Tag Archives: Lisa Vanderpump

May 21, 2024 – A Sad Day In Port Charles, Ally and Jo Join the VanderReunion & Another Almost

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the airport, Brook says something in Italian, and Chase says he has no idea what she said, but how do you say, you are the world’s most beautiful bride in Italian? She starts to tell him, but then says she thinks that might be Spanish. He says he’s not sure, but don’t worry about it. Everybody in Europe pretty much speaks English anyway. He yawns, and she says, no yawning. They have to stay awake the entire flight, so when they land, they adjust to Italian time. He’ll have plenty of time to sleep tonight at the hotel. He says he has news for her. Neither one of them is going to be getting much sleep tonight. She says, all right, and they kiss.

Violet marches across the living room with the bouquet, and Finn says he’s sorry to interrupt her dance, but they need to get a move on. They have to pick up Gretchen along the way. Violet says, okay. Can she have wedding cake for lunch? He says, sure. If by cake she means a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She tells him, but grandpa said… and he says, shh. Grandpa’s still sleeping. Last night took a lot out of him. She says, not her. She loved it. She wishes someone they knew got married every week. (That’s because she’s not the one writing the checks.) Could she bring her bouquet to school to show all her friends? He says, all those people touching it. Does she think maybe that might ruin it? She says, that’s true, and sets it down. She’ll leave it here. Protect it. He says he’ll guard it with his life. Is she ready to go? She says, yes, and he says, quick. She says, to the automobile, and they leave. We see a bottle of Tire Track bourbon from Carmine and Gloria on the sideboard.

Diane goes to Alexis’s hotel room, and Alexis says she knows. She set her alarm for pm instead of am. Then she tried to get the shower working, but the thing doesn’t work right and scalded her when she got in. And this is all wrinkled – she shows Diane her blouse and jacket – so what is she supposed to do? There’s no iron. She called down for an iron… Diane says, stop, stop, stop. Take a breath. Don’t make me slap you. Alexis says she’s going to stop Diane right there. She may be neurotic, but she’s scrappy. Diane laughs and says, don’t worry. They can get her ready – she looks at the clothing – she thinks. Then they’re going to go to court, they’re going to make their case, which Alexis will win, and she’ll be reinstated to her rightful place in the New York State Bar. Her family will be very proud of her.

Kristina lies in bed, and Blaze asks how she’s feeling. Kristina says, terrible? She didn’t sleep at all last night. Every time she would drift off, she’d get this vision of what happened, and jolt back awake. Her brain would just not turn off. Blaze says, sorry. She’s been there and it’s terrible. Would some room service breakfast help? (Yes! I say, then remember she’s not talking to me.) Kristina says she can’t even think about food right now, which is saying a lot. What she really wants right now is to talk to her family. Her mom is in Albany, trying to get her disbarment overturned, and obviously, she can’t talk to Molly about this. She’ll just freak out and that’s more stress for the baby. On top of which, she’s the ADA. She would feel obligated to report Kristina’s dad, same with Dante. And usually when she’s this upset, she would talk to her dad, but he’s the last person on earth she wants to talk to right now.

There’s a knock at Dante’s door, and he opens it to Sonny. Sonny says, late night? and Dante says, yeah. Come in. Did they have plans or something? Sonny says he just thought he would stop by. Is Sam here? Dante says, she and the kids just left. He didn’t even hear them leave actually. Sonny says he guesses they went out after the wedding, and Dante says, yeah. Maxie and Spinelli were supposed to save him, but Cousin Patty is pretty persistent and at the after-party, there were shots. Limoncello. It was gross. A lot of limoncello. She could really put that stuff back. Sonny says, it looks like Dante did a lot of damage himself. Does Dante want him to go? Dante says he’s awake now. Did Sonny like the wedding? He notices Sonny’s bruised hand and asks, what happened to his fist? What was he punching?

Brook asks if Chase knew the word honeymoon was first used all the way back in medieval times, and roughly translated, it means a time when life was sweet. Digging in his bag, Chase says he did not know that, and she says, how perfect is that? What’s more perfect than the two of them exploring Florence together? He says, nothing he can think of, continuing to dig, and she asks, what is he looking for? He says, his passport, and she says, he just had it when they checked in. He had it at security. They have to find it or they’re not going to be let in. They’ll be sent back. He says he swears after security he put it in… Ah – he takes it out – here we go. Crisis averted. He’s just going to put it over here. He opens a pocket in his bag and takes out a small gift box. He asks, what’s this? but she says she’s never seen it before. He takes off the card, and says, it’s from dad. Brook says, that’s sweet. She wonders when he had time to slip it in there. Gregory voice reads: Brook Lynn and Chase, thank you for including me in your wedding and in your life together. Your happiness has brought me so much joy. This gift is a small token of my gratitude. From time to time, you may both lose your way, but with each other to lean on, you’ll never be lost. Chase says, wow, slips the card into his bag, and opens the box. He takes out something that looks like a locket on a chain and wonders if it’s a compass. He opens it, and the inside of the compass lid is engraved, with love, Dad.

Finn comes back home and calls for Gregory, saying, he got bagels from Eckerd’s. He got Gregory the last cinnamon raisin. Dad! He pauses for a moment, then goes to Gregory’s room. Outside the door, he asks if everything is all right. He listens a moment, then knocks. He says he’s going to come in, okay? and opens the door. He goes to the bed, touches Gregory on the shoulder, and says, dad? He feels for a pulse, then cries, smoothing back Gregory’s hair. He says, I love you, and kisses Gregory’s forehead. He hugs Gregory’s body and sobs.

Dante says, Sonny’s knuckles look pretty bad, but Sonny says he’s fine. Dante says, what about the other guy? and Sonny says, Dex walked away. Dante says, he beat up Dex? and Sonny says, so? Dante says, he’s a cop, but Sonny says, he’s not a cop. He’s in training. Dante says he doesn’t think Anna is going to make that distinction, and Sonny says, if Anna knew about this, he’d be in a cell right now, but Dante says, not necessarily. Warrants take time. Sonny asks if Dante is going to haul him in for defending himself, and Dante asks if he’s saying Dex came after him. Sonny asks if that’s so hard to believe, and Dante says, Dex doesn’t strike him as a particularly stupid guy, so yeah. Sonny says, the whole night was supposed to be a celebration of everybody from the old neighborhood who he hasn’t seen in years watching Brook get married. It was supposed to be a happy time. Dante says, then what happened? and Sonny says, what happened is Dex, that’s what happened. Everywhere he looked, Dex was there. He looked to the right, to the left. He’s talking to Gio, he’s dancing with Lois, sucking up to Gloria, like he owned the party. Like he could do anything he wanted, and Sonny couldn’t stop him. So, yeah. Dex grabbed his arm, and he punched Dex. He was defending himself. Dante says, dad… but Sonny says, let’s not… Sorry. He didn’t come here for a lecture. He came here to see if Dante could deliver a message. Dante says he can’t and won’t go to Dex for Sonny, but Sonny says, not Dex. Kristina. Dante asks, why? and Sonny says, she saw the whole thing.

Kristina tells Blaze that her dad finally stopped texting. She’s never ignored him like this. It feels so wrong, but after what he did, what would she say to him?  Blaze sits next to her on the bed and says, it’s okay to need some time. She’s totally justified going no contact until she figures out how she wants to handle this. Kristina says, really, that’s just postponing the inevitable. As much as she wants to hide from this, she can’t. She wishes she knew how to solve it. Blaze says, if by solved, she means figure out when she wants to talk to her dad again, that’s entirely up to her. But if she means solve what she witnessed, her dad attacked someone and it’s not her problem to fix. Kristina says, it is if no one else is going to step in and stop him from imploding, and Blaze asks if that’s really the case though. There’s no one else? Kristina says, no, there is. There is someone else she could call. She doesn’t know what to do.

On the phone, Finn says he wants to report a… His father passed away in his sleep. He’s wondering if they could send someone… It’s 347 Portside Road, apartment number 9… Thank you. He sits on the sofa, then gets up and sees the bottle of bourbon. He picks up the bottle, looks at it, takes off the gift card, and opens it. He sniffs the cork and I swear I can smell it too.

Alexis comes out, fully dressed, and Diane says, she did it. Court appearance ready. Alexis says, not a wrinkle in this jacket. She doesn’t know how Diane does it. She should have packed that portable steamer in her overnight bag. Diane says she’s happy to help, and asks if pre-trial jitters are something new Alexis is exploring, or has it simply been so long since Alexis has litigated anything that she plumb forgot this is how Alexis gets? Alexis says, it’s a little of both. Diane has veins of steel. She doesn’t worry about anything. Diane laughs and says, wrong. Here’s a tidbit for Alexis. Before she leaves for court every day, she screams into a pillow. True. Gets all of her anxiety out and has the added benefit of bringing all the blood to her face, so it lifts and plumps. Works better than any expensive cream. (Note to self: Try this.) Alexis says, that wouldn’t work for her, because if she starts to scream, she won’t stop screaming. Because what she wants to do right now is check out of this hotel and go home. And she’s never going to forgive Diane for bullying her into doing this. Diane says, let’s not rewrite history, shall we? She merely offered Alexis an avenue she hadn’t thought to pursue. Alexis is the one who took her up on it. Alexis says she had it on very good authority from a very smart person that she won’t regret giving this her all as much as she would regret not trying at all. Why doesn’t she feel like that at this moment?

Finn sniffs the neck of the bottle, takes out a short glass, and pours about a finger into it. He slowly picks it up and looks at it, then swallows half of it (even though I yell, no, no, no! at the TV).

There’s a knock at Kristina’s hotel room door, and Blaze says she’ll get it. She opens the door and Michael is there. She invites him in, and he asks Kristina, what happened? Blaze says she’s going to get some food and leave the two of them alone, but Kristina says, she should stay. Unless this is too much for her, which Kristina understands. Blaze says, if Kristina wants her here, she’s happy to stay, and Kristina tells Michael, last night as the reception was winding down, she went to the ballroom to get some cake. When she came out, dad was in the anteroom punching Dex. And Dex had blood on his face. He wasn’t fighting back or anything. He was just trying to get away. Then Jason showed up out of nowhere (per usual) and he pulled dad off of Dex. Then dad just started screaming and he said he would kill both of them. He said he’d empty a gun in their heads. Michael says he’s sorry she had to see that, and she tells him, it’s not just what he said, it’s how he said it. She believed him. She knows this isn’t a surprise for Michael, right? He’s always known exactly who dad is. She’s the one who refused to believe it.

Dante asks if Sonny can tell him what happened. What did Kristina see? Sonny says he doesn’t know. He was kicking Dex and Jason grabbed him. He said, let go, and he threatened both of them. Then he heard a crash. He looked to the right, and Kristina was right there. There were some plates, and he guesses she dropped them. She stared at him for a little while, then she ran off. Dante asks if Sonny went after her, and Sonny says, of course (🍷) he did. He ran after her and said, this is not what it looks like. She didn’t understand. She was just crying. Then he went to comfort her, and she flinched like she was afraid. Now she won’t call him, she won’t text him, and he just wants Dante to go to her and say, look. Make her see the truth of what she saw. Dante says he’s a police officer. He can’t so that. And he wouldn’t if he could.

Finn tells the coroner, dad usually gets up pretty early, but we had this family wedding last night and he was exhausted. So Finn thought he was just sleeping in. The coroner says he sees, and Finn says, and he went to… When he didn’t see his father, he got a little worried, so he went in to check on him. The coroner says, this was about what time? and Finn says, about 9:30. Some paramedics come in with a gurney, and Finn nods. They go to the bedroom.

Inside Gregory’s bedroom, photos are taken, and a paramedic radios dispatch that he can confirm they have a deceased male in residence, 73 years old. A woman says, based on rigor and body temp, she’d estimate the death to be between midnight and 2 am. She tells Finn, all the signs point to heart failure. It was most certainly quick and painless. His father didn’t suffer. They have to get his signature, but take all the time he needs to read it first. Finn takes the clipboard and says he’s aware of the forms. He signs the papers and hands them back. She says she’s sorry for his loss, and he thanks her. Gregory’s body is wheeled out, and Finn lovingly strokes his hair. He nods to the paramedic, who puts the sheet over Gregory’s face. They leave, and Finn goes into Gregory’s room. He runs his hand over Gregory’s pillow and takes another sip of his drink. He takes out his phone and looks at Chase’s number.

Kristina says she’s really trying to reconcile how the man she saw attacking Dex is the same guy who’s always been so gentle and loving with her, and Michael says, it’s never going to make sense. You can twist yourself into knots trying to justify dad’s behavior or lose yourself trying to punish him for it. Their dad is a product of choices he made long before they were born. They don’t have the power to change him. Kristina says she’s sorry, and Michael says, for what? She says she judged him for his anger at him and how Michael went after him. She thought Michael was being unfair to him, but really, she was the one being unfair to Michael. And she just feels so stupid that she could have been so blind. He says, she loves dad. He was the person she thought he was, the great man that he showed her. There’s nothing wrong with that. She says, but now that the veil has been lifted, she sees exactly who he is. All of him. Michael says he’s sorry. He knows how hard this is for her. She says, you can only avoid the truth for so long. Now that she’s seen it, she… they have to decide what they’re going to do. He says, it’s not on them to clean up after dad, and she says she knows. Blaze was saying the same thing, but dad has cleaned up after her countless times, and Michael and Morgan and all of them. She knows dad deserves to be punished for what he did to Dex, and she feels terrible saying this, but she doesn’t want him to be because she still loves him. He says he knows she does, and she says, so okay. Can’t he fix this? He sighs and says he’s going to try. She thanks him and gives him a hug, and he tells Blaze, take care of her. Blaze says she will, and Michael leaves. Blaze hugs Kristina.

On a bench in the park, Josslyn hands Dex a to-go cup and says she figured they could both use some caffeine after the night they’ve had. He thanks her and says, it’s okay if she needs to take off. She’s already gone above and beyond. She asks if he’s trying to cut her loose, but he says he’s trying not to be a burden. It’s been a crazy 12 hours. She kept watch over him in the ER, took him to Bobbie’s at 6 am to feed him pancakes, and now she got him coffee. She says, maybe she thinks he needs a little bit of spoiling after the night he’s had. Is that a problem? He says, that depends on if she plans on sticking around on a more permanent basis. He doesn’t want to get used to it. She says her reputation would suffer greatly if she was seen with such a terrible dancer, and he says he seems to remember her busting a move with him. That was before Cousin Patty cut in. She couldn’t get enough of his lack of rhythm. She says she thinks Cousin Patty had far too many Coronas, and he says, it’s easy if you try. She says, try what? and he says, to forget about Sonny, and instead of dwelling on him, put her attention on someone much more worthy of it. His phone rings, and he answers. He says, Rice Park… Yeah. He’ll wait for them here. He tells Josslyn, so much for forgetting about Sonny.

Sonny says, so that’s the way it’s gonna be? Dante is going to go against him too? Dante says he’s not against Sonny; he’s with him and he loves him. Sonny says, but not enough to make it right with Kristina? Why not? Dante says, Sonny knows he’s not just his son. He’s a cop too. Sonny says, yeah, and Dante says, so it doesn’t matter whether Dex provoked him or not. It doesn’t matter whether he’s a cadet or not. What matter is, if he reports this – which at this point, Dante doesn’t know why he wouldn’t – he has to offer in this whole conversation here as corroboration. Why would Sonny put him – he bangs the table – in that position? But enough about him. Let’s focus on Kristina here. Sonny wants Dante to go to her for him, right? Sonny nods, and Dante says, so he’d do that, and what then? She gets interviewed by detectives and they’d want to know what she saw. Is she going to be honest with them and tell them that he came to her on Sonny’s behalf to massage the truth? Or does Sonny want her to stick her neck out for him and protect him and lie to the police for him?

Michael thanks Dex for waiting. He just saw Kristina and she told him what happened last night. She’s devastated. Josslyn says, oh God. She can’t imagine. They fought about Sonny all the time, but she would never want Kristina to see him that violent firsthand. Michael says, they’re not going to be fighting about Sonny anymore. Her eyes are wide open. He asks how Dex is doing, and Dex says he’ll live. Michael says, Kristina told him that Jason stopped the fight and Sonny threatened to kill both of them, and Dex says, he did. Josslyn says, Dex came to her with blood dripping down one side of his face. She took him to GH, but they couldn’t see him for hours. Dex asks why Michael needed to see him, and Michael says, to find out if Dex intends to press charges against Sonny.

Kristina comes out in her robe, and Blaze asks if she feels better. Kristina says, yeah. A hot shower helped. So did talking to her brother. Blaze says she admits she’s surprised he’s the one Kristina called, and Kristina says, she and Michael used to be really close. She’s the one who pulled away from him. She didn’t like the way he was treating her dad. Joke’s on her, right? Still, the second she called him, he showed up. Blaze says, brothers can be useful that way, and Kristina says, yeah. She’s lucky. But she’s lucky for more than just Michael. Blaze has been nothing but supportive since last night, and she’s been so wrapped up in her own stuff, she hasn’t even thought about Blaze and how she might be processing all this insanity. She wouldn’t blame Blaze if on top of all this, it’s too much baggage for her to deal with.

The loudspeaker says, now boarding, group one, and Brook says, this is us. Italy, here we come. She and Chase get up, when Chase’s phone rings. He tells Finn that they’re about to board… Finn? He tells Brook that he thinks Finn butt dialed him, and Brook says, tell Finn’s butt that he’s got to go. Chase asks if Finn heard that. His wife says he’s got to go. Finn says, Chase… and Chase says, so he is there. Finn says, it’s about dad, and Chase asks, what happened? Finn says he doesn’t know how to do this, so he’s just going to say it. Dad’s not with us. Dad’s gone. Chase says, no. He was with him last night. He saw him at the wedding. Finn says he knows. He was amazing at the church and had such a good time at Chase’s wedding. He came home last night, and he went to sleep and didn’t wake up. Finn found him this morning. The coroner said he died peacefully in his sleep, probably from heart failure. There wasn’t any pain. Chase sits down and asks if their dad is with Finn right now, but Finn says he called 911 and they came and took the body away. Chase starts to cry and asks if Finn thinks he felt any pain, but Finn says, there wasn’t any pain. He’s so sorry. Chase says, yeah, and Brook says, his dad? Chase says, he died, and she puts her arms around him while he cries.

Sonny says, if Dex decides to press charges, he’s sure Diane can handle it. He doesn’t need Detective Dante Falconari to get him out of trouble. He needs his son to stand up for him. Kristina needs her brother. He didn’t see Kristina. She was shaken. She was scared. He’s never seen her like this. He’s worried. All he wants Dante to do is make her see that… Dante says, what? What a good guy Sonny is? That he’s the victim here? That he protects his family? Protects Kristina? If she saw what she saw, how does he think that’s going to go down? Sonny says he just wants Dante to tell her that he loves her, and he needs her and that it was an accident. He was defending himself. Just tell her that he was defending himself. Just tell her the truth. Dante says he’ll talk to Kristina then, and Sonny says, great, and pats Dante’s shoulder. Dante says he’ll make sure she’s doing okay and if she’s not, he’ll stay with her until she is. And that’s all he’s going to do. He’s done carrying water for Sonny. Sonny puts his head in his hands, and Dante says he’s not going to defend Sonny from the life he’s made for himself.

Diane asks if Alexis is saying she wants to give up, and Alexis says she thinks it’s the least painful path. Diane says, if Alexis wasn’t representing herself and representing someone else, would she quit before she even made an argument? Alexis says, no, and Diane says, what about all those pro bono clients Alexis said she wanted to help when she got her law license back? What about them? Is she quitting on them? Is she giving up? She might be their only hope. Alexis says, there are plenty of lawyers. They’ll find somebody else. Diane says, no one who is going to care about their situation nearly as much as Alexis, and Alexis says she doesn’t know about that. Diane says she begs to differ. What’s the bottom line here? What’s the end result? Does she just want to go crawling back to The Invader and spend her days bickering with Adrian DeWitt about headlines and internet traffic? Is that going to make her happy? Or does she want to go in there and fight like hell to get her disbarment overturned? And if Alexis doesn’t want to do it for herself, then do it for her. Alexis’s bestie, who has spent countless hours, pro bono, that she could have been billing a paying client. Alexis says she knew Diane was going to do the guilt trip on her, and Diane says, she’s a brilliant litigator. Some might even say she is Diane’s equal. Diane would not, of course (🍷), but there are some who would. Doesn’t Alexis want to show everyone how brilliant she is once again and get her career back while she’s doing it?

Finn picks up Gregory’s cane, and flashes back to the argument he and Gregory had where Gregory brought up Finn not showing up for his and Jackie’s wedding. The door opens and Violet walks in.

Tomorrow, Lois tells Ned that she spoke to Monica and she’s all for it; Violet tells Finn that she didn’t get to say goodbye; Diane says, Alexis doesn’t need luck; Dex says, Michael is never going to get a better chance to stop Sonny than now.

Vanderpump Rules – Reunion Part 2

Katie says she’s the same person on and off camera, but Lala says, Katie told her that she didn’t want to say things about Ariana on camera. She’d invested lot in the sandwich shop, and if Lala f***ed with her business, she was going to f*** with Lala’s. Something About Her is Nothing About Her, since Katie doesn’t have a business. Lala’s business is her livelihood and how she supports her child. How dare Katie? She just wanted Katie to be honest. Schwartz says, Katie’s feelings would be valid if she was annoyed with Ariana, and Katie says she was past it and didn’t want to make Ariana feel guilty. Schwartz says, she didn’t want to come off publicly as not Team Ariana, but Katie says she’s been herself for 11 seasons and she was hated. Why would she change now? Lala says she didn’t feel Katie was 100% authentic this season, and Andy asks if Ariana is bothered, but Ariana says, no. They all talk about things on and camera. Schwartz says, Katie wanted Scheana to carry a grudge, and Brock says, Schwartz was a sh*t husband. Lala says she loves Katie and rides hard for her. They bonded over the fact that they deliver facts in unpretty packages. She loves doing the show because they have uncomfortable conversations. Now Katie is looking at her like she’s crazy. Katie says she won’t sit here and be told she’s fake. She didn’t want to bring up something she was over. Lala tells her that if she’d said she was over it and didn’t want to talk about it, that would have been fine. Instead, Katie threatened to burn her livelihood to the ground and was treating her like the enemy. Andy asks where they go from here, and Lala says, they’re always on the up. Katie says, if she had something to say, she’d say it.

Andy says, the group is known for their tangled web of hookups, and Schwartz and Scheana’s secret kiss stayed a secret when every secret comes out. We flash back to Jax cheating on Stassi with Kristen; Kristen accusing Ariana of hooking up with Sandoval when she was with him; Katie saying Schwartz can’t stop making out with people who aren’t his wife; Lala telling Brittany about Jax making out with her friend; and Scandoval. Scheana says, they were at her little sister’s cheerleading competition. Schwartz had come with Sandoval, who wanted to see Ariana. She and Ariana were drunk and making out, so maybe he thought it was an invitation to keep the party going. She doesn’t know. She didn’t want to say anything because Katie hated her and was already calling her a homewrecking whore. We flash back to Katie being her nasty self, and Scheana says, there was no way she was going to say anything. Schwartz was drunk and tried to kiss her, and she said, whoa. What is he doing? and he said they were never speaking of this again. Schwartz apologizes for being a sloppy fool, and Andy suggests they would have taken it to the grave if it hadn’t been brought up. Scheana says she’d forgotten about it. When they were glamping, Schwarz mentioned kissing Raquel, and that brought it to mind. Katie says, it was jarring to find out years later, and Scheana tells her that she didn’t say anything because of where they were. She didn’t want to hurt Katie. Andy says, Scheana claims every guy in the group hit on her, and she says, James was drunk in the DJ booth. James asks, when? and she says, season 4 or 5. He says he doesn’t remember, and Andy asks about Sandoval. Scheana says, that was in New York, and Sandoval says, no f***ing way. She says, they were there for Watch What Happens Live and raided the mini bar. This was before Sandoval and Ariana had been intimate. Andy says, Katie hooked up with Max the night of Hotel Ziggy, and wonders if it was in direct response to what Schwartz had done. Katie says, it could seem that way, or she was just doing what she wanted. Schwartz says, she leveled the playing field, and Lala says, she demolished it, but Katie gave fair warning. We flash back to Katie saying she’ll run a train through the restaurant, and Schwartz says he asked the universe for her to be in his position. Andy says, he manifested it, but Katie says, it didn’t make it hurt any less. Andy asks if she hooked up with Max a second time, and there’s a long pause. She says she doesn’t know. She can’t remember. James says, he came back for seconds, and Schwartz says, they’re the same, but Katie says, no, they’re not.

Andy welcomes us back even though we went nowhere, and says, Lisa encouraged Schwartz to bring the group to Lake Tahoe, but the group wasn’t glued back together as easily as Sandoval’s penis flute. Andy asks Lisa about her restaurant, Wolf, and she says, it’s opening April 18th. She insists he come, and he asks if she’ll fly him out. When she says she will, he asks if it will be private, and she calls him a diva. Back on topic, Andy says that Schwartz told Lala that she wasn’t queen of the group, and Schwartz says he didn’t like that she was speaking up for the other girls, saying they didn’t want to come on the trip. It wasn’t a Sandoval Redemption Tour. He just wanted some humanity reinstilled. James agrees that it was the best place to do it. Andy asks Ariana why people thought she had an ego after Scandoval, and Katie suggests, because she wasn’t in a fetal position, sobbing. Ariana says she does that in private at home, and Andy asks if she could see Scheana’s struggle on the show, but Scheana reminds him that Ariana didn’t watch the show. Ariana says, Scheana’s feelings are totally valid, even though she’s not necessarily the person to go to with those feelings. We flash back to Scheana telling Ariana that she can’t keep hating Sandoval for her. Scheana says she wanted Ariana to know that she was still her girl. She tends to misspeak and not read the audience. Ariana says she does that too, and Sandoval says, she’s not that bad. Andy asks why it was okay for Lala to expect the friend group to shun Randall, and Lala says, she has a child involved and is in a custody battle. Scheana says, it was also more than cheating, and Lala says, Randall didn’t call Schwartz because he liked hanging out. There was a motive there, and she was fighting for the well-being of her child. Unless someone has been in her situation, they’ll never understand. Katie says, it goes without saying Lala would have a boundary, but Ariana is allowed boundaries as well. Lala says she was confused. Ariana was sleeping down the hall from Sandoval and had a new boyfriend. She would have been given the side-eye for the same thing. Ariana says, all Lala had to do was say she respected her choices, and again Lala says she doesn’t understand. Ariana says, regardless, Lala should respect it. It’s not her business to understand. Lala says, it is. Ariana is her friend and has her respect. Yet Ariana listened to Lala being called a whore and didn’t stick up for her. We flash back to Ariana laughing at Charlie smack talking Lala, and Ariana says, when they were at the plant store, they addressed that. We flash back to their discussion, and Ariana saying that her reaction to Charlie should have included, don’t do that. Ariana tells Lala that she apologized, and they moved on. Lala doesn’t have to understand everything. Lala says, it didn’t make sense, and Ariana says she’s always known their situations were different, but she supported Lala. Lala says she asked a question, and Ariana says, Lala talks louder, so she must be right. Lala says she hasn’t raised her voice once this whole time, and Andy says he’s impressed. He brings up the photo of Scheana and Sandoval and how the internet painted Scheana as betraying Ariana. He asks how Ariana felt about it, and Ariana says, slightly uncomfortable. Scheana says she understood that Ariana didn’t want to be part of another headline, but they all got thrown in the photo. Schwartz says, you have to show decorum around fans, and Scheana says she really didn’t think it would go anywhere. Ariana says she appreciates the conversation she had with Lala. It brought a perspective she hadn’t thought of when Lala said, everything gets headlines. We flash back to that, and Andy asks Scheana, what hurt the most when she found out Ariana was going to be on Dancing with the Stars? She says, Ariana wasn’t the one to tell her, and Ariana says, a leak happened, and articles came out. Production on DWTS went on lockdown with information. She wasn’t trying to keep it from Scheana, but she didn’t trust that Scheana wouldn’t be overheard, since they were all being watched with a microscope. Andy says Scheana promoted her dream of being on DWTS, and if they don’t have her on, it’s cruel. He looks at the camera and says, have her on. Scheana says she has plans with the band and her music for the next year. People can talk sh*t, but she’s genuinely enjoying what she’s doing. Andy says, if they call tomorrow, she’s not going to say no, and Scheana agrees that she wouldn’t.

Ally and Jo join the group, and Ally tells Andy that he’s the most perfect example of a Gemini. Andy says, they’re being joined by an astrology expert and a woman whose affair with Schwartz wasn’t written in the stars. He introduces them as James’s girlfriend and not Schwartz’s girlfriend. He asks how the astrology is going, and Ally says, great. She’s fully booked at $195 a reading. James says, it’s all on Zoom. Welcome to the Ally Bally experience. Andy says, there were rumors as to the nature of Jo and Schwartz’s relationship, and we flash back to Schwartz denying, denying, denying. Andy asks how they started hanging out, and Jo says she was between residences and was couch surfing in Schwartz’s guest bedroom. Schwartz says, they started off as just drinking buddies and it evolved. When they met, she was Kristen’s best friend and he only saw her through Kristen. Lala says, how random, and Andy asks if Jo had a crush on Schwartz when he was married to Katie, but she says, no. Lala asks, what was the reason Jo stayed with Schwartz? and Jo says, covid was going on and multiple friends had it. Katie says, Kristen lived around the corner. She’s surprised Jo didn’t hit her up, but Schwartz says, Kristen was in a chaotic relationship at the time. Andy asks why Ariana claimed Jo knew about the affair, and Ariana says, proximity. She was at Schwartz’s apartment all the time, and that’s where it was going down. Also, in Big Bear. She still believes Jo knew about it. Andy asks if Schwartz asked Jo to lie in front of the camera, but he says, no. Andy asks why he wasn’t honest about what was happening with Jo, and Schwartz says, they weren’t filming. Jo didn’t want to be part of that world, so it was a great escape. They were like lightning in a bottle. Lala asks how often they had sex, and Schwartz says, sporadically. She asks if they bumped peepees once a week, and Schwartz says that’s about right. Lala says, that’s frequent, not sporadic, and a pig must have flown by, because Katie says she felt bad for Jo when she was watching the show and saw Schwartz being elusive. Jo saw the relationship differently than he did. Schwartz – who couldn’t stay in a lane to save his life – says, they were just talking, but Katie says, he was giving Jo the boyfriend experience. He wasn’t committed, but they were saying, I love you. Schwartz says he did love her. They would text, I love you. Ally says, this is insane, and doesn’t have to consult any charts to realize that. Katie says, when someone has feelings for you, but there’s no clarity, it’s not fair. He was displaying f*** boy behavior. Sandoval says, they only see what’s on TV, not what it was. Is he kidding??? Lala asks why they’re making Jo feel nuts. Something was happening to make her feel the way she did, and they were having sex on a regular basis. This is so f***ed up.

Ariana says, there was a disconnect as to what their relationship was, and Jo says she was a secret for a year. Schwartz insists it had nothing to do with Katie, and Jo says, it’s sad to see. She thought it was a real relationship. Schwartz says, it was magic for a while, and Lala says, it’s wild to watch Schwartz gaslight Jo. Schwartz insists he’s not, but James says, it doesn’t look good. Lala says, Schwartz can’t call it a relationship, but talks about it like it is one. Schwartz says he was scared to label it and felt incapable of a relationship. Andy asks what their status is now, and Schwartz says, they’re friends, but Jo shrugs. Andy suggests Jo just wanted validation, and Jo agrees. Andy says, Schwartz hard launched a new relationship recently, and asks about his new girlfriend. He says, her name Sofia, and she’s hilarious, smart, and has a great career. He feels like he’s disrespecting Jo in talking about it, like this ever mattered, and Lala says – wait for it – suck my d*ck. I love me some Lala. Schwartz tells her, easy with the snap judgments, and Andy reminds them about Katie saying things about Jo on social media. We flash back to Katie’s nasty, uncalled for comments about Jo, and Andy asks, what about Jo got Katie fired up? Jo is now sitting there crying, and Katie says she was coming from a place where she was going through a divorce and separation, because apparently, she doesn’t realize which one comes first. She says, someone she didn’t trust was moving in fast, and she wasn’t comfortable with it. She admits to some colorful descriptions, and Jo says, colorful? For real. She basically called Jo a crackhead and just about every filthy thing she could think of. Some not even real things. Andy asks how Jo felt being ganged up on, but Jo says she never felt like she was ganged up on from anyone except Katie. Katie says, the summer before, she wasn’t supported, and we flash back to Scheana encouraging Schwartz to make out with Raquel. Jo says, because of Katie, neither was she, and Katie says, this isn’t about her. What she said wasn’t nice or kind, but she was dealing with a lot of sh*t. The last thing she needed was Jo. Jo says, that’s no excuse, and Lala says, this is vulnerable for Katie. Schwartz says, it’s as close to an apology as Jo is going to get, and Katie says she is sorry. She doesn’t like a lot of people, and feels, don’t be nice because people will f*** you over. Andy asks if Jo is seeing anyone, and she asks if he can introduce her to Andy Rogers.

I guess Katie thinks if she owns it, that will make it okay. It doesn’t. I used to like Katie and felt bad for her being married to wishy-washy, can’t make a decision without the other Tom, Schwartz. True, she made that choice, but she was pretty young, and I could see the appeal. She thought he was a fixer upper, and we all have to learn that lesson. But she’s become a mean girl, and I have no doubt she was talking about Ariana too, behind her back. You can’t behave like an elementary school kid on the playground just because somebody, or several somebodies, screwed you over. You’re an adult. Behave like one.

Andy asks if James thought the editors were throwing shade at his new house with the flight path, and we flash back to those moments. James says, when you see a plane, you know it’s their scene, and Andy asks how the cats and Hippie are doing. Ally says she didn’t see it turning out as well as it has, and we flash back basically to why – she kept separating them out of fear. Cats can get out of the way pretty easily, and it really looked like Graham/Hippie just wanted to play. Sooner or later, the pets all get tired of that dance and learn to live with each other. But if you separate them, they can become antagonistic for all sorts of reasons. Andy says, Raquel (who he calls Rachel), weighed in publicly that the dog’s bad behavior and biting was the result of how James treated him as a puppy. James says, that’s false. He had behavioral issues when they got him. Ally says, the breeder shipped him as a puppy in the cargo hold, and it traumatized him. James says, when they first met, he was trying to get something away from Hippie, but he went under the couch and growled. Now he’s completely transformed. Lisa says she knew how James felt about the dog, and the way Hippie greeted him – we flash back to that – she knew James would be nothing but kind to the dog. Andy asks where Ally is at about kids, and she says, the same. She wants to have them when she feels like Lala. Lala says, great save, and James says he wants to get married. Ally tells him, she’d say yes, but it would be a long engagement. Andy asks how long James will wait, and James says, forever. There’s a collective, aww! from the cast. Andy says, several of the cast went from slamming shots to sipping mocktails and hosting water tastings. We flash back to Lala’s tasting, and Andy asks how long she’s been sober. Lala says, five and a half years. She appreciates his acknowledging that every year. Her sobriety is the proudest thing she’s done in her life. He says, it’s a major accomplishment, and asks how long James is sober. James says, since April, and Andy says, almost a year. He congratulates James and everyone applauds. Andy says, Ally wanted James to stop drinking and moved out with the cats, and Ally says, it was really clear to her that she didn’t like who James was when he was drinking. James admits he’s disrespectful when he drinks, and Ally says she was gone two nights. Andy asks if she was staying at Schwartz’s, then says he’s kidding. She says, he’s her friend, and Schwartz says he was wondering, did that happen? Andy says, James claimed he quit for himself and not the relationship, and James says, it wasn’t necessarily the ultimatum, but he knew it would better the relationship. He’s not stupid. He gets it. Andy asks Ally, what if he starts drinking again? and she says she’d leave. Andy asks if Jo has anything to say, and Jo says, she had a good time with everyone, except Katie unfortunately. Katie says she’s a delight, and Jo says she’ll just go home to cry.

Andy wants to talk about the real star of Vanderpump Rules this season – Ann. Scheana says she thought he was going to say, Summer Moon, and he says, she’s a close second. He says, Sandoval had Ann doing some tough tasks, like cleaning up after parties – we see that, and I think, blech! – and picking up underwear. Sandoval insists Ann never touched dirty laundry. He had her tidy up and clean up after a party, which is in the job description. Andy says, Ann quickly threw her name into Ariana’s assistant pool. Why does Ariana think she was so eager to jump ship? Ariana says she thinks Anna was excited to work with and for other women and was at a point where she wanted something new. Andy asks what bothered Sandoval most, and he says he felt betrayed. To do it on camera was a kick to the gut. Your wish is granted. Go work somewhere else. Andy says, the pets were dealing with the fallout of their parents’ breakup. He reminds Ariana of Mya getting int to the chicken skewers, which he thinks is a little gross. Ariana says, it’s her space, and Andy asks if there were any ground rules. Sandoval says, things come up that need to be taken care of before they turn into a bigger problem. He had to go in because of an air conditioning issue and doesn’t know whether he or Ann left the door open, since they were both in there.  Andy asks how it should have been handled, and Ariana says she should have been consulted about someone going into the only area she had in the house that was her own. She understands things need to be done, but it’s all she had. Andy asks what the discussion was about pet custody, and Sandoval says, there was no discussion. It was ruled Ariana was taking it. I note he says it, which rubs me the wrong way. Ariana says she had Kitty before she lived in LA. She bought Mya and the adoption is in her name. Sandoval makes faces, and James says, Sandoval was okay with Raquel taking Graham/Hippie. He was the dog’s secret new daddy while he was getting his d*ck wet. If Sandoval had no problem with that then, he should have no problem with this now. Sandoval says he’s keeping his mouth shut about the things he’s heard, but James says, he hasn’t heard sh*t. Sandoval tells him to get off his high horse, and James says he’s galloping away while Sandoval is in a swamp. Eat a d*ck. Sandoval tells James, you eat a d*ck. And there we have it.

Next time – Reunion Part 3 and the last of it. Andy says they never aired the last few minutes of the finale. He wants them to watch it together as a group. I’m guessing that has something to do with the hot mic at the end. As he bawls, Sandoval tells Ariana that he did the thing he said he’d never do and regrets it every day. Arina says she just wants him away from her. She just wants him gone.

🪤 Catching My Own Dreams…

Join me tomorrow for soap, a little tea, and finding out which Chef comes out on Top. Until then, stay safe, stay ever learning and growing as a person, and stay giving your desires your all, rather than not trying at all.

May 17, 2024 – Sonny Decks Dex, Say Fromaggio, Price Hike, Rinna Shade, Hot Mic In NYC, VanderNews, No Invite, Dragons Coming, Oops, They’re Off, All Along, AKA Peggy, Ogdoad Of Quotes & Almost

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook says, they’ll have to excuse her. She’s got some rounds to make. Chase tells her to wait, then kisses her. Dante says, he’s a lucky man, and Chase says he sure is. Anna asks Sam, how’s the P.I. business? Any interesting new cases? Sam says, same old, same old.

Brook says she’s so glad Monica got Jason to come, and he says, she wanted to come herself. And he knows she’d want him to tell Brook, congratulations. She thanks him and says, it’s good to see him. She moves on.

Gloria says, they don’t see enough of Sonny. He doesn’t come around the neighborhood as much as he should. Carmine says, they have a big 4th of July party every year, and he wants to see Sonny there this year. Sonny says he’ll try, but Gloria says, no trying. Brook runs up to Sonny and hugs him. She says she’s so glad he came, and he says he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Lois tells Drew and Jordan, say fromaggio, but Jordan says, that’s okay. Drew says, they’re not… and Lois says, they’re not the mother of the bride. She is, and she’s walking around taking pictures of everyone, so pick their favorite cheese and say, fromaggio. Drew puts his arm around Jordan, and they say, fromaggio. Lois says, beautiful, and takes their photo.

Gloria tells Blaze that their great grandkids love her music, and Blaze thanks her. Carmine says, don’t be embarrassed. Tell her. Blaze says, tell her what? and Carmine says, she loves it too. When the kids are dancing, she’s out there with them like she’s going to break something. Gloria says she’s going to break him and asks if Blaze is going to perform today. They’d love it so much. Kristina says, Blaze is a guest, and Gloria says she knows, but she’s here and she’s got that amazing voice. Natalia joins them and says, she really wanted to perform, but think about it. If Brook had her most important client perform at her wedding… Carmine says, exploitation, and Natalia says, right.

Violet asks how Michael, Willow, and Josslyn liked her song, and Michael says, they loved her song. Josslyn says, and she wrote that all by herself? and Violet says, yes, she did. Gregory watches them and smiles.

Maxie throws her arms around Jason and says, it’s so good to see him. (I hope that poor guy has recovered from his gunshot wound. Everyone is manhandling him.) At this wedding, obviously, but just in general. Spinelli joins them, and she says, Spinelli really missed him, and so did she. Jason says, it’s always good to see her, and Spinelli asks if she’s free to enjoy herself, or does she still have responsibilities? Maxie says, this is Olivia’s show now. Her responsibilities ended at the church. Spinelli says, the violinist was superlative, and she says she thought so too, but she can’t take any credit for that. He’s a cousin of the Cerullos or something. Usually when a family says they have someone they want to play at the ceremony, it’s a total mess, but she thinks he was really good.

Lois hugs Gio and tells him that his performance was perfection. He could not have given Brook a greater gift. He says he’s glad she liked it, but Brook was a little busy. He doesn’t think she noticed. She says, is he kidding her? Everybody noticed his talent. All the family is so proud of him. She hugs him again.

Finn stares at the champagne glass he took a sip from, when Violet comes up to him with Elizabeth. Violet says she needs to ask him a question and he needs to be honest with her. He says, ask away, and she says, what did he think about her song? He says, honestly? That she’s amazing. She hugs him, and Elizabeth says, it’s almost dinnertime. Why doesn’t Violet find their place cards? Violet runs off, and Elizabeth says, Finn seems upset. Did something happen? He looks at the glass again.

Cody is sweeping the stables, when Sasha comes in with a picnic basket. He says, what’s this? and she says, it’s samples. She just finished up wrapping up all the after-party prep. He says, catering for two families. What was she thinking, volunteering for such a mission? She says she honestly feels so bad that she couldn’t make it to the wedding. She wanted to go, she was planning on going, but she had no idea how much Lois and Olivia were expecting from her for this after-party. They gave her this long list of food to prepare, and being so new at the job, she couldn’t say no. He says he gets it, and she says, well, Yuri and Leo are splitting some take-out and playing video games. Monica wanted a late dinner, and being as everyone else is still at the reception – she opens the basket and takes out a bottle of wine – it seems that we have the Quartermaine manse all to ourselves.

Sonny tells Natalia, sorry. He didn’t mean to leave her stranded, but she says, not at all. Actually, it’s been really nice to see him hanging out with his really loving family and friends.

Anna goes up to Jason and jokes, for the love of God, I know this is a party, but you’re causing a scene. Can you just rein it in?… Everything okay? He says, why wouldn’t it be? and she says, three names, Cates, Brennan, Pikeman. Why doesn’t he just forget about all that for the evening? He says he will if she will.

In a Pentenville shower room, Jack washes his hands, while another inmate finishes his shower. The inmate leaves, and Jack unwraps a knife from a nearby towel. He checks the sharpness against the metal sink.

Brook thanks Gio so much for playing, and kisses him on both cheeks. Didn’t she tell Chase he was brilliant? Chase says, she did, and she did not exaggerate.

Anna says she knows it’s not in Jason’s nature, but it wouldn’t kill him to mingle. He says, she’s right… It’s not in his nature. She laughs and says, it’s not like she’s asking him to go up to total strangers and start discussing the trends in coffee… fashion… gadgetry. There’s a lot of people here who really missed him.

Dante tells Sam, no matter what his cousins say or do, they are not going to this after-party. They’re going to try to get to him through her. They’re going to get her to go and get her to drag him along. They’ve got to present a united front. She says, this is new for him, and he says, what is? She says, cowardice, and he says, wow. She kisses him.

Jack sharpens the knife against the front of the sink, when another inmate walks in and says, too slow. Jack asks what he means, and the man says he saw it. A homemade shank. Jack tells him that he’s not saying he has such an item, but if he did, what could he offer the man to pretend he never saw it? The man says, how about he just takes the item? Jack won’t want the guards finding something like that on him. Jack says, no deal. He needs it. The man says, make a new one, and Jack punches him, then karate chops him on the back of the neck, the man falling to the floor. (This is impressive, since he’s twice Jack’s size.)

Cody says he knows jack (ha-ha!) about wine, but judging from this year, he’s guessing these grapes weren’t growing in Napa last summer. Sasha says, they were not, and he says, and she didn’t just get this bottle from a local wine and spirit outlet. She says, Ned uncorked it last night and only had one glass. He says he’s wondering, are the Q’s going to be okay with them absconding with this bottle? and she says, he didn’t abscond with anything, she did, and she’s the chef. He says, even so… and she says, please. She’s had their wine before and it never bothered them, so why would it now? He says, maybe because this bottle is expensive, even for them (he knows this how if he doesn’t know jack?), she says, it probably was when it was corked, but he can be sure of one thing, that wine is good tonight, and it definitely won’t be tomorrow. He says, well then, as a budding wine connoisseur, he cannot in good conscience allow today’s good wine go to waste tomorrow.

Chase asks how Gio and Brook are related again, and Brook says, they’re cousins once removed. Or is that twice? She always gets that mixed up or confused. (Same, and the grand or great uncle/aunt thing.) Anyway, he’s a Cerullo on his mom’s side. He gets his musical talent from his mom. Chase says, so his dad’s not musical, and Gio says he doesn’t really know. He was in the military. He died before Gio was born. Chase says he’s so sorry, but Gio says, it’s fine. He’s very proud of him. Chase says, as he should be. Actually, that guy in the blue suit there (Dex), he served in Afghanistan. He’s now at the police academy. Gio asks if he likes it, but Chase says, Gio will have to ask him. Brook says, no, no, no. Do not try to recruit Gio to be a cop. Her grandmother would have a heart attack, not to mention the rest of the family. Gio is going to be a concert violinist. Isn’t that right? Gio says, that’s the plan.

Elizabeth says she knows it wasn’t easy for Finn, seeing his dad struggle. Look. He’s fine. Finn says, he seems to have recovered thanks to Tracy. She’s really good with him. Elizabeth says, she is. Who would have thought? The point is, they shouldn’t think about what happened because his dad is having a wonderful time right now. He says, she’s absolutely right. The bartender removes the glass.

Anna turns around and Sonny is there. He asks how Dex is doing at the academy, but she says she’s not about to discuss that with him. And he should know better than to ask. She walks away, and Sonny laughs. Natalia walks up and takes his hand. She asks if they should go find their seats, and he says, yes.

Maxie takes the floor and says she thinks one of the most important lessons she’s learned from Brook is that, just because you can’t stand somebody – for a very good reason, she might add – doesn’t mean your lifelong enemy can’t become one of your very best friends. A friend that is there for you when you need someone the most. She congratulates Brook, and Brook hugs her, saying, love you. Maxie says, love you… Oh yeah, and Chase. You sweet, handsome, honorable man, just do your best not to arrest her again. Good luck with that. She raises her glass and says, congratulations to the happy couple. Everyone clinks glasses and says, to the happy couple.

Brook thanks Olivia for being the best wicked stepmother ever, and Olivia says she does what she can. They hug, and Lois tells Ned, he’s done good. He says, she didn’t do too bad herself, and she puts her hand on his.

Gio introduces himself to Dex, and says, Chase was telling him that Dex served in Afghanistan. His dad did too. Dex asks if he knows where, and Gio says, no. His dad was killed in action before he was born. He doesn’t have a lot of details about his service. Dex says he’s sorry for Gio’s loss, and Gio thanks him. He says he didn’t mean to put Dex on the spot, but he thinks what Dex did was very important. Thank you. Dex says, so does he. Gio’s dad must have gone over there pretty early. 2001? 2002? Gio says, it was 2002. Did Dex like serving in the military? Dex says he did. It’s hard when you’re deployed. You spend a lot of time thinking about home. He bets Gio’s dad spent a lot of time thinking about his mom and wondering who Gio would turn out to be. Gio says, a violinist? and Dex says he bets Gio’s dad would have really liked that. When you’re surrounded by destruction, you have a lot of respect for the people who create things that are beautiful. Like music.

Sonny asks if Lois can stop Gio from talking to that guy, and she says, why? He says, he used to work for me and he’s not trustworthy. She says, it’s a wedding reception. They’re probably talking about sports scores. He says he doesn’t care. He doesn’t want Gio talking to him. She says, the bigger deal he makes of this, the bigger deal it’s going to be. So just let it go, okay? She walks away, but it looks doubtful that Sonny is going to let it go.

Spinelli asks if he’s told Maxie how beautiful she looks, and she asks if he means in the last 15 minutes. He says, that’s far too long. It’s unforgivable. He’s about to kiss her, when Sam appears. She says, got a minute? and steers him away.

Sasha says she really wonders how the wedding is going, and Cody says, it’s a wedding. It’s either great or godawful. There’s no in between. She says, if those are the options, she thinks it’s going great, and he says, you can wish all you want, but there’s about a billion things that can go wrong. They could forget the rings, someone could object, there could be food poisoning, a runaway bride, a runaway groom… She says, wow. Okay. Until she hears otherwise, she chooses to believe this wedding day is everything Brook and Chase would want, and she can’t wait to see pictures. He asks if she wants more wine. He could use some. He picks up the bottle, but she says, hey, whoa. What is with him? He says, she’s with him, and she asks if he has something against weddings. He says, not weddings per se. He just hoped it was a cliché that all women dreamed of a formal church wedding. She asks why it matters, and he says, because even if a guy like him could convince a woman to marry him, he doubts he could afford the big, fancy wedding of her dreams. (I guess no one has told him that’s not how this works.)

Sam takes Spinelli near the entrance where there are no other people, and he says he thought she didn’t want to discuss this tonight. She says she changed her mind, and he says he would love to help her, but he also values his freedom far too much to investigate – he looks around – the FBI. What’s the goal here, besides getting locked up in federal prison? She says, full disclosure? and he says, by all means. Redact nothing. She says she’s not sure, and he says, a fishing expedition is one thing, but the data stores of federal law enforcement are vast beyond comprehension. How do they even know how to start? She says she doesn’t know. Maybe he can help her. All she does know is that Jason has been working for the FBI as an informant. He says, working for the FBI? and she says she knows it sounds crazy, but Jason actually told her so himself. And the only reason he would work as an informant would be… He says, if the FBI held damning evidence against him, and she says, yeah. And they have to find it.

Olivia says, it is that time, folks, when we welcome our beautiful newlyweds to the dance floor. The guests applaud and cheer as the music begins. Brook and Chase come out and have their first dance together.

Lois dances with Chase, while Ned dances with Brook (and hey, why isn’t Chase’s mom here?). Lois whispers something to Chase, who leaves the dance floor and goes over to Gloria. He asks, may I have this dance? and she says, yes, you may. She tells Carmine, don’t be jealous, and Carmine says, of what? She says, think of a reason, and she and Chase go out to dance. Brook whispers to Ned that she wants to dance with Gregory and kisses him on the cheek. She asks Gregory, may I have this dance? and he says, um… looking at his cane. She says, he doesn’t need that, and she gives it to Tracy. He says, it would be his honor, and they go out on the floor. Olivia and Ned are dancing. Kristina tells Lois that it seems like Sonny is having a good time, and Lois says, he’s surrounded by Cerullos. How could he not be? Kristina is lucky to have a dad like him, but she thinks Kristina already knows that. Kristina says, she does, and Lois tells her, although she’s got to say, if Kristina only knew him back in the day – oh. Kristina asks if she even wants to know, and Lois says, her dad is a stand-up guy. Always has been and he always will be.

Spinelli says, and Sam is certain this would help Jason? and she says, honestly, she doesn’t know, but she thinks they have to at least try. Because Jason would do the exact same thing for them. Spinelli says he’s in, and she hugs him and says, thank you.

More contemporary music starts, and Dex asks if Josslyn thinks she can keep up with his sick moves. She says she can try (I’m surprised she didn’t burst out laughing like I did), and they join everyone dancing. Brook goes over to Sonny and says, the bride gets to pick who she dances with on her wedding day. She holds out her hand, and he says, it would be his honor. Chase asks Violet, may I have this dance? and holds out his hand. She takes it and says she thought he’d never ask. Everyone is having the best time, so you just know something is going to go sideways.

As Cody pours the wine, Sasha says, first of all, she doesn’t think all women dream of getting married in the first place. Let alone, have a big wedding that takes over a year to plan. Cody says, and at least a year’s salary to pay for, and she says, traditionally, the groom’s family doesn’t even pay for the wedding; the bride’s family does. He says, is that a part of the dowry, or is that in addition to, since they’re talking about tradition? Sasha says, and traditionally, sure, every fairytale ends with a wedding, and he says, she clearly wasn’t raised by Germans. The Grimm brothers… She says, and popular culture tells little girls that their wedding day is the one day they get to be a princess, but she thinks it’s just one way to celebrate love. He says, if she has a better way, he’s all ears, and she says, take her and Brando for example. They got married in a garage, and yeah, it wasn’t really what they imagined, but they were just so excited to get to the happily ever after part. And when that didn’t happen, yeah, she felt cheated. Because a wedding day is just one day of your life, but the marriage, a chance to grow old with the person you love, that lasts a lifetime. Or it’s supposed to anyway.

Brook says, all the single ladies, come, and the women come to the dance floor. Gloria says, ladies, keep your head in the game, and Lois says, all right. Get ready. Brook throws her bouquet and Jordan catches it, but slides it into Violet’s hands like, oops. Violet jumps up and down, and everyone applauds. Olivia is running somewhere, when Ned grabs her and says he wanted to dance with his beautiful bride. She says she loves him. She wants to dance with him, but she’s got to check the Viennese table. He says, does she really? and she says, fine, and goes with him.

Jordan sees Drew getting ready to leave, and she says, going so soon? He says he’s got a big day ahead. Can he give her a ride? She says she’s going to stay a little longer, and he says, that’s too bad. He’s been meaning to tell her about his last conversation with McConkey. She says, please don’t tell her that he wants an entire pier to go with the esplanade, but Drew says, no. Let’s just say the congressman has given me a lot to think about. They’ll talk. He leaves, and she says, you tease.

Dex asks Gloria if she’d like a water, and hands her a glass. She says, thank you, young man. With all the excitement and the dancing and everything, her head was beginning to spin a little bit. What’s his name? He says he’s Dex Heller, and she asks how he knows her granddaughter and her new husband. He says he’s a cadet with the PCPD, and she says, he’s a policeman. His family must be so proud of him. They’re so pleased and thrilled to have Chase in their family. Sonny sees them and glowers, and Dex says, Chase is an exceptional officer. She says, then of course (🍷) he knows Dante, and he says, yes, ma’am. Gloria says, he’s the fifth cop in his generation on the Falconari side of the family, when Lois joins them. Gloria says, she knows Dex, and Lois says, mm-hmm. Gloria says, he saw that she was parched, and he brought a glass of water over to her, and Lois says, that was very thoughtful of him. She thanks Dex, and he says, no problem. Gloria says, and you know what else? Dex is at the police academy. Lois should introduce him to her cousin Lucia. If they were to marry, then there would be four cops on the Cerullo side. Lois says, Gloria just met the guy and she’s already marrying him. She tells Dex that she’s so sorry about her mother, but he says, not at all. Lois tells him, although she will say, he should meet Lucia. She’s a beautiful girl and also very smart. She has a degree in computer science, but no pressure though. No pressure at all. Dex laughs and Sonny stares daggers at him.

Jack takes the knife out of the towel again and takes a few deep breaths. He plunges the knife into his own side and falls to the floor. He pulls it out, puts it in the other inmate’s hand, and passes out.  

Cody says he’s never really pondered the whole ever after thing. He makes sure the horses are healthy and cleans out their stalls. He lives day to day. Where he’s from, the whole long-term thing didn’t seem like a great option. Sasha says she gets that. When you marry someone you love, thinking long term is the default setting. Then when it’s cut short, you realize making big plans and relying on them happening sets you up for disappointment. He says, don’t get him wrong. Hoping for a future with the person you love doesn’t seem like a bad thing. It’s just in his personal experience, if you don’t plan too far ahead, it leaves you open for surprises. She says, like parachuting into the swimming pool, and he says, yeah, and like quitting your spokesmodel job because someone calls you too wholesome. She says, or finding your family even though you can’t tell them you’re a part of it, and he says, or this. Great wine, great food, great company… Hold that thought. He goes in the back and returns with a radio. He puts on some music, and says, may I have this dance? He holds out his hand and she takes it.

Sam says she remembers how much trouble Brook used to be, and Brook says, that’s why she married a cop. Needed an inside man. They laugh, and Sam says, that was good thinking. Brook says, she should try it sometime, and Maxie says, ooh. Sam jets, and they laugh. Spinelli tells Brook, congratulations, and leaves Brook and Maxie alone. Maxie says, believe it or not, she thinks she’s said all she has to say, and Brook says, and she heard it. Maxie says, she’s going to have the best life, and Brook says she just wishes she deserved it. Maxie asks what she’s talking about. Of course (🍷) she deserves it. That’s why it’s hers. They hug.

Willow and Michael join Josslyn and Dex, and Willow says, they saw the two of them on the dance floor. Nice moves. Michael says, it’s like Dex forgot Josslyn is his little sister and he’d do anything to protect her, and Josslyn says, that’s enough, thank you. Michael says, Dex knows he’s kidding. It’s a shame he’s not kidding. Dex picks something up off the floor and says he found someone’s hearing aid. Willow says, it’s probably Carmine’s, and Dex says he’s going to go find him then. Dex leaves, and Sonny follows him. Jason watches.

Patty tells Dante that he’s coming to the after-party. She won’t take no for an answer. Dante says he would love to go, but he has kids to tuck in, and… Sam says she thinks he should go, when Jordan joins them. Patty says, Deputy Mayor, are you coming? and Jordan says she’d love to, but she can’t. She has a city to… deputy run. Maxie says, don’t worry. She and Spinelli can drive Dante and Jordan to the after-party. Dante says he doesn’t want to go, and Jordan says she really can’t. Spinelli tells Dante, yes, you do, and Maxie tells Jordan, yeah, you can. Dante says, all right. They’ll meet Patty there. How’s that? Patty says she can’t wait, and leaves. Dante and Spinelli fist bump.

Chase says he can’t stop thanking Gregory, and Gregory says he’d do it again in a heartbeat. Chase tells Tracy, and thank you for… She says she certainly hopes he regrets arresting her, and he says he would do it again in a heartbeat. They all laugh, and Tracy says, good answer. She, Violet, Chase, and Gregory leave, and Finn thanks Elizabeth. She says, for what? and he says, everything. Always. They walk off hand in hand.

Dex looks around near the entrance, and Sonny pops out. He says, the Cerullos are his people. Is Dex enjoying himself, with Sonny’s people? Dex says he’s having a good time, a great time, and Sonny laughs. Sonny says, that’s the wrong answer. They’re like family to him. Stay away from his family. Dex says he was invited the same as Sonny, and Sonny says, he’s a snitch, a spy. He’s lucky to be breathing. Stay away from him and his, or Dex may not be breathing much longer. Sonny starts to walk away, and Dex puts his hand on Sonny’s arm, saying, he’s not Sonny’s enemy. Sonny punches him in the face, knocking him down.

Chase and Brook go to their room, where the fireplace is lit, and there’s a rose petal path from the door to the bed and rose petals on the bed. They close the door and lie down on the bed, fully clothed. Brook says, they did it. They tied the knot. They crossed the finish line. And he is her husband. He says, and she is his wife, and she says, wife, and kisses him. She says, now what? and he says, now, they have a great wedding night, followed by a great honeymoon in Florence. Then they spend the rest of their lives together. How does that sound? She says she’s so glad she hit him with that bottle, and he says he thought it was an accident. She says, that was no accident. That was luck. They kiss.

Natalia says she seems to have misplaced Kristina’s father, and Kristina says, sorry about that. Natalia says, uh-oh. What did she do to him? They laugh, and Kristina says she didn’t. He hasn’t seen his family in a long time, so he probably got caught up in telling stories from back in the day. Natalia says, that makes sense. She’s just ready to go up. Does Blaze want to ride up with her? Blaze says she’s not tired just yet, and Natalia asks if Kristina would tell her dad that she had a great time, thanks again, and have a really great evening. Kristina says, sure, and Natalia leaves. Kristina says, don’t judge her, but she kind of wants to get another piece of cake, and Blaze says, grab two and meet her in her room. Kristina says, done.

Cody and Sasha slow dance, looking into each other’s eyes, and she says she should probably go. The reception should be over, and Olivia and Tracy will be home soon. He says, she can’t keep them waiting, and she says she’s got an after-party to throw, so… she’s got to go. He says, okay. One more song.

Jack is wheeled into the hospital, and a doctor asks what they’ve got. The paramedic says, stab wound in the abdomen, BP 70 over 40, heart rate 130. He’s lost a lot of blood. The doctor says, let’s get him to trauma one.

Olivia is walking with Ned, when Anna runs out, calling her name. Olivia asks, what’s wrong? Who’s under arrest? They were so close. Anna says, no one’s under arrest. She just wanted to say it was a great party. Olivia blesses herself and say, thank God. It’s always good when a wedding is over and no one’s incarcerated. Ned says he’s just glad when a wedding happens at all, and Anna says, it was lovely. Congratulations. Thank you. They all say, goodnight, and Ned and Olivia continue on. Anna’s phone rings, and she says, Devane… Where’s Brennan now?… Okay. She’s on her way.

Michael asks if they can give Josslyn a lift, but she says, no. She thinks she’s okay actually. Thank you though. Michael says, is she sure… Willow says she’s sure Joss can make her own arrangements, and Josslyn smiles. Michael says, why should she… and Willow says, okay. They’re leaving. Have a fun rest of her night. Josslyn thanks her and says, them too, and they leave.

Sonny throws Dex up against the wall and punches him again, Dex’s face already bloody. Dex doesn’t fight back, but puts his hands up defensively, and Sonny throws him to the floor. Sonny says, you know what I do to traitors? and kicks Dex in the stomach as he’s trying to get up. Come on. Jason races in and grabs Sonny from behind. Sonny says, let go of him, but Jason says, no and tells Dex, get out of here. Sonny says he’s going to kill them both. They’re both dead to him. He’s going to put a gun to their heads. Kristina comes in and drops the plates of cake she’s holding. She and Sonny lock eyes.

On Monday, Chase says, whatever his beautiful wife wants; Gregory wants to clear the air about something with Finn; Anna says, Brennan is never more dangerous than when he appears harmless; and Blaze asks if Kristina wants to go to the hospital. She’d better not lose this baby because of Sonny. I’ll never forgive him.

📜 You Are Cordially Invited…

Photos from the wedding.

https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/brook-lynn-chase-wedding-general-hospital-photos/

🦚 More For Days…

Peacock’s prices are going up.

💎 Let’s Talk About the Husband…

What is wrong with this woman? I think the only reason they’re still together is because Harry goes on solo camping trips a lot and seems to be on a camping trip in his head when he’s home.

🗽 Shady Apple…

I went to an online business seminar where Rebecca Minkoff was a speaker and I thought she was plenty interesting. She also offered great advice.

🍸 Life In VanderLand…

They’re just waiting for Ariana to cool down.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1401659/lisa-vanderpump-addresses-rumors-vanderpump-rules-is-canceled-amid-hiatus

The cast just wants a Reunion so they can snipe at each other about what they now know happened during the season. I watched a few episodes, then some shiny new shows caught my attention, but I’ll be back.

🩰 Short Answer: They Don’t Like You…

Probably no one would do it if she came. I understand about dance teachers being kind of mean, but they scream at you about things like your form. This woman got weirdly personal with everyone, like she was a teenager with issues.

🐉 Flying Dragon Airlines…

What’s up with House of the Dragon, Season 2.

https://ew.com/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-emma-darcy-olivia-cooke-cover-story-8646032

https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-producers-reduced-episode-count-game-of-thrones-prequel/

More spinoffs of spinoffs.

https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/fantasy-shows/game-of-thrones-prequels-positive-updates-aegon-hedge-knight/

🩸 That’s What He Gets…

I saw this on Watch What Happens Live and it was too funny. That’ll teach him to lie.

https://ew.com/joe-manganiello-reveals-graphic-sex-filled-true-blood-fan-fiction-8644633

🔮 Defying Gravity…

This looks amazing.

https://ew.com/wicked-trailer-cynthia-erivo-ariana-grande-8648594

🧙🏻‍♀️ Which Witch Title…

WandaVision was great and I can’t wait to see this. Kathryn Hahn is so much fun. I’ve loved her since the Bad Moms films. Beginning September 18th.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/agatha-trailer-actual-title-wandavision-all-along

🐶 The Real Superhero…

I can’t with this dog. Now I love the Deadpool franchise even more.

https://extratv.com/2024/05/13/ryan-reynolds-on-being-inspired-by-his-kids-and-casting-dogpool-exclusive/

https://ew.com/movies/deadpool-3-dogpool-ryan-reynolds/

Dogpool AKA Peggy

🥠 Quotes of the Week

Roadie. Sounds like a BJ behind a gas station in a minivan. – Danielle Cabral, Real Housewives of New Jersey

I measure success by the difference I make in the lives of others and the positive changes I can bring to my community. – Catherine Montgomery

We’re flawed because we want so much more; we’re ruined, because when we get these things, we wish for what we had. – Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Mad Men

Dogs are a really amazing eye opener for us humans because their lives are compressed into such a short period, so we can see them go from puppyhood to adolescence to strong adulthood and then into their sunset years in 10 to 12 years. It really drives home the point of how finite all our lives are.  – John Grogan

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. – Albert Einstein

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. – Milton Berle (Or kick one out.)

The difference between a dream and a goal is a timeline and an action plan. – Dr. Phil McGraw

That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’m Dennis Quaid and I’ve seen a lot of crazy sh*t.Dennis Quaid as himself, Strays

🎰 Can’t Hustle Me…

Come see me on Monday really Tuesday for soap and stupidity on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay welcoming newcomers (be it a job, a neighborhood, or your family), and stay not thinking about what happened when a wonderful time is being had right now.

May 14, 2024 – John Says Ava Is a Person Of Interest, Let the VanderTension Begin , Watch It & My Girl

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jason finds Anna in his office and asks if she talked to Carly. She says, yeah. They’ve got trouble.

At the MetroCourt, Valentin tells the bartender that their regular wine list is somewhat lacking tonight. Didn’t the previous owner keep a supply of more interesting wine for the more discriminating customer? He slips some cash into the wine menu and slides it across the bar. The bartender says, that’s still the case. Special occasion? Valentin says he’s hoping to rekindle an old flame, when his phone rings. The caller says, this is Clemont, the pharmacist, and Valentin says he’s aware. Clemont says, their deal is off, and Valentin says he’s going to need him to clarify that. Clemont says he’s done messing with Sonny Corinthos’s medications. His wife is onto them.

Alexis reads, the basis for my disbarment was an accusation of perjury based on hearsay evidence. No one involved with the accusation was present for or affected by the statement in question. She sees Gregory looking at his phone and says, that bad, huh? He says he’s sorry. He got distracted by pictures of the rehearsal dinner in Coney Island. She asks him to let her see, and he shows her. She says, it looks like they’re having a good time. How long does he think it will be before Lois convinces Tracy to go on the Cyclone? He says, anything’s possible, and she says, nothing compares to their parachute jump. He says, nothing at all. He didn’t mean to get them off track. Let’s get back to your pitch for reinstatement at the bar. She says, it’s fine. Let’s take a breather. He says, absolutely not. If she’s going to spend her evening babysitting him, at least let him make himself useful.

Jason asks, how bad? and Anna says she thinks the severity of this situation all hinges on whether or not he can handle Carly before she blows this entire operation and gets herself sent to prison in the bargain.

Drew shows Jordan plans for the esplanade and tells her to think of the Conkey Esplanade like the High Line in Manhattan (ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! sure, Drew). The plan is to transform something that’s run down and flat out dangerous into something that’s beautiful and safe and clean. A place where pedestrians can gather in large numbers. Redo this right, and it should vastly improve the city’s fortunes. She says, and alter the perceptions people have of Port Charles being a haven for organized crime. He says, that couldn’t hurt. So what does she think? Is this kind of what she pictured? She says she’s definitely impressed. It’s a bold and imaginative idea and a big investment for the future of Port Charles. He says, that’s great news. He’s glad they’re in agreement on that. She says, but it’s not big enough. The way he has it laid out, this proposal won’t even get off the ground.

Gregory says he knows Finn asked Alexis to watch over him while everyone was off at Coney Island, but she says, he did not. He is worried about Gregory’s well-being while he’s away, but her coming here was her idea, because A, she really does want his help, and B, he’s her friend. Not her charge, and certainly not someone she needs to babysit. He says, maybe that was a poor choice of words, but his point remains, and she says, Finn just wants him to be okay, and he agonizes about how to do that without stepping on Gregory’s autonomy. He knows Gregory’s time is limited and he doesn’t want to waste any of it with the two of them being at odds with one another. He says, sounds like they had quite the emotional conversation. He’s guessing Finn also told her that he lost his temper and dredged up his little tryst with Jackie on their wedding eve. Of course (🍷) Finn was hurting and she’s his friend. He got frustrated and just wanted to be left alone by himself for a few hours. When Finn argued against it, he retaliated by laying a hell of a guilt trip on him. It was cheap shot. As cheap as they come.

Valentin says, tell him exactly what’s happened, and Clemont says, Sonny’s wife came to his office earlier today asking him a lot of questions about Sonny’s prescription. She knows he’s not on the full dose of his meds. Valentin says, okay, and? and Clemont says, and what? Isn’t it bad enough she knows? Valentin asks if she threatened him. Have the police been contacted? Clemont says, no. Valentin’s not listening to him. Valentin says he is listening. He heard everything Clemont said. He said, a woman claiming to be Mrs. Corinthos approached him, claiming she knows he’s been prescribing Sonny a lower than prescribed dose of his bipolar medication. And rather than going to the authorities, she turned and walked away. Does that sound about right? Clemont says, more or less. Why isn’t Valentin as upset about this as he is? Valentin says, if this wife of Sonny’s wanted him to be arrested, he’d be in handcuffs by now. Can he describe her? Clemont says, she was blonde, beautiful… Honestly, that’s all he remembers. It happened so fast. Valentin says he can identify her. In the meantime, stay the course and continue to deliver Sonny the lower dose. Clemont says, what if Sonny’s wife actually does report him? but Valentin says, Sonny doesn’t have a wife, not currently – he sees Nina come in – but he does have several beautiful blondes in his orbit. He’s familiar with all of them and will identify the woman who approached Clemont, and he will deal with her appropriately. He looks at Nina.

Anna says, Jason was right. Carly was listening in on his conversation with John and she took it upon herself to go visit Brennan in Pentenville, where she preceded to inform him that Cates was looking into Pikeman. So now that means this operation is blown. Because Brennan is going to reach out to whatever allies he has left at the WSB to obstruct this investigation. And if the FBI can’t build a case… Jason says, his deal with Cates is blown, and Anna says, and Carly will be prosecuted. He says, it can’t happen, and she says she’s been thinking. It stands to reason that the first person he would reach out to is ostensibly the same target they’re after. He says, whoever’s running Pikeman, and she says, right. So if they can find out how Brennan makes contact with his successor, then actually, they could use Carly’s mistake to their advantage.

Valentin approaches Nina’s table and says he was thinking about her, and here she is. She says, good timing. What’s up? He says he heard from Charlotte and has an update on that equestrian event in Normandy, and she say she does want to hear about that, but unfortunately, she has a meeting to get to. She gets up, and he says, then another time. She says, okay, and he says, just one question. She hasn’t reconciled with Sonny, has she? She says, no. Where did he hear that? He says he thought he heard somebody say that. Obviously, he was mistaken. She says she and Sonny aren’t together and they’re not getting back together either. She and Sonny are done for good. He says, she knows how he feels about Sonny. His loss. She says, and Ava’s gain, and he says, come again? She says, Ava’s worming her way into Sonny’s house and his life, and she’s somehow made it that she’s one of the very few people Sonny feels he can trust. They’re very close now and Ava wouldn’t have it any other way. He says, then he guesses she’s well and truly out of it, and she says she is. She has to go. She’ll see him. She touches his face and leaves.

Nina walks into the gallery and asks if Ava can spare a few moments for a friend.

Jordan tells Drew, projects of this size need so many approvals from regulatory bodies in the government, and they’re all just looking for a reason to say no. The environmental review will be particularly tough, but their chances will increase exponentially if they have enough powerful friends in Albany and DC. He says he’s assuming she knows how to win them over, and she says she thought he’d never ask. Let’s start with the parking lot. That’s incredibly valuable real estate and he has so much space allocated for them. He says, people have to park, and she says, only if you drive in. There’s an abandoned railway ending right at the waterfront. It may be old, but it’s still viable. What if they get it back into workable shape? Then connect it to the existing light rail network, and voila. Now it’s not just a waterfront redevelopment. He says, it’s mass transit, and she says, exactly, and they can just sit back and watch the state and federal grants pour in. He says, that’s an amazing idea, and she says, it is, isn’t it? But she’s not done yet. She also thinks they should dredge the harbor at the dock adjacent to the esplanade and make it suitable for ferry service. He says, like service to Canada? and she says, yeah. Think about it. The current drive time to Toronto to Port Charles is three hours. A high-speed ferry will cut that drive time down to one hour. He says, they would be an international tourist destination, and she says, and those tax dollars will pour in. He says, she’s really good at this, and she says she appreciates the enthusiasm. He tells her, how could anybody say no to this? It looks like the next thing to do is just break ground. She says, slow down. They still have to get official approval, and then they can pop the champagne. McConkey walks in and asks, what are we celebrating?

Jason says, so if Brennan reaches out to whoever’s controlling Pikeman, they just need to be ready and watching, and Anna says, okay. She’ll talk to the authorities at Pentenville. Meanwhile, she’s still pursuing the other angle. He says, what was that? and she says, Valentin. She’s meeting with him shortly. He asks if she’s okay with that, and she says, yeah. He claimed to be in Europe, and he was actually here, monitoring the first attempt on Sonny’s life. So that’s proof he’s more involved with Pikeman than he’s letting on. And she really needs to find out just how involved. He says, she is their best chance at getting any information from him, and she says, maybe. She thinks there’s something else they need to discuss. Do they give John a heads up as to what they’re doing? He says, as far as he’s concerned, he doesn’t need to talk to John until he can tell him who’s running Pikeman. He doesn’t want to work with John; he doesn’t want to deal with John. But she’s the Police Commissioner. This is a joint operation, so he’ll take her lead. She says she agrees with him. John’s playing it very close to the vest. So will they.

Ava says, sorry, the gallery’s closed, but Nina says, Ava can make time for her. After all, she never told Sonny how Ava manipulated her into selling her hotel to Jason. Ava asks if that’s what she did, and Nina says she’s sure Ava can appreciate her discretion. On the other hand, she wishes Ava had been more forthcoming in her dealings with Crimson. Ava says she doesn’t know what Nina is talking about. She has nothing to do with Crimson. Nina says, oh really? That’s odd, because her assistant just asked her for approval on a last minute addition to next issue’s cultural calendar. There’s an exciting new African artist making her debut in the United States, and her opening just happens to be taking place in the very gallery they’re standing in. Ava says she’s very successful at what she does. It stands to reason that a talented artist would choose her gallery. Nina says, and to promote said artist, Ava lobbied one of their assistant editors for the mention, and Ava says, all right. Nina’s got her. But the fact is, the artist is extremely talented and their work deserves to be seen. She makes no apologies for that. Nina says she agrees her work is beautiful, and she thinks Crimson should spotlight worthy artists. She has no issue featuring her, despite Ava’s many, many transgressions. She doesn’t like that Ava went behind her back. Ava comes to her first. Next time, she isn’t going to be so generous. Ava says she was protecting the artist. She thought Nina would cancel the mention if Nina knew it came from her. Nina says, Ava is smart to worry, because Ava snaked Sonny away from her, all while lying and pretending to be her friend. If that’s not worthy of payback, she doesn’t know what is. Ava says, there Nina goes again, always looking for somebody to blame. Nina ruined her relationship with Sonny all on her own with her lies. Nina says, and Ava didn’t wait five minutes before she took advantage of their break-up. That’s okay. What’s done is done. She doesn’t have a future with Sonny, she knows that now. She’s finally accepted that they’re over for good.

Ava asks if Nina expects her to believe that she’s suddenly fine with her marriage to Sonny being over, but Nina says, Ava was there when she signed the divorce papers. She imagines Ava delivered those papers to Sonny herself, didn’t she? It’s not what she wanted, but she’s accepted the reality of it. Ava says, that sounds too evolved to be true, and Nina asks if Ava doesn’t think she can grow and change. Ava says, the way she sees it, baby snatching, letting Sonny’s family believe he was dead, and anonymous tips to the SEC are all three sides of the same vindictive coin. So, no. She doesn’t see any evidence of Nina growing or changing. Nina says she never claimed to be perfect. The point is, she’s trying to be better. Ava should know what that looks like. She tried it once. For a minute or two, she and Nikolas sort of had something real, didn’t they? And who knows? If Ava could have sustained it, she might still be married, and he wouldn’t be in prison. Ava says, Nina’s probably right about that. She went to see him… Nina says, don’t mistake her for someone who still cares. They have no friendship anymore. They did. She knows that. It was really nice being able to confide in Ava, but the first chance Ava had to help herself to something that was Nina’s, she took it, and the friendship is over. Professionally, she’s sure the two of them can be mature enough to get the most out of it. That’s all they will ever be to each other now. She hopes it was worth it.

Gregory tells Alexis, things got out of hand. He felt like Finn was ignoring his wishes and wasn’t listening to him. Finn wasn’t seeing him, his father, and just reduced him to this stinking disease again. He should have just stopped the conversation and said, let’s start again when they’ve calmed down, but instead, he lashed out and said the cruelest thing possible. He can’t tell her how much he regrets it. Alexis asks if he has any idea how much stress he’s under. It’s ridiculous. Show himself some grace. Does he know how many times she’s screwed up as a mother? And she had no excuse. Did she ever tell him about the time Kristina came out to her? Did she tell him about how she reacted? He says he doesn’t believe so, and she says, Kristina didn’t get the love and acceptance she was hoping for and deserved. He says, really? That’s surprising. He would have thought… She says, yeah, that she would have put out the rainbow flag, and yeah, she’s always been supportive of the LGBTQ community, but when it was her own daughter in front of her, she got scared. He says, of what? and she says, about how much harder her life could be, and people’s prejudices, and scary moments that could happen to Kristina and she wouldn’t be able to protect her. There she was, so vulnerable, and wanting Alexis’s unconditional love, and honestly, it was one of her worst moments as a mother. He says he’s sorry to hear that, and she says, it became her best moment. One of her best moments anyway. Because you make a mistake, you learn from it, and she did. She self-reflected, she educated herself, and she listened to other people talking to her. She apologized to Kristina and explained to her why she reacted the way she did, and Kristina understood, and they were better off for it. He says he’s glad to hear that, but he doesn’t think their situations are the same, and she says, his situation is exactly the same. He made a mistake. He’s human. And by the way, that’s quite a relief, because him being so saintly is really infuriating. Just apologize to Finn. Don’t let it fester. He says he plans to. He’s just not sure an apology alone will do.

McConkey says he didn’t expect to see Jordan today. It’s been a while. She says, it has. The last time they spoke, she’s sent a group of apartment residents over to his office. He says, sent? Sicced is the word he thinks she’s looking for, and they were mightily disgruntled that he didn’t want to support their affordable housing project. She says, and wasn’t dealing with them worth her return of get-out-the-vote efforts for his reelection campaign? and he says he always knows on what side his bread is buttered. Drew says, Jordan is a valuable ally, and Jordan says, and don’t you forget it. She has to get going, but she thanks McConkey for getting behind the esplanade. They’re very appreciative of his help, and they’ll definitely do good things in his name. McConkey says he appreciates that, and Drew says he and Jordan will talk soon. She leaves, and Drew says, McConkey’s timing is incredible. He’s got a layout… McConkey says, just leave that alone for now. He has another reason for being there. Why does Drew think he should get into bed with a convicted criminal?

Jason hears someone come into the warehouse and walks into his office to see Danny. Jason sighs and asks what he’s doing here, and Danny says he came here to see Jason. Is Jason going to tell him to leave?

Anna finds Valentin at a table and says, he started without her. He says, just a little something to calm his nerves. Good Lord, she’s beautiful. She says she didn’t realize she could still make him nervous, and he holds her chair for her. He says, she can. It’s been a while since they’ve done this. She says, exactly. He should enjoy it. Relax. He doesn’t need to be so serious. He says, with her, it’s always been serious.

Valentin asks how things are at the PCPD at the moment, and Anna says, complicated at the moment. There are rumblings that he Heather Webber case is going to be reopened. Then of course (🍷) there’s the ongoing business with Sonny. He says, ongoing is a good way to put it. He’s been a thorn in the PCPD’s side for decades. She says, it got a bit more complicated recently, because a former employee of his – a young man, Dex Heller – got accepted into the police academy. He says, from mob foot soldier to police cadet. That’s a helluva career change. She says, yeah. The other officers have been very quick to judge because of his former occupation, but she’s more worried Sonny will retaliate because he switched sides. He says, Sonny’s not really forgive and forget, is he? Why would Dex risk his wrath by becoming a cop? She says, it was her doing. She originally suggested he should apply to the police academy because she thought it would be a way to back Sonny off and protect the young man. But now she thinks the drive behind it is Dex and his need to redeem himself. Valentin can understand how powerful that is. Valentin says, Dex could hardly find a better mentor if he’s looking for redemption. Hasn’t she spent her entire career chasing that?

Alexis asks why Gregory doesn’t think an apology is enough for Finn, and he says he honestly doesn’t know. Like her reaction to Kristina’s coming out, he shocked himself with what he said to Finn. He thought he was long over the hurt and anger about what happened with him and Jackie. He was just grateful to have Finn back in his life and to be able to spend time with him and Violet. He was blindsided to realize that he’s holding on to that resentment. She says, explain it to Finn the way he explained it to her. He’ll understand because she knows he still feels guilt about this too. He says he thought they were long past that, and she says, what happened in the past happened. Pretending it didn’t happen is just giving it power. Just acknowledge it and get over it and beyond it. Move on. He says he sees her point, and she says, the fact that the two of them love each other is literally all that matters right now. He says, she makes a very compelling case. Anyone ever tell her that she’d make a great lawyer? That’s her cue to hit him with her opening statement again. She asks if he’s in a headspace for that, and he says, absolutely. Give it a go, counselor. Convince him that she should be reinstated. She says, may it please the court.

Ava says she guesses they’re done here, and Nina says she guesses so. John walks in and asks if he’s interrupting something. Ava says, not at all. Nina was just leaving. Nina tells John, Miss Reeves, and shakes his hand. She doesn’t think they’ve officially met. She did see him at the MetroCourt with Carly. If she recalls, he was wearing a lot less at the time. He says, she seems to have gotten the wrong idea, but she says she doesn’t think she cares enough to remedy that. Enjoy the art. Beware the gallery owner. She’ll take him for all he’s worth if he’s not careful. She leaves, and John says, the two of them seem close. Ava says, it’s been a very long day. So whatever he came here for, can it please wait until tomorrow? He says, no, it can’t. He’s here about Sonny.

Jason says, of course (🍷) he likes seeing Danny, but there are good reasons he didn’t want Danny coming to the warehouse. This part of the neighborhood is very dangerous, especially at night. Danny says, Jason doesn’t have to worry. Yuri is outside waiting, and nobody is going to mess with him. He walks around and says, this place is pretty cool, and Jason asks if Danny’s mom knows he’s here. Danny says, it’s fine. Brook has her running some last-minute errands for the wedding tomorrow, so she dropped him, Rocco, and Scout off at the Quartermaines. Jason says, that’s right. It’s Brook and Chase’s wedding tomorrow. Danny says, that’s why he’s here. Grandma Monica has a message for him.

McConkey says, when he ran a search on Drew, what does Drew think was the first thing that popped up? and Drew says, his conviction for SEC violations. McConkey asks if Drew thought he wouldn’t find out. Popular assumptions aside, politicians do their own research. Drew says he wasn’t trying to hide it from McConkey, and McConkey says, because Drew wouldn’t want to open with that when he’s trying to sell him on the esplanade. Drew says, it wasn’t relevant to the deal, and yes, had he brought that up, it would have been the only thing McConkey was thinking about, and he would have gotten an immediate no on the esplanade. He had to make McConkey fall in love with the project first. McConkey asks, what makes Drew think he won’t pull out now? and Drew says, because it’s a great idea for Port Charles, and if his name is an obstacle, they’ll just leave it out. He’ll delegate everything to his nephew Michael, so there isn’t even a hint of scandal. McConkey says, really? He’d do that even though it’s his idea? Drew says, of course (🍷) he would. It’s not about him. This is about doing something great for Port Charles. McConkey says, sounds like a campaign slogan, and Drew says, this is his home. It’s where his daughter is growing up. And if he has the chance to make it an even better place, why would he sacrifice that to stroke his own ego? McConkey says he’s glad to hear Drew say that. Fun fact. You can still be convicted and serve in the US House of Representatives.

Jason asks, how is Monica? and Danny says, she’s pretty good. She still has pneumonia, but she says she’ll be back to normal by the summer. She has to stay in bed and rest up until then though. Jason says he’s glad she has Danny as her messenger, and Danny says, that’s why he’s here. She needs Jason to represent her at Brook’s wedding.

Anna says, if her career has been all about redemption, what’s at the heart of Valentin’s? and he says, crippling self-doubt. She says, that’s funny. No. She thinks it’s the opposite. She thinks he’s always believed her was smarter than everyone else. (Isn’t he?) He says he doesn’t feel the need to analyze what motivates him. He doesn’t think he’d like what he finds. She says, that’s disappointing, to be honest. She thinks self-reflection is very good for the soul. Others have always found plenty about him to like, love even, herself included. He says, she knows the whole story, doesn’t she? and she asks what he means. He says, the chip on his shoulder. How badly he wanted to fit in at the WSB, and when that didn’t happen, he went his own way and hurt a lot of people, did a lot of bad things for a long time. She says, which she knows he regretted, and he says, Charlotte came along. She made him want to be a better man. But he doesn’t think you can ever close the door on your past, not entirely. So he compartmentalizes to ensure that whatever he does, or feels compelled to do, doesn’t affect the things and the people he loves the most.

Ava asks, what is it that John wants to know? and John asks if Sonny has received any overtures from the other crime families. Does he have any theories on why he’s being targeted? She says she doesn’t speak for him. John is going to have to ask Sonny these questions. He says, Sonny won’t talk to him, and she says, Sonny doesn’t talk to her either, not about that kind of stuff anyway. He says he finds that hard to believe. She was glued to Sonny’s side the night of the warehouse shooting and barely left it since. And she’s a member of the Jerome crime family. She had mob ambitions of her own a few years ago. She says she doesn’t know what he’s getting at, but her business here is totally legitimate, and he says, that’s good to know, but he’s more interested in her relationship with Sonny. Is she in love with him, or is she setting him up for a takeover? She says, how dare he? and he asks, what’s her endgame? Is she planning to walk away with control of Sonny’s organization? She says, her endgame is co-parenting a child she and Sonny both adore, and he says, she needs to live with Sonny to do that? She says, not that it’s any of his business, but she’s between residences. Sonny offered his place, and she took him up on it, because she wants to keep her daughter safe since somebody keeps shooting at her father. Crimes he hasn’t been able to solve, by the way. He says, she can try to turn this around on him, but it’s obvious she knows more than she’s saying. So consider herself on notice. Sonny’s a person of interest for the FBI, and now, so is she. So if she gets the feeling she’s being watched, it’s because she is.

McConkey tells Drew that he has Stage IV lung cancer. Hearing those words, getting his ticket punched, makes him wonder just what he wants to leave as a legacy. He got into politics to help people and he wants his seat to go to someone who desires to serve their country. But the people in his party want him to endorse somebody who is either a crook or a moron or sometimes both. (Well, that fits right in with mostly what we have now.) Drew says, that’s a tough position to be in, and McConkey says he liked what he saw when they were talking before. Drew has convictions (no, just one – ha-ha) and he’s not afraid to stand up for them. He believes Drew would use the office to do good things. Drew says, that’s very kind of him, but he doesn’t think he has the pedigree for politics, and McConkey says, clearly he can handle tough situations, which is good, because politics is not for the faint of heart. Not to mention, Drew is rich, which means of course (🍷), that he won’t have to bow down to the lobbyists to get something done. Drew says, it may be technically legal for an ex-convict to run for Congress, but who’s going to vote for him? and McConkey says, the world loves a comeback, and Drew is kind of a cowboy hero. He thinks Drew is a good fit for it. Drew says, even so, you need more than just a good story to win an election, and McConkey says, that’s true. Drew needs him.

Alexis reads, and so, after presenting all the evidence, I’m asking you to render the only verdict that respects the law and precedent and overturn my disbarment. Thank you. What does Gregory think? He says, with the caveat that he’s obviously not a lawyer… and she says she’s asking for a rhetorical review, not a legal analysis. He says he thinks she’s off to a really good start, but it could definitely use some streamlining. His guess is, because it’s so personal to her, she’s gotten caught in the trap of restating her argument too many times in the hopes of winning them over. She says, that’s a good note. She’ll take a look at it. What about the logic? Did she make her case? He says, she has a really strong argument to overturn her disbarment. She’s clear and articulate. She has a great command of her subject matter. As far as he’s concerned, she has all the elements necessary to triumph. All except one.

Alexis asks, what element of her summation was missing? and he says, luck. She says she wasn’t expecting him to say that, and he hands her a medal, saying, he got this medal in 7th grade. She reads, debate, first place, and he says, winning this changed the course of his life. It gave him the confidence to pursue the things he wanted in life. He’s had it with him ever since, every debate, every big lecture, every public engagement. Even when he was defending his dissertation. It will fit right in her pocket, and it’s guaranteed to bestow good luck on whoever holds it, which is why he’s giving it to her. Because no one deserves a win more than her. She kisses his cheek, and they hug. She looks at the medal behind his back.

McConkey tells Drew, no one wants to say no to a dying man. How would that look? If he endorses Drew, the rest of his party will fall in line. Then he’ll put his considerable resources to work, making sure Drew gets elected. Drew tells him that he can’t say how flattered he is at McConkey’s belief in him, but he’s never even considered a career in politics. McConkey says, get considering and fast. It’s already May. They’ve only got a few months before the election. If Drew’s not interested, he understands and he’ll move on, but he thinks Drew’s making a huge mistake. He could do some great things and has a real chance at winning. He might also want to change his name to Quartermaine. He gets up and they shake hands. He says, they’ll talk, and he leaves.

Valentin asks if Anna would care for a nightcap, but she says, not tonight. Maybe next time? He says he’s happy to hear there will be a next time. His place? He’ll cook for her. She says, really? What? He says, if she wants to find out, she has to show up, and she says she looks forward to it.

John says, Ava dropped her daughter off at school, she went to the hospital where she spoke to the chief pharmacist, then she went back home, and then she finally came here to work. It’s a wonder the gallery is so successful, given the odd hours she keeps. She says, bastard. You stay the hell away from me. He says he’s been tasked with uncovering why Sonny’s being targeted. So he’ll be using the full weight of the FBI to investigate whomever he wants until this case is resolved.

Danny tells Jason, Monica said she’s not well enough to attend Brook’s wedding, so she needs Jason to go in place of her. She knows he doesn’t like wearing a suit and tie, but she said he can handle anything for a few hours. Jason says, all right, he’ll go. He can’t argue with Monica, and now Danny. It’s late. He’ll give Danny a ride home. Danny says, what about Yuri? and Jason says he’ll explain to Yuri that he can give his son a ride home. They leave together.

Tomorrow, Ned asks Tracy if he’s in trouble; Spinelli tells Jason, welcome home; Olivia tells Sonny, everything’s got to go off without a hitch; and Chase says he’s never been more ready for anything.

Vanderpump Rules –Reunion Part 1

We see Sandoval whining about wanting Ariana to talk to him, and Ariana says she just wants Sandoval away from her and gone.

Then, 7 hours earlier…

Everyone gets ready to go out on stage. Andy says, this group is in desperate need of a mediator, but Ann wasn’t available tonight, so he’s going to try. We flash back to various points in the season and last year’s Reunion. We see a clip where Katie says, by the time this Reunion airs, the sandwich shop will be open, and I wonder if it’s even opened by now. Andy says, Ariana is breaking box office records in Chicago, and having the time of her life. I want to know how she’s breaking those records since there has been a rotation of actual stars for years. We find out Lala bought a new house just in time for her new arrival due September 1st. Scheana also bought a house near Lala in… the valley. Brock gets kudos for being Brock, and James says his fashion (a pink suit) is bringing the Kennedy Kennedy. Andy says, most fans were floored that Ariana and Sandoval were still living under the same roof, and we flash back to that. He asks, what’s happening with Ariana’s petition to force the sale? but she can’t talk about it since it’s ongoing. She says she’s been living in an Airbnb in NYC, but didn’t even spend last night at the house in LA. Andy asks about the LEGO art, and Scheana says, they never saw what she did. We see clip of her covering it with a blanket, and Andy asks, what happened with Schwartz’s proposal to be Sandoval’s roommate? I notice Sandoval just keeps looking down for most the part. Schwartz says he goes back and forth, which is no surprise, since he can never pick a lane about anything. He says he also has reservations given the house’s history. Lisa wonders why they want to be roommates when they’re grown-ups, and Sandoval says, his dad is in his 60s and has roommates. I guess I could understand not wanting to live alone, but that still sounds weird. Schwartz says, they’re thinking of an investment property, and Lisa asks if they want to buy something together. Scwartz says, maybe. Again, no surprise.

Andy says, Rachel opted out of the show, and Lisa says she can understand that, but the podcast where she’s denigrating everyone is ridiculous. Andy asks Sandoval if he thought she was coming back, and Sandoval says he encouraged her to take time with any decisions, which I guess is Sandoval speak for, she’s not talking to me anymore. Lala thinks if she had come back, there could have been a productive conversation, but she stands by what she said at the Reunion. Ariana says she does too. She had the courage to stand up to her perpetrators. Lala says she gives Raquel and Sandoval credit for showing up, since Ariana had a support system. She considers herself a tough bitch, doesn’t think she could have done it. Sandoval busts out with, he thinks Raquel is a f***ing coward. She says she’s moving on, but she’s still talking about everyone. Schwartz says, she calls herself the victim, and Sandoval says, they were both responsible. Lala and Sandoval argue over the word groom. Sandoval says it refers to pedophilia, but Lala explains that it’s exerting power over an impressionable person. She says, only Sandoval and Raquel know what was going on, and they both have different versions. She tends to lean toward the chick’s version, but she doesn’t like that Raquel is targeting the women who helped her. Sandoval says, they both pursued it, and I’m bored with him at this point. Andy mentions that Raquel is suing Ariana and Sandoval for revenge porn, and asks the status of that. Again, it’s a verboten topic, but Scheana says, it’s ridiculous. Ariana wasn’t distributing anything, and didn’t Raquel put her through enough? Ariana says she’s constantly brought back into it, and Sandoval says he’s questioning if Raquel has a soul. My how things have changed since the last Reunion. Andy asks for James’s take on it, and James says he’s exhausted just talking about it. Andy says, he brought Raquel into the group, and James says, sorry. Like it’s his fault and he should have kept her on a leash.

Andy says, Sandoval told Lisa that, in the aftermath, he was having suicidal thoughts, and we flash back to that. Andy asks how he’s doing now, and Sandoval says he has his ups downs. Anything he says or does is scrutinized. He’s not perfect and not the smartest guy – truth! – and it can be difficult. Andy says, Scheana and Lala seemed to change their thoughts about Sandoval, and Lala says, if she claims what Sandoval is saying isn’t true, then something happens, she didn’t want it on her. Scheana talks about a friend who committed suicide, and how at the end of their last conversation, she’d said they brought on their own problems. She feels guilty and it’s tough for her not to be affected by that. Ariana says she chose not to be part of the conversation to crucify Sandoval (she probably didn’t have time), and Sandoval wants to know how he weaponized her thoughts about suicide. Scheana says, they talked about this, and we flash back to Sandoval telling her that Ariana threatened to kill herself if he ended the relationship. Sandoval says, he thought it was a textbook manipulation tactic, but Scheana says, if he wanted to call bullsh*t, he should have walked out, and he didn’t. Ariana smiles. Andy says, Sandoval compared the affair to George Floyd and OJ Simpson. Why should they believe he’s grown and changed? He’s obviously made inroads with some of the cast and faced an incredible amount of backlash. Sandoval says he was talking about the absurdity between the affair and the big things in the news. Lala says, those things were newsworthy, where his story wasn’t, and he says he was sandwiched between the Ukrainian war and something else. Why was CNN talking about it? Lala says, everyone was talking about it, but it was a joke compared to real world problems. Katie says, what he meant doesn’t matter. What matters is the impact it made.

Andy congratulates Lala on expecting a baby girl, and we find out the father is the donor selected at the party. We flash back to that, and Lala says, Ocean is excited. Andy asks about her custody agreement, and she says she doesn’t see an end to it any time soon. She tears up and says she’s giving Ocean consistency and a sibling. Randall’s other kids are older and can understand why they’re going back and forth. Andy asks if she talks to Randall’s ex-wife, and she says she and Amber are very close and get the kids together when they can. Andy asks if she dates, and she says, the men are a-knockin’ now that I’m knocked up. She overshares about being horny while pregnant and says, no man or woman is safe. Andy asks, how old is Summer Moon now? and Scheana says, she’ll be three next month. Gaby and her mom are still doing the babysitting duties. Andy says he never heard of post-partum OCD, and she says she hadn’t either, but sometimes it’s mistaken for post-partum depression. The joy she feels makes her sad. We see a clip of her fretting about either her or Brock dying one day. Andy asks if Scheana’s concerns about Brock and Lala were from the OCD or what happened with Scandoval, and she says she thinks Scandoval  was what triggered it. At times, she also lives in the comments section, and gets distressed by what people are suggesting. Lala says she makes Scheana a promise, that will never happen. She feels a certain way about Brock because Brock stepped up to the plate when there were no men around to help her navigate, but that would never happen. We find out Brock and Scheana took a trip to Australia, but Brock didn’t see his other kids. He’s been up to date with his child support since just before the pandemic, and says, his ex isn’t keeping him from the kids, but the kids didn’t say they wanted to see him. Evidently, she’s not encouraging it either. Shame on her. Lala says he’s showing respect and being a great dad to Summer Moon, and Brock tears up about having a second chance at being a dad. Scheana says, there’s some guilt, but he’s an incredible dad. Katie says, he makes her eat her own words, and we flash back to Katie questioning why he couldn’t see kids and why he’s not sending support. She says, he’s an amazing father, and I check outside to see if pigs are flying, since Katie admitted being wrong. Everyone is so emotional over this, Andy breaks the mood by saying he appreciates how committed Brock is to his Speedos.

Andy says, Ariana bounced back from an earthshattering break-up to land on top of the world. He lists the many things she’s been offered and did or is doing (she finished third on Dancing with the Stars) and says, there’s also a new leading man in her life. He asks, how’s the relationship? and Ariana says, being across the country is difficult, but now that she’s in NYC, it’s been fun. Andy asks if she’s living with Dan, but that’s a no, and he asks if either of them have considered moving. Ariana says, Dan’s family is in New York, and her life is here, but it would be nice to be bicoastal. Andy asks if it helped or hindered Ariana’s mourning of her loss, and Ariana says she thinks it’s going to be a long time before she’s fully processed it, but she’s not putting her life on hold until she’s fully healed. Who knows when that will be? Andy asks James why he thinks he and Ally were more scrutinized for getting into their relationship so soon after his break-up with Raquel, than Ariana and Dan after Scandoval. James says, Ariana is the It Girl. He and Ally are just people who are still around. But he knew with time they would love Ally. Andy says, Sandoval has a new girlfriend, and Sandoval says, it’s going great. She doesn’t watch the show and has successful modeling career of her own and a house. We find out she dated Leonardo DiCaprio, and James gets very animated talking about the wallpaper in Sandoval’s washroom being a mural including DiCaprio. Ariana says, it’s her house and she picked it. Alrighty then. Andy asks if Lala and Schwartz were flirty this season, and we flash back to some scenes where that seems like a stretch. Lala says, that’s why she’s mean to people. If she’s kind, it comes across as flirting. She’s just not ripping him a new one. Katie says, it was mostly on Schwartz’s end, and Lala says she would never do that because of Katie, and if she did, she’d eat him alive. Schwarz says, she would devour him.

Someone has to pee, causing a ripple effect of most of the cast either going to the bathroom or to get coffee. Andy weakly says, but they’re not taking a break, reminding me of Donald Sutherland in Animal House, trying to get the attention of his students. No one cares, and Lala tells James that she has pregnancy brain. She doesn’t even know what anyone is saying.

Andy says, after a decade of parties, Pumptinis, and panic attacks from Schwartz, Lisa closed PUMP for good. He asks if she thinks it was the right decision in retrospect, and Lisa says, being open 10 years means it was successful, but they couldn’t turn a profit after the rent increase. Andy says, she moved some of the operations to TomTom, and wonders why she didn’t consult with the Toms first. She says, it was in mid backlash, and they were even talking about changing the name. Andy asks if the Toms felt Lisa imposed on them, and Schwartz asks if he means diluting the brand. That’s a no. Andy asks what the brand even is, and Schwartz says, it’s ever evolving. So, in other words, it’s no brand. Andy asks, why the delays with the sandwich shop? and we flash back to Katie saying it would be open by the end of May. Katie says, they didn’t know how much red tape there would be, but Lisa says, it’s a multitude of things. Andy says, Schwartz & Sandy’s took a lot of grief for it’s slow opening, and asks if Schwartz is mocking them. Schwartz says he feels their pain, but James says he noticed a smile. We flash back and yep, Schwartz smiled. Sandoval says, it’s more like, now they get it. Andy asks how Ariana felt about Lala interacting with Sandoval. Did she want to take a step back from Lala? Arian says she hasn’t watched the show this season like she did with previous seasons. She didn’t want to get dragged back when she’s trying to live in the present. Lala says she’s been transparent, and Ariana says she appreciates that about Lala. She was aware Lala was working through stuff. Andy says, there was something between Lala and Katie, and we flash back to them butting heads. He asks what they think is at the root of why they’re not connecting, and Katie says, it started with her and Scheana getting close. Lala says she treats her enemies like enemies, and wants to choose her words wisely when she talks to Katie. It’s what Katie put in the DMs, talking about her custody battle. Katie said she should get rid of her lawyer and that she needs a f***ing therapist. She’s a f***ing clown.

Katie becomes a total idiot and says she doesn’t think she said anything about Lala’s custody battle, like Lala doesn’t remember every detail when it comes to her child. Lala says, that’s why they were on rocky ground. Then on girls’ night, Katie jumped down her throat. We flash back to Katie accusing Lala of making Ariana’s situation about her. Lala says, she was giving Ariana a heads up. She would have paid money for someone to say they’ve been where she is and this is what they did. She doesn’t like what Katie is doing. Behind the scenes, Katie complained about Ariana and said, basically Ariana abandoned her and the sandwich shop. Katie denies, denies, denies, and Scheana asks if she didn’t complain when Ariana left for NYC with no heads up. Katie says, that’s the one time. She didn’t find out until after it was happening, but her issues have to do with her own insecurities. Lala says, they’re both truth tellers and wants to know why she’s the enemy in front of the camera. Andy asks if she’s saying Katie is different on and off camera, and Lala says, a few people are living in the comments section. Katie is one, and Scheana. James maybe. James says, don’t throw him in there, and Lala says, it’s no secret that Ariana is a fan favorite, and you don’t f*** around with that. Katies says she didn’t want to guilt Ariana, and Lala says, Katie lost her mind on her. Katie says, Lala wanted her to throw Ariana under the bus, but Lala says she wants to film the show honestly. Katie insists she’s been the same person the whole time, and Lala says, Katie told her that she wasn’t saying anything because she’d put money into the shop. Katie told her that if Lala f***ed with her business, she would f*** with Lala’s business. The difference is, Katie has no business – it’s Nothing About Her – but Lala’s business is her livelihood.

Next time, Ally and Jo join the group; Sandoval says he’s keeping his mouth shut about things he’s heard; Katie says she was dealing with a lot of sh*t and the last thing she needed was Jo; and Ariana says, Lala talks louder so she must be right.

📺 This Is What Happened Live…

One of the best episodes of Watch What Happens Live ever. Lisa, along with Puffy (!) and Gordon Ramsay. Lisa was immediately on the funniest roll ever, and while he was a man of fewer words, Gordon was no slouch either. I couldn’t possibly explain it, so just watch.

🔥 Putting Out the Proud Mary Fire…

Join me tomorrow for soap and finding out what Chef is on Top. Until then, stay safe, stay making introductions sooner than later (the later it gets, the more awkward it is), and stay not pretending what happened in the past didn’t happen. Acknowledge it and get over it and beyond it. Move on.

May 8, 2024 – Carly Visits Jack In Pentenville, Lotsa Suds, VanderThoughts, What’s Cooking, Post Met Looks, Together At Last, Motel Drag, Pet (!) Gala Fashion & Maggie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna answers the door to Jason, who says, Agent Cates came to see him about Pikeman. She says, he’d better come in.

Sam sits on the bed, waking up Dante, and says she wanted to be here when he got home from work, but don’t leave her in suspense. How did Anna take it when he told her that he was quitting the force? Did she want him to give a notice or something?  Like a month? That seems kind of fair. He says he didn’t resign.

At the MetroCourt, Doc says, they should do this more often, and Laura says she agrees. He says, barely eating and barely talking. What’s up? She says she’s sorry. She knows they’re supposed to be out for a nice meal, but she’s a million miles away. He says, this has to do with her visit with Heather. He takes it that it didn’t go well. She says, just the opposite. It went really well, and that’s why she’s troubled.

Chase goes to Finn’s office, and Finn asks what brings him by. Chase says he just wanted to say hi, unless this is a bad time, but Finn says, it’s actually a perfect time. He’s in between patients right now. He’s surprised Chase has any free time at all, considering it’s almost his wedding day. Chase says, they’re really in the homestretch, and Finn asks how he’s feeling. Chase says he’s excited. He can’t wait for Brook to walk down the aisle. There’s just one big problem. Finn says, only one? and Chase says he really doesn’t want their dad flying to Coney Island for the rehearsal dinner. The last thing he wants is for Gregory to be tired and wear himself out before the wedding. But how does he tell that to Gregory when he knows how much their dad is looking forward to it? Finn says, he doesn’t.

Walking into Bobbie’s, Brook thanks Lois for helping her pick out the gifts for the rehearsal dinner. She hopes everyone likes them. Lois says, Chase’s family is so gracious, they’re going to love what they bought them. And even if they don’t like it, they’re never going to say anything. Now Tracy on the other hand… Brook says, oh please. She thinks Tracy is secretly looking forward to going to Coney Island. She just won’t admit it to herself. They sit down, and Brook looks at a table near the window and says, no way. Lois says, what way? and Brook tells her not to be obvious, but that guy over there is that dirtbag FBI agent who tried to question Danny without Sam present. Lois looks over to see John and says, oh my God. That’s Jagger Cates.

Jack walks into the Pentenville visiting room and sees Carly. He says, well, well, well. This day just got 100% better.

Lois says she hasn’t seen Jagger in years. Brook said he’s with the FBI? Brook says she can’t believe Lois knows that jerk, and Lois says, that jerk happens to be a very nice man. Come on. Let’s go say hi. She grabs Brook’s hand, and Brook says, ma, no, but has no choice but to follow. Lois says, Jagger, hi, and John gets up and hugs her. He says, Lois Cerullo. He can’t believe how long it’s been. It’s so good to see her. She hasn’t changed. (Truth!) She says she doesn’t even care if he’s being nice. She’s going to take that compliment. Brook asks if she doesn’t care about what this guy did to Danny, and Lois says, she knows John knows her daughter, Brook Lynn. He says, they’ve met. Unfortunately, not under the best of circumstances. Brook says, that’s putting it mildly, and he says, actually, he’s been meaning to find her. She asks why he’d want to see her again. Does he want to interrogate her too? John says, not at all. He owes her an apology, and his thanks.

Laura tells Doc, Heather was so much more rational this time. She was more clear-headed than Laura’s seen her in years. It’s like she had a glimpse of the old Heather from way back when. He says, that makes sense now that she’s getting the medical attention she needs, and Laura says she gave Heather a picture of Ace. She was so grateful. It clearly meant so much to her. She loves that little boy. He says, of course (🍷) she does, but honestly, who wouldn’t? and she says, then they talked about Esme. He asks if Heather happened to say anything upsetting, maybe about Spencer? and she says, she did mention Spencer, but it was actually in the context of her regrets. She just realized in talking to Heather, that despite all the crimes she’s committed and her crazy outlook on life, she’s really just another grieving mother who’s missing her child. He says, of course (🍷) she can empathize with that, and she says she does. Can he see why she’s distracted? She’s empathizing with a serial killer.

Dante tells Sam that he went to Anna’s office to talk to her and put his resignation letter on her desk, and she refused to accept it. Sam asks, what exactly did Anna say? and he tells her, Anna said resigning from the force is not going to solve this conflict he’s having, that it was going to open the door to further overtures from Sonny, but the boundaries would be gone. Without his badge, Sonny would see no reason to have distance between Dante and his business. She basically said, to get out of Sonny’s orbit, he’d have to leave Port Charles. He’s not going to do that. He got to thinking, and realized he was running away from his duty. He’s a cop. It’s what he loves to do and kind of what he’s good at. It just means he can’t be on a case that Sonny’s a part of. Like right now, he’s involved in a criminal investigation… Can she say something? She’s quiet. She gets up and says she just doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, but he says, she can’t say the wrong thing. He wants to work through this with her, so just say whatever she wants to say. She says she should have known better than to get her hopes up.

Anna asks what Cates said about Pikeman, and Jason says, he asked a lot of questions about the ties between Pikeman and Sonny, and they talked about that guy up in Pentenville. Anna says, Jack Brennan, and shows him a file box labeled J. Brennan. He says, John talked about how Brennan was director of the WSB, and the alleged head of Pikeman. The funny thing is, he didn’t even mention Valentin. He doesn’t think Cates or the FBI are aware Valentin’s involved. She says, that’s interesting. Did he mention Valentin to Cates? He says, no. His deal with the FBI is to take Pikeman down. He doesn’t trust Cates. He’s not going to give him any more information than he has to. She says she can’t fault him there. If they’re going to do this, she feels that they should have full transparency. She needs to know what it is the FBI is holding over him and what evidence they have against Carly.

Jack says he certainly never expected Carly to show up, and she says she’s been thinking about him. (She’s wearing an orange top and I wonder she’s being ironic.) He says, that’s encouraging, and she says she’s been thinking he lied to her about who he is and he tried to abduct her from her own restaurant. He says he never had any intention of abducting her, and she says, he had zip ties. He says, yes, he did. He apologizes if she got the wrong impression, but the zip ties are… were standard in his profession, so he always carries them. He never had any intention of harming her in any way with zip ties. She says, they just happened to be in his pocket, and he says, and sadly she jumped to the wrong conclusion and nearly took off his head with that tray – she laughs – but no hard feelings over here. She says, just chalk it up to miscommunication, and he says, that works. She says she also remembers the night that Anna and Dante came in with their guns drawn and they arrested him. It’s still a little blurry, but she thinks Anna said something about him being involved with a company or organization named Pikeman. He says, Anna’s said a lot of things about him, but not all of them are true.

Sam says, while Dante was talking, she was running through all of these options in her head, and she has to tell him, there are no easy answers. He’s right. They can’t leave Port Charles because it’s their home. Their families are here. They’re happy here. He says, they are, and she says, and that thing about him being a cop, yes, if he gave up his badge, he’d probably get dragged in deeper into Sonny’s business. He says, they don’t know that, but they don’t really want that, and she says, when he told her that he wanted to give up his badge, she had this huge wave of relief come over her. It was like she could finally breathe for a second, because there was this tiny little glimpse into what their future could look like if she didn’t have to worry every time he went to work and walked out that door.

Finn tells Chase that he doesn’t think it’s safe for their dad to be flying right now either (what is it? a half hour flight?). He’ll go to him, and from a medical standpoint, he’ll break the news to him. Chase says he can’t let Finn do that. It’s going to be hard, but he owes it to their dad to have this conversation with him, especially after the huge effort he made to be a part of the wedding. Although telling him that he can’t be part of the fun the night before is a hell of a way of saying thank you. Finn says, just be honest with him. Just remind him that by staying home from the rehearsal dinner and resting, it ensures that he’ll be well enough to be there and enjoy Chase’s actual wedding day. Chase says, that’s true, but he doesn’t know if their dad is going to see it that way. Finn says, their dad wouldn’t want Chase to spend the most important day of his life worrying about him. And he’ll know it will put Chase’s mind at ease. He’ll understand because Chase has always been the devoted son. Chase says, Finn is a good son too, but Finn says, they both know that’s not true.

Brennan tells Carly that his arrest was purely political. He made a lot of enemies on his rise to director of the WSB. His rivals framed him just to get him out of the way. She says, he was locked up because people were jealous of him? and he says, mm-hmm. And there were also allegations – completely untrue, by the way – that he was secretly head of Pikeman. As if one could secretly head up a major arms manufacturer. So here he sits, a prisoner of his own ambition, one might say, framed for crimes he didn’t commit, so someone else can run the WSB. She says, that’s a sad story, and he says, it is sad. That’s why he tries not to dwell on it, so he suggests they talk about something else. Distract him from his misery. Tell him all about her.

Brook says, John wants to thank her? and he says he was wrong to question Danny without a parent present. It may have been technically legal, but he shouldn’t have done it. And she had every right to call him out, and he’s grateful she stopped him from doing something he would have regretted. Brook tells him, that’s very nice of him to say, if he really means it, and he says, once he walked away, he realized how furious he would have been if somebody had questioned his son when he was Danny’s age. She made him see that. Lois says, he has a son? and he says he does. His son is the best thing that ever happened to him. His name is Stone. Lois says, he named his son after his brother? What a beautiful way to honor his memory. John thanks her. He just wishes they could have met. Brook says, this is the perfect timing. She has to go meet Chase down at the station, so they can catch up. Lois says, whoa, whoa, whoa. She thought they were having coffee. Brook never said anything about meeting Chase earlier. Brook says she’s so sorry. She completely forgot. John says, if her daughter has to leave, please join him. Coffee’s on him. Lois says she would love that, and Brook thanks Lois for helping her shop. Lois says, she’s welcome, and they hug. Brook says goodbye to John and leaves. Lois says, they have so much to catch up on. (Yes. Lois and John. Let’s do this.)

Jason says he needs Anna’s word that she won’t use anything. That whatever he says stays between them. She says, of course (🍷). This is the FBI’s case; it’s not hers. She’s under no obligation to act on any information he might give her. Not that she would anyway. Whatever he tells her is between them. He has her word. He says, okay, and sighs. The FBI has a recording of Carly at a meeting with other heads of organized crime families, saying that she’s in charge of the Corinthos organization, and saying she controls all the business that goes through the Corinthos territory. Anna says she had no idea Carly was involved with the mob so deeply, but Jason says, she wasn’t. It’s when they thought Sonny was dead. His business was completely under siege. They were doing everything they could to hold it together and make it look as strong as possible. He was supposed to be at that meeting, but he’d been shot, so Carly went instead. She says, against his wishes she’s sure, and he says, yeah. He didn’t want her to go, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to protect herself; she had to protect her kids. She knew that any sign of weakness, somebody would try to eliminate her and target her kids. Anna says, so Carly’s best defense was to present herself as part of the mob, and he says, and the FBI has it all on tape.

Sam tells Dante that she can’t deny a part of her will always want that, but a cop is who he is. It’s who he was when she fell in love with him. She knew what she was getting herself into and she can’t try to ask him to change or be something he’s not. She can’t ask him to be another man. The only thing she can control is her response to his choices. He says, so will she stay with him if he’s still a cop?

Doc tells Laura, metallosis, cobalt poisoning, manifests differently in different patients. In Heather’s case, it seems to have tipped her from transgressive behaviors to a pathology that led to rampage. Laura says, okay. Then what’s next? Is it right to just leave Heather in prison for the rest of her life to pay for crimes that were actually brought on by the metallosis? On the other hand, what about all the victims and all of their loved ones? Their loss, their pain is still very real. Would it ever be appropriate to show Heather leniency?

Finn says, Chase is the reason he has a relationship with their dad today. Chase was tireless when he was trying to reconcile the two of them. He wanted nothing to do with their dad, and Chase refused to accept that. Chase says he knew Finn would regret it later, and Finn says he does. He hurt Gregory. He was so stubborn and self-righteous at the time. Chase says he knows Finn still feels guilty, but that was a long time ago. He and their dad are good now. Doesn’t he think it’s time to leave it in the past? Finn says he lost so much precious time with him because of his pride and his anger. Time he’ll never get back. Chase says, Finn’s got to stop beating himself up. Their dad has always loved Finn and he always will.

Anna asks why Jason doesn’t call the FBI’s bluff. Let them proceed against Carly. She has an excellent lawyer. She may well beat the charges. He says, but no guarantee. He couldn’t take that risk. At first, he thought it would just be three months, six months, but now he’s three years in. He’s in too deep. He doesn’t want Carly to know all of this was just to protect her. She says, why not? She’s a strong woman. She thinks Carly deserves to know what the FBI has on her. He says, because if she ever finds out, he knows exactly what her reaction is going to be. She’s going to try and save him. She’s going to do something crazy and wind up sending herself to prison.

Jack says, before things went sideways, he really looked forward to talking to Carly. He suggests they pretend he’s in her restaurant. He’s just ordered a coffee and some eggs, sunny side up. How’s the world been treating her? She says her daughter just had her first dance recital, and he says, soccer girl. She says, that’s the one. And she nailed her solo, so she’s a proud mom. He says, that must be a good feeling, and she says, it is. She recently went through a break-up. That’s been tough, but she’s getting through it, mostly because her best friend is back. He was missing for two years and now Jason is back in Port Charles, and all is right in her world. He says, Jason Morgan has gotten a lot of news coverage. At first, he was a fugitive, then he was exonerated, or at least the charges were dropped. She says, you can’t believe everything the news says, right? Jason didn’t do any of the things he was accused of. And enough talk about her. Let’s get back to him. He says, that’s right. She came here because she wanted to know about Pikeman, and she says, right. Is he sure he’s not involved with them? He says, if he was, he’d have their fleet of lawyers to secure his freedom instead of him paying his own little attorney out of his own little pocket. She says, so it would mean nothing to him if the FBI is investigating Pikeman.

Anna says, it was such a hard choice Jason had to make. Carly’s safety versus him having to allow the people he loves think that he was dead. He says he just weighed what he had to lose against what Carly had to lose. It just came down to her kids. He knew Jake and Danny would be okay. They have great moms and stable homes. But Donna is just a kid. She needs her mom. Anna says, that’s very admirable of him, and he says, there’s another reason. He chose to work for Sonny. He chose to come back into this life knowing the potential consequences. Carly never chose that. He and Sonny pulled her in. When Carly went to that meeting, she had no criminal intent. She was just going to try and protect her family. She says, he got Carly into this, and he says, it’s on him to get her out.

Brennan says he just doesn’t see Carly being tight with law enforcement. How would she know who the FBI is investigating? She says, because she’s friends with an agent, John Cates. He comes into Bobbie’s to eat sometimes. He says, and they struck up an acquaintance? and she says, they have people in common. John is originally from Port Charles and recently moved back. He asks, why? To work a case against Pikeman? She says, why the interest? Does he have a problem with John Cates being in town? He says, should he have a problem?

Lois says she’s been talking John’s ear off. Enough about her. Tell her about him. How did he wind up at the FBI? He says, after his first marriage to Karen broke up, he was kind of reeling, and that’s when he joined the Bureau. She puts her hand on his and says she was really sorry to hear about Karen’s death. He thanks her and says, it took him a while to make his peace with losing her. She tells him, they say that the ones we love never really leave us, but enough about that. Let’s talk about something happy. She wants to hear about his son. He says, talk about time flying, he’s 21 now. Stone’s on the spectrum, so he lives in a group home outside of Quantico. It’s the perfect place for him and he’s really happy there. She says, it’s got to be so hard for John though, being so far away, and he says, it is. He wishes he could see Stone more, but this is the way it has to be for now, so there’s a lot of texts and videochats. She says, thank God for cellphones, and he says, what about her? How’s it been coming back to Port Charles? So much has changed. She says she knows. All of their old hangouts are all gone, except for this place, but it used to be Kelly’s. He says, places aren’t the only thing that’s changed. They have too. He guesses he should only speak for himself, but he knows he’s changed. All the dreams he had when he was young turned out to either be wrong for him or slip through his fingers.

Doc says he does believe Heather’s metallosis was a major factor in her crimes, but it’s impossible to say if that was the only cause, and Laura asks if there couldn’t be some middle ground, at least from a legal point of view. He says, philosophically speaking, he believes that Heather should have a shot at building a better life, but not with absolving her of everything she’s done. His phone rings and he says, it’s the hospital. He needs to take this. She tells him, go ahead, and he leaves. Valentin approaches the table and says he hopes she doesn’t mind if he imposes. She says, that depends. What is it about?

Finn tells Chase, it’s settled then, right? He’ll go to dad and talk to him about staying home and resting during the rehearsal dinner, and Chase can just focus on getting married and having the best day of his life. Chase thanks Finn and hugs him, saying, he doesn’t know what he’d do without him. Finn tells him to remember that and be forgiving when he stumbles through his best man speech. Chase says, okay, and leaves.

Sam says, the only thing she knows for sure is that she loves Dante, and they have a family and a life together. Is something like this worth breaking up for? She’d have to tell him and Rocco to leave. What would be the point? To separate their children when they would be miserable apart while they’re still missing each other? He says, so she doesn’t want him to leave? and she says, it’s not like she would love him any less or be any less afraid for his safety if they weren’t together. All she would lose is him. So she’ll just have to learn to live with the fear. He says he’s sorry. He’s sorry for making her feel that way. He hates it, and if he could take that fear away from her, he would. She says she knows, and he says he’s really sorry he gave her this false hope that he was going to resign. She says she can’t pretend she’s not disappointed. She’s going to have to feel these emotions and learn to work through it. He says, whatever she needs, however he can help her, and she says, probably just a little time so she can process it all. He says, whatever she needs. He promises he’ll never take her for granted and what she’s sacrificing. He loves her. She says she loves him too, and they kiss.

Brook comes into the squad room, and Chase asks what she’s doing here. He thought she was going to spend the day with her mom. She says, her mom ran into a friend, so she came here to distract him from his very important work. He says he only just got here. He actually went to speak to Finn and he agreed to talk to their dad about not coming to the rehearsal dinner. She says, that was nice of him. She’s really sad that Gregory’s not going to be there, but she really thinks it’s what’s best. And now he’ll be well-rested for the actual wedding day. He says, that’s the idea, and she says she thought her mom was crazy for wanting to have the rehearsal dinner in Coney Island, but now that it’s here, she’s actually really excited. She can’t wait to show him all her favorite places and have cotton candy with him on the boardwalk and to ride all the rides together. He says, they’re going to be so busy, they won’t have time for any pre-wedding jitters, which everyone keeps warning him about. He keeps waiting for them to happen, but so far, nothing. She says, really? Because she’s a total wreck.

Lois says she totally gets what John is going through because she feels it too. Being back in Port Charles is harder than she thought it would be. He asks, what’s that saying? You can never really go home again. She says, ain’t that the truth? But don’t get her wrong. The last few months she’s spent here with her daughter, before she gets married and starts a family and doesn’t have as much time for her ma, has been amazing. It’s a gift she’s always going to treasure. But it’s like he said, being back here is a constant reminder of what her life was, what she thought it would be, and how it actually turned out. But different is not necessarily bad.

Valentin says he thought Laura might like to hear how Charlotte’s doing in Switzerland, and she says, that would be lovely. She always loves to hear about her granddaughter. He sits down and says, she’s busying herself with school, and she’s checking in with him once or twice a week by text or phone. They actually videochatted the other day and he saw her room, so she’s thriving. Laura says she didn’t realize how much she needed to hear that. That’s so great. Charlotte sent her a couple of emails, but not on a regular basis. He says, she’s a teenager. They take what they can get. She says, that’s true. She did talk quite a bit about how much she missed that school of hers, so she’s glad Charlotte is happy to be back there, but does he think now that she’s in Switzerland, she’ll be able to put everything that happened in Port Charles behind her?

Anna tells Jason, say this all goes according to plan, and he’s able to deliver to John whatever the hell it is he wants on Pikeman. Does he think the FBI is going to hold up their side of the deal? With her experience with intelligence agencies, she’d say it’s very hard to believe they would ever destroy that evidence. They might bury it for a time, but they’ll always have it to use against him and Carly. He says he plans to honor his part of the deal and help the FBI take Pikeman down, but after that, that’s it. He’s done. He has no intention of taking orders from John Cates or the FBI for the rest of his life.

Sam says she feels so lucky to have Dante, and he says he doesn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost her. They kiss and I’d bet the farm they’re about to get busy.

Finn pushes whatever is in front of him off his desk. He gets up, picks up his phone, and sits on the floor. He hits AA meeting near me on Spyder-Finder.

Brook says she knows they put so much work into planning this wedding, but there’s still so much that could go wrong. What if the flowers aren’t what they wanted? What if her dress gets ruined? He says, that’s not going to happen, but she says, don’t be so sure. She read this post about this custom designer gown. The bride was about to put it on, and somebody had left a black felt pen open, and there was a big, black blob in the middle of the dress. He says, no. Did they postpone the wedding? She tells him, the girl didn’t say, and he says, if that happens – she says, God forbid – then she can get married in blue jeans. She can get married in a bathrobe. She can wear the dress, ink stains and all. He doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter to him. She tells him, that’s so sweet of him to say. But that’s impossible because their wedding day has to be perfect. But there is one thing she’s not nervous about, and that’s marrying him. She can’t wait to be his wife. He says he can’t wait to be her husband, and she says she shouldn’t kiss him in the squad room. He backs up and says, no, she shouldn’t. It would be a bad idea. He takes her hand, brings her into the interrogation room, and closes the door. Inside, they kiss.

Anna says, the FBI made a deal with Jason, and they need to stick to it. If they don’t and they continue to abuse their power, frankly, in her book, they’re no better than Pikeman. He says, but they have to take Pikeman down first. She looks at the flowers from Valentin, and says, it seems to her that the FBI are not onto Valentin at all, but she still thinks he’s a key player in Pikeman. And luckily, he invited her out to dinner, and she accepted. She thinks it will be an opportunity for her to work him. He asks if she thinks Valentin will give anything up, and she says, the date on the photo Dex gave him proves Valentin was in Port Charles when there was the shooting at the MetroCourt, but he doesn’t know he was caught in the lie, so he has no reason to have his guard up. She thinks if she plays it right, he could lead them to whoever is in charge of Pikeman.

Laura tells Valentin that she’s delighted Charlotte is happy back at school, but she can’t help wondering if it might be too soon for her to be so far from Port Charles and all of her family. He says he was worried about that too, but as it happens, he has a new business venture that will be taking him to Switzerland quite often. He can keep an eye on her. That should ease both of their minds. She says, it does actually. So what’s the new venture? Is it something for ELQ? He says, something for ELQ.

Lois says she thinks John is looking at this all wrong. He’s achieved so much. Becoming an FBI agent, it’s so impressive. Does he like the work? He says, for the most part, yeah, and even when he doesn’t, he can tell himself that he’s accomplishing good things by enforcing the law. (Since when is blackmail enforcing the law?) His phone dings, and he says, speaking of his job, he’s so sorry, but he has to make a phone call. She says, absolutely. You go save the world. She gets up and says, it was so great running into him and catching up. They hug, and she says, don’t be a stranger. He says, her neither, and she leaves. He makes a call and says, Brennan’s got a visitor?… What is Carly Spencer doing there?

Brennan tells Carly that the only problem he has with this Agent Cates is, he still has his badge, his freedom, and most importantly, he gets to enjoy the pleasure of her company. The guard tells Brennan, time’s up, and Carly says, that’s her cue. Brennan says, time flies when a beautiful woman comes to see him, and Carly gets up. She says she’s sure he could have done a lot worse to her that day than some zip ties. For whatever reason, he didn’t. Thank you. He says, her visit really brightened up his day. Maybe she could come back sometime. She says, we’ll see, and he says he’ll live in hope. She leaves, and he says, watch your back, Valentin.

Tomorrow, Blaze thinks it’s going to be her best one yet; Sam asks Jason to promise her someone won’t be walking into something dangerous; Ava asks Sonny, how dare someone throw her daughter’s murder in her face; and Gregory tells Finn, by all means, lecture him on proper wedding etiquette.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

It’s so ridiculous that this poor woman has to worry about how she looks during a tough time. Have they ever seen a British soap? They actually look like real people. As for weight, I met the so-called fat girl from One Life To Live when she was on Broadway. I was at my fighting weight and felt like a giant next to her.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kirsten-storms-opens-up-about-maxies-appearance-on-gh

Yeah. He ditched her too.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/tabyana-ali-addresses-nicholas-chavez-exit-from-gh

Events in soap.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/up-close-and-personal-with-the-ladies-of-general-hospital

I’m not sure how you can have an anniversary of something that was canceled decades ago, but more power to them.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/nbc/inside-the-another-world-60th-anniversary-reunion

You, too, can vote.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/daytime-emmys/daytime-emmys-2024-vote-for-the-winners

🍸 Post Rules Chatter…

There was a lot to unpack from the Vanderpump Rules finale last night, but it was late, and I needed to process. TBH, I’m not so sure this show is going to come back, at least with Ariana. It could just be the continuing recovery from Scandoval, but this finale seemed a little too final. And the Reunion probably isn’t going to help anyone. Reunions might be cathartic, but I wouldn’t call them healing.

For whatever reason, it left me feeling sad. Maybe because Lala was right when she said – and I’m really more rephrasing than paraphrasing – what happened to Ariana was horrible, but now she thinks she’s a demi-god, dictating how everyone must behave. Other than Sandoval himself, I don’t think anyone in the cast would argue that what happened to her was horrible. But I can honestly say, if that happened to me and I was suddenly given the consolation prize of Dancing with the Stars, Chicago, hosting Love Island, and just about every other media possibility, I’d be laughing my ass off at Sandoval who could barely sell a ticket to his concerts. I would never tell someone else how to feel. Only you know what’s best for you. But somehow, I don’t think this anger is helping her. Even when she grey rocks him, the hate is coming off her in waves. Seriously, I would pat him on his stupid head and rub his nose in it every chance I got. They say living well is the best revenge, and she was handed that on a platter. We were all thrilled to see the karma unfold before us. I’m now holding my breath, wondering if it’s going to backfire since she can’t contain her visible anger, even in public, probably feeling that since the world backed her during this tragedy, they’ll back her no matter what. Au contraire. The public is fickle, and this isn’t a good look. As Lala said – again rephrasing – no one died.

Yeah, he probably does just want to apologize for show, and if she doesn’t want to hear it, that’s fine. But, as several of the cast members pointed out, they’re on a reality show, like it or not, he’s in the friend group, and if you can never film with him, that makes it difficult for everyone. No one is saying she has to be friends with him or even forgive him, just reel it in for the group events. And expecting the others not to be friends with him – even when she’s not around – is unreasonable. They’re not five years old and all of the original cast members have a history with him. Katie was always a little free with her sarcasm, but the hate is now slopping onto her and she’s taking it out on people like Jo, whose only sin was to act on her feelings for Schwartz after he and Katie separated. And Katie wanted out. It’s painful to watch. I also think Jo could do better. That guy has always been commitment shy. That’s why he needs Sandoval to tell him things like what socks to wear.

On the plus side, one of the reasons I’ve stuck with this show – besides she who can do no wrong, LVP – is that it’s interesting to see how people grow over the years. That’s why I didn’t think they should have fired Stassi and Kristen. While I think Kristen has less growth potential, I would have liked to see how Stassi matured. In the early years, they were all kids. I read a review where someone said they wanted to cry when they showed the early clips. Same. After all these years, it’s like we know them. Some we might want to hang out with all the time; others are like those cousins you tolerate at family gatherings. (Hint for Ariana if she wants to continue with the show.) Apparently, Brock has been very grounding for Scheana, who had a revolving door of losers she fell in love with. She found her Prince Charming and is nearly living her best life. Kudos. She does still need some help with that anxiety, but I think she’ll get there. Whatever James is doing is working for him, and I hope he gets his dream of a family with Ally. We’ve seen him go from an unreasonable, nasty drunk to a man with a plan. Honors to him for staying California sober. IMO, Lala was the MVP of both last night and the show in general. She went from being a mean girl, calling out people for not working on their summer bodies, to being a wise and maternal woman.  Confetti parade for her. Color me impressed.

Here’s hoping the Reunion isn’t the final nail in the VPR coffin. But if it is and VanderWorld breaks up, I’d love to see Lala and Scheana move to The Valley. God knows that show could use a VanderBoost.

🔪 Tonight In Chefs…

Let Restaurant Wars commence.

Apparently, I haven’t been paying attention, but I saw a commercial for this today. Two of my favorites joining forces, sort of. It begins May 22nd.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1396174/lisa-vanderpump-is-joining-gordon-ramsay-for-season-2-of-food-stars

👘 After the Gala’s Over…

Afterparty fashion.

https://people.com/met-gala-2024-afterparty-photos-8644453

https://www.etonline.com/gallery/2024-met-gala-after-parties-224939

🦸🏻‍♂️ And It Feels So Good…

The trailer is here, and I can’t wait. In theaters July 26th.

https://ew.com/deadpool-and-wolverine-hugh-jackman-involvement-radically-changed-film-8640282

A Meta joke.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-wolverine-new-footage-features-a-meta-paul-rudd-joke-and-tension-between-wade-wilson-and-logan-a210815

🩱 All Pink All the Time…

Is there anything this drag queen doesn’t do?

https://ew.com/trixie-motel-season-2-drag-me-home-first-look-photos-exclusive-8643832

🐾 The Real Gala…

You didn’t think I’d forget the pets, did you?

https://people.com/pet-gala-will-recreate-met-ball-2024-looks-for-dogs-8644929

🎳 Will Bowl For Food…

Join me tomorrow for soap and a jab at those awful Summer people. Until then, stay safe, stay pushing in your chair when you leave the table, and if your life turned out differently than what you thought it would be, stay remembering, different is not necessarily bad.

April 30, 2024 – Nina Follows a Mistake With a Bigger Mistake, Sandoval Couldn’t Apologize If His Life Depended On it, Down in the Valley & End

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Drew and Nina are both on the floor, panting, and Nina says she can’t believe they did this again. What’s wrong with them? He says, she might regret it now, but she was enjoying herself and he’s finding a few less things to hate about her than he was an hour ago. She agrees it was mutually consensual, but she certainly regrets he’s such a horrible, vengeful person. He says, if it helps, think about sending him to prison as foreplay, and she says, hilarious. He says he’s done with work for the day and would really like to get out of here. So can she tell him how long she plans to lecture him on what an awful person he is before she straightens up her clothes and gets out of here? They’re both only half-dressed, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Willow.

Natalia goes to Maxie’s office and says she’s glad to find Maxie here by herself. Maxie asks, why is that? and Natalia says she has some questions about Deception, and Maxie seems like she’s the only person serious about running the company. Maxie says, that’s just not true, but Natalia says, isn’t it though? Miss Coe seems pretty neurotic and there’s that crazy attorney who drafted Ally’s contract… Maxie says, Lucy is Lucy, and where Scott might be excentric, he’s also very competent. Natalia has yet to meet their majority shareholder Tracy Quartermaine, who’s a force of nature. She might call Tracy too serious. Then of course (🍷), there’s Brook Lynn. Natalia says, wow. Another Quartermaine.

In the nook, Sasha sets down a casserole dish and says, the moment of truth. How does it look? Olivia tell Sasha to remember what she said. She’s not going to be a pushover. She’s going to tell Sasha what she really thinks. She could have jazzed up the presentation a little bit, but it smells very good. Leo says, it’s not like anything they’ve ever had before, and Olivia says, maybe Sasha is trying to broaden their horizons. Michael comes in with Wiley and says he just got back from work, and Melanie said she wanted him and Wiley to give their opinion about something. Wiley asks, what’s that? and Sasha says, it’s a tetrazzini. Leo asks if it’s an animal or a vegetable, and Olivia says, it’s another way of cooking chicken, and he likes chicken, right? Leo says, yeah, and Olivia says, then he’s going to love what Sasha made. Sasha says she made two casseroles, so there’s plenty for everyone. Enjoy. She leaves, and everyone eyeballs the dish.

Dex gets a drink at the Brown Dog bar and turns around to see Jason. Jason says, Dex Heller. Jason Morgan. Dex says he knows who Jason is. What does he want? Jason says, it’s about Sonny, and Dex says, tell Sonny that he doesn’t want any trouble, but he did apply at the police academy and if he gets in, he’s going to become a cop. Jason says, Sonny didn’t send him. He’s here because of Josslyn. She’s afraid Sonny might have him killed. He promised her that he’s not going to let that happen. Dex says, no offense, but how is he going to stop it? and Jason says he’ll figure it out. Dex says, thanks, but no thanks. He can protect himself. He sits in a booth, and Jason says he can respect that – he sits opposite Dex – but he’s not doing it for Dex. He’s doing it for Josslyn, and for Sonny. Dex says he thinks Jason has his motives crossed. Sonny’s the one who wants him dead. Jason says, Sonny knows better than to target a cop. He should. He did. Dex says, he should have known better than to go after Cyrus Renault, but Sonny still sent him to kill Cyrus.

Anna sees Valentin at the MetroCourt bar, and he says, out of all the gin joints in all the world. She says, hello, and he says, hello, back. He asks if he can buy her a glass of wine, and she says, sure. That would be lovely. She thanks him and sits next to him. She tastes his wine and asks the bartender for one of those. He asks how she’s been, and she says, busy. He says, good. It agrees with her. She’s engaged. She’s energized. She says, as opposed to what? and wonders if she’s been sloshing around like a slob all these years and didn’t know it. He says, she’s always beautiful. She’s also driven to be first class in everything she does. In fact, if she were ever to give up her dancing shoes, give over her badge, and try her luck as a tree surgeon, he’s sure she’d be brilliant at it. She says, that’s where he’s wrong. She has a black thumb. She can’t tell him how many plants Robin bought her that ended up in the dust bin. He says, then it’s good they don’t have to find out, because being Police Commissioner of Port Charles suits her. She says she happens to think it suits her too.

Nina says, it’s probably the cleaning staff. They’ve probably moved to another office. Drew throws on his shirt and says he has to make sure they don’t come in. He picks up the phone and asks if they can tell housekeeping that he’s working late and doesn’t need his office cleaned tonight… Thank you. He tells Nina, crisis averted, and she says she’s so late. She gets on her phone and tells Madison that she got held up. Please tell Congressman McConkey that she’s sorry and she’ll be right there… No. It’s totally fine that he had to reschedule, but please tell the congressman that she knows how busy he is. She’d be happy to come to him when they reschedule… Thank you. She tells Drew that she almost missed a very important meeting because of… this. So let’s just not let this be a habit. He says he wouldn’t call twice a habit, and she says, it’s more like a mistake followed by a bigger mistake. He says he just overheard Representative McConkey? That seems like an odd fit for Crimson. What was that about? Nina says, he’s a family friend. He was in the same class as her father, and he reached out to her. He has an exclusive announcement he wants to reveal in an interview, and if it isn’t suitable for Crimson, she can always run it in The Invader. He says he wants to go with her when she meets with him. McConkey is a major player in the House, and if he reached out to Aurora… She says, no. He reached out to her. He says he wants to take advantage of this opportunity to make McConkey’s acquaintance, and she asks, who exactly would she say he is? Her chauffeur? He says, just tell him that he’s the guy she sent to prison, and whose clothes she likes to rip off once in a while.

Sasha runs into the stable and tells Cody, taste this. He says, what is it? and she says, just tell her what he thinks. He takes a bite and says, it’s great. She asks if he’s not just saying that, but he says, no, it’s great. What’s going on here? She says she’s auditioning to be the Quartermaines’ cook and she made a tetrazzini, which she is now really regretting. Why did she pick something that Olivia could probably make in her sleep? He says, she might work here too? This is great. Why is he just hearing about this now? She says, it just came up this afternoon. The Quartermaines need a cook and Olivia really liked that shepherd pie she made, so Olivia wants to hire her, but Olivia wanted her to audition first by cooking something for tonight. She would have really liked some time to practice the dish, but the job comes with room and board, so she couldn’t say no. He says, she might live here too? and she says, yeah. She really hopes it works out because she’s supposed to be out of her apartment by the end of the month and the rental market is really insane right now. Besides, she’d really like the job… But she doesn’t want to infringe on his thing. He says, what? and she asks if he’d feel crowded if she moved in here.

Olivia says, everybody stop stalling and eat it, and Michael says he’ll take this one for the team and be the guinea pig. He takes a bite and says, that’s pretty good, and Olivia says, yeah? He says, try it herself, and Leo asks if it’s spaghetti or a casserole. She says, it’s both actually, and Wiley asks, what’s a casserole? Leo says, it’s spelled c-a-s-s-e-r-o-l-e, and Wiley says, what’s in it? Olivia says, enough. They’re going to use the one-bite rule. Everybody take one bite, and if they don’t like it, they can eat a banana and cheese and crackers, but they’re all going to try it. Okay? She’ll join them. She takes a bite, and says, Michael wasn’t kidding. This is good. She asks if the boys like it, and Wiley says he loves it. She says, what about Leo, her little picky eater? Does he like it? Leo says, yeah. This is so much better than her spaghetti. Olivia chokes, and Leo asks if they can have it tomorrow night too.

Maxie tells Natalia, this is the Disrupter Nourishing Moisturizer. It’s part of their new Deceptive skincare line. Natalia tries some on her hand, and says she really likes the scent. The texture is nice too, but does it work? Because she’s not going to have Ally hawking some bogus cream if she’s going to be identified with the product. It’s got to give really good results. Maxie says, of course (🍷) it works. All of their products are rigorously tested. Everything they make does what they say it will. The most important thing Deception has is their customers’ trust, their belief in the brand, and them. Natalia says, Maxie is clearly a very effective marketer, but what she really wants to talk about is, what does Allison’s music manager exactly do here at Deception? Maxie says, Brook has had several important roles at Deception over the last few years, and Natalia says, that just makes her wonder why none of the positions held Brook’s interest for very long. Maxie says, that’s not how she would describe it, and Natalia says she understands Brook had her own, brief singing career, and when she tired of that, she moved on to music management because her mom did it. Maxie says, with all due respect, that’s not very fair to Brook. She didn’t have any choice but to give up singing; it’s not what she wanted. And while yes, she was introduced to the music industry by her mother, and her dad actually, she did it because she really loved it. She believes in and is very serious about the artists she represents. Natalia asks when Brook became really serious about face creams. Because it just seems to her that Allison is putting her career in the hands of this wealthy dilettante who really doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. So she tries a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and basically changes careers like some people change hairstyles.

Jason says he knows Dex worked for Sonny because Michael hired him. Michael wanted him to get evidence against Sonny and he did. Does he still have it? Dex says, no. If he did, he would have given it to Commissioner Devane. Jason says, what was it? and Dex says, ask Michael. Jason says he told Josslyn that he’s not going to let Sonny kill him. That means he’s not going to kill Dex either. He learned a lot from Sonny. He’s smart, he’s cautious, he understood there are certain risks not worth taking. He doesn’t think that way anymore. Dex says, no, he doesn’t, and Jason says he wants to know how Sonny got in over his head, starting with his deal with Pikeman.

Valentin says he likes sitting here with Anna. It’s comfortable. It’s familiar. She says, they’ve known each other a long time, and he says he thought about her a lot when he was out of the country. She asks if he was doing business abroad, and he says, no. He was taking Charlotte back to boarding school in Switzerland, and Anna says, she went back willingly? He says, despite the fact that Victor took her there in the first place, she likes it. She has friends there and equestrian events, and she wanted to get out of Port Charles because it hasn’t been very good for her. He doesn’t need to tell Anna that. She says she’s aware of the things that happened to Charlotte lately, and her part in that. She’ll always regret that. She’s grateful that Charlotte feels well enough to go back to Switzerland if that’s what she wants. He says, him too. He misses her. She says, of course (🍷) he does, and he says he misses her too. He misses having her in his life. He knows that wasn’t plausible when Charlotte was in town, but she’s away at boarding school now. Is it crazy to think maybe they could see each other again?

Nina says he’s not making any promises, but she’ll consider introducing Drew to Senator McConkey under one condition. He says, and that would be? and she says, that they both agree that this – she weaves her fingers together – cannot happen again. He says, that’s fine with him. He’s already forgotten about it. She says she’s already forgotten about it too, when someone tries the door. Drew says he thought he told them to… Willow asks if Drew is in there, and they scramble around. Willow starts to walk away, when Drew opens the door and says he thought he heard somebody knocking. Come on in. Nina is sitting in the chair in front of Drew’s desk and says, sorry. They didn’t hear her. Drew asks if Nina locked the door, and Nina says, if she did, she didn’t mean to. She clears her throat and looks down, and Drew sees that one of his shoes is untied.

Dex says, Sonny must have met with Hume from Pikeman three or four times, and Jason asks if there was anyone else. Dex says, Valentin Cassadine. He’s the one who set up the initial meeting, then when Sonny wanted to back out, Valentin came back. Jason asks why Sonny decided not to work with Pikeman, and Dex says, he thought it was too risky. The first shipment was this plastic explosive. It’s a classified weapon. It’s supposed to be for special forces and it’s not supposed to be for sale. It’s a major NSA violation. If Sonny had been busted, it would have been 20 years minimum. Jason says, and Dex got a recording of it, and Dex says, he gave it to Michael as they’d agreed, but Michael decided not to use it. Jason asks if he kept a copy for himself for insurance, but Dex says, no. He thought it would be safer not to have anything to tie him to the video. Jason says, what about Cassadine? Did he do anything else besides set up the meeting? Dex says, yeah. He met with Hume the same day someone tried to take out Sonny at the MetroCourt. Jason asks how Dex knows that, and Dex says he was out for a run. He saw Hume get out of a car at the Cosmopolitan Hotel with Cassadine. Jason asks if he’s sure this was the same day somebody shot at Sonny, and Dex says, positive. There’s a date stamp on the picture. Jason asks if he’s still got that picture.

Anna says, Valentin caught her off-guard there. She thought they agreed that there was just too much hurt and damage, and that door was permanently closed. He says he’s rattling around in that huge house all by himself, the house he bought for him and Anna to share. And he misses her. Will she let him take her out to dinner? Maybe they can move beyond the past? She says she’s going to have to think about that before she gives him an answer, and he says, she’s willing to think about it. That’s a good start. She says she’s not making any promises though. Her feelings for him didn’t just disappear overnight. It’s really difficult for them to go their separate ways after everything they had. (it was hard for me), but she’s not sure if she’s ready to go down that path again. Maybe there’s just more heartbreak. He says he thinks there’s only one way to find out, when her phone dings. He says, saved by the bell, and she wonders who she has to thank for that. She sees a text from JM: Find me at the Brown Dog bar. Valentin says, go, and she says, duty calls, yeah. He says, make Port Charles safe, and takes her hands. He says he’ll call her, and she leaves.

Maxie says she’s happy to discuss Deception with Natalia. But if Natalia is here to enlist her help to undermine Brook’s role as Blaze’s music manager, she’s barking up the wrong tree. Brook is her best friend. She’s also a consummate professional. She understands all aspects of the music industry – creative, logistical, financial… Sure. Brook’s mom may have shown her the ropes when it comes to the music industry, but Brook’s been doing it on her own ever since. Natalia says, come on. To say that Brook Lynn Quartermaine has been doing it on her own is actually laughable. She believes the term for it is nepo baby. When somebody’s parents or grandparents… In this case, Brook’s whole family paved the way for her. And the phrase, did it on her own, should be saved for people like Allison, who actually didn’t know anybody in the music industry and still made it as a star. Maxie says, this is not a competition. They can both be good at what they do. Natalia says, that remains to be seen.

Willow says she’s sorry. She tried knocking a while ago, but Drew and Nina must not have heard her. She tried to leave a message at the front desk, but they said Drew was still in here working, so she came back. She can see he’s busy, so they can totally talk another time. Nina says, no, stay. They just finished going over the Crimson photo budget. Drew was very generous and gave her everything she wanted, but now they’re finished, so she’ll leave them alone. Drew looks amused, and Nina heads for the door. Willow says, wait, and Nina asks if she needs something, but Willow says, no. It’s just that she was kind of thrown when she saw the two of them in here together. Nina says, they work together. Crimson wouldn’t run very well if they didn’t talk. Willow says, of course (🍷). She guesses she meant thrown in a good way. if Drew can sit across from her and calmly discuss normal things like the photo budget after Nina sent him to prison, he must be a pretty forgiving person. Nina says, yes, he certainly is, and Willow says, and if the two of them can find a way to get along, then it makes her wonder if she hasn’t been too harsh, holding on so tightly to her grievances. So maybe it’s time she let her anger at Nina go too. Nina thanks her for saying that and says she’s going to go. Willow and Nina smile at each other, and Nina leaves. Drew says, that was very unexpected, and Willow says, yeah. It’s definitely not what she thought was going to happen when she came to see him tonight. He asks how it felt to reach out to Nina like that, and she says, surprisingly okay, and she has him to thank for being the bigger person and showing her the way.

Sasha tells Cody that she should just go back to the house. She was trying to give them some space, but maybe Michael and Olivia are just trying to think of the best way to turn her down gently. Cody asks if anyone has ever told her that she’s really cute when she’s nervous, which she doesn’t have to be. Number one, what she made. It’s delicious. Number two, no. He doesn’t feel crowded by her. In fact, it was the other way around. Number three, she’ll never have to worry about a place to stay. If it comes down to it, she can live in his room, and he’ll sleep down here with the beasts where he belongs. She kisses him. I did not see that coming.

Natalia tells Maxie not to misunderstand. She hates being this mistrustful and suspicious. But she had a terrible wake-up call with Allison’s first manager, Linc. He exploited her, he abused her, and Natalia had no idea what was going on. Maxie says, what happened with Linc was horrible and Natalia has every right to be worried about Blaze. But Brook is above board and would never do anything to hurt Natalia’s daughter. Natalia asks if she’s a mom, and Maxie says, yes. She has a son and two daughters. Natalia says, good. Then Maxie understands why she’s asking so many questions. She wants to protect her daughter and she doesn’t want her represented by someone who thinks music is just some fun break from tennis on Tuesdays or something sweet and fun to do while she’s planning her wedding. (Has she been watching Sex in the City or something?) Maxie says, that’s not how Brook thinks at all, and Natalia says, Allison’s association with Brook is the only reason she’s the Face of Deception. Her daughter’s bigger dreams have nothing to do with face creams. Maxie says she’s known Brook for a long time, and she’s always thought, for a Quartermaine, Brook is pretty well-adjusted, realistic, and hard working. Blaze seems to think so too, which makes her wonder. All these big dreams Natalia keeps talking about, are they her daughter’s or hers? Natalia says, it’s so easy to blame the mother, isn’t it? She’ll find that out when her kids get older. Just something to think about. Have a nice day. Natalia leaves, and Maxie shakes her head.

Cody tells Sasha, wow. Is that all it took? Him identifying as a beast? Michael comes in with Wiley and asks, what’s going on here? Cody says, just horsing around.

Anna walks into the bar and goes over to Jason and Dex’s table. She says she didn’t expect to see the two of them here. She guesses it makes sense that they should meet. Dex says, so this is who Jason was texting, and Jason nods. Dex gets up and says he doesn’t know what’s going on here, but it’s definitely above his paygrade. Not that he has a paygrade yet. Anna says, oh. Actually – she digs in her bag and hands him an envelope – he does. He opens it, and she says, welcome to the police academy, new recruit Heller. He thanks her and says he knows she played a big role in this. She says, not as big as he might think. He earned that spot. He says he guesses he’ll be taking Jason up on that offer after all, and Jason says, just promise him that he’ll be good to Josslyn. Dex says, that’s a promise he’ll be glad to keep if he gets the chance. He thanks Anna again, and she tells him, congratulations. He leaves, and Anna sits down. She asks if Jason got some information from Dex, and he says, yeah. Pikeman’s rep is a guy named Hume, right? She says, correct, and he says, Dex witnessed Valentin and Hume meeting on the same day a sniper team tried to take out Sonny at the MetroCourt pool. She says, no. That’s impossible.

Drew says, Willow is giving him too much credit. She’s one of the most forgiving people he’s ever met. She says she always used to think so, but with Nina it’s different. After everything Nina did, she had to distance herself, but maybe it’s time she stopped being so angry at her, for both of their sakes. He says, she has his support whatever she chooses, and she thanks him. He asks what she wanted to talk to him about, and she says she’s been thinking about the proposal from the non-profit and she just wanted to get some more information. Michael suggested she circle back to him, since he was the one who had the preliminary contact with the organization. He says, The New Tomorrow, absolutely. Have a seat. What does she want to know? She asks if he can give her a little more information about what it is they’re looking for, and he says, sure. From their conversation, what he knows is, they want to educate the general public, because most people just really don’t understand how lifesaving stem cell and bone marrow transplants and cord blood can be, especially when it comes to difficult to treat cancers and diseases and therapies. It’s in its infancy of course (🍷), but the success rate is climbing every day. Willow says she gets that. Before she had leukemia, that was foreign to her too. He says, right. That’s what they want to do. They want to get out that information and make it easier to digest for the general public. Like a face and a voice that give it awareness. Young, vibrant, and articulate, and a survivor like her. She’d be perfect. She says, what exactly would she be doing on a daily basis? and he says, she’d be the first person to have the job, so he thinks it’s hers to define, but he assumes she’d definitely be doing some public speaking, probably making some videos, some PSAs. He knows that they’d want her to advocate for fundraising. She says, all of that seems within her capabilities, and he says he also knows they want to keep as much money as possible for the foundation, so the pay would be low, but she and Michael are pretty wealthy, so he’s assuming she wouldn’t want a salary anyway. She says she’s not sure. The last thing she’d ever want to do is take money away from someplace that needs it, but she has always paid her own way and she’s pretty proud of that. However, having the flexibility to spend more time with Wiley and Amelia might be a bigger priority to her right now than a paycheck. He says, if she decides to take on the role, he’s sure she’s going to work it out, and she says, it’s pretty amazing that he’s such a good person, causes like this know to reach out to him for help. He says he really should be humble and say he’s no angel, but he really likes her thinking that he is.

Maxie leaves the office and Nina runs up to her in the hallway. She says, great. Maxie is still here. Maxie says she’s trying really hard not to be. What’s up? Nina says she’s celebrating, and Maxie says, celebrating what? Nina says, Willow spoke to her, with actual words. Said not in anger and in her actual presence, to her face, of Willow’s own choice. Maxie says, that is real progress. Please tell her how it happened. Nina says, believe it or not, it’s because of Drew, and Maxie says she did not see that coming. Nina says, neither did she, and Willow only talked to her tonight because Willow thinks she and Drew are friends now, when they actually hate each other more than ever. Even the sex is hateful. Maxie says, the what now?

Michael tells Wiley that he can pet the horses, but please not – he repeats, do not – feed the horses gum again. Wiley says he knows where the carrots are. He can feed them those instead. Cody says, they would absolutely love that. Just make sure he only feeds them one carrot at a time. Wiley goes to the stalls, and Sasha says she doesn’t want to be pushy, but she’s going a little out of her mind here. What did he think about her dinner? He says he thinks she should probably open up a food delivery service, because that tetrazzini was delicious. She says, he liked it? and he says he loved it. So did the boys. Cody says he told her that she was worrying about nothing, when Olivia comes in, saying, okay, okay. She could hear everybody gushing about Sasha’s cooking all the way up here. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Frankly, she thought there was a little too much oregano, not enough basil. That would have improved the dish immensely. Cody says he’s with Mama Q there. Sasha brought him a plate, and it was delicious except for the oregano. Olivia says, a man after her own heart. Okay. Other than that minor miscue, she and Michael both thought the dish was excellent. Even the boys liked it and they’re notoriously hard to please. So what does Sasha think? Can she put a dinner like that on the table every single night, plus breakfasts and lunches? Because if she can, the job is hers.

Olivia asks if Sasha wants to be the new Quartermaine cook, and Sasha says, yes. She’d love it. She hugs Olivia and thanks her. Olivia says, she earned it, and Michael says he’d like to personally request tetrazzini once a week and Sasha says, he’s got it. Cody asks if they hear that, and Olivia wonders what Wiley is doing in there. Michael says he’ll handle it and asks Wiley if he hears splashing. He goes back to the stalls, and Olivia says, never a dull moment around here, but she promises Sasha will get used to it. Sasha says she can’t wait. She knows she’s going to love working for the Quartermaines, and she promises that everyone in the family, young or old, will have healthy, filling meals between the amazing dinners that Olivia will make. Olivia says she’s sure they will and asks if Sasha wants to come up to the house. She’ll show Sasha her room and where everything is. Sasha says, definitely, and tells Cody, we’re good here, right? Cody says, absolutely, and Olivia says she doesn’t know what exactly is going on between the two of them, but she thinks they should establish a couple of ground rules. Cody says, lay ‘em on us, Mama Q, and Olivia says, what they do on their own time is completely up to them, but let us be very clear from the get-go that there will be no late-night tippy toeing into Sasha’s bedroom when there are children in the house, which is basically all the time. Sasha says, Olivia has nothing to worry about. She promises they’ll be good. Olivia says she’s not the morality police, far from it. But the house is full of impressionable children and gossipy adults. They got it? They nod, and she says she’ll see them up at the house. She walks to the door, turns around, and says, they’re very cute together… but let’s be very, very clear. She has her eyes on them. She does that V thing like, I’m watching you, and leaves. They laugh.

Nina tells Maxie that she knows it’s crazy. She can’t even explain it to herself why it keeps happening. Maxie says, keeps happening? How many times have the two of them… Nina holds up two fingers, and says, one thing led to another and before you know it, it’s just happening. Maxie says, no. That’s something you say about online shopping, not sex with your sworn enemy, because Nina and Drew do hate each other. Nina says, it just happened. She doesn’t know what to tell Maxie. It’s not like it’s hateful during. It’s great. It’s really great… Anyway, when it’s over, she despises him even more, along with herself, but that’s a conversation for another time. Maxie says, a therapist would have a field day with Nina, and Nina asks if Maxie can not think about the sex for a second. Willow thinks that Drew is this kind of stubble wearing superhero that can do no wrong, and the only reason Willow is talking to her is because Willow thinks she and Drew are getting along. How can she keep Drew on her side? Maxie says, won’t the great sex help with that? (my thought exactly), but Nina says she can’t rely on that. She needs to throw him some other kind of bone😐to keep him happy with her. Maxie says, wouldn’t it be funny if after everything that’s happened, Drew was the reason Nina got her family back?

Jason says, Dex texted him a picture he took, and Anna says, that’s the Cosmopolitan Hotel, yeah? He says, yeah. Does she see the date stamp? Anna says, that’s easily doctored, and Jason asks what Dex would get from that. She says, nothing. Valentin was lying the whole time. He says, about what? and she says, everything. When Nikolas disappeared, Laura and Doc had to go over to Europe to search for him, and the only lead they had was Chechnya, which is unstable and dangerous. So Valentin volunteered to go with them. He was gone for two months, and that day, July 6th, he called her. He called her and said he was in Geneva, but he wasn’t. He was here in Port Charles with Hume. Jason sighs and says, so Pikeman briefed him and Hamish about the MetroCourt shooting to prep them for the job at the warehouse. They were a two-man sniper team, same as them. They got a room they set up in the MetroCourt, they took the shot, and then they evacuated to an extraction point where they met senior personnel who were running the op. Anna asks if they were Hume and Valentin, and Jason says, they weren’t given any names, but it sure looks like it. Anna says, clearly Valentin does more for Pikeman than schedule meetings. She was just with him. When Jason texted her, she was with him. She bumped into him at the MetroCourt bar, and he said he’d been out of the country, that he went to Switzerland to deliver his daughter back to boarding school, that it was her idea. But now she’s wondering if it doesn’t just make it easier for him to do Pikeman’s bidding. Switzerland’s a wonderful country. It’s discreet. Half the world’s arms are sold there. He has a perfect reason to return at any point whenever Pikeman requires. He asks what she wants to do, and she says, remember she told him that she was at the WSB with Valentin as trainees? He was very good, but she was better. She takes out her phone and makes a call.

Valentin says he knew it. She never could resist his animal magnetism. Anna says she’s not sure she’d put it that way, but she was thinking about his dinner invitation.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth asks why there’s paint on Aiden’s backpack; Drew says, there’s no one he trusts more than Curtis to take care of it; Maxie asks Scotty to please stop this madness and just tell Lucy; and Nina asks someone if they’re sure they know what they’re getting into.

Vanderpump Rules

Ariana and Katie go to the sandwich shop, where Ann is already waiting, having escaped Sandoval. An awning is sitting in the middle of the shop, and in Ariana’s interview, she says, remember when they thought they were opening? They were so young and so naïve. There were code violations and they had to demolish the patio. In a lot of ways, they’re back to square one. Lisa arrives and asks if Ariana stole Ann from Sandoval. Ariana says, technically not. Lisa asks when they’re opening, and Katie says, they got a contractor to do the repairs the health department wants. Lisa says she spoke to Penny, and they don’t seem to be on the same page. Ariana says, Lisa is missing a piece and Katie says, Penny wanted a salary, so they sent the info to the lawyer. Ariana tells Lisa that they’re the sole owners, and Lisa says she was under the impression Penny was a partner, but Ariana says, they’re not the Three Musketeers. Penny was receiving a salary and on the back end would receive 10% of the profits. Lisa says she remembers Penny being okay with that, and Ariana says, she’s not now. In Katie’s interview, she says, they made Penny their COO and head of the back of the house. But there was trouble when they didn’t see eye to eye on Penny’s role in the business. Lisa says, Penny wants to be involved, and in Lisa’s interview, she says she’s had a good relationship with Penny. Penny helped the girls and also helped her. We flash back to that, and Lisa says she’s worried that if they part ways, the restaurant will never open. She hopes they get it sorted out.

Scheana arrives at Kyle’s store to discuss the upcoming launch. He tells her that she’s his main performer. Sandoval comes in, and Scheana asks if he’s performing, but Kyle explains that Sandoval knows what’s needed at an event and a free manager is good. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, Kyle has been there for him more than anybody else, and if there’s anything he can do to pay Kyle back, he’s, yes please. he owes Kyle a lot. He wipes tears away and says, Kyle saved his life. I’m mesmerized by what he’s wearing. It looks like an oversized leisure suit in pale blue. WTF? It’s like he’s playing dress-up with daddy’s clothes from the 70s. Kyle is worried about what happened at the pool party, since he doesn’t want it happening at his launch. Sandoval tells Scheana that he apologizes for bringing up sh*t from years ago. He wants things to be good between them. Scheana says she wasn’t going to put song out, but it was never about him. She didn’t add the line later. He says, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s just frustrating. Scheana says, that’s why she apologized. She didn’t forget he was a good friend who had her back from day one. That’s what made it so hard, but Ariana didn’t do anything wrong. Sandoval says he doesn’t understand the line in the sand thing and feels alienated. Kyle says, nobody has to forgive – that’s totally their choice – but don’t torture the guy. Scheana says she’d like to move forward and not throw the past in each other’s faces. She doesn’t want anything bad for him and she misses him.

Katie visits Lala, who’s getting ready for her birthday. Lala hopes Sandoval doesn’t think he’s invited, and she decides to call him. Katie asks her to put it on speaker, and Sandoval shows Lala that Scheana is there. Lala reminds him that he’s not invited to her party without actually saying the words, and he says he wasn’t coming. Lala says she felt he deserved a FaceTime and not a text. She says she’ll see him in San Francisco. Kyle asks if Sandoval was disinvited before being invited, and Sandoval says he was. Kyle says, it was nice of Lala to put it in a nice way, and Scheana says, I’m having a party and don’t want you to come. Sandoval says he’s used to it. Lala and the group meet at a speakeasy style bar for a burlesque show. In Lala’s interview, she says she feels that every year she’s more badass. This is what it feels like to be a woman who doesn’t give one f***. Lala says, if she could rule the world, have a positive pregnancy test, and end the custody battle with Randall, it would be a good year. The MC asks the audience, put your hands together and thighs apart for Toby Tayloro! and the show begins. In Brock’s interview, he says, since he was raised Mormon, there’s a small boy inside who gets uncomfortable. Lala takes photos with the performers, and Schwartz asks if anyone is coming to Sandoval’s show. Scheana says she’s not sure, but James says, maybe. Lala asks why Scheana was with Sandoval when she called, and Scheana explains that they were both there to go over Kyle’s show. She says, Sandoval apologized with tears in his eyes. She wonders if they could move forward in a way where they’re not going back to the past, and Lala asks if she means coexist in peace. Ariana mumbles, pathetic, and in her interview, she says, it makes her feel gaslit. As if what happened isn’t as clear as day. This has nothing do with her, but Sandoval repeatedly treats Scheana like sh*t. He’s not her friend. She tells Lala, he’s a loser. It’s annoying.

In Scheana’s interview, she says, everyone is together for Kyle’s launch party, but she and Brock want to plan some fun things. Brock has planned a Roaring 20s themed party to finish the summer with a bang. Scheana asks if he’s ever had Rice-a-Roni, and he asks what it is. She tells him, a San Francisco treat, although I don’t know why she thinks Brock will understand that reference if he doesn’t know what it is. Dan and Ariana go out to dinner. It’s a small table, so Dan sits across from her even though he doesn’t like that. I think it’s awkward to sit next to someone when there’s only two of you. Then you have to keep turning to talk to them. In Ariana’s interview, she says she’s never been in a long-distance relationship. She’s playing it by ear. The distance forces them to take things slow. So they can’t just be f***ing. Dan says he’s coming to San Francisco and asks who will be there. Ariana says, everybody, and Scheana is convinced Sandoval is going to try and shake his hand. She says, if he sees a worm with a mustache… Dan says, run to the bathroom? Ariana says she feels long distance is good for them. They got to know each other from talking. Dan says, it’s both good and bad. He works seven days a week. In her interview, Ariana says, sometimes when they talk, he’s getting up and she’s going to bed. Ariana says, what about moving to LA? and Dan says, they’ll talk about it. She says, when winter hits and he’s miserable. At the El Rey, Sandoval practices the trumpet badly. His mother, Schwartz, and James show up, and we see Jo in the audience. The show begins (eh), and in Sandoval’s interview, he says, the energy is electric. The people are throwing their hands up instead of throwing things at him. It feels good having fun and letting loose, especially after the past year. Schwartz and Jo go out for air where they act like middle school children. He asks how many dudes she banged, and she pushes him. We flash back to the conversation where she said they shouldn’t see each other anymore, and Schwartz tells her that they’re going to eat sourdough and ride trolleys. In Schwartz’s interview, he says he knew it was the right move, but Jo was bright energy in his life. Schwartz says, no mixed signals, and Jo yells, they’re just friends. Schwartz says he can’t say he’s not excited, and in Jo’s interview, she says, he’s giving her whiplash, and it’s frustrating. It’s like being on a hamster wheel. Ugh. Been there, done that, threw the T-shirt away.

In Lala’s interview, Lala says, Dan seems cool, but she thinks it’s weird that any dude would say, she’s the one, when she just left the guy that she’s been with for 10 years, but they still live together. Something’s off. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, the last thing he wants it to make anyone uncomfortable, but he’s intrigued. He wouldn’t mind meeting Dan, but he’s going to be very lowkey. Easy like Sunday morning. Brock tells everyone that they’ll regroup in a few hours, and Scheana says, they’re going to shop, go on a boat, then come back for Brock’s party. Dan tells Ariana that he’s going to work out and get a massage, and Ariana says she get to have a fun day with her ex. Dan says he wishes he could be there. Schwartz asks if Sandoval has met Dan, and Sandoval says, not yet. He should give Dan the lowdown like Ariana did to Tii. We flash back to Ariana discouraging Tii from dating a 40-year-old narcissist. Brock tells those who went shopping to pick up some warm clothes if they didn’t bring any, since they’re all too stupid to see what the weather might be and it’s cold there. The Toms look at Alcatraz and debate to odds of escape. Schwartz says he needed a reset. Now he doesn’t have the seething rage he did when he sees Sandoval. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, they’ve had a rocky partnership at Schwartz & Sandy’s, but they’re working on a plan of action to get him back in there. He’s hoping next year Schwartz & Sandy’s will be what they wanted. Schwartz says, about being roommates, he thinks he’s ready to commit. He offers Sandoval a keychain decorated with little handcuffs while on one knee.

The entire group, sans Dan, get on a private party boat, and James immediately swings around the pole in the middle while dollars are thrown at him. Sandoval tells Lala that on the first trip he and Ariana took, they stopped in San Francisco. It was a happy time. James and Ally take pictures on deck and get smacked with a wave. The boat hits choppy waters, and Lala says she feels like she’s on the Titanic. Ariana says she doesn’t like it at all, and in her interview, she says, her one fear is waves. Deep water, she doesn’t care. Sharks, whatever. She can’t die on a tiny boat with her ex. She has plans. The guys play at driving the boat, but Lala says she doesn’t know what’s fun about it. Brock asks Ariana how she’s doing on the boat with Sandoval, and she says, he’s like scenery at this point. He says, it’s better than last time, and we flash back to the beach and Ariana repeating, stop speaking to me, a thousand times. Ariana says, Sandoval has learned not to talk to her. She cares more about Scheana than to let people like that in her life. Brock says, with forgiveness you give yourself the ability to focus on the good, but Ariana says, you don’t have to forgive anyone who has traumatized you. In her interview, she says, the notion that you have to forgive to move on is outdated. Cutting them off or *grey rocking is the only way. She tells Brock that she’s being put in the position that you need to take the high road to have power, but she thinks all emotions have power. She sees the men raise their voices and no one gives it a thought.

* Grey rocking is a technique used to divert a toxic person’s behavior by acting as unresponsive as possible when you’re interacting with them.

Lala goes to Ariana and Dan’s room, and Ariana tells Lala that while she was gone, Dan put a Celsius in the ice bucket for her and ironed her clothes. They’re going to dinner. Ally wonders why Daniel wasn’t on the boat, and since she can’t grasp the obvious, James says, he probably didn’t want to get stuck with Ariana’s ex. He might want to rip Sandoval’s head off. Lala says, what if Sandoval came up to Dan and introduced himself? and Dan says, Sandoval hasn’t done anything to him, but he knows what Sandoval did to Ariana. The party is in a private room in a restaurant, and everyone is dressed in 1920s costumes. James points out that Ariana and Sandoval are wearing similar shoes, and Sandoval says, great minds. This creates even more awkward tension, and Katie suggests she and Ariana check out the bridge. They go out to the roof deck, and Schwartz says, they look like a duo. Katie says, they’re the new TomTom, and Schwartz says, they’re all friends again, although he’s still subservient. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, it’s nice not to have to tiptoe around, especially with Katie. They can make eye contact, maybe there will be smiling and a knowing glance. He tells Katie that he has a crazy idea. They’re in San Francisco, it’s a beautiful night, so one last time. They should have a one-night stand. She says, no, and he says, let him finish.

Schwartz says he’s not joking. Hear him out. They go to the room, order $150 minimum of junk food, scroll aimlessly, and not talk. Like they used to; it’s their thing. She doesn’t want that? She says she doesn’t want that, and in Katie’s interview, she says she thinks that Schwartz will look back years from now and see her as the one who got away. Schwartz says he’s getting sentimental. He misses the best parts of them. He wishes the dogs were here. They would seal the deal. Think about it. Sandoval asks Scheana to step outside, and Ariana watches their every move. The view is spectacular, and the full moon looks unreal. Sandoval tells her that they’ll be doing a soundcheck, and she says she never did a soundcheck or even rehearsed. How the hell did she put on a performance? And didn’t she do a video? Sandoval says he’ll be there all day. He knows Dan is here, and if it’s going to be awkward, he can not be around. Scheana asks how he feels about Ariana dating Dan, and he says, good. He’s worried about Ariana’s mental health. Now she has somebody with her, and she’ll be able to handle it better. Handle what? Dancing with the Stars? Scheana says she knows Ariana has a strong no contact policy, but she also knows the things he’s said about her, things she didn’t want public. Can he apologize for weaponizing that? We flash back to him telling Scheana that he didn’t break up with Ariana because she said she would kill herself. As if. In Scheana’s interview, she says, exposing private details about Ariana’s mental health makes things worse. We flash back to Ariana telling Scheana that Sandoval never even said he was sorry for the main thing. Scheana tells him that if he apologizes, maybe there will be some hope for the group to move forward. Say that maybe he shouldn’t have said that to deflect from his actions and make it an excuse. At the end of the day, Ariana only wanted to make it work. She didn’t freeze her eggs, go to couples therapy, and buy a house for herself. She was building a life for him. Don’t say anything. Just think about that tonight. Sandoval says he’ll do that, and to confirm what we all know – that would never happen – in his interview, Sandoval says, he could explain where he was mental and emotionally, but it comes across as him blaming Ariana. No matter how the relationship went south, she didn’t deserve that. He thanks Scheana for talking and they hug. He thanks her for being there, they exchange I love yous, and go back inside.

Next time, the finale.

🍼 Wandering In the Valley…

Jax doesn’t know what to do if he’s not part of the conversation. I have no words.

🪨 Between a Rock and a Medium To Hard Place…

Join me tomorrow for soap and ore from the internet mines. Until then, stay safe, stay returning your shopping cart to the slot and not leaving it to meander around the parking lot, and stay not holding on too tightly to your grievances.

April 23, 2024 – Two Different Parties For the Same Reason, Jax Taylor Is Dead To Me, Down In the Valley & Sun

Standard

While I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

As they walk into a contemporary restaurant playing loud music, Trina asks Stella how she even knows about this place, and Stella says she meets people. They tell her things. Trina says she wouldn’t think this would be Stella’s scene, and Stella says, because? Trina says she didn’t think Stella was cool enough, and Stella says she’s been cool since before Trina was born. Trina says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have presumed like that. When Trina calls her Aunt Stella, Stella tells Trina, it’s Stella in here. She has a reputation. And since they haven’t had a girls’ night out in forever, she thought this would be the perfect place to get it going again. Josslyn joins them, apologizing for being late. She was helping Brook with her bachelorette party. Stella says, it was nice of her to help out, and Josslyn says, it was nice of them to invite her to dinner. She hasn’t been here. Stella says, not every place is for everybody, and Trina says, Stella’s a regular. Josslyn says she happens to know a place where they can dance all night and have free food and drinks if they’re interested, and Stella asks, where is this mystical place? Josslyn says, The Savoy, and Stella tells her, Curtis said he was closing it up for tonight. Trina says, he did, but then he said he had someplace to be and was out the door, and Stella wonders what that was about. Trina says, it had to be good because he said he wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Curtis gets a bullseye at the hatchet range, and tells Drew, that’s how it’s done. You always want to give it your best shot. This right here requires the utmost of finesse. Drew picks up a hatchet and tells him, when the good Lord was handing out finesse, he got in line twice. He hits the circle furthest from the center, and Curtis says, maybe he should have gotten in line three times, but Drew says he’s just getting warmed up. Ned tells Curtis, be careful. When Drew gets warmed up, he may try to take down the whole wall and keep a couple pieces for himself. Drew says, seriously? Ned’s party banter needs work. Michael says he’s calling a cease-fire. No Quartermaine in-fighting tonight. Consider it a warmup for the wedding.

Brook thanks everyone for coming. Seeing everyone, she’s at a loss for words. Maxie suggests someone take a picture. This could be the only time something like this happens. Everyone laughs, and Brook says she’s going to speak for twice as long now. But in all seriousness, they’ve shared so much over the years. She thought it was only right and necessary to share this unbelievable celebration with all of them, her family and her friends. She’s never done this before, so she’s kind of nervous to be honest. Seeing all of their beautiful, loving, supportive faces, she knows in her heart she’s… She chokes up and Maxie says, she’s got this. Brook says she’s got this. Cheers. Everyone says, cheers, and they clink glasses.

Dante says, PSA. As they get going here, let’s try to remember which hand has the drink and which hand has the hatchet. They do have a doctor in the house, but it would be a real bust if he’s got to spend his night stitching them up. Another thing is, he knows some of them think they’re only here for the open bar and the free food, but that’s not the case. They showed up tonight for this guy – he points to Chase – because he shows up for them every, single day. The best partner a cop could ever want and the worst wingman he’s ever seen in his life. They’re very grateful to Brook for taking the single, yet never ready to mingle, Harrison Chase off the market. Chase says he’s not even embarrassed about that, and Dante says, nor should he be. There are plenty of other things he should be embarrassed about. Brook isn’t one of them. She knows she’s out of his league, right? Chase says, how could she not? Finn says he heard Brook say he’s a better partner to her than he is to Dante, and Ned says, if he isn’t, he knows where Chase lives, and he knows where to get a hatchet. Dante lifts his beer bottle and says, to Chase, and everyone toasts.

Lois says, everyone needs to try the signature cocktail, the Brook Lynn Chaser, and there are mocktail versions if they want one. Salut. At the bar, Kristina asks for a mocktail, and Blaze says, make it two. Kristina says, Blaze doesn’t need to deprive herself on her account, but Blaze says she’s not. Tonight is special, and she wants to be clear-headed for all of it. Tracy asks Lois, where’s the music? and Lois gasps and says she forgot the music. How could she forget the music? Tracy knows people, doesn’t she? Tracy says, oh yes, she knows people. The Port Charles Philharmonic is going to be here in ten minutes. Lois says, she’s no help, and Tracy says, they’ve discussed this. She writes checks. Lois chases musicians. Lois hasn’t done it in a long time, but maybe she has numbers? Lois wonders what they’re going to do, and Olivia asks, what’s the deal with the music? (Um… doesn’t The Savoy have a sound system with music already cued up for when there isn’t a band?) Lois asks if they want her to sing, but both Tracy and Olivia say, no, they don’t. Sasha joins them and says, hold the singing. The music just arrived. Spinelli walks in, and Lois says, please tell her that he’s not the stripper.

Stella says, if Curtis closed the club for Brook’s party, that means… Trina says, the somewhere he had to be was Chase’s bachelor party, and Josslyn says, that’s at the hatchet range. Stella says, drinking beer and throwing hatchets, that’s a bad combination. What could go wrong? Trina says she’s just glad he got out. After everything he’s been through, he deserves to cut loose and have some fun. Stella tells her, the same could be said for some other people too, and Josslyn says, if Trina wants to cut loose tonight, then they should go to Brook’s party. She’s surrounded by her friends and family, and half of them are crazy, but in a really good way. Trina says she doesn’t know. They didn’t even get an invitation. Josslyn says, they did, from the mother of the bride herself, and Stella says she’ll be right back. She leaves, and Trina says she doesn’t know if she feels well enough to go to a big party where people are happy, and she doesn’t even have a gift. Josslyn says, she doesn’t need a gift. It’s already handled. They got Brook a spa getaway at the MetroCourt. It’s one party and they know everybody there. And if she hates it, they’ll leave. Stella says, they’d better get going. They don’t want to miss out on anything. Trina says, but they’re having dinner with her, and Stella says, not anymore. She gave their table away. Trina can have dinner with her anytime. Brook’s party is only happening tonight. Go. Josslyn asks if Stella wants to come, but Stella says, no thank you, but she thinks Trina’s had enough family lately and should cut loose with people she’s not related to. Go. Josslyn and Trina thank Stella, and she tells them to have a good time.

Brook says she’s so glad Willow is here, and Willow says she wouldn’t have missed it. They hug, and Willow asks what Brook thinks of her mom’s vision. Brook says, she definitely knows how to party, and Willow says, Lois may have to remind her, because she hasn’t been to a party party in forever. Brook says, they’ll have to catch her up tonight, and Willow says, that is the plan. First, she wants Brook to know how happy she is for her. Nobody knows better than she does what a great guy Brook is marrying. Brook says she feels so lucky that she and Chase found each other. That they got past all their regrettable decisions… her regrettable decisions, and got here. Willow says, she’ll probably make some more and so will Chase, but now she knows they have the power to get through it together. Brook says, she’s so wise, and Willow says, she’s so married. Laugh a lot; forgive a lot. Brook says, how hard can that be? and Willow says, right? They’ll never have a rocky day in their married life. She and Chase are perfect for each other, so they’ll probably have fewer than most couples. Brook thanks her and they hug.

Maxie says she has to thank Sasha again for saving Deception’s bacon on Home & Heart the other day. If Lucy had talked about their product as much as she talked about herself, they could have all retired. Sasha says she thinks she learned more about Lucy during that segment than in the whole time they worked together, and Maxie says, so did America… and the world. Sasha says, they have the footage and one day, they’re going to watch it and laugh. Maxie says, not now though. Too soon. She has to let Sasha know though, that for self-preservation, she’s moved Sasha to the number one spot on her speed dial list. Sasha says she’s always here for Maxie and she’s always happy to help. Plus, it feels really good to say she’s not the Face of Deception anymore. Maxie says, that makes one of them, and Sasha asks how it’s going with Blaze. She’s lovely. Maxie says, she really is, inside and out, but the ink is barely dry on her contract, so she hasn’t really done much with them yet. Sasha says she’s sure they’ll be great, and Maxie says, things must be better for Sasha. All this free time to be spending with Cody. Are they going to be planning another bachelorette party soon? Sasha says she doesn’t know. Is Maxie going to take the next step with Spinelli? Maxie says, okay.

Spinelli says, it’s like he’s been granted entry into the inner sanctum of the sisterhood, and Tracy says, it’s a bridal shower, not a sorority. Maxie runs over, grabs Spinelli, and says, let’s get him set up over here.

Maxie takes Spinelli to a table on the side, and he says he just needs a moment to hook his playlist into the sound system, and they will soon be rocking the Casbah. She says she’s going to need to see that playlist, and he says he’ll have her know it was a huge hit at Bruce Cooperman’s bar mitzvah last week. She says, yeah. She’s going to need to see it.

Sasha says, those two work so well together, and Brook says, they really do. Sasha says, but they keep fighting it, and Brook says, they’re stubborn. Willow says, they’ll give in eventually. It’s just a matter of time. Sasha says, no matter how hard you try, you can’t fight it forever, and Willow says she guesses Sasha would know something about that.

Michael gets a bullseye, and Drew asks how he did that. Michael says he has no idea, but that is his first and last shot of the night. Jordan says, seeing Curtis up and out of that wheelchair is miraculous, and he says, it feels better than she might imagine. The view from up here is a lot better than the view from down there. She says, he had front row seats to a lot of belt buckles, huh? and he says, a lot of belt buckles. He wouldn’t be back on his feet, literally and figuratively, if it were not for his family. She says she’s really happy for him, and he says, back at her. How exciting is it that TJ and Molly are expecting? She says, her baby is having a baby. Nobody tells you how weird it is the first few times you say it. They clink beer bottles.

Dante tells Anna that he thinks he’s done with the desk duty thing, and she says, after one day? What does his physical therapist say? He says, it’s cool. He’s good. Everything is coming along fine. She says, for a man who almost died, yeah. Just keep going to therapy and don’t miss any sessions. He doesn’t have to push, and it bears repeating, he almost died. Brennan says, she’s right. No sweating. They’ve got him covered. Chase says, he’s doing invaluable work at the station… behind a desk, and Dante thanks him for gloating. Chase says he feels nothing but sympathy for Dante. All those months he was off, he would have given anything to get back on the job. Anna says she’s very lucky to have both of them. Not everyone’s cut out to be a cop, right? And when you are, you’re to be honored and thanked. Dante is invaluable. He really is. They clink beer bottles. Dex walks into the hatchet range, and the cops all turn and look at him.

Chase says, Dex made it, and shakes his hand. He’s glad Dex is here. Dex thanks Chase for inviting him, and Chase says, Dex worked his tail off on the job standard test today. He deserves a few beers. Dex says, looks like there are a couple of guys in here who think he deserves one of those – he points to a hatchet – to the back of the head, and Chase says, some of them probably do. And some of them just look like that all the time. But Dex is here to celebrate the end of Chase’s bachelorhood – he gets louder – and Dex is here on his invitation. So it is officially time for Dex to kick back and enjoy. Dex thanks him, and Chase says, he’d tell Dex, any day, but if he keeps performing like he did this morning on the GSD, he’s not going to need anybody running interference for him.

Finn asks Anna if every recruit has to run the gauntlet, and she nods. He says he supposes she has more than five cops on the force, and she says, Dex might get more attention than the others, but his last job was riding shotgun for Sonny. Is Finn’s dad going to come here tonight? He says, no. He’s home with Violet and the sitter, which reminds him, he can’t stay out much longer than midnight tonight. She says, he turns into a pumpkin? and he says, yeah, and that’s when the sitter leaves.

Lois says, please tell her that they’re good to go, and Spinelli says, it was more complicated… Maxie clears her throat, and Spinelli hands Lois a microphone and says, take it away, boss. Lois welcomes everybody and says, in case she hasn’t met them yet, don’t worry, she will. She’s Lois Cerullo and she’s the mother of the bride. And tonight, they’re celebrating Brook Lynn. Everyone applauds, and Lois says she can’t tell them how proud she is of her daughter. She is juggling the music biz, the beauty biz, and true love, and she’s doing such a beautiful job, in spite of her family. We can be a lot. Tracy says, there’s no we, but Lois says, there is a we. Anyway – she walks over to Brook – Brook brings out the best in all of them and she wishes she could take credit for that, but she can’t. Because for the first time she ever looked at this beautiful face, she knew she was the lucky one to be her mother. So they are all so lucky to have Brook in their lives. Chase is a lucky man. Brook says she’s lucky too, but Lois says, come on. This is her night. Chase is having his own night. And by the way, if anyone wants to see any baby pictures of Brook, she has her phone… Olivia says, okay, okay, wrestling the mic from her. Let the games begin.

Jordan says, not only is Curtis standing, but he’s throwing hatchets better than everybody else? and Curtis says he worked on his arms in physical therapy too. He also did a lot of processing. He thought he was never going to walk again. Now that he is, there are some things he wants to do, places he wants to go. He wants to walk, run, climb, hike, swim, and there’s some people he wants to give his time and energy to. Jordan says, and some people he doesn’t? and he says, yeah. There are some things he thought were important before that just don’t seem to matter now. There were chances he took where the reward was never going to match the risk, and he doesn’t know if it was fate, the universe, or whatever, but he has new opportunity for a reset and he doesn’t want to waste it. She says, here is to fate, the universe, and that reset. No one deserves it more. He thanks her, when Drew approaches. He says, excuse him. Jordan is up. She says she guesses she is and walks to the throwing spot with him.

Jordan asks if she and Drew said they were going to play against each other, and he tells her that they didn’t say they weren’t. She says she has no idea what she’s doing, and he says, it’s a bachelor party, so just go ahead – he hands her a hatchet – and throw. She’s got this. She hits the outermost circle and says, that was awful. He says, that was not awful. Most people hit outside the board the first time. That was actually pretty good. She thanks him and thanks him for the save, and he says he has no idea what she’s talking about. She says, don’t misunderstand. She’s happy for Curtis. His recovery is a miracle. He says, but it’s still not easy running into your ex in public. He gets it. She says, he can tell, huh? and he says, only because he’s been there. You’ve got to hang out with your ex, and you’ve got to talk about how things are going and put that smile on your face like your life depends on it. She says she’s been smiling for so long, she thought her face would cramp up, and he says, then there’s the conversation. She says, I’ve moved on, you’ve moved on. Isn’t moving on the best? He says, but you’re happy right? Because I’m so happy too. So happy it hurts.

The women play Pictionary, and Maxie draws what looks like a crude mushroom. Sasha says, table, and Maxie says, this is a wedding theme, and adds something. Lois says, hors d’oeuvres tray, and Maxie says, close. Sasha says, it’s a cake tray, and Maxie says, she’s getting warmer. Blaze says, cake pedestal, and Maxie says, finally. Willow draws next, and various answers are yelled out – rose petals, cookies, a sachet, pearls, a gown and peignoir. Olivia says, bird seed, and Willow points to her. Everyone cheers.

Brook reads from a folded paper: Hotel Bergamot, Ithaca, walking in and finding Brook a little overwhelmed, but completely determined with a baby in her arms. Tracy says, that’s not Lois? and Lois says, no. Liv? Olivia says, not her, and Brook says she’ll give them a hint. She called her cousin Michael for a ride, and he brought the person he trusts most in this world. They all say, Willow. Brook reads: Standing on stage at the Nurses Ball, watching Linc Brown get escorted out by Detective Dante Falconari, courtesy of Brook Lynn’s epic takedown. Kristina says, Blaze, and Blaze says, one of her favorite moments ever. Brook says, hers too, and Tracy says, excellent. Spinelli starts some music as the women sit in a circle, passing a bouquet around. Apparently, whoever ends up with it when the music stops is out. The group thins out until it’s just Lois and Tracy passing it back and forth. Lois ends up with the bouquet, and Brook says, the winner and champion, granny. Tracy takes a bow, and Lois hands her the bouquet, saying, here’s your prize.

Tracy tosses the bouquet next to Spinelli’s laptop and says, Mr. Spinelli. She’d like to know the truth please. Was he instructed to make sure she won? He assures her that he was completely impartial, and she says, uh-huh. Well, if she ever finds herself at an event again where he is DJ, she’d better not win. Is she clear? He says, crystal.

Blaze says she’s seen Sasha’s Deception campaign. She’s going to be a hard act to follow. Sasha says, nothing Blaze can’t handle. She’s going to be great. Stick with Maxie. She knows what she’s doing. Blaze says she saw Sasha on Home & Heart. She made it look really easy. Sasha says, it’s easy when the products are great, and the people are really great too… most of the time. Blaze asks why she left, and Sasha says, it was time for a change, and honestly, she got tired of worrying about her looks all the time. She’s sure Blaze knows what she’s talking about, since she’s a performer. Blaze says, ugh. It can be exhausting worrying about what the public sees when they look at you. Sasha says, it can be a lot easier when you have someone special standing beside you, and Blaze says, it really is. Kristina touches Blaze’s arm.

Spinelli takes photos of the women in pairs and in groups, holding props. Lois tells Tracy that she looks like nobody paid her ransom, and Tracy asks if she’s supposed to be enjoying this. Kristina kisses Blaze, and he takes a photo.

Dante says, since they’ve all savaged the fact Chase isn’t a regular bachelor, they thought the typical bachelor party gifts would end up in an attic somewhere that his kids discover in twenty years or a landfill. They decided to get him a couple of things that were a little more meaningful. So take this out of his hand right now. It was painful to get for him. He’ll understand as soon as he opens it up. Chase removes the tissue from the giftbag and takes out a baseball in a display box. He says, are they kidding him? The Red Sox World Series champs. Dante says, just remember, the Yankees have won the Series 27 times. It’s still Red Sox 9. They have a lot of catching up to do. Chase says, that doesn’t make this any less sweet. He thanks Dante, and Dante tells him, congratulations, hugging him. Finn says, this is nowhere near as spectacular, but it’s from his family. They love him and couldn’t be happier for him. He hands Chase a box and says, Violet picked it out. Chase says, she did? but Finn tells him that he just said that. He couldn’t decide and she picked those. Chase opens a jewelry box and finds cufflinks. He says, Finn’s daughter’s got good taste, and Finn says, Chase does too. Brook is special. Chase says, doesn’t he know it, and Finn tells him, congratulations, and they hug. Chase thanks them all for not putting him through the ordeal of opening bachelor appropriate gifts. The real gift is having them all here celebrating with him. And yes, he knows Brook is way too good for him, but he still gets to marry her. Anna says, to Chase and Brook Lynn, and they all clink beer bottles. On the outskirts of the crowd, Dex looks lost. He goes up to a group, but they ignore him. Dante notices.

Josslyn tells Trina that it’s an open bar and the drinks are Brook Lynn Chasers. She goes to the bar, and nearly collides with Kristina, who’s on her way back. Kristina says, sorry about that, but Josslyn says, it’s fine, and continues to the bar. Kristina tells Blaze, that couldn’t have been more awkward, and Blaze says, not true. Kristina could have doused Josslyn with her drink. Kristina says she thought about it. Lois sees Trina and says she’s so glad Trina made it. Brook says, her too, and thanks Trina for coming, hugging her. Trina says, this place looks great, and Brook says, in large part to Josslyn, as Josslyn returns with the drinks. Josslyn says she was just taking orders. This is so exciting. Does Brook have any nerves? Brook says she does, but she’s been downing these Brook Lynn Chasers all night and never felt better. Lois asks them to tell her what they think, and Josslyn and Trina sip their drinks. Josslyn says she thinks they’re going to have some fun, and Lois says, the bar is open all night long. Unfortunately, they just finished the games… Olivia says, they’re doing more games later, but right now, they’re doing the gifts.

Brook opens an envelope and reads, a day of relaxation at the MetroCourt spa. Josslyn and Trina did perfect. She’s going to save it until after the honeymoon, because she’s going to have so much jet lag when they get back, she’s going to need some extra pampering. Trina asks where they’re going, and Brook says, Florence. Can they believe it? She’s wanted to go there her entire life and Chase surprised her. Lois says, this one is from her, handing Brook a jewelry box, and Brook opens it, seeing a vintage ring, a flower set with gemstones. Lois says, when Brook was a little girl, she used to always go through Lois’s jewelry box and try everything on, all her necklaces, her bracelets, her rings. All the real stuff and the costume jewelry, but this one was always her favorite, so now it’s hers. Brook hugs her and thanks her for everything.

Brennan asks if Dex has a death wish, and Dex says, death wish? Brennan says, whether or not Dex makes it through the academy and gets his badge, Sonny Corinthos never forgets. Dante asks if everything is cool, and Brennan says, it’s cool. Just giving the would-be rookie some advice. He leaves and Dante asks nearby group if they know Dex. Dex is one of the reasons he’s still alive and able to be here and keep them all in line. There’s little reaction, and Dex thanks him for trying. Dante says, Dex should probably be prepared for that to continue happening if he gets on the force.

Chase tells Finn that he appreciates the gift and the speech, and he won’t forget the gesture if Finn ever tries to take the leap again. Michael says he thinks Finn can make some woman moderately happy, and Finn laughs. Chase says he agrees with Michael, except not the moderate part. Finn deserves to have someone great in his life. Finn says he does have someone great in his life, but he knows what Chase means. Maybe he’s starting to believe that might be true. Chase says, believe it, when Ned taps a hatchet against his glass to get everyone’s attention. He says, for those of them who don’t know, he’s Ned Quartermaine, father of the bride. He tells Chase, since the dreaded day his daughter reached dating age, one thing has been abundantly clear. No one is good enough for her. But Chase comes closer than anybody ever has. Welcome to the family. They all raise their glasses and bottles, and Curtis says, most people know Chase the cop, but as a nightclub owner, he knows Chase the reluctant superstar. They laugh, and Curtis says, so here’s to Chase and Brook Lynn, bringing out the best in each other, on stage and off. They all say, cheers, and Dante says, and to his partner, even though he’s a Red Sox fan… He didn’t know until they started working together. He walks over to Chase and says, he’s more than a partner. He’s family. To you, brother, and to the life you’re about to embark on with your beautiful bride that you so richly deserve. Cheers. He clinks his bottle against Chase’s, and Chase thanks him. Everybody is cheersing and clinking and Chase couldn’t look happier.

Brook says, are they dancing or what? and Maxie says, hit it, Spinelli. Spinelli says, consider it – he hits the play key – hit, and the music starts. Brook dances up to Tracy and says, granny, would you do me the honor of this dance? Tracy says, Brook knows she doesn’t dance, but she’s certainly touched that Brook asked her. From the way she speaks, it looks like she’s been touched by those drinks as well. Brook says, let’s go, Trina, and takes Trina’s hand. You’re up. They go out onto the floor, while Lois and Olivia dance on the sidelines, and Olivia says, they’re great out there, aren’t they? Lois says, yeah. Too bad they don’t know what they’re doing though. This is even funnier seeing it, since their moves are outdated, and frankly, a little odd. They both yell, Bensonhurst in the house! and dance out onto the floor. This is the signal that gets everybody out there dancing. Kristina puts her hand on her stomach, and Blaze asks, what’s the matter? and Kristina says she felt the baby kick. Blaze says she wishes she could stay, but Kristina tells her, no. You have to go. Blaze says, Kristina is right. She does, but don’t forget, Kristina owes her a dance. She gives Kristina a quick kiss and leaves. Josslyn tells Tracy, come on. Let’s show them how it’s done. Tracy says, excuse me? and Josslyn says, this is Brook’s party. Tracy’s got to celebrate with her. Tracy sips her drink.

Josslyn says, if her grandmother was here, she’d be out on the floor, and Tracy says, you know what? You are so right. Bobbie would be. And she’ll have Josslyn know that the Spencers are not the only people who can rise to the occasion. Look out. She pushes Josslyn aside and dances out on to the floor, much to the delight of everyone, especially Brook. They start to say, go Tracy… go Tracy… and even Spinelli gets into the spirit. Kristina walks to the bar, and again, nearly walks into Josslyn. Kristina says, twice in one night. Is Josslyn following her? Josslyn says, my bad, and Kristina says she doesn’t know what Josslyn’s problem is with her, but she might as well just drop it. It’s not working. Josslyn says, her problem with Kristina is that she refuses to see her dad for who he really is, and she goes on and on like it’s some fairytale about Sonny Corinthos and completely ignores all the damage that he’s caused. Or tell her. Does Kristina really not know what he did to Dex?

Anna says she saw what Dante did with Dex and the guys just now, and Dante says he does feel like he owes Dex. Dex did keep him alive until the paramedics showed up. She says, but it’s also it’s the kind of thing Dante would do because he’s Dante, and he says he has to wonder if Dex’s connection to Sonny would trump any qualifications he has for joining the force. These guys aren’t going to let him off the hook. They’re all going to think he’s giving intel to Sonny. She says, Dex is going to have to prove himself, isn’t he? And she can’t help but wonder if Dante is worried that Dex would give the PCPD intel that would bring his father down. He looks at her, and she says, go join the party. Leave Dex to her. Finn asks if he can have everyone’s attention for a moment. They have a very special guest with them tonight. Some of them might now her as the other woman in Chase’s life. They’re all like, whoa, and Blaze runs in. She hugs Chase, and everyone applauds.

Blaze says she hopes they don’t mind her crashing their party, but when your former duet partner marries your current manager, you’ve got to celebrate, with a toast or buy a round or two. Finn puts a beer bottle in her hand, and she says, Chase is the kind of partner you dream about, and Brennan says, they have different dreams. Everyone laughs, and Blaze says, God, I hope so. Chase brings things to the stage that few ever can. First of all, he brings that incredible voice, but he also brings calm. And his calm creates a space where you can be great. It’s one of the most generous gifts she’s ever experienced in her career, and she’s sure they’ve all experienced the same generosity working with him. She loves Brook and she knows he’s going to be so great for her, because he already is for the rest of them. So let’s drink to this guy and the wedding to come. It’s gonna be one to remember. Once more, there are cheers and clinks.

Trina tells Willow that she’s having such a good time. Can they take a selfie? (I want to know what’s in that drink.) Willow says, of course (🍷), and Trina takes the photo. She says she didn’t think she wanted to come to the party, but her Aunt Stella insisted she come, and she was right. On the dance floor, Olivia says, they’ve still got it, and Lois says, they’ve more than got it. They’re teaching a masterclass out here. And they’ve got a happy Brook Lynn. Olivia says, they did it. The party’s a huge success. Lois says, it ain’t over until she’s dancing with her husband at the reception, and Olivia says, hallelujah. Kristina tells Josslyn, don’t drop your issues on me just because you’re drunk, and Josslyn says, excuse me? Kristina says she knows Josslyn has been drinking, and obviously, now she’s saying what she’s been waiting to say. It doesn’t even make sense. Dex doesn’t even work for her dad anymore. Josslyn says, does she want to know why Dex doesn’t work for her dad anymore? It’s the same reason she and Dex aren’t together. Kristina says, and why is that? Because he couldn’t stand her holier-than-thou attitude and her virtue signaling either? Josslyn says, no. It’s because Kristina’s beloved father send Dex to kill Cyrus when he was in the hospital. She guesses it wasn’t enough for Sonny to almost kill him with his bare hands in the church. He sent Dex to go finish the job. Maybe Kristina can live with that, but she can’t.

Tomorrow, Jordan asks Drew if she can confess something; Violet tells Finn that he has to help grandpa; Dex asks if Anna has changed her mind about him joining the PCPD; and Josslyn tells Jason that she did something she really regrets.

Vanderpump Rules

James is working on a baseline, and Ally says she didn’t sleep well. The cats kept trying to open the door. Jax stops by and says, it feels like he’s in Palm Springs. A plane goes by, and Ally says she’s used to living by an airport, but James doesn’t love it. In James’s interview, he says he and Jax have come a long way. They hated each other when they worked at SUR. We flash back to that, and James says, when Jax said he wanted to host a night at SUR, he thought, baby steps, and suggested brunch. Jax wants to get back in the ring. He misses SUR. James tells him that everyone is coming, and Jax says, Katie has been putting his picture around and telling everyone that he cheated on his wife. That she had to come after him pissed him off. In his interview, James says he hopes Jax isn’t cheating on Brittany, but Jax has a checkered past. He’s got to go with Katie out of history. James asks what Jax expects, and Jax says, to have fun, but he doesn’t know what he’s getting into, what his relationship is with Lisa. James says he feels the respect is broken, but Jax says he’s not bowing down to Lisa. James says, maybe he should bring flowers, and Jax says, be the bigger person. He can do that. Can he really?

Scheana and Summer are working on the alphabet, when Brittany comes over. In Scheana’s interview, she says she’s known Brittany a day less than Jax, and they’ve been so close ever since. They were pregnant at the same time, and their kids were born just weeks apart. Not many of Scheana’s friends get it like Brittany does. They can both talk about their husbands and the sh*t their husbands put them through at home. Brittany asks if Scheana is having any more children, but Scheana isn’t keen on the idea. Brittany says, this month, they’re officially trying, and Scheana says she figures Summer will start asking when she sees Ocean and Cruz have siblings. She tells Brittany that Brock has been getting on her nerves lately, and we flash back to that. She thinks he got offended about their date night anniversary. She thought they were planning a big thing. It’s not that she doesn’t want to go to dinner with him, but they can do that anytime. He said, but they don’t do it anytime.

Brock goes out for coffee with Luke, and says, Scheana knows they need a nanny, but she doesn’t want a stranger in the house or taking care of their kid. But he needs it so he can step away. It adds tension to the relationship with Scheana being the main breadwinner. Luke says, Brock knew that coming in, and Brock says, since they sold the gym, they’re not hustling anymore. In Brock’s interview, he says he thought he was going to be a farmer. Then growing up, he played rugby and always had eyes on the horizon. The hardest thing is knowing he’s not bringing in money. A career gives him more purpose. He wants to live up to the standard he set for himself.

Scheana tells Brittany about Brock disliking not bringing in the money, and Brittany says she could tell there was a shift when it happened with her and Jax. They were fighting more about it. A lot of family men don’t express that. Scheana says she thinks that’s what it is, and in Scheana’s interview, she says, the standards men and women feel they have to meet have a misogynist old appeal. Why can’t there be a stay-at-home dad with the woman making the money? It should be however it works for you. She tells Brittany that her OCD and anxiety were bad, and she got on Zoloft. Brittany asks if she’s still taking it, but Scheana says, no. It made her feel tired and she needed her energy for Summer. Brittany asks if it’s been worse since summer, and Scheana says, so much worse. She’s having intrusive thoughts. She trusts Brock – he’s amazing – but people make comments about him and Lala, and tell her, watch out. And her brain goes there even though she doesn’t believe it. So when she thinks of getting a nanny, she thinks, imagine if your husband left you for the nanny. She hates it when her brain goes there. Brittany says, she’ll get through this. She’ll figure something out. Scheana says she will.

Katie and Schwartz meet at Mel’s Diner, and in Katie’s interview, she says, part of her wants some type of friendship with Schwartz. Having spent so much time with him and then becoming strangers, she can’t wrap her head around that. Schwartz says he’s in a good mood, and Katie says she’s seeing a lot of things happening, like his hair. He asks if she likes it, and she asks why he did it. He says he felt something deep within. He’s getting a tattoo. Does she want to come? She asks how did his hair, and he says, Jo and Lena. They asked him to post a photo for the salon. He tells her about what happened with Jo, and says he was clear that he didn’t want to date or have a girlfriend. They’re taking a break from hanging out. Jo asked if was embarrassed of her and it made him feel sad. Katie says, it’s his own fault for being elusive, and he says he’s in a weird place. He asks if she’s looking for a life partner or just having fun, and she says she doesn’t know. He asks how her date with Tori was, and she says, good. Tori liked her more than Schwartz. They banter about who Tori likes more, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says he thinks this is Katie’s way of saying she misses hanging out. It’s their post-divorce love language. She’s dating the women he wants to date. Katie asks if Schwartz is trying to compete with her, and he says, maybe subconsciously. She says, he wanted a hair glow up because she had one, and he says he must have missed that.

Brock and Scheana go out to eat, and Scheana tells Brock that he looks handsome. When he was getting dressed, she was looking at his juicy bootie. She brought toys for the hotel. In Scheana’s interview, she says, she’s been looking forward to their anniversary. They’ve been at each other’s throats, but they made the decision to marry, and this is her person for life. She was smart this time and got a prenup, but she doesn’t even know where it is. She doesn’t think she’ll need it this time around. She tells him that they need more one on one date nights. At home, they’re exhausted or at each other, and he wants to escape. He says that he spoke to Luke about it. When he moved to the US, he visualized what he’d be doing, but he didn’t make it in the NFL. He’s not successful and she’s the main breadwinner. He wants to take the pressure off so she can enjoy herself. Scheana says he does that when he’s available and present for their daughter when she has to work. He needs to put his manliness and ego aside. Maybe this is his second chance at being a dad. She tears up and Brock gets emotional. He says he can’t believe they’re crying, and in Brock’s interview, he says he doesn’t want a pity party, but when he thinks back to being a parent to his other two… We flash back to Brock’s child support and visitation troubles, and he says, if he could talk to his 19-year-old self, he’d say, you’ll figure it out. Now he wants to work on building a relationship with his older kids, so maybe one day they’ll bring him back into their lives. Scheana says, Brock is tenacious and the most amazing person. He doesn’t see how much he’s worth. It makes her feel like they’re not enough. A server comes with a sparkler in a cake for their anniversary, and Brock says he thinks they need to have more conversations with the therapist. He loves her. She says she loves him too, and they kiss. Aww!

Schwartz tells Sandoval, the show pony is here. Come saddle up. Sandoval jumps over the door to get into the car, and I’m just like, ugh. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, this is no mid-life crisis. It’s a mid-life revival. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, it’s a trashy mid-life crisis. Like he should talk. His mid-life crisis is trashy, messy, painful, you name it. They go to a tattoo parlor to meet artist Rusty. Schwartz says he’s getting a tattoo of Gordo and Butters, and in his interview, Schwartz says he loves tattoos. We flash back to his getting one with Katie’s nickname and changing another one to LVP. He says, now it’s Gordo and Butters. He’s becoming the tattoo guy. They talk about going to San Francisco, and Schwartz says, Ariana is coming. Sandoval says he thinks they’re sitting together, which I find doubtful. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, Kyle Chan is releasing a whiskey and invited them. We see a clip with Kyle, and Schwartz says, it’s a big deal. They’re bringing in statues and it’s on an island. They have to take a boat. It’s crazy. Schwartz asks if there’s an update on the house, and Sandoval says he thinks they can live together. Schwartz says, the bar almost ruined him, and in his interview, he says his last high-stake venture with Sandoval is still haunting him. Sandoval says he has a soda gun and beer taps. If he can live with his ex… The stool he’s sitting on pops out a spring or something and he ends up face down on the floor, which is pretty damn amusing. Schwartz says, it’s karma, and Sandoval says, he’s getting a lot these days.

Ally and James go to the Face Gym, and in James’s interview, he says he’s not about plastic surgery. This is natural. Tight is important. It looks like a weird kind of facial/face massage, and the woman says, it’s like 600 sit-ups for your face. In his interview, James says he does have pretty boy energy. Ask his mom. Ally asks if he’s texted anyone about pet sitting, and in James’s interview, he says, they were planning on going out of town to Ohio for Ally’s best friend’s wedding, but Hippie just got back and there hasn’t been enough time for him to be comfortable finding a stranger to watch him. James is worried that no one will know how to separate the cats and the dog, and Ally suggests giving someone a chance. She doesn’t want to get in the habit of not going anywhere. She made a sacrifice of not sleeping with the cats. He has to make compromises somewhere.

Ariana works out on the treadmill as she talks to new boyfriend Dan. She asks if he’s coming to San Francisco, and he asks if that’s what she wants. She says, yes, please. They don’t have to hang out with everybody, but she thinks it will be great when it’s bedtime. He asks if she’s coming for the cuddles. Craig asks to come in and get a few things and asks how long she thinks she’ll be. She says, another ten minutes, and he leaves. She tells Dan, that’s the assistant, and Dan asks if she heard back about the counteroffer. She says, no, but the assistant asked if they could have the downstairs to meet with a realtor. Dan says, at least it’s moving along. She says she hopes so, and he says, if not, how does she recover?  

The girls get together at SUR, and Schwartz and Sandoval show up. Katie calls Schwartz Ken Doll, and Scheana wants to see the tattoo. She says, it’s so cute, and I have to admit, it is. James is meeting Lisa about the brunch idea, and Lisa tells her partner that Jax disrespected her publicly. We hear a clip of Jax smack talking Lisa on a podcast. He’s dead to me. James comes to the table, and Lisa says she didn’t know he was hosting with Jax. In Lisa’s interview, she says, it was pretty detrimental, and she’s given him many chances. We flash back to some of Jax’s stupid behavior, and she says, if he’s going to negate her publicly, why have an event at her restaurant? Jax joins them and asks if he can sit. She says, if he has to, and he says he does if she doesn’t mind. She says she kind of does, and he asks if she wants him to stand. She says she doesn’t want him here, acting like everything is cool and cozy, when he said she was superfluous on the podcast. He says he doesn’t know what that word means, and James looks it up, telling him it means unnecessary. Lisa tells him that she could have said he wasn’t needed, and he whines that she hasn’t checked in with him and Brittany for some time. She wrote him off after 10 years, over something he said wrong in the heat of the moment. He apologizes, and James wants to move on. He’s got to DJ. He asks if it’s okay for Jax to stay, and Jax asks if he can give Lisa a hug. He says he loves her and hugs her, and Lisa says she kind of loves him too, but he’s kind of f***ing annoying.

James does his thing, and Jax wanders over to the girls’ table. Lala says, it’s a blast from her present, and in Katie’s interview, she says she’s not a fan of Jax. When you need to talk about how much you’ve changed and need to sell yourself, it’s lies. Jax says he’s not a gossiper and they all laugh, all the viewers no doubt laughing with them. Jax asks if Ariana is aware Schwartz may be moving into her home. We see a clip of Schwartz telling Jax that he got an indecent proposal and not to tell anyone. Wow. Schwartz is denser than I thought. Might as well put it on a billboard. Jax asks if Ariana is okay, and Ariana says she’d love to know where her money is. Lala suggests they’re getting Ariana out and taking over. In Ariana’s interview, she says, once she gets what’s rightfully hers, she doesn’t give a f***. They can call it the Mojo Dojo Kaka House for the next century. At the bar, James asks if Sandoval wants to come back to the house after this.

At James’s house, Jax says he’s got a babysitter, and his wife isn’t home, so he’s ready to have fun. The guys go into the backyard, and Katie says she and Ally had dinner. She asked how it was going with Hippie and the cats, and Ally feels she’s made sacrifices. We see a clip of Ally telling Katie that her best friend’s wedding is in Ohio, and now James can’t go. Katie says, James only wants Harry to watch the dogs, and Harry is busy. James joins them and asks, what’s up? Katie says, Ally mentioned how important the wedding is and that she was looking forward to him being there. James says his brother is out of town, and Katie suggests he get someone else, but James says, maybe next year. He’s not ready yet. Lala says, Ally supports him with everything, and she’s taken on a dog she didn’t sign up for. Katie says, they all have animals. It’s not like they don’t understand. James says, Hippie is his furbaby. They’ve got babies. How many nannies have they gone through? He doesn’t trust anybody. Ariana says she understands, and James says he’s not going to let anything keep them apart. In James’s interview, he says, no one else understands. His and Hippie’s souls are literally joined. He wants to baby and take care of him. Aww! I understand, James. Lala says, like she doesn’t understand dropping her baby off with a random woman, and in her interview, she says, don’t compare it to her finding childcare. It’s clear that in the relationship, James comes first and Ally second. She can’t allow a man to ever come first.

Outside, Jax says he’s gonna drink, and Scheana suggests that every time Jax says he’s a dad, they take a drink. They’re going to be f***ed up. James tells Schwartz that Jax was talking sh*t about Katie, and Schwartz says, Jax isn’t happy about her reddit. In Katie’s interview, she says, there have been rumors on the internet that thousands saw. Now Jax is blaming her for the rumors being out there. The man doesn’t know how the internet works. Jax rants about Katie doing this to his family, and in her interview, Katie says, Jax has always been completely unhinged. We flash back to Jax being unhinged, and she says, that’s why she doesn’t f*** with him. She feels bad for Brittany, but her husband is disgusting.

Schwartz tells Ariana that he wants to address something. Jax promised not to say anything about him moving in, but he’s not going to live there. He can’t afford it. After Sandoval’s refinance at 10%, it’s another $22,000. In Ariana’s interview, she says, this is hands down the most expensive bromance in history. Schwartz says, she’d hate him if he moved in, but she says, no. He says he thought she’d strike him down in vengeance, and Ariana says, when she’s out, someone has to pay the mortgage. Sandoval comes out with James and Kyle, and Scheana tells Brock that it’s Summer’s bedtime, and she’d like to put her down. Brock says he thought they were here for a fun time, but she says she had a fun time. Brock says, the problem is, she doesn’t want a nanny, and Scheana says she wants to read the Halloween book to Summer. She wants those moments. She tells Kyle that she’ll come by with the band and they can go over everything. She asks if Sandoval has heard her song, and Sandoval says, it’s not about the pasta song. It’s just been a lot from her. She says he has to understand that what he did to Ariana f***ed her up. So, as he put it, she decided to capitalize on it. Sandoval says, she’s 100 times more reactive than Ariana. All she had to do was not do that. Scheana says, all he had to do was not bring it up, and he says, she wasn’t cheated on. Scheana says, Raquel filed a restraining order, and off to the side, Ariana says, there’s a lot of male yelling going on and it’s making her uncomfortable. Sandoval says, it’s like if he steps on Kyle’s shoes and Kyle burns his house down. Scheana is acting more entitled to talk about the events in his life than he is. Ariana says she’s worried about Scheana, and Scheana says, now her thoughts are f***ed up. She worries about Brock and her best friend and Sandoval did that. She’s going home. Sandoval says, Scheana’s been the other woman, and she tells him, f*** you. Lala says, hell no, and Scheana says, she was 21 and it was in 2006. He’s f***ing 40. Sandoval says, she still did it, and there are lots of bleeps. Lala says, this is where she goes insane, and Katie says, he’s such a gross person. Ariana doesn’t want Scheana to leave like that and follows her out. She tells Scheana that everyone loves her, and they hug while Scheana cries. James criticizes Sandoval for bringing up bullsh*t from the past, and Sandoval asks if they aren’t trying to move on. Scheana leaves.

Next time, San Francisco; Schwartz asks Katie for one last time, a one-night stand; and Katie cries.

🍼 Volatile Valley…

This week, poor Brittany ended up getting shoved into a wall as collateral damage, and producers had to step in before there was a knockdown, drag out brawl. Ah, family life in suburbia.

I’m guessing this is the picture Jax claimed Katie was showing around.

Flashback to better days. Or were they?

🛸 Distant Encounters Of the Fifth Kind…

Join me tomorrow for soap and TBD. Until then, stay safe, stay not believing there is anything fashionable in being late, and stay laughing a lot and forgiving a lot.

April 16, 2024 – Laura Wants Sonny Prosecuted, Sandoval Just Gets More Awful, Down In the Valley & Sometimes

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maxie puts two bags on her desk, and one falls over, spilling everything onto the floor. She says, given the kind of day she’s had, that tracks. She starts picking it up, and says, it’s the perfect end to a whole lot of perfect days. She screams into her sleeve, and Felicia says, that’s how she felt when she watched the Deception spot on Home & Heart today. Maxie says, thank you, and gives a thumbs up. Felicia says, after watching Lucy’s performance, she would have bet any money that Lucy would be the one face down on the floor, and Maxie says, is Felicia kidding her? Lucy only knows where the floor is because sometimes, she drops a gummi on it. The word star was used to describe Lucy’s performance today. Felicia says, by who? and Maxie says, Lucy, of course (🍷). She might breathe the same air, but she’s not one of them.

Jordan and Laura walk into Jordan’s office, and Laura says, if Jordan isn’t comfortable with it, it’s not a legal requirement. Jordan says she just has to live with it a minute to get used to the idea. She has protection on all of her accounts and credit cards, and now she just needs to upload her entire tax return and send it to the city council? Laura says she knows. It makes you feel vulnerable, doesn’t it? Jordan says, as former police chief, it makes her feel stupid, and at risk. Laura says, if she decides not to do it, she won’t think any less of Jordan. As a matter of fact, the Quartermaine who was the last mayor, she doesn’t think he sent any of his tax returns to the council any year. Jordan says she can’t say she blames him, and Laura says, Ned didn’t see the need for transparency, but when she took over as mayor that city business should be. So she turned her tax returns over to the city council every year, and in return, they accused her of all kinds of things, but never of being a crook. Jordan says, if it’s okay with Laura, she’ll scan the documents herself. She doesn’t want them floating around the office. Laura tells her to do whatever she wants to do here. There is one more thing she’d like to discuss with Jordan, but it’s a little bit more of a touchy subject. Jordan says, touchier than sharing her finances with a bunch of strangers? and Laura says, it’s about her brother. Jordan says, Martin? but Laura says, Cyrus.

Josslyn and Trina jog to a bench area in the park, and Josslyn asks if Trina needs to take a break. Trina says, unless Josslyn wants to carry her the rest of the way. Why did she let Josslyn talk her into this? Josslyn says, because Trina loves her and missed running with her, and Trina says she does, but she also hates Josslyn a little. Can they walk? Josslyn says, of course (🍷). They can also call a car and go home and have some pizza. She thinks a few more runs and Trina will have her mojo back. Trina says she doesn’t think it’s ever coming back, no matter what she does, but Josslyn tells her, don’t say that. She hasn’t been exactly where Trina is now, but she knows how heavy grief can be. It can weigh you down. When you move, you get stronger, and it gives your brain a chance to reset. Trina says, it’s like your fighting for survival, right? and Josslyn says, that’s part of it. Trina says she appreciates Josslyn. Sometimes she gets in a rut, but Josslyn just reminded her of a way to get out of it. Josslyn says, Trina is the best friend she’s ever had, and she’s stronger than she knows. She just wants Trina to be able to see it for herself. What can she say? She loves Trina. Train says she loves Josslyn too, and Josslyn says she misses running with Trina. And she misses living with her. The dorm is so sad. They see Dex walking toward them.

At Pizzulo’s, Sonny tells Brick that they have to talk out in the restaurant. A VIP has taken over his office. Brick asks, who’s more important than Sonny? and Sonny says, Avery. She’s doing her homework. What does Brick have for him? Brick says, a couple of his men went after Cates in the manner they discussed, and the meeting was interrupted when a good Samaritan drove up. Sonny says, a good Samaritan who just happened to be driving around the waterfront? and Brick says, yeah, but not before they finished the work on Cates. Sonny asks where the work was taking place, and Brick says, about a block away from Sonny’s coffee warehouse.

TJ finds Gregory in an exam room and apologizes for keeping him waiting. Gregory says he didn’t know TJ was. He thought Dr. Cramer was keeping him waiting. TJ says, Dr. Cramer was called the ER for an emergency consult and asked if he could handle his late appointments. With Gregory’s consent of course (🍷). Gregory says he’s already here, so let’s do this. On the condition TJ calls him Gregory and not Mr. Chase. TJ says he can do that, and Gregory says, good. His appointments with Dr. Cramer go almost the same way every time, so this might be a nice change of pace. TJ says he’ll do his best, and Gregory says, it shouldn’t be hard. He knows the drill. TJ will ask him if he’s had a fall since his last appointment and if he did, how many times did he fall and how badly did he hurt himself? What were the circumstances just prior to the fall? Is there anything specific that might have triggered it? TJ laughs.

Felicia tells Maxie, it wasn’t all that bad. Sasha slid in and saved the day, right? Maxie says, yeah. Sasha saved their sales, even dressed as a stable hand, and Scott ran interference with Lucy which earned him a distinguished service medal. Felicia asks, then why was Maxie on the floor, face down yelling into a rug? and Maxie says she dropped some stuff and when she got down on the floor to pick it up, she just sort of went with it. Felicia says she usually yells into a pillow. What’s going on? Maxie says, lately, she just feels like maybe there are too many personalities around here, and Felicia says, she must be talking about Lucy obviously, but is there a next runner-up? Maxie says, it’s really hard to rank them, but everyone is tired of Lucy. Tracy is tired of all of them. Sasha’s willing to pinch hit, but she’s tired of Deception. And let’s face it, Brook is never tired of music management or planning her wedding, but Deception is coming in a distant third on her priority list. Felicia says, so Maxie is taking care of the entire business herself, and Maxie says she can’t really blame Brook for being so focused on her wedding. Chase’s dad is sick. Hey, the accountants say Deception is finally in the black. Although you’d never be able to tell from looking at her checkbook. Felicia says, while Maxie is taking care of everything at Deception, who’s taking care of her?

Brick says he doesn’t know what Cates was doing down at the waterfront last night, but he paid the price for it, and Sonny asks if he turned up at GH. Brick says, no. There was a discreet inquiry at GH, Mercy, and Founders Hospital, but there was no record of a Cates being admitted. However, he’s sure his guys roughed Cates up a little bit and they didn’t break any bones, but the message was definitely sent. Sonny says, he’d have to be smart enough to get that, and John Jagger Cates is not smart at all. He has no loyalty, no guts. When his brother, Stone, was dying of AIDS, where was Jagger? Nowhere to be found. Does Brick know why? Because he couldn’t handle it. Brick says, so Sonny stepped in, and Sonny says, yeah, he stepped in. He loved that kid. And he’d do it again. Brick says, and yet, Cates doesn’t seem to be overflowing with gratitude, and Sonny says, he just comes with hatred. Something’s wrong with the guy; there’s something missing. Brick says he can see that, and Sonny says, but he’s not smart. But why is it hard for him to believe Cates would think he’d be at the warehouse?… He knows why – Jason. Brick says, it’s hard for him to believe Jason’s working with Cates, and Sonny asks, why? Jason came to his house and told him to his face. He is an FBI informant. The dots between Cates and Jason are not hard to connect. Brick says, in his experience, sometimes you can connect the two wrong dots and it could lead to presenting a very misleading picture. Which brings him to Dex Heller.

Trina says she didn’t know Dex was staying in town, and Dex says, it’s good to see her. She says, him too. Is he working? Looking for a job? Josslyn says, Dex actually applied to the PCPD, and Trina says she wouldn’t have guessed that Sonny and the PCPD would be in the same career path. He says, it’s a bit of a career curve ball. The pay’s not great, but he wants to see if he can make it happen. She asks if that’s why he’s taking a last workout before dinner, and he says, it can’t hurt. Trina looks from Dex to Josslyn and says, come on, guys. She knows they broke up, but she doesn’t know why. But watching them right now, she thinks they don’t know either.

Maxie says she had her doubts about Deception, but at least they’re still in business, and things are looking better every month. As far as taking care of herself goes, that is not going quite as well. Felicia says, who are you and what have you done with Maxie? She used to never have trouble prioritizing self-care. Maxie says, Felicia means she was selfish and self-absorbed, but Felicia says, that’s not what she means. It’s good to put yourself first, but ever since Maxie’s been a mother, she’s always put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own. As Maxie’s mom, she has to say, it’s really starting to worry her. Maxie says she’s tired. She’s mad at everyone, and that is exhausting. Felicia tells her, you know what they say, it’s healthy to let go of your anger, and Maxie says, okay. She’s tired of being mad at Lucy for being Lucy. She’s tired of Tracy and her literal all-around impossibleness. She’s tired of being mad at Felicia for the whole Spinelli faking a flood in his apartment so he could move in thing, and she’s mad at Spinelli for going along with that. Felicia says, Maxie really has to let Spinelli off the hook. She really played up the fact that she was Maxie’s mom when she asked him, so he really didn’t have a choice. Maxie says, Felicia isn’t really helping with the whole less mad at her thing. And she’s really tired of Spinelli being the one guy she cares about, but she can’t let near her. Felicia asks if she hears herself, but Maxie says, of course (🍷) not. She’s doing more venting than listening. Felicia tells her that what she just said makes no sense. It’s completely illogical. Maxie says she’s illogical? That’s on Felicia. Felicia raised her to be polite and good with numbers. She didn’t raise Maxie to be logical.

Laura says, neither one of them is excited to talk about Cyrus, but she’d like to have Jordan’s input. Jordan says she’s the last person to ask. She can’t be objective. Laura says she knows Jordan and Cyrus have history. Jordan knew him before he and Laura knew they shared a father. Jordan says her goal was to put Cyrus in prison for crimes she knew he committed. She compromised herself in doing that, and he retaliated in ways that almost destroyed her. She can’t revisit that. Laura says, her feelings are completely justified. She’s found herself more than once looking over the list of horrible crimes that he’s committed, and some of them he’s been convicted for. Jordan says, and most of which he hasn’t, and Laura says she knows. It sometimes takes everything in her not to roll her eyes when he shows up on her doorstep and he’s quoting Scripture. She does know there are some hardened criminals though, that undergo a sort of a spiritual awakening. Jordan says, that’s usually in the time between their guilty verdict and their sentencing. She’s sorry. She’s showing her bias. Laura says, that’s okay. Most of those guys don’t end up sounding like Cyrus. Jordan says she’s not in a position to judge anyone. She falsified evidence to get Cyrus convicted. She’s not proud of it, but she’s not ashamed of it either. Laura says, Jordan thinks she doesn’t understand her motives? Really? Knowing what Jordan does know, does she think there’s any justification at all for what Sonny did to Cyrus? Jordan says, in her deepest, darkest fantasy, she may have dreamt about vigilante justice, but it’s not something she would go through with. She wants to trust the law. Laura says, and that’s her dilemma. It’s not with Cyrus. It’s with the man who nearly beat him to death with just his fists.

Dex says, it was great to see Trina, but he should get going, but Trina says, what happened? The three of them used to be so close, and now they’re just standing here like they met at a party three years ago. Josslyn says, they’ve all changed, and Trina says, they have changed. What happened to Spencer completely derailed her life, but here they are and they’re acting like they ain’t got nothing to say to each other. Josslyn says she thinks they just need a little time, but Trina asks if they’ve learned nothing from what she’s been through. You don’t get more time. This is all you have. This is it. Spencer is gone. But she has all this love for him here inside her. Her love for him didn’t disappear just because he did. Dex and Josslyn used to be so in love with each other, it was annoying, and they’re still here. So figure it out. She leaves, and Josslyn says she’ll be right behind her. Dex says, she’s been through too much, and Josslyn says she thinks Trina just needs her friends right now, and like it or not, they are those friends. He says, whatever she wants him to do, he’ll do it, and she says she thinks they just need to figure out a way to be at the same place at the same time without making everyone feel wildly uncomfortable. He says he’s in. Whatever it takes.

Sonny says, Dex Heller is dead to him. He should be dead period. Brick says he’s the one who discovered Dex and the big deposits he was receiving into his account while Sonny was getting shot at in Puerto Rico and the MetroCourt. Sonny says, yeah. So? Brick says he hasn’t been able to track the source of the money, and Sonny knows how good he is at finding out things. Sonny says he knows where the money came from – Michael, and Brick says, Michael? Sonny says, Corinthos, and Brick asks why his son would be paying Dex. Sonny says, to spy on him, so he could get information and give it to the FBI, but Brick says, that makes no sense. Sonny says he knows it doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the way Michael is. He’s like one of the other guys. He loves his son. He took care of him. But he didn’t know whether to give Sonny a little respect and loyalty or spy on him and take him down. Brick says he’s so sorry, but he feels like he got it wrong with Dex. He put Dex in a position he didn’t entirely deserve. Sonny says, everybody makes mistakes. His first mistake was trusting Dex, but Brick gave him the heads up and told him something was off with Dex. Brick says, maybe now he’s wise enough to give Sonny a wide berth, and Sonny says, Dex knows better than to mess with him because he’s smarter than Jagger. Brick says, it’s getting late, so he’s going to get out of here and leave Sonny to his dinner. Sonny says, Ava’s going to show up here pretty soon, and Brick says, not that it’s any of his business, but how are things at home with the two of them? Sonny says, it’s nice to have a woman around, and they laugh. They shake hands and Brick leaves.

Jordan says, Sonny Corinthos? They both know he’s the one who nearly beat Cyrus to death on New Year’s Eve. Laura says, the more she thinks about that, the less she feels like a city official and the more she feels like Sonny’s accomplice. Jordan says, unless Laura’s been doing some side work for Sonny she’s unaware of, she doesn’t know where Laura is getting that from. Laura says, it’s because she tells herself that she and Sonny are old friends. Cyrus, although he’s a blood relative, has committed all of these horrible crimes. She thinks he’s trying to straighten himself out, but she doesn’t really know. All she knows is, he’s going about it in the most irritating way possible. She loses patience with him. She’s slammed the door in his face. Jordan says, there’s a big difference between slamming a door and trying to kill someone, and Laura says, but her point is, if it were anyone but Sonny who attacked Cyrus, who attacked anyone and put them in the hospital, she would want the police to pursue that case. She would want the assailant to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. So why would Sonny be the exception? And no one, especially not the mayor, should look away from a crime because it was committed by someone they thought was their friend. Jordan asks if she’s thinking of having Sonny arrested, and Laura says, the one thing she does know is, that’s not her call to make, but she does know whose call it is.

Ava comes into Pizzulo’s and tells Sonny she’s sorry. It’s like a whole week was jammed into one day. He says, don’t worry about it, and she says she thought he and Avery would be starving by the time she got here. He says he already made Avery dinner, the Corinthos meatball special. She says, lucky Avery, and Sonny says, she told him about her day, that it was good. He put her in the office. She fell asleep on the couch. Ava thanks him for doing all that and he says, his pleasure. Why was her day long? She says she doesn’t think it’s something he wants to hear, but he says, try me. She says she thinks it’s better if she doesn’t. Some of it has to do with she who must not be named. He says, Carly, but she says, the other one who mustn’t be named. He asks what Nina wants, and she says, him.

TJ asks if Gregory is having any difficulties with his medication. Does he ever miss a dose? Gregory says, not on purpose. One of his pills is every six hours, another one’s every eight hours, one of them is on an empty stomach, one of them is with food. Sometimes he just gets frustrated and takes them all at once. TJ says, not ideal, and Gregory says, that’s not counting the times he can’t remember if he took them, so he takes them again. Or not at all. TJ says, he might need a better system, and Gregory says his son Finn is quite the taskmaster. TJ says, not only at home, and Gregory says, TJ isn’t the first person to tell him that. Finn always seems to know what pills he takes, when he took them, and what meds are on deck. Finn is probably the reason he’s doing as well as he is, and people seem to think he is. TJ asks what Gregory thinks, and he says he tries not to compare how he’s feeling today with how he was feeling a year ago. TJ says, wise man, but Gregory says, not so much wise as older. But TJ is young. Does he have kids? TJ says he and his partner have one on the way. They’re using a surrogate. Gregory says he and Alexis work together. He thinks she said something about that. His partner is Molly, and her sister is their surrogate? TJ says, Kristina. And if Gregory works with Alexis, he bets Gregory’s heard a lot. He’s going to try and keep Alexis from scrubbing in during the birth. Gregory laughs and says, good luck with that. When is the baby due? TJ says, in August, and Gregory says, that’s just wonderful. TJ shows him crossed fingers, and Gregory asks if there’s a problem.

Felicia says she did set out to raise a strong, capable, brilliant daughter, but she also raised Maxie to be illogical, so she’d have at least one flaw. Maxie says, congratulations on a job well done. Let’s call it a day. Felicia asks, what’s going on with Spinelli? and Maxie says she kissed Spinelli the night they found out Jason was back. Emotions were running high. Felicia asks why she’s just hearing about this now, and Maxie says, because it’s not logical for her to tell her mom about some crazy nerd she kissed, unless she’s going to follow it up with, she thinks he’s the one. Felicia says he doesn’t really see this as a problem and why she’s still on Maxie’s grudge list. Her matchmaking skills worked. Maxie says, Felicia is still on her list because she’s broken Spinelli’s heart so many times, she can’t do it to him again. And it doesn’t matter that James adores him or that Georgie is crazy about her dad or that Bailey Lou lights up every time Spinelli walks into a room. And it definitely doesn’t matter that she loves Spinelli and probably will forever.

TJ says, he’s a doctor, so he knows it’s important to have the proper amount of sleep, have good nutrition, exercise moderately. If you want to have a healthy baby, that’s the best chance. Gregory says, absolutely, but men and women have been worrying about their unborn children for centuries and in circumstances far more daunting than these. In fact, there was this famous Union officer who fought ferociously in the Civil War. Her disguise was so good, no one realized she was a woman until she went into labor on the battlefield, and she and her baby were just fine. TJ asks if that’s true, and Gregory says he doesn’t remember where he read it, but it’s true. TJ says, so Gregory is telling him this could be worse. Kristina could be eating hardtack and giving birth during Gettysburg. Gregory says, it’s an extreme event, but his point is, long before they were walking the earth, babies were coming out just fine. And of course (🍷) there are sad exceptions to everything, but worrying about them in advance isn’t going to make them more or less likely to happen. This is TJ’s moment. Live in it.

Sonny asks what Ava told Nina, and she says, nothing. As a matter of principle, she doesn’t tell Nina or anyone else anything about him. He says, she had to want something, and Ava says, she does. She wants him back. He says, you know what’s sad? She can’t accept the marriage is over and move on. Ava says she’s sorry it came up at all. His marriage is between him and Nina. He tells her, like he said, until Nina can accept the marriage is over and signs the divorce papers, she’s just going to be hurting. He’s sorry Ava had to go through that. She says, it’s all right. She can sympathize with Nina, even though she knows Nina has no one to blame for her situation but herself.

Dex asks if Josslyn is okay, and she says, yeah, she guesses. It was a huge gift getting Jason back. Her mom’s over the moon. She’s just been happier and lighter, and it kind of just energized the rest of them. He says, she looks great, and she thanks him. She says she just went for a run, so she probably doesn’t smell great, and he says he misses her smell, and her warmth, and her hair across his face.

Brick walks into Jordan’s office carrying a bouquet and says he hopes he’s not disturbing her. The woman at the end of the hall told him that he could find her here. These are for her. He hands her the flowers, and she says, he remembered she likes daffodils. He says he remembered everything about her, and hopes she remembered that he said he’d be back. She says she remembers hearing something like that, and he says, then he just has one more question. Can she come out and play?

Felicia says she was remembering a time when she was in the exact same place Maxie is in. She was in love with someone, and after years of false starts and misfires, she finally realized he was the love of her life. Maxie says, Mac, and Felicia says, when she and Mac broke up, she didn’t think their relationship could be mended. And when it was mended, she was so afraid to let him in. She was so afraid she’d do something to screw it up for good, but then she listened to her heart, not her fear. She’s so glad she did, because when she and Mac were married for the last time, they both knew it was forever. Maxie says she and Spinelli broke up once and it nearly killed her. If she lets him in again, how does she know nothing bad will happen? Felicia says, she doesn’t. She just needs to have a little faith. Maxie says she survived a break-up with Spinelli once. She doesn’t know if she could do it twice. Felicia takes her hands and asks if Maxie thinks Spinelli has the same worries she does, because Felicia doesn’t. He’s seen Maxie at her worst, at her best, and everything else in between, and he never turned away from her until she kicked him out and closed the door behind him. And after he was gone, were either one of them any happier?

Gregory looks at TJ’s tablet and asks if he has to put his glasses on or can TJ tell him if it’s a boy or a girl. TJ says, they told the OB/GYN that they didn’t want to know, so he carefully picked ultrasound pictures where you can’t see. Gregory asks if he’s secretly hoping for one or the other, and TJ says he’s secretly hoping it’s a girl, but Molly can never know that. Gregory says, and she never will, and TJ says, but he’s just hoping the baby is healthy, and has all the necessary toes and fingers and doesn’t know who its surrogate was, because she’s a little crazy and so is her family. Gregory says, so for his partner, TJ snatched up the only entirely sane member of the family, and TJ says, Molly and Kristina are… passionate. Molly is perfect except for all these excuses she keeps making for Kristina. He thinks they’re going to keep rolling off his back like they used to once the baby is here. Gregory says he doesn’t envy TJ right now. All he can do is wait and worry, but it’ll pass. It’s about to be so wonderful. Trust him. TJ thanks him and says, but isn’t Gregory supposed to be the patient and he’s supposed to be the doctor? Gregory says, in his last act as TJ’s physician, let him just say, eat all his vegetables, don’t drink to excess, and he’ll see TJ in a year for his next follow-up. They shake hands and TJ thanks him.

Jordan tells Brick, not bad. Funny with enough sexy to pull it off. He says, she hasn’t seen his sexy yet. She has to sign a release first. She says, the woman down the hall is a notary. Does she need to call her, or should she just take her chances? He says, she’s not taking a chance on him. He’s a sure thing. She asks if he’s saying he’s easy, and he says, for her? Always. She says she needs to finish scanning these before this conversation gets her in trouble with human resources. He says, they’re definitely taking a chance because they’re not safe or suitable for work, and she laughs. She says, a man who can make a human resources joke, and he says, once she finishes that up, he can impress her some more. He can take her out to dinner someplace nice and quiet. And while she’s doing that, if he can find a sink, he can put the flowers in some water for her. She says, no need to do that. She’s taking them home with her. She’s just been scanning these tax returns for the city council all evening. He says he knew that’s what those were. He caught a look earlier. She says, her tax returns are private. He doesn’t need to be looking at them. He says his apologies. So since she showed him hers, he’ll show her his.

Josslyn says she wants to say something and wants Dex to just let her say it, and he says, sure. She says she thinks she knows why he’s doing this. When she found out he was willing to kill for Sonny, she came down on him really hard. And now she thinks he’s trying to prove to her, and himself, that he’s not that guy. He says, okay, and she says, if he was cleaning toilets at a middle school or rescuing puppies, she would respect that and back him up 100%, but not this. He can’t become a cop. It puts him squarely in Sonny’s sights. He says he’s not going to go looking for Sonny, badge or no badge, but she says, he knows too much about Sonny’s business. Eventually, Sonny is going to want to get rid of him for that, so badge or no badge, it doesn’t matter. He says, Sonny had a chance to get rid of him and he didn’t, and she says, because her mom stopped him. But he doesn’t listen to her anymore. And Dex knows Sonny loses his mind a little bit every time he thinks someone betrayed him. Look at what Sonny did to him. He hung Dex from a meat hook and put him in a freezer the first time he thought Dex lied. Dex says, and she saved him. he hasn’t forgotten. She says, he’s not going to let this go and Dex knows that. They might not be together anymore, but she doesn’t want anything bad happening to him, ever. She has to go. She gets up and he asks her to wait.

Felicia says, it wasn’t fair of her to conspire with Spinelli, to make an excuse for him to move in, and Maxie says, that was a rare, but rather large swing and miss for her. That’s okay though. Most of the time, she’s very wise. It wouldn’t kill her to actually listen to Felicia once in a while. Felicia says she didn’t expect Maxie to say that, and Maxie says she didn’t expect to say it, but she’s tired. To be honest, she’s surrounded by a lot of wise people. Mac, Felicia, Brook… Even James has this really cute way of looking at life where he cuts through the noise. Not her though. She is the noise. Felicia says, there are so many people that love Maxie. She just wishes Maxie could be one of them. Maxie says, most days she’s okay. Sometimes it’s rough though. Felicia says, those are the days she needs someone at home who loves her more than anything. Like an adorable, crazy nerd, for instance. She hugs Maxie.

Dex says, before Josslyn goes, there are some things he thinks she should know. He told Commissioner Devane that he would testify against Sonny. She says, what? How? He says he didn’t have any hard evidence, so she said it would just be his word against Sonny’s. She says, and anyone else Sonny got to lie for him, and he says, right. She said it would all end up in the wash and he’d end up with an even bigger target on his back. She says, as if that’s possible, and he says, so the Commissioner suggested he become a cop so it would give him some level of protection. He doesn’t know if it will or not, but once he started this process, he saw it as a second chance. Not to prove anything to her, but because it felt right to him. She says, that’s as it should be, and he says he fought for his country. Then he fought for that man to make money by any means possible. Sonny saved his life and put his faith in him, and he thought he’d found a home in him. But someone like that can never be home. Fighting for what is good and decent, protecting people from being victimized, that is the fight he wants. She says, even if he’s fighting for people like Cyrus, but he says he doesn’t get to pick and choose. He wanted her to know where he was coming from when he applied to the academy. She says she appreciates him telling her, and he runs off.

Jordan says she thinks it’s best that any and all financial records Brick has, remain a mystery to her, but he says, there’s nothing scary or bad in there. He’s just a consultant who’s very good at his job and very high in demand. She says she knows. She’s familiar with one of his clients who has a frequent demand for his services. He says, that may be one of his clients, but he’s not his clients any more than she’s the city’s infrastructure, which by the way, could use some improvements. She says, thank you… I think, and he says, come on. Even superheroes get hungry. She says, that’s true, and he says, come on. His phone rings, and he says, yeah?… Argh… All right. Tell him that he’s one his way… Fine, he will. Damn. She says, he did tell her that he was in demand, and he says he was hoping she’d be the one doing the demanding. She says, next time he’s in town, let her know, and he asks if that’s a demand. She says, not quite, but something like that, and he says, then how can he refuse? He leaves and she wonders what’s wrong with her.

Ava says she’s going to say something she probably shouldn’t, and Sonny says, let’s hear it. She says she knows they’re not together in the conventional sense, but the truth is, she really likes living with him. He says, yeah. He likes it too. Sometimes unconventional is the way to go. They both smile.

Tomorrow, Brook says she appreciates the offer, and Chase says, but she’s not going to take it; Gregory tells Elizabeth that he thinks he knows; Laura says she and someone else have been standing in the way of it for far too long; Anna says, they’ll be ready; and Cyrus says he holds Sonny’s fate in his hands.

Vanderpump Rules

Scheana meets with everyone, minus the Toms, James, and Ally, at Kyle Chan’s store to shoot her Good As Gold video. She says she got a text from Katie and she’s not coming. She said she’s on her death bed. In Scheana’s interview, she wonders if Katie is really sick or avoiding Lala after the fight they had. We flash back to that, and Scheana says, when she recorded Good As Gold, she never imagined 10 years later she’d be doing a video. Going back to the studio with The 27 made her realize how good music has been for her. It’s a creative outlet where she can let her feelings out. She couldn’t be happier.

Ally tells James that Rachel did a podcast, and she’s blaming him for Hippie’s behavior. There’s podcast talk at the shoot as well, and Scheana says she’s been going since 7 am and hasn’t listened to it, but people texted her. She hasn’t been able to catch up. She tells Ariana that Raquel claimed she and Ariana were acquaintances. In Ariana’s interview, she says she and Raquel spent a ton of time together. We flash back to some of that and Raquel saying that these are her forever friends. Ariana tells us, when Raquel says they weren’t good friends, it’s to make herself feel better about what she did. Or she’s saying Ariana is sh*t. Scheana says, Raquel claimed she had a savior complex and that their friendship was equally beneficial. But Raquel never paid for anything, not even toilet paper, and she had sex in Scheana’s bed. Ally tells James that Raquel said she was upset after she and James broke up and wasn’t over him. She never loved Sandoval. That’s not what she said last summer. We flash back to the Reunion where Andy used the words in love with Tom, and she agrees she was. James says, Sandoval offered to have him open for his band at the El Ray, and in James’s interview, he says he understands Sandoval lied, as he lied to Sandoval in the past, but he’s trying to figure out their friendship. Was it real and is there anything to salvage?  He tells Ally that even though he doesn’t open for anyone, he’s considering it, and Ally says, it’s depressing. She wants to move on to brighter topics. She tells James that Lala is having a sperm donor party and letting her friends pick out the baby daddy.

Lala asks Ariana if she can have the party at her house, but Ariana says, the house is a hot mess without Ann, and we see a clip that says, life without Ann. It’s not even hot. It’s just a mess. She tells Lala that when she has a new house, Lala can absolutely get inseminated there. In Lala’s interview, she says, it’s a monumental moment, the picking of her future child, who will be part of her life until she dies. She wants to take the science jargon out of it a little. We see a clip of her visiting the lab, and she says she’s trying to figure out ways she can look at her baby and say, they were brought here out of love. It may look different, but love is love. Lala says she’s going to ask Lisa. Ally tells James that Lala was venting about Katie at paintball. They’re both intense personalities and need to work it out. James agrees.

Schwartz says, the dogs are all he’s got, when Sandoval walks in. Schwartz apologizes for the condition of the fridge. Lately, things have fallen apart. Sandoval says he’s shell shocked that Raquel said she wasn’t in love with him on the podcast. She’s acting as though she somehow got the worst of it. Schwartz says, they both got it bad, and Sandoval cries, saying, he thought she’d see the work he’s done on himself. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he wasn’t ready to give up hope until he heard from her. Now he has. To go through all that and not give it a shot, what was it all for? He tells Schwartz that he doesn’t understand. He would do anything for her. Schwartz says, regardless of what she said, she probably just wanted to be heard before she pursues her new life. It’s been over. Me: sorry not sorry.

Lisa goes to TomTom and asks bartender Logan if the Toms are there. He says he hasn’t seen them, and she says, they’re supposed to be showing her cocktails. In Lisa’s interview, she says, it will never be PUMP; it’s a different aesthetic. But there’s no reason they can’t develop the restaurant part and add brunch. Scwartz arrives, and Lisa asks if he’s keeping his hair or is she shaving it off. Logan says, it turns him on, and Lisa says, then keep it. Lisa says, Sandoval was supposed to be here at 1:15, and Schwartz says, it’s 1:45. Schwartz tells her that Sandoval listened to Raquel’s podcast, and Lisa says she hopes Raquel said something nice, but Logan says, she didn’t. Lisa says, who cares? She doesn’t love Sandoval. She’s been open about that. Schwartz says, it’s over, and Lisa says, Raquel has been away for three months, and she thought Sandoval was in a better place. Schwartz says, he was, when Sandoval finally shows up. Lisa says, he’s late, really late. He says he’s sorry, and Lisa asks if he wants to talk. He begrudgingly says, I guess so, and Schwartz makes himself scarce. Lisa doesn’t have to pry too hard for Sandoval to admit he’s upset because of the podcast. She asks why he’s listening to it, and he says he wants to know what she’s saying. It’s bullsh*t. She says, don’t listen. Why torture himself? She asks about the house and Sandoval says he’s accepting Ariana’s offer. She asks if he’s going to sell it or buy her out, and he says he’s thinking about it. He made the offer over two months ago, and his thoughts have changed. In Sandoval’s interview, he says, it took Ariana so long to get back to him, he’s on the fence whether he’s going to keep it or if he can refinance. If he refinances, he’ll be paying more than double what he’s currently paying. Lala joins them, and Lisa asks what she wanted to talk about. Lala asks if she can host her sperm donor party at Lisa’s home, and Lisa asks if there will be j*rking off in her back garden. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Lala assures her that nobody is going to be doing that. It’s going to be beautiful, and she has the catering lined up and the balloons. Everyone will get a packet with the donor information, and they’ll vote. Lisa asks if everyone else is choosing her sperm donor, and Lala says, including Lisa. Let her be excited. Lisa says she gives her blessing… she guesses.

Scheana and Brock go to Ariana’s house, and Ariana says, Logan was at TomTom and said Sandoval was having second thoughts about buying her out and might want to sell. They could have sold in March, and she could have been out of here. In Ariana’s interview, she says, now that Sandoval got an actual look at the financial end, he realized he couldn’t do it. She could have told him that before. It’s hard being right sometimes, especially when that’s always the case. Brock tells her that they heard part 4 of Rachel’s podcast: How Do You Like Them Apples? In Scheana’s interview, she says she’s got a new song with The 27 called Apples. When she first wrote it, it was only about Raquel, but she extended the second verse, and it was directed at Sandoval. She’s trying to take a traumatic experience and turn it into a piece of art. It’s therapeutic and it’s catchy. Scheana says, Ariana has a lot on her shoulders. She has everything, and that’s amazing, but she’s still dealing with a lot, so they’re seeing what they can help with. Ariana says she doesn’t touch what isn’t hers, and in her interview, Scheana says, Ariana and Sandoval’s house has always been on the messier side. But if it’s so messy now that Ariana doesn’t want people over, that worries her. She doesn’t want Ariana falling back into a dark place. You don’t want a messy house that’s a reflection of your mental health. She and Brock get to work, and Ariana says, they’re doing the assistant’s job. Scheana comes out with a present that’s been there since Christmas, and it’s now August. In Ariana’s interview, she says, now that she knows for sure she’s moving, she’s not unpacking anything and putting it away. If she receives a box, she just stacks it. It’s one less thing she has to pack. Scheana says, she’ll feel better if they throw the trash away. Scheana picks up… something, and Ariana says, they don’t want to touch that, but Brock says, they’ve got a kid. Scheana says, she’s touched worse things. She cleans up after Brock. Brock says he’s not that bad.

Sandoval rehearses with his band and it’s pretty awful. James comes in with Hippie as Sandoval leaps around the stage. James says, Sandoval is the talk of the town, and Sandoval says, it’s been a rough couple of days. James says he’s been there with Raquel and learned his lesson. Sandoval says he tried to look out for Raquel, but he realizes he cared more than her. It was f***ing bullsh*t and disrespectful. She used him and threw him away. I have no words, and James says, he lived his own life after he and Raquel broke up. He’s done talking sh*t. Sandoval says he has no closure, and James says, f*** closure. Sandoval says, Raquel is selfish. She gave James the ultimatum about not drinking because she thought he couldn’t do it. James says, Raquel said she didn’t love Sandoval and had sex with him because she was getting over James. Sandoval says, if they had sex when they’d meet, it was only for a little bit. They mostly talked. James says, what Sandoval had with Ariana was true love. He forgot and now wants to rewrite history. Have fun with his band. James isn’t opening for him. This is a joke. In James’s interview, he says, Sandoval can’t let go of the past. He’s waiting for Sandoval to get a clue, but maybe he never will. He’ll be 75, doing karaoke, and taking out his d*ck flute. STFU. Sandoval tells James to go push some buttons on his laptop as James walks out.

Puffy! There’s a gorgeous spread awaiting Lala’s party at Villa Rosa. Lala tells Lisa that after everyone’s bellies are full, they’re going to play pin the sperm on the vagina. In Lala’s interview, she says, she’s a couple hours away from choosing a baby daddy. There are so many supportive people who love her daughter, she knows they’ll love on the new baby. Ally tells Katie that the argument she had with Lala sounded heated. At paintball, Lala said she seemed miserable and was getting upset easily. Katie insists she’s not miserable and getting upset easily. She’s tired of the same dumb sh*t. In Katie’s interview, she wonders, since when does Lala talk sh*t behind her back instead of to her face?

Schwartz visits Sandoval and meets new assistant Craig. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he met Craig when Craig interviewed for Schwartz & Sandy’s. He’s now Sandoval’s new assistant. It didn’t work out with Ann, so Craig is coming on board. Sandoval says he’s delayed responding to Ariana’s email so he can hang out with Mya longer. He’d consider keeping the house… Schwartz asks him not to say, if he had a roommate. Roommates are terrible. But hypothetically, what rent would he be paying? Sandoval says, $6000. Schwartz pays $4500 now, so it’s not that bad. I guess Sandoval is bad at math since that’s a big monthly jump. Schwartz says, he can’t put something like that in and not get a return. He’d have no equity. Sandoval says, they could get loan together, but Schwartz says, they’ll be looked at like two nincompoops.

Lala tells the guests, before they pick donors, they need to go through their binders. She thanks them for coming here because she loves them, and now she’s getting emotional. This isn’t how she pictured her life, but she’s beyond grateful this is an option. The one thing she feels she’s good at is being a mama. But before they pick a baby daddy, they’re going to play pin the sperm on the vagina. She thinks Lisa should go first. Lisa wonders how she got roped into this, and in Lisa’s interview, she says she’s blindfolded. How is she supposed to know where the vagina is? She can barely find her own. What about Ken? He’s used to fumbling around. Maybe he’d do a better job. Lala says, okay, bitches and gays, lets pick a f***ing donor. She brings out Ryan from the sperm bank who’s been walking her through the process. She goes over the donors, and in Ariana’s interview, she says, a word of advice to potential donors. Be thorough and heartfelt with your answers. Are you in it for the right reasons? Lisa says, Lala must have the one whose favorite animal is a dog, and Lala’s mom wants the one who cooks. Lala reminds them that they’re not shopping for a man, just his sperm. She has the voters use a happy/negative face paddle to vote, and donor one is a slam dunk. In Lala’s interview, she says, she has her baby daddy. Going this route is giving her what her heart and soul so badly want. She tears up and says, it’s very exciting. She tells the guests that she’s planning on a November or December insemination, which would mean an August or September due date. Next summer, she’ll be bumping around. Lisa says she had more fun conceiving Lala’s baby than she did her own.

Ally tells James about the party, and in her interview, she says, the questions she’d ask would be, what was their GPA in high school and what is their sun sign? She tells James that Lala asked if she wants a baby, and she said, one day, but she’s not ready right now. James says he sees it in the future, and Ally says she never felt called to being a mom. She’s felt it with cats and dogs, but not a baby. She had no dreams of marriage. James says, these are things he wants, that he’s worked his whole life for. He sees a future with her, and it scares him that she’s not ready. He doesn’t want to invest another five years and find out it’s bullsh*t and never meant anything. In James’s interview, he says, he thinks about everything leading up to this moment and the girl he loves has no plans for kids. It would break his heart. He tells Ally that the love chapter in his life wasn’t what he thought it would be. He doesn’t want to think about going back to square one. It would be a nightmare to him. Ally says she loves him and sees a future with him. She wouldn’t be with him if she didn’t.

At TomTom, they prepare for the first brunch, and Schwartz says he’s going to pass out shots. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, the brunch has been five years in the making. It’s not how he envisioned it with PUMP on the other side, but it’s a win. They have a great turnout and he thinks it will be one of their biggest selling points moving forward. James tell Sandoval that he’s sorry, and in his interview, James says, after he talked to Ally, he remembered he has to be the bigger person. He sets up his DJ stuff, and Lala asks what Katie and Ally were discussing at her party. Katie says, Ally said Lala claimed she seemed miserable and getting angry at everything. Lala asks if Ally said that was verbatim, and Ally says she’s trying to remember. We flash back to Lala using the word unhappy. Lala tells Katie that she was going to have a conversation with her, since she felt Katie wasn’t in a happy place, but Katie says, she’s wrong. Lala says she wants to know she won’t trigger Katie, since Katie said she didn’t feel Lala was loyal or consistent. Katie says, it’s not that. She thinks Lala’s softness is going to not deserving people, and she’s been more defensive. Lala says, maybe it’s because they were inseparable last year and now, she doesn’t know where her place is. She gets it. She has a kid. Katie says she doesn’t have a person or kids. She has all the time in the world. She doesn’t want Lala to feel like she has no time for her. Scheana says she’s learned that Lala needs someone checking in with her, and Katie says she texts and calls Lala. Lala starts to cry, and in Katie’s interview, she says she’d love to have Lala as a close friend, but it goes both ways. It’s an effort, not an obligation. Lala says she needs Katie to know that she loves her for who she is. She wants them to show up for each other, and wonders if they can get back to that. Scheana wonders if they can go back to being the Spice Girls now.

Brunch is in full swing. James is doing his thing, and the response is good. Sandoval tells Schwartz that he got something from Doug about another property they could possibly move into. After living with the enemy, he realizes… Scheana comes over, and says, every day, it’s something new about Sandoval. She asks how he’s doing, and he says he feels betrayed and hurt and he’s not getting closure. Scheana says, none of them are. She wrote a song and there are a couple of specific lines… Sandoval says, about the affair? and Scheana says, it’s open to interpretation. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, it’s open to interpretation aside from the fact Raquel drove a Jetta (mentioned in the song). Sandoval says, she’d feel differently if it was her and he wrote a song, but it’s okay. He walks off, and Scheana says she thought he’d heard it. In Sandoval’s interview, he says he thought he and Scheana were becoming friends again. Now she’s going to profit off his pain. He’s collateral damage, but she’s got to put her track out. If she cared about things, she wouldn’t do this. He walks past the table on his way out, and says, keep cashing in on his misery.

📲 Now I’ve got to find that song for my playlist.

Next time, Schwartz gets a tattoo and Sandoval passes out; no longer the worst human on earth, Jax pays a visit; and Scheana and Brock are at each other’s throats.

🍼  Slipping Into The Valley…

I’m not liking this show. So far, it’s not the trainwreck Summer House is. There are no frat parties with an agro Lindsay, screaming at her boyfriend of the season, or engagement parties being eclipsed by a former BFF’s bizarre insecurities. This is a different kind of dislike. For one thing, not everyone in the world is interesting. Brittany and Jax are transports from Vanderpump Rules, where Brittany was a novelty and Jax was… well, Jax. There is also transport Kristen, but we’ll get to her. TBH, the rest of the cast names haven’t registered. Because they’re boring. Stepford boring. It’s like high school students playing at suburban life. A lot revolves around kids and marriage, but it’s just not that noteworthy. Ditto the shade. One woman looks up her friends’ houses on Zillow and even knows what they pay in taxes. While that seems a little stalkerish, and personally, I’ve never done that, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Not to mention, the overblown house prices information on Zillow is all public record anyway.

Then we have Kristen. I’m no fan, but this girl can’t catch a break. I believe she’s sincere in her intention of wanting to mature and change, but good luck when no one will let you forget your VanderPast. Shame on the show itself for including so many flashbacks of Kristen’s bad behavior many years ago. This one is just not working for me.

🔎 No Diggity To See Here…

Come on by tomorrow for soap and gems of entertainment unearthed from the internet. Until then, stay safe, stay not shying away from opportunity, and stay not worrying in advance. That isn’t going to make the worst more or less likely to happen.

April 12, 2024 – Jason Has a Generous Impulse, Outside the Soap, Cancelled Talk, Knots Again, Just Awful, VanderSituation, Details, BravoCon Man, Three Tails, Nonet Quotes & Wild

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the MetroCourt, Alexis says she’s missed Gregory, and The Invader isn’t the same without him. He says he misses it too. He truly enjoyed the work, but in the words of a famous American poet, you’ve got to know when to fold ‘em. His best days aren’t ahead of him. She says she hopes he doesn’t mind if she still calls him every day with her problems, especially if they’re ethically sticky. He says he’d be hurt if she didn’t. Anything in particular? She says, let’s just eat before I lose my appetite. The Invader gives me heartburn. He says he’s sorry to hear that, and they look at their menus. She says, there was something else she wanted to say to him. She’s so sorry, but she can’t be his extra one for the wedding. He says, why not? and she says, because there’s a slight chance she may be getting her law license back.

At the coffee warehouse, Diane says she takes it Jason got her message about some of his bank accounts being unfrozen. He says he did. Fast work. She says she’s Diane Miller, and he asks if he has enough money to buy back Carly’s half of the MetroCourt. (I swear, I thought that’s what he was going to say before he said it.)

Michael says he doesn’t know what his mom was doing with Agent Cates… and because she never learns, Nina says, it’s all too clear what they were doing. Carly was bringing up room service for two and Agent Cates was wearing nothing but a towel. Curtis says, Nina knows things aren’t always as they appear. He’s sure Carly wouldn’t cheat on Drew. Drew says, it wouldn’t be cheating. He and Carly broke up. Curtis says he’s sorry; he didn’t know. Michael says, his mother’s personal life is her business, not Nina’s, and Nina says she just thinks it’s a shame Carly would hook up with a guy who’s a federal agent after she and Drew broke up.

As she brushes him, Sasha asks not-Comet not to tell his buddies, but she thinks his coat is the shiniest. He must get a lot of vitamin A, D, and E. Cody comes in and says, you again. Any luck with the job search? She says, not really. She’s applied for everything; receptionist positions, corporate communications, positions in insurance and public affairs, most of them in New York and Connecticut. He says he’d hate to see her move, but at least she’s getting nibbles, right? and she says, but nothing that interests her. She’s tired of being considered because these jobs are public facing, and she fits the company’s image. He says, receptionist jobs are out. She’s way too qualified for that. But any company would be lucky to have her. She says, not if they only care about her looks. Been there, done that.

At the Home & Heart studio, Lucy tells Maxie that they need gels because the light is just not flattering… to the product. She asks a woman on the stage if they could please get some lighting gels, and Maxie says, they’d really appreciate it. The woman says she’d have to get the producer’s permission, and Haven says, that’s okay. Just do it. She asks if Maxie and Lucy are ready for another blockbuster segment, and Lucy says, absolutely. Maxie says, all set, and Haven says, no Sasha she hears. Maxie says, unfortunately not, and Haven says she doesn’t know this Blaze, but her granddaughters are very excited. She’s been ordered to get an autograph. So is she here yet? Maxie says, they’ve decided to streamline the duties of the Face, so Blaze will not be the spokesmodel today. Haven asks, then who is doing the selling today? and Lucy says, who else? Moi. (I’ll have what Morgan Fairchild is having. She’s 74 and looks amazing.)

On the phone, Brook says, it’s fully electric, not a hybrid?… Tracy walks in and Brook says, that is so awesome. Send her all the specs and financials. Send her everything. She’s so excited that they have the pickup in stock. She’ll be waiting. Tracy says, don’t tell her that she and Chase has eschewed the traditional limo ride to church for a 4×4.

Michael says, before they believe what Nina’s telling them, just consider the source, and Nina says she imagines Michael is used to this. Carly is not known for her discretion. Drew says, Carly has a right to privacy just like everybody else. He doubts any of them would like everybody to know what they do behind closed doors. Nina says, that’s the thing. Cates’s door wasn’t closed. They were perfectly visible from the hall. Maybe Carly just needed a good… night out. Curtis says, they don’t know what did or didn’t happen. What they do know is, Carly and Agent Cates are consenting adults, so whatever happened is none of their damn business. Drew says, Curtis is right. He’s done discussing it. Nina says, yeah. It must be painful knowing Carly got over their relationship so quickly.

Haven says, so Lucy is the spokesperson, and Lucy says, yes siree bob. Because who better than the founder? Maxie says, and nobody knows the product better than Lucy, and Lucy says, yes, indeed. She’s been in on every single step of developing their new face cream. Haven says she’s going to have to check with her producer about this, and leaves. Lucy says, that certainly could have gone a lot better, and sees Maxie looking at her tablet. She asks, what is with Maxie’s tepid attitude? She just stood there like she swallowed a fish. Why didn’t Maxie have her back more? Maxie says, maybe because she doesn’t agree with Lucy’s decision to do this. Why is she insisting on taking this all on herself? Lucy says, why is Maxie so against… Wait a minute. Maxie wants to get up there herself. She wants the spotlight. Is that correct? Maxie says, Lucy has to be kidding her. She wants Sasha in the spotlight. The public knows her, and they love her. Lucy says, okay, fine, but Maxie has to get over that because Sasha – she lowers her voice – quit. Maxie says, thanks to Lucy, and walks off.

Carly goes the MetroCourt bar and says she got Michael’s text. How did he know she was in the hotel? He says, Nina told him. He guesses she spent the night in Agent Cates’s room. She says, that woman. Nina called to tell him that? Is she going to put it on the cover of The Invader? He says he was in Drew’s office downstairs, and she showed up and filled them in, and Carly says, she told Drew? He says, and him and Curtis Ashford. They were in the middle of a meeting. She says, Nina once told Sonny that she was having an affair with Brick and she was wrong. Does that woman ever learn? Just to be clear, she stayed over with Agent Cates. She did not sleep with him. Michael says he knows, and she asks, how is Drew?

Diane says she doubts Jason has developed a sudden interest in the hospitality industry, so she can only assume… He says he’s going to give the MetroCourt back to Carly, and Diane says, that’s a very generous impulse, but it’s going to take some finessing. First of all, Nina has no incentive to sell. He says, give her one. She can name her price. Diane says, no she can’t. Absolutely not. She has far too much pride in her skills as a negotiator to hand anyone a blank check, much less that real estate heiress. She can make a little profit, but Diane isn’t going to let him overpay. He tells her, handle it however she thinks is best. Just make it happen. She says, his real obstacle is going to be Carly, and he asks, why? She says, because he’s not the first person to offer to help her reclaim the MetroCourt. Initially, Olivia offered to loan her the money. Then Nina, in a craven attempt to suck up to Sonny, offered to sell it back to her. Then Sonny and Michael. And Carly has said no to all of them. She wants to do it herself. He says, don’t worry about Carly. He’ll work it out with her.

Sasha says, Cody’s not trying to get rid of her, is he? and he says, never. But as great as it’s been, she can’t stay with him and the horses forever. She says she knows. She’s going to run out of savings at some point. Sooner than she’d hoped actually. But she loves being here with the horses. They don’t care how she looks. He says, the horses appreciate her for her, and she says, exactly. He says he gets what she’s saying about being underestimated, and she says, people underestimate him too, don’t they? He says, occasionally, but she’s on a whole other level. She has brains, business savvy, personality, not to mention a strong work ethic. She says she’s proud to say she helped develop Deception’s initial business plan, and he says he bets Lucy and Maxie are kicking themselves right now for letting her walk away. Sasha wonders if she should be kicking herself. Was she crazy to leave Deception? He asks, why? Is she thinking about going back?

Maxie says, if Lucy hadn’t undermined Sasha by telling her that she needed to be edgier, they wouldn’t be in this mess, and Lucy says, what mess? They’re not in a mess. There’s no mess. Deception is not in a mess and she’s perfectly capable of being a pitchwoman. Maxie says, not as capable as Sasha. Their customers admire her. Not just for her beauty, but for her courage and the challenges she faced. She justified their faith. She’s not just beautiful, she’s inspirational, and you can’t buy that kind of narrative. Lucy asks, what is Maxie all of a sudden, the voice of reason? It seems like right now Maxie is a little bit power hungry. Maxie says she has just as much of a right to an opinion as Lucy does. They’re equal partners. Lucy says, they are. Maxie is absolutely right. And as such, they should work together against their common enemy, Tracy Quartermaine. But it feels like Maxie’s friendship with Brook has clouded her judgement lately, and maybe Tracy could then bring down Deception. Maxie says, Tracy didn’t want to get rid of Sasha. She actually lobbied to keep her. Lucy says, until she didn’t. Because Sasha quit and she was not fired. Maxie says, all right. Fine. Maybe if Sasha had felt heard and included, she would have stuck around, but Lucy is only interested in her own opinion. Face it. Her love affair with herself is the real problem.

Brook says she and Chase are going to Florence on their honeymoon, and Tracy says, congratulations. Florence is beautiful. It’s one of her most favorite spots on earth. Brook says she can’t wait to stroll through the Tivoli Gardens hand in hand with Chase. It’s going to be so romantic. Tracy asks what this has to do with a truck, and Brook says, since Tracy is so generously paying for the wedding, Chase insisted on paying for the honeymoon. And Florence is a dream come true, but it is more expensive than a stateside destination, so he sold his truck so he could pay for the trip. Tracy says, wow. She has to hand it to him, that is a sweet gesture. Brook says, he loved that truck. That’s why she’s going to be surprising him with a truck as a wedding gift. And guess what? It is fully electric, top of the line. Tracy says, don’t do it, and Brook says, come again? Tracy says, disrespecting your husband is no way to start a marriage, but Brook says, she’s not disrespecting him. She loves him. But there’s no reason he has to choose between their honeymoon and a truck. They can afford both. Tracy says, Brook can afford both.

Curtis says, Nina is way out of line, and she says she’s sorry. She takes his hands and says, but maybe he doesn’t know Drew as well as he thinks. She tells Curtis that she loves him, and he says he loves her too. She leaves, and Curtis tells Drew, that was uncalled for, and Drew says, it’s been worse. Now where were they? Curtis says, in a minute. He wasn’t aware Drew and Carly had broken up. Drew didn’t tell him. Drew says, because Curtis had a few things to focus on, and Curtis says he remembers when Drew came to the gym and told him that things were rocky between him and Carly. He thought they’d work it out, but he guesses they didn’t. They seemed so happy. Drew says, that was before Jason came back.

Carly tells Michael that Agent Cates didn’t want to go to the hospital, so she brought him back here. She stayed with him so she could wake him up every couple of hours. Basically, she was on concussion watch. Michael asks where she found him, and she says, a couple blocks from the coffee warehouse. At first, she thought he was trailing Jason, but then she realized he must have been following Diane. He asks, why? and she says, because Jason’s too hard to follow. He says, it didn’t bother her that the guy she sat up with all night taking care of wants to bust Jason? but she says, it doesn’t bother her because he’s not going to find any evidence against Jason. There’s nothing in that warehouse but coffee. And Sonny is so furious with Jason right now, there’s no way he’s going to bring Jason back to the business. So basically, Sonny is doing Jason a favor.

Alexis says, so basically, instead of sitting and enjoying a wedding with Gregory and the happy couple, she’ll be pacing up and down a hotel room, preparing for her appearance in front of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court. Gregory says, this is momentous. Although he has to admit he’s a little irked that she kept it from him until now. She says she really doesn’t think it could actually happen. It’s the longest of long shots. He says he doesn’t know. Her and Diane teaming up to argue her case. He’d take that bet. He raises his glass and says, to her then, but she says she doesn’t want to jinx anything. Sorry. She’s alternating between pretending this isn’t happening and having paralyzing anxiety because she really, really wants this so much.

Brook tells Tracy that she and Chase share everything. What’s hers is his and vice versa. Tracy says, sounds great. Very unrealistic. Brook says, don’t go there. They already had the prenup conversation, and that’s not happening. Tracy says she totally respects Brook’s misguided decision to forego the prenup. However, she’s learned from previous experience that having more personal wealth than your husband puts undue stress on the marriage. Brook says, no offense, but Chase is nothing like Tracy’s ex-husbands, and Tracy says, Brook means her ex-fortune hunters? She’s absolutely right. But – she pats the spot next to her on the sofa, and Brook sits down – she knows Chase’s father. And she’s assuming in addition to being a stand-up guy, Chase was taught to be the breadwinner in the family. Brook says, please. That is so old school. Tracy asks if Brook hasn’t noticed her husband-to-be is very traditional. It’s part of his charm. Brook says she almost blew it, didn’t she? but Tracy says, she did it out of love. Like he sold his truck out of love. But her going off and buying another one totally negates the sacrifice he made. She’d be devaluing his loving gesture. Brook says, wow. Tracy saw that. She didn’t. Tracy says she’s had many years to make mistakes and learn from them. But buck up, girlie. She’s got herself a thoughtful, generous, devoted husband-to-be. Brook says, the best. She’s just sad he has to give anything up for her.

Gregory asks if Alexis knows what happens when well-meaning people find out you have a terminal illness. You start getting suggestions; mindfulness, positive visualization, prayer, alternative medicines, healthy diets, yoga, acupuncture, you name it. She says, that’s got to be really overwhelming, and he says, yes, but you get used to it. He knows it comes from a good place. She asks if she’s done that, but he says, no, not at all. She asks, what’s his point? and he says, despite what other people may suggest, he thinks what it all comes down to is what you choose to believe. Alexis believes that she could still be a good lawyer. She says she does. She still has as much passion for it than she’s ever had and there’s nothing more satisfying than helping someone get the justice they deserve in court, no matter what the obstacle. He says he bets she was a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. He hopes he gets a chance to see her back in action. She says she hopes he does too. He should know that most of these appeals are denied, which is why she’s so quiet about it. He says he has faith for both of them, and puts his hand on hers. She says she wishes everyone felt that way.

Madison hands Nina a stack of messages and tells her that the proofs from the shoot are on her desk. No one can locate Pedro; he still hasn’t delivered the dress for the cover. Nina asks her to call the agent and tell them if Pedro doesn’t deliver in 24 hours, he’s off the cover and her roster. She’s not doing this with him again. She looks through the messages and says, these can wait… Really? Olivia? Madison says, she keeps calling, and Nina says she can’t believe Olivia is still harping on the color refresh she gave the fourth-floor bathrooms. And forget about calling the agent. She wants that pleasure herself. Oh, and if Drew Cain calls, she’s not available.

Drew says, Curtis knows he loves Carly. He still loves Carly, but he’s moving on. He’s getting over it. He’s accepted the fact that she’ll always put Jason first and that is exactly why he had to end it. Curtis says, he ended things? Is he sure Carly is okay with that, after everything they’ve been through? Drew put his life on the line for her. Drew says, believe him. They both know it’s for the best. He did them both a favor. Curtis says, that sucks, and Drew says, it does, but he also knows it’s the right decision. The next time he’s in a relationship, he’s going for the brass ring. He wants what Curtis and Portia have. He wants it to be tested, survivable, solid… Curtis says, it’s true. That’s what they have. They’ve definitely been through the fire, and they’re still standing. Drew says he couldn’t be happier for Curtis.

Lucy tells Maxie that she’s just so passionate about her company. Right now, Deception is the most important thing in her life. Maxie says she knows Lucy loves Deception, but so does she, and Lucy says she knows. She has nothing but love and respect for Maxie. That’s why she lured Maxie away from Crimson to join Deception, but this friendship she has with Tracy’s granddaughter sets her teeth on edge. Because she can’t let that harpy ruin everything that she… they worked so hard to build. Maxie says, they built Deception together, and unless they get on the same page and start trusting each other again, Tracy’s not going to have to lift a finger to destroy Deception. They’re going to do it for her. Haven comes back and says, her producer agrees with her. Lucy is not a suitable replacement for Sasha, so their segment is cancelled.

Diane asks if Jason wants her to put him in touch with a real estate agent, and he asks, why? She says, to find him a place to live? but he says he has a place to live. She says, a rented room above Bobbie’s? and he says, yeah. He likes it there. She says, if he changes his mind, and if she can convince Nina to sell, he’ll have a whole hotel of rooms to choose from. He says he likes where he is, and she asks if he signed the papers her assistant dropped off last night. He says he didn’t get any papers, and she asks what he’s talking about. Her assistant was supposed to bring them to him last night. Carly walks in holding the envelope, and Diane says, this looks familiar, taking it from her. Carly says, Diane’s assistant came by Bobbie’s, and she said she would bring them over, but she got sidetracked. Diane puts them on Jason’s desk and tells him, start signing. He doesn’t need a notary. She’ll pick them up from him the next time she sees him… which she thinks will be soon. She’s off. She leaves and Carly asks if Jason is okay. Jason says he’s good and thanks her for bringing the papers by. She says, that was just an excuse. She wanted to see him. He asks if something happened, and she says she did something he’s not going to like.

Sasha says, if she was thinking about going back to Deception, and just hearing him say that made her stomach drop… He says he guesses that’s a clear answer, and she says she doesn’t want to do something she dreads. Besides, Deception has already moved on. They have a new Face, and booked a new segment on Home & Heart. Today, actually. He says, no regrets? and she says, not one. She may not know what she wants to do, but she knows what she doesn’t want to. He says, that’s progress. When she does figure out what she wants, let him know.

Alexis says, Molly is worried if her appeal is denied, she’ll start drinking again, and Gregory asks if she thinks that could happen. She says she’s an alcoholic. A lapse is always possible. Maybe that’s why she downplayed it so much, because she’s worried the disappointment might… He says, might destroy her? and she says, it’s destroyed her before, and Molly had a front row seat. The life she’s rebuilt doesn’t get her pulse racing, but it’s steady. And she worried if she gets her hopes up, it might be too big of a gamble, and she’s worked too hard for her sobriety. So is this a risk she can afford?

Tracy says, it may be old school, but no spouse or partner worth their salt is going to want to live on their other half’s money, and Brook says, Tracy has dealt with this her entire life, hasn’t she? Tracy says, the family money has given her a lot of advantages, but it’s also caused her a lot of pain. Brook says, those men are idiots. How could anyone look at Tracy and only see dollar signs? She’s an amazing woman, filled with wit and depth and beauty and surprising sensitivity. If those guys couldn’t see that, it’s their loss. Tracy says, yep, she’s a catch. So is Brook. Brook says, not that the Quartermaines are poster children for happy marriages. Look at Edward and Lila. Yeah, they were in love, but how many times did he cheat on her? Tracy says, too many, and Brook says, and Alan and Monica. Tracy says, both serial cheaters and they argued about it the whole time. Brook says, her father was a bigamist. He was married to her mother and Katherine Bell at the same time. Tracy asks, what’s her point? and Brook says, what if she and Chase follow the same pattern? What if their marriage is doomed already?

On the phone, Nina says, they are in charge of the kitchen. Is that correct?… She may have authorized the slightly cutting back of the service staff, but she did not intend for the room service orders to arrive cold. Outside her office, Madison tells Diane that Nina can’t be disturbed. If she likes, Madison can make her an appointment. Diane says she wouldn’t, and barges into Nina’s office, Madison following her. Nina says she expects the room service to maintain the same high standards as the rest of the hotel. She thanks them and Madison says she’s sorry. She told Diane… Nina says, that’s all right. She understands Miss Miller does not like to take no for an answer. Madison leaves, and Nina says, if Diane is here for the divorce papers, she’s wasted her time. Diane says she’s actually here to make an offer on the hotel. She has a client who is interested in purchasing Nina’s half of the MetroCourt, and willing to do it at 3% over market value. Nina asks, who’s the client? and Diane says, Jason Morgan.

Carly says, he was just lying there, and Jason says, and she got out of the car. That’s too big of a risk to take. She says she couldn’t just leave him there. Besides, the muggers took off after she blasted her horn. Anyway, she grabbed John and took him back to his room at the MetroCourt. She spent the night there, waking him up every two hours to make sure he was okay. Jason says, he was jumped a block away from here, and she says, yes, but they didn’t steal anything. They just beat him up. He asks what she’s thinking, and she says she’s thinking it wasn’t a mugging. Maybe it was Sonny.

Lucy says, Haven can’t just cancel their segment, but Haven says, this is live TV. She can’t go on air with an amateur. Lucy laughs and says she hosted the General Hospital Nurses Ball for years and years. And it was on a stage and on camera and she raised millions of dollars for GH. Haven says, congratulations, but she won’t be selling face cream on Home & Heart today. Maxie says, if Haven cancels their segment, what is she going to put in its place? And why would she turn her back on a sure thing? Haven says, they have lots of pre-taped segments. This isn’t the first time this has ever happened. And with Sasha, it was a sure thing. With Lucy, a whole other story. Maxie says, Deception is her highest earner. Haven said so herself. All of their segments have sold out. So will this one.

Gregory tells Alexis, risk is a funny thing. You don’t want to do it unnecessarily, but then again, you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t do it at all. Trust him when he tells her, the things you regret at the end of your life are not the things you tried to do and failed at. It’s the chances you didn’t take. Say she gets reinstated and she’s back doing the thing she loves. Let’s say she doesn’t. She’ll still know she gave it her best effort. And that’s its own reward. Her taking this chance is like skydiving was for him. She says, terrifying? but he says, life affirming.

Carly tells Jason that Cates stopped by Bobbie’s a couple of times, and she just assumed he was working her for information about Sonny, but he never asked her anything significant. But when she told Sonny, he was furious. The way he was toward Jason the other night after his arraignment. Jason says, she thinks Sonny had Cates beat up, and she says she definitely thinks it’s possible. Sonny hates him. And not because he’s an FBI agent, but because of the history they have. She knows the basics about what happened with Karen Wexler, but Sonny regrets it. And Jason knows, when Sonny regrets something, he’s volatile. And on top of that, John was Stone’s older brother and Sonny feels like John abandoned Stone. So she thinks it’s possible Sonny would be targeting Cates. Jason says, John Cates is an FBI agent (in case we didn’t know), and assaulting an FBI agent is a federal crime and Sonny knows that. She says, Sonny knows it. He doesn’t care.

Nina asks, since when has Jason Morgan been interested in the hotel business? and Diane says she’s just here to make the offer. Nina says she would imagine this is for Carly. Does he know whose bed Carly was in last night? He might change his mind. Diane says, interested or not interested? when there’s a knock at the door. Nina says, come in, and Madison says she’s so sorry to interrupt, but accounting needs Nina to sign off on the ad rates. Nina finds the folder and Madison leaves. Diane says she imagines it must be so difficult to run both Crimson and the MetroCourt, and Nina says she loves them both. Diane says she hadn’t realized Nina was interested in the mundane. Cranky guests, plumbing issues, all that tableware and linen to keep track of… Well, she’ll leave Nina to it. She starts to leave, and Nina says, 15% over market. Diane says, four.

Tracy says she doesn’t believe Brook’s marriage is doomed. Just be aware of it. What she thinks is reasonable, Chase may think is extravagant. Like public school versus private school. Brook says she hears Tracy, and Tracy says, as long as she understands that they have very different frames of reference about money, they’ll be okay… on that front. Chase really loves her. Brook says she loves him too. She’s sorry Tracy wasn’t treated with more respect. Tracy says, it’s true. She kissed a lot of frogs. She even exchanged vows with some of them. But in the end, she got her prince. Her marriage to Luke started with blackmail, but it ended with a true partnership. They were equals. Luke accepted her for her. He loved her and she did the same for him. Brook says, it sounds like she was very lucky. Tracy says, she was, and so is Brook. They hug.

Brook says she thinks she and Chase will make it, and Tracy says she certainly hopes so. And whatever happens, she’s always on Brook’s side. Brook says, back atcha, and Tracy says, now she has to get down to the stables because she’s riding again. Brook says, have fun, and Tracy thanks her. Brook says, good talk, and Tracy says, anytime.

Sasha says, very funny, and seeing all the pieces of hay in her hair, Cody asks, what happened to her? She says, Ranger, and he laughs and says, she got a whole bag of tricks. Not a mean bone in his body though. She says, he’s a sweetheart, except messy, and he asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want to reconsider Deception, as he picks the hay out of her hair. She says, can he imagine if Haven de Havilland saw her now?

Haven says she’s here today with Lucy Coe, founder of Deception. Welcome, Lucy. So tell us what fabulous product you have for us today. Lucy thanks Haven and says, in fact, she’s so happy to bring them their brand-new face cream for the woman on the go. It is super moisturizing and goes on like a dream. It’s lightweight and you put this on just one time, and you’re good for the whole day. Haven says, sounds like her kind of moisturizer. She’s so busy and definitely on the go. Lucy says, tell her about it. No one is busier than she is. Besides running Deception of course (🍷), she has a thriving real estate business, and she was also, for many years, on the advisory board of ELQ. On the side, Maxie starts looking miffed, and Lucy says, and her vote kind of contributed to major decisions… Just recently though, that’s changed, but that’s a long story. She can tell them all about it later, but she thinks the viewers probably recognize her the most for being the mistress of ceremonies at the General Hospital Nurses Ball for many years… well, actually until last year. She wasn’t, because… Maxie looks like she has a headache and a half.

Alexis tells Gregory, that parachute jump was euphoric. And she almost backed out. When she forced herself to do it, she realized, until then, she’d been living in fear, and she doesn’t want to do that anymore, so she has to try. He says he thinks they call that resilience, which is also life affirming. And as far as he’s concerned, whether she ever practices law again or not, she already won.

Drew thanks Curtis for coming by. He really wants to discuss this fitness/wellness idea further. Curtis says, definitely. He still can’t believe Nina came at Drew like that. Drew says, it’s all good. She knew what she was doing. Curtis says, maybe. He thinks she’s still hurting over Sonny. Go easy on her. Drew says he and Nina have reached an understanding. They’ve made accommodations with each other. (Is that what the kids are calling it now?)

Nina says, nine. Take it or leave it. Diane says she will take it back to Jason, and Nina says, this might be a little premature. She knows they’re talking about price, but she hasn’t made up her mind to sell, so she needs to think about it. Diane says, the offer won’t be on the table indefinitely, and Nina says, if Jason wants the hotel so badly, he can wait.

Jason asks if that’s why Carly took care of Cates, to make up for what she thinks Sonny did? She says, no. She was just trying to help. It wasn’t until after when she thought about it, and she realized it could have been Sonny. He says, there’s nothing she can do about it. So here’s the thing. Cates is either going to figure it out or he’s not. The best thing she can do is just stay out of this. She says, yeah… That could be a problem. He says, why? and she says she told him, Last night she spent the night in John’s room, in a chair. But this morning, she ordered room service, and when she opened the door to get the tray, John came out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel, and Nina was standing right there, and she saw him. She left a vapor trail straight to Michael and Drew. It’s only going to be a matter of time before Nina tells the entire world that she spent the night with John Cates, including Sonny.

On Monday (unless there’s another eclipse), Brook tells Maxie not to give up yet, she’s got one more Hail Mary; Tracy says, if there’s a problem with it, Cody is out on his hind end; Ava tells Nina that she’s sure it’s progress; and Jason tells Carly that he doesn’t think Sonny would see it that way.

🎭 Old Gig, New Gig…

I’ve never seen this show, but I remember seeing the title in the guide listings.

This looks promising.

💫 What Goes Around…

It would only be fitting, since the replaced a soap. Now can we say goodbye to The View?

👄 Knotty Girls…

And Donna Mills is another one. She’s 83. Is it her vitamins? Something in the water? What? She has no right to look that good. I’m just kidding though. Good on her and Morgan Fairchild.

💃🏿 Back With the Wind…

It might be a season worth watching with Phaedra and Kenya returning.

🏊‍♀️ Another Awful Summer…

Warning: sarcasm ahead. I just can’t understand how things fell apart when Lindsay was in love enough with Carl to make him a sandwich. If you follow this awful nonsense, you might remember many seasons ago when Lindsay’s boyfriend, whose name has been blessedly wiped from my mind, wanted her to make him a sandwich and she went out of her mind. I’m embarrassed to even know that. Then we have Kyle and Amanda who are married, but living on different planets. Run, Amanda, run! Paige and Craig seem to be the only sane ones right now, but we’ll see what happens the next time he brings up marriage.

If you must have more.

🪀 Rebounding From the Rebound…

Ugh. I hate guys like Schwartz. He thinks it’s friends with benefits, while she thinks it’s something more, but he doesn’t dare say anything because he doesn’t want to lose her. Usually, those types don’t say I love you, for which I give them credit, but not good old Schwartzy. He’ll say anything to keep things status quo, which makes him even worse. No surprise he bounced quickly to an actual girlfriend. No doubt he doesn’t like being alone with himself. The good news? He ditched the blond look.

🍸 Giving Them Reunion…

I’m not sure how Lala didn’t fare well. She had zip to be embarrassed about this season. I don’t think I could forgive Sandoval, but I understand why she is. I also understand why she’s getting annoyed with Ariana. Not that I blame Ariana for still being pissed off. I would be too. But to act all middle school and say, if you hang out with him, you’re dead to me, is ridiculous since they’re all in the unique situation of having to deal with each other for the show. What she really wants is for Sandoval to be off the show, but that doesn’t look likely. Instead, she should just rub his nose in the best revenge of living well, instead of snarking at him every chance she gets and acting like she’s a queen banishing a subject. It’s not a good look and could backfire on her eventually.

🎰 Speaking Of Reunions…

Viva Las Vegas. What’s the matter? NYC not good enough for him anymore? And 2024?

🍻 Two Dogs and a Cat Walk Into a Bar…

As Reggie said in Strays, poop for your freedom!

https://people.com/united-airlines-flight-forced-to-divert-after-dog-pooped-in-first-class-aisle-8629565

Get rid of the dude. Keep the dog.

https://people.com/woman-refuses-to-give-away-dog-even-though-boyfriend-allergic-8630181

Do you know this kitteh?

https://people.com/authorities-search-for-owner-of-lost-cat-in-strawberry-dress-8629238

🎺 Quotes of the Week

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. – Dalai Lama

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.Marie Curie

A little progress each day adds up to big results. – Satya Nani

Clichés are tropes because they’re true. – Wesley Fists (Austin Crute), Daybreak

Make the choice to embrace this day. Do not let your TODAY be stolen by the ghost of yesterday or the “To-Do” list of tomorrow! It’s inspiring to see all the wonderfully amazing things that can happen in a day in which you participate. – Steve Maraboli

People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right. – Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you. – Lao Tzu

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.Gilbert K. Chesterton

I don’t care to eat a chicken foot. – Karen Everett, The Family Chantel

✈️ Absence Makes Someone Not Here…

Take a cuppla days off, then visit again on Monday really Tuesday for soap and not Jill on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not fixing it if it ain’t broke, and stay remembering that the things you regret at the end of your life are not the things you tried to do and failed at. It’s the chances you didn’t take.

April 11, 2024 – Chase Changes the Honeymoon Plans, Blame Game, VanderMoments, Shading Shannon, Dead Talk, Pet (!) Diversity & Normally

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly wakes up in the chair and looks over at John sleeping on the sofa.

Brook says, what if they made a mistake? but Lois says, they didn’t. Brook says, what if the style’s all wrong? but Lois says, it won’t be. Brook says, what if the lace is like a gross shade of ivory? but Lois says, that’s never going to happen. Brook says, what if they ruined Lila’s dress for nothing? and Lois says, Lila’s dress was already ruined. Unsalvageable, said the seamstress, except for the best part, which they’re putting to perfect use. So what is she really afraid of? Brook says, what if she doesn’t like it? and Lois says, if she doesn’t like her wedding dress, they’ll scrap it and find her something she loves. Because there’s nothing more important than her happiness on her wedding day. Capisce? Brook says, capisce, and Sandrine walks in with an assistant carrying a garment bag. She says, ladies, are you ready? The wedding gown of your dreams.

Curtis walks slowing into Drew’s office, and Drew says, look at him. He can’t believe this progress. It’s incredible. Curtis says he firmly believes if you do the work, you can achieve anything, and Drew says he was in Greenland with Curtis, so he’s not going to underestimate him, but walking this soon after surgery is next level. Curtis thanks him, and Drew says, and he can take a compliment. Curtis says, Trina’s been on him about absorbing good energy. It sounds a little woo-woo to him, but he’s trying. Drew says he’s happy for Curtis, and Curtis says, don’t keep him in suspense. Why is he here? Michael walks in and says, what’s going on? Drew says, let the meeting of the minds commence.

Alexis says, Nina did not just say that, and Nina asks if she denies it. Alexis says, that she’s being mean to Nina’s precious gossip slinger? Are they in second grade? Nina says, DeWitt is not just The Invader’s society columnist, and Alexis says, ugh, that title. Nina says, he got a promotion. He is now associate publisher. Alexis says she knows that. Nina reminds her of that all the time. How could she possibly forget that Nina has hired someone so incompetent? Nina asks, says who? and Alexis tells her, says me. And it’s not DeWitt’s fault that he’s going to make an ass of himself. That honor belongs to Nina.

TJ meets Marshall at a park bench, hands him a coffee, and says, good morning. Marshall says, and what a beautiful morning it is, and TJ says he has egg sandwiches too, handing Mashall a bag. Marshall says, that’s very thoughtful of him. Not that he wasn’t thrilled to get TJ’s call, but since he has the morning off, why isn’t he spending it with Molly? TJ says he considered it, but he knew how the conversation would go. Marshall asks, how’s that? TJ says, she’d thank him for wanting them to do something together, then she’d say she has an arraignment in five minutes, but she’ll make it up to him tonight. Then that would turn into her trying too hard and both of them faking it through whatever she thought of, or even worse, she stays late at the office to avoid the situation altogether. Marshall asks who they’re talking about here, because that doesn’t sound anything like TJ and Molly.

At the MetroCourt, Anna thanks Valentin for meeting her and apologizes for it being so last minute. He says, lucky for her, he had no breakfast plans, and they sit down. He says he ordered her tea and pours her some. She thanks him for being thoughtful, and he says, she called, and he came. What’s this about? She wonders if he can help her with a case, and he says he’ll always help her. What’s the case? She says, Pikeman.

Brook says she doesn’t know what she was so afraid of. The dress is perfection. Lois says, the only thing more beautiful than that dress was her in it, and Brook asks if she’s crying again. Lois says, get used to it. Her baby girl is getting married in the most magical wedding gown. Brook says she doesn’t know how Sandrine did it, but she really captured the spirit of Lila’s dress to a T. Lois says, it feels like she channeled Lila, all of her kindness and her warmth and her acceptance and her generosity, because that’s who Lila was. Brook says, Lois is so lucky she got to wear Lila’s gown, and Lois says, Brook gets to be a part of that too. Brook says, in the tiniest way, but Lois says, no. In her own way. That’s what makes it so special. Brook gets to have a piece of Lila while still being who she is. Beautiful, amazing, incredible her. Brook thanks Lois for doing this with her, and Lois says, is she kidding? Is she insane? She would have busted that door down if she hadn’t gotten an invite. Brook says, then she’s glad Lois did, and Lois says she’s so happy for Brook. And she’s happy for Chase. She’s happy for all of them really. Brook says she’s happy for them too, and they hug.

Alexis says, why doesn’t Nina just admit it. Nina hired DeWitt to piss her off. Nina says she actually does think he’s an asset, and Alexis says, and the fact he’s a colossal thorn in her side? Nina says, that’s just a perk, no doubt about it. Alexis asks, why? and Nina says, why does she enjoy steam shooting out of Alexis’s ears? Alexis says, why is she doing this? She doesn’t even work here anymore. Nina says, that’s exactly why she needed a replacement, but Alexis says, Nina didn’t need a replacement. Alexis was doing just fine and would do even better if Nina would stop breathing down her neck. Nina asks if Alexis wants people to read her publication, and Alexis asks, what kind of question is that? Everything was fine before Nina got here. Nina says, but is it better since she brought DeWitt on? Be honest about that. It is, because there’s a measurable rise in website traffic. Alexis says, and she thinks that’s because there’s a gossip column? and Nina says, yes, partially. Alexis has to court their readers. She has to give them something delicious and irresistible, so they stick around for the hard news. What she can’t do is decide what’s good for them and ram it down their throats. You have to woo them. Alexis says, what if she just quits? and Nina says, there’s the door.

Michael says, it’s good to see Curtis back on his feet, and Curtis says, it’s good to be back. He hears Jason was exonerated. Michael says, yeah. They’re all relieved about that. Curtis says, when Jason was suspected of taking shots at Sonny, he thought maybe there was a chance he tried before last summer at the MetroCourt. It’s nice to know Jason didn’t put him in that wheelchair. Drew says, he didn’t stay in that wheelchair very long though, did he? and Curtis says, no. He was lucky. He had experimental surgery and it worked. Drew says, come on. The surgery just gave him a chance to walk again. Curtis is the one who made that a reality. All the rehabs, learning how to walk again… Is Curtis kidding him? He can’t imagine what that was like for Curtis. Curtis has all his respect for making it through that and getting to the other side. Curtis thanks him and says he doubts Drew brought them here to compliment him on walking again. Why are they here?

Carly asks how John is feeling, and he says, sore. She says she bets, and he says, and very tired. She says, really? He didn’t sleep well? He says, it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep with her waking him up every couple of hours. She says she’s sorry. Should she have let him monitor his own signs of concussion? He says, is he, by the way, concussed? and she says, no. He’s bruised and bloody, but somehow, his head came out unscathed. He asks if that’s her professional opinion as his almost nurse, and she asks if he’s going to start arguing with her this early in the morning. He says he already knows it won’t do any good.

Sandrine says, Lois might surprise Brook, but Brook says, nothing her mother does surprises her. She’s well-aware of her mother’s flair, shall they say, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Lois comes in, and Sandrine tells Brook, like she said. Wearing a midi dress with a black lace overlay and a short white jacket along with pearls, Lois says, ta-da. Brook says, wow… ma… that’s… Lois says, she hates it?

Alexis tells Nina that she always says that – there’s the door – but they both know Nina needs her. Nina says, agreed. And she’s been agreeing with Alexis the whole time. Her point is, she thinks the paper would benefit if they just had DeWitt’s expertise and experience. Alexis says, no, and Nina says, that’s it. Just no. Alexis says she will not sit by and let The Invader be turned back into a tabloid, and Nina says, then don’t let it. Alexis says she’s trying, but Nina is making it very difficult. A messenger comes to the door and says he just needs a signature from Alexis. Alexis signs the form, and Nina says, you know what it’s going to say on Alexis’s tombstone? Alexis says, death by frustration? and thanks the messenger. He leaves, and Nina says, no. It’s going to say, Alexis Davis, didn’t play well with others. Alexis says, and now they’re back to the schoolyard, and Nina says, because Alexis refuses to grow up. DeWitt stays. End of discussion. She leaves, and Molly walks in. Alexis says she hates that woman, and Molly tells her, take a breath. Alexis says, how? She sucked all the air out of the room. Molly says, professional differences? and Alexis tells her, you could say that. She invites Molly in and says, tell her something wonderful that has nothing to do with this publication. Molly says she would, but she can’t. The Invader is actually why she’s here. Alexis puts her head on the desk.

TJ asks if Marshall has ever looked back at a decision and known he should have gone with his gut, and Marshall says, too many times. TJ says, when Molly pitched the idea of Kristina being both their surrogate and egg donor, his instincts were screaming, this is the wrong move. For a million reasons, but the most glaring being that Kristina’s too close. There’s no finish line. There’s no cutting ties at the end. Why? Because there couldn’t be. She’s Molly’s sister. Marshall says, and since Molly couldn’t go forward without his buy-in, that was TJ’s moment to shut it down. TJ says he should have explained why he was against it, calmly and unequivocally, before anything got too far. Instead, he went with the short-term gain of giving Molly what she wanted. Marshall says, some would call that being supportive, but TJ says he calls that being a coward. She was so wrecked. She was utterly devastated that she couldn’t get pregnant. So when she pitched the idea, he knew that for Molly, the closest thing she could have to carrying her own baby was for her sister to have it for her.

Anna tells Valentin that she and Dante were ambushed on the docks by Roman Hume. He worked for Pikeman. It’s just so strange. All roads seem to lead back to this one, ultra secretive organization that’s run by a ghost. He says, a ghost? and she says, Pikeman’s ties to the WSB are clear, but no one seems to know who’s at the top of the pyramid. So she needs information. She was hoping maybe he could provide it for her. He says, Pikeman? and she says, he was working for them as recently as last summer. He says, as an intermediary, a glorified messenger, and she asks how that job came about. He says he did some contract work for them back in the 90s, and they felt comfortable asking him to introduce them to Sonny, but whether Sonny and Pikeman did any work together after that was none of his concern. She says, okay. Maybe she can pick his brain about something else. Or someone. He asks, who? and she says, Jack Brennan.

Lois asks, what’s wrong with it? and Brook says, absolutely nothing. Lois says, well, something, but Brook says, the dress is lovely. It’s classy and elegant and tasteful… Lois says she feels a but coming, and Brook says, no buts. It’s just not really Lois’s style. Lois says, it’s just and but are exactly the same thing, and Brook asks if Lois thinks that’s her style. Lois says, to go out on a Saturday night? No, but she was under the impression that what you wear to your daughter’s wedding isn’t what you wear to go clubbing. They’re two completely different things. Brook says, it doesn’t have to be this different. What kind of nails would she even do with that? Lois says she was thinking maybe just clear, and Brook says, what? Lois says she’s the mother of the bride. She’s supposed to be understated. Brook says, there’s no supposed to be here. This isn’t a royal wedding. There areno standards she has to live up to. Brook just wants her to wear what she wants to wear. Something that makes her feel like her. Lois says, this definitely doesn’t feel like her, and Brook says she didn’t think so. Back to the drawing board. Lois tells Sandrine, let’s pull some colors, some swatches… Maybe show some skin this time. You know what? Maybe a plunging neckline. Brook says, let’s not get carried away, when Chase walks in. He asks if he missed it, and Brook says, missed what? What is he doing here? Sandrine says, there’s been a special order for the bride-to-be, and Brook asks what they’re up to. Sandrine says she was commissioned to design a dress for Brook’s honeymoon, and Brook asks if Chase really thinks that’s necessary. He says, very, and Sandrine takes out a beautiful black cocktail dress. Brook says, it’s gorgeous, and Chase asks if she likes it. Brook says she’s obsessed with it, but it’s long sleeves. Doesn’t he think she’ll be a little warm in Palm Beach? He says, they’re not going to Palm Beach.

Molly says, The Invader ran a piece on the DA’s office being opposed to the overturning of Heather Webber’s conviction, her multiple convictions of assault and homicide going back nearly twenty years. Alexis says, that would be with the metallosis diagnosis. Yes. She signed off on that. Molly says, then she knows the article cited an unnamed source, and Alexis says, yes. Molly says, mom, and Alexis says, what? Molly says, everybody at the DA’s office assumes that source is her. Alexis says, it isn’t, and Molly says, Alexis knows that, and she knows that, but her colleagues, specifically DA Scorpio, do not know that. Alexis asks what Molly wants her to do about it. The story checked out. Molly says she wants Alexis to help her prove that she’s not the one who broke confidentiality and discussed the case with a reporter, and Alexis asks how exactly Molly wants her to do that. Molly says, tell her who did.

Marshall asks if Molly knows TJ has misgivings about Kristina being the surrogate, and TJ tells him that he wouldn’t say it exactly like that, but yeah. Molly has her worries too. He thinks that’s the problem, because whenever he tells her his concerns… Marshall says, about what, besides the being too close part? and TJ says he just doesn’t think Kristina is taking the best care of herself. (Huh?) She’s out late, she’s not avoiding stress, plus the small fact that she’s out with her dad, who’s getting shot at on the regular. Marshall says, points taken. So when he brings all these things up to Molly… TJ says, she takes the position of defending Kristina, even though he knows they share the same concerns. That’s why they avoid the topic altogether. He just feels like, during this time, he and Molly should be closer together, but he just feels more and more distant from her. Marshall says, and what about Kristina? Has their relationship been affected? TJ says, how can it not be? Any time he shares a worry he has with her, she accuses him of overreacting. It’s as if Kristina is having the baby and she’s going to let them know when it’s here. He sounds ungrateful, doesn’t he? Marshall says, no. He sounds human. TJ tells him, that’s what mom said. Marshall says, smart woman, your mother.

Drew says he’s been doing some research and Floodgate Consultancy Group says, the wellness and fitness space is booming out there. They’re all across the country, but especially in the high-end areas, with both residential and urban people spending so much money not only to look good, but to feel good. Really laying the foundation for health, wellness, and longevity. Michael says he read that report too. 40 is the new 25, and with the right fitness regimen and the right products, you, too, can achieve it. Drew says, so thoughts? and Michael says he thinks it’s a good time for Aurora to diversify. Crimson and print media is still a front burner for them, but it is drying up. They need to find alternative revenue streams. He thinks dipping in to an expanding market makes sense. Curtis says, an expanding market like health and wellness, and Drew says, which is where Curtis comes in.

On the phone, Carly says she just ordered toast and eggs. She doesn’t understand what’s taking so long. John comes in, wearing only a towel, and Carly says she’ll hold. She tells John that she bets the shower felt amazing. He says, it did, and she says, it’s amazing what hot water can do, but he says, not so hot really. Carly tells the kitchen that she’s still holding, and looks at John. He says, the water never got too warm, and she says, he’s got to be kidding her. Back on the phone, she says, she’s here. She’s still here… No. She’s pretty sure there’s no food in her hotel room… What? They left the food outside the door, without knocking…?… Okay. She hangs up and says, they’ve got to be kidding her. No hot water, shoddy room service… This hotel is definitely going downhill. She opens the door just as Nina is walking by, and Nina says, oh. Good morning to you. She looks at John standing behind Carly in the towel.

Valentin tells Anna, what he remembers about Jack Brennan is, his rapid rise to director of the WSB was followed by a spectacular fall. He singlehandedly orchestrated Frisco Jones’ ouster and a year later, he was out himself. She says, he knows Jack is in Pentenville, right? and he says, yeah, thanks to her. She says, in part. She went to visit him the other day. Valentin asks, why? and she says, curiosity? Valentin hasn’t been to see him yet? Valentin says, has he been to see Jack Brennan in Pentenville? No, he has not. Why would he do that? She says, because they were close back in the day, when they were all coming up together at the WSB, but he says, no, not really. Jack Brennan did really well academically and even better with the ladies, but he was in the back of the room, not making eye contact. She says she distinctly remembers them at that pub they used to go to… The Archangel. The two of them were playing dice or something. Whatever it was, they were laughing because they’d aced an assignment that the rest of them just botched. He says, that sounds like Jack, but it doesn’t sound like him. If he was at The Archangel, he was lurking. He wasn’t hanging with the cool kids. Not like her. She was at the center of the circle. Jack was too. He thinks she probably has him mixed up with someone else. She says, he and Jack were just feeding off of each other. They were pushing each other to be better, to be smarter… He says, if anybody was pushing anybody, Anna was pushing Jack. They were the best of the best. Everybody knew that. Valentin was on the fast track to a desk job. He and Jack Brennan have never shared more than ten words together.

Alexis says she cannot and will not reveal the identity of her sources, and Molly tells her that now she’s going to say journalistic integrity. Alexis says, very good, counselor, and Molly says, that’s crazy. Leaked, privileged information is not protected speech. Whoever that source is, not only violated their professional conduct guidelines, they also jeopardized future cases. Alexis says, that sounds like a DA problem, not her problem, and Molly says, it’s a very big problem if the article affected the fairness of a trial. Alexis says, what trial? Heather’s already been convicted on multiple counts, and the DA has already refused to revisit any of those cases. And without a case on the docket, Molly can’t argue that a leak compromised anything. Molly says, she’s impossible, and Alexis says, that’s part of her charm. She holds out her wrists and asks if Molly would like to lock her up until she cracks.

Marshall says, TJ is in a tough and undesirable situation. Life hands those to us sometimes. When one was handed to him, he went for the big fix; he left his family to protect them. But had he stayed, had he gutted it out, it turns out he probably would have had a pretty decent life. TJ says, so Marshall is telling him that he made a huge mistake? but Marshall says, no. He’s saying it’s human nature, or more specifically male nature, to go for the big fix. Sometimes that’s not always the answer. Sometimes you can just let it breathe and settle, and that can be the way to go. TJ says, unfortunately, that ship has sailed, and Marhsall laughs. He says, not for the here and now. Kristina is who she is. And yes, she’s carrying TJ’s baby, and he can’t change that, he can’t erase that. But what he can do is step back and take a look at the whole picture and focus on what really matters. His relationship with Molly.

Carly closes the door and steps out in the hall, telling Nina, stalk much? Nina says, just doing her regular rounds. Carly remembers. Carly says, vividly. Although this hotel is definitely not what it used to be. Nina says, better? but Carly says, not quite. Nina says she didn’t think Carly could surprise her anymore, but she’s done it. An FBI agent? What’s Sonny going to think? Or Jason, for that matter? And poor Drew, forever the runner-up in the twin department. Carly asks if she’s finished, but Nina says she could keep at it all day. Carly looks at the food under the cloche and says she’s happy that Nina’s here. Nina says, no one could be happier than her, and Carly says she’d like to file a complaint about room service. Nina asks if Carly even has time to eat, because she seems quite busy, and Carly asks why Nina doesn’t spend less time worrying about her private life and more time managing her hotel. Nina tells Carly to enjoy the rest of her stay, and leaves. Carly pushes the cart into the room, mumbling about Nina, and John comes out fully dressed. He says, friend of hers? and Carly gives a short laugh.

Curtis says he’s listening, and Drew says, as he mentioned, the wellness/fitness space is booming. Aurora wants to move into that business, but they need someone to spearhead the initiative. Curtis says, meaning? and Michael says, someone with practical experience and knowledge of the fitness industry, a strong leader with customer service experience, and multi-level management skills. Drew says, which are skills Curtis has. The Savoy is a huge success. Curtis asks how they see Aurora moving into the business, and Michael asks what Curtis would do. Curtis says, the most practical thing might be for Aurora to buy up some of the small gyms around the country, rebrand them, and combine them into a national high-end fitness club. People are spending a lot of money in wellness. Meditation rooms, plunge baths, yoga, Pilates, physical training… A mind body connection and combined with a training-slash-fitness facility, this is a one-stop shop. It might require significant capital. Drew says, which they have… Nina walks in, saying, Drew won’t believe this. She just saw Carly… She stops when she sees the other two.

John says he gets the sense Carly and Nina don’t get along, and she says, he must be an FBI agent. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she doesn’t let Nina get to her… She tries not to let Nina get to her. He says he knows a little bit about their history, and she says, lucky him. He says he takes it there isn’t enough water under the bridge yet, and she says, there’s not enough water in the world. Sorry about the eggs. He says, it’s not her fault. Besides, coffee is the only necessary component. (Agreed.) She says, when she owned the MetroCourt, this would have never flown. If a customer complained about their food, they would redo it at no charge. She refills his coffee, and he says, she’s big on customer service. She says, it’s literally what the hospitality industry is all about, and he says, she must have had her fair share of jerks blow through here though. She says, yeah, sure, but for the most part, people were great. And she loved it. She loved making people feel happy and comfortable and special. He asks if she doesn’t get to scratch that itch running Bobbie’s, and she says, to an extent. She loves Bobbie’s – she really does – but it’s a restaurant. Full stop. In this place she got a taste of all of it, really curating a space. From the carpets to the linen to the lighting. Even the music. Putting all of those things together to create the ultimate experience. She loved it. He says, sounds like a symphony, and she says, it kind of was. He says, and she was good at it, and she says, she was great at it. He asks if she thinks she’ll ever do it again, but she says she doesn’t know. She tells people that she will, that she’s going to get her half of the MetroCourt back, but she thinks that’s just a pipe dream, The MetroCourt belongs to someone else, two someone elses. She’s just going to have to accept that.

Chase says he’s been working on a surprise for Brook, and she says, but he’s terrible at keeping secrets. Chase says, it’s true. Her mom has been helping him keep this under wraps. Lois says, guilty as charged, and Brook says, so no more Palm Beach? Chase shakes his head, and she says, please tell her that he’s not working. It’s their honeymoon. He says, they’re still going away, but there has been a change in destination. He leads her over to the loveseat, and she says, okay. As long as it’s not a downgrade, she’s in. Everyone else quietly leaves the room, and she says, so what are they talking? Miami? Charleston? Palm Springs? She’s never been to the desert. He says, think a little further away than that, and she says, like out of the US away? He nods, and she asks what he did. He says he’s marrying the woman of his dreams. No, scratch that. He never dreamed of her because he didn’t know someone this wonderful could exist, and he wants their honeymoon to be a reflection of that. He wants her to remember this trip for the rest of her life. Because she deserves it. She deserves everything. She says, he’s the sweetest man on the planet. So where on this planet is he taking her? He says, Florence, and she says, he’s kidding. He says he’s not kidding, and she says, Florence, Italy? He says, her mom told him that she wanted to go, and she says, only for her entire life. Oh my God, Florence? She jumps up and says, not only does she get to go, she gets to go with him? He asks if she’s happy, and she says, happy doesn’t even begin to cover it, and kisses him.

Molly says, so she guesses Alexis wins – again, and Alexis says, freedom of the press wins – always. Except she has no idea why she’s fighting so hard for it when it comes to this paper. Molly says, because she cares about her job and the integrity of her paper, and Alexis says, integrity the new associate publisher will undoubtedly destroy. Molly starts to leave and picks up the envelope the messenger delivered. She asks, what’s this? and Alexis says, a messenger dropped it off when she was fighting with Nina. Molly asks if she’s looked at it, but Alexis says she was too consumed with rage to care. What is it? Molly says, it’s from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and Alexis says, they’re handling her appeal. Molly says, it’s probably her decision, whether they’ll review her case, or she’ll stay disbarred. Open it. She holds it out to Alexis, who backs up, saying, no. She can’t. She tells Molly to do it, and Molly asks if she’s sure. Alexis nods, and Molly opens the envelope.

As Molly reads what’s inside, she looks sad, and Alexis says, it’s okay. It was a longshot anyway. So the appeal was denied… Molly says, they’re giving her a hearing. They set a date and everything. Alexis grabs it from her and looks at it. She says, they’re giving her a hearing, and Molly says, not just that. They’re giving her hope. This is hope. They hug and jump up and down.

Marshall says, TJ needs to find reasons for him and Molly to come together that aren’t about the baby. It’s those moments of now, those moments where it’s just the two of them. Those moments are precious too. Now, as much as he enjoyed that egg sandwich and this beautiful park… TJ says, and the incredible company of his grandson, and Marshall says, that too. Get his behind over to the store and buy all the ingredients for Molly’s favorite dinner. Just make sure it’s reheatable in case she does have to work late. Wouldn’t it be nice for Molly to come home and see her favorite meal on the table waiting on her? TJ says, Molly would love that, and Marshall says, don’t spend the next three months wringing his hands over what Kristina is or isn’t doing. Spend the next three months with his partner, being just that – partners – before they become parents. Molly is a very special woman. TJ agrees she is and thanks Marshall. They bro hug.

Chase says, mimosa for the bride-to-be, handing Brook a drink, and she thanks him. They say, cheers, and clink glasses. Brook says she can’t believe it’s true, and he says, believe it. She says, Florence… the Uffizi, the Duomo, David… He says, whoa. Who’s this David guy? She says, and they have to take a day trip to Pisa and an overnight to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. He says, she’s thought a lot about this, and she says, this is like a bucket list thing for her. And she can’t wait to look up all the best restaurants and they’re going to have gelato every, single day, no exceptions. Okay? He says, yes, ma’am, and she says, they’re going to drink wine at sunset in every piazza they can find. It’s going to be so incredible. He says, she’s so incredible, and they kiss. She says, they have so much planning to do. Wait. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, a honeymoon to Florence is a lot more expensive than one stateside. The airfare alone. He says, that’s okay. He has the money for it. She asks, how? and he says he sold his truck.

Anna says, Valentin and Jack weren’t friends, but they certainly knew each other, right? He says, of course (🍷) they did, and she says, when he was working with Pikeman, in his dealings with them, did he ever get the sense Jack was involved? He says, she believes Jack Brennan was working with Pikeman? and she says she does. She can’t get him to admit it, but when Valentin was an intermediary, did anything jump out at him? He says he wishes he had something useful to offer her, but sadly, he doesn’t. She says, okay. It was worth a try. Maybe when she goes back to see him again. He says, don’t. Pikeman and Brennan are dangerous. If they’re working together, then they’re not to be messed with. She thanks him for his concern, but says she can take care of herself. He says, please do, and she thanks him for breakfast and leaves.

John opens the door for Carly and says, thanks again. She says she doesn’t think he thanked her the first time, and he says, then thank you. Not just for saving his hide on the docks, but for getting him back here and keeping an eye on him all night. She says he’s welcome, and he says, and he guesses they get to be friends, even if it’s just for a minute. She says, just for a minute? Are FBI agents not allowed to have friends? Oh. Worried he’s going to divulge classified information? He says, something like that, and she says, makes sense. But how does he know he doesn’t talk in his sleep? She leaves and he watches her walk down the hall.

Drew tells Nina, they’re at a meeting, so try back later, but Michael asks what she was going to say about his mom. And what did Nina do now? Nina says she didn’t do anything. She just thought Drew would want to know Carly moved on quickly from him and is now sleeping with everyone’s favorite FBI agent, John Cates.

Tomorrow, Tracy tells Brook, disrespecting your husband is no way to start a marriage; Maxie asks why Lucy is insisting on taking this all on herself; Alexis tells Gregory that it’s a risk she can afford; and Carly says she did something that someone isn’t going to like.

🛟 Here It Comes…

Now it’s somebody else’s fault she was a pita. Maybe she confused Fraser by answering every time the primary was asked a question.

🍸 Between Rules and Reunion…

I can’t believe anybody actually monitors who follows who. Aren’t they busy not opening restaurants and stuff?

It’s not about the pasta mirror.

🍊 Shady John…

Andy leaps with glee as he twirls his moustache.

⚰️ About Those Dead…

Like the franchise is ever going away.

Ha-ha! I thought it said giant zombie heads. Now that would be a variant.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-new-villain-zombies-season-1-return

Carol’s turn coming up.

https://www.cbr.com/daryl-dixon-book-of-carol-release-date-cast-news

🐕 From Around the Globe and Back…

Bollywood babies.

Backup pups.

https://people.com/meghan-trainor-stars-in-music-video-with-dogs-8629755

☔️ April Showers Bring More April Showers…

Stop by tomorrow for pre-weekend soap, the Summer smack talk promised, and shenanigans. Until then, stay safe, stay thinking twice before engaging in online debates, and stay doing the work. If you do, you can achieve anything.

April 10, 2024 – Sonny Meets Jason At the Warehouse, There Goes the Sun, Nathan’s Lane, VanderViews, He’s Toxic, This Week In Chefs, No Snow, Animal Reaction & Paris

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Getting up from the floor and gathering her clothes, Nina says, Drew has been planning something like this all along, but he asks if he needs to refresh her memory. He wasn’t the one who started all this. She says she knows, but she thinks he had this on his mental backburner since he took her magazine away and gave it to Carly. They all know how that worked out. Drew says, the only thing he’s been fantasizing about Nina is her losing all her money, losing her looks, and getting convicted of a nameless crime that gets her sent to prison, like she sent him. (Wow. Most of us would just say, was it good for you too?)

Carly puts some ice in a towel on John’s head and says he looks like he was mugged by a small army. Is he sure it was only two people? He says, yeah. Those guys might not have killed him, but this ice might. She says, it’s not that cold, and he says, it’s ice. By definition, it’s cold. He takes the ice from her and sits down, holding it himself. She says, the ice machine on this floor was broken, which is appalling, and he says, that’s what she finds appalling? A broken ice machine? She says she had to go down a floor to get the ice and it was melting by the time she got it to the towel. He says, yet, when placed against the human body, it’s still plenty cold, and she wonders if the FBI knows the only thing it takes for an agent to spill his guts is a couple of ice cubes. He says he likes to keep some things to himself, and she tells him, all she’s saying is when she ran the MetroCourt, that ice machine would have been maintained. She hands him some water, and he says he’s grateful for the medical expertise. She shakes some ibuprofen out of the bottle, gives it to him, and says she went to nursing school. She didn’t graduate, but the training was really good. When you have kids, you have little reaction time. then you have to keep it together before you get to an actual doctor. Speaking of which, please let her take him to the hospital. Or at least let her call the house doctor here. He says he’s quite happy with the care he’s received so far. He wouldn’t change a thing.

Laura tells Doc that she doesn’t want to jinx it, but she thinks Ace finally fell asleep. She told him a story, did a little singing… Maybe she’s getting the hang of his bedtime routine. Or maybe he’s just getting used to falling asleep without Esme and Spencer. She looks over at Doc, who’s concentrating on his tablet, and she says, or maybe she’s just telling herself a story.

Blaze and Kristina watch TV, Kristina’s head in Blaze’s lap. Blaze asks if Kristina is sure she’s okay with it, and Kristina says, yeah, but if Blaze isn’t into it, just change it. It’s just a movie. Blaze says, the movie is fine. She wasn’t really paying attention. Kristina asks, what’s going on? and Blaze says she keeps thinking about the whole Face of Deception thing. Is Kristina sure she’s okay with her being the Face? (Sounds like a Batman villain.) Kristina says, yeah. Blaze already shares her music with the world. Why not share her beautiful face too? Blaze says, because her mom inserted a clause keeping her private life private in every contract. And if anyone pushes against that point, she made it very clear it’s a deal breaker. Kristina says, Blaze is her public persona and Blaze is not out, but Allie, her girlfriend, is. Blaze says she’ll never get tired of hearing Kristina call her that, and Kristina says, she and her girlfriend are out to their families, to their closest friends, and the people who really matter. That’s all she really cares about. So locking down her private life is the deal Blaze made with her mom and everyone else, but as long as it doesn’t impact them and their relationship, she doesn’t see a problem with it. Blaze says, right, and Kristina says, unless the person who has a problem with it is her.

Curtis walks a little unsteadily into the bedroom, and Portia calls to him, asking where he is. He says, why doesn’t she come upstairs and find out? and she walks into the bedroom. She sees him without his cane, and says, oh my God. He says, one small step for man… Actually, it was a bunch of little steps, but one giant leap for yours truly. She says, this is huge. It’s so great not to see his cane anywhere. He says, no cane. Just him and his two legs. He sits on the bed, and she says, he’s amazing, but he says, no. She’s amazing. If it weren’t for her, he would still be stuck in some hospital bed. Or in his wheelchair still. Mad at the world, feeling sorry for himself, some version of that. That’s how his story would have ended. Because of her, he has nothing but new chapters to write. And he can’t wait – he stands up and she squeals – he can’t wait to write them with her. He takes her hands and says, thank you, my love. They kiss and she says, anytime.

Ava tosses and turns in bed. She sits up, takes her sleep mask off, and says, this is pointless. She gets up.

Jason says he owns half this warehouse, and Sonny asks if he’s taking it back. Jason says he never gave it up, but Sonny says, he deserted it. He was gone for more than two years. He lost the right to take it back. He doesn’t want to see Jason’s face. Didn’t he make that clear? Jason says, that’s why he had Diane speak to Sonny on his behalf. He still owns 50% of Corinthos Coffee. Sonny says, don’t quote his own lawyer… Jason says, their lawyer. They both trust her and what she says. Why not trust her judgement on this? Sonny says, forget Diane. Jason came to his warehouse to get an answer from him. He got his wish. This is his business, and he doesn’t want Jason anywhere near it.

Portia says she’s so proud of Curtis, and not because he made it up the stairs, but because he didn’t give in to despair. He didn’t quit. He says, truth be told, he thought about it. There were times he thought about it, and each time he thought, what would he say to Trina? She got hit with something terrible when Spencer died and it’s okay to call it quits, just curl up in a ball? It’s not him. She says, it’s not. Those words sound like a foreign language coming out of his mouth. She loves it. He says he’s a father now; he’s a son. It’s not just about him anymore. She says he did forget one thing out of that list, and he says, what’s that? She says, lover, and he says, is that so? She says she’d be a fool to let all the effort he took getting up those stairs and into their beautiful bedroom go to waste. And she’s no fool. They kiss.

John thanks Carly for the ice. He thinks it helped. Or else the bitter cold destroyed all the nerve endings in his body, so win-win. She says, he needs to keep this on his head, directing his hand back, and he says, she needs to go home to that adorable daughter of hers. Carly says, she’s great. She’s happy with her nanny. What Carly is concerned about is him having a concussion. He says he’s fine. Trust him. It will take more than a couple of shots to this hard head to do any damage. She says she doesn’t know about that. If he does have a concussion, someone needs to check on him every couple of hours to see if he’s having a hard time waking up. If he is, that means his concussion is getting worse. He says he’ll be fine, but she says, please, just let her take him to the hospital. Just think. If he’s right, he gets to say I told you so. He says he does like that, but come on. All they’re going to do is admit him and wake him up all night long. He’d rather stay here. She says, okay. She can wake people up with the best of them. She takes the pillow off a chair, sits down, and puts her feet on the coffee table. He asks what she’s doing, and she says, getting comfortable. She has to conserve her energy. She has to shake him away in a couple hours, then a couple hours after that. He says he really appreciates… She says, he’s wasting his time. She’s staying right here and she’s going to save him from himself.

Nina asks if Drew is saying he regrets this as much as she does, and he says, two people consumed by mutual, passionate hatred with no acceptable outlet? It’s better than poisoning. She says she doesn’t see a big difference, and he says, think of it like a screwed up spontaneous combustion. She says she’s going to think of it this way, as a downpayment, and he asks, what’s on layaway? She says, appoint her to the board, and he says, of Aurora? What possible sense would it make for him to appoint her to the board of Aurora? She edits Crimson. That’s her entire value to them. She says, and she makes the magazine a success. Okay. Maybe not that, but he’s close to Michael and he’s close to Willow. Find a pathway for her to get back in her daughter’s good graces. He asks if she thinks 45 minutes on his office floor commits him to dragging her out of the wreckage she made of her life. It’s going to take more than a couple of rug burns for him to lift a finger for her.

Nina says she tried to treat Michael and Willow to a surprise anniversary dinner, and they turned her down, which was humiliating. Drew says, surprise dinner, huh? Translation. Regardless of what Michael and Willow wanted, she pushed whatever she wanted on them, which is so on brand for her. She says she doesn’t care how he describes it. It felt like she was punched in the heart. Forgive her if she had to come down here and pull herself together and get a breath. Instead of sympathizing with her… He says he never will sympathize with her, and she says she knows she has a little part in this, but she thinks he took advantage of her emotional, vulnerable state. He says, she’s projecting. Taking advantage of people is her stock and trade. She tells him, shut up, and he says, let him just be clear. Her offer of an anniversary dinner when she can’t stand Michael and wishes Willow hadn’t married him, was it really just for Willow? Or was she hoping maybe they’d tell Sonny how generous she is? Does Sonny know she’s still pining for him? She goes to slap him, but he grabs her hand and says he’ll take that as a yes.

John asks, what time is it? and Carly says, almost midnight. He says, that late? She should really go home. She says, if he insists, she’ll drop him off at GH on her way, but he says, that’s not necessary. She says, it probably is, but he’d probably just be trading one problem for another, huh? He asks what she’s talking about, and she says, if he went to the hospital, the nurses would start asking him questions – she puts a blanket on him – and they’d have to call the PCPD. Then the PCPD would want to know what the heck he was doing wandering around the waterfront at that time of night. He says he wasn’t wandering around. He took a walk. She goes back to the chair, using her coat as a blanket, and says, in the most dangerous part of town at night. He says, Port Charles is a safe place, and she laughs. She says, make sure he mentions that safe part when he talks to the police because they love that kind of feedback. He says he got mugged. It’s a terrible thing, but it happens. This time it happened to him. She says, he should stick with that story. But she wants him to know that she knows he was tracking Jason.

Jason says, if Sonny doesn’t want him in his organization, he understands, but Sonny says, no. Jason doesn’t understand. He trusted Jason more than anyone and now he can’t trust him. Jason says he never gave the Feds anything on Sonny, and Sonny asks why he should believe that. Jason says, because if he had, they would have arrested Sonny. He’s been protecting Sonny this whole time. Sonny says he’s not a child. He doesn’t need protection. He needs Jason to get away from him. Otherwise, he will have to remove Jason.

Laura tells Doc that she’s concerned about how small Ace’s family is going to be. There are no siblings. He may never know Lulu and Lucky. She knows there’s Elizabeth’s boys, but they’re quite a bit older and they have their own lives. It’s really just her, him, and Ace. Doc says, and Heather, and Laura says she knows Heather likes to call herself Ace’s grandmother. He says, technically, she is Ace’s grandmother. They may not like it, but Esme was her daughter. He asks about the transfer to California, and Laura says she forgot to tell him. The DA cancelled the transfer because of her medical condition. So she’s in Pentenville for the foreseeable future. He says, unless something else occurs, and shows her the tablet. She reads: chemically induced abnormal behavior. This is really what he thinks happened to Heather, isn’t it? Does he think they would ever reopen Heather’s case after all the things that she did?

Nina says, if Drew breathes a word of this to Sonny… He says, having sex with her on his office floor isn’t something he’s going to be bragging about. He wouldn’t worry about Sonny. Sonny is a little preoccupied right now with Jason’s surprise return. She says, he can think about more than one thing at a time, and Drew says, and somehow, he isn’t thinking about her at all. She has to face it. She’s not even on Sonny’s radar right now. He doesn’t care who she’s mixing it up with. Maybe because he’s got a new roommate.

Ava calls to Sonny and asks if he’s home. She pours herself a drink, then sets it down and goes to Sonny’s bedroom. She wonders what he has that would make a person sleep. She checks in a box by his bed, but only finds an OTC pain reliever. She says, he’s got to do better than that, and goes into his bathroom. She wonders where he keeps the good stuff and looks in the vanity drawers. She finds a prescription bottle labeled Lorphenadine, and says, may cause drowsiness.

Jason tells Sonny, it doesn’t have to be this way. He’s not a threat. He’ll stay out of Sonny’s organization. All he wants is his half of the coffee business. Sonny says, and all he wants is the truth. If Jason didn’t inform on him, what was he doing with the Feds? Jason says he told Sonny everything he could, but Sonny says, Jason told him nothing. He thought it was because Ava was right there, but Ava’s not here now; it’s just them. If Jason wants Sonny to trust him, if he wants half of the business back, he’s going to have to trust Sonny. What happened to him?

Jason says, the FBI picked him up on Cassadine Island. They flew him back to Quantico. They offered him a deal. Become an informant and no charges will be filed. He took that deal because it was his best option. They didn’t want him to inform on Sonny because they knew he would never do it and it would never work. So they sent him after somebody else. Sonny asks, who? but Jason says he can’t tell Sonny. Sonny says, why? Does Jason think he’s going to go tell these people he’s a traitor? Jason says he can’t tell Sonny because it’s part of the deal. If he talks, that violates the terms of the agreement, and the charges get filed. Sonny says, was part of the deal to take a shot at him? How many times did Jason try to kil him? Jason says he never tried to kill Sonny, and Sonny says, and he’s going to believe that? Because Jason is loyal, because Jason’s his friend, his brother? Jason says, because if he tried to kill Sonny, he wouldn’t have missed.

Ava tells herself that she can’t self-medicate with somebody else’s prescription. It does cause drowsiness though, and if Sonny can handle it… She pops the top off the bottle so easily that it’s probably the most unbelievable thing ever seen on GH. She takes a pill, then says, who is she kidding? and takes another one.

Blaze tells Kristina that she wants to be fair. Having a control freak for a mom can be really helpful when it comes to her career. Kristina says, what about the rest of her life? Her real life. Blaze says, her mom tells her that she knows her better than she knows herself, and Kristina says she hates when parents say that. Blaze says, her too, but she thinks her mom says it because when she was Blaze’s age, she crossed the line a few times. And then she became a mom. Kristina says, becoming a mom certainly changes your perspective on everything, but she’s only an aunt, so… Blaze says, Kristina’s not only an anything. She thinks because her mom didn’t want her making the same mistakes she did, she became super strict. Kristina says, it kind of worked. Look at her. She’s smart and disciplined and built an incredible career for herself. It’s amazing. Blaze says, a lot of that is because she paid attention to everything her mom said when she was growing up. Her mom should be able to look at her life and know that and trust her enough to live her own life. Kristina’s parents do. Kristina doesn’t respond, and Blaze says she must have missed something. Is there a problem with her parents?

Curtis is sitting up in the bed, and Portia asks if this is the folder he wanted. He says, yes. He probably could have gotten it himself, but it would have been 2 in the morning before he got himself down the stairs and back up. She says, with the progress he’s making, he’ll be up and down those stairs in no time, and he says, the miracles of modern medicine. You doctors can fix anything. He asks if everything is okay, and she says, yeah. She’s fine. He says he sort of lost her there for a second. He wondered where she went. He thought maybe she was thinking about these bills. She says, no. Those bills are all his. He says he doesn’t know if she saw this note from Brook Lynn Quartermaine. She’s pushing him to have an invitation only event at The Savoy to showcase Blaze’s new single. He’s probably going to say yes, but he thinks he’ll let her sweat a little bit. She says, it has nothing to do with that, and he says, talk to him. She says she was at the hospital and overheard Doc and Alexis saying something about how they could use a preexisting condition to overturn a conviction. Heather Webber was diagnosed with metallosis. Basically, her artificial hip is poisoning her. And one of the symptoms of metallosis is a shift in personality. He asks if anyone is arguing that Heather Webber isn’t responsible for all those lives she took, and Portia says, that’s exactly what she’s afraid of. Someone is going to use her condition as grounds to reopen Heather’s case, and possibly set that woman free.

John says, Carly thinks he was tracking Jason. She’s getting warmer. She says, hide and seek. Really? Is that how the FBI conducts its business now? He says, his supervisors would definitely not approve of this situation, but they’re not here. So does she want to guess again? She says, okay. If he wasn’t tracking Jason, he was tracking… his lawyer. Diane Miller? He says, give the lady a cigar, and she says she doesn’t want a cigar, but she will take a very expensive glass of wine at a date to be determined. He says, deal, and she says, getting mugged isn’t generally a mood lifter, but it’s made him fun. He thanks her and says he is fun. She just doesn’t know him well enough to see it yet.

Curtis says he gets the legal argument that Heather’s condition – Portia says, metallosis – has contributed to her mental state, but she committed multiple homicides. There’s no way she should be allowed to go free. (Pointing out that we’ve been here before with Franco.) She says she prays he’s right, because Trina’s been through enough. It’s enough, this whole family. He says, but they made it through and they’re stronger than ever. She says, they are, aren’t they? They made it through together as a family. He says, she better believe it, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her feel safe and secure and loved. She says, he just told her that he’d do whatever it takes? and he says he sure did. She says she thinks she’s going to need him to prove that.

Doc tells Laura that he couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Alexis about Heather and the hypotheticals that could set her free. So he did a deep dive into a database about toxicology and abnormal behavior. At first, you would think the chances of Heather’s murder conviction being overturned are inconceivable. Laura says, but then with further investigation… He says, it’s not without medical and legal precedent. She says, wow. She can’t imagine what the reaction would be to Heather going free. They know Portia Robinson, Sasha Gilmore, Dr. Obrecht, all those people are going to be outraged. As would most of the citizens of Port Charles she thinks. He says, understandably, and she says, unless it can be proven that Heather herself was victimized. And if that were the case, she thinks it would be wrong not to give her a second chance. He says, selfishly, there’s a side of him that would like to see Heather redeemed. Not released, but rehabilitated into someone functional. Someone stable that Ace could know, even have a relationship with. And if he’s being honest, he’d like to think some good could come of the harm he’s caused. She says, none of this is his fault, but he says he made one decision about his brother, and it resulted in a series of devastating events. If Ryan hadn’t gotten loose, then Heather would still be institutionalized, and her victims would still be alive. So would Spencer and Esme. They never would have even met Esme. She says she thinks he’s forgetting one thing. Ace wouldn’t be here either.

Kristina tells Blaze that she doesn’t have a problem with anyone in her family right now. Actually, it might be the first time she’s been able to say that. Her mom’s good; she’s supportive of their relationship and the surrogacy. Blaze says, what about her dad? and Kristina says, her dad’s good. He loves her unconditionally. He of course (🍷) has a dark side, but he’s loving and generous and more sensitive than people think, and he can get hurt too. She’s a little worried about her dad right now. Blaze asks if that’s because he and Nina broke up, and Kristina says, Nina’s not perfect, but he was happy with her. And since Ava moved in… Blaze says, wait. She moved in? She thought Ava was just staying there temporarily. Kristina says, so did she.

Nina says, Ava is staying with Sonny for security reasons, and Drew says, keep telling herself that. She finishes getting dressed and says, let her worry about Ava. Just figure out a way to get her closer to her daughter. And if it’s not appointing her to the board, then come up with something else. He says, even if he were to help her, Michael will never see her as anything other than a threat to his family. She lied to him about his father’s death, then sued him to get access to his child. But Willow’s got a softer heart, and he’s still friends with her. Nina says, he’ll help her plead her case to her then, and he says, maybe, but after his near-death beating he took in prison because of her, she’s going to have to make it so worth his while. (I used to find Drew kind of boring. Now he just creeps me out.)

Jason tells Sonny that Port Charles is still his home. This warehouse is still half his. He’s going to be here every day, importing coffee, totally legit. So whatever business Sonny wants to do, do it away from the warehouse, so he doesn’t have to be witness to it. Sonny asks if Jason thinks he won’t do it. He thinks Sonny won’t get rid of him? He could do it in a heartbeat. All he’s got to do is say the word, and Jason is gone. Jason says, come on. If anything happens to him, Sonny knows the cops are going to look at him first. Sonny says, don’t tell him what he knows. Know what he knows? Jason can’t be trusted and he’s going to have to get protection. From Jason. Because Jason is a traitor. Jason says, stop, and asks if Sonny is taking his meds.

Nina says, Drew will be her ally, and he says he thinks ally is a strong word for what he’ll be, but she’s a creative person. She can put her thinking cap on and come up with something that will be worth his time and effort. He picks up his shirt and says he likes this shirt. She can start by sewing the buttons back on it. He tosses the shirt to her, but she says, do his own mending, slinging it back, and she walks out.

Carly tells John that they need to order all new ice machines for this hotel. But she doesn’t need to keep going on and on about how this hotel is not great anymore. He says, it’s a nice hotel, and she says, it was, but she’s not going to bore him with all her complaints about the hotel. She puts new ice in a towel and says, what about him? Are there any other circumstances, besides being beaten up – she laughs – where he’s fun? He says he must be concussed or at least punchy. He’s said way too much already. She says she has a lot of experiences where she’s listening to things she doesn’t repeat or remember. She looks over at him and he’s asleep. She says, that’s a way to end a conversation, and turns down the lights. She gets back in the chair and says, sleep well, Agent Cates. I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours.

Portia comes out dressed in fabulous lingerie and says she guesses Curtis is still working on the bills. So she guesses she’ll just… He says, no, no, no. Not looking as good as she is. Come here. She sits on the bed next to him, and he says, in case she doesn’t remember, they never had an official honeymoon. He thinks they should do something about that as soon as possible. She kisses him and I assume they get busy, since the camera pans to the ceiling.

Laura shows Doc her phone and says, viola. You can see Ace in real  time. He’s still sleeping. Doc says, that’s amazing. She makes the same face when she sleeps. She says, maybe it runs in the family, and they sit on the sofa. He says, the picture and the sound is so pristine. Here he thought the baby monitor was the pinnacle of technological advancement. She says, it was… twenty years ago, and he laughs. He says, and when he hears people say twenty years, he thinks, oh, they’re talking about the 80s. Then he realizes… no, they’re not. She says she knows them raising a baby at this point in their lives wasn’t part of his bucket list, and he says, was it on hers? She says, no, and he says, it’s not like they’re ready to retire and they’re not exactly people who back away from life. She says, and she thinks Ace has given them so much more life, and he says, Ace has, and he loves it. And he loves her. She says she loves him too, and kisses him. He says, they took an awful lot of wrong turns and detours before they found each other, but they did. And he thinks Ace is just another unexpected… Laura says, responsibility? but he says, miracle. She says, wow. He’s really something. He says he’s a lucky man, and she says she’s a lucky woman. She puts her head on his shoulder and he puts his arm around her. Aww.

Kristina tells Blaze that she knows there’s still a security reason for Ava to be staying at Sonny’s place, but it’s just that something doesn’t feel right about it. It’s weird. Even Dante noticed, and he’s on pain meds. Blaze asks if she said or did anything, but Kristina says, no. It’s just little things. She can’t see the whole picture yet, but one thing she does know is, Ava is a Jerome. And the Jeromes love power. It’s like a drug. Blaze says, Kristina thinks she’s going to what? Make a move on Sonny’s business? Kristina says, not a move move. She’d never come at something straight on; she’s too smart for that. She’d slither in from the side or something. And she’s making herself indispensable to Kristina’s dad. She’s running interference, she’s making him drinks… Blaze says, her dad doesn’t see what she’s doing? and Kristina says, worse. He likes it. A lot.

Ava lies awake and says, may cause drowsiness, and sits up. She says, Sonny must like the taste of those. She feels absolutely nothing. Nada. They don’t help you sleep. They don’t help anything else. What do those stupid pills do? (Got it.)

Sonny tells Jason that he takes his medication every day, every dosage, like clockwork. He’s not having a breakdown. He just has to face the truth. Jason’s not who he thought. Or maybe he never was. Jason says he’s not Sonny’s enemy, and he doesn’t want any trouble. And he accepts that Sonny doesn’t trust him. Sonny doesn’t have to trust him. He’ll stay out of Sonny’s way. Sonny says, he’d better. Sonny pauses a moment and says, go ahead, take the warehouse. He can sit in it until he rots. He starts to leave, but stops and says, if you double-cross me again or I suspect you’re interfering with my business or my life… I will end you. He walks out and Jason looks concerned.

Tomorrow, Brook asks, what if they ruined Lila’s dress for nothing; Curtis asks Drew what he’s doing here; Anna asks for Valentin’s help with a case; and Alexis says, what if she just quits?

🌞 Since They Had the Day Off…

Celebrities – they’re just like us. Except for the paycheck. And the fame.

💔 Hallmark’s Loss…

As a general rule, I don’t watch romances, but I can’t imagine him not pulling in viewers.

🍸 Rehashing the Rules…

The Reunion is probably going to be a doozie, but anything would be mild compared to last year. I think.

🍼 Kentucky Shade…

I’m still trying to figure out why she settled for him in the first place.

🔪 Tonight’s Top…

Those who can’t do, watch stuff like this.

https://people.com/top-chef-recap-episode-4-buddha-lo-guest-judge-two-cheftestants-eliminated-8624517

🦣 He Shows Nothing…

Oh well. I would have liked to see a few more mammoths, giants, and such.

https://ew.com/jon-snow-game-of-thrones-sequel-shelved-kit-harington-says-8629070

🦁 An Eclipse For Everyone…

They must have thought it was a short day and an even shorter night. This is basically just a clip of zoo animals getting ready for bed, but the guy who’s being interviewed is pretty excited about it. According to him, every question is a great question. My pets couldn’t have cared less.

https://people.com/texas-zoo-animals-caught-reacting-darkness-during-eclipse-8628890

🤸‍♀️ Bringing It Off…

Join me tomorrow for soap and smack talk about the awful people on Summer House. Until then, stay safe, stay listening with all your senses, and stay never self-medicating with somebody else’s prescription.