frisbee by herself? He says, her wish is his command, and she says, Uncle Chase taught her; he’s really good. He asks who she thinks taught Uncle Chase, and takes the frisbee, telling her, watch and learn. He tosses it, and says, oh. Did he hit someone? Alexis brings back the frisbee, and says, good thing she isn’t a lawyer anymore, or she might be tempted to sue him.

Laura sees Cameron at the hospital, and hugs him, saying, she’s sorry she couldn’t be here sooner. How’s his mother? He says he doesn’t know. She’s in there with Finn and Doc. At least she’s not talking about ghosts anymore. Laura says, that’s a good thing, but he says, is the real thing any better? All the weird stuff that was happening, how scared they all were; that was just mom stalking herself the whole time?

Finn says, there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore, but Elizabeth says, there’s her. He says, that’s not true, and she says, yes it is, and he knows it. She started a fire that could have burned down a whole building, a whole block, and landed Chase in the hospital. Who’s next? Her boys? Violet? She’s a threat to everyone she cares about. So she has to go away, and stay away.

Marshall wakes up in a panic, and Curtis says, it’s him; it’s your son. Marshall says he must have been dreaming, and tries to get up, but Curtis says he’s going to get the doctor. Marshall tells him to wait, and asks how long he’s been out. Curtis says, ever since he got jumped, ever since he was in that alley, and Marshall says, Curtis means since he came out of nowhere, and beat those guys’ butts. Curtis says, TJ’s the real hero. If he weren’t there, it could have been a whole lot worse. Marshall says, they’re both his heroes. He pats Curtis’s hand, and says, his son and his grandson. To think he could have lost them both. Curtis says he’s not going anywhere, and neither is Marshall.

Carly goes to Michael and Willow, and Michael thanks her for coming. She says, where else would she be? and Nina walks over. She says, it’s not too late. Can they just try to settle this between them? Willow says, after Nina threw Harmony in her face, and Carly says, that’s nice. Diane tells them, don’t engage, and Scotty leads Nina away, saying, don’t fraternize with the enemy. This is war. Diane says, she told Michael and Willow, if they want to win, there’s only one way to play this thing. Are they in? Scotty says, so Nina is in, no matter where it leads? Michael takes Willow’s hand, and says, they’re in. Nina tells Scotty, all or nothing.

Finn says, Elizabeth needs more time with the people who care about her, not less, and she asks, what if she hurts them? He says, she won’t, but she says, he doesn’t know that. What if she can’t stop herself next time, and she does more than rip up one of Violet’s drawings? She burned down Franco’s art studio. Who’s to say she won’t do that to her own house? Laura and Cameron come in, and Laura hugs her. She says she knows Elizabeth is scared, but trust her, it will be okay, if she just faces whatever it is inside and deals with it. Can they agree on that? Doc says he’d listen to Laura if he were Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says she always does. She just doesn’t know how to do this. Laura says, that’s why she has all of them to help her, and Elizabeth says, what if the resources at GH don’t cut it? Laura says, then they’ll find a place that will; a place where she feels safe and can get the care she needs. Elizabeth asks if Finn heard that. He’s going to have to let her go. It’s the only way she’ll find her way back.

Brook tells Chase, she doesn’t know what’s worse, the watered down lyrics or the generic techno beat, which any twelve year old can produce on an app, and probably did. He asks what she’s going to do. Sue Linc to get her songs back? He knows an attorney who specializes in intellectual property, who helped Gregory get one of his academic papers back. She says, unfortunately, that’s not an option. She spoke to Diane a few years back, and the contract is airtight. He says, that was a few years ago, but she says she double-checked this morning. She can’t sue Linc. They need a Plan B. He says, and that’s where he comes in?

Curtis says he’s done a lot of soul searching. It would have been easy to blame Marshall, like he did the first time Marshall walked out, but when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t see a scared little boy anymore, holding his mother’s hand; he saw a grown man, who was so bound and determined to get answers, that he essentially drove Marshall away. Marshall says, it wasn’t Curtis’s fault. He wasn’t able to, or couldn’t be honest with Curtis, or himself. So he ran away – again. Curtis says he has questions, and Marshall says he’s sure Curtis does. Curtis says, but whether or not he gets answers, he just wants Marshall to come home, to his family. No strings, no conditions, just a chance to start fresh for all of us. He really hopes Marshall wants that too.

Gregory tells Alexis that he’s sorry. He was trying to make Violet’s frisbee boomerang. It didn’t quite work out as planned. She says, he might want to work on that, and he says he will. He suggests Violet show off her bubble blowing skills, and Violet runs off. He tells Alexis, why don’t they start over? What brings her to the park today? She says she was just finishing up a Tai Chi class down at the duckpond, and he says he’s always wanted to try Tai Chi; the movements look so beautiful, therapeutic. She says she needs all the therapy she can get. She doesn’t know if Finn told him, but it’s been quite a year. He says, his son’s not a talker; she might have noticed. She says, he would enjoy the Tai Chi; the silence is deafening. Gregory picks up the paper, and asks if this is her way of expressing her opinions these days. She says, he’s a reader, and he says, he is. He can’t quite say he’s a fan.

Scotty says, nice work, getting Sonny here today, but Nina says she didn’t do anything. Scotty says, what’s she talking about? If he gets Sonny up on that stand, he’s not going to be in her corner? She tells him not to put Sonny in that position, and he says, come on. She told him to do what he needed to do, let him do it. The bailiff says, all rise, and Nina looks at Sonny, who shakes his head. The bailiff says, the honorable Judge Foster presiding, and Michael takes Willow’s hand. Nina looks at Sonny again, and he gives her a nod. Carly sees them and doesn’t like it, and looks at the text again. The judge tells Scotty to present his petitioner’s request, and he says, his client, the mother of Nelle Benson, is seeking visitation with her grandson Wiley Corinthos, as permitted by state law. He’s presenting a precedent in the Abercromby versus Higgins case. Diane interjects, saying, as the court is aware, there are numerous other precedents to deny visitation, and her clients are going to explain why that’s the case. Judge Foster says, they’ll get their turn. She’s read the petition, but she’d like to hear Scotty’s client’s request in her own words. She calls Nina to the stand, and she’s sworn in.

Alexis says, she guesses she just assumed that as a professor of history and journalism, Gregory might approve of the changes she made at The Invader. Unless of course (🍷) it’s her inexperience that’s giving him pause. He says, experience doesn’t equal talent, and she says, agreed. He says, look at Dickens and Hemmingway; they both started out as journalists in their teens, and she says, something to aspire to. He suggests she might aim smaller, maybe local coverage, specifically her feature on Nina Reeves. She says she finds that interesting. She was very proud of that story; it was very truthful and unbiased. He says, was it? and she asks if he preferred The Invader the way it was before; tabloid fodder opting for the sensational? He says, at least as a reader, you knew where you stood. It seems like she wants her journalism both ways.

Cameron says, Laura wants to send his mom away? but Laura says, no, that’s not what she wants, but if it’s what Elizabeth needs to get better, they’ll do it. Elizabeth thanks her for being realistic, and tells Cameron that she’s a danger right now, to herself and everyone around her. It’s just not safe for them to be together right now. He says, she would never hurt them, but she says, they don’t know that for sure. She knows it’s awful and scary, and makes her feels so out of control, but it’s the truth. She just loves him so much. He says he loves her too, and she says she refuses to let whatever’s doing this to her harm him or his brothers; it’s just not an option. She tells Finn that she needs him to have her back on this, and he says he does. Always. He just can’t see the benefit of locking her away from the people who care about her. Laura tells him, she knows how hard this is, but right now, they have to do what’s best for Elizabeth.

Marshall asks if Curtis knows what he’s setting himself up for, and Curtis says he does. Marshall says, he ran away not once, but twice. Who’s to say the next time he feels the walls closing in on him, he won’t lace up his sneakers yet again? Curtis says, because there won’t be any walls, at least not between them. There’s nothing Marshall can say that will scare him off or turn him against Marshall. He’s Curtis’s father, Marshall Ashford, flesh and blood. Nothing is going to come between them unless they let it. TJ comes in and says, granddad, you’re awake, and Marshall says, it’s going to take more than a couple of muggers to get the better of the Ashfords. Curtis says, damn straight, and Stella walks in. Marshall says, oh Lord, and she says, Marshall better be thanking Him too. Curtis hugs her, and asks what she’s doing here. She says, taking care of her family, since it’s obvious they need her. Curtis asks, how? and she says, Portia told her, and she was on the first flight out. Does Marshall know how lucky he is that it wasn’t worse? Marshall says, no luck was needed. He had his son and his grandson by his side. He takes Curtis and TJ’s hands.

Scotty asks Nina to tell the court why they’re here today, and Nina says, they’re here in court because Wiley’s her grandson and she loves him. It’s really that simple. He asks how well she knew Nelle Benson, and Nina says, not really well. Nelle worked with her in different capacities. Nelle was a troubled soul. She made countless mistakes and damaged a lot of lives, but no life was as damaged as Nina’s daughter’s. He asks when Nina found out Nelle was her daughter, and she says she didn’t know Nelle was her daughter until after Nelle died, and that’s when she realized Wiley was her grandson, all that she had left of Nelle in this world. He asks if she got to see him, and she says, she did. He asks how that was, and she says, it was great. Love at first sight, at least for her. He asks how Wiley felt about her visits, and she says, Wiley made it really easy; he has such a warm, inviting spirit. They built block houses, colored together, read together. Every moment she got to spend with that little boy was a precious gift. Scotty asks, what happened? Why did Wiley’s parents cut her off? She says, because they decided she was a bad influence for Wiley. She’s not perfect, far from it, but she is a good grandmother and she loves Wiley, and he loves her. It’s that simple. Wiley is her family, and no matter how much they want to, they can’t change that.

Finn suggests they all get on board with this plan. Where would Elizabeth even go? Doc says, Shadybrook. It’s perfect. It’s excellent, it’s close, it’s comfortable. Cameron says, they’re not going to lock her up in a padded cell or something? but Doc says, it’s not that kind of place, and Cameron asks, what kind of place is it? Doc says, Elizabeth can expect a week or two of intensive conversation and exploration, then hopefully she can transition to outpatient care. Laura asks how that sounds, and Elizabeth says, she’s more concerned with what Finn thinks. She wants to do this with his support. He asks if she really thinks this is what’s best, and she says she does. He says, okay, let’s give it a shot. He’ll take her there, and come visit as often as he can. She says, he can’t. She has to do this on her own.

Brook says, she was thinking, since Chase has two weeks on his suspension, he could shadow Linc; catch him doing something shady they could use to get her music back. What does he think? He tells her that she’s crazy.

Stella says, three strangers to three amigos. When did this happen? Curtis says, he’s just trying to convince Marshall to come back to Port Charles with them. TJ says, is that even a question? and Curtis says, apparently. Stella says, she didn’t fly all this way to let Marshall go back to a loner life, and Marshall says, some people like to be alone, but she says, he’s not one of them. He’s a fool if he doesn’t grab this chance with both hands. The doctor asks if it’s okay for him to take a look at the patient. He won’t take long. They leave, and outside, Stella asks if Marshall ever explained why he left… this time, and Curtis says he didn’t want to push Marshall. He takes the prescription bottle out of his pocket, and says, but TJ may have answers based on what he found in Marshall’s hotel room. TJ says, these aren’t for his blood pressure; they’re anti-psychotic medication. Curtis says, but Stella knew that already, didn’t she?

Alexis says, if by both sides Gregory means telling the truth and turning a profit, guilty as charged. She’s not a professor, who sits in an ivory tower. She’s the editor-in-chief of a paper, so she has to tell stories about real people with real problems. He says, so she thinks he doesn’t know anything about real life? but she tells him, that’s not what she said. He just used Dickens and Hemmingway as an example, and this is the 21st century. She’s competing with 24 hour news cycles. She’s competing with social media. She’s competing with instant – and she means instant – information. He says, and he admires he for that, but she says, she’s not getting that impression. He says, isn’t there a danger in mixing titillation with the truth? It seems to him that you end up accomplishing neither. She says, if he bothered to read the latest article, which he clearly did not, he’d see she bent over backward to be objective and not take cheap shots like his ex, Jackie. He says, they’re talking about Alexis’s journalistic integrity, not Jackie’s, when Violet comes over, and says she doesn’t think Gregory is playing nice

Scotty asks if Nina is Wiley’s only grandparent, and she says, no. He asks if she can tell them who else is, and Diane says, relevance? Scotty says, he’ll tell her the relevance. His client is being denied access to her grandson. It seems like there’s a standard for her, and another for everybody else. Judge Foster says she’ll allow it, and Nina says, Wiley has two other grandparents who are here in the courthouse, Carly Corinthos and Sonny Corinthos. Scotty says, so Sonny Corinthos can see his grandson any time he wants, but she’s been deemed a bad influence. Diane objects, and Scotty says, withdrawn. Is that it as far as grandparents go? Nina says, Wiley had another grandmother, Harmony Miller, but she recently passed away, and Scotty says, Harmony Miller who killed Neil Byrne and his brother, and attempted to kill two other people? Nina says, that’s correct, and he says, so Harmony was able to see Wiley, and Nina’s not. Wow. They’re done. Diane says, if it please the court, she has a few questions for the petitioner. Carly smirks, and Sonny looks grim.

Diane says, Nina testified that she didn’t know Nelle was her daughter until after her death. Did anyone else know Nelle was her daughter before she did? Nina says, yes. Carly Corinthos and Jasper Jax. Diane asks if they knew Nelle was her daughter before her death, and Nina says, Carly claimed she didn’t know, but she has her doubts. Diane says, that’s probably upsetting, and Nina says, to find out she had a daughter only after she died? Yeah, it was upsetting. Diane says she imagines Nina regretted all the time she didn’t spend with her daughter, and Nina says, of course (🍷) she did. If she had known… Diane says, what? and Nina says, things would have been different. She could have raised Nelle, and given her the love she deserved to have, and Nelle wouldn’t have turned out the way she did. None of this would have been set in motion. Diane says, correct her if she’s wrong, but wasn’t Nina in a coma from prior to her daughter’s birth until she was in her 20s? and Nina says, yes. Diane says, so this regret is all just a delusional twisted fantasy? and Scotty objects. He says he doesn’t hear a question in there, and Diane says, how’s this for a question? Isn’t this petition of Nina’s an act of revenge? Scotty objects, and says, leading the witness. Diane says, she’ll rephrase. Isn’t this petition of Nina’s yet another act of revenge? She doesn’t have Wiley’s best interests at heart at all, does she?

Laura suggests they give Finn and Elizabeth some privacy, and Doc says he’ll call Shadybrook. He, Laura, and Cameron leave, and Finn says he’s not second guessing her decision. She asks if he’s sure, and he says, if he is, it’s because he’s part of this too. His presence in her life has played a part in bringing forth this… She says, crisis? and he says, they’ll go with that. She says, doesn’t he see? That’s why he can’t be a part of this. He was so convinced there was someone out there trying to split them up, and she was equally convinced it was Franco’s ghost. They were both really wrong. Is it her? Is there something buried deep down that feels threatened by her feelings for him? As scary as this is, as much as she wants him to hold her hand through all of this, they can’t. She has to do this on her own.

Brook says she thought Chase was on her side, and he says he is, but she says, obviously not. He asks if she has any idea how many laws she’s asking him to break. One, they have no warrant; two, she’s talking about blackmail here. And four… She says, he was on three, and he says, and three, yes, he’s on suspension, but he’s still a cop. Not for long if he goes along with this highly unethical plan of hers. She says, she’s unethical? and he says, in this moment. She’s asking him to coerce a suspect into committing a crime; it’s called entrapment. She says, she doesn’t care what it’s called. She can’t sit back and do nothing. He says he gets that, but she says, he doesn’t. These songs are her babies, and she will not let someone take them away from her. He says, babies? and she says, yes. She created them and nurtured them. She cried when they failed and celebrated when they were genius. That’s how much they mean to her. He says, that explains it. She’s not just mourning her songs; she’s mourning Bailey.

Curtis tells Stella, there’s a story here; a story that started about 40 years ago. TJ says, and if he still has a prescription for these kind of drugs, the story continues to this day. Stella says, she knows they want answers, and they deserve them. And yes, there’s a story, but like she said, it’s not hers to tell. The doctor wheels Marshall out, and says, it looks like a concussion, but he wants to run a few more scans before approving Marshall’s discharge. TJ says, if he’s afraid Marshall will be alone… Curtis says, don’t worry; he won’t be.

Gregory tells Violet, you know how sometimes you go to the playground, and get on one end of the seesaw? Alexis says, and someone gets on the other end of the seesaw? and Gregory says, then they lift you up and don’t let you down. Violet says she doesn’t like that, and Gregory says, you get upset, then they get upset. Alexis says, and then you’re arguing about a silly seesaw. Violet asks if they were being silly, and they say that they were. Gregory tells Alexis that he apologizes for his criticism, and she asks if he retracts it. He says, no, and she says, no retraction necessary. She has an idea. Why doesn’t he put his money where his mouth is? Why doesn’t he state his opinion in print, on the record? Unless he’s all talk.

Scotty says, this is character assassination at its worst, and the judge tells Diane to get where she’s going. Fast, or drop the line of questioning altogether. Diane says, Nina’s character is the sole reason they’re here. But of course (🍷). Is Nina familiar with the series of articles in The Invader? Nina says, yes, she skimmed it, and Diane says, so she knows, in addition to the other details of her rich and full life, it speaks about the time she spent in a little town called Nixon Falls. Is that portion of the story a lie? Nina says, like she said, she skimmed it. Diane says, is it a lie to say, while Nina was in Nixon Falls she ran into Wiley’s grandfather, Sonny Corinthos, when everyone else presumed him dead? Nina says, that’s true, and Diane says, and did Nina keep the knowledge from Mr. Corinthos that he was presumed dead, and at the same time keep the knowledge that he was alive from his wife and family, including precious Wiley, knowing the pain and suffering it caused? Scotty says, badgering the witness, and Judge Foster says, sustained. Nina says, at that moment, she wasn’t thinking about the pain and suffering, and Diane says, of course (🍷) not. Nina was thinking about revenge; getting back at Carly Corinthos because she possibly kept Nelle’s existence a secret from her? And isn’t it that same revenge that’s driving her today?

Finn says, Elizabeth is right, and she says she loves it when he says that. He says, he’s not crazy about the idea of letting go, and she says, her neither. He says, but in this case, he has to. He doesn’t want to impede her recovery. Would it be okay if he said he’s really going to miss her? She says, she’s going to miss him, but he heard Doc. It might only be a few weeks. He says, she’ll be back in no time, and she says, good as new. He says he liked the old version, and she says, then good as old. He says, even better, when Doc comes back with Laura and Cameron. He says, she’s all set, and Laura says, she and Doc will drive Elizabeth over. Cameron says, just get better. He’ll make sure Jake and Aiden stay in line while she’s away. Elizabeth says she knows he will. She’s never been more proud of him than she is right now. He says he’s proud of her too, and Laura says, they all are.

Gregory asks if Alexis is inviting him to submit something for publication, and she says, The Invader welcomes all kinds of opinions. Unless he’s afraid to hear from the readers. Violet says, grandpa’s not afraid of anything, and Gregory’s phone dings. Violet asks if that’s daddy. Are they going to see Aunt Elizabeth? Gregory says, let’s do it, and starts to pack up. Alexis tells him to give her best to Finn and Elizabeth. She hands him the newspaper, but he says, no thanks. Have a good one. She says, him too, and he and Violet leave.

The doctor tells Marshall that he’s going to set up the tests, and leaves. Marshall sees the prescription bottle in TJ’s hand, and says, he’s been less than honest about a lot of things. Stella says, it’s time; time to let go of the past. Curtis says, that can wait, and TJ says, what matters is getting Marshall better. Marshall says he appreciates that, but Stella is spot-on. Curtis deserved an explanation a long time ago. He wasn’t able to get it right with Tommy, but he can get it right with Curtis.

Nina says, what happened in Nixon Falls was more complicated than Diane is making it, but Diane says, not really. Nina either lied or she didn’t; which is it? Nina says she lied. Who hasn’t lied in here? That doesn’t make her a bad grandmother. She loves Wiley. How can she prove to Wiley how much she loves him if she’s shut out of his life? How can she prove it, not just by her words, but by her actions? Diane says, with all due respect, she had her chance, and threw it in the garbage. No further questions. The judge tells Nina to step down, and Michael says he thinks Diane did it. Diane says, let’s hope, and he tells Willow, that’s the end of that. Judge Foster asks if there’s anyone else prepared to speak for or against the petition, and Sonny tells Scotty to get him on the stand. Nina says, no, he doesn’t have to, but he says, yes, he does.

At GH, Finn tells Violet that Elizabeth is going to a place where she can get the care she needs. She’ll be home soon. Violet says she hopes Elizabeth Feels better, and Finn says he hopes so too. Elizabeth comes out, and Violet hugs her. She tells Elizabeth that she can take the frisbee, but Elizabeth tells her to hang onto it. They’ll play when she gets back. She asks for a hug for the road, and tells Violet that she loves her. She tells Cameron, don’t think he’s getting out of another one, and he says he wouldn’t want to. They hug, and she says she loves him. He says he loves her too, and Finn says, he’s not saying goodbye. Violet says, see you later, and Finn says, he’ll see Elizabeth later. Elizabeth says, not if she sees him first, and he hugs her. She says, tell the boys she loves them, and she’ll be home as soon as she can. Elizabeth gets in the elevator with Doc and Laura, and Finn holds her hand until the elevator doors start to close.

The doctor asks if Marshall is ready for the scans, and Stella tells him, be careful. He has precious cargo. The doctor says, as soon as they’re clear, Marshall can go home, and Marshall says, that’s exactly where he’s going – home with his family.

Brook says, this has nothing to do with Bailey, and Chase says, no? She says, no. It’s about her taking her life back, and everything she’s worked for. Is he going to help her or not? He says he’s sorry; he can’t. She says she’ll do it herself, and gets up.

Judge Foster says, if Scotty and his client have no more witnesses to call… Nina looks at Sonny, then nods to Scotty. Scotty says, they have one more witness to call. He calls Sonny Corinthos to the stand. Sonny gets up, and is sworn in. Everyone sits stone-faced.

Tomorrow, Josslyn tells Cameron, she finally figured out a way to stop Esme; Victor tells Ava, welcome home; and Diane asks why they should trust Sonny’s judgement.

🥀 Soap’s Loss…

I only watched Guiding Light for a hot minute, but I remember her from the soap magazines.

🌬 Time’s Up…

I think Kyle’s storyline ran out when LVP left. If she ever really had one.

https://people.com/tv/kyle-richards-considers-whether-to-return-to-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills/

💰 Dishing On Dubai…

The skinny on the new Wives, and a cameo from Phaedra.  

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/rhodubai-andy-cohen-caroline-stanbury-phaedra-parks-preview

💋 Bye Wig…

It’s about time someone stopped kowtowing to LisaR’s BS.

🍸 I Wouldn’t Either…

Brittany is never going to understand that her close association with Jax is doing her no favors.

🍾 Champagne Taste…

And I still don’t know WTH these people do, or why they’re on TV.

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-incredible-amount-of-money-chrisley-knows-best-stars-allegedly-needed-in-order-to-break-even-every-month-according-to-former-partner-who-committed-bank-fraud

🧹 Rushing the Season…

What you need to know about the Sanderson sisters latest.

https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-release-date-announced-disney/

🌷 Tra-La It’s Still May…

While the spring continues, generating pollen for all, join me tomorrow for soap and what’s happening with those who hold the diamonds. Until then, stay safe, stay letting your conscience be your guide, and stay keeping in mind, experience doesn’t equal talent.