Tag Archives: MasterChef Junior

Feb27

February 26, 2018 – Mike is Spending the Night, Jax Cheats Death, Tidbits & Advice

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Chase says Sonny’s father committed a crime; he’s going to have to stay. Sonny explains Mike was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and didn’t know what he was doing. Chase says it must be incredibly difficult, but Sonny says it doesn’t have to be. He’ll compensate Ava, and the whole thing will be over. Let him take Mike home tonight. Chase says unfortunately, they’re past that. Sonny says he didn’t know where he was, and Chase says he vandalized the gallery. Sonny tells him it was an accident, and suggests Chase put himself in his shoes. Mike is a scared man. Chase says it’s not that he doesn’t have compassion, but they have security footage. He caused damage, and already has a record.

Ava says she was going to tell Griff that she loved him on Valentine’s Day. Griff says he’s flattered (ugh!) and doesn’t know how to respond. Really? He’d just got done telling her that he actually goes to the movies sometimes, he had a grandiose affair with Nathan’s ex-wife, and now he’s acting like he just fell out of a tree. There’s probably nothing worse than saying you’re flattered when someone tells you they love you.

Oscar and Josslyn go to Charlie’s to plan the alternative dance party. Josslyn tells Julian she’s grateful for his help with this, but it’s the only thing she’s grateful for. Brad comes in, and Josslyn congratulates him. Julian says he must be out of the loop, and Brad says that’s why he came there. He and Lucas are adopting a baby. Nelle comes in with a surprise for Josslyn.

At the phone booth near the river (not to be confused with a van down by the river), Carly says it’s dark, and they might have missed something. While she’s wandering around, Dante tells Jason that Morgan was killed in an explosion near there; the car he was driving blew up. He says that Carly had no idea of the location until he traced the call. Jason thinks there must be something more to it. Carly comes back, saying she didn’t find anything, but she’s received multiple calls from this number. Jason says he’ll look around. Dante tells Carly maybe it was just a bad connection, but she says she knows the difference between static and a bomb. Dante says there’s nothing there. She asks what about surveillance cameras or dusting for prints? She needs to find out what the hell is going on.

I miss a part here because my dogs are acting like idiots. Kind of like how everyone is acting on this show today. Maybe it’s catching.

Griff tells Ava that he doesn’t know how to respond. She says if he told her that he loved her right now, she wouldn’t believe it anyway. She tells him to consider her love a gift. He can carry it around to remind him of how special he is. She adds if it’s a burden or makes him uncomfortable, don’t waste time in letting her down easy. Just let her down right now.

Josslyn opens the box Nelle brought her. It’s a pair of boots. Josslyn says they’ll go perfectly with the dress Nelle gave her. That’s what Nelle thought, and tells her that they’re from the same runway show. They’re hers for the foreseeable future. Josslyn says Carly will freak when she sees them, but Nelle thinks maybe not in a good way. She wasn’t exactly thrilled when Nelle came through with the dress.

Brad tells Julian that he’s there on behalf of Lucas. He hopes to make it clear to whoever asks that Julian won’t be a part of their child’s life.

Dante tells Carly that a lot of people have touched the phone. Carly says she’s not making it up. Something happened there, and she’s not talking about Morgan; it’s something recent. Jason brings back a guy he introduces as Cal, who has a camp set up nearby. He says Cal told him someone has been using the phone to make calls. Well, yeah. That’s what people use a pay phone for. Carly asks if Cal can give them a description.

Chase asks Sonny since Dante is his son, if he often looks the other way when it comes to Sonny’s dealings. Sonny tells him absolutely not. This has nothing to do with his “dealings.” He asks if Chase can’t see that Mike is sick and needs help. Dante has compassion and understanding, and would let him go. Chase says maybe he could too, if it wasn’t his first week. He’s sorry, but what happens is for a judge to decide. Sonny says he’ll call his lawyer, but Chase says it’s too late to get the DA out of bed, let alone a judge. Mike is stuck there until morning.

Griff tells Ava that he’s not conflicted about being with her. He loves it. He just doesn’t know what falling in love means. He shut that part of himself off. He thinks about her all the time. Just the thought of seeing her brings a smile to his face. She’s smart and challenging, and forces him to examine his mind and heart. He didn’t realize how bad he needed it, but it’s because of her that he’s changing. It’s confusing and complicated, but he wouldn’t have any other way. It’s exhilarating, but he’s terrified.

Cal asks Carly why, and she says it’s important. He says he didn’t talk to them, but saw them. They were young, with good clothes, and nice hair; not the type he usually sees. Dante asks if it was a man or a woman.

Nelle tells Josslyn that she figured Carly had told her about it. Her mom was mad because she thought Nelle was manipulating her with the dress. Josslyn says that’s crazy; she was just doing something nice. Nelle says she was hoping by giving her the dress, it might broker some sort of peace for the baby’s sake. Carly wasn’t having it any more than she wanted Nelle to name the baby Morgan.

Brad tells Julian if anyone shows up from the agency, to tell them that he’s estranged from his son, and won’t be involved in the child’s life.

Joss thinks it would be weird for her. In Carly’s mind, there’s only one Morgan; their Morgan. Nelle says Josslyn hates the idea too. Josslyn says she doesn’t, but can understand why Carly would.

Cal says it was a guy. Dante says, well-kept and put together? Why use a pay phone? Cal says, hiding, probably using and needs a refill, and someone gave him the wrong number. The dude wasn’t happy. Jason asks if there was an explosion, and Cal says, yeah, a big one.

Sonny tells Mike that Diane said the same thing, and will be there in the morning. He hasn’t been able to get ahold of Dante. He asks Chase if he has any idea when Dante is coming back. Chase says it’s time to take Mike downstairs. Sonny suggests taking him home, and bringing him back before the sun is up. He can’t stay in a cell by himself. Mike says he’s tired and wants to go home.

Griff tells Ava that when they met she was vulnerable, and she’s herself again. This has nothing to do with the scars. She’s strong, beautiful, and courageous with a successful career. He’s afraid his drive and passion won’t live up to hers, and worried they won’t fit anymore. She asks if he’s breaking up with her.

Julian asks if Lucas and Brad never want him to have a relationship with his grandchild. Brad says, yes. So he and Julian’s son can have a family. He has a criminal past, and it could lower their chances of becoming parents. They can’t risk it.

Josslyn tells Nelle that she can see where her mom is coming from. Nelle says she was trying to do something generous by honoring the son Carly loved. Josslyn doesn’t want to dredge it up, but says that’s when it all happened. They were drowning in grief over Morgan, and Nelle did that weirdness with Sonny. Nelle says she was messed up, and apologized over and over. Josslyn says she’s forgiven Nelle, and they’re obviously friends. Nelle doesn’t see how, if Josslyn thinks of her that way. Josslyn says she doesn’t. She and her mom are two different people, but that doesn’t mean she can’t see things from Carly’s perspective. Nelle agrees that’s fair, and asks how things are with Oscar. Josslyn asks Oscar if they’re good, and he smiles. She asks Nelle about the baby’s last name, and Nelle says that depends on Michael. Josslyn asks if Nelle is leaving it up to him, and she says it depends on how their relationship is when the baby is born. Nelle wonders if there’s a chance they’re getting back together.

Dante asks Cal what kind of explosion, and Cal says, violent. Carly asks where, and he says the pay phone; the druggie freaked out. They realize he doesn’t mean a literal explosion. Cal says he’s here every day, all day; no one else comes there except to use the phone when they want something. Jason gives him some cash for his trouble. Dante tells Carly to block the number, and she thanks him for hearing her out. Dante leaves, and Carly asks if Jason thinks she’s lost her mind. He says, no.

Mike tells Sonny that he can’t stay; Rita is making pot roast. Sonny asks Chase if this is who he’s throwing in lock-up. He doesn’t know where he is. He’s confused and sick, and Chase can’t do this. Chase says it’s protocol. Sonny tells him to forget protocol, and be a human for once. Chase tells him to calm down and back up. Dante comes in, and asks what the hell is going on. Mike calls him Dominic, and says he’s Dante’s landlord.

Griff says he’s worse than he thought at this. He’s not breaking up with her; he thought she was breaking up with him. She asks if he’s serious. Does he think she’ll get bored and trade him in? He doesn’t think she’s that shallow or fickle, but she might decide she’s better off without him. She’s the most independent woman he’s ever met. He can’t say I love you right now, or promise she’ll be his first priority all the time. She tells him that she respects that, but he asks if she can live with it.

Nelle tells Josslyn that she loves Josslyn’s brother and always will, even if they’re not together. Once you fall in love, the feeling never goes away, even if it changes. Josslyn says, who knows? A kid can bring a couple closer together. Nelle says that’s for Michael to decide, and tells Josslyn to promise not to tell Michael or her mom what they talked about; Carly is already dead set against them being together. Josslyn says her lips are sealed. Nelle tells her that sometimes she feels like the whole universe is against her. Josslyn says, not her and Oscar. Nelle says, in that case, can she ask a favor?

Julian tells Brad to let Lucas know he’ll do whatever he wants, and he’s there if Lucas ever changes his mind. Brad says he will, and leaves.

Josslyn tells Nelle of course she’ll come to the baby shower. She has a little niece or nephew in there. Nelle wonders if Carly will have a problem with that, but Josslyn says Carly can’t tell her who to be friends with.

Carly tells Jason that she hasn’t been there since Morgan was killed. She couldn’t bring herself to see the place where it happened. The moment is seared in her brain forever. She remembers being on the couch, reading, and waiting for Sonny to come home. She heard the door and smiled. When she saw him covered in dirt and wet. She asked what happened. He said he was in the river. She wondered what the hell he’s been doing, but then knew something happened. She didn’t want to hear it, but he kept telling her over and over that Morgan was dead. She kept trying to call Morgan, but he never picked up. Her mom came over and gave her a sedative, and when she woke up, she convinced herself it was a bad dream; everything was fine. But everything wasn’t fine. Morgan was dead and not coming back. Jason says he’d give anything to go back and stop it. Carly says it was all horrible, but the worst part was that they thought Sonny was responsible. Tensions between Sonny and Julian were bad, and Sonny gave the order to kill Julian. He stopped the order, but thought he’d been too late. If Sonny had killed Morgan, that meant she did too, because she had to be with Sonny no matter what. It turned out not to be true. Jason says that doesn’t make her grief any less. Sometimes they think they’ll get peace or be closer because they have answers, but it’s still a loss. Morgan is still gone. Carly cries, and he holds her.

Sonny tells Dante they got Mike’s diagnosis today. Dante asks who’s taking care of him, and Sonny tells him that Mike lives with his girlfriend of five years. They seem solid, but this changes things. Dante apologizes, saying there’s nothing he can do  about Mike having to spend the night, but he’ll take care of him. Sonny tells Mike he’ll see him in the morning. Dante tells Mike he’ll be with him the whole night, and he’s in good hands. He takes the cuffs off of Mike. Will someone feed this poor guy for God’s sake?

Mike tells Dante that Sonny and his quack doctor are wrong; he’s fine. He calls Dante Dominic again, and when Dante corrects him, Mike says he was just messing with him. Dante says he has a family now, and shows Mike pictures. The Bachelor walks across the bottom of the screen, startling me, since it looked like he was walking out of Dante’s wallet. I hate those ads during the programs. That’s what commercial breaks are for, and God knows I pay enough for FIOS. Mike says he’s a lucky man, and Dante says Mike has to meet them; they can do that tomorrow. Tonight, he’ll have to stay there with him. Chase says he sees Dante decided to forego procedure altogether because he’s a moron. Dante tells him to go to hell. Thank you.

Ava tells Griff that when she was at lowest, he was there. When she needed saving, he put her first. Now that she’s healed, she doesn’t mind if he gives someone else attention who needs it. She hopes someday he can say I love you and mean it. If not to her, to someone. She wants him to know what it feels like. She tells him that he is enough. He’s all she wants; don’t doubt that. He says ditto, and hugs her.

Nelle tells Josslyn that she has an errand she forgot to run, and jets from Charlie’s.

Carly comes home with Jason. She’s glad Sonny is there. She asks what’s wrong, and he tells her that his dad sick; he has Alzheimer’s. She asks if there’s a timetable, and he says a man of his age has four to eight years, if it’s caught at the beginning. They don’t know when the onset was though. She knows he’s blaming himself, and Jason says it’s not his fault. Sonny doesn’t know what to do. There’s no cure, and Griff can’t tell him how long Mike is going to live, so he can’t plan anything. Carly says they’ll figure it out. Sonny wishes he’d known. He starts to cry, saying he wishes he was able to give Mike something to hold on to.

Griff asks Ava where they go from here? She says back to her place, and what they should have done on Valentine’s Day. She tells him they’ll take it one day at a time. Griff says she’s the best thing that ever happened to him. She says, likewise, and they kiss.

Chase asks if that’s how it works. Dante’s family gets special privileges? Wow. This guy is a real tool. I’m sure he’ll end up having his reasons, but right now it’s not a good look. And since it is his first week on the job, you’d think he’d hang back and see how things work before irritating a veteran cop. Dante says he could have done the decent thing, and shown some sympathy to a sick man. Mike doesn’t belong here. Chase says he’s new to the department. The last thing he thought he should do was cater to a well-known crime figure. Dante says Sonny is a son terrified for his father. Mike says he’s got to get home. Chase says he really doesn’t understand? and Dante asks, what do you think? I’m not sure he does.

Sonny says now Mike is in jail, scared out of his mind. Jason says at least he has Dante. Sonny asks what Carly wanted to say, but she tells him it’s not important. Sonny wants to make carbonara sauce. Carly offers to help, and when Sonny and Jason just look at her, she says she can drink wine while he cooks. Sonny goes to the kitchen. Carly tells Jason that it’s going to tear him apart. He’ll need them. Jason says, then they’ll be there.

Nelle goes to the pay phone with a case of vodka. Cal says the box better be full, and she says there’s more in the car. He tells her that he was a regular Tom Hanks. They ate up the story like it was their last meal.

Tomorrow, Maxie asks Peter about what he’s gone through, Elizabeth asks Franco if he needs to tell her something, and Anna tells Andre that finding her child is a matter of life and death.

Vanderpump Rules

Rob wishes he could have gotten some sleep. We flash back to the loud argument between James and Lala in the wee hours. Lala asks James if remembers their conversation, and if he’s going to be kind today. In his interview, he says he wants to protect her. The relationship she’s in is bad for her, and he can’t respect it. Scheana thinks James and Lala have a weird relationship. They hooked up years ago, now they’re like bro and sis, and fight all the time. She doesn’t get their dynamic, but if it works for them… Jax tells Brittany that it’s frustrating to hear about Rob every five minutes, like he’s the risen Christ.

Lisa supervises some new chandeliers being put in at SUR. Stassi asks about TomTom, and Lisa says it’s a mess. She has a lot going on. Stassi asks if she ever just kicks back and watches TV, but Lisa says not lately. In her interview, Stassi says that she thinks if Lisa has free time, she shops for ponies or polishes her diamonds. On the other hand, she probably pays someone to polish her diamonds. She asks if Lisa will do her podcast. She could tell the audience how to get a man in a couple of months. Lisa asks if she wants a personal education course. Stassi says, a little, and tells Lisa that she feels like a pita. Lisa says, why change now?

Tom tells Ariana about talking to Jax. We flash back to Jax bemoaning that he’ll never be anything except a bartender. Tom says Jax literally couldn’t take a breath.

James hangs out on a waterboard, while Jax does pushups on the deck. Jax decides to swim to the buoy and back. Rob tells him to take his time. Jax gets winded quickly, and Rob says something about the sea level and tells him to chill on the buoy. Jax is feeling pain in his chest and realizes he’s not going to make it back. He calls to the lifeguard, who thinks he’s goofing around at first. His life flashes before all of us, and we flash back to several stupid things that he’s done. We’d never have time for all of the stupid things he’s done. The lifeguard swims out, and says no more swimming to the buoys. Lala tells the girls what happened while trying to keep a straight face. Scheana scolds her, saying he almost died. and they all burst out laughing.

James throws some bacon on, and Jax comes in, dramatizing about his brush with death. Brittany tries to be sympathetic, but starts laughing. He says a grown man almost drowned swimming one hundred yards.

Rob messes around with the boat. In her interview, Ariana says they really shouldn’t laugh. It would be devastation to lose one of their friends. But it didn’t happen, so they’re laughing. Jax says it’s ridiculous how Scheana talks about Rob. When someone says their relationship is perfect, it’s not, and what Rob says couldn’t be more different. Jax tells the group that he cheated death. Tom says he would have been fine; Rob was out there. Ha-ha!

Lisa is loving the new lights at SUR. She says the same designer is making the décor at TomTom. She says she’s going to Vegas, and she’s taking the Toms. She tells Katie that they’ll be under her watchful eye. She and Katie ask Billie about the podcast, and Billie tells them about going to Thailand to get a vagina because they make them prettier. She says she loves her vagina, and Lisa is like, alrighty then, and wonders if she needs a new one.

Tom tells Jax about Lisa taking him and Schwartz to Vegas, but it’s over his birthday. Ariana being left out of Vegas trips is a sore spot. We flash back to Tom ditching her for Vegas on her birthday. Ariana is like, wtf? Jax thinks they should make it a birthday trip. Tom says he’s waiting to find out the details.

Tom brings drink supplies to the boat. Lala takes her top off on the beach. She says she doesn’t see anyone, so she thinks no one will be pissed about their man seeing. She adds it’s what “normal” people do, but I think it’s more like what normal people on the nude beach do. Out on the boat, they travel to some cliffs that the guys jump off of. Except for Jax, who already cheated death today. They take turns being pulled on an inflatable raft behind the boat. Both Jax and Tom lose their bathing suits, and oddly enough, are both wearing bright pink underwear. Scheana says Jax looks awkward AF. Jax is surprised that Rob isn’t walking on water. In her interview, Scheana says Rob does it all, and she feels like she’s dating a real man. Him having a vacation home is a win-win. Wouldn’t that be more like a bonus? Does Scheana understand words?

Stassi visits Schwartz and Katie, who are grooming the dogs. Stassi wants the podcast episode with Lisa to be better than the last one. She doesn’t want to cry, and wants to keep it professional. They wonder if Lisa ever sits around in sweats and eats Taco Bell? Does she even know what Taco Bell is? Stassi says she hook a notorious playboy bachelor, and they got married in three months. Schwartz is curious about what turns Lisa on. In her interview, Katie says it’s no secret Schwartz has a crush on Lisa, but if hell froze over, and Ken and Lisa divorced, she doesn’t think he’d be her first pick.

They talk about Vegas. Schwartz says it’s a business trip. He muses that there’s a chance it could evolve into whatever debauchery they normally get into, but that’s not going to happen. Schwartz asks Stassi what’s up with Patrick, and she says she thought it would be different this time. He’s pissed about her birthday, and scared of repeating her mistake. Schwartz says it’s hard not to fall back to old habits if you’re drunk or in a bad mood. Stassi says they’re in a pattern they can’t get out of. They fight, break up, and get back together; it’s what she’s used to and it’s disappointing. Stassi wonders who likes psycho girls.

James says he was jealous of Lala’s relationship at first, and had to find someone, but he’s glad he did. James and Lala paddleboard, as Raquel watches. She looks so unhappy. I’m hoping that if she doesn’t get rid of this twerp by the end of the season, she does after watching this.

Rob drops the girls off back at the house, and he, Tom, and Jax go off on the boat to have a beer. Jax asks Rob if he ever goes off on the boat by himself, and Rob says it depends on his mood. Getting the house was his first opportunity to see if he was a handyman. Tom asks how it’s going with Scheana, and Tom explains that they dated years ago. He almost married a princess – her dad was the Prince of Brunei – but he wasn’t ready, and had to let it go. In his interview, Jax is like, princess with unlimited wealth and grace, and Scheana. Hmm… Tom tells Rob that Scheana puts pressure on herself. Rob says that he thinks I love you isn’t something to throw around. He loves her as a person, but he’s waiting to make sure she’s in a good place before he says the words. It’s easy for him to hurt people’s feelings. In his interview, Jax says Scheana claims they say it to each other every day. One of them seems to want it more. Rob says relationships are hard enough, why make it harder? In my interview, I say he doesn’t love her.

Ariana tells Tom that it sucks he’s going to Vegas over his birthday. He tells her that Lisa says the timeline is important, but he’d rather be with her. It’s their first business trip, and he doesn’t want to assume he can invite Ariana, but they can do something when he gets back. In her interview, Ariana says they just got to good place, and Tom is making them being together a priority. If it’s a business trip, by all means go, but if Jax is going, it all goes out the window, and they’re back where they started. Tom is the one who said he wanted to be with her. Figure it out.

Schwartz and Katie have a date night. He says it’s their one-year anniversary soon. He tells her that she turns him on when she’s reasonable. She says he has business partners now, and she never thought taking a job at SUR would bring her to him, and bring him to a business. He says he needs more responsibility in his life (said no one in their 30s in 2018 ever). A mariachi band comes over to the table. Katie realizes he hired them and is thrilled. In her interview, she says he can be an a-hole to her, but also very sweet and thoughtful. It shows he cares, and is thinking of her and wants to make her happy. The band reminds her of their engagement Schwartz Snapchats her picture.

Raquel talks to Lala, saying she notices her bond with James is different. It’s his behavior around her. It’s not her coming on to him; it’s bonding on a level other than friends. She doesn’t see him doing that with others, and is concerned. In her interview, Lala says it takes a tough bitch to deal with James. Lala tells Raquel that if she felt like he was acting a certain way, she would never disrespect her man. Raquel has nothing to worry about, with her or anyone else.

Stassi arrives at Villa Rosa to do the podcast. Lisa tells her that she’s at a distinct advantage. She’s had two glasses of wine, and her guard is down. In her interview, Lisa wonders what Stassi will talk about. Goat cheese balls? Spray tans? As an icebreaker, Stassi asks Lisa if she has a celebrity crush, and we find out she wouldn’t kick George Clooney out of her bed. She thinks philanthropy is a reflection of how a man is as a lover. She says Stassi has had more lovers than she has. Stassi asks Lisa if she’s a skank, and Lisa is like, um…  She tells Stassi that she met Ken when she was twenty-one. They got engaged after six weeks, and married after three months. They’d met through Lisa’s brother, and had an instant connection the first night. She says their first date was magic, and they fell in love immediately. Ken said he wasn’t giving her his number because he knew didn’t want to get married. She told him to ask anyway. He did, and she said yes. Stassi thinks her attitude is what attracts men, and Lisa says you have to meet on an equal level. Otherwise, it’s not worth going down the path. In her interview, Stassi thinks maybe if she wasn’t so focused on relationships, she could focus on her goal of world domination. In closing, Stassi asks if Lisa would rather swim in a pool of poop or dead bodies. Lisa goes with the poop option. In her interview, she says she was impressed with Stassi’s professionalism – until then.

Scheana has list of what has to be done before they leave. Tom and James get into bed with Jax and Brittany to wake them up. Jax says people forget he almost died, and it was exhausting. He says Rob is sleeping, and Scheana is trying to make sure the house is clean. Lala and James get in the hot tub. Ariana wishes they could stay forever. Tom says she should come to Vegas. In his interview, he says that one of the reasons he wanted to branch out was to provide a better life for Ariana. She’s motivating, so it makes sense to be with her in Vegas. He tells Ariana that he talked to Lisa, and she said it was fine, as long as she pays her own flight expenses. Despite him being annoyingly busy, he wants ot make good on his promise to make her a priority. And BTW, Jax and Brittany are coming too.

Lala tells James that Raquel feels there’s flirting involved with their relationship. She’s never seen him act toward other girls the same way. James says he found her, as in discovered. She says he was the first person she recorded with, and she’d always loved to sing. He met her at a place where she needed a friend. James says Raquel has to deal with it; it’s just how he is. Lala thinks he has some idea about unconditional love, but it doesn’t have to be that way with friends. Her boyfriend is basically family, and James needs to respect that. She’ll always pick family over him. In his interview, James says if he’d been successful, Lala would have come along, but he wasn’t. His point? Lala tells him that if he ever disrespects her, he won’t see Lala anymore. Both of them talk about themselves in the third person, which is incredibly odd.

Scheana tells Rob that she loves him, and he says, um… Lala didn’t sleep, and feels like sh*t. James says she doesn’t look it, and Raquel looks sad. Scheana wakes everyone up with what’s left of the chore list. Jax is glad he survived his near death experience. Everyone packs up and goes.

Kristen comes by Scheana’s apartment to give her a birthday present. Scheana talks about having a new project with Rob called “Divorce Closet.” Exes who have common property they don’t want any more can sell it through them on eBay. Why didn’t I think of that? She has a bunch of Shay’s old stuff. In her interview, Kristen says Scheana is inventing the most ironic business model by selling her ex’s stuff with her current boyfriend. Kristen tells her about Jax claiming that Rob had never told her that he loves her. Scheana says she knows her man loves her; his actions show it. She tells Kristen that Jax is threatened by Rob, and wants what they have. She says they’re in love, but Rob has a hard time expressing it, and they had that conversation. She knows he loves her because she feels it. He adores her. They talk about having kids and getting married. They’ve looked at houses, and even named their first kid. Kristen totally tunes out as Scheana babbles. She says Jax doesn’t deserve a conversation with her. He screwed with her relationship; she’s going to screw with his. He’s going down.

Next time, the Vegas trip, the Toms are late for the meeting, Lala tells James not to mess up her showcase, and Brittany might be pregnant. I saw the sneak preview on Watch What Happens Live, and Brittany and Jax don’t use birth control. Even for stupid people, that’s stupid.

⛵ On Summer House, Stephen said the summer was half over, and they were crushing it. I’ve seen them crush cakes, a watermelon, pool floaties, and each other, but that’s not my idea of crushing summer.

🍳  MasterChef Junior is back on Friday, March 2nd, at 8 pm, and Southern Charm returns on Thursday, April 5th, at 9 pm.

PupOnStress

 

 

May19

May 18, 2017 – Hayden Makes a Decision, the Small Chefs Have a Winner & Quoting Winter

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Brad pounds on the vending machine after losing his money. Brad is all of us. Finn and Hayden discuss Finn’s next drug test, LOUDLY, and how he has to pass it. Brad comes over and tells them to keep it down. Hayden agrees. Brad thinks the hospital is in real trouble because the pastries in the vending machine suck. When he leaves, Hayden asks Finn if he bought it. Not the pastry; their act.

Laura literally runs into Dillon near Kelly’s. He says he was glad to hear she’s taking over some of Tracy’s responsibilities on the hospital board. She says she has her work cut out for her, and there are big shoes to fill.

Michael tells Kiki he needs a favor.

Nelle is in pain.

Dante makes pancakes. Chocolate chip for a special occasion. Lulu says it’s the first morning they’re spending together as a family.

Nina’s phone rings. It’s Valentin. She ignores it. He leaves a message asking her to call him back. He promises Anna isn’t coming between them again. He made sure of it.

“Anna” wakes up at the foot of the stairs tied to the bannister. She flashes back to asking Valentin if he’s just going to leave her there. He says she’s a secret agent, so she should know what to do. I’m glad he didn’t kill her. Not that I wouldn’t want to see her dead, but I like him too much.

Valentin goes to pick up Charlotte. He speaks to her in French (I love that!), and she says it’s okay; Lulu picked her up. He asks if she had fun. She tells him about playing Memory and the pancakes. Valentin says he’ll walk her to school, but Lulu says Dante can take her, since she and Valentin have a prior engagement. Mrs. Watkins is at the door.

Dr. Lancaster calls Alex (let’s call her who she is now). She says Valentin is on to them, but he says they have a bigger problem. Anna escaped.

Nurse Deanna tells Nelle she can’t get up. Nelle asks how long she’ll have to be there, but they don’t know yet.

Michael tells Kiki he’s not a member of Nelle’s family and can’t get an update. He was hoping she could help him out. She says she just took her exam, but if she passed, she doesn’t want her first act as a nurse’s aid to be breaking the rules. She tells him she’ll check though. She looks on the computer, and says Nelle is accepting visitors. Michael wonders what he’s doing there, when she doesn’t want to see him. Kiki says he’s a good person, and doesn’t waste time on people who don’t deserve it. He must see something good in Nelle.

Laura tells Dillon that she loves the hospital, and wants to do what’s best for it. Lurking Brad appears, and says he hopes she means that. Does he ever work? I want to get him a witch’s hat and broom.

Hayden doesn’t understand Brad’s bitterness. Finn says he didn’t make anything off the cure, but money does funny things to people. I think in this case, what he means is love of money. People misquote that all the time too. It’s the love of money that’s the root of all evil. Finn asks how Hayden is doing. She says she couldn’t sleep; all she could think about was the huge decision she has to make. He asks if she’s made it.

Nina comes to the hospital, and thanks Michael for calling. She asks if he called Nelle’s family, but he says there’s no one to call. Nina says she feels partly responsible. She never should have asked Nelle to get involved in her marital problems. He explains that Nelle doesn’t want to see him, and Nina asks if he wants her to tell Nelle anything. He says to tell her that he’s at the hospital.

Laura asks who Brad is. He explains that he’s in charge of the lab, and says if she’s sincere, he knows a way she can help. Laura asks Dillon to excuse them. She asks Brad what’s up. He says they have a major liability that will bite them in the butt. He asks if she’s aware of Finn’s drug abuse history, and says he’s still using. Laura says that’s a serious accusation, and asks why he didn’t go to Monica. Brad says she’s no better than Tracy. Everyone knows that Finn and Tracy were close, and she did everything to cover for him. He asks if Laura is planning to do the same.

Hayden tells Finn that she weighed the pros and cons. Pro, she’s always wanted kids; con, her life has changed since then. Pro, she could be putting good out in the world; con, if she goes broke raising a child, what good will it do? Finn says that the one important question is, does she want to have a baby right now? She thinks she does.

Valentin tells Mrs. Watkins that he had no idea the nanny was not available for pick-up. Dante gets ready to take the kids to school. They leave, and Mrs. Watkins wants to discuss what happened with Valentin and Lulu. Valentin says there was an unforeseen event and he was unreachable, but by the time he got to Lulu’s, Charlotte was asleep, so they both decided to let her spend the night. Mrs. Watkins says it looks like they worked the matter out among themselves, and she’ll be in touch. She leaves, and Lulu says that went well. Valentin says she seems pleased, and asks what game she’s playing.

Alex tells Dr. Lancaster that Anna was supposed to be sedated. The doctor says that Anna came out of it, and knows they switched identities. If she finds Alex, she’ll force her to tell everything. Alex has to get out – now.

At Kelly’s, Dillon and Kiki kiss. He asks about the test. She says the results will be in soon. He says before she knows it, she’ll be rehearsing the opening number for the Nurses Ball. He asks if he can be her official escort, and she says no.

Hayden says it’s the first time that she’s said she wants the baby out loud. Finn says stranger things have happened, and she says they’ve all happened to her. She asks what about him? He says he thinks he’s ready, but it might not matter. He carried around serious demons which might still be there. He wouldn’t blame her if she wanted him to keep his distance.

Valentin says that the minute school called, Lulu started strategizing. If they were playing chess, she would be three steps ahead. She says she loved having Charlotte over. What she was hoping for, was that when he saw Charlotte was fine, and does belong, he would reconsider the custody arrangement.

Alex goes to the airport and asks about a flight to London. Robin and Emma have just gotten off a plane and see her.

Hayden tells Finn that everyone has baggage, including her. She says it’s the past, like his drug use. He says every day is a fight not to slip; he doesn’t know if he trusts himself yet. She says no matter what happens, he’ll be part of the baby’s life. She says a brush with death changes priorities. She’s alive because of him. He didn’t just come up with the cure, but gave her strength she never knew she had. Finn says he’s capable of things he never would have believed. She says she knows it’s a shock, but she never thought he was perfect. He has the strength to recover. She says maybe they need to accept that they’re happy where they are, and they’re doing this together.

Brad tells Laura imagine what would happen if word got out there was a junkie on the staff. Laura is offended that he used the word “junkie,” and says many people are struggling with addiction. Families have been affected, hers included, and she has no interest in starting a witch hunt. Brad says Finn is using drugs while practicing medicine. Laura says she’s done her homework, and he’s been on restricted duty. No certifiable result has been turned in, and until then, there’s nothing to discuss. Brad whines, saying she’s no better than Tracy.

Michael flashes back to finding Nelle, while he wanders aimlessly around the hospital. Nina goes in to see her, and asks how she’s feeling. Nelle says, unemployed, and Nina apologizes, saying that Nelle was within her rights not wanting to spy on Valentin. She says it won’t happen again; she’s not living there anymore. If Nelle chooses to go back, she’ll answer to Valentin, and Nina will let him know nothing was her fault. She’ll have job to come back to. She says Nelle isn’t alone, and can count on her. She says there’s someone else who feels the same way. Nelle asks if it’s Michael, and Nina says he’s by her side.

Lulu tells Valentin, the less tension between them, the better for Charlotte, and to give her a little leeway – two or three hours, and an occasional sleepover. She starts talking about him and Nina breaking up, and he says they’re very married and intend to stay that way. Dante comes back, and Valentin tells Lulu that if she wants an adjustment, talk to the judge. He walks out.

Alex asks what Robin is doing there. Robin says she knew they were coming for the Nurses Ball. Alex asks about the pregnancy, and Robin tells her that as long as she goes home after the ball, she’s within acceptable limits. Emma says that she brought the “Smiling Sisters” that Anna gave her. Anna says she had a teddy bear she used to take everywhere, and Robin says they’re graphic novels. Alex says she’s not thinking straight because she’s so happy to see them. She says she has a work situation, and has to go to London. Robin says something isn’t right.

Kiki tells Dillon that it’s the first time she’s applied herself, and what if she fails? She doesn’t want to be the big loser in the audience. Dillon says even if she doesn’t pass the test, she’s not a loser. He says they’ll stay home in their sweats and watch movies if that happens; it’s a win-win. The results of Kiki’s test come in.

Finn and Hayden kiss. She says they’re actually doing this – having a baby. Brad comes by, and she says the eagle has landed. He tells her to stop watching so many spy movies. They tell Nurse Deanna that Finn is ready for his test.

Valentin sees Nina at the MetroCourt, and she asks about Charlotte. He says he’s picking her up from school later, and asks if Nina wants to come. She says no. He tells her what happened with Lulu, and Nina says Lulu acts like Charlotte was in a burning building instead of just waiting for twenty minutes. Valentin says Lulu informed social services, and he tells her about Mrs. Watkins showing up. She says Lulu didn’t miss a trick. Valentin wonders what happened to Nelle, and she says it has nothing to do with their parenting. Nelle got mugged, and is in the hospital, but it doesn’t explain where he disappeared to.

Robin asks Emma to text Patrick that they landed. She tells Alex that she seems frazzled. She asks if everything is okay, and asks about her health. Alex says it’s just the London situation, but she can’t talk about the details. Robin tells her to stay safe. She says she’ll be back for Nurses Ball. Robin tells Emma to give her grandma a hug, but Emma says that isn’t her grandma.

Kiki can’t do it, and gives the list to Dillon to read. He tells her he’s so sorry – it doesn’t look like she’s spending the evening of the Nurses Ball in sweats. She passed.

Deanna puts Finn’s test on the cart going to the lab. Brad strolls over and picks it up. He opens it, and the vial is empty. Hayden says, not what he was expecting, eh? Finn says he’s in trouble. I’d say Brad actually might be right about the hospital being in trouble, but it has nothing to do with Finn. What’s up with everything always being unattended? Computers, lab tests, patients…

Nelle sees her keychain on the nightstand. Wasn’t that in her purse? She unplugs herself and sits up. I wonder why no alarm sounded.

Laura sees Michael. She says she was about to run the Nurses Ball numbers, and asks if she can run them past him first. He says he’s there to see someone, but okay. They step away, and Nelle comes out of her room.

Nina tells Valentin that it wasn’t Nelle’s fault, and wants to make sure she still has a job when she’s well. Valentin says of course. Nina says Charlotte loves Nelle, and she would hate to think of Charlotte losing someone else she loves. She runs out before she starts to cry.

Lulu talks to Dante. She says for the first time she feels hopeful. Dante says she got a break. Valentin screwed up, and social services knows it. Lulu says Valentin and Nina’s marriage is on the rocks. Everything is falling into place, and before they know it, they’ll have custody.

Alex says that Emma is probably just tired. She hands Robin her keys, and suggests they go to her flat. Robin says something is wrong; Anna hasn’t said “flat” since Robin was a child; she’s not her mother. Anna walks in. She and Alex do a soap opera stare.

Tomorrow, Ava says Carly’s time with her daughter is over, Griff says the head that’s going to roll is Brad’s, Obrecht comes to save the Nurses Ball, and Alex says hello to Anna.

🎂 Tonight was the MasterChef Junior finale. Martha Stewart and Wolfgang Puck were guest judges, and the final two were Jasmine and Justise.  Jasmine had been cut earlier, but returned in a come-back challenge. So it just goes to show that even sometimes when you think you’re out, you’re not. The families joined their little cooks, and meals were made, with Jasmine showing her Jamaican roots, and Justise giving everyone a taste of Alabama. I learned that pork belly is serious business. Sadly, Justise undercooked it, but she rallied with a panna cotta that looked like it was to die for, and made Gordon smile. When the end was near, kudos were heaped on the girls. Jasmine was the winner, which was what I thought was going to happen after the pork belly downfall. There was also a sweet moment where Jasmine shared the trophy with Justise, and said she couldn’t have won without her. Confetti fell, and everyone hugged. Don’t worry, Justise, you’ll own your own restaurant by the time you’re fifteen. These tiny chefs are truly amazing to someone whose best friend in the kitchen is the microwave.

🍴 May 31 MasterChef  (the one with big people) returns, followed by The f Word. I can’t wait!

🌬 Because there’s time and it’s warm out tonight…

Laughter is the sun which drives winter from the human face. – Victor Hugo

Winter is coming. – just about every character on Game of Thrones

PannaCotta

May12

May 11, 2017 – Anna’s Listening Days are Over, Junior Chefs Serve Chefs & Pondering

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Curtis sees Hayden sitting in the park. He asks about her relationship with Finn, but she doesn’t know what they are at the moment.

Finn asks Griff if there’s any word on his latest test results. Griff says not yet, but he hopes Finn’s plan works for everybody’s sake.

Nina comes back to Windemere to say good-by to Valentin. In the park, Anna smiles. I hate her.

Olivia-F sees that Carly is still wearing her rings, and jumps to a conclusion, but Carly says it’s her lawyer’s idea.

At the hospital, Sonny asks what Andre is looking at, and if it has anything to do with Morgan. Because he must have no other patients other than one who died almost a year ago.

Valentin says she has every right to be upset. Nina tells him to admit that Anna has been between them the whole time. She says every time she turns around, Anna is there, and he lies about it. Valentin doesn’t want to lose her. She asks why he wants to throw away everything to chase Anna? He says he’d be happy to never see Anna again.

Anna talks with Robin on the phone. She says she’s just getting to her phlebotomy appointment, and asks if they can talk later. Translation: she’s busy gloating over Valentin and Nina’s marriage falling apart. I hate her even more.

Valentin begs Nina not to go, and promises never to see Anna again.

Hayden tells Curtis that someone has been tampering with Finn’s drug tests. He asks her if she’s sure, and tells her to be careful. She swears it’s a real thing and she’s not enabling. He tells her to let him know if she needs his help, and he’ll shut it down.

Griff tells Finn and Hayden that he’s been avoiding Monica while he waits. He says if someone is falsifying drug tests, it’s not going to be good for anybody.

Olivia tells Carly that the Nurses Ball is Lucy’s excuse to be a diva. She says if Carly and Sonny would just talk, forgetting about the hurt and pride, they could work it out. Carly says riding off into the sunset doesn’t work that way. She sees Olivia’s ring, and asks why she didn’t say anything.

Andre tells Sonny that he got a copy of Morgan’s pill analysis. Sonny says he has a look on his face like there’s something he’s not telling him.

Valentin tells Nina that he can do better; he can be the husband she wants, just give him a chance to prove it. Nina says she can’t. She says her ex-husband’s affair pushed her to the edge. When she woke up from her coma, all she wanted to do was hurt people, including herself. She changed, and promised herself she was never going to feel like that again. He says their wedding was untraditional, but he took the vows seriously and he’s kept them. She says he may not have been with Anna physically, but wants him to admit that he’s been with her emotionally. He says he should have shut her down right away. Nina asks why he took the watch and lied to her. She explains about finding the box and the note in the wastebasket. She knew the first day, and he lied. She asks why she should believe him now. He holds out the watch. She won’t take it, so he puts it in her purse and says he doesn’t care what she does with it. Smash it!

Anna is like, dammit.

Curtis asks if Hayden and Finn are good. They talk about their kiss, and Curtis says he’s surprised she remembers. Finn pops out of nowhere, and says him too.

Carly tells Olivia how glad she is. Olivia says that Carly had so much going on, she didn’t want to make it worse. Carly says she’s excited for her, and Olivia thanks her for understanding. Carly says it’s a great feeling. Olivia tells her not to be afraid to love again.

Andre says he knows how important it is, and Sonny says they’re working hard to make peace with Morgan’s death. He and Carly were hoping to make sense of his downward spiral. Andre says some cases shake you to your core; he needs to understand too. Not like Sonny does, but Morgan was his patient. He’ll keep digging, and get whatever answers he can for both of them. Sonny talks about Avery, and tells Andre to keep in touch.

Andre asks Monica if they can talk. It’s about Morgan.

Griff is out jogging, and Anna says she was just listening to a podcast. Translation: listening to the inside of Nina’s purse. Griff says Robin mentioned that Anna was getting treatment at GH, and asks if she told Robin that she’s going elsewhere. Anna says it must have slipped her mind. He asks why she isn’t at her treatment, like she was telling Robin. He thinks something is going on, and it has to do with Valentin.

Nina ask why Valentin even took the watch. He says some scars are deeper than others, and he wanted to believe Anna was making amends, but not at Nina’s expense. She accepted him for who he is, and gave him a life he never dreamed of. They have a family, and it’s all that matters. He asks for another chance. If not for him, for Charlotte. He says he can prove himself to her, but please stay for Charlotte’s sake.

Hayden says she was drunk. Finn says she called him out, and what he did was inexcusable. He tells Curtis if he can repay him, just ask. Curtis says just take care of his girl, and goes back to jogging. Hayden tells Finn that kissing Curtis was an idiot move born out of hurt. Finn says he’s no one to pass judgement. He shows her something on his phone.

Carly tells Olivia that she’s not afraid of love. Olivia says it’s terrifying, and makes you vulnerable. She’s still terrified, but when she saw Ned in danger, her fear melted away, and she was more afraid to be without him. She tells Carly to remember the times she and Sonny faced down danger. Olivia says death is around them all the time, and can come for anyone. She asks if Carly isn’t concerned she won’t ever see Sonny again. Carly asks if Olivia is getting a premonition. Olivia says no. Sonny acted like an ass and Carly retaliated, and it’s sad that they waste so much time.

Martina visits Sonny at his restaurant. She says Carly wants to go forward as planned, and was suspicious right away. He says he doesn’t want to leave the country. Martina says Ava is a problem if she goes to someone, but she’s come up with a plan.

Andre tells Monica about the lab test on Morgan’s pills. He shows her the difference in the prescription dosage. She asks why the pills were 300 mg when 600 mg was prescribed, and he says that’s a good question. He wants to find out.

Martina tells Sonny that being together was a mistake. He asks what plan B is, and she says they can settle it today. She can fly home tonight, and everyone is in the clear. Give Carly everything. In other words, there is no plan B.

Olivia tells Carly about Leo being on a waitlist for a playgroup because she forgot to put down a deposit. She’s wondering when she’ll have time to do anything for the wedding. Carly says she’ll take care of things. Olivia has been supportive and sensitive, and they’ve been business partners for years. She says she’ll gift her with a wedding cake. It will be a nice distraction from the ugliness in her life. Olivia says it wouldn’t be so ugly if she dropped the anger, and she might find her way back to Sonny.

Hayden and Finn look at his phone, and Finn says that it’s his kind of house. He thinks they should start a home. He says the program taught him that relationships can be rocky after rehab, but maybe she’ll visit and leave a toothbrush. They kiss.

Griff asks Anna what’s going on with Valentin, and she says he has nothing to do with her mood. She’s doing the best she can to take care of herself. He says he’s there if she needs help. Since it’s the one year anniversary of her run-in with Carrrlos, he wonders if it could be affecting her mood. He asks what Duke said that gave her the will to live, but the hospital calls, and he has to jog on. I gotta say, we have never seen any of these people run before, and now it’s like an epidemic.

Nina says she loves Charlotte and Valentin, then Anna came between them. He’s disappointed her to the point where she’s turned into something she promised herself she wouldn’t. She says it’s a difficult line for her to walk, and she’s done. Continuing to play the Charlotte card, Valentin says he stands convicted, but don’t punish Charlotte. She tells him not to use Charlotte against her. What good is she doing Charlotte like this? Anna will always be the problem. Anna will always be in his life, and they both know that. He says Charlotte needs her, and not to be another person she loves who left. Nina says she took being a mother to Charlotte seriously. She wanted to be a strong, confident woman for her. What kind of role model can she be, being jealous and insecure? She cant stay because she loves Charlotte so much. Nina walks out.

Valentin drinks and remembers times with Nina. He thinks about Anna in the park. I think about how good he looks in riding pants. He smashes the glass against the fireplace. Like we didn’t see that coming.

Anna listens in on Nina talking to Curtis. Nina says things didn’t add up, but she wanted to believe it was real. She takes the watch out, and Curtis asks to look at it. He has a fondness for trophy watches. She smashes it, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it, and I laugh. Finally. It’s obviously loud in Anna’s ear, which makes me laugh harder.

Hayden and Finn look for Griff at the hospital. Finn asks for the results. Griff opens it. He says the test indicates positive for opiates. Hayden says their plan worked.

Andre tells Monica that the lab could have made a mistake. Monica says they can’t rule anything out. She says there’s only one way to find out, and Andre says he was hoping she’d say that.

Martina tells Sonny to give Carly his legal assets, and keep the other ones which are substantial. He says that he’d love to compromise, but his holdings are crucial. That leaves one option – her. She has to quit the case. He tells her sorry, and she says she’s sorry too. She was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. Her reputation is going to take a hit, but it beats disbarment. No hard feelings; she’s a big girl. Sonny says he wishes she could stay longer and she does too. They touch hands, and Carly walks in. She says, what the hell…

Hayden had taken the drug test instead of Finn, and they know she’s clean. Now they have to find out who’s to blame, although she has her suspicions. Finn asks if Griff wants to move on to phase two. Griff says something else needs addressing. Hayden also tested positive for being pregnant. Although why they’d be doing a pregnancy test on Finn is beyond me.

Curtis almost cries over the watch, calling it a work of art. Nina says it’s everything that’s wrong with her marriage, and tells him get it out of her sight. He fiddles with it, and asks about the band. Nina says all she knows is that it was a gift from Anna. Curtis says there’s a big problem.

Valentin gets a call from Anna. She asks if he’s all right, and he asks what she wants. She says she was frustrated with their encounter, and asks if they can pick up where they left off.

Nina says she doesn’t care, and Curtis says maybe she should. There was a listening device in the wristband. Anna has been listening in. This is going to be good.

Monica tells Andre that if there’s been a mistake, she’d like to keep it between senior management until there can be a full investigation. Andre says they can’t be certain about anything. Morgan was thriving, and the next minute, he was dead. He owes it to Morgan and his parents, whose lives haven’t been the same since.

Carly says, interesting, she finds her husband and divorce attorney holding hands. She tells them to say something, and it had better be good. You know someone is going to say, it’s not what it looks like.

Tomorrow, Nelle asks Michael if she has a reason to stay, Valentin blows off Anna, and Martina says she’ll tell Carly everything.

🍳 Tonight, the MasterChef Junior kids created a pop up restaurant by the beach and served an amazingly complex meal to chefs and food writers. One of the appetizers involved quail eggs and scallops. It looked incredible, but those eggs are mighty small. I once ordered quail in a high end restaurant, and it was one of those please, be an appetizer moments. The blue team ran out of eggs because they’d messed up on some of them. I can’t even poach a normal-sized egg, so I’m no one to judge. They still won the restaurant war though, and two little ones from the red team went home. The one who looked like a tiny princess in an apron said that she’d grown both as a chef and a person. We should all strive to be so mature. Next time, it’s the two-hour finale, with guests Wolfgang Puck and Martha Stewart. I like Martha, but I think she’s gotten to the point where she’s trying too hard to be cool, which makes you not cool. I believe it starts at 8 pm, but double-check on that.

Something to Ponder

There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley (If you’ve never read Huxley, now would be as good a time as any.)

Valentin Pondering

GHValentin

May5

May 4, 2017 – Best Good-By Ever & Six Small Chefs

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 General Hospital

The time has come for Tracy to step out of her father’s shadow and make a life of her own. She can’t do it in Port Charles, so she’s leaving. Ned asks what that means (someone, get that man a dictionary), and she says she’s called them there to say good-by.

Nathan comes home to an empty place. He picks up the welcome home card he’s made for Maxie, and tears it in half.

Carly takes her ring off, and says let’s get started. When her lawyer shows up, Sonny is surprised to see it’s Martina. He flashes back to five minutes ago. She and Sonny act like they’ve never met. Diane suggests getting down to business. She thinks it’s possible to avoid a lengthy arbitration.

Monica tells Tracy that if she wants dramatic effect, it’s not working. Tracy says she wants to make a worthwhile life for herself. Her father is going to bankroll her, since the proceeds of the sale of the painting will be more than enough. $20 million? Yeah, I’d say so. The doorbell rings. The food has arrived. It’s pizza.

Ned explains the Thanksgiving pizza tradition, and says it sounds like it’s the last time they’ll be a family for a while. He tells Tracy she doesn’t need to travel the world to find meaning. Hayden asks what she’s going to do, and she says she has no definite plans. Ned asks if they can talk her out of it, but she says no. She’s not happy about leaving him and Dillon, but they’ve been living their own lives for years, and it’s time for her to do the same. Dillon says they’ll come to visit her wherever she is. They all say they’ll miss each other, and I’m trying to rise above crying over this.

Amy 2.0 knocks on Nathan’s door. She wonders why Maxie has flaked about the Nurses Ball. Lucy wants her to handle it, but she’s a talent; she doesn’t work behind the scenes. Nathan explains that Maxie is in Portland. Amy says she’s still the same self-centered witch she always was. Nathan is like, excuse me?

Diane talks about Sonny’s various assets that have been transferred to Carly. Martina says they were signed over months ago, and Sonny has no claims on them. Diane says they’re still married, so technically, Sonny has equal rights. Martina says the assets were put into Carly’s name to keep the government from seizing them. She says if he fights it, she’ll have to bring up his overseas businesses. Sonny claims they’re legit, but Martina tells him that she’s surprised at how low the casino proceeds are. She says it’s as if he has secret offshore accounts, and reminds him that would be a felony.

Dillon says he’s used to him being the one leaving for parts unknown. Tracy says he has a big heart, and is more than capable of dealing with life. She tells him that his heart makes him the strongest Quartermaine.

I hate you, George Stephanopoulos. We’ve been interrupted. On Tracy’s last day. Fie on you, Washington DC! Although I have to admit to being interested in the insurance topic, since I got totally screwed over with Obamacare. Looks promising, but we’ll see.

And we’re back. Tracy tells Michael that if the company tanks, they’ll be hell to pay.

Carly doesn’t want to bring the legality of Sonny’s offshore holdings into question. Martina says Sonny should thank her, and to quit fighting about the rest. Carly says he lost his temper and made bad decisions. Now he has to pay the consequences.

Tracy tells Ned sorry to steal his thunder, but he’s always been a Quartermaine whether in name or not. Ned says that the house needs an Edward Quartermaine under its roof. She tells him that he’s her rock, always has been, and always will be. Crap. Ned is starting to cry. I’m sure this was an emotional day for everyone involved.

Monica tells Tracy that the jet is fueled and ready to take off, and her car will be there shortly. Tracy says it’s real now. Monica says she doesn’t know what she’ll do without Tracy. Tracy suggests celebrating, but Monica says somewhere along the line, Tracy she went from being her sister-in-law to her sister. She never hated her. She loves her. Here come the waterworks.

Nathan tells Amy II about being caught off guard with Maxie staying in Portland. The only thing not there for her is him, and he wonders if he still fits in her life.

Diane thinks they’ve painted themselves in a corner. Martina says they need to compromise, and Sonny makes noises about them keeping what they came with, and throwing Carly a few bones. Carly says see you in court; they’re done here. She walks out, and Diane follows, leaving Sonny and Martina alone. Martina says it was unexpected, and Sonny asks what kind of game she’s playing. Actually, if he was up for it, Sonny could make a stink about this being a conflict of interest. If nothing else, Carly would have to get a new lawyer.

Amy2 says Nathan is coming up with reasons why his marriage won’t survive, but a case could be made for the opposite. If he really loves Maxie, he’ll find a way to make it work. He tells her she’s good at the advice thing. She says to think of her as his bartender, and that she gave her four brothers advice when they were growing up. Nathan goes to change, and Amy looks at a picture of Nathan and Maxie on the sign he ripped.

Carly tells Diane that until the divorce is final, she should talk to her attorney. Diane says she’s approaching her as a friend. She says they’re not the first to divorce after a child’s death, and she understands that Sonny has provoked her, but what part of any of it surprises her?

Sonny asks if Carly put Martina up to this. Martina says that Carly has no idea. He was just a stranger she met in a bar, and she was as shocked as he was. He says there has to be a violation here somewhere, and she stops him from continuing.

The car has arrived. Tracy tells Lulu and Laura to take care of each other. She tells Hayden and Finn that they taught her something important – we don’t have unlimited time. She says to stop wasting it. She warns Michael to remember that she expects ELQ to keep turning a profit. From Dillon, she expects to be invited to a premiere sooner than later. She says that if he needs a patron, to go to Michael. It’s time for ELQ to branch out. She tells Olivia-F that Ned has a bad habit of trying to take care of everyone, and she’s grateful that Olivia is the one who’s going to take care of him.

And Monica. Tracy is worried about her decorating ideas. Monica says she’ll leave their house the way Tracy wants it. Tracy points out that she said our house instead of my house, and Monica says that she knows what she said. Tracy takes Monica and Ned’s hands, and says she cherishes them all. She turns and flies out the door, and we’re all left with tears in our eyes. She runs back in for a four-way hug, with Ned, Dillon, and Monica.

Nathan tells Amy2 that he’s sorry Maxie flaked. Amy says the show must go on, and they’ll make it bigger and better than last year. Nathan offers to help. Amy thanks him and leaves. In the hallway, she takes the picture that she was looking at out of her purse. She tears it, detaching Maxie. I’m guessing that Amy is interested in Nathan now, but wasn’t she interested in Dillon literally a few weeks ago? What happened with that? She doesn’t strike me as the type who would give up easily.

Diane tells Carly that she understands Sonny better than anybody. His first reaction to being hurt is to lash out, and she can choose to compromise. If not for him, for everybody else, including herself, who doesn’t want to watch them tear each other apart. Carly asks if Diane has said this to Sonny, and Diane says that he’s less than reasonable on the best of days. Carly has to be the bigger person here. Carly says that’s not going to happen; she can’t do that. Diane says she’s legally obligated to carry out her client’s wishes, and regrets what’s about to happen. She thinks Carly and Sonny will regret it too.

Martina tells Sonny that she could be disbarred. Sonny says she just got done telling him he was a stranger, so what’s the big deal? He says she’ll just get a warning from the bar. She wants him to do nothing; anything before today was a chance encounter between strangers that he’ll never speak of again. Carly comes in, and asks what’s going on. Martina makes something up. I just thought of something. Why is it that Sonny keeps getting new babes, but Carly just gets recycled Jax?

Monica says the house won’t be the same. Dillon offers to insult her every morning at breakfast. Olivia asks Ned how he’s doing. He says better than expected, even though it seems like his family is getting smaller by the day. Olivia says she was going to keep her last name, but Olivia Quartermaine has a nice ring to it. The Quartermaine family is the heart of Port Charles, and Port Charles is her home. Someone has to look after it, so why not them?

They look at the family photograph.

Tracy arranges a sale for the painting. The dealer tells her that there’s been an offer of $60 million from a private collector. Tracy wants to close asap. He says they can close as soon as she fills out the paperwork. She signs the contract, and the dealer says he thought she’d be reluctant to sell it. Tracy tells him that she gained more parting with it than keeping it. He gives her a moment alone with the painting, which is kind of funny. Tracy tells the painting that she doesn’t know who she is or what kind of life she lived, but she knows she’s going to live her life on her terms. The dealer comes back, saying the money has been wired to her account. She says she could use a good cup of coffee, and he says he’ll show her a place across the street.

We see clips of Tracy and how she’s grown. Excuse me while I bawl.

Good-by, Tracy. Hopefully, you’ll stop by now and then.

The dealer takes Tracy to the coffee shop. Where Luke is waiting.

I don’t even know what’s happening tomorrow – I was too busy crying. Kudos to GH for giving Jane Elliot a beautiful send-off. It was also everything a fan could have wanted. And thank you, God, for not making the news break too long. It had to be God. It certainly wasn’t out of the goodness of any politician or newscaster’s heart.

🍟 There are six chefs still cooking on MasterChef Junior. Tonight, they made a lamb dish for first responders and construction workers. I don’t even like lamb, and I would have eaten this, it looked so heavenly. A female police officer said if she wasn’t in uniform, she would be chowing down on the chops. I hear you, sister! This evening’s mystery box contained a couple of Muppets. Miss Piggy and the Swedish Chef paid a visit, causing the kids to go out of their collective minds, especially when Miss Piggy called Gordon every name except Gordon, and he kept correcting her. Kids love an ongoing joke. She also took up the challenge of preparing steak frites along with the young chefs, and was voted out, so really, no one went home. Next week, the kids cook for critics, chefs and journalists in pop-up restaurant on the beach.

An Applicable Quote

🍨 A person holding a grapefruit in one hand and a blowtorch in the other has let the world know they won’t be putting up with any of their malarkey today. – Allison Robicelli, Why You Should Set Your Breakfast on Fire

GHTracy

 

 

Apr28

April 27, 2017 – ICE Nails Samira, Small Chef Memories & the Debut of John Gray

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Jason and Jake do some drawing. Jason says Jake is talented and must have gotten it from his mom. Jason puts Jake in a wrestling hold, and Jake says he can’t breathe. Jason tightens the hold. And then wakes up.

Jake has a temperature. Did Elizabeth just say it’s 110? He doesn’t look like he’s in a coma or dead. Franco comes to visit, and Elizabeth sends Jake back upstairs. She says he’s been up all night and doesn’t want to go to school. She’s concerned. She did say 110, so I guess Jake is faking it. Or he’s an incredibly hardy child.

Samira tries to get out of the hospital bed, and Kiki tells her she has to be cleared to leave, and that she can’t help Sadika if she’s sick. Samira asks if Kiki’s ever had someone she’d like to save, and Kiki tells her to get dressed.

Monica tells Laura that Samira will be better when Tracy coughs up the painting.

Tracy talks to her father’s photograph, and tells him that the journal was dry as dust. He seemed lonely; like his life was pointless without his family. She ponders how many hours he spent staring at Lila’s picture, or if he was frolicking with Samira’s mother. She wonders if it was all a set up for the cruelest double-cross of all. Dillon walks in and asks if she’s talking to Edward’s picture.

On the phone, Sonny asks if they can make it sooner. The pills might be the missing link in his son’s death. Ava rings the doorbell.

At the MetroCourt, Diane tells Alexis she’s not being charged. Carly walks out, and Diane says sorry, but Sonny already retained her services for the divorce. She hopes they can come to an equitable agreement. Carly asks Alexis if she’s available, because Carly is waaay out of that loop.

Samira tells Kiki that she has to go back; maybe the brothers will have another idea. She begged Tracy, but she won’t let the painting go. Samira thinks she should offer to take her daughter’s place. Because human traffickers are easy to haggle with.

Dillon asks Tracy if Edward is talking back, and Tracy says he’s wondering when Dillon is going to join the family business. She says there’s no reason to stop sparring with Edward now. Dillon tells her that when she’s ready to talk to a live person, he’s the guy. She asks if he thinks she’s a bad person if she doesn’t give up the painting.

Ava says she has something to talk to Sonny about. She asks if Lucy is shaking him and Carly down for donations. Sonny says she hasn’t bothered him, but he doesn’t know about Carly. Ava says she’d like to discuss Avery’s preschool, and asks if Carly is there.

Diane says she’s sorry for Carly and Sonny’s troubles, but thinks when the smoke clears, they can put it behind them. Carly says Sonny has pushed her too hard, and this time she’s pushing back. Diane says duly noted.

Elizabeth tells Franco about letting Jason know that he thought Jake was afraid of him. She says Jake said that’s not it, but it’s halfway right. Jake is afraid of the man Jason used to be.

Jason says he couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to wake Sam, so he stayed on the couch. Sam says she could tell something was off; he didn’t even eat dinner. She asks what’s going on, and if it has to do with Jake. He says Jake is afraid of him. Not so much who he is now, but who he used to be.

Sonny tells Ava to let him know what preschool she likes, and he’ll see if they agree. Diane breezes in and says apparently, a storm is brewing. Sonny says Ava was just leaving.

Alexis asks if Carly is sure she wants to do this. Carly tells her about Sonny having Jax deported permanently. He has sensitive information on Jax, and thinks he’s punishing Carly, but he’s really punishing Josslyn. She says he doesn’t care who he hurts, and this time, she’s done. Alexis says she was busy with her downward spiral, but Kristina filled her in, and she’s sorry. She tells Carly that she doesn’t have her license back yet. Carly asks if she can be Alexis’s first client, but Alexis says it could take months. Carly says she’d be willing to wait, but Sonny won’t, so Alexis recommends another lawyer (Nora?).

Kiki tells Samira that she’s taken risks that are stupid, but she’s learned not to act out of fear. She says the Quartermaines are difficult, but they have good hearts and money, and she should give them another chance. Kiki says if Dillon is on her side, she’ll be okay.

Monica tells Laura that only the people who admitted her know Samira is there. She says Tracy has offered to cover the medical expenses, and isn’t that nice? Laura can tell Monica isn’t happy with Tracy, but says since her father died, Tracy has changed. Monica says it’s a big test, and so far, she’s failing. Laura says she has faith that Tracy will do the right thing in the end. Monica tells her not to hold her breath.

Dillon says that Tracy knows how he feels about Samira’s situation, but he also understands how Tracy feels. He says Edward wasn’t there for her when he was alive, so what makes her think he’ll be there for her now? He tells Edwards’s picture that his way of loving sucks, and tells Tracy he’ll always love her, even if she disappoints him. She asks if it would disappoint him if she doesn’t give up the painting. He says it would, but she’s stuck with him. The Quartermaines aren’t he nicest people, and incapable of expressing emotion, but it doesn’t mean they can’t feel love and loyalty. If they stick together, it will be okay. Tracy says that’s what family does. Dillon tells her that their numbers are dwindling, and they can’t afford not to. He leaves, and Tracy smiles at the picture.

Tracy asks if Edward heard that. Dillon won’t kick her to the curb, and is being her support system. Laura appears, saying too bad Samira doesn’t have one. Tracy wonders who keeps letting random people in. Laura says she spoke to Robert, and human trafficking in Turkey is on the rise, especially with refugees. Tracy says that’s not her problem, but Laura asks if it will be if Samira is her sister?

Kiki tells Monica that Samira is getting restless. Monica says who wouldn’t be, waiting on Tracy. Officer Stick-in-the-Mud walks in, and says he needs to talk to Monica; they can have a discussion here or at the station. Kiki asks if he has any paperwork, and Monica explains that he’s there investigating an enemy of the state. He says it’s an expired visa. Monica stands corrected, and gives Kiki the papers to get “the patient” released. Kiki asks if she should call legal counsel, but Monica says no. The officer asks why Monica lied to him. Kiki tells Samira they have to get her out of there stat.

Elizabeth explains to Franco how Jake shut down when they saw the picture. Franco thinks it’s odd, since Jake knows he’s the same person. Elizabeth says he does conceptually, but he’s still a little kid. She tells him that Jason has no memory of the island. Franco says it’s good; it’s a starting point. It’s time to start considering that Jake was traumatized by something he saw or something the old Jason did.

Jason tells Sam about what happened when Jake saw the photo. Sam says Jake is a child who’s seen a lot of trauma and has a lot of challenges. Jason asks what if he hurt Jake? Sam says what if he didn’t, and that it all comes back to Helena. Jason wonders what if it doesn’t? Scout cries, and Sam goes upstairs, leaving Jason to ponder things.

Monica says she didn’t let Officer Stick-in-the-Mud interrupt her busy day to insult her. He says when he first questioned her, she said she didn’t know Samira. Monica says that’s wrong; she said Samira wouldn’t be found in her house, and he calls semantics. She tells him to produce evidence to the contrary or go. He shows her a picture of Samira in her living room.

Kiki asks Dillon if they can take Samira back to the estate, but he doesn’t think she’ll be any safer there.

Laura says that Tracy has turned painting into physical manifestation of her father. Tracy says it meant a lot to have his love and forgiveness. She asks Laura, what if he wasn’t the man she thought he was?

Elizabeth tells Franco that they’re reading a lot between the lines. She says Jason could never hurt a child. Franco says he wasn’t aware of his actions when he planted the bomb on The Haunted Star, and maybe the same thing applies – he wasn’t acting of his own free will. Elizabeth says it won’t help Jake to pursue that avenue. Using soap opera timing, Jake appears and says, help him what?

Jason asks why Jake would be afraid if he hadn’t hurt him. Sam thinks Helena’s attempt to control their lives continues on. She wanted to create chaos and succeeded. Jason wonders what he did. Sam says they can’t change what happened; all they can do is help Jake move forward. Jason wants to know what Helena did to him.

Ava sees Alexis and Carly. Alexis says that’s her cue, and starts to leave. Ava tries to talk to her about Julian, but she’s not having it. Ava asks Carly if it’s too early to have a glass of champagne to toast the divorce.

Diane tells Sonny that Carly is going to make the divorce as miserable as possible. She would have advised against what he did to Jax. He has to remember that Jax is Josslyn’s father, and Carly is going to retaliate. Sonny says Carly can leave with what she came with, and nothing else. Idiot. Diane tells him not to be so sure.

Laura thinks Tracy knew Edward the best, except for Lila. Tracy says what if the man she tried to please was running around on her mother? If Samira is his daughter, the time and energy she put into the relationship was wasted. Either he was a good man with flaws or a callous bastard. Either the painting is declaration of love or the most highly valued thing he gave her. Either way, she’s not giving it up.

Kiki tells Dillon to get scrubs and a wheelchair, and pray they don’t get caught.

Monica asks if the officer was spying. He says a concerned party was worried about Samira’s presence. He’s willing to overlook it if she tells him where Samira is hiding. If not, he’ll have no choice but to arrest her.

Jason tells Sam no offense to Andre, but he doesn’t know Helena’s capabilities. He thinks there’s another way without involving Jake. Maybe the book Helena gave Jake has the answers.

Jake wants pancakes. Elizabeth wonders how he could be into pancakes with a 110 temperature, but goes into the kitchen. Jake asks if Franco wants to color, since he got some new crayons. Franco sees 0705 on the timeline, and asks what it means. Suddenly Jake doesn’t feel good, and goes back upstairs. Franco looks at the timeline and gives us a soap opera face.

Monica says she doesn’t know the woman in the photo. Officer Stick-in-the-Mud says he’ll find Samira, with or without her help. She asks him to come into her office, and he tells her to do the right thing. She wonders what the right thing is, and says she’s getting tired of the witch hunt. In the meantime, Ned comes out of the elevator, running into Dillon and Kiki trying to get Samira out. Monica claims the photo was photoshopped, but the officer tells her she’s under arrest. Ned says that won’t be necessary. He says Samira is right there, and points to her. Monica asks if he knows what he’s done, and he says he does. Not sure what Ned is up to here.

Laura tells Tracy that the painting is just a painting, and if Edward strayed, it doesn’t mean he didn’t love Lila. Tracy says maybe he didn’t deserve Lila, but Laura says he made her happy, and they were a good balance. She tells Tracy that if she wants to honor them, to follow in their footsteps and be compassionate and generous, a legacy to be proud of.

Ava says now that Carly and Sonny are divorcing, Carly is out of Avery’s life. No marriage, no baby Avery. Carly says Avery isn’t one of their irreconcilable differences. They both love her and want what’s best for her. She tells Ava that if she pushes her, she’ll be the one out of Avery’s life.

Diane shows Sonny the trusts he set up when he thought he might go to prison, and the remainder of his assets that he signed over to Carly. He says it was in case he got convicted, but Diane says no provision was made to transfer it back when that didn’t happen. They’re still in Carly’s name. He says he’ll talk to her. She tells him to go easy; Carly holds the cards. He’s the one who may have to live outside the country to avoid federal difficulties.

Carly calls the attorney. She says she’s divorcing her husband, and wants everything. Doesn’t everyone in that position? Good luck with that.

Jason tells Elizabeth that Helena liked riddles and puzzles. He thinks the answer might be in the book. Elizabeth shows him the number on the timeline, and asks if it means anything

Alexis shows up at Sam’s place, and Sam tells her that she and Jason are pursuing different avenues regarding Jake. She thinks she has to go to Cassadine Island, and Alexis is like, no way.

Jason says it could be a date. Franco says that it would be the European way of putting the day before the month. Jason wonders what May 7th means, and Elizabeth says it’s Jake’s birthday.

Tomorrow, a special Tracy retrospective. While telling Edward she’s going off for fun in the sun, Tracy gets clobbered by a plaque falling off the wall in the family crypt.

🍱 Tonight, MasterChef Junior gave us a nostalgic trip through past seasons, so there was everything from astronauts to elves to that cute, tiny girl with the big hair bow. I might have had kids if I could have been guaranteed that one. I love a trip down Memory Lane, and wish I could have paid more attention, but a friend called and I didn’t think I could blow them off by saying I needed to watch things I’d already seen. I might give it another look over the weekend On Demand.

⛪ I checked out an episode of The Book of John Gray (OWN) and really enjoyed it. He’s the associate pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church, under Pastor Joel Osteen. It was both pleasant and entertaining. John is a very funny guy. It was a nice balance of Gray’s church and home life. Although I may or may not be a steady viewer, it gets a thumbs up from me.

Apr21

April 20, 2017 – Jax is Sprung, Sushi is Made & Judge Judy Says It All

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Elizabeth tells Jason that it was a productive follow-up with Andre, and Jason agrees. They talk about presenting a united front. Jason says they won’t let anyone or anything get in the way of Jake’s progress.

Franco tells Kiki that he thinks Jake is in serious trouble.

Tracy tells Finn that she needs a DNA test. He passes for a friend in her life, and she needs someone she can trust. He asks who it’s for.

An immigration officer comes to the door at the Quartermaine mansion. He tells Monica that he’s looking for Samira, whose visa has expired. He asks if she’s there.

Michael tells Sonny that Jax is being released. Sonny says he wasn’t even in there ten minutes. He wonders why Jax is getting off scot-free.

Carly says Nelle might want to believe she’s a better person, but she’ll destroy what she loves most, so don’t try loving Michael. She knows the real Nelle, and sees her coming. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop her. Nelle asks when it’s going to be enough, and Carly says never. She tells Nelle to get it through her head, and stay away from her son.

Finn tells Tracy that he’s been suspended and is on probation. If he orders a questionable DNA test, he’s finished. Tracy wonders what happened to the renegade that she liked. Finn says he took drugs and got caught. Tracy says he owes her a favor.

Franco tells Kiki that Jake is paralyzingly afraid.

Michael says Sonny should be thankful. Jason walks in and asks what they’re talking about. Because being nosy is the main occupation in Port Charles. Sonny brings him up to speed about Jax. Michael says Jax was arrested in front of Carly and Josslyn, but he’s been released. Maybe Carly can forgive Sonny in fifty years. He tells Sonny that the people most affected are Avery and Josslyn, and he’s not looking at the big picture. Sonny says Avery is a baby, and Michael says she’s going to notice Carly isn’t around. He’s decides to go to the station.

Nelle tells Carly that Michael didn’t get his compassion from her. Carly says she’s happy Nelle is doing right by Jax, but it doesn’t absolve her. She used Morgan’s death to mess with Carly, and she can’t forgive that. Jax walks out and thanks Nelle. He says he’s sorry for everything.  He tells Nelle his offer of help for a fresh start is always on the table. She says Port Charles is home to her now, and she’s not going anywhere.

Monica tells the officer that she has a lot of security, and if someone was on the grounds, she’d know. He asks if he can look around, and she asks if he has a warrant. He wonders why he’d need one, and says if she’s harboring a fugitive, she’ll be charged. He leaves, and Dillon says that was intense. Samira thanks Monica. Dillon says she just made the entire house complicit, and what do they do when Officer Stick-in-the-Mud comes back?

Tracy tells Finn about all the things she’s done for him.  He reminds her that he once saved her life. She says she needs his help again. He asks what’s so important, and she says it involves her family.

Franco tells Kiki that the drawing is more than a scarecrow to Jake. He tells her about Jake losing it over his parents knowing. He says he must be scared of Jason. Kiki asks if he’s more interested in helping Jake or in Jason being the bad guy? He says helping Jake. Kiki asks if he’s talked to Elizabeth, but he says no. Elizabeth appears, and says the usual – talk to her about what?

Jason tells Sonny that the harder it is on Jax, the harder it will be on Sonny. Sending him to prison isn’t the answer, and Carly won’t be happy. He says Sonny is lucky. Jason has come bearing scotch, and wishes Sonny a happy birthday. He tells Sonny that Julian is alive, and he’s been arrested.

Samira thanks Monica again. Dillon wonders who tipped him off. Samira says the monks wouldn’t have done it. She only came because she was desperate, and had no ill intent. She wonders if it was Tracy, since she doesn’t want to part with the painting.

Tracy explains about the painting to Finn. She says while her father was in hiding, he found it. In typical fashion, he gave and took away in the same breath. She tells Finn that she has a sneaking suspicion that Samira is Edward’s illegitimate daughter. She repeats Samira’s story, but says she doesn’t think Samira knows that they might be related. Tracy says she doesn’t want to give up the painting.

Kiki tells Elizabeth that they were talking about the Nurses Ball, and Franco wants to perform again. He says he caught the bug. Elizabeth asks Kiki about her classes, and they make small talk. Kiki says she’ll see Franco at home, and goes back to work. Or whatever she does. Elizabeth says they weren’t talking about the Nurses Ball, and Franco admits that they weren’t.

Jason tells Sonny at least they can be sure Julian will stay behind bars. His excuse that his sister made him do it isn’t going to fly in court. Sonny says Carly slept with Jax, and any chance he gets to make Jax’s life miserable, he’s taking it. Jason suggests he leave Jax alone. Sonny says when Jason is right, he’s right. Which is usually the kind of thing Sonny says before he does what he wants.

Michael sees Nelle at the station. Nelle says they wanted her statement about Jax, and Michael offers to pay her to keep quiet. She sees Jax and Carly come in, says she’s good, and jets.

Michael says Josslyn must be relieved, and asks Jax how he pulled it off. Jax says Nelle refused to say anything. Carly says that Nelle did one decent thing, and it’s the least she owes them. She tells Michael that Sonny threw Jax to the wolves for something he would have done himself. Michael says even if she wants to tear his head off, for his sisters’ sakes, don’t be so focused on getting back at him. Jax thinks they should call a truce, but Carly says she’ll have to think about it.  Carly and Jax leave.

Jason says Julian is finally getting what he deserves. Sonny says he’ll believe it when he sees it. Sonny sends Jason to the kitchen for ice, and calls someone. He needs a favor.

Elizabeth asks what Franco and Kiki were really talking about. Franco wants to tell her, but doesn’t want to betray Jake’s trust again. She loves that he’s devoted, but says he’s not betraying Jake by keeping his mother informed. She tells him about the meeting with Andre. Franco says Jake is never going to be comfortable if he’s afraid of his father.

Finn says Tracy has a first world problem, whereas Samira has a third world problem. Tracy says it’s not hers to fix. Finn says it is, and Tracy says only if she’s telling the truth. She says her father only left her a jar of relish in his will, and she thought he didn’t love her. She was wrong, and asks if she’s a bad person for wanting to keep the painting. Finn says Samira needs it, and if she’s really Tracy’s sister… Tracy says that’s where he comes in. He asks how she wants it to turn out, and she says she doesn’t want them to be related.

Dillon and Monica agree that it wasn’t Tracy who alerted the officer. Dillon asks Samira if she can think of anyone else, but she can’t. Monica wants to extend Samira’s visa, but Samira says she has to take the painting home. She can’t lose her daughter to those monsters.

Tracy says it’s not that she doesn’t want to take on Samira’s problems, but it means her father cheated while they were grieving him. She doesn’t want to be related to Samira, solve the human trafficking problem, or give away the painting. When she read her father’s letter, everything was all right with the world. She’ll come up with money for Samira to rescue her daughter some other way. The painting means everything – it’s changed her perspective. Finn asks what she has, and she gives him the glass. She says she’s not going to beg, but she’s asking him to help her.

Franco tells Elizabeth that she saw how upset Jake was when he’d shown her and Jason the drawing. He wanted to apologize to Jake, and Jake totally lost it. He didn’t want his parents to know about the scarecrow, but Elizabeth had already seen it. He’s afraid of Jason

On the phone, Sonny says to tell him when it’s done. Jason joins him again. Sonny asks how Sam is doing concerning Julian. Jason says she’s worried about Alexis. He says Julian is going away for a long time, and Sonny toasts to the legal system. Ha-ha!

Carly and Jax get home. She says she can’t believe Sonny did that. She says it’s a cheap shot just after Jax’s mother died. She understands there’s no love lost between them, but he didn’t think about anyone else. Jax says he did what he did, and the only reason he’s not in jail is because of Nelle. As far as fallout goes, it’s minor. He points out no charges were filed, and their daughter is alive and well. Carly tells him he’s right. She apologizes to him. She says the whole mess with Sonny is because he was lashing out at her. She asks if there’s anything she can do for him, and he says there is something.

Nelle is waiting for the ferry, and Michael sees her. He asks why she didn’t tell him at the station. She didn’t see the point, since he’d already made up his mind about her. He thanks her for not having Jax prosecuted, and says he’s sorry he misjudged her.

Samira asks if Monica has daughters. Monica says she had two, but they’re no longer with her. She says she’s going to find a way to get Samira out of the country with the painting.

Finn tells Tracy that he’ll do it, but if he loses his medical license or Hayden – explaining that he’s already lost her, but if he gets her back and loses her again – he’s going to be very, very angry for a long, long, long time.

Franco tells Elizabeth that this is real. For some reason, Jake doesn’t want Jason to see the scarecrow. She says Jason is a good father – kind, patient, and devoted. Whatever Jake is feeling isn’t true. Franco says that it is for him, and it’s keeping him from saying what happened on the island.

Sonny babbles about pouring his heart out to Carly, and Jax coming downstairs buttoning up his shirt. He says Jax needs to stay out of it. He needs to get out of the country. Yep. I just put two and two together. Phone call needing a favor + Sonny’s animosity toward Jax.

Michael tells Nelle that he was wrong to think the worst. She asks if he’s always been this fair, and wishes she could think that clearly. A seagull poops on her (I’m not kidding), and Michael helps clean it off, saying it’s good luck. She says she’ll take what she can get. The ferry comes, and they wish each other a good day. I wonder why it’s not nighttime already. Longest. Day. Ever.

Jax wants to go snow camping. Carly says cozy is the snow being outside. He tells her that they’re going to forage for twigs and berries, and she says that’s not happening. He says she’d probably be the one to fight off a bear and survive, and we all think about Erica Kane. The doorbell rings, and Officer Stick-in-the-Mud asks for Jax. He wants Jax to come with him immediately. Honestly, I don’t think this is how any of that works.

Tomorrow, Julian wants a favor from Ava, the immigration officer tells Jax that he’s no longer welcome in this country, and Sam asks Alexis what happened between her and Julian.

🍣 Tonight, on MasterChef Junior, Chef Edward Lee was a guest judge. He rocks! I was also impressed with his rodeo-style shirt. The first challenge was for the contestants to make a dish inspired by their families. The presentations alone were enough to make the average cook hang up their spatula. Next was replicating a sushi platter. Not like Captain Picard replicates things; they actually had to put it together. Presentation here went from “a nightmare on a plate” to Chef Lee being astounded that a thirteen and eleven-year-old could create such amazing sushi. It’s okay, kids who went home, even though your sushi platter was a mess, I couldn’t have even gotten the rice to stick together. Next time the thrills and spills from past seasons, along with, where are they now?

🍤 The f Word starts on May 31st.

👌 I’m With Her

If people had lives, they wouldn’t have so much time to spend being nasty on the internet. – Judge Judy (I’m paraphrasing, but that’s pretty much what she said.)

Apr14

April 13, 2017 – Charlotte Visits Lulu, Survivor Outs a Contestant, the Kids Wellington Some Beef & a Random Thought

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Brad tells Monica the hospital is leaving itself open to a lawsuit because of an impaired doctor.

Hayden brings Finn a fresh shirt. He wants to talk to Monica about going to rehab.

Ned asks Olivia if she’s ready for a surprise. He told his mother they were engaged, and she said she’s happy for them. Olivia wasn’t expecting that, and Ned says he thinks she’s being genuine. Olivia says their most challenging test is still ahead of them.

Lulu lets Rocco go on a playdate, so as not to overwhelm Charlotte. She has scones, toys,  and arts and crafts. She tells Dante she feels like she’s forgetting something, and he suggests breathing. She’s sure Valentin will screw things up.

Nina tells Valentin that she believes him about everything, but when it comes to Anna he sees what he wants to see. Anna listens in on their conversation. Valentin says he doesn’t trust Anna. She’s part of his past and he can’t change that, but his priority is his family, namely her and Charlotte. He says the social worker is coming to pick up Charlotte, so she has to get ready. Nina notices his new watch, and asks where he got it.

Ned tells Olivia whatever she wants to do in planning the wedding is up to her. She says she was talking about her son, and she doesn’t mean Leo. I had to think about that for a minute.

Lulu goes on to Dante about how Valentin will probably sabotage all their visits. Dante says telling her not to worry would make him feel like a hypocrite. She’s relieved to know she’s not scared by herself. She suggests they put her nervous energy to good use. They kiss.

Anna talks to herself, saying that Valentin doesn’t want his wife to know he gave her the watch. Valentin tells Nina that he bought it himself. He apologizes for not talking to her about Anna. He says he should have been straight with her the way she always is with him. She tells him that she went to see Anna. Anna laughs to herself, remembering slamming Nina’s head on the desk, and I’m disliking her more every second. Her doorbell rings. It’s Andre.

Hayden tells Finn that she’s the money person, and even she thinks Monica is reasonable. With him, she’ll be talking to another doctor. Finn tells her he appreciates the pep talk, but has to face the reality that this could hurt his career. She says the hospital wouldn’t be open if not for him, and if Monica doesn’t factor that in, she doesn’t deserve him.

Finn sees Brad come out of Monica’s office. Monica tells him to come in. She says she wants a private conversation.

Hayden sees Brad and tells him he got his request for lab equipment. He says she can find the money for that, but not the people who operate it. He gripes about not getting a raise, and she says he wasn’t singled out. He says maybe if a hotshot doctor got fired, there would be more money, and it couldn’t be happening to a more deserving jerk.

Monica tells Finn that she just had a difficult conversation with Brad. He asks if his name came up. She says she doesn’t give credence to gossip. Finn says his decision to confess is probably too late, and he should have come to her sooner. He tells her that he’s an addict.

Anna apologizes for not picking up Andre’s call. He says he’ll come back, but she says she can take a break.

Valentin doesn’t suggest provoking Anna, since she’s a trained agent. Nina says she made it clear that Anna should keep her hands off her man. Charlotte comes in, whining that she doesn’t want to go on the visit.

Lulu tells Dante that the deck is stacked against them, but they’ll make it through it. Dante asks if she wants him to stay, but she tells him next time.

Charlotte says she’s busy having a bear tea party. Nina says she’s going to have her own tea party with her pony friends. She tells Charlotte that it will take her a while to prepare, but by the time she comes back, it will be ready. Valentin talks to Charlotte in French, and she goes with the case worker. Damn. I’d rather live with them than Lulu.

Ned doesn’t think Dante is going to have a problem with them getting married. Olivia says he’s protective, and Ned asks if he’s a momma’s boy. She says he has high standards, and Ned says too bad he didn’t talk to him first. Olivia says it might take time, but he’ll come around. No time like the present, since Dante appears.

Hayden asks Brad who’s getting fired. He tells her that the odds of a two-income household in her future are slim.

Finn explains everything to Monica. He says he intended to quit when he was cured. He tried, but was dependent. She says she had no idea, but she’s glad he came to her. He’s surprised that Brad didn’t say something, but she says she doesn’t go on what Brad has to say. Finn says that he thought he could detox himself – not one of his better ideas. He tells her about trying to score at the docks, and that he took meds from the hospital on one occasion. His patients never suffered, but that had more to do with his dumb luck. He knows he’s in no position to ask, but wonders if he’s out of a job. She says that’s the least of his problems.

Lulu greets Charlotte. Mrs. Watkins tells Lulu to pretend she’s not there. Lulu suggests they check out the playroom, but Charlotte says no thanks. Lulu moves on to the swing-set, but Charlotte doesn’t like swings. Lulu says they can do whatever she wants. What Charlotte wants is to go home.

Nina asks if Valentin wants to talk about Anna, and understands if he’s angry that she went to see her. He says he wonders if Anna legitimately wants peace, but it doesn’t matter; there’s not much she can do to him.

Anna tells Andre that she was listening to Mozart on the computer, and asks if something is troubling him. He says he bumped into Jordan with Curtis, and he’s not sure if it hurt more because he misses her or because he knows that she really wanted someone else. Anna suggests time and comfort food will be the cure. She asks if he wants some tea. She goes to the kitchen, and he listens on the earbuds. She comes back in, and he looks at her like she has two heads.

Anna asks what he thinks he’s doing, and Andre tells her that he thought it was Mozart. He says he’s not familiar with that requiem. He says instead he heard a private conversation between Valentin and Nina. He asks what she’s doing, and she says going on the defensive. She’s taking Valentin down.

Nina and Valentin play backgammon. He says she hates the game, and she says he hates losing the game. He’s worried about Charlotte, but Nina says Lulu isn’t going to do anything stupid with the case worker there. She tells him he’s not in it alone.

Charlotte tells Mrs. Watkins she wants to go home and doesn’t like it there. Lulu engages her, and they get in a conversation about scones. Lulu says she wants to make them for a party, but needs a mixer. Charlotte says she’ll do it if she can come to the party. That was quick, and I find it doubtful that Charlotte would have warmed up over making scones.

Brad tells Hayden that he told Monica about Finn’s addiction. He says Monica seemed surprised, but Hayden doesn’t. He asks how many millions in lawsuits she’s risked.

Monica tells Finn that dealing with his addiction has to be his first and only priority. He says he’s been looking at rehabs. She tells him to go today. Humble himself and seek help; he can’t do it alone. He says you’d think a doctor would know that already. She tells him that doctors are the worst addicts, because they think they’re above he rules since they create them. She says that she’s been sober since 2008, and. when he comes back, she’ll tell him all about it. She survived rehab; he can too. He asks if he’ll still be a doctor after he does.

Olivia wonders why Dante isn’t at the visit, and he explains they thought it might be too overwhelming for Charlotte. He notices her ring, and Ned tells him that he proposed. He asks if it’s a problem because Olivia didn’t think it would be an easy sell. Dante wonders what she told him. Olivia says she’s always relied on Dante, and now she’ll be relying on someone else. Dante says he just wants what’s best for her. Olivia says Ned is best for her. She knows he worries about her, and now he doesn’t have to. He says he’ll still worry, but it’s nice to know he won’t be the only one.

Monica says she’ll stop by for support once Finn has started his program. Hayden catches Finn before he leaves, and tells him that Brad knows everything. He says he should have given her credit for caring. He explains that he’ll have to go before a review board when he’s done with rehab, and if they approve, she’ll have him back. Hayden says it’s a start. He tells her that he only has one unresolved situation – what happens between them?Brad overhears, and shakes his head. Foiled again!

Lulu pretends to find an Easter egg, and tells Charlotte the Easter Bunny must have come early. They find a few more eggs, and she talks Charlotte into an Easter egg hunt. They go outside.

Valentin is worried, since Mrs. Watkins hasn’t called. I had to laugh at myself when Mrs. Watkins came to pick up Charlotte. Call me name-judgmental, but in my mind, the name implied a lady who looked like an old-fashioned grandma, and she’s nothing of the kind. She’s young and fashionable. Nina says Lulu never bothered to find out what kinds of things Charlotte likes, so as a responsible parent, Valentin should go over there and give her the information. That sounds like a terrible idea.

Andre says Anna is being aggressive. She says she’s learned there’s more to it. She pieced together the story with a WSB expert. Andre feels inadequate, since their sessions were thorough, but Anna says it was buried so deep, it took a lot to dredge it up. She says Valentin is a criminal, and she has to bring him to justice. Andre asks how she’s going to do that.

Brad accosts Monica. She says GH doesn’t show a staff member to the door because they’re ill, and they have a holistic policy if there’s a chemical dependency involved. She explains that a board will ultimately decide. Brad is livid that Finn isn’t losing his license. She tells him that all humans are flawed, and says that Finn’s research brought in the money to save the hospital. Crying before he’s hurt, Brad whines that Finn took all the credit, but Monica says he made it clear that Brad’s input was invaluable. She thanks him for his concern, and thinks that’s why Finn opened up. Brad might have saved his career, and even his life. I laugh as she shows Brad to the door. Foiled once more, but with kudos.

Finn tells Hayden that he doesn’t know how rehab will go. He doesn’t even remember how he is off of drugs. She might not like him sober. Hayden says get healthy, and deal with the rest later.

Olivia is shocked that Dante is giving his blessing to her marriage. Dante says they already talked; Ned wondered why she had turned him down. Dante says Ned is deserving of her, and welcomes him to the family.

Nina messes around with her collection of plush ponies. She looks at the note again. Then throws it out. She looks into the garbage can and reaches back in.

Anna tells Andre that if she wanted to kill Valentin, he’d be dead. He has to pay for his crimes legally. Andre asks how. She says she gets his version of the events, and can use it to get close to him. Lolling him into a false sense of security, and getting a confession. Andre says she’s playing a dangerous game. Anna says it’s her job, and she’s told him too much already. She doesn’t want him involved. If Valentin sees through her, he’ll retaliate, and she doesn’t want Andre to get hurt. She tells him not to tell anyone, and makes him promise.

Charlotte and Lulu come in talking about the bunnies they saw outside. Valentin arrives.

Nina sees the watch box. She puts to and two together. She reads from the note, saying, time heals all wounds. Good episode.

Tomorrow, Jason talks to Alexis, Dante asks about Morgan’s pills, Nelle wants to talk to Carly, and Sonny wants to kill someone.

🌴 Re the Survivor outing debacle. Unless you live on the moon, by now you’ve heard about the outing of transgender Zeke Smith by Jeff Varner during tribal council. While personally, I file this under who cares? I can’t believe that I haven’t seen one person propose that this might have been a set up for an old, tired show that should have been canceled years ago. First of all, none of that needed to be aired. Take it from me, I’ve been on a reality show myself, and editing is freaking magic. Secondly, Jeff Probst knew that Smith was a transgender. Apparently, so did half of the internet. In nosing around, trying to find out how Varner knew, I got no definitive answer, but took note of the fact that this has been an online topic of conversation for a loooong time. Funny how suddenly, this worn-out program that hasn’t been relevant for a while, is a topic of conversation everywhere, and is now current. It’s common knowledge that Survivor manipulates its contestants. (At one point, I was nearly convinced that Probst was the Antichrist.) At the end of the day, this seems as though it will be a win for everyone except Varner. Just sayin’.

👶 Will someone please give the father of the “Cash Me Outside” brat custody of her, before she ends up dead in an alleyway somewhere? I don’t have kids, nor do I fawn over those who aren’t in my life, but the attention that she’s getting for bad behavior, is disturbing even to me. She is not going down a good path, and she’s only 13 years old.

🍜 Tonight, the MasterChef Junior kids split into teams and created gingerbread houses. I can’t even make a house of cards using graham crackers. Gordon and Christina dressed like Will Ferrell in Elf, and a live gingerbread man (chef Aarón Sánchez) joined the group. The kids got sprayed with icing, and a good time was had by all. The babes in cookland also made a holiday dinner using Beef Wellington as the entrée. One little girl said she’d never cooked it before, so she hoped it was “cooked with a miracle.” Honey, that’s how I always cook. Unfortunately, there was no miracle for her, and she and another kid had to go home. But I hope they take heed in what Gordon said, that they’re moving on to another chapter. Chef Sánchez also offered one of them a job, making a ten-year-old further along in his career than most adults I know. Next time, they’re down to eight and some sushi happens.

 

 

Apr7

April 6, 2017 – Nelle and Anna Know It All, Potomac Movers and Shakers & a Coupla Macaroons

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Kiki wonders why Ava isn’t ready for their mani/pedi. Ava explains she’s still shaken up from the robbery. Kiki asks some questions, and Ava fills her in. Ava says they took something she doesn’t want anyone else to have.

Dante looks at the evidence bag with the pills in it.

Anna tells Valentin that they’re tryst meant something to her, like it did to him. She apologizes and takes his hand. She says she’s given him a lot to digest, so she’ll go. He asks her to wait.

Lulu is getting ready for her visit with Charlotte. She’s on the phone with the case worker, who obviously has some bad news, and gets cut off. Griff comes by, and she says Valentin is sabotaging her visit with her daughter.

Carly tells Bobbie she’s had so much bad news, she needs to process it. Bobbie asks if she wants company, and Carly says she does. She tells Bobbie that Jax is in town, and that Lady Jane passed away. Even worse, he’s the one who paid for the kidney. Geez, she barely took a breath in between those news gems.

Nelle meets with Jax at Perks. He says she’s wrong about Carly. He says she never contacted Nelle’s father about finding a kidney for Josslyn. He did.

Valentin says that Anna can’t just walk out like there’s nothing more to say. Anna says he must be furious, but at least he knows she wasn’t just stringing him along. She says he believes it was just manipulation on her part, but she knows it wasn’t, and doesn’t know how to convince him. She wonders what he wants from her, but he doesn’t know.

Lulu tells Griff the visit was postponed until tomorrow. He asks why, and she says the case worker practically hung up on her. She’s convinced Valentin is behind it. Griff says Valentin loves to play games, and Lulu thanks him for his support. Griff tells her that Valentin is dangerous (like she didn’t know), and he doesn’t believe Claudette committed suicide. Lulu says no man who could shoot Nicholas point blank should be a father. She runs off, and Griff tells her not to do anything stupid, which is like telling fire not to burn.

Michael meets Sonny, and tells him about Lady Jane. Sonny asks if Josslyn knows what happened with Nelle, and Michael says yes. Sonny wants to see her, but Michael doesn’t think it’s a good idea, since she’s hoping he and Carly get a divorce. Sonny says she might get her wish.

Bobbie can’t believe Jax never told Carly about the kidney. Carly says she’s disappointed, but doesn’t want to be a hypocrite – she would have done anything to save Josslyn, and a part of her feels grateful.

Jax tells Nelle that he thought because Frank had connections, he could help, but never knew he was going to use his own daughter. Nelle is like, did you think he was going to ask random strangers? Jax says he was desperate, and didn’t ask too many questions. He tells Nelle how sorry he is. He hopes she realizes she should be angry with him and not Carly. She tells him to stop lying for Carly.

Kiki asks Ava what was so important, and Ava says they took her charm bracelet. Kiki tells her that she’ll get it back. Ava says she just doesn’t like being without it, and sometimes evidence gets lost. She says she won’t relax until she gets it back, and Kiki says she’ll wait it out with her and go along to the station.

Dante meets with one of the perps who robbed The Floating Rib and his lawyer. He shows him the pills, and asks where the guy got them from.

Sonny tells Michael about he and Carly being asked to be Scout’s godparents. He says they agreed, but Carly made it clear that she wants to end the marriage. Michael says he wants to check in on her. Sonny knows how he must feel. Michael doesn’t like it, but he loves them, and will support them no matter what.

Michael leaves, and Griff sees Sonny. He says Sonny looks like he needs someone to talk to. Sonny tells him that it didn’t go well with Carly. He doesn’t want to get into it, and Griff says he’ll keep Sonny in his prayers. Sonny says he’s not sure prayer is going to be enough.

Bobbie asks Carly if it changes how she feels about Nelle. Carly says Frank selling a piece of his daughter is a terrible thing, but it doesn’t give her pass. Carly says she played the perfect part, slept with Sonny, and waited for the perfect moment to blow up everyone’s lives. She’ll never forgive her for that.

Nelle thinks Jax is lying. He says when he first met her, he thought maybe she knew his part in finding the kidney, and then realized she didn’t. He asks if she didn’t notice how his attitude changed toward her, when Carly was welcoming from the start because she didn’t know anything. Nelle says her father told her what happened, but Jax says that he can prove that Frank was lying.

Anna says perhaps she and Valentin could give each other another chance, so they don’t have to be enemies moving forward. Someone bangs on the door. Lulu bursts in, saying that Valentin’s little game isn’t working. She asks if Anna is there to arrest him, and says he’s not screwing up her relationship with her daughter.

Ava asks what Kiki’s news is, and Kiki tells her about registering for nurse’s aide classes. Ava says it’s a step up from the MetroCort. Kiki says she likes feeling like she’s helping people, and Ava says they’re lucky to have her. Kiki tells Ava that she’s learning a lot in the psyche ward, and is hoping to work there permanently. Ava says she doesn’t remember Kiki being interested in that, and Kiki says she is now. She wants to understand what happened to Morgan.

The perp wonders why Dante is asking about the pills, and says they’re not his drugs. Dante says they were his brother’s, and there’s no reason the pills should be there. He wants to know how they ended up with the other stuff. Dante tells him that this is his chance to make a difference, and maybe a difference with the judge. He asks who the pills came from. Like the perp took attendance. What is amusing though, is that Ava was the only one asked for her name.

Before Griff moves on, Sonny suggests that he say twenty prayers. Sonny is about to leave, when Bobbie comes in. He says he knows what she’s thinking, but she says she doesn’t. She knows he loves his kids and Carly, but every time, Carly ends up being the one who gets hurt.

Michael visits Carly. She thanks him for being there for Josslyn. Michael tells her about running into Sonny. He asks if they’re getting a divorce. Carly says she can’t think about it right now. She and Jax have been discussing something important about Nelle.

Jax shows Nelle a copy of the cashed check. He says Frank insisted on a personal check; he probably wanted to use it for blackmail later. He explains that Carly thought the kidney came from Jake. Nelle insists that her father never saw any check. Jax shows her the copy on his phone. I have to agree with Nelle here that this would be an easy thing to fake. I don’t see how showing her a picture of a signature would be enough to convince her of anything.

Sonny tells Bobbie that in his defense, he was grieving, but he never wanted any of this to happen. Bobbie says she understands more than he realizes, and grief takes away the ability to reason. What she doesn’t understand is why he didn’t warn Carly. He says he wishes he had, and she says her too.

Ava suggests pediatrics, but Kiki wants to understand how Morgan spun out of control so badly. It’s a place to start, and she wants to help. It’s also about doing something worthwhile. Ava wants to see her continue to move forward, but Kiki says everything she learns makes it more puzzling. She spoke to a doctor who was struck by how fast it happened. Morgan’s moods went out of control within weeks. She wonders how his medication quit so completely and quickly. Ava tells her she’s not going to get an answer.

The perp says he doesn’t talk to cops. Dante asks if he’s going to throw away his chance. The lawyer says only the DA can make that call. The perp says he’s no snitch and he’s not helping. Dante tells him good luck with prison. He gives the pills to an officer to get prints and DNA.

Sonny gets a text and jets out of Kelly’s.

Lulu insists that Valentin is playing games with her visitation. Anna says he knows where to find her, and gets the hell out of there. Valentin doesn’t know what Lulu is talking about. Lulu says the visit was canceled, and he says this is the first he’s hearing about it. He looks at his phone, and says Mrs. Watkins had a family emergency. Lulu says he could have created the emergency. He tells her that she’s so self-centered and entitled, he doesn’t need to cause a problem for her. Lulu says maybe he did it, maybe not, but he kept Charlotte from her for years and no child is safe with him. She will get custody. He tells her to that it’s the same, tired argument, and asks what if they talk about something different, like Nelle? Lulu is the worst. She’s actually the one I think shouldn’t be around children. I’m also finding it hard to believe that visitation would be canceled because the case worker had an emergency, but it is Port Charles.

Nelle tells Jax that after the surgery when she was sick, Frank said he was waiting for the money and everything would be okay. She would be able to go to the school she wanted to. Then he disappeared for a few weeks, telling her that he had a great opportunity he had to take. When he came back, he said Carly never paid him, and it was an illegal transaction, so there was nothing he could do about it. She wanted to call Carly herself, so she found his address book. That’s when she saw it. She suddenly sits down, saying omg.

Valentin says he understands that Lulu introduced herself to Nelle, and that Nelle knows now that Lulu is trying to take Charlotte away from him. Lulu says the truth will come out to the court. Except for Nina, everyone in town hates him. Lulu says that Anna knows what he’s about, and Valentin says she’d be surprised what Anna knows.

Anna runs into Griff. He asks if everything is okay; he knows that she was searching for answers. She says she found them. It turns out she did do all the things that Valentin accused her of.

Michael says that Nelle’s story was true, except it was Jax, not Carly, but Carly says it’s not that simple. She understands how Frank’s lying could affect have affected Nelle, but she got twisted with revenge. Knowing Carly should have changed her opinion. She ruined all their lives, and Carly can’t get past Nelle using Morgan’s death to manipulate her. Everyone is sounding a bit entitled today.

Nelle says she believes Jax. Jax wants to make it right, but she wants to be left alone. He gives her his card, and tells her to call him. When she’s alone, Nelle says she did what her father wanted. She made Carly suffer. She made Carly hurt and hate her forever, and it was all a lie. Tears roll down her cheeks.

Kiki says she can’t forget about Morgan, and of course has questions. She asks why Ava is so upset, and Ava says she just wants what’s best for her. Kiki says working in the psyche ward is best. Ava gets a text to come to the station and identify her belongings. She tells Kiki to go to the salon without her; it’s going to be a non-event. She apologizes for snapping at Kiki. Kiki says she needs closure about Morgan.

Sonny goes to the station. Dante says it could be nothing, but something strange turned up in the robbery evidence – Morgan’s prescription bottle.

Anna tells Griff that it’s a long story, and she’ll tell him later. He says he’ll see her at her appointment tomorrow. They hug.

Valentin tells Lulu that if she has any future problems, to contact child services. When she gets outside, Lulu says it sounds like Nelle could be on her side. Although I’m not sure how she would get that from the conversation. Oh, maybe it’s that self-centered, entitled thing again.

Valentin recalls what Anna said and how she took his hand. Please, no.

Michael sees Nelle on the bench, crying.

Jax tells Carly that he told Nelle everything. He says she didn’t want to believe it at first, but something clicked. She had memories she didn’t want to share, but it hit her hard when she realized she’d been lied to her entire life. He asks if it changes the way Carly feels about Nelle, and Carly says not at all. He asks if it changes how she feels about him.

Sonny tells Dante that he’ll get the name of whoever had the pills. Dante tells him not to get involved. He’s having them analyzed for DNA and prints. Ava overhears.

Tomorrow, Jax asks Carly’s forgiveness, Michael tells Nelle that she can’t take it back, and Elizabeth asks Franco if he’s lying.

🏛 Trying to catch up with The Real Housewives of Potomac, and caught tonight’s rerun encore performance. The highlights were Ashley winning a dance contest for charity – or as Karen put it, “humping for a cause.” Apparently, Ashley has grown on Karen, which compels me to tell Ashley to run. Robyn and her ex main squeeze ex-husband guy she divorced, but is living with, have downsized, and now (horrors!) own a townhouse. Karen is also in the market for a new home – she wants us to know she’s “resizing, not downsizing” – and I thank God, my lucky stars, and the heavens that I’m not her realtor. The looks on the real estate agents’ faces as they show houses to her are priceless, and alone worth watching for.  (Yes, I know that was a grammatically terrible sentence – and I was an English major.)

🍰 Tonight, the kids on MasterChef Junior were mastering macaroons. Every single cookie looked fabulous, but unfortunately the pink lemonade ones – which sounded heavenly – were overcooked and crumbly. One boy attempted maple bacon macaroons, but I probably don’t have to tell you how that turned out. He definitely gets props for being bold though.

gordonramsay

Mar31

March 30, 2017 – Nina Says the Magic Words, Two Junior Chefs Return & Landon is Still an Idiot

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Tracy tells Laura that while she’s looking for the painting, Laura can check out her old stomping grounds in Turkey and eat baklava. Plus, it will give Doc a chance to miss her. Laura says sorry, but she’s not going to Turkey.

Curtis’s phone rings. It’s Jason. He says he needs help; it’s about Jake. He says he’ll explain later, and asks if Curtis is in. Curtis says he is. They make plans to meet in the morning.

Sam tells Jason they should relax; she thinks lightening is about to strike. Jason says he thinks Jake could be in some real trouble.

Elizabeth leaves a message for Franco. She didn’t like how they left things, and asks him to call her back. She adds, please don’t do anything crazy.

Nina sees Franco in the foyer and asks who let him in. Franco says the butler did it. He has a wedding gift.

One of the gunmen at The Floating Rib shakes everyone down for their phones. No sudden moves; hands visible. He tells Ava that she’s beautiful and grabs her. She tells him not to hurt her; she has children. He says he doesn’t give a crap. One wrong move, and he blows her away.

Curtis tells Jordan that he’d rather be kissing her openly in public, and they’ve earned it. She says it’s been a long and winding road. Okay, Paul McCartney. He asks if they’re there yet, and she says depends on the destination. They kiss. Publicly.

Jason tells Sam about the drawings. He says that Elizabeth found a scarecrow drawn in the blank space. Jake claims to have no idea where it came from, but according to Franco, it’s definitely Jake’s work. Sam wonders why this happened, since Jake seemed to be doing well. Jason tells her that because of everything she went through, Jake thinks Helena’s curse is at work.

Kiki is volunteering at the hospital and runs into Elizabeth. Kiki tells her that she’s thinking of becoming a nurse’s aide. She’s working the psyche ward. She promised that when Morgan died, she’d do something to honor him and get over her grief. Elizabeth adds, and her guilt. Kiki asks if Elizabeth has spoken to Franco recently; she’s worried about him.

Franco tells Nina it will only take a second. She unwraps the package. It’s a home brewing kit. He says now she can make her own in the privacy of her mausoleum. She tells him she already has one, but it’s good to have a spare.

The gunman says all valuables in the bag, including gum and candy. Is he five? Olivia-F tells him he’s going to get laughed out of the pawn shop with her jewelry. Ava and Lucy empty their bags, and the gunman sees the sculpture and bottle of pills saying what do we have here? Ava flashes back to switching the pills. This is actually a win for her if he steals them.

Tracy wonders why Laura won’t help her. She says she’s being swindled; she’s not looking for a girl’s trip. She tells Laura that it’s about her father and his painting, and Larry wants half the value. She says she’s going to Turkey regardless, but Laura still says no; she has a life. Tracy says Doc will be fine, but Laura says she’s not comfortable leaving Lulu. The custody hearing was a nightmare, and she can’t believe a snake like that is raising a child. Laura says she’s going to rectify it. Tracy asks how.

Jordan asks Curtis if it was worth the wait, and he tells her that it was. He thanks her for dinner, and has no complaints. Except one – the night is coming to an end.

The gunman has Lucy help fill the bag. He tells her to leave out the sculpture because it’s ugly. Lucy puts the pills in the bag. The gunman near Ned and Olivia-F’s table tells them that he’s not blind, and to put the ring in the bag.

Kiki hates seeing Franco being quiet. Elizabeth says she does too, and he’s not returning her calls. She says she had to slow things down because of Jason.

Sam says Jake wouldn’t know about the curse, but Jason says Helena might have put it in his head. Sam says she’s the opposite of cursed, and asks what she can do to help. Jason wishes he knew what’s what, and wonders if Franco is just trying to be the good guy or maybe get to him. Sam says that’s beside the point.

Nina asks Franco why he’s really there, and he says he needs to talk to someone. She thinks it’s weird, but says they can talk. He says it’s about him, Elizabeth, and her kid. Nina asks how self-centered he can be. Asking her for advice is weird enough, but it’s about being a father to Elizabeth’s child. He says sorry. She says it’s okay, and thanks him because she’s happy now. She didn’t like the way things ended, but will never regret that they did.

Jason says Franco may be the point. Sam says they can make Jake feel like he’s loved and supported. Jason says that he told Franco to back off. Sam asks how that went, and Jason says Franco took it better than Elizabeth when he said he might have to rethink their custody agreement.

Franco tells Nina about Jason. She asks is he going to miss Elizabeth or Jake? He says Jake was their connection in the beginning, but he doesn’t want to live without either one. She says don’t then, but she has no idea how.

Elizabeth tells Kiki what Jason said about Franco, and Kiki asks who is Jason to be telling her what to do? Elizabeth says Jake’s father. Kiki tells her not to let Jason come between them. She says Elizabeth has to change Jason’s mind, but Elizabeth says he doesn’t trust Franco. It doesn’t matter to him that Franco changed when the tumor was removed. Elizabeth says she loves Franco, and knows he’s a good person. She tells Kiki that Her boys are better off with him, and Kiki says it’s her life, her kids, and she gets to call the shots.

Curtis and Jordan flirt, and she suggests leaving the restaurant. Her phone rings. It’s the station. They had a call that an alarm was triggered at The Floating Rib. Curtis says it’s probably nothing.

Ava asks the gunman to let them go now. Lucy says they’ve cooperated and done whatever they’ve been told to do. Meanwhile, at Ned’s table, Olivia-F won’t give up the ring. She says it’s priceless. It was given to Ned’s grandmother by the love of her life, and now Ned wants to give it to her. It symbolizes the faith and hope to take the leap. Ned tells her that it’s not worth it.  The gunmen switch places. The guy who was holding Ava tells Olivia that his brother is nicer than he is. He cocks the gun and says to give him the ring now.

Sam asks if Jason is threatening to take Jake away, but Jason says no. He wonders how Franco is involved in his life at all. Sam says she’d love to trust that Elizabeth would never endanger her children. She thinks that in Elizabeth’s mind, she lives for her kids, but she’s dating Franco, who’s done so much damage. She loves him, and allows her children to be around him, despite what anyone else says. Jason asks if she thinks Elizabeth has a blind spot. Sam says the important thing is figuring out what’s happening with Jake, and focusing on a fight is the last thing he needs.

Elizabeth hopes that Jason calms down and realizes he’s overreacting. Kiki says what if he doesn’t, and asks if she’s going to keep Franco away. Elizabeth says they’re still together, but it’s not the right timing for him to move in. She says she’ll do anything to keep her kids with her, and Kiki asks if she’d ditch Franco if Jason insisted.

Nina tells Franco about the custody hearing. He says it must have given her experience, but Nina says it’s different, since she and Valentin are married. In the eyes of the law, Franco is nothing to Jake, but Jason has legal rights. Franco tells Nina that she’s a genius. He’ll marry Elizabeth.

Laura says that the hearing outcome was disappointing. Tracy says Lulu isn’t defeated, and Laura says she’s still not going. Tracy says Laura will just slow her down anyway, since she’ll want to smell the flowers and taste the spices. She just wants to honor her father. She says she’ll hire guards for security, but Laura says has to fit in with the culture. Someone like her could be intimidating, and Laura suggests she at least learn some Turkish. She tells Tracy that she can’t just barge into other people’s countries with an entourage. Tracy asks why not? That’s how she gets things done.

The gunman says the ring must be worth something if Olivia-F is willing to die for it. Ned tells her to give him the ring, and she says she can’t. The gunman starts to count down, and Ned moves toward him. We hear a gunshot.

Jordan enters with backup and Curtis, and the gunmen are captured. Curtis says she’s still got it. Everyone is unscathed, and Ned says her timing is impeccable. Olivia-F says that Ned could have been killed. He says he didn’t want to see her die over a stupid ring. She says Lila is the patron saint of Port Charles, and she didn’t want his hands on it. Ned says between the ring and her, he chooses her. Olivia says he almost took a bullet for her, and he says he’d do it again, but would prefer not to. He says she’s terrified of marriage, but someone waving a gun her face is no problem. She reminds him that she’s from Bensonhurst. She says she thought she lost everything. They tell each other I love you, and he says that he’s sorry about pressuring her. He doesn’t want to wreck what they have. If she’s not ready for marriage, he understands. She laughs, and wonders what she was thinking. She has to get out of her own way and stop letting her insecurities call the shots instead of her heart. She talks about him being father figure to Leo. She says he can back off, but now she’s coming for him. She asks him to marry her. He says no. Just kidding. He says nothing would make him prouder or happier. She says she’s marrying a rock star.

Lucy blathers on, and Jordan says the gunmen are going away for a long time. Ava says she just wants to get her stuff, and moves toward the bag, but Jordan says that’s not possible.

Kiki tells Elizabeth that she has a chance at an amazing life, and not to let Jason take it away. He’s not the only one who deserves to be happy.

Nina hustles Franco toward the door, saying marrying Elizabeth will solve all his problems, and marriage is great. He thanks her for talking.

Jason tells Sam that maybe they can figure out how to handle things without Jake reliving it in some stranger’s office. Sam says a therapist isn’t a threat, and sometimes talking to a stranger is a good thing. She tells him not to worry; they’ll fix it. Jason says that Curtis is starting in morning, and Sam says that gives them time to come up with game plan, but Jason says he’s already started.

Laura tells Tracy, fine, she’ll go. Tracy says no, she’ll do it herself, and Laura calls her impossible. She says she’ll go for Edward’s sake. But that’s not the only reason, and Tracy isn’t the only one who’s grateful.

Jordan says everything in the bag is evidence and Ava will get it back later. On the side, Lucy says too bad for Ava, but not for her, and reaches for the sculpture. Ava says no pills, no statue. Lucy says she held up her end of the bargain. Ava says the pills are on the way to the station, and Lucy says that’s not her problem.

Jordan wonders if Curtis might have second thoughts about the PCPD, but he doesn’t. She has to get back to work, and he says when they finally get together, it’s going to be epic. She tells him that he has no idea.

Kiki tells Elizabeth to call Franco and tell him that she’s wrong. If Jason tries anything, she should fight for her kids – and Franco. Kiki goes back to work, and Franco arrives. He says he has to ask Elizabeth a question. He gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him.

Jason shows up at Windemere. He tells Nina that he needs to speak to Valentin. It’s about his son.

On Monday, Lulu sucks up to Nelle, Laura tells Lulu she’s going to Turkey, and Jason asks Valentin for a favor.

🍜 In similar fashion to Top Chef‘s Last Chance Kitchen, two contestants were brought back to MasterChef Junior. The kids had to butcher a chicken (no, not all that – they basically had to separate the pieces of a whole one) – one more thing I would have stunk at – and the challenge winner decided who got what piece to cook with. The giblets were not a favorite. I love how the kids seem to actually forget that they’re in a competition and root hard for one another. In his parting interview, one contestant told us that he wanted to grow-up to be a cross between Justin Bieber and Gordon Ramsay. I don’t know about that, but I wouldn’t mind having their combined bank accounts. Next time, the kids will be cooking for the Boy Scouts in the great outdoors.

🍸 I’ve been watching the last Southern Charm reunion in preparation for the new season. I’d forgotten how awful Landon is. Seriously, there’s something wrong with her. Except for her earrings. Those are perfect. One of the highlights to look forward to, is an Indian psychic healer who tells the group that Landon is Thomas’s soulmate. I’d say that’s right on the money, since neither one of them have one.

Mar17

March 16, 2017 – Judge Rawles Makes a Decision, Underage Cooks & Random Thoughts

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

I came in a wee bit late. Valentin takes Charlotte in to the psyche interview.

Alexis tells Sam about what happened with Julian. She says she ran into the woods and kept running, fully expecting a bullet in the back. Sam says she’s sorry, and suggests Alexis see a doctor, but Alexis says she doesn’t need one. She tells Sam that Julian saved her life.

Franco wants to start art therapy with Jake. Elizabeth says that when Jake opens up, Franco will be the one he’ll talk to. She says her blood ran cold when he said the ending line from the book he never saw. Jake comes downstairs, and Elizabeth leaves for work. Franco tells Jake he has some ideas for the day.

Lulu is nervous about the interview. Dante doesn’t want her to get her hopes up, but Laura thinks it can’t hurt for her to be optimistic. Laura tells Dante she asked Doc for his honest opinion, and he said it could go either way. She’s worried about what Lulu might do if she doesn’t get custody.

Valentin thanks Nina for reassuring Charlotte and speaking up for him. He asks how things are going at the MetroCourt, but she’s been staying with Nathan. She says she never questioned that Charlotte belongs with him. Valentin asks if she does. She says he’s always made her feel loved and appreciated, but also insecure and jealous. He says that was never his intention. She says it brings back the past men in her life and diminishes her. Valentin says everything with Anna is in the past. Nina says she’s going to believe him and be his wife, and they’ll raise Charlotte together. She’s willing to forget about the business with Anna if he is. He says from now on he’s focusing on the life that brought her to him. The others arrive for the hearing.

At the hospital, Elizabeth says it’s nice to see Griff in one piece. He says considering what happened, he couldn’t be better. Elizabeth is concerned about getting Jake’s cold. Griff sneezes and says it’s just allergies.

Sam understands the impulse to be grateful, but tells Alexis that her life wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place if it wasn’t for Julian. Instead of turning Olivia-J in, he allowed her to pretend to be Alexis’s AA sponsor. Because of him, Sam and baby Emily almost died. She’s glad he’s gone, and Alexis chastises her for speaking that way about her father.

The judge is late, and Valentin asks Nora if it means anything. Nora says it means the line was long for the coffee kiosk, and doesn’t think he has anything to worry about. Diane tells Lulu and Dante that if and when the judge rules in their favor, they have to make it stick. Judge Lou Rawles comes to the bench. The psychiatrist is ready to give the evaluation and recommendation for custody. Andre walks in. Whoa, wait. Isn’t there a conflict of interest somewhere with him?

Elizabeth tells Griff his throat is red. He says he doesn’t get sick, and she says doctors and nurses make the worst patients. She thinks he should go home. She says he proved himself by staying with his patient during the bomb scare.

Franco tells Jake they’re going to draw stories about the time before they knew each other. He says they’re going to draw every idea they had from the time they were babies until now. They race to the paper. I love Roger Howarth with kids. They en garde with the paper rolls.

Alexis says that she didn’t mean to snap at Sam. Sam says that Alexis scared her a little bit. She thinks Alexis has softened toward Julian, and him helping her get sober made her backslide in other ways. She’s making excuses now, so how long before she rationalizes? Alexis wants there to be an explanation, and Alexis says maybe there is. She remembers the letter and says it’s time to open it.

Andre says that Charlotte is bright, inquisitive, and well-adjusted, and has shown no problem despite all the upheaval. She was dealing with the loss of her mother, when Lulu caused her to cling to Valentin and reject her. He thinks to encourage the rejection won’t serve her when she gets older; she’ll feel cheated, unless she’s provided with the opportunity to see her mother, and would benefit from developing a relationship. The judge asks about the effect of her father. Andre says she loves him very much. He’s been the only constant in her life, and she relies on him for a sense of well-being and stability. Andre is convinced if she’s removed, it would further traumatize her, and her best interest is to remain in Valentin’s custody.

Sam asks if Alexis thinks the letter is going to reveal any excuse for what Julian has done. Alexis says that Sam saw how deranged Olivia-J was. Sam gets that Alexis is thankful she’s alive, but how many ways does Julian have to hurt her? Alexis asks if Sam doesn’t want to know if he was being threatened, but Sam doesn’t want to know why he did things; that he did them is all that matters.

Franco and Jake draw their favorite foods from when they were four-years-old. Of course Franco’s is weird – a pickle and peanut butter sandwich. Franco asks Jake what his favorite thing to do was when he was four. Jake says going on a big slide. Franco tells him to draw it, and asks if he still liked it after he was four. He says, sometimes.

Griff tells Elizabeth that maybe he is a little rundown. They talk about Marisol, and how relieved her parents were that Griff stayed with her. Griff says it must have been awful when Elizabeth thought Jake was dead, and she tells him about the woes of being a single parent. She looks at the thermometer, and Griff’s temperature is 101.2. She tells him to go home.

Andre’s professional recommendation is that Charlotte stay with Valentin, but she would benefit greatly from a relationship with Lulu. He recommends supervised visits in an environment where she feels safe, allowing her to form a connection, without thinking it will affect the bond with her father. The judge wants to take a recess so she can consider the testimony.

Nora doesn’t think it could have gone better. Lulu accosts Andre as he’s leaving. She asks if he has any idea what Valentin has done. She says he murdered her brother to get the Cassadine estate. Andre says he was to give a recommendation in Charlotte’s best interest. He gave his professional opinion and stands by it, and to talk to the judge if they take issue with it. Diane tells Lulu that the judge will take everything into consideration.

She’s fast too. She’s ready to rule.

Sam tells Alexis to do what she thinks is right, but don’t romanticize Julian. He never had a problem lying to her if it meant she thought better of him, and the letter is probably more of the same. Elizabeth peeks in and asks if it’s a good time, and Alexis says she was just leaving. Elizabeth says she just wanted to check in after last night. Sam says they’re fine. They joke about Jason, and Elizabeth looks at the baby. Sam says that Emily has had a lot of visitors today. Elizabeth gives Sam a present.

Franco asks if Jake remembers having any fun sliding since he was four. Jake says no, and Franco says draw something fun that he remembers from when he was seven. Franco wanted to be a pirate when he was seven, and asks Jake what he wanted to be. Jake doesn’t know, so Franco tells him to draw something else from when he was four. Jake gets up and paces on the paper. He starts to draw. It’s a door.

The judge awards full physical and legal custody to Valentin. Lulu shouts out, and Diane apologizes. The judge says Lulu will be allowed supervised visitation. Based on the social worker’s recommendation, they’ll revisit the custody issue in six months. Valentin thanks Nora. She says she’s happy that Charlotte is going to remain while she belongs. Lulu wants to know how they can do this when she’s Charlotte’s mother. At this point, I wouldn’t let her have custody of a squirrel.

Valentin tells Charlotte he’s taking her and Nina out for a special lunch to celebrate their family. Lulu wonders how she’s supposed to deal with this. Dante says they’ll make sure Lulu spends as much time with Charlotte as possible. Diane says she could have been denied visitation altogether, and in six months they can form a bond. Dante says at the least they’ll end up getting shared custody. Lulu whines about having to meet Charlotte with a stranger watching. Like she can be trusted.

Laura asks to have a word with Valentin. Nina takes Charlotte outside. Laura says they all want what’s best for Charlotte, and Valentin says she’s thrilled to be with him. Laura says a lot can change in six months. These people don’t know when to quit. It’s probably not a good idea to be talking to him like that, especially after Lulu’s performance in the courtroom.

Franco asks Jake what the door is about, and Jake says he’s tired of this, and wants to play with the marshmallow gun. Franco sends him to the kitchen to get marshmallows, and ponders the door drawing.

Sam unwraps a baby book. She tells Elizabeth that she’s looking forward to documenting Emily’s firsts. Elizabeth tells her there are things like a family tree in it. Sam thanks her. Sam flips through the book and when she gets to the tree, she focuses on the word “grandpa.”

Alexis takes out the safe deposit box key and the letter.

On Monday, the letter begins If you’re reading this, I’m dead, Scotty tells Olivia-J that she’s going away for a long time, and Felicia asks Anna what she’s doing.

🍰 The kids on MasterChef Junior are still going strong. Omg, this one nine-year-old is the cutest. He can barely get out the words as to what he cooked, but cooks better than all of us put together. Sadly, he got cut this week. I was having some serious thinking about becoming a vegetarian, but it almost gave me second thoughts tonight after seeing the pork chops and steaks these youngsters cooked up. Next week, the traditional pie throwing.

🍳 Gordon Ramsay’s The f Word is coming to FOX this summer. It’s billed as a cooking competition, so I’m not sure if It will be the same as the BBC version. I absolutely love that show. It has a little bit of everything – Gordon showing us a farm to table experience, some restaurant action, and Gordon competing with a celebrity cooking the same dish. I’m curious as to how they might Americanize it, but if it’s Gordon, it’s got to be good!

😢 Waaah! March Madness is making me mad. It’s totally interfering with my viewing schedule. Alas, Judge Judy and Life in Pieces, I knew you well.

🏥 Does the doctor on My 600-lb Life remind anyone else of Tim Conway’s “Mr. Tudball” from The Carol Burnett Show? Just askin’.

MrsWiggins&MrTudball