What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Epiphany sees Marshall walk into the hospital, and says he looks lost. And he’s carrying a clarinet case. Is he one of the volunteers playing tonight? He says he is, and she says, welcome. She organizes the gig. She’s Epiphany Johnson. She holds out her hand, and he shakes it, saying, Marshall Ashford. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Dr. Johnson.

Curtis sees Portia in a red dress, and says, wow. Is all of this for dinner with Aunt Stella? She says she doesn’t want to get on that woman’s bad side ever again, and he says, understood. He says she has his aunt’s seal of approval. She knows that, right? She nods, and says he looks like he’s in a good mood, and he says he’s just been more relaxed lately. She says, it probably helps knowing he and Drew are going to work together to unravel the mystery of his father.

Drew puts out a punchbowl at the Quartermaines’, and Monica says, nobody ever likes the non-alcoholic wassail, but Alan wanted it every Christmas, so when it’s time to spice it up, she has some high-octane vodka. He takes the bottle and puts it on the bar, and says she doesn’t have to pretend. He knows how hard this Christmas is for her without Jason. Brook brings in Bailey, wearing a little plaid dress, and says, look who appeared for her first night of Christmas. Monica says, she’s adorable, and Brook puts her in the bassinette. Monica tells Drew that she misses Jason more than she can say, but she’s so grateful for the rest of the family. She takes his hand, and says, she’s really grateful to have him home. She goes over to Bailey, and says, hello, gorgeous. She heard a rumor that Santa was really good to her. Brook says, very good. In fact, she thinks Santa spoiled Bailey this year.

Alexis’s family gathers at her house, and Scout says she loves her gift. Sam says, a tambourine. Who thought that was a great idea? Kristina raises her hand, and Sam goes to get another gift. She suggests Scout open the gift from Molly and TJ, and slyly takes the tambourine. Molly says she guesses Kristina isn’t the only one to blame, because she and TJ had a similar idea. Scout opens it, and Sam wonders why she’s scared. It’s a child-sized accordion, and Sam says, how about that? What in the world were they thinking? Molly says, when Sam was away with Dante, she, Kristina, and TJ had Scout and Danny over one afternoon to give them a break from the Quartermaines. Kristina says, and possibly give the Quartermaines a break from them, and TJ says the found a show on TV all about musical instruments. Kristina says, Scout fell in love with the show, and Molly says, she was even playing along with imaginary instruments. TJ says, Scout wasn’t the only one, and Danny says, look what Grandma Alexis got him, showing them bongos. Shawn thanks Alexis, and she says, for the musical interlude? but he says, for the best Christmas he’s had in a long time. She says, both of them. Last year, she was drunk. He says, last year, he was in prison. He’d like to propose a toast, to new beginnings. They clink water bottles.

Obrecht puts a gift under the tree, and Maxie says she thought Obrecht already gave Georgie and James their gifts. Obrecht says, this isn’t for James or Georgie; it’s for Louise. It’s a Christmas angel, waiting for her when she comes home. Maxie glances at Nina, and says, that’s very sweet. Nina says she’s sure Louise will come home soon, and Obrecht can give it to her in person. Obrecht says she looks forward to the day. What about Nina? How dare those people not let her see Wiley on Christmas? Michael Corinthos is trying to put her in prison. This could be her last chance to be with her grandson.

Carly jokes that Wiley doesn’t like his gift, and Michael says, worst Christmas ever. Willow says she thinks there are a lot of gifts for Wiley to open, when Rocco comes in with a shopping bag. He says he was passing the guardhouse, and the guard gave him these for Wiley. Carly says, let her guess; Nina? Michael looks at the card, and says, yes.

Dante is putting on his coat in the foyer, and Sonny says he’s glad Dante came by to celebrate Christmas with the fam, and Dante says he is too. Last year, he came by to drop presents off, and that’s when Carly told him that Sonny was missing. Sonny says, last year wasn’t a good time for any of them. He’s sure Carly appreciated Dante’s company. Dante says, actually, he had an ulterior motive. He’d found out Sonny had secretly paid for his and Lulu’s house, and wanted to thank him. So here he is, a year later. Thank you for our home, and for coming back to yours. They hug.

Drew holds Bailey, and tells Monica that he remembers when Scout was that age. Those were such good times. She says she understands he had a visit from his daughter the other day, and he says he did; Sam brought her by. Scout actually found his favorite Christmas ornament, the star on the top of the tree in the nook. Apparently, it was in the playroom, and Rocco was using it as a sheriff’s badge. She laughs and says she’s not surprised Scout tracked it down. He asks if she knows what’s his favorite part of Christmas, and she says, what? He says, helping Scout put that star on the tree.

Chase asks if Brook wants him to spike some wassail for her, and drops the bottle cap. He bends down to pick it up, and she looks at his behind, flashing back to seeing him naked in the steam room. She says, no thank you. She doesn’t want anything from him. She jets, leaving Chase puzzled.

Brando wheels Sasha out to the reception area, and Deanna says she needs Sasha’s signature on some paperwork. Sasha asks what it is, and Deanna says, assurance someone will be staying with her for the next 24 hours. It’s policy; for her protection. Gladys says, Brando will do that, and Brando asks her to take Sasha’s bag to his car on level A. He’ll meet her down there. She gets in the elevator, and Brando says, Sasha just had surgery, and he thinks Deanna’s right. Someone should be with her. Please come home with him.

Scout plays the accordion (play being open to interpretation), while Danny bangs on the bongos. Sam suggests they go to the kitchen for some cookies, and they leave. Alexis says, full house at the Quartermaines’; they’ll have a huge audience. Kristina asks if Dante will be there, and Sam says, yeah, with Rocco. Alexis says she heard Drew is living there too. Is that going to be a problem for her? Sam asks, why would it be? and Kristina says, the two men in her life. Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Sam asks, how old are they? She and Drew are focused on Scout, and only Scout, and Dante is okay with it. Alexis says she hopes so.

Sonny says he’s sure last Christmas wasn’t easy for Dante, and Dante says, Sonny means everything with Lulu? Sonny says he wishes he’d been there for Dante, but Dante says he’s here now, with his family where he belongs. Sonny says, nothing better than family, and Dante says, speaking of… Sonny says, Olivia’s expecting him, and Dante tells Rocco that they have to go. Rocco thanks everyone for the presents; they’re really cool. He leaves, and Josslyn asks Carly if she thinks Michael and Willow are upset that Nina got Wiley a gift. Carly says she thinks they expected it. She suspects they’re thinking about Sasha and Brando. Josslyn says, they all are. What happened with their baby is just awful. Does Carly think they’ll come by later? Carly says she doesn’t know. She invited them, but doubts they’re feeling up to it. Sonny says, they’ll be here, and smiles.

Sasha says, she and Brando said goodbye to Liam together. He’s the only one who knows exactly how she’s feeling, so yes, she’ll go home with him, but just for tonight.

In the parking lot, Gladys throws the baby seat that had been waiting for Liam into the trunk.

Brando and Sasha get in the car, and Brando tells Gladys, let’s get Sasha home. Gladys says, they have one stop to make first. He asks, where? and she says she promises he won’t be sorry.

Epiphany tells Marshall, Nurse Johnson, although sometimes she feels like she could teach the doctors a thing or two. He says he has no doubt, and asks if she’s a musician. Is that why she’s in charge of the volunteer gig? She says, no. She does it to show the patients some joy on this very special night. He says he’s sure they’re very appreciative of her thoughtfulness. Does she play? She says, no; she’s a singer. He says, so she’ll be singing with the band tonight, but she says, no band, just a combo, and no vocalists. It’s General Hospital’s tradition. He says, he’s a firm believer that some traditions are made to be broken, and she says she believes he means rules. He says, what are rules if nothing but traditions? She laughs, and tells him the other volunteers are already up on the 5^th floor. They’ll start there, and work their way down. He follows her into the elevator.

Curtis thanks Portia for listening to him as he goes on about his father, and she tells him that he’s welcome. She says, Marshall unnerved her at first too, and he asks if something happened between the two of them that he needs to know about. She says, Curtis had a lot on his mind, and she didn’t want to bother him, but Marshall appeared at the MetroCourt when she was having breakfast with Trina. He says, Marshall had no business talking to her when she was with her daughter, but she says, it was fine. He asks what Marshall said, and she tells him that Marshall admitted to Trina that he’d abandoned Curtis, his mother, and brother when Curtis was very young. He asks how Trina handled that, and she says, it made Trina think of her father, and why Taggert made them believe he was dead. Curtis says, in Taggert’s defense, he did have a more compelling story, and he wasn’t gone nearly as long as Curtis’s father. She says, the point being, Trina forgave her father. She’s spending Christmas night with him. He says, that’s not going to happen with him and his father, when Epiphany goes by with Marshall.   

Nina suggests they not get into it about Wiley today; it’s Christmas. Obrecht says she just doesn’t see how that family can be so uncharitable. She would have thought they’d make an exception on Christmas, and let Nina see that beautiful little boy. Nina says, they all know Carly has a big problem with her, and that was true before everything that happened in Nixon Falls. She just dopped off Wiley’s present at Sonny’s on her way here. At the guardhouse. She wouldn’t dare go inside. Maxie suggests they figure out a way they can finesse this situation. She thought Nina told her that Willow was an ally, and let her see Wiley in Rice Plaza. Nina says, she did, but she’s afraid Willow will never let her see Wiley again. Obrecht says, why? What changed?

Sonny tells Wiley, nice toy, and Wiley says, yep. Sonny says he loves seeing Wiley having fun, and asks where he got it from. Wiley says he got it from the bag, and Willow says, Nina. Josslyn says, she dropped it off with the guards.

Outside on the phone, Michael asks if everything is set for tomorrow. Everything is in order for Nina’s preliminary hearing?… Good. That’s what he likes to hear. He gets a creepy smile on his face, and goes back inside. Carly asks what he’s doing out there; it’s freezing. Business on Christmas is not allowed. It’s their day to be together and appreciate each other. He says he’s all for that, and the doorbell rings. Josslyn leaves to get it, and Carly tells Sonny that she can’t believe how early the girls got them up, looking for Santa. He says, it started a little after five, and she says, they were able to hold them off until 6:30, thank God. Josslyn says, look who’s here, and Brando, Sasha, and Gladys walk in.

Shawn tells Alexis, it’s a beautiful tree, and she says he must feel pretty good; all settled in his new place. He says, it’s a little sparse on the furniture, but it has a great view of the harbor, and it’s an easy walk to the office. She asks where his office is, and he says, ready to be surprised? He asks for everyone’s attention, and says, Christmas isn’t over yet. He has a really great gift for Port Charles. They’re looking at the new publisher of The Invader.

Drew says he’s happy to see Scout and Danny. Scout looks so beautiful, and Danny looks so handsome in his jacket. He looks just like his dad. Danny says he really thanked Santa for this jacket, and Drew says he bets Danny is missing his dad right now. If it makes him feel any better, he wants Danny to know that his dad was an incredible hero, and so proud of him. He knows Danny loves to see the Chucks play, so maybe this summer Drew can take him to a game. Dante comes in with Rocco, and Rocco says, Danny goes with him and his dad, but Dante says, they can all take in a game together. Drew says, sounds great, and they wish each other a merry Christmas. Dante tells Rocco that they need to find his grandma to thank her for the baseball glove and cleats.

Chase ask if he said something to offend Brook, or did she not like the Christmas gift he got her? She says, the meditation app? Why would she hate that? She’s obviously someone who loves to sit still and chant ohm for hours. He says she just seemed so down in the steam room, he thought it would help, but clearly, he can’t do anything right with her right now. She tells him to stop making this about him.

Nina says she doesn’t want to push the Wiley issue on Willow, and put her in the middle. Obrecht says, Willow’s a grown woman. She allowed Nina to visit Wiley before; why wouldn’t she allow it again? Nina says, it’s not going to happen, and Maxie says, why not? Nina flashes back to Willow telling her that she overheard Nina saying she and Sonny fell in love, and she doesn’t regret it. Nina says, trust her. She can’t ask Willow for any more special favors. Willow is already doing enough for her. Obrecht says, not that she can see. It’s Christmas, and Willow hasn’t lifted a finger to help Nina see her precious grandson. She picks up her phone, and says she’s going to give that Willow a piece of her mind.

Carly says she’s glad they could make it, and asks Josslyn to help with their coats. Gladys goes to get something from the car, and Carly says she’s so glad Sasha’s here, and hugs her. Sasha says, me too, and Willow says, me three. Michael says, me four, and Willow hugs Sasha. Brando hugs Sonny, and thanks him for having them. Sonny says, no problem. They’re all in this together. Liam Mike was a beautiful boy, and right now, he’s with his Uncle Mike. Brando says, that’s what he said to him. He said…

Willow says she’s so sorry about Liam, and Sasha says, if anyone knows what it’s like, it’s Willow. Willow says, it sounds cliché, but it’s true. Someday, Sasha will be able to live with the pain, and she’ll find herself smiling again. Gladys comes in with some shopping bags, and says she hopes there’s room under the tree; she shopped. Sasha thanks Carly for opening her house up to them, and Gladys tells Sonny that she hijacked them like he asked her to. Sonny says he just wanted to help them out; distract them a little bit. It’s Sasha’s first night out of the hospital. Brando says, he didn’t realize until he saw all their faces, that this is exactly where he needed to be. He hopes Sasha feels the same. She nods, and Carly says he heard Sasha felt like she didn’t have a family. She’s wrong. Sonny says, she’s part of the family now, and Carly says, that’s right. Welcome to the family, and hugs her.

Drew looks at a scarf, and tells Scout that he loves it so much. Danny says Scout picked it out herself, and Drew says, he knows she did, because hot pink is her favorite color. Now it’s his too. He puts it on and asks Scout to help him adjust it, and Rocco comes out, telling them that grandma says there’s cake in the nook. Scout says she wants cake, and Drew says, there’s also presents under the tree in the nook. They might want to check those out too. The kids leave.

Chase asks Brook what he did now, and she says, nothing. How about doing something that will get her out of her bad mood, and make her  remember why it’s so important they’re in this fix? He says he’s all for that.

Epiphany introduces Marshall to Stephan, saying, he plays the clarinet. Portia tells Curtis, the hospital does this every Christmas, and he says, he knows. Musicians volunteer to entertain the patients. She asks if he knew his father played the clarinet, and he says, absolutely not. She says, there’s probably a lot he doesn’t know about his father, and maybe it’s not all bad.

Marshall asks what Christmas songs Epiphany likes to sing, and she says she already told him, this is not her gig. He says, he heard her, but maybe one tune? Come on. Everybody loves the lyrics to Christmas tunes. She told him that she does this to bring joy to her patients. Why not double the fun?

TJ says, Shawn bought The Invader. How? Shawn says, he’s not the owner; he’s the administrator of the non-profit that owns The Invader. TJ asks, when and how did Shawn become the administrator of a non-profit? and Shawn says he has his ways. Kristina tells him, she’d say congratulations, but she’s pretty sure his non-profit just bought themselves a boatload of problems. Molly says, The Invader’s philosophy is to exploit and embarrass anyone and everyone, but Shawn says he’s giving The Invader a new mission, to expose injustice. He’s going to make The Invader a platform to advocate for the greater good. TJ says, maybe he should have gotten Shawn a cape for Christmas, calling him, Mr. Superhero, and Shawn says he’s still got time. Molly asks if Alexis is okay with this, and Alexis asks, why wouldn’t she be? Kristina says, Shawn found his purpose, and she’s still looking for hers. Molly asks if Kristina has heard of tact. She promises Alexis will have an important role in the world again, and Kristina says, she already does; she’s their mom. They have a three-way hug. 

Nina grabs Obrecht’s phone, and says, enough; she can’t call Willow. Let it go. Obrecht says she won’t let Nina stand there missing her grandson. Give her back the phone. Maxie gets in between them, and says, stop. It’s Christmas. They need to behave. Obrecht says she’s sorry. The last thing she wants is to upset Maxie. Nina says, the same; she’s sorry. Can Obrecht not pursue this with Willow? She’ll give the phone back, but let this be the end of it. Obrecht flashes back to Scotty saying he wishes he knew something that could turn the DA’s narrative on its head, and her telling Scotty that she believes Nina and Sonny fell in love. Scotty is at the door, and says, I’m here, my dove. Maxie tells Nina that she doesn’t think he’s talking to them. Obrecht opens the door, and Scotty says, he was just working on Nina’s preliminary hearing, and Obrecht says she’s missed him since they opened their naughty gifts this morning. She needs some private time with her sweet, noble savage. She pushes him out in the hallway, and closes the door behind them. Maxie says, wow, and Nina says, no kidding. In the hallway, Scotty says, let’s go home and play, but Obrecht pushes him back and says, someone knows Sonny and Nina were in love in Nixon Falls.

In the foyer, Josslyn says she wanted to give this to Willow in private. She wrote Willow a letter to say how happy she is that Willow is a part of her family. Kristina came by this morning, and Donna and Avery are asleep upstairs after a long day of opening Christmas presents. She loves having so many sisters in her life, and that includes Willow, so she wanted Willow to know that. She hands Willow the gift, and Willow says she never had a sister, and now she knows what she’s been missing. She thanks Josslyn, and they hug.

Sasha thanks Carly for letting her into her family’s life, and for forgiving her sins. Carly says, forget about that. Sasha deserves so much happiness. She and Sonny can’t make up for what happened to Sasha and Brando, but they can do everything in their power to make things easier for them. They hug.

Brando says Sonny and Michael are amazing. They’ve both suffered losses. How do they have the room to be so generous to him and Sasha? Sonny says, because of the losses they went through, they understand his. Jason and Morgan will always be part of their lives, but they have no limit to how many people they can love, right? Michael says, grief shouldn’t always be private. It should be shared, so maybe in some small way it can be alleviated. Brando thanks them, and goes outside. Sasha excuses herself, and follows him. Outside, she puts her arms around him, and says, it’s rough; she knows. He says, it’s better with her here.

Alexis comes out with a bottle of champagne, and says, an ex-client of hers, who has apparently lived in a bubble for the last year, sent her this for Christmas. So she’s going to let them toast with the hard stuff, and she’ll stick with the soft stuff. Molly says, they can go alcohol free, and Shawn seconds that. She says she appreciates the solidarity, but that’s not the way it works in the real world. TJ says, people drink, and Alexis says, some people drink a lot, but now that she’s in the real world, she needs to get used to it. TJ says, it’s part of life, and Alexis tells Molly, see what a great domestic partner she has? Molly agrees, and Alexis says, let’s celebrate Shawn, and this beautiful Christmas night together.

Maxie asks if Nina is nervous about her preliminary hearing tomorrow, and Nina says, is it that obvious? She thought she was putting up a good front, but Maxie says she gets it. The hearing is supposed to give her and idea of how her trial is going to go, but she thought the whole point of the hearing was for Scotty to get the charges thrown out. Nina says, he’s not going to succeed. There’s too much evidence against her. She did lie to Sonny all those months, just like she lied to his family. Maxie says she’s still rooting for Nina, and Nina takes Maxie’s hands. She says she really appreciates Maxie forgiving her for letting Peter get away in Nixon Falls. Maxie says, Peter was threatening James. Nina had no choice.

Scotty says, wowza. Is Obrecht sure Willow knows about Sonny and Nina? Obrecht says, Nina is good at keeping a secret, but Nina is no match for her incredible intuitive skills. There must be a way for him to put Willow on the stand. He says, it could take a little maneuvering, but he’s not sure it’s worth the risk. She says, he wanted someone who could testify that Nina and Sonny were in love in Nixon Falls, and she gave him that person. He says, yes, but how does he know Willow will tell the truth? She’s a Corinthos, and also a Quartermaine, which is just as bad. Obrecht says she knows Willow would never do anything to hurt Michael, and Scotty says, if she lies on the stand, it could make it worse for Nina. She says, they have to try it. Otherwise, her niece has no defense. Nina will go to prison. He says, he’ll do anything for his schnitzel, and kisses her. Brook arrives with Bailey and Chase, and says, oh please.

Maxie says, you know what she’d love for Christmas? and Nina says, what? Maxie says, she wants Peter to die today, and Nina says, then the very best present will come after that. Maxie’s daughter will come home for Christmas. Brook knocks on the door, and comes in with Bailey and Chase. She says, someone wanted to wish Maxie a very merry Christmas. Maxie takes Bailey from Brook, and everyone smiles.

Willow flashes back to eavesdropping (let’s call it what it was) on Sonny and Nina in the chapel. Michael says, a candy cane for her thoughts, and she says she was thinking about how much she loves him and this family. He says he likes those thoughts, and they kiss.   

Brando tells Sasha that he’s been thinking. They created Liam by accident, during one, crazy, impulsive night. They could have gone their separate ways after that, but Liam brought them together. Now Liam is gone, and he doesn’t want to lose her too. He loves her with everything inside of him, but if he’s too painful of a reminder of Liam, he’ll walk away; no harm, no foul. He doesn’t want make their loss worse for her, but he’s hoping something good can come of their son’s short time on this planet. She says, Liam left them a legacy; he left them each other. She loves him too. They kiss.

Epiphany says, Marshall is getting on her last nerve. Okay. Let’s do O Christmas Tree. The combo plays, and Epiphany sings a jazzy version. As she sings…

Curtis and Portia come closer to the music, and Curtis nods to Marshall. He and Portia leave.

Alexis toasts to Shawn, and Shawn says, to Alexis. He wouldn’t be here with TJ and his family if not for her. Cheers.

Scout hugs Drew.

Rocco shows Dante a video game, and says, look what he got. Dante says, sweet. His old man might even be able to beat him at this.

Monica shows Danny a photo, and says, that’s his dad on a motorcycle. Danny says he wants to learn to ride that when he’s old enough. She says, he has to be very careful, and enjoy every single moment of it. That’s what his dad would want. We see the picture of Jason.

Obrecht and Scotty watch as Maxie cuddles Bailey, and Brook smiles at Chase. Nina sighs, flashing back to kissing Sonny.

Sonny and his family have cake and cookies by the Christmas tree.

Sasha and Brando put their heads together, and look up at the sky.   

Tomorrow, Josslyn tells Cameron that she’s not changing her opinion, Esme says the worst thing has happened, Victor tells Obrecht not to get in his way, and Scotty asks Sonny why he didn’t press charges.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Jen visited with Heather, and asked her about working in anti-aging. Jen said she thought about it every second of the day. In Jen’s interview, she said, if they looked like they had work done, she hasn’t done her job. There were a lot of ladies with cat faces in the OC. Jen thought Noella was condescending to her at the party, and Heather said she was sorry things had happened the way they did. She was good with Gina, but not everything was worked out. She wondered why someone wanted to hurt her family, or make Nicole look bad. We flashed back to Heather telling Terry that if Shannon can’t take accountability, they can’t move forward.

Noella met Nicole for lunch, and in Noella’s interview, she said yesterday, she was served divorce papers. Today, she doesn’t even know where he is. She told Nicole that the papers were thrown at her mother, and she needed to track husband James down regarding the credit cards and bills. Nicole said she didn’t think alcohol was always the answer, but today it was all right. Noella tried calling James right then and there, but there was no answer. Nicole said at least she wasn’t blocked, and Noella started crying, saying, she needed a hug, so Nicole gave her one. In her interview, Noella said she didn’t know what the next step was, and had never had a day in her life when she didn’t know what to do. Geez. Welcome to the real world. Nicole said he’d surface, and it would all work out. Noella said, for the first time, she needed friends to show up for her, and cried, saying, her life was falling apart.

In Shannon’s interview, she said things were finally happening for her company Real for Real. She’d hired Stella as an assistant, but didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing yet. In her interview, she whined that she’d gotten two lump sums from David, and a monthly check that didn’t cover her monthly expenses. There had been a laundry list of things not negotiated, and she might have to pay for her kids going to college. It could add up, especially if she suddenly had to be responsible for that too. It was too much to pay for everything. Again. Welcome to the real world.

Gina and Travis had a double-date for dinner with Emily and Shane. Emily was glad they were at the point where Shane could do Shane, and Gina wasn’t offended. They rehashed Heather’s party again, and Emily said she did really like Nicole. She told them about Shane’s party, and said belly dancers would be coming. Gina said she’d seen an article about James’s tax issues, and then Noella called to tell her about the divorce papers. Noella couldn’t even read them; they were in Spanish. In Emily’s interview, she said, in California, there it was automatic that finances and credit cards couldn’t be shut off. Maybe in Puerto Rico it was different, but it made no sense to cut off access to money when there was a kid. Emily asked where Gina was with Shannon, and Gina said she knew where she stood, and was setting different boundaries for their friendship. We flashed back to Shannon saying she’d gone out of her way to be kind to Gina, and Emily said she didn’t like Shannon saying they weren’t trustworthy and were manipulative. She felt that Shannon would always protect Shannon first.

Shannon took Stella to Dr. Moon, and we flashed back to some of his… unconventional treatments. Stella had hurt her back playing volleyball, and in her interview, she said she wasn’t a huge believer in holistic medicine. She was just making her mom happy. Stella asked Dr. Moon to check her emotions, and he wondered who she was angry at. In Shannon’s interview, she said she’d been in a marriage that wasn’t healthy, and her kids saw that. She didn’t want what they’d seen or been through to crowd any good in their lives. In Stella’s interview, she said she wanted her mom to be happy, but didn’t think Shannon was truly there yet. It would make her happy to see her mom thrive.

Noella visited with mom Nancy, who said the process server had been dreadful, throwing the papers at her. In Noella’s interview, she said her mom had always been the one to call her home when she was lost at sea. She refused to meet James the first year they dated, since she hadn’t thought James was good news for her. Then she became more of a mother to him than his own mother. Noella said he wasn’t their James, and she wanted to fight to keep her family intact. Nancy thought he was gone, but Noella insisted he’d wake up.

Everyone got ready for Shane’s party. Shannon and Noella video chatted, and Shannon read Heather’s text to Noella, saying, she thought it was harsh. Noella said she’d thought it was all good, and was surprised. In Shannon’s interview, she said Heather didn’t let go of a lot of things. When they first met, Shannon had to apologize over and over. We flashed back to several of those apologies, and Shannon said she’d done a lot of work to get past it, and felt like she was back at square one. Nicole and her boyfriend went to the party in a limo with Heather and Terry. In Heather’s interview, she said she had no problem with Nicole. The problem was the sh*t stirrer who started it. Nicole told Heather that Noella had called her a fake bitch, surprising Heather, who said Noella had been sweet to Max. She’d also texted after the party, and Heather had thought they were good. Nicole said she didn’t think Noella meant it, and didn’t think she remembered saying it. I wondered, then why even bring it up? but, oh yeah, screen time. I was sure Heather would remind Noella in the middle of Shane’s party, since appropriate is a Housewife’s middle name. We flashed back to the tough times when Shane was trying to pass the bar exam, and in Emily’s interview, she said it was her party and Pary’s party, as well as Shane’s party.

Heather surprised me, and instead of ambushing Noella about what she’d said, she gave Noella a gift for being nice to Max. In Heather’s interview, she said, Noella was going through a difficult time. Let’s not ruin two parties in a row. In Noella’s interview, she said she thought there was a lack of genuine connection and caring with Jen, and it put her off. Emily confronted Shannon about saying she and Gina couldn’t be trusted, and were manipulative. In Shannon’s interview, she said, from her experience, she couldn’t trust them, and we flashed back to Emily and Gina talking about John being drunk on the golf course. Emily said she didn’t like that those were the only adjectives Shannon used to describe them. She’d thought she and Shannon were friends. Shannon insisted she hadn’t said that, and Emily asked if she was saying Heather was a liar. Emily dragged Heather in, and Shannon backtracked, agreeing that she’d said they couldn’t be trusted, but not that they were manipulative. Heather insisted that was exactly what Shannon had said, and was like, talk later. But Shannon wouldn’t have it, telling Emily and Gina that she needed to have this conversation, and following Heather.

In Emily’s interview, she said she felt compassion for Noella. She and Shane had their ups and downs, and she didn’t always know what was going to happen, but she always knew it was her choice. Noella didn’t have a choice. Heather asked Emily if there was a private place for her and Shannon to talk, seeing she wasn’t going to shake Shannon, and not wanting to give the whole party an earful. Emily showed them to a beautiful little side courtyard, and they sat on a bench. Shannon said her friendship with Heather meant something, and cared about Heather and Terry. She’d never wanted to hurt Heather. What she did was wrong, but it wasn’t her. Ugh. I hate when people say that. Yes, it was you. You’re the one who did it. Shannon said she wasn’t a gossip, and I nearly choked on my coffee. Heather said she’d heard from everyone, and had a good understanding of the facts, so nothing was going to change her mind. She thought Shannon had a lapse in judgement, and was sorry if she sounded harsh, but this was how she felt. If Shannon ever came after her or her family ever again, Shannon would lose more than her friendship. It would cost a lot. She wasn’t saying it as a threat; she was saying it as a promise.

Next time, a pseudo Kentucky Derby, Jen asks if she upset Noella, Noella says Jen is thirsty, and Gina relays to Heather that Noella said to be careful of her.

🛳 Leaving Port…

Looks like it’s a new GH tomorrow, but Friday is a rerun from February 23^rd. Because God forbid they should air something more appropriate for the season. Like an old Christmas episode. Bravo is airing movies, but FYI, there is a marathon of this past season (13) of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, starting at 7 am, if you’re up for that. So it looks like tomorrow will be this week’s Friday, where a mix of tea and wisdom will be served with the usual soap. Until then, stay safe, stay not being pressured into making merry if you’re not feeling it, and stay free to break traditions, and make new ones.