Tag Archives: Lydia Look

May 15, 2024 – The Wedding Begins, Lots Of Suds To Unpack, They’re the Top, Westminster Win & 16th

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Tracy looks at a photo of Edward and Lila, when Ned walks in. She asks if the coast is clear. He asks, if what she means by that is, are Gloria and Carmine on their way to the church? and she says, that’s precisely what she means. He says, then yes. He sent them with a flower arrangement, so they’d think that they were doing something. She says, good. She’s very glad to have some time alone with him. He says, uh-oh. Is he in trouble? Her voice breaks and she says, no. He’s a very good father, a wonderful father. He says, thank you? and she laughs. She asks if it’s that unusual that she gives him a compliment, and he says, she caught him by surprise, that’s all. He thanks her for saying so, and tells her that he hasn’t always been perfect, but he does try. She says, and it shows. The upcoming nuptials have her thinking about all the other milestones she missed, and the most glaring of them of course (🍷), was his wedding to Lois. She’s so sorry she wasn’t there. It was her loss. He says he’s glad she’s here now, and she says, her too, and they hug. He looks at the photo over her shoulder. (I love Tracy so much.)

Sonny looks around the MetroCourt Garden and tells Olivia, this looks great… Not as great as the owner. She says, co-owner. He’s looking pretty great himself, as always. He thanks her and asks if everything is set. She says she hopes so. She’s so over the moon happy for Brook and Chase. He says, they’re great together, and she says, the best. She knows Tracy is picking up the tab for the reception, but this is her hotel, so her gift to the happy couple is, everything’s got to go off without a hitch.

At the church, Sam says, the guestbook is in place, and Willow says, excellent. Josslyn says she can’t believe the wedding day is finally here, and Sam asks if anyone has talked to Brook. Michael says, Brook texted him earlier, and she’s getting ready with her mom. Someone yells, Dante! and Dante says, speaking of the Cerullo side of the family. He goes over to greet the guests coming in.

Outside, Portia tells Jordan that her dress is absolutely beautiful. Jordan thanks her and says, hers is gorgeous too. She stopped by Drew’s office at Aurora Media the other day. She doesn’t want to spread any rumors, but she understands there may be an announcement for a new division. Curtis says he can neither confirm nor deny, and Jordan says, just in case, congratulations. She leaves, and Portia says, Curtis can tell her. When are he and Drew making the big announcement? He says, they want to build anticipation, so they can just let the rumors start flying, and she says, he’s going to be great. He says, with her by his side, how can he be anything else? She tosses her hair, and they kiss. Jordan is about to come back, and sees them.

Violet practices her flower girl thing, and Chase asks Finn how he’s looking. Finn says, pretty good, and Chase says, high praise. Thanks. Finn asks if it isn’t part of his best man duties to prop him up no matter what, and Chase suggests Finn brush up on his propping techniques. Elizabeth says, don’t listen to his brother. He looks extremely handsome. Violet says she agrees, and he thanks them both so much. But he doesn’t think it’s going to matter that much because all eyes are going to be on his gorgeous bride.

Brook looks in the mirror, and Lois says she doesn’t think anyone’s been more beautiful. Brook says, they haven’t even finished her hair yet, but Lois says she’s talking about the glow. Brook is literally radiating happiness and it makes her heart want to burst. Brook says she is happy. She’s the happiest she’s ever been, and she owes it all to Chase. Lois says, no. She owes some of it to Chase. She wants Brook to look into the mirror and say thank you to herself, for knowing what she wanted, for waiting until she found it, and fighting to hold onto it when things got rough. Because here she is on the brink of forever with the man she loves. Brook says, can Lois believe it? She’s getting married today. Lois says, yes, she is. Let’s get you ready.

Sam hugs Kristina and says, she looks beautiful. Kristina says, yes, they do, don’t they? Blaze says, aw, and Kristina says she was talking about her and the baby. Blaze looks great too. Blaze thanks her, and Dante comes out. He says, welcome to the wedding of the century, from what Maxie tells him, and Sam asks how they are. Kristina says, good, and Blaze says, can’t complain. Dante says, it’s crazy, kind of. The first time he met Blaze, he was getting an autograph for Rocco, and now she’s dating his little sister. Kristina says, his little sister who’s getting bigger and bigger by the minute. Where’s her hug by the way? Dante says, it’s right here, and hugs her.

Outside, Dex approaches Michael and Sam, and Michael says he didn’t know Dex would be here. Dex says, Chase invited him, and Sam says, welcome. Anna joins them, and Sam says, Brook wanted everyone to sign the guestbook. Anna asks if Dex wants to do that, and he says, yeah. They go inside, and Michael says, incoming. A woman yells, Mikey! and Michael says, hey, Patty. Patty says, last night was so much fun, and Michael agrees. (Wish we could have seen that.) She says, don’t forget, he said he’d save her a dance, and he says he did. He’s got to go find his wife. He’ll be… He goes inside, and Patty asks what he said. Sam says she doesn’t know, but he is a good dancer.

Kristina says she’s glad there’s so many people from the old neighborhood here, and Dante tells her, she’s only saying that because she doesn’t know any of them. She says she’s serious. It’s important their dad sees he has friends that aren’t Ava Jerome. Wait. Dante doesn’t think he’s inviting Ava, does he?

A young man walks in with a violin case, and Josslyn says, groom’s side or bride’s side? but he says, neither. The bride is his cousin. Giovanni Palmieri. Josslyn tells him, Josslyn Jax. Nice to meet him. They shake hands, and she says, he doesn’t want to sit with his family? He says he has no problem sitting with them, but he’s going to play. She says, another musical solo, and he says, that’s kind of the family business. That, and fixing cars. She says she can show him where to set up, and he thanks her. He asks if she knows if Sonny Corinthos is going to be here today.

Olivia adjusts a floral arrangement and says, that looks better, doesn’t it? Sonny says, it kind of looks like it did before, and she says, don’t make fun of her. He says, who’s making fun? but she says, he’s making fun of her. What’s he doing out of the church anyway? He says he’s picking up his plus one, and she says, really? Do tell. Natalia comes in, and Sonny introduces her to Olivia. He says, she knows Blaze? and Olivia says, of course (🍷). He says, that’s her mother, and Natalia says, guilty. Olivia says, her daughter is so incredibly talented, and Natalia thanks her. Olivia says, and she and Kristina make such a beautiful couple, and Sonny says, they seem happy. Natalia says, they do, and Olivia says she hates to cut this short, but she’s got to run. The party isn’t going to throw itself. She leaves, and Sonny asks if Natalia is ready. She says she is, and if she didn’t mention it earlier, she thanks him so much for including her. They head out.

As she curls Brook’s hair, Lois says, Brook always had the most beautiful hair as a toddler, and Brook says, there were times you wouldn’t have known it with all the hairstyles Lois gave her. Lois says, all those styles were cutting edge, and Brook tells her, if you say so. Lois tears up, and Brook says she’s sorry. She loved all her haircuts. Lois says, it’s not that. This is the last time she’s going to be doing Brook’s hair like this. Brook says, Lois can come over whenever she wants. She knows how much Brook hates blow-drying her hair. (Same.) Lois says, no, like this, like Brook’s all hers. Today, she’s going to be a married lady. Brook says, yeah, but she’ll still have hair, and Lois laughs. She says, it’s always the wisecracks with Brook, and Brook says she made Lois laugh, didn’t she? Lois says, yeah. She did.

Elizabeth asks Finn how his dad is doing today, and Finn says, he seems good, upbeat. He says he’s buoyed by the adrenaline of the wedding. She says, seems? and he says he’s worried Gregory wouldn’t tell them if he wasn’t up for officiating. She says, because this means so much to him, and Finn says he wants more than anything for this to work out, for his dad and for Chase, but his dad’s stamina hasn’t been good the past few days, and Finn doesn’t know if he can make it through the ceremony.

Finn asks Chase if he wants to check on their dad. They should probably get going soon. Chase says he’s on it, and goes in the back. Finn takes a folder out of a binder and gives it to Ned in the hallway. Ned says, all set? He’ll see Finn at the church. Finn goes back in, and Gregory asks if the famous flower girl is in their midst. Violet says, that’s her, and he says, she looks absolutely stunning. She thanks him and says, he looks Debbie Downer. He says, what? and Finn says he thinks she means debonair. Violet tells them, that’s what she said, and Elizabeth says, very debonair. And she has the final touch. She pins a boutonniere on Gregory’s lapel.

Spinelli tells Anna, precious greetings, and she asks how he’s doing. He asks if she’s just arriving or in need of a breather, as they say, and she says, taking a breather, not in need of one. He says, it’s a beautiful day for it, and she says, it is. Is he waiting for someone or…? He says, just gathering courage, and she says, for? He says, Maxie invited him as her date, which he’s clearly delighted about… She says, but he’s a little nervous? and he says, more than a little, which seems silly because they were almost married once upon a time. She says she can understand that, and he says, she can? She says, yeah. He and Maxie are rediscovering each other and that can be scary. It can also be fun and exciting. He says, all the feels, as Georgie would say, and she says, exactly. He says, she’s Maxie’s godmother, and as such, he wants her to know his intentions are nothing but honorable. She says she has no doubt.

Drew tells Jordan, happy wedding day, and she says, back atcha. He says, she looks very nice, and she thanks him. He says he doesn’t mean to interrupt. She was in the middle of texting someone. She says she was just checking work email. Is that terrible? He asks why that would be terrible, and she says she feels like she should be focused on love and fun, not government business. He says, she can be focused on anything she wants. Is she here solo? She says, free as a bird, and he asks what she thinks about these two birds sitting together. She says, so he’s saying he wants to join her flock? and he asks if he passes muster. She says, he’ll do.

As they walk toward the church, Sonny stops and says, whoa. Shame on him. Natalia asks what he did, and he says he hasn’t told her how great she looks. She thanks him and says, he looks very handsome. Dex walks by, and he and Sonny exchange a look. Natalia says, is that a friend of his or…? and Sonny says, an ex-employee who violated his trust. Shall we? He offers her his arm, and she says, yes, we shall. They begin walking, but Anna comes by, and Sonny says he wants to introduce her to Natalia. He tells Natalia, this is the Police Commissioner of Port Charles, and they shake hands. Natalia asks if she should call Anna Commissioner, but Anna says, no. She’s off the clock. It’s nice to meet her. Natalia says, it’s nice to meet Anna, and Anna tells them, have fun. Sonny says, her too, and they continue walking.

Blaze asks if Kristina is ready to go inside, and Kristina says, yeah, sure. Oh my God. Look. Sonny and Natalia walk up.

Brook says, perfect, and Lois asks if she’s sure. Brook says, again with the tears, and Lois says she can’t help it. Does Brook remember when she was trying on wedding dresses and Lois said it was like a snapshot? This is another one. She’s all grown up and ready to walk down the aisle. Brook asks if Lois is sad that she’s getting married, and Lois says, sad? No. Nostalgic for Brook’s childhood? Yes. Is she insanely proud of the beautiful, accomplished woman Brook has become? Absolutely, but never sad. She’s so happy for Brook. She’s happy for all of them. Brook tells her that she said that last night, and Lois says she means it. Being Brook’s mother is the best thing that ever happened to her. She’s loved every second of it. Brook says, every second? and Lois says, yeah, every second. She’s so lucky. Brook says she’s lucky too. And yes, she’s marrying Chase this afternoon, and hopefully, someday they’ll start a family of their own, but just for the record, she will always need her mom. Lois asks if she promises, and Brook says she does.

Blaze asks if she can talk to Natalia for a quick sec, and Natalia says, sure. They step away, and Kristina asks what Sonny is doing. He asks what she means, and she says, really? He just showed up with her girlfriend’s mother on his arm. He says, it’s not what she thinks, and she asks what she’s thinking. He says, Natalia wanted to come. He had a plus one and he brought her. Why is she upset? Kristina says, just be charming, and he says he’s always charming. She says, extra charming. Amp it up a little. She could use all the help she can get.

Natalia asks if Blaze is surprised to see her, and Blaze says she shouldn’t be. Natalia always gets what she wants. Natalia says, Blaze should hope so, because she only wants what’s best for her baby girl. Hopefully, someday she’ll see that. Blaze says she told Natalia that she was coming here with Kristina, and Natalia says, she did. But now she’s here too. Isn’t that great? Now they can all celebrate this beautiful event together.

Curtis asks if Portia is thinking about their wedding, and she says, it was the most incredible day, until it wasn’t. He says, yet here they are, over a year later. They made it. She says she’s grateful. She just doesn’t know what she would have done if she’d lost him. He says, she’s never going to have to find out, and kisses her.

Ned comes up behind Olivia and says, stress levels, on a scale of one to ten? She says, surprisingly, not off the charts. She’d say a solid six. He says, that’s impressive, and she says, everything is done at the MetroCourt. At least – she blesses herself – it better be. How is he? He says he got what he needed from Finn, and she says, they’re going to remember this day forever now. He says, yes, they will, and she says, something else happened. What? He says he had a moment with this mother, and she says, a good moment or a Tracy moment? He says, it was surprisingly good. He thinks her relationship with Brook has affected her for the better. His mother is much more open with her feelings these days. She says, you see that? That’s the power of love. She kisses him.

There’s a knock at Brook’s door, and she says, come in. Tracy walks in, and she says, hi, granny. Tracy says she guesses Brook gets to call her that, with her blessing, today and today only. The bride makes the rules. Brook says, Tracy looks stunning, and Tracy says she’s got nothing on Brook. Nerves? Brook says she feels surprisingly peaceful, but Tracy says, it’s not surprising. Brook says, it’s not? and Tracy says, no, because Brook believes in herself. She believes in her instincts, her convictions. It’s one of the things she admires most about Brook. Brook says she didn’t know Tracy admired anything about her, and Tracy says, well, she does, and she’s unbelievably happy for Brook. It took her a long time to find Luke, the man that she loved, and she’s thrilled Brook found Chase so early on and he sees all of her. Brook says, and he loves her in spite of it, but Tracy says, no. He loves her because of it. Brook, her darling granddaughter, is just spectacular, inside and out. Brook tells her that she doesn’t even know what to say. Thank you, granny. Tracy says, ugh, and Brook says, Tracy told her that she could. Tracy says she knows, but she’s regretting it already.

Gregory looks at his notes, and Finn asks if he thinks the fifth time’s the charm. Gregory says, cut him some slack. It’s been a while since he’s been up in front of a crowd. Finn says, he’s going to do great. All those years of lecturing college students, a wedding should be a walk in the park. Gregory says, it’s not just a wedding. It’s his son’s wedding. He doesn’t want to let Chase down. Elizabeth says, he could never, and Violet comes out with Chase. She says, the car’s here, and Finn says, that’s their cue. Are the ladies ready? Violet says she was ready yesterday, and Elizabeth says, Violet’s been wanting a wedding day for months as she recalls. Violet says, then she was ready months ago, and Finn says he appreciates the accuracy. They leave Chase alone with Gregory, and Chase says, so much build up. Now it’s finally here. Gregory asks how he feels, and Chase says, really excited, but really calm at the same time. Gregory says, it’s the perfect combination. Can he give Chase some advice? Chase says, please, and Gregory says, try to take it all in. The sights, the sounds, the smell of the flowers, especially though, the feelings of joy and hope, because that’s what all of them in the church will be experiencing. Try to take a mental picture he can keep with him forever. He knows he will. Chase thanks him, and not just for the tip, but for being the best dad a kid could ask for. Growing up, he was always surrounded by love and support, and he knows not everyone can say that. He loves Gregory so much. Gregory says he loves Chase too, and they hug. Gregory says, now, let’s get you hitched.

Brook asks what Tracy’s got there, and Tracy hands her a jewelry box, saying, it’s for her. Brook opens it, and there’s an exquisite, vintage bracelet inside. Brook says, it’s beautiful, and Tracy says, it was Brook’s great-grandmother’s. Brook says, it was Lila’s? and Tracy says she’s cherished it for years. Now it is Brook’s. She puts it on Brook’s wrist, and Brook says she’s honored. Tracy says, Brook’s a lot like Lila, and Brook says, in what way? Tracy says, Brook sees the glass half full. Her mother was like that. Not that she didn’t see reality. She looked at reality and saw a reason to hope, to see the best in people. That’s not a quality Tracy possesses, but her mother did and so does Brook. And while Brook has been, and will continue to be, she’s sure, a colossal pain in the ass – Brook says, right back atcha – she adores Brook beyond measure. Brook says she loves Tracy, and Tracy says she’s so grateful for Brook in her life. Brook says she’s so grateful too, and they hug.

On the phone, Spinelli tells Georgie, have no fear. He’ll take copious pictures of the bride and her gown… Of course (🍷) he’ll tell mom how beautiful she looks… He sees something, and says he’ll call Georgie back. He loves her. Jason is standing there, and Spinelli says, at long last, he sees Jason in the flesh. Jason says, Spinelli, and Spinelli throws himself into Jason’s arms, hugging him. Spinelli says, the fact that Jason is here, his gratitude knows no bounds, and Jason says, okay, and peels Spinelli off. He’s sorry. Spinelli says, for what? and Jason says, this is the first time he’s seeing Spinelli. He wanted to reach out, but things have been so complicated. He didn’t want Spinelli involved. Spinelli says he expected as much. Welcome home, Jason. Jason thanks him, and Spinelli moves in for another hug, but Jason puts his hands up, and straightens Spinelli’s lapels. Spinelli tries to do the same, but Jason bats his hands away.

Dante tells Sonny that he’s looking sharp. It’s good to see him. They hug, and Sonny introduces Natalia. Dante says, they can find a seat and he’ll see them later. Sonny sees Michael, who says, hey, dad, and Sonny says, they’ve got to find a seat, brushing past him. He says he should probably explain, but Natalia says, only if he wants to. He says, that’s his other son, Michael, and she says, they’re not close? He says, they used to be. Michael disappointed him deeply. She says she understands. Her kids have sometimes disappointed her too.

Gregory says he should go straight in, conserve his energy, and Elizabeth says she’ll go with him. She asks if Violet wants to check out the decorations in the church, and Violet says, yeah. The three of them go in, and Finn asks how Chase’s sweaty feet are doing. Chase says he’ll have Finn know, his feet are the perfect temperature, and Finn says, big day. Chase says, one of the biggest, and Finn says he’s honored to be standing by Chase’s side for it. Chase thanks Finn for standing up for him. It means a lot. Finn says, there’s nowhere he’d rather be, and they hug.

Lois joins the group outside the church, and Ned asks Lois where Brook is. Lois says, she’s doing her finishing touches with Maxie, andNed says, Lois didn’t want to go with her? Lois says, of course (🍷) she did. Brook said she was… She asks Leo, what was it? and he says, her vibe was making Brook nervous. Olivia says, those pesky vibes of ours. How is she doing? Lois says, she’s perfect. She’s the picture of calm. Olivia says, on her wedding day. That is impressive. Gloria says, that’s exactly how they know it’s right. Their Brook has found her happily ever after.

Dex and Josslyn see each other in the church, then take seats on opposite sides of the aisle. Tracy goes over to Gregory, and he says, there she is. Where has she been? She says she was at the house getting ready, and he says, she was supposed to be taking notes for him at the rehearsal. Where are his notes? Where does he stand? How does he make the day perfect for Chase and Brook? She says, him being here makes it perfect, and he says, that’s nice and all, but he was hoping for some detailed instructions. She has nothing for him? She says she’s got nothing because there is nothing. Just say what he’s written and speak from the heart. He says, that he can do.

Jason and Spinelli approach the church, and Ned says, Jason. Jason says, Monica asked him to come, and he and Drew look at each other. Willow says, it’s nice that he could make it. Brook is almost ready, so they should probably take their seats. They go in, but Ned, Olivia, and Leo stay outside. Olivia tells Ned that he’s the most handsome father of the bride ever. She loves him. He says he loves her too, and she says, their son’s not so shabby either. Ned says, no, he isn’t. Looking good. Olivia and Leo go in, and Ned straightens his tie. Lois comes out and says, can he believe it? Ned says, no, and she says, you think about this day when you have a child, right? Especially if that child is your daughter. It seems so far away, like it’s never going to happen. He says, look at them now, and she says, Brook takes her breath away. She’s so smart and she’s so beautiful, and she’s hilarious. He says, she’s a lot like her mother that way, and Lois says, he’s no slouch either. He puts his arm around her, and they head into the church. He says he made a lot of mistakes with Brook, and she says, they both did. He says, there have to be some things they did right, and she says, the proof is in the pudding. Maxie comes out and says, please don’t tell her they just referred to the bride as pudding. Lois says, you had to be there, and Maxie asks if they’re all clear. Ned says, it’s just them, and Maxie says, Brook can come in now. Lois gasps, and Brook says, don’t cry. She just touched up her mascara. Lois says, is Brook kidding her? It’s gonna be Niagara Falls in there. Brook asks what Ned thinks, and he says he thinks she’s a sight to behold. Brook says, in that case, let’s get this wedding started.

Giovanni plays the violin, and Gloria says, he’s just like his mother. He plays like an angel. Finn tells Chase, the rest of his life is about to start. Is he ready? Chase says he’s never been more ready for anything, and Finn says he loves Chase. He’s really happy for him. Chase says he loves Finn too. Dante comes in with Lois and takes her to her seat. (For a moment, I wonder why she’s not with Ned, then I go, duh.) Violet tosses petals as she walks down the aisle, followed by bridesmaids Willow and Maxie. Little hearts pop out of Spinelli’s eyes when he sees Maxie.

Ned says he doesn’t tell Brook enough how proud he is of her, and she says, he tells her plenty. He says, the woman she’s become, the story she’s already written for herself, he can’t wait to see how the rest of it unfolds. She says, her too. She bets there will be some curve balls though. He says, no doubt, and they laugh. She asks if he’s ready to give her away, and he says, he’ll walk her down that aisle and hand her over to the man she loves, but he can’t give her away. Because she’ll always be his little girl. The music changes to the Wedding March, and he says, all right. Here we go.

Everyone stands, and Brook comes in with Ned. We finally see her dress, which is gorgeous – a lace bodice and long lace sleeves, with a tiered skirt – but I’m not sure where Lila’s dress fit in with this. (See picture below – there were none of Brook’s dress published yet.) Brook joins hands with Chase, and he says, it feels like forever since he’s seen her. She says she saw him last night, and he tells her, like he said, forever. Gregory tells them to let him know when they’re finished, and he’ll get started. Everyone laughs, and Gregory says, welcome, family and friends of Brook and Chase. I know I speak for the bride and groom when I thank you for… being a part of this… His breathing becomes labored as he continues, this most special and moment… momentous day. He clears his throat and says, we are gathered here today to wit… witness and celebrate the marriage of these two beautiful young people… Everyone starts looking concerned, and he says, Brook and Chase… are you ready – Elizabeth takes Violet’s hand – ready to enter… in… into this holy state of… He has trouble getting out the word matrimony, and Chase says, dad? Gregory looks frozen and makes grunting sounds.

Tomorrow, Tracy tells Gregory that she can finish this like she promised him; Sonny says, Natalia isn’t leaving, is she; and Drew says, the fact Jason is asking that question, pretty much answers itself.

Lila’s Dress

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

This was not the dress they used – like they would have shown it ahead of time – but the skirt tiers were the same fabric as this skirt.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/amanda-setton-previews-brook-lynn-and-chases-wedding-on-gh

Chief Mac is back.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/john-j-york-is-back-at-general-hospital

So who did he really audition for? It remains one of life’s mysteries.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-adam-j-harrington-didnt-originally-audition-for-jagger

Who’s up for a Lois/John paring? Let’s do this.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/adam-j-harrington-reveals-he-and-rena-sofer-worked-together-before-gh

Not much new info, but at least you’ll know what movie to look for.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kathleen-gati-reveals-the-title-of-her-new-movie

She’s scored the ideal gig. She can show up in her robe and slippers if she wants.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-lydia-look-has-an-exciting-new-role-in-star-wars

It looks like you’ll have to go to Netflix to actually see her, but kudos on dating a recipe creator.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/steve-burton-introduces-his-new-girlfriend

Um… I don’t think a phone call is the same as visiting her in prison. The whole thing sounds like a nightmare. Don’t drink and drive. For Pete’s sake, call an Uber.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-nancy-lee-grahn-shares-an-update-on-haley-pullos

The only real 24/7/365 job.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/soap-stars-share-mothers-day-love

🔪 This Week In Chefs…

My takeaway: cranberries are grown on vines, and don’t actually grow while in the water.

🐩 It’s Sage For the Win…

Do you think she knows she has that silly haircut?

https://people.com/sage-miniature-poodle-wins-best-in-show-westminster-dog-show-2024-8648544

🦥 More Fun Than a Barrel of Three-Toed Sloths…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and snide comments about the awful people who inhabit Summer House. Until then, stay safe, stay not deciding what to order at the counter, and stay remembering the bride makes the rules.

November 17, 2023 – Austin Offers Dante What He Wants, Departing, Her Fans, Wedding Bliss, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, Net Worth, Coming Up, Went By, Furry Thanksgiving, Not Quite 8 Quotes & Parade

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jordan goes to Laura’s office and asks if she’s burning the midnight oil. Laura invites her in and says, they have so much to catch up on. She thanks Jordan for attending the town hall meeting of the dockworkers for her, and Jordan says, it was her pleasure. They’re very hard-working citizens that deserve to be heard. She forwarded Laura some emails about things that needed to be approved. Laura says she saw that and thanks her, and Jordan says, there are a few issues that came up while she was gone that they need to discuss. Laura says, before they get into that, she has a question for Jordan. Would she like her position as Deputy Mayor to be a permanent one?

At the hospital, Felicia tells Mr. Williams that his MRI was just approved by his insurance company, and he thanks her. She sees Robert wave to her, and she asks if Mac sent him to spy on her. He says he’s here on his own, and she says, perfect timing. She’s due for a break. What brings him by? He says he needs her help.

Spencer knocks on Josslyn’s dorm room door, and she says she’s glad he’s here. Come in. He needs to see this for himself. There’s like a wall of floral bouquets, and Spencer says he might have gone overboard. Josslyn says, he’s lucky she doesn’t have allergies. Don’t get her wrong, they’re beautiful, but unfortunately, Trina isn’t here to see them.

Curtis is lifting hand weights when Marshall comes in from the kitchen. Curtis says, he’s got dinner smelling good, and Marshall says, it’ll be ready in about a half hour. Curtis says, good, because he’s worked up quite an appetite, and Marshall says, Curtis has increased his reps. He’s not pushing himself too hard, is he? Trina comes in the front door and is obviously aggravated. Marshall asks if Curtis wants to take this one, and Trina says, where’s mom? Curtis says, she’s taking her Chief of Staff job seriously, so she’s working late, and Marshall says, dinner’s almost ready. Give him a half-hour and he’ll have the table set. Trina says, dinner smells great, but she’s not hungry. She’s going to her room. She starts to leave, but Curtis calls her back and asks if she wants to tell him what’s going on. She says, no.

Michael says, they didn’t have to come to Kelly’s to see his mom, but Willow says, just come inside. Carly greets them and asks what they want. Chili, burgers… Michael says, Willow insisted they come by to see her. Does she have something to tell him? Carly says, Nina offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt.

Nina tells Trish that they have a large party coming in tomorrow night and asks if she can make sure they have two bottles of their best red wine, and Trish says, will do. Nina thanks her, and Sonny walks in. Nina says, it’s great that Sonny could break away and have dinner with her and asks Trish to bring them two menus. He says he thought he’d come while she’s still co-owner. Why did she decide to sell her half of the MetroCourt back to Carly?

On the phone in the interrogation room, Dante says he wants everything from the Charlotte Cassadine shooting. An officer knocks at the door and says, there’s a guy out here demanding to see Dante, Dr. Gatlin-Holt. Dante says, send him in, and Austin says he’s here to give Dante what he wants.

Laura thanks Jordan for helping her, and thanks her for her service to the city of Port Charles. She did an excellent job while Laura was off looking for her son, and since she’s been back too. She feels bad that Jordan had to step in for her. Jordan says, Laura had some crazy circumstances thrown at her. Her granddaughter was shot and her son was missing. Jordan would have done the same thing. How is Charlotte? Laura says, physically, she’s one the mend, but emotionally, she thinks it’s going to take a little while to figure out what’s going on with her. Which is why Laura wanted to ask if Jordan wanted to stay on as Deputy Mayor. There’s no one she trusts more. Jordan says she appreciates the vote of confidence, but this isn’t an easy decision to make. As Laura knows, she spent her life in law enforcement, and she feels that there’s still a lot of good she can do for the community. There’s a knock at the door, and Laura tells Jordan that she’s so sorry. She says, come in, and Cyrus walks in. He asks if the mayor has a moment for her brother.

Dante tells Austin, have a seat. He expected to see him here. Austin says, really? He’s completely shocked to be here. But now that he is, maybe they can get this over with as quickly as possible. That’d be great. He sits down, and Dante asks if he’s ready to name the person he’s working for and testify against him. Austin tells Dante that he didn’t say anything about testifying. Dante needs to keep his name out of this. He needs complete anonymity. Dante says he doesn’t know what Austin thinks this is, but he’s not The Invader and he’s not a journalist for The Invader. Austin is already being looked at as an accomplice in the kidnapping of Ava Jerome, and now he’s the one they’re looking at as possibly having killed Gordon Stevens. Austin says he didn’t kill Gordon Stevens, but Dante says, if this keeps going the way it’s going, he’s going to be considered an official suspect. So if he wants to produce something in exchange for leniency, now is the time. Dante switches on the recorder.

Felicia asks what Robert needs her help with. Is it Anna? He says, pretty as well as smart. Yeah. Has Felicia heard from her? She says, they spoke briefly on the phone, and she’s been sending Anna texts to check in, and she always responds. But they haven’t actually talked since Anna shot Charlotte Cassadine. He says, she’s had more contact than he has. Anna hasn’t responded to any of his calls. He got a text that says, reach out when I can. He shows Felicia his phone and says, if he didn’t know better, he’d say Anna’s hiding from him. Felicia says she’s pretty sure Anna is.

Trina says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to be rude. Curtis tells her, that’s okay, but if there’s something bothering her, they just want to help… if they can. She says she knows that, and Marshall says, come on. Sit down. Whatever it is, maybe he and her father can help iron it out. She says she appreciates that, but she knows how they both feel about Spencer, so she’s just going to deal with it herself. Curtis says he’ll stay open-minded, and looks at Marshall, who says, me too.

Nina says, it was Sonny. He’s the one who advised her against hanging on to her half of the hotel. He says, but that was months ago. Since then, he’s seen her tackle every obstacle and challenge that’s been thrown her way. And now the MetroCourt is doing good. Business is booming. She says she’d like to think she helped with that, and he says, and she and Olivia are doing great. In the beginning, Olivia was tough, but Nina won her over, and that’s not easy in his experience. So she’s enjoying running the day-to-day at the hotel. Carly’s settled in at Kelly’s, right? She says, mm-hmm, and he says, so they’re all getting along, co-existing. So why would she want to rock the boat by selling her half to Carly?

Willow says, isn’t it exciting? and Michael flashes back to telling Nina that he’s not going to take away his father’s happiness. He’s sure Sonny will be happy until he finds out the kind of woman Nina really is. But he’s not risking his family. She’ll only see them when he says it’s okay, and he wants her to sell her mother her half of the MetroCourt back. Michael asks Carly when Nina decided to sell her back her half of the hotel, and Carly says, she stopped by on her way to work this morning.  That’s when she made the offer. Michael says, tell me about this offer.

Spencer says, it smells like a flower shop or a funeral. He’s not sure which. Josslyn says, really? She doesn’t think so. He should probably take some of these and donate them at GH. He says, on a scale of 1 to 10, how mad is Trina? and Josslyn says, 11. Speaking for herself, if Dex threw down with her, and told her not to ask him to choose between her and someone else because she wouldn’t like the answer? She hates to break it to him, but seems like a red flag. Possibly a relationship ender.

Marshall says, how dare Spencer give Trina an ultimatum? He’s sorry. He promised to remain neutral. She says, but now he sees why she’s so frustrated with him. Her phone chimes a few times, and she says, not to mention, he’s blowing up her phone with text messages and phone calls. She knows she needs to respond; she just doesn’t know what to say. She looks at her phone and says, stop texting me, Spencer. Curtis says he’s never seen her this upset at Spencer. He knows he hasn’t been her dad for that long, but may he offer her some unsolicited parental advice? She says, as long as it’s not telling her to talk to Spencer again. Curtis says, but that’s exactly what she’ll need to do. But first, she needs to figure out for herself what she needs to discuss with him. He believes in any romantic relationship; you have to be very clear about what you want and what you’re willing to put up with. So if she’s willing to do the hard work with her feelings, he and Marshall could help her figure some things out.

Austin shuts the recorder off and sets it aside. He says he will give Dante the name of Mason’s boss. As soon as there’s a deal in place. Dante asks, what kind of deal is he talking about? and Austin says, a deal that guarantees his freedom. Immunity from prosecution and he’s not going to set foot in a courtroom and testify against anybody. Dante says he’s not in a position to negotiate right now. So he guesses this conversation is over. Austin can see himself out. Austin says, Dante doesn’t understand the risk in coming here. If his boss finds out he’s here before Dante has a chance to bring him into custody, he’s a dead man.

Cyrus says, Deputy Mayor Ashford, it’s good to see you. You’re looking well. Jordan says, congratulations on his hardship release from prison. Not many people who’ve done what he has are given yet another chance to become a productive citizen. He says, and he’s grateful for the opportunity. He came by this evening because he wanted to share some news with his sister. Laura says, about what? and he says he found gainful employment. She says, really? Doing what? He says, washing dishes at the Port Charles Grill.

Robert asks Felicia, why would Anna be hiding from him? She can’t possibly be thinking he’s going to prosecute her for the Cassadine shooting. Felicia says she thinks the opposite. Anna probably feels he might come under scrutiny if he doesn’t prosecute her. Everyone knows the history they share. He says, it’s a hell of a time to be thinking about his reputation, and she says, maybe it’s simpler. Maybe Anna knows she got herself into this situation. It’s on her and her alone to get herself out.

Trina doesn’t know what she wants, and Marhsall says, maybe she should start by ruling out a few things first. Does she want to break up with Spencer? She says, no. Of course (🍷) not. Marshall says, there it is. Sometimes we figure out what we want by figuring out what we don’t want. Curtis says, and from what she’s told them, she doesn’t want Spencer, Esme, and Ace living together either. Trina says, it’s at least better now that Laura and Doc are back in town, but yes, in a perfect world, Spencer would not share a home with Esme and Ace. Curtis asks, why is that? and she says, because Spencer is Ace’s brother. He’s not his dad. Curtis says he spoke with Laura when she came back from Europe, and she received confirmation that Nikolas is alive. And by his own free will, choosing to stay away from Port Charles and be an active father in Spencer and Ace’s lives. So can she blame Spencer for wanting to play a role in his brother’s life? She says, yes. This whole thing is just so messy. Esme is Spencer’s ex-girlfriend, and she knows Esme doesn’t remember that part of her life, but Trina does, and there’s still that history of them being a couple together. And now they’re taking parenting classes together, they’re living together, and she’s just not comfortable with it. She’s been patient and she’s been understanding, and she’s reached her limit. She’s done. Curtis looks at Marshall, and Marshall says, there’s something she’s going to have to tell Spencer.

Spencer says he knows he blew it. He lost his temper. Josslyn says, he has a tendency to do that, and he says he knows. He put out an ultimatum and he doesn’t want to have to carry that out. She says, he’s raised an important question. If he had to choose, would he rather be with Trina or live with Esme and Ace? He says he doesn’t know. He guesses he was fooling himself, thinking that this scenario could continue on like this for forever.

Marshall says he has another question for Trina, but since he got a late start at being her granddad, let him give her a brief history on himself. Her grandmother Irene wasn’t his first girlfriend, but she was his first love. In fact, that buttermilk cornbread baking in that oven is her secret recipe. He’ll teach it to her sometime. Curtis says he doesn’t even know how to make the cornbread, and Marshall says he loved Irene. He loved her with all his heart and soul for the longest time. He thought she would be his only romantic love. That is, until he met Epiphany Johnson, may she rest in peace. Trina says she’s sorry he lost Epiphany, and he thanks her. He asks if Spencer is the first boy she’s been in love with, and she says, yeah. For the most part. Curtis says, whoa, wheeling himself over. Those answers don’t seem to go together. Can she explain what she means? Trina says, Joss has been her best friend since junior high. When Josslyn got involved with Oscar, their friend group solidified around Joss and Oscar and her and Cameron. And when Oscar got diagnosed with cancer, and eventually died, things got really intense and emotional. Marshall says he’s sorry she lost her friend to cancer, and she says, it was hard, but she and Cameron spent a lot of time being Joss’s support system, helping her deal with the loss of Oscar. And if she’s being honest, she had really strong feelings for Cam. Marshall says, she did? and she says, yeah, but that was a long time ago, and what she felt for Cam is nothing like what she feels for Spencer. He’s the real deal and she thought he was going to be her future, but… Curtis says, but what? and she says, but she thinks she might have been wrong.

Josselyn says, Spencer’s situation with Trina, Esme, and Ace can’t continue. It’s obvious. He says he loves Trina so much. The more time they spend together, the deeper the connection he feels with her. She is so smart. She’s so passionate. She’s so real. She’s a beautiful person and he’d never want to hurt her, and he’d never want to give her up. Josslyn says, then maybe that’s his answer, and he says, but she’s also an adult. She is responsible and she is capable. She survived his Uncle Victor and all the crazy that happened in Greenland when they were together. But Ace is a baby. His father abandoned him, and he knows what that feels like. And while he doesn’t think Esme is a bad person… anymore, he doesn’t think Esme can give Ace what he needs on her own. Like the support Ace is going to need growing up. She says, that’s fair, and he says he just knows in his heart that his little brother needs him. And isn’t what a baby needs more important?

Carly says, so while she was getting Nina’s to-go order ready, she saw Nina was having a very intense conversation with Martin Grey out front. But then Drew came in and surprised her and she got a little distracted. Willow says, it’s so good having him home, and Carly says, it is. It feels so good knowing he’s not in danger anymore and he’s back home where he belongs. It just makes her so happy. Drew left and she brought Nina’s order to her, and that’s when Nina offered to sell her back her half of the MetroCourt. Michael asks if Carly thinks Nina selling her back her half of the MetroCourt is what she was talking about with Martin, and Carly says, Nina did say that what she was discussing with Martin concerned her. That’s when she presented the offer and that’s when Willow arrived. Willow says she knew the second she heard about it that it was the perfect way to heal their family.

Nina tells Sonny that she got some really good advice recently. Instead of making enemies, she should start making more friends. (Wow. That must have been tough to come up with.) He says, she thought she would start with Carly? but Nina says, no. It’s not like she’s deceiving herself into thinking she and Carly will ever be friends. It’s just that they have a lot of people in common. People that they love, and they should stop clawing at each other and continuing this armed truce. Gritting their teeth and waiting to take the other one down. He says he couldn’t agree more, and Nina says she does think it’s better for everyone if they left the past in the past, right? And the best way she can do that is to sell Carly back her half of the hotel.

Felicia says, Robert knows how independent Anna is, and he says, to a fault. She says, as much as he wants to fix this for Anna, she’s the one who shot Charlotte. She needs to find her own way to deal with this and move past it. He says he hopes she’s not avoiding him because of Valentin Cassadine. He never trusted the guy. Any Cassadine. He told her over and over this relationship she had with him would end in disaster and here we are. Mind you, nobody could have predicted a disaster quite like this one. He just hopes she doesn’t think he’s going to say, I told you so. Felicia takes his hand and says, Anna knows him better than that.

Dante says, there isn’t going to be a deal until Austin gives them his boss’s name. If he doesn’t want to testify, fine, but he has to give them other evidence. Documents, records, something they can use to get Mason to flip on this guy, or something they can use in court to prove his guilt. Austin says he can do that, and Dante says, great. And he can talk to the DA about a deal. Austin looks sick and says he knows Dante doesn’t like him. He gets it. He can see why. But he’s not a bad guy. He’s just a guy who’s been coerced into doing things that he knew weren’t the right thing to do. So he thanks Dante for giving him the opportunity to do the right thing. He leaves.

Cyrus says, something Laura doesn’t know about him is, he worked as a cook back in his youth. And he believes with a little hard work and determination, he should be able to move his way up at the Port Charles Grill. Laura asks how he got the job, and he says, the manager is part of a network of businesses that work with a charity to end recidivism. They give formerly incarcerated people such as himself a chance at employment. She tells him, congratulations, but as he can see, she and Jordan were in the middle of a meeting. He’s going to have to… He says, of course (🍷). He stopped by unannounced. It’s great to see her. He nods to Jordan and leaves. Jordan says she doesn’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Does Laura?  

Curtis says he thinks Trina needs to talk to Spencer about priorities, because family is important and a priority. She says she gets that, but family can’t be more significant than the primary relationship, right? Curtis says, right. For example, take her grandfather. He’s very important to Curtis, and so is Aunt Stella. And Trina, she’s a huge priority for him, but her mom is his wife. She is his primary relationship, first and foremost. He’s not suggesting she go off and get married, or that she’s even ready for it, but he doesn’t know how important her relationship is with Spencer. She says, it is, and Curtis says, but is he her first priority?

Josslyn says she totally gets that Spencer just wants to take care of his little brother, and he asks if it’s so difficult for people to understand. She says, it’s not difficult for people to understand, but has he thought about what that looks like? Does that look like him, Esme, and Ace living together, while at the same time, he and Trina are a couple. They’re going on trips together, spending time together, but every night, he goes home to Esme and Ace. He asks if that would be so impossible, and she says, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it wouldn’t be fair to anyone, including him.

Willow says, Carly shouldn’t have lost her half of the MetroCourt to begin with, any more than Drew should have gone to prison for what he did. None of it was fair to either of them. The whole insider trading indictment was wrong. Michael says, but it’s over now, and Willow says, and Drew’s free, where he belongs, rebuilding his life. And when you think about it, all that’s left now to balance the scales is for Carly to get her hotel back. Carly says, if only it were that simple. She can’t just accept Nina’s offer. She has to figure out how she’s going to pay for it. Willow says, that’s where Michael comes in.

Nina says she’s assuming Sonny found out about this offer because Carly wanted to talk it over with him, and he asks why Nina didn’t tell him. She says, he has a relationship with Carly. She’s always going to respect that. She’s not going to run to him in advance to get him on her side, so he views her actions from her perspective. She’s a businesswoman. This is a business transaction between her and Carly. It really has nothing to do with him at all. He says, Nina’s not that naïve.

Michael says he can give Carly the money to buy back her half of the MetroCourt and she can return it any time she wants. She can take it as a gift if she wants. Willow tells Carly to let Michael do this for her, and Michael says he wants to, but Carly says, absolutely not. When everything was falling apart, Josslyn offered to give Carly half her trust, but she turned Josslyn down. Just like she’s turning him down. She loves him. She can’t take his money. He says, hear him out for a minute. He’s been very fortunate financially. He runs Aurora, he has the second largest amount of voting stock in ELQ, and Jason set him up with a substantial trust fund when he was a baby. What he’s trying to say is, he’s benefited greatly from the generosity of his family his entire life and he’d like to give something back to her. If anyone deserves it, it’s her. He wants to do this for her.

Sonny says, Nina just told him that offering Carly her half of the hotel was a peacemaking gesture, and she says, it’s the best one she could think of. He says, so it wasn’t just a simple business transaction. It was more than that, right? He appreciates her leaving him out of it, but he’s already involved because she’s his wife and Carly is the mother of his children. They’re going to be tied for life, so this affects their entire family. She says, he’s right. If that’s the case, did he advise Carly to take her offer?

Laura says she honestly doesn’t know what to make of Cyrus anymore, and Jordan says, Laura has to trust her instincts. Laura says she knows how dangerous he can be, but she also knows how close to death he came with this heart attack, so maybe this new perspective of his is real. He’s an older man and he’s in poor health. Maybe now he just wants a simple life as a dishwasher. Jordan says she doesn’t believe that, and she doesn’t trust him. She knows Cyrus lives for one thing and one thing only – power. And that will never change.

Robert goes into the interrogation room, and tells Dante, it’s been a long day. This better be good. Dante says he wouldn’t have called Robert here if it wasn’t, and Robert asks what he’s got. Dante says he’s been squeezing Austin Gatlin-Holt to see if he can get him to give up his cousin and the guy they work for, the guy they think is responsible for kidnapping Ava Jerome. Robert says, maybe he should squeeze a bit harder, and Dante says, he’s willing to give up his boss’s name and corroborating evidence, but he wants a deal.

Austin goes into his house and turns on the light. He sees someone and asks what they’re doing here. We hear gunshots.

Josslyn says, the longer Spencer stays in this pseudo family with Esme and Ace, the more it’s going to hurt when it blows up, and it will. He knows it will. Esme’s going to meet someone, she’s going to want a life of her own, and Trina deserves better than him fitting her in when he’s not out with them. He says, okay, so what’s the alternative? Bowing out? He just lets Esme take Ace, and they move into their little apartment, and he gets to visit on weekends? Josslyn says, yes, but he says, nope. He’s not going to do that, and he refuses to accept that as a reality. He’s not going to let Esme take his little brother away from him. Josslyn says, this is exactly how he would operate when they were children. He wanted what he wanted, and he never stopped to consider who could get hurt in the process and what it would cost. He’s an adult now. He has to slow down and realize he’s not going to get everything he wants. This time he really does have to choose.

Trina repeats Curtis’s question, is Spencer her priority? She doesn’t like the sound of that. She wanted a career and because of that, she feels her education should be her first priority. Marhsall says he doesn’t think her dad was suggesting she prioritize a man over her invaluable education, and Curtis says, absolutely not. He knows he had nothing to do with her decision to go to college or for her choosing art as her major, but he’s very proud of her for pursuing her dreams. Let him think… How can he simplify this? Who is the first person she texts in the morning and the last person she texts at night? Is it her mom? Is it Josslyn? She says, no, it’s Spencer, first and last, and Curtis says, there you go. Now she has her answer, and she has her question for Spencer. Because is it the same for him?

Sonny says he knows better than to offer Carly advice, but he hopes she takes Nina’s offer, and Nina asks, why? He says, because once Carly is running things at the MetroCourt again, they can stop rehashing the past and move forward. Nina says, that would be nice, but he says he doesn’t think Carly sees it the way he does. She just told him that she’s happy to be working at Kelly’s and that she appreciates Bobbie let her have the diner as a safety net, so she wants to stay there. But he wants to say, even if Carly doesn’t accept her offer, he appreciates what she did. She thanks him, and he says, because she is the bigger person and she’s the one trying to make peace with their family.

Carly thanks Michael and Willow so much for caring, and Michael says, that’s what family does. She says she has to admit, she was thrown a little bit off her game when Nina presented the offer. Willow says she thinks they all were, and Carly says she’s been thinking a lot about it, and she appreciates that Nina made the offer. And she believes Nina did it for Willow and the kids because she wants to mend fences and she wants to make peace. Willow says, so Carly’s going to accept the money from Michael? but Carly says she can’t. She can’t accept Nina’s offer. Michael protests, but Carly says, as badly as she wants her hotel back, it won’t feel like hers if she doesn’t get it back on her own.

Laura says, Jordan would be in a better position to keep an eye on Cyrus as Police Commissioner, and if he violates the terms of his release, she can bust him. She won’t be able to do that as Deputy Mayor, so whatever decision Jordan makes, Laura will respect. Jordan says she refuses to make Cyrus her obsession, to become Captain Ahab, chasing him down to her own detriment. He’s not worth that. Before he came in, she was about to accept the position of Deputy Mayor permanently, and she sees no reason to change her mind. Laura says she sees no reason to either, and thanks Jordan. She really believes that together, they’ll be an effective team. And together they’ll be able to do some really good things for the people of Port Charles. They shake hands, and Jordan says she’s counting on it.

Mr. Williams gets Felicia’s attention, and she asks how it went. He says, everything went smoothly. She says, that’s great. She checked, and the hospital received the approval from the insurance company, and he says he wouldn’t have been able to get his MRI if it wasn’t for her. He thanks her, and she says she was just doing her job.

Robert asks where Dante left the good Dr. Gatlin-Holt, and Dante tells him, Austin says he’s got evidence against Mason and his still nameless boss. He’s gone to retrieve it apparently, and he will hand it over if they make a deal with him and give him immunity. Robert asks what Dante thinks about this Austin. Is he on the up and up? Dante says he thinks at this point Austin is just scrambling, trying to save his own skin. But he is motivated to put his boss away before his boss turns on him. He says they should give him the deal. Robert says, the DA’s office could never make a case against Austin for abetting in the Ava Jerome kidnapping. So if he gets a name and evidence of guilt, Austin can have immunity.

We see a man leave Austin’s house. Austin lies on the floor, shot in the chest, unconscious and bleeding.

On Monday, Josslyn asks why Adam is doing this to himself; Trina says, that tells her all she needs to know; Ned says, there’s something Michael and Drew need to know about the SEC charges; and Carly asks Nina why she’s doing this.

🍭 Bye, Bye, Cuz…

Everyone says the same thing; GH is the best job they’ve ever had.

👠 Love The Look…

She’s one of my favorites too. I like a female mob boss.

👰🏻‍♀️ Relive The Moment…

Take a stroll down Luke and Laura Memory Lane, when Helena was Elizabeth Taylor.

What else happened on November 17th.

💎 The Missed And The Unmissed…

It was horrible what happened to her. I hate that mean girl stuff. Unless I’m watching Mean Girls. That movie never gets old.

One mean girl gone. But I disagree that Erika is blossoming without her. It’s more like Erika is just becoming a more subtle mean girl and sliding into LisaR’s position.

🍸 Belle Of The Bank…

I wonder if she’d like to adopt an older child. That house is big. She’ll never notice I’m there. And what’s a few extra dogs?

🏆 Awards Starting With G…

Grammy nominations. Great music, but predictable.

https://ew.com/awards/grammys/2024-grammy-awards-nominations/

When the Golden Globes will air.

https://ew.com/golden-globes-2024-will-air-on-cbs-8404310

🐎 Belated Congrats…

CMA Winners.

https://people.com/cma-awards-2023-complete-winners-list-8391737

And more important, CMA fashion.

https://people.com/2023-cma-awards-best-dressed-stars-8399491

🦃 Thanksgiving Is For Pets…

All the info on celebrating with the furbabies, including what foods they can’t have.

And you thought Halloween was the only time to dress them up. Including the cutest pilgrim in the world.

http://www.hipstercrite.com/2012/11/21/13-pictures-of-dogs-and-cats-dressed-up-for-thanksgiving/

A few repeats, but more cute pilgrims.

https://en.paperblog.com/the-most-adorable-dogs-dressed-in-thanksgiving-costumes-731831/

And should you get the notion to DIY. I don’t know if these costumes are still available, but there are great ideas here.

https://www.dailypaws.com/gear-apparel/dog-supplies/dog-clothing-accessories/dog-thanksgiving-outfits

🐚 Quotes of the Week…

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

Death floods the mind with memory, but there’s always new ones to make. – Carl (Steve Coulter), Insidious: The Red Door

My belief is that personal freedom cannot grow beyond personal responsibility. The more people that learn to be fully accountable for their lives, the more freedom each of us can enjoy and the more fulfilling all of our lives will be. – Ross Parmenter

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

As to wishing it had not happened, one can’t help momentary wishes: guilt begins only when one embraces them. You can’t help their knocking at the door, but one mustn’t ask them in to lunch. – C.S. Lewis, from The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III

I do believe that when we face challenges in life that are far beyond our own power, it’s an opportunity to build on our faith, inner strength, and courage. I’ve learned that how we face challenges plays a big role in the outcome of them.  – Sasha Azevedo

I don’t think you can shock an audience anymore [today]. If I cut my arm off and ate it, OK, that would be shocking. But you can only do it twice.Alice Cooper                                   

🧮 Counting My Blessings…

Stop by on Sunday for a finale of Fear. Until then, stay safe, stay telling your Thanksgiving host about any allergies or dietary restrictions before Thanksgiving, and stay figuring out what you don’t want, when you can’t figure out what you do want.

September 23, 2022 – Three Victims One Hook, Saying Goodbye, Inclusion, Smoltz (!), Meltdown Theories, Interview Review, Ruined Punchline, Pets (!), 2X4 = Quotes & Van’s Moon

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

We see Brando’s empty garage. Sasha sits in the dark, and says, Brando? Can you hear me? Please tell me you didn’t leave. She hears the door open, and someone comes in.

Nina visits Ava, and says she looks a lot better. Ava thanks her, and Nina gives her some flowers, saying, she’s so glad Ava is out of the ICU. Ava says, if only she could get out of this hospital altogether. She can’t wait to get out of here. Nina says, all in due time, right? and sits down. She says, since Ava told her about Nikolas sleeping with Esme, it sounds like her marriage is over. So has she thought about where she’s going to go when they discharge her?

Gregory knocks at Finn’s office door, and Finn asks what brings him by. Gregory says, just checking to see how Finn is doing. He sees the photo on Finn’s phone, and asks if that’s Reiko, and Finn says, it was taken in the Mariana Islands a long time ago. (Okay, my bad on the wrong island, and also in thinking it was Hayden. I did think it must be Reiko at first, but I couldn’t figure out a connection to Elizabeth. Apparently, there is one.) Gregory asks what’s got Finn thinking about his late wife, when Nurse Andrea comes in, and tells Finn, Mr. Sanchez is prepped and ready for him. He tells Gregory that he’s sorry; this might take a while. Gregory says he’ll walk Finn out, and they leave.

Elizabeth studies the portrait she sketched, which we now know is of Reiko. She says, who are you?

At the MetroCourt bar, Diane and Alexis clink glasses, and Diane says, to Alexis. Alexis says, first of all, Diane doesn’t have to toast her, and Diane doesn’t have to drink an iced tea because she can’t drink. Diane says she wanted an iced tea, just like she wanted to celebrate her best friend, especially after, Two Victims, One Hook. Definite clickbait. Brava, Madame Editor-in-Chief. Alexis says she had her reservations at first, but there was a lot of traffic on the website, and Diane says, well deserved. She asks how Kristina is doing. What did she think of the article? Alexis says she doesn’t think Kristina even read it, and Diane asks what she means. Alexis said Kristina walked in on the attack. Is she having a hard time? Alexis says, just the opposite. She doesn’t think witnessing the attack put her in any danger at all. She did manage to keep Kristina’s name out of the article, but what if the attacker saw her, and didn’t realize Kristina didn’t see the attacker? Diane says she doesn’t like that Kristina is taking this so lightly, but she’s not surprised. She’s always been a very gutsy girl. Even witnessing an attack won’t bring her down. Alexis says, she has her mother to do that for her.

Victor says, alone at last, and Lucy says, he sent the waiter away. Does that mean the meal is over? He says, not at all, my dear. It just means now it’s time to serve themselves.

Anna and Valentin hide, and Johann comes out on deck, drinking a beer. Valentin has to sneeze, and Anna puts her hand over his nose and mouth, pushing him back against the wall. Johann hears them, and takes out his gun. He moves toward where they’re hiding.

Sasha says, Brando? but Sonny says, it’s him. Did she think he was Brando? She says she knows that’s impossible. She just can’t believe he’s gone. Sonny says, it is hard to believe. He was one of a kind. Sasha cries, and he holds her.

Ava says, she’s been thinking a lot about what happens when she’s well enough to leave GH, and Nina says, proud as she is of the MetroCourt – and she’s super proud of it – she hates the idea of Ava camping out in hotel rooms, so Ava will just have to stay with her. Ava thanks her, but says she doesn’t want charity, and definitely doesn’t want pity. Nina says, come on. They’re way past that. She thinks by now they’re fully ensconced in the girlfriend zone. And friends help each other. There’s no charity; there’s no pity. Ava says she knows, but… Nina says, Ava really doesn’t want to stay with her because she’d prefer to go back home to Windymere. But Nikolas is there.

Alexis tells Diane, she’s not sure how it happened, but somehow in warning Kristina about the potential danger, she sort of blurted out that Kristina wasn’t living up to her full potential. Diane says, music to her ears, no doubt, and Alexis says, then to add to that, she sort of blurted out that Kristina was risking her life for a dead end job. Diane says she’s sure that worked. Alexis didn’t bring up law school, did she? Alexis says, no. Kristina’s sharp; she knew what was happening. That’s her point. Kristina is too smart to be spending her life making schedules for the waitstaff. Diane says, she completely agrees, but it’s Kristina’s life. Alexis says, she’s painfully aware of that. She’ll try to do better in keeping her opinions to herself. Diane laughs like it’s the funniest thing ever, and Alexis says, yeah, good luck with that. Nikolas approaches, and says he’s glad he ran into Alexis. He needs her help.

Elizabeth looks at the sketch, and flashes back to her memory, but this time she moves the woman’s hair, and sees her face. Nurse Andrea walks up with Finn, and says, Elizabeth is off today. What’s she doing here?  

Dex walks into the garage, and Sonny says, call Gladys; they’re okay. Sasha asks how Sonny found her, and Sonny says, there are two places that Brando always wanted to be. One was with her, and the other was his garage. So he figured if she was looking for Brando, she would come here. She says, Brando really did love this place. She thinks Sonny giving it to him was the best thing that every happened to him. Sonny says, not at all – she was. Sasha starts to cry again.

Lucy says, so there’s more? and Victor says, whatever she desires. She deserves to be waited on hand and foot. He’s utterly at her service; her wish is his command. She says she can’t. This has all been so lovely, to ask for anything else would just be horrible. He says, please ask. She must promise to always be honest with him, no matter what.

Johann continues to move toward where Valentin and Anna are hiding. They go back toward the door to the deck, and Anna tells Valentin to give her his shoe. He says, no way; these things are Italian. He gives it to her anyway, and she throws it out the door so it hits something, and Johann turns around. He goes back to where he was, and as he reaches the opening in the railing, Valentin runs out the door, and kicks him into the water. They watch as he floats downstream.

Nikolas asks if they can talk, and Alexis says, about what? He says he’d rather speak in private, and Alexis looks at Diane, and they both say, Ava. Diane says, fear not. She has to be going anyway. She tells Alexis, it was lovely having half a drink with her. Go easy on Krissy, and herself. She nods to Nikolas, says, Prince, and leaves. Alexis says, there are therapy apps where he could find a marriage counselor, in person or virtually, but he says, that’s not what he wants to talk about. Alexis told him that Ava was too proud to forgive a stupid mistake. She understands the way Ava thinks – Alexis says, God help her – and clearly he and Ava have a volatile relationship. But when Ava was attacked, everything crystallized for him, and he wants Ava in his life. He doesn’t want to lose her. Alexis says she takes it Ava didn’t have the same epiphany, and he says, that’s why he needs some straight talk. Is it time to give up on his marriage?

Ava tells Nina, Windymere is huge, and she and Nikolas have lived there in the past when they’ve been estranged. Nina asks, is this like the strategy, keep your enemies close? and Ava says, something like that. Nina says, Ava told her before that she wanted to wait to pay for cheating on her. Now’s the time? She’s sure Scotty is just chomping at the bit to get Ava a generous divorce settlement. Ava says, she hasn’t spoken to Scotty about this yet, and Nina says, she’s stalling. Ava’s still in love with her husband.

Dex comes back, and Sonny says, he spoke to Gladys? Dex says, she told him to thank Sonny for finding Sasha, and Sasha says, she guesses she should go home. She just wants to stay here. Sonny tells her, stay, and tells Dex to go. Dex leaves, and Sasha says, it felt like Brando was here, working. Like any minute he would walk through that door with some part he forgot to order. He’d smile and kiss her, and say, thanks for waiting, like any other day. But Brando’s gone, no matter how many times she pretends, or wishes, or tries to convince herself this is just some horrible nightmare. She cries, and says, Brando isn’t here. He’s not anywhere. Sonny says, you know what? It’s like his son Morgan. With his dad it’s different; he got to say goodbye to his dad. But Morgan was like Brando; it was unexpected. It was sudden. One minute he’s here, and the next minute he’s gone. They didn’t even have a body to bury. He tears up, and says he has to confess something to her. A lot of times he goes into crowds, and wants to see Morgan. Sometimes the phone rings, and he thinks it’s Morgan. Sasha asks how long he felt that way, and he says, to tell her the truth, he still scans crowds for Morgan. He just wants to be able to see him one last time. His boy.

Victor asks, what does Lucy want from? Name it. She says, no, she can’t. He asked her not to ask him, so she can’t. She won’t ask him, but he also told her to wait, and she’s so bad at waiting. She was never good at it, and she’s just brimming with curiosity. She’s just always loved a man with a big plan. She’s so excited. Come on. Couldn’t he just give her a teensy weensy little hint? Please? The boat moves, and she says, what is that? Are they stopping? He says, they certainly shouldn’t be, and a man runs in. He tells Victor, there’s someone overboard, and Anna and Valentin hide near the inside exit to the room.

Diane comes into the garage, and Sonny asks what she wants. She tells him, Gladys said Sasha was here. She’d like to speak with her. Sonny says, she’s in Brando’s office, and doesn’t want to deal with anybody. Diane says she can wait. She needs to go over some legal issues that have arisen since Brando’s death. He says, it’s a hell of a time to be doing business, doesn’t she think? and she says she’s been asked to serve as interim counsel. Martin Grey is still out of town. He says, they’re dealing with Brando’s widow. Why should he trust her to represent Sasha when she grilled him on the stand? She says, believe her, she could have gone harder, and Sonny sees Dex lingering around, and yells at him to go. Dex goes outside, and Diane says, understand something; she liked Brando, a lot. She loved the fact that he came into town and rescued Carly. She loved the fact that he became a father figure to Dev Cerci, that boy Sonny was trying to keep in the country. He infiltrated Cyrus Renault’s organization, and saved Sasha. All he wanted was to make an honest living. Brando Corbin was a hero who deserved a much better hand than the one life dealt him. Sonny says, she’ll get no argument from him on that, and she says she’s not here to capitalize on tragedy. She’s just trying to do right by Brando by helping his widow at the request of her lawyer and Brando’s grieving mother. Sonny says, she expects him to ignore her grilling him on that stand at Nina’s hearing? How could she do that to him? She says she was fighting for Michael and Willow. She was doing her utmost to win the case for them, as she would for any client, no matter how ungrateful. She’s been through thick and thin with him; she’s been through good and bad. She’s protected him and his, and has done pretty much everything except dig a grave in the Pine Barrens. He says, she sided with Michael, and she says, Michael retained her to defend him in the petition by Nina for visitation. If Sonny recalls, he and Nina weren’t a couple formally at the time, so there was no conflict of interest. And it was Sonny who spontaneously volunteered to testify on Nina’s behalf. He asked Scotty to put him on the stand. She was only cross-examining him the way any halfway competent lawyer would. He says, she laid out his life for everyone to see. That’s personal to him. How can he forget that?

Ava tells Nina, in love with Nikolas? Hardly. She’s not the sort of woman who would let a man cheat on her and humiliate her and get away with it. Nina says, besides her, who knows Nikolas slept with Esme? and Ava says, just Spencer and Victor. Nina says she doubts they would throw it in Ava’s face if she decided to forgive Nikolas; she won’t. Ava asks why Nina is pushing her to get back with Nikolas, but Nina says she’s not. She just doesn’t want Ava’s pride to get in the way of her happiness. It’s Ava’s prerogative if she wants to expose Nikolas’s bad behavior or forgives him. She just wants Ava to be happy. Ava says she doesn’t know if she could live with herself if she gave Nikolas another chance. She’d be worried, wondering if it could happen again. She’s lived with that kind of betrayal in the past, and she lost her daughter because of it. Nina says, they’ve both made their share of mistakes, and they’ve both suffered, and paid terrible prices, but they’re still here. Ava says, just barely, and Nina says, she’s on the mend, and it’s pretty amazing how they both found love after everything they’ve been through. It’s kind of like a miracle. Whether or not Ava wants to forgive Nikolas is up to her. If she still loves him… Ava says, she blackmailed Nikolas into getting married in the first place, and that is hardly a foundation for everlasting commitment. She laugh/cries, and Nina says, Ava’s marriage may not have started as a love match, but it’s a love match now.

Alexis asks if Nikolas wants to give up on his marriage, and he says, no, but he’s at the end of his rope. Nothing he’s said has budged Ava, even a bit. She says, that’s because talk is cheap, and he asks if that’s the best she can do. She reminds him that he came to her. He’s more than welcome to vacate that barstool for a more nuanced commentary. He says he’s sorry. He’s just trying to figure out what to do. Does Alexis think he needs to take action? She says she doesn’t know what he should do. She doesn’t know what he did, and doesn’t want to. She’s just asking, whatever it is, will it cost Ava her pride to forgive him? He says, definitely, and she says, then he needs to give something back. He says, like what? but she says she doesn’t know. Something that shows Ava that he values his relationship with her; to put something on the line, to risk something for her. Just like he’s asking Ava to swallow her pride in order to take him back.

Elizabeth goes to Finn’s office, and tells him that she convinced Doc to hypnotize her again, since she was on the verge of remembering something. And then she did. She remembered the face of the woman at the bottom of the stairs. He says, that’s encouraging, and asks who she is, but Elizabeth says she doesn’t know. He says, she saw her face, but didn’t recognize her, and she says, she can’t place her. She has no memory of this person except for the moment on the stairs. Except she feels like the woman wasn’t a stranger. Finn’s phone dings, and Elizabeth picks it up to give it to him, and sees the photo. She stares at it, and he says, that’s Reiko, his late wife.

Anna and Valentin listen, and Victor asks if the man is sure somebody went overboard. The man says, he saw the body hit the water, and told the captain to stop. They’re circling back now. Victor says, what is he standing around here for? Help with the rescue operation. He hustles the man out, and Anna peeks in, gesturing to Lucy. Lucy runs to Victor, saying, oh my God. The man could drown. Victor has to help save him; he’s so strong. Victor says he should supervise. He won’t be long. She says she’ll be here when he gets back. Go… like the wind. He leaves, and she runs back, telling Anna and Valentin, he’s gone. They come out, and she says, wait a minute. Did they throw a man overboard? What happened to Valentin’s shoe? Valentin says, don’t worry about it, and Anna says, it’s just Johann; he never saw them. Valentin says, no one knows they’re here, but that could change at any moment. Lucy asks what they’re doing here, and Anna says, they’re rescuing her. Lucy says she doesn’t want to be rescued, and Anna says, they don’t have time for games. Victor could be back at any moment. They have to go now. Lucy says she’s not going right now, because then Victor will know she’s playing him, and probably know that Anna set her up to do this whole thing. He’s just starting to open up to her. Valentin says, obviously a scene of seduction; champagne petit fours… How does Lucy expect the scene is going to end? Lucy says, she can handle Victor. He is putty in her hand. She flashes the bracelet, and says she hasn’t felt this alive in years. She’s still got it.

Diane tells Sonny, there’s no need to keep discussing this. She would like to speak to Sasha, but if that’s not going to happen, please have Sasha give her a call. She starts to leave, but Sonny says, wait. Sasha needs a good lawyer. Diane says, good? when Sasha comes out. Diane says she’s so sorry about Brando. She was just telling Sonny how much she admired him. Sasha thanks her, and Diane says she doesn’t want to intrude on Sasha’s grief, but Martin Grey is still out of town, and he and her mother-in-law feel there might be some pressing legal issues that require Sasha’s immediate attention. So she’s been asked to serve as interim counsel, if that’s okay with Sasha. Sasha says she guesses, but what’s so important it can’t wait? Diane says, it’s a confidential matter, but Sasha says she can talk in front of Sonny. Diane says, it concerns her guardianship, and Sasha says, that’s settled. Brando… Diane says, Sasha’s agreement to avoid prison stipulates that she must have a legal guardian, and Sonny asks if Diane is saying it’s null and void. Sasha asks if she’s going to prison.

Gregory sees Alexis at the MetroCourt, and says, if it isn’t the women behind the headlines. How’s the response? She says, good and bad. She thinks the general public was glad they were alerted to the fact there’s a hook wielding maniac on the loose. The Police Commissioner is another matter. He says he’d like to hear more, and asks if she has time to join him for coffee. She says, sure. Why not?

Elizabeth says, this is Reiko? and Finn says, a long time ago. They were both with Doctors Without Borders; it was their first post. Elizabeth says, she looks so young. He doesn’t talk about her. Finn takes the phone, and says he knows. He was never able to make piece with how she died, infected with the same disease he was trying to cure. She says, Blackwoods Disease. What brings her up for Finn now? He says, a case he’s working on reminded him of something that he and Reiko went through when they were posted on the Mariana Islands. She says, near Guam, right? and he says, she amazes him. Most people don’t even know those islands exist. When they were there, they had a good friend, a good doctor; he died of a poisonous snake bite. She rubs her head, and he asks if she’s okay. Got a headache? She says, a little bit, and he says, from hypnotherapy? She says, probably. She’s so frustrated because she has these little pieces she can’t seem to put together to see the larger picture. He says, it’s okay. It’s coming. Every day she’s learning more. She says, none of it makes sense. She needs to go home and lie down for a little bit. He says he thinks she’s incredible, and kisses her. He says, she’s going to find the truth, and she leaves. In the hallway, she unfolds the sketch and looks at it.

Anna tells Lucy that she’s in way over her head. She can’t underestimate Victor. Lucy says, she knows, but listen to her. He actually told her that he has a plan. A big plan, and he wants to include her. Anna says, what plan? but Lucy says she doesn’t know because they interrupted. She’s getting thisclose to it. Valentin looks out the doorway to the deck and runs back, saying, someone’s coming. He keeps going out the other door, and Anna says, this is Lucy’s last chance. If she doesn’t come with them now, she’s on her own. Lucy says she’s fine. She’s got this, she promises. Anna leaves, and Lucy scrambles around, deciding to go behind the bar like she was making a drink. Victor brings in Johann, with a blanket around him, and Lucy asks, what happened? Victor says he’s not entirely sure. Johann went overboard, but he isn’t able to tell Victor how or why. He must have gotten a concussion when he hit the water. Lucy says, that’s awful. Drink this. She hands him a snifter of brandy, and Victor says, focus. Tell him what happened. Johann says he was on the deck. Maybe he lost his balance? Victor asks if he could have been pushed. Did he see anyone else? Johann says he doesn’t remember seeing anyone. He was… Victor says, what? and Johann says, having a drink. Lucy says, drinking on the job; that is really dangerous. She takes the brandy away from him, and Johann says, he wasn’t drunk. Victor tells him to go back to his stateroom and dry off. He’ll call the captain and see if they have a medic on board. Johann says he’s sorry for the trouble, and Victor says, they’ll deal with it later. Johann leaves, and Lucy says, poor Johann. Alcoholism is such a serious burden. She takes a sip of the brandy, and Victor says, something’s off.

Diane tells Sasha, the presiding judge needs to reevaluate the plea, and Sasha says she only agreed the first time because she trusted Brando. Now that he’s gone, it’s over for her. Diane says, legally it’s not, and Sonny says, Sasha shouldn’t have to go through this right now. Diane says she completely agrees. That’s why she’s prepared to file a continuance, pending Sasha’s approval. Sasha says, Diane has her approval, and Diane thanks her. She asks if Sasha knows where Brando kept his copy of the guardianship decree, and Sasha says, in his office. Or maybe their place; he didn’t say. Sonny asks if Sasha wants Diane to go in Brando’s office and check for the papers, and Diane says, the sooner they get this sorted, the better. Providing it’s okay with Sasha. Sasha says, it’s fine. She should go home. She’s tired. Sonny says, he’ll take her, and tells Diane, Brando’s office is in the back. Diane says, copy that; she’s on it. Sasha leaves, Sonny thanks Diane, and follows.  

Alexis says she has it on good authority that the Police Commissioner is unhappy with their article, and Gregory asks if she’s surprised. She says she’s not insensitive to Jordan’s concerns, she just considers warning the public to be for the greater good. Gregory says, it doesn’t hurt that the readership is up, does it? and she says, 30%. Most people were glad for the warning, but a small amount said The Invader was fearmongering. He says, the article he read didn’t sensationalize the crime; it just gave the facts. He was very impressed. She says, now she can sleep at night, and he laughs. He says he knows his opinion doesn’t matter, but she says, actually it does. It matters to her.

Sonny calls Nina, and says, he found Sasha. He could use her help. Nina says she’s confused. Sasha was missing? Why didn’t someone call her? Sonny says, they’re at Brando’s garage. He’s going to take Sasha home. Can she meet them there? She says, of course (🍷). She needs to be there. She’ll see him soon. Ava asks if Sasha’s okay, and Nina says, no. Sasha is definitely not okay. She should be with her. Nikolas comes in, and asks if he and Ava can talk. Ava tells Nina, go help Sasha. She’ll be okay. Nina leaves, and Ava tells Nikolas, say whatever it is he came here to say. But know that it’s going to take more than words to make things right between them. He says he knows. That’s why he brought this. He holds out an envelope.

Sasha hugs Brando’s coffee cup, and Sonny tells Dex to make sure he locks up when Diane is finished. He’s taking Sasha home. Dex asks if she’s going to be okay, and Sonny says, she has her family to take care of her. He asks if she’s ready to go, and she says, yeah; she’s done. She sets the cup down, which surprises me, and leaves with Sonny. Dex says, don’t worry. He’ll take care of things here.  

Finn looks at the photo of Reiko.

Elizabeth takes down a box from the shelf in her closet. She looks through it, and takes out a photo album. She turns the pages, and finds a loose photo of herself at a young age with another girl. On the back, it says, Sarah and Elizabeth, Mariana Islands, 1997.

Ava asks, what’s that? and Nikolas says he’s done talking. This is proof of how much he loves her.

Anna and Valentin walk out on Pier 54, and Anna says, the zodiac is docked. Are they coming after us? He says he doesn’t see any sign of a disturbance. He thinks they got away clean… except for his shoe. She says, he’ll live, and he says, she’s glowing. She calls him a smooth talker, and he says, she’s really in her element, isn’t she? She says, it’s fun working together. He says he’s sorry their rescue attempt fell flat, and she says she wanted Victor to be enamored with Lucy, but she’s still very concerned that putting her in his sight is such a risk. He says, it was her call. She didn’t want to leave. What can they do to keep an eye on the situation? If she needs them, they can help her. She says, her worry is that it’s not if, but when.

Lucy suggests she and Victor get back on track, and resume this date they’re having. He says he’s surprised she called it a date; she seemed determined to make it about business. She says she doesn’t know many business meetings she’s had where she’s been presented with diamonds. So she can safely assume this is a date. He says she doesn’t seem angry, and she says, she does feel compelled to tell him that she’s spoken for. She’s really very much in love with Marty. However, Victor is making it very difficult – she plays with his lapels, then his tie – to stay true. And she finds herself wondering what a future with Mr. Victor Cassadine looks like. He puts his hands on her shoulders, and says, well, let’s find out.

Alexis tells Gregory, this coffee is probably the last thing she needs right now. She’ll be up all night. Not that she needs an excuse. She’s still really worried about Kristina. She witnessed that attack, and that could make her a target. He asks if she’s given more thought to the idea of posting an open letter in The Invader to try and draw the killer out. Get them to give something away, some clue that could help the PCPD to catch them? Then Kristina will be safe. She says, she thinks if they engage the killer, keep them occupied, it could give the police more time to investigate. He says, start a dialogue; provide a distraction. She says, maintain balance though. She doesn’t want to give the attacker a platform, just enough rope to hang. She’s been a lawyer a long time, and she’s seen cases like this. And she doesn’t believe for one minute this killer is done.  

Diane comes out of Brando’s office, and looks through a folder, her back to the door. We see someone with a hook outside. A hooded figure comes in, and raises the hook.

On Monday, Gregory asks Alexis when they start; Ava says she’s going to need much more; Valentin tells Anna that he’s going to have to murder his own father; and Diane lies in a pool of blood.

🧰 Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye…

Still nothing that really says why he left. It didn’t sound like he wanted to though. Maybe he was just a sacrificial lamb for the hook storyline. I’m really hoping Diane isn’t.

✈️ Broadening Horizons…

The answer to my dialect question. I love these two. And whoever dresses Selina is spot-on. I love her wardrobe.

📸 Nice Of Her…

Well, I guess if Alexis likes him, he’ll grow on me.

💎 Surprise DEFCON 1…

A coupla things. Kathy was pretty pissed about the tequila. Maybe she was drunk. Then again, there are those estrangement periods with Kyle. Which I can totally understand, since I find her annoying, but Kathy is her sister. Also, weren’t there others who talked about her creating a commotion at the last bar they went to?

https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/kathy-hilton-rhobh-aspen-controversy-explained

🧛🏻‍♂️ Bloody Good…

I haven’t seen the first episode, but I watched a preview special on it, and it looked good.

https://collider.com/interview-with-the-vampire-review-anne-rice-amc/

⚰️ About That Spin-Off…

He’s got a point about revealing who lives.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-jeffrey-dean-morgan-dead-city-interview/

🐕 Wag That Tail…

I’d follow them. The pets, I mean.

🧙🏽 Quotes of the Week

Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do. – Voltaire

For it’s not light that is needed, but fire; it’s not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind and the earthquake in our hearts. – Frederick Douglass

If I was the toe that broke the camel’s back, I apologize. – Kathy Hilton, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension. – Joshua L. Liebman

Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable – and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God. – Henry Emerson Fosdick

The Ukrainians don’t even want to be in the Ukraine right now. – Caesar Mack’s friend April, 90 Day: The Single Life, after finding out he was traveling there

Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost. – Robert H. Schuller

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. – George Bernard Shaw

🍂 Someone Turned Off the Heat…

Switching gears for the next two days, but put it in park on Monday for soap and a Deck birthday. Until then, stay safe, stay not getting distracted by the minutia, and stay remembering, talk is cheap.

March 11, 2022 – Video Aftermath, Why, Recast, Bel Air Return, Sonny’s Son, Wu’s Back, Kandi’s World, Claims, Deaf Shah, Sly Guest, Lala’s Ex, Ringless, Excuse, Changes, Winning Country, Ennead Of Quotes & Run It

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow asks Michael, on a scale of one to ten, how much does he think Wiley loves Annabelle II? He says, it’s an eleven for sure, and she says she wishes their schedules weren’t so hectic; they could get a dog of their own. (Let me just note here, they’re having this conversation in the nook of the main house, so I guess someone from there can’t look after a dog?) He says, someday, and she asks, when will that be exactly? It’s not as if things will slow down when she becomes a nurse. He says, you know what he can’t wait to do? Sleep in when they’re in Paris. She asks if he’s out of his mind. She’s never been, and there’s so much to see; the Louvre alone. He says he guesses he’ll have to find other ways to get her to stay in bed, and she says, he can be very convincing. They kiss, when Brook walks in. She says, it’s good to see some things haven’t changed. At least the two of them are still together.

Chase goes to Finn’s office, and Finn asks what Chase is up to. Chase says, very little. Does Finn want to know how many hours are left for his suspension? Finn says, Chase has two more months to go, and Chase says he does, but he can still tell Finn the answer to that question. Finn says he knows Chase may be bummed, but Violet is loving having her Uncle Chase at her tea parties. Chase says, that is one up side to unemployment. When is Finn’s next date night, so he can babysit? Finn says Chase is welcome to visit Violet any time he likes, but his date nights with Elizabeth are over.

Elizabeth asks how Cameron wants his eggs, but he says he’s not too hungry right now. She says, who is he and what has he done with her son? Is he not feeling well? He says he went to bed late, so he’s half asleep; he’s fine. Jake comes in, and asks, what’s for breakfast? Cameron says he thought Jake didn’t have school today, and Jake says he doesn’t. Cameron asks why he’s up so early then, but Elizabeth says, this is so nice, all of them eating together. Jake says, Finn too? and she says, no, but she’s glad he brought Finn up. They need to talk about him.

At the MetroCourt, Ava and Nikolas look at her phone, and she asks Nikolas if it isn’t a little ornate. He says, it is, but isn’t that the point, to make a show of their vow renewal? Draw Uncle Victor in under the guise of family togetherness? Assuming Spencer shows for the ceremony and the family is actually together. She says, that is the plan, but the ceremony isn’t only about Victor, or Spencer for that matter. It’s still very much about them, isn’t it? She loves him, and can’t wait to exchange vows with him and actually mean the words. He says he can’t wait for that either, and they kiss.

In the elevator, Esme looks at her wrist, and pulls her sleeve down. She walks out into the MetroCourt, sees Nikolas and Ava kissing, and tells herself, it’s show time.

Josslyn walks into the kitchen, and Carly tells her, good morning. Josslyn says she hopes it’s okay that she slept here, and Carly says, is she kidding? Best surprise ever. Josslyn says she would have given Carly a heads up, but it was late, and Josslyn didn’t want to wake her. Carly says, no heads up needed; this is her home. Is everything okay? Josslyn says, yeah. She just didn’t feel like sleeping at the dorms last night. Carly says, any particular reason why? and Josslyn starts to cry and says, she can’t go back to school. Never. She throws herself into Carly’s arms.

Ava says, the flowers must be spectacular of course (🍷), and a fabulous bouquet for when she walks down the aisle. Esme says, wedding planning? and Ava says, for their vow renewal, yes. Esme sits down, and says, Laura told her that they were having a private ceremony, just the two of them, which is super romantic, but Avery would make an adorable flower girl. Nikolas says, actually, they’ve changed their mind about that, and decided they want their family there. Esme says, really? Spence didn’t mention anything; does he know? Nikolas says, not yet, and Ava says, they just decided last night. Nikolas says he’s going to visit Spencer, and invite him in person. Esme says, she hates to say it – Ava says, but she will –she wouldn’t bother inviting Spence at all.

Michael asks how the visit with Brook’s mom went, and Brook says, good. Her mom said and did all the right things, she got to see her cousins, and they went to all their favorite spots. Michael says, Giuseppe’s? and Brook says, of course (🍷). Willow asks, what’s that? and Brook says, only the best pizza in Brooklyn. Michael says, it’s off the charts, and Willow says, sounds like Brook kept busy. Brook says, it was great to back in the old neighborhood; she needed to get away. Michael says, now she’s back, and Brook says she guesses the first order of business is getting her stuff out of the beach house. Michael says, that’s done. Everything had to be out last week, so he and Chase moved her stuff. Brook says, what? Sorry. Thank you. He says, no problem, and she says she guesses it’s time to get back to real life. Willow asks what that looks like for her, and Brook says, she has absolutely no idea.

Elizabeth says they won’t be seeing Finn for a while, and Cameron asks if they broke up. She says, more like taking time apart. She just wants to be able to spend time with their family right now. Jake asks if it’s because of the weird stuff that’s been happening, but Elizabeth says, it’s more than that. She does have to figure out what’s going on, but she wants to make sure her boys are safe and happy. They are her number one priority. Cameron says they know that, and Elizabeth asks if Jake does. He says, yes, and she says, good, but things haven’t really felt safe and happy lately, right? Which is why she made Jake an appointment to see Dr. Massey today. Jake says, a shrink? and she says, a psychiatrist. She thinks it might be good for him to talk about his feelings. Jake says, that’s just great. She thinks he’s a psycho. He walks out of the kitchen.

Chase asks, what’s going on with Finn and Elizabeth? and Finn says, she’s concerned about the whole portrait thing. Chase says he gets that, and Finn says, he does too. Chase says he spoke with Dante, and he has a patrol going by every hour, and Finn says, that’s a big relief. Chase says, but? and Finn says, Elizabeth thinks it might be something closer to home; in the home, to be exact. She thinks Jake might be acting out. Chase sits down, and says he thought Jake and Aiden denied doing it. Finn says, they did, but now that Betsy Frank has been crossed off the list, Jake is the mostly likely suspect unfortunately. Chase says, so Elizabeth breaks up with Finn because she’s having issues with Jake? Isn’t that an overreaction? Finn says, not when you consider everything the kid’s been through.

Carly tells Josslyn, talk to her. Let her help. Josslyn says she can’t. It’s too horrible. She can’t even think about it, let alone say it out loud. Carly says, Josslyn can tell her anything. Tell her what’s going on, and they’ll fix it. Josslyn cries and says, it can’t be fixed, but Carly says, try her. Josslyn says, the weekend they spent at Sonny’s cabin, she and Cameron had sex, and it was their first time. She never thought something like this could even happen. She feels so stupid. Carly asks if Cameron got her pregnant.

Nikolas says, Esme really believes Spencer won’t come to the ceremony? Last time he saw Spencer, it felt like they were making progress. Esme says she thinks things are getting better with Nikolas and Spence too. It’s just… Ava says, Spencer will never accept her as part of the family, and Esme says she’s sorry, but he won’t. Nikolas says he hopes she’s wrong, because Ava’s not going anywhere. Ava’s phone rings, and she steps away to take the call. Esme peers at Nikolas, and he says, what is it? She says he’s not the man she thought he was. She had a picture in her head from everything Spence told her about his father. He says he can guess what Spencer said about him, but she says she doesn’t think he can.

Michael says he guesses it’s hard to get back to normal life without Bailey, and Brook says she still has Deception. She gets up, and says she’s going to be fine. This was always the plan. Actually more than the plan; this was the goal. For Bailey to go back home to Maxie where she belongs. Willow says, of course (🍷) that was always the plan, but that doesn’t mean Brook didn’t fall in love with that little girl, and it’s not hard on her. Michael gets up, and says, it’s okay to admit that. She wasn’t in Port Charles at the time, but he’s sure his family filled her in, when he found out Sonny was responsible for AJ’s death. Brook says, the father that raised him killed his biological father; that must have been brutal. He says he retaliated. He took from Sonny what he loved the most – Avery. He was able to find legal grounds to prove Sonny was unfit, an was appointed Avery’s custodial guardian. For months he was her only parent. He knows it’s not a perfect parallel, and she says, close enough. He says, Avery was his child, she was his sister. He knew the whole time deep down that the situation was only temporary, but all those months, he saw her and was with her every single day. He was the one to read her stories, to feed her, to change her. He brought her to work, and played blocks with her… Willow joins them, and he says, then when his mother convinced him to give Avery back, Avery left a huge gaping hole in his life and in his heart. And even though he knew it was the right thing to do, that didn’t make it any easier. Brook says, okay. Giving up Bailey is excruciating, but she’s going to get over it. And when she does, she’s going to go back to her single, carefree life; the life she always wanted before all this. Michael asks if she thinks she’s the same person, and Willow says she doesn’t. Michael says, Brook did an amazing thing protecting Bailey from her father, and Brook says, it didn’t start out that way. Michael says, it doesn’t matter how it started, and Willow says, Maxie was in trouble and Brook came through for her friend. Brook says, they didn’t expect that from her, did they? and Michael says, no, but he should have. He’s always known she had a big heart. Brook says she didn’t do it alone. When she needed help, Chase was right there.

Chase says, wow, he didn’t know Jake went through all that, and Finn says, pretty grim stuff for anyone, but a kid that age? Chase says, no wonder he’s having a hard time, but that was years ago, right? Wasn’t he doing better? Finn says, he was, after some serious counselling. He was doing really good, but think about it. First, he loses Franco, then Jason, Finn enters the picture, and all of a sudden, these strange things start happening. Elizabeth’s wedding ring, her dress, the portrait… Chase says, all unsettling, but not overtly dangerous, and Finn says, exactly. What if it’s Jake crying out for help?

Elizabeth says, first of all, she doesn’t like the term psycho, and Jake says, fine. Nuts? Crazy? Loco? Take your pick. She says she doesn’t think he’s any of those things, and Cameron says, look. Seeing a therapist doesn’t mean you’re crazy. Elizabeth says, they all need to talk to someone once in a while, and Jake says, they think he put the painting there, even though he swore he didn’t. They don’t believe him. Cameron tells him, that’s not what mom’s saying; Jake’s just been through a lot lately. Jake’s phone dings, and he says, Conner sent him a video, asking if it’s really Cameron. What did he post? Cameron says, nothing, and as Jake is about to open it, Cameron says, don’t!

Josslyn says she’s not pregnant, and Carly says, thank God. Josslyn says, they used protection; that’s not the problem. Carly asks, what’s going on? and Josslyn says, that night was perfect. At least that part was. It was everything a first time should be. But then, in sociology class, everyone’s phones started blowing up, and all eyes were on her and Cam, and they had no idea why. She begins crying again, and says, someone sent this video to Professor Kahn’s computer. And the whole thing played in front of the whole class on this giant screen. Carly says she doesn’t understand. What was on the video? Josslyn says, Cameron and her, having sex. Someone filmed them and sent it to the entire school.

Esme tells Nikolas, that’s not what she meant at all; Spence loves him. It borders on worship actually. He said Nikolas was the best father in the universe. It made her jealous of how close they were when Spence was growing up. Spence made it seem like it was the two of them against the world. He says, she told him that he wasn’t the man she expected him to be, yet Spencer painted him in a positive light. She says, glowing light, and he asks if that means he’s worse than she expected.

Carly asks how someone could do that to Josslyn, and Josslyn says, she guesses it’s not the worst thing in the world. Everyone has sex tapes or naked photos… Carly says, it’s not funny; this is not a joke, and Josslyn says she doesn’t know what else to do. Carly says, this is a complete violation. Someone took a private moment between Josslyn and her boyfriend, and made it public without her consent. She’ll get Spinelli to take it off the web. How did this happen, does she know? Josslyn says she doesn’t know. She didn’t even know there was a camera (ha-ha! I typed Cameron) in the bedroom; neither did Cam. Sonny wouldn’t have… Carly says, God no, and Josslyn says she didn’t think so. The only people in the cabin that night were her, Trina, and Cameron. Carly asks, what about Esme and Spencer? and Josslyn says she told Carly, they left. Esme had the nerve to accuse Trina yesterday. Carly asks if she’s serious. Did Esme really think they’d fall for that? Josslyn doesn’t say anything, and Carly says, Joss? Josslyn says she doesn’t know. Trina got pretty drunk at the cabin, to the point she didn’t remember what happened. Carly says, that doesn’t sound like Trina, and Josslyn says, and she didn’t drink that much. It just seemed to affect her like that. She also told them she felt left out when Josslyn and Cam got together. Carly asks if Josslyn really thinks Trina could have sent that video.

Cameron grabs Jake’s phone, and Elizabeth says, what is going on? Cameron says, it’s just a stupid video of him, and he doesn’t want Jake to see him making a fool of himself. He deletes it, and Jake takes his phone back, saying, he can still find it or just have Conner send him the link. Cameron says, leave it alone, please, and Elizabeth tells Jake to get dressed; his appointment’s in 45 minutes. Jake says, what about breakfast? and she says he can eat after he’s dressed. He says, fine, but he knows she’s just trying to get rid of him. He goes upstairs, and Elizabeth tells Cameron, he’s going to watch that video. Cameron says he knows, and she says he may as well just tell her. He asks if he can just die instead, but she says, not an option. Did he do something stupid or dangerous? He says, nothing like that, and she says, then what? He says he can’t tell her while she’s looking at him, and she keeps her back to him, pouring herself some coffee. He says, there’s a video of him going around, and she says, that much she gathered. A video of what? He says, him and Joss having sex.

Chase says, knowing that about Jake, he can see where Elizabeth is coming from, but it’s still a bummer. Finn says, the hardest part for him, is thinking about Elizabeth dealing with this on her own. He’d like to be there for her, but if he does, he’s not respecting her wishes. Chase says, Finn’s between a rock and a hard place, and Finn says, pretty much. If she feels the only way he can help is to keep his distance, so be it. Chase says, how long? and Finn says, how long what? Chase says, how long is this… pause going to be? Finn says, it’s hard to tell. It’s all very depressing. Tell him something good. How’s Brook? Chase says, as far as he knows, she’s still out of town, and Finn says, as far as he knows? Chase says he hasn’t heard from Brook since she left.

Brook says, it blows her mind that Chase just stepped up. He said he was Bailey’s father without her even asking him. Willow says, that’s a good friend, and Michael says, they regret giving Chase a hard time. Willow looks at the clock, and says she has to go; she’s observing rounds at GH. Michael tells her, show those doctors up, Nurse Tate, but she says she’s not a nurse yet. He says, soon enough, and she leaves. Brook tells Michael that he and Willow are nauseatingly cute, and he says, things are going well. What about her? It’s nice to have Willow by his side, someone to do life with. She says, so? Coupledom isn’t for everyone. Some people value their space. He asks if she’s saying she’s one of those people, and she says, isn’t it obvious? He says, not the way she was talking about Chase.

Finn tells Chase, that surprises him. Brook is dodging his calls? Chase says he hasn’t called her, and Finn says, yet people say Chase is the people person. Chase asks what that means, and Finn says, Chase is the one who said he wanted to at least be friends with Brook, and he hasn’t reached out to her? Chase says, he texted her, and Finn asks what he said… wrote… whatever. Chase tells him, he said, how are u? He just put the u; he didn’t spell it out, Finn says, pure poetry, and Chase says, Brook replied, but all she put was a thumbs up, nothing else. So obviously she doesn’t want to talk to him. Finn says, Chase should definitely give up then.

Brook asks if Michael is forgetting the part where she and Chase were pretending to be partners in crime, not romance, he says, she told him Chase was there for her. She says, he was, because he’s a good guy and they’re friends. He says, that’s it? and she says, that’s a lot. It might be a shock to him, but she doesn’t have a long list of close friends; she can’t afford to lose one. Besides, even if she felt something for Chase, it was probably a result of the situation; heightened emotions from taking care of Bailey together. He says, it looked like more, and she says he needs to get his eyes checked. They sit on the window seat, and he says he went over to Chase’s to apologize. She asks how it went, and he says, pretty good, actually. He thinks in time, if he plays his cards right, he and Chase might be friends again someday. But the point of him telling her that is, he could tell Chase was lost without her and Bailey. Just like she is. She says, he could tell how? Did Chase say he was interested in her?

Josslyn tells Carly, there’s no way. Trina would never humiliate her like that, or Cam. Carly says, it sounds more like something Esme would do, and Josslyn says, my God. Everyone saw her having sex. Carly puts her arms around Josslyn and says she’s sorry, and Josslyn says, a lot of people think she did this on purpose; not only film it, but make it public. How sick is that? Carly says, no one who knows her and Cameron would ever think that, and Josslyn says, people who don’t would think that. She’s just a freshman; she’s new on campus. She had so many messages, she had to turn her phone off. Carly says, from random people? and Josslyn says, mostly, but some of the girls on the volleyball team texted her, wanting to know what’s going on. How will she face them? How will she face anyone again? She sits on the floor, and Carly holds her.

Elizabeth says she can’t believe someone sent that video to Cameron’s whole class, and he says he thinks to the whole school. She asks if he can find out who it was, but he shakes his head, and says, it’s pretty easy to stay anonymous when you send stuff out like that. Plus, once it’s out there, it’s out there. Even Jake’s friends are seeing it. She says she’s sorry he’s going through this, and he says, it’s way worse for Josslyn. There’s still a double standard about sex. While he’s getting virtual high-fives, she’s being called a slut. It’s not right. She says, it’s not, and asks how Josslyn is holding up. He says, she turned off her phone last night, and Elizabeth says, smart move. He says he hasn’t heard from her, and he’s a little worried. Elizabeth says she’s worried about him. Double standard or not, this is happening to him too. Does he wasn’t to tell her how he’s feeling about it? He says, he never wants to talk about it ever again, and she says, he can tell her anything. He says, just not this, okay? but she says he should talk to someone. He says, a friend? and she says, if he wants to. He says he doesn’t. He wishes Franco was here. She says, her too, and he says, Franco would know what to say. Or at least find a way to get him to laugh about all  this. She says, he’ll get through this, but he asks, how?

Nikolas says, letting Spencer believe he was dead, he’ll always regret that decision, but Esme says, he misunderstood what she meant. Spence described him as a man with singular focus. For example, when Spence was young, that focus was on him. Now. according to Spence, he’s all about Ava, but she can see that’s not true. There’s room in his heart for more than one person. He says, of course (🍷) there is, and wonders why Spencer can’t see that. Ava is no threat to him or Nikolas’s love for him. Esme says she’s so sorry she helped Spence hurt him and Ava. They were wrong, and she’d like to make almonds amends. She’s been talking to Spence on his behalf, urging him to   reconcile with Nikolas. Nikolas says he appreciates that, and she says, maybe she should talk to him about the vow renewal; soften him up before Nikolas speaks to him. Ava comes back, and says she’s sorry she  took so long. Nikolas says, important call? and she says, it was about Ryan.

Elizabeth says if Jake wants breakfast, he should come downstairs. He comes down in the same clothes, and she says she told him to get dressed, but he says he’s not going. He doesn’t need to see a shrink. She can’t make him go. She says, actually, she can. It’s not punishment. She thinks talking to Dr. Massey can help him. He says, he knows he messed up after Cassadine Island, but he was a kid then. He’s fine now. Why doesn’t she believe him? She says she doesn’t think any of them are fine, not after losing Franco the way they did. Now Jake’s lost his dad. She knows he misses him; she misses him too. He says, it’s not the same, and she says he’s right. She hasn’t been with his dad in a while, but she’ll always love him because they made Jake. She can see him in Jake. Jake says, she can? and she says, he’s so strong, just like his dad was, and when Jake gets upset, he gets quiet like his dad. He says, dad didn’t talk a lot, and she says, he didn’t, but he always listened to Jake, didn’t he? Jake has so many people who love him, but sometimes it’s easier talking to a stranger. It helped when he talked to Dr. Maddox, didn’t it? He says, yeah, and she says she’s sorry he isn’t around anymore, but Dr. Massey is great. Will he at least give it a try? Cameron listens from the kitchen.  

Carly says, Josslyn has nothing to be ashamed of. The video was made without her knowledge or permission, and she didn’t decide to make it public. Josslyn says, people don’t know that, and Carly says, the people who matter do. As far as the rest of them, screw ‘em. You can’t control what people think. Josslyn says she can’t believe this is happening. She’s never been so embarrassed in her life. The whole world saw her naked. Carly says, that’s not true. She doesn’t want to minimize what Josslyn is going through or how she’s feeling, but she wants Josslyn to keep it in perspective. She knows Josslyn feels like everyone is judging her, but they’re not. Josslyn says, but the people she sees every day, what about them? Carly says she knows this seems insurmountable, like she’ll never be over it and never live it down, but life goes on. People forget, and the next scandal is going to replace this one. Trust her, she’s weathered her own and she’s still standing. Josslyn says Carly is stronger than she is, but Carly says, no. Josslyn is stronger.

Michael says, Chase didn’t come out and say he was interested in Brook, but they’re not exactly buddy-buddy right now, so why would Chase confide in him about something like that? Brook says, here’s the deal. If she told Chase that she wanted to be with him, and he wasn’t into it, there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how awkward that would be. They wouldn’t be able to look at one another, let alone be friends. Why would she risk losing Chase altogether, when she doesn’t even know how she feels about it? He says, she’s looking at it all wrong. Instead of focusing on what she might lose, how about focusing on what she might gain?

Chase sees Willow at the hospital, and she says she’s sorry. She has to run. She doesn’t want to miss rounds. He says, the life of a nurse? and she says, nurse in training. She got so caught up talking to Brook, she didn’t realize the time. He says, she spoke to Brook on the phone? but Willow says, in person. She’s at the house right now. Willow keeps walking, but Chase stops, stunned.

Nikolas asks who’s calling Ava about Ryan, and she says, Doc. He’s been monitoring Ryan from a distance to keep tabs on him at Spring Ridge, but he went to see him face-to-face, and there’s no change. Ryan is still locked inside his body. He wouldn’t even communicate with Doc; no blinkity-blink like he does. Under the table, Esme digs her nails into her palm, and Nikolas says, Ryan shouldn’t be communicating with anyone after what he did to Ava. They should toss him in a cell and lose the key. Ava asks Esme if there’s something wrong, but Esme says, no. It’s just terrible what Ryan did to her. Ava says, yes, but it’s over, and so is he. She’s just relieved they can plan their ceremony without worrying about that monster. There’s absolutely nothing Ryan can do to them from Spring Ridge. Ava’s phone chirps, and she says she has to get back to the gallery. Nikolas says he’ll go too, but Esme says she was hoping they could talk a little more about Spence. Ava tells him to stay, and he says he’ll walk her out. He wants all the time with her that he can get. Esme says, aww, that’s so sweet, and Ava says, they don’t call him a prince for nothin’. Esme tells Nikolas to take his time, and looks at her palm.

Elizabeth walks into the hospital, and sees Finn. Jake walks in behind her, and she tells Jake that she’s proud of him for agreeing to see Dr. Massey. He tells her, let’s just get it over with, and keeps walking. She exchanges looks with Finn and follows.  

Brook flashes back down Chase Memory Lane, from her seeing him again for the first time after pretending to be pregnant, and ending with their kiss in the hospital. There’s a song part, and she looks at his number in her phone. She wonders what she’d even say, when Chase walks in, and says, hi. You’re back.

In the MetroCourt elevator, Carly tells Josslyn that Spinelli was able to wipe the video from all the public websites. That’s good, right? Josslyn says, yeah, but who knows how many people have it saved in their private files? Carly is sure not as many as Josslyn thinks. It’s a start. Josslyn agrees, and Carly asks how she’s feeling. Josslyn says, exposed? She guesses a little better after making through the lobby without any whispers or stares. All she can say is, these better be the best blueberry pancakes she’s ever had. Carly says, they will be. She’ll make sure of it. Everything is going to be okay. Spinelli’s on his way to the cabin; he’s searching for a camera. They’re going to find out who did this, and they’re going to make them pay. They get out, and see Esme on her phone. Carly takes Josslyn’s hand and marches her over to the table. Using her best concerned voice, Esme asks how Josslyn is doing. Josslyn asks how should she be doing after someone purposely humiliated her and Cam with that video? Esme says, it’s so awful. Josslyn is so brave to be out in public with this. She doesn’t know if she could do it. If they’ll excuse her… She gets up, but Carly blocks her path, saying, I don’t think so. Sit down.

On Monday, Curtis asks Selina, what’s in it for him besides the money; Josslyn tells Carly that she needs to fight her own battles; Cameron says Spencer can’t drag him down; Carly asks whose life Esme is going to ruin now; and Britt asks, how much trouble could they get into? I’m guessing a lot.

🌡 Absentee Inga…

Luckily, she wasn’t out of commission for long.

👩🏾‍🎓 A Different Path…

While I’m sad to hear there will be a new Trina, good for her in furthering her education. I wish I’d done that.

🌴 Fresh Move…

She’s going back to a town called Bel-Air.

👨‍👦 Proud Papa…

Like father, like son.

👠 Wu Wu…

Glad to hear she’s back. I like the female mob boss thing.

🍭 Inklusive Kandi…

Kandi gives brings the diversity to her new show.

💰 Bandwagon Of Claims…

The number just keeps growing.

💵 Marketing Op…

But is she paying taxes on it?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10596451/RHOSLCs-Jen-Shah-releases-not-guilty-merch-ahead-fraud-trial.html

🛥 Shady Rose On Deck…

I don’t like this woman.

💫 In Lala’s Orbit…

What a toad.

By God if they’re not right.

💔 Possible VanderSplit…

Why all the mystery? It just seems like with all the blabbermouths on that show, there would be something more definitive.

😍 Exclusively Charmed…

Sounds pretty flimsy.

🦋 Ever-Changing…

I dunno. The Kardashians are magicians with makeup and filters, so who can tell?

🪕 For Those a Little Bit Country…

The winners and the fashions at the ACM Awards.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/entertainment/acm-awards-2022/index.html

https://www.eonline.com/photos/34087/acm-awards-2022-red-carpet-fashion

🎺 Quotes of the Week

You keep coming back like a bad smell. – Tom Brooks referring to Jesse Meester, Darcy and Stacy: Tell All

Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies, and the character of his friends. – K@SH

Survive and tell me what’s harder, zombies or senior year? – member of the archery team, All Of Us Are Dead

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you don’t know about. Be kind. Always. – Robin Williams

I was pretty well grounded. I was being teased and whatever and I didn’t have anger skills, so I would go to the parents and say your children are brats and tell them they were bad parents. – Michael Berryman

Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Gustav Jung

People get addicted to feeling offended all the time because it gives them a high; being self-righteous and morally superior feels good. – Mark Manson

I don’t know if I have the strength to keep going back and forth with this lady. – Cynthia Bailey referring to Ramona Singer, Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip

Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. – Henry Ford

🎆 Rocking Off To the Casbah…

See you next time the Dead Walk. Until then, stay safe, stay remembering to turn your clock back, and stay knowing you can’t control what people think. So if they don’t matter, screw ‘em.

December 28, 2021 – Sonny Is Called To the Stand, Lala Gives Them a Party, All About Wu, How They Celebrated, Erika’s Edict & My Year

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Scotty asks Willow if Sonny touched on the nature of his relationship with Nina, and she says, he did. Sheridan objects, but Judge Milford says, overruled, and Scotty asks if Willow can be more specific. She says, she overheard Sonny say, whatever happened between us in Nixon Falls has to come from me, and it will. Scotty asks, and what was that? What went on between the alleged victim and the accused? Willow says, love, and Scotty asks if she’s saying Sonny and Nina fell in love in Nixon Falls. She says he’d have to ask them that question.

Brook asks if Chase thinks she wants space, and he says, what else can he think? Sometimes she’s happy that he’s around, but other times, it’s like he’s annoying her or in the way. Olivia comes in with Leo, followed by Ned, and tells Leo that Brook and Chase are in charge; they’re going to be watching him. She seats him at the counter, and Chase asks what he’s got there, looking at Leo’s fidget spinner. Brook asks how Olivia and Ned are feeling, and Ned says, they’re ready for whatever they have to learn. Olivia says, whatever Leo needs, and asks if Brook is okay with being in charge. The last time… Brook says, lose a kid once, you can never live it down, and Olivia says, Leo has two sets of eyes on him today. It’s nice having Chase around. She and Ned leave, and Brook says, too nice.

Obrecht goes to Britt’s office, and Britt says she’s early for lunch. Obrecht says she couldn’t wait one more minute for Britt to open her Christmas present, and hands Britt a thick envelope. Britt thanks Obrecht for understanding why she wanted to work on Christmas, and Obrecht says, she tried not to be offended that Britt would rather be there than celebrating the holiday with her mutter. Britt says, with Obrecht and Scotty practically fused at the hip, she would have been a total third wheel. Obrecht says, Britt could be in love too. In fact, once she opens her gift, she’ll never have to spend another holiday alone.

TJ thanks Shawn for showing him around The Invader, and Shawn says he’s determined to reboot The Invader as a reputable, credible resource for inquiring minds. TJ says, it’s a great new beginning for the paper and Shawn. Now that the PCPD has cleared him of shooting Hayden, nothing can hold him back. Shawn says, what about TJ? Did he forget about their plans to enjoy the game? He didn’t return Shawn’s texts. He’s either crazy busy or something has him preoccupied. Is there something he’s holding back?

At the Bistro, Stella wonders what Curtis wanted to ask her, and he says he just discovered something unexpected about Marshall. It occurred to him how little he knows about the man. She says, that’s not surprising, considering his father hasn’t been in his life since he was a child. So what did he discover? He says he discovered his dad is a musician, and she says, a fine one too. He says, that’s why he called her here, so she could fill in the blanks about his father. Tell him everything there is to know about Marshall Ashford.

Sheridan asks where the relevance is in this line of questioning, and Sonny tries to get Carly to leave, but she says she wants to hear every word. Sheridan asks what bearing this has on the charges, and Scotty says, there is relevance, and he can explain. Sheridan says, it’s not a trial, the witness hasn’t been deposed, and there’s been no appropriate discovery related to her testimony. Scotty says, hell. Sheridan put her on the stand, and he has every right to question her.

Ned and Olivia sit on a bench at the hospital, and she says, the waiting is making her crazy. Ned says he’s nervous too, but they’ve done the research, asked the questions, and observed Leo’s behavior. They’re as prepared as they can be. She doesn’t think any amount of preparation can really prepare a parent for the possibility they can’t… that she can’t provide for her child’s needs. He says, the diagnosis doesn’t change how they feel about their son, and she says, of course (🍷). It doesn’t change how much they love Leo, but Leo needs something she can’t give him. Dr. Newman comes out and says, it’s time to talk about Leo.

TJ says he has something to tell Shawn, but it’s a tricky topic. It’s about someone who makes his Uncle Curtis incredibly uncomfortable, and TJ didn’t feel it was his place to announce his arrival. Even though he wants to reconnect with family, TJ doesn’t want to get to know him without telling Shawn. Shawn says, so some distant family member resurfaced? but TJ says, not so distant. Marshall Ashford is here in Port Charles. Shawn says, Tommy and Curtis’s dad is alive?

Stella asks how Curtis realized his father was a musician, and Curtis says, a group of volunteers was playing for the patients at GH, and there was Marshall playing the clarinet. She says it sounds like his dad, and he says, that’s an example of what he’s talking about. He has no idea of what sounds like Marshall. He doesn’t know the guy, but Stella does. She says, when Curtis was growing up, he never asked about Marshall, and Curtis says, that’s because when his name came up, they saw how much it hurt her and their mom. So he and Tommy made a pact. They weren’t going to cause her and mom anymore grief by asking a bunch of questions about dad. She says, it breaks her heart. She and Irene never wanted them to feel they couldn’t ask questions about their daddy. He says, he and Tommy just decided to go another way, and she asks what he means. He says, it means they made up stories. In their imagination, their dad was courageous and brave; he was a hero. Then Curtis met him, and he was just a man, but he has no idea who that man is. Does she?

Scotty asks how Willow knows Sonny and Nina were in love, and she says, Nina said so. He asks what exactly Nina said, and Willow tells him, she said their love was the purest thing she’s ever known. He asks if she thinks Sonny reciprocated that, and she says, Nina told her that Mike felt the same way. He says, Mike being Mr. Corinthos, and she says, yes, but Nina also said it ended once he got his memories back. Scotty says, once he got his memories back, he decided Miss Reeves wasn’t legally at fault. How telling. No further questions. Sheridan asks for a redirect, and Judge Milford tells him, proceed. Sheridan apologizes that his colleague put Willow in this position. He only has two more questions for her. First, has she ever asked Mr. Corinthos about his alleged romantic relationship with Miss Reeves? Willow says, no, and he says, so they’re taking the defendant, a woman who’s been charged with fraud, at her word. Scotty objects, and the judge tells Sheridan, less editorializing. Sheridan says, final question. Does Willow believe the feelings Miss Reeves had for Mr. Corinthos motivated her to fraudulently conceal his identity? Scotty objects, saying, the DA is asking the witness to speculate what was going on in his client’s head at the time, but the judge overrules, and says, Scotty opened this door. The witness will answer the question.

Brook asks if Leo is ready for some breakfast, but Leo says he had breakfast hours ago. She says, they can’t all be such early risers, and asks what he wants to do today. Does he want to go to the movies, or visit the aquarium? Maybe play with some super nifty action figures his cool stepsister got him? Leo doesn’t say anything, continuing to play with his fidget spinner, and Brook says, okay. She knows what to get him next year. Chase says he thinks they’re pretty cool, and she says now she knows what to get him too. He says, going back to that boundary conversation. How much of it is her dad, and how much is her? Is he getting on her nerves? If he’s around too much, just say the word. Maybe that’s why she’s so grumpy. She flashes back to her dream, and says she’s not grumpy; she’s frustrated.

Britt says, Obrecht signed her up for a matchmaking service? and Obrecht says, not just any matchmaking service. Society Setups is an elite service catering to upwardly mobile professionals. Britt says, uck. Could this be more pretentious? Obrecht sits down, and says she knows Britt is struggling, and for good reason. For all his flaws, Jason Morgan was a remarkable man, but he’s gone; there’s no use pining. Learn from her example instead. She and Scotty bonded while mourning the loss of Franco. If she can find love in the midst of grief, who’s to say Britt can’t too?

Sheridan asks if Willow believes Nina’s personal feelings for Sonny motivated her to fraudulently conceal his identity, but she says she’s not in Nina’s head. She couldn’t tell him what Nina’s motive was, and he says, fair enough. Let him ask a less speculative question. Is it true, the man who called himself Mike in Nixon Falls was single and available to Miss Reeves, while Sonny Corinthos has a wife and a family? She says, yes, and he thanks her, saying, he appreciates her honesty. He has no further questions, and the judge tells Willow to step down. She makes a beeline for the hallway, and Michael follows her. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she never meant for him and his family to find out this way. She didn’t want them to find out at all. He says he’s having a hard time understanding this.

Shawn says, Tommy and Curtis thought that man was dead. Now he shows up? Where’s he been? TJ tells him, he won’t say. He just wants to move forward, but Curtis isn’t having it. He thinks Marshall can’t be trusted. Shawn says he completely agrees with Curtis. Showing up after all these years without any explanation? They both know the past can be complicated. TJ asks if he means like his complicated past with Tommy, and Shawn asks if Marshall knows. TJ says, Marshall knows he’s not his biological grandfather. He saw the Father’s Day post TJ dedicated to Shawn on social media, but he loved Tommy as a father, and Tommy considered TJ to be his son. Marshall knows that too. He still wants to get to know TJ, but if that makes Shawn uncomfortable… Shawn says, it’s up to TJ. He’s a grown man. Curtis is entitled to his feelings about Marshall, but so is TJ. Just be cautious. There’s a knock at the door, and Marshall comes in, saying, he’s looking for the arts and culture… TJ? What is he doing in a newspaper office? TJ says, him first, and Marshall says, he’s putting together a band, and was hoping to generate some interest from an arts and culture reporter. TJ says he’d have to talk to the publisher, who happens to be standing right here; his father, Shawn Butler. He tells Shawn, this is Marshall Ashford, and Shawn holds out his hand, saying, nice to meet him. Marshall says he has no intention of shaking hands with the man responsible for his son Thomas’s death.

Scotty would like the court to note, for the record, the DA questioned the voracity of what his client said to Miss Tate, but he didn’t recall Mr. Corinthos. Judge Milford says, so noted. While it’s the prosecution’s right to call the witnesses they deem appropriate, it’s also within his discretion to call the witness he feels are pertinent. Given there are some questions as to the nature of the relationship between the accused and the alleged victim, he recalls Sonny to the stand. Sonny gets up, and Carly looks like she might explode.

Willow tells Michael, she wishes to God she’d never heard Sonny and Nina. She was in the wrong spot at the wrong moment. He says he’s not blaming her for happening on a private conversation, but why didn’t she tell him? She says, Nina convinced her not to say anything. That keeping quiet was somehow protecting him and his family. He says, she was wrong.

The judge asks if Sonny had a personal relationship with Nina in Nixon Falls, and Sonny says he had many personal relationships when he knew himself as Mike, the bartender. He forged friendships; he built a life. Judge Milford says, they just heard Willow testify under oath that she heard him and the defendant allude that they had a prior romantic relationship. Did she perjure herself? Sonny says, no, she did not. Willow told the truth. The judge says, that truth being what? and Sonny says he and Nina had a relationship, and they ended up falling in love.

TJ tells Marshall, that’s not fair, but Shawn says, it’s okay. He can understand why Marshall feels the way he does. Marshall says, Shawn understands because it’s true. Shawn shot his son, after he slept with his wife. Shawn says he’s made mistakes in his life, and his last encounter with Tommy is something he’ll always regret, but Marshall doesn’t have all the facts. Marshall says, fact: Shawn had an affair with his son’s wife. Fact: he fathered a child with her. Fact: when Tommy confronted him about his betrayal, Shawn shot him in cold blood. Now if he’s missing something, please enlighten him. TJ says, it was in self-defense, and Shawn says, he had no choice. Tommy wasn’t in his right mind.

Curtis asks what he doesn’t know about Marshall, and Stella says, what she knows about Marshall is limited to a few years, decades ago. He says it’s still more than he knows, and she says, Marshall was a very private person, but Curtis’s mom Irene was the center of his world. He waited on that woman hand and foot, unless he was playing that darn clarinet. Curtis will never believe this, but Marshall loved that old thing so much, he gave it a name. Curtis asks what he called it, and she says, Henrietta. He carried it everywhere he went. Irene used to scold him for leaving the case on the kitchen table. Curtis says, then what? and she tells him, like she said, Marshall was very private, but he was also very generous. It seemed Curtis and Tommy would get a pair of new shoes, and barely break them in before Marshall was donating them to the local group home. It drove his mama crazy, but Marshall would just smile and say, his sons have a daddy who can pay for a new pair of shoes with just one gig, but those other boys don’t have nobody.

Chase asks if Brook is saying he’s frustrating her, but she says, it’s not him; it’s the situation. The uncertainty is overwhelming. He says, because she doesn’t know how long it’s going to last, and she picks up an action figure. She says, even though the bad guy is out of commission, it’s only temporary, and they’re stuck in limbo. Chase says, what if the bad guy wakes up, and starts fighting the good guys again? They may have to play these roles indefinitely. She says, yes, and in a perfect world, the villain would retire forever, they could take down the bat signal, and Krypton could return to normal. He says she doesn’t know much about the superhero multiverse, does she? and she says, who cares? The point is, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, bat signal or not. He says, that’s not true. If the bad guy loses his powers, then a woman can get her child back. She says, and another woman has to let go.

Dr. Newman says, when it comes to developmental disabilities, they can’t use straight forward diagnostic tools, like blood tests or X-rays. They rely on history and behavior for diagnosis. Based upon the recent developmental assessment, language evaluation, and the social screening he conducted recently, as well as the supplemental information they provided, it’s his diagnosis that Leo has autism spectrum disorder. Ned takes Olivia’s hand, and she asks if that’s conclusive. The doctor says they’re always free to get a second opinion, but he believes other physicians will concur with his findings. Ned asks, so what’s the next step? and the doctor says, for Leo, they talk about the many state and hospital resources available. For them, he recommends they take some time to process this diagnosis and all emotions it may bring.

Britt tells Obrecht that she doesn’t know how to say this, but she’s not interested. Obrecht says, fine, but people in control of their own romantic destiny often make ein Durcheinander (I’m guessing – it means a mess). Look at Nina. She pinned her hopes on an unavailable man, and her life is unraveling as a result. Britt asks if it’s the guy Nina was seeing in Nixon Falls, and Obrecht nods. Britt asks if Obrecht knows him, and Obrecht says, they both know him. Nina fell for Sonny Corinthos.

Judge Milford tells Sonny, should this case go to trial, the defendant may be found guilty of a crime. In the eyes law, he’d be the victim. Does he consider himself the victim of a crime? Sonny says, no, and the judge tells him, step down. Carly fumes.

The judge asks for closing statements, and Scotty says his client does not stand accused of fraud for monetary benefits. His client is charged with deliberate deception to damage a victim. In his own testimony, Mr. Corinthos, the alleged victim, claims he wasn’t one. No victim, no crime. That’s why he’s asking that the court dismiss the charges today. Sheridan says, whether or not Mr. Corinthos considers himself the victim of a crime isn’t relevant in their system of jurisprudence. This circus today doesn’t negate an undisputed fact; Nina Reeves committed a criminal and civil infraction when she deceived Sonny Corinthos and all who knew him. The state has met its burden of proof. The fact that Miss Reeves deceived a man, who we now know she was in love with, only emphasizes the depth of her depravity.

Willow says Michael parents must be devastated, and he says, Nina claims to love his dad, yet she let this happen? Willow says, she’s not sure Nina knew it would come out, but he says, of course (🍷) she did. Willow might not realize it, but in keeping Nina’s secret, she played into Nina’s hands. Nina got exactly what she wanted.   

Marshall asks what Shawn is implying, and Shawn says he’s not trying to cast aspersions on Tommy; just the opposite. Tommy had every right to  be angry with him, but that day, he went so far beyond anger. He’s sure PTSD was part of it, but Tommy was in crisis and out of control. He pulled a gun on Shawn. He had a black eye coming. It was completely justified and he owned that, but he never expected Tommy to try and kill him. And he never thought he’d have to stop Tommy the way he did. TJ says he fully believes if Tommy had gotten help for his PTSD, it never would have ended that way. It’s not Tommy’s fault, and it’s not his dad’s fault. Marshall says, he’s right. It was his fault.

Chase says he gets it. Brook has been able to keep Bailey safe for months, despite negative attitudes and assumptions coming her way, and however long this lasts, there will come a time when it’s over, and things will go back to their natural state. She’ll have to make yet another huge sacrifice; it’s heroic. She says she’s not calling herself a hero, and he says, maybe not, but he is. Whatever she needs to keep this going, he’s here to help, and when the time comes to say goodbye, he’ll be by her side. She says she appreciates that, but doesn’t want him to feel obligated. He says, they’re not just co-parents to Bailey, she’s his friend. She says, even when she’s grumpy? and he says, yes; the friendship goes both ways. She’s seen him at his worst, and didn’t give up on him. She says, she’s also seen him at his best, and he says, like the time she saw him n-a-k-e-d? Leo says he can spell, and Brook says, of course (🍷) he can, so he needs to w-a-s-h up for lunch.

Olivia gets up and says, processing emotions? It’s not about them, it’s about Leo. Dr. Newman says, learning your child is going to have lifelong disabilities can be challenging. They’ll have to readjust their expectations about how Leo will grow into adulthood, and his diagnosis will likely change what they thought their parenting experience was going to be. It’s okay to be emotional about it. Ned puts his arm around Olivia, and says, they just want to give Leo all the support and opportunities possible. Olivia says she agrees with Ned. They can handle their emotions together. She’s just afraid this will make Leo’s life so much more difficult. The doctor says, it’s an understandable fear, but the good news is, this diagnosis means they can offer appropriate intervention programs for Leo right away. Programs that will help them engage with their son, and help their son engage with the world. It may be helpful to think of raising a child with autism like a road trip. They won’t reach their destination in a straight line; there will be detours, but those detours will lead to discoveries along the way. Ned says he likes that analogy, and asks the doctor to be honest with them. Does that journey lead to Leo having meaningful relationships and living independently as an adult? Olivia says, please tell them it’s possible, and the doctor says, it’s definitely possible for Leo to lead a happy and fulfilled life. GH has extensive resources, and can work with Leo’s school to implement a plan. Ned says, so Leo will be able to remain in school? and the doctor says, every case is different, but many children on the spectrum benefit socially and developmentally from learning I non-ASD classrooms. Olivia asks, what happens next? Does Leo come in to see him again, or…? Dr. Newman says he’d like to check on Leo periodically. He’s also going to refer Leo to a geneticist for further testing. It won’t change the diagnosis, but it might help diagnose medical conditions associated with symptoms of ASD. Just for a complete picture. Do they have any other questions for him? Olivia shakes her head, and Ned thanks the doctor, saying, he’s been very helpful. Dr. Newman says, there’s no reason Leo can’t live his best life. The journey may look different now, but the goal is still the same.

TJ asks how it can be Marshall’s fault; he wasn’t even around. Marshall says, that’s his point. Perhaps if he’d been present to guide his son, Tommy might still be there. TJ says, that’s a lot to carry, but Marshall says, it’s his job to carry it, and he’s been off his job for a long time. He’s glad TJ has a dad to do what he couldn’t – protect his son.

Curtis asks if Stella thinks Marshall even wondered who bought their shoes after he left, but she says she can’t answer that. He asks what Marshall did, outside of his music gigs. Who were his friends? Did he have any other family? She says, he’s asking the wrong person; he needs to ask Marshall. He says he tried. Marshall doesn’t tell him much. She says, could it be he’s asking the wrong questions? Maybe going about it the wrong way? Nobody appreciates being interrogated. Curtis says, Marshall abandoned him, now he wants Curtis to let him back in his life. Doesn’t he deserve answers? She says, of course (🍷). It’s natural for him to be curious, but Marshall is within his right to keep his own counsel. He asks where that leaves them, and she says he should know she met privately with Marshall. She told Curtis that she won’t let anyone agitate this family, and she had to be sure of his motives. He says, and? and she says Marshall wants to get to know Curtis, and it sounds to her like Curtis wants the same thing. So talk to the man. Start small and build from there.

Michael says, Nina swore Willow to secrecy so she could use this as a bombshell, and play it to her best advantage, but Willow says she doesn’t know. Nina seemed grateful that she was keeping her secret; she seemed eager not to cause any more pain. He says, Nina played all of them. Judge Milford says they’re going to take a recess. He’s going to weigh the testimony and evidence presented, and consider the charges. Carly flies out of the courtroom, and Nina says, she didn’t want this. She’s so sorry. Sonny follows her, and Michael wonders what’s going on. Sonny says, he’s going to make this right. Don’t worry about it.

Obrecht tells Britt, Nina’s only hope of avoiding a trial is for Scotty to get someone on the stand to admit Sonny and Nina were in love. Britt says, that would explain why Nina kept going back to Nixon Falls, and what Peter was holding over her head. She wasn’t just trying to protect James, she didn’t want to lose her boyfriend. Obrecht says, now she’s in legal jeopardy, and Britt says, she’s also going to face the wrath of Carly when this comes out.

Chase says he’ll help Brook clean up. Today was a lot of fun, but he never wants to be a source of stress in her life, Maybe her dad is right. Maybe they should set some boundaries. She says. no boundaries. She wants him here.

Marshall leaves, and TJ says he’s sorry for the way Marshall treated Shawn, but Shawn says he has nothing to apologize for. He can’t blame Marshall for wanting to protect his son. He’d do the same thing, forever, if he knew someone hurt TJ. TJ says he knows his uncle has questions about all the years Marshall’s been gone, but everything he’s seen leads him to believe Marshall just wants to be part of this family. He hopes Curtis comes to see that too.

On the phone in his hotel room, Marshall talks to someone he calls Chief, and says he thought he’d be done by now, but he has some unfinished business in Port Charles. The last thing he wants to do is set their progress back… He’s following protocol. There’s a knock at the door, and he says he’ll be in touch. He opens to door to Curtis.

Chase says, he wants to be here too, but after everything Brook has given up, he also wants to respect that she’s entitled to a life of her own. She says, then they’re on the same page. He’ll be there just for appearances. He says, to co-parent Bailey, for as long as it takes. He’ll stay out of her way otherwise. She says, great. Deal. He says, deal, and she asks if there’s anything else. He says, tell their daughter he’ll see her soon.

Olivia says, the doctor seemed nice, and Ned says, yes, and very knowledgeable. Leo will be fine. She cries, and thanks him for bringing her to her senses. She asks where they go from here, and he says, home to be with their son. She tells him, like Dr. Newman said, they start their road trip today, as a family, and she hugs Ned.

Britt says, Obrecht still hasn’t heard from Scotty? and Obrecht says, nein. She has no idea if Nina’s going to get out from under the charges. Britt says, if she does, she might find out that freedom can be worse.

Nina asks what Scotty has done, and he says, he kept her out of a hamster cage. No thanks necessary. She walks out, and sees Willow and Michael. Willow says, Nina used her.  

Sonny tells Carly, wait, and she stops. He tells her to just let him explain. Will she listen to him? She says, listen to who? Mike? Sonny? Or someone else completely?

Tomorrow, Stella is afraid the reality will crush Curtis, Curtis asks if Marshall intends to play house in Port Charles, and Carly asks Sonny how he can say that to her.

Vanderpump Rules

Schwartz and Katie worked out, and in Schwartz’s interview, he said he missed working out in Sandoval’s state-of-the-art gym. Katie asked if he was going through withdrawal, but he claimed he wasn’t. He said, you can mix business with pleasure, but not pleasure with business. Although I’m not sure what the difference that makes. Raquel’s sister Kate paid a visit to Raquel, and James told her about his plan to be totally sober. She said, if he felt his good not without alcohol, imagine how he’d feel quitting everything, Raquel talked about getting Sunstone Villa and Winery for their engagement party, and Kate asked about a bachelorette party. Raquel said that was down the line, but she didn’t want any penis straws. James agreed and added, no strippers, saying, he didn’t want it to be trashy. In his interview, he said strippers were tacky, old, and boring, and we flashed back to someone’s bachelorette, maybe Scheana’s. After James left, Kate asked if he was always overprotective and stern. It sounded like he wasn’t giving Raquel opinions, but making decisions. Raquel said James thought he knew what was best for her, but Kate wasn’t cool with James’s controlling side.

In Lala’s interview, she said, Scheana needed a lot of reassurance in a friendship. Rather than telling Scheana that she had her back, she wanted to show Scheana that she was her friend. She invited Scheana over for a spa day, while a whiskey sommelier catered to their men, since Brock had said he drank scotch. In Brock’s interview, he said he was really more of a tequila guy, but scotch had sounded good at the time. Lala told Scheana about getting an assistant, and in her interview, she said it was time to elevate her brand’s game. She wanted to target an audience she hadn’t tapped into yet. Brock told Randall that he was going to propose to Scheana, and in Brock’s interview, he said, this summer, he realized this could be a thing. By a thing, I assume he means serious. He said he was getting a rooftop place, and telling everyone it was a movie premiere of one of Randall’s movies, so they’d come dressed up. His double-surprise was, they were going to get married right then and there. In his interview, Brock said, he and Scheana had both been married before, and a big wedding wasn’t for them. The surprise factor and quirkiness spoke to them both. Randall was honored and excited.

Katie came by Sandoval and Ariana’s house. Sandoval asked how Schwartz was (remember? they were taking a break), and Katie said he was a little mopey. In Schwartz’s interview, he said he was trying to look at the break as a positive thing. He’d have an opportunity to get things done, but he still missed Sandoval. Katie told Ariana, you’d think someone went off to war. Ariana asked about the sandwich shop, but Katie said Schwartz kept saying, eventually, or telling her that she should do it. Ariana said she was game, and in her interview, she said she wasn’t into owning a bar. She preferred starting and finishing early, and not dealing with stinky alcohol and people puking. In Katie’s interview, she said she was ready to move on from the Schwartz and Sandy mess. They agreed to open a shop together, and clinked glasses.

In her interview, Lala said she was grateful for the women who were helping her raise Ocean. Otherwise, there was no way she could be a mother and have a brand at the same time. James came by, and they discussed James DJ’ing Lala’s launch party. She told him that the party was from seven to ten, and he misunderstood, thinking it was seven to ten hours long, which was pretty amusing. Lala said she’d seen James step into a position of control with Raquel more than once, the latest when he shut down the bachelorette discussion. He told Lala that he wasn’t saying Raquel couldn’t have it, but he was entitled to his feelings.

Lala and Randall met with Brock in Lala’s new office space, and went over the plans for the surprise engagement. He said he had everything for the wedding, including a dress. In Lala’s interview, she said, Scheana loved surprises and a man sweeping her off her feet, but she thought  Scheana was going to be shocked. Brock said the rooftop rental hadn’t worked out, and Randall suggested using an actual movie theater. In her interview, Lala said, Brock wanted to make this happen in two days, and that wasn’t doable. Even though it was a half-baked plan, she still wanted Scheana to enjoy it. And nothing would stop her from making it happen. Randall told his assistant and Lala’s that they were on wedding duty.

In Charli’s interview, she said her feet pics were still for sale. They didn’t raise enough money for Raquel’s nose job, but she loved making money, and wasn’t ashamed of her game. Raquel was concerned about future employment. See You Next Tuesday had begun again, and there was a party for Schnookie’s birthday. In Lisa’s interview, she said she liked to do things for the men in her life. On Ken’s birthday, she did something special, and on Schnookie’s birthday, she did something incredible. Outside, behind SUR, Brock said he’d heard from Lala about James not wanting Raquel to have a bachelorette. James said he was kind of pissed that everyone was nitpicking, especially about something as petty as a c*ck straw. We saw a clip of James saying he thought Raquel liked him making the decisions, and her saying it was the one thing she couldn’t stand.

Lala invited Sandoval over to get glam before the party. Scheana met Charli for lunch, and they were both glad to end their beef. Charli said she’d gotten exhausted, having the same conversation over and over. She asked if Scheana and Brock were getting married, and Scheana said Brock had been planning a surprise, which apparently wasn’t very good as surprises go, since she knew about it. Lala told Sandoval that she was shook; Brock was talking about getting married. Sandoval said he venue fell through, and Lala said, forget the venue. He’d had nothing else planned. In Sandoval’s interview, he said he couldn’t plan a birthday party in two days. James and Raquel’s engagement took him over a month to plan. In Lala’s interview, she said her assistant reached out to Brock for his credit card number, and got radio silence. She told Sandoval that Brock wanted the James Kennedy discount, meaning for her and Randall to pay. In her interview, she said she felt bad that she’d told everyone about Brock’s past, but not bad enough to pay for a wedding. Charli asked if Scheana was down for a surprise wedding, and Scheana said she’d already gotten a couple of dresses. In Charli’s interview, she said she didn’t know the definition of surprised in the dictionary, but she was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to know about it. She asked Scheana if Brock’s visa was ending, and Scheana said he didn’t have a green card, but he’d told her mom he was marrying Scheana because he loved her. The green card was just a bonus. Lala asked if Sandoval was doing Brock’s Homebody shoot, and Sandoval said he was, and he’d signed up for tumbling lessons. He’d always wanted to do an amazing backflip. She said James had told her that Raquel couldn’t have penis straws at her bachelorette. In her interview, Lala said James was insecure when it came to Raquel. Her theory was that one day Raquel would grow a pair of hefty ovaries when she couldn’t deal with the control anymore.

Everyone came to Lala’s Give Them Lala launch party, and in Schwartz’s interview, he said it was weird seeing Sandoval. He suddenly felt self-conscious about the boundaries in their friendship. In Lala’s interview, she said tonight was a party, but it was still business. She had to work the room, and form relationships. GG and Reza from Shahs of Sunset were there, and Lala said she had to be on her effing game. James DJ’d, and Katie and Ariana talked to Lisa about opening the sandwich shop, since the boys wouldn’t let Katie in on the new bar. Lisa told them, don’t get mad, get even. Brock said the venue wanted $20K, and he just started paying child support. In her interview, Lala said, anything to do with payment, Brock drops the ball. Sandoval told James that Lala claimed he’d put a damper on Raquel’s bachelorette, and James said it had just been a suggestion. He thought penis straws were tacky and lame. Sandoval said, sometimes they were funny, and in his interview, he wondered why James was so against c*ck straws. Did he have a bad experience with one? Did he think it was a gateway drug to real c*cks? James admitted he’d been controlling in the past, but he wasn’t now. In James’s interview, he said, Lala had an opinion on literally everything. Everyone had problems, but Lala loved talking about his problems. He told Tom that he didn’t give a f*** what Lala thought of his relationship.

Surprisingly, people actually bought some feet pics. Ariana had sold two to someone she thought was called foot lover in French. She only knew two people who spoke French, and one of them was Lisa. Lisa admitted it was her, saying the phrase was lover of feet. In her interview, she said she didn’t want the girls to be embarrassed that no one bought their feet. She felt like a heel, and didn’t want to toe the line. She wanted to help them get a foot in the door, so she bought the pics. James confronted Lala, saying, Brock and Sandoval told him that she’d thought he was controlling. Lala said she wasn’t worried about anyone’s relationship other than her own, and James said, she was either worried or talking sh*t, but she said it was more casual conversation within the friend group. He seemed to accept this, and in James’s interview, he said that he wasn’t lashing out at Lala proved he wasn’t controlling, angry, and crazy. Everyone needed to mind their own business.

Randall brought out a gorgeous cake, much like a simple and elegant wedding cake, white with gold accents, a giant flower on the side. In Lala’s interview, she said, life was perfect, and wondered, how did she get here?  

Next time, Schwarz and Sandy’s gets a sign, Sandoval is ignorant about what things cost, Scheana’s engagement ring comes and it’s huge, and James gets controlling, angry, and crazy at Brock.

🕶 Meet Celina Selena…

Okay, so I’ve been spelling her name wrong. What else is new?

🎄 Ghosts Of Christmas Passed…

How the soap stars did the holiday.

📜 A Holiday Message…

Erika Slezak brings tidings of great joy.

🚶🏽‍♀️ Slipping Out the Back, Jack…

No OC tomorrow, but I’ll be here for soap and perhaps a drop of tea. Until then stay safe, stay not bothering with those pesky resolutions, and stay knowing that on every road trip, even if there are detours, there will be discoveries along the way.